Somewhere Over The Rainbow/Part 4

The Wicked Witch of the West watched through her crystal ball as the four Smurflings are now making their way toward her castle.

"So that Wizard has sent them come after me, hasn't he?" the witch said. "He doesn't realize that he's sending me the very thing that I'm after...the smurfberry red heels that that no-good do-gooder is wearing. Maybe it's time to send my army of flying monkeys to capture her and her little dog...the others they can do with them as they see fit." - The Smurflings looked around carefully on the path they were now taking toward the castle of the Wicked Witch, a path that looked creepier than the one that they took through the forest to get to the Emerald Village. Sassette was armed with a butterfly net, Snappy carried a mallet, Slouchy was armed with his ax, and Nat carried a pitchfork.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all...going after the Wicked Witch's broomstick when we have no idea how to even destroy her," Snappy said.

"What's the matter, Snappy?" Sassette said. "I thought you liked the idea of being a lone hero in a story."

"Reading about the Wicked Witch in a story book is one thing, but actually living out what she could possibly do...I think I'd rather be home smurfing in bed right about now," Snappy said.

"Well, we can't smurf anything about it except to do what the Wizard of Odds asks of us, which is part of the story," Nat said.

"If we know what's going to happen to us according to the story, then this shouldn't be a problem, right?" Slouchy said.

Suddenly Nat was grabbed and taken up into the canopy of the trees before he was then immediately dropped back to the ground with some of his stuffing falling out.

"Okay, that's it...we're smurfing back to the Emerald Village and smurfing this some other time," Snappy said, looking like he was ready to retreat.

"Now you really are a coward, Snappy," Sassette said. "If you knew this was going to be dangerous, you wouldn't be smurfing this thing all by yourself now."

"I sure wouldn't smurf this by myself, Sassy," Nat said as he stuffed himself up again. "Whatever happens, let's stick together and try to handle things as a team."

"I'm smurfing right there with you on that, Nat," Slouchy said.

Suddenly there was a shrieking sound as the Smurflings heard and saw the flying monkeys swarming down on them. The three boy Smurflings tried to get the flying monkeys away from them as well as from Sassette, but unfortunately they failed as Nat got torn apart and Sassette was captured along with Puppy.

"Uh-oh," Slouchy said as the flying monkeys then departed from the scene with their captured prey. "I just hope Sassette doesn't give up the smurfberry red heels to that witch."

"In the meantime, why not help me get smurfed back together?" Nat said, sounding very upset that the flying monkeys would scatter his parts all around the path.

"Just hold on a minute until we get all the pieces of you," Snappy said as he and Slouchy looked around for Nat's body parts. - Inside the Wicked Witch's castle, Sassette found herself facing the witch herself. "It's so nice of you to visit me in my loneliness," the witch said. "I believe you have something of mine on the feet, so if you don't mind, I would like for you to give them to me."

"Well, if you want them so badly, why don't you try smurfing them off yourself?" Sassette said.

"Don't think that I won't try," the Wicked Witch said. She reached down to grab the smurfberry red heels, but felt a painful shock before she could even touch them. "Aaaaah!" she screamed. "That goody-goody Glinda has cast a spell on the shoes so that they can never be removed. I guess that only means one thing...I will have to cast a spell on you so that if I can't remove the shoes from you, then I must remove you from the shoes."

Suddenly Puppy started running out the door of the witch's laboratory and down the stairs. "Go, Puppy, let the others know where I am," Sassette cried out.

"Guards, stop that dog!" the Wicked Witch commanded.

The guards tried as they could, even to close up the drawbridge, but Puppy managed to escape and run away.

"Yes, he did it! He got away! The others will come for me, and you won't stop them," Sassette said proudly.

"Let's see them try to do so before the sands of this hourglass run out, my dearie," the Wicked Witch said as she turned the hourglass and caused it to start running before she left the laboratory and locked Sassette inside it.

Sassette looked out the window, her confidence fading as she was beginning to realize that this may all be for real. Her hope now lies with Puppy reaching the others to lead them the rest of the way to the castle. - Back down in the place where the flying monkeys had assaulted the Smurflings, Snappy and Slouchy have finished putting Nat back together again. He was trying to get himself coordinated enough to start walking straight when they saw Puppy coming towards them, barking excitedly.

"You know the way to the Wicked Witch's castle?" Snappy said. "How did you escape?"

