celeste2003: I came up with it myself, though a few references to other things will pop up.

Shiz Student (Guest): No more Grimmerie, I'm afraid. Our group will have enough problems to deal with.

It was hard for Glinda to pretend that everything was normal. This was a big secret for her to keep. She and Rakelle had been doing secret research for weeks, not finding much information that could help them. She had tried to find documented government coups that happened during an eclipse, but didn't turn up anything. She considered dropping it once again, but the feeling wouldn't shake, so she kept going.

She pulled her sweater tighter around her body as she worked. The heater was broken and the early November winds were blowing through the office. Others in the office were bundled up more than her, still in their scarves and hats, but she wasn't that cold. The only sounds filling the office and her mind were the dings of the typewriters and the clicking of the keys. Glinda was getting through her work, and didn't find any more notes in her piles of papers. Every day was simply a normal day at the office.

Her relationship with Elphaba had gone back to the way it was when she first arrived. There were no more lessons or invitations to events. She hadn't seen her since that day, and she didn't know why she missed her so much. Elphaba probably wasn't sparing her a second thought.

"Hey! Have you all heard about the eclipse coming next month?"

This piqued Glinda's interest. She looked up at Mynifred Vahnn, the main office gossip, and paused mid-word in her typing. "Eclipse?"

"Yes. There's a solar eclipse the day after the Winter Solstice. That hasn't happened in over two hundred years. Or maybe three hundred. Either way, it was a very long time ago."

The longest night shall bleed into a day of black sun, Glinda remembered.

"Miss Vahnn, how is this conversation work-related?" Chyde huffed from his corner.

"I'm talking about it while at work."

"Does that mean we'll have a shorter workday?" a new voice piped.

"No, because you'll have to make up the work you're missing right now," Chyde frowned.

"Party pooper," Mynifred huffed, but went back to work.

Glinda looked over at her calendar. The Winter Solstice is on Tuesday, December twenty-first. That meant that whatever's going to happen will happen –

"Miss Upland, do you have the reports?"

The blonde turned to Chyde. "Which reports?"

"The once about the Animal riots and revolts."

Glinda looked through her stack and pulled out the files. "I'll type these up right away."

"Thanks. And give them right to Mr. Tenmeadows when you're done."

Glinda quickly finished the bi-weekly report she was working on and opened the Animal files. There were Animal uprisings taking place all over Oz, mostly in Munchkinland and the lower Vinkus. There had been demonstrations and protests ever since the first of the Animal Banns were enacted. But they seemed to be increasing now, with the most recent Bann being an Animal curfew of seven pm. Obviously enraged, Animals all across Oz had taken to the streets to peacefully protest, but things quickly turned violent. There were reports of some of the Animals protesting going "savage" and attacking the humans there. It would happen randomly, with no rhyme, reason, or warning. In the most recent protest, over thirty humans were injured, three were killed, and over one hundred Animals were darted and taken away in large cages.

The media covering all the events were under strict censorship, but it was the only way non-eyewitnesses could hear about what had happened, even if it was through a biased lens. They were running with the story that Animals are reverting to their primal states and how locking them in cages was for their own good, as well as society's own good.

"It's due to their biology," was a common line heard on the radio and read in the newspapers.

Animals should be seen and not heard.

Glinda never had any personal qualms against Animals. She didn't have many experiences with them, positive or negative. Dr. Dillamond was pretty neutral, since their interactions were limited to the classroom. She never thought of him as the activist type, but put all his passion into trying to create a better generation of thoughtful, critical thinking students.

Glinda tried her best not to get sick while typing up all the reports. For some reason, they needed to include every. single. detail. about what happened. The blonde wasn't a very squeamish person, but she didn't want to get into the specific injuries sustained by getting mauled by a lion (Lion?).

It took her longer than expected to finish, since she found herself looking away when the details got too graphic, as if she was witnessing it in real-time. By the time she was done, she felt physically and mentally exhausted, wanting nothing more than to go home. She neatly placed all the files into the manilla folder and went to the private secretary's office.

Avaric was on the phone, his face grim, but motioned for Glinda to put the folders in the bin. "Yes, I understand. But it's complicated. We just need to… no, I'll do it. Just keep her out of it."

Glinda heard the muffled voice on the other side, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She slipped out, closing the door behind her, not wanting to be nosy. She was so glad to be done with those files, hoping she would never have to type up another report like that again. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Fiyero, plastering on a wide smile to hide her tiredness. "Hey, Fiyero. I have a question. Do you have a late-night tonight?"

"No. I get off with everyone else at six. Why?"

"I want to ask you something. Can we go out to dinner at The Lonely Lady tonight?"

"Sure, but… is there something wrong?"

"I just think we both deserve a night out after everything."

The way she said 'everything' took Fiyero aback. "Everything?"

"I'll explain at dinner."

"Then I guess I'll see you there."

Elphaba had chosen to take the back staircase again for the same reason as last time, to avoid the other humans in the palace. She slowly opened the door, lifting her gaze to the spot where her father's portrait used to be, but instead of the portrait, she saw a large, oval mirror, trapped in a golden frame.

What was going on? Why were these random objects suddenly appearing in this exact spot? She hadn't heard anyone mention her father's portrait disappearing, which made her wonder if she had imagined the whole thing. There was no evidence of it or the fire, which helped to confirm her suspicions. But the mirror appearing was also something worth discussing.

