Author's Note: So. I was watching the Wizard of Oz movie and this was one of those 'STOP EVERYTHING, I have an idea moments.' Please consider reviewing because I spent a lot of time on this. It's a three-shot, using characters from Sunshine Islands/Island of Happiness and Tree of Tranquility/ Animal Parade. There are a few back game characters mentioned, but not many! This is based on a mixture of book and movie, but no worries if you've never read the book. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon, nor did I write the 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz' book. I did not produce the movie either. This is just for fan purposes. Thank you!
"Aunty Jill, Aunty Jill!"
A young Molly Gale flew into her Aunt's cabin, a wild look in her eyes and her short auburn hair strewn about.
"Molly?" The older woman stopped her frantic packing to look over at her niece. "Don't you know there's a storm coming? You should be helping your Uncle Jack with the animals!"
"Aunty, I can't find Toto!"
Jill shoved another breakable glass into a cardboard box without looking at Molly. "I'm sure he'll turn up. Dogs can sense storms, after all. He's probably in the storm cellar already, waiting for us."
Molly sighed. "He's not though! I've looked everywhere."
"He'll show up, Molly. Now, if you'd please carry these to the cellar…" She placed a box full of glass in Molly's unwilling arms. Molly shifted them, causing her Aunt to cry, "Be careful, Molly! Those are breakable!"
Moving outside, the box heavy in her small hands, Molly glanced at the sky. Aunty Jill's old TV had broadcasted a severe storm warning first thing in the morning, and she'd been frantically packing ever since. When Molly thought about, she did note the sky getting increasingly darker and storm clouds swimming around. It honestly didn't worry her all that much, though. What worried her was her tiny little dog Toto being caught out in the ferocious storm, his tiny little body being tossed around in the wind.
That was worrying.
Molly sighed loudly, heading back inside the house in hopes that she'd find her beloved pet inside. To be truthful, Molly hadn't even checked inside the house yet, for more than the fact that her dog hated the indoors. Aunt Jill was terrifying before a storm.
Slipping in through the back to avoid another encounter with her Aunt, Molly began to call her dog's name and blocked out the sound of the wind pounding violently against the house.
"Toto? Toto c'mere boy!"
Molly's fruitless search went under cupboards and over desks for an hour. All the while, the wind pounding against the house increased. Molly caught a trace of her own name on the wind, but she bit her lip and ignored it. When Molly entered her own room, she heard something loud crack. She looked around, before feeling a sharp pain spread across the back of her head, paralyzing her neck. The world blacked out, and after that there was nothing.
~~~~~~~[Wonderful Wizard of Oz] {Wonderful Wizard of Oz}~~~~~
Molly woke up to the fading sound of wind. In front of her eyes, spots danced. Well, the spots of her bed sheet, anyway. Rubbing the back of her head with a groan, Molly pushed herself off of her convenient landing spot and tried to asses the damage her room was in. Her bookshelf was knocked over, glass from a broken window scattered the floor, and Toto's food bowl had spilled. Eating from the mess was Molly's own darling brown puppy.
"Oh, Toto." Molly picked up her small dog, nuzzling his soft body. "You're a lot more trouble than you're worth. C'mon, let's go find Aunty Jill and tell her I'm okay."
She exited her destroyed room, moving across the trashed cottage and out the back door. When she reached it, she knew only one thing-
"Toto, I don't think were in Forget-Me-Not anymore."
Instead of the usual slightly bland farm scene that spread in her backyard, the land in front of her literally sparkled. Everything was colored in bright shades of neon and green. It was remarkable pretty, attractive, and familiar, but so not her backyard.
And that's when she heard the giggling.
"Hello…? Is anyone there? Rock, is this another one of your jokes? 'Cause it's not funny!"
More giggles. Molly was seriously starting to get creeped out. As much as she wanted to believe this was someone's twisted idea of a joke, part of her- deep inside, that part where your conscience lives- knew that it wasn't. Molly wanted to turn right back around and walk inside the house- until she saw the bubble.
It was floating towards the brunette on a soft breeze- a strange thing, after just going through a hurricane. The bubble shown with the same sparkly light as everything else in the strange place.
Wow, Molly thought in consolation to her crazy thoughts, Rock's really good.
Well, that was until she saw the woman emerge from the bubble. If you'd have seen her, you would've known that Rock wasn't anywhere near being a culprit.
The young woman- someone Molly had never seen before- emitted pureness and goodness. Like any accomplice of Rock's would have that. She had short peach hair and shimmering blue eyes, with bow-shaped pink lips.
Confused, Molly asked; "W-Who are you, and where am I?"
The woman giggled, a lilting noise of bell-like sound that earned more giggling from the bushes. "I am Alisa, good Witch of the West. You, my dear, are in the land of Oz."
Realization dawned on Molly. "This is one of my favorite movies!" Excitement bounced inside her for a moment, but was soon darkened by a sinking feeling. "Omigosh…" She remembered what had happened to Dorothy in Oz. "…does that mean?"
Molly whirled around slowly, not really wanting to see what was inevitably behind her. It didn't change a thing. Right under the bottom of Aunty Jill's cabin was a pair of small, stocking wearing feet sporting silver slippers.
"Yep!" Alisa said cheerfully. "You killed Witchkins, the Wicked Witch of the East!"
Dread spread throughout Molly. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Molly turned to face Alisa, surprised at the expression on her dainty face.
Alisa tipped her head to the side. "Why be? She was really quite despicable. Even her Aunt, the Wicked Witch of the West, couldn't stand her! The poor people she ruled over, the munchkins, were tortured by her rule."
"The munchins…? You mean…"
"Of course!" Alisa beamed. "This is my favorite part of having visitors! OH MUNCHKINS~!"
One head popped out from the bushes, another from behind a tree, and yet another from behind the door of one of the miniature houses Molly had missed. Little people- who couldn't be taller than Molly's knee- began emerging from everywhere she looked. They were rather cute, with little hats and matching tunics of various colors. They all had what looked like bits of green fur coming out of their hats in various fashions.
"I'm Alan," one of the munchkins greeted her, "the Mayor of Munchkinland." He blushed, playing with his red tunic. "On behalf of all the Munchkins, we would like to thank you for killing the evil witch! Is there anything we can do for you?"
"You can give me those slippers!" A voice replied, coming out of nowhere.
All the munchkins screeched in their high-pitched voices and dropped to the ground like they'd suddenly caught on fire. Alisa seemed just as scared, but didn't screech or anything like that, and squeezed Molly's arm instead. Out of nowhere a puff of smoke came; dropping a woman from it's midst.
She was very pretty for someone who radiated evil and a 'kiss- butt' persona. She didn't have warts- Molly looked for them, after realizing what kind of tale she was in. She also had bright, pretty clear eyes- even if they were blood red.
"Oh no," Alisa whispered, tightening her already tight grip around Molly's arm, "not her. She's from the West- she's not supposed to show up here!"
"I can hear you goody two-shoes! Don't be misinforming out new friend here. Gale can call me Witch Princess, Wicked Witch of the West."
Molly blinked, surprised at the Witch's use of her last name. She opened her mouth to say something clever and witty in reply, but the woman had moved over toward Aunt Jill's house and the feet of her niece.
"No!" Alisa muttered, tightening her grip even more as the wicked Witch tried to pull off her niece's shoes. Alisa waved her small hand in the air, small sparkles flying off of it.
There was a strange moment where Molly felt like her feet were bare, followed by another where her heel felt lifted up, like she was wearing a pair of short high heels.
"No! Where'd they go?" The Witch Princess stood up, eyeing Molly and Alisa suspiciously. "What did you do with them, Good Witch?"
Alisa's whole frame shook as she let go of Molly's arm, which was bruised from the Good Witch's grip. "I gave them to their new owner," Alisa faked a confident air, "Molly Gale."
