Echo's eye twitched a little and her wings buzzed. She launched herself forward at the impostor, tackling her to the ground and tumbling backwards with her.
The impostor looked up from the ground with wide eyes and mouth agape before reaching up her forehooves to try and stave off the next blows that were coming from Echo. By this point, a crowd had started to gather, all watching in rapt fascination, with just a glimmer of terror in the back of their minds.
As Echo was readying herself to drop another blow, she found herself paralyzed in a purple aura. The impostor was similarly disabled, and they were both lifted apart and into the air.
“Enough!” Twilight boomed with surprising force. “We're gonna go have a little talk about this.” She dragged the two of them inside away from the prying eyes of the crowd and slammed the doors.
“Obviously, you're BOTH changelings. Which one of you is Echo?”
“I am!” They both said in unison.
Twilight cocked an eyebrow at them and sighed. “Well, do I need to call up our old friend Chrysalis to help figure this out?”
“That'll work!” Echo smiled.
“No!” The impostor said, terrified, at the same time.
“Ah-ha!” She dropped the impostor and brought up a shining purple bubble around her.
“Thanks, Twilight.” Echo said as she was gently set on the ground.
“Of course, Echo.” Twilight said with a heavy sigh.
The impostor, still in Echo's body, beat on the interior of the bubble frantically. “I'm sorry, please don't call Chrysalis...”
“Who are you?” Twilight interrogated, motioning for the still-seething Echo to stay back.
“I'm Echo!” Her eyes widened and she stammered. “No, no, I'm sorry, I'm not, I just...” There was a green flash as the features that distinguished Echo melted away, revealing a fairly standard changeling drone... a male changeling drone.
“Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!” Echo snarled.
The drone whimpered and curled up against the inside of the bubble, as far from Echo as he could get. “Really, I'm sorry! I just... I thought you'd moved away for good, and I was just so hungry!” He pleaded. “I didn't mean any harm!”
“You've been gallivanting around in my body stealing love and you didn't mean any harm?”
“Echo!” Twilight stomped a hoof and shot her a glare. “Not that long ago you weren't much different, remember?”
Echo began to protest but shut her mouth and furrowed her brow instead. “Well, now I'm back, so there's no need for two of me.”
“Where will I go?” The drone pleaded.
“Don't care. Not my problem.”
“Echo, come on, that's not very kind.” Twilight admonished. “Nopony's arguing that what she –”
“He! That's a male drone, can't you tell?!”
“He, sorry. Nopony's arguing that what he did was right, but just throwing him to the timberwolves is hardly the right answer. We should try to help him, just like all your friends helped you when we found out.” She glanced back at the bubble. “Besides, look at him. He's terrified. I don't think he'd hurt anypony.”
Echo narrowed her eyes at him and snorted a little. “As long as he isn't MY problem.”
Twilight yielded, shaking her head. “Fine, that's better than trying to kill him. Go on home, Echo, I've got this handled.”
Echo had turned to leave when the drone spoke again. “Uh... Echo...?”
“WHAT?!” She bellowed without turning back around.
“Don't be surprised if a tall, light brown stallion with blue eyes and a curly mane comes knocking for you...” He winced. “You probably know him, Parcel Post?”
“Did... did you get a COLTFRIEND?!”
The drone winced again and nodded. “I was hungry.”
She trembled with rage. “Did you --”
“NO! No, Chrysalis no.” He seemed to read her mind. “I'm still a stallion, I like mares.” He nodded.
Echo snarled again and stomped her way out of the castle, heading home. This return was off to a great start.
* * *
Scootaloo waited outside the schoolyard for the bell to ring. Once it did, she hid behind a bush and waited for Sweetie and Apple Bloom to trot out. She also made sure to toss her gum into Diamond Tiara's mane while she wasn't looking.
“Did you get a letter from Scootaloo too?” Sweetie's voice rang out.
“Ah did. D'ya think she's comin' back from boardin' school?”
Boarding school? What? She held off jumping out to listen a bit longer.
“I wonder what happened?”
