Monkees Tails page 6

A Monkees Nutcracker

By: Larrysgirl and Mickys411 Rated G

As the Monkees walked up the sidewalk of the large, old house, Peter turned to Micky.
"You sure your Uncle lives here, Micky?" He asked.
"Yeah, Uncle Frank always liked big old houses, Peter." Micky replied, "Don't worry, it will be ok."
"It sure was groovy of your Uncle to invite us to his Christmas Eve Party, Micky." Davy said.
"It'll be nice to see him and my cousins again." Micky replied with a smile.
"Will the rest of your family be here too?" Mike asked.
"Yep, be prepared to meet the extended Dolenz family." Micky said as they climbed onto the porch. He knocked on the large door with the doorknocker.
A few seconds later, a young girl about ten years old with dark brown hair and wearing a red party dress opened the door.
"Micky!" The girl exclaimed, giving him a hug.
"Hello, Clara!" Micky said, returning the hug, "Oh, you're getting so big!"
"Thanks, Micky!" Clara exclaimed, "Who's your friends?"
"This is Mike, Peter and Davy." Micky said as they walked inside the house. "Guys, this is my cousin Clara Dolenz."
"Pleased to meet you, Clara." Mike, Peter and Davy said.
"C'mon, let’s go inside!" Clara said, taking Micky's hand.
Clara led the Monkees into the front parlor where there were already many people gathered around. Micky's Mom instantly noticed her son and his friends and rushed over to greet them.
"Hi, Micky!" Micky's Mom said happily, "Hello, Mike, Peter and Davy!"
"Hi Mom!" Micky said, giving his Mom a big hug. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine." Mrs. Dolenz replied, "Are the other three keeping you out of trouble?" She smiled.
"Always." Micky said, with a fake pout.
"Hi, Mrs. Dolenz!" The other three Monkees said, coming over and giving her a big hug too.
"Hi boys, I'm so glad you all could come to Frank's party." Mrs. Dolenz said. A few seconds later, a tall man with curly hair much like Micky's came over.
"So there you are, George." He said to Micky.
"I go by Micky, Uncle Frank." Micky said.
"Humph, George sounds a lot better." Micky's Uncle said.
"Frank, let's not start that again." Micky's Mom pleaded.
"Oh, alright." Frank said with a sigh and gave Micky a handshake that Micky thought would break his hand. "I'm glad to see you again...Micky."
"Thanks, Uncle Frank." Micky replied, massaging his sore hand, "These are my friends Mike, Peter and Davy."
Frank also gave them bone-crushing handshakes. "Pleased to meet you three." He said.
"Pleasure...sir." Davy gasped.
"Well, don't stand around, enjoy yourselves!" Frank said as he walked away.
"Uncle Frank hasn't changed, has he Mom?" Micky asked his Mom.
Micky's Mom chuckled. "No, still irascible as ever." She said, taking his arm. "Let's get reacquainted with your relatives."
Micky suppressed a sigh as he let himself be led away by his Mom and cousin.
With Micky separated from his friends, Mike, Peter and Davy were free to wonder around the large house.
"Golly, this place is so big you can get lost," said Peter.
"You sure can," said Mike.
"Well, let's go find Micky," said Davy.
"Which way did he go?" asked Peter.
"Let's try this way," said Mike, pointing into one direction.
Mike, Peter and Davy walked around the large house, looking for Micky. There was a large room with tables filled with all sorts of food. There was also another large room with a huge Christmas tree in the middle. Dozens of rows of lights circled around it. Around the bottom were dozens of presents wrapped in bright, shiny paper.
"Wow, what a tree." Davy whispered in awe to the others.
"I wonder where Micky's Uncle got it from?' Mike whispered back.
"Actually, I had it brought over from the Bavarian Mountains." A voice said behind them.
The three Monkees screamed and spun to face the person behind them. When they saw the owner of the voice, they took a step back.
It was a talk, thin old man with wispy tufts of hair on his nearly bald head. He also had a pair of glasses perched on his nose and looked down at the three Monkees through them.
"It...it really is a groovy tree, mister...um..." Peter stuttered.
"Drosselmyer. Herr Drosselmyer at your service." He said, giving a slight bow.
"You're from Germany?" Davy asked, noticing the man's accent.
"Yes, I have been in this country for many years now." Drosselmyer replied with a smile. "You are from England I see."
"Yeah, we're friends of Micky Dolenz." Mike said, "I'm Mike, this is Peter and Davy. Are you related to the Dolenzs?"
"Let's just say I've been a friend of the family for many years." Drosselmyer said with a smile once again. "Every year I arrange for a tree to be brought here for the Christmas party."
"That's nice of you, Herr Drosselmyer." Peter replied.
Drosselmyer’s attention was suddenly turned to something behind the three Monkees.
"Frankie, what are you doing?" Drosselmyer demanded.
"Oh, I was just looking, Herr Drosselmyer." Frankie said, red faced. He was about fifteen years old and had dark hair.
"Everyone will get their presents after we have the dance young man, now be off." Drosselmyer told him.
Frankie frowned but said nothing as he walked out of the room.
"That is Frankie Dolenz." Drosselmyer told the three men. "Always a little impatient, quite unlike his sister Clara."
"Well, it is Christmas Herr Drosselmyer." Mike said.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see what I get!" Peter exclaimed.
"Peter!" Mike and Davy said.
Drosselmyer chuckled. "I think everyone will get what they deserve tonight." He said.
In the next room, the sound of music could be heard. The three Monkees turned toward the sound.
"Sounds like the dancing is just beginning, Herr Drosselmyer..." Mike said as he, Peter and Davy turned back to the man.
But to Monkees' surprise, Herr Drosselmyer was gone.
At that moment, Micky appeared.
"Hey fellas,” he said, “I've been looking all over for you guys."
"Same here," said Mike.
"Hey Micky, who's this Herr Drosselmyer?" asked Davy.
"We just met him a few minutes ago, but he took off," said Peter.
"Oh, he's an old business partner of my Uncle’s,” Micky answered.
"What kind of business?” Peter asked.
"Toy building."
"Toys?" asked Davy.
"Yeah, Drosselmyer was an artist who came here from Germany many years ago. To make ends meet, my Uncle got him a job at the toy plant he worked at."
Just then, Clara rushed over to the Monkees.
"C'mon, it's time for the dance!" She said excitedly, "Be my partner, Micky!" She took Micky's hand and dragged him into the next room where the music was starting. The other three Monkees laughed and followed the two inside.
A fast rock and roll number was starting and soon everyone was dancing. Mike, Peter and Davy found partners and soon were dancing as well.
After awhile, the music ended and Frank stood up on a stool so he could be seen and heard in the crowd.
"Ok, that was for you youngsters!" He smiled as the older folks chuckled. “Now here’s something for us old people!”

