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A night like no other, that was the only way they could describe it. The entire palace was quiet and still. Save for a few exceptions. The tin man, the scarecrow, and Oscar diggs. They stood in the workshop working on the new rainbow mover. One more touch and it would be completed, one last improvement that the two had suddenly came to the conclusion was necessary at the same time.

"Hold that down." The Wizard said pointing to a control.

The tin man went over to it and held it down. Leaning against it.

The machine began to hum, the entire interior chamber filled with a rainbow light. Inside at the back a prism with many devices rotating around it. Ready to send a passenger whenever or retrieve whoever.

The smell of heated metal began to fill the room.

"Just a little bit longer" the wizard said making a few more adjustments, "scarecrow hand me the tool in the number two slot"

Scarecrow quickly complied. The wizard put all his strength into turning a few things. In seconds the glow began to center, concentrate into a single beam. It bounced around the machine and then straight up through the skylight.

"Okay nick, that should do it." Scarecrow said.

"Nick?" The Wizard asked coming out from under the rainbow mover

"Yes, that is my name, or it was before I became a tin woodman." The Tin man said "Nick Chopper"

"Bit on the nose, isn't it?" the wizard asked in response

"Never really thought about that if I'm being honest." The Tin man said leaning against the wall, "I suppose if one wanted to over think it, then yes, but that's all in the past now."

"Grandfather?" Ace asked coming into the workshop, looking absolutely exhausted.

"Aislynn Susan diggs, why are you awake its…" The Wizard trailed off and checked his watch, "Half-passed midnight."

"I couldn't sleep" she said padding over the rainbow move

Tiredly she pressed some controls. The concentrated beam expanded a little, and on the screen came a map. Not just of oz but its surrounding countries.

"I see you succeeded" she said

"Would there ever, in any reality, be any doubts?" The wizard said going over to his granddaughter and embracing her, before leading her away from the rainbow mover, "I know sleep isn't really in your vocabulary, but…" he trailed off as the end of his shoe met a wrench, "Scarecrow, can you go with her, I'll be there in short order." He said

Scarecrow nodded and lead Aislynn out of the back workshop. Immediately Oscar set to work cleaning things up.

"Scarecrow would usually wait before cleaning things up, just to be sure that everything worked perfectly." The Tin Man said his head following scarecrow and aislynn's movements.

"Yes, well, ace proved that it worked as intended, we now have a clear map of the Nonestic isles, all the surrounding countries." He said looking at the screen. "Something Tells me Ace was somehow waiting up for the right moment so she could test it, those two have put a lot of work into the rainbow mover, and I will acknowledge your help as well." He continued.

"Well, I mostly carry things and hold down controls that will get too hot to handle." The Tin man said

"Which is important" The Wizard said organizing the tools the shutting them away. "Anyways, I should catch up to them now, what is it that you two usually do over nights?" He asked curiously.

"Whatever takes our fancy, usually." The Tin Man said, "not requiring sleep or rest provides one ample opportunity to do as they please"

"True enough." The wizard said heading for the door, "Well, I suppose that's that then." He said leaving the workshop.

Outside the palace, outside the city at the docks of the river stood a girl. The same girl that had been generating so many questions. She looked up as the beam of rainbow light left the palace. She knew what it was doing. What it meant. Soon it would fade as its job had been accomplished. She sighed and sat on the docks. Tugg was Entertaining himself talking to the fireflies and had not noticed her. this was good as it avoided a long conversation.

as the rainbow light faded however, new lights, which were hardly perceivable to the naked eye joined its place. Little orbs of light.

"Hints of the future to come, right on schedule" she said taking out the watch and her journal

She double checked the time, then the entry and scratched it out. Knowing what was coming. She could have risked warning them but knew it would make no difference. An orb of light soon approached her. It spun around her as though examining her like a dog, then darted off towards the city and the palace.

Alex's Dream.

As Alex slept, his arms holding dorothy close to him. Their hearts so close together. He found himself in what he felt must be his own personal dreamscape. It was a parlor, similar to the one at gale hall. Furniture, armchairs, a sofa. Fireplace. But over the fireplace was a painting of the first thing on their mind. Dorothy.

Outside one could see a picturesque forest. a forest that alex and the beast knew well. As it had been the one they had had their fight in. the beast was sat in an armchair looking forward at him.

"So, this is our dreamscape, not very important looking, not very different from our normal surroundings." the beast said, "but still comforting to us."

"But why pull us in now?" he asked curiously.

