AN: This is my first time writing a song fic. I technically do have every right to publish this, since the Wizard of Oz is public domain, but I don't own Alex Goot's Lightning. Word count: 3,249.
Dorothy awoke in the woods, and her forehead was hurting. She got to her feet, and saw the all-too-familiar Yellow Brick Road that haunted her dreams for the past two years.
If this was a dream, she welcomed it. She began down the road that she had missed so much, and looked about. The fields had purple farmhouses and scarecrows in purple, from what she saw as she passed. Where in Oz was she? She knew of the Winkies of the West in yellow, the southern red Quadlings, and of course the blue Munchkins, but she never knew of a purple part of the countryside.
Maybe it isn't a dream...
Tip looked around fearfully. He didn't know where Jack had gotten to. Did Mombi get him? Is he being hurt because of me? Oh, what did happen? Such were the thoughts of a runaway. He just had to make it to the Emerald City, in the center of Oz, and he'd be safe from Mombi, his evil godmother. Well, she always left out the evil part, but it was too obvious to include it in every scolding she ever gave him.
Like he didn't work hard enough. Like he didn't lack enough joy in his life. Like he didn't eat little enough. Just make it to where the skyline glitters green, like in all the stories they tell at the tavern, and you'll be safe.
Dorothy was now wishing she had a jacket, with the wind and the rain that was coming down. Too bad. I didn't know I was going to be caught in a storm, in Oz no less. She rolled her eyes, and shivered under her t-shirt. Her wheat-like hair clung to her cold face in clumps, and she felt like crap.
Bump! She fell to the ground, as did a boy about her age, with almost black hair, and muddy, ratty purple clothing.
He looked up with wild green eyes. "A witch!" He cried, and he started to get to his feet, and run to fields. Dorothy ran after him, determined to see what was the matter. Why does everyone think that I'm a witch?
"Wait!" Dorothy cried, as she ran through the fields, Toto barking after her. She finally gripped him by the shoulders, and forced him to turn around.
"Please, please don't turn me in! Don't give me back to Mombi, I'll do anything! Please! Please!" He begged her as he bucked under her grip. Dorothy only tightened her grip on his violet-clad shoulders.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down. I'm not turning anybody in," she said softly.
"But you're a witch," the boy sniffled.
"Wait, a witch? What makes you think that?" She asked.
"You're wearing white," he said, as if it should be obvious.
Oh, right. I forgot, she said to herself as she looked down at her white Toto t-shirt. She looked back up at the boy. "I'm a good witch, though," she said slowly. "Look, I'm wearing blue," she said, pointing out her blue jeans, and the blue-checked white patches on said blue jeans.
He calmed down enough to stop struggling. "Y-You're not going to turn me in to Mombi?"
"Isn't your mom missing you, though?" Dorothy asked soothingly.
"You think Mombi's my mom?" He asked. "She's my godmother, and she's an evil witch. She was going to turn me to stone, I had to run, don't you understand? Please, I beg you, I'll even be your slave, just don't turn me in!"
"Look at me," Dorothy said firmly, and he did so, frightened of her. The idea made her sick inside, despite the fact that she was a known murderer/hero. "I am not going to turn you in. I'm Dorothy, what's your name?"
"Dorothy? The Dorothy?" The boy asked, suddenly enraptured.
She chuckled. "That would be me alright."
She's starin' me down with those electric eyes
No matter how hard I try,
I can't escape that gaze tonight.
He couldn't believe it. He was meeting her. Dorothy, the hero Oz had been waiting for the vanquish the rule of the twin wicked witches. Unfortunately, she hadn't rid him of his wicked witch. But maybe she would now.
Tip had dreamed of meeting her. She was pretty, he'd imagined. She was clever, he had been told. She was courageous, he could deduce. She was kind, he had heard.
And she was all of those things from what little Tip had seen. She was prettier than he had ever imagined, with such light hair that was almost like light itself, clinging to her face, and eyes with the destructive beauty of an oncoming storm. She seemed clever, to have found a way to return to Oz. She was courageous to follow a stranger she had never met. She had extended her kindness to him.
