Return to Oz

[CG]

Yes, I shall continue to draw. It will be a while between uploads tho.

~*~

Chapter 7: The Gnome Kings Game

"Well this feels slightly better then before." the Gump said as he moved his head, checking how well tied on it was this time to his now singular sofa body. At least now it was easier to walk for him. The ropes had been tied tightly in place, so now he had no fears of loosing his head like he had the rest of his body. "Yeah, mighty comfy!"

"Speak for yourself." Billina said darkly from her hiding place. Since it was the only place a chicken could fit, Mac had lifted the top off of Jack's hollow pumpkin head and now the little yellow chicken had been placed within it. Now and then she would peek out of Jack's eye hole. Jack luckily didn't seem all that fussed with having a chicken in his head. Quite the opposite; they had to calm him down just a few moments ago from dancing around announcing to the world "I have a chicken in my head!!", since it had startled said chicken considerably.

"Where we go now Mac?" Tik-Tok asked, glancing around. They didn't have much of a place to go. The ledge they had landed on ended in boulders on one end, and vanished back into the mountain on the other. And you should watch that first step off the cliff, it's a dozy of a fall!

"I don't know.." Mac glanced around, realising too they were kind of stuck. How would you get a Gnome King's attention?

"Who dares to tress pass on my mountain?" a sudden voice boomed from seemingly everywhere at once. Jack took refuge behind Tik-Tok in fright.

"Uh..." Mac looked around, unable to find the source of the voice. "I'm Mac.. and these are my friends..." he motioned to them as he said their names. "Tik-Tok, Jack, and the Gump."

"Mac?" the voice asked, sounding intrigued. "Not The Mac? From Fosters?"

"Yeah that's me." he said as bravely as he could.

"Ah! Well my boy that is a surprise, welcome to my-" the Gnome King was interrupted.

"We want to know why you wrecked the Emerald City, and where the Scarecrow is!" Mac shouted out, getting bothered by how the King was acting like nothing was wrong. As if they just popped by for some gardening tips.

The mountain went still for a moment.

"I might as well just explain to you, shouldn't I?" the voice asked, and as if on cue from the King the mountain itself began to shake with tremendous force. Jack lost his footing a few times, whilst Tik-Tok remained planted on the ground but was swayed when the ground would. Suddenly, the ground beneath Mac all but broke away and he screamed as he vanished into the darkness.

"MAC!" Tik-Tok shouted in dismay at seeing the young boy vanish.

"Dadddeeee!" Jack echoed, trying to get his feet properly planted so he could dive in after Mac but the ground was shaking all too much. This wasn't looking good at all for any of them.

But despite having tumbled into a mountain, Mac was gracefully sliding down some rocks which seemed to have been smoothed just for this occasion. Around him, peeking through some of the rock were jewels. No, not just peeking. It was as if the whole tunnel was covered in sparkling jewels of all manner of colour, shape, and brightness.

"You see," the voice of the King echoed from all around, "I am the Gnome King. My Gnomes spend endless hours slaving away, making all these beautiful jewels. Something, aren't they?"

"You have so much." Mac mumbled.

"Beg pardon?"

"YOU HAVE SO MUCH." Mac shouted, unsure if the Gnome King was deaf, or he just couldn't hear that well.

"Oh. Well it is expected, I'm a King after all. If a King should have anything, it should be a LOT of what he has. I didn't order my Gnomes to make jewels and sparkly things only to have them stolen away and put into a city for people and animals to enjoy! They are MINE."

Mac tumbled over and over once he finally hit the smooth surface of the cave, and slid quite easily across the floor until he smacked into something. The two bodies rolled for a moment longer until they came to a stop, Mac shook his head to clear his mind, but sadly with little success. But then he realised just who he had crashed into. There was the Scarecrow, just as he remembered him with his crooked eye, and missing arm. The only difference was now he was clad in green clothing, and hanging around his neck was a pendant with a gold ‘O’ with a ‘Z’ within the ‘O’. "Scarecrow!" Mac shouted in both shock, and relief. He was alive, he wasn’t hurt or anything!

"Mac!" the Scarecrow declared besides himself with joy. He knew Mac would come, he knew it! Just as he was about to reach out to Mac and say something else, there was a crack of lightning and a flash of brilliant light and the Scarecrow was gone. All that showed he had been there, were a few loose pieces of straw on the floor. Mac stared, wide eyed at what was left of the Scarecrow before picking up the pieces in his hands.

"S… scarecrow?" he asked, but then the echoing voice of the Gnome King filled the air. "Where is he, what did you do?"

"Oh. I turned him into an ornament." the King replied casually, "A small worthless dust collector in my huge collection of ornaments. I've been meaning to do it, and you arriving reminded me! Old age brings memory problems, don't ya know? Anyhow, as I was saying, your friend is the thief! All of those emeralds in the Emerald City really belong to me, so technically I’m only taking back what is mine. He had no right in stealing them."

[CG]

Mac turned his head, and saw one of the walls of the cavern had become a face. The rocky, misshaped face of the Gnome King finally appeared. He looked old, rocks folding under his eyes to emphasize bags under them, and even had some glasses perched atop his big nose. But he didn't look regal, or royal; he looked tired but very angry. But Mac didn’t care about that now, standing up he ran over to the large face which quickly melted into the wall. As soon as Mac arrived he thumped his fists onto the cavern’s wall. "He didn’t steal anything! They were there when he got there!" he shouted into the darkness. He began to realise, there might be little to no hope for the Scarecrow now, being turned into an ornament? No longer alive (technically he wasn't before, but at least he had life within him), but frozen in time as a worthless nick-nack? Despite himself, Mac felt himself begin to shake and tears prick behind his eyes and he shut them, trying to stop himself from crying. "He... he didn’t steal them... they were there when he came..."

"Tut tut." the Gnome King's voice echoed all around, and Mac felt a very heavy hand pat him on the head but only lightly. "Poor Mac... poor poor Mac of Fosters."

Mac pulled away from the King, roughly rubbing his eyes to stop the tears before they happen and turned to look at the King. He looked slightly more human now, having made himself a body out of the rocks on the wall. He was sat on a throne.

The Gnome King observed him for a moment, "How about this." he snapped his fingers, and just as Mac had slid into the large room, Tik-Tok, Jack and the Gump suddenly slid into it as well.

"Guys!" Mac hurried over,

"Help me up. Help me up." Tik-Tok said, distressed since he was on his 'back' and slightly on the side given the knobs in his back. Mac managed to pull him onto his 'feet'. "Thank you." Mac set about helping Jack to his feet as the Gnome King continued.

"I'm going to give you all a chance to find your precious Scarecrow." the King said, "A... game, as you will."

"I like games!" Jack declared.

"Well then you'll like this. Through there," the Gnome King pointed to a hallway which suddenly appeared as some rocks were literally pulled back into themselves by granite arms, "Is my room full of my ornaments. All you have to do, is touch an ornament and say 'Oz'. You get three tries. That's all."

The group huddled for a moment.

"Is is on-ly way to save Scare-crow." Tik-Tok whispered as quietly as he could.

"I like games!" Jack said again.

"But how do we know we can trust him?" the Gump asked, eyeing the King over Jack's shoulder.

"We don't have much of a choice. It's this or... who knows." Mac mumbled. He turned to look at the King. "We accept your offer."

"Wonderful!" the old Gnome King clapped his hands together. "How about the couch first?"

"Gump." the Gump corrected. He held his head high and shook his head. "But fine, I'll go first."

"How is you touch things?" Tik-Tok asked, "Gump have no hands."

"I'll use my antler." the Gump replied in a matter-of-fact way. He grinned at Mac, "Don't worry Mac. I'll find him for ya." with that, the Gump lumbered away through the tunnel, and vanished as the granite arms returned the rocks to where they once were. It wasn't long until a rumbling noise echoed through the room, causing those gathered to look skyward. It came one more time after a few more minutes. It was here, that Tik-Tok realised something.

"Mac?" he asked.

