Author's Note: Sorry about the issues with the initial upload. This was originally copied from my DeviantART account, I don't know why it went like it had done.
Art header was created by WingedWilly on DeviantART.
For the Di Avalaria siblings, Elwynn, and the twins Alexandria and Selena, costume parties had become something of a regular occurrence. Elwynn loved them, and Alexandria could certainly get into the spirit of them as well. The only stick in the mud was Selena, who would often be in a grump about something or another.
However, one this occasion, the charismatic, hedonistic green prince had managed to convince both his sisters to accompany him at one of his costume parties in part of Avalaria palace. Their mother and father, Empress Ddraigtanto and Emperor Alexander Di Avalaria, were in London on poitical business, leaving the three younger dragons home alone, with Cynder being the only one of their step-siblings to accompany them. Eve lived in Warfang with Olivia as a guardians there for half the year, and at rooms in Avalaria for the other half; sadly for them, the party was taking place during the Warfang half of the year.
Meanwhile Cynder did live at Avalaria, she often spent a lot of her spare time with Spyro. She was only a few dragonyears older than Elwynn, but spent most of her time courting Spyro.
Not that it'd have really helped Selena or Alexandria if she did join them. Elwynn was mischievous to say the least...
Selena was the first of the three siblings to be in her costume and downstairs among the party guests. She sat alone, next to the food table, holding a small cup filled generously with cheap, human beer; she was a grown dragoness, she had no qualms with a bit of light drinking, especially when she had other things she'd rather be doing: Oh Alexandria, how well she could twist her sister's wings on such matters.
She'd dressed as one of her heroes from history: Queen Danthe the Avenger. It was one of her favorite costumes for such an occasion. Originally she'd just thrown some plastic armour and a dark woolly blanket over herself, and called that a costume. However, on that such occasion, her mother's tailor had paid Avalaria a visit. Seeing the pitiful attempt at a costume, she insisted upon doing something better, practically dragging the young princess to her tailory home-from-home in one of the quiet corners of the palace compound. She worked through the night, and produced something considerably more spectacular: A much better representation of Danthe's armour, from the bracers, to the thick cloak of fur, to the blue sash bearing the Jarnhud sigil, topped off with an iron crown, a well-cut sapphire set into its face.
Selena looked around the party, seeing a few familiar faces: There was Sunny, who was dressed as a dragon knight: He was Volteer's adoptive son and apprentice, and Elwynn's best friend despite being roughly two dragonyears his elder.
There was Andreas, who was dressed as a Roman magistrate (complete with toga), and Electra Di Isera, dressed as a priestess of Northern Relgimism: The twin lightening dragon children of Viscount Marcus Di Isera, Ddraigtanto's court archivist. There was Donna Blackgrove Ixeniejir, dressed as a princess, and Charlemange Kat'Harven, who was dressed as a plumber: The former of the two had come from Wales to be at Elwynn's party, and to spend more time with her blue-scaled lover.
Angelica Sol, Captain Sol's niece, had been invited, and sat with a quiet pride in a beautiful white and gold dress, smiling as she flirted with a number of other dragons.
Then, there was Jessie Li: Jessie was a very pretty Asian-blooded draconian of red scales, and a head of flowing blond hair; her mother was a European mandrake, her father an Asian draconian himself: The offspring of this loving but improverished couple was a beautiful, clever daughter with a flirtatious streak: She couldn't afford a costume of her own, so Elwynn had, with Alexandria's permission, loaned her an elegant purple dress and heels: They certainly beat the beaten up, worn old trainers she often wore; however, those shoes had made her feet quite sore, and so she'd sat at one of the tables in the hall, tossing the shoes aside and rubbing her soles.
At that moment, there came the cheerful laugh of Elwynn from the stairs as he and Alexandria joined the party. She turned to see who they'd dressed up as: The result left her quite surprised for a brief moment. Alexandria had dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, from the blue and white dress to a pair of red shoes and pulled up socks on her hind paws. That didn't surprise her however: What did surprise her was Elwynn, who was already very tipsy, and had poured himself into a green dress and a set of rather nice silver jewelery; somehow, he'd managed to pull off a convincing cross-dress; "Ellie's" appearance had taken Selena by surprise.
"Ah, there you are!" Alexandria smiled. "Do you like my costume. I'm Dorothy, I even got the ruby slippers." She smiled, giving her twin a quick cuddle. "TT did a really good job on this, don't you think?" It was true. The Tailor (or TT as the siblings often called her) has a specially great talent for dressmaking.
"Why hello there, sister mine!" Elwynn smirked as he skipped. "Or should I say, Queen Danthe? It's become something of a regular thing now? You dressed up as Dany last time."
"Oh, pack it in Elwynn." Selena snorted. "I like Danthe Jarnhud. She was never going to inherit anything, and then she became queen of the entire Jarnhud Kingdom. Purely because she was clever, she was strong, she was lucky, and because her eldest sibling was a total ass."
"Selena!" Alexandria winced. "Don't be so mean!"
Selena rolled her eyes. "...And, like Danthe, I have a sibling who is infinitely sweeter than I am." She sighed. "...What are you dressed as anyway, Ellie?"
"Ah, yes..." Elwynn spoke, putting on a fake girly tone to his voice (he was surprisingly good at it). "This is, like, our first costume party since Alex became Alex, so to speak. And Long'Liang was called back to Indomalya by his father, leaving Alex all alone."
"Oh." Selena gasped. "Oh Alex, I'd totally forgotten. I'm so sorry." Alex smiled with a slight nod at this: Selena may have been a renowned grump, but she loved her twin dearly, and she knew how much Alexandria was smitten with the Asian prince. She hated to see her unhappy for any reason.
