Chapters The castle had been preparing for their annual Hearth's Warming Eve party for weeks. Decorations had been hung from every wall, candles positioned on every windowsill and tabletop, trees placed in every corner. Each tree was topped with it's own unique angel. Now, on the day of the party, the entire castle was filled with the smells of cooking food from the kitchen. Queen Chernalia had ensured that the night's dinner would be extravagantly sumptuous, with at least ten different fruits imported from all over the world, and every type of candy and cake imaginable.
An hour before the guests were expected to begin arriving, Celestia sat alone at the dressing table in her room. She was staring listlessly into her mirror when a sharp rap came at the door. Starting at the sudden noise, she hurriedly flattened her mane with her hooves in an attempt to make herself more presentable. She was meant to be getting ready for the party.
"Come in," she called.
She could see the disappointment and dismay in her mother's face as soon as she stepped through the door.
"Celestia, darling, why are you not ready yet? Haven't I told you how important it is for you to make every effort to look attractive tonight?"
Celestia struggled not to sigh. Her mother said it was unbecoming of a princess. Her mother said a lot of things she did were unbecoming of a princess.
"Yes, Mother, I heard you the first hundred times you told me. It's practically the only thing you've said to me since the beginning of New Snow!"
Queen Chernalia looked at her sharply. "Then I needn't remind you that your father and I have invited several suitable bachelors tonight. With any luck, you will catch at least one of their eyes and you will finally be married. To think, my daughter is 23 years old and still doesn't have a husband!" Celestia had heard this statement far too often in the last weeks as well.
"Yes, Mother," she said simply.
Queen Chernalia clapped her hoovess loudly and two maids hurried into the room. "Let's get her ready, shall we?"
The maids nodded briskly and all three mares set to work. For the next half hour they applied her makeup, set her hair with hot rollers plucked from the fire, and draped her with glittering jewelry. When the last puff of powder had settled, everyone looked intently into the mirror.
"Oh, my dear, you look simply beautiful!" Queen Chernalia exclaimed, a hoof to her mouth. The maids smiled and nodded in assent. All Celestia could do was stare. Her cheeks looked pink and full of warmth, her lips somehow fuller, and her hair curled perfectly down her back.
The moment of stunned silence was broken as Queen Chernalia looked at the clock.
"My goodness, we need to get you into your dress! The guests will be here any minute!" She directed the two maids to help Celestia into the gown and hurried off to make sure everything was prepared for the party.
When they had secured all the buttons, hooks, and ribbons into place, there was barely five minutes left before the party was set to begin. The maids rushed off to finish their jobs, leaving Celestia to make her way downstairs to join the rest of the family.
Finally, when the last family had trickled out the door, King Solaris allowed himself a massive yawn.
"Let's all get to bed, shall we?" he said, giving his hoof to his wife. Luna trudged after them, but Celestia stayed in the great hall for moment longer. She had kept the broken nutcracker in her hooves as she said farewell to the guests, but now she had to put him somewhere for safekeeping. She settled him on one of the large chairs that had been dragged up next to the fireplace, praying that the servants would have enough sense to leave him there. Then she too turned for her room.
The same two maids who had helped Celestia get ready came to undress her and unpin her mane, but she refused to let them take off her makeup. Despite their protests that it would smudge during the night, she wanted to look beautiful for just a little while longer. Besides, she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep for quite some time. She was still terribly worried about her nutcracker.
As she sat in her bed, she couldn't help fretting. What if the cleaning staff had moved him? They certainly wouldn't know that he had any sentimental value. They could have even thrown him away when they saw he was broken!
Celestia dashed from her room, terrified that her troubled musings were in fact true. As she ran through the dark great hall, her slippered hooves skidded to halt in front the fireplace. The chair was empty. Sinking into the now-vacant seat, she began to cry. The nutcracker had made his way into her heart, and she had let him slip through her hooves. It was her fault for leaving him here, out in the open.
Suddenly, the grandfather clock began to chime. Startled, Celestia looked up. She was astonished to see her godfather sitting cross-legged on top, his face once again hidden in the shadows cast by his hat and cape. Before she could say anything, though, a stream of rats began to pour out from beneath the clock. She screamed as they circled her chair, scrabbling at the legs in an attempt to climb them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tinker stand up from his precarious perch. He pointed first at the dolls he had brought to the party, which still stood in the corner, then at Celestia, then turned on the spot and disappeared with a flap of his cloak.
As soon as he was gone, Celestia felt a shift in the room. Everything around her began to grow, from the trees with their decorative angels nestled in every corner, to the rats beneath her hooves, to the very chair she was sitting in. The only things that remained the same were Tinker's dolls.
