Sunset kept her eyes peeled as she rode down the street in AJ's truck. Normally she knew the city well enough to go into a sort of autopilot. She only pulled her focus up while on jobs that required her to look for something specific. This was one of those times.
She kept telling herself that Winona wasn't the wandering type. It seemed more and more likely that she was dealing with a connected case of stolen pets. But to what end? The usual explanation of money didn’t quite sit right with her. Not now.
Sunset was pulled out of her thoughts by the truck suddenly stopping.
"We're at the park Winona likes best," Applejack commented, undoing her seatbelt. “Ah don’t think she’s here though.”
"If we can find signs of her, that'll be a good start," Sunset offered, taking off her own seatbelt. "We'll also check out Sweet Apple Acres later." Stepping out of the truck, she scanned the peaceful park. "Can you lead me to where she'd go here the most?"
“Sure can!” AJ slid out of the truck, adjusting her hat. “Right this way, sugarcube.”
Sunset followed after her friend, her bad shoulder threatening to lock up on her. Ignoring it, she stopped to examine several places, using the zoom function of her phone's camera to get a closer look. Despite that, she found nothing that suggested Winona had been through the park. No one they talked to had seen her either.
“Where exactly was the last place you saw her?” Sunset inquired, turning back to AJ.
"Back home," AJ answered, rubbing her neck. "Right after Ah brought in the last of the day's harvest. She was barking up a storm tho. Not sure at what.”
Sunset bit the nail on her thumb, her suspicions all but confirmed. "Then let's go there now, we might get some clues."
With a quick nod, AJ led her back to the truck and pulled back onto the road. Sunset spent the ride in thought. Something had to be connecting the missing pets, she just needed to find out what.
“How’s Sugarcoat workin’ out?” AJ asked, breaking the tentative silence.
"Pretty well," Sunset replied, glad to be pulled out of her line of thinking. "Her knowledge on demons has been coming in handy. Though, she knows weird people. She took me to meet a shopkeeper who talked about my aura. Said it was going to undergo a change soon."
"The hay's that supposed t'mean?" Applejack questioned with a quick snort of a laugh. “That more of that ole’ pony stuff?”
Sunset shook her head. "Seemed different than how we use it. In Equestria, aura is what we used to describe the color of ponies' magic. Mine was the same color as my eyes."
“Musta been a pretty color then,” Applejack said, turning onto her street. It didn’t take long for her to make another turn and pull onto her long driveway. “Twi always gushed about it.”
Sunset's smile twitched, memories of Twilight talking about their brief excursion into Equestria bubbling to the surface of consciousness. "She also swore she wanted to study the mechanics of pegasus flight."
“Ya, that sounds like her alright, never could satisfy her brain.”
With an opening like that, Sunset couldn't resist. Smirking she said, "Nah, but I was pretty good at satisfying something else."
Coming to a stop, AJ turned the truck off. Sharing Sunset’s smirk, she stepped outside. “Ah know it hurts, Sugarcube, but ya can’t just not think about her. That jus makes it worse.”
Filing out of the old pickup, Sunset sighed. "AJ, I have to avoid thinking about it. Otherwise, I spend hours just spiraling into it. When she first disappeared, I think I stayed up for a week straight searching for clues. I only slept because my body literally collapsed on me. Faust AJ, I nearly assaulted her lab assistant because I was so desperate to find something!"
AJ grunted, adjusting her hat. “Ah guess we’re just different like that. Iffin’ Ah stop thinking about Ma and Pa, it’s like they’ll have died all over again. Not that Ah think Twi’s...” Closing her mouth, AJ gestured across the farm. “Winona was over there.”
Taking a deep breath, Sunset did her best to ease her nerves. "It's okay, AJ, I know you're trying to help." Kneeling down, she examined the spot where the farm girl indicated. "Maybe I just need to learn how to not think of it as one of my cases?"
“That might help,” AJ said, standing off to the side. “Ah’ma go in the house and make us somethin’ t'eat. Take yer time and do whatever ya need ta do.” Giving a nod, AJ turned and made herself scarce.
Sunset scratched her chin, examining the ground. She could swear that she could see the faint outline of some tracks. With no real way to measure it, she made a mental note of them and looked for something else.
Moving away from the tracks, Sunset moved to examine the nearby bushes. There didn’t seem to be anything interesting for a while, unless one was interested in spider nests. She was almost ready to turn her search elsewhere when something stood out in her periphery. Carefully navigating past the complex web, she pulled out something stuck in the bush.
Upon further inspection, it turned out to be a piece of a pet food bag of some kind. Applejack wasn't the type to leave trash around the farm. Still, best to ask if it was hers.
With the scrap in hand, Sunset walked over to the farmhouse. The instant she approached, the tantalizing scent of Apple family cooking wafted up to her. Licking her lips, Sunset gave a knock and stepped inside.
