CHAPTER EIGHT - THE GREAT AND POWERFUL GROUPER

Yep. The face that greeted them on the other end of that door was none other than Mr Grumpfish. He looked upon Molly and her friends with his usual grumpy frown, despite wearing the all-green outfit just like everyone else in the city. The scowl on his face frightened Gil, and he hid behind Deema while trembling all the while. Only Molly and Bubble Puppy could recognise his face, and it made the situation so bizarre.

'What do you want?' He asked, in his typical tone.

'We're, uh… here to see the Wizard.' Molly answered. 'The Great and Powerful Grouper?'

She flashed him a smile, hoping that this was post-smile Mr Grumpfish. His eyes narrowed, and he just slammed the door in her face. She flinched, but Gil straight-up yelped.

'Rude!' Deema said, crossing her arms. 'Could've at least said goodbye.'

Goby shook his head. 'Sorry about him. He's really picky over who he lets in, probably because the Wizard is too. I swear he's a nice guy usually, but the news of the witch on the prow has made him a little grumpier than usual.'

Nonny, seeing no harm in trying, knocked the doors again. When they opened up the second time, the fish behind them looked even grumpier than before.

'Can't you kids take no for an answer?' He demanded.

Molly raised up her hand, just a little. 'Um, well, you didn't say no. You didn't say anything, actually. You just slammed the door in my face.'

'Oh. Well, alright then. Why are you here?'

'My friends and I have come to see the Wizard so we can-'

SLAM!

'Wait, come back! I need to talk to the Wizard to have even a chance to get back home!'

Mr Grumpfish, or whatever his Bubbledom-name was, didn't pay her any more attention. Mostly because he wasn't getting paid enough for this thankless job. Molly turned around, and sat on the steps leading up to the doors. Though she didn't want to, she ended up crying into her hands.

'M-Molly?' Gil asked.

'I… I just want to go home…' She murmured. 'This place is beautiful, but… my friends and family at home don't know where I am. They're worried sick about me. This was my only chance, a-and now…'

She buried her face in her arms and wept. Gil retracted his claws and rubbed his cheeks against her shoulder while purring, while Bubble Puppy sat in her lap and whimpered. The sight of Molly so sad made Nonny sad too, and he began to cry as well, rusting up his shiny clean metal. Normally, Deema would tell him to stop crying lest he end up rusting his jaw shut, but she didn't this time. She wasn't upset, however. Oh no.

She was angry.

'ALRIGHT!' She yelled. 'THAT'S IT!'

She grabbed the crying Nonny by the wrist and bashed his fist against the door for him. Mr Grumpfish bothered to answer the door again, this time looking grumpier than ever.

'NOW what?' He demanded.

Deema pointed to the crying girl and the crying Tin Guppy. 'See what you did? You made a little girl cry! How does that make you feel? She just wanted to go home, and now you've ruined any chances of that happening! And this guy made of tin right here?'

'D-Deema, please…' Nonny pleaded. 'I-I don't wanna be a part of this…'

'He's crying too! You've made this poor guy cry because now he won't get his heart, and now he'll rust himself over because of his own tears. And what about the poor lion? Now he's gonna be a coward forever cos you won't give him a chance! As for me… I want my brains and I want them NOW! So unless you wanna live with the fact that you made a bunch of kids cry, you should let us in right this moment!'

Mr Grumpfish's jaw dropped. He didn't want those thoughts to haunt him every night in his dreams, nor did he want anyone to know that he had just received a thorough talking-to by a scarecrow of all things.

'I'm so sorry!' He said. 'So many people come to ask the Wizard insipid questions that I'm just getting fed up with it. I didn't realise this was about a little girl who just wanted to go home!'

He swung the doors wide open, revealing the massive green hallway behind them. Molly lifted her head out of her hands and gasped.

'You'll really let me in?' She asked.

Mr Grumpfish nodded. 'Absolutely! You and your weird-looking friends too. Right this way!'

That got smiles out of everyone, even if it didn't undo those lines of rust on Nonny's face. They all rushed to the entrance, with Molly taking the lead. Goby adjusted his green jacket, and took to the front.

