The Nutcrackerby Art InspiredChaptersChapter One: A Present Chapter Two: Dream Before the DreamChapter Three: NightmareChapter Four: After MorningChapter One: A Present Chapter One: A Present The Nutcracker Chapter one A present Throughout Canterlot, all was sound. No noise interrupted the silenced halls, and nopony stirred awake. Mice, that’s different, and rats are always up during the night. One in particular, though, wandered toward the ball room, scheming while he went. This rodent squeaked and squirmed his way down beside the wall, panting and focused on his task, while the sleepers of the palace made no such reaction to his secretive presence. With his small claws curled, and those yellow, chipped teeth smiling, he leached into the ball room, unnoticed by anyone. Meanwhile, with morning coming, and her highness needing to get up anyways to do normal, everyday things such as chores, Princess Celestia shifted her head free of her bed sheet’s strong grasp. Her mane curled and knotted, the princess simply got out of bed with hazy vision and prepared for the normal everyday routine that was sure to come. Down the corridor, just passed the library slept the royal student of Celestia herself, Twilight Sparkle. She was a young and curious filly who only just recently got her cutie mark about three weeks ago. Her purple mane was almost always caught perfectly straitened and neat, but on mornings such as this, Twilight hadn’t done anything to make her presentable. Instead, Twilight just drooped her way to the ball room where her meal would be served as always. With the dull walk being so time consuming, Twilight often found herself thinking about home, lost in daydreams. The wood blazing from the fire in front of her mother’s beaming face was always a warming memory. It’d been almost a month since she left home to study magic under the care and love of Princess Celestia. With days rolling by, though, Twilight found herself feeling home sick. Of course, this was normal for a mare her age to be feeling. She technically wasn't even old enough to be considered a filly, but never the less; Celestia knew these emotions for the past would die down soon enough. As double doors of sheer centricity were opened, and a young filly entered, Celestia sipped a cup of fine tea, while reviewing her work for assisters. Her student, groaning and blinking with exhaustion sat, and proceeded with eating her extravagantly prepared breakfast. The room where the two resided at could resemble the throne room, with alterations, of course. It was nice, roomy and rectangular. The table that sat in the middle of the room looked to be made of rosewood, while the décor of other such fancy furniture surrounding the room reminded Twilight of her old granny’s cabin, just up the woods from the palace walls. As she ate, she saw something out of the corner of her little eye scamper across the floor and run behind the fine china holder. “Hmm,” the filly inquired, “Ms. Celestia… There was a mouse. He ran behind that big… umm…” Celestia lowered one of the morning notes pads to look at her young student. “Mice are nothing to worry about. Rats… That’s a completely different situation as they’ll probably overrun the palace in a matter of days. If you see a rat, let me know. Okay, my faithful student?” Twilight didn’t respond for a moments wait. She eyed the beautiful plates and glass shielding for a moment before uttering a simple, “Yes ma’am.” She didn’t see the rodent leave after that, but instead, continued with her daily activities of studying and preparing for one of Celestia’s challenging tests. Tonight was said to be snowing, and the weather was supposed to get pretty fierce. Twilight looked out the window to see a raging storm just passed the palace’s intricate walls. Winds clashed as clouds swirled just a few miles away. As the two walked together that evening, Celestia turned towards Twilight and offered her, “As my pupil, someday, you’ll need to learn about friendship. Tonight, my other students will be in the library playing and having fun. Why don’t you join them?” Twilight, being the shy filly she was responded with, “But other kids never really like me, and the ones that do are crazy.” Chuckling lightly, Celestia reassured her, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’ll be a learning experience. Plus, that big tree in the middle of all the rows…” “… What about it?” “It might have a few presents under it.” Hearing about this, Twilight perked up her pace with a warm smile while her mentor simply giggled at her student’s excitement. Entering the library, Twilight's eyes immediately glared at all the wonderful books she’s been reading. One of her favorites, fiction, was just across the way and down the hall. With an unhealthy obsession of going into imagination land, there was no wondering on why she hadn’t any friends. Through the day and sometimes into the deepest of nights, Twilight could be caught reading a book, all curled up in her blanket, and her horn creating a bright, purple light for her to see. Inside, fillies and colts with assorted manes and coats were scampering about basically behaving as typical children. Twilight walked forward, a bit cautious to go near the others, but was suddenly pushed in their direction by Celestia who’d still been behind her. Through the hordes of fillies and colts, poor Twilight didn’t know which one to mingle with. She slowly crept past the others, aimed at the distinct, lush leaves visible over the bookcases. This tree wasn’t like any other tree. It had been growing for as long as Celestia had been alive. Her magic kept it going, and made the plant life a very cherished part of the palace. Golden light bounced radiantly on each green leaf. Kids below played with their toys; all unicorns, of course. There were some gifts for others, some wrapped in the same coloring of their mane. And then, there was a box, purple, and rectangle, sitting on the floor. Twilight picked it up with her magic and inspected the note that was left on the bow. My faithful student Twilight, This little piece has been with me for many years now. He’s seen war, and can be very brave. Please, take care of him. Princess Celestia Opening it, Twilight felt an ominous, cold feeling slowly creep up on her. The wrapping paper slowly showed the being inside the box, and Twilight was more