"Ya find anything yet?" AJ called out, poking her head out from the kitchen. "Ah've got most of the food ready, still workin' on one last thing." Grabbing oven mitts she added, "Ah guarantee you'll love it."
"Found what I think are tracks of some kind and this." Holding her hand out, Sunset displayed the scrap she found.
Taking the small scrap, AJ eyed it in befuddlement. “Huh, now ain’t that somethin’. This brand used t'be Winona’s favorite but they went outta business a few years back.”
Putting a hand to her chin, Sunset scrutinized the paper. "So an out of date pet food? That's definitely bizarre. You don't happen to remember where you bought it, do you?"
“Not really no.” AJ shook her head. “It’s been years, Sunset.”
Smiling, Sunset took the scrap back and pocketed it. "No worries, I wasn't expecting it to be that easy. Do you have any plaster though? I was thinking about getting a better look at those tracks."
“Why on earth would we have plaster?” Giving Sunset a look, AJ sighed. “I can drive ya out ta the hardware store after we eat, alright?”
"Hey, Apple Bloom bought a ton of weird crap back in the day, is it that out there she might've got it for crafting?" Sunset retorted with a giggle.
"Fair point," the farmer conceded, pulling something out of the oven. "Wash up, soup's on."
Sunset stepped up to the sink, letting the water run over her hands. It was a small moment, just a nice meal with a friend and her family. It had been awhile since she had eaten with friends. The case could wait until after she had soup in her belly.
Once Sunset had set the plaster into the tracks, she headed out with Applejack to look into the other missing pets. Going through the texts Shining Armor had sent her, she settled on a place to start. The closest lead was a little rancher on the outskirts of Canterlot.
Stepping out the truck, Sunset thought over what she would say as she approached the front door. Raising her hand, she rapt her knuckles against the wood.
The door opened to reveal a middle aged woman with azure skin and dark blue hair loosely pulled up. "I'm not buying anything."
“That’s fine, I’m not selling,” Sunset assured quickly. “I’m actually investigating the rash of missing pets. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
"Come in," the woman said, stepping out of the frame and moving further into the home.
With a soft smile Sunset took the invitation and followed the woman into a living room. "Thank you for your time, ma'am."
“Citrus.” The woman led her into the living room. “I’m Citrus Fall.”
"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset greeted, taking a seat on a couch. "Can you tell me anything that sticks out to you about your missing pet? Even the tiniest thing could help.”
Citrus snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I know who did it. My bitch of a next door neighbor. I’ve tried calling the cops on her, but they told me there was no proof for a warrant.”
Sunset flipped open her notepad, making a few notes. “Are you sure it was your neighbor? Any reason to suspect she’d steal your dog?”
“Because she’d always harass my dog sitter whenever he’d walk by her house. Always going on about poop on her lawn even though he’d always clean up after her.” Citrus rattled on a few minutes more, her complaints becoming more and more petty.
Something else stuck out to Sunset, an element she hadn’t considered. On the surface, there was no common thread between the victims. But maybe she had finally found a way to breach that surface. “You mentioned a pet sitter, can I get their name?”
An exasperated sigh met Sunset’s question. “Of course I got their name. What do you take me for, some kinda chump?”
“No, I just want to get into contact with them.” Chuckling weakly, Sunset threw her hands up defensively. “That way I can get their side of their encounters with your neighbor.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, I got that.”
Pulling out her notepad, Sunset offered it for Citrus to write down the pet sitter’s contact info. Taking it back, she looked down at the name. “Bramble?” she read aloud, raising her eyebrow.
“Yeah, good kid,” Citrus said, huffing. “Loves animals. And it only took him a second to get Cookie to love him too.”
Closing her notebook, Sunset slipped it into her pocket. “Thanks for the info. I’ll do my best to find your dog.” Excusing herself, Sunset left the house. Speed dial was her next move, connecting her with Sugarcoat. “Hey, Sugar, I need you to do a background check.”
Sunset could hear rustling in the background. "Okay, who do you want me to look up?"
“Kid named Bramble. He’s a dog sitter apparently.”
"Bramble, got it, " Sugar responded, audible tapping following her words. After a couple minutes, she spoke up again. "Okay, found his personal site and Bookface profile. I can get you his business number."
It only took a few minutes for Sunset to find a nice coffee shop. Once she was settled in, she called Bramble’s number. “Hello?” A valley girl accent passed her lips; a pretty good one if she said so.
"Hello, this is Bramble's Petcare, Bramble speaking, how can I help you, Ma'am?" A young man's voice answered, his tone filled with a gentle warmth.
