A/N: This would've been out before Christmas a gift for all of you, but I ran out of time for personal reasons, so enjoy it while it's here now and have a Happy Boxing Day if you're Canadian or if you celebrate Kwanzaa.
When the next morning came, the kids woke up, yawning and stretching as they looked around after a night of dreams together.
"Girls... Did you sleep well?" Jack asked his new friend and twin sister.
"Yes... Thank you..." Clara nodded. "And thank you for keeping me company last night."
"Hey, no problem, Clara," Jack replied with a soft chuckle. "What're new friends for after all?"
Clara smiled as that sounded very nice.
"I slept pretty all right too," Jill then added. "I just hope that Mother and Father will still be okay back home."
"Don't worry about them; you heard what Sugar Plum said," Clara gently reminded. "We're all going to be okay and we'll have a nice adventure while we still have the chance and come back home without any worries for anybody."
"I guess that's a good point." Jill replied.
"I like to think so, yes." Clara nodded.
"Well, come on then, girls," Jack soon suggested. "We better get ready for a brand new day together in The Fourth Realms."
"Right." Jill and Clara agreed together as they rolled out of bed with Jack to get started for the day.
The three kids then got ready and were given their own nutcracker soldier uniforms. They had to wonder why this was as they soon took turns getting dressed, giving each other privacy while combing their hair and washing up for the day after leaving their guest bed.
"So we're going to be soldier training and getting ready against The Mouse King?" Jack asked as a quick reminder.
"Yes. Phillip says we must and we must save The Four Realms just like how my mother helped The Four Realms." Clara nodded.
"That's right," Jack then said. "It was after the ballet."
"Let's just hope this will be the Christmas battle to end all Christmas battles in this world," Jill whispered to her twin brother as she patted down her skirt that came with the girls' soldier uniforms. "Maybe it'll look good for when we branch out our Avengers Grimm over at Looking Glass."
"That must be why Aunt Alice sent us here," Jack nodded. "We'll put in a good word for Clara to her when we go back to the party."
"Right," Jill replied before she looked down at her new outfit before she looked over at her brother. "How do I look?"
Jack gave a small smile. "You look beautiful and ready for action." he then said softly.
"Oh, Jack, thank you," Jill beamed as she hugged him thankfully. "You look very handsome too."
"You both look great." Clara said as she stepped over.
"Thanks, Clara." Jack and Jill replied and smiled at their new friend.
They left the chamber they were given and soon looked around like a couple of soldiers stood guard before they came down the staircase to see a large group huddled together as important business seemed to be being discussed among the grown-ups. Jack and Jill already put their hats on before Clara decided to do the same.
"Children!" Sugar Plum gasped as she approached right behind the trio on the steps. "Très chic!"
"We hope that means that you like our new outfits." Jack replied.
"Oh, I do," Sugar Plum nodded. "You all look so wonderful."
Jack, Jill, and Clara smiled thankfully at Sugar Plum's compliments as they felt pleased with themselves as well.
"Oh, I wish I could come with you. You understand," Sugar Plum then told them as they began to join Phillip and his army of soldiers to protect The Four Realms. "But you'll have my tippy-top top-notch handpicked troops to protect you. Good luck, my brave dears."
"Thank you, Sugar Plum," Jack replied. "We'll keep in touch."
"See that you do," Sugar Plum nodded as she sweetly smiled at them. "You will all do just fine. I know it."
"We'll help bring out more soldiers so that we can all stop The Mouse King together." Jill promised.
"Oh... You three have made me so happy~" Sugar Plum beamed before she dashed off and let them get going as it was almost time to go.
The kids then went to go join Phillip and Jingles the horse before meeting the two guards that they saw before on their way into the kingdom who they later learned were named Harlequin and Cavalier.
"You two?" Jack asked in surprise.
"Yes, us two," Harlequin replied, having removed his hat, trying to speak in a noble voice to sound more sophisticated than he already needed to be. "Your most gracious majesty-" he then began.
"Why are you talking like that?" Cavalier asked him suddenly.
"Shh!" Harlequin then tried to shush him.
"Do it properly." Cavalier then scolded.
Harlequin looked annoyed before he began again to Clara. "Your Majesty, we request-"
"Look, we're volunteering." Cavalier then suddenly stated.
"Yep. That." Harlequin then quickly added.
"You?" The kids asked in baffled surprise.
"Don't say it like that," Cavalier retorted. "We're trained killers, we are."
