Hey everyone! I bet you didn't expect this story to come back. I just really wanted to buckle down and finish this unfinished story for Christmas...Even if it's the day after Christmas.
And if you ask me why the transition between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is bad...I originally rewrote this story completely but when I saw the original chapter I felt I could just use this as a continuation...I am sorry if it sucks.
And if you ask me why this story is abridged. I didn't have time to write a beat by beat take on The Nutcracker Prince. I just wanted to cut the chit chat.
So anyways, thanks for your continued support and I hope all of you enjoy my Christmas gift. May the Universe bless you and light your path.
-Starlight Guardian Indigo
Luka thought he would spend Christmas Eve shoveling the snow off the houseboat, singing Christmas songs to the children, and spending an evening with his family and Master Fu.
He wanted to leave Christmas behind and become a man who would make something of himself and provide for his family. Still, Master Fu gave him the strangest Christmas gift.
"Yes, you are becoming a fine young man, Luka, and you should be proud of your accomplishments. That is why I trust you with these gifts," Master Fu said with a wink.
It was a beautiful, expensive music box and an adorable knitted fairy doll with pretty bluebell eyes and midnight blue hair in pigtails.
Juleka couldn't help but comment out loud how Luka seemed attached to the doll.
Luka didn't pay too much attention to that because, as silly as it was, that doll did comfort him, and he couldn't help but smile warmly. He set the doll safely by the music box before falling asleep.
Luka didn't count on the music box opening itself up and playing soothing music from The Nutcracker Suite, which caused him to smile in his sleep.
He had such a good dream about playing music and being part of a magical world that he didn't realize that little mouse soldiers were causing trouble in the living room. But also, the little knitting fairy doll magically came to life. She flapped her wings, yawned, and landed in the music box, still playing music. She realized that the music of the magical music box woke her up. The knitting fairy smiled at her reflection in the shiny music box. But then she turned at the sound of familiar mouse soldiers.
"Rats!" The Knitting Fairy cried as she flew to the living room.
But suddenly, Luka's eyes opened, and he heard cracking sounds from the living room.
His instinct kicked in even though he was only half awake, and he opened his door to see many aggressive rats scurrying around the living room.
Luka quickly fought back and shooed them off, but they seemed to be everywhere.
It must've been a nightmare. The family houseboat was always rat-proof. But in the darkness, a tiny girl with wings left glitter around as she tried to chase the rats away.
"Shoo! Shoo! Leave this houseboat alone, you wretched rats!" Cried the fairy.
"What's going on?" Luka said.
But then he remembered the knitting fairy he had brought home, and it clicked for him that the same one was alive and trying to protect his home.
Luka felt he must have been dreaming, but he still stood his ground and told the swarms of rats to shoo and leave his home. It seemed like he and the little fairy had the upper hand for a moment, but Luka didn't know of the tiny man with dark wings who led the rats with a scepter.
"Lord Hawkmoth!" The knitting fairy cried as the masked man and his rat army cornered her.
Lord Hawkmoth chuckled under his breath. "As usual, Knitting Fairy, you're like a flea that won't quit!"
The Knitting Fairy, however, puffed up her woolen cheeks adorably. "And a flea to you I shall remain!"
Her magical sparkles shone brightly in the dark. However, Lord Hawkmoth's dark scepter was still more powerful, and his devious grin didn't waver.
"I should transform you into something more useful," his scepter's magic became more fierce, and the fairy raised her tiny arm in defense. "Like a scarf!"
But before Lord Hawkmoth could do anything, Luka walked up, towering behind the little knitting fairy.
"Not in this houseboat!" Luka said.
Lord Hawkmoth grinned. "Ah! A foolish human, but no match for my scepter of darkness."
"Luka! Look out!" Cried the knitting fairy.
Lord Hawkmoth unleashed his dark magic, and Luka felt the entire world change around him as he became the size of a mouse. However, he became small mid-air and yelled as he fell toward the hard floor.
"Hold on, Luka!" The Knitting Fairy wasted no time flying upward and catching Luka in her tiny arms. Luka still felt the entire world was spinning out of control after being shrunk small, but at the same time, the fairy made out of yarn made him feel so safe.
