Chapter 1: The Portal Gem and the Cyclone

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One evening in Equestria, Sunset Shimmer had finished her experiments for the day and elected to read from her collection of human world literature.

“Let’s see,” she said to no one in particular. “Snow White? No. Sleeping Beauty? No. Tom Sawyer? No. Ah, here’s one that sounds good right now. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

She used her magic to levite the book off of the shelf and walked towards a chair she could relax in as she read. She’d read at least two chapters when her friends made their way to her.

“Hi, Sunset,” Twilight smiled.

Sunset removed her attention from the book to acknowledge her friends in the interest of politeness. “Hi, everybody,” she said, unable to resist channeling Dr. Nick Riviera.

“Whatcha doin’, huh?” Pinkie asked, channeling a bit of Isabella Garcia-Shapiro.

“Well, with my experiments for the day done,” Sunset answered. “I decided to read from my collection of human world literature. I chose one of my favorites, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. One of the oldest isekai stories ever.”

“Ee-seh-kai,” Rainbow repeated. “What did you say that was again?”

“It means ‘another world,’” Sunset explains. “Among the first is the legend of Urashima Taro. I’m quite fond of the genre for obvious reasons.”

“That’s true,” Rarity said. “With how long you lived in the human realm, you practically lived an isekai.”

“This particular one was written in the country I took residence in back in that world,” Sunset said. “It was over 100 years old when I went there.”

“Intriguing,” Twilight said. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about a little girl named Dorothy Gale,” Sunset said. “She lived with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and dog, Toto, on a farm in Kansas.”

“Sounds like somethin’ that’s right up mah alley,” Applejack smiled.

“Is that where you lived?” Trixie asked innocently.

“No,” Sunset said, levitating a map of the United States. She unrolled it and used her magic to make a blinking highlight of Massachusetts. “I lived here in Canterlot City, Massachusetts.” She then used her magic to make a blinking highlight of Kansas. “Kansas is over here in the midwest.”

“Ah, I see,” Trixie said, nodding.

“One day,” Sunset said. “A cyclone happens and carries Dorothy and Toto away in the farmhouse.”

The ponies and Spike gasped at this. Sunset could see their shock.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “Both survive just fine. They end up in a far off country behind the moon and beyond the rain called the Land of Oz.”

“Oh, wow,” Starlight said.

“Now, I was kind of in a reverse of Dorothy’s situation,” Sunset said.

“That’s true,” Spike said. “You came from a magical world and went into a mundane one while Dorothy came from a mundane world and went into a magical one.”

“Plus, my going to a different world was a conscious choice on my part,” Sunset said. “Dorothy was sent to another world through circumstances beyond her control.”

“That’s true,” Fluttershy said.

“Either way,” Sunset said. “Dorothy and I end up going back to our respective homeworlds.”

“That should be evident,” Rainbow said. “You’re right here. But, how does Dorothy get back?”

“How about I read it and we find out?” Sunset suggested.

“That’s a great idea,” Twilight smiled.

“Hang on a second,” Sunset said before she bathed her body in her moderate amaranth magic aura. Upon her body materialized a blue and white gingham dress, blue socks, and silver slippers. Her mane was also divided into twin ponytails, fastened with blue ribbons. Once the materialization was complete, Sunset canceled her aura.

“Ah~!” Rarity gasped happily. “What a darling ensemble.”

“I’ve dressed myself in an attire resembling Dorothy’s in the book,” Sunset said. He then revealed the silver slippers. “Complete with Silver Shoes.”

“Love when a costume is accurate detail-wise,” Twilight said.

“Down to the molecular detail,” Sunset said before tapping the silver shoes against the floor. They made metallic clinks with each tap. “Real silver, there.”

“Won’t they be hard ta walk in?” Applejack asked.

“Ordinarily, yes,” Sunset said. “But, due to being magic shoes in a magic realm, they’re flexible, comfortable, and easy to move in. Plus, the socks also help with the comfort levels. They can never wear out and are accustomed to alter their size by shrinking or stretching to perfectly fit the current owner at the time they wear them.”

“Ah, that’s good,” Applejack said with a nod.

Sunset got into her seat and turned to the first chapter’s beginning page. She cleared her throat. “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” she read. “By L. Frank Baum with pictures by W. W. Denslow. Chapter 1: The Cyclone.”

The friends sat around comfortably to listen to the book Sunset read.

“Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife,” Sunset read. “Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor, and a roof, which made one room and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no garret at all and no cellar--except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.” These words painted a detailed picture in her friends’ collective imaginations.

Sounds like a miserable life, Rainbow said internally.

“When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side,” Sunset continued. “Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass with little cracks running through it. Even the grass was not green, for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. Once the house had been painted, but, the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else.”

Sounds like Hope Hollow before we helped out, Pinkie thought internally.

“When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife,” Sunset continued. “The sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray. They had taken the red from her cheeks and lips and they were gray also. She was thin and gaunt and never smiled now. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child's laughter that she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy's merry voice reached her ears and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at.”

It’s nice to know that they have some way of staying sane, Spike thought internally.

“Uncle Henry never laughed,” Sunset read. “He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. He was gray also from his long beard to his rough boots and he looked stern and solemn and rarely spoke.”

It’s good that he works hard, Applejack thought internally. But, he should allow himself ta laugh every once in a while.

“It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings,” Sunset read on. “Toto was not gray. He was a little black dog with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. Toto played all day long and Dorothy played with him and loved him dearly.”

That sounds so adorable, Fluttershy said internally with a delighted look on her face.

Before Sunset had a chance to read further, a lightning bolt flew in through an open window, breaking her concentration, and struck a gem Sunset had on her workbench. The gem began levitating on its own as it pulsed and glowed ominously.

“What was that?” Starlight asked.

“My bad,” called the familiar voice of Derpy Hooves from outside.

“Derpy…” Rainbow said to herself, rolling her eyes. She then noticed the gem floating on its own. “Hey, how come that gem is floating?”

Sunset looked at it in fear. “That’s one of the Portal Gems I’ve been working on today!” she exclaimed. “That lightning bolt must’ve overloaded it!”

“Portal Gem?!” Rarity exclaimed. “Not to critique how you spend your time and efforts, but, why would you work on something like this?!”

“Unless that gem’s stabilized, that’s the least of our problems,” Sunset said as the gem started crackling with electricity. “It’s about to explode!”

“What do we do?!” Fluttershy said, panicking.

Suddenly, the gem made a beeline for Sunset’s book and merged with it. For a few seconds, the book glowed and pulsed like the gem did before it started to emit a swirling vortex.

“What’s happening?” Twilight gasped.

“You may find out sooner than you’d like!” Sunset said before the vortex started sucking her into the book. It then proceeded to do the same for the others. After they were all sucked in, the book closed and fell upon the floor.

Soon, the ponies and Spike landed on a dusty patch of land. Though, their normally bright colors were replaced with grayscale colors.

“This is giving me some Discord flashbacks,” Spike said.

“With everything being so gray,” Twilight said. “We must be inside of the book!”

“We all figgered that out, Twi,” Applejack said.

“But, how’d it happen?” Starlight asked.

“The Portal Gem stabilized itself by merging with the book,” Sunset said. “A safety feature I gave them.”

“Well,” Trixie said. “This is all fine and dandy, but, how about we try and get out of here now?”

“I’m afraid it’ll be a bit complicated,” Sunset said gravely. “If a Portal Gem merges with a book and someone goes into said book, the only way to get out of the book is to go through the events of the book to the end.”

“I see,” Spike said. “So, kind of like when we went through the Power Ponies comic in a way, only more direct.”

“Starlight and I weren’t there for that,” Trixie said.

“And unlike that comic,” Sunset said. “None of us are taking the place of characters in this book, so, everyone will see us as we are.”

“I see,” Fluttershy said. “So, where do we start?”

Sunset looked ahead and saw Uncle Henry’s farm. “Looks like the cyclone hasn’t struck yet.”

“So,” Rainbow said. “That must be where we’re starting. Let’s go.”

They made their way to the farm and saw a little human girl playing with a little black dog. The little girl had slightly more vibrant colors than the world around her.

“Ooh,” Pinkie squeaked. “That must be Dorothy.”

The little girl heard Pinkie’s voice and turned her head in its direction. She saw the Equestria residents standing a short distance away from her.

“Oh!” Dorothy said. “Magical horses and a dragon?”

“Well,” Sunset said. “Looks like that cat’s out of the bag.”

“I’ve seen a bit about you from picture books,” Dorothy said. “You’re much cuter in person.” She then looked at Spike. “Though, I thought dragons would be bigger. This one’s no bigger than I am.”

“I’m still young,” Spike said. “I’m 19 ½ now.”

“Ah, I see,” Dorothy nodded. “Are you all just passing by?”

“You could say that,” Sunset said. “Though, we’re in a bit of a fix.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Dorothy asked.

“Well, if you can provide us with shelter,” Sunset said. “We’ll repay you for the trouble.”

“How?” Starlight whispered to Sunset.

“We can work on the farm to earn our keep,” Sunset whispered back.

“We can do that,” Applejack whispered.

“I can ask my Uncle Henry,” Dorothy offered. “He lives on that farm over there.”

“If it’s not too much trouble anyway,” Sunset said.

“Oh, I beg your pardon,” Dorothy said. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. I’m Dorothy Gale.”

“Aww, what a polite little girl,” Rarity cooed. “I am Rarity and these are Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Starlight Glimmer, Spike, Trixie Lulamoon, and Twilight Sparkle.”

“Where do you all come from?” Dorothy asked.

“We’re from a place you’ve never heard of and are unlikely to go to at any point in your life,” Sunset said. “A place called Equestria.”

“Oh, that must sound like a wonderful place,” Dorothy smiled. Toto barked happily.

“Oh, it is,” Pinkie said. “Over there, there’s magic in the air we breathe, the ground we walk, and even the things we eat.”

“Wow~” Dorothy said. “That sounds like a place I could only dream of going to.”

Soon, they reached the farm and saw Uncle Henry toiling. He looked and saw them.

“What are those queer creatures?” he asked.

“Hey, watch who you’re calling queer,” Rainbow said indignantly. “I swing both ways!”

“He meant queer as in strange, Rainbow,” Rarity clarified.

“Does queer have another meaning in Equestria?” Dorothy asked.

“It’s a term with a romantic fondness towards someone of the same gender,” Twilight explained.

“My Aunt Em says it’s sinful to be like that,” Dorothy said.

“Well, in Equestria, we’re not as narrow-minded,” Sunset said. “In our culture, which gender you’re interested in doesn’t define who you are.”

“I see,” Dorothy said. She was still new to learning about different things, so she decided to be more polite towards her guests.

“That’s all well and good,” Uncle Henry said. “But, it doesn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Applejack said. “We’re ponies n’ Spike’s a dragon.”

“We’re looking for shelter,” Sunset said. “We promise to work hard to earn our keep.”

“We do have a pretty good harvest this year,” Uncle Henry said. “But, there is always more work that needs to be done. Perhaps you can help.”

“And what can we expect in terms of payment?” Rarity asked.

“You’ll be paid in meals,” Uncle Henry said. “Only people can use money. It’s of no use to you.”

He must have no idea of what we’re really like, Spike thought internally. He kept the thought to himself to make sure no one got into trouble.

Uncle Henry studied Spike carefully. “Hmm,” he said. “I can’t see much use for a dragon.”

“How about if I keep your furnace lit?” Spike asked.

Uncle Henry stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I’ll consider it.” He then opened Spike’s mouth to see fangs in front and flat teeth in the back. “With those fangs, I reckon you must be a meat eater.”

Spike removed the hands from his mouth. “I eat meat occasionally, but, I’m open for eating anything else,” he said. “Except for green beans. Those things are nasty.”

Dorothy couldn't help but giggle a bit.

“Um, out of curiosity,” Spike said. “Do you happen to have any gems stored?”

“Gems?” Uncle Henry asked. “We don’t got much use for them.”

“I didn’t think so,” Spike sighed.

“What would Spike want with gems?” Dorothy asked.

“He eats them,” Twilight said.

“I didn’t know dragons could do that,” Dorothy said.

“Knowledge of dragons was in short supply in Equestria for quite a while,” Rarity said. “Though, their appetites for gems was rather common knowledge.”

“Though, I can’t eat diamonds,” Spike said. “I tried that once and broke my teeth.”

“Oh dear,” Dorothy said. “That must have hurt something awful.”

“It sure did,” Spike said.

A few days later, the ponies were working hard helping out on the farm. Spike, having only been kept around to help with lighting the stove when needed, was sitting lonely and bored.

“It really is quiet around here,” Spike said dismally. Dorothy noticed that Spike seemed sad and lonely.

“I’ve come to give you some company, Spike,” Dorothy said. She sat next to him. “I’m much too young to be put to work.”

“It’s good that I’m helping,” Spike said. “But, it’s not the most exciting thing. Aunt Em won’t let me sweep, mop, or help with the dishes. Says it’s women’s work.”

“Well,” Dorothy said. “Maybe you can use some free time and we can play together?”

“What kind of games do—” Spike suddenly stopped as his eyes fixed to the sky. “Uh, does the sky look grayer than usual?”

Dorothy looked out the windows and she gasped. “A twister’s a-coming!”

The ponies and Uncle Henry saw it, too.

“Everybody run for shelter!” Sunset shouted.

"There's a cyclone coming, Em," Uncle Henry called to his wife. "I'll go look after the stock." Then he ran toward the sheds where the cows and horses were kept.

The ponies made their way to the farmhouse as Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door. One glance told her of the danger close at hand.

“Dorothy!” Aunt Em called. “Come into the cyclone cellar with us!”

The ponies made it inside just as Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the bed and the girl started to get him. Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trap door in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole. Dorothy caught Toto at last and started to follow her aunt. When she was halfway across the room, there came a great shriek from the wind and the house shook so hard that she lost her footing and sat down suddenly upon the floor. Spike and the ponies were knocked off balance as well. Rarity grabbed Spike and held him close.

“Hold on tight, Spike!” Rarity shouted, her voice elevated against the fierce winds as a strange thing happened.

The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. They all felt as if they were going up in a balloon.

“Whoa~!” they collectively exclaimed as the north and south winds met where the house stood and made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air is generally still, but, the great pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it up higher and higher, until it was at the very top of the cyclone. And there it remained and was carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feather.

It was very dark and the wind howled horribly around them, but, Dorothy found she was riding quite easily. After the first few whirls around and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she were being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle.

“Does anyone else feel strangely relaxed right now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah,” Spike said. “And not just because Rarity’s holding me.”

Toto did not like it. He ran about the room, now here, now there, barking loudly, but, Dorothy sat quite still on the floor and waited to see what would happen.

Once Toto got too near the open trap door and fell in. “Toto, NO!” Dorothy cried. She began to tear up, thinking she’d lost Toto.

“You haven’t lost him yet, Dorothy,” Sunset said, reassuringly.

“But, he fell!” Dorothy said sadly.

“Take a look at the trap door and guess again,” Sunset said.

Dorothy did so and, to her surprise, she saw one of his ears sticking up through the hole. She gasped happily and she reached in to pull him by that same ear out of the trap door. “How did Toto not fall further?” she asked.

“The same air pressure that’s keeping this house aloft,” Sunset explained.

Dorothy was one to admit that it was a bit of information to take in, but, she was still so glad that Toto was okay that she felt better. “Perhaps it would be a good idea,” Dorothy said. “To close the trap door to keep this from happening again.” She closed the trap door.

“I’ll weigh it down,” Pinkie offered before sitting upon the trap door.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” Rainbow said.

Hour after hour passed away and slowly Dorothy got over her fright. With Spike and the ponies, it was hard for her to feel lonely, though, the wind shrieked so loudly all about her that she nearly became deaf. Sunset lit up her horn and used her magic to close all the windows, muffling the noise. Twilight helped to make sure Dorothy’s hearing was okay.

“Are you okay, Dorothy?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Dorothy said. “I was wondering if we would be dashed to pieces when the house fell again.”

Applejack thought of this and she carefully began to stomp on the ground, looking for any weak points. “Ah don’t think we got anythin’ ta worry ‘bout fer a while,” she said. “This house is purty sturdy fer how old it is.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “It made it to the top of the cyclone okay.”

“So,” Sunset said comfortingly. “We should be alright, Dorothy.”

After Dorothy listened to their words, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring. At last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, lay down upon it, and Toto followed and lay down beside her.

In spite of the swaying of the house and the muffled wailing of the wind, Dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep. Spike and the ponies watched over her. Spike looked out a window and saw that it was nighttime.

“I think Dorothy has the right idea,” he said. “Let’s get some shut-eye.”

“We can use Aunt Em and Uncle Henry’s bed,” Sunset said. “They won’t be using it.”

“I’m certain we can wash their bedding a bit later on,” Rarity said.

“I’ve read this book a few times before,” Sunset said. “This house won’t be going back to Kansas any time soon.”

“Which means we won’t be going back any time soon, either,” Twilight added.

Spike and the ponies climbed into the bed with Spike being embraced by Twilight and Rarity. So, they slept peacefully.

Chapter 2: Secrets and the Council with the Munchkins

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Everyone in the farmhouse slept peacefully, but, the Equestria residents suddenly noticed that the muffled sound of the wind stopped altogether, startling them awake before they went to the windows.

“Something tells me the cyclone passed,” Rainbow said.

Suddenly, Pinkie’s tail started twitching.

“Twitchy tail!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Something’s going to fall!”

Spike looked out a window to see clouds passing quickly. “And I think I know what it is!” he said. “US!”

“EVERYBODY BACK ON THE BED!” Sunset shouted. “QUICK!”

No one hesitated and they jumped back onto the bed.

“BRACE FOR IMPACT!” Sunset said urgently.

Dorothy was in a deep sleep and didn’t hear them. She was awakened by a shock so sudden and severe that if Dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed, she might have been hurt. As it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally. Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving. Nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the windows, flooding the little room. She sprang from her bed and, with Toto at her heels, saw the Equestria residents all huddled together on Aunt Em and Uncle Henry’s bed.

“Are you all okay?” Dorothy asked.

“Well, we’re still alive, if that’s what you mean,” Starlight said.

They slowly made their way off of the bed. They were slightly shaken up at first, but, soon, they began to get their bearings. Fluttershy noticed some of the floorboards had the impression of an older female figure in long robes and a pointed hat that wasn’t there before.

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy gasped.

Dorothy went to the door and opened it. The little girl gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and bigger at the wonderful sights she saw. The others heard Dorothy’s voice and they walked over to see what she was looking at. Like magic, the normally grayscale colored friends regained their colors. Dorothy even got color in her skin and hair, though, her dress was still a dark gray. This gave Rarity the impression that was the dress’ natural color.

The cyclone had set the house down very gently--for a cyclone--in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches of greensward all about with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girl who had lived so long on the dry, gray prairies.

Chapter 2: The Council with the Munchkins, Sunset said internally.

“Hey, Auntie Sunset,” Spike asked. “Did your slippers change color?” He looked at them carefully and saw they were still silver. “Oh, never mind. False alarm.”

Sunset looked at her slippers and used her magic to turn them ruby red before Dorothy could notice.

Pinkie looked at the house. To her amazement, it was still intact. “This is a deceptively sturdy house,” she said.

While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, Dorothy noticed coming toward her and her friends a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to, but, neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.

The Equestria residents noticed these people as well. Three were men and one a woman and all were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue. The little woman's hat was white and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds. The men were dressed in blue of the same shade as their hats and wore well-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. The men, Dorothy thought, were about as old as Uncle Henry, for two of them had beards. But, the little woman was doubtless much older. Her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked rather stiffly.

When these people drew near the house where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid to come farther. But, the little old woman walked up to Dorothy and the others, made a low bow, and said, in a sweet voice:

"You are welcome, most noble Sorceresses, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage."

“Sorceress?” Twilight asked. “None of us are sorceresses.”

Dorothy listened to the speech with wonder. What could the little woman possibly mean by calling her and her friends sorceresses and saying they had killed the Wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home and she had never killed anything in all her life. None of the Equestria residents had killed anything to her knowledge, either.

But, the little woman evidently expected her to answer, so, Dorothy said, with hesitation, "You are very kind, but, there must be some mistake. We have not killed anything."

“Perhaps not us directly,” Fluttershy said. “But, when the house landed after the cyclone passed, we must have landed on someone. I did notice the imprint of a figure with a pointy hat.”

"Your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman with a laugh. "And that is the same thing. See!" She continued, pointing to the corner of the house, "There are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood."

Dorothy looked and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes. The others (minus Sunset, having expected it, and Fluttershy, having seen the imprint earlier) were equally shocked.

“Somebody died?!” Pinkie said in surprise. “And I thought this was a kid’s boo–”

Sunset interrupted Pinkie by shushing her. Dorothy was too distraught to notice.

“Oh, no!” Dorothy said in a distressed tone. “I didn’t mean for the house to crush anyone! Whatever shall we do?”

"There is nothing to be done," said the little woman calmly.

"But, who was she?" asked Dorothy.

"She was Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said," answered the little woman. "She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slaves for her night and day. Now they are all set free and are grateful to you and your friends for the favor."

“I’m guessing those are the people of this land?” Starlight guessed.

“Why, yes, they are,” the little woman answered.

"Are you a Munchkin?" asked Dorothy.

"No, but I am their friend,” the little woman answered. “Although I live in Gillikin Country, the land of the North. When they saw the Witch of the East was dead, the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to me and I came at once. I am Locasta, the Witch of the North."

"Oh, gracious!" cried Dorothy. "Are you a real witch?"

"Yes, indeed," answered the little woman. "But, I am a good witch and the people love me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch who onced ruled here or I should have set the people free myself."

"But, I thought all witches were wicked," said the girl, who was half frightened at facing a real witch.

“Uh, that’s not entirely true, Dorothy,” Sunset said. “There was a time when witches were actually respected as wise healers. That changed when sexist Christians came to power and started burning them at the stake just for being different.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Dorothy said. “I didn’t know.”

“That is a great mistake,” Locasta said. “There were only four witches in all the Land of Oz and two of them, those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. I know this is true for I am one of them myself and cannot be mistaken. Those who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches, but, now that you have killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witch in all the Land of Oz--the one who lives in the West."

“Whoa,” Rainbow whispered to Sunset. “There sure is a lot of lore in this boo–”

Sunset interrupted Rainbow by shushing her. This time, Dorothy did notice.

“Why ever did you shush her?” she asked.

“Well,” Sunset said, trying to sound inconspicuous. “It’s a private matter.”

Dorothy decided to leave it at that. "But," she said after a moment's thought. "Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead--years and years ago."

“I guess not all of them,” Trixie said.

"Who is Aunt Em?" inquired the little old woman.

"She is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where we all came from," Dorothy explained.

Locasta seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. Then, she looked up and said, "I do not know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned before. But, tell me, is it a civilized country?"

"Oh, yes," replied Dorothy.

"Then that accounts for it,” Locasta said. “In the civilized countries, I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore, we still have witches and wizards amongst us."

Trixie was somewhat offended. “All of us but Dorothy come from a place called Equestria,” she said. “It’s plenty civilized and there’s still all four of those.”

"Who are the wizards?" asked Dorothy, trying to avoid a dispute over the differing lands.

“They are wonderful beings,” Locasta explained. "Oz himself is the Great Wizard," she continued, sinking her voice to a whisper. "He is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He lives in the City of Emeralds."

Dorothy was going to ask another question, but, just then, the Munchkins, who had been standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to the corner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying.

"What is it?" asked the little old woman before she looked and began to laugh. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared entirely and nothing was left but the silver shoes.

“What just happened?” Pinkie asked.

"Evanora was so old," explained Locasta. "That she dried up quickly in the sun. That is the end of her. But, the silver shoes are yours and you shall have them to wear." She reached down and picked up the shoes and, after shaking the dust out of them, handed them to Dorothy.

"The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes," said one of the Munchkins. "And there is some charm connected with them. But, what it is, we never knew."

“Let the joyous news be spread,” one of the Munchkins said cheerily. “The wicked old witch at last is dead!”

Dorothy carried the shoes into the house and placed them on the table. Then she came out again to the Munchkins and said:

"I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for I am sure they will worry about me. Can you help me find my way?"

The Munchkins and the Witch first looked at one another, then at Dorothy, and then shook their heads.

"At the East, not far from here," said one. "There is a great desert and none could live to cross it."

"It is the same at the South," said another. "For I have been there and seen it. The South is the country of the Quadlings."

"I am told," said the third man. "That it is the same at the West. And that country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West, who would make you her slave if you passed her way."

"The North is my home," said Locasta. "And at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds this Land of Oz. I'm afraid, my dear, you and your friends will have to live with us."

“Uh, suppose some of us can fly?” Rainbow said.

“Did you see the direction the cyclone carried us?” Sunset asked pointedly.

“Uh…” Rainbow began. “No.”

“Then, flight won’t really help, will it?” Sunset said.

“No…” Rainbow said dismally.

Dorothy began to sob at this, for she felt lonely among all these strange people despite the Equestria residents. Her tears seemed to grieve the kind-hearted Munchkins, for they immediately took out their handkerchiefs and began to weep also. As for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balanced the point on the end of her nose, while she counted "One, two, three" in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks:

"LET DOROTHY AND HER FRIENDS GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS"

“The City of Emeralds?” Dorothy asked.

The little old woman took the slate from her nose and, having read the words on it, asked, "Is your name Dorothy, my dear?"

"Yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.

“These ponies and dragon are your friends?” Locasta asked again.

“We are, yes,” Twilight said. “We may not have only known of Dorothy for a short while, but, we would do anything to make sure she’s alright.”

"Then, you must all go to the City of Emeralds,” Locasta said. “Perhaps Oz will help you."

"Where is this city?" asked Dorothy.

"It is exactly in the center of the country and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of," Locasta explained.

"Is he a good man?" inquired the girl anxiously.

"He is a good Wizard,” Locasta answered. “Whether he is a man or not, I cannot tell for I have never seen him."

"How can we get there?" asked Dorothy.

"You must walk,” Locasta said. “It is a long journey through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep you from harm."

“Will you do so for all of us?” Fluttershy asked.

“I can sense that each of you has a form of magic that makes my protection unnecessary,” Locasta said.

"Won't you go with us?" pleaded the girl, who had begun to look upon the little old woman as a close friend.

"No, I cannot do that," she replied. "But, I will give you my kiss and no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North."

She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead. Where her lips touched the girl they left a round, shining mark as Dorothy found out soon after.

“Uh, suppose someone tried to injure someone kissed by you?” Starlight said.

“Then, they should end up injured themselves,” Locasta said.

“I see,” Twilight said. “So, it acts like a shield of sorts. Fascinating.”

“Out of curiosity,” Sunset asked. “Do you have a map of Oz?”

“It is easy to find it,” Locasta said. “Simply follow the path on the Yellow Brick Road and follow any signs leading towards the City of Emeralds.”

“I understand,” Sunset said. “But, can we have one anyway? Just in case we end up straying from the Yellow Brick Road? Or if it splits?”

“Very well,” Locasta said. She reached into her hat and pulled out a map of Oz.

“Thank you,” Sunset said politely.

“When you get to Oz, do not be afraid of him,” Locasta said. “But, tell your story and ask him to help you. Good-bye, my dears."

“Good-bye,” Dorothy said politely. “And thank you.”

The three Munchkins bowed low to her and wished her a pleasant journey, after which they walked away through the trees. The Witch gave Dorothy a friendly little nod, whirled around on her left heel three times and straightway disappeared, much to the surprise of little Toto, who barked after her loudly enough when she had gone, because he had been afraid even to growl while she stood by.

But, Dorothy and the others, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappear in just that way and were not surprised in the least.

“We’ll need to prepare for our journey,” Spike said. “If we expect to get through this boo–”

Sunset interrupted him by shushing him. Again, Dorothy was confused.

“Can you excuse us for a second, Dorothy?” Sunset asked. “I need to have a word with my Equestria friends in private.”

“Why ain’t ya tellin’ her we’re in a–” Applejack said, before being shushed by Sunset.

So, Sunset led Spike and the ponies in a quiet private place out of Dorothy’s earshot.

“Sunset,” Twilight said. “Why are you being so–”

She was interrupted by Sunset shushing her. The others looked at her indignantly. Sunset at last sighed.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry about all of the shushing,” Sunset confessed. “But, I have a good reason to. To the characters in this book, this is their whole world. To them, this place is real and everything they do matters. If they learned that they were part of a children’s fantasy world, they’ll lose motivation to do anything and then, the story wouldn’t continue. That, in turn, would prevent us from going home.”

They all took a moment to digest Sunset’s words. After a while, they took the hint.

“Ah!” Applejack exclaimed. “Ah didn’t even think o’ that! Thanks fer the warnin’, Sunset.”

“While we’re here,” Sunset said. “We can’t let anybody here know that this is all part of a storybook.”

“You can count on us, Auntie Sunset,” Spike said with a salute.

Sunset levitated ginger ale to Applejack.

“You can use this to settle your stomach if you feel you’re starting to gag, Applejack,” Sunset said. “No one besides us knows of your, uh, condition when it comes to little white lies. If they ask, we’ll just say something you ate isn’t agreeing with you.”

“So, in a way,” Rarity said. “It should feel more like an acting exercise, yes?”

“Exactly,” Sunset said with a nod. “Acting is a necessary part of entertainment. Actors playing heroes give kids something to aspire to.”

“Ah think ah can manage that,” Applejack said. “Anythin’ ta make sure we get through this.”

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins and How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

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When the Equestria residents regrouped with Dorothy, the little girl was curious.

“I don’t mean to pry,” she said. “But, what were you discussing?”

“We were discussing how we were going to keep you safe,” Sunset explained.

Suddenly, Applejack’s belly gave a deep growl.

“Are you alright?” Dorothy asked Applejack.

“Ah’m fine,” Applejack said. “Just hungry.”

“Come to think of it,” Dorothy said. “We will be walking for a little while, so, it might not be a bad idea to have something to eat before we start. Pity we don’t have any oats.”

“That’s okay,” Sunset said, gesturing to the trees. “There’s plenty of alternatives.”

So, after Dorothy collected clear, sparkling water from the little brook and fruits from the trees, the friends had some food to eat together. Twilight made sure to pack extra fruit for the journey.

“Could you pardon me while I wash?” Dorothy asked.

“Go ahead, darling,” Rarity said.

Dorothy went into the house and came out in a different dress. It was gingham with checks of white and blue and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock. The girl had clearly washed herself carefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her pink sunbonnet on her head. She had a little basket filled with bread from the cupboard with a white cloth over the top.

“What a precious ensemble, darling,” Rarity said.

“Thank you,” Dorothy said, giving a polite little curtsy.

“Ooh!” Pinkie squeaked happily. “Now you and Sunset are twinsies!”

Chapter 3: How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow, Sunset said internally.

Dorothy then looked down at her feet and noticed how old and worn her shoes were.

"They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto," she said. And Toto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged his tail to show he knew what she meant.

“Why not wear the silver shoes?” Sunset said.

“I’m not used to wearing such nice shoes,” Dorothy said.

“Them or those old leather shoes,” Sunset said. “Take your pick.”

Dorothy thought for a moment and then decided to put the silver slippers on. To her surprise, they fit her as well as if they had been made for her.

“Oh, my,” Dorothy gasped. “They are quite comfortable. How did that happen?”

“Magical land, magical shoes,” Sunset said. “That’s how it works.”

After they were decently fed, the others were ready to start their journey. Dorothy closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in the pocket of her dress. And so, with Toto trotting along soberly behind her, she joined the others.

There were several roads nearby, but, it did not take them long to find the one paved with yellow bricks. Within a short time, they were walking briskly toward the Emerald City, Dorothy’s silver shoes and Sunset’s ruby slippers tinkling merrily on the hard, yellow road-bed. The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweetly and Dorothy did not feel nearly so bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in the midst of a strange land with ten friends.

She was surprised, as they walked along, to see how pretty the country was about them. There were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance. Evidently, the Munchkins were good farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while, they would pass a house and the people came out to look at them and bow low as they went by for everyone knew they had been the means of destroying the Wicked Witch and setting them free from bondage. The houses of the Munchkins were odd-looking dwellings, for each was round, with a big dome for a roof. All were painted blue, for in this country of the East blue was the favorite color.

“Say what ya will ‘bout Munchkin architecture,” Applejack said. “They’re clearly good farmers.”

“And they have lovely looking houses,” Starlight said. “Definitely more eye-catching than the ones back in Our Town.”

Toward evening, when Dorothy was tired from her long walk and began to wonder where she and the others should pass the night, they came to a house rather larger than the rest.

“Ooh~,” Pinkie said. “That’s a big house.”

The people greeted Dorothy and the others kindly and invited them to supper and to pass the night with them for this was the home of one of the richest Munchkins in the land and his friends were gathered with him to celebrate their freedom from the bondage of the Wicked Witch.

“Greetings and thank you all sincerely,” the richest Munchkin said. “I am Boq.”

“Hello, Boq,” Dorothy said politely.

“Please do let yourselves in,” Boq said. “I shall personally wait upon you.”

“Thank you very much,” Dorothy said with a polite curtsy.

Dorothy and the Equestria residents were treated to a hearty dinner. Though, Spike had some reluctance to partake in the meat he was served.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to eat this, Mom?” Spike whispered to Twilight.

“Yes, Spike,” Twilight whispered back. “You know that Zecora said you need meat in your diet to keep your strength up and make your scales more durable.”

“Okay,” Spike said and he carefully cut up the meat and ate it. It was a bit different from the white meat he was used to, but, he still ate it.

