Chapter 14: Rescue Mission
Scarecrow, Tin Mare, and Lion followed Indiana to an enormous gloomy mountain as the brave dog began climbing up. Knowing that Winona was still taking them to Applebloom, Scarecrow climbed after her. She was followed by Lion and Tin Mare. Being made of tin, Tin Mare held onto Lion's tail to ensure that she wouldn't fall, otherwise, she might've gotten damaged beyond repair.
About halfway up the mountain, Lion took a break to breath as they both looked down.
"I…" Lion stuttered nervously. "I hope my strength holds out."
"I hope your tail holds out!" Tin Mare called out, for once being more afraid than Lion.
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?" Lion gasped, half out of exhaustion, half out of terror. "What's that?!"
"That's the castle a'Nightmare Moon." Scarecrow surmised. "Applebloom's in that awful place?"
"Oh, I'd hate to think of her in there." Tin Mare said as she began to tear up. "We've got to get her out."
"Don't cry now!" Scarecrow 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?" Lion asked as he pointed at the marching guards. "Who are they?"
The witch's Night Guards were marching around repeating a chant of "O-ri-o! Ri-o-oh!"
"I've got a plan how to get in there." Scarecrow said to his two friends.
"He's got a plan!" Lion called out in relief.
"And you're gonna lead us." Scarecrow added.
"Yeah." Lion said smugly before she realized what that meant. "Me?!"
"Yes you." Scarecrow answered.
"I…" Lion said with a gulp as he pointed at the castle. "I gotta get her out of there?"
"That's right." Scarecrow gently insisted.
Lion swallowed and thought of Applebloom, the poor little girl who just wanted to get home.
"Alright." Lion answered. "I'll go in there for Applebloom. Nightmare Moon or no Nightmare Moon! Guards or no guards, I'll tear them 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." Lion gulped, but instead, the two encouraged Lion to keep forward as they arrived just outside the area of the castle when Winona began barking. As Scarecrow tried to calm her down, Lion looked behind them and saw three guards standing right behind them. Lion immediately tried to warn them as well when the guards jumped. However, the three quickly overwhelmed the guards and stole their uniforms, which fit nicely on them despite most of the guards being male, and snuck in without incident.
"Come on." Scarecrow said as she set Winona down. "I've got another idea."
"Do you think it'll be alright, dropping in like this?" Lion asked, half-jokingly.
The trio then followed Winona around the courtyard as the drawbridge was brought up with the three keeping an eye on him, however, Winona seemed to be having trouble picking up Applebloom's scent.
"Where do we go now?" Tin Mare asked.
Just then, Winona began barking and rushed up the stairs.
"There!" Scarecrow said as she, Lion, and Tin Mare rushed after her to a pair of doors as Tin Mare grabbed her ax before Scarecrow held her hoof out. "Wait. Let's make sure. Applebloom, are you in there? It's us!"
()()()()()
As Applebloom was whimpering in the corner, her eyes unable to look away from the hourglass, she heard Scarecrow's voice as that small, almost insubstantial hope burst through her whole body as she rushed to the front door.
"Yes!" Applebloom called out. "It's me! She's locked me in!"
"Then we've gotta get her out." Applebloom heard Lion say as the door rattled as Applebloom's eyes unwillingly went to the hourglass as it looked like she only had three minutes left.
"Oh, hurry! Please hurry!" Applebloom begged. "The hourglass is almost empty!"
"Tin Mare!" Scarecrow called out as Applebloom heard a thump at the door. She backed up as Tin Mare sliced the door to pieces with her ax at an amazing speed.
With the door broken open, Applebloom rushed out and hugged her friends as they were finally reunited.
"Oh, guys!" Applebloom said as she saw Winona panting. "Winona!"
As Applebloom frantically mumbled her thanks, Scarecrow went to her.
"Hurry!" Scarecrow said. "We don't have any time t'lose!"
They rushed for the main entrance only to be blocked by the guards.
From an upper area of the castle, Nightmare Moon laughed evilly as they all looked up.
"Going so soon?" Nightmare Moon asked. "I wouldn't hear of it. Why my little party is just beginning."
"Trapped." Lion 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." Nightmare Moon remarked sadistically. "Don't hurt them right away. We will let them think about it a little first."
As the group was shivering, Scarecrow looked at a rope as Applebloom saw her eyes follow it up to a circular chandelier while Nightmare Moon was laughing.
Just then, Nightmare Moon 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, Scarecrow grabbed Tin Mare's ax and cut through it, causing the guards to be trapped in the chandelier and ran passed them, looking for a back way out while Nightmare Moon 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 farm into what seemed to be Nightmare Moon's den as the door slammed shut and the guards held them all at spear point while Nightmare Moon walked up to them.
"Well, ring around the rosie, a pocket full of spears." Nightmare Moon 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 Scarecrow.
"How about a little fire, Scarecrow?" Nightmare Moon asked as she brought the broom close enough for Scarecrow's foreleg to catch fire as Applebloom instinctively grabbed a bucket to put it out as after she put out Scarecrow's foreleg, the water also splashed onto Nightmare Moon's face as she screamed like she was being murdered.
"YOU CURSED BRAT!" Nightmare Moon screamed. "Look what you've done! I am melting! MELTING!"
Applebloom couldn't believe her eyes. Nightmare Moon was right. She really was melting.
"Oh what a world." Nightmare Moon 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 gray-blue helmet as the Night Guards 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." Applebloom said, which was true enough. "Really. It's just that he was on fire, and-"
"Hail to Applebloom!" The guard called out. "Nightmare Moon is dead!"
"HAIL TO APPLEBLOOM!" The other guards and Zabraks called out. "NIGHTMARE MOON IS DEAD!"
Applebloom sighed with relief. The guards were just slaves like the munchkins. Then an idea popped into her head.
"The broom, may we have it?" Applebloom asked.
"Please!" The guard said happily. "You're welcomed to the thing!"
"Oh, thank y'all so much!" Applebloom called out. "Now we can go back t'the Wizard and tell him Nightmare Moon is dead!"
Hail, Hail, the witch is dead!
Which old witch? The Wicked Witch.
Hail, hail the Wicked Witch is dead!
The guards saw them off as they sang the song of rejoicing the munchkins had when Applebloom's house landed on Chrysalis.
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 Nightmare Moon's death to him.
You're off to see the Jedi!
The Wonderful Jedi 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.