Keldeo skated across the frozen water, and hopped onto the rock platform. In his mouth he held a book wrapped in Christmas gift-wrap. He placed it on the ground in front of him.
Victini floated in behind Keldeo, twirling around while smiling as he sang.
"There's just 4 days till Christmas, just 4 days left you see,
So let's review a Christmas story!"
Keldeo started to tear the paper off of the book as Victini continued to sing.
"It's the third Christmas fanfic, let's not wait anymore,
Keldeo the Critic,
Is here to review-"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Keldeo shouted.
Keldeo the Critic
Season 4 Episode 17: Swiper and the NutCracker Rescue by badboylover24
Title Card TinyURL: heuc3dc
"It can't be!" Keldeo said in shock, "This was just an April Fools Joke! That wasn't even me in that joke! That was Zorua pretending to be me! I mean. . . a Dora the Explorer fanfic? HERE?! NOW?!"
"Uh, actually, here and now makes perfect sense," Victini offered.
"What?!" Keldeo asked, his eyes wide.
Victini shrugged and said, "Well, it is Christmas."
"Yeah, but-" Keldeo said.
"And you reviewing a story like this would be entertaining."
"Yeah, but-."
"And I'm sure you can tell a ton of great jokes."
"Yeah, but-."
"And you could make a great commentary on the flaws of Dora the Explorer as a kid's show."
"Well. . ."
"And-."
"Okay! Okay! You've convinced me, I'll review it," Keldeo relented unhappily.
"Aw, come on, Keldeo! It's not like you're reviewing Christmas with the Kranks," Victini said.
"Have you seen that movie?" Keldeo asked curiously.
Victini blinked, and then looked away in shame.
"You're part of the problem," Keldeo said in a low voice.
Victini floated off silently, and Keldeo cleared his throat and said, "So, apparently this is a crossover between Dora the Explorer and the famous ballet story The Nutcracker. And yes, many cartoons have already done this, from The Carebears to Mickey Mouse. I guess now is the time to see if badboylover24 can make a Dora the Explorer version work. And here's another thing: the only reason Matthais and I even paid any attention to this is because it has Swiper's name in the title, and rule number one when you're dealing with a little kid show, no matter how bad it is, is that the villains are always a source of relief in a sea of annoyance and infantile dialogue."
Keldeo narrowed his eyes darkly and said lowly, "Even though I normally dislike Thief Class characters. . ."
Keldeo sighed, and said, "Okay then. So, not because I want to, but as a special Christmas gift to you, this is Swiper and the NutCracker Rescue."
"So the story begins with a main character from the original ballet The Nutcracker,Drosselmeyer the magician."
Prologue: Drosselmeyer Tells a Story…
Imagine yourself in a sitting room large enough to let about twenty people walk about and/or dance. It is decorated richly for a Christmas party with a very tall Christmas tree, holly and mistletoe on the walls and ceiling, and red and green candles on the white fireplace with its roaring fire. At said fireplace, a thin man with gray tied into a low ponytail by a black ribbon and wearing a brown suit with a black cape sits at a white armchair with a group of children, each with a toy in his or her arms, sitting at his feet. What is fascinating about him is that he has a black eye patch over his right eye.
Can you guess who he is? If you guessed Uncle Drosselmeyer of The NutCracker, you're right!
Keldeo actually smiled and said, "Okay, that's nice. It looks like this is going to be authentic and faithful to the original story."
"Well, mis hijos," he said to the children,
Still smiling, Keldeo blinked and coked his head. "You know, for a second I thought Drosselmeyer spoke Spanish. But that''d be crazy."
"we've opened our gifts and we've had some dinner. What shall we do now?"
"Una historia," a girl with a doll answered happily. "Please tell us a story, Tío Drosselmeyer."
"Much like the story of Clara and the NutCracker Prince," added a boy with a boat.
"Sí," concurred a girl with a bear. "Los Cascanueces!" Drosselmeyer chuckled in reply as he brought out a red leather book.
Keldeo stumbled backwards as if an Arbok had just struck out at him. With eyes wide, Keldeo stammered out, "Did - did Drosselmeyer from The Nutcracker just speak Spanish? Wha - what would posses Drosselmeyer from The Nutcracker to speak Spanish? I mean, how does this even make any sense?"
"I know just the story," he said, opening said book to a certain page. "What makes this story different is that our hero, los héroe, is not los Cascanueces. It is el raposa."
"Oh my gosh. . .a main character from a Russian ballet based on a German story is speaking Spanish?" Keldeo said incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief, "And okay, fine, it's Dora the Explorer. It's a show about learning Spanish. I know. But that doesn't mean everyone has to speak Spanish, especially a non-Spanish person from a non-Spanish story. And it's not like the kids he's talking to don't know English. They're clearly bilingual, so why not let them say the Spanish words and just let Drosselmeyer speak normally? And it's not just that he's speaking Spanish, because by that logic he shouldn't be speaking English either. The issue here is that the story as a whole is English, so that's just the main language of the story, so English is the baseline for these characters. But then Drosselmeyer just starts saying Spanish words, and well, it just doesn't fit his character!"
Keldeo stomped his hooves in frustration and said, "Oh, biscuits! We haven't even gotten past the Prologue and I'm already completely lost! The only way this story could possibly reengaged me is if it promises me an epic sword fight to death! But there's no way that's gonna happen!"
"A fox?" asked a boy with a plane.
"Sí," Drosselmeyer answered, before showing them a picture of Swiper the Fox with a sword and fighting the Mouse King, who is large enough to be a rat and is wearing a crooked golden crown and red fleece king's cape.
Keldeo's jaw dropped and he stood up straight. "Whoa! . . . Hello! . . . Alright then, the plot has reengaged me, but remember badboylover24, you promised us this!"
"Swiper the Fox!" answered a girl with a ball.
"Correcto," Drosselmeyer answered. "In this story with Clara and los Cascanueces, he helped save the Sugar Plum Fairy with the help of his amigos, Dora and Boots."
"How did he do that, Tío Drosselmeyer?" asked a boy with a drum.
"What's the Little Drummer Boy doing here?" Keldeo asked, "I'm serious, what is Aaron doing here?"
"Let me tell you the story of Swiper and his adventures in the Kingdom of the NutCracker," Drosselmeyer answered, turning the page to show a picture of Dora, Boots, and Swiper walking down a path during winter. Dora has on her Nacimiento party dress, Boots has on his Nacimiento bowtie, and Swiper has on his new Nacimiento scarf, red and green holly and white snowflakes. Drosselmeyer then began telling his story:
"It was the day before Christmas Eve…"
"So we smoothly transition to our main characters."
Ch.1: A Kingdom in Trouble
Dora, Boots, and Swiper were walking through the snowy forest together. Swiper, of course, isn't swiping. He had learned his lesson last year that "There's no swiping on Christmas".
