An empty coffee mug flew past Ricochet, who dodged it with just a few millimeters to spare, before it shattered against the wall behind him.
"No way! I'm not sharing a house with HIM!" Scootaloo screamed.
Echo stood in shock at the outburst. "Hey! Absolutely unacceptable!"
"Oh, what? Me throwing a cup is unacceptable? What about having the changeling who impersonated you for two years living under the same roof like it's just NO BIG DEAL?" She picked up a book and threw that. It pegged Ricochet in the side, not really causing any damage. "Because to me, that's pretty damn unacceptable!"
"What's going on?" Sweetie Belle called as she and Apple Bloom rushed down the stairs.
"Is everythin' all right?"
"No! It isn't! It's not all right at all!" She fought tears. "Hey, Apple Bloom, do you think I could spend the night at your place? I need some space."
"Well, ah'd need t' check with AJ and Big Mac first, but I don't think they'd have a problem."
"Thanks. I'll talk to you some time tomorrow, MOM." She sneered and barged out of the house. Sweetie Belle followed to try to make sure everything was okay, and Apple Bloom held back for just a moment.
"Sorry, Miss Echo..."
Echo let out a depressed groan. "It's all right, 'Bloom. You're just trying to be a good friend. Keep her safe, okay? I'll drop by tomorrow if I don't hear from you by the time she's usually home after school lets out."
The filly nodded in agreement and bounded out the door.
There was a moment of tense silence before a low chuckle filled the room. It gradually grew into a full belly-laugh. Chrysalis was literally rolling on the floor as she guffawed.
"Oh, and what, pray tell, is so funny?"
She looked up, wiping her eyes, and threw a book at Ricochet.
This one hit him square between the eyes, and he yelped in pain, putting a hoof to his forehead.
"That!" Chrysalis' hooves flailed in the air as she laughed.
"All right." Echo looked over to Ricochet with a sigh. "Step one, we need to find someone you can spend time with besides me and Chrysalis. Let's start by putting the strainer -- that thing you're wearing as a hat -- back where it belongs."
"Oh... okay..." He put it back into the cabinet where he had found it. "What are we going to do first?"
"We're going to introduce you to my friends."
* * *
"Echo, darling! Please, come in!" Rarity beamed as she opened the door to Carousel Boutique. "Who is your new friend here?" She looked at Ricochet, currently in disguise as a stallion he had seen on the way over.
"Hi, Rarity. It's been too long." Echo yielded and gave the unicorn a gentle hug. "This is Ricochet. He's... in need of assistance."
"Ricochet? What a curious name. How do you do?" She extended her hoof to him daintily. "I must say, you look a great deal like Golden Delicious."
"Who's that?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Oh, one of Applejack's... cousins? I think. Don't you worry. Come in, come in!" She ushered him into the building, shutting the door. "If I may be so bold, Echo, I thought you and Parcel Post were a bit of an odd couple. Mister Ricochet here, though is quite the dashing stallion! You're a lucky mare."
"Oh, no," Echo laughed. "You've got this all wrong. I'm not -- hey, Ricochet, stop blushing and wipe that grin off your face. Just... change already?"
"Uh... right." He winced and chuckled nervously before surrounding himself in a cloak of flame.
Rarity shouted in surprise and stepped back.
"Hi!" He beamed at her.
"Oh, heavens!" She threw a hoof to her forehead and pulled a red couch seemingly from nowhere, upon which she promptly fainted.
"I didn't mean to hurt her!" He bit his hoof as he looked at her. "What did I do?"
"Don't worry about it, she'll come around..."
* * *
Scootaloo was sulking outside the Apple Family's barn. Sweetie had gone home for the evening, and Apple Bloom was inside cooking dinner.
"Mom likes that other changeling more than she likes me!" She huffed. "I don't know why she even keeps me around. First chance she got, she was forgetting about me. It's not FAIR!" She whipped around and drove a hoof into the barn door. She instantly regretted the decision, hopping in place and holding her hoof. "Ow, ow, ow..." She fought back a tear from the pain. "Stupid door..."
"Hey." A filly's voice called out. It was Sweetie Belle. "What's goin' on?"
"Huh? Is that you Sweetie? I thought you went home."
"Yeah, but it was boring, so I came to check up on you. I heard you talking to yourself, then I heard a bang, then I heard someone saying 'ow' a whole lot. You okay?" She sat next to Scootaloo.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just..."
"Lonely?" Sweetie tilted her head. "I understand that. I've been lonely a lot, too."
