The team stood in place for a moment, taken aback by Broker’s revelation that not only did he have another missile… he had several, and the means to set them off… but they didn’t have time to be shocked, as the airship Broker was on was getting away.
“Any ideas, Black?” Sterling asked Black.
“We gotta get after them!” Black declared, “Broker has that control panel on him. No doubt it’s gonna require him being in range of all those towers to launch the missiles. We take out Broker and his harpy friend, we end this madness!”
“And how are we gonna get up there? They’re miles off the ground and none of us can fly!” Fury challenged.
“I don’t know. Fletcher?” Black glanced at Fletcher.
“That’s something we gonna have to think up on the fly. For now we need to catch up with them!” Fletcher declared.
“Well, it’s better than nothing.” Sterling admitted.
"'Course it is." Caboose shrugged. "Nothing is... well, nothing!"
"I'm in." Fury nodded.
"Then it's decided." Black smiled. "Off we go!"
As one, the group gave chase… only to be accosted by a shower of flying bolts.
"Take cover!" Black yelled.
The team leapt behind some nearby crates, which defended them from the bolts. As they took a peek behind their makeshift barriers, they saw several agents coming onto the scene.
“Well, that didn’t last long.” Caboose frowned.
“Kill them!” A buffalo agent roared, “Do not give them an inch!”
As one, the agents charged, many of them firing crossbows and magic blasts at them.
The team, dodging a hail of crossbow bolts, rushed for cover behind some crates. Caboose and Fletcher returned fire, while Fury flung spears at their foes.
“Keep at it, troops! They can’t hold out forever!” Another agent, a griffon snarled.
“Dammit, we don’t have time for this!” Sterling yelled, firing the crossbow Caboose had gotten him. “Broker's getting away!”
"What, so we should ask them nicely to step aside?" Fury joked.
"You think they'll go for that?" Caboose asked.
"He was being sarcastic, Caboose." Fletcher declared.
"I don't think he was." Caboose shook his head.
"I was, actually." Fury rolled his eyes.
"You sure?" Caboose frowned.
"We have to figure out a way to clear out these clowns, and fast." Black fired his own crossbow.
"Easier said than done, boss." Sterling declared. "Unless, of course, there's a bulldozer nearby."
"I could take a look." Caboose offered, once again failing to register the sarcasm.
"Sure, go for it." Fury sighed.
"Will do!" Caboose took a break from firing to look around.
As he scanned the area, he saw an open door, and something beyond that...
“Hey, Black! Black!” Caboose piped up.
“What is it, Caboose?!” Black grunted, as he shot another agent dead.
“Remember at that crumbling cliff, where you told me if I knew of any 'alternatives', I should tell you?"
“...Yes…” Black nodded, a bit worried about where he was going with this.
“Well, I think I got one!” Caboose smiled. “But I’m gonna need ya guys to keep them busy while I get it!”
"Consider it done." Fletcher declared.
"Ditto." Sterling smiled.
"Just make it quick." Fury urged.
"You know me." Caboose smiled.
Caboose rushed out from under the cover, with his comrades drawing the agents' attention with fire of their own.
"Ya want some a' this, scum?!" Fury roared, throwing spears and blasting wind funnels.
"There's plenty to go around!" Fletcher fired more arrows.
"That's it, guys!" Black encouraged them. "Don't let up!"
"I wasn't planning on it!" Sterling said sarcastically.
Several agents were downed by the attacks, but there were more to replace them. And the team's shelter was proving very temporary, with every crossbow bolt weakening it further.
"Where is Caboose?!" Fury yelled. "His 'alternative' shouldn't be taking this long!"
"We just have to stand our ground, and wait for Caboose to get back." Black insisted.
"Hopefully, it'll be soon..." Sterling added.
"He won't disappoint us." Fletcher declared. "He never does..."
"Move in for the kill!" A minotaur yelled.
The agent's announcement was drowned out by a loud noise, unmistakeably that of an engine. As the agents and the team turned in the direction of the noise, as bursting out from behind a metal fence was an armored carriage, roaring towards them, its cannon glinting in the sun.
