> The Long Road: Recovery > by pabrony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Moving Day, Part One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Twilight! Have you seen my vest anywhere?" I shouted as the moving truck arrived at the apartment. "Twilight?" A muffled noise from the study, followed by a crash, put me into panic mode. I waddled through our soon-to-be-former apartment as fast as I could to investigate what the heck happened. I peeked into the darkened room, finding that a stack of boxes had fallen down. "Twil-" "I'M OKAY!" Twilight shouted as she pulled herself up with her cane. "Um, Twi? Why do you have that possessed look on your face?" I asked. "Possessed? I'm not possessed. I'm okay. Just many, many big projects to work on. Super important projects. Nothing that would involve technology," rambled Twi as her right eye twitched rapidly. I looked at her in a mixture of confusion and fear. "What the hell did those estrogen patches do to you?" I asked weakly. "Nothing!" she said, sing-song. "I'm still the same lovable nerd than I've always been. Absolutely nothing wrong with me." I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "If you say so." Twi limped her way over to me, dropped her cane and literally fell into me. "Oh no. I've fallen and I-" "Don't you dare finish that," I interrupted. "And be careful. I don't want to be having an emergency delivery two weeks early." "Oh sorry, Sunny. I just feel so full of energy." She then got as close as she could to my ear and whispered, "And I'm feeling kinda horny right now." "Again?!" "Mhmm," she affirmed, still whispering. "The desk doesn't have anything on it at the moment." "Geez, Twi. I'm gonna need to talk to your doctor about lowering your dosage," I said as she traced my nipples through my shirt and bra after resting her head on my enlarged stomach. "Really? And just why is that?" I rolled my eyes. "Because you've gotten laid eight times in the last three days," I explained. "And that's not counting the number of times a day you've been masturbating since going on the hormone patch." Her eyes began to waver slightly. "But I thought you loved me." I pulled her up and hugged her. "Twi, I do love you and I'm glad our love life has returned but-" Twi moved closer to my ear once more. "I'm not wearing any panties and the bathroom is empty," she whispered. "Let me open the door for the movers and I'll be there in a minute," I relented. "Are you satisfied now?" I asked as we exited the bathroom; both of us sweaty and reeking of sex. "Quite," said Twi with a goofy smile. "Well, until we get to the new house." I stopped and grabbed her ponytail. "Hold up. Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief. "After all that, you're still…?" "Yep!" she finished with an ecstatic look on her face. The movers are gonna think we're perverts with the way she's going, I thought as we resumed looking for my vest. "So where are we getting lunch since all the food is packed up?" "I thought we could just stop at the store and pick up some chips and deli sandwiches," she said as she shifted a couple of light boxes around. "And some Reddi-Whip." "Reddi-Whip?" "Here it is!" Twi said, holding my vest up. "It was under my mystery box on the couch." "Thanks," I said, taking my vest. "Now answer my question, please. What the heck do we need Reddi-Whip for?" Twilight didn't answer. At least, not verbally. She looked me in the eye, bounced her eyebrows and gave me the most seductive wink I had ever seen. "You...you're kidding, right?" I stammered. "Please tell me that you're kidding." She just stood there shaking her head with a shitty grin on her face. I facepalmed as a small, almost evil giggle came from Twi. As I was shaking my head, I felt a finger tap me on the shoulder. "Mrs. Shimmer? May I talk to you about something for a moment?" One of the movers asked me. "Sure." I turned to Twi. "I'll deal with you in a few minutes." The mover, who introduced herself as Wordy Whispers, and I walked to the kitchen where she pulled out her phone. After a few taps on the screen, she turned it around and showed me a photo. "Wh-where did you get that?" I stammered as fear suddenly gripped my chest. "My apologies," Wordy said. "There was a slight detail about myself that I forgot to mention. I'm a regular contributor to the Canterlot Enquirer." "Th-the tabloid?" "Yes, the tabloid," she affirmed with a smirk. "I've got a proposition for you. You help me out with my story and I'll delete this. If you refuse, I'll use this as my story." As the fear continued to tighten around  my chest, I somehow squeaked out, "Wh-what is your story a-about?" Her smirk continued to evolve into a sly - almost evil - grin. "I