She flew away and set him on the kitchen counter, which, with his new size, felt like an entirely new world to Luka.
"Stay here, Luka! You'll be safe!"
Luka felt uneasy even if the knitting fairy gave him a reassuring smile and flew off to take care of Lord Hawkmoth and his rat army. She bravely faced off against Lord Hawkmoth and his cronies, but Luka couldn't help but notice her yarn coming undone.
"Knitting Fairy!" Luka cried helplessly from above.
But the little fairy grunted as she used her magic against the mice's weapons, not worrying about her yarn coming undone, as the most important thing for her to do was protect Luka. But Lord Hawkmoth was ready for the final attack.
Luka couldn't bring himself to stand around and looked around the counter. For some reason, something clicked in his mind when he saw a bag of nuts. He pulled the bag that felt like a heavy garbage bag and saw the knitting fairy being cornered by Lord Hawkmoth and the rat fiends. Lord Hawkmoth's scepter turned into an axe powered by the darkest magic the knitting fairy ever saw.
"Any last words Knitting Fairy?" Lord Hawkmoth asked.
Knitting Fairy shook her head. "I will defeat you!" She looked down at her yarn untangled and her wings running out of power. "No matter what happens!"
Lord Hawkmoth moved in closer, and The Knitting Fairy was more disgusted than scared.
"Your time is up!" He said in a chilling tone as the rats cackled.
But then, before any of the villains knew it, nuts started falling down around them, and the rats began to squeal and scatter around. Of course, that wouldn't stop Hawkmoth from being inches away from slaughtering the knitting fairy. However, at the right amount of time, the knitting fairy used her powers to launch a nut right at Lord Hawkmoth, quickly conking him out and making him fall to the ground with a thud.
"Hey, you idiots!" Cried one of the rats. "Stop being afraid of old wives tales and help out the boss! The boy and the yarn girl battered him!"
The rats gasped as they saw Lord Hawkmoth had failed to kill the Knitting Fairy by just an inch. They ran in, carrying their master, and quickly escaped the houseboat. Despite the knitting fairy's cute face, her glare scared the rats enough for them not to even bother attacking her.
They only felt so tough in the first place because of Lord Hawkmoth and his dark magic.
Luka felt he could breathe again as, once again, the houseboat was as quiet and peaceful as a mouse, not like those malicious mouse soldiers.
The knitting fairy knew she couldn't keep Luka waiting, but she still had something to hide. She quickly knitted her lines of yarn back in place, flew back to the counter, and saw Luka searching for her.
The Knitting Fairy excitedly flew to Luka and greeted him. Luka gasped and fell backward.
"Sorry, Luka!" The knitting fairy cried while giggling and offering her tiny hand to help Luka up. Luka momentarily stared at the adorable fairy, still wondering if he was dreaming.
"And thanks for saving me!" The Knitting Fairy said politely.
Luka finally took her hand as she helped him with a flap of her wings. Yes, her hand was made of yarn, but it also had a warmth to it. He felt guilty for not replying to her, but he had difficulty wrapping his mind around all this. He took a moment to shake his head.
"I'm sorry, it feels like I'm dreaming…" Luka said.
The Knitting Fairy moved her face closer to Luka. He could see that even if her eyes were cartoony, they weren't his imagination. They still had a life and a light to them.
"Unfortunately, in my world, this stuff is very real," the Knitting Fairy said, sympathizing with him. "Speaking of which, I need to return to my world before Lord Hawkmoth causes more damage!"
Luka also sympathized with her because this girl was his precious friend, even if the circumstances were weird. Lord Hawkmoth was a total scoundrel causing trouble in his home, but…
Luka felt hopeless as he sat at the edge of the counter, looking at his mother and sister's rooms. "Can you change me back to my normal size?"
The Knitting Fairy gave Luka a sorrowful smile. "Unfortunately, only the Nutcracker Prince can defeat Lord Hawkmoth and undo all his dark magic."
"The Nutcracker Prince?" Luka cried.
The Knitting Fairy nodded sadly. "I have yet to find him though. But I'll do everything I can until I reverse the curse on you, Luka. Sadly, my own powers aren't strong enough."
