The next day, they untied the horses and went along in the carriages.

Bryson admired the scenery and talked to Finley and Dorothy a bit. It was about noon when they finally arrived at their destination, Quadling Country.

Scarecrow and Tin Man stopped the carriages and let everyone off, everyone stretched, exhausted from just sitting there for so long.

Eventually, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and some higher ups of Oz lead them all into the main palace of Oz, all but Dorothy, Finley, a doorman, and Bryson.

After several minutes, Scarecrow and Tin Man walked out with an army of guards dressed in similar outfits to those at the Emerald City but in red and white rather than just green.

Tin Man walked up to Bryson and his friends. "Alright. Now you all are sure you wanna go with me and Scarecrow? We can't find Lion anywhere."

All of them nodded and Scarecrow came with all the guards, sitting in the carriage, and Tin Man went into another, filling the rest of the guards up in that carriage.

"I sure hope Lion is okay.. I hope nothing's happened to him, but with what Rabadan's doing, who knows?" Dorothy asked worriedly.

Scarecrow sighed. "I don't know... even if we do defeat Rabadan, we have no idea how that scepeter works or where it even came from. And we also might not even be able to get back the people he took with it.." Scarecrow sighed heavily and put his face in his hands in a stressful manner.

"What I don't understand is if that thing is so powerful, why doesn't he just completely destroy Oz right now? I mean, it seems like he could do it." Finley wondered.

"I'm wondering that very same thing myself..." Scarecrow muttered.

"Well, I'd be more than happy to answer than question for you..."

They all slowly turned, dreading what they were about to see, but still gasped when they realized it was Rabadan.

Scarecrow jumped and fumbled, desperately trying to stand up, he gave Rabadan an angry look, putting up his hands. "Rabadan! I swear if you touch ANYTHING here.."

"Now, hold on. I want to tell you." Rabadan stated firmly.

They all looked around and gasped at the fact all the guards were gone, they had all simply vanished.

"Everyone stay in the carriages and don't move a muscle.." Scarecrow instructed. Scarecrow glared at Rabadan and slowly got down from the carriage, shaking slightly as he got closer to Rabadan.

Just then, Tin Man threw the new axe Scarecrow had given him earlier, but Rabadan moved slightly and grabbed it by the end. He pointed the scepeter at it and suddenly, the axe caught on fire. Rabadan tossed it to the ground, turning to Tin Man. Rabadan pointed the scepeter at Tin Man and suddenly, he started to rust out of no where.

"Wha?!" Tin Man started.

Scarecrow started to rush towards Rabadan, but then, Rabadan pointed his scepeter at the ground, and it suddenly caught on fire.

Scarecrow almost stumbled into it and jumped up in the air, falling back a few feet back.

Dorothy yelped and she and Finley rushed out of the carriage.

Bryson was in too much shock to do anything at first, combined with his more than reserved nature.

How much power did this scepeter thing have? It was if he could do whatever he wanted it with it. He shook his head and rushed out of the carriage, rushing over to Dorothy and Finley, who were standing in front of Scarecrow and behind the fire.

"I'll tell you why. I just don't destroy everything at once. I'll tell you." He glared at all of them and started to pace around.

"Because I'm trying to prove a point... that Oz isn't just this happy little place, full with sunshine and rainbows like I was once brainwashed into believing. Its actually a very gruff, corrupt, and vile place in disguise. See, by burning it to the ground, I'm just taking off its mask, showing its true colors, if you will."

He paced around more, glaring at them all.

"I'm here to prove the people here can be broken. Oz isn't invincible and perfect like most people seem to think. That's another reason I'm destroying or altering various places. To show that when it all comes down to it, they'll break. And they'll do the rest of the destruction of Oz for me, while I sit back and laugh, and then, no one can ever be hurt by this place again. As I've been trying to tell you. I've said it before. I'll say it again."

He pointed his scepeter at Dorothy and Bryson.

"I don't have a... problem with these two. They're victims, falling prey to the lies, as did I. I'm trying to protect them."

"Protect them?! Yeah, you're doing a great job at that, destroying places and almost getting them killed several times!" Scarecrow argued. "You're thinking is just so unbelivably twisted. You're just trying to get them on your side or something, aren't you?" Scarecrow scoffed. "Pff, and I thought I didn't have a brain."

