Luke's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the Emerald city and all its glory. The entire place was emerald green and shiny like new as the people laughed heartily while going about their business.

"Well look at that! Visitors!" The group looked to see a short and squat man with a small mustache and tiny eyes driving a horse carriage. The white horse whinnied and brought the cart to a halt. "Fancy a lift?" the driver asked.

"Yes please!" Luke exclaimed. The group clambered into the carriage, catching the attention of the locals. However, they simply smiled, shrugged and went on their way, not at all bothered by the ragtag group. "Where to?" The driver asked.

"Could you take us to the Wizard?" Luke asked.

The driver looked unsure for a moment, but shrugged after a few moments, "Sure, why not?" he said. "I'll drop you off at the service building near the Wizard; they'll get you all cleaned up."

"Thank you very much." Redoll said. The driver snapped the reins and the horse started off.

"This place is amazing!" Sharon breathed.

"It's beautiful." Lando agreed.

Luke kneeled on the seats, taking in the full view of the large city. It was absolutely stunning; Luke dared even thought it was more beautiful than Monte d'Or! He wished the Professor could see this place, all the nice people, the tall buildings, the purple horse...what? Luke stared at the horse pulling the carriage and tapped the driver, "Hey, wasn't that horse white just a moment ago?" he asked.

The driver chuckled, "Of course he was! He's the horse of a different color you've always heard about!" The group laughed as their spirits seemed to be lifted ever higher by the happy and carefree aura of the city. The driver dropped them off at the service building like he said and the group was whisked away to be pampered.

Lando was given fresh straw and hay, and even got a few holes in his clothes patched up. Sharon was oiled, scrubbed and buffed until she shined. Not a speck of rust or dirt was left on her.

Luke was bathed promptly, his hair washed thoroughly, the dirt melting off in the warm water. His clothes were washed and ironed and Trevor was even given a bath and good brushing, complete with a green ribbon around his neck. He no longer looked like the stray Luke found wandering the streets of Monte d'Or, he looked like a well kept pet.

Redoll was placed in a chair where his tangled mane was brushed and combed until it was smooth and soft. His claws were trimmed and his fur was scrubbed clean of any dirt. Soon the group exited the service building, feeling more refreshed than they had ever felt. The thanked the workers gratefully and exited back out to the streets of Oz. Now they could finally get what they came for.

"Ready?" Sharon asked Luke, taking his hand. Luke nodded, "I'm a hundred, no, two hundred percent ready!" he exclaimed. Trevor barked happily.

"Let's go see the Wizard." Redoll said with a nod. But as they took their first steps, a scream rang out, sounding alien in the happy atmosphere of the city. The scream seemed to spread across the area as people began pointing to the sky in fear. They looked up to see a figure flying through the sky.

"It's the witch of the West!" Someone screamed.

Luke froze for a moment, snatching up Trevor and watching the sky. He heard Anton's chilling laugh as he drew his sword and shivered causing Sharon to put a hand on his shoulder. "The witch of the West? What's he doing here?" Redoll asked.

"That guy chased us all the way here?" Lando said angrily. "Does he ever give up?" They watched as black smoke began to emerge from the tip of the sword. Anton waved it around as the smoke became a thin stream that slowly began to form letters. S...U...R...R…

Sharon pulled Luke close as the message soon became clear.

SURRENDER LUKE.

Lando took a step protectively in front of Luke in case anyone tried anything, as well as Redoll, despite not knowing what was going on. But luckily for them, Luke hadn't told anyone in Oz his name.

"Luke?"

"Who's Luke?"

"Who could that be?" The people around them muttered.

"The Wizard will explain it!" Another person shouted, rallying the people in agreement.

"Yes, the Wizard!"

"He'll know what to do!"

Lando gripped Sharon's shoulder to pull her gaze away from Anton. "C'mon, we have to get to the Wizard now!" he said.

"Right." Sharon nodded, "C'mon Luke." Luke couldn't tear his gaze away as he released Trevor and Sharon grabbed his hand, dragging him with the other people.

They arrived with the crowd of people at the entrance of the Wizard's palace where a guard with a long pompadour and a very broad chest struggled to keep people back. "Everyone remain calm! Quiet down everyone, do not panic!" he yelled. "The Wizard has just informed me that he is taking care of everything!"

The crowd immediately calmed at those words. This must be a really powerful Wizard if he was already planning something. The guard nodded, "That's right, everything is fine. You can all go home, there's nothing all to worry about!" he said shooing the people away. The crowd dispersed quickly, wanting to be safely inside until the witch left.

