Friday, December 19, 2087
W.O.M.P. HQ
"That's it, Eli! Just a bit longer!" Bridgette called out. She was in the process of stabilizing a collapsing bridge with her yo-yo, while Eli stood beneath the bridge holding it up.
"Easy for you to say," Eli replied. "This thing feels like a baby elephant."
"Alright, everyone out!" Penny called out as she and Linc ushered out a hoard of hostages from the danger zone. "Hurry, we need to get out fast!" She was currently using her standing wheelchair, which allowed her to maneuver around her friends and the rescued people a bit more easily. Touching her watch, she called up the remainder of her team. "Will, Kayla, how's that distraction going?"
"It'd be easier if Rheeci were here," Will replied. "The thugs were startled back by the coyotes, but considering electrical sparking is the only sound they're making, their starting to get suspicious."
"Let 'em be suspicious," Kayla stated, sounding much more confident than her companion. "There might be no roar, but they'll find this beast still has a bite!"
"Just remember," Penny said, "we want to keep them distracted, not engage in a fight. We're just trying to get bystanders out of here and hold back the baddies until help arrives."
"My baby!" The voice of a woman called out from deep under the bridge. "My baby's trapped under some rubble!"
"I'm on it!" Linc called out. Pulling out his boomerang and giving it a few swipes to build up the kinetic energy, he hurried over to the woman. "Alright, ma'am, where's the kid?"
"She's right over there," the woman said, pointing over to a little girl who had been trapped by some falling rubble. "Please, you have to get her out of there!"
"I'm on it," Linc replied, activating his sunglasses so they told him where the weakest part of the rubble was. Once he got a location, he swung the boomerang hard at it.
Penny turned and noticed what he was doing, and a look of fear came into her eyes. "No, you've got to be more gent-!" she started, but her warning came too late.
He swung the boomerang at the spot, which did free the child. However, it also destabilized the rest of the bridge. It started breaking in two, snapping the bar Bridgette was using to hold the bridge up, causing the whole structure to collapse over Linc, Penny, Eli, and those hostages who hadn't gotten out yet.
Just as the stones began to fall, they disappeared, leaving the kids alone in the hologram chamber. Will and Kayla hurried over to join the others just as Gadget and Heather entered the room. "Alright guys, that wasn't bad for a first time at this scenario, there was still a major problem," Heather said. "Can any of you tell me what that was?" She turned her focus specifically on Linc. "Maybe you?"
"I didn't try to see how things would react," Linc said with a sigh.
"Exactly," Gadget said with a nod, though he had less annoyance in his voice than his partner. "You need to remember that your actions will have consequences on your environment and your team."
"We know that from personal experience," Heather said, giving Gadget a look that he completely missed. Turning back to the kids, she continued. "You can't use you're more…explosive uses to your weapons in an enclosed space like that. Had this been real, that little slip up could have killed three of you, not to mention the hostages who hadn't gotten out yet."
"Sorry," Linc muttered.
"Oh, don't be sorry, this is what training is for," Gadget replied, his usual cheer slipping back into his voice. "You can make mistakes in here, where they can't really hurt anyone, and learn from them. After all, you're not going to try a little stunt like that again out in the field, now are you."
"No, sir," Linc replied.
"Well, there you go. Lesson learned." Gadget then turned to the others. "The rest of you were doing fine out there, though the distraction was rather wanting."
"That's what happens when we only have half of our special effects department," Kayla said as they all hurried out of the VR chamber. "Where was Rheeci anyway?"
"She volunteered for daycare duty," Penny replied as she dug a water bottle out of her bag.
"That's right, Kitty and Izzie were taking about that," Will said. "She's supposed to be telling some sort of Christmas themed story today."
"Hey, guys, over here!" Kayla called out. She was opening her computer and starting it up. "We've got a message on the blog to check out this video. We were tagged in it."
"What's it say?" Linc called out as he and the others crowded around the laptop.
"It's right here," Kayla replied, clicking on the link. "Here we go, 'The Nutcracker, Gadget style.'" She pressed play, and the group couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"No way," Bridgette said with a laugh. "That's quite the story."
"And you're the protagonist," Linc said, teasingly punching Will's arm. "Lucky dog."
"Uh, sorry?" Will said, genuinely not sure what to think
"Don't be," Kayla responded. "You're kid sisters are in there; it makes sense they'd want you to be the hero."
"What's going on?" Gadget asked as he and Heather came over for a look.
"See for yourself, Uncle Gadget," Penny replied, motioning over to the computer.
