There was much hustle that morning in the Skellington mansion. For that morning marked the thirteenth birthday of Raven Autumn Skellington and Holly Luna Skellington. As Sally busied herself making the girls' favorite breakfast - chocolate spider pancakes, as a matter of fact - Jack was in the dining room setting up. In the den were Lock, Shock and Barrel, putting the finishing touches on their gifts. When Oogie was finally relased, his first action upon returning to his treehouse was punting the traitorous trio out of his home. Feeling sorry for the three, Jack and Sally had agreed to adopt them into their family - just so long as they behaved themselves, mind.
"Jack, dear?" Called Sally. "Could you please go wake up the girls? Breakfast is ready." Jack grinned, ear to bony ear. This was his favorite part of the morning; even that time when Raven tackled him and, in her excitement, managed to knock him down the stairs. As he made his way upstairs, he found himself thinking back to the events those six years ago that had led them together. Jack knew, of course, as any father would, that the twins, despite their similarities, were two very different people. Raven, despite all first impressions, blossomed into a happy, outgoing, and... very spontanious child. On the other hand, Holly proved much more mature for her age. While Raven loved art, music, and dance, Holly prefered reading, history, and, much to the delight of her new grandfather, inventing. Through the years, Shock had grown close to the girls, developing alongside them. She was a little rough, a little loud, and a lot spunky; but in the end, her heart was in exactly the right place.
Jack sighed, and smiled to himself. Troubling as a young family might be at times, he was thankful. Thankful for them, and thankful for their happiness. When he reached the twins' room, he made a silent prayer that this year's celebration would prove less injury-prone - last year, Raven almost tore a leg in her haste to make it down the stairs. He knocked on the door. "Girls," he called. "Come on, birthday girls! It's time for breakfast." He heard a groggy murmer in response. He turned away, only to be stopped in his tracks by a great bang! from within the room. Laughing to himself, he turned around and opened the girls' door. And sure enough, there, sprawled out on the wooden floor was Raven, clutching her head and wincing in pain.
"Owwie..." she moaned. Raven had recently gone through a growth spurt, and she didn't quite seem used to her own height just yet. Judging by the tangle of sheets by her feet, Jack guessed that she had lept to her feet with such exuberence that she negelected to notice that she had become tangled in her bedsheets, which then led to her tripping, sending her flying into the door. "Are you all right, Raven?" Asked Jack, trying to contain his laughter as he helped her to her feet. Raven nodded, and responded with a toothy grin. "I'm fine, I'm fine! More importantly, my legs are intact this time! I must be growing up after all," she added proudly.
"You're about as grown-up as a kid in a candystore," remarked Holly, sliding off her bed. Ravens stuck out her tounge as her sister made her way to the bathroom. "Oh, yeah?" Raven said indignantly. "Well... you're less fun than a wet blanket!" Holly made a snort that echoed throughout the room. "Yeah, yeah... you got me." Poking her head out of the bathroom for a moment, she smiled - a small, just barely-there smile that always crept onto her face when she was dealing with her beloved sister. "But you know, you can't stay so carefree all the time. Someone has to look out for you -"
"- Which is you," Jack stated proudly. "And sometimes Shock."
Raven looked up at her father, eyes wide. "But she chases me around with a pitchfork!" Jack crossed her arms, doing his best to look like the stern father figure he was supposed to be. "Oh, is that right?" He leaned out the door and called downstairs: "Shock, you and I are going to have a little talk."
And with that, Jack left the girls to change. And after giving Shock a quick lesson on the dangers of pointy objects and why it was unwise to point them at other family members, Raven came rushing down the stairs, Holly in tow. Upon arrival in the kitchen, Raven threw her arms in the air. "Tah-da!" She exlaimed. "Look! Holly and I finished our dresses just last night!" Sally smiled sweetly at the two. "My, my, look at you! You're very talented, dear. I'm impressed." Raven was clad in black peasent dress that swished as she danced into the dining room. In her hair were long, purple ribbons, with tiny skull fasinators at the ends. Holly, trailing behind her with her head in her hands, wore a dramatic, flowing dress, purple in color with a black sash tied across her waist. She wore her hair much more simply; up in a ponytail, with a small black bow at the tie. Lock grinned at his stepsisters from his place at the table. He grabbed his present from the stack, lept from his seat, and thrust the gift into Raven's hands.
