Chapter Two: Suddenly, a Baby Shower

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Two

Suddenly, a Baby Shower

Rainbow Dash trembled as she approached her next stop on the list of ponies she needed to see. Though slightly calmer than she was on the way to the library, the anxiety from who she was about to have this discussion with made up for it. It wasn't that she disliked Rarity, far from it really, but the white unicorn had a tendency to be rather... judgmental.

Rainbow took a deep breath before opening the door to the boutique and sounding the shop bell.

"I'll be with you in a moment, darling!" the fashionista called out in a sing song voice from the back room.

After a few minutes, she appeared from behind the workroom door. Her lenses were on, meaning that she had just been working on a design.

"Hello darling, welcome to Carousel Boutique. How can I-" the designer started her generic custom greeting only to realize it was her celebrity athlete friend, "Oh my stars, Rainbow! I wasn't expecting you to come home from spring training this early!"

"Yeah," Rainbow replied with an anxious chuckle, rubbing the back of her head with her fore hoof, "Neither was I. That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

Rarity placed her glasses on the counter and looked at Rainbow intently. The brash pegasus knew she had to get it over with, like Twilight told as she was leaving, she would need her friends in the coming months.

"You gotta Pinkie Pie promise me that you won't blab to anypony about this and we'll still be friends after I tell you." Rainbow pleaded.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Rarity chanted while doing the various movements.

She would have normally been more reserved about agreeing to her pink friend's name given promise but something in Rainbow's voice told her that this was really important to her.

"Rarity," Rainbow took a deep inhale and let it out in an attempt to calm her rattling nerves, "I'm pregnant."

Rarity looked rather bewildered for a moment but elated the next.

"Oh that's wonderful, Rainbow! I have so many outfits for newborns that I know you'll just love! Who's the father?" the stylist enthused.

Rainbow took a sigh of relief only to be cut short upon processing her friend's last statement. This was the moment she was dreading. Breathing deeply, she answered.

"I don't know." the Wonderbolt admitted, rather ashamed of the events that lead to this.

What her cyan friend said caught Rarity off guard. How could she not know the identity of her offspring's sire? It wasn't like with the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rarity whined, though she would have insisted it was complaining.

"Got wasted," Rainbow exhaled slowly, "And I took a stallion back with me."

Rarity looked dumbfounded at her rainbow maned friend. She slept with a stallion she didn't even know! And she was intoxicated on top of that!

"Rainbow..." the white unicorn exhaled, "I won't cease to be your friend because of one inebriated mistake."

Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

"But that doesn't mean I agree with your scandalous behavior! Maybe you should have stayed near your brother. He would never let some drunk off his hide stallion sleep with you, whether or not he himself was sober." Rarity chastised.

"I know, Rare, I know." Rainbow muttered quietly.

Overall, Rainbow was pleased with her friends' reaction to the news. It made Rainbow feel a beam of confidence about her next destination, Sugar Cube Corner. The only worry she had was that Pinkie would already somehow know and have a surprise party waiting for her.

Rainbow Dash opened the door to bakery to find that it was operating as normal, much to Rainbow's relief. Mrs. Cake was at the register finishing up with a customer and the pegasus started towards her.

"Thank you, Ditzy. Enjoy the muffins." the baker thanked her number one customer before turning to the next pony, "Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, how may I- oh Rainbow! You're home early! What can I help you with, sweetie?"

"Hi Mrs. Cake, I came to see Pinkie. She up in her room?" the pegasus greeted before motioning to the staircase.

"Yes, you can go head on up. She said something about a doozy happening today, though." Cup Cake confirmed before sending the daredevil up.

Rainbow went up the stairs and knocked on her pink friend's door.

"Come in~n!" the hyper mare sang in a sing song voice.

Rainbow cautioned herself and pushed the door open, part of her fearing what might be waiting for her. To her pleasure, it revealed Pinkie and pan of freshly frosted cupcakes. Her euphoria diminished slightly, however, when she realized the slight juddering acting on her friend's body.