"But you can steal all you want during the rest of the year!" Keldeo said with a smile.
Portal 2 Announcer: "Sarcasm Self Test Complete."
"Okay, I commend the show for doing a Christmas Carol episode with Swiper as Scrooge, but it kinda ruins the message when you have him stealing stuff in the very next episode!" Keldeo complained, "It's not like they're afraid of changing the formula, because they already added that Star Catching thing, so would it have really been that hard for them to just get rid of that 'Swiper No Swiping' game, or maybe have another character be the thief so the moral isn't ruined," Keldeo complained.
Keldeo then looked to the left and said, "Alright, Victini. I'd say that this counts."
A clip of PeeWee's Playhouse played where the alarm goes off and everyone screams. Victini flies by screaming as well.
"Okay, now with that out of the way, we learn that our heroes are having a Secret Santa gift exchange with all their other animal friends."
"Well," he answered, shyly rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm Secret Santa to…Isa." As he said her name, the blue-masked fox blushed with a small smile. Dora and Boots noticed the blush and know it very well. Swiper had just started to like Isa as more than a friend ever since the iguana got over her secret crush on Boots after he found a new girlfriend. Swiper wanted to express his feelings to Isa, and the Secret Santa's the perfect opportunity to do so.
"Wow, that raises a whole bunch of. . .weird questions," Keldeo said, looking a little freaked out, "First of all, an lizard and a mammal? Gross! I mean, come on, this isn't like Pokemon where Egg Groups work differently. This is just. . . weird. Second . . . romance and love triangles in Dora the Explorer? I don't think this would even work in that new Dora and Friends cartoon, or whatever it's called. And third. . . I . . . I can't even read this with a straight face or without feeling weird, and it's physically impossible for me to read this out loud, it's so awkward and weird. At least Friendship is Magic; in spite of its girly names and equine references, puns, and terms; is mature, serious, and clever enough to handle romance and stuff like this without sounding weird and awkward. I can talk about Twilight Sparkle's relationship with Flash Sentry and Applejack's rejection of Trenderhoof with no problem, because these are potentially interesting characters with substance. But here. . . come on, it's Dora the Explorer!"
"That's grandioso, Swiper!" said Dora.
"Yeah, but…I don't know what to give her," Swiper said with a frown. "I know she loves flowers, but I think it might be too obvious. I want to get her something very special."
"Perhaps I can help you with that wish, my friend," a mysterious voice said, catching the three of them by surprise.
"Who said that?" asked the surprised Boots. He got his answer when a man with gray hair tied into a low ponytail by a black ribbon, a brown suit with a black cape, and a black eye patch over his right eye step out from behind a nearby tree.
"That would be me, young Boots," the man answered. "I am Herr Drosselmeyer, but you may simply call me Drosselmeyer."
"Oh, so now you're using German words!" Keldeo complained.
"Can you really help me find a special gift for Isa?" he asked. The famous magician/toymaker took out a large red book with a nutcracker on the front cover from his cape.
"I know someone who has just what you need," he said to the fox, "but in order to retrieve this gift, you must help her first."
"Who is she?" asked Dora. Drosselmeyer then opened the book to a page bearing a picture of a beautiful ballerina in a glittering violet ballet gown with matching dancing slippers, lavender fairy wings on her back, and a golden tiara on her head with amethysts. She also has long golden hair and indigo eyes. In the picture, she is doing an arabesque on her toe, and the wintery scenery is a beautiful frozen lake with swans wearing golden or silver necklaces.
"She is the Sugar Plum Fairy," Drosselmeyer answered, "a friend of Clara and the NutCracker."
"Oh, el Azúcar Plum Hada," said Dora in awe.
"She's so beautiful," said Dora.
"What's wrong?" asked Swiper. "Is she in trouble?"
"I'm afraid so," Drosselmeyer answered. "Her amigos, Clara and the NutCracker Prince, have been captured and locked away by El Ratón Rey." He then turned to the next page to show another picture, this one of three others, two of which are in a cage. One is Clara, the brown-haired girl in a robin's egg blue gown and snow white dancing slippers. The other is the NutCracker Prince, the black-haired prince dressed in his soldier's uniform.
Outside the cage is a mouse as tall as the Sugar Plum Fairy. He has light gray fur and a long black tail. He has on a red fleece king's cloak and a golden crown with rubies.
"The Mouse King?" Swiper said in shock. "Oh, man!"
"Number one, now he's going back to using Spanish words? Number two. . . is this some kind of sequel to the original story? Wasn't the Mouse King defeated? How did he kidnap the Nutcracker Prince and Clara again?" Keldeo asked, looking very confused.
"Sí," Drosselmeyer replied solemnly, "and because he had capture them and locked them away, the Mouse King has captured her in her own castle and plans to marry her." He then turned to a third page of the frightened Sugar Plum Fair before the fearsome Mouse King in a beautiful chamber.
"If he does marry her, he will become Ruler of the Land of Sweets residing in the NutCracker Kingdom," Drosselmeyer added, "and he will keep all the sweets and won't let any go to children for Christmas."
"So of all the people he could to for help, he chooses a little girl, a monkey, and a thief?" Keldeo asked. He thought about this for a moment, then smiled and said, "That makes sense!"
"So, Drosselmeyer makes a deal with Swiper. If he saves the Fairy, then she'll give him Isa's gift. But, okay, the three of them really are helping because it's the right thing to do, the gift is just an extra perk. So Drosselmeyer uses his magic to send our heroes into the book-"
"This gingerbread dust was given to me by the Sugar Plum Fairy herself," the older man said. "It will transport you to the Nutcracker Kingdom. ¡Buena suerte! Good luck to you." With that, he blew the dust at the three explorers, and it swirled around them in a glittering gold twister. It then lifted them up into the air and flew them into the book, shrinking them in the process.
"-Sonic Storybook Series anyone?- and the adventure begins."
Ch. 3: Where to Start
When the twister has subsided and Dora, Boots, and Swiper opened their eyes, they found themselves in the NutCracker Kingdom, which looked just like in the book, with the music from The NutCracker segment "Dance of the Flutes" playing somewhere in the background.
"Wow," Boots said in awe. "This is so cool!"
"It's muy bella," Dora concurred. "I just hope we can stop the Mouse King from ruining all of this by marrying the Sugar Plum Fairy."
"But…how do we find her?" asked Swiper. As if on cue, Map poked his head out of Backpack's side pocket.
"I know where, Swiper," he said with a smile.
"NOOOOOOOO! NO! Don't sing you're incredibly annoying, repetitive, lazy song!" Keldeo exclaimed in terror.
He then hopped out of the pocket and unrolled himself a bit until there was a full map of the NutCracker Kingdom, showing the trio five locations on it.
Keldeo sighed with relief, "Oh, thank goodness. . ."
