Nia, Happy, woodland59 and TheWickedrae walked into the theatre the next day to see the sleeping Wicked characters.
"Should we wake them?" Happy asked.
"They look so peaceful," TheWickedrae commented.
"We need to start the rehearsal," Nia said, feeling guilty that they had to wake them up.
"And Elphaba needs to rehearse 'Popular'," Happy said.
"WAKE UP!" Nia shouted into a megaphone.
Glinda woke up with a start and fell off her bed. Elphaba screamed jumped up.
"What the heck was that for?!" Elphaba screamed.
"You were sleeping," Nia said calmly.
"What happened to 'Hey, Elphaba, its time to get up,'?"
"We'll try that next time," TheWickedrae smiled.
"Who are you?" Nessa asked, stretching her arms.
"I'm TheWickedrae and I'm the dance captain," TheWickedrae smiled.
"Dance captain?" a girl in the ensemble asked.
"Yes, and I'm in charge of the chorography."
"Now," Nia announced. "I said that we were going to pick up with 'Popular' today. Elphaba, don't you give me that look! We are starting now! Glinda, go change! You too, Elphaba."
Elphaba muttered something incoherently under her breath as she walked off to change.
"What was that, Thropp?" Happy asked, glaring at the green witch.
"Nothing."
Galinda ran back onstage wearing her pink, frilly dress, followed by Elphaba, wearing her frock and dragging her feet.
"Look alive, people!" Happy said, starting the music.
"You're very first party, ever?" Galinda started.
"Yes," Elphaba answered.
Galinda looked upset that Elphaba wasn't saying her line correctly, but continued. "Let's each tell the other something we've never told anyone. I'll go first. Fiyero and I are going to be married," Galinda exclaimed, running to her bed and screaming into the pillow like Alli Mauzey.
"No, we're not!" Fiyero interrupted, storming on stage.
"Shut up, Tigelaar!" Nia exclaimed, throwing her pink hairbrush at his head.
"OW!" he exclaimed as the brush collided with his forehead. "Where did you get that?"
"Whoops, sorry! Wrong story!" Nia apologized, picking up her brush and throwing it over her shoulder.
"He's asked you already?" Elphaba asked, looking from Galinda to Fiyero.
"NO!" Fiyero exclaimed, running offstage before Nia, or one of the other girls, could throw something else at him.
"Apparently not," Galinda said, clenching and unclenching her fists. "Elphie, now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project."
"I never said you could call me Elphie," Elphaba protested.
"It's in the script, just continue!" Happy said.
"Elphie, now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project," Galinda repeated.
"No."
"Elphie, that wasn't a question."
"No."
"Please?"
"No!"
"Pweety pwease?"
"N-"
"Elphaba," Nia interrupted. "I swear to Oz, if you don't cooperate, all four of us," Nia gestured to herself, woodland59, Happy and TheWickedrae, "will give you a make over. And I'm telling you, four girls who are obsessed with Wicked are way worse than one Galinda Upland."
"HEY!" Galinda said, offended.
"You really don't have to do that," Elphaba said, getting back on track.
"I know, that's what makes me so nice!"
As Galinda sang, Elphaba moped. It wasn't until she saw the girls getting out their makeover supplies that she started to cooperate.
"This is never going to work," Elphaba said.
"Elphie, you mustn't think that way, anymore. AHHH!" Galinda sang. "You're whole life is going to change… and all because of me. First, hair. This is how you toss you hair. Toss, toss!"
Elphaba stared at Galinda for a moment before copying her. "Toss, toss?"
"Toss, toss!"
"Toss, toss?"
"No, Elphie! Toss, toss! You flip it with you hands!"
Elphaba looked backstage and saw Happy, TheWickedrae, woodland59 and Nia all cracking up on the floor, doing their worst Elphaba toss-toss impressions. TheWickedrae looked up and saw Elphaba's eyes flaring. She quickly tapped the other girls on the shoulder, motioning for them to stop.
"You think this is funny?" Elphaba hissed.
"Elphaba, relax! It's supposed to be funny," Happy said, calming down.
"I had no desire to do this, and you're laughing at me?"
"Elphie, we're sorry," woodland59 whispered, looking timidly up at the green witch. "We'll stop laughing."
Elphaba took a deep breath and calmed down, allowing Galinda to finish.
"You'll practice. Oh, and now I will transform your simple frock into a magnificent ball gown," Galinda chirped, taking out her wand. "Ball gown." Nothing happened. A few snickers could be heard from backstage, but Galinda ignored them and tried again. "BALL GOWN!" Still nothing. The snickers turned into laughter. "Is this thing on?"
"Ah, do you want me to try?" Elphaba asked, reaching for the wand.
"No, no, no! You just wear that frock! It's pretty!" Galinda said, throwing the wand over her shoulder, hitting Happy in the forehead.
