~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 12~

Okay, so maybe Skeppy spent a little too much time in the bath. He couldn't help it, though, the water just felt so nice on his skin, it made him want to melt into the tub and never come out. It wasn't until Spifey rudely walked in, scaring Skeppy half to death, that he finally climbed out of the warm water to finish getting ready.

He wore a simple white undershirt and plain pants as he searched through his closet, trying to find something nice that he could wear.

"Forget about the closet," Spifey said. "I can get you an outfit to wear."

"O...kay?" Skeppy said. He wasn't too sure if he trusted the fairy to get him nice clothes for the party, but he wasn't sure he had any other options, either.

"Trust me," Spifey said, smiling. He grabbed some fairy dust from its pouch. "Close your eyes."

Skeppy closed his eyes, trying not to sneeze as Spifey threw dust at him. He then found himself in a deep blue dress shirt under a black vest, with black dress pants and a nice pair of shoes. He ran his hands over the fabric, murmuring in approval at the nice quality.

"Alright, we need to leave. The party's probably already started, and you're not even at the village yet," Spifey said. He led Skeppy outside, where a horse-drawn carriage was waiting. It was simple and black, nothing fancy or over-the-top. It would blend in nicely at the village.

"Wh-when did this get here?!" Skeppy asked, pausing at the sight.

"When you needed it," Spifey replied, pushing him ahead and opening the door for him. After Skeppy stepped inside, the fairy climbed up onto the driver's seat at the front of the carriage.

Moments later, Skeppy felt the carriage move forward, and he gripped tightly onto the seat to avoid being shaken up from the bouncy movement. He looked out the window at the darkening sky, watching the scenery go by. It felt so strange to be leaving the mansion, especially now that he had normal human skin. It was as if his whole life was changing, too fast for him to keep up with. His mind drifted to Bad, and butterflies rose in his stomach from nervousness. What if Bad didn't actually care for him at all, and he wouldn't be able to break the curse? Or what if he wasn't even able to find Bad at the party? This could be Skeppy's last night alive, and he was terrified. He didn't have to dwell on his troubling thoughts for much longer, though, as they reached the town.

The carriage drove through the streets, and Skeppy admired all of the decorations with wide eyes. Streamers and lanterns were strung across the sides of buildings, and flowers were everywhere. The streets felt so colorful and alive, the polar opposite of his mansion. He could hear commotion in the distance, sounds of people talking and laughing, and music as well. The noise got louder as they approached the square of the town. Skeppy was excited, but also nervous. He hadn't been around this many people in years, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

The carriage came to a stop at the edge of the square, and a few moments later, Spifey opened the door to let Skeppy out.

"Have fun, but remember: you only have until midnight to break the curse." Spifey pointed to a large clock tower on one side of the town square. "Keep an eye on the time."

With that, Spifey pushed Skeppy into the crowd, where he got lost among dancing couples. Skeppy stumbled as he bumped into several people, apologizing as he tried to catch his balance. Meanwhile, he looked for Bad, trying to spot the brunet in the crowd. He nearly fell to the ground as someone ran into him from behind, and he realized, he needed to get out of the dance area before he could safely search for Bad. He made his way through the crowd towards the food tables, threading between dancing couples and trying not to get tripped up by the skirts that twirled by his legs. Finally, he made it past the dancers and to the food, catching his breath for a moment as he leaned against one of the tables.