After walking down the Orange Stone Road for some time, Scruffy Scarecrow notices that Pearl's pace has really slowed down and that her shoulders are slumped due to exhaustion.
"Is something wrong, Pearl? You seem to be a bit down. I thought that you'd be more excited to meet with the Wizard." Scruffy Scarecrow says with a look of concern on his face as he crouches down so that he is eye-to-eye with his young companion.
"I am excited, Mr. Scruffy Scarecrow, but my feet are starting to get tired; not to mention, I'm starting to feel hungry." Pearl states in a sullen voice as she rubs her stomach which responds with a small growl as if on cue.
Scruffy Scarecrow cocks his head in confusion. "What's this 'hunger' thing, pal? Is it some sort of deadly disease? Are you gonna die from it? You can't die on me, pal! Don't go towards the light!" Scruffy Scarecrow yells as he vigorously shakes Pearl's shoulders.
"I'm not going to die, Mr. Scruffy Scarecrow!" Pearl grabs onto the scarecrow's broad, straw-filled arms in an attempt to keep her body still.
Scruffy Scarecrow stops shaking her. "Well, then why are you so weak from 'hunger'?"
"You don't know what hunger is?"
"Well, I'm a scarecrow, so I don't know all that much about other living things, pal." Scruffy Scarecrow says with a look of shame on his face, embarrassed that his lack of a brain is starting to show again.
"It's not all that complicated, honest. You see, if I don't eat anything for a few hours, my body will slow down and will not work all that well."
Scruffy Scarecrow rubs his chin as he tries to make a connection between Pearl's explanation and his day-to-day life. "So for you, 'hunger' is like what happens when the stove in the Farmer's house starts to run low on fuel and it starts to go cold, right?"
"You could say that." Pearl states, causing Scruffy Scarecrow to puff out his chest in pride as a big, goofy grin spreads across his face. "But where am I going to find some food in a place like this?" Pearl asks as she nervously bites her thumb.
"From what I've heard from people passing by my cornfield, the apples in this area make for a tasty snack; so why don't we just grab a few from one of those trees in that orchard over there?" Scruffy Scarecrow suggests as he points to a few apple trees in a nearby field.
"I don't know… Mr. Nick's been telling me that I need to eat more fruit to get more fi-bur in my diet, but Mystic Maya always tells me that apples and other fruits are yucky and were created by the government to control our minds."
Scruffy Scarecrow shrugs his shoulders. "Like I said before, I'm not managing anything, so the choice is all yours, pal."
Pearl, giving in to the pain in her stomach, goes over to one of the wider trees, which has two branches that resemble a mustache, where she spots the biggest, reddest, juiciest looking apple that she has ever seen, causing her mouth to slightly water as she licks her lips. Pearl then plucks the apple off of the branch and is about to eat it when suddenly it is slapped out of her hand by the same branch that she picked it from.
"What are you doing, petite fille? Zat eez moi apple and eez not for you!" The Tree says in a whiny, effeminate voice with a look of transgression on his face.
Pearl gasps. "You can talk?"
"Absolument, and 'ow would you like it if I tried to pluck something off of you!" The Tree huffs as he pulls at Pearl's pretzel-like hair with one of his branches, causing her to yelp in pain.
Scruffy Scarecrow intervenes by grabbing Pearl by the hand and leading her out of the orchard and out of the tree's reach. "C'mon, Pearl, you don't want any of THOSE apples."
"And just what eez wrong with mes apples!?" The Tree growls as he clenches his teeth.
"Well, it's just that I don't think that my friend here wants to eat unripe apples teeming with little, green worms in them." Scruffy Scarecrow says in an uncharacteristically smug manner.
The Tree emits a high-pitched shriek as he tries to hold back the tears forming in his eyes. "'Ow dare you insult my apples, monsieur?! Zey are zee best apples in all of Groz! Well, if la fille wants zee apples, then 'ow about these!?" The tree yells as he starts throwing apples at the duo.
"And that's how you get apples, pal. Now help me pick them up." Scruffy Scarecrow whispers to Pearl as he starts picking up the apples by his feet, to which Pearl replies with a simple nod.
