Disclaimer, the usual
When the two of them arrived in candy county, they were placed at the border that led towards china country. However, going into the main town of candy county, they found many places were damaged like would happen in china country. They went to the candy court house where judge jawbreaker was repairing his stand with the help of some of the chocolate soldiers
"ah, dorothy gale, I'd bow, but if I fell over due to the quaking I'd need help getting up, did Glinda send you?" Judge Jawbreaker asked as the ground shook beneath them.
"no, China Princess did, Glinda is unaware that we're here." Dorothy said leaning against the scepter for support.
"ah, wanted you to keep an eye on Marshall I assume?" he asked.
"yes, do you know which way he went?" Alex asked dusting some crumbs from his jacket that had come from the ceiling.
"last we saw him, he, general candy apple, and a good number of chocolate soldiers started east bound, towards the munchkin city border, these tremors are something, colonel candy corn is out in the gingerbread village nearby taking an assessment of damage, but the ground keeps shaking." He replied.
"Colonel candy corn? Is he new?" alex asked curiously
"yes, his father, who had the same name, retired." He replied.
"he any good?" alex asked causing dorothy to sigh.
"he's efficient, but he's not one for giving orders, seems nervous to." The judge said with a sigh.
"we'll have to introduce ourselves then." Dorothy said turning to alex.
At that moment the ground shook violently, cracks forming in the walls of the candy courthouse. Dorothy once again leaned against the scepter for support, and alex leaned into the umbrella, the tip digging into the floor.
"you there, by the door, send another letter to china country, they must have felt that one!" judge jawbreaker said pointing to a soldier behind them.
The chocolate soldier saluted and marched out.
"that was violent." Alex said taking the umbrella from the floor.
"I think perhaps you two should go find Mallow, introductions can wait, I'm sure you two will be able to help solve this." The judge said.
"we can hope." Alex said starting for the door.
"stay safe." He replied.
"that's what we should be telling you guys." Dorothy said following alex.
"I imagine, good luck." The judge said.
As the two of them exited the courthouse the ground shook again, this time some of it buckled beneath them, sinking a bit causing both dorothy and alex to lose their balance. This caused both to pause for thought for a moment, but they shrugged it off as they both came to a similar conclusion. Getting up the two of them carefully started east. It didn't take them long to find Marshall mallow and general candy apple. However, as they got closed to them, the scepter began glowing brightly and trying to pull dorothy back. Dorothy stopped and looked at it for a moment, before trying to continue, only to have it seem to resist.
"what?" dorothy said looking at it.
"what's happening" alex asked turning to her.
"it's the scepter, it keeps pulling back." Dorothy said.
Alex looked at the scepter or a moment before trying to do what dorothy had been doing, only to be met with the same resistance.
"you're right, it's like it doesn't want to keep going." Alex said.
"but we can't just leave it here and go over there." Dorothy said continue to try and make it follow them.
"why? Its not like anyone's going to try and take it, and besides, the longer we dwell on this, the more likely it seems we're going to get caught in the coming rain." Alex said looking at the sky.
"which would be bad here in candy county, because I think the weather shifts itself based on where you are, there's no knowing what may fall from those clouds." Dorothy said.
"you're kidding?" alex asked.
"alex, when the ice storm happened, candy county got covered in frosting, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case, but why wouldn't the scepter want to continue?" Dorothy asked turning her attention back to it.
"perhaps its frightened by what we might stumble onto?" Alex asked.
Dorothy rolled her eyes, if that had been the case then the scepter could have saved her life on many other occasions. However, she decided not to dwell on this and sighed. However, the ground shifting beneath them turned their attention to Marshall mallow. The both shared a glance and walked over to him and general candy apple, leaving the scepter to float idly where it was.
"ah, did Glinda send you two?" Marshall asked curiously.
"No, your wife did, but I'm sure it hasn't escaped Glinda's notice that we're no longer in the city" alex said.
"ah, well, this seems to be the central point of where the quakes are coming from, but we can't seem to work out what could be causing them." Marshall said.
"perhaps its something underground?" alex suggested.
"yes, that's the conclusion we came to as well, sent the soldiers back to the city to report, but what would be able to cause enough concussive force to shake the entire county?" Marshall asked.