than happy to see a Nutcracker. Formed in the shape of an ancient creature known as a human, The Nutcracker was kept close by Celestia for plenty of years. She seemed to be highly observant of it. At night, Twilight would come into her room and see it sitting close by on her night stand. The red coated toy had blue pants on, and a very sharp looking sword, used for protection. His combed back, black hair was covered by the crazy marching hat he had on, but all in all, The Nutcracker looked very stylish to Twilight, even if the hat had too many feathers on it. She shifted towards the fiction part of the library where the other students usually didn’t follow. Through book after book, Twilight had read many of them, and nothing so far mentioned what The Nutcracker really was. Obviously, it broke open nuts, but even that wasn’t mentioned. Soon, Twilight heard a faint voice come from behind. “I saw her come this way.” Then another voice was detected. “Yeah, I saw her too. She had this cool looking action figure!” They soon caught up to the filly, but that section was so dark, they couldn’t see a thing. Twilight couldn’t even tell if the ponies in front of her had wings or not. The one closest spoke while two others stood behind him. “I think there was a mix up with the presents. Girls aren’t supposed to play with colt stuff. They’re supposed to fool around with makeup and girly things.” Twilight nervously said, “B-but, this is my toy. It was given to me by Celestia.” “Then she must’ve signed it to the wrong student.” The colts words were mean in a way, almost as if he wasn’t asking Twilight, but demanding she hand over something that didn’t belong to him at all. Soon, her magic was countered and locked in battle with the unknown colt’s enchantment. While the wooden figure shook in the shadows, wobbling from the struggle Twilight was giving the thieves, her magic fought too hard, and the delicate arm snapped clean off. In the light, the three boys saw the toy, and instantly felt guilty about what they just did to it. Especially when Celestia herself startled everypony by trotting up and asking, “What’s going on here, my little ponies?” No one answered, but the cries of her faithful student soon informed her of what was happening. She saw Twilight’s injured friend, and lifted it. “I had hoped this would’ve lasted longer. Twilight, I’ll have to repair this myself. Unfortunately… my magic cannot heal this wounded soldier, and only physical treatment can mend his broken arm.” Twilight nodded her head, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks, and walked past the boys who broke her nutcracker. As she left, she heard Celestia getting after them for their actions. That evening, the poor student couldn’t help but to leave the party, too heart hurt to deal with any socializing Celestia wanted her to do. She retreated to her room, where sanctuary, silence and peace could be found easily. The night time was always mysterious to Twilight. She’d stay awake staring at the stars; trying to figure out which formation is which with a big book next to her opened to page one hundred and something, but not tonight. For now, she just listened to the sweet, comforting sound of silence. Within the void of noise, thoughts were changed and flexed. Due to no noise, the mind is always able to focus, and figure things out thoroughly. Twilight sat on her balcony reading one of her favorite books as always when she heard her door open. The Nutcracker came floating in and headed to her, suspended by a yellow aura. Twilight saw a bandage around his left arm, but other than that, The Nutcracker seemed wonderfully repaired. She saw Celestia’s waving mane sink away, and hugged the little trouper for surviving the tough conflict. Putting her book up with a page marker sticking out, Twilight hopped into bed with The Nutcracker and closer her eyes, ready to enter the dream world. Chapter Two: Dream Before the DreamThe Nutcracker Chapter two Dream Before the Dream The clock sounded down the corridor. Midnight, and all was silent in the house; all except that loud dinging coming down the corridor, coming from the clock. But there is no clock. There was never a clock in the house, Twilight thought in her hazy state. Her head lifted to see the shadow of a clock, just outside her door. It was on the wall, flat and shaking ever so slightly with every ding. But where did it come from? Twilight got out of bed, and noticed something missing, or someone. She shifted her head round and lifted her blanket covers, hopeful to find him, but The Nutcracker wasn’t anywhere in the room. Deciding wherever that clock came from, her friend must be there with it, and took off. She past her open door and headed down in the direction of the shadow. Trotting along, Twilight felt odd for some reason. She couldn’t quite place her hoof on it, but the palace almost felt different, like it was a duplicate or something. The walls were the same, the carpet felt soft as ever, but the whole feeling she got from it was just weird to her. She never did find the clock, but she did however find something more. The library, dark and abandoned with its doors opened. All the doors in the whole palace were open, and not a single night watch guard patrolled at all. It was as if Twilight was the only living pony in the whole structure. Once again, books upon books greeted her, and memories of what she’d read in the room entered her head rather quickly. The tree, almost glowing in the dark was the first thing Twilight came across. Her head stared at it, wondering where her toy was. Lowering her line of vision, she saw it lying there against the wood, staring at her. She reached down and picked him up while being careful not to get him caught by the branches. His body came out, and levitated in front of her with purple enchantment twinkling from his body. “Mr. Nutcracker,” Twilight said, “you’re not supposed to run off. Let’s get back to bed.” Twilight smiled at him, turned around, and was shocked to near death. The room, all the tall bookcases, all the furnishing and floor was all expanding at a very noticeable rate. All the filly could do was stare at it, scared the hasty transformation. She turned around and watched as branch after branch of the tree went passed her muzzle. Before she could even question what was happening to her and the