'Don't worry about it, Mr Grumpfish.' He said. 'I'll lead these visitors to the Wizard for you.'

'Understood, sir.' The fish responded. 'I'll keep guard to make sure that mean old witch doesn't show up to hurt her! Or any of her friends, for that matter.'

'Continue the good work!'

As Goby led the quintet down the hallway, Deema took a brief moment to flash a cocky smirk at Mr Grumpfish. One glare from him, however, and she pretended that she couldn't see him. Hey, she may have just talked him down, but he was still many times her size.

'M-Maybe I should stay behind.' Gil murmured. 'Y-You know, in case anything bad happens to you guys?'

'Gil,' Deema said. 'Do you want your courage or not?'

The hallway was long, but eventually they were brought to a dark room lit up only by a giant green screen. No, not a greenscreen like the ones they use in movies, but a giant vertical TV screen tinted green. Its edges were decorated by perfectly cut emeralds – what else, rubies? Molly gulped; this was much more grand than she was ever expecting.

'AH!' Gil screamed. 'SOMETHING PULLED ON MY TAIL!'

Deema rolled her eyes. 'That was you.'

'Oh. Sorry.'

Well, that ruined just about any chance they had of entering the scene nice and quietly. Goby cleared his throat and stepped forward from the crowd.

'Wizard,' He said. 'I have brought some visitors here to see you.'

The TV screen 'turned on', lightning up the entire room with a green light as someone faded onto on the screen. It shouldn't surprise you who it was, considering what Goby has been calling him this whole time, and it certainly didn't surprise Molly to see that it was Mr Grouper, done up in his exact costume from that play in Australia. She had truly come full circle now.

There was one major difference, though. In the play, Mr Grouper smiled as she looked upon his visitors, as per the norm for the kind and friendly teacher. In contrast, this Mr Grouper glared down at his visitors like they were vermin that he could crush just by staring at them.

'EEP!' Gil yelped as he jumped behind a pillar.

The other members of the group shuddered and flinched, and the only one unperturbed by such a sight was Goby. The double-job Guppy just stood there, not smiling or frowning but giving his Wizard a look of respect.

'A group of four, it seems.' His voice boomed through the room. 'Five if we include that wimp of a lion. What brings these intruders into my lair? And it better be important!'

Goby looked back to the group, silently asking them which one was going to go first. They looked among each other for a moment, before Deema shrugged.

'Welp, ladies first!'

She stepped forward from the trembling group and passed by Goby as she approached the massive screen. Luckily for her, she didn't have the brains to realise how horrifying this situation was, and simply approached the gigantic fish with a smile.

'And what might your name be, scarecrow?' The Wizard asked. 'And why have you chosen to waste my time?'

'Hey, I am not wasting your time!' Deema declared. 'My name is Deema, and I am here for one simple reason. So, you know how I'm a scarecrow, right? That means my head is full of nothing but straw. And that means I don't have a brain. Which is a bit of a shame, doncha think? I don't wanna be just a silly little scarecrow anymore, without a thought in her head. I wanna be smart and wise! So, I want a brain. Can you give me one, please?'

The Wizard stared down at her, hardly even blinking as his eyes stared directly into hers. Her smile shifted to one much more nervous, and she backed away, trembling enough for bits of her straw to fall from her body and onto the floor.

'YOU SARDONIC, SIMPLE, SILLY SACK OF STRAW!' The Wizard suddenly yelled, both causing Deema to scream and butchering the meaning of 'sardonic'. 'Come back to me when you have earned the right to a brain!'

The frightened scarecrow dove behind Nonny and pushed him forward. The poor Tin Guppy wasn't expecting to be called on so suddenly, but seeing as no one else was going he decided to bite the bullet. Unable to gulp down his fears without a throat, he approached the Wizard with both his trembling hands on his axe.

'And what about you, my boy of tin?' The Wizard asked. 'Why have you come to intrude on my time?'

