"You have to what!?" a dark brown earth pony with an orange mane shouted.

"Dad, it's not like I'm being sent out alone." Thunder said trying to pack his bag.

"No. Absolutely not! I forbid you to go out there to a war that you're not a part of!"

"It's not your choice to make dad!" Thunder lied.

"When's he get here? I'm going to give him a piece of my callused hoof!"

"Dad, you can't do that."

"Ta hell I can't!"

"No, Dad, you can't because he'd destroy you."

"I'm not going to let some Canterlot pussy take you without a fight."

"Dad, I want to go."

"You what?"

"I want to go and fight."

"But-"

"Dad, working with Spangle gave me purpose, but the work I've done with The Commander's given me direction and drive to follow that purpose."

"And what purpose is that?"

"To help improve others ideas."

"And what idea of his have you improved?"

"I've added to a few of his prosthetic designs to make them more practical for those that aren't use to them."

"Again. Like what?"

"You know the nerve endings on our hoofs that let us pick stuff up?"

"Uh… Yeah?" Autumn said not knowing entirely what his son was talking about.

"Well, the legs don't tend to have anything to pick things up like hoofs do. Nexus had me help him create a kind of system of diodes that he enchanted to function like the nerves in our hoofs."

"That doesn't make you fit to fight."

"But he trained me."

"Again, that doesn't mean you should go out and risk your life."

"He trusts me to go out there and work like he trained me."

"What did he train you to do?"

"He trained me to fight and I trained him to-"

"You trained him? That's it! When's he getting here?"

"What's wrong with me teaching him something?"

"If he needs to learn something from a kid that can't fight, he's not right going to be good enough to protect you."

"I can handle myself Dad. And I didn't teach him to fight."

"Then what-" A low drone vibrates the floorboards beneath their hoofs. "What's that?"

"That's my ride. And I'm going." Thunder Clap said throwing his bags over his shoulders.

He pushed past his dad and down the stairs to the living room.

Outside, the massive airship continued its decent towards the small town of White Tail. Nexus watched from the bow as the small town became clearer under the fully grown trees of the forest. It felt like only yesterday that he'd left this place with his MK. I set of legs and wings to find his way back to Canterlot; and even less time since he came to first see Thunder Clap's first version of this Thunder Storm rifle. He could see Thunder's family farm and two separate crates sitting in the middle of the dirt road down the middle of the growing crops.

Nexus could see two dots moving towards the crates and one moving near them already. Nexus spread his mechanical wings and leapt from the ship. The wind whistled past his ears and threw his messy black mane back as he began his straight down drop. He flapped his wings a few times as he got closer to the ground to slow down. With a few more flaps, Nexus slows to a halt just over the ground. He sees that the speck that was standing near the crates was his old friend Midnight Spangle.

"Nexus." He said with a smile.

"Afternoon. He ready?"

"He is but is dad isn't."

"I'll talk to him." Nexus said starting towards the two speaks he'd see from above before Spangle stopped him.

"Hey, I heard about your dad. I'm sorry."

"I don't need you sympathy."

"It's not sympathy, it's concern. I know you, and when you're sad, you crawl into a shell and get very blunt."

"Just help my troops get these things up into the ship and I'll deal with Autumn Harvest."

"Just, don't get mad at him." Spangle said letting him go and putting an eye to the air ship as it still gets closer and the drone of the engines start getting louder.

Nexus started towards the two dots and he was surprised that he could hear them arguing over the engines.

"Thunder Clap Harvest, you get your flank back here before I beat it!"

"I'm seventeen Dad; I can make my own decisions."

"That's not what this contract says."

"I'm sorry, is there a problem here?" Nexus asked as Thunder Clap stopped at attention.

"Sir!"

"As you were. Is there a problem Mr. Harvest?"

"You're damn right we have a problem. Your letter says you're taking my son into combat!? What are you thinking? We're not at war!"

"But we're about to be. And he's the only one that can adequately train the troops how to use his rifles."

"Then why can't you just have your troops here to train?"

"Dad-"

"Ten-Hut!" Thunder quickly stood at attention and shut his mouth. "Because we don't have time. The treat against Equestria is coming faster than he can fully train them here. He'll teach them on the way to our destination."

"And where is that destination?"

"That's classified."

"Then he's not going."

Against everything his heart was telling him to speak up to his dad, but he knew better than to interrupt Nexus when he's getting in somepony's face. Though it didn't seem like he was getting into his face. He was just waiting for Nexus to start shouting at him that he's going.

"You're right." Until now. "I don't have any reason to say that he can go. But let me ask you a question. What is the most important thing in the world to you?"

"My son. Now get your ass out of here."

"That's not the whole answer."

"Yes it is. Now Thunder, get back to the house and unpack your bags."

"No it's not. You know the answer."

"You listen to me. My son's safety and wellbeing are the most important thing to me. And I'm not letting him go out to a war that isn't even a war yet just because you need-" the drone was extremely loud and forcing them to have to shout. "Because you need somepony to do your job for you!"

"I need him to do what I can't. And he's going to be with the leader of half of Equestria's military. If the princess' trust me to lead then you should trust me to keep your son safe."

"No! I'm not letting him go. I already couldn't save his mother and I nearly lost him when he lost his leg!"

"Sometimes you have to trust somepony to do what has to be done."

"And what if I don't trust you!?"

"I don't mean me."

Autumn Harvest looked to his son. "You're saying I don't trust my son?"

"I know you do, but that trust is covered up by your fear of losing him. He's done more then you can imagine with his talent, he saved you, he saved me. He's not just your son anymore, he's a born soldier. It's what he wants and what'll make him happy."

"I-I don't-"

"Dad, I want to go. Nexus' right, I'm not a kid anymore. I can do things that help ponies, make their lives better and keep them safe. I can make a difference in the world and I love it."

"You should trust yourself you to trust your son."

Autumn looked to his son and it looked like he was mulling everything over. "I want a letter from you every day."

"You'll get it." Nexus assured. "As of this moment, you are now a Sergeant. Get on that ship!"

"Yes Sir!" Thunder said running towards the crates as four Guard soldiers put ropes around the two crates.

"You better keep my boy safe." Autumn Harvest said getting next to Nexus.

"If I don't, I won't be back. Trust me."

"I really don't like the sound of that." Autumn said watching the crates be lifted up towards the Lifeline with Thunder Clap riding one up like an elevator.

Author's Notes:

I threw Nex back into his dimension quick enough to not have the universe he was in collaps so that's why it took some time and some work with a certain medical practitioner to help me repair the small rift he made. After all, i'm just an earth pony.