"The Mouse King has her trapped in the tall tower of her home, Gingerbread Castle," Map said. On cue, the location at the top right-hand corner of the map glowed. It is a beautiful castle made entire of gingerbread, decorated with white icing and multi-colored gumdrops and sprinkles. In the top room of the very tall tower in the middle, the Sugar Plum Fairy waved to Dora, Boots, and Swiper.
"Me ayude, valientes!" she cried. "Help me, brave ones!" Map frowned, pitying the poor fairy.
"We just have to save her before she ends up marrying the Mouse King!" he cried. "Good thing I know the way there. First, you have to go through the Toy Animal Jungle…"
"EX - PO - SI - TION! EX - PO -SI - TION! RUSH - IT - OUT! AS - AP!" Keldeo and Munna sang.
"So yeah, this story apparently has five locations to go through, each with it's own unique theme based on one of the song from the ballet. And that. . ." Keldeo smiled and clapped with his fore-hooves, "Is really clever, actually. Good job."
"I also learned from Drosselmeyer that there are also estrellas here in the NutCracker Kingdom," Map added, "so we should watch out for them. But we should also watch out for the Mouse King; he'll try to stop us from reaching the castle." The Mouse King's head then popped out from behind the castle.
"El Hada es mía!" he cried. "The Fairy is mine!" The royal mouse then disappeared behind the castle.
"So remember," Map said to the group. "Jungle, Garden, Barn, Field, and Gingerbread Castle!" He then hopped back into Backpack's side pocket.
Keldeo smiled and nodded, "Alright, so now I'm getting invested again. And it looks like we won't be getting any of those annoying Dora the Explorer songs in this story, so-."
The trio then began to sing their travel song, jingle bells jingling with the music:
Dora: C'mon! Sing it with us!
Trio: Jungle, Garden, Barn,
Field, and Gingerbread Castle
SLASH!
Keldeo slashed the scene in half with his Secret Sword.
"Nope," Keldeo said flatly, "And why did he take out the Map song but leave in the Travel song? It makes no sense."
Ch. 3: The Toy Animal Jungle
Before long, Dora, Boots, and Swiper have reached the Toy Animal Jungle. As they began to go through it, they find it quiet, save for "The Arabian Dance" music in the air.
"Wow," Boots said as a large wooden duck followed by five small rubber ducklings waddled past them on wheels. "Every animal here is a toy."
"You're right, Boots," said Dora as the passed an elephant doll that's pink with purple polka dots. Just then, they heard familiar swishing and laughter. The three explorers looked up to see…
"Estrellas!" Dora cried. Six stars flew above there heads: two reds; two whites; and two greens. And there was a seventh star with them as well, a pink lady star with red hearts and white wings.
"And look!" Swiper said, pointing her out. "It's Lovey Dove, the Explorer Star of Love!"
Keldeo got out his smartphone and quickly dialed a number. The phone rang for a bit, then a voice answered.
"Hello, this is Swiper the Fox-."
"HOW THE HAY DID YOU KNOW THAT!? WHY DID YOU EVEN SAY THAT OUT LOUD!?" Keldeo shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't you have any idea how awkward and cringe-worthy that was? Aren't you a guy? Where's your pride? Do you have no shame!?"
Keldeo stared at the screen, breathing heavily for a while, then frowned and said, "He hung up. . ." Keldeo sighed and said, "I'm being serious here, how would Swiper know that specific detail about this specific star? How does this star mythology and lore work in this world? I figured this star catching thing was just for Dora and Boots. Or is it like some kind of religion, or are there legends about them like the Sinnoh Pokemon myths? How many people in this world-?"
Victini flew over to Keldeo's side and placed a paw on his shoulder.
"Forget it, Keldeo," Victini said sympathetically, "It's Dora town."
Keldeo sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. So while our heroes are distracted by the stars like dogs are distracted by squirrels-"
Doug: "Squirrel!"
"-the Mouse King casts a spell."
"I won't let them get to mi Hada," he said, quickly scurrying to the jungle exit. The rubies on his crown began glowing as he raised his arms.
"Culebra ceñido!" he cried, and a giant green snake with a slinky for a body appeared out of the red twister that appeared from the Mouse King's hands. He then smiled at his work.
"This should keep them busy," he said before escaping from the jungle.
"Oh, alright! A giant, deadly snake! Now we're talking!" Keldeo said excitedly.
Back with our heroes, they have just caught the stars, including Lovey Dove, who nuzzled into Swiper's cheek, making him chuckle.
"I think she likes you, Swiper," Boots laughed before the little stars flew into the star pocket.
"Foreshadowing!" Munna said as she flew by.
Once all seven are inside, the three friends then made their way through the jungle until the reached the exit, which unfortunately was guarded by the Slinky Snake.
"Uh-oh!" said Boots. "That Slinky Snake's blocking our way."
"I don't think it wants to move," said Dora.
"NO SHIP, SHERLOCK!" the Intoxiquer shouted as he flew by.
"That's because it's told not to," a female voice said. The trio looked up to see the Arabian bird from the Map fly over to them.
"I am Fénix," she said, "ruler and guardian of the Toy Animal Jungle."
"Hola, Fénix," Dora said. "Soy Dora."
"And I'm Boots," said the little monkey.
"And I'm Swiper," said the fox. "But what do you mean this snake's told not to move?"
"It was summoned here by el Ratón Rey to keep you from getting through so you can't reach the castle," the bird answered.
"Oh wait, so it's not dangerous? It's just a roadblock? That's disappointing," Keldeo remarked.
"Ohh, maaan," Swiper groaned. "How can we get through something that huge?"
"Mi padre told me that Slinky Snakes can fall asleep easily to a soft lullaby," Fénix answered, "and that they only understand Spanish."
"Good thing Dora taught me some Spanish," Swiper said with a smile.
"Oh, alright, this looks interesting," Keldeo said, perking up a bit, "A Spanish lullaby sounds promising. There are a bunch of nice Spanish lullabies. Like Arrorró Mi Niño, or Hush-a-bye My Baby. It's sweet, and putting it in here would show a nice bit of effort-."
"If we want to sing 'sleep' to the Slinky Snake, we need to sing sueño, right?"
"Right, Swiper," his friend answered. The three of them then began to sing to the Slinky Snake, in sync with the rhythm of "The Arab Dance":
"Suuu-e, suuu-e, suu-eee-ñooo…
"I don't believe it, I don't believe, you gotta be kidding me!" Keldeo shouted in disbelief, "You just sang the same single solitary word over and over again!? Did you turn into a Pokemon or something?"
"So they sing the snake to sleep, much to the Mouse King's anger."
As they headed for the garden, el Ratón Rey stuck his head from behind a bush and scowled at the heroes.
"Queso!" he growled.
