Lord of the Sprites

Kes had found his way into some form of grocery store it would seem. Ancient shelves were beginning to give way, each of the partially loaded metal constructs in various states of decay.

Most of the products that remained were beyond saving, the boxes and containers long since rotted and spoiled. But there were a select few things scattered about that seemed to be good. A few bottle caps rested near an old chessboard, 10 in total, and near by on the floor was a box of 5 bobby pins. The rest was scrap.

Kes left the scraps but took the other loot, tucking it all away in a few of the pouches that decorated his worn leather armor. From there he followed his gut, and it began leading him behind the check out counter. Hopefully there would be something of actual use back there. A weapon perhaps?

After going through the room she had only found only one bottle cap and 2 bobby pins, in the trash. nothing really useful in this room, except the a box she had found under the bed. A pink box with stripes overlapping it, and it was locked. shaking the box, she could something rattling inside. "better be something good."

she placed the box on the bed, and from her saddlebags she fished out a screwdriver. "been a while since i used this."she got to work on the box, trying to unlock it with the pin she placed the pin in place and turned the screwdriver.

*SNAP*

the bobby pin broke. "its really been a long time since i did this." she readied the second bobby pin and placed it in position and a click sound could be heard. "thank Celestia." she opened the box and its contents were more than a surprise. "buck yeah."

Kestrel on the other hoof was busy searching through the cabinets beneath the stores main counter. So far he had found little more than piles of dust and a box of detergent. Then suddenly a gleam, a faint glimmer of light from the back of the last cupboard.

Barely perking a feathered brow, Kes reached back towards the unknown object wrapping his talons around it. He felt the cold, weathered surface of what could only be a piece of steel.

Pulling the unknown object free from the cupboard's depths the gryphon had to suppress a grin; a cleaver.

'Nice' he thought to himself, giving the newly acquired weapon a few experimental swings.

It was a bit heftier than the blade he owned now, more suited for well...cleaving and not stabbing. But despite its current state, worn and slightly weathered, it was still in much better condition than his current weapon, and it would do just fine for the job ahead.

Kestrel secured the blade and rose up from his place below the counter top giving another cautious look around. Still nothing to check but the register, and knowing his luck it would be either locked or empty.

[Loot found. 10 bottle caps, 5 bobby pins, 1 moderately damaged Cleaver.]

Cross stood up, he was still feeling the exhaustion that came with all his magic and he was beginning to worry it would leave him incapacitated. He tried to focus his vision, and with that he saw a pharmacy

If he could just get some meds, maybe he could relieve his headache. Normally he'd never leave his post but he was useless without focus. As soon as managed to get one hoof down the tree he noticed four figures outside the store Kes had gone in.

Now he had a choice, run to the pharmacy and hope they don't break in the grocery store and attack Kes, or call their attention and hope they're stupid.

He chose the latter

"Hey Assholes, OVER HERE!!" he waved furiously in their direction, responding with the sound of pistol fire. Cross crutched his baton like a crucifix, and prayed that the other two did their job. All he could do now was sit behind the tree waiting.

And all he wanted was a mentat.

Sky stayed staring at the contents inside the box, a 10 mm pistol, and a clip of ammo. "now this is what i am talking about. Who ever lived here sure had stuff worth to-" the sound of gunfire cut Sky off from her sentence.

She quickly went to the half boarded window and saw her companion getting shot at by four unknown enemy's. How could she tell there was four, her eyes forward sparkle kept tabs on that. Even though now she just remembered about her pipbuck, she grabbed the gun with her mouth and put the clip in the gun, and off she went to help out her buddy cross.

The register Kes had found, just as he had expected, been empty. Unfortunate, but not completely off-putting. Still the gryphon was happy to have found what he....

'HEY ASSHOLES!!!' *BANG BANG*

Suppressing a rather dark chuckle Kes let a small smirk etch its way onto his beak. His right hand flew up and latched around the handle of his recently acquired weapon drawing it out with a slight metallic 'Shing!'.

Kestrel burst forward, clearing the counter and landing on the floor nearby almost silently. Moving forward and pressing his body up against the wall next to the store's main entrance was his next move.

Peaking around the corner Kes marked his targets. Four raiders, 1 Unicorn, a Pegasus and two Earth Ponies it looked like. The Unicorn and one of the Earth-walkers were armed and firing old 10mm pistols at a tree across the street; a tree that seemed to be hiding a certain unicorn. The others, who were closer, were armed with simple melee weapons; a crowbar and a baseball bat specifically.