“Is the meat a bit undercooked?” Boq asked.

“He’s been eating mostly pony food and gems most of his life,” Sunset explained. “He only started eating meat a couple years ago.”

“And how is it?” Boq asked.

“It’s okay,” Spike said, trying not to offend his host.

Boq nodded understandingly. He also showed Spike some of the vegetables, fruits, and desserts that were prepared for the occasion. Spike ate those much more eagerly.

After the dinner, Dorothy and the others sat upon a settee and watched the people dance while they sang.

“Ding Dong, the witch is dead
Which old witch? The wicked witch!
Ding Dong the wicked witch is dead~

Wake up your sleepy head
Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up, the wicked witch is dead~

She’s gone where the goblins go Below~
Below below yo-ho!
Let’s open up and sing
And ring the bells out

Ding Dong the merrio
Sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the wicked witch is dead~”

“Well,” Rarity said. “They’re certainly a grateful bunch.”

“Hard to blame them,” Sunset said. “They were freed from a life of bondage.”

“I don’t see how being tied up is so bad,” Rainbow said.

“Not that kind of bondage,” Sunset said.

“I think it’s something more like torment,” Fluttershy said.

When Boq saw Dorothy’s silver shoes, he said, "You must be a great sorceress."

“I’m not a sorceress at all, sir,” Dorothy said honestly.

“But, you wear silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch,” Boq said. “Besides, you have white in your frock and only good witches and sorceresses wear white."

"My dress is blue and white checked," said Dorothy, smoothing out the wrinkles in it.

“Same with me,” Sunset said.

"It is kind of you both to wear that," said Boq. "Blue is the color of the Munchkins and white is the witch color. So, we know you are friendly witches."

“Well, where all of us except Dorothy come from,” Sunset said. “Magic users are pretty common.”

“As well as those who can fly and those who can use their strength in their hooves,” Starlight added. “Sunset and Twilight can do all three.”

“This land where you’re from does sound remarkable,” Boq said with fascination.

“Much more than Kansas,” Dorothy said.

“Though,” Boq said. “Kansas will be safe with your influence to protect it.”

Dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed to think her and her friends witches and she knew very well she was only an ordinary little girl with a group of ponies and a dragon who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land.

When they had tired watching the dancing, Boq led them into the house, where he gave them a room with enough pretty beds in it for all of them. The sheets were made of blue cloth and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning, with Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.

Later, when everyone else was asleep, the Equestria residents were gathered together.

“Auntie Sunset,” Spike asked. “What can we expect here?”

“To minimize spoilers,” Sunset said softly, but, still enough for Spike and the others to hear. “A few fantastical creatures, both good and bad, two good witches, two bad witches, and some other things that can go bad. Although, admittedly, we have faced worse things, especially a few months ago.” They all nodded, remembering the battle for Equestria, when Sunset and Twilight’s kingdom finally had the additional land added.

“Hopefully,” Starlight said. “Grogar doesn’t find his way here or worse yet, brings back the petrified villains.”

“But, who would think of doing that?” Trixie said. “As long as we have each other, we should manage easily.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “We’ve already beaten one Wicked Witch and there’s one left.”

“We won’t let ya tell us how it’s done,” Applejack said to Sunset. “But, we will make sure ta keep Dorothy n’ Toto safe.”

“We better get to sleep,” Sunset said. “We have a long journey.”

The ponies each got into a bed with Rarity sharing hers with Spike, who she embraced lovingly.

The next morning, after everyone was well rested and had a satisfying breakfast, they were getting ready to start their journey.

"How far is it to the Emerald City?" the girl asked.

"I do not know," answered Boq gravely. "For I have never been there. It is better for people to keep away from Oz unless they have business with him. But, it is a long way to the Emerald City and it will take you many days. The country here is rich and pleasant, but, you must pass through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end of your journey."

“We can handle it,” Rainbow said confidently.

“It may be scary,” Fluttershy said. “But, we will be there for each other and make sure we’re all safe.”

They all bade their friends good-bye and again started along the road of yellow brick. When they had gone several miles, Dorothy thought she would stop to rest, which the others agreed to, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside the road and sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence and not far away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from the ripe corn.

Dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow. Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face. An old, pointed blue hat that had belonged to some Munchkin, was perched on his head and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded, which had also been stuffed with straw. On the feet were some old boots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and the figure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up its back. Applejack couldn’t help but feel that there was something strangely familiar about this scarecrow.

While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of the Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her. She rubbed her eyes. “Did any of you see that?” she asked.

“I think so,” Pinkie said. “Did you see the Scarecrow’s face wink, too?”

Dorothy climbed down the fence and walked up to the Scarecrow. Toto ran around the pole and barked.

"Good day," said the Scarecrow, in a rather husky voice.

“Oh!” Dorothy said surprised, but, she politely replied back. “Good day. How are you?”

"I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow, with a smile. "For it is very tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away crows."

“Can’t you just get down?” Rainbow asked.

"No, for this pole is stuck up my back,” the Scarecrow said. “If one of you will please take away the pole I shall be greatly obliged to you."

“Perhaps I can help,” Dorothy said. She reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole, for, being stuffed with straw, it was quite light.

"Thank you very much," said the Scarecrow when he had been set down on the ground. "I feel like a new man."

Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear a stuffed man speak and to see him bow and walk along beside her.

“So,” the Scarecrow said. “Who are all of you and where are all of you off to on such a fine day?”

“I’m Dorothy and this is my dog, Toto,” Dorothy said.

“And get ready to remember quite a few names as well,” Sunset said. “I’m Sunset Shimmer and these are my friends. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Trixie Lulamoon, and Starlight Glimmer.”

“Do you have a name?” Fluttershy asked the Scarecrow.

“The Munchkin that made me never gave me one,” the Scarecrow said.

“That’s so sad,” Fluttershy said sympathetically. “Would you want a name?”

“I suppose I would,” the Scarecrow said.

“How about Bartleby?” Sunset suggested.

“Hmm… Bartleby,” the Scarecrow repeated with a smile. “I do like the sound of that.”

“Anyone else?” Sunset asked.

“Well, the name Bartleby does suit him really well actually,” Spike said. “Plus, it sounds like he really likes it.” The others nodded in agreement.

“Well, Bartleby, it is,” Sunset said.

“Uh, can ah ask a question?” Applejack said.

“I might not have an answer for it,” Bartleby said. “But, you can ask it.”

“How’d ya come ta life in the first place?” Applejack asked.

“I first heard something about a Powder of Life,” Bartleby said.

“Ah see,” Applejack said, nodding her head.

“Now, where are you all going?” Bartleby asked again.

“The Emerald City, to ask the Great Oz to send us back to Kansas," Dorothy explained.

"Where is the Emerald City?" Bartleby inquired. "And who is Oz?"

"Why, don't you know?" Dorothy returned in surprise.

"No, indeed. I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all," he answered sadly.

“We know little of Oz and the Emerald City ourselves,” Twilight said. “We’re not exactly from here. From what we’ve learned, Oz is supposedly a great wizard. Dorothy is going to ask Oz if there is a way back to her home in Kansas.”

"Do you think," Bartleby asked. "If I go to the Emerald City with you, that Oz would give me some brains?"

“If Oz really is as great as everyone says he is,” Trixie said. “Then, I see no reason why it wouldn’t be possible. If Oz won’t give you any brains, you’ll be no worse off than you are now."

"That is true," said the Scarecrow. "You see," he continued confidentially. "I don't mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed, because I cannot get hurt. If anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn't matter, for I can't feel it. But, I do not want people to call me a fool and if my head stays stuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours all are, how am I ever to know anything?"

“Ya seem ta know how ta talk at least,” Applejack said.

“I have seen the Munchkin farmers do it,” Bartleby explained. “And it looked easy enough. When my mouth was first painted on, I didn’t know what it was for.”

“So,” Fluttershy said. “You must have practiced a bit, is that it?”

“I suppose,” Bartleby said. “Though, not for very long. I was only created the day before yesterday.”

“My goodness!” Rarity exclaimed in surprise. “Though you’re carrying on a conversation quite beautifully.”

“And without a brain,” Spike said.

“Well, maybe you can come with us,” Pinkie said. “If you can talk this good without one, think of what you can say with one!”

Bartleby liked the idea.

“A quick question, though,” Starlight asked. “What would you do with a brain if you had one?”

“Well, for one,” Bartleby said. “I wouldn’t be a fool.”

“I see,” Starlight said.

They walked back to the road. Dorothy helped Bartleby over the fence and they started along the path of yellow brick for the Emerald City.

Toto did not like this addition to the party at first. He smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest of rats in the straw and he often growled in an unfriendly way at Bartleby. Fluttershy wore a look of shock.

“The very idea, Toto!” Fluttershy gasped. “I don’t think Bartleby would have any rats in his straw.”

"Don't mind Toto," said Dorothy to her new friend. "He never bites."

"Oh, I'm not afraid," replied Bartleby. "He can't hurt the straw. Do let me carry that basket for you. I shall not mind it, for I can't get tired. I'll tell you a secret," he continued, as he walked along. "There is only one thing in the world I am afraid of."

“What is it?” Pinkie asked. “The Munchkin farmer that made you?”

“No,” Bartleby said. “It’s a lighted match.”

Pinkie gasped and covered her mouth.

“Ah mean,” Applejack said. “It would make sense why ya would be afraid o’ ‘em. If one got too close ta ya, ya’d catch on fire.”

“And, being stuffed with straw,” Rarity said. “That would be most inconvenient.”

Bartleby nodded uneasily.

“Don’t worry,” Pinkie said. “We promise not to let any lighted matches near you.”

“And we should be careful with our fire powers, Spike,” Sunset whispered to the little dragon.

“Right,” Spike said. “If there is need of them, we’ll make sure to be a good distance away from Bartleby.”

Chapter 4: The Apple Trees and the Road Through the Forest

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After a few hours the road began to be rough and the walking grew so difficult that Bartleby often stumbled over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven.

“We’re going in the right direction, aren’t we, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“Considering this is literally the only form of pavement,” Sunset said. “We must be. Though, around here, the brick work is pretty shoddy.”

Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothy and the others walked around. As for Bartleby, having no brains, he walked straight ahead and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard bricks. It never hurt him, however and Dorothy or one of the others would pick him up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined some of them in laughing merrily at his own mishap. This didn’t sit well with Fluttershy.

“I know it’s a little unsettling,” Twilight said gently. “But, we’ll make sure you’re alright, Fluttershy.”

“I’m more worried about Bartleby being laughed at for his mishap,” Fluttershy said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bartleby said. “I can’t feel pain, being stuffed with straw. And I can agree that I must look quite silly, so, I don’t mind the laughter.”

Presently, Applejack saw some apple trees and was getting rather hungry.

“Those apples look mighty ripe,” Applejack said as she approached one tree. “How ‘bout ah kick down some n’ we can have a snack ‘fore we carry on?”

“Applejack, wait, don’t!” Sunset said. But, she was too late. Applejack had already kicked the tree.

“OW!!!” a gruff voice said.

“Huh?!” Applejack looked around, looking for the source of the voice. “Did ah accidentally kick a farmer?! Ah’m so so–” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as a branch from the tree grabbed her and began shaking her like a ragdoll.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” the tree demanded angrily, using a knothole as a mouth.

“Uh, ah was tryin’ ta get some of the apples growin’ off yer branches,” Applejack explained, albeit nervously. “Ah was hungry n’ ah wanted ta share with mah friends.”

“She was hungry!” the tree said, throwing her to the ground.

“D’oh!” Applejack groaned with pain.

“Well,” the tree said angrily. “How would you like it if someone came along and kicked you?”

Bartleby helped Applejack up. “Come along, Applejack,” he said. “You don’t want to eat those apples.”

Applejack gave a soft groan for she was still clearly in pain. The trees heard Bartleby insult their fruit.

“What’s that?” the first tree growled. “You dare insult our fruit?! Are you saying they aren’t what they ought to be?!”

“I should say not!” Bartleby retorted. “They may look pretty and shiny, but, I’ll bet they’re all rotted on the inside or filled with worms and caterpillars!”

“Why you–!!!” the tree roared.

The trees were so angry they started to pick the apples off of their branches and throw them at the scarecrow. This gave him the opportunity to catch them as they got close to him. He also made sure to protect Applejack from getting more hurt from the apple projectiles. Being made of straw, the apples weren’t bruised when they hit him. Once the apples were plucked off of the trees, Fluttershy dressed Applejack’s wounds and they got a good distance away from the trees.

“I have to say, Bartleby,” Spike said. “That was pretty smart.”

“Hey, Sunset,” Applejack said sadly. “Ah’m powerful sorry ah didn’t hear yer warnin’ sooner. Ah was so hungry that ah was more focused on fillin’ mah belly’n listenin’ ta reason.”

“It’s okay, Applejack,” Sunset said. “We all know how you feel about apples. You were born and raised on an apple farm, after all.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “Still, with this bein’ a magic land, ah shoulda figgered the flora here’d be just as magical.”

“Aren’t there trees like that in Equestria?” Dorothy asked.

“Apple trees, yes,” Applejack said. “Trees that attack, also yes. Those two in one that can talk, no.”

“I see,” Dorothy said. “We should rest a bit so you can recover, Applejack.”

The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were farther back. There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees and the farther they went the more dismal and lonesome the country became.

And so, as they snacked, they sat down by the roadside near a little brook and Dorothy opened her basket and got out some bread. She offered a piece to Bartleby, but, he refused.

"I am never hungry," he said. "And it is a lucky thing I am not, for my mouth is only painted and if I should cut a hole in it so I could eat, the straw I am stuffed with would come out and that would spoil the shape of my head."

Dorothy nodded understandably.

"Tell me something about yourselves and the countries you came from," said the scarecrow when they had finished their dinner. So, they told him all about Kansas and how gray everything was there, Equestria and how different it was, and how the cyclone had carried them to this queer Land of Oz.

Bartleby listened carefully and said, "I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas."

Chapter 4: The Road Through the Forest, Sunset said internally.

"That is because you have no brains," answered the girl. "No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home."

“I suppose I understand a little bit,” Bartleby said. He then sighed. "Who am I fooling? Of course I cannot understand it," he said. "If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places and then Kansas would have no people at all. It is fortunate for Kansas that you have brains."

“How about you tell us a story while we’re resting,” Sunset suggested.

Bartleby looked at her reproachfully and answered:

"My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before that time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was going on. There was another Munchkin with him and the first thing I heard was the farmer saying, `How do you like those ears?' `They aren't straight,' answered the other. `Never mind,' said the farmer. `They are ears just the same,' which was true enough. `Now I'll make the eyes,' said the farmer. So, he painted my right eye and as soon as it was finished I found myself looking at him and at everything around me with a great deal of curiosity, for this was my first glimpse of the world.”

“That Powder of Life stuff must work really well,” Spike said. “You had senses as soon as parts of your face were made.”

“Even if you aren’t able to eat,” Starlight said. “I don’t know if you have a tongue, so, I don’t know if you have a sense of taste either.”

“I couldn’t have a real tongue,” Bartleby said. “For my mouth is painted on, as I’ve said.”

“Right,” Starlight said. “Anyway, you had your first glimpse of the world.”

“Oh, right,” Bartleby said. "`That's a rather pretty eye,' remarked the Munchkin who was watching the farmer. `Blue paint is just the color for eyes.' `I think I'll make the other a little bigger,' said the farmer. And when the second eye was done, I could see much better than before. Then he made my nose and my mouth. But, I did not speak, because, at that time, I didn't know what a mouth was for. I had the fun of watching them make my body and my arms and legs. And, when they fastened on my head, at last, I felt very proud, for I thought I was just as good a man as anyone. `This fellow will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer. `He looks just like a man.' `Why, he is a man,' said the other and I quite agreed with him. The farmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield and set me up on a tall stick where you all found me. He and his friend soon after walked away and left me alone.”

“That must have been so lonely for you,” Fluttershy said.

Bartleby nodded. "I did not like to be deserted this way. So, I tried to walk after them. But, my feet would not touch the ground and I was forced to stay on that pole. It was a lonely life to lead, for I had nothing to think of, having been made such a little while before. Many crows and other birds flew into the cornfield, but, as soon as they saw me they flew away again, thinking I was a Munchkin.”

“That’s so sad,” Trixie said.

“This pleased me and made me feel that I was quite an important person,” Bartleby said. “By and by an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he perched upon my shoulder and said, `I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner. Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.' Then, he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. The other birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came to eat the corn, too, so, in a short time there was a great flock of them about me.”

“Oh, boy,” Rainbow said dismally. “Who would’ve guessed I’d feel sorry for what’s essentially a giant ragdoll. Uh, no offense.”

“What’s there to be offended about?” Bartleby asked. “One thing I knew from the start is that I’m less than the Munchkin who made me.”

“Well,” Applejack said. “Ya mean a lot ta us n’ that’s what’s important. Back ta yer story.”

“Right,” Bartleby said. "I felt sad at this situation, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrow after all, but, the old crow comforted me, saying, `If you only had brains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them and a better man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.' After the crows had gone I thought this over and decided I would try hard to get some brains. By good luck you all came along and pulled me off the stake and from what you say, I am sure the Great Oz will give me brains as soon as we get to the Emerald City."

“I’m sure he will,” Dorothy said. “Just as he will help me get home to Kansas. You sure seem anxious to get brains.”

"Oh, yes, I am anxious," returned Bartleby. "It is such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool."

“We don’t think you’re a fool,” Spike said. “You tricked those trees into giving us their apples.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “That was most clever.”

“And you can spin such a beautiful yarn,” Sunset said. “People no older than you aren’t nearly as articulate.”

“Even with all of the books I’ve read,” Twilight said. “Hearing you say all of these things is truly captivating.”

“You’re only two days old,” Trixie said. “And you have an understanding of the world most don’t get until they’re years old. Clearly, you’re smarter than you think, with or without brains.”

“It is nice of you all to say,” Bartleby said. “But, I still would like a brain regardless. If only to have something in my head other than straw.”

“If you’re so certain on that,” Sunset said. “Then, I guess we can’t stop you.”

Applejack had been eating apples for the entire duration. The vitamins in the fruit helped to heal her wounds. She inspected her body and was surprised to discover she didn’t feel sore anymore.

“Hey,” she said in a pleasantly surprised voice. “Ah’m all better now!”

“Can I scan you really quick?” Sunset asked.

“Go ahead,” Applejack said.

“Scan?” Dorothy said. “What does that mean?”

Sunset lit up her horn and bathed Applejack in a cascading light that went up and down her body. Afterwards, Sunset doused her horn. “Huh,” she said. “Not an injury to be found.”

“The fruit in this magical land must be just as magical as the trees,” Rarity ventured.

“That would account for the magical energy I picked up in Applejack’s stomach,” Sunset said.

“That is incredible,” Twilight said with astonishment.

“I’ve heard an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” Spike said. “But, this is ridiculous.”

“She must have eaten enough apples to keep a whole hospital away!” Pinkie quipped.

“Ah left enough fer each o’ y’all ta have at least one,” Applejack said. “Ah ain’t that greedy with apples.”

“Thanks, AJ,” Sunset said. “Although, we might want to be careful with these considering their healing properties. And we don’t know if all apples in Oz have these same healing properties.”

“Y’all’d better carry the rest o’ the apples,” Applejack said before patting her belly. “Y’all know how ah get with apples.”

“Good idea,” Spike said. He began picking up the remaining apples.

“Should I ask?” Dorothy said.

“Basically,” Rainbow said. “No matter how much Applejack’s eaten recently, all it takes is thinking about apples to make her hungry again.”

“I suppose that does make sense,” Dorothy said. “I suppose there’s no point trying to figure it out?”

“You can try,” Spike said. “But, it may take a while.”

"Well," said the girl. "Let us go." And she handed the basket to Bartleby.

“Yes, indeed,” Bartleby said.

There were no fences at all by the roadside now and the land was rough and untilled. Toward evening they came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick. It was almost dark under the trees, for the branches shut out the daylight, but, the travelers did not stop and went on into the forest.

"If this road goes in, it must come out," said the scarecrow. "And, as the Emerald City is at the other end of the road, we must go wherever it leads us."

The unicorns and alicorns used their horns to illuminate the way to make sure they weren’t going towards any dangerous places.

"Anyone would know that," said Rainbow.

"Certainly. That is why I know it," returned Bartleby. "If it required brains to figure it out, I never should have said it."

After an hour or so the natural light faded away. The alicorns and unicorns kept their horns glowing until they saw a small cottage built of logs and branches.

“Do you think anyone is living in that cottage over there?” Twilight asked.

“There is,” Sunset whispered to Twilight. “But, we’ll need shelter for the night.”

Dorothy and Spike let out yawns. “I’m too tired to worry about that right now,” Spike said.

“As am I,” Dorothy said, rubbing one of her eyes. “If anyone was in there, I hope we won’t be too much trouble.”

The owner of the cottage will be grateful we came, period, Sunset said internally.

Dorothy entered the cottage and found a bed of dried leaves in one corner. She lay down at once and with Toto beside her soon fell into a sound sleep. Spike was about to join Dorothy before Rarity stopped him by wrapping a hoof around him.

“Oh, no you don’t, Spikey-Wikey,” she said. “I’m not letting my sweet dragon sleep on dry, crinkly leaves. You’ll feel much more comfortable on my back.”

“Oh, thanks, Rarity,” Spike said after a yawn escaped his lips.

Rarity got down on her belly with her legs curled up and she used her magic to guide Spike until he flopped down onto her soft back. To the dragon, Rarity was as soft as a pillow, lulling him to sleep faster.

The other ponies went for places around the room to sleep in. Bartleby, who couldn’t feel tired, decided to keep watch over the others.

Chapter 5: The Early Birds and the Rescue of the Tin Woodman

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Applejack woke up before the others. She stepped outside to see that the sun was rising. Remembering that she wasn’t on her farm, Applejack had no chores to pass the time. However, she noticed Bartleby still awake.

“Howdy, Bartleby,” she said. “Good mornin’.”

“Good morning, Applejack,” the scarecrow said politely. “You’re up early.”

“Force o’ habit,” Applejack said as she took a seat next to him. “Normally, ah get up early ta do chores ‘round the farm.”

“What sort of chores?” Bartleby asked. “I’ve never seen anyone do them before.”

“Well,” Applejack said. “There’s sweepin’, moppin’, cookin’, n’ mah personal favorite, applebuckin’.”

“Oh,” Bartleby said. “Was that what you did to that one apple tree yesterday?”

Applejack nodded. “Ah can’t fly er use magic,” she explained. “N’ ah ain’t got no hands like y’all, so, ah have ta make due with what ah got.”

“So,” Bartleby ventured to ask. “With you being awake now without chores to do, what are you going to do?”

“Well, that there’s the problem,” Applejack said. “Ah ain’t got nothin’ ta do. Since yer awake, too, ah may as well chat with ya ta pass the time.”

“I hope I won’t be too dull for you,” Bartleby said.

“Let me tell ya somethin’, Bartleby,” Applejack said. “We got scarecrows in Equestria n’ yer a far cry from bein’ dull compared ta ‘em.”

“Why, thank you,” Bartleby said with a smile. Suddenly, they heard a light growling sound. “What’s that sound?”

“That’s mah belly grumblin’,” Applejack said, patting her belly. “We better look fer some food.”

“Alright,” the Scarecrow said, willing to help.

When the others awoke, the sun was shining through the trees and Toto had long been out chasing birds around him and squirrels. They stepped out to find Applejack supporting Bartleby on her back as he picked nuts off a nearby tree.

“Good morning, Applejack,” Pinkie said cheerily. “Good morning, Bartleby.”

“Why are you picking nuts like that?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah ate more’n mah fair share o’ apples yesterday,” Applejack said. “N’ y’all need the rest in case o’ injury. These nuts should help tide us over since ah doubt Dorothy has enough bread fer all o’ us. ‘Sides, after yesterday, ah ain’t chancin’ buckin’ trees while we’re here.”

“Thanks, guys,” Sunset said. “The protein in the nuts should help us.”

Bartleby climbed down with nuts. “We best search for water,” Dorothy said to him.

“Why do you want water?" he asked.

"To wash my face clean after the dust of the road and to drink, so the dry bread will not stick in my throat," Dorothy said and the others agreed.

"It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said Bartleby thoughtfully. "For you must sleep, eat, and drink. However, you have brains and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly."

They left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found a little spring of clear water, where the fleshy travelers drank and bathed, and ate their breakfast. Dorothy saw there was not much bread left in the basket and the girl was thankful the Scarecrow did not have to eat anything, for there was scarcely enough for herself and Toto for the day. Much less the Equestria residents.

When they had finished their meal and were about to go back to the road of yellow brick, Dorothy was startled to hear a deep groan nearby.

“Geez, Applejack,” Rainbow said. “You need to stop thinking about apples so much.”

“That ain’t me,” Applejack said.

“She’s right,” Twilight said, holding a hoof up to her ear. “The sound is coming from this way.”

Just then, another groan reached their ears and the sound seemed to come from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a few steps when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the trees. She ran to the place and then stopped short, with a little cry of surprise.

One of the big trees had been partly chopped through and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but, he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.

Chapter 5: The Rescue of the Tin Woodman, Sunset said internally.

The party looked at the figure in amazement while Toto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his teeth. Fluttershy helped to soothe Toto’s sore mouth.

“Did you groan?” Dorothy asked the tin man, whose reply was muffled due his mouth not moving.

“It’s his mouth,” Rarity noted. “It’s rusted shut.”

“I know what he said,” Sunset said. “He said, ‘Yes, I did. I've been groaning for more than a year and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me.'”

“Surprisingly intricate for one single groan,” Rainbow said. “So, how can we help?”

The tin man’s reply was once again muffled. Sunset translated, “‘Get an oil-can and oil my joints. They are rusted so badly that I cannot move them at all. If I am well oiled, I shall soon be all right again. You will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage.’”

“Wait, aren’t you made of tin?” Starlight asked. “Isn’t it iron that rusts?”

“Not the time to discuss metallurgy, Starlight,” Sunset said before directing her attention to the tin man. “Since that cottage is the only one around, it must be yours.”

The tin man groaned a muffled yes. Dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oil-can and then she returned and asked anxiously, "Where are your joints?"

“For ease of communication,” Sunset suggested. “Let’s oil his mouth first.”

After Sunset levitated her (as she was shorter than the grown-up sized tin man), Dorothy oiled the sides of the tin man’s mouth. The joints in his jaw squeaked as they began to move again.

“Oh, thank goodness,” the tin man said clearly. “I can talk again! Quickly, please. Oil my arms, elbows, legs, and knees.”

“Is it okay if we start with your neck?” Sunset asked.

“Yes, please,” the tin man said. So, Dorothy oiled it and, as it was quite badly rusted, Bartleby, held up on Applejack’s back, took hold of the tin head and moved it gently from side to side until it worked freely and then the man could turn it himself. “Ah, I can see more things again! Now oil the joints in my arms.” And Dorothy oiled them and Twilight and Sunset bent them carefully until they were quite free from rust and as good as new. “That’s much better. Thank you all so much.”

The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree.

"This is a great comfort," he said. "I have been holding that axe in the air ever since I rusted and I'm glad to be able to put it down at last. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all right once more."

They did so vigorously. Once he could move his legs freely, he thanked them again and again for his release, for he seemed a very polite creature and very grateful.

"I might have stood there always if you had not come along," he said. "So, you have certainly saved my life. How did you happen to be here?"

"We are on our way to the Emerald City to see the Great Oz," Dorothy answered. "And we stopped at your cottage to pass the night."

“Oh, thank goodness,” the tin man said. “I’m glad that my cottage was available and still being used by those who need it.” Then, he found himself curious. "Why do you wish to see Oz?" he asked.

“We want to ask him to see if there is a way he can send me back to Kansas,” Dorothy answered.

“And I’m going to ask if he’s able to give me some brains,” Bartleby added.

The Tin Woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. Then, he said:

"Do you suppose Oz could give me a heart?"

“A heart?” Fluttershy asked.

"Why, I guess so," Dorothy answered. "It would be as easy as to give Bartleby brains."

"True," the Tin Woodman returned. "So, if you will allow me to join your party, I will also go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help me."

“The more the merrier,” Pinkie said.

“If it’s not too much bother,” the Tin Woodman asked Dorothy. “Could you put my oil can in your basket?”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Dorothy answered politely. She put the oil can in her basket.

“Thank you,” the Tin Woodman said. “If I should get caught in the rain and rust again, I would need the oil-can badly."

“If only I had thought to bring an umbrella,” Rarity said.

"Come along," said Bartleby heartily and Dorothy added that she would be pleased to have his company. So, the Tin Woodman shouldered his axe and they all passed through the forest until they came to the road that was paved with yellow brick.

It was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, for soon after they had begun their journey again, they came to a place where the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that the travelers could not pass.

“Stand back, everyone,” the Tin Woodman said. He set to work with his axe and chopped so well that soon he cleared a passage for the entire party. The party members thanked the Tin Woodman for his efforts.

“Out of curiosity,” Rarity said. “Do you have a name?”

“Indeed,” said the Tin Woodman. “I was born Nicholas III of the House of Chopper.”

“A pleasure to properly meet you,” Rarity said.

“Is it okay if we call you Nick for short?” Pinkie asked.

“Certainly,” Nick said. At that moment, Bartleby stumbled into a hole and rolled over to the side of the road. Indeed, he was obliged to call to the others to help him up again. Rainbow and Fluttershy were able to help him out of the hole easily. "Why didn't you walk around the hole?" Nick asked.

"I don't know enough," replied the scarecrow cheerfully. "My head is stuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am going to Oz to ask him for some brains."

"Oh, I see," said Nick. "But, after all, brains are not the best things in the world."

"Have you any?" inquired Bartleby.

"No, my head is quite empty," answered Nick, banging on his head as it made hollow noise as if to prove his point. "But, once, I had brains and a heart, also, so, having tried them both, I should much rather have a heart."

“Wait, what do you mean?” Spike asked.

"I will tell you my story and then, you will know," Nick said.

The party sat down as the tin woodman began his story.

"I was born in Munchkin country as the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forest and sold the wood for a living,” Nick said. “When I grew up, I, too, became a woodchopper and after my father died I took care of my old mother as long as she lived. Then, I made up my mind that instead of living alone, I would marry so that I might not become lonely.”

“Uh, question?” Rainbow said, raising a hoof.

“Yes?” Nick said.

“Does that mean you were a Munchkin?” Rainbow asked. “If so, why are you so tall compared to other Munchkins we’ve seen?”

“It’s true that I was born in Munchkin Country,” Nick said. “But, my status as Munchkin is only half true. My mother was a Munchkin, my father was a Winkie who moved here with his brother from Winkie Country, which accounts for my height.”

“Oh~” Rainbow said. “See, we haven’t met a Winkie yet, so we didn’t know.”

“Winkies,” Nick said. “Resemble Munchkins, but, taller and their color preference is yellow.”

“I see,” Fluttershy said.

“Anyway,” Nick continued. "There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart. Her name was Nimmie Amee. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her, so, I set to work harder than ever. I learned that she worked for the Wicked Witch of the East, Evanora.”

“Oh, my,” Twilight gasped.

“The witch did not wish Nimmie to marry anyone,” Nick said. “For she was so lazy, she wished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and the housework. Knowing Nimmie was enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the East strengthened my resolve. I would marry her not just for love, but, to save her from her fate.”

“That is quite commendable of you,” Rarity said.

“But,” Nick said. “I didn’t account for the witch’s determination. She stole two cows and a sheep for a spell to prevent the marriage. Thereupon, the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe and when I was chopping away at my best one day, for I was anxious to get the new house and my wife as soon as possible, the axe slipped all at once and cut off my left leg.”

“That’s awful!” Spike said in shock.

"This at first seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-legged man could not do very well as a wood-chopper,” Nick said. “So, I went to my uncle, who was a tinsmith, and had him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well once I was used to it. But, this angered the witch, who was determined to stop the marriage. When I began chopping again, my axe slipped and cut off my right leg.”

“That’s scary,” Fluttershy said in a frightened tone.

“Again, I went to my uncle and again, he made me a new leg out of tin,” Nick said. “After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one after the other, but, nothing daunted, I had them replaced with tin ones.”

“No matter how many parts of the body are cut off,” Rainbow said. “It’s still freaky to think about.”

“The Wicked Witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head,” Nick said. “And at first, I thought that was the end of me. But, my uncle happened to come along and he made me a new head out of tin.”

“It’s lucky your uncle is able to help you,” Starlight said.

“Indeed,” Nick said. "I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch then and I worked harder than ever, but, I little knew how cruel my enemy could be.”

“Oh, boy,” Applejack said uneasily.

“She thought of a new way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden,” Nick said. “And made my axe slip again so that it cut right through my body, splitting me into two halves. Once more, my uncle came to my help and made me a body of tin, fastening my tin arms, legs, and head to it, by means of joints so that I could move around as well as ever.”

“That’s intense,” Trixie noted.

“But, alas!” Nick said. “I had now no heart so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl and did not care whether I married her or not.”

“That’s so sad,” Rarity said.

"My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it and it did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me,” Nick said. “But, once again, I underestimated the witch’s cruelty.”

“Is there any low she won’t stoop down to?” Rainbow asked.

“She placed a curse on my joints,” Nick said. “This curse made them rust faster when exposed to water. Even if for only a moment.”

“That explains it,” Starlight said.

“But, I kept an oil-can in my cottage,” Nick said. “And took care to oil myself whenever I needed it. However, there came a day when I forgot to do this and, being caught in a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger, my joints had rusted and I was left to stand in the woods until you all came to help me.”

