A/N: I wanted to release this one yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to do so TwT

Hope you enjoy while I get the rest out to you real soon. The remaining three parts will either be released together or it'll be 3 on its own and 4 & 5 together. We'll see :)

I might release 3 later tonight on its own, but I can't guarantee that right now. We'll see :)

Also, I know Christmas is over, but I hope you can still enjoy these nonetheless while we're still in December ;)

…

Chapter 2: The Past

The clock struck midnight with a light ding. Bogo stirred for a moment but immediately went back to sleep. Precisely five seconds later, he heard a soft gentle voice call him in the distance.

"Bogo...Bogo…"

He opened an eye, but closed it back up, believing it was nothing.

"You really are a heavy sleepa aren't ya?" asked a tiny voice. "Here, let me help ya out!" chirped the voice again as a bright light shone inside the curtains of Bogo's large bed.

Bogo's face immediately scrunched up at the bright light burning through his eyelids. "Wha-?" he asked as he peeked open his squinting eyes to see what was the source of the bright light.

"There, that's better," said the light as it settled down on top of his bed. The tiny light dimmed and a shrew with an updo hairstyle, sporting a mistletoe crown and a white gown, came into view.

"Wha-" Bogo rubbed his eyes. Did his eyes deceive him? No, they didn't. "Who...Who are you?" he asked the shrew.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past," she answered with a chipper smile.

"Long past?" he asked, curiously.

"No, your past," she answered.

"A-Are you the spirit whose coming was foretold to me?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't give him the answer he was expecting.

"Yeah! Hi!" she squeaked happily.

Bogo brought a stressed hoof to his forehead, "I was afraid you'd say that. So I would assume you're not a figment of my imagination, but a real spirit?"

"That's right, sweetie. I'm here to help you take a look at your past."

"My past? How can you? You don't know me. Besides, I can view my own past in my memories." Bogo said as he laid back down and turned his back to her, "Good night."

"Maybe I don't know you personally, but somethin' tells me your memories don't let you remember as much as you think you do," replied the tiny shrew.

"Muh," he grumbled, his back still to her.

The shrew scoffed angrily at his rude behavior. "Don't be so rude. Now come on, we gotta get goin'" said the little shrew as she flew toward his window.

"So why don't you leave?" Bogo said, not even bothering to turn over.

The shrew magically opened his window and wind and snow rushed in.

The buffalo sat up in shock, "What do you think you are doing?"

"I already told ya! We're goin' to look at your past," she said as she perched herself on the window sill.

Bogo approached her, wide eyed, "How-How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" she asked innocently.

"That! Th-The flying," he stammered.

"Oh that's easy," she replied as if it were a common practice among mortal mammals. "Here, you can too. Just take my paw," she said, extending her tiny paw to him.

Bogo looked out the window, down to the streets below. It was quite a drop from his large three floor mansion. "Are you mad? I can't do that. I'll fall."

"No you won't. Just hold onto me, okay?" she said, still extending her paw. Bogo however, gripped her whole tiny body with both hooves instead. "Ooh!" she squeaked in surprise. "Not too tight there big fella," she giggled with a pat to his hooves. The tiny Ghost of Christmas Past made them both into see through apparitions. "Here we go!" She leapt them both out the window and into the night sky.

Bogo gasped in horror and tucked his legs as he held on tightly to the shrew. The shrew giggled at how terrified he looked. "Don't worry, honey. I promise you, you won't fall." The shrew descended down to the ground near a brightly lit business that read, 'Lionheart Tea Co.'

"We're here," sang the shrew.

The moment Bogo looked up at the name on the building, his eyes widened with a twinkle of familiarity in them. "Wait a minute," he breathed in shock, "I believe I know this place!" Bogo rushed to the window and peeked inside, "Yes! This is old Lionheart's!" he exclaimed excitedly.

The shrew stood beside the buffalo on the window sill. "I couldn't have worked for a kinder mammal," he told her. His voice uncharacteristically tender as he viewed the Christmas party going on inside. It sparked a warmth in him that he hadn't felt in years.

He scanned around until his eyes landed on a middle aged lion, happily playing a lively tune on a violin. "Why I can't believe it! It's old Leodore Lionheart, alive again! And all my dearest friends!" he exclaimed excitedly when his gaze wandered to everyone else in the room. "But how is this possible?" he asked the shrew with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

"I'm only showing you what's already been," she replied.

