Dorothy and Mr. Wogglebug arrived moments later in Oz and as they walked down the Yellow Brick Road he told her more about their mission.
"The princess' name is Ozma and her parents, King Pastoria and Queen Lurline, ruled Oz before the Wizard came."
"What happened to them?" she asked.
"No one really knows," he said. "For on the day before Ozma was to be crowned the whole royal family disappeared and everyone's memories of them vanished and this was why everyone was so eager to have the Wizard rule over them when he came. Now it is quite believed that the Wicked Witches of the East and West had been responsible for enchanting the missing Monarchs and now that the two witches are dead the spell is halfway broken for everyone's memories of their former rulers have returned but they are still under their unknown enchantment for there was another unknown witch involved who still lives somewhere. Now what we must do is find them and destroy the witch's power and restore the Princess Ozma to the throne of Oz."
"Well, I understand everything except for one thing," said Dorothy. "What did you bring me here for?"
"Because everyone here knows of you as the great witch slayer of Oz and so they insisted I bring you here," Mr. Wogglebug explained.
"Me a witch slayer?" exclaimed Dorothy is disbelief. "But the two witches I killed was completely by accident!"
"Yes, I know," said Mr. Wogglebug. "But nevertheless you did away with those witches and I do believe you will be of valuable service to me on my mission."
"Well, can we at least get the Scarecrow and Tin Man and Lion to come with us, for I could never have gotten through all I did before if it hadn't been for them," Dorothy pleaded earnestly.
Mr. Wogglebug smiled. "I knew you would want them along and so now we are headed in the direction of Patchwork Land where the Scarecrow and his wife Scraps live."
They had now entered into a land where the ground was covered in soft squares of different colors with different patterns and patches and balls of yarn grew from trees and rivers flowed in folds of blue silk and the houses and fences were made of fabric and stuffed with cotton as were all of the inhabitants of the place.
They found a short stout elephant made of blueish silk whose body was a hodge podge of assorted patches and stepped up to him.
"Excuse us, Mr. Hodge Podge Elephant," said Mr. Wogglebug tipping his hat. "Could you please tell us where the Scarecrow and Scraps live?"
"Sure. They live right down there at Homespun Lane," replied the elephant pointing with his trunk.
"Thank you kindly," replied Mr. Wogglebug.
They approached the house in question and stepped up to the door and Mr. Wogglebug pulled a long cord which rang a small bell connected to it from above and within moments the Scarecrow himself opened the door with his new wife close beside him.
"Why hello, Dorothy! What a pleasant surprise!" the Scarecrow exclaimed in delight. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon!"
"Neither was I," admitted Dorothy smiling. "But Mr. Wogglebug said it was important."
"Dorothy meet the family, now of course you know Scraps here," said the Scarecrow gesturing to his wife. "And this is our son, Scarecrow Jr," he added and stepped slightly to the side allowing a little figure to appear in front of them.
They saw what looked like a miniature version of the Scarecrow himself with the same kind of clothing and straw stuffed gloves and boots and there was a mop of yellow straw on top of his head like hair with a blue cap on top and over his eyes were a pair of big round glasses which made him appear quite intelligent just like his father.
"You have offspring now? Why how delightful!" exclaimed Mr. Wogglebug who was very fond of children.
"But how could you two have children when you are... well... you know?" asked Dorothy uneasily.
The Scarecrow smiled understandingly and replied, "We made him in the same way I was made by the farmer of the cornfield you found me in, and he was brought to life by the power of our love for him."
"Ah! Nothing could be simpler I see!" declared Mr. Wogglebug. "How are you, young sir?" he said as he bent down to shake the little straw boy's hand. "I trust you are doing very well in school."
"I sure am," the boy replied proudly. "My Dad can tell you because he's my teacher."
"You are a teacher here now, Scarecrow?" inquired Dorothy.
"Yes, I am. I applied for the position and I now teach all of the patchwork children of the beings who live here," explained the Scarecrow.
"How unsurprising!" chuckled Mr. Wogglebug.
Scraps flashed a pearly toothed smile at her guests and sang out jubilantly:
"A vibrant scarecrow boy
I've a son like no other
He fills my patchwork heart with joy
I'm so proud to be his mother!
And his father is so grand
So handsome and well-read
By him I'd gladly stand
No matter what may lie ahead
Together as a family
We'll stay by each other's sides
So do we all decree
To stay together
Forever and ever!"
"So, tell me what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" inquired the Scarecrow.
"Oh yes! We need your help in our searching for this girl," Mr. Wogglebug said as he pulled out the picture of Ozma and showed it to them.
"Hmm... I've never seen anyone like her before," mused the Scarecrow. "Who is she?"
"She is none other than Princess Ozma, the rightful heir to the throne of Oz," Mr. Wogglebug explained. "Have you heard of her?"
"Hmm... I may have heard something of her in passing," mulled the Scarecrow. "Where is she?"
