Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners and I honor respect their great works.
After their meeting with the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City, Devon, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion travel to the western country of Oz, Winkie Country, and find themselves walking through a dark and very spooky Haunted Forest. Dead trees surrounded them, dark brown leaves covered the ground, and the sounds of owls hooting and screeching birds filled the ominous air.
In their quest to confront the Wicked Witch of the West, Scarecrow was armed with a small silver revolver in his left-hand, Tin Man had his silver axe in his left-hand, but also a large wrench hefted over his right-shoulder, Lion had a ridiculously large net in his right-paw and a big grey mallet in his left-paw, and Devon had his trusted crystal Keyblade: Soul Calibur in his right-hand.
Unknown to the group, they were being watched by a black ghostly mass, which floated behind them. As Devon and the others kept on walking, the dark mass flies over to a dead gargoyle-faced tree and enters it, causing the eyes to flash red for a brief moment.
With Devon taking the lead since he was the bravest, the group traveled along the forest path and they came upon a creepy, human-shaped signpost that had a white grinning face painted on its head. One sign pointed up towards the left read:
HAUNTED FOREST
WitCHES CAStLE
1 MiLE
Beneath this was another sign which Lion read out loud.
"I'd turn back if I were you." Lion reads
Lion nodded his head and began to turn around, but Scarecrow and Tin Man set him straight and they, Devon, and Dorothy shook their heads. Continuing on, the group proceeds down the path while Lion growls, trying to be brave. He growls three times, each longer than the last, until the group stopped and saw two owls with glowing red eyes perched in the dead trees above them. This was enough to make Lion turn around and run for it. Scarecrow and Tin Man quickly chase after Lion and catch him. They lift him up by his furry arms and turn him around while he sobbed and kicked his feet in the air.
"Oh, look! Let me go now!" Lion sobs
The group looks back up at the trees and now they saw two horrific-looking birds perched in the tree branches. They too had glowing red eyes as they screeched loudly.
"I believe there's spooks around here." Scarecrow says nervously
"That's ridiculous! Spooks. That's silly." Tin Man says
"Do-don't you believe in spooks?" Lion stutters fearfully
"No. Why, on-Oh!" Tin Man says
Before he could say anything else, Tin Man was lifted high up into the air by an unseen force while the group watched in shock and horror. Dorothy gasps and covers her mouth with her hands while Lion looked away and covered his eyes with his paws, peeking a glance every now and then. Tin Man was lifted up for about six long seconds until his body dropped back down to the ground with a loud clanking sound. Devon, Dorothy and Scarecrow immediately rushed over to the fallen Tin Man, worried if he was hurt.
"Oh!" Dorothy gasps
"Tin Man!" Devon exclaims
"Oh, are you alright?" Scarecrow asks in concern
While the Keyblade Wielder, Kansas girl, and straw man help the metal man up to his feet, the anthropomorphic lion stood where he was, paralyzed with fear.
"I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do." Lion says
Over at the Wicked Witch's Castle, the evil hag and her winged monkeys observed the group as they made their way into her territory, gazing into the magic crystal ball inside her personal chamber as they watched Lion specifically. She now had Devon and Dorothy right where she wanted them. Both the Ruby Slippers and the Keyblade Wielder were now within her grasp.
"I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I... do!" Lion says
The Wicked Witch chuckles evilly.
"Ha ha! You'll believe in more than that before I'm finished with you." Wicked Witch says
Moving away from the crystal ball, the evil hag walks around her stone chair and towards Nikko and the Flying Monkeys that stood hunched over near the balcony, giving them a special task.
"Take your army to the Haunted Forest and bring me that girl, her dog, and that boy with the Keyblade. Do what you like with the others, but I want them alive and unharmed. They'll give you no trouble, I can promise you that. I've sent a little insect to take the fight out of them." Wicked Witch says
Nikko and the winged monkeys were about to take off until the Wicked Witch gave them one last important request.
"Take special care of those Ruby Slippers. I want those most of all. Now fly, my pretties! Fly! Fly!" Wicked Witch says
And with that, Nikko and the Flying Monkeys flapped their wings and took to the dark skies to do as they are told. The Wicked Witch cackles with her evil laughter as she watched her army of winged creatures fly towards the Haunted Forest to capture the Keyblade Wielder and Kansas girl.
Soon, the Flying Monkeys reach the Haunted Forest and Devon, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion looked up in shock and horror as the winged creatures made their approach, heading straight for them. Their screeching, hooting, and hollering filled the air.
"Flying Monkeys?!" Dorothy exclaims
"There's too many! Run!" Devon exclaims
Immediately, the group turned and made a run for it while the Flying Monkeys descended down into the forest. The army of Flying Monkeys were fast as they bullied, terrorized, and attacked the group. Devon, Dorothy, and Toto ran in one direction with dozens of purple monkeys chasing after them, jumping over a dead log and splitting away from their three friends.
"Help! Help!" Dorothy exclaims
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion tried to follow them, but they were quickly cut off as the rest of the monkeys surrounded them. Lion was chased off elsewhere as a group of winged monkeys pursued him. Tin Man held up his silver axe as he tried to fend them off, but his weapon was pulled away from his grip. Scarecrow was knocked down to the ground and stomped on by a group of monkeys as they jumped up and down on him.
Dorothy and Devon ran together as they tried to escape from the monkeys until one tackles into the Keyblade Wielder's back, knocking him forward and down to the ground.
