(Dorothy Finds a Present)

*June 21st, 1906*

*Emerald Palace*

The day of Ozma's birthday has finally arrived as Dorothy was sitting on Ozma's throne, filling in for announcing the upcoming guests for the party as Woggle-Bug assisted the young girl.

"I wonder where Ozma could be? I don't want her working on her birthday. It's her special day, and I want to ensure she's at least taking time to nap instead of working." Dorothy pondered while lying back on the throne, stretching in the process.

"Well, Dorothy. Ozma is a very busy girl. Even on her birthday, she must attend meetings and other such tasks; however, I'm glad you volunteered to help with the guests for the party. Even my students at the Royal College wanted to help, but Ozma requested that the job land on you." Woggle-Bug spoke to Dorothy while Dorothy smiled back at him.

"I'm aware of that, and it sucks, but I can't let Ozma down on her important day, so I'm going just to relax and help her read the list of names.." Dorothy responded while closing her eyes for a bit to relax before the guests arrived; however, something came into her mind that made her jump from the thone, startling her friends in the process.

"D-Dorothy?! What's going on?! Did a spider crawl over you or something?" Betsy asked her friends curiously as she checked on her friend, and of course, she found no spider, which further piqued her curiosity.

"I-I forgot to give Ozma her gift! It's back in Kansas, and I cannot get there! I'm so stupid!" Dorothy exclaimed to Betsy in response, having a somewhat surprised look as this brought some relief to Betsy's face.

"D-Dorothy. Don't scare us like that, and I'm sure we can get it after Ozma finishes her royal duties. We have the whole day, so don't worry or anything." Betsy advised Dorothy while gently patting her on the shoulder, with Woggle-Bug nodding in agreement.

"You're friend is right. All that worrying will fry your brain, and we certainly don't want that to happen now, do we?" Woggle-Bug chimed into the conversation with a hint of concern while Polychrome, Zeb, Button-Bright, and the others in the room also nodded in support.

"But by the time Ozma is finished. The guests will already be here, or at least some will be. If only Glinda were here to help.." Dorothy responded, sighing as she slumped back on the throne while feeling disappointed with herself; however, just when hope was lost, Glinda and Kiki were the first guests to arrive, and their presence surprised everyone.

Betsy, Zeb, and the others would all greet and introduce themselves to Glinda while Dorothy remained sitting on the throne.

"Dorothy, my dear. I see you have stepped on the Land of Oz once again; however, you need help getting Ozma's gift, correct?" Glinda greeted Dorothy while walking inside the palace alongside Kiki, who was also happy to see Dorothy.

This surprised Dorothy as she quickly got up from the throne and went over to hug Glinda and Kiki rather joyfully.

"G-Glinda! Kiki! I'm happy to see you guys! I was also thinking about you and hoping you would help me retrieve Ozma's gift. It's in my house back in Kansas." Dorothy greeted Glinda and Kiki before releasing herself from the hug as Kiki began to speak.

"I'm happy to see you as well and can help you. I've been training under Glinda so this Quadling girl can help you with your problems." Kiki responded to Dorothy with a smile on her face before giving her a wink which surprised Dorothy as the girl had a look of curiosity on her face, thus leading her to speak once more.

"W-Wait?! You're Glinda's student?! That's wonderful! Do you plan on taking Glinda's palace in the future…" Dorothy asked Kiki with great interest and curiosity before seeing Kiki speaking once more.

"Something like that. I remember Glinda telling me that she needed someone just in case things hit the fan but other than that, It's nothing too serious or anything," Kiki responded.

At the same time, Glinda nodded in confirmation before chiming into the conversation.

"Kiki is right. I was going to help you; however, since Kiki offered instead, this will be a great showcase of what I've taught her throughout the months, so be sure to give Kiki your thanks once she's finished." Glinda advised Dorothy.

At the same time, the young girl smiled, nodding her head in the process before turning over to Kiki.

"That's wonderful! I hope everything goes well concerning Glinda's teaching and returning to Ozma's gift; it's at my home farmhouse in Kansas.." Dorothy spoke to Kiki rather joyfully as she waited for whatever was going to come next.

"Okay, I will read your mind for a bit, okay? That's what is going to help me pinpoint the exact location of your home, and I know Glinda can easily tell me or do it on a whim; however, I want to learn everything on my own," Kiki responded with a smile as she began to place her hands on Dorothy's forehead thus beginning to read her mind.

Kiki began reading through Dorothy's mind, and she saw the majority of her life, such as her as a baby, her first words, and her adventures in Oz, such as her encounters with the Wicked Witch of the West, Nome King, and Aurora.

"Alright, I've pinpointed the exact location of your home. I shall send you there right about now!" Kiki spoke to Dorothy once more as a brilliant flash of light consumed Dorothy before sending her back to Kansas, much to the surprise of everyone.

"W-Whoa! I never knew Kiki or even Glinda could do something like that." Tin Woodman spoke to himself while Scarecrow nodded in agreement.

*Kansas*

Dorothy appeared in front of her home, which seemed to have startled Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, who were sitting in front of their home.

"D-Dorothy?! Where in the world have you been? We thought you were at Betsy's home or something!" Aunt Em cried out with a hint of relief while Uncle Henry nodded.

"We were looking for you all day yesterday! We figured you went to Betsy's or you went to that.." Uncle Henry spoke as well, only to pause before finishing what he could say as he saw the look of joy on Dorothy's face.

"I've gone to Oz again; however, I'm going to leave once more since I'm here to get a gift for my friend, Ozma!" Dorothy responded rather joyfully before quickly running inside while Aunt Em and Uncle Henry had confused looks on their faces.

"Oz, that darn place! For the past six years. She's been talking about Oz. That place only brings back painful memories.." Aunt Em ranted to Uncle Henry before sighing to herself as she looked over at her husband, who had a look of support on his face.

"I know, dear. Dorothy is still traumatized by that tornado. She doesn't talk about it, but I can't imagine a poor eight-year-old girl being swept up by such a terrible event. That same eight-year-old girl is now a strong fourteen-year-old girl, so let her dream until further notice.." Uncle Henry advised his wife while gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Well, it's not just that..It's.." Aunt Em responded; however, before she finished whatever she was saying, Dorothy appeared from the door with the gift in her hand.

"I'm returning to Oz now. I'll see you two soon. I love you!" Dorothy spoke to her Uncle and Aunt for the final time, kissing both of them before running back inside.

"Dorothy, whatever adventures you find yourself being involved in. Please don't become like your mother…" Aunt Em thought to herself before looking at Uncle Henry, who had a curious yet serious look on his face.

"I know that face. You're thinking about Dorothy's mother, aren't you?" Uncle Henry spoke to his wife, ready to hear what she would say before being interrupted.

*Emerald Palace*

Dorothy used her mirror in her room to return to Oz, and there, she was excited to present Ozma with her gift when the time was right.

"I'm back!" Dorothy called out excitedly as she ran down the stairs to find Billina with her chicks, which made her happy.

"Billina! I'm happy to see you and your children. They're so cute!" Dorothy complimented while slowly walking over to pet each chick. Billina's chicks were small and resembled Billina, with ten chicks total.

"Oh, they're such lovely things! What are their names?" Dorothy asked Billina joyfully while petting the chicks warmly as she waited for an answer from Billina.

"Well, all ten of them are named Dorothy, after you. Isn't that wonderful?" Billina responded while Dorothy had the biggest smile on her face.

"Aww, I'm honored. Thank you. It means a lot to me, " Dorothy said once more to Billina as the red hen smiled back.

"Of course, you're wondering about your friends, right? Well, they're about to greet the guests for the party; I was just taking the chicks to lay their eggs, so you better hurry so you can read off the announcements!" Billina advised Dorothy rather urgently, as this made Dorothy's eyes widen with surprise.

"R-Really?! I'm going to miss it! Thank you for telling me! I refuse to be late, but chatting with you and meeting your children was nice!" Dorothy responded to Billina for the final time before quickly running across the palace's interiors, running past many stairs of the huge palace.

"Oh, man! I hope they didn't start without me! I can't let Ozma down!" Dorothy thought to herself while running toward her destination, hoping to make it in time for the guest's arrival.