A Christmas Carol in the Empire of Dreams

N/A: Not even I saw this one coming. I felt bad about not doing anything special for Christmas. After watching a cartoon that, dare I say, "mocked" the wonderful story of "A Christmas Carol," I got the idea of trying it on for size myself. What can I say, I like parodies.

The original "A Christmas Carol" is so much better than this, of course. I never read the book, but I watched the movie recently in school. So that's what this is based upon, if there were any differences. It's rushed, unfortunately. I almost wasn't able to finish it on time. My first story with a deadline.

This story is filled with characters I've never played before. Good thing it's mostly OOC. Though I hope the three ghosts give you a pleasant surprise.

Well, enjoy!

"Bah, huni-it to Christmas!"

"Gosh, it really is a pity that you must say such a thing."

The tall, young emperor stood outside on the large balcony of his huge castle. He leaned his hands on the railing, his shoulders hunched over his lowered head. A chilly breeze buffeted his purple fur and swept over his large kingdom of which his castle overlooked. His golden eyes narrowed as his bushy eyebrows furrowed.

A young boy was standing behind him. His thin, brown ears twitched nervously as he fidgeted with the boxing gloves covering his hands. "Um…" he began quietly. "Emperor Jillius, sire… Might you want to…" The emperor turned on him immediately. His hard stared clearly unnerved the boy more than he already was.

"Might I want to what?" asked the emperor lowly. "W-Well… cancel the ban on Christmas?" The reaction was expected, though the boy had tried anyway. "Cancel the ban on Christmas?! How many times have we had this damned discussion? I hate Christmas! So everyone else must, as well."

The boy looked down crestfallenly. The emperor straightened, an ominously calm expression shrouding his face. He slowly strode closer. "Now, young Chipple, you do realize how much your childish nagging annoys me," he began, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"As my assistant messenger I had expected you only to speak of what I tell you to. Perhaps this job is just too much for you?" The boy twitched, his eyes widening in horror. "No, sire, no! I can do it! I'll be quiet from now on, I promise!" he wailed. The emperor grinned. "Good. This is your last chance. You should be grateful I haven't fired you already. You wouldn't have a chance finding a job that pays nearly as much as this one."

"Um… speaking of pay…" the boy looked down, his gloves fidgeting again. "What? You aren't about to ask me for a raise, are you?" The emperor frowned. His voice was enough to tell the boy the answer. "No, sire…" he mumbled. "That's a good boy." The emperor turned to the balcony again.

"How could anyone here ever believe in Christmas? It hasn't snowed in over six years. There is no reason to celebrate such a stupid holiday," he grumbled. The boy held back a reply for his own sake. "It's seven now, your majesty. May I be excused?" The emperor sighed. "Yes, fine Go off now to your filthy little home down there," he replied, his eyes staring down at his kingdom.

The boy paused. "Merry—" The emperor gave him a sharp glare over his shoulder. The boy backed up. "Have a nice evening, your majesty," he said, turning and hurriedly walking away. The emperor looked back to his kingdom and gave a snort. "Christmas… Bah, huni-it."

---

It was dark now. A chilly breeze continued to sweep across the cold, dark kingdom. But Jillius was warm. He sat in a large, comfy chair in front of a fancy fireplace inside a huge room full on antiques and statues. The emperor let out a content sigh, sipping from a mug filled with fine, rare cocoa.

It was only as he was taking a second sip that he felt a breeze brush past him, making him shiver despite his thick robe. He straightened, his face screwed in annoyance. "Do those servants know nothing?" Across the room was a window wide open. He placed his mug down on a small nearby table and stood up.

"I'll fire all those fools tomorrow and get myself some new ones. It won't be hard," he decided as he strode across the room. He pushed down on the window, ceasing the breeze as it clicked shut. With an exasperated sigh, he brushed his robe and turned back to his chair.

"Quite a hash thing to do on Christmas day, even I think that." The emperor froze not only at the voice, but at the figure now sitting in his chair. "Long time no see, eh, your majesty?" Jillius' eyes narrowed. "You… no… you're dead," he stuttered, pointing a finger ahead and backing up.

"Indeed." The figure stood up from the chair. No, he floated up. Shackles chained over his wrists and ankles jingled softly. His clothes were ripped and floated through the air, as if in water, only adding to his ghostly appearance. "Bagoo," Jillius dared the say. The short, yellow-skinned man grinned.

"Why, my sweet emperor, you don't sound very happy to see me," he remarked. "Because you're dead… Because you manipulated me to be evil," Jillius replied unsteadily. "Puh. You're doing that quite fine of your own," Bagoo sniffed. Jillius then scratched his head. "It must be… the cocoa, or perhaps the breeze. I just need some sleep."

