"Ugh..."
Omega felt her head throbbing as she finally began to wake up. She thought she'd never feel still ground again. But then she realized she had no idea how much time had passed. She looked around the ship.
"Diamond? Diamond! Are you okay?"
"Mmph!" Diamond shook a bucket of some sort off her head and said. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing hurt but my dignity, and maybe my head."
"It's dark in here," said Omega, unable to see where she was and feeling around for a switch. "I think there's a switch here somewhere."
And when Omega hit the switch, the Marauder's door opened, and outside was a sight neither she nor Diamond expected.
Outside was a beautiful little village. The houses looked like some of the fairy homes and houses made of candy in some of her younger siblings' storybooks. And she saw a rather odd looking group of villagers.
They looked like the young clones she'd been around on Kamino, but some of them also looked like her, but all of them had colorful outfits and different colored hair, and they had pointy ears like elves.
"Diamond...? I don't think we're on Naboo anymore."
Diamond sniffed around the air.
"Doesn't smell familiar." she sniffed again and licked her mouth. "Mmm. Actually, it smells like a candy store out there."
Omega and Diamond carefully flew or stepped out of the ship, and found that they looked a little different too.
"When did you get a red ribbon?" Omega asked Diamond, who now had a big red bow in her mane.
Diamond looked at Omega and said, "When did your hair grow so long? And when did you have time to tie pigtails or change into gingham?"
Omega looked at her reflection in a nearby fountain, and sure enough, her hair was a lot longer than before and tied in two little pigtails and she was dressed in a blue gingham dress. She didn't even remember owning a dress like that. The villagers all looked at Omega oddly. Some hid behind things, others weren't sure what to do and looked to be whispering about her.
"Um...hello?" Omega said. "Can any of you tell me where I am?"
No one answered her question. Everyone she saw seemed either too afraid or curious about her to say anything.
Diamond looked up and pulled Omega's skirt with her teeth.
"Omega, look!"
Omega looked where Diamond was looking and saw a big pink bubble appear high up in the air and float on down toward the village. The two newcomers were curious about this sparkly bubble, and that curiosity only grew with surprise when it gracefully hit the ground, and when it popped they saw... Padme?
"Mom?" Omega gasped, seeing her.
It looked like Padme, but she was all adorned in a sparkling pink gown and tiara, and she had a wand. But how did she appear in that bubble? Omega was sure that her adoptive mother did not have magic of her own, other than being a powerful speaker and compassionate beyond belief.
The strange woman chuckled and said, "I think I would remember having a daughter as pretty as you. Now, tell me. Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"
"I'm not a witch. I don't think." Omega said. "I do have magic, but I think I'm more like a sorcerer, or a fairy. My parents never told me what I am exactly. I wasn't born with magic. It's a long story. But, I'm a good girl. I'm also a princess. And, well... you look a lot like my mom. But, I don't know where I am or why anyone here thinks I'm a witch. And I don't really know who you are either."
"I am Padma, the good witch of the North. As to what has led these dear munch-clones to believe you are a witch, you have a flying horse with you, and you did fly in on a rather odd flying object, and... that is all that is left of the wicked witch Talzin of the East."
Omega and Diamond looked at where the Marauder sat and gasped when they saw a pair of legs sticking out with a pair of sparkly red shoes.
"You've freed us from the wicked witch's reign of terror!" said one munch-clone.
"You're our hero!" said another.
"What's your name, young princess?" asked Padma.
"Omega Skywalker." she motioned to the pony next to her. "And this is Diamond."
"Hail to Princess Omega Skywalker! The hero of Munch-Clone Land!" the munch-clones cheered.
The whole village burst into party mode with confetti, balloons, and streamers flying all over as they burst into song.
Munch-Clones:
Good news!
She's dead!
The Witch of the East is dead!
The wickedest witch there ever was
The enemy of all of us here in Oz
Is Dead!
Good news!
Good news!
Hail to Omega!
The munch-clones placed a crown of flowers on Omega's head to hail and thank her as their brave hero for killing the wicked witch.
Padma called for all the Munch-Clones' attention
"Dear munch-clones, fellow Ozians."
Padma:
Let us be glad
Let us be grateful
Let us rejoicify that goodness could subdue
The wicked workings of you-know-who
Isn't it nice to know
That good will conquer evil?