Molly took this as her queue to look down at her feet. She yelped with surprise, for in the place of her beloved- albeit beat-up- boots were a pair of shining silver shoes with tiny heels.
"You thief! Don't you know that's my job?"
"Aren't they supposed to be red?" Molly asked, regretting the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.
The Witch Princess sighed, muttering something like, 'Great, some dumb mortal stole my shoes.'
"Haven't you ever read the book?" When Molly shook her head, Alisa continued kindly. "The shoes were originally silver; they only used red to show off Technicolor."
"Oh." Molly said, feeling stupid and needing to reroute that feeling. She looked down at her feet, admiring the pretty shoes she now wore. "I think I like them better in silver anyways." Molly heard a giggle from besides her, and an annoyed grunt from the Wicked Witch Princess. "In fact," Molly continued with a roguish grin, "I think I'm going to keep them."
Perhaps Molly's infallible gutsiness came from being in a confusing situation with no say, or perhaps from being tossed around in a tornado- whatever the reason, it sure annoyed the Witch Princess. Said female raised her fist, causing the still-down munchkins to flinch and tension to spark in the air.
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU- YOU MERE MORTAL! Those shoes are mine! That little brat stole them! I tried to pry them off but once on…they…don't come…off."
As the Witch Princess realized this, she sent Molly an angry glare. A shot of fear slipped through Molly's defiant body.
Although Alisa's delicate body was shaking, she said in a clear voice; "Leave here, evil witch! You said it yourself- the silver slippers will not come off the mortal's feet, you have no other business here."
"Fine- I'll leave! I won't forget about those shoes, though! I'll get them, I promise- if it's the last thing Molly Gale ever does!
With that pleasant thought burned into everyone's heels, the Wicked Witch raised
Her cloak and vanished into a puff of smoke. Nobody said anything, but millions of questions ran though Molly's head. The biggest one being-How in the heck does she know my name?
The Munchkins all got up, crowding around Molly with words of admiration. Molly stood and accepted the congrats, dazed, before asking the question she really needed to know.
"How do I get home?"
Alisa opened her mouth as if to say something, but one of the Munchkins interrupted.
"Follow the yellow brick road, of course!"
Well, duh, Molly thought to herself, Isn't that how all 'Wizard of Oz' parody's go?'
The Munchkins then proceeded to part, letting a bright yellow road become visible between their scrunched together bodies. Alisa squeezed her hand.
"Are you sure you really want to go? Munchkinland is a lovely place."
"I'm sure," Molly replied confidently.
Alisa let go of her hand with a disappointed sigh. "Fine. Although the Munchkins think the Yellow Brick Road is the solution for everything, the road will lead you to the Emerald City. There, you will find the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who can grant you any wish you can think of! Remember to keep an eye out for the Wicked Witch Princess of the West. She wants those shoes, and she will do almost anything to get them off your feet! Goodbye, and good luck!"
Weighed down by her words and worry, Molly managed to give the Good Witch a fleeting hug. Although one of the strangest females Molly had ever met, she was grateful for all her help. With a sigh, and a feeling like she was forgetting something very important, Molly stepped onto the Yellow Brick Road.
The Munchkins squealed goodbye's and loud thank-you's, and loud reminders to follow the Yellow Brick Road. It all filled Molly's head like an annoying symphony, a song she just couldn't get out of her head.
She couldn't get away from Munchkinland fast enough.
~~~~~[Wonderful Wizard of Oz] {Wonderful Wizard of Oz} ~~~~
Molly walked on for a few hours, bored out of her mind. Before she knew it, however, her legs were num with tiredness. As she neared a tomato field, she was practically sweating buckets under the neon sun, and decided to stop and rest for a bit.
As she reached for one of the tomatos, she heard,
"Boo! Boo! Those tomatoes are haunted! Boo!"
Molly looked around before dropping her hand. "Who said that?"
"Oooh! That'd be MEEE! Up here!
