The Nutcracker Prince
Chapter 2 - The Prince
“B-but that’s impossible!” Twilight almost shouted at the surprised figure, sitting on his throne. “You shouldn’t exist!”
“Well, thank-you for the vote of confidence,” said the pegasus on the throne, piercing blue eyes narrowing slightly at her. “It’s very nice to know that even though I appear before you, you still don’t think I am real.”
Twilight could only stare at the figure on the throne. All things considered, she was taking this rather well. Contrast with the stallion on the throne, who stared back in pure, unadulterated shock.
“How are you here?” he asked, looking from her hooves to her wings in a manner which made Twilight feel rather self-conscious. “It’s been too long since I saw a pony; what magic brought you to this realm? How is it possible!?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight answered defensively, reflexively taking a step back as the wooden stallion trotted right close to her. “I just… fell asleep I guess. I just appeared in the middle of this room.”
“You just fell asleep? That’s all?” he asked. Now that Twilight noticed, his voice sounded quite a bit like her brother’s, only a bit deeper.
“Well, yes…” Twilight said, shrugging. “I don’t know. Maybe this is all just some weird dream or something.”
“In that case, try to break the unbreakable laws of physics,” the stallion said, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. “I don’t know, invent a machine that flies.”
“We already have that.”
“Really? A flying machine?”
“We call it an aeroplane,” she explained. “We can transport earth ponies and unicorns over long distances with no pegasus labor involved, unless they’re the pilots.”
The stallion, shocked as he already seemed by her appearance, seemed even more overwhelmed by that.
“Goodness me, you’re gone a few hundred years, suddenly what was once the impossible seems mundane…”
“What’s your name?” Twilight asked. If this was a dream, she may as well just go with it until she woke up.
“Winter Storm,” the stallion answered, bowing politely. “Former Captain of the Sky Archons in General Lightning Lance’s army, former delegate on behalf of the Pegasi to the Unicorn Kingdom. Now, I’m just the Nutcracker Prince of the Land of Toys.”
“You’re the one from Princess Celestia’s story?” Twilight asked as Winter began to survey her again. She, too, began to look over him. He was wearing a red uniform that she recognized as being one of the old Pegasi Officers, befitting his rank of captain. She couldn’t see a cutie mark, as there were black pants that covered his back legs.
“You know Princess Celestia?” he asked. “I mean, certainly everyone knows who she is, but you know her personally?”
“Well, yeah, I was her former stu-- wait,” Twilight broke off, suddenly suspicious. “How do you know who Princess Celestia is? If her story is true, you wouldn’t have been around when she took the throne.”
“I knew Celestia and Luna before they were crowned princesses,” Winter said, finishing his survey and trotting to the throne. “They were still studying under Magus Star Swirl at the time, but I met them when I attended the party in Canterlot as the delegate for Princess Amethyst’s little birthday celebration. She used to visit me here every so often, but I haven’t seen her in… eleven hundred? twelve hundred years? Something like that. It’s been a long time since I last saw her.”
“So it was Princess Amethyst XXII you were ambassador to,” Twilight said, smiling to herself. “But that would mean, you were supposed to marry her daughter--”
“Yes,” he said, head bowing and ears drooping, “I was. I cured Amethyst with the Kurall nut, and I was promised the hoof of Duchess Beryl as my reward. But then…”
He gestured a hoof vaguely at the room.
“This happened.”
“You’re not as… broody about it as I thought you’d be,” Twilight observed.
“I’ve had plenty of time to make my peace with my predicament,” Winter said, shrugging almost apathetically. “I’m immortal and eternally young in my current state. Which means that somewhere down the line, I’m going to get out, I suppose. Just means I have to be patient until then.”
“And to get out, you have to defeat the son of the Rat Queen and win the heart of a beautiful mare, right?” Twilight asked.
“Yes,” he nodded, “I have to defeat Padraic, and get a mare to fall in love with me, even though I’m stuck like this,” he spat.
“I thought you said you made your peace with it,” said Twilight, noticing his clear anger.
