Author Notes - WHY ON EARTH it took me so long to get around to this chapter, I don't know. But I'm getting back to it, so I can finally call this story finished! As we arrive at this final chapter of this magical and slightly maniacal adventure, I just wanna say this: I was certainly not expecting the author of the other Oz story to show up. So, hi, I guess.

I won't delve too deeply into this discussion, but I'll admit that I really like how that story brought back the Jitterbug character, who was going to be in the original movie before his scene got cut. Seriously, it's SO COOOOL that you brought that back, and I kinda wish I did the same thing. The amount of references to the book were awesome too.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HOME

Molly's companions, except for Goby, had all gone silent. The crowd continued to cheer, mostly just among themselves now as they celebrated with drinks and confetti, because they weren't aware of the truth bomb that Oona just dropped onto Molly.

'I… I… I…' Molly stammered. 'WHAT?! You mean to tell me I had the way to go home this ENTIRE time?!'

Oona reacted to her angry confusion with a simple giggle. 'Well, not quite the whole time. It's your Ruby Gloves that will get you home, and all you need to do is clap them together three times.'

Molly's jaw had dropped too far for her to respond to that statement. That was the case for most of her companions as well. In fact, only Deema was in any position to say anything.

'Excuse me?!' She exclaimed. 'If she could go home at any time, why didn't you just say that when you first met her?'

'She wouldn't have believed me!' Oona responded, in earnest.

Those wide-open jaws turned to looks of confusion. It was quite clear that none of them were buying this excuse for a moment.

'What do you mean, I wouldn't have believed you?!' Molly shouted. 'I was in Bubbledom for five minutes when I crushed a wicked witch and was praised by a bunch of little fish people in costumes before you showed up in a giant pink bubble. You could've told me I was the Queen of England and I would have believed you! Even if I didn't, I probably would have after I met the TALKING SCARECROW! Because, in case you don't know, SCARECROWS DON'T TALK IN BUBBLETUCKY!'

By the time she was done with her little but very loud rant, she was quite out of breath. The rest of her friends were glaring at the Good Witch, with the exception of Goby who was just smirking this whole time.

'I'm afraid I don't understand.' Nonny said. 'Even if Molly didn't believe you, it would've been worth a try to tell her anyway.'

'This doesn't really look good for you.' Gil added. 'You better have a good explanation for this.'

Goby chuckled. 'Indeed, she does. Oona, care to explain yourself?'

'Gladly!'

So, she cleared her throat and began her story. Meanwhile, Deema looked at her the same way she had looked at Mr Grouper, with aggression in her painted blue eyes.

Our marvelous land of Bubbledom has been tormented by the two Mean Witches for generations, for witches live for thousands of years in this land. The royal family and I have been unable to deal with them, since my magic - sometimes unfortunately - cannot be used to harm others, but the Mean Witches' certainly could. I've wanted to deal with the situation for centuries, but I have never been able to do it.

Until, of course, Molly arrived. Her cabin crushed the Mean Witch of the East to dust, and I knew the moment those Ruby Gloves jumped to her hands that Molly was the one who could save Bubbledom. It was almost like a prophecy, but not quite. Still, those Ruby Gloves chose her for a reason, as they knew that she would save Bubbledom.

'Wait, really?' Molly asked. 'I was the only one who could save your land?'

Oona nodded. 'Yep. Well, maybe not you yourself, but the simple fact that your house was dropped on the Witch of the East. That alone made you a 'Chosen One', if you wish to use a term like that.'

'Oh, wow.' Molly rubbed the back of her neck. 'I-I'm not sure how to feel about that.'

She smiled, despite how strange this all was. Perhaps she still would've liked to have been informed about this earlier, but at least she now understood why she couldn't just go home immediately. She still wasn't too happy about it, but still.

But that wasn't it. Goby and I have known that the Wizard was an impostor, taking advantage of a confused public to gain power. I wanted to get rid of him too, but the royal family was gone and we had no one else to rule over. I needed someone to take over in his place, at least until the royal family is potentially found again, and I wanted someone who was kind, honest, and - above all - brainy.

I had the perfect queen chosen from all the people in Bubbledom, but there was just one problem. For one reason or another, she didn't believe she was so smart. Perhaps that was because she thought that, with a head full of straw, she could only be smart if she had a brain.

'I see what you're saying.' Deema said with a grin. 'You're talking about me! Since you sent Molly to go see the Wizard instead of simply sending her home, she got to meet me and free me from that post. Then, I could finally realise that I didn't need a brain to be clever!'

But Deema the scarecrow wasn't the only one who needed help. I knew of a Guppy who used to be of flesh until the Witches cursed him to be a hollow shell made of tin. He was the perfect one to help the Swimkies get their lives back on track after they were freed from the Witch, for he was the nicest and most compassionate being in all of Bubbledom.

