After Ribbon had walked me out of the castle, she had me make my way down to the market district, where she began browsing the wares displayed in the windows of several shops. Not really paying attention to any of the items and more to the ponies around us. At least until she passed a clothing store. She took a good look at the main piece of the display, a pink ball gown of all things.

-Oh my god. I swear, if you decided to shop for clothing when we should be trying to catch an assassin…-

‘I know where my priorities lay… I think you’d look good in something red, maybe in a black rose pattern?’ Ribbon glanced at some of the other pieces and continued down the road.

-Dresses are not something I’m keen on. I can see you in a robe with some fuzzy bunny slippers though.-

‘Really? I would have thought you’d be thinking of something a little more… see through.’

-Goddamnit, I’m a nymphomaniac, not a pervert!-

‘Isn’t that the same thing, though? If you’re not having it, you’re thinking about it.’

-Hey! I don't go and stare at other ponies plot devices.-

*Crack!*

-What wa- - Something impacted the back of my neck, sending a cascade of agony through my body, Ribbon held my hoof up to my neck, and it came away covered in green blood, before I begun to tip, and crashed into the ground.

-Oh fuck, I think I just got shot.-

I felt Ribbon retract control, leaving me in control of myself as I bled out, my attempt at screaming only creating a gurgling noise and causing more blood to splash out of the wound. Ponies were running away screaming, and everything was starting to get dark… The last thing I managed to see where the black forms of Ribbons guards take off...

“Shouldn't she be… awake by now?” a voice… I think it was Celestia’s, asked.

“I can still sense her through our link, faintly, but you’re right, she's gotten up a lot faster before.” Ribbon’s voice replied.

“Maybe it's because she was in a different form?” I heard Celestia say.

I groaned, before coughing. Goddamnit, was there still blood in my lungs? ...Why do I still sound like Ribbon?

I felt Ribbon wrap her hooves around me, as I cracked my eyes open. “There you are, I was worried you wouldn’t come back this time.”

“How long was-” I coughed again. “was I out?” I froze up upon realizing something didn't feel right with my wings. Looking behind me, I was surprised to see that I was still disguised as Ribbon. “Did you catch them?”

“Yes. And the guard gave him a bit of a beating too, understandably so, since he used a griffon firearm.” Ribbon chuckled bitterly.

“I still think that was unnecessary, and you shouldn’t find joy in hurting others.” I turned to see Celestia giving Ribbon a disapproving look.

“Than let's have somepony shoot Princess Luna and then you can tell me that. I don’t care if you think it was ‘unnecessary’, I won’t reprimand my guard for it.” Celestia still looked disappointed.

“That was not a pleasant experience, bleeding out.” I managed to utter, before having another coughing fit. “I think I still have some blood in my lungs or something. Did you get him to talk?”

“No, we were waiting for you.”

I coughed again. “Does he know I was acting as her body double? because I think he’ll be pretty rattled to see his target looking perfectly fine after being shot in the neck.”

“Again, no. And… I’m sorry I let go... you were in too much pain for me to focus on you.”

“No need to-” I was interrupted by another coughing fit. “Need to be sorry. I’d rather you not have to experience the sensation of bleeding out.”

“Are you sure you’re ok, you’re coughing an awfully lot.” I looked over at Celestia, the concern was written clearly on her face.

“Like I said, there might be a bit of blood still in my lungs. Let's just get this over with so I can go back to the hive and curl up with RIbbon.”

Sitting on the other side of a one way mirror, was the pony that shot me. The unicorn was, at the moment, trying to break the chain linking his hind leg to the table, to no success. His brown coat was rather badly messed up, and his grey mane and tail made him seem aged. Walking into the room, still using Ribbons form due to being unable to focus enough with my constant coughing fits to turn back, I stared into his eyes, waiting for a response. He stopped trying to break the chain, and turned to sneer at me, before his eyes went wide.

“Surprised to see me?” I asked, smirking.

“You... I... B-but.” He stammered, unable to make a full sentence in his shock.

“It hurt, you know. Do you have any idea how it feels to bleed out, unable to scream for help as blood fills your lungs?” His ears folded back at my comment.

I started coughing again, why can’t I just get the blood out of my lungs yet? My coughing seemed to have snapped him out of his daze. “But I-i thought I… With, with the firearm and… H-how are y-you still… here?”

