Disclaimer, well you get the picture by now, I don't own the movies, franchises, etc.
Dorothy soon found herself once more in the middle of a nightmare. She found herself in the middle of a dark room. The jester's laugh echoing through the room. She found herself unable to scream, she couldn't move, she couldn't do anything. Then the figure of the jester appeared to her.
"Now my dear, the game can truly begin!" he said cackling.
The room lit up with a bright white light and she was met with the usual sight. Her friends being tortured. She was unable to move, she felt tears streaming down her face as she witnessed what was happening. She wanted to scream but she couldn't, and she soon felt a warm embrace.
"Dorothy, please, you're having the nightmare again, please wake up." Came the voice of Ellie.
Dorothy's eyes snapped open, the patch had been removed from her eye and she could see out of it now. She found herself once again drenched in sweat. She soon felt herself being embraced not just by Ellie but now by Aislynn. Tears continued to pour from her eyes. Ellie then broke from the embrace and helped Dorothy off the couch. Dorothy then felt something being forced into her hand. As she tightened her grip over it she felt herself lurch forward. The feeling of dizziness and sickness began to fall over her as it often did. She soon felt her feet make contact with the ground. She immediately fell into the arms of the scarecrow. She continued to cry as the scarecrow ran his hand through her hair.
"Easy now Dorothy, it's alright." He said trying to calm her.
Dorothy tightened her embrace. She soon felt another hand on her shoulder. She sniffed and turned around to find Glinda, she was smiling her warm smile. Dorothy began to feel better but she was still crying. The scarecrow broke from the embrace and took Dorothy's hand. She was then led over to a couch where she sat down. She looked at her hand and found that she was gripping the scepter. She dropped it and it rolled away. She then felt something else being forced into her hand. She quickly felt a feeling of calmness and tranquility pass over her. Her breathing slowed and she stopped crying. She looked at her hand and saw the pink orb sitting in her grasp.
"Thanks, I needed that." She said wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Dorothy, I would suggest keeping that with you." Glinda said walking over to her.
"Why Glinda?" Dorothy asked.
"Because, we can't keep bringing you here every time there's a problem, we have to keep the jester's spell from taking over all of Oz." Glinda said taking Dorothy's chin in her hand.
"So you're just as much under siege as my home has been?" Dorothy asked sighing.
"Exactly, but Dorothy, promise us one thing, and don't break this promise this time." The scarecrow requested.
"Scarecrow, if I kept all my promises you guys would all be dead." Dorothy said.
"Dorothy!" The scarecrow said sternly.
Dorothy sighed in defeat.
"What do you want me to promise?" she asked curiously.
"Promise us that you won't go looking for the jester, let him come to you, don't worry about him, we know he's confronted you at least twice outside of Oz, he told us himself." The scarecrow said.
"Dorothy, I want to know, is this true?" Glinda asked curiously.
Dorothy nodded in defeat, Glinda sighed.
"He confronted me at the grave of my parents, he was laying flowers there." She said hanging her head in shame.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Glinda asked extremely concerned.
"Because I knew this kind of thing would happen!" she yelled starting to get upset again.
"Dorothy, please, don't get upset again, I'm sorry I mentioned It." the scarecrow said.
"Dorothy, the scarecrow asked you to make a promise, do you promise to keep it?" Glinda asked taking Dorothy's chin in her hand and gently turning her head to face her.
"I-I, I promise not to go looking for the jester." Dorothy said defeated.
Glinda nodded and let go of Dorothy's chin, the scarecrow then walked up to her and knelt so he could make eye contact with her.
"Dorothy, promise me you won't break this promise, I want know that you won't put yourself in danger." The scarecrow said.
Dorothy didn't even think about it, she immediately leaned forward and kissed the scarecrow on the cheek, he once again physically blushed. This made Dorothy giggle. She then took the orb and placed it in her dress pocket.
"Scarecrow, you know I never go looking for danger, I tend to go looking for answers." She said still giggling.
"Dorothy, I… actually that is a good point." the scarecrow said thinking about it for a moment.
"Dorothy, just promise us you'll try to keep yourself safe." Glinda said picking up the scepter.
"I promise Glinda, anyways, can I go back now?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Sure, and Dorothy." Glinda said.
"Yes Glinda?" Dorothy replied
"Happy early birthday." She responded smiling.
Dorothy chuckled as Glinda handed her the scepter. She then felt herself lurch forward. She felt herself this time get extremely dizzy, she looked at the scepter which then flashed an extremely bright light. She then felt her feet make contact with the floor. She fell forward into Jessica's arms. She knew Ellie probably told her to wait there for her return.
"There you are dear, Ellie told me you'd appear sooner or later, they're in the kitchen eating breakfast." She said smiling.
Dorothy nodded and walked in the direction of the kitchen, when she got there she found Ellie and Aislynn eating pancakes at a table on the other side of the kitchen. Dorothy walked over to them and set the scepter against the table. Jenny then came over and handed Dorothy a plate of pancakes. As she sat down she noticed Toto was in the corner gnawing on what looked like a cold chicken leg. She smiled and began to eat. She loved how the pancakes tasted, they had a nice buttermilk flavor to them. She ate in silence for a few moments before looking at Ellie who seemed to be watching her eat.