“Hey, that’s our carriage!” One agent, notably the one who wished to take it for a spin earlier, snarled.
“And it’s coming right for us!” Another agent yelped.
"Scatter!" The minotaur ordered.
The agents fled in all directions. Some succeeded in escaping, but others were struck by the carriage and sent flying.
"What's this all about?" Fury frowned, as the carriage veered towards them.
"I got a feeling I know..." Sterling smirked.
"As do I." Fletcher nodded.
The carriage came to a halt right in front of the team. The hatch opened, and Caboose emerged, his face set in his trademark happy grin.
"Hey, guys, need a ride?" He smiled.
"So this is your 'alternative', huh?" Black raised a brow in bemusement.
“Yeah. My ‘kaboom’ senses were tingling, and when I found this magnificent vehicle just sitting in there, unused, I just had to have it!" Caboose revealed.
“Your… ‘kaboom’ senses?” Fury grimaced.
"Yep!" Caboose grinned.
"Looks like they've served you well." Black noted.
"Not a bad ride, huh guys?" Sterling smiled.
"A tad unwieldly for my tastes." Fletcher admitted. "But right now, we could use the added muscle."
"You guys had better get in." Caboose declared. "We've got an airship to catch."
"Couldn't have put it better myself." Black nodded. "Everycreature in."
"I call shotgun!" Sterling smirked.
"But I was going to-!" Fletcher protested.
"I said it first." Sterling pointed.
"He did." Caboose agreed. "That's the rule."
"Oh, very well." Fletcher pouted.
One by one, they got into the tank-like carriage.
"All buckled in?" Caboose asked.
“Um, do you know how to drive this thing?” Fury asked.
"I sure do." Caboose smirked.
Mere seconds after his boast, there was a thud and a scream, as the tank ran over an agent.
“...That was probably just a cat.” Caboose deadpanned.
The carriage swerved and changed direction, heading after the airship, the other agents dashing out of the way as the carriage drove off into the wilderness.
"They won't get away that easy!" The minotaur yelled. "After them!"
The remaining agents gave chase, intent on finishing the job.
Meanwhile, back at Taskforce headquarters, Armory was still working on restoring the kite remotely. As he worked feverishly, Elite entered his workshop.
"How goes it, Armory?" Elite asked.
"I think I may have something." Armory held up a magical crystal. "This crystal has the same magical frequency as the one which powered the kite. If I can connect to it via mirror, it should give it enough of a boost for it to get airborne again, so we can see what's going on."
"Good thinking, Armory." Elite smiled. "It could be our best hope. Let me know when it's ready."
"Don't worry, I will." Armory nodded. "We may not be able to get help there in time, but we can at least see what's going on. And if possible, give the team our support."
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Armory." Elite said proudly. "I'll let the others that there's still a ray of hope."
"I just hope I can pull it off." Armory declared. "For the sake of Black and the others."
"I know you can." Elite assured himself. "You haven't let any of us down yet, and I doubt you'll start now."
"Thanks, Elite." Armory beamed.
"Anytime." Elite grinned. "Now, I think I've distracted you long enough. I'll leave you to your work."
With that, Elite departed. Emboldened by his superior's encouragement, Armory continued his efforts with renewed vigor.
'Don't worry, guys.' He thought. 'This isn't over yet. Just stay safe...'
Back on the island, Broker and Turbine were making their way towards the middle of the island, where they'd be in range of all the receiving towers, allowing Broker to initiate the remote launch of all the other missiles.
“Well, today didn’t go quite to plan as I would have hoped.” Broker admitted, taking out his glass of milk, still unscathed and full, as he took a sip. The panel, a small portable one with handles on the side, was in his other hoof, “But in the end, it’s all coming together. Our plan will still succeed, all thanks to my brilliance.”
“Brilliance? Oh, please…” Turbine scoffed, piloting the ship.
"You got something to say to me, Turbine?" Broker rounded on him.