A slower dance number was then played as people formed couples and formed parallel lines, the women on one side, and the men on the other. They began to walk around the room and circle around each other in time to the music. The younger people in the room, like the Monkees, had a bit of trouble keeping up, but simply followed what the others were doing. Still, everyone had a good time dancing.
Finally, that part was over and Frank stood up on the stool once again.
"Now, if the kids could come up front, we have something special for them." He said.
Clara and the other young children came up closer to where Frank was standing. As the crowd parted, Herr Drosselmyer could now be seen standing behind Frank. Next to him was a large box with a bow on top. Frank stepped down off the box, Herr Drosselmyer tapped on the box, and the sides came down. Inside the box were a life-size ballerina and her male partner. Herr Drosselmyer clapped his hands and the two dolls came to life and began to dance for the children. Clara and the other children gasped in delight at the life-like figures. Even many of the adults present had to admit it was impressive, especially Peter.
"Wow, those dolls look so human." He whispered to his friends.
"Yeah, Uncle Frank said Herr Drosselmyer had a real touch when it came to making dolls." Micky whispered back, "But I had never seen them so big or so life-like before."
The two dolls finished their dance and Frank and Drosselmyer closed up the box. Everyone, especially the children clapped mightily at the show.
"Now, for the best part of all." Frank announced once again, "Everyone please go into the next room and under the tree you'll find a present with your name on it."
At that, everyone went into the room with the large tree in the middle. The children had to be restrained from pushing each other to get to the presents.
The gift search went smoothly enough, and soon just about everyone had their gift in hand and were opening them up. The Monkees looked for their gifts as well and soon, Mike, Micky and Davy had presents in their hands. Peter, however, searched and searched under the tree, but couldn't find a gift with his name on it.
Meanwhile, young Frankie opened up his gift-a shirt!
"What!" He shouted, "Why did I get this?"
"It's a nice color shirt, Frankie." Clara said, holding her new doll.
"Bah, I never get anything nice." Frankie complained.

Meanwhile, Mike walked over to Micky.
"What did you get, Micky?" Mike asked, "I got a pair of cowboy boots-and in my size too!" He said, surprised.
"I got this groovy sweater, Mike." Micky said, holding up a brick red sweater, "It's in my size too."
"Look what I got." Davy said, holding up a bottle of cologne, "It's got a nice scent to it. What about you, Peter?" He asked, but Peter was still looking for his present. They walked over to him.
"Can't find your present, Peter?" Mike asked.
Peter shook his head no. "I guess Frank forgot about me." He said, tears coming to his eyes.
"Oh man, that's awful." Micky said, feeling bad for his friend.
"Here now, they'll be no tears tonight." A voice said.
The Monkees looked to see Herr Drosselmyer walking over to him. In his hand was a brightly wrapped gift about a foot high and six inches wide. Drosselmyer handed it to Peter.
"For me?" Peter asked.
"Yes, young man." Drosselmyer smiled.
Peter ripped off the paper and opened the box. Inside the box was a wooden nutcracker painted to resemble one of Santa's soldiers. Peter's mouth opened to shock.
"It's beautiful." Peter gasped, holding it close to his body. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, Drosselmyer had once again vanished from sight.

"Where did Drosselmyer go? asked Peter, I wanted to thank him for the gift."
"He comes and goes, to where no one knows," said Micky with a laugh.
"You're right about that, he sure is a mysterious character," said Mike.
"But you know, he's a very nice man to," said Davy.
The Monkees conversation was interrupted by an argument.
"Give it back Frankie!" yelled Clara.
"Uh-oh," said Micky.
"Sounds like trouble," said Mike.
It sure was, Frankie had taken Clara's new doll and was holding it up over his head, so she couldn't reach it.
"Frankie give me back my doll!" said Clara.
"Make me," laughed Frankie.
The guys placed their gifts down and approached Frankie.
"Come on Frankie, give Clara back her doll," said Davy.
"Fine, you can have this stupid thing back," said Frankie tossing the doll back to Clara.
"Thank you," Clara said to Davy, before running off.
Meanwhile, Frankie headed off in the other direction when he spotted Peter's nutcracker.

"That Frankie, still acting mean towards his sister." Micky said, shaking his head.
"At least Clara got her doll back." Mike said.
The guys began to walk back when they noticed Frankie holding Peter's Nutcracker in his hands.
"Frankie, put that down it's mine!" Peter exclaimed.
"Wow, this is groovy!" Frankie said, "Better than a lousy shirt I got."
"You're not supposed to touch things that aren't yours, Frankie." Peter said, grabbing hold of the nutcracker. "now let go."
"No, I want it!" Frankie shouted. "I never get anything nice for Christmas!" He tried to pull the nutcracker away from Peter, but Peter held on tight. A tug of war with the Nutcracker in the middle started between the two.
"Let go of Peter's Nutcracker, Frankie!" Micky said angrily, "Or I'll tell your Dad!"
But Frankie gave the Nutcracker a mighty pull and the head of the Nutcracker came right off! Peter cried out and Frankie looked in shock at the Nutcracker's head in his hands.
"My nutcracker!" Peter cried.
"It was an accident! Honest!" Frankie yelled, getting scared and dropping the head on the floor.
Just then, Frankie's Dad, Micky's Uncle Frank, came over and saw what had happened.
"Causing trouble again, Frankie?" His Dad said angrily, "Clara told me you tried to take her doll from her."
"But Dad, it was an accident." Frankie begged.
But Frank simply grabbed his son's ear and dragged him away, Frankie pleading his innocence the whole time.
Peter knelt on the floor and picked up the Nutcracker's head. He tried to put it back on, but it wouldn't stay put. Peter began to cry.
"We're sorry, Peter." Mike said, patting him on the back.
"We'll find a way to fix him when we get back to the pad." Davy said.
Peter sniffed and nodded his head. "My poor nutcracker."
Suddenly, there was a crash of thunder and the sound of rain could be heard. Several people went over to the windows, including the Monkees, to see what was going on.
Outside, there was a huge rainstorm going on, with lighting and thunder accompanied by lashing rain.
"I'm not going out in that storm." A man remarked.
"Neither am I." A woman answered.
"I have extra rooms for anyone who would like to stay until the storm clears." Frank said to the crowd.
Everyone thanked Frank and went into the spare bedrooms. The four Monkees picked a room with bunk beds and tried to settle down for the night. Peter, however, couldn't sleep. He sat on the edge of his bunk, holding his broken nutcracker.
"Peter, we know you're upset, but please go to sleep." Mike said with a yawn.
"Ok, Mike." Peter said, lying down on his bunk. He pulled the covers up and slept with the nutcracker in his arms.

