Pained moans reverberated in the Nightmare Realm, emanating from the top of the Scare-amid. Neptune came into this world and sighed.
Neptune muttered, "Do this for SpongeBob. You're doing this for SpongeBob."
He floated up into the Scare-amid and saw a pile of bottles in the middle of the dancefloor.
Neptune called, "Bill! Bill Cipher!"
A loud belch shook the pile of bottles, and Neptune spotted a black limb peeking from under it. Neptune sighed as he used his trident to shovel a few bottles away. Neptune unburied Bill from the bottom of the pile. He was the one moaning in agony.
Neptune said, "There you are."
Bill groaned, "Oh no, you're upset I tried to dethrone you. Aren't you?"
Neptune said, "Not really. You'd be surprised by how many people more cunning than you, have tried to take my throne from me. But none of them managed to please the Sponge as much as myself and you."
Bill sat up, immediately summoned another bottle, and poured it directly into his eye.
Bill snapped, "Don't talk to me about Sponges anymore."
He threw the bottle at Neptune, who caught it and looked at it.
Neptune said, "This is just soda pop and not alcohol, you know that, right?"
Bill grumbled, "Of course I do. Alcohol doesn't affect my body. I've been trying to wash the taste of that sandwich out of my mouth."
He summoned and dumped another bottle into his eye.
Neptune asked, "Sandwich?"
Bill snapped, "The Krabby Patty."
Bill tosses it behind him, summons a new one, and dumps another bottle into his eye.
Bill explained, "That idiot gave me a taste of it, and now I can't stop tasting it whenever I'm not drinking something fizzy."
Neptune put the empty bottle down and stopped Bill's arm before he drained another bottle.
Neptune asked, "Why are you trying to wash away such a tasty sandwich from your taste buds?"
Bill replied, "Let me go; it's none of your business."
He teleported the bottle to his other hand, shaping his body into a pyramid. The top half pulled away from the rest of his new form; sharp teeth lined this new opening, and on the bottom rested a forked tongue. Bill poured the fizzy liquid all over his tongue; he grew a new arm and used it to rub on the tongue as it poured the bottle's contents into his being. It was more liquid than should have been in that bottle.
Neptune said, "Well, clearly it's not working."
Bill snapped up his mouth and pulled his arm away from Neptune. He tossed the bottle, made the extra limb disappear, and stood up to face Neptune.
Bill asked, "What are you even doing here, Neptune?"
Neptune said, "I came to check in on you. You come into my realm and claim to be in charge for a week and then leave without warning. That doesn't make sense."
Bill sighed, "Shouldn't you be happy that you have your kingdom back?"
Neptune said, "I am, but that doesn't mean I can't care about you."
Bill said, "Of course it does; you have no obligation to see me. Unless it's for revenge."
Neptune said, "I already took my revenge. The best revenge is a life well lived."
Bill sighed tiredly; he snapped his fingers and made the bottles disappear.
Bill said, "Then you're here to make a deal."
Neptune said, "Sure, you could say that."
Bill sat on his throne, which looked carved from a black marble.
"So," Bill said and asked, "What are you, a god of the ocean, asking from me, the god of chaos?"
Neptune thought momentarily and said, "I was hoping to bring you home into the ocean; this world is going to collapse soon."
Bill snapped, "I have no home; the ocean was merely my summer house, to put it in terms you can understand. It was temporary."
Neptune was puzzled and asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to stay?"
Bill retorted, "Is that all you're asking of me? To return with you to the ocean?"
Neptune said, "Yes."
Bill rubbed his eye and said, "I should name my price then."
Neptune asked, "What could a Dorito want from a merman?"
There was a long, awkward, and silent pause.
Neptune quipped, "That sounds like the start of a bad joke."
Bill stopped rubbing and looked at Neptune, irritated.
He said, "We can work out a payment later. I'm not in the mood for this."
Bill made a flame appear in his hand and extended it to Neptune.
Bill said, "It's a deal."
Neptune took a deep breath, took Bill's hand, and shook it.
Bill let him go and followed him back to the third dimension. Other merfolk came to greet Neptune and Bill.
Bill hesitantly took on a merman shape to try to blend in with the rest of the court. In which he remained for many weeks. His yellow eyes and distinctive yellow tail are the only things that stand out against the crowd of royalty and their attendants. Bill was still doing what the Void needed him to do, leaving the ocean frequently to run whatever errand the Void wanted him to, changing back into his triangle shape. It was like Bill was living two lives. His life under the Void makes life miserable for humanity through psychic terrorism. His Life under Neptune was a bit more freeform; he could do whatever he wanted as long as he wasn't too disruptive. He was the embodiment of chaos, after all. It was a year before he met with Neptune's mortal daughter, Princess Miranda Enchilada Oceania the Third.
She was quick to say, "But just call me Mindy."
Bill said, "Nice to meet you, Mindy."
She asked, "How did you become the embodiment of chaos?"
Bill shrugged and said, "You break enough rules, and something is bound to happen to you."
Mindy asked, "And you like that?"
Bill said without hesitation, "Yep!"
Then he rushed away before Mindy to ask more questions. He was being summoned to the Void. Bill transformed into his old triangle shape and teleported to him.
Bill asked, "Who am I tormenting on your behalf tonight?"
The Void chuckled and said, "Stanford Philbert Pines!"
Bill protested, "Why would I waste my energy doing that?"
The Void sneered, "I have your soul; you can do it, or I will break you."
The Void pulled on a chain around Bill, forcing Bill to bow as an agonizing sting shot through his very being.
Bill sighed, "Very well, darkened one."
As he entered Stanford's dreams, Bill said internally, very subtly, "I know how to mess with Sixers, how to bend his sanity until it snaps. It's as easy as pie or a piece of cake. This nightmare will be one worth remembering."
Stanford dreamed of standing alone in a lab, working on a chemistry set and making notes. Bill zapped the chemistry set. Suddenly, every beaker began bubbling, fizzing, and overflowing with suds. It exploded in a flurry of bubbles.
Stanford chuckled, "Oh, Robert, I bet this is your idea of a sweet dream for me."
Bill was mortified and muttered, "No. Grr, you should be distressed and angered."
Stanford slipped on the soap and fell flat on his face. Bill used his power to make every surface lose its friction. He leaned the room to a side, forcing everything to slide right towards Stanford as he tried to stand.
"Woah," Standford said, trying to find his footing, "Steady! Steady!"
Stanford noticed the desk and other lab machines coming to crush him. He screamed, but as the objects encountered his body, he didn't feel any pain. Stanford squeezed himself out from behind the objects. He poked at his body, and it was soft. Stanford pinched his skin and pulled on it a bit, and it stretched even more than it should usually. Then he stopped pulling, and it snapped back to normal.
Stanford asked himself, "What happened to me? Did Robert make me invulnerable in my dreams somehow?"
Stanford tore off his right arm, and there was no blood or pain. And a second arm regrew in its place, good as new. He dropped the arm he was holding and was amazed at this discovery. Bill chuckled to hide how anger-inducing it was to see. Stanford looked around as if he heard something.
Stanford muttered, "Fascinating."
Bill instantly flipped the entire room upside down, forcing Stanford to land on his head. His entire body squished like an accordion, and then he bounced up on his feet completely unharmed.
Stanford chuckled, "It's like I'm in a Looney Tune cartoon! I wonder if."
He gasped in realization and reached behind himself. When he felt he had something, he smiled and produced a small piece of already-lit dynamite that exploded in his face. It covered him in a dark substance, and he could wipe it off.
Stanford chuckled, "This is incredible! I've always wanted to study Toon Energy but could never find the right universe. I shouldn't squander this opportunity."
Bill restored the room, and Stanford immediately went to the chalkboard in the lab to plan out the different ways he planned to test the limits of his new reality.
Bill entered the room. He watched as Stanford painted a tunnel into the wall.
Stanford quipped, "Meep, Meep!"
He rushed to the wall and entered the painting like an actual tunnel.
Stanford cheered, "Ha-ha! This is amazing!"
He rushed out and saw Bill. Stanford's smile faded.
Bill asked, a tinge of anger in his voice, "Enjoying yourself?"
Stanford sighed, "What do you want, Cipher?"
Bill said, "I wanted to make you suffer, but as it turns out, it looks like somebody got here before me."
Stanford said, "Yeah, Robert has popped in occasionally to tell me stories. He also lets Sandy and I have some reflective discussions."
Bill sighed, "The kid's been dead for a year and a half. I'm surprised that you're still having dreams."
Stanford was surprised, "That doesn't sound right; he visited me just yesterday."
Bill took a deep breath and said, "Look, I don't know why your mind would conjure up Spatula for so long. I do know that tonight was meant to be a nightmare for you. I was sent to you to make you suffer tonight, and I intend to do just that."
Stanford asked, "Who wants to see me suffer if not you?"
Bill said, "I don't have to answer that."
Bill made chains appear at Stanford. The clasps wrapped incredibly tightly around his neck.
Bill said, "Now, the real fun can begin."
He pulled on one of the chains to lift Stanford's right arm, which lifted towards Bill.
Bill said, "My old puppet, I could make you dance like this, but that's not as fun as doing this."
Bill slowly pulled Stanford's pointer finger, and Stanford passed some gas.
Bill sighed, "Seriously?"
Stanford chuckled, "Sorry."
Bill continued pulling it and slowly pulled the finger clean off. This action continued until Stanford just had a palm. Then, as soon as Bill set aside the fingers, they regenerated in his hand. Bill tried again, but this time, as soon as he pulled the finger off, he burned the area. Stanford shouted in pain every time it happened. Then, once again, Stanford's hand healed itself without a scratch.
Bill snapped, "What?! Ugh, fine, let's do this the hard way."
Bill tugged on the chain, and the clasp around Stanford's neck transformed into a rope. Bil tugged on it, trying to choke Stanford. As the noose tightened around Stanford's neck, it phased right through his body without any complications.
Stanford asked, "Was that supposed to hurt?"
Bill growled, "Yes! I don't understand this; how did you become so invulnerable?"
Stanford said, "I think SpongeBob..."
Bill interrupted that thought by violently throwing Stanford against the wall and snarled, "Don't invoke that name in my presence, you puny human!"
He turned red in rage, flames appearing in his hands. Symbols appeared in his eye and projected onto Stanford. Bill broke down the lab's walls, and the Nightmare Realm was on full display in front of Stanford, who was now lying on the ground of a floating island.
Bill's voice was deep with pure rage, "LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR TO YOU, STANFORD PINES! WE ARE NOT FRIENDS, AND SPATULA IS DEAD! YOU CAN'T HIDE BEHIND HIS POWER FOREVER, AND I'LL MAKE SURE EVERY NIGHT IS PURE AGONY FOR YOU!"
He towered over Stanford, who was intimidated by just how angered Bill was.
Bill screeched, "NOW, EAT NIGHTMARES!"
He blasted Stanford with a beam. Stanford collapsed into a fit of laughter. He was wearing an unfamiliar belt tightly around his waist.
Bill asked, "What is that?"
Stanford explained between bursts of laughter, "It's the tickle belt. SpongeBob told me about it!"
Bill huffed but shrugged and said, "Whatever you think the worst torture is, I guess."
Stanford pleaded as he tried to breathe, wheezing and chuckling, "Make it stop; it's too intense!"
Bill's red faded into yellow watching this. It was the first time he had heard Stanford laugh so hard. After an hour, Bill released Stanford from the belt and the dream. He returned to the ocean. Bill transformed into a merman and began thinking. He went into Neptune's library to research what he could. Mindy stumbled across him watching Mermaid-Man and Barnicle Boy with headphones. She approached him and tapped his shoulder. Bill paused the video to look at Mindy.
Mindy said, "It's pretty late; you should get some sleep."
Bill replied, "Maybe for you, mortal. But immortal beings such as I do not require it."
Mindy noted, "My father Neptune needs to sleep, and I'm pretty sure he's immortal too."
Bill asked, "Well, what are you doing awake?"
Mindy answered, "I was getting a sleeping potion to help me get some sleep."
Bill asked, "Can I try some?"
Mindy said, "Certainly."
They both went to the royal alchemist and received a sleeping potion. Bill received one that wasn't as strong since it was his first time. Bill drained every drop of the sleeping potion as he went to his little broom closet of a room and collapsed into a beanbag. Bill tucked under a blanket and drifted off into a light sleep. The only thing he could feel once his mind was detached from his merman body was the pure, unfiltered agony of the Void's chain on his heart. He sat with that agony for what felt like days. It was pulling him away from the ocean down into the core of the earth right into the inferno of Hell. Bill just took it, closing his eyes to let his breath grow slowly. Suddenly, he felt as if he was caught. He opened his eyes, and sure enough, he found himself inside a bubble.
Bill looked around and asked, "What's wrong? Why can't I leave?"
His voice quietly filled the bubble, "A-X-O-L-O-T-L, the time has come for me to burn. I invoke the ancient power that I may return."
The Axolotl's voice chirped, "Why do you think, Bill?"
Suddenly, the image of Hell crumbled away, and Bill was in an ethereal place. He could see the golden clouds lining the blue sky. The great Axolotl floated to Bill's bubble with a mischievous grin.
The Axolotl said, "Hello there, I believe you owe me one."
Bill sighed, "Alright, what do you require of me?"
The Axolotl said, "Cut your ties with the Void."
Bill sighed, "Fine, that guy is a jerk anyway."
Bill used his body as a Facetime to talk to the Void.
The Void snapped, "What do you want, Cipher?"
Bill replied, "The deal's off, Void Blackheart!"
The Void said, "That's not how..."
Bill snapped, "YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU SLIPPERY LITTLE PYTHON! I MADE THIS DEAL! I SET THE PERAMATERS! AND I SAY THE DEAL IS OFF!"
He then hung up.
Bill asked, "Is there anything else?"
The Axolotl turned away from Bill to another side of this space.
The Axolotl asked someone far off, "Well, is there?"
SpongeBob's sweet little voice squeaked, "No, I don't think so, but will you let him know I'm okay?"
Bill was beside himself in shock.
Axolotl said, "But of course, son of Aquarius."
Axolotl returned to Bill and said, "I suppose that's more than enough. But so, you know, SpongeBob holds no ill feelings for your actions against him. It seems like, if anything, he misses you dearly."
Before Bill could say anything else, his bubble floated away from the Axolotl, and his mind returned to his body. He woke up and lay there, trying to collect himself.
Bill muttered, "Of course, I would dream that would happen."
He spent his days in the court, waiting for the Void, but the Void didn't summon him for many months. In the meantime, he kept trying to wash the taste of the Krabby Patty from his mouth more desperately. It was somehow growing stronger. Mindy caught him guzzling a soda bottle, and many empty bottles surrounded him.
Bill stopped to speak, "Is there something you need, Princess?"
Mindy retorted, "Why are you drinking so much?"
Bill deeply gulped before answering, "That's none of your business."
Mindy picked up an empty bottle and sniffed it. Bill went back to drinking.
Mindy noted, "This isn't alcoholic."
Bill sarcastically quipped, "You truly are the daughter of Neptune."
Bill went right back to guzzling.
Mindy was a bit confused, but then she began thinking.
Mindy asked, "Have you ever eaten a Krabby Patty?"
Bill stopped drinking and turned to Mindy in surprise. He retorted, "How did you know?"
Mindy answered, "I've eaten one before myself. I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth for the longest time. It was like some magic had bonded it to my mouth. But then, I ate another one. And as it turns out, I was suffering from a sort of withdrawal. I haven't had to eat another one since."
Bill snapped his fingers, and the bottles vanished.
Bill asked, "So I just need to eat another one, and I will be eased?"
Mindy answered, "Yep."
Bill sighed. He put on sunglasses to hide his eyes and tied a blanket around his waist to hide his tail to the best of his ability. Bill went to the Krusty Krab in his odd disguise. He tried to hide his voice ordering. Bill tried so very hard to keep his mental distance from this.
He pretended to be distracted by the newspaper when SpongeBob served him.
SpongeBob chirped, "Oh, I don't think we've met before."
Bill hid his voice again and said, "Nope, but I'm just passing through."
Bill held his gaze on the page, hiding his face. He only looked up when SpongeBob walked off. Bill gobbled his meal; Bill didn't want to stick around. But before he could leave, the ground suddenly shook. He looked outside, and a giant robot slowly approached the street from the Chum Bucket. Plankton was piloting the giant mechanism. The fish folk around him started panicking. Bill was also shocked.
Plankton's voice shouted from a speaker, "Alright, Krabs, either hand over the Formula, or I will destroy you!"
Mr. Krabs emerged from his office and the restaurant with a megaphone to reply, "Bring it on, Plankton! I'm not scared of you!"
Plankton had a twisted laugh as he scooped up Mr. Krabs. Bill watched SpongeBob rush outside, brandishing his Spatula.
SpongeBob shouted, "Let Mr. Krabs go, Plankton!"
Bill looked at Squidward in confusion.
Squidward sighed, "It's the 20th of the month, alright."
"Oh," Bill said rather loudly, forgetting to hide his voice, "So this is normal."
SpongeBob turned away from Plankton. He was surprised.
SpongeBob gasped, "Bill?"
Bill saw Plankton take full advantage and raise the arm of his robot.
Bill shouted, "SpongeBob, look out!"
SpongeBob turned back, but it was too late. The hand hit him back into the restaurant, breaking the wood and shattering the glass. SpongeBob landed on his back, his squishy body knocking against the register, and then he went completely limp. The force was enough to knock him unconscious.
Squidward sighed, pulling out a first aid kit, and muttered, "I don't get paid enough to deal with this."
Squidward attended to SpongeBob. Bill felt guilty, but his sadness turned to rage as the robot resumed trudging along the sea bed. Bill swam out of the restaurant and stood in defiance against Plankton.
Bill projected his voice, "Alright, Plankton, let's see how tough you are without that machine!"
Plankton laughed and asked, "What will you do, hmm? You're just a little merman!"
Bill dropped his merman form and grew to tower over Plankton. Plankton gulped nervously. Then, with a single giant hand, he tactfully smashed the robot and spared Mr. Krabs. Plankton's antenna was bent out of shape, and his body was crunched into an accordion. Mr. Krabs wiggled out of the robot's hand. Bill shrunk back down.
Bill asked, "Are you alright, Eugene?"
Mr. Krabs dusted himself off and replied, "I'll be fine. It's not the first time Plankton tried to damsel me. This is the first time a triangle has saved me."
Bill chuckled. He looked and saw SpongeBob was slowly coming to.
Bill transformed into a merman and said, "Please don't mention this to the Sponge. I'm not ready to talk to him yet."
Mr. Krabs asked, "Are ya hiding from him?"
Bill nodded.
Mr. Krabs raised an eyebrow and pressed, "Why?"
Bill took a deep breath, trying to suppress his feelings, and replied, "He deserves a better friend than me."
He swam off, not even glancing back. Bill hid in his room and collapsed into a pillow to sob. After a few minutes, he collected himself. He hugged himself, drying his tears and taking deep breaths.
Bill muttered, "I think it's time for me to go."
He approached Neptune and said, "Neptune, I don't think I want to stay here in the ocean anymore. There's no more Nightmare Realm for me, but I have a house in Gravity Falls."
Neptune asked, "But don't I owe you something?"
Bill sighed and said, "You allowing me to stay in your palace was payment enough."
Neptune nodded knowingly and said, "Of course, you may leave whenever you feel ready."
Bill asked, "Have you ever gotten attached to a mortal?"
Neptune chuckled, "I have, many times. But I tend to outlive them. It always hurts to watch as they grow old and die. But I heard a saying once, 'Better to have loved and to have lost than never to have loved at all.' I think it suits my feelings, wouldn't you say?"
Bill scoffed, "Yeah, right. Whatever works for you."
Bill started swimming away.
Neptune said, "You can't keep him at arm's length forever."
Bill stopped and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Neptune said, "I just didn't pull you out of the Nightmare Realm for your own sake. He seemed so worried when he asked me to find you."
Bill said, "I don't know why Spatula bothered; it's not like I needed it."
Neptune chuckled, "I think you know better than that."
Bill turned to Neptune and snapped, "You don't get it. I know what I owe him, and I know what he wants. But I just don't have any more love to give. Even if I did, I don't want him to become leverage against me."
Neptune asked, "Why not tell him that instead of running away again?"
Bill said, "You know what, you're right! I'll tell him."
He swam off in a huff. He transformed back into a triangle. Bill stopped SpongeBob as he left his home.
"Bill," SpongeBob chirped, his arms wide open. "It's good to see you! I'm so happy to see you safe and sound."
SpongeBob grabbed at the air, and Bill shirked back and hissed, "Hello, SquarePants. I prefer not to be touched today."
SpongeBob put his hands down and looked very upset. Bill stared blankly at him, looking at SpongeBob's saddened face, trying to hide his hurt.
Bill said, "I'm going to make this clear to you. As much as I appreciate your help, you need to stop."
SpongeBob whimpered, "Stop helping you, why? Don't you want to be free of all that nonsense?"
Bill answered, "I do, but you can't protect me from everything. I need to face whatever consequence comes my way on my own."
SpongeBob protested, "But you don't..."
Bill interrupted SpongeBob with a loud growl, "Yes, I do! I deserve to be punished and suffer agony, and that's all I deserve! What I don't deserve is a friend like you."
SpongeBob flinched as Bill shouted, but he quickly grew empathetic again.
Bill said, "Look, I get it. You want me to be by your side just like your fish folk friends, and I want that, too. But I can't have it; I have too much evil to answer for."
SpongeBob tried again to protest, "But can't you..."
Bill interrupted him again, saying, "No. I can't just apologize and expect people to believe me. Not everyone in this multiverse is as quick to forgive as you. You must understand that if any of my enemies find out you're the one person I'm willing to listen to without anything in return, they will weaponize it. You'll be kidnapped, held hostage, and forced to say things you don't want to for their gain. Or worse! You don't deserve that life."
SpongeBob took a deep breath and said, "I understand."
Bill said, "So I'm pleading with you, little Sponge! Stop before you get in over your head, or we'll both suffer!"
SpongeBob asked, "So, I guess this is goodbye?"
Bill answered, "Yes. You deserve a better friend than me. You have so much love to give; don't waste any more on me."
Bill gently and affectionally gave SpongeBob a pat on the head before disappearing. SpongeBob took a deep breath and smiled sweetly.
"Bye, Bill," He murmured, "Good luck out there."
Then, he rushed off for the rest of the day.
THE END
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YOUR ALPHABET LOOKS BETTER UPSIDE DOWN, LOL!
