As the Emerald City went down in flames, there was just nothing that could be done.
Citizens looked on in horror, weeping at the sight of their beloved city being destroyed.
Suddenly, the balcony was on fire and eventually came crashing down, burning.
The sound of sobs filled the air. The atmosphere was nothing but of agony and shock.
Everyone sobbed, some even passed out at the sight.
The Emerald City had mostly burn down to the ground. Nothing but ashes.
Bryson could not believe what he was witnessing. Such a beauitful city just burning. Oz wasn't too far away from becoming nothing, it seemed.
Scarecrow, along with everyone else, was sobbing. He slowly got back up from the ground, wiping away his tears with an angry look, turning around.
Rabadan was gone.
Scarecrow groaned in anger, clenching his fists tight.
Bryson couldn't help but shed a few tears. This wonderful place was just being obliterated by this man.
Dorothy walked to him, sniffing from crying. "This is just terrible.." she mumbled through her tears.
He hated to see both her and.. everyone be so devastated. He had only been here for a few days so he couldn't imagine what everyone else was feeling.
"We have to do something about this..." Dorothy whispered, shaking her head.
Later on, different citizens came up to Scarecrow and anxiously asked him what they were going to do.
Tin Man walked up to Dorothy and Bryson. "Dorothy, Bryson... Glinda told me how you guys went into that cave that had all of Rabdan's stuff. Now, he has to be there sometimes, right?"
Bryson and Dorothy nodded.
"Well, our plan is to go get Lion and have him, myself, and Scarecrow try and spy over there, and whenever we see Rabadan come in or out, ambush him, and take that scepeter."
"Don't you think it's dangerous? Not that I don't believe in you or anything, but.." she sighed. "You could get hurt so easily... why can't Bryson and I, and Finley too, and maybe a few others come with you?"
Tin Man shook his head. "It's just not safe, Dorothy..."
She scoffed. "I appreciate that you want to keep us safe but why can't you just let us come? We can all help a lot!"
Tin Man sighed and looked around, thinking. "Alright, fine.. I'll let you and a few others come too."
Dorothy sighed with relief. "Thank you!"
Bryson admired that Dorothy insisted to come, she was one of the bravest people he had ever met.
"Attention, attention!" Scarecrow suddenly called. "I know you're all.. very.. very.. overwhelmed by what just happened. And so am I, believe me. I know you all want answers... but I simply just cannot answer them at this moment. But, for everyone wondering as to what we plan to do.. we plan to go to Quadling Country and hopefully stay there for a while. Now.. the man who attacked us has taken our guards."
A collective gasp escaped the lips of the crowd.
"And..." Scarecrow looked back at Tin Man.
"And he... he.. he took.. Glinda as well.." Scarecrow managed to say.
The crowd gasped louder, and several mutters could be heard from the crowd.
"Now.. please.. please do not worry. We.. we will get everyone he's taken back.. and we will stop him.." Scarecrow said.
The crowd seemed to be convinced, but those few who were aware of Scarecrow's in actuality uncertainty weren't as convinced, knowing he was just saying this to try and calm down everyone.
"We have formulated a plan.. and as soon as we stop this man, we will bring him to justice!" Scarecrow finished. As soon as he was done, everyone started mumuring amongst each other, they were desperate for answers and many tried to ask him things, but Scarecrow simply ignored them for now and walked over to Tin Man. "When should we bring them to Munchkin Land?" he asked.
"As soon as possible. Now, if we can." Scarecrow replied. "Did the horses of a different color make it out?"
Tin Man nodded. "Yes, I believe so."
"We'll use those then. As many as we can."
A few minutes later, Scarecrow and Tin Man gathered all of the citizens and put them in different carriages, luckily, they had enough to manage and squeeze all of them on, but some of them just barley managed to fit.
Bryson got in the same carriage as Dorothy, Finley, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and other citizens. The horse of a different color was yet another thing that Bryson couldn't believe he was seeing in person. It was odd to see it switch colors, yet enchanting. Even during all this chaos, there was much to be admired about this land.
"I can't believe that Rabadan did that..." Finley muttered.
"I can't either..." Dorothy replied with a frown.
"Even if we do defeat Rabadan.. he's destroyed so much.." Finley stated.
Dorothy gave a miserable look and leaned onto the carriage, almost pouting.
"I really should learn to keep my mouth shut..." Finley mumbled, crossing his arms, turning to Bryson. "So, what's the plan? We have a plan right? Please tell me we have a plan."
Bryson smirked, Finley's humor could always cheer him up a bit. "Well, Scarecrow and Tin Man said they and maybe you, me, and Dorothy, and maybe even some others will go and spy on that cave we were at earlier until he gets there, and then ambush him, take his scepeter. Of course, he might have some other tricks up his sleeve."
"What do you mean his sleeve? The man never wears a shirt!" Finley exclaimed.
Bryson chuckled. "Very true. But uh, you know. I gotta use that sometime, by the way."
