November 21
When I woke up, I felt like I was all ready to take my finals, and I almost wish that I could have gone straight to Dow and started right away, 'cause I wouldn't have time to get nervous if I went right now. But I couldn't; nobody would be there. And I'd just be standing in the hallway outside of the classroom, getting more and more worried about my final until Professor Brown showed up, so I was just going to have to wait and go to class at the normal time. It wasn't a lot of fun to have to wait when you were all ready to do something.
I looked over at my desk and thought that maybe I could do just a little bit more studying before I woke Peggy up to go trotting, but that was a foolish thought. If I wasn't ready now, I wasn't going to be, and looking through the book a little bit wasn't going to change that. Maybe humans could cram a bunch of knowledge in their head and have it stick long enough to take the final exam, but I couldn’t.
So I looked out the window and thought about opening it, but that would make Peggy cold. And then I felt like I couldn't wait any more, 'cause I was starting to get restless, so I got my camelback and went into the bathroom and filled it up, then I put it on and decided to put on my watch, too, just in case I went flying somewhere and got lost. Plus that way I would be sure to be to class on time. And then I shook Peggy's shoulder until she woke up.
She yawned and then got out of bed and started to get dressed, and she gave me a couple of her water bottles that I could stick in the extra pockets in my camelback so she'd have something to drink, and then she stretched out and said that she was ready to go.
We went our usual way, and we got to Jeff's kind of early, since we'd left earlier than usual. So we went back around to Grand Avenue and back up, and then when we got back, there still wasn't anyone outside, but I looked at my watch and it said that it was almost time for them to be waiting for the bus.
Peggy said that maybe they didn't have school this week because of the holiday, but just then Trinity came running out the door and practically tackled me in a hug. She said that she'd seen us go by the first time and had wanted to come out but they were still eating breakfast and Jeff wouldn't let her and he'd said that we'd be back and now we were.
Lindy and Caleb came out too, and we talked and I gave Trinity a short ponyback ride. Caleb really wanted Peggy to go Pokemon hunting again, but she shook her head and said that we were leaving Wednesday morning for Colorado and she wouldn't be back until next year.
I told them that I would be, at least some, until the end of the year, and then I had to go back to Equestria. Caleb wanted to know if there were any Pokemons in Equestria and I said that I hadn't seen any, but I'd look and see. And then I hugged the girls and hoof-bumped Caleb, 'cause their bus had come, and me and Peggy stood there and watched as it went away.
It took me a minute to focus back on trotting, and I kind of wanted to chase the bus just to maybe see them a little bit longer. But I was sure that there would be another time in December.
I got a bit ahead of Peggy, 'cause I'd slipped into a slow canter since it was a little bit easier on my hooves, and I had to concentrate to slow back down, so for the next couple of blocks, I just paid attention to them, and matching them up with Peggy's foot-falls.
We didn't talk too much, 'cause both of us were thinking about our finals and the year coming to an end, and it seemed like it was all of a sudden, and we weren't really prepared for it. And I think that we went a little bit further than we usually did, but neither of us was paying very much attention to our route.
I was panting and pretty well lathered by the time we finally got to Trowbridge, and Peggy's shirt was completely soaked in sweat, and it felt nice to stand outside the door and cool off for just a minute, but then she started to get cold and let us in the dorm.
When we got up to the bathroom, the shower was in use, and Kat was waiting. She said that it seemed like everyone had morning finals today, so we both sat down and Peggy took off her shirt and used it to wipe the sweat off her.
Ruth came out of the shower and she waved to us, and while we were waiting for Kat, Rebekka showed up, and she said that she might have to skip a shower, since everyone was waiting. Peggy said that the two of us could save her some time, and when Kat got out Peggy told me to come in with her, which I hadn't expected.
She didn't help wash me, and I didn't help wash her, either, 'cause I wasn't sure that she'd like that, but it was still nice to not be alone, and Peggy said that it was good for the environment, too, 'cause we were using less water, and we were also saving time, which was good for Rebekka.
Peggy finished a little bit before I did, 'cause soap rinsed off her faster than it rinsed off me, especially since I had my winter coat growing in, so she dried herself off and waited off to the side until I'd finished. Then I told her that she should get out before I shook off, or else I'd get her wet.
Rebekka was happy that we'd left her with enough time to take a shower, and she went in as soon as I went out, and I groomed myself but when I'd started preening my wings I thought that if Meghan was at breakfast she might like to do it, so I only tidied them up some. I guess if she wasn't at breakfast, I'd do them myself in the lobby.
