I can think of no applicable Nightmare Before Christmas Lyrics

[smooth_sith]

Who: A lot of people and a lot of Mannequins.
When: Sometime after this post.
Where: All over Ultimecia Castle.
What: There are subtle ways to rescue hostages and less subtle ways to rescue hostages. This is going to be one of the second ones.
Type: Whichever works.
Notes/Warnings: Violence. Specify which area of the castle (I.e. PRISON, where most

Comments

It's fine! ^-^

[obsidian_chaos]

Shadow saw it was going to take more than just a mere offensive attack to stop the Esper. Although he had seen the Tornado spell before in action, it had been at a distance away. He had attempted to dodge once more, relying on his speed, but the magical wind had proven that much faster than him. He suffered a similar fate to that of Onion Knight, having been knocked down and away from where he had been standing.

He got to his feet and shook his head to dispel the temporary dizziness, knowing he was surrounded by so much magic and sorcery. He was more than irritated that he couldn't outun the oncoming attack. His teammate's voice, however, broke through the din of the sound of battle and his thoughts, and Shadow knew his objective had changed. Onion Knight would have to fend off Terra for a few moments longer, while Shadow went after the root of the problem.

The green gem, his Chaos Emerald, appeared in his hand, and he raced off toward the darkness that resembled his namesake. That clown was not only so damn aggravating, but also a damn coward.

[alittletoosmart]

The Onion Knight grimaced and almost hesitated again when he saw blood. Distracted too much by the fact that he had just cut Terra, he didn't think to block in time. He cried out in pain again as Terra's claws dug into his unprotected arm before they glanced off his chest armour.

Ideally, he needed to fight at close range (well. ideally he wouldn't be fighting at all right now and this would be something that could be resolved with hugs but he'd given up hope for that outcome around the time the riot blade struck.). Terra would have the advantage at a distance, more than he would. But at the same time, fighting at close range meant there was no easy way to ignore the fact that what he was doing was hurting his friend.

He didn't have time to think that much! Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the sword and swiped again. It was clumsier than before, his injured arm already taking a toll on his ability to use his sword,

[heavenslament]

While the strike was clumsy, it wasn't entirely ineffective. Terra, driven into a frenzy beyond reason, did not have the luxury of defensive thinking. The sheer force of her attacks worked in her favor, but at the same time she had no attention to spare for anything else. The sword swipe raked along her wide, provoking a snarl. She glared, then sent several Holy missles at the Onion Knight.

Branch threads for individual fights from here? y/n?

[chaoticelement]

Kefka watched in elated amusement as the battle unfolded. Yes, the rodent-like thing was veering away from Terra, but he had anticipated that. It was enough to pit Terra against one of the few of her comrades she had truly bonded with, and knowing they would both remember this as the second time only made it that much more amusing.

As he floated in the darkness, the green shine ever encroaching, he spared one last snicker at the child fighting the half-esper, before turning his gaze to Shadow. An iconic name was only fitting. At least in Kefka's mind.

"Considering your comrade's track record of heeding warnings, I'll skip that and get right to the main attraction~!" As Kefka spoke, a light erupted behind him, almost blinding as his silhouette was made quite clear in the otherwise relative darkness. In that momentary flash, Kefka's form changed, slightly at first, as if the frilly clothing he wore deflated into his arms and legs. Next came four new appendages, sprouting from his back. The upper wings were clad in ivory feathers, glistening in the fading light, while the lower pair resembled the wings of a bat, though as if carved from ebony.

"Gaze in awe, and tremble... your destruction has come." Even Kefka's high-pitched voice seemed smoother, slightly lower, even charismatic. Regardless, the being before Shadow was by far a completely new one.

Kefka ran multiple strategies through his mind as he began to ready his spells, knowing full well that he would have to hit his mark fast. The one thing he despised about this constant war was the time limit that seemed to go hand-in-hand with his true form.

It's on, Kefka! XD

[obsidian_chaos]

Shadow skidded to a stop, dust rising up in a nebulous cloud as he did so. He immediately brought his free arm up to block his eyes not from the floating debris, but from the overpowering light emanating from who knew where or how from behind his current target.

Transformation yet again. Shadow was having more than enough of the transformations, especially since it put him at a total disadvantage. He had to multiple his Emeralds into seven in order to do it, and there was no way he would get his hands on seven. He was lucky enough to have the one. Not to mention last time he had transformed... The black hedgehog immediately shook his head as he could not afford to become lost in one of his flashbacks, not now, not ever.

The slightest of smirks played across Shadow's lips. Had this been any other opponent, in particular one highly vexing blue hedgehog, he would've been ready to have a war of words with them. But this time, he hardly wanted to waste any time letting this new, ridiculous-looking creature hear him speak. Kefka would be met with destruction before he even knew what hit him. Yet he also knew that he would have to be faster than ever; he already got caught off guard with a spell Terra used, and he did not want the same to happen in this situation.

Instead, he tried a different approach. What else was in the sorcerer's arsenal, he just had to know. Shadow tossed the green Chaos Emerald up once in the air and caught it on the way down. He raised his free hand up and beckoned, no, challenged the double-winged creature to attack him first.