“I-” I suddenly began coughing, a lot harder than before. And this time, I couldn't get myself to stop,until something expelled itself from my lungs, and shot out my mouth before clattering across the table. “Oh god that feels better.” Opening my eyes, I saw that it was half a musket round. “Now as I was saying, I just got back up.”

“My Celestia! What kills you demons!”

“See, that's the wrong question, what you should be asking, is what keeps me dead.” I said, before dissolving into miasma, and reforming into my normal form… Okay, I may have exaggerated the fangs.

“I’ll tell you anything I know, just don’t eat me! Meeting places, names, anything!”

“That’s more like it.”

“Did you see the look on his face when I told him ‘I just got back up’?”

“Not the time, Chi. So this… Crystal Summon is the mastermind behind this?” Ribbon reprimanded me.

“Raised Pitch seems to be their recruiter.”

“What about when I coughed up the bullet?”

The two seemed to ignore me and continued. “On top of that, we have Tough Hide, Closed Eyes, and Yielding ‘Hammer’ Rock. Interesting nickname.”

“You ponies and your weird ass names.” Ribbon, Celestia, and Hardy looked up from the file with a weird look on there faces. “What?”

The others seem unsure what to say. Ribbon decided to speak up first. “I think maybe you shouldn’t eat so much fear.”

I felt my ears fold back, before I whined. “But it was so gooood!” I rested my head on the table and gave my best attempt at a sad face, but it didn't faze either of them.

“Chitsuki? you’re acting like my sister when she first tasted coffee.” Celestia said in a deadpan tone.

“I don’t see the problem.”

“You’re acting delirious, even I know when I’ve had enough.”

“How do you know that? do you start puking rainbows?” I said in a singsong voice.

“No. It’s like drinking, I know my limit.”

Before she could react, I pulled her into a hug, making an almost purr like noise. “Your so cuddly!”

“I will never get how you find chiten cuddly, but I’m not going to question it.” I moaned in reply. “I bet you’re an ‘I love you’ drunk.”

“...Are you a wizard?”

“No… just a changeling...” There was a good long moment of silence before anyone spoke up. “So who should lead the raid on this warehouse?” Ribbon, directing her question at Celestia.

“Ohhhhh, a raid?” I said with childlike curiosity, still holding onto Ribbon like a life size plushie.

“Shhh, the adults are talking.”

“I am an adult.”

“Then get a job and prove it.” Ribbon said in a joking manner.

“I do, I keep you fed.”

“Oh, so hanging out with me is a job?”

“Hey, it's not like anyone would hire me, with how I look and how quirky I am… Okay, Maybe Pinkie, but I can't bake worth a damn.”

“Shapeshifting. I know you can, I saw you turn into a T-rex once.”

“And barely lasted five minutes before burning through my entire supply of magic, and how would that get me a job, anyway?”

“Really? Cause you held my form for nearly an entire day.”

“Do you think that additional mass come from nowhere? Your actually slightly smaller then me, so I didnt even feel any drain.”

“Exactly my point.”

“What are you getting at?”

“You’re not very smart when you’re drunk. You can turn into me for, probably, days at a time. So, you can turn into anypony for days at a time.”

“I still don't get it.”

“Ok. Chi? Why don’t you go see Cloak, I bet she’d love to hang out with you.”

“But she's not you… and she's not cuddly.”

“I don’t care, I have work to do. Go find Cloak, I’ll tell her to have a bunch of cookies ready for you.”

“Did you say… Cookies?” Ribbon nodded her head and I took off to find Cloak. Screaming the ‘Cookies’ as loud as I could.

“THE COOKIES!” I shouted as I burst into the room Cloak was in, still feeling like a three year old on a sugar high.

“AHHH!!”

*Meanwhile, somewhere else.*

In a darkened room lit only by a few spares candles and the fireplace, a lone figure sat with a few papers on his desk and glass of wine, patiently biding his time.

Another figure entered, quickly in respect bowing before it.

“What news do you bring of our latest attempt? I put a lot of work into those assassins, and yet they fail to stomp out that meddling insect, and by proxy, that accursed black magic wielding alicorn.”

“He succeeded, sir, but was caught in the process.”

“Then it is time to begin the next phase, Inform the others that we’ll to move ahead with the plans.”