A/N: -dances-

The Showdown

Jack and the others moved stealthily to Oogie's Hollow.

JAck had pointed out that he hadn't heard anything of Santa, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel were the people who had had the honor of taking him away to whereabouts unknown. Since the kids were chenchmen of Oogie's...

Yeah, the pieces all fit.

So here they were, running at top speed toward the deep edges of Halloween Town, Willy trying to keep up with everyone.

"Slow down!" he yelled at the group, but no one heard him. Erik, Pebbles, and Jack, the fastest ones in the group, were racing each other. Pebbles finally lost some steam and dropped back, but Erik was still going strong. He was slowly going ahead of Jack, his cape billowing in the wind. Jack's long legs gave him a bit of an advantage, but Erik's were almost as long and he was extremely skilled at speed.

They reached the bridge at the same time, neither breathing hard or sweating.

"I beat you," Erik smirked.

"We reached the bridge at the same time!" Jack raised an eyebrow at Erik, also smirking.

"Let's not argue, you crazy people," Cricket said, coming between them.

Pebbles peered down into the void with Amanda. "This is endless!"

Amanda reached over for a rope. "Let's go down this."

Willy finally reached them, panting heavily. "I'm not...good at...running..." He gave a great wheeze and stretched.

"Silly candyman, toughen up," Cricket said, giving him a great pat on the back, stealing a technique from Victor.

Pebbles noticed the reference and said, "Speaking of your dearly beloved..." She pointed down into the hole, her finger identifying a small, barred window set into the wall.

Jack wordlessly took the rope from Amanda and went down first, everyone following behind him.

Pebbles looked up at Erik. "Punjab!"

He took said piece of rope from his belt, smiling evilly.

She looked down to Amanda. "Arrows and bow?"

Amanda looked up and nodded.

"Willy and Cricket, whatever you can think of?"

"Yes!"

Finally they reached the window. One at a time they snuck through it, staring at the wall and not what was going on inside the room.

Jack jumped down stealthily, followed by Amanda, Willy, and Cricket. Erik went past Pebbles and also landed quietly, but Pebbles hissed to them, "To Daggerland with surprise!"

No sooner had the words left her lips that she landed, making the loudest thud that she could.

"Right, Oogie?"

Oogie whipped around from four people. He cackled.

"MORE guests? Come ON, you people are really too kind!"

"Well, I brought the sammiches, Amanda brought the soda, Erik brought the donuts, Willy brought the candy, and Cricket brought the presents. Now, whose birthday is it?"

Victor gave a yell from where he sat, chained to the wall.

"Pebbles! Cricket!"

Holli screamed with delight and tried to launch herself at the group, but was halted by her own bonds.

"DAMN IT!" she yelled, giving a glare towards Oogie.

Pebbles winked discreetely at Holli, and continued.

"Honestly, Oogie, release them. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to," she said, quoting "Uglies" perfectly.

While she spoke, Erik readyed the lasso, Amanda drew up an arrow, Willy brought his cane up in a threatening manner, and Cricket raised her fists.

Oogie gave a laugh again.

"Really now...surely you can't beat me?"

"You're a freakin' burlap sack of bugs. BUGS, you idoit!" (A/N: NO, I didn't spell "idiot" wrong...that was on purpose.)

Erik whispered in her ear. "But they can be poisonous."

"Who cares?"

Pebbles gave a signal.

Everyone took off in different directions, hoping that they could distract Oogie. But Pebbles and Cricket had the same destination: Victor and Holli.

As Amanda let off a barrage of arrows, Pebbles and Cricket worked the chains and locks frantically, Victor and Holli helping in the best way that they could.

"This lock goes that way, Pebbles."

No sooner had Holli said it that the chains fell loose, and Holli removed the shackles from her wrists. Now they moved to Victor, helping in the same way that they had released Holli. Fortunately, Oogie's system wasn't too complicated at all, and Victor was released.

"Victor, left. Holli, right. Now go!"

As they ran, Pebbles went in the place she had quickly identified. As if on cue, the roulette wheel they were standing on started turning, and the deadly stack of cards came up from the ground, knives sticking out and spinning quicker than the speed of sound.

She sighed and stuck her iPod earphones into her ears.

"Showtime."

The entire group started dodging knife after knife, following Jack's lead. Cricket drew a dagger she happened to have and started hacking at a card. It smoked and burst into flames, but soon died down and crumpled. She moved onto the next one.

Willy took her idea and started doing the same thing to the cards near him, this time using his cane. Soon everyone was doing their best to hack the cards, anyone without a pointy object simply grabbing the bases of the knives and ripping them out with all of their might. As a few cards stood left, Oogie flipped another switch. Before anyone could reach them, the cards drew in their knives and backed away, and the roulette wheel slowed down a little.

Everyone started to aproach Oogie, but he cried, "FIRE!"

Bullets started firing, and Willy, Victor, Cricket, and Holli ducked, disabling the bases of the gunfighters this time. Jack, Pebbles, Amanda, and Erik jumped up onto the guns, ripping out those and bending and twisting the guns. Erik found that by strangling the gunfighters as if they were real people, he could rip off the heads and disable the entire machine. He used this tactic and managed to "kill" several in a few seconds.

Oogie caught on more quickly this time and, without warning, the gunfighters retreated. The group leaped off or backed away, depending on where they were.

Sally, who the group hadn't noticed, yelled, "Look out!"

Without thinking, everyone ducked, Willy taking off his hat. A buzzsaw came within inches of their heads, and they sighed with relief.

Oogie wasn't amused. He reached for another switch...

But Pebbles kicked him down.

It may seem impossible, but she did it.

A sneaker on his stomach, she uncapped her pen and held it menacingly in front of Oogie's face. He tried to suck it in, but she pressed down harder on his middle, blocking off any deep intake of air.

"Do you know ANYthing?"

"I've got no idea what you mean!"

Pebbles sliced part of his face. His extreme cry of pain told her that it really affected him.

"Talk, you piece of garbage."

"No!"

Pebbles again sliced him, this time near the neck. He yelled even more.

"Al...right!"

"Talk!"

He tried to take in some air. Knowing that he wasn't trying to suck in the pen, Pebbles relieved her hold a little bit, then replaced it.

"There's a place called Infinity. Not that far from here, just a couple of miles. There's this organization called Shadow there. I-"

"You what?"

"...work for it."

Pebbles had her informaton. She gave a great war-like yell, then stabbed her pen deep into his chest, ripping it down through his middle, then releasing it.

Oogie tried to scream, but no sound came out. He suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving a note fluttering in his place.

She grabbed it and read it, breathing heavily.

Ask Jack.

Jack was reading over her shoulder. He grinned sheepishly at Pebbles.

"I knew."