Chapter Text
It was surprisingly quiet in the car.
Well…
As quiet as it could be.
Queen was blabbing her mouth off to Kris, who mostly ignored her and focused on driving, instead. From what little Noelle had gathered from Queen, the robotic monarch was lecturing excitedly about the chemical properties of potassium. Noelle had to resist the academic urge to take notes by directing her attention towards the car window, looking up towards the dark skies.
Whenever she felt particularly alone on silent nights, Noelle took the time to look out her bedroom window and just gaze at the twinkling stars. Despite the glowing grid hanging above, the cyber skies looked just like the ones back home.
Although the moon had a strange pattern on it.
It looked like…a baseball?
This revelation effectively ruined the peaceful mood.
Noelle sighed, and turned her gaze to her sleeping companion instead. Seeing the little red-and-green bowtie around his neck, she couldn't help but smile.
"Like a little doll", she thought, quietly chuckling to herself.
Noelle wondered how he would look in an outfit just like what that soldier wore in The Nutcracker. She adored nutcracker dolls, having amassed a rather large collection ever since she and her family saw the famous ballet. Many children her age found them creepy, with their unblinking eyes and their unnerving jaws that showed their gums and teeth. To the reindeer, however, they were absolutely endearing and always on her wish list every year.
The little one currently sitting next to her was rather unique, being much bigger than most of her nutcracker dolls. Still, the adorable image of him dressed like the soldier was plastered in her mind.
However, Noelle shook her head, erasing the daydream from her mind.
What was she doing?
He wasn't a toy, he was a person ! Living and breathing!
Noelle suddenly felt her heart drop from a horrifying realization.
She kidnapped someone.
She committed a crime.
She'd go to jail.
Forever.
But he came from a dumpster! I didn't take him from his home. She thought, attempting to justify her actions, but one intrusive thought came after another.
What if he had a family?
What if he was trying to find food for a smaller one in his home?
What if—
"Kris! We Must Find Noelle!" Queen's voice boomed, immediately shaking Noelle out of her trance. "Turn On The High Beams."
Kris quizzically observed the joystick in their hands, and noticed a button on the device conveniently labeled "high beams". Noelle and Kris expected the car's headlights to shine brighter onto the streets ahead, but instead a bright light illuminated the ebony sky in the form of a distress signal.
Noelle's face scrunched behind her cardboard disguise upon seeing the distress signal take the shape of the robotic monarch's smiling face.
Queen spoke again, "When She Sees The Queen Signal She Will Come Running."
Yeah…Run away… Noelle thought.
The reindeer began to grow slightly frustrated that Queen was figuratively, and almost literally, turning over every rock in the digital metropolis for just her.
"Why do you need to find Noelle so badly?" Kris asked Queen, eyes still on the road.
"What Are You Saying Kris This City Is Dangerous," Queen replied dramatically, "Imagine Poor Noelle Clipping Into A Wall Somewhere, Wasting Away From Potassium Deficiency"
Queen sternly waved a finger at Kris, as if scolding them, "That's Why I Told You To Get The Banana Kris. But Did You Listen To Me? No! You Ghosted Me Instead. You Are Going To Get Sick"
Kris loudly groaned at Queen's lecture.
Clipping through a wall?
Wasting away from potassium deficiency?
I'm not that helpless…am I?
Noelle couldn't help but feel slightly offended at this implication. However, at the same time, Noelle was somewhat flattered at Queen's motherly concern for the two teenagers.
"…But why her?" Noelle questioned the blue-clad monarch, "Let me guess…is it because…"
She lowered her head and felt herself shrink, "…she's weak enough to make into your peon?"
"Haha No," Queen chuckled, "Just The Opposite. It's Because She's Strong"
Strong? Noelle wondered. What in the world did she mean by that?
Noelle knew several people in her life that would fit that description: Susie, her father, her mother…and Dess. Noelle wasn't strong by any means, and everyone knew that.
She often found herself wide awake at night as a child, terrified at the imaginary humans lurking under her bed. She couldn't lift anything more than ten pounds, usually needing Dess or her father to help her carry things. Even when Noelle wanted Kris to join her and Berdly in their group project, she ended up choking on her own words when trying to ask Ms. Alphys.
That was all she was known as: small and pathetic Noelle Holiday.
What kind of strength did Queen see in her?
"Kris Stop The Car," Queen exclaimed, and quickly coerced everyone out of the car. Noelle panicked at the abrupt movement, barely managing to remove the small nutcracker man and herself from the vehicle. Thank goodness he was incredibly light.
"…what's wrong with the car–" But before Noelle finished, the car spontaneously burst into a fiery explosion. Noelle and Kris were left speechless at the sight, jaws wide open. Flaming scraps of metal and rubber scattered across the bridge, thankfully avoiding the party.
"Phew," Queen exhaled, "I Was Just Concerned Because It Hadn't Exploded Yet"
The teenagers turned towards each other with wide eyes, realizing that they had just narrowly avoided their demise. When the dust finally settled, Queen suggested the party split up to continue the search. The mechanical monarch walked away into the distance, leaving just Kris, Noelle, and her small nutcracker man, nuzzled against the reindeer's chest.
