Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, The Wizard of Oz, and Sleeping Beauty or any of the characters
Ch. 20
Roy stood from where he knelt and waited for Riza to stand up. Still a bit dazed from her sleep, she swooned but Roy managed to grab a hold of her.
"Are you alright, lieutenant?" he asked.
"I'm fine, sir," she said as she steadied herself.
Not feeling convinced with her reply, he assisted her in walking anyway. He turned the knob and opened the door. There, they found Glinda waiting.
"Ah, so you're finally up," said Glinda. "I apologize for my brother's foolish use of power. I know it caused the two of you a world of trouble."
"Those fairies are the trouble," said Roy, "not your brother."
"What happened?" asked Riza, unaware of the events that transpired while she slept.
"Let's just say that what you said earlier was impossible," said Roy.
"What did I say?" asked Riza.
"You wouldn't be able to wake up without my lips, Hawkeye," he said, trying to make it clearer.
She looked at her superior who looked back at her with his functioning eye.
"We'll talk about this later," he said, "once we get home."
Riza turned to look at Glinda.
"Where is Glenn?" she asked, wondering where the subject of conversation went.
"She's right," Roy said, finally realizing that someone is missing. "Where is your brother?"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you," Glinda said. "He said that he had the feeling that something is going on. He decided to take a look. You know how nosy he is."
"It's a bit dangerous, don't you think?" Riza said, looking at a window at the end of the hallway. "The weather outside isn't looking very good."
"I know," she said, "but what choice do I have?"
With Glenn:
He ventured to the barren lands of Oz where he felt a strong, dark presence. Using his powers to transport himself was easy but when he reached the nearby land, it felt as if his powers are slowly draining away and he was forced to walk the rest of it.
"The West Lands, eh," he muttered to himself. "I guess shady Maleficent has something up her sleeve."
He walked deeper into the forsaken territory of the witch, knowing that there is a slim chance of escape. He knew that it was true when he felt a hand on his shoulders. He looked behind him in fright only to find his cousin, The Good Witch of the North.
"Cousin," Glenn uttered, relieved that he's not going to be held captive, after all.
"What are you doing here, Glenn?" The good witch asked. "This place is dangerous."
"I could say the same for you," Glenn replied. "Did you feel it too?"
The witch only nodded in response. She looked at a distance and furrowed her eyebrows at what she saw.
From a distance, the witch's stone castle stood, a swirling vortex forming over it, thunder roaring angrily, letting its presence known miles away.
"Do you see that, Glenn?" she asked.
Glenn nodded. "It's not hard to miss," he remarked.
"Do you know what it is?" asked the witch
"No, I don't," said Glenn, "do you?"
"Maleficent's trying to open a portal to another world," she finally said.
The vortex grew bigger and dark clouds covered the previously cloudless sky. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, as if calling onto the rain gods, asking them to flood the barren lands. And they answered the thunder's prayers. It poured down on the earth, soaking the cracking soil they're standing on, soaking every other part of Oz as well.
Glenn looked at his cousin, his hair, dripping wet and his vision is blurred by the transparent liquid from the heavens. The Witch of the North looked at him and smiled.
"Let's head back, Glenn," she said, "I'm sure Cousin Glinda is worried about you."
"Were you in the witch's home?" he asked.
"I didn't have to go there to find out," she said. "The dark presence can be felt way out in the North territories."
"Then why are you here?" he asked.
"Because you can feel it. But you have no clue on what it is you're feeling. I had the feeling you'll come here to get some answers for yourself," she said. "I'm here to give it to you before you reach that accursed place."
He started to walk back, knowing the answer to his question, he found it pointless to continue his quest towards the witch's castle. Now, his goal is to tell everyone back home what he's been told, hoping that the information could help. The Good Witch of the North followed close behind.
"What are you going to do with your information, Glenn?" she asked the young man.
"I'm going to tell them," he said as he walked. "Maybe they'd take the necessary precautions if they knew about this."
"Necessary precautions, huh?" the witch repeated the boy's words. "You're thinking about the tornado, aren't you?"
"That's what opened the doors of ours and Dorothy's world," he said. "It was horrible."
"So you haven't forgotten about that?" she asked. "It's been years, Glenn. You weren't even capable of walking back then."
"It killed them. How could I forget something like that?"
"Even so," she said, "it was more than a hundred years ago."
"We're not humans cousin," he said. "We can remember far more than what they can and we do not grow old like them."
