Shadow Reader's Christmas Carol Chapter One

It all happened so quickly didn't it? Shadow going from being a semi-well known YouTuber to one of the most richest and powerful men in the world of television. It all started after Nickelodeon somehow came across one of Shadow's videos on the Backyardigans Reboot. They were so impressed with it that they actually phoned Shadow up, and asked if he'd be interested in helping them make his show a reality.

Shadow of course said "yes," and within just a week, he had packed up his bags, and moved to California. Backyardigans Backyard Adventures was quickly met with universal critical acclaim, and ran for more than seven seasons even getting it's own movie, as well as several video games and other merchandise including plush toys and CD's etc.

Shadow himself became so popular in Nickelodeon's inner circle that he actually rose to become chairman of the entire company. Once Backyardigans finished up, Shadow commissioned his second series which was a reboot of Back On The Barnyard, and the same happened with that show. It became a success, and this led to Shadow commissioning another show which was a reboot of Franklin & Friends.

Shadow's shows quickly became the top viewed programs on the network even beating SpongeBob SquarePants and The Loud House. Shadow was able to buy himself a mansion, his own private jet, and even his own hotel in Las Vegas. But all his fame and success came with a price.

You see when Shadow first started out making Backyardigans Backyard Adventures he still continued to run his YouTube channel albeit not quite as frequently as he once had. However, he still kept his fans updated on the show, and still gave them what they wanted. His creepypasta narrations. However, once the fame began getting to Shadow's head he realised his YouTube channel was holding him back rather than helping him get further up the ladder so he abandoned it.

Most fans just simply left it behind calling Shadow various nicknames such as "backstabber," "ungrateful prick," and the like. However, some people like Skyrunner, Shadow Fiend, Dark Reindeer, and Shadow Lioness tried contacting Shadow. With many of them making videos on the situation. Even DaveTheUseless tried to contact him but failed in doing so.

Shadow Lioness eventually managed to get into a Skype call with Shadow, but he rudely told her to go away as he had a lot of important work to do. Lioness reported this back to her friends, but they would not stop in their efforts to contact Shadow, and try desperately to get him to come back to the man he once was.

However, this would come to happen on a chilly Christmas Eve. Several years had passed now since Shadow had taken over Nickelodeon, and he didn't show any signs of retiring due to the amount of money he he was making.

Shadow and his staff were planning on making a Christmas themed movie for the network which would be a crossover between all of Shadow's shows, and would also be a parody of the popular Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol.

Shadow was shown the final cut of the special during a board meeting. However, the special was very cheaply made with really bad CGI effects, and lots of training montages. Needless to say, Shadow was not very impressed. He rose from his chair, and poured himself a glass of scotch. He took a sip before throwing it down on the ground causing it to smash.

"My God does that suck?" Shadow asked while his secretary Ellie cleaned up the broken shards of glass on the floor. "It's not our fault Sir..." One of the interns named Sally piped up before continuing with, "I mean you barely gave us enough time to produce the special. You only announced it last week at that board meeting." "It's not so bad I mean kids love training montages." Another much older intern named Solomon said. Shadow put his hands on his face in frustration, and yelled, "We have spent two thousand dollars on this special, and what do you give me? A bunch of shitty training montages, and Pablo reading a book in front of a fire place!"

"What do you purpose we do Sir?" Solomon asked to which Shadow replied, "well first of all this entire special needs to be scraped, and then I want a completely new special with no training montages, better CGI, and I want it done by tomorrow night!" "But that's impossible!" Sally yelled, and the rest of the interns began saying the same thing. This caused Shadow to angrily throw his hand down on the table, and yell, "enough!" Everyone stopped talking, and listen to what Shadow had to say. "Now the special will be finished by tomorrow, or you're all fired. Is that understood?" Shadow asked. "Yes Sir." They all said in unison. "Right good now Ellie come with me I need you to write my Christmas list. The rest of you get back to work!" Shadow commanded his employees ending the meeting, and heading to his office with Ellie following behind him.

"Okay so are you ready to write your list Sir?" Ellie asked while beginning to write on a small clipboard. "Yes make it quick. I got lunch at 4.30 with the Mayor." Shadow explained while drinking another glass of scotch. "Okay Mayor Borrington." Ellie said. "Bath towel." Shadow answered. "Police commissioner Strickland." Elie said. "VHS recorder." Shadow answered bluntly. "Your secretary." Elie said while praying in her head that she didn't receive a bath towel or VHS recorder like last year. "VHS recorder." "Okay now how about your family?" Elie was rudely cut off by Shadow who yelled, "BATHTOWELS!" Shadow yelled angrily. "Your own family?" Elie asked. "Whatever." Shadow said as he placed his glass of scotch down on the table. "Right is that everyone?" Shadow asked slightly agitated. "Yes Sir I'll go send this to HQ." Elie said before turning to Shadow, and saying, "oh and one more thing Sir there were two people who wanted to see you."

"Who are they?" Shadow asked confused. "Someone called Shadow Lioness, and someone called Dark Reindeer." Elie explained when those two aforementioned people entered his office. "Leave us alone for a minute would you?" Shadow asked as Ellie left the room shutting the door tight behind her.