“Yeah, I’m going out of town for a few days and I need someone to look after my furbabies,” Sunset said. The urge to vomit was strong after the use of that word, but she kept a straight face. “Do you watch more than just dogs?”
"Of course," Bramble said, excitement creeping into his voice. "I can look after cats, birds and various reptiles. Basically anything that doesn't require an exotic animal license."
"Cool, really cool, and would a spotted gecko fall under various reptiles or nah?"
“I can look after one of those. Do they need anything special?”
"Just the usual attention and tank cleaning," Sunset answered, looking at her nails. "But he does enjoy watching people play video games. Also, grasshoppers are a sometimes snack because I'm worried he'd get fat if I don't. But don’t like, leave any in there with them. Those little creeps can like, super hurt a reptile.”
"I'm impressed," Bramble said after a prolonged silence. "You sure know a lot about caring for your gecko."
“Well, duh. I want my little guy to be safe.”
"Always good to hear. And how long exactly do you want me to watch your gecko?"
“Do you think you can do the weekend? My girlfriends and I are hitting the beach~”
"Can do! Can I have your contact info? I'll email you my rates for either kennel service or home visit."
“‘Course!” Sunset rattled off her information, though she used Sugarcoat’s address. She didn’t need him getting suspicious that her place of business was her place of residence.
There was a sound of pen scratching against paper for a few moments before Bramble spoke again. "Alright, I'll send an email with rates for everything. Was there anything else I could help you with?"
“Nope! That was it, thanks!”
“Okay, can’t wait to hear back from you!” Bramble chirped, ending the call.
With that part of her plan completed, she shot a quick message to Sugar to fill her in. Her ears were still ringing from Sugar’s verbal lashing. An internal note was made, not to let Sugar know after the fact.
Chuckling nervously, Sunset put her assistant out of her mind and set off to get Ray for her meeting with Bramble.
Sunset put the finishing touches on setting up Ray's tank. Sugar had given her the go ahead to use her place. The little home was surprisingly well furbished. Somehow, she had always pictured the perriwinkle girl as keeping a spartan home, stocked with only the bare essentials.
"Okay Ray," Sunset started, kneeling down by his cage. "I know this is a new environment, but you need to help me sell this."
Ray tilted his head, staring up at her. The little creature was perched on his sunbathing room, basking in the heat lamp's rays.
"Yes, I promise I'll give you those special treats for doing this," she assured, petting his head with a finger. A soft giggle passed her lips as Ray nipped at her fingertips.
Pulling away, she went to grab her phone for when Bramble called. She cleared her throat, ready to put on her fake accent again. Once the phone rang, she picked up with a sugary sweet voice, "Hello~ How can I help you?"
“Yes, hello. This is Bramble, I’m speaking to Sunny Vale, right?”
"Yes! Hey Bramble, are you on your way?" Sunset chimed. “I’m just making sure my little scalie boi has everything he needs!”
"Yes, I'm on my way!" Bramble answered. "I just wanted to confirm the address." He proceeded to ramble off the info. “Is that right?”
"Perfect! Can't wait to see you in person! Your voice is totes adorbs!" Sunset almost threw up in her mouth before she could finish that sentence. “Just give a knock when you get here!”
"W-will do," Bramble stammered out, his blush visible even through the phone.
Clearing her throat, she smiled down at Ray. “Just play it cool, Ray. I need you to keep him distracted for me, alright?”
Ray tilted his head at her, letting her know in his own way he understood. He was rewarded with some head rubs and a small cricket.
A few minutes later and there was a knock on the door. Putting Ray in his tank, Sunset went for the door. “Coming!” Suppressing her urge to scream, she put her accent back on. “Hello there~ You must be like, Bramble!”
Bramble smiled, a little nervous from the energetic greeting. "Yes, and you must be Miss Vale." The young man had lightly tanned skin and a very lithe figure. His scruffy hair was the same tree bark hue as his expressive eyes. He wore a green polo that had a stag logo as well as the name of his pet sitting service and a pair of grey cargo shorts.
“That’s me!” Sunset smiled, ushering him inside. “So, like, he’s not gonna do much cuz he’s a lizard just make sure he’s got water, heat and food.” Her expression turned stern, hands firmly planted on her hips. “But don’t leave crickets in his tank. They could hurt him.”
"Of course, the last thing I want is to hurt a little animal," Bramble said with a nod. He walked up to the tank, his eyes lighting up. "Oh wow, this little guy looks so happy! And he's clearly very healthy."
Reaching into the tank, Sunset rubbed a finger against Ray’s head. “He’s my little ray of sunshine~”
"Well, I can only hope I'll take care of him half as well as you do during your trip." Reaching into his pocket, Bramble pulled out an invoice. “It shouldn’t be too much, since he doesn’t need much interaction. I’m kinda surprised you didn’t ask a friend to watch him. Er, not that I don’t want the business.”
