On the outskirts of Oz, at the castle of the Wicked Witch, the green-skinned sorceress herself was hard at work studying through the Tome in search for the answers she craved. Ever since she discovered the Elements of Harmony, she intended to use their magic to further enhance her power, along with the ruby slippers, this way her power would be unmatched. Once she finally seizes control over Oz, she’d set her sights on this ‘Equestria’ the ponies came from and whichever worlds are out there. But for the moment, however, she found… Nothing.
The Wicked Witch searched everywhere, page after page, neither which told her how to use the crystals for herself. All it said was whomever ‘owns’ the Elements can harness their magic. She slams the heavy book shut.
“Stupid little ponies!” She groans, irritated. “There has to be something in here that will allow me to use these powers for my own purpose! But what could it be!?”
Growling, blinded by anger and frustration, the Witch hurls the tome across the room, and it hit hard against the wall.
“I must find a way,” The Witch thought, scratching her chin. “But how do I get it?!”
Just then, her thoughts are interrupted by the screeching of Chistery, who jumps up and down near her crystal ball.
“This better be good or I’ll cook you for dinner,” She threatened, then thought. “Hmm… I always wondered what ‘monkey’ tastes like. Bah!”
The Wicked Witch strode over toward the crystal ball, as the image of the ponies and their friends appear. Before her eyes, they were walking side-by-side through the dark forest. The very sight brought a smile to her face, as the Witch cackled.
“A-hah! So! You won’t take warning, eh? All the worse for you, then. I’ll take care of you now instead of later! Hah!”
The Witch makes her way back to the table she was at, grabbing a few ingredients sitting next to her ornate hourglass with red sand. She mashes the ingredients together with a pestle and mortar, as she returns to her crystal ball.
“When I gain those ruby slippers and discover how these Elements work, my power will be the greatest in Oz!” The Witch declares. “And now, my beauties! Something with poison in it, I think. With poison in it, but attractive to the eye – And soothing to the smell!”
The Witch laughs, as the smoke slowly rose from the mortar. She waves the pestle in a circular motion around the crystal ball. The image of the group quickly disappears, soon replaced by a field of beautiful pink-and-red flowers.
“Poppies! Poppies! Poppies will put them to sleep! Sleep… Now they’ll sleep…”
<>
Meanwhile, the motley group continued their trek through the woods. Eventually, they notice a light at the end signifying the end was upon them.
“Hey guys!” Twilight calls out. “I think I see the end of the forest up ahead!”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Dorothy sighs, relieved. “I thought we’d be stuck in this forest forever.”
“M-M-Me too!” Fluttershy whimpered.
Rarity continues comforting Fluttershy, just as she’d been doing since they first entered the forest.
“No need to worry, Fluttershy dear,” Rarity said, sweetly. “We’re almost out of the woods.”
“So, you guys have faced danger and dastardly villains where you come from?” Lion asked the ponies. “And on a daily basis, too?”
“Yep!” Rainbow nods, flipping in mid-air. “We’ve tussled with the biggest, toughest and meanest villains Equestria has to offer. I don’t need to brag…”
“Too late,” Applejack bluntly said.
“… We always come out on top,” Rainbow concluded, glaring at Applejack.
Lion just kept hold of his tail, quaking with fear.
“B-B-But, w-weren’t you s-scared?” He shook.
“Ah course we were scared,” Applejack responds. “We done battles with some ah the worst beings in Equestria. We never know whether or not we’d actually survive.”
“Why didn’t you just run away?” Lion asked.
“Because Equestria is our home,” Rarity answers. “We’re not about to let no pony destroy it.”
“Rarity’s absolutely right, Lion,” Twilight agreed. “When some pony, or ‘something’, threatens your home and the people you care about, running away only makes it worse. Sometimes, you’ve got to put your fears aside and fight for those you care for. It’s all part of being courageous.”
“Wow!” Lion smiled. “I hope when the Wizard gives me some courage, I’ll be just as brave as you girls.”
“Uh-hum,” Spike coughed, folding his claws.
“Oh yes, you too little fella.”
Nevertheless, the Mane Six and Spike felt touched by Lion’s words. Of course, they’ve heard the same thing back in Equestria, hundreds of times and from thousands of other ponies… Even ‘non’ pony clans. But hearing it from a new friend, in an entirely new dimension, for some reason it made them feel… Special.
Soon enough, the light in the clearing grew brighter as the group got close. Finally, the group reached the end of the woods with Dorothy walking slightly ahead of the others. She stops just at the edge of a huge field, where poppies bloomed all over the hills, gazing ahead wide-eyed.
