Fallout Equestria: A brother's sacrifice

Chapter 6

The Cave

While flying back from the armoury the group flew into a large climbing column of smoke "Hey what’s with all this smoke? I can't even see where I’m going" the Pilot of one of the sky-chariots said.

"We’re flying, you’re not going to hit anything” Lancer said.

“Sabre make yourself useful and check it out" Artemis ordered from her bed made out of blankets and crates.

"Well nap times over I guess" Sabre sighed stretching his wings and jumps out of the carriage closely followed by lancer.

"just a little Bit dramatic" said Sapphire. As Lancer and Sabre reached the ground they could see exactly what caused the fire.

"Uhhhhh… what is that and why is it on fire?" Sabre questioned.

"SHAPPIRE THERES A MASSIVE TWO HEADED PONY THING" Lancer shouted to the chariot.

"A what, I need to check this out " Sapphire said, gliding down circling the fires smoke "that’s a Brahmin, have you really never seen one?"

"Nope! I guess it's not meant to be on fire?" Sabre asked.

"Definitely not, must have been part of a caravan or something, It’s strange that there are no bodies. It could have been slavers come on let’s get going before they come back" Sapphire said taking to the skies.

"Wait so we're not gonna try to save them?" Lancer questioned.

"that won't end well trust me, they’re either dead or wishing they were dead right now"

"Still gotta do something"

"Okay, okay we'll wait for you back in Driffield don't be too long" Sapphire said flying back into formation next to the carriage.

"Time to play hero again huh" lancer said jokingly.

"Yep come on there’s hoof marks going this way" Sabre said as he followed them.

"When did you learn to track?" Lancer questioned.

"Believe it or not but I was a good scout even if I only went on one mission" Sabre replied.

"One mission in which you disobeyed" Lancer said.  Sabre pretended not to hear the last part and moved on.

"How do you track anyway? I was curious about learning it" Lancer asked following behind his brother.

"Well tracking on clouds  was more of waiting till they landed  then you could clearly see hoof or claws marks and see that the clouds were normally deflated and stuff, on dirt there’s more to work off on but the theory’s the same just look for irregular things" Sabre explained.

"But everything is irregular it's the wasteland! Nearly everything is mutated" Lancer replied.

"Well you know what I mean,  see that bush at 10 oclock?" Sabre pointed with a hoof to a bush that seemed to be made up of dry twigs.

"somepony or something jumped over it coz the middle part’s been snapped a bit and there are drag marks around it" Sabre pointed out.

"Okay I’m starting to get it, so while some slavers where dragging the ponies off one jumped over the bush and seemed to have failed"

"Basically, good to see I get to teach you something for once! Now come on it seems to lead to that rock formation over there” The track lead them to a dark cave in a cliff face with bloody cages scattered around the entrance "Well that just screams friendly" Sabre said sarcastically.

"Before we go in we should probably have a plan" Lancer suggested.

"Like what? step one shoot bad guys step two something step three profit?"

"No seriously we need to sneak in maybe find a way to free them without getting us or the slaves killed" Lancer whispered as they neared the entrance.

"It's gonna be hard to sneak with an unsilenced weapon you know” Sabre whispered back.

“Then what do you suggest we use? A knife?” The two brothers bickered for a moment before deciding on a bottle cap toss which may have not been the most responsible thing to do given the circumstances.

"Fine, logo down: we use melee" lancer said as he flipped the coin landing logo down "Ha come on lets go" Lancer said. As they entered they could see a two passages both being equally dark, menacing and full of cages, some cages containing bodies in various states of decomposition. The smell made the brothers gag.

"Lets spilt up gang" Sabre said taking the left root.

"Remember knifes only" Lancer called out to him.

"Yeah yeah" sabre said troting off.

Mean While on Lancers side of the caven "Hey white guy can you get us ot of here" one of the slaves wispered.

"Yeah just wait, need to take out the gaurds first"

"But wait no"

"I'm sorry getting you out would make alot of noise just wait till i get a key or somthing" Lancer said troting off. As he troted down the row he could see a gaurd going toward him slowly he pulled out a knife gripping it in his mouth he stabbed him. "one down" lancer said as he grabbed theys off the body.

"Are you for real, your just gonna let us go" a small filly said as her cage was unlocked.

