*the next day*

After spending well over a day hidden away in Ribbons shadow, it was time. She had gotten her hooves on some ballons, some string, itching powder, and plastic wrap.

-Ready?-

’Ready. First stop is is the throne room before court is held.’ I let myself dissolve into miasma and emerge from Ribbons shadow, before gathering around her, once again feeling that sudden shift as my vision shifted to what Ribbon was seeing. She took a few moments to look herself over, before stopping for a moment to listen to something. Or rather, a lack of something, as it appears she forgot that even her breathing was soundless now. ‘Its still creepy that I literally look like a silhouette, I mean, look!’ She held a hoof to her snout, leaving me unable to tell where one ended and the other begun.

-Oh, lighten up.-

’Oh, ha ha.’

-If nopony is going to remember what you look like, or even notice you, is it really that big a deal?-

‘True… But it's still creepy. I look like you for heaven's sake!’

-Don’t we have a prank to prepare?-

’Yeah, we better get there before Celestia does.’ Me and Ribbon took off out of the hive towards the castle. getting in was fine but I was wondering how we were going to get into the throne room without making the guards investigate the door opening and closing when something got my attention.

-Do you hear that?-

Ribbon stopped running down the halls and listened. ’I do. What is it?’

-It sounds like somepony… moaning.- Wait… -Correcion, two someponies.-

‘Are you saying there's somepony making out in the castle?’

-Yeah, I think so, you wanna go take a look?-

’...Sure.’ Ribbon set off in the direction of the noise, growing more and more curious. As we got closer, it became apparent the noises where coming from a broom closet.

Ribbon ever so slowly opened the door, revealing a brown stallion, currently not wearing his armor, and a cream white mare, in the middle of a make out session.

Ribbon whistled at them to get there attention, and proceeded to mock them. “Oh, my. Dinner and a show.” A moment of staring and the mare seemed to be getting more nervous. “Can I join?” And like that, the stallion punched Ribbon in the face and closed the door. ’I deserved that.’ She said as she rubbed her muzzle.

-I felt that-

’You did? I think we’ve found our downside to doing this. We both feel pain.’

-Well, better then not feeling anything.- I took the opportunity to rub the offending snout with Ribbons mane, the one thing I could do on my own violation in this form. -Still, that was brilliant. And I have an idea of how to get into the courtroom. Remember the shadow thing I can do?-

’You have a lot of shadow things you can do.’

-The one where I actually go inside the shadow? I was curious, can you do that when we’re like this?-

’How do I do that then?’

-The first time I did it, I was standing on top of your shadow, and wanted to avoid the Princesses attention so badly I literally wanted to sink into the floor just so they couldn't see me. Perhap you just have to will yourself to become one with the shadow? Try it.-

Ribbon looked down at our shadow. before long, it darkened and her hooves sank right in and she would have kept going but she backed out of it. ’Oh that feels so wrong! How can you stand doing that, it feels like I’m being liquified!’

-Huh. Feels more like just becoming so relaxed you melt into a puddle to me. Beside, you can just slip under the courtroom door if you do that.-

‘I’ll do it quickly once we’re there.’ Ribbon quickly made her way back to the courtroom, still chuckling internally at discovering two ponies making out in a broom closet.

At the door stood two stone faced guards. I felt Ribbon reaching out with our magic towards the guards. One of the guards was lifted into the air as all of his armor was removed before being tossed aside. The armor itself stood tall as if somepony was still wearing it and ran down the hall. Of course, with two stallions right behind it, only one still in his armor. I could see the armor collapse when Ribbon let go of it and we rush inside before they returned. ‘That was both easier and more entertaining.’

-Agreed.- We approached Celestia’s throne. Keeping an eye on the few guards in the room, Ribbon quickly poured out some of the powder and used our magic to grind it into the pillow until it would require a close examination to notice it at all. We were just in time as Celestia had come in from the private side of the castle, so we made for the door. One glance back showed Celestia looking at the door that had opened ‘all on its own’ as we left. -Ribbon? I think she's noticed.- Indeed, Celestia was coming our way, a rather suspicious look on her face.

“A perception filter? a rare spell indeed. Show yourself” Ribbon slammed the door closed and backed away from the door.

’She still can’t see us, right? She should forget now that we’re away from her, right?’ The door opened with as much force as Ribbon closed it and a bright flash. After the spots cleared, Ribbon looked up to see Celestia glaring at us.

-She shouldn’t be able to see us.-

“Who are you?”

“She sees us!” Ribbon flung the pouch with the itching powder at Celestia and ran away from her, the irate, and now itchy, princess giving chase.