"Happy birthday!" He yelled. "Open it, open it!" Raven giggled, and tore at the packaging. Suddenly, a there was a bright flash and the room filled with smoke. As Sally rushed to the windows, Jack fanned the air. When the room was finally clear, Holly jumped back in surprise upon seeing a small fire in her sister's hair. "Raven, you're on fire!" She screamed, rushing into the kitchen for safety. "I know, right?" Raven said cheerily. "I'm not even hurt! This is shaping up to be the best birthday yet!"
"N-no, Raven," said Jack, trying to remain calm. "You're really, actually on fire. Look - it's in your hair!" Raven stood, confused for a moment, before turning and examining herself in a nearby wall mirror. Seeing the rapidly growing fire on her head, she began to panic. "Oh, no! Oh, no!" She screamed, running and spinning in place. "Oh, no! Oh -" she was cut off as a stream of water hit her square in the face. She spluttered, and turned to the kitchen door. Holly, looking almost as surprised as Raven, looked down at her hands. Small streams of water circled her hands. "Dad?..." She asked. "What's going on?..."
"Well, Holly," Jack began, beaming. "You know how I can control fire, and Shock can sometimes call lightning? Just like Barrel summons the undead and Lock can manipulate metal, it looks like you can call water. You see... everyone here in Halloween town can do something special, something that helps us scare. You and your sister didn't develop your powers until now, probably becuase you weren't born here. Your mother and I," he said, gesturing to Sally. "Have been waiting, wondering when yours would show themselves. Congragulations," he said, applauding. As the others joined in, Raven spoke up.
"But, Dad, I don't have my power yet," she said quietly. Jack smiled, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you worry, Raven," he said, smiling. "You'll get yours soon enough. Now," he said, claping his hands definitively. "How about that breakfast? Your grandfather's got a surprise for everyone when we're finished."
Everyone settled in, unaware that this surprise would soon prove to be trouble for their happy family.
After breakfast, the family made their way to Dr. Finklestein's observatory, chattering amongst themselves happily. Barrel took two small bags of candy out of his pocket, and handed them to the twins. "Here, girls. Happy birthday... you can eat 'em now, if you want." Holly leaned forward and gave Barrel a dirty look. "Barrel, you know we're not supposed to eat candy. Remember what happened last time?" Barrel shivered as he recalled the day that the Mayor had thrown a great Halloween party, complete with all the sugar one could stand. The girls had eaten so much candy, that they had gone on a sugar-crazed rampage throughout the town. By the end of the night, the Mayor was out one car.
"Geez, you're right..." Barrel said, scratching his head. "Sorry about that. I guess I forgot. Here, I'll take those ba - ohh." He stopped, looking at Raven. "Ohhh, goodness, no." Holly was horrified. "Not again!..." she cried. Before she could say any more, Raven had popped the last piece of candy into her mouth. "But 'sis!" Whined Raven. "It's just candy! How bad could it be?" Holly rolled her eyes, and Barrel hung his head. "Fine, I'll have mine. But just so you know - whatever happens is your fault." Holly gingerly took a piece of candy out of her bag, eyeing it warily. She gobbled it down quickly, promising herself that was all. But before she knew it, she had eaten one more, and then another, and yet another until her bag too was empty.
"Come on you guys, pick up the pace!" Called Jack. "We don't want to make grandfather wait, do we?" Raven shook her head, and rushed forward, Holly and Barrel following behind. Dr. Finklestein was just cleaning up his newest invention when the Skellinton family arrived. "Ah, Jack, Sally!" He said, straightening himself. "Come in, come in! You're just in time." Shock looked back at the twins as they walked through the door, noticing that they had begun to twitch a little. "Hey!" She whispered. "What's up with you two all of a sudden?"
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" Said Holly, very quickly. "Nothing at all. Where's grandpa? Come one, let's go!" She and Raven rushed forward, grabbing hold of Shock's wrists and dragging her along.
"So, Doctor," said Jack, unaware of the girls running around behind him. "What is this new invention of yours? It certainly looks impressive," he remarked, giving the metal monstrosity a tap. A large circular frame stood above them. In the center was a raised platform with steps leading to it, the frame centered above it like a ring. "But what does it do?"