“There’s Emerald City!” Dorothy pointed.
As every pony emerged from behind her, they all caught of glimpse of what she said. Their eyes grew wide, their smiles so bit it’s impossible to describe.
And there is was, sitting on the opposite side of the poppy field, lies a towering city made entirely of sparkling, green emerald. As the sun bounced off the surface, many of the Emerald towers seem to glisten and sparkle brightly. There also lied a faint outline of emerald-green light emanating from the glistening city. Never before had this close-knit group seen anything as beautiful as the city itself. Even Canterlot pales in comparison to such a beautiful sight.
“I’ve never seen anything so magnificent in all my life!” Rarity said, teary-eyed.
“No kidding!” Rainbow marveled. “This place outshines Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and Manehatten put together!”
“No disrespect to any of those cities,” Twilight assured. “But I must agree with you, Rainbow Dash.”
“Yowie wowie!” Pinkie exclaimed, excitedly. “You have could have one super-duper, big party in there every day!”
“Ah can’t believe we’re almost there at last!” Applejack said.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Dorothy praised. “Just like I knew it would be. He really must be a wonderful Wizard to live in a city like that!”
“Well guys, we’re on the last stretch,” Twilight announced. “We just need to pass these fields and we’re home free!”
“Well, come on, then,” Lion ushered. “What are we waiting for?”
“Nothing!” Scarecrow exclaimed. “Let’s hurry!”
“Yes, let’s run!” Dorothy agreed.
Dorothy, along with Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity take off in a run and/or gallop, brushing past the poppies. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy took advantage of their wings, flying above the group. They were all in a mad dash to cross the poppy field, to reach the one place they’ve sought for throughout the entire journey.
Scarecrow and Tin Man managed to get a bit further ahead of the group, gesturing the others to move faster.
“Come on!” Scarecrow shouts. “Come on!”
“Hurry!” Tin Man adds. “Hurry!”
The rest of the group ran as fast as they could. But for some reason, they quickly found themselves slowing down.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” Applejack asked, struggling.
“I don’t know, darling, but I…” Rarity said, tiredly. “Ah… Excuse me. But I seem to be getting tired…”
“Me… Ah!” Pinkie yawned. “Me too…”
By now, Scarecrow and Tin Man reached the top of a little hill. From there, they got a clear view of Emerald City itself.
“Oh! Oh, come on, come on!” Scarecrow encouraged them.
“Look!” Tin Man admired, pointing. “You can see it here! It’s wonderful!”
“Emerald City!”
Lion managed to catch up, but Dorothy struggled to keep up. She and the three ponies finally made it up the hill, breathing heavily. She, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie seemed to stagger a bit.
“Oh… Oh…” Dorothy slurred. “What’s happening? What is it?”
The ponies and baby dragon in the sky observed this, quickly descending down. They land upon the ground wondering what’s up.
“What’s wrong, guys?” Rainbow asked. “You look as if you just ran a marathon!”
“Ah don’t know, sugar cube,” Applejack responds, yawning.
Concerned, Twilight studied Applejack, her eyes struggling to stay open.
“Gee A.J., I haven’t seen you look this tired since you tried harvesting your entire apple crop by yourself,” Twilight observed.
“I can’t run anymore,” Dorothy sighed, her hand on her head. “I’m so sleepy.”
“I know how you feel, darling,” Rarity said, tiredly. “It has been… Ah… Been a long day…”
“Here, give us your hands,” Scarecrow told Dorothy. “We’ll pull you along.”
“And we’ll… Ah,” Rainbow yawned, tiredly. “Um… We’ll carry you guys.”
“Oh, no – Please,” Dorothy staggered. “I have to rest for just a minute. Toto! Where’s Toto?!”
“And… Spike?” Twilight asked, looking around. “Where’s Spike?!”
The little dog and dragon in question had been lying completely on the ground, fast asleep beside each other. Sure enough, Dorothy lays on the ground beside them and fell asleep herself.
“Oh, you can’t rest now!” Scarecrow urged. “We’re nearly there!”
“What did she…” Lion spoke, tiredly. “… Do that for?”
“You know, now that I think about it,” Rainbow replied, lying down. “A little nap… Doesn’t sound so… Bad…”
“Agreed, darling,” Rarity said, falling over.
“Oh… My…” Fluttershy whispered.
“We’ll move along… Momentarily boys…” Twilight said, between yawns. “But first… I need to close my eyes… For just a… Few… Minutes…”
One by one, all the other ponies fell to the ground and were out cold.
“Hey, Twilight!” Scarecrow shouts.
