Beauty and the Squid

Chapