AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part of this chapter was inspired by the Disney animated movie, "The Sword in the Stone," but a bit condensed to save some time, and simplify things a bit.

It took awhile, but the quintet rode the brooms through the woods, and stopped at the foot of an enormous mountain. At the top of the mountain was a big, dark, scary looking castle, complete with bats flying around the towers.

"You think that's Witch Hazel's hideout?" Coiley asked.

"Either that, or it's the opening credits of Scooby Doo," Fluey said. "We'd better take these brooms and get up there."

"Right," Winnie said. "Okay, brooms! Let's zooms!"

Both of the broomsticks took off into the air, and brought our heroes right into the castle through a window. Witch Hazel was stirring something in a cauldron.

"Rally ho!" the Impossibles yelled.

"YEEEEE!" Witch Hazel shrieked, and jumped in surprised. "Oooh! Don't ever do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"That's impossible," Fluey said. "You don't have a heart!"

"I thought my goblins took care of you, you . . . . you . . . . drip!"

"You gotta expect the impossible from the Impossibles, Haze," Fluey continued. "Now tell me where Danalleah is!"

"Well, since you asked nicely," Witch Hazel said. "There she is, right over there."

Witch Hazel pointed across the room. Fluey looked, and saw that Danalleah was asleep. Witch Hazel just cackled.

"I put her asleep for a thousand years!" she laughed.

"I'm not worried," Fluey replied, walking over to the bed. "I know exactly what to do. One quick smooch, and she'll wake up."

"Not from you! Your kiss won't work! I changed the spell, you silly boy! I added a new twist on it! Only I can wake her up!"

"Okay, so wake her up."

"I think not, sweetie. I think I'll just keep her asleep."

"Why you dirty, no good . . . . I oughta . . . ."

Fluey was about to lunge, but backed off when his ribs began hurting again. But he didn't want to let on to Witch Hazel that he was in pain. Instead, he took a deep breath, and curbed his temper.

"What's it gonna take to get you to wake her up?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Let me see . . . ." Witch Hazel said, thinking it over. "I know. I have some little friends out back I'd like you boys to meet. Follow me."

Winnie, Skittles, and the Impossibles followed Hazel outside to an arena of sorts. Witch Hazel cackled, and zipped up to the viewing stand.

"Okay Hugo!" she called to an iron gate as it was being raised. "Sic 'em!"

Once the iron gate was fully opened, a large dragon came barreling out of it. It reared it's head back, and spat a flame out at the boys. They ducked just in time.

"It's gonna be a hot time in the ol' arena tonight!" Witch Hazel cackled. "If you can defeat my dragons, I might go ahead and wake Danalleah up."

"I'll take care of this one, fellas," Fluey said.

"Just be careful, Fluey," Coiley said.

"Don't worry, I will," Fluey said, and he converted into liquid. "Rally ho-ho!"

Fluey shot forward, despite his aching ribs, and zoomed into the dragon's mouth. A lot of steam came out, and Fluey shot back out. The dragon tried to breathe another flame, but all that came out was a tiny puff of smoke. The dragon whimpered, and raced back through the gate.

"Good work, Fluey," Coiley said. "But didn't it hurt?"

"Yes!" Fluey groaned through clenched teeth, clutching his aching ribs. "But don't let Witch Hazel know, okay?"

"Gotcha," Coiley said.

"You did pretty well with Hugo," Witch Hazel said. "Now, let's see how you do with Sanford!"

An even larger dragon came out of the gate just then. It didn't breathe fire, but it had an extremely long neck, extremely long legs, and an extremely long tail.

"You're up, Coiley," Fluey groaned. "I think I'll sit this one out. Ooowwww!"

"Rally ho!" Coiley shouted, and he sprang forward. He grabbed the dragon by the tail, and jumped up. The dragon flipped over, and Coiley managed to hogtie it, with it's tail.

"Nice going, Coiley!" Multi shouted.