“Oh, where do I begin?!” Turbine snarled, “Everything has gone so south, that we’ve about hit Mexicolt, all because you left those flappers alive! I told you they needed to be dealt with, but you didn’t listen! And now, Ferdy’s dead. Grunt’s dead. And Pomelo’s dead. And I don’t even know what happened to Dan, but the point is, they’re all dead, because of you!”
“Ever the emotional one, Turbine.” Broker rolled his eyes, “Yes, their deaths are unfortunate, but in the end, we’re the ones going to come up on top. I fail to see why you’re making a fit about it.”
“Because all of it could had been avoided!” Turbine roared, turning away from the wheel, “If you had only listened to me when I told you locking them up was a bad idea, or even when I first told you about them in the first place, we wouldn’t have lost so many agents today!”
“Really?” Broker challenged, “Well, if you ask me, you’re not exactly blameless yourself.”
“...Excuse me?” Turbine seethed.
“Well, think about it, Turbine. You and the others were the ones who brought those fools to the camp in the first place.” Broker pointed out, “I don’t recall ever asking you to bring them back to the camp alive. If you wanted them gone so bad, why didn’t you kill them then?”
"Well, because I.." Turbine started to refute, only to trail off…
“You see?” Broker sneered. “The truth is, this whole series of unfortunate events occurred because you wanted to bring them back and rub it in my face, just to boost your own ego. So… all in all, it’s your fault.”
"Don't even think about turning this back on me!" Turbine snarled. "You're the one in charge, remember?!"
"Yes, I am." Broker nodded. "Which means I deserve some respect!"
"Respect needs to be earned." Turbine said coldly. "And your idiocy is hardly worthy of respect."
"Don't you-!" Broker started a retort, only to spot something in the distance. "What is that?"
It was the carriage, with (unbeknownst to them, of course) the team inside. And it was closing in fast.
"That looks familiar..." Turbine mused.
"Wait, it's one of ours." Broker surmised. "The carriage I bought. Looks like it's being put to some good use after all."
“What use, exactly?” Turbine scowled.
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Broker smirked, “The others must have finally taken out those interlopers, and are joining us in our moment of triumph."
“And they couldn’t have just called us?” Turbine grimaced in disbelief.
“With those towers? Not likely.” Broker huffed, as he sipped his milk, “But looks like everything turned out alright. And if you’re a good little birdie for the rest of the operation, I will forgive your-”
Suddenly, a spear flew past Broker, shattering his glass of milk to pieces, the liquid spilling everywhere.
“What the-?!” Broker gaped.
Almost instantaneously, a barrage of bolts and spears started flying at them.
“Get down!” Turbine pulled Broker down, both of them barely evading the onslaught, “So… care to retract your statement?”
“Well…” Broker stammered, before growling, “We don’t know if it’s actually them. Could be another set of meddlers who stole our tank. Take a closer look!”
"Why me?" Turbine protested.
"Because I said so!" Broker yelled. "Do it!"
Grudgingly, Turbine took a peek. He saw most of the Project Freedom members poking out of several of the wheeled tank's hatches, launching attacks (and insults) at him.
"You're going down, ya milk-drinking freak!" Sterling yelled.
"Get down here, so I can shove that glass into a very painful place!" Fury added, tossing another spear.
"You're not winning today!" Black declared, firing his crossbow. "Not if we have anything to say about it!"
Turbine quickly ducked back down.
“Yup, it’s definitely them.” Turbine deadpanned, “And they now have our tank. Still think you’re brilliant?”
“...You know what…” Broker began, his eyes adopting a very dark gleam. So dark that it was unsettling to Turbine, “I have had it. Those fools came onto our island, trespassed on our operation, attacked and killed our agents... and now…” He glanced at his milk-drenched hoof, “They spilt my milk!” He got up and started storming towards the front of the ship, where the controls were. “No imprisonment. No sending others to do the work… I’m going to take these guys down myself!”
“What?!” Turbine yelped, as he got in front of him. “No!”
"What do you mean, 'no'?" Broker scowled. "You were just complaining that I shouldn't have taken lightly in the first place!"
