//------------------------------// // The Greatest Treasure of All // Story: And Why They Can Work Out For The Better // by musicman722 //------------------------------// BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE-CRASH! “Bucking alarm clock.” Ahuizota muttered, “I wish you didn’t need it.” “Yeah, but I do need to get to the museum to help with the exhibit.” Derring groaned out, “That means I have to be up and early to be there.” He started to get up, but was stopped by a blue tail wrapping around and yanking him back into its owner’s embrace. “Nuuu. I want five more minutes of snuggles.” Ahuizota said, tightening her grip. “Fine, but only because you’re so cute.” Derring relented. After the allotted time passed, and then some, Derring tried wriggling out of her grasp, but to no avail, “Ahui… I really need to go to work.” “You shall not escape my snuggles!” Ahuizota cried. Derring smiled, “I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.” He flexed his wings and targeted her weak spots. In an instant Ahuizota let go as she became racked with laughter. Derring was relentless as he tickled her into submission. While she was down, he sped across the room and grabbed his gear. “You… cheater!” Ahuizota gasped out between laughs. She couldn’t get a proper control of herself until Derring was galloping down the stairs. “Sorry, Ahui. I’ll make it up to you later!” he shouted back, and the sound of the front door closing signaled his departure. “Oh you will.” Ahuizota said to herself. She stretched out, much like a cat before getting up as well to start her day. The weight of the baby put such a strain on her back, but it wasn’t long now. With each passing day, even during the honeymoon, she was prepared to get herself to the hospital when the contractions started. Recently, there were a few false starts, so Derring tried to stay home as much as possible, but he still needed to go to the museum. Once she was all stretched out, Ahuizota went downstairs to make herself a light breakfast. She opened the fridge and found a box on the shelf. “Derring forgot his lunch again.” she said to herself, “I swear, sometimes I don’t even know how he beat my schemes.” Ahuizota made her breakfast and then left the house with Derring’s lunch in her tail hand. Luckily for her, the museum wasn’t too far to walk to, but Ahuizota managed to snag a cab and ride the rest of the way. “Don’t hurt yourself!” the cab puller said before galloping down the road. The people of the town were quite nice to each other. One ramp later and Ahuizota soon found herself inside the museum. She could tell why Derring loved to work here. It was no Smithstallion, but it still went to great lengths to show off the displays of history, a good portion of which that Derring brought in from his adventures. “Hey, Ahuizota. What brings you by?” The reception mare, Bell Ringer, asked. “I hope you didn’t walk all the way from your house.” She, like most ponies who worked in the museum, was a close friend of Derring and was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding. “Derring forgot his lunch.” Ahuizota gave her tail a shake, rattling the box. Bell raised an eyebrow. “Again?” “Yep.” “It’s amazing how he’s kept his head on straight all these years.” Bell said, “Sometimes I wonder if he does it on purpose just as an excuse to bring you here.” Ahuizota giggled, “I know, right? Still, he needs to eat if he’s going to be carrying my pregnant butt to the hospital.” “How is it coming along, by the way?” Bell said, leaning over the desk for a better look. With a shrug, Ahuizota replied, “A few false alarms recently, but it’s coming soon.” “That’s good.” Bell said, “Well, take it from somepony who’s popped out a few foals. It’s going to feel like Tartarus, but it will be so worth it when you hold him, or her.” “I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Ahuizota said, “Anyways, I need to find Derring.” She turned and headed down one of the hallways. “Try not to distract him too much!” Bell called out after her, grinning when Ahuizota nearly scurried out of the room. She was not going to let them live down the time she nearly walked in on them in Derring’s office. Ahuizota weaved and waddled her way through the patron crowds until she reached the office rooms. She found Derring's room and opened the door to find her husband staring intently at some papers. His desk was in the far corner, facing slightly away from the door. It seemed he hadn't noticed her arrival yet. Ahuizota quietly shut the door and crept forward across the wooden floor until she was right behind him. "You can't escape my snuggles!" She then grabbed a startled Derring and brought him close for some nuzzling. "Ah! What-? Ahui, what are you doing here? You should be resting at home!" Derring said, worried about her current state. "Derring, I know you mean well, but I'm not some fragile doll." Ahuizota said, then gave him a kiss. "Besides, you should remember to bring your lunch more often." She dropped the box lunch onto Derring's desk where there was space. "It's simply the curse of being an archaeologist. We're so caught up in the past, we forget about our future meals." Derring said, returning the nuzzling. “I was going to get it when I got back to the house to check on you.” “Sure” Ahuizota said, unconvinced. “So what are you working on this time? Another treasure map or something?” “No, just trying to write my adventures into a foal’s book.” Derring shuffled the papers around until it was in a neat stack half a hoof high, “I haven’t really written more than field reports and academic papers before, so I’m kinda playing this by ear.” He gave a snort, “The editor is probably going to butcher me when they read this.” “Aww, is widdle Derry scared of the big, mean editor? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Ahuizota said with a giggle. “Ha ha, you’re hilarious.” Derring said, though his tone indicated otherwise. He hopped out of the chair and started for the door, “Well, I better get this sent of-Whoa!” He slipped and landed on his muzzle. “Crap! Was I leaking again?” Ahuizota said as she helped him up. “Sorry! I thought I had emptied them last night.” Derring rubbed his sore muzzle and looked down at the puddle he slipped in. “Um...Ahui? I don’t think that’s milk.” It was a clear, almost water-like fluid that stained the ground. Both sets of eyes trailed up the spill to the source and they came to the same conclusion. The water broke. Ahuizota started to breath heavily. “The baby’s coming...Derring, the baby’s coming!” She said as she grabbed him by the vest and shook him like a doll. "I'm not ready to be a parent yet!" “Calm down.” Derring said, spreading his wings out reassuringly despite his own rising panic, “Remember the breathing exercises. Stay here, I’ll go get help.” He shot out the door and into the lobby, almost crashing into the reception desk. “Something wrong, Derring?” Bell asked. “Call the hospital, now! My wife’s water just broke in my office!” He said urgently. Bell’s eyes widened and she grabbed the phone while Derring rushed back to his office. He found Ahuizota right where he left her, still trying to maintain her breathing. “Don’t worry, the hospital is on the way.” he said. "They better!" Ahuizota said, "This baby is more than ready to be born." She gave a cry of pain as another wave of contractions came over her. "Derring, it huuuurts! Why does it hurt so much? This is not the joys of childbirth I was told about! This is the exact opposite of joy!" “Come on, Ahui. You gotta be strong, okay?" Derring said. “Just try to get comfortable.” He did his best to clean up the mess, but he wasn’t a unicorn and so made a note to get a janitor on it before they left. It wasn’t long before the unicorn nurses burst through the door. They levitated Ahuizota onto the gurney they brought and rushed her out. Derring had to flap his wings a few times just to keep up with them. "Don't worry, ma'am. You're going to be fine." One of the nurses said in a calm, professional tone as she lifted the gurney into the ambulance. "Just try to relax, and this will be over soon." "Relax?! I'm about to push a baby the size of a small watermelon out an even smaller hole, and you want me to relax?!" Ahui cried out. "You can take your 'relax' and-" The doors slammed shut, muffling her shouting. The other nurse turned to Derring. "We'll take her from here. I suggest taking this moment to gather any family or personal items while we set her up with the doctors." He scribbled a note on a pad, then tore it off and gave it to Derring. "Give this to the front desk and they'll let you through." He then hopped in front of the vehicle and pulled it away down the street, sirens blaring. As much as Derring wanted to follow them, the nurse was right. If Ahuizota was going to be in the hospital for a while, she was going to be comfortable. Derring rushed back to his office and quickly called his parents, informing them of the situation. After that, he flew home, but not before informing the janitor about the mess. Derring and Ahuizota had been preparing for this moment for weeks and so all Derring had to do was grab the very bulky saddlebags by the door and take off with all the majesty of a turkey. That’s what Derring thought he looked like the first time, though Ahui ‘convinced’ him he was certainly a stallion that night. He flew through the air along the well practiced route to the hospital and landed in front of the doors. Trotting up to the receptionist, Derring hoofed over the note and was directed to the room his wife was in. “I’m here!” Derring said when he reached the room. “I’m not too late, am I?” He set the bags down near the door. Ahuizota was dressed up in a medical gown and laying on her back on the hospital bed. She had a pained look on her face that relaxed slightly when Derring arrived. “No, I haven’t gone into labor yet.” she said, patting her rounded belly. “But it won’t be long now. Doctor thinks that it will happen very soon. Ah!” She winced again as the contractions kicked in for another round. The pegasus nurse in the room, who had been reading a clipboard silently when Derring came in, made