Warbrony

Echo looked over at Insanity. "So why do you find fire so enigmatic?" He asked her.

Echo frowned and looked at the ground. "Let's just say..." Echo said with sorrow. "The past catches up to you." Echo sat down near the fire and began humming to himself, looking nowhere but the ground.

Echo returned from the forest out of breath and with a minor leg wound. He limped over to a small white box and pulled out a bandage and wrapped it around his leg. "Sorry for the delay guys. Just some buisiness I needed to take care of. Echo said, tryin not to draw attention to his wound." So what have you been talking about out here?"

Echo released Insanity as he pulled out some apples and cinnamon . He cut the apples and put some cinnamon on them and grilled them. "I figured you may like something sweet." Echo said happily. "should be done so-" Echo stopped as he heard something russeling in the bushes. It didnt sound like wolves. It was to big and too fast. It sounded like a pony. "Stay here." Echo told his friends as he flew off to the source of the noise. He disappeared into the thick brush and could faintly be heard muttering to somepony.

Echo yelled over to Cloud, "What would you like for breakfast?" Echo looked in the food storage and began sorting through the vegetables and MREs.

Echo grabbed the blanket in his teeth and pulled it off of Insanity, pulling her a bit closer on his wing. "Haha. I think Cloud summed it up pretty good. " Echo told her. "I feel like an idiot for not offering you one. You're welcome to take one with you of you'd like." Echo blushed from not offering his friends bedrolls. It had been so long since anyone stayed the night at his camp, he was a bit rusty on his manners. He hummed a little tune as he walked with Insanity to the food storage to find something to eat.

Echo giggled a bit and put his wing around Insanity. "Yep." He said reassuringly. "It's just me. Have a good night? I would've let you use a bedroll you know?" Echo was starting to worry about Cloud, who hadn't budged since he was shaken.

Morning came and Echo was looking through his food supply. He looked at Insanity, who he knew was not asleep, "What would you like for breakfast, Insanity?" He asked with a smile. Echo started a fresh fire and took out an old beat up frying pan. He wondered if he should try to wake Cloud or just let him sleep. After upsetting him like that, Echo wasn't sure if he'd want to hang around much longer. The wolves had gone, Echo didn't know why, but they only circled his camp. Never coming in close. It was a strange phenomenon he had never experienced before as wolves usually would have been all over two sleeping ponies and a very distracted one. But Echo decided not to worry about it and just start the day. He walked over to Cloud and very lightly shook him to try to wake him. He then went over to Insanity and shook her a bit too.

Echo paced back and forth through the camp. He flapped his wings every so often. The wolves continued howling in the distance, getting closer and closer. Echo grew nervous as the howling grew louder. "What are they up to?" Echo whispered to himself. "There's so many of them." Sweat ran down Echo's face as he listened to the wolves and looked at his friends sleeping next to the smoldered fire pit. He went over to the fire pit and tried lighting another fire to keep the wolves at bay. Echo couldn't get over making Cloud upset. He decided to give him a few of his old pieces of air force equipment. After the wolf pack was dealt with, of course.

"I can deal with my discharge. I was going to leave soon anyway." Echo said with sorrow. "I was upset for you. Nopony should have to deal witht that. Have a nice rest you two. I'll stay up a while longer." Echo sat on a log and looked out at the trail. He heard wolves howling in the distance. He stood up and looked at his friends. He smiled lightly and prepared for a night with the wolves.

Echo was dead silent. He was locked in a thousand yard stare. "I knew him. He was a squadron leader. He was a good soldier, but wasn't all there. He did what he was told and only that." Echo said with anger in his voice. "He was in charge of my court marshalling. He got me discharged." Echo's head hang low. Obvious signs of regret, guilt, and anger were apparent on his face. "I'm sorry he left you." Echo's face swelled with tears. He swung his head away from his friends. He couldn't let them see him like this. He smiled at Insanity and got her a blanket. His vision blurred, he tried to change the subject. "So was everypony's soup good?" Echo said, trying to hide his emotions.