"Before, yes." Turbine admitted. "But that was then. When we had them at our mercy and everyone else was still alive! But now, we’re about to launch those missiles in a few minutes. If we just ignore them and press onwards, we can finally finish our mission and then we’ll kill them!”
“...Hmm, we could do that.” Broker admitted. "...Or I could use this airship's superior firepower to blast them into dust, right here, right now!"
Before Turbine could rebut, Broker pushes him aside, and marched over to the control panel, throwing several levers, and pushing even more buttons. In response, the airship's weapons (mostly cannons) activated, and turned in the direction of the carriage.
"I think we're about to run into some complications." Sterling cringed, taking note of the arsenal pointed at them.
"That would be an understatement, I think." Fletcher gulped.
"Everycreature back inside!" Black instructed. "Caboose, evasive manoeuvres!"
"Roger that, boss!" Caboose spun the wheel.
As the carriage changed direction, the airship's weapons fired, launching cannonballs and miniature missiles at the carriage's general position. Explosions erupted all around as Caboose desperately tried to stay one step ahead of the onslaught.
"Whoa!" Caboose yelped. "They sure didn't cover this in driver's ed!"
“...Wait, automated carriages aren’t commercially available to the public.” Fury grimaced, “Why would be there be a driver’s-”
Caboose veered the carriage again, tossing Fury mid-sentence.
"Ya gotta admit, for something so big, this baby handles like a dream." Sterling noted, hanging on tightly.
"Oof!" Fletcher grunted, as one particularly sharp turn flung him into the side of the carriage. "Yes, a dream..."
“Well, we can’t keep dodging!” Fury declared, clambering back to his talons as he gripped a side of the carriage, “We’ve gotta return fire! I almost had that bucker earlier!”
"Agreed." Black reloaded his crossbow. "Fletcher, Sterling, you two stand by. We'll handle this part."
As Black and Fury peeked out from the hatches, ready to unleash another volley of attacks.
“Alright, Fury, it’s time to void his insurance policy!” Black roared.
“For once, you’re speaking my language!” Fury smirked, as he materialized a spear.
A few bolts suddenly flew past them, barely missing.
"What was that?" Fury frowned.
"I think they came from back there..." Black looked behind them, and saw the group of remaining agents running after them, chasing them.
The weapons bounced off the carriage's armor plating, but Black and Fury were aware that they wouldn't be so lucky. That, combined with the airship's own unyielding barrage, forced them to duck back inside.
"Faust damn it! I can't get a good shot!" Black yelled.
"Me neither! We're taking too much fire!" Fury growled.
Up on the airship, Turbine was once again losing patience with Broker's actions.
"We don't have time for this!" He protested.
"There's always time for revenge!" Broker spat.
"At the very least, we should arm the missiles!" Turbine insisted. "They're waiting for us, and we’re a couple minutes out from the middle of the island!" He pointed to the areas with the missile holes in the ground.
"Okay, fine!" Broker flipped a switch on his remote. "The missiles are arming now. Happy?"
"I will be if you fire them on time." Turbine scowled.
"It's not launch time yet." Broker said stubbornly. "I can still finish those fools!"
"Like talking to a brick wall..." Turbine snarled.
Outside, the missiles started rising up within their silos. Once they emerged, automatic arms started attaching the external Obsidian Ore packs to them. Smoke started rises from the silos, indicating that they were ready to go at any time.
"Dammit, we've got to do something! He's arming the missiles!" Fletcher pointed out.
The airship fired some more at the carriage, raining down cannonballs and missiles that scarred the surrounding landscape. Inside, the force of the explosions sent the team flying around, slamming into the tank's armored walls.
"Oof!" Fletcher grunted, as he collided with the hull.
"Watch it!" Sterling yelled, as Fury collided with him.
"Not exactly in control here, y'know!" Fury grunted.
"You'd think a fancy rig like this would come with seatbelts..." Black muttered, struggling to hang on.
Another explosion rattled them around.
"Oh, that's it!" Caboose growled. "Black, take the wheel!"
"Okay..." Black complied, as Caboose clambered up to the main hatch.