"But…" Bogo wished to pry further but then decided against it. He didn't care for a logical explanation right now. He just wanted to relish in the moment. He had never smiled wider in years!

After a moment of watching the festivities, he noticed a young, shy but familiar looking cape buffalo standing over by the corner. "That shy boy over there...is that-is that really me?" he asked the shrew.

"That's right, sweetie. That's you before you became a big money grubby meanie," she replied.

Bogo scoffed at her words. "I don't see how caring about my business' growth and profits makes me a greedy mammal."

"You will," she replied as a matter of factly, "Just look over there."

Bogo gasped and his jaw dropped, "Is that...?"

Inside, the upbeat music was no longer playing as the band played a much more gentle tune - it was the tune to 'Oh Holy Night'. Before the band stood a beautiful gazelle, appropriately named Gazelle. She was tall and had a tuft of curly blonde hair. She began to sing and everyone, including the young nineteen year old Bogo gathered to watch.

Oh holy night,

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night

Of our dear Savior's birth

Bogo pressed his hooves against the glass with a longing melancholy, "Gazelle…"

Long lay the world,

In sin and error pining

Inside, the young Bogo watched her with an equal amount of care and longing. He sniffed quietly, completely moved by her voice. And of course, by her beauty.

The gazelle noticed him in the crowd and he looked away nervously with an evident blush. She smiled, happy to have evoked such a reaction out of him.

Outside, the shrew noticed how moved the older Bogo was by her voice. "Aww, she sings as pretty as she looks, huh?" she asked him with a pat to his hoof.

"Yes, yes she does," he replied without even looking at the shrew. His eyes still glued to the gazelle. After a moment, she reached the end of the song.

Ohhh night,

Oh night divine…..

Everyone around her clapped with joy, as did the young Bogo. An applauding Lionheart came back up with his violin in paw. "The lovely Gazelle everyone! Isn't she wonderful? Let's give her another round of applause!" Everyone did so. "Now, let's continue on with the festivities!"

The mammals in the room cheered in agreement and resumed their dancing. Gazelle meanwhile, eyed Bogo, who timidly looked down at his feet. She giggled at his bashful behavior and approached him, "Bogo?"

He turned his gaze up to hers, "Yes Gazelle?"

"I don't have a dance partner. Would you care to dance with me?"

"Me? Why-Why... I…I…" he stammered. Gazelle batted her eyes in response and Bogo swallowed hard, "Yes, of course."

She lit up with joy and without a word, grabbed his arms and led him to the dance floor. They danced, Bogo slowly getting the hang of it. When the song came to an end, Gazelle surprised Bogo by puckering her lips. She wanted him to kiss her, but he was so shy, he looked away with a bashful smile. It was then that she took control once again and kissed him on the cheek. Bogo smiled wide! He then sighed with a goofy grin, while his heart beat happily.

Outside, Bogo sighed with a hoof over his heart at the fond memory, "Ah, I remember how much I was in love with her."

"Yeah…" nodded the shrew.

Just then, a harsh wind suddenly blew, taking them to a new location.

"But in six years time," continued the shrew, "You learned to love somethin' else."

Bogo opened his eyes and saw a very familiar place, "My counting house? What are we doing here?"

"Nine thousand nine hundred and three," he heard his own voice say, as a young but now slightly older Bogo of twenty-five years of age, counted gold coins at his desk. "Nine thousand nine hundred and-"

"Bogey?" asked a meek feminine voice by the counting house's entrance. It was Gazelle who had just come in. She still looked just as beautiful, but she no longer had the same joyful glow as before. She looked as tired and miserable as both the elder and youthful Bogo did. "Bogey?"

"Oh it's just you Gazelle. What do you want? I'm quite busy." He resumed his counting as Gazelle observed him stack coin after coin.

"I know you are. You're always busy these days, Bogey," she said sadly, huddled into herself.

"Time is money. You know that," he replied, not bothering to look at her as he scribbled some numbers in a ledger.

"You're beginning to sound more and more like Beau Bellwether and his daughter Dawn, each day you work here," said Gazelle, worried for Bogo.

"I should hope so," Bogo replied, not finding anything at all wrong with her statement. "Mr. Bellwether is a fine business mammal and he's been teaching Dawn well for when she inherits his counting house. He even said that I might have a bright future in his business if I continue to work as hard as I do. Perhaps even become owner of this place one day."

