Disclaimer, the usual.
A few days later, back at the emerald palace, when the dust had settled from all the events. Dorothy found herself working with alex in their room. His hands guiding hers, shaving down a piece of wood to a specific measurement. She had only told him and Ozma part of what she had experienced. She had explained to them that it had been the scepter. She had worked this out but the statement of absorbing the living magic. Other things she couldn't find the words to explain as she did not know them.
The scepter had kept unusually quiet in the intervening days. Knowing that what it had done was not fully appreciated. But she still stood her vigil. Kept her master and mistress safe. But something about the silence was making everyone, not just them, feel uneasy.
Once they had completed their task, the two of them set the piece of wood down with a few more. And dorothy chronicled it in the journal. At which time, Ozma had chosen that moment to check in on them.
"Still silent?" she asked curiously.
The two of them nodded.
"Honestly, I know the pinging or ringing it does is a more recent development, but it's no secret to you two that it suddenly falling silent doesn't sit well with anyone" Ozma said looking at it.
Despite what the scepter had told dorothy, it still wouldn't allow Ozma to touch it, or anyone besides Dorothy and Alex. Dorothy found this perplexing, as she did trust Ozma with her life. But she couldn't even touch the slippers unless they were directly handed off.
Dorothy let out a long sigh and walked over to the bed, plopping down on it. Suddenly she found herself unable to contain herself. She sat bolt upright and held her hand out for the scepter. As it always did it flew to her grasp. She stared into the orb on the top, into the swirling smoke inside it. Stared into the red glow in the center of it. And she spoke to it.
"You have been silent ever since you absorbed that magic, is that by choice? Or a new problem that's arisen" she asked firmly.
For a moment it seemed as though nothing would happen. Then it let out a single solitary ping.
"Choice? Why?" dorothy asked curiously.
Instead of pinging, something unexpected happened. The scepter suddenly grew incredibly hot. The smoke in the orb began swirling rapidly. And rapidly it grew so hot that dorothy had to let go or risk being badly burned. She shook her hand and they all watched in interest at the scepter began to glow brightly. Soon the room was filled with a brilliant white light and in a flash, something happened.
Then there was a giggle. A giggle dorothy now knew. And then a sort of creaking sound. As the light faded, they all found themselves staring face to face with a small girl. Looking at her one could tell that she was about a head shorter than dorothy.
"Redistribution of material, I couldn't pull enough residual energy off the two of you to be my normal height before the spell completed" the small girl that was once the scepter said.
"You also take the form of a young girl despite, I'm pretty sure being more than both of our ages combined." Alex said looking this new shape over.
"Well, I'd be larger if I could pull enough residual, but I can only siphon so much" she said, "and an answer to your next thought, no I cant immediately change back either, I'm in this form until the magical energy I absorbed burns up," she added.
"So…you're definitely connected to us." Alex said matter of factly.
"And I'm not able to store this magical energy perpetually either, Transformations aren't really my thing per say" she said starting to hover "the orb that makes up my eyes deals in the transformation" she said floating over to Ozma.
Ozma stared her dead in the eyes, looking into her, quite literally. However, as she looked, into the green crystal eyes of the scepter, they seemed to look back into her. She felt as if her soul was being peered into. Reflexively she through up her hand and a flash of light sent the scepter flying backwards. She twisted in the air to right herself and landed again.
"that's weird, despite being composed entirely of wood, your outfit, plain as it is" alex said, "flows like fabric"
It was rather plain, looking similar to a short and sleeveless nightgown. But otherwise, this observation was right.
"And don't go looking into people, faeries really don't like it when you try to pry like that" Ozma said firmly, "about as much as they like it when certain kinds of people speak their names"
"I know I can trust you" the scepter said turning to look at her, "but I wanted more to know you as you are" she said, "didn't know it would make you tick." She spoke
"But why now?" Ozma asked curiously, "you've had that specific orb for quite a while now as memory serves"
With this the scepter snapped her fingers. A chair appeared behind Ozma, looking similar to the armchair that was placed next to the bed. It moved forward and took Ozma's legs from under her, winding her as well.
"There are several reasons, one I needed to finish working out the calculations, which has been easier since dorothy has been using the dreamscape with Madeline." She said "two, there's no easy way to explain to your master and mistress your intentions when all you can do is this." She says opening her mouth
The pinging that the scepter usually made emanated from her mouth. She then giggled causing it to continue.
"And three?" Ozma asked curiously.
"She said she needed the 'Living magic' to give her the boost." Dorothy said
"She said it like that because living magic, is technically the wrong way of putting it." The scepter said turning to alex, "I know she explained that to you"
Alex stared at the figure which the scepter had decided to take. He pressed his lips together hard, biting his tongue in order to stop himself from saying what he was going to. Though she knew it already as he knew she could see and hear their thoughts.
"Look at you two, access to the most powerful things in oz, and you're building a spice rack, by hand." She said turning to alex "it would be easier with magic, so much easier, and even by the nature of your curse, wanting to use magic because it draws out of the ether for you, it's the reason I like you two."
"Yet you don't trust me?" Ozma asked curiously
The beast chuckled
"Can't maintain that form much longer then?" The beast asked chuckling, "magic created us both, I have insight that bleeding heart over here doesn't"
"Shame…" the scepter said shakily "he cant use it, and you
"Oh, I trust you, as much as these two do." The scepter said, "but I attuned to them, the same rites that allowed her to take the western castle and the eastern mansion."