"He's using the Spanish word for cheese as an expletive? That's ridiculous! Biscuits!" Keldeo shouted.
Victini leaned in behind Keldeo and rolled his eyes.
"They got through my Slinky Snake! But they won't get through the Waltzing Garden. I'll make sure of that!" With that, he scurried away as Dora, Boots, and Swiper began their travel song with the jingling bells:
Dora: C'mon! Sing it with us!
Keldeo blew the scene up with a Focus Blast.
Ch. 4: The Waltzing Garden
It wasn't long before Dora, Boots, and Swiper reached the Waltzing Garden. Everywhere they look, there would be various flowers swaying and twirling to "The Waltz of the Flowers" music.
"Wow," Swiper said in awe. "Look at all of these flowers! Isa would just love it here."
"She sure would," said Dora. Just then, they heard a noise like someone in pain.
"Oh, my root! My poor root!" The trio looked up to find a boy violet rubbing his root as someone would rub his hurt ankle. Sitting beside him is a girl rose comforting him. Dora and her friends went up to them.
"Excuse me, Señorita Rosa," Dora said to them. "Excuse me, Señor Violeta. But what seems to be the problem?"
"Violeto here was going to help me with my dancing," the Rose answered, "but then a nube roja flew out of nowhere and made him trip and hurt his ankle. And now I don't have anyone to teach me the mambo."
"I have a feeling it's no accident," Violeto said to Dora. "Right after that red cloud flew by me, a large mouse with a crown and cape ran off."
"El Ratón Rey!" the trio said in unison.
"NO SHIP SHERLOCK!" the Intoxiquer shouted as he flew by.
"So they put a bandage on the Violet and they all teach the Rose to dance, and what I just said will have no context anyway or anytime, oh my gosh, oh biscuits, why did I agree to review this!" Keldeo exclaimed as he held the sides of his head with his forehooves.
Suddenly, Keldeo smartphone rang. Keldeo answered it and said, "Hello."
"Don't give up, Keldeo! You can do it!"
"I'm trying, Swiper, I really am! But it's just so hard! I'm not a girl, and I'm not a little kid, and this has none of the depth of Friendship is Magic, so how can I be expected to get through this? I mean, it's Dora the Explorer! You do realize how infamous your show is, don't you?" Keldeo said desperately.
"Maybe if you knew the purpose of this particular fanfic, you'd appreciate it more."
"Purpose? What purpose?" Keldeo asked in confusion.
"Oh, I'm not gonna tell you know, Keldeo. You have to discover it for yourself. But here's a hint, it's summarized in plain sight. Adios!"
"Wait, wait! What do you mean? Hello? HELLO? Hola?" Keldeo asked. He stared at the phone for a moment, then sighed and said, "Well, fine then. I might as well keep going."
"So our heroes dance through the garden, and I should probably mention that if this were actually animated and had actual Nutcracker music playing, this might actually be entertaining. The descriptions of the locations also sound really nice. But, since this is a fanfic, they don't really help much."
"Darn it!" he growled. "They've danced their way through the garden. I better head them off at the barn. If I can create chaos there, they'll never get through." With an evil chuckle, he flew off in a cloud of red sparkling dust as the trio sang their traveling song to jingling bells:
Dora: C'mon! Sing it with us!
Keldeo blasted the scene with a Hydro Pump from his forehooves, causing it to melt away.
"This is starting to remind me of Mario Paint," Keldeo remarked.
Ch. 5: The Cuddly Barn
As the trio was approaching the Cuddly Barn, el Ratón Rey who's hiding behind a bush aimed his wand at the barn door.
"Abra!" he hissed,
Keldeo opened his mouth to speak, but then shook his head and said, "Nah, too easy."
and the wand shot a blue beam at the door to open it. Out of it ran a bunch of baby animal plush toys, followed by their mothers calling after them.
"Let's see them get through that!" the rodent hissed with an evil smile. With that said, he ran off to leave the trio of heroes (sorry, I couldn't resist saying that)
"Saying what?" Keldeo asked in confusion, "'Trio of heroes'? Are you trying to say it rhymed? Is it a reference to the Pokemon Anime? I don't get it!"
with their new obstacle.
Back with said heroes, they had just reached the Cuddly Barn to find the baby plush animals running out of said barn.
"Whoa!" Boots cried. "What's going on, Dora?"
"I don't know, Boots," his friend answered. Swiper then went up to a plush palomino. He can tell that she's upset about something.
"Excuse me," he said to her, "but what's going on here?" The palomino turned to him and his friends.
"It's just terrible," she answered. "My friends and I were getting our little ones ready for bed when the door suddenly flew open. It frightened our babies so much that they ran out of the barn in fear. The door wasn't suppose to do that, though; it was locked last time I checked."
"Okay, so now it's a baby animal round up," Keldeo said.
The trio then followed Plush Palomino to the yard just behind the barn. At the far back of it is a cow-spot patterned silo. A group of golden haystacks stood a few feet southwest of it. At its southeast stood a large pink tractor. A few feet south of the haystacks sat a large pile of flour sacks. And a group of large ice cream cartons stood south of the tractor.
"Because of their colors and patterns," Plush stated, "I think the babies are blending in with some of our farm equipment and products."
"Let's listen for them," said Dora. "We'll start with Puffy Lamb." The trio and extra-fluffy Poufy Sheep then listened carefully. From each item, a baby farm animal gave out a cute cry.
"Oh, wow," Keldeo said, looking slightly impressed, "You're recreating the kind of games they would have on the actual show. That's pretty smart. But this is a fanfic, not a script for the episode. So unless you planned on mailing this to Nick Jr., I'm not sure if many people are gonna bother reading through this. But, this really was a clever idea, so I'm not gonna criticize it."
"Queso!" he growled.
"Aren't you supposed to like cheese?" Keldeo asked, "Why do you say something you like whenever things go wrong?"
"They've helped the animals. I've got to stop them at the field." Worried, he ran for Tin Soldier Field. Meanwhile, the trio began their traveling song to jingling bells:
Dora: C'mon! Sing it with us!
Victini quickly burned the scene to ashes.
"You know, if you guys would stop singing and just run to your next destination, you might be able to get there before the Mouse King!" Keldeo complained.
Ch. 6: Tin Soldier Field
As the trio of heroes was making their way to the field, el Raton Rey turned to an open area in it just near where some toy tin soldiers were practicing some parade moves to "The Russian Dance" music.
"Fiera!" he hissed, pointing his hands to the area. With the ruby on his crown glowing with red light, a red mist flew from his hands and transformed into a hairy, four-legged beast with razor sharp fangs, point horns, and crimson red eyes.
Keldeo's tail actually wagged as his eyes lit up esctactically, "Oh yeah! Now we're talking! This is looking real good! A creepy, scary looking concoction of Tartarus! Time for action!"
