//------------------------------// // The Land of Sweets // Story: The Nutcracker and the Chaos King // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// "Oh my," Fluttershy shivered as she and her friends walked through the tunnel. "It's so dark." "Ooh, wait!" Sweetie Belle piped. A green light flickered, but it wasn't enough to light the tunnel. "Let me do it, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said. The older doll's horn glowed blue, illuminating enough for the four companions to see each other. "You can do magic?" Fluttershy inquired. Rarity huffed. "But of course! We're unicorns, aren't we?" The pegasus quietly apologized and gazed fearfully into the darkness. She gripped the nutcracker's hoof tighter with no intention of letting go and losing herself in the dark tunnel. "How much further?" she whispered. Shining Armor shrugged. "I honestly don't know." He leaned closer. "Don't worry, Mistress Fluttershy. By my honor, I will keep you from harm." Fluttershy blushed and admired how handsome the nutcracker looked in the dim light. Then she frowned when she remembered he was engaged. To a princess, no less. That was really what bothered her about this quest. Not the fact that she was facing an awful monster, but that the Prince Charming joining her already had a love. Of course, she had no intention of pursuing a stallion that was taken, but didn't the heroine of every fairy tale get the prince in the end? If the nutcracker had the princess, what did that make Fluttershy? "I see a light!" Sweetie Belle announced, pointing ahead. Fluttershy looked up and saw that the little doll was correct. A tiny speck of light was waiting at the end of the tunnel. "We're close," Shining Armor declared. Fluttershy quivered as a new thought occurred to her. "What if the Chaos King and the Diamond Dogs are waiting on the other side?" "Most likely not. Discord would've teleported all of them back to the castle. But just in case…" He drew his sword and the dolls straightened up alertly. Fluttershy held her breath as they approached the light. She had to shield her eyes for them to readjust to the brightness. When she opened them, she gasped. They had emerged from the mouth of a cave and entered a forest of tall, snow-covered pine trees that looked as if they would touch the sky. She was surprised to see it so blue, considering what time it was. The nutcracker seemed to read her thoughts and explained, "Time works differently here." Fluttershy sniffed the air and her eyes widened. "Peppermint?" "The trees." Curious, she approached one of the trees, took one of the lower branches and gave it a lick. It tasted just like peppermint! "Just about everything's edible here," Shining Armor stated with a smile. Fluttershy looked at the snow and cautiously licked it too. "Vanilla!" She paused when she realized something else. "And it's not even cold!" "I wondered why we weren't shivering," Rarity said. "Then again, we dolls are indifferent to the cold." "Wow!" Sweetie Belle said, gazing up at the trees. "I always wanted to go to the Land of Sweets!" She frowned. "I thought there'd be more sweets." "Oh, just you wait," Shining Armor chuckled. "This is only the edge of the kingdom." He sighed. "I thought as much. It will take us a day, maybe longer before we reach the Sugar Plum Palace." "Where is the palace?" Fluttershy inquired. "At the kingdom's very center." "How will we even get there?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Just follow the gingerbread path here." The young doll glanced down at her hooves and realized they were standing on a road made entirely of gingerbread and bordered with peppermints and gumdrops. "Oh," she uttered. "But we should be very careful following this path," Shining Armor said as he led the ladies forward. "Discord may have spies watching it for any approaching intruders." "So you're saying we shouldn't follow the path?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "No, otherwise we'll get lost." She narrowed her eyes. "Make up your mind!" "I'm saying we should stay to the edge of the path, so we can jump in the bushes if anybody approaches." "What will we even do when we get to the palace?" Fluttershy asked. Shining Armor bit his lip. "I'm not sure." Sweetie Belle groaned. "You mean we're about to confront an evil monster king, and you don't have a plan?!" "Hey! I didn't think I'd ever be able to get back here! Besides, we have at least a day before we reach the palace." Fluttershy paused when she heard a twig snap. "Did you hear that?" The others glanced behind them. Shining Armor held out his sword and waited for something to appear. When nothing came, he relaxed. "It was probably a squirrel. We're safe for now, Mistress Fluttershy, but