Chapter 42: Eye of the Storm

Once the initial shock passed, the nausea and dizziness faded into a feeling of gnawing fear, chewing deep into the guts of humans and Equestrians alike. Somehow the gunners kept firing, driving back the hideous creatures that got too close, a testament to the bravery and stubbornness of both species.

"You guys doing okay?" Jeff asked Chris over the commlink.

"Yeah, I guess. Did you feel that too?"

"Sure did. I'd say we're definitely on Big Ugly's radar now, Do you need transportation?"

"We've got a Gator."

"Alright. Carry on. Let me know if you need anything." Jeff caught Celestia's eye. "Were you able to contact Twilight?"

"Yes. She said Pinkie Pie tossed her cupcakes, but other than that, they are holding their own."

"Chris's squad is heading back They-"

A wall of sound like a living foghorn filled the valley, blasting from Shub-Niggurath. While the attack force reeled, a great voice spoke, the words dripping with disease and decay.

"HUMANS. LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE SUCH SAVAGE CREATURES CRAWLED BENEATH THE FEET OF THE GODS. AND YOU, EQUESTRIAN FILTH. YOUR KIND DO NOT BELONG HERE. YOUR ODIOUS PRESENCE OFFENDS ME AS MUCH AS IT INTRIGUES ME."

Celestia's eyes flashed in anger. "Jeff. Can I speak to it?"

"I can patch you through to the external speaker systems. Just a moment. Okay, you're on now."

Celestia took a breath. "FOUL DEMON!" Her clear voice rang through the valley, amplified by every vehicle in the vicinity. "WE DEMAND YOUR IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWL FROM THIS PLANET, AND FROM THIS UNIVERSE!"

Shub-Niggurath emitted a second loud horn blast, sending rolling fog and globs of phlegm spraying high into the air. "YOUR DISRESPECT SHALL NOT GO UNPUNISHED, BEAST. REMEMBER YOUR WORDS AS YOUR COMPANIONS WRITHE IN AGONY. TEACH THEEEEEEM!"

Her hordes of twisted nightmare creatures shrieked and began the approach, some rolling, some walking, some floating above the scorched earth.

***

The Gator rocked with the vibration of Shub-Niggurath's deafening clarion call. Hamilton grunted and shook his head, but continued to speed across the ground, avoiding monsters.

"I guess they don't care for what Celestia said," Marky commented, rocking in his seat as the vehicle bumped along. "No accounting for taste. I thought it was beautiful."

"I find myself increasingly angered by the reference to Celestia as being a "beast"," McAllister growled. "Now if they'd said such a thing about ME, it would be true enough. But Celestia is a lady!" He scowled and gripped his rifle tightly.

"Not wanting to be a wet blanket or anything," Emmy said, pointing a hoof ahead. "But it looks like things are getting crazy down there."

The others craned their necks, and saw the black masses of Shub-Niggurath's army approaching the ProteC vehicles.

Sanchez whistled. "This is worse than I expected."

***

"Well that was rude," Fluttershy said, angrily. "That awful thing is just a big meanie!"

"I thought we had that figured out at the part where it already done killed everypony," Applejack said. Then she put a hoof to her mouth. "Sorry, Fluttershy. I'm upset is all."

"That creature thinks it can talk like that to our Princess?" Rarity's eyes narrowed. "It. Is. On."

"It's on alright," Rainbow Dash agreed, frantically swiveling her turret around. "These monsters are coming out of the woodwork!" The vehicle rocked as the shields took a battering.

Celestia's voice came over Twilight's headset. "Twilight! How long can you keep the shield up?"

Twilight, her eyes glazed in concentration, took some time to reply. "With the amplifier shard, I could hold the shield at this strength for quite some time. But I'm already sensing micro fractures. I don't know how long until the crystal shatters completely!"

***

Celestia hurriedly glanced to the side. "Jeff."

"Yes?"

"We must be swift. Your trucks are taking too much damage. The shields will not hold much longer."

"Just in time, then. The beam tanks are in position." Jeff spoke to his headset "Commence bombardment now!"

***

"Look!" Emmy gasped, her eyes bugging out.

The valley illuminated with bursts of light from the seven heavy tanks stationed on the slope. Thick accelerated plasma beams pulsed and flickered in unison, focused lightning striking out, sending incredible amounts of searing energy down into the mist and towards Shub-Niggurath.

