Nessa had managed to convince her sister not to go too hard on her roommate, since she needed her for a biology lab assignment. Instead, Elphaba made every single non-uniform clothing item Galinda owned black, including her underclothes. When the blonde found out, she screamed so loud, snow fell off of the tree outside.

"Elphaba, this isn't funny!" she frowned, pulling out a black skirt. "Black and blonde don't mix!"

"Neither do pink and green," Elphaba said nonchalantly from her desk, where she was trying to study.

"I said I was sorry."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. Just now."

Elphaba turned and glanced at her. "It wasn't very sincere, nor was it convincing enough for me to not only forgive you, but also undo my spell."

"Fine," Galinda sighed. "Elphie, I'm very sorry I put you in a frilly pink dress."

"And pigtails."

"And pigtails."

"And matching pink ribbons."

"But those were so cute!"

"Galinda…"

"And the matching pink ribbons," she huffed.

Elphaba smirked. "And I won't complain with Queen Elphaba outlaws pink throughout Oz."

"You'll do what now?"

"Say it."

"No!"

"Well, then it looks like black is going to be this year's pink after all."

"Elphie…"

"Fine. Then I'll just ban you from wearing pink."

"That's cruel!" the blonde frowned, crossing her arms and turned away from the green girl. "You're mean!"

"I suppose I am pushing it a bit. I'm only teasing, Glin. Of course I forgive you," she said, standing and climbing onto the blonde's bed and giving her a hug.

"You won't outlaw pink or ban me from wearing it, will you?" the blonde asked with wide, tear-filled eyes and her bottom lip sticking out slightly.

"No," Elphaba smiled softly. "Of course not."

"Good. Now, please change my clothes back."

Elphaba muttered a quick incantation and the clothes returned to normal, and the two were once again the best of friends, even though they never stopped.

As the date of the Ozdust party approached, Elphaba mind was still preoccupied with princess-things.

"When we go back to the city, I'm going to go to the town hall and legally change my last name," Elphaba said casually to Glin as they prepared for bed.

"To what?" Galinda asked, not missing a beat.

"Well… Oscar's last name is Diggs."

"Do you happen to know his full name?"

She had to think for a moment. "Oscar Zoroaster Isaac Emmanuel Diggs."

The blonde's eyes widened. "Is it normal to have three middle names where he's from?"

"From what I know, it's not very common. Apparently, his parents couldn't decide what his middle name should be, so they went with their top three choices. He told me privately that one weekend when I went to the palace alone."

"What about having your last name be Thropp-Diggs?"

Elphaba cringed. "Oz, no! That's what the papers were calling me. It's just… weird. I want a fresh start. Just… Diggs is fine. Besides, 'Thropp' and 'Diggs' both have one syllable, so the change won't be that drastic or dramatic… although I'm sure the press would find a way to make it."

"That's understandable." The blonde glanced at her friend, who was staring off into space. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just about… how different my life would have been if I had grown up with the Wizard as my father. How I could have been loved and appreciated and maybe a bit spoiled."

Galinda wasn't sure how to respond to that, or even if she was supposed to respond to that.

"I probably would have been even more stressed, though. Growing up knowing that I would have to rule and keep four separate countries unified is quite a job."

"But you have great problem-solving skills."

"You're the one who told me that 'Get along or I'll hex you to Quox!' wasn't an acceptable thing to say to feuding parties."

"I was right, but you've improved greatly."

"Gee, thanks."

"Anytime."

Finally, March arrived, as did the night of the Ozdust party. Fiyero had been ecstatic that Elphaba had agreed to go and promised to pick her up around eight. The green girl allowed her best friend to get her ready, which consisted of curling her hair and pulling half of it up into an elegant bun. The only makeup Elphaba agreed to wear was a bit of blush and eye shadow, but Galinda added some mascara anyway. Again, she opted to wear her contact lenses.

"I want to have fun tonight," Elphaba admitted softly. "This is my first night off from being Shiz's official bookworm. The glasses can have some time off, too."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my roommate?"

Elphaba laughed. "Like you said, hosting and attending parties are a big part of my future. Who are you going with again?"

"Minko Starventon. He's a second-year. He's meeting me there."

By the time Fiyero arrived, both girls were ready. As soon as the prince saw his date, his jaw dropped open.

Elphaba wore a dark navy dress with a square neckline and long sleeves. The skirt of her dress stopped at her ankles. A golden belt hugged her waist and thick, black tights covered her legs. A shawl matching her dress added extra coverage to her arms and she wore a fancier version of her black boots.

"You look beautiful," Fiyero smiled, stepping into the room and softly kissing her cheek.

"Thank you," the green girl smiled.

"I never realized how beautifully brown your eyes are. They're always hidden behind your glasses. You should wear them less often. It's so much easier to look into your eyes without them."

"You wish for me to be practically blind?" Elphaba said with a sideways look.

"That's not what I meant."

She laughed and grabbed her coat. "I know, Yero."

"Can you… um…"

"I'm wearing my contacts. I usually hate wearing them because they irritate my eyes if I leave them in for too long, but I'll be fine for tonight."

The walk to the Ozdust wasn't very long. Fifteen minutes after leaving the campus, they arrived. As soon as they entered the room, they were greeted with loud conversation and even louder music from the record player and speaker.

Dear Oz, Elphaba thought, following Fiyero to a nearby table. She spotted her sister talking to Boq, giggling madly over something he said that, apparently, she found hilarious.

She sat down and the prince announced that he was going to get some food. He came back with two plates of ham and cheese sandwiches, small chicken wings and carrot sticks with dip. He set them down and as Elphaba snacked on the sandwiches, Fiyero went to get their drinks.

"What's in the punch?" Elphaba asked as he set the drink down in front of her.

"Berries and cherries and grapes."

"Oh my!" Elphaba blinked. She took a small sip and scrunched up her face.

"What is it?"

"This is spiked," she said, pushing the cup away.

Fiyero took a large gulp and loudly smacked his lips. "You're right. I'm gonna get another cup."

Elphaba sighed, already knowing she would probably have to drag the prince's drunken self back to his dorm. She looked around for the blonde, who was already dancing with her promised date. She nibbled on the carrots, and Fiyero soon came back with his drink.

"Let's dance," he said suddenly as a new song began to play.

"What?"

"Let's dance." Smiling, the prince gently pulled Elphaba to her feet and led her to the dance floor.

"I don't suppose you can do the Folk Jig to this song," the green girl said with a hopeful smile.

The prince laughed. "Probably not." He led her in a more modern dance that involved a lot of hip movements and spinning. He spun her into his arms and held her close. "You smell nice."

"Lavender. Galinda's perfume," she supplied, spinning out.

A few eyes had rested on the two royals dancing together, but they were blocked out of their minds. To Elphaba and Fiyero, they were the only ones there. No one, nor nothing, else mattered. It was just their special time. Elphaba found herself having a truly fun time, and she relished that feeling.

As soon as the song ended, someone tapped on the stage microphone and everyone turned.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," Pfannee said with a bright smile. "And now, it is time to announce our special guest for the evening."

"Special guest?" Fiyero blinked. "There wasn't anything about a special guest on the flyers."

"Everyone, please give a big round of applause for Her Royal Highness, Princess Elphaba!"

Fiyero turned to see Elphaba's eyes widen before she was pulled away from him and to the center of the dance floor. Everyone stepped back and gave the green girl the entire dance floor.

"What in Oz…" the blonde whispered. She had been pushed to the back and could hardly see what was going on. She looked up and saw a large bucket right above where Elphaba was standing. "Oh no…"

"After all that dancing, you must be very hot," Pfannee said to Elphaba. "Allow us to help you… cool off."

Before Elphaba could react, the bucket above her turned over, pouring something cold and slimy. A bit got in her mouth and she sputtered, an awful taste filling her mouth. She wiped the substance from her eyes and realized it was mud. She tried to run, but slipped and fell on her back, staining her dress even further.

"We figured the perfect gift to you was a refreshing, mud-spa treatment," Pfannee smirked. "Only the best for royalty."

Galinda pushed her way through the crowd of laughing and jeering students and paused at the sight of her friend. "Oh, Elphie," she whispered, taking her friend's arm and helping her to her feet, ignoring the mud beginning to also stain her outfit. She only had to glance at Fiyero and he was by Elphaba's side in a flash with her coat. He wrapped it around her shoulders and led her outside with the blonde.

As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted with camera flashes and shouting reporters and paparazzi. She had been set up. All of this had been planned. Elphaba frowned, tore away from her friends, and bolting away from the noise, her coat lying disregarded on the ground.

"Fae!" Fiyero cried, picking up her coat and running after her, with Galinda not very far behind him.

Elphaba ran all the way back to the school, ignoring her boyfriend and best friend's calls for her to slow down. She made it back to Crage Hall and hurried to her room, fussing with the lock before using her magic to open it. The door flew off its hinges and she ran in. She collapsed onto her bed, not caring that she was messing up her sheets, and sobbed into her pillow.

Fiyero and Galinda finally made it up to the room. Galinda was barefoot, holding her broken heels in her hand, but at the moment, her shoes were the least of her worries. They both jumped back at the sight of the door and exchanged a look before Galinda cautiously approached her friend and lightly placed her hand on her shoulder. "Elphie?"

"Don't touch me!" the green girl cried, shrugging the blonde's hand away.

Galinda jumped back. She knew she had to choose her words very carefully, lest she end up like the door. She took a deep breath. What could she say? There was nothing she could say to make Elphaba stop crying.

"Pfannee's awful," she finally decided on. "I'll make sure she pays."

Elphaba ignored her friend.

Fiyero stepped forward and slowly lowered himself onto the bed, pulling Elphaba into his arms. At first, Elphaba fought to get away, but as Fiyero held her close and gently rubbed her back, she eventually calmed down.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up?" the prince whispered gently. "I hate having the mud interfere with your sweet, lavender scent."

Elphaba wiped her face and slowly pushed herself up. Her roommate handed her a clean nightgown, which she accepted with a forced, small smile before disappearing into the bathroom. While she showered, Galinda and Fiyero replaced the stained covers with clean ones. When Elphaba came out, Galinda immediately ushered her to her own bed and sat her down on the pink comforter.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Fiyero asked as Galinda gently combed her wet hair.

The green girl shook her head. Fiyero gently pulled her closer and she rested her head against his shoulder. Galinda was able to work around them, knowing that Elphaba really needed to be hugged by her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Fiyero said honestly.

"I've dealt with worse," the green girl whispered with a frown.

Fiyero kissed her forehead. "That still doesn't make this okay."

"This is going to be everywhere tomorrow."

"I know. And we'll handle it together."

"Yeah," Elphaba said softly, clearly finished talking about it for the night.

The prince nodded and kissed her again before standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Okay," Elphaba nodded. "Good night."

"Good night, Fiyero. And thank you," the blonde smiled, braiding Elphaba's hair as the prince left.

Once she was finished, the blonde stood up and, grabbing her wand, waved it with a quick fixing spell to right the door. She gently swung the door to test it before closing it, turning her attention back to her roommate. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Don't forget to take your contacts out."

Elphaba watched as her friend disappeared into the bathroom. By the time she came out, her contacts were out and she was almost fast asleep.

"Goodnight, Elphie," she heard the blonde whisper as she got into bed.

"Goodnight, Glin," she whispered back.

No, becoming the Heir to Oz wasn't going to immediately stop the bullying. But this will be the least of Elphaba's worries.