'I-I am sorry for the interruption, great Wizard.' Nonny stammered. 'B-But my name is Nonny, and I come for a very good reason. For you see, my tin body is as hollow as can be, so I lack a heart. There is nothing more than I desire but a simple heart, for then I can be sweet and kind and sensitive.'

He hid his face behind the axe, knowing well that Wizard was staring down at him the same way he stared at the scarecrow. The very moment he peeked out from behind his sharp shield…

'YOU MISERABLE, MORTIFYING, MEDDLING MESS OF METAL! Come back to me when you deserve to have a heart!'

Nonny was too busy trembling on the spot to move away, so Deema had to grab him by the shoulders and drag the poor shivering man of tin back. Gil buried his head in his tail, praying about a thousand times over that the Wizard would not notice his presence.

'COME ON OUT, LION, AND FACE ME AT ONCE!'

Gil gulped. 'Oh n-no…'

He was trembling more than jelly in an earthquake as he walked up to the Wizard. He couldn't even bare to walk like a human, choosing to move across the room on his forelegs instead of his tail.

'Stand up, you coward!'

'Y-Yes sir!' The timid lion squeaked as he stood up onto his tail.

'What has brought a weakling such as yourself before the Powerful Grouper?'

Gil gulped. 'I-I am a lion, and I should be the king of all beasts. B-But I was born a coward, scared of everything from the biggest elephant to the smallest mouse. I cannot be the king of all beasts if I am scared of my own shadow. So, i-if you could, I-I would like some courage, so I could be the king who I am meant to be.' In a squeaky voice, he added. 'P-Please?'

He hid behind his tail again, shivering so hard that it was a miracle that the hairs in his mane didn't fall out. The Wizard wasted no time announcing his frustration.

'YOU CONFOUNDING, COWERING, CLOWNISH COWARD OF A CAT! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT UNTIL YOU ARE WORTHY OF HAVING COURAGE!'

Gil didn't run. He didn't scream. He didn't even shiver. All he could do was pass out and faint. The others behind him gasped as his body hit the green floor beneath him. Molly gulped; to say that this Wizard was nothing like the Mr Grouper she knew and loved would be the understatement of the century. Still, she was the last one left, so she and Bubble Puppy moved around Gil's unconscious body as she approached the Wizard, while Deema and Nonny dragged the lionfish away.

'Sir, please, don't be so mean to my friends.' She said. 'I know their wishes may seem selfish, but I know that they-'

The Wizard gasped. 'Do my eyes deceive me? Or are you donning the very same Ruby Gloves which the Mean Witch of the East wore before her demise at the hands of a fallen house?'

Molly nodded. 'Y-Yep…'

'Then that would make you Molly, the Mean Witch Slayer known to all in the Land of Bubbledom! Tell me, young girl, what is your desire?'

She glanced back at her companions. Gil had just woken up, but the moment he saw that Wizard he was knocked clean out again. Deema and Nonny gave her nervous grins as they tried to wake him up again.

'I only wish to return back to Bubbletucky,' She answered. 'And only because it's my home. I was told by Oona, the Good Witch of the North, that you would help me get home. Though, judging by how you've treated my friends, I have my doubts that you really can do that.'

The Wizard bellowed. 'Why, of course I can do that! I can make EVERYONE'S wishes come true, for I am the Great and Powerful Grouper! You just need to earn your wishes first.'

'And how do we do that?'

Finally, Gil was coming to and seemed to be staying that way. Albeit, he was still a shivering mess. Everyone turned to the Wizard, their eyes begging for help and for answers.

'If any of you wish to have a brain, or a heart, or some courage, or a way home…' The Wizard said. 'You must bring me the Mean Witch of the West's broomstick!'

'What?!' Deema yelled. 'You seriously want us to do that? If we go into her domain, she'll kill us!'

'SILENCE!'

His voice boomed throughout the entire room and the hallway like thunder in a storm. Goby saw it coming and barely winced at all, but everyone else jumped back with a yelp. Gil, in particular, got onto his forelegs and dashed out the room, screaming down the hallway as he ran.

Molly turned to Goby. 'You know this guy, right? Tell him that this deal is absolutely ridiculous.'

