Serena opens her eyes to see they are filled with tears. She sits up and looks around to find that she's back in her bed, wearing her nightgown and the morning sun shining on her bedroom windows. She looks around silently while tears start to run down her face.

"Wa..." she says quietly. "Was it just a...just a..."

Her heart sinks as she is unable to say the last word. Her mouth quivers and she starts to silently cry hugging herself.

Suddenly, she hears rapid knocking on her door.

"Serena! Serena!" Calem calls out from the other side.

"Go away, Calem!" Serena snaps.

Having not heard his older sister, Calem opens the door and runs over to Serena with an excited look on his face.

"Serena, you're not going to believe this. Shauna caught a rat behind the toy fort!" he says enthusiastically.

"Not now, Calem," Serena whimpers, not looking at her brother.

"But it was the biggest rat you've ever seen," Calem says persistently. "It's about twice the size of a normal rat. It's got these bloodshot eyes and crooked teeth and this ugly, flat, burnt and crooked tail!"

Serena's eyes widen and she stops crying. She turns to Calem, shocked.

"What did the tail look like?" She asks.

"It was flat, burned and crooked," Calem answers. "And the fight must have been intense because it looks like she bit is so hard that it has two holes on its chest and one on its back."

Serena's pupils shrink and she looks down in thought.

"Powuru," she says softly.

"What was that?" Calem asks.

But Serena doesn't hear her brother. Instead, she lifts the covers, jumps out of her bed and races out of the room. Calem calls out her name, but she doesn't care. She runs down the stairs and into the living room where Mr. Sycamore is sitting on a chair reading the newspaper and Mairin is sitting down on the fireplace, playing with Dawn and Kenny. Serena runs to the other side of the room where she sees a giant dead rat that matches Calem's description lying behind the fort.

Serena smiles and opens the toy cabinet only to gasp in shock to find the nutcracker missing from his spot. All the other dolls and toys apart from Dawn and Kenny are standing in their place untouched but the nutcracker is nowhere to be found. She stares in devastation to see no sign of her beloved toy anywhere.

"Sugar Plum, are you alright?" Serena hears her father say from his chair.

Serena ignores him and stares at the spot where the Nutcracker was. New tears slowly emerge from her eyes as she tries to figure out what happened.

Suddenly, she runs out of the room with her father still calling her and opens the coat closet in the entrance hall.

"Serena, what are you doing out of bed?" Grace asks as Serena searches through the clothes until she finds her coat.

The honey blonde girl puts her coat on swiftly and without saying a word to her mother, puts on her boots, opens the door and runs out of the house with haste. Her parents and Calem call out to her and even Aria and Pierre who are just about to enter the house ask what's wrong, but she doesn't say a word to anyone. Her mind is only set on one destination and she's desperate to get there as quickly as her legs can carry her through the forest and into town where she reaches the door to Uncle Timothy's shop.

"Uncle Timothy! Uncle Timothy!" She cries out as she bangs on her door repeatedly. "Uncle Timothy, answer me, please! I need to talk to you!"

Unbeknownst to the poor girl, her godfather lifts the curtain to his store window and notices her banging on the door and crying out his name. A pleased smirk enters his face as he moves away from the window, and opens the door with an innocent smile on his face.

"Why Serena, what a lovely surprise," he says, pretending to be astonished. "Come in. Come in."

Serena rushes inside and grabs Uncle Timothy by the shirt, struggling the urge not to cry.

"Uncle Timothy, the nutcracker is gone!" She says with a desperate look.

"What? What are you talking about?" Uncle Timothy asks acting appalled.

"Uncle Timothy, please, I need to know," Serena begs. "Is the nutcracker really your nephew? Is Ash alright? Is he free or do you even have a nephew at all? Was there a rat king? I'm so confused that I don't know what to believe. Please tell me!"

Uncle Timothy drops his act and gives the poor girl a small smile, deciding it is time.

"Come with me, my child," he says as he puts his arm around her.

Serena silently obeys as Uncle Timothy guides her to the other side of the shop. Her heart suddenly stops as she hears Mr. Coovers and another familiar voice coming from the back door. Uncle Timothy opens the door and Serena enters to find herself in her godfather's living room where she sees Mr. Coovers and a young man with brown eyes, raven hair, and z marks on his cheeks sitting down on a sofa next to the fireplace talking to each other. Serena's eyes are glued to the boy while Uncle Timothy clears his throat. Mr. Coovers and the boy turn their heads and the boy stares at Serena for a moment before he smiles and stands up.