"I think we both know the answer to that, we may not remember too much about the future echo, but we know that we will be doing something incredibly drastic." He said, "But what we saw after that, at least in our mind seems a lot more…" the beast trailed off as his vision seemed to catch something.

Alex followed his eyes and turned. What he saw standing behind him was still burned into his brain from the sanctuary. He looked it over.

"What are you?" the beast asked.

"Who are you?" Alex asked in response.

As the two of them looked it over, it said nothing, it just watched. Like a guardian or sentinel. Something they both noticed, and both remarked on however was something on its outfit, something they hadn't noticed before during the brief flash. A badge on its outfit. On it barely noticeable but still readable was a number. The number 12. Knowing this filled both of them with something. They couldn't tell if it was fear and dread, or anxiety. The two of them just continued to stare down it, and the watcher continued to stare through them.

Polly's dream.

Her sleeps were usually short but restful. Now Polly found herself in a dream. She was amongst the cloud, lost and confused. A voice began to speak to her.

"So, little sky faerie, have you been having fun on the surface world?" the voice asked sweetly.

"I would like to know why I was sent down here in the first place, it's not that I don't enjoy it, its quite interesting, but why?" she asked the voice curiously.

"To learn a lesson, to learn about the people below, your natural protections from being of the sky keep you safe, but you have magicks that you were stripped the knowledge of." The voice said, "it has been decided that the knowledge of these magicks will be returned to you."

"What does that mean?" Polly asked curiously.

"It means you're even closer to knowing who you are again." The voice said.

Dorothy's dream.

She had started in the dreamscape with Madeline. But something seemed to call to her and her alone. Madeline had instructed her to go but to be cautious. She would keep the link between them open in the event of an emergency. And now dorothy found herself in what could only be described as a chamber. The floor was made up of tiles. The tiles were two colors, yellowish grey, and white. They were arranged in an odd pattern that dorothy thought she recognized but couldn't place. Sat in the center of the room, was a cat. Short haired but snow white. She sat staring up at dorothy.

"Were you the one calling out to me?" Dorothy asked curiously.

"Indeed." The cat said, her voice sweet matronly, "I would assume you wish to know why?"

Dorothy nodded.

"Events have already been set in motion, some are building up to a head even as we speak, you wont be detained in this scape long, you will be pulled soon, so I must be brief" the cat said getting up and walking towards a wall.

On instinct dorothy followed. They walked straight through the wall into a chamber that was the same yellowish-grey that some of the tiles on the floor in the previous chamber was. In the center of it was the room was a person. or the rough approximation of one. It was a body made entirely out of glass or crystal.

As she approached it, she began to hear whispers yet again.

"This is unavoidable unfortunately, it cant be prevented." The cat said.

"But what is it?" Dorothy asked curiously.

"It is what you see" The cat said.

The clear body suddenly turned and made to start towards dorothy. However, the cat stood between them, and a barrier was cast.

"They are mostly harmless, I wouldn't advise you go hunting for them, they'll turn up on their own." She said, "You wont be judged for what happens when they do."

Dorothy didn't like the sound of that, for all that talk about not being advised, it sounded like she would find them anyways.

"Just follow the path, keep the balance, and above all else, know that you are who you are, no matter what happens, no matter what others may think, no matter what it is you must do."

Suddenly the entirety of the place shifted and shuddered, a moan could be heard somewhere in the distance. The cat cast around looking almost fearful.

"I've expended what energies I could, just bringing you here through the dreamscapes requires so much magic, magic that I can barely access in my state of being." She said, "I cant even maintain this form very long"

The entire place shook again.

"There's just one more thing I would have you do, and you'll know what it is when the time comes." She said

At that moment the cat began to glow, and the scenery began to blur. Dorothy suddenly felt herself falling through infinite space, infinite nothing. Just a voice

"Must maintain the balance of it all, it must happen, it will always happen, the scales can never tip one way without the other rearing its head."

These words repeated in Dorothy's head over and over and were soon joined by another voice.

"To know, to see, is not all its cracked up to be, the past doesn't always seem to match, the past is the look, memories key to the latch, but what do you find when it doesn't quite fit, the effects on one's mind don't seem simple, not one bit."

Dorothy thought she recognized this voice, it sounded too far away for her to be sure but at the same time clear as a bell. She heard Madeline calling to her, summoning her back to the dreamscape, but it didn't come. Instead, she found herself landing in someone's arms. Alex's

They were in what could only be described as a glade or something. It was filled with mist. It reminded dorothy vaguely of the tribunal's sanctuary. Alex gently set her down and the look on his face made hers drop. He looked concerned.