"Never mind how he managed to escape...what matters is how we're going to get ourselves in," Nat said.

"Let's follow Puppy and see if there is a way to smurf into the castle without being seen," Slouchy said.

The three Smurflings followed Puppy until they were outside the castle's gate, watching the guards march around in formation and chanting. "Okay, that part's not going to be as easy as it seems," Slouchy said.

"We've just got to get ourselves some guard uniforms and smurf in with the crowd," Nat said.

"Great plan, but how do we get ourselves some guard uniforms?" Snappy asked.

Their answer came when they found themselves jumped by a trio of guards who found them hiding behind a small hill. There was a brief flurry of a scuffle going on before Nat, Snappy, and Slouchy appeared wearing the guard uniforms.

"There's our chance, you guys," Nat said. "Let's smurf in behind those guards and follow them into the castle."

The three Smurflings sneaked in behind the guards and followed them into the castle with Puppy tagging along before the drawbridge had closed up. Then they separated and ditched the guard uniforms. "Now where are we supposed to go now?" Snappy asked.

Puppy barked as he raced up a set of stairs nearby. "That room up there must be where the witch is keeping Sassette prisoner," Slouchy said.

They quickly went up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Sassette?"

Sassette heard the knocking. "Nat! Snappy! Slouchy! Thank Smurfness you're here! Quick, there isn't much time before the sands smurf out!"

"Let me handle this," Slouchy said. He struck near the handle of the door repeatedly to break through and get it to open, trying to do it as quickly as possible. "Boy, this is sure easier done in the book than it is in real-life," Slouchy grunted.

"Please! The sands are almost gone!" Sassette pleaded.

Suddenly the door had broken open, and Sassette rushed out to greet her rescuers. "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't smurf me out in time," she said, sounding very grateful.

"Let's get ourselves smurfing out of here already," Snappy said.

"Wait a minute, Snappy...we still have to get the Wicked Witch's broomstick," Nat said.

"Let's just get downstairs and hope the Wicked Witch knows what we're doing," Slouchy said.

The four Smurflings quickly rushed downstairs, only to find that the drawbridge has been closed up and that the guards have them completely surrounded.

The Wicked Witch appeared at the balcony overlooking the room they were in. "Leaving so soon? I wouldn't dream of that," she said, sounding pleased that she has them right where she wants them. "Why, my little party is just beginning."

Slouchy saw a rope holding up a chandelier right above the guards and quickly cut the rope, causing the chandelier to fall down right upon the guards and trap them. They quickly ran right past them and up another set of stairs.

"You fools," the Wicked Witch hissed, "You're letting them get away. I want half of you to go one way and half of you to go the other way. We can't let them escape as long as that little blue troublemaker has the smurfberry red heels."

The guards split up and went in different directions as the four Smurflings ran along the battlements, only to find themselves trapped as the guards closed them in on both sides. There was no way for them to escape.

The Wicked Witch showed up on the battlement where the Smurflings were trapped. "Oh, ring around the rosie, a pocket full of spears," she said. "It seems that I will have my smurfberry red heels after all. The first to go will be the first three before her, and her little dog, too." She reached out toward a lighted torch with her broomstick and set the end of it on fire. "How about a little fire, scarecrow?"

Nat screamed as the Wicked Witch set his arm on fire. Sassette looked around for something to put it out with and saw a bucket of water. "No, don't touch that...," the witch cried out.

Sassette threw the bucket of water onto Nat's arm to douse the flame. The water also hit the Wicked Witch, causing her to scream loudly and to start melting.

"You cursed little brat...look what you've done!" the Wicked Witch shrieked. "I'm melting...melting...oh, what a world, what a world...who would have thought that a good little girl like you would destroy my beautiful wickedness...oh, look out...look out...I'm gone..."

The guards looked at what was left of the Wicked Witch, which was nothing but a hat and her robe. "You...you destroyed her," one of the guards said.

"I really didn't mean to do it," Sassette said. "It's just that Nat's arm is on fire."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know the rest," Snappy said. "Can we please have the Wicked Witch's broomstick right now?"

"Here, you can do with it whatever you wish," the guard said as he handed Sassette the broomstick while the other guards bowed down before them.

"I guess that part's taken care of, Smurflings," Nat said. "Now let's return to the Wizard of Odds and smurf our reward."