"...So..." Elwynn cooed happily, a cheeky grin upon his face "...I decided to take the plunge and give this whole cross-dressing thing a go! I'm drunk, who cares? I love my little sis', and I want her to be comfortable. 'Course, she then dared me to get to get anything from 3rd base to a home run dressed like this. If I can't, I have to wear this rather fetching piece of attire for the rest of the month. If I win however..." He smirked. "Well, it doesn't really matter, I get plenty just for playing."
"Oh brother..." Selena groaned. "I swear to the ancestors, you're a bad influence on everybody around you."
"What?" Elwynn smirked. "I don't mind, it was Alex's idea. And if I'm game for it, then what's the problem?"
"Elwynn! You're the heir to Avalar! Mum's firstborn! You're an idiot, and yet you're going to be emperor one day. I try to conduct myself with some sensibility, representing the House Di Avalaria as best I can, and I have nothing to show for it. You'd rather just sleep with everyone you come into contact with."
"And yet, here I am, talking with my sisters, rather than with Jessie over there." Elwynn scoffed. "Besides, lighten up Selena, it's a party! We're supposed to be having fun!" A devilish grin crossed his face. "And I have just the thing for it." He turned tail, and headed over to a bar which had been set up from a few tables and kegs of drink hooked up to rubber pipes and taps. "Come on!" He beckoned his siblings after him...
The barkeep they'd hired, Algiz, was not unfamiliar to Avalaria parties. Stories had been told of Ddraig, years ago, drinking one of the concoctions that strange dragon had made, and having quite the adventures in her dreams. It was a frightening experience at first, as nobody quite understood what was going on; indeed, Algiz himself worried that he may have caused the Empress some harm. However, today, Elwynn was well aware of his special drinks, and wanted in on the adventure himself. What's more, he wanted to drag his siblings into it, so he could hear if anything fun happened with them.
...It was completely safe: Algiz had more than a hundred human years to work on the recipe of the drink, and had been able to do more tests of it to guarantee that it caused no harm to its patrons. Now, it was a deliberate party thing: The original drink had Ddraig out for hours, this one would only have them out for minutes, but in the dream, it would feel like longer. Or so Algiz claimed...
"Come on, Selena!" Elwynn whined. "Don't be such a spoilsport!"
"No. I don't like the look of those drinks." Selena grumbled. "I don't like the idea of drinking something that deliberately knocks me out cold at a party."
"Yeah, we're at a party, my party, in The Palace of Avalaria." Elwynn rationalised. "How much danger do you really think you're going to be in?"
Selena paused. It was a good point, while there were a few people here that Selena didn't know, she was aware that the majority of them were temple students: To her, that meant that the shadiest person in the party was actually Elwynn himself, and he'd be out for the count too! She'd pay to see him stagger about like an idiot before falling over and drooling all over the floor, all while in his silly dress! ...Perhaps she could even be in something pretty cool, like an astronaut or a warrior queen like Danthe.
"Alright alright." She spoke at last. "I'll do your drinking game."
"Yay!" Elwynn playfully cheered, high-pawing Alexandria, before running off to fetch some of his friends: He wanted them to watch, and when he woke up, he wanted to tell them everything while the memories were still fresh. By this point, Andreas, who was one of the few people Selena was frequently friendly with (for he shared her sensibility), spoke with her.
"Selena, are you really sure about this?" The yellow dragon asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea." Came the princess' reply. "Would you keep an eye on my body while I'm out cold? If something happens, get me out of here, perhaps to my bedroom. I don't know, I just don't want to shit myself or something in front of everyone during this thing if the worst comes to the worst."
"Of course, Selena." He smiled. "Me and Electra will make sure you're okay. Scout's honour."
As Andreas finished speaking, Selena saw over her friend's shoulder Elwynn, speaking with Jessie, who hugged his neck and whispered into his ear. She could overhear Elwynn speaking though, as well as the replies his fling didn't whisper.
"...Don't fret, my lovely. I'll be dreaming of you if I can." At this, the draconian giggled.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that. You'll surely make a mess."
That line actually managed to make Selena crack a smile: Perhaps she wouldn't be the first to make a fool of herself here? That being said, Elwynn didn't seem to have any sense of shame: He'd revel in this regardless.
Selena gulped slightly from nerves as she lay back on a lounge sofa which Andreas and Electra had brought into the hall for her: It was probably wise for Selena to already be lying down if she was going to go through with this; she'd already removed the heavier parts of the armour for comfort's sake, leaving only the cloak. It was the kind of wisdom, the likes of which neither Elwynn nor Alexandia seemed to possess, which gave her a smug sense of victory over her two siblings in this instance.
She watched as Algiz carefully measured out the strange reagents and ingredients which he added to his mixture, like a witch or wizard brewing a potion from a cauldron. It made Selena nervous. She was in a minority among her family, for she had something of a fear of magic: She was a practically minded person, and didn't like that magic put some things beyond her control, including sometimes even things which might pertain to her own form... And yet, here she was.
Three glasses of the glowing, rainbow coloured fluid were poured out. They were placed upon a tray, and the barkeep went over to each dragon, offering them a glass. Selena could see Jessie and Sunny, who had gone to cheer Elwynn on, as well as Donna and Charlie, who had effectively gone to 'Team Alexandria' and were happily giving her morale support as Alex seemed as nervous as Selena, if not more so.
"Don't worry Alex." Selena spoke. "We're surrounded by friends, we're at home, nothing bad is going to happen. Let's just indulge our brother in his stupid antics this time, we'll get revenge later." An evil smirk crawled onto her face as she said that, which Alexandria found quite amusing.
"Sure thing sis', thank you." She smiled. With that, there was no more procrastination: Elwynn hadn't waited on his sisters, and the whooping of his friends suggested he'd already downed his drink: The snoring confirmed it. Selena opened her mouth, pouring the strange drink down the hatch. She paused as she swallowed it, shrugging in slight approval.