“I can’t fly.” he growled through gritted teeth. “My wings cannot carry me through the air. Do you know what it’s like to be a pegasus and have your only special feature be ripped from you?” he asked. “You’re an alicorn, you wouldn’t understand--”
“That’s not true,” interrupted Twilight indignantly. “I lost my horn once, and I even had my ability to cast magic taken from me when I was still a unicorn! I know what it’s like.”
“How do you lose your horn?” Winter asked, giving her a strange look. “Considering it’s at the top of your skull--”
“Discord,” Twilight responded simply. Winter paused for a moment, before nodding knowingly.
“Ah, yes, the draconequus spirit of chaos. So I take it he escaped from his prison?”
“He did,” Twilight answered, turning and trotting over to where the glass window of her and her friends defeating him was in Equestria. Only to find that it wasn’t there. “In Equestria, there’s a window depicting the event. I and my five friends were able to defeat him. But the Princess released him and he’s been reformed now.”
“Wow,” said Winter from behind her. He had followed her to see where she was going. “So, not only am I speaking with my first hope of being free from this curse since it happened, and an alicorn, I’m speaking with an Equestrian national hero. This is truly an honor, Miss…”
“Twilight Sparkle,” she said, blushing. “And really, I don’t think I can be your hope of escaping. After all, the legend calls for you to win the heart a beautiful mare, and I can’t say I think I qualify. My friend Rarity, though--”
“Please, at least just take the compliment,” the prince responded, placing a hoof on her lips to silence her. “Or just take my word for it. Either one is fine by me.”
As he removed his hoof and began to walk back over to his throne, Twilight could only stare after him, feeling strangely confused. Perhaps it really was a dream, or perhaps it was just deja vu, but she could have sworn that turn of events had played out before.
“What’s this Land of Toys even like?” Twilight asked. “Is it just some copy of Equestria? Or is it very different? Because it looks like the throne room is exactly the same as the one in Canterlot Castle.”
“Are you seriously attempting to judge an entire realm from the appearance of only one room?” asked the prince, sounding bemused. “You really sound like Beryl. She thought that since Cloudsdale was a cloud city, we all must live in cloud houses, no matter what city we actually call home. Never mind the fact I lived in a quiet little house down near Everfree...”
He stood and cantered down the hall to meet her by the window again, and held out a foreleg.
“So, you wish to see the Land of the Toys, do you? Well, you’re in luck. I can most certainly show you my realm.”
Twilight felt her cheeks heat up a little, but she took his offered foreleg regardless. With that done, he began to trot towards the throne room doors, with Twilight alongside.
Twilight knew she had just met the stallion, that she had only known him for all of a few minutes now, but there was just something about the act of her taking his arm that made her feel just a bit giddy inside, like a schoolfilly’s first crush.
As they approached the large double-doors, Winter Storm began to slam his front hooves in the ground, an action which resulted in a resounding smack! that Twilight guessed was his way of saying to open the doors. And sure enough, the doors began to swing inward, allowing a peek through to the outer world of the Land of the Toys.
To say that Twilight was taken aback at her first view of the land outside the castle would be an understatement, but only a little less of one than saying that when the other three alicorns vested their powers into her it made her slightly more powerful.
Put simply, the outside land looked exactly like Canterlot did, and beyond that it looked like Equestria as well. But it wasn’t what it looked like, but rather, what it was made of. The marble buildings of the city were frosted gingerbread, the many colored gems were various candies… it was as if someone had turned all of Equestria into Coalt Dahl’s Chocolate Room from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Even the mountains themselves looked like they were made of chocolate, and topped with white chocolate syrup!
There were many soldiers patrolling outside, and they were just dolls like Winter, except there was only one of him as opposed to hundreds of these. Leading them appeared to be an older, rickety stallion made of tin that seemed much slower than the rest of them. There were patchwork dolls, Raggedy Anns, and Raggedy Andys for citizens, colt action figures roamed around with the filly toys as well.
And all Twilight could do was stare at it, open-mouthed and dumbstruck.
“I take it you like my kingdom, then?” asked Winter, giving her a little smile.
