Next morning, Bartleby said to his friends:
"Congratulate me. I am going to Oz to get my brains at last. When I return, I shall be as other men are."
Ah hope so, Applejack thought. But, aloud, she said, “Congratulations, Bartleby.”
“Personally,” Dorothy said. “I liked you as you were.”
Chapter 16: The Magic Art of the Great Humbug, Sunset said internally.
"It is kind of you to like a scarecrow," he replied. "But, surely you will think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brain is going to turn out." Then, he said good-bye to them all in a cheerful voice and went to the throne room, where he rapped upon the door.
“Please, come in,” Oz responded.
Bartleby went in and found the little man sitting down by the window, engaged in deep thought.
"I have come for my brains," remarked Bartleby, a little uneasily.
"Oh, yes, sit down in that chair, please," replied Oz. "You must excuse me for taking your head off, but, I shall have to do it in order to put your brains in their proper place."
"That's all right," said Bartleby. "You are quite welcome to take my head off, as long as it will be a better one when you put it on again."
So, the Wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw. Then, he entered the back room and took up a measure of bran, which he mixed with a great many pins and needles. Having shaken them together thoroughly, he filled the top of Bartleby's head with the mixture and stuffed the rest of the space with straw to hold it in place.
When he had fastened Bartleby's head on his body again he said to him, "Hereafter, you will be a great man, for I have given you a lot of bran-new brains."
Bartleby was both pleased and proud at the fulfillment of his greatest wish and, having thanked Oz warmly, he went back to his friends.
“How do you feel?” Fluttershy asked.
"I feel wise indeed," he answered earnestly. "When I get used to my brains, I shall know everything."
“I’m afraid that’s not realistically possible,” Sunset said. “There’s some things that aren’t meant to be known.”
“That’s true,” Starlight said. “It is good to know a little bit of everything, but, knowing a lot about everything is overwhelming. Plus, people don’t really take kindly to know-it-alls. They make people feel inferior and nobody likes that.”
"Why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head?" Nick asked Bartleby.
"That is proof that he is sharp," remarked Raw.
"Well, I must go to Oz and get my heart," said Nick. So, he walked to the throne room and knocked at the door.
“Come in,” said Oz.
Nick entered and said, “I have come for my heart."
"Very well," answered the little man. "But, I shall have to cut a hole in your breast, so I can put your heart in the right place. I hope it won't hurt you."
"Oh, no," answered Nick. "I shall not feel it at all."
So, Oz brought a pair of tinsmith's shears and cut a small, square hole in the left side of Nick's breast. Then, going to a chest of drawers, he took out a pretty heart made entirely of silk and stuffed with sawdust.
"Isn't it a beauty?" he asked.
"It is, indeed!" replied Nick, who was greatly pleased. "But, is it a kind heart?"
"Oh, very!" answered Oz. He put the heart in Nick's breast and then replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where it had been cut.
"There," said he. "Now, you have a heart that any man might be proud of. I'm sorry I had to put a patch on your breast, but, it really couldn't be helped."
"Never mind the patch," exclaimed the happy woodman. "I am very grateful to you and shall never forget your kindness."
"Don't speak of it," replied Oz.
Then, Nick went back to his friends, who wished him every joy on account of his good fortune.
“How do you feel?” Spike asked.
“I finally remember what it’s like to have a heart,” Nick said.
“Personally,” Fluttershy said. “I felt that you already had one since we met.”
“Yeah,” Applejack said. “Ya mourned the death o’ a bug ya stepped on, somethin’ folks with physical hearts don’t think much ‘bout since bugs don’t got that long o’ a lifespan, no how.”
Fluttershy nodded gently. “And even without a physical heart,” Fluttershy said. “You were clearly more emotional and tenderhearted than you gave yourself credit for. Remember when you learned Evanora was dead?”
“Yes, I do,” Nick admitted.
“You said you felt indifference,” Starlight said. “But, your body language told another story.”
“It’s true,” Twilight said. “You lamented your perceived indifference by sitting down with your chin in your hands and a sad expression.”
Nick considered all of these points. “So,” he said. “I had what I wanted all along?”
“Yes!” Rainbow said. “So did Bartleby and he’s not even a year old.”
“So,” Raw said. “Does this mean I have had my courage all along, too?”
Sunset nodded. “It takes a lot of courage to admit to being scared,” she said. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but, what one does when they do feel scared.”
“If anypony knows about that,” Rainbow said. “It’s Fluttershy. I’ve seen many times when we’ve done something scary and even when Fluttershy gets scared, she still manages to get through it.”
“Besides,” Spike said. “Courage is more of a concept than a physical thing.”
“I wonder what Oz will do, though,” Raw wondered. “I can at least see to satisfy my curiosity.”
“Well, go on ahead,” Sunset said. “You won’t find out if you don’t go.”
Raw now walked to the Throne Room and knocked at the door.
"Come in," said Oz.
"I have come for my courage," announced the lion, entering the room.
"Very well," answered the little man. "I will get it for you."
He went to a cupboard and, reaching up to a high shelf, took down a square green bottle, the contents of which he poured into a green-gold dish, beautifully carved. Placing this before Raw, who sniffed at it as if he did not like it, the Wizard said:
"Drink."
"What is it?" asked the lion.
"Well," answered Oz. "if it were inside of you, it would be courage. You know, of course, that courage is always inside one so that this really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it. Therefore, I advise you to drink it as soon as possible."
Raw hesitated no longer, but, drank till the dish was empty.
"How do you feel now?" asked Oz.
"Full of courage," replied Raw, who went joyfully back to his friends to tell them of his good fortune.
Rainbow had a sniff of Raw’s breath. “Bleh!” Rainbow said, covering her muzzle. “You would have to be brave to drink that stuff.”
Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving Bartleby, Nick, and Raw exactly what they thought they wanted. "How can I help being a humbug," he said. "When all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done? It was easy to make the scarecrow, the lion, the woodman happy because they imagined I could do anything. But, it will take more than imagination to carry Dorothy back to Kansas and more still to carry those from Equestria back and I'm sure I don't know how it can be done. I’ve never even heard of Equestria nor have I seen it on any map."