She took a small step forward, gazing at her reflection. She had never considered herself a self-absorbed person, spending hours in front of a mirror, admiring her reflection. But something about this mirror drew her closer. As she reached out to touch it, she felt the world swirl around her and her eyes slowly fluttered closed before being replaced with a new environment… a new world.

Elphaba twirled around in front of her bedroom mirror. Her father had requested five brand new dresses to be made by royal tailors, but even so, she was not sure any of them were quite right, with a unique complexion such as hers – her green skin a sign sent by Lurline herself to tell Oz that she was, indeed, intended to rule her country – it was important for her always to look perfect.

Examining her final choice, a beautiful, blue gown that complimented her figure and brought out her skin tone, she called for her maid to bring her jewelry box.

"Your jewels, Your Royal Highness," the maid curtsied deeply, placing the box on the vanity before leaving.

Inside laid the finest gems in all of Oz: Quadling rubies, sapphires from the Vinkus, Gillikin gold, and even some of the most exquisite gems from Ix and Ev, all befitting a crown princess, of course. She tried on a few and examined herself. What did the people of Oz deserve to see on her? She owed it to them to make herself look as beautiful as possible.

She smiled at the sparkly, precious stones. After many more minutes of speculation, she chose the pearl necklace. They had been a present to her father from a far-off ambassador, and in turn, had been gifted to her by him. In a place like Oz, surrounded by desert, jewelry made from jewels of the sea were rare and exquisite. Yes, they looked simply beautiful on her, and the stunning display of wealth was sure this public appearance in the Emerald City was memorable.

Finally, she was ready. Her father had arranged a golden carriage to pick her up and parade her around the city so all the citizens could see their princess. She would smile at them and give out roses, as usual, as they adored the ground she walked on.

It was essential for the commoners to know their future ruler. Her father had taken her all around Oz, but there was nowhere quite like the Emerald City, with its glowing lights and splendiderific shops, where her father would buy her the most wonderful things whenever she asked him. Then there was the Emerald Palace, her home. She was almost certain that it was not physically possible for someone to look at the magnificent building and not envy the ones who lived inside it. To not envy her, the daughter of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who would one day be a ruler in her own right.

She had been born extremely gifted. From an incredibly young age, her father had realized just how brilliantly intelligent she was, of course, he had sent for the finest tutors in the land at once who made sure she was the best-educated girl of her age. She not only spoke Arjiki and Qua'ati, the native languages of the Vinkus and Quadling Country, respectively, but also fluent Evian, Ixian, and Quoxlish. She could play the piano, sing beautifully, and knew everything her father told her was worth knowing about Ozian history.

However, her true special talent was even rarer than her intelligence. The future ruler of Oz was showing extremely promising signs of being possibly the most talented sorceress in a century. A magic tutor had, of course, been hired as soon as this talent had been discovered. Now that she had mastered it, she would perform spectacular spectacles for the people, which made them adore her even more.

"Elphaba."

The princess turned and smiled, seeing her father in the doorway. Laughing, she hurried to him and practically leaped into his arms, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Her father quickly reciprocated, a soft chuckle escaping his throat. "Papa!"

He gently pulled away. "You look beautiful, my darling. Perfect, as always."

She blushed. "Thank you, Papa."

"Is there anything you want before you go? I'll make it happen immediately."

She looked around. She had everything she could ever want. Beautiful dresses, beautiful jewelry, and a doting father. Everything was as it should be. She had the perfect life. "Everything's perfect."

"I'm glad you chose the pearls. They look beautiful on you." He offered her his arm. "Come. I'll walk you down. In fact, I've planned a special garden lunch for us. I love you, my precious Fabala."

The scene abruptly ended, melting before her eyes as she reached out to her father. When she opened her eyes, she was back in the hallway, alone, and horrendibly confusified. Was this her magic acting up again? No, she didn't feel drained. But that mirror… what it showed her...

She sank to her knees, her hand covering her mouth to muffle the screams. Why was she being tortured with images and visions of her father now? First the portrait, and now a magic mirror that showed her what she desired most; her dream life with a relationship with him. It had been over a year since his death, and she was never haunted in this way before. She hadn't gained knowledge or truth from this experience. No, this was too much. She had too much on her plate right now, she didn't have time for this.

She grabbed the closest object she could find, a letter opener that had been left on a nearby table, and hurled it at the mirror. It stabbed and stuck in the glass, cracking it and causing a few large shards to fall to the ground. The mirror hissed, and she watched as the shards and the frame slowly evaporated into smoke and vanished, leaving no evidence behind, not even the letter opener.

She didn't know what to do? Should she tell Glinda about this? They hadn't had a magic lesson in months, which would probably explain everything going haywire. She hadn't spoken to the blonde in a while, ever since their discussion about the restricted section. Perhaps she had been a bit harsh, but she didn't understand why she had been so adamant about it. She could tell it was more than simple curiosity, but didn't want her to start snooping. Not even she knew what was down there. She had an entire library, with more books than she could ever read in a lifetime, so she wasn't worried about that small part.

She looked back at the blank wall before running to her room as fast as her legs would carry her.

The first part of Elphaba's dream life was written by deeplyshallow for an old plot bunny they gave me years ago. I thought it fit for the fictional life Elphaba experiences in her daydream.

Does anyone know what the mirror is based on?