Once the space was clear, Luke and his friends approached the guard. "If you don't mind sir, we have to see the Wizard right away." Luke said.

"Sorry lad, but no one can see the great Oz. Orders are orders." The guard said.

"But we have to!" Luke protested. "It's very important!"

"No one sees the Wizard, and that's that!" The guard retorted.

Lando stepped forward. "We have to sir; this boy is Luke!" he said.

The guard did a double take, "Luke? You mean the…" he trailed off as he gestured towards the sky where the message was slowly fading in the wind. Luke nodded quickly and the guard nodded, "Well, that changes things." he said, stroking his chin. "I'll announce you to the Wizard, and see if he'll take you." He turned sharply and entered the large double doors.

"Good thinking, Lando." Sharon complimented.

Lando snorted, "I wouldn't call it that, being brainless and all."

"We're finally going to see the Wizard, Trevor." Luke said to the little dog. "We can finally get back to Monte d'Or." Trevor wagged his tail and barked happily. "I can't wait to go home!" Was roughly translated by Luke.

"I'll finally be brave." Redoll said almost in disbelief. "I'll no longer be the laughing stock of the forest; I'll be the king of the beasts, just like my father."

Lando gave the lion an encouraging pat, "I have a feeling you'll be one of the bravest lions in Oz."

Sharon sighed and put a hand on her chest, "I can almost feel my heart beating; I'll finally be able to feel true emotions."

Lando smiled at her, "I may not have a brain, but I know that even without a heart you're the kindest person I know." Sharon smiled and looked away while Luke and Redoll smiled at each other knowingly. Could these two be any more obvious?

The tender moment was suddenly shattered as the guard reemerged from the doors. The group looked at him expectantly but the guard shook his head. "Sorry lads, but the Wizard isn't seeing anyone today; he says to go home." Without even waiting for a response, the guard went back into the double doors and slammed them shut. Luke flinched as he felt his whole world shatter in the span of a few seconds.

"Go home?" Redoll asked shakily.

"But we came all this way…" Lando said sadly.

Sharon looked down at Luke who had slowly sat down on the steps, pulling his knees to his chest. "Luke?" Sharon asked, sitting down next to him. "Are you alright."

"No." Luke said sharply, shaking his head. "I'm not alright." He could feel a lump coming to his throat and tears that he couldn't stop as the weight of everything crashed down on him. He was stuck in Oz forever. He could never go back home; he would never see his friends or family again.

"I-I really thought...that I would be able to g-get home." he choked. "B-but now I-I can never go back." Sharon placed her arm around him and he looked up into her pale tin eyes. 'It's alright, just let it out.' Was what her expression said. If she couldn't express emotion, she decided it was the next best thing to allow others to.

Luke leaned into her, allowing her to hug him as tears fell from his eyes, dripping onto Sharon's metal body with small taps. "I'll never be able to see the Professor or Emmy ever again." Luke sobbed. "They're probably all looking for me...and I left without saying goodbye!"

He thought of the Professor and Emmy roaming the streets of Monte d'Or, looking around and calling for Luke but never receiving an answer. "W-What will they do when they never find me? W-What will they tell mum and dad?" He thought of his parents in Misthallery, along with Arianna and Tony, all sitting in the big house, crying for him, wishing for him to come back.

Sharon rubbed his back soothingly while Lando and Redoll sat near him, offering whatever moral support they could. Trevor lay on Luke's lap, whimpering in sympathy for his friend. But Luke was too upset to translate what he was saying. "I wish I could go back just for a moment." Luke said softly. "I wish I could apologize for leaving like that...and for being so jealous…"

He wiped his eyes as the guard had tears streaming down his face, making a puddle on the ground as he watched the heartbreaking scene from a portal on the door. "So touching...you really do love your family…" he sobbed, putting his arm over his eyes. "A-alright you four, come here!" he called with a sniff. "I'll let you see the Wizard, just please don't cry anymore!"

The group looked up as the guard disappeared through the portal and the doors opened. Luke sniffed and wiped his eyes, pulling himself together as he got up, feeling a new hope rise within him. They were going to see the Wizard! This was it! They stepped through the wide doors only to have them shut behind them once they entered. "Well, ready?" Lando asked.

No one answered and only took each others hands as they ventured forward.

Barton is Best Carriage Driver! And Strotsky...still a pretty lovable incompetent guy XP

Do we have any guesses on who our Wizard could be? Anyone? Anyone at all?