"You, Sweetie? Even with your parents and Rarity?"
"Sure. Everyone gets lonely." She smiled softly.
Scootaloo nodded, unsure what else to say, and stared down at the ground beneath her hooves for a moment.
Eventually, Sweetie spoke again. "I've got an idea, let's go have some fun!" She grinned. "C'mon, follow me!" Sweetie got up and began to gallop off into the distance.
Scootaloo tilted her head, but followed after a moment of indecision. "Where are we going?"
"To have fun!" Sweetie giggled.
Scootaloo followed quietly. They ran down the road from the farm, through the market square, past town hall, and right up to the theater. A play was in progress, and the sounds of archaic language could be heard faintly from outside.
"All right, we need to sneak in there." Sweetie said, biting her lip a little and looking over the building. "I think I have an idea."
"Why are we sneaking in there? It doesn't look very fun, Sweetie."
"Trust me!" She giggled. "Follow my lead." She trotted up to the door, where a single stallion acted as a gatekeeper. "Hi mister! My sister's in here, she told me to come find her after I cleaned my room. Scootaloo is my friend."
"Hi there, kids. Do you have your tickets?"
"Sure do!" Sweetie reached around to grab them, but then widened her eyes and began to pat herself frantically. "Oh no! I think I dropped them! I'm sorry! Rarity's gonna be so mad with me!" Her lip quivered.
The guard stuck out his lip a bit and looked around before sighing and waving a hoof. "Aw, go on in. Have a good time, kids. It's nice to see young ones taking an interest in classics!"
"Really?! Thanks mister!" She beamed and hopped inside.
Scootaloo waited until they were out of earshot before she whispered, "how did you do that?"
"It's called a 'hussle'." She smiled. "Can you guess why we're here?"
"To get a nap?" Scootaloo looked at the play and yawned.
"Look over there. Top floor, third row, second column." She pointed to a section of seats that was overhanging stage left.
"Is that... is that Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara?" Filthy Rich was sitting next to them, obviously their chaperone for the night. The pair were ignoring the play entirely, instead just quietly talking with each other. Silver Spoon had the aisle seat.
"Yep!" Sweetie grinned maliciously and rubbed her hooves together. "Ever wanted to get back at them for picking on you guys so much?"
"Wow, Sweetie... I didn't know you were so vengeful..." Scootaloo hesitated. "... but yes." She nodded fervently. "It's gotta be EPIC though. Like seriously amazing."
"Oh, it will be..." She snickered again and pointed up toward the ceiling. "See those catwalks up there? One of them is going right over their seat. All we need to do now is get to the props and makeup. Come on, follow me... and stay quiet."
Scootaloo felt her heart racing. She really didn't know Sweetie was such a troublemaker. She was also fairly amazed that she was going along with this plan. Mischief was par for the course as a Cutie Mark Crusader, obviously, but this was... almost too far. Almost.
The theater, viewed as a floorplan, was best described as a ring of concentric half-circles. The outermost ring was a lobby that enveloped the theater proper, and at either end of the half-circle was a door marked "STAFF ONLY DO NOT ENTER". The door Sweetie led them to was stage right, and flanked on either side by large potted plants. Sweetie hid behind one and motioned for Scootaloo to hide behind the other.
Scootaloo was just about to ask what they were doing when the door clicked and a mare with a clipboard stepped out, distracted by whatever she was doing. Sweetie moved behind her just in time to stick a hoof in the closing door, and motioned for her partner in crime to follow again. Once they had passed through into the staff-only area, Sweetie looked around. "Costumes and props are there! See if you can find feathers or something else light and airy that would stick easily." She grinned. "I'm gonna go get something else. When you have it, go up that stairway over there until you find the catwalks. You'll see me right over where they're sitting, okay?"
"Sweetie, this is crazy. What are we doing?"
"Come on, it's gonna be fun, don't be a ch--" she paused, seeing a glare from Scootaloo. "Fraidey-cat."
Scootaloo hesitated another moment before nodding silently, and Sweetie bolted off.
She searched around for feathers or anything similar, but couldn't find more than a few that were attached to costumes. Eventually though, she saw a pile of pillows in the corner. She bit her lip for a moment before she walked over and began to rip them open. She pulled over a nearby bucket and began to fill it with feathers. After about two minutes, she'd filled two ten-gallon buckets with feathers. She found what she assumed was a walking stick prop and used it to lift both buckets over her back at the same time.