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Seeing the danger posed to his riders, the dog backed up and bore his teeth at the rat beasts, warning them away from the teens. This did not achieve its intended effect, and the creatures charged at them.
The dog proved more dangerous than his plush form would have suggested, as he teeth and size did give him an advantage over the rats. However, there were still many of them around, and the nutcracker and William were forced to swing at those that came along at the sides.
Things took a turn for the worse very soon, as they beasts gripped William by the leg and tore him off the dog. The nutcracker tried to help him keep his seating, but in turn was pulled off as well. They were both in the clutches of the beasts in a moment, and the dog just about overwhelmed.
In a moment, however, there came a sound of gunfire. It was enough to get the rat monsters to release them. In that moment, the enemy scattered and the trio were left to pick themselves back up.
"Alright, come on now," a woman said as she hauled William to his feet. "Hurry up. That little display won't keep them away forever, and we'll need to make it back to the hideout before they find us."
William looked around, confused as to what was going on. The woman who had spoken to him was a redhead that appeared to be in her twenties and, aside from her small size, she appeared perfectly human. She was also wearing a soldier's uniform and had a rifle at her side.
Across from them, a man in a grey military coat was helping the nutcracker to her feet. It took William a moment to realize it, but the man was also a nutcracker, as could be seen when he turned.
"Uncle, I knew you'd find us," the female doll said, embracing the male nutcracker as she spoke.
"Of course we found you," the man replied, returning the embrace, "but we need to hurry. Claw's sent more troops out this way once he found out this was where you were. This is only a small amount of them, and word has it the Rat Prince is also coming. Where are the Privates?"
"We're right here!" the orange clad soldier called. He and his brother were now racing down the stairs.
"The Rat Prince is right behind us, too!" the blue clad one said. "He'll catch up to us soon!"
"No, he won't," the male nutcracker replied. To William's surprise, the nutcracker appeared to shoot his hands out away from his arms. They were attached to long ropes, which allowed him to grab the two soldiers and pull them to where the group stood.
While he was doing this, the woman guided the teens back to the dog. "You two climb on," she ordered. "Brain, get the princess and this young man to the portal. The prince, the soldiers, and I will meet you there."
"But what about my family?" William asked. "Won't they be in danger?"
"These things are after us," the woman replied. "Unfortunately, you're already involved, but once we're away from here, your family will be safe."
That said, the dog took off running, just in time for the rats to regroup and charge. Thankfully, the woman, the nutcracker, and the two soldiers were ready, unleashing a barrage of fire on the advancing army before following the retreating dog themselves.
They dodged under the tree and as soon as they got there, the dog started digging at the base. William was about to ask what he was doing when a bright light opened up where the dog was digging. In a moment, he jumped in, taking the teens with him.
There was a flash of lights and a blur of sound and color as they fell in. It seemed like this trip went on for ages, but it only took a moment. Once it was finished, the group landed in a pile of deep snow.
Despite the cushioned landing, the teens were still tossed off by the blow. When he was able to reclaim his footing, William noticed the female nutcracker, who was struggling to get up despite her now-soaked dress. "Oh, here, let me help," he said, struggling to make it over to her.
"Thank you," she replied, taking his hand. "Oh, dear, that was close."
Now that he was up close, William could now notice some things about the girl nutcracker that he hadn't before. Primarily, he now saw that her book was stuck to her right hand, as if it were a part of her.
He didn't have too much time to contemplate this oddity, though, since at that moment, several cries alerted them to the fact that the others had arrived. The woman came first, followed closely by the two soldiers, and finally the male nutcracker.
"Penelope, there you are!" the male nutcracker said once he had gotten back up. "Thank heavens you're alright."
"Thanks to you guys," the girl nutcracker said, going over and hugging the male one. "And to my new friend here." She then motioned over to William. "Your name is William, is that correct?"
"Uh, yeah," William replied, still somewhat out of sorts from what he was seeing.
"That's a fine name if I've ever heard one," the male nutcracker said approvingly. "Thank you for your help back there, William." He gave a slight bow. "My name is Prince John of Cosmolapia. This is my niece, the Princess Penelope, our captain of the guard, Sargent Heatherdown, Privates Fidget and Digit, and Brain, the royal pet."
"Pleased to meet you," William replied. It was at that moment that he first noticed the cold, which was worse than he initially expected, and not made any better by the fact that his night-shirt and pants were soaked through and he was barefoot.