Molly looked up, trying to find the voice, but only saw a scarecrow with a painted on smile. She was half tempted to blame Rock again, although it evidently wasn't his handwork.
"Where? I don't see anyone."
"I'm right here!" The voice said, as the scarecrow's arms moved around "Can you see me now?"
That's when Molly saw the scarecrow's lips were moving. She jumped back with a yelp.
"You can talk?"
"Course, the scarecrow said with a grin. "Can't everybody?"
"I-I guess so."
The scarecrow was surprisingly handsome for, well, a scarecrow. He had what looked like spiky blue hair coming out of his flaming bandana. His painted-on eyes were such a vivid amber, and painted with careful strokes, that they almost looked real.
"Can you do me a favor?" The scarecrow asked. Molly opened her mouth to reply, but the scarecrow continued anyway. "It's, like, WAYYY uncomfortable up here. Do you mind getting me down?"
"Oh!" Molly nodded, moving through the tomato plants to the pole where the scarecrow was staked. "…Do you know how to get down?"
"Nope!" the scarecrow replied cheerfully. "I've tried shaking, but it doesn't work."
"Okay, well…um…" Molly, clueless, looked around for something that would help the odd fellow. "Here's a nail! Maybe if I pull this…" She yanked down as hard as she could, and the scarecrow came tumbling down. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Molly asked, rushing to his side.
"That. Was. EXTREME!' The scarecrow shouted. "I could use a hand up, though."
Molly smiled, glad he was okay, and gave the scarecrow her hand. He was light, being made of straw, and took Molly only moments to pull him to his unsteady feet.
"I'm Molly," she greeted with a smile, stretching out her hand for him to shake, "you are?"
The scarecrow just stared at her outstretched hand. "I'm a scarecrow. I'm only," he counted on his stuffed fingers, "one…two…three days old! I don't have a name like you, 'cause nobody bothered to give me one. I guess you can just call me Scarecrow."
Molly dropped her hand awkwardly. "Why are you in a field of tomatoes, Scarecrow?" Molly was quick to change the strange subject, "I thought crows hated tomatoes."
Scarecrow took a shaky step forward, and Molly had to rush forward to keep him from falling. "I guess so. I'm a special kind of scarecrow because I'm AWESOME! I was put here to scare off Gill-crows, who love to come and eat my tomatoes.' He pointed to a bird of green/platinum blond coloring with a little bird-size cowlick on its head. It was pecking hungrily at one Scarecrow's tomatoes. "Thing is, they aren't scared of me because I don't have a brain. They tease me about it everyday."
"That's terrible!" Molly supplemented, adding a glare at one of the Gill-crows for good measure. 'Is there a Brain-Depo I can take you to on the way to Emerald City?"
"You're going to Emerald City? WOAH. Are you gonna see the Wizard of Oz/ He sounds so EXTREME!"
Although Molly probably should've wondered why a three day old scarecrow knew about the fabled Wizard of Oz, she responded simply; 'Yeah, he's gonna get me home! Alisa the Good Witch said he can grant any wish… Hey Scarecrow?"
"Yeah, Molly?"
"Do you want to go to the Emerald City with me? Maybe the Wizard'll give you a brain."
Scarecrow stopped walking to give her an open-mouthed look. "YESSSSSSS!" He pumped his straw fist in the air and grabbed Molly's hand, tugging her along with a single repeated phrase- "We're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"
Molly and Scarecrow skipped along for what seemed like hours- although time passed differently in Oz, so Molly couldn't exactly be sure.
The odd pair had slowed to a walk a few miles back, giving Molly time to soak in her beautiful surroundings. Forget-Me-Not Valley was a pretty place, no doubt, but everything in Oz seemed to breathe. Even that statue's chest seemed to be moving.
"Scarecrow! That statue's chest is moving!"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess it is. Weird."
"Weird?" Molly sighed, running a hand through her auburn locks. "He could be alive!" Leaving Luke to fight with this thought, Molly ran up to the statue.