But, he had a problem. Just like the brainy scarecrow, this Tin Guppy - as he was often called - thought he wasn't so tender or gentle. He seemed to think that just because he didn't have a physical heart, it made him a 'heartless' creature incapable of loving or caring. He believed, for one reason or another, that he needed a heart to be a good person.

'Of course, I know now that I was wrong.' Nonny said. 'I am just as sweet and loving as I was before I was turned to tin, and I don't need a heart or anything to know that. Still, if you see all and thus knew I needed help, why didn't you help me when I was rusted over and still as a statue for years?'

'Simple.' Oona replied. 'If I saved you, you wouldn't have met Molly. You had to meet her and join her team in order to learn that you didn't need a heart to be tender and gentle.'

'Oh. I guess I'll take that.'

There were two other beings who needed help from Molly, just to give them that extra push. One of them was a lion in the forest, the next in line to inherit the throne before his own pride kicked him out, just because he wasn't as 'brave' as they expected. The lion was quite timid, yes, but he could absolutely face his fears when he had to. In fact, he did it far more often than he realised. Still, he believed he was a coward and only with courage could he truly be King of the Forest.

The other was a slave to the Mean Witch of the West, who always wanted to rebel against her ruler but never saw the opportunity. Which was understandable, considering how powerful that Witch was. She may not have realised this, but she always had the ability to overthrow that Witch and bring a new ruler to the land. All she needed was a little push, and she could save all her people. I'm sure you can guess just what - or, rather, who - that little push was.

'Oh yeah!' Gil yelled. 'I definitely needed a little push like that to get me going. I don't know what Molly actually did, but it must've worked because I'm the King of the Forest once again because of her!'

Zooli nodded. 'Oh heck yeah. And, sure, maybe all Molly did for me was get herself captured, but that was enough to motivate me to do something about my dictator of a ruler. That was certainly better than nothing, and I can't imagine that anyone else would've gone to confront the Witch to begin with.'

So you see, Molly… I had to keep you here in Bubbledom for a reason. There were so many people that I couldn't help, but I knew you could. While Bubbledom is still not perfect - it may never be - it is better than it has ever been, all thanks to you.

Oh, and Goby was in on the whole thing.

Goby chuckled as everyone turned to him. 'Well, not the whole thing. That was genuine panic before you showed up because you didn't tell me that the Wizard would just leave abruptly, but otherwise I saw everything coming. Whether or not the Wizard was in on it… no one knows.'

I'll admit, not even I expected him to leave so quickly, but I think you dealt with it just fine. The point is… Molly, you have helped so many people and saved Bubbledom from the control of two Mean Witches. And now, as your reward, you can finally return home to Bubbletucky.

Molly turned to her companions. They may have known this moment was coming, but they were still unprepared to handle it. Nonny was already beginning to cry again, and even that magical oil couldn't quite keep up with his tears. Molly could feel her own eyes beginning to sting - even if she hadn't known these guys for very long, they reminded her so much of her friends back at home that it felt like she was saying goodbye to them instead of people she had met mere days ago.

Taking in a deep breath, the first one she approached was Deema. She was the first one she had met after all, other than Goby but he didn't join on the journey like Deema did. She could already see tears in the scarecrow's painted eyes, and it didn't help Molly at all.

'Deema,' Molly began. 'I still remember when we first met. I was terrified of you, because scarecrows don't talk or even move where I come from. After that, though, we ended up becoming close friends. Your quick thinking got us through so many situations, and you were quite the clumsy goofball the whole time. Perhaps some would find you annoying but…' She smiled. 'I consider you a wonderful friend.'

Deema opened her mouth, perhaps to give a speech just as heartfelt, but she didn't even get to say the first word before she collapsed to the floor in a fit of sobbing and wailing. It was both sad and hilarious to watch, and though Molly had to stifle a chuckle, it reminded her a little too much of Bubbletucky Deema. She didn't question how a being made of straw could produce both tears and mucus, and instead told herself why she wanted to get home so badly in the first place.

'Nonny,' She said, turning to the weeping Tin Guppy. 'I am so glad that I saved you from being rusted over, because you have to be one of the sweetest people I have ever known. Someone like you doesn't deserve a fate like that. I hope you never forget just how kind and caring you are.'

Nonny sniffled. 'Oh, now I know I have a heart. Because it's breaking.'

That did it for Molly, and she brought him into a tight embrace. Hugging someone made of metal felt as strange as it sounds, but when he hugged her back the warmth from his 'heart' was enough to override the lack of comfort.

'You're a great friend, Nonny.'

The hug continued for a few seconds, until Nonny realised she had more friends to say goodbye to and so let her go. She turned to Zooli, who was trying a little too hard to hide her tears.