"Yeah no go on find your family" Lancer whisphered as the filly ran off. As he moved down the rows of cages he saw a two ponies wearing scrap metal looking clothing and had keys around there necks, as he moved closer to them getting ready to prounce he saw a bright flash of light from the shdows next to him followed by a large gunshot sound.

On Sabre's side of the cave it seemsed to be more lit up and instead of cage it seemsed to be empty beds, tables and chairs great Lancers probably saving ponies and I get beds Sabre thought as he troted though the passage way.

As the passage way began to open up more he was meet a frigile set of stairs, as he climbed them he could see over the cave and more importanly the slaves. Some slaves where unlocking other cages and free there freinds while others simply ran for it none the wiser of the gaurds Maybe he was right this is easier but not as fun he thought as he watched it unfolding looking for any slavers.

He stopped looking when he saw a white pegasus trying to be sneaky no releasing he was bright white he never did seem to remember that fact even with his dad calling him rarity, he could barly remember who she was somepony important he learn't in school but he never piad much attension in  history class. While lost in his thoughts he watched his brother move up to three ponies and watched as he began to sneak right infront of one of them "shit" was all he could say before swooping down infront of the slaver. He went to fast and overshot his mark landing infront of the slaver and his shotgun.

The sound echoed around the cave and caused somepony to scream in the distance. Sabre's oustenched wing absorbed most of the shell and cause his wing to almost explode as black feather got flown up by the inpact. Sabre took on look at the damaged wing and seemed to be outraged by it, with his adrenaline pumping he quickly fired two shots with his battle saddle and killed the one slavers while mortally wondering the other Lancer had attemped to kill, then without missing a beat turning and shooting the raider that had shot Sabre. Lance stood there shocked his brother had took a bullet for him but that wasn't what shocked him Sabre didn't look himself his wing looked like a mix of red and black.

"Heh heh I probably look worse than I feel" Sabre shaking.

"Bro your in shock just lay down let me g-"

"No you heard that echo everypony will have heard that just....... lets keep moving and take out the rest of them"

"But your wing" Lancer said staring at the mess of his right wing.

"The feathers took most of the impact, some rusty old shotgun won't keep me down" Sabre said lightly kicking the dead slavers battle saddle.

"Okay but where going to find you a healthing potion" Lancer said worried. The two troted further down the row of cages, Lancer not looking away from his brothers wing for more than a few seconds.

"You heard that, I told you everpony would hear it sounds like there coming this way we can probably hold them off while the rest of the slaves get out then......run maybe" Sabre suggested.

"Or we could just ask them for help" Lancer said pointing at five slaves who seemed to have picked up some makeshift weapons.

"Yeah they killed our brahim for shits and giggles we'd like to get our own back" A large brown earth pony stallion said with the others nodding in agreement. Sabre was supprised to see that any of them had stuck around.

"Good quick get in empty the cages and lie down, wait for our signal" lancer said and the others nodded, they waited wwhile the hoof steps got louder and louder until a group of slavers came running past.

"NOW" Sabre said firing his battle saddle into the group of ponies. The others joined in jumping out and bludging the remaining slavers. The slavers tried to fight back manging to shoot one of the slaves but where surrounded and gunned down.

"Do you think they'll be anymore?" one of the slavers asked.

"Nah this looked like all of them, lets look if they had a medical room of some sort" Lancer said.

The group of ponies moved deeper into the cage until reach a mess hall with food still on the plates "huh so thats why this place was so un gaurded we came at lunch time" Sare said. Lancer looked around for medical supplies until reaching a first aid box which was  surprisingly well stocked and set it next the two injured ponies "Wait have you ever done any first aid?"

"I was a first aider at school i know the basics, here dink this" Lancer said giving them both healthing potions.

"What no a healthing potion might be okay for him his went stright though but if i drank one i'd have shotgun bits stuck in me forever give me them tweesers" Sabre explained.

"You gonna pluck each one out by yourself"

"Yep just like preening but more blood now go sit down and get somthing to eat and for the love of clestria stop looking at my wing"

"Okay I'll be over there if you need me, we'll head out once your finished"

Lancer watched the newly freed slaves left some goinging in groups and other on there own "well i'm not going to be flying for a while" Sabre trotting out of the cave to join Lancer.

"Why not you got the bits out and drank a potion"

"I don't know why i just tried in the cave but it couldn't support me for more than a few seconds maybe pegasus magic needs more than a healthing potion to get back to normal" Sabre explained.

"Well looks like where walking then"