Recovery and Epilogue
The room went silent as Echo walked in. Everypony's head turned to look at her. Feeling ashamed, she made it a point to avoid all eye contact, opting instead to walk over to her daughter's side and quietly take a seat.
She stared at her daughter for a few long minutes, and the sounds of the medical equipment beeping, whirring, and buzzing filled the room with an almost deafening business. Finally, Applejack spoke up from behind.
“I bet you think we're all downright awful for lettin' them take y'all to jail,” she surmised.
“As a matter of fact,” Echo managed to squeak, “yeah, kind of.”
“I get it,” Rainbow Dash said with a flutter as she flew to stand next to Echo. The changeling didn't look up. “We all feel awful about it, Echo, but we were scared. We didn't know what to do. I mean, it was a changeling that did this to Scootaloo, so -”
Echo had stopped Dash dead in her tracks when she whipped her head around and stared intently into the pegasus' eyes.
“Okay, that came out wrong,” she conceded, “what I mean is that we just wanted to make sure everypony was safe.”
“By throwing the mother of a recently kidnapped and nearly murdered filly in jail? Yeah, smart move, guys,” she waved a hoof dismissively over her shoulder.
“Chrysalis was pretending to be you, and we didn't even know it,” Applejack interjected, “we didn't know if that was really you, or another weird changeling trick.”
“Would some other changeling have nearly broken her wings flying to get Scootaloo here?”
“In our defense, y'all are pretty good at deception.” While Echo had to concede this point, she did not do so openly.
Long minutes of silence passed again before Surprise flew over to join Rainbow Dash. Hoofsteps resounded across the floor as Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack made their way next to Echo as well.
“We're really sorry, Sugar cube,” Applejack motioned to everypony in the room, “we all are.” Heads began to nod in agreement. Echo turned back to look at her daughter, determined not to betray an ounce of emotion regarding the subject. Chrysalis was back now, and she couldn't afford to display weakness in the presence of her queen. Wait, she's my mom. Does that change things at all? Ugh, this is why we were never supposed to know these things!
As she stared at her daughter, she felt a hoof tap on her leg. Looking down, her eyes met the gazes of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. The former spoke first, “Miss Candle- erm, Miss Ech- uh... Scoot's mom?”
She tried not to seem too upset with the fillies when she said,“call me Echo, what do you want?”
“Well,” Apple Bloom said, “we have something we want to give you.”
“What would that be?” Echo said plainly. As she finished asking, both fillies launched themselves at Echo, each latching on to her with surprising strength.
“We love you,” they said in unison, “please don't be mad.”
Echo felt herself melting under the affections of the fillies, and while she elected not to remark on the exquisite flavor of those energies, she did decide to return the hug. She looked at the rest of her friends, and said, “who could say no to that? Besides, you're my friends. Forgiving is a part of friendship. Uh... right?”
General affirmations filled the room, and Twilight Sparkle's voice joined in from the doorway. She groaned a little as she included her praise. Everypony turned to see what was weighing her down, and they restrained a laugh at the sight that greeted them. Twilight Sparkle was dragging the limp changeling queen behind her with her magic. As Twilight finally managed to bring the massive changeling into the room, she levitated the monarch and plopped her down on a sofa in the corner of the room like a doll. The queen's mouth dropped open and a small puddle of drool began to form on the arm of the couch.
“My mother is quite the dignified changeling,” Echo said with an obviously false air of superiority before adding the qualifier, “usually.”
Again, everypony in the room shared a bout of hearty laughter. When it died down, Echo turned again to face her daughter, and watched with melancholy as the pegasus' chest slowly rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern. As if on cue, a nurse walked in, levitating a clipboard.
“Miss... Echo?” The nurse looked around the room for a second as if she were oblivious to the changeling standing next to the bed. “Oh, yes, there you are. I have the results from your daughter's most recent CBC test.”
“What's that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It's a test we ran, in Scootaloo's case, to see how her hemoglobin levels are. What we found isn't great. She lost a lot of blood, and her hemoglobin is at about 5 grams per deciliter.”
“Stop talking like an egghead!”
“For a filly Scootaloo's age, she should have hemoglobin levels that are from 11 to 16 g/dl. Normally, in her condition, that wouldn't be an issue – she'd just stay here until her body recovered – but the reason this is so alarming is that her hemoglobin levels dropped 3 g/dl from the last time we checked, just this morning. Would you mind letting me through, quickly?”
