Miles south west of Canterlot, a young, gray earth pony with a golden lightning bolt cutie mark, tinkered with a repeating rifle inside of a shop in the town of White Tail. His messy mint green mane was singed from all the time he spends in front of the forge. His right foreleg was technically nonexistent. Where the leg would connect to the body, a metal plate, contouring to the body shape, a bare mechanical leg. The outside shimmered with the fires of the forge in the corner as he spun a few screws with a screwdriver in his teeth.

A light squawk came from the work bench under the window and pulled him from his project. He set the screwdriver on the table and looked to the window where a carrier pigeon cage sat on the other side of the window. Inside, a purple and black feathered bird stood waiting on the door to be opened.

"Spangle! Mail's here." the earth pony shouted.

"What kind?" a stallion shouted from upstairs.

"The phoenix kind."

"Could you get that for me; I'm kind of busy."

"You're stuck in your uniform again aren't you?"

"Um… JUST GET THE MAIL THUNDER CLAP!"

Thunder chuckled and trotted to the window and opened the window. Raven Wing leapt through the window and landed on the perch hanging from the window sill. He squawked and let out a ball of blue fire from his beak. The flames swirled around then reformed into a scroll. Thunder opened the small piece of paper and read it to himself silently.
To: Sergeant Thunder Clap

This is a direct order from Commander Nexus. You are to load up and prepare for your first assignment. You are to accompany a troop of fifty men and teach them how to use your weapon as well as be the troop's marksman expert. The troop will be flying to the edge of the Griffon Kingdom to retrieve valuable intel. Pack warmly and have the first shipment of ammunition ready for the deployment. Failure to follow this order will result in being charged with desertion and sentenced to life in prison.

Order Signed by: Commander Lunarus Solaris Nexus

"What's Nexus want?" Spangle shouted from upstairs.

"Um…It's not for you."

"What'd you mean?" Spangle asked coming down now free of his old uniform.

The good natured old pegasus was ebony black with white spots that looked like stars across his coat with a seven pronged star on his flank. He read over the note and he knit his brow at what he was reading.

"This soon? You just got out of basic."

"That's what I'm thinking. But he needs the rifles so I'm in no position to say no."

"You're still sure you want to go through with this. I mean, yeah. You'll be in prison if you don't, but you'll have a higher chance of survival."

"I told Nexus I'd be ready and I'm ready."

"Your dad okay with this?"

"I wouldn't know, I didn't ask him."

"You didn't- Look, you're going to have to talk to him before you go."

"I know, but he's tried his best to keep me on the safe side my whole life and I'm not sure he'd let me go to begin with. I'm only seventeen so he has the right to tell Nexus that I can't go."

"So you think it's better to lie to him about it rather than talk it out?"

"At the moment… yes."

"Fix it. You two need to talk before you go out."

"Ya think so?"

"I didn't just leave my parents in the dark when I went out for the guard. If they don't know what's going on, then it's going to hurt them a lot more when you leave."

"Alright. I'll talk to him."

"You better. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a trip to the tailors."

"You do that." Thunder Clap said with a smile.