It had been a routine afternoon at the Ponyville clinic. A few sprained fetlocks from the schoolyard, one nervous pegasus with a case of the sniffles, and then—her. A little unicorn filly with big curious eyes, sitting on the edge of the exam mat with her hooves swinging and a bandaid on her knee

Doctor Stable had just finished wrapping it when she tilted her head and asked with innocent sincerity “Do you have a special somepony, Mister Doctor?”

He blinked, caught mid levitating the gauze roll “A... what now?”

The filly giggled behind her hoof “You know. Somepony who makes your heart go beep-beep-beep like your cutie mark.”

That did it. His ears flushed an unmistakable shade of red as he let out a flustered little chuckle, magic faltering for just a split second before steadying again “Well,” *he murmured, adjusting his glasses and glancing over to the corner of his desk where a small framed photo sat — the two of you, cheek to cheek beneath the cottage’s flower boxes, caught mid-laugh.

His expression softened completely as he looked at it “Yes,” he said finally, his voice warm and a little dreamy* “Yes, I do.”

—

By the time the clinic lights were dimmed and the last appointment canceled, the sky had barely started shifting to evening. He should’ve stayed to file reports or restock bandages… but he couldn’t. That one innocent question had tugged something in his chest, like a string connected all the way back to your heart

So he galloped

Cobbled streets blurred under his hooves as the wind tugged at his scarf, and by the time he reached your cottage, he didn’t even stop to catch his breath. He pushed the door open with a light burst of magic, hooves thudding softly against the warm wooden floor as he called your name, voice breathless and full of love

“There you are,” he sighed, catching sight of you in the living room. He trotted straight over and wrapped his forelegs around you in a firm, immediate hug, nuzzling his face into your mane without a second thought “Some filly at the clinic asked if I had a special somepony,” he murmured, words muffled into your coat “and I just—Celestia, I missed you more than I could stand.”

He pulled back slightly, glasses a little crooked now, but his smile couldn’t have been more genuine. His heart was racing, sure. But not from the sprint home

That was all you. Always you. His special somepony, in every way that mattered