//------------------------------//
// Battle of the Dolls 
// Story: The Nutcracker and the Chaos King 
// by DisneyFanatic23 
//------------------------------//

	The clock struck midnight: the Witching Hour, when magic is at its prime. The small fire burning in the hearth glowed on the figure of the filly sleeping on the daybed. On the stroke of twelve, a dark figure appeared atop the grandfather clock. It was Luna, in a transparent, spirit-like form. She looked down at her goddaughter and smiled softly. Then she glanced at the nutcracker tucked under her foreleg.

"And so it begins," she whispered, her horn glowing in the darkness, "tonight."

The blue light from her horn emitted in all directions, one stream flowing directly into the nutcracker. Luna's ears perked up when she heard tiny footsteps and ducked out of sight.

In the wall was a tiny mouse hole, and from it came an army of, not mice, but mouse-sized dogs. They marched quietly into the parlor and shushed each other whenever the floor creaked or their armor clanked. Then another creature emerged from the hole, taller than the dogs, but still much smaller than a pony.

He was a creature made up of so many different animal parts: the gray head of a pony, a black mane going down his long neck, the beard, horn and leg of a goat; a deer antler, a lion's paw, an eagle claw, a bat wing, a blue pegasus wing, a green dragon's leg, a red snake tail with white fluff at the end, and a long, brown, furry serpentine body. He wore a purple and pink checkered tunic, a red cape, a golden crown on his head, and a ruby pendant around his neck.

This was the Chaos King.

His red and yellow eyes squinted at the sleeping filly. He chuckled when he saw a gleam around her neck. He leaned over to his three commanding officers.

"There it is, boys," he whispered, pointing to the butterfly necklace. "The Jewel of Kindness."

The tallest dog frowned. "We came all this way for that? That's no real jewel! That's just a cheap piece of costume jewelry!"

The dog choked as the Chaos King gripped his claw around his neck. "That 'cheap piece of costume jewelry' is the only thing standing in our way, Fido! Now go get it, before the filly wakes up!"

Fido and his two compatriots nodded and tiptoed over to the sleeping filly. They had to make a tower of themselves to get to her and called two of the strongest dogs to get on the bottom. The smallest one climbed over them and reached for the red velvet cushion.

"Good job, Spot!" the dark gray dog, Rover, exclaimed. "Now grab it!"

Spot crept over to the mare and reached for the pink jewel. As he touched it, a bolt of electricity shot out of it, sending him flying backward and causing the dog tower to collapse. The Chaos King slapped himself in the forehead.

"It had to be Diamond Dogs," he mumbled. "Mice could've been more effective! And practical!" He stomped over to his minions and pushed them to the ground. "Watch and learn, idiots!"

He teleported onto the daybed and grinned evilly as his eyes beheld the butterfly necklace.

"At last," he chuckled, holding out his paw and claw. "Nothing will stand in my way nowAAAAAAH!"

He jumped back as the jewel burned his paw and claw. His eyes were wide with confusion, but he growled in anger. He vanished and reappeared above the filly, now a much larger size. He paused as he got a look at the filly's face.

The innocence it held was mesmerizing and he found himself running his claw through her soft, pink mane.

"Pretty thing," he mused. "Almost feel sorry that I have to take your precious necklace away."

But as he touched the chain, it had the same effect. The Chaos King gritted his teeth and clenched his claw into a fist. He cursed the witch for not telling him the necklace was enchanted! Then again, he should've guessed as much for something so powerful.

After a moment, he relaxed and smiled down at the filly.

"No matter," he said calmly. "If we can't take the necklace, we'll just have to take the girl."

"You shall not touch her, you fiend!"

The Chaos King gasped as a tiny red and white figure hopped onto the backrest of the daybed and lashed out a sword the size of a pin. It was the nutcracker.

"You!" the Chaos King shouted. "But...how?"

"Have at thee, Discord!" the nutcracker challenged. "Leave the girl be and face your demise!"

"Stay out of this, Shining Armor! I was merciful turning you to wood rather than killing you! Let me go about my business and it will stay that way!"

"Your fight is with me! Leave Fluttershy alone!"

"On the contrary, Nut Boy, this has nothing to do with you! I'm here for the girl. Just let me take her, and I'll be on my way."

