Practice could have gone better.
First, there were all the missed landings and failed flips. Then, Ocellus had forgotten the words to the cheers while the junior pony team showed out with perfect rhythm and volume. Oh, and there was the whole getting crushed and paralyzed thing.
Yeah, come to think of it, that was probably the worst part.
For a pony, such a thing might be devastating. For a dragon like Smolder? Still devastating, but Scales do these ponies love to drown their wounded in cards and balloons. And the way they talk to her, it's like they expect her just to lay around and cry all day or something.
Yeah, that ain't Smolder.
Thankfully, Gallus gets it at least. Smolder doesn't want to spend her days sitting around in bed, feeling sorry for herself. If she's going to be forced to sit on her butt for the rest of her life, she wants to at least do it out in the open—roll around the hallways, prank a few nurses, have a race or two despite doctors yelling at her not to, those good 'ol things. Those doctors may have their degrees in medicine, but she's a few months away from a degree in friendship, and friends and living don't come from just sitting around and being sad and stuff. They come from getting out there, meeting fellow injured souls, and bringing some smiles and joy into their lives. Who says a hospital has to be a place without smiles?
And what better way to bring smiles to every creature's face than a good old-fashioned wheelchair race? It certainly brings a smile to Gallus', and Smolder will take any excuse to hang out with her favorite griffon.
***
A romantic dramedy. Rated T for profanity, some suggestive themes/references (no actual sex), and a debilitating accident.
Updates on Mondays and Fridays for the first 8 or so chapters. Hopefully, the amount of chapters already typed will provide a solid enough cushion to keep that schedule up (55,000+ words of it are already written).
Comments welcome! DMs are also open if you have any questions or comments that you'd rather state/ask privately rather than publicly in the comments section.
(Coverart is a screencap of the show. Hoping to eventually get some real cover art. If ya know anyone who might be up to it...)