Peter suddenly woke up from his sleep. He didn't know why, but he sensed something was wrong. Looking down, he realized his nutcracker was gone!
Throwing back the covers, Peter began to frantically look around for the nutcracker, but it was nowhere to be found! Holding in a sob, Peter debated whether to wake his friends, but decided not to bother them. Slowly getting up, Peter put his shoes on and quietly left the room.
Going downstairs, Peter kept looking for his nutcracker, but for some reason, something was telling him to go over to the tree. Walking on tiptoe, Peter walked over to the tree, which, to his surprise, was all lit up! But more importantly, his nutcracker was standing at the base, seemingly all repaired!
Peter was about to rush over to the nutcracker, when a noise behind him made him turn. It was Mike, Davy and Micky.
"Peter, what are you doing down here?" Mike asked.
"My nutcracker was gone, now I just found it at the base of the tree!" Peter replied happily, pointing to the nutcracker.
The other three Monkees looked at each other.
"Peter, maybe you were sleepwalking." Davy said gently.
"No, I wasn't..." Peter began, but stopped when he heard another noise.
"What was that?" Peter asked.
"What was what?" Micky asked back.
"That noise, like something scurrying around." Peter replied.
Suddenly, the noise got louder and then several pairs of red eyes shown out of the darkness at them. The Monkees gasped and huddled together.
The eyes grew bigger and in the light of the tree, it was revealed the red eyes belonged to several large mice. They stood on their hind legs and carried swords-and they were heading toward the Monkees.
The Monkees couldn't believe their eyes, never have they seen mice that big, nor holding swords.
"Who goes there?" asked one of the mice, who had a gold crown on his head.
"Th…The...The Monkees," said Mike trying to get the words out of his mouth.
"Funny, you don't look like Monkeys," said another mouse, wearing a court jester-style hat.
"Shut up, Chester!" The mouse with the crown shouted.
"Who are you?" asked Davy.
"I am Lord Ralph, King of the Mice, and these are my faithful advisers Chester and Tim.”
"What do you suppose we do with them my king?" asked Tim, who had not only a black hat on, but an eye patch as well. The sight of him made the Monkees gulp in fear.
"So, what should we do?" asked Micky.
"I can think of one thing," said Peter.
The other Monkees nodded.
"Help!" they shouted.
"Yell all you want, no one will hear you." said Ralph with a laugh.
Just then, a shadowy figure appeared over the Monkees.
The Monkees turned, expecting to see more mice, but instead it was Peter's nutcracker, human-sized and holding a sword. He brought his sword up and pointed it at the Mouse King.
"You will leave my friends alone, Lord Ralph." He said sternly.
"Oh, you gonna make us, Prince Charles?" Lord Ralph sneered, "You're outnumbered, three to one."
The Nutcracker banged his sword on the ground and suddenly out of the darkness appeared several wooden soldiers with swords. Lord Ralph and his flunkies drew back and the mouse king whistled shrilly. An instant later, several more mice appeared, wearing black sleeveless shirts and carrying sharp swords.
"Now we'll see whose boss around here." Lord Ralph shouted at the nutcracker.
"Hide under the tree, quickly!" Prince Charles whispered to the Monkees.
Unable to figure out what was going on, the Monkees simply nodded and obeyed the Prince.
With a sharp cry from the Mouse King, the mice charged the soldiers and soon there was a terrific battle going on in the room. The air was filled with shouts and clangs of steel as the soldiers and mice fought it out. The Monkees peeked out from under the tree to cheer the nutcracker and his soldiers on.
It was soon clear that the soldiers were better fighters and the mice were beginning to retreat. Lord Ralph and Prince Charles began to fight. It was evenly matched at first, but the Mouse King was bigger and stronger than the Prince was and soon he began to push the nutcracker back against the wall.
Suddenly, the mouse king gave his sword a mighty swing and the nutcracker's sword was knocked from his hand.
"Oh no, my nutcracker is in trouble!" Peter exclaimed as he climbed out from under the tree.
"Peter wait!" Mike yelled, but Peter was already rushing over to the two fighters.
The other three Monkees climbed out from under the tree too and chased after Peter.
The Mouse King had his sword against the Prince's chest, when Peter tried to grab him from behind. The Mouse King laughed and shook Peter off. The other Monkees tried to force the Mouse King away from the Nutcracker but had no luck either.
In desperation, Peter pulled off his shoe and threw it at the Mouse King's head. It hit him square in the back of his head.
"Ow!" Lord Ralph yelled, turning from the nutcracker. "That hurt!" He began to chase after the Peter and the Monkees.
But the Nutcracker used the distraction to grab his sword from the floor. Peter slipped on a bow and fell down. The Mouse King was going to kill him, when Prince Charles plunged his sword into Lord Ralph's back.
The Mouse King collapsed in a heap on the floor. The other Mice, seeing their leader dead, ran away into the darkness.
"Are you ok, Peter?" Prince Charles asked, helping him to his feet.
"Yeah, I am." Peter said, still in shock. "Thank you."
"It is I who should thank you and your friends." Prince Charles replied. "You saved my life, and now that Lord Ralph is dead, the curse on me is over."
"What curse?" Mike asked.
In answer, the nutcracker's face went from being all wooden with white hair to being normal in shape. He had dark black hair and a kind smile. The other soldiers now looked normal too.
"Lord Ralph, under orders from his Queen, put on a curse on me so that I would look like a nutcracker and nobody would love me." Prince Charles said to the shocked Monkees.
"Oooh, that's harsh." Davy said.
"Yes, but now, thanks to your kindness, the curse is lifted and I can once again return to my true love, the Sugar-Plum Fairy, in the Kingdom of the Sweets."
"What's that?" Micky asked.
"That is where I live." Prince Charles answered, "The place where the young and young at heart have their dreams."
"Like Peter?" Mike asked.
"Yes like Peter and you three as well." Prince Charles replied, "Now I would like to invite you four back to my Kingdom as honored guests."
"We'd love to." Peter smiled.
The soldiers brought a sleigh over and the Monkees and the Prince climbed in. Soon, the room opened up and the sleigh flew off into the night.

Meanwhile, in a castle made of salt, someone was watching all this in a magic mirror. She was the Queen of Tarts and after hearing the report from the surviving Mice of what had happened, was not happy at all.
"So, the curse is lifted from you, Prince Charles, the fool who spurned my love?" She snarled, "Well, there will be other ways to bring you down." And she began to laugh as she looked at the four Monkees sitting next to the Prince.