room, she saw herself to be the size of The Nutcracker. He looked different, Twilight’s new toy. In the moonlight that floated down from the window, he almost looked real and alive. For a moment, Twilight thought he was going to start moving. She trotted passed his standing up figure and inspected the wide room, worried about what was going on. Through what almost appeared to be a visible line of light that brightened a part of the floor, Twilight saw something step through and into it. His small, scraggly claws, cut and pink showed themselves along with his menacing nose, teeth and beady read eyes. Brown, blood stained fur was revealed, and a rat was soon standing face to face with Twilight. The filly, being petrifyingly frightened found it hard to move, and just stood there gazing at the thing while his sharp claw slowly rose to strike her. Out of nowhere, a sword interfered with the rat. The Nutcracker stood there, fending off the beast while Twilight ran underneath a nearby table. Suddenly, they broke apart. The Nutcracker seemed perfectly fine, as did the rat. That wouldn’t stay the same for long though. The rat shot his head up and started screeching loud enough for Twilight to plug her ears. Jumping, leaping and attacking hordes of rats came from all shadows, determined to surround The Nutcracker, but it wasn’t like this wasn’t expected. One rogue soldier, then another, and more came leaping down from the tree branches, all with the same mission: help The Nutcracker. As war raged on, fighters fought till death, while others struggled with their foe, locked on and determined to kill. Twilight watched the chaos, seeing passed all these clashing warriors, her savior still battled the same rat. This one was still the worst and most powerful looking out of his whole army. Every blow Twilight’s knight dealt was deflected, and vice versa. Nothing was working, and The Nutcracker’s stamina was running low. His legs wobbled with every sharp blow given and received. The smoke that came about from all this fighting made it hard to see, so Twilight finally decided to help in the only way she knew how. Galloping out of her hiding spot and dodging many random blades that swung every which way, she headed towards The Nutcracker and The King of Rats. She flared her horn as best she could while charging, and came to a steady, instant halt, firing everything she had right at the rat. As it struck its mighty blow, small giggles were heard from his mouth. He looked at Twilight hissing with laughter, and then stopped. The sharp sensation of having a blade struck through his body ended any joyful emotions he was feeling. The Nutcracker removed his blade from the rat, walked to Twilight and bowed. The beast with a hole in its belly fell to the floor, dead in the background. The toy lifted his head, which seemed a bit large for him, and grabbed his cheeks. As he removed the dense mask, his true form showed itself. A handsome man about twenty to thirty, with the same facial features as the mask he wore and a tired smile was to be Twilight’s real guardian. All the other rats all crept against the corner, defeated by the soldiers who surrounded them. With their leader dead, they didn’t wish to try and escape or resist, lest death was to meet them on the path they trotted. They were all carried away, into the shadows. Twilight was finally able to talk, and asked The Nutcracker, “Excuse me…” He looked down at her, noticing the curiosity in her eyes, and asked, "Yea my dear?" “I’m just trying to get back home, with you of course…” The realistic toy chuckled and said, “We’re going to my castle first, where we can talk about this arrangement. I have some explaining to do.” He then blinked and walked off and out of the light. Twilight looked around at the battle field. Chaos did its toll, but to her, that’s the price one pays when being bad. “Were we being bad…?” Twilight shifted her head to the left and saw the dying rat king laying there, bloodied and teetering on the edge of death. She approached the harmless thing, and asked, “What do you mean?” He coughed a bit and smiled. “You’re going to bring about the true rat’s reign. Oh, you can’t see it. You can’t see the devil’s face on him, but it’s there, and you’re the center of attention. I know it’s going to happen. As soon as you’re there, you’ll be sweetened into marrying him, and then…” The filly gulped, and questioned the oddly speaking rodent, “… And then…?” “You’re never seen from again. As if you never existed, you just… disappear… Poof! Hehe, you’re gone kid. It’s happened before, and the last time I tried to stop him, other than this time… Well, you see what he did to my friends and family.” Twilight looked back hastily with wide eyes, returned her gaze and asked, “You mean… all those rats were…” “People… Indeed they were. The Nutcracker changed that though. You think he’s the hero of this little deal here? You can’t see it. You can’t see his true form. What he really looks like… What he really is. He changed me and all the others, made them take the form of the one that attacked them.” He nodded off with closed eyes, "And it's just a shame... Your kind's memories always fade in and out. There's been more then one, and if someone doesn't stop him... you won't be the last." The King's final, dying breath was heard, but soon after, it became hazy, and Twilight found it hard to remember certain parts of it. Looking at the dead rat, she shook her head, looked off into the darkness, the direction where The Nutcracker went, and headed off, leaving the deceased behind. Chapter Three: NightmareThe Nutcracker Chapter Three Nightmare Darkness, unforgiving and mysterious was Twilight’s guide. She blindly wandered through, searching for The Nutcracker’s castle, wherever it might have been. Her whole adventure had put a lot on her mind, but she was use to that. Ever since she started studying with Celestia, she’d learned a lot, so naturally, she was able to handle stress more efficiently. The sun was barely visible past the grey clouds that randomly appeared just above Twilight. They swirled slowly and calmly over the land just ahead, and as the sun slowly cascaded its bright flares from the green grass Twilight was standing on, the castle was shown. Royal flags made for The Nutcracker surrounded the outside perimeters, while the castle itself was extravagantly