That girl's up in the atmosphere.
That girl's up in the atmosphere.
"I-I'm Tippertarius, but you can call me Tip," He spluttered.
She relaxed her grip on him, and smiled. "Well, Tip, where are you planning on going?"
"To the Emerald City," he said eagerly.
"Ah, yes, the Yellow Brick Road," she said. "How long has it been?"
"T-Two years. And I'm missing a friend, ma'am. A fellow by the name of Jack Pumpkinhead with a pumpkin for a head." He added.
"First of all, no need for a ma'am, you can't be much older than me- how old are you anyways?- and I'll help you find your friend, don't worry," she said reassuringly.
"I'm fifteen," Tip answered.
"See? I'm only fourteen. Why should you call me ma'am? I'm just Dorothy," said she. A little black dog jumped up into her arms. Tip flinched. He hadn't exactly had good experiences with dogs, since the neighbors had rather hateful mutts who seemed to be out to get him.
"Oh, don't be scared. This is Toto," she said, cradling the little dog.
"Like your blouse?" Tip said, recalling her shirt pattern.
She smiled at him, and he felt something in his heart sing. "Exactly," she said, as if it were some inside joke between her and the dog. "Want to pet him?"
Hesitantly, he stretched his hand out, and patted the dog's silky black fur tentatively. It felt nice, he decided. Nice and soft. Full of life.
I'm hypnotized by the way she moves
Baby girl please help me soon
I'mma take you to the sun and the moon
That girls up in the atmosphere
That girls up in the atmosphere
"See, Toto's not so bad, is he?" Dorothy said in a baby voice. She set him down, and he waited patiently at his mistress's ankles. She looked back up at him with those electric eyes. "Let's go find Jack, then."
Tip nodded, and followed her.
"How'd you get a friend with a pumpkin for a head?" She asked.
Oh. That. He blushed. "I made a scarecrow, and carved a face in a fresh pumpkin and sort of brought it to life."
"How'd you do that?" Dorothy asked.
"I've always been able to do it. Make little inanimate objects come to life for short periods of time. Come to think of it, Jack's the longest that one's been alive. I hope he's okay and not lying inanimate in the fields. He's my first friend," Tip confided.
She put a hand on his shoulder, and it was all he could do not to react to the crackling that her touch sent down his skin. Well, he did, sort of. He smiled.
"We'll find him." She promised.
And I've been catching myself thinking of it
it was 3 in the morning
Every day I chase after her
But I can't catch lightning
Catching myself thinking of it
it was 3 in the morning
Every day I chase after her
But I can't catch lightning
No, I can't catch lightning
The more he talked to her as they tried to find the Emerald City, the more human she seemed to him. Not some legendary witch-hero that she was made out to be. Yet Tip loved this Dorothy even more. A girl who maybe he was worthy of, not some heroine who was a legend beyond what he deserved.
He was in love with those gray eyes with a yellow ring like lightning around them. He was infatuated with the smart, kind, courageous girl who was in front of him, who had defended him from Jinjur's Army when they first encountered the little girls.
She'll make you believe everything she wants
Make you think that you're the one
She will keep you there
That girls up in the atmosphere
She's way up in the atmosphere
Tip was sure that they were going to die in the rocs' nest, even if the Tin Man was swinging his axe wildly at the birds. Dorothy was frantically looking around for something that could help them, convinced that she saw something glimmer silver.
"Dorothy!" He cried, and she looked up at him, and he saw fear for the first time in her face. He quickly pulled her close, right where a roc was about to dive, and had barely saved the heroine of Oz.
"Thanks," she said, and she wasn't protesting, or trying to move away. There was something comfortable about the way she fit, wrapped in his arms, close to his chest. He leaned in and kissed her, since he thought he might die and might as well die trying.
Her kiss was sweet, and dare he say electrified? It tasted of rain, sweet and earthy.
And I've been catching myself thinking of it
it was 3 in the morning
Every day I chase after her
But I can't catch lightning
Catching myself thinking of it
it was 3 in the morning
Every day I chase after her
But I can't catch lightning
She couldn't believe the words that had come out of Mombi's mouth.
