A Christmas Carol (or Why Loki Better Start Running!)

Thor is woken up sometime late at night Christmas Eve, or possibly early Christmas Day, by a wailing sound. "Who is there? Show yourself!" Thor demands, a bit nervous.

"Wooooo!" A ghostly white figure drifts down from the ceiling and lands right in front of Thor's bed. "AAAAAAAH!" Thor screams, jumping about a foot in the air.

"I am the ghost of the paaaaast!" it wails. "I will show you the errors of your paaaaaaast!"

Before Thor even has time to respond, his bedroom is replaced by a scene from the past. In it, Thor and his friends are going off on an adventure without inviting Loki. "You should have been nicer to Loooooki!" the ghost wails. Then the scene shifts to the more recent past, where Thor is knocking Frost Giants around with his hammer. "And you should have been nicer to the Frooooost Giiiiiiants!" it yells. Then the scene disappears, and Thor is back in his bedroom.

Unfortunately, Thor can only relax for a few seconds before he is greeted by another ghost. "I am the ghost of Christmas Present!" it snarls. "Look at what you are messing up now!" The ghost shows him some things that have happened recently, such as him arguing with Jane, and Loki trying to kill him yet again. "And no wonder! You suck!" the ghost sneers at him. The ghost vanishes abruptly, leaving Thor in his bedroom once again.

Thor is on the verge of tears, when a third ghost appears. It doesn't say anything, just waves its hand. A scene appears that hasn't happened yet, but, because of the prophecies, Thor recognizes all too well. Ragnarok. As Thor watches, the Nine Realms fight to the death, with Thor and Loki at the center of it all.

"STOP!" Thor yells, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I do not wish this to happen! What must I do to stop it?"

The ghost pulls out a piece of paper. On it is written a promise that Thor will allow Loki to be king. There is a line for Thor to sign. With a trembling hand, Thor reaches for the paper…

"Thor! Are you ok?!" Jane yells bursting into his room, still in her pajamas. "I heard you screaming!"

Thor sighs. "No. This ghost and two others have shown me what a terrible job I have done at being king. But all will be well after I sign this paper."

Jane takes in the ghost and the paper in astonishment. Then she looks all the way at the back of Thor's room and scowls. "Thor, have you looked behind you lately?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"I see no point!" Thor sobs. "I have tried so hard to be a good king, but it appears that I will still fail!" he wails.

"Thor!" Jane yells. "Look. Behind. You."

Sighing, Thor turns around and sees Loki standing at the back of his room and casting a spell. "Loki? What are you doing here?" Thor asks.

Loki's eyes widen. "You can see me?! I thought the spell prevented that! Shit!"

Thor turns back to Jane in confusion. "I do not understand…" His eyes widen as he realizes what has happened. "Loki has cast a spell on me?"

"Yep," Jane replies, having realized this a few seconds before Thor.

"So the ghosts and visions I saw were just Loki's illusions?" Thor turns to look at the ghost, which has now disappeared, leaving only the document that would make Loki king behind. Slowly, Thor turns to look at Loki.

Loki winces. "Heh, heh, merry Christmas?"

"LOKI!" Thor yells.

"Bye!" Loki squeaks, bolting out of the room.

"COME BACK HERE!" Thor yells, chasing after him.

Jane sighs. "So much for sleeping in."