I got my saddlebags and checked one more time to make sure that I had enough pens, and also a notebook with lots of blank pages in case Professor Brown ran out of paper and I needed to provide my own.
Then we went to breakfast, and there were omelets, so I got one, and Peggy did, too. And when we sat down, Anna and Sean were both studying, and Reese wasn't there, 'cause he didn't have a final in the morning, and Christine was making stacks out of her fruit loops. They were kind of soggy, 'cause she was fishing them out of her bowl. She said that they stuck together better when they were wet, but sometimes they'd just fall apart in her spoon. And they left pretty colored trails on the plate.
Meghan only had a few crumbs left on her plate, and she said that she hadn't been all that hungry. Then she asked if she could preen my wings for me, so I stuck one on her lap and let her work on it while I ate my omelet. That was kind of rude of me, but omelets weren't as good when they were cold, and I don't think she minded.
I'd finished my food by the time she was done, so I moved to the chair on the other side of her and let her do that one, too. And I thought that she was a little bit more relaxed when she'd finished, 'cause she started petting my coat, and then just leaned down and nuzzled my forehead.
Christine finally demolished her fruit loop towers, but she didn't eat too many of them, and her tray was half-covered with soggy fruit loops when she took it back. She said she'd lost her appetite when she started eating, 'cause she'd started to worry about her final.
I was a little bit nervous about mine, and when I went into class I had to resist the temptation to take out my textbook and start looking through it, so I got out all of my pens and put them in a neat little row and waited for Professor Brown to arrive.
I was glad I'd brought extras, 'cause Crystal Dawn had to borrow one, since she only had blue pens and those weren't allowed on the final exam.
All the studying I'd done had been worth it, 'cause as soon as Professor Brown passed out the test and I started reading it, everything was familiar. There were a couple of questions that were kind of tricky, and I made sure to mark every one where I wasn't absolutely sure of the answer so that I could check them first when I was reviewing my test. It was always smart to get everything done first and then go back and fix the things that you weren't sure about, rather than spend half the class worrying about one question and then not finishing the rest of it.
It did take me a little bit longer than I thought it would, but I had enough time to complete it and double-check every question and also think over the ones that I wasn't completely sure about until I was satisfied with the answer I had. Lisa finished before me, so I guess she was either more sure about her answers or else she didn't go back and check again.
I did feel kind of smug, though, 'cause when I was ready to turn in my test, I looked over and Crystal Dawn looked pretty confident, but Austin looked like he was completely lost. He had his forehead all scrunched up and was chewing on his pen. I guess he should have been studying with us, too, but now it was too late. Hopefully he'd learn for next time.
Before I left, I made sure to thank Professor Brown for teaching me about thermodynamics, and he said that it was his pleasure, and he hoped that I could use what I'd learned back in Equestria.
I didn't even go back to my room to take off my saddlebags, but just flew up from the Dow building and into the sky, and I did a big loop in the sky even though I probably should have been a little bit higher before I started. It was a good thing that the campus was on a hill, 'cause my loop bottomed out just over the tennis courts, and if the ground had been flat all around, I'd have made a hard landing. But that was okay; I was happy, so I got some altitude back and then did a big loop around campus and a wing roll when I went over each building, and then I came in fast across the quad and zig-zagged around the trees until I was in front of Trowbridge.
When I landed, I just held my hooves out and skidded to a stop on the snow, and then I went inside and pranced down the hallway.
I stripped off my saddlebags and put my math books inside, so I'd have them ready for later. And I realized that I hadn't gotten my pen back from Crystal Dawn, but that was okay because I had extras.
I also put the letter to my sister in my bag so that I could mail it, and then I turned on my computer to see what the weather was going to be. I was feeling kind of lazy and didn't calculate it myself, but just looked at the prediction, which said that tomorrow was going to be a lot like today, except clear instead of cloudy.
And I also checked my computer letters, and I'd gotten one from Mister Salvatore that said that I could stay on campus if I wanted or else they would find me an apartment or hotel room for when I was in Kalamazoo, and that I could leave everything that I didn't need to take with me to Colorado Springs in my dorm room and they would move it for me, which was really nice of them, 'cause it was one less thing that I had to think about.
Well, I didn't want to stay on campus, because I thought that it would be lonely with no one there. Maybe there would be some other people that I knew but I wasn't sure; everyone I'd talked to said that they were leaving until next year. So I thought it would be better to live somewhere else, as long as it was close, and I told him that. I was sure that Miss Cherilyn and him would find something that I'd like.
