It was a slow day on the farm for the apple family. Ponyville was currently in the middle of heat wave and Apple Acres was not excluded from the shared misery. The cross breeze in the barn’s hayloft was a nice touch but Applebloom was still sweating all over with her hair sticking to her forehead in individual strands. The heat was making her sleepy and she was currently in the state between awareness and dreaming. She lay in a heap watching the wind move the apple trees’ branches back and forth. A dark figure appeared on the edge of her vision. At first she thought it was a bird but it grew bigger and bigger until it could only be a Pegasus pony. This didn't seem interesting enough for the young filly to rise. Pegasus ponies were everywhere. So what if this one had a rather unusual coat? The black figure circled the farm once and landed in the middle of the clearing next to the Apple family’s home. A closer look at the figure caused interest to rise in the young one. This Pegasus was a stallion that looked to be about the size of Big Mac and just as muscled. He appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. The clothes were the most unusual thing though was the Pegasus wore what appeared to be a navy blue vest that went all the way to his flanks. The vest was covered by what appeared to be dull dark blue chain mail. Over that layer he wore a mesh vest and saddlebags that were small pockets over larger ones. Every available pocket seemed stuffed to full capacity. On his flank was a cutie mark in the shape of a hawk’s talons. It is a natural instinct of ponies that when somepony comes to a house in armor to expect trouble as very few ponies will take the time and money to prepare for conflict without expecting conflict to happen or expecting to make it happen. It was enough to rouse even a sleepy pony to investigate what was going on here. However If the new pony had come to ransack the house and the family he was being polite about it. He knocked on the front door to the house and waited patiently for somepony to answer. Applebloom rose up from where she was laying and scurried down the barn’s ladder. By the time she had reached the house Granny Smith was in the doorway.
“Oh hello, how can I help you?” The elderly grandmother asked in her usual drawl.
“Hello ma’am I’m Hawkeye. I’m a Bond Recovery Agent with Sunshine Bail Bonds over in Manehatten. We are looking for a relative of yours by the name of Crabapple. He missed his court date and we need him to reschedule.”
Granny Smith retched and spit into the dirt. “Crabapple is a low down, idiotic, cheating, apple stealing, son of an idiot. The last time I saw that dirty rat I put a barrel full of buckshot in his rear end. Why in the hay would you think that he would come here?”
“It’s just a lead Ma’am. I talked to one of his known associates and he said Crabapple mentioned something about coming to Ponyville for a big score. I’m just talking to everyone Crabapple might have reason to contact.”
“Screw that little weasel and the train he came in on.” Granny Smith shouted. Applebloom blushed at the way her grandmother was talking.
That seemed to satisfy the pegusus though and he unbuttoned one of the pockets on his saddle bags and pulled out a business card. “Alrighty then Ma’am if you wouldn't mind here is my business card.”
“We don’t have phones out here boy.” She said matter of fact.
“You don’t need them with this.” He said cracking a slight smile that comes from getting to show off. “A unicorn friend of mine came up with these. If you happen to see Crabapple set the card on fire.” He pulled a second gadget out of his belt. This one looked like a small square hand mirror. “This thingy picks up the destruction and gives me the location of where the card was burned. Neat, huh?”
“Won’t need it I reckon,” Granny smith said taking the card none the less.
“I understand the need to protect family but I am going to catch Crabapple. It is only a matter of time if you help me or not. “
“That’s not what I meant. If I find Crabapple first I’ll have the doctor who puts him back together give you a call.” Granny turned and went back inside. The Pegasus shrugged at the reply and took another look around the farm stretching out his tired wings.
“So are you a cop?” Apple bloom asked the dark haired Pegasus.
“No, kid I’m a bounty hunter.” He replied annoyed at the young filly.
“Cool, like old westerns?” Granny smith had a collection of those and she let Applebloom watch them sometimes. The older stallion started to walk away but Applebloom followed.
“Sure, I’m the pony with no name and I hunt the baddest desperadoes you have ever seen for rent money,” He said sarcastically as he flexed his wings.
“But you said your name was Hawkeye?” Applebloom said tilting her head in confusion.
“Oy Vey kid,” The pegsus decided to try flying instead of walking away from the curious child. Unable to match the Pegasus’s speed or altitude she watched the dark speck fade as she walked down the road into Ponyville. The chance meeting had given her an idea of what to do for the day and a new way to earn her cutie mark. Wind carrying the smell of apples passed by the young child but the heat of the day still was present and soon the young filly was sweating. The road wound around trees and rocks that it had been easier to just build around than move. Eventually, the road met a bridge crossing the stream between Ponyville and Apple Acres. While this was nothing new, Applebloom must have crossed the bridge dozens if not hundreds of times, this time she was greeted by the sight of her fellow cutie mark crusaders. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were splashing around in the water as it wasn’t really deep enough to swim in but clean and clear enough to get wet in.
“Hey Applebloom,” Scootaloo said catching sight of her first.
“Hey, I thought you guys were hanging out at Carousel Boutique today?” Applebloom asked.
“Rarity kicked us out when some reporter came to interview her,” Sweetie Bell said not bothering to stop splashing.
“Guess what? I have a new way to earn our Cutie Marks,” Apple Bloom said beaming.
“I thought we were taking a break after the whole Cutie Mark Crusader pyro-technicians thing?” asked Sweetie Belle tilting her head.
Applebloom stomped a hoof, “We’ve waited long enough and it was an honest mistake. Who knew that they were keeping the town’s firework display in that shack?”
“Or that when you fill cardboard tubes full of bottle rockets that they explode instead of creating one big rocket?” added Scootaloo sarcastically.
“Besides we got to try being Cutie Mark Crusaders Firefighters as well until they threw us out. Plus, we got that invitation to work for Maretallica until they found out our ages. Anyway I have a cool new one CUTIE MARK BOUNTY HUNTERS!”
“How would that work?
“A bounty hunter came to the farm this morning to ask about a criminal who came to town. If we catch the criminal before he does I’m sure we will get the cutie marks; Awesome badass ones too.” She and Scootaloo high hoofed at that as they thought of the respect they would get from their classmates. Sweetie Bell shrugged figuring that it would be better to go along and have fun than protest the numerous insanities occurring right now. Applebloom lead a charge into town followed by her two compatriots.
“So what does this criminal look like?” Scootaloo asked.
“His name is Crabapple and beyond that I have no idea.”
“Anything else at all?”
“Nope,” said Applebloom.
“Cool, just thought I would ask,” said Sweetie Bell.
“Well we need something to track him down.” Said Scootaloo
“Well I have one lead.”
“What?”
“We follow the other bounty hunter. A stallion by the name of Hawkeye No Name with a cutie mark shaped like a talon. We find him, find out what he knows and then catch the crook before he can.”
“That sounds stupid. The guy has years of experience on us and probably will squish us.” Remarked Sweetiebell
“Stupid yeah…but exciting I say we try it,” said Scootaloo.
“Alrighty then,” Shouted Applebloom running forward into the town her two friends hot on her heels. “I think he went this way.”