Then she realized. The room wasn't growing; she and the dolls were shrinking! Very soon, they were about the same size as the rats that were still trying to climb her chair. She peered over the edge that now seemed very far from the floor. To her astonishment, the dolls were now running over to her. They held their swords aloft as they charged the rats, yelling as each one sank them into the flesh of the nearest vermin. All at once the rats turned from their efforts to climb the chair and began to attack the dolls. Again and again the dolls slashed and stabbed, but they could not hold the rats back.
"We need reinforcements!" one of them yelled.
"He should be here any minute!" another shouted back.
Celestia watched helplessly as more and more rats streamed out from beneath the clock to take the place of the ones the dolls had killed. They clearly outnumbered the dolls, but the four figures fought expertly, taking on multiple opponents at the same time. Still, Celestia could tell that they were tiring.
An angry cry suddenly exploded from beneath the clock and Celestia stared, amazed, as her very own nutcracker ran out from under it, leading a troop of toy soldiers. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her nutcracker wasn't gone; he had come to life! And he was miraculously whole once again. Celestia couldn't see any sign that he had even been broken in the first place. The ribbon she had used to tie him back together was fastened around the hilt of his glittering sword. She watched the blade whistle through the air, cutting a path through the rats to join the dolls fighting on the other side. Everywhere she looked, Celestia saw toy soldiers engaging the rats in battle, swords clashing against teeth and claws. The fighting went on for minutes without end and filled the air with screams and yells. Celestia wondered that no pony in the house came running at the terrible noise.
From all the figures fighting around her, she found that she was transfixed on her nutcracker. His face remained woodenly impassive no matter how many opponents he took on, but his sword-work was spectacular to watch. He twirled his sword delicately through the air, creating dazzling arcs, before bringing it down mercilessly on each rat that stepped before him. The ground around him was littered with bodies that the other rat dared not drag away.
Celestia was so absorbed in watching the nutcracker fight that she did not notice the silence that was beginning to fall over the other soldiers. Soon, though, a figure striding out from beneath the clock into the middle of the battle caught her attention. She looked on in horror as a huge, grotesque rat with seven heads pushed aside both toys and other rats alike. He wore seven tiny crowns on each of his heads and a royal purple cape that flowed off his shoulders. In his hands he held the biggest sword Celestia had ever seen.
The Rat King pushed his way towards Celestia's unsuspecting nutcracker, who had his back turned as he continued to fight the swarm of rats around him. Celestia could tell that the Rat King would not hesitate to kill him while his attention was occupied. Desperate, she wrenched off her slipper and flung it at the King's hunched back.
"Nutcracker!" she screamed as she watched the slipper tumble through the air, finding its mark squarely in the middle of the grotesque rat's back. Both he and the nutcracker turned towards her, the nutcracker's eyes finding the Rat King immediately. As the monstrous creature began to turn back around, the nutcracker charged him. He was barely able to lift his sword in time to deflect the nutcracker's blow. They immediately began to fight; exchanging thrust after thrust and blow after blow. There was none of the nutcracker's beautiful sword-work here, only crushing, malicious, two-hoofed strokes. It was evident that the nutcracker and the Rat King knew each other and hated each other. They went after one another mercilessly, never pausing to catch their breath.
It seemed that the fight would go on forever when the Rat King managed to slip under the nutcracker's defenses and slice open his wooden side. Celestia couldn't see any blood and his face didn't change, but his mouth opened in a cry of pain. She leaned out as far over the edge of the chair as she dared, as the rat soldiers cheered for their king.
The nutcracker staggered back from the Rat King, whose seven mouths spread into identical gruesome smiles. He raised his sword far above his head to deliver the killing blow, and in that second the nutcracker flashed forward to plunge his own sword deep into the creature's chest. The Rat King froze, all fourteen eyes fixed on the sword emerging from his heart. Then, agonizingly slowly, he fell over backwards, his crowns scattering across the floor.
Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment, staring at the dead king as his blood started to pool on the floor. Then, suddenly, the nutcracker burst into a blinding white light. Celestia nearly fell off the chair as she struggled to see what was happening. All of the soldiers gathered around the nutcracker turned away, shielding their eyes from the glaring light. Finally, as it began to fade, a murmur of astonishment rippled through the troops.
For, standing in the same exact spot where the nutcracker had stood only moments before, there was now an incredibly handsome young stallion. He wore the same red military coat and hat as the nutcracker had; yet he was unmistakably pony. The young stallion stared in shock at his own body, and then lifted his hoovess to touch his now clean-shaven face. As he felt his own pony features, a look of indescribable joy appeared on his face. It was the first emotion Celestia had seen her nutcracker portray, and it was achingly beautiful. For there was no doubt that this stallion and the nutcracker were one and the same.