“That must have been a lonely time for you,” Fluttershy said sympathetically.

Nick nodded. “It was a terrible thing to undergo, but, during the year I stood there, I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love, I was the happiest man on earth, but, no one can love who has not a heart and so, I am resolved to ask Oz to give me one. If he does, I will go back to Nimmie Amee and marry her to save her from the Wicked Witch of the East."

“Uh, you might be a little late on that last part,” Rainbow said.

“How do you mean?” Nick asked. He then gasped. “Is Nimmie hurt?!”

“What Rainbow means,” Sunset said. “Is that the Wicked Witch of the East has been dead for two days now.”

“Oh!” Nick said in surprise. He then sat down with his chin in his hands and a sad look on his face. “Even in death, the Wicked Witch continues to plague me. I should feel hope that I can finally be with Nimmie, yet, without a heart, all I feel is this cursed indifference.”

“We’re so sorry,” Dorothy said.

"All the same," said Bartleby, trying to be helpful. "I shall ask for brains instead of a heart, for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one."

"I shall take the heart," returned Nick. "For brains do not make one happy and happiness is the best thing in the world."

“Come on, y’all,” Applejack said. “This ain’t the time fer fightin’ ‘bout ideals. Ah’m sure both o’ ya have yer reasons fer wantin’ what ya want n’ we are still on our journey together n’ all.”

Dorothy did not say anything, for she was puzzled to know which of her two friends was right and she decided if she could only get back to Kansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether Nick had no brains and Bartleby no heart or each got what he wanted.

What worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and another meal for herself and Toto would empty the basket. To be sure neither Nick nor Bartleby ever ate anything, but, she was not made of tin nor straw and could not live unless she was fed.

Chapter 6: Foraging and the Cowardly Lion

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All this time, Dorothy and her companions had been walking through the thick woods. The road was still paved with yellow brick, but, these were much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees and the walking was not at all good. Dorothy, Spike, and some of the ponies helped to forage for food.

“These should hold us for a while,” Spike said as he gathered some fruit. Suddenly, there came a deep growl. “Before anyone asks,” Spike said. “That was not my stomach.”

“I can tell,” Fluttershy said, holding a hoof up to her ear. “It sounded more like a big feline than a dragon’s tummy.”

These sounds made the little girl's heart beat fast, for she did not know what made them, but, Toto knew and he walked close to Dorothy's side and did not even bark in return.

"How long will it be," the child asked of the tin woodman. "Before we are out of the forest?"

"I cannot tell," was the answer. "For I have never been to the Emerald City. But, my father went there once when I was a boy and he said it was a long journey through a dangerous country, although, nearer to the city where Oz dwells, the country is beautiful. But, I am not afraid so long as I have my oil-can and nothing can hurt Bartleby while you bear upon your forehead the mark of the Good Witch's kiss and that will protect you from harm. I can tell that the ponies and dragon have a magic about them as well."

Chapter 6: The Cowardly Lion, Sunset said internally.

"But, Toto!" said the girl anxiously. "What will protect him?"

"We must protect him ourselves if he is in danger," replied Nick.

“With all of us,” Fluttershy said. “Toto is certainly going to be safe.”

Just as she spoke, there came from the forest a terrible roar and the next moment, a great lion bounded into the road. With one blow of his paw, he sent Bartleby spinning over and over to the edge of the road and then, he struck at Nick with his sharp claws. But, to the lion's surprise, he could make no impression on the tin, although, the woodman fell over in the road and lay still.

Spike and most of the ponies prepared to face this beast, but, Sunset held out a front hoof to signal them to stop.

“Hold it!” Sunset said. “I may not have been there when you met Manny Roar, but, I don’t want a repeat of that.”

Little Toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking toward the lion and the great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog. Dorothy, fearing Toto would be killed and heedless of danger, rushed forward and slapped the lion upon his nose as hard as she could while she cried out:

"Don't you dare to bite Toto! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!"

"I didn't bite him," said the lion in a sobbing nerdy voice as he rubbed his nose with his paw where Dorothy had hit it.

"No, but you tried to," she retorted. "You are nothing but a big coward."

"I know it," said the lion, hanging his head in shame. "I've always known it. But, how can I help it?"

“Oh, you poor thing,” Fluttershy said sympathetically as she comforted the lion.

"I don't know, I'm sure,” Dorothy said. “To think of your striking a stuffed man, like the poor scarecrow, Bartleby!"

"Is he stuffed?" asked the lion in surprise, as he watched Applejack pick up Bartleby and set him upon his feet while she patted him into shape again.

"Of course he's stuffed," replied Dorothy, who was still angry.

"That's why he went over so easily," remarked the lion. "It astonished me to see him whirl around so. Is the other one stuffed also?"

“No,” Spike said as he helped Nick up again. “He’s made of tin.”

"That's why he nearly blunted my claws," said the lion. "When they scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. What is that little animal you are so tender of?"

“He’s my dog, Toto,” Dorothy answered.

"Is he made of tin or stuffed?" asked the lion.

"Neither. He's a--a--a meat dog," said the girl.

“Organic,” Fluttershy said. “Just as you are, Mr. Lion.”

"Oh! He's a curious animal and seems remarkably small, now that I look at him. No one would think of biting such a little thing, except a coward like me," continued the lion sadly.

“What makes you a coward?” Pinkie asked. “You’re as big as a small horse. And we’re actual small horses, so, we know what we’re talking about.”

"It's a mystery," replied the lion. "I suppose I was born that way. All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts. I learned that if I roared very loudly, every living thing was frightened and got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man, I've been awfully scared, but, I just roared at him and he has always run away as fast as he could go. If the elephants, the tigers, and the bears had ever tried to fight me, I should have run myself--I'm such a coward, but, just as soon as they hear me roar, they all try to get away from me and, of course, I let them go."

Fluttershy, being kind towards animals, helped to calm the lion down.

"But, that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward," said Bartleby.

"I know it," returned the lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. "It is my great sorrow and makes my life very unhappy. But, whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast."

"Perhaps you have heart disease," said Nick.

“I don’t think he means that,” Fluttershy said. “I can tell that his battles were fought for him when he was young.”

“It’s true,” the lion said shamefully.

"If you have heart disease," continued Nick. "You ought to be glad, for it proves you have a heart. For my part, I have no heart, so I cannot have heart disease."

“Not helping, Nick,” Starlight said.

“My apologies,” Nick said.

"Perhaps," said the lion thoughtfully. "If I had no heart, I should not be a coward."

“Without a heart, you won’t even be alive,” Rainbow said. “So, it wouldn’t matter if you were a coward or not.”

"Have you brains?" asked Bartleby.

"I suppose so. I've never looked to see," replied the lion.

"I am going to the Great Oz to ask him to give me some," remarked Bartleby. "For my head is stuffed with straw."

"And I am going to ask him to give me a heart," said Nick.

"And I am going to ask him to send Toto and me back to Kansas," added Dorothy.

“The rest of us are going so he can send us back to Equestria,” Sunset said.

“I wonder if the wizard will help you, too,” Fluttershy said to the lion.

“Help me?” he asked. “You would invite me even after the trouble I caused most of you?”

“Well, ya are laughably pathetic,” Applejack said. “Even if Oz can’t give ya courage, ya sure as sugar won’t get none if’n ya stay in the same place.”

“And on top of that,” Fluttershy said. “I can tell that you’re very sorry for what you tried to do.”

The lion nodded. “I hate killing other animals,” he said. “But, if I didn’t, I’d die myself. I don’t want that, either. My life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage.”

“Then,” Dorothy said. “You may come with us as well. You will help to keep away the other wild beasts. It seems to me they must be more cowardly than you are if they allow you to scare them so easily.”

"They really are," said the lion. "But, that doesn't make me any braver and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy."

“Do you have a name, by any chance?” Sunset asked.

“Yes,” the lion answered. “My father named me–” He finished his answer with a roar.

“Uh,” Trixie said. “That might be a little hard to pronounce.”

“Is it okay if we call you, ‘Raw?’” Sunset asked. “For simplicity?”

“Yes, that’s alright,” the lion replied.

So, once more the little company set off upon the journey, Raw walking with stately strides at Dorothy's side. Toto did not approve of this new comrade at first, for he could not forget how nearly he had been crushed between the lion's great jaws. But, after a time he became more at ease and presently Toto and the cowardly lion had grown to be good friends.

During the walk, there was a point when Nick suddenly stopped walking. He stepped back a bit and saw that he’d stepped on a beetle that was crawling along the road and killed the poor little thing. The tin woodman fell to his knees in grief and began crying tears of sorrow and regret. These tears ran slowly down his face and over the hinges of his jaw and there they rusted. Dorothy noticed and, with Sunset helping to give her a boost, used the oil can to lubricate the tin woodman. Fluttershy used her wing to dry Nick’s eyes.

“What’s wrong, Nick?” the pegasus asked.

“I stepped on a poor defenseless beetle,” Nick sobbed. "This will serve me a lesson to look where I step. For if I should kill another bug or beetle, I should surely cry again and crying rusts my jaws so that I cannot speak."

Thereafter, he walked very carefully with his eyes on the road and when he saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not to harm it. Nick knew very well he had no heart and therefore, he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.

"You people with hearts," he said. "Have something to guide you and need never do wrong, but, I have no heart and so, I must be very careful. When Oz gives me a heart of course, I needn't mind so much."

“Are we sure this guy doesn’t have a heart?” Spike asked the others. “That was a pretty emotional reaction over something like the death of a beetle.”

“You’ll be surprised,” Sunset whispered to him. “And not just by Nick.”

Chapter 7: Camp Memories and the Journey to the Great Oz

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The party had obliged to camp out that night under a large tree in the forest, for there were no houses near.

“Let’s hope this camping trip goes better than the one with Chrysalis’ copies,” Starlight said.

“Considerin’ they ain’t here,” Applejack noted. “It should be.”

“Chrysalis?” Dorothy asked.

“Chrysalis,” Sunset explained. “Was the queen of a species known as the Changelings. Named for their ability to change their appearance and even their voices.”

“She must have been very scary,” Dorothy said.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Twilight said. “Luckily, she has one weakness.”

“What’s that?” Dorothy asked.

“Her own arrogance,” Sunset said. “Her first two schemes to take over Equestria failed because she didn’t see one pony alone as a threat. That one pony rallied allies and her schemes fell apart.”

“Who was that?” Dorothy asked.

“The first time, it was me,” Twilight said.

“And me the second time,” Starlight said. “Though, I at least had Sunset and Trixie to help me out then.”

“Starlight was somewhat afraid to step into the leader role,” Trixie added. “But, she’s really good at it and she managed to help out a lot.”

“Why was Starlight afraid?” Dorothy asked.

“Long story short,” Starlight said. “I wasn’t all that good at being a leader the first time.”

Dorothy could tell that Starlight was starting to feel uncomfortable, so she decided not to press forward with the matter any further.

“Anyway,” Sunset said. “Chrysalis lost all of her followers after her second attempt and vowed revenge against Starlight. She used magic, pictures, and strands of hair from Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy to make clones of them with opposite personalities.”

“Luckily,” Spike said. “She underestimated all ten of us and didn’t know that only Auntie Sunset can activate the Elements of Empathy, Redemption, and Humility.”

“My goodness,” Dorothy said in an amazed tone.

“Then, there was the Tree of Harmony destroying the copies and turning them into logs!” Pinkie said.

“Great,” Spike said sarcastically. “There’s four hours of sleep I won’t be getting tonight.”

“Not to worry, Spike,” Rarity said gently. “You and I can sleep close together as usual.”

“Dare I ask what the Tree of Harmony is?” Bartleby asked.

“Well,” Sunset explained. “It started as a crystalline tree that grew the most powerful objects known to ponykind, the Elements of Harmony. It was recently destroyed and subsequently revived in the form of a clubhouse used by six of our students.”

“That sounds truly incredible,” Bartleby said.

“Originally,” Sunset continued. “There were six Elements of Harmony. Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. I created three more: Empathy, Redemption, and Humility.”

“You are capable of making these elements?” Nick asked.

“I studied the Elements of Harmony for a while,” Sunset said. “Initially, I thought that finding the originals would be too difficult and dangerous, so, I decided to make new ones.” She sighed. “Things would’ve gone smoothly were it not for… her.”

“Her?” Raw asked.

“Moonrise Dazzle,” Sunset said. “She was a classmate of mine at magic school.”

“To say that she was awful would be an understatement,” Rarity said. “The stories Sunset told us about her were bad enough, but, then, there was her stint as the vampire alicorn.”

The non-Equestria companions shivered with unease.

“But, Sunset here’s a phoenix alicorn,” Rainbow said. “The anti-vampire alicorn.”

Sunset modestly presented her wings before them. Bartleby, though startled, found beauty in the flame-like appearance of her feathers. When everyone got a chance to see them, she refolded her wings.

“Moonrise would regularly physically assault me under the pretense of punishing my failures on behalf of Princess Celestia, our teacher,” Sunset said. “I was so afraid of what the princess would do to me herself that I fled to another world to escape the consequences.”

“That all sounds dreadful,” Nick said dismally.

“Three years later,” Sunset said. “Twilight and Spike came to that other world and tried talking me into going back. At first, I was reluctant, but, that changed when I realized what the me of that world was doing with the knowledge on Equestria I gave her. I decided I’d rather face my consequences than let my research be used to achieve the ambitions of a power-hungry bully.”

“So, what happened?” Dorothy asked.

“I went back to Equestria,” Sunset said. “And when I saw Princess Celestia again, I was ready to accept my punishment. To my surprise, she didn’t do anything. I asked if she was going to have me arrested, beaten until I bled, or if she was going to use her magic to make me experience the agony of being crushed by a ton of bricks.”

“But, nothing happened?” Bartleby asked.

“The princess was shocked that I thought she’d even consider doing such things,” Sunset said. “Even more so when I presented the list of things Moonrise did to me.” Sunset held a scroll and let it unroll, revealing it to be several feet long. The non-Equestrian companions were horrified by what they saw. Dorothy picked up a section of the scroll and gasped.

“My goodness!” she exclaimed. “That is not the proper use of a broom!”

Sunset rolled the scroll back up. “My surprise gave way to anger when I learned the princess wasn’t aware of any of this.”

“That’s still terrible of Moonrise to do those things to you,” Dorothy said.

“I know,” Sunset said. “The princess allowed me to continue my Element of Harmony project with her full support. However, there was a slight problem.”

“What’s that?” Raw asked.

“After being in that other world for so long without the ability to use magic,” Sunset explained. “I was barely able to perform magic when I got back.”

“Oh, my,” Raw said.

“Luckily,” Sunset said. “I was able to relearn everything in under six months.”

“Ah, that’s very good,” Dorothy said.

“I managed to create the Elements of Empathy, Redemption, and Humility in time for my birthday,” Sunset said. “And their creation made me a phoenix alicorn.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Bartleby said.

“I stayed in Canterlot for a few months thereafter,” Sunset said. “To get my affairs in order.”

“I see,” Nick said.

“That’s enough about me,” Sunset said. “Nick, could you go get some firewood?”

“Of course I could,” Nick said. He stood up and walked to look for firewood. He chopped a great pile of wood with his axe and Dorothy built a splendid fire that warmed her and the Equestria residents.

“Thank you, Nick,” Fluttershy said politely.

Dorothy and Toto ate the last of their bread and now she did not know what they would do for breakfast.

Chapter 7: The Journey to the Great Oz, Sunset said internally.

"If you wish," said Raw. "I will go into the forest and kill a deer for you. You can roast it by the fire, since your tastes are so peculiar that you prefer cooked food and then, you will have a very good breakfast."

"Don't! Please don't," begged Nick. "I should certainly weep if you killed a poor deer and then, my jaws would rust again."

“Thank you for the offer,” Fluttershy said. “But, a lot of us don’t eat meat, cooked or otherwise.”

“Uh, auntie Sunset,” Spike asked. “Is deer red meat?”

“Yes,” Sunset explained. “Venison is red meat.”

“Then, I won’t be having that,” Spike said. “Only chicken and fish for me.”

“Raw, are there rivers nearby?” Sunset asked.

Raw held his head up to pick up the sounds around him. He did in fact hear the sound of a river flowing. “Yes,” he said.

“Looks like we’re going fishing for you, Spike,” Sunset said.

“Thanks,” Spike said.

“Don’t cry, Nick,” Fluttershy said. “Spike needs some meat in his diet to make his scales more durable to protect him from harm.”

“And on top of that,” Twilight said. “Some animals need to eat meat. It wouldn’t be healthy if they didn’t. It may sound hard, but, I’m afraid that’s how nature is sometimes.”

“After Spike’s initial experience in the Dragonlands,” Rarity said. “He nearly had his scales bitten through.”

“And he was still a whelp when that happened,” Rainbow said. “That means a young dragon.”

“Spike chose to not eat meat most of his life,” Twilight said. “This made his scales softer than most dragons his age, but, still more durable than pony hide. Dragons who ate meat their whole lives would be able to bite through his scales easily. A friend of ours recommended feeding Spike more meat.”

“I see,” Nick said. “I think I understand.”

Raw went away into the forest and found his own supper and no one ever knew what it was, for he didn't mention it. Bartleby found a tree with more nuts and filled Dorothy's basket with them so that she and the Equestria residents would not be hungry for a long time. She thought this was very kind and thoughtful of Bartleby, but, she and others laughed heartily at the awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. His padded hands were so clumsy and the nuts were so small that he dropped almost as many as he put in the basket. Some of the ponies did what they could. Bartleby did not mind how long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keep away from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw and burn him up. So, he kept a good distance away from the flames and only came near to cover Dorothy with dry leaves when she lay down to sleep. These kept her very snug and warm and she slept soundly until morning.

Spike found himself growing sleepy as well and Rarity held him close to her.

“Sleep well, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity said affectionately. She gave him a loving goodnight kiss on his forehead.

When it was daylight, the girls and Spike bathed their faces in a little rippling brook and soon after they all started toward the Emerald City.

This was to be an eventful day for the travelers. They had hardly been walking an hour when they saw before them a great ditch that crossed the road and divided the forest as far as they could see on either side. It was a very wide ditch and when they crept up to the edge and looked into it they could see it was also very deep and there were many big, jagged rocks at the bottom. The sides were so steep that none of them could climb down and for a moment it seemed that their journey must end.

“This won’t be a problem for those of us who can fly,” Rainbow said.

“Not all of us can, Rainbow,” Sunset said. “And those of us who can can’t carry all the others at once.”

“There has ta be some other way,” Applejack said.

"What shall we do?" asked Dorothy despairingly.

"I haven't the faintest idea," said Nick and Raw shook his shaggy mane and looked thoughtful.

But, Bartleby said, "Most of us cannot fly, that is certain. Neither can we climb down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump over it, we must stop where we are."

"I think I could jump over it," said Raw after measuring the distance carefully in his mind.

“As long as you don’t look down,” Twilight advised.

“Ah’ll try jumpin’ first,” Applejack said.

“Be careful, Applejack,” Starlight said.

Applejack stepped back a bit, reared up, and ran towards the edge of the gulf before jumping off and landing safely on the other side.

“Excellent jump, Applejack!” Rarity said. Spike scooped Rarity up bridal style and used his wings to carry her across the ditch. Rarity couldn’t help but blush at the thrill of Spike carrying her in his embrace.

“Spike must be strong to carry her,” Dorothy observed.

“He is,” Twilight said. “Though before, she was able to carry him.”

“She still is,” Sunset said. “Though, not as often anymore.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight said with a light blush.

“At least he still enjoys riding on your back for old time’s sake,” Sunset said.

“That sounds lovely,” Dorothy said.

“Meanwhile, back at the current situation,” Sunset said. “I propose those of us who can fly use that ability to cross the ditch. The ponies that can’t fly can jump it.”

“Good idea,” Bartleby said. “I’ll ride on Pinkie’s back as she jumps.” He climbed onto Pinkie’s back.

“Hold on tight, Bartleby,” Pinkie said. She went back, reared up, and ran towards the edge of the gulf before jumping off and landing safely on the other side. “That was easy as–” she started before looking back to see Bartleby wasn’t on her back. “Huh?” She turned around and saw Bartleby on his face halfway to the edge of the gulf. “Oops. Guess I went too fast.”

“Say, Bartleby,” Sunset said as other ponies made it across. “How about you try riding Raw’s back?”

“Why, that’s a splendid idea,” Bartleby said as he made his way back onto his feet. “If he found that he could not jump over the gulf, Dorothy would be killed or Nick badly dented on the rocks below. But, if I am on his back it will not matter so much, for the fall would not hurt me at all."

"I am terribly afraid of falling, myself," said Raw.

“Hey,” Sunset said. “You’re not much bigger than any of us ponies. If the ones without wings can do it, so can you.”

“You’ve got this, Raw,” Fluttershy said supportively. “Yay.”

Bartleby sat upon Raw's back and the big beast walked to the edge of the gulf and crouched down.

"Why don't you run and jump?" asked Bartleby.

"Because that isn't the way we lions do these things," Raw replied. Then, giving a great spring, he shot through the air and landed safely on the other side.

“See?” Pinkie said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No, I suppose it wasn’t,” Raw admitted.

Bartleby got down from Raw’s back. “Now, you only need do it–” he began before finger counting. “Four more times.”

“Four more times?” Raw asked.

“You need to jump to get to either side,” Bartleby said. “And you carry one passenger at a time.”

“Well,” Raw said. “I suppose that makes sense now that I know for certain I can.” He jumped to the other side.

Dorothy thought she would go next, so, she took Toto in her arms and climbed on Raw's back, holding tightly to his mane with one hand. “I’m ready,” she said. The next moment, it seemed as if she were flying through the air. And then, before she had time to think about it, she was safe on the other side.

“Two more to go,” Pinkie said.

“You can do it, Raw,” Fluttershy said, giving him extra motivation.

Raw went back a third time and got Nick and then, they all sat down for a few moments to give the beast a chance to rest, for his great leaps had made his breath short and he panted like a big dog that had been running too long. “You’re… heavier… than… the others…” Raw panted to Nick.

“It must be because I’m made of heavier stuff than the others,” Nick admitted. “My apologies if I was a bit of a strain on you.”

Pinkie looked ahead. “The forest looks pretty thick on this side,” she observed. “Dark and gloomy, too.”

“We can use our magic to light the way,” Sunset said. She reopened the map to make sure they were indeed on the right path to the Emerald City. “Huh.”

“What is it?” asked Twilight.

“It says that between here and the Emerald City is a river,” Sunset explained. “There aren’t any alternate ways around it, so we must go through it.”

“Does anyone here know how to swim?” Rainbow asked.

“I cannot,” Nick said. “I would rust.”

“Right,” Rainbow said.

“And I doubt there are any river serpents in there to lend us aid,” Rarity observed.

“Tell you what,” Sunset said. “We can worry about that when we get there. Does that sound fair?”

“It does indeed,” Dorothy said.

After Raw had rested and they were back on the road of yellow bricks, the lion looked around nervously.

“Is something troubling you, Raw?” Fluttershy asked.

“This,” Raw whispered. “Is in the part of the country where the Kalidahs live.”

“Who are the Kalidahs?” she asked.

"They are monstrous beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers," replied the lion. "And with claws so long and sharp that they could tear me in two as easily as I could kill Toto. I'm terribly afraid of the Kalidahs."

"I'm not surprised that you are," returned Dorothy. "They must be dreadful beasts."

Raw was about to reply when suddenly, they came to another gulf across the road. But, this one was so broad and deep that the lion knew at once he could not leap across it.

“Oh, dear,” Raw shivered.

“The flyers taking the others will take a while,” Rainbow said.

So, they sat down to consider what they should do and after serious thought, Bartleby said:

"Here is a great tree, standing close to the ditch. If Nick can chop it down, so that it will fall to the other side, we can walk across it easily."

“Why, that is a splendid idea,” Nick said.

"That is a first-rate idea," said Raw. "One would almost suspect you had brains in your head instead of straw."

So, Nick figured out the point in which to cut the tree, making sure that it was able to reach the other side when it fell. When he figured it out, he got to chopping. So sharp was his axe, that the tree was soon chopped nearly through. Then, Raw put his strong front legs against the tree and pushed with all his might and slowly the big tree tipped and fell with a crash across the ditch, with its top branches on the other side.

They had just started to cross this queer bridge when a sharp growl was heard.

“That wasn’t me,” Pinkie said. “I already had a few nuts.”

“Oh, dear…” Raw said with a slight quiver. “That must be…”

They all looked back and to their horror, they saw running toward them two great beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers.

"They are the Kalidahs!" said Raw, beginning to tremble.

“Quick!” Sunset said. “We have to get across!”

So, the traveling group hustled across the makeshift bridge. Dorothy went first, holding Toto in her arms, Nick followed, and Bartleby came next. The residents of Equestria made their way off soon after. Raw, although he was certainly afraid, turned to face the Kalidahs and then he gave so loud and terrible a roar that Dorothy screamed and Bartleby fell over backward while even the fierce beasts stopped short and looked at him in surprise.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said to her. “That was really brave of him.”

But, seeing they were bigger than Raw and, remembering that there were two of them and only one of him, the Kalidahs again rushed forward and the lion crossed over the tree and turned to see what they would do next. Without stopping an instant, the fierce beasts also began to cross the tree. And Raw said to Dorothy:

"We are lost, for they will surely tear us to pieces with their sharp claws. But, stand close behind me and I will fight them as long as I am alive."

"Wait a minute!" called Bartleby. He had been thinking what was best to be done and now, he asked Nick to chop away the end of the tree that rested on their side of the ditch. The tin woodman began to use his axe at once and, just as the two Kalidahs were nearly across, the tree fell with a crash into the gulf, carrying the ugly, snarling brutes with it and both were dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks at the bottom.

“Whew,” Starlight said. “That was close!”

“I saw my life flash before my eyes,” Trixie said. “The memories of that stint with the Alicorn Amulet are as painful as ever.”

Starlight and Fluttershy both comforted Trixie patiently.

"Well," said Raw, drawing a long breath of relief, "I see we are going to live a little while longer and I am glad of it, for it must be a very uncomfortable thing not to be alive. Those creatures frightened me so badly that my heart is beating yet."

"Ah," said Nick sadly. "I wish I had a heart to beat."

“Still, though,” Rarity said. “It was incredible the way you roared at them. You startled them for a little bit.”

This adventure made the travelers more anxious than ever to get out of the forest and they walked so fast that Dorothy became tired and had to ride on Raw's back. To their great joy, the trees became thinner the farther they advanced and, in the afternoon, they suddenly came upon a broad river, flowing swiftly just before them. On the other side of the water, they could see the road of yellow brick running through a beautiful country with green meadows dotted with bright flowers and all the road bordered with trees hanging full of delicious fruits. They were greatly pleased to see this delightful country before them.

"How shall we cross the river?" asked Dorothy.

"That is easily done," replied Bartleby. "Nick must build us a raft so we can float to the other side."

Nick looked over at the trees and saw that they were indeed suited for raft-making. So, he took his axe and began to chop down small trees to make a raft and while he was busy at this, Bartleby found on the riverbank a tree full of fine fruit. This pleased Dorothy and the Equestria residents, who had eaten nothing but nuts all day and they made a hearty meal of the ripe fruit.

"This is much more refreshing than those nuts," Rarity said.

But, it takes time to make a raft, even when one is as industrious and untiring as Nick, and when night came, the work was not done. So, they found a cozy place under the trees where they slept well until the morning and Dorothy dreamed of the Emerald City and of the good Wizard Oz, who would soon send her back to her own home again.

Chapter 8: Allergies and the Deadly Poppy Field

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The next morning, when they woke up, Nick resumed his work. As he worked, Dorothy and the Equestria residents breakfasted like royalty off peaches and plums from the trees beside the river. Behind them was the dark forest they had passed safely through, although they had suffered many discouragements, but, before them was a lovely, sunny country that seemed to beckon them on to the Emerald City.

“We’re nearly there,” Sunset said.

“Oh, I’m so glad,” Dorothy smiled.

To be sure, the broad river now cut them off from this beautiful land. But, the raft was nearly done and after Nick had cut a few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they were ready to start. The Equestria residents boarded the raft and sat in the middle with Dorothy, who held Toto in her arms. When Raw stepped upon the raft it tipped badly, for he was big and heavy, but, Bartleby and Nick stood upon the other end to steady it and they had long poles in their hands to push the raft through the water.

“Steady as she goes, y’all,” Applejack said.

They got along quite well at first, but, when they reached the middle of the river, the swift current swept the raft downstream, farther and farther away from the road of yellow brick. And the water grew so deep that the long poles would not touch the bottom.

Chapter 8: The Deadly Poppy Field, Sunset said internally.

"This is bad," said Nick. "For if we cannot get to the land, we shall be carried into the country of Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West, and she will enchant us and make us her slaves."

"And then I should get no brains," said Bartleby.

"And I should get no courage," said Raw.

"And I should get no heart," said Nick.

"And I should never get back to Kansas," said Dorothy.

“What do we do?” Rarity asked.

"We must certainly get to the Emerald City if we can," Bartleby continued and he pushed so hard on his long pole that it stuck fast in the mud at the bottom of the river. Then, before he could pull it out again--or let go--the raft was swept away and the poor scarecrow left clinging to the pole in the middle of the river.

"Good-bye!" he called after them and they were very sorry to leave him. Indeed, Nick began to cry, but, fortunately remembered that he might rust and so dried his tears on Dorothy's apron.

Of course, this was a bad thing for Bartleby.

"I am now worse off than when I first met Dorothy," he thought aloud. "Then, I was stuck on a pole in a cornfield, where I could make-believe scare the crows, at any rate. But, surely there is no use for a scarecrow stuck on a pole in the middle of a river. I am afraid I shall never have any brains, after all!"

“We have to help him!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

So much for the Stork’s contribution, Sunset said internally as she started channeling her magic. However, the raft suddenly bounced on a rough wave, disrupting her concentration. “Whoa~!” The sudden jerk caused her to lose her balance and she struggled to regain it as she stood on her hindlegs.

Raw had an idea. "Something must be done to save us,” he said. “I think I can swim to the shore and pull the raft after me, if you will only hold fast to the tip of my tail."

So, he sprang into the water and Nick caught fast hold of his tail. Then, Raw began to swim with all his might toward the shore. It was hard work, although he was so big, but, by and by they were drawn out of the current and then Dorothy took Nick's long pole and helped push the raft to the land.

They were all tired out when they reached the shore at last and stepped off upon the pretty green grass and they also knew that the stream had carried them a long way past the road of yellow brick that led to the Emerald City.

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy said, panting a bit from her fatigue. “How are we going to get back on course?”

"The best plan will be to walk along the riverbank until we come to the road again," remarked Raw.

“We’ll need to rest a bit first,” Sunset said.

“Rest is a good idea,” Rainbow said, a yawn escaping from her throat.

So, when they were rested, Dorothy picked up her basket and they started along the grassy bank, to the road from which the river had carried them. It was a lovely country with plenty of flowers and fruit trees and sunshine to cheer them up and, had they not felt so sorry for poor Bartleby, they could have been very happy.

“I do hope it won’t be too much longer,” Dorothy said softly.

They walked along as fast as they could, Dorothy only stopping once to pick a beautiful flower and after a time, Nick cried out: "Look!"

Then they all looked at the river and saw Bartleby perched upon his pole in the middle of the water, looking very lonely and sad.

“Bartleby!” Dorothy called. “He’s alright!”

At that moment, a stork flew by, who, upon seeing them, stopped to rest at the water's edge.

"Who are you and where are you going?" asked the stork.

“Please,” Dorothy said. “I am Dorothy and these are my friends. We’re on our way to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz to help us, but, our friend, Bartleby the Scarecrow, is out in the middle of the water and are hoping he will be able to rejoin us without the water’s current rushing him away.”

The stork looked in Bartleby’s direction. "If he wasn't so big and heavy, I would get him for you," she remarked.

“But, he is filled with straw,” Nick said. “I assure you he is quite light in weight.”

"Well, I'll try," said the stork. "But, if I find he is too heavy to carry, I shall have to drop him in the river again."

So, the big bird flew into the air and over the water till she came to where the scarecrow was perched upon his pole. Then, the stork, with her great claws, grabbed Bartleby by the arm and carried him up into the air and back to the bank, where the others were sitting.

“Oh, thank you very much, ma’am,” Dorothy said politely to the stork. “You were wonderful.”

"I was afraid I should have to stay in the river forever," Bartleby said. "But, the kind stork saved me and if I ever get any brains, I shall find the stork again and do her some kindness in return."

"That's all right," said the stork, who was flying along beside them. "I always like to help anyone in trouble. But, I must go now, for my babies are waiting in the nest for me. I hope you will find the Emerald City and that Oz will help you."

“Can I at least know your name?” Bartleby asked.

“I am Snow,” she replied.

So, the traveling friends said goodbye to the stork as she flew away back to her nest.

They walked along listening to the singing of the brightly colored birds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick that the ground was carpeted with them. There were big yellow and white and blue and purple blossoms besides great clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in color they almost dazzled Dorothy's eyes. Trixie, however, looked a bit panicked as she stepped back a bit. Fluttershy noticed this.

“Is something wrong, Trixie?” she asked.

“Those red flowers are poppies!” Trixie said. “I can’t go near them!”

“Why not?” Applejack asked. “Are ya allergic ta ‘em?”

“Yes, I am,” Trixie said.

“Oh,” Applejack said. “That’s goin’ ta be a problem. Sunset, are there any differin’ roads away from the poppies that Trix can walk on?”