Before any of them could say anything more, dorothy and alex felt the most violent quake that they had felt so far, both losing their balance and ending up on the ground, Marshall and general candy apple had leaned against their swords for support as the ground buckled slightly beneath them. Alex shook his head to clear it before trying to get to his feet again. taking a glance over to the scepter and seeing that it was glowing brighter than it had been when they left it over there, as if it were beckoning them to go back to it.
"what could create enough concussive force is a good place to start." Alex said helping dorothy to her feet.
"yes, because we aren't sure what would be causing it." General candy apple said.
Meanwhile back in emerald city.
It had indeed, not escaped Glinda's notice that dorothy and alex were no longer in the city, it was now a little passed noon, and she had brought the gales, the Teaks, the Alistairs, the Griffiths the Bobbins, and the Maitlands to the city at the request of her own parents. When they found the chambers only occupied by Ozma, Morris, Wendell, the animals and the triplets, Glinda immediately knew that something was up. When she found out that dorothy and alex had gone to candy county, she wasn't mad, but she was worried. Looking at them in the crystal ball in the chambers she sighed in relief to see they all were safe
"it's still irresponsible for her and alex to leave them here." Mr. teak said.
"she left them in capable hands though, they haven't been any trouble have they Ozma?" Em asked curiously.
"Not at all, they've been angels since they arrived, we were all prepared to have our hands full with them but to all of our surprise they've not been any trouble at all." Ozma said.
"they should still at least get a scolding for it." Mr. Maitland said.
"oh, don't worry, I intend to scold them, candy county is suffering from strange quakes, and its incredibly dangerous for them there with everything being made of candy." Glinda said.
"from what I'm seeing in the crystal ball they're standing in a barren sugar field, if something manages to collapse on them while they're there I'll go to candy county, get a hat, and eat it." China princess said coming out of the workshop.
"I'm assuming you had something to do with this?" Glinda asked curiously.
"yes, I wanted them to keep an eye on my husband, by the way, and idea why the scepter refused to continue with them?" The china princess asked.
Glinda shook her head and looked at the crystal ball, the image shifted to the scepter which was a good twenty yards from where the group was standing and now it's orb now flashing like a beacon trying to call them back.
"it seems like it doesn't want them over there, it's not unknown for an object of power to take on traits like this, its just rare, only three or four documented cases." Glinda said.
"but what would cause it to fear an earthquake?" Ozma asked curiously.
"perhaps its not an earthquake? Perhaps its like a geyser or something?" Mr. Alistair suggested.
"not that close to the borders, besides, the chocolate that comes out of most of the geysers in candy county doesn't run any further than the flower fields, there used to be molasses wells, but those dried up ages ago, long before Marshall or I were created." The china princess said.
"but wells, even once dried up can eventually refill, where we come from that can lead to sink holes." Mr. Alistair said.
Back in candy county.
The four of them hadn't been able to say much as the quakes keep interrupting them. The ground heaving and lurching beneath them. Sinking lower with each quake.
"dorothy, why don't you have the scepter with you?" Marshall asked getting to his feet
"Because it didn't want to come over here, and I didn't want to fight with it." Dorothy said sighing as she and alex got to their feet again.
"it not wanting to come over here would imply it has a mind of its own." Marshall said.
"it wouldn't surprise me to be quite honest." Dorothy said with a shrug.
However, they were interrupted by one large shift in the ground beneath them, and then suddenly it was still. Dorothy looked at alex who had a worried and scared expression on his face, this wasn't a look she was used to. However, the sugar in some areas began sinking into the ground.
"I think, we're going to need to choose our next moves, carefully." Alex said clearing his throat.
However, this didn't get to happen as the ground gave one more heave causing the four of them to start running towards the scepter. the ground began crumbling beneath them. Dorothy lost her balance and she fell. Things seemed to slow down, they were close to the scepter, they had almost made it, Marshall and the general had made it and were watching. Alex lost his balance as well but dorothy closed her eyes bracing herself for whatever was about to come. What she was not expecting was the mix between the sounds of a splash and a plop. she was sinking into a sticky mass; her eyes were still closed, and she knew she dare not try to open them. whatever she was in, seemed to be somewhat viscous, but still incredibly gooey and sticky at the same time. She tried to swim her way to the surface and found it not too difficult. When she broke the surface, she opened her eyes and gasped. Some of the sweet substance she had landed in passing her lips. She immediately recognized it as molasses.
"Dorothy! are you all right?" came Alex's voice
Dorothy looked around before looking up and seeing alex, hanging onto the umbrella which was hooked around what appeared to be a dead root from something. She couldn't help but giggle at that a bit before regaining her composure and getting her bearings. she could see a ledge that alex could easily drop onto if he wanted to, but it didn't seem like either of them could scale the walls of the pit they were now in. it was several feet deep, she could see Marshall mallow and general candy apple looking over the side, but she couldn't see the scepter.
"Yes, I'm fine, bit shaken, and very sticky, but I'm fine, do you think you can make it on that ledge!?" Dorothy shouted.
"what ledge!" came his response.
"the one below you, looks sturdy enough, if not you end up in a pool of very sticky molasses!" dorothy shouted back.
"Dorothy, alex, hold tight, we'll go find some rope and get you out of there!" came Marshall's voice.
Dorothy sighed as she watched alex drop onto the ledge below him.
"that looks disgusting." Alex said.
"it feels disgusting, I now know what the scepter was so worried about." Dorothy replied.
"do you think we could call it from here? or will it still act stubborn?" alex asked curiously.
"I don't know, I wouldn't try to risk it, I don't want to risk going back under!" Dorothy said
However, at that moment there was a rumble and more molasses seemed to bubble up, covering dorothy in more of it.
"wow, hard luck, I would not want to be in your position!" alex shouted looking up
"thanks, dear, thanks, I don't want to be in this position either, its disgusting." Dorothy said loudly.
"I don't think that's what he's talking about." Came Marshall's voice as a rope was lowered down into the pit.
"you're lucky neither of you got hurt." Came Glinda's voice causing dorothy to groan.
Grabbing the rope as it got to her, she found herself being pulled out with very little effort, she was completely coated in molasses. She knew that if her aunt and uncle were here she would likely die from embarrassment. When she and alex were both back on solid ground they heard someone sipping quite loudly on a cup of tea.
"well, you've really made a mess of yourself, haven't you?" Madeline asked chuckling.
"Maddie, please don't, and not a word about this to my aunt and uncle." Dorothy said.
"they already know, I don't even have to do a thing, they're sitting around the crystal ball, the triplets are having quite the laugh at your expense." Madeline said.
"I was going to give you a scolding for going behind my back and leaving the triplets behind, but you've suffered enough, its going to take a while to get that molasses out of your hair" Glinda said.
"you mean, you can't use magic to rectify it?" alex asked.
"never use magic with candy, don't ever do that!" General Candy apple shouted.
"It doesn't end well, you're going to have to go about this the old-fashioned way" Madeline said vanishing her cup.
"you speak from experience I assume? Right, well, look at the bright side dorothy, it can't get much worse." Alex said tying the rope into a lasso and using it to retrieve the umbrella.
As if to prove him wrong, immediately the clouds above them seemed to burst open and released small jawbreakers and sprinkles.
"ah, hail." Glinda said conjuring an umbrella over her head.
Alex looked at dorothy and opened the umbrella, holding it over her before she became any more of a mess than she was now.
"that entire pit will have to be sterilized, we'll have to contact Roquat, his magic is the only stuff that can do it without any unwanted side effects." General candy apple said.
"dorothy, come on, I'll take you back to your room in the city, we'll get you cleaned up, you guys are good now right?" Madeline said walking over to her.
"I'm going with you two, I'm not taking any more risks." Alex said holding his free hand out for the scepter.
Dorothy sighed and took Madeline's hand and used the other to grab the scepter, with alex. the scepter seemed to be letting off an air of smugness, as if it was laughing and saying, "I told you so". As the usual sensations ensued, dorothy realized, that if everyone was watching, she was never going to live this down.
Okay this is a comical scene I came up with well over a year ago, but I didn't know how to execute it. I think it came out well.