Everyone moved out of the nurse's way. She walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down. Scootaloo's belly had pronounced stitches in it from when the doctors had closed the wound Cluster's horn had caused, but what was most striking was that she seemed bloated. The nurse pressed a hoof gently against Scootaloo's belly, and hummed something to herself. She turned around again and continued, “her abdomen is severely distended, as you can see, and it's very firm to the touch. The doctor thinks that he might have missed an artery when he closed. If that's the case, then she's probably bleeding pretty heavily internally. The doctor is going to need to perform another surgery, and she's going to need a transfusion. The only problem is that we don't have enough of her blood type in storage to do that for her. We also don't have enough time to test all of your blood types and see if there's a match.”
“I think you're forgetting something,” came a drowsy voice from the back of the room. Everypony turned their head, having forgotten about the changeling queen that had been unconscious in the background. The nurse let out a yelp as she realized what she was seeing. “You see,” the queen continued, “there are two changelings in this room. If anypony in here is going to be a universal donor, it's one of us.”
Applejack interjected, “but y'all ain't even ponies. How d'ya suppose that'll work?”
“By that logic,” Chrysalis sneered, “an earth pony and a pegasus shouldn't be able to share blood. Nor should any of the races. Be it a pegasus, a unicorn, an earth pony, or a changeling, we are all ponies at our core.”
“I can answer this one,” Twilight beamed, “I can answer this one! Oh my gosh, I can answer this one! I've done tests on Echo through the past months, including blood draws while she's in a transformed state. Her blood type when she was disguised as Rainbow Dash was the same as the actual Rainbow Dash's blood type, and her blood type when she was disguised as me was the same as mine! This will work!” Twilight hopped up and down in place excitedly.
“Wait,” Dash said, “how do you know my blood type?”
“Uh,” Twilight paused and looked at the ground sheepishly, “I may have taken a sample from you while you were asleep in the library. It was part of my research on pegasi.”
Rainbow Dash stared incredulously at the unicorn for a moment before she threw a hoof up in the air and shouted, “eggheads, man, I swear. Weird.”
“Girls,” Rarity called, “this still leaves us with a problem. We don't know anypony that Echo could disguise herself as who shares Scootaloo's blood type!”
“I can think of one,” Echo said before she was cloaked in flames. When they cleared, a perfect representation of Scootaloo stood in Echo's place. “Let's get this thing done.”
“Are you sure you want to be awake for this, ma'am?” The doctor continued, “I'll be performing an open surgery. While I'll do my best, it's not a pretty sight even when it's going well.”
“It's not really a matter of whether I want to do it,” the precise replica of Scootaloo said simply, “if I lose consciousness, I might shift back to my natural form, and I doubt that my real blood would be much good for her.”
“Wait a minute,” Dash interjected, “how do we know that her blood won't go back to changeling blood as soon as she shifts back anyway?”
“Rainbow,” Twilight reassured, “I've spent months studying Echo. Her blood didn't change when she did after it had left her body. I can't pretend to know exactly how it works, but it works.”
“So let's shut the hell up and do this, then. My daughter needs blood,” Echo said. It was somewhat strange to hear such adult language from the mouth of a filly, but the circumstances made it acceptable, discomfort notwithstanding.
“Very well, then, ma'am. If you'll kindly lay back on this bed, I can start the IV, and we'll get you to the OR.”
The ponies each walked by Echo and gave her some word of encouragement. Everypony wore a somber face, except for the last two to leave – Pinkie Pie and Surprise. These two really look like twins, Echo remarked.
“Hey, Candie – I'm still gonna call you Candie – you'll be fine, and so will Scootaloo.” Pinkie Pie said with a wide grin.
“You're the first changeling I ever met, Candie – I'm still gonna call you Candie, too – and if you're any indication, I think changelings are pretty cool ponies.” Surprise flared her wings for a moment as she beamed at Echo.
After the two had said their piece, they turned and left the room.
“Ma'am,” the doctor said, “I'm going to begin the procedure now. You may want to look away. The things you will hear, see, and smell will not be pleasant.”
