Chapter 14: Rescue Mission
Green Arrow, Kal-El, and J'onn followed Krypto to an enormous gloomy mountain as the small puppy began climbing up. Knowing that Krypto was still taking them to Kara, Green Arrow climbed after him. He was followed by J'onn and Kal-El. Being made of tin, Kal-El held onto J'onn's cape to ensure that he wouldn't fall, otherwise, he might've gotten damaged beyond repair.
About halfway up the mountain, J'onn took a break to breath as they both looked down.
"I…" J'onn stuttered nervously. "I hope my strength holds out."
"I hope your cape holds out!" Kal-El called out, for once being more afraid than J'onn.
Eventually, in a valley at the top of the mountain, like a cavity in a tooth, stood the witch's dark, foreboding castle.
"What's that?" J'onn gasped, half out of exhaustion, half out of terror. "What's that?!"
"That's the castle of the Wicked Witch." Green Arrow surmised. "Kara's in that awful place?"
"Oh, I'd hate to think of her in there." Kal-El said as he began to tear up. "We've got to get her out."
"Don't cry now!" Green Arrow said in a sharp whisper. "We haven't got the oil can with us, and you've been squeaking enough as it is."
"Who are they?" J'onn asked as he pointed at the marching guards. "Who are they?"
The witch's guards were marching around repeating a chant of "O-ri-o! Ri-o-oh!"
"I've got a plan how to get in there." Green Arrow said to his two friends.
"He's got a plan!" J'onn called out in relief.
"And you're gonna lead us." Green Arrow added.
"Yeah." J'onn said smugly before he realized what that meant. "Me?!"
"Yes you." Green Arrow answered.
"I…" J'onn said with a gulp as he pointed at the castle. "I gotta get her out of there?"
"That's right." Green Arrow gently insisted.
J'onn swallowed and thought of Kara, the poor little girl who just wanted to get home.
"Alright." J'onn answered. "I'll go in there for Kara. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch! Guards or no guards, I'll tear the place apart! I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there! There's just one thing I want you fellows to do?"
"What's that?" The other two asked.
"Talk me out of it." J'onn gulped, but instead, the two encouraged J'onn to keep forward as they arrived just outside the area of the castle when Krypto began barking. As Green Arrow tried to calm him down, J'onn looked behind them and saw three guards standing right behind them. J'onn immediately sent out a telepathic warning while he verbally tried to warn them as well when the guards jumped. However, the three quickly overwhelmed the guards and stole their uniforms, which fit nicely over their regular attire and snuck in without incident.
"Come on." Green Arrow said as he set Krypto down. "I've got another idea."
"Do you think it'll be alright, dropping in like this?" J'onn asked, half-jokingly.
The trio then followed Krypto around the courtyard as the drawbridge was brought up with the three keeping an eye on him, however, Krypto seemed to be having trouble picking up Kara's scent.
"Where do we go now?" Kal-El asked.
Just then, Krypto began barking and rushed up the stairs.
"There!" Green Arrow said as he, J'onn, and Kal-El rushed after him to a pair of doors as Kal-El grabbed his axe before Green Arrow held his hand out. "Wait. Let's make sure. Kara, are you in there? It's us!"
()()()()()
As Kara was whimpering in the corner, her eyes unable to look away from the hourglass, she heard Green Arrow's voice as that small, almost insubstantial hope burst through her whole body as she rushed to the front door.
"Yes!" Kara called out. "It's me! She's locked me in!"
"Then we've got to get her out." Kara heard J'onn say as the door rattled as Kara's eyes unwillingly went to the hourglass as it looked like she only had three minutes left.
"Oh, hurry! Please hurry!" Kara begged. "The hourglass is almost empty!"
"Kal-El!" Green Arrow called out as Kara heard a thump at the door. She backed up as Kal-El hacked the door to pieces with his axe at an amazing speed.
With the door broken open, Kara rushed out and hugged her friends as they were finally reunited.
"Oh, guys!" Kara said as she saw Krypto panted. "Krypto!"
As Kara frantically mumbled her thanks, Green Arrow went to her.
"Hurry!" Green Arrow said. "We don't have any time to lose!"
They rushed for the main entrance only to be blocked by the guards.
From an upper area of the castle, the Witch laughed evilly as they all looked up.