"Deadly." Harlequin then added, going to toss his knife in the air before catching it by its handle only to drop it to the ground, leaving him and Cavalier to be embarrassed.
"Well, I suppose you could join, but it's really up to Clara," Jill then said. "By the way, do we get our own horses?"
"Yes, of course," Phillip nodded as he brought over a couple of others horses while Clara would ride on Jingles. "I present to you Holly and Jolly."
"Holly and Jolly?" Jack and Jill then asked in surprise.
"Take them or leave them." Phillip retorted.
Jack and Jill looked at each other before they came over to the horses they had picked out for themselves. Jack took Jolly while Jill would take Holly. They luckily knew how to get on and get off of horses, while still a little rusty, they knew quite a bit since they came from a royal kingdom after all after being sent into a more modern world back home far away from Once Upon a Time.
"Just stay out of trouble." Jack told Harlequin and Cavalier.
The two guards nodded and stepped out of the way once they were settled and ready to go.
"Are you two ready then?" Clara then asked the twins.
"Yep." Jack nodded.
"Let's get this show on the road." Jill added.
Clara then nodded at her new friends before she called out to the rest of the nutcracker soldiers. "AttenSHUN!"
Cavalier and Harlequin stumbled around suddenly as Jack and Jill rolled their eyes at the two guards a bit.
"Pick up the dagger!" Cavalier told the other guard. "The dagger!"
"By the right-" Clara continued.
"Sorry." Harlequin said nervously before running off as he picked up the dagger, leaving with Cavalier.
Jack face-palmed a bit as that was pretty annoying to him.
"Squad march!" Clara then called out.
The soldiers all around soon pulled on the crank for the doors of the castle to open up nice and wide so that they could march out on their horses.
"Here we go..." Jack whispered.
"It's go time." Jill added as she grabbed the reins of her horse who looked patient luckily enough.
Once the doors were opened, the soldiers began to march right outside and soon, Clara, Jack, Jill, and Phillip followed behind on horseback. It was a very intense and suspenseful moment for everybody involved as Jack and Jill tried to stay calm. They had been through worse so far and that wasn't just including being part of The Avengers Grimm with their adoptive family. The snow lightly flaked around them as they trotted out for their next big adventure, Jack and Jill doing their best to remain brave as this was a very big moment in their young lives with their new friend.
Soon, they began to trek through the woods as it was getting very dark and grim, but luckily, the nutcracker army had lanterns to help light the way for all of them. Jack, Jill, and Clara instantly recognized the sights once they got closer into the woods and took a look around, making sure there wouldn't be a sneak attack planned by The Mouse King, but it really wouldn't surprise them based on what they had heard about him.
"It's quiet." Jack whispered.
"Yeah. Too quiet." Jill whispered back with a nod.
Clara looked around as they continued to march forward. However, unknown to any of them as they passed through the woods, a certain mouse popped its head out from the ground. As the soldiers passed through, it then went back down underground to go back into hiding before being seen by anybody.
"Remember your training," Cavalier quietly advised his friend as they snuck around. "Stay alert."
"I'm not alert. I'm scared." Harlequin whispered.
Jack and Jill rolled their eyes and shook their heads a little at Cavalier and Harlequin's behavior. The soldiers then continued to lead the way into the woods until the two in front came to a sudden stop which prompted the others behind them even on horseback to stop immediately.
"That's strange. Why are we stopping?" Jack wondered.
"What's going on up there?" Clara then added. "Why have we stopped?"
No one answered her as they just stood perfectly still.
"There's fog up there," Jill pointed out before looking over. "Shouldn't we keep going?"
Still, no one answered and they seemed to be frozen in place as they came across the fog, much to the frustration of the kids.
"Come on! It's only a bit of fog!" Clara called out before she decided to get off of Jingles.
"Oh, guys, maybe we should stay put if the soldiers are concerned." Jill warned her brother and new friend.
"It's just fog, Jill. What could it hurt?" Jack shrugged as he decided to go and join Clara down on the ground.
Jill bit her lip as she felt unsure.
"All right, you can wait here with the others," Jack then decided. "I'm gonna go check this out with Clara."
"Oh, Jack..." Jill whispered nervously.
"It'll be okay," Jack soothed as he reached out to gently pat his twin sister's hand. "We'll be right back anyway. Besides, why are we even in The Avengers Grimm without a little adventure, huh?"