Sunset checked the map. “According to this map,” she said. “There aren’t any paths near this field. Since we’re following the riverbank, there’s not much wiggle room.”

“I was afraid of that,” Trixie said. “Does anyone have a clothespin I can clip onto my nose?” No one gave a positive answer. “Didn’t think so.”

“Try holding your breath as we walk through,” Sunset said.

Trixie nodded and she took a deep inhale away from the flowers. She then held her breath. Dorothy continued to admire the poppies.

"Aren't they beautiful?" the girl asked, as she breathed in the spicy scent of the bright flowers.

"I suppose so," answered Bartleby. "When I have brains, I shall probably like them better."

"If I only had a heart, I should love them," added Nick.

"I always did like flowers," said Raw. "They seem so helpless and frail. But, there are none in the forest so bright as these."

They now came upon more and more of the big scarlet poppies and fewer and fewer of the other flowers and soon they found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies. Now, it is well known that when there are many of these flowers together their odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep and if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. But, Dorothy did not know this nor could she get away from the bright red flowers that were everywhere about, so, presently her eyes grew heavy and she felt she must sit down to rest and to sleep.

Spike saw this. “I think the poppies are making Dorothy sleepy. It might happen to those of us who can breathe, too!”

"We must hurry and get back to the road of yellow brick before dark," Nick said and Bartleby agreed with him. So, they kept walking until Dorothy could stand no longer. Her eyes closed in spite of herself and she forgot where she was and fell among the poppies, fast asleep.

“If this carries on,” Twilight observed. “Most of us could fall asleep in here, too! And who knows how long it’ll be before we stir?”

“The constant exposure to the odor will keep anyone in the field asleep until they die,” Sunset said.

The others, sans the sleeping Dorothy, gasp in shock.

“There’s a way to save those who fall asleep here,” Sunset continued. “You have to… have to…” In seconds, Sunset fell asleep, too. She fell to her side with one of her forehooves pointed forward, as if giving a clue.

“Have to what?” Pinkie asked. “Have to what?! Don’t leave us in suspense, Sunset!”

“Wait, Pinkie,” Twilight said, looking where Sunset was pointing. “Everyone, look over there.”

They all looked where Sunset was pointing and could see where the field ended.

“That’s it,” Bartleby said. “If constant exposure to the smell is keeping them asleep, removing them from the field will wake them up!”

“So,” Nick said. “We must move our sleeping friends out of the field!”

Raw nodded. "If we leave them here, they will die," said the lion. "The smell of the flowers is killing us all. I myself can scarcely keep my eyes open and the dog and dragon are asleep already."

It was true. Toto had fallen down beside his little mistress and Spike beside Twilight’s legs. But, Nick and Bartleby, not being made of flesh, were not troubled by the scent of the flowers.

“We have to hurry,” Twilight said as she began levitating Spike. “Before we all…” The poppies had gotten to her as well and she fell asleep, embracing her dragon son.

So, the ones who were still awake made quick work of helping their sleeping companions out of the poppy field. This was difficult as, one by one, the Equestria residents fell asleep. At that point, Trixie and Raw were the only ones made of flesh still awake. Soon, Raw himself fell asleep. Trixie could no longer hold her breath and released it.

“Oh no,” the unicorn mare said before she began wincing in preparation for a sneeze. “Huh… huwugh… huhh… hehh… hoo! Haaaah~ CHOO!”

“Oh, this is a sorry state of affairs,” Nick said.

“Our dear friends,” Bartleby added. “So close and yet so far.”

“I’b not gibing up,” Trixie said nasally. “I caaaCHOO!!! Carry one dat a tibe on by back. You two worry aboud Dorothy.”

“Oh, my,” Nick said. “You are very brave, Trixie.”

“Sabe da waderworks, Nick,” Trixie said. She then levitated Spike onto her back. She then trotted outside the field. Nick and Bartleby likewise carried Dorothy out.

Spike and Dorothy were placed on the soft grass, waiting for a soft breeze to wake them.

Chapter 9: Trixie’s Rescues and the Queen of the Field Mice

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"We cannot be far from the road of yellow brick, now," remarked Bartleby as he stood beside the girl and dragon. "For we have come nearly as far as the river carried us away."

“I’m going back for Sunset,” Trixie said. She then went to Sunset, sneezing all the while.

Nick was about to reply when he heard a low growl and, turning his head (which worked beautifully on hinges), he saw a strange beast come bounding over the grass toward them. It was, indeed, a great yellow wildcat and the woodman thought it must be chasing something, for its ears were lying close to its head and its mouth was wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth while its red eyes glowed like balls of fire. As it came nearer, Nick saw that running before the beast was a little gray field mouse and, although he had no heart, he knew it was wrong for the wildcat to try to kill such a pretty, harmless creature.

“Not today,” Nick said.

So, he raised his axe and as the wildcat ran by, he gave it a quick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body and it rolled over at his feet in two pieces.

“Goodness gracious!” exclaimed Bartleby.

The field mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short and, coming slowly up to Nick, it said in a squeaky little voice:

"Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving my life."

“It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t,” Nick said politely. "Don't speak of it, I beg of you. I have no heart, you know, so, I am careful to help all those who may need a friend, even if it happens to be only a mouse."

"Only a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly. "Why, I am a Queen--the Queen of all the Field Mice!"

“The queen?” Nick said. “Why, I must apologize.”

Trixie arrived with Sunset as Nick took a bow. “Now, I just have to get–” she started before seeing the decapitated wildcat. “SWEET CELESTIA, WHAT’S THAT?!”

“The head and body of a wildcat, of course,” the Queen of Field Mice said.

“WHAT THE BUCK HAPPENED?!” Trixie said.

“I saw the wildcat was about to eat the Field Mice Queen,” Nick explained. “But, I didn’t want her to be eaten, so I used my axe to lop off the beast’s head.”

“GET RID OF THE BODY!” Trixie said. “NO ONE WANTS TO SEE A DEAD ANIMAL!!!”

Nick, careful of the Field Mice Queen, moved the body of the wildcat away and out of sight. He was just about to do the same for the head when Spike woke up.

“Ooh, my head,” Spike said, slightly dizzily. When he regained the use of his senses, he saw Nick picking up the wildcat’s severed head. The sight caused him to faint.

“Anyway,” Bartleby said. “We’ve never met a queen before now.”

“Us from Equestria have,” Trixie said. “Our experiences weren’t favorable.”

“So,” Nick said, after he discarded the wildcat’s severed head. “What is it like to be the queen of Field Mice?”

"You have done a great deed as well as a brave one in saving my life," stated the Queen.

At that moment, several mice were seen running up as fast as their little legs could carry them, and when they saw their Queen they exclaimed:

"Oh, your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you manage to escape the great wildcat?" They all bowed so low to the little Queen that they almost stood upon their heads.

“This valiant hero killed him to rescue me,” the Queen explained, introducing them to Nick the Tin Woodman. “So, hereafter you must all serve him and obey his slightest wish.”

Trixie set Sunset down and went for Starlight, sneezing all the while.

"We will!" cried all the mice in a shrill chorus. And then they scampered in all directions, for Toto had awakened from his sleep and seeing all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight and jumped right into the middle of the group. Toto had always loved to chase mice when he lived in Kansas and he saw no harm in it.

But, Nick caught the dog in his arms and held him tight, while he called to the mice, "Come back! Come back! Toto shall not hurt you."

The field mice heard Nick’s words and they stopped. At this, the Queen of the Mice stuck her head out from underneath a clump of grass and asked in a timid voice, "Are you sure he will not bite us?"

“I will not let him,” Nick said. “So, do not be afraid.”

The field mice cautiously walked closer to Nick. One by one, the mice came creeping back and Toto did not bark again, although he tried to get out of the woodman's arms and would have bitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin. Finally, one of the biggest mice spoke.

"Is there anything we can do," it asked. "To repay you for saving the life of our Queen?"

"Nothing that I know of," answered Nick when he saw Trixie return with Starlight on her back.

“What is she doing?” one of the mice asked, pointing to Trixie.

“She’s trying to rescue her pony friends,” Nick explained. Then, he remembered. “Oh, yes, you can save our friend, Raw the Cowardly Lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed."

"A lion!" cried the little Queen. "Why, he would eat us all up."

"Oh, no," declared Bartleby. "This lion is a coward."

“Yes,” Nick said. “He is afraid of other animals.”

"He says so himself," added Bartleby. "And he would never hurt anyone who is our friend. If you will help us to save him, I promise that he shall treat you all with kindness."

"Very well," said the Queen. "We trust you. But, what shall we do?"

Sunset began to stir as Trixie placed Starlight down. “Oh, no,” she gasped. “I fell asleep in the poppies!”

“I’m getting the others,” Trixie said.

“Hold on,” Sunset said. “One at a time will take too long.”

“So,” Nick said. “With all of the mice holding their breath, they can all swarm around the lion and carry him out. The rest of us will help, too.”

“But, there’s still six ponies asleep in the field,” Trixie said.

“We’ll manage as well as we can,” Bartleby said. He then had an idea. “Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing to obey you?"

"Oh, yes; there are thousands," the Queen replied.

"Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible,” Bartleby said. “And let each one bring a long piece of string."

The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people. As soon as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible.

“Now,” Bartleby said to Nick. “You must go to those trees by the riverside and make a truck that will carry the others.”

“Right away,” Nick said and he started to work at once. He soon made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away all the leaves and branches. He fastened it together with wooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk. So fast and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive, the truck was all ready for them.

Chapter 9: The Queen of the Field Mice, Sunset said internally.

The mice came from all directions and there were thousands of them: big mice and little mice and middle-sized mice and each one brought a piece of string in his mouth. It was about this time that Dorothy and Starlight woke from their long sleep and opened their eyes.

“How long was I out?” Starlight asked as she stirred.

“Less than an hour,” Trixie answered.

Starlight saw all the mice. “What’s with all the mice?” she asked. Dorothy was greatly astonished to find herself lying upon the grass with thousands of mice standing around and looking at her timidly.

“Nick saved their queen,” Trixie said. “I won’t go into detail, but, don’t ask if you see blood on his axe.”

Starlight, seeing how uncomfortable Trixie was looking when explaining, decided not to press on any further.

Bartleby turned to the queen and said, "Permit me to introduce to you her Majesty, the Queen."

Starlight bowed politely before the Queen. Dorothy nodded gravely and the queen made a curtsy, after which, she became quite friendly with the little girl.

Nick, Bartleby, and Trixie began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had brought. One end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck. Of course the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the mice who were to draw it, but, when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able to pull it quite easily. Even Bartleby, Nick, and Trixie could sit on it and were drawn swiftly by their queer little horses to the place where the others lay asleep.

After a great deal of work (lessened by Trixie’s use of levitation magic), Raw, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow were loaded onto the truck. Then, the queen hurriedly gave her people the order to start, for she feared if the mice stayed among the poppies too long, they also would fall asleep.

At first the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stir the heavily loaded truck.

“We’ll have to push from behind,” Bartleby suggested.

He, Nick, and Trixie pushed the truck from behind, the unicorn sneezing repeatedly. Soon, they rolled the others out of the poppy bed to the green fields, where they could breathe the sweet, fresh air again, instead of the poisonous scent of the flowers.

“Looks like we got out,” Rainbow said with a yawn as she and the other ponies woke up.

Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly for saving her companions from death. She had grown so fond of the big lion and ponies, she was glad they had been rescued.

Then, the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass to their homes. The Queen of the Mice was the last to leave.

"If ever you need us again," she said. "Come out into the field and call my name, Elizabeth, and we shall hear you and come to your assistance. Good-bye!"

“Goodbye,” Nick said politely. This farewell was given by the others awake. Away Elizabeth ran while Dorothy held Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.

Fluttershy then looked in Nick’s direction. “Uh, Nick?” she asked. “Why is there blood on your axe?”

“You don’t want to know,” Trixie whispered to Fluttershy.

At that moment, Spike began to stir. “I had this strange dream where Nick was picking up the severed head of a wildcat,” he said.

“Oh~” Trixie said, trying to cover up the tracks. “That must have been a doozy.” She then whispered to Nick, “Clean that blood off your axe!”

Nick nodded and he went to a private place to clean his axe.

“I’ve been thinking,” Pinkie said.

“About what?” Sunset asked.

“Why didn’t you just teleport us past the poppies?” Pinkie asked.

“There’s a reason,” Sunset said. “A teleportation spell requires the user to think of a place they’ve been at least once before and is limited to the world they’re in. Since those of us who can teleport don’t know the geography of Oz very well, teleportation won’t really help us because the places we can teleport too would basically be backtracking.”

“On top of that,” Trixie added. “My magic may have improved slightly since Sunset and Starlight were helping me, but, my teleportation is still weak at best. If it was stronger, though, I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway with how much I’ve been sneezing.”

Bartleby brought fruits from a nearby tree for Dorothy and the Equestria residents to eat for dinner.

Chapter 10: Phoebe’s Entrance and the Guardian of the Gate

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In Equestria, Sunset’s pet phoenix, Phoebe, entered the room where her owner and her friends got sucked into the book. She looked around for any sign of her mistress. Her sapphire blue eyes found none. But, they gained a curious expression as she saw Sunset’s copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz laying on the floor.

‘What’s this doing on the floor?’ the phoenix wondered internally, as she was unable to speak Ponish.

She used her beak to open the book and was taken by surprise when the pages started glowing. Before she had time to react, she was sucked into the book with a startled chirp. Once she was sucked in, the book closed again.

‘One of Mistress’ Portal Gems must be responsible for this!’ Phoebe internally said as she found herself spinning in a swirling vortex.

Back with our heroes, Raw had finally woken up.

“Oh my,” Raw said wearily. “My head feels so queer.”

“You were in the poppies for a while,” Sunset said.

“Now we’re out and back together again,” Dorothy said happily.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the sky and a bird that seemed to be made of fire could be seen flying in the sky.

“What is that?!” Bartleby exclaimed.

Sunset squinted and recognized the bird. “It’s Phoebe!” she exclaimed.

“Phoebe?!” Exclaimed Dorothy, before asking. “Who’s Phoebe?”

“My pet phoenix!” Sunset said before giving a chirping whistle.

That whistle caught the bird’s attention and she turned her head to see Sunset. Phoebe flew down to reunite with Sunset, relieved to see that she wasn't hurt. The phoenix lovingly nuzzled her mistress when something happened that nobody there was prepared for. Phoebe spoke. “I found you, Mistress!”

“Uh,” Spike said. “Am I going crazy or did I just hear Phoebe talk?”

“No,” Rainbow said. “I heard it, too.”

“Fluttershy’s Critter Whisperer powers can’t be shared to others,” Starlight said. “So, that must mean that Phoebe is speaking through this land’s powers.”

Phoebe was equally surprised. “Spike and ponies other than Mistress and pony Fauna can understand me?”

“Yeah,” Sunset said. She then whispered in private to Phoebe. “Since you can talk now, please don’t let on that we’re actually in a book.”

Phoebe, knowing Sunset well, gave a nod. “Where are we, Mistress?” she asked, pretending not to know.

“We are in the land of Oz,” Bartleby explained, a safe distance away from her. “We are on our way to the Emerald City to see if the Wizard of Oz will give me a brain.”

“What for?” Phoebe asked. “Don’t you already have one if you’re able to move? Or are you a robot inside?”

“What’s a robot?” Bartleby asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Sunset said before whispering to Phoebe. “We’re in the late 19th century. Robots haven’t been invented yet.”

Phoebe nodded. After a recap of what Bartleby, Nick, and Raw wanted, Raw was told of the field mice with Trixie covering up the death of the wildcat.

"I have always thought myself very big and terrible,” Raw laughed. “Yet, such little things as flowers came near to killing me and such small animals as mice have saved my life. How strange it all is! But, comrades, what shall we do now?"

“We shall carry on,” Sunset said. “We’re almost at the Emerald City.”

So, they followed the riverbank again. It was not long before they reached the road of yellow brick and turned again toward the Emerald City where the Great Oz dwelt.

Chapter 10: The Guardian of the Gate, Sunset said internally.

The road was smooth and well paved now and the country about was beautiful so that the travelers rejoiced in leaving the forest far behind and with it, the many dangers they had met in its gloomy shades. Once more, they could see fences built beside the road, but, these were painted green and when they came to a small house, in which a farmer evidently lived, that also was painted green. They passed by several of these houses during the afternoon and sometimes, people came to the doors and looked at them as if they would like to ask questions, but, no one came near them nor spoke to them because of Raw, of which they were very much afraid. The people were all dressed in clothing of a lovely emerald-green color and wore peaked hats like those of the Munchkins. They were also noticeably taller than the Munchkins, but, not as tall as Nick.
The traveling group was enamored by the beautiful sights before them.

“My, this city looks so inspiring,” Rarity said with delight.

“This isn’t a city,” Sunset said. “This is a rural community.”

“Okay,” Rainbow said. “So, we finally made it to the Emerald Rural Community.”

"Yes," said Bartleby. "Everything is green here, while in the country of the Munchkins, blue was the favorite color. But, the people do not seem to be as friendly as the Munchkins and I'm afraid we shall be unable to find a place to pass the night."

“Why’s that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Simple,” Bartleby said. “If they’re not as friendly as the Munchkins, as I suspect, it’s unlikely that they’ll let us stay for the night.”

“Even with Dorothy wearing the silver slippers?” Pinkie asked.

"I should like something to eat besides fruit," said the girl. "And I'm sure Toto is nearly starved. Let us stop at the next house and talk to the people."

So, when they came to a good-sized farmhouse, Dorothy walked boldly up to the door and knocked.

A woman opened it just far enough to look out and said, "What do you want, child, and why is that great lion and those other creatures with you?"

“Please, ma’am,” Dorothy said politely. “This lion is with us because he is a dear friend of ours. We have been traveling for many days throughout this great land of Oz to find the Emerald City, but, we are hoping to find some place to spend the night before our chance to hopefully speak with the Great Wizard.”

"Is the lion tame?" asked the woman, opening the door a little wider.

"Oh, yes," said the girl. "And he is a great coward, too. He will be more afraid of you than you are of him."

"Well," said the woman, after thinking it over and taking another peep at the lion. "If that is the case, you may come in and I will give you all some supper and a place to sleep."

“Thank you very much,” Dorothy said politely.

So, they all entered the house, where there were, besides the woman, two children and a man. The man had hurt his leg and was lying on the couch in a corner. They seemed greatly surprised to see so strange a company and while the woman was busy laying the table, the man asked:

"Where are you all going?"

“We are hoping to talk to the great wizard Oz,” Nick answered. “In the Emerald City.”

"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the man. "Are you sure that Oz will see you?"

“We’re hoping that it is possible,” Bartleby said.

"Why, it is said that he never lets anyone come into his presence,” the man explained. “I have been to the Emerald City many times and it is a beautiful and wonderful place, but, I have never been permitted to see the Great Oz, nor do I know of any living person who has seen him."

“Is that so?” Raw said, a bit dismally.

"Does he never go out?" asked Bartleby.

"Never,” the man answered. “He sits day after day in the great throne room of his palace and even those who wait upon him do not see him face to face."

“Hmm,” Starlight said. “That is strange. What’s he like?”

"That is hard to tell," said the man thoughtfully. "You see, Oz is a great wizard and can take on any form he wishes. Some say he looks like a bird, some say he looks like an elephant, some say he looks like a cat. To others, he appears as a beautiful fairy, a brownie, or in any other form that pleases him. But, who the real Oz is, when he is in his own form, no living person can tell."

“Wait a minute,” Rainbow said. “You said that you’ve never been permitted to see Oz, you don’t know anyone who’s seen him, and that even those who wait upon him never see him face to face. How can there be so many different versions of what people see if that last one is the case? Is he like facing his back at them or are they looking below the neck?”

The man said nothing, for he had not thought of such a notion before. “Well,” he admitted. “That second thing I said is technically true. I did know some people who saw him, but, they’ve long since passed away, hence, I don’t know any living person who’s seen him.”

“Well, you got me there,” Rainbow said.

“All the same,” the man said. “What makes you certain that you will be granted permission to see Oz?”

“Well,” Sunset said. “We’ve come this far already. We may as well go for broke.”

“Indeed,” Trixie said. “Especially since, I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but, Dorothy’s house has crushed the Wicked Witch of the East.” She gestured to the silver shoes. “She’s wearing her silver shoes.”

The man examined Dorothy’s shoes and nodded. "Why do you wish to see the terrible Oz?" he asked.

"I want him to give me some brains," said Bartleby eagerly.

"Oh, Oz could do that easily enough," declared the man. "He has more brains than he needs."

"And I want him to give me a heart," said Nick.

"That will not trouble him," continued the man. "For Oz has a large collection of hearts of all sizes and shapes."

"And I want him to give me courage," said Raw.

"Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his throne room," said the man. "Which he has covered with a golden plate to keep it from running over. He will be glad to give you some."

“And you know all this how?” Rainbow challenged.

“We have heard of what he has done,” he said. He then turned his attention to Dorothy.

“I want him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.

"Where is Kansas?" asked the man with surprise.

"I don't know," replied Dorothy sorrowfully. "But, it is my home and I'm sure it's somewhere."

“The rest of us,” Sunset said. “Want to get back to Equestria. Before you ask, it’s a distance so great, you won’t find it on any map.”

"Very likely,” the man said. “Well, Oz can do anything, so, I suppose he will find Kansas and Equestria for you. But, first you must get to see him and that will be a hard task, for the Great Wizard does not like to see anyone and he usually has his own way. But, what do YOU want?" he continued, speaking to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail, for, strange to say, he could not speak.

“Basically, the same thing as Dorothy,” Sunset summed up.

The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so, they gathered around the table and Dorothy and the Equestria residents ate some delicious porridge, dishes of scrambled eggs, and plates of nice white bread and enjoyed her meal. Raw ate some of the porridge, but, did not care for it, saying it was made from oats and oats were food for horses, not for lions. Bartleby and Nick ate nothing at all. Toto ate a little of everything and was glad to get a good supper again.

“Thank you kindly, ma’am,” Dorothy said when she finished her supper.

The woman then gave Dorothy and the Equestria residents beds to sleep in and Toto lay down beside Dorothy, Spike slept beside Rarity, and Phoebe slept in Sunset’s embrace while Raw guarded the door of their room so they might not be disturbed. Bartleby and Nick stood up in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of course, they could not sleep.

The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on their way and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just before them.

“How breathtaking~” Rarity said in a mesmerized way.

“Let’s hope puppydragon doesn’t eat it,” Phoebe said.

“Hey, I have more self-control than that,” Spike said.

“How wonderful,” Dorothy said. “We’ve come such a long way.”

As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels. Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded the city. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.

“There’s something oddly magical about a brilliant green sky,” Twilight said aloud.

In front of them and at the end of the road of yellow brick was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun that even the painted eyes of Bartleby were dazzled by their brilliancy.

“Incredible,” he said with astonishment.

There was a bell beside the gate and Dorothy pushed the button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then, the big gate swung slowly open and they all passed through and found themselves in a high arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds. The group was astonished by the lavish sights inside.

“This place is nice,” Spike said. “A little bright, though.”

“Don’t worry, Spike,” Sunset whispered. “We’ll be given something to dull out the brightness.”

Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins. He was clothed all in green from his head to his feet and even his skin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a large green box.

When he saw Dorothy and her companions the man asked, "What do you wish in the Emerald City?"

“We wish to speak to Oz, please,” Dorothy answered politely.

The man was so surprised at this answer that he sat down to think it over.

"It has been many years since anyone asked me to see Oz," he said, shaking his head in perplexity. "He is powerful and terrible and if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother the wise reflections of the great wizard, he might be angry and destroy you all in an instant."

Raw shivered uneasily at the idea of being destroyed.

"But, it is not a foolish errand nor an idle one," replied Bartleby. "It is important. And we have been told that Oz is a good Wizard."

"So he is," said the green man. "And he rules the Emerald City wisely and well. But, to those who are not honest or who approach him from curiosity, he is most terrible and few have ever dared ask to see his face. I am the Guardian of the Gates and since you demand to see the Great Oz, I must take you to his palace. But, first you must put on the spectacles."

"Why do we need them?" asked Dorothy.

"Because, if you did not wear spectacles, the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind you,” the guardian explained. “Even those who live in the city must wear spectacles night and day. They are all locked on, for Oz so ordered it when the city was first built and I have the only key that will unlock them."

“Huh,” Spike whispered to Sunset without the guardian noticing. “You were right.”

“Hold on a minute,” Rainbow said. “If Oz ordered this city to be built, how has nobody seen him?”

“Uh,” Starlight said sheepishly. “I did keep mostly out of sight when Our Town was being built to ensure I wasn’t injured.”

“Ponies still saw you before it was built since you gave the order,” Rainbow said.

“Uh, can Rainbow and I be excused for a second?” Sunset asked the guardian.

“Of course,” answered the guardian. “But, be quick about it.”

Sunset led Rainbow outside the city walls out of earshot. She then began speaking to her. “Listen, Rainbow,” she said. “The wizard has a secret nobody in Oz knows about yet and if you’re going to question every little detail, the whole thing’s going to fall apart and we could possibly ruin the illusion that this world is real, which will keep us from returning home!”

“Okay, okay,” Rainbow said, rubbing one of the ears that Sunset yelled into. “The whole thing is weird, but, I’ll try not to call out any bullhonkey.”

“Just pretend Discord had something to do with it,” Sunset said.

“That I can do,” Rainbow said.

They went back to the others.

“Okay,” Sunset said to the guard. “Lead the way, please.”

The guardian opened the big box and they all saw that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses in them. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just fit Dorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two golden bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head, where they were locked together by a little key that was at the end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck. When they were on, Dorothy could not take them off had she wished, but, of course she did not wish to be blinded by the glare of the Emerald City, so she said nothing. Then, the green man fitted spectacles for the Equestria residents, Bartleby, Nick, Raw, and even on little Toto and all were locked fast with the key. Then, the Guardian of the Gates put on his own glasses and told them he was ready to show them to the palace. Taking a big golden key from a peg on the wall, he opened another gate and they all followed him through the portal into the streets of the Emerald City.

Chapter 11: The Tour of the Wonderful City of Oz

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Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful city. The streets were lined with beautiful houses all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They walked over a pavement of the same green marble and where the blocks were joined together were rows of emeralds, set closely and glittering in the brightness of the sun. The window panes were of green glass. Even the sky above the city had a green tint and the rays of the sun were green.

Chapter 11: The Wonderful City of Oz, Sunset said internally.

“Lots of green here,” Spike said.

“It’s not called the Emerald City for nothing,” Trixie said. “It’d be like the Sapphire City being all blue or the Amethyst City being all purple.”

“I’m afraid there’s no Amethyst City in Oz,” the guardian said. “If there were, it would likely be in Gillikin Country to the north.”

“I was just giving an example,” Trixie said. “Wait, there really is a Sapphire City?”

“Indeed,” the guardian confirmed. “It’s the capital of the Ozure Isles in Munchkin Country’s Lake Orizon.”

“Huh,” Trixie said. “Who knew?”

There were many people--men, women, and children--walking about and they were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish skins. They looked at Dorothy and her strangely assorted company with wondering eyes and the children all ran away and hid behind their mothers when they saw Raw, but, no one spoke to them. Many shops stood in the street and Dorothy saw that everything in them was green. Green candy and green popcorn were offered for sale as well as green shoes, green hats, and green clothes of all sorts. At one place, a man was selling green lemonade and when the children bought it, Dorothy could see that they paid for it with green pennies.

“This is amazing,” Dorothy said to herself.

There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind. The men carried things around in little green carts, which they pushed before them. Everyone seemed happy, contented, and prosperous. Quite a few could even be heard singing.

“Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho~
And a couple of Tra-la-las~
That’s how we laugh the day away~
In the Merry Old Land of Oz~”

Pinkie bobbed her head to the song.

“Buzz Buzz Buzz, Chirp Chirp Chirp~
And a couple of la-di-dahs~
That’s how the crickets chirp away~
In the Merry Old Land of Oz~”

Fluttershy joined in Pinkie’s bobbing.

“We get up at twelve and start to work at one~
Take an hour for lunch and then at two we’re done
Jolly good fun!
Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho~
And a couple of Tra-la-las~
That’s how we laugh the day away~
In the Merry Old Land of Oz~”

“Not exactly a productive work day,” Twilight whispered to Sunset.

“I guess if everything is as leisurely as it is,” Sunset whispered back. “You can’t expect to do too much work.”

The party was brought to a building to get freshened up. Bartleby was having some of his old straws being replaced with new ones.

“Pat pat here, pat pat there~
And a couple of brand new straws~
That’s how we keep you young and fair~
In the Merry old Land of Oz~”

Nick was having his tin bodied shined and polished as well as some dents pounded out.

“Rub rub here, buff buff there~
Whether you’re tin or bronze~
That’s how we keep you in repair~
In the merry old Land of Oz~”

Dorothy and the ponies were also being attended to.

“We can make a dimple smile out of a frown~” sang one of the manicurists.

“Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown?” Dorothy asked.

“Uh-huh,” one of the other manicurists confirmed.

“Jolly old town,” Dorothy said.

“I wouldn’t advise that, Dorothy,” Sunset said. “Unless you’re looking forward to having liquid sting your eyes.”

“Not to worry,” one of the manicurists said. “Our eye dye is the safest in all of Oz.”

Meanwhile, Spike and Raw were being tended to as well.

“Clip clip here, clip clip there~
We give the roughest claws~
That certain air of savoir faire~
In the Merry Old Land of Oz!”

The others had their treatments finished and saw Spike having his scales buffed. “For the record,” he said. “This was not my idea.”

“How do you feel?” Rarity asked.

“Well,” Spike admitted. “It feels kind of good.”

“As long as that’s the case,” Rarity said. “Then, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

The song had one more verse.

“Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho~
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha~
That’s how we laugh the day away~
In the Merry Old Land of Oz~
That’s how we laugh the day away~
With a ho ho ho~
Ha ha ha~
Ho ho ho ho ha!”

The Guardian of the Gates led them through the streets until they came to a big building, exactly in the middle of the city, which was the Palace of Oz, the Great Wizard. There was a soldier before the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long green beard. This soldier was so tall, his head was above Nick’s.

“State your business,” said the soldier. “If you please.”

"Here are strangers," said the Guardian of the Gates to him. "And they demand to see the Great Oz."

"Step inside," answered the soldier. "And I will carry your message to him."

The guardian and the traveling companions stepped inside and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room and when they were seated he said politely:

"Please make yourselves comfortable while I go to the door of the throne room and tell Oz you are here."

“Thank you,” Twilight said gratefully. “Can we at least know your name?”

“Omby Amby,” said the soldier.

“Nice ta meet ya, Omby Amby, sir,” Applejack said, tilting her hat politely.

They had to wait a long time before the soldier returned. When, at last, he came back, Dorothy asked:

"Have you seen Oz?"

"Oh, no," returned the soldier. "I have never seen him. But, I spoke to him as he sat behind his screen and gave him your message. He said he will grant you an audience, if you so desire, but, each one of you must enter his presence alone and he will admit but one each day. Therefore, as you must remain in the palace for several days, I will have you shown to rooms where you may rest in comfort after your journey."

“Okay,” Rainbow said. “That screen explains why he hasn’t been seen. But, now, we’ll be here for two weeks and two days!”

“This may take some time,” Rarity said. Internally, she thought, I can only hope time at home hasn’t passed too much while we're here.

"Thank you," replied Dorothy. "That is very kind of Oz."

The soldier now blew upon a green whistle and at once, a young girl dressed in a pretty green silk gown entered the room. She had lovely green hair and green eyes and she bowed low before Dorothy as she said, "Follow me and I will show you your room."

“Thank you, miss…” Dorothy said before pausing in hesitation as she didn’t know the girl’s name.

“Just call me Jellia,” the girl in green said.

“Okay, Jellia,” Dorothy said.

So, Dorothy said good-bye to all her friends except Toto and, taking the dog in her arms, followed the green girl through seven passages and up three flights of stairs until they came to a room at the front of the palace. It was the sweetest little room in the world with a soft comfortable bed that had sheets of green silk and a green velvet counterpane. There was a tiny fountain in the middle of the room that shot a spray of green perfume into the air to fall back into a beautifully carved green marble basin. Beautiful green flowers stood in the windows and there was a shelf with a row of little green books. When Dorothy had time to open these books she found them full of queer green pictures that made her laugh, they were so funny. In a wardrobe were many green dresses, made of silk and satin and velvet and all of them fitted Dorothy exactly.

"Make yourself perfectly at home," said Jellia. "And if you wish for anything ring the bell. Oz will send for you tomorrow morning."

Back with the others, they were waiting for Jellia to show them to their rooms.

“I wonder which one of us will see Oz first?” Twilight pondered.

“Dorothy will be called tomorrow morning,” Sunset whispered to her. Twilight nodded.

Jellia returned shortly.

“This way, please,” Jellia said to Bartleby.

“Excuse me, Jellia,” Sunset said. “Instead of leaving each of us to our rooms individually, why don’t you lead us all as a group and tell us who stays in which room along the way?”

“It is my system,” Jellia explained in a matter of fact way. She then led Bartleby away.

“This is going to take a while,” Rainbow said.

“Anybody know any time-passing songs?” Pinkie asked.

Jellia led the others one by one to rooms in the palace. Of course, this politeness was wasted on Bartleby for when he found himself alone in his room he stood stupidly in one spot, just within the doorway, to wait till morning. It would not rest him to lie down and he could not close his eyes, so, he remained all night staring at a little spider which was weaving its web in a corner of the room, just as if it were not one of the most wonderful rooms in the world. Nick lay down on his bed from force of habit, for he remembered when he was made of flesh, but, not being able to sleep, he passed the night moving his joints up and down to make sure they kept in good working order. Raw would have preferred a bed of dried leaves in the forest and did not like being shut up in a room, but, he had too much sense to let this worry him, so, he sprang upon the bed and rolled himself up like a cat and purred himself asleep in a minute.

Soon, Jellia came to lead Rarity to her room.

“Excuse me, Jellia,” Rarity said. “May I extend an invitation for Spike to join me?” She held him by her side. “He’s very dear to me and I dislike being apart from him if I can help it.”

Jellia studied the two carefully. “Am I to assume that you two are lovers?”

“Yes, we are,” Rarity answered.

“Very well,” Jellia said. “Both of you follow me this way.”

Rarity and Spike both followed Jellia. After they left, Sunset turned to Omby Amby.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said. “Us ponies and Spike all want the same thing, so, could you possibly ask if it’s okay for the wizard to see all ten of us at once to save time?”

“I can try,” Omby Amby said. “Though, whether it will come to pass will not be up to me.”

He left the room and returned a while thereafter.

“The wizard will allow this,” he said. “On the condition that your group wait until after the first four.”

“That we can do,” Sunset said.

Meanwhile, Rarity and Spike were alone in their shared room. Both were wearing emerald green night robes.

“This is softer than my old bathrobe,” Spike noted.

“And you look just as dashing in it,” Rarity complimented him.

“Aww, thank you,” Spike said. “The emerald green compliments the purple of your mane beautifully.”

“Oh, you really are precious, Spike,” Rarity said. “Come here.”

Spike approached Rarity gently. He then found himself in the unicorn’s embrace. He blushed excitedly yet happily.

“Rarity,” Spike said. “I’m glad we met so long ago.”

“So am I, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity cooed. “You helped me to be a better pony. I hope I helped you in a way to be a better you.”

“You did,” Spike said. “You helped me come back to my senses after my rampage the day after my 12th birthday.”

“That’s true,” Rarity said. “But, I’m glad to help you since you were there for me as well.”

“That was the day our relationship officially started,” Spike said. “Of course, it was a mild start since I was so young.”

“Yes,” Rarity said. “Though, believe me, if I was around the same age as you at the time, we would have officially gone steady. Still, it was worth the wait.”

“It sure was,” Spike smiled. “I was honestly surprised you even wanted to after what I did during the rampage.”

“I had my own hormonal issues when I was getting older,” Rarity said. “Plus, those damages were easily repaired. Besides, it was mostly our fault it happened. We awakened your greed by giving you more presents than you were used to. It was only because we overcompensated for missing your 11th birthday. I’m terribly sorry for calling you a greedy old beast during your rampage.”

“No need to apologize,” Spike said. “I was being one at the time. Besides, you didn’t even know it was me.”

“Yes,” Rarity admitted. “But, in retrospect, it was rather obvious. That dragon had all of your colors.”

“If Fluttershy can forgive me after I apologized for calling her a dragophobe,” Spike said. “Then, of course I can forgive you for calling me a greedy old beast. It made me remember when I gave you the Fire Ruby.”

“That’s true,” Rarity said. “Still, that’s not something I should say, but, thank you for forgiving me.”

“I didn’t want to risk another greed growth spurt,” Spike said. “So, I gave away any gifts I got for my birthday and Hearth’s Warming for two years afterwards.”

“Oh, yes,” Rarity said. “I do remember that. But, we all have come to learn that greed-induced bigness only happens to a dragon once in their lifetime.”

“Thanks to Auntie Sunset, who learned from Zecora,” Spike said.

“Right,” Rarity said. “After that, you allowed yourself to enjoy your birthday and Hearth’s Warming again, even if it was a slow process. We were certainly glad to help you with that.” She kissed his forehead.

Spike gently embraced Rarity lovingly. He then yawned.

“Sounds like you're ready to turn in for the night,” Rarity said. “We have been at this for a while, so I can’t say I blame you. We better get ready for bed.” She used her magic to cover herself and Spike in the blanket on the bed.

“Goodnight, Rarity,” Spike said softly. “Sweet dreams.”

The next morning, after breakfast, Jellia came to fetch Dorothy and she dressed her in one of the prettiest gowns made of green brocaded satin. Dorothy put on a green silk apron and tied a green ribbon around Toto's neck and they started for the throne room of the Great Oz.

“Good luck, Dorothy,” Sunset said.

“Thank you, Sunset,” Dorothy said.

First, they came to a great hall in which were many ladies and gentlemen of the court, all dressed in rich costumes. These people had nothing to do but talk to each other, but, they always came to wait outside the throne room every morning, although, they were never permitted to see Oz. As Dorothy entered they looked at her curiously and one of them whispered:

"Are you really going to look upon the face of Oz the Terrible?"

"Of course," answered the girl. "If he will see me."

"Oh, he will see you," said Omby Amby, who had taken her message to the wizard. "Although, he does not like to have people ask to see him. Indeed, at first, he was angry and said I should send you back where you came from. Then, he asked me what you looked like and when I mentioned your silver shoes, he was very much interested. At last, I told him about the mark upon your forehead and he decided he would admit you to his presence."

Just then a bell rang and Jellia said to Dorothy, "That is the signal. You must go into the throne room alone."

She opened a little door and Dorothy walked boldly through and found herself in a wonderful place. It was a big, round room with a high arched roof and the walls and ceiling and floor were covered with large emeralds set closely together. In the center of the roof was a great light, as bright as the sun, which made the emeralds sparkle in a wonderful manner.

Oh, my, Dorothy thought to herself in an enamored tone.

But, what interested Dorothy most was the big throne of green marble that stood in the middle of the room. It was shaped like a chair and sparkled with gems, as did everything else. In the center of the chair was an enormous head without a body to support it or any arms or legs whatever. There was no hair upon this head, but, it had eyes and a nose and mouth and was much bigger than the head of the biggest giant.

As Dorothy gazed upon this in wonder and fear, the eyes turned slowly and looked at her sharply and steadily. Then, the mouth moved and Dorothy heard a voice say, “I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you and why do you seek me?”

It was not such an awful voice as she had expected to come from the big head, so, she took courage and answered:

"I am Dorothy, the Small and Meek. I have come to you for help."

The eyes looked at her thoughtfully for a full minute. Then, said the voice:

"Where did you get the silver shoes?"

"I got them from Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East, when my house fell on her and killed her," she replied.

The head listened to Dorothy’s explanation and did not say anything until she was finished. "Where did you get the mark upon your forehead?" continued the voice.

"That is where Locasta, the Good Witch of the North, kissed me when she bade me good-bye and sent me to you," said the girl.

Again the eyes looked at her sharply and they saw she was telling the truth. Then, Oz asked, "What do you wish me to do?"

"Send me back to Kansas, where my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are," she answered earnestly. "I don't like your country, although it is so beautiful. And I am sure Aunt Em will be dreadfully worried over my being away so long."

The head considered Dorothy’s plea.

"Why should I do this for you?" asked Oz.

"Because you are strong and I am weak. Because you are a great wizard and I am only a little girl."

"But, you were strong enough to kill the Wicked Witch of the East," said Oz.

"That just happened," returned Dorothy simply. "I could not help it."

"Well," said the head. "I will give you my answer. You have no right to expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do something for me in return. In this country, everyone must pay for everything he or she gets. If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again, you must do something for me first. Help me and I will help you."

“What shall I do?” Dorothy asked.

"Kill Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West," answered Oz.

Dorothy gasped at the idea. "But, I cannot!" exclaimed Dorothy, greatly surprised.

"You killed the Witch of the East and you wear the silver shoes, which bear a powerful charm. There is now but one Wicked Witch left in all this land and when you can tell me she is dead, I will send you back to Kansas--but, not before."

The little girl began to weep, she was so much disappointed and the eyes winked again and looked upon her anxiously, as if the Great Oz felt that she could help him if she would.

"I never killed anything, willingly," she sobbed. "Even if I wanted to, how could I kill the Wicked Witch? If you, who are Great and Terrible, cannot kill her yourself, how do you expect me to do it?"

"I do not know," said the head. "But, that is my answer and until the Wicked Witch dies, you will not see your uncle and aunt again. Remember that the Witch is Wicked--tremendously Wicked -and ought to be killed. Now go and do not ask to see me again until you have done your task."

Dorothy wiped her eyes from the dismal feeling as she was escorted out of the big, round room.

She was reunited with the others. "There is no hope for me," she said sadly. "For Oz will not send me home until I have killed the Wicked Witch of the West and that I can never do."

Dorothy’s friends consoled her kindly. Though, Rainbow had her suspicions. If this Oz is such a big shot wizard, she said internally. Why doesn’t he face the witch himself?

The next morning, Omby Amby came to Bartleby and said:

"Come with me, for Oz has sent for you."

Bartleby followed Omby Amby to the same room that Dorothy was escorted to. Inside, however, was not a giant floating head without a body. Instead, he saw, sitting in the emerald throne, a most lovely lady. She was dressed in green silk gauze and wore upon her flowing green locks a crown of jewels. Growing from her shoulders were wings, gorgeous in color and so light that they fluttered if the slightest breath of air reached them. When Bartleby had bowed, as prettily as his straw stuffing would let him, before this beautiful creature, she looked upon him sweetly and said:

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you and why do you seek me?"

Now, Bartleby, who had expected to see the great head Dorothy had told him of, was much astonished, but, he answered her bravely.

"I am only a scarecrow, stuffed with straw. Therefore, I have no brains and I come to you praying that you will put brains in my head instead of straw, so that I may become as much a man as any other in your dominions."

The most lovely lady heard Bartleby’s plea. "Why should I do this for you?" she asked.

"Because you are wise and powerful and no one else can help me," answered Bartleby.

"I never grant favors without some return," said Oz. "But, this much I will promise. If you will kill for me Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West, I will bestow upon you a great many brains and such good brains that you will be the wisest man in all the Land of Oz."

"I thought you asked Dorothy to kill the Witch," said Bartleby in surprise.

"So I did,” Oz said. “I don't care who kills her. But, until she is dead, I will not grant your wish. Now go and do not seek me again until you have earned the brains you so greatly desire."

Bartleby nodded and he was led out of the throne room. He sorrowfully regrouped with the others and told them what Oz had said. Dorothy was surprised to find that the great wizard was not a head, as she had seen him, but, a lovely lady.

So, Twilight figured internally. Oz takes on different appearances to suit their needs.

"All the same," said Bartleby. "She needs a heart as much as Nick."

Nick nodded at this.

On the next morning, Omby Amby came for Nick and said:

"Oz has sent for you. Follow me."

“Thank you, Omby Amby,” Nick replied as he followed the soldier and came to the great throne room. He did not know whether he would find Oz a lovely lady or a head, but, he hoped it would be the lovely lady. "For," he said to himself. "If it is the head, I am sure I shall not be given a heart, since a head has no heart of its own and therefore cannot feel for me. But, if it is the lovely lady I shall beg hard for a heart, for all ladies are themselves said to be kindly hearted.”

Once inside, he saw what Oz was presenting as this time: the shape of a most terrible beast. It was nearly as big as an elephant and the green throne seemed hardly strong enough to hold its weight. The beast had a head like that of a rhinoceros, only there were five eyes in its face. There were five long arms growing out of its body and it also had five long, slim legs. Thick, wooly hair covered every part of it and a more dreadful-looking monster could not be imagined. It was fortunate Nick had no heart at that moment, for it would have beat loud and fast from terror. But, being only tin, the woodman was not at all afraid, although he was much disappointed.

“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible!” the beast said with a great roar. “Who are you and why do you seek me?”

“I am Nicholas III of the House of Chopper,” Nick said. “I was once flesh, but, now, I am tin. Therefore, I have no heart and cannot love. I pray you to give me a heart that I may be as other men are."

The beast pondered after he heard Nick’s plea. “Why should I do this for you?” he asked.

"Because I ask it and you alone can grant my request," answered Nick.

“I do not grant favors unless they do something for me,” the beast said. "If you indeed desire a heart, you must earn it."

“Then,” Nick began to ask. “What shall I do?”

"Help Dorothy to kill Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West," replied the beast. "When the witch is dead, come to me and I will then give you the biggest, kindest, and most loving heart in all the Land of Oz."

“Oh,” Nick smiled, genuflecting before the beast. “I shall like that very much.”

So, Nick returned sorrowfully to his friends and told them of the terrible beast he had seen.

“A beast?” Raw asked, shivering with fright. "If he is a beast when I go to see him, I shall roar my loudest and so frighten him that he will grant all I ask. And if he is the lovely lady, I shall pretend to spring upon her and so compel her to do my bidding. And if he is the great head, he will be at my mercy, for I will roll this head all about the room until he promises to give us what we desire. So be of good cheer, my friends, for all will yet be well."

Though if this pattern continues, Trixie thought to herself. Oz might not appear as any of those forms before Raw.

The next morning, Omby Amby came for Raw.

“Oz has sent for you now. Follow me.”

Raw at once passed through the door and glancing around saw, to his surprise, that before the throne was a ball of fire so fierce and glowing, he could scarcely bear to gaze upon it. His first thought was that Oz had by accident caught on fire and was burning up, but, when he tried to go nearer, the heat was so intense that it singed his whiskers and he crept back tremblingly to a spot nearer the door.

“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,” roared the fire. “Who are you and why do you seek me?”

Raw answered, "I am a cowardly lion, afraid of everything. I came to you to beg that you give me courage, so that in reality, I may become the King of Beasts, as men call me."

After the fire listened to Raw’s plea, he asked. “Why should I do this for you?”

"Because of all wizards, you are the greatest and alone have power to grant my request," answered Raw.

The ball of fire burned fiercely for a time and the voice said, "Bring me proof that the Wicked Witch is dead and that moment, I will give you courage. But, as long as the witch lives, you must remain a coward."

Raw gulped uneasily. Though he was angry at this speech, he could say nothing in reply and while he stood silently gazing at the ball of fire, it became so furiously hot that he turned tail and rushed from the room. He was glad to find his friends waiting for him and told them of his terrible interview with the wizard.

“A great ball of fire does sound terrifying,” Bartleby admitted. He then turned to all the Equestria residents. “You’re all next.”

“I can only wonder what form he’ll take when he does see us,” Fluttershy said.

“We’ll find out either way,” Sunset said.

“Tomorrow, of course,” Pinkie added.

The next morning, Omby Amby came for the Equestria residents.

“Oz is ready for all of you. Follow me.”

The soldier with green whiskers led them into the throne room. Once inside, the Equestria residents saw an emerald green alicorn stallion resembling their ruler, Princess Celestia.

“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,” the alicorn stallion said grandly. “Who are you and why do you seek me?”

“I’m Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset said before gesturing to the others as she introduced them. “This is Phoebe, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Starlight Glimmer, and Trixie Lulamoon. We all want to go back to our home of Equestria and you’re the only one who can help us out, but, I suspect you’ll only do it if we help Dorothy kill Zelena.”

“Yes,” Starlight said. “We heard what Dorothy and the others told us about you. So, is that the case?”

The stallion was surprised by how they all caught on, but, maintained a stoic expression as he answered. “Indeed, it is.”

“Looks like you called it, Sunset,” Trixie whispered.

Rainbow flew up to Oz. “If you’re such a big shot wizard,” she challenged. “Why don’t you kill the witch yourself?”

Oz responded by morphing his face into that of a shark, nearly biting Rainbow’s face off. She flew back to her friends, cowering behind Sunset.

“Good reason,” Rainbow said, quivering with shock.

“You got confrontational with someone who could take on any form he wants,” Sunset said, deadpan. “What did you think would happen?”

“Anyway,” Twilight said. “We’ll make sure to fulfill this task.”

They all went to the others.

“What did all of you see?” Bartleby asked curiously.

“An emerald green alicorn stallion,” Sunset said. “We also saw his face turn into that of a shark’s.”

“Oh, how frightening,” Dorothy said. "What shall we do now?"

"There is only one thing we can do," returned Raw. "And that is to go to the land of the Winkies, seek out the Wicked Witch, and destroy her."

“If that’s what needs to be done to ensure Oz will fulfill our promises,” Spike said. “Then, we must.”

"But, suppose we cannot?" said the girl.

“Well, none of us will get what we want,” Starlight said.

“It sounds as if we don’t have a choice then,” Nick said.

“I don’t see why you’re complaining,” Trixie said. “You carry an axe everywhere you go.”

“I was promised a big, wonderful, loving heart,” Nick clarified.

Therefore, it was decided to start upon their journey the next morning and Nick sharpened his axe on a green grindstone and had all his joints properly oiled. Bartleby stuffed himself with fresh straw and Dorothy put new paint on his eyes that he might see better. Jellia, who was very kind to them, filled Dorothy's basket with good things to eat and fastened a little bell around Toto's neck with a green ribbon. They went to bed quite early and slept soundly until daylight, when they were awakened by the crowing of a green rooster that lived in the backyard of the palace and the cackling of a hen that had laid a green egg.

Chapter 12: Fights and the Search for the Wicked Witch

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Omby Amby led them through the streets of the Emerald City until they reached the room where the Guardian of the Gates lived. This officer unlocked their spectacles to put them back in his great box and then he politely opened the gate for our friends.

“Thank ya kindly,” Applejack said. “So, which road leads ta that Za… Zi… Zo… Zu…” She was struggling to pronounce the name.

“Zelena,” Sunset said.

“What she said,” Applejack said.

"There is no road," answered the Guardian of the Gates. "No one ever wishes to go that way."

“So,” Trixie began to ask. “How are we supposed to get there?”

“Well, since she’s the witch of the West,” Sunset said. “It’d make logical sense for her to live in that cardinal direction.”

“Guess ah shoulda thought ta say that first,” Applejack said, blushing sheepishly.

“Finding her will be easy," replied the man. "For when she knows you are in the country of the Winkies, she will find you and make you all her slaves."

"Perhaps not," said Bartleby. "For we mean to destroy her."

“Since that’s what Oz told us to do,” Starlight added.

"Oh, that is different," said the Guardian of the Gates. "No one has ever destroyed her before, so, I naturally thought she would make slaves of you as she has of the rest. But, take care, for she is wicked, fierce, and may not allow you to destroy her. Keep to the West, where the sun sets, and you cannot fail to find her."

“We’ll also keep our eyes open for an abundance of yellow,” Sunset said.

“Good luck,” the Guardian said. “All of you.”

They thanked him, bade him good-bye, and turned toward the West, walking over fields of soft grass dotted here and there with daisies and buttercups. Dorothy still wore the pretty silk dress she had put on in the palace, but, now, to her surprise, she found it was no longer green, but, pure white. The ribbon around Toto's neck had also lost its green color and was as white as Dorothy's dress.

“I wonder if the green was from the spectacles we wore,” Spike said. “Or if it’s from being in the Emerald City itself.”

“Maybe a little from Column A and a little from Column B,” Sunset said.

“Maybe,” Spike said.

The Emerald City was soon left far behind. As they advanced the ground became rougher and hillier, for there were no farms nor houses in this country of the West and the ground was untilled.

Chapter 12: The Search for the Wicked Witch, Sunset said internally.

Fluttershy began to feel somewhat uneasy. The atmosphere of this land was far different from the lands that they experienced before. “I’m not liking this,” she said.

“Neither do I,” Raw said uneasily. “But, we must do this.”

In the afternoon the sun shone hot in their faces, for there were no trees to offer them shade.

“Whew,” Pinkie said, wiping her brow. “Are you sure we haven’t reached one of those deserts surrounding Oz?”

“Not sandy enough,” Sunset said.

“How are you feeling, Dorothy?” Twilight asked. “Do you need some water?”

“I would like some,” Dorothy admitted. “I don’t suppose you can magically make some?”

Twilight scoped around the grounds, her horn acting as a divining rod. When she was able to sense that there was water underground, she dug away some of the earth and found a well of water. “I found some!” Trixie used her magic to transfigure a nearby stone into a teacup. “Thank you, Trixie.” Twilight then filled the teacup with water and gave the cup to Dorothy. “Don’t worry. The water was moving.”

Dorothy sipped the water and she felt better. It was cool and fresh. Sunset used her magic to make her horn spin like a drill bit, which she used to carve a rock into a bucket.

“Thank you, Sunset,” Rarity said politely. She then used her magic to fashion a handle for the bucket out of some of her own tail hairs woven together into a strong rope.

“My,” Dorothy said. “That was clever.”

“You should see some of the things Sunset made in Equestria,” Rainbow said. “She could make a computer out of a block of gemstones.”

“Com… pu… ter?” Dorothy asked. “What in the world is that?”

“Never mind,” Sunset said, magically zipping Rainbow’s mouth shut. “It’s nothing you’ll have to worry about anytime soon.”

Rainbow grumbled with annoyance for herself, remembering too late what Sunset had told her about Dorothy coming from a time long before their own.

“We better rest a while,” Starlight said. “We’ll need to keep our strength up.”

“Good idea,” Applejack said. “We’ll need ta be in good shape fer when we do face Zelena.”

So, the flesh-made travelers took a rest on the grass around them. Nick and Bartleby kept watch.

Now, Zelena had but one eye, yet that was as powerful as a telescope and could see everywhere. So, as she sat in the door of her castle, she happened to look around and saw Dorothy lying asleep, with her friends all about her.

“So,” she said to herself. “That child and her ridiculous friends think they can try to defeat me. Well, I shall soon see about that.”

They were a long distance off, but, Zelena was angry to find them in her country, so, she blew upon a silver whistle that hung around her neck. At once, there came, running to her from all directions, a pack of great wolves. They had long legs and fierce eyes and sharp teeth.

"Go to those people," said Zelena. “And tear all but the ponies, dragon, and phoenix to pieces."

"Are you not going to make the others your slaves?" asked the leader of the wolves.

“They are planning to destroy me,” Zelena said. “The ponies are fit to work, dragons are the most powerful beasts known to exist, and killing a phoenix is an exercise in futility. The tin man, scarecrow, lion, and little girl, you may tear into small pieces."

"Very well," said the wolf and he dashed away at full speed, followed by the others.

“The others, I feel, will be quite useful to me,” she said.

It was lucky Bartleby and Nick were wide awake and heard the wolves coming.

"This is my fight," said Nick. "So, get behind me and I will meet them as they come."

Bartleby had to comply, so, he stood behind Nick. Nick seized his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves came on, the tin woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body so that it immediately died. As soon as he could raise his axe, another wolf came up and he also fell under the sharp edge of Nick's weapon. There were forty wolves and forty times a wolf was killed so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the woodman.

Then, he put down his axe and sat beside Bartleby, who said, "It was a good fight, friend."

“Thank you,” Nick said. “Though, there is work to be done. We don’t want the others to see all of this.”

Nick cleaned up the bodies all night. By morning, the others woke up and there was one decapitated wolf corpse left, but, plenty of blood. The blood alone made the others jump in shock.

“Holy mother of Celestia!” Rainbow exclaimed. “What the hell happened here?! We’ve been facing threats for like nine years and we’ve never seen a mess like this!”

“I saw them approach,” Nick explained. “And they looked like they were going to tear most of you to pieces.”

Sunset noticed that the last decapitated wolf was wearing a collar she recognized well.

“A slave collar,” Sunset said. “These wolves were following orders.” She scanned the collar. “From the Wicked Witch of the West! She knows we’re here!”

“So much for the element of surprise,” Trixie said.

“Even if she knows we’re coming,” Sunset said. “We can’t let her know we’re scared. That’ll just give more power to her.”

“Sunset’s right,” Twilight said. “With all of us together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

Applejack’s belly gave a loud gurgle. “Ah reckon we should eat breakfast,” she said. “If’n we don’t keep our strength up, she’ll beat us anyhow.”

“Good idea,” Raw said. “It wouldn’t do us any good to fight on an empty stomach.”

“Nick,” Starlight said. “Could you do us a favor and clean the blood off your axe? It’s ruining our appetites.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Nick said. He then went off to clean the blade that was on his axe.

Now, this same morning, Zelena came to the door of her castle and looked out with her one eye that could see far off. She saw all her wolves lying dead and the strangers still traveling through her country. This made her angrier than before and she blew her silver whistle twice. Straightway, a great flock of wild crows came flying toward her, enough to darken the sky. And the wicked witch said to the king crow, "Fly at once to the strangers. Peck out their eyes and tear them to pieces. But, leave the ponies, dragon, and phoenix unharmed."

The crows cawed and flew to follow the wicked witch’s orders.

The wild crows flew in one great flock toward Dorothy and her companions. When the little girl saw them coming, she was afraid.

But, Bartleby said, "This is my battle, so, lie down beside me and you will not be harmed."

Dorothy lied down beside Bartleby so that she was out of harm’s way. Bartleby stood up and stretched out his arms. And when the crows saw him, they were frightened, as these birds always are by scarecrows and did not dare to come any nearer. But, the king crow said:

"It is only a stuffed man. I will peck his eyes out."

The king crow flew at Bartleby, who caught it by the head and twisted its neck until it died. And then another crow flew at him and Bartleby twisted its neck also. There were forty crows and forty times Bartleby twisted a neck, until at last all were lying dead beside him. Then, he called to his companions to rise and again, they went upon their journey.

“That was intense!” Spike said.

“It was barbaric!” Fluttershy said. “All of those crows, slaughtered! How can you be so cruel, Bartleby?!”

“Would you have preferred to have your eyes pecked out?” Sunset whispered to Fluttershy. “They were sent by Zelena.”

“I apologize if it was gruesome,” Bartleby said. “But, it had to be done to ensure we didn’t fail our task.”

When Zelena looked out again and saw all her crows lying in a heap, she got into a terrible rage.

“Curse those beings!” she growled. She blew three times upon her silver whistle. Forthwith, there was heard a great buzzing in the air and a swarm of black bees came flying toward her.

“How may we be of service?” the queen bee buzzed.

"Go to the strangers and sting all but the ponies, dragon, and phoenix to death!" commanded Zelena.

The queen bee nodded and led her swarm to attack.

They flew rapidly until they came to where Dorothy and her friends were walking. But, Nick saw them coming.

“Don’t worry,” Nick said. “They can’t sting me. Get behind me, everyone!”

Bartleby covered the others with his straw.

“Thank you,” Rarity whispered.

The bees came and found no one but Nick to sting, so, they flew at him and broke off all their stings against the tin without hurting Nick at all. And as bees cannot live when their stings are broken, that was the end of the black bees and they lay scattered thick about the woodman, like little heaps of fine coal.

“Those bees pretty much brought that on themselves,” Sunset said as she got up.

Hopefully those bees weren’t pollinators, Starlight thought to herself.

The others got up and stuffed Bartleby again until he was good as new.

“That’s much better,” Bartleby smiled. “Thank you very much.”

Zelena was so angry when she saw her black bees in little heaps like fine coal that she stamped her foot and tore her hair and gnashed her teeth. And then, she called a dozen of her slaves, who were Winkies, and gave them sharp spears, telling them to go to the strangers and destroy them. The Winkie guard saluted and they charged after the traveling companions.

With the travelers, they heard chanting approaching.

“All we own, we owe~
All we own, we owe~
All we own, we owe~”

“Do you guys hear something?” Trixie asked.

They saw the Winkie Guard in their yellow and black suits marching towards them.

“Let’s let Raw handle them,” Sunset said.

“I shall do my best,” Raw said, gulping nervously. “I hope.”

Once the Winkies were close, Raw gave a roar and sprung out at them.

“RUN AWAY!!!” shouted the captain of the Winkie guards.

The Winkies dropped their spears and ran off as fast as they could.

“Boy howdy,” Applejack said after the Winkies left. “That wicked witch is plain dee-termined ta stop us.”

“At least nobody died this time,” Fluttershy said.

“Yet at least,” Sunset said.

“Well, no matter what obstacles that wicked witch throws our way,” Rainbow said. “They’re not going to stop us!” She then flew up to see where the Winkies were going and saw a castle, which she deduced belonged to Zelena. “You hear me, Zelena! We’re coming for you! If you don’t like it–” She turned her rear in the castle’s general direction and tauntingly shook it. “You can kiss my flank!”

Rainbow is going to regret doing that in three, two, one… Sunset thought to herself.

A bolt of lightning struck Rainbow’s backside.

“Yow!” Rainbow yelped. She came down, rubbing her singed flank.

“One of these days,” Sunset said to Rainbow. “You’re going to have to learn to control your impulsiveness.” She gave Rainbow one of the healing apples.

“Thanks,” Rainbow said. “I’ll try to tone it down and save it for something really important.”

The Winkies returned to the castle and were beaten by Zelena with a strap.

“You fools!” she snapped. “It seems that if you want something done properly, you must do it yourself!” She used her one eye to focus on Sunset. She found Sunset’s greatest fear, Moonrise Dazzle. “I’ll make her worst fear attack her.”

She then used her magic to create Moonrise as she was seen in the memory: a coat of pitch black, a mane and tail of brilliant phthalo blue with a grayish persian blue outline that flowed on an invisible wind, a Cutie Mark depicting a dazzling crescent moon with bloodstained points, blood red eyes, a horn as sharp as a spearhead, razor sharp fangs, and wings like that of a bat. She genuflected before Zelena.

“I understand that you answer to the name, Moonrise Dazzle,” Zelena said.

“Yes, I do,” the conjured alicorn answered. “And I’m aware that you summoned me from the depths of Tartarus.”

“Yes, I have,” the witch replied. “There is someone out there whom you know. I want you to go out there and make sure the rest of her friends don't come here.”

“Oh, I’ll gladly oblige,” Moonrise said. “Especially if Sunset Shimmer is involved.”

“But,” Zelena warned. “Should you fail, you will be sent back to oblivion.”

Back with the travelers, the sky turned black as the night.

“It’s getting late,” Twilight said. “I thought for sure we would have at least seen where Zelena is by now.”

“I thought it was the middle of the day,” Spike said.

Sunset checked her smartstone (a gemstone that functioned like a smartphone) and trembled as she saw that it was 12:15 pm. “It is,” she said.

“But, how could it be so dark?” Rarity asked. “Is there a solar eclipse?”

“Oh, Sunset~” echoed a voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Sunset, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie recognized the voice at once.

“No…” Sunset said. “I-it can’t be!”

“Oh, but, it is~” the voice said as a pair of blood red eyes pierced the darkness.

“Moonrise Dazzle,” Sunset said softly, trembling with fright as the vampire alicorn revealed herself to all present.

“That’s right,” Moonrise said. “I’ve been brought back from the pits of Tartarus.”

“That is the Moonrise Dazzle you told us of?!” Raw exclaimed.

Sunset steeled herself. “I’ve beaten you once,” she said. “I can do it again.”

“And we’re by your side, Sunset,” Twilight said with determination.

Moonrise just flashed her sharp fangs in an arrogant smile. “You have an invitation to try,” she said. “But, which one of me is real?” At that question, 39 more of her stepped out of the darkness.

“That’s going to be a problem,” Trixie said after a beat.

“Attack!” one Moonrise said.

Toto wriggled out of Dorothy’s hands and sniffed about. He sniffed and found the only organic Moonrise Dazzle. That Moonrise glared at him. “Get lost, you mangy mutt,” she said before kicking him aside.

“Toto!” Dorothy exclaimed. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”

The vampire alicorn seemed surprised for a second. She quickly shook her head with a small grin. “You’re no threat to me.”

Another Moonrise bore her fangs and jumped at Dorothy, attempting to bite her. The moment her fangs came in contact with the girl’s skin, however, Locasta’s kiss mark on Dorothy’s forehead shone like the sun, causing all the Moonrises to recoil, cringe, and hiss.

“Now’s our chance!” Starlight exclaimed.

The Guardians of Harmony channeled the power of their elements into Sunset, who rose above the ground and shone so bright, the darkness was dispelled and all the Moonrises dissolved into dust in the sunlight while screaming in agony. The Guardians of Harmony powered down and caught their breath.

“They’ve all turned to dust!” Dorothy said. “Just like the Wicked Witch of the East!”

“Since Moonrise was undead,” Sunset panted. “That’s to be expected. At least this time, my friends were able to directly help.”

“Is everyone alright?” Bartleby asked.

“A little exhausted,” Rainbow said. “But, we’ll live.”

The sky suddenly brightened up. Without Moonrise Dazzle’s presence, the midday sun shone brightly and warmly.

Zelena saw all of this from her castle.

“Impossible!” Zelena growled. “Now, I have to rely on them!”

There was, in her cupboard, a Golden Cap, with a circle of diamonds and rubies running round it. This Golden Cap had a charm. Whoever owned it could call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who would obey any order they were given. But, no person could command these strange creatures more than three times. Twice already, Zelena had used the charm of the Cap. Once was when she had made the Winkies her slaves and set herself to rule over their country. The Winged Monkeys had helped her do this. The second time was when she had fought against the Great Oz himself and driven him out of the land of the West. The Winged Monkeys had also helped her in doing this. Only once more could she use this Golden Cap, for which reason she did not like to do so until all her other powers were exhausted. But, now that her fierce wolves and her wild crows and her stinging bees were gone and her slaves had been scared away by Raw, she saw there was only one way left to destroy Dorothy and her friends.

“I hoped I wouldn’t have to do this,” Zelena said as she put the cap on. Then, she stood upon her left foot and said slowly:

"Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!"

Next, she stood upon her right foot and said:

"Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!"

After this, she stood upon both feet and cried in a loud voice:

"Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!"

Now, the charm began to work. The sky was darkened and a low rumbling sound was heard in the air. There was a rushing of many wings, a great chattering and laughing, and the sun came out of the dark sky to show the Wicked Witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys, each with a pair of immense and powerful wings on their shoulders.

One, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader. He flew close to the witch and said, "You have called us for the third and last time. What do you command?"

“I command that you fetch the young girl you see out there,” she ordered. “Likewise of the lion, ponies, dragon, and phoenix.”

"Your commands shall be obeyed," said the leader. Then, with a great deal of chattering and noise, the Winged Monkeys flew away to the place where the travelers were walking.

Soon, the winged monkeys caught sight of the traveling group. Some seized Nick and carried him through the air until they were over a part of the country thickly covered with sharp rocks. Here they dropped the poor woodman, who fell a great distance to the rocks, where he lay so battered and dented that he could neither move nor groan.

“Nick!” Dorothy exclaimed.

Others of the Monkeys caught Bartleby and, with their long fingers, pulled all of the straw out of his clothes and head. They made his hat, boots, and clothes into a small bundle and threw it into the top branches of a tall tree.

“Bartleby!” Dorothy exclaimed.

The remaining monkeys threw pieces of stout rope around Raw and the Equestria residents and wound many coils about their bodies, heads, and legs, until they were unable to bite, scratch, or struggle in any way. Then, they lifted them up and flew away with him to Zelena's castle, where they were each placed in a small yard with a high iron fence around it, so that they could not escape. The fences of the Equestria residents were even topped with more iron bars.

“This is bad,” Trixie said, stating the obvious. “What do we do?”

Sunset experimentally tried casting a spell, but, nothing happened. “These bars are made of cold iron,” she said. “Our magic’s useless.”

“What a time to be without my hoof file,” Rarity said.

Meanwhile, Dorothy wasn’t harmed at all. She stood with Toto in her arms, watching the sad fate of her comrades and thinking it would soon be her turn. The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly, but, he saw the mark of Locasta's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her.

“What is going to happen to me?” Dorothy quivered.

"We dare not harm this little girl," the monkey king said to the others. "For she is protected by the Power of Good and that is greater than the Power of Evil. All we can do is to carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witch and leave her there."

The monkeys chattered and followed their leader’s orders. Carefully and gently, they lifted Dorothy in their arms and carried her swiftly through the air until they came to the castle, where they set her down upon the front doorstep. Then, the leader said to Zelena:

"We have obeyed you as far as we were able. The tin woodman and the scarecrow are destroyed and the lion is tied up in your yard with the ponies, dragon, and phoenix. The little girl we dare not harm, nor the dog she carries in her arms. Your power over our band is now ended and you will never see us again."

Then, all the Winged Monkeys, with much laughing and chattering and noise, flew into the air and were soon out of sight.

Zelena was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead, for she knew well that neither the Winged Monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way. “Locasta,” Zelena said. “I still remember when you overthrew Mombi.”

“What have the Winged Monkeys done with my friends?” Dorothy asked.

“The lion, ponies, dragon, and phoenix are still alive,” Zelena said. She looked down at Dorothy's feet and, seeing the Silver Shoes, began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them. “Those are my sister’s shoes.”

“They are frightfully comfortable,” Dorothy said. “And they are able to make a journey more than my old shoes did.”

At first, Zelena was tempted to run away from Dorothy, but, she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind them was and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power the Silver Shoes gave her. So, the wicked witch laughed to herself and thought, I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her power. Then, she said to Dorothy, harshly and severely:

"Come with me and see that you mind everything I tell you, for if you do not, I will make an end of you as I did of the tin woodman and the scarecrow."

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle until they came to the kitchen, where Zelena bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood. Dorothy, not wanting to be hurt, decided to follow Zelena’s orders. Dorothy went to work meekly with her mind made up to work as hard as she could, for she was glad the Wicked Witch had decided not to kill her.

With Dorothy hard at work, Zelena thought she would go into the courtyard and harness Raw like a horse. It would amuse her, she was sure, to make him draw her chariot whenever she wished to go to drive. But, as she opened the gate the lion gave a loud roar and bounded at her so fiercely that the witch was afraid and ran out and shut the gate again.

“You have nine actual ponies to choose from and you go with the lion?” Rainbow said. “That’s pretty stupid.”

“Rainbow,” Sunset said. “Would you rather be doing grueling back-breaking labor?”

“Your friend is right,” Zelena said. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten your crassness.”

“Like I said,” Rainbow said after a beat. “Why don’t you guys go and enjoy your ride together? Heh heh heh…”

"If I cannot harness you," said the witch to the lion, speaking through the bars of the gate. "I can starve you. You shall have nothing to eat until you do as I wish."

Raw did not like the idea of being harnessed, but, he disliked the idea of starving more.

“If it weren’t for these bars, I’d kick your ass!” Starlight said angrily.

“Yes, but, they’re here,” Zelena said. “Therefore, you’re not doing any such thing! In fact, all of you can suffer like the lion, too!” She walked off, laughing arrogantly.

“What can we do?” Fluttershy said.

“I think I have an idea,” Spike said.

“What’s the plan, Spike?” Twilight asked.

“All of our cages are on patches of earth, right?” Spike asked rhetorically.

Applejack considered this. She started to see where Spike was coming from. “Yer fixin’ ta dig us out through tunnels, ain’t ya?” Spike nodded.

“Go for it, Spike!” Pinkie said enthusiastically, before quieting herself and saying. “We believe in you.”

Spike went to work digging. As his cage was in the middle of all the others, Zelena was less likely to see what he was doing.

“Spike’s certainly a smart little guy,” Raw said.

“I’m not ordering you to speak!” Zelena snapped.

So, after that, she took no food to the imprisoned creatures, but, every day, she came to the gate at noon and asked, "Are you ready to be harnessed like a horse?"

And Raw would answer, "No. If you come in this yard, I will bite you."

The reason Raw and the Equestria residents did not have to do as Zelena wished was that every night, while the woman was asleep, Dorothy carried them food from the cupboard. After they had eaten, they would lie down on their beds of straw and Dorothy would lie beside Raw and put her head on his soft, shaggy mane, while they talked of their troubles and tried to plan some way to escape. But, they could find no way to get out of the castle, for it was constantly guarded by the yellow Winkies, who were the slaves of Zelena and too afraid of her not to do as she told them. The ones who could see Spike digging were too afraid of being beaten again to report this.

“Lucky for us, those Winkies are cowards,” Sunset said.

“Thank goodness,” Twilight whispered in response.

The girl had to work hard during the day and often Zelena threatened to beat her with the same old umbrella she always carried in her hand. But, in truth, she did not dare to strike Dorothy, because of the mark upon her forehead. The child did not know this and was full of fear for herself and Toto. Once, Zelena struck Toto a blow with her umbrella and the brave little dog flew at her and bit her leg in return. The witch did not bleed where she was bitten, for she was so wicked that the blood in her had dried up many years before.

Dorothy was surprised by the lack of bleeding and told the others of it that night. “It was most queersome.”

“It’s the same with Evanora,” Sunset explained. “Her blood dried up before we even got here.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Trixie said.

“What’s that?” Fluttershy asked.

“If their blood dried up so long ago,” Trixie said. “How is it they didn’t die before we got here?”

“They clearly used an Elixir of Life,” Sunset said.

“Oh~” Trixie said. “That makes sense.”

“Elixir of Life?” Dorothy asked.

“It’s a potion that makes its consumer immortal,” Sunset explained. “Drinking it can make you survive otherwise fatal situations. I’ve made quite a few batches of it myself.”

“I see,” Dorothy said. “But, doesn’t immortal mean they can’t die?”

“Yes,” Sunset said. “However, from my experience, the effects of the Elixir of Life are temporary, but, last long enough for the consumer to recover from otherwise fatal injuries. A perfected Elixir of Life has no time limit and would truly make the consumer impossible to kill. Since Evanora died, I don’t think she perfected it.”

“You don’t suppose Zelena perfected her Elixir of Life, do you?” Dorothy asked.

“I don’t think so,” Sunset said. “If she had, I doubt she’d go to such efforts to stop us from trying to kill her.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Dorothy admitted.

“Plus,” Rainbow said. “She retreated in fear when Raw tried to pounce her. I don’t think she’d do that if she perfected the Elixir of Life and was therefore immortal.”

“I wonder if Oz is aware of this fact,” Rarity thought. “He did say that since it was possible for Evanora to be destroyed, it would also be possible for Zelena to be destroyed.”

Dorothy's life became very sad as she grew to understand that it would be harder than ever to get back to Kansas and Aunt Em again. Sometimes, she would cry bitterly for hours with Toto sitting at her feet and looking into her face, whining dismally to show how sorry he was for his little mistress. Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him, but, he knew the little girl was unhappy and that made him unhappy, too. Her consolation was the company of the Equestria residents.

Now, Zelena had a great longing to have for her own the Silver Shoes which the girl always wore. Her bees, her crows, and her wolves were lying in heaps and drying up and she had used up all the power of the Golden Cap, but, if she could only get hold of the Silver Shoes, they would give her more power than all the other things she had lost. She watched Dorothy carefully to see if she ever took off her shoes, thinking she might steal them. But, the child was so proud of her pretty shoes that she never took them off except at night and when she took her bath. The Witch was too much afraid of the dark to dare go in Dorothy's room at night to take the shoes and her dread of water was greater than her fear of the dark, so, she never came near when Dorothy was bathing. Indeed, the old witch never touched water, nor ever let water touch her in any way.

“This little brat’s more clever than I thought,” Zelena said.

Unknown to her, Spike had managed to dig himself and the Equestria residents free.

“Whew,” Spike said softly.

“Don’t worry about me,” Raw said. “Go get Dorothy!”

Zelena was very cunning and she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted. She placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor and then, by her magic arts, made the iron invisible to human eyes so that when Dorothy walked across the floor, she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell at full length. She was not much hurt, but, in her fall, one of the Silver Shoes came off and before she could reach it, the witch had snatched it away and put it on her own skinny foot. The Equestria residents arrived in time for this.

“This will work perfectly,” Zelena said to herself. The wicked woman was greatly pleased with the success of her trick, for as long as she had one of the shoes, she owned half the power of their charm and Dorothy could not use it against her, even had she known how to do so.

“I know what you did, Zelena,” Sunset said.

“So?” Zelena said.

“You placed a bar of iron on the floor and made it invisible so Dorothy couldn’t see it and trip over it,” Sunset said, making sure Dorothy heard.

The little girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grew angry and said to the witch, "Give me back my shoe!"

"I will not," retorted Zelena. "For it is now my shoe and not yours."

"You are a wicked creature!" cried Dorothy. "You have no right to take my shoe from me."

"I shall keep it, just the same," said Zelena, laughing at her. "And someday, I shall get the other one from you, too."

This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over Zelena, wetting her from head to foot.

And the boot has dropped, Sunset said internally.

Instantly, the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear and then, as Dorothy and the others looked at her in wonder, Zelena began to shrink and fall away.

"See what you have done!" Zelena screamed. "In a minute, I shall melt away."

"I'm very sorry, indeed," said Dorothy, who was truly frightened to see the witch actually melting away like brown sugar before her very eyes. The Equestria residents (minus Sunset and Phoebe) could only stare, slack jawed at what was happening.

"Didn't you know water would be the end of me?" asked Zelena in a wailing, despairing voice.

"Of course not," answered Dorothy. "How should I?"

"Well, in a few minutes, I shall be all melted and you will have the castle to yourself. I have been wicked in my day, but, I never thought a little girl like you would ever be able to melt me and end my wicked deeds. Look out--here I go!"

With these words, Zelena fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Seeing that she had really melted away to nothing, Dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the mess. She then swept it all out the door. It was at that point the shocked Equestria residents regained the use of their senses.

“Sunset,” Rainbow said. “Was that supposed to tell us it was THAT BUCKING EASY?!”

Sunset simply nodded.

“HOW THE BUCK DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?!” Starlight shouted.

“It’s because Zelena had a very dry complexion and fire magic,” Sunset explained. “Plus, she was so old all of her blood dried up, remember?”

Starlight took a moment to consider this. “Yeah,” she said after a minute. “That checks out.”

“Same with Evanora,” Sunset said. “Both took an Elixir of Life to hold their bodies together. Evidently, not perfected. In her dried up state, when the water touched her skin, Zelena's old, withered body began to break down due to exposure to the H2O moisture, each cell soaking up the water like a sponge and pulling away from the rest of her body until there was nothing left to pull away from.”

“I can believe that, actually,” Spike said. “Of course, I’m a Fire Elemental, too, but, I’m too young and I haven’t had a potion like that.”

“It’s a horrible way to go,” Sunset said. “However horrible it was, it was a quick death nonetheless. Now, everyone in Oz can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that her reign of terror is over for good. She’s in for an excruciating eternity.”

After picking out the silver shoe, which was all that was left of the old woman, Dorothy cleaned and dried it with a cloth and put it on her foot again. Then, being at last free to do as she chose, she ran out to the courtyard to tell Raw that the Wicked Witch of the West had come to an end and that they were no longer prisoners in a strange land.

Chapter 13: Aid of the Winkies and the Rescue

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Raw was much pleased to hear that Zelena had been melted by a bucket of water and Dorothy at once unlocked the gate of his prison and set him free. They went in together to the castle, where Dorothy's first act was to call all the Winkies together and tell them that they were no longer slaves.

“Thank you, most kindly,” one of the Winkies said after they cheered. “But, now that we are no longer in servitude, what shall we do now?”

“Well,” Sunset said. “What did you do before Zelena came to power?”

“Most of us were her slaves since we were born,” the same Winkie said. “All we knew was servitude.”

“Nicholas II of the House of Chopper and his brother,” another Winkie said. “Had the sense to leave Winkie Country while they could.”

“Nicholas II was the father of our friend, Nicholas III,” Spike said. “He said Winkies were the best tinsmiths in the land.”

“That is true,” another Winkie said. “That’s how the witch had so much metal.”

There was great rejoicing among the yellow Winkies, for they had been made to work hard during many years for the wicked witch Zelena, who had always treated them with great cruelty. They kept this day as a holiday, then and ever after, and spent the time in feasting and dancing.

"If our friends, Bartleby and Nick, were only with us," said Raw. "I should be quite happy."

“Yes,” Dorothy agreed. "Don't you suppose we could rescue them?"

“We can try,” Raw said.

So, they called the yellow Winkies and asked them if they would help to rescue their friends and the Winkies said that they would be delighted to do all in their power for Dorothy, who had set them free from bondage. So, she chose a number of the Winkies who looked as if they knew the most and they all started away. They traveled that day and part of the next until they came to the rocky plain where Nick lay, all battered and bent. His axe was near him, but, the blade was rusted and the handle broken off short.

“Don’t worry,” Sunset said. “Hopefully, we can help you getting back to your old self again.”

The Winkies lifted him tenderly in their arms and carried him back to the Yellow Castle again, Dorothy shedding a few tears by the way at the sad plight of her old friend and Raw looking sober and sorry.

“Do not feel sorry,” Nick’s head said comfortingly. “I cannot feel pain.”

“Gather as many tinsmiths as possible,” Dorothy said. And when the tinsmiths came, bringing with them all their tools in baskets, she inquired, "Can you straighten out those dents in Nick, bend him back into shape again, and solder him together where he is broken?"

“We shall indeed,” one of the tinsmith said.

The tinsmiths looked Nick over carefully and then answered that they thought they could mend him so he would be as good as ever. So, they set to work in one of the big yellow rooms of the castle and worked for three days and four nights, hammering, twisting, bending, soldering, polishing, and pounding at the legs, body, and head of Nick until at last he was straightened out into his old form and his joints worked as well as ever. To be sure, there were several patches on him, but, the tinsmiths did a good job and as Nick was not a vain man, he did not mind the patches at all.

“Thank you all very much,” Nick said gratefully.

When, at last, he walked into Dorothy's room and thanked her for rescuing him, he was so pleased that he wept tears of joy and Dorothy had to wipe every tear carefully from his face with her apron (held aloft by Sunset’s magic) so his joints would not be rusted. At the same time, her own tears fell thick and fast at the joy of meeting her old friend again and these tears did not need to be wiped away. As for Raw, he wiped his eyes so often with the tip of his tail that it became quite wet and he was obliged to go out into the courtyard and hold it in the sun till it dried. The Equestria residents were similarly touched.

“That is so sweet,” Fluttershy smiled.

"If we only had Bartleby with us again," said Nick when Dorothy and the others had finished telling him everything that had happened. "I should be quite happy."

“Hey, that’s right,” Rainbow said. “We should help him, too.”

"We must try to find him," said the girl.

So, she called the Winkies to help her and they walked all that day and part of the next until they came to the tall tree in the branches of which the Winged Monkeys had tossed Bartleby’s clothes.

“Their friend is undressed,” one Winkie observed.

“For him,” Rainbow said. “That’s not a good thing.”

“Hopefully, he’ll feel better once we bring him his clothes,” Dorothy said.

The clothes were on a very tall tree and the trunk was so smooth that no one could climb it, but, Nick said at once, "I'll chop it down and then we can get Bartleby's clothes."

“Or I could fly up and get them?” Rainbow suggested.

“No need to trouble yourself,” Nick said. Now, while the tinsmiths had been at work mending the woodman himself, another of the Winkies, who was a goldsmith, had made an axe-handle of solid gold and fitted it to Nick's axe instead of the old broken handle. Others polished the blade until all the rust was removed and it glistened like burnished silver.

As soon as he had spoken, Nick began to chop and in a short time, the tree fell over with a crash, whereupon Bartleby's clothes fell out of the branches and rolled off on the ground.

“That gold handle is really sturdy,” Sunset said. “Gold is normally a soft metal.”

“I guess those tinsmiths really did know what they were doing,” Pinkie said.

“The Winkie that made the handle was a goldsmith,” Sunset said.

“Then, that goldsmith knew what he was doing,” Pinkie said.

Dorothy picked up the clothes and had the Winkies carry them back to the castle, where they were stuffed with nice, clean straw and behold! Here was Bartleby, as good as ever, thanking them over and over again for saving him.

“Thank you all so much~!” Bartleby said delightfully.

Now that they were reunited, Dorothy and her friends spent a few happy days at the yellow castle, where they found everything they needed to make them comfortable.

But, one day the girl thought of Aunt Em and said, "We must go back to Oz and claim his promise."

“You’re right,” Nick said. “Zelena has indeed been killed.”

“And we did promise to bring him proof of her defeat,” Bartleby said.

“I think I know what we can bring,” Sunset said.

“What’s that?” Dorothy asked.

Sunset picked up Zelena’s regular pointed hat, which she’d taken off before her demise. “This should be proof enough,” she noted. Chapter 13: The Rescue, she said internally.

"Yes," said Nick. "At last, I shall get my heart."

"And I shall get my brains," added Bartleby joyfully.

"And I shall get my courage," said Raw thoughtfully.

"And the rest of us shall get back to Kansas," cried Dorothy, clapping her hands. "Oh, let us start for the Emerald City tomorrow!"

This they decided to do. The next day, they called the Winkies together and bade them good-bye. The Winkies were sorry to have them go and they had grown so fond of the Nick that they begged him to stay and rule over them and the Yellow Land of the West. Finding they were determined to go, the Winkies gave Toto and Raw each a golden collar, to Dorothy, they presented a beautiful bracelet studded with diamonds, to Bartleby, they gave a gold-headed walking stick to keep him from stumbling, and to Nick, they offered a silver oil-can, inlaid with gold and set with precious jewels. The Equestria residents were given gold badges. Everyone was very grateful for their gifts. Every one of the travelers made the Winkies a pretty speech in return and all shook hands with them until their arms ached.

Dorothy and Sunset went to Zelena's cupboard to fill their baskets with food for the journey and there she saw the Golden Cap. Dorothy tried it on her own head and found that it fitted her exactly. She did not know anything about the charm of the Golden Cap, but, she saw that it was pretty, so, she made up her mind to wear it and carry her sunbonnet in the basket.

“Nice cap, Dorothy,” Sunset said, pretending she knew nothing.

Then, being prepared for the journey, they all started for the Emerald City and the Winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes to carry with them.

“It’s back to Emerald City we go!” Rainbow said.

“Yee-haw!” Applejack cheered. “Let’s move along, y’all!”

Chapter 14: Return to Oz and the Winged Monkeys

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You will remember there was no road--not even a pathway-- between the castle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City. When the travelers went in search of Zelena, she had seen them coming and so sent the Winged Monkeys to bring them to her. It was much harder to find their way back through the big fields of buttercups and yellow daisies than it was being carried. They knew, of course, they must go straight east, toward the rising sun, and they started off in the right way. But, at noon, when the sun was over their heads, they did not know which was east and which was west and that was the reason they were lost in the great fields. They kept on walking, however, and at night, the moon came out and shone brightly. So, they lay down among the sweet smelling yellow flowers and slept soundly until morning-- all but Bartleby and Nick.

“Spikey-wikey…” Rarity said in her sleep as she held Spike in her embrace.

Spike gently nuzzled Rarity as he slept.

The next morning, the sun was behind a cloud, but, they started on as if they were quite sure which way they were going.

"If we walk far enough," said Dorothy. "I am sure we shall sometime come to some place."

“Of course,” Twilight said.

But, day by day passed away and they still saw nothing before them but the scarlet fields. Bartleby began to grumble a bit.

"We have surely lost our way," he said. "And unless we find it again in time to reach the Emerald City, I shall never get my brains."

"Nor I my heart," declared Nick. "It seems to me I can scarcely wait till I get to Oz and you must admit this is a very long journey."

"You see," said Raw with a whimper. "I haven't the courage to keep tramping forever without getting anywhere at all."

“And I shall never see Aunt Em or Uncle Henry ever again,” Dorothy sobbed. She had lost heart. She sat down on the grass and looked at her companions and they sat down and looked at her and Toto found that for the first time in his life he was too tired to chase a butterfly that flew past his head. So, he put out his tongue and panted and looked at Dorothy as if to ask what they should do next.

“It does seem pretty hopeless,” Twilight said. “But, just sitting here isn't going to help us any.”

"Suppose we call the field mice," Dorothy suggested. "They could probably tell us the way to the Emerald City."

“That’s a great idea,” Starlight said. “But, there’s a small problem.”

“Did you say that because mice are typically small?” Trixie asked.

“No,” Starlight said. “The problem is that we met them in Munchkin Country, on the other side of Oz.”

“Oh, that is a problem,” Fluttershy said. “And I know mice travel quickly in a group, but, even then, it’s not very much in terms of speed.”

Dorothy reached into her dress and pulled out the little whistle she had always carried about her neck since Elizabeth, the Queen of the Mice, had given it to her. “While the other mice were leaving,” she said. “Elizabeth told me to blow this whistle and the mice will come to us no matter where we are.”

“Hopefully,” Rainbow said. “She meant literally anywhere.”

Dorothy took a deep breath and blew into the whistle. In a few minutes, they heard the pattering of tiny feet and many of the small gray mice came running up to her. Among them was the Queen herself, who asked, in her squeaky little voice:

"What can I do for my friends?"

“We’re frightfully lost,” Nick explained. “We were hoping you could show us the way to the Emerald City, please.”

"Certainly," answered the Queen. "But, it is a great way off, for you have had it at your backs all this time." Then, she noticed Dorothy's Golden Cap and said, "Why don't you use the charm of the Cap and call the Winged Monkeys to you? They will carry you to the City of Oz in less than an hour."

“Because,” Dorothy explained. “I do not know how. I didn’t even know this cap had a charm. What is it?”

"It is written inside the Golden Cap," replied Elizabeth. "But, if you are going to call the Winged Monkeys, we must run away, for they are full of mischief and think it great fun to plague us."

So, Dorothy removed the cap and she read the instructions inscribed within. “Alright,” Dorothy said. “I shall start, so you may go to safety.”

“Uh, won’t they hurt Dorothy?” Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, no,” Elizabeth said. “They must obey the wearer of the Cap. Good-bye!" And she scampered out of sight, with all the mice hurrying after her.

Dorothy looked inside the Golden Cap and saw some words written upon the lining. These, she thought. Must be the charm. So, she read the directions carefully and put the cap upon her head.

"Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!" she said, standing on her left foot.

"What did you say?" asked Bartleby, who did not know what she was doing.

"Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!" Dorothy went on, standing this time on her right foot.

"Hello!" replied Nick calmly.

"Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" said Dorothy, who was now standing on both feet. This ended the saying of the charm and they heard a great chattering and flapping of wings as the band of Winged Monkeys flew up to them.

“This is the first of three times you can call upon our services,” the head of the Winged Monkeys said. “How may we help?”

"We wish to go to the Emerald City," said the child. "And we have lost our way."

"We will carry you," replied the King and no sooner had he spoken than two of the Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her. Others took the travelers who didn’t have wings already and one little monkey seized Toto and flew after them, although the dog tried hard to bite him.

Bartleby and Nick were rather frightened at first, for they remembered how badly the Winged Monkeys had treated them before, but, they saw that no harm was intended, so they rode through the air quite cheerfully, and had a fine time looking at the pretty gardens and woods far below them. Dorothy found herself riding easily between two of the biggest Monkeys, one of them the King himself. They had made a chair of their hands and were careful not to hurt her.

"Why do you have to obey the charm of the Golden Cap?" she asked.

"That is a long story," answered the king with a winged laugh.

“Well,” Sunset said. “We have a long journey ahead, so, you may as well tell us to pass the time. By the way, do you have a name?”

“Louie,” the king answered.

"I shall be glad to hear your story, Louie," Dorothy replied.

"Once," began Louie. "We were a free people, living happily in the great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit, and doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master. Perhaps some of us were rather too full of mischief at times, flying down to pull the tails of the animals that had no wings, chasing birds, and throwing nuts at the people who walked in the forest. But, we were careless, happy, and full of fun and enjoyed every minute of the day. This was many years ago, long before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land.”

“So, you saw him,” Rainbow said.

“Not up close,” Louie said before continuing his story. "There lived here then, away at the North, a beautiful princess, who was also a powerful sorceress. All her magic was used to help the people and she was never known to hurt anyone who was good. Her name was Gayelette and she lived in a handsome palace built from great blocks of ruby.”

“I thought Gillikin Country’s color was purple and red was the color of Quadling Country in the south,” Sunset said.

“Where do you think the rubies came from?” Louie asked rhetorically before continuing. “Everyone loved her, but, her greatest sorrow was that she could find no one to love in return, since all the men were much too stupid and ugly to mate with one so beautiful and wise. At last, however, she found a boy who was handsome and manly and wise beyond his years. Gayelette made up her mind that when he grew to be a man she would make him her husband, so she took him to her ruby palace and used all her magic powers to make him as strong, good, and lovely as any woman could wish. When he grew to manhood, Quelala, as he was called, was said to be the best and wisest man in all the land, while his manly beauty was so great that Gayelette loved him dearly and hastened to make everything ready for the wedding.”

“Seems a bit shallow,” Spike said while carrying Rarity.

Louie ignored that and continued. “My grandfather was at that time the King of the Winged Monkeys, which lived in the forest near Gayelette's palace and the old fellow loved a joke better than a good dinner. One day, just before the wedding, my grandfather was flying out with his band when he saw Quelala walking beside the river. He was dressed in a rich costume of pink silk and purple velvet and my grandfather thought he would see what he could do. At his word, the band flew down and seized Quelala, carried him in their arms until they were over the middle of the river, and then dropped him into the water.”

“Did he drown?” Starlight asked.

“Maybe if we let him finish,” Sunset said. “We’ll find out.”

"`Swim out, my fine fellow,' cried my grandfather. `And see if the water has spotted your clothes,'” Louie continued. “Quelala was much too wise not to swim and he was not in the least spoiled by all his good fortune. He laughed when he came to the top of the water and swam in to shore. But, when Gayelette came running out to him she found his silks and velvet all ruined by the river.”

“So?” Rainbow asked.

“So,” Louie said. "The princess was angry and she knew, of course, who did it. She had all the Winged Monkeys brought before her and she said at first that their wings should be tied and they should be treated as they had treated Quelala and dropped in the river. But, my grandfather pleaded hard, for he knew the monkeys would drown in the river with their wings tied and Quelala said a kind word for them also, so that Gayelette finally spared them, on condition that the Winged Monkeys should ever after do three times the bidding of the owner of the Golden Cap. This Cap had been made for a wedding present to Quelala and it is said to have cost the princess half her kingdom. Of course, my grandfather and all the other monkeys at once agreed to the condition and that is how it happens that we are three times the slaves of the owner of the Golden Cap, whosoever he may be."

“I’m having trouble believing she was a good princess,” Twilight said.

"And what became of the monkeys?" asked Dorothy, who had been greatly interested in the story.

"Quelala, being the first owner of the Golden Cap," replied Louie. "He was the first to lay his wishes upon us. As his bride could not bear the sight of us, he called us all to him in the forest after he had married her and ordered us always to keep where she could never again set eyes on a Winged Monkey, which we were glad to do, for we were all afraid of her. This was all we ever had to do until the Golden Cap fell into the hands of Zelena, who made us enslave the Winkies and afterward drive Oz himself out of the Land of the West. Now, the Golden Cap is yours and three times you have the right to lay your wishes upon us."

“I heard that Oz was more powerful than all the witches put together,” Rainbow said. “If that’s true, why was someone like Zelena, who could be killed with water, able to drive him away with a bunch of monkeys? Come to think of it, since you all drove Oz out, how is it none of you have seen him?”

“Rainbow,” Sunset said through her teeth. “You’re doing it again.”

Rainbow groaned in resignation. “Fine,” she said. “Forget I even asked.”

As Louie finished his story Dorothy looked down and saw the green, shining walls of the Emerald City before them. She wondered at the rapid flight of the Monkeys, but, was glad the journey was over. After the lengthy flight, the Winged Monkeys arrived at the Emerald City. The Winged Monkeys set their traveling companions down carefully before the gate of the city, the king bowed low to Dorothy and then flew swiftly away, followed by all his band.

“Hold on a second,” Starlight called to Louie. “Why drop us outside the gate? You could fly us over the wall.”

“Because,” Louie said. “That would be as rude as opening one’s front door without knocking. We were mischievous, not uncivilized. Besides, it might have been mistaken for an attack.”

“Good point,” Starlight said as Louie left.

"That was a good ride," said the little girl.

"Yes, and a quick way out of our troubles," replied Raw. "How lucky it was you brought away that wonderful Cap!"

“That reminds me,” Trixie said. “Since it’s likely we won’t be needing the cap anymore, what do we do with it?”

“Trust me,” Sunset whispered. “We’ll need it again later.”

“Alright,” Trixie said. “So, let’s keep it safe.”

Chapter 15: Revelations and the Discovery of Oz, the Terrible

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The travelers walked up to the great gate of Emerald City and rang the bell. After ringing several times, it was opened by the same Guardian of the Gates they had met before.

"What?! Are you back again?" he asked in surprise.

“Didn’t you see us?” Rainbow asked.

“We’ve come to see Oz since we fulfilled the task he asked of us to do,” Twilight explained.

“You actually defeated the Wicked Witch of the West?!” the Guardian asked.

“All it took was water,” Rainbow said.

“So,” Spike said. “We want to show Oz that Zelena melted.”

"Melted! Well, that is good news, indeed," said the man. "Who melted her?"

"It was Dorothy," said Raw gravely.

“Ah!” the man said. “I shall let him know at once!”

Then, he led them into his little room and locked the spectacles from the great box on all their eyes, just as he had done before. Afterward, they passed on through the gate into the Emerald City. When the people heard from the Guardian of the Gates that Dorothy had melted the Wicked Witch of the West, they all gathered around the travelers and followed them in a great crowd to the Palace of Oz.

Omby Amby was still on guard before the door, but, he let them in at once and they were again met by Jellia, who showed each of them to their old rooms at once, so they might rest until the Great Oz was ready to receive them.

Chapter 15: The Discovery of Oz, the Terrible, Sunset said internally.

Omby Amby had the news carried straight to Oz that Dorothy and the other travelers had come back again after destroying Zelena, but, Oz made no reply. They thought the Great Wizard would send for them at once, but, he did not. They had no word from him the next day, nor the next, nor the next. The waiting was tiresome and wearing and at last, they grew vexed that Oz should treat them in so poor a fashion, after sending them to undergo hardships and slavery.

“What’s the bucking hold up?!” Rainbow asked.

“Ya’d think he’d be pleased as punch that we fulfilled his task,” Applejack thought aloud.

Bartleby at last asked Jellia to take another message to Oz, saying if he did not let them in to see him at once, they would call the Winged Monkeys to help them and find out whether he kept his promises or not. When the wizard was given this message, he was so frightened that he sent word for them to come to the throne room at four minutes after nine o'clock the next morning. He had once met the Winged Monkeys in the Land of the West and he did not wish to meet them again.

Some all-powerful wizard, Rainbow said internally.

The travelers passed a sleepless night, each thinking of the gift Oz had promised to bestow on him. Dorothy fell asleep only once and then she dreamed she was in Kansas, where Aunt Em was telling her how glad she was to have her little girl at home again.

Promptly at nine o'clock the next morning, Omby Amby came to them and four minutes later, they all went into the throne room of the Great Oz. Of course, each one of them expected to see the wizard in the shape he had taken before and all were greatly surprised when they looked about and saw no one at all in the room. They kept close to the door and closer to one another, for the stillness of the empty room was more dreadful than any of the forms they had seen Oz take. Presently, they heard a solemn voice that seemed to come from somewhere near the top of the great dome and it said:

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Why do you seek me?"

They looked again in every part of the room and then, seeing no one, Dorothy asked, "Where are you?"

