"Five hundred and sixty-six...!" "Five hundred and sixty-seven..." "Five hundred and sixty-eight!"
Both party ponies stepped back and phew'd the sweat off their brows, before looking at each other and giggling at how messy they'd gotten themselves, when they noticed little Pound Cake riding on Gummi, and Pinkie beamed, "Look at it, everypony!"
They gazed up upon a stacked display of cupcakes that the party ponies had been hard at work in icing each and every single cupcake, their hard work glimmering in splendor as an angelic choir sounded in the background.
"I am so close to breaking my personal cupcake icing record!"
"My goodness!"
In walked Cup Cake, holding a letter and carrying Pumpkin Cake on her back, "I can't believe what I'm seeing here!"
"Yeah, it is a thing of beauty, Mrs. Cake," Cheese Sandwich responded while nuzzling up to his mare, Pinkie beaming up at him, "Oh, and thanks again for letting me work here. I gotta tell ya, I did not expect to see Auntie Spice running off to elope with Doughnut Joe."
"Uh- Oh, you're welcome, dear, but... could you and Pinkie watch the counter while I pop into the supply room?" asked Cup Cake, rolling her eyes in an amused way as she had not been talking about their mounting stack of cupcakes.
"We've just received a very special order, and the ingredients need to be perfect."
"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie replied with a happy salute.
"Thank you!" Cup Cake suddenly zipped past the two of them so speedy-like that she sent them both for a whirl, causing them both to fall flat on their faces.
However, as they were getting up, Cheese looked to Pinkie and chuckled, "Uh, Pinks? Heh-heh, you gotta little something on your..."
"Oh, I know," Pinkie responded before she took the paper off and realized it was the letter Cup Cake had been holding earlier. Figuring it was the order she'd mentioned, Pinkie gave it a read to find out what exactly the order was about... and it was about, "A baby?!"
"Baby? You mean Pound Cake here?" Cheese picked up Pound Cake, who giggled and cooed at his Uncle Cheese-
"No, not that baby!" Pinkie was grinning ear to ear, her eyes wider than dinner plats and brighter than fireworks! "Shining Armor and Cadance are having a baby!!"
GASPing, Cheese Sandwich pulled Pinkie, Pound, and even Gummi into a big hug, cheering, "WAIT `TILL MIDNIGHT AND TWILIGHT FIND OUT!!!"
"Uh, dears?"
The party ponies paused and looked to see Cup Cake behind the counter, whispering, "It's a Top Secret surprise!"
She emphasized that statement by softly shhhhhhhhh'ing as she slowly stepped into the back, keeping her eyes on them, Pumpkin copying her mommy as they vanished through the doorway.
"A Top Secret surprise? Even better!" Cheese Sandwich liked the sound of that.
"But..." He looked to see Pinkie looking uncomfortable, "That means we have to keep the exciting news..."
She gulped before mushing her face between her hooves, "To ourselves!"
"Hopefully this doesn't go pear shaped," Cheese added in a teasing way. "I still remember the last time we had the secret to keep of Princess Celestia's birthday and you blew it faster then I've seen a miner blow up a rockface at a quarry."
Pinkie sighed in an overwhelmed way as her legs slid apart and she oozed down onto her belly.
Later, the two party ponies were on their way to the Castle of Friendship. Shortly after Pinkie's moment of deflation, they'd received a notice that the Council of Friendship was being called to convene. As they passed through Town Square, Pinkie Pie said, "Even though we technically didn't make a Pinkie Promise to Mrs. Cake, we can't tell Twilight, Midnight, or anypony the big news!"
"Huh, hyeah, that would make you a... dare I say it?" Cheese teased before dramatically whispering into her eyes, "...a spoiler!"
GASPING, Pinkie fretted, "I don't wanna be a spoiler!"
"Relax, Pinks, I'll make sure ya don't spoil anything," Cheese assured, "Come to think of it, have you ever... I dunno, wanted one of your own?"
"My own what, Cheesie?" Pinkie asked in a sweet innocent way.
"You know, to be a mother," Cheese clarified, "to have your own baby."
"What's all this about a baby?"
"EEK!"
Cheese Sandwich yelped and jumped into Pinkie's forelegs, panicking, "Wha- Who- Wha- Who said something about a baby?!"
"You did, Miss Pie, you and Cheese, just now!"
It was at this moment that Pinkie and Cheese realized they were talking to Rarity and Blueblood, the former asking, "What were the two of you talking about?"
Pinkie started getting shifty-eyed, until Cheese Sandwich hopped out of her hold and said, "What we should be talking about is over at the castle, so quit dilly-dallying!"
He trotted off, with Pinkie, Rarity and Blueblood sharing a confused look before they followed.
When they arrived in the throne room, Rarity and Blueblood took their thrones, taking notice of Pinkie's nervous look and Cheese wearing glasses while holding a novel, as though he were busy.
"Great! Everypony's here."