"Well what do you want?" Shadow asked while sitting down at his desk. "We were just wondering if you were coming back to your channel anytime soon?" Dark Reindeer asked. "I've told you this before my channel is dead to me." Shadow said coldly as he poured yet another glass of scotch. "But Shadow think of....." Reindeer's words were cut short as Shadow slapped him across the face, and yelled, "what did you call me!?" "Shadow...." Reindeer began as Shadow yelled, "no one calls me that anymore!!!!! That name is dead to me just like my channel!" Shadow then walked away as Lioness helped Reindeer stand back up.

"Shadow please we miss you. We're all depending on you to make a return to YouTube." Lioness urged. "Oh Shadow Lioness can't you see?" Shadow asked before continuing with, "ever since I left YouTube life has been great. That's everybody's dream to get out of YouTube." "You never used to be like that." Lioness said under her breath. This caught Shadow off guard. It then hit them that she was right. There was a time in his life that all he relied on was YouTube, after all it was the only thing that kept a roof over his head, and it was the only thing he cared about. It was how he got so rich and famous in the first place.

Shadow didn't say anything else after that. "Come on Lioness let's go. There's always next year." Reindeer said sadly as he and Lioness made their way out of Shadow's office. Shadow sighed, as he watched the two disappear from his sight.

The rest of the day played like normal. Shadow's employees struggled to make the Christmas special to Shadow's liking, and his animators struggled to animate all the new footage in the small time limit. Ellie had asked Shadow about her Christmas day off, but Shadow refused to give it to her as he needed her to make him a cup of coffee. "But it's Christmas!" Ellie cried out to which Shadow replied. "really I thought it was Easter!"

Just before Shadow left for the day, he had Solomon assassinated by the Local Pak Lan who had become an associate in Shadow's business. He had done this to Solomon because he had insulted him for having the smallest toe in Yorkshire hills.

That evening, Shadow got back to his mansion in Los Angeles, and flopped down on his couch dreaming about how much fame this new special would get him, but this brought him back to Lioness's comment earlier. Had Shadow always been a bad man or did the money just help show who he truly was. Shadow shook this off as he began to make his way to bed.

He hadn't even decorated his mansion. He didn't really care about Christmas or any holiday anymore. It was just another day to him now. Another day for making money. Another day for eating pineapples, and calling yourself dirty while your butler Igor desperately tries to scrub you down with a sponge doused in vinegar.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from Shadow's fireplace. Thinking it was a burglar, Shadow grabbed a shotgun, and got ready to kill this unruly guest. Suddenly, a large otter shaped figure fell from the fireplace covered in soot, and as the thing finished brushing itself off. Shadow saw a face that he had not seen in years. It was Otterton!

"It's you!" Shadow yelled bewildered. "Yes it's me." Otterton said confidently as he made his way towards Shadow. "But I thought you died after I left you behind in my trailer?" Shadow asked confused, and a little terrified at the same time. "You really should remember who am I Shadow." Otterton began before continuing with, "I'm not just your average plush toy." Otterton finished as he punched Shadow in the gut causing him to fly through the room, and land face first on the couch.

Shadow asked, "what do you want with me dreadful creature?" "Dreadful? Now that's not a very nice thing to call your sidekick Shadow." Otterton laughed as he made his way to Shadow's mini bar, and began to drink a healthy dose of vodka. Shadow shot Otterton with two bullets from his shotgun, but they had no effect.

Shadow dropped his shotgun, and tried charging at the plush toy, but was stopped when Otterton turned around, and grabbed him with his immense strength.

Otterton raised Shadow up into the sky until they were so high up that the moon was in clear view. "Hear me my time is nearly gone!" Otterton warned to which Shadow replied, "I will but make it quick I've got a busy day tomorrow." "Shadow if you do not change your ways: a dreadful fate awaits for you. You must change, and learn the error of your ways." Otterton explained. "And how am I going to that?" Shadow asked confused. "You will be visited by three spirits." "That's my chance of hope? I'd rather eat a blueberry muffin." Shadow said which caused Otterton to laugh, and then drop Shadow causing him to fall towards the city below. "Okay okay okay I'll do it!" Shadow cried.

But just as he was about to hit the ground, Shadow found himself back in his living room on the couch. Otterton appeared behind and said, "boo!" Causing Shadow to fall off the couch in a comedic fashion. "Now listen because this part is important." Otterton warned before continuing with, "the first ghost will visit you at 1.00 in the afternoon, the second will be at 2, and the third at 3." "Ooh but tomorrow's kind of an important day for me Otterton. Can't I just take them on all at once, and have it over with?" Shadow asked to which Otterton laughed heavily before saying, "no."

And with a tip of a hat, Otterton left the room in a flash of smoke, and Shadow fell back onto his couch, and fell to sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he dismissed the previous night's adventures as a side effect from his frequent drinking as of late. He checked his watch, and realised it was 1.00 in the afternoon! Shadow made his way into the streets where he caught a cab.

"How fast can you get me to Nickelodeon Studios?" Shadow asked the driver. The driver then turned around, and said, "for you Shadow I've got all the time in the world!" Shadow gasped as the driver revealed himself to be none other than DaveTheUseless. Shadow just stared at him helplessly, as Dave pulled on the accelerator as the two began their drive towards the past.