Quintessence by Hugs.And.Kisses (book recommendations website TXT) 📕

their comrade's demise, and quickly turned on Jack. A few more snaps of the Soul Robber, and they met the same fate. "Well, that was certainly not the welcome home I expected." Jack said as he snapped the Soul Robber back around his wrist.

The sound of the alarm made him look to the steps of Town Hall. No one was cranking the cat's tail, so where was it coming from? "Testing… testing… is this thing on?"

Jack's eyes widened. He recognized that voice all too well. "Oogie!" What had happened while he was gone?

Oogie cleared his throat over the apparently invisible speakers that he had set up. "My dearly abhorred denizens of Halloween Town, this is Oogie Boogie speaking! Today I bring you a joyous announcement."

'I seriously doubt it.' Jack thought to himself, still trying to find the source of the voice.

"First of all, in place of Jack Skellington, yours truly is now the new ruler of Halloween Town!" 'I should've known…' "And secondly, as of today, this very hour, this exact moment, I declare the town's name will be changed to Oogie Town!" He laughed sinisterly as the noise cut off with static.

Jack growled. "Ooh! That Oogie Boogie… when I find him, I'll-"

"Jack?" He stopped, looking toward the sudden movement near the steps of Town Hall. Mr. Hyde was peering out nervously. He grinned when he saw that he wasn't mistaken. "Jack, it's you! You're back!" The skeleton rushed over.

"Mr. Hyde, what's happened here? Where is everyone?"

"Hiding." The medium Mr. Hyde called, lifting the hat he was under.

"From Oogie's monsters." Finished the smallest.

Jack frowned. "Those skeletons I just fought?"

"Yes." The largest answered.

"What exactly happened while I was away?" Jack questioned.

"Oogie is back!" Mr. Hyde exclaimed.

"Bugs, bags, and all." The medium added.

"He's taken over Halloween Town!" The smallest concluded.

The largest looked up at his two smaller counterparts before turning back to Jack. "Doctor Finklestein proposed a plan for next Halloween. He said you wanted a dangerous Halloween, so we went about building you one by booby trapping the entire town. He said if we didn't, you might never come back."

"Does using skeletons and ghosts to hurt people sound like me idea of a good Halloween?" Jack questioned.

"We just wanted you to come back, Jack." The monster explained sheepishly. "Anyway, not long after, skeletons and ghosts began attacking the town! Soon it wasn't even safe to step outside."

"What about my family? And Lock, Shock, and Barrel?"

All three Mr. Hydes closed their eyes, bowing their heads. "Jack… Aubrey disappeared not long after you left."

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel have defected to Oogie Boogie!" The medium added.

"And Sally and the triplets haven't left Skellington Manor since we started building the traps." The smallest finished.

Jack dealt with the most pressing problem- namely, his missing daughter. "Aubrey disappeared? What do you mean?"

"The last place anyone saw her…"

"Was in the Town Hall…"

"When she went to save Mercy…"

"And no one has seen her since."

Jack frowned, puzzled. "Hm. Perhaps I should go see what I can find…"

"Be careful Jack." All the Mr. Hydes warned. Jack nodded before ascending the steps to the meeting hall. He was barely inside the doors when they snapped shut behind him, the lock clicking ominously in the silence. Jack frowned at the doors and turned back to the rest of the room, walking forward cautiously. The benches had been tossed haphazardly to the sides of the room, and the banners hanging from the ceilings had been torn to shreds. "What happened here?" He murmured, still glancing around.

His eyes caught movement on the stage and he turned quickly. A black, shadowy, ooze seemed to be slithering through the cracks in the wood. "What in the world…?" Jack asked, taking a step back. The smoky substance continued to pile on top of itself until it resembled a very familiar figure. A pair of glowing yellow eyes and a gaping mouth appeared in the shadows.

"JAAAAACK!" The Shadow-Oogie cackled.

Jack whipped the Soul Robber off his wrist. "Oogie! I should've known that you'd be here. What have you done with my family?"

Oogie chuckled. "And ruin the surprise by telling you? Besides, you should be more worried about your precious oldest."

The Pumpkin King growled loudly. "Where is she, Oogie? Where's Aubrey?" The shadow merely smirked and pointed up. Jack's eyes moved slowly upward, falling on the stained glass window over Oogie's head. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing. "NO!"

The usual three happily dancing ghosts portrayed in the glass had been replaced by a very much in pain Aubrey, on her knees with her arms wrapped around herself as shadowy claws reached around her body.

"Oogie, what have you done?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He sneered.

"That's it! It's over, Oogie! You've gone too far this time!"

Oogie laughed. "I'd like to see you try and stop me!" Oogie blinked as the Soul Robber hit his arm, sending a chunk of shadow flying off. "That actually hurt." He said as it was quickly mended.

"Good." Jack lashed out again, but this time Oogie moved away from the green whip, summoning up a couple of ghosts to defend him. Jack sliced through them with little effort and advanced on the shadow, glaring furiously. That is, until Oogie melted into the floor and reappeared on the other side of the room. "What in the-"

"Catch, Pumpkin Puss!" Oogie cackled, tossing a pair of rather large dice at him. Jack twirled around, the Soul Robber forming a spinning green shield that reflected the dice right back at Oogie's head. Both smacked him directly in the face, sending him off-balance and spinning. Jack rushed over, whipping the Soul Robber straight through Oogie's middle.