“I will do absolutely anything it takes, doctor,” she said adamantly, “to save the life of my daughter.”
As the IV needle entered her arm and blood began to flow from her to her daughter, she was struck with a series of memories in rapid succession.
“Excuse me, help?” She had said, with the voice of a changeling. The crusaders had turned to look at her for only a moment before they had run in absolute horror. She had ended up face first in a puddle of mud, screams stabbing at her ears.
Her daughter's first encounter with her had been running in fear.
Sweetie Belle had just made Echo's breakfast, and had come out to greet the new guest.
“Thank you Sweetie Belle,” Echo grinned. A short moment or two later, Sweetie Belle had opened her eyes and seen Echo. The filly's grin had quickly been swept away and replaced by horror.
“It's you,” She had screamed, “Save me!” Immediately after her breakdown, she had booked it as far away as her hooves could carry her.
Her daughter's friend had had the same reaction. What about Apple Bloom? She considered.
The yellow filly had just come down stairs to join the rest of the Apple family and their guest for dinner.
“Oh, a guest. Hi,” The young one had called, “I'm Apple Bloom. What's your name?”
Echo turned to face Apple Bloom. “I'm Candlelight, but you can call me Candie.”
Apple Bloom's eyes had widened as they met Echo's.
“Well, hi, Candie!” Came a cheerful call. “Sorry about that, you looked familiar. Especially that red eye. How'd you get that?”
That one had certainly gone better than expected.
It seemed that the ponies in this town had actually been warming up to her, slowly. Here she was, next to her daughter, giving her own life force to sustain the life of a filly to whom she had no blood relation. As far as Echo was concerned, it didn't matter. Scootaloo was as much her daughter as if she had been a changeling hatched from an egg Echo had laid. This, however, was a brand new challenge. The ponies in Ponyville knew that she was a changeling, now. While her friends might be supportive of her, would the rest of the town's resident's be so accepting? Echo recalled Twilight's story about the zebra from the Everfree. If they treat a zebra like that, they can't be happy to see a changeling living among them.
While her thoughts swam in her head, the doctor had begun the operation. An orderly stood by, levitating a drainage hose in the cavity to remove the blood that had worked its way into the filly's abdomen. The doctor searched for the artery or vein that had been cut, and after a short while, found it.
“She's very lucky,” the doctor said, “the damage only slightly nicked the vein. Her bleed is steady, but not severe in the short term. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to fix her right up.” He gave a nod to Echo, whose eyes maintained a constant stare at the ceiling. The sounds of the operation happening next to her were nauseating. The squelching sounds of Scootaloo's organs being moved to provide a field of view to the blood vessel in question were pushing Echo to the brink. The smell of blood permeated the air, and the doctor's forelegs were crimson with the blood of her daughter. She supposed, though, that some of that blood was her own. Several times through the procedure, she nearly fainted. She resolved herself to stare at the ceiling and focus on that. After some great length of time – Echo didn't know how long – the doctor walked over next to her to speak.
“Miss Echo,” he said, “are you all right?”
“Yes,” she stated.
“The surgery is over, ma'am. I'm going to remove the IV now.”
As the doctor was removing the IV catheter, Echo asked, “is she okay?”
“She seems to be,” the doctor said, “if you would like to spend a moment with her before we return her to her room, you're more than welcome to. This is off the record, though.” The doctor smiled at those last words and made a shush sound before he stepped outside the OR door.
Echo stood up and returned to her normal shape. She stood next to her daughter's still-unconscious form and ran her hoof through the filly's hair. “You're going to be okay, bird-brain. The doctor fixed you up, so you're going to be okay.”
She stared at Scootaloo for a moment longer before the doctor re-entered the room, this time with a full entourage of orderlies. “Miss Echo,” he said gently, “we're going to move her back to her room now, okay?”
Echo stepped out of the way wordlessly and watched as they hooked her back up to all of the IV bags and other equipment, and followed in silence as she was wheeled back to her room. The soft clip-clop of her hooves on the hospital's tile floor was like a drumbeat against her head. Boom, boom, boom, boom, her head felt like it was going to explode.
They re-entered room 126, and Scootaloo was replaced on her bed, as though nothing had ever happened.
Chrysalis was sitting in the corner cradling her head and groaning every so often.
“Are you okay, mother?” Echo asked.