"Hm." she muttered. "It's not so bad... It kinda tastes bananaaaaaa..." And then, as if a switch had been turned off in her head, she quickly slurred and flopped over the padded seat, sent off into a deep sleep...
For a brief moment, Selena had forgotten that she had been thrust into a dream sleep. Therefore she was quite surprised when she woke up, and she wasn't in Avalaria...
...Where Selena actually woke up happened to be a small wooden cabin, the likes of which certainly looked far worse for wear. Sunlight flooded through its shattered windows and broken rooftop: It was a warm day outside.
Selena's head hurt as she pulled herself out of bed. The sunlight left her dazed, not really able to pay attention to details as she staggered out of the small house; her costume felt lighter, though she remembered she'd done away with her armour, and she still had trouble seeing, for her eyes had not adjusted to the light.
Slowly, she blinked, and sight slowly returned to her; however, she rather wished it hadn't.
"I don't think I'm in Avalar anymore..." She muttered to herself, looking around at what could only be described as a fairy tale village, complete with little round cottages with mushroom cap shaped roofs. She'd wandered into a small plaza made of red and yellow bricks, paved into a swirl. There were flowers gardens and lush trees all around. This did not seem like an Avalarian settlement in the slightest, and her newfound predicament left Selena very confused.
This confusion was only going to get worse however. As she stood, looking around, she suddenly noticed a large bubble floating towards her, slowly growing and changing colour, becoming slowly clearer as it floated to the ground. As it grew to the size of a dragon, Selena's look of confusion contorted into further bewilderment as the bubble landed. It popped, and from which emerged a green dragoness, garbed in a large, pink dress. Selena blinked. Slowly, she was beginning to develop a hunch as to where she might be.
"Alexandria?" She spoke as the dragon approached, smiling.
"Is that your name, dear?" The dress-wearing dragoness who looked suspiciously like her sister asked.
"What?" Selena scoffed. "No! I'm Selena! Alexandria's your name. Where are we?"
The dragoness who apparently wasn't Alexandria giggled. "Oh, my dear sweet Selena, such a pretty name! My name is Glinda, and I am a witch, the Good Witch of The North."
At that moment, everything suddenly fell into place for Selena. "Oh, oh no..." She groaned. "I know that name. Damn my blasted sister for putting the bloody Wizard of Oz in my head!"
"Oh? So you know about this place already?" Glinda asked. "And you have come to vanquish the Wicked Witch of the East, who has been a tyrant over these lands for so long."
Selena froze. Did she just kill someone?! She spun around to the cabin from which she'd emerged. Sure enough, there, sticking out from under the foundations of the house was a pair of hind paws, wearing a pair of sparkling ruby shoes, attached to a pair of skinny, black-scaled hind legs, clad in stripy stockings.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." Selena groaned. "I didn't mean to do that!" She protested. "It... It's..." She groaned. "It's a long story."
"It matters not." Not-Alexandria said with a smile. "You are a hero. The people of Munchkinland owe you a great debt."
"Oh, brother..." Selena winced. "Just, please, for the love of the ancestors, don't sing. Nobody sing anything! I hate impromptu singing."
Almost in answer to her complaints, there was a sudden explosion of fire and red smoke, and the enraged scream of another dragoness from the centre of the plaza.
"You! You murderer!" A larger dragoness of green scales, whose face was obscured by her rather large, pointed hat, cried, marching over, a broom in her left forepaw (despite clearly being a dragon with functioning wings) and a scowl from her visible mouth. "You killed my sister!"
"Oh shut up!" Selena barked. "It was an accident! How else do you suppose I could've crushed her with a HOUSE!?" She paused. "Do you think I picked it up and hit her with it?!"
"You hit my sister with a house?!"
"I didn't! It fell on her! I don't know how to explain how a house could drop from the fucking sky! But it happened! It had nothing to do with me, it's not even my house!"
"Oh really?" the witch scowled, her concentration still centered upon Selena. "Well, my pretty, I can cause accidents too you know!"
Alexandria/Glinda smirked. "Not without the ruby slippers. I'm afraid you're too late for that as well. Selena has them now. And on Selena is where they shall stay."
Selena blinked, having a bad feeling about Alexandria/Glinda's line. For the first time since she landed, she actually took the time to look at her outfit, and immediately crumpled her face in disgust. Her Danthe cloak and costume were gone, instead she was fully clad in the white and blue patterned dress of Dorothy Gale, adapted for wear by dragons.
On her horns she found a pair of blue bow ribbons, which she instantly hated; and, to her disgust, her hind legs were clad in clean white socks with frilly ends; completed with the ruby slippers formerly worn by the dead witch of the east, now appeared on her feet, an act of magic transporting them on without her so much as having to move her feet to slip them on. Dumbfounded, the dragoness wriggled the toes of her hind paws, feeling them press against her socks, and the inside of the shoes. Selena scowled: Alexandria or Jessie would kill to wear such a pretty outfit, not Selena though, she hated it.
"Oh, for the ancestors' sake!" She cursed. "What is this?!"
"Those are MY slippers!" The witch screamed. "You don't know how to use them! Give them to me!"
"Stay tight inside those slippers." Alexandria/Glinda spoke to the shoe-clad dragoness. "Their magic is very powerful. It is why she wants them so badly."
"Do you think I'm stupid!?" Selena hissed. "I'm well aware of what these shoes are! It doesn't make me want to be here any more than I had before! I don't like stupid dresses, and I'm not going to wear a dead dragon's shoes!"
Then, Selena lost it. Roaring aloud, she proceeded to angrily outstretch her wings with such speed and force that she tore the back of her dress to shreds! Her forepaw claws finished the job, ripping the dress loose so it barely hung from the dragon's front.
