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Once, a long time ago, lived a warlord. His name was Ebenezer, and he had a strong lust for power. He built great armies rivaled by none other, but through age and war, his blood had gone cold. He was fierce, brutal, and cruel, and was feared by many.
He had one other brother, his twin, a wizard named Nick. They were the fiercest rivals the world had ever known. They fought bitterly, and, being born on Christmas Day, exchanged bolts of magical lightning and explosive jars of enchanted goo with heavy fire from rifles and highly explosive hand grenades made of the finest ingredients even more fiercely on that day. They obliterated nearby towns, farms, and everything in their path. They saw Christmas as a time of war, Ebenezer fighting for his so-called honor, dignity, and pride, to be the strongest person in the world, and Nick fought for money and gold, to be even richer and make more magical elixirs to sell for great sums.
Or that was what he thought. Seven years before Ebenezer and Nick were born, their mother had her firstborn, named Polaris. Two days later, on Christmas Eve, Polaris vanished from his cradle. His mother, distraught, could not bear to mention him to the twins, to protect them from such pain. No one ever saw Polaris again.
Twenty years later, Polaris died, and was welcomed into heaven by holy angels, singing the most beautiful songs in heaven and earth.

Ebenezer sat on his throne, sulking, glancing around his tent. I am wiser than all of these fools, Ebenezer thought. Even the darkest secrets can be revealed by fifty lashes by the cat-o-nine-tails.
"Ebenezer." The wind said.
"Who disturbs me!? Show yourself at once and you may live another hour!"
"But I am already dead," The wind replied. "I am Polaris, your eldest brother."
Ebenezer gritted his teeth and sprang to his feet. "Damn you, whoever you are, show yourself at once and tremble before my might!" He bellowed, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"As you wish, dear old Ebenezer." The wind said.
A gust of wind burst through the tent, with strange wisps of red smoke and the smell of cinnamon. The smoke curled around Ebenezer, and formed a wispy figure floating beside him.

The cinnamon wafted into Ebenezer's nose, and all but entranced him. It smelled so sharp, so familiar...
"Wh-wh-what are you? This m-m-mu-must b-be a trick! Magic from Nick! Bego-" Ebenezer let out an enormous yawn.
Polaris shifted slightly.
Ebenezer blinked.
Polaris took a breath, or as close as a spirit can get to one. "You fool! Do you not see you have wasted your life killing, destroying, annihlating everything! What is the point of being the King of Everything if everything is destroyed when you rose to power!? Feel this, the pain of everyone you have hurt, every soul you have all but destroyed, unmendable."
Polaris thrust a cinnamon hand at Ebenezer, which disintegrated into tiny red particles, and swirled around Ebenezer, before disappearing into the soft ground beneath the tent.
Two seconds passed.
Instantly, a roaring inferno of blue flames burst from the ground, engulfing Ebenezer in flame and smoke, as he shrieked and howled and screamed but could not move, his feet stuck to the ground by pillars of rock.

As soon as it had come, the fire, the abyss, the rock had gone in a swirl of cinnamon, which molded back into a hand and attached to Polaris's arm.
Ebenezer dropped to his knees, sobbing. "I have done great evil, O Spirit! Please, let me undo my wrongdoings!"
"Tonight is Christmas Eve," Polaris told Ebenezer, though undoubtedly he knew, making preparations for the surprise attack at sunrise the next day. "Your only hope to reach heaven is Forgiveness. Dismiss your armies, destroy your weapons, for achieving peace is the greatest honor, the highest pride. Meet Nick on the battlefield, and give him a Christmas present. Forgive yourself to him."
Ebenezer stood, baffled, at how this actually seemed... right. "But dear brother Polaris, Nick will destroy me! He will attack me with bolts of lightning and will turn me into a wisp of smoke, drifting away on your most wonderful air!"
"I think not." Polaris winked. Goodbye, my dear brother. We shall again meet soon, in heaven."
Another gust of air, more fierce than the first, howled through from the other side of the tent. Polaris exploded in specks of red dust and flew away with the wind, leaving behind only the faint smell of cinnamon.

Ebenezer did as Polaris had commanded. He sent his army home, and sold all of his army's weapons, armor, and tents, to purchase the most magical item in all of the known world as a gift for Nick. After all, having no magical power, he couldn't use it himself.

The next day, sure enough, Nick and Ebenezer met upon the battlefield, with no weapons, no armies, no magical staffs. The only thing in their hands were two gifts, one red, one blue. They embraced.
"I am sorry, dear brother!" Ebenezer exclaimed.
"And so am I," Nick spoke softly.
Ebenezer carefully picked up the blue box, Nick the red.
"Thank you, Ebenezer, for this wonderful present!" Nick said.
"And back to you, Nick." Ebenezer replied.

Some magical force told them that they must already say goodbye.
They parted ways, and at the remains of his army camp, Ebenezer opened his gift. Inside was the grandest rifle ever imaginable, with bullets and gunpowder. Ebenezer cast aside the bullets, and scattered the gunpowder. He kept the gun as a reminder of the Spirit of Christmas, and lived his remaining years in happiness. When he died, he was welcomed into heaven by holy angels, singing the most beautiful songs in heaven and earth. He never fired a shot again.