"Serena," Uncle Timothy begins with a smile. "I would like you to meet my nephew, Ash."

Serena's heart skips a beat at hearing his name. She smiles and puts her hands together as she walks a couple steps closer to the boy.

"Hello...Ash," she says.

Ash's smile grows and he walks over to Serena and gives her a bow.

"Hello, Serena," he says kindly.

Serena keeps smiling until she realizes that her questions are not entirely answered.

"Ash...do you...remember me?" She asks hesitantly. "Do you...remember anything about Powuru or the dolls or the castle or -"

Ash grins and puts his finger on Serena's lips for silence. The honey blonde girl stares at Ash nervously until he caresses her cheek and gives her a sweet smile.

"I remember everything," he says. "Thank you so much for freeing me, Serena."

At those words, Serena stays still for a moment before her eyes begin to water again. She runs toward Ash, squeezes him with all her might and begins sobbing hysterically on his shoulder. Ash is taken aback by this for a moment before he smiles again and tightly hugs her back.

"I'm sorry!" Serena sobs. "I'm so sorry! I wish I didn't say almost those things to you! I want to take back everything I said and just stay in the castle with you and -"

Ash shushes Serena gently and pets her head.

"It's okay, Serena. Really," he says soothingly. "Everything worked out fine. Powuru is dead and you broke the spell by declaring your love."

"And I meant it too," Serena says firmly as she lifts her head to look at Ash dead in the eyes. "I love you and I want to stay by your side always. I will always love you, I swear it. Please tell me you feel the same way."

Ash smiles and caresses Serena's cheek again. Then without warning, he leans in and kisses her firmly on the lips. Serena's pupils shrink and she stands still for a moment before she closes her eyes and pulls him closer to deepen the kiss. Their lips remain connected until both of them need air and so break apart for Ash to look at Serena lovingly.

"Serena, my life is yours," he says. "I vow to always love you back, supporting you and honoring you wherever you go. As The Lord is my witness, I will do everything in my power to make you happy no matter what comes your way."

Serena smiles sweetly as her heart melts and she leans into for another deep kiss. When the two part, she rests her head on his shoulder and they continue to hold each other while Serena sees Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers watching the moment fondly.

"I still have several questions," she says honestly.

The two men let out a hearty laugh.

"We would be surprised if you didn't," Mr. Coovers chortles. "Matter of fact, we were in the middle of filling the blanks for Ash when you arrived."

"Indeed," Uncle Timothy says in agreement. "Why don't you sit down and we can clear everything for both of you.

Ash and Serena smile and nod in agreement before sitting down on the sofa while still holding each other tightly. Serena thinks hard for a moment before she asks her first question.

"So everything in your story during the Christmas party was true, Uncle Timothy?" she asks.

"Oh, more or less," Uncle Timothy answers with a chuckle. "I may have made several modifications as to what was actually said during parts of the story that I'm not in, but everything I said happened is the truth."

"Although, he wasn't entirely lying about the broken clock either," Mr. Coovers says stepping in. "There really was a clock that King Giovanni liked that wasn't functioning properly because of old age and he likely would not have taken the news that it should be retired very well. So as far as either of us are concerned, that was a half-truth."

Uncle Timothy nods in agreement and Serena smiles before she asks the next question.

"So were you really watching us over the grandfather clock?" she asks. "And if so, how did you bring the toys to life. Or more to the point, why did you bring them to life?"

Uncle Timothy rubs the back of his head and says, "Well... it's a little complicated, but from what we found when we were looking for a cure with Oak the Sage, it was...necessary to bring the toys to life and aid Ash when fighting against Powuru and his rats."

"Necessary?" Serena asks confused.

"Yeah, we apparently had to turn the dolls and toys to life because Ash specifically had to face Powuru as the Prince of the Dolls and so had to have subjects to lead and fight Powuru's army for him." Mr. Coovers explains. "As long as he had subjects to lead and a young lady to watch over him, the magic behind Ash and the other dolls was in effect."

"But why didn't you do anything to help?" Serena asks.

"Because simply put, we were not allowed to, dear child," Uncle Timothy answers. "The way the magic works, I could not interfere because only Ash could face Powuru and win the heart of the girl who owns the nutcracker. I could do nothing but keep him and the toys awake until the deed was done or until Powuru was close enough to killing him and the girl would do nothing to try to save him."

"So that's why everything went blank every time I was losing in battle when I was living in those other houses?" Ash asks.

