• Published 21st Jun 2018
  • 479 Views, 22 Comments

Fight As One - Bluecatcinema



The birth of a new team of heroes.

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Eye Of The Bewildered

Not long after the Cragadile's rampage (and death), the members of Project: Freedom were still seeking out a new campsite, with Black leading the march.

“So… any ideas on where we’re going, fearless leader?" Sterling asked.

"A few." Black nodded. "I saw one or two other possible camping locations from up on the mountain. Of course, that first site was the best of the bunch, so we'll have to settle for the first runner-up."

"And I thought the winner was a lousy choice." Fury scowled. "Now we gotta go somewhere even worse?"

"Need I remind you that you were the one who rendered our first choice unsuitable?" Fletcher growled. "By leaving a giant Cragadile corpse in the middle of it?"

"It's hard to forget when you keep reminding me!" Fury spat. "Every. Five. Minutes!"

"Okay, easy, guys." Caboose stepped forward. "Let's not get bogged down in the blame game."

"Of course you'd say that." Fury sneered. "It was thanks to you that we had to deal with that thing in the first place. You endangered all of us with that empty-headed stunt!"

"What did I just say?" Caboose pouted.

"Leave him alone, feathers." Sterling scowled. "Caboose is right. All this blaming's helping nocreature."

"It's helping me." Fury said defiantly. "And you. If I had to keep all my frustrations about you idiots bottled up, I'd pretty snap and kill you all sooner or later."

"I'd like to see you try." Fletcher scoffed.

"You say that now..." Fury sneered.

"Like you could really take us all on." Sterling shot back. "You couldn't even beat Caboose, remember?"

"I told you: he got lucky!" Fury growled. "Luckiest idiot in the world..."

"Or maybe he's just not the idiot you think he is?" Fletcher countered.

"Oh, really?" Fury retorted. "Then he's doin' a pretty good job of faking it."

“You don’t give Caboose enough credit.” Sterling glared, “He may not look it, but he’s one clever stallion. Right, Caboose?”

"Huh?" Caboose muttered. He was in the middle of inspecting the crossbow, pointing the loaded part straight at his face. "What did you-" He accidentally pulled the trigger as he turned to face Sterling, causing the bolt to fire. The bolt barely missed his face. Whoa!" He yelped. "That was a close one!"

“...Right. Clever must mean something different in Bitalian.” Fury scoffed.

"Oh, like you're some deep thinker yourself." Sterling shot back. "You're just some brainless thug. So get off Caboose's back already."

"Caboose does not need you to defend him." Fletcher glared at Sterling.

"Says who?" Sterling scowled. "Caboose is my friend too, you know."

"Sure am." Caboose nodded.

"Caboose doesn't need a friend like you." Fletcher retorted.

"I don't?" Caboose frowned.

"I think Caboose is more than capable of deciding that for himself." Sterling growled.

"I am?" Caboose blinked.

"Yes, you are." Sterling nodded. "At least I understand, and respect that."

"And you're saying I don't?" Fletcher shot back.

"If the horseshoe fits..." Sterling sneered.

"Why, you smug, pretentious-!" Fletcher snarled.

“Enough with the bickering, guys!” Black growled, “We gotta keep moving. There’s no telling what’s out here, and no thanks to that ruckus back there, we might have caught the attention of the Cragadile’s pals, or if, Faust forbid, some other vicious animals. And I don’t know about you guys, but I've had enough of the fighting for one day.”

“Oh, come on, Black. I hear that you used to enjoy the fight, way back when.” Fury gave a snide smirk.

"That was a long time ago." Black brushed it off. "You can't live in the past..."

"Sounds like you've burnt out." Fury sneered. "Washed up already. But not all of us can say the same."

“Look, if you want a fight, by all mean, stay here and pick fights with the local wildlife.” Sterling huffed. "The rest of us will be doing something useful."

"Hopefully..." Fletcher added.

"Come on folks, pick up the pace." Black urged. "The sooner we get to the new site, the better."

"You got it, boss." Caboose grinned. "I love nature walks!"

Meanwhile, back at homebase, Armory and Master Mind were watching the feed, having been there all night (as was dictated by the rota). As they watched the scene unfold, the others came in.

"Hey, guys." Incognito smiled. "What did we miss?"

"Oh, not much." Armory said sarcastically. "Only our guys having a run in with a Cragadile!"

"Seriously?" Consul gaped.

"Did it eat of any of them?" Incognito joked. "Not that I'd want any of them eaten... maybe one or two..."

"It did not." Master Mind grimaced. "Fury killed it. Quite brutally, in fact."

"'Brutally'? That sounds about right." Ballista frowned.

"Well, at least they're surviving." Consul said awkwardly.

"Exactly." Elite nodded. "That is the point of this endeavor, after all."

"But isn't the point of all this that they learn to work together?" Armory pointed.

"Well, yes." Elite nodded. "But I'm sure they'll get there. They're still together, as a group, are they not?"

"That's true." Consul admitted. "But for how much longer is anypony's guess..."