Regardless of the disappointing news, Luka gave her a sideways grin. But he turned from her and sighed as he clasped some of his blue hair with his hand. "Don't beat yourself up, Knitting Fairy. You made me very happy, even if I only knew you briefly. People always saw me as a boy who would never amount to anything, but your magic is amazing, and you shouldn't be hard on yourself…"
The Knitting Fairy's blue eyes widened as she flew up to Luka, ready to slap some sense into him, and Luka was very much taken aback.
"No Luka! You shouldn't be too hard on yourself! You saw something special in me even if I am just yarn with insufficient magic. You made me feel warm and cared for, and I think I may lo–"
The little fairy quickly swallowed her words and stepped away from Luka. Luka wanted to ask her what was wrong and tried to reach out to her, but he felt his tongue stuck to his mouth.
"Forget I said anything!" The Knitting Fairy cried.
Luka picked himself up and walked over to her, ready to calm her. "It's ok, Knitting Fairy."
His beloved Knitting Fairy still seemed too embarrassed to face him, so Luka sat beside her and smiled, not feeling ashamed or embarrassed at all. Then he placed his hand over his heart.
"I'll go with you and help you find the Nutcracker prince. Besides, I can't just stay here and let you do this alone. You're my friend? Right?"
The Knitting Fairy gasped and turned back to Luka. He was taken aback, but then the knitting fairy smiled. Her wings lit up, and she started flying again.
"Ok Luka!" The Knitting Fairy then took a moment to compose herself. "Actually, my real name is Marinette. Princess Marinette! Lord Hawkmoth turned me into a yarn doll in the first place."
Luka blinked his aqua-blue eyes. "You're…" Once again, he had so many emotions that words could not convey.
Marinette soothed him gently. "It's a long story! So, are you sure you want to go on this journey with me?"
Luka smiled at her confidently and held out his hand for her.
"Eeee!" Marinette cried as she took a moment to fly around. "Wait! If we fly into the eye of the storm to my kingdom, you'll need warm clothes."
Luka tried not to laugh because Marinette was such a thoughtful princess.
"Well, actually…" Luka looked down on himself, thinking about how he was the size of a Ken doll. And Juleka was never the type of girl into Ken dolls.
Marinette grinned at him like an adorable, perky doll. "Don't worry, I got it covered!"
With a bit of magic and a bunch of yarn, Marinette quickly manifested a bulky sweater for Luka, gloves, and a hat to prevent all heat from escaping his head. Although Luka was more bewildered than grateful because these gifts meant to help him brave the storm made him feel puffy. Then Marinette gave him a warm smile as she tenderly took his hand.
"Hold on!" She winked at him.
Luka squeezed her hand, and before he knew it, her arms were around him as she held him safely. They flew out of the houseboat into the snowstorm. He could barely respond while being flown into the eye of the storm, where they were surrounded by unforgiving snowflakes. However, Marinette still smiled at him and gave him words of encouragement.
Luka still passed out, but he felt so comfortable and warm when his eyes fluttered open. Knitting Fairy Princess Marinette smiled upon him. They went from the snow-covered city of Paris to a beautiful field of flowers on the most idealized day of spring.
Marinette giggled. "Welcome to my kingdom, or at least, the valley of spring…"
Luka was still taking a moment to take everything in. It was beyond his wildest dreams.
"It's beautiful!" He said.
As Luka and Marinette traveled across the magical world together, Marinette reunited with her friends Alya and Nino, two nobles who were loyal to Marinette's family. Luka also started to learn how to use a sword and helped Marinette save Adrien and Kagami from vicious rose vines.
Luka was stunned to learn that Adrien is the son of Lord Hawkmoth and that his father initially tried to force Marinette and him to marry…But Adrien was more interested in Princess Kagami, and he turned on his father when he abused his power and status to try to take over their world.
Luka had to admit his stomach twisted at the idea of Marinette and Adrien marrying. But then he saw the special look Adrien gave to Kagami, and Marinette smiled at him. An ordinary boy from his ordinary world whom the rich people of Paris looked down upon as someone who would never amount to anything.
But Marinette took his hand and looked at him like she saw potential.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me get this far, Luka!"
Luka smiled in return.
But he was unaware of how much pain Marinette hid behind that smile. It bewildered Marinette that Luka would ever look down on himself.
