The smell of bacon awoke me from my slumber. Opening my eyes, I looked at the tray currently resting on my stomach. It seems I had made ribbon really happy if she made me breakfast in bed. Looking at what was on the tray, I saw the classic bacon and eggs, alongside chocolate chip pancakes, with strawberries and whipped cream on them. “You made me breakfast in bed?” I asked the scout sized changeling standing by my bedside, with a smile on my face.

“Yes I did, I hope you like!” I can hear it in her voice just how happy she was. It’s sort of strange how ‘abducting’ and ‘raping’ her would make her so damn happy, I won’t judge though.

“Well ain't you a happy little lovebug today.” I said, before munching on a strip of bacon. Damn, she’s good. It was crisp, but not crunchy. In other words, this bacon was perfect. “Oh~ and said lovebug really knows how to cook!”

“Easiest way to a stallions, or in this case, mares, heart is through her stomach.”

“You know me too well.” I took a bite out of a pancake, before RIbbon walked over and snuggled into my side. “I love it when you’re all affectionate like this.” she moaned her reply as I kept eating while she hugged into my side. I wrapped my wing around her, feeling her warmth against my side. “You’re just so cute like this, you know? Now open up, its only fair I shared with you since you went through all the trouble of cooking breakfast.” I smiled when she giggled a bit as I picked up a piece of bacon and wiggled it like a worm in front of her face. She even made a show of trying to grab it with her tongue before I dropped it into her waiting maw.

“Its funny, I’m a better cook than you, and I have never needed to eat.”

“Hey, in my defense, take out is tasty, and so where microwave burritos!”

“I doubt a microwave could replicate this.” Ribbon said as she pointed to towards the pancakes.

“True. Very true.” I fed her another piece of bacon. “So, do you have anything planned today?”

“Now that I’m feeling better, I intend to go help with the investigations about the changeling attacks and the targeted attacks on me.”

“I’m helping you this time.”

“I never forbid you from helping me in the first place.”

“But you kept hiding it from me until recently, how was I supposed to help if I didn’t know?.”

“You also would have attacked and killed anything that so much as brushed up against me, until recently.”

I sighed, taking a large bite out of one of the pancakes. “Please don’t remind me.” Desperate to change the subject, I said the first thing to come to mind. “Am I really that cozy?”

Ribbon blushed. “Yes... I admit it, you’re cozy, your fur is really soft, and you’re nice and warm.”

“Ribbon? I don’t want you putting yourself in harm's way. I have an idea for caching an assassin that will keep you safe.”

“What is it?” She said, shifting her position to look up at me.

“Remember back at the Crystal Empire, when you basically puppeteered my body?”

“You want me to control your body and get you poisoned instead? All to catch another would be assassin?”

“In a nutshell, yes. It would also make getting any information out of them easier, if the changeling they thought they killed was perfectly healthy. You nearly died last time. I don’t want to take an unnecessary risk when I can just get back up from whatever they try.”

A smug look appeared on Ribbons face before she replied “And I can actually let you die while looking like me, adding to that effect.”

“I thought you didn’t want me getting hurt?”

“I don’t. But you’ve died how many times now? I think you’ll be just fine, the only real damage you seem to suffer is minor scarring seeing as your horn has a small line were it reattached itself, and that one in your wing. And scars can be fixed, even your horn.”

I tried to see the line she pointed out, but all I managed to do was give myself a headache going cross eyed. It must be near the base.

“I’m… actually suprised thats the only visible sign of damage now that I think about it.”

“I would assume your coat covers most of them.”

“That's probably true.” I said as I finished off the last of the food. “Mind giving me a bit of space so I can transform?” Ribbon scooted away from me. I dissolved, and after a few seconds, reformed into a perfect duplicate of her normal form. “I’m ready when you are.” Even my voice was an exact match. I felt my body begin moving on its own as Ribbon assumed control.

-So, where am I going?-

‘To the Canterlot dungeons. We have a would be assassin to talk to and another to try and catch later.’

-Okay.-

Upon reaching the castle, Ribbon had me land in front of the gate, and wave to the guards before walking into the castle. she rather quickly had me make my way to the area closed off to the public.

“Are you looking for something?” One of the guards asked.