"As for you, you can have your stupid shoes! I know none of this is real!" The dragon princess sat on her haunches to take off the shoes. She shook and kicked her hind paws violently, but the shoes held firm.
"Grrr!" She scowled, throwing herself onto her back. "Come off!"
In one forepaw, Selena gabbed one of her hind paw, still stuck in the soft fabric of her socks. With the other hand she grabbed the ruby slipper, attempting to pull her feet out of the shoes, but still they would not come off! She continued to tug, pull and twist with every ounce of strength she could muster. Veins popped on her forelegs and sweat beaded from her forehead and her face, which blushed a bright shade of pink, as she tried to somehow pull the ruby slippers free from her feet, but the shoes remained affixed in place! It was no good: The shoes were magical, and that kept the shoes magically stuck on her feet, they were on her feet, and they would not budge from her feet no matter what Selena tried!
"I, I can't get them off." She spoke at last as she finally gave up, exhausted, her hind paws flopped back on the ground, the heels of her shoes making a slight click as they hit the brick pavement.
"There, do you see?" Alexandria/Glinda spoke with a quiet disdain to the wicked witch, after they'd gotten their heads around Selena's outburst (even the wicked witch had watched the struggle with a look of slight bafflement on her face). "Even if dear Selena wanted to give you the slippers, she cannot. And you cannot take them, you have no power here. Be gone."
"Very well, I'll bide my time." The witch hissed to Selena, who continued to lie on her back in a torn dress, magic shoes and socks (the one part of her clothes which she hadn't torn to pieces), too exhausted and humiliated to care for the witch's threats. "...And as for you, my fine lady. It's true I can't attend to you here and now as I'd like, but just try to stay out of my way! Just try! I'll get you yet, my pretty, and your little wyvern, too!" With that, she cackled loudly and with malevolent intent, before taking to the sky, and flying away into the clouds.
"Wyvern?" Selena muttered aloud, confused. In answer, she heard a tiny peep, and a small limb gently tapping her limp foreleg. Turning her head, Selena saw a tiny, black wyvern, no bigger than a puppy, sitting next to her, making tiny little squeaks at the green dragoness: It seemed friendly, and looked as though it had taken quite a liking to her.
"Hey." She snorted. "Shoo. Go on. Get out of here!" The little Wyvern shrunk back slightly, and Selena immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry little guy, you're probably the Toto of this story. But I'm not your owner, I've never had a pet wyvern before."
The wyvern looked at her confused, before squeaking loudly, and flapping its wings and flying inside the old cabin. A few moments later, it returned, carrying (with great difficulty) a basket in its talons, which it dropped next to Selena. It chirped once again as it forced the basket open with its snout, searching inside before it putted out a small strap of leather, with metal buckles and a small, silver disk on it: A collar. It dropped it at Selena's forepaw, chirping at her again.
"It seems that little fellow has taken a liking to you." Alexandria/Glinda smiled. "I'm sure it'll make a fine companion for your journey. If you wish to return to the place where you live, you'll have to see the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz."
"Ah! Ah-ha!" Selena suddenly laughed, scurrying to her feet. "But wait! I have the ruby slippers! I can just click my heels and return home, can't I?!"
The good witch frowned. "Well, yes, I suppose you could do that. But my dear girl, you've only just got here. You could simply return home, but you've vanquished a wicked witch, and the Wizard would be very keen to hear you regale your tale. And think of all the people who will need your help."
Selena frowned: Damn that insufferable fairy-dragon! Whether she liked it or not, she HAD to be Dorothy in this story. She'd heard her mother's story of her dreams through the same potion; every time she just tried to sleep her way out of the dream, she simply ended up in another world. That wouldn't do, she'd still be stuck in the ruby slippers, she'd still be stuck in a dream. No. The only way to do this was to finish the story as quickly as possible.
Selena walked as quickly as she was able down the yellow brick road. She'd done away with the tattered remains of her dress, but was forced to walk in the shoes and socks. This was tricky: Selena wasn't used to walking in shoes, let alone magic shoes, with heels. It was one of many things she had to get used to. The little wyven sat on Selena's back (he didn't weigh very much), happily puffing out its chest to show off its collar. The wyvern was apparently female, and indeed responded best to the name Toto. Oddly though, Selena didn't really think Toto suited the little wyvern. She couldn't quite put her talon on it. Still, she was a very gentle wyvern, and, after helping her get rid of the silly bows on her horns, was quite content to nap on her master's back.
As they continued to follow the road, they came across large fields of tall corn. Selena looked about, seeing a dragon scarecrow, fixed onto a post, as if crucified. Selena stopped, turning to the scarecrow. She knew it was more than a stuff effigy of a dragon. For one, she knew the story well. For another point of interest, that dragon-scarecrow looked familiar.
"Oh Andreas..." She sighed. "Why did they have to drag you into this..." She approached the scarecrow, tapping it sharply and it jumped in place, startled.
"Oh my!" He cried aloud. "Oh! Please, help me down. Oh, my limbs hurt."
Wordlessly, Selena slashed the ropes which held him to the post, watching him drop to the floor. Offering him a paw, Selena helped up the strange scarecrow-dragon who looked like her electric dragon friend.
"Oh, thank you." He smiled, shaking himself down. "Who are you?"
"My name's Selena." Selena told him. "I'm sure your name's not Andreas, is it?"
"'Fraid not, mi'lady." He responded, tipping his hat to her. "I'm simply a scarecrow. I'm made of straw, and there's not a brain in my head. Oh, I would so much love a brain."
Selena nodded. "I suppose you'll be wanting to come with me to the Emerald City then?" She asked. "I have to go see the Wizard. I was told I ought to pay him a visit. He'll be able to get these slippers off my feet, or get me home, preferably both."
