"His fleet has over one hundred air ships. Each one has eighty infantry troops on board with vehicles and support troops ready to deploy on command." Tempest explained, her steely gaze focused on the troop movements below.

John watched the troops moving with a steady frown on his brow, "Equestria doesn't have the firepower to take on even a quarter of that." He responded.

"Bit overkill isn't it?" Tempest asked, knowingly.

"Yeah."

"That's because it's not an invasion force. It's an occupation force. Whatever weapon the Storm King has in that pyramid building... he's convinced that it'll be enough to either make the ponies surrender immediately, or wipe enough of them out until they have no choice." Tempest explained.

"Well then we'd better get down there and stop them before they can take off." John replied.

"Not a good decision. I know you're strong, but several thousand armed and armored storm soldiers are a bit larger a threat than a town of untrained ponies, don't you think?" Tempest reasoned.

John watched a half-track filled with two dozen storm soldiers speed by on the road a few hundred feet below them. He chewed his cheek in thought for a few moments, before turning to Tempest once more.

"Stealth it is, then."

Tempest nodded, "Our best shot is going to be taking out the fuel supply. It's highly explosive and with all the air ships lined up like this... assuming they're all fueled up and ready to go... you could potentially wipe out the entire fleet and weapon facility in one fell swoop." She explained, tilting her head to the side in thought.

"Sounds like that's the plan." John replied.

Tempest scratched her chin in thought, "Only one problem. You're going to need a pretty big explosive to rupture the fuel tanks and cause a chain reaction of that size. I don't suppose you have anything that fits that bill on you, do you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

John shook his head, "No... although..." He trailed off, his brow furrowing in thought.

Tempest looked up at John before following his gaze to the pill-shaped fuel cells just a few hundred feet from the pyramid building, "What's on your mind?" She asked.

John nodded toward the fuel tanks, "Is the fuel a gas, or a liquid?" He questioned.

"It's a liquid, but the vapors are what's flammable anyway. Why, what are you thinking?" Tempest responded.

"If I can punch a few holes in the tank and let some of those vapors out, a little electricity would probably make the rest of it go up in flames." John explained, looking down to Tempest's broken horn.

A small grin found its way onto Tempest's face, "That just might be crazy enough to work. We'll have to get close though. I can only control my magic for a short distance. After that, it just goes to the path of least resistance... we might be a bit too close to the tanks if I'm being honest." She finished, her grin turning to a slight frown.

John nodded, "Unless you have any better ideas, that's our only choice. We don't have long to do it either. They look like they're about to move out." He pointed out, gesturing to the troop movements as they boarded the ships below.

Tempest sighed, "I suppose you're right. How do you wanna do this?"

"Stay close to me. Once we're spotted, it'll get real loud, real fast." John replied, as he shuffled back out of the hole they'd both crawled into.

Tempest followed his lead, and crawled back outside. Once they were both free, John set his duffle bag down on the ground and unzipped it while unbuttoning his flannel with his other hand. He pulled out his Sig MCX and the Benelli M4, as well as his Kimber 1911. Tempest watched in amazement at the assortment of weapons laid out before her, only to tilt her head to the side in confusion as John started stripping out of his pants as well.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Tempest asked, her eyes not so subtly wandering all over John's body.

"Changing." John answered, simply.

Tempest opened her mouth to reply, but as John pulled out a suit from the duffle bag, she closed her mouth and pursed her lips.

"You know... this isn't exactly a formal affair." She said, cocking an eyebrow back.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that-" John replied, as he pulled his pants up, "-but I don't have any other kind of body armor here."

"Body armor?" Tempest tilted her head to the side.

"The suit has armor woven into it." John explained as he donned his vest and jacket.

Tempest nodded, "I see. That must be some impressive stuff if it can fit into a simple suit like that. Let's hope that it'll do the trick against the Storm King." She added.

John grabbed the M4 and slung it onto his back before grabbing the MCX and slinging it on his front, "Here's hoping." He replied, before digging through the duffle bag for more ammo.

Tempest eyed the amount of ammunition in the bag, as well as John's already somewhat encumbered appearance with a frown. After he shoved three magazines into his pockets and pants, she cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Why not keep most of this in the duffle bag like you've been doing this whole time?" She asked.

"Need to access it quickly. If it's on my person, I can get to it faster." John answered, pulling out several pistol magazines.

Tempest hummed, "Well, if I'm being honest, I don' think that your suit has enough pockets for all of this. What if you gave some to me?" She asked.

John raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

Tempest nodded, "Might as well."

John returned the nod before placing a few more magazines back into the duffle bag and tightening the straps enough to fit on Tempest's much smaller frame. He slid the straps over her barrel as she guided her forelegs through them, quickly securing the duffle bag. Once that was in place, John pulled out another belt from the bag and strapped it around Tempest's barrel.