The Monkees and the Nutcracker Prince traveled into the night in the sleigh driven by the soldiers.
"We're not too far from the Kingdom your Highness," said one of the soldiers.
"Wonderful, I can't wait to see my love," said the prince.
"How much longer do we have to go anyway?" asked Peter.
"Not too long," another soldier answered.
"Hey, what's that?" said Davy, pointing to something up ahead.
Sure enough, standing in front of the sleigh was a castle.
But it was no ordinary castle, this castle looked like it was made entirely out of sweet treats.
"Could that be the Kingdom of Sweets?" asked Mike.
"Looks like," said Micky.
"You absolutely right, we're almost there," said the prince.
A few miles of driving, and the gang finally arrived in the Kingdom of Sweets.
When they approached the town square, they were not only greeted by an army of soldiers, who were happy to see their prince return home, but a woman as well. She was tall, slender, and dressed as a ballerina.
"There she is! My love!" called the prince.
The Sugar-Plum Fairy saw the Prince and began to run over to the sleigh. The Prince jumped out of the sleigh before it had fully stopped and ran out to meet his love. Prince Charles grabbed the Sugar-Plum Fairy and swung her around in the air before letting her down and giving her a big hug and kiss. The soldiers all let out a cheer.
"Hooray for Prince Charles!" They shouted, "Hooray for our Prince!"
After several seconds, the Prince and the Fairy parted and looked at each other.
"Oh Charles, I am so glad to see you again!" She exclaimed, "I thought the curse would never be lifted."
"Yes, Lord Ralph is dead and I'm back to normal thanks to these four gentlemen." The Prince said indicating the Monkees who had left the sleigh and was walking over to them. The Sugar-Plum Fairy smiled broadly at them.
"Thank you four very much for what you have done for my Prince and the Kingdom of the Sweets." She said.
"It was nothing, Miss Fairy." Mike replied.
The Sugar-Plum Fairy laughed. "You do not need to be so formal. Please call me Theresa."
"And please call me Charles." The Prince added, "Now let's all go to the palace where there will be a feast tonight in your honor."
"Thank you Charles." Micky replied.
So Charles, Theresa and the Monkees climbed back into the sleigh to the cheers of the soldiers and went on to the Castle.

Watching all this from her magic mirror was the Queen of Tarts. When she saw Charles and Theresa kissing, she threw a candlestick holder at the mirror, shattering it into dozens of pieces.
"Oh, seven years bad luck, my Queen." Said Chester, former aide to the deceased Lord Ralph.
The Queen responded by throwing another candlestick holder at him. The mouse barely ducked in time to avoid being struck on the head.
"Silence, impudent fool!" She shouted at him. "Or I will make sure the next seven years are very unlucky for you!"
"Yes, my Queen." Chester squeaked, bowing his head.
The Queen paced back and forth in her chamber, her dark purple robe swishing against the salty floor. Once again, she asked herself why the Prince loved that fairy girl when he could have a Queen like her? She was just as beautiful (though a little older) than the fairy, and so what if she had a few frown lines from scowling so much? Charles refused her even when she threatened to have a spell put on him! Now it seems that time had done nothing to damper the love between the Prince and the Sugar-Plum Fairy. With an angry sigh, she looked over at Chester, who was still standing there, shaking in fear.
"What are you standing there for?" She yelled, "Clean up this mess and get me another magic mirror!"
"Yes, my Queen." Chester stuttered and scurried away to do her bidding. Soon he had a broom in one hand and a magic mirror in the other. The Queen snatched the mirror from the mouse and waved her hand over it. The mirror now showed preparations at Prince Charles' castle for a big feast.
"Having a little celebration are we, Charles?" The Queen said softly. She waved her hand again and it showed the Prince's four friends relaxing in their chamber in the castle. Immediately, the Queen focused on the curly-haired one of the four. An idea began to form in her mind-why not kidnap one of the Prince's friends and hold him as a hostage until Charles agreed to marry her? If the plan didn't work, she'd still have the curly-haired man (whom she had to admit was a little handsome) for herself anyway.
The Queen laughed at her plan and grabbed the broom away from Chester, who was sweeping up the glass.
"Don't worry about that now." She said with an evil smile, "Prepare my sleigh and gather up some of your fellow mice. We have work to do tonight."
"Yes, my Queen." Chester replied and scurried away to do his mistress' bidding.

When Chester, Tim and several mice had brought the sleigh over to the front of the Castle, the Queen spoke.
"We will go over to the Castle of the Sweets." She said, "They are having a banquet tonight. When no one is watching, we will snatch the curly-haired human and bring him back here." She looked sharply at the mice.
"But do it gently. I do not wish him harmed. He is quite handsome-for a human."
"Yes, my Queen." Chester and the others said.
"Do this well, Chester." The Queen of Tarts said with a smile, "And I'll appoint you the next Mouse King." She stepped into her sleigh.
"Thank you my Queen." Chester smiled, then turned to the other mice.
"You heard Her Majesty, let's get moving!" He shouted.
The Mice picked up the ropes attached to the sleigh and began to pull the Queen of Tarts toward the palace.

At the Kingdom of Sweets, the palace was all decorated of the big event.
In honor of Christmas, the entire set-up was all red and green.
Since the Monkees were to be special guest, the prince had the tailor make them appropriate clothes for the occasion.
Each Monkee had a different colored suit.
Davy's was red, Peter got grey, Micky had a dark blue one and Mike wore dark green.
The prince wore a white suit, and the princess a white gown.

When the party at the Kingdom of Sweets began, the prince and princess invited all their guest, including the Monkees in a toast.
"Ladies and gentlemen, said the prince, I'd like to make a toast,
First of all, it's wonderful to be back home with my bride-to-be."
He indicated the princess, who smiled and blushed.
Next, I'd own a honor of thanks to these brave gentlemen for saving me and breaking my spell."
The prince indicated the Monkees, who then bowed to the court and guest.
The prince continued with his speech.
"I'm happy to say, we never have to hear from the mouse king again."
The crown cheered.
"And lastly, let's hope we never have anything to do with the Queen of Tarts either."
That made the crowd cheer more.
After the speech, the prince and princess asked everyone to join them in a dance.
The band began to play, and everyone started to dance.
The guys spotted a group of young ladies, who were friends of the princess, and asked then to dance, and the girls accepted.

The four Monkees led their partners onto the dance floor. Micky's partner was Princess Mandy of the Maple Syrup Forest and she wore a light brown gown and had a tiara of leaves of her head.
"You smell delicious." Micky said to her as she blushed.
Mike escorted Princess Lulu of Lollipop Land after Micky. She wore a bright pastel colored gown with a tiara of lollipops on her head.
Peter brought Princess Carla of Cookie Country onto the dance floor. She wore a white gown with brown polka-dots and wore a tiara of chocolate chip cookies on her head.
Davy's partner was Princess Cathy of Caramel land. She wore a beige gown and a small tiara of diamonds on her head.
The music was similar to what had been played at Frank's house, so the Monkees had little trouble leading their partners around the dance floor. After awhile, Micky and Mandy decided to take a break. They grabbed a few morsels of food from a nearby table and then walked outside onto the veranda to talk.