"The wizard?!" The scarecrow cried. "Oh, I'd love to! I'm sure he'd be able to give me a brain!"
"Right. Go. Lets not waste any time then." Selena responded. "Don't dawdle, and don't sing. I'm a fire dragon after all. The faster I get to Oz, the faster I can get rid of these shoes and go home."
Selena felt she had perhaps not got on the right foot with the scarecrow. He looked like he wanted to sing, but the threat of setting him on fire for trying clearly hadn't gone down well. But it didn't matter, it was just a dream, right? She'd get the ruby slippers off, she'd get to go home, and this dream would finally be over.
Things are never quite that simple.
The yellow brick road took them deep into a forest, laiden with apple trees. This presented Selena, who was growing pretty hungry, with a choice: Deal with some bitchy trees, or seek food once she got to the Emerald City...
"Gee. You sure managed to get a lot of apples there, didn't you?" The scarecrow grumbled, carrying in the basket in his forepaw.
"I did indeed. I've never tasted a sweeter apple." The green dragoness nodded, taking a bit out of one and savoring the juiciness of it. "This little Toto wyvern seems to like them too." As she spoke the little creature swooped down and grabbed one in its talons, before landing on Selena's back to nibble at it hungrily.
"Did you have to set one of those tree on fire to get them though?" Scarecrow asked.
"Sure, they were throwing apples at me at and Toto. It hurt my wyvern! I had to teach them a lesson. I'm not a nature dragon, I won't be talked back to by a tree. I'm a fire dragon, I had a very practical solution to my problems."
Scarecrow shuddered. "I can still hear its screaming."
"Would you like an apple to take your mind off it?"
"No." He responded. "I don't have a stomach. Maybe you should ask the wizard for a heart before you head home?"
"Oh." Selena spoke, her mouth full as she briefly forgot her manners, then promptly swallowed the chewed apple in her mouth. "That reminds me of something..."
Selena deviated from the path for a moment. The grass beneath her forepaws was soft and cool compared to the hard, sun-baked bricks, which had become hot from their exposure to the sunlight. Eventually, she saw what she was expecting to see: A dragon, made of metal, stood frozen in place from rusted hinges. What started Selena however, was who the tin dragon looked like: It looked like Alexander Greywater, her father, made metal.
"Oh..." She shuddered. She loved her father, but the tin dragon before her looked so cold, so intimidating, she couldn't help but stare, and feel smaller in its presence... Suddenly, the tin dragon spoke, or tried to speak, causing Selena to jump out of her skin.
"Mmmm! HmmmmMmmm!" It creaked, barely able to move its jaw. It was able to move its head though, turning to look intently at a can of oil. Selena had no snide remarks nor cynical, short-tempered quarrel with this encounter. She silently grabbed the can and oiled the dragon's limbs until he was limber and mobile again.
"Oh, by the ancestors." He groaned. "What torture. Nobody should have to suffer this..." He frowned. "Still, young girl, I must thank you for freeing me. I..." He paused. "...It's been so long, I can't even remember my name, I remember only that I was once one of the greatest woodcutters in all of Oz, and now... Now I am nothing more than a metal dragon, completely empty inside. There's no heart in this chest of mine." He stopped, steeling himself before returning to the others. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice cold, stiff and formal. "Come now child, speak. Or is your jaw rusted stiff as well?"
"Oh..." Selena shrunk back. "I'm, I'm Selena. And this is the scarecrow."
"A shabby pile of hay and rags?" The tin dragon commented. "And a lost girl..." He paused. "Who stole the famed ruby slippers from the Wicked Witch of the East no less? How on earth could such a small little thing like you pull off that?"
"I didn't steal them!" Selena protested, her voice in something of a squeak, she couldn't help it: She'd never seen Greywater as stern and hard as this, it was frightful. "She, she died. A house fell on her... Than Glinda the good witch magicked them onto my feet, and now they won't come off! It's not my fault!"
"Oh, hush." He spat. "I do not mean to be cruel. It is good she is dead, and the wicked witches do not possess those shoes. Being heartless has its toll, girl. I wish I could show compassion, or be warm to people. But this is metal, it is my mask, my armour. I've worn it so long I am dead inside, and forcing my limbs stiff. It's my curse to bare." He stepped off the grass, onto the yellow brick road. "I shall seek audience with the Wizard of Oz, offer my services in exchange for his mercy. Ancestors willing, he shall grant me a heart, so I might feel once more."
"Oh!" The scarecrow perked up. "We're heading there too! We can go together!"
Selena was quiet, her cheeks had gone an even brighter shade of pink. She cursed under her breath: Even in that stupid dress, and even in these silly slippers and frilly socks, she had not blushed so much; she had not felt so small and so silly. She could only nod at the tin dragon's statement.
"Very well." He went over to a tree one last time, pulling from its side a large axe. "But no singing! I cannot abide random singing. I shall have your tongue if you force me to suffer spontaneous songs!"
Selena sighed as she and her two traveling companions made their way down the road: This was not the Wizard of Oz story she was used to!
Convention dictated that the next character Selena would meet on her travels would be a cowardly lion. As Selena and her group entered a darker, thicker section of the woods, she started looking around for such a beast. Things were certainly not as she was expecting so far however, anything could happen. Lions, tigers, bears. It didn't really matter, she could easily tear any of them apart!
"It's growing awfully dark, isn't it?" The scarecrow spoke.
"Yes. I wouldn't worry though. I can breathe fire, and the Tin Dragon has an axe." She looked over her shoulder at the wyvern, who had shrunk back slightly: It was only a baby, perhaps it was afraid of the dark?