“Yes, just light headed. I will be fine.”
“Scootaloo will be fine as well, as I am quite pleased to announce,” called the doctor to all of the other ponies in the room, “the problem was relatively easy to fix, and her recovery should just be a matter of time now, if everything goes according to plan. Oh, by the way, Miss Echo,” he moved next to the changeling and put a hoof over her shoulder. She didn't appreciate the gesture, but hadn't enough energy to protest, “you should probably drink something. Your blood was instrumental in Scootaloo's survival, but it was like syrup.”
He cast back general well wishes to the ponies in the room as he went back to his rounds.
“Echo,” Rainbow Dash called, “are you alright? You look kind of -”
Once again, Echo's vision went black.
When vision returned to Echo, she was laying in a hospital bed right next to her daughter's. An IV had been put in through the only soft spot available to the hospital staff – a small point behind her ear where the chitin was more like skin. There was a half-empty two liter bag of saline on the IV stand, putting in about one drip every five seconds. The same doctor that had operated on Scootaloo was in the room, and noticed from the corner of his eye that Echo was awake.
“In retrospect,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head with his hoof, “you were not in any shape to be a donor. You were severely dehydrated to begin with. I hope you don't hold it against me that I let you do so anyway, but it seemed the only option.”
“Relax,” Echo coughed, “I wouldn't have let you tell me not to.”
The doctor smiled. “I expect that Scootaloo will probably be awake some time soon, when the anesthesia wears off completely. Once that bag is empty, a nurse will remove the IV, and you're free to walk around. Carefully, though.” He tipped his imaginary hat at Echo, who smiled weakly and superficially. After he had left, she glanced around the room at the concerned faces of all of her friends.
“Guys, I'm all right, really.”
Chrysalis walked up toward Echo's bedside. As she reached it, she turned to the other ponies in the room. “If you tell anypony about this, I'll beat you with my bare hooves until you'll swear you don't have any bones left.”
With that, she turned back to Echo, moved her forelegs around her, and pulled her tight in a hug. She whispered in her ear, “I was afraid I'd lost you, Echo.”
Chrysalis held Echo in this way for a few moments before releasing her and returning to her normal, unflappable, royal self. Everypony was turning their gaze, pretending they didn't just see what happened.
“Mom,” a young voice called weakly, “why is queen Chrysalis here?”
Echo's head whipped around so quickly that she nearly lost consciousness again. “Scootaloo!” she said, “I'm so glad you're okay!”
“What happened? Why am I in the hospital? Why are you in the hospital, too? I don't understand what's going -” Chrysalis had moved next to Scootaloo's bed and enveloped her in the same hug she had given Echo. Sounds of nervousness and uncertainty were abundant from the little pegasus, but the changeling queen didn't relent until she was good and ready.
“I'm confused.” Scootaloo squeaked.
“I'll explain everything later, Scoot,” Echo said, “for now, I'm just glad you're alright."
EPILOGUE
After a few days of observation, the doctor had finally given Scootaloo the okay to go home. Over the past couple of days, Echo hadn't left her daughter's side. She had insisted that rather than a wheelchair, Scootaloo ride out on her back. The doctors had – out of fear, Echo presumed – bowed to her wishes.
“So I get to go home now,” Scootaloo was reiterating, “and go back to school, and get back to life?”
“Yes, bird-brain, life goes on.”
“You still get to be my mom, even though everypony knows you're a changeling?”
“Yep. Don't expect everypony to like me, though.”
“That's okay. You can handle anypony that tries to give you trouble, 'cause you're tough. Right, bug-mare?”
“You betcha, chicken-feather.”
“Hey!” Scootaloo protested, “I'm not a chicken.”
“You're right,” Echo cooed, “you're a turkey.”
“I am not a turkey either,” Scootaloo stood on her mother's back in a dramatic pose, “I'm a hawk!”
“Whoa there, hawkeye,” Echo said as her daughter nearly fell, “let's hold off on the dramatic metaphor until we get home, what do you say?”
As she said that, their home came in to view. They stepped inside, and were surprised to find that everything had been fully repaired. Arguably, it looked better than before. Much of the decoration had Rarity's touch written all over it, and the organization screamed “Twilight Sparkle”. As Echo took Scootaloo up to her room, the myriad of posters and pictures on the wall filled the air with the attitude of a certain rainbow-maned pegasus. This is something that Scootaloo picked up on, as well, and resulted in great excitement from the filly.