“Caboose, what are you doing?!” Sterling asked.
“I’m going to try and bring that ship down!” Caboose snapped.
Caboose opened up the main hatch, ducking a bit to avoid more bolts flying at him. He took one look at the ship, and aimed his horn, as it charged up with magic.
"Say cheese, milk boy!" Caboose declared. In an instant, the magic-inhibitor ring that Elite put on him snapped off, as he fired a powerful blast of magic. It glowed brightly, causing the air to shimmer with heat, a powerful shockwave emitting from it. It headed straight for the airship, poised for destruction... Only for it to barely graze the airship’s underside, leaving quite a mark.
“Faust dammit!” Caboose slapped the carriage’s top.
"Gah!" Broker yelled, as the airship was rocked by the blast’s near miss. "What was that?!"
“I have no idea, but that was way too close!” Turbine grimaced, a bit shaken himself.
Looking over the railing, Broker could make out Caboose's face, still glancing out of the hatch, still upset that he missed.
"Caboose!" Broker screamed with rage.
"Broker!" Caboose snarled angrily, equally distasteful of him.
"Buck you!" Broker spat. "Turbine, blow these mother buckers away!"
"Broker, we should get out of here and fire the damn missiles!" Turbine protested.
"Not till they're dead!" Broker roared. "Fire the cannons!"
"Grrrrr!" Turbine growled with annoyance.
Caboose slipped back into the carriage.
"Sorry guy." He apologized, not seeing the shock on the others’ faces. "I missed."
“Caboose, how did you do that?!” Fury gaped, noting the missing inhibitor ring.
“What, that?” Caboose pointed to his horn, “I could always do that. I once blew a hole out of the dungeons at the Crystal Empire when Black was running the place.”
“Wait, that was you?” Sterling frowned, “I thought that some of the younger Alicorns did that!”
“Um, guys, could we focus on the airship that’s about to return fire?!” Black roared.
Turbine begrudgingly aimed and fired the cannons once more. Two cannonballs flew straight at the carriage…
"Okay, daddy's getting back in the driver's seat." Caboose announced, quickly pushing Black aside as he steered the carriage away.
The carriage swerved at the last second, leaving the cannonballs to miss by the narrowest of margins. Instead, they made a beeline straight for the remaining troops.
"Oh, buck." One of the Unicorn agents said flatly.
The cannonball struck the ground right in front of the agents, resulting in an explosion that incinerated them and barely missed the carriage, yet still shook both the vehicle and its occupants.
"Lauren Faust!" Sterling yelped.
"How did you miss?!" Broker demanded of Turbine.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you wanna try and aim two cannons while being yelled at by your idiot boss?!" Turbine shot back.
"You do not talk to me like that!" Broker spat. "I have had enough of your insubordination!"
"And I've had enough of your poor leadership!" Turbine spat. "Because of you, we're on the brink of failure!"
"Because of me, we're on the cusp of victory!" Broker retorted.
"Oh, please!" Turbine snarled. "We got this far in spite of you!"
"Oh, like you were so vital to the mission!" Broker spat. "All you did was sit in trees, drawing your pathetic little sketches!"
"Shut up!" Turbine growled, Broker having hit a nerve.
"All that yearning for wings is so pitiful!" Broker sneered.
"No more pitiful than reminiscing about being some second-rate insurance salescreature!" Turbine retorted.
"First rate!" Broker telled.
"In your dreams, maybe!" Turbine snarled.
As they argued, the airship continued to fire fiercely with its automatic turrets. Some strikes began to pierce through the carriage, one grazing Fury.
"Gah! I've been grazed!" Fury cringed, holding his wounds.
"You've been hit by grass?" Caboose frowned.
"Not now, Caboose!" Sterling groaned.
Not too far away, the missiles began to rise from their holes, moments away from launching. On the airship, Broker and Turbine were still arguing.
"You know what your problem is?" Broker spat.
"Do enlighten me." Turbine jeered.
"It's-!" Broker started, only to be cut off by a beeping from the control panel. "The missiles are ready!"
"Then launch them already!" Turbine urged.