"What is it?" Mac replied,

"Gnome King say this is game. What hap-pen when we loose?"

It was then a violent clap of thunder and lightning shook the room so forcefully, Tik-Tok fell to his side. His cries of 'help me up' were quietened as Jack and Mac helped him back to his 'feet' again. "What was that?!" Mac asked, shocked by the sound and sudden ground movement.

"Oh, it was just the couch loosing." the Gnome King replied as he puffed on a pipe he had somehow gotten from somewhere.

"So... where is he?" Mac asked, dreading the answer.

"He's been turned into an ornament." he replied simply. "He took his three turns, lost, and now he too is an ornament."

"BAD KING!" Red gasped in shock and anger.

"But that's not fair!" Mac shouted,

"I don't like this game." Jack mumbled to himself.

"Well it's the rules." the King said back sharply, "You take your turn, you loose. The end."

"But you didn't tell us that part!" Mac said, shaken to the core knowing that not only was the Scarecrow now an ornament, but also the poor Gump who just now came back to life after who knows how many years.

"You didn't ask." the tunnel suddenly reappeared. "Next. How about... Pumpkin head?"

[CG]

They all fell silent. Each (even Jack) knew they were at the mercy of this King, and had to do as he said. Jack whined a bit, and looked to Tik-Tok and Mac before looking as stern as a pumpkin headed man could and clenched his tree branch fists as best he could. "I find horsie!" he declared bravely.

"Er... yeah... you take care of yourself, Jack." Mac leant in closer, speaking into one of Jack's eye sockets. "You too Billina."

"Mac. This place isn't like home at all." the small chicken replied quietly.

And for the second time, Mac watched sadly as one (technically two) of his friends vanished into the room. Tik-Tok, Mac, and the King waited again. As before, a low rumbling noise filled the air after long enough, meaning Jack had tried once already and failed. Mac could all but imagine the pumpkin head walking through all these breakables, being lost and confused over which way to go, or what to pick. And poor Billina, hiding in his head as well. It was then second rumble filled the air.

"One turn left." the King said in a merry voice, who for some reason seemed to had become not only a bit younger, but also more human since the Gump had lost. His features weren't so rocky, but he was still one with the rock. Maybe it was a trick of the lights? Mac lost his concentration since the violent shaking of the room confirmed his fears. Jack had lost. Now he, and Billina, had been turned into ornaments in the collection. The King let out a bark of laughter, and clapped his hands which now, most definitely, looked more human.

"Next! Copper Block there."

"No wor-ry Mac." Tik-Tok said, "Tik-Tok no fail." he grinned at Mac, before turning and hopping away through the tunnel and into the room.

Thus leaving Mac and the Gnome King alone. Mac looked at the King, who definitely looked more solid and human. "I'm just wondering something..." Mac said.

"What is that?" the King asked, puffing on his pipe.

"You seem to be only in control of rocks and things... but how'd you turn the people of Oz into statues?" he asked.

"Ah, good question. I was waiting for you to ask me that. I can do those things, because of these." since he was now more human, and seemed to be now properly sat in a seat and wearing clothes he pulled back on the royal robes covering his legs. There, on his feet, were some very familiar shoes.

"My shoes!" Mac gasped, for they were indeed. The sparkling, red ruby shoes that had once belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East were now perched on the feet of the King of Gnomes.

"No, no." the King shook his finger as his feet vanished back into the robes. "Mine. You see one day they just... fell out of the sky. And since they are made from rubies, which my Gnomes make, that makes them mine now. And when that straw headed dolt took control of the land I knew I was better suited for it. So I simply... wished the whole city into stone! Simply marvellous, isn't it?"

Mac just glared at the King. He knew now, the only hope that Oz had returning to normal was him, and Tik-Tok. Even if there is the tinest shred of hope left flickering in the darkness, it's better then nothing.

To be continued

[Cassini90125]

Gnome King's got a 'tude. Well done, as usual! Can't wait to see what happens next!

["C" the Dragon]

Alright! You're back making the fic! I really do hope that they found Wilt, though.

[CG]

Chapter 8: Green

The two remained in silence as they listened for the distant rumbling. It came, twice, meaning Tik-Tok only had one remaining turn left.

But then there was a long pause, silence filling the room like vapour. Nothing stirred, or moved, for a long time. The stony (pun intended) silence was broken when a whispering voice filled the air. Mac realised a rock near the King's head had grown a mouth and eyes, and was busy telling the King something before melting back into the rock. The King looked puzzled, before looking at Mac. "It seems the Copper Cube has broken down." he said.

"His actions must have run down." Mac said.

"Well that's not good." the King frowned, before scratching the end of his nose with a finger. "I say you better go and unstick him so he can finish his turn."

Mac didn't like that idea at all. He gulped, but he knew he had no choice in the matter. He watched the hole in the stone wall being pried open, and he vanished down into the hallway. It led on for a few steps before Mac walked into the large room. It had marble floors, and a marble ceiling. But unlike the hazy dream he could hardly remember now, it had supports of columns and he could see the walls. All around him were vanities, drawers, sofas, tables of all shapes and sizes, and atop all of them were small ornaments of various colour and make. Some were pot, others marble, some stone. Mac made his way around the furniture, careful not to bump into anything.

"Tik-Tok?" Mac called out, but then spotted him. Sure enough, Tik-Tok was frozen in the middle of the room. "Tik-Tok!" he hurried over to his friend and put his hand to the key that wound up his movements, but couldn't move it any more. "...you're not frozen..."

"Shhh." Tik-Tok whispered. "Me fake break-ing down so you come in. Pre-tend to wind me." Mac did as he was told, and Tik-Tok turned to face him. "Me see it this way; if you is in here with me, and if I loose me last turn you see what I am turned in-to."

"..wow, that's a pretty good plan!" Mac said, very much impressed by the 'Copper Cubes' idea.

Tik-Tok grinned widely, before turning and beginning to make his way around the ornaments. Mac followed him, and watched as Tik-Tok looked from one piece of nick-nackery to another. Finally he settled on an empty vase and put his hand on it.

The two locked eyes for a second.

"Oz."

There was a brilliant flash of light, the thunder roared. Mac had to shut his eyes since the bright white light was almost blinding, and when he opened his eyes... Tik-Tok was gone. But he could see nothing different about the room at all. He couldn't see any new ornaments anywhere. Tik-Tok's good idea had gone to dust.

~*~

"Your Highness, Mombi has arrived!" a Gnome declared, and sure enough in strode the Princess dressed in a gown any queen or princess would be jealous of. Ruffles, bows, cuffs, the whole shebang. Behind her were the Wheelers, all tied together in order to pull her chariot.

"Ah, Princess Mombi." the Gnome King grinned. "A pleasure."

"Yeah yeah..." Mombi muttered.

"Kneel." the King said.

"What?!"

"Kneel; you may be a Princess but I'm a King. Kneel."

Mombi growled dangerously but kneeled.

"Lower."

She got down on her hands and knees.

"Lower."

Now she was flat on the floor.

"...Lower!" the King then erupted into a fit of laughter that seemed to shake the entire room.

"Listen! I came to tell you, Mac of Fosters is here, and he-"

"I know." the Gnome King said in a bored voice.

"You know?"

"What, did I stutter? Yes! I know. He's here now. And soon... he'll be gone. Just like Ozma. Soon, no one will remember Mac, OR Ozma. And I, shall rule Oz."

~*~

Mac had been inspecting some of the ornaments, looking for something that might look like one of his friends. Maybe a clock, or an antler... something! But it was becoming harder to find anything. So, he left it to pot luck. He shut his eyes, reached out his hand and grabbed something.

"Oz!"

~*~

The distant rumble echoed in the room.

"Yes... two turns to go and it's goodbye Mac." the King grinned, "And I, shall finally be human."

~*~

Having failed that one, Mac moved away to try again. He picked up a pincushion, dazzled with pins with bright colours on the pinheads. "Oz!"

The rumble shook the room, leaving Mac stood there once more.