He shook his head. 'I am sorry, Molly, but there is nothing I can do. In fact, you and your friends should be thankful that he hasn't just kicked you out the city. This is all he will offer you, and you must take it.'

'But that's insane!' Deema said. 'The moment that witch sees us coming, she'll make us pay! Does he really want me, a girl made entirely of dried straw and old fabric, to face someone who can shoot fireballs?'

Goby nodded. 'The Wizard bids it so, and we can not disagree. If you don't do as he says, you will never get your gifts.'

'NOW LEAVE AT ONCE!'

That convinced everyone to hightail it out of there. They couldn't see Gil anywhere, but they could certainly see the imprint he left in one of the green windows. They found him cowering under a green potted plant, shivering and crying to himself.

Once she got outside, Deema crossed her arms and huffed. 'Geez. If I had the brains to know that it would be this hard to get a brain, I never would've left my post!' She growled. 'But… dang it! I still want a brain.'

Nonny leaned up against one of the green sparkling pillars outside the door. 'And I still want my heart. I can't imagine living without one. I don't think we have any other choice but to take that broomstick.'

Gil gulped. 'O-Or, we could just go home and forget that this ever happened. I-I mean, surely we can live without these things, right? We've lived for years without them.'

Molly sat down on the steps of the Emerald Opera House, with Bubble Puppy in her lap. While she could certainly see where Gil was coming from, she had to disagree.

'No.' She said. 'We are not giving up.' She stood up, carrying Bubble Puppy in her arms. 'If this is the only chance I have of getting home, then I need to try. If you guys don't want to go, then alright. I can do it by myself.'

Nonny frowned, and rushed to her side. 'No, I can't let you do that. The Mean Witch of the West is a dangerous foe, and no one should face her alone. I will come with you, to keep you safe. I may not have a heart, but I know that I should never let a friend go into danger alone. I don't care if the Wizard doesn't give me a heart anymore. You are the only one who matters.'

Molly took the Tin Guppy by the hands, staring into his greenish-grey eyes. How strange yet beautiful, it seemed, that even without a heart Nonny had to have been the sweetest person she had ever known. She wanted to say no, but those eyes were so full of sorrow, and Molly couldn't dare let him cry and rust himself up some more.

'I'm coming too!' Deema said. 'Sure, I might not have any brains so I don't think I'll be able to do much, but what kind of friend would I be if I let you go face the Witch by yourself? Even someone as brainless as me knows I'd be a pretty cruddy friend if I did that.'

Gil watched the other two companions, without a thought, say they wanted to help out the young girl. Alas, his nickname was the 'Cowardly Lionfish' for a reason, in case you didn't get that. Still, he couldn't imagine leaving such a good friend behind. It didn't help that he felt something towards her than only fanfiction writers could understand. So, with a gulp, he stood up from his hiding place and joined in.

'Me three.' He said, his voice shaking. 'S-Sure, it's scarier than anything else I've seen put together, b-but I have to join you guys. There's just one thing I want you to do.'

'What's that?' Molly asked.

'T-Talk me outta this.'

Goby got back onto his carriage drawn by his scarlet horse, and sighed. He didn't approve of the Wizard's methods any more than they did, and if he could he'd rule over the Emerald Sydney instead. Of course, even if the Wizard let him – which was highly unlikely – he still had the Fishkins to rule.

'Spectra and I will take you as far as we can.' He said. 'Since I rule a kingdom and guard the door to this city, the Land of Bubbledom can not let afford my death, so I cannot accompany you. But still, I will do the best I can. Taking you to the spooky forest is the most I can do. I really am sorry, but I cannot go against the Wizard's order.'

So, everyone hopped onto the carriage drawn by the brown horse, on which they embarked deep into the wicked west of Bubbledom.

Author Notes - One thing I will definitely give watchfullkittycat32's Oz story is that she retained the 'Wizard takes on different forms for each friend' thing from the book, which the movie cut out. In general, though I will say that it isn't the best written thing in the world (god I hate saying things like that about other people's fanfiction...), I do like how it burrows many elements from the original book that most people might not know about.