And they were all facing the opposite direction.

Kes nodded once, erasing the smirk off his features, and putting that soulless, frigid mask of serene dissonance he usually wore back on.

'Quick n' Brutal.' he thought to himself, mentally planning out the demise of at least two of the ponies before him. Then, with a single deep breath to ready himself, he pushed off the wall and lept out the door; cleaver held high.

If anypony could look at him now, they would assume he was napping against the tree if it wasn't for all the gunshots it would been a perfectly comfy spot.

Cross felt the ground quake with the loud crash of a door being crushed opened, and the bloodcurdling screams raced through the Ponyville remains, awaking everypony, creature, and shadow. 'Now the vermin will spawn from the woodwork' he imagined.

There was only one thing to do now, rise up, suck it up, secure the area and leave.

He had no choice but to use his horn once more, grabbing his baton with his mouth, he leaped out from tree and turned into a charge towards the raiders.

Time slowed down before him in all his travels he's never opted a strategy like this but never had he felt so inclined to prove himself, he flashed his horn every half second, blinding his foes to his exact position, many shots went wide and destroyed what was left of an forgotten town with the bangs and whistling filling Cross's ears, nearly forming an opera. Worse yet, he believed he might beginning to enjoy this. He made it halfway by time Kes began to act.

The run to reach his friend had been a fast one, she got went out the through a door in the back. It Lead into an alleyway, Sky made it to the end of the of a fence that blocked the way to her allies. She quickly spread her wings and took flight to over the fence.

the sounds of gunshots blared out any other sound Sky could hear, seeing four raiders going after her Cross. They didn't notice the griffon sneaking up behind up behind and a flash from Cross seemed to have blinded the gun carrying raiders. Sky still hovering in the air, flew toward the unicorn raider, gun readied in her mouth, she aimed, and a shot rang out.

Kes wasted no time in dispatching his first enemy. With naught a sound he brought the cleaver down like a butcher of old.

With a slick, wet pop and a stomach churning crunch the blade of the weapon cleaved its way deep into the skull of the Pegasus that Kes had chosen to die.

The pony had started to cry out, but the sudden decrease in blood pressure, coupled with massive trauma of the blade in his brain, only let him make a quiet anguished gurgle. His eyes rolled back, his jaw slackened, and the crowbar it once held fell to the earth with a sharp metallic clatter.

The gryphon then turned and kicked the Pegasus to the side, not caring where he fell. Blood gushed from the Raider's wound, staining the rubble choaked ground below with his precious crimson vitae.

As he hit the ground the last spasms of his own dying neurons left the Pegasus a quivering, bloody mess upon the ground.

Twitch, twitch...then nothing; only the final mercy of deaths embrace held the raider now.

One down, one to go.

It was now that Sky's gunshot seemed to come from nowhere, the round flying fast and true before tearing deep into the Unicorn's side. The air was soon filled with the pony's anguished cry, the sensation of being shot setting his nerves alight with white hot agony.

The gryphon, pragmatic as ever, did not take the time to admire his comrades work, nor did he admire his work, or reclaim his weapon. There was time for that after the battle was ended. He still had his knife, his talons, and one more pony to kill.

Reaching up and grabbing the hilt of his only other weapon, Kes pulled the old blade free and pushed off the ground, propelling himself towards his next designated target.

Cross was as blind as his enemies, the flashes from his horn filled his vision, causing spots to strike all across his retinas. Slow, painful cries roared out and Cross had no idea which ones were gone, all he notice was the lacking of pistol fire from one of the previous targets. With his heart beating like a race horse, every sensation heightened. 'I smell blood flowed through his mind is it my blood?? The noise was deafening, each bullet sizzling the air around it. too late now... The flash died on his horn and when he looked up were a pair of orange eyes gazing down at him, only fear remained on the raider's face.

But the gun...the gun...pointed point blank at Cross.

Within a split second, Cross whiped his head, swinging the baton straight into contact the Raider's neck. A bloodcurdling scream let out, bones had not just been broken, they fragmented. The raider feel to the floor, drooling with tears and blood. The gun still fallen past his hanging tongue.

The eyes, stared back at Cross, his face dripping with blood, Cross saw the paralyzed raider lie helpless, beginning to be strucken out of his life which was no life at all. Useless vermin... with a small tug of magic, Cross choked the pony's esophagus, Cross's eyes twitching with every last breath that escaped. Then silence...the lot of them!