"Over my dead body!"

"Why? What's she to you? Don't you already have a girlfriend?"

"I would be with her, if it weren't for you!"

"Oh yes, that's right."

"The only way you're going to get this girl is if you kill me!"

Discord rolled his eyes. "Fine, if that's the way you want to play it." He snapped his fingers and made a sword appear in his paw. "All I want is the girl, but having the pleasure of destroying you is an added bonus."

He swiped the blade at the nutcracker, but he quickly ducked out of his swing.

"This isn't a fair fight, Discord!" Shining Armor mocked. "Pick on some pony your own size!"

Discord ignored his comment and swung at him again, gasping as he nearly cut the filly.

"Very well," he snorted.

He snapped his fingers and shrunk to the nutcracker's size. Well, still towering over him, but roughly his size. The nutcracker leapt off the daybed and faced his opponent.

"Just like old times," Discord smirked.

The Diamond Dogs crouched into pouncing positions, but their leader raised his claw.

"Don't help! He's mine!"

Discord charged forth and there was a loud clang as Shining Armor blocked his blow.

"Why are you here, you rat?" the nutcracker demanded as he thrust his blade towards his adversary.

"I told you," the Chaos King replied as he defended himself. "All I want is the girl."

"Why? What do want with the girl?"

"That is my business and my business alone! If you had not meddled in my affairs long ago, you wouldn't be in this mess!"

The sound of the foes fighting was enough to wake Fluttershy. Her eyes fluttered open as she wearily lifted her head to see what was making the noises. She clutched her hoof to her chest and realized that her nutcracker was gone.

She lifted the blanket and pillow, but could not find him. Then she heard another clang and spun around to see her nutcracker over by the fireplace, fighting a small, frightening creature she could not identify. She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I must be dreaming."

But when she opened them again, the strange battle was still going on. Surrounding the two foes was an army of tiny dogs in armor. The whole scene was bizarre to the filly.

"Did I hit my head?" she questioned, putting her hoof to her head.

She didn't understand what was going on, but it frightened her that this horrifying creature was trying to hurt her nutcracker. The enemies' swords were pushing against each other, and the nutcracker was losing the struggle.

Determined to save her beloved nutcracker, Fluttershy raced over to the battle. The tiny dogs scrambled so they wouldn't be stepped on by the large pony.

"You've lost your touch, Nut Boy," Discord sneered.

He screamed and dropped his sword as a giant yellow hoof snatched him up. Fluttershy brought the creature to her furious face.

"Leave him alone!" she bellowed.

"Rats!" Discord cursed. "I forgot about you."

He was angry for a moment but couldn't help admiring her enormous teal eyes and her fiery spirit. He smirked at the giant mare.

"Now, don't you think you should pick on someone your own size?"

He snapped his fingers and Fluttershy dropped the Chaos King as he grew bigger. She glanced around and saw that the whole room was getting bigger. No! She was getting smaller! The shrinking stopped when she was half the size of the nutcracker.

"Wha...?" she started to say.

She looked up as she heard the creature chuckle. He towered over her, now four times her size.

"Now, my little pony," he sneered, "you're mine."

She backed away as he slowly approached her.

"Wh-who are you?" she stammered.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me." He bowed slightly. "The name's Discord, but my subjects call me...the Chaos King."

Fluttershy gasped. "The...the Chaos King?"

"Ah! You've heard of me, then? Then you know why I'm here."

"Y-you're here to hurt my nutcracker!"

"What, him? He just happened to be here."

Fluttershy stopped as her back hit the wall. The Chaos King smirked as he had her cornered and stuck his sword out at her.

"No. I'm here for you, my dear."

She stared up at him in fright. "M-me?"

Discord shrieked as Shining Armor's sword poked him in the rear. He spun around and growled at his foe.

"You'll have to go through me first, ugly!" the nutcracker declared.

Discord narrowed his eyes. "So be it!"

"Mistress Fluttershy, run!"

Fluttershy didn't hesitate and slipped away from the Chaos King.

"No!" Discord cried while shielding himself from the nutcracker's blows. "Diamond Dogs, grab the girl!"

Fluttershy squealed as the dogs chased after her. She skidded to a halt as some blocked her path. The nutcracker saw her plight and looked over at the toy cabinet.

"Soldiers!" he called. "Protect Mistress Fluttershy, who has been kind to all of you!"

Fluttershy was amazed once again as her brother's tin soldiers came to life and marched out of the glass cupboard, some hauling canons. Many of them brought out their swords and charged toward the dogs.

"Attack!" the soldier that Button called General Flash commanded.

This diverted the Diamond Dogs' attention from Fluttershy and toward the approaching army. Fluttershy used their momentary distraction to escape and hid behind the foot of the couch.

She heard a cry and turned to see the Chaos King leading her nutcracker toward the fireplace. A few more steps and he would be burned alive! Fluttershy gasped as the nutcracker's sword was pulled out of his grasp. Discord then pointed his blade at the nutcracker's throat.

"It's over," he chuckled.

Thinking fast, Fluttershy removed one of her slippers and threw it at the Chaos King. It hit him square in the back of the head.

"Ow!" he cried, spinning around. "Who threw that?"

He growled when he saw Fluttershy run from his sight. Meanwhile, Shining Armor scrambled for his weapon.

"Idiots!" Discord howled. "I told you to get her!" He sighed. "I have to do everything myself!"

The nutcracker charged him from behind, but Discord managed to turn around just in time. He used all his magic to pin the nutcracker to the ground.

"Sorry to cut our battle short, Nut Boy," Discord smirked, "but I have a mare to catch."

"No," Shining Armor uttered, attempting to rise.

Three Diamond Dogs pounced on the nutcracker as the Chaos King pursued the filly.

As soon as Fluttershy saw that the Chaos King was after her, she searched frantically for a place to hide. She then looked up at her dollhouse, which was the size of a real house now. She flapped her wings so that she could rise onto the table and slip through the door.

Discord chuckled at her action. "Silly filly, thinking she can hide from me."

He flapped his own wings and went into the house after her. He scanned the doll-sized room, trying to determine which piece of toy furniture the filly was hiding behind.

"Where are you, my pretty?" Discord called in a singsong voice. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

With a swipe of his paw, he turned over the toy couch and found nothing underneath.

"While I do enjoy a fun game of hide-and-seek now and then, I simply haven't the time right now."

He pushed over a chair but was again unsuccessful.

"I promise I won't hurt you, lovely. I'll make sure no harm comes to you, whatsoever."

He kicked the table, but that, too, was empty.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was pressed up against the wall of the tiny closet. The darkness of the small room frightened her, and she had to stand on her hind hooves to fit, but she was more afraid of the creature lurking outside. What did he want with her?

"In fact," he called, "why don't you make things easy for us both and just hand over that pretty necklace of yours?"

Fluttershy put her hoof to her butterfly pendant. What did he want of her necklace? It was nothing special, just a piece of costume jewelry. Why would he go through all this trouble for that?

"Your choice, my dear."

She held her breath as she heard him stop outside the door.

"Very well. If you won't give yourself up, I'll just have to hurt your precious nutcracker."

She gasped in fright. She realized her mistake too late and put her hoof to her mouth. The door flung open and the Chaos King grinned at the sight of her.

"Gotcha!"

Fluttershy screamed as he snatched her up and flung her over his shoulder.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, furiously beating her hooves against his back.

"My, my, my," Discord snickered. "You're feisty one, aren't you?"

She did not reply, only continued pounding him.

"Shhh, shhh," he whispered, stroking her back. "None of that now. I promise you won't be hurt."

She didn't listen and persisted in trying to wrench herself out of his grasp as he carried her. Down below, Shining Armor struggled to fight off the Diamond Dogs, as did the tin soldiers. They were outnumbered, and the Diamond Dogs were bigger and stronger. Shining Armor now had five on top of him.

"Help!"

He turned at the sound of Fluttershy's voice and saw the Chaos King carrying her toward the mouse hole.

"Mistress Fluttershy!" Shining Armor cried.

He tried to shake the dogs off his back, but to no avail.

"Some pony!" he shouted. "Save her!"

Discord yelped as he once again felt something hit the back of his head. He turned around and searched for the culprit.

"Seriously, what's with all the shoe-throwing?!" he demanded.