“It’s beautiful,” breathed Twilight, watching as a pair of swans swam in the castle’s moat.
“Yes, that it is,” agreed Winter. “But you haven’t even seen anything yet. Come along, Twilight, we still have places to go.”
Twilight was led to the room in which Princess Celestia usually kept her sky carriage, only to find another swan sitting in a large nest. Even though she told herself she really should be prepared for anything, she was surprised that they were so large they had a special saddle strapped to them that could fit two average ponies in it.
“Climb on in,” Winter said, gesturing rather formally to the saddle. “I’m sure Leona won’t mind.”
“Leona?” Twilight asked. “Is that the swan’s name?”
“Aye,” Winter said, grabbing a hoofful of seeds from a little basket and proffering them to the swan, who ate them right out of his palm. “I’ve known Leona since she hatched, about twelve years ago. Her entire line have been steeds for me and my servants all through these years.”
“She’s beautiful,” Twilight said, looking Leona over, and paying particular attention to the golden reins she wore.
“A little short on descriptive adjectives there, aren’t you,” noted Winter, as Leona finished eating out of his hoof. “That’s twice you’ve used beautiful to describe things in my kingdom, now. What, is the word ‘gorgeous’ not in your vocabulary?”
“Oh, shut up,” said Twilight, rolling her eyes.
“You can’t take a compliment, and you can’t take a little tease. Dear dear, and I was just starting to like you.”
Twilight bumped him with her shoulder as he got on, which only made him laugh. And after a few seconds of just him laughing, Twilight also started to laugh and very soon, even as Leona began to fly into the air, they were both practically howling over a stupid silly thing.
“Oh, I haven’t laughed that hard in a good while,” Winter said, failing to stive of another chuckle there at the end. “It’s so nice to have someone to tease and laugh with again. Everyone here always takes me too seriously. Such a nice change of pace.”
“This whole place is a nice change of pace for me,” Twilight said, running a hoof through her mane as she began to look over the candyland below. “A place where I’m not a princess, just somewhere I can have fun.”
“Oh, you think it’s fun now, wait until later today,” Winter said, sobering up a little.
“Why? What’s later today?”
“You say Princess Celestia told you a story of me, yes?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you’re aware that every year on Hearth’s Warming Eve, I must do battle with Padraic in the hopes of ending this cycle. Though that’s only half the spellbreaker.”
“Who’s Padraic?” asked Twilight. “Is it the Rat Queen’s son?”
“Yes,” Winter said, dipping his head. “Padraic is his actual name, just as Pirlipat was the name of the Rat Queen herself.”
“How exactly are you on a first-name basis with your archenemy?” Twilight asked.
“Simple,” Winter said, smiling in spite of himself. “We’ve fought so much over the years, and in that battling, we like to banter. Almost like casual conversation as we kill each other like civilized beings. Aside from his axe.”
“But the point is, he comes today.”
“Once a year, on Hearth’s Warming Eve,” said Winter, nodding. “But he won’t show up for several hours more, at the very least.”
They continued talking for a long while as Leona ferried them to the top of the mountain. Twilight barely noticed; Winter Storm was just a fascinating stallion, and the land was just too distracting as well.
“Welcome to my favorite spot on the mountain, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, hopping off of the saddle and offering a hoof to help Twilight down, which she gratefully took.
“Here,” he said, scraping a wooden hoof on the ground to gather some snow and holding it up to Twilight’s mouth. “Taste.”
It took Twilight a second to register that someone was sticking a hoof with some unknown white substance up to her face, but she obliged, stuck out a tongue, and licked up some of it. The most delightful flavor suddenly spread across the inside of her mouth and without even thinking about it, she licked the rest of it off of Winter’s hoof.
“Is that… coconut frosting?” she asked, only just now noticing that despite it supposedly being winter season, it wasn’t really that cold outside.
“That it is, that it is,” said Winter, nodding. “Now, eat the grass underneath.”
Twilight obeyed again, leaning down and ripping off a fair bit from the ground, which come to think of it, looked a lot like brownie bread. As before, a very pleasant flavor met her taste buds, and she proceeded to eat up quite a few more mouthfuls.