While searching the nearby area for apples, Pearl stumbles upon a man made of tin, frozen in place, who has a large, cylindrical body and is holding a sword as if he is fighting something, whose face and hair bear an uncanny resemblance to Edgeworth.
As Pearl stares at the man in awe, Scruffy Scarecrow approaches her with a bunch of apples. "Don't worry, Pearl, with these apples, we'll get rid of your hunger in no time!" Scruffy Scarecrow notices the man, causing him to drop the apples. "So what do you think is the deal with this tin statue?"
"I don't know, Mr. Scruffy Scarecrow." Pearl taps the Tin Man's chest to further investigate the manner, to which he responds by trying to talk through sealed lips.
"Oilcan…" The Tin Man squeaks out, though unclearly thanks to his current status.
Scruffy Scarecrow scratches his head. "Mail ham? Is that what people do nowadays during the holidays?"
"Oilcan…" The Tin Man squeaks out again.
"Toil tram? Is that some sort of vehicle used for torture?"
"Oilcan…!" The Tin Man squeaks out in an irritated tone.
"Boil Pam? Now what did Pam ever do to you, pal?"
Pearl notices an oilcan on a nearby tree stump and picks it up. "I think that he may be referring to this oilcan, Mr. Scruffy Scarecrow."
Scruffy Scarecrow shakes his head. "Don't be ridiculous, pal. He's obviously saying that he wants to boil some lady named Pam. Now where can we find this Pam…?"
Pearl applies some oil to the Tin Man's sealed lips, allowing them to move.
The Tin Man breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you! I can finally speak again. Now, I would appreciate it I you could oil my arms and legs as well."
Pearl complies and oils the Tin Man's other joints, allowing them to move once more; albeit with a few groans and creaks on account of them being frozen in place for so long.
"Young lady, I am truly grateful for you freeing me from my torment." The Tin Man says as he bows to Pearl exactly like Edgeworth is known to do.
"Don't mention it, Mr. Tin Man!"
The Tin Man grabs the oilcan out of Pearl's hands and hits Scruffy Scarecrow's shoulder with it. "Oilcan! Oilcan! Oilcan! How is it that a child could understand what I was asking but yet you couldn't?"
Scruffy Scarecrow rubs his wounded shoulder. "Sorry about that, pal, but maybe people would understand you better if you enunciate."
"Yes, I'll take note of that next time my lips are SEALED SHUT! Do you even have a brain in that thick skull of yours?" The Tin Man yells out with a fiery look in his eyes.
"No, I don't! Do YOU have a heart in that tin can that you call a body, pal?!" Scruffy Scarecrow angrily retorts.
Suddenly, the Tin Man's rage is replaced with a feeling of sadness, the fiery anger that filled his eyes turned to cold bitterness. "No, I don't… Well, at least not anymore…" The Tin Man lets out a deep sigh as he sits on the same stump that Pearl found the oilcan on.
"What do you mean by that, Mr. Tin Man?" Pearl asks with a look of concern.
"Well, my dear lass, I wasn't always the metal man that you see before you today; but rather, a man who was struck down in the name of love. My story begin in the small town of Munchkin Land, where I, Nicholas Canon, was one of the most renowned prosecutors in all of Groz; famed for not only my powers of deduction and argument, but also the loving relationship that I shared with a beautiful Munchkin girl by the name of Nimmie Amee, who worked as a housekeeper. However, those happy days were brought to an end when Nimmie's employer, the Wicked Witch of the Witness Stand, heard of our romance and sought to end our relationship once and for all out of fear of losing her housekeeper and her unsettling attraction towards me. Knowing that I am a huge fan of the 'Silver Warrior' television show, she sent me a sword that was used by the Silver Warrior himself; though unbeknownst to me at the time, she had enchanted the sword so that every time I swung it, I would sever off one of my limbs. First my arms, then my legs, followed by my head, and then finally my torso was severed in two, including my heart…. And each time I would lose a limb, the local tinsmith would make me a new one out of tin; but he wasn't able to make me a heart. Without my heart, I could no longer feel love, so I left Nimmie and my life in Munchkin Land to live here alone as a sad shell of my former self, both figuratively and literally. And one day, while I was out roleplaying, a rainstorm passed by causing my body to rust and be stuck in the pose that you saw when you found me."