decorated with various gems cemented into the tall rising walls. Once sunlight touched one, the colorful beam bounced off and landed in the moat that protected it to create a dancing rainbow in the crystal clear waters. The bridge went right up to the huge gate, so Twilight crossed over and looked around. She didn’t remember how she’d gotten out of the house and into the woods, only to find a castle almost as big as Canterlot, but it didn’t really matter. She had other matters to think about. Knocking on the door, and feeling the smooth surface, she noticed it suddenly opened very slowly, and left a small, black line leading into it. Twilight tried to look through, but just couldn’t. The castle was just too black inside. So she waited. And then saw the prince emerge from the shaded line. He bowed, and turned around while saying, “Welcome to my castle, Twilight Sparkle.” The clothing he wore was of regal purple, attires made specifically for a king. While he entered between the doors, Twilight just stood there, looking deep into it. Once she entered, everything slowly formalized, and became seeable. Through the shimmering air, tall stairs ascending to the very top of the roof greeted her, while extraordinarily high bookcases caught her eye. Thousands of books lined the walls with some doors in between them. Everything inside was gorgeous to Twilight, but then she remembered what the rat said, that she needed to resist the nice things he was offering. But there was more that Twilight wanted; to go somewhere. Someplace she’d forgotten by now, and it was slowly coming back to her. Maybe it was the books, or perhaps the design of the lavish castle, but Twilight was beginning to remember the princess that taught her and the other fillies and colts that played in the library. It was her home, where Celestia mentored her, and challenged her powers daily. Twilight suddenly realized this wasn’t what she wanted, and that if The Nutcracker wanted her to be happy, and for her to survive whatever he planned, she would need to demand him to send her home. “Lovely, isn’t it?” The Nutcracker said, forcing Twilight to lift her head once more at the dreamy room. “It can be yours, if you want it… All you would have to do is…” He slowly reached over and whispered into her ear, “Become my bride.” Twilight jumped back with a stern face and said, “I want to return to Canterlot. I want to go there now!” All The Nutcracker could do was chuckle lightly. He rose his hand up, pointed it at Twilight and fired a bright green spell at her. She responded with blazing purple flames of intense heat. It all scorched the floors, making them fall apart to show that the castle was actually built on a volcano. The tile floors fell into the lava slowly, and melted with smoke engulfing the room above. Twilight stood there, staring at the now horrific being in front of her. Smoke wafted from the hole, making his gaze that much more despicable looking. He backed up slightly, leaped over, landed on the other side with Twilight and showed his eyes to her. In a flash, he transformed into the beast he really was. A nasty, clawed rat with a scar running down his cheeks and eye stood before the filly, towering over her. He was easily three times more scary appearing than the one Twilight talked to, and much bigger. This one though, appeared to be smarter, and stronger than any other. Twilight needed to get out of the situation she found herself in, and fast. She looked at the door, still open, and galloped while screaming her terrified head off. She ran right underneath the rats legs and went out into the light. As the sun slowly shined on the castle, something else just passed the trees started changing. The land was beginning to be clouded in darkness. Twilight had only one, single choice. She needed to run across the bridge, where the light still shined. She saw the waters crash up against the polls, and heard her hooves make loud clops as she ran. Soon, she was there, panting, but safe for the moment in the middle of the bridge. Looking up at the mote, anything that touched that darkness disappeared, and the only things that weren’t touching it at the time was the bridge, and the high tower of the castle. She looked up and saw the last bit of sunlight hit the top. In an instant, Twilight saw Celestia flourish out of the castle’s summit, radiant and beautiful as always. She spread her wings and soared down to Twilight just in time to stop the rat from harming her. He,d leaped out of the darkness, sharp claws extended. Twilight whipped around and was stunned to see they were caught by the princess’s powerful magic. With a simple blink of her eyes, just as all four of her hooves touched the wood of the bridge, everything stopped, and turned to faint blackness. Chapter Four: After MorningThe Nutcracker Chapter Four After Dream Twilight awoke early that morning with a cold sweat. She looked around her blanket, but nothing was found. The Nutcracker was still missing. As she got up and headed towards the ball room, she thought about the dream she’d just had, and wondered if her toy really did become a rat. Once she entered, she got her answer when seeing Celestia herself lifting a dead rat from under the table. She looked over at Twilight and said, “Found him with scraps, and he has germs. I’ll dispose of this while you prepare for our studies.” Twilight nodded with her lips lowered slightly. She watched Celestia leave, and searched the room after words, hopeful to find her toy, but even after years of being in the palace, she’d never find it again. And Twilight was unable to differentiate whether the dream she had that night was an actual dream, or something more. She asked about the rat towards Celestia, but her mentor said she didn’t know. This was, unfortunately, a lie. Celestia had been guarding The Nutcracker knowing full well what he was. Anypony that ever had it in their room while sleeping often caught themselves having dreams about him, and some never awoke from those dreams after enough time slipped by. Celestia had been battling the rat for generations, but the beast had finally gone into hiding, and the alicorn needed a way to lure him out. Twilight was the only one who was pure enough to catch his hungry eye. In time, Twilight would forget about the dreams she had along with The Nutcracker, but at the same time, Celestia wasn’t exactly positive The Nutcracker was truly dead.