learned that a couple of months ago the bassist for The Rainbooms quit." "Yeah. So what?" "So, the reason I heard for her quitting was that she broke up with her girlfriend," Wordy replied. Before I could confirm or deny what she said, I heard a shuffling of feet accompanied by a cane hitting the floor. Thank Celestia, I thought. Maybe Twilight can help me get this woman off my back. "Sunny? What's going on in here?" Twi asked as she hobbled into the room. She paused at the doorway and stared at Wordy. "You! I know you. You're Wordy Whispers." "Glad to see someone recognizes me," Wordy said to me sarcastically. "You're the reason I'm uncomfortable around unfamiliar males!" Twi shouted as her face turned red with rage. "What?" Wordy and I said in unison. Twilight pointed her cane at the gossip and elaborated. "She posted a picture of me on her Trotter account from when I was transformed into Midnight Sparkle, just a week after the Friendship Games. The photo was taken at such an angle so that it was more like a down blouse porn photo. For weeks I had guys come up to me and tell me how hot I look and that they started masturbating to it." "Hold on. That pic was you?" Wordy asked. "Yes, it was about me!" Twi shot back. "Let me ask you something. Do you have any clue what it's like to have one of your classmates sitting behind you, knowing that he masturbates to a softcore porno picture of you?!" "I-I, uh, can't say that I do," Wordy stammered as Twi got up in her face. "Well, I do know. Alright? Every day I felt like this guy was staring at my ass, trying to get a glimpse of my panties," Twi said as her tirade continued. "I would go home after school every day and hide in my room until bedtime." I grabbed Twi's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "C'mon, babe, let's get you-" "No, Sunny!" she shouted, shrugging my hand off. "I am going to get this out." She turned back to Wordy. "The only reason I was able to feel comfortable in a romantic sense is because of how Sunset showed her love and friendship; something you obviously know nothing about." "I'm really sorry, Twilight-" "That's Mrs. Shimmer to you," Twi interrupted, touching her nose to Wordy's. "Excuse me, Mrs. Shimmer,"  Wordy corrected. "I am truly sorry for my indiscretion of that post. If I'd have known-" "That's right! You didn't know!" Twilight continued to shout as I pulled her away. "You just post whatever comes to your mind and not think about how it will affect others. Just like you're trying to do now." "H-how do you know what I was trying to do?" Wordy asked. "Isn't it obvious? I walked in here, saw you showing Sunny a picture, and she was white as a ghost. I put two and two together and realized you were in the middle of blackmailing her," Twi said as I struggled to keep her at bay. "What is that a picture of, anyway?" "It's a pic of us getting freaky before graduation last year," I told her. "She was going to release it to the public if we didn't sell out Dash and AJ with the details of her breakup." "You were going to release a hardcore, lesbian porno of us?" Twi asked. "Well, um, no. Not really. It was mainly for blackmail purposes," Wordy admitted. "Hey, hey, hey!" I shouted, finally getting in between them. "Babe, how about you go cool off in the living room. Wordy, I'm going to make you a deal, okay?" She bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. I put my hand on my hip and grabbed her phone. "I will pretend that this entire conversation never existed and refrain from informing your supervisor about it if you delete this pic from your phone...now." She stared at the stern look on my face and hesitantly took her phone. She looked at the screen, then to me before tapping the delete button on the screen. "Th-there," she said, shaking. I verified that she had indeed deleted the pic before allowing my mood to lighten up. "So now that everything's back to how it should be, how about we start over? Okay?" I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "I...I'd like that," she whispered. > Moving Day, Part Two > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Six hours later] "I'm fine, Sunny," Twi said as we walked into our new place. "It's just, well, two years worth of pent-up emotions regarding that Trotter post and after seeing her, I just lost it. I'm really sorry about my outburst at the apartment." "I know, babe," I said gently rubbing her back. "But I'm not the one you need to apologize to." She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she shifted her weight to her cane. "You can't be serious," she said. "She...humiliated me and didn't think twice about it. I had every right to explode in her face." I guided her chin so that