~🫧~

Students rushed across campus to get to class on time.

Elphaba and (Name) entered history class as Students took their seats.

The best friends took their seats in the front while Galindo and his friends sat in the back.

From his seat, Galindo rested his cheek on his fist as he stared lovingly at (Name).

"Alright, alright everyone, settle down, ladies and gentlemen." Doctor Dillamond announced as he entered the classroom, making Galindo snap out of his trance.

"I have read your most recent essays ssays, and I am amazed to report some progress."

"Thank you." Galindo smiled when someone handed him his pink essay back.

"Although some of us still tend to favor form over content, Mister Glllindo."

Some students chuckled at Doctor Dillamond's mispronunciation of Galindo's name.

"Oh, actually, it's Ga-lindo. With a 'Ga.'" Galindo corrected.

"Yes, of course. Glllindo." Doctor Dillamond tries, but fails, making the class laugh again.

"No, I don't see what the problem is. Every other professor manages to pronouncify my name." Galindo huffed.

"Maybe the pronuncifi-cation of your precious name is not the sole focus of Doctor Dillamond's life." Elphaba countered.

"Maybe he's not like every other Professor, maybe some of us are different!"

"Well, it seems the artichoke is steamed." Galindo smirked, making the Class laugh.

(Name) sent a sharp glare to Galindo, making him flinch and look away at the angered beauty.

"Quiet, please. Please!" Doctor Dillamond settled down the class.

"Yes, we goats lack upper front teeth.Which accounts for the mispronunciation, Mister Glllindo."

Doctor Dillamond walked over to the middle of the room, where there was an Ozian slide projector. "You see, indeed, some of us are different."

Doctor Dillamond kicked his hoof against two pedals,
making shades cover the windows.

"Now, you may have noticed that I am one of the last animal professors here at Shiz. And it is encouraged to discuss this in our class. But there have been some great changes throughout Oz with the rejection of animal culture."

Doctor Dillamond showed the class a succession of images. Animals, contributing to Ozian society, alongside humans.

"However, there was a time, before you were born, when life in Oz was different."

Doctor Dillamond switched to a picture of an old picture of an Oz city.

"When one could walk these halls and hear a Snow Leopard solving an equation, or an Antelope, explicating a sonnet. So, when, and why did this change?"

"From what I've read, the great drought." (Name) spoke up.

Pfanne and ShenShen rolled their eyes and scoffed at the (hair color) girl while Galindo let out a dreamy sigh.

"Beautiful and smart..." He thought in his head.

"Excuse me." Pfanne threw his hands up.

"Like, raise your hand." ShenShen scoffed.

"Shush!" Galindo silenced his friends, making them both shut their mouths, upset they angered their friend/idol.

"Precisely." Doctor Dillamond nodded, ignoring the three friends. "Food grew scarce. And when people are hungry, and angry, they begin to look for..."

"Someone to blame." Elphaba finished.

"Quite right, Miss Elphaba." Doctor Dillamond smiled.

Galindo cleared his throat and raised his hand.

"Yes, Mister Gllllindo?" Doctor Dillamond addressed.

"It is Ga-lindo. Ga-lindo. Ga-lindo!" The blond corrected again.

"And why can't you just teach us history, instead of always harping on the past?"

"Oh, you sweet summer child..." (Name) whispered while other students murmured their agreement with Galindo.

"Because we cannot escape the past. And we ignore it at our own peril." Doctor Dillamond explained as he hopped off his chair.

"The past helps explain our present circumstances. For instance, if we examine this timeline's..."

Doctor Dillamond flipped the chalkboard around, and the entire class gasped in horror.

Written in blood red paint on the timeline, were the words 'Animals should be seen and not heard.'

Doctor Dillamond, shaken, stared at the disturbing words. Elphaba and (Name) looked at each other, then to the words, then to their teacher.

"Who is responsible for this?" Doctor Dillamond demanded, terror in his voice.

He waits, the shocked students only look at each other, silent, uncomfortable, until finally—

"Very well. Class dismissed." Doctor Dillamond let out a cough, accidentally backing into his desk, a vase holding an array of poppies fell, and shattered on the floor.

"I said...class dismissed!"

With that, everyone scrambled out of the classroom in a hurry. All except Elphaba and (Name).

"Doctor Dillamond." Elphaba said as she put her books down and began to carefully gather the poppies while (Name) cleaned up the glass.

"Miss Elphaba, Miss (Name)." The goat nodded.

"Girls, you don't have to—"

As (Name) threw out the glass, she noticed a watering can on the window ledge. She brought it over to Elphaba, and the green woman put the poppies in it.

"Thank you, you're both very kind." Doctor Dillamond smiled as Elphaba placed the watering can on the desk.

