It is now December 23rd. Scrooge arrives at Copper and Weasley Toys HQ and enters the building with a severely tired face as employees looked at him with anger that turns into concerned notice.
"Hey, Cheapskate," James called out. "What's the matter? The money in the mattress wasn't good to you last night?"
"Yes, sir, you look like you've been through a major trauma." John agreed. "Are you... okay?"
"I... uh... of course, it's just that... I think I may've... seen things last night." McCopper replied. "I might've had a half-sleep dream."
"You mean being awake and asleep at the same time?" James asked. "Is that even possible?"
"What makes you think that?" John asked.
"I don't think I should tell them. It'll probably make me a mockery, and I've had enough of that yesterday." McCopper thought before he spoke, "All I can say is that it was a seriously bizarre dream, and leave it at that. Anyway, resume your work." He leaves.
"Who wants to bet it could be a sign he's gonna kick the bucket soon?" James whispered to John.
"Wha- James! That's an awful thing to think about!" John whispered back. "As seemingly unreasonable as he is, he's still a person. I'm sure he has someone who cares about him."
James sees McCopper go into his office, clearly seeing it's safe to talk openly. "Oh, you mean his nephew of his?"
"Aside from that."
James scoffed. "You actually think someone would give a fret about that old fart?"
"Yes! If a family was that cruel to him, they'd never be a family at all. That is to say, I sympathize with why he acts like this."
"How the hell can you be-"
"Because he had a father that thinks like he did. My father... was really on rough on Christmas."
"Let me get this straight. Your dad behaved like an old jerk?"
"Not all-year round! Just... on Christmas. Dad was strict on Christmas, not because of money, but because... well... he came from a Jewish side of the family."
"You're half-Jew?"
"My ancestors were one of the many who refused to give into Christianity. My great-grandfather, my grandmother and my father hated Christianity and therefore they hated Christmas. They believed that the religion had threatened their sense of freedom, and because people loved it so much, they wanted to force it on everyone else whether they wanted to or not."
"Then why did YOU go into Christianity?"
"Because I didn't believe my father's delusions about its backlash against his people. I knew that people have changed since that time, and know well that people should have rights to religion. I knew that it wouldn't really hurt to believe in a small portion of the religion. But when my father tried to force me to forget about Christmas, he had a heart attack and died."
James breathes in. "Ooohh!"
"As you know, Christmas is about family. It was tragic that my father had died 10 days before Christmas, and I buried the poor soul myself. I soon got married, and now have one daughter and two sons, one of them I am currently having troubles with health issues."
"You mean Teeny Tom?"
"Yes. You see, he's been diagnosed with polio, a rare paralyzing virus that has rendered him unable to walk without a crutch. The doctors say that I have until Christmas time to give him a vaccination but I do not have enough money to pay for it. If I don't get proper payment by then... who knows what will happen to him?"
"Wow, that's pretty tragic."
"Yes, it is. And I do not know if I will ever be able to get my pay to save him. Tom has been on my side for as long as I can remember. In fact, he's my youngest son. I promised him dearly that I would help him. Now that McCopper has been in deal with Darwin's chain of stores, I fear I won't be able to keep that promise."
"Oh, man! That is so sad!"
"So I'm pretty sure some people care about him, my friend. No words can harm Christmas."
"You know, you're right. Why am I even saying such harsh words about that poor guy? Does he ever have other people that care for him?"
In McCopper's office, Scrooge is looking at the portrait of him, Alan and Drakey.
"What if they were right? What if I do end up suffering their fate?" he sighed. "I have the chance to become the greatest businessman in town. But after what just happened last night...I'm starting to think."
Back at Santa's workshop, Rapunzel, Eugene and the elves are discussing their next plan.
"So, what now?" Eugene asked.
"Well, here's the tricky part." Alfred answered. "The three spirits are not like the ones you know in Charles Dickens's story. They have to obtain their own physical forms when doing their job, so the Amulet needs to feed off of three souls to grant them what they need. The souls will need to be removed from their bodies, so the bodies will be lifeless until further notice. There's also some guidelines. The souls have to be from those who are of matching personality. The first spirit needs the soul of someone who's nice, honest and trustworthy. The second needs the soul of someone who is wise, sympathetic and noble. And the trickiest part is the third one. That spirit requires a soul that is semi-dark, possessing half-light half-dark will."
"Well, if that's the case, how come those Weasley guys can have physical forms?" Rapunzel asked.
"They're not exactly Christmas spirits, as condemned spirits being used as a warning, a sort of thing that is used depending on who the person is. It's a lot of complicated spirit mumbo jumbo I'm not particularly good at. Usually, Grace is the one who does all that."
"Who'll we find that'll match those personalities?" the princess asked.
"Perhaps we can be of service." a voice came. Three familiar figures came towards them, revealing themselves to be Cassandra, Varian and Hook Hand Thug.
"Cassandra? Varian?! And thug with hook for a hand!" Rapunzel exclaimed with glee. "How did you three get here?"
"Long story short: we had a terrible vision about this curse going on two days ago." Cassandra answered. "So we figured Santa would hear about it and he and his reindeer recruited us to transfer our souls to the three spirits."
"Now that you three are here, come with me." Alfred stated. "You will need to go through... an untested experiment."
"WHAT?" Cassandra, Varian and Hook Hand Thug yelled in shock.
"Don't worry. Grace made sure the screws weren't too tight. Come with me to the lab."
The group follows the elves to the workshop's elf lab. Cassandra, Varian and Hook Hand Thug are seen sitting inside devices similar to the Link Units in the 2009 movie "Avatar".
"Okay, you guys." Grace said. "These soul-transferring units are very powerful, yet very unstable. They are able to transfer one's soul into another. And since we're only using three, we're gonna use a very special ruby to get your souls transferred to the spirits. You see, since we don't have the amulet with us, it'll be difficult to transfer your souls, so the only way to do it is to use the exact same kind of magical ruby that makes the amulet."
She takes out a large ruby, puts it in a cylindrical container, puts the container inside a large machine and hooks the cables for the units into the machine.
"Alfred said this wasn't fully tested?" Cassandra asked.
"It's true." Grace replied. "But I assure you, this will work. But what's difficult will be using the ruby's power to send your souls through the magical energy matrix and transferring it all the way to the Amulet. There is a 70% chance it will be successful."
"And... what happens if it doesn't work?" Hook Hand Thug asked.
"Who knows? Your souls might be shattered into magical dust. But you've got nothing to worry about. I've calculated the transferring process seven times. If I do this right, it'll surely work."
"I hope so." Varian said. "And I hope you know what you're doing."
"Of course I do. I'm an elf. Elves are one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth besides humans. Now get ready, the process is about to begin." The three strap themselves into the units, and the units close them inside." Alright, initiating soul transfer in three, two, one." She presses a button and it zaps the three and energy is seen pulling on their chests. Their souls, seen as small cyan-blue orbs, are sucked through the three tubes into the machine where they blend through the ruby inside.
"Operation complete." the machine voiced. "Soul Transfer is successful." Everyone sighs in relief.
"Thank goodness it worked!" Grace said.
"Yeah, I'm starting to regret wanting to be in something like THIS!" The three souls are seen going through a red energy tunnel. Then they are obtained by three dark patches of darkness, which make them turn cyan blue, and they start shape-shifting.
"This seems to be a nice form." a soft voiced cooed.
"Indeed. Not what I was expecting, but it's better than nothing." a jolly voiced said.
"I'm now wearing a black robe." a dark brooding voice rumbled.
"Well, this will certainly be a Christmas nobody's gonna forget." Eugene commented.
Later that evening, McCopper is getting ready for bed. "Spirits, BAH! Humbug!" he grumbled. "I should've known better to be fooled by such Christmas elves!" He blows out his candle and goes to sleep.
Rapunzel, Eugene, Pascal, Grace, Dougie, Teddy, Alfred (who was staring attractively at Grace) and Santa are watching McCopper through the Snowveillance Globe.
"Well, it's almost 10:00 PM and therefore, it's almost time for the first spirit to come into the picture." Grace announced. "We'll see all that goes through in the Snowveillance Globe. All questions you two have about him will be answered."