At those words Gazelle couldn't help but scrunch her face with a heavy desire to cry, but she held it in. Giving it her all to remain composed, as she fiddled with an engagement ring on her finger. She sniffled quietly - Bogo still completely ignorant to her emotional state. She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope with a broken seal, "Would...would what you've said have anything to do with this letter?"

Bogo finally looked up and paused, ceasing his writing when he saw the letter. There was an unpleasant silence between them. "Where did you get that?" he asked.

"I found it in your coat pocket this morning."

Bogo sighed, setting the quill pen down. "Did-Did you read its contents?"

"I did," there was another unpleasant pause of silence between them. "Bogey why didn't you tell me?" she asked with a breaking voice and glassy eyes, "Why didn't you tell me that Mr. Bellwether was offering you co-ownership of his counting house in exchange for marrying his daughter?"

Bogo said nothing for a moment, but then replied, "I thought it would be a good business opportunity for us."

"Us?" asked Gazelle, incredulously.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet." He stood and paced around behind his desk. "But this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me," he said in an attempt to defend himself. "We have always talked about a promising future together. A life where I would be able to give you everything you and our future children could have ever wanted."

"But how can you ever give us that life, if you would be married to someone else?" Gazelle asked.

"I would only marry her temporarily, upon our divorce I would inherit co-ownership of this counting house and then you and I can carry on with our lives as planned."

"Bogey, that's immoral. And it says here that you must marry Dawn Bellwether for at least five years in order to inherit the counting house."

Bogo nodded, lowering his gaze and refusing to meet hers. "I'm aware of the stipulation."

Gazelle felt her heart deflate, "Do you love her?"

"No," Bogo responded, lifting his gaze to hers.

His answer should have sparked joy in her, but it didn't because she realized another truth that hurt just as much. "But you love her money and dowry."

"I…" Bogo's mouth gaped and he softly shook his head in an attempt to dispel that as truth. But the truth of the matter was that she wasn't wrong.

Gazelle sniffed, her fingers fiddling with her engagement ring once more, "Can I ask you one more thing Bogey? If we had just met and you could choose now, would you still choose a poor girl like me to marry?"

Bogo grew silent in thought. "Well…" he replied, hesitance and uncertainty heavy in his voice.

A tear ran down Gazelle's face, "Say no more…" She knew that his hesitance was all the confirmation she needed. Gazelle removed her engagement ring and placed it on the table. She left the letter from Beau Bellwether beside it and turned to leave without another word.

Bogo said nothing, he just stared at the ring until she reached for the door handle. "Gazelle! Wait."

Gazelle turned.

"I…" Bogo began. A silence loomed between them for what seemed like an eternity. "I…" Bogo lowered his gaze back down to Gazelle's engagement ring and the envelope which contained Bellwether's offer. He thought back and forth between both items and sighed, "Don't forget to return the gold earrings I gave you."

Gazelle's jaw gaped, completely offended and in shock. How could he?!

Gazelle angrily slammed the door and left. Bogo flinched at the ferocity with which she slammed the door as his gold coins scattered all over the place.

The shrew and the elder Bogo watched her go from the window. The shrew sniffled and wiped at her eye with a handkerchief, "And I thought you two were so cute together."

The young Bogo meanwhile sat back down with a sad frown as he took the ring in his hoof. He stared at it for a moment and then sighed sadly, placing it inside one of his desk drawers. He then took the envelope and silently gazed at it. His decision made clear.

"I still have that ring locked away in my desk drawer," Bogo uttered with a sad remorse.

"But what good is the sentimental value if you lost her foreva?" Bogo lowered his head in shame. "Instead," the shrew showed him other images of his past, floating around in little memory bubbles. "You chose to marry a girl you didn't love, only for her money." One of the bubbles displayed an image of Bogo and Dawn's loveless wedding. "And then five years later, you divorced her like you said and continued becoming more and more selfish, pushing away the rest of your friends." The next few bubbles showed a miserable Bogo and Dawn signing divorce papers - Bogo running gold coins through his greedy fingers - and Bogo foreclosing the mortgages on some of his former friends' homes (all of them from the party they had seen earlier). The bubbles circled around him and Bogo could no longer bear looking at them.

"No!" he shouted, covering his eyes, "Please spirit, no more! I can't bear to look at these images any longer!"

The shrew was no longer with him, but her voice echoed in the fading distance. "Remember honey, I'm only showing you what's already happened. You made these memories yourself."

Her voice echoed as a harsh gust of wind blew over Bogo again, transporting him back to his bedroom.