The Wonderful Pony of Oz

by 19Brumby

Munchkinland

Twilight took a nervous first step into the strange world she and Spike had landed in. Though very different to anything she had come across before in her lifetime, it didn’t seem dangerous, and so she began to explore, though still slightly wary. Spike stayed close beside her, his suspicious eyes raking over everything.

They jumped as a strange noise emerged from some bushes on their right. It sounded like several fillies giggling. Twilight moved closer but could see nothing.

“I don’t like this,” said Spike.

“It’s alright,” Twilight reassured him. “We just need to find somepony who can help us.”

“What about that?” asked Spike, pointing at something in the distance. It was a pink, glowing bubble that was slowly floating towards them, getting bigger and bigger. It was twice the size of Twilight when it reached them, and it gently melted away to reveal a tall white alicorn. A silver crown adorned her head and she was wearing a gold necklace set with a large pink jewel.

“Aw,” groaned Spike, disappointed. “I was hoping it would be Rarity.”

The alicorn smiled sweetly and asked “Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?”

“I’m...sorry?” replied Twilight, confused.

“Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?” the alicorn repeated. “I saw your house kill the Wicked Witch of the East, and only another witch is powerful enough to accomplish such a feat. So, are you a good witch, or a bad witch?”

“I’m not witch at all,” Twilight tried to explain, though still thoroughly bewildered. Another burst of giggles sounded, this time from the flowers. “Wait. Did you say ‘kill the Wicked Witch of the East'?"

"See for yourself." The alicorn pointed to the bottom of the house. Poking out beneath the wall were two hind legs of a black pony, covered with holes and wearing red, glittering shoes.

Twilight gasped in horror. "I-I didn't mean to! I wasn't controlling the house! It was the twister!"

"What's a twister?"

Twilight swung around to see a white unicorn filly emerge from behind a large tulip. She was wearing a small hat that resembled a plant bulb. A few more fillies and colts also revealed themselves, all wearing bulbs on their heads.

"These are the Munchkins," explained the alicorn. "They were under thrall to the wicked witch, and you have now liberated them. They would have thanked you earlier, but were understandably a little scared."

"We weren't scared!" said an orange pegasus filly, rather indignantly. "We were just-er-being cautious!"

A colt covered with patches bounded up to Twilight. "It was really amazing how you flew your house to destroy the witch!"

"But I didn't!" replied Twilight, exasperated. "A twister came to my farm and picked up our house with Spike and me inside it. Then it just landed here."

"So, in a way," began the white filly, "the house was defying gravity?"

The other Munchkins groaned in unison.

The alicorn coughed softly. "Before we go any further, perhaps introductions are in order. I am Celestia, the Good Witch of the North."

"I'm Twilight, and this is Spike," replied Twilight.

"Hello," Spike said politely.

"I'm Sweetie Belle," exclaimed the white filly.

"I'm Scootaloo," said the orange filly, jumping into the air and flapping her wings excitedly.

"And I'm Applebloom!" a yellow earth pony stepped forward.

"Applebloom, you can't be a Munchkin," Scootaloo told her. "You're part of the family on the farm."

"I only had one line!" Applebloom replied. "And if you two are Munchkins then I should be one too! Besides, aren't the farm workers supposed to reappear later in Oz?"

"The author wants to use different characters," said Spike. "Sorry."

"I knew I should have been Dorothy!" spat Applebloom, stomping off.

"Err...where were we?" asked Twilight, turning towards Celestia.

"I believe the villain should be making their appearance in a few moments," replied Celestia, looking expectantly to a clear spot in the middle of the village. Everyone else followed her gaze and waited.

There was about ten seconds of silence, and then a large cloud of purple smoke appeared in the place everyone was watching. Like the bubble before it, it too dissipated to reveal an alicorn, except this one was black with translucent insect wings. A tall, pointed hat sat just behind her horn. Twilight's eyes widened as she recalled the strange pony she saw during the house's flight within the twister.

"I thought you said she was dead," Twilight murmured to Celestia.

"That was Chrysalina, the Wicked Witch of the East," explained Celestia. "This is her sister, Chrysalis, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Queen of the Changelings. She is far worse."

"Chrysalina?" asked Spike, confused.

Chrysalis glared at the Munchkins surrounding her, and they drew back in fear, whimpering. She then strode over to where Celestia, Twilight and Spike were standing, her face murderous.

"Who killed my sister?" she demanded. "Was it you, Celestia? Or did one of these midgets decide to try their luck?"

"Actually, it was Twilight here," Celestia replied, smiling and gesturing towards the unicorn beside her.

The colour quickly drained from Twilight's face. "Err-"

Chrysalis rounded on her. "Why you little-!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" interrupted Celestia. "The slippers?"

"Of course!" Chrysalis rushed over to her sister's corpse and reached for the red shoes. Just as she was about to touch them, they suddenly vanished and the legs that were wearing them withered away. Letting out a cry of anger, Chrysalis stormed back to Celestia.

"Where are they?!" Chrysalis screeched, her horn glowing. "Give them back this instant or I'll-"

"Too late," replied Celestia, who seemed to be enjoying herself despite the enraged witch threatening her. "They've chosen a new home." She gestured towards Twilight who looked down at her own hooves and gasped at the four bright ruby slippers she was now wearing.

Chrysalis turned her anger on to Twilight. "Give those back to me! They are of no use to you!"

"And what will you do if she refuses?" asked Celestia, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "You have no power here. I suggest you leave, before another house lands on you, too."

Chrysalis looked up and scanned the skies briefly. She scowled again at Celestia. "Very well, but this isn't over. I will get those slippers!" She turned to look Twilight squarely in the face. "I'll get you, and your little dragon too!"

"What did I do?" asked Spike, affronted.

Chrysalis cackled and summoned another whirlwind of smoke, which soon disappeared along with her.

"Oh no!" Twilight collapsed on the ground, overcome with despair. "What do I do? Maybe I can just give her the slippers?"

"Those slippers must have some very powerful magic," said Celestia. "I fear you will be worse off if you give them up so willingly. Your best course of action would be to leave Oz and go back home where you'll be safe."

"But I don't know how to get home! I don't even know where I am!"

"Currently you are in Munchkinland, which resides in the great land of Oz. Your best hope for getting back home would be to travel to the Emerald City and meet the Wizard of Oz. She should know how to help you."

"The Wizard of Oz?" asked Twilight, standing up again. "Emerald City? How do I get there?"

"All you have to do is follow the yellow brick road," answered Celestia as she started to conjure her bubble.

"Maybe we could hitch a ride with you?" suggested Spike.

"Just follow the yellow brick road," repeated Celestia, now floating away into the distance.

Once she was out of sight, Spike sighed heavily. "Looks like we're walking."

Twilight looked around her and her eyes settled on the ground. She was standing directly in the middle of the red and yellow brick spiral. She positioned herself at the tip of the yellow section and started to follow the path, Spike plodding along beside her.

"Where does the red one go?" he asked Sweetie Belle. She shrugged in response.

As they marched through town, several Munchkins came up to them to thank them for killing the Wicked Witch of the East. Twilight responded by smiling uncomfortably, whilst Spike had no trouble accepting their gifts of sweets and flowers which he added to Twilight's bags.

"Maybe this place won't be so bad," he mused. "Y'know, aside from the witch wanting to kill you for accidently stealing her sister's shoes."

Twilight groaned.

Soon they had reached the end of the village and the Munchkins waved them off as Twilight and Spike continued down the yellow brick road into the hills beyond.

"Thank goodness that's over," said Scootaloo, throwing her hat off. "That thing was really itchy."