Rabadan's eyes flashed in fury and he was about to point his scepeter at him, gritting his teeth, but then closed his eyes, opening them again.

"No... I want to keep you alive.." he cleared his throat. "Well.. maybe I've endangered them.. I've even got my guards and Wheelers to chase them, but I can assure you they wouldn't have been harmed. The only reason I do all that is to stop them from getting in my way. And I have a feeling they will, and if they do try to, I'll simply have to capture them and take a risk."

"Your thinking is so twisted..." Scarecrow repeated, shaking his head.

Dorothy's eyes flashed in anger and she walked around the fire, up to Rabadan.

"Well, you'd better go ahead and send everything you've got after us, because we're not just gonna stand here while you try and justify what you're doing, you coward. How about you just throw away that scepeter and we can all see how tough you truly are. Because you can bet Bryson and I are gonna get in your way! Right, Bryson?" she raved, turning to him.

Bryson darted his eyes around, his heart was already pounding in fear. "Uh.. uh.. y-yeah. Yeah.." he stuttered nervously.

Bryson didn't say anything else and looked around as Rabadan began to slowly walk up to him, analyzing him.

"Ya know... you remind me of myself... a long, long time ago, when I was younger, of course. Scrawny, timid, nervous.. fascinated by this place.. "

Bryson was practically trembling. Rabadan was very intimidating and the fact a man who was seemingly mentally unstable and responsible for the destruction and deaths of countless people wasn't exactly soothing or calming.

"I think you could be the best example..." Rabadan finished, with a look on his face that showed he was getting an idea.

"Uh.. e-e-ex-ex-ex-am-ample?" Bryson stuttered.

Rabadan smirked a bit. "Of how not even the most innocent are safe of being corrupted. I can show everyone step by step just how it happened to me... but.. with you of course.." He explained quietly to Bryson.

"An-an-an-and.. how.. how do you.. do yo-you plan t-to, to, um.. to do that?" Bryson stuttered.

Rabadan chuckled a bit and turned around, not answering him. Not that Bryson was surprised. After all, why would he tell him how he was gonna do it? Then again, he was a bit surprised Rabadan said anything about it. But maybe that was all part of his plan.

Rabadan have him a look. A look Bryson didn't like one bit.

Next, Rabadan slowly lifted up his scepeter and and slammed it hard on the ground, causing the ground to shake and everyone to fall, all except for Rabadan. He slammed his scepeter with so much force that certain bricks of Yellow Brick Road went flying off in the air, but luckily didn't hurt anyone.

Bryson was shocked at such power, and was horrifed along with the rest of the gang to see even more destruction of the land, as if they already hadn't seen enough.

With the gang now all on the ground, Rabadan slowly lifted up his scepeter in the air and a larage flash came from it, blinding them all, and suddenly, all of them seem to have dissapeared.

Bryson had his eyes sealed shut from the flash, but then slowly opened his eyes. He looked around and gasped. Everyone was.. gone?

"Oh no.. no.. no no no no no no no no no no..."

Bryson ran his fingers through his hair frantically and started to rush around, he looked around in the carriages, everywhere. They were all gone.

He turned around and gasped again at what he saw. All of the Quadling Country... was gone. No more buildings, civllians, nothing that previously inhabited the place was there. All gone. He shook his head.

He rushed around the perimeter, calling out their names. He knew it was hopeless, but the panic of it all just forced him to call them out anyway.

"Dorothy?! Finley?! Scarecrow?! Tin Man?!"

He called out all of their names several times. And of course, was given no reply.

"Oh my God..." he mumbled hoarsley.

He couldn't believe it. He had no help. He was all alone. In a world that just a few days ago wasn't real. Or.. wasn't supposed to be, that is. All of his friends were gone. He was worried about the fate of them, their saftey. Were they gone forever? Were they teleported somewhere? What the hell did Rabadan do with him?

He slowly kneeled on the ground, at the Yellow Brick Road, facing down on it. "Oh God.. oh man..." he mumbled.