Upon finishing his story, Canon is shocked when Pearl starts crying and hugging him.
Canon gently pushes Pearl away from him. "I know that it's a sad story and all, but please don't cry on me, lest I be rusted in place on this stump."
"B-But I can't help it! You had a special someone that was taken away from you by that mean, old witch! Special someones should be together forever and ever, not separated!" Pearl wails as tears stream down her face.
Canon pats her on the head. "Don't cry for me, little one, for without a heart, how can I feel anything? Like I said, I am a hollow…" Cannon pounds his chest three times, causing it to echo. "See?"
"Hey, nice echo, pal!" Scruffy Scarecrow chimes in, warranting him a look of irritation from Canon.
"Yet again, I am thankful for your assistance. May your journey to wherever it is your going be a safe one." Canon says with another bow as he gets up off of the stump.
Pearl playfully tugs at Canon's arm. "Mr. Canon, why don't you come with us to see the Wizard?"
Canon crosses his arms. "The Wizard of Groz? What business do you have with him?"
"We're going to the Ruby City to see him so that he can give Scruffy Scarecrow a brain and help me get back home to Cali-fornia."
Canon rhythmically taps his fingers against his metal forearm. "I hate to sound pessimistic, I really do, but what makes you think that the great and all-powerful Wizard of Groz, ruler of the Ruby City, would even give commoners off the street such as yourselves the time of day, let alone solve your problems?"
Pearl rolls up her sleeve and clenches her fist. "He's got to help us! We've come such a far way already!"
At that moment, Espeelle appears on the roof of Canon's nearby cabin in a puff of red smoke and cackles at the group. "So, helping the foolishly foolish little girl along are you, my foolish gentlemen? Well, stay away from her or I'll stuff my office chair with you, Scarecrow. And as for you, Tin man, I'll turn you into a curio cabinet!" Espeelle's whip becomes engulfed in a red flame. "Want to play catch, Scarecrow?" Espeelle sneers as she cracks her whip and sends a fireball flying towards Scruffy Scarecrow's feet that lands right in front of him, lighting the grass in front of him ablaze.
Fearing for his life, Scruffy Scarecrow runs away from the fire as Canon stomps it out with his flameproof foot.
After laughing for a few seconds at the scarecrow's expense, Espeelle vanishes from the area in a puff of red smoke.
"Are you alright, Mr. Scruffy Scarecrow? Did that nasty woman hurt you?" Pearl asks as she inspects her friend's body for injuries.
"I'm fine, Pearl, but I'll make sure that you get to the Ruby City and get back to California, even if the Wizard doesn't give me a brain. Stuff an office chair with me? I'll stuff an office chair with HER!" Scruffy Scarecrow says with a look of determination.
Canon gently taps Pearl on the shoulder. "Pearl, is it? As a prosecutor and upholder of the law in this fine land, it is my duty to make sure that no one is harmed on my watch. Ergo, I, Prosecutor Nicholas Canon, have decided to accompany you on your journey and protect you from that vile woman; and if the Wizard just so happens to bestow upon me the heart that I so desire, I shall view it as a bonus. Well, shall we get going? That witch isn't getting less ornery."
The group proceed walking down the Orange Stone road, but stop when they hear Pearl groan.
"Is something wrong, Pearl?" Canon asks.
"Well, I've been walking for a really long time and my feet are starting to get tired."
Canon crouches down to so that he's at eyelevel with Pearl. "Well, Pearl, since I don't feel fatigue, how about you ride on my shoulder?"
Pearl nervously bites her thumb. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."
"Nonsense, it would be a pleasure."
Canon picks up Pearl and places her on his right shoulder; and once he is sure that Pearl is safely seated, the group continue their journey down the Orange Stone Road which has them entering a dark forest.
A/N: I know that the back story doesn't exactly scream 'Edgeworth', but I wanted to base the backstory of his 'Wizard of Oz' counterpart off of the backstory in the book; which I didn't even know about until I did some research on the topic. As for how the Tin Man could loose his head and still survive, I'm just going with magic.