"Well, all the friends I trust with him are coming on the beach trip with me," Sunset replied with a giggle. "Other people underestimate what goes into caring for the little guy so I'd be worried they'd ignore my instructions."
Bramble nodded, passing the paper to her. “I’m happy to take care of him. He’ll be just as happy and healthy as he is now.”
"Good to hear," she replied, taking the paper. "Can I pay you a little extra to give him some extra attention? Can't be too careful with all the petnapping lately."
Cringing for a moment, Bramble nodded. “Sure! He won’t go disappearing on my watch!”
"Awesome! By the way, have you heard anything about those petnappings? A lot of what's going around sounds like soccer mom gossip." Grabbing a lock of hair, she twirled it around her finger. “Cause that’s really scary. My friend’s dog just went missing too.”
Bramble stiffened up, his features drooping. “Y-yeah, one of my regular clients just had their dog go missing. A lovely collie getting up there in years but still has plenty of spunk. Sure hope that old girl’s safe.”
“Have you heard any details?” Sunset pressed. “I mean, you’re pretty big in the pet sitting circle, right?”
Rubbing the back of his head, Bramble’s eyes darted around the room before settling on her. “Not really, just what my clients have told me. None have them have gotten a look at anyone that might’ve done it. Well, except Mrs. Fuzz who lost one of her cats. She says she saw some kind of beast take it, but she says wild things all the time.”
Sunset gasped, delicately covering her mouth. “What kind of beast? It wouldn’t like, eat a gecko would it?” Ah, she had him now. Just a bit more. “You gotta tell me!”
“Well, she said it was a half man, half horse,” Bramble explained, chuckling nervously. “But, there’s no way that…” he paused, as if he suddenly remembered what city he was in. “Okay, so there’s like a fifty fifty chance there’s a real monster running around. But horses are opportunistic cannibals and since the digestive system of this so-called monster is mostly horse, I don’t think it would eat the pets.”
Groaning, Sunset rubbed her neck. “Okay, but like if I leave Ray with you, he won’t disappear?”
“Of course,” Bramble chirped, trying to look confident. “I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Sunset beamed, grabbing the rest of her things. “Thank you so much! Like, you're a total life saver!” Giving him a small, quick hug, she made her exit from the apartment.
Pulling out her phone, Sunset strolled to her bike. Setting up her headphones, Sunset focused on her vehicle. “Hey, I think I have a description for a demon for you,” Sunset greeted when Sugarcoat picked up.
“Lay it on me, I have the Goetia handy,” Sugar responded, ruffling pages in the background. “So what’s our baddy this week?” Even through the wireless connection, the sound of the heavy tome carried weight.
“It was described as being half horse half man,” Sunset explained, starting the bike and pulling out into the road. She didn’t have a destination in mind yet, she just needed to get away from the apartment. “So mix that with a connection to animals.”
Sugar said nothing for a few moments, the crackle on the line from shuffling pages telling the private eye her assistant was on the job. “I’ve got a match. Buer is described as a Saggitarius who gives familiars. He also teaches philosophy both natural and moral and about herbs and plants. He might be turning the pets he’s kidnapping into familiars.”
Pausing, Sunset looked down into the visor of her helmet. “What’s a familiar?”
“Interesting, so there are differences like that between the magic cultures of our worlds,” Sugar noted before answering. “Anyway, a familiar was a being or spirit that was bound to a magic user in service. Their shapes differed wildly, some being lower demons while others resembled common animals. The magic user would use them as assistants and even for protection.”
“Do you have any way to track them?” Sunset asked, driving through downtown. “I don’t think Ray makes for good bait.” With the question asked, she began to think on it herself. Bramble was the common link between all the victims she’d encountered. And then there was that pet food label she’d found. “Actually, I think I have an idea. This demon’s gonna need a place to store all these stolen pets. Sugar, can you give me a search on abandoned pet stores in town? It would’ve needed to sell Puppo dog food and Bramble had to work there at some point. Can you look that up?”
The line went quiet, save for the clicking of keys. “You know I’m not a hacker, right?” Sugar questioned, slight irritation bleeding through.
“Sorry, just had that come to me,” Sunset said. “If you can look up abandoned pet stores in Canterlot I’ll do the leg work from there.” She added “Thank you,” after a beat. It wouldn’t do to have her assistant displeased.
There was another pause on the line before her phone buzzed in her pocket. "I just texted you the addresses. Good luck out there, Sunset."
“Thanks. I have the feeling I’m going to need it.” Hanging up, Sunset poured on the gas. Stopping only to learn her destination, she crossed the city. The warehouse in question sat in a small corner of the business district. Right by the waterfront.