All eyes turned to Twilight, who levitated a scroll Spike held up for her as she said, "Now we don't have to wait any longer to tell you all the wonderful news! Somepony special is coming to visit Ponyville."
Pinkie and Cheese shared a relieved knowing nod and smile, while Twilight continued, "And we need your help to get everything ready."
Everypony chattered and murmured excitably before Midnight announced, "It's... Shining Armor and Cadance!"
Midnight gave a surprised look to Pinkie Pie, who simply smiled with hopeful excitement. Chalking it up to it just Pinkie being Pinkie, he said, "Yes, and they're coming tomorrow!"
Again, eyes turned to Pinkie, including Cheese, who raised his brow at her. This time, Twilight spoke, "Yes, on the-"
"Friendship Express rather than the Crystal Empire train so as not to cause too much of a scene when they skip town to come visit?"
"Yes..." Twilight confirmed, only for Pinkie to get up on the map table and into Twilight's face, her own expressing more hopeful excitement.
"Annnnnd...?"
"And that's it," Twilight responded, with a shrug of her hooves.
"Oh." Pinkie replied with evident disappointment.
"Uh..." Everypony looked to see Soarin, "How did you know all that?"
Giggling nervously, Pinkie tried, "Pinkie Sense?" before she backed up, her neck stretching before her head zipped back along with her body to retake her seat, while Cheese gave her another disproving rise of his brow.
Brushing it off, Rainbow spoke up to Twilight and Midnight, "So! You said you needed our help with something?"
"Follow us," Midnight requested, and he and Twilight led their friends through the castle hallways to one of the guestrooms.
Inside, they saw what was evidently designed to be a colt's room. There was a four-poster bed, a bookcase crammed with foal's books and hobbies, a train set on the round carpet in the middle of the floor, a toy chest, posters, and other things a colt would like. Midnight and Twilight led everyone in and they all took it in, Rainbow Dash complimenting, "Sweet Posters! Is that Smash Fortune?"
"It sure is, one of our favorite movies when we were colts," Midnight nodded with a smile. "That particular poster just happens to be one of the original copies printed back when the movie first came out."
"When Shining Armor said he wanted to come to the castle and visit," Twilight explained, "we started collecting things he liked as a colt for a surprise!"
"Surprise?!" Pinkie popped out of the toy chest, a toy helmet on her head, which raised some brows from Rainbow, Thunder, and Soarin, so Cheese interjected by throwing the chest lid closed on Pinkie. "HEY!"
"We've been so excited..." Twilight gave her husband a smile and he nodded.
"It's just been so hard to keep it to ourselves!" he agreed.
"We have no idea what that's like!" Cheese responded while leaning onto the toy chest, only to yelp as Pinkie Pie forced the lid open.
"NONE AT ALL!"
"Aww, lookit the cute little ant farm," Fluttershy gazed at the mentioned object on one of the furniture pieces .
"And check out all these old comic books!" Spike said excitably while lifting one of them up to read the title through the plastic bag it was in.
"Careful," Midnight cast a protective charm on the comics, "They're mint in bag."
And it turned out to have been excellent foresight as Spike took a deep breath to blow the dust off... only to realize he'd have scorched it accidentally with his firebreath. Quickly rubbing off the singed dust, he put it back and inched away.
Pinkie and Cheese looked into the toy chest and found a little pony stuffy dressed like a superhero, Cheese asking, "What's this?"
"This is Brutus Force," Twilight said with fond recollection in her voice, "Shining Armor used to carry him around like his baby!"
Pinkie nearly dropped the stuffy in response to the B word, nervously putting it back as she forced herself to laugh, "Yeah, ha-ha-ha, really cute!"
"Twilight, Midnight, I must say, this is quite a surprise you've made for Shining Armor," Blueblood complimented, "In fact, it reminds me of something my Aunt Celestia told me. No matter how old you get, never forget the foal inside who taught you the wonders of imagination."
"Oh, Blueblood," Rarity nuzzled up to him, which he warmly reciprocated, "That is very beautiful."
"I'm sure Shining Armor will love your surprise," Fluttershy smiled.
"Eeyup," Big Mac chimed in as he usually did.
"But there's a few more things I'd like to add before he gets here," Twilight brought up, "and we could really use a hoof collecting them."
"Whuddever ya need, sugarcubes, we'll help ya get," Applejack assured, and everypony added their own words of agreement and assurance.
"Thanks, everypony," Midnight said as he and Twilight shared a hug, "We're really looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces when they walk in and see everything."
"Totally understandable!" Rainbow Dash commented, "Watching someone else be surprised with something is almost better than being the one who's getting surprise!"
"But..." Pinkie whimpered anxiously, "What if the surprise is something so incredibly exciting that a pony can't keep it any longer and she has to tell theponywho'sstandingnexttoherwhatitisorshemightexplode?!"
"Ulp! I would say... no!" Cheese choked a bit as Pinkie had slunk over to hug him, seeking some comfort due to mounting pressure.