As the teenagers went the opposite direction, Noelle was still thinking about Queen's words.
It's Because She's Strong.
Strong…
"—Noelle?"
"Huh?" Noelle blinked several times before turning towards Kris.
"You ok?" they asked. Even with their eyes obscured by their hair, Noelle could tell they were worried about her.
"Y-yeah! I'm ok! Thanks," she replied, nervously readjusting the nutcracker man's spectacles, hoping that Kris wouldn't see his closed eyes.
Noelle then let out a small, but determined sigh, "I feel like…we're almost out of here," to which Kris agreed with a nod.
Having mostly traversed through either dark alleyways or dangerous streets, Noelle was thankful to see that this particular path only consisted of two roads with no cars in sight. She deduced that this must be a pathway only for pedestrians.
As Kris and Noelle continued, they noticed that their path was riddled with force fields as far as the eye can see. They were already familiar with this particular puzzle, but this time noticed the buttons were placed along two straight paths separated by a long line of traffic cones.
Kris hopped over the cones to the other side of the road, and the two made their way through the surprisingly simple puzzle. Noelle occasionally checked the sleeping nutcracker man in her arms during their stroll. He did not stir once, much to her relief.
Some time had passed as the two teenagers traveled along the paths and started conversing amongst each other. They reminisced about their younger days when they used to explore the forest with their older siblings. There were times where Noelle was especially terrified of things that might have lurked within the expanse of the forest. However, Dess was always happy to hold her hand. Sometimes, Dess would feel particularly playful, and tease Noelle by carrying the younger reindeer in her arms.
"My darling baby sister!" Dess cooed before kissing Noelle's head. “Don't worry, I'll protect you!”
Little Noelle wriggled in Dess's arms, shouting, "Stop it! You're embarrassing me!"
Although she didn't want to admit it, Noelle always enjoyed being held by Dess, eventually falling asleep in her arms by the end of the day. She wondered if her little nutcracker companion was as cozy in her arms like she was in Dess's. He was breathing softly against her chest, so…perhaps she was doing something right.
The teenagers eventually finished the puzzle, and Kris leapt over the line of cones back to Noelle's side of the road. They continued their journey down the street, with Noelle analyzing the numerous cyber residents that walked by. They were all unique, but she still recognized what most of them were, noting their distinguishable features: Addisons, Ambyu-Lances, Virovirokuns, Plugboys…
Some whose types Noelle didn't know still had some uniformity among them, such as those who had mouse cursors for heads, and those who were shaped like floppy disks.
However, there was no one like the nutcracker man. He certainly had a long nose like the Addisons, and she remembered him mentioning that he was a "Number 1 Rated Salesman1997", indicating that he was into sales just like them. However, that was where the similarities ended.
Why did he look so different from everyone else? Did the Addisons know him? If he was a salesman like them, what was he doing in the dumpster? Why did he mostly speak in glitches? Was he sick? Could those Ambu-Lances help him? Countless questions raced through her mind; questions she knew would be left unanswered until he woke up.
Noelle then noticed that Kris had been staring at the nutcracker man for a while.
Perhaps…a bit too long.
Noelle felt herself tense, anxiously hoping that Kris wouldn't find out about her sleeping companion, yet. As if fate was taunting her, the small nutcracker man let out a soft yawn before cuddling against Noelle's chest again. Kris nearly jumped back in surprise, seeing their friend's toy somehow move on its own.
"Noelle…that…" Kris pointed to the stranger on Noelle's back. "That is not a toy. Explain."
Noelle immediately froze from their question. Her eyes looked down at the nutcracker man and then back to Kris, as if she was staring straight into headlights.
"Uh…maybe you were seeing things...?"
" Noelle. "
Even if Noelle could barely read Kris's expression with their hair obscuring their eyes, but she could almost feel an aura of skepticism around them, almost suffocating her. Noelle knew she wouldn't be able to keep her companion's identity a secret for long, but she hadn't the slightest idea on where to start.
Ultimately deciding to throw caution to the wind, Noelle took a deep breath and began.
"So when I had to press the walk button this guy popped up from the dumpster back at the alley and he scared me and then I accidentally threw ice right at his face and then he got really angry and then I freaked out and suddenly a bunch of mist came in out of nowhere and somehow put him to sleep and I was gonna get out of there but then I felt bad about just leaving him there all alone so I took him with me and—"
"Whoa, you totally kidnapped him!" Kris interrupted. They lifted their hand to their face, feigning shock.
"Miss Goody Two-shoes Noelle! A criminal !"
" KRIS!! " Noelle exclaimed angrily.
"I've heard of 'Be gay, do crimes', but I didn't think you would take it this far," Kris laughed.
" KRIS, P-PLEASE!!! " The reindeer stammered. She frantically looked in different directions, hoping they wouldn't create a scene in the middle of the city. Thankfully, no one looked their way.
Wiping a tear, Kris let out one last chuckle, "So, what're you planning to do with him?"
"I..." Noelle lowered her head, lightly scratching along the ground with her hoof. "...I thought I could treat him to a good meal to make up for...basically knocking him out, but..."
She furrowed her brow. "You're right, Kris...I really did kidnap him!"
Noelle crouched down in shame. "Ugh, how could I have been so stupid?" She groaned, shutting her eyes. "I really am a criminal, and I'm gonna go to jail for this!!" If she wasn't carrying the small nutcracker man, she would be knocking her fists against her head.
What would her classmates think of her now?
What would Berdly think?
What would Susie think?
"Whoa, hey, hey..." Kris said softly. They knelt down to Noelle's level, gently setting their hand on her shoulder. "You're not gonna go to jail. I was just joking."
"How do you know that for sure?" Noelle asked, slightly tilting her head.
"Well, Queen did make me drive a car with just a joystick, and I don't even have a driver's license," Kris reassured her, "I don't think kidnapping some weird nutcracker dude would be enough to put you in jail, honestly."
Noelle sighed in relief.
Kris made a good point. The city seemed to have its own set of nonsensical rules, no thanks to its equally eccentric leader.
"How about this? Once he wakes up, we'll take him somewhere to eat, and if he really wants to go back to the dumpster, then we'll take him back," Kris suggested.
"Are you sure?" Noelle inquired, raising an eyebrow. "We're pretty far from that alleyway now."
"As long as Queen doesn't find you, it's no problem," Kris replied, giving a thumbs up.
Noelle smiled. "Thank you, Kris."
She was truly grateful to have a friend like them. The human may be mostly quiet and hard to read, but Noelle knew that they had a very kind soul deep down.
Noelle and Kris made their way through the city until they stopped by a nearby alleyway, where the two agreed to take a short break. It was slightly dark and quiet, as if providing a much-needed sanctuary from the blinding and noisy metropolis.
Kris leaned against the wall while Noelle set the small nutcracker man down next to her. When the reindeer was settling herself down, trying not to get her white dress dirty, Kris extended their hand to give her something. It was a piece of chocolate shaped like a diamond. Noelle thanked them and promptly snapped the candy into halves to share with Kris.
When Noelle finished her chocolate, she noticed Kris examining the sleeping nutcracker man. She wondered if the human was just as curious about him as she was from when she first saw him.
"So, this guy is like a nutcracker, you said?" Kris asked.
Noelle put her hand to her chin, "I think so? I mean, he has those lines on his mouth, but I don't know for sure—" Noelle stopped when she saw Kris remove a walnut from their pocket. Her heart immediately dropped when they opened the nutcracker man's mouth and placed the walnut inside.
"Wait, Kris, DON'T— !" She yelled, but it was too late.
CRACK!!
Something definitely broke, but it was not the walnut.
Noelle watched in horror as the nutcracker man's lower jaw completely fell off. The two watched in complete silence as the detached jaw continued falling, as if in slow motion. The only sound that echoed in the alleyway was a light clack as the jaw made contact with the floor.
Noelle darted her eyes towards the human, " Why'd you do that, Kris?!!! "
Kris shrugged, "I thought nutcrackers cracked nuts."
"K-Kris…N-Nut…Mmm…," Noelle stuttered in a fit of panic, "Modern nutcrackers don't crack nuts!!!" The frantic reindeer yelled, kneeling down to locate the jaw. She picked it up and cupped it in her hands, as if holding a fragile creature. Her breathing became ragged, and her hands couldn't stop shaking, nearly letting the jaw fall onto the floor again. Not only had she kidnapped this small nutcracker man, but now he was missing almost half of his face. Just how much more torture was she going to put this poor man through?
Without a second thought, Noelle ripped a piece of fabric from the bottom of her white dress. She then gently placed the jaw into his face, and firmly wrapped the cloth around his head, making a makeshift bandage of sorts.
It was amazing that he was still sleeping, blissfully unaware of the madness that just ensued.
Noelle picked up the nutcracker man and closely examined him. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any other signs of damage other than the general wear-and-tear on his hands and face. She wondered just how long he had been in that dumpster.
Placing him on her lap, Noelle took a few deep breaths, and finally cast a Healing Prayer. With her hand placed on his forehead, several green sparkles surrounded him, followed by a faint twinkling sound. The sparkles then dissipated after a few seconds.
The reindeer paused for a few moments, wondering if the spell managed to reattach the small man's jaw. Noelle had healed a number of Kris's injuries as well as her own, leaving behind only small scars barely visible to the eye. However, she never had to reattach someone's body part, even if the nutcracker man seemed to be made mostly of inorganic material. She decided to leave the bandage around his head for now, dreading the prospect of his jaw falling off again.
Noelle sighed solemnly at her sleeping friend's rather pathetic state.
"...I'm so sorry, Mr. Nutcracker…" Noelle whispered, gently hugging him.
After a few silent moments, the young reindeer shot a quick glare towards Kris. As if Kris had read her thoughts, they quickly rose their hands to their chest and gave a meek laugh.
"H-heh, sorry," the human stammered, "But at least he's still asleep."
Noelle continued staring daggers at Kris, piercing their conscience.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry !" Kris groaned, "I'll pay for his meal; just stop staring at me like that!"
Noelle smiled and nodded, accepting Kris's deal, "I'll hold you to that!"