The truth we all believe'll by and by
Outlive a lie
For you and -
Munch-clone:
No one mourns the Wicked
Munch-clone #2:
No one cries "They won't return!"
2 Munch-clones:
No one lays a lily on their grave
Munch-clone #3:
The good man scorns the Wicked!
Munch-clone #4:
Through their lives, our children learn
What we miss, when we misbehave:
Padma:
And Goodness knows
The Wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows
The Wicked die alone
It just shows when you're Wicked
You're left only
On your own
Everyone:
Yes, Goodness knows
The Wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows
The Wicked cry alone
Nothing grows for the Wicked
They reap only
What they sow
"This is all great," said Omega. "but... I can't stay here. I have to get home to my family. A twister blew us here, and I don't know if my grandpa is okay. He was the last person I saw before me and Diamond got blown away."
Diamond looked at the condition of the Marauder. It was damaged pretty badly.
"Even if either of us knew how to fly this thing, it's not going anywhere in this condition." said the pegasus.
"Great. As if my day hasn't already been bad enough."
"A day is never truly bad," said Padme. "A day is what you make it."
Just then, the sky turned dark, and a cold wind started to blow. Omega held Diamond as they were both shivering with fright and chills.
A great evil-spirited cackle filled the air as a new figure entered the picture. A very wrinkly old man with skin of pale green, dressed in black silk robes.
"Who's that?" Omega asked Padma.
"That is the wicked warlock of the West, Darth Sidious." Padma said. "He is much worse than she was."
Sidious looked at the crashed Marauder and the feet of the dead Witch of the East.
"Who was it who killed the witch of the East?" Sidious said. And then he saw the girl and her pony. "Was it you, little girl?"
"I-I- I didn't mean too!" Omega said frantically. "It was an accident."
Sidious chuckled and said, "I can cause accidents myself. And I must thank you my dear for crushing my rival witth your ship. Now those ruby slippers are mine."
But before Sidious could take the ruby slippers, they disappeared!
"The ruby slippers! Where are they?!" Sidious said.
"Right here, on Omega." Padma said.
Omega looked down at her feet and gasped. Sure enough, the ruby slippers were on her feet.
"Ooh! They look pretty on you, Omega." Diamond said.
Sidious was furious at the good witch's trickery to protect the shoes.
"I command you to give me those slippers immediately." He growled.
"She will not give you anything. And you will leave Munch-Clone Land right now."
Omega made her hands glow too.
"I've got power too, and I'm not afraid to use them!" Omega said.
"You have no power here, Sidious." Padma continued.
"Hmph!" Sidious grunted. "Very well. But be warned, I will get you child, and your little pony too."
Diamond snorted angrily at Sidious for daring to threaten Omega.
And with that said, Sidious summoned a big cloud of red smoke and was gone.
Omega was relieved the evil warlock was gone, but she was scared. With the Marauder damaged and her phone missing, how was she supposed to get home?
"Miss Padma, do you know how I can get back to Naboo?"
"If you want to find your way home, you will need to go and see the wizard." Padma said. "He is the great leader of all Oz. Take the journey, and you will find what you are looking for, perhaps in ways you might not expect."
Padma then showed Omega a beautiful road made of golden bricks.
"Whoa..." Omega gasped.
"Shiny!" Diamond smiled, seeing her reflection in one of the bricks.
"Just follow the yellow brick road until you get to the Emerald City. That's where the wizard lives."
"But what about the warlock?" asked Omega.
"You have greater strengths than even you know, Omega. And as long as you keep the ruby slippers safe on your feet, you will be able to find your way. Stay on the path, and the warlock can't hurt you."
And so, Omega and Diamond began walking down the yellow brick road as the munch-clones began singing.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow, follow, follow, follow,
Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow the Yellow Brick, Follow the Yellow Brick,
Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Omega & Diamond:
We're off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Munch-Clones:
You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz! there was.
If ever oh ever a Wiz! there was The Wizard of Oz is one because,
Because, because, because, because, because.
Because of the wonderful things he does.
Omega & Diamond:
We're off to see the Wizard. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Featured songs:
1. Excerpt from "No One Mourns the Wicked" from Wicked
2. "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" from the Wizard of Oz
I sincerely hope you are enjoying my new Jedi Storytime tales. Be sure to review with any feedback or comments you have. Don't be shy.