"But that doesn't explain alex." Ozma said.
The scepter grinned, her face creaking as she did so. She snapped her fingers, and a burst of energy filled the room. Bathing it in a calm blue glow. Dorothy was the first to notice herself surrounded by a golden aura, alex the same. They glowed the same intensity. Ozma however was surrounded by an aura that changed, gold then emerald, green then back again in a loop. The glow then subsided, the energy going back into the scepter.
"you two have something unique about you, even the powers that be aren't sure what it is, fate? Prophecy? Blessing? Even they aren't sure." She said
She suddenly snapped her fingers again, before any of them could register what was going on, Glinda was in the room sat in an armchair. Hers moved right next to Ozma's.
"And you know something, Glinda?" the scepter asked
"Less than I imagined" Glinda said looking at the scepter and smoothing down her dress.
"You might want to consider a more practical outfit, less poofy, more functional" The scepter said teasingly "would save you a lot of trouble sitting down." She spoke.
"Says the one who pushed the chair under her." Came the reflection of the beast
"Was wondering when we'd get your two cents" the scepter said, suddenly landing again, staggering as she did so.
can't utilize when awake"
"Right…" alex said looking at his reflection "you helped make that curse."
"And know more about it than even I can tell at the moment" she said. "But I can tell you this, something went into it, something I cant touch, something ineffable."
At that point she began glowing, her figure shifting. Soon the room was filled with a very bright light. Once it cleared and their eyes readjusted. The scepter in its original form floated where it had been. It let out a ping, which carried a whisper.
"Something older and more terrifying" it said in their heads.
They all shared a glance. Alex walked over to the bed and joined dorothy on it.
"I've never been in a conversation that made me feel like we were set back, without even knowing we were trying to go forward." He said rubbing his temples.
"I know how you feel." Dorothy said
"I think we all relate in these circumstances" Glinda said, "though I cant say I've ever talked to an object of power in a construct body."
"I mean, you can now" Dorothy said taking Alex's hand, "but it does have me rather worried." She
"I assume you felt the shifting in energy and came running?" Ozma asked curiously turning to Glinda
"Partially, I was coming to check on Dorothy and Alex as it's been rather silent for so long just in general, and everyone was uneasy." She responded.
"that's basically what prompted her change." Dorothy said holding her hand out for the scepter.
It pinged assuredly and flew to her hand.
"We would like more advanced warning next time you plan on doing that." Alex said looking at the scepter, his eyes flashing yellow for a moment.
"I suppose we should come up with a proper name for her now" dorothy said, the scepter pinging in agreement.
"Really?" Alex asked curiously.
"Why not, its better than referring to her as just the scepter when we're in polite conversation with her." Dorothy said nodding.
"If you could call all that polite, there was literally no point in saying or even trying to do anything." Alex said sounding very annoyed, "she's connected to the two of us, and was able to hear our thoughts before we could even voice them."
"Not to mention she can stare right into people it seems, which is rather rude without asking" Ozma said looking at the orb on the scepter.
"With an independent body its technically not bound to needing dorothy or alex to channel magic through it, though as it just demonstrated it does require a built-up amount of energy in order to maintain the form." Glinda said looking at it, "its very interesting." She added waving her hand
A journal appeared in it, as well as a pen. She began writing things down. She left the room writing things down. The chairs remained. Alex looked at them and sighed, getting to his feet. He walked over to Ozma's looking it over.
"Well, we'll have to find something to do with these" alex said sighing.
"I mean, we could always keep them in the closet." Dorothy said looking over to it, "It is huge."
Alex couldn't help himself, he had to chuckle at this as he picked up the armchair that Glinda had been forced into.
"Very astute observation, kitten." He said carrying it to the closet.
Dorothy rolled her eyes and moved herself over to the sidetable, finally letting go of the scepter she knocked on it. It opened and she pulled out a tin box.
"Caramel?" Dorothy asked taking a few of the candies out and holding them up, looking over at ozma.
"well, just to be polite since they're offered.
"Brianna said she'd be making more as well as some fudge during breakfast, but it feels so rude not to finish what we have first." Dorothy said tossing a few over to Ozma who caught them perfectly.
"meanwhile her majesty has quite the sweet tooth." Alex said coming out of the closet just in time to catch one being thrown his direction, "Nice toss." He said unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth.
"Honestly, you two would probably be through them already if you didn't spend your time between two or more places in any given week." Ozma said giggling, "though Gale Hall has its comforts."
"But there's usually more going on in the city let alone the palace." Dorothy said sighing as she popped a caramel in her mouth.
"Gotta wonder, is the scepter capable of eating in her human body?" Alex asked curiously.
They all stopped and looked at the scepter curiously. It eventually let out a single confused sounding ping.
"Suppose then, that we've got a lot to work out." He said, not taking his eyes off the scepter.
It pinged in agreement.
"you know, never have I been in a conversation that made me feel like I was set back several years when we aren't even sure what the actual way forward has been." Alex finally said looking at his watch, as he snapped it shut he grinned. "well, its nearly lunch time, the others will be wondering whats keeping us." He said.
Dorothy nodded and got to her feet, grabbing the scepter, and Ozma got to hers. After a moment they were on their way to the dining hall.