I went to lunch a little bit early and gave my letter to the clerk at the Mail Hut on my way in. And I was the first one to arrive at our table and so I could have sat wherever I wanted to, but I decided that I liked the seat I usually got, so I sat there, and I took my time eating, 'cause I didn't want to be all finished before anyone else arrived.
Reese showed up next, and he looked like he'd just woke up. And when I asked, he said that he had, 'cause he'd been up all night studying for his final. I didn't think that was too smart, because I thought he'd be tired now and maybe make dumb mistakes.
Peggy got there kinda late because she'd waited for me in the room, and then she'd figured out that I was already here, so I told her I was sorry and she said it was okay.
She had a movie of her art project that someone else had taken, and so she showed us all, and I thought it was really neat to see. It had flung the glitter in a really big arc, and smashed the egg right into the ground like she was hoping it would, and then the glitter all drifted down around it. And she said that her art professor had loved it, and had actually been clapping before all the glitter had landed on the ground. Peggy said she'd had to try really hard not to laugh, because inside she felt like she was cheating, since she'd made extra effort to be sure that the egg was smashed.
Me and Sean got to math a little bit early, so I thanked Professor Pampena before class started, and then we took our seats.
We had to sit down a little bit apart so that we couldn’t cheat. I pushed the pens kinda towards the middle just so that he'd have one if he needed it, and then we waited for everyone else to arrive so we could start the test.
I was a little bit more relaxed for this one, and there wasn't anything on it that I didn't know. And it was kind of strange, but when I read some of the questions I could hear Loreena McKennitt or Lisa Gerrard or Zaidi Zaidi in my head.
I got done and had checked over all my answers before Sean did, and I wanted to stay with him, but Professor Pampena wouldn't let me, in case I whispered answers to him, so I packed up my things but I left an extra pen for him just in case he needed it. And then I could have gone away, but I stayed in the hallway in case he needed a hug or a nuzzle when he was done with his test.
But when he came out he looked pretty satisfied with himself. And he said it hadn't been as hard as he'd thought it might be, and he gave me back my pen and asked me what I was going to do before dinner.
I said that I thought I'd send a telegram to Anna and see if she wanted to study more astronomy with me, unless there was something special that he wanted to do.
He said that he was going to go to his room and watch a couple of episodes of Star Trek before dinner and begin the process of forgetting all the math he knew until next quarter began. So I told him to have fun and got out my portable telephone and sent a telegram to Anna.
She answered right away, and told me to come over to her room, so I did. I probably should have gone back to mine and gotten my astronomy books, but I knew that she'd have hers, and we could study with those.
We worked until it was dinnertime, mostly looking at pictures one more time to make sure that we remembered what everything in the sky looked like up close, and also reviewing some of the vocabulary for me, and the formulas for her.
Reese came back from his final before we were done studying, and she had to let him in, 'cause he didn't have a key, and she was kinda distracted after that, but it was okay because I thought that we knew everything that we'd have to, and he looked like he needed a hug.
He said that his history test had been brutal, and he thought that Thucydides would be happy to know that he was still causing pain to students thousands of years after writing his book.
The three of us went to dinner together, and the food was decent, but what had everyone excited was that they had taken away one of the normal hot food tables and replaced it with a whole long table of ice cream and sauces to put on top of the ice cream, and they had almost a dozen different flavors of ice cream, and even one that wasn't made out of milk for people who couldn't have milk.
So everyone ate a kind of light dinner, and then we all had ice cream. I got mint chocolate chip which was very good, especially with some hot fudge on it, and Christine had gotten some Superman, and let me have a spoonful. I wasn't quite sure what flavor it was supposed to be, and she said that that was a mystery for the ages. Then Sean looked it up on his portable telephone and started to tell her, but she punched him in the shoulder and told him that it was supposed to remain a mystery and sometimes the internet took the fun out of things.
Peggy had gotten one called Moose Tracks, and that not only had chunks of chocolate in it but also little peanut butter cups and if I had known what that was when I was looking at all the flavors, I might have picked it instead.
Before I left the table, I made sure that no one was leaving tonight, 'cause I didn't want anyone to sneak away without me saying goodbye, and everyone promised that they'd be at breakfast tomorrow.
Me and Peggy went back to our dorm room together, and I told her that Mister Salvatore had said that I could leave behind anything that I didn't want to take with us, and she said that I was really lucky he was doing that for me. Then she asked if I wanted to pack up anything tonight and I probably should have, but I didn't have too much, and decided that I could do it tomorrow. And Peggy thought the same thing, so the two of us relaxed in our room together, and she made us both white Russians.
