04x05 - The Forbidden Tree

[bunniefuu]

The winner of
the Express Yourself badge -

Mildred Hubble.

What in the witchy world...?
Ow!

The prototypes!

GIRLS: Woohoo!

Flying is fantastic!

Meow!

Is this helping with ideas, Mil?
Oh, loads, but...

..the Nature Star badge is awarded
to the girl who best demonstrates

an appreciation
and understanding of nature.

So it's choosing only
one that's tricky.

They're called Aakadian weeping
willows - unique to this forest.

Tears, see?

Wonderful, isn't it? The colours,
the fresh air, strange sounds.

The bad smell,
the annoying bugs,

the stupid trees.

No, nature is literally the worst.
So what are you looking for?

I don't know. I don't especially
care. But it has to be spectacular.

And I'm not going to find it
sticking to some stupid trail.

Oh! Follow me.

What Miss Hempnettle said
the other day about you maybe going

all the way to the
Witch World Games...

I know. I can't stop thinking
about it. It's a big opportunity.

But Mum still wants me
on the tour, so...

Get your dairy-free
health shakes here.

Full of the vital vitamins
and necessary nutrients you need.

Mm. If they're half as good
as you say, Mabel,

they could help me
get over my injury.

Anything for you, Miss Drill.

Mm.

Mmmm.

The taste is very distinctive.

Is that the time? I must... Oh.

Ugh, this is grim.

What's happening?

GIRLS RETCH AND COUGH

Ooh.

Not so easy, is it? Pleasing this
fickle, ungrateful lot.

Mum! Can't you give me
some encouragement? Just for once.

Awful! Just what
I expected from you band of misfits.

Thanks, Mabel. You said we'd look
good if we made a success of this.

Now we just look worse than ever.

We really should turn back, Ethel,
we're miles off the trail.

But I haven't found anything that
will win me the badge, yet.

Wait.

What's that?

Whoa. It's so beautiful. What?
A tree's a tree.

Apart from it being a bit glittery,
who cares?

But that's all nature's good for,
right?

Something nice to look at.

So I'll make something
nice-looking out of this tree.

Is destroying nature
quite in the spirit of the badge?

Who'll know? I'll just say
I found it in tiny little bits.

No, Ethel, don't!

Stop, Ethel!

You're k*lling it!

DOG BARKS

All yours! I've got plenty
to make a model out of.

It's time I'm short of.

Why even bother?

I have magic.

It's time to award
the Nature Star badge.

Mildred, Ethel, step forth.

Oh, waste of a good shoebox!

I made this. It's a sort of
miniature forest ecosystem,

but in a box.
And, look, it does this.

BIRDSONG

It is not without some...charm.

Lovely stuff, Mildred.

Ethel, over to you.

My creation is a tribute to
nature in all its splendour.

So, feel the wonder

and behold the majesty
as you gaze upon...

..the face of nature.

APPLAUSE

It's clear there can only
be one winner -

Ethel Hallow.

Enid, Enid!

I've heard rumours that
you're considering leaving us.

I... I-I haven't decided yet.

Oh, good.
Well, you know where I stand.

All I can do is strongly urge you
to give

very serious consideration
to my offer to train you.

I'll get back to you. Promise.

Do you think it's fair to put
Enid on the spot like that?

Squandered talent is a serious
matter, Dimity. Ahem. Excuse me.

SNORING

Open this lock without a key.

The combination is --.

Mum is so predictable.

CREAKING AND SQUELCHING

BELL RINGS

DOG WHIMPERS

Wha..?

How did that happen?

Oh, no! Not my Cordelia.

Not Petula!

Someone will pay for this.

Oh, this isn't good.

Your attention, please. Girls,
I'm afraid the rumours are true.

A terrible pestilence has
blighted our beloved academy.

We are without fresh food
and many spell ingredients.

Miss Tapioca will be serving
our old emergency tinned rations.

Bullied beef and salted Spam
with powdered semolina pudding.

PUPILS GROAN

Chins up, girls. Remain steadfast.

That's nonsense!

Everything OK, Fliss?

My family are green witches.

We draw magic from the natural
world around us.

Whoa! But you kept it a secret?