The rats, quickly recovering from their shock, began to retreat back under the grandfather clock, dragging their dead and wounded with them. The toy soldiers let them go, hardly giving them a second glance. Everyone was transfixed on the stallion who had only seconds before been a wooden nutcracker. He turned and met Celestia's eyes and quickly strode towards her. The crowd parted easily for him, and when he reached her chair, he held out his hooves for her.
"Jump, Celestia," he said. "I will catch you."
Celestia had never obeyed anypony as easily as she did him. Within seconds, she had landed in his hooves. He let out a small grunt of pain but held on to her tightly.
"Nutcracker!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, have I hurt you? Was I too heavy?"
He laughed lightly and set her on her hooves. "No, dearest Celestia. You could never hurt me." He touched his side where the Rat King had cut him and came away with blood on his hoof. "That monster seems to have done the trick, though."
Celestia quickly ducked her head under his front leg on his uninjured side.
"Lean on me, Nutcracker. Do you have a – a toy doctor or something of the sort?"
Nutcracker laughed again, but quickly stopped, holding a hoof to his side.
"I'm afraid a toy doctor wouldn't be much help to a stallion," he said. "No, we must go back under the clock to the Land of Sweets."
Celestia stared at him incredulously. "Come again?"
He tried his hardest not to laugh once again. "The Land of Sweets, my darling. It's where my toy troops came from."
She managed a nod, trying to absorb the fact that there was another land hidden under the grandfather clock in her great hall.
Nutcracker smiled widely, seeming to revel in the fact that he really could do so now. "If you could just help me over to retrieve my sword," he asked. "It still has your ribbon."
Celestia moved gingerly with Nutcracker to the Rat King's dead body. It lay where it had fallen, abandoned by his ratty subjects. Before Nutcracker could reach for it, Celestia swiftly drew the sword from the King's corpse and handed it to him.
"I don't want you to strain yourself," she said. Nutcracker merely nodded and took the sword from her grip. He was beginning to look pale and drawn. Celestia knew he must have been losing blood quickly. Retrieving the slipper that lay close to the dead rat, she turned Nutcracker in the direction of the grandfather clock. She tried to move them along swiftly without causing her beloved Nutcracker too much harm, but she could see that each step pained him. On the verge of tears, she finally stepped underneath the clock. Ahead of them was a perfect arch carved into the wall.
"Through there?" she whispered, looking up at Nutcracker's pale face. He nodded. Leaning heavily on her, he urged them the last few steps into the perfect darkness of the doorway.
For a moment, Celestia lost her bearings in the blackness. It was only when she caught sight of a tiny source of light ahead of her that she realized she was in a tunnel leading to the world Nutcracker spoke of. Quickly, she began to move them forward again. Nutcracker was loosing far too much blood. She could feel it soaking through his coat onto the hand she had wrapped around his back. The end of the tunnel seemed impossibly far away. They would never make it in time.
"Please!" Celestia called out in desperation. "Please, somepony help us!"
As soon as the words had left her mouth, she felt a tug in her gut. She was being pulled forward, and the tunnel's end was rushing toward them, and she couldn't see, the light was too bright, when all of a sudden she tumbled out into a snowy clearing. She landed face-first in the snow and heard a thump as Nutcracker landed next to her. As she rolled over, she came face to face with a tiny, pale being.
She looked like a fully-grown mare, yet she was only about two feet tall. Her skin was only a couple shades darker than the snow around them, and her mane was pure white. All she wore was a short, paper-thin dress, despite the cold.
"Hello," she said, her voice high and sweet.
Celestia could only stare for a moment. "I'm sorry, this is terribly rude, but what are you?"
The tiny mare looked startled that she would have to ask. "Why, I'm a snow fairy, of course."
"Please, Miss Snow Fairy, can you help my friend? He's been injured."
They both turned toward Nutcracker, who lay face-up in the snow, unconscious. The fairy gasped.
"It can't be!" She looked at Celestia, her eyes wide. "Is that the Nutcracker?"
"Yes. Please help him, he was injured in his fight with the Rat King!"
Still the fairy did not move. "The Rat King is dead then?"
"Yes! Yes, what does it matter? Can't you see he's dying! Help him!" Celestia shouted, moving to cradle her Nutcracker's head in her hooves. This seemed to startle the fairy back to the present. She quickly began to gather snow into her hooves.
"Girls!" she called in the direction of the woods on the outskirts of the clearing. "Girls, come out here! The Nutcracker needs our help!"
