Sunset Shimmer and the FBI are on the hunt for the notorious Kaitou Moon, but another figure may be lurking in the shadows...
The notorious Kaitou Moon is all the rage in Canterlot these days, and Sunset Shimmer is determined to bring this thief to their knees! She's not the only one, though; the FBI are also on this thief's case, and it seems that the phantom thief may have also caught the attention of another, more mysterious foe.
A long time ago, there were many people who were charged with the crime of being witches. Practitioners of magic, these creatures could do anything. Over time though, the people came to accept one simple fact: magic does not exist. Princes do not turn into frogs, potions are not brewed from thin air, and hexes are not the cause of one's misfortunes.
Even the so-called 'magic tricks' performed today are simply that: tricks. Smoke, mirrors, and well-planned timing thrown together to deceive the eye. So why such displays so popular? Because people do not understand them. The only magic that exists in this world can be explained, but the common man or woman is unable to explain it. How does an entire person vanish before their eyes? How does a rabbit materialise from such a small hat? How does that magician manage to scale an entire fifty feet of building in just a couple of seconds?
People are drawn to the mystery that these 'miracles' bring. They want to believe that there is a something incredible out there that is beyond their comprehension, and they want to be a part of it. That is why magicians such as the Great and Powerful Trixie are able to please a crowd with a few fancy words and some strategically placed gadgets. And it is also why magicians such as Kaitou Moon can gather such a large fanbase, despite being a notorious criminal.
The portrait of Canterlot's beautiful countryside lake, drawn nearly three centuries ago and worth over fifty thousand dollars, was there one moment, and gone the next. Fifteen police officers stood baffled as they watched both the painting and the thief simply pass through the solid wall behind them. Finally, one of them broke out of the thief's spell and made a call to his comrades waiting outside of the museum.
"What do you mean it's missing?! Sweep the area! He couldn't have gotten too far!"
The unit spread out, abandoning the room that once housed the valuable painting to search the entire building. Only a few seconds after they left did the masked figure descend from the ceiling, chuckling under their breath as their purple, star-patterned cape draped over their body. The figure removed their hat, decorated in a similar fashion to their cape, and pulled out a small remote. Pushing the button caused the wall to shimmer, before revealing the painting sitting exactly where it did before.
"Too easy," the figure stated through a voice filter that made their gender unidentifiable. "I guess I'll be taking this then."
"Not so fast."
Kaitou Moon spotted a young girl leaning against the doorway leading into the room, her arms folded as she held a pistol in one hand. "That painting doesn't belong to you, Miss Lulamoon."
"Lulamoon? I'm afraid you have me confused for somebody else," the thief said. The girl approached, pointing her gun forward and keeping it trained on Kaitou Moon. "What, are you going to shoot me? Do you really think you can get away with murder just because I'm a thief?"
"Some thief you are," the girl said. "You return every item that you steal. Even the police have realised how pointless it is to waste their time and money on you."
Kaitou Moon hummed as they folded their arms. "I guess that would explain the lax security tonight. But fear not; that's about to change. I will make sure that next time is much more spectacular."
"Except that there won't be a next time," the girl retorted. "I'm ending it right now. Just a few shots to your legs to make sure you don't move, and-" The girl pulled the trigger, but no shots fired. She pulled again, but the result was the same. She was distracted by the sound of clanging metal and looked up to find Kaitou Moon dropping several bullets onto the floor. "H-How-"
"Did you really think I hadn't noticed you sneaking through the vents? If one stealthy unit was all that it took, I would have been captured a long time ago!"
The girl growled through her teeth and slowly put her gun away. "I see. You must have emptied my gun when I was focussed on sneaking past the guards. You were stalking me from the shadows."
"Tell me, Miss… why do you think I commit these heists?"
"Isn't it obvious? You commit them to inflate your own ego." The girl pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. "You send these warning notes out to the police with the exact times of your heists, and your exact targets. You do this for nothing more than the thrill of the crime!"
Kaitou Moon chuckled and shook their head. "Then why do you come after me?"
"For the reward, of course." The girl charged forwards, but was forced to stop as smoke filled the area. "DAMNIT!" As the smoke cleared, both the painting and the thief were gone once more. The girl studied the ceiling and found a hole in it, with a thing wire dangling from the pipes above her. "This ventilation… There's only place it leads where she could escape!"
Kaitou Moon stood at the edge of the Canterlot Museum of History's rooftop, their cape fluttering in the wind. They turned around at the sound of footsteps behind them and smiled as the ragged girl finally made her appearance. "I see that you're somebody to watch out for. Sunset Shimmer, is it?"
"Don't… act like… you don't… know me…"
"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't. A magician never reveals their secrets, you see?" Kaitou Moon turned back to look over the edge of the building. "Your deduction earlier was close, but you missed one key detail: I don't only steal to test myself against this town police force. There's a much more important reason for my actions."
Sunset Shimmer regained her composure and said, "Enlighten me."
"Can you not hear it?" The two were silent for a few moments, and the sounds of cheering could be heard echoing through the air. Cheering for Kaitou Moon. "That is why. The people love a good show. They love to see the impossible performed right before their eyes, and they love trying to figure out how I did it. And I love to be the one that all eyes turn to when the curtains rise."
"So in short, you do it for the attention. Like an idiot acting up in class because he has no friends."
Kaitou Moon laughed and spread out her arm. "You know now why I do this. Now try to use that information to catch me… if you think that you can, Miss Detective."
Sunset Shimmer pulled out her gun and watched Kaitou Moon jump off of the building. "W-What are you-" Sunset gasped as the thief suddenly rose up, soaring across the sky with their arms to either side. The cheering grew louder, and Sunset Shimmer was speechless as she watched this impossible feat play out before her eyes. "A-An invisible hang glider! It has to be!" Sunset tried to shoot the area above Kaitou Moon, but her gun only clicked. She pulled out the magazine and checked the bullets that she had recovered, only to find that they were blanks. "No!"
As Kaitou Moon's laughter echoed through the air, Sunset Shimmer could only watch as her last chances for victory sailed away, leaving her stranded on that rooftop with naught but a bitter taste in her mouth. The taste of defeat.
"I swear… I will get you for this, Trixie!"
"Did you see what was in the news today about Kaitou Moon's last heist?!"
Applejack pushed Rainbow Dash back, keeping her friend out of her bubble of personal space. "G'morning, Rainbow. An' no, ah didn't. Ah slept in late today an' rushed out without watchin' the news."
"Well I certainly saw it, and I must say I cannot believe what she has done!" Rarity said, watching nervously as her sister ran by whilst wearing Kaitou Moon T-shirt.
Rainbow Dash held out an arm to stop Featherweight as he passed by them. "Hey, you got today's newspaper on you, right?"
"Of course!" The boy pulled out a newspaper and handed it to Rainbow Dash. "You can keep that one. I always get spare copies every day."
"Here, read it," Rainbow Dash said, giving the newspaper to Applejack.
The farmer took the paper and read the article on the front page. "'Kaitou Moon delivered a note to Sheriff Silverstar, claiming that, due t' the police not takin' her last heist seriously, she is keepin' the paintin''?!"
"That painting is one of this town's treasures!" Rarity exclaimed. "It's been in that museum since it was first established! It is a masterpiece of art!"
Applejack continued to read. "'If the police don't care 'bout the paintin', then they won't mind if ah keep it. Starting from now on, whenever ah feel that the police aren't doin' all in their power to stop me, ah will keep my score'."
"I can kind of see where she is coming from." Applejack turned around and saw Trixie Lulamoon, Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie approaching the group. "At least from a financial point of view. That painting is worth a fortune! Why, if Trixie had that much money, she'd finally be able to buy that warehouse down the street that she's had her eyes on, and set up her own theatre!"
"Ah can't believe this!" Applejack shouted, scrunching up the newspaper in her hands. "Ah never did like that thief, but at least she gave back the things she stole before. But now, she's gone too far!"
"Indeed." Trixie felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to find Sunset Shimmer, grinning like a cat that just got the milk. "That thief is quite the menace. To think that you would actually steal such an expensive painting, Trixie Lulamoon."
Everybody gasped and turned to Trixie. "You think Trixie's the thief?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"My, how flattering," Trixie said simply. "That you would call Trixie a world-renowned thief. But alas, until such a day that Trixie can leave her schooldays behind her, such fame and fortune are only available in her wildest dreams."
"And besides, she can't be the thief!" Pinkie Pie said as she got in-between Trixie and Sunset Shimmer. "She was with us last night, having a sleepover!"
Sunset's eyes widened. "S-She was?"
"Yep! We even watched the heist happen, together!"
"And she didn't sneak out," Maud added. "Boulder is a very light sleeper and would have made a ruckus if she tried to leave at any point during the night."
Sunset Shimmer took a step backwards, her grin from earlier now replaced with a pale, mixed look of confusion and sorrow. "B-But that's-"
"We all make mistakes. Try not to let it get to you," Trixie said, patting her 'friend' on the shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Trixie has morning practices to attend."
"With the drama club, right?" Applejack asked, receiving a nod. "Did Apple Bloom try out last week? She said she was interested but didn't say much when she came home early."
"Oh, yes. Expect an invoice soon for all the fabric we've had to order to repair our curtains and costumes."
Applejack sighed. "Apple Blooooooom…"
"See ya," Trixie said with a wave, walking away from the group with a smile on her face. After taking the first turn down the corridor, Trixie slowed down and pulled out her phone. Deciding that the corridor was empty enough, Trixie dialled a number and held the phone to her ear.
"Nice work last night!"
"Trixie could say the same to you, Fuchsia Blush. And to Lavender Lace, too; Trixie's alibi was solid thanks to her."
"Is that Trixie?" a different voice said on the other end of the phone. "Hey Trix! Acting as you was tough! I was sure that Maud Pie was gonna see right through me!"
"We'll have to work on your acting then," Trixie replied. "But they didn't notice you, and that's what counts. It's a good thing we did this, because it turns out Sunset Shimmer was actually on to me!"
"Sunset Shimmer? Not the police?"
"Pfft! The police are the least of our concerns!"
"You got that right," the original voice said. "That little stunt you pulled worked, by the way… A little too well, though."
Trixie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I can take whatever the police throw at me!"
"Yeah? What about what the FBI throw at you?"
Trixie stopped. "T-The FBI?"
"Uh-huh. Apparently, the FBI are now helping the police with this case. Congratulations! You're now a big-time criminal!"
Trixie gave a nervous laugh as sweat began to drip down her head. "N-No problem. Trixie can handle anything that comes her way! So, how many agents are on the case?"
"Dunno. Hacking the police's intel is one thing, but the FBI? Nope. Not gonna happen. What I can tell you is the names of the two agents leading the case."
"Go on then."
"Agent Shining Armor and Agent Chrysalis."
Trixie hummed in thought. "Alright, get whatever information you can on those two. Strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, previous cases, habits, everything!"
"Now that I can do, but it might take a while to make the right connections… So, what're you gonna do about Maud?"
"Hm? What about Maud?"
"Well, y'know… She's not gonna be happy to hear what you've been up to behind her back, and her dad's not gonna let her marry a common thief."
Trixie's eye twitched and she clenched her free hand into a fist. "For the last time, Fuchsia Blush… we are NOT LIKE THAT!" Trixie hung up the call and put her phone away, taking a moment to breath a heavy sigh before continuing her walk through the school. "… So, the FBI want to play now, huh?" A wicked grin crossed Trixie's face as she chuckled under her breath. "That's fine. Maybe they can make this the spectacular show I've been looking for."
“I was certain! I’m never wrong! There’s nobody else it could possibly be!” Sunset Shimmer grabbed her notepad and threw it against the wall, scattering its pages across the floor. “It must be a trick! Or an apprentice! Or maybe a twin!” Sunset groaned and sat down on her bed, clutching her forehead. “No, that’s ridiculous. Come on, Sunset, you have to think rationally here.”
Sunset’s laptop began to beep, indicating that it needed to be charged. Sunset Shimmer glanced over before looking around for her charger. “Where did I put that? Ah, it’s here.” Sunset Shimmer leaned down to pick up her charger, plugged it into the machine and flicked it on. As she checked the battery metre, something else caught her eye. A message from Rainbow Dash, with the subject ‘new kaitou moon heist’. Sunset opened the email and read it.
“… I guess I’ll just have to ask her myself,” Sunset said to herself with a grin. “And this time, I’ll unmask her for all to see!”
Shining Armor stood outside of the gates to the Rich manor, accompanied by a team of five other agents, keeping an eye out for suspicious individuals. As he heard the sounds of the gates opening behind him, Shining Armor turned around to find Chrysalis and Gild approaching him. “How’s it look?”
“The fool won’t let us take the jewel into protective custody,” Chrysalis said with an exasperated sigh and a shrug of her shoulders. “Some nonsense of how it has ‘sentimental value’.”
“It’s gonna be hard to post guards around the whole manor, and we can’t cramp in one room ‘cause it’d only take one tear gas canister to take ‘em all out,” Gilda reported. “We’re also havin’ trouble evaccing the residents ‘cause of the guy’s bratty kid! If I still had my nightstick…”
“We could demote you back to security, if you’re unhappy with your new position,” Chrysalis suggested with a smirk, earning a scowl from the new agent.
“We’ll just have to move the jewel away from their bedrooms,” Shining Armor said, getting in-between the two women before one tore out the other’s throat. “What about the security system? Is he allowing us full use of his monitors to keep constant watch of his manor?”
“Everything but his daughter’s room,” Chrysalis answered. “He said he’ll keep her in her room until the heist is over. From the shouting and screaming I don’t gather she was very happy about that.”
“I want to go in with as few agents as possible.” Shining Armor tuned to Gilda. “As you said, too many people in such a cramped space will only cause chaos. I want the rest of our agents watching from a secure location, ready to move out at a moment’s notice to pursue the thief. Has our other request been accepted?”
Gilda shook her head. “They’re only gonna give us one sniper on this, since it isn’t a high-value target in the Bureau’s eyes.”
Shining Armor huffed and crossed his arms, tapping his foot as he ran the information through his mind. “Alright, I want him armed with a tranquilizer round and positioned somewhere where he’ll be hidden and given a full view of the rooftop.”
“Captain Armor!” The group turned to the agent calling out to them. “We found somebody sneaking around the gardens!”
“Let go of me! I swear I will-”
Shining and Chrysalis’ eyes widened. The agent dragged the intruder before them – a young girl with flame-coloured hair, wearing a black jacket over an orange shirt and a pair of blue jeans. “S-Sunset Shimmer?!”
Sunset gasped, and pulled her wrist free of her captor’s grasp. “What are you two doing here?!”
“What do you think?” Shining replied, motioning for the agent standing behind Sunset to be at ease. “This is our assignment. The question is why you’re here! Don’t tell me you’re trying to get Kaitou Moon’s autograph! You didn’t bring Twilight, did you?”
“Uh, Shining?” Chrysalis said, putting a hand on Shining Armor’s shoulder and pulling him back. “I don’t think that’s our Sunset.”
Sunset Shimmer took a step back, a mixed look of confusion and disgust on her face. “You can’t be serious. I’m a supporter of that thief?!”
Shining Armor gave a sigh of relief. “I think you’re right. But man, what’re the odds?”
“Hey, want me to get rid of her?” Gilda asked, cracking her fists as she approached Sunset Shimmer. She was stopped by an extended hand from Chrysalis.
“That’s fine. She’s a friend.”
“No. I’m not,” Sunset said with a glare. “Though it does seem we’re here for the same purpose.”
“Yes, and this is a job for the authorities,” Shining Armor said firmly. “You should go home and leave this to us.”
Sunset Shimmer scoffed. “I don’t think so. I have unfinished business with that thief, and I’m not leaving until I unmask her live on camera!”
“‘Her’?” Chrysalis asked. “You mean, you know Kaitou Moon’s identity?”
Sunset Shimmer folded her arms and turned away. “Perhaps.”
“Well which is it?” Gilda asked, clenching her hand into a fist. “If you’re withholdin’ information-”
“Easy,” Shining Armor cautioned. “Sunset, please, if you have any information at all, we need to know.”
“… All I can say is that the thief is a magician. Not magic like what you saw in Equestria. Smoke and mirrors, designed to fool you. Keep that in mind, and remember that conventional means of capturing her won’t work.”
Chrysalis put a hand to her chin. “A magician, hm? That would explain the ‘miracles’ I’ve heard so much about.”
“Whatever tricks the thief is using, we’ll see right through them through CCTV,” Shining Armor assured everyone.
“By the way, of all of the people who have tried to capture her, I’m the one who’s gotten closest,” Sunset revealed with a grin. “Because I’m a genius, simple tricks like that do not fool me.”
“Yet you didn’t catch her,” Chrysalis pointed out.
Sunset’s grin fell instantly. “Hmph! I simply did not have the manpower to subdue her all alone, that is all.”
“Then maybe we can help each other out,” Shining Armor suggested. “If what you say is true, then we could use your help as much as we could use yours.”
“Seriously?” Gilda asked. “What could this kid do that we couldn’t?!”
“Why not give her a test, then?” Chrysalis offered.
“Fine! If she can get that brat to stop screamin’ and stay in her room so we can focus on the mission, then she’s in!”
“I assume you’re referring to Diamond Tiara?” Sunset Shimmer took out her phone and pushed a few keys, before standing in silence for a minute. Her phone vibrated and she smiled. “There. Problem solved.”
Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?”
“I cut her a deal. She stays silent, and I’ll talk with her teachers into bumping up her grades.”
“… Well, a deal’s a deal,” Shining Armor said to Gilda, who simply huffed and stomped off away from the group in response.
Filthy Rich wasn’t sure that such a simple security system would suffice to protect his greatest treasure ever. He paced back-and-forth, his mind wanting to speak up but his nerves not allowing him to. He wanted to just take the jewel and run away with it, taking it somewhere that thieves could not reach.
“Ten minutes left,” Shining Armor said, checking his handgun one final time before pointing it at the glass case protecting the jewel. “Please stay close to Gilda, Mr. Rich. We can’t risk you becoming a hostage.”
“Understood.” Filthy Rich rushed to Gilda’ side, loosening his tie to prevent himself from suffocating as the moment of truth drew near. “Officer, maybe we should call in more agents after all.”
“Two’s plenty,” Gilda said, grabbing the fidgety old man’s head. “Just stay put and let us do our thing!”
“Y-Yes!”
“Gilda, please don’t give him a heart attack,” Shining Armor pleaded, his eyes not leaving the jewel in the corner of the room. “And ask Chrysalis how things are on her end.”
Gilda used her free hand to pull out her phone and pressed a button to dial Chrysalis. “Hey,” she spoke, “Everythin’ good over there?”
“So far,” the voice on the other end of the line responded, accompanied by much static. “We saw a suspicious shadow near the entrance but it was just a cat. I’m thinking of adopting it.”
Gilda’s hand trembled as she clenched the phone in her hand. “I don’t care about that! If you see Kaitou Moon you’d better let me know or else!”
“What’s that noise on the line?” Shining Armor asked.
Gilda huffed and calmed her hand down. “There’s some static comin’ from your end. What’s up?”
“… Oh. There appears to be a bug here. Huh.”
Gilda’s hand began to shake and threatened to break her phone once more. “HUH?! HUUUUUUUH?! Kaitou Moon’s been listenin’ in on us this whole time and that’s all you have to say?!”
“Oh, so she’s been tapping our phones,” Shining Armor said.
“What’s wrong with you two?! How can you treat this so casually?!”
“Because it means that Kaitou Moon has been here,” Chrysalis answered. “Now we can watch over the footage to see who- … The cameras just died.”
The lights inside of the room shut off all at once, accompanied by a womanly shriek from Gilda’s direction. “Calm down, old man!” Gilda shouted. “What happened?”
“Kaitou Moon probably cut the power,” Shining Armor guessed.
“Bad news. I don’t think we can use the surveillance footage anymore.”
Gilda hung up her phone and put it away. Only a couple of seconds later, the lights came back on. Filthy Rich gasped and ran towards the glass case with tears in his eyes. The jewel inside was gone. “NOOOO! MY GRANDMOTHER’S JEWEL!”
“Damn! We’ve been had!” Shining Armor shouted, putting his gun away.
Filthy Rich opened the case, and was shocked to see that the jewel had reappeared. “W-What? But how-”
“Thank you.” Kaitou Moon jumped down from the ceiling, her cape fluttering down and covering both herself and Filthy Rich.
Shining Armor reached for his gun, but his hands stopped as the cape moved aside, revealing Kaitou Moon holding Filthy Rich by the neck. “B-But how?!”
“Now you’ve been had,” Kaitou Moon said. She reached down with her free hand and swiped the brilliant red jewel, pocketing it carefully inside of her cape. “This is the best that the FBI has to offer? I must say, I am disappointed.”
Filthy Rich stopped squirming, and soon started to laugh. Shining Armor and Gilda joined in, confusing the thief holding him hostage. “It’s just as she said,” Filthy Rich said. In a flash, he reached down to his side, grabbed a pair of handcuffs, and freed himself, slapping one end of the cuffs onto Kaitou Moon’s wrist and the other end onto his own. “You divert our attention elsewhere to perform your real trick. Just like a hack magician.”
“… Nice moves for an old businessman.”
“Why thank you, but you’re wrong.” Filthy Rich reached up to his face and pulled his mask away, revealing himself to be Agent Chrysalis. She then removed her wig, allowing her long, green hair to fall down her back, as Shining Armor pulled out his gun behind her and pointed it at the thief. “You are under arrest, Kaitou Moon.”
Kaitou Moon scratched her chin, looking around at the situation that she was in. Two agents pointing their guns at her, and one keeping her from fleeing with handcuffs. Truly a desperate situation… for an amateur. “One… two… three…”
“What’s that?” Gilda asked, taking a threatening step forward. “Why’re you counting?”
“It’s late. It should have gone off eight seconds ago.”
“What should-” Before Gilda could finish her question, the room was overtaken by a loud noise. Loud enough to shake the walls, and bring the agents to their knees as they covered their ears. Chrysalis managed to crack one eye open wide enough to watch as Kaitou Moon picked the lock of her handcuffs.
“H-How are you able to stay standing?!” Chrysalis shouted, unable to even hear her own voice. Kaitou Moon simply pointed to her ears. “Earplugs?! But then how did you- You can read our lips?!”
Kaitou Moon nodded and said something that Chrysalis couldn’t hear. As the three agents struggled to stay upright, Kaitou Moon casually left the room, closing the door behind her. The noise stopped shortly afterwards, and the three took a moment to compose themselves before Shining Armor tried to give chase.
Shining Armor attempted to open the door, but it was no use. “She locked it!”
“She got us! This time for real!” Gilda shouted. “I told you we should’ve sweeped for bugs! We would’ve picked up those noisemakers!”
“We thought letting her keep any bugs she set up would lull her into a false sense of security,” Chrysalis reminded. “It seems that rather than assuming she had won, she gave us our due credit and prepared her escape. I must admit, she’s not the cocky, two-bit thief I thought she was.”
Shining Armor reached for his walkie-talkie and pushed the button on the side. “She’s got the jewel! Do you have visual on her?” No response came from the other side. “Hey! Can you see the thief or not?! HEY!”
“It’s me,” came a female voice from the walkie-talkie. “It’s Sunset Shimmer. I just saw Kaitou Moon get away and came to check on your friend. She knocked him out, but he’s alright.”
“She even noticed our sniper?” Chrysalis asked. “… Well, perhaps now the Bureau will give us the support we need.”
“I doubt it,” Shining Armor said back. “Not if this is a thief of her word, and returns the jewel as she claimed.”
Trixie stared down at the beautiful red jewel in her hand. It was more glorious than its reputation gave it credit for, but indeed, appearances weren’t everything. Under the scrutinous eyes of Trixie, she could tell that it would not fetch a high price. It really only held value as a family heirloom to the Rich family, but that still didn’t prevent it from being nice to look at.
“Nice job,” a voice said behind Trixie, prompting her to turn around quickly. “As expected, the great thief Kaitou Moon never fails to hit her mark.”