"What?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"How's my sister?" she asked curiously.
"She's fine, just a bit on edge it seems, she's trying to keep the rest of Oz from being affected by the jesters magic." She said taking another forkful of pancake.
"So, it's basically warfare then?" Ellie asked.
"I wouldn't call it that." Dorothy said.
"What would you call it then?" Aislynn asked.
"I think I'd call it more of a siege since there hasn't been any physical battling going on." She said.
"Okay then." Ellie and Aislynn said in unison.
They all then continued to eat in silence. When they were all finished Dorothy picked up the plates and stuff and brought them to jenny who thanked her and went to wash them. Dorothy then walked over to Toto who at this point was just really gnawing at a chicken bone. When he saw her he got up and barked. Dorothy giggled and leaned over to pick up the bone. She then took it to a trash can and dropped it in. she then walked over to the table and grabbed the scepter, she then motioned for Aislynn and Ellie to follow her. Soon they all found themselves at the front door. Dorothy went over to the rack and grabbed her boots. As she pulled them on a knock came from the door. Jessica ran into the room and opened the door. She was greeted by Dorothy's aunt and uncle.
"Mrs. Gale how have you been?" Jessica asked.
"I've been good, Glinda told us they were here so we came to get them, oh and Dorothy, there's a letter for you." Auntie Em said handing Dorothy an envelope.
Dorothy looked at it and recognized it as a letter that Mr. Alistair sent out every year to the students of the school. She sighed and opened it. Taking out the paper that was inside. She then read through it. It was the schools usual end of the summer greeting and supply list. However stapled to the back was a registration form.
"I guess Mr. Alistair wants me to register Aislynn for school." Dorothy said.
"I'll help you with that later." Auntie Em said.
"Thanks auntie Em, I'm assuming you guys are here to bring us back to town?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Yep, anyways, come on you three, were borrowing Mr. Alistair's truck." Uncle Henry replied.
Aislynn nodded and walked over the rack, pulling out a pair of dress shoes. She quickly pulled them on and ran out of the house. Dorothy followed as did Ellie who was carrying Toto in her arms. When they were in the truck Dorothy gave the scepter to Ellie. She then stretched and groaned. And soon they were driving back to the town.
"So, how's your eye?" Uncle Henry asked.
"Its better, I never actually looked at myself in a mirror this morning, how do I look?" she asked looking at Ellie.
"I think you look good, no bruising, scarring, you look normal." She said.
"That's good." Dorothy said smiling.
"You're welcome." Ellie said giggling.
Dorothy smiled again and sat back. Toto walked over and sat down on her lap. She began to wonder what she was going to do at this point she made a promise to the scarecrow not to go looking for danger. But how was she going to keep this promise when danger tended to come to her extremely often. She hoped the jester would either show up or just let his game play out on its own accord.
"Dorothy?" Ellie asked.
"Huh, what?" Dorothy asked snapping out of her thought.
"You were getting lost in thought again." Ellie said concerned.
"Oh, right, sorry, Oh, we're back in town." Dorothy exclaimed.
"Right, Dorothy, your aunt and I are going to head back to the house with some people and work on trying to get it fixed, we had it appraised last night, and yes by an actual appraiser, he said its fixable but it will take a lot of work, its either that or scrap the entire place and build from the ground up." uncle henry said in an annoyed tone.
Dorothy smiled and took the scepter from Ellie. She then opened the door and jumped out of the truck as it came to a complete halt. Toto had fall off her lap and was now in a complete daze. She ran towards the library, she heard Aislynn and Ellie calling after her. When she got to the library and got in she walked over to the children's section. Setting down the scepter against her stool, she sat down waited. The library would be getting busy soon and she knew it. She was ready for the wave of children that would start coming and waiting for her to continue her story. The clock then struck 9 o'clock. People started coming into the library. Aislynn and Ellie were part of that large flow of people they were followed by Toto at their heels..
"Dorothy?" Ellie asked.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Why'd you run off like that?" Ellie asked curiously.
"I don't know to be honest, hey Ace why don't you sit down and wait, I'll be continuing the story in few minutes." Dorothy said turning her attention to Aislynn.
Aislynn nodded and sat down in front of Dorothy, she then smiled and looked around. More children were beginning to come and gather around. When Dorothy felt that this was a large enough group of kids, she began to talk of her third day in the emerald city. Recounting everything that had happened. she had begun to tell them about what had happened once she had been knocked unconscious when a small balls of paper flew past her and struck Aislynn.
"Hey, it's that girl who reads the encyclopedia for fun!" came the voice of Alex.
He had returned to the library, this time with a small group of people from Dorothy's class. They were laughing at Aislynn. Making fun of her for liking to read. Aislynn got up and ran away crying. Ellie ran after her. Mrs. T walked over to the boys and was about to start scolding them when Dorothy got up, grabbed the scepter and walked over to them/
"Hey, Alex, that was a rotten thing to do, and it was low even for your standards." Dorothy said in a stern tone.