"Let's see them get through that!" he hissed with a sneer before running off for Gingerbread Castle. The beast then turned to the tin troops and galloped towards it.
Meanwhile, Dora, Boots, and Swiper were approaching said troops to see them performing their parade moves.
"Wow," Boots said, "look at those soldiers. They must be having a parade."
"That is so cool," Swiper concurred before he spotted the beast running towards the soldiers.
"Oh, no!" he cried, pointing out said monster. "That beast is gonna crash into them." The trio then rushed over to help the tin soldiers.
"Watch out!" Swiper cried to the soldiers. "Watch out!" A few of the soldiers turned to him in confusion.
"Que?" they said.
"Uh-oh!" Boots cried. "Those soldiers speak Spanish!"
"NO!" Keldeo shouted angrily, "NO, this is where I draw the line! I don't care if you speak ancient Greek, if you see someone yelling and pointing and waving their arms, you're gonna interpret it as 'danger' or 'look out' or something like that, or at the very least look around! And anyway, how do these soldiers not hear a giant monster charging at them from behind? I mean, it makes no sense! I know people like to call Dora stupid, but these tin soldiers beat her by a mile! The Tinman had a brain, it was the Scarecrow that didn't have a brain. . .well, technically, he always did, but that's besides the point!"
"We have to cry out 'Cuidado!'" Dora said. The three of them then cried out to the soldiers again.
"Cuidado! Cuidado!" The soldiers heard their cries and turned to see the beast running towards them. Crying out in surprise, they moved out of the way in time to avoid the collision.
"Phew!" Boots cried as they stopped beside the general, a toy tin soldier with a white beard and riding a white toy horse. "That was close."
"Is everyone alright?" Dora asked the general, who fortunately for the trio speaks English.
"Yes, we are fine," he answered, turning gruffly to the beast, "but that beast has ruined our parade practice! Why would he go and do—"
"MRROOOWWR!" The beast cried out and held up his furry paw. It was then that Swiper saw a large splinter stuck in the paw. One of the soldiers must have dropped his rifle, and the beast stepped on it. The beast then fell over on his side and began crying.
"Oh, that poor beast," he said. "He's got a splinter in his paw." He then went over to the hurt creature.
"Swiper, be careful!" Dora cried to the fox.
"But we just have to help him, Dora," he protested. "He's hurt."
Keldeo scratched his head and said, "So, Swiper's the Element of Kindness? Well, he's certainly not the Element of Honesty!"
Gonff the Mousethief: "Hey! I resent that remark!"
"Oh, sorry, sorry, I forgot, honest thief, yeah," Keldeo said apologetically.
"So they take the splinter out of the beast's paw and put a band-aid on it, and I'm pretty sure you know the drill."
"Thank you for taking care of my hurt paw," he said. "I'm very sorry that I ruined the parade practice. I was just doing what el Raton Rey summoned me to do."
"The Mouse King?" Swiper replied in shock. "Oh, man! He's really tricky. He can make me a lot less likely to swipe stuff."
"I can't decipher what Swiper is trying to say here," Keldeo said, looking confused yet again, "Isn't you not stealing a good thing? And what exactly do you mean here? Is it, he's so evil that you want to be good? Or is it, he could cast a spell on you to make you not steal anything? This story is way more deep and confusing than it needs to be."
As they headed for the castle, el Ratón Rey stuck his head from behind a tree, disbelief written all over his face.
"NO!" he roared. "They've gotten past my beast. I only have one more chance to keep them from mi Hada." He then used his magic crown to fly over to Gingerbread Castle as the trio began their traveling song to jingling bells:
Dora: C'mon! Sing it with us!
Keldeo just slapped the scene away with his right forehoof.
Ch. 7: Gingerbread Castle – The Battle for the Fairy
It wasn't long before the trio had reached the doorway into the castle, a red-and-white peppermint swirl door. Unfortunately, it's closed shut. Above the door, el Raton Rey looked down at them with an evil grin.
"There's no way they can get in now," he said to the reader (that's you, of course). "The only way to unlock it is if they say the magic word." He then disappeared back into the window.
"Wait, now you're breaking the fourth wall?" Keldeo asked, "Sure, the show did it all the time, but this is the first time the fanfic did it. Why the wait? And hold on, isn't Drosselmeyer telling this story to those kids? How do you break the fourth wall in a story that's being told by a narrator who-"
"Keldeo-" Victini said.
"I know, I know, it's Dora town," Keldeo said in resignation.
"It's no use, Dora," he said to his friend. "I can't get it open; I think it's locked."
"NO SHIP, SHERLOCK!" the Intoxiquer shouted as he flew by.
"Maybe we need to open it with a magic word," Swiper stated. "The question is 'What is it'?" As if on cue, a glowing ball of lavender light flew out of the highest room of the tallest tower (I know the location's a little cliché, but please bear with me).
"It's a fairy tale, of course it's cliche! And pointing it out makes it worse! You don't have to apologize for what you write. That's a major peeve of mine! If you feel the need to apologize, just change it!" Keldeo exclaimed, "If anything is cliche, it's the Floating in a Bubble trope."
It then flew to the trio, and a soft, female voice spoke forth from it:
"This is the Sugar Plum Fairy speaking through this orb to you. I do not have much time, so I must be quick. To open the doors you encounter within this castle, you must use the Spanish word for love. You will find me in the highest room of the tallest tower." The orb then disappeared in glowing sprinkles.
"So to open this door," Swiper said, "we need to say the Spanish word for love. I wonder why el Raton Rey would use—"
"Amor!" The fox was cut off when his two friends cried out to open the door.
"Oh, now you decide to hurry up! You spend all that time singing that traveling song, which requires you to stare at the camera and walk instead of looking forward and running, and right now, when the main character's whose name in in the title has something to say, you cut him off?" Keldeo said in frustration.
He quickly ran after them as they ran into the now open door.
"Dora! Boots!" he cried out to them. "Wait for me!"
Swiper: "My name is in the title, for pete's sake!"
As the trio got through the next four doors to get to the highest room of the tallest tower, Swiper thought about what the Sugar Plum Fairy's orb told them. Why would el Raton Rey use the Spanish word for love? In fact, why would he use the word love at all? Isn't he trying to marry the Sugar Plum Fairy to gain control over all of the Nutcracker Kingdom?
"Foreshadowing!" Munna cried out as she flew by.
"So, if you were expecting the castle to have traps and enemies and spikes and bottomless pits and lava, then you must have New Super Mario Bros. U on your mind and want it for Christmas really badly," Keldeo said with a smiled, "But seriously, the Mouse King's castle doesn't even have any guards! What kind of castle has no guards?"
"Princess Twilight's Castle?" Victini offered.
"Touche," Keldeo said.