“Rainbow Dash!” Tin Man shouts.
“Fluttershy!” Lion shouts.
“Everyone, please! You can’t sleep here!” Tin Man cried. “You can’t sleep in the middle of the field! Spike! Girls!”
<>
Back within the castle, The Wicked Witch and Chistery spy through the crystal ball as the plan soon put into motion. She laughs at the scene as they all succumbed to her spell, one-by-one.
“Call away! Call away!” The Witch cackled. “They won’t hear any of you again! And there’s nothing you can do about it, either! The plan is working smoothly; soon those ruby slippers… Will be mine!”
The Witch cackles while Chistery hoots and hollers, jumping up and down as the magic continues.
<>
Back in the Poppy fields, seeing all his friends losing consciousness upon the fields seemed to hurt him. Tears swelled down his tin cheeks, as he started to cry.
“Oh – Oh, poor them!” Tin Man cried.
“Don’t cry!” Scarecrow yelled. “You’ll rust yourself again!”
“Comin’ to think of it,” Lion said, tiredly. “Forty winks wouldn’t be bad.”
The Lion was about to fall over, until Scarecrow and Tin Man caught him and held him up.
“Don’t you start it, too!” Scarecrow said.
“Oh! We ought to try and carry Dorothy and the girls,” Tin Man suggests.
“I don’t think I could, but we could try.”
“Lets!”
“Yes.”
Releasing Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow reached out to Dorothy. But in doing so, Lion fell over and fell fast asleep.
“Oh, now look at him!” Tin Man exclaimed. “This is terrible!”
“Here, Tin Man,” Scarecrow instructs. “Help me!”
They try to lift Dorothy, but they couldn’t lift her up. It seemed as though she was rooted to the ground. They tried the same for the ponies, even Spike and Toto, but much like Dorothy they were stuck to the ground.
“Oh, this is terrible!” Scarecrow realized. “Can’t budge her an inch! This is a spell, this is!”
“It’s the Wicked Witch!” Tin Man shouts, panicking. “What’ll we do? Help! HELP!”
“It’s no use screaming at a time like this!” Scarecrow shouts. “Nobody will hear you! Help! HELP! HELP!”
They yell for help for but a minute or two, nothing seemed to happen at first. Then suddenly, something strange happened. Snow began falling from the sky, the sky filled with little flurries that soon littered the poppy fields. Little did anyone know, Glinda herself was orchestrating this magic having bee watching the group for some time.
Course, if we were to let it slip this was Glinda’s doing, we’d be here all day.
Quite right, good sir.
“Look, it’s snowing!” Scarecrow said, excited. “It isn’t snowing. It couldn’t be! But it is! No, it isn’t! Yes, it is! Oh, maybe that’ll help!”
At that moment, oblivious to Scarecrow and Tin Man, Dorothy and the others slow stirred and opened their eyes.
“Oh, but it couldn’t help!” Scarecrow sighs, looking down. “It does help! Dorothy, girls, Spike, you’re waking up!”
Dorothy and the others sat up, yawning to themselves. They all looked around and noticed the snow flying around them.
“What happened?” Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes.
“I’m not sure,” Fluttershy admits. “But I think it’s a lovely sight!”
“Hey! Hey girls,” Pinkie nudged her friends, pointing. “Look at Dashie!”
They turn toward Rainbow Dash, who was still sleeping, lying besides Applejack, her hat off to the side. If you could imagine the scene, in Pinkie’s perspective, this was adorable. Applejack lying on her side, her head on top of Rainbow Dash’s hoof even holding it with her own. Meanwhile, Dash herself lied alongside her and looked so comfortable. Applejack’s ears flick on Rainbow’s nose, as the Pegasus scrunched her face a bit. But then she smiled, leans in and gives a light peck on the ear as Applejack adjusts and smiles. Until, she frowns and slowly opens one eye as she came to her senses.
“Dash?” Applejack said.
“Hmm?” Rainbow responds, opening one eye.
“Why'd ya kiss my ear?” Applejack asked.
Confused, Rainbow looks at Applejack then notices something else.
“Why are you holding my hoof?”
Applejack paused, when another thought came to her and felt something… Off.
“Where’s yer other hoof?”
“Between two pillows.”
All at once, Applejack’s eyes went wide.
“THOSE AREN’T PILLOWS!”
The two girls screamed and jumped into the air, shaking themselves off realizing what just happened. All the others looked on, Twilight looking away, Fluttershy ducking down, and Pinkie just barely containing a chuckle. Even those who were still waking up turned to the side, not quite getting what just happened.
You really wanted to do that joke badly, didn’t you?