[alittletoosmart]

Fighting at close range meant Terra's better range was neutralized but it also meant he had very little time to see and react to the oncoming projectiles. He hopped backward, dodging the first and blocking the second but he moved a fraction of a second too late to block the third. It struck him on the shoulder of his injured arm, magic burning white hot, and it took all the concentration he had not to drop his sword. The fourth and fifth both struck his chest and he stumbled backward.

Breath still happening only in short, painful gasps after being winded a second time, he gritted his teeth again, trying to concentrate enough to use Comet once more.

[heavenslament]

Terra lunged--not a great idea, but again, she wasn't in a rational mode. The Comet's missiles struck her full force. A brief scream erupted as they sent her back, slamming her into a wall.

She groaned, wobbling as she pried herself away, and ascended once more. Her strength was waning; soon, she would likely revert. As though to make up for the imminent decrease in power, Terra made the most of it by spinning around, creating a Flood spell that erupted underneath the Onion Knight.

[alittletoosmart]

The Comet spell's primary aim hadn't been to strike, though that would no doubt be of use. It had been to buy time while he willed himself into breathing properly again.

It didn't quite buy enough time. He leapt out of the way of the flood spell but it caught him in the air, tossing him upward roughly. He caught himself in the air as he fell back down, launching a thunder spell this time. If it struck, he would use the opportunity to cast Flare.

[heavenslament]

Had Terra's time not run out, the spell would have missed. As it was, Terra began to descend and the bolt reached her. She screamed as the power coursed through her body, trembling. Frenzied or not, the Esper could still feel pain.

When she touched ground, her Esper form subsided quickly. More human in appearance now, Terra appeared pale, drawn, haggard. The week had not been kind to her. However, the frenzy had not abated. Panting, she supported herself against a wall and tried to send a Blizzara spell in his direction before the Flare could hit. Her aim was not currently the best, however....

[alittletoosmart]

The Onion Knight let his guard down for a second, expecting Terra to regain control when she returned to her human form. He was shocked by the fact that she was still attacking and it was only her poor aim that allowed him a chance to leap out of the way, hopping over the ice. The attack, the scream and mostly the fact that Terra was human again but still attacking distracted him from his own spell and the flare burned out without touching the esper.

Doing his best to block out everything else, he lauched a Blizzard spell of his own toward Terra.

[heavenslament]

Terra lifted her trembling arms, about to launch another Blizzara spell, when that of the Onion Knight's reached her instead. There was a brief, sharp cry as the shard of ice struck her full force in the chest. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she crumbled to the ground, unmoving.

[alittletoosmart]

The Onion Knight dashed forward, almost instinctively, to try to break her fall but was a second too late. He leaned over the fallen esper, not sure what to do for a few seconds, and then struggles to lift her.

He looks around for Shadow, attempts at not crying valiant and betrayed only by occasional hiccups.

[obsidian_chaos]

[OOC: Assuming that this is after the battle with Kefka (and Kefka got away). I hope that's all right. ^-^]

Kefka was out of sight, and it was far too troublesome to pursue him. There would be many other opportunities to face off against the clown later, he had no doubts about that. But for now, there were more pressing matters to be addressed.

The fight had taken more out of him that he anticipated or liked. His heart raced, his lungs demanded air, his body had been drained of power, physical and chaotic. Any injuries he had sustained were slowly being healed, but at a much slower pace than normal. Yet all of that, he pushed it and the thought of any pain to the back of his mind.

He made his way over to both of his comrades once all of the pandemonium had died down, the only sounds to break the silence were his approaching footsteps and the soft, hitched sounds of breath from Onion Knight. The only thing left to do now was to return to where they would be safe.

"Hold her. This will only take a minute."

Quietly spoken, saving as much breath as he could, slightly giving away the hint that everything shouldn't have happened the way it did. The teleportation would take less than the given amount of time, he knew, but he gave his younger companion time to brace for the brief burst in power and the rapid relocation.

[alittletoosmart]

"Are you okay? Where's Kefka-" He stopped asking questions when given an instuction. "R- Right!"

The Onion Knight held Terra tighter, bracing himself for the teleportation.

[obsidian_chaos]

Shadow put his hand on the knight's shoulder and gave him a nod, indicating that he was fine. On the whole, anyway, as fine as he could be given what had transpired.

He held onto the green gem, concentrated what power he had left into it. Soon all three of them were enveloped in a light of the same green hue, and disappeared from the prison.

Moments later, another flash of light, and they reappeared at the Sanctuary. He relaxed just slightly now that they were somewhere safe.

"Are you injured?" he asked Onion Knight. He didn't need the answer right away and let the question hang in the air. He could wait, and allowed for some time for Onion Knight to recover and stay with Terra.

[alittletoosmart]

It took the boy a few seconds to get over the the disorientation from teleporting and a while longer to answer. He shook his head.

"I'll be all right. But Terra-" He paused for a second and then shook his head again. "She's gonna be okay too, right?"