"Oh really?" Echo asked intently. "what was his name?"

Echo looked at Cloud. "Those claws saved my hide several times. I couldn't be happier that I got these issued to me."

"Wow." Echo said in amazement. "You Uhhhh.... You want some more?" Echo looked at Insanity. He chuckled and blushed slightly bye the way she looked at him as he slowly sipped his soup. He had never seen a pony eat boiling soup that fast and without feeling pain. He was glad to finally, after all this time, have ponies he could call his friends.

"Ha ha ha. You really seem to love that fire." Echo observed. "I had the same obsession in the service. So where are you guys from?" Echo poured the stew into some old air force knee guards. "Its a bit hot." Echo warned.

Echo filled an old air force helmet with water and ingredients and hung it over the fire. "Haha. Well then you should take these." Echo said as he pulled out a set of four strange metallic objects. "These are grappling claws. I used them back in the air force. They help you cling to the sides of trees. Very useful." Echo tossed the claws to Cloud. "Insanity." Echo shifted his attention. "You've been awfully quiet. Are you okay?"

Echo chuckled as he put his wings around the two pegasi. "Woo!" Echo cheered. "Nopony's been coming through here very much lately. Glad I'll have some company." Echo led the two to his camp and got a fire going. He pulled out a few carrots, potatoes and other vegetables. "You two like stew?"

"And you in the tree." Echo said with a very smug grin. "You don't need to hide. You're actually pretty good at it. You were very hard to keep track of." Echo looked up into the trees, struggling to get a fix on the mare's exact location. He motioned for her to come down and follow him. "Could I interest you two in something to eat? I have plenty of food to go around."

"I'm Echo Storm." Echo said with a bow. "Protector of travelers through this stretch of the forest." Echo chuckled a bit to himself. "You looked rather confused, friend."

Echo put the pony down on a bedroll in his camp and began rifling through his survival kit. He pulled out some bandages and a syringe of pain killers. "Now I know you can't hear me." Echo chuckled. "But this should all help you with your pain and blood loss." He gave the best field dressing he could for the pony's wounds. "When you wake up, I'll get you to a hospital." Echo assured.

Echo saw a blue Pegasus appear from the forest holding a stick and looking quite frightened. "Would you kindly put down the stick please?" Echo said with a chuckle. "I ain't gonna hurt ya." Echo motioned for the pony to come towards him. "So who's your friend?" He asked. "And why's she being all sneaky? I never was gonna hurt anypony." Echo wore a very smug smile as he called out for the hiding mare to come out. "I saw you when you first hid in a bush, it's alright to come on out."

Echo Storm trotted down a trail towards where he saw a massive explosion. "I haven't seen anything like this in my life!" he thought to himself. Upon arriving on the scene, Echo spotted a brightly colored Pegasus pinned beneath a tree. He sprained over to the scene o lend some kind of aid. He shook the mare's shoulder, trying to wake her up. "Wake up!" he shouted. "You've got to wake up!" Echo failed to wake her. Using his hooves and wings, he pushed with all his strength on the tree and eventually rolled it off the mare's leg. He saw the wound and became rather panicked. He worried the pony may not make it. He put the mare on his back and carried her to his camp to keep an eye on her.

Echo relaxed slightly. "I'm right over here on the trail. Tell your friend to back off!" Echo commanded. "I don't want anypony to get hurt here." Echo Flaired his wings out and took a defensive stance, searching for the other ponies that were around him.

Echo searched for the source of the sound. But suddenly, quiet ruffling was heard in the bushes. "I had to ask for an exciting day today." Echo grumbled as he moved cautiously along side the trail. The ruffling got closer and closer behind him. He flipped around and saw nothing. "Great." Echo said with a gulp. "I'm probably surrounded right now." Echo braced himself for a fight. "Come on out!" he exclaimed.

Echo's ears stood up as he heard some twigs snapping and ponies murmuring. His heart began to race as a chance for excitement arose. "Who's there?" Echo asked assertively. "Show yourself!"