A dozen more snow fairies stepped out into the clearing, each one identical to the first. They glided delicately over to Nutcracker's side, gathering their own hooffulls of snow.
"Could you please take his coat off for us?" one of them said. Celestia couldn't tell them apart any more. She undid the buttons of his coat as quickly as she could with her shaking hooves and threw it open. As the gash in his side was revealed, she gasped. It looked deeper than she had even imagined, completely soaking the brilliant white shirt he wore in blood. She gently peeled the shirt away from the wound so the fairies could set to work.
They all gathered around his injured side and, as one, softly blew their hooffulls of snow into Nutcracker's wound. It began to sparkle, and as Celestia watched, the skin slowly knitted itself back together. Soon, there was no trace that he had been injured at all. The color quickly returned to his cheeks as he opened his eyes. They immediately met Celestia's own.
With a cry of joy, she bent down to cover her Nutcracker's face with kisses. He laughed, painlessly, and reached up to cradle her upside down face in his hoovess.
"Thank you, my love, thank you," he said. He turned his head to the snow fairies. "My gratitude to you as well, ladies. You have saved me."
They giggled amongst themselves, hiding their mouths behind their hooves. Celestia helped Nutcracker sit up slowly and knelt in the snow beside him. She was beginning to feel the chill beneath her thin nightgown.
"My love, you're shivering!" Nutcracker said, alarmed. He turned again to the knot of fairies that still stood at his side. "My dear ladies, would you mind making something to keep her warm?"
The fairies gathered another hoofful of snow, but this time blew it into the air, where it turned into a fine cape As they fastened it around Celestia's neck, she felt immediately warmer. She smiled gratefully as they created a second cape for Nutcracker and mended his shirt and coat. When they had finished, he knelt and kissed each of their hooves.
"Thank you, dear ladies. I am forever in your debt," he said solemnly.
"Nonsense!" said one.
"Anything for the Nutcracker!" called another. This set them off in another round of giggles as they trotted gracefully back into the woods. Soon, Celestia and Nutcracker were left alone, except for the snow that gently fell from the sky. Celestia reached up to touch Nutcracker's cheek, now rosy from the cold.
"I was so worried," she said. "I just got you back, I couldn't lose you again."
He drew her into his hooves and guided her head onto his chest. "I knew that you would find a way to heal me, Celestia."
She realized that she didn't know his real name. "What should I call you?" she asked, looking up into his face.
"Nutcracker suits me just fine," he smiled. "It's the only name I've had for quite some time now."
Celestia nodded and laid her head back on his chest, closing her eyes. "What do we do now?"
"Now? Now, I think we've been summoned to a party." Celestia looked up at him quizzically. "Look," he said, gently turning her around in his front legs.
Drifting down from the sky were at least a dozen angels. Celestia gasped. They looked exactly like the ones that topped each tree in her home. But now, they were they same size as her, and as they landed all around her in the clearing, she found them strangely imposing.
As though sensing her thoughts, one spoke. "Be not afraid, child," she said. "The Sugar Plum Princess has called upon us to ensure your safety as you travel to the castle." As she spoke, a beautiful gilded sled began to materialize in the middle of the clearing in front of her.
"Thank you, my lady," Nutcracker said. "I'm sure Celestia feels much safer having a host she knows and trusts to accompany us."
Celestia stepped out of his front legs, nodding as she looked around at the angels assembled in the clearing. "It means a great deal to me."
The angels smiled tenderly and helped her and Nutcracker up into the sled.
"Very well," the first angel said. "Let us be on our way."
All at once the angels lifted off the ground, the sled rising with them. As they rose over the trees, Celestia couldn't help but gasp in wonder. Laid out before her was the most magnificent landscape she had ever seen. The snowy woods stretched to a wide glittering river that wound from distant mountain to distant mountain. Gentle hills rolled from the bank on the other side. She could just see the shining white towers of a far-away castle among them.
She turned to look at Nutcracker. "You had to go all the way there to get the toy troops?"
He nodded. "Yes. That's why I was late to the battle. I knew of the rat's plan to attack, and I meant to be there before they arrived. I left as soon as the coast was clear, but the journey took days. It's very lucky that the dolls were there."
"Days?" Celestia asked incredulously. "You were only gone for a few hours!"
"Time passes much more quickly in the Land of Sweets, my dear. A few hours in your world is the same thing as a few days here."
She looked around again in amazement. This land was so strange to her. She still couldn't believe it was real.
