(Well, here goes!)
Moneybags was dead asleep when the bell tolled midnight. The curtains on his bed ruffled in the breeze from an open window. He sat bolt upright when he realized that the window was closed. He shivered as the final chime of the clock died. Suddenly, there was light filling the room. Standing right in front of the window was the first Spirit.
It wore a long white robe, with a silver belt, and held a sprig of holly. It also looked suspiciously like Elora. "I an the ghost of Christmas Past." It said.
"L-long past?"
"Nope! Your past."
"Wait a minute! Aren't you Elora?" demanded the bear. The Spirit shook her head. "No. Weren't you listening to the introduction?" She opened the window. "Now come! We have much to see!"
Moneybags got up and went to the window. "How? Where?" he asked. The Spirit pointed out the window. "Oh, no!" protested Moneybags. "I'm not jumping out a third floor window! I'll fall!"
The faun grabbed him by the wrist. "No you won't! Just shut up and follow me!" She then stepped out of the window, dragging Moneybags along with her.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
THUD!!!
"I thought you said I wouldn't fall!" yelled Moneybags as he peeled himself off the ground. The Spirit looked away casually as she said "Well, maybe if you laid off the brownies…"
She grabbed his arm again and led him down the street. They were now in the town as it looked many years ago. "Why! It's my old hometown!" exclaimed the bear. "It's just like I remember it!"
"Duh, we're in the past. Now quit waving at people like an idiot, they can't see or hear us anyway."
They walked down the street for some time, Moneybags naming all the people as he went. The Spirit took a Tylenol and kept going. "Here we are!" she exclaimed at last. They were stopped in front of a large building. Moneybags just stood there dumbly. "Well, look in the window!" said the Spirit.
Moneybags wiped off the frost and pressed his face to the glass. "Ooo! This is where I used to work!" he stated. Inside the building, there was a younger Moneybags working behind the counter of a donut shop, about 250 pounds lighter. Alongside him was another young guy about his younger self's age.
"Here's your change, thank you for eating at Donut's Donuteria." Said the young Moneybags as the customer left. His friend, Dan, locked the door. "Well, we're done for the night!"
Their manager came out of his office. "Well done, boys! Now, clean everything up and clear the floor!" he instructed. The two young fellows hurried to do this. Meanwhile, the boss was on the phone with someone. By the time he ended his call, the two had finished cleaning up. Moneybags pressed a button on the wall and the ceiling opened up to allow a disco ball to slide down. Some of the other employees put some cassette tapes in the player (yep, it's that long ago) and started the music. Friends and family members came in through the back door for the party.
"Oh, I remember this." Said Moneybags, the one on the outside. "This was our company Christmas party! The one where I met….her."
The young Moneybags had approached a girl named Becky. A beautiful young bear, with long blonde hair in a ponytail, a womanly figure, and deep blue eyes. She wore a hot pink dress that night. Younger Moneybags whispered something in her ear and she giggled. Together they started dancing. Older Moneybags chuckled. "Oh, I was definitely in love then." he said. "I wonder whatever happened to our relationship."
"I can show you that." said the Spirit. The scene immediately changed. Now they were standing at the window of Pizza's Pizzeria. They saw Moneybags was sitting at the desk in his office, Becky in a chair opposite him, wearing pink again. He was busily going over the figures, while she sat quietly, yet fidgeting impatiently. "Oh, honey!" she said. "Let's go!"
"Just a minute." He said absent-mindedly
"You've been adding those figures for hours, and we're going to be late for the show." She protested, with a sad look on her face. "I thought you wanted to see it with me."
"Just a minute." He repeated.
"Moneybags! Please!" The woman pleaded, getting his attention. "This is Christmas, you promised us a romantic holiday and here you sit, concerned how much you're making!"
"Look, this is important. If I don't earn enough, then I can't take you out on these dates!" said the bear. "If you truly loved me, then you'll sit still while I finish."
"And if you truly loved me, then you would stop being so stubborn and take me out!"
"I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work that way." He said, going back to his work.
"Honey, when we first met at that party three years ago," she said slowly. "You promised me that if we could get married someday, we'd be the happiest couple alive. You said I'd not have to worry about anything, and that we'd have a big house in the country."
He nodded. "Yes, I did." She shifted in her chair and continued. "I know we're not married yet, because I don't have Father's consent, but you've still been so good to me. Why do you seem so willing to sacrifice that?"
"Because this is important, dear." He said. "This is the end of our first year in business. Jarley and I are very elated on how much of a success this has been. If we don't record this amount correctly, we could lose a lot."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Not to you."
Becky sighed. "How much longer?"
"Several hours."
"That's it, mister!" she said, standing up suddenly. "You make a choice and you make it right now! Which would you rather spend tonight with, me or your money?"
Moneybags started to answer, then hesitated. The hurt look was growing in Becky's eyes. Moneybags stepped forward. "Dear, I just want to make you happy." He said, as Becky's sorrow started to turn into happiness. He reached into his pocket. "And now," he said as he pulled out some bills. "Here's five bucks, enjoy the movie."
Becky gasped as her face fell. "Oh!" she exclaimed, tears in her eyes. She turned and ran out of the room, sobbing. Moneybags shrugged and went back to work. Meanwhile, outside there were two witnesses to the event. "That was when she was lost to you forever." said the Spirit. Moneybags sniffed. "I know. After she left, I started thinking about how I had struggled up the corporate ladder, and how ungrateful she was to try and interrupt my work." He confessed. "But now that I see it again, I wonder why I made that choice. Why did I hurt her like that?"
The Spirit patted him on the back. "It's all because you lost your lust for her when your lust for cash began. Moneybags turned to her. "Spirit!" he said. "Take me home, I don't want to see any more!"
"One more stop…."
They were at the same place, only now it was farther into the future, when four teenagers came into the place looking for a job. Moneybags watched as his past self handed them the applications. "Just sign here." He was saying. "And you'll be officially employed."
"Cool!" said Spyro. They started filling out the forms. "Hey Spyro?" asked Hunter.
"Yes?"
"What's all this stuff in really small letters?"
"That's just fine print. It doesn't mean anything."
They signed the forms. As they started work, Moneybags quickly laminated their applications. "Now, a little further on…" said the Spirit as they went ahead several months. "They find out about the fine print."
"Whaddya mean we can't quit?!" demanded Spyro. "We applied for a summer job!"
"Yes, but you signed a lifetime contract." said Moneybags. "You should've read the fine print."
They started yelling protests, but these died as the scene faded out. Now Moneybags and the Spirit were standing alone on the street. "Can I go home now?" he asked. The Spirit nodded. "Take my hands." She said, grabbing his hands. They started flying off back to Moneybags' home.
"Geeze!" panted the Spirit. "You need to lay off the brownies!" she exclaimed as they came in low. They finally landed in his bedroom. "Well, I'm outta here." said the Spirit. "Don't forget to wait up for the next two!" she said as she left. Moneybags went back to bed.
(Stay tuned, there's still more!)