Wizard of Oz
by Rin
We welcome you to Munchkinland
[reviews]
A/N: I'm so gonna love this.
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There were tiny people peeking their heads out all around her, as she walked closer into the village. How did this happen? Sure, it was Hellmouth-worthy but this place didn't make her spidey sense tingle. Actually, it gave her a calm euphoria of emotional senses; it was soothing. As Buffy made her way onto the road, she noticed it was made of yellow bricks. 'This is not happening...'
Just as she was getting ready to run back into her house, and try to wake herself up, a glowing ball started to fall from the sky in an ethereal movement. It dissolved into the most beautiful woman Buffy had ever met: Willow. However, the dress she was wearing was something straight out of a bad movie musical.
"Now I know I'm not on the Hellmouth." Buffy loosened her grip on Mr. Gordo, as she walked closer to Willow.
"Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" Willow cocked her head to the side, as though she didn't recognize the blonde.
"Who, me?" Buffy wanted to chuckle but held back upon seeing the seriousness on her friend's face. "Why, I'm not a witch at all. It's me, Wills. You know...Buffy the Vampire Slayer, your best friend."
"Oh! Well..." Willow truly did not seem to recognize her. "...is that the witch?"
"Who, Mr. Gordo?" Buffy again had to hold back a chuckle; though she started to worry she had somehow flown herself into some wacky alternate reality. Giles would want to know everything, so she tried to pay attention. "He's a stuffed pig."
"Well, I'm a little muddled. The Munchkins called me because a new witch has just dropped a house on the wicked witch of the East. And there's the house, and here you are, and that's all that's left of the Wicked Witch of the East." Willow pointed to two feet protruding from the bottom of the house. Buffy started to panic. "So what the Munchkins want to know is, are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"
"Oh, but I've already told you. I'm not a witch at all. This isn't funny anymore, Wills." Buffy wanted this to be a bad joke so bad but everything was too real. She knew HER Willow would never call little people munchkins; it wasn't politically correct, and she'd be afraid of offending them. Buffy harrumphed, as she mumbled under her breath. "Witches are old and ugly."
There were giggles, as Willow chuckled as well. Buffy didn't mean to say that out loud. She knew it wasn't true. After all, Willow was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was becoming a witch.
"The Munchkins are laughing because I'm a witch. I'm Willow, the Witch of the North." The redhead had that gorgeous smile on her face.
"Oh, I beg your pardon. You are very beautiful." Buffy lowered her voice to whisper to herself. "Though I've always thought so."
"Only bad witches are ugly." The redhead watched, as the little people started to come out of hiding. "The Munchkins are happy because you have freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East."
"This isn't happening." Buffy wanted to scream. "All I wanted was to get a good grade on this paper, not become the movie! Where the hell am I?"
"It's Munchkinland, and you are their national heroine, my dear." Willow motioned with her hands for the little people to approach. They slowly started to come out one by one but needed a little more coercing. "It's all right. You may all come out and thank her."
"Really...this isn't happening." Buffy watched as swarms of little people came out of the most ridiculous hiding places. 'Please don't let there be songs, please don't let there be songs.'
"Well, the Munchkins are extremely grateful to you." Willow turned to the cadre of Munchkins, and raised her voice in glee. "Let the joyous news be spread: the Wicked Old Witch at last is dead!"
"Thank the powers for small favors." Buffy took a sigh of relief. No songs, thank goodness.
"Miss, I'm happy to announce that the Wicked Witch is most sincerely dead." An older Munchkin, who carried with him some sort of document, handed it to two other regal looking munchkins. Again, Buffy couldn't believe she was saying the word munchkin, and looking at a village full of them.
"We regally welcome you to Munchkin City." A stout, older gentleman took her hand, as she was led into the center of the crowd. "History has been made today! Let it be rejoiced, and..."
A big smoke cloud followed a loud boom, as all the Munchkins ran to hide again. 'Shit...can I just wake up already? Give me the shoes, I'll click my heels, we'll get this over with...'
