Fallout Equestria: A brother's sacrifice

Chapter 1

QA brother's loyalty

It was a standard day at Forward operating base Cumulonimbus, a white Pegasus with a golden red striped mane stood watch nervously for the departure of his brother, he was nervous as Sabre his big brother had never been in actual combat before. "Just a standard patrol thought Lancer “pacing around the armoury, he was never good at waiting around, “he will be fine, I repaired his armour and weapon so they should keep big bro safe”.

Meanwhile Sabre; a charcoal black and gold Pegasus with a shield cutie mark sat in the darkened briefing room listening to a briefing about the upcoming mission, “ok so we will hit the gryphon base here and alpha squad will flank in through this canyon" commander Typhoon said as he pointed to the location on the map, he was a tall steel grey Pegasus with a pure white mane and tail wearing a standard Enclave officer uniform. Sabre was nervous about this mission as he had never fought the gryphons before in a combat situation but the newspapers claimed they were insane murders hell bent on killing every last Pegasus. “Ok you have your orders now get ready and be on the runway in 10 minutes you leave at 1800 hours".

Two days later Sabre was due back from his mission, Lancer got lonely in the armoury on his own tending to the weapons and equipment, as he sat down in his place of work Lancer heard the signature whirring noise of his brothers magical black power armour, a little more scratched than the last time he saw it, and the metallic clunking of his hoofsteps on the solid cloud floor, “you’re back” Lancer cried almost letting out a squee and diving towards Sabre

"Hay little bro I missed you" giving a hug to lancer " but I have some bad news I have to go on a last minute mission"

Lancer instantly deflated "but you said you where off duty for the rest of the week" pushing away from him

"I know I know im sorry but i can't just say no my nation needs me but after this mission i promise"

"I wish I could help you out there but no, I have to get a shit paint bush on my ass" lancer said turning a way

"Hey it's alright you are a hell of a good painter and trust me you don't want to be cannon fodder like a lot of soldiers I see" he said putting a hoof on Lancer’s shoulder. “And I don't need to go until 6pm so how about we get a drink and catch up" Sabre and Lancer walked down the white cloud Constructed Street until they found a two story building called the High fliers. The building was white like most cloud based structures and had two shiny polished windows on the front wall with the entrance between, a sign showed offers of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Upon entering they could see a big room filled with pegasi in Enclave military uniforms engaging in conversations of different topics. Lancer looked very out of place in the bar not having a military cutie mark in a military base but he was used to it." There's a free table over there" Sabre said pointing a hoof to the free tables. Just as the two sat down at the table a Pegasus walked up to them, he was light brown, had a similar brown on his mane, he was wearing a black uniform which covered most of his body.

"Hey Sabre are you ready for your first real mission tonight?"

"Of course I am and it is not my first real mission it's just my first one going against gryphons" Sabre declared "this is my little brother Lancer, Lancer this is Heavy Weight my squad mate",

"Oh this is the famous Lancer I have heard so much of, didn’t you repair my plasma caster? Nice to meet you" heavy weight said in a deep masculine voice giving Lancer a hoof bump "but anyway I best be off I still need to get my plasma caster back from the armoury" he said as he headed towards the highly lit doorway of the bar.

“So… Sabre what can you tell me about the mission?" Lancer asked.

“It’s classified so don't tell anyone this but we are starting to lose this war and this attack is vital if we want to keep this base from being destroyed" Sabre said in a quiet tone. "Commander Typhoon has stepped up patrols and it's starting to wear us down but there is nothing else they can do"

"You’re kidding me aren’t you? Maybe they will let join if they need the troops that bad" Lancer said in a hopeful tone,

"I know you want to join the Air force but it's not what you are meant to be in this world" sabre said sadly “anyway who else can put badass paintjobs on our armour and weapons?”, Lancer sighed

“You sound just like Dad only you complemented me instead of insulting me",

"Hey don't compare me to him I’m just saying you are meant for greater things than me all I will do for the rest of my life is serve in this military, or maybe retire somewhere nice" Sabre tried to change the subject to no avail ,

“Do you remember what he said when I first showed him my cutie mark? he said I might as well be called ‘Prancer’ and tried to kick me out of the house",

“hey Lancer, I’m pretty sure that was a ‘heat of the moment’ thing” Sabre said as he tried to grab the attention of a waitress, “yeah maybe you’re right, I tried to make Dad proud by becoming an armourer but I will never see combat, I need a drink”

A few minutes and glasses of cider passed, “T-Then you stepped in and w-walked out with me, T-thanks for that" the two sat in silence for a while drinking. Sabre was avoiding alcoholic drinks due to his impending mission,

"Lancer, I think you’ve had enough cider for today, so… how is work in the armoury?" Sabre questioned

"S-sometimes boring b-but it but I’m doing my bit and anyway I so get to look after my sweet Prototype sniper rifle, she is my b-baby, my girl”, Lancer loved the rifle, cherished it, he usually named his favourite weapons and gave them mares names, but for this one he had not decided.

“OH Damn it look at the time I have to be in the vertibuck in ten minutes meet me here at 10pm tomorrow" Sabre said with Galloping out of the door of the bar and into the sunset lit street.