Chris looked up, the light flickering on his solemn features. "Well, they've started. Everything rides on this." He felt a push against his thigh, and reached down to touch Emmy's hoof.

Static crackled in the air, Gatling guns snarled, humming thunder struck out to hammer the approaching horde, hiding them in a cloud of dust and steam.

Seconds passed after the volley, and Hamilton slowed the vehicle, all passengers watching the dust cloud with bated breath.

Something moved. A tentacle slid out here, a body rolled there. The enemy was continuing to advance, only minorly slowed by the powerful energy weapons. Shub-Niggurath towered above all unscathed, the magical shielding surrounding her visible in the aftermath of the plasma attack.

"Oh, shit," Marky said, his heart sinking.

***

"No effect!" Jeff looked through the windshield, sweat on his brow. "They shrugged the beam cannons off like it was nothing!"

"The truck turret guns are effective." Celestia watched the APCs, sweeping their mounted weapons back and forth, purple streaks slicing through the shielded enemies by the droves and leaving them kicking in pieces.

"They're running out of ammo. In a couple minutes, our troops are going to have to dismount and engage the enemy with small arms fire. It would have happened anyway if we tried to approach closer. See those big rocks and cracks in the ground? There isn't enough room to drive our vehicles around or over them. It's a disaster out there."

A call from Twilight distracted them as the lead APC stopped firing, and reversed backwards from the battle front. "Rainbow Dash is out of ammo! And our shield crystal just shattered! We're going to have to fight hand to hand."

Celestia's face darkened with worry while she watched vehicle after vehicle pulling back from the front line in the face of the slow but steady enemy advance. She, Jeff, and Dr. Hardy laid down cover fire as best they could from the Overwatch weapons, but the creatures kept coming, and the constant assault was reducing even their massive munition reserves to critical levels.

Dr Hardy cursed and threw his hands in the air as his guns hit zero and an Ammunition Depleted warning pulsed on his interface.

Celestia felt powerless as she watched the armored vehicles open, and Equestrians and humans leap out carrying rifles and rush for cover together.

"We are getting down to the wire," Jeff said, his face pale. He eyed the missile launch controls, his fingertips tapping the console nervously.

"It would never get through Shub-Niggurath's magic shielding," Celestia warned, reading his mind. "Not unless we can create a hole long enough to make the attack. It would be pure, meaningless suicide."

"God have mercy," Jeff whispered.

***

Marky watched everything fall apart as they approached, and for some reason all he could think about was how beautiful the girl's voices were when he had heard them sing the other night..

If this gets much worse, Jeff is going to have to use the final option. And if we die here, I'll never hear them sing again. Why does this worry me so much right now?

"If anypony can hear this," Twilight's voice went out on the open channel. "Please help! We are getting overrun!"

"Fuck it," Chris said, interrupting his thoughts. "Let's go help her." It was evident from his tone that he didn't expect to survive the next few minutes.

"Roger, we're going in to assist the Mane Six!" Hamilton shouted, sounding oddly gleeful. "Hang onto your flanks!" He swerved the Gator and barreled towards the rock where Twilight's team had set up a fighting position, and the circle of monsters closing in on it. They could see a few humans and the six Equestrian mares battling grimly for their lives, rifles blazing into the approaching mass of horror.

Hamilton swerved the Gator at the last second, skidding up beside the rock. "Did somepony order a broadside?" he yelled, aiming his rifle.

Everyone on the vehicle stood or leaned out to take aim. Five additional rifles and Marky's twin pistols tore into the approaching enemies with full metal abandon, killing several, and driving the rest temporarily into retreat.

"Thank you!" Rarity cried, relief in her voice. "You saved us!"

"For now," McAllister said darkly. "I'm afraid we may have simply delayed the inevitable.”

Marky stared at the other ponies, the sounds of the raging battle quiet in his mind as he racked his brains.

Why do I keep thinking of them singing? Why now? This doesn’t make sense.

“Hamilton,” he asked finally. “Something you said a moment ago, about helping the Mane Six. What is so special about them?”

“They’re magic,” Hamilton answered, unhesitatingly. “Friendship is Magic.”

Friendship is magic. Friendship is love. Love is magic. Love makes the heart sing.

“Makes the heart sing...” Marky pondered, oblivious to the horror and violence around him. “Sing. Sing! Of course!”

“Of course what?” Hamilton asked, perplexed. “Shouldn’t we be shooting or something?”

“Chris! Emmy!” Marky shouted. “Come here! Hurry! I know what we need to do!”