"Ohh! Unh!" Devon grunts
Devon pushes the monkey off his back and tried immediately to get back onto his feet, but two more monkeys quickly grabbed his arms, knocking him back down.
"Gah!" Devon grunts
Soul Calibur was knocked out of Devon's grip in the process, clattering to the ground a few feet away from him, and the crystal Keyblade vanished in a flash of blue light. The young teen struggled against the winged creatures that restrained him, but he could not free himself.
"Gnh! Nnh! Gah! Let go of me!" Devon shouts
"Toto! Devon! Help!" Dorothy exclaims
Devon lifted his head up and watched helplessly as two Flying Monkeys swoop down from behind Dorothy as she kept running.
"Dorothy! Behind you!" Devon shouts
The two Flying Monkeys quickly caught Dorothy by her arms and ascended up into the sky with her in their grasp. The Kansas girl screamed in fear as she was lifted higher and higher into the dark sky.
"Dorothy!" Devon exclaims
Soon, Devon was lifted off the ground and into the sky with the Flying Monkeys holding onto his arms while he kicked his legs in another desperate attempt to break free. Toto barked as his owner and Keyblade Wielder friend were taken away to the Witch's Castle until Nikko grabbed him and took off to bring the small dog to the castle as well. The rest of the Flying Monkeys followed as they ceased their attack on Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, flapping their wings and taking off into the sky.
"Help! Help!" Scarecrow exclaims
Tin Man and Lion rush over to Scarecrow, who was now laying scattered in pieces on the forest floor. His head, upper body, and arms were still intact, but his chest was ripped open and flat, and his legs and feet were pulled from the rest of his body, separated from the waist.
"What happened to you?" Tin Man asks
"They tore my legs off and they threw them over there. Then, they tore my chest out and threw them over there. And-" Scarecrow says pointing to the left and right with his hands
"Well, that's you all over." Tin Man says placing his metal hands on his waist
"They sure knocked the stuffing out of ya, didn't they?" Lion says
"Don't stand there talking! Put me together! We've got to find Dorothy and Devon!" Scarecrow says
Tin Man got down on his knees and picks up Scarecrow's legs as he and Lion he went to work on fixing Scarecrow.
"Well, let's see." Tin Man says
While Tin Man and Lion were busy trying to put Scarecrow back together, Devon and Dorothy were brought before the Wicked Witch of the West, standing with her inside her chambers. Dorothy watched helplessly as her precious dog, Toto was now in the green hands of the evil witch, who stroked the small dog's head with her right-hand.
"What a nice little dog." Wicked Witch says
After she was done petting him, the Wicked Witch puts Toto into Dorothy's basket, which was in Nikko's monkey paws, and closes the flaps of the basket, trapping him inside in a very similar manner that Miss Gulch did. Then, she turns around and faces Dorothy on her right, slowly advancing towards her as she backs away fearfully afraid.
"And you, my dear, what an unexpected pleasure. It's so kind of you and the Keyblade Wielder to visit me in my loneliness." Wicked Witch says
Dorothy tried to take the basket back from Nikko as he hopped up onto the upper part of the Witch's Chamber, but the winged monkey moves it away from her and snarled. She then looks over at Devon, who stood behind Nikko restrained by his arms by the winged monkeys that had captured him. He made another pitiful attempt to pull his arms free, but to no avail. Fearful for the safety of her dog and her best friend, Dorothy turns back to the Wicked Witch with a face completely full of worry.
"What are you going to do to my dog and Devon? Give them back to me!" Dorothy says
"All in good time, my little pretty. All in good time." Wicked Witch says rubbing her hands together in greed
"Oh, please give me back my dog. And let Devon go." Dorothy begs
"Certainly, certainly. When you give me those slippers." Wicked Witch says
"But the Good Witch of the North told me not to." Dorothy says
Grunting again in yet another attempt to free himself, Devon speaks to Dorothy, telling her not to give the Ruby Slippers to the Wicked Witch.
"Gnh! Don't do as she says, Dorothy! She won't honor the deal! Trust me! She's a nasty, old witch! Don't listen to her!" Devon shouts
The Wicked Witch wasn't all too pleased by Dorothy's answer, nor was she by Devon's response to her demands.
"Very well." Wicked Witch says
Moving past Dorothy, the evil hag points to Nikko and the two Flying Monkeys, telling them to dispose of the small terrier and the Keyblade Wielder.
"Throw that basket and the boy in the river! Drown them!" Wicked Witch commands
Nikko was about to hop towards the door to the Witch's Chamber and his two monkeys were about to drag Devon away when Dorothy surrenders to the Wicked Witch's demands, terrified of letting such a horrible fate happen to Devon and Toto.
"No! No! Here! You can have your old slippers, but please give me back Toto and let Devon go!" Dorothy begs
The evil hag turns back to the Kansas girl and smiles wickedly, satisfied by the change of her answer.
"That's a good little girl. I knew you'd see reason." Wicked Witch says
Lowering down, the Wicked Witch extends her hands out to take the Ruby Slippers. At last, the power she had long craved for would finally be hers. But just as she was about to touch them, electric sparks shoot out and shocks the green hag's hands with an unpredictably painful electrocution, causing her to pull her hands back and cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry. I didn't do it. Can I still have my dog?" Dorothy apologizes
"No! Fool that I am! I should have remembered." Wicked Witch says
The evil witch looks down at the enchanted Ruby Slippers for a moment before looking back up at the Kansas girl.