"Going so soon?" The Witch asked. "I wouldn't hear of it. Why my little party's just beginning."
"Trapped." J'onn said in frustration. "Trapped like mice! … I mean, rats!"
Guards poured in from where they'd come from and held them at spear point but didn't continue to advance.
"That's right." The Witch remarked sadistically. "Don't hurt them right away. We'll let them think about it a little first."
As the group was shivering, Green Arrow looked at a rope as Kara saw his eyes follow it up to a circular chandelier while the Witch was laughing.
Just then, the Witch tossed down the empty hourglass as it exploded in a ball of fire that filled up the space between the group and the guards with red smoke. Using the distraction, Green Arrow grabbed Kal-El's axe and cut through it, causing the guards to be trapped in the chandelier and ran passed them, looking for a back way out while the Witch continually screamed "SEIZE THEM!"
They quickly rushed through the maze-like castle only to run into what looked like half of the guards and then ran into the other until they were essential corralled like the pigs at the Kent Farm into what seemed to be the Witch's den as the door slammed shut and the guards held them all at spear point while the Witch walked up to them.
"Well, ring around the rosie, a pocket full of spears." The Witch said in a disturbingly casual way. "Thought you four could out fox me, didn't you? Well, the last to go will see the first three go before her."
The witch then looked at a lamp and held her broom to it as it got fire, and she held it to Green Arrow.
"How 'bout a little fire, Arrow?" The Witch asked as she brought the broom close enough for Green Arrow's arm to catch fire as Kara instinctively grabbed a bucket to put it out as after she put out Green Arrow's arm, the water also splashed onto the Witch's face as she screamed like she was being murdered.
"YOU CURSED BRAT!" The Witch screamed. "Look what you've done! I'm melting! MELTING!"
Kara couldn't believe her eyes. The Witch was right. She really was melting.
"Oh what a world." The Witch moaned in self-pity. "What a world. Who would've thought a little girl like you would've destroyed my beautiful wickedness."
She then wailed her last wail as eventually, all that remained of her aside from some steam was her hat and cloak as the hawk person looked down and happily sighed.
"She…" One of the guards said in shock. "She's dead. You killed her."
"I didn't mean to do it." Kara said, which was true enough. "Really. It's just that he was on fire, and-"
"Hail to Kara!" The guard called out. "The Wicked Witch is dead!"
"HAIL TO KARA!" The other guards and hawk people called out. "THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD!"
Kara sighed with relief. The guards and hawk people were just slaves like the munchkins. Then an idea popped into her head.
"The broom, may we have it?" Kara asked.
"Please!" The guard said happily. "You're welcomed to the thing!"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Kara called out. "Now we can go back to the Wizard and tell him the Wicked Witch is dead!"
Hail, Hail, the witch is dead!
Which old witch? The Wicked Witch.
Hail, hail the Wicked Witch is dead!
The guards and hawk people saw them off as they sang the song of rejoicing the munchkins had when Kara's house landed on the Witch of the East.
Hail, Hail, the witch is dead!
Which old witch? The Wicked Witch.
Hail, hail the Wicked Witch is dead!
She's gone where the goblins go below!
Wake up blow on your horns!
Let's all come out and sing!
And ring the bells out!
Ding-dong!
The merry-o!
Sing it high!
Sing it low!
Let them know,
The Wicked Witch is dead!
The quartet returned to the Emerald City and spread the word as the entire city cheered eagerly, and things were as joyful as when they'd first arrived.
Ding-dong!
The Witch is dead!
Which old witch?
The Wicked witch!
Ding-Dong!
The Wicked Witch is dead!
Ha-ha-ha!
Ho-ho-ho!
And a couple of tra-la-las!
Ha-ha-ha!
Ho-ho-ho!
In the merry old Land of Oz!
She's gone where the goblins go below!
Wake up blow on your horns!
Let's all come out and sing!
And ring the bells out!
The Wizard's guard then bowed them through to his chambers after he'd delivered the news of the Witch's death to him.
You're off to see the Wizard!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
Let him know the Wicked Witch is dead!
Hail, the Wicked Old Witch is dead . . .
For those who don't know, this song was cut from the original film. I brought it in just for fun. Next chapter, you find out who the Wizard is in this version if you haven't already guessed.