“I’m looking for the dungeons, I wish to talk to the assassin that poisoned me.”

“Oh, him. just go down the hallway to the third intersection, take a left, and you find to the stairway to the lower levels.”

“Thank you.” Ribbon walked me down the hallway, and eventually had me trot down the stairs, where we eventually met the captain of the guard, Fool Hardy.

“I was expecting you… I’m surprised you friend isn't here with you, I figured she want to be here.”

“She didn’t really want me being near him so she’s acting as a double for me, I am speaking through her right now.”

Hardy actually looked a tiny bit disturbed. “If she willingly let you do that, I have no grounds to object to it, no matter how much the concept disturbs me.”

“I suggest you grow past it, such a concept is part of changeling culture and can be beneficial.” Ribbon informed the him.

-Its like instant messaging, with your miiiind!-

“Besides, Chitsuki is the only pony I am capable of doing this with, and only with her consent, as well.” She continued. Ribbon turned to get good look at the pony that poisoned her. Inside the room, the prisoner was chained to the floor and an ink well with some paper just out of his reach. “Has he said anything yet?”

“Not a word. we think he might be mute but we’re not sure.” He held the door open, and Ribbon walked me into the room.

“Remember me?”

He glaring at her.

“That really hurt you know, I had to talk Chitsuki out of trying to eat you alive.” His eyes stared at Ribbon a little more intently at the mention of my name. “We have a few of your fellow would be assassins, they are a lot more talkative than you and will be getting lighter sentences.”

He simply glared harder, looking like he was trying to mouth something. “The guards believe you’re mute, if you’d like to say something use these.” Ribbon pushed a paper towards him and held the quill for him to grab. He took it and wrote something on the paper.

Rot in your hole, you pestilent bug!

-he mad.-

Ribbon sighed in disappointment. “You might as well just tell us. If you don’t, one of the others will.” His response was to spit on Ribbon. Which pissed me off, but I couldn’t do anything.

-that asshole!- A moment of silence passed before Ribbon wiped off his insult and left to talk to Hardy. Back in the other room, the captain had a sour look about him.

“Well, you managed to get a response from him, that’s more than what we’ve managed to do. What did write down?” Ribbon didn’t say anything and just past him the paper. “Pestilent? From the paper that Celestia’s student made, you should be thought of as anything but a pest.”

“I haven’t had a chance to read through it yet, didn’t really think reading a report about us was important, seeing as all the information came from either me or my changelings.”

-What did Twilight say about changelings, anyway?-

“It was rather informative about the situation your hive was in before the attempted invasion, I personally took interest in your culture, or lack thereof.”

-Hey! Don't you call her uncultured!-

‘He’s referring to changelings in general, we never really formed our own culture, instead we adopted what culture is around us. For my hive in particular, that was ponies. And what little we did form is used when dealing with another hive.’

-Oh… Well now I feel silly.-

“We’re going to have to catch another.”

“I'm sorry, what?” Hardy replied, flabbergasted.

“Before I tell you what exactly it is, I need to explain a bit of context so you don’t think i'm insane. Chi can… resurrect after suffering fatal wounds.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Just ask any of the Element Bearers. They saw her revive with their very eyes.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re planning on doing what I think you are.”

“Not my plan, hers, she volunteered to be my body double, fully aware of the fact that she was putting herself in harm's way.”

“Okay, she’s crazy. She's using herself as bait!?”

-Hey, fuck you too, buddy.-

“She also likes to sleep under water, but I've gotten over the fact that she looks like she drowned herself at the spa doing it.”

Hardy just stared at me. “Well…. that does explain how the Nightmare survived on the moon… Is Chitsuki even aware of what she's doing right now?”

-Yes, and you should be thankful I wasn't able to telekinetically slap you upside the head for calling me crazy.-

‘You’re awfully grouchy today.’ “Unlike my link to the rest of my hive, should I do something similar with one of my changelings, she’s aware and able to stop me if she wanted.”

-Well, I did just get spat at by the asshole who poisoned you.-

Once again, Hardy just stared, as if he didn’t understand. “Regardless, I’m going to walk around and wait for another attempt on my life and in case I’m unable to catch the would be assassin myself, I’ll have a number of my guards following discreetly.”