"Swiper," Dora cried, snapping the fox out of his thoughts. "We're here!" Swiper then saw that they are already in front of the door to the highest room of the tallest tower. And the door is now open thanks to the magic word.
When they three of them went into said room, they found that it's the most beautiful room ever to be made fit for a fairy princess of sweets. The royal bed looked like it's made of chocolate bars, and its curtains are braided vines dotted with real strawberries. The vanity looked like an ice cream fudge sundae. The wardrobe was split into two colors; white for vanilla, and brown for chocolate. The walls were strawberry pink, and the large mirror's encircled in peppermints.
"Ugh. Who could stand living in a room like that?" Keldeo asked.
"I could!" shouted Hoopa.
"WHA-?! Hoopa? What are you doing here? Don't you have a few buildings to rebuild?" Keldeo asked in surprise.
"I'm on a break. Were you surprised?" Hoopa asked with a smile.
Keldeo nodded and said, "Well, yeah, obviously. But I've got a review to finish, so if you'd just head on back now. . ." Keldeo grinned knowingly and said, " . . .I'll give you a Christmas present."
Hoopa's eyes lit up, "Really! Oh wow!"
Keldeo chuckled, and he handed Hoopa a beautifully wrapped box.
Hoopa took it immediately and cheered, "YAY! Thank you, thank you, thank you Keldekan!" Hoopa then flew into one of his rings, and the ring vanished.
"What did you give him?" Victini asked.
"Portal and Portal 2. What else?" Keldeo replied.
And sitting in a chocolate-chip-cookie chair with a marshmallow white cushion is the Sugar Plum Fairy, who smiled at the heroes who came to save her.
"Azúcar Plum Hada!" Dora cried with delight as she rushed over to her.
"Dora," the beautiful fairy replied, hugging the little girl. "I knew Drosselmeyer would send someone to save me.
"Don't worry, Sugar Plum Fairy," Swiper said to the beautiful fairy. "We're gonna get you out of here."
"That's what you think!" growled a male voice. The four of them then turned to find the Mouse King standing in front of the doorway.
"El Raton Rey!" the Sugar Plum Fairy cried as Boots clung to Dora.
"You may have gotten through all my traps and have reached my fairy," he cried, summoning forth a candy-cane sword with his magic crown. "But that is as far as you'll go. En guarde!" He then swung his sword so that he's pointing it at Swiper, who's the closest to him.
"Swiper, here!" Boots cried, grabbing another candy-cane sword nearby and handing it to the fox.
"Alright! Finally! Here we go!" Keldeo said excitedly.
The Koopaling Tower Boss music from New Super Mario Bros. Wii started playing. (TinyURL: hqmycg7)
"Thanks, Boots," Swiper replied before turning to el Raton Rey. The two of them then began fencing with their swords. The Mouse King is a good fencer, but with Dora and Boots cheering him on, Swiper has the confidence he needs to fight back. Neither of them received any injuries; each opponent is more focused on disarming the opponent.
Keldeo nodded, "Yeah, I guess it makes sense. I knew it was gonna be a fight to the death, obviously, I was just joking. But that doesn't stop this fight scene from being action packed, suspenseful, energetic, and-"
In the end, Swiper had knocked the sword out of the Mouse King's hand.
The music stopped abruptly with a record scratch sound effect.
Sweetie Belle: "OH, COME ON!"
"That's it? You couldn't make it longer than that? That was barely a full paragraph! I know now one's gonna get hurt, but you could still make it exciting! Have one of them slide down the stair banister, or have one or both of them do flips, or have the Mouse King use magic, or- OOH!" Keldeo got excited and said, "How about this, they end up going out of the window and have to duel on the window ledge, and they almost fall and have to climb up and-." Keldeo suddenly stopped abruptly and sighed, "Oh, who am I kidding. This is Dora the Explorer. It's not like you have to actually try."
He quickly then jumped up and swiped the crown off of his head.
"So much for no swiping on Christmas. But then again, the Mouse King is the villain, and that crown is the source of his magic. . . but wait, didn't he have a wand before? Ugh! Why am I confused by Dora the Explorer!" Keldeo cried out.
"My crown! No!" Swiper then tossed the crown over to Dora and held his sword at the el Raton Rey to keep him back.
"You're too late," the fox cried with a smile. "You won't get your—"
"Big brother!" The fox was suddenly cut off by a small, squeaky voice at the doorway. The group turned to see a tiny girl mouse with short golden brown hair running up to the Mouse King and hugging him. She has on soft pink dress with a soft pink princess's hat.
"Big brother, are you alright?" she cried with tears in her eyes.
"It's okay, Sweetpea," el Raton Rey said to her softly as he comforted her. "I'm alright; I'm not hurt." The little mouse named Sweetpea turned to Swiper angrily.
"You big bully!" she cried. "Who do you think you are picking on my big brother like that!"
"Where did you come from?" Keldeo asked incredulously, "What's you're name? Dues Ex Machina?"
Ch.8: Gingerbread Castle—Raton Rey's True Heart
"Big brother?" Swiper and Boots cried simultaneously, shocked to hear that el Raton Rey has a younger sister standing up for him.
"The Mouse King has a hermana menor!" Dora cried, also shocked. "A baby sister!" El Raton Rey then picked Sweetpea up into his arms and hugged her gently.
"Oh wait, so her name is Sweetpea? It's not just an endearing nickname? Okay, proceed," Keldeo said calmly.
"Please, don't be too hard on little Sweetpea," he asked them. "She just worries about me, that's all."
"I didn't think someone as evil as you would care for his little sister," Swiper replied.
"Said the thief who just stole his crown," Keldeo said flatly with a deadpan expression.
Sweetpea shot him and angry glare.
"He's not evil!" she cried. "He's a good Mouse King!"
"But he was trying to take over the Land of Sweets," Boots stated.
"No, he's not!" she cried again, this time more angrily. "He wants to marry the Sugar Plum Fairy because he loves her for real!"
"What?" the group cried in unison. El Raton Rey sighed in defeat as he gently put his little sister down.
"It's true," he said sadly. "I'm in love with her. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her because of all the things I've done to Clara and the NutCracker. But that was only because I mistook Clara for the Fairy, and I thought that the NutCracker was trying to take her away from me. When I've realized my mistake, I thought maybe I could talk to them and explain everything. But they wouldn't listen to me; they thought I was trying to hurt them again. That's why I locked them away as they've claimed that I have. I wanted them out of the way for a while as I explain everything to Sugar Plum. When I learned that Drosselmeyer had brought you three here, I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to talk to her. I never meant to hurt anyone; I just wanted to delay you so I have more time to talk to her." He sighed sadly.
"WAIT!" Keldeo exclaimed in shock, "So, you're telling me, that alllllll the events that happened in the original The Nutcracker story were the result of a misunderstanding? So, according to this story, the main antagonist of that story, the Evil Mouse King, was never evil to begin with, and it wall just a cute little mistake."