"Cordelia?!" Buffy truly wanted to fall down laughing now. The former cheerleader was decked in what could only be explained as the worst outfit ever...plus, her skin was green! "Oh, I should've brought a camera. Wills would love this."
"This is the Wicked Witch of the West, and she's worse than the other one was." Willow rolled her eyes, and stood protectively in front of Buffy. This was different. It was usually the slayer protecting the redhead. This was definitely an alternate reality.
"Who killed Harmony? Who killed the Witch of the East? Was it you? Answer me!" Cordelia was in Buffy's face, pointing fingers. Maybe this reality wasn't that much different.
"Leave her alone!" Willow forced herself further between Cordelia and Buffy.
"You stay out of this! I'm here for vengeance." Cordy stalked closer, as her eyes squinted into that dangerous, predatory look Buffy was all too familiar with. "So it was you, was it? You killed her, didn't you?"
"Technically, it was an accident. I didn't plan on slaying any witches today." Buffy looked over at Willow to see the girl's resolve face in place. That made the slayer smile just a bit, despite the obvious danger at hand.
"Didn't mean it, eh? Accident, eh? Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents, too, and this is how I do it!" Cordelia raised her hand to strike but Willow stepped forward again.
"Aren't you forgetting...the silver slippers?" Willow pointed over at the legs protruding from underneath the Summers house.
"The slippers! Yes, the slippers!" Cordelia forgot about them for a moment, and made her way towards the legs. Once she got there, the slippers disappeared, and she turned back in pure anger. "They're gone! What have you done with them?! Give them back to me, or I'll..."
"It's too late!" Willow held her hand up in silence, and her voice was powerful. She pointed at Buffy's feet. "There they are, and there they'll stay."
"Oh...these are cute." Buffy examined the slippers, and decided to move things along by clicking her heels together three times. She remembered how this worked. "There's no place like home."
"What are you doing?" Cordelia shouted.
"Apparently nothing." Buffy pouted, as noticed she had gone nowhere. Maybe she did it wrong. She really should've read the book.
"Give me back my slippers! I'm the only one that knows how to use them. They're of no use to you! Give them back to me!" Cordelia started towards them again, as Willow whispered to Buffy.
"Keep tight inside them. Their magicks must be powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly." The redhead stared down at the green witch.
"You stay out of this, Willow, or I'll fix you as well!" Cordelia did her best angry eyes but the redhead didn't even flinch. Instead, she just started to laugh.
"Oh, rubbish. You have no power here. Be gone before somebody drops a house on you, too." Willow's laugh was infectious, and Buffy took a deep breath to relish in it.
"Very well. I'll bide my time. And as for you, I can't attend to you here and now as I'd like, but just try to stay out of my way! Just try!" Cordelia waved her hands in the air to leave but not without one final threat. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little pig, too!"
"Well...that was overly dramatic." Buffy huffed, as she clutched Mr. Gordo tighter to her. "So...how do I use these things? How do I get back?"
"I'm afraid I can't help you there. You'll have to ask the Wizard of Oz himself. He lives in Emerald City, which is quite a trek from here, though I suppose it wouldn't be if you'd brought your broomstick, which I see you haven't, so I guess you'll have to walk...which isn't going to be fun but it's the only way there." Willow took a deep breath. Babble...that was definitely a trait inherit of HER Willow. Oh, how she already missed her. "The Munchkins will see you to the border of Munchkinland but remember not to take those slippers off at any time, or you'll be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West."
"Okay...so I guess I just follow the Yellow Brick road?" Buffy took a deep breath, and stared out at the long path. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck." Willow the Witch of the North bent forward, and placed a soft, fluttering kiss on Buffy's cheek. The blonde slayer blushed furiously, and touched her hand to where those soft lips were.
"Thanks." Buffy choked on her words, as she kept her fingers touching that spot where Willow had kissed her. She still had goose bumps from the small contact, as she watched Willow dissolve back into her ball of light. "People come and go so quickly around here."
The Munchkins didn't have much work to do. Buffy knew what she had to do, as she started to follow the Yellow Brick road. 'This is gonna suck in these heels...'