"Uh, what is that for?" Tempest asked, quirking an eyebrow as John cinched the belt down on her barrel.

"For this." John replied as he pulled out his Kimber 1911 and its holster. He clipped the holster under the belt and tightened it down just a hair more to ensure it wasn't going to fall out or get lost.

Tempest eyed the gun now mounted to her body with a worried glance, "This thing isn't going to just go off on its own, is it?" She asked, attempting to angle her body away from the barrel of the gun.

"Unless someone pulls the trigger, no." John answered.

With one final check over the tidiness and tightness of their gear, John nodded toward the shipyard below, "Alright, let's get moving. We can use the trees for cover until we reach the perimeter. We'll have to go building to building after that, unless we can hijack one of those vehicles."

Tempest gave a nod of acknowledgement, "Alright. Let's do this." She replied.

John headed down the side of the mountain, Tempest close on his heels as the shipyard bustled with activity. They rushed from cover to cover, finding small bushes, trees, or boulders just large enough to hide them from view as the sentries passed by on their routes. Quick enough, they arrived at the road leading straight into the camp, both diving to the ditch on the side of the road as a squad of storm soldiers ran past near the entrance to the base.

John slowly peeked his head up from the ditch, his eyes scanning over the shipyards defenses now that he was closer and could identify weak points easier. Sharp, angular fences lined the entirety of the perimeter of the base, making entry from anything other than the designated roads, almost impossible. He mused over the idea of creating a distraction at one side of the gate and climbing over another, but his thoughts were cut short as the rumble of another half track filled the air.

The vehicle exited a tunnel that bore into the mountainside, it's heavy engine echoing off of the walls as it chugged along toward the shipyard. Instantly, John could see that there weren't any storm soldiers on the back; instead there were several cannons and large harpoon guns, half covered with black tarps that hung loosely off of the barrels and frames. John quickly looked down to Tempest and nodded toward the approaching half track.

"Looks like that's gonna be our ticket in. Gonna have to hop on as it passes though." John quietly explained.

Tempest eyed the half track with suspicion, "Are you sure that's the best way? Sometimes those get inspected by the guards on the way in." She reasoned.

"Unless you've got a secret entrance up your sleeve, that's our best shot. Plus, they're about to leave. They're in a rush." John shot back.

Tempest let out a quiet sigh, "Alright, fair point. On your mark." She replied, crouching down into an athletic pose as she prepared to move on the vehicle.

John crouched down beside her, taking a similar pose as he prepared for the inevitable arrival of the half track. A few moments passed, nearing a minute, and with each passing second, the sound of the vehicle grew louder and louder, until it was nearly on top of them. Just as the rumble of the engine, and the vibrations of the tracks shook the ground around them, John bolted out from his position on the side of the road, Tempest right at his heel.

John jumped forward and caught the back door panel of the half track and quickly hauled himself up onto the flatbed on the back. Tempest swiftly leapt onto the opposite door panel and hooked the frame with her hooves. With a helping hand from John, she easily climbed up onto the flatbed as well.

With the gate entrance quickly coming into sight, John crawled under one of the tarps. Tempest followed his lead and hid herself under the tarp just adjacent to his, ensuring to tuck in her tail and keep her mane under the fabric. Together, they waited in hushed silence as the track approached the front entrance of the shipyard. Just as they reached the gate, the vehicle came to a stop, and two storm soldiers approached the driver from either side of the cab.

John slowly, and carefully lifted the tarp just enough for him to glance under the fabric and see the soldiers as they communicated with the driver in their strange tongue. A series of grunts reached his ears over the sound of the engine, but aside from that, he couldn't discern what they were discussing.

Eventually, the soldier John could see, nodded his head toward the direction of the center of the camp and turned around to resume his post. A moment later, the half track jolted to life once more and pushed forward into the camp. John smoothly hid his face beneath the tarp as he passed by the guards, before lifting it back up slightly so he could see where the vehicle was heading to.

Across from him, Tempest did the same, her eyes scanning the passing tents and structures for any sign of their objective. For a few minutes, they only saw the mundane aspects of the shipyard. Mess halls, barracks, and formations of troops loading onto the airships, passed by at a steady pace, before quickly being replaced by much more of the same.

"Any of this look familiar?" John asked, his eyes still scanning for his objective.

"Vaguely. I remember a few of these buildings... I think we're going to reach the fuel tanks at the next intersection, but I can't see out in front to be sure." Tempest responded.

"I think I see an opening. Get ready to jump out and move to me on my signal." John announced, getting to his knees under the tarp.