Jill still looked nervous, but she still decided to stay put. Jack nodded, seeing that was Jill's final answer before he decided to go after and follow Clara to see just what was going on behind the fog and why the soldiers were so scared to cross through there. The soldiers stood around, but they did get out of Jack and Clara's way as they began to go down into the fog to get to the bottom of this mystery as soon as possible. There was a rundown doorway, but they continued to pass through and soon, the other soldiers were then prompted to go and follow after Jack and Clara.
"Well, I guess this is it," Jill said to herself as she made her horse move. "I guess as long as we're all together we'll all be just fine."
The soldiers continued after the two right into the fog. Jack and Clara looked around as more things were shown, such as what looked like a fallen statue next to a rather old Ferris Wheel. However, inside the hand of the statue, a mouse could be shown. The soldiers continued to look around, using their lanterns as their source of light before they heard something right behind them and looked around to where the sound came from, being as alert as possible. The armed soldiers reached for their swords just in case as they took a look around, but saw no one there so far as they all remained quiet and cautious. They soon heard another noise, looking around again in concern.
"What was that?" Jill whispered to herself nervously.
"I really hope that wasn't Mother Ginger... Whoever she is..." Jack said to himself as he stayed close beside Clara.
The soldiers then continued to look around, seeming to stumble across an old flying swingset. It was quiet again until suddenly, there was a slight rumble before one soldier was sinking through the ground suddenly which was definitely not good at all. The other soldiers and the kids looked around until more soldiers went down instantly and even cried out before it was too late for them.
"Oh, my gosh!" Jack gasped in horror.
"Gather at the carousel!" Phillip soon announced to the other soldiers before they then began to retreat right that way.
No one wasted any time in getting over there, hopping over the stand and came to the horses there for their own protection.
"It's still too dark. Even with those lanterns." Jack said as he looked around in concern.
"Jack's right," Clara added as she decided to turn on the carousel lights instantly. "We can't fight what we can't see."
Soon, as she did that, the flames began to burn light for the carousel. Then all around the horses, the lights came on, but they heard rapid squeaking and the mice had come back and began to charge underneath the carousel, moving it all around, perhaps to knock everybody on it off balance.
"Augh! Ew!" Jill cried out in distress. "Starting to think that that wasn't the best thing to do right now, guys!"
"It's the mice!" Clara alerted. "They're under us!"
"Augh! Make them stop!" Jill cried out.
"What do they even want from us?!" Jack added.
The soldiers grunted and they began to run off from off of the carousel instantly. The kids looked around, wondering what to do next as the mice grew to be very restless and relentless as they burrowed underneath them to throw them off course. Some weren't so lucky in making it off in time however and they soon fell right to the ground and the floor of the carousel as the mice were a lot more than just ordinary mice.
"Come on, Jill!" Jack told his sister before taking her hand and running with her to get off of the carousel as it was very close to being destroyed.
Jill nodded as she followed him and Clara also helped herself out of the ambush. Soon, the only thing left to do right now was to run, but as the soldiers were running, they were being pulled through the ground next like the other soldiers before them. Jack saw that coming, so he decided to hug Jill so that they could go together and one wouldn't be without the other. That would be very tragic for both of them since they only had each other for their whole lives until their birth mother died and they were adopted by Snow White and Charles.
"Captain!" Clara cried out as she appeared to be next.
Phillip soon saw Clara going down and took her hand, trying to pull her back up out of the ground. However, the mice, due to the number of them appeared to be stronger as it was a struggle just to keep Clara out of the ground for the nutcracker soldier.
"Hang on!" Phillip told Clara through the straining.
Soon, there was nothing more that could be done and Clara was suddenly taken underground by the mouse swarm.
"CLARA!" Phillip soon cried out to the poor girl.
"Let me go!" Clara cried out as the mice continued to take her underground.
Jack and Jill grunted and squirmed, both trying to use their special powers, but seemed to be unable to.
"Clara! Children! Where are you?" Phillip called out before he went in the hole after the kids in deep concern.
Clara, Jack, and Jill were tossed all around underground by the mice before they were soon thrown out into a different ground suddenly. Jack and Jill grunted as they landed on top of each other before looking around and gasped as Clara was right beside them, but only for a fraction of a second. The girl was suddenly picked up by someone rather large who was right in front of them before they could even think to get back up on their feet.
"Well, if it isn't Clara Stahlbaum? I've been expecting you." The giant woman said as she picked up the girl right off of the ground like a doll.
"Hey! Let go of her! Leave her alone!" Jack soon cried out with a glare.