'I'll admit,' Molly said. 'I didn't get to know you for very long, but I have you to thank for saving me from that Mean Witch. You really helped out me and my friends, and… well, let's be honest. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would've been able to kill that Witch at all.'

Zooli smiled. 'Hey, I was just doing what was right. J-Just ignore what's happening with my face here. Us Swimkies have been raised by that Witch to hide our emotions, so it's gonna take a while to get used to expressing anything. All the more reason to have Nonny as our ruler, I guess.'

Molly took a quick look at Goby, and his little smirk. He didn't seem to be crying at all, and had a cocky look on his face instead.

'Why are you giving me that look?' She asked.

Goby shrugged. 'Oona has told me a lot more than you could ever know.'

Molly had no idea what that meant, so she went straight to Gil. He tried to give her a sharp-toothed smile, but his constant sobbing didn't exactly help. The pink-haired Guppy wasn't quite sure why, but she grabbed him by the paws. He almost extended his claws at the exact wrong time, but he managed to keep his claws under control.

'Gil, I-I don't know how to say this,' Molly said, beginning to cry herself. 'But… I think I knew you were a courageous lion since the beginning. Sure, you almost hurt my puppy, but I don't think you were actually gonna hurt him. You were so brave, and heroic, and…'

She looked him right in his big blue eyes. Sweet cods, he reminded her so much of Gil, more so than anyone else.

'I… I think I'll miss you most of all, Gil.'

'Um, THANKS?!' Nonny cried from behind her.

'Yeah!' Deema added. 'What makes him so special?'

Molly chuckled. At least she had some humour to lift up what was a rather sad goodbye. There was one thing good about this, however - she could finally see her friends in Bubbletucky again. In a way, she wasn't really saying goodbye to them.

'Ready to go, Bubble Puppy?'

The little doggy yelped, and leapt onto her shoulder. Molly took in a deep breath, and held her arms up to clap her way home.

'Just say your wish out loud,' Oona explained. 'And those Ruby Gloves will whisk you straight home.'

Molly took one last look at the Land of Bubbledom…

'I wish to go home to Bubbletucky, and see my friends and family again…'

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Everything turned into a blinding white light, as Molly lost the ability to sense anything but the voices of the past speaking around her.

'I, the Mayor of Fishkin Land, pronounce the Mean Witch of the East really, certainly, absolutely, most definitely DEAD!'

'The way to the great and powerful wizard is simple, dear. All you have to do, is follow the yellow brick road!'

'Hey, I may have no brains, but I still know where everyone goes to see the Wizard. It's down that way!'

'Okay. I'll come with you. Maybe then I'll get a heart.'

'N-No matter how scary that witch is, I-I'm coming with you! If I go with you to the Emerald Sydney and meet the Wizard, then I'd be brave as a blizzard.'

'And I'm helping them. Don't ask who I am because I know we're running out of time.'

'Molly? MOLLY!'

That was not a voice of the past. That was a voice of the now. Molly recognised it as Gil, whose voice sounded a lot less growly compared to his lion counterpart. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing a mass of many colours before her eyes could finally focus.

'She's waking up!' Came Gil's voice again, laden with relief.

Molly could feel the wooden floorboards of the cabin beneath her, making it clear where her location was. Despite Gil's voice being the most prominent without a doubt, the first Guppy who Molly saw was actually Deema. That massive hair made her quite noticeable, after all. And what were Molly's first words as she arrived back in her hometown?

'Oh, Deema. You're not a scarecrow anymore.'

The blonde Guppy's eyes widened. 'Uh… nooo. I wasn't under the impression that I was a scarecrow to begin with, but okay then.'

Molly's eyes widened too as she realised what was going on. She launched into a sitting position, rubbing the back of her head that was still hurting a little. The moment she did, Gil dashed over and brought her into a hug. She could almost still feel the warm lion fur.

'YOU'RE ALRIGHT!' He cried. 'Oh, Molly! I was so scared when we found you unconscious!'

Gil would've kept the hug up forever, but Bubble Puppy demanded cuddles too and he just barely took priority over Molly. The blue-haired Guppy embraced his doggy like it was their last day on Earth together, while the other Guppies - and Mr Grouper - crowded around Molly. They hounded her with questions, and she tried her hardest to answer them.

'I don't know how it happened,' She said. 'But I was in the most magical and mind-bendingly strange place you could ever imagine! There were witches, and yellow brick roads, and a city made of emeralds, and-'

'And…' Deema interrupted. 'I was a… scarecrow?'

Molly nodded. 'Yep! And Nonny was made of tin, a-and Gil was a lion, and…'

It only now dawned on her just how bizarre it sounded when said out loud. All her friends stared at her with looks of confusion, until Mr Grouper laughed.

