The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds. Silver Bit was pulled away from the collapsing tree by Commander Nexus as it fell and the whole area was covered in branches, bark and books that were unreadable after the collapse. The dust settled heavily over the clearing and a large radius outside of it. The Evening Guard were quick about putting a shield over the area and picking the whole thing apart. Nexus stood in the center shouting orders like the Captain stereotypical soldier he was. Silver on the other hoof sat with a blanket around her shoulders as everypony worked furiously. After Nexus finished doing something that Silver could care less about, he trotted over and sat down next to her.

"I suppose an you okay wouldn't cover it?" Nexus asked not making eye contact.

Silver didn't care, she was staring down at the ground. "You're bedside manner needs work."

"Yeah, I've never been that good at this kind of thing." Nexus looked to her and saw she wasn't looking at him. "Look, it's never easy losing somepony you're close to you. And I hate collateral damage. If we could save them all then we would but sometimes there's nothing we can do. That in it of itself is hard on me."

"Why? You're a soldier; death is an every other day thing for you."

"Just because I'm a soldier doesn't mean I'm without a heart. I lose friends every time I go out on a mission like this. There's nothing more dreadful than seeing less ponies come back to a room then when they left. Then there's writing the note to the next of kin. You're family member, during a raid on a changeling encampment was unfortunately killed in action by some horrible means. Here's a metal and a flag. We're sorry for your loss. I hate those letters so much. Hell, I have one written for myself just as generic."

"Why do you have one for yourself?"

"Because when you're in my line of work, you're never guaranteed tomorrow. And if I don't then somepony will and they'll ham it up."

"I don't think-"

"You'd be surprised what my Lieutenant can come up with when he's stressed. I still wonder why he's my second in command."

Silver stiffed back a giggle. "So what happens now?"

"We keep fighting. What else?"

"I want her head."

"Hm?"

"Chrysalis, I want to rip her head off."

"Revenge isn't always the answer. But if its changeling blood you want, then I can give it to you."

"How?"

"Hold on."

Nexus looked up towards the shield around them and pinched his lower lip with his teeth. He took in a sharp breath and let out a powerful whistle and echoed for what could have been miles. There was a silence for a moment then a sudden shriek, louder than Nexus' whistle, replied. What looked like a comet made of stars shot from the trees and towards the shield. With no resistance, the object passed through the shield and started in an upward arc towards them. As it got closer wings flapped and it began to slow.

Once the object slowed down, Silver realized it wasn't an object, it was a bird. A black and purple bird emanating a dark blue energy that shimmered like the stars in the sky. Nexus extended his right mechanical wings. The beautiful bird landed on the top and folded its wings and squawked happily.

"What is that?" Silver asked.

"This is my pet Nightmare Phoenix, Raven Wing. Say hi to Silver Bit buddy." the phoenix leaned over to Silver and nuzzled her with a content coo. "He's a people person. Anyways, the great thing about phoenixes is that they can fly fast enough to beat even the fastest pegasus or carrier pigeon so I use him for my most important letters."

"What does this-"

"I'm not done. Now that he has your scent, he can find you anywhere in the world. I won't use him if you don't agree to what I have to say."

"What is it?"

"I can promise you the death of Chrysalis, but I can't grantee that you'll be the one to kill her. But, if a time comes that I need you before then, I'll send Raven Wing."

"What do you want me to do?" Silver asked wary of the offer.

"When I call on you, can I count on you to fight at my side against the changelings? If I call you, it means we're going after her. But if you do go, I can't guarantee that you'll come back alive. But if we stumble upon her before then and we are able to kill her then I will send Raven Wing with a letter telling you so. So, are you in?"

Silver knit her brow for a moment. Revenge was all she wanted, not a full military deal. And the possibility of dying… That's almost always a deal breaker. But after what she's gone through the past few weeks, she was sure that she wasn't going to turn and run when trouble came up.

"I'm in."

"Are you sure about this? Like I said, death is a strong possibility. Doesn't that scare you?"

"Fear has hit me hard the past few weeks. But no matter how afraid you can get, no matter what you fear, if you can channel it to help you thrive, then anything is possible."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. We'll be in touch. Cutler!"

"Yes sir?" Orion said trotting over.

"Get a chariot and Silver Bit home safe."

"Yes sir. Let's go Silver."

"Alright. I'll be waiting Commander." Silver said getting up.

As Silver walked with Orion, all she could think about was making that thing pay for what she'd done to her. There was no way she'd let this go without somepony getting their neck broken. But what'll happen when the time comes? Her raid was nearly fatal. But to her, that was a bridge that needed to be crossed when she got to it. And in a few months time, she would see that the bridge was much more unstable than she thought.

To be Continued…

Author's Notes:

Nexus: So she works for me now?
Me: Yeah. That's obvious.
Nexus: So she's the Element of Courage?
Me: As much as you're the Element of Honor.
Nexus: Is this conversation going to be this cut and dry?
Me: Ayup.
Nexus: Don't do that again.
Me: I'm southern. Kind of what we say. Anyways. Thank y'all so much for reading. I hope you liked it and be sure to check out The Elements of Freedom to see what happens to them all. And as always; As you were and Stay Brony My Friends.
Nexus: Live, love, tolerate.
Me: When did you have an outro?
Nexus: Since now.
Me: Well alright then.