"I'm here to reclaim what you've taken from me and from my mother," Clara told the giant woman who held onto her. "My key!"
The giant woman paused before she then decided to do something. "Please, come in." she then said before taking Clara right into her skirt which appeared to be like a tent.
Jack and Jill soon rushed over and found the skirt of the giant woman and opened the flaps to go inside after Clara. Clara was then brought into a very strange world that was like a circus where there was a big puffy being known as a Polichinelle who laughed and tossed Clara around before it hopped up and came apart into another Polichinelle and then the other did the same as they spread apart like Russian dolls as strange music was playing. Soon, the kids were surrounded all around by the Polinchelles who took them for a wild ride.
"Hey! Hey! Leave her alone!" Jack cried out as he tried to help Clara, but he and Jill didn't have much luck as the Polinchelles teased the girl.
"Clara Stahlbaum, Lovely Clara Stahlbaum~"
"Little Princess Clara. She looks like a goose!"
"What a clumsy thing she is."
Clara whimpered and pouted as the Polinchelles teased her while Jack and Jill tried to help her out.
"Look out!"
"Go away!" Jill called out as she took Clara's left arm.
"Come on, Clara, we gotta go." Jack added, taking Clara's right arm.
The three kids then rushed right for the exit, only for the Polinchelles to block the exit and surround them instantly.
"Where are you going?"
"Leaving so soon?"
"Step right this way."
"Stop hurting Clara!" Jack and Jill complained.
"We're not hurting her!" One Polinchelle told the twins. "We have a surprise for her!"
"Surprise?" The twins asked curiously then.
One Polinchelle bounced right over, knocking Clara right into a seat, knocking down Jack and Jill on the ground then.
"Have a seat!" Another Polinchelle told them.
Clara grunted and was soon spinning around in the seat, going from low on the ground to high in the air.
"Hey!" Jack and Jill then glared as that didn't look fun for Clara at all.
The Ponichelles then continued to tease Clara. Jack and Jill looked at each other and soon tried to grab onto the seat as they spun around with Clara and ended up at the high top as the music got a bit louder and louder the further up they went.
"Bon voyage!"
"Adios."
The music continued before the spinning soon stopped and they found the source. There was yet another Ponichelle right there who looked back at them with a smile before leaving after playing what appeared to be the pipe organ. Jack and Jill looked over before looking back at each other and just shrugged what they have just seen.
"Are you okay, Clara?" Jill asked softly.
"Yeah... I think so..." Clara replied. "I'm not sure what just happened, but I don't think I want it to happen again."
"I wouldn't blame you," Jack nodded. "I imagine Aunt Alice felt the same way about Wonderland."
Clara nodded in return as she looked around with them.
"I wonder where we are?" Jill then pondered before seeing something. "Hey, look. A key."
Clara then looked over, seeing the key and was about to go and take it suddenly.
"Hands off, young lady!" A voice then called out, suddenly stopping the girl in her tracks.
Clara and the twins flinched before looking over as a woman began to approach them.
"...Are you Mother Ginger?" Jill guessed, having a strong feeling but wasn't sure.
"Yes, I am," The woman replied as she stepped over, appearing to have a crack in her face. "And you two have Queen Marie's daughter with you."
Clara stepped back, looking nervous before she nodded. "Yes." she then confirmed herself.
"And we're Jack and Jill." Jack then added as Jill nodded, agreeing with her twin brother.
"Now, what business brings you to The Fourth Realm?" Mother Ginger then demanded. "Don't you know it's dangerous here?"
"I've come to get what belongs to me," Clara defended. "That key."
Mother Ginger looked rather stern in response. "If this key belongs to anyone, it belongs to your mother." she then replied.
"No. She left it to Clara." Jill retorted.
Mother Ginger looked firm still. "Why would she give it to you?" she then asked.
Clara looked soft in response. "My mother, she... She passed away."
Mother Ginger soon frowned as the circus music began to play again. "Queen Marie is dead?" she then asked a bit sadly.
"As if you care!" Jack glared at her.
"You're trying to destroy everything my mother ever created!" Clara added.
Soon, there was a light rumble from down below as bells jingled from underneath them.
"Not again..." Jack groaned as he sensed that the Ponichelles were up to no good again.
"Look what you've done to your own realm!" Clara scolded Mother Ginger as she began to fall back and drop the key due to the rumbling from underneath them. "You've ruined it!"
"Children!" A familiar voice soon called out from down below.
"That's Phillip come to rescue us!" Jill gasped.
Jack then looked over, seeing that Mother Ginger had dropped the key and went to quickly snatch it before the woman could get back up on her feet again.
"Nice work, Jack. Now let's get out of here." Clara soon suggested.
"Right!" Jack nodded as he and Jill rushed back over Clara in the seat that they had come from.
Once they were all set, Clara pulled the lever to lower the seat down so that they could leave and never see Mother Ginger again. While they were gone, Phillip had found them and was trying to fight the Ponichelles, but it was no use as his sword only missed them due to their very unique abilities.
"Children! NO!" Mother Ginger called out as she got back up.
The kids just ignored her as they kept going down and weren't going to bother with giving her their attention. Once they made it back down to the ground, Clara kicked away one Ponichelle instantly and it fell before she rushed over to help Phillip.
"We are so out of here!" Jill then said before they rushed out of the circus right away.
"Bring it back!" Mother Ginger's voice echoed. "Get back here! That's a dangerous key!"
"Captain! We've got the key!" Clara told Phillip as they ran as far away from Mother Ginger as possible.
Phillip nodded as that was very good.
"What were those things anyway?" Jill wondered.
"You don't wanna know," Phillip replied. "Just be lucky that you escaped from Mother Ginger."
"Yeah, sounds good to me." Jack nodded.
"She was different." Clara then remarked as they made it back into the woods from where they came.
"Don't be fooled by that little old lady act," Phillip replied. "The woman is deadly."
They then kept running before they made it out of the woods before panting as they had been running for quite a while.
"Captain... I need to stop," Clara soon said breathlessly. "I have to open this. It's important."
Phillip looked over before nodding. "All right. We should be safe here." he then said before he stepped over to take a look since they were out of the fog and back into safety.
"All right, Clara... This is it, the moment of truth," Jack soon said to the girl. "Are you ready to get to the bottom of this mystery?"
"I was born ready." Clara smiled and nodded in determination.
"Love that enthusiasm." Jill remarked.
Clara soon brought out her egg and put the key inside of it. It took a little while, but soon the lock clicked and the egg was finally going to be opened. Jack and Jill leaned in with strong suspense as they were just as eager as Clara was about opening the egg probably just as much as Clara was. However, once the egg opened... There didn't seem to be anything inside and it was just playing music which was a bit confusing to the kids, especially Clara.
"It can't be. No," Clara frowned. "It's just a music box."
"That can't be right," Jack said softly. "Your mother told you that 'Everything you need is inside'."
"And there's nothing here." Clara added with a nod.
"There's music." Phillip clarified softly.
Clara frowned, looking a bit distressed. "I thought... I thought if I found this key, then I would find answers, that everything would make sense," she then said, looking a little sad in defeat. "I'm just as lost as when I arrived here."
Jack and Jill frowned, feeling bad for their new friend.
"Here... Take the key," Clara then said before she gave the key back to the soldier. "Bring it to Sugar Plum."
"We're leaving?" Jack guessed to Clara.
"Yes." Clara nodded at him.
Phillip frowned a bit at the kids. "Where are you going?" he then asked.
"Home." The kids replied together.
"Home?" Phillip repeated in concern. "But, Clara, we need you here."
"No. Captain, you need my mother," Clara shook her head sadly. "She was a queen and I'm not."
Phillip frowned as he stepped out to the kids. "I've never left my post, you know. I knew my place. And I was happy, but when you told me you were going into The Fourth Realm, I knew I'd go with you and your new friends have as well even if they know nothing about this world. And it wasn't because you're Marie's daughter, but because you have her same look of confidence and determination." he then added softly.
"I don't feel very confident right now." Clara frowned.
"You just led a regiment of men into The Fourth Realm and took back this key from Mother Ginger," Phillip explained. "You're not lost, Clara Stahlbaum. Your place is here."
The kids then stopped looking sad for a moment until they realize that that actually made a lot of sense.
"...He's right, Clara," Jill then said. "You could even be Avengers Grimm material."
Clara looked over before Phillip and the twins then started to smile. She then began to smile along with them as she felt better now. "Thank you... Captain." she then told the soldier.
Jack and Jill nodded before looking over as Jingles, Holly, and Jolly soon made it back over to them, neighing a bit.
"It's time to save the kingdom." Phillip soon suggested to the kids.
Clara, Jack, and Jill then smiled as they soon got ready to go and continue their adventure as going back home would have to wait for a little while longer.