It was the next morning and Rarity was the first to awake when I opened my eyes, she quickly pecked me on the lips before we got out of bed.

"Morning love, I feel like having a quiet walk with the two of us." I said.

"So do I darling, it has been hectic for the past few days." she replied holding my hoof. "Shall we go after breakfast?"

"Yeah definitely."

After we were fully awake following a breakfast, we left the house and walked through the town before we saw Pinkie coming towards us, she seemed to have something on her mind from what I could tell. Gummy was with her and he had a pacifier which was certainly odd.

"Did you take that from Pound Cake again?" she asked her pet alligator. "Don't you know it's wrong to steal from a baby?"

Soon, she was close to us not looking where she was going until Rarity intervened. "What's all this about a baby?"

Pinkie suddenly stopped. "What? Who? What? Who said something about a baby?!"

"You did, Ms. Pie, just now. What were you talking about?"

Pinkie grabbed the pacifier and sucked on it, I know she can be odd, but this is odder than odd. "By the way, Twilight wants us at the castle, we better get going."

"Well if she needs us, I guess we should." I replied as Pinkie trotted onwards. "So much for a quiet walk today."

"Don't worry darling, we'll take our time getting to the castle." she said. "We have our bun in the oven as Pinkie would put it."

"Yeah, you're right..." I smiled as we walked to the castle, past the doors and into the throne room where the others were waiting. "We're here, girls, sorry if we're late. You know how it is."

"Yeah Rarity pregnant and all that, we get it." Applejack chuckled.

"Great! Everypony's here." Twilight said. "Now I don't have to wait any longer to tell you all the wonderful news! Somepony special is coming to visit Ponyville, and I need your help getting everything ready!"

"Ready, who is it?" I asked.

"It's Shining Armor and Princess Cadance!" Twilight and Pinkie said at the same time.

"Yes, and they're coming-" Twilight said before she was cut off.

"Tomorrow!" Pinkie said.

"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 and come visit?"

"Yes."

"Annnnnd?"

"And that's it."

"Oh."

"Uh, how did you know all that?" Rainbow asked.

"Pinkie Sense?" Pinkie grinned which made me suspicious, although her Pinkie sense is a very good reason so I chose to let it slide for now.

Rainbow looked at Twilight. "So, you said you needed our help with something?"

"Follow me." she replied as she got off the chair and we followed her into one of the bedrooms which had a stallion feel to it.

"Sweet posters! Is that Smash Fortune?" Rainbow asked noticing a poster.

"It sure is! When Shining Armor said he wanted to come to the castle and visit, I started collecting things he liked when he was a colt as a surprise!"

"Surprise?!" Pinkie exclaimed nervously.

"I've been so excited that it's been hard to keep it to myself!"

"I have no idea what that's like!"

"Aww, look at the cute little ant farm!" Fluttershy commented.

"And check out all these old comic books!" Spike said, picking up one that was wrapped in a bag.

"Be careful! They're mint-in-bag!" Twilight said, making Spike put down the comic gently.

"What's this?" Pinkie asked holding a tiny stallion plushie.

"This is Brutus Force. Shining Armor used to carry him around like his baby!"

"It is a bit juvenile for castle decor, but it was very sweet of you." Rarity said. "It also gives me an idea for when I and Bond have our foal and if it's a colt."

"Speaking of which, have we got around to getting an appointment to check if we're having a colt or a filly?" I asked.

"You know darling...I never thought of that." Rarity rubbed her pregnant stomach. "We have been so busy that I never got around to making time, we should do so when we can."

"Anyways, I'm sure Shining Armor will love it." Fluttershy said.

"Me too, but there's a few more things I'd like to add before he gets here, and I could really use a hoof collecting them." Twilight replied.

"Whatever you need, sugarcube, we'll help you get it." Applejack assured and we all agreed right away.

"Thanks everypony! I just can't wait until they walk in and see everything!"

"Totally understandable." Rainbow replied. "Watching somepony else be surprised with something is almost better than being the one who's getting the surprise!"

"But, neh, what if the surprise is something so incredibly exciting that that a pony can't keep it in any longer, and she has to tell the pony standing next to her what it is or she might explode!" Pinkie asked.

"I would say...no." Fluttershy replied.

"The pony who ruins a surprise for somepony else has to live with that guilt, forever!" Rarity declared.

Pinkie got more nervous than before. "Gotta bounce!" And just like that she bounced around the room like a pinball and out of the room through the doorway, I wonder how many points a pony can score with a Pinkie pinball.

"So, I know the bar is set pretty high, but does anypony else think that Pinkie Pie was acting weirder than usual?" Rainbow asked.

"I do have to admit, she is acting really weird today." I answered. "It's like she knows something we don't but is not able to say because it's...a pinkie promise."