"One turn left." he mumbled as he put the pin cushion back. He walked away from it, and entered another area of the room. Scratching his head, he looked around. Still, things were everywhere but nothing caught his eye. Growing agitated, Mac shut his eyes and spun on the spot for two spins then reached out and began walking. Feeling blindly he found a cuppboard adorned with nick-nacks on top. He couldn't see it, but his hands landed on a metal plant at first, but then something didn't feel right so he moved his hands away and to the left. Now in his hands, he gripped a green coloured bird. He peeked his eye open for a split second to see what he was holding, before shutting it tightly, to brace himself.

"Oz!"

There was a wonderful flash of light which filled the room, so bright even through Mac's shut eyes he could see it. He waited for the rumbling, the crash of lightning, but instead...

"MAC!"

~*~

The voice of the Scarecrow echoed on throughout the mountain, and the Gnome King's eyes widened in horror.

"No..."

~*~

[CG]

"Scarecrow!" Mac shouted in delight, at last, at last! There he was, the Scarecrow just how he had crashed into him in the room outside. The Scarecrow all but fell off the table and threw his one arm around the boy.

"Mac! I knew it, I just knew you'd come!" the Scarecrow declared.

"Green!" Mac suddenly realised.

"Green?" the Scarecrow echoed, looking puzzled.

"You were green, a green bird! That's it, that's why you showed up in my dream saying green! Everyone from Oz, is green! It makes perfect sense! The Emerald city, and emerald is green!" it was like a dam of knowledge had burst and all the water was rushing around in Mac's head at the same time. It all made perfect sense.

The two split up immediately, looking for things of green colour. It wasn't long until Scarecrow found a green triangle of something. Cheese, he thought. Yuck, green cheese. "Mac look!" he held it out to him, "Green, just as you said."

Mac put his hand on the shape, "Oz!"

Immediately in the Scarecrows hands, Jack appeared. The sudden weight made the Scarecrow fall over, Jack landing on top of him. "WEEEEEEE!! Do it again!!" Jack shouted happily.

"Never again...!!" Billina whimpered from within his head.

~*~

Back outside, drastic changes were happening. The Gnome King looked more and more like a talking piece of rock forged into the wall. His throne was gone, his pipe was gone; he was but a face. A very old, and very angry face. His beady black eyes glared at the princess. "You... You let him ESCAPE! You HAD him in your clutches and he ESCAPED!"

"It-it's not my fault!" the Princess cried, terrified since the very mountain was beginning to shake. Terrified even more when the King let out a bellowed scream of rage she turned to run, but immediately a cage grew around her. "NO! NO NO NO!"

"I'll deal with you LATER." with that the King melted back into the rocks.

By now, the Wheelers, having sensed the vibrations through their wheels long before it happened, had fled.

~*~

Inside the ornament room, things weren't going so well. All around them, the ceiling, sky and walls began to shake. The objects not tied down began falling over, vases smashed, cupboards shook and couches fell to the side. But still the group hurried through the furniture, leaping over pieces of ceiling, until they had to come to a stop. Part of one wall was beginning to fall away, revealing what looked like the insides of a volcano beyond it, bubbling and spewing black smoke. The Scarecrow happened to look around for an escape when he saw it - a green vase was just beginning to fall off a pedestal. Seeing the colour, he suddenly snapped his one arm back and threw it out, stretching it as far as the material would allow but it was enough for his one hand to grab the vase and pull it back to them.

Throughout this, they could hear the voice of the Gnome King yelling "Stop!" every few seconds. But they ignored him as Mac touched the vase.

"Oz!"

The Gump materialised out of nowhere, almost crushing Jack.

"What's happening, what's going on?" the Gump asked just as the Gnome King rose into view. He was much larger then before. He looked as enraged as a Gnome King could look.

"I SAID STOP!" he hollered.

"W-we haven't stopped guessing yet!" Mac snapped back, as bravely as he could even if his knees were knocking together.