"Rainbow!" Pinkie Pie started as she, despite her palpitating up and down, pulled Rainbow in to an impulsive bear hug, "I missed you sooooooooooo much!"

Rainbow gave her pranking partner an inquisitive look, "I was only gone two days."

"A very long two days." Pinkie implored.

'Okay, I might want to know... whatever this jittery thing means.' Rainbow pulled out of the surprise hug, 'Better before you kick the cumulonimbus cloud than after.'

"So, umm, nothing's going to fall on me?" she asked awkwardly.

"Nope, but there's going to be a doozy!" Pinkie giggle innocently, "A big one!"

'Well, I guess I should get it over with.' Rainbow braced herself for what was to come next.

"Pinkie, please stay calm. I have something to tell you but it needs to stay between you, me and the rest of the girls," Rainbow urged before taking a deep breath, "I'm... pregnant."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Pinkie's shaking stopped.

'Damn that sixth sense!' a silent cuss rang through her brain.

"Oh that was a big doozy! Would you like a cupcake? I remember when Mrs. Cake was pregnant with the twins, she ate a lot." Pinkie implored.

'Oh yeah' Rainbow noted to herself, 'Mrs. Cake has first hoof experience, maybe I could ask her for some tips or something.'

"Yeah, I'd love one." Rainbow replied as she plopped one into her mouth.

"How do you like it?" Pinkie inquired, not losing a beat of enthusiasm, "I used some ingredients that are supposed to make you really calm!”

Before Rainbow had a chance to respond, her stance began to wobble and she fell to the floor with a thump, unconscious.

When Dash regained consciousness, she found herself in a dark room. She struggled to move, but braces around her limbs glued her to a rack formed from a series of sturdy planks, which spread her legs wide apart. The only thing unrestrained were her wings, torso and neck, a fact she used to her advantage. She tossed her head violently back and forth as though trying to reach the restraints pinning down her limbs. Dash’s wings beat frenziedly whilst she struggled to escape.  As she thrashed, Pinkie sprung abruptly into her panorama.

“Goodie, you’re awake. Now we can get started,” Pinkie stated gleefully.

“Pinkie, what’s going on? I can’t move!” Dash said urgently.

“Well duh, that’s because you’re tied down,” chided Pinkie.  “That’s why you can’t move. I didn’t think you’d need to be told that.”

“But why? What’s happening? I thought you were giving me a cupcake, not taking me hostage.” the cyan mare asked fearfully.

“You aren't a hostage. You see, I didn't know how else to get you to come with me.” Pinkie explained cheerfully.

“What?” Dash asked, her brain now in full panic mode.

Suddenly the lights flipped on, temporarily blinding her.

"Surprise!" hollered a small room full of ponies, all of whom were on good bearings with the pregnant mare.

They were in the basement of Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie and, probably, the others present had decorated the store room with rattles, stuffed animals and other stereotypical infant things. Light pink and blue streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling. Rainbow Dash had to presume that Pinkie was so excited that she decided to throw a baby shower right away. If it was anything else, Rainbow would be clueless.

"Sorry I had to tie you up, Dashie," Pinkie apologized as she untied the pegasus from the wooden planks, "But you would have fallen and hurt the baby."

Rainbow's heart was still pounding loudly, but she was starting to calm down. Nausea was now harkening in Rainbow Dash's thoughts as uneasiness from her prior situation and morning sickness from her ongoing condition churned her stomach. As soon as the poofy maned pony undid the last restraint, Rainbow fell to her haunches, the nausea too much for her.

"Here, use this." the party mare urged as she slid a discarded bucket towards the queasy mare, which Rainbow promptly coughed up the cupcake she had been given earlier and her last meal into.

As she looked up for brief moment in between spews, she saw AJ and Fluttershy approaching her. The pegasus' face was one of concern while the other's was one of irritation.