“And just who are you? I’m getting tired of people tracking me down after my escape.”
“Trixie Lulamoon.” A sparkle captured Trixie’s eyes, and soon afterwards, something flew by her head faster than her eyes could track it. She knew what it was – a bullet, fired from a silenced handgun. “That’s your real name, isn’t it? I wouldn’t flee, if I were you.”
Trixie gulped and pocketed her jewel quickly. “That’s a dangerous toy.”
“Only as dangerous as its owner, and trust me, you don’t want to find out just how dangerous I am.”
Trixie couldn’t help but feel that she had heard this voice before, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “And what is it that you want?”
“I just want to offer you a proposition.”
“You’re not returning the jewel?!” Fuchsia Blush shouted, deafening both Trixie and Lavender Lace as the three were gathered in Trixie’s bedroom. “What do you mean?!”
“I thought that the FBI actually put up an admirable defence,” Lavender stated, removing her hands from her ears.
“Well you’re wrong,” Trixie stated firmly. “The FBI were willing to lose the jewel simply so that they didn’t have to send in too many agents. I heard it all through the bugs you had planted, Fuchsia.”
Fucshia Blush sighed. “Then what? We just take a precious family heirloom?”
“If the FBI can prove themselves competent in the future, I’ll return the jewel upon my retirement,” Trixie said. “Until then, I am keeping it safe in a secure location.”
“… Well, as long as you return it later…”
“And you’re not gonna sell it, right?” Lavender asked.
“Of course not!” Trixie replied. “I already told you I wouldn’t sell any of our spoils! I’m a noble thief, after all.”
Fuchsia Blush rolled her eyes. “Riiiiight. So? What’s our next heist?”
Trixie bit her lip. “I’m still looking into it. Meet me in the gym tomorrow and I’ll fill you in on what I’ve got planned, okay?”
The two girls nodded and took their leave, leaving Trixie alone in her bedroom. After a few moments, Trixie slumped down onto her bed with a heavy sigh. “… What am I going to do now? How am I supposed to steal the Alicorn Amulet and keep those two from finding out the truth?!” ‘The truth… that they’re both hostages…’
Trixie bit her thumb as she glared at her laptop’s screen, scrolling down the page of the Alicorn Amulet and then back up again, before switching to another tab of the museum that the amulet was held in. No matter what plans she came up with, the amulet seemed out of reach. “The security is too tight, and I doubt Fuchsia’s skills are enough to give me an open window…”
A foot stomped in front of Trixie, prompting her to look at the angry scowls of her friends, Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace. “You’re just keeping hold of the jewel, huh?” Fuchsia asked.
Trixie slowly closed her laptop and scooted backwards from her friends. “Y-Yeah. I’ve got it locked up in a safe place-”
“You might not want to tell such a blatant lie to a hacker. Or at the very least, don’t leave an electronic trail that is easy to follow!”
“I thought we agreed we weren’t in this to make money,” Lavender said in a disappointed tone. “You said it was just for the show, not to make a profit by stealing from the innocent.”
Trixie placed her laptop aside and stood up. “Okay, you caught me. But it’s all for a good cause, really!”
“Like fattening your own wallet?” Fuchsia asked.
“Like expanding our capabilities! With that money, we can put on even greater shows!”
“Our shows were already ‘great’ enough,” Lavender said. “You just wanted to make a quick buck, and then you lied to us about it!”
Trixie bit her lip. ‘N-No, that’s not it, I- … Actually, this might be a good chance…’ “… Yes, you are absolutely right,” Trixie said, much to the shock of her friends. “But is there really anything wrong with that? It’s not like we don’t work hard for the jewels that we steal.”
Fuchsia Blush grinded her teeth together and took a threatening step closer to Trixie. “We are not common thieves, and we aren’t going to be a part in this!”
Lavender nodded her head and added, “And to make matters worse, you lied to us and tried to keep us out of the loop.”
The two girls turned to leave. “We’re out,” Fuchsia said. “You’re on your own, and that goes for the band, too.”
“When you’re ready to be a real friend, come see us,” Lavender Lace finished as she stormed away with her friend out of the gymnasium.
As soon as the doors closed, Trixie sighed and slumped back down beside her laptop. “… You want out? That’s fine. In fact, it’s for the best.” Trixie smiled and reached for her laptop, opening it back up again. “You’ll be out of the way, and I’ll be just as capable without you! You’ll see!”
A spark appeared in Trixie’s eye as she caught something on the museum’s webpage. “Hello, vulnerability…”
The notice from Kaitou Moon arrived the following morning. News that she would attack the Alicorn Amulet took the FBI by surprise, as the thief had previously not dared something so heavily guarded as the national treasure being held in Washington, DC.
Shining Armor and Chrysalis were once again assigned to guarding the target of the heist, only this time, they were given much more support with which to do it. The museum seemed more like a warzone than anything else, and the public were forced far away from the site under the threat of being arrested on site.
Sunset Shimmer was in the debriefing room with Shining Armor, Chrysalis and Gilda when the fifth member of their team entered. Contained in a straightjacket and flanked by two armed agents was Sombra, former agent of the FBI, and former friend to the two senior agents in the room.
His hair had grown longer and unkempt, covering much of his face as its filthy ends split apart, and his scrawny, pale face revealed that he had been locked away from sunlight for some time. His lips were dry and cracked, and his eyes were bloodshot to the point of seeming irreparably damaged. Despite all of this, he was still able to smile.
“It’s been some time since I last saw you,” Sombra said to Shining Armor, his voice hoarse and almost a whisper. “You never visit me. I’m hurt.”
“Why is he here?” Sunset Shimmer demanded. “He tried to take over both our worlds, and nearly killed us in the process!”
“And why are you here?” Sombra asked the girl. “Is there a new intern program that involves bringing students to important cases?”
“Unless you’ve forgotten, I helped bring you in,” Sunset Shimmer replied through gritted teeth.
“Yes, and you are an impressive magician in Equestria,” Sombra acknowledged. “But that is where your powers end. In this world, you are a high school student with a bad attitude and a damaged reputation. That is all.”
Sombra nodded his head. “My case is a difficult one, and my abilities are not to be simply ignored. By helping out here, the Bureau is willing to put my case forth for appeal.”
“Then you’ll also know that your actions during this case will affect said appeal. Your words, too, so if I were you, I’d watch what I say.”
“You could always be thrown back to the ‘missing persons’ list, if you’d prefer,” Chrysalis suggested.
“Ahh, but then I would be isolated to my lonely little cell again, with naught but Cadance’s weekly visits to look forward to.”
Shining’s eyes shot open and her approached Sombra. “Cadance visits you?”
“You didn’t know? My, she does love to keep her secrets, doesn’t she? She says that she feels sorry for me, and wishes that we could go back to the way that things were.”
“We can never go back to the way things were,” Chrysalis said, casting a harsh glare. “Your betrayal is not something we can forget. Any bridges you once had were burned long ago.”
“Not my bridge with Cadance, apparently.”
Shining Armor grabbed Sombra by his collar and brought their faces close together. “I swear, if you go near her ever again-”
“Are you afraid? What could I possibly do in my current state?”
“…”
“Hey,” Gilda said, breaking through the tense atmosphere in the room. “I don’t know what kinda beef you have with this guy, but we’ve got a job to do.”
“Is that the security guard you guys liked to hang out with?” Sombra asked. “So you’re an agent, now. Congratulations.” Sombra looked around the room. “And what of Blueblood? Is he not going to grace us with his presence?”
“He’s busy with another case,” Gilda answered, stepping forwards to pull Shining Armor back. “Now shut up unless you got somethin’ to say about the heist.”
Sombra simply nodded his head, chuckling beneath his breath. Sunset Shimmer stepped forth and asked, “I just need to know: are your forces armed to kill?”
“… We requested to arm our troops with non-lethal weapons only, since Kaitou Moon has never harmed anyone,” Shining Armor said.
“Speak for yourself,” Chrysalis retorted, picking at her ears with a wince.
“But our request was denied,” Shining Armor continued. “I wasn’t permitted to know the details, but the Bureau stated that we absolutely cannot allow Kaitou Moon to steal the Alicorn Amulet. Therefore, our troops have been permitted to kill…”
“That’s barbaric!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.
“I’ve instructed my troops to save killing as a last resort, but I can't guarantee that they’ll obey.” Shining Armor turned to Sunset Shimmer, a serious look on his face. “That’s why I have an important job for you, somebody who doesn’t work for the Bureau.”
“… What is it?”
Trixie took in a deep breath, overlooking the museum in the distance as the sun began to set. It was nearing time for the show to start.
Suddenly, her phone range. Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out the device. The number was not a known one, but she answered regardless. “Hello?”
“Trixie, it’s me,” Sunset Shimmer said on the other end. “I’ve got a favour for you. Don’t go through with your heist tonight.”
Trixie huffed indignantly and rested against the tree standing behind her. “You’re still on about that? Just because we both wear star-patterned clothing-”
“I’m working with the FBI right now, helping them to capture Kaitou Moon,” Sunset Shimmer said. “The Alicorn Amulet… You’ve got to be kidding me! Do you have any idea how valuable a target that is?!”
“How would I know? I’ve got better things to do than study some amulet I’ve never heard of,” Trixie said, checking her fingernails casually.
“They’ve been given permission to kill you!” Trixie froze. “If it’s to protect the jewel, that’s how far the FBI are willing to go! You have to pull out of this one, for your own sake!”
“… The Great and Powerful Trixie… has no idea what you are talking about. If you’re so concerned about Kaitou Moon’s safety, why don’t you call her?” With that, Trixie pulled her phone away and hung it up. She then stared vacantly into the space before her for several seconds, before throwing her phone aside angrily and stomping it with her foot, huffing and sweating as she stared at the destroyed device beneath her boot.
The sounds of a bell nearby told Trixie that it had struck the hour, and that it was time to begin the preparations for her heist. “… The Great and Powerful Trixie does not fail,” Trixie said, regaining her composure and standing up straight. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, will not die tonight!”
Trixie took off down the hill, running towards the museum in the distance.
“How did it go?” Chrysalis asked. “Will your ‘friend’ be able to help us?”
Sunset shook her head. “I thought that since she practices magic tricks herself, she’d be able to offer an expert opinion, but she wasn’t interested.”
“I see…”
Sunset Shimmer noticed Shining Armor and Gilda escorting Sombra and his two guards through the museum, several officers swarming past them to join the local police in surrounding the jewel. “So what’s the plan?”
“Sombra will be on watch duty with Gilda, since he can’t use his arms the way he is,” Shining Armor reported. “Gilda’s got much better eyes then either myself or Chrysalis.”
“Like a hawk,” Gilda boasted, her chest puffed out with pride.
“More like an eagle,” Chrysalis retorted. “Always attentive, and you catch on to weak prey from anywhere.”
“Chrysalis will secure this room, and the two of us will be monitoring everything from my car outside.”
“So we can pursue the thief if she escapes?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “How fast is your driving?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re the one who’ll be driving me.”
Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Back when we were monitoring you, we noticed that you practiced driving many times, and you were actually pretty good at it.”
Sunset frowned. “Of course. I forgot you guys were spying on my every move,” she said, with venom in her voice.
“I’ll take the shot while you’re driving. By ‘shot’, I mean a transceiver that will allow us to track Kaitou Moon to her hideout.”
“If we can successfully plant a transceiver on her, the Bureau will back off and allow us to take her in alive,” Chrysalis explained. “That’s why we need to be ready to chase her the moment she tries to get away.”
“You don’t think she’ll feel the transceiver?” Sombra asked.
“She wears the same outfit to every heist, including a pair of very thick boots. I’ll aim for one of those,” Shining Armor said.
Chrysalis checked her watch before saying, “I’ll try to keep these guys from killing her as best I can. I’m counting on Sombra and Gilda to be my eyes.”
“Sir!” An officer approached the group, stopping for a moment to glance at Sunset Shimmer with a confused look, before saluting to Shining Armor. “Sir, all sweeps have been completed!”
“Did you find any bugs?” Shining Armor asked.
“Yes, sir! Would you like to see them?”
“Later. Send them to the lab for analysis right away.”
“Yes, sir!”