Bagoo frowned. "Whether you think I'm real or not, I must give you the message," he said. Jillius said nothing, probably finding it pointless to speak to a figment of his imagination. "You will be visited by three ghosts tonight. Each of which will show you the Christmases of time. Only then can you be forgiven of your sins."

"Sins? I've done nothing wrong. I am the emperor of a good kingdom!" Jillius replied defiantly. "But are you a good emperor? If you don't want to end up like me, I suggest you take heed to my words," Bagoo warned, shifting his shackles. Jillius paused thoughtfully. "Why are you trying to help me? I hate you, you hated me."

"I don't want to help you. No, I don't care of you burn in Hell. But perhaps I'll be given mercy by doing this. I do wish to be released by my suffering," Bagoo replied. He then lifted higher from the ground. "The ghosts will come to you at midnight one at a time. Whether they succeed to bring their message across to you, I really couldn't care less."

And then he faded through the roof of the room and was gone.

---

"Ghosts. How preposterous. All I need is some well-earned sleep."

Jillius changed into his fancy night clothes and sat in his large bed. He looked at the grandfather clock standing high in his room. It was midnight on the dot. "Hah, where are your ghosts now, foolish Bagoo?" he asked. Quite convinced with himself, he tucked under his soft sheets and closed his eyes.

Seconds later, just as sleep was beginning to consume him, a light shone. Jillius grimaced. "Now what?" he mumbled. He turned way from the light without opening his eyes, trying to will it away. "Wakey, wakey, sleep head." The voice was just a little harder to ignore.

Jillius sat up so quickly his head slammed against something before he could even see it. "Owie!" squeaked the voice. Jillius watched wide-eyed, barely even feeling the pain in his forehead, as a ghostly figured slowly floated down to the opposite end of the bed, holding its head.

The emperor shook his head slowly. "I dreaming," he mumbled. The ghost then straightened to look at him, sitting in a quite childish way on his bed. "Nope! I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past! I'll bet you were expecting me!" The ghost made a big smile. He looked much like a young child. He was short, his long ears nearly longer than he was. Despite his black fur, his body gave off an angelic light.

"Go away. I don't want to bother with you aftereffects of that cocoa I had," Jillius frowned. The boy cocked his head curiously. He then smiled and gracefully hopped off the bed. "C'mon, we've got lot'sa stuff to see!" He held out a hand. Jillius did nothing. "I'll only go away if you come with me," the ghost then said. Jillius grimaced unpleasantly.

"Fine. But make it quick." He took the boy's hand and, before he could even get out of bed, everything changed. He was suddenly no longer in his room in his castle. He was outside. Snow fell gently from the sky, covering the field below in a white blanket. The ghost of a boy was still with him, his height barely coming up to his waist. But they weren't alone.

Ahead were a group of kids running around through the snow. They were laughing and tossing snowballs at one another, falling down playfully when hit. Jillius stared on in shock. "Why… That's… Those are… Diglo, Zweegle, Musica… They're all so young again. Ah! It's Suiryu! Suiryu!"

Despite it all Jillius raised a hand high and waved it back and forth. But not one of the kids gave him any heed. "They can't hear you," the ghost remarked. "We're not really here, you know? We're like ghosts. They can't see us, either." Jillius paused. "But I can see you," he said. "'Cause I wanted you to," the boy smiled vaguely.

"Jillius!"

Jillius subconscious turned at the call. A boy in the field of snow did the same. "Come here at once!" yelled the scornful voice. "Yes, father!" Jillius looked ahead again at the reply. A boy was running from the group of children, looking back reluctantly, toward the voice. He realized immediately that it was himself.

Jillius sighed. "My father was always so strict… He'd never let me play with my friends," he mumbled. The ghost looked up at him as the scenery changed again. It was still snowing and the ground was still white, but they were clearly in a different area. Two figures were walking along a trail. Jillius recognized this scene immediately.

"This… I don't want to see this," he said. But the ghost didn't reply, staring on ahead. One of the two figures was him, the other was a woman. "Jillius, do you remember that promise we made years ago?" the woman spoke first. "I told you, you must call me 'your majesty' now," Jillius replied.

The woman sighed, her large, pointy pink ears twitching. "This is what I mean… You promised me that, despite your heir to the throne, you wouldn't allow it to change who you are," she said. "And I haven't. But I must uphold my duties as the new emperor. I must come to my father's expectations. That comes first of all," the young Jillius replied.

