The hive was now in sight, and I could feel my excitement rising. “Oh, this is sooo exciting!”

RIbbon laughed in agreement. “I know, the whole hive will be celebrating this.”

"Really? What is a changeling celebration like, anyway?"

She pauses, deep in thought. "I, I don't really know. I was always out in the field, so I celebrated like a pony, the few times I did celebrate."

"That sucks..."

"With Chrysalis in charge we never really celebrated anything. When she fell there was a bunch of it, so I heard. But all I did was rest after that and get used to being at the hives center."

I couldn't help but giggle at the mention of Chrysalis, after she acted like a feline.

“Whats so funny?”

“Chrysalis, she acted like a cat the last time we let her out…”

her mirthful giggling was music to my ears as we neared the entrance. “Yeah, she did, didn't she."

When we reached it, I was overjoyed at the miracle of life I was soon going to witness.

Making a beeline for the hatching chambers, I grinned like a madman. Upon getting there, I saw the pod containing the egg had already been brought down from the ceiling, and my grin spread further, before I forced myself to remain calm.

"She's becoming a little more active now, shouldn't be too long." Deep breaths, deep breaths, I don’t want to look like a complete idiot. After getting myself under control, I notice Ribbon is now Grinning as well. “Here it is! she’s hatching!”

walking over to the pod, I tried my best to cheer the newest member of the on. “C’mon little dudette, you can do it!” cracks begin spider webbing around the egg, before a hoof punches through the shell.

"That's one. Come on, where's number two?!"

I squealed, before pulling Ribbon into a massive hug. “THIS IS SO EXCITING!”

"Can't... breath..."

I quickly let go, blushing in embarrassment. “Hehe, sorry…”

after a brief fit of coughing, she smiles. "I'm alright." she looks up, and gasps. "Look, she got half way out already."

I couldn't really tell her colors through the pod, but I held my hoof to my chest as I nearly had a heart/diabeetus attack from how cute she looked. "Hnnnnnnnnng! Too much cute!"

After the nymph had crawled all the way out, Ribbon grinned. "Lets get her out!"

I watched, overjoyed, as Ribbon pierced the pod with her horn, and tore it open, before extracting the nymph. Errrr… “Why does she have so many similarities with me?" The nymph had a midnight blue carperace, blue eyes, and a purple mane and tail, like me before my changes took place.

"I don't know, maybe you're the father?" Low blow, Ribbon, LOW, BLOW. I may have gotten used to being a female, but that doesn't mean you get use that as ammunition against me...

"How does that even work!?, we didn't do it until AFTER you laid the egg!"

"Yes, because THAT'S the question you should be asking, completely ignore the fact that we're both mares." You copied some of my traits when you ascended Ribbon, don’t ques-...

"Ribbon, remember when you became a proto-queen?"

Her response was a very slow "Yeeeeeaaaaah?"

"And how you copied some of my traits?"

"Yeeeeeaaaaah?"

"I think that may have been more than just cosmetic... It may be deeper…”

"Do you have a point?"

Watching the nymph crawl on Ribbon, I remembered a discussion we had quite a while back about her name. I couldn’t help but smile and wave at Mirage, causing her to look at me and chirp. Resisting the urge to ‘dawww’, I responded to Ribbons inquiry. "I think you might have absorbed a part of my very being..."

"Wait, you think I'm absorbing your soul?"

“Absorbed PART of it, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now, it would explain how I survived Sombra and the Plunder Vines, how I’m able to merge with you, the telepathy..."

"I don't like it. What if I absorb more of you? What if I already have?!"

“That… Is a very good question…”

"Think Twilight could help?"

"She can see souls, its worth a shot..." Mirage chirps again, and holds her forelegs out towards me, looking hopeful.

"I think she wants you to pick her up." Why must they be so adorable!? Walking over, I bent down and scooped Mirage into my waiting foreleg, before standing back up with her held to my chest.

"I never knew changelings could chirp like that... Its sooo adorable!" Looking down, I noticed Mirage nibbling on my mane, and nearly dropped dead from the cuteness of it.

A louder, slightly deeper chirp brought my attention back to Ribbon, who was slightly blushing. "Really? I thought I already gave you that info..." She then chirped a second time, causing Mirage to chirp back.

"Too... Much... Cuteness..." Ribbon blushes even deeper at that, unsure of how to respond. Luckily, she was spared by Mirage letting out a cute yawn, before slowly dozing off against my chest. I looked back and forth between her and Ribbon, before deciding to use my mane, to lift Mirage out of my grip, and deposited her on the back of my neck, where I used my mane to keep her from falling off. “Getting out of that egg must have been quite tiring…”

"You would be too, if you had to break out of an egg." She pauses, a slightly perplexed look on her face. "And you've taken care of feeding her, I'm surprised you didn't notice." At that moment, I let out a loud yawn. well that explains why I feel so tired.

"Oh, I thought it was just the hype wearing off..."

"Nope, that was her. Now you know how it feels to be Pinkie when she visits." Completely ignoring what Ribbon had said, I could only stare longingly at the pod Mirage had been extracted from. Ribbon notices my stare, and remembers the last time I slept in one. "What? Do you want to sleep in one of them again?"

I sleepily nodded my head. "Yes... I was also wondering if you would like to join me...?"

"Their not really meant to have more than one in them, but since it would only be for one night it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Sure."

"So... where will Mirage be sleeping...?"

"In her crib, where else? Though it's mostly for decoration since she'll probably be climbing the walls when she's awake." Feeling Mirage being lifted from my neck, I turn and see one of the changelings from the hatchery giving me a slight smile, before setting Mirage on her back, and heading in the general direction of me and Ribbons usual sleeping chambers.

"So, where will we find a *yawn* pod big enough for the two of us?"

"We have some bigger pods meant for buffalo and griffons, we can use one of those."

"Lead the... *yawn* way..." after following Ribbon through three chamber, and down a hallway, we arrived in a room with several large and empty pods, several of which showed scars from repeated use.

Ribbon, using her magic, got one of the pods down, and propped it against the chamber wall. She cut it open with some effort, before changing into a pegasus, and beckoning towards it. "You first." Walking over to the now open pod, I turned around, and let myself sink into its gooey interior. When Ribbon entered after me, I swiftly pulled her into my protective embrace, wrapping my wings around her, and felt her curl up into a ball, her head against my chest, while her hooves wrapped around my midsection.

The moment the pod sealed, the buzzing of the hive abruptly ended, leaving me with the sensation of Ribbons heartbeat and breaths against my chest.