"I'm afraid we don't know," replied Mr. Wogglebug. "You see, she and her family were kidnapped many years ago and placed under a powerful spell by the wicked witches of Oz that caused everyone to forget about them and now the spell is breaking as the memories of their past lives are gradually returning. So the correct thing to do would be for us to find Ozma and break the spell on her completely and thus restore her to her throne."
"I see," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully. "Well, I'll be glad to help you in any way I can. I'm sure the Tin Man and Lion would be as well."
"We intend to go see them next," Dorothy assured him.
"Goodbye my dear, take good care while I'm gone," said the Scarecrow as he gave Scraps a hug and kiss goodbye.
"Goodbye Jr.," he said to his son. "Now you be a good boy and study hard while I'm gone."
"I will, Pop," he said.
"How far is Mechanica where the Tin Man lives now with Miranda?" asked Dorothy as they were leaving Patchwork Land.
"Quite far from here," replied Mr. Wogglebug. "But I know a shortcut." And so saying he took from his vest pocket a small packet of round shaped pills. He swallowed one and said, "I wish we were all in Mechanica!"
In a second they were standing on a completely different landscape. The ground seemed to be made of solid shiny metal and dome shaped structures tall and small were everywhere all made of metal, namely tin and cast iron, and all of them had a windmill attached to the roof so as to blow away clouds containing rain.
They soon began to notice people made of metal walking along the streets, they all had a mechanical key in their backs like wind-up toys. Some had a mechanical cat or dog with them also. They found a mechanical mailman who was going from door to door delivering the post and they stepped up to him.
"Excuse us, could you please tell us where the Tin Man and Miranda the Milkmaid live?" asked Mr. Wogglebug.
"Certainly. They live up North in Tinseltown.," replied the metal mailman.
"Thank you very much," they all told him in unison.
"I bet our friend the Tin Man must really shine in a place like that," chuckled Mr. Wogglebug.
They entered Tinseltown and found the round tin house the mailman had directed them to and knocked on the shiny tin door. Within moments the door opened and the Tin Man himself appeared with a pretty mechanical girl with long blonde braids hanging down to her waist. She was wearing a milkmaid's cap and apron.
"Dorothy! How wonderful it is to see you again so soon!" exclaimed the Tin Man as he gave Dorothy a gentle hug. "Oh, and you too, Scarecrow," he added quickly. "Miranda, you remember Dorothy, don't you?"
"Of course," said Miranda, nodding in Dorothy's direction. "If it hadn't been for you my beloved might never have come back to me, and I don't know how to thank you enough."
"Neither do I," added the Tin Man. "And look at what we've made with our love."
As he spoke a small figure came out from behind him. It looked like a little boy made entirely of tin wearing a pair of blue overalls. He looked just like the Tin Man and also wore a funnel on his head.
"This is your child?" asked Dorothy, though she was sure she knew already.
"Yes, indeed," said the Tin Man. "His name is-"
"I know. Tin Boy," said Dorothy with a slight chuckle.
"Hello, little fellow," said Mr. Wogglebug as he bent down to the tin boy. "You look like a very bright young lad."
"Thank you, sir," replied the Tin Boy smiling brightly.
"I am very proud of him," said the Tin Man. "He is the leader of the Tin Boy scouts which me and Miranda founded and I am their coach."
"I always knew you had your heart in the right place," said Mr. Wogglebug.
"Can we get you anything?" asked Miranda. "Is there a reason you've come to visit?"
"Oh yes, indeed," said Mr. Wogglebug. "The Princess Ozma, the rightful heir of Oz, has been missing and now newly discovered information may yet lead to her whereabouts. We were hoping you, Tin Man, would be willing to accompany us on our mission."
"I certainly am willing," said the Tin Man. "Miranda, you'll be alright while I'm away, won't you?"
"Of course I'll be," she assured him. "You must go with your friends, I have great faith in you that your heart will guide you to succeed on your mission."
The Tin Man bent down to hug his son goodbye. "You be a good boy and take care of your mother while I am away."
"I will, Pop," he assured him.
"I would like for the Lion to come with us," said the Tin Man as they left the house. "But he lives in the Great Forest on the other side of Oz."
"It isn't far with the way I travel," Mr. Wogglebug assured him. "I'll have us there in a jiffy." He took out another one of his wishing pills and swallowed it. "I wish we were in the Lion's Forest!"
Then before they could blink they found themselves standing in a lush green forest filled with moss covered trees and various plants like flowers and mushrooms. As they listened they could hear many insects chirping and also other animal sounds coming from within the forest. They walked through for a short time before they came upon a large spotted leopard who was holding a large scroll of paper in one paw.
They approached him and Mr. Wogglebug said, "Excuse us, sir. Could you please tell us the way to King Lion's domain?"
"I am just now on my way back there," replied the leopard. "I'll lead you there."
And so he led them a short ways through the forest and they entered a clearing in which they found a fair sized palace that looked to be constructed of bamboo branches. And entering it they found the Lion himself seated on an ivory throne and holding a scepter in his paw which looked like it were also made of bamboo with an ivory head.