She'd slowed her walking pace slightly. Her hind paws ached from the ruby slippers. Perhaps if she'd worn shoes all of her life, she'd have no problems with it. But her feet was not used to being slightly elevated by the heels. She was still embarrassed to be stuck in them: They raised her hind legs up higher than they might normally be, which in turn had made her... Ahem, her rear a little higher in turn, not by much, but she'd started to notice it it, and she didn't like it.
At that moment, the group heard a growl and a roar. Curious, the Toto wyvern perked its head up, and glided off to investigate.
"Toto, no!" Selena hissed, giving chase after the black winged lizard. It was a quick little creature however, and it landed near the bushes, sniffing the air. Suddenly, there was another roar as a creature burst from the bush, swiping at the wyvern, hitting her across the face. It yelped in pain and fright and flew away behind Selena, who snarled in anger.
"Grrr." The creature, who appeared to be a yellow-coated dragon, dressed in the fur of a lion, but looked and sounded as Sunny, Elwynn's friend, might speak. "You foolish philistines! You dare come in my forest. I'll get you! Grrr, put 'em up! C'mon, put 'em up!"
Selena had no time for this. She snarled, displaying her long, sharp teeth, before rearing up on her hind legs, then smashing a clenched paw into the lion's head, sending him reeling. "Ow!" He cried, rubbing his head tearfully. "You didn't have to hit me so hard!"
"What do you expect?" Selena spat. "You spineless bastard, hurting a tiny little wyvern? What the hell's wrong with you?! What kind of coward attacks something so small and helpless compared to you?!"
"It's true!" The lion that looked like Sunny sobbed. "I'm a coward. A big, dumb coward. I'm even afraid of a little wyvern, and their fire."
"But Toto is only a baby." Selena scolded. "She's never even breathed fire the entire time I've known her."
"Oh, I'm sorry." The lion whimpered. "I wasn't going to do nothin'. Oh, I wish I was courageous like you, standing up to a big lion like me."
"I don't think you've noticed, but I'm a dragon. The last time I checked, I was higher up the food chain." She snorted. "Well, perhaps you should come with us? We're all trying to get something different from the Wizard of Oz, if he can do all the so-called wonderful things he does, like handing out brains and hearts, he should be able to give you a spine."
"Yes, the wizard could do that. You should come along with us." The scarecrow added. The tin dragon simply nodded in agreement.
"R-really? You'd let me come along?"
Selena nodded. "Well, I do need to make up the numbers."
"The what?" Scarecrow asked.
"Nothing, nothing." She hastily responded. "Let's just go. It's far too dark in this forest."
And so, the group was completed: 'Dorothy', the scarecrow, the tin... Dragon, and the cowardly lion... who looked suspiciously like a dragon her brother was friends with. It was a strange collection of people to be walking down that yellow brick road, and yet, it was something everyone had come to expect...
They were close now. The glistening green spires of the Emerald City were in sight, but what was also in sight was a vast field of poppies, a great sea of red before them. Selena grumbled, she knew only too well what that red sea had in store for her.
"Look, there in the distance!" The scarecrow cried. "Isn't it a marvellous city?!" He spoke eagerly.
"It's a sight to behold." The tin dragon also spoke, his tone failing hide to hide how impressed he was at the sight. "Whatever are we waiting for..." He continued to frown. "Selena? You look troubled."
"Well, I would be excited about being so close, yeah." Selena explained: "But, I do know that those poppies... The wicked witch has set a trap with them."
"A Trap?" The tin dragon sorted. "However would she hide a trap within flowers?"
"No, you misunderstand." Selena grumbled. "The flowers ARE the trap. They don't affect you though. You and the scarecrow don't have lungs. Me, Toto-Wyvern and the lion do."
"Oh no." The lion cowered. "What do we do?"
"Again. I am a fire dragon." Selena smirked. She turned to the poppies, opening her mouth, she let force a vast jet of flames. She took to the sky, coating the field in fire. The smoke was thick and foul smelling. She returned to her travel companions, a victorious smile on her face. "Shall we?" She asked.
"You, you set them all on fire." the scarecrow stammered. "I can't go through that. I'll burn!"
The smug look on Selena's face vanished: She hadn't considered that. Looking back, she may have been overzealous with her fire, which was continuing to spread through the field. She groaned: She'd screwed up, and now she needed an alternative option.
"Scarecrow..." Selena finally asked, having an idea. "Are you just straw inside you?"
"Yes of course." He answered. "...Why?"
"So... You're quite light then?"
"I would say so indeed... Why are you staring at me like that?"
"I'm going to fly you over the fire." Selena answered: "I'll have to take two trips. One for you, one for the lion."
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" The tin dragon asked.
"Oh..." She frowned. "I, I don't know if I'm strong enough to pick up an adult dragon made entirely of metal." She winced, she didn't like saying that to a dragon who looked so much like her father. "But you're made of metal. So you're fireproof! Right?"
He snorted. "Right."
"Look, I'll give it a try, alright, but first I'm going to carry the scarecrow, as he's the lightest."
"Right."
"Woah woah, wait." The scarecrow protested as Selena took to the air, but her wings were loud, she did not hear. She grabbed the scarecrow's back with her talons and ascended high into the air, the dragon of patchwork cloth and stuffed hay protested and cried out as the green dragoness ferried him across the growing flames. She dumped him on the yellow brick road on the other end of the field, it would form a very nice fireblock to prevent the rest of the area going up in smoke... Probably. Quickly, she made her way back for the others.
The lion was trickier, she had to be more careful, as he was made of flesh and blood; he was heavier, and he wouldn't sit still on her back, crying and panicking as Selena flew: More than once, the cowardly lion nearly threw her off balance, much to her annoyance.
The most difficult of all however was the tin dragon. He was so heavy, and she simply couldn't get a good grip on him with her claws. She was forced to have him on her back, and that seriously impacted her height.
