After a joyful reunion with Mirage, Ribbon ad had to go about getting the hive back in order, leaving me to my own devices. Once more entering my own shadow, I took a moment to think. Why hadn't Ribbon been able to fly in here? Its not like gravity was an issue, because it didn't make a difference. One of the things that just felt lacking here, was that feeling of wind in my face didn’t happen as I flew about… wait. wind in my face. thats it! there was no air resistance, so there was nothing for her wings to push down against and generate lift! With that problem in mind, I floated down, until I eventually reached unfinished attempt at an island I had mentioned to Ribbon.

Closing my eyes, I focused, willing it to change. With a rumble noise, the peaks and cliffs of it dissolved back into the abyssal essence of this realm, leaving a much more level surface. Soon, I willed some of it up, commanding it to take form. When I opened my eyes, the beginnings of a wooden house lay upon the island. From there, I bugan create more of it, willing windows, and furniture into appearance. Soon it was complete, and I manipulated the essence below it until a large cavern was created, a basement.

Looking around, with a thought, I caused the essence surrounding the island to become more viscous, until it had sludge like consistency. returning to the house, and stepping into the basement, I begun adding numerous devices, ones that would find much use when I next brought Ribbon here. As I added more and more, I stopped, before deciding to once again try experimenting with extra limbs. I returned to the surface of my island and focused, and after collecting some essence into a few orbs, shaped them into tendrils. I then stuck them to my sides, and giggled as I moved them around. Looking about, and deciding I had enough for now, I left the little island home, and resumed floating about.

As I drifted about, I begun thinking. Just how much could I mold this place?

‘Hey, Chi?’

-Yes?-

‘I was wondering if you’d like to come help me in my lab.’

-Sure.- I made my way back to the entrance of my shadow, before deciding to be sneaky. Moving my own shadow, I begun creeping down the tunnels. -Where is it, anyway?-

‘It’s right near where the forge is.’

Making a quick left, I begun heading in the direction of the forge, before hanging a quick right at the entrance, and drifted closer to where I sensed Ribbon. within a minute, I was at the entrance to the lab, and slid under the door. Now comes the fun bit. Emerging, I waited for her to put down whatever she was messing with, before tapping her on the shoulder with my forehoof.

“Yes? Oh!” She turned to see me. “Good, you’re here… to...” She was staring at something behind me.

“Is something wrong?”

“You didn’t say you could bring them out with you.”

“Bring what ou…” I quickly looked at my sides, and to my surprise, the tendrils I had created inside my shadow, where still attached to my sides. “I did not know I could do that.” They looked just as solid as they had inside my shadow, and just as sticky too. I grinned mischievously.

“D-don’t you dare.” She said, nervously. I quickly coiled them around Ribbon, pulling her into a hug. “Ewww, they’re still sticky!” With her securely stuck, I peeled one away from her, before coiling the end of it around her muzzle. She whimpered at the icky feeling.

“Just be quiet and enjoy the moment.” I said with a peaceful smile on my face.

“Ugh, those things look disgusting, whatever they are.” Turning my head, I locked eyes with Loveless.

“Why are you here?” I inquired, still holding Ribbon.

“I work here.”

“She does?” I turned to look at Ribbon quizzically. She nodded, before I peeled the tendril away from her muzzle. “Since when?”

“Since I don’t have time to take proper care of my ingredients and tools. She keeps my lab in working order when I don’t have time.” She said, still squirming around trying to get out of the abyssal limbs.

“Oh. So what did you want me for, anyway?”

“I wanted you to test something.”

“Test what?”

“I’ve been trying to find a way to copy Twilights ‘soul sight’ ability. I think I found it. If you could just...” I put her down, and peeled the tendril away from her.

“You have my interest.” I said, before turning and giving Loveless a similar mischievous look.

Ribbon floated a strange purple, bubbling, potion my way. I grabbed it, and stared at it. “Dare I ask what you put in this?”

“Mainly a few species of mushrooms, powdered snake scales, a type mold, and mixed it with magic.”

“So of course you choose the one pony who wouldn't be bothered by this potentially being fatal.” I gave Ribbon a suspicious look.

Ribbon chuckled sheepishly. “Well, yeah, did you think I was going to put someone else at risk when you can literally get back up from anything?”