Besides the graffiti and a tarp flapping in the breeze where a skylight once was, the warehouse was mostly intact. The skeletal frame of a sign loomed over the sliding, metal doors, no indication on what it might have contained at one point. Listening closely, she tried to pick up on the sounds of distressed animals within the ridged metal walls but there was nothing but the cacophony of the city around her. Hopping off her bike, Sunset carefully approached the building. She moved around the side, looking for another entrance. There was no way she was going to knock on a demon’s front door.
She was in luck, the fire exit was able to be opened from the outside. Moving carefully, she snuck inside, keeping the door open with a loose cinder block she noticed outside. With the light from the open door, she could make out the shapes of abandoned equipment and even a forklift, but still no signs of the animals.
Slipping her phone out, she snapped a few pictures. Document everything. With magic involved, it was quite possible the camera would pick up what her eyes couldn’t. Sticking close to the shadows, she quickly examined the photos. There was no change among them, so illusion magic was out the window.
She crept deeper inside, continuing her investigation. There had to be something here. Even if it meant tearing up the floorboards, she’d find her answers. In one corner of the warehouse, the light from her phone revealed something interesting. Along the floor, leading up to a stack of shipping containers was a long scrape on the cement. Leaning down, she ran her fingers along it. The mark was fresh, meaning the containers were moved recently.
Slipping between two of the containers, Sunset tried to get a better look of what was behind the containers. Once she was out from between the containers, she could finally see what was being hidden. Cages. Rows and rows of cages with various animals inside. She was about to celebrate her good fortune when she noticed something odd about the denizens of the enclosures.
They were still. One would imagine that distressed animals would be restless in an unfamiliar environment. Especially with the sound of her approach.
“Right... familiars...” she muttered to herself, moving through the rows. Winona was here, trapped somewhere in this prison. “Winona?” she asked aloud, peering from cage to cage.
She stopped towards the center of the rows, almost moving past it. In the corner of the cage was the old collie, curled up and shivering. Whatever pacifying effect the other animals had gone through hadn’t had a chance to fully work on her.
Kneeling down, Sunset reached into the cage. “Hey Winona, it’s gonna be okay,” she cooed, putting on a smile. Placing a hand on the collie’s head, Sunset scratched the old girls ears. “I’ll get you home, promise.”
Winona licked Sunset’s hand, perking up for a moment. After a few moments, her ears swiveled to something and she started to bark in clear warning.
Even as her head turned, Sunset’s free hand grabbed her necklace. “Sorry girl, looks like you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
A grinding sound filled the warehouse, one of the containers moving along the floor. After a few moments, a person came into view. At first glance, it looked like a normal man. If said normal man was a waiter at a western themed steakhouse. He was wearing a black cowboy hat, a golden pin of an arrow on its side.
He brushed dust off his long white sleeves and primped his black vest. “Now what do we have here? A lost little varmint? Gonna need a bigger cage.”
“Save it.” Sunset stood up, tearing the feather away. “Just tear through the cowboy suit and let’s get this over with.” Casting a quick glance around, Sunset cursed herself. She couldn’t risk burning the animals with her transformation.
Buer, tipping his hat back. “Ah don’t think ya know who yer dealin’ with. Ah never deal the first blow.” Fishing into his vest, he pulled out a remote. With the push of a button, all the doors on the cages swung open. Before Sunset could question his actions, he let out a shrill whistle.
All the animals besides Winona burst to life, rushing out towards Sunset. Their bodies morphed, exaggerating their fangs and claws. Eyes widening, Sunset bolted towards the exit, still not willing to transform so close to the now demonic pets.
One of the hellhounds pounced, leaving a claw mark on the back of Sunset's jacket. She didn't have time to lament the fate of her favorite article of clothing, the horde closing in.
“You call yourself an angel?” Sunset hissed, peering over her shoulder. “How does this please your goddess? Tell me that."
"Well now, sounds like someone's done some readin' lately," Buer noted, leaning against one of the containers. "But we ain't been angels fer a long time. Our Mother's rejection twisted our forms and stripped us of our beauty."
Climbing onto a crate, Sunset took a moment to breath. “No wonder she rejected you. You're all psychopaths.” Ignoring the pain in her back, she brought the feather to her forehead. “You can think on it when I send you back to hell.”
Buer whistled again, watching the flames consume Sunset. "Listen to ya on yer high horse. Ya'll sound like my big brother."
Sunset ignored the demon's words jumping down to attack the demon. Her charge was cut short by a pair of demonic dogs pulling her down by her ankles and slamming her to the floor. Their weight kept her down, hot breath on her neck. She gave a silent apology to the animals, shifting her weight in an attempt to throw them off. A yelp escaped her lips, claws and fangs digging into her from all sides.