"Pretty much," Mr. Coovers says with a shrug. "You see girls like Misty and Melody and May and so forth were all daughters of friends of ours from across the regions. We hoped that since they are very nice and friendly girls that either of them could be the one to succeed where Princess Giselle did not in loving Ash for who he is. So for the past couple of years, the nutcracker was given to either of these girls as a gift for a birthday or Christmas and the girl would like the gift at first, but when Powuru tracked down Ash's whereabouts and made another attempt on his life one night, each girl feared for their lives and did nothing to support Ash. So we used what magic we have learned to take Ash away and wipe the memory of the nutcracker from the girls so that Powuru would leave them and their families alone and thus he would have to find the nutcracker all over again."

"We realize that caring that much for a new doll that had just come to life and started fighting off giant rats would be a bit much, but there was no other way to try to break the curse," Uncle Timothy says scratching the back of his head. "In that regard, it is clear that the Rat Queen knew what she was doing when she cast the spell on Ash."

Serena tightens her grip on Ash, at the mention of Ash trapped under the spell. The raven-haired boy smiles fondly and kisses her head to ease her mind. She smiles sweetly at him before turning to the two men and asks, "So was that what you were doing in Unova, Mr. Coovers?"

"Yes, it was," Mr. Coovers answers. "The last girl we tried to have break the spell before you was a girl named Iris. Ash was given to her on her birthday and...well, let's just say she could have been more supportive than constantly calling Ash a kid while he was fighting armored rats with her collection of toy dragons. And believe me, that's not as amazing as it sounds."

"And that's when you chose me next," Serena states.

"Indeed," Mr. Coovers says. "I admit I was skeptical of you at first, no offense, but your godfather was very positive that you would succeed where all those other girls did not."

"Really, Uncle Timothy?" Serena asks surprised.

"Of course, child," Uncle Timothy says with a warm smile. "I consider myself a poor godfather if I didn't see how you are quite the kind and loving girl that you are. I admit it was a risk to give the nutcracker to you when you are so close to becoming an adult and thus would have no desire to even look at a doll again, but by this time, both of you would be seventeen, so I thought it was logical to give the nutcracker to someone who is around his age. Besides, everyone knows you still have a fascination for dolls despite your age, so I figured you were the best candidate to finally break the spell and you did."

Serena smiles and nods before she frowns and says, "I wish you could have told me this yesterday when you came back with the nutcracker fixed. It would have spared me much confusion over what is real and what isn't."

"So do I, my child," Uncle Timothy says sincerely. "But unfortunately, it was also a rule that you had to be challenged with what you do or do not believe and everything that transpired had to be a secret to the rest of the world so no one else could know about an army of rats or magic or anything else."

"Sounds irritatingly convoluted," Ash says.

"Oh excruciatingly so," Mr. Coovers says with a scoff. "When you really get down to it, it's like your uncle said, Powuru's mother knew what she was doing when she was putting the spell on you and also the spell on Princess Giselle. As surely as The Lord lives, we are fortunate that you and Serena were able to fit the specific criteria to break each of the Rat Queen's spells."

Ash and Serena nod before the latter frowns and asks, "But didn't you say that Ash was supposed to kill the rat king and not me?"

"Indeed I did," Uncle Timothy says. "But I think Powuru was already dying when he chased you all the way to the Land of the Dolls. You just delivered the blow that finished him off."

"And even so, I think the important thing is Powuru is gone forever and Ash is finally free," Mr. Coovers says.

Ash smiles warmly and he turns to Serena and pecks her on the cheek.

"And I'm so thankful that I am and that it was you who saved me, Serena," he says.

Serena's cheeks turn red but this time she smiles back not minding at all. The two of them share another kiss until Ash suddenly breaks it realizing something.

"Wait a minute," he says turning to Uncle Timothy and Mr. Coovers. "What about my mother? Does she know what happened to me?"

Uncle Timothy opens his mouth to answer, but he hears someone open the front door and a female voice calling him out from the store.

"Timothy?"

Ash suddenly lets go of Serena and stands up, staring at the door.

"In the living room, Delia," Uncle Timothy calls out before turning to Ash with a smile. "Your mother has known about your curse ever since it happened, but she doesn't know that you're free yet."

Serena looks at her godfather surprised before she stands up and places her hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash turns to her briefly and smiles before he faces the door again just in time to see Delia entering the room. The woman opens her mouth to speak to Uncle Timothy until her gaze is on the raven-haired boy. Both mother and son stare at each other silently for a moment until Delia slowly walks toward Ash.