we should still stay on guard. There's no telling what may be lurking in these woods." Neither of them saw the red violet eyes watching them through the bushes. The owner of those eyes silently cursed herself for almost blowing her cover. She'd been asked to watch the cave entrance for any suspicious behavior, and seeing the nutcracker with three strange fillies was certainly suspicious. When the travelers were out of sight, the spy flew out of the bushes. She was a pegasus, splattered in green and white, the same colors as the snow-covered pine trees. She shook herself and changed color. Her coat became cyan and her mane and tail now had all the colors of the rainbow, as did her leotard. With one last glance at the group, she took to the skies. "Discord won't be happy when he hears about this." In the center of the Land of Sweets, a large, pink castle stood. The conical roofs of the towers were made entirely out of sugar plums, the drawbridge was made of graham cracker, the windows were paned with licorice, and the sugary walls glistened in the sunlight. Diamond Dogs guarded the gates and paced the walls above. Inside, the Chaos King lay sprawled across a black, ruby-encrusted throne with huge antlers sticking out from behind. A second throne sat a few feet away from him, this one less menacing, with a pink and purple pattern and a crystal heart at its head. There was a thin layer of dust on the seat, as it hadn't been sat in for a while. Discord had changed into a simpler, looser shirt than before and had removed his cape and crown. He had a large ice pack pressed to his head. "A mare," he groaned. "A mare! Outsmarted by a mare! A filly, no less!" He paused. "How old was she, anyway?" "Why you asking me?" said the purple dragon massaging his goat hoof and dragon foot. "I wasn't there!" Discord sat up and glared at the dragon. "Shut up, Spick, and get me more ice! This thing's gone cold!" The dragon rolled his eyes and left the room, grumbling, "It's Spike." Discord growled at Rover, who was standing by in fear. "I told you to grab the filly! I ask you idiots to do one simple thing and you blow it!" The Diamond Dog twiddled his paws. "Well, with all due respect, your majesty…you couldn't grab her either…" He yelped as he was suddenly flipped over and dangled in midair. Discord moved his glowing claw up and down as he banged Rover's head repeatedly against the floor. Spike came running in with a fresh ice pack. "Here you are, your…" He skidded to a halt when he saw Rover crumple to the floor. He opened his mouth to ask but stopped himself, afraid of the answer. "Good," Discord groaned, teleporting the ice pack into his claw and putting it to his head. "Oh, you might want to get one for Rover too." Spike only nodded and left again. The Chaos King growled in frustration. "As if throwing me off a tree with the Jewel of Kindness wasn't enough, she throws a slipper at me! A slipper!" He rolled onto his stomach and settled his head on his paw in thought. How could he have let his guard down like that? Why didn't he just teleport her into his arms instead of playing that endless game of Cat-and-Mouse? Why did he have to get so enraptured in the young mare that he failed to obtain her? How could he have let himself be beaten by a mare?! A pretty mare at that… Discord found himself thinking of the mare's beautiful face. Her coat was the perfect shade of yellow, not too pale and not too dark, reminding him of buttercream. Her mane was the color of cotton candy, but when he had touched it, it was like touching the lightest and softest of silk. And her eyes…those deep, teal eyes…they were filled with so much innocence, yet sparked with fire when she was angry. He grunted at the realization that he didn't know her name. What had the nutcracker called her? Flutterby? Flittershy? Flattersigh? "Your majesty!" Spot called as he and Fido burst through the doors. "We've brought the witch!" They hauled a lavender unicorn in chains. She had purple eyes, a dark blue mane with a streak of pink and purple and wore a torn yellow dress with a loose pink ribbon hanging from her neck. "For the last time!" she hollered. "I'm a diviner, not a witch!" Discord ignored her comment and sat up, putting the ice pack aside. "Good work, boys. Just put her right there." They threw her down at Discord's feet. She looked up at him in disdain. He only returned her glare. "You did not tell me the nutcracker would be there!" he accused, pointing a lion finger at her. The unicorn's face softened as her eyes filled with hopeful tears. "Shining Armor was there?" "Don't play dumb, Twilight Sparkle! I should've expected you to withhold information regarding your brother!" Twilight's eyes narrowed. "I didn't know! My magic