When these painful memories flood your head, it is embedded like a nail hammered into a tree. It takes a few hits to strike it in, but impossible to pull it out.

“Ow… Dammit.” I sat upright; my eyelids were as though they weigh a ton, my head pounding like crazy… My eyes darted from one corner of the room to the other, slowly adjusting myself to the brightness. After a long 10 minutes, I decided to get up on my hooves. The room I was in was a decrepit state, window panes were shattered, rubble and dirt strewn all over the floor, paint was stripped off the wall and wallpaper torn. The sofa I was lying on carried the smell of rotten leather. The floor made a cracking sound as I placed my hooves on it. Such a mess…

I went over to what’s left of the kitchen; the cabinets were broken and hung from the wall, threatening to fall apart. The fridge wasn’t working, as much as I would love it to, hasn’t been functioning for years now. I grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip off it, Bleh. Tastes like crap.

“Hey! Miss Eve.” A blue earth-pony stood by the door, signaling for my attention.

“I’m sorry miss, Rose is waiting for you out by the District gate.” She answered apologetically.

The earth-pony scurried out of the door. What does Rose want? I wonder. I levitated my nightstick and spun it round and round, I gathered my ID and put them in my hoof-holster. I went outside.

The whole District area was disheveled and disorganized. Litter and garbage were scattered all over the place. Apartment blocks were unkempt and decayed, moss and creepers growing on the brick walls. A few ponies were chattering in one corner as a Humvee drove through the basalt roads. It was peaceful at least, the 15 meter high concrete walls and the numerous guard towers kept the infected and bandits out of the districts.

In the distance, a few soldiers carrying rifles were conversing with one of the citizens.

“Get on the ground!” I could hear a gruff Pegasus soldier yell. A unicorn pony was scanning the captive who was pinned to the ground.

“Alright. But he’s coming with me.” He gestured for his comrades to take him away. I continued along the road.

I’m nearing the District Checkpoint, Rose should be somewhere around here. I skimmed the area quickly. Another Humvee rolled past and stopped near the checkpoint.

“This is the second time somepony scared the crap outta me today!” I took a deep breath. “And that creepy voice, I almost died!”

“That always gets you, you never learn, Eve.” Rose chuckled. “Anyway, there’s something important I need you to do.”

“Looks like they’re making a move soon.” Rose walked towards the checkpoint, I followed.

“I went out just now.” Rose casually swayed her tail from side to side. “And-“

“Quiet, you dumb lass. If the guards hear us,” Rose hissed back, “then we are D-O-N-E screwed!”

“Oh… Lots of things girl, lots of things.” Rose said in a psychotic tone. An evil smile creeping along her face. I shuddered.

The shell landed on an apartment building in the next sector and it blew a huge hole through the side, leaving a huge burnt crater. Soldiers were shouting and firing back.

I stumbled and fell back, hooves covering my ears with my hooves. That was loud! My ears were ringing. I caught several guards rushing to secure the checkpoint; the metal gates dividing the District were slammed shut.

“Get up you dumb bimbo! Unless you want to die!” Roseluck pulled me off the ground and ran behind a concrete divider.

“Alright, here’s the plan. Orient decided that they would attack us NOW, instead of ‘soon’. So let’s the hell out of this city, get it?”

“For fuck’s sake, how many times…” Rose facehoofed, I realized what I just said and blushed a little. “Look, I’ve got no time for this shit; I’m gonna go pay their little hideout a ‘visit’, settle some… debts. They did owe me some shit.” Rose put her hoof up in the air, as though to curse someone. “I’ll meet you in the New Saddle Outpost 1.”

“New Saddle? Do you know anypony there? I don’t even know where the Outpost is!”

“Look, I have everything prepared. Just get out of here through the broken drainage pipe in the next district.” Rose pulled me towards the crossfire. She grabbed a rifle off a fallen soldier and pushed me through the open gate.

“I’ll catch up with you; I need to handle some stuff, like I said.” Rose shot me an annoyed look and shoved me aside, firing at the incoming Orient forces.

“GO!” She pointed me towards the pipe, and ran off to assist the soldiers. Amongst the chaos, I made a break for the abandoned warehouse and managed to get inside. No one saw me; at least I don’t think anypony did. the pipe was concealed by a trapdoor well hidden in the storage room. I have been out of the walls many a time helping Roseluck with her crazy ‘errands’, so that secret route was no secret to me. I lifted the trapdoor with my magic and slipped down the ladder.

I ended right in the drainage system, the pathways damp and slippery under my hooves. The filthy and murky sewage water smells of rotten dead corpses. Further down the sewers, I spotted a crate sitting on slabs of broken pipe fragments, left intentionally and recently. It wasn’t a surprise as Roseluck has the tendency of stashing secret equipment in the most coincidental of places; she was either paranoid or just provident.