The Doctor snickered. "What does it do? My boy, I'll show you what it does!" He moved to the console and began to type. Suddenly, there was a spark from somewhere within the machine. A bright, blue light flashed, spiraling in the center like water in a bowl. "This, you see, is a portal to anothe realm!... of some sort. I think. I haven't tested it out, yet."
Lock, who had been watching Dr. Finklestein up until this point, looked in amazment at the vortex. But then, to his horror, he saw Raven and Holly dancing around the machine with Shock inbetween them. As they danced closer and closer to the spiraling abyss, he started. "D-Dad?... Uh, Dad? You might wanna see this..."
"Not now, Lock." Replied Jack, studying the machine with the Doctor. "But... But Dad! Look! I mean, look! Raven and Holly and Shock, they're - they're..." He shook himself. "They're in trouble! Do something, Dad!"
Jack looked at Lock in confusion for a moment, before turning to the face the platform. And for just a moment, he couldn't even believe his eyes. Too stuned to even move, he saw the girls standing infront of the vortex. Shock struggled, but was unable to break free of the twins' grip. "G-girls, wait!" He called, but it was too late. Before he could reach them, Raven and Holly jumped, dragging Shock along with them.
Imobilized by horror, no one moved an inch or spoke a word. Lock scanned the room, his eyes falling on two small bags laying on the floor, crumpled candy wrappers littering the room. "Um, Jack?... I think someone gave them candy." Barrel was silent, his eyes focusing on anything but the people next to him. Jack eyed Barrel with an angry look. "Barrel?" He called, deathly calm. "You didn't give them candy, did you?" Barrel cringed, gritting his teeth. "Yeah..." He said quietly. "But!... But I didn't mean it! They ate it before I had the chance to think!" Jack sighed, resting his head in his palms. "Boys... We've been over this. No sugar for the girls, period. Remember that! Above all else!"
"Hey, does that mean you'll forget about that time when we blew up the Mayor's car?" Lock asked hopefully.
"No." Jack said plainly. "Fine," he said, sighing. "Above almost all else."
"Aww, man..." Barrel said reproachfully. "I was really lookin' forward to that. I wanted to put on a show for the girls tonight... I even got everything ready!"
Jack's eyes widened. "Wait... what do you mean, you got everything ready?" Jack shook his head. "Look, never mind. We'll deal with that later. We have to figure out where the girls have gone. Doctor," he said, turning abruptly. "Do you have any idea?"
The Doctor muttered to himself, scratching his brain. "I... don't know. I told you, it hadn't been tested! Agh, this is all my fault. I knew I shouldn't have tried to activate it!" Barrel looked at the Doctor with sadness in his eyes. "Don't blame yourself, old man," he said, reaching up and patting him on the shoulder. "It was my fault... I should have known better, but I forgot. I just hope they're all right," he said, looking back at the machine. "Wherever they are."
Shock awoke with a start and bolted upright in a panic. She looked around worriedly. "Girls?" she called. She spotted the girls next to her and gasped. They looked... human! Pale skin, no bones... no rotting! With a ragged breath, she looked down at her own hands. They, too, were the same pale pink as her sisters, every trace of green, gone! She shook the girls violently. "Girls!" She called. "We're alive! We're... We're alive!" Raven's eyes snapped open and she began to panic. "W-what?" The two held eachother, screaming. Only Holly remained calm, placing her hand atop her chest. "Girls, calm down... we're still dead. We just look human." Raven and Shock blinked at eachother, and placed their hands on their hearts. Never had silence been so... comforting. "But... why're we here?" Asked Raven. "And where are we?"
"Well," began Shock. "I think I remember how we got here, anyway. The two of you," she said, pointing at them accusingly. "Went on a sugar-fueled rampage and pulled me into that weird, glowing portal thing!" The girls began to look around. They were in the strangest of rooms; it looked like... a dojo? Holly seemed to remember reading something about it in one of her history books. But this was no ordinary dojo; not with that giant tree growing smack in the middle of the room. Not only that, but weapons adorned the walls - giant weapons, at that. Almost three times the size of ordinary weaponry, they were more than a little intimidating.
Holly spoke up. "Okay... let's split up, and just try and figure out where we are. Raven, you climb up the tree and sett if you can't get a good vantage point. Shock, you come with me and we'll explore the building." The girls nodded dutifully and separated. Holly and Shock left through the door, calling back behind them: "Raven, be careful, okay? We'll be right back." Raven rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I'll be fine!"
