“More than anything, I want to see you lose something you love,” the captain said. “But since it’s impossible to hold you down and cut off your hand, I’ve decided to hit you where it hurts the most. You want Tinker Bell back? Catch!”
Captain Hook threw Tinker Bell’s jar into the air, and it plummeted toward the streets below. Peter Pan dived after the jar—and as he passed the Jolly Roger, Mr. Smee fired a cannon at him. Instead of a cannonball, though, a wide net erupted from the cannon and wrapped itself around Peter. The boy landed on the roof of the observation deck and was too firmly tangled in the net to save Tinker Bell.
“TINK!” Peter Pan screamed.
The Rosary Chicken hadn’t moved from the deck of the Dolly Llama since the battle began, but as she watched the helpless fairy fall to her death, the chicken knew this was her moment to contribute. The Rosary Chicken plunged toward the jar, but just as she clutched the jar’s handle with her beak, the chicken suddenly remembered she couldn’t fly!
“SQUUUUAW!” the Rosary Chicken squawked as she fell toward her own certain death.
Fortunately, her desperate chirps were heard by another one of Conner’s characters. At the top of the Dolly Llama’s mast, the Blissworm emerged from its cocoon to save its friend. However, the Blissworm didn’t exit its chrysalis as a smiling, squishy space worm. Instead, a massive creature slipped out of the cocoon and landed on the deck of the Dolly Llama with a loud thud. The creature had bulging biceps, defined abdominal muscles, three feathered antennas, and a wide set of wings whose pattern, when they stretched open, resembled a sad face. The Blissworm had evolved into the next phase of its metamorphosis: a ferocious Mad Moth.
The Mad Moth got to its feet, roared like a Tyrannosaurus rex, and beat on its broad chest like a gorilla. The creature was such a fascinating sight, all the pirates on the Empire State Building stopped fighting to watch it—some even took a seat. The Mad Moth leaped off the Dolly Llama, using the entire ship as a diving board, and whooshed toward Tinker Bell and the Rosary Chicken. The Mad Moth caught up to the chicken and the fairy within a few feet of the street below.
“SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!”
The Rosary Chicken was more afraid of the Mad Moth than the fall. The massive insect returned to the Dolly Llama and gently placed the chicken and Tinker Bell’s jar on the deck. Peter Pan and the characters from Starboardia cheered the Mad Moth’s bold rescue. It was so impressive, even a few of the Jolly Roger pirates clapped along.
“NOOOOOO!” Captain Hook yelled. “He was supposed to lose something he loved!”
The livid captain slid down the Empire State Building’s spire and landed beside Peter Pan on the roof of the observation deck. The boy was still trapped in the net and couldn’t move. Captain Hook raised his sword over Peter’s head, preparing to strike him with a final, fatal blow. Right before the captain would have slain the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, Auburn Sally somersaulted across the roof and sliced off Captain Hook’s remaining hand. The captain’s sword (and his hand) fell to the ground.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Captain Hook roared in agony.
Strangely, instead of blood gushing from the captain’s veins, the only thing that came out was words. All the adjectives that James M. Barrie used to describe the horrible Captain Hook spewed from the captain’s severed wrist.
Captain Hook tucked his wounded arm into his shoulder and lost his balance. He fell over the railing of the observation deck and plunged toward the ground. The captain hit the street with such a powerful thump that the entire block rattled. When the pirates looked down, instead of seeing the captain’s body, they saw more of James M. Barrie’s words splattered across the pavement. The words slowly sizzled into smoke and disappeared.
After witnessing their captain’s fall to his death, the Jolly Roger pirates raised their hands in surrender. Peter Pan was cut free from the net and was happily reunited with Tinker Bell. Not-So-Jolly Joan burst into tears and blew her nose in Peg-Leg Peggy’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong, Joan?” Peg-Leg Peggy asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Not-So-Jolly Joan sniffled. “I just love a happy ending.”
The Ziblings’ jet zipped through the sky above New York City, but no matter how inconsistently they piloted the aircraft, the superheroes couldn’t lose the flying monkeys trailing them. Blubo joined the swarm of winged creatures as they soared after the jet, but not because he was under the Wicked Witch’s spell. The little monkey was looking for his family and spotted his parents at the front of the flock.
“Mom! Dad! It’s me—it’s Blubo!” he shouted.
“Blubo!” his mother cried. “What are you doing here?”
“You were supposed to stay at the witch’s castle in Oz!” his father said.
Despite the concerned expressions on their faces, Blubo’s parents never slowed down to greet their son or even turned to see him. Like all the other monkeys, they kept their eyes fixed on the Ziblings’ jet.
“I met some friends who are going to stop the Wicked Witch!” Blubo told them. “Those superheroes are with us—they’re good guys! You’ve got to stop chasing them before someone gets hurt!”
“I wish we could, son,” his father said. “As long as the Wicked Witch is wearing the golden cap, the monkeys are under her control.”
“I know, but can’t you fight the spell?” Blubo asked.
“We’ve tried, sweetheart, but it’s no use,” his mother said. “The Wicked Witch’s magic is too powerful. You should get out of here and enjoy your life while you still can. Once you get older, you’ll be under the witch’s control, too.”
Despite his parents’ advice, Blubo wasn’t ready to give up just yet. The little monkey left the flock and glided toward the city on a daring mission to save himself, his parents, and his species.
Eventually, the flying monkeys caught up with the Ziblings’ jet. The creatures landed on the aircraft’s wings and began ripping it apart panel by panel. A loud alarm sounded inside the cockpit to warn the passengers.
“That’s not good,” Professor Wallet said. “Those chimps are going to make us crash if we don’t intervene!”
“Don’t worry, Dad, we’ll take care of it!” Bolt said. “You stay inside and steer; we’ll go outside and save the jet before this flight goes bananas. Get it? Because they’re monkeys.”
Blaze, Whipney, and Morph sighed at their little brother’s joke.
“You’ve really got to work on those one-liners, Bolt,” Whipney said.
“Yeah, it’s kind of crucial if you want to be remembered,” Blaze said.
“But more importantly merchandized,” Morph said.