The climb up the stairs was the hard part. They were a metal mesh, and they made noise if she moved too fast. The railing was also a problem, since if the buckets hit them at all, it made an awful racket. Eventually she got up to the top where the catwalks were. A quick glance down had her regretting this decision. They were at least ten meters above the stage, and she couldn't fly! She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked around for Sweetie. Eventually she saw her with a bucket of her own. She was mixing something vigorously. Scootaloo slowly made her way over.
"I got the feathers," she whispered, "what now?"
"Just hold on to 'em." She pulled the stirring stick away from the big bucket she had.
"What is that stuff?" Scootaloo asked as she carefully sat the bucket down. She noticed that the seats their targets were in were only about three meters below them.
"Liquid latex!" She smiled. "They use it to do makeup. So... I'm gonna dump this on them, then you're gonna dump those on them. They'll be sorry they ever called you a chicken!"
Scootaloo grinned. She knew it was wrong but she couldn't help but smile at the idea of those two finally getting what was coming to them. "Oh, I'm in."
* * *
The play was reaching one of the most iconic moments.
"Great Caesar,--"
"Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?" Caesar motioned incredulously to the ponies in front of him.
"Speak, hooves for me!" A pony shouted from behind him before plunging a dagger into his back. The others stood and soon a flurry of daggers were being buried into him.
Eventually, the pained and shocked Caesar's eyes met Brutus, who quickly pulled his dagger back.
"Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar." Caesar fell to his side.
At that moment, a scream could be heard from the section over stage left, as two fillies were drenched in liquid latex, and moments later covered in feathers. The distinct sound of two more fillies laughing and fleeing along the catwalk was clearly audible. The players, however, were far too professional to stop the play.
"Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets."
"Some to the common pulpits, and cry out 'Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!'"
"People and senators, be not affrighted; fly not; stand stiff: ambition's debt is paid."
* * *
A few minutes later, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo leaned against the railing of a bridge outside, catching their breaths both from running and from laughing.
"Did you see their faces?" Sweetie asked breathlessly, a massive smile on her face.
"That... was... perfect!" Scootaloo managed between breaths. "You were right, that was fun!"
"What was fun?" A stallion's voice said from behind them.
The fillies turned around, all joy sapped from their faces, as they saw a police stallion looking at them with profound displeasure.
* * *
There was a knock on the door of Carousel Boutique, and Rarity looked up. "Pardon me, you two," She said quietly to Echo and Ricochet, "I need to get this. Just stay back here, I'm sure nopony will see you." She trotted to the door and opened it, to find the Police Stallion standing there, Sweetie and Scootaloo standing behind him and looking ashamed.
"I believe one of these is your sister? Her parents are currently out of town."
"Yes... that's Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo's mother is here too. What happened?"
"They played a bit of a prank on a couple of their classmates, and... well, let's just say these two won't be allowed at the theater any time soon... and that they'll both be required to do 30 hours of community service."
Rarity sighed and nodded. "Yes. I understand. Thank you, officer, I can take it from here. Have a lovely evening."
"You too, Miss Rarity." He turned and left, and the door was closed behind him.
"Echo, I think we have a little problem to tend to."
"What now?" Echo came around the corner.
"Our little fillies here got in a bit of trouble with the law. Seems they both have 30 hours of community service to do."
"Oh, please," Sweetie Belle cackled, walking into the center of the room before erupting into flames, revealing Queen Chrysalis. "Like I'd ever actually do that?"
That explains a lot. Scootaloo thought to herself.
Rarity screamed and held out a chair in front of her. "What did you do with Sweetie Belle?!"
"She's upstairs asleep." Chrysalis shrugged, waving a hoof dismissively. "I didn't hurt her. Didn't even touch her."
Echo slowly began to laugh. Scootaloo noticed that it was actually more than a little unsettling... like something in her mom had just broken. "You're wrong about one thing Mother... you're going to do that community service..."
"I hardly think you can --"
"You got Scootaloo in trouble with... whatever you did. So... rather than make her do that, you're going to do it for her, right?"
"Well... I..." She growled at Echo. "I suppose that's fair!"
"You're also going to do it for Sweetie Belle, aren't you?" Rarity walked up to the Queen, suddenly quite bold.
"I don't think so!" Chrysalis laughed loudly.
"Oh, but I do! You're still on probation with the Princesses! All I have to do is tell Twilight about this, and POOF! Off to the dungeons with you!"
Chrysalis' eyes widened and she sputtered a little. "Damn it!"
"Ha!" Echo pointed. "Gotcha!"