"The pony who ruins the surprise for somepony else has to live with that guilt...!" Rarity said ominously to Pinkie.
"FOREVER..." Blueblood added dramatically.
Giggling nervously, Pinkie quickly said, "Gotta bounce!"
Jumping up, she curled into a ball and everypony watched in awe as she bounced to and fro, dinging like a pinball machine until-
*CRASH*
Out the wall she went, Cheese going after her, as everypony looked on in wonder.
"Yeah... I know the bar is pretty high, but..." Thunderlane spoke up, "but does anypony else think Pinkie Pie was acting weird? Even for her?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac confirmed what everypony else was thinking.
*SLAM*
Pinkie panted with relief, Cheese offering her a cupcake to calm her nerves, but she kindly turned it down as she said, "That was close, too close! I almost spilled the beans...!"
"Yeah, and not the kind of beans you can easily clean up," Cheese said with an understanding nod.
"I just can't be around our friends right now, or anypony for that matter!" Pinkie said as she made for the stairs, "so... That's it! Until Cadance and Shining Armor show up tomorrow, I'll just lock myself in my room away from everypony, so I won't spoil the sur-"
"Oh, good! You're back."
Pinkie and Cheese both looked to see Carrot Cake ,looking relieved up to Pinkie on the stairs, "Mr.s Cake needs my help but these deliveries can't wait! I can't thank you enough for agreeing to be my backup delivery pony, Pinkie!"
"I did?"
"Yeah, Pinkie, don'cha remember?" Cheese said before going all dramatic, "Initiate super-wavy flashback effect!"
Yesterday, Carrot Cake had a wagonload of cakes and pastries to deliver, "Maybe I should hire somepony to be my backup delivery pony."
"I'll do it!"
He turned to see Pinkie Pie and Cheese taking turns mixing a bowl of brown batter for brownies.
"Really?" asked Carrot Cake, smiling in relief.
"Sure! There's no possible way I could ever have anything that might interfere with doing that task," Pinkie responded, when Cheese chimed in.
"You mean like a gigantic, emotionally-exhausting surprise that would make it super hard to be around other ponies?"
"Yeah! I mean, c'mon!" Pinkie shrugged, accidentally getting bits of brownie batter on Cheese's face, which he happily licked up, "What're the odds of that happening?"
"Great!" Carrot Cake then hesitated, "Uh, you're sure you won't change your mind?"
"No way," Pinkie vowed before making the mistake that would cause herself unspeakable stress the following day, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
"And scene..." Cheese concluded before looking to Pinkie who sulked.
"Oh yeah... I Pinkie-Promised I'd do it, and I never break a Pinkie-Promise. Never!"
"Welp, thanks again!" Carrot Cake exited into the back, saying, "You're a real cake saver!"
Pinkie groaned, slumping down the stairs like molasses, so Cheese Sandwich stepped over and helped her up before kindly saying, "Pinkie, if you really don't wanna go out, I can take care of those deliveries just gouda!"
"Nope! Like I said, I never break a Pinkie-Promise," Pinkie maintained before perking up, "And besides, maybe it'll be a quiet day, and I can just avoid everypony!"
"Well... okay," Cheese stepped out of Pinkie's way, "I guess I'll... just go see if I can lend a hoof to the Cakes with anything."
"I'll be okie-dokie-lokie, Cheesie," Pinkie gave him a tender smooch, "but you're sweet to worry."
"Seeya then, love you," Cheese waved after her as she bounced out the door.
"Love you back!" she responded before shutting it behind her.
Now that he was alone, Cheese took a deep breath. Pinkie was more wound up than he'd ever seen her, and it wasn't doing any good to his own nerves. Sighing, he made his way to the front door, and nearly ran smack into Midnight, who had just been about to enter!
"Whoa!/Sorry!"
"Whoo, sorry `bout that, Midnight," Cheese backed up, letting Midnight enter. "Wasn't expecting you to show up like this."
"No worries, uh..." Midnight looked out the door and seemed relieved to see Pinkie Pie walking off, taking the wagon of orders to deliver. "I... actually wanted to talk to you about Pinkie Pie. Any idea why she was acting strange at the castle?"
"I see nothing, I know nothing!" Cheese responded vehemently in a German accent while suddenly wearing a toothbrush mustache.
"Uh, okay!" Midnight held up his hooves in a 'whoa, calm down' sort of way, before asking, "Look, I understand if Pinkie has something going on right now, but I need to ask that you keep her out of the way. Just until Shining Armor and Cadance arrive."
"I can do that," Cheese shrugged.
Midnight lowered his voice, so as to not draw unwanted attention.
"If Cadence and Shining Armor tell me their secret or it somehow becomes known to the rest of our group, I want you to keep her at bay and if she says anything, deny all knowledge," Midnight instructed, "I don't want this leaked anywhere."
"You got it, Boss," Cheese saluted before he slunk out the door to follow after Pinkie.
Midnight sighed wearily while shaking his head. He hated being called "boss".