Chapter One: A Present Chapter One: A Present The Nutcracker Chapter one A present Throughout Canterlot, all was sound. No noise interrupted the silenced halls, and nopony stirred awake. Mice, that’s different, and rats are always up during the night. One in particular, though, wandered toward the ball room, scheming while he went. This rodent squeaked and squirmed his way down beside the wall, panting and focused on his task, while the sleepers of the palace made no such reaction to his secretive presence. With his small claws curled, and those yellow, chipped teeth smiling, he leached into the ball room, unnoticed by anyone. Meanwhile, with morning coming, and her highness needing to get up anyways to do normal, everyday things such as chores, Princess Celestia shifted her head free of her bed sheet’s strong grasp. Her mane curled and knotted, the princess simply got out of bed with hazy vision and prepared for the normal everyday routine that was sure to come. Down the corridor, just passed the library slept the royal student of Celestia herself, Twilight Sparkle. She was a young and curious filly who only just recently got her cutie mark about three weeks ago. Her purple mane was almost always caught perfectly straitened and neat, but on mornings such as this, Twilight hadn’t done anything to make her presentable. Instead, Twilight just drooped her way to the ball room where her meal would be served as always. With the dull walk being so time consuming, Twilight often found herself thinking about home, lost in daydreams. The wood blazing from the fire in front of her mother’s beaming face was always a warming memory. It’d been almost a month since she left home to study magic under the care and love of Princess Celestia. With days rolling by, though, Twilight found herself feeling home sick. Of course, this was normal for a mare her age to be feeling. She technically wasn't even old enough to be considered a filly, but never the less; Celestia knew these emotions for the past would die down soon enough. As double doors of sheer centricity were opened, and a young filly entered, Celestia sipped a cup of fine tea, while reviewing her work for assisters. Her student, groaning and blinking with exhaustion sat, and proceeded with eating her extravagantly prepared breakfast. The room where the two resided at could resemble the throne room, with alterations, of course. It was nice, roomy and rectangular. The table that sat in the middle of the room looked to be made of rosewood, while the décor of other such fancy furniture surrounding the room reminded Twilight of her old granny’s cabin, just up the woods from the palace walls. As she ate, she saw something out of the corner of her little eye scamper across the floor and run behind the fine china holder. “Hmm,” the filly inquired, “Ms. Celestia… There was a mouse. He ran behind that big… umm…” Celestia lowered one of the morning notes pads to look at her young student. “Mice are nothing to worry about. Rats… That’s a completely different situation as they’ll probably overrun the palace in a matter of days. If you see a rat, let me know. Okay, my faithful student?” Twilight didn’t respond for a moments wait. She eyed the beautiful plates and glass shielding for a moment before uttering a simple, “Yes ma’am.” She didn’t see the rodent leave after that, but instead, continued with her daily activities of studying and preparing for one of Celestia’s challenging tests. Tonight was said to be snowing, and the weather was supposed to get pretty fierce. Twilight looked out the window to see a raging storm just passed the palace’s intricate walls. Winds clashed as clouds swirled just a few miles away. As the two walked together that evening, Celestia turned towards Twilight and offered her, “As my pupil, someday, you’ll need to learn about friendship. Tonight, my other students will be in the library playing and having fun. Why don’t you join them?” Twilight, being the shy filly she was responded with, “But other kids never really like me, and the ones that do are crazy.” Chuckling lightly, Celestia reassured her, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’ll be a learning experience. Plus, that big tree in the middle of all the rows…” “… What about it?” “It might have a few presents under it.” Hearing about this, Twilight perked up her pace with a warm smile while her mentor simply giggled at her student’s excitement. Entering the library, Twilight's eyes immediately glared at all the wonderful books she’s been reading. One of her favorites, fiction, was just across the way and down the hall. With an unhealthy obsession of going into imagination land, there was no wondering on why she hadn’t any friends. Through the day and sometimes into the deepest of nights, Twilight could be caught reading a book, all curled up in her blanket, and her horn creating a bright, purple light for her to see. Inside, fillies and colts with assorted manes and coats were scampering about basically behaving as typical children. Twilight walked forward, a bit cautious to go near the others, but was suddenly pushed in their direction by Celestia who’d still been behind her. Through the hordes of fillies and colts, poor Twilight didn’t know which one to mingle with. She slowly crept past the others, aimed at the distinct, lush leaves visible over the bookcases. This tree wasn’t like any other tree. It had been growing for as long as Celestia had been alive. Her magic kept it going, and made the plant life a very cherished part of the palace. Golden light bounced radiantly on each green leaf. Kids below played with their toys; all unicorns, of course. There were some gifts for others, some wrapped in the same coloring of their mane. And then, there was a box, purple, and rectangle, sitting on the floor. Twilight picked it up with her magic and inspected the note that was left on the bow. My faithful student Twilight, This little piece has been with me for many years now. He’s seen war, and can be very brave. Please, take care of him. Princess Celestia Opening it, Twilight felt an ominous, cold feeling slowly creep up on her. The wrapping paper slowly showed the being inside the box, and Twilight was more than happy to see a Nutcracker. Formed in the shape of an ancient creature