The Bounty Hunter

The bounty hunter looked down at the small bustling town. The last time she was here, Appleooza was merely a small backwater town that had merely comprised of two streets and a couple of outlying farms and ranches. Now it was a busy, market town.

When she had docked her airship inside of the small Skyport, a white earth pony stallion came rushing up to her, "How long will you be staying here?" the pony asked in a stuck-up tone.

"That is my business, not yours," the bounty hunter said, dismissing the earth pony.

"Excuse me, you need to pay to dock here," the stallion insisted.

The bounty hunter grumbled rolling her eyes beneath the red goggles as she dropped a pouch of bits in front of the stallion, she didn't bother counting the money, she had plenty of bits to go around.

Without saying anything, the hunter left the Skyport and began walking towards town. She knew that a western town like Appleooza would have a saloon and if you wanted news then the saloon would be the best place.

She walked into the town square, ignoring the curious looks that the townsfolk seemed to give every time they passed her, where just as she expected a saloon was located on a corner. As she approached the main entrance, a weedy-looking earth pony colt was chucked onto the street, within the saloon, she could hear a mare's voice shouting, "AND STAY OUT, YOU LITTLE TWERP!"

The sandy-coloured colt shook his hoof in anger before he spotted the hunter heading towards the saloon, "Don't go in there, she's a mad mare,"

The hunter chuckled before ruffling the colt's maroon mane, "I'm sure she is, besides I've dealt with worse."

"Hey!" the colt snapped, shaking the hoof away.

The hunter chuckled again before walking into the saloon, just as she expected everypony stopped what they were doing and stared at her. The hunter waited a couple of seconds as everypony turned back to their drinks and fellow patrons.

The hunter then walked up to the bar, where she could see a muscular, grey mare, giving her a suspicious look. The bartender walked up to her and asked, "What can ah do for you today?"

"Just a pint of your finest apple cider, keep the change," the hunter responded, dropping several coins onto the counter.

The hunter then pulled some of her mask up, so that her mouth was being revealed, before taking a sip. Smacking her lips in reminiscence of old memories. She could tell that the Cider had come from the apple family.

Suddenly the bartender asked, "What's with the mask?"

"I wish to keep my appearance and identity a secret," the hunter simply stated, staring down at the amber liquid inside of her flagon.

The bartender scoffed before saying, "Well, ah don't wish to keep mah identity a secret. The name's Cider Whiskey." She held her hoof out for her to shake, the hunter stared at the hoof before reluctantly accepting it.

"You're not from around these parts, are yeh?"

"What gave that away," the hunter said sarcastically.

"She has humour, so what brings you to Appleooza?"

"I'm looking for an inventor,"

"You and everypony else, yeh'll find her at the apple orchards but be warned, her sister can be a little overprotective. If you don't mind me asking, why do you want tah see this inventor?"

"We have... a business arrangement, that we need to discuss." the hunter exclaimed cryptically.

Downing the last of her cider, the hunter told the bartender, "I must get going now."

"Oh well, please come again," the bartender muttered in slight disappointment.

"I'll consider it." the hunter said.

***

Walking down the street, she passed an alleyway, where the distinct sound of fighting met her ears. She was going to ignore it when she suddenly heard a familiar voice scream, "HEEELP! AHM BEING FOALN-MMMMPH!"

Silently cursing herself, the hunter entered the alleyway to find two earth pony stallions, wearing bandannas and fedoras, hogtying the colt that had been kicked out of the saloon earlier. "What's going on here?" the hunter asked, preparing herself to pull out her blasters.

"Nothing that concerns you." one of the stallions, who was wearing a red bandanna, grunted.

The colt released several muffled pleas through the white rag that was gagging him. "I think you do find that it concerns me," the hunter explained, unclipping her blasters.

The bandits, who noticed this, snarled, "Don't do anything stupid."

"You are the ones that are doing something stupid, foalnapping this innocent colt in broad daylight. Now release him or else," the hunter threatened.

The red bandanna bandit sneered, "Or else what? You're outnumbered."

The hunter smiled beneath the mask before blasting the bandit, sending a red magic bolt into his heart with precise precision. "Look's like I'm not outnumbered now."

"HORSEHOE! You'll pay for that, bitch." the remaining bandit growled before lunging at the hunter. The hunter leapt over the attacker before using her grappling hook to lasso the stallion around his neck. She then used her jetpack to fly into the sky, raising the stallion off the ground.

The stallion instantly began clawing at his neck as he started to be strangled from the makeshift hanging. The tied-up colt watched with a mixture of horror and fear as the hanging bandit started to spasm before eventually, his hoofs fell down hanging down at his side, his face was blue and his eyes rolled backwards, he was dead.

The hunter released the stallion letting the body fall to the ground, making a distinct crunching sound. The colt grunted with fear as the hunter slowly approached him.

The hunter looked down at the trussed-up colt, who was making muffled protests as she aimed her blaster at the colt's forehead. The colt's purple eyes widened with horror before beginning to tear up as he realised that he was going to die.

The hunter hesitated at seeing the colt's tears, she knew that it was dangerous to leave witnesses but she couldn't bring herself to kill the kid. Sighing with frustration, the hunter reholstered her blasters, the colt, who had his eyes clenched shut, slowly opened them as the hunter pulled the gag off.

"Please don't kill me," The colt pleaded.

"Relax, I'm here to rescue you," the hunter reassured him as she untied him.

After she released him, the hunter asked, "What's your name, kid?"

The colt reluctantly said, "Apple Taps."

"Right, I'm going to take you home, I'll need you to show me the way," the hunter said, she was hoping that if she brought the kid back, then parents might give her a reward.

The colt nodded and began to lead her towards the apple orchards. They eventually arrived at a ranch house that sat on the outskirts of the apple orchards, the hunter was now beginning to suspect that Apple Tap's parents might be her target.

As soon as she knocked on the front door, it snapped open to reveal a yellow earth pony stallion, who was wearing a brown jacket along with a brown fedora. "Braeburn!" Apple Tap shouted, hugging the stallion.

"Apple Tap, thank Celestia, yer okay. Yer parents have been worried sick." Braeburn said, his voice laced with concern

"I'm fine," Apple Tap said.

The hunter then stepped forward, "Apple Tap here, nearly was foalnapped. It was lucky that I was there to rescue him."

"Thank you so much, please come in," Braeburn opened the door wider to allow the duo to enter the house. Upon entering the sitting room, the bounty hunter suddenly stopped in her tracks as she came face to face with an old friend...