As they flew over the landscape, Celestia peered over the side of the sled. She saw fields of peppermint and sugarcane, orchards of cocoa trees, all farmed by toy stallions and mares. Their villages were made of charming gingerbread houses, the streets paved with pieces of hard candy. Soon, the walls of the magnificent castle were in view. Celestia stared, enchanted, at the sparkling, sugar powdered towers that rose up on top of the hill before them. As they flew over the streets, she could see people packed into each and every one, making their way to the heart of the castle. The angles guided their sled to the very middle of the central courtyard, landing in a neat circle around them.
The crowds gathered around in the courtyard cheered as Celestia and Nutcracker stepped out of the sled. He looped his front leg around her waist and hugged her tightly to his side.
"This will probably get a little overwhelming for you," he whispered to her. "Just try to remember that they are all very excited by the Rat King's defeat. I will be right here beside you."
She nodded and looked up into his beautiful face. Suddenly, she was very glad she had kept on her makeup. It was bad enough that she was attending a party in only her nightgown, and there was no way she could compare her own face to Nutcracker's smooth, pale skin and gorgeous eyelashes. Riveted by his handsome features, she couldn't make herself look away.
He smiled gently under her gaze. "Ready, my love?" he said, gesturing to the path that had opened up through the crowd. Startled back to reality, she moved his front leg so that she could link hers through it.
"Ready."
They both moved through the narrow corridor of ponies, smiling and waving to as many as they could. The pathway led to the largest doorway Celestia had ever seen. It took three stallions to open each door, pushing them inward to reveal a magnificent glittering hall.
The huge room was painted in the palest pastels and decorated with copious amounts of gold and crystals. On the far side of the room, atop a raised dais, stood two ornate gold thrones. In them sat a mare and a stallion, both equally dazzling in their beauty. Celestia could only guess that they were the queen and king of the kingdom. As she and Nutcracker approached the dais, the stallion stood, offering his hoof to the mare.
"That is the Sugar Plum Princess and her consort," Nutcracker whispered in Celestia's ear. "Her Majesty rules the Land of Sweets." He stopped them just before the steps up to the dais.
With her shimmering violet skirts rustling, the Sugar Plum Princess stepped daintily down to meet them. Her delicate mouth spread into a smile as she left her consort's side to embrace Nutcracker.
"My dear Nutcracker," she sang, "it is so lovely to see you this way at last. I feared you would remain wooden forever!"
"I would have, if not for Celestia," he replied, taking hold of Celestia's hoof again.
The Sugar Plum Princess turned her sweet smile to her. "This must be your dearest Celestia, then, yes?"
She curtsied deeply. "Your Majesty."
The Sugar Plum Princess tutted. "I'll have none of that. You saved our dear friend in that battle. The angels told me the whole story!"
Celestia couldn't help but blush. "All I did was throw a slipper. The Rat King would have killed Nutcracker without even giving him a chance to fight."
Nutcracker took both of her hooves in his own. "And for that I owe you my life," he said gravely.
The Sugar Plum Princess hummed happily as Celestia's blush deepened. She moved back to her consort and slipped her front leg back through his.
"Let in the guests!" she called to the guards at the door.
Once again the impossibly huge doors were pushed open, and people began to pour into the hall. They were all dressed in candy hues, the vivid dresses and suits clashing against each other as the people wearing them mixed and mingled. Celestia had never seen such a dizzying riot of color in all her life.
"Representatives from all of the different territories have arranged to come pay their respects," the Sugar Plum Princess informed them. "Best to stay put for the time being and let them find us."
Nutcracker nodded in agreement. They only had to wait a moment before a page dressed in light purple livery came to announce the first distinguished guest.
"The Andalusian chocolatiers," he said, bowing out of the way.
The couple moved forward, bowing and curtsying first to the Sugar Plum Princess and her consort and then to Nutcracker and Celestia. They wore matching outfits of deep red and black that made their tanned brown skin glow. The stallion held out a large box to Nutcracker.
"It gives us great pleasure to be able to offer these chocolates to our dear Cascanueces, our dear Nutcracker," he said. "The whole kingdom would have felt your loss."
"Gracias, Gustavo, Aleta," Nutcracker said, graciously accepting the box of chocolates. "It gives me much pleasure to be able to receive them."
Everypony had a laugh at that, and the conversation turned to the cocoa farms that Gustavo and Aleta ran. Celestia listened to the sincere questions Nutcracker asked, admiring his genuine interest in the chocolatiers. He seemed to know them and like them well.
Eventually, the page approached again and the couple took their cue to leave. The page stepped up in their place.
"The Saddle Arabian coffee growers," he announced.
Celestia couldn't help but stare in wonder at the fine features of the mare who stepped forward. Her elegant maroon hijab accentuated her high cheekbones and her wide eyes sparkled with warmth. She was flanked by two incredibly large stallions, their muscles visible even through their thick woven robes. As one, they all bowed to The Sugar Plum Princess and her consort and to Nutcracker and Celestia.