Sargent Heatherdown seemed to notice this too. "You're not quite dressed for this weather, are you?" she asked. "Brain, you'd better carry him over to the barracks; I'm not sure how long he'll last in this snow."
"Oh, right, the barracks," John said. "We'd best get there before the rats come through."
"Wait, barracks?" William asked. "Rats reaching us? What's going on?"
"We'll explain once we reach the barracks," Penelope replied, getting onto the dog's back behind him. "It's kind of a long story."
The trip to the barracks was not long. With Prince John and Heatherdown took the lead, with the rest of the party moved behind. They soon reached their destination, which was hidden from view, partially because of the snow, and partially because it was built into a cliff wall.
Once they made it into hiding, the group paused and began to warm up. William was given a soldier's uniform and boots, which would stand up against the snow much better than his nightclothes would. At the same time, Penelope changed into a traveling dress that would be more appropriate for the travels, and the adults searched the barrack for food and a way to start a fire.
Once everything was set up, the group sat around the fire, though John and Penelope were careful to keep a safe distance away. "I understand this all must be very confusing to you," Heatherdown started, looking directly at William. "I promise, there is a reasonable explanation for all of this; you just need to be able to hear us out."
"After all that's happened tonight," William responded, "I don't see why I shouldn't listen."
"Good attitude to have," John replied. He then leaned back, racking his brain for how to start. "We've already begun with introductions, so I guess we had better start with the obvious oddity." He gave an awkward smile. "I'm sure you've noticed how Penelope and I are…well…nutcrackers."
When William nodded, Penelope picked it up. "That has everything, unfortunately, to do with the rats that attacked us back there. My parents, you see, were the king consort and queen of this land, Cosmolapia. When I was little, a sorcerer, calling himself the Rat King, came here and demanded an audience with them. They were willing to listen to him, but it soon became clear that he was mad, and playing with dark magics. There were even raids at the borders of our lands, were several villages were attacked, though the inhabitants were mostly left alone. They warned him not to threaten this realm, or they would be forced to fight."
"I'm guessing the Rat King didn't take that lying down," William hazarded to guess.
Heatherdown shook her head. "Nope. He ordered more raids, and this time, the rats wiped three villages off Cosmolapia's map. The Queen and King Consort weren't about to take that lying down, and armies were sent out to deal with the Rat menace. I remember well. I was part of the original detail sent out."
"As was I," John added. "As the Queen's brother, it was my duty to watch over the armies in defense of our land." He gave a sigh. "At first, everything seemed to be turning out well. We were able to rout the rat army back into their own lands and establish guards at our boarders. It was then that most of us returned to the capital, assuming the job had been finished. We were very wrong."
"After we had pulled back," he continued, "the Rat King attacked again. This time, he didn't hold anything back. The palace was invaded and taken over. We evacuated as many of the citizens that we could, but my sister and her husband refused to leave. They were…I couldn't stop…" He paused getting choked up on his words. Penelope leaned over and hugged him, clearly sharing his grief.
Digit picked up the conversation from there. "The Prince had wanted to stay to fend off the invaders, but he had to leave to protect the Princess. Sargent Heatherdown, Fidget, and I were assigned to act as further protection during the flight, and Brain came with as well."
"We were able to make it out of the city walls," Fidget said, picking up from his brother. "We thought we were home free, but there was one last attack that the Rat King had planned. I guess this had to have happened when he found out the Prince and Princess had not been slain with the King and Queen, but he sent out a curse on any of the remaining members of the royal family."
"The nutcracker…thing," William commented.
Having recovered enough to speak, Penelope nodded. "Yes. In fact, it used to be worse than this. When we first were changed, we couldn't speak or move, though we could sense everything around us; I was terrified we were going to have to spend the rest of our days like that."
"Thankfully, it looks like the Sugarplum Fairy was able to intervene in time," Fidget commented.
Through this whole story, William was trying to take everything in stride. After all, he had been shrunk down to about a foot in height by a rat warlock and was speaking with a group of people composed of two royals-turned-nutcrackers, talking windup soldiers, and a living stuffed dog. Still, he needed more info on just what was going on. "Sugarplum Fairy? What's a Sugarplum Fairy?"
"You don't know who the Sugarplum Fairy is?" John's face was the very picture of shock. "Why, son, she's the most beautiful and powerful fairy in all of Cosmolapia! She and her fairies attend to everything in this vast and wonderful land. She and those that came before her are responsible for a lot of the enchantments of this land, and we'd have been lost without her help."
Penelope giggled when she heard her uncle's explanation. "Uncle John fancies her just as bit. However, what he's saying is true. Before the Rat King's attack, she was responsible for most of the magical defenses of the land. We lost contact with her just before the invasions began, which we have no doubt has to do with something the rats have cooked up."
"Despite this, we have reason to suspect that she's not completely unaware of what's going on," Heatherdown said. "When the Prince and Princess we're first transformed, we were concerned that it was all finished. However, in the morning light, they could get up and move around, contrary to what the curse did to them at first. We suspect that the Sugarplum Fairy sent a mitigation spell. Of course, one needs to be close if one is to break a curse completely, so they're still…like this, but we feel this is her way of telling us she knows what is going on, but she can't come herself."
"And that's where we're off to!" Prince John exclaimed. "We've been traveling to her home for weeks now. It's located on a mountain in the very core of the country, so it will take us time to get there. Once we're there, though, she should be able to break all the curses, including the one on your height." He made a motion to William as he made this last statement.
"Unfortunately, the Rat King knows about her, too," Digit said. "That's why it's been taking us weeks. Every time we get close to the mountain, he sends his troops after us. That's how we, the Princess, and Brain ended up in your realm. We were barely able to escape the rats when they used the portal, but we were picked up by a shopkeeper who thought we were toys."
"Thankfully, your house had a portal back here that we could use to track them down," Heather replied. "I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this. Once the curse is broken, you'll be brought right back to your home as soon as possible."
"It wasn't your fault," William replied. "It was that Rat King guy."
"Unfortunately," Penelope said, "that wasn't the Rat King. Even though he is a powerful sorcerer, the Rat King rarely leave the palace now. He prefers to leave most of the fighting to his captains, and the one you fought was his fiercest one, the Rat Prince. The prince is his heir and nephew, and is nearly as powerful as his uncle. That's why he was sent after me, and after…" she trailed off, her eyes falling on the blue book that was fused to her hand.
Before anything else could be said, John stood up. "Well, it is quite late right now, and we're going to have a long journey to the mountain. Come now, off to bed. Girls to the right dormitories, boys to the left."
Without another word, they all went off to bed.
…
In the palace, located in the heart of the Cosmolapia capitol, the Rat King was going over his plans. His men had recently returned and told of how they had lost the nutcrackers once more. The unfortunate messengers had not lived long afterwards.
There had been a trifle of good news, though. "I found the book, my lord." The Rat Prince, who was now in his human form, gave a bow before continuing. "It was like I suspected. Penelope took it with her when the cowards fled from us. It must have been in her hand when the curse struck, so it is now a part of her."
"A detail that troubles you much, I am sure," the Rat King replied sarcastically. He knew well of his nephew's desire for the beautiful princess.
"As those fools told you," the prince continued, motioning to what was left of the unfortunate rat guards, "we were unable to claim her and her cronies. I almost had the book and the princess myself, but one of the giant race attempted to intervene. I was going to deal with him myself, but that was when the princess' minions showed up. He is, however, shrunk down to a proper height, so he will not be trouble again."
"He, like all who stand in our way, will be slain." The king gave a cruel laugh at the thought of his brutalized enemies. "Now, is there any other news you bring me?"
"Only one other thing," the prince responded. "We now know exactly what it is the nutcrackers are planning on doing. They still wish to make their way to the Sugarplum Fairy's home in hopes that she can break your curse."
Hearing this, the Rat King broke into laughter. "Oh, they are stubborn, aren't they? Still, even if they succeed, that will not do them any good. Once they reach the place, they will have to deal with my army. Then, the last of the royals shall finally be dead!" He then turned to a prisoner, who was partially hidden by the shadows. "Isn't that right, my dear?"
The Sugarplum Fairy, who was chained to the wall behind the throne with a chain that inhibited her magic, turned, not wanting her captors to see her a weak. As such, she had to disguise her tears, though she could not hold them back.
Ignoring her once again, the Rat King turned back to the prince. "Go. Send out the troops. Kill all but the nutcracker princess, and bring her hear. Once I have the Book of Cosmolapia, she will be your prisoner."
"Thank you, my lord," the Rat Prince replied, and taking his monstrous form, he hurried out to fulfill his master's wishes.
To be continued…
Author's Note: Alright, to give credit here, the Sugarplum Fairy role is being played by Inspector Prince, who was originally from Go Go Gadgetinis. Like with RI, I am using this character with permission, and will also mention that GGG is more aimed at a more mature audience than this story.