Then Cross collapsed

the pony fell she shot had fell, now it only screams of agony roaring out of his mouth. seeing the raider fall and scream because of the pain, she could not see this go any further. 'now they scream of pain, after they have caused a great deal of pain to others. no, this unicorn will die, by my hoof.' Sky thought to herself.

Just as she started to descend, crosses flash had stopped and now he was on top of the raider, and then he fell. Her eyes widened, "Cross!" she quickly cried out, she glanced down at the raider she had hit. He had stopped crying, but now was moving toward his weapon. 'bastard.' she thought, quickly she hovered above him. Aimed for his head and pulled the trigger.

''BANG''

He didn't move, Sky quickly flew toward her comrade who was knocked out from all the magic he had used.

The last pony standing, after Sky finished of her target, was the poor, unfortunate Earth Pony who had only a baseball bat to defend himself with. It would not help. Not now. Not from these foes. Sky had her gun, Cross had his magic (when conscious), and Kes...well Kes had his blades for right now.

The gryphon slammed into the smaller framed Earth pony with jarring force, sending the pony reeling back few feet. He dropped his bat and barely managed to keep standing whilst stumbling across the rocks and rubble that decorated the ground.

In the end though he came to a stop and shook his head to clear his spinning vision, and Kes was already making his way towards the stallion.

That moment of weakness was all the gryphon needed to finish this.

Using his agility and strength to his advantage the gryphon tightened his grip on his knife, lashed out with his free hand using his talons to grip the pony's skull tightly; holding it down so that the pony was staring at the ground.

With nothing but an almost silent grunt of effort, Kes brought his knife up and jammed the blade deep into the raiders left eye-socket.

A quick series of twists, the wet pop of breaking bone, and a scream of agony from the pony and the Raider was down. His only remaining eye now permanently open in horror as he lay dead upon the ground.

His work done, Kes turned around, scanning the area for more threats. Nothing...just Cross's fallen form and an incoming Sky.

-----------------------oooooOOOOOooooo--------------------------
[i]"Hand it over Bastards...that piece of equipment belongs to the Rangers"

Cross stood on a cliffside, staring at the 3 armored earth ponies slowing pushing what ground they controlled, weapons ready to bare the brute will of the steel rangers.

"Just try it Rangers...I dare you..." Cross, stood up, releasing his hood, only instead of his trademark red, it was purple. The wind began to shift on the cliff tossing topsoil and debris in a swirling vortex, Cross's horn began to glow, and so did the horns of 3 other similarly hooded figures. The glow washed across the equestrian wasteland, alerting many to the battle, and even more to stay away."

The scene roared with hellfire as both sides let loose, the rangers blinding themselves in the smoke and the Society ponies returning boltfire within the dust. Screams and cries broke out and the blood stained the very air shriveling with magical energies, crusting up the blood into dust

Cross looked around, they had won, but at too much blood at too little a reward, only he and one other unicorn remained. They spent the day digging graves for their companions and preparing their last rights...the steel rangers?, they tossed over the cliff into the dust below, adding more fodder to an already rotten scene. No last rites for heathens.

Then Cross got up, picked up the laser pistol the two sides had fought over, and led the way back home, never removing his hood till he returned....
----------------oooOOOOoooooo----------------

Cross blinked a few times. Then his heart skipped. He heard voices and he had no idea where he was, or how much time had passed. The gravel drifted off his mane as he tried to pull himself up, but to no avail.

"...Guys...?"

Sky and kes dragged cross to the bakery, where she had scavenged earlier. They had put cross on the bed in the second floor bedroom, trying to figure out why he had collapsed. "He has no gun shot wounds, not even a scratch on him." She listened at his heart beat, its slow but beating. She looked at kes. "he collapsed due to extreme exhaustion, I think we should let him rest." She looked at Kes who only had a blank stare.

She was about to speak when Cross began to toss and turn on the bed. "hey cross calm down, Just calm down, your safe." She said but he didn't listen, he just kept moving around. Sky held him down, he finally opened his eyes, and spoke.

'...guys...'

He tired to move but she held him down. "dont move, your body need to rest from the overuse of your magic." Sky looked up at kes and back down at cross. "and dont worry we are safe, we just need to move so you can rest up a bit." She tried to put up a smile.