"I am everywhere," answered the voice. "But, to the eyes of common mortals, I am invisible. I will now seat myself upon my throne, that you may converse with me." Indeed, the voice seemed just then to come straight from the throne itself, so, they walked toward it and stood in a row while Dorothy said:

"We have come to claim our promise, O Oz."

"What promise?" asked Oz.

"You promised to send me back to Kansas when the Wicked Witch was destroyed," said the girl.

"And you promised to give me brains," said Bartleby.

"And you promised to give me a heart," said Nick.

"And you promised to give me courage," said Raw.

“And you promised the rest of us a way back to Equestria,” Twilight said.

"Is Zelena really destroyed?" asked the voice and Dorothy thought it trembled a little.

"Yes," she answered. "I melted her with a bucket of water."

"Dear me," said the voice. "How sudden! Well, come to me tomorrow, for I must have time to think it over."

“Now, wait just a minute here!” Applejack said angrily. “We’ve been ta hell n’ back doin’ somethin’ ya could’ve easily done yerself! We’ve waited fer days already!”

"You must keep your promises to us!" exclaimed Dorothy.

Raw thought it might be as well to frighten the wizard, so, he gave a large, loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful that Toto jumped away from him in alarm and tipped over the screen that stood in a corner. As it fell with a crash, they looked that way and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in just the spot the screen had hidden, a little old man with a bald head and a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. Nick, raising his axe, rushed toward the little man and cried out, "Who are you?"

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," said the little man in a trembling voice. "But, don't strike me--please don't--and I'll do anything you want me to."

Our friends looked at him in surprise and dismay.

"I thought Oz was a great head," said Dorothy.

"And I thought Oz was a lovely lady," said Bartleby.

"And I thought Oz was a terrible beast," said Nick.

"And I thought Oz was a ball of fire," exclaimed Raw.

“We thought Oz was a stallion alicorn who could turn his head into a shark’s,” Pinkie said.

“No, you are all wrong," said the little man meekly. "I have been making believe."

"Making believe!" cried Dorothy. "Are you not a Great Wizard?"

"Hush, my dear," he said. "Don't speak so loud or you will be overheard--and I should be ruined. I'm supposed to be a Great Wizard."

“Aren’t you?” Dorothy asked.

"Not a bit of it, my dear,” he said. “I'm just a common man."

"You're more than that," said Bartleby in a grieved tone. "You're a humbug."

"Exactly so!" declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him. "I am a humbug."

"But this is terrible," said Nick. "How shall I ever get my heart?"

"Or I my courage?" asked Raw.

"Or I my brains?" wailed Bartleby, wiping the tears from his eyes with his coat sleeve.

"My dear friends," said Oz. "I pray you not to speak of these little things. Think of me and the terrible trouble I'm in at being found out."

"Doesn't anyone else know you're a humbug?" asked Dorothy.

"No one knows it but all of us,” replied Oz. "I have fooled everyone so long that I thought I should never be found out. It was a great mistake my ever letting you into the throne room. Usually, I will not see even my subjects and so they believe I am something terrible."

“Wait just a minute here,” Rainbow said. “You had people build this entire city, didn't you?”

“Yes,” Oz admitted. “I used ventriloquism to make it seem as if various objects were speaking and gave the pretense that I had taken on the form of those objects whilst remaining out of sight.”

“Well, I finally got an answer to that question,” Rainbow said. Internally, she said. Even if it’s a pretty dumb reason. “But, what about when Zelena drove you out of Winkie Country?”

“I used that same technique with a rabbit,” Oz said.

“So,” Trixie said. “You’re a stage magician like I used to be. That must be how you made it seem like you’re more powerful than the witches and took on all those forms.”

"That’s one of my tricks," said Oz. "Step this way, please, and I will tell you all about it."

He led the way to a small chamber in the rear of the throne room and they all followed him. He pointed to one corner, in which lay the great head, made out of many thicknesses of paper and with a carefully painted face.

"This, I hung from the ceiling by a wire," said Oz. "I stood behind the screen and pulled a thread to make the eyes move and the mouth open."

“The voice was ventriloquism?” Trixie said.

“Yes,” Oz said. "I can throw the sound of my voice wherever I wish, so that you thought it was coming out of the head. Here are the other things I used to deceive you." He showed Bartleby the dress and the mask he had worn when he seemed to be the lovely lady. And Nick saw that his terrible beast was nothing but a lot of skins sewn together with slats to keep their sides out. As for the ball of fire, the false wizard had hung that also from the ceiling. It was really a ball of cotton, but, when oil was poured upon it, the ball burned fiercely. The Equestria residents saw a puppet of the stallion they saw, which had a face that opened quickly to reveal the shark face.

"Really," said Bartleby. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself for being such a humbug."

"I am--I certainly am," answered the little man sorrowfully. "But, it was the only thing I could do. Sit down, please, there are plenty of chairs and I will tell you my story."

So, they sat down and listened while he told the following tale.

"I was born in Omaha--"

"Why, that isn't very far from Kansas!" cried Dorothy.

"No, but, it's farther from here," he said, shaking his head at her sadly. "When I grew up, I became a ventriloquist and at that, I was very well trained by a great master. I can imitate any kind of a bird or beast." Here, he mewed so like a kitten that Toto pricked up his ears and looked everywhere to see where it was. "After a time," continued Oz, "I tired of that and became a balloonist."

“You make balloon animals?” Pinkie asked.

"No, a balloonist is a person who goes up in a balloon on circus day, so as to draw a crowd of people together and get them to pay to see the circus," he explained.

“Oh,” Pinkie said.

"Well, one day, I went up in a balloon and the ropes got twisted, so that I couldn't come down again. It went way up above the clouds, so far that a current of air struck it and carried it many, many miles away. For a day and a night, I traveled through the air and on the morning of the second day, I awoke and found the balloon floating over a strange and beautiful country. It came down gradually and I was not hurt a bit. But, I found myself in the midst of a strange people, who, seeing me come from the clouds, thought I was a great wizard. Of course, I let them think so, because they were afraid of me and promised to do anything I wished them to. That’s when I started using ventriloquism.”

“So, people did see you,” Rainbow said.

“For less than a minute,” Oz stated. "Just to amuse myself and keep the good people busy, I ordered them to build this city and my palace and they did it all willingly and well. Then, I thought, as the country was so green and beautiful, I would call it the Emerald City and to make the name fit better, I put green spectacles on all the people, so that everything they saw was green."

"But, isn't everything here green?" asked Dorothy.

"No more than in any other city," replied Oz. "But, when you wear green spectacles, why of course everything you see looks green to you. The Emerald City was built a great many years ago, for I was a young man when the balloon brought me here and I am a very old man now. But, my people have worn green glasses on their eyes so long that most of them think it really is an Emerald City and it certainly is a beautiful place, abounding in jewels and precious metals, and every good thing that is needed to make one happy. I have been good to the people and they like me, but, ever since this palace was built, I have shut myself up and would not see any of them. I made sure none saw me, of course.”

“So, the Guardian’s explanation…” Spike said.

“I told him to say that,” Oz said. “Though, it wasn’t entirely false since the dazzling gems and precious metals shining would be blinding.”

“Okay, that makes sense,” Spike said.

"One of my greatest fears was the witches,” Oz said. “For while I had no magical powers at all, I soon found out that the witches were really able to do wonderful things. There were six of them in this land.”

“Six?” Spike asked. “If each one represented a different point on a compass, wouldn’t that mean there were eight?”

“There were two Witches of the North and two Witches of the South,” Oz said. “Locasta, Good Witch of the North, overthrew Mombi, Wicked Witch of the North, while Glinda, Good Witch of the South, overthrew Mombi’s sister and the Wicked Witch of the South, Singra.”

“Oh, I see,” Spike said. “Weird how Locasta didn’t mention those two.”

“Seeing as they were overthrown,” Sunset said. “I don’t think she felt them worth mentioning.”

“That makes sense,” Spike said. “Anyway, please continue. Sorry to interrupt.”

“I knew Locasta and Glinda would do me no harm,” Oz said. “But, Evanora and Zelena had no opposition unlike their cousins.”

The others nodded at this.

“Those two,” Oz continued. “Were terribly wicked and, had they not thought I was more powerful than they themselves, they would surely have destroyed me. As it was, I lived in deadly fear of them for many years, so, you can imagine how pleased I was when I heard your house had fallen on Evanora. When you came to me, I was willing to promise anything if you would only do away with her sister, but, now that you have melted her, I am ashamed to say that I cannot keep my promises."

"I think you are a very bad man," said Dorothy.

"Oh, no, my dear,” Oz said. “I'm really a very good man, but, I'm a very bad wizard, I must admit."

"Can't you give me brains?" asked Bartleby.

"You don't need them,” Oz said. “You are learning something every day. A baby has brains, but, it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge and the longer you are on earth, the more experience you are sure to get."

"That may all be true," said Bartleby. "But, I shall be very unhappy unless you give me brains."

“You may as well give him something,” Sunset said. “After all the trouble we went through, it doesn’t seem right to be left empty-handed.”

“I suppose that is true,” Oz agreed. “Well, I may not give you a traditional brain, but, I can fill your head with something that somewhat feels like a brain. I'm not much of a magician, as I said, but, if you will come to me tomorrow morning, I will stuff your head with brains. I cannot tell you how to use them, however. You must find that out for yourself.”

"Oh, thank you--thank you!" cried Bartleby. "I'll find a way to use them, never fear!"

"But, how about my courage?" asked Raw anxiously.

"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid and that kind of courage, you have in plenty."

"Perhaps I have, but, I'm scared just the same," said Raw. "I shall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of courage that makes one forget he is afraid."

"Very well, I will give you that sort of courage tomorrow," replied Oz.

"How about my heart?" asked Nick.

"Why, as for that," answered Oz. "I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart."

"That must be a matter of opinion," said Nick. "For my part, I will bear all the unhappiness without a murmur if you will give me the heart."

“They’ve earned something for their trouble,” Sunset said.

"Very well," answered Oz meekly. "Come to me tomorrow and you shall have a heart. I have played wizard for so many years that I may as well continue the part a little longer."

"And now," said Dorothy. "How am I to get back to Kansas?"

"We shall have to think about that," replied the little man. "Give me two or three days to consider the matter and I'll try to find a way to carry you over the desert. In the meantime, you shall all be treated as my guests and while you live in the palace, my people will wait upon you and obey your slightest wish. There is only one thing I ask in return for my help--such as it is. You must keep my secret and tell no one I am a humbug."

They agreed to say nothing of what they had learned and went back to their rooms in high spirits. Even Dorothy had hope that "The Great and Terrible Humbug," as she called him, would find a way to send her back to Kansas and if he did, she was willing to forgive him everything.

The Equestria residents gathered in a place nobody could hear them.

“Ah don’t know how many more secrets ah can keep,” Applejack said. “All this bein’ in a book’s hard enough, but, tellin’ nobody that Oz ain’t what they thought?” She drank from the ginger ale and rubbed her belly. “Ah’m gettin’ queasy just thinkin’ ‘bout ways ta cover that up.”

“I know that it’s a lot for you to deal with, Applejack,” Sunset said. “But, we’re almost done. And once we’re back home, you can take the time you need to take care of yourself.”

“How much longer?” Starlight asked.

“We’re just at the end of chapter 15,” Sunset said. “After this, only nine more chapters to go.”

“Nine?!” Rarity exclaimed. “We’ll be in this book for 24 chapters altogether?!”

“None of us are happy about this situation, Rarity,” Sunset said. “But, we’ve already come this far, so, we may as well see it through.”

Rarity sighed. “You’re right,” she said. “We’d best tough it out.”

With that, the Equestria residents went to their respective rooms and went to sleep.

Chapter 16: Morning and the Magic Art of the Great Humbug

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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."

Chapter 17: The Map and How the Balloon Was Launched

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For three days Dorothy heard nothing from Oz. This was leaving her discouraged, though, Bartleby, Nick, and Raw were all quite happy and contented. The Equestria residents could see this.

“Poor Dorothy,” Applejack said. “She’s mighty homesick.”

“If anyone can understand that,” Sunset said. “It’s us.”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy said. “I wish there was something we could do to help her.”

“The best we can do is be there for her when she needs it,” Sunset said. She then looked over the map of Oz.

“Good idea,” Pinkie said. “Even if we were to go to a different part, it would be hard to get back since we’re not totally familiar with this land.”

Sunset highlighted places in Oz they’ve been to. “Let’s see. We’ve been here, there, over there, over here…” Her highlights included spots in Munchkin Country, Emerald City, and a bit of Winkie Country. “We haven’t been here or there,” she said, pointing a hoof to Gillikin Country and Quadling Country. “I don’t think we even want to go here.” She traced her hoof along the desert border, which had names such as Deadly Desert, Shifting Sands, Impassable Desert, and Great Sandy Waste.

“Boy,” Rainbow said. “There are a lot of places in this country.”

“Yep,” Sunset said. “And walking across the desert isn’t an option.”

“Right,” Rarity said. “We’ve done that here and that was plenty.”

“It’s not just that,” Sunset said. “Each side of the sands are sworn to be as dangerous as hot lava and anyone who sets foot into the sand of any of these deserts instantly dissolves and becomes sand themselves.”

“That’s disturbing,” Starlight said.

“To complicate things,” Sunset said. “There’s more of us in our party that can’t fly than those of us who can.”

“That is true,” Trixie said.

“Even if all of us could fly,” Rainbow said. “That won’t do any good if we don’t know the direction to go.”

“Also true,” Applejack said. “So, it’s best if we don’t go there at all.”

While they were talking, Bartleby told them there were wonderful thoughts in his head, but, he would not say what they were because he knew no one could understand them but himself. When Nick walked about, he felt his heart rattling around in his breast and he told Dorothy he had discovered it to be a kinder and more tender heart than the one he had owned when he was made of flesh. Raw declared he was afraid of nothing on earth and would gladly face an army or a dozen of the fierce Kalidahs.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sunset said. “Dial it back a bit, Raw. There’s a thin line between being brave and being reckless.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “I may be a bit brash at times, but, even I know when to ease back.”

Thus, each of the little party was satisfied except Dorothy, who longed more than ever to get back to Kansas, and the Equestria residents, who longed to return to their own home.

On the fourth day, to their great joy, Oz sent for them and when they entered the throne room, he greeted them pleasantly:

"Sit down, my dears, I think I have found the way to get you out of this country."

"And back to Kansas?" Dorothy asked eagerly.

"Well, I'm not sure about Kansas," said Oz. "For I haven't the faintest notion which way it lies from here. But, the first thing to do is to cross the desert and then, it should be easy to find your way home."

"How can we cross the desert?" she inquired.

"Well, I'll tell you what I think," said the little man. "You see, when I came to this country, it was in a balloon. You also came through the air, being carried by a cyclone. So, I believe the best way to get across the desert will be through the air. Now, it is quite beyond my powers to make a cyclone, but, I've been thinking the matter over and I believe I can make a balloon."

"How?" asked Dorothy.

"A balloon," said Oz. "Is made of silk, which is coated with glue to keep the gas in it. I have plenty of silk in the palace, so, it will be no trouble to make the balloon. But, in all this country, there is no gas to fill the balloon with to make it float."

"If it won't float," remarked Dorothy, "it will be of no use to us."

"True," answered Oz. "But, there is another way to make it float, which is to fill it with hot air. Hot air isn't as good as gas, for if the air should get cold, the balloon would come down in the desert and we should be lost."

"We!" exclaimed the girl. "Are you going with us?"

"Yes, of course," replied Oz. "I am tired of being such a humbug. If I should go out of this palace, my people would soon discover I am not a wizard and then, they would be vexed with me for having deceived them. So, I have to stay shut up in these rooms all day and it gets tiresome. I'd much rather go back to Kansas with you and be in a circus again."

“But, Omaha’s in Nebraska,” Sunset said. “Different state.”

“Yes,” Oz admitted. “But, I’ve been away from there for so long that it is possible that everyone in Omaha might get the idea that I did not survive. But, I can start anew in another state.”

“That makes sense,” Sunset considered. “It’d be too big of a shock if you turned up in Omaha after anyone who remembers you thought you were dead.”

“So,” Oz said. “That is the plan.”

"I shall be glad to have your company," said Dorothy.

"Thank you," he answered. "Now, if you will help me sew the silk together, we will begin to work on our balloon."

“I’ll be happy to help as well,” Rarity said. “I’m a seamstress in Equestria.”

“And I often sew blankets for my animal friends,” Fluttershy said.

“How wonderful,” Oz smiled. “I’ll gladly take the help.”

“Say, uh,” Rainbow said. “Is Oz really your name?”

“Actually,” the little man said. “My name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs.”

Trixie thought of this. “Did you know that your initials spell ‘Oz Pinhe-’”

“Yes, I’m well aware,” Oz interrupted. “For obvious reasons, I seldom use them.”

“That’s fair enough,” Pinkie said. “After all, my full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but, I prefer to just be called ‘Pinkie.’”

So, they all got to work on the balloon. Oz and Spike cut the strips of silk into proper shape, most of the others placed the strips in place, and Rarity, Fluttershy, and Dorothy sewed them neatly together. First there was a strip of light green silk, then, a strip of dark green and then, a strip of emerald green, for Oz had a fancy to make the balloon in different shades of the color about them. It took three days to sew all the strips together, but, when it was finished they had a big bag of green silk more than twenty feet long.

“This looks great,” Applejack smiled. “‘Minds me o’ the hot air balloon we fly ‘round in sometimes. Though, this one ain’t purple.”

Then, Oz painted it on the inside with a coat of thin glue, to make it airtight, after which, he announced that the balloon was ready.

“The balloon is ready,” Oz announced.

“Not quite,” Sunset said. “It still needs a basket to carry us.”

“Where are we going to find one of those?” Rainbow asked. “I doubt the people here have clothes baskets big enough to hold nine grown ponies, a green wing dragon, a phoenix, a kid, and a short geezer.”

“Hey~!” Oz said.

“Rainbow’s lack of tact aside,” Sunset said. “She has a point. There won’t be any clothes baskets big enough for all of us. But, I have an idea.”

“Yes, Sunset?” Dorothy asked.

“We’ll build such a basket,” Sunset said.

“That’s a great idea,” Twilight said. “I’m certain we can find the supplies we need around here.”

So, they built a basket for the balloon. Sunset took careful measurements to make sure they’d all have room to move and still carry supplies.

“Everyone is doing so well,” Oz said.

When it was all ready, Oz sent word to his people that he was going to make a visit to a great brother Wizard who lived in the clouds. The news spread rapidly throughout the city and everyone came to see the wonderful sight.

Oz ordered the balloon carried out in front of the palace and the people gazed upon it with much curiosity. Nick had chopped a big pile of wood and now, he made a fire of it and Oz held the bottom of the balloon over the fire so that the hot air that arose from it would be caught in the silken bag. Gradually the balloon swelled out and rose into the air until finally, the basket just touched the ground.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Trixie said.

Then, Oz got into the basket and said to all the people in a loud voice:

"I am now going away to make a visit. While I am gone, Bartleby, the Scarecrow, will rule over you. I command you to obey him as you would me."

The balloon was by this time tugging hard at the rope that held it to the ground, for the air within it was hot and this made it so much lighter in weight than the air without that it pulled hard to rise into the sky.

"Come, everyone!" cried the wizard. "Hurry up or the balloon will fly away."

"I can't find Toto anywhere," replied Dorothy, who did not wish to leave her little dog behind. Toto had run into the crowd to bark at a kitten and Dorothy at last found him. She picked him up and ran towards the balloon.

Chapter 17: How the Balloon Was Launched, Sunset said internally.

“Come on, you two!” Twilight called. Sunset had suggested Dorothy get in first.

Dorothy was within a few steps of it and Oz was holding out his hands to help her into the basket, when, “crack!” went the ropes and the balloon rose into the air without her.

Rainbow was about to take off and get the balloon, but, Sunset stopped her and whispered, “We have to follow the story in order to get home.”

Rainbow had to submit, though she didn't like the idea of an emergency happening.

"Come back!" Dorothy screamed. "I want to go, too!"

"I can't come back, my dear," called Oz from the basket. "Good-bye!"

"Good-bye!" shouted everyone and all eyes were turned upward to where the wizard was riding in the basket, rising every moment farther and farther into the sky. And that was the last any of them ever saw of Oz, the Wonderful Wizard, though he may have reached Omaha safely and be there now, for all we know. But, the people remembered him lovingly, and said to one another:

"Oz was always our friend. When he was here, he built for us this beautiful Emerald City and now, he is gone, he has left the wise scarecrow to rule over us."

Still, for many days, they grieved over the loss of the Wonderful Wizard and would not be comforted.

The sight of the balloon flying away without Dorothy broke her heart and tears welled in her eyes. Sunset embraced her warmly.

Chapter 18: Comfort and Away to the South

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Dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to get home to Kansas again, but, when she thought it all over, she was glad she had not gone up in a balloon. And she also felt sorry at losing Oz and so did her companions.

Nick came to her and said:

"Truly, I should be ungrateful if I failed to mourn for the man who gave me my lovely heart. I should like to cry a little because Oz is gone, if you will kindly wipe away my tears, so that I shall not rust."

Fluttershy wiped Nick’s tears. When he had finished crying, he thanked her kindly and oiled himself thoroughly with his jeweled oil-can to guard against mishap.

Bartleby was now the ruler of the Emerald City and, although he was not a wizard, the people were proud of him. "For," they said. "There is not another city in all the world that is ruled by a stuffed man." And, so far as they knew, they were quite right.

The morning after the balloon had gone up with Oz, the travelers met in the throne room and talked matters over. Bartleby sat in the big throne and the others stood respectfully before him.

"We are not so unlucky," said the new ruler. "For this palace and the Emerald City belong to us and we can do just as we please. When I remember that a short time ago, I was up on a pole in a farmer's cornfield and that now, I am the ruler of this beautiful city, I am quite satisfied with my lot."

"I also," said Nick. "Am well-pleased with my new heart and, really, that was the only thing I wished in all the world."

"For my part, I am content in knowing I am as brave as any beast that ever lived, if not braver," said Raw modestly.

“But, what about Dorothy?” Fluttershy said. “She didn’t get her wish.”

Dorothy sobbed, "I want to go to Kansas and live with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry."

"Well, then, what can be done?" inquired Nick.

Chapter 18: Away to the South, Sunset said internally.

Bartleby decided to think and he thought so hard that the pins and needles began to stick out of his brains. Finally, he said:

"Why not call the Winged Monkeys and ask them to carry you over the desert?"

“It is an idea,” Rarity said. “You do still have two opportunities to call upon their services thanks to the Golden Cap.”

"I never thought of that!" said Dorothy joyfully. "It's just the thing. I'll go at once for the Golden Cap."

When she brought it into the throne room, she spoke the magic words and soon, the band of Winged Monkeys flew in through the open window and stood beside her.

"This is the second time you have called us," said Louie, bowing before the little girl. "What do you wish?"

"I want you to fly with me to Kansas," said Dorothy.

But, the Monkey King shook his head.

"That cannot be done," he said. "We belong to this country alone and cannot leave it. There has never been a Winged Monkey in Kansas yet and I suppose there never will be, for they don't belong there. We shall be glad to serve you in any way in our power, but, we cannot cross the desert. Good-bye."

And with another bow, the monkey king spread his wings and flew away through the window, followed by all his band.

“Well, that was helpful,” Trixie said, sarcastically.

Dorothy was ready to cry with disappointment. "I have wasted the charm of the Golden Cap to no purpose," she said. "For the Winged Monkeys cannot help me."

"It is certainly too bad!" said the tender-hearted Nick.

Bartleby thought again. “We can ask Omby Amby for his advice.”

“There’s an idea,” Starlight said. “He might know something with him being Oz’s confidant.”

So, the soldier was summoned and entered the throne room timidly, for while Oz was alive, he never was allowed to come farther than the door.

"This little girl," said Bartleby to Omby Amby. "Wishes to cross the desert. How can she do so?"

"I cannot tell," answered the soldier. "For nobody has ever crossed the desert, unless it is Oz himself."

“Darn,” Spike said. “Another dead end.”

“There is hope,” Omby Amby said. “That Glinda may be able to help.”

“Glinda?” Fluttershy asked. “Oh, she’s the Good Witch of the South, right?”

“And the most powerful of them all,” Omby Amby said. “She rules over the Quadlings. Besides, her castle stands on the edge of the desert, so, she may know a way to cross it."

“So,” Starlight said. “How do we find her?”

"The road is straight to the South," Omby Amby answered. "But, it is said to be full of dangers to travelers. There are wild beasts in the woods and a race of queer men who do not like strangers to cross their country. For this reason, none of the Quadlings ever come to the Emerald City."

“Well,” Raw said. “With my newly-realized bravery, I shall be able to protect my friends from the wild beasts in the woods.”

“Dorothy and the others must go to Glinda,” Bartleby said. “If they stay here, they’ll never return home.”

“Then,” Nick said. “That is what we must do. My axe may be of service to them, so, I also will go with them to the Land of the South.”

“I suggest we go tomorrow morning,” Sunset said. “We have a long journey ahead.”

“Yes,” Dorothy said. “And we will need the rest.”

Chapter 19: Journey to the South and Attacked by the Fighting Trees

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The next morning, Dorothy bade Jellia goodbye and they all shook hands with Omby Amby, who had walked with them as far as the gate. When the Guardian of the Gate saw them again, he wondered greatly that they could leave the beautiful city to get into new trouble. But, he at once unlocked their spectacles, which he put back into the green box, and gave them many good wishes to carry with them.

"You are now our ruler," he said to Bartleby. "So, you must come back to us as soon as possible."

“I will,” Bartleby promised. “If I am able, but, I must help Dorothy and the others to get home first."

As Dorothy bade the good-natured Guardian a last farewell, she said:

"I have been very kindly treated in your lovely city, and everyone has been good to me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am."

"Don't try, my dear," he answered. "We should like to keep you with us, but, if it is your wish to return to Kansas, I hope you will find a way." He then opened the gate of the outer wall and they walked forth and started upon their journey.

Sunset opened the map and looked to see which direction was south. She focused her magic on the map, causing multiple dots of different colors to appear on it.

“So, which way is south, Sunset?” Dorothy asked.

“I’ve enchanted the map so that it shows us where we are,” Sunset said. “These dots just outside the Emerald City are us.”

“Hi, us as dots,” Pinkie said happily.

“The Yellow Brick Road leads to Munchkin Country in the east,” Sunset said. “So, since we’re right outside the Emerald City and some of us are facing the direction it leads, we’ll have to travel this way.” She pointed to the right, as she was facing the east.

“Alrighty,” Applejack nodded. “Let’s get a move-on, y’all.”

The sun shone brightly as our friends turned their faces toward the Land of the South. They were all in the best of spirits and laughed and chatted together.

“I’ve been thinking,” Pinkie said.

“What about, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked.

“If Zelena could be melted by water,” Pinkie said. “How do you think she took a bath?”

“Maybe that wasn’t monkey we were smelling,” Starlight said.

“So,” Pinkie said. “She didn’t bathe? Eww…”

“Let’s just agree to not discuss this further,” Sunset suggested.

“Agreed,” Pinkie said.

Dorothy was once more filled with the hope of getting home and Bartleby and Nick were glad to be of use to her. As for Raw, he sniffed the fresh air with delight and whisked his tail from side to side in pure joy at being in the country again while Toto ran around them and chased the moths and butterflies, barking merrily all the time.

"City life does not agree with me at all," remarked Raw as they walked along at a brisk pace. "I have lost much flesh since I lived there and now I am anxious for a chance to show the other beasts how courageous I have grown."

“Lost flesh?” Rainbow asked.

“He means he hasn’t gotten much exercise,” Sunset said.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Rainbow said. “I can feel him. I have a hard time standing still unless it’s napping and I don’t do that much anymore.”

“I see,” Raw said. “I expect Equestria has very few cities.”

“Actually,” Sunset said. “There’s quite a few cities.”

“I was born in the capital city of Equestria called Canterlot,” Twilight said.

“I was hatched there,” Spike said.

“Fluttershy and I were born in Cloudsdale,” Rainbow explained. “Although, I lived there longer than she did.”

“Cloudsdale?” Dorothy asked.

“It’s the pegasus hometown,” Rainbow said. “It was made by Pegasus himself.”

“And, as you can guess from the name,” Fluttershy added. “It’s made of clouds.”

“You can walk on clouds?” Raw said.

“Not all clouds,” Rainbow said. “Fog, dust, steam, smoke, and mist are the only types of clouds pegasi can’t touch.”

“Interesting,” Raw said.

“Pegasi and other flying species in Equestria,” Sunset said. “Have special air-sacks connected to their lungs that allow them to breathe at heights that would be dizzying for earthbound creatures.”

“A way for earthbound creatures to counteract with the effect,” Twilight explained. “Is the Icarus Cloudwalking Spell, a spell that can allow them to walk on clouds, which is an easy spell for magic wielders to cast.”

“It’s preferable to the Icarus Effect,” Rarity said.

“I think I’ve heard Auntie Em tell me about Icarus once,” Dorothy said. “He flew too close to the sun with wings made of feathers held together with wax and fell into the sea.”

“We have a similar story in Equestria,” Rainbow said.

“Oh, my,” Dorothy gasped. “I didn’t know there were humans in Equestria.”

“There aren’t,” Sunset said. “Not anymore.”

“It’s true,” Twilight said. “Humans died out long before any of us were born. They’ve been gone so long, most ponies and other creatures didn’t even know they existed in the first place or what they were called.”

“So,” Dorothy said. “How did you learn what humans were called?”

“Well, remember how I said Moonrise would physically assault me on a regular basis under the pretense of punishing me on the Princess’ behalf?” Sunset said. Dorothy nodded grimly at this. “That world I went to was full of humans. I myself was a human there.”

“I see,” Dorothy said.

“I spent three years among humans, giving me ample time to learn as much about them as I could,” Sunset said.

“That must have been quite a time,” Dorothy said.

“Minus Susan slipping Essence of Lavender into my morning tea on my last year there,” Sunset said.

“Oh, dear,” Dorothy said. “What is Essence of Lavender?”

“It’s a potent ingredient in sleeping potions,” Sunset said. “A single drop can make the consumer sleep uninterrupted for eight hours straight.”

“That’s terrible,” Dorothy said.

“Susan kept pouring some from my supply into my morning tea every morning for a whole year,” Sunset said. “Luckily, she wasn’t aware of an important detail.”

“What’s that?” Dorothy asked.

“The tolerance effect,” Sunset said. “She kept feeding me doses without waiting a week between them, allowing me to develop an immunity within a few months.”

“Oh, that’s very good,” Dorothy smiled. “I think.”

“It’s a mixed blessing,” Sunset said. “I brought Essence of Lavender to help with my insomnia. Now, it doesn’t do anything for me anymore.”

“I see,” Dorothy said.

They now turned and took a last look at the Emerald City. All they could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls and high up above everything the spires and dome of the Palace of Oz.

"Oz was not such a bad wizard, after all," said Nick as he felt his heart rattling around in his breast.

“Well,” Rarity said. “He wasn’t evil by any means.”

"He knew how to give me brains and very good brains, too," said Bartleby.

“I suppose,” Fluttershy said.

"If Oz had taken a dose of the same courage he gave me," added Raw. "He would have been a brave man."

Dorothy said nothing. Oz had not kept the promise he made her, but, he had done his best, so, she forgave him. As he said, he was a good man, even if he was a bad wizard. Spike and the ponies comforted the girl and they continued on their way. Phoebe would give comforting nuzzles.

The first day's journey was through the green fields and bright flowers that stretched about the Emerald City on every side. They slept that night on the grass with nothing but the stars over them and they rested very well indeed.

Chapter 19: Attacked by the Fighting Trees, Sunset said internally.

In the morning, they traveled on until they came to a thick wood. There was no way of going around it, for it seemed to extend to the right and left as far as they could see and, besides, they did not dare change the direction of their journey for fear of getting lost. So, they looked for the place where it would be easiest to get into the forest.

“Hey, look!” Bartleby said. He pointed to a big tree with such wide-spreading branches that there was room for the party to pass underneath.

“A very good show,” Nick said happily.

Bartleby walked forward to the tree, but, just as he came under the first branches, they bent down and twined around him and the next minute, he was raised from the ground and flung headlong among his fellow travelers.

“Bartleby!” Twilight exclaimed.

Bartleby wasn’t hurt, but, he was surprised and dizzy when Dorothy and Applejack picked him up.

“That tree really sent you flying,” Pinkie said.

"Here is another space between the trees," called Raw.

“Let me go first,” said Bartleby. “For it won’t hurt me to be thrown about.” He walked up to another tree as he spoke, but, its branches immediately seized him and tossed him back again.

“And I thought those apple trees that we encountered earlier were tough,” Rainbow noted. “Now what do we do?”

“Well,” Sunset said. “We have two things we didn’t have last time.”

“You mean like my heart and Raw’s courage?” Nick asked.

“What I was getting at is a lumberjack and a phoenix,” Sunset clarified.

“Oh, that’s right,” Nick said. Shouldering his axe, he marched up to the first tree that had handled Bartleby so roughly. When a big branch bent down to seize him, Nick chopped at it so fiercely that he cut it in two. At once, the tree began shaking all its branches as if in pain and Nick passed safely under it.

“Well done,” Rarity called.

“Why, you–” the tree said, readying more branches to attack.

“Go get them, Phoebe!” Sunset said, pointing at the branches. In response, Phoebe flew towards the branches, engulfing herself in flames to cut said branches off with her wings. The tree wailed from pain.