"Not bad." (Name) smiled.

"Poppies are my favorite." Doctor Dillamond stated.

"Mine too." Elphaba smiled in agreement.

"They are beautiful." (Name) grinned at the flowers.

"Yes, they keep me cheerful in these dark times." The goat added.

(Name) frowned, she looked from the horrific words on the board to her teacher sadly.

"Girls, please. Go join your friends." Doctor Dillamond insisted.

"It's alright, we don't have any friends." Elphaba assured.

"Other than each other, that is." (Name) added.

"Well...maybe one." Doctor Dillamond held out his hoof to both of the girls.

(Name) and Elphaba smiled and placed their hands on his hoof, marking the start of a great friendship.

~🐐~

"Try again."

Elphaba stood in front of a table with an Ozian coin placed on it. Madame Morrible, nearby, provided quiet guidance.

"Eyes shut, toes clenched. Are your toes clenched?"

"I think so." Elphaba responded.

"And picture it. Are you picturing?" Madame Morrible went on.

Elphaba nodded, she closed her eyes.

"Now...levitate the coin." Madame Morrible instructed.

Elphaba took a deep breath, and tried to levitate the coins

Then, she opened her eyes:The coin hasn't budged.

Elphaba slammed the table with her fist in frustration. Madame Morrible grabbed her hand, concerned like a mother.

"It's alright, it takes them." She gently assured before taking a seat.

"I hear there was an unfortunate disturbance in Doctor Dillamond's class today." Madame Morrible brought up. "That must have been distressful for you."

Elphaba nodded, relieved she understands.

"Someone wrote those horrendous words, on purpose, for him to see."

The chandelier above them began to shake.

"I just wish-"

Elphaba broke off, pacing now, fists clenched, rage building.

"What? You wish what?" Madame Morrible questioned, edging her on.

"I wish there was something I could do. Because no one should be..." Elphaba trailed off, staring at the coin.

"No one should be what?"

"Scorned, or laughed at...

Madame Morrible noticed the objects in the room began to shake.

"Or looked down upon, or told to stop jabbering and KEEP QUIET!"

Elphaba slammed her hands down on the table, and the coin suddenly flew from the table at high speed, like a bullet, smashing into the mirror on Madame Morrible's mantle.

Madame Morrible stared at her with admiration, even awe.

"Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable!" Madame Morrible praised.

Elphaba stared at the shattered glass in shock.

"Once you learn to harness your emotions...the sky's the limit." Madame Morrible explained. "It could lead you to the wizard himself!"

Elphaba smiled, inspired by this.

~🪙~

Elphaba exited Madame Morrible's quarters, lost in thought, heading back to her dorm when she saw Doctor Dillamond hurrying across the quad.

"Doctor Dillamond!" Elphaba chased after him. "Did you find out who—"

But the goat didn't respond and raced off, so Elphaba raced after him.

She followed him to a remote area of campus, passing a dilapidated sign, 'Faculty Housing - ANIMAL.'

Nestled amongst a few small, odd buildings that have fallen into disrepair, Elphaba finds...one light on, in one house.

She approached the house, hesitating. She was about to knock when she heard her teacher's voice.

"This is so much bigger than just some words on a chalkboard."

Elphaba freezes, she listens carefully.

"We animals are now being blamed for everything that goes wrong." Doctor Dillamond told. "Forced from our jobs, told to keep silent."

Elphaba moved closer to the window, and peered through the crack in the window.

Doctor Dillamond was huddled with the Bird professor, and other animals, all speaking in a tense, urgent whisper.

"We can still converse in private, thank Oz." A Deer spoke in relief.

"Not after dark. Not without speech permit." A Leopard countered.

Outside, Elphaba was troubled by what she was hearing.

Doctor Dillamond nodded. "A dear friend of mine-"

"A deer?"

"Cow, actually. She's been speaking out, at protests, and recently wrote me, asking to meet at a cafe. She said it was urgent." Doctor Dillamond explained.

"What did she tell you?" The Leopard asked.

"She never showed up." Doctor Dillamond answered. "And no one's seen her since."

"Many animals have gone missing or actually living!" The Deer fretted.

"Yesterday, a Badger acquaintance, a solicitor, was sacked. Just for arguing a case!" The Tamarin revealed.

"Who?" An Owl asked.

"At least he can still argue." Doctor Dillamond said.

"What do you mean?" The Leopard raised an eyebrow.

"Let me show you."

Outside, Elphaba was riveted at the information she was hearing.

"I've heard of an ox, a professor from Quox."
"No longer permitted to teach."
"Who has lost all powers of speech."

On the walls, shadows puppets of animals being restricted by humans were shown. The other animals in the room all murmured to each other.

Elphaba, also deeply shaken by this information, peered closer.