“That seems… odd,” Chrysalis said as she watched the officer running away. “If she went through the effort of planting bugs throughout the museum, don’t you think she would have made them harder to detect?”
“Maybe she’s nervous,” Sombra suggested. “I would be.”
“In any case, it’s almost time,” Shining Armor announced. “Let’s get to our positions and stay in touch via radio. We’ll use a frequency only Chrysalis, Sombra and I know.”
“Ooh. A blast from the past,” Sombra said with a laugh.
The group split up into its assigned teams and spread out, Shining Armor and Sunset Shimmer leaving the museum together as the time of Kaitou Moon’s heist announced in her notice drew near.
Trixie crawled her way through the museum's ventilation system, the jamming device on her body preventing her from being picked up by infrared sensors whilst the iPhone in her hand showed her the way to Alicorn Amulet's exhibit.
"Okay, I'll need to drop down here," Trixie whispered to herself as she looked down through the grate below her. There, two officers were walking by when one suddenly stopped.
"Hey," the officer asked, his friend stopping and turning around. "You ever wonder why we're here?"
"… No."
The second officer turned back around, and Trixie used the opening to jump down and grab the first officer, covering his mouth as she threw a tranquilizer dart into the neck of the second. "See? No problem. Kaitou Moon needs no accomplices."
Trixie dragged the two officers into the restroom besides them, taking out some rope and some tape as she locked the door behind her.
"Five minutes," Chrysalis said, glancing up from her watch and surveying the room very closely. "Be alert! Kaitou Moon's going to make her move soon!"
"If she hasn't been scared off by all our security," the officer to Chrysalis' left replied, pointing his nose up and puffing his chest out with pride.
"To someone like Kaitou Moon, it doesn't matter whether we use two guards or two hundred."
"Hey Chrysalis," came Gilda's voice through the communicator to Chrysalis' side. "I think we found something. Couple of suspicious-lookin' guys hidin' in the Egyptian room."
"That's actually the Aztec room," Sombra corrected.
"Who gives a damn?! Also, that's totally a pyramid!"
"Yes, the Aztecs had those too."
"… Who cares?!"
"Gilda, keep an eye on those two but don't act yet until they do," Chrysalis spoke into her communicator. "Even if they're accomplices to Kaitou Moon, they're not Kaitou Moon herself. She's the one that we're interested in. Sombra, do you see anything in here?"
"Just that suspicious-looking officer who entered without a partner."
"… Why didn't you say so sooner?! Which one?"
"Forgive me, but I thought that you had already noticed. It is the one near the geodes display, who is concealing a gun inside of their pants."
"The geodes? Got it. I'll check it out. And Gilda? … Read a book."
"Shut-"
Chrysalis muted her communicator and put it away, turning her head to look towards the geodes across the room. There, she found five officers patrolling the area. She narrowed her eyes and checked all of their legs, but could find no signs of a concealed weapon. "I swear, if you made that all up…" Chrysalis thought on how to determine whether or not one of the officers was an imposter when suddenly, an idea hit her.
"Alright everybody!" Chrysalis shouted. "We don't have long now until the heist! Please take out your phones now and text me your findings!"
Chrysalis kept her eyes focussed on the five officers. As expected, four of them joined the rest of the room in looking confused and slowly reaching for their phones, not sure of how exactly to proceed. The fifth, however, took out their phone without hesitation and started to browse through the phone… when suddenly, they craned their eyebrow in confusion.
"Something wrong, officer?" Chrysalis asked, walking across the room towards the officer holding their phone.
The officer looked up and said, "Forgive me, sir, but I forgot your number."
"Well, it's hard to forget something that you never learned…" Chrysalis lunged forwards and grabbed the officer's wrist. "Kaitou Moon."
"She almost looks cool," Sombra commented as he watched the spectacle with Gilda. "I can't wait to see how the famed Kaitou Moon breaks out of this one."
"How can she?" Gilda asked, leaning forwards for a better look.
"If she cannot, then I will be sorely disappointed. From all that I've heard, something of this nature should be child's play. By the way, aren't you supposed to be watching our two friends?"
"Ahh, they haven't moved an inch since I first found 'em!"
"Well of course not. They're bound and gagged." A thick silence filled the room. "Most likely, they are the officers that Kaitou Moon assaulted in order to obtain a uniform. Notice how one is hidden mostly in the shadows? That's to hide the fact that he's almost entirely naked."
Gilda slammed the desk before her and stood up suddenly. "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
"My role is to advise you only. I can't be doing all of your work."
"They could need help!"
"I wouldn't be so concerned. Kaitou Moon's no killer."
"But-" Gilda gasped as she turned back to the screen. "T-They're gone?!"
Sombra flinched and snapped his attention to the monitor. "Oh? Perhaps there was a team assigned to patrol that section."
"No. There wasn't," Gilda said sternly. "Not during the time of the heist."
"… Then it seems that we have some new players. Call it in."
"Don't tell me what to do," Gilda said as she grabbed her communicator, before being startled by the door opening suddenly behind her. "Who-"
Sombra gasped and tried to back up as the room was filled with a white smoke, only to be reminded of the harsh reality of his bindings. Together with Gilda and his two escorts, Sombra slowly lost his vision as two figures entered the room, before losing his consciousness completely.
"So, you want to make this easy and just turn yourself in? Or are we going to have to do this the hard way?"
Trixie tried to pull herself free from Chrysalis' grasp, but to no avail. Several officers had surrounded her and had pointed their weapons forwards. "T-This is a mistake. I'm just an officer. If you let me show you my ID-"
"So it's like that, is it? Well, Kaitou Moon, once I pull off that mask of yours, the truth will become clear."
"My mask? I don't know what you mean." Trixie shuffled her right leg back-and-forth against the floor. "But you know, you shouldn't pay so much attention to just a person's face. You might miss out on their other attractive features." The sole of Trixie's shoe opened, and with it, so did a thick cloud of blue smoke that caused all of the surrounding people to back up and hold their breaths.
"Don't let go of her!" Gilda shouted as she ran up towards Chrysalis.
"Don't worry! I've got a tight grasp of her!" Chrysalis pulled back, revealing Kaitou Moon's arm… detached from the rest of her body. "AH!"
"A fake!" Gilda shouted, pulling out her gun and looking around. "Where is-"
The lights in the room turned off, followed by two spotlights shining on the case containing the Alicorn Amulet, where Kaitou Moon was standing in her usual outfit for all to see. "Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's show… will now begin!"
Kaitou Moon raised her hand and snapped a finger, and then the glass of the case below her shattered. Everybody watched in horror as the thief reached inside and grabbed the amulet. "Stop or we'll shoot!" one officer threatened, as the rest all raised their guns in unison.
"But to do so would mean firing on your own kind!" Kaitou Moon held up an officer, tied and gagged, to shield her body. The atmosphere had grown tense, and some officers had even lowered their guns in response. "Now then, this man has volunteered for Kaitou Moon's next miraculous display of magic! Behold!" Kaitou Moon placed the Alicorn Amulet around the officer's neck, before shoving him into the crowd. "Now you see it, and now you don't!"
Smoke filled the area, and when it faded, the amulet around the confused hostage's neck had vanished. "It's in her hand!" Gilda shouted as she pointed up at the thief.
Kaitou Moon held the Alicorn Amulet up proudly as she reeled up towards the ceiling. "Open fire!" Bullets sprayed across the room, filling Kaitou Moon with holes that produced no blood. Mouths were dropped and the room was filled with hushed mumbling as the thief continued to make her escape, completely impervious to all of the bullets fired her way.
"Good night to all, and to all a good night!"
Gilda approached the hostage and offered a hand to help him up. "Are you okay?"
After being untied and removing the gag from his mouth, the officer replied, "I am fine, but I'd like to sit outside while I collect myself, if I may be excused."
"Sure. We're pretty much done here anyway… Okay guys, sweep the building! She must be on the next floor up!"
As the officers and agents marched through the room, the shaken hostage fled quickly towards the main entrance, a grin crossing his face as he left the building. After walking some distance, the officer eventually found his way to a hilltop just outside of the museum's parking lot.
"I'll be taking that amulet now," a feminine voice said as the officer felt something cold and metallic press against the back of his head. "Kaitou Moon."
"W-What are you talking about?" the officer asked, raising his shaking hands but not turning around. "Please, I have had a very traumatic experience, so please don't-"
"You know, when I was a teenager, I saw a ventriloquist's act on the street. Many people were entertained, but I wasn't, and do you know why? Because there's no comparing the actions of a living, breathing human, with those of a puppet."
"… What are you suggesting?"
"That the 'Kaitou Moon' that took you hostage was just a puppet, designed to carry out those actions whilst you provided the voice. That's why it didn't bleed when it was shot at, and the real location of the Alicorn Amulet… well, if I had to wager, I'd say it was under your jacket."
Trixie gritted her teeth together. To come so far, only to fail now… She turned her head to the side. There had to be something to do.
"It seems that you're out of tricks. What's the matter? Your past heists were all orchestrated so well, yet this one… your actions were rash, and you stood out too well. Could it be that our friends made you nervous? Or perhaps- GUH!"
"Huh?" Trixie turned to look over her shoulder. She found Chrysalis falling to the floor, her gun slipping out of her hand and firing off into the distance upon landing. "YIKES!"
"What was that?"
"It came from over there!"
Trixie clicked her tongue and reached up to her collar. "Well, whatever happened, I've gotta get out of here. Fast!" Trixie removed her disguise, revealing herself as Kaitou Moon, and then ran down the hill. As she jumped, her cape expanded, becoming a hang glider that allowed her to soar off into the night sky.
"It's Kaitou Moon! Shoot her down!"
Trixie simply laughed. She was already too far away for anybody to do anything about it. Trixie reached beneath her jacket so that she could admire her prize… "What?! Where did it-" Trixie gasped.
Gilda looked off into the distance, watching as Kaitou Moon made her escape whilst the guards around her scrambled to get into their vehicles. Looking down at the Alicorn Amulet in her hands, Gilda smiled.
"Well, at least we managed to get this back," she said, before reaching up to her face and removing her mask. "Thank you for letting me tag along," the pink-haired, pink-skinned girl said as she looked down at Chrysalis' unconscious body to her side. "Shiny would have freaked out if her knew I was here, but I just had to see this thief. I suppose I owe you one… Though I don't understand why you had me disguise myself as Gilda. Perhaps you anticipated something like this?"
Cadance looked back into the distance, no longer able to see Kaitou Moon. "Perhaps you think that that thief… knows us too well?"
If Trixie was in her room, she would be giving her desk the beating of a lifetime. "How the hell did that all-brawn-no-brains agent manage to trick me like that?! She slipped the amulet out of my pocket whilst she untied me?! Damnit! As if this can't get any worse!"
As Trixie soared, something caught her attention. A car down below, not paying any heed to the speed limits. Trixie took out her binoculars and took a closer look at the car… "Sunset Shimmer? And that's Shining Armor. What's that he's holding?"
Trixie watched as Shining Armor leaned down in the car, and then come back up with a rifle in his hands. "He's going to shoot me down?!" Trixie saw a spark coming from the barrel of the gun and suddenly felt some turbulence. Looking up, Trixie spotted a hole in her hang glider and quickly began to descend. "No no no no NO!"
Trixie tried to steer, but it to be a hefty challenge. Even as she slowly turned, Sunset Shimmer seemed to have no problem keeping up. "Like hell I'll let you catch me!" Trixie turned again, passing over a rooftop and watching as Sunset Shimmer broke through a fence, pursuing her through alleyways. Trixie turned once more, this time forced by the wind. She bit her lip as she watched the car speeding below her… before swerving suddenly to the side and stopping in the middle of the road. "What-"
Trixie's phone rang, startling her for a moment. She reached into her pocket and examined the screen. Her eyes widened, and she hesitantly answered the call. "… Fuchsia?"
"I saw those two waiting outside," Fuchsia explained over the phone. "I gathered they were waiting for you to make your escape so I drained their fuel tank. They can't follow you anymore, so come land somewhere safe."
"Wait, why are you-" The phone cut off, and Trixie simply returned the device to her pocket as she looked around for a suitable place to land. She found a nice, secluded alleyway across the nearby river where she should be safe from prying eyes. "You girls… You came back for me?"
