Elphie paced around the apartment, beside herself. Glinda had gone to see if she could find Fiyero and save him. She was alone. She was always so alone.

Footsteps! More than one pair! Glinda must be back with Fiyero. "Ah, Fiyero," Elphie thought with deliberation. "Yero, my Hero, my love." The door opened. But it was not Glinda and Fiyero.

There stood the little girl, a large Lion, a woodchopper made of tin, and a scarecrow. Elphaba looked around wildly, not knowing what to do. Then she caught sight of Nessa's magic shoes.

Suddenly livid, Elphaba lunged at the girl, shouting, "THOSE SHOULD BE MINE!" But when she touched them, she found they would not come off the little girl. "That damn spell... oh, Nessa, even in death you spite me!" wailed Elphie. While sniveling at the girl's feet, Elphie abruptly felt the toe of the shoe kick hard at her chin. She screamed and fell backward. The Lion and the Tinman stepped forward slowly and menacingly.

Elphaba cringed, waiting for the end she so deserved, when the door flew open again. Glinda's frame filled the doorway, her face a mask of anger and alarm.

"Get away from her!" Glinda yelled, shoving forward to Elphie.

"Glinda, oh Glinda," Elphaba sobbed, "She has Nessa's shoes. My poor sister mocks me even in death! Our killer is the same, hidden behind innocence and a pair of stolen shoes!"

"Hush, Elphie," Glinda cooed soothingly, "I'm here; I'm going to take care of this. Just you hush." She turned on the little girl. Now her face was not sweet and tender, now it was filled with vengeance. "You little scoundrel. Look what you have done to her!" She slapped the little girl across the face and demanded Elphie's shoes are given back. "You heartless little wretch, those are her sister's shoes. The sister you MURDERED!"

"NO, no!" The little girl wailed. "I didn't kill anyone! The witch just happened to be under my house when it landed; it wasn't my fault!"

"Witch?" Elphie moaned. "No, not Nessarose... she's perfect..." Glinda couldn't stand to see Elphaba like this. Screaming her pledge to kill, she ran at the little girl, wand raised.

In a heartbeat, the girl grabbed the woodchoppers axe and held it right in front of her, as pretty pink Glinda ran right into it. Now she was pretty red Glinda. There was blood everywhere. The little girl seemed as shocked as Glinda, who fell back, into Elphaba's arms.

"Well, Elphie, I guess you were right," Glinda uttered between pained gasps. "No good deed goes unpunished. I tried and failed, and I'm paying the ultimate sacrifice. But you know what, Elphie?" Through the stinging tears, Elphaba shook her head. "It was worth it, to know I did what I could to save my best friend," came Glinda's final words, filled with love and devotion. Elphaba lay a slight kiss on her comrade's forehead, and slowly stood up.

"You bitch! I'll burn you alive!" Grabbing the candle from behind her, she ran at the girl, who dodged out of the way. Elphie had forgotten that the scarecrow was even there, until he was ablaze. Immediately, he pushed her out of the way, headed for the kitchen, trailing flames. Picking up the bucket that has been collecting the sink drippings, carried it back across the room. As he stood over the astonished Elphaba, he dumped the water over her, allowing himself to continue burning.

"Go on, Dorothy, go back to the Wizard, go home," the scarecrow said to the little girl. Elphaba knew she had heard that voice before. She couldn't think where, though. The water was burning her. She had never been exposed to so much water before. The pain was blinding. She could almost swear she was watching Fiyero burn in front of her eyes.

"FIYEEEERRRROOOO!!!" Elphaba wailed, as her green fleshed melted and dropped off. She had never felt so much pain. She wondered if it hurt this much to get crushed by a house. Did it hurt this much to have a little robot slit your throat? How about to die of senility in your bed? Did drug overdose and broken heart hurt this much? As clouded as her mind was by the torment of the water, she prayed that her loved ones didn't suffer this much in their death agonies.

"There is no more Fiyero, Witch," the scarecrow said bitterly. His voiced was also very anguished. "I loved you, and you let them take me. Glinda was the only one who came to try and help me. This is what I have become because of you!" There wasn't much left to the burning scarecrow, by now. Nor was there much left to Elphaba. They both were burning to death, in their own ways. Dying heartbroken, next to the two other people they loved.

~ Looking out from a hot air balloon, hundreds of feet above Oz, the Wizard could see a fire engulfing the tenements of the Emerald City. Turning around to his little companion and her terrier, he said, "Wonderful."