“I see you like the mint grass,” Winter observed, smiling.
“The dirt…” asked Twilight, starting at it, noticing its rich, chocolatey color and bread-like texture. “Is it what I think it is?”
“Well, taste it and see,” said Winter, waving at it with a hoof.
Twilight eagerly bit into the dirt… and promptly spat it out when she realized it was just dirt. Winter just laughed at her sputtering while she gagged and tried to wipe it off of her tongue. Even Leona honked a couple of times, but that might have been Twilight’s sudden self-consciousness.
“I think, Twilight,” said Winter, falling over from how hard he was laughing, “that the dirt was exactly what you thought it was.”
“Oh you,” said Twilight, smacking him lightly on the shoulder, “you’re terrible!”
“Well, we still have a lot more places to see,” Winter said, still chuckling at Twilight’s expense. “Care to join me?”
Winter showed Twilight many great things over the next few hours. They visited the chocolate falls where Rainbow Falls normally were, where Twilight drank her fill and then some of a purely-liquid chocolate stream. They visited the sugar plum fairies in the candy-cane forest in Everfree, where Twilight met the queen of the fairies personally. They even got a chance to visit the gingerbread town at Ponyville, where many toys lived.
Naturally, as the name implied, all of the houses were made of gingerbread and were decorated with different candies. But the strange thing was how little there was to separate Ponyville from the copy. The houses were designed exactly the same, but with only with little decorative additions.
“Hmm… Twilight… Twilight… there’s something familiar about your name,” Winter had said as they’d landed in the square of the town. “When I heard it, it stirred something, but I still can’t quite figure it out…”
As they hopped off of Leona, there came a happy cry from somewhere around them, and Twilight suddenly found herself being tackled to the ground from the side.
“MAMA! It’s you, it’s really you!”
Winter had to pry the being off of her and help her up, but when Twilight laid eyes on the one that had tackled her, her heart nearly stopped, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat.
The being was a filly, a short filly with black pants with white polka-dots, a strange worn patchwork-looking coat and mane, and eyes of two different colors. One was pink, and the other was blue. And to top it off, strapped to her back was a notebook and quill.
Despite Winter’s strong grip, Miss Smarty Pants broke out and rushed right into Twilight’s open hooves.
“M-Miss Smarty Pants, I’ve looked everywhere for you!” Twilight said, holding the filly-doll to her as she hugged as though she would never let go.
“I know, Mama,” Smarty said, hugging her just as tightly. “I know you have, but Daddy’s taking good care of me.”
Twilight blinked, and Winter gave her an odd look.
“D-Daddy?” she asked, suddenly feeling just a bit overwhelmed.
“Yeah, Daddy. He’s a big, strong, earth pony with a red coat and a carrot-colored mane,” Smarty explained excitedly. “Even when I’ve missed you, he’s taken really good care of me. My eye’s been repaired, and I don’t think I’ve ever been this full of fluff!”
“A strong red earth pony with a carrot-colored mane?” Twilight asked, bewildered. “Oh! Big Mac has you?”
“Yep!” Smarty chirped excitedly. “I don’t get to see him that much during the day, but he cuddles with me at night, just like you did, and Mama Cadance did before that!”
Even as Twilight and Smarty caught up with each other, Winter walked away from the scene to give the two some time. That, and because his insides felt as though they had just gone. She already had a special one? He had been hoping beyond hope that this would be the year, this would be the iteration, but even in the more likely event that he would fail to win her heart this year, he had hoped that maybe in a few years, she would return and he could be free.
Why must fate be so cruel? he wondered, sitting down and staring at a spot on the ground forlornly. I may still be pony enough to touch, to hear, to see, to smell, and to taste, but this curse leaves me not pony enough to cry.
He covered his face with his hooves and and let out a sad sigh, knowing he was doomed to wait all the longer.
“And she was even just like my little Beryl…” he mumbled bitterly. “Will this curse ever end?”
He felt a wing slip over his shoulders and assumed it was Leona, comforting her rider. She’d always had an intuition for this sort of thing, just as her mother had done.