The shadow glowered at him as it began to sink into the floor. "Beginner's luck if you ask me. Don't worry, Jack, we'll meet again."

Jack tried to hit the shadow once more before it completely disappeared, frowning as the Soul Robber bounced off the wooden floor. It retracted around his wrist. With a sigh, he turned back to the window overlooking the room, then gasped. It was completely empty. He ran back toward the stage, stopping at its edge. "Oh no… Aubrey…" Jack looked up to the ceiling as what appeared to be flakes of light fell like snow from seemingly nowhere and onto the stage. "What's this?" He murmured, sticking out a hand. One of the flakes hit it and disappeared, and Jack was surprised to find it warm. His eyes were drawn from the ceiling as a wave of magic flew through the room. Slowly, a figure began to materialize on the stage, growing more and more solid as the lights began to land on it. With a final, bright flash, the lights solidified completely, forming the body of Halloween Town's heir.

"Aubrey!" Jack leapt onto the stage and knelt down next to his daughter, raising up her torso and shaking her lightly. "Aubrey, wake up."

Making a small sound of protest, the girl's head rolled to the side slightly before her eyes opened partway. "Where…?"

Jack smiled, relieved. "Thank god, you're alright."

Crimson eyes focused on Jack's skull. "Dad? You're back?"

"Far too late, I'm afraid." Jack sighed. "Do you remember anything that happened to you?"

Aubrey put a hand on her head, closing her eyes, as Jack stood them both up. "It's all sort of blurry. I remember… fighting the monsters, then… then one of them grabbed Mercy and…" Her eyes widened. "Mercy." She turned to Jack, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Dad, Mercy brought back Oogie!"

Jack's sockets widened. "What?"

"She tricked me into thinking she was in danger and lured me into Oogie's trap."

"I can't believe this…" Jack said, putting a hand over his eyes. "Why would Mercy do something like this?"

"I don't know- but for some reason, she seems to think that OOGIE is the good guy here, and that we're the ones who did something wrong. Or, at least, she thinks me, Lock, Shock, and Barrel did."

Jack frowned. "Aubrey, I hate to have to tell you this, but Lock, Shock, and Barrel have gone back to Oogie's side."

Her crimson eyes filled with disbelief. "No… they… they wouldn't… not them. Not them."

"I'm sorry, Aubrey." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder lightly.

Aubrey pulled away from her father, burying her face in her hands. Jack gave her the space she needed as her shoulders shook. After a minute or so, Aubrey straightened up, turning back toward her father. "Are you alright?" He questioned gently.

Aubrey laughed a little. "Not in the slightest." She replied, her voice still slightly teary. "But having me sit here and drown in my sorrows isn't going to help the town. We have to- ah!" As she spoke, Aubrey walked toward the stairs, crying out as her legs gave way underneath her.

Jack moved quickly, catching her before she tumbled down the stairs. "But first, maybe we should get you to the fountain." He wrapped one of Aubrey's arms around his shoulders.

She smiled, laughing a little. "Yeah."

For someone with no muscle, Jack was surprisingly strong as he held Aubrey up, leading her down the steps of Town Hall and over to the fountain. Aubrey dipped her hand in, bringing some of the green water to her mouth. She stood up, off Jack, as the magic in the water did its job. "Have I ever mentioned I love this fountain?" She questioned, stretching out her muscles.

"Do you have enough magic to fight those monsters?" Jack asked.

Aubrey nodded. "Yeah, my magic's back to full. But who needs it?" She held out her hand, and the Morningstar (her scythe) appeared. "I've got this."

"I see I'm not the only one Dr. Finklestein has been making weapons for." Jack commented. "Before we start tracking down Lock, Shock, and Barrel, we're going to need to stop by the Witch's Shop. I need to borrow something from Hazel and Zoë." Aubrey nodded and followed him toward the shop.

Hazel and Zoë looked up as the two walked inside. "Jack! You've returned!" Zoë said, bouncing excitedly on her stool.

"Aubrey, dear, are you all right? You've been gone so long…" Hazel asked, touching the girl's cheek.

"I'm fine, Hazel." She assured the elder witch.

Jack turned to the two witches. "Is it true? The whole town is booby trapped?"

Hazel turned away. "Ohh… it's too embarrassing to talk about!"

"We were tricked by Oogie Boogie and Dr. Finklestein." Zoë sighed.

"But we'd be glad to help if there's anything you need!"

"There is, in fact." Jack said. "Did the two of you ever finish those vials to hold the fountain's water?"

"Oh, yes. Zoë, go get them." Hazel ordered. The smaller witch hopped down and ran to the back room. "We finally managed to spell the crystal to hold the magic in with the water- and they won't break." Hazel said as she took them from Zoë, handing them to Jack. There were eight in the box.

"Good. We can fill these with the fountain water and save our magic for-" All four looked up as there was a scream from the square.

"That sounded like Sally." Zoë said worriedly. Jack and Aubrey glanced at each other briefly before running outside.

"Johnny, Ed!" Jack said, seeing his sons