"After all, I'm just yarn…" Marinette lamented to the moon. "I couldn't even save my parents from Hawkmoth…"
After days of travel, they finally returned to Marinette's castle, which was in ruins. However, Marinette held Luka's hand as she took him to the courtyard.
"Luka, I think I remember what would break Lord Hawkmoth's dark magic," Marinette said. "A beautiful song played by a brave boy with a big heart…"
Luka chuckled to himself, thinking Marinette was referring to someone else. But Marinette always looked at him with the utmost confidence, and even if she told herself she was just a doll, she was there for him from the start. Still…
"I couldn't be," Luka said as he played with the blue scarf that Marinette made for him.
Luka and Marinette turned as the citizens of Marinette's kingdom arrived in the courtyard as if they finally walked into the light after so many days under Lord Hawkmoth's tyranny. Marinette greeted them, and Luka still felt uncertain. But then he saw a group of children who he assumed were here to welcome the princess until he realized they were looking up at him. Luka quickly flashed back to when he would play his music on the streets, and while the adults thought he was second-rate, all the children looked up to him and adored all the songs he played.
Soon, Alya and Nino returned from their expedition to the abandoned castle, looking excited. Nino carried a violin in his hand.
"Princess Marinette! Luka! We have great news!" Alya cried. "The music room is unharmed!"
"And I think Luka could use this violin," Nino said. He presented Luka the violin with a smile.
Luka took a moment, but when he saw the children again, counting on him and believing in him, he took the violin without hesitation.
The entire crowd went silent, and Marinette moved to the front of the crowd. Even if her blue eyes were just plastic, they shined like jewels, believing in Luka and all he could do. Luka looked at the kingdom's citizens and then back at Marinette. His aqua-blue eyes gleamed for her, and then he closed his eyes and ran the violin stick against the violin strings.
He played songs from The Nutcracker Suite by ear, and the kingdom couldn't help but be overjoyed by Luka's energy. Marinette smiled at him like she saw the dawn break after so many days of darkness. But the kingdom calmed their cheers as they started to dance in pairs; even the children danced together. Marinette looked over her shoulder, seeing Nino and Alya dancing together and looking over the moon. Adrien and Kagami danced together without caring what Lord Hawkmoth would think.
Marinette turned back to Luka, who smiled as he shared his music with the kingdom. She grinned, knowing it didn't matter what Lord Hawkmoth would think; he wouldn't win.
Especially since even if all the faithful people of the kingdom were around her, all she saw was her beloved Luka reaching his full potential. And the prophecy of the Nutcracker Prince was coming back to her.
The Nutcracker Prince is charming, strong, and plays a beautiful song. A fairy with unending courage and creativity saves the kingdom together.
It was all starting to piece together for Marinette as Luka finished his song, magical musical notes appeared, and the audience cheered. Even if Marinette couldn't cry as she was a doll made of yarn, the look in her eyes showed how moved she was, and she still covered her lips with her hands to prevent tears from falling.
When Luka opened his eyes, he saw the music notes spinning around her and her wings glowing.
"Oh Luka…"
"Marinette?" Luka cried as he tried to comfort her, but the magic was so strong.
"Oh Luka, I don't care if you are just a boy from the other world. I just…"
Marinette's entire body started to glow as the musical notes lifted her up, but Luka wasn't sure what was happening.
"Marinette!" He cried.
But Marinette looked as the yarn disappeared from her hands, and her pink dress changed back to silk. Luka was in complete awe, seeing Marinette as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. But without her wings, she fell to her knees, and the kingdom's people gasped. They whispered how Princess Marinette had returned to normal, and Luka rushed toward her to help her up.
Even if she wasn't a knitting fairy anymore, her hands were the softest ever.
But before Marinette could thank Luka, a blue light surrounded him. The crowd gasped again as Luka's old clothes transformed into blue nutcracker attire, and Marinette gasped.
"Luka, you're the nutcracker prince!"
Luka didn't say anything. He only looked down at his arms and then turned to see his reflection in the fountain water. With his regal blue attire and a golden crown on his head, he couldn't even recognize himself.
"How could I be?" Luka said as Marinette happily appeared beside him, smiling at her reflection in the fountain.
Marinette's blue eyes glistened for Luka as she tenderly took his hands. "Because of you, we were strong enough to fend off the mice and Lord Hawkmoth. You've proven yourself a prince, Luka! You always were a prince!"
Luka had to turn away to hide his blush, and Marinette turned down and blushed in return. Then, the two met eyes again, and Luka sighed in relief.
"Well, this is all so new to me, Marinette, but at least you can rightfully take your place as princess of the kingdom."
Marinette smirked and glanced at their friends who were watching them. "I guess I could finally be crowned queen."
The audience roared and threw flower petals for the two heroes. Still, Marinette took a moment to take Luka by the hand to spend some private time on the other side of the fountain.
Marinette blushed so hard and didn't say a word as she kept his hand safely laced in hers, and Luka understood as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Alya knew what Marinette was planning and told Nino, who grabbed some servants, to quickly wheel out the ebony piano for Adrien and the xylophone for Kagami. Then Alya peaked one last time as Marinette and Luka began a pas de deux, and she signaled Adrien and Kagami to start playing music.
With the aid of the piano and xylophone, the world around Marinette and Luka sparkled as they were in each other's arms and conveyed their love in their dance moves. But after spinning around and declaring their devotion and affection for each other, they found themselves back among the crowd as everyone cheered, "Long live Princess Marinette!" and "Long live Prince Luka!"
Luka felt a bit flustered by the kingdom calling him a prince. Still, Marinette liked that idea so much that Marinette took his hands in hers and squeezed them gently as she blushed.
"Luka," Marinette paused for a moment.
"Please stay with us. Please be my prince!"
Luka's heart leaped for a moment, and he said nothing, and Marinette questioned if she was being too bold. She had never blushed this hard before, but then Luka ran his hand through her hair and stroked her cheek, and she saw his aqua-blue eyes staring right into her.
"I would want that more than anything, My Princess."
Marinette's eyes sparkled as they moved in for a deep kiss, and the crowd couldn't help but let out a loud "Awwww!"
Adrien and Kagami held each other, and Alya and Nino did well, smiling in approval of their two friends and future king and queen.
But Marinette and Luka's kiss was broken by the sound of thunder in the distance. And there was a chill in the air.
"So the two feeble doll children found their way to each other in the end," an ominous voice said. "But both of them will find out now that this story doesn't have a happy ending!"
Everyone wondered who said that, but then a few people in the crowd screamed at the sight of Lord Hawkmoth creeping into the crowd and wasting no time trying to ruin everything. A few innocent citizens started to run away as the evil lord looked down upon Marinette and Luka, ready to attack them. But Marinette and Luka were prepared to defend each other.
But the aggressive dark magic that shot out of Hawkmoth's scepter caused Marinette and Luka to separate. Marinette's hands got scraped as she fell to the ground.
Adrien saw that Marinette looked helpless, and Luka looked petrified. Still, he couldn't stand around and let his father ruin everything.
"Father, stop this!" He cried. "Stop this madness now and surrender!" Adrien went so far as to draw a sword.
Hawkmoth smiled in amusement as he turned, and Adrien stepped back at his father's wicked look.
"I take no orders from a boy made of stone."
Kagami could only watch helplessly as Hawkmoth used his scepter on Adrien, and he slowly turned into stone.
"Adrien!" Kagami wasted no time taking his hand, but that only made Hawkmoth's magic affect her, and her hand turned into stone.
"Kagami, no!" Adrien cried as his neck started to turn into stone. Kagami gave him a soft look as they both turned into stone together.
Alya and Nino had little time to mourn their friends as they ran away. Other kingdom citizens ran, but some were too late as Hawkmoth shot them with magic and turned them into stone. Marinette picked herself up, ready to fight, but came to a terrible realization.
"I don't have magic!" She cried.
Hawkmoth turned around, feeling absolutely triumphant. "This kingdom will still be mine," he said, looking at Marinette and Luka like a predator. And destroying the Nutcracker prince and the princess will be easy!"
Luka looked at Marinette. "Marinette run!"
Marinette shook her head. "No!"
Luka quickly picked himself up and drew a gold sword he had acquired when he transformed. He pointed at Hawkmoth as his blue eyes burned.
"Your reign of terror ends now, Hawkmoth! I will protect this kingdom and Marinette!"
Hawkmoth chuckled. "So this young boy thinks he is such a man."
He wasted no time swinging his scepter at Luka's sword and nearly knocking him down. Marinette cried out for him and tried to reach out, but she took a step back when Luka gave her a pleading look.
"A nutcracker can still be burned alive!" Hawkmoth said as he turned the fountain into flames with his dark magic.
Luka picked himself up and found the strength to wield his gold sword again. Marinette quickly ran for the stairs to reach the balcony. Luka could at least find peace that Marinette would be safe, no matter what happened.
When Hawkmoth swung again, Luka managed to parry the blow, and then he parried again and again. But Luka was close to the aggressive flames. He swung back at the old man and felt a power inside of him as he made hit after hit against the scepter.
Soon, the two were equally matched, even though Luka was much smaller than the dark lord. He was covered in sweat but fought against his weakening muscles to defeat Hawkmoth.
Marinette stood on the balcony watching helplessly. She knew Luka could only take so much.
"Luka!"
Marinette watched as the dark magic of the scepter consumed Hawkmoth because she was a fairy before she knew how magic could change the user. Luka looked into Hawkmoth's eyes and thought he saw something demonic. Still, he barely had time to think as Hawkmoth became more aggressive with his swings. The whacks from the scepter bruised Luka, and he was eventually knocked on his back, but he kept his sword in his hand.
Hawkmoth would eventually have the final blow, but something hit him on the head, causing him to groan in annoyance. He turned to see Marinette glaring at him from afar, ready to throw more broken decorations at him. Hawkmoth was about to go after the princess as she ran away.
"No…Marinette…" Luka groaned.
Hawkmoth looked at the prince again, who found the strength to get up and strike him with his sword, but Hawkmoth was no fool. Meanwhile, Marinette took a silver sword from one of the decorative armor displays and ran for the courtyard again. Luka's golden sword gleamed as he used the last of his strength to strike Hawkmoth in the heart…
Luka just missed Hawkmoth's chest by an inch. A dark sword manifested by Hawkmoth pierced Luka in the heart, and he started to fade from the world. Marinette was too late. As she watched her beloved slowly fade, she dropped the silver sword.
"Luka, no!"
At that point, Marinette didn't care about Hawkmoth; she ran to Luka and took his hand, and he dropped his golden sword. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to hold on to him and beg him to stay.
"Marinette…" As the last traces of his life force faded from the magical kingdom, Marinette fell to her knees to sob.
Hawkmoth laughed maniacally. "The prophecy of the Nutcracker prince was a farce all along." He was like a shadow over Marinette, making her world dark as he prepared to strike and kill her as well.
"And no mere princess has magical powers to save a kingdom…"
Marinette would have given up right there. But she saw Hawkmoth's face reflected on Luka's golden sword for a split second.
If she could do one last thing for her beloved…
As bold as it was, Marinette cried out and lunged the golden sword into Hawkmoth's chest, causing him to cry in agony as he started to fade away as well. He kept screaming about how this could have happened, but Marinette's blue eyes were like fire as she glared at the dark lord, who was falling to his knees. His cries became softer as his terrible presence faded from the world for good…
But to finally find peace in this magical world, Luka had to…
Marinette felt so strong at that moment, and then she couldn't help but let out a large sob as she fell to her knees again, Luka's sword and blue scarf being the only things left of him.
"Oh Luka! I love you!"
Alya and Nino quickly ran for their princess but couldn't bring themselves to ask for an explanation. They saw Lord Hawkmoth's scepter destroyed on the ground, and Marinette was crying with Luka's sword and scarf.
All they could do was quietly comfort her. And all Hawkmoth's dark magic used across the kingdom had faded. Adrien and Kagami rushed for Marinette and Luka only to find Luka was gone. Still, his heroic deeds would not be forgotten.
Adrien and Kagami declared to the entire kingdom that Lord Hawkmoth had finally been defeated but with heavy hearts.
The fountain water was also restored. For a moment, Marinette saw Luka's reflection next to hers, smiling at her before fading away. She took his sword and scarf and walked away quietly.