Bryson and Dorothy rushed out of the throne room to pursue Rabadan. Theodora and Glinda rushed off into a different direction.
They ran through Emerald City, looking up to see Rabadan's large golden flying machine being pressed into the side of the Emerald City tower by the Dragon Machine.
Bryson squinted, realizing that Tik-Tok was in control of the Dragon Machine and using to press against Rabadan's flying vehicle.
"Yes!" He hissed in exclamation, relieved that Rabadan couldn't get away as easily now.
"Oh, no.." Dorothy suddenly said.
Bryson snapped his head over to see her makeshift Ruby Slippers were starting to show their cheapness compared to the real complete ones. The rubies flickered off and seemingly no longer worked.
"Uh-oh.." Bryson muttered.
Dorothy slammed her slippers into the Yellow Brick Road. "Oh, come on! Work, damn you!"
They then heard quick footsteps that rushed along the yellow bricks and out of Emerald City.
Theodora and Glinda emerged with Thersea and Ethan, who were in shackles. Presumably, they had been kept in the dungeon to be freed by the only two witches left in Oz.
Before Bryson could react, Glinda quickly spoke up.
"I can turn that machine of his into a bundle of scraps." She said confidently, raising her wand before pieces of Emerald City began to explode out of nowhere.
Suddenly, pieces of the tower fell around Glinda and Theodora in quick motions.
The pieces surrounded the two witches, seemingly crushing them.
Dorothy screamed out and Bryson gasped. He didn't presume that would kill them with how powerful they were, but it didn't seem like it'd be easy to escape from.
The two went over to try and help them, but they were stopped when Gwen and Rebecca suddenly stepped out of a nearby bush to reveal themselves. There was a discarded box of fireworks with them, indicating the source of the blast. Thankfully, there weren't any more left.
"Thersea! Get over here! I won't stop until you're dead!" Gwen hissed bitterly, almost sounding as if she had surpassed the other witches.
Ethan suddenly spoke up. "Thersea told me while we were in the dungeon! That Colton is my son!"
Gwen tilted her head at Thersea. "Didn't tell him until now, hm?"
Bryson was somewhat stunned. Ethan had been Colton's father?! He wondered if Thersea and he had known of the boy's death. If they had been included in the people who had watched them be terribly murdered. For their sake, he hoped not.
"You wouldn't let me tell him!" Thersea yelled. "You said if I did, then you and Rebecca would incriminate me! But it doesn't matter now that we're here, does it?!"
"Gwen.. Rebecca.. how long did you know?!" Ethan demanded, shaken
Gwen shrugged. "We've known since the day after he was born." She said almost too casually.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" Ethan spat.
"I thought would lose you to Theresa and I couldn't have that. I'd do it again if I had to. Also, it would've ruined my father's plan and I couldn't have that either." Gwen retorted quickly.
Bryson was furious when he heard this and tried to process Gwen and Rebecca's motives, but couldn't.
"You and your father are monsters." Dorothy spat angrily, whipping her head back and forth between them and Rabadan's flying vehicle that Tik-Tok had pushed further into the building with the Dragon Machine.
But because of the blast of the fireworks, the Dragon Machine had little to press Rabadan's flying vehicle with and lost its hold.
Soon enough, Rabadan's machine was free. Rabadan seemed to be aggressive in his gold machine, moving it away and then backing it up before he bumped into it hard enough to cause it to plummet to the ground.
Everyone gasped, and the Dragon Machine seemed to fall easily due to how much damage it had taken.
It fell hard to the ground, a few bolts flying around. But Bryson could still make out what sounded like engines, indicating that it was still operational.
"I need assistance!" Tik-Tok exclaimed.
Bryson and Dorothy took the chance to rush into the machine. "Can you fly this thing? Can it still work?" Bryson asked urgently.
"Of course! He has help!" A voice called out. Bryson looked down to see that Finley was helping to control the Dragon Machine.
"Finley!" Bryson and Dorothy exclaimed in relief and excitement at the sight of him.
Thersea and Ethan rushed inside the Dragon Machine with them, but so did Gwen and Rebecca.
"Oh, no. Finley, Tik-Tok, let's go!" Bryson shouted in worry.
The two pulled the levers, as did Bryson and Dorothy, with as much force as they could possibly muster.
The Dragon Machine began to slowly lift off the ground. It was clunky and slow, but it was still working.
"He's getting away!" Dorothy cried out, pointing over at the golden flying machine that Rabadan was quickly fleeing in.
"Oh no, you don't!" Finley exclaimed.
"Get over here!" Rebecca lunged at Thersea, but Ethan yanked her back and tossed her to the ground.
Thersea took the chance to tackle Gwen, tumbling over on the floor as they swiped and scratched at each other aggressively.
Thersea managed to lift Gwen off the ground, slamming her against the window that had broken.
Gwen gasped, looking behind her to see the terrible fall she would make if she fell.
"Please... show a little mercy." Gwen gulped.
"Mercy? After what you did?" Thersea snapped.