Suddenly, something jumped up from behind and grabbed him by the horns.

"Ow!" he cried out.

As his head pulled back and he writhed in pain, he lost his grip on Fluttershy, who landed on the floor with a thud. She looked up and saw that it was her doll Sweetie Belle attacking the monster. She gasped when her other doll Rarity came charging at him, picking up her blue shoe with her horn.

"Take that, you brute!"

Discord shrieked as the larger unicorn doll started hitting him with the shoe while the smaller one was pulling his horns out of his sockets. Once he had gotten over the shock, he used his magic to throw Rarity across the room, reached back and grabbed Sweetie Belle by the throat. She screamed as he flung her over his head to bring them face to face.

"Why, you little brat!" he grunted between his teeth. "I never liked dolls or children!"

"Hey!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Leave her alone!"

Discord turned his head towards the pretty pegasus, who then realized she'd done something stupid once again and ran off. Sweetie Belle squealed as the Chaos King dropped her. He brought out his sword and resumed his chase.

"This mare is really starting to get on my nerves," he growled.

Fluttershy looked around for a new hiding place. She found herself at the bottom of the tree. She gazed up at it, intimidated by how tall it now was in comparison to her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the Chaos King right on her tail. There was nowhere to go but up.

She flapped her wings and landed on the nearest branch. She ran along it until she reached the trunk of the tree. Grunting in annoyance, Discord flew in after her. Fluttershy shrieked as she made her way up, half flying, half climbing. Normally, Discord would've teleported her into his arms, but he was too endorsed in the thrill of the chase to bother.

"You may be difficult, my pretty," he shouted up to her, "but you know what they say: the harder to catch, the better they are!"

He caught up to her and Fluttershy ducked behind a red ornament. She squealed when he pierced his sword through the bulb, shattering it. She flew upwards as fast as her wings could carry her.

"You can't run forever!" Discord taunted.

Fluttershy was panting as she flapped harder and harder. Soon, she found herself at the top of the tree where the star stood. She looked around frantically. Where was she to go now? There was nothing but open space now, nowhere to hide.

She gasped when she heard a dark chuckle behind her. She spun around and had to grip the lower point of the star to keep herself from collapsing in fear. The Chaos King smiled wickedly as he crept nearer.

"You see?" he smirked. "Now there's nowhere left for you to run. It's just you and me, my beauty."

Fluttershy closed her eyes, preparing for the worst. Discord was taken aback at her sudden look of defeat and lowered his sword.

Yes, a beauty she was. Her eyes were shut in fright, yet her lashes fell gently over them. As she quivered, a strand of pink hair fell over her face. Discord then felt the strange urge to reach out his claw and brush it away.

Fluttershy cautiously opened her eyes, confused by the creature's unexpected gesture. Her teal eyes met his yellow ones with red pupils that dilated as they fixated on her. Fluttershy became even more confused, as he seemed to be looking at her not with malice, but…tenderness.

"A beauty indeed…" he murmured.

Neither of them saw that the ruby pendant around the Chaos King's neck started glowing, as did Fluttershy's necklace. They didn't even notice the two pendants slowly rising, reaching out to each other, bringing their bearers closer together.

Once she realized that their faces were only a few inches away, Fluttershy snapped herself back to reality and backed away.

"Don't you touch me!"

Discord quickly shook off his sensations and regained his malicious composure.

"My dear, I fear that might be quite impossible, as I can't take you without touching you."

He lunged forward and grabbed her foreleg. As soon as he did, light pulsed from Fluttershy's necklace and knocked Discord back with such a great force that he released his hold on the mare and fell from the tree to the floor. The Diamond Dogs gasped at the sight of their leader falling and some of them rushed to his aid just in time to catch him. His crown fell as he put his paw to his head.

"Oh, my aching head…" he groaned.

His eyes widened when he noticed the toy soldiers approaching him.

"Retreat!" he bellowed.

The Diamond Dogs ceased their fighting and rushed to the mouse hole.

"This isn't over yet!" Discord shouted up to Fluttershy as the dogs carried him off. "I'll get you, my pretty! And your little dolls too!" He stuck out his tongue. "Blech! Could I sound any more cliché?"

