=::= Jenna's PoV =::=

  "Business Studies?" I asked in surprise. That turned to disbelief as I added, "Accounting?!"

  I looked up from the college pamphlet I was holding and frowned at my big pink plush pony, "Why would you even suggest this? Seriously Pinkie, have you even met me?"

  "Ok granted," I sighed a moment ter, "It does sound like a very down-to-Earth non-magical sort of css, and I'm sure some humans would be interested in taking it. But c'mon, meet me half way here? It has to be something I actually have a hope of passing. Ideally without dying of boredom first."

  To my credit I didn't just poof the pamphlet straight into the void. Instead I moved it off to the side as I said, "Let's put this one over here on the maybe-but-actually-definitely-not pile."

  There were already a half dozen pamphlets over there covering a bunch of equally unlikely topics, but I was feeling pretty optimistic that I'd find something. I still had like two dozen more pamphlets to go through, there had to be at least one worthwhile course in there somewhere.

  I'd grabbed them from the front office of our local community college, which was less than a half hour walk away from our new home. The nice dy behind the desk said they were free, but then she also suggested I should maybe just take one of each. Instead of trying to grab the entire dispy rack.

  "Ok what's next?" I asked with a hopeful grin as I randomly picked another pamphlet from the unread stack. "Cybersecurity!"

  My smile faded, "Huh? Oh, I get it. It's a computers thing. Nnnnnope."

  I was just about to put it on top of the rejects pile when I gnced at the plush pony first. "Yeah I know computers are popur, but they're also complicated."

  "Well of course I know what programming socks are," I added. "Why do you ask?"

  My eyebrows shot up a moment ter and I nodded slowly, "Ok, yeah, you make a compelling argument. There's only two problems. First, Vikki won't be in css with me so she won't be around to see me in them. And second, I don't actually like wearing thigh-high socks? They make my legs sweaty and itchy, and nobody wants that. You know my motto, 'footie socks or no socks'!"

  "Ok well it's one of my mottos," I replied. "People can have more than one motto you know."

  "What? No!" I rolled my eyes as I finally added the pamphlet to the reject pile. "You don't wear Ray Sox, that's a baseball team! Completely different thing, like not even the same category really. Anyways c'mon Pinkie, try and focus here ok? I'm trying to pick a course so I can enroll in college, not join a sportsball team in Brooklyn!"

  As for why I wanted to go to college, that was part of my test genius idea. And the reason I wanted to pick a course today was so I could surprise Vikki with the news during our big one-month anniversary date this evening.

  Since my amazing wonderful girlfriend freed me from my prison I had a lot of free time on my hands, and normally that wasn't a problem because I could always find loads of fun and interesting things to keep me busy. Unfortunately almost all of those things involved magic, and I knew Vikki was uncomfortable with that.

  So I was trying to think of something fun and interesting I could do to pass the time that wouldn't involve a lot of magic. That's when I remembered Jake Green mentioned the nearby college, and pow! It all came together just like that.

  "What was that Pinkie?" I asked as I looked to the plush pony.

  Then I focused on the brochure directly in front of me, "Culinary Arts, hmm? Ok, I see where you're going with this. You're right, it would be kind of romantic being able to cook fancy meals for my sweetheart."

  "Then again she doesn't seem to mind me poofing up food for the two of us every now and then," I added thoughtfully. "And my magic's faster, easier, and there's no messy clean-up afterwards."

  I shuddered slightly as I added, "And there's no way I could cut up an actual chicken or fish or whatever. It was a good idea though, thanks for the input!"

  That one went with the handful of other maybies, before I grabbed another brochure and found myself frowning as I considered the possibilities.

  "Nah. Automotive Repair is definitely not for me," I said as I put it with the rest of the rejects.

  Then I expined to Pinkie, "Because for one thing her car's new, right? So it shouldn't need repairs. And more importantly, she got the car for work and I promised I'd stay away from anything work-reted."

  "Vikki was very clear about that and I'm not going to let her down," I added firmly.

  By that point we were running low on pamphlets, but that only meant I was getting really close to discovering the right program for me. So I was feeling really positive as I picked up another random candidate.

  "Marine Engineering Technology? That's like, boats and stuff right?" I asked my pink plush pony companion.

  "Ok that actually does sound kind of neat," I replied as I looked through the brochure. "We could add a dock at the end of our backyard and park a boat in the little creek!"

  "Yeah I know, maybe the creek's too small, but... No, you're right. Vikki might not appreciate it if I poofed our friendly little creek into the Mississippi of the North."

  I cringed as I agreed, "Right. The neighbours might not like it either. Especially all the ones on the other side of the creek, who'd suddenly be living in the middle of a navigable waterway."

  "Oh!" I excimed a moment ter. "What if not boats but trains? I could park my train out front since there's already a train track that goes right past our house!"

  Pinkie just stared at me silently until I realized the fw in my pn.

  My shoulders slumped again, "Oh right. Neighbours. Traffic. A train would block their houses and the roads and all that stuff. Ok, moving on..."

  The boat brochure joined all the others on the reject pile, and by that point I was really running low on options. But just a moment ter my enthusiasm was back at full force.

  "Pinkie I think this is it!" I turned it around to show her, "See? Art and Design Fundamentals! I could be an artist! Messing around with paint and pencils and stuff, that's definitely a thing I can do. And it sounds fun!"

  Then I noticed something on the back of the brochure and excimed, "Oh look! I could get a camera and do photography too! Ooh! Pinkie that's genius! I could even set up a darkroom in the basement!"

  "Pinkie this is perfect! Mission accomplished," I announced proudly. "I'm going to be an artist and or a photographer!"