Little did anyone know, however, that the Queen of Tarts and her mice were outside the castle. They had taken a long, circuitous route to avoid being seen by the townspeople. Now, they stood in the shadows near the veranda waiting for an opportunity to grab Micky.
The Queen gave an evil smile when she saw Micky with one of those little princesses walk outside. This was a perfect opportunity!
Now that she could see Micky up closer, the Queen realized that Micky was quite handsome. Maybe, if she couldn't get Prince Charles to marry her, perhaps this human would be more willing.
Slowly, Micky and his dance partner walked toward the Queen's hiding place. They appeared to be enjoying their little talk. When the two were close by, they stopped and Micky tried to kiss Mandy, but she shyly turned away. When her back was turned, Chester and Tim came up behind Micky and grabbed him. One of them put a paw over Micky's mouth so he couldn't cry out. The mice pulled him into the darkness and over to the Queen.
Princess Mandy turned back to Micky to find him gone. Puzzled, she looked around, but not finding Micky, she frowned and walked back into the castle.
The Queen of Tarts looked at Micky, still being held by the mice and unable to speak.
"Don't be afraid, young man." She said softly, running a hand through Micky's curly hair. "I won't harm you."
She then motioned for the mice to bring Micky and the group were soon in the Queen's sleigh, going back to her castle of salt.

As Mandy walked back into the castle, she approached the other Monkees and princesses.
"Have any of you seen Micky?" she asked.
"No, we thought he was with you," answered princess Carla.
"Well, he's not. It's like he disappeared."
"What do you mean?" asked Davy.
"We were talking outside and he vanished.” Mandy replied.
"We better go find him," said Mike.
"Should we look in the castle too?" asked Peter.
"Ok, you Clara and Mandy search inside. Davy, Lulu, Cathy and I will look outside." Mike said.
And the gang began their search.

While the three Monkees and the four princesses looked for Micky, the Queen of Tarts was taking him back to her castle.
"Why did you kidnap me?" Micky demanded as he sat next to the Queen.
"Oh, kidnap is such a strong word." The Queen cooed, brushing back his hair, "Let's just say I borrowed you for a while so we could get to know each other better."
Micky tried to jump out of the sleigh, but Chester and Tim held him back.
"Don't leave." She said, "I want you to stay as my guest in my palace."
"Your palace?"
"Yes, I'm the Queen of Tarts." She replied, "I have a large castle on the other side of this forest."
It all began to make sense to Micky now. He knew the Queen was in love with Prince Charles and that he had refused her. Now this was some sort of scheme to get the Prince back to her.
"Whatever you have planned, your Majesty." Micky told her, "It won't work. Prince Charles loves the Sugar Plum Fairy."
"Oh yes it will." The Queen replied with an evil smile, "You're a close friend of his, and he'll do anything I want now."
"And if he doesn't?" Micky asked, afraid of the answer.
The Queen put her arm around Micky's shoulder and draped her cloak around him. "You may find being with me not so bad at all." She said, kissing his cheek.

After a fruitless search around the palace, Mike approached Prince Charles and the Sugar Plum Fairy.
"Excuse me, Charles and Theresa, have you seen Micky?" He asked.
The two shook their heads.
"No, we haven't." Charles replied, "Though we've really been too busy to notice."
"Where was he last?" Theresa asked.
"Outside with Princess Mandy." Mike replied, "She said she turned her back for a minute and Micky was gone. That is unlike him to be so rude."
Charles face turned thoughtful. "Yes, Micky doesn't seem to be the type to do that. I'll ask the guards to help."
"Thank you, Charles." Mike replied.
So several palace guards began to search for Micky as well. Since the inside turned up nothing, the search went outside. The three Monkees and the princesses went out onto the veranda with the guards.
"Here is where I was last with Micky." Mandy said. "Then I turned away and then he was gone."
Everyone began to look around the edge of the veranda. Suddenly, Davy noticed something on the ground.
"Look!" He shouted, "Some kind of footprints."
"They look like mouse prints." Peter said. "And look, there's boot prints too."
The group followed the prints, which led over to tracks in the ground. There were no more prints after that.
"It looks like sleigh tracks." Lulu said.
Just then, Charles and Theresa came out to them.
"Any luck?" He asked.
"We found mouse prints and boot prints, Charles." Davy said, "And here's sleigh tracks too."
Charles looked at the prints. "It looks like Micky was taken away by mice and put into a sleigh. I was afraid of this."
"Afraid of what?" Peter asked.
"The mice are in league with the Queen of Tarts." Charles replied. "She must've kidnapped Micky."
"But why?" Mandy asked.
"I guess she still wants me and now wants to use Micky as a hostage." Charles replied.
"Then lets think of a plan to get Micky back." Mike said as the group agreed.
Charles called some of his soldiers to get his sled out.
He and the Monkees then headed outside, followed by the sugar plum fairy and the other princesses. As everyone waited for the Prince's sled to be brought around, another soldier came running over to him.
"Your highness." The soldier said as he saluted, "There is a mouse here with a message from the Queen of Tarts."
"Let him come over." Prince Charles replied.
The soldier saluted again and a few seconds later escorted a mouse over to the Prince. In the Mouse's hand was a scroll.
"Greetings, Prince." The mouse said with no little contempt, "I have a message from her Majesty the Queen."
"I wonder what she has to say." Prince Charles said dryly, taking the scroll from the mouse. He read the scroll silently, turned to Theresa, the Monkees and the Princesses and read the scroll to them.
"To his Royal Highness, Prince Charles; I have your friend Micky as my guest. He is safe and unharmed. I'm sure you want him back, so here is my proposal. You will break your engagement to the Sugar Plum Fairy and consent to be my husband and King. If not, Micky will stay with me forever. Signed, The Queen of Tarts."
"What is your answer, Prince Charles?" The mouse asked.
"Tell your Queen the answer is no." The Prince replied.
"Wait, Charles." Theresa said, "You can't leave Micky with that evil Queen."
"I won't marry a woman who uses treachery to get her way, my dear." Charles answered.
The Sugar Plum Fairy gently pulled the Prince away from the others. They spoke quietly between themselves for several minutes. Finally, with tears in her eyes, the Fairy moved away and the Prince spoke again to the mouse.
"Tell her I will accept her proposal and marry her." He said sadly, "I will be at her castle in two hours for the ceremony."
"Very good, Prince Charles." The mouse snickered, "She will be waiting." The soldier escorted the mouse away.
When the mouse was gone, the Monkees walked over to the Prince.
"We don't know what to say, Charles." Davy said, "You're giving up Theresa to save Micky."
"Oh no he's not." Theresa said with a sly smile. "Charles just said that to buy time."
"I didn't break my engagement, we were thinking up a plan...and here's what we're going to do." Charles said.
"So what do you have in mind? asked Mike.
"You'll see when we get that," Charles answered.
Charles then kissed Theresa good-bye and he and the Monkees headed off on their journey.
The group traveled for quite sometime before they reached their destination.
As they got closer, the guys began to shiver.
"Is it colder here, or just me?” asked Peter.
"No, the Kingdom is a very cold place," Charles answered.
Davy looked around and said, “How comes there's no trees, grass or even flowers."
"It's so cold that nothing can grow and survive.
The only things they have close to trees is thorn bushes."
The soldiers then stopped the sled.
"We're here," said Charles.
"Say, uh why do they call this place the Kingdom of Salt?" asked Mike.
"Everything here is made of salt."
"Even the rocks and thorn bushes?" asked Davy.
"That's right," Charles answered.
Peter then placed his finger on a rock and tasted a sample of it.
"Yuck, I prefer pepper," he said.
"Never mind that, we're here to save Micky," said Mike.
"I hope it's not too late," said Davy.