As Holly and Shock made their way down the hall, Raven began the climb. It wasn't as difficult as she thought it'd be, and she made it up to the top without much effort. "I wonder if we've really just gone and lost it?" She said to herself, as she hoisted herself up over the branches.
Unbeknownst to any of the girls, their actions didn't go unnoticed.
As Holly and Shock continued to explore the place, they became more and more anxious. "This place looks abandoned," said Holly, shivering a little. "Yeah, tell me about it... I usually like creepy places like this, but this is ridiculous." The girls jumped at a sudden noise, coming from a room nearby.
"Ha! I beat 'ya man, I totally beat 'ya!" Came a voice. Following it was another, muffled voice, and some shuffling and shifting noises. "Come on, Bee, you cheated and we both know it." The girls looked at eachother nervously. Maybe the place wasn't abandoned after all? Shock, taking a deep breath and steeling away her courage, opened the door. "Um, excuse me?.. . we're kinda lost. Can you give us a hand or... something?" As the door opened, the girls' jaws dropped. The room looked almost like a living room; there was a sofa, some chairs, a table... made of concrete? But perhaps what startled them most were the two mechanical beings sitting at said sofa, controllers in hand.
The smaller mech, yellow with black stripes and a gray face, stood up. He - it was a he, right? - had wheels, of all the strangest things, on his shoulders and feet. On the top of his head were little horns. The larger mech, still sitting, was green, with stars on his shoulders. His jaw was shiny and stiff, and his face was an ever darker gray than the other. Both of them possessed blue eyes, bright but empty at the same time. Holly and Shock looked at each other, not believing their own eyes. Their knees gave way, and the two dropped to the floor. Hearing footsteps, Holly looked up. The yellow one knelt over her. Her eyes darted for the other one, seeing he - or it, or whatever - nudging Shock with no response. He made motions to lift her, and Holly tried to move, snatch her sister away, but her body didn't respond. "I... I hope... Raven's okay..." she murmered. She tried once more to move, but to no avail; she swooned, the world fading to black around her.
The two mechs look to eachother in worry. "Geez, Bumblebee, what are we gonna do with them?" Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them. "Take them to see Rachet; I'm sure he'll know what to do. I'll get the other one... there were three when I saw 'em earlier." A third mech stepped forward. Black with gold stripes and a gray face like the others, it was very skinny. Unlike the others, though, he wore a shiny blue visor over his eyes. "All right, Prowl, fine," said the green mech, picking the two girls up off the ground. "Thank you, Bulkhead. Bumblebee, go tell Prime we got ourselves some guests." At that, he left to fetch the third.
Raven stared in wonder at the sight atop the tree. "Wow..." she said to herself. "I wonder where we are?" All around her rose giant buildings, the busy streets down below filled to the brim with people and cars. "You're in Detroit... and my room," came a voice from behind her. Raven whirled around, seeing Prowl propped up on the branches behind her. "O-Oh, um... I'm sorry," she said, shrinking into the leaves. "Me and my sisters... we're lost, and I just thought... you know, I'd come up here and, um, get a look around?" She smiled nerviously. He smiled back, if just barely. "I understand," he said, putting his cold, heavy hand on her shoulder. "Your sisters were a little surprised when they met my friends and colleuges - I'm glad to see you're made of sterner stuff."
"W-what, did they faint?" Raven asked, her face brightening. "Aww, man, and I missed it? Ohh, they'll never live that down! Darn it, I wish I'd have been there!" Prowl cocked his head to the side, amused by their strange new visitor. "You're an interesting one, I'll say that much," he said. Raven grinned. "I've heard that before! Oh, um, I'm Raven, by the way... Raven Skellington." Prowl's smile widened, almost to a smirk. "I'm Prowl. Sorry about this, but I'm afraid that a tree is no place to talk." Prowl pinched her neck, and she immediately went limp. He took her in his arms and said as she began to fall asleep, "Don't worry, I'll take you to see your sisters."
A/N: Longest. Chapter. Ever. And a crossover! How 'bout THAT? Anyway, I've been pretty busy lately, so I don't know how long it'll be before I can update again. But keep an eye out! Oh, and just a quick warning: there'll be pairings between the three girls and some of the characters, so if you're a little touchy about that kinda thing... well, you've been warned! Hasta la vista, and happy New Year!