"But we're just like them," said the witch. "Just like humans, our lives come to an end. We can sustain our youth for long periods of time but death is inevitable. Do remember that we are but humans with skills."
"That's what you want to believe," he said. "But we can't love normal humans, can we?"
The Good Witch of the North spoke no more. They walked in silence until they reached the point where teleportation is possible. He looked at his cousin and smiled.
"Where are you heading?" he asked.
"Actually, I plan on visiting my beloved cousins today," she said.
"I'll race ya," he said, "last one there's a rotten egg. Are you in?"
"You're on," she said.
And with their powers, they disappeared in smokes and they traveled in their respective wormholes towards the Southern Witch's mansion.
They arrived in the mansion. The witch came in first, beating Glenn. Both are wet and covered with earth. Walking the wet lands before being able to use their powers turned them into filthy creatures not worthy to step foot in Glinda's domain. Everyone in the receiving area looked at them. Roy laughed at the witch's current state while the others pretended that what they saw was normal.
"You two look like you've been swallowed by one of the amphisbaena's heads then spat out by the other," Glinda remarked as she looked at her family in a disgusted manner.
"Well, try walking on a wasteland that got soaked by the rain," said Glenn, "let's see if you come back home clean and dry."
"True," said Glinda. "What did you find?"
"Well, I found out from cousin that Maleficent is opening a portal to another world," said Glenn.
Glinda turned to look at her golden-haired cousin who smiled and glittered despite her current state of disarray.
"A portal to another world?" she asked.
"Yes, a portal," she stated a-matter-of-factly. "It's probably in the form of a twister."
Roy's eye burned with passion upon hearing this. He stepped forward to say his piece.
"Perhaps we can use that to get home," he said. "When will she succeed in opening it?"
"That's out of the question," said the Good Witch of the North. "As I said before, it will take the form of a twister. It's not a wave, Roy Mustang, you cannot ride it."
"You'll only die trying," said Glenn. "We can just go to the wizard for help."
"Actually," opposed Glinda, "I think it's a brilliant idea."
"You do?" Glenn and the other witch asked her.
"Yes, I do," she said. "And if they don't come home now, their world will be in peril."
"No, their lives will be in peril!" opposed her brother. "What the hell are you thinking, sister?"
"Silence, you impertinent fool," snapped Glinda. "You are not in the position to speak to me in that manner."
He looked at his cousin and saw that she is listening so the young wizard silenced himself and listened to what his sister has to say.
"We have to make sure that you'll make it on time," Glinda said. "Do you have ideas, cousin?"
"Well, I can make a flying broom for the two of you," The Good Witch of the North said. "Don't worry, as long as you hold tight, you won't fall."
"I'm not sure about this," said Riza. "The tornado's impact can destroy a house. I'm pretty sure it can destroy a broom."
"Do not question my genius, Hawkeye," snapped the witch. "I'm a witch, not a fairy. If there's anything you should know, a witch's broom never breaks while fairy's broom can only last for a while. In fact, a witch's power can destroy a fairy's enchanted broom."
"I guess we wouldn't have to worry about the three lunatics coming after us," Roy said. "Your broom is as sturdy as you say it is, right?"
The Good Witch of the North rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Didn't I tell you not to question my genius?" she asked.
In the castle, with Charming and the three fairies:
After hours of failed attempts to untie the enchanted string, they finally succeeded, thanks to the prince's teeth of steel.
"It's no wonder you don't brush your teeth," said Fauna. "With teeth that strong, who needs to?"
The prince, although still weak from Maleficent's attack, flashed them a smile. The yellow glow from the prince's yellowish teeth almost blinded the three fairies and Merryweather couldn't help but complain.
"Keep your mouth closed, you fool," she said. "Your disgusting yellow teeth are burning our eyes!"
He did what he's told and the fairies worked their magic on him. In no time, the prince had restored his locomotive functions. He managed to stand up and walk.
"Now, where is my princess?" Charming asked.
The three fairies headed towards the closest mirror and chanted. A vision appeared before them. Riza Hawkeye, standing beside her superior, planning their departure from Fairytale Land.
"I couldn't let this happen," said the prince between gritted teeth. "I won't let my princess get away."
His eyes burned with jealousy and passion as he looked at the three fairies.
"Take me to her," he said. "Take me to my princess."
The old hags took a glance at each other and waved their wands. An enchanted broom appeared before them. The prince rode the broom and flew into the storm, the three fairies following behind with their wings but the prince stopped them.
"Go back home," he said. "I shall handle this all on my own."
.