(Into the Training Room)
*July 15th, 1906*
*Winkie Country*
The afternoon sun shone upon Scarecrow's home as everyone was departing for Tin Woodman's castle.
"Alright, is everyone ready to go? We don't want to be late." Omby Amby spoke to everyone while he was met with nods of confirmation from the gang.
"Of course, I can't wait for Aunt Em and Uncle Henry to see Tin Woodman," Dorothy responded joyfully while Omby Amby smiled back.
"Wonderful. We shall now head over to the castle, hang on tightly." Omby Amby responded with a smile before using his staff to teleport everyone to their destination.
*Tin Woodman's Castle*
The gang arrived at their destination, and of course, the castle was still as beautiful as ever.
Aunt Em and Uncle Henry were captivated by the beauty of the castle which made Dorothy smile.
"What a magnificent castle! So this was where you killed the Witch, right? It looks so much nicer than how you described it." Aunt Em spoke to Dorothy with awestruck in her voice while the young girl smiled back.
"Correct. The Wicked Witch of the West used to live in this castle, and she enslaved the Winkies for years, but luckily I managed to save them, although It was by accident since she was trying to kill Toto." Dorothy responded while Aunt Em nodded understandably.
"I see. That explains the statue of you and your friends. I can see it in the gardens I presume." Aunt Em responded while looking over at the beautiful garden which was behind the entrance.
"Yup, I'm pretty much a hero to the Winkies. If it wasn't for my quick thinking then they'll be enslaved to this day, so that's their way of expressing thanks." Dorothy responded once more with a smile while feeling herself getting closer to the castle.
"Oh yeah, how do the Winkies even work around here? Are they soldiers or civilians?" Polychrome quickly asked while Scarecrow was the first to respond to the question.
"Some are soldiers and some are civilians. Tin Woodman has about a thousand soldiers for self-defense, and another thousand to keep the castle from rusting." Scarecrow explained to Polychrome while the rainbow girl nodded in an understanding way.
"Ooh, I see. The Winkies sound quite fascinating." Polychrome responded with curiosity while Scarecrow nodded.
The gang continued to walk toward the front entrance of the castle, and there, they met with Tin Woodman who greeted them and allowed them within the palace grounds.
"It's great seeing you again, Mr Chopper. How have things been for you these days?" Dorothy greeted her friend while hugging him warmly which was returned by Tin Woodman.
"Hello, Dorothy. I'm doing good these days, and I assume these two are your Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, right? It's a pleasure to meet both of them." Tin Woodman greeted Dorothy back while shaking the hands of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.
"Of course, I've been waiting to introduce them to you for a long time, so I'm glad that you guys can meet," Dorothy responded kindly while Aunt Em and Uncle Henry smiled at this.
"Of course, it's a pleasure to meet Nick Chopper. We've heard good things about him from you." Uncle Henry responded to Dorothy while continuing to shake hands with Tin Woodman.
"I could say the same as well, my dear Henry. It makes me glad to finally meet Mr Chopper as well." Aunt Em spoke to Uncle Henry while she shook hands with Tin Woodman as well.
After the handshake, Tin Woodman would turn his attention to Dorothy.
"Indeed; however, I'm afraid that this meeting will be short since I have something urgent to tell you guys." Tin Woodman responded to Dorothy and the others with a rather concerned voice.
This statement made Dorothy look at her friend rather seriously and she began to press the issue on.
"What do you mean? Is something terrible happening in Oz?" Dorothy responded in a serious tone while waiting for an answer.
"There have been reports of a strange creature that's been roaming Munckinland. Even worse is that he's destroyed the cornfields where you first met Scarecrow.." Tin Woodman responded with concern while on the other hand, the news surprised Dorothy and the others.
"W-What?! When was all of this?!" Dorothy asked while making a shocked expression on her face.
"How terrible, I was practically raised on those cornfields. What shall we do…" Scarecrow spoke as well with a sad voice while waiting for an answer.
Tin Woodman would think for a moment before finally coming to an answer.
"We shall warn Ozma. Meanwhile, Dorothy and the others should head to safety. We can't allow this threat to enter Emerald City.." Tin Woodman responded while Omby Amby and the others nodded understandably.
"Don't worry, I shall train Dorothy for the next year. A room where one year inside equals one day outside. There, she'll be strong enough to help everyone defeat this threat." Omby Amby responded while Tin Woodman nodded in agreement.