The wicked witch's magic poppy trap had not been handled with what Selena's mother would've called tact and delicacy, and the others all looked rather cross about the whole affair. Worse still, the fires continued to burn and now turned in the direction of the forest! Selena blushed with embarrassment, a nervous look on her face: The sooner she got out of this story, the better. People would NOT be happy about this.
The only person who seemed to be in good spirits after the whole poppy fire affair was Toto, who seemed to be instilled with a new hyperactive sense of euphoric excitement from the heat.
As they walked down the straight road towards the Emerald City, the mood was far worse than Selena expected for the wizard of Oz. The smoke had billowed up into the air, turning the blue sky a dark gray; the air was hot and dry, and Selena couldn't shake the feeling that she'd done something wrong...
She didn't have the time to dwell on it however: They were there, the Emerald City.
"Oh, it's so tall." The scarecrow took a few steps back to try to see the top of the spires, though they were obscured by the gray clouds of smoke. "Let's get inside."
Selena nodded. "I'll knock." She turned to the door, striking it with her clenched paw. A slider opened suddenly on the door, and she saw a red dragon, covered in green makeup, and clad in a green uniform: It looked like Nexus, one of the guardians from the dragon temple, except in the sense that it probably wasn't really him.
"You!" He cried. "Who are you!? Why do you seek to enter the Emerald City?!"
Selena stood up tall, sharpening her posture and speaking with as stately a voice as she could muster. "I'll have you know that I am Princess Selena Di Avalaria, fourth daughter of Empress Ddraigtanto Di Avalaria of the Avalarian Empire! I am the slayer of the Wicked Witch of the East, and the magically forced wearer of the Ruby Slippers! I demand you let me and my followers inside and let me see the Wizard of Oz this moment!"
She turned sideways, keeping her eyes on the guard, kicking up one of her hind legs to better show off the magic shoes upon her feet.
"My word!" Not-Nexus cried out. "The Ruby Slippers! Now there's a wyvern of a different colour." The Toto wyvern made a little squeak of excitement as the mention of wyverns was made. However, the guard paused, seeing the growing devastation behind them. "There's a fire outside!" He pulled open the doors. "Quickly my dear, come inside! You and your friends! Hurry!"
Selena took a moment to turn around, the fires were still burning: What a nightmare! She quickly hurried inside with the others, the doors shutting behind them: It wasn't ideal, but they were here at last.
Quickly, their presence drew the attention of quite a large crowd. Men, women and children from all over gathered to see the dragoness who had apparently slain the wicked witch. News of the raging fire outside the city had reached the people of the Emerald City, and Selena did so proudly declare herself a fire dragon to all who would listen. She could tell the mood of the crowd: It was mixed, confused, a little frightened, and yet there was still some elements of excitement to meet the witch-slayer.
They'd been travelling for hours, and were pretty worn out. That didn't stop Selena however, she had to be made presentable before the wizard; she knew the truth about just who the wizard was, but perhaps she could convince him to help without ousting him. She was a princess after all! She could sport some regalia quite nicely after all, or perhaps even some armour!
So, there were makeovers all around. Selena had accidentally torn the back of Scarecrow's clothes when picking him up with her claws, and all of them (save for the tin dragon, who simply got a polish and more effective lubrication of his limbs)enjoyed a clean up, and some slightly less ragged and frayed clothes for the scarecrow.
As for Selena, she had some rather interesting desires from the tailors and jewel-smiths of the Emerald City: She wanted a crown; she wanted a thick, velvet cloak, and she wanted a bejeweled necklace and golden bracelets, like her mother's, and explained her desires to the jewellers and the tailor (the latter-most, an emerald scaled dragoness, seemed far more excited at the prospect for making clothes for a supposed princess than the others).
It took a while for everything she asked for to be ready, but she was far happier to be dressed like this than she was in that bloody blue Dorothy dress, proudly strutting about in her new cloak and jewellery. She looked regal, and this made her feel very pleased with herself indeed: She might not be a ruler of anywhere, nor was to heir to any titles, but she looked the part, and the wizard didn't know she hadn't any power of the sort!
She gathered with her travelling companions at the grand doors to the Emerald City Palace, waiting for the doormen to let them in. Unusually for this story, once the doors opened, the doorman made no attempt to stall them: He actually looked more afraid of Selena than he did the wizard. For Selena, this was good news.
The group walked down a long, Gothic green corridor to the throne room, lit by vast, fiery torches and a faint green light of sunlight through stained glass.
From a vast throne at the end of the chamber, behind a thick veil of smoke, there was a face, a vast face staring down angrily upon them; for a brief moment, that face briefly made Selena forget she was in a story, and that she knew the reality of the situation: The wizard was, or at least appeared to be, Malefor.
"BEHOLD!" The face boomed. "BEHOLD! BEFORE YOU IS THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WIZARD OF OZ! SPEAK! WHO ARE YOU!?"
It took Selena a few seconds to get her head together as she remembered what was going on. She looked around, ignoring the big face baring down on her. Sure enough, there was a curtain...
"I am Princess Selena Di Avalaria." Selena spoke in response, perhaps hoping she wouldn't need to oust the wizard just yet. "My mother is Empress Ddraigtanto Di Avalaria, empress of lands afar." She faltered. "We have come asking for your help..."
"HELP?!" The wizard roared. "WHAT HELP WOULD YOU NEED FROM ME?!"
"Well, I need to return home, but I need to get these ruby slippers off, because they're stuck to my feet."
"I would so very much like a brain." The scarecrow added.
"I was flesh and blood once." The tin dragon explained, still in his stiff, formal tone. "My liege, I would be indebted to you if you would give me a heart. I wish to feel again, as I once did."
