ACT III
 

Scene 1 Farfarello, the devil, has been blowing the Prince and Truffaldino toward the palace of Creonte, the powerful witch who owns the three oranges. When Farfarello was called on an errand to hell, he had temporarily to leave his charges in the desert asleep; and as he returns, Celio stops him and tries to force him to stop all this dangerous fooling. Farfarello reminds the well-intentioned fellow that, since he lost at cards to Fata Morgana, he has no more power. But before the Prince and Truffaldino are wafted once more on their way, Celio has the opportunity to give them some practical advice. He warns them that the oranges are in the immediate possession of a massive cook with a copper ladle strong enough to kill them both. In order to distract this cook Celio presents the voyagers with a pretty ribbon. Perhaps, he suggests, they may steal the oranges while Cook is admiring this offering. He also warns them that when they secure the oranges, they must cut them open only in the immediate neighborhood of water. The Prince pays no attention to all this practical advice but continues to sing of his love. Truffaldino accepts the ribbon, and Farfarello reappears to waft off the travelers with his bellows.
 

Scene 2 Before the castle of Creonte, Truffaldino is fearfully frightened, and even the dauntless Prince hides when the Cook (sung by a basso) emerges with her huge ladle. When she finds Truffaldino, she threatens him with sudden death; but, suddenly espying Celio’s ribbon hanging about his neck, she coyly asks for it. The Prince takes the opportunity to slip into the kitchen and emerge with three enormous oranges. With Truffaldino he escapes once more into the desert as the Cook bounds with delight about the stage, enchanted with the ribbon, and delivering a coarse aria that is likely to be the hit of the show.
 

Scene 3 In the desert the Prince is asleep, while Truffaldino is suffering from thirst. At the back of the stage stand the three stolen oranges, now grown large enough to contain human beings. Truffaldino is so desperate with thirst that he opens up one of them, and out steps a lovely princess named Linetta, who says she is dying of thirst. The second orange yields a second princess named Nicoletta, who is equally thirsty. In fact, they are both so thirsty that they die prettily right there and frighten Truffaldino into running away.
 

When the Prince awakens, he is not especially surprised to see a couple of pretty dead girls lying next to him; and when a quartet of soldiers conveniently happens to pass by, he orders an elegant funeral for them. When they have removed the bodies, he declares himself in love with the remaining orange and proceeds to cut it open. Out steps a third princess, this one named Ninetta, who is just as thirsty as her sisters were, though she does have breath enough to acknowledge her rescuer from thraldom and a keen interest in the Prince’s extravagant vows of love. However, she begins to faint away in his arms, whereupon the Reasonable Spectators descend upon the stage with a pail of water so that she may drink and the drama go on.
 

The Prince then announces their forthcoming nuptials and proposes to take his beloved directly to his father's palace. She, however, refuses to go without a suitable wardrobe and sends him off to secure one. As soon as she is left alone, Fata Morgana, accompanied by Smeraldina, slinks in and stabs the girl in the head with a hatpin, changing her into a rat (or a pigeon, depending upon what production you are seeing). The powerful witch then instructs her black-faced assistant to impersonate the Princess.
 

The familiar March is heard once more, the whole court enters the scene; and Smeraldina announces herself as the Princess. The Prince knows better; he refuses to marry such an ugly girl; and the King, who claims that one must live up to his word, offers her his arm to lead her back to the palace.