With a mighty heave, Sunset managed to get back to her feet. Glancing to her side, she noted the distance between her and Buer. Her hook swords couldn't hit him and her firebird attack would leave her exhausted and wide open if it couldn't finish him off.
“I see, you're just a coward then,” Sunset taunted, her eyes shifting between the various animals. “That seems about right for centaurs.”
"Do ya really think ya can goad me into gettin' close t'ya?" Buer retorted, pulling the pin off his hat. Pricking his thumb with it, the metal shifted and expanded into a bow and arrow at the taste of demonic blood. "Even when Ah join the fray, Ah keep mah distance." Knocking an arrow, he let one fly at Sunset's bad shoulder.
Hot fire sprang from Sunset's shoulder, followed by a sudden numbness. Grunting, she removed the projectile, she took note of an oily substance glistening beneath her blood. “Trying to poison me?” she asked, tossing the arrow away and the fletching catching fire midair.
"Ain't it amazin' whatcha can make with plants? That little concoction is just things from the area." Buer showed off another arrow, showcasing another poison as it dripped off the projectile.
“And what, pray tell, does it do?” Sunset asked, cursing herself for not having transformed sooner.
"Numbin' agent, makes the limb heavy and harder t'use," Buer answered, whistling again to sic the animals on her. "Makes prey easier t'catch."
Sunset tried to move her arm, finding the act bordering on impossible. Gathering her thoughts, she tried to assess the situation. It was clear that Buer wasn't going to let her fight him directly, but she didn't want to hurt the animals. For all she knew, any injuries they sustained while under Buer's influence would remain after his defeat. She needed some way to deal with them nonlethally. Inspiration hit her, the water. She could lead the horde into the water and deal with the demon afterwards.
Her legs were already moving, her boots pounding against the floor. “If you think you're going to catch this bird, you're dumber than I thought.” Her speed increased as the swarm of creatures fell in behind her. Thanking herself for her foresight, she barreled through the fire exit. She only came screeching to a halt when she was just on the edge of the waterfront.
When the horde was upon her, Sunset leaped up, the demonic pets rushing past her and into the water. Before she could celebrate, a large doberman leapt onto her back. It’s added weight sent both it and her into the water.
Sunset tried to swim up for air, but between her numb arm and the demon charged doberman, she was sinking like a rock. Water was slowly leaking into her helmet, worsening the situation further.
“I just had to be a phoenix, didn’t I?” she mused. “I couldn’t be a penguin or something that could swim...” Water reached her mouth, forcing her to hold her breath. Looking up, she reached out with her hand. 'This can't be how I die. Not here. Not now,' she thought, desperately trying to muster up whatever strength she had left.
As if in answer to her pleas, Sunset's hand glowed with blue light, bubbles forming around her fingers for a brief moment before they converged into a blue and copper feather. Without hesitation, she placed the new feather to her forehead. Water swirled around her, changing her armor and draining her helmet so she could breathe.
Her skirt changed, one side riding up her left leg while the right leg was nearly covered by the now feather-like design. Her arms and torso gained a feather pattern the whole thing looking like muscles in the right light. A long plume of a feather shot out from the top of her helmet, flanked by two smaller almost triangular feathers. The lenses of her helmet became more almond shaped slanting to give her a predatory glare. The entire ensemble was a deep blue, the feathers accented with a multitude of colors.
A sense of calm washed over her, the water itself helping her back to the surface. Breaching the surface, water coiled around her like serpents. “As it turns out, water suits me just fine.” The serpentine water pushed her up and back onto solid ground. The water coiled around her arm, turning to ice before shattering and leaving a bulky harpoon gun in its place.
Another wave of her hand created more tendrils, each lifting a sunken animal from the water. Several unburdened limbs lashed out, striking at Buer. Sunset grinned, feeling the numbness fading from her arm.
Buer brought up his arms, the tendrils knocking him to the ground. Grunting, his body started to spasm. "You really want me to get my hands dirty, huh?" The demon questioned dropping the accent. The sounds of bones cracking filled the air, two legs splitting to four. His boots burst apart, the feet curling and shriveling up, nails dominating the now hooves. Fur burst out over his legs, his lower half elongating into one she recognized from Applejack's farm. Curled horns grew from either side of Buer's head making him look more like a goat than a horse and a new tail flicked at the air.
Scrambling to his hooves, Buer knocked another arrow and let it fly. Sunset made no move to dodge, the arrow burying itself on the feather pattern on her chest. Swearing in the black speech of hell, he loosed another arrow towards her.
Sunset brought up her weapon, deflecting the arrow and approaching the demon. With her free hand, she brushed the first arrow off her, the projectile glistening only with poison as it clattered to the ground. "Didn't even feel that."
A jet of water propelled her forward, the tip of her harpoon grazing Buer’s neck. Buer spun around, rearing up on his front legs and kicked out with his rear hooves. Water cushioned the impact, allowing Sunset to jab at his exposed belly.