Soon after, still unaware of the shoddily-made ‘surveillance kite’ behind them, Project: Freedom reached their to-be new camp site. It was situated next to the forest.

"So this is your 'first runner-up'?" Fury scowled.

"That's right." Black nodded.

"Are you sure it will suffice?" Fletcher asked.

"It should." Black nodded. "I picked it because of its close proximity to the woods, which gives us ready access to food and firewood. Not to mention the canopy should give us a little shelter for when it rains."

“Hmm, makes sense.” Sterling nodded, “It seems for once, you actually thought things through.”

“You’re still on about that one agent I forgot about, aren’t you?” Black growled. “You don’t hear me still ragging on you about that one agent you almost let get away?”

"Oh, sure, like you wouldn't..." Sterling scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Black frowned, "You've been acting strange ever since the exercise with that wooden ox Fury destroyed. What's up with you?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Sterling scoffed, "I'm just thinking about life and what it will be like in the future."

"And that has you upset because?" Black asked.

"Well, your boss Elite recruited me to help you guys defeat the Forefathers, right?" Sterling asked.

"Yes, that was his intent." Black nodded.

"So what's gonna happen to me if this little team is disbanded?" Sterling asked. "You gonna just get rid of me."

"Of course not." Black retorted. "Elite would never just throw you to the wolves like that."

"Yeah, right." Sterling scoffed. "I know his type. He may talk like he cares, but at the end of the day, we're all expendable."

"That is not what Elite is like!" Black yelled.

"How well do you know Elite exactly, Black?" Sterling shot back.

"I've known him pretty much my whole life." Black glared, "Long enough to know that Elite is a good stallion who cares about this team, including you."

"Really? Didn't he and Ballista kept Project: Argo from you?" Sterling challenged. Black's eyes perked, "Pike told me the whole story about your little stint with the Crystal Sun. About how you went off the deep end because you believed that you were meant for nothing more than to be a weapon for the RDL."

"I'll admit, those were dark times." Black sighed regretfully. "Mistakes were made... on all sides, including mine."

"I know you had it rough back then, and I'm sorry about that." Sterling sympathized. "You almost lost your morals. But Elite was still willing to use you for it. And for all I know, he'd be more than willing to do it again with me."

"Do you really think Elite is that heartless?" Black scowled, "I don't know where all this animosity is coming from, but Elite is a great pony and there's nothing you can say to tell me otherwise."

"Well, forgive me if I have trouble believing that." Sterling scoffed, "But from what I've seen, ponies of the government like Elite always have some hidden agenda. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there..."

“...As fun as it is having this discussion, I would rather we put our efforts towards replenishing our supplies.” Black grunted.

"Ooh, ooh!" Caboose spoke up, “Can we switch things up this time?! I feel like switching things up!”

“So, you’re saying you and Fletcher want to go get the food this time?” Black glanced at him.

“Um, actually, I was thinking me and Sterling could-” Caboose began.

Fletcher glared at Caboose.

“On second thought, yeah. Me and Fletcher will go get the food.” Caboose nervously frowned.

Sterling let out a annoyed snort.

"Okay, fine." Black nodded. "That means Sterling and Fury will be collecting the firewood."

"Great." Fury grunted. "And what will you be up to while we're doing all that? More ‘scouting’?"

“No. I’ll be checking the area to make sure there aren’t any wild animals nearby that could happen upon our camp, whether they are walking by, hunting…” He glanced at Caboose. “Or were peed on.”

“Again, I’m sorry!” Caboose spoke up.

“Apology noted.” Black nodded, “Now, get to it. We still don’t want to be out there after dark.”

The group split up once more, attending to their respective duties.

"We can only hope we manage to stay in this camp for longer than a day..." Sterling scoffed.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Fury sneered.

"Let's see if we can get more food than we did yesterday!" Caboose grinned. "Won't that be fun?"

"I suppose it could be." Fletcher nodded. "Especially if we do better than Cross and Xaldin..."

A short distance away, the mysterious figure who had been observing the team earlier was leaping from treetop to treetop. He moved at lightning speed, quickly reaching a large mountain that obscured one side of the island, preventing Black from scoping out before. The figure leapt off the nearest tree and landed on the mountain's slope, running down it to the ground, and continuing around it. Behind the mountain was another, much larger camp, one occupied by various different species.

The mysterious figure was that of a male Harpy, not unlike that of the sky pirates who had helped save Equestria from the Storm King all those years ago. However, rather than looking that of a parrot, he resembled more of a red-tailed hawk, with brown feathers covering his upper head, back and arms, with a dirty white underbelly. Not that you would be able to see it, as he wore a black vest and slacks, and notably, a leather aviator jacket with a furry collar around the neck.

The hawk ran his talon over his crest feathers, as he walked towards the entrance. He was fantastic faced with two Earth Pony guards

"Identify yourself, please." One guard asked.

"Seriously?" The hawk growled angrily. "Who else do you know who's a harpy?"

"That's not answering his question." The second guard pointed out.