known as a human, The Nutcracker was kept close by Celestia for plenty of years. She seemed to be highly observant of it. At night, Twilight would come into her room and see it sitting close by on her night stand. The red coated toy had blue pants on, and a very sharp looking sword, used for protection. His combed back, black hair was covered by the crazy marching hat he had on, but all in all, The Nutcracker looked very stylish to Twilight, even if the hat had too many feathers on it. She shifted towards the fiction part of the library where the other students usually didn’t follow. Through book after book, Twilight had read many of them, and nothing so far mentioned what The Nutcracker really was. Obviously, it broke open nuts, but even that wasn’t mentioned. Soon, Twilight heard a faint voice come from behind. “I saw her come this way.” Then another voice was detected. “Yeah, I saw her too. She had this cool looking action figure!” They soon caught up to the filly, but that section was so dark, they couldn’t see a thing. Twilight couldn’t even tell if the ponies in front of her had wings or not. The one closest spoke while two others stood behind him. “I think there was a mix up with the presents. Girls aren’t supposed to play with colt stuff. They’re supposed to fool around with makeup and girly things.” Twilight nervously said, “B-but, this is my toy. It was given to me by Celestia.” “Then she must’ve signed it to the wrong student.” The colts words were mean in a way, almost as if he wasn’t asking Twilight, but demanding she hand over something that didn’t belong to him at all. Soon, her magic was countered and locked in battle with the unknown colt’s enchantment. While the wooden figure shook in the shadows, wobbling from the struggle Twilight was giving the thieves, her magic fought too hard, and the delicate arm snapped clean off. In the light, the three boys saw the toy, and instantly felt guilty about what they just did to it. Especially when Celestia herself startled everypony by trotting up and asking, “What’s going on here, my little ponies?” No one answered, but the cries of her faithful student soon informed her of what was happening. She saw Twilight’s injured friend, and lifted it. “I had hoped this would’ve lasted longer. Twilight, I’ll have to repair this myself. Unfortunately… my magic cannot heal this wounded soldier, and only physical treatment can mend his broken arm.” Twilight nodded her head, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks, and walked past the boys who broke her nutcracker. As she left, she heard Celestia getting after them for their actions. That evening, the poor student couldn’t help but to leave the party, too heart hurt to deal with any socializing Celestia wanted her to do. She retreated to her room, where sanctuary, silence and peace could be found easily. The night time was always mysterious to Twilight. She’d stay awake staring at the stars; trying to figure out which formation is which with a big book next to her opened to page one hundred and something, but not tonight. For now, she just listened to the sweet, comforting sound of silence. Within the void of noise, thoughts were changed and flexed. Due to no noise, the mind is always able to focus, and figure things out thoroughly. Twilight sat on her balcony reading one of her favorite books as always when she heard her door open. The Nutcracker came floating in and headed to her, suspended by a yellow aura. Twilight saw a bandage around his left arm, but other than that, The Nutcracker seemed wonderfully repaired. She saw Celestia’s waving mane sink away, and hugged the little trouper for surviving the tough conflict. Putting her book up with a page marker sticking out, Twilight hopped into bed with The Nutcracker and closer her eyes, ready to enter the dream world.
Chapter Two: Dream Before the DreamThe Nutcracker Chapter two Dream Before the Dream The clock sounded down the corridor. Midnight, and all was silent in the house; all except that loud dinging coming down the corridor, coming from the clock. But there is no clock. There was never a clock in the house, Twilight thought in her hazy state. Her head lifted to see the shadow of a clock, just outside her door. It was on the wall, flat and shaking ever so slightly with every ding. But where did it come from? Twilight got out of bed, and noticed something missing, or someone. She shifted her head round and lifted her blanket covers, hopeful to find him, but The Nutcracker wasn’t anywhere in the room. Deciding wherever that clock came from, her friend must be there with it, and took off. She past her open door and headed down in the direction of the shadow. Trotting along, Twilight felt odd for some reason. She couldn’t quite place her hoof on it, but the palace almost felt different, like it was a duplicate or something. The walls were the same, the carpet felt soft as ever, but the whole feeling she got from it was just weird to her. She never did find the clock, but she did however find something more. The library, dark and abandoned with its doors opened. All the doors in the whole palace were open, and not a single night watch guard patrolled at all. It was as if Twilight was the only living pony in the whole structure. Once again, books upon books greeted her, and memories of what she’d read in the room entered her head rather quickly. The tree, almost glowing in the dark was the first thing Twilight came across. Her head stared at it, wondering where her toy was. Lowering her line of vision, she saw it lying there against the wood, staring at her. She reached down and picked him up while being careful not to get him caught by the branches. His body came out, and levitated in front of her with purple enchantment twinkling from his body. “Mr. Nutcracker,” Twilight said, “you’re not supposed to run off. Let’s get back to bed.” Twilight smiled at him, turned around, and was shocked to near death. The room, all the tall bookcases, all the furnishing and floor was all expanding at a very noticeable rate. All the filly could do was stare at it, scared the hasty transformation. She turned around and watched as branch after branch of the tree went passed her muzzle. Before she could even question what was happening to her and the room, she saw herself to be the size of The Nutcracker. He looked different, Twilight’s