Mm-hmm *Smirks*
Taking deep breathes, rubbing their hooves and adjusting themselves, while Applejack grabs and puts her hat back on, they never take their eyes off each other.
“WE NEVER SPEAK OF THIS!” The two ponies yelled. “Agreed? Agreed!”
To ensure they are cool, Applejack and Rainbow Dash give a hoof bump as the others looked confused, unsure of what to say. Rainbow Dash in particular looks toward Twilight Sparkle, who casually lifts her eyes to the falling snow in the sky. Rainbow Dash looks up, then to Twilight, then up again.
“Hey, don’t look at me!” Rainbow said, defensively. “How could I produce this weather if I was asleep?”
“Too bad it was so short,” Spike replied. “That was the best nap I’ve had in days.”
“Unusual weather we’re having, ain’t it?” Lion chuckled.
Every pony else chuckled at this scene. Then Dorothy looks over and noticed that Tin Man had since rusted stiff again, standing in place like a statue.
“Look! He’s rusted again!” Dorothy cried. “Oh, give me the oil can! Quick!”
They all scurried back onto their feet quickly, as Scarecrow hands Dorothy the oil can. Urgently, she oils Tin Man’s joints as every pony starts shaking them about to get them working again.
“A hot water bottle would be good if we had one,” Spike remarks.
“Hmm… I knew I forgot to bring something for this story,” Pinkie thought.
“PINKIE PIE!!!” The girls exclaim.
<>
Back at the Witch’s castle, the Witch and Chistery watch the whole scene unfold from the crystal ball. One moment the farm girl and ponies were fast asleep, next thing they knew it starts snowing and somehow it got them awake.
“Curse it! Curse it!” The Witch shouts, angrily. “Somebody always helps that girl and those pathetic ponies!”
The Witch walks away from the crystal ball, returning toward the table where the Elements of Harmony lay in position. She snatches them up, clutching them in an iron grip as she snarls.
“What is it with these cursed stones?! How can I unlock their magic?!”
The Witch slams them onto the table in frustration, growling to herself. It was then she noticed the tome, which she threw aside earlier, was slightly open. She slowly approaches it and picks up the book. On the page, it showed a huge circular diagram, section off into six areas, each marked by one of the Elements. It showed how they all came together at the very center of the page. The Witch eventually put it together.
“So, that’s how it works, is it?” She smiles, evilly. “I must have them together in one place to get these things to work. But how do I get them here?”
The Witch thought as she walked back to the crystal ball, gazing at the image of them fixing the Tin Man. Her eyes narrowed in on a certain little dragon, sitting on Twilight’s back, helping them move his tin joints. She smiles wickedly again, as an idea sparks in her head.
“Yes… I know exactly what I must do to bring them here! Shoes or no shoes, I’m still great enough to conquer them. And woe to those who try to stop me!”
She begins digging through her things, seeking her broomstick as the image continues.
<>
Back with the group, they had just finished fixing Tin Man. To their relief, he was as good as new once more.
“Oh, thank you all so much!” Tin Man sighed. “I thought I’d be stuck forever!”
“It was no trouble at all dear,” Rarity responds.
“Guys, look!” Fluttershy points.
They turn toward Fluttershy’s direction, until they could see they were halfway still to Emerald city.
“Look how close we are!” Twilight exclaimed, happily.
“Come on, guys!” Rainbow shouts, flying into the air. “We’re almost there!”
“You’re right!” Dorothy said. “Emerald City is closer and more beautiful than ever!”
Pinkie (Sings):
We’re out of the woods
We’re out of the dark
We’re out of the night!
Pinkie and Fluttershy (Sings):
Step into the sun
Step into the light!
Twilight and the others shrug and join along, being it’s not the first time they break out in song.
Ponies and Spike (Sings):
Keep straight ahead for
The most glorious place
On the face of the earth or the sky!
Hold onto your breath
Hold onto your heart
Hold onto your hope.
March up to that gate
And bid it open…
As the ponies and Spike sing a travel song, they, along with their new friends, skip and galloped through the rest of the poppy field (Rainbow Dash preferring to fly over). Soon, they were back onto the Yellow Brick Road and it wouldn’t be long till they finally reach the Emerald City.
<>
At the same time, the Witch pulled her broom from down below. She rushed out onto the balcony of her chambers, cackling as Chistery looked on.
“To the Emerald City, as fast as lightning!” The Witch declares.
Soon, the Witch flew off the balcony, cackling madly as she flew off toward Emerald City. It was a race against time for the Witch, as her pursuit for that horrible farm girl and those meddlesome ponies continues…