I sighed. “Welp. bottoms up.” I quickly chugged down the concoction, and gagged at the taste. “Oh, god! My poor tongue! It’s like the lovechild Between brussel sprouts and anchovies!”

“There not that bad.” I looked at the two of them, unable to tell which one just said that.

“...What is wrong with you? why would you like those!?”

“I like a lot of things.”

“But why thos- What the hell is behind you.” it was tall, thin, and flapping its arms about, waving back and forth in an invisible wind, and it wasn't there a few moments ago.

Ribbon, confused, looked behind her at the strange thing. “There’s nothing there...” She looked at me worryingly. “Maybe you should lay down.” Now it had teeth.

“Oh god!” I grabbed ribbon with one tendril and yanked her away from form it, before grabbing a surprised Loveless in the other and holding her in front of us defensively. “Eat her instead!”

“That thing is revolting! I demand you let go of me at once!” It lunged at her… And passed right through her?

“Ribbon? I think that potion is making me trip balls without being high!…” I explained, even as everything started changing colors.

“Chi you’re ok, just calm down and close your eyes! Don’t look at anything!” I did as she said to, and sighed in relief as the sensations assaulting my eyes subsided. I think I was seeing sounds! I then heard a low growl…

“What was that? Who just growled at me?” I inquired, panic in my voice.

“Noling growled at you, you’re fine.”

“Don’t worry, everything will be ok.” Ribbon said in a calming tone before everything faded into black.

“Hey, you can wake up now, the effects should have worn off now.”

I slowly opened my eyes, and found I was back in the bed room, RIbbon staring lovingly into my eyes. I sighed in relief. “Oh thank god its over.”

“I remember you saying something about a surprise? You can take your time though, that looked rather traumatic.”

“Not traumatic, just freaky as hell. But if you want to see the surprise I have for you, then by all means, I’ll show it to you.” I said cryptically, as I sunk into my own shadow, before wrapping a tendril around ribbon, and pulling her in with me.

Once inside, I turned and gave Ribbon a loving smooch, before gliding in the direction of the island I had made.

“So.” she said as she struggled against the tendrils grip. “What's the surprise?”

“Well, first of all, I finished that island for the most part, including a little house. The surprise is in the basement.” As I finished that, the island came into view. Once I landed, I pulled open the door to the house with my free tendril, before walking into the basement, where I set down ribbon, and dismissed the tendrils, causing them to dissolve. “It should be right… Here!” I exclaimed as I picked up and odd, helmet like contraption.

“It looks wet, and sticky. Does everything here have to be wet and sticky?”

“For the most part, it just does that if I don’t decide on what material it's made of. But anyway, I know you liked having the tendrils… so I thought, would you like… Being a Keeper?” I asked, rhetorically, as I slid the helmet on her head. Within a few seconds, it begun rapidly enlarging her, until a duplicate of the Keeper was standing before me. Ribbon stared at me, a few bubbles coming from where her mouth would be.

-So, what do you think?- A few more bubbles came up and popped where her mouth was. She looked down, I had the impression that she was looking at the end of her muzzle at the bubbles.

‘I feel like that weird stallion in Ponyville that bathes in jam.’ Ribbon picked her hoof up and a thick strand of abyssal remained, connecting her hoof to the floor.

-Wait, what?! Somepony does that?- She was inspecting the strand.

‘Yep. I don’t like him.’ She flicked her hoof, dispelling the strand only for a new one to form from a piece that dripped off.

-Why? are you… jelly?-

‘I’d rather not talk about it.’

“Okay, if you don’t want to, I won’t make you.” I said, putting a hoof on her shoulder in a comforting gesture… only to find it stuck when I tried to pull it away. I pulled harder and a large blob pulled away with my hoof.

Ribbon looked at it. ‘This stuff would get on everything.’ The blob on my hoof soon dissolved back into abyssal essence. I noticed she was staring at me.

“Are thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

She tilted her head, not really having any other way to convey confusion. ‘Probably not.’

“You’re a really sticky slime like creature. If you really wanted to, you could probably have your way with me right now.”

‘Sooo, hentai. You made this after my last comment about that thing that lives in here, didn’t you?’

“Maaaaybe.”

‘You think about sex a lot more than I do. Your libido must be massive.’

“Probably. Then again, sex as a mare is amazing.”