new toy. In the moonlight that floated down from the window, he almost looked real and alive. For a moment, Twilight thought he was going to start moving. She trotted passed his standing up figure and inspected the wide room, worried about what was going on. Through what almost appeared to be a visible line of light that brightened a part of the floor, Twilight saw something step through and into it. His small, scraggly claws, cut and pink showed themselves along with his menacing nose, teeth and beady read eyes. Brown, blood stained fur was revealed, and a rat was soon standing face to face with Twilight. The filly, being petrifyingly frightened found it hard to move, and just stood there gazing at the thing while his sharp claw slowly rose to strike her. Out of nowhere, a sword interfered with the rat. The Nutcracker stood there, fending off the beast while Twilight ran underneath a nearby table. Suddenly, they broke apart. The Nutcracker seemed perfectly fine, as did the rat. That wouldn’t stay the same for long though. The rat shot his head up and started screeching loud enough for Twilight to plug her ears. Jumping, leaping and attacking hordes of rats came from all shadows, determined to surround The Nutcracker, but it wasn’t like this wasn’t expected. One rogue soldier, then another, and more came leaping down from the tree branches, all with the same mission: help The Nutcracker. As war raged on, fighters fought till death, while others struggled with their foe, locked on and determined to kill. Twilight watched the chaos, seeing passed all these clashing warriors, her savior still battled the same rat. This one was still the worst and most powerful looking out of his whole army. Every blow Twilight’s knight dealt was deflected, and vice versa. Nothing was working, and The Nutcracker’s stamina was running low. His legs wobbled with every sharp blow given and received. The smoke that came about from all this fighting made it hard to see, so Twilight finally decided to help in the only way she knew how. Galloping out of her hiding spot and dodging many random blades that swung every which way, she headed towards The Nutcracker and The King of Rats. She flared her horn as best she could while charging, and came to a steady, instant halt, firing everything she had right at the rat. As it struck its mighty blow, small giggles were heard from his mouth. He looked at Twilight hissing with laughter, and then stopped. The sharp sensation of having a blade struck through his body ended any joyful emotions he was feeling. The Nutcracker removed his blade from the rat, walked to Twilight and bowed. The beast with a hole in its belly fell to the floor, dead in the background. The toy lifted his head, which seemed a bit large for him, and grabbed his cheeks. As he removed the dense mask, his true form showed itself. A handsome man about twenty to thirty, with the same facial features as the mask he wore and a tired smile was to be Twilight’s real guardian. All the other rats all crept against the corner, defeated by the soldiers who surrounded them. With their leader dead, they didn’t wish to try and escape or resist, lest death was to meet them on the path they trotted. They were all carried away, into the shadows. Twilight was finally able to talk, and asked The Nutcracker, “Excuse me…” He looked down at her, noticing the curiosity in her eyes, and asked, "Yea my dear?" “I’m just trying to get back home, with you of course…” The realistic toy chuckled and said, “We’re going to my castle first, where we can talk about this arrangement. I have some explaining to do.” He then blinked and walked off and out of the light. Twilight looked around at the battle field. Chaos did its toll, but to her, that’s the price one pays when being bad. “Were we being bad…?” Twilight shifted her head to the left and saw the dying rat king laying there, bloodied and teetering on the edge of death. She approached the harmless thing, and asked, “What do you mean?” He coughed a bit and smiled. “You’re going to bring about the true rat’s reign. Oh, you can’t see it. You can’t see the devil’s face on him, but it’s there, and you’re the center of attention. I know it’s going to happen. As soon as you’re there, you’ll be sweetened into marrying him, and then…” The filly gulped, and questioned the oddly speaking rodent, “… And then…?” “You’re never seen from again. As if you never existed, you just… disappear… Poof! Hehe, you’re gone kid. It’s happened before, and the last time I tried to stop him, other than this time… Well, you see what he did to my friends and family.” Twilight looked back hastily with wide eyes, returned her gaze and asked, “You mean… all those rats were…” “People… Indeed they were. The Nutcracker changed that though. You think he’s the hero of this little deal here? You can’t see it. You can’t see his true form. What he really looks like… What he really is. He changed me and all the others, made them take the form of the one that attacked them.” He nodded off with closed eyes, "And it's just a shame... Your kind's memories always fade in and out. There's been more then one, and if someone doesn't stop him... you won't be the last." The King's final, dying breath was heard, but soon after, it became hazy, and Twilight found it hard to remember certain parts of it. Looking at the dead rat, she shook her head, looked off into the darkness, the direction where The Nutcracker went, and headed off, leaving the deceased behind.
