“Well, at least you got the goblet back,” Chrysalis said whilst she bandaged Shining Armor’s injury with a sigh. “Seriously, you had magic at your side. How could you lose her?”
“I didn’t! I told you, I was attacked!”
“From the way you described it, it sounds like Aria Blaze,” Sunset Shimmer said, flipping her phone around to show a photograph of three girls to the FBI agents. “She’s one of three sirens who were banished to our world, and attacked our school recently. They use music to put people into a trance and make them fight each other, whilst sucking up all of the negative energy that comes about as a result.”
“It sure wasn’t magic that came out of that gun,” Shining Armor grumbled.
“Their gems were crushed when we defeated them,” Sunset Shimmer continued. “They don’t have any magic right now and, as a result, I deemed them no longer a threat. A siren without a gem is like a venomous snake without its fangs.
“I didn’t think they’d make a move like this. I underestimated them.”
“Still, it is Kaitou Moon committing these heists,” Chrysalis pointed out. “It seems these ‘sirens’ are still laying low. They must need a lot of money for whatever they need and are afraid to get it themselves.”
“If we remove them from the picture, maybe Kaitou Moon’s activities will cease?” Shining Armor suggested. “In any case, these girls are clearly dangerous. Can you send me that photograph of them?”
“Sure,” Sunset said as she began punching some buttons on her phone. “The one who attacked you was Aria Blaze. The blue-haired one is Sonata Dusk, and Adagio Dazzle is their leader.”
“They’re likely using aliases, but I’ll have some agents look around town for anyone who’s seen or heard of them.” Shining Armor turned to Chrysalis and asked, “Could you please not tell Cadance about this? I don’t want her to freak out or anything.”
“Sure, but it’s already too late for that,” Chrysalis said. “Gilda’s already contacted her.”
“What?!”
“SHINY?!” The door slammed open, and a pink blur ran into the room, stopping and panting in front of Shining Armor. “Oh my goodness! Are you okay?! Who did this to you?! Don’t worry, I’ll nurse you back to health!”
“Cadance, please! I’m fine, really!” Shining Armor rose to his feet, wincing as he grasped his waist, and gave a confident smile. “See? This is nothing.”
“Indeed,” Sombra said as he followed Cadance into the room, alerting everybody else. “After what Agent Armor has been through, a wound of this level is likely akin to being stung by a bee. But even you would die from too many bee stings.”
“I thought you were supposed to stay locked up until we got a notice from Kaitou Moon,” Shining Armor said, glaring at the two escorts behind Sombra.
“I asked them to make an exception,” Cadance explained. “As part of his rehabilitation. It would do no good to keep him locked away in that dark, dusty room for too long.”
“Cadance, he tried to kill us!”
“And he also used to be one of us. I can’t forget the horrible things that he did, but the same also goes for all of the nice things, too.”
“What ‘nice’ things? We barely even spoke to him!”
“Don’t you remember how he saved your life once?” The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Shining Armor. “And all of the times he’s worked himself ragged in order to serve and protect this country.”
“Just doing my job,” Sombra said with a grin. “Letting him die when he was assigned as my partner would have put me in a compromising position.”
“We can trust him,” Chrysalis chimed in. “As long as we’ve got two barrels pointed at him at all times.”
“I don’t think we can,” Gilda argued. “It was thanks to him that Shining Armor got hurt. He was supposed to be our lookout.”
“I’m only human. I make mistakes.” Sombra looked into Cadance’s eyes, and asked, “It’s two for and two against. So what now?”
“I’m for it, too,” Sunset Shimmer spoke up. “And what fortunate timing. I just got a call… from Kaitou Moon.”
“You think she’ll really help you after all you’ve done?” Fuchsia Blush asked. “She’s the one who’s been trying to capture you!”
“Yes, capture. Not kill.” Trixie’s phone lit up and vibrated, alerting her to the incoming text that she had received. “Besides, if the Dazzlings are involved, I hardly think that she’d pass up a chance to defeat them. They’re from her world, after all.”
“If Adagio finds out that we’ve contacted the FBI-”
“If the FBI was so easily found out, they would have a lot of trouble keeping this country safe.” Trixie pocketed her phone and turned to her friends. “I’m banking on their abilities to run a smooth, undercover operation. You two just act as though nothing’s wrong.”
“What should we do about contacting each other?” Lavender Lace asked.
“Naturally, use your normal phones when you’re being watched, but when you’re alone, use the ones that Snips and Snails prepared.”
“We’ll be safe in here, but what if our rooms have been bugged?” Fuchsia asked.
“Assume they have been and go out to a nearby convenience store or the like. Obviously doing that too much will look suspicious, so only do it in an emergency.”
Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace both nodded, and then Lavender said, “I’ll prepare a new costume for you tonight. It’ll be heavier, but it will protect you from gunshots to the body without standing out. You should plan out a heist that doesn’t require fast and agile movements.”
“That’s up to Fuchsia,” Trixie said, “And how big a window she can buy me with the security systems.”
“I’ll send you a text tonight with an estimated timeframe.”
“Then in that case, let’s all be ready and get lots of sleep. Because tomorrow is going to be our biggest, and most dangerous heist to date.