The mare produced a small tin from the folds of her kaftan and offered it to Nutcracker.
"Some of our very best coffee to celebrate your success," she said.
"Many thanks, my Lady Senada. It is so lovely to see you again," he responded. Once again he delved into sincere conversation that surprised Celestia. She wondered if he knew all of the dignitaries of the Land of Sweets as well as he knew the chocolatiers and the coffee grower. The two stallions remained silent while Nutcracker spoke to Lady Senada, only coming to whisper in her ear and lead her gently away when the page advanced again. Nutcracker kissed her hoof softly and gave her a bright smile as she left.
"The Ferghana tea-blenders," the page said, introducing the next guests.
Two tiny mares and two spindly stallions shuffled forward, bowing profusely to everyone in turn. Nutcracker was forced to give the box of chocolates and coffee tin to the toy servant who appeared at his elbow as the tea-blenders each presented their own tiny silver box to him.
"Please accept our gifts of tea, Nutcracker," said one of the stallions, tucking his hooves back inside his long sleeves. "They are four of our rarest blends."
"It is an honor to receive such fine offerings from the Lian family," Nutcracker replied, managing to balance all four of the boxes in his hands as he bowed. The siblings looked suitably impressed.
"Each of the teas strengthens important parts of your qi," one of the sisters told him. "The first tea influences your heart, where yourshén, your consciousness, lives."
"The second will strengthen your lungs, which contain your po, your physical soul," the other sister said.
"The third affects your spleen and your yì, or your thought," the first brother said.
"And the final tea will influence your kidneys, which house your zhi, your will," the last brother finished.
Nutcracker nodded respectfully. "I will be sure to drink them wisely. It would be a shame to waste such a gift."
The siblings exchanged another round of bows with the Sugar Plum Princess, her consort, and Nutcracker before taking their leave.
When they had gone, the pagepony once again stepped up to introduce the next dignitaries. Before he could open his mouth, though, Nutcracker broke into a wide grin.
"Mikhail! Valentin!" he said, gripping the two young stallions who had stepped forward in a rough hug. They all laughed, loud and boisterous, and clapped each other on the back.
When they broke apart, the Kabarda brothers turned to the Sugar Plum Princess and her consort and bowed solemnly, their hooves fisted over their hearts.
"It's so delightful to see you boys." The Sugar Plum Princess smiled sincerely. "Well, now, don't let me get in the way of your reunion."
Mikhail once again clapped Nutcracker on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, my friend. Didn't I tell you he'd be handsomer than either of us, Val?" he said, nudging his brother with his back.
"I was so hoping you'd be wrong," Valentin pretended to pout. "Here I always thought I was the attractive one."
When their laughter had died down, Nutcracker slipped his hoof around Celestia's waist. "Celestia, these are my very good friends, Valentin and Mikhail. Their family is in charge of the peppermint production here in the Land of Sweets."
Each of the brothers stooped to kiss Celestia's hoof. "You said she was pretty, but I didn't think she'd be this beautiful," Mikhail said with a wink. She blushed.
Nutcracker pulled her away from the young stallion with mock indignation. "And just when did I give you permission to flirt with my… my…" He trailed off, uncertain what to call her. But before anyone had a chance to say anything else, they were interrupted by a loud and incredibly high-pitched "Yoo-hoo!"
Barreling towards them was a mare who could only be described as enormous. All of her mane was piled up on top of her head, making her already considerable height seem even taller. Her voluminous skirts created a good three-foot barrier around her, pushing the other guests out of the way. She nearly bowled over the Kabarda brothers before they could jump out of the way.
Ignoring them as well as the Sugar Plum Princess, she tottled straight up to Nutcracker.
"Oh my dear boy!" she exclaimed, extending her hooves as far as she could in an attempt to grasp Nutcracker's hooves. He still had to meet her halfway. "How wonderful to see you! The children and I were so worried about you going into battle."
As she spoke, her wide skirts started to rustle. To Celestia's amazement, little children began to emerge from under them. Half a dozen toddlers poked their heads out, running out to hug Nutcracker's shins. He smiled at them and patted their heads as they clung to his pant legs. Mikhail coughed pointedly and inclined his head toward the Sugar Plum Princess, who was looking on somewhat disgruntledly.
The mare put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, dear, I've been terribly rude, haven't I? Please excuse me, Your Majesty. The children and I were just so excited to see Nutcracker, we couldn't wait any longer!"
"No need to worry, Mother Ginger, you are forgiven," she said sweetly.
Mother Ginger smiled broadly and squeezed Nutcracker's hand that she still held.