Kes just grunted before reaching down into one of the pouches on his armor. With a smooth pull the gryphon procured a single, small canteen. His main was nearly empty, this little thing was his reserve. It wasn't much, just a few fluid ounces. But it would do, it would do just fine.

The bird tossed it onto Cross's chest. His own chest flexed powerfully as he drew in a silent breath before giving the unicorn on the bed a simple order.

"Drink. Now."

His daily act of kindness done, Kes turned and walked back out of the room. He still had his weapons to recover, and a few bodies to loot still, and Sky could take care of Cross while he rested up.

10 minutes later, the big bird returned. His cleaver was secured and cleaned of the gore that once smothered it. His trusty knife was in its sheath on his back. One saddle bag was holding onto the baseball bat and crowbar two of the raiders had been holding onto, and tucked safely into the other saddlebag bag was the very 10mm pistol that almost killed Cross not even a few hours earlier. All but the pistol and perhaps the cleaver would be sold next time Kes found a store.

'Good haul.' he thought as he pulled the pistol out to inspect it.

Razor sharp talons began running over its lines and levers in an almost graceful fashion. He checked the slide, sights, and the magazine well. It was not in perfect shape, but it would do just fine.

It didn't have much ammo, the 6 remaining rounds in it and a spare magazine of 12. Not much at all really but to Kes it was as good as a million caps.

After the inspection, he put the gun back in his bag. No need to be waving it around in front of the others like some kids toy. Might make them nervous.

(I was supposed to have been shot, you shouldn't assumed I wasn't Sky)

Cross blinked.

Then he blinked again, the ceiling swirled into focus. A canteen dropped into his lap, a cold and heavy casing of steel, with shifting weight indicating water.

"drink. Now" Kes looked at him the eye, showing no anger, sadness, or even concern. Then he simplied turned around, flexing his wings and walked to the other side of the store.

'Bastard...' Cross was sure had it simply been the two of them, Kes would have left him for dead. Only giving him water to make sure he wouldn't drag them down.

He drank, and the steel canteen preserved the rich coolness of the water, rarely did anything give Cross relief as much as that canteen did that day.

He looked at Sky, not smiling

"Thank you Sky, I owe you one..." He tried pulling himself up, Sky offered to help but he waved her away. His legs wobbled beneath him, nearly bucking until he grab a nearby store counter and was back on his hooves again.

This wasn't right, he made a mistake. He could have led the others into danger. It was his responsibility to bear alone.

He walked up to the store window, gazing at more broken memories. A reflection of himself revealing the blood and dirt that had dried on his face, give him an almost ghoul-like complexion.

Then he thought about Kes, the gryphon seemed to do everything to carefully, and that bothered Cross.

'He doesn't seem to fight for anything and he's still ahead of me..."

Cross didn't care what happened now, his robe flowed open, his horn shoning over his baton, faster than anypony could blink, crashed into the window, scattering it into thousands of pieces, clicking as the slowly hit the floor one by one. Then he turned to sky, with Kes hopefully listening.

"I'm going north...to Fillydelphia, you two can keep the money, I have some work I must get to"

He turned back to the emtpy window, pulled the hood over his eyes, and took a step.

Sky looked at cross putting his hood over head, and breaking the window. He began to take a step towards it, when Sky called out to him. "mind if i go with you? i got nothing else to do and the caps for this job ain't worth it after what we been through." she looked at cross who stopped at the sound of her voice, but glanced back and signaled her to come with her. He happily obliged, and soon trotted next to him. Sky looked back to see kes just standing there, staring as they walked away.

Ever the cold one, Kes just watched for a few moments as his comrades began to walk off; offering nothing more than a silent nod to say farewell before he too began to leave.

'Wasteland's a callin'.' Kes thought to himself, turning about and starting to walk away. He had no clue if he would meet either of the ponies again in his lifetime, nor did he care. Folk came and went in the wasteland, every occupant but a speck on dust at the mercy of the violent maelstrom of change that constantly raged about like a mad hellhound.

Only the strongest survived out here, in this land of rubble and ruin. Kes was strong, he knew this well. He would survive, and, for now, he would do it on his own.

A few hours later Kes had collected payment for services rendered, and sold what he didn't need. All he had now was his wits, his knife, a cleaver, and an old worn out pistol with 18 rounds of ammo. 150 caps in total for the job, 50 for each party member, weighed heavy in the special pocket he used to house his funds.

"Time to move" he whispered to himself, once more disappearing into the wasteland.