Chapter 35: Call to Battle

"When is this gonna start?" Rainbow Dash shifted about impatiently in her front row seat. The theater was full of ProteC personnel and Equestrians, talking to each other in low tones and waiting for the briefing to begin.

"Relax, Dashie." McAllister leaned back in his seat beside her, stretching his legs out. "They're waiting for everypony to get here."

The conversation increased in volume as more people and ponies came in the doors and found seats.

“It sure is early," Fluttershy commented.

"It's gonna take some time to get everypony down to the docks," Hamilton explained. "Vehicles and most of the gear were loaded last night, but we want to have as much daylight as possible when we hit the island."

The room grew quiet as Celestia and Jeff strode out onto the stage and stood next to each other.

Jeff stepped forward. "Good morning, everyone, and everypony. I know we've gone over the plan for today many times in the past few days, but this is our last opportunity to make sure we are all on the same page. Immediately afterwards, we will be heading out."

He tapped his wristband controls, and the huge screen above the stage came to life. He flipped through slides as he talked.

"After boarding Leviathan, we will head directly to the island, and make landfall here. Once we have secured the beachhead, we will roll armor on the service roads until we reach the Gate, here."

A hoof went up in the audience, and Jeff pointed. "Question?"

"Why are we not simply landing at the docks?"

"Good question. The docks are not designed to unload heavily armored vehicles quickly enough, and they are farther from the gate facility. Additionally, because the enemy is intelligent, we would have to assume it has made preparations in expectation of us attempting exactly that."

Jeff looked over the audience, then continued. "Once we reach this location, the beam tanks will provide heavy fire support, allowing us to clear the Gate valley and regain control of the systems, shutting down the Gate."

A hand went up. "Yes, question," Jeff said.

"What if we can't shut down the gate?"

"We will. Next question?"

Hushed conversation began in the room. People and ponies looked at each other nervously.

"Remember, we will be right there with you. Both myself and Celestia will be operating the command vehicle." He nodded at Celestia.

She stepped forward, and the room became silent again. "We knew this would be dangerous from the beginning. I did not come here to be safe, I came here to protect our way of life, and to protect this world and ours. We have to succeed today, no matter what the cost. To fail there, is to doom all our homes to destruction, and everypony... everyone you know, to death, or worse."

The silence was absolute, every eye riveted on the stage. Jeff glanced at Celestia, then he spoke.

"None of you came here to be safe. You came here because you knew it's dangerous. You looked at your friends, and your families, and you chose to protect them. You came here to make a difference. You came here to fight the monsters, to ward off the darkness that threatens our way of life, and our very existence."

Celestia stood tall, spreading her wings behind Jeff. "We are the warriors. We are the hope. We are those who shall stand against the spawn of evil, and drive them howling back to the abyss!"

A cheer went up from the audience. "Yeah!"

"So this is it, guys," Jeff said. "Does anyone here want to back out of this mission? Last call for you to be fucking pussy!"

"Ain't no fucking pussies here!" someone yelled. The entire audience loudly agreed.

Jeff smiled. "That's what I thought!"

Celestia smiled and crackled her magic horn menacingly. "Who's ready to give Shub-Niggurath a hardcore friendship lesson?"

"OH YEAH!"

"I got a friendship lesson right here!" McAllister shouted, standing and thumping his crotch vulgarly.

Marky leapt up and shook his hoof in the air. "Time to send the welcome wagon right up its ass!" he bellowed loudly, and was answered with hoots of agreement from the entire room. The theater was in an uproar. Rainbow Dash and several other Pegasus were hovering in the air above their chairs in excitement, hollering and pumping their hooves. Even Fluttershy was in the spirit of things, although she was more reserved about it, and hadn't left her seat.

"Yay!" she squeaked, weakly. There happened to be a lull at that exact moment, and her voice rang out in the silence. She cowered in embarrassment.

"YAY!" the auditorium agreed with gusto. "LET'S DO IT!"

"FOR LOVE!"

"FOR FRIENDSHIP!"

"FOREVER!"