"But she reads for fun." Alex replied.
"So? Some people go to the library to do that, you really hurt her feelings." Dorothy said.
"Why do you care?" he asked.
"Because I happen to have her in my custody." Dorothy said.
Alex went completely wide-eyed at this.
"What?" he finally managed to say.
"She's not just someone I care about, she is in my custody." Dorothy said.
Ellie then showed up with Aislynn at her side. Alex and his group took this time to run. Ellie and Mrs. T tried to run after them but Dorothy held the scepter out blocking them from pursuing them.
"Dorothy!" Ellie yelled.
"Let them go, they'll just do it again anyways." Dorothy said sighing.
"You mean they've done this before?" Ellie asked curiously.
"Yes, and not just to Ace, he and that group are always causing problems at school." Dorothy said sadly.
"Why do you guys let him do it?" Aislynn asked.
"Because no one has been able to stop him, he's a rebel." Came the voice of Donna from behind them.
"Exactly donna." Dorothy said.
"And I'm sure that when we start school in a few weeks they'll do it to whoever out teacher is this year." Donna said sighing.
"What are you so sorry about? You used to be the same way." Dorothy said.
"Yea but I've changed." She replied.
Toto walked over to them at this point and decided to make his presence known. Dorothy sighed and picked him up. He barked again and licked her on her face. She giggled and handed Toto to Ellie.
"Ellie, I'm going to go for a walk, watch ace and Toto and keep them safe." Dorothy said walking towards the doors.
As she walked out of the library she looked around and saw that the sky was relatively clear today. She saw some clouds but they weren't the dark ones that loomed over Kansas so often. She sighed and began her walk soon she found herself walking by the bank and remembered the key she had been left. She gasped and rummaged through her pockets. She was surprised to find the keys on their ribbon in her pockets. She looked at the smaller of the two, know it was to the deposit box she walked in, as she did she saw Officer grey and his wife who worked at the bank.
"Ah hello Dorothy." came the voice of Officer Grey.
"Oh, hello officer grey, Hello Mrs. Grey." Dorothy said.
"Hello Dorothy dear, did you need something?" Mrs. Grey asked curiously.
"Yes, I would like to access a safety deposit box that I inherited." Dorothy said showing her the key.
"Ah yes, my husband was telling me about that a few days ago, right this way, I'll take you to Mr. Diggs's deposit box." She said getting up and leading Dorothy down a hallway.
As they walked Dorothy around and wondered why they never hung anything around here. Mrs. Grey then stopped in front of a large door and took out a set of keys. She then unlocked the door and walked in. taking out a small ledger book. She flipped through it for a minute and walked over to a small box. It was marks 127-OZ. this made Dorothy giggle a bit as she walked over and inserted the key in the lock. Turning it, she then pulled the box out and walked to a nearby table. Mrs. Grey had gone to the corner of the room know Dorothy wanted some privacy while she did this. Dorothy then sat down at the table, setting down the scepter she went through the contents of the box. The first thing she pulled out was a key, she would have to add it to the set of keys that scarecrow had. She then pulled out the book and the emerald. The book was small, and it looked like it belonged in the emerald city library. She flipped through it and found that it was more or less like a journal. It seemed to be recounts of everything Mr. Diggs did when he was in Oz and when he returned to Kansas. She then looked at the emerald, it was a nice cut one that looked like it could be made into a pendent, but she was sure it had a place in the emerald city somewhere. She pocketed the key and the emerald. She then placed the book back in the box and walked over to the shelf.
"Could you help me get this back in?" Dorothy asked.
Mrs. Grey nodded and walked over. Dorothy took the key and inserted it in the lock before Mrs. Grey set it back into its spot. Dorothy then turned the key and locked it again. She then drew the key from the lock and then pocketed her keys. She then walked over to the scepter and picked it.
"Thanks Mrs. Grey." Dorothy said as she walked out of the room.
"No problem dear." She replied
Dorothy smiled and walked out of the room. She then walked out of the bank. She then headed back towards the library. When she got there she found Ellie and Aislynn sitting on a bench Toto was on the ground playing with one of Ellie's shoes.
"So, I see you two have been keeping yourselves amused." Dorothy said giggling.
"Thanks Dorothy, oh by the way, your aunt called the library, Aislynn's registered all they need is your signature and she can start the school year at your school, the problem is school will be starting late for you this year." Ellie said.
"Why's that?" Dorothy asked.
"According to Mr. Alistair, most of the teachers left after this last tornado." Ellie said sadly.
Hey guys?" Aislynn asked curiously.
"Yes Aislynn?" Dorothy asked looking at her.
"What's that?" She asked quite concerned.
"What's what?" Dorothy asked.
Aislynn pointed at the sky. Ellie and Dorothy looked. They saw some strange creature silhouetted in the sunlight fly past them.
"I don't know ace." Ellie replied.
"Me neither, I hope it was some rare species of bird though." Dorothy said a bit worried.
"You know what that was." Came the voice of the jester ringing through her head.
"Dorothy…?" Ellie asked.
Dorothy began to feel really dizzy and nauseous, this next thing she knew, she collapsed and blacked out.