The mare limped towards you, her left hind hoof barely touching the ground before she winced with a curse and instinctively lifted it away, as if the ground was made of nails. Concerned, you quickly rose from the bench and ran over to her.
Now that you were closer, you could see that the leg appeared not to be broken, so that was a relief, at least. This was likely a sprain more than anything else, but you’d be damned if you didn’t get it checked out at the hospital just in case.
Amethyst was a long distance runner, and she had race meetings coming up in the relatively near future. She HAD to be worried about that.
“What happened?” you asked simply.
Though Amethyst was a tough mare, you could see the pain in her eyes and posture, and that this really hurt her. Through pained and panting breaths, she replied, “Caught a buckin’ hoof on a d…damned tree root. F…Feels pretty messed up. T…Think I twisted it.”
Crouching down and placing a comforting hand on her withers, you briefly looked at the leg before looking back at Amethyst’s pretty face. You smiled and said softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll get you to the hospital.”
Without waiting for a response, you carefully picked up the sturdy mare, gently cradling her like a baby, being extra careful not to touch the injured leg. Without further delay, you began walking- you were close, and there was no need to run, in case you aggravated the injury further.
Amethyst sighed with relief once you began walking, most of the pain fading away while she was safely in your arms. It didn’t take long for her pained stutter to disappear, and for her to start bantering with you- and that was a good sign, as the banter had been a normal and regular occurrence since you moved in with her and her twin daughters.
“I don’t know what it is about you humans- you always seem to take any excuse to carry us around like housecats. You’re weird, but you’re lucky that I love you.” A small, pained chuckle punctuated the end of her sentence.
Without missing a beat, you kissed the top of her head and grinned, “I love you too- maybe you shouldn’t be so damned small and cute then, perhaps I’d have a chance at not wanting to pet you all the time.”
“Looks like Mister Dramatic is holdin’ me hostage again- do I need to wear a cute little collar and miaow at you, beanpole?”
You chuckled at that! That being said, Amethyst WOULD look absolutely adorable in a collar… You mentally filed that idea away for the future.
“Eh, I don’t see you as a housecat, but perhaps more like a faithful and loving doggo- the Goodest of Good Girls?”
The mare pouted in mock anger, then she jabbed you between the ribs with one of her front hooves for that remark, causing you to wince more out of surprise than anything else. “Alright Amethyst, I kid, I kid. You would look adorable in a collar though, just saying.”
“Don’t think I don’t know your game, Mister- but yeah, I think I’ll get one specifically because you said it would be cute, and totally not because I want to be your pet or anythin’. Noooo, that would be weird and icky.” The way she said that, you honestly couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.
You openly laughed as you came to a halt, “And you call me the weird one, Amethyst. I seem to recall a particular time when you asked me to …”
“Not. Another. Word!” the mare hissed in embarrassment, a furious blush taking hold upon her face.
“Relax sweetheart, my lips are sealed.”
Before she could reply, you touched a finger to her lips to silence her for a moment. You took a breath before speaking.
“Look at me- before we walk through that door, I’ll tell you this now; you’re going to need to rest up, and I’ll take care of you and the girls- no matter what it is or how long it takes. Chores, meals, shopping, whatever you all need. If you need to be somewhere, I’ll take you there personally, even if I need to carry you all the way to Canterlot.”
You removed the finger from her lips.
Amethyst touched a fore hoof to her chest, and tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, “I love you,” she said with genuine conviction, and a beaming smile.
Kissing her on the lips briefly, you smiled at your mare and responded, “I love you too- now let’s go get this booboo seen to.”
A deadpan expression flashed across her face before she spoke, “You always know just the right way to ruin somethin’ beautiful, don’t you?”
Your grin said it all.
“Sure do!”
Amethyst just looked you dead in the eyes. Suddenly , she snorted and began giggling like a little filly, further giggling being punctuated by occasional additional snorts that seemed to drive her into full-on laughter despite the situation she found herself in.
And with laughter erupting from both of you, and the hospital receptionists staring at you like a pair of lunatics, you strode through the door together.