"Then what could we do?" Fluttershy asked.

"I have a two-pronged solution." Rarity said proudly. "You girls all work towards making the finishing touches before Shining and Cadence arrive and I'll go to the hospital to get myself an appointment to check our foal gender."

"That's terrific, love." I commented. "And whilst you're doing that, I'm gonna go and talk to Pinkie and get an explanation out of her before this gets too crazy."

"Please do that, Bond." Twilight said. "If Pinkie starts acting too weird then we may end up having a repeat of when she forgot about her birthday party a few years back."

I shivered, there was no way we were ever going to go through that ordeal again. "In that case, I better go now."

"Just a minute darling, not before you give me the good luck charm." Rarity smirked, raising her eyebrows.

I smirked back, knowing what she meant and I kissed her on the lips with affection.

"Woah there lover boy! There's a time and place." Applejack teased.

Rarity and I giggled before I left the castle and began my search for Pinkie and after a while, I saw her behind a house along with a desert stand.

"It's time to kick this operation into hyper-hoof, and avoid all ponies by any means necessary!" she declared.

"Hey Pinkie, could I have a word with you?" I asked.

She gasped and suddenly strapped herself on the stand saddle and galloped away with the desert wagon.

"Well that was a bit pointless...and a little bit rude." I remarked. "Hmm, if I can't get Pinkie to talk, then maybe I could find an alternative...I know, I could speak and Mr. or Mrs. Cake about it, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

I walked over to Sugarcube Corner and as soon as I walked in, I found Mr. Cake in a trotting rush from in and out of the kitchen whilst Pound and Pumpkin were on the floor playing in their corner away from the door.

"Oh Prince Bond Racer." He said, bowing to me. "I'm so glad you're here, would you mind watching over our foals whilst Cupcake and I finish off our desert making?"

"Of course..." I said before pausing for dramatic effect. "...on one condition."

"Condition, well I guess so, what would it be?"

"Do you or Mrs. Cake know anything about Shining Armour and Princess Cadance coming to Ponyville tomorrow?"

"Well of course, it's the reason why we're so busy today, I had to get Pinkie to make the local deliveries for us."

"Then I have to ask you, was there anything else that was said that is to be kept as a surprise?"

Carrot scratched his mane slightly. "Yes there is, but we can't tell anypony about it until they do."

"But why, what's so secretive about it, because from what I've seen today, Pinkie has been acting really odd."

"Ohhh, well we really want to, but we still can't."

This wasn't getting anywhere so I decided to play my trump card. "Carrot Cake, I have known you and everypony else since I moved here four years ago, I am supposed to be the Prince of Friendship as well as maintaining harmony and faith to all around me. You should know that you can trust me to the fullest, if it results me getting into trouble, I'll take the fall for it, you don't have to worry about anything if you just tell me."

Carrot sighed. "You're right, sorry...Shining Armour and Princess Cadence...are having a foal."

I blinked. "Woah!" I said in a low tone. "And in that case, I'll watch over your foals now."

"Thank you Prince Bond." he said bowing again. "Now I must get back to my catering." He trotted through the doors to the kitchen.

I looked down at the foals and they seemed pretty happy to see me. Well, now was probably a good time to learn how to be a parent some more and this time at my own pace, the time when I had to help Pinkie with them was exhausting. After a while of having fun and taking care of them, I saw Pinkie enter the shop and trotting upstairs. I looked back at the foals and they seemed to be wanting to get up.

"Ahhh you wanna go into your room, leave it to me." I said, picking them up with my magic and placing them on my back.

They cheered in their adorable way as I carefully walked upstairs and to their own room, I let them down gently and they seemed to be happy as they went over to the toy chest. Believing they would be safe, I closed the foal cage behind me and went to Pinkie's room to find her laying down on the bed with Gummy chewing on a piece of paper.

"Finally, I'm all aloney on my owney." she said before I heard a stomach growl. "Wow, great idea! I'm starving too!" she picked an apple from her mane and ate it in one gulp. She then saw what Gummy was eating and gasped, taking the paper from him. "Oh no! It's the list that Twilight helped me make yesterday so I wouldn't forget all of my Pinkie Promises today! And I have three more things to do! Aw, four if you count bringing those snacks to Twilight's castle! I've been getting liberal with those Pinkie Promises lately..."

"Well you don't have to anymore." I said as I walked in.

"Oh Bond! What are you doing here?"

"I was watching over the Cake Twins but I had to exchange some information before I could do that."

"What do you mean?"

I looked at her with a serious expression. "Is it true that Shining Armour and Princess Cadance are having a foal?"

Pinkie began to act weird again but she looked at me, she knew that I wasn't an idiot and that I was right. "Yes..."