  With a flick of my wrist all the other pamphlets vanished in a poof of tiny flower petals, then those poofed away too after I noticed the look my plush pony was giving me.

  "You're right!" I grinned happily. "Thanks for reminding me! Vikki said she'd try and be home early, so I want everything to be absolutely perfect."

  According to the clock under the TV it was just past four in the afternoon, and while I knew Vikki usually made sure to work right up until five she promised she'd leave early today so we could get a head start on our big date.

  I made sure to pce the pamphlet about the college art program on the coffee table where it'd be totally conspicuous, then adjusted it so it was just slightly crooked. I didn't want it to look like I'd intentionally put it there for her to see, it was meant to be a sort of casual reveal after all.

  Then I scooped up Pinkie and the two of us went from room to room through the house, making sure everything was spotless and clean and perfect. That just left me, so I poofed up a pretty pink dress and some heels, which I hoped my girlfriend would like. One st poof and my make-up and hair were also perfect.

  Finally I sat myself down in the big comfy chair by the living-room windows, so I could watch and wait for my girlfriend to come home from work.

  And I waited.

  And waited.

  And waited some more.

  After what seemed like forever I checked the time, and discovered it was only six minutes after four.

  "Yeah I know," I sighed to the big pink pony plushie. "I'm not very good at waiting, am I?"

  Forty-seven seconds ter I poofed up a deck of cards, and that proved to be a good distraction. Too good, in fact. Next thing I knew it was quarter after five and Pinkie had won almost everything including title to the house. All I had left to my name was my right shoe a piece of string and two gum-balls. And that's when I caught her sneaking cards from under her seat cushion.

  So we had a little conversation about honesty and cheating, before she pointed out that instead of being home early my girlfriend was actually kind of te.

  "You're right," I frowned. "Maybe something came up and she had to work te?"

  Then I felt a little spike of self-doubt creeping in. "Or maybe she forgot."

  "I mean, one month isn't a big deal right?" I asked my pony pal. "Forgetting our big anniversary date night definitely doesn't mean she's having second thoughts about being my girlfriend. Does it?"

  My eyes drifted from the pony to the love-seat, then I gnced over at the staircase that led up to our huge patial bathroom. "I know she's not comfortable with magic, but she'd say something if it was really bothering her, right?"

  "Unless she got tired of saying something," I added nervously. "Maybe she hasn't said anything about me using magic for a while because she thought I wasn't listening? Maybe she figured I was ignoring her, so she just stopped trying..."

  With growing anxiety I asked, "Pinkie what if she got fed up with me because I've been using magic all the time even though I knew it made her uncomfortable?"

  "Oh no!" I added as my stomach lurched. "I poofed up a tte and a donut for her breakfast this morning! What if that was the st straw? Now she's talking to the ndlord at her old building to find out if she can move back into her apartment again! All because I was a callous girlfriend who put my own selfish petty desires above Vikki's comfort and peace of mind!"

  By that point I was almost in a panic, my voice had raised in pitch and tone into a shrill shout while I began to hyperventite. I found myself staring mournfully out the living-room window as I grieved for the retionship I'd killed before it even had a chance to blossom.

  "What?!" I gasped as I turned to look at the pony plushie. "Of course I can't use magic to check on her! Pinkie weren't you even listening? Magic's what got me into this mess in the first pce!"

  I stared at my plush pink pal for another second or two then my eyebrows shot up. "Call her?! Like with a phone? I... Oh you know what, that's actually not a bad idea."

  Just like that the anxious panic was gone and I was my calm rexed self again. With a self-deprecating ugh I commented, "See? This is why I need to find something to keep me occupied while Vikki's at work. Otherwise I get carried away and next thing you know I'm racing piglets or having a panic attack thinking that my girlfriend doesn't love me anymore."

  "So I'll just give her a call and she'll tell me she's running te and everything will be fine," I nodded to myself.

  "Except I don't have a phone," I added with a frown. "And even if I did, I don't know what her number is or how to get in touch with her."

  I looked back at the pony again and groaned, "And while both of those problems could be solved very easily with magic, that just brings me right back to where I was fifteen seconds ago!"

  "Pinkie what am I gonna do?" I asked as I bit back a sob. "Vikki hates me because I keep using too much magic all the time!"

  Before I got too carried away with another self-induced anxiety attack I found myself distracted by an unfamiliar car pulling into our driveway. I moved closer to the window as I commented, "Huh. Who do you suppose that is?"

  A half minute ter one of the back doors opened, and I was surprised to see my girlfriend slowly emerge from the car. Except something wasn't quite right, and my surprise faded into a little flicker of worry.

  "Pinkie? Did me and Vikki pn on dressing up in costumes for our big date night? And then I totally forgot we made those pns?"

  Worry became anxiety as I added, "Or is the one-month anniversary traditionally celebrated with practical jokes but nobody told me?"

  The anxiety continued its climb back to full-on panic as I asked, "Or is there some other reason why my girlfriend is on crutches and has a bck eye and a bandage on the side of her head?!"

  Unfortunately Pinkie didn't have any answers this time. Then I heard Vikki fumbling with the front door, so I poofed myself there before I even realized I'd done it. The door swung open and found myself staring at her with wide eyes, while my tummy did flip-flops.

  "Hey Jenna," my beautiful glorious wonderful amazing girlfriend greeted me with a sigh. "I'm so sorry I'm te. I was in a car accident, and -"

  That's all I heard before I burst into tears and pulled her into a gentle hug. I continued crying as I helped her over to the sofa, where the two of us ended up holding each other. There may have been more words, but I couldn't focus on talking.

  Instead my mind had filled up with visions of a hundred different ways my fragile mortal human girlfriend could be taken from me because I wasn't around to protect her with my magic.

  PurpleCatGirl