"Of course we did!" Lavender Lace shouted, before slapping Trixie's face. "The Alicorn Amulet?! Really?!"
"You're lucky to have come out of that alive!" Fuchsia Blush scolded whilst she ran a device over Trixie's body.
"Hey, I had it perfectly under control!" Trixie returned.
"Is that why there's a tracking device on you?!" Fuchsia grabbed the device from Trixie's clothing and smashed it into the ground.
"And why you were held at gunpoint by that agent?" Lavender followed.
"And why you were going to be brought down by Shining Armor and Sunset Shimmer had we not intervened?"
"And not to mention, you lost the amulet!"
"Okay! Okay!"
"Really now, how disappointing." The three girls snapped their attentions to the side, where a figure in the shadows emerged, pointing a gun towards them. "We gave you one simply job, Kaitou Moon. And then you go and let us down. I wonder what we should do with you?"
"W-Who are you?" Lavender Lace asked.
"Oh?" Did Trixie not tell you about me?"
"I know that voice," Fuchsia Blush said. "You're one of those girls who attacked our school's concert! Something Dazzling!"
"Aria Blaze," the figure said in an annoyed tone. "And that doesn't matter. What does is that you didn't steal the Alicorn Amulet."
"So you'll just go ahead and kill us?" Trixie asked. "If you do that, then how can I steal anything for you?"
"She's got a point, Aria!" a voice shouted from overhead.
"Shut it, Sonata! Just keep your eye on them and shoot if any of them makes a run for it!"
"Okay!"
Trixie gulped. "H-Hey, I'm the one who screwed this heist up, alright? Fuchsia and Lavender have nothing to do with this!"
"Oh, but they do. They chose to prioritise your escape over stealing the amulet." Aria chuckled and holstered her gun. "But it's your lucky day. Adagio said that she'll give you one last chance. The details will be delivered to your in just a few days."
"And if we refuse?" Fuchsia asked.
"Are you dense or something?" Aria deadpanned. "Your hostages. What do you think will happen if you refuse?"
"We're… hostages?" Fuchsia turned to Trixie, who simply nodded in confirmation. "So that's why…"
"If you have a problem with it, you could always go to the police," Aria suggested. "But of course, that would mean revealing who you really are. Well, I'm going now. Sonata's gonna keep her sights on you for a few minutes, to make sure you don't follow me. Once she tells you to leave, you can." Aria turned around and vanished into the shadows, leaving the three girl alone as rain began to pour down from above.
"Trixie," Lavender Lace spoke up, breaking through the thick silence. "You have some explaining to do."
Trixie removed her fingers from within her ears after it seemed that Fuchsia Blush had stopped yelling. “By any chance, are you mad?”
“You’re damn right I am! Why didn’t you tell us from the start what was happening?!”
“Maybe because I didn’t want you to know that you were being held hostage?! Maybe because I could handle it on my own?!”
“Yeah, fine job you did of that! If we hadn’t come to save you you’d be in custody right now!”
“Which reminds me, why did you come to help Trixie?” Trixie turned to Lavender Lace, who had remained silent the entire time since Aria left. “I thought we had broken up.”
“Because you’re our friend, and we were worried about you,” Lavender said with a stern, yet saddened glare. “We heard that you were going after the Alicorn Amulet and that the FBI had stepped up security as a result, and we were afraid you were getting in over your head.”
“… You could have been caught, too.”
Fuchsia Blush nodded and said, “At least then we’d be caught together. We’re a team, and nobody gets left behind. Got it?”
Trixie gasped. She quickly turned as she felt herself being moved to tears. “T-That’s just dumb… but thanks, I guess…”
“You’re not off the hook yet,” Fuchsia said. “You’re gonna be buying our lunches for a whole year!”
“What?!” Trixie demanded, spinning back around to face her two friends.
“And you can do our homework for the rest of this semester, as well,” Lavender Lace added.
“This is absurd! You cannot treat the Great and Powerful Trixie this way!”
“We just did, and you should be thankful we’re letting you off so easily!” Fuchsia Blush returned. “Now, about our little problem… what are we going to do?”
“… There’s nothing we can do,” Trixie said, clenching and shaking her fists to her sides. “Aria’s right. Going to the police would be turning ourselves in. We have no choice but to play along and steal valuable jewels for them.”
“There must be someone we can go to,” Fuchsia said.
“… Well, you’re wrong about us not being able to do anything,” Lavender said, catching her friends’ attentions. “We can show them that they haven’t broken our spirits, by putting on the grandest show we’ve ever performed!”
“The Griffon’s Goblet?” Sombra asked. “Why would she move from something as grand as the Alicorn Amulet, to something as worthless as the Griffon’s Goblet?”
“Maybe she’s starting to get tired,” Gilda suggested. “She needs to take a breather, so she’s going after a low-value target that’s not heavily defended. The Bureau won’t waste too much of its resources on this.”
“This is our best chance to capture her then,” Sombra said, chuckling under his breath. “Plant a transmitter on the goblet and let her have it.”
“Do you really thing the police haven’t tried that yet? Besides, where will we hide it? I think she’d notice if there was something attached the item she was stealing.”
“Chrysalis, when you have a gas leak, how do you find the source of the leak?” Sombra asked.
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow and then thought for a couple of seconds. “I guess I would follow the scent to where it was strongest.”
“You’re suggesting we put a scent on the goblet and have dogs track it down?” Shining Armor asked.
“No. That’s also something that she would notice,” Sombra replied. “But magic? That’s not something that people can pick up without instruments.”
“… Someone gonna fill me in here?” Gilda asked. “He’s crazy, right?”
“But it’s not like you can just buy magic at your local convenience store,” Chrysalis pointed out.
“But I’m certain that the Bureau has some items that give off magical energy,” Sombra returned.
“They wouldn’t just give them to us,” Shining Armor said, before putting his hand to his chin. “Actually, we could probably tell them that it’s an experiment into the applications of magic.”
“They’d give us something small, but it’s all we would need,” Chrysalis said, with Sombra nodding in agreement.
“We simply shower the goblet in a high concentration of magic, and then watch where it goes. Our thief will lead us right to her hideout.” Sombra chuckled and walked forwards, prompting his escorts to reach for their guns. “As a bonus, our Magical Research Department will receive a huge boost in funding if we are successful.”
“Hey, guys?” All eyes turned to Gilda, whose veins were beginning to pop out of her head. “MIND FILLING ME IN HERE?!”
Trixie scanned around the museum through her binoculars, switching from night-vision to infrared. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Neither do I,” Fuchsia reported through the phone at Trixie’s feet. “This is strange. You did send the notice, right?”
“Maybe they just don’t feel it’s worth it,” Lavender suggested.
“Or maybe it’s a trap,” Fuchsia retorted. “Hang on. I’m gonna hack into the security feed and see what-”
“Don’t bother,” Trixie said, putting away her binoculars and picking up her phone as she rose to her feet. “If they can’t even be bothered to show up, then I will simply take the goblet and show the entire world what cowards they are!”
“Trixie!”
Trixie hung up the phone and placed it into her pocket. “It’s most certainly a trap, but the problem with that… is that you can’t capture an illusion.”
Sombra, Sunset Shimmer, Shining Armor, Chrysalis and Gilda were all waiting patiently for Kaitou Moon to make her grand entrance. Waiting inside the stuffy old van that Shining Armor had rented earlier that morning, which could barely contain the five of them and the large radar that showed a signal coming from their north.
“Next time, we rent two vans,” Chrysalis groaned, trying to adjust her seated positon and kicking Sunset’s hip in the process.
“Hey, watch it!” Sunset shouted. “Couldn’t we have just left these two behind?” she asked, pointing to Sombra and Gilda.
“Sombra is among the few people who know how to properly work this thing,” Shining Armor said. “And Gilda insisted on coming along, so…”
“If anyone should have been left behind, it should be you,” Gilda spat with a glare pointed at Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset returned the glare and argued, “This was my target long before yours!”
“You have no authority! Technically, we could have you arrested for interfering with our business!”
“Shows what you know! The FBI wouldn’t waste a potential asset like me!”
“No, but y’see what they do with their ‘assets’ that they can’t let walk free.” Gilda nodded her head towards the bound Sombra. “They don’t mind lockin’ you up ta keep you out of trouble.”
“Sunset’s proven herself to be resourceful,” Shining Armor said. “That’s why I’m letting her help us out. That and I feel we owe her, for saving our lives.”
“Well by that logic, you should thank me, too,” Chrysalis chuckled, before wincing and rubbing her back. “Darn it! I’m going to stretch my legs!”
“Wait! The heist is about to start!”
“I just need to get out of this stuffy van for a bit. Besides, we’re giving them a head start anyway, right?”
Chrysalis opened the back of the van and jumped out, with Gilda following after her. “I need a smoke. Call if anythin’ comes up.”
“I think I would like a walk, too,” Sombra said.
“Forget it,” Shining Armor replied.
“But my throat is feeling parched.”
“Chrysalis, go pick up some coffee while you’re out.”
Chrysalis waved back in acknowledgement as she and Gilda walked off down the street. Sombra simply laughed and sat back. “Sending the women to do the menial labour? How ungentlemanly of you, Agent Armor.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with her, so don’t even bother.”
“Don’t underestimate a well-trained agent. There’s a reason Sombra and I were often assigned to missions in place of entire groups of agents.”
“But what can he do when he’s bound like this?”
“Who knows?” Sombra asked. “Put me in the right situation though, and I may just surprise you.”
“You’re not earning points towards your freedom here,” Shining Armor cautioned.
The sounds of explosions rang outside, startling the three inside of the van. “It seems it’s starting,” Sombra said.
Sunset Shimmer flicked on the radio and tuned it to the right station.
“Kaitou Moon has just shown up atop the museum! Her fans are waving banners and cheering for the phantom thief! Police are having trouble keeping the crowd at bay and-”
“People are stupid,” Sunset Shimmer deadpanned. “Who in their right mind would cheer for that thief?”
“The you in this world does,” Shining Armor replied with a grin.
“Don’t remind me.”
“It’s not the thefts that they adore, but the artistic way in which she does them,” Sombra stated. “She has an air around her that demands respect and adoration, and the confidence to back it up. Well, I’m sure many of her ‘fans’ just want to cause mayhem.”
“Kaitou Moon has just jumped! Fans are in shock as their hero plummets towards the- Wait, what’s this?! Kaitou Moon has vanished into thin air!”
“Not to mention that she can perform magic.”
“That’s not magic,” Sunset Shimmer scolded. “Real magic isn’t so easy to make sense of. If one were to look closely at one of Kaitou Moon’s tricks, the secrets to how they’re preformed would become obvious in a matter of seconds.”
“Police are scrambling! It seems that they have lost sight of the suspect! Wait, wait, what’s this? … Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received a card from Kaitou Moon, stating that the Griffon’s Goblet has been stolen! AH! And there she is, soaring southwards across the sky! Police are now pursuing in helicopters!”
“Interesting,” Sombra said. “Considering that the signal hasn’t moved.”
“Meaning it’s a fake out,” Sunset surmised. “She’s still in there. She’s tricked the police into moving the majority of their forces away.”
“She must have concealed the goblet somehow,” Shining Armor reasoned. “Ah, the signal…”
“It’s moving.” Sombra sat up straight and focussed on the radar. “It’s moving north. At the speed it’s going… she must be on foot.”
“But the route that it’s taking in through buildings,” Shining Armor said. “Look. She hasn’t turned at all!” Suddenly, the blip of the radar moved to the right. “Should we pursue her now?”
“…”
“I say we go for it, but what about Chrysalis and Gilda?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“…”
“It’s speeding up! She may be in a vehicle! We have to go now, before it gets out of range!” Shining Armor reached forwards and closed the van’s doors, before knocking on the other side. A panel slid open. “Follow her!”
“Yes, sir!”
Chrysalis approached the parked van, carrying a paper tray of coffee whilst Gilda walked besides her. “Stupid clerk. How long does it take to count change?”
“Looks like the police are movin’ away. Guess the heist’s already happened.”
Suddenly, the van sped off away from the two agents, leaving them standing in the middle of the street.
Chrysalis grinded her teeth together and threw the coffee to the road. “Damnit, Shining Armor!”
“Take the next right!” Shining Armor shouted, struggling to keep his map of the city straight whilst the van bumped and swerved. “She keeps slowing down and picking up speed, so she’s likely not being followed! If we can catch up, we can follow her without being detected!”
“But it’s strange,” Sunset said. “She’s not even stopping for traffic lights or crossings!”
“Maybe she’s just getting lucky.”
“I don’t think so,” Sombra said, his attention focussed entirely on the radar’s signal. “This pattern feels familiar… and the random bursts of speed…” Sombra gasped and scooted closer to Shining Amor, looking down at the map of the city.
“What is it?”
“… I remember now. I once had a case that led me through much of this city’s sewer system.” Sombra grinned as he looked back up at the radar. “The sewers run directly below the museum. She must have rigged the display to drop the goblet into sewers and allow it to float through the system, meaning that she can collect it at an opening down the line.”
“The sewers?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “That’s disgusting!”
“But clever,” Sombra stated. “She must have anticipated FBI interference yet again and prepared an elaborate way to clear the vicinity should there be random searches.”
“She’s creating herself yet another alibi,” Sunset Shimmer said through gritted teeth. “Where’s the next opening?! We’ll beat her to it!”
Shining Armor studied the map and followed the sewer system to where it would next open up. “Take the next right and then straight on past three side roads!”
“You mean two,” Sombra corrected.
“No. We are going to wait here,” Shining Armor said. “We can risk her seeing our van getting close and abandoning the goblet. Sunset will try to apprehend her and if she fails, we’ll continue to pursue in the van.”
Sunset Shimmer grabbed a stun gun from the side of the van and nodded her head. “I’ve got this.”
The night sky felt cool against Trixie’s skin as she soared downwards, descending slowly towards an opening to the city’s sewage system and touching down neatly. “No FBI this time. I guess they gave up quite easily… Oh well, at least the police gave it their all.”
Trixie spotted the Griffon’s Goblet waiting for her on the ground and smiled as she leaned down to pick it up. “So this was your plan.”
Trixie sighed. Standing up and turning around, Trixie found Sunset Shimmer standing behind her, pointing a stun gun towards her chest. “You again? If you want my autograph-”
“I want the goblet… and you.”
“A date? Sorry, but I steal hearts, not give my own.”
“There’s no way out of this, you realise. You can’t take-off from the ground, and you can’t run fast that I can pull this trigger.”
“Then pull it. See what happens.”
Sunset Shimmer furrowed her brow and pulled the trigger. As the electrical cables hit Trixie’s chest and nothing happened, she gasped and ran forwards to tackle the thief.
“I prepared for electricity a long time ago!” Trixie dropped three smoke bombs, hiding herself as she fled the scene. “Try a real gun next time if you want to pierce my heart!”
“DAMN YOU, TRIXIE!”
“NO IDEA WHO THAT IS!”
“She got away!” Sunset Shimmer’s voice shouted through the transceiver. “She left the goblet behind! She must have suspected we rigged it somehow.”
“Yeah, I see the signal standing still,” Shining Armor reported.
“But she’s on foot! If you chase after her now you can probably catch her!”
“Got it!” Shining Armor turned to the drivers in the front. “Keep an eye on him.”
“You’re not driving after her?” Sombra asked.
“If she’s smart, she’ll go through alleys and take to the rooftops.” Shining Armor clenched his fist and punched Sombra in the face, knocking him out. “You’re too dangerous awake, so I’ll let you sleep for now.”
Shining Armor jumped out of the van and ran as fast as he could down through the streets of Canterlot. “Where did she go?!” he asked Sunset through the transceiver.
“Just keep going straight and down the alley by the pharmacy! It forks left and right but I don’t know which path she took!”
“You go left! I’ll take right!” Shining Armor picked up the pace, seeing the pharmacy entering his line of sight.
“By the way, the stun gun didn’t work on her! I think her suit must be insulated!”
“That’s fine! I just have to see her…” A shadow entered Shining Armor’s sights on the rooftop of a building ahead of him. “… And I won’t lose track of her.”
Trixie huffed and panted as she stopped to catch her breath. “Damnit… That Sunset Shimmer… I don’t know how she did it. I was certain the goblet was clean.”
“That’s what you get for being overconfident.”
Trixie rolled her eyes and turned around. Standing before her was Agent Armor, pointing a gun towards her head. “Isn’t that a little excessive?”
“I heard that you can create miracles. Are you telling me one little bullet is too much for you?”
“How did you track me here?”
“I’m a pro. Which is why I suggest you turn yourself in quietly.” Shining Armor stepped forward, prompting Trixie to take a step back. He lowered his gun to aim for the thief's leg. “Run and I’ll shoot.”
A bang sounded through the air, and Trixie looked on in horror as Shining Armor fell forwards onto the hard rooftop, blood pouring from his waist. “W-Wha-”
“Hey.” Trixie span around quickly to find Aria Blaze standing before her, a gun in her hand with smoke rising from the barrel. “What do you think you’re doing? Who gave you permission to plan a heist on your own?”
Trixie gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “You never said that we couldn’t.”
Aria huffed. “A mistake I won’t be repeating. You could’ve been caught, and then we’d have had to find somebody else to carry out this next heist for us.”
Trixie glanced over her shoulder at Shining Armor, who was starting to push himself up. She gasped and stepped to her right, hiding his body from Aria’s sight. “You didn’t have to kill him!”
“I didn’t have much choice! He’s too dangerous, and besides, I just made your life so much easier!”
“Easier?! The FBI’s going to see Kaitou Moon as a murderer now, and that will just make them come at me harder!”
“Then we’ll make it clear it wasn’t you,” Aria stated simply. “Money can buy a lot of things, including witnesses and false evidence. It’s this world’s version of magic, and we sirens know how to use it.”
“So that’s why you’ve been having us steal valuable jewels for you?”
Aria laughed. “Well, that’s one reason. And that’s all you need to know. Now get going!”
Trixie huffed and approached Aria Blaze, who raised her gun in alarm. She stopped short of the barrel and said, “You shouldn’t underestimate humans.”
“And you shouldn’t overestimate them.”
Trixie walked past Aria and descended down the ladder at the edge of the building. “You got an escape route out of here?”
“There’s a car at the bottom. Get in and shut up.” Aria put her gun away and followed after Trixie, leaving Shining Armor on the roof.
“… Who… was that?” Shining Armor asked himself as he watched the purple blur vanish from his sight. The air around him grew cold and he fell back onto his face, his vision turning to black as all sounds around him died out.
“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.
“Aaaaaaaah, aaah-ahhh… Aaaaaahhhhhh, ah ah aaaaah…” Adagio Dazzle removed the red jewel from around her neck and threw it to the side with a huff. “Useless. We can’t use our magic to their fullest extents with weak jewels like these!”
Aria Blaze picked up the jewel and examined it. “Compared to the jewels we were born with, I don’t think we’ll ever find anything powerful enough.”
“All that we need is something that can harness our magic without breaking.”
Aria raised an eyebrow, before the jewel in her hand shattered into two pieces. “I can’t believe there are actually magical items in this world.”
“I can’t believe it’s not butter!” Sonata declared as she jumped into the room, a plate of buttered toast in her hands. “But it’s just as good! You want a piece?”
“We’re talking here, Sonata. About actual, important things.”
“What’s to talk about? Trixie will find a jewel strong enough someday. Until then we just wait and keep her and her friends under our watch.”
“The Alicorn Amulet was probably our best chance, but now that we’ve lost that, we’ve got to find some other way! I still say we should’ve killed one of her friends, to motivate her.”
“As much as I hate to admit it,” Adagio began with a sigh, “We need her. Playing that card too soon would have been too risky.”
“The FBI might find out about us, huh?” Sonata asked. “All because Aria couldn’t find a non-lethal way to deal with that agent.”
“Hey, don’t go acting like this is all my fault!” Aria shouted. “You were supposed to report the second Trixie made any kind of move! If we knew she was going to hit that building sooner, we could’ve stopped her!”
Sonata shrugged and stuffed an entire slice of toast into her mouth. “I wu buthy ‘n’ di’n’t nutith.”
“Swallow before you speak,” Adagio scolded with a glare.
Sonata swallowed her food and then said, “I was busy, and didn’t see her send the notice!”
“You were busy watching that dumb show again, weren’t you?” Aria asked.
“It was the season finale!”
“This is why I was opposed to you being the lookout! In fact, should we even be trusting her with that rifle?!”
“Are you saying that you’re a better shot?” Adagio asked.
Aria flinched and crossed her arms with a groan. “Okay, I’ll give her that one…”
“Just relax, Aria,” Adagio said, turning to her laptop as the screen flickered to life. “I’m in talks with a seller right now to get more supplies. These next jewels are valuable, so even if they’re not the ones, we can still make a lot of money.”
“What kinda supplies?” Aria asked.
“Supplies to carry out our own heists, so that we would no longer even need Trixie.” Adagio grinned as she moved her mouse and clicked. “Which means that, after Trixie delivers the goods to us…”
“… We’ll no longer need her?” Adagio nodded her head. “So then we can off her, right?”
“Even better.” Adagio turned to her friends and said, “We can sell her. Who wouldn’t pay well for the legendary Kaitou Moon?” Adagio turned back to her screen. “Say, in the sum of fifty million?”
“Sell her?” Sonata asked. “To who?”
Adagio shrugged as the screen flashed again. “A collector, a crazed fan, a bounty hunter, a foreign government… Whoever bids the most.”
The Canterlot Central Mall was home to many fine stores, visited by citizens from all over Canterlot and tourists alike. Today, though, it was closed, due to the Jet Set and Upper Crust's Jewel Emporium becoming the latest target of the notorious Kaitou Moon.
Sombra glanced at the displays to his sides as he walked through the entrance to the store, his bound appearance confusing and concerning the store's owners. "What are they doing here?" he asked Shining Armor.
Shining Armor looked up from his notepad and said, "They're supplying us with valuable information about the store's design, and about the night's targets, too."
"What do you hope to lear-" Sombra fell to the side, crashing face-first into one of the display cases with a loud yelp.
"B-Be careful!" Jet Set shouted as he rushed to his scattered jewels, collecting them into his hands. "These are all very expensive!"
"Apologies," Sombra mumbled as he was picked up to his feet. "I would offer you compensation but, as you can probably guess, I'm not exactly 'loaded'."
"He's an expert we've called in to help us with this case, but as he is still serving time due to an embezzlement scheme, we're taking precautions," Shining Armor explained to the couple. "The FBI will pay for any and all damages to your wares… as a result of Sombra's fall, that is. Your insurance will have to cover any damages from Kaitou Moon."
"Well, thankfully these aren't our unique wares," Upper Crust said. "How about you just keep our jewels safe and we'll call it even? Still, is this level of security needed for a simple conman?"
"It took us long enough to bring him in. We're not about to lose him." Shining Armor's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it outside of the store. "Hello? … So you're in position? Right. We've specifically told the police not to get involved tonight. I had to pull some strings but- What? A suspicious shadow on the roof? … Don't take the risk. I'll call in a chopper to corner them." Shining Armor clutched his chest. "I can't risk a civilian's life. Just be ready to lockdown the store on my mark."
Suddenly, the lights in the mall shut off. "It's starting," Sombra said. "We should escort the lovely couple to safety."
Shining Armor nodded his head. "You two leave, and don't mention any of this to anyone. We're trying to catch Kaitou Moon by surprise tonight."
"We understand. We'll be silent until we see this on the news tomorrow," Jet Set said, leading his wife through the dark mall.
Shining Armor waited until they were inside of the elevator to say, "Alright, places people! Tonight, we're letting Kaitou Moon do as she wants!"
Trixie smiled as she read the text on her phone. "Ten minutes? Thank you, Fuchsia," she said as she put her phone away and began to scale the side of the mall inside of her heavy suit that, on the outside, appeared to just be her regular heist attire. "That's all the time I'll need for this one."
Adagio Dazzle watched from afar as the phantom thief Kaitou Moon scaled the mall in the distance. "She's being awfully sneaky for somebody who isn't expecting the cops…"
"I've checked inside and there really aren't any people in there," Aria Blaze confirmed to Aria. "Even if a couple of cameras have blind spots, it'd be impossible to hide from all of them. Maybe her hacker just sucks."
"… Wait, why isn't her hacker disabling the security feed?"
"Huh? Uh…"
Adagio lowered her binoculars and narrowed her eyes. "Something's not right here. That last couple were also awfully late coming out of the mall."
"What last couple?" Aria asked. "There hasn't been anyone in there for over an hour now."
Adagio snapped to her partner, and then back to the mall in the distance. She climbed down from her vantage point and reached for the pistol strapped to her waist. "Let's go."
"I thought we were waiting for her to come to us."
"Plans have changed. She's up to something in there. That's why she's had her hacker send you a fake video feed."
"What?! This isn't real?!"
"Most likely it's a recording from a previous night. I don't know whether she's meeting with the FBI or what, but we can't let her out of our sights for even a moment."
Aria packed away her laptop and climbed to her feet. "Want me to tell Sonata?"
"No. Have her ready in case Trixie tries to flee outside."
Trixie popped open the air vent leading down into the store and poked her head inside, looking to the left, and then to the right. She jumped down and rolled behind a display case, taking out a pair of night vision goggles and glancing around the mall.
Trixie checked her clothing as she looked around, feeling every nook and cranny, before taking out a phone and punching in a number. It rang for a few seconds, before being picked up. "They haven't bugged our clothes," she said.
"Yeah. Seems we're safe to talk for now," Fuchsia Blush said on the other side. "Your window's closing. Get the jewels before security is back up. I'm keeping the Dazzlings distracted but I don't know how long it will last."
"Where's Lavender?"
"She's here with me. We're laying low in the church as you asked."
"Good. I'm going to cut the glass now." Trixie pulled a small diamond out of her cape and approached the display case that housed the night's targets – three glorious, opal-shaped jewels sat upon a cushion, one blue, one purple and one orange. Trixie clenched her teeth as she began to cut the glass with the diamond. "Rarity didn't want this back, right?"
"Just plant it on her sister. She's always taking Rarity's stuff."
A neat circle was cut into the glass, and Trixie slowly removed it so that it wouldn't drop and break. "Okay, now call Adagio on a secure line and tell her that I've been locked in and need help. Once she gets here I'll-"
A bang sounded through the air, and Trixie dropped her phone as she turned and fell to her knees, clutching her waist. "So that was your plan?" a voice asked through the darkness. "Lure me here into your trap?"
"W-Where are you?!" Trixie demanded, sweating bullets as she stared towards the entrance of the store.
"Here's how this is going to work," Adagio said. "You'll leave those jewels right there, and then leave the exact way that you came in. We'll spare you this one time, but consider this your final warning."
Trixie gritted her teeth, staring through her night vision goggles towards where Shining Armor was crouched ahead of her. 'There's no doubt that either Aria or Sonata are waiting to ambush me outside, but I can't just stay here when I can't see Adagio. What should I-' Trixie saw Shining Armor nod.
"Well?"
"A-Alright," Trixie said, putting the jewels back and slowly making her way back towards the air vent. She climbed upon a display case and then into the vent, leaving the store empty, save for the ominous figure lurking in the shadows.
Adagio Dazzle stepped out from behind one of the cases and approached the central display, reaching into the hole that Trixie had made and feeling the gems. Her eyes lit up. "Finally," she said, clutching the jewels and pulling them out. "Finally, I've found them…"
The lights came on, and Adagio gasped as she was swarmed by an army of suited men and women, all pointing their guns towards her. Leading them was Shining Armor, who shouted, "Drop your weapon and raise your hands! You're under arrest for conspiracy, theft, blackmail and attempted murder!"
Trixie climbed out of the vent on the mall's rooftop with a deep breath in, taking in the cool, fresh air of the outdoors. Her face was immediately greeted to rain and she removed her goggles as she looked around. She found Aria Blaze pointing her gun and raised her arms. "I figured this would happen."
"You're not too smart," Aria said. "Once we've silenced you, we'll track down your friends and deal with them, too. You should have just obeyed us." Aria grinned. "Though Adagio was planning to sell you off tonight anyway, so I suppose it doesn't really matter."
"How did you know we had crossed you?" Trixie asked, her eyes darting around to see if there was any cover that she could use.
"You should know better than to lie to a siren," Aria said. "We sirens are built upon lies. Our voices are lies. Our singing and our beauty, even our motives. We tell lies because we know what people want to hear, and then we betray when the time is right." A wicked grin crossed Aria's face. "Therefore, it's only natural that we can smell a lie from a mile away."
Trixie hummed. "That's sort of like us magicians, then." She noticed Aria's confused look and explained. "Us magicians, we live by telling lies. Our acts, our miracles, everything we show people, they are nothing more than illusions. If there was ever a creature that could lie to a siren and get away with it, it would be us. The difference between us is that we lie to spread cheer, not hate."
"You thrive on love and admiration, but we need negative energy in order to survive and grow stronger. I guess we were fated to be enemies, which is why it's only fitting that I kill you in the end."
"Y'know, it doesn't have to be this way," Trixie said. "Right about now, Adagio's been arrested by the FBI."
"What?"
"Oh, yeah, Trixie called in the FBI." Trixie grinned as she noticed Aria's hand shaking. "Also, Shining Armor is among them."
Aria's eyes shot wide-open. "H-He's alive?"
Trixie nodded her head. "Don't you realise what that means?"
"… What does it mean?"
"It means that you can't be charged with murder," Trixie explained. "Not unless you kill me right now. If you run, you might get away, and even if you get caught you still have a chance at a short sentence. Kill me, and you'll be looking at a life in jail."
"Shut up! You're bluffing! Adagio wouldn't trip up like that!"
"Believe what you want, but do you really want to take that chance?!"
"I won't turn my back on her! Adagio and I are a team!" Aria gripped her gun and steadied her hand. "No witnesses means I have to kill you! This is for her! For us!"
A pair of hands grabbed Aria from behind, pulling Aria's arm upwards as she fired a shot that rang through the air. "Drop your weapon!"
Trixie reached into her cape and threw a playing card at Aria's hand, causing her to release her gun. Running forwards, Trixie kicked the gun aside and looked into Aria's eyes. "It's over. You'll be charged with attempted murder, so I can't say that you lost entirely."
"Let me go! Who are you?!" Aria demanded.
"You don't remember me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, causing aria's to freeze. "What's wrong? I thought I was no threat you three. You know, the reason I let you go wasn't because I didn't fear you… It was because I was given a second chance, and wanted to extend that same courtesy to you. But your second chance has run out, and I don't believe in third chances."
"Thanks for the assist," Trixie said, circling Aria to meet Sunset's gaze. "Mysterious stranger."
"… Shining Armor explained the situation to me. I rushed here as fast as I could."
"SONATA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Aria screamed, startling the other two girls. "KILL THEM! KILL THEM BOTH AND FREE ME! SONATA, YOU TRAITOR!"
"Screaming will do no good," Sunset advised. "Your partner is-" A strong wind interrupted her, and the three turned to the side as a pair of bright lights blinded them. The lights dimmed, and a large helicopter entered their sights, with Chrysalis in the cockpit alongside a bound and gagged Sonata, looking down at Aria with a saddened gaze.
"N-No way…" Aria lowered her head, frightened and defeated. A hiccup escaped her mouth. "I-It can't e-end like this… Adagio, please… save us…"
Sunset's look softened, and she released the girl to put a hand on her shoulder. "Aria…"
Suddenly, the ground exploded ahead of them. Dust filled the area, forcing Trixie and Sunset back. "Pick yourself up, Aria."
"Impossible!" Trixie shouted.
"Impossible?" Adagio asked, followed by a laughter. She stepped forward, her body surrounded by a green aura as her feet walked on air. Around her neck was an orange, opal-shaped jewel, which was the source of the aura. "No. It's a miracle."
Chrysalis' hands were shaking as she watched the teenage girl floating in the air, a intense green light swirling around her as she levitated two jewels before her – one purple, and one blue.
"This one's for you, Aria," Adagio said as she thrust the purple jewel towards her friend, before turning towards the helicopter. "And for Sonata…"
"D-Don't move!" Chrysalis shouted as she regained her composure, but was startled as the girl flew towards her, breaching the cockpit's window and reaching towards Sonata. She pulled the girl out and flew back onto the roof, leaving Chrysalis shell-shocked until the helicopter started to rumble.
Looking outside, Chrysalis could see a green aura enveloping the entire helicopter and tried to retreat. "The controls aren't responding!" she screamed as the aircraft was thrown backwards through the air. "ShitshitshitshitSHIT!"
Sunset Shimmer and Trixie watched as the helicopter fell down from the sky some distance away, horror spread across both of their faces. The horror soon vanished, though, as a hand clutched Sunset's throat and picked her up off of the ground.
Aria Blaze, now wearing the purple jewel around her neck, chuckled as she watched Sunset struggle and writhe in her hold. "This is payback. I told you before that you're no threat to us, and I meant it!"
"Let her go!" Trixie shouted, reaching into her cape before being tied up by a green light coiled around her body like a rope. She heard giggling and looked up to find Sonata Dusk, now freed from her constraints and wearing the blue jewel around her neck.
"Thanks for freeing me, Adgi!" Sonata sang as she raised an arm into the air, causing Trixie to rise with it.
"Yeah, appreciate it!" Aria followed, releasing Sunset Shimmer and allowing her to drop to the floor, before kicking her in the stomach. "Lemme have some fun with this one! I'll teach her not to mess with a siren!"
"Don't take too long, you two," Adagio said, before laughing at her own words. "Oh, who am I kidding? Now that we have our magic back, we have all the time in the world! Just make sure to find the location of that annoying book that connects to Equestria."
"H-How do you know about that?" Sunset asked, clutching her stomach as she tried to look Adagio. Aria grabbed her chin and forced her attention away.
"I'll be asking the questions here. Now, where's that book of yours?"
Sunset spat on Aria's face, causing Sonata to burst into a fit of giggles, only stopping when Aria sent a glare her way. "That won't work well," Adagio said. "Try her friends. That's what worked on our little thief, here."
"By the way, should I ask her where her friends are?" Sonata asked, looking up at Trixie as she flailed her legs in the air and demanded to be released. "Or should I just drop her to her death?"
"I don't care," Adagio said. "Her friends don't matter anymore. All that does matter is preventing Equestria from sending any annoying princesses to stop us."
"Okay! Down you go!" Sonata started to levitate Trixie through the air, bringing her closer and closer towards the edge of the building. She stopped when a bang sounded through the air, accompanied by a bullet striking her jewel and knocking it off of her neck.
The light binding Trixie vanished, and she dropped down onto the rooftop. All eyes turned to the hold left by Adagio Dazzle, where Shining Armor was clutching the edge, pointing his gun towards Sonata and panting heavily.
Adagio hummed as she approached the agent, creating a shield of light as he pointed his gun towards her. Blood ran down the left side of his face, forcing him to keep one eye closed. "Even in such a state, you have such keen accuracy."
"I was aiming for her heart," Shining spat, his hand shaking as he tried not to lose his grip on either the gun, nor the edge of the hole. "You creatures… are too dangerous…"
Adagio stopped, and smiled. "And here I thought that you were just some 'white knight of justice' or something, intent with taking in his criminals alive out of some stupid notion of 'mercy'.
"I am, but justice only extends so far," Shining Armor retorted. "I can't take any chances with you. You're a threat… to so many people… I made the decision a long time ago, to abandon my morals if it meant protecting the citizens of this country!"
"Words are nice, but without power, they're just that." Adagio stuck out her open hand, and Shining Armor felt a force pushing him down the hole. He screamed as he fell, and Adagio Dazzle turned back around to face Soanta. "Is the jewel okay?"
"I'm fine!" Sonata sang in a cheerful voice.
"She asked about the jewel, moron," Aria said.
"Oh. It's fine, too," Sonata said as she attempted to place it back around her neck. A string of light wrapped around her neck, and she turned back to Trixie to finish her work. "Alele? Kaitou Mooooooon! Where did you go?!"