"Okay, now we've got that cleared up, do you want me to help you with your pinkie promise chores whilst you watch over the Cake Twins?"

"Really, you would do those for me?"

"Yeah, cause think about it, you wouldn't have to do them and because you'll be in one place, you won't have to worry about telling the secret."

Pinkie began to smile and she cried too. "Oh my gosh! Thank you Bond!" she exclaimed in her over the top way. "You're the best!"

I giggled. "Just doing my role as the Prince of Friendship and harmony." I then took the list and left the shop, going over her pinkie promise chores.

First was to help set up a school birthday party, turns out it was Featherweight's birthday today and due to my entertaining talents, he thanked me a lot and so did Miss Cheerlie and all the other fillies. Second chore was to help Mayor Mare with the cabinet filing and with my help, she was able to make a new filing system, she thanked me double since I was willing in for Pinkie Pie who couldn't do it. The third chore was to help create and place an inflatable  pony balloon by his furniture store and the owner praised me. The fourth and last thing was to deliver snacks to Twilight's castle which was by far the easiest to do, once I had a small crate of snacks ready to go outside the sweet store, I gave the list back to Pinkie and told her that she can go to the castle with the crate of snacks if she wanted to and she did.

Pinkie trotted onwards with the crate and as soon as I started following, I was called out from behind.

"Hey Prince Bond, long time no see!"

I turned around and gasped. "Shining and Cadence?!"

"Yep, how are you doing?" he asked.

"And more importantly, how is Rarity doing?" Cadence asked.

"Oh she's okay, she's at the hospital getting a check-up on her foal so that she and I can find out on foal's gender."

"That's so sweet, well we have something important to tell you all."

"So we decided to came a day early and tell my sister Twily and the rest of you about it." Shining added. "Let's go."

I walked with them to the castle and then, Shining opened the door to the throne room where the other girls were all talking.

"An awesome weekend with the best little sister in all of Equestria!" Shining said, cutting her off.

Cadence giggled. "Hi everypony."

"Shining Armor, Cadance! You're early!" Twilight exclaimed happily. "I thought something had come up and you weren't gonna make it until Saturday!"

"So did we. Turned out we weren't needed in Maretonia until next week. And the summit we were supposed to attend today had to be rescheduled, so... we got here even sooner than planned! It's wonderful to see you all again!"

Just them Rarity turned up and grabbed my hoof with a smile. "Darling, we need to have a talk right away."

"Alright love." I replied. "Twilight, why don't you show him around the castle, Rarity and I need to discuss a private matter."

"Okay Bond...let's go B.B.B.F.F." she replied.

"That's our Twily!" Shining laughed.

Rarity and I left the throne room and into one of the castle bedrooms so it was just the two of us.

"No pony can hear us in here, love." I said. "What is it?"

"I got an appointment for us to check on our foal, we're scheduled to be there first thing tomorrow." she replied.

"First thing tomorrow, got it, no matter what happens tomorrow, going to the hospital is our number one priority."

"Thank you, I want us to keep this a secret until we've had our check-up."

"I'll do everything I can to keep it that way, like I did when we both announced the pregnancy."

Rarity smiled and kissed me. "Let's meet with the others again."

We rejoined the others and after a game of scavenger hunt, Twilight pieced together all the clues she found and then saw a huge cake with a tiny pram on the top and she gasped! "Can it be? Are you two-?!"!

"We're having a baby!" Shining and Cadance said together.

Pinkie jumped around and said the same thing, glad she was finally able to say the secret now. "A baby, Twilight! It's a baby! Woohoo!"

"You mean...I'm going to be an aunt? This is the best prize ever!" Twilight said hugging both her brother and Cadance.

We had a party to celebrate the pregnancy at Sugarcube Corner and it was a great time. I found the time to speak to Pinkie when it was calm.

"Bond, thanks to you I was able to keep myself quiet and okay with not telling the secret, thank you so much for your help." Pinkie said, hugging me.

"It's okay Pinkie, you did a great job of keeping it a secret, but it wasn't just you, I kept it a secret too when I found out." I replied.

After a while longer, Rarity and I left the store and back to our home by sunset time. When we walked back in, she gave me an affectionate kiss. "Darling, I heard about you helping Pinkie earlier, I don't know what any of us would do without you."

"I feel the same way, love...I cannot see myself having any other kind of life than the one I have right now." I replied, kissing her back.

As we sat by the table and had our evening dinner, I noticed Rarity's bump kicking for a few seconds before it stopped. Good thing I had a bit ore experience when I was looking after the cake twins, it won't be long before I have to do all this for real with a foal of our own. Next Chapter: Pregnancy & Shopping Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes