Rise of a Bounty Hunter

Lightning and I stepped out of the house. I patted the coin purse on my side. It was already nearly noon, so to cut down on time, we made a plan.

"We split up and grab the things we need for the next week, then meet here to put them up, and head to that cafe near sugarcube corner for lunch." I recapped while pointing at said cafe.

"I know the plan, teach." Lightning began walking towards the market.

"Don't call me that!" I yelled. She just waved it off and continued onward. I ran to catch up with her. We walked in relative silence until we got to the market, in which we split up to do our necessary shopping. As I perused around the stalls, I met some of the townsfolk. They're for most part nice people, though a few couldn't help complaining about the bounty hunters.

Hearing someone talk shit about you in front of you, even if they don't know it's you who they're talking about, is kinda off putting. I've been in many places like this in my gear. In those times people did not hesitate to tell me what they thought of me to my helmeted face. I just tune them out for the most part.

"So, what do you think of 'em?" I brought my gaze up to the older man selling cheese.

"Oh, sorry, zoned out for a moment there. What was the question?" The older gentleman chuckled.

"It's alright, happens to the best of us. I was asking what you think about the bounty hunters moving in."

"I think that people should get to know them before shouting at them for being what they are." The older fellow bowed is head in thought. He gaze shifted back to me. His expression was hard to read.

"I know a good many o'people who'd disagree with you. They would say that hunters are psychopaths and murderers." I nodded.

"Then maybe, they should find out why they do what they do, before judging them so harshly." He seemed to ponder what I said. I pointed at a wheel of mozzarella. "How much for two of those?"

"Twelve bits." I handed him the money as he handed me the bag with my cheese. He offered a hand. "what's your name, son?" I shook his hand.

"Rise." He nodded.

"Sharp Cheddar, Come again," I turned to walk away, but stopped when he finished his sentence, "bounty hunter." I turned to look at him.

"How did you know?" He smiled.

"You just told me." My hand connected with my forehead. "And I think your right, they should get to know ya before screaming your head off." I looked back at him. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, you seem like a good kid." I smiled.

"Thanks Sharp, have a good day." He nodded, and I continued crossing things off of my list. Lightning and I had an agreement of taking turns making dinner, we flipped a coin. I make the din din tonight.

After picking up all the things I need, I went home and put up my groceries. I went to wait for Lightning on the couch, but as my ass made contact with the couch, the flashbacks hit me. I jumped and snatched the cushions off the piece of furniture. Not satisfied that the couch wasn't hiding anything, or anyone, I pushed it onto it's back to check the bottom. The sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention. Looking up, I saw Lightning, arms full with bags of groceries, staring at me with a raised brow. I stood up and rubbed the back of my head.

"Is there a reason your tearing the couch apart?" I shifted my gaze between lightning couch several times, a heat finding its way to my face.

"Well... you see.. this girl....she.... I...uh.." I stuttered

"yeah?" She continued to stare at me as I tried to think of a way to explain this.

"She was in... but..." I dropped my arms limply at my side as my head fell and I sighed.

"you okay?" She asked setting the bags down. I pointed a finger at her and furrowed my brow.

"You weren't there!" I shouted. She lifted her hands up.

"Okay, jeez, calm down." I sighed, and proceeded to help her put up her things. After we were done, and I fixed the couch, we headed to the cafe. The walk was quiet. The cafe had an outside dining area where we sat at.

Our waiter came, took our orders, and left. I was staring at the table in though. Lightning was looking around at the surrounding environment. The silence was awkward. I needed to kill it with conversation.

"So, where are you from?" I asked. Lightning turned her attention to me.

"Cloudsdale." I nodded.

"Any family?" She winced.

"My parents still live in Cloudsdale. I have a brother in Baltimare." I was about to ask another question, but when I opened my mouth Lightning interrupted. "How about you, you told me you grew up in Canterlot, but what about your family?" I leaned back in my seat.

"My dad died about seven years ago, Mom still lives in upper Canterlot. I haven't a fucking clue where my brother went." I may have let a scowl slip onto my face on that last sentence, because Lightning adopted a worried look. "What did you do before becoming a bounty hunter?" I wanted to ease the tension a bit.

"I was on the weather team, I wanted to be a Wonderbolt." She had a look on her face, a look of regret. I know that look to well. "Could've been one, too, but I fucked it up." I was about to change the subject when I saw somebody waving at me from behind Lightning. It was Pinkie, and it looks like she has Applejack and Rainbow dash with her. They were all smiling at me as if they were ecstatic to see me. I smiled and waved back. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up.

"Sup Rise, great party last night, am I right?" Immediately, Lightning tensed up, her eyes shrank, and she looked ready to book it. "Hey who's that?" She began shaking her and mouthing the word 'don't' over and over.

"Hey, Lightning, what's wrong?" I put words to my concern. The three were standing behind Lightning. Rainbows face shifted from questioning, to recognition, then surprise.