***

The mood held as busses picked them up from the main building and drove towards the seaport. Once they crested the final hill and began the descent towards the waterfront, they could see the powerful wharf lights illuminating an enormous and intimidating ship like nothing anyone present had ever seen before.

"Well, there she is. Behold, Leviathan." Jeff swung his arm towards the vessel.

Towering above the other ships at the deep harbor dock, the monstrous armored craft was the size of a cruise ship. Angled stories of metal plating, weapon hatches, and narrow slit windows rose up from a wide base that disappeared beneath the waterline.

"Holy hay," Applejack said in astonishment, peering out the bus window. Her mouth hung open like a barn door. "I've never seen a boat that big in my life."

"Impressive." Her voice was calm, but Celestia's large eyes showed how truly awed she was.

"Wait till you see inside," Jeff said proudly. "It's still a prototype with some kinks to work out, but for our purposes it should be enough and then some."

"I like working out kinks," McAllister said, suggestively. Everyone ignored him.

"Alright, everypony get your gear together," Jeff called as the bus hissed to a halt near one of the gangplanks. As they disembarked into a crowd of humans rushing back and forth with equipment and weapons, a ProteC security officer came up to Jeff.

"Sir, the vehicles and infantry are already loaded. Command and control staff is boarding, and we are stowing final items on board. We will be ready to leave within the hour."

"Thank you. Carry on, let us know when boarding is complete."

"Roger that." The man returned to barking instructions at the people hurrying about on the dock.

Dr. Hardy appeared out of nowhere, walking up to Jeff. He was wearing combat gear, weapons, and carrying a black case. "Everything is ready," he said to Jeff.

Jeff nodded. "What's up with the outfit?"

"I'm going with you guys."

Jeff frowned. "Oh no you don't. You're staying right here in case this doesn't go as planned."

"The fuck I am. You have all this gear and equipment that I modified. Everything is experimental. There's no way I'm letting you go into combat without me. Who's gonna figure out what to do if any of this crap acts up? And if this mission fails, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think we'll get another attempt. Shub-Niggurath is not stupid, and nobody else on Earth has the magic imbued weapons we've created."

Jeff's scowl deepened. "Fine. All or nothing. But if you get yourself killed I'm going to beat your ass."

Dr. Hardy hefted his glowing magic-modded rifle, his exo humming. "Oh, I'm more capable than you might think. And here's a present for you." He opened the case, revealing a small number of the plasma blades. "These were a lot harder to make than the weapon mods. We only have a few. Load up."

The humans grabbed the unique weapons, then prepared to board the vessel.

"We'll be heading up this ramp here." Jeff led the way up a narrower ramp that rose several floors on an incline before reaching a hatch. The metal of the ramp resounded with their hooves and boots as they walked upwards. Below, another bus halted as theirs moved away. The door opened, allowing humans and Equestrians to exit and head for different ramps.

"Vehicle crews boarding," Jeff called, after glancing down. "Come on, we're going to the control room."

Upon entering the ship, the hallways were surprisingly wide.

"It's designed to be a military vessel, but we decided to make some changes over the typical congested feel of combat ships. More room improves morale and reduces stress on the crew," Jeff said. "Plus, it's just nice. Don't you think?"

"Looks cool, like the inside of a spaceship."

"I had considered it calling it the Enterprise, but that name's still in use by the United States Navy. Plus, Leviathan sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "About 20% cooler, I'd say."

"More room is great!" Pinkie Pie squealed, bouncing up and down. "Plenty of Pinkie Space!"

"Let's not rattle the ship apart before we leave port," Applejack said, watching Pinkie's energetic antics.

"The bridge is just ahead." Jeff pointed at a large door at the top of a ramp. "Up there."

"Wow." Sanchez said when they entered the ship's control room. "Swanky."

The interior was at least two stories tall. Gigantic screens showed crystal clear images from around the ship. Rows of holographic terminals, some manned by ProteC personnel, were arranged throughout the room. On a slightly raised platform were rows of holographic pod chairs, and what was obviously a command chair behind them.

The Equestrians were wide-eyed and curious.