"I hope our three friends' souls will be okay during these visits." Eugene said.
"The spirits will return the souls they have back to their original owners when they have completed their jobs. When this spirit is done, she will return Cassandra's soul back to her." She notices Alfred, but Alfred focuses away from her just in time before she can notice. "Alfred, are you okay?"
"Nothing, I'm fine." Alfred answered.
"Grace, I think Alfred has something to tell-" Dougie started before Alfred cuts him off by smacking him to the ground. "OW! HEY!"
"Well, if you're sure, then okay." Grace said before continued to work.
"Okay, Alfred, come clean, what is it about her?" Dougie whispered. "Do you like her, or something?"
"That's none of your business!" Alfred whisper-shouted. "Now keep your nose out of it before I rip it off and sew it back on... upside down!"
Dougie grins obviously.
"Fine, I'll tell you later." Alfred sighed. "Now, get out of my business, okay?!"
"Okay then."
"Sheesh!" Alfred couldn't help but stare at Grace again, as her bright green eyes and long blonde hair gleam in white magic and he sighs in joy at the pretty sight of the female elf.
"What's eaten him?" Teddy asked Dougie.
"I'll tell you later." Dougie answered. The clock strikes 10.
"Well, it's 10:00." Rapunzel announced."Let the story begin, everyone."
"I hope Cassandra's soul survives this." Eugene said with worry. "Our souls are unstable."
At McCopper's mansion, the clock strikes 10 and a bright yellow light was seen appearing from behind the curtains of McCopper's bed.
"What the heck?" Scrooge wondered as he looks through the curtains to find that the light is coming from a glowing orb of yellow light. The orb shape-shifts into the figure of Cassandra. Her hair is candle fire. Scrooge shrieks at the sight of the figure.
"Well, hello there, Mr. McCopper." she said in a soft voice. "We haven't got all night, you know."
"Who the hell are you?" McCopper asked.
"Uh, isn't it obvious? I'm the first ghost that was sent to visit you. I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.
McCopper sighs. "Well, phenomenal! I'm screwed."
"Hey, we're not here to scare the Dickens out of you, McCopper. We're here because you need to learn about Christmas means to you and the people around you."
"If you're gonna insist on slowing my progress of this curse down, then you need to leave. I've got a business to run."
"You weren't always obsessed with running the best business."
"Oh, come on. You don't know me!
"I know everything about you, pal."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?"
"You're allergic to dandelions, you had a vasectomy 7 years ago, and you didn't give up your blankee until you were 18."
"AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE BLOCKED OFF BY MY SHIELD?!"
"You do realize that me and the other spirits have been around for centuries, right? That means we've got levels that are above what your silly shield can block off. I'm at level 995."
McCopper lands head-first into his pillow and screams into his pillow, muffling the screams.
"Okay, enough stalling me. I've got a job to do. You're gonna have to come with me, and we shall visit your past."
"My past? You can travel through time?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it time travel, per say. I prefer to call it...uh...actually, I don't have anything to call it. But whatever it is, it and time travel are completely different things."
"Just go. I don't have time to talk with dead people."
"McCopper, this is important. We can show just what an impact you make in life. Plus, remember what your dear partners warned you about."
McCopper sighs. "Very well, but it better be worth it."
"Great. I knew you'd come around. Just grab onto my hand." McCopper grabs it with his hand and they suddenly fly out the window.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Scrooge screamed.
"Calm down, drama tycoon. We're getting there." the spirit said. Just hold on tight." They travel through the sky. Soon they land somewhere. "This is your hometown, 23 years in the past."
"23?" McCopper asked. "How old was I at that time?"
"You were only 18. You had just gotten out of school and you were ready to search for a job. Of course, as you had known, your parents and other family members pretty much already decided your destiny. Look!" She points to a younger McCopper and his brother together.
"Is that... me and my brother?"
"Yes, it's the both of you 23 years younger. And this is the exact day that your troubles in life began."
"Finally, brother!" the past McCopper exclaimed joyfully. "We shall finally become men. We'll be free to pick our own destinies and futures. I have big plans."
"Scrooge, there's something that mom and dad wanted me to tell you." his past brother started before being interrupted.