Tempest quickly pushed herself to her hooves and scooched over as close as she could to John. A few moments of tense silence passed, before John spoke up.

"Now." He ordered, throwing the tarp over his shoulder and quickly dismounting the half track.

Tempest was only a second behind him, and with two distinct thuds, they both hit the ground and broke into a sprint and gallop toward an open doorway leading into a tall, jagged building. John rushed in first, shouldering his rifle and quickly clearing the room of any signs of life, before Tempest rushed in after him, closing the door just enough to leave a crack of light peering in for them to see with.

There were no windows in the room, only a few basic electronics and radio equipment that seemed completely unattended to for at least a few days. Tempest kept her eyes glued to the crack in the door, her gaze scanning for any approaching storm soldiers as John walked through the room and looked up the spiral staircase leading to the roof.

"Do you see anything?" Tempest asked.

"Nothing. Just some old radio equipment," John replied, lowing his rifle and looking over to Tempest, "You?"

"I see the fuel tanks." Tempest answered.

John quickly walked over to her side and glanced out the crack in the door to see the fuel tanks just a few hundred feet down the road. The storm soldiers surrounded the fuel tanks with no less than fifty guards, along with barbed wire fences, and several vehicles with armor thick enough to stop a cannon. John frowned at the sight before him, stepping away from the door and fixing Tempest with a contemplative look.

"I can get us to the fuel tanks, but it won't be quiet. They're gonna know we're coming and they aren't going to be showing any mercy. You ready for this? You're going to have to kill to survive this." He stated, firmly.

Tempest turned away from the door and gave John a nod, "I am." She firmly replied.

John leaned down and grabbed the mana nullification ring on her horn for a few seconds. The ring flashed green before unlocking and falling away from Tempest's broken horn, and allowing the feeling of magic to finally register on her broken appendage once more.

Tempest smiled as she felt the familiar feeling of her admittedly untamed arcane might, and let a few sparks fly, almost as if testing to see if she could still do it. With a happy nod of affirmation, she looked up to John and smirked.

"Let's blow this place." She said.

John nodded, "Alright. You know the plan. Stay close to me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxN9NQNohek

With that, John grabbed the door handle and shoved it open. He sprinted out into the street with Tempest galloping close at his heels. Together, they rushed past dozens of storm soldiers, many of whom recognized the mulberry mare and tilted their heads to the side as she galloped past them alongside a creature they'd never seen before. Such confusion was short lived, however, and after just a few moments, several of the soldiers recovered from their shock and shouted warnings and commands to their comrades upon seeing where Tempest and John were headed.

The storm soldiers guarding the fuel depot all turned their attention to the rapidly approaching John and Tempest, many of them assuming a defensive position with their spears and shields. John shouldered his rifle as he closed in, his finger migrating to the trigger and squeezing off several rounds as he slowed to a brisk walking pace. The echoing gunfire ricocheted off of the metallic structures around them, amplifying the colossal volume of the rifle as bullet after bullet sped through the air at thousands of feet per second.

One soldier fell, then another, and then another. Those that weren't covering their ears, covered their chests as bullets tore through their armor and flesh like a hot knife through butter, leaving them bleeding profusely from the many new holes in their bodies. Tempest's ears flicked down in agitation as each shot fired made her flinch, but she managed to keep pace with John, her horn sparking to life to keep back any soldiers that might approach from John's rear while his attention was occupied.

Dozens of soldiers sprinted toward the duo, spears and swords at the ready as they quickly covered ground. Tempest sparked her horn to life, sending a wave of magical lightning across the ground in front of her and catching all of the closest guards. They cried out in agony as the electricity seared their fur and sent their nerves haywire, making many of them spasm or contort their bodies in all manner of different ways.

With his back covered, John quickly dispatched the last of the guards protecting the entrance to the fuel depot. He reached back with his left hand and tapped Tempest's wither, gaining her attention and nodding toward the depot. She instantly got the hint and followed after him as he rushed toward the front gate, jumping over a few dead bodies along the way. They both quickly found themselves standing among over a dozen fuel silos, each one labeled with their maximum quantity of fuel on the side.

Forty thousand gallons per silo John thought as he looked over the silos.

Half a dozen more storm soldiers inside the depot rushed toward John and Tempest, their weapons at the ready. John quickly reshouldered his rife and canted it to the side, aiming with his red dot sight at the close range threats. He fired six more rounds before his magazine ran out of ammo, forcing him to switch to his Glock. As John peppered the approaching soldiers with nine millimeter ammunition, Tempest covered his back once more, sending a continuous bolt of lighting at a soldier just as he rounded the corner. The lightning seared his skin, making the creature howl in pain as it collapsed to the ground, writhing about for a few moments before falling still.