-The shadows! Hide in the shadows!- Ribbon went into one of the guest rooms and dove right under the bed and into the shadow there.

Celestia was right on us and saw Ribbon go under the bed. See where we went, she calmly strode over and looked under the bed only to see… Nothing. After she stopped to furiously scratch at herself, making a rather… pleased face, she caused a bright flash of light to emit from her horn, causing for the briefest of moments, us to become visible as the shadow vanished in the light.

“I know you’re there. And really? using something as advanced and difficult as a perception spell for pranking?”

-She thinks it's a spell?-

’What did you think it was?’

-Just a perception filter. And how's she even able to remember us?-

‘I’m going to say she has experience with this.’

-She has us cornered. Might as well fess up.-

‘I guess...’ She hesitantly crawled out of the shadow, both me and her slightly worried about Celestias reaction.

The princess appeared somewhat hesitant until I removed the shade from Ribbons head so Celestia would know who she was. “Ribbon? I wasn’t aware you know such advanced spells.”

“I don’t, this is Chi’s spell. Something she’s able to do using her miasma. This,” Ribbon waved her hoof in front of Celestia. “This is her.” I manipulated the miasma currently composing Ribbons tail to wave at Celestia. “I wanted to make her feel better and you were going to be our first target of many.” Celestia started idly scratching her neck and side. “We’d put itching powder on your throne before court and come back later to see how you were fairing.”

“So you used it for pranking. Did you not think of the trouble you would be in if one of the guards had seen through the spell?”

“Not really. Twilight was the first to see, back when the Everfree went crazy, her and her friends attacked us and not even a minute later, forgot we were standing there and what they were doing or why they were doing it. If I recall, after chi had her freakout about when she mistook the fact she wouldn't age for immortality, you saw her do this with me… which also meant you were exempt from the effects that made us unnoticeable, and unrememberable.”

-More like the second she looked away.-

’Eh, details.’

“That is rather… unnerving. what else are you capable of?”

“Well, there was also the odd effect of removing my magical aura, and literally the only sound I've ever made like this is when I choose to speak.”

“Oh? I did not notice that when you originally did performed this.”

“Well, if you want, I guess I could show you?” Ribbon tried to pick up one of the pillows off the bed, only for her horn to light up.

‘Chi?’

-On it.- I let my currently shadowy self settle around Ribbons face again, causing her aura to fizzle out.

“Interesting. Your magical aura isn’t visible anymore. That could be very useful.” Ribbon and I noticed how Celestias ears were swiveling about, like she was trying to listen for something. “Not a sound. I cannot even hear you breath, Yet when you speak, it is perfectly audible. Truly remarkable, and rather unnerving.” She took a moment to study us closer, before reaching ut with her hoof and pressing it agains Ribbons chest, before her fur actually stood on end for a moment as she rapidly retracted it. “That…” She shivered momentarily “I felt resistance, and cold, but nothing more. No texture or anything.”

“You, uh, should probably take a bath.” Ribbon said, noticing how much the itchy Princess was stretching.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’ll have to ask that you keep your pranks to a minimum.” Said Princess Itchy.

“That’s fine Princess. I already threw all the itching powder at you already.” As we left I heard Celestia tell one of the guard to cancel court because of what happened.

-So we used all the powder, what’s next?-

‘Now we fill up the balloons and head out into the city.’

-What do you have planned?-

‘Fill ‘em up, use my magic to make them nice and cold and chuck ‘em at unsuspecting ponies.’

-Brilliant, that is utterly genius! Might I suggesting adding food coloring?-

’Good idea, we’ll get some before we fill up the balloons.’

With the balloons filled, with added color, we just have to pick a good target. We’ve been on the roofs for an hour finding all the good spots, and I believe we’ve found it.

-Attack!- I yelled at Ribbon as she unleashed the barrage of frigid balloons. Their screams of panic and shock are like music as their coats were stained to match that of a tie dye T-shirt that a hippy would wear.

After an effortless escape upon completion of our pranking spree, we made our way to the hive, where I separated from Ribon, feeling much happier now. “That was fun.”

“It was, wasn’t it? Shame I’ll have to back to help Luna with the griffons tomorrow.”

“That… sucks. I guess we’ll have to make the most of what time we have. Perhaps you would like you ‘cuddle bandit’ back?~”

“Oh? Well it has been a while since my cuddles were stolen.”

“Well then, after you.” I smiled as I gestured to the bed, having been longing for a chance to just relax in Ribbons grasp.