"I turned her into a boy," she'd said, staring straight at Tip.
Everyone looked straight at the poor youth. He backed away against the canvas wall of the tent.
"No, I don't want to," he said quickly. "I want to be a boy, and go on adventures, not turn into a girl and sit around in some glittering fairy palace all day!"
"It won't be so bad," the Scarecrow reasoned.
"In fact, I've found girls to be much nicer than boys," the Tin Man jumped in.
"We have to do it to prove your lineage to the throne," Glinda said firmly.
"Couldn't we just explain?" Tip asked. He looked over to Dorothy with those pleading emerald eyes that made her heart melt every single time. "Dorothy, please, help me."
Dorothy closed her eyes. What was she to do? Glinda seemed dead-set on having Tip as a girl. Dorothy knew that she preferred Tip as a boy for reasons she couldn't say out loud. Reasons that made her heart squeeze. She was in love with Tip. How could this happen to her?
"Most people don't know that Ozma even existed," She reasoned. "Couldn't we just say that she's Pastoria's son?"
"We don't tell falsehoods," Glinda argued crossly. "We need to transform Ozma back to her true state."
"Fine, if it'll convince Jinjur to step down," Tip finally said, shuddering at the idea. "But you have to promise me that if I don't like being a girl, you'll change me back."
"I don't deal in transformations," Glinda replied sadly. "They're making things look like what they're not, and no honest sorceress deals with that shady business." She glared contemptuously at Mombi.
"Fine," Tip snapped again, green eyes whirring. He looked at Dorothy angrily. "Thanks a lot." With that, he stormed into the curtain, where Mombi was waiting to do the transformation.
No, I can't catch lightning
Oh, I can't catch lightning (yeah)
I can't catch lightning
Tip- no, Ozma, he scolded him- he meant herself, was miserable. Yeah, s/he was the ruler of Oz, and was leading changes and learning magic, but s/he wasn't with the thing that truly made Ozma happy.
Dorothy Gale. After Ozma's transformation, Glinda insisted that Dorothy go back home, leaving the slippers with Ozma, and using a pair of Glinda's where she only needed to click her heels three times.
Ozma still remembered the heartbroken expression on Dorothy's face right before she's disappeared in front of Ozma's very eyes. Those electric eyes haunted Ozma's dreams now. S/he missed going on adventures with her, and talking with her. Ozma's lips burned for Dorothy's sweet, electric kiss. She was lightning, pure lightning, electrified and bright, and she'd left.
God how Tip missed Dorothy Gale. But you can't catch lightning.
She's staring me down with those electric eyes
no matter how hard I try, I can't escape that gaze tonight
"What do you mean someone else came to you earlier today?" Tip (because aw, screw it, he preferred that name and being a boy, he'd figured that much out by now) asked.
"A girl by the name of Dorothy Girl," Langerwide admitted. "I locked her in the tower because she refused to give me her head. But I will have it."
Not Dorothy! His thoughts panicked. "Release her now!" He ordered. Yes, maybe it seemed foolish and demanding, but did he honestly care? NO.
"Fine, fine, go release the boring girl," Langerwide said, sounding bored. A servant walked off. Tip's heart now pounded in his now feminine chest (he was still getting used to this). He was seeing Dorothy again. The girl he missed so much.
Down came the Kansas farmgirl, cradling a chicken in her arms, and a metal-man was following her.
Those electric eyes brightened at seeing him.
"Ti- I mean, Ozma!" She cried in all her excitement, and she dropped the chicken to hug him. The scent of earth and storm overwhelmed him, it was in her very hair. He took in her appearance, a girl with blue and white checked patched-up jeans, and shoes that reminded Tip of the Ruby Slippers that Glinda had. Her hair was in braids that he only saw her wear- he wondered if only girls in Kansas wore their hair that way. A black shirt with words, I guess the rain's down in Africa and a weird blob drawing on the back made her look paler, even with all those freckles.