“Rainbow Dash decorated my room!” Scootaloo jumped up and down on her bed, “Rainbow Dash was up here and decorated my room!”
“Alright,” Echo laughed, “I want you to get some rest, okay Scoot? Just because the doctor let you come home doesn't mean you're fully recovered yet.”
“Awwww, Mom!” Scootaloo crowed, “Please let me stay up.”
“Nope, you stay in that bed little miss feather duster.”
Scootaloo let out a few more disappointed cries, but didn't protest beyond that. Echo went back downstairs to the kitchen, and found several envelopes, each with her name on the front. She opened the first, and read,
Dear Echo,
I knew you as Candlelight until just a couple days ago, and to be honest, that's still how I see you. Your name and your appearance may have changed, but your heart is still the same. You're a good pony, even if you aren't a pony at all. I don't pretend to know such things, but I do know that if anypony had to be Scootaloo's mom, you're as good a choice as any. I left a few apple treats around your kitchen. I hope you enjoy them. They are the best apples in Equestria, after all.
Yours,
Applejack
She opened the second,
Hi, Echo!
We're both writing you at the same time, I hope you don't mind. That's Surprise talking. This is Pinkie talking! Pinkie, maybe we should just write like we were one pony and then sign it from both of us? Sure, that sounds good. Why are we talking to each other by writing it down? Because we can, and it'll make Echo smile. Oh right!
We both really hope that you and Scootaloo get well super quick. We wanted to throw you a “welcome home” party, but Twilight said that you'd probably want to be left alone for a little while when you got home. When you feel better, let us know, because we want to give you that party some time soon, okay?
Sincerely,
Pinkie Pie
Surprise!
Echo wondered for a moment why Surprise had signed her name with an exclamation point, but shrugged it off as one of the pegasus' quirks and moved on to the next letter.
Dearest Echo,
Through the months that you and I have been acquainted, I have come to know you as somepony entirely different than who you are, and yet entirely the same in every way but your appearance. I have worked with you, and I have talked with you. I've been with you while you were happy and while you were depressed, and I wouldn't trade those moments away for anything. I hope you do not feel that I am overextending myself by believing that you are one of my very best friends.
I took the liberty of overseeing the decoration of your home personally, and it is my sincerest hope that you will enjoy the look I've chosen for your abode. By the way, you still have a job at the Boutique, and you always will.
With greatest sympathies and the best well wishes,
Rarity
A smile began to creep over Echo's lips as she moved to the next letter,
Hey there, Echo!
It's me, Rainbow Dash. I'm not much of the writing type, so I'm just gonna tell you that you and Scootaloo are the most awesome couple of ponies I've ever met. Even more awesome than the Wonderbolts! Don't tell them I said that though, okay?
I hope Scoot likes her room!
Rainbow dash always liked to get right to the point, and that showed in her letter. She looked at the last envelope, which was purple and had Twilight's cutie mark as the seal. She opened it carefully and read,
Dear Echo,
Before I met you, I was convinced that changelings were monsters. I believed that you were soulless creatures whose lives were dedicated to the theft of love from innocent ponies. When I first discovered you, I gave great consideration to turning you in to the princesses on the spot.
I am immensely glad that I chose otherwise. You have turned out to be the best friend that a unicorn could ask for. Your loyalty is rivaled only by Rainbow Dash, and I hope that you do not take offense to the fact that I consider you a friend.
Your mother, queen Chrysalis, is still with me. Her reaction to my attempts at changeling research were much less amicable than your own, and so I hope that you will recover quickly, that I may continue my research unabated.
All my regards to Scootaloo.
Sincerely yours,
Twilight Sparkle
Echo folded each letter up and replaced it in its envelope. She fought the tears back as she put the letters carefully into a drawer. From the same drawer, she drew an envelope, a blank piece of paper, and a quill. She sat at a desk in the corner of her living room and dipped the tip of the quill in her inkwell. After a deep breath, she began to write.
My dearest friends,
I hope that you will share this letter among yourselves, as it addresses each of you in its own way.