Buer nearly lost his balance from the blow, his hooves scrambling for a moment as he regained his balance. This gave Sunset enough time to follow up with a brutal kick to where fur met human skin with the talon-like heels on her boot.
“You call yourself a centaur? You’re not even a quarter of the terror Tirek is.”
The demonic centaur bristled at the taunt, gripping an arrow tightly. "That might be more insulting if I understood that. Now shut up little game hen!" With Sunset in such close quarters he was forced to stab downward with his dart like a makeshift dagger.
Sunset laughed, feeling the metal scrape against her helmet. It just rolled off her back, like so much water. Slipping out from under Buer, her harpoon cut into his backlegs. She danced around a kick, grabbing the limb before he could retract it. Fighting against Buer’s struggles, she brought her elbow down on his knee.
Buer cried out, his knee jutting out at an unnatural angle. Sunset back stepped away from another stab from the demon now standing on three legs. Taking aim at Buer's chest, she pulled the trigger and sent it hurtling towards the centaur, a rope dangling behind it like the tail of a comet.
“Seems like this hunt's not going your way,” Sunset commented, flinching only slightly as the harpoon pierced Buer’s chest.
With a hiss of pain, the demon removed the harpoon from his torso. Sunset's disgust returned, oil black ichor pouring from his wound. Shaking off her discomfort, Sunset, retracted the harpoon, charging at her foe while her weapon returned to her.
“Come on, show me that patented demonic strength,” Sunset taunted, driving her harpoon into Buer’s shoulder. “You steal animals and twist them to your agenda. Do you really think your mother would approve of harming her creations?”
"You leave Mother out of this!" Buer boomed, punching Sunset in the helmet. When that had no effect, he tried to pull his shoulder free from the harpoon. "She betrayed our purpose."
Digging the blade in further, Sunset snorted. “She made you wrong and it tore her apart. You’re pathetic, and more than a little pitible.”
Pressing the symbol on her belt, now depicting a wolf-headed bird, water propelled Sunset upward. The water remained behind, turning to ice and locking the centaur in place. Positioning herself for a kick, water coiled around her leg, turning to a deadly spike as another water jet sent her careening back towards Buer. In an instant, she made contact, spearing her foe through the heart.
“Tell your friends I said ‘hi’.”
"Y-you'll meet them soon enough," Buer croaked. "It'll be Hell on Earth." Frost spread from the mortal wound, death's icy grasp. It claimed Buer, leaving him nothing more than a cold cadaver.
The ice fell away, a demon seal appearing where Buer once stood. With the centaur gone, Sunset heard the pitiful whine and mewls of confused animals all around her. Ensuring that the animals were safe, Sunset slipped out of her armor. Two feathers now decorated her necklace, stark contrasts in color.
Sunset didn’t dwell on that thought for long, returning to the warehouse and finding Winona’s cage. “Hey girl, I came back. Just like I promised.” Coaxing Winona out, Sunset bit back her hesitation and dialed Shining Armor’s number. “Shining, are you near something to write on?” she questioned once she heard the tone that let her know the lines connected. “I’ve got an address where you can find all the missing pets.”
“Great work,” Shining complimented, surprisingly genuine. “Okay, I’m ready for the address.”
Relaying the information, Sunset clipped a leash onto Winona’s collar. “There’s another one. This one in frozen chunks. Weird seal too. Just so you know.”
“So another demon case. But what did it want with housepets?”
“It was turning them into familiars,” Sunset explained, guiding Winona along. “But I don’t know that. I was just looking for a friend's dog and found the cages open. I only called you to ask what I should do.”
That actually managed to get a dry chuckle out of the man. “Right, right. Don’t worry, you won’t be on the record. Unless you change your name to Jane Doe in the next few hours.”
Sunset grinned, making her way out of the warehouse. “Good to hear, Officer. Now if you excuse me, I have to figure out how to transport a dog on a motorcycle.” Hanging up, she glanced down at Winona. “Okay, so, how do we get you home?”
Winona barked happily, putting her front paws up on Sunset’s leg. With another motion, she gave what almost felt like a hug. Quirking a brow, Sunset knelt down. “Are you saying you’ll hold on?”
Taking that idea on faith, Sunset swung her leg over her bike. “Alright, come on then. You better hold on tight, Winona. AJ will put me six feet under if anything bad happens to you.”
Winona barked, hopping onto the bike with Sunset. True to what the old girl indicated, she put her paws around the woman and even bit down gently on her arm. It wasn't enough to hurt, but just enough to keep the collie steady.