"If only to spite you..." Broker moved to do so… only to realize something. “...Oh buck.” He grimaced.
“Oh buck? What is ‘oh buck’?” Turbine gaped.
“We’re out of range!” Broker growled, “Because of you, we passed the middle of the island! Now we have to turn this ship around!”
“Because of me?!” Turbine gaped, “You’re the one who was wasting his time on those guys down below!”
"At least I was doing something!" Broker snarled. "Unlike you! Now keep firing on those trespassers!"
"Not a chance!" Turbine refused. "Those missiles need to be launched, or all our hard work will be for nothing!"
"I don't care!" Broker yelled, refusing to listen. "The missiles can wait until after I've wiped out these idiots once and for all!"
"The missiles can wait? You. Idiot!" Turbine roared. "You're ruining everything for the sake of your pride and petty revenge! And I've had enough of it!"
"You are still my subordinate, Turbine!" Broker roared back. "And you will follow orders! Now stand aside, and let me remove these thorns in my side, just like you were whining about doing all along!"
Turbine remained silent for a moment… before huffing.
“You know what, I don’t even care anymore!” Turbine spat, as he stormed past him, “I’m outta here!”
“What?! What do you mean you’re outta here?!” Broker demanded.
“I mean I am done with all this!” Turbine snapped, “You are the worst leader ever! Your arrogance and lack of caution are directly responsible for everything that's occurred today Years of preparations and careful planning have been wrecked because of your own ego, and you don't even see it! Well, I do, and I'm leaving you to go down with this ‘ship’ before I become just another victim of your idiocy!”
“Well… I...” Broker stammered, a bit loss for words, before snarling, “Go ahead! Run, you coward! But know that when I blast those fools to pieces and launch those missiles, and come back a conquering hero, I will be sure to let them know how you abandoned your post and you’ll be put down like the insubordinate twit you are!”
“Peh. You’ll have to survive by then.” Turbine taunted, as he walked out of the command deck, intent on grabbing a parachute and evacuating.
“Oh, I will!” Broker spat contemptuously. "Some of the Forefathers' greatest foes will be gone, and Equestria will fall, and I'll be free to take all the credit!"
Laughing maniacally, Broker returned to the control panel, and launched a fresh volley upon his enemies.
Meanwhile, back at Taskforce headquarters, Armory rushed into the control room, where the rest of the team (and Consul) were gathered.
"Guys, I did it!" He announced.
"Did what?" Incognito frowned.
"I cobbled together a power-booster for the kite." Armory declared. "It should get it back in the air, and let us see what's going on."
"Excellent work, Armory!" Master Mind smiled.
"Ruff!" Titan nodded.
"Let's not celebrate just yet." Consul said skeptically.
"Hey, don't be so negative." Ballista admonished him. "If Armory says he's fixed it, he's fixed it."
"Any time you're ready, Armory." Elite smiled encouragingly.
"Here we go..." Armory placed the crystal onto the mirror's handle, and pushed the button. The crystal began to glow brightly.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, the then abandoned kite began to spark to life as it began to hover...
On the main screen, an image flickered into being, depicting the ravaged camp, which seemed to be getting smaller as the kite started flying again.
“Yes!" Armory smirked.
"Way to go, little buddy!" Ballista cheered.
"Rrf!" Titan barked happily.
"Superlative!" Master Mind added.
"Never doubted ya for a second." Incognito beamed.
"Nicely done, Armory." Elite declared, giving a smug look at Consul, "Wouldn't you agree, Consul?"
"Yeah, I guess." Consul shrugged. "But we still need to find our team."
As the kite flew around, they took note of the area.
"Looks like some kind of military camp." Incognito mused.
"A Forefathers camp, if a certain familiar symbol is anything to go by." Ballista noted such a symbol on a crate.
"Wait, over there!" Master Mind pointed out the missile that had been prevented from launchin. "That's an obsidian missile!"
"A what?" Armory asked.
"A missile filled with a special magical ore that petrifies anything it hits." Master Mind clarified.
"What's one of those doing here?" Incognito frowned.