“Are you alright, Winter?” came just the voice he had been downtrodden because of. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Winter said. Twilight didn’t need the dead-sounding tone to his voice to know that he had been lying.
“Winter,” she said, reaching over and turning his head by his chin to look at her, “please, what’s wrong?”
But instead of answering, Winter attempted to divert the topic of conversation. “Where’s Smarty?” he asked.
“We’ve said our farewells, but I’ll see her again, in this world or in Equestria. Now please tell me, Winter, what’s wrong?”
Winter sighed, his head and ears drooping. He looked utterly pitiable, and Twilight wanted nothing more than to help. But even as she waited for him to say, all he did was paw at the ground in silence.
“Are you just gonna not talk about it at all?” Twilight asked.
“No, I’m--” he swallowed, “I’m just thinking of how to say all of this.”
“All of what?”
Winter sort of rolled his eyes, but Twilight could tell it wasn’t out of annoyance. But when he just gestured to Leona, Twilight gave up hope on ever getting him to open up about his current mood. But as Leona started to fly back toward Canterlot Castle, he began to talk.
“I don’t want you to feel like this is anything that you could have prevented,” he said, turning to not meet Twilight’s eye, even as she watched him. “It’s just... I’ve kept careful count of just how long I’ve been stuck here, in the Land of the Toys.”
“How long?” Twilight asked. “If it was during Princess Amethyst’s reign, I’m guessing about a thousand seven-hundred or so?”
“Heartlessly put,” Winter scowled at her in a way that made Twilight recoil a little, “almost. One thousand, seven hundred and seven years to be exact, with the anniversary tonight. They have a celebration for me to attend, for the anniversary of me becoming Prince over this realm, but then Padraic will show his ugly face sometime after, but before sundown.”
Twilight mouthed the number to herself, realizing just how long of a period of time that was to be stuck in his state. United Equestria hadn’t even existed as long as he had been trapped! Nightmare Moon’s whole banishment was only close to half the time!
“I see you’re really starting to get an appreciation for just how long it’s been,” Winter said, still with a sour look. “Consider this, Twilight Sparkle. The first five iterations were absolute and utter hell. Do you know why?”
Twilight shook her head nervously, sensing he was about to vent his anger and sorrow.
“Hope,” continued Winter bitterly. “Hope made it hell. Over the first year, Celestia and Luna visited me, telling me how I could escape. I thought that surely, my Beryl would come to rescue me from this fate. But on the first Hearth’s Warming Eve since my cursing, no one came.”
He laughed derisively.
“I thought it was just a mistake,” he said, turning to stare out over the landscape below. “I thought she had just missed it. But the second Hearth’s Warming Eve came, and no one came. The third, once again, no one.”
“Why didn’t anyone come?” Twilight asked.
“Hell if I know!” exclaimed Winter, gritting his teeth. “The fourth year, I only held on to so little of hope, and by the fifth, I had given up all hope that I would be out soon. I resigned myself to my fate, to having to rule over this land as a toy. And for one thousand seven hundred and seven years, I ruled over it. But then, this morning, it happened again.”
“What?” asked Twilight, but she felt as though she knew where this was going.
“You happened,” answered Winter, still not looking at her. “You showed up. The moment I first laid eyes upon you, Twilight Sparkle, I felt it again. I felt the hope that I might escape start to well up inside of me. I thought for sure, that perhaps not this year, but that the end was in sight. But lo and behold, you already have a special somepony.”
“Wait, Winter, I--” Twilight tried to say, but she was interrupted.
“Do you know how it feels, Twilight? To be tempted so? I thought it was almost over! I thought for sure that it was almost time for me to return! All I had to do was win your heart, but alas,” his anger vanished, and he just seemed to deflate, “you’re already in love with somepony else.”
Again, Twilight tried to say something, but Winter had one final thing to say.
“I guess I should know better by now. I’m never getting out, aren’t I…”
“Winter Storm, shut up and listen to me.”
Winter felt his head turn to face Twilight. In his forlorn attitude, he wouldn’t have of his own free will, but she had magicked his head to do so. He tried to open his mouth to protest, but suddenly, her magic clamped it shut.