"I can already see myself being the ambassador for whoever runs this town! I'll open up trade deals with outside worlds. I'll hold annual feasts for the nobility, and lucky common folk that get special invitations. I'll be remembered as one of the greatest bureaucrats that ever-"
The past brother signaled past McCopper to stop talking respectfully. "Brother, please believe me. I respect your ambitions for your own future, and if it were up to me, I'll let you choose your own path, even if I'm the second born, but... our parents-
"Oh, of course! They wanted us to send us a farewell party? I'll be sure to promise them NOT to disappoint."
The present McCopper gasps. "I know this moment!"
"Uh... yes, Scrooge, it's a...it's a farewell party." The past brother nervously said. "Our parents wish to throw us a celebration into our rise into adulthood."
"Well, why didn't you just say so?" The past McCopper said. "Of course I'll visit the folks one last time before I go to the grand future."
"NO! HE'S LYING! PAST ME, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! IT'S NOT A FAREWELL PARTY! IT'S A-" McCopper shouted. He tries to touch his past self, but he ghosts right through them. "What the-?! No! DON'T GO! DON'T GOOO!" The brothers walked away. "PLEASE, DON'T! What's going on here, spirit?!"
"Hey, pal, I didn't say this was a time travel mission. I said this was a visit to your past!" The Cassandra spirit declared. "Nobody can see or feel you."
"Why did that poor excuse of a brother have to lie to me like that?" McCopper asked as he watches his past self leave.
"I'm sure you know. He didn't want you to be disappointed. He wanted to let you face your parents about this yourself."
"AND YET, HE LEAD ME INTO A MISUNDERSTANDING?! Oh, God, I can see it now, I'll be...wait, why are we in a different location?" They have magically been sent to a different location.
"This is where your 'farewell party' is taking place. And by a farewell party, I mean an ascension to the destiny you were chosen to go through by your parents. This is where the origins of your scroogy self gets sparked. It will take several more weeks for it to ignite and consume your life."
"Oh, crud!" They watch as Past McCopper and his brother go inside the house, and they find that there is an initiation ceremony taking place.
"WELL, HELLO EVERYONE! I want to thank you for letting me choose my own destiny. I-" Past McCopper started before realizing something. "Wait a minute."
"Wait a minute, son, who told you we were going to let you choose your own destiny?" his mother spoke up.
"He did." Past McCopper answered as he pointed at his brother.
"Bob, really?" the father asked.
"Sorry, he was just-" Bob started to say.
"YOU LIED TO ME?!" Past McCopper shouted.
"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?!" McCopper asked. "I swear, why did I even believe him?!"
"Son, you know very well that our family tradition as shoe shiners is a solemn duty for everyone to follow, including you." Past McCopper's mother chastised him.
"But, Mom-" Past McCopper started to protest.
"No buts! You're more fit being a food seller than whatever lousy dream you want to follow. You have to do what's best for our legacy, and your family."
Now Past McCopper is ticked off. "For the last time, I DO NOT WANT TO BE A SHOE SHINER!"
"You are not doing anything else out there so you can make a fool out of yourself, son!" his father scolded. "Our legacy must be preserved, and we are counting on you and your brother to keep it alive."
"That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, son. You have to deal with it sometimes."
"Is it really worth having two shoe shiners do all this lousy crap for you? Isn't one enough?"
"Maybe, but it's against what our tradition stands for." his mother answered. "We need to have as much legacy as we can get. So you're becoming a shoe shiner and that's final. I don't want a word out of you. I can't risk having you make the biggest mistake of your life. We want you to become like us for your own good. We want you to become like us because we love you!"
"You want me to become like you because you're too overprotective!" His parents look at him angrily, causing him to shrink back. "Sorry."
"I don't ever want you doing work outside of our legacy, is that understood?" His father scolded.
"Yes." Past McCopper said reluctantly.
"Good. Now come home at once. You'll need enough strength for your first day of learning tomorrow."
Past McCopper mocks him behind his back.
McCopper saw everything. "And THAT'S precisely why I left them a long time ago. They thought they could control my life like I was a slave."