Elite, Balista, and Consul looked on knowingly, Consul feeling guilty under Elite’s glare.
"Look at this mess." Armory acknowledged the damage caused to the camp.
"What happened there, and where’s Black and the others?" Master Mind asked.
"A very good question." Elite mused. "Perhaps-"
They suddenly heard an explosion, as a large cloud of dust appeared in the distance on the screen.
"Something tells me we'll find them in that direction." Armory deadpanned. "Wouldn't want to miss the action..."
Using the remote, Armory directed the kite toward the source of the explosion.
Back on the island, the carriage continued swerving and changing direction, as the airship continued to fire at it. Inside, the team were barely able to keep upright in all the chaos.
"We gotta do something, he's gonna buckin' kill us!" Black declared.
"...Wait a minute, this carriage has a cannon!" Fletcher realized, "We'll shoot him back!"
"Alright! Sterling, take the wheel!" Caboose nodded.
"You got it, pal." Sterling nodded, grabbing hold of the wheel.
Caboose climbed up a small ladder on the wall of the carriage interior, which led to the cannon placement. Grabbing a handy spare cannonball, he loaded it into the barrel, then took his place at the controls. Peering through the armored grill just above the cannon, Caboose saw the airship turning around, in order to launch another volley at them. The time was right.
"Okay, it's loaded!" He declared.
"Alright." Sterling nodded, as he turned the carriage to face the airship, thereby giving Caboose the best shot possible. "Let's barbeque this motherbucker!"
"To victory!" Fletcher cheered.
"For Equestria!" Black added.
"Balls to the wall, motherflapper!" Fury roared.
"Boom, boom... boom!" Caboose whooped.
The cannon fired, launching at the airship. As it flew up toward them, Broker took notice, looking on in horror, realizing he had no hope of steering away.
"Oh, no..." He gulped.
He glanced at his missile control panel, which still said he wasn’t in range.
“Oh, shoot…” Broker growled, “I’ll just have to hoof it!”
Fleeing from the airship's control panel, Broker rushed over to the locker where the emergency parachutes were kept, hanging on the hope that he can still succeed in his mission…
But to his horror, the locker was completely empty.
"Where-?!" He looked around, panicked… and then remembered what Turbine said to him.
”You’ll have to survive by then.”
The word ‘survive’ echoed in Broker’s head, as anguish and fury crept onto Broker’s face.
“Oh, you miserable son of a-” Broker cried.
Broker trailed off as he saw the cannonball through the window, seconds from impact. He had only a second to look on in mortification before the cannonball collided with the airship…
In the blink of an eye, the airship erupted in a massive explosion, chunks of wood, metal and plastic flying everywhere.
"ARRRRRGGGHH!" Broker yelled in fear as he was engulfed by the flames.
With the destruction of the missile’s control panel, the missiles fizzled in place, as the burning airship spun out of control, colliding with a nearby signal tower (that happened to be in the vicnity), wrecking it in the process.
Down below, the carriage came to a halt, as the team got out. Upon seeing the wreckage, and the fact that no missiles were currently being launched, the team cheered, glad to have finally stopped Broker and saved Equestria.
"We did it!" Fletcher cheered.
"Yeah, we did!" Caboose added.
"We showed him who's boss!" Sterling grinned.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Fury whooped.
"Good work, guys." Black smiled. "We did it. Together."
By that point, the kite had arrived on the scene, and caught the whole event. The Taskforce and Consul looked on in amazement.
"Well, I'll be..." Ballista smiled knowingly.
“...Am I the only one lost as to what’s going on?” Incognito asked, confused.
“I admit, I’m a bit confused myself.” Master Mind pondered, “The fact that their captors were Forefather agents and there was that missile… and then there’s this airship and those towers…” He glanced at the others, “I think we might have accidentally stumbled upon a evil plot.”
“An evil plot that Black and the others managed to stop.” Armory beamed, “I don’t know how they did it, but they did. Like I knew they would.”
"Rrf!" Titan agreed.