"I'M SICK OF GUESSING! I SHOULD HAVE FINISHED YOU ALL OFF WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE! A MISTAKE I WILL NOT BE MAKING AGAIN!" the Gnome King's large eyes looked from one party member to the other. "I THINK THE COUCH SHOULD BE FIRST."

Before they knew what was happening, the large hand of the King reached down and grabbed onto the end of the Gump's couch body. The group cried on protest, and they all grabbed onto the Gump's head in order to pull him out of the Kings grasp. But the King was too strong, and pulled the couch roughly; but luckily the ropes snapped, and the head of the Gump fell into the Scarecrows arm. The Gump, along the rest of the group, watched in horror as the Gnome King ate the couch. He was going to eat them all. What a way to go!

[CG]

"NEXT, PUMPKIN HEAD!"

"NO! RUN JACK, RUN!" Mac shouted, and everyone did turn and run in the opposite direction of where the King was. The Scarecrow carried the Gump's head, heeding the directions the Gump shouted. Turn this way, watch the vase, turn there...

"GNOMES! SIEZE THEM!"

Things got complicated. Bursting from the walls, were the Gnomes. Horrendous stone monsters with long sharp claws, and wide gaping mouths. They reached out at Mac and his friends, trying to grab them. They came close to grabbing Mac's back pack but were felled when the Gump knocked into one of their hands with his antler. But poor Jack was as confused, and scared, as ever. Pieces of the ceiling were falling, and the Gnomes, it all caused him to just stand in the middle of the room and scream at the top of his lungs.

Enough of an opportunity for the King to reach in and grab Jack by the feet. Mac, cornered by the Gnomes with the Gump and Scarecrow could only watch in horror as Jack screams filled the air as he was lifted into the air.

Now upside down, Jack held on tightly to his head not wanting to loose it. The top of his head, the tiny part people cut off in order to scoop the pumpkin 'guts' out with, fell off. Jack was slowly being lowered into the open jaws of the King, when one noise froze everything.

Billina was clucking her head off within Jack's head. The King's eyes widened in shock, the Gnomes froze in terror as they heard the noise.

"Billina!" Mac gasped, having forgotten about the poor chicken.

"Oh dear oh dear!" the yellow hen clucked as she stared down into the gaping void of the Gnome King's throat. So terrified was she, that she laid an egg. It rolled around the entrance to Jack's head, before it fell and plummeted into the open jaws of the King. He snapped his mouth shut in an attempt to stop the egg, but it was too late. He had swallowed the egg.

"Poison!" the Gnomes hissed in terror and sorrow. "Poison!!" they began to melt back into the rock, already beginning to grieve for their King. The Gnome King very slowly, almost mechanically lowered Jack back down onto the floor, his eyes beginning to turn from white to grey. As Jack landed, Mac and the Scarecrow helped him to his feet.

"Don't you know...?" the Gnome King asked, pieces of his rocky body beginning to fall away like a landslide. "Eggs.. are poison..."

"Poison indeed!" Billina clucked, insulted. It was the first egg she had laid in over three years, nothing poison about it!

"Poison... to... gnomes..."

To explain how the Gnome King demised is hard to put into words. He basically fell in on himself. Leaving a pile of rocks in the middle of the room. But the chain reaction had been set into place, the mountain was quaking from the death of the King, and the volcano was rumbling louder and louder. Just how in the world are they going to get out of here?

The answer all but fell at their feet. Mac could see, glinting faintly from within the rubble of what was once the Gnome King was a red flash of colour. The shoes! Not saying anything Mac rushed over and began pulling the smaller rocks away, until he squeezed his hand through them and pulled out the shoes. Kicking his sneakers off he pulled them on, before rushing back to his friends. He took the Scarecrow's leg into his hand, and Jack's hand into the other. Billina was still inside Jack's head, and the Scarecrow held fast to the Gump's head. "I wish we were back at the Emerald City and everything was back to normal!" he shouted, and clicked his heels together three times.

And then the mountain collapsed.

To be concluded

[Cassini90125]

Wow. You did a really good job of capturing the suspense in this one.

[antgirl1]

Dun dun dun!