It's not considered cool,
even for witches.

But it means we have a deep
connection to nature.

Thing is, the tree Ethel made her
mask from, I think it was special.

Special? How?

If you'd seen it, too, you'd know.
She won't listen, but

I think her cutting it down
is causing the rot.

Seems the rot's the best thing
to happen to the shake trade.

Well, well, all's fair in food
and w*r, I suppose.

Not bad, Mabel.

I've improved them.

They're much healthier, plus they
don't taste like old socks, so...

I'm next! Thank you so much!

Thank you!

I guess we could give them
another try. Can't hurt, I suppose.

Word's got round quick.

I keep seeing the same faces
again and again.

What exactly did you change, Mabel?

Oh!

Try it later. Till then, shift
shakes like there's no tomorrow.

Oh, my gosh, that tastes amazing.

KNOCK AT DOOR

Hey, Ethel!

Wow! This wood's pretty,
um, impressive.

Where did you, um, find it?

Drop the act, Mildred.
Felicity sent you, didn't she?

She's worried, that's all.

She thinks the wood
you cut down was special.

And that's why everything's
rotting? Yes, I know.

Look.

See? Nothing special.

Don't just stand there.

It won't come off!

Oh! Help!

Oh! Ow!

What is it?

Mildred, tell me.
Maud, help us, it won't come off.

Mask of wood, mask so tight,
leave her face and make this right.

I'll go fetch a teacher. Don't!

Can you imagine the trouble
I'll be in

if the rot is all my fault.

Please. You have to help me.

Just stay hidden until we get back.

We're running low. Maybe we should
limit it to one shake per girl.

ALL: What? No!

Don't worry. I'll make more.

What do we want?
ALL: Shakes!

When do we want them?
ALL: Now!

What do we want?
ALL: Shakes!

When do we want them?
ALL: Now!

What do we want? ALL: Shakes!

When we want them? ALL: Now!

CHANTING CONTINUES

Yesterday, we couldn't
give them away.

Today, they're rioting. Why?

To make them more...appealing,

I used some powdered sweet
mandrake cane from the kitchen.

But that stuff's fast-acting
and super-addictive,

unless used in teeny-tiny amounts.

How much did you use, Mabel?

Oh-oh, pretty much all of it.

So glad I tagged along for this.

Fliss is a green witch. She can feel
what nature's feeling, or something.

I'm hoping she can figure out
what's special about that tree.

I can see it.

The first tree. So old.

The one that spawned
the entire forest.

The old witches called it
the forbidden tree.

They protected it using an ancient,
powerful magic.

So, cutting it down has made nature
a bit, well, cross?

Ethel needs to say sorry somehow.

SHE SIGHS

They've all been ruined by the rot.

We don't have the ingredients
for an antidote spell.

Yes! There's a last-resort
antidote spell

for when all else fails.

And it only requires one ingredient.

It's only the most difficult,

most dangerous ingredient to
acquire in the entire school.

A single hair

from the head of the best witch.

Too short. Too long. Too shiny.

Not shiny enough.

Almost adequate.

Utterly disgraceful.

She never has a hair out of place.

And, if she catches us...

It must take a miracle to get
her hair to stay like that.

Bet I know what brand
hairspray she uses.

I'm getting splinters.

Is this really necessary?

To prove you're sorry? Yes.

Hey!

The tree!

This is going to take more
than a hug, Mil.

And she has to really mean it.

What are you doing?

Look, stop that!

It's the story of life, Ethel.

The beautiful dance of nature.

I'm a seed growing into a tree.

No, you're an idiot -
dancing like an idiot.

Join in. Show your love of nature.

No thanks.
RUMBLE OF THUNDER

Even the sky wants you to stop.

Wait.

What's that?

Nothing.

Ethel, you're turning into a tree.

Great! First a troll, now a tree.

Why does this keep happening to me?

This all began when you
cut down the tree in the clearing,

so maybe the solution's there, too.

OK, but we have to hurry, before
the rot spirals out of control.

Before Ethel's a tree for ever.

Mabel was right.

Shall we take a quick rest?

Funny, isn't it?

You don't realise how much a tree -
and all the things on it -

sort of need each other.