“First and foremost,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes, “I don’t have a special somepony. I don’t know what gave you that idea--”
“Well, Smarty Pants said she had a Daddy, so I just thought--” Winter said, managing to break through the light clamp, only to be cut off by Twilight this time.
“Oh, you thought it meant I was with him?” she asked, going a bit pink. “No, Big Macintosh and I are not together. He’s one of my friends’ older brother, and I’ve always heard rumors about how he and another of my friends have a mutual thing. But anyway, no, he and I aren’t together.”
“Oh,” said Winter, suddenly feeling quite sheepish about having just assumed that.
“Second, never,” she poked him in the chest, “ever lose hope that you’ll break out. It will happen, Winter.”
Winter gave her a small thankful smile.
“You really think so?” he asked.
“I know so,” said Twilight placing a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Just keep faith.”
As Leona continued to fly toward the castle, neither of them said anything. Winter was simply content with the comfort she provided, as well as the inner happiness that had come when she said that she didn’t have a special somepony. Twilight, on the other hoof, was comforting a friend, and was dealing with a fair share of bashfulness after she realized that he was hoping she was the one whose heart he’d win.
And even though she wouldn’t even admit it to herself, it only made her like Winter that much more.
“Thank-you, Twilight,” said Winter quietly as Leona began to ascend toward Canterlot.
“It was nothing. After all, what are friends for?” she replied.
Winter let out a quiet sniff, but smiled nonetheless. After a moment, however, he was struck by a sudden idea he had quite forgotten about.
“Twilight, may I ask you something?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Would you be my date to my jubilee celebration?”
And far from how she had ever thought she would react to such a question, she answered immediately.
“Winter, I would love to be your date to your jubilee celebration.”
Winter smiled, and, feeling rather bold, reached over and gave Twilight a quick hug from the side, an action that left Twilight feeling even more flustered than the times he had teased or complimented her in the day. She had only known him for a few hours, but why did it feel as though she had known him for even longer?
“You feel it too, don’t you.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“The connection,” Winter explained. “We’ve only known each other for mere hours, but if we’re honest, we know each other far more than we should for that time, do we not?”
“I… now that you mention it,” Twilight recalled those moments of deja vu she’d been feeling throughout this day in the Land of the Toys, and how moments seemed to have played out before, “I have been getting strange little feelings every so often.”
“Oh, so my flirting is working, then,” said Winter, as he was unable to stop a smirk.
“You know what I mean,” Twilight said, gently elbowing him.
“Yes, I do,” said Winter, his smile slightly fading. “And I think I know why.”
“You do?”
“I believe so,” Winter clarified, “and the reason… is not exactly one I like.”
“Why not?”
“Well,” he hesitated, “it’s not so much something I don’t like, even though it just makes me fate’s little toy, as it is something I don’t think you’d like.”
Twilight was feeling only a little confused, but she was starting to realize exactly what he was thinking.
“You… you think I’m another Beryl.”
“Not exactly,” said Winter. “It’s been too long for you to be her outright. But… I don’t know… you could be channeling her spirit, or something?”
“Winter, that’s a common thing in Equestria,” Twilight said, smiling a little. “Especially within family. Celestia’s told me how much I look like Starlight Sparkle, her old vizier.”
“So, reincarnation’s a thing, then?”
“Scientifically,” said Twilight shrugging, “we can’t prove it. But for some reason, we can feel it. At this point, it’s just an accepted theory. It explains how so many of us are connected beyond mere friendship. There was a reason why my five friends and I were chosen to play the parts of the six ponies who came from the Old Lands, and it wasn’t just because I’m Celestia’s pupil.”
She stopped, as she realized Winter was staring at her with a curious expression. Upon noticing this, as she had many times that day, she felt her cheeks heat up as a blush crept in.
“What, is there something on my face?” she asked.