He was clearly made of tin, Molly realized as she got closer. His chest was, in fact, rising and falling. He had shocks of what looked like real human hair- except it was silver. His eyes were tightly shut, but he had no axe- it was at his feet. On a stump near him was a tin oil can and a black cowboy hat. The oil can… that would wake him up! Molly reached for it, dripping it across the tin man's lips. When he didn't speak, Molly tried his eyelids. When his eyes didn't open, molly slammed the oil can down in frustration.
"Why doesn't it work? Do you need a change of batteries or something?"
The girl rubbed the back of her head. Something in her whispered, What about the cowboy hat?
At lack of naything better to try, Molly plopped the cowboy hat on his head. Almost immediately his metal eyelids snapped open, revealing stunning violet eyes.
"ACK.' His mouth began to move. 'Oil tastes like carrots." His violet eyes fell on Molly, and there was no kindness in his gaze. "…Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I'm Molly Gale.' The girl said proudly. "I was just trying to help you."
The tin man made a 'hmph' noise. "…I run on hat batteries, no oil."
"Then why the oil can, Mister Haughty-pants?"
"…Left over from the last guy…"
"Oh," Molly said, finally subdued, "sorry for that mistake, then. I did get you awake, though, so don't I at least deserve to know your-'
'MOLLY! I FOUND SOME APPLES! I had to wrestle them from mean talking trees, but they're food and I'm SO hungry. Hey Molly, who's that?" Scarecrow had emerged from the woods in a talking spree, but was now staring at the tin man.
"He has told me yet. He was that 'statue' who I brought back to life. What is your name, tin man?"
"…Vaughn…"
"HE GET'S A NAME? Ooooh! Can I be Luke? That is an EPIC name!" 'Luke' turned to Vaughn. "Hey Vaughn, why are you so mean?"
"Scare- er, LUKE!"
Although Molly hadn't expected him to, Vaughn replied; "… I don't have a heart."
He turned around then, as if he expected Molly and the newly named luke to let him get away.
"HEY- Me and Molly are going to Emerald City to get her home and get me a brain. Do you wanna come and get a heart?"
Vaughn turned around, only to mutter one word. "No."
"WHAT?" Molly asked. "Why would you wanna be heartless?"
Vaughn shrugged, causing Luke to shout; "TELL US WITH YOUR WORDS!"
"… Heart's are…" Vaughn started quietly "…fragile things. I'm not sure… I want one…"
"What did you say?" Molly asked.
"I'm not repeating that."
"What, you mean the sweetest thing I've ever heard a heartless man say?" molly grinned. "We are getting a heart in that chest, no matter what you want. Luke, grab his arms- I'll take his legs."
Luke grinned, taking Vaughn down before he could scream. Molly grabbed his legs in a heartbeat, and Luke struggled up to grab his arms. Victorious, Luke began chanting; "were off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"
Luke only grew quiet when a dark forest began to loom above them. Vaughn had stopped struggling a mile or so back, and had promised he would get a heart if Molly and Luke would 'JUST LET GO'. The emo-cowboy-tinman walked besides them now, eyeing the creepy forest like he expected something particularly nasty to jump out at them. Luke merely gaped.
'C'mon guys." Molly said, noting her companions doubting faces. "The yellow brick road goes through here, so we've got to go!"
"Psh! I wasn't scared- I was just observing the scenery!" Luke protested.
Molly looked back up at the forest, with it's dark mine trees looming above them, shadow's casting across the group. Molly sincerely doubted Luke's claims, and Vaughn went as far as to snort loudly to show his disbelief. Luke, as if sensing- or hearing- his companion's disbelief, jolted into the forest. Molly sighed, grabbing Vaughn's wrist, and jolted after him.
Vaughn and Molly caught up with Luke easily, and the three were now edging along the shadowy forest. Strange creatures cries echoed in the air, and the trees above them seemed to creak with the wind.