"First… So what am I, second?" the woman asked, stopping. "Anemon, you must understand. My duties come before the needs of the people. They are most important," the new emperor replied. "Don't say that, you fool," the older Jillius said. The woman looked away.

"Then you, too, must understand that… I cannot be someone's second most important duty. The one I love must love me most of all, must put me before everything else… Can you do that?" The younger Jillius said nothing, looking down. The woman sighed quietly. "I hope you live a good life, your majesty," she said, turning away and walking down the trail. The young Jillius continued at stare at the ground, not once looking up until the woman's silhouette was gone.

"You idiot, don't just let her go. Go after her!" the older Jillius yelled. But his words were unheard. He sighed quietly, looking up. The snow had stopped falling. "This is the last time it snowed here… six years ago." He then turned to the young ghost, his face hard. "Why are you showing me this? Is it not enough that I felt this pain once already? Take me home!"

With a furious stomp of his foot, the scenery snapped back to his bedroom in a flash. The young boy of a ghost was gone.

---

A sound was the only thing that stopped Jillius from going back to bed. Slowly he crept out of his room and down the spiraling stairs. Only when he walked into his grand living room did he see the source of the noise. At the end of a long table fit for twenty was a lone man. He was quite large, barely able to sit onto the tiny chair.

The man bit hungrily into the meaty leg of a cooked chicken. "Have you ever seen a feast such as this?" he asked with a full mouth as Jillius got closer. "I am offered feasts like this every day," Jilllius answered in a small voice. "Ah, of course. But most people would kill for such a meal," the man gulped.

"Who are you?" Jillius finally asked. "Ah, where are my manners?" The man stood up, wiping his lips with a hanky. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. I am here to show you what is, but what you do not know," he introduced. He was easily a whole head taller than Jillius, despite his roundness.

Jillius frowned. "Then be quick about it. My last encounter with you ghosts was one to be desired for," he prompted. The ghost smiled, nodding. "As you wish, your majesty." With a snap of his claws, the scenery around them changed. They were inside a small, chilly home. The wooden walls were poorly crafted and wearing away. Several holes let the chilly breeze flow in freely.

Three children bustled about in the single roomed house. They circled a table that was nearly too big for the room, setting it up. They seemed quite blissful despite the circumstances. "Hurry up, kids. Chipple will be back soon." A woman walked into the house. Jillius blinked. "Anemon," he muttered.

The pink-furred woman carried in a plate. Atop it was a rather small cooked turkey. She placed it on the middle of the table. "Where's Temi?" she asked, looking around. "I'm coming," replied a small voice. From the stairs slowly came down a fourth boy. He was the smallest of the bunch and seemed quite weak considering the way he was staggering down. He paused to make a cough.

"Don't stress yourself, Temi. You should keep resting," Anemon said worriedly. By now Temi had made it to the bottom of the stairs. "But I want to eat with my family," he protested. Anemon smiled sadly. Jillius hesitated. "Are these… her children?" he dared to ask. "Oh, no. They are certainly not," the ghost replied briefly.

It was then that a familiar face walked into the home. Chipple sighed quietly as he took off his jacket. "Big brother's back!" cried one of the children happily. All at once the three healthier children ran to Chipple, giving him tight glomps. He laughed. "Now, now. Must we go through this every day?"

"Come along, children. Let's get ready to eat," Anemon prompted. In a rush all the children scattered around the table. "Eat? You really shouldn't have, Ms. Anemon," Chipple said gratefully. "What else can I do? You children shouldn't be living here on your own. I worry about you all," Anemon smiled.

Chipple let out another soft sigh. "Bad day at work?" Anemon guessed. "He almost fired me today," Chipple mumbled. "You say that everyday. Honestly, it's not fair the way he treats you. He has so heart, that emperor of ours," she scowled. "But it's the most money I'm likely to get, especially at my age. I need to support my brothers," Chipple replied helplessly.

"The food's getting cold!" cried one of the children, breaking the two out of their troublesome conversation. Anemon smiled. "Yes, let's eat." Jillius watched as the lot all sat around the small selection of food. "I didn't know Chipple had such a big family to take care of," he remarked. "Of course not. You never cared enough to ask," the ghost pointed out bluntly.

The food was spread out evenly from plate to plate. Each one said their grace before hungrily digging into the food. "How is it, Temi?" Anemon asked after a moment of chewing and swallowing. The young boy was just finishing swallowing a bite. "It's wonderful! Better than ever," he smiled.

"Tell me… will that boy live?" Jillius asked. "They've not the money to buy medicines or checkups. The boy's fate is inevitably sealed," the ghost sighed, scratching his large orange scales. Jillius looked away thoughtfully. The ghost then turned from him. "Let's go," he prompted. Jillius hesitated, looking back once at the poor family before following the ghost.