"They may've been wrong, but all you had to do was to just stand up to them." Cassandra's spirit said. "They would've understood you more if you just talked to them about it."
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID!"
"No, you didn't. You didn't do it at all. When you did do it, it was in the most wrong and insulting way a son could ever treat his parents."
They are magically teleported to another place. "Now what?" McCopper asked with a shrug.
"Now we are in a different time and location. We are now one week after you made the mistake that changed your life. All starting on a Friday morning and two weeks after a winter feast."
"Friday? Isn't that the exact same day that I..." He sees himself and two familiar men inside a business building.
"So tell us again why you came to us?" Drakey asked.
"Because I am tired of having my life lived for me." Past McCopper answered. "I should be free to choose my destiny instead of follow some dumb tradition. If I'm gonna get what I deserve, I'd better do it fast. That's why I want start up my own business by buying myself a position as your business partner."
"Well, you came to us just in time, my boy." Alan said. "Transitional transactions are in our favor."
"Well, that's good. I'm through with being told what to do. My parents have enough legacy with my brother. Anyway, what are the terms of this contract?"
"Well, it's quite simple, really."
"Simpler than making pie." Drakey said.
"Simpler than splattering a pie in your face." Alan said and the two laugh crazily.
"That's nice, but aren't we going to-" Past McCopper chuckled as he started.
"Of course we are! This very contract will free you from unfair family obligations-"
"AND TOTALLY EARN YOU A LIFE OF BUSINESS, BRO!"
"I was getting to that, you idiot."
"Sorry."
"Anywho, just sign the dotted lines, and a life of business and freedom will be yours."
"At last! I won't have to worry about being bossed around anymore. I am so glad I found you two. So long tradition, hello freedom!" Past McCopper exclaimed excitedly, unaware that Bob is watching him.
"Hmm, maybe a little magic will stop my brother from doing this!" McCopper exclaimed as he magically tries erasing his past brother's memories with his staff.
"Oh, no! Mother and father aren't gonna like this." He runs off as McCopper does it again after surprise.
"That's no good, McCopper." Cassandra's spirit said. "Even your strongest magic won't affect him. These are shadows of the past. You can't alter shadows, remember?"
McCopper cursed under his breath before speaking, "I always hated my brother. But at least I finally made my dream come true."
"But at what cost?" They are magically sent to Past McCopper's room, and they see Past McCopper, Bob and their parents.
"BOB, YOU SNITCH!" Past McCopper screamed at his brother. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"
"Brother, I was doing what father asked, I-"
"Don't you dare give him crap, mister!" Past McCopper's mother scolded. "He did the right thing by telling us!"
"THE RIGHT THING?!" Past McCopper shouted. "I've never heard such wrong things in my life-"
His father cuts him off by smacking him. "DON'T YOU TALK TO YOUR PARENTS LIKE THAT! When we expect you to follow our legacy, WE EXPECT THAT LEGACY TO BE FOLLOWED, NO QUESTIONS ASKED! And you deliberately disobeyed us!"
"THIS IS NOT FAIR! YOU CAN'T CONTROL MY LIFE!"
"We are trying to protect you, son!" his mother shouted back.
"BY CONTROLLING MY DESTINY?! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID TRADITION! SHOE SHINING IS NOTHING BUT A WASTE OF TIME! I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO-" His father interrupts him by smacking him to a wall.
"You will not talk that way about our family tradition, son!" he scolded. "From now on, you aren't going anywhere without an escort. You're not meant to do anything else except shining shoes! The world is just-"
"WHAT?! NOT MEANT FOR ME?! I'M SICK TO DEATH OF YOU-"
"YOU DO NOT INTERRUPT ME, MISTER!" McCopper watches horrified as the fight continues while Cassandra's spirit shows no emotion. "NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK, YOU ARE NOT-"
"SHUT UP!" Past McCopper screamed as he smacks his own father to the wall, and everyone is shocked.
"Scrooge, what did you just do?!" Bob asked with a shocked tone.
