"OOGIE OPEN UP!" Jack shouted angrily his pale fist pounding on the manor door. "I KNOW YOUR BEHIND THIS SO OPEN UP RIGHT NOW-"
"OR WE'LL BURN DOWN THE HOUSE!" Lock finished excitedly his green eyes blazing with the hopeful anticipation of an oncoming battle.
"That'll be a problem with things being as they are." Barrel pointed out. At once his siblings shushed him. Jack sighed shaking his head. This was so much harder without magic. He wasn't even sure if he had the strength to break down the door if Oogie didn't answer. But he did.
"I'M COMING!" came the irritated reply from inside. There were footsteps from inside and the door swung open. "Lock, Shock, Barrel, and-" the door swung the rest of the way open and the black haired man who had opened it burst into hysterical laughter.
"Oogie...?" Jack asked stunned. He had been so sure that Oogie was the culprit behind this massive, holiday-wide panic but looking at the slightly shorter black haired man in hysterics before him he was becoming less sure. Jack took an awkward step inside followed quickly by Lock Shock and Barrel who had come simply because they knew their way around the house.
"Jack... I can't... wow..." the man gasped trying to break the laughter but remaining rather ineffective. His voice was deep with the all too familiar thick southern drawl. There was no doubt to his identity. This man was Oogie Boogie.
"I fail to see the humor in this; you look just like I do." Jack said irritably.
"Yeah... but still... this is priceless!" Oogie gasped.
"Are you quite done?"
"Not even close!" Oogie laughed. Jack may not have had powers any longer but he wasn't going to loose what remained of his dignity. He grabbed Oogie by the shoulders thrusting him into a wall. "Still as big a pinhead as ever I see." Oogie said indignantly over the cheers of Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
"I'm here on official business on account of all the Holiday Worlds." Jack said sternly. "I have solid reason to believe that you are behind the loss of magic in the Holidays." Oogie gave Jack a 'you've got to be kidding me' look.
"Yes because I am obviously still the King of Bugs." Oogie said moving his arms as best he could because Jack was still holding him. "You saw right through me Pumpkin King. Once again you have seen through my foul scheme."
"Yes... well..." Jack stuttered. He had been so sure of Oogie's plot. "You may indeed be... innocent." Though Jack still had some very serious doubts about that. "We still have the right to investigate into your possible involvement in this... chaos."
"Well, if your going to barge through my private property without any concern for what I think of the situation. I find no need to be here in person." Oogie grumbled wreathing from Jack's grip and walking outside slamming the door behind him. Looking behind him Oogie's thin mouth formed an evil smirk. His emerald eyes contained a maniac gleam as he shook his head. "Pumpkin Idiot." he laughed . An icy wind swirled around him and his human façade slowly began to melt away. His pale skin melted away until he was once again the sac-like Boogie Man. "Double! Toil! Trouble!" he called. Three human looking silhouettes appeared in the trees Double's eyes the only light that fell on them making them appeared as children possessed. "Your talents have impressed me so far." Oogie said his attitude challenging. "But no doubt the Doctor will have devised something to reverse this."
"He's got it pretty much figured out. He's got the potential to u7ndo our spell but he needs magic to spark that lame invention of his, Mr. Oogie sir." Trouble reported. It was her job to speak when in the presence f a none family member. As far as Oogie knew Double was mute. Oogie frowned uncertainly at this report, the Doctor was not to be underestimated.
"And your sure the Holiday Magic is gone?" Oogie asked sternly. Trouble rolled her eyes at the ignorance of her boss's question.
"Yeah I'm sure." she replied hotly. "Do you want us to undo this because that can be arranged."
"Don't disrespect me child!"
"Sorry Mr. Oogie."
"Very good now you three keep an eye on things and tell me if things go wrong." Oogie said walking away. As soon as he was gone Trouble let out a frustrated cry and folded her arms in a sulking manor.
"Dearest sister, thou art upset?" Double asked as if he hadn't the slightest notion about how infuriating their current boss was. Trouble glared furiously at her older brother; trying to think up an excellent comeback but nothing came to mind.
"Double, did we take all the magic?" Toil interrupted.
Double smiled shaking his head.
"NO!? WHADDA MEAN NO!?" Trouble shouted.
"Silence thine voice dear sister." Double said warningly.
"Sorry, now what do you mean we didn't take all the magic? I just told Oogie we did."
"You spoke no lie Trouble."
"But you just said-"
"Listen to thine own words. No lie was spoken."
"I said-"
"That all Holiday Magic had been disposed of. Indeed it has."
"But you-"
"Told thee that all magic was not stolen. Indeed it has not been. Are thine powers still working."
"Yes but-"
"Know you nothing of our power source?"
"Apparently not."
"Our powers are not of these worlds."
"Oh yeah? Where are they from."
"From the darkness sister mine. There are three major wells of magic: Darkness, Holidays, and Chaos."
"You are not making any sense."
"He's saying that there are only three types of magic."
"No one asked you Toil."
"She speaks with accuracy."
"Yeah well... never mind her! Keep explaining this thing to me. So there are three magics... blah blah blah... so basically your saying that because we mess up one doesn't mean we mess up the others too?" Double nodded. "Wicked! That means we have the power to change them back! Us and only us! I like that power."
"Indeed 'tis likely that the power be ours alone."
"Likely?"
"Thou dost not know of others with power. But that means not they are not in existence."
"You think someone else has magic?"
"Not likely yet not impossible."
"Yeah I'm sure we're going to get killed in a magical challenge by... I dunno, one of the mortal girls or something."
"Thou speakth ill of thine own skill."
"I was being sarcastic."
"Thou dost often use such a tone with me."
"You caught me, I'm secretly turning good."
"Strange illness indeed. But alas one that is cured with ease."
"Sarcasm is a foreign language to you isn't it?"
"Is to thee as well."
"I hate you."
"I know." Double replied icily. Toil looked dizzy from following the argument for so long. Who knew Double could be so talkative? It seems this was indeed the perfect plot. But Trouble sensed a few loopholes: How long could Oogie control his new power? How could her siblings gain anything from this madness? And most importantly, what was Double planning?