"Ash?" She asks in disbelief. "Sweetie, is it really you?"

Ash stays frozen in place until his eyes start to water. Delia's mouth quivers until both of them run towards each other and embrace tightly in tears.

"Momma," Ash whimpers while laying his head against his mother's shoulder.

"Ash!" Delia sobs. "Oh, Ash, my baby boy!"

Serena, Uncle Timothy, and Mr. Coovers smile warmly at the happy moment. Delia squeezes her son tightly as she turns to Uncle Timothy.

"Is that horrible rodent gone?" She asks.

"Yes," Uncle Timothy says assuringly. "The rat king won't threaten Ash any more thanks to my goddaughter, Serena, here."

Delia turns to Serena who suddenly feels uneasy to be looked at by the mother of the boy she loves. The older woman stares at the honey blonde girl while still hugging her son for a moment before she stretches out one of her arms toward Serena. Serena hesitates before she takes Delia's hand only to find the woman pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, child," Delia whispers to Serena as she hugs her and Ash tightly. "Thank you for bringing my boy back to me."

Serena stands still, taken aback before she smiles and returns the hug.

"You're welcome, madam," she replies.

The three of them hold on to their embrace until Ash's eyes snap open and he lifts his head to look at his mother.

"Oh yeah, Momma, Serena is also the girl I told you about. The one I met in ballet class," he says.

Serena turns to Ash and blushes.

"You told your mother about me?" She asks bewildered.

Delia turns her head back and forth between both teenagers befuddled.

"So the girl you helped when you took that class in Cerulean City is also your uncle's goddaughter and the girl who freed you from the curse?" She asks.

"Yes, and she is the girl I love," Ash declares.

Both Delia and Serena turn to Ash shocked at his abrupt declaration.

"You can't be in love, Ash, you just saw this girl again for the first time in years and have been a nutcracker all this time," Delia says.

"But it's true, Momma," Ash says as he, Delia and Serena break their embrace. "And it was Serena's love for me that also freed me from the spell."

Delia stares at her son speechless. She turns to Uncle Timothy who nods and then to Serena.

"Is this true?" She asks.

Serena swallows nervously before she honestly says, "Yes, I love your son dearly. More than anything I want to stay by his side always."

Serena wraps her arms around Ash to back up her claim while Ash wraps his arm around her. Delia looks at both of them and eventually gives in with a smile.

"Very well, if you love each other that much, then who am I to deny that you two be together," she says. "But you better wait a long while before thinking about getting married."

This time, both teenagers blush and look away from each other bashfully much to the amusement of the adults.

"Your mother is right, son," Mr. Coovers says with a teasing grin. "You may want to catch up with what you've been missing before thinking you can support yourself much less a lady like Serena."

"Actually, I have been thinking about that before Serena came here," Ash admits before turning to Serena. "I want to stay here in Kalos and go to school and maybe be an apprentice to Uncle Timothy in his shop."

"You do?" Serena says. "But don't you want to be a ballet dancer?"

"I did, but I care for you more and I know how ballet means more to you than me," Ash says. "You want to become a great ballet dancer, and I want to support you by becoming a craftsman like Uncle Timothy and gain a steady income for you. I want to be able to aid you however I can until you have reached your goal and then we can get married. Would you be willing to wait until then?"

Serena blinks for a moment before she smiles sweetly and caresses Ash's cheek.

"As long as you are by my side, I'll wait forever until we are ready," she says.

Ash smiles back at her and the two lean in for a kiss. When they part, Ash turns to his mother and asks, "Is it alright if we stay here, Momma?"

Delia smirks and says, "Well, I have no intention of letting you out of my sight again, so wherever you and Serena go, I go."

Ash and Serena nod appreciatively and turn to Uncle Timothy.

"Would you be willing to accept me as your apprentice, Uncle?" He asks.

Uncle Timothy chuckles with his mouth closed.

"But of course, my boy," he says. "Though I must warn you that learning to do what I do for a living will be difficult."

"Worse than constantly fighting for my life against a bloodthirsty rat king?" Ash challenges.

"Well...perhaps not," Uncle Timothy admits. "But it will be hard nonetheless and I imagine catching up with four years of school missed will not be a pleasant experience either."

Ash turns to Serena and smiles, still holding her.

"For Serena, I will handle anything," he says.

Serena smiles and lays her head on his shoulder. The adults smile warmly at the way the young couple holds each other dearly. As Ash kisses Serena on the top of her head again, Serena lets out a blissful sigh believing everything is going to be alright.