"I sure hope we don't see any lions, tigers, or bears." Luke said. "They might eat us."
"Wow, thanks Luke." Molly muttered, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice.
"No problem, Molly!" Luke said cheerfully. "I'll even chant it for you, if you'd like! Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! Lions and Tigers and-"
"Shut up-" Vaughn interrupted Luke's obnoxious chanting, only to be interrupted himself by a loud rustling in the bushes.
All three of them huddled together tightly- although Vaughn was clearly abstaining from getting to close.
"I bet it's a bear." Luke muttered unhelpfully.
"Straw-man wrong!" A new voice joined Luke's whispers. "Shea Lion!"
At this obvious declaration, a lion jumped from the bushes. Well, Molly thought he was a lion. He had a tail and a mane, and his body was covered in fur. His features, on the other hand, were surprisingly human- a tanned face peeked out from under his golden mane.
Vaughn swore, and Molly flinched a little- not a lot or anything. After all, she had faced a Wicked Witch this morning. Luke, on the other hand, had no brains, and therefore no sense to be afraid.
"Really?" Luke asked the lion. "That's pretty sweet."
"Yes, Shea sweet." He cocked his head to the side. "Does Straw-man want to eat Shea?"
Vaughn made a grunting noise, probably wondering if they had two brainless creatures on their hands. Toto- who, even after all the trouble he'd caused, Molly had forgotten- began to growl hysterically. Molly, however, was slowly remembering the fact she'd forgotten- she was in a parody. Wait. A brainless scarecrow… a heartless tin man…
"You're the cowardly lion!" She revealed, victorious.
Shea turned to her. "Strange lady say Shea coward?" Shea no coward! Shea bravest lion in the forest!" He barred his sharp teeth, as if to prove it.
"Oh…" Molly replied, unnerved. "The what do you want from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz?"
"Wizard of Oz powerful magician, yes?" Molly nodded. "Shea want sandwich."
"You want a sandwich from an all-powerful wizard?" Vaughn asked, speaking for the first time.
"Yes! Cooking in forest terrible! Shea tired of berries." Vaughn merely sighed in response, rolling those violet eyes. Shea then turned and cast his eyes on Molly. "Why? Is lady journeying there? Shea come!"
"Uh…" For the first time that day, Molly was nervous to pick up a straggler. A brainless, hopeless scarecrow and a heartless, rude tin man were one species- a hungry lion was another. "Sure," Molly resolved, "just don't eat Toto."
"Yea! Toto small, edible creature? Shea deal."
Although Molly was unnerved by Shea's words, Luke seemed elated at having a new companion. Shea led his new group through the forest with an air of confidence, and once the sun was back in view, Luke reassumed chanting like nothing had happened. 'We're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!'
His chanting only got louder and more annoying when the Emerald City grew above them. Like everything else in Oz, even from a distance, the Emerald City sparkled. It had a stronger attraction though, so tangible but yet so untouchable. It emitted beauty, and shimmered like green mist. Molly couldn't help but quicken her pace.
They reached the doors to Emerald City within the next half of an hour. They were enormous, with patterns of jaded swirls decorating their smooth surface. Luke's voice had finally worn sore, and Molly reached for the door handle, her hand shaking. To her dismay, Shea got there first. He slammed the knocker down, causing a rather annoyed looking freckled face to appear in the hole in the door.
"No need for that- " The young boy scoffed- "we already knew you were coming. Welcome to Oz, Molly Gale."
CAST:
Aunty Em: Jill (Main character, back games)
Dorothy Gale: Molly (Main Character, Animal Parade)
Good Witch of the North: Alisa (Priestess, SI, IoH, ToTT)
Munchkins: Sprites (Various)
Wicked Witch of the West: Witch Princess (Old version, various)
Scarecrow: Luke (ToT, Animal Parade)
Crows: Gill (ToT, Animal Parade)
Tin Man: Vaughn (IoH, SI)
Cowardly Lion: Shea (IoH, SI)