For months at a time, I was not Echo, but Candlelight – a unicorn mare from Canterlot. Spending that much time as somepony else, it becomes very easy to see yourself as that pony rather than the changeling you really are. Perhaps it was my time living as a pony that persuaded me to change, or maybe it was my nature as a changeling. Perhaps we, as a species, are just inclined to adapt to our surroundings. The apple treats that you left us, Applejack, are going to be enjoyed with great enthusiasm.
Pinkie and Surprise, I know what it's like to have two voices talking in the same body. You seem to have trouble reconciling with it. If you want to talk to me, I can give you some tips for how to sort out your thoughts and make sense of them through the noise. I'm only kidding, of course – I don't think any amount of help could fix whatever's wrong with you two. I wouldn't want to anyway. Whatever it is that's wrong with you is what makes you two special. I think that we should be ready for a party in a week or so, but I would like to personally request that it be a Pinkie Pie party, and not a Surprise party. No offense, Surprise, but I tend to prefer the planned-out approach.
Rarity, through the months that you and I have been acquainted, I have come to know you for exactly the pony you are – the Element of Generosity. When I arrived in Ponyville, you were the first pony to extend real, true, exceptional kindness to me. You didn't hesitate to give me lodging, and I was slow to pay you back. Even now, you pay me rather than me repaying you for your generosity. You really are the embodiment of your Element. Thank you so much.
Rainbow Dash, you are succinct and to the point as always. I will do the same, and just say that your wishes are appreciated, and Scootaloo loves her room.
Twilight Sparkle. Before I met you, I was convinced that ponies were useless. I believed that you were stupid creatures whose lives were dedicated to the pointless pursuit of trivial goals. When I was first discovered by you, I gave great consideration to killing you on the spot.
I am immensely glad that I chose otherwise. You have turned out to be the best friend that a changeling could ask for. Your kindness is rivaled only by Fluttershy, and I do not take offense to the fact that you consider me a friend.
I will be more than happy to assist with your research after all returns to normal.
All my regards to Mother,
Sincerely yours,
Echo.
She sealed the envelope and walked it out to the mailbox. She turned up the flag as she put the letter in, and walked back to her front door. She sat on her front porch for a moment before going in and regarded the town's street. Ponies were bustling to and from, going about their busy lives. She looked at a mare who was the color of red wine. She was sitting on a bench with her foal, and they were laughing together over a couple of ice cream cones, just like they had been doing a couple of days ago. Every mare, stallion, filly, and colt that passed by served to remind her that despite how frightened she had been and how monstrously she had behaved, Scootaloo cared for her. She was the filly's mother, and nopony could ever hope to substitute.
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I DEMAND SEQUEL!!!
SEQUEL!!!!!
It's been as great ride. J'adore!
Final chapter? Aw...
Anyway, let's see how this ends.
*After reading*
Huh...
While I enjoyed the hospital scenes, and the fact that you made it where changelings could change their blood type, there were a lot of cliches. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, just not great.
The ending though....
It was freaking adorable! Not to mention Echo's final letter was probably the most emotional part of the story.
(Still no Derpy though)
Great work with this story, it was a fun journey.
So... How much do I owe you?
I propose an idea
comment chain of people who want a sequel?
hhmm anyone?
That was nice
I want to know what happens between chrissy and twi
Good ending , i enjoyed reading your fic
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/328/813/8d6.jpg
SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL!
COME ON EVERYBODY!
SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL! SEQUEL!
2197350
I agree
If not a sequel with Echo/Scoots, how about some fun stuff revolving around Twilight trying to "research" Queen Chrysalis?
And here are the onslaught of moars...
A good end to a good feel-good story. You tied up the ends welll... and while Chrysalis's and Echo's relationship may need more development, its stabilized enough for the story to end. Great job!
2197421 i'm not sure if we should torment the author with a chain... Wait a tic, I think I just added to it. oh, well
You sir are a talented writer.
"I still wonder, where was Fluttershy this whole time?"
Who knows.
2196977
2197463
One does not simply stop a comment chain demanding for a sequel.
That was so very good.
There should be a side story of Chrysalis harrassing Twilight or just making things awkward
That was AMAZING
2197510
Well, I'm not going to break the chain. Seqeul, please.
2197544
I would definitely read that.
I WANT SEQUEL NOW!