As expected, the environment around faded once more. Again he was back in his castle. "Just one more…" The voice seemed distant and echoed slightly. When Jillius turned around the ghost was no where in sight.

---

A gust of ice cold air nearly swept Jillius off his feet moments after the second ghost disappeared. This breeze was much colder and more ominous than any other. He felt something lurking behind him. A chill pinched his heart and he was almost too afraid to turn around. But he did. And behind him he saw the third, the last, ghost.

The whole roomed seemed to grow darker to suit the ghost's theme. He was completely black, a dark, ripped cloak covering him from head to toe. Two rather large, pointed ears stuck out of the hood like horns. All Jillius could see of his face were two narrowed sapphire eyes and the faint end of a frowning golden muzzle.

There was a moment of uneasy silence. "If there was Christmas Past and Present… then you must be the Ghost of Christmas Future," Jillius finally guessed. If the ghost nodded, it was too faint for Jillius to notice. The ghost turned from him and at the same time the scenery changed once again.

They were now standing in the cobblestone street of a town. Faint traces of snow lie along the ground. Jillius' castle towered overhead nearby. Jillius didn't know what he should be paying attention to until the ghost pointed forward. His hand was covered with a white glove, suiting his Grim Reaper-like theme.

Jillius followed the pointed finger to a small group of people talking. "They say only the good emperors die young, and of a disease, too," spoke one of the men. "Yeah right. And can you believe it snowed for the first time in eight years the day he died?" chuckled a woman. "At least now we can live normally again, without worrying if he's going to ruin yet another holiday because of his unreasonable beliefs," replied another man. "But now everyone's fighting for his throne. He didn't have any children, you know," remarked another. "I don't care who gets his throne. Anyone would be better than him."

Jillius didn't even have time to let this conversation sink in before everything changed again. They were back in that old, cold wooden cottage of a home. The large, poor family was once again seated around the same table. Though the meal on it was noticeably smaller. And someone was missing.

"Where's Temi? He's going to miss dinner," asked one of the boys. "Temi still needs to rest. He'll wake up soon," Anemon replied. Her words seemed shallow with hopelessness. "Yes… Temi will join us soon." It was obvious how hard Chipple was trying to stop his voice from breaking. He seemed a bit older now, as did the other three boys.

Like last time, they said their grace and ate their small meal. It was much quieter now, and ended much too quickly. Chipple stood up. "All of you be sure to go to bed on time," he told his brothers. Anemon followed him to the front door. "Where are you going so late at night?" she asked.

"I'm out of a job now. I need to spend as much time finding a new one that pays enough," Chipple replied quickly. "It's too cold. You'll get sick," Anemon said worriedly. "Look after Temi for me." With that, Chipple left. Everything faded and they were outside again.

The ghost pointed downward before Jillius could utter a word. He looked down and backed up so quickly he almost tripped over himself. It was his own grave. Despite being an emperor his tombstone looked even older and dirtier than any of the others. Not a single flower was placed over the lump of dirt.

Jillius turned to the ghost, his voice desperate. "Tell me, ghost, is this the future of things that will be, or the things that may be?" he asked. As expected, he received no reply. The ground made a quick rumble. Jillius turned around and saw his grave now dug up, his coffin deep underground. He could say or think no more as he felt something push him over the edge of the rectangular hole.

Next thing he knew he was flying off his bed with a horrific scream, his face planting flat on the soft rug on the floor.

---

Jillius did nothing for a moment. It was only until he could no longer breathe with his nose stuffed in the rug that he lifted his head. He was back in his room. Dim sunlight shone through a closed window. The tall grandfather clock read 6 o'clock. Jillius lifted himself to his bed, his legs a bit shaky.

"I'm back… my room… It's morning… It's… Christmas! Christmas is today!" With a jolt Jillius jumped to his feet. "No one will be celebrating it because… I cancelled it." Everything slowly sank into him like a summer's breeze. He slowly staggered to his window and opening it quickly. A bright light not from the sun nearly blinded him for a moment. It was snowing...

Yes. He knew what he had to do. But he must hurry. Christmas should've started hours ago!

Chipple was already there once Jillius was dressed and ready and heading downstairs. "Good morning, your majesty," he said sheepishly, barely able to look up at him. "Don't diddle daddle, Chipple. I need you to do an important job for me," Jillius said quickly. Chipple looked at him expectantly. "I need you to gather everyone to Main Street. I have an announcement to make."

