A Change in the Wind

by Silent Whisper

A Class, A Crowd, A Plan

“Waffles!” Squealed Ghost as she sat down at the table the next morning. Misty grinned, and pulled another waffle off of the waffle iron. Ghost grabbed it, set it on her plate, and doused it in syrup. “Waffles are like the ultimate pancake. They’re light and fluffy and so… geometrically attractive.”

Misty giggled as Ghost practically drooled over her breakfast. The unicorn stuffed her face and moaned in ectacy. “Mmm, sho many shquares~” She babbled, before forking down another mouthful.

Misty poured more batter onto the waffle iron and giggled. “So, now that I have your attention, I’ve been looking at the list you made me. One of the suspects you mentioned was in your class, correct?” Ghost nodded and started on her second waffle as Misty continued. “You’ve got class today, so I was wondering if I could tag along and observe.”

Ghost shrugged and nodded again as she munched. Encouraged, Misty added “I’ll even bring a book to be less conspicuous,” and grabbed a random book off of the nearest pile. “Attack of the Robot Pirate Space Rangers... Well, it’s something to read, I guess. Let’s get going, okay? Time to go to school and get some knowledge!” Ghost let out a muffled sigh of assent, unplugged the wafflemaker, and trotted to the door, her textbook and the remaining waffles floating in her magic.

As they left the apartment building, Misty tried to start up a conversation. “So, learning, huh. What class are we going to, exactly?”

Ghost blinked tiredly at her. “Basic Writing and Composition. I know the material, but it’s required for pretty much everything, so I have to suffer through it.”

Misty groaned. “It’s not even interesting writing, is it? It’s like, essays and stuff. It’s the sort of thing that you’ll use in college and nowhere else. I mean, you don’t even write any essays for working in the cafe, right? So what’s the point of this class? To get into college, don’t you need to know how to write anyways? It’s just a class they make you take to get ready for all the other weird classes they have, except you don't even need it since you know it already.” Ghost shrugged, and nudged Misty towards their next turn. Misty barely caught herself from stumbling into a shrub.

“It’s pointless, really. Besides, you’ll hardly use it once you’re an expert in, um… what are you getting your degree in again?” Misty asked, pushing a crosswalk button over and over.

Ghost shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I’m still trying to decide. I can’t afford to take that many classes at once, so it isn’t like I don’t have enough time to decide.”

The changeling looked around. They were standing on the edge of campus. Fall was in full swing, and the leaves dotted the landscape with brilliant reds and yellows. Paths crisscrossed across freshly mowed lawns, and students milled about on it. A couple ate lunch on a dirty blanket, a few ponies relaxed in hammocks or studied underneath the rustling trees, and a group of students sat in a circle in the grass, playing some sort of hoof-clapping game. It looked exactly like the brochures advertised it to be, and yet…

Something was different. Whether it was the bags under that one student’s eyes as he studied underneath the tree, or the way the couple ate without speaking at all, something seemed off. Ghost was used to it, but Misty seemed almost uncomfortable. “They’re all just… tired, Ghostie. Even the ones laughing and playing a game, they all just seem exhausted. It’s like they’re already dead, but on the inside. What’s going on? Is it finals week?”

Ghost shook her head and led Misty to one of the university buildings. “This is normal for this time of year. The excitement of taking new classes has faded, and it isn’t close enough to their autumn break to cheer them up. Welcome to life as a student.” She held out her hooves and spun around before marching up to the building’s doors and gesturing for Misty to get inside.

As class started, Misty tried hard not to stare over her book too intently at the other students. None of them had the telltale signs of a changeling spy, they all just seemed… dead to the world. Misty elbowed Ghost, effectively ruining her writing mid-sentence. “Ghostie, what’s wrong with them? Half of them aren’t even paying attention to the instructor.”

Ghost huffed in irritation at her ruined page before setting the pencil down. “They’re just getting by, like me. Everypony is exhausted, and it’s rude to whisper during class. You don't want to be kicked out, right?”

Misty let out a drawn-out dramatic sigh and slumped in her seat. Mentally, Ghost agreed that this class was boring as heck. Why bother with grammar and sentence structure when you could just go out and write more stuff, and learn as you go along? It was a complete and utter waste of time.

Misty tried her best not to fall asleep during it, but was nodding off anyways. Ghost giggled as she stealthily began to pack up her books. Watching Misty jerk awake every few seconds was more entertaining than the teacher droning on at the front of the class.

She gently reached a hoof out to shake the changeling awake. “Hey, class is over, it’s time to get going.” Ghost murmured gently. Misty yawned and nodded, and the two began their walk homeward.

Misty looked around. “So, every college brochure lied to me. They made this place look fun and inviting, not… dead.”

Ghost shrugged, twirling her textbook in her magic. “It’s not always like this. In other universities and even in other classes, people have more life to them. Here, in the basic classes, you just get washed out. You’re part of a crowd. That can kill anypony’s spirit.”

Her friend grumbled to herself and kicked a pebble on the sidewalk. “Well, at least we got that over with. Hey, I can probably help you with your homework. It shouldn’t be that hard, right?”

Ghost just stared tiredly at her friend. “You weren’t even paying attention, you were falling asleep. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll do it on my own.” Misty looked taken aback. Was she really that surprised about how easy it was to miss out on the lecture? It must have been quite the revelation, because Misty remained silent the rest of the walk home. Ghost looked over at her friend, who tensed up and nodded to herself every few minutes.

Her silence made Ghost suspicious. “Hey, you’re not usually this quiet. Are you plotting something?”

Misty nodded solemnly. “Of course. I want to help in some way. I just need to think of a plan.” Ghost grinned and nuzzled her friend. Misty and her plans. They were always the sort of distraction from her peaceful routine that made her life more interesting. Perhaps it was what her life had been missing.

Comments

[Zeal Crown]

Ah, the life of a frustrated university student. This chapter must have come from a personal place. I can only imagine there must be a lot of you in Ghost. Well done. <3