"And an owl in Munchkin Rock."
"A vicar with a thriving flock."
"Forbidden to preach."
"Now he only can screech!"
"Only rumors but still enough to give pause to anyone with paws."
"Something bad is happening in Oz."

The Animals:
"Something bad happening in...?" 

"That's it! I'm leaving Oz, while I can still speak the word 'goodbye.'" The Leopard decided.

"Leave Oz?!" The Deer asked in shock.

The Owl, Tamarin, Squirrel, and Frog all react, alarmed.

Nearby, Elphaba, equally shocked, takes a step backwards, steadies herself against the window for a moment, then-

The image of the chalkboard with the words 'Animals Should Be Seen, Not Heard' flashed through her mind.

Then, she saw another image, it looked like a barn yard. Animals, unclothed, fenced in, emitting plaintive sounds.

Elphaba let out a gasp. Then, she blinked, coming back to reality, confused and troubled by what she's just seen.

Hearing her gasp, the Animals freeze—ear's twitched, fur and feathers stand at attention. Doctor Dillamond moved swiftly to his door, and sees...

"Miss Elphaba!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just..." Elphaba tried to explain nervously.

"It's alright." Doctor Dillamond gently assured. "Quickly, come inside."

Elphaba stepped inside the house, and was startled to find that the animals were gone. The back window flung open.

Doctor Dillamond quickly shut it, drawing the curtains. "Don't be frightened. Let me get you some tea."

Elphaba looked at the vase of poppies on a table, before turning back to her teacher.

"Doctor Dillamond, what you were describing just now...could something like that really happen?" Elphaba questioned.

The goat regarded her, his wise eyes grave. "It is happening."

He poured some tea into a cup. "If you make it discouraging enough, you can keep anyone silent."

Elphaba took a lantern and aimed it at the wall, looking at the horrifying shadows of animals being trapped.

"But if animals are losing the ability to speak, and leaving Oz, then someone's got to tell the Wizard." Elphaba stated.

"Listen to me, you mustn't tell another soul what you've heard and seen here tonight." Doctor Dillamond instructed in a warning tone.

"But that's why we have a Wizard." Elphaba countered as she stared at the map of Oz, that had pictures of missing animals.

"So nothing bad..."

Doctor Dillamond nodded and considered it. "Perhaps you're right."

Elphaba & Doctor Dillamond:
"Nothing all that bad."
"Nothing truly-"

Doctor Dillamond suddenly let out a bleat, making his glasses fall off.

"Sorry, bad... must be catching a cold." Doctor Dillamond apologized as Elphaba put his glasses on for him.

"Oz bless you, Doctor Dillamond."

The two smiled at each other.

Suddenly, Elphaba and Doctor Dillamond heard a thud outside.

"You better go, take the lamp." Doctor Dillamond told her.

~🐐~

Elphaba head back towards her dorm with the lamp in hand to guide her through the dark night.

Suddenly, the wind picked up around her.

Spooked, she glanced around, was she being followed?

Was that someone whispering or just the leaves?

Suddenly, she heard hoof beats.

She looked up—and a blue horse was galloping straight towards her, about to trample her!

Elphaba screamed and leaped out of the way, stumbles, and falls into a thicket.

The Horse stopped short and turned to his rider, a strikingly beautiful young man in casual yet princely attire: Fiyero Tigelarr.

"Whoa, there!" Fiyero exclaimed.

"I did not see her." The Horse grumbled.

"Nor did I." Fiyero said as he jumped off his horse and checked on Elphaba.

"I'm so sorry, Miss, we didn't see you." He apologized. "You must've-"

Elphaba stood up, the moonlight hitting her face. Fiyero was taken aback by her green skin--but not judgmental.

"-blended with the foliage." He held out his hand to her.

"Is this how you go through life? Running amok, nearly trampling anyone in your path?" Elphaba asked, leaving Fiyero's hand untouched.

"No. Sometimes, I'm asleep." Fiyero countered.

Elphaba noticed he was studying her, she let out a sigh. "Alright, here we go...no, I'm not seasick."

"Neither am I." Fiyero shrugged.

"No, I did not eat grass as a child."

"You didn't? I did."

"And yes. I have always been green."

"And the defenseless? Is that a recent development?"

Elphaba looked at him for a moment, then turns and walks off.

"I'm off for more trampling, may we offer you a ride?" Fiyero called after her.

"No thanks. Get stuffed." Elphaba turned him down.

Fiyero stared at Elphaba in amazement as she walked off. "Well, Feldspur, we've just been spurned by a girl."

"Indeed." Feldspur nodded.

"Guess there's a first time for everything."

~🫧~

And Fiyero enters the picture!

Get ready for some jealous/protective Galindo 😏😏