“Right, you are, Armory.” Elite smirked, as he glanced at Consul, “It seems you'll have something quite positive to tell Wall now, eh, Consul?"
"Yeah… I guess so." Consel nodded, genuinely elated at the team’s success.
Unaware to everyone, Turbine slowly parachuted to the ground a good distance away from the explosion. He slipped off his parachute harness and glanced back at the burning wreckage, knowing full well that Broker was now good and dead. With a cold huff, Turbine threw aside the spare parachute that he taken with him, and sped off into the wilderness…
As the team got out of the carriage, still celebrating, they saw the kite flying once again.
"Well, look what we have here." Black mused.
"Big brother's back." Sterling noted.
"Just in time for the fireworks show." Fury added.
"Better late than never, I suppose." Fletcher nodded.
“Hey, maybe the mirror is working now.” Caboose smirked, pulling out his mirror and giving it to Black, “Try and give Elite a call again.”
Silently thanking Caboose, Black took the mirror and activated it.
Back at the base, Elite immediately answered his own mirror, seeing Black on the mirror from the main screen.
"Elite, are you there?" Black asked.
"I am." Elite answered, his face coming into focus. "And I could really use a situation report right now."
“Well, it’s a crazy long story…” Black rubbed the back of his head, “But to put it simply, there were hostiles on this islands, Forefather agents, but we stopped them. And there were these missiles that would had turn all of the world to stone… but we stopped them as well. And I know we said this before, but we really mean it this time… we would really really like to go home right now.”
"Hear, hear." Fletcher agreed.
"Couldn't agree more." Sterling smiled.
"Me too!" Caboose grinned.
"You better believe it." Fury chuckled.
“I would be delighted to oblige.” Elite smiled knowingly, “I’ll have an airship sent to pick you up within the hour.”
"Sweet." Sterling grinned.
"Awesome!" Caboose cheered.
"Fantastic." Fletcher smiled.
"Finally." Fury smirked.
"And one more thing?" Elite added. "...Good work. All of you. I knew you'd make us all proud."
"Just doing our job, sir." Black nodded.
"And I'm glad you're going to be able to keep doing that job..." Elite admitted. "Over and out."
Elite's face vanished from the mirror.
'So Elite didn’t give up on us after all...' Black smiled to himself.
"So... what are we gonna do for the next hour?" Sterling asked.
“Well, we do have this carriage and there are still some cannonballs in it.” Caboose suggested, “...After all the trouble this island put us through, we could go and blow stuff up.”
"Oh, that sounds perfect!" Fury grinned.
"Count me in." Sterling nodded.
"That sounds oddly enticing right now." Fletcher admitted.
"And a perfect way to relax and unwind after a hard day's world saving." Black smiled. "So let's do it!"
The team cheered as they climbed back into the carriage, which soon after started rolling around the landscape, taking potshots at whatever caught the team's collective eye.
Meanwhile Turbine was making his way back to the camp, ignoring all the dead bodies he passed by along the way, as he sought to find a boat to take him back to Mount Aris, from which he would take another airship back to Infinity.
"Okay, now I have to formulate a story about what happened here." He said to himself, “One that places most, if not all of the blame on that idiot Broker. Fortunately, it's not like it would stretch the truth that much..."
At that moment, a heavily-wounded Dan approached him, having woke up from being unconscious.
“Turbine?” Dan moaned, “What’s going on? Why is everyone-”
"Gah!" Turbine kicked up a nearby crossbow, and in a instant, and shot Dan in the face, killing him.
Immediately, Turbine realized he just shot the only other surviving agent on the island.
“Oh no… look what
"What have I done?!" Turbine cringed, realizing he killed him. "...Oh no. Dan was shot by one of the prisoners… a while ago… I better-” He stopped himself, “What I am doing? I’m the only one left.” With a huff, “Faust, I gotta get off this stupid island...”
With that, Turbine continued his lone trek, overwhelmed with bitterness and anger, not just toward Broker, but for the Project: Freedon team themselves.
'You're gonna be sorry.' He thought to himself. 'Just wait. One of these days, I'll make you all pay for this, one way or another...'