“...sorry,” Adagio replied, “I had no idea that’s what you were feeling. I think we all need to start doing a better job of asking our fellow humans how they’re doing. There could be loads more of them in our age group who don’t speak up about their problems.”
“Yeah…what she said,” Applejack replied, “I’m sure yer cousin’s gonna always be there to come back to ya, Sentry. He don’t sound like no pushover’ta me.”
Flash replied with a sigh and smiled a tad. “Thanks. I still worry for him sometimes, but knowing someone else cares helps more than you know.”
“I may not be familiar with the logistics of human warfare, but I agree with Applejack,” Adagio added, “You’ve been through quite a lot and have proven to me that humans are stronger than I initially gave them credit for. If your family is anything like you, then I think you’ll all turn out just fine, Flash.”
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Ah….I wouldn’t say that. I’m not exactly the strongest guy around, but I appreciate hearing that all the same. Feels good to get that off my chest actually.”
Adagio started to muse something under her breath, “Hmm…I wonder if he and Sunset Shimmer should try and--”
Applejack cut her off, “Let’s not dig up old hatchets now. He’s got enough on his plate as it is.”
Now that he was motivated, Flash then spoke up about what he intended to do next. “Alright. Now that I can think…I’m gonna send Micro Chips down there once he finds the location of their current base of operations. The Hishimas are no longer located at the building next to the fairgrounds after that incident, but I think we’ve got a lead on them.”
“Already?” Applejack asked with an impressed tone as she gazed at the computer monitors in front of Flash, “That’s much quicker than I woulda ever guessed.”
“Well, Mr. Rich is the primary source of budget for the country’s military,” Flash continued, “He’s pretty much been pouring everything he’s got into figuring out where these people are. After all, these are foreign invaders which essentially demands the use of our armed forces to counteract. Though, we’re trying to stay cool before we go hot.”
“...which means?” Adagio asked curiously.
“We don’t want to start raiding random buildings,” Flash continued as he took out his cell phone, “But if we act a bit more covert…then we can figure out what to do next.”
Applejack and Adagio looked at each other with curious expressions for a moment, then back at Flash’s computers as they watched him work.
One phone call later…
“...alrighty, thanks MC,” he hung up his phone. “Okay, so Micro Chips is gonna start snooping around and look for a job at the building where this gang has moved to. Once he’s inside, we’re gonna have a funnel of information we can use against them and send in a strike team to take them down.”
“Hm…” Applejack thought about it for a moment. “...well, that’s somethin’ I never woulda came up with on mah own. I say let’s go for it. And…thanks fer this, Sentry. Goin’ outta yer way’ta help me square up what happened to mah folks and all.”
“No problem. Like I said, I know what it’s like to lose family,” he replied casually, “So if I can help someone else gain some closure on their loss, it’ll all be worth it. All we need to do is wait until Micro replies with some info. And then…” he snickered while holding his hands open--pressing his fingertips together in a ‘cunning’ gesture, “I’ll be ready to jump in.”
“...You?” Adagio asked out of concern for his safety, “Are you certain you’ll be able to handle fighting out there alongside us? Sunset wouldn’t be happy if you got hur--”
Applejack nudged her with her elbow and glared at her with a raised brow.
“Hey, I’m not wrong, am I?” Adagio protested.
But Flash was more than confident as he got up and went to one of his closets and pulled out an airsoft rifle based on a modernized military design. “Oh don’t worry about me. I’m ready to give ‘em a SCAR-E.”
At the beach…
“...and that’s the long and short of it,” Aidon concluded, “Someday, I hope to bring Starswirl into this world to show him what it’s like to live here and experience the callous decision-making he’s made throughout the years.”
“Hmph. That’d be the least of the things I’d do to someone like that,” Haven replied as she crossed her legs, “I’d make sure he’d experience the pain twofold and publicize his failures for all to see…among other things.”
Aidon paused and adjusted his glasses, stunned into silence by the woman’s rather…deadly proposal. “I…well, that’d certainly be one way to go about it. I’m actually rather surprised you’ve accepted my tale so readily.”
Haven then turned over onto her front--lying prone so the sun could hit her back. “Oh dear--please. I’ve been witnessing every insane little magical event that occurred in this world thus far. Your presence would be silly not to take seriously. The safety of you and your partner should be your top priority.”
“Oh trust me, it is,” he replied with a nod, “Luna’s been through enough as it is. I don’t want her to deal with any more than she needs to. If only I could show Starswirl the error of his ways…”
“Hm…I might be able to help with that, Aidon.”
“...Oh?”