The birds keep my hair tidy.

The bugs stop me itching and,

well, this mouse nibbles
my mossy bits.

And I give them all food, warmth
and shelter.

That tree I chopped down,

it must have been teeming with life,

with creatures.

And now they have nowhere.

I made them homeless.

That's...horrible.

And if I completely
turn into a tree,

and can't turn back,

how would I feel if somebody
chopped me down?

We won't let that happen, Ethel.
Come on, let's hit the trail again.

Come on. Back to bed, Gerald.

SHE MOUTHS WORDS

Guys, what's happening?

Quick. Before they get too deep.

How could you leave without me?

I just need a quick sit down.
ALL: No!

She's on her way. Get ready.

Sun and moon, dark and light,

remove all day and make it night.

We'll help you Miss Hardbroom.

I do not need assistance.

Unhand me this instant!

In a...second.

Explain yourselves.

Now!

Everything all right,
Miss Hardbroom?

Everything is far from all right.

Oh, no, no.

You see, I can explain. I...

I asked the girls to come up with
a new indoor activity to play.

It seems they went with, well,
indoor fishing.

Is that right, girls?
ALL: Yes, Miss Drill.

You see? Perfectly innocent.

My goodness!

That bat att*cked you!

There you are. But how did you know?

The dicky tummies were a big clue.

I tasted enough of the shake
to know what was in it

and what the cure needed -

a hair from the best witch.

Now go. Make that antidote fast.

Yes! We made it.

Oh, no! It's dead.

So what do we do now?
Fliss, any ideas?

A reverse spell?

Forbidden tree which is no more,

grow back now and skyward soar.

ETHEL CREAKS

OK, how about...

Trees and grass, rivers and lake...

..forgive Ethel Hallow,
reverse her mistake.

You think YOU can b*at the oldest,
most powerful magic there is?

We're doing our best, Ethel.

I did this. Me.

Maybe the only way to fix it is

if I take the place of the tree.

Like that saying - eye for an eye.

Maybe it's a tree for a tree.

It won't be so bad.
You can't just give up!

Here, Mildred.

HER ARMS CREAK

It literally hurts to say this, but

you deserve this more than I do.

The badge is yours.

Bye, Ethel. We'll visit. We promise.

MAUD: Yes, we'll...
We'll build a bench.

Just don't build a tree house.

What if it doesn't just
look like a seed?

How did I not see it?
The badge WAS a seed.

But how did you know that would
work? It's like Ethel said -

a tree for a tree.

A bench?!

As if I'd want you lot
gawping at me all day long.

Oh, look, Ethel's back.

I couldn't give this up. No way.

Wait, so you're staying?

I'll let Miss Hempnettle know
I want to start training

and I'll worry about my mum later.

Cordelia, Petula!

You're back!

I must remember, I must remember.

Now, I don't say this a lot, Mabel,

or ever, but I'm very proud of you.

I'm... I'm...

Oh! Ooh!

Oh, glazed sprouts and cauliflower
crumble it is tonight, then.

Yes, yes, I am.
I'm very proud of you, Mabel.

I put the antidote in the last
batch. Everyone's been cured.

I'm out of the shake trade
for good.

The real money's in veggies.

But you were wrong about one thing.

YOU'RE the best witch at Cackle's.

And my favourite person here by far.

Thanks, Mabel.

I needed that.

Ethel's confession, of course,

means she has been stripped
of the Nature Star badge.

So I hereby award
this new badge

to Mildred.

After all, it's clear who
the true friend of nature is.

Whoo!

You deserve credit for saving
the school, too, Fliss.

Thanks, but I'm not sure I'm ready

for all of Cackle's
knowing I'm a green witch yet.

Maybe one day.

This compost heap was a good idea
to use up waste left by the rot.

It looks really stinky.

Let's ask.

Hey, Ethel?

How is the smell?

You can laugh all you like, but it's
made me hate nature even more now.

Hello, Gerald. Are you hungry?

Mildred has asked you to be
deputy head girl, hasn't she?

Don't worry, Maud. Why don't you
let me try a little makeover?

Maud!

Don't you look crafty?

Today, I'd like to focus
on our trusty black cats.

Boring!
THEY GASP