Woah, done already? Well that was fast. I'll get to reading the chapter once I get home from school today, and I'll give my final thoughts then.
ECHO BETTER RETURN
OR I SHALL SIC PINKIE ON YOU!!!! 
Of coure if that is okay with you
Awww that is just a GREAT ending! It fits perfectly, and with such a happy note! I'm really glad we got such a lovely ending. Also Echo is an AWESOME Changeling! ^_^
Last but not least....SEQUEL!! >=)
Beautiful from beginning to end. I would enjoy a sequel, if you don't mind. Good luck with your next story, whatever it may be.
No Fluttershy Letter?
Aww and the story was so good
Atleast it was a good note to end of on
Still a shame that it had to end though
ill be hoping for a sequel twice as long as this and i want to let you know that this story inspired me to start writing my own fic about a changeling in ponyville! your are by far, the best writer i have come across. so i leave you to write your sequel.
For lack of words to describe how amazing this story is...
Sequel?
SEQUEL!
SEQUEL!
SEQUEL!
SEQUEL!
SEQUEL!
I do like the story and gave it a thumbs up, but there's a part to it I really didn't care for. I did not like how you introduced the character of Cluster as sympathetic to the ponies enough to warn them of a changeling attack, had him essentially tortured and exiled, and then you turn him into a mad child torturing psycho. In one of the previous chapters, you had also dealt with Echo's lack of emotion towards killing ponies as she was just doing her job, but I feel like you took the easy path by characterizing Cluster as a psychopath and dropped the ball when it came to Echo reconciling her old ways. At this point we know that Echo loves Scootaloo, and her new friends but the conflict delivered in the previous chapters seems to have just vanished.
This is wonderful story and I was happy to read every word. I hope you do not do a sequel because I have a policy against reading them.I would hate to think that there was more to it that I couldn't read. Keep up the good work.
This was a great story! ^_^ I don't about you, but I can see a sequel easily from such a story with a great plot.
AWESOMMMMMMMMME
sequel, start write. now.
Great ending and an awesome story
! I'm wondering though if there is supposed to be an 'I'
there.
That was without a doubt, the second best changling story I've ever read and the best Scootaloo get's adopted story I've ever read
2198328 Thanks for the catch, friend.
Dear Echo,
You have always had respect from me because you demanded it as an officer. I was always wary of your presence, lest I cross the line. You were, and still are, a force to be reckoned with. You fell to Ponyville after the failed invasion as a changeling officer trying to survive. You didn't trust anypony, you were hard to approach, you were constantly on edge. Ponyville has stripped you of that, and I couldn't be more proud. You have become approachable, friendly, even joyous to be around, but most importantly, you have become a mother. I'm sorry I couldn't help get Scootaloo back, and I'm even more sorry because it may have been my fault that Cluster was led to Ponyville of all places. Give queen Chrysalis my regards. I cannot face her until I can find a way to redeem myself from what has happened in the war. If you wish to write back, leave the letter with Twilight, you can trust her.
Your shadow,
Rebound
it was fairly wonderful, sir. I.. *sigh* COME 'ERE BRO!
For a first story this was amazing, i'm happy that i chose this, i'm not usualy into alternate universes but this was awsome i hope to read more of your work soon
2198378 No problem
Did I say you were allowed to let this end? No. No, I didn't.
More.
These... are not tears. They're liquid joy.
Great fic. Really mean that. And for your first fic? Damn. Looking forward to more from you.
When I learned that you had updated the last chapter this was my chain of thought.
Homework, or ponies. Homework, or ponies.. Homework, or ponies... Ho- ah who am I kidding, PONIES!!
Great fic by the way!
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I'm going to miss reading new chapters, but much like the great past sins, everything has to end at some point. A round of applause for CoAlFire!
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Well, I can't wait to read the next thing you write, whenever that is. Cheers mate!
I demand continuality in this universe (doesn't have to be Echo, could have Chrysalis shenanigans for all I care) done by you
SEQUEL!!!!!!!!!!!!
... please 
2198977
I have that argument with myself a lot... this is how it always ends
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2199511 I was going to do homework today, but then I realized it's Friday.
I politely ask that you would in due time write a sequel to this wonderful piece. I very much enjoyed it, and hope to see your works again in the future.