//------------------------------// // A Butterfly's Bounty // Story: Applejack Through the Ages // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// A Butterfly's Bounty And so, despite my discomfort and an unwanted rival, I pressed on at my duties at the saloon. Working tables, putting up with lewd and disgusting comments from cowponies no self-respecting stallion in Ponyville would have EVER hurled at a mare, and cleaning stuff on the tables I won’t even tell a little girl like you about, my little apple blossom. But there were some things about the job I didn’t find particularly unpleasant… particularly involving a certain stallion… Candy was just sitting one stallion’s drink on the table, when she and every other pony in the saloon heard a rough and tumble scuffling noise going on outside, accompanied by a lot of pony yelling and snorting. When the mare and several other ponies rushed to the swinging saloon gates, to see what all the ruckus was. “Lemme go, ya stubborn ole fool.” A rough looking stallion in a cowpony hat spat and whinnied, as he was dragged along the ground, with his hooves hogtied in a lasso. “Imma tell you again, ya filthy saddle-sore varmint- I didn’t rob no eleven o’ clock stage coach!” When everyone saw the stallion pulling him along- a tall pony in a long black leather jacked and wide brimmed hat- they knew what had happed. Butterfly Hunter had brought in another bounty, an outlaw who had robbed the stage, from the sounds of the angry stallion’s protesting. The bounty hunter dragged his quarry over towards the sheriff’s office, and after a few minutes inside, emerged carrying what was obviously a jangling bag of bits. As the grim and silent stallion counted his money, the ponies in the saloon quickly realized that the shadowy stallion was trotting towards the saloon. “Okay, he’s comin’ over here with his loot again!” Countryside yelled to the others, as all the saloon mares began to scramble around in a panicked frenzy. “One of you make sure to show him a good time, and get him to spend as many of his bits as you possibly can!” “Uh uh, no way are any of my girls gonna warm up that walking corpse!” Cherry sweet protested, as each of of the other mares rushed to each grab another customer to concentrate on. “Have Candy Apple do it, she’s the newest one.” “Fiiiine, I’ll take care of him again.” Candy snorted indignantly, stamping her hoof. “good grief, he’s not nearly as rough and tumble as you namby pambys are makein him out at be!” But all voices in the normally loud saloon fell silent, as the intimidating form of the bounty hunter stepped through the swinging doors. There were many rugged and crude ponies out here on this western frontier, but Butterfly hunter carried an utterly cold aura of death around him. Every mare and stallion gave this frowning pony a wide breadth as he trotted his way up to the back, his large black hat covering most of his face, save for the fierce scowl on his mouth. “Howdy hunter, how y’all doin’?” Candy smiled, trotting up behind the bar, and pouring him a drink . “Havin’ the usual, I’m guessing?” “Hello, Miss Candy, pleasure to see ya again.” His voice replied in an icy whisper. “An yes, that’d be mighty fine.” Candy nodded, and poured a strange looking red liquid into the cider she had just poured, the glass then began to bubble and steam, the mixture inside being so volatile that it melted the spoon the saloon mare stuck in to mix the concoction. As Candy handed the bizarre mixture to the bounty hunter, she could only wonder what the hay was actually in that crazy drink. “Ahhhh, that really hit the spot!” The stallion his as he downed the drink, eyes flashing odd colors, and snorting fire out of his nostrils. “Thank ya darlin, ahm always mighty obliged at y’all fer mixin’ it just the way ah like it!” “Ahm glad y’all like it so much.” Candy replied, smiling at him. “Say , who was thait ornery critter y’all hauled into sheriff Steelstar’s office earlier?” “A nasty little number with a price on his head- robbed five stages, violently ended the lives of fourteen pony guards for those coaches.” He shook his head in disgust. “Scum like that is the reason scum like me exists.” There conversation went as they always did, covering small topics fist, then slowly working their way to more important topics. He always had pleasant things to say to her, despite all the bad rumors and fear surrounding this stallion. Both of these troubled ponies drew a little pleasure from each other’s company, it what was an otherwise miserable existence out on this miserable frontier. After the evening crowd had thinned out a bit and the stallion had had a few drinks, he opened up and talked a little about himself… something he rarely ever did, even to Candy Apple. “My old man had bigger plans fer me than this Candy. He wanted me at work with animals… just like our ancestor Fluttershy did.” He told her, in a voice that sounded almost normal. "In the end, I did sort of end up working with animals... ponies who behaved like animals, anyway." "Wow, I never woulda though that of you, Hunter." Candy Apple replied in shock. Could this dark and dangerous pony, a stallion who hunted other ponies for a living- really be descended from her old friend? It seemed so hard to believe, yet that eerily familiar butterfly cutie mark... It was just then, that the loud sound of a thousand galloping hooves could be heard quickly approaching the town, as the widows in the saloon all began to rattle, and the drinks in the customer's glasses all began to vibrate. The ponies present barely had time to wander what was going on, when a cowpony came busting through the saloon doors in a panic. "It's a stampede!" The frantic stallion yelled, barely standing there for a moment, before barreling back out the door. "One of the ranchers left the gate on their fence open!" It was only an instant, before Butterfly Hunter had grabbed his hat, and galloped out the door. Narrowing her eyes, Candy snatched a lasso from one of the cowpony customers, and galloped out after the bounty hunter. The two ponies found a large heard of Equestrian longhorns, snorting steam and angrily galloping towards the small town. Galloping out in front of the herd, they each twirled a lasso, and through the loop over one of the lead bulls horns. If Butterfly was surprised to see a saloon mare wrangling like a cowpony, he did a good job of not showing it. Instead, the bounty hunter merely nodded at the mare, and together they pulled the stubborn lead beast off to the left. The changing of direction for the lead animal caused the rest of the herd to follow suit, and the stampede veered off just in time to avoid the town. Once, Candy Apple would've tried to reason with the panicked cattle, but that was no longer possible- like most of Equestria's talking animals, the herds had gone feral in the past two centuries. No longer gifted with speech, these poor dumb beasts had given themselves over to savagery, and had become... well, true animals. After they had gotten the animals off course, it hadn't taken the two ponies long to tire the herd out, and get them to drop from sheer exhaustion. Much later, after the pair had gotten the rampaging cattle back inside the saftey of thier fence, Butterfly Hunter took the time to compliment the mare on her work. "That was some mighty fine cattle ropin' ya did back thar, m'mam." The stallion told her politely, tipping his hat. "Ah reckon you must have some Ranch experience wherever y'all come from." "Oh, you're more raight than y'all think, sugar cube." The saloon hall mare replied with a smile, looking back at the now calmed herds. "Ah cain't believe the ol' rancher was careless enough ta leave tihs gate open laike thiat." "Thait's just it, darlin... ah don't think he did leave his gate open." Butterfly replied, looking at a forcibly cut padlock on the gate. "Candy, ah reckon some ornery critter started this stampede on purpose!" Ohhh, a mystery! What happened then, mama? Well now, you'll just have to wait an' find out, won't ya, apple blossom? You'll just have to wait and find out...