Meanwhile, Micky walked around the small but comfortable room he had been put into. The room was in a high tower several stories above the ground, with a small window to look from. He sat down on the bed and tried to think of a way to escape. Micky had already given up on the door and so once again, he went to the window and tried to find a way to get through the narrow opening.
"Forget it, you're too large." A voice mocked Micky from behind.
Micky turned to see Chester standing in the doorway. The mouse was now wearing a fur-trimmed waistcoat and a crown on his head. Behind him was Tim, also wearing a fancy coat and a gold chain around his neck.
"Don't you believe in knocking, Chester?" Micky asked in annoyance.
"He does not have to knock, human." Tim snapped.
"Yes, I am now Lord Chester, King of the Mice." Chester added proudly.
"And I am his royal advisor." Tim added.
"You still look like an oversized rodents to me." Micky said, folding his arms.
Chester and Tim squeaked in anger, but quickly got their temper under control.
"You will be pleased to know that you will soon be free." Tim said to Micky. "Prince Charles has agreed to marry the Queen of Tarts."
"What?" Micky exclaimed, "He loves Theresa, the Sugar Plum Fairy!"
"The Prince is even now on his way here." Chester replied, happy to see Micky upset, "When the marriage ceremony is over, you will be returned to the Kingdom of the Sweets."
"And with them married," Tim snickered, "The Queen will be able to rule the Kingdom of the Sweets and Salt."
With that, the two mice laughed and left Micky's room. They locked the door and went away, still laughing, leaving Micky standing there in shock.

Near the Queen's palace, Prince Charles, the Monkees and the soldiers all donned hooded cloaks.
"Now, we will walk the rest of the way." Charles told the three Monkees, "You all know what to do?"
"We do, Charles." Mike said, putting the hood up over his head.
"Then, let us be off." Charles said, letting the Monkees walk ahead of him.

Meanwhile, the Queen of Tarts was working in a small lab in the basement of her castle. Slowly, she poured a small vial of white liquid into a beaker of red fluid. There was a puff of smoke and the Queen gave a satisfied smile.
"There. All my future husband has to do is drink this." She said. Chester and Tim came into the lab.
"Did you check up on my guest?" The Queen demanded.
"Yes, my Queen." Chester replied, "He was very surprised when we told him the Prince agreed to marry you."
"It doesn't matter." The Queen replied, "He has served his purpose."
"Are you finished with your potion, your Majesty?" Tim asked.
"Yes, when Charles and I are married, we will drink a toast to our marriage." She said, "But when he drinks this," The Queen held up the beaker, "The Prince will be turned to a statue of salt and I will rule this world!"
The Queen and her mice began to laugh.

High above the ground in his tower chamber, Micky once again opened the small shutter over the window and tried to find a way to get out his confinement.
Suddenly, to his amazement, Theresa flew up to his window! She had delicate gossamer wings on her back.
"Hello, Micky." Theresa smiled. "How are you?"
"Theresa, you can fly?" Micky gasped.
"Of course, silly." Theresa replied, "I'm a fairy! I keep my wings hidden when I don't need them."
"Can you get me out of here?" Micky asked, "Charles is on his way here to marry the Queen."
"I know." Theresa replied, "Charles and I have thought up a plan and there isn't much time." She motioned to someone out of Micky's line of sight and then Mandy and the other Princesses floated up next to the Sugar Plum Fairy. They too had wings on their backs, but also carried gourds in their hands.
"Hello, ladies." Micky smiled.
"Hi Micky." Mandy replied, "Glad to see you're ok."
"Step back, Micky." Lulu said, "We're going to break down that wall."
Micky did as he was told and the four princesses poured the contents of the gourds onto the walls around the window. Seconds later, the walls began to melt!
"Wow, what is that stuff?" Micky asked.
"Sugar water." Theresa replied, "This castle is made of Salt, so the walls are easy to melt."
A good size hole now appeared in the castle wall. The fairies flew inside.
"Now hold on, Micky." Theresa said, "We're going to fly you to safety."
Micky nodded and the fairies grabbed his arms and legs flew him out of the room and to freedom.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles, the Monkees and the soldiers came over to the Queen's castle. Everyone had hooded cloaks on.
"Open up!" A soldier called out, "Prince Charles is here for his wedding!"
After a few seconds, the gates were pushed open by several mice and the Prince and his escort went inside the palace walls.
The soldiers all stopped inside the palace walls in the courtyard. A few moments later, the Queen came racing out of the castle and ran over to the Prince standing in the front of the group.
"Oh, my prince!" The Queen said happily, giving him a hug, "I knew you'd see it my way."
Prince Charles said nothing to the Queen, nor returned her hug.
"Why won't you answer me?" The Queen asked, getting angry. When the Prince still refused to answer, the Queen pulled off the Prince's hood. But instead of the Prince, it was Mike standing there!
"Hello." Mike said with a smile.
"What is this?" The Queen shouted.
"It means I will not marry you, Xenobia!" The Prince's voice came from behind Mike. A figure in the back of the group removed his hood to reveal the true Prince!
"Soldiers, attack!" The Prince shouted.
The soldiers threw off their cloaks and drew their swords. They began to attack the mice, who taken by surprise, fell back. The Queen screamed in rage.
"You'll never see your friend again!" She shouted.
Suddenly, Lord Chester pointed up in the sky.
"Look, your Majesty!" He shouted, "The prisoner is escaping!"
The Queen looked up to see Micky being flown away by the fairies! She then realized this was all a ruse to distract her while the prisoner was freed!
"Send for reinforcements!" She shouted at Lord Chester, "And close the gate!"
"Yes, my Queen!" Chester replied.
At the same time, Peter noticed Micky's escape too. He got the Prince's attention.
"Micky's free, Charles!" He shouted.
"Retreat, everyone retreat!" Charles shouted.
Everyone began to run for the gates, but suddenly, they were slammed shut by the mice! Other mice began to fill the courtyard and soon the soldiers were out numbered and surrounded. Realizing the situation was hopeless, Charles ordered everyone to surrender.
"Put down your weapons!" Charles ordered, "We surrender, your majesty."
The soldiers did what they were told and were quickly seized by the mice. Chester and Tim grabbed the prince and brought him before the Queen.
"So, you thought you could trick me eh, Charles?" The Queen sneered. "It looks like the wedding ceremony will go on as scheduled."
"I will not marry you." Charles replied.
"Yes you will." The Queen said, as several mice brought Mike, Peter and Davy up to them. "You don't want anything to happen to your friends do you?" She asked.
Prince Charles just hung his head, as the Queen chuckled. She knew she had won.
"You two bring the prince into the main hall." The Queen commanded, "And the rest you mice put the others in the dungeon."
With that, the Queen turned and strode back into the palace while the mice scrambled to obey her orders.

Unaware of what had happened, the fairies flew Micky back to Prince Charles' sled. There was just a lone soldier standing guard and he bowed to them.
"I'm glad to see the rescue was a success and that you are safe." He said.
"It won't be a success until the Prince and the others return here." The Sugar Plum fairy replied.
"I'm sure they will be here soon, your highness." The soldier told her.
So, Micky and the fairies put on cloaks and waited with the soldier for the Prince, the three Monkees and the other soldiers to come back. After awhile, Theresa began to worry.
"What taking them so long?" She asked, "It's only a short walk to the Queen's castle."
"I'll go look." Mandy said. She pulled off her cloak and took off into the sky. Mandy disappeared over the bleak landscape, then came back a minute later.
"I don't see them at all." She said as she landed.
"You checked the whole route?" Theresa asked.
"Yes, and I went as close as I dared to the castle." Mandy answered, "But I didn't see Prince Charles anywhere. The Queen's castle is all lit up though, like the wedding is still going to happen."
Micky, the fairies and the soldier looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing: Prince Charles and his group had been captured.
"This is my fault." Micky said sadly, "You shouldn't have rescued me, now Charles and my friends are in danger."
"It was my idea in the first place, Micky." Theresa said gently, laying a hand on his arm.
"So what do we do?" The soldier asked, "Send for more troops?"
"No, it will be too late." Theresa said.
"I have an idea." Micky said suddenly, "It's risky, but it just might work." He turned to the other fairies.
"Do you ladies have more sugar water?" Micky asked.
"Yes, but why?" Lulu replied.
"Well, here's what we're gonna do..." Micky said and began to tell everyone his plan.

The mice guarding the castle gate were a little surprised to see a lone soldier march over towards them. The soldier's name was Paul, the same one who was waiting at the sled. He stopped a short distance away, drew his sword and began to yell at them.
"I demand that you release Prince Charles immediately!" He shouted angrily.
This brought lots a squeaky laughter from the mice, amused that a single soldier would demand such a thing.
"Go away, soldier boy!" One of the mice shouted back.
"Yeah, you're bothering us!" Another shouted to the laughter of his fellow mice.
But Paul wasn't perturbed. He kept on shouting for he release of the Prince. A few mice threw spears at him, but the soldier kept yelling back at them. Eventually, more mice joined the others at the gate to see what the fuss was all about.

At the opposite side of the castle, Micky and the fairies crept over to the palace wall. Micky was still wearing his cloak. No one challenged them, so it seemed Paul had distracted enough of the mice away from their stations.
At a nod from Micky, Theresa, Mandy, Lulu, Carla and Cathy picked him up and flew him over the palace walls and into an open window on the ground floor. Luckily, the window was on an empty corridor.
"Looks like everyone's getting ready for the wedding." Cathy whispered.
"Yeah, we don't have much time." Micky whispered back, "Now you ladies go into the dungeons and free Mike Peter and Davy and the other soldiers while I crash the wedding."
"Good luck, Micky." Mandy said, kissing his cheek.
"Thanks, I'll need it." Micky smiled.
Micky separated from the fairies and went toward the main hall.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles was standing at one end of the main hall, guarded by several mice. Lord Chester was next to him, standing on a step that led to the fireplace. He was dressed in all his kingly raiment, ready to officiate for the wedding.
There was a blast of horns and the Queen of Tarts strode in, wearing an all white gown with a tiara made of salt crystals on her head. The other mice in the room cheered when they saw her. With a smile on her face, she acknowledged the cheers and walked down the aisle and over to the prince.
"Ready, Charles?" She asked with a smile.
"I will not marry you, evil Queen." Charles said stiffly.
The Queen's smile faded and she clapped her hands twice. Out of a side door came Mike, Peter and Davy, hands tied in front of them, followed by several spear-carrying mice. They stopped just behind the Queen.
"Yes you will marry me, my Prince." The Queen said, "Or perhaps you want your three friends to spend the rest of their lives laboring in my salt mines."
The three Monkees shook their heads at the prince, telling him not to do it. Prince Charles let out a breath and looked at the Queen.
"I know of your infamous salt mines." He said, "And how dangerous they are. Will you let them go if we marry?"
"You have my word." The Queen replied.
"Very well. Proceed, Lord Chester." The Prince said to him.
Lord Chester picked up his book and began to read.
"We are gathered here today to..."
Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from the front of the hall. Everyone turned to see Micky barging his way toward the Queen and Prince.
"Out of the way, let me through!" Micky shouted, pushing the mice aside.
The Queen raised her hand and indicated that the mice should let him through. A path was quickly opened for him and soon he was standing in front of the Queen and Prince.
"Micky, what are you doing here?" Charles asked.
"Well, if you're getting married, you'll need a best man, won't you?" Micky replied.
"What are doing, Micky?" Davy demanded, shocked at what Micky just said.
"I'm gonna help my buddy Charles marry this fine woman standing here." Micky smiled, pointing to the Queen. "In fact, I even brought a wedding gift."
With that, Micky pulled a flask out of his cloak and splashed its contents on the Queen!
The Queen of Tarts screamed as the clear liquid fell on her face, hands and gown. She looked with horror at Micky.
"What have you done? What have you done?" She screamed once again.
"I just gave you a bath of sugar water, that's all." Micky replied.
Suddenly, the Queen began to grow smaller and smaller! Her gown began to smolder!
"I'm melting, I'm melting!" The Queen shouted in horror, her voice getting weaker.
Everyone, including the mice, stepped back from the horrible sight. Seconds later, there was nothing left of the Queen of Tarts except a puddle on the floor, covered by what remained of her gown.
Before anyone could move, all the mice in the hall began to shrink as well. In just a few seconds, all the mice were small again, back to their original form. Charles picked up the robe Lord Chester was wearing from the floor. Underneath was a normal-sized mouse about an inch long. He crawled around on the floor and then he and the others scurried away into their mouse holes.
"Well done, Micky." Charles said, patting him on the back. "With the Queen dead, they went back to normal."
"I didn't know if it would work or not, but I had to try." Micky replied, picking up a spear.
"Where did you get the idea to splash sugar water on her, Micky?" Peter asked, as Micky cut his bonds with the spear.
"From the Wizard of Oz." Micky smiled as he moved to cut Mike and Davy loose.
"The Wizard of what?" Charles asked.
Micky was about to explain when the castle itself began to shake.
"We have to get out of here!" Charles shouted, "With the Queen dead, it seems all of her things are disintegrating!"
So the Monkees and the Prince ran out of the main hall and found Theresa and the other fairies, plus the soldiers, coming up from the dungeons.
"Oh, Charles." Theresa cried, giving him a big hug.
"My dear Theresa." Charles said, hugging her back as the castle shook again.
"C'mon, let's go!" Mike shouted.
"Everyone accounted for?" Charles asked a soldier.
"Yes, your highness." The soldier replied.
"Then let's go." Charles said, leading the way out of the shaking palace. Standing by the crumbling gates was Paul, anxiously waiting for them.
"Go! Run!" Theresa shouted at him.
Everybody ran or flew as fast as they could from the Queen's palace of Salt. When they were far enough away, they turned to see the whole castle collapse upon itself.
"Is everyone alright?" Charles asked.
Other than being coated with a fine layer of salt, everyone said they were fine.
"That was very brave of you, Micky." Prince Charles said to him. "Thank you."
"Thank you, Micky." Mike told him as Peter and Davy joined him in giving Micky a group hug.
"Thank the fairies and Paul too." Micky said, "They deserve thanks as well."
"We'll have a grand feast for everyone in gratitude." The Prince said.
"Hooray!" Everyone shouted, then getting into the sleigh, they went back to the Kingdom of Sweets.