Adagio raised an eyebrow and looked around for the missing girl. There was no visible way off of the roof, and nowhere to take cover, either. She heard a shriek from Sonata and snapped her head back, only to find her friend on the floor, with a tall, muscular silhouette behind her. "W-Who are you?!" Adagio demanded as she fired a beam of energy at the figure.
The figure shielded with a dark aura and vanished from sight. "I'm the hero that this town deserves, but not the one that it needs. I strike fear into the hearts of my enemies."
Aria felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around quickly. Before she could say anything, she was whisked up into the air in a trail of smoke, her mouth gagged as she flailed, much like Sunset had before.
"Just kidding." Adagio pointed her hand forward, a ball of green energy in her palm. "I'm just a castaway from the darkness. But against you three schoolgirls, even I can-"
"DIE!" Adagio fired her shot, and watched as Aria fell to the floor. "Aria, are you okay?!"
"Adagio, run!" Aria sat up, revealing that her jewel had been taken. "Get out of he-"
"ARIA!" Adagio ran to her friend, kneeling at her side and checking her pulse. "Still alive, just unconcious."
"That's right."
Adagio screamed and jumped to her feet. She threw a punch at the figure before her, only for her fist to be grabbed.
"It would affect my parole if I killed any of you. That's why I'm going to spare you… for now."
"W-Who are you?!" Adagio repeated, this time with much more fear in her voice.
The figure grinned. "An FBI agent gone rouge. A tyrannical king gone mad with power. Take your pick." The figure clenched his fist, eliciting a scream from Adagio Dazzle, before releasing it and reaching for the jewel around her neck. "These jewels allow you to channel your magic, but you sirens rely on the negative energy of others to give you strength. I simply channel the dark forces of nature and bend them to my will, thus, I am much stronger than you right now."
Adagio fell to her knees, clutching her broken wrist with tears streaming down her eyes. Her entire body trembled, and then she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. "Adagio Dazzle, once again, I am placing you under arrest."
Adagio gasped. "… This can't be happening. Not again." Adagio clenched her teeth together. "After all that I've done. After how far we've come. Have we simply traded one prison for another?!" Adagio took in a deep breath of air.
A blood-curdling scream filled the night, echoing throughout the entire city as the rain poured down even harder in the darkness of the night.
"You're sure?!" Shining Armor demanded over the phone, nodding his head a couple of times before smiling and turning to Sunset Shimmer. He hung up the call and said, "Chrysalis is okay! She jumped out in time onto a nearby rooftop!"
"That's good to hear," Sunset said, placing down her glass of water beside herself. She turned to Kaitou Moon and asked, "So what now?"
"We had a deal, if I recall correctly," Kaitou Moon said. "You let me go this one time, and I help you reel in this big fry."
"But in the end, it wasn't you that saved us," Sunset said. "It was Shining Armor."
"Actually, it was…" Shining Armor turned his attention towards where Sombra was sitting, behind the bars of an armoured van, once again inside of his straightjacket. "Excuse me. And Kaitou Moon? You're free to go."
Kaitou Moon wasted no time in jumping to her feet. "Well then, I bid you all adieu!" Smoke filled the area, and after it had dispersed, the thief was gone, replaced by a card that fell into Sunset's lap.
Sunset picked up the card and read the two words written on it: 'Thank you'. She smiled. "I'll let you go this time. Go find your friends and tell them the good news, Trixie." The card exploded into smoke, replacing itself with a similar one that read, 'Not her'.
Shining Armor approached the van and dismissed the two armed guards protecting it. "I want a word with him." With a couple of nods, the guards left Shining Armor alone with Sombra. "… You saved us back there."
"I did my job," Sombra replied.
"How did you use magic? Was it the jewel we found in your mouth?"
Sombra nodded his head. "I picked it up when I fell onto that display case. I figured that that's what the Dazzlings were after, so I took a precaution, just in case."
"You could have fled, you know? You could have been free. But you let us take you in. And more than that, you saved my life."
Sombra laughed. "I'm no fool. If I had fled, where would I go? By saving you, I earn points towards my appeal." Sombra turned his gaze towards the agent, and followed up with, "Well, I must admit, it did take me back. I believe that I have now saved you more times than you have saved me."
Shining Armor furrowed his brow. "How did you know that the jewels could give you magic?"
"The same way I know how to do magic in the first place," Sombra explained. "The knowledge passed onto me by my other self. King Sombra's knowledge, and his power."
"… Tell me something. Are you… Sombra the agent, or Sombra the king?"
Sombra hesitated for several seconds before answering. "Perhaps I am both, or perhaps I am neither. I remember being driven mad in my pursuit of power, yet I also remember finding no place in the world before I enlisted in the armed forces. And then I met you."
"You have two sets of memories?"
"But which set is real?" Sombra asked. "How do you know that your Sombra didn't die, and that I am not the other Sombra, masquerading as him?" A moment of silence passed. "Perhaps I did not flee… because I am still asking myself that question."
"… Regardless, you saved all of our lives, and many more, tonight. I'll be sure to mention that in the report." Shining Armor turned to leave, before adding, "Oh, and Chrysalis survived her fall."
"Darn. I don't like that woman."
"Neither do I, but next time, try to put some effort towards saving her, too. Okay?"
"By the way, where is Gilda? I did not spot her helping us tonight?"
"Ah, I had her watch over Kaitou Moon's friends. Though officially, she was on leave today due to a cold."
Sombra chuckled. "You… are just like your girlfriend, you know?"
Shining Armor simply waved back as he walked away, approaching the second armoured van containing the three members of the Dazzlings.
Cadance walked down the large, cold corridors of the Bureau's prison section, ignoring the catcalls and whistling of the prisoners around her as she descended deeper and deeper, eventually making her way into the quietest part of the prison.
Showing her ID to the guards, Cadance passed through into the specially designed cells for the most hardened, dangerous criminals, detained away from the eyes of the public. She stopped at the cell labelled 'Sombra' and knocked on the door. "Hellooooo!" No response came. "Um, I heard about what you did. How you saved Shiny and Sunset Shimmer. I wanted to thank you." Still no response. "… Sombra? Are you in there?"
"Of course he is," said Chrysalis behind Cadance, making the latter jumped and clutch her chest.
"Why do you keep sneaking up on people like that?!" Cadance scolded.
"Maybe you just don't pay enough attention to your surroundings." Chrysalis reached forwards and inserted a key into the door, unlocking and opening it.
Cadance noticed the tray that Chrysalis was carrying and asked, "You're bringing him his meals now?"
"Yeah. The situation has changed, and they want me to feed him from now on."
"It's changed? How?" Chrysalis didn't answer, and Cadance looked inside as the door opened completely. She covered her mouth as she gasped. Inside, Sombra was standing with his back to a corner in the dark cell, wearing his straightjacket as always, but with two new additions: a bag was securely tied around his waist, consuming the entire lower section of his body, and his entire jaw was concealed behind a metallic mask.
Sombra stared forwards at the two as Chrysalis walked inside. Cadance followed after her, asking, "What's going on? This is too much!"
"I'm not supposed to say, but you already know about magic, so…" Chrysalis explained to Cadance how Sombra had been able to use magic by simply holding a jewel, resulting in new precautions that prevented Sombra from holding anything.
Chrysalis removed Sombra's mask, revealing his dark, dried lips, and scooped up some of the gruel on her tray. "I hope you've brought desert this time," Sombra said, his voice low and quiet.
"Sorry, it's not in our budget," Chrysalis deadpanned as she fed the prisoner.
Cadance frowned as she watched. "But he saved Shining Armor, and he submitted himself when he could have turned on us!"
"And that saved him from execution," Chrysalis reported. "There's also more support towards reforming him for our purposes, but at the same time, this incident has revealed just how dangerous he is. Until we understand how magic works as he does, this man is the most dangerous person in our world."
"They'll come around," Sombra assured them with a chuckle. "Humans are foolish. They won't be able to resist using my power."
"You speak as though you're not human," Chrysalis said.
"I'm still deciding."
Cadance heard her phone ring and checked it. "I got a text from Shiny… Oh! He said that Kaitou Moon's sent in a retirement notice!"
"Well, that's a shame," Chrysalis said. "She was a pleasant distraction from our busy lives."
"He also said that four tickets… 'mysteriously' appeared on our desks for some show tonight." Cadance looked up from her phone and asked, "Have you ever heard of a 'Great and Powerful Trixie'?"
"Hm? I… can't say that I have." Chrysalis hummed in thought. "Should I run a background check later?"
Sombra chuckled again, gathering Cadance and Chrysalis' attentions. "I know her. You should go."
"You know her?" Cadance asked.
"Yes. I must say, I'm quite a fan."
Trixie and Maud Pie were talking as they walked down the hallways of their school about various things. Or rather, Maud Pie was nodding her head whilst listening to Trixie talking about her big show coming up and how it was going to have the biggest turnout ever. Their dynamic worked for the both of them.
The two stopped as Sunset Shimmer stepped out in front of them from around a corner. "That was certainly a close shave you had," Sunset said to Trixie, ignoring Maud's presence. "So I hear you're retiring?"
"Retiring? From show business?" Trixie asked. "Please! I've only just begun to wow the crowd!"
"Deny it all you want, but I'm this close to getting the evidence that I need to-"
"By the way, Maud, last night was crazy," Trixie said, ignoring Sunset Shimmer as the two continued down the hallway. "I'm so glad that I was with you and your family as we watched that helicopter go down on the news last night!"
"What?!" Sunset shouted as she spun around. "How did- Your friends were under constant watch!"
"What is she talking about?" Maud asked.
"I think she's crazy," Trixie responded, shooting a smirk back to Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset Shimmer groaned and stomped her foot as she turned around, leaving in the opposite direction as she wracked her brains to crack Trixie's new alibi.
As Trixie and Maud continued through the school, the two passed by Canterlot High's silent musician, Vinyl Scratch. She slyly slipped a couple of bank notes to the musician and proceed on her way.
"I'm glad you're feeling better today," Maud said to Trixie. "You didn't talk much last night."
"I had a sore throat from practicing my performance so much," Trixie explained with a grin.
Trixie Lulamoon finished making the final preparations onstage before it was time for the curtain to rise. A quick glance out at the audience showed that the night's guests of honour had arrived: Chrysalis, Shining Armor, his girlfriend Mi Amore Cadenza, and Gilda. Sunset Shimmer had also shown up, much to Trixie's surprise.
Trixie glanced at the front row to find Maud Pie sitting with her family, and then to the side to find Vinyl Scratch finishing her preparations at the music booth.
Stepping back, Trixie made her move towards the backstage area. "Alright girls, it's show time in five minutes! Is everything-" Trixie stopped as she watched the two push away from each other quickly, their faces as red as tomatoes. "… Trixie will pretend she did not see that. Fuchsia, are the lights ready?"
"A-All good to go!" Fuchsia replied.
"Lavender, the costumes good to go?"
"All set, Boss!" Lavender answered with a salute.
"Great! Now look, we've been through a lot, and… I'm sorry… but tonight, we're going to put on the greatest show of all time. Tonight, we're going to forget all about that awful past week and just have fun!"
"Trixie," Fuchsia began, "You didn't retire from being Kaitou Moon for our sakes, did you?"
Trixie scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "Please! Trixie simply grew bored of that whole shtick! This is where the real magic happens! Right here in the theatre!"
Lavender Lace smiled and said, "Well then, so long as you're sure this is what you want, we'll support you completely! Seriously though, thank you for coming back alive…"
"And thank for counting on us when you really needed us," Fuchsia added, giggling as Trixie's face turned a slight shade of red.
"S-Stop gabbing you two!" Trixie walked past them, stopping to add, "And keep your hands to yourselves! You can make out on your own time!"
Fuchsia and Lavender returned to blushing as they averted their eyes from each other. Trixie laughed as she walked away, checking off the final items on her list.
"… Thanks for being there for me," Trixie muttered beneath her breath. "A magician is nothing without their stagehands. I almost forgot that…" Taking in a deep breath, Trixie lowered her checklist and faced back towards the stage. "Well then…"