I opened the crate, uncovering an Arcana Telekinetic Aid (ATA), a small bangle-like device worn on the forehoof. Like its name suggests, it helps non-unicorn ponies to perform simple levitations when worn, with a bit of practice of course. Is Roseluck mocking me? I wore it on my hoof anyway and continued digging at the contents of the crate: a body holster, worn around the torso and capable of carrying up to two sidearms. A Colt 1911 pistol with an extra clip, I slid it in my newly acquired holster. Last but not least, a black leather coat, not really the best kind of armor, but that’ll do. I was ready for anything now. I reached the end of the pipe; it was broken and dangling off a 5 meter drop. I had to be careful; the guards on the towers could still spot me in the open area but I reckon they are too preoccupied dealing with Orient. It all seemed so strange why they would attack now. Casting aside my thoughts, I dropped into the soft grass below and galloped for cover.

The outside was breathtaking, its been a while since I've been outside. Massive skyscrapers stood in the distance; most have collapsed from the mass bombings a while back. The Hotel of Serenity was tilting precariously and leaning on one end. Most of the surrounding districts were leveled. I carried on pushing forward; New Saddle is a few hundred miles away from Vanhoover. Honestly, I have been on the outside for a while and I’ve never even taken a step as far out as Ponyville and I’ve seen many horrible and grotesque scenes there.

I trotted through the streets, kicking about bits of stone as I racked my brains trying to figure a way to get a car. You must be joking Eve! A car! I sighed.

The warm breeze brushed against my coat as I cantered about aimlessly, I was lost and scared. I’ve seen the many dangers of the wastelands but I wasn’t afraid of them; I was more terrified from being alone. I stopped dead on my tracks and gazed into the distance, trying to make out where I was. Most of the shop houses were burnt and wrecked beyond recognition, vehicles were flipped and cluttered about every corner; their tires were stripped and moss slowly grew on the exteriors, the seats were decayed and the engines missing. That would have been too easy.

Suddenly, just as all hope began to fade away. I felt a rumbling beneath my hooves and it was gradually becoming more evident that some sort of vehicle was headed right for me, I caught glimpse of a rust-covered jeep of some sort turning from a corner; I quickly dove into a ram shackled store. What’s left of the sign was a picture of delicious-looking bread and that certainly made me hungry as I realized I have not eaten today. I hid behind the counter, bits of broken glass and debris stuck to my torso as I laid down flat on the floor. I could literally feel the passing jeeps as fear sank deeper into my stomach. I peeked over the counter and observed not one, but a convoy of jeeps rolling by. I counted three vehicles. That’s a little too much than I would like. I can’t take down a whole convoy by myself, I reassessed my options.

“Screw it. I’ll find another way…” I haltingly clambered out of the bakery. My head hung low in disappointment as I continued down the street; it was high-noon and the sun shone down like needles piercing through my skin. I looked up into the sky, avoiding direct eye-contact with the blinding sun. On spur of moment, I caught something shining from an apartment roof, a glint of light flashing at my face. If I learnt anything about unusual glinting, is that it anything coming from it could potentially tear your face off.

I felt a shockwave as the road behind me shattered into loose fragments, almost splintering me. A clear trail connected the rooftop with the impacted surface. A sniper was clearly aiming for my head. I shifted my position to the window and tried to pinpoint the sniper. Huge mistake. I almost felt the full impact of the projectile as a shot punched the car door right of its hinges, inches from my torso.

That gave me an idea, a horrible idea. I hovered the door in front of me and galloped as fast as I could towards the apartment. If I could get in his blind spot, then I would still have a chance.

The shot punctured the door, throwing me off and causing me to stumble, the door was flung several meters away. That sniper was a professional, that’s for sure. I was completely exposed now. Another shot rang out, striking mere centimeters away from my hind leg. I recovered quickly and slid behind a 4x4, catching my breath, hooves still shaking from the shockwave. That is one powerful sniper and I want one of those. The apartment was just across the road junction, I had to go for it.

Levitating my gun, I took a deep breath and vaulted over the 4x4. I blindly fired a few shots while running towards certain death. The blind firing seemed to work as the sniper pony did not fire a single shot then. I took one last burst of speed and barreled my shoulder against the front door and took it clean off. I was inside the apartment, but I was not safe yet. I hurried up the stairs to the roof.

I forcefully kicked the gate open, pistol at the ready. I scanned the area quickly. There wasn’t a single soul around. Anxiety started to kick in as I saw the massive anti-materiel rifle, mounted on a bipod. And no one was ‘attending’ to it. I walked towards it; there were a couple of cartridges lying beside the metal beast of a sniper.

“Very tempting, isn’t it?” A voice behind me said sardonically. “Drop it!” I felt a gun poking against my head. I dropped the gun.

I felt the gun pressing deeper into my skin. For a second I thought that that was the end of me.