Keldeo put a forehoof to his forehead and said, "You know, I'm actually not at all angry about this. Instead, I just feel completely numb. I mean, when all of this character's actions, both in the original story and in this fanfic, are taken into account, it really gives a whole new meaning to 'jealous lover.' Ralph Kramden isn't this bad."
"I guess I messed up big time, didn't I?" he added, looking up at the Sugar Plum Fairy sadly. "I'm really sorry, Azúcar Plum." The Sugar Plum Fairy then smiled at him and went up to him. Everyone was surprised, even Raton Rey, as she then hugged him.
"You didn't mess up," she said to him softly. "You just made the wrong choices." Shocked as he is, Raton Rey hugged her back, smiling happily for the first throughout the entire story.
"Uh, Fairy?" Keldeo asked, "You do realize that this guy physically injured someone, separated babies from their parents, sent a giant beast to attack a parade, and locked several other people against their will, right? I mean, fine, I'll accept that the Mouse King isn't evil, he's just extremely jealous and panicky and goes overboard all the time and just wants to be loved. . ."
Keldeo thought hard on this, then he nodded his head slowly and said, "You know, maybe forgiveness and love and trust is just what he needs to reform himself. I mean, it's world's better than the Midnight Dragon's reformation. I think I'd put this on par with Discord's Heel-Face-Turn in Keep Calm and Flutter On."
Keldeo's eyes widened in fear and he gasped, "Is this story getting good?"
Dora then watched as her Star Pocket then opened up, freeing Lovey Dove, the Explorer Star of Love. The pink star with hearts and wings then flew over to the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mouse King. She then flew around them, small red, pink, and white hearts flying out of her, to form a large heart made of said hearts around the couple. Then she returned to the Star Pocket.
Seeing that Raton Rey is really a good guy, Dora then handed the crown back to him, and he used its magic to bring back Clara and the NutCracker. After everything was explained, the two of them agreed that Raton Rey should have permission to court Sugar Plum Fairy.
"Wow, they didn't even get a line. The main characters of the original story!" Keldeo said.
"Thank you so much for your help, Dora, Boots, and Swiper," the fairy then said to the trio. "Is there anything we could do for you in return?"
"Well, there is something," Swiper answered nervously. "Drosselmeyer said you can help me with the perfect gift for my friend Isa. I want to make it perfect for her. You think you can help?"
"Of course," she replied, "but I think I'm going to need Raton Rey's help for it."
Yakko: "*Mwah!* Goodnight, everybody!"
"Of course, mi Hada," he replied with a smile. With the magic of his crown combined with the magic of her pale lavender wand, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Mouse King have summoned forth a package wrapped green wrapping paper decorated with red poinsettias and with a red velvet bow. The package then floated into Swiper's held out hands.
"Give this to Isa," the Mouse King instructed the fox. "When she opens it, she'll find the perfect gift inside."
"Wow," Swiper replied, happy that he now has a gift for the girl of his affections. "Thank you so much."
"De nada," the two of them replied. The Sugar Plum Fairy then went over to the mirror and waved her wand in front of it. Her reflection was then replaced by an image of the Christmas party back in Dora, Boots, and Swiper's home world.
"Now you should hurry back to your own world," she said to the trio. "Your amigos are waiting for you. Take this portal within my mirror; it will take you home."
"So our heroes go back home just in time for their Christmas party," Keldeo said.
Ch. 9: Isa's Gift – We Did It!
Dora, Boots, and Swiper turned to see their friends running up to them to greet them.
"Dora! Boots!" Tico cried.
"Swiper!" Benny cried.
"You've made it!" cheered the Big Red Chicken. "BAWK, BAWK!"
"We thought you wouldn't," Isa said, hugging a blushing Swiper. "Where were you three?"
"We'll tell you all about it," Boots answered as they went into the party. The trio then told their story of their adventure in the NutCracker Kingdom to their friends.
"Which is pretty much a run of the mill experience in this world," Keldeo commented, "Seriously, stranger things have happened to these characters."
They had to stop midway, however, when it came time to open their Secret Santa presents.
"Fantastico!" Tico cheered, excited with his new acorn recipe cookbook. "Gracias, Boots!"
"De nada," the monkey replied with a smile.
"Thanks for the scrapbook, Dora," Benny said to the girl as he tried out his new gift by putting one of his photos in it. "Now I can store all of my photos in here."
"I'm glad you love it, Benny," she replied with a smile.
As for Swiper, he and Isa found a nice spot in the party for the fox to give the iguana his gift to her.
"I hope you like it," he said, handing the package to her with a blush. "I got it from the NutCracker Kingdom…uh, not by swiping, of course."
"Don't worry, Swiper," she laughed, taking the package and not seeing the bow glow when she did. "I know you've your lesson. What's in it?"
"I don't know," he answered with a shrug. "To be honest, I've never even looked inside. I was told it's special, though."
"Why did you tell her that?" Keldeo asked in confusion, "I know she asked, but you could have just said 'open it up and see.'"
Looking down at the present again, Isa undid the bow and paper carefully so as not to damage them. She then lifted the lid off the box and gasped with a smile.
"Oh, Swiper!" she cried with delight. "I love it!" She then took the gift out to show it to him. It's a soldier nutcracker doll dressed in red and white and holding a flowerpot with a red poinsettia in it.
"He's just perfect," she said before looking up above them and smiling a bigger smile.
"I think I know just how to truly thank you," she said to him with a few bats of her eyelashes.
"Uh, what do ya mean, Isa?" he asked with a blush on his face. She then pointed up, and the fox looked up to find mistletoe hanging above them.
"Oh, man!" he squeaked, looking down at Isa again…only to have the iguana plant a tender kiss on his lips.
"An iguana and a fox. . ." Keldeo moaned as he double face-hoofed.
He felt his body stiffen a little and his stomach flutter like a hundred butterflies. When they finally parted, Swiper wobbled a little like his body was going to melt like butter.
"Oooh, maaan…" he sighed in a lovestruck tone before fainting. Isa just giggled.
"Oh, Swiper," she said as he quickly came to and stood up again. "You are so cute!" She then hugged him, and Swiper hugged her back with a smile. Everyone watched them with an "Awww…"
"We did it!" Dora and Boots cheered, high-fiving each other before everyone started the "We Did It" dance to Christmas music:
Keldeo sighed and said, "Okay, I know I've given these songs a hard time throughout this review. But, in the spirit of Christmas, and for the story's sake, and the day's, let's hear the song."
Dora: We did it!
Boots: We did it!
Swiper: We did it!
Trio: Yay!
Dora: Lo isimos!
M & BP: We did it!
Victini flew in playing an electric guitar.
Dora: We tiptoed through the jungle and danced through the garden
Swiper: We did it!