The next day there was another feast in honor of the Monkees and the fairies. Everyone was happy that the Queen of Tarts and her mice would bother them no more. Reports were already coming in that the area around her former castle was beginning to show signs of life once again.
Suddenly, in the middle of the feast, the trumpets blared and none other than Herr Drosselmyer walked into the hall!
The Monkees looked at him in shock, and got a bigger shock when Charles stood up and exclaimed:
"Father!"
"Father?" The Monkees repeated, but by then the Prince was already running over to Herr Drosselmyer. When he reached the old man, Charles gave him a big hug.
"Oh, I guess no one told you." Princess Carla told the Monkees. "That is King John, the real ruler of the Kingdom of Sweets."
"But he was in our world." Mike said, still in shock.
"When the Queen of Tarts' lackey, Lord Ralph, put a spell on Prince Charles, the King took his son to your world to find someone to break the spell." Princess Cathy continued.
"That would've been Peter." Micky replied.
"Yes, it was his innocence plus the bravery of the rest of you that helped bring Prince Charles back to normal." Mandy said, patting his arm.
Prince Charles, now arm in arm with his father, walked over to the Monkees and the Princesses. The Monkees stood up and bowed.
"No no, boys." King John said with a chuckle. "It is I should bow to you. The four of you returned my son to his normal self and rid my kingdom of the Queen of Tarts forever."
"It was nothing, sir." Peter said modestly.
Everyone smiled at Peter's humbleness. The feast began again and there was much happiness in the Kingdom that night.
Later, Theresa and the other Princesses performed a ballet dance for everyone to great acclaim.

A few days later, Prince Charles and Princess Theresa the Sugar-Plum fairy were married. The four Monkees were Charles' best men and the four Princesses were Theresa's bridesmaids. After the ceremony, the Monkees were made knights of the Kingdom by King John. Paul the soldier who had helped Micky and the fairies rescue the Prince was also made a knight.

The days went by happily, but Micky, Mike, Peter and Davy began to miss their home. They wondered how much if any time had passed and if they were missed. Reluctantly, they went to see Prince Charles.
"You want to go back?" Charles asked in surprise.
"We miss our home, our families." Mike said.
The Prince nodded his head. "Yes, I do know what it's like to be away from friends and family." He said. "I'll arrange for a sleigh to take you back home."
"Thank you, Charles." Micky said sincerely.
So a sleigh was soon brought to the front of the castle and the Monkees said their goodbyes to the Princesses.
"I'll miss you, Micky." Mandy said sadly.
"I'll miss you too, Mandy." Micky said, giving her a kiss.
Mike, Peter and Davy also said their sad goodbyes to Lulu, Carla and Cathy and climbed aboard the sleigh. Many people came to see them off and wished them well. Some were even crying. King John, Prince Charles and Princess Theresa walked over to the sleigh.
"Thank you once again for all you've done, my friends." The King said shaking their hands.
"You're welcome, sir." Davy replied.
"I will take you back myself." Charles said, getting into the sleigh. He gave Theresa a quick kiss and soon had the sleigh moving quickly. Everybody waved and shouted their goodbyes. Soon, Micky's Uncle's house came into view. The wall of the house seem to magically open up and once again, the Monkees were in the room with the large Christmas tree in the middle, still all lit up.
Then, before the Monkees could say goodbye to Charles, the room faded away...
"Hey Peter, wake up!" Mike shouted, tapping him on the shoulder. "You're talking in your sleep."
Peter got up with a start and found himself back in the small room with the bunk beds. Micky, Mike and Davy were standing over him.
"What happened? Where's Charles?" Peter asked, sitting up.
"Who's Charles?" Micky asked.
"You know who he is, Micky." Peter said, "The nutcracker prince!"
Micky, Mike and Davy looked at each other.
"Your nutcracker is there, Peter." Davy said, pointing to Pete's nutcracker standing on the floor.
Peter quickly snatched it up and held it close. "Oh no, he's a nutcracker again."
"He always was one, Peter." Mike said gently.
"Don't you remember?" Peter asked, "We saved him from the mouse King and went to the land of Sweets and..."
"Whoa, wait a minute, shotgun." Mike said, "What are you talking about?"
Peter began to tell the other three about their adventures in the Kingdom of Sweets and their fight with the Queen of Tarts.
"Wow, you sure had a crazy dream, Peter." Micky said when Peter was finished.
After a long moment, Peter spoke. "Yeah, I guess it all was a dream." Then Peter noticed that the nutcracker's head was all fixed up.
"The head is back on." He said, "It's not broken anymore."
The others looked and indeed the nutcracker was as good as new.
"Well, the rainstorm has stopped and we can go home now." Mike said in the silence. The guys left the room and went back downstairs. The others who were waiting out the storm were also getting ready to leave. Frankie came over to Peter.
"Peter, I'm sorry I broke your nutcracker." He said quietly.
"It's ok, Frankie." Peter said, "Somehow, it's as good as new."
"Must be Christmas magic." Frankie's father said as he joined them.
Clara came over and gave Micky a big hug.
"Did you have a good time, Micky?" She asked.
"Oh, yes I did." Micky smiled.
As the guys drove back home, Peter kept looking at his nutcracker. "It was only a dream." He whispered.
Suddenly, the nutcracker winked at him! Peter smiled and held the nutcracker a little closer.

The End