She was analyzing him the same way, he realized with a chill. He was wearing a green shirt and darker green pants with a deep purple vest that reminded him of his Gillikin roots, and the circlet. He had braided his now long black hair (too heavy for his taste, but Glinda was dead-set against him hacking his hair off) with golden strings that had jewels attached, which didn't help the mobility of his head.
She smiled at him, and he felt electrified.
That girls up in the atmosphere
That girls up in the atmosphere
That girls up in the atmosphere (oh)
She's way up in the atmosphere
Horror pounded in Dorothy's heart. Tip- no, Ozma, hadn't made it out. The Nome King was chuckling about this. Tomorrow, she would get the chance to try. She had to do it, to rescue the soldiers of Oz, but more importantly, to rescue Ozma.
Even if she wasn't exactly the same as the Tip she used to know, the same mischievous, brave person was buried deep down inside, a person with a sense of adventure. Whenever she caught Ozma's eyes, she felt like the winds of Kansas during tornado in her stomach.
She hoped that she could rescue Ozma.
She didn't, but Billina, her chicken, did. For that, Dorothy was eternally grateful. She'd hugged Ozma first thing, forgetting that this wasn't the same as Tip, who felt right. Something just wasn't right the other way, to Dorothy. Not that she minded lesbians, but in a way she didn't feel it was for her. But then again, with Tip... Argh, why was her love life so frustrating?!
And I've been waiting, waiting, waiting for you
Anticipating
Chasing after things that you do
But I can't catch lighting
Tip was excited. Yes, his birthday was coming soon, and there was to be a huge party. But, better than that, he wanted her to be there, and he would. He was about to set his plan into action to get her on the road to Oz.
He missed her so much when she had to leave again. Yet he had a surprise for her and pretty much all of his other subjects. He'd been experimenting with the Nome King's belt, and had discovered its transformation abilities.
He knew just as well as Dorothy that it just wasn't the same, with him being Ozma, as it was before the whole hot mess. Yes, he wanted to be a boy, but more importantly to him anyway, she wanted him as a boy. Was that so wrong? Tip didn't think so. Ah yes, this would be a party to remember.
Waiting, waiting, waiting for you
Anticipating
Chasing after things that you do
Dorothy was relieved to be off of the road. It was Ozma's birthday tomorrow. She was sorry that she didn't have any present for her. She paced the grand rooms that Ozma had given her in the palace. What was she to do for her, a girl who had everything? Especially since the things Ozma couldn't get were in Kansas, and Dorothy had left all of that behind.
She'd mentioned this to Nick Chopper, who looked at Dorothy sympathetically at that.
"Don't you see?" He'd said. "You're gift enough for her. Don't you see how she lit up when she saw your smile?"
Dorothy considered all of that. She still loved Ozma, even if it was insanely complicated. She just wasn't sure if she felt the same way anymore because she was a girl now.
She flopped onto the bed and groaned. Thinking about it anymore would drive her bonkers.
But I can't catch lighting
No, I can't catch lightning (Oh yeah)
No, I can't catch lightning
I can't catching lightning (oh no)
I can't catch lightning
Once Dorothy had finally picked out a dress (blue, she was still rather fond of, after all these years) and started down the halls, her blond hair loose and in kinky waves from being restrained in braids so much. She was looking at the ceiling paintings, even in the outdoor corridors, so she hadn't seen where she was going.
She had bumped into someone, and fell to the ground, as a boy of sixteen in purple and green did as well.
Dorothy only had to meet those green eyes, and feel electrified. "Tip!" She cried, hugging him close.
"I've missed you so much," he whispered to her. "I've really missed holding you close like this."
Dorothy smiled, and kissed him, as his hands went into her wheat-like hair, and sparks shot up and down her spine.
Tip felt as triumphant as he held the girl of his dreams close, a boy again at long last, as he had preferred. He'd never seen her with her braids let loose- he decided that he loved the feel of the fine, wispy hair in waves that resembled the grain he used to tend to for Mombi. That blue dress was striking, too, bringing out those electric eyes.
He'd caught lightning.