"Sounds good, I shall let you guys go. I wish you and everyone else the best of luck. We shall meet again in two days." Tin Woodman responded with a smile.
After this, Dorothy would smile and hug Tin Woodman warmly before getting ready to depart for the Emerald City.
"Goodbye, my friend. I wish you the best of luck." Dorothy spoke to her friend for the final time before preparing herself to head back to Emerald City.
"Alright, let's head to the Emerald City." Omby Amby spoke to the gang while using his staff to teleport everyone including himself back to the city.
"I truly hope everyone can make it through this…" Tin Woodman spoke to himself with concern in his voice before heading back to his throne room.
*Emerald Palace*
The gang arrived back at the palace and found themselves in front of the room that Omby Amby was referring to.
"My apologies if I'm rushing things, but this time of crisis calls for me and Dorothy to enter the room, we can't waste any more time.." Omby Amby advised the others while Polychrome and the others nodded understandably.
"Of course, we'll protect the palace and the city for the next day. We give you our word." Polychrome responded while having a serious tone in her voice.
This response made Omby Amby smile while Dorothy was ready to say her goodbyes to her loved ones.
"Goodbye, Aunt Em. Goodbye Uncle Henry. I'll see you guys next year, well tomorrow." Dorothy spoke to her caregivers with a smile and this made the adults chuckle at her statement.
"Goodbye, my dear child. Please be safe…don't end up like.." Aunt Em responded with sadness before quickly shutting up at the last sentence; however, Dorothy smiled at this.
"It's okay. I'll be fine. Oz is my home so I must do whatever it takes to protect the people I love. I'm sure my mother would be proud." Dorothy responded to Aunt Em in a gentle and loving voice before giving her a smile and a thumbs up.
This event made Aunt Em think about Dorothy's mother, and for the first time in a while, she had seen the face of the woman who would give birth to Dorothy.
"Dorothy…you're going down the same path as your mother, but I realize that you are growing up. You are not the same little girl from years ago, but rather growing into a beautiful and protective person.."Aunt Em thought to herself with conflicting emotions which lead to her remembering the words of her friend, Dorothy's mother.
*Flashback*
"Emily, remember to always smile through the dark times, okay? I'll be okay before you know it.." Dorothy's mother spoke to Aunt Em in the same gentle voice that her daughter would use.
Despite her appearance not being clear due to her being covered by a beautiful light, she resembled Dorothy quite a bit.
*End of Flashback*
Aunt Em would smile at Dorothy after seeing her bidding farewell to Uncle Henry and heading toward the time chamber with Omby Amby.
"Good Luck, Dorothy. Make us proud." Aunt Em silently whispered to herself while seeing the door close behind them.
*Time Chamber*
Dorothy and Omby Amby entered the room, and the young girl immediately collapsed to her knees due to the intense hot air.
"O-Oh my goodness. It's so hot and stuffy here.." Dorothy uttered in shock while she felt the intense pressure of the environment which caused her to breathe heavily.
"You see why I could barely manage a month when I was your age, hm? This type of training was something I had to do under the former King Pastoria's orders, and now I'm going to do the same for you." Omby Amby responded while taking off the upper half of his uniform to reveal a tank top.
"I-I see, well, I-I guess I can't complain.." Dorothy uttered in between heavy breaths while slowly getting up; however, she quickly collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion.
"Damn it. This room is unbearable. It feels like I've run a long mile.." Dorothy uttered once more in shock while gasping on the ground due to the pressure.
Omby Amby stared at Dorothy with a serious expression; however, he was hopeful that things might just work out for his student.
"You've already lasted longer than me. I've lied about staying for barely a month. I gave up in the first thirty minutes, yet…" Omby Amby thought to himself while staring at the young girl before letting out a determined smile.
*Emerald Palace*
Ozma stared at her magic mirror, and she saw Nome King talking to the Growleywogs, Whimsies, and others whom Guph collected during his journey.
"Roquat is up to his old tricks again…" Ozma thought to herself before sighing at what she just saw as she got up from her throne, and walked towards the exit.
*Emerald Road*
Unknown to everyone, Dion finally arrived at the Emerald City, and he stared at the beautiful city while being up in the air.
"Ahhh, there's the city, but It would be too boring to announce my presence this early, so I'll allow these fools to enjoy their little freedom; however, this still doesn't mean I'm not giving up on Dorothy.." Dion spoke to himself with a smile before turning around and flying in the opposite direction.
What exactly is Dion planning?!