"P-please.. I mean. It was my father. And the legal system.. I mean you wouldn't kill your best friend, right?" Gwen gulped.
Bryson rolled his eyes. "Yeah, now you're her best friend again." He scoffed.
"Unlike you, Gwen, I have a conscious. So no, but.." Thersea growled, as if she were thinking.
Gwen took the chance to kick Thersea off of her.
Thersea gasped. Gwen lunged after her, but Thersea ducked and Gwen tumbled down the Dragon Machine.
And suddenly, the fragile Dragon Machine's hinges broke off as they flew in pursuit of Gwen's father.
The entire back of the Dragon Machine came undone, and sucked Gwen out of it.
Rebecca gasped loudly. "No, my baby!" She screamed, lunging after Gwen. She seemed to be in hysterics, not realizing what she was doing. She was swooped out next, the mother and daughter falling to their deaths.
"Well, uh.. I guess that's two out of three. Everyone hold on tight!" Finley yelled.
The group huddled away from the back of the Dragon Machine that had fallen off.
Then, Dorothy looked down to see that that the makeshift Ruby Slippers were working again.
She gasped.
"I've got an idea!" She exclaimed, slipping one of the slippers off and handing it to Bryson. "Put it on and we'll both use one. You can shoot out blasts to Rabadan out the broken window and I'll shoot out the back that's come off!"
"That's extremely dangerous, guys!" Finley called out.
"We don't have many other options!" Bryson said.
Dorothy rushed over and grabbed a bar of the Dragon Machine, sliding over and craning her foot that had the slipper on. She huffed, then sighed before managing to emit blasts that were sent flying in the direction of Rabadan's flying machine.
Thersea and Ethan sprinted over to be prepared to grab her if she fell.
Bryson rushed to the window, yanking the Ruby Slipper that barely fit onto his foot. He craned up his foot, clutching the sides of the Dragon Machine as he thought about it.
It took him a moment, but he thought about it.
Then, a blast came flying out of the slipper on his foot and went flying towards Rabadan's machine.
It missed.
If Dorothy didn't get her shots, they were done for.
He took a deep breath.
"This doesn't have to be perfect.." he remembered some of Oscar Digg's words.
How his obsession with perfection had failed him so terribly when he tried to rule Oz.
How it corrupted his future self.
He realized the Dragon Machine was gaining on Rabadan's flying machine.
"This certainly isn't gonna be perfect.." Bryson muttered as he thought hard about it, forming a blast within the slipper.
And then, he took off the slipper and tossed it hard at the machine in front of them.
In response, Rabadan's machine began to radiate red light.
"It landed, back us up!" Bryson yelled out.
Finley gasped, he and Tik-Tok yanking levers desperately and moving back. "EVERYONE HOLD ON TIGHT!" Finley screeched.
They were just far enough now, and Rabadan's machine suddenly exploded.
"YES!" Bryson exclaimed.
"Oh, yeah! Not so fast now!" Finley cheered.
Bryson watched in astonishment as the machine blew up, red auras all around as he watched the machine go up in flames.
But it seemed Rabadan had jumped out with a parachute.
He still had the Ruby Slipper shard in his hand, shining bright in the night sky several yards away.
"What?!" Finley cried out in dismay.
"Hold on, I've got this." Dorothy said firmly, suddenly walking up behind Bryson and moving him aside.
She tugged her slipper off, rotating it and them aiming it like a gun.
"Uncle Henry, if you're still out there somehow, I hope your aim's gonna help me tonight.." She muttered to herself.
Then, the magic rubies on the makeshift slippers began to fizzle, indicating that they'd stop working again.
"No.." Dorothy hissed. Now, she seemingly knew she had to hurry, but also aim it properly.
She squinted, in deep concentration.
She took a deep breath and then..
A huge red blast emitted from the Ruby Slipper and zapped Rabadan.
It wasn't a pretty sight, watching his whole body explode into a puddle.
But Dorothy remained stone cold. "And that's for turning me into a cat." She hissed.
The group began to cheer, clapping and screeching in excitement.
"We did it, we got rid of him!" Thersea beamed.
"Thank god!" Ethan cheered back.
"At long last! The thing that has been plauging Oz is gone forever!" Finley cheered.
Bryson just looked on with huge wide eyes.
Dorothy Gale had destroyed the demon plauging both himself and Oz for years.
Bryson just immediately reached over to squeeze her tightly, hugging her.
"Oh, Bryson.." Dorothy sighed as they embraced tightly, the air of Oz in their flying machine making him shiver against her.
This felt great.
Yet.. still not complete.
Rabadan was dead, but what was left to show for it?
The children were gone.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and countless other Ozians.. gone.
The Land of Oz and its people.. left divided and at war.
Indeed, they had won. But what was left to show for it?
Perhaps that's what Rabadan had wanted them to feel. A hollow victory.
...
Rabadan has been defeated, but how will Oz recover? The war still goes on to the division of the land. Can anything bring peace to the Land of Oz?