various checks upon Ahuizota’s body while Derring came up and put a hoof on his wife’s shoulder. “Is she ready?” He asked the nurse. The nurse took another peek under the sheets. “Just about ready. The cervix is almost wide enough for true labor.” "Don't worry, Ahui. Everything will be just fine." Derring said. Ahuizota grunted in pain. "Easy for you to say. You're not about to give birth." She let loose another cry of pain from a fresh wave of contractions. "Doc, this baby wants out now!" "Well, lucky for you, because now you're fully dilated." The nurse said before quickly trotting to the door and yelling for the doctor. A moment later, a large griffon hen in a white coat appeared through the door. Derring recognized her as Mallory Magpie, the doctor they’ve usually seen when it came to the pregnancy. “Ah, here we go! Time to bring new life into the world, eh?” she said before placing herself at the foot of the bed. “Now, start pushing!” Ahuizota screamed. “Fuck! It hurts! Everything hurts! Derring, if I live through this, I’m going to murder you!” Derring jerked back in surprise at the hostility and leaned over to the nurse. “I heard stories, but is it always this bad?” “Nah, this is par for the course.” he said with a shrug as he wrote something down. “I think the worst we had was the minotaur construction worker. Almost thought she was a sailor with the curses she used. It’s rather entertaining to see how creative they can get.” “Derring, I’m going to fuck you with a cactus and the only lube you’ll get is itching powder, then I’m going to superglue it in there!” Ahuizota screamed out. “Ooh! Haven’t heard that one in a while, though the lube variant is new. That puts ‘cactus’ threats at twenty now.” Ignoring the comments, Derring returned to his wife’s side. “Come on, Ahui. You gotta push through it!” he said supportively. “I’m gonna push you through a Celestia-damned meat grinder!” she yelled in his face, causing him to leap away. Her face was twisted in rage and agony, teeth bared and all, as she tried to get the baby out of her. “That’s it, dear.” Dr. Magpie said, “I can see the baby’s head now. Keep pushing!” “What do you think I’m doing?!” Ahuizota practically roared out. “I think you’re being overdramatic. Just clench those muscles and push that baby out!” “Yeah, no need to be a baby about it.” The nurse said, “Eh?” The joking grin on his face was wiped off by the murderous glares of the two females. “How many times have I told you not to use that joke?” Mallory asked. “I thought I taught you better than that.” Ahuizota took a deep breath. “After I kill Derring, you’re next.” She gave out another pained scream as she pushed once more. “How much more?” she asked the doctor, sobbing from the pain. “Still a ways to go. Keep going. You’re doing great!” Derring, after building up the courage, left his spot on the ceiling and settled next to his wife. “Ahui, listen to me. You gotta be strong, okay? You and I have both been in extreme situations. This is almost nothing compared to that. All you need to do is push. Push as hard as you can!” He held her hand in his hoof and tried not to wince when she gripped it to the point of almost breaking it. Panting, Ahuizota turned to look at him, distracting her from the pain. “Derring,...hah...you better...hnnng!...give me...hah...all the massages....hnnnnng!...for a month! Hah...” “Everything and more.” Derring replied, and then kissed her forehead. Ahuizota found a new strength inside her and pushed with all her might. It felt like forever, but when the strength left her and the fatigue began to set in, she heard something beautiful. It was the sound of a baby’s cry. Ahuizota lifted her head up to see Dr. Magpie holding an infant in her gloved claws. “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” The next hour was a blur to Ahuizota. There was the cleaning up, the cord cutting, and other various procedures to ensure the health of the mother and child. But it was done. Her new daughter was now resting in her arms, all bundled up in a blanket. She was a big baby, with her father’s forehooves and wings, and the rest belonging to her mother, even the tail. The eyes were glimpsed during the checkups, but they also were from her mother. Her coat was an ash-like brown-grey and her belly and wingtips a steel blue. She was just beautiful. “What will we name her?” Derring asked from his bedside chair, staring at the bundle of joy. He was exhausted because he parents came in shortly after the birth. His mom was scolding him about giving her barely any time to pack and see the baby being born. Then he had to keep her from setting up a whole studio to photograph the baby, only convincing her to leave when promising an entire afternoon with the child. “We agreed that I would choose the name after the trouble I went through for her.” Ahuizota said, “How about ‘Yaocihuatl’, after my mother?” “Yaocihuatl.” Derring said, testing the word on his lips. “If she’s anything like her mother, it’d be a fitting name.” Ahuizota smiled. “Yes, my little warrior girl. Welcome to the world, Yaocihuatl.”