Later on, Finley and Bryson continued to talk whilst admiring the scenery. Dorothy eventually fell asleep against the edge of the carriage. They eventually stopped and Scarecrow stood up on the carriage, one of the doormen took a horn and blew through it, getting everyone's attention.
"Hello, citizens of Oz... we're going to have to stop now. The horses are tiring out and we need to rest for a bit. So, we're going to stay here, and tie the carriages to the trees."
Various people helped do so, and everyone got back in the carriages.
It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it sure beat sleeping on the cold ground, Bryson thought.
He sighed at the sight of everyone's sorrow and dejected expressions.
He eventually fell asleep, but woke up in the middle of the night. It was a bit darker then before and quite a few people had gone to sleep, but others seemed to still be wide awake, wondering what their fate would be now that the Emerald City had been destroyed.
Bryson slowly got out of the carriage, careful to not disturb those who had still been awake, and onto the Yellow Brick Road. He looked around, kneeling down and looking at the road. He touched the bricks, getting a feel of them, just out of curiosity as to what they felt like. He got up and started to pace.
What if they couldn't defeat Rabadan?
No, that can't happen. The good guys always win, right?
He sighed and continued to pace until he was distracted from his thoughts.
"Are you nervous?"
He turned around to see Scarecrow.
"Um.. kind of...I don't know.. I always kinda... walk around... I guess. When I'm thinking a lot." Bryson replied, fiddling with his pockets.
Scarecrow smiled a bit and nodded. "What are you thinking about? If you.. don't mind me asking, of course."
"No, it's okay." He shrugged. "Just... kind of reflecting.. on the past few days and how crazy everything has been, I guess."
"I'm sorry, again about all of this.." Scarecrow started.
"You don't need to apologize, it's not your fault. Don't feel bad. I know everything's kinda crazy right now, but I mean, even so, I've actually enjoyed myself.. I love this place."
"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that. I thought you might of really wanted to get out of here as soon as possible." Scarecrow replied.
"Not at all.. I love it here."
Scarecrow smiled and nodded. "Well, that's a relief. It is a beautiful place. But it's certainly a lot more beautiful when a mad man isn't trying to destroy it. It's a shame you've been introduced to it like this... I'd imagine you're fairly anxious to get back home?"
Bryson shrugged. "Not as anxious as you'd probably think."
"Why's that?" Scarecrow asked.
"Well... Oz is a lot more pleasant than where I'm from.. the people are nicer, it looks nicer.."
"You even feel that way with Rabadan threatening to destroy it?"
Bryson paused. "Yes, actually."
"Is it that bad back at your home?" Scarecrow replied.
Bryson shrugged, looking down at the Yellow Brick Road.
"Yeah..." he replied softly.
"Why's that?" Scarecrow asked, walking closer to him.
"Well..." Bryson shrugged and sighed. "Back at home.. I always feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I always have to worry about what people are thinking and how to act. But here, no one really minds. Everyone's typically pretty friendly. I don't have many friends back at home and the friends I do have aren't.. they aren't great friends. But people I've met just a few days ago here.. I consider the closest friends that I've ever had."
Scarecrow gave him an understanding look. "You know, I used to feel like that. Uncomfortable in my own body.. in fact, I still am, sometimes. Being a scarecrow. I remember I was just stuck on a pole in a cornfield. But I couldn't do what I was made to do. Scare crows. And then, I went to the Emerald City and I thought I was comfortable with myself. But now, yet again, I can't do what I'm supposed to. Be a king. I feel as if all this is my fault. That I shouldn't even be a king. I feel Glinda should just rule all of Oz. Everyone turns to her. Once she goes, everything seems to crumble. I feel as if I went, I'd be okay. Glinda seems to always know what to do..."
"Well.. being a king is a stressful job, I'm sure. You're brave for doing it. Most people couldn't handle it. And a lot of the ones that could probably handle it do it out of greed. At least you haven't acted like that. Did you see how many people were happy to see you back at your "birthday" party? And even so... sometimes your heart's not judged by how much others love you. It's by how much you love others."
Scarecrow nodded. "That's funny... the old ruler, the old wizard of Oz said something similar to Tin Man once. Though, it was the opposite."
Bryson looked to the side, hoping he would pass it off as a coincidence.
"Well.. I guess both versions of that phrase work. It just depends on the... scenario, I guess you could say. But I actually worry if I'm good enough sometimes, too. Like if I'm brave enough, or kind enough, or smart enough.."
"Smart enough.. I've been there before. My creator didn't give me a brain. So for a long time I just had this allusion that I wasn't smart. But trust me. I'm sure you're much braver, kinder, and smarter than you think. Just don't overthink. The more you think about a problem the more it becomes bigger in your head."
Bryson nodded. "You know what? You're... you're right."
Scarecrow smiled warmly and patted him on the back. "Well, I'm glad we could help each other. But I have to go plan things out with Tin Man."
Bryson smiled and nodded, and decided to get back in the carriage in hopes to try and get some sleep.