"Don't you EVER speak to me again, you tattling excuse of a brother! You are more than enough capable to carry out this worthless legacy that my old man and woman want so desperately. I don't ever want to speak to you again as long as I live. In fact, I don't want to speak to any of YOU TWO AGAIN! YOU MAKE YOURSELVES A DISGRACE TO YOURSELVES, AND YOU DISHONORED YOUR JOBS AS TRUE PARENTS FOR FORCING THIS TRADITION ON ME LIKE AN ANVIL TO THE HEAD! That shows me that you two have NO SYPMATHY FOR ME AT ALL! All I ever wanted was my own legacy. MY own destiny. But do I get that? NO! You all act like cowardly twats because you're afraid of change. Maybe some of us DON'T want to be shoe shiners. I don't want that. I never wanted that!" He begins to sob softly. "Just because I was born from shoe shiners, it doesn't mean I'll actually BECOME ONE! DON'T YOU GET IT?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?!" His family is now teary-eyed. "Alan and Drakey offered me a new life. A better life, AWAY FROM YOU! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got more important things to do than to be your slave!" He storms off.
"Brother, please!" Bob pleaded. "I'm sorry for telling them! Let's just talk about this and make up over this, and we can forget we ever had this conversation. By all means, go ahead and pursue what makes you happy! Please! I...I don't want to lose you."
Past McCopper turns around angrily, grabs Bob and nearly chokes him. "You! Just! DID!" He punches him to the wall, causing his lip to bleed. "Because you're still my brother, I will not hurt you even more. I'm not a murderer. I am just a betrayed soul who didn't want to be enslaved."
"I see that now... I was always more understanding that, you only wanted to pursue your own destiny... I swear our clan is forever forbidden to interfere with your life ever again... Even, if you wanted us to."
"Then that's good. I NEVER WANT YOU FANATICS BACK IN MY LIFE EVER AGAIN!" He storms out of the room as Bob cried as tears touched his wound.
McCopper sees the reaction of his parents and brother and how brutal his attack on his brother was. He looks shocked as they are seen crying in each other's embraces. "Oh my gosh! What was I thinking with those words? AND WHY DID I DO THAT TO BOB?! I didn't mean to be that brutal. I was just upset, and... Oh, what do I care? They deserved what they gotten."
"No, they didn't!" Cassandra's spirit reprimanded. "If you had just asserted yourself in a different and non-cruel way, you wouldn't have had a family that doesn't care about you. And this proves it!" The locations change magically. "Look at you now! Your 25th birthday!" McCopper sees himself alone in a party room. "Your actions that very day have made you more of a disgrace to your family than they did. Not only were their reputations mostly destroyed, but now your brother is the only one left who keeps it alive. And even HE knows that what you said that day is wrong. So why should they show up to your birthday after all the pain you left them in?"
"Because... they're my family."
"Now, what was your last response to that?" She repeats one of his lines in his voice, "DO NOT REMIND ME OF FAMILY! Family means nothing to me anymore."
"YAH!" McCopper shrieked.
"That's what you said to your very employees. That proves that you don't deserve to have your family show up to your birthdays. A person neglected by his own family for the right reasons, yet in the wrong way. Even a family of your own wasn't even possible five years later." She magically changes the location to a different building.
"Wait... I recognize this. YES! This is when my company celebrated its fifth anniversary!"
"Figured that on your own, did you?"
"Well, duh, you said five years later, that sort of gave it away. Besides, this was one of the company's happiest moments of all. I remember how great the celebration was." He looks inside and sees a party unfold as a nice-looking businessman is seen. "It's... It's John Ryder! The nicest and jolliest businessman ever! He was the life of the party with his gifts."
"HEY, HEY, HEY!" John Ryder greeted. "I'm no Santa Claus, but here's gifts from the stores of the store chain!"
"I remember those stores." McCopper sighed. "They were great in business, but even greater around the holidays. I still can't believe that Darwin Weasley obviously bought the business."
"He was responsible for Mr. Ryder's downfall." Cassandra's spirit said.
"Darwin did that? No, no, NO! I don't believe you!"
"Really? I'm surprised you didn't recognize him as the former vice president of the store chain."
"You mean that spoiled brat he was with? THAT was Darwin? No, they don't even look or sound alike."
"He was younger back then, genius! Obviously, things changed for him."
