(AN: After much deliberation and inner turmoil, I've decided that I loathe The Warrior and the Witch more than any reaction I might receive about what is to come in the Second Act of Wicked! A Musician's Fan Fiction. So I'm forging ahead with this one.)
(There will be plenty of surprises, and several book characters might be slightly altered for their 'musical' versions. Even I don't know for certain how this will end, so I'll be surprised as you will be...hopefully pleasantly.)
The Witch and the Flying Monkeys
Three years is a long time. The world changes from how we thought we knew it, into something we'd never expect or believe. Yes, it's true that bad things will happen, because wicked people will always be jealous of good people. But know that goodness will always triumph in the end.
Oz's name, who writes stuff like this? Glinda thought as she read through her announcement notes. A rhetorical question, of course: the untidy flourish of E. Morrible, Mdm. at the bottom left-hand corner of the green parchment made it quite clear who had written these words.
Couldn't they come up with better lies...I mean, lines, to feed to the people?
It had been three years since that incident in the Throne Room, three years since she had seen any of them, except perhaps Fiyero, three years since she had taken control of her own destiny...
Three years since she had turned her back on her friend.
"It's not betrayal, dearie," Madam Fish-face had said. "She's an enemy of the state. For you, to put your country before your own personal needs, that's far beyond your years, and very maturated."
Then why do I feel so rotten? Glinda asked herself.
Glinda. She was no longer Galinda. The public, those who knew her from The People of Oz and furthermore in her solo career as the Emerald City's icon of popular Ozmopolitan culture, called her Glinda, and she hadn't the heart to change the name. It was her last memento of days gone by...
The People of Oz were circumstantially disbanded. With their vocalist now a fugitive, they couldn't actually play anymore. Milla and Bick had gone back to Munchkinland - she out of circumstance, and he because of the restraining order Glinda finally had the guts to place on him. Fiyero was also in the public figure as Captain of the Gale Force, the Wizard's Guard and police shock-force. She never knew what became of Avaric Tenmeadows, or Ramon Diffarious. If Elphaba had been correct, he was probably in a cell somewhere in the Southstairs for speaking out against the Wizard.
Elphaba...
"Excuse me, miss," the oily-smooth voice of Baron Nicolas Chuffrey sounded from behind. "But do you know where I can find the most beautiful woman in all of Oz?"
Glinda stifled a giggle. "Well, when I find her, good sir, I will let you know."
He caught her up in his arms and kissed her. "Happy anniversary, darling."
"You remembered?" she gasped.
"As busy as I'll ever be," he returned with a smile. "I will never forget the beautiful Lady Glinda. Although..." He began looking around in his waist-coat.
"What?"
"I seem to have forgotten to get you a present," he returned. "Oh, but wait..." He reached out from behind her ear and pulled out a string of pearls. Quadling-pearls, for they were streaked with red that sent red sparkles dancing from the streaks whenever light fell upon them, like the facets of a gemstone.
Glinda ooh'd and clapped her hands. "Now you're a magician?"
"The Wizard showed me a few sleight-of-hand tricks," he returned jauntily. Glinda walked over to her vanity and read through her speech, while taking care of her beloved locks of gold. As rich as she was, as famous as she was now, with an army of servants ready to hold a hanky out if she as much sneezed, Glinda didn't trust a soul in Oz with her beloved hair other than herself...and Larena G. Upland, her dearest Momsy.
"So, my girlfriend of three years," Nicolas continued. "What say, after tonight's show, we have an anniversary party of our own? I know this lovely little pub in Goldhaven..."
"Oh," Glinda pouted. "Nothing would make me happier than spending all evening with my Chuffy-poops, but I can't. I've got to rest up after the show. Those things take so much out of me, and I tire so easily."
Nicolas nodded. Glinda used to lie if it meant getting her way, and that she wouldn't get caught. After becoming friends with Elphaba, she lied less and less. But it brought a naughty sense of satisfaction, making up such a bold-faced lie and having Nicolas eat it up like candy.
"Can I take a rain-check, then?"
"A what?"
"Will you be available later?"
"Just drop it in the drop-box, pleasies."
He smiled, then left the dressing room of Oz's most famous starlet.
Glinda, also known by her more elaborate stage-name 'The Good Witch of the North'. Mostly because she was from Gilikin, and that was the predominant fashion and vogue of the Emerald City - just greenified, of course. As part of the Wizard's 'promotional' plan, she had quickly risen since the incident into Oz's most famous public figure. She was an enigma and a wonder: a politician, a sorceress, a pop-diva, a trend-setter, a fashion mogul, beloved by half of Oz (because the other half was too wild to have the modern conveniences of record players or radios). In summation, Glinda was everything that Galinda Upland had ever dreamed or wished to be and then some.