“That’ll make things easier…” The voice whispered into my ears. I shivered.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I swiped my left leg backwards, my confidence rose as I felt a hit. I jolted to the right and punched the sniper-pony on her right hoof. She was wearing an ATA and the strike disrupted the device, causing her to drop the gun and stunning her. I recoiled and grabbed the nightstick from my hoof-holster, flicking it into full length as I smashed it across her neck. She fell backwards onto the floor, rubbing her neck delicately. I could see that she is a pegasus, her cutie mark is of a scope of some sort.

“You’re good, I’ll give you that.” She spat, “but not good enough.” She pulled another pistol from her holster. That’s not fair! I could hear her laughing maniacally inside her, although only a smug grin appeared on her face.

“Why the long face?” She stared deep into my soul and slowly put the gun down. “I was just messing with you.” She snickered.

“That’s cute; I think I’ll keep you, name’s Thunder Spark. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hoof. Keep me?!
I shook her hoof reluctantly, “And I’m Eve.”

“I thought you were a bandit there, walking round with that coat. I was trying to get the bandit convoy back there.” She explained, brushing aside her fringe.

“Bandits can’t fight for shit, you held yourself pretty fine back there.” Thunder continued rasping her neck, a clear bruise forming. “You don’t look like a filthy bandit close-up either.”

“I’ve sustained much worse, don’t worry about it.” Thunder gathered her gun and holstered it, “here, catch.” She tossed me my pistol.

“What are you doing out here, all by yourself?” Thunder slung the sniper rifle on her back and took a seat of the ground. She bit the cork off a bottle and started gulping down its contents.

“Then you’re in luck, I’m after its contents, they’re usually valuable and I want them.” Thunder put up a confident simper. “Well, they’re not for me.”

“Can you aim properly whilst drunk?” I took the bottle and downed a sip, that was some strong shit. “Bleh, I was never good with alcohol…”

“Me neither.” Thunder answered snappily, a leering smile inching up her face.

“Right, alright. I know where they’ll make a stop, we’ll ambush them, and take whatever we’re after. I’ll fill you in when we’re there, C’mon.” Thunder trotted down the stairs and I proceeded.

“What for?” Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked intently at me.

“Ha. Orient is looking to expand, are they? This friend of yours, I might know her, or him, or it, whatever.” I giggled a little as she fumbled with her words.

“We’re here, keep your head down.” Thunder beckoned me behind a bus. The convoy was there, in an open parking lot. It was filled with debris and well, cars. The line markings were scraped off and grass was protruding out of cracks on the concrete ground.

“Here’s the plan, I’ll take the first shot up there.” She indicated her position on the second floor of an apartment facing overlooking the lot. “Flank them; don’t shoot until you hear the thunder.” She smiled and left the cover. Pun was definitely intended. I got out my pistol and reloaded it with a fresh clip. Keeping my head low, I dodged from cover to cover until I was directly behind them, that was easy, seeing how there was this huge mass of vehicles scattered all over the place. They won’t know what hit them, I thought. My hooves were sweating as I awaited the sound of thunder.

A huge gust of air followed by the screams of the bandits told me it’s time to strike. I emerged from cover and blew five shots at the dazed marauders. I managed to take out three in rapid succession.

Another shot tore through the torso of a poor bandit, killing him instantly. I pulled the trigger again. Somehow seven rounds in a pistol is a meager amount. A bandit dropped his gun and retreated and was running straight for me, but he hadn’t found out where I was yet.

I whipped out my nightstick and clapped his knee, he tumbled to the ground and I put a bullet in his head.

“There’s another one!” Shit, they saw me. I threw myself behind a car as shots rang out, riving through the rusted frameworks of the vehicle.

Two continuous shots resounded in the air and I could feel the chilling shockwaves caressing my dry fur as another two fell. It felt satisfying, although not as satisfying as Thunder, that lucky filly, I mean mare.

The last bandit dropped his gun, hooves is the air,” Please don’t hurt me!” He begged. I slowly got out of cover, my gun hovering and aiming at him.

Thunder is not really the most gracious pony around. His head exploded as bits of his brain were spewed all over the lot.

“Headshot, bitch!” Thunder yelled and waved at me. I waved back at her, looking at the numerous bodies and gallons of blood spilt all over the parking lot. Thunder landed beside and folded her wings,” That was easy, wasn’t it?”

I nodded in contentment. “Still, four jeeps is a bit of an overkill, isn’t it?”

“In exchange for four jeeps worth of equipment, I don’t think so.” She whipped her tail from side to side. “Help me with the crates, Eve”

In no time, all the crates were stacked and tied down on the back of the jeep wrangler. Thunder gently set her sniper rifle on the back seat, along with her saddlebags.

“C’mon, I’ll drive.” Thunder got in the driver seat and started the ignition.

I tried to make myself comfortable but the torn leather seats and cracked dashboard really put me off. Thunder stepped on the accelerator and we were off to NS, finally.

OutLive

by Lyraah

Chapter 2: Sound of Thunder