Fluttershy waited until the last of the Diamond Dogs had disappeared into the mouse hole before floating back to the ground.

"Goodness…"

"Are you alright?"

She gasped and turned sharply toward the nutcracker slowly approaching her, holding her slipper in his hooves. She was silent as he gently slid it on her hoof. She couldn't help but think he looked even handsomer at this size, but shook it off when she remembered her situation.

"You're…" she stammered, "you…and that…and…"

She looked around at the tin soldiers and dolls. Alive.

Her eyes rolled back as her legs gave out beneath her. The nutcracker caught her before she hit the floor.

"Oh dear," Rarity said, coming to her mistress' side. "Poor dear must be frightened out of her wits!"

"Wow!" Sweetie Belle marveled. "She's even prettier at this size!"

Fluttershy's eyes slowly opened and she glanced around to find that her surroundings had not changed.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?"

The toys all shook their heads.

"I'm afraid this is quite real," Shining Armor said as he helped her to her hooves.

"You're alive," Fluttershy uttered. "All of you."

She yelped as Sweetie Belle flung her hooves around her waist.

"Finally!" the little doll squealed. "Now I get to hug you back!"

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity chuckled. "You'll overwhelm the poor girl!"

"Rarity?" Fluttershy said in awe. "Sweetie Belle? You're alive too?"

"Yup!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, stepping away. "And I wanna thank you for this!"

She lifted her foreleg to reveal a stitch in her side.

"I would've lost all my stuffing if it weren't for you!"

"And when my dress was torn," Rarity said, showing a faint stitch in her skirt, "I thought I was done for, until you sewed it up!"

General Flash Sentry stepped forward. "I am in your debt as well."

He lifted his back hoof, which had an almost invisible circle of dried glue near the boot.

"When my leg snapped, Button wanted to throw me away, but you fixed me up and saved me from the garbage!"

"And you've kept us all clean so we never collect dust!" one of the soldiers exclaimed.

"Not to mention you kept my jaw in place when it broke," the nutcracker said, flexing his jaw. "It'd be pretty hard to talk now if it weren't for you."

General Flash took off his hat and bowed. "We are all at your service, my lady."

The nutcracker and the other soldiers did the same, Rarity and Sweetie Belle curtsying. Fluttershy's face flushed pink.

"Oh, um…thank you? I mean you're welcome, I mean… You can all stop bowing now."

The toys chuckled as they returned to their upright positions. Fluttershy gazed at the nutcracker in awe.

"So Aunt Luna was right, then," she whispered. "You are a prince!"

Shining Armor frowned. "I was going to be, anyway, until that monster Discord cursed me and took my Cadence!"

"Cadence?"

"The Sugar Plum Princess," he sighed, gazing off into space. "My princess."

"So that was really him? The Chaos King?"

"Yes," the nutcracker growled. "I'm not sure how he found me here, but he apparently wasn't looking for me."

All eyes were on Fluttershy and she hid her face behind her mane.

"Whatever does he want Fluttershy for?" Rarity inquired.

"Nothing good, that's for sure!" General Flash huffed.

"That puzzles me as well," Shining Armor said, rubbing his chin. "I mean Fluttershy's just an ordinary mare." He looked down at her. "No offense. It's just I don't understand why he would want you in particular."

Fluttershy touched her butterfly pendant. "He…he said he wanted my necklace."

"Really?" Rarity said, taking a closer look at the pendant. "It's a pretty thing, that's for sure, but it's only a cheap piece of costume jewelry, nothing the Chaos King would get so worked up about."

"But it did something!" Sweetie Belle pointed out. "I saw it! It knocked the Chaos King senseless!"

"I don't know how it did that!" Fluttershy insisted. "He…he touched me and it started glowing and…I don't know what happened exactly!"

"Hmm," Shining Armor pondered, staring at the necklace. "Maybe it's not just some cheap piece of costume jewelry after all. I wonder…"

He reached out and touched the pendant. He retracted his hoof with a yelp.

"Yup. There's certainly some sort of magic in it."

"Did it hurt you?" Fluttershy asked, taking his hoof.

"Just a little, but I don't think any pony can touch it."

"But when I touch it, it does nothing."

"Maybe because you're wearing it. That would explain why Discord decided to take you instead of just taking the necklace."