"Be safe Sabre" lancer whispered to himself "I don't know what I’d without you" Lancer said to himself in a low tone, the two brothers where close to each other after the incident with their father.

The time was 10:30pm and Lancer was still in the bar, the sun had gone down and the moon was high in the sky. He was very worried about his brother because he was already over half an hour late, his mind theorised the worst case scenarios of him being dead or captured by gryphons and being subjected to their supposed tortures. as he attempted to clear his head of those thoughts a group of pegasi walked through the door, they all looked like they had just got out of a firefight, Heavy Weight who was among them was sporting a lot of blood and damage on his power armour "Heavy Weight where's sabre?, he better be okay!" Lancer said in a panicked voice.

“Your peace of shit brother went dashite on us" Heavy Weight said in an aggressive tone.

"Bullshit, what are you talking about? He would never become a dashite he's loyal as they come" Lancer cried out trying to redeem his brother. Heavy Weight walked up to him until they were face to face

"that traitor is a dashite I branded him myself" he said nose to nose with Lancer. Lancer didn't have time to think as he ran out of the door into the now dark dimly lit street of the base. He ran and flew as fast as he could towards the holding cells with any luck Sabre would still be there. The prison building was a one storey grey building with bars on each window. He busted though the doors bucking the guard as the desk unconscious leaving two large hoofs shaped bruises in her face, grabbing the keys off of her Lancer apologised quietly and ran out through a dark cloud corridor,

"come on Sabre where are you" he said to himself as he ran past some empty cells in a panic curious as to why the prison block was extremely under guarded,

“Lancer I knew you’d come " Sabre cried out from his dark cell through the armoured glass, still woozy from the sedation. Lancer wasted no time in unlocking the cell. As Sabre limped out of the cell Lancer got a good look at him it pained lancer to see him like this. Sabre had cuts all over his back, one of his legs was bleeding badly and most of all of his cutie mark was gone, it was replaced with a black cloud and lightning bolt still red from the burning hot branding iron. Sabre saw lancer looking at the dashite brand on his flank and grimaced "come on we have to get out of here” he said in a much deflated tone.

”b-but first we need to stop by the armoury” Lancer said worryingly, his heart beating furiously from the adrenaline. “Why” Sabre questioned “there’s gonna be guards EVERYWHERE”,

“yeah, but we need supplies first, the Enclave will kick us of the clouds for this” Lancer said trying desperately to remember the pass code for the armoury door and trying to think of the safest route.

Upon reaching the armoury door through a utility passage Lancer immediately opened the door revealing a large highly illuminated room filled with shelves upon shelves of shiny weaponry and armour. “Good, they didn’t change the code” Lancer said gawking at the prototype stealth rifle,

“yeah, because you’re the only one that comes in here and they don’t know you’re a traitor yet” Sabre said in a pained tone.

“YES! She’s still here” Lancer cried bucking the generator powering the force field around his cherished gun that he had worked on for the past two months. “There’s healing potions in the first aid box in there” Lancer stated pointing a hoof at a small dark room containing a desk, a chair and a coffee maker, Sabre limped inside and took a swig from a plastic bottle containing a healing potion.

“Feeling better already” Sabre said, His wounds starting to heal over, when he returned Lancer had already filled a set of saddlebags with equipment and medical supplies. Suddenly a blue flash of light whizzed passed them both, a single Pegasus officer carrying a magical plasma pistol in her teeth, she had been off duty in the next room,

“DASHITE! Stop right there or I will be forced to use deadly force!” she said with a muffled yell, obviously not noticing the stun grenade at her hooves,

“come on Lancer follow me”, a few moments later Lancer and Sabre learned why there were no guards around, all of the Anti-gryphon turrets fired orange arcs of magical energy into the night sky randomly at no apparent targets. “There’s a vertibuck hangar nearby just through here” Lancer followed Lancer through the darkly lit cloud corridors.  “Lancer you stay here, they don’t know you’re a traitor yet and that stunned officer won’t remember a thing”.

“No I’m coming with you, we’re in this together” Lancer protested refusing to stay behind. The corridor was engulfed in green flames almost burning the two brothers,

“Stop Right There” a Pegasus in Enclave power armour stood in the corridor with a double magical plasma rifle battle saddle.

“Oh shi- Lancer go, GO” Sabre yelled as the two galloped down the corridor towards the hangar “they know you’re a traitor now bro”

The two scrambled into the cockpit of a half fuelled vertibuck, the engines making a low rumbling sound, “Sabre GO GO GO GO GO GO” Lancer cried as the vertibuck flew out of the closing hangar doors taking heavy fire from three pegasi armed with magical battle saddles, “phew” Lancer said wiping his brow, “would you like to tell me WHAT IN EQUESTRIA IS GOING ON”,

“The enclave lied to us are entire lives” Sabre said, the vertibuck ducking beneath the clouds, still too dark to see the ground,

"What!" Lancer said shocked

“well-“ suddenly there was a flash of orange, the vertibuck had been hit by an Enclave Gun turret rendering the two occupants unconscious. The vertibuck plummeted engulfed in brightly coloured flames.