"Wait, Lightning Dust?" They know each other? At this, Lightnings wings sprang out and she went to fly away over my head, but I happened to be a really quick and paranoid man. I reached up and grabbed her ankle. The momentum pulled me from my chair, and her from the air. We ended up tumbling a good ten feet back.

We both stood up at the same time. She stepped to the side to go around me, but I moved in front of her.

"Move." She scowled at me. I gave her a determined stare.

"No."

....

She launched a right hook at me. Time slowed down. My left hand shot out and caught her wrist. She tried to pull it free, but I had an iron grip. Her other fist went to to hit me in the stomach, but without letting go of her wrist, I stepped back, avoiding the punch, and grabbed her other wrist. I spun her around where she was facing the three spectators, and crossing both arms around her stomach. She had her wings flared, trying to escape my grip. One wing kept hitting me in the face. She then stomped on my foot, causing my to grunt in pain.

"AH, FUCK!" Then again, "STOP IT!" Then again, "LIGHTNING, I SWEAR OW.. ON CELESTIA'S SWEET ASS IF ..FUCK.. YOU DON'T STOP, I'LL BITE YOUR FUCKING WING!!" Then again. I warned her. I bit down on the feathery appendage. She let out a high pitched yelp. She stopped struggling and went limp. "You done?" I sounded like my dad whenever I threw a tantrum when I was little. She nodded, but I didn't let her go. I looked up at the rainbow and the others, who had looks of surprise on their faces. "Give us a minute ladies," I looked down at Lightning, who's gaze never left the ground, "We need to talk."

I walked her around the corner away from the others. I looked back at them to make sure they were out of earshot. They saw me, and I smiled back at them while lifting my right pointer finger. I turned back towards Lightning, who was avoiding eye contact, and rubbing her arm.

"What happened there?" She adopted an angry visage. and looked into my eyes.

"Why do you care?!" I replied with a glare that would make Sombra shit himself. She reeled back from it.

"Because, something happened between you two, and trust me when I say. Something like this hanging over you, even if it's in the furthest reaches of your mind, can cause some serious problems in heat of things." I softened my glare, "what happened?" She hesitated, but she explained how both her and Rainbow went to the Wonderbolt Academy. How her own recklessness and drive to push her limits nearly cost the lives of not only the other recruits, but Rainbow's friends as well.

"I was kicked out of the academy. I feel guilty about the whole thing." She sighed and stared at the ground.

"Have you apologized to Rainbow and her friends yet?" She shook her head. "Well, why not?"

"I just can't."

"Why can't you?" She looked into my eyes. "You need to do this now. It'll give you closure, and you might make some friends in the process."

"What if they don't accept my apology?"

"Then you still can say you tried. Either way you'll feel better not having to look back and ask yourself 'what if I did?'." I placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at me with uncertain eyes. "At least try." She nodded. I placed my hand on her back and directed her back to where the girls were. Upon turning the corner, I noticed our food had arrived. I pointed at the table. "I'll be just right there. Okay?" She took a deep breath and walked towards the girls.

I sat down at our table and started eating my sandwich. I didn't pay attention to their conversation, it was their business. Closure is an important thing to have. There are quite a few things I wish I had closure on. My thoughts brought back the questionnaire we had before Rainbow and her friends arrived. And thoughts of my brother flowed through my mind like river. I suddenly wasn't very hungry anymore. I was broken from depressing thoughts by laughter.

The four girls were laughing. Lightning had a genuine smile. She looked as if a heavy weight has been lifted from her shoulders. They said their goodbyes, and Lightning sat down at her plate with a noticeably happier vibe. We talked for a bit. Asking each other questions, and learning new and interesting things about one another. Like how Lightning's brother is a carpenter named Saw Dust. Really, who would have guessed. She had many questions about my life in West Canterlot. I answered most of them, and even told her a few stories from my youth.

"Then, when we saw the red and blue lights in the window, I stood up, chugged the rest of my beer, Raised the empty bottle high above my head, and smashed it on the ground screaming 'SCATTER!'" We laughed at the dumb moments in my life. I believe those are where you learn the best lessons.

"What happened afterwards?" Lightning asked, finally holding her laughter long enough to speak.

"Got busted trying to climb out of a window to small for me to fit through, then I got chewed out by the parents for being a reckless teenager." I got up to leave, and was about to tell Lightning the same, until I saw a group of armed individuals walking into the middle of the market. What really caught my attention, was that one was wearing bounty hunter class 3 armor. It was dark green with a hole the size of bit in the middle left of the chest plate. Lightning turned to see what my attention.

They immediately caught the attention of everyone in the area, but the man in the bounty get up lifted a pistol and fired into the air. He spoke with a heavy Trottingham accent.

"Afternoon gents and lasses! I am your new bounty hunter, and these," He performed a sweeping motion with his empty hand towards his crew of twenty, "are my friends! We expect to be treated right, or we'll break ya legs!" Lightning looked at me with a worried expression.

"What do we do?" My gaze never left the impostor.

"We start early."