"OW! Galinda, watch where you throw that thing!" Happy shouted, holding her red forehead. Woodland59 ran to get her some ice.
"Sorry," Galinda said sheepishly. She turned her attention back to Elphaba. "And now for the finishing touch!" She took the pink flower out of her hair and placed it in Elphaba's. "Pink goes good with green. Why, Miss Elphaba, look at you. You're beautiful."
Elphaba took the mirror and looked at her reflection. Tears formed in her eyes and slid down her cheek. Real tears.
"I… I…" Elphaba started.
"Yes?" Galinda asked.
"I have to go," Elphaba said, thrusting the mirror back at Galinda and running offstage.
"You're welcome!" Galinda called after her. "Hello!" she said, admiring her reflection. Galinda quickly finished the song and walked offstage.
"Elphaba?" TheWickedrae asked when Elphaba didn't come back onstage to do her toss-toss.
"Cue Elphaba!" Nia called.
Elphaba still didn't appear.
"Where is she?" Happy asked, holding the ice to her forehead.
"I'll go find her," Fiyero volunteered.
He ran offstage to look for Elphaba. He found her sitting on the ground, crying.
"Fae, what's wrong?"
"I…I…" Elphaba wept.
"What?"
"Nothing," Elphaba muttered.
"No, tell me!" Fiyero insisted.
"No. It's stupid anyway."
"Come. The girls are looking for us," Fiyero said, holding his hand out to Elphaba.
She accepted it and he pulled her off the floor. They slowly walked onstage together.
"What happened?" woodland59 asked.
"Nothing," Fiyero said, wiping a stray tear from Elphaba's cheek.
"Okay. Now, I thought that before we call it a day, I would teach all of you the dance from the Ozdust," woodland59 smiled, taking center stage.
"What?" Galinda asked, peeking her head back onstage.
"Now, everyone watch carefully, because I'm only going to do this one time. Cue music!"
Woodland59 did the entire dance very quickly. "Any questions?" she asked when she was finished.
"Can you do that one more time?" Nessa asked.
"I'll do the dance with you and Boq later."
"I can't dance!" Nessa complained.
"We'll discuss this later!" woodland59 said, taking Elphaba and Galinda's hands and leading them to the center of the stage. Nia followed close behind them.
"So, let's pretend that I'm Elphaba and Nia's Galinda."
"YES!" Nia exclaimed, hugging Galinda.
"Okaaaaaaaaay, then," woodland59 said slowly. "Now, this is the dance they do together after Elphaba does her… dance."
"Sometimes, I wonder if its really a dance," TheWickedrae said, slowly shaking her head.
Nia started the dance slowly so Elphaba and Galinda could learn it. Woodland59 soon joined in as Elphaba. Soon, the two girls were dancing together, just like in the musical.
"You think you can do that?" Nia asked once the music stopped.
"I… think so," Galinda said slowly, trying to copy Nia's arm movements.
"Here," Nia said, stepping behind Galinda and guiding her arms. Galinda and Elphaba quickly learned the dance and were doing it together. Nia handed woodland59 a tissue to wipe her eyes.
"It… was… just… so… beautiful!" woodland59 wept.
"I know," Nia said, rubbing circles on her back.
The Ozdust scene soon ended and everyone took a break.
"Alright, it's my turn to go on the coffee run while you three stay with everyone," Happy said, running out of the door.
"Alright," Nia said, not fully agreeing being left alone with everyone. "Hurry back!"
"What do we do now?" Elphaba asked, getting very bored.
"Well, we could rehearse 'As Long As You're Mine," Fiyero said, a smirk appearing on his face.
"What?" Elphaba gasped.
"Fiyero, that's in the second act," TheWickedrae said, rolling her eyes.
"You want us to do something," Fiyero protested.
"Yes… but," Nia said, looking at Elphaba, who was shaking her head.
"Let's do it!" woodland59 said, jumping to the piano.
"NO!" Elphaba shouted as the music started.
"Sing!" Nia smiled.
"Every moment, as long as you're mine," Elphaba and Fiyero sang in unison. Elphaba was as stiff as a plank and Fiyero was trying to get her to relax.
"Cut!" TheWickedrae shouted. "Elphaba, you are supposed to be in love with Fiyero. So, act like you're in love."
"Who's acting?" Fiyero asked.
"You're not?" Elphaba asked, surprise.
"No."
"I… I need to go," Elphaba said as she ran off.
"Wrong scene!" Nia said, then realizing that Elphaba was serious.
"What happened to her?" Fiyero asked, confused.
"Don't worry. We'll talk to Elphaba. She just needs time to… think, apparently," woodland59 said, getting up from the piano.
"Everything's going to be fine. Trust us," TheWickedrae smiled, giving Fiyero a hug.
"I hope so," Fiyero whispered, looking backstage, trying to find Elphaba.