'Oh, you were dreaming!' He said.

'Dreaming…?'

Molly put her head in her hands and thought about it. Of course, it was all a dream. It was one heck of a dream though, she had to admit. It certainly explained why everyone reminded her so much of her friends. Everyone who appeared in a dream was someone who one had seen in real life, they say.

'Was I in your dream?' Oona asked with a giggle.

'Yeah, you were!' Molly answered. 'You were a witch, but not a mean one like the one in those fairytales. You were a good witch, and you guided me on my journey. Goby was both a mayor and a door guard in two completely different places, and Zooli helped me defeat this mean witch, and…' She sighed. 'You know what? Maybe it's better if I explain it on the way back to school.'

Gil helped her off the floor, and she dusted herself off. She still found it a little surprising once she realised the Ruby Gloves were gone, even if they never really existed to begin with. At the same time, she begun to wonder… had Bubble Puppy dreamed of the same thing as she did?

'So I was a lion, huh?' Gil asked, with a chuckle. 'Was I a big, intimidating lion? Did I scare off that mean witch with a mighty roar? RAR!'

Deema giggled. 'No offence Gil, but I think you'd be a bit more of a cowardly lion.'

He laughed again. 'Oh really? Well, with your 'brain' all full of straw, I don't think you would've been a very smart scarecrow either.'

'HEY!'

Before a playful little fight could break out between the both of them, Nonny stood between them. Seeing him in the literal flesh again was a little strange, after seeing him with metal skin for so long. Still, no doubt that big heart of his remained.

'No need to fight.' He said. 'I'm sure Deema was a very clever scarecrow. And I'm sure that Gil was a very courageous lion.'

Molly nodded. 'And you were a very sweet Guppy of tin, Nonny.'

This compliment prompted Nonny to blush, to which Oona giggled. She didn't want to tell Mr Grouper that he was in her dream too. She couldn't imagine why she dreamt him up as such an awful, greedy person. It just made it all the nicer that she was back with the real him, and not that humbug of a 'wizard'.

'What are we doing just standing around?' Zooli asked. 'We got school to go back to, now that Molly's here and just fine for someone stuck in a whirlpool.'

Molly gasped. 'Oh my cod, the whirlpool!'

'Don't panic, Molly.' Mr Grouper said. 'There was a bit of damage done, but everything's okay. No one's died, thank goodness, and it seems like even you and Bubble Puppy are okay! When we get back to school, I think we'll take things a little more calmly for the rest of the day.'

'I second that…'

As everyone regrouped to head back to school, Molly couldn't help noticing something a little off. The door was knocked off its hinges, just like how it was back in Bubbledom. Didn't it fall off after she fell unconscious? She shook that thought off - probably just misremembered it. She was hit in the head, after all.

'Molly,' Goby said as they left out the doorway. 'You have to tell me every detail about that dream of yours. If you can remember it, of course. It sounds like it'd make a great book!'

'I can do that!' She replied. 'Weirdly enough, I actually remember it really well. See, it started when this cabin got swept up into that whirlpool…'

While she began to tell her story to her friends, Bubble Puppy stopped before he could leave the cabin. He caught a glimpse of something shiny under the bed. His puppy curiosity got the better of him, and he had to check it out. One little peek under the bed later…

'ARF?!'

Revealed none other than the Ruby Gloves themselves! He thought for sure that everything he had witnessed was just a dream - not that a shared dream with Molly seemed much more realistic - but there they were. They had a certain sparkle about them that could not have been anything but the real Ruby Gloves, and they looked just as real as they did in Bubbledom.

'See, Bubble Puppy? It wasn't a dream after all.'

Bubble Puppy turned around with a yelp, and who else did he see but the Good Witch of the North herself? She waved at him, and that was all that was needed to make him run off whimpering.

Oona, the Good Witch of the North, rolled her eyes. 'A dream? I can't believe they really believed it. Other Oona was right! I just hope Molly finds out the truth next time Bubbledom needs her help.'

She watched the Guppies out the window, taking one last look at them before she returned to her magical land of Bubbledom. No one else saw her, except for her Bubbletucky counterpart. The 'real' Oona turned around, and caught sight of her witch counterpart watching her through the window.

She waved her goodbye with a smile, not at all surprised to see her here.

THE END

Author Notes - That's right! In this version, just like the book, the Land of Bubbledom was no dream. And, I won't lie, I'm kinda tempted to make a sequel or two. After all, there's forty books to work with, and I think most of them tell really interesting stories. I don't think I'll write that many, but I am thinking about writing at least two, based on The Marvellous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz. I'm not guaranteeing anything though, especially right now since I've got a lot of other stories I'm writing to catch up on. Maybe when I'm Not Okay is finished...