"Could you excuse me for a moment?" 12 seconds later, McCopper is banging his head on a glass window, but because he is only viewing the world, it won't break. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! I am such a retard! How could I let that nasty piece of fur to offer a deal with me after how he betrayed one of my greatest friends?!"
"Hey, take it easy, McCopper!" Cassandra approached him. "You didn't know. But what you did know back then was that you might've had the chance to forget about your family problems. Look at yourself over there in the corner." McCopper sees his past self sitting sadly in the corner looking at a picture of his family. "Even after five years of successful business, you still knew how much family meant. Therefore, you still knew what Christmas meant. And there you were, finally seeing the error of your ways. Your parents may've been wrong about controlling your destiny, but they were certainly right for one thing. You DID make a fool of yourself."
"Wait a minute! Is that who I think it is?" He looks at a woman.
"Who? Oh, you mean that gorgeous female? That's..."
"Paige Sanford, the prettiest business owner at that time. I knew her parents before they died of pneumonia. Since then, she started a life as the owner of another local toy company."
They watch as Paige notices Past McCopper. "Uh, Scrooge? Are you okay?" she asked. "Aren't you happy that your business has been running for five years?"
"Well, yes, but... it's the Winter Feast now, and...and I don't have a family to celebrate it with." Past McCopper answers. "I mean, I abandoned my parents five years ago, and... I said some pretty nasty things about-"
"I know. Your partners told me about those tragic times. But... you know...that won't stop us from having a family of our own."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, handsome! I saw you staring at me a while ago! I know you have the hots for me."
"You...you know?"
"Of course, we've been friends for a while. But now that we're together, and standing right under the mistletoe, I say it's time we-"
"Okay, okay, no need to get carried away."
McCopper scoffs as he watches this. "She was drinking too much wine, so I couldn't really blame her."
"Sorry about that." Paige said and then hiccuped. "Let's just dance."
McCopper watches as Paige kisses his past self at the end of the music and sighs in joy. "I just can't seem to forget how much I was in love with her."
"But it didn't last forever, huh?" Spirit Cassandra asked.
"I would wish to say otherwise, but..." The scenery changes again.
"Believe me. I already know. Because in four years time, you learned to love something else. You see, as your business got bigger, so has your greed. Your discovery on making good riches lead you to intending to make the company the best, just like you are today. Observe."
McCopper sees his past self count money. "9,588...9,589..."
Paige comes inside as McCopper continues counting. "Uh, Scrooge? Can we talk for a moment?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"For years, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for you to keep your promise to marry me. Now I must know... have your made your decision yet?"
"Oh, I certainly have!" Paige is surprised and delighted. "Your last payment on the cottage of our wedding was an hour late, so..." He brings out a mortgage paper stating 'Foreclosed'. "I'm foreclosing the mortgage!"
Paige gasped. "What?"
"Paige, you must understand that I didn't do it for myself willingly. Those blasted banks provoked me by putting a mortgage debt on it. Even so, they threatened to take it away, along with all my money and my company and yours too if I didn't just give up that thing. You need to understand that I can't give up my plans to have the best business ever if I allowed the banks to bully me over a cottage. Besides, we're practically millionaires, so we can just get ourselves a mansion, or a house boat at sea. So much more sophisticated than a stupid cottage."
"Stupid cottage? THAT STUPID COTTAGE WAS GONNA BE OUR FUTURE! How could you give up our future like that?!"
"Well, firstly, I contacted the bank, I had to go there to sign a few papers and- Wait, were you being rhetorical?" Paige starts sobbing. "Paige, please, it's not entirely my fault, it's the demanding abuse of the banks! They're notorious for punishing those who can't pay debts, you know."
"Exactly! How else was I gonna do it!" McCopper stated. Cassandra's spirit looks at him sternly. "What?"
"Hello? You're the owner of a million-dollar company." she reminded him. "Why not just PAY THE MORTGAGE YOURSELF?! You actually had the money to satisfy those 'abusive' banks to give them to lay off of you, but all you did was foreclose a honeymoon cottage to pay it off instead. You learned to love your own riches more than that beautiful lady, and after that one fatal mistake, you lost her forever!"