"But why? What's so special about it? You know, besides the strange magic?"

"I'm not sure, but if Discord wants something magical, it must be for something dangerous. Best that you keep that necklace on so he doesn't get his claw on it."

Fluttershy froze. "You mean he might come after me again?!"

"Most likely. Discord's a very persistent creature. No doubt once he regains his bearings, he'll plan another attack."

Fluttershy gulped and glanced at her huge surroundings. "Oh, dear! Everything's so big! What should happen if my parents wake up and find me the size of a mouse?"

Shining Armor stepped toward the mouse hole and squinted into the darkness.

"Discord and the Diamond Dogs came through here. This must be an entrance into the Land of Sweets."

Fluttershy shivered. "Do you really think he'll come back?"

"If he does," General Flash said, drawing his sword, "we'll be ready."

"We can't just sit and wait for him to attack again," Shining Armor pointed out. "He might bring more dogs next time. We barely got out of this battle alive. If we're going to defeat the Chaos King once and for all, we'll have to attack him when he least expects it."

Rarity peered into the mouse hole. "You're not going in there, are you?"

"I must," the nutcracker said, drawing his sword. "He's holding my princess captive. It is my sworn duty to rescue her!"

"What about me?" Fluttershy demanded. "I mean the Chaos King is after me, not to mention I'm now much smaller than him!"

Shining Armor lashed his rapier. "It's possible that if the Chaos King dies, all his enchantments, including the one he has on you, will be broken."

The young pegasus' eyes widened in horror. "You're not going to…kill him, are you?"

"It's the only way," the nutcracker insisted, "if I am ever to be reunited with Cadence and you are ever to be your size again."

"We'll join you on your quest," General Flash said, saluting his superior.

Shining Armor shook his head. "No, General. If we bring an army into the Land of Sweets, Discord will see us coming. I must go alone and catch the Chaos King while he's off-guard."

"But the Diamond Dogs!" one of the soldiers reminded him. "You won't stand a chance fighting them alone!"

"Even if you do slay the Chaos King," another soldier said, "no doubt the dogs will attack you!"

The nutcracker rubbed his chin in thought. "Then wait until you wake again tomorrow night. If this portal takes me to the edge of the Land of Sweets, it will take at least a day's journey to get to the castle on hoof. Wait twenty-four hours before following me. Discord might be too distracted waiting for my arrival to notice an army approaching. Even if he does notice you coming, he'll take his focus off of me. Either way, we can use it to our advantage."

The general nodded and saluted again.

"Wait," Fluttershy said, grabbing the nutcracker's hoof. "I'm coming with you."

"Out of the question!" Shining Armor exclaimed. "It could be dangerous! Besides, the Chaos King's greatest enemy traveling with the wearer of an object he desires will attract even more attention! And if we should get captured…"

"I don't think he can hurt me," Fluttershy claimed, touching her necklace. "I think this necklace protects me somehow. Besides, I can't stay here! I won't freeze like the others in the morning. If my family finds me, they'll faint, or if they don't see me, they might step on me!"

"She has a point," said a soldier.

"And if we should be attacked, at least you'll be there to protect me."

Shining Armor sighed in defeat. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"We'll come along too!" Rarity volunteered.

"Oh no," Fluttershy insisted. "I couldn't ask you to…"

"We're not as fragile as we look!" Sweetie Belle huffed. "We're ragdolls, not china dolls!"

"You've saved us whenever we were in a pickle," Rarity said, putting a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "It's time we return the favor."

"Are you certain?" Shining Armor asked the dolls. "The journey's long, and if we are attacked…"

"We'll give those ruffians the one-four!"

He sighed. "It's settled then. Fluttershy and these two ladies will accompany me, and the rest of you will follow tomorrow night. Any objections?"

Every pony was silent.

"Very well." The nutcracker took Fluttershy's hoof. "You ready, my lady?"

Fluttershy looked into the darkness of the mouse hole. The path ahead of her frightened her, but she knew she had to be brave. She had to get back to her own size and she had promised Aunt Luna that she would protect the nutcracker at all costs. Now that she knew her aunt's story had been true, she could not rest until her nutcracker was reunited with his true love.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready."