THE NUTCRACKER FOR ACORN
This story is copyrighted December 2009 by Mark Briggs for the website 'Fans United for SatAM' Christmas contest. The show aired in 1993-1995 is about Sonic the Hedgehog with animal-creature friends generally called furries against a tyrant called Robotnik and his marching machines.
It's my first participation in an actual online writing contest. It's based purely on my abilities of the T.V. show and elements from The Nutcracker (Eta Hoffmann adaptation).
SCENE 1
Twenty-four hours remained for the next Power Ring on December 24th. Two of King Acorn's court of his daughter Sally and Guardsman Antoine, recently retrieved the yellow glowing ring now in their possession.
During their wait, Antoine thought he saw Uncle Chuck enter the large main hut several times by informing Sally. Her pace quickened 'What do you think he's up to?'
"He hazz made newer sheath's for moi swords," The French Coyote said. He swatted at a large bug, 'And..'
"No way, Ant," Sally secured the power ring again, "He already did that for giving thanks night. I hope it's a holotable of beautiful scenery and animals."
"Eh, Mr. Chuck iz too busy for that zorta thing," Antoine sniffled, "more like great horses and more of thee unrobotisized.
"We'll see," Sally said as they approached the door. Sally knocked to notice it ajar.
"Come in please." Chuck said. Upon entering the hut, Sally and Antoine couldn't believe what they saw. Everything they had talked about along the way was there. Rotor Walrus, Unrobotisized Bunnie Rabbot, Tails, Rosie, and others-a horse-a holotable of garden and singing birds-sword sheath's on a nice purple velvet cloth stand.
"How do you like it?" Chuck said coming down a ladder from fixing a light fixture. Sally and Antoine stood there to notice that wasn't all. The centerpiece of the room was her previous known home from when she traveled back in time. The gorgeous plant life and pastel garden like castle city played her old favorites.
Antoine admired the sheaths as Sally gazed at the castle. Without thought, she handed Chuck the power ring and he smiled. Sally noticed some of the pathways on the model set began moving. Then the plants began ruffling like wind hit them.
From the castles main chamber entrance emerged a way past cool blue figurine dude wearing red and white striped shoes, a tan backpack, holding a golden power ring, and having kind greenish eyes.
"Who's that?" Sally said.
"I knew you'd ask," Chuck said getting out a small object. He picked up the little hedgehog from the castle steps placing a nut inside the gold ring. Chuck squeezed the legs causing the arms to crush the nut. Sally caught the largest piece as Sonic shouted "Way past cool."
"Is that is name?" Sally said.
"You bet," Chuck said.
"Mah stahs, you sure all up in that thing," Bunnie said. She used her warm hands to grab Sally's. "Glad you came, Sally girl."
"It's amazing, Bunnie," Sally said.
"What iz that little doll thing?" Antoine said.
"Kids, I've made dinner and have sugar cookies for desert," Rosie said. Everyone but Antoine looked at Rosie. Antoine stuck out his tongue at Sonic who suddenly pelted a nut piece into Antoine's mouth. Antoine swallowed it and almost became blue too by chocking. He chewed the nut down.
"Just can't wait for dinner can ya Antoine?" Rotor said. They all had looked at Antoine who began stepping away. "Excusem mwah, I haven't eeten all day.
"All right everyone, enough for today," Charles headed for the door. They all piled out except for Sally who gave the impression she'd shut everything off. She only dimmed the lights.
Soon, they all had left and she was alone staring at the castle. She glided over to put Sonic in the tallest balcony of a castle tower before lying down on a couch. She gazed at him some more to suddenly see the digital clock blink.
In moments the pipes began ringing with clanking feet. From drains, vents, and faucets emerged mini Swat bots that began organizing on the floor for battle.
SCENE 2
A rumbled began from the stove popping out a large man from the main burner. He rose up in a small hover craft as the burners suddenly roared of flames. The Swat bots, dark blue robots with disk-shaped heads and blaster guns, cheered their leader, "Hail, Robotnik. Supreme Ruler of Mobius" three times.
The large human man wearing a red suit colored oranges, yellows, with a long cape, and a crown consisting of seven emeralds illuminating chaotically, began giving orders.
"Ready, Snively...and march!" Snively, a bald small man wearing a greenish suit began leading the Swat bots towards Castle Acorn.
Sally's jaw dropped, oh, my gosh, while viewing their approach from the other side of the castle. The sheer number of metal bots resembled staring into a cave at night.
"Why, have no fear my lady, Sonic the Nutcracker is at your command," He said to her from the balcony of Castle Acorn. He ran through the door to arrive from the castle main gate. In a moment he prepared to lead small unrobotisized citizens emerging from other places.
Many residents of all kinds of animals lined up on the perimeter of the castle viewing the approaching Swat bots below. Despite being up some feet off the ground, a troop falling below meant there was very little chance of recovery. Sonic turned to all his army assuring them of victory.
Sally turned around the couch to use its back as a shield as the Swat bots began firing. The room began flickering with multicolored blasts of small beams aimed for her and Sonic's army. Sonic's army returned fire with similar weapons and catapults.
As the initial assault continued, Sonic ran from place to place to give the unit leaders advice and to predict the attack of weapons based on his speed experience. A bear came running up as a large blast knocked him off. He managed to grab a rope that tripped Sonic up over the edge with him.
They dangled and swayed on the rope above the Swat bots below firing up at them. Sonic used his speed to swing the rope and outrun the blasts directed at him when he was suddenly jerked back again. The Swat bots began aiming for the inner support of the table.
Up above it caused some equipment and others to almost fall off so the unit leaders and animals began moving back towards the castle in the center of the city. Sally watched at first before noticing something on the table stand right beside her.
The table jerked again, "All right, that's it Swat brains!" Sonic used all his might to overcome the gravity hoisting himself with the bear onto the slanting table surface.
"Thanks, sir," the bear Mobian said. "I woke from hibing just for you."
"No problemo lets catch up with the others," Sonic said. He sidestepped a moving wheel heading for the cliff of the table now slanting at about a 30 degree angle.
Sonic and the bear traveled as gun blasts whizzed up the slanting table around them. Gravity began forcing chimes of houses to unhook into jingle noises with other looser objects.
The citizens crowded the city streets gripping for dear life. Sonic was the furthest one down securing the bear with other people by his speed as the air filled with a sharp crack.
"It's going down," someone said. At that moment the city gave away with the Swat bots surrounding it. Snively ordered a patch of floor abandoned to make way for the city's crash.
The residents screamed as Snively cheered, "yeah, hah ha!" Robotnik rose, "Yess!" The city only bumped into the ground trembling with minor damages.
"Defensive-formations," Sonic hollered. As the city almost paralleled with the floor, Sonic used his super speed to reach his unit leaders. "We're in a pincer, sir"-a voice echoed. Casualties increased.
In moments the situation worsened. "Time to even the odds," Sally said. She looked over hurling nuts into the Swat bot field on her side drawing their attention. Marching, the Swat bots pelted the back of the couch. Sonic noticed in time to proceed leading the citizens towards Sally's distractions.
Sally retrieved nutcracker nuts from a bowl on a stand destroying and disabling several bots. Two Mobians, a snake and a mouse, dispatched part of a squad of Swat bots. Sally finished them by bowling a nut into the Swat bot pins in one strike.
"Baseball," Sally said. She threw a nut towards a brachiosaur-like Mobian that swung his long neck and head that pelted the nut into many Swat bots.
"Soccer," And Sally tossed a nut to a cheetah. He demolished hoarding Swatbots using the nut as a soccer ball. He kicked the ball up hammering a Swat bot. He arrived at the disintegrating bot before the nut landed to head-but the nut into another bot.
"Right here," A giraffe-like Mobian said, holding out his arms in a loop to catch the nut. The nut fell between his arms disabling a Swat bot under him.
"Basketball?" Sally said.
"No, I just wanted a nut, but that works too," The giraffe replied.
The cheetah's nut cracked into pieces. He warped to Sonic. "A little team work, sir?" He asked. The two held arms to plow through the Swat bots at an insane speed like someone was cutting the rug with scissors.
Sonic and cheetah paved a fresh path past Snively towards Robotnik, "Ahh, here they come. Block off the center!" He ordered.
The space began folding inward from Swat bots. The cheetah noticed the situation to warn 'Up, Sonic' who only had a split second to decide. The cheetah used all his might to toss Sonic in the air with their combined speed. The floor engulfed the cheetah.
SCENE 3
"Ho, ho, ho, my little green-eyed friend? Are you feelin' all blue?" Robotnik said. "How about a holiday cheer for me and some caught-on candy for you."
Sonic stood up from falling on the surface of the stove of lifeless burners as the flashes continued in the background near the city. Sonic stood directly in front of Robotnik and several personal guards.
"Hey, round guy," Sonic said to Robotnik," I'm feeling a little fired up and red like the real Santa. You ain't coming down anyone else's chimneys or pipes this holiday."
"I'm glad you want to play, hedgehog nutcracker. Guards!" Robotnik's guards began to be only dispatched by Sonic. What? That all you got?
With his head tilted a little down and like a mature man's confidence Sonic glared at Robotnik, "Ok, the gigs up you lose, chump."
"..I don't think so, vermin." Robotnik's crown began to shimmer. Sonic found himself paralyzed.
"Hey, aaahhh!" Sonic said.
"Oh, you can't move my little rodent."
Robotnik used his crown's power of telekinesis to immobilized Sonic. Two pop-sickle sticks with aluminum string came floating from a cupboard. Robotnik strung Sonic up like on a cross using the aluminum to bound his limbs.
Robotnik took a breath decreasing the energy required to hold Sonic upright on a burner. "Chest nutcrackers roasted on an open fire...Jack Frost can't save the hedgehog." The burner burst of fire.
"I'm going to cook you nice and slowly." Sonic began sweats and tingles. Unable to reach the items in his backpack, Sonic suddenly noticed smoke with his own voice screaming.
"No-!" From a distant female's voice. Sally pulled off her blue boot to fling it towards the stove. The couch began to fall like the city from the Swat bots shooting the back couch legs.
Sally swooned while falling into the fighting little characters below. She descended upon the Swat bots surrounding the last of the Mobians as all of her senses went black.
To throne, to guard, to wall, to bookshelf-to a chair, to lamp, and back to her father's face, Sally's view hit those objects while dancing with King Acorn in the dance hall.
"Bean, where are you now?" He asked.
"With you father, always," Sally replied.
"Are you going to repay me for all the damage you did to my robotisizer?" The King sneered.
"What?!" Sally said.
The King vanished with the dance hall unveiling the chamber with the fallen castle city. Robotnik loomed overhead perching on the wrong part of the couch. Sally lied on the ground where the battle had ensued.
"Where's Sonic," Sally said. "And what happened to my father?"
"Oh, dear princess, didn't you know about holograms. The infamous inventor Sir Charles has made me another gift. He finally invented holoprojectors for an entire room. Save for the real stuff." He looked down at a frizzy looked around, so that's explains the exact stuff here when I first came with Antoine.
"Now princess you know you've lost. So hand over Nicole and the plans to the derobotisizer and I might let Sonic live."
"You are a heartless thief, Robotnik." Sally swatted at him with no effect. "Predictable princess."
Realizing Robotnik's use of the hologrid, Sally moved her hand over a cold bead before touring the room. She stopped at the fallen castle city again over a chilidog stand viewing a torn backpack on a table.
"Yo, Sal, glad to see you're way past cool," someone whispered from the stand. Sonic emerged from the damaged shelter with a slightly uneven gait.
"You're all right, Sonic!" Sally said.
Sonic swallowed before speaking, "There's something lost, Sal..."
SCENE 4
"What happened?" Sally said, "I- think I was knocked out."
Sonic looked up, "you gave Robotnik and co. thee ole' boot, Sal. It slammed into me and Robschmucknik. I got free and found myself alone. The boot caught fire on the stove causing the real fire extinguisher's water to short out the botbutts. And-it woke my past cool army.
"You should have seen Snively panic riding an ole' bottbut. Robotnik's 'round here roundin' up controls of this hologrid."
"I don't think we can leave," Sally said. "Wait...I found this when I stood up." She handed him the pebble.
"Way past cool. It's my power ring." Sonic revved up to speed around the hologrid. He whirled and whizzed around the place. He rushed behind the walls to blow someone out of a mouse hole. Robotnik's crown flew off as Sonic forced him from the hologrid's controls hidden there.
"Here's the real Grinch who stole Christmas," Sonic said. Sally used her finger nails to grab the tumbling tiny crown off the floor as Sonic defeated a terrified and whining Robotnik.
The hologrid brightened as the Mobians returned to their new and gleaming castle city. In a high room in the castle Sonic secured his bandages over his chest and on his front leg from battle injuries.
Sonic smiled at Sally's face outside the entire window. She was waiting for Rosie's holiday dinner.
"You'll be able to crack nuts again in no time, Sonic," Sally said.
"I already cracked a nut called Robotnik." Sonic said.
Sally looked closer. "I wish I could be in there with you."
Sonic pulled out an acorn from his backpack on the bed giving it to her. "Close your eyes." He lifted his good arm out up in the air like he was reaching for a book on a bookshelf. Sally felt herself spinning in darkness as her eyes opened to see Sonic was twirling her like she might be ice skating.
She found herself on the main steps with Sonic all dressed up like a Nutcracker prince with true blue garment complimenting Sally's light blue and white dress. So much for dinner.
Sonic spoke as the crowd of Mobians began to clap. "Welcome to my world. I transported you from yours. Lets get jammin'." All the Mobians lined up on the streets and balconies dressed in their best as they watched the couple ride off in a carriage.
The carriage passed through Great Candy Meadow. They stepped out of the carriage for a boat at the Great Honey River. Sonic took the power ring steering wheel passing Ginger Bread Knothole during their ride down the river.
Soon, the river ended at a Great Unknown lofty castle that thundered with power upon the distance. This castle contained the most wondrous relics of Mobius. Sonic led Sally inside the castle to a special portal. There was no avoiding this void.
Sonic and Sally traveled through the purple clouds of swirling yellow light to enter a throne room on the other side. Mother, Father, and everyone else awaited them. She didn't know how as Sonic began explaining the events in one life where she lives in Ginger Bread Knothole.
There in Ginger Bread Knothole, Sally plans missions against Robotnik. Before long, Sonic and Sally gazed into the shimmering crystal maze void of many hues. Upon the sky highlighted pictures of events in Sally's life.
Sonic peeked at Sally one last time as everything turned red and green. But Sonic turned blue and yellow. Sonic faded as he breathed...Sally, Sally, Sal...
"Sally! Sally." Tails said. "Time to wake up, Aunt Sally. It's Christmas day. Lets open the presents." Sally woke up from her private silk bed to the green and red of the interior of her hut. Tails was half way in the hut; Sonic was at the door. Sally remembered she wanted to be woken in the morning.
"Sweet dreams last night, Sal?" Sonic asked.
"Just like Christmas Cool." She said. She stepped out of bed side of the bed to avoid being seen. She put on her blue boots and blue vest behind a partisan, "I'm coming guys."
"Yay," Tails said. He jumped out the hut for the large tree in Knothole's center of happy residents opening presents.
"So, Sal what happened? "Sonic said, "Who was in your dreams?"
"C'mon, Sonic. They're waiting." Sally smiled remembering all the events that had transpired in her dream. She grabbed Sonic by the arm to leave the hut together. She opened her hand to drop a small tan pea into his backpack. "I dunno, Sonic." She smiled. "Sometimes, you're one tough nut to crack."
THE END