Cheese blinked away the early morning light filtering around the curtain. A tantalizingly warm May breeze swept across the bedroom. Sighing contentedly, he nuzzled his wife's side. The sweet scent of her coat was intoxicating. Lying next to her was the best feeling in the world. But, they had work today. "Pinkie, it's time to get up."
"Urgh. Too tired." The mare burrowed her head against his chest. "A few more minutes."
How could I resist that? Cheese chuckled, kissing her on the forehead. "All right. I'll make us breakfast. Kay?"
"Kay."
As carefully as he could, he slid out of bed and pulled the quilt over Pinkie. Though they had been married for a few months already, it still felt bizarre to wake up beside her. He kept thinking that he would wake up and be alone again. Thankfully that was never the case.
Their bedroom was a bit of a wreck, but that was to be expected after a weeklong party tour. Pinkie had insisted on it, as it was warm enough to travel and his Cheesie sense had been driving him to fits. They had had a lot of fun, laughing, singing, and raising the level of cheer in all the cities they visited. For some reason, Pinkie had insisted on cutting their last stop short and heading home. It worried him, but she kept declaring that she was fine.
He jumped a little when something pinched hard on his tail. "Gummy, what are you up to? Geeze, come on." Dragging the alligator out of the room, he made his way to the kitchen. Though he and Pinkie had done an incredible amount of work on the place, it still needed repair. At least their paint job made for a cheery atmosphere.
Depositing the alligator on the tile, he started pulling out a pan for breakfast. "Don't go eating stuff again. You've been really bad lately." The alligator blinked at him, seemingly acknowledging the request. "Good. You stay and I'll feed you later."
With a practiced efficiency, he whipped up some pancake batter and started frying some. Instinctively, he reached for the chocolate chips, but stopped himself. Lately Pinkie had decided that she no longer liked chocolate chips which was simply ridiculous. If there was one thing Pinkie loved, it was chocolate chips. Still, he was happy to oblige her whim even if it made no sense. After a few minutes, the plain pancakes were done. "There. Now for you, Gummy."
The alligator trundled over to his food dish, looking up expectantly at Cheese. With a little flourish, Cheese dropped two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sans the jelly into the bowl. "Here you are." Gummy glowered a little. Cheese clucked disapprovingly. "Sorry, but you have way too much sugar as is. You can have some jelly for dinner. Kay?"
Cheese took the alligator's munching as a sign of approval. After setting the table, he glanced around for Pinkie. Where is she? Geeze, still asleep, huh? Sighing, he trotted down the hallway to fetch her. "Pinkie, you really need to get up. You've got work at the Corner today."
When he walked into the room, Pinkie was lying on top of the quilt, glowering at the floor. Cheese's heart skipped a beat. "You not feeling good again? I can go to the doctor with you, Harvey won't mind if I take the morning off."
Pinkie looked up at Cheese, then back down at the floor. "Don't need to go to the doctor. I went yesterday. I'm not sick."
"Not sick?" He trotted over to her, placing a scarred hoof on her head. There was no fever. He attempted to make eye contact with her, but she kept staring at the boards. Snorting in frustration, he lifted her chin with his hoof. "Pinkie, those floorboards can't be that interesting."
"I uh," Pinkie flushed a little, cringing at Cheese's stare. "they aren't really."
"What's wrong? You keep saying you're not sick but then you act completely different." Cheese stroked her long mane gently. "Maybe you're sick and you don't know it. I'm worried about you."
"There's nothing to be worried about." Pinkie wanted nothing more than to crawl in a corner. But, she had to face reality. "I'm not sick, Cheese. It's perfectly normal for somepony in my condition."
"You're condition?" Their entire conversation was confusing him to no end. He spoke a little more firmly. "What's wrong, Pinkamena?"
"Nothing."
"Quit saying that!" He stamped a hoof against the floor. "I'm not stupid, I know when something's up."
Pinkie rolled her eyes, pinning her ears. "Oh do I have to spell it out, Cheese?" Judging from his expression, she did. "I'm pregnant! I'm not sick, I'm going to have a foal."
"WHAT?" Cheese took a few steps back, a strange chill crashing over him like a wave. His voice was shaky, "Are you serious?"
"Of course I am. Why would I lie about something like that?" Pinkie snorted, curling into a tighter ball.
Cheese felt his legs shaking uncontrollably. "How . . . how far along?"
"Almost four months."
"FOUR MONTHS?" He trotted back over to her, concern filling his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I wanted to make sure first. The doctors confirmed it yesterday." Pinkie's voice shook a little as she stared into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Cheese. So sorry."
"Why in Equestria are you apologizing?" Cheese stroked her coat gently. "There's nothing to be sorry about."
"But, but . . ." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "We're so young, and I don't know how to be a mother."
"Oh, Pinkie." Cheese sat beside her, clutching her in a tight hug. He stroked her back listening to her sobs. "Don't cry, please don't cry. Having a foal isn't something to be sad about." The sobs came slower then, eventually stopping. "You'll be an amazing mother. And it's not like we're alone in life. Between our friends and your family, we'll get by."
Pinkie pressed her face into his chest, feeling his steady breaths calm her nerves. "You know, it's neat." She glanced down at her side, "There's a whole new life growing inside of me."
"Yeah." Cheese pressed Pinkie to the quilt, kissing her all over. "Thank you, thank you, Pinkie. I'm the luckiest stallion in the world." He nickered softly, "I love you as much as life itself. And," His whispered softly in her ear, "I'll love this foal with all my heart."
"That's good. 'Cause he or she is going to need a great Dad." Pinkie sighed, rolling upright again. "We'd better get to work."
"Will you be okay?" Cheese's eyes focused nervously on her side.
"Of course. It's a baby, not a disease." She jumped to the floor, trotting to the door. "See? Now who's late?"
"Not fair." Cheese laughed loudly, joining his wife. To think that in a few months he would be a father. Life seemed to love throwing curve balls at them. At least this one was more than welcome.