"It's me!" The hawk yelled, exasperated. "Turbine!"

"Oh." The first guard nodded. "Hi, Turbine."

"Yeah, hi." Turbin said flatly. "Can I come in now?"

"Sure, go right ahead." The second guard smiled.

Turbine let out a huff as he made his way to a observation platform that was situated in the middle of camp, overlooking what seemed to be a rather big hole.

On the platform was a brown-coated, bald headed Earth Pony with a chocolate-colored beard, clad in a black trenchcoat, a white shirt underneath. He was busy watching as two other ponies (one Pegasus, one Unicorn) were busy wiring some sort of panel. As he watched, he took a sip out of a glass of milk.

"Easy there, guys." The stallion declared. "That stuff's sensitive. And we can't exactly have replacements delivered overnight."

"We'll keep that in mind, boss." The Pegasus nodded.

"Believe me, the last we want is to mess things up." The Unicron added.

"Good." The stallion smiled. "Glad we're on the same page here."

Turbine approached the stallion.

“Hey, Broker. I’m back.”

“Ah, Turbine.” The bearded stallion took notice of the harpy’s return, as Turbine approached them, giving a rather arrogant smirk, “How nice of you to join us again. Enjoyed your nature walk? You’d been out for days.”

"Yes, making sure everything out there's the same as ever." Turbine nodded. "No nasty surprises for us to worry about."

"If you ask me, it's kind of a waste of time." Broker scoffed. "Going around an empty island, sitting around in tree and watching the grass grow, while the rest of us are hard at work. Really cozy job you got there, pal."

"Not as cozy as you'd think." Turbine retorted.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Broker took a sip from his glass. "I guess you can get a few splinters from sitting in a tree all day. if the spy gig doesn't work out, maybe you could rent yourself out as a pincushion."

“Laugh at me all you want, Broker.” Turbine scoffed, “But you should know that I found something… I’ve found outsiders.”

Suddenly, Broker flinched, stopping mid-sip.

“Outsiders?” Broker repeated, facing Turbine.

“Outsiders?!” The two ponies working on the panel gasped.

The other inhabitants of the camp had similar reactions (those who didn't just freezed with shock). They all gathered around the platform, intent on learning more.

“Hey!” A burly, rotund griffon with a deep voice, wearing an armored body suit, “What’s this I hear about outsiders?!”

"I thought nocreature ever came here?" A light green Unicorn joined them.

"Yeah, what's up?" A short Minotaur followed, an identical-looking Minotaur right behind him.

"I didn't know we were expecting company!" The second Minotaur frowned.

“That’s right, everyone.” Turbine nodded, “From I ascertained, there’s five of them. Four ponies, one griffon. Three Earth Ponies, One Unicorn. All male. I found them yesterday while I was scouting the other side of the island.”

“What in Equestria would they be doing here?” The light green unicorn questioned.

“How the heck should I know?” Turbine growled, “All I know is that they’re here on the island. But there’s no doubt in my mind that they are here, they’re going to stumble onto something they shouldn’t.”

"We can't let that happen!" The green Unicorn frowned.

"Not on my watch!" The first Minotaur growled.

"Or mine!" The second added.

"Good thinking." Turbine nodded. "I say we get out there, and get rid of them. Who's with me?"

"Yeah!" The Griffon agreed.

"Let's get 'em!" A Crystal Pony raised his hoof.

"Kick 'em right off the island!" A Buffalo roared.

“Guys, guys!” Broker spoke up, waving his gloved hooves (one still holding his glass of milk), “Don’t let the harpy scare you. This is no big deal!”

“No big- Broker!” Turbine snarled, “Those strangers are here on our island!”

"Oh, nononononononono, Turbine." Broker shook his head. "Those strangers are over there, we're over here. Do you see what I’m getting at?"

"Oh, is that all?" Turbine deadpanned. "Silly me! Let's just go about our business, like nothing's changed!"

“Oh, okay. I’ll go about my business. ‘Cause I’m just a stupid hoof-brain.” The second stout minotaur murmured.

“Sarcasm, dumbass!” Turbine roared.

“Take it easy, Turbine.” Broker stated, “Chances are, those creatures you saw are just tourists, and they’re just enjoying the scenery.”

“Tourists? On an uncharted, ‘uninhabited’ island?” Turbine growled, “Broker. I know what I saw. Those guys looked nothing like tourists! They had weapons!”

“Explorers then.” Broker suggested.

"Yeah, because this place is sooo amazing!" Turbine sneered.

"Or maybe they're just on some crazy safari." Turbine declared.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Turbine retorted. "I demand you take this seriously!"

“Turbine…” Broker grunted… before giving a small smirk, “Relax. Those guys are miles away from where we are. They probably have no idea that we are here, let alone anyone else. Even if they, by some chance, were to stumble upon us, our work here will be done.”

“So, what? We’re just going to pretend everything’s all good?” Turbine glared, “For all we know, those guys were sent by the RDL!”

“Well, if that’s the case, bring them on!” The burly griffon growled, “I will introduce them to a world of pain!”