Boots: We did it!
Trio: We did it! Hooray!
Swiper: We helped each cuddly baby get back to its pen
We did it!
Boots: We did it!
Dora: We did it!
Trio: We did it!
Boots: At Tin Soldier Field, we helped the beast
Dora: And we got to the castle that was last but not least
Victini riffed hard on his guitar, getting really into the song.
Dora: We did it!
Boots: We did it!
Swiper: We did it!
Trio: Yay!
Dora: Lo isimos!
M & BP: We did it!
Boots: We made to the top to the Sugar Plum Fairy
Swiper: We did it!
Dora: We did it!
Trio: We did it! Hooray!
Dora: She and Mouse King are together; that's extraordinary
We did it!
Swiper: We did it!
Boots: We did it!
Trio: We did it!
Victini slid across the ground and played stronger and louder.
Swiper: I got my gift for Isa, and we now know the rest
Isa: The Nutcracker doll is simply the best
Dora: Yeah!
Boots: Woooh!
Swiper: Hooray!
Trio: We did it!
Dora: Woooh!
Victini concluded his song with a few final notes.
"I couldn't have gotten through that song without your amazing cover of it, Victini," Keldeo said.
Victini just smiled and winked before flying off.
"And so that was Swiper and the NutCracker Rescue, and-," Keldeo began.
Epilogue: A Surprise Happy Ending
"Wow, that was a great story, Tío Drosselmeyer!" cried the little girl with the doll.
Keldeo sighed, "Oh, wait, there's an Epilogue."
"I love the part when they sung to the Slinky Snake so they can sneak past him."
"I like the part where they helped find the baby animals," said the little boy with the plane.
Keldeo shrugged, "Well, I guess I liked the sword fight, even though it was all potential and didn't really deliver much. It really was a missed opportunity."
"My favorite part was when Swiper gave Isa her Christmas present," said the little girl with the ball.
"That was my favorite part as well," Uncle Drosselmeyer replied before looking up at the clock to see that it is now late. "Oh, look at the time. Time for bed, mis hijos. Buenos noches."
"Buenos noches, Tío Drosselmeyer," the children said before they got up and left for bed. Before she left, a little girl who looks like a younger version of Clara and carrying a fox toy in her arms turned to the older man.
"Tío Drosselmeyer," she asked him, "I was wondering. Whatever became of Swiper and Isa after the story?"
"Well…what do you believe, chica?" he asked with a smile. The little girl then thought about it and looked up with a bright smile.
"I think…they lived happily ever after," she answered.
"Then that's probably what they did," he answered. After saying good night to him, the little girl left.
Once all the children are gone, Uncle Drosselmeyer got up from his chair and walked over to the window to look outside the mansion.
It had started snowing a while ago and is still going, and the lampposts have been turned on to give the fresh blanket of snow a beautiful glow.
Uncle Drosselmeyer smiled when he spotted one certain lamppost shining next to a bench. In the bench sat Swiper the Fox and Isa the Iguana. The fox has his arm around her shoulders, and in her arms she held the Nutcracker doll he gave her.
"So," Swiper said to Isa, "what do you think of this little Christmas setting?"
"It's wonderful, Swiper," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "But I really love more with you here with me." With a smile, Swiper wrapped his tail around her waist before intertwining it with her own tail.
"I like being here with you, too," he said to her before wrapping his arms around the girl iguana.
"So. . .how long after the story is this?" Keldeo asked, "Are they adults now? Are they married? Engaged? Does Swiper still steal things? Did Isa make him go to a psychiatrist to get his kleptomania treated?"
Herr Drosselmeyer watched as the two of them shared a long but tender kiss, and Lovey Dove flew around to form a large heart made up of much smaller red, pink, and white hearts.
"Oh, really? We're just gonna end it like that? No explanations?" Keldeo pressed.
The little one was right, the older man thought with a smile. Swiper and Isa do live happily ever after.
"Oh, in the name of biscuits!" Keldeo shouted as he kicked the book to the side. When the book landed on the edge of the rock platform, it opened up to the first page. Keldeo glanced at it, and something suddenly caught his eye.
"Wait, what?" Keldeo asked aloud as he quickly approached the book and gave it a closer look.
Swiper and the NutCracker Rescue
Summary: I started writing this on Christmas for my niece who's 2 . . .
Keldeo's eyes widened, "So. . .this story. . .this fanfic. . .was a gift badboylover24 wrote for his little niece? That's the purpose of this fanfic? That's why it was made?"
Keldeo stared hard at the story and said, "Wow. . . this fanfic. . . really sticks to the Dora the Explorer Special format. The challenges are meant to be somewhat educational and fun for young children, the dangers are more like obstacles, the antagonist isn't truly evil, and the concept of love is simplified and freed of all it's more mature implications. . ."
Keldeo looked down at the ground in silence, just thinking things through. Then, he finally lifted his head and said in a serious tone, "If you aren't a preschooler. . . then you probably aren't gonna wanna watch something like Dora the Explorer. But at the same time, it's adults who are making these shows. And also, there are ways to make these shows interesting enough for parents and siblings to sit next to those small children while the show plays. And badboylover24, out of the love he had for his niece, decided to do just that. Matthais actually watched Dora the Explorer, years ago when he was in the age demographic, and he said that this story is clearly much better than anything he remembers, and yet still fits well within its boundaries. And all the nitpicks I mentioned during this review, well, they're still there, but they don't break the story. It's a fairy tale, perfect for any child who likes that show, and it shows that this author has a good heart. And that it doesn't matter what you're writing about, whether it be Pokemon, Pong, Dragon Tales, or Dora the Explorer. If you have a purpose, and if you truly make an effort. . . in the end, it's always worth it. And you're always worth it."
Keldeo then broke out into a smile and said, "And this story is a million times better than The Care Bears Nutcracker!"
Standing tall and proud, Keldeo said, "This story was started on December 25, 2010, meaning that badboylover's niece is 7 right now. I'm sure she still enjoys reading this fanfic to this very day, and I'd like to wish badboylover24, his niece, and their whole family a very merry Christmas."
Keldeo then smiled broadly and said, "And I'd like to wish YOU all a very merry Christmas too! May the love and hope of Christ be with you all! Speaking of which, I suggest giving Christmas Storm by Jack Storm 448 a quick read if you haven't read it already. Or you can read it again if you'd like!"
Keldeo nodded and said, "Well, I'm Keldeo the Critic. . ."
Suddenly, Munna and Victini flew in, and they all said, "AND WE ALL WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
The End
Credits
Mossflower by Brian Jacques
The Animaniacs
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. U
PeeWee's Playhouse
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
The Little Drummer Boy
Portal
Portal 2
Up by Pixar
Special Thanks
The Nostalgia Critic
The Angry Video Game Nerd
Jack Storm 448