Title: Ozmip?
Author: leonsalanna
Rating: PG
Summary: There had been another boy traveling with Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, the Scarecrow, and the Tinman. What happens when his friend suddenly becomes a girl?
Notes: Inspired by Tip becoming Ozma and after I didn't find any stories having to do with that, I decided to write my own.
Chapter 1
"Excuse me, gate-keeper. My mother here in the Emerald City asked me to visit my mother's mother in the land of the Winkies. May I go through?" Pen asked the plump gate-keeper. She looked down on him and with a snort of disapproval let him through. As soon as he went through, he began to run. Tip was back! His friend Tip, and Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Saw-Horse, and the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, they were all on the outskirts of the city, along with the huge army of Glinda.
He slowed down as he began to think about their adventures. He left with the Tin Woodman, carrying his oil and oiling him whenever he needed it. He had become friends with them all and especially close friends with Tip, who was glad for having a relatively normal boy to talk to. Then, when they had returned to Oz the second time, Pen got trapped outside the palace when they were inside, so he stayed with a sympathetic man, who just wanted another boy around to take up the chores his wife left behind when General Jinjur took over. Pen's friends escaped, but now they're back!
He ran again until the splendid tents came into view and then he ran fingers through his stubborn blonde hair, smoothing it down and fixing his wind-tousled clothes before he saw everyone again.
"Pen!" he heard someone yell. Tip ran up and the two quickly recounted their stories to each other. Tip was talking very fast and when his wooden companions showed up to, the story got even more complicated. Something about flying couches and giant birds…
Pen greeted the Tin Woodman as he wandered up to inform the two boys and two…things…that Glinda had called a meeting. They went to her tent and as they walked in, Pen was struck by the beauty and kindness in the woman's face.
"For some reason, we have failed to find this cunning old Mombi; so I fear our expedition will prove a failure," she said in a soft, musical voice. Pen had been stifling a laugh at the bored, 'off in another world' look on Tip's face but then sobered as he shuddered when Mombi was mentioned. What had he gone through before he ran away?
He tuned back into the conversation to hear the Tin Woodman say "-you all return with me to my kingdom- or Empire, rather." He continued talking, but Pen's eyes were drawn instead the Glinda, who had a frown- well, not a frown, but a smile with the corners turned down just a bit- and suddenly she stood up and quickly reached the flap to the tent and everyone felt some magic pass through the air.
"Remain perfectly quiet, all of you! For the old Witch is even now with us in the tent, and I hope to capture her." Pen shifted closer to Tip who was looking around frantically and put a hand on his arm reassuringly. That old crone wouldn't do anything to Tip with him there! Suddenly, a giant griffin erupted in the tent and was out of the tent with Glinda following him on the Saw-Horse.
On the scarecrow's suggestion, they all fled to a wonderful contraption with the likes that Pen had never seen before. Two couches were tied together with a lot of string, four huge leaves made wings and there was a head of…of…he didn't know quite of. But, although it wasn't attached to the rest of its real body, it was asking for directions! Everyone piled onto the couches and this contraption flew up, up, and away.