Eyeing Winona for a moment, Sunset slipped her helmet on and brought her bike to life. The mantra of slow and steady limited her speed. As confident as Winona was, Sunset refused to risk her life. The pace made the trip agonizingly slow, yet the relief Sunset felt when she pulled onto Sweet Apple Acres that much sweeter.
With Winona in tow, Sunset walked up to the front door. Or rather, half-walked half-dragged along as Winona barked up a storm in excitement and nearly tore Sunset's freshly healed arm from its socket.
“Hey, AJ! I found Winona!” she called, giving a few good knocks. “She’s really happy to be home!”
There was a commotion from within the house before Applejack swung open the front door so that the only barrier between her and her canine companion was the screen door. "Winona!" AJ cried, kneeling down and letting the collie jump into her arms. "Ah was worried sick about ya, girl." Winona's only response was peppering her owner's face with sloppy licks.
Sunset smiled, enjoying the sight of the reunion. “Wasn’t too much trouble, just someone who was taking animals he shouldn’t. I took care of it.”
Applejack looked up at Sunset with a warm smile, the new feather catching her eye. "That wouldn't happen t'have anything t'do with that new addition to yer jewelry, would it?"
A noncommittal shrug spearheaded Sunset’s response. “It’s a new thing I’m trying out. Seems to be doing well for me so far.”
Applejack shook her head, standing back up. "Suppose it don't matter much right now. Come on, let me pour ya somethin' t'drink and I'll pay ya fer yer troubles. Rares should be home soon too, if ya wanna say hi to her."
Sunset shook her head, jerking a thumb back towards her bike. “I’d like to but I can’t. I still have one last thing to do before I call this case closed. You can pay me later.”
"Fine, but ya know Rare is gonna talk mah ear off 'bout me seein' ya twice before she's seen ya lately," AJ commented, helping Winona into the house. "So you wrap this case up right quick or else she'll get that faintin' couch of hers out."
Slipping her helmet back on, Sunset gave a thumbs up. “If she’s gotten easy to faint, don’t let her watch the news.”
AJ laughed and gave Sunset one last farewell before entering her home. In a matter of minutes, Sunset was back on her bike, ready to retrieve her own pet. During the commute, she called her faithful assistant and updated the silver-haired woman about Buer and her new power.
Unlocking the door to Sugar’s apartment, making sure to announce her presence with a firmly shut door. Her stern look killed Bramble’s smile as he came to greet her. “We need to talk, Bramble,” Sunset said.
"Sunny, what happened to your accent?" Bramble questioned, wilting under Sunset's oppressive gaze.
"You were working with a demon." Sunset closed the distance between them, watching him stumble backwards. "Do you have any idea what he was doing to those animals?"
Bramble fell backwards to the floor, a look of utter shame on his face. “H-he said he could help me make medicine that could save so many animal lives.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small journal and offered it to Sunset. “A-at first I had no idea what he was doing, but when Mrs. Fuzz told me about her cat, I figured it out. I tried to confront him but he said breaching our contract would, would…” he trailed off, shuddering.
"Would what?" Sunset' pressed, towering over him. "I need to know, Bramble."
“That my soul would be forfeit and he’d put me under his command as one of them,” Bramble answered, holding himself while he shook like a leaf. “H-he told me he’d order me to do terrible things to people. I-I know it was selfish and those poor critters needed me, but I was so scared!”
Sunset sneered in disgust. How could creatures so divine stoop to such things? Bramble was just a kid. She knew exactly why the goddess locked them all away. Kneeling down, she held a hand out. "It's okay, you don't have to worry about him anymore."
Blinking in confusion, Bramble took the offered hand warily. “Wh-what do you mean? He decided to stop hurting animals?"
"No, he got sent back to where he came from." Rising up, she pulled Bramble off the floor. "He won't be bothering anyone for a century or two."
"H-how do you know that?" Bramble questioned, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "He said normal weapons couldn't hurt him."
Smiling disarmingly, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know for a fact that Canterlot's new super hero turns demons into paste. That woman is something of a bird of prey. Just watch the news tonight."
Bramble nodded, sighing in relief. “Are the animals safe? I know I don’t have the right to ask that, but I need to know.”
"By now, they should be in police custody," Sunset answered, removing her hand from Bramble. "They'll get them home soon." Smiling chipperly, she glanced over his shoulder. “Did Ray give you any trouble?”
"He shuddered at me and made some shows of discomfort at first, but he settled down once I adjusted his heat lamp and put on a gaming livestream from my phone," Bramble rattled off, his discomfort momentarily gone. “How did you manage to get a gecko to watch video games?”
Sunset shrugged, walking up to the tank. "Ray and I just understand each other." Reaching in, she gently scooped Ray into her palms. “Hey buddy, I missed you.” Ray opened and closed his mouth a couple times, settling into her palms. When offered her shoulder, he eagerly took his perch.