"Those slippers will never come off... as long as you're alive." Wicked Witch says
Devon's eyes widened when he heard this, and Dorothy looked just as terrified.
"But that's not what's worrying me. It's how to do it. These things must be done delicately, or you'll hurt the spell." Wicked Witch says
"No!" Devon shouts
Afraid of what the Wicked Witch might plan to do to kill Dorothy, Devon tried to advance on her, but the winged monkeys held him back as he struggled even more against their restraint.
"Hnng! Gnh! Nnh! Don't you dare touch her, you vile old hag!" Devon shouts
Annoyed by Devon's resistance, the Wicked Witch turns around and advances toward him.
"Ooh! I grow tired of your interruptions!" Wicked Witch says
Stretching her right-hand out, the evil witch caresses Devon's face with a malicious expression on her face.
"Perhaps I should deal with you first instead, my dear. I will snuff out the light within you until there is nothing left but darkness in your heart..." Wicked Witch says
The Wicked Witch turns and glances back at Dorothy over her left-shoulder.
"...and you, my pretty, shall watch him writhe in despair!" Wicked Witch says
"No!" Dorothy exclaims
While the Wicked Witch and the Flying Monkeys were distracted, Toto's head pokes out from the rear flap of Dorothy's basket and jumps out to make his escape, running towards the slightly opened wooden door.
"Run, Toto! Run!" Dorothy says
Seeing his chance, Devon kicks the two monkeys that restrained him in their stomachs with his right-foot, kicking the one on his right first, then the other one on his left. He then pushes Nikko away as he follows Toto out the door.
"Catch 'em, you fools!" Wicked Witch shouts
The Keyblade Wielder and small dog quickly descend down the stone stairs that led up to the Witch's Chamber and run for the exit, heading through the open double doors. The wooden chain drawbridge at the entrance to the castle slowly rises up to prevent Devon and Toto from escaping, but they climb up to the top as the bridge stops unexpectedly at a low slightly upward angle. Dozens of Winkie guards, who were human-like Ozians that had green skin much like the Wicked Witch and wore dark, gray furred armor with orange designs, tall furry hats, and black boots, run up from behind to try and catch them, but Devon and Toto jumped down from the bridge, landing on the other side of the moat that surrounded the Witch's Castle. Devon lands crouched down on his right-knee, glances his head back over his right-shoulder, looking back at the Winkie guards, and ducked his head down as they threw their elaborately designed halberds at him. Dorothy could see what was happening from the balcony of the Witch's Chamber and she told her dog and her best friend to run.
"Run, Toto! Run, Devon!" Dorothy shouts
Grabbing Toto in his hands, Devon got up and took off, running down the curved path that led away from the castle while the halberds fell behind them with loud clangs. Soon, they were far from the castle and were gone, disappearing down the trail. Dorothy watched with relief as Devon and Toto managed to escape.
"They got away! They got away!" Dorothy says smiling
The Wicked Witch watched as the Keyblade Wielder and small dog took off down the mountain path and she growled with a furious expression before turning to Dorothy and leaning dangerously close to her with her hands as if she were ready to grab the girl.
"Ooh! Which is more than you will! Drat you, your dog, and your Keyblade Wielder friend! You've been more trouble to me than you're worth one way or another, but it shall soon be over now!" Wicked Witch says
Walking back into her chamber, the Wicked Witch picks up a large, bronze hourglass that had red sand on the bottom, and turns around to face Dorothy, turning it upside down so that the sands would fall through to the other side.
"You see that? That's how much longer you've got to be alive. And it isn't long, my pretty, it isn't long. I can't wait forever to get those shoes!" Wicked Witch says
Having said that, the evil hag storms out of the room, slamming the door shut and locking it as she leaves a trapped and frightened Dorothy all alone inside the chamber tower while she goes to plot on a way to retrieve the Ruby Slippers without damaging their powers.
Dorothy stares at the red sands of the hourglass as they shift, then she backs away. Distraught and imprisoned, Dorothy starts to cry as she collapses next to the stone chair, dropping down to the floor and leaning against the chair's right-arm.
"I'm frightened. I'm frightened, Auntie Em! I'm frightened!" Dorothy sobs with a sad, broken voice
As Dorothy cried to herself, a familiar, elderly voice calls out for Dorothy.
"Dorothy? Dorothy? Where are you?" A female voice calls
The Kansas girl looks up in surprise as she heard the voice. Right away, she recognizes it as her Aunt Em's voice. Turning around, Dorothy saw her aunt inside the magic crystal ball as she appeared with her brownish, sepia color, looking around as she searched for her niece.
"It's me, Auntie Em. We're trying to find you. Where are you?"
Placing her hands on the crystal ball, Dorothy calls out to her aunt, hoping that she would hear her.
"I'm here in Oz, Auntie Em! I'm locked up in the Witch's Castle, and I'm trying to get home to you, Auntie Em!" Dorothy sobs
Soon, Aunt Em's image starts to blur and fade away, upsetting Dorothy even more.
"Oh, Auntie Em, don't go away! I'm frightened! Come back! Come back!" Dorothy sobs
Then, a visage of the Wicked Witch's head appears in the crystal ball, mocking Dorothy and tormenting her.
"'Auntie Em! Auntie Em, come back!' I'll give you Auntie Em, my pretty!" Wicked Witch says
The Wicked Witch cackles with her evil laughter while Dorothy backs away and continues to sob, fearing for her life. Already, the bottom of the hourglass of death was a quarter full of red sand. Time was quickly ticking away for poor Dorothy.