"Come on!" Nick shouted to the others. "Be quick!" They all ran forward and passed under the tree without injury, except Toto, who was caught by a small branch and shaken until he howled. But, Nick promptly chopped off the branch and set the little dog free. Dorothy gently cradled Toto in her arms.

The other trees of the forest did nothing to keep them back, so, they made up their minds that only the first row of trees could bend down their branches and that probably these were the policemen of the forest and given this wonderful power in order to keep strangers out of it.

“Let’s just let them through,” one tree said to another. “Or we’ll have our branches cut off like Garrett.”

“Yes, of course,” said the other tree.

The travelers walked with ease through the trees until they came to the farther edge of the wood. Then, to their surprise, they found before them a high wall which seemed to be made of white china. It was smooth, like the surface of a dish, and higher than their heads.

“I’m guessing breaking this is out of the question,” Starlight said.

“It would be dangerous,” Fluttershy said.

“And there’s still the issue of more non-flyers than flyers here,” Rainbow said. “I’m really starting to hate that.”

“So, we’ll have to tread lightly,” Rarity said.

“I’ll build us a ladder,” Nick said. “That way, those of us who can’t fly can climb over the wall.”

“That’s a mighty good idea, Nick,” Applejack smiled. “Since those o’ us made o’ flesh’re plum tired, we’ll catch a few winks while ya work.”

Nick nodded understandingly and he got to work.

Chapter 20: The Ladder and the Dainty China Country

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While Nick worked on building the ladder with wood he found in the forest, the fleshy members of the group took this opportunity to rest.

Bartleby watched Nick work and said, "I cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of."

"Rest your brains and do not worry about the wall," replied Nick. "When we have climbed over it, we shall know what is on the other side."

After a time, the ladder was finished. It looked clumsy, but, Nick was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. Bartleby woke the flesh members and told them that the ladder was ready. Bartleby climbed up the ladder first, but, he was so awkward that Dorothy had to follow close behind and keep him from falling off. When he got his head over the top of the wall, he said, "Oh, my!"

"Go on," exclaimed Dorothy.

So, Bartleby climbed farther up and sat down on the top of the wall and Dorothy put her head over and cried, "Oh, my!" just as the scarecrow had done.

Fluttershy flew up and gave a similar exclamation. “Oh, my!”

“What are you guys, ‘Oh, my’-ing about?” Pinkie asked. She then started climbing the ladder herself. “Whoa, this is a deceptively sturdy ladder to be able to hold my weight.”

“That’s Nick’s expertise, apparently,” Sunset said.

Pinkie soon reached the top. “Whoa!” she said. “You’ve all got to see this!”

The others soon made their way up and made a wide array of impressed/surprised noises. When they were all sitting in a row on the top of the wall, they looked down and saw a strange sight.

Before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. Scattered around were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest colors. These houses were quite small, the biggest of them reaching only as high as Dorothy's waist. There were also pretty little barns with china fences around them and many cows, sheep, horses, pigs, and chickens, all made of china, were standing about in groups. But, the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queer country. There were milkmaids and shepherdesses with brightly colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns, princesses with most gorgeous frocks of silver, gold, and purple, shepherds dressed in knee breeches with pink, yellow, and blue stripes down them and golden buckles on their shoes, princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads wearing ermine robes and satin doublets, and funny clowns in ruffled gowns with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than Dorothy's knee.

“For a country associated with red,” Trixie said. “There’s very little red to be found.”

“It’s still really pretty,” Twilight said. “Though, I wasn’t expecting the Quadlings to be so small.”

Chapter 20: The Dainty China Country, Sunset said internally.

No one did so much as look at the travelers at first except one little purple china dog with an extra-large head, which came to the wall and barked at them in a tiny voice, afterwards running away again.

“I suggest we use the ladder to get down,” Starlight said. She then used her magic to lift the ladder and put it on the other side.

“Thanks, Starlight,” Sunset said.

So, they made their way down safely. They all looked at the strange land.

"We must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side," said Dorothy. "For it would be unwise for us to go any other way except due South."

“Right,” Fluttershy said. “But, carefully. We don’t want to break anything or anyone.”

They began walking through the country of the china people and the first thing they came to was a china milkmaid milking a china cow. As they drew near, the cow suddenly gave a kick and kicked over the stool, the pail, and even the milkmaid herself and all fell on the china ground with a great clatter. Dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg off and that the pail was lying in several small pieces, while the poor milkmaid had a nick in her left elbow.

"There!" cried the milkmaid angrily. "See what you have done! My cow has broken her leg and I must take her to the mender's shop and have it glued on again. What do you mean by coming here and frightening my cow?"

“We’re terribly sorry,” Dorothy said. “We didn’t mean any harm. We were passing through to see Glinda the Good.”

But, the pretty milkmaid was much too vexed to make any answer. She picked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animal limping on three legs. As she left them, the milkmaid cast many reproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nicked elbow close to her side. Dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap.

"We must be very careful here," said the kind-hearted Nick. "Or we may hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it."

A little farther on, Dorothy met a most beautifully dressed young princess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and started to run away. Dorothy wanted to see more of the princess, so, she ran after her. But, the china girl cried out:

"Don't chase me! Don't chase me!"

She had such a frightened little voice that Dorothy stopped and said, "Why not?"

"Because," answered the princess, also stopping, a safe distance away. "If I run, I may fall down and break myself."

“Can’t ya just be fixed?” Applejack asked.

"Oh, yes, but, one is never so pretty after being mended, you know," replied the princess.

Something tells me they’re not familiar with Wabi-sabi, Sunset thought to herself. Anything beautiful has flaws.

"Now, there is Mr. Joker, one of our clowns," continued the china lady. "Who is always trying to stand upon his head. He has broken himself so often that he is mended in a hundred places and doesn't look at all pretty. Here he comes now, so you can see for yourself."

Indeed, a jolly little clown came walking toward them and they could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red, yellow, and green he was completely covered with cracks, running every which way and showing plainly that he had been mended in many places. The Clown put his hands in his pockets and after puffing out his cheeks and nodding his head at them saucily, he said:

"My lady fair, why do you stare at poor old Mr. Joker? You're quite as stiff and prim as if you'd eaten up a poker!"

"Be quiet, sir!" said the princess. "Can't you see these are strangers, and should be treated with respect?"

"Well, that's respect, I expect," declared the clown and immediately stood upon his head.

"Don't mind Mr. Joker," said the princess to Dorothy. "He is considerably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish."

“That’s alright,” Pinkie said. “I had a few boo-boos on my head and I sometimes sound silly after that.”

“Aunt Em would be pleased to keep you on her mantle,” Dorothy said.

"That would make me very unhappy," answered the china princess. "You see, here in our country, we live contentedly and can talk and move around as we please. But, whenever any of us are taken away, our joints at once stiffen and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Of course that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantels and cabinets and drawing-room tables, but, our lives are much pleasanter here in our own country."

“I can certainly see why,” Sunset said.

“Must be difficult being a Quadling,” Twilight said.

“We’re not Quadlings,” the china princess said. “We’re much too small.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “It’s just that we’re in Quadling Country–”

“This is China Country,” the princess interrupted. “A small region of Quadling Country.”

“Ah,” Twilight said. “That makes sense. Though, wouldn’t it be more of a state?”

“Is there some reason a place within a country can’t have country in its name?” the princess asked. “Or does that confuse you?”

“Neither,” Twilight said. “Just trying to figure things out is all.”

“I stopped trying to do that weeks ago,” Trixie said. “Especially since it’s likely we’re never coming back to Oz again.”

That may very well be the case, Sunset said internally. I don’t have the other installments in the Famous Forty.

"I would not make you unhappy for all the world!" exclaimed Dorothy. "So I'll just say good-bye."

"Good-bye," replied the princess.

They walked carefully through the china country. The little animals and all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangers would break them and after an hour or so the travelers reached the other side of the country and came to another china wall.

“Ah feel like a bull in a china shop,” Applejack said.

“Yes,” Sunset said. “We all were careful and took special pains not to break anything. That’s what that expression basically means.”

This second wall was not so high as the first, however, and by standing upon Raw's back, Dorothy, Nick, Bartleby, and Toto all managed to scramble to the top. Then, Raw gathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall, but, just as he jumped, he upset a china church with his tail and smashed it all to pieces.

“Yeah, we should probably get going now,” Sunset said.

“Quickly,” Starlight added.

They made a quick escape.

“There are a lot of things I’m prepared to deal with,” Sunset said. “Irate Christians are not among them.”

“Hopefully, they get the help they need,” Twilight said.

"That was too bad," said Dorothy. "But, really I think we were lucky in not doing these little people more harm than breaking a cow's leg and a church. They are all so brittle!"

"They are, indeed," said Bartleby. "And I am thankful I am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in the world than being a scarecrow."

“True,” Rainbow said. “And as long as you stay away from fire, you should be okay.”

Chapter 21: The Hungry Tiger and Raw Becomes the King of Beasts

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After climbing down from the china wall, the travelers found themselves in a disagreeable country, full of bogs, marshes, and covered with tall, rank grass. It was difficult to walk without falling into muddy holes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight. However, by carefully picking their way, they got safely along until they reached solid ground. But, here, the country seemed wilder than ever and after a long and tiresome walk through the underbrush they entered another forest, where the trees were bigger and older than any they had ever seen.

“Whew,” Applejack said, wiping her brow.

"This forest is perfectly delightful," declared Raw, looking around him with joy. "Never have I seen a more beautiful place."

"It seems gloomy," said Bartleby.

"Not a bit of it," answered Raw. "I should like to live here all my life. See how soft the dried leaves are under your feet and how rich and green the moss is that clings to these old trees. Surely, no wild beast could wish a pleasanter home."

"Perhaps there are wild beasts in the forest now," said Dorothy.

“It’s possible,” Twilight said. “After all, we did meet Raw in a forest.”

“If there are,” Raw said. “I don’t see any.”

They walked through the forest until it became too dark to go any farther. The fleshy members slept while Bartleby and Nick stood watch.

When morning came, they started again. Before they had gone far they heard a low rumble, as of the growling of many wild animals.

“That wasn’t me,” Applejack said.

Toto whimpered a little, but, none of the others was frightened and they kept along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in the wood, in which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety. There were tigers, elephants, bears, wolves, foxes and all the others in the natural history and for a moment, Dorothy was afraid.

“Don’t be afraid,” Raw said. “They’re having a meeting.”

“It’s true,” Fluttershy said. “Though, we better not press them about the details. It wouldn’t be polite to eavesdrop.”

“From their growling and snarling,” Raw said. “They’re in trouble.”

As he spoke, several of the beasts caught sight of him and at once, the great assemblage hushed as if by magic. The biggest of the tigers came up to Raw and bowed, saying in a feminine voice:

"Welcome, O King of Beasts! You have come in good time to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more."

"What is your trouble?" asked Raw quietly.

"We are all threatened," answered the tigress. "By a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest. It is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk. It has eight of these long legs and as the monster crawls through the forest, he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. Not one of us is safe while this fierce creature is alive and we had called a meeting to decide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us."

Raw thought for a moment.

"Are there any other lions in this forest?" he asked.

"No,” the tigress answered. “There were some, but, the monster has eaten them all. And, besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you."

"If I put an end to your enemy, will you bow down to me and obey me as King of the Forest?" inquired Raw.

"We will do that gladly," returned the tigress and all the other beasts roared with a mighty roar: "We will!"

"Where is this great spider of yours now?" asked Raw.

"Yonder, among the oak trees," said the tigress, pointing with her forefoot.

"Take good care of these friends of mine," said Raw. "And I will go at once to fight the monster."

He bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly away to do battle with the enemy.

Chapter 21: The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts, Sunset said internally.

“So,” Spike said to the tigress. “You’re a tiger.”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “I’m known as the Hungry Tiger.”

“I see,” Spike said. “Though, what’s your name?”

“Well,” the Hungry Tiger said. “My mother named me–” She finished with a tiger roar.

“Ribbonna?” Fluttershy asked, translating the roar. “It’s lovely.”

“Is it because of the ribbon on your tail?” Rarity asked.

“That,” the Hungry Tiger, now known as Ribbonna said. “And it’s also because the stripes on my body are akin to ribbons.”

“So, why are you called the Hungry Tiger?” Trixie asked.

“Because I am always hungry no matter how much I eat,” Ribbonna said while rubbing her belly. “I long to devour a fat baby.” She began salivating as she looked at Spike.

“I’m more of a preteen than a baby by dragon standards,” Spike said, backing away nervously.

Before Ribbonna could attempt to bite Spike, she bit her own paw.

“But, I cannot,” Ribbonna said. “That would be wrong.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Rarity said. “Especially if your prey is not only alive, but, young.”

“What do you know?” Rainbow said. “A carnivore with a conscience.” Spike gave her a dirty look. “Uh, not that you don’t have a conscience, Spike.”

Anyway, the great spider was lying asleep when Raw found it and it looked so ugly that its foe turned up his nose in disgust. Its legs were quite as long as the tiger had said and its body covered with coarse black hair. It had a great mouth, with a row of sharp teeth a foot long, but, its head was joined to the pudgy body by a neck as slender as a wasp's waist. This gave Raw a hint of the best way to attack the creature and, as he knew it was easier to fight it asleep than awake, he gave a great spring and landed directly upon the monster's back. Then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed with sharp claws, he knocked the spider's head from its body. Jumping down, he watched it until the long legs stopped wiggling, when he knew it was quite dead. Once he did, he carried the head of the dead spider in his mouth and made his way back to his friends.

Raw came back to the opening where the beasts of the forest were waiting for him and said proudly:

"You need fear your enemy no longer."

Then the beasts bowed down to Raw as their king and he promised to come back and rule over them as soon as Dorothy was safely on her way to Kansas. The Equestria residents were nauseated by the sight of the severed spider head. Though, Spike was downright terrified. Rarity and Fluttershy both comforted the uncomfortable Spike.

“Sorry,” Spike apologized. “Guess I’m still a little uneasy about spiders, even if they’re dead.” He then looked back and buried his face in Rarity’s chest fluff. “Seeing Ribbonna eat that head is not helping.”

Chapter 22: Climbing and the Country of the Quadlings

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After giving all the nauseated members ginger ale, the travelers passed through the rest of the forest in safety and, when they came out from its gloom, saw before them a steep hill covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock.

“Whoa~” Pinkie said. “Maud would be impressed with this.”

“Maud?” Dorothy asked.

“She’s my sister,” Pinkie said. “She likes rocks.”

“She has about as much personality as one,” Rainbow whispered to Applejack.

“I heard that,” Raw said. “And that wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”

“Regardless,” Bartleby said. “We need to get over that hill.”

“Right,” Rarity said. “But, how?”

“We could still climb,” Sunset said, deadpan.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Rarity said.

Bartleby led the way and the others followed. They had nearly reached the first rock when they heard a rough voice cry out, "Keep back!"

"Who are you?" asked Bartleby.

Then, a head showed itself over the rock and the same voice said, "This hill belongs to us and we don't allow anyone to cross it."

“Why not?” Fluttershy asked.

“We must cross it," said Bartleby. "We're going to the country of the Quadlings."

“Yes,” Dorothy said. “In order to meet Gilda the Good.”

"But, you shall not!" replied the voice and there stepped from behind the rock the strangest man the travelers had ever seen.

He was quite short and stout and had a big head, which was flat at the top and supported by a thick neck full of wrinkles. But, he had no arms at all, and, seeing this, Bartleby did not fear that so helpless a creature could prevent them from climbing the hill. So, he said, "I'm sorry not to do as you wish, but, we must pass over your hill whether you like it or not." And he walked boldly forward.

As quick as lightning the man's head shot forward and his neck stretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck Bartleby in the middle and sent him tumbling, over and over, down the hill. Almost as quickly as it came, the head went back to the body and the man laughed harshly as he said, "It isn't as easy as you think!"

“Listen, buddy,” Rainbow said. “Whatever reasons you have, we’re crossing over that hill one way or another!”

“You won’t get past the Hammer-Heads,” the man said. “Oh, boys!”

A chorus of boisterous laughter came from the other rocks and Dorothy saw hundreds of the armless Hammer-Heads upon the hillside, one behind every rock. Dorothy gasped and stood close by Nick.

Raw became quite angry at the laughter caused by Bartleby's mishap and giving, a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed up the hill.

Chapter 22: The Country of the Quadlings, Sunset said internally.

Again, a head shot swiftly out and the great lion went rolling down the hill as if he had been struck by a cannonball.

“They’re right,” Twilight said. “It really isn’t as easy as we thought.”

Dorothy ran down and helped Bartleby to his feet and Raw came up to her, feeling rather bruised and sore, and said, "It is useless to fight people with shooting heads. No one can withstand them."

“So, what can we do?” Applejack asked.

“Well,” Bartleby said. “Dorothy still has one summon on the Golden Cap left.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right,” Dorothy said. “But, what if I summon them and they aren’t able to do this?”

“They could carry all of us over the hill,” Sunset said. “Bypassing the Hammer-Heads. Why not? They carried us miles from Winkie Country to the Emerald City.”

"Very well," Dorothy answered and putting on the Golden Cap she uttered the magic words. The Monkeys were as prompt as ever and in a few moments the entire band stood before her.

"What are your commands?" inquired Louie, bowing low.

"Carry us over the hill to the country of the Quadlings," answered the girl.

"It shall be done," said the king and at once the Winged Monkeys caught the travelers who couldn’t fly (except Rarity, who insisted Spike carry her) and Toto up in their arms and flew away with them. As they passed over the hill, the Hammer-Heads yelled with vexation and shot their heads high in the air, but, they could not reach the Winged Monkeys, which carried Dorothy and her comrades safely over the hill and set them down in the beautiful country of the Quadlings.

“Thank you very much,” Dorothy said.

"This is the last time you can summon us," said Louie to Dorothy. "So, good-bye and good luck to you."

“Good-bye,” Dorothy said.

With that, the Monkeys rose into the air and were out of sight in a twinkling.

“Hold onto the Golden Cap,” Sunset said. “Maybe Glinda can make use of it.”

“Alright,” Dorothy said. “It would make for a nice gift.”

The country of the Quadlings seemed rich and happy. There was field upon field of ripening grain with well-paved roads running between and pretty rippling brooks with strong bridges across them. The fences, houses, and bridges were all painted bright red, just as they had been painted yellow in the country of the Winkies and blue in the country of the Munchkins. The Quadlings themselves, who were short and fat and looked chubby and good-natured, were dressed all in red, which showed bright against the green grass and the yellowing grain.

“Now, this has to be Quadling Country,” Rainbow said.

“Certainly looks like it,” Starlight said.

The Monkeys had set them down near a farmhouse and the travelers walked up to it and knocked at the door. It was opened by the farmer's wife and when Dorothy asked for something to eat, the woman gave them all a good dinner with three kinds of cake, four kinds of cookies, and a bowl of milk for Toto.

Pinkie was eagerly enjoying the sweets. “Mmm!” she moaned in ecstasy. “These are so good!”

“Yes, indeed,” Dorothy said. “Certainly was a good meal, too.” She then turned to the farmer’s wife and asked, "How far is it to the Castle of Glinda?"

"It is not a great way," answered the farmer's wife. "Take the road to the South and you will soon reach it.”

Thanking the good woman, they started afresh and walked by the fields. Dorothy found herself somewhat bewildered that Pinkie could eat so many desserts and not be sick.

“How do you do it, Pinkie?” she asked.

“It’s what comes of growing up working over a bakery,” Pinkie said. She then got on her hindlegs and rubbed her bigger belly. “Plus, it makes more of me to cuddle.”

“That is quite a feat,” Dorothy said.

“Don’t worry,” Pinkie said. “I take special medicine to keep my blood sugar under control.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Dorothy smiled.

“If you want, you can lay on my tummy as a bed for the night,” Pinkie offered.

“If you feel comfortable with that,” Dorothy said.

“I am comfortable,” Pinkie said. “And not just because it was my idea.” Pinkie giggled.

“Uh, I don’t think we’ll get the chance,” Sunset said as they crossed one last bridge.

“You mean we’re almost there?” Dorothy asked.

“See for yourself,” Sunset said as she pointed forward. They all looked ahead and they saw before them a very beautiful castle. Before the gates were three young girls dressed in handsome red uniforms trimmed with gold braid and as Dorothy approached, one of them said to her:

"Why have you come to the South Country?"

"To see the Good Witch who rules here," she answered. "Will you take me to her?"

"Let me have your names and I will ask Glinda if she will receive you." They told who they were and the girl soldier went into the castle. After a few moments, she came back to say that Dorothy and the others were to be admitted at once.

“That was fast,” Rainbow said.

Chapter 23: Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy and The Residents of Equestria's Wish

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Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the castle where they freshened up.

“It feels so good to freshen up again,” Rarity said.

“Indeed,” Dorothy said. “Auntie Em does say that it’s good to have a clean face before meeting somebody important.”

When they were all quite presentable they followed the soldier girl into a big room where the Witch Glinda sat upon a throne of rubies. She was both beautiful and young to their eyes. Her hair was a rich red in color and fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders. Her dress was pure white but her eyes were blue, and they looked kindly upon the little girl.

"What can I do for you, my child?" she asked.

Dorothy told the Witch all her story: how the cyclone had brought her and the Equestria residents to the Land of Oz, how they had found their companions, and of the wonderful adventures they had met with. Glinda did not speak until Dorothy finished.

"My greatest wish now," the girl added. "Is to get back to Kansas, for Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me and that will make her put on mourning and unless the crops are better this year than they were last, I am sure Uncle Henry cannot afford it."

Glinda leaned forward and kissed the sweet, upturned face of the loving little girl.

"Bless your dear heart," she said. "I am sure I can tell you of a way to get back to Kansas." Then she added, "But, if I do, you must give me the Golden Cap."

“Oh, gladly,” Dorothy said. "Indeed, it is of no use to me now and when you have it, you can command the Winged Monkeys three times."

"And I think I shall need their service just those three times," answered Glinda, smiling.

Dorothy then gave her the Golden Cap and the witch said to Bartleby, "What will you do when Dorothy has left us?"

"I will return to the Emerald City," he replied. "For Oz has made me its ruler and the people like me. The only thing that worries me is how to cross the hill of the Hammer-Heads."

"By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda. "For it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."

"Am I really wonderful?" asked Bartleby.

"You are unusual," replied Glinda. Turning to Nick, she asked, "What will become of you when Dorothy leaves this country?"

He leaned on his axe and thought a moment. Then he said, "The Winkies were very kind to me and wanted me to rule over them after Zelena died. I am fond of the Winkies, for my father and uncle were Winkies, and if I could get back again to the Country of the West, I should like nothing better than to rule over them forever."

"My second command to the Winged Monkeys," said Glinda. "Will be that they carry you safely to the land of the Winkies. Your brain may not be so large to look at as those of Bartleby, but, you are really brighter than he is--when you are well polished-- and I am sure you will rule the Winkies wisely and well." Then, the witch looked at the big, shaggy Raw and asked, "When Dorothy has returned to her own home, what will become of you?"

"Over the hill of the Hammer-Heads," he answered. "Lies a grand old forest and all the beasts that live there have made me their King. If I could only get back to this forest, I would pass my life very happily there."

"My third command to the Winged Monkeys," said Glinda. "Shall be to carry you to your forest. Then, having used up the powers of the Golden Cap, I shall give it to the King of the Monkeys, that he and his band may thereafter be free for evermore."

“Wait,” Rainbow said. “If breaking the curse was that easy, why wasn’t it done before?”

“None had considered doing so before,” Glinda said. “Believing that keeping them in servitude would prevent them from causing mischief.”

“I guess,” Rainbow said with a shrug.

Bartleby, Nick, and Raw now thanked the Good Witch earnestly for her kindness and Dorothy exclaimed:

"You are certainly as good as you are beautiful! But, you have not yet told me how to get back to Kansas."

"Your Silver Shoes will carry you over the desert," replied Glinda. "If you had known their power you could have gone back to your Aunt Em the very first day you came to this country."

“WHAT?!” Rainbow exclaimed. “SHE COULD’VE GONE BACK AT ANY TIME?!”

“If we hadn’t journeyed, then…” Dorothy said.

“Then, I wouldn’t have got my brains,” Bartleby said. "I might have passed my whole life in the farmer's cornfield."

“And I wouldn’t have got my heart,” Nick said. "I might have stood and rusted in the forest till the end of the world."

“And I wouldn’t have got my courage,” Raw said. "And no beast in all the forest would have had a good word to say to me."

Rainbow took a moment to digest these words. “The sad part?” she said. “I can’t argue with that logic.”

"This is all true," said Dorothy. "And I am glad I was of use to these good friends. But, now that each of them has had what he most desired and each is happy in having a kingdom to rule besides, I think I should like to go back to Kansas."

"The Silver Shoes," said the Good Witch. "Have wonderful powers. And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go."

“What about the rest of us?” Rainbow said. “We don’t have such shoes.”

“Then,” the good witch said. “You must all stand close to Dorothy. I can tell she is going to hold her Toto in her embrace.” She then waved her wand and the residents of Equestria had silver on their hooves, talons, and lower dragon claws matching that of the Silver Shoes. Even Sunsets Ruby Slippers had silver soles. “I’ve put similar enchantments on your own lower appendages.”

"If all this is so," said the child joyfully. "I will ask them to carry me back to Kansas at once." She threw her arms around Raw’s neck and kissed him, patting his big head tenderly. Raw had said good-bye to Dorothy. Then, assisted by Pinkie, she kissed Nick, who was weeping in a way most dangerous to his joints. But, she hugged the soft, stuffed body of Bartleby in her arms instead of kissing his painted face and found she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from her loving comrades.

The Equestria residents bid similar farewells.

Chapter 23: Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy's Wish, Sunset said internally before she shed some tears herself.

“Sunset?” Twilight asked. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Sunset said. “Just a little sentimental.”

Glinda the Good stepped down from her ruby throne to give the little girl and each of the Equestria residents a good-bye kiss and Dorothy thanked her for all the kindness she had shown to her friends and herself. Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one last good-bye she clapped the heels of her shoes together three times, saying:

"Take me and the Equestria residents home to Aunt Em!"

Instantly, they were whirling through the air so swiftly that all they could see or feel was the wind whistling past their ears.

“This is trippy!” Rainbow said.

“What?!” Pinkie asked.

The Silver Shoes and similarly enchanted appendages took but three steps and then, they stopped so suddenly that they rolled over upon the grass several times before they knew where they were. Dorothy landed atop Pinkie’s belly, which was indeed quite soft. At length, however, she sat up and looked about her.

"Good gracious!" she cried.

For they were sitting on the broad Kansas prairie and just before them was the new farmhouse Uncle Henry built after the cyclone had carried away the old one. Uncle Henry was milking the cows in the barnyard and Toto had jumped out of Dorothy’s arms and was running toward the barn, barking furiously.

“We’ve made it back!” Pinkie said.

Dorothy stood up on Pinkie’s and found she was in her stocking-feet, for the Silver Shoes had fallen off in her flight through the air and were lost forever in the desert.

Chapter 24: Home Again Twofold

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Aunt Em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when she looked up and saw Dorothy running toward her.

"My darling child!" she cried, folding the little girl in her arms and covering her face with kisses. "Where in the world did you come from?"

"From the Land of Oz," said Dorothy gravely. "And here is Toto, too. So are my friends from Equestria. And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!"

Chapter 24: Home Again, Sunset said internally.

Suddenly, a swirling vortex opened up.

“Looks like we’re going home, too.” Pinkie said.

Dorothy looked a little sad.

“It’s okay, Dorothy,” Sunset said comfortingly. “Who knows? We might meet again one day. Until then…” She removed her Ruby Slippers and gave them to her. “You can have these to remember us by.”

“Thank you,” Dorothy said. “Good-bye, all of you. I shall not forget you.”

The Equestria residents entered the vortex and found themselves spinning inside.

Back in Equestria, the book opened on its own and spat the Equestria residents out, causing them to land in a tangled pile.

“I’m okay,” Fluttershy squeaked.

They got themselves untangled and looked around.

“Ah wonder what time it is,” Applejack asked.

“I wonder what day it is,” Pinkie added.

Sunset checked her smartstone. “It’s the same day we left,” she said. “But, 3-4 hours later.”

“Huh, that’s not so bad, right?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s actually pretty good,” Sunset said. “The last chapter was the shortest.”

“Indeed, that was pretty short,” Twilight said, glancing over at the book’s final chapter page. “That was quite an adventure we were on, but, I’m glad that we’re back safe and sound just as Dorothy is.”

“Wait, why isn’t the book sucking her in?” Fluttershy asked.

“The Portal Gem’s magic has been used up,” Sunset said. “Now, it’s an ordinary book again.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Fluttershy said.

“Auntie Sunset?” Spike asked. “Are there other Oz books?”

“Including the one we just went into, there’s at least forty that are considered canon,” Sunset answered. “Those are called the Famous Forty.”

“Wow,” Spike said. “Hopefully, someday, we can venture into at least one or two of those.”

“That day isn’t in the foreseeable future,” Sunset said. “I only have the one book.”

“Okay,” Spike said.

“In a future book, I’m not saying which,” Sunset said. “Dorothy, Toto, Em, and Henry move to Oz permanently.”

“Whoa, really?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah,” Sunset said. “She figured that if she’s going to end up back in Oz anyway, she may as well live there.”

“I wonder how Em and Henry will like it,” Starlight thought aloud.

“Well, it takes getting used to for them,” Sunset said. “Up to that point, they didn’t think Dorothy’s stories of Oz were true.”

“With how fantastical Oz looks,” Trixie said. “If we hadn’t seen it ourselves, we probably wouldn’t have believed it, either. But, then again, we do see extraordinary things in Equestria practically every day, so, it’s not that surprising.”

“How many Portal Gems did you make?” Rainbow asked.

“Quite a few,” Sunset said. “I don’t remember exactly how many.”

“Well,” Rarity said. “We’ll see in due time whether or not we’ll be able to use them all.”

“We don’t have to use them strictly for Oz books,” Sunset said. “We could use them for Roald Dahl books.”

“Who’s that?” Applejack asked.

“Roald Dahl,” Sunset said. “Was a British author known for his dark, politically incorrect humor. He’s written classics like Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, Esio Trot, Danny, Champion of the World, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, The Twits, The Witches, The Enormous Crocodile, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, George’s Marvelous Medicine, The Magic Finger, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and quite a few others.”

“Boy,” Spike said. “That is a lot of books.”

“I only have The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Matilda,” Sunset said.

“Those sound interesting,” Twilight said. “But, what does BFG stand for?”

“Big Friendly Giant,” Sunset said.

“Ah, I see,” Twilight said.

“Ironically,” Sunset said. “The BFG himself is a rather runty giant.”

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said. “Compared to… bigger giants? Oh, my.”

“There’s nine other giants,” Sunset said. “That are at least twice as big as his 24 foot height.”

“Whoa!” Rainbow exclaimed. “That’s crazy!”

“Those other giants,” Sunset said grimly. “Are not friendly.”

“Oh, boy,” Spike said uneasily. “Something tells me that if we are going to experience the story, we’ll be sticking close by the BFG.”

“Unless you’re Greek, answer to the name Jack, or both,” Sunset said. “That would be a good idea.”

“My dad is named Jack Pot,” Trixie said. “And I don’t think he would be up to the challenge.”

“The giants are afraid of a human named Jack,” Sunset said. “The name alone puts fear into them.”

“Oh,” Twilight said. “Is it because of that one story with a boy named Jack climbing a beanstalk that I learned about in the human world?”

“That,” Sunset said. “Or the story, Jack the Giant Slayer.”

“Ah, I see,” Twilight said.

“And how would being Greek help?” Starlight asked.

“For two reasons,” Sunset said. “One, the giants hate the greasy taste of Greeks.”

Fluttershy grew uncomfortable at the statement. She got the idea right away. “And the other reason?”

“Greek mythology has stories of heroes no bigger than we are killing giants,” Sunset said.

“That would explain it,” Starlight said.

“I’m interested in the Chocolate Factory story,” Pinkie said.

“That’s Dahl’s most popular work,” Sunset said.

“Hopefully it won't be long until we find out why that is,” Pinkie said. “But, for now, there’s no place like home.”

The End

My Little Wizard of Oz

by BlueBioWolf

Chapter 1: The Portal Gem and the Cyclone

Chapter 2: Secrets and the Council with the Munchkins

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins and How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

Chapter 4: The Apple Trees and the Road Through the Forest

Chapter 5: The Early Birds and the Rescue of the Tin Woodman

Chapter 6: Foraging and the Cowardly Lion

Chapter 7: Camp Memories and the Journey to the Great Oz

Chapter 8: Allergies and the Deadly Poppy Field

Chapter 9: Trixie’s Rescues and the Queen of the Field Mice

Chapter 10: Phoebe’s Entrance and the Guardian of the Gate

Chapter 11: The Tour of the Wonderful City of Oz

Chapter 12: Fights and the Search for the Wicked Witch

Chapter 13: Aid of the Winkies and the Rescue

Chapter 14: Return to Oz and the Winged Monkeys

Chapter 15: Revelations and the Discovery of Oz, the Terrible

Chapter 16: Morning and the Magic Art of the Great Humbug

Chapter 17: The Map and How the Balloon Was Launched

Chapter 18: Comfort and Away to the South

Chapter 19: Journey to the South and Attacked by the Fighting Trees

Chapter 20: The Ladder and the Dainty China Country

Chapter 21: The Hungry Tiger and Raw Becomes the King of Beasts

Chapter 22: Climbing and the Country of the Quadlings

Chapter 23: Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy and The Residents of Equestria's Wish

Chapter 24: Home Again Twofold