~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 16~

It was a few hours after Spifey had left the cottage, and Bad was pacing throughout his home, desperately trying to think of a solution for the diamond boy who was still laying unconscious in bed. Surely there was more than one way to cancel magic. And true love - true love was impossible, right? Even if Skeppy's one true love existed in the world, it was too unlikely that Bad would be able to find that one person anytime soon. To be honest, Bad didn't really want to go searching for years just trying to find Skeppy's soulmate, especially when there were probably plenty of other ways to solve this problem. There had to be some kind of magical cure out there somewhere, right? A potion or spell that would wake him up. All Bad had to do was find it.

First he would talk to the apothecary and see if they could help. If not, he could search the library for information, and maybe he could find a spell book or something that would wake Skeppy up.

Filled with a new determination, Bad left the cottage, striding toward the village briskly. He soon arrived at Dream's house, knocking on the door and waiting anxiously.

Dream smiled when he opened the door and saw Bad on the other side. "Hey, I didn't expect you to come visit us today. What's up?"

"I need your help," Bad blurted, causing Dream's smile to slip. "Techno came back and he used magic on Skeppy and now Skeppy's asleep and he won't wake up! Can you please-"

"Woah, woah, slow down. What happened with Techno?" Dream asked.

Bad took a deep breath and explained what happened, slowing down this time. When he finished, he asked again, "Can you please go to my cottage and just make sure Techno doesn't try to hurt Skeppy while I'm gone?"

Dream was about to answer when George shouted from inside the house: "Dream!"

"Be there in a minute!" Dream replied over his shoulder before facing Bad again. "Listen, I would help, but... George and I are kinda busy right now. It sounds like you have a plan, and besides, Skeppy'll be fine, he's made out of diamond." Dream waved a hand dismissively.

Bad blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. "Please, can't you help me out for just a little while? I know you don't really like Skeppy, but he means a lot to me, and-"

Another shout from George interrupted him. Dream smiled apologetically, "Look, I'm sorry, but I kind of need to go now. Good luck, though, and maybe you could ask someone else for help," he suggested, shrugging. With that, Dream went back inside, closing the door.

Bad let out a small growl of frustration. He couldn't believe Dream would just abandon him when he needed help. With nowhere else to go, Bad resigned to head to Sapnap's house, hoping that Skeppy was alright back at the cabin.

"Hey, Bad, everything okay?"

Bad looked up as a voice called to him from his right. He smiled as Sapnap walked over. "Oh, I was just going to visit you. This is great timing! Um, could you help me with something, please?"

"Sure, what's up?" Sapnap listened to Bad's explanation as they walked side by side.

"... and Dream didn't even care that Skeppy could be in danger," Bad exclaimed, clutching the handle of his basket tightly. "Even now, Technoblade could be back at the cottage trying to hurt him. Sapnap, will you please go stay with Skeppy and make sure he's okay while I'm out? I know you don't like him, but please?"

Sapnap couldn't resist Bad's puppy eyes, and with a sigh, he consented. "Alright, alright, but you owe me some muffins later."

Bad grinned, "Thank you! I'll get you as many muffins as you want, now go check on Skeppy!" He lightly shoved Sapnap in the direction of his cottage.

With a chuckle, Sapnap left, tossing a goodbye over his shoulder.

Now that Bad knew Skeppy would have someone to protect him, he felt much more at ease. All he had to do now was find a way to wake Skeppy up. As he walked to the apothecary, he prayed that they would have a solution for his diamond friend.

Bad arrived in front of the apothecary shop, pushing the weathered wooden door open as he stepped inside. Floorboards creaked under his boots, and he looked around the dusty store, spotting someone dozing at the counter on the far left side of the shop. Shelves of herbs and powders lined the back wall, caked in varying layers of dust depending on how frequently each item was used.

"Um... Excuse me?" Bad asked hesitantly, stepping over to the counter. The man at the desk slept on, snoring occasionally, his brown hair falling over his eyes. A thin layer of dust seemed to cover the man himself, lining the cloth of his purple hoodie. Bad gently poked the man's shoulder. "Hello?"

With a sudden jolt, the man woke up, nearly falling out of the chair.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," Bad said, biting his lip.

"No, no, it's fine," the man shook his head, gripping the counter to catch his balance. "Um, can I help you?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you had anything that could help my friend. Someone used magic to make him fall asleep and I don't know how to wake him up. Is there some kind of medicine or something you have that would work," Bad asked. "Or maybe there's some potion you could make to wake him up?"

"Oh. Uhhhhh," the man stared at Bad blankly, before he slowly trailed his gaze over the shelves of ingredients against the back wall. "Um... About that, actually... I, uh... Yeah, I have no clue," he said suddenly. "Sorry, man, I don't even know what timeline this is- I-I mean, I don't even know what time it is." He laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, anyways, sorry about that, but I have to go. Good luck!" With that, the man stood from the chair and sprinted out of the shop, leaving Bad behind in a cloud of dust.

"W-wait!" Bad sneezed, blinking as the dust settled. "Don't leave!" He turned around, but the man had already left, the door swinging shut behind him. Bad huffed. "Muffins," he harrumphed. "What am I supposed to do now?"

[Snow White Arc Continues...]

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Hello, everyone! :D

Chapter 16 is finally here! I'm sorry if it's a little short, but more is coming soon.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading, and as always, have an amazing day <3