Paige looks behind at Past McCopper. "I guess you don't care for me anymore. In that case, you don't have to worry about where the wedding will take place anymore because I'm just cancelling it anyway. WE ARE FINISHED!" She slams the door shut as she cries her eyes out, scattering Past McCopper's money everywhere."
"Crap!" Past McCopper sighs. "I didn't mean it that way, I... What have I done?"
McCopper begins to sob softly. "Paige! I loved her. How could I let myself be blinded by my own money? could've had more of a family if I hadn't-" He sighs sadly. "Spirit, please take me home! I can no longer bare these memories, and I need some time alone."
"Very well." The female spirit said. "Just remember that you fashioned these memories all by yourself."
McCopper is instantly transported back to his bed as the spirit has vanished. He takes a deep breath and falls straight on his back. "Why was I so foolish? Why couldn't I have been a better person instead of let my growing pain go against me? Why, WHY?!"
In the diagnostics room at Santa's workshop, Rapunzel watched everything from the Snowveillance Globe. Rapunzel is sobbing as Eugene holds her close to him and Pascal feels bad as his skin turns blue.
"Well, that was a pretty sad story for him." Eugene said.
"Indeed. I had no idea his parents held so tightly to tradition." Santa said. "They were blinded by what he truly wanted in his life. He didn't have to snap like that."
"And how he just foreclosed the mortgage on his old girlfriend's wedding cottage just to pay a debt like that?" Teddy said. "That was just mean."
"Yeah, I would NEVER treat my girlfriend like that." Alfred said as Dougie looked at him with an obvious grin. "Not that I know what it feels like anyway."
Grace appears with a dizzy Cassandra. "Guys, the spirit returned Cassandra's soul, so now he's awake."
"Yes, I saw everything through the spirit's eyes." Cassandra said. "I'm sure the other two will see the same things through."
"Now, we'll only have two hours until the next spirit comes. And the curse is 56% completed. If my calculations are correct, then it might reach 100% by 9:00 AM tomorrow. By then, we'll have no choice but to cancel our deliveries." Grace announced. "But I feel that even after what McCopper just saw, he's still gonna go through with this curse. It'll take the visiting of all the spirits to make him come to his senses. Santa, the curse readings are still going too strong. In fact, they're getting even stronger."
"But I thought McCopper would lighten up." Rapunzel said.
"I'm afraid reminding him of his past not only saddened him, but it only motivated him to be worse." Santa said.
"How the heck is that even possible?!" Eugene asked with aggravation. The Snowglobe shows McCopper increasing the curse's power with his staff.
"YOU THOUGHT I WAS BAD BEFORE, SPIRITS?! WELL, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!" They heard him shout. "YOU MADE IT MORE PERSONAL THAN IT NEEDED TO BE! I ONLY HATED CHRISTMAS BECAUSE OF MY OWN TROUBLES! FOR SPIRITS OF CHRISTMAS, YOU'RE DOING A VERY BAD JOB!"
"Well, we're screwed." Rapunzel said.
"Not quite, princess." Grace said. "This was expected from using the Christmas Carol tactic. Sometimes the scroogy just get a little bit upset at first. It's a normal process."
"But that normal process has made the curse more dangerous now." Eugene warned. "Not to mention it accelerated it."
"Okay, if McCopper wants to give us no choice but to work a little harder to make him see the error of ruining Christmas for the whole world thanks to his warlock powers, then so be it." Rapunzel declared. "He has now forced our hand and now we may have to take drastic measures so not even his own magic will stop it."
"But we can't be too hard about it." Eugene spoke up. "McCopper is obviously just a broken soul. Being rough about this would only make him hurt everyone more."
Rapunzel sighs. "You're probably right. But we still need to hit hard enough so he gets the message loud and clear."
What a tragic past for Scrooge McCopper. Thank you for reading and be sure to review.
Cassandra and Varian are from the TV series "Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure", which ended at the beginning of this month. Also, I planned to upload this earlier, but lately, I've been stressed and concerned when I got the news about the coronavirus outbreak. I hope I don't catch it.
Anyway, see you in the next chapter!