"I'll show them just what I can do with this!" The Unicorn indicated his horn.

"I'll give 'em a tour... of my fists!" The first Minotaur grinned.

"And I'll show 'em what this Minotaur can do!" The second Minotaur smirked.

“Would you guys just cool it?” Broker growled. The others went quiet, as Broker, letting out a sigh… and sipping from his glass of milk, “I know, it’s concerning that there are other creatures here. After all the time we’ve been here, it’s rather odd. But this is no need for alarm. We don’t know why they’re here, or what they want. For all we know, I am right, and they’re just tourists, explorers, on a safari, and we have gotten ourselves worried over nothing.”

The others murmured, still a bit unsure, while Turbine looked on with a annoyed glare.

“But what if they are here for us?” One of the ponies working on the panel asked.

“If that is the case, we’ll take care of them, when it’s absolutely necessary.” Broker pointed out, “If our harpy friend here is correct, there’s only five of them. And there’s a couple dozen of us, plus a whole armory full of weapons. But rather than waste our time dealing with those minute threats, we should focus our efforts into finishing our mission. As long as we stick to our side of the island, and they stick to theirs, everything will be all good. Alright?”

The others smiled and calmed down, pacified by Broker's words.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be worth our time to deal with them anyway." The green Unicorn smirked.

"Lucky for them." The Griffon sneered.

"I'd kick 'em right off the island!" The first Minotaur boasted.

"Not before I got to them first!" The second countered.

“There you go, guys.” Broker smiled, “Now, all y’all get back to work. Unless you don’t want those sizeable paychecks waiting for us back home?!"

The others quickly followed Broker's order, clearly eager to earn their keep.

"That's it, guys." Broker nodded. "Let's all move like we've got a purpose."

The group dispersed, returning to their work.

"Broker, can I have a word?" Turbine asked. "In private?"

“Sure thing.” Broker nodded, as he then passed his glass of milk, still as full as it was minutes ago, to one of the panel workers, “Hold on to this. I will be back for it shortly.”

Turbine lead Broker behind a nearby stack of crates.

“...Mind telling me what that was all about?” Turbine scowled.

“What was what?” Broker frowned.

“You calling me out like that!” Turbine snarled, “Was that really necessary?”

“I was only trying to make a point.” Broker glared, “You were getting everyone worked up over a few stragglers.”

“So you had to sandbag me?” Turbine growled, “All because I brought up something to actually be concerned about?!”

“I didn’t say that.” Broker countered, holding up his hooves, “I just think that maybe… just maybe, you might had been overreacting a little.”

“Overreacting?” Turbine scowled, “Broker, there are strangers on this island. Who could potentially expose our operations, and ruin years upon years of work! Didn’t you learn anything from what happened with Project: Infestation?”

“Why do you think I’ve ordered everyone to not engage them?” Broker grunted, “As long as we remain clandestine with our work, they’ll probably wander about the island aimlessly. They probably think they’re the only ones on the island.”

“Oh? And what do you supposed we do if they do find us?” Turbine challenged.

“Turbine. There’s only five of them. I don’t get why are you so worked up about this.” Broker shook his head, “We’re professionals. If they are a threat, we will take care of them.”

“Well, forgive me if I have my doubts.” Turbine snorted, “Because after all, it’s not everyday you see a griffon murder a big cragadile.”

“...Say what now?” Broker blanched.

“You heard me. I saw them fighting one before I came straight back here.” Turbine nodded, “The griffon had these wisps coming out of his eyes, and he single-talonily killed the big beast. If one of them could do that, imagine what all of them could do!”

Broker’s face fell a bit… before shaking his head.

“My stance stays the same.” Broker huffed, “I think you’re overestimating them.”

“And I say you’re underestimating them. And considering how close we are to being finished, that’s asking for trouble.” Turbine glared.

“Well, I’m not about to drop everything just so we can handle this ‘little’ problem’.” Broker crossed his hooves, “Not when the finish line is in sight.”

“Okay then. If you’re not going to do something, I will.” Turbine declared, “I’ll go back out there and keep an eye on them.”

“Go right on ahead.” Broker sneered, “But while you’re busy hanging out in trees, me and the others will be busy working, you paranoid old bird.”

“Fine by me.” Turbine huffed, “We’ll see who’s being paranoid when they come right this way.”

"Yeah, I guess we will." Broker shrugged.

“Just let me resupply, and I’ll be heading out again.” Turbine scowled.

“Make sure that all you’re doing is watching them, and not doodling in that notebook of yours.” Broker growled.

"It helps pass the time." Turbine shrugged.

"Really?" Broker retorted. "Seems more like you're drawing all your little daydreams in there."

"Like I said, it passes the time." Turbine said defensively. "But now that I've got something to actually watch, I won't have time for that. I'll have to keep a close eye on those clowns."

“Good luck with that.” Broker scoffed, as he made to walk back to the observation platform, “The rest of us will be doing what we actually came here to do in the first place. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get off this lousy island and come back as conquering heroes."