“Knowin' Scoot, she just got tired of all the eggheads.” Apple Bloom snickered quietly. “I'm happy she's gonna be back though, ain't you, Sweetie?”
“Oh yeah! I missed her so much! The Cutie Mark Crusaders haven't been the same since we lost a crusader!”
“Ah know! Crusadin' just don't feel right without her there.”
Scootaloo grinned and figured that was as good a cue as any. She jumped up out of the bush and landed behind them. “Good thing I'm back then, girls!” She beamed.
Her friends both screamed and jumped in the air, twisting around almost like cats. They landed, shock on their faces still, and took just another moment to notice that it was Scootaloo who had scared them.
Their faces slowly changed from fear to absolute joy, and they screamed in elation, jumped forward, and tackled Scootaloo in a hug.
“Ah'm so glad yer back, Scoot! Ah missed ya somethin' fierce!”
“It's been so hard without you Scootaloo!” Sweetie hugged tighter.
“How was boardin' school?”
“What's boarding school?” Scootaloo tilted her head.
“W--” Apple Bloom shared a confused glance with Sweetie. “Miss Echo told us you'd gone off t' a different school in Las Pegasus. We asked why she hadn't gone, too, and she said she'd decided t' just stay here and keep working with Rarity. She said there was a thing called boardin' school where a filly lived at school instead of at home with her parents.”
“Why did Mom tell you that?” Scootaloo was shocked. “When did she tell you that?”
“Back when you left...” Sweetie said, sounding concerned now. “Is everything okay Scootaloo?”
“Well... what about when Mom wasn't working for Rarity anymore? Didn't you girls wonder where she went?”
“She's been here the whole time, Scoot...” Apple Bloom said, now also seeming concerned.
Scootaloo hadn't put two and two together yet. Her brow furrowed. “I'm gonna go find Mom.”
“We're comin' too!” Apple Bloom declared, and the three of them all traipsed off to find Echo.
The trio arrived at Scootaloo and Echo's house a few minutes later. Scoot opened the door and stepped in. “MOM!” She shouted. “What the HAY?!”
“Language!” Came a reply from upstairs, followed by the buzzing of wings. She flittered down the stairs and touched down in front of the girls. “Good to see you girls again.” She smiled brightly, trying to hide her unyielding rage.
“Why did you tell Sweetie and Apple Bloom that I'd gone to BOARDING SCHOOL?!”
Echo sighed. “We have something to discuss.”
“You're DAMN right!”
“Hey!” Echo clamped Scoot's mouth shut with a quick glow from her horn as the other two fillies let out a startled gasp. “You watch it, missy.” She released the hold and motioned for the fillies to sit.
“I wanna know what happened, Mom.” Scootaloo glared.
“If you'd stop jumping the gun, I could explain. Are you done?” A gentle nod 'yes' and an irritated growl were the response. “Okay. Now... when I went to see Twilight just now, something strange happened...”
She went on to relay the rest of the story, explaining that for the past two years, the “Echo” living in Ponyville had, in fact, been an impostor.
“Where is she now?” Scootaloo seemed livid, almost trembling with rage.
“Well, he's over at Twilight's.”
“He?! A colt changeling was pretending to be you?” Sweetie Belle seemed horrified.
“Ah can't believe that wasn't you all this time...” Apple Bloom shivered.
“I'mma punch a changeling!” Scootaloo stood and ran for the door before Echo could stop her.
“Uh-oh.” Echo bolted after, and the other two fillies followed.
* * *
"So what's your real name?" Twilight asked her captive.
"Ricochet." He winced.
"Well, Ricochet, how long have you been in Ponyville?"
"About two and a quarter years I think?" He shivered. "Are you gonna let me go?"
"We'll talk about that in a bit. How long have you been pretending to be Echo?"
"Only two years..."
"Only two. Right. Okay, well... we can't let you pretend to be her anymore."
"Then who will I be?"
"Ricochet."
"No, I know that, but who will I LOOK like."
"Yourself!" She beamed brightly.