Chapter Three: NightmareThe Nutcracker Chapter Three Nightmare Darkness, unforgiving and mysterious was Twilight’s guide. She blindly wandered through, searching for The Nutcracker’s castle, wherever it might have been. Her whole adventure had put a lot on her mind, but she was use to that. Ever since she started studying with Celestia, she’d learned a lot, so naturally, she was able to handle stress more efficiently. The sun was barely visible past the grey clouds that randomly appeared just above Twilight. They swirled slowly and calmly over the land just ahead, and as the sun slowly cascaded its bright flares from the green grass Twilight was standing on, the castle was shown. Royal flags made for The Nutcracker surrounded the outside perimeters, while the castle itself was extravagantly decorated with various gems cemented into the tall rising walls. Once sunlight touched one, the colorful beam bounced off and landed in the moat that protected it to create a dancing rainbow in the crystal clear waters. The bridge went right up to the huge gate, so Twilight crossed over and looked around. She didn’t remember how she’d gotten out of the house and into the woods, only to find a castle almost as big as Canterlot, but it didn’t really matter. She had other matters to think about. Knocking on the door, and feeling the smooth surface, she noticed it suddenly opened very slowly, and left a small, black line leading into it. Twilight tried to look through, but just couldn’t. The castle was just too black inside. So she waited. And then saw the prince emerge from the shaded line. He bowed, and turned around while saying, “Welcome to my castle, Twilight Sparkle.” The clothing he wore was of regal purple, attires made specifically for a king. While he entered between the doors, Twilight just stood there, looking deep into it. Once she entered, everything slowly formalized, and became seeable. Through the shimmering air, tall stairs ascending to the very top of the roof greeted her, while extraordinarily high bookcases caught her eye. Thousands of books lined the walls with some doors in between them. Everything inside was gorgeous to Twilight, but then she remembered what the rat said, that she needed to resist the nice things he was offering. But there was more that Twilight wanted; to go somewhere. Someplace she’d forgotten by now, and it was slowly coming back to her. Maybe it was the books, or perhaps the design of the lavish castle, but Twilight was beginning to remember the princess that taught her and the other fillies and colts that played in the library. It was her home, where Celestia mentored her, and challenged her powers daily. Twilight suddenly realized this wasn’t what she wanted, and that if The Nutcracker wanted her to be happy, and for her to survive whatever he planned, she would need to demand him to send her home. “Lovely, isn’t it?” The Nutcracker said, forcing Twilight to lift her head once more at the dreamy room. “It can be yours, if you want it… All you would have to do is…” He slowly reached over and whispered into her ear, “Become my bride.” Twilight jumped back with a stern face and said, “I want to return to Canterlot. I want to go there now!” All The Nutcracker could do was chuckle lightly. He rose his hand up, pointed it at Twilight and fired a bright green spell at her. She responded with blazing purple flames of intense heat. It all scorched the floors, making them fall apart to show that the castle was actually built on a volcano. The tile floors fell into the lava slowly, and melted with smoke engulfing the room above. Twilight stood there, staring at the now horrific being in front of her. Smoke wafted from the hole, making his gaze that much more despicable looking. He backed up slightly, leaped over, landed on the other side with Twilight and showed his eyes to her. In a flash, he transformed into the beast he really was. A nasty, clawed rat with a scar running down his cheeks and eye stood before the filly, towering over her. He was easily three times more scary appearing than the one Twilight talked to, and much bigger. This one though, appeared to be smarter, and stronger than any other. Twilight needed to get out of the situation she found herself in, and fast. She looked at the door, still open, and galloped while screaming her terrified head off. She ran right underneath the rats legs and went out into the light. As the sun slowly shined on the castle, something else just passed the trees started changing. The land was beginning to be clouded in darkness. Twilight had only one, single choice. She needed to run across the bridge, where the light still shined. She saw the waters crash up against the polls, and heard her hooves make loud clops as she ran. Soon, she was there, panting, but safe for the moment in the middle of the bridge. Looking up at the mote, anything that touched that darkness disappeared, and the only things that weren’t touching it at the time was the bridge, and the high tower of the castle. She looked up and saw the last bit of sunlight hit the top. In an instant, Twilight saw Celestia flourish out of the castle’s summit, radiant and beautiful as always. She spread her wings and soared down to Twilight just in time to stop the rat from harming her. He,d leaped out of the darkness, sharp claws extended. Twilight whipped around and was stunned to see they were caught by the princess’s powerful magic. With a simple blink of her eyes, just as all four of her hooves touched the wood of the bridge, everything stopped, and turned to faint blackness.
Chapter Four: After MorningThe Nutcracker Chapter Four After Dream Twilight awoke early that morning with a cold sweat. She looked around her blanket, but nothing was found. The Nutcracker was still missing. As she got up and headed towards the ball room, she thought about the dream she’d just had, and wondered if her toy really did become a rat. Once she entered, she got her answer when seeing Celestia herself lifting a dead rat from under the table. She looked over at Twilight and said, “Found him with scraps, and he has germs. I’ll dispose of this while you prepare for our studies.” Twilight nodded with her lips lowered slightly. She watched Celestia leave, and searched the room after words, hopeful to find her toy, but even after years of being in the palace, she’d never find it again. And Twilight was unable to differentiate whether the dream she had that night was an actual dream, or something more. She asked about the rat towards Celestia, but her mentor said she didn’t know. This was, unfortunately, a lie. Celestia had been guarding The Nutcracker knowing full well what he was. Anypony that ever had it in their room while sleeping often caught themselves having dreams about him, and some never awoke from those dreams after enough time slipped by. Celestia had been battling the rat for generations, but the beast had finally gone into hiding, and the alicorn needed a way to lure him out. Twilight was the only one who was pure enough to catch his hungry eye. In time, Twilight would forget about the dreams she had along with The Nutcracker, but at the same time, Celestia wasn’t exactly positive The Nutcracker was truly dead.