"All right," Witch Hazel said, getting impatient. "Time to bring in the heavy artillery!"

The heavy artillery happened to be a whole army of dragons. Coiley did a quick head count.

"There's about twenty of them," he said.

"Leave them to me, Coiley," Multi said. "I can take care of all twenty of them myself. Rally ho!"

Multi duplicated himself into forty. The dragons saw this, and didn't know what to think. They just ran back into the doorway from which they came.

"Yipe, yipe, yipe, yipe!" they cried as they ran. Multi retracted the duplicates and laughed.

"That takes care of them," he said.

"Okay, Witch Hazel," Fluey said. "We defeated your dragons, now wake up Danalleah."

"Not so fast, honey," Witch Hazel said. "I told you I might wake her up if you defeated my dragons! I didn't say I'd definitely wake her up!"

"Oooohhhh, you . . . ." Fluey began. He was ready to charge, but curbed it. He didn't want to antagonize Witch Hazel too much, or else she would never wake Danalleah up. But it was humiliating being at the wacky witch's mercy, and having to do her bidding.

"What more do you want?" Multi asked.

"Would you be willing to do anything if I woke her up?" Witch Hazel asked.

"Anything!" Fluey shouted.

"Then here's the deal," Witch Hazel said. "I'll wake Danalleah up if the three of you become my slaves . . . . . forever!"

"Forever?!" Coiley shouted.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Fluey shouted.

"We'll never become your slaves, Witch Hazel!" Multi shouted.

"Then I'm afraid Danalleah will sleep for a thousand years," Witch Hazel said with a cackle.

"What are we going to do?" Fluey asked. "We can't become her slaves, and if we don't, she'll never wake Danalleah up!"

"It's a no-win situation," Multi sighed.

"Now wait just a minute here, Hazel!" Winnie shouted. "I've had just about enough of this from you! These boys defeated your dragons fair and square so you wake up Danalleah this minute, or else!"

"Or else what, Winnie?" Witch Hazel asked. "Your magic is no match for mine, you know. And I'm not going to wake up Danalleah unless the boys become my slaves."

"Then I have no choice but to challenge you to a witch's duel!"

Witch Hazel stared at Winnie, and then she began cackling like crazy.

"You . . . . you're challenging me to a witch's duel?!" she shouted. "Ooooh that's a scream! Eeee hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!"

"What's the matter Hazel?" Winnie asked. "Chicken? Afraid I'd be able to defeat you?"

"Of course not! If it's a witch's duel you want, then it's a witch's duel you'll get!"

"Winnie, what's a witch's duel?" Coiley asked.

"It's a battle of wits, boys," Winnie said. "We change ourselves into different things until one of us can't change any longer."

"Here I come, ready or not!" Witch Hazel shouted as she zoomed down on her broom, leaving behind her bobby pins. She reached the arena and skidded to a halt.

"Now then, let's cover the ground rules," she said. "Rule number one, only animal. No changing into mineral or vegetable. Rule number two, nothing made up like pink dragons. Rule number three, no disappearing allowed."

"And rule number four," Winnie said. "No cheating!"

"All right, all right," Witch Hazel said. "Now, we'll each take ten paces, turn, and fire, as they say. Ready, go!"

Winnie began her ten paces, as did Witch Hazel, but instead of taking her ten paces, she began to fade out.

"Hey!" Fluey shouted. "Winnie! She disappeared!"

"Hazel, I thought we agreed no breaking the rules!" Winnie shouted. She turned around, and saw a giant alligator right there, wearing a small black witch's hat. It cackled, and snapped at Winnie, just as she changed. All that was left was her hat, but there was something in it. Witch Hazel cackled and reached in. But whatever was in the hat bit her in the finger.

CHOMP!

"OUCH!" Witch Hazel shouted, and she pulled out Winnie, who had transformed into a turtle. Witch Hazel flung the turtle across the arena, and then came after her.