"I w-would like to be brave, sir." The lion peeped. "Please could you make me courageous? Like a lion should be."
The wizard, it seemed, did not look impressed.
"AND WHY, PREY TELL, SHOULD I GRANT YOU THESE THINGS? TO WHAT END WOULD I BENEFIT?! YOU HAVE BURNED MY LAND, AND HAVE DONE NOTHING TO MAKE UP FOR YOUR CRIMES!"
Selena snorted angrily, looks like Plan A wasn't going to work. Taking a final look at the big face, Selena marched past it, and approaching the curtains.
"Well, I really didn't want to do this, dick, but you've forced my paw..."
"Selena, what are you doing?!" The others called to her, but she didn't listen.
"WAIT!" The Wizard shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP!"
But it was too late for that. With a furious growl, she ripped the curtain aside, revealing the 'real' wizard of Oz: Elwynn. Or, a dragon which at least looked like her brother, and that was enough to send her off into a rage of sibling rivalry.
"You!" She snarled.
"Oh my!" The wizard yelped, stammering.
"You're the wizard! The REAL wizard, or should I call you a fraud!? Do you think I couldn't tell a fucking hologram when I see one!" She lashed out, slapping the wizard, who was already very frightened, across the face.
"Ouch!" He cried. "However did you know?!
"What?! That you weren't a giant, ghostly decapitated head floating above fire!?" She rolled her eyes. "Gee, I don't fucking know! How dare you try to frighten me into submission!"
Selena knew she was reacting badly to something she knew about from the start, but seeing Elwynn, her brother, was the character playing the wizard was something which Selena simply could not stand: Her brother, the hedonistic idiot of the family, the firstborn, the heir, and even here, in her own dreams, he had one up over her! Well, not this time!
"You vile, deceitful, cowardly excuse for a wizard!" She continued to hurl abuse at the quivering green dragon advancing on him as he backed away. "You're no wizard at all, are you?! you're just a seedy, pathetic little man!"
She could see the fear in his eyes. However, the catharsis, coupled of years of inferiority complex in the face of her brother and his whoring, stupid mannerisms, meant that finally being able to lay into this dragon who looked like her brother had blinded her. It continued to blind her right up until the wizard turned tail and ran from the palace halls! Breathing heavily, it took her a moment to calm down, however, as soon as she did, the penny dropped: She'd fucked up again.
"He's, he's gone." The lion spoke quietly.
"It appears you frightened him away." The tin dragon added, looking a mix of angry and, for use of a rather inappropriate word, disheartened.
"Does this mean I'm not getting my brain?" The scarecrow asked, looking upset.
"And my heart?"
"And courage?"
"No, no no, wait!" Selena stammered, quickly feeling horrified at what she'd done. "Please, hold on! I can fix this!" She ran to the curtains, looking around the wizard's old hidey-hole. She rummaged around, and eventually found what she was looking for: A large sack, full of things! "Look!" she dragged it over, searching through the bag. "Here! A heart for the tin man, a brain for the scarecrow, look, it's a diploma!" She was trying, really she was, but it didn't seem to be working, and... Erm, look, hehe, Dutch courage. Clever." However, the group didn't look convinced. They were just things to them.
"I don't get it." The scarecrow spoke, the wind thoroughly taken out of his sails.
"Don't you see!?" Selena was practically begging at this point. "You had them all along! You didn't need the wizard to give them to you. You, you had them already! Please, you have to see that!"
Her pleas were met with sombre grumblings from the group, who slowly left the chamber, leaving her alone with Toto and a bag of worthless junk. She'd ruined everything. The wizard was just, gone; she was stuck in Oz, and still stuck in the Ruby Slippers; none of her companions had gotten what they desired, and she never befriended even one of them. She'd broken the story, and all because she let her anger, and her pride, get to her, time and time again.
She didn't know what to do, so, with Toto sleeping quietly on her back, she too left the chamber, her heart heavy. Perhaps she could return to Munchkinland, seek out Glinda and beg her to help, but then what if Glinda refused, or was unable to help? Selena could simply try clicking her heels and ending the story that way, but what if it didn't work? Or worse still, it did indeed take her home, but then she was still stuck in the magical shoes in the real world? If that was even possible...
However, her thoughts were distracted as she exited the palace, she froze upon seeing the sight before her. She was just in time to see a balloon, the wizard's balloon, floating away. She could perhaps follow it, though there was nothing to suggest that it would be going back to Avalar, besides, she'd never be able to follow the balloon for that long.
But the other detail, easily the more significant detail, was the crowds. They were watching the balloon leave, but as soon as it vanished into the cloudy grey skies, they turned to Selena.
"The wizard!" some of the crowd cried. "He's gone!"
"She did it!" A woman cried, pointing to Selena: "She ousted the wizard as a fraud! She's the one who put him in exile!"
"But who will rule us now!?"
Selena blinked, shocked. As far as she knew, Oz was supposed to have a king: The Scarecrow, who came to power after Dorothy, the real Dorothy, left for Kansas. He was a good king, who ruled wisely and justly with his newfound brains. However, he was gone... There was only her left now.
"Princess Selena, who will rule us now the wizard is gone?!" Called another voice, a guard, the captain of the guard perhaps? He came running over. Did Oz really not have any contingencies should the Wizard of Oz ever fled the Emerald City? Was there really nobody else? The temptation was too strong, she could not help herself.
"Well, there's nobody else is there?" She spoke. "It's settled then. I'll become queen. At least until I can find a way to get home."
There was a great mumbling, and then gradually an applause from the crowd as she declared herself 'Queen of Oz'. Landed at last, Selena couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, even though her failures still weighed heavily in her heart. Still, every cloud had a silver lining, right?
* * *
To Be Continued...