"Is this your lovely Celestia?" she asked, turning her smile onto the young mare. "My, my, isn't she pretty as a candied peach! What do you think, my little polichinelles? Come say hello to Nutcracker's pretty friend!"
Releasing their hold on Nutcracker's shins, the children ran to clutch at Celestia's skirts. They murmured tiny hellos as they looked up into her face.
One of the youngest tugged on her sleeve. "Can I touch your mane?" he asked.
"Why, of course you can," Celestia said, bending to pick him up. He grasped a single curl in his little hoof and began to pet it gently. "What do you think?" she asked.
The colt regarded the lock of mane solemnly for a moment. "It's soft," he said.
This earned a chuckle from Mother Ginger and Nutcracker, and a warm smile from Celestia.
The Hearth's Warming Eve Party
She had just reached the last step when the doorbell rang. She hurried to the parlor where her parents and her 16-year-old sister, Luna, had lined up to receive guests. As she stepped in line next to her sister, Luna looked at her with mock suspicion.
"My sister is definitely not that pretty," she muttered.
Without looking, Celestia deftly stomped on her hoof. She hissed in pain, but was prevented from going any further as the first of the guests were shown into the room.
The next few hours were a blur of small talk and niceties as Celestia greeted guests, dined with them, and made her way around the dance floor. Queen Chernalia made certain she was introduced to the young bachelors that had been invited and danced with each one. Even though they were all very handsome and paid her endless compliments, Celestia did not find any of them particularly intriguing. Rather, they seemed to her the same stallion stuffed into many different bodies. They all had the same personality, said the same things, and even seemed to have the same interests. Celestia knew she wouldn't be able to marry any of them, even if they asked.
Finally, King Solaris made his way to the great fireplace in the front of the hall and clapped his hooves together to get his guest's attention.
"Fillies and gentlecolts!" he called. "The moment I'm sure many of you have eagerly awaited is now here. Please, husbands and wives, join me for the cup dance!"
Couples spilled onto the dance floor as the children gathered around the edges to look on. It was a tradition at the castle's Hearth's Warming Eve parties that the married couples would have one dance to themselves, where they toasted their joy and harmony together. Each couple brought a goblet of wine to the floor, and cups were passed from hoof to hoof. When the music stopped, everyone drained their glasses and let out a cheer. The lookers-on clapped enthusiastically, hoping that one day they would be able to join the dancing couples.
After the dance had finished, King Solaris called everyone to attention once more. Another tradition was about to begin.
"Bring in the gifts!" he shouted.
The children all squealed with delight and ran to gather around the fireplace. Each year, a small gift was given to each and every filly and colt that attended the party. It was almost always inexpensive little dolls for the fillies and wooden tops for the colts, but the children always treasured them.
Two servants carried out a large box topped with an elaborate bow and set it next to King Solaris. With a great flourish, he removed the lid and set it next to him on the floor. Instructing the children to form a line, he began to dole out both the gifts and hugs and kisses. Each filly received a soft doll and a kiss on the cheek, and each colt a little top and swift hug. The children loved his affection almost as much as the toys they were presented.
Just as King Solaris was handing the last top to the last colt in line, the massive doors of the hall burst open. The musicians faltered, letting silence settle over the crowd of guests. A figure shrouded in black appeared in the doorway. He wore a long black cloak with a high collar that shaded the lower half of his face, while a hat hid the rest. Many of the children ran to hide behind their mothers' skirts as King Solaris strode up to the shadowy figure.
When he reached him, a broad smile broke across his face.
"Tinker Toy, my old friend!" The two stallions hugged and Tinker removed his hat to reveal a lined but attractive face. He too was smiling.
"I'm so sorry I'm late," he said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear, "I just had to put the finishing touches on my little surprise I had for the children."
Curiosity getting the better of them, the children began to poke their heads out from their hiding places. Mothers smiled and quietly urged them to gather around the fireplace again. They knew of Tinker's renown as a brilliant magician and inventor, and knew that he would have something very special in store.
Once the last Fillies and colts had been coaxed back out by the fire, Tinker motioned to his servants still waiting by the doors. They came in, carrying four huge boxes between them, each one bigger than the one that King Solaris had distributed toys from. Standing on one end, they could have easily fit a grown pony inside. As the servants set them down, Tinker turned to the children with a mischievous smile on his face.
"I've been working on these for quite some time, now," he said. "They are quite possibly some of my best work to date, if I do say so myself."
He motioned to his servants again, and they took the front off each box. The children gasped in surprise. Each box contained a life-size doll, two male and two female, in decorative military-looking costumes with large cranks on their backs. The servants gently placed them on the hardwood floor in front of the fireplace and arranged their limbs so that each had their hooves on their hips.