"Weapon system manual controls," Jeff explained, pointing at the pods. "You've trained on them in the vehicle simulator."

Rainbow Dash walked over to one of the pods and sat down without activating the interface. She gripped the inactive joystick and pushed it around. "Oh yeah. These things are fun."

"Well, it's doubtful we'll be needing them. There have been no indications of any kind of air or water based threat from the island."

Rainbow Dash looked a bit disappointed as she stood back up. "Oh well. It would have been cool though."

Jeff motioned at empty seats near the command chair. "Well, you guys can totally use the VIP chairs, though. Check out how nice these things are!" He got into the central chair and swiveled it around. "Yeah, before you ask, I totally ripped this bridge idea out of Star Trek. I told my engineers to make it so!"

"I'd make fun of your being a nerd, but to make fun of a man in command of a ship this size seems foolhardy," McAllister said cheekily. "So I won't be making any virgin jokes."

Jeff scowled and waggled a finger at McAllister. "That's it. You've brought this upon yourself, my friend. I would say I haven't been a virgin since your mother reached age of consent, but I find such childish jokes to be a thing appreciated only by simple-minded, sad little men seeking attention in all the wrong places."

"Ohhhh," Rainbow Dash winced.

"And that is why I sit here," Jeff gestured grandly towards his captain's chair. "And you stand there with your mouth hanging open, looking like a kicked puppy."

"I... I got nothing," McAllister said ruefully.

"You've been saying that your whole life, every time you look at your crotch in the mirror."

"Jeez." Rainbow Dash grimaced. "That's harsh, man. Leave him something to hold onto."

McAllister couldn't resist. "Oh, I've got PLENTY to hold on to!" he quipped, smiling broadly again. "Aye Dashie? Aye?" He nudged her shoulder with his elbow.

"Yeah, and then you woke up," Rainbow Dash growled.

"Ohhh! I want to hold on to things! What kind of things do you have?" Pinkie Pie added, bouncing around.

Jeff put his palm on his face and sighed. "Some people just never learn."

"I find it most amusing," Celestia said, seated in the chair next to him. She leaned back and crossed her legs. "Oh my. This is indeed comfortable."

"How can they be so calm?" Fluttershy asked Emmy in a whisper. "We are about to go to... To fight things. I don't even know what. I'm terrified!"

"No-one here is calm, Fluttershy," she replied quietly. "I'm sure they are afraid too. They are joking instead of cowering because it boosts their confidence and keeps them from succumbing to fear."

"I see... I think. I'm so scared I'm shaking."

"You can still stay behind, but-"

"No, no. It doesn't matter how scared I am, I won't abandon my friends."

"You're braver than you realize, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiled, then they both looked at Jeff as he made an announcement.

"Everypony, the loading went faster than initially expected. We're about to make final launch preparations," Jeff said.

The bridge quieted as Equestrians and humans took seats. Additional ProteC crew entered the bridge and powered up other stations, talking softly through headsets to other areas of the ship.

"Flight deck is ready."

"Hatches sealed."

"Main drive standing by for power application."

"Fusion core operating at fifteen percent load, upscaling reaction."

On one of the panels in front of Jeff, various subsystems in the schematic blinked green, and a deep, throbbing hum rose from the depths of the great ship as the engines powered up.

"Ready on your go, Captain."

"Let's get this ass kicking on the road," Jeff said. The ship slid smoothly away from the dock and veered toward the open sea.

"Oh wait a sec, I almost forgot. I got something for this!" Sanchez leaned forward and started messing around with the computer in front of his chair.

"What the hell are you doing?" Chris asked.

"Just gimme a sec..." He made a few adjustments. There was a click, and music started playing loudly over the speakers.

"Revvin' up your engine,
Listen to her howlin' roar,
Metal under tension,
Beggin you to touch and go!

"Really?" Chris asked. Then he started laughing.

They sang the chorus along with Kenny Loggins as loud as they could, and were joined by everyone else on board.

"HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE!
RIDE INTO THE DANGER ZONE!"

The Leviathan roared unhesitatingly towards the uncertain future.