We'd emptied the bottle by the time that Meghan came by, so I gave her what was left of mine—I had maybe a half glass left—and the three of us talked about what we were doing for winter break, and then I packed up my flight gear and me and Meghan left for Aric's a little bit earlier than usual, 'cause she had a final in the morning.
When we got to his house, he was sitting on the couch with David and Angela, so we joined them. It was kind of crowded with five of us, so I stretched out on Aric and Meghan's laps.
They were watching a movie called Gone in 60 Seconds, and it was about a man who stole a yellow Mustang. Pretty much the whole movie was about him being chased by the police, and Aric said that the movie's fame came from the fact that the car chase lasted over forty minutes, and they had used the same car for the entire movie, even though it got kind of wrecked in the end. It was sort of exciting and sort of strange at the same time, and when I found out that Mister Pace had stolen the car that he was driving I felt bad for hoping that he would get away with it.
When the movie was over, Angela and David went downstairs, and me and Meghan and Aric went upstairs, and then got undressed for bed. Me and Meghan just wanted to snuggle for a while, and then we never wound up actually having sex, but we didn't mind. It was nice to just cuddle and fall asleep together.
i.ytimg.com/vi/FMKqF-HuTLE/maxresdefault.jpg
The original Eleanor.
Despite her appearance, at the end of the film, she was still drivable.
In case you're interested in seeing the jump that did some of the front end damage, here you go:
(He over-rotated a little bit)
begin
Glad to see school is done for Silver Glow! I wonder what she will do for the nearly month and a half she has left on our Earth?
7892340
Correction made; thank you!
Pokemon Going, Going...
Are these Finals I see flashing before my eyes?
Ice Scream, Ice Scream, We all scream for Ice Scream.
Ow.
Kid, I've been in college towns. To get an affordable room at that short notice, you would need the FBI.
One thing seems different. When I was in college, the bulletin board would be covered with notes from kids with cars offering rides to various places for help with gas & other expenses. Do they still do that? On the internet, maybe? Or is Silver just not aware because she has no car & not going home for the weekend?
The downside of having a boyfriend when trying to study.
¡THX1138!
¡Your story has 1,138 upvotes as of now!
Gone in 60 seconds was a great movie.
D'aww. SG wanted make sure that if any of her friends needed a nuzzle or hug they could have one. Cuddles with her herd-mates was a perfect way to end the day.
7888763
Tau in base pi would just be 20.
...things might get trickier if you want to express (say) 5pi in base pi, because 5>pi. (So 5pi in base pi would be... um... 112.201....... I'm pretty sure the decimals never stop...)
7892699 I liked both.
I mean the second was a good Nick Cage movie. How often does that happen?
7892365 The ride bulletin stuff moved online. It's mostly that and networking.
also should be one
cdn.meme.am/cache/instances/folder889/55103889.jpg
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.
I can't decide which would be more funny/interesting: Silver taking her toy with her to Colorado or leaving it for Mr. Salvatore to find when he packs up her room.
Finals... Such memories... It was strange, but after I finished my work, and noticed that there were a few others who hadn't yet, I decided to remain at my desk and provide some of the last desperate few sitting behind me in the classroom the feeble hope that they weren't really the last to finish. Call it a gesture of solidarity, if you will. I hope it helped somebody, for me to sit there, hunched over my test, for a little extra time.
I graduated with a 3.99 GPA. I could have gone for the extra and got a 4.0... but who the heck really cares? Nobody was hiring IT-support types anyway.
plus that way
one more time
a good thing
Silver is becoming fluffypone.
Happy pone is happy.
7984570
(and the comment goes so perfectly with your avatar)
7892343
Now you know
7892358
7892365
It wasn't so bad when I was in Kalamazoo, as long as you didn't want anything too fancy.
That's a good question. They were still doing that when I was in college; as I recall, K even had a specific ride-sharing bulletin board. I'd imagine that now it's all handled online.
7892396
Yeah, although it can make the study session a little more memorable, as Silver Glow learned when she was studying for her climate class.
7892699
The remake wasn't as good, IMHO.
7892879
People don't give enough hugs these days. Luckily, Silver Glow is willing to help fill the hug deficit. And the best days end with cuddles.
7893966
Yeah, it would be a rediculously illogical base. Not useful for anything at all.
7894671
The second was aright, but it wasn't as good as the first. I think maybe because they tried to have a sensible plot, rather than just a really long chase scene.
As for the Nick Cage movies, I think the trick is to put him in a movie where his bad acting works, and he does great (this is true of Shatner, as well). He was good in Kick Ass, for example.
7894717
Pencils don't seem to be a big thing in Equestria. They've got them, but everypony mostly seems to just use quills.