But she was still empty. The biggest ego could be satisfied by the amount of love she received as she walked out upon the lighted stage, hearing thousands of people chanting Glinda! Glinda! Glinda! It was all like a dream come true. And her voice, which hadn't been used while with the People of Oz, was now soaring to operatic, melodic and soprano heights she never believed could come out of her tiny body. Anything she put out, the people ate up and loved. She could do no wrong.
But she was still empty. Even as she held out her arms after another epic dance song, the roar of the audience ringing in her ears, it all felt fake, incomplete.
She walked over to the front of the stage, looking down at the thousands gathered here to listen to her.
"Do you all know what today is?" she began. Cheers came from the crowd. "Today, today, fellow Ozians, is the third anniversary of yours truly. I have..." More cheers. "For three years, we've had the best time of our lives!" The crowds were going nuts.
"You know, three years can be a long time," she began, trying to make her prepared statement sound less generic. "The world changes, and-and mean people are jealous of good people...like you all out here!" The cheers got even louder.
"But goodness always wins out in the end," she said, her thoughts trailing away from the stage and out beyond to something else. "You know? You can always tell a good person. They're always kind, always generous and helpful, they never ask anything for themselves, they're always giving..." The crowd was listening with rapt attention, hanging on every word she said - at least, so it seemed.
"We're gonna do one more song for you all!" she said, holding up one finger. The whole of the audience roared again, and Glinda broke away into one last dance song that got the whole crowd up and moving about.
But as soon as it had begun, it was shortly over and Glinda was waving good-bye to the crowds, walking back off-stage. To her supreme annoyance, Madam Morrible was there.
"Decided to ad-lib, did you, dearie?" she asked.
"Those lines were atrocious!" Glinda whined. "Oz's sake, you're the Press Secretary. Can't you come up with anything better?"
"Careful, dearie," Madam Morrible returned, smiling sinisterly. "We mustn't bite the hand that feeds us, mustn't we?"
Glinda nodded, then went on her way.
"Oh, but what about your adoring fans?" Madam Fish-face said, indicating to the crowd.
"I'm too tired for fans," Glinda sighed, bending over with both hands on her bent knees to emphasize. "I need some rest-time. I'll sign autographs at tomorrow's public appearance."
"Don't be late," Madam said. "I will be looking for you." She waved her hand, smiling falsely, then glided out of the back-stage. Glinda knew that 'looking for you' meant 'watching you'.
I'll just have to be extra-careful, then, Glinda thought mischievously.
A hole-in-the-wall venue in Dirt Boulevard. This was hardly a place for Glinda, a public figure worth at least six figures, to be alone. Yet she had a cloak covering her up and wore her least prettified dress. Her chief-servant, Jellia Jamb, had helped her escape the main whoop-dee-doo at the newly christened Lord Chuffrey Exhibition Hall - constructed, funded and managed by her boyfriend, who let her perform there whenever she wished - and steal away to this dark alley.
At the front of the venue there was a booth set up, where a Goat sat behind with a ledger. He checked the tickets that those who entered the venue presented to him before entering. Glinda gripped hers tightly in her gloved hands: gloved because anyone would spot her with that kind of manicure. It was only the most expensive nail-polish, glitter and so forth in all of the Emerald City! She hadn't been planning this secret outing for almost nine months for it all to go up in smoke over nail-polish!
The Goat didn't look over the woman before him, just at the ticket. He pinched off a piece of it, then returned it to the woman, telling her to enjoy the show.
Inside the venue, it was a zoo. Almost literally, for there were Animals of all shapes and sizes among the crowds, speaking or braying in whatever language they spoke. It also stank greatly, and Glinda kept her shawl down over her mouth as she tried to push her way to the front.
A hand reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. With a yelp, she jumped around and saw an Ape, an Owl and a Donkey standing in a corner.
"Excuse me, miss," the Ape said. "Could you help us with a question?"
"I think I should be going," Glinda tried to leave.
"No, please!" the Ape insisted. "It will only take a second."
"You see," the Owl began. "I've been following this act back in the old days, when it was the People of Oz. I've been trying to convince my foolish friend here," He pointed one wing to the Donkey. "To get into some of their older material. It's the only good kind there is, you know."
"But didn't the People of Oz never record an album?" she asked.
"Quite right," the Owl said.
"But there've been several people, and Animals, bold enough to try and bootleg some of the shows. I think there's even an old recording of their first show. It's probably ruined by now, unusable and scratched."
"I wouldn't know." Glinda shook her head.
"Still," the Owl turned back to his friend. "It's the first several shows of the People of Oz that you should look into finding recordings of, none of their later stuff. It sucked more than an Elephant."
"Watch it, you!" an Elephant returned as he made his way through the crowds.
"I can't believe you won't even give their latest stuff a chance!" the Donkey returned.
"It's garbage, total utter garbage!" the Owl sighed. "All their songs became sappy heartbreak-n-love ballads. It's like they didn't even care about us anymore!"
"Good riddance," the Ape returned. "We don't need any humans trying to empathize with us."
"B-But she's green," Glinda said. "Fae, of the People. If anyone knows what it's like to be treated unfairly, it's her."
"Boo-freaking-hoo!" the Ape shrugged. "Green or not, she's still human. One human's no different than the other, they all want to silence us."
Suddenly, the stage began to darken. The noises of the crowd began to die down, and only the chattering of Monkeys could be heard. Two dove in from behind the audience, flying onto the stage. Two more climbed down from ropes tied to the ceiling and a fifth one somersaulted on-stage. Lights flashed on and off to the rapid beat of the drums, so much that Glinda feared she would go blind with so many bright flashes.
Then all was black. A burst of blue light appeared on-stage, arching up across the audience before exploding into a shower of lights that fell harmlessly over the heads of the crowd. A second one in violet shone, then another in red. Last there was a yellow one, then two blasts of green light. With each blast the audience cried out in awe and amazement, cheering loudly.
Two spot-lights shone upon the stage. In their glow, Glinda could see a great set-up. There was a keyboard and a huge drum-set, bigger than hers had been. To her surprise, she saw monkeys with blue wings sitting at their stations. Three others lolly-gagged about, one with a bass-guitar and two with electric guitars. There was no sign of anyone or anything other than Monkeys on-stage.
A flash of sulfurous red smoke, accompanied by a hair-raising string backing from the keyboard, the three Monkeys on guitars pounding away a loud D chord and a thunderous drum solo. The smoke dissipated, and there she was. All clad in black, with a tall-peaked, wide-brimmed black hat upon her head.
"I am the Witch!" the figure said, a microphone clutched in her green hands. It was Elphaba's voice. "These are the Flying Monkeys and this...is...Stargazer!"
The drum-solo kept going on, faster and faster than before, louder and louder, booming like thunder. Then the rest of the band came in, the keyboard striking up a stringed ensemble while the bass and guitars played away a simple yet groovy sounding riff. A rest, then the Witch sang. It was just as Glinda had remembered it, just as powerful, if not more so...
High noon, oh I'd sell my soul for water
Three years worth of breakin' my back
There's no sun in the shadow of the Wizard
See how he glides, why he's lighter than air?
Oh I see his face!
Where is your star?
Is it far, is it far, is it far?
When do we leave?
I believe, yes, I believe
The band began to play faster, and Glinda was hard-pressed to keep herself from joining in their joyous revelry. It was indeed amazing, especially when the Witch started singing again.
In the heat and the rain
With whips and chains
To see him fly
So many die
We build a tower of stone
With our flesh and bone
Just to see him fly
But we don't know why
Now where do we go?
The first song only, and it lasted for almost nine minutes. Yet even Glinda, with her short attention span, was enthralled for every second of those minutes. Though she was awed by the stark difference of The Witch and the Flying Monkeys as opposed to the People of Oz. It was much more aggressive, faster-paced, and the drums were far beyond what Glinda and her high-heeled shoes were capable of producing. The guitars were louder, perhaps a by-product of two guitars playing at once, and the Witch's voice knew no limits.
In the end, the Wizard fell with all eyes watching him.
(AN: Yes, A Musician's Fan Fiction is back!)
(And [surprise surprise! lol], The Witch and the Flying Monkeys. I usually don't like bands with names of x-person 'and the...' like that, but I decided to be different. The map of the Emerald City from Out of Oz was consulted for some of the local places.)
(At last, I, like Elphaba, am liberated in my writing with this story! I said before that the People of Oz were not a metal band, and I stand by that. But I never said anything about limiting the music genres of The Witch and the Flying Monkeys. Though it won't be 'typical' metal, like glam metal [if you remember back to the older chapters, that was the kind of hard rock that Fiyero was into before joining The People], or the screaming stuff of nowadays [obviously, an Oz set in the 60s and 70s wouldn't have any -core bands yet]. I'll still try to stay true to my original vision, though, and look for heavy songs that have current event/political ramifications that can be exploited [like Rainbow's "Stargazer", at least in the context of Oz, 'the Wizard' and everything. lol. I don't own that song]. Also, it sounds wicked sweet when I listen to it while surfing tumblr for pics of Wicked.)
(For any who may think I'm daft with mixing Wicked and metal, just PM me and I'll link you to something that will show you just how much they do go together! :D)