As soon as he saw all of his old friends had come to visit him a huge grin broke across his face and he leapt off of his throne and rushed towards them with his arms outreached.
"Dorothy! Scarecrow! Tin Man! How grand it is to see you all again! Welcome to my Kingdom!" he exclaimed with a royal flourish.
Then he turned toward the yellow and black spotted leopard and addressed him. "I trust you bring me good news?"
"I do, sire, indeed," the leopard assured him. "I come to announce that the whole Kingdom has officially accepted their invitations to the royal wedding."
"A wedding? Why Lion, are you getting married?" asked Dorothy in astonishment.
The Lion grinned once again. "I sure am," he said. "When I came back here I was very happy to be ruling over all the animals and yet there still seemed to be something missing. I asked my court advisors about it and they suggested I was lonely and in need of a companion to help me rule the forest and so I threw a royal ball and invited every lioness... and I met her. I met Zuza!"
"I had just been introduced to all the lionesses who had come and they all looked so eager to be the first one to dance with me and I was having difficulty deciding which one I would choose, and then I saw one very young looking lioness with light tawny fur glancing at me over her shoulder from behind most of the other lionesses.
She looked so cute and sweet she instantly captured my heart. I approached her and bowed and extending my paw. She blushed and looked at me from the corner of her eye. She said,
'It displeases me, Your Highness,
That I've a bad case of shyness,
Of which I must confess
I just stay scared and glance at you
When I could be romancing you
If I only was fearless!'
Joining her in song, I said,
'Well, you see, my feline beauty
You're really quite a cutie
So elegant and neat
I'd be honored to dance
Please don't mind if I advance
On a Lioness so sweet!'
She took my offered paw and replied,
'It fills my heart with glee
For one as shy as me
To consider the call
I'll try to show no blindness
And I'll repay your kindness
And dance at the forest ball!'
And we danced and she slowly got over her shyness.
'Of course I wouldn't mind
It would help me to unwind
I could leave my chronic shyness behind
And at a dance so refined
Perhaps we'll find
Our hearts entwined!'
Later in the evening we sat under the moonlight and we talked.
"I used to be shy just like you," I admitted. "I was scared of everyone and everything, even my own shadow." I was surprised to be admitting this to a lioness but she really seemed like she would understand. "But then I met Dorothy."
"Who is Dorothy?" she asked.
"She is a human girl from a faraway land called Kansas," I continued. "And she showed me I had courage all along. It was right inside of me and I just didn't see it there until I looked in."
'I used to be afraid
Of everything you see
No one could be
More scared than me!
But much to my surprise
With my friends, I realized
I didn't need to hide
Cause near them I found
That I could stand my ground
I had courage deep inside!'
"Then before I knew it we were engaged," the Lion finished his story.
"I'm so happy for you, Lion!" exclaimed Dorothy. "When is the wedding?"
"We don't know yet," said the Lion. "We plan to have it sometime during next month or so."
"Good, then that will give you time to help us to solve a most puzzling mystery we have on our hands," said Mr. Wogglebug. "It concerns the rightful heir to Oz, Princess Ozma. She had vanished without a trace many years ago and now she must be found again now that most of the witches have been put to their untimely ends."
"You mean there are more wicked witches in Oz?" asked the Lion in surprise.
"Well, there is one up in the Northern region," Mr. Wogglebug explained. "We don't know who she really is though for she keeps herself well hidden as she does most of the spells she casts."
"Well, no wicked witch can get by me!" said the Lion. "I'll come with you and bring this witch out on her toes!"
"I knew you'd be in for it!" said Mr. Wogglebug delightedly.
After the Lion quickly instructed the leopard to look after the forest while he was away and to tell his fiance where he was going they left the palace.
"So where do we go now?" asked the Lion.
"I am afraid I don't really know," Mr. Wogglebug admitted rather sadly. "You see I... Oh! Look, it must be Glinda!"
He pointed towards the sky, they all looked up and sure enough they saw Glinda's big pink bubble floating down toward them. It landed softly on the ground and out of it emerged the Good Witch of the North herself.
"Greetings, dear friends," she said, smiling sweetly.
"Hello, Ms. Glinda!" said Mr. Wogglebug bowing deeply. "I trust you already know why we have reunited and what we must do next and that you have something to aid us on our mission?"
"Yes, in fact I do," confirmed Glinda. "First I have this mirror," there appeared in her right hand a small hand mirror made of rubies with the clearest and shiniest glass ever seen. "It will show you the reality of everyone and everything you encounter and prevent you from being easily deceived. Next I have this key, "a tiny golden key with an emerald studded handle and the Oz emblem engraved in its head appeared in her hand. "This will open any kind of door you happen to find, so use it wisely. Last but not least I have this map," in her hand appeared a large rolled up map tied together with a red ribbon. "It will guide you through your journey and show you all of the right places to go."
"Thank you, Ms. Glinda," Mr. Wogglebug said as he took the three items from her. "I promise we'll use them wisely and we'll find Ozma and rid the Land of Oz of it's last witch!"