can only reveal certain things about the future! I can't see everything!" "You didn't tell me how impossible it would be to remove the necklace from the filly's neck!" "I told you everything I knew!" Discord stood up and began pacing the room. "You didn't tell me enough!" Twilight rose as well, turning to face him. "I told you where you would find the Jewel of Kindness! I showed you the mare wearing the necklace! I told you that the Jewel of Kindness…" "…would be my undoing! Yes, yes! I know all of that!" He stomped over to her. "What I want to know is how I get the necklace off the girl's neck?!" The unicorn sighed. "Powerful amulets tend to have magical locks. The only one who can remove it is the wearer." Discord gave her a scrutinizing look. "You're hiding something. I know it! There's something about that prophesy you didn't reveal, isn't there?" She gave him an equal stare. "If you doubt my prediction, let me show you again." They spent the next few minutes engaged in a staring contest, before Discord gruffly gave up and turned to Spot and Fido. "One of you, fetch a bowl of water." "Fetch?" the two said angrily. "NOW!" Discord boomed. The dogs shrank in whimpers and dashed off. "I'm curious," Twilight said. "I mean you have magic that can get you anything you want, so why do you have those dogs do all your dirty work?" "To show them who's Boss," the Chaos King grunted. "Plus, it's fun watching them do idiotic and petty tasks." Spot and Fido returned with a wooden bowl of water. It sloshed and spilled slightly as they stopped. "Good boys," Discord chuckled. "Now set it down." They did so and Discord summoned a large, star-cut diamond. The dogs' mouths watered in desire. "Here you go, boys. Fight for it." He tossed the diamond toward the door. The dogs growled as they scrambled for it. "Now," Discord said, looking down at Twilight, "do your thing." The unicorn sighed and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up with a magenta aura as she slowly brought it down to the bowl. When her horn touched the water, it created magenta ripples, changing the water's color. Discord leaned forward and watched as an image began to form in the water. A deep, unearthly voice came out of Twilight's mouth and said: "A deadly curse shall be lifted from all…" In the water, he saw Shining Armor returned to flesh, embracing a pink alicorn that was the Sugar Plum Princess. "The King of Chaos shall finally fall…" The image changed to Discord's face, wincing as if he were in pain. "The Land of Sweets will be free from blindness…" The scene shifted to ponies in a great celebration. "Chaos undone by the Jewel of Kindness." The young pegasus mare came into view, the butterfly pendant around her neck. Twilight gasped as she broke contact with the water, which instantly returned to normal. She opened her eyes and put her hoof to her head. Discord narrowed his eyes at her. "That's the exact same thing you showed me before!" he shouted, kicking the bowl over. "Tell me how I may prevent this from happening!" "Nothing can prevent it!" Twilight declared. "My prophecies always come true!" "You're lying! You're not telling me everything!" He gripped the collar of her dress, bringing her to his eye level. "Tell me or I'll cut you to ribbons like the one you're wearing!" "I don't write the future, Discord!" the unicorn spat. "I only foretell it!" "You mean there's nothing new you can tell me?!" "Your fate is set in stone! Those who try to prevent their fate end up sealing it! If you really want to continue your reign, I suggest you leave it alone!" She yelped as he dropped her. "Oh, sure!" he exclaimed. "That's just what you want, isn't it? You want me defeated, don't you?! You want revenge for what I did to your brother! Is that it?! If I hadn't seen the filly and the necklace myself, I'd think you were making all this up!" "I've told you all I could," Twilight heaved in fatigue. "I only did it because you asked." Discord felt ready to strangle the unicorn, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself. "I'll prove you wrong," he said nonchalantly. "I'll get that Jewel of Kindness, even if I have to rip it from that lovely filly's neck!" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Lovely?" He stiffened. "I meant it in a taunting manner!" She was about to question further when a streak of rainbow whizzed through the window. The rainbow-haired pegasus cried out as she slid across the floor and crashed into a pillar. She opened her eyes wearily and found herself in an upside-down position. "I think you put too much wax on the floor, your majesty," she grumbled. Discord rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "This better be good, Rainbow Dash. I'm in a meeting!" Rainbow Dash twisted her head and smiled when she noticed the unicorn. "Oh. Hey, Twi." "Hey, Dash," Twilight waved. "Quit fraternizing!" Discord bellowed, picking up the pegasus by the tail. "What do you have to report?" Rainbow laughed nervously. "Well, you see, I was watching the cave like you told me and…well…you're not gonna like this…" "Get to the point or I'll rip your tail off!" "Okay, okay! Take it easy! Anyway, Shining Armor's back!" "WHAT?!" The pegasus squeaked as he released her tail and she fell to the floor. "Ugh, I should've known Nut Boy would follow me!" Discord growled. "If only I were able to open that portal more than once!" "He didn't come alone," Rainbow grunted as she rose to her hooves. "An army, then? Has he come to declare war?" "No. He didn't bring many, just a couple of dolls and this pegasus mare I've never seen before." Discord's eyes widened. "Pegasus mare?" He gripped the front of her multi-colored leotard. "What pegasus mare?" "Just some mare. At least I think she was a mare, I mean she was pretty young." "Did she have a buttercream coat? Hair like rose petals? Eyes like a minty sea?" "Yeah, uh…what?" He brought her closer and shouted, "WHAT DID SHE LOOK LIKE?!" "Yellow coat, pink hair…oh, she had a necklace shaped like a butterfly of some sort." "The Jewel of Kindness…" Discord murmured before bringing Rainbow closer so that their noses were pressed together. "What was her name?" "Huh?" "WHAT WAS HER NAME?!" "Uh…" Rainbow blinked. "I…I think Shining Armor called her, uh…Flutter something, uh…Fluttershy!" "Fluttershy…" As soon as he said the word, he lost his grip on Rainbow Dash. He didn't even hear the pegasus shriek when she hit the floor. "Fluttershy…" he whispered again as he stared off into space. The name was perfect: a fitting name for all things delicate and graceful, sounding like the gentle wingbeat of a butterfly. There was really no better name that would suit something so soft, so fragile, so alluring, so… "Um…your majesty?" Rainbow's voice snapped him out of his daze. "Huh? Oh, um…what else did you hear?" "They're coming to the palace to…well, to defeat you. They're following the gingerbread path." Discord huffed. "Fool. Thinking he can just waltz in here and stab me in the chest!" He walked to the window and summoned a spyglass. He looked through it and could see to the farthest edge of the Land of Sweets. His eye searched until it fell upon a yellow speck among the white snow. He readjusted the spyglass so it would focus on the speck. There she was, walking down the gingerbread path with the nutcracker and the two unicorn dolls that had attacked him. He zeroed in on the filly's butterfly necklace. "There it is," he uttered, grinning wickedly. "Coming right to me." He brought his gaze back to the filly. Unlike their previous encounter, she was smiling as she was talking with her companions. The sight made his eyes light up. "She's even prettier in the daytime…" "What?" Rainbow said, tilting her head. Discord put down the spyglass and stiffened when he realized he had said that last bit out loud. "I, uh, err, what?! I can't acknowledge that a mare is pretty?! It's just a critical observation! Shut up!" "What did I tell you?" Twilight spat. "Your destruction is marching to your door! That filly wouldn't even be here if you hadn't tried to kidnap her in the first place!" "On the contrary, Miss Sparkle," the Chaos King chuckled darkly, "this only makes my job far easier!" He looked back through the spyglass and frowned. "It'll take them at least a day to get here at the rate they're going. I'm far too impatient!" He pulled his sight back further. "Hmm. They're approaching Sweet Apple Acres." He lowered the spyglass in thought. "Hey, Dashie, isn't that where those pesky freedom fighters are hiding out?" "Yeah," Rainbow nodded. "We haven't been able to catch them, of course, because they're about as good at camouflage as I am." Discord chuckled as he lifted the glass back to his eye. "Well, they'll certainly be on edge if four strange ponies enter their territory. In fact, I think those pests might make our job even easier." He called to his Diamond Dogs, "Rover! Spot! Fido! Round up the others! We're gonna bag ourselves some rebels!" Spot and Fido saluted while Rover, still suffering from a headache, only moaned in response. "And while you're at it, take the witch back to her cell. I'm done with her." Twilight glared at Discord as the Diamond Dogs took her by the forelegs. "I warned you, Discord. You shouldn't have tempted with Fate!" "Yeah, yeah," the Chaos King said, waving his paw. He homed back in on the pegasus mare, his evil grin returning. "That's right, my little beauty," he sneered. "Come to me. For in a matter of minutes, you'll be mine."