After escaping the Witch's Castle, Devon and Toto climb down a very rocky mountain to get back to the Haunted Forest where Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion still were. The Keyblade Wielder was further down the mountainside as he carefully made his descent with Toto following him. Suddenly, a rock beneath both Devon's left-foot and his right-hand gives way, causing him to lose his footing and his grip. The young teen gasps and screams as he falls.
"Ahh! Aaaaah!" Devon screams
Devon grunts as his body rolls down over the mountainside, the sharp edges of the rocks cutting across his left-shoulder, up his right-arm, and across his back until he lands on his right-side at bottom on the forest floor. Toto lets out four barks as he climbs down, worried for his human friend. Once he reaches the bottom, the small terrier moves up to the fallen Keyblade Wielder as he reeled in agonizing pain from the nasty fall, rolling flat onto his back.
"Gnh... Nnh... Ugh..." Devon groans
Toto paces around Devon's body, whimpering sadly in concern for him. The small dog licks the right-side of the young teen's face several times, hoping that it would help him. Devon opens his eyes and looks at Toto as he backs away and barks at him twice, telling him to get up. Devon's eyes widened as he remembered. Now was not the time to be lying around in the dirt. Dorothy's life was at risk. He had to find Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion fast.
"Dorothy!" Devon gasps
Fighting the pain, Devon rolls over and rises up to his feet, running into the Haunted Forest with Toto. They soon reunite with Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion as they had just finished putting Scarecrow back together and stuffing his straw back in his body.
"Look! There's Toto and Devon! Where did they come from?" Tin Man exclaims
Devon and Toto stop infront of the straw man, metal man, and anthropomorphic lion with the young teen panting for breath and the small dog barking three times.
"Guys! We just came back from the Wicked Witch's Castle. There's not much time! The witch intends to kill Dorothy to get the Ruby Slippers! She's in serious trouble! We need to hurry!" Devon says
The Keyblade Wielder turns to the terrier on his left and kneels down to him, stroking his back with his left-hand.
"Alright, Toto. Take us back to Dorothy." Devon says
Obeying the young teen, Toto turns and runs back the way they came, barking twice. Devon watches the small dog as he rises up, then looks back at Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion.
"Follow me and Toto! We'll lead the way!" Devon says waving his right-hand
Devon runs and follows Toto while the straw man, metal man, and anthro lion rise up to their feet and run to catch up with them.
"Come on, fellas!" Scarecrow says
Going back the way they came, Devon and Toto lead Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion as they climb back up the rocky mountain. This time, Toto was up ahead, taking the lead. Devon made sure to check his grip and footing as he climbed to prevent himself from falling like he did before, and he glanced back every now and then to check on his three friends. Lion was behind the Keyblade Wielder with Tin Man holding onto his tail with his left-hand and Scarecrow a little ways down behind them.
"Come on! Up this way!" Devon says
In his climb, Tin Man puts his right-foot down and the rock beneath him gives way. He falls and struggles to maintain his footing, and eventually finds it while still holding onto Lion's tail.
"I-I hope my strength holds out." Lion says
"I hope your tail holds out." Tin Man whimpers
"Careful! Some of these rocks could give way! Believe me. It's not a fun experience." Devon says glancing down
"How much further until we get there, Devon?" Scarecrow asks
"Not much further. Keep climbing. It's just over the top here." Devon says
Eventually, the group reach the top of the mountain and they hide among the rocks as they gaze out at the dark, ominous castle ahead of them.
"There it is. Straight ahead. The Witch's Castle." Devon says pointing out at the building with his right-hand
"Dorothy's in that awful place?" Scarecrow asks
"Yeah. When those flying monkeys captured us, they brought us to the Witch in her personal chamber. No doubt that hag locked Dorothy up in that tower." Devon says
"Oh, I hate to think of her in there. We've got to get her out." Tin Man sobs
"Don't cry now. We haven't got the oil can with us and you've been squeaking enough as it is." Scarecrow says
Suddenly, the quartet heard marching footsteps and Lion points his right-paw down at the castle's entrance.
"Who's them? Who's them?" Lion asks
Infront of the castle's entrance, several Winkie guards stood out near and on the drawbridge. Six guards came back from their patrol, marching in formation infront of the entrance of the castle. All of them chanting together.
"Oh-Ee-Yah, Ee-Yo-Ah! Oh-Ee-Yah, Ee-Yo-Ah! Oh-Ee-Yah, Ee-Yo-Ah!" The Winkie Guards chant in unison
"I've got a plan how to get in there." Scarecrow says
"Right. He's got a plan." Lion says
"And you and Devon are going to lead us in there." Scarecrow says
"Yeah." Lion says nodding his head
Lion stopped for a moment and looked at Scarecrow on his left, realizing what he just said
"Huh? Me?" Lion says
"Yes, you." Scarecrow says
"I-I-I've got to get her out of there?" Lion asks pointing at the castle with his right-paw
"That's right." Scarecrow says
Devon patted Lion's left-shoulder with his right-hand, drawing his attention.
"Come on, Lion. Aren't you sick and tired of everyone calling you 'Cowardly Lion'? Dorothy is in there, much more afraid and scared than you are. This is your chance to prove everyone that you're a brave, strong lion. So, what do you say?" Devon says gripping his left-hand into a fist and shaking it with emphasis on 'brave' and 'strong'
Lion stared at Devon, looked back at Tin Man on his right, and Scarecrow on his left, then gazes out at the castle, putting on a brave, courageous expression.
"Alright. I'll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch! Guards or no guards, I'll tear them apart! I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want your fellas to do." Lion says
"What's that?" Scarecrow, Devon, Tin Man ask in unison
"Talk me out of it." Lion says
Devon, Scarecrow, and Tin Man stared at Lion with ludicrous faces. And as the anthro lion tried to slowly back away, the straw and metal man quickly grab him and pull him back, pushing him forward.
"No, you don't." Tin Man says
"Oh, no." Scarecrow says
Devon climbs over the rocks, taking three steps forward, then looks back at Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion.
"Alright, guys. Follow me." Devon says
The Keyblade Wielder started making his way down the rocks while Scarecrow and Tin Man follow him, pushing Lion along.
Inside the Witch's Chamber, the hourglass of death was now halfway empty. Time for Dorothy was sinking fast.
Stealthily making their way over to the Witch's Castle, Devon, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion hide up in the rocks above the Winkie guards as they marched infront of the drawbridge with more arriving from their patrols. Toto lets out two barks as he gazes down at the Winkie guards, but Devon quickly picks him up and holds him, stroking his back with his left-hand to keep the small dog quiet. Together, they began whispering into each other's ears as they try to formulate a plan to sneak inside the castle.
Unknown to them, four Winkie guards sneak up on the group, climbing down from the rocks behind them. Lion was the first to notice them as he turns his head over his left-shoulder, and he stutters and mumbles fearfully.
"Uh, ah, uh, uh..." Lion stutters
"Shh! Shh!" Devon, Scarecrow, and Tin Man say in unison
Soon, the Winkie guards jump down and tackle the quartet, dragging them under the rocks while they screamed. Immediately, the heroes wrestle with the guards as a fight broke out.
A short while later, Devon, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion rose up from the rocks, now wearing the guard uniforms and holding their halberds after knocking out the Winkies. Toto emerged from the rocks with a red cap in his mouth, having assisted in subduing the guards. Down below, the rest of the Winkie guards began their march across the drawbridge and into the castle.
"Come on. I've got another idea." Scarecrow says
"Do you think it will be polite dropping in like this?" Lion asks
"As long as nobody sees us. Now, come on." Devon says
Moving silently and subtly, the disguised quartet marched along with the guards and followed them across the drawbridge and into the castle with Toto following them. The bridge rises up behind them with the chains clanking noisily. Once inside, they break away and hide along the walls of the castle while the guards continued marching.
"Where do we go now?" Tin Man asks
"Yeah." Lion says
Toto lets out three barks, drawing the attention of the heroes as they look to the right. The small dog was standing on the stairs that led up to the Witch's Chamber and he began making his way up.
"There!" Scarecrow says pointing with his right-hand
Following Toto, the quartet head up the stairs. Soon, they came upon the locked wooden door with the small dog scratching the bottom with his paws, knowing his owner was trapped inside.
"She's in here?" Scarecrow says
"Yeah! I remember. Me and Toto ran out this way." Devon says
"Dorothy? Are you in there?" Scarecrow asks
"It's us!" Tin Man says
Inside the Witch's Chamber, Dorothy heard the voices of her friends, and she rushes over to the door, answering them back.
"Yes! It's me! She's locked me in!" Dorothy says
Relieved that they had found Dorothy, the group move to get the door open.
"We've got to get here out! Open the door!" Lion says
"Oh, hurry! Please hurry!" Dorothy says banging on the door with her hands
The Kansas girl looks back over her left-shoulder at the hourglass of death and saw that it was nearly empty with only a quarter left at the top.
"The hourglass is almost empty!" Dorothy exclaims
"Stand back!" Tin Man says
Using his silver axe, Tin Man swings several chops at the door, hacking into the wood. On the other side, Dorothy backs away as her friends try to break the door down. She glances back at the hourglass and saw that the red sands were nearly out, now only a couple seconds left. Eventually, Tin Man breaks the lock and smashes the door open. Finally free, Dorothy runs up and embraces her dog and each of her friends in a tight hug, extremely happy to be reunited with them. Devon, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion ditched their disguises as Dorothy came out.
"Oh! Oh, Toto! Oh, Tin Man! Lion! Devon! I knew you'd come! I knew it!" Dorothy says
"Hurry! We've got no time to lose!" Scarecrow says
"Right! Let's get out of here!" Devon says
Moving quickly, the group descend down the stairs and rush to flee from the Witch's Castle out the main door, but it shuts close just as they reach it. Then, they heard the Wicked Witch's evil cackle, and they turn around and saw her and Nikko on the upper level with the now empty hourglass in her right-hand.
"Going so soon? I wouldn't hear of it. Why our little party's just beginning." Wicked Witch says
"Trapped. Trapped like mice. Rats." Lion says
The Wicked Witch cackles again as the Winkie guards run out from the hallway underneath her, surrounding the group and pointing their halberds at them. Devon moves infront of the group and summons Soul Calibur into his right-hand as he stood ready to defend his friends.
"That's right. Don't hurt them right away. We'll let them think about it a little first." Wicked Witch says
As they stood trapped between the closed doors and the sharp pointed spears of the Winkie guards, Scarecrow looked up at the hanging candle chandelier that hung above the guards and saw that it was tied up to a hold on his right. The Wicked Witch cackles again, then throws her hourglass down at the lower floor, which shatters and explodes infront of the Winkie guards. Thinking fast, Scarecrow grabs Tin Man's axe and uses it to cut the rope to the chandelier, causing it to fall on top of the guards. Seeing their chance to escape, the group made a run for it, heading down the hallway.
"Seize them! Seize them! Stop them, you fools! Stop them! Seize them! Seize them!" Wicked Witch says
Descending down the stairs, the evil witch leads the Winkie guards as they chase them down the hallway. Devon, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion come out from a seperate hallway and they head back up the stairs just as the Wicked Witch and the Winkie guards return to the entrance hall.
"There they go! Now, we've got them!" Wicked Witch says
Pointing with her right-hand, the green hag sends one group of guards up the stairs after the group while sending the rest down another hallway on her left.
"Half of you go this way! Half of you go that way! Hurry! Hurry!" Wicked Witch says
Running outside, the group flees down along the castle's walls toward a connecting tower and head inside. There were two paths to take. One took them to the courtyard on their left, while the other took them back out to the castle walls.
"Where do we go now?" Lion asks
"This way! Come on!" Scarecrow says
Following Scarecrow, the group heads back outside and run along the castle walls. They were about to go up the stairs when the group of Winkie guards appeared at the top, forcing them to stop. Dorothy screamed.
"Back! Back!" Scarecrow says
Going back towards the tower, the group fled from the guards and were about to head out to the courtyard when more Winkies block their path. Then, they try to back the way they originally came, only to be cut off once again by the rest of the guards. By now, they were cornered in the tower with the Winkie guards surrounding them. The Wicked Witch arrives from the middle doorway and cackles with her evil laughter as she enters the room.
"Well! Ring-a-round the rosie, a pocket full of spears. Thought you'd be pretty foxy, didn't you? Well, the last to go will see the first four go before her. And her mangy little dog too!" Wicked Witch says
Setting her gaze on Scarecrow, the Wicked Witch decides to target him first since he was the more fragile of the group. She glances up at the burning torch above her and lifts her broomstick up into the flames, setting the tip on fire while the group huddled in fear. The Wicked Witch cackles and holds her flaming broomstick out towards Scarecrow.
"How 'bout a little fire, Scarecrow?" Wicked Witch says
"No!" Scarecrow screams
Leaning forward, the evil hag sets Scarecrow's left-arm on fire, causing him and Dorothy to scream. The straw man jumps up and down, waving his arm as he tried to put out the fire.
"Aah! Help! I'm burning! I'm burning!" Scarecrow screams
As they stood trapped, Devon frantically looked around for anything that might help save Scarecrow. He soon saw a wooden bucket at the window behind him on his left, full of water.
"Dorothy!" Devon exclaims
Devon and Dorothy both grab the bucket as they prepared to throw it on Scarecrow. The Wicked Witch saw the water bucket and her eyes filled with horror.
"Don't throw that water!" Wicked Witch shouts
Scarecrow stood still and stretched his burning arm out for the two humans, directly infront of the evil hag. They threw the water and it doused the flames on Scarecrow's arm, but it also splashed all over the Wicked Witch, leaving her soaking wet.
"Aaaaah! You cursed brats! Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting!" Wicked Witch screams
Right before everyone's eyes, the witch's skin starts to burn like acid as she slowly dissolves into a puddle onto the floor.
"Oh, what a world, what a world! Who would've thought a little girl and a pure-hearted boy like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness?! Oh! Look out! Look out! I'm going!" Wicked Witch screams
With her dying cries, the Wicked Witch completely dissolves away, leaving only her smoking black hat and robes as the only traces of her existence. Toto curiously sniffed and pawed the witch's clothing, Nikko stepped up and hooted as he looked down at his former master, and one of the Winkie guards poked her clothes with his spear. The Wicked Witch of the West was no more. Her reign officially over.
"She's-she's dead! You killed her!" Winkie Guard #1 says
"I didn't mean to kill her. Really I didn't. It's-it's just that he was on fire." Dorothy says gesturing to Scarecrow on her left with her right-hand
Much to the group's shock and surprise, the Winkie guards became thrilled and cheered for their new heroes.
"Hail to Dorothy! Hail to Devon! The Wicked Witch is dead!" Winkie Guard #1 says
All of the Winkies got down on their knees and bowed their heads to Devon and Dorothy, cheering their names.
"Hail! Hail to Dorothy! Hail to Devon! The Wicked Witch is dead!" The Winkie Guards cheer in unison
Happy expressions formed on the group's faces, seeing that the Winkies were now friendly. More importantly, with the Wicked Witch gone, this meant that they can claim her broomstick, which laid on the floor near her smoking clothes.
"The broom. May we have it?" Dorothy says
The Winkie Guard picks up the Witch's broomstick and gives it to Devon, who took it in his left-hand.
"Of course. You freed us all from the Wicked Witch. Thank you." Winkie Guard #1 says
"Wait. You mean that you were all enslaved?" Devon asks
"Yes. The Wicked Witch used an evil spell which forced us to do her bidding. We were once good and friendly with our neighbors until the witch came and took over our territory. We've been made to work hard for her for many, many years and we've always been treated with great cruelty. With her dark magic, she changed our country into a desolate landscape where it never rained. But now, thanks to you, we're finally free!" Winkie Guard #1 says
Nikko hops up to Devon, takes his right-hand and shakes it before clapping his hands, hooting excitingly. Apparently, he and his brethren had also been enslaved to the Wicked Witch, and now, like the Winkies, they were free. Devon smiles, happy to have helped save the Winkies and the Flying Monkeys from their enslavement. He extends his right-hand out to the guard, who gladly took his hand and shook it with a smile of his own.
"Oh, thank you so much! Now, we can go back to the Wizard and tell him the Wicked Witch is dead!" Dorothy says happily
"The Wicked Witch is dead!" The Winkie Guards cheer in unison
However, just as the group thought their troubles were over, the entire castle suddenly shook with a loud rumbling sound, startling everyone as they stumbled around from the violent shaking.
"Oh, dear. What was that?" Dorothy asks
"Sounds like it came from outside." Devon says
Everyone ran out onto the castle walls and they all looked down as a large, black cloudlike mass of darkness appeared swirling in the courtyard below. Two translucent red eyes pierced through the darkness, which slowly gathers together and changes shape until it assumes the form of a huge, Treant-like tree creature. This was a Dream Eater. Its name: Ghosteye, because of its spooky appearance and glowing eyes. The Nightmare's body was thick and black with two long arms with large hands each having four fingers with red fingertips, and two thick legs with root-like feet each with eight red thorns. The head consists of several great branches that hold thousands of fiery black-red leaves. Dangling from its head branches, like apples, are flaming orbs of red fire. The eyes of the creature lie beneath the branches. The Ghosteye opens its large jagged mouth and lets out a shrieking roar as the Nightmare Dream Eater insignia appears just underneath.
"Dream Eater! Figures!" Devon says
"Oh, my! What do we do?" Dorothy says
"Leave this to me! I'll cut that tree down to size!" Devon says
Climbing up onto the castle wall, Devon jumps down and lands into the courtyard in a crouched position, using his left-hand to catch himself. He then rises up onto his feet as he faces the large Nightmare. The Dream Eater Spirits: Ryu Dragon and Tyranto Rex appear at Devon's sides, joining him in the fight against the dark creature. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion watch their Keyblade Wielder friend from the castle walls, cheering him on.
"You've got this, Devon!" Scarecrow cheers
"Yeah! Go for it, Devon! Give 'im the ol' one two!" Lion cheers
"We believe in you, Devon!" Dorothy cheers
Devon heard the cheers of his friends and he nods his head with a smile. With his Dream Eater Spirits by his side, the young teen spins his crystal Keyblade around his body, then he holds it out infront of him, getting into his stance as he readied himself for a fight against the spooky tree-like Nightmare.
Devon dashes forward and leaps up at the Ghosteye, striking its face with a left-uppercut slash. He then follows up with a right slash, another left-upward slash, an overhead strike swinging Soul Calibur downward, and a reverse spinning slash that hits three times. The Treat Nightmare retaliates and swipes its right-claws at Devon, but he jumps away with a backflip, landing several feet away from the dark creature. Raising Soul Calibur over his head, Devon summons six rainbow-colored magic orbs, which revolve and spirals upward around him, and launches them at the Ghosteye with a forward thrust. Each of the orbs hit their target and explode on impact with bright colorful bursts of light. Roaring loudly in anger, the tree-like creature grabs the flaming orbs off its branches, one in each hand, and throws them at the young teen. Devon dodges the first fiery projectile with a cartwheel flip to the left, then dodges the second with a backwards somersault flip.
Ryu Dragon flies up to the Ghosteye and breathes a stream of fire in its face. The Treant Nightmare swings its large hands to swat the dragon-like Spirit away, only to hit nothing but air as it flies up and down. Avoiding the hands of the tree-like creature, the Ryu Dragon breathes another stream of flames, hitting it in the face again. The Ghosteye closes its hands on both sides of the Spirit in an attempt to crush it, but the Ryu Dragon quickly flies down. Looping up and around, the dragon-like Spirit flies back toward the Treant Nightmare and dives down with a corkscrew spin, drilling into the Ghosteye's face and causing it to stagger backwards.
Tyranto Rex lets out a mighty roar and charges toward the Ghosteye, ramming its head into its trunk body. The Treant Nightmare raises its right-fist and tries to smash it down on the Tyranto Rex, but the large dinosaur Spirit jumps back, evading the hand as it smashes down on the ground, The Tyranto Rex charges at the tree-like creature again and bites down on one of its roots with a strong chomp of its jaws, causing the Ghosteye roars out in pain. Now very angry, the Treant Nightmare swings its right-arm and manages to hit the dinosaur Spirit, knocking it away. The Tyranto Rex was sent flying across the courtyard until it lands on its right-side, skidding to a stop.
The Ghosteye leaps up into the air, then descends down towards Devon and his Spirits, but they quickly move out of the way, dodging the huge tree-like creature as it smashes the ground with its tremendous weight. Then, the Ghosteye opens its mouth and shoots a large dark fireball at the heroes. Devon counters the attack with a Firaga spell, launching a fireball of his own through the tip of his Keyblade. Both fiery projectiles clash and cancel each other out in a massive explosion that filled nearly the entire courtyard, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke.
Devon and his Spirits stood together in the smoke, bracing themselves for when the Ghosteye might attack. However, they were not prepared for what came next. Before he could react, dark vines sprouted up from underneath Devon and coiled around him, wrapping around his arms and legs and squeezing him tightly. His Ryu Dragon and Tyranto Rex tried to help free him, biting and pulling the vines with their teeth, but soon they too were caught in the dark vines as they sprouted underneath them, wrapping around the whole length of their bodies. The smoke clears, revealing the Ghosteye with its six roots planted in the ground. Devon fought against his restraints a bit until he calms himself and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he began charging up with pure energy and his body glowed with a blue-white aura. Soon, he unleashes a huge, bright explosion and several columns of light, which blinds the Treant Nightmare as it staggers backwards and disintegrates the dark vines that held him and his two Spirit Dream Eaters.
Landing crouched down on his feet, the young teen rose back up to face the Ghosteye as it recovers, letting out another angry roar. Staring down the tree-like creature, Devon began to levitate in the air along with his two Spirits and their bodies glowed with the same aura until they were enveloped in light. Within moments, they rushed at the Treant Nightmare together, flying like a shooting star and striking the dark creature ten times in every direction while it tried to swat them away with its hands. Then, Devon reappears infront of the Ghosteye with his Ryu Dragon on his left and his Tyranto Rex on his right. He raises Soul Calibur above his head, causing light to shine from the tip, then he thrusts it forward, firing a continous blue beam of light, which strikes the Ghosteye in the face, dishing out effective damage to the dark creature. The tree-like creature roars out in pain and staggers backwards from the attack.
Pushing on the offensive, Devon dashes forward at the Ghosteye and strikes it with a leaping somersault slash. He follows up with two wide sweeping slashes, swinging Soul Calibur to the left, then to the right, a rising left spinning slash that hits four times, and an overhead strike, slamming the ground with tremendous force, which creates a blue shockwave of light. The Ghosteye roars in anger and tries to strike back at the young teen with its hands, curling them into fists and swinging them both down. Devon jumps away with four backflips, dodging the large hands as they smash the ground, then rushes back at the Treant Nightmare. He strikes its face three quick slashes and teleports away, leaving behind an after-image of himself. Devon teleports around the Ghosteye seven times, attacking in every direction with two slashes and leaving an after-image each time, then reappears infront of the dark creature.
Standing before the Treant Nightmare, Devon holds Soul Calibur with both hands infront of him and raises it up above his head to the sky, powering up the crystal Keyblade as it shined with a bright blue aura, turning it into a giant light sword and illuminating the whole courtyard. With the now weakened Ghosteye in his sights, Devon spins around and strikes the Dream Eater with a reverse roundhouse slash, slicing through the thick trunk of the tree-like creature with a wide swath of his extended Keyblade and delivering the final, finishing blow.
The Ghosteye staggers with two steps of its roots, reeling from the blow it received until it falls backwards, roaring in pain as it fell backwards and split apart from its trunk, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Devon stood up straight and hefted his crystal Keyblade onto his right-shoulder as his Dream Eater Spirits stood at his sides.
"Heh. Timber." Devon says smiling
Devon looks at the Ryu Dragon on his right and the Tyranto Rex on his left and nods his head to them and the Dream Eaters vanished in a flash of light.
Up on the castle walls, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion had watched the entire battle and were happy for Devon's triumphant victory.
"Oh! He did it! Devon did it!" Dorothy exclaims happily
"That was amazing! Absolutely amazing!" Scarecrow says
"Gosh. I never thought Devon was that strong." Tin Man says
"Yeah! He sure showed that monster!" Lion says
The Keyblade Wielder looks back up at his friends over his left-shoulder and gives them a thumbs up with his left-hand and a smile.
After dealing with the Dream Eater, Devon, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion stood at the castle's entrance, ready for their trip back to the Emerald City, but not before saying good-bye to Nikko and the Winkie guards. Devon held the Witch's broomstick in his right-hand as he stood with his friends.
"Devon, Dorothy, we can't thank you enough." Winkie Guard #1 says
"Don't mention it. We're just glad that the Wicked Witch is gone. She's terrorized the people of Oz for long enough." Devon says
"Do you think you will all be alright?" Dorothy asks
"Yes. Now that the Wicked Witch is dead, her evil spell has lifted and our land shall become green again. The animals that once lived here shall now return and peace has been restored to our country." Winkie Guard #1 says
Devon looks over at Dorothy and Scarecrow on his left, who nod their heads, then looks over at Tin Man and Lion on his right, who also nod their heads.
"Okay. Gotta run. We've got an Emerald City to get back to and a Wizard to see." Devon says
And so, Devon, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion turn around and walk down the road leading away from the Witch's Castle, waving good-bye to Nikko and the Winkies as they travel back to the Emerald City to have their wishes granted. Scarecrow will finally have his brain. Tin Man will have his heart. Cowardly Lion will get his courage. And Dorothy will finally be on her way home to Kansas.
Author's Note: Ding-dong, the Wicked Witch is dead! After all their struggles, Devon and his friends have defeated the Wicked Witch of the West and claimed her broomstick! Now, its back to Emerald City and back to see the Wizard of Oz. Credit goes to anonymous(guest) for his Dream Eater design. I hope that this was pleasing for you. And no worries, your Gigan-Drake is fine the way it is. You really nailed it with its design, though the only change is I would prefer it being a Heartless instead of an Unversed, but its still too early to decide on that yet. Also, in terms of height with your creatures, I prefer them in feet rather than meters, just so that its easier. Only one chapter left and Devon's adventure in the Land of Oz will be over. Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!