we locked eyes with each other. "Yes, you did. However, she apologized to you and I believe it was heartfelt," I replied. "I know that you are wound up about it but it still doesn't change the fact that you still owe her an apology for your actions." Twi rolled her eyes and groaned in disgust before walking away. "I'll be planning out the study if you need me," she said sourly. I directed the movers where to put everything went as Twi went off to pout. "Is she okay?" Wordy asked after bringing in an end table. I sighed softly. "I think that she's still upset about the Trotter post even though she was able to vent her frustrations at you," I answered. "Did you tell her that my apology was genuine?" She asked. "I did. However, she…ouch...she doesn't seem to think so," I replied, wincing from a slight contraction. "Are you okay?" I let out a deep breath. "Yeah. Just some Braxton Hicks contractions." "Braxton Hicks?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Practice contractions," I explained. "They're completely normal." "Oh. I, uh, probably should get back to work," Wordy said, looking over my shoulder. She quickly went back to the truck and I turned to see Twi with a death stare pointed in Wordy's direction. "What was that for?" I asked Twi. "That, that...hussie needs to help get the rest of our stuff in here and leave us the alone," she fired back. "We are paying her to move our belongings, Not to socialize." I put my arm around my angry wife in an attempt to calm her down. "Babe, she's trying to make amends for what she did. Okay? Will you please cut her some slack?" "No!" she shouted. She then focused her attention behind me. "You humiliated me once already and had the gall to try it again mere hours ago. The only reason I haven't broken your nose with my cane is because of Sunny." "Twilight Shimmer! That. Is. Enough," I scolded. "Leave her alone and let her do her job. I don't need this stress so close to the end of my term." "So you're taking her side?!" she asked angrily. "I'm not taking anybody's side. I just want you to calm down, quit shouting at her, and be the more mature person in this situation. Okay?" Twi looked at me and gritted her teeth. In response, I whispered in her ear, "You know that Reddi-Whip can't be enjoyed properly if you're pissed off." Her facial expression began twisting into a pretzel as what I said to her began to sink in. "But...she...you...I...arrrgh!!!" Twi babbled as I grinned from ear to ear. "Fine. But I get to choose which room we enjoy it in. Deal?" Before I could respond, me and Twi both looked in the direction of the front door. Looking back at us were all three of the movers. I smiled awkwardly as one of them winked at us. "Um...this is exactly what it sounds like." "Mmmm. That hit the spot," Twi said as we lay naked on a bare mattress in the new bedroom a few hours later. "Nothing like a good lay to settle the nerves." "Now, can we please drop the issue with Wordy?" I asked as she snuggled up to my breasts. "Sure," she agreed. I wrapped left arm around her and grasped her shoulder. "Now, what was this super important project - that didn't involve technology - you mentioned earlier?" "Project?" "Ouch," I said as I squeezed Twi tightly while Gleaming gave my spine a few kicks. "The project you mentioned when the boxes fell down in our old study." "Oh that project," she said, letting out a yawn. "It's a special present for the baby. But I'm not telling you until… *yawn* ...delivery day." "Oh really?" "Mhmm...it's super secret," she said sleepily. In an attempt to trick her into telling me what she was planning, I used her sleepiness to my advantage. "Okay, then. I'll let you tell me about it in the morning." "No, Sunny." Crap! > Moving Night > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few hours later, I was woken up by a sharp pain in my abdomen. Not this cliché, I thought. "Twi?" I whispered as I gently shook her. "Mmmm...dreamy...sleep, sleep...zzzz," she mumbled, nuzzling the underside of my chin. "Twi, wake up!" I said, a little louder this time. "No...surprise...secret…" she babbled. I pulled myself away from her as another sharp pain shot across my stomach. "Twilight, it's time to go." She finally lifted her head and rubbed her eyes as I got dressed. "Wha-? Time to go?" she asked, still trying to wake up. "Go where?" "I'll give you… ow ...one guess," I snapped. She laid her head back on the pillow. "Oh. To the hospital," she said nonchalantly. Then it finally clicked inside her and she went into panic mode. "THE HOSPITAL!" she shouted, sitting straight up. "Um, checklist. Sunny, where's my checklist? Did we put it in a box? If so, have we unpacked that box? If we didn't unpack that box, which