Suddenly, Bill's gaze was forced away from SpongeBob to the outside, and Bill saw Rephic crossing over. Bill then found himself back with SpongeBob.

"I'd hate to leave you soon," Bill said apologetically, "But I have to take care of something real quick."

Before SpongeBob could vocalize any objections, Bill teleported out of the bubble. Quickly and very hesitantly, Bill put the seal back on. Ryphic came into the throne room.

"Hey, Rephic," Bill said and then asked, "You like what I've done to the place?"

Rephic snarled, "Sea creatures are coming into your palace as we speak!"

Bill scoffed, "What, no, you must be mistaken."

Bill snapped his fingers behind his back, and all SpongeBob's friends immediately teleported away.

Ryphic sighed, "Have you at least tried to invade the rest of this universe?"

Bill replied, "Oh, that's what I was supposed to do. I almost forgot because I was having so much fun just messing around here!"

Ryphic exclaimed, "The Beyonder played you like a Neptune damned fiddle, didn't he?"

Bill admitted, "He did manage to side-track me a bit, but I pulled out of it fine."

Rephic pointed to SpongeBob's containment bubble and asked, "Then why haven't you destroyed that idiot already?"

Bill answered, "I was trying to convert him to our side; he's much more powerful than you would think."

Ryphic said, "Oh sure, SpongeBob is powerful. Just like how we made FNaF lore easy for MatPat to figure out."

Bill replied, "In our defense, most of it was Scott's own doing."

Rephic snapped, "It doesn't matter; the sponge has to go. And if you don't destroy him, I will."

Bill said, "Why waste our energy doing that? When can we eliminate him by putting his containment bubble outside the throne room?"

Rephic sighed, "Fine."

Bill took the bubble so it would float over the Krusty Krab dome. Bill then returned to Ryphic.

SpongeBob friends went into the bubble and looked around; they were a little creeped out that there was a version of toy Bikini Bottom with toy citizens going about their days like nothing was wrong. There were weird bubbles everywhere. They split up to look for SpongeBob.

Patrick started at his toy house, but there was just a toy, Gary. Patrick gave Gary some food before he left. He went to the Krusty Krab. Squidward and Mr. Krabs were already there, a bit weirded out to discover toy versions of themselves in the replica restaurant. Patrick had to sit down to process what he was seeing.

Toy Squidward sighed tiredly, "Welcome to the Krusty Krab, valued customer. May I take your order?"

Squidward retorted, "Have you seen SpongeBob anywhere?"

Toy Squidward gasped, "You're looking for SpongeBob the Grand?"

Toy Mr. Krabs told his authentic self, "We call him that because he's the one that made this utopia."

Squidward scoffed, "I'd hardly think that me being in the same job I always had and still having my talents be unrecognized, a utopia."

Toy Squidward was surprised, "Unreconized? My extensive gallery is on display at the museum as we speak. And I'm planning to have a concert tonight. You're more than welcome to join me on stage!"

Mr. Krabs replied, "We can't stick around for too long, Mr. Squidward. We still need to figure out where the lad has gone to now."

With disappointment, Squidward said, "Right, of course."

Patrick asked, "Wait if there's a toy Krabs and a toy Squidward, wouldn't there also be a toy me?"

At that exact moment, toy Patrick came into the Krusty Krab.

"Guys," toy Patrick warned, "Keep on the lookout. Our real selves might be..."

Toy Mr. Krabs and toy Squidward interrupted him, saying, "We know Patrick."

Toy Patrick looked at his authentic self and said, "Ah, I see."

Toy Patrick explained, "Well, SpongeBob the Grand has asked us to gather them and bring them to him at Bill the Chotic's palace."

Patrick, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs exchanged worried glances. They followed their toy copies from the Krusty Krab to the town center. Sandy was already there with her toy counterpart. Above was the black pyramid the real gang had all learned to fear. A giant SpongeBob appeared, smiling sweetly as always. He very gently lifted all his real friends from the ground.

"Hey guys, glad you could stop by," SpongeBob said, asking, "Do you like what we did to Bikini Bottom?"

Sandy asked, "We?"

Suddenly, as if he heard the question, Bill rose from behind the Palace. (Well, a copy of Bill, anyway.)

"I helped give this place a certain je ne sais quoi," Bill explained, "Wouldn't you say?"

Squidward answered, "You nearly destroyed our whole city!"

Bill said, "Oh, that wasn't me. That was the Henchmaniacs!"

Sandy asked, "Aren't they your friends?"

Bill scoffed, "They're not my friends."

SpongeBob gave an empathetic look at Bill.

Patrick asked, "Do you have any friends?'

Bill answered, "I have SpongeBob to call a friend."

SpongeBob said, "I'm glad you think so."

Sandy asked, "So why are the Henchmaniacs making such a mess?"

Bill answered, "The god of my world, Ryphic, had ordered them to. I used to be their leader, but Ryphic had taken my world from under me. Now everyone answers to him, and I can only watch."

Squidward said, "Yikes."

Mr. Krabs asked, "Can't you just use your power to fight back against him?"

Bill answered, "And be obliterated?! No, thank you. I'd rather manipulate him into thinking I had overtaken this world."

SpongeBob said, "You see guys? Bill isn't so bad."

Patrick was on board, but the others were still suspicious.

Meanwhile, Rephic and Bill came to the edge of the city. Ryphic was trying to break through Aquarius' dome. The Element Immortal was keeping Bill and Rephic in the city. As well as keeping Malum out.

Aquarius appeared to the reality benders and said, "Neither of you is going anywhere."

Rephic demanded, "Let us out, you pathetic little puddle!"

Bill said nothing as if his mind was elsewhere. He was staring.

Aquarius asked Bill, "What have you done with my children?"

Bill replied truthfully, "They have either been assimilated into the throne temporarily or put into SpongeBob's bubble."

Rephic asked, "The heck do you mean temporarily?!"

Aquarius encouraged Bill by saying, "The truth will set you free."

Rephic asked Bill, "Why are you protecting the sponge?"

Bill snapped and said, "Because he's unlike any being in the multiverse!"

Rephic asked, "What the flip are you talking about?"

Bill answered, "He's kind, loving, caring and friendly. He's just so sweet and pure, I couldn't bring myself to ruin his world."

Rephic chuckled and said, "You let yourself be manipulated so deeply you're convinced it's the truth."

Bill was shocked, "Manipulated?! Are you hearing yourself? I'm Bill Cypher! A master of manipulation! Do you honestly believe that I can be so easily swayed?!"

Rephic scoffed, "Apparently, you fell for the biggest lie of all, hope."

Bill growled, "Ryphic, you are nothing but a cheap copy of me. I refuse to allow Weirdmageddon to decimate another reality bender's home."

Rephic was infuriated and attacked Bill. Bill and Ryphic were evenly matched in terms of raw magic. But Bill had the edge in terms of skill. It was like Ryphic wasn't alive for very long.

As they clashed, Bill was actively undoing Weirdmageddon as he fought Ryphic. Driving the power of the Nightmare Realm back through the portal Bill made. Bikini Bottom was restored except for the containment bubble.

Rephic shouted, "You've become weak, just like the real Bill! You will both pay for your betrayal of our nature!"

Bill scoffed, "As if you're a perfect reflection of the old me."

Rephic snarled, "If you do this, I'll ensure you are never welcomed back into the Nightmare Realm again."

Bill replied, "I'm looking forward to that."

Then, he resealed the portal.

SpongeBob prepared to leave with his friends. Copy Bill took the toy pyramid Palace and used his power to put it into the blank dimension before exiting the bubble and reuniting with Bill.

Bill unbound SpongeBob from the bubble. But by comparison, he was still a giant.

SpongeBob asked, "So, will you be staying? I know it's not perfect, but you're more than welcome after you help us!"

Bill wore a sad expression and sighed, "I'm sorry, SpongeBob, but no. As much as I want to stay here, I don't belong."

SpongeBob asked, "Why do you say that?"

Bill admitted, "I had had a home once. I destroyed it after I came into my own as a reality bender. I killed everyone close to me and everyone else just because I could."

Plankton, who was unfrozen now, said, "Yikes."

Bill fell to his knees onto the ocean floor and sobbed, "I'm a monster."

SpongeBob said, "While it is terrible you genocided billions, I think I understand why. You felt dwarfed by the multiverse when you came into your power."

Bill admitted, "I couldn't look away. Ironically, I lost sight of the smaller picture by allowing myself to get tunnel vision staring at the sheer magnitude of infinity."

Squidward crossed his arms and said, "I don't think that's ironic."

Bill begged, "SpongeBob, please, take away your blessing. I didn't have a plan to heal your world. It was going to heal itself eventually. I don't deserve it. I might snap! Go on a massacre around the multiverse."

SpongeBob could see things his friend couldn't, and He saw a black clasp on Bill's chest and a black chain trailing off into the distance. Aquarius lifted it and, with his incredible power, snapped it.

SpongeBob reassured Bill, "I have it on good authority. You're free to be nice again."

Patrick asked, "So where are you going to go?"

Bill answered, "I guess I'll just have to wait and see. But until then, I started working on a new world just for myself."

Bill held up the paper, showed the Pyramid Palace he had taken, and put it in a blue sky.

SpongeBob chirped, "That does look homey."

Patrick said, "I can be your friend if ever you want to just laze about here."

Bill said, "That's a sweet sentiment, Patrick."

Squidward said, "You have a great eye for composition. I would love to paint with you."

Bill chuckled at the pun.

Mr. Krabs said, "If you ever need a bite to eat, you're more than welcome in the Krusty Krab."

Bill said, "That would be nice."

Sandy asked, "How are you in hand-to-hand combat?"

"I've never practiced," Bill admitted.

Sandy smirked, "I can probably teach you a thing or two."

Bill said, "I'm looking forward to it, Sandy."

Plankton said, "If you're going to change for the better, you'd better commit to it!"

Bill said, "I'll keep that in mind, Sheldon."

SpongeBob then gently hugged Bill on the knee.

SpongeBob said, "We will all be here for you. You can come to me for love and support if no one else."

Bill shrunk himself to embrace SpongeBob back. A few tears left his eyes.

"Thank you," Bill said, "For reminding me that reality is whatever I choose it to be."

They let each other go, and SpongeBob dried Bill's tears. Bill then disappeared.

Sandy said, "SpongeBob, promise me you'll tell us next time someone powerful introduces themselves to you."

SpongeBob dismissively said, "Of course, I promise."

THE END