Chapter 1
Everycreature gaped at the pony that had just entered the pub. The thing that made the pony look peculiar, was the outfit that she was wearing. Even by Kludgetown's standards, the outfit was unusual, while the residents of the small, backwater village were scruffy and unhygienic, the pony was wearing some type of black, skin-tight suit that covered every length of her body. Nobody could see what the unknown traveller looked like beneath the layers of black material. The clue that told the pub goers, what species she was, was the shape of what resembled a mane and tail beneath the black suit. Looking close, the bartender could see the faint outline of a pair of small wings.
The suit wasn't the only thing that, she was wearing, she was also wearing a large metal backpack with two tubes protruding from the bottom of the bag along with several belts that had small black objects, in the shape of an L. The pony was also wearing red-tinted goggles that hid her true eye colours.
The pony looked around the bar before spotting a patron sitting in the back corner of the room. The pony ignored the stares and walked straight to the patron and sat down in front of them without any form of invitation. The patron, who was wearing a brown cloak that was pulled over their heads, made an attempt to leave however made an abrupt stop as they felt something metallic and circular being pressed against their flank below the table as well as a foreboding clicking sound filled the patron's ears as they made a gulp.
Suddenly the pony pulled out a small fob and pressed a large button in the centre causing a hologram of a cat creature to appear. The pony then cleared her throat and said in a voice that sounded artificial, "I can either bring you in cold or bring you in warm, make your choice."
"Please, I can pay you more than what's on my head." a scared feminine voice said from within the hood.
The pony sneered, "So you have five hundred thousand bits lying around somewhere."
The feminine voice sounded shocked, "That's how much they are paying you?" she asked in disbelief.
The bounty hunter merely exclaimed, "I don't come cheap."
The creature then took her hood off, revealing a furry, white cat face. She fell to her knees and pleaded, "Please, I have kittens."
The hunter took out a pair of rigid, metal hoof cuffs and secured them around the cat's wrists before saying, "I don't care."
Suddenly a drunk patron attempted to intervene and slurred, "Get your paws off her," before trying to throw a punch towards the hunter. The bounty hunter merely chuckled and grabbed the fist in her hooves before twisting it, emitting a sickening crunch, causing the drunken mess to fall to the ground clutching his now broken arm. He shouted, "You broke my arm, you bitch!"
"Oh please, I've heard worse." the hunter then sighed before aiming her hoof towards the cat, who was attempting to make a run for it. A grappling hook was launched from a small box that was attached to the hunter's hooves and twisted its way around the cat's legs, causing her to come crashing to the floor. The hunter sighed and started to drag the cat by the tail, towards, what appeared to be a small airship that had been modified with rockets and cannons. The hunter then pulled out a small black fob with two buttons, clicking the bottom button a ramp extended towards the two approaching creatures.
The hunter pulled her prisoner onto the ship before leading her down below deck to the brig. She then unravelled the rope from the captive's legs, before pressing a button on a wall, where several bars appeared caging the cat. The prisoner launched herself at the bars, where she howled in pain as a current of electricity flowed through her veins. The hunter snickered before leaving the brig and heading towards the brig of the ship.
She pressed the same button on the fob and the ramp raised itself. She then walked over to a control panel and pulled a lever which made the ship rise into the sky. Turning the wheel portside, she pressed down on the accelerator and the airship began to speed off away from the lonely pub.
***
The bounty hunter was stood on deck, where she stared at an engineering marvel. They were fast approaching a city that could float in the sky, unlike cloud cities, which were only accessible to those who had wings or a cloud walking spell, this city was made from metal and was using large rotating propellers located underneath the city to keep it afloat. This was Venator City, a paradise for bounty hunters and criminals alike. She parked her ship in one of the many bays located at the Skyport, she then released her prisoner from the electrical dungeon and pointed a blaster towards her back, where she commanded, "Move!"
The cat reluctantly complied, and they both walked towards a tower. The tower was named the Bounty Exchange, this was where clients were 'reunited' with their bounties. The Bounty Exchange loomed over the city, like a menacing god. The duo entered and the hunter led her over to a private booth, where she sat in front of the client. A mysterious pony who always wore a tattered cloak. The hunter, however, had an eye for detail and had already spotted the fancy suit hiding beneath the cloak, making the client more peculiar.
The client, clapped his golden hooves together, exclaiming, "Excellent."
The hunter ignored the compliment and instead, held her hoof out, where the client smiled, "Of course, here you go."
The mysterious stallion used his magic to give her a large pouch stuffed with bits. As the hunter got up to leave the unicorn shouted, "Wait! I have another job if you are interested."
The hunter, who was addicted to the thrill of a chase, said "Go on."
"There's this new inventor. She's a threat to my business, I need her out of my way." He told her.
"Can I see the fob?" she asked, holding her hoof out, expectantly.
The unicorn swallowed, chuckling "There is no fob. This job is extremely sensitive, I cannot have any potential evidence leaking."
The hunter stared deeply into the client's cloak, It was highly unusual for a job to not have a fob. A fob was enchanted with a spell that beeped rapidly when close to its target as well as providing an accurate image of the target. "Do you at least have a description or a name?"
"I don't have a name, my competitor is extremely secretive, all I know is that she is an earth pony and used to work on an apple farm."
"Is there a location?"
"Yes, she is expected to do a talk at Applelooza."
"And how much are you willing to pay for this job?"
"Anything."
The hunter slowly nodded before saying, "Five hundred thousand bits as a down payment and then one million bits after the job is completed."
"A little steep but okay." The unicorn muttered before tossing a second pouch that rattled with gold coins.
"Steep is what you get when you make a challenging order." She said finally before at last departing.
***
The client watched the bounty hunter walk off before rushing outside through a back entrance, where he found a hidden alleyway. Pulling his hood down, he powered up a spell, where a projection of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the ruler of Equestria, stood in all her glory.
"It's been done," he said.
"Excellent work, Snails. Soon those three will be friends again..."