"Here!" Shifting landed on the windowsill, opening her hooves to reveal a wriggling mass that partially dropped onto Umbra's bed, and her. She squeaked in surprise, falling off the bed and swatting at herself wildly a moment before she could even grasp what was going on. "Sorry..."
"Don't just... drop things on people to say hi." Umbra regarded the grubs that were scattered on her bed. "And these are... grubs." She leaned in at them. "They aren't that... small, are they?"
"Changeling grubs? No. Well, to start, first eggs!" Shifting pantomimed the egg shape. "About this big."
"That's about... infant sized... Alright, that part's normal..."
Shifting peered at Umbra doubtfully. "Can ponies even lay eggs?"
"One way to find out." She did not seem dissuaded. "But a few questions. Let's start with what grubs are these? Pretty sure they don't belong on my bed..."
"Should I clean them, ma'am?" Purple Polish hadn't left, but also wasn't moving. It was up to Umbra if she acted.
Shifting casually released what she held outside to rain to the ground. "Sorry... Um, pretty sure those... I don't know... Do you know any baby mammal that you see?"
"Actually... a lot of them..." Umbra never thought about that before, striking. "Huh... Must be an education thing... But a baby kitten and a newborn puppy would be easy to spot! A little newborn horse--" She paused there, realizing that could be an odd thing to bring up. "Most little baby mammals are easy to spot, to me."
Shifting sat on her haunches on the sill she hadn't left. "You went to a school, like Equestria High?"
"Yep!"
"And they taught you to identify baby animals? That's a curious skill." She hopped down, bouncing off the bed on the way to the ground. "Does it come up a lot?"
"Well... Oh. Purple, yes, please. Try not to hurt them though. Not like they asked to be used as an example here."
"Of course, ma'am." Purple advanced in the wrong direction, returning with a a large glass jar she began collecting the little grubs into. "I'll take them back outside."
"Thank you, but, back to the topic at hand, er hoof." She waggled one of those hooves at Shifting. "I will be laying an egg, if anything. A nice smooth egg that we'll get to take care of until, pop, a grub, larger than what you brought me. But this is... outside the point. None of that matters if you don't want to."
"Do you?" Shifting flicked her tail in a sudden agitated swish. "I appreciate you asking me, but what's your opinion? You'd be the mother, so your opinion counts, a lot actually. Like if you don't want it, then we're done."
"An egg sounds a lot easier than the alternative." Visions of birth in media haunted Umbra in a shuddering moment. It was rarely depicted in a kind way. "But that's not what you're asking."
"Nope! Related, but no." Shifting booped Umbra, setting a hoof on her nose. "Do you want to start a family like that? Do you want a child? We aren't even married yet!" She clopped her hooves to her colored cheeks. "And already you're asking about that?"
Umbra huffed softly. "If we were in disagreement on this, it could be a real drag on how things play out. Like if one of us wanted a natural birth and the other didn't want to be involved in that at all... That would be awkward, and kind of awful to find out after marrying. Adoption's also a thing, as is not having one at all."
Which brought a question to Umbra. "Purple, are there foals in need of adoption around here?" Humans, they needed adopting.
"I don't know, ma'am." She put a lid on her collecting jar. "Princess Cadance would, however. I recommend asking her. I'll be right back, without these, and to clean the space." She walked from the room with purpose, but no hurry.
Shifting worried her hooves a moment. "I'm overthinking this... But I do want your opinion."
"Right right... This may come off as silly." Umbra formed a curved shape with her body, not coiling on herself, but far from straight, more an S shape with her spine from side to side. "Before... I was trapped in a male body. The idea of being mother was a fantasy, a distant one, impossible... Now, here it is, in front of me. I have a potential partner, and a body that can do it... and I won't lie, a big part of me is giggling like a fool, wanting to... just do it... but that isn't all mature, and I know that."
What she did not expect was to be tackled suddenly and hugged fiercely. Shifting grasped at her, hooves pressing and pulling frantically, as if Umbra might slip away at any moment. "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Umbra slipped away, though only a foot. She became a shadow to do it, reforming that short distance away. "You didn't do anything."
"I... know... what that's like, to want something so bad, but it feels like it's so far away..." Shifting shuffled in place. "When I was in the hive, that was being happy, or even surviving. I wasn't... I thought I couldn't do either... When I got away, I was... I was so happy." She suddenly smiled with a little squeak. "I still can't stop smiling like an idiot. Here I am, alive, and happy... Surrounded by creatures that like me... even with the truth out! I can be... me... It's... I get it!"
"Which is why we're having this chat." Umbra sat back slowly. "Because if you're not feeling it, we're done. This is not a make or break for me. You are. I'd rather skip it if it meant my favorite little crystal bat that is also a changeling got upset."
Shifting came in close, touching her nose to Umbra's cheek. "It scares me... But a lot of things we've done scare me, and we made it... With you... I'm pretty sure we can figure it out, like adults."
"Like adults!" cried Umbra, the two sharing a loud high-hoof together. "We'll talk about our problems, reasonably and honestly."
"We'll come to understandings with patience and listening." Shifting nodded, the giggling getting worse. "Adulting is awesome. Why did they keep telling the young people that it sucks?"
"Well! To be fair, it also comes with responsibilities and counting your bits and all that."
"Pfft!" Shifting waved that away. "A small price for this super power we share. Besides, we like our job."
Actually... "I think most ponies like their job. It's a pony thing. Welcome to the herd!"
"I did not agree to a herd." Shifting raised a brow at Umbra. "I'm a shapeshifter. Aren't I enough all on my own?"
"Um... true... I didn't mean it that way. I more meant the herd of all the ponies." She waved a hoof broadly. "That herd, the big one."
"Oh! Okay." The momentary concern was released with a return of her smile. "Now, about little ones... If you want it, and you're ready for that... I'll get ready. I'll be scared and confused... But you'll be there, right?"
"As if I won't be both of those things sometimes?" She snorted, a bit of shadow magic escaping her lips. "We'll be confused, together. At least Cadance is marching ahead of us, so we can pester her with questions, and we'll adult through this mess!"
"Adulting!" Shifting scooted out of the way as Purple came through to clean the bed. "Sorry about that..."
"Please try not to leave a mess where it will bother her." Purple dutifully set to repairing the mess left on Umbra's bed.
Umbra didn't look so upset. "Well, that's settled, mostly. You skipped a part, a big part." She spread her hooves wide. "Huge part really... Is this something you even physically want to do?"
"Huh?" Shifting looked confused a moment, but it dawned. "Oh. I'm... I'm not against that... I just didn't have somepony to do that with, so that's new..." She coughed, colored darkly at the thought. "I'm more surprised you don't mind that... from me... Most people don't want to think about their mare of a friend climbing on top of them like that."
Umbra howled in blushing laughter. "You're a shapeshifter, we just went over that. Even not-queens could, in theory, be whatever gender they felt like, couldn't they?"
"Well... technically... Most changelings have a favorite, and mostly stick to that, unless they gotta for spying." She started as something brushed her snout. Umbra's mane decided it needed to be part of things. "Hello there. I don't think hair has a strong opinion on foals."
Umbra gently brushed her mane aside. "We're having adult conversations, and you are specifically my not-adult side, so relax. We'll play later." She moved in past her tamed mane. "Chrysalis is a lady, right?"
"It's complicated." Shifting rubbed at her cheek. "But in the end, what she is, yes. She likes being a queen, and she is a queen. She also lays, like, most of the eggs, so... female, that's her. You call her 'King Chrysalis' and you will get bitten. I don't suggest a friendly chat with her at any time, misgendering her or not."
"Well, I don't want to do that." Umbra looked back to her bed, cleaned and straightened. "Good job. Sorry we made that for you to clean in the first place."
"No trouble at all, ma'am." Purple pointed to the door. "You two seem engrossed in... private matters. Would you prefer I wait outside until called?"
"That's an option?!" Of course it was. It was just one that hadn't occurred to Umbra. "I mean, um... Yes, please. No offense, but this is kinda private stuff."
Purple made herself scarce without another word, the door clicking shut behind her. Shifting nodded at the closed door. "She's good at her job. Alright, so... we're clear. I'm a lady." She pointed at herself. "But I have no problem with the idea of being a guy long enough to give my favorite other lady the child, or children, she is dreaming of. Um... Relatedly... changelings and ponies..." She brought her hooves together. "They could end up being not changelings or ponies. Are you... alright with that?"
Umbra pondered that option. "Huh... changeling ponies? That could be... interesting, and maybe horrifying, or just amazing. We'll find out." She put a hoof under her chin, glaring with deadly intent. "But if we made them, they're our responsibility. They didn't ask us to go do that. I will shower them in care whatever they end up being, because I refuse to be that kind of parent!"
"I'm sorry."
Umbra blinked at that soft phrase. "What are you sorry for?"
"You had a bad parent... Been there... Not fun." Shifting did her best to push the concept back literally. "Let's not be those. But we won't smother them either. Those can be bad too!"
"Oh, wow, yes... Helicopter parents."
"What?"
Another human term, lost on a random pony, or changeling. "They hover over their children, ready to pounce on any perceived trouble." Umbra hopped forward in a demonstration. "The worst of them can be almost as bad as the ones not paying attention. Let's try to find a happy middle ground, where our spawn can discover themselves, but always feel like they have a nice safe nest waiting for them, where they will be safe and loved, and can retreat to when life gets rough."
Shifting sighed gently. "That sounds wonderful... You... seem ready for this. More ready than me, that's for sure! Have you been a parent before? Besides a wet nurse, know you're doing that."
"Sort of? I've played parent to friends I met that really needed one... Where I came from, in the situation I was in, found families were big... Your family sucks? Get a new mom! Get a new dad! I did that a few times, for other people, being the mom to hold them and tell them it'll be alright..."