"What do you say we see what they can do?" Tinker asked the children. They all shouted their assent and stood back as the servants turned the cranks to wind them up. Tinker turned to the musicians. "A quadrille please!" he shouted.
As soon as the musicians began to play, the servants let go of the cranks. To the children's delight, the dolls immediately sprang to life, saluting and curtsying to one another. Then, they began to dance. The male dolls paired off with the females, and they started a very simple quadrille. Everyponywas astonished by the their flawless hoofwork. Ponies began to clap along gleefully to the music as the dolls danced. As the song came to an end, they saluted and curtsied again before jerking to a halt with their hooves once more on their hips.
The applause was thunderous as the children whooped and shouted for more. Tinker took a modest bow and smiled into the young faces gathered around him.
"I'm afraid they won't be dancing again tonight," he said ruefully, "but you may go look at them if you'd like."
The children quickly gathered around the figures, reaching up to stroke their clothing and trying to get a good look at their faces. Tinker turned and met Celestia's gaze through the crowds. He smiled and beckoned her over, a silver-wrapped box appearing in his hooves. He motioned to Luna as well, though Celestia couldn't see a second gift anywhere.
"Ah, here are my two favourite god-daughters," Tinker said as Celestia approached. She smiled and gave him a kiss on each cheek.
"Are you trying to say that there are other god-daughters in the picture?" she teased.
He shook his head with mock solemnity. "There is no pony else but you, my dears. Now let me give you your present."
"Oh, if you insist," she said, accepting the silver box from him.
"What about me?" Luna interrupted as she arrived.
With a great flourish of his cape, Tinker produced a shining golden trumpet. He handed it to Luna with a wink and sent her back towards the group of friends she had been parted from. Then he turned back to Celestia, gesturing towards the box.
"Go ahead, my dear. Open it."
Celestia gently lifted off the lid and removed the layer of tissue paper that lay on top of her gift. Nestled in the box was a beautifully crafted nutcracker. It had been carved into the shape of a stallion with a long white beard painted down the mandible. He wore a smart red military coat and hat and held a tiny sword in his wooden hoof. Celestia stared in wonder at his work.
"Do you like it?" Tinker's voice broke her reverie.
"He's beautiful," she breathed. She took him out of the box and cradled him against her chest. "Did you make him?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Whoever did must have been a master crafter."
Tinker smiled faintly. "Yes. They must have. Please excuse me, my dear, I fear your dreadful father is calling me."
As her godfather walked away, Celestia examined the detail that had been put into the wonderful nutcracker. Despite having a handle, he was very lifelike. His eyes were especially fascinating. Rather than the small black beads that Celestia normally saw on nutcrackers, this one had incredibly detailed blue eyes that had been painted on his face. If she looked close enough, it was almost like she could see a hint of life in them.
Suddenly, a loud trumpet blast sounded in her ear. As she gave a startled cry, her hooves involuntarily let go of her new present. She could hear a crack as her nutcracker hit the ground and watched helplessly as his handle, with his lower jaw and beard attached, clattered away. She turned to see her sister holding her trumpet and looking at the broken nutcracker sheepishly.
"How could you?" she cried angrily. "You've broken him!"
"I didn't mean to." Luna fiddled guiltily with the keys on her trumpet.
"Just go!" she shouted, not caring that everypony around her were turning to stare. She knelt and scooped up the pieces of her nutcracker, cradling them gently. Loosening a ribbon from her dress, she used it to tie the handle back in place before looking around desperately for her godfather. She soon spotted him standing next to one of the stallions her mother had hoped would be her suitors.
Dashing to Tinker's side, she held up the nutcracker for him to look at.
"Please, please, can you fix him?" she begged, ignoring the other stallion.
Tinker looked quite distraught to see the nutcracker in pieces.
"What happened, my dear?"
Tears sprang to Celestia's eyes. "Luna startled me and I – I dropped him."
Tinker examined the nutcracker carefully. "This is something I cannot fix without my tools. I'll have to come back tomorrow." He patted Celestia's hoof sadly and nodded to the bachelor before striding off into the crowd, still looking upset.
The young stallion seemed thoroughly confused with the exchange that had just taken place.
"Don't worry, Princess," he said, trying to be comforting, "I'm sure it will work out just fine."
Celestia simply gave him a tight nod. She knew how foolish she appeared to be, but the nutcracker had somehow captured her heart. His cracked jaw seemed to her like an injury to a real pony. With a final curtsy to the young bachelor, she went to join her parents at the door. Guests were beginning to leave, and she was expected to be there to say goodbye.