Ricochet's eyes widened again and he renewed his efforts to break free from the bubble-prison that Twilight had made for him. "No! No, no no! Can't do that, that'd be bad!"
"You know, Echo and Chrysalis used to think the same thing." Twilight smiled gently.
"CHRYSALIS IS HERE?"
"No, not right now. She's been gone for a few weeks now. She wouldn't tell me why, though..." Twilight pursed her lips a little. "Anyway, I promise you'll be safe. I'll help you. Now, if I let you go, are you gonna try anything funny?" She raised an eyebrow again.
"...No..." Ricochet said meekly.
"All right. Promise?"
"Yeah..." He said with eyes full of fear.
The bubble collapsed and he stood, looking around the room. "I'm sor--"
Just then, the doors to Twilight's castle burst open, and Scootaloo ran over quicker than even Twilight could react, landing a hoof right into Ricochet's cheek. He fell onto his side, unconscious. His wings twitched a bit, buzzing against the floor. "THAT'S FOR MESSING WITH MY MOM!" She raised another hoof to hit again before Twilight pushed her back with a harmless blast of magic.
"What is with you and your Mom punching ponies?!" She said, exasperated.
Ricochet slowly regained consciousness. "Did anyling get the number of that train?"
"Scootaloo!" The filly shouted.
"Thanks..." He stood, wobbling around, still not quite back in control of himself all the way.
Echo arrived after a few tense moments and looked at the scene. "Scoot, why did you do that?"
"He pissed me off..."
"What did I say about that language?!" She clamped Scootaloo's mouth shut again. "Sorry, Twilight."
"Okay! Enough!" Twilight shouted, a few strands of her mane coming undone. "We are ALL going to sit down and talk like civilized ponies. No more barging in, no more punching, no more cursing. Understood?!"
Everyone in the room except for Ricochet nodded silently and followed, shocked by the princess' sudden anger.
"Your mane is pretty..." Ricochet said lazily to Twilight as he followed, still unsteady on his hooves.
After about ten minutes of explanation, everyone was up to speed about what exactly had happened. Twilight exhaled sharply. "Does anypony else have any questions?"
"Is Ricochet part of Miss Echo's family?" Sweetie asked innocently.
"Absolutely NOT." Echo and Scootaloo said succinctly before sharing a nod.
Ricochet's ears laid back against his head a bit, but he nodded in agreement.
"I have a question..." a familiar, feminine voice filled the entire room, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Exactly what possessed you to impersonate the daughter of your Queen?"
A pair of serpentine eyes glowed green behind Ricochet, and Chrysalis slowly materialized in an inferno of green flames. She stared daggers at the drone below her, who looked up over his shoulder paralyzed in fear.
"Hi Mom." Echo smiled at the terrifying visage.
"Gramma!" Scootaloo ran over and hugged tightly around one of Chrysalis' legs. Ricochet seemed to soften at the sight.
"Not now, sweetheart," Chrysalis cooed gently down to Scootaloo. "Gramma's busy scaring the living daylights out of an idiot."
"Mission already accomplished, your Highness!" Ricochet squeaked, swallowing the frog in his throat. He regretted speaking instantly as Chrysalis' head snapped back to face him.
"Were it not for my... reformation..." She sneered at the word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth, "I'd have killed you already."
"Chrysalis!" Twilight boomed again. "Would you PLEASE sit down? I only just managed to defuse this situation, and I really don't need you lighting it up again."
"As you wish..." She walked gracefully over to a seat that was about two sizes too small for her, and sat down as regally as she could manage, never once taking her eyes off of Ricochet.
The experience proved to be too much for the young drone, though, and he began to babble incoherently in his panic. His eyes seemed to dart around the room. His wings buzzed erratically. He clambered to his hooves and ran for the closed door of the room, pounding on it frantically, and utterly ignoring Twilight's pleading for him to relax. Eventually, he turned around, heaved a few more breaths, and passed out on his side.
There was a long moment of silence as everyone looked at the unconscious changeling, before Chrysalis spoke.
"I didn't do it!"