He coundn't believe it. He was all alone. He was scared, worried. All of this built up to yet another anxiety attack. He felt like crying. No one to help him. The place looked deserted. What was he supposed to do now? Walk all the way back to Muchkin Land? Even if he was to do that, it would take ages, and there would be so much danger. And who was to say something hadn't happened to it?

He had never felt more helpless.

He was never all that indepedent. He typically had to rely on others, often times.

He felt like he was about to go absolutely crazy as his anxiety attack took over and he felt like the all whole world was about to close in on him. His mind raced with frantic, fevered thoughts, and his stomach dropped. He was having trouble breathing. Yep, this was the worst anxiety attack he's ever had. And boy, had he had several in the last few days. It was such a terrible anxiety attack, he eventually passed out.

When he finally woke up, it was already night time. The back of his mind hoped that when he awoke, all of his friends would be back and it would all have been just a horrible dream. But alas, they were still gone.

He groaned as he slowly got up, stretching. He looked around and felt that helpless feeling again. He made small, pathetic cries. "God..." he grumbled.

He sat up.

He couldn't believe this was happening. Alone in a strange land.

If he was lucky, maybe he could run into someone, but the hopeless feeling overwhelmed all of his thoughts. Maybe the good guys weren't gonna win this time..

And that idea.. it hurt.

Rabadan could do virtually anything with that scepeter it seemed.

He sat there for several minutes.

Thinking about how hopeless everything felt.

After several, several minutes.. he got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

He sighed deeply. "Man..." he sighed. He looked around, shaking his head.

"What am I supposed to do..." he whispered to himself.

All of his life he thought of himself to be a weak, useless, twig.

Probably because that's what his father, his own DNA thought of him.

It'd been drilled in his brain.

And after all of this.. he thought maybe he'd change his own perception of him.

But now, it seemed like he was back to square one, and that was frustrating.

He had no idea what to do.

And right now, he was terrified. Especially now that it was dark out, and night time. And the fact a forest was near by didn't really help either. A forest in the night was a pretty terrifying image for him.

This was probably one of the lowest he had ever felt in his life. Possibly the lowest of them all. And he had a good bit of those moments.

He didn't know what to do.

So he turned around and walked. Slowly, however. The sounds of the night spooked him out a bit, but were also calming at the same time. But he didn't know what else to do. This was his only option, it felt like. But he could barley see where he was going. Anything could just pop out and attack him, at any moment. And that thought freaked him out, for sure.

He sighed as he tried to let his mind wander off his as he walked.

I've seen the light in the sky

In the skies are like fireflies

Burning bright, just to vanish in the dark

I've held hope in my two hands

That there would be another chance

To find the kingdom, I'm believing in my heart

He heard the sound of an owl, which startled him, causing his head to snap in various different directions, but he realized he was being silly, it was just an owl...

He sighed as he continued to walk, his movement full of hesitance as he kept his hands stuffed in his pockets, fidgeting around in them nervously, as he sighed and began to think about his friends.

He sighed again.

He had no idea what he'd do if he could never see them again, and if that was the case, which it very well could have been at the point, he'd miss his first real friends.

Finley and his humor, he always brightened things up.

Scarecrow and his wisdom, the words they shared seemed to help them both the previous night before.

Tin Man and his caring, thoughtful nature.

And of course Dorothy... he hated the idea of not being able to see her perfect image again. In person, that is. A few days ago she was just something to marvel at on a computer screen, and now she was actually interacting with him, and even told him that he understood her more than anyone else. And that made his heart flutter. That he. Him. Of all the people in the world, she said he understood her the most.

He wondered what Rabadan had done to his dear companions.

He winced at the idea of them being hurt.

Especially Dorothy...

Especially Dorothy..

Bryson was never a violent person, but if he laid one finger on her, or any of his friends for that matter.. he was gonna do everything in his power, what little he had, to make sure Rabadan had hell to paid.

He shook his head and sighed as he tried not to become fearful of the dangers that awaited him in the magical land, pitying himself and the dreadful dillema he was in.

When you run, run so far

You've forgotten who you are

Where you're from, it's like some other universe

You count your steps, like they're regrets

You catch one breath then lose the rest

Wrong is right, right is left

And there's nowhere left to turn..

(A/N: Song was Almost Home by Mariah Carey, from Oz the Great and Powerful.)