Beads of sweat dripped from Tempest's brow as she caught her breath. The strain of practically dumping her magical energy on the first few soldiers to approach her, left her feeling drained. She took a quick breath and shook her head to clear the slight dizziness from her mind, and focus on the next approaching soldier while John reloaded his weapons, six dead soldiers laying in front of him.

The next storm soldier to round the corner thrust at Tempest with his spear, but she deftly jumped over the weapon and flipped into a somersault, her hind leg spinning into a downward kick that caught the back of the soldiers head and drove his jaw straight into the mud below. The creature let out a grunt of pain as he slammed into the ground, his spear falling from his grasp and somewhere out of reach as he tried to push himself back up to his feet.

Just as the soldier looked up once more, Tempest kicked out a hindleg cracking his jaw for good and knocking the beast unconscious. As she turned back to John, an crossbow bolt sailed right past her face, before slamming into the fuel tank just a few dozen feet away from her and splintering into a thousand shards of wood. Both her and John looked over to the nearby guardtower, finding the source of bolt nearly instantly.

John quickly shouldered his rifle, and with a gentle push, increased the magnification of his optic enough to see his shot clearly. He squeezed the trigger and fired off another round, dropping the storm soldier immediately as blood spewed from the new hole in his head. With that threat cleared, John turned back to the fuel depot and fired off a volley of bullets that pieced the metal frame of the silo nearest to the both of them with ease. Plumes of green smoke billowed from the dozen holes now present on the fuel tank, filling the air with a noxious gas that John and Tempest stepped away from.

Without hesitation, John emptied the rest of his magazine into the other silos present in the fuel depot. The air filled with a haze of green gas that made it difficult to see more than a few dozen feet ahead. John quickly reloaded his rifle before turning to Tempest and nodding toward their exit.

"Let's get to a safe distance, and then you can light it." He instructed, turning on his heels and rushing to the front gate.

Tempest nodded and raced after him, her hooves plowing through the bloodied mud as she kept on John's heels. They quickly reached the exit, only for over three dozen storm soldiers to rush them from just outside the perimeter. John instantly fired his rifle, not even bothering to shoulder the weapon due to the extreme proximity of the soldiers, while Tempest ducked under the first soldier's sword and leapt upward, using her jagged horn to puncture the soldier's throat.

The gas quickly approached them from behind as they fought against the soldiers surrounding them. Both Tempest and John were too busy fighting to notice the quickly encroaching gas as wisps of green licked at their heels. Soldier after soldier dropped in front of John, multiple new holes littering their corpses and running the ground red with blood. Beside him, Tempest dropped the second soldier to approach her by jumping over the horizontal slash of his sword and headbutting him as hard as she could. The action both knocked the soldier to the ground, and cut her forehead, leading to a bleeding wound the spilled down her face.

Momentarily blinded by the blood now filling her vision, Tempest stumble back a step, only for a claw to grab her by the throat and throw her into the street, away from the depot and into the center of the crowd of soldiers. She landed with a splash of mud and blood, but she managed to quickly roll to the side to avoid a spear plunging into her belly.

Across from Tempest, John quickly shouldered his rife and fired three rounds, killing the soldier nearest to her before he could attempt to spear the unicorn again. Unfortunately, in his moment of focus, John didn't see the soldier approaching from his other side, and was brutally thrown nearly a dozen feet away. He landed with a splash, just a few feet away from Tempest. He let out a grunt of pain from the impact, but quickly pushed himself to a kneeling position just as the soldiers rushed from all sides.

John aimed his now very muddy rifle at the storm soldiers approaching from in front of the fuel depot. He fired again and again, his bullets cutting down several of the soldiers until he ran out of ammo. Tempest ducked under a spear while kicking her hindleg out and knocking the wind out of the soldier behind her. She deftly rolled to the side, dodging a sword swipe from another guard but found herself completely surrounded. As she frantically looked back and forth for an escape, she saw the green wisps of gas as they reached the outside wall of the depot.

"Get down!" Tempest screamed, her horn sparking to life.

Without hesitation, John dove to the mud and rolled away from the guards while Tempest shot an arc of lighting straight into the thick of the cloud of gas. The electricity connected with the wisps of fuel vapor, igniting the flammable material and turning the entire cloud of smoke into a blazing inferno that quickly enveloped the whole fuel depot. The following explosion sent all the soldiers, Tempest, and John flying as the entire world around them blew up into a bright flash of blindingly brilliant light. The fire burnt so bright and hot that entire buildings blew away, and tents ignited instantly.

As Tempest slammed into the ground, dozens of feet away from the entrance to the depot, she fell unconscious, her vision quickly fading to black.

Author's Note

Oh boy. Here we go.