box is it?" "Babe, how about you start by getting dressed," I said, smiling. "I don't think the hospital would take to kindly to you accompanying me in the nude." "Nude? What do you mean nude? You're not nude. I'm not-" she stopped her speel abruptly and looked at herself. "Oh. Right." Despite the pain from the contractions, I managed to laugh at Twi and her panic attack. "Twilight, relax. Everything is under control. I've got the 'go bag' - which has your checklist in it," I said. "Phew. Thanks, Sunny," she said, settling down. "Are you ready to go?" "Yeah, I'll meet you in the car," I replied. "Sunny, you're not seriously going to drive us to the hospital?" "No...you are driving," I said. "M-me? I-I can't. Th-there's no way I-I can do it," Twi objected. I let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, I'll call Cadence." Half an hour later, I was admitted to the maternity ward. The nurse had stuck the electrodes for the heart monitors onto my chest and under my boobs already. "What is that?" Twi asked as the nurse pulled out a strap with a black box in the center of it. "This is a fetal monitor," she explained. "It allows us to monitor the baby's heart rate." "Why is it so long?" I asked. "Well, not every mother-to-be is in shape like you are," the nurse replied as she finished strapping the belt (for lack of a better term) around my stomach. "How long ago was your last contraction?" "I'm not a hundred percent sure. Maybe six or seven minutes ago," I told her. She made a note in my chart. "I'm going to need you to keep track of the time between contractions. Okay?" "Sure." "Your doctor has been called and she should be here within the next thirty minutes or so," she said. She then turned her attention toward Twi. "Is there anything I can get for you, ma'am?" "Maybe a pillow for this couch," Twi responded. "How are you holding up, Sunny?" "Just peachy," I grumbled. "I thought menstrual cramps were bad but this is just… nnngh ...oww. Hey, start timing." "Sure thing." "Did Cadence stay?" I asked, trying to take my mind off the pain. Twi shook her head. "No, she had a meeting this morning that she needed to be at." "Oh." "Thank you," Twi said as the nurse brought a pillow for her to rest on as my ordeal continued. "Sunny, did you turn off the television?" "Yes, babe. Everything was turned off. Spike and Ray were both fed and watered. Everything is under control." In addition to timing my contractions, me and Twi made small talk as we waited for the doctor to arrive. I did my best to get her to spill the beans on the surprise that she had planned but I still couldn't get her to crack. After a while, there was a knock on the door. "Good morning, Sunset, Twilight," said Dr. M. Brio in her thick Saddle Arabian accent. "Hey, doc," I said, wincing as another contraction hit. "Hello, doctor," Twi echoed. "So let's see...hmmm...uh-huh…" Dr. Brio mumbled under her breath. "Sunset, I'm going to check your dilation." She had me set my feet up in the stirrups and reached under the gown. "You'll feel a small amount of pressure while I check." "Okay." A moment later, the pressure in my nether regions eased up and the doctor pulled off her glove. "Where would you say the contractions are focused?" "Mainly in my pelvic and groin areas," I replied. She scribbled some notes onto my chart and asked me about the contraction frequency. "Huh…" "What do you mean by 'huh'?" Twi asked her. "Well, you will both be happy to know that you're going to have a beautiful family," said the doctor with a smile. "But…?" I asked. "But it's not going to be tonight," "Why?" I asked. "Your cervix isn't dilated, your contractions are not happening in the correct place, and the contractions are too irregular for you to be in labor," she explained. "So what am I supposed to do about this pain?" I asked. "I'm going to put you on bed rest from now until you deliver. Alternate between your back, left and right sides and use a heating pad for the pain," Dr. Brio explained. "Have you gone on maternity leave at work yet?" "Yes, I have." "Okay. Now while you are on bed rest, you cannot do any cooking, cleaning, driving, or sexual activity. The only things that you are allowed to do are get up to use the bathroom," she clarified. Twi must've noticed the frustration showing on my face. Before I could say anything to the doctor, Twi took my left hand and calmly whispered, "Look at it this way. For the next couple of weeks, you get to be waited on hand and foot. Think about it; meals in bed, sponge baths-" "Severe boredom, sweaty sheets, making my disabled wife do things that she shouldn't have to," I interrupted. "Babe, this is gonna be a living hell for the… ouch ...the next couple weeks."