"Oh dear," Winnie said. "Better hop to it! Ippity pippity pow!"

With those words, and the Jet Screamer Music Cue, Winnie transformed herself into a rabbit, and began hopping away. Witch Hazel cackled and changed herself into a fox.

"See how you like to take on one of your natural enemies!" she shouted. Then she cackled and began chasing Winnie all over the place. They ran right into a log. Shortly thereafter, Winnie crawled out of a knot hole. She turned herself into a caterpillar.

"I see you, Winsome Witch!" Witch Hazel cackled, and she turned herself into a chicken, and tried to eat her up.

"I can't look!" Fluey shouted, slapping his hand over his eyes. Skittles whimpered, and covered her eyes with her paws.

As Winnie tried climbing up a branch, Witch Hazel grabbed her in her beak, and stretched, but she lost her grip, and Winnie went flying. Witch Hazel cackled, and began running around, trying to catch her with her beak wide open, when Winnie changed herself into a walrus, and landed right on top of Witch Hazel.

"Ooh, now that was a smash hit!" Coiley said.

"Witch Hazel's gonna be feeling that tomorrow morning!" Fluey shouted.

Witch Hazel grunted, and turned herself into an elephant. She used her trunk to grab Winnie around the neck.

"You big bag of blubber!" she shouted.

"Look who's talking!" Fluey called out.

Quickly, Winnie changed herself into a mouse, and in true cartoon fashion, Witch Hazel began screaming and running for her life.

"I don't get how a huge elephant can be afraid of a tiny mouse," Multi said.

"It makes the mind reel," Coiley commented.

Winnie chased Witch Hazel around, until she turned herself into a giant fire breathing purple dragon. Then she cackled like crazy.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Fluey shouted. "I thought you said no dragons!"

"I said no pink dragons!" Witch Hazel cackled. "I didn't say anything about purple dragons!"

"Ho boy," Fluey groaned.

"Winnie, do something, quick!" Coiley shouted.

"Eep!" Winnie shouted, and ducked down a nearby hole. Witch Hazel laughed, and shot a flame down it. It came up from another hole, with Winnie on the top of it, kind of like a geyser.

"Oooh! Oh, oh, oh!" Winnie shouted. "Oooh, that's a hot one!"

"Gotcha!" Witch Hazel shouted, as she caught Winnie in her hands. Then she cackled. "I win! I win, I win, I win!"

"Wait'll I get my hands on that witch!" Fluey shouted, ready to convert to liquid. "I'll drown out her pilot light!"

"Whoa, stay back, Fluey," Multi said, as he and Coiley grabbed Fluey by the arms to hold him down.

Witch Hazel cackled, and opened her hands. Much to her surprise, Winnie was gone.

"Winnie?" she asked. "Come on out, Winnie! No disappearing, remember?"

"I haven't disappeared, Hazel," Winnie said. "I've turned myself into a germ. Germs are animals, you know. And guess what? You've caught me!"

"WHAAAAT?!" Witch Hazel shouted.

"Yes, you caught me all right," Winnie said. "First, you'll break out in spots, then have hot and cold flashes, and then fits of violent sneezing!"

And with that, Witch Hazel sneezed so hard, a flame shot out of her mouth.

"Hit the deck!" Fluey shouted, and he, Multi, Coiley and Skittles ducked as the flame sailed their way.

"Whew!" Coiley said. "Missed it by that much!"

Witch Hazel then turned back to her old self, but she was still sneezing and covered with spots.

"Oooh, you . . . . you . . . . ah-choo!" she sneezed, hopping on her broom. "I'll get you for this! Ah-choo! All of you! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

Witch Hazel flew off, sneezing all the way, which made flying her broom pretty difficult. Winnie and the Impossibles began laughing at the sight of the broom bouncing all over the place. Finally, Witch Hazel was gone, never to be seen in those parts again.