We sat in the car in silence for nearly ten minutes after pulling up to Applejack's house. While I didn't know for sure, I could only assume that she was as nervous as I was. We squeezed each other's hand for a couple seconds and finally exited the car.
Trudging through the snow that had been accumulating since the day prior, Sunny broke the silence between us.
“How do you want to do this?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly.
“One of them is bound to ask how you're doing and if we found out what's causing your health issues,” I said before ringing the doorbell. “I say we just keep it on the down-low until they bring up the subject.”
“Sounds good.” Sunny agreed as she shook the snow from her hair.
The sound of the doorknob turning shifted our attention to the house.
“Hey there, Sunset, Twilight.” Applejack said. “We were wondering when y'all were planning on joining the fun.”
“We had a few things to discuss before coming in,” I said.
“Y'all weren't havin’ a lovers’ quarrel before the party, were you?”
“Nah. We were debating on whether or not to spend the night at Twi's parents’ house tomorrow night,” Sunny lied.
“Shoot, it's Christmas. It ought to be a no-brainer,” Applejack said.
“We came to the same conclusion,” I said.
It was about the same a mistletoe attached to a pink hand suddenly appeared between Sunny and me. I poked Sunny in the arm to draw her attention to the small plant. She shrugged her shoulders and planted a sloppy kiss square on my lips.
“Happy now, Pinkie?” Sunny asked.
“How did you know it was me?” Pinkie replied.
“Um, you're the only one of us with pink skin,” I said.
“Huh?” Pinkie paused and looked at her hands. “Oh yeah.” Sunny, Applejack and I all chuckled as she skipped off, giggling.
“So, how was your visit to Equestria?” Applejack asked.
“Pretty good. We visited with Princess Twilight and her friends before going to Canterlot to stay with my parents,” Sunny said. “The usual stuff.”
“Sounds like y'all had a good time,” said Applejack.
We got to the den where the rest of the girls were hanging out and added our jackets to the pile on one of the end tables. Along with our fellow band members and their siblings, we were also joined by a few others that had hung out with us in the past; Midnight Rainbow, Smallfoot, Brian Dragnov, Wallflower Blush and Juniper Montage.
“I, uh, I guess there's a few extra people that are going to find out what's been ailing you,” I whispered.
“I guess so,” she whispered back.
Pinkie ambushed us once again, wrapping her arms around both of us and offering Sunny the spot where she was sitting. “I know you're going to need it for your announcement,” she whispered.
“What's with all the whispering? Is there something going on that we shouldn't know about?” Rainbow asked, her speech slightly slurred.
“Yes, darlings, whatever are you hiding?” Rarity pressed.
“I know but I'm not telling,” Pinkie beamed.
Everyone stared at us in an awkward silence.
“You told Pinkie Pie already?” Fluttershy asked.
“No. We haven't told anyone yet,” Sunny said.
“So how does she already know?” Rainbow said, tripping over her own feet on her way to the snack table.
Sunny and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders in confusion.
“I'll explain in a minute.” Pinkie said, still grinning.
“Well… we were going to wait until later in the night but since everyone is asking about it now, I guess we'll break the news now,” I said.
“Hey y'all, listen up!” Applejack shouted. “Sunset and Twilight have an announcement. Go ahead gals.”
“Well, it took a trip to Equestria but we finally found out why Sunny has been fainting and acting odd,” I said. “And the reason is…”
Out of nowhere Pinkie produced a drum and began a drumroll.
“I'm pregnant!” Sunny said cheerfully.
Somehow the cliché of the music stopping with the sound of a needle scratching against a record filled the air. The silence was so deadly that a pin drop could've killed anyone.
“You're… pregnant?” Rainbow said, breaking the silence. “The cider isn't affecting my hearing is it?”
“Yep! That's what she said!” Pinkie shouted, tackling Sunny and I.
Applejack moved the center of the room and made a “T” with her hands. “Hold the phone. Three questions,” she said. “First, when did it happen? Second, how did it happen? And finally, how in the hay did Pinkie find out before any of the rest of us?”
“Ooo! Ooo! I'll answer my question first. It's the shortest answer,” Pinkie said, waving her arms above her head.
“Here it comes,” I heard Rarity moan.
“It was easy. There were letters in the last four chapters that spelled out ‘baby’. Anyone who paid attention would've known,” she explained.
“Chapters?” asked Sunny. “Are we in some sort of story?”
“Um, Pinkie, darling, I do believe you're ‘Pinkie Sense’ has gone insane,” Rarity said.
“Lemme check. Hmmm… nope. Working just fine.”
“Can we get back to the subject at hand, please?” Applejack interrupted. “How and when did this happen?”
“Well, you see, me and Twi went to Equestria before our honeymoon to Hayvana because Princess Twilight wanted to give us a special gift,” Sunny explained.
“What we didn't know was this gift would change our lives,” I added.
“What was the gift?” Fluttershy asked.
“It was a gender-swapping spell,” Sunny answered.
“Gender-swapping?” Wallflower asked. “Like a sex-change operation?”
“Sort of,” I said. “It turned my womb and ovaries into a, ahem, you know.”
“She assured us that the spell wouldn't have reproductive effects.” Sunny added. “But with Equestrian magic being unpredictable in this world-”
“The effects of the spell didn't hold true and Twilight knocked you up,” Applejack finished.
“That's about the size of it,” I said.
Another awkward silence descended upon the room as everyone processed the information that we set out before them. I honestly couldn't blame them. When I read the message from my alternate counterpart, my jaw nearly fell through the floor of the car. Well, maybe not literally but it sure felt that way.
Rarity was the one to finally break the silence after what seemed like an eternity. “That is the most wonderful news ever! Congratulations to both of you,” she said just before a shocked look appeared on her face. “Oh dear. I just realized something.”
“What's that?” Juniper asked.
“I've got no experience in making baby clothes,” Rarity answered.
The entire room burst out in laughter as Rarity began spiraling into a fashion meltdown. Her knees buckled as she pulled on her hair and frantically babbled in a nonsensical manner.
“Well, that's one way to turn a party on its head.” Sweetie Belle commented as she tried calming her sister.
“How far along are you?” Fluttershy asked.
“We have an appointment this Friday to find out the exact due date but my estimate puts Sunny at around seven weeks,” I said.
“Well, here's my congrats present for you Sunset,” Rainbow said.
“Uh, thanks, Dash. But I can't drink any alcohol until after the delivery,” Sunny said, passing the bottle of cider to me.
From out of nowhere, a shower of streamers and confetti came raining down on us. “I don't know about everyone else but I'm really to crank this party up to an eleven,” shouted Pinkie. She turned to face the archway leading into the room and began waving her hand to no one. “Good night, everybody! Merry Christmas!”