“No, it’s just, you’re a little underdressed to be going to a jubilee celebration,” he said. And with a wave of his hoof and the glittering of golden stars, Twilight felt magic begin to weave its way around her. She looked down and gasped as the golden stars began to fly along the shape of her body, leaving behind a blue dress of the softest silk. She ran a hoof along it as the magic continued to form her garment, marvelling at its texture. It was almost like the softest of clouds woven into texture. And with another gasp, this one of surprise, she felt the magic begin to style her mane. Her bangs were gently pulled back and she felt her hair become styled in an elegant bun.
Winter’s smile had matched her’s as the magic worked, but by the end, his smile had turned into a look of pure wonder.
“You look beautiful,” he breathed.
Twilight gave a girlish giggle to herself, but looped her foreleg around his and lay her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly at the gesture.
The moment ended far too quickly for Twilight’s liking, even though they must have been there for at least ten minutes. But Leona’s landing in the outer courtyard of the castle meant that they had to step out. She followed Winter as he stepped out of the seat on his side, took his hoof, and the two of them entered the castle again.
The sound of trumpets met their ears, as the guards on either side announced their arrival with a loud fanfare, followed by ten more guards taking up positions, five on each side, to create a vanguard, which then proceeded toward the castle’s ballroom, the doors of which swung open as they drew closer.
“Introducing his royal highness, Prince Winter Storm! May his reign of prosperity long continue!” came the reedy voice of a toy she couldn’t see, but Winter proceeded inside with her.
The ballroom looked no different from Equestria’s, except that it was full of living toys, and all of whom were applauding as the two of them made their way to the center of the black and white tiled floor, where a dance space had been cleared.
As they took their places, Twilight couldn’t but feel misgivings about the dance she only just now realized was about to happen. She was horrible at dancing! What if she made a fool of herself in front of everyone? In front of him? Would it ruin everything he had hoped for that day? Everything he had worked for?
But the moment they locked eyes, the moment her violet gaze met his piercing blue, those thoughts were blissfully wiped away as the strains of music began to play from somewhere she couldn’t see. But where it was coming from, she did not care. Her magic had bound the front of her dress to his uniform, and he began to lead her across the floor.
Dancing, Twilight realized, was a lot easier than she had thought. Especially if all she had to do was follow somepony’s lead. Winter danced with her across the floor, leading her around the enclosure. Vaguely she was aware of the fact that several other dancing couples were joining them, but all that mattered to her was the stallion she was dancing with.
And with a bit of a jolt, she even realized she had stopped thinking of him as a wooden doll, but as a stallion for the last several hours.
“Stay with me,” he said in a low voice quite suddenly.
“What?” she asked.
“Stay with me,” Winter repeated, giving her an almost pleading look. “Here, in the Land of the Toys. If I fail to escape tonight, please stay here with me. After spending the day with another pony for the first time in centuries, somepony I can laugh and enjoy life with, I don’t think I can go back.”
“Winter, I…” Twilight hesitated as they danced past a guard and a maid, “I would love to. This land is amazing. You’re amazing. But… I can’t.”
As those two words left her mouth, Winter’s pleading gaze transformed into one of despair, and he broke eye contact, an action that left Twilight feeling utterly heartbroken.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” she continued. “I would love to stay with you, to stay here with you, but I’m a Princess in Equestria. I have responsibilities there, ones I can’t justify leaving for somepony else so soon after I accepted that mantle.”
I… understand,” replied Winter, and to Twilight’s horror, he almost sounded dead, flat and emotionless.
“I can come back next year,” Twilight added hastily. “I will! I promise!”
Winter’s visage brightened slightly, but he still looked very let down about her answer.
“Well, then I guess I have something to look forward to, if this doesn’t end to--”
But he stopped. He even stopped dancing, causing Twilight to stumble. Around them, the guests had stopped too, and the guards were watching the Prince in anticipation.
“Pantaloon, fetch me my blade,” Winter commanded. The older soldier Twilight had seen hours earlier saluted and cantered off, clanking noises echoing from one of his back hooves as he ran.
“Winter, what’s wrong?” asked Twilight, but Winter looked past her, at the entrance to the ballroom, a hard expression on his face.
His response was short, but it sent a chill down her spine.
“Padraic has arrived.”