"On that much, we agree." Turbine declared, as he walked away.

'He doesn't know what he's talking about.' Broker thought. 'Whoever these strangers are, they're not going to stop us, even if they did know about what we're doing here. Heck, I'd like to see 'em try...'

Meanwhile, Sterling and Fury were collecting firewood. There weren't so many pieces of wood on the ground, meaning they had to cut off some branches, and fell the smaller trees. Fury used one of his spears, while Sterling used his sword.

"Hah!" Sterling cut down a thin, yet tall tree. "Not bad, huh?"

"Just keep that sword away from me." Fury sneered. "I remember what happened the last time."

"Relax." Sterling shrugged. "It only does that when I pull this lever and twist it a few times." He teasingly tapped the lever with his hoof.

"Don't even think about it." Fury scowled. "You pull that lever, I'll make you eat that thing."

“Really? If I pull this lever, you’d be riling on the ground, complaining about the ringing in your head.” Sterling pointed out.

"Wanna bet your life on that, bub?" Fury dared him.

"You really need to lighten up, you know that?" Sterling rolled his eyes. "That temper of yours is gonna get you into trouble one of these days."

“Hmph, a little late for that, I’m afraid.” Fury shook his head, giving a small smile, “I guess that’s why they call me ‘Fury’.”

“Wow, and here I thought us ponies had a foresight for names. Your parents nailed yours flawlessly, didn’t they?” Sterling joked.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Fury let out an actual chuckle.

“Well, my parents weren’t far off naming me either.” Sterling admitted, “My mom named me ‘Sterling’ because she didn’t want to share her name and went with something similar. What she didn’t realize is that ‘sterling’ silver tarnishes easy. Like she was asking for me to become the pony I was today.”

“You know, I really never thought of it that way.” Fury smirked, “Jeez, look like we were both got the short end of the stick there, didn’t we?”

"Tell me about it." Sterling sighed. "Sometimes, I feel like my whole life has been tarnished. And not just by my name. You ever get that feeling?"

"Sometimes." Fury admitted.

"At least we're both trying to make something out of the mess we call our lives." Sterling smiled.

"Yeah..." Fury nodded. "At the end of the day, they'll be able to say something more about me than I was just some thug."

"That's something to put on your gravestone." Sterling joked. "'More than just a thug'."

The two chuckled, and smiled. Fury kept up his smile for just a second... then discarded it.

"We're wasting time." He shook his head. "We gotta get this wood back to that second-rate camp, so we can set some kind of fire."

"Yeah, sure." Sterling nodded awkwardly, aware that they seemed to have actually been connecting for the first time. "Can't keep the others waiting..."

Sterling and Fury made their way back to the campsite. Once they arrived, they noticed that Black had arranged some of the surrounding stones into makeshift seats, and cleared away any weeds that were in the way.

"Ah, there you two are." He noted. "Got the firewood?"

"As much as we could carry." Sterling nodded, as he and Fury placed their haul down on the ground.

"Looks like you're been busy." Fury noted. "Seen any nasty critters around?"

"Nothing but a few birds, bugs and insects." Black shrugged. "For now, it looks like we're in the clear."

"Guess we beat Fletcher and Caboose back here." Sterling declared. "Maybe food around here is more scarce than we thought."

"Pony food, maybe." Fury rolled his eyes.

At that moment, Caboose and Fletcher returned.

"Hey, guys!" Caboose smiled. "We're back!"

"Hey, guys." Black nodded. "I trust the scavenging was successful?"

"Mostly." Fletcher declared. "I managed to scrounge up some nuts and flowers."

"And I found us some yummy-looking berries!" Caboose held up a bag full of red berries.

"Nice job, guys." Black smiled.

"Yeah." Sterling nodded. "Great work, Caboose! ...And I guess you did okay too, Fletcher."

"Why thank you." Fletcher said sarcastically. "I see you two did an... adequate job of finding some firewood."

"We all did great!" Caboose beamed. "How about we celebrate with some of my delicious berries?" He offered the bag to the others.

"An excellent suggestion." Fletcher accepted some.

"Definitely." Sterling followed suit.

"I think we've all earned a treat." Black did the same.

"Pass." Fury scoffed.

"Come on, try some!" Caboose urged.

"Not a chan-" Fury started, before Caboose threw a few berries into his open beak and down his throat. The griffon instinctively gulped, letting out a cough, "Ugh, hey!"

"Your tummy will thank me later." Caboose grinned.

"You are some piece of work, y'know that?" Fury snarled. "I told you, I don't eat pony food."

"Because you're a bird?" Sterling asked.

"I'm not a bird." Fury retorted. "I'm just part-bird."

"I think I heard somewhere that birds eat berries sometimes." Caboose mused.

"For the last time, I'm not a-" Fury stopped mid-sentence, his stomach growled. "Ugh..."

“Are you alright, Fury?” Black frowned.

"Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to give him those berries." Fletcher told Caboose.

"If you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do, head over to the bushes, fast." Sterling cringed.

"It's not that. But I’m feeling sorta funny..." Fury shook his head... then regretted it, as he felt a twinge of pain.

Suddenly, Sterling's vision started to grow wavy.

“Whoa… what is… what is happening?” He teetered.

“What are you-ohhhh…” Fletcher began to slur, becoming woozy himself, “I think there might be something off in those berries?”

"Juice, perhaps?" Caboose suggested.

“Caboose… you did check to make sure they were safe to eat, right?” Black asked, his head nodding to the effects of the berries.

"Sure I did." Caboose nodded. "I know how it works... leaves of three, all for me." His eyes became lidded, “Wooh… trippy…”

“Um… I think you might have found the exception to the rule…” Fletcher began leaning back and forth.

“You idiot…” Fury growled, cringing as he grew light-headed, “When I get my talons on you…”

“Whoa…” Caboose stepped back… as suddenly, two ponies, looking exactly like him emerged from his body.

“What the…” Fury spluttered, before glaring, “Oh, so you brought more of yourself?! Bring it on!”

Fury lunged at the nearest ‘Caboose’... only to stumble and land beak-first on the ground.

"Everycreature just keep it together." Black raised a hoof. "Try and hold…” He suddenly glanced at his hoof, “...Wow. My hoof is huge. Has it always been that big?"

"The sky..." Fletcher looked upward, losing himself to the effects, "The sky is filled with vanilla-flavored cotton candy!"

"Forget the sky..." Sterling looked around in a daze. "We're all surrounded by giant toothpicks!"

"We're in cotton candy toothpick land!" Caboose cheered as he began skipping right into the woods, "Let's explore!"

"Not without me." Black declared, lumbering after him. "I'm the lever... lemur... whatever..."

"You can't get away that easy!" Fury followed, stumbling along.

"Wait for me!" Sterling rushed forward awkwardly.

"Don't leave me, Caboose!" Fletcher trotted away.

As they wandered around in their berry-induced haze, Turbine arrived on the scene, once again leaping from tree to tree. Spotting his quarry, he perched himself atop the tallest tree in the area.

“Let's see what up with these guys..." He readied his binoculars. "I'll show you who's paranoid, Broker."

Stumbling around, Sterling, Fletcher, and Caboose found themselves on a fallen log between between two big rocks.”

"Holy crap, we're on a bridge!" Fletcher yelled.

"It's amazing." Caboose threw out his front hooves. "Look at me! I'm the master of balance!"

"Dude, that is awesome!" Sterling cheered.

"I thought it was awesome first!" Fletcher said petulantly.

"Did not!" Sterling yelled.

"Did too!" Fletcher shot back.

"Did not infinity!" Sterling retorted.

"Did too infinity... plus one!" Fletcher shot back.

"No fair, ya cheater!" Sterling growled.

"I know I am, but what are you?" Fletcher smirked.

Caboose tried to turn around, ready to shush them… only to lose his balance.

"Oh, Faust, I'm falling!" Caboose yelped. "I had so much to live for!"

Caboose flew off the rock, landing on the ground inches below.

"Oh, no!" He cried out. "I'm dead! Dead and gone! Remember me!"

Black and Fury watched on from one of the rocks.

"That is tragic." Black declared solemnly.

"Not as tragic as your face!" Fury declared.

"Oh, come on!" Black protested. "That was uncalled for!"

"Your face is uncalled for!" Fury sneered.

"Now, now, play nice, Mr. Featherduster." Fletcher admonished him.

"Hey, guys!" Caboose waved, having forgotten his "death", and gotten back up.

"Where in Tartarus have you been?" Fletcher demanded.

"Oh, you know." Caboose shrugged. "Saw a movie, got some coffee..."

"I want some coffee." Sterling declared.

"I could go for some coffee too." Black admitted.

"Well, you can't come, you son of a draft horse!" Fury yelled.

“Oh, look.” Fletcher pointed at a newt, which was stunning itself on a small rock, “It’s that dinosaur punk! The one from my dreams!”

"I know that guy! He owes me twenty Bits!" Caboose yelled. "Hey, Leo! Yo, Leo!"

The reptile croaked.

"What the heck did he say?" Fletcher asked.

"Boy, I got no idea!" Caboose admitted. He glared at the newt, "Where’s my money, Leo! Stop talkin' to me in your secret language, ya scaly deadbeat! Do I look like a mild-mannered Pegasus to you?!"

“I think he’s sassing you, Caboose!” Fletcher snarled, “If my time in the academy… learning how to sing to pancakes... taught me anything, we need to teach this thug a lesson!”

“Then allow me!” Sterling smirked, cracking his hooves, “I’ll show him what’s what!”

"Let me do it!" Fury yelled. "I'll eat 'im alive!"

"There must be some peaceable way to settle this." Black declared. "Mr. Leo, do you have anything to say for yourself."

The newt simply blinked.

“Oh, you did not just insult my mother!” Black roared, “You’re going to be sorry!”

"Uh... guys!" Caboose pointed in the opposite direction. "Look!"

Suddenly, they all saw what appeared to be a group of reptilian ponies with dreadlocks, armor and shoulder-mounted crossbows emerging from the forest, surrounding them.

"Do you see what I see?" Caboose yelped. "Looks like some kind of legally safe knock-offs of famous sci-fi icons!"

"Leo must have called in backup!" Black declared.

"They're gonna kill us!" Sterling yelped.

"Not if we stop them first!" Fletcher yelled.

"Let's get 'em!" Black roared.

"You rip-offs are gonna get it!" Fury charged two of them.

Fury drew his spear and swung it at one of the lizards, slicing it in half. He then kicked another headfirst into a tree.

At the same time Caboose dodged the bolts of another lizard, getting close enough to impale it with his sword. Fletcher hit one with an arrow, Caboose peppered one with crossbow bolts, and Black grabbed one by the trunk, and slammed him headfirst into the rock.

"Good work, guys!" Black smiled.

"We sure showed them!" Caboose cheered.

"They'll think twice before challenging us again!" Fletcher smirked.

"Lousy lizard losers!" Fury roared.

“Oh no, look!” Sterling gaped.

Emerging from the sky, a whole bunch of black-skinned creatures with long, snarling heads landed, letting out hissing cries, showing off their distinguishable second mouths.

“More rip-offs! They’re teaming up! Who would had guessed?!” Sterling panicked.

The group charged at the creatures. Sterling swung his sword, cutting one, which hissed with rage.

"Don't hog all the fun!" Fury evaded the pounce of another, grabbed it by the tail, and swung it into a tree.

"Not bad." Fletcher declared. "Now let me show you how to do it with finesse!"

Fletcher bobbed and weaved around the clawing attacks of one of the creatures, while striking at its joints. After two kicks to the legs, the creature dropped, and Fletcher kicked it in the head, knocking it down.

"My turn!" Caboose tackled another creature. They tumbled into a roll, and Caboose flung it into a rock.

"That's it, fellas!" Black headbutted another. "We can take these things!"

“Oh, my! We got more company!” Fletcher gasped.

Coming out from between the trees were some elderly mares in purple cloaks, and red hats, bearing angry expressions and all sorts of impromptu weapons.

“I always knew there was something off about their red hats!” Caboose snarled.

The old mares charged at the team. One swung a pickax at Sterling.

"Get that outta my face, you old bag!" Sterling swung his sword, cutting off her head.

"Come on, ya walkin' fossils!" Fury grabbed two of the old mares' hooves (one of whom wielded a rusty trowel, the other a knitting needle) and made them stab each other.

"The only elder I respect is my grandma!" Caboose kicked another down, before she had the chance to use her umbrella.

"And your fashion sense is atrocious!" Fletcher evaded the hoe of another, then jabbed an arrow into her stomach.

Another old mare attacked Black using a baseball bat with nails in it. He easily dodged, and kicked it away

"You shoulda stayed in the retirement home!" Black declared, knocking the mare down with one punch.

To the group's surprise, more lizards, creatures, and elderly mares emerged from between the trees.

"They just keep on coming!" Sterling gasped breathlessly.

"Bring 'em on!" Fury slurred.

"But there's too many of them!" Fletcher yelped.

"I have the same problem with pizza toppings." Caboose announced.

"Take heart, my loyal comrades! Together, we will vanquish all those who oppose us!" Black announced, speaking in an oddly bombastic style.

"What's up with your voice?" Caboose frowned.

"Never mind my voice!" Black yelled. "This is our moment! We may have our differences, but on the battlefield, we are brothers! We stand together, or fall apart! Which would you prefer?"

"He's right." Sterling nodded. "We're all in this together, even if we don't like each other!"

"We must stand strong, all of us!" Fletcher agreed. "If this be our final battle, we will fight it together, as the team we should be!"

"Sing it, brother!" Caboose grinned.

"That's right, team!" Fury cheered. "Let's take these creeps down, together!"

With a unified battle cry, the team charged forward, meeting their foes head-on.

What followed was an epic battle between the members of Project Freedom and the reptilian ponies, the alien ponies, and the Red Hat Society… or so they thought. In reality, they were attacking nothing more than hallucinations brought on by the berries. The team were flailing around, messing up the camp site.

Up in the tree, Turbine had watched the whole scene with bewildered bemusement.

"What are they doing?" He gaped.

"Die, you lizards from outer space!" Caboose charged one of his imaginary attackers, only to slam head first into a tree. "He must've activated his camouflage!"

“Whoa! Watch out!” Fletcher was hopping around like a rabbit, “Those aliens are spitting out acid!”

“Augh!” Sterling began bucking in place, “One of the mares is gumming me! Get ‘er off! Get ‘er off!”

“I’ll get her!” Fury held up a talon, as if throwing one of his spears. But all he did was made a ‘swoosh’ sound, pretending to do so, “Gotcha!”

“Ugh! You reptiles are ugly looking buckers!” Black growled, as he began punching the air.

“...Okay, I think I’ll come back later…” Turbine cringed, ’Maybe use this time to get some writing done…’

Turbine leapt out of the trees, making a beeline away from the group, while the Project Freedom member continued their imaginary battle for their lives.

Overheard, the surveillance hovered. The Taskforce watched the team flailing about.

"What are they doing?" Ballista gaped.

"I have no idea." Elite frowned.

"Maybe they're practicing their combat routines?" Armory suggested.

"I don't remember any of them having a move like that." Incognito declared, as he watched Sterling grappling with thin air.

Master Mind was the only one not watching, as he was swiftly browsing through a book.

At that moment, Consul entered, and gaped at the sight before him like all the others.

“What the heck?!” He gasped. “What’s going on? I was only in the bathroom for ten minutes!”

“We don’t know. They ate some weird looking berries, and they began acting funny!” Incognito frowned.

“Oh no… what if they were poisoned?” Armory fretted, “We gotta get down there! They might need treatment!”

“Calm yourself, mate.” Ballista urged, though he was a bit worried himself, “Master Mind is already trying to determine the kind of berry they ate.”

"Perhaps we should have researched the kind of food on the island." Elite mused.

"Or held a seminar on what berries are good to eat." Consul quipped.

"Rrrf..." Titan groaned at the quip.

"Ah, here we go." Master Mind declared. "That particular brand of berry is known as the 'crimson nightmare'."

"That doesn't sound good." Armor frowned.

"On the contrary." Master Mind stated. "Ingesting the berries have no long-term after effects. Once they work it out of their systems, they'll be fine."

"And how long will that take?" Incognito asked.

"...Between four and twelve hours?" Master Mind cringed.

"So basically, you're saying that this is far from over?" Ballista asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Master Mind admitted. "All we can do now is wait for the affects to wear."

"And me without my popcorn..." Incognito joked.

Back on the island, the Project Freedom members were still in the throes of the berries' hallucinatory grip.

“Don’t you worry, guys! We’ll burn this place down!” Caboose cheered, waving his hooves as if he was fanning some flames.

“Whoa! What about all the animals in the forest?!” Black gasped.

“Well, clearly they’re going to burn a lot!” Sterling chuckled evilly.

“Oh, well, that isn’t very nice.” Fletcher pouted.

“Man, shut the hell up!” Sterling sneered.

“You shut the hell up!” Fletcher shot back.

“No, you shut the hell up!” Sterling growled.

“You can both go and shut the hell up!” Fury grunted, swinging his claws at the still imaginary old mares.

“I’m not talking to you, Mr. Featherduster!” Sterling glared.

“Rainbows, bleh!” Caboose upchucked, throwing up rainbows…

Everypony watching the feed back at HQ cringed, as what Caboose threw up clearly wasn’t rainbows.

The next morning…

“Ohhh…” The sounds of four ponies and a griffon all collectively groaned.

The members of Project: Freedom all awakened from unconsciousness, having finally snapped out of their berry-induced stupor...

"Ohh..." Black groaned. "My head..."

"What happened?" Sterling frowned.

"I don't know." Caboose rubbed his head. "But something tells me it was very amusing..."

"Everycreature shut up forever." Fury groaned.

“Ugh…” Fletcher winced, as he glanced around… only to gape, “Oh no, the camp!”

The others perked up as they observed their surroundings. To their shock, the camp was utterly demolished, with the food they gathered tossed around and squashed and their firewood all smashed to splinters.

“Aw, jeez…” Sterling rubbed the back of his head, “What the hell happened here?”

“I don’t know. Some wild beasts must had come and tore up the place while we were out.” Black frowned.

“Really? Then why didn’t they eat us? We were ripe for the picking.” Fletcher pondered.

“You got me. I guess we were lucky.” Sterling admitted.

“I don’t know… somehow, I can’t help feeling this is somehow Fury’s fault.” Caboose mused.

“Un-frickin’-believable.” Fury seethed.

“Well, either way, this new campsite didn’t even last a day.” Sterling grimaced, “Guess we'll have to go for the backup backup site, right, boss?"

“Afraid so.” Black sighed, “Let’s just grab what's left, and get moving. We have a long walk ahead of us.”

“Ooh, I am a bit hungry.” Caboose rubbed his stomach, “Is there any of those berries left?”

Everycreature suddenly cringed, as if on instinct.

“I think I’d prefer something else… for some reason.” Fletcher admitted, as he gathered a hoof full of almonds, “Almonds, anypony?”

"Sure, why not." Sterling shrugged.

"No." Fury refused. "And don't even think of throwing one down my throat."

"Don't birds eat nuts?" Caboose asked.

"Don't you start that again!" Fury growled.

"Oh, leave him alone." Sterling growled.

"Make me!" Fury spat.

"Don't presume to speak for Caboose, Cross!" Fletcher stepped.

"I can if I want to!" Sterling yelled. "It's not like you have the exclusive rights to being his friend!"

“Oh, for the love of-” Black groaned.

They continued arguing as they moved onto the next site. They could only hope the third time would be the charm.