"But it's so early…" Chipple hesitated to mutter. "Make it quick and I'll triple your salary!" Jillius added loudly. "Y-Yes!" Chipple nearly jumped, spinning around to run for the door. "Make sure everyone comes!" Jillius called. He paused thoughtfully. "Servants!" he suddenly yelled.

Within seconds several citizens had gather in the room. "I need every one of you to go to every shop and buy every toy and gadget you can," he instructed. The servants seemed too baffled to react. "Get it done by noon and your salaries with be tripled as well," Jillius said. All at once the servants turned and sped for the door in a hurry.

"Chefs!"

This call sent several other people in a moment later than the others. They all held spoons and plates, probably coming from just making breakfast. "I need all of you to make a fine, big meal today. We're having a lot of guests today," Jillius demanded. Again the reaction was slow. "Well, you hear what I said to the others, I'm sure. That goes for all of you, as well," he said.

By noon everything was set as planned. Everyone was gathered around the largest street in town, all facing a tall stand where Jillius stood. Most were murmuring amongst themselves, none looking too pleased. "What's he going to ban now, New Year's?" someone muttered. "He's already banned sleep once. Now he's probably going to prohibiteating."

Jillius raised his hand, a signal for silence. Eventually the murmurs died away and everyone looked forward. "My good people, I thank you all for coming here so early on this fine day." Already several people looked quite surprised, though most seemed suspicious.

"I realize that I probably interrupted most of you from spending your holidays behind my back." This left a few to shift uncomfortably. "That will no longer be necessary. For, from this day forward…" Jillius paused for affect. The people stared up at him uneasily, predicting the worst.

"Christmas will no longer be banned!"

No one reacted. Such an unexpected statement left everyone dumbfounded with disbelief. Jillius went on. "I realize now that it wasn't my place to take away Christmas. It is a simple holiday that brings us joy and happiness. My ban on Christmas was as foolish as my ban on sleep. I'm afraid it took me until now to realize that."

The people were still silent, afraid to react. Jillius kept going, anyway. "To finally celebrate this joyous holiday, I have gathered many toys for youngsters and prepared a fine feast for everyone!" He moved aside to reveal a long line of tables set up across the wide road behind him. Each table was covered in a large selection of fine food.

"Please be seated." Despite his people's still baffled expressions, Jillius never stopped smiling. As if commanded to by law, the people stiffly seated themselves along the tables. There were just enough seats for everyone, for Jillius had carefully counted how many people lived in this large town.

The chefs went around and gave everyone a single serving of food each. Even when they were finally done there was still plenty of food left over. Jillius sat at an end of the line of tables, Chipple seated to his left; his family next to him. "Now, everyone may feast," Jillius invited. This time no one did anything. There was an awkward silence in the air.

Jillius turned to Chipple. "Is a big feast not what people eat during Christmas?" He asked. Chipple twitched, just as dumbfounded by this sudden behavior as everyone else. "Um… It's not the food, exactly, you highness," he replied slowly. Jillius gave him a curious stare. "It's not?"

"Well… It's just… After everything that you've been doing… The people by now fear you've gone mad… They… They also may fear that the food is… well… poisoned," Chipple explained in a small voice. Jillius blinked. "Do you?" He asked. Chipple stiffened, looking down. "O-Oh, w-well…"

"It's most delicious!"

Everyone looked in one direction. A young boy was taking a nibble of the turkey. "Temi," Chipple whispered in a nervous scowl. "Thank you very much, your majesty!" Temi chirped happily. "You're very welcome, tiny Temi," Jillius smiled. The people exchanged glances, then, as if suddenly set free from a cage, all at once began devouring the food hungrily.

Chipple, nor the rest of his family, were eating, though. Jillius lifted a cup and used a spoon to make it into a bell. Eventually everyone stopped to look at him. "Of course, where are my manners? We must say grace," he said. "Will you do the honors, Temi?" The boy looked up, smiling. "Yes, sire."

He looked down, and everyone else followed his lead. "We thank you very much for all of this wonderful food. But most of all we thank you for our happiness, our safety, and our families. We are most grateful to all be here on this great Christmas day." He paused and looked up.

"And God bless us, every one."

Heh, those three ghosts fit perfectly. Klonoa, the happy-go-lucky ghost of Christmas past. Pango, the fat, hungry ghost of Christmas present. And Guntz, the ominous, Grim-Reaper themed ghost of Christmas future. Fun, fun!

Btw, please don't take anything I mentioned in this story seriously. It's completely OOC, and the side-stories were just to make it more interesting. In Heroes Chipple mentioned having younger brothers, so that's where that came from… Who knows, maybe Jillius and Anemon would make a good couple…? Like that…

Hope you all have a happy holiday! Bye-bye for now!