"Suddenly pulled here as well?" he asked, his and the beasts voices coming out at once.

She nodded.

Ozma's dream.

She had gotten to bed later than the rest of them. she had spent some time reading a book she had borrowed from Madeline on dreamscapes. She had considered forming a proper one for herself. However, as minutes turned to hours, turned to meditation to make the attempt. She felt something calling to her, pulling her a specific direction. And soon she felt herself floating, flying through nothingness. At first, she was distressed by this, but after a few moments as nothing happened, she began to grow curious. This however while not short live, was diverted as she found herself landing in a spot right in the view of dorothy and alex. Polly soon appeared in a flash of multicolored light as well. To the three of them this was the least unusual thing to happen here. Soon even Ellie had joined them looking confused.

"Still, if you had that much in the circle" They heard a voice said, "yes, I think it could be done"

It was that of a female. Ozma took the lead and lead them towards it. They found a gorgeous woman, extremely tall. Clad in white garments that flowed over her figure. Her hair, a sort of mix between auburn and blonde depending on how the light hit it. There was something about her that seemed familiar but none of them could place it.

"Age being a choice was a good one" the woman seemed distracted with her own business.

They didn't know if she knew they could see her, or if she was really there in front of them. she was aware but waiting to be addressed. This came in the form of alex doing a fake cough.

"Ah, yes, hmm, hadn't expected so many of you, seems the call went out to a few more than expected, I had expected the queen, her two closest, and the sky faerie." She said, she then addressed alex specifically "who I am isn't important at this moment in time, its who all of you are that's important to me."

"Why?" They all asked in unison.

"Because you'll find as events draw to a head, you might find yourselves questioning that very point." The woman said "some things go hand in hand, and who you are and how you act can tend to be two different things.

"Well…" dorothy started to say only to find herself being cut off by alex, who placed a hand over her mouth.

"Are you the one responsible for our dreams tonight?" Alex asked curiously.

"Dreams? No, I just summoned you all here, technically you are here in spirit but not in waking body, and that's only because this is a place hidden and forbidden to mortals without express permission." She said with a smile "as for the dreams, if I took a hard guess, I'd say another force is at work."

"What did you dream about ellie?" Dorothy asked pulling Alex's hand from her mouth.

"I'd…rather not talk about it, needless to say though my sister and I need to have a very long discussion." Ellie said scratching the back of her neck.

"And why wasn't the hatter pulled here?" Polly asked curiously.

"Because her presence is unnecessary, and mildly redundant, as she is hearing all this anyway." The woman said smiling.

"She's got us there." Alex said rolling his eyes, "I get the impression that something is coming, and its going to be big." He said

"That sounds logical, but how do you come to that conclusion?" she asked, the air of the question being rhetorical not being lost on the group.

"Probably because nine times out of ten it is?" Dorothy asked as a response to this, "And 10 out of 10 times it targets me first."

"You ever wonder why that is?" The woman asked

"Occasionally, but I also have a feeling that no matter the answer, and no matter what, it wont change a thing." Dorothy said in response, "the logic behind, be careful what you wish for."

"More like, measure your questions well, you might get the answer you're looking for, but you may not like it" the woman said.

"Same logic different wording." Alex interjected.

"I ask that none of you try searching for this place, or even for me." She said, "Events will bring us all together eventually, time will tell how."

"Or rather he himself wont" Alex added, "he'll just let them play out."

The woman said nothing in response to this, she simply smiled. Taking two fingers to her lips, she kissed them forming a little magical energy onto them. dorothy had once seen Madeline do a similar trick. She pointed to the group and suddenly as though being yanked backwards they all found themselves waking up in their beds. It wasn't long before dorothy and alex found themselves in Ozma's room, joined by Polly, Madeline, and ellie. They all had to talk this over.

Meanwhile outside the palace still at the docks, the mysterious girl stood. Her eyes misting. It would still be a while yet before what was to come, but that while would arrive in the winking of an eye. She remembered it well. She snapped her journal shut and just as tugg was shifting to see who was there. She had vanished.

So. A quick authors note here. When I came up with the dream concept for this chapter, I had originally envisioned it as a songfic. For the Zeb and Elena ship writing a duet songfic version of Billy Joel's uptown girl. it did not, however pan out. It got replaced with this. The Title, Perchance, is from the phrase, "perchance to dream"