7894904
You know leaving it for him to find when he cleans up her room. He probably shouldn't go through all the boxes to see her stuff.
Then again, he probably already knows, since they ordered it online from Silver's computer.
7895222
Heh, I was the kind of person who would bail the moment I was done. I'd go through it once, to make sure that I hadn't made any dumb mistakes, and then I was gone.
7904381
Yes, she is. Her adorableness is increasing to dangerous levels.
8015950
One of the 'perks' of the job they don't warn you about, you'll know details about your pony you really wish you didn't
She is so not human.... no human should be that chipper and eager for finals morning.
Well, the cramming is less a thing humans CAN do, and more a thing we THINK we can do.
Nervous pony is so cute!
So is precocious young kid with the crush on the collage chick.
I'm sure there are plenty of creatures that Game Freak could turn into pokemon over in Equestria
Finally, after all this time, only at the end does Peggy realize the time saving ability of shared pony showering.
Even if no helping each other wash up, you are missing the best part about showering with pony!
Yup, shower with a buddy and you can take a six minute shower!
She is so getting used to having Meghan around to tend to her grooming needs. She really might just need to file for a helper human when she goes back.
Prepared pony is... over prepared. I see Twilight really has been having an impact on Equestrian education.
Also, more d'awwwww at Meghan, so cute how much tending to Mistress helps her calm down.
Happy Pony Flying is adorable and Happy!
Good trusting pony, knowing her humans will take care of her.
Helpful pony is helpful, pens for everyone!
Funny how that happens, you listen to something while doing something else, and the two just get linked for you.
more d'awwwww ready to give friends feel better nuzzles at a moment's notice.
Yes, everyone needs pony hugs after finals!
YAY! Ice Cream!
SO? GO get seconds then, try all the nummy flavors!
Yes, no one sneaks away from pony without good bye hugs!
See! See! Look how casualy she just lays over top of the humans, asserting her place above them!
Silly lawful pony, feeling bad for sympathizing with a protagonist doing bad things.
9343522
Before I get to the full reply, I just want to say that this is the 20,000th comment on Silver Glow’s Journal. Huzzah! There are only four other fics on the site that have a comment #20,000.
9343522
That’s probably one of the things that’s a real issue for bodyguards (like Secret Service) or to a lesser extent people on covert surveillance operations. You find out things that you wish you hadn’t known.
I’m sure that there’s at least one human on campus that’s that excited and ready to go with finals.
Yeah, if you don’t know it before, one night of frantic study probably isn’t going to do the trick.
Honestly, that’s one of those things that’s been the highlight of the fall for him.
Oh, undoubtedly there are. Hell, a pony monster book would be a great reference material for anyone.
Or she’s known it all along but hasn’t wanted to cross that line with Silver Glow.
Yeah, the mutual washing and grooming is the best part.
Mathematically, that suggests that with three (or four) buddies, you can get it down to three minutes.
Well, she can still do it on her own, but there’s no reason to not take advantage of helper human when she can. Plus, mutual grooming is good bonding.
Of course she has! She’s the princess of education, after all.
It’s impossible to be stressed out when you’re petting a pony. That’s an actual fact.
Of course she is! When she’s not in super serious weather pony mode, flying is lots of fun.
They’re her friends, and that’s what friends do. At least in Equestria . . . not so much on Earth.
I bet there are some ponies who got totally betrayed by people that they thought were their friends, because of human nature.
Share with your classmates and herdmates, because in the future you might be the one needing a bit of help.
I’ve got more than a few songs that are inextricably linked with a particular memory, sometimes awesome stuff, sometimes sad stuff, and sometimes just totally random stuff.
Nuzzles always help cheer up a friend that’s down.
Or a hug.
See, even the dining hall gets it. This is the day for ice cream to help people de-stress.
That’s how Silver Glow would get too fat to fly.
There is no escaping the cuddlequest.
And none of the humans mind at all, because they have given in to the inevitable.
The downside of having a good moral code combined with Hollywood’s liking of sympathetic bad guys. Although I suppose that learning that bad guys sometimes have what they believe is a good reason is a lesson worth learning. I do wonder if Equestria has stories about charming rogues like Robin Hood, or if that’s just completely missing from their mythology.
8015950
I also loved Con Air. I wouldn't call either of them bad actors.
Also Cage is Francis Ford Coppola's nephew.
9897431
I think it would be fair to say that they do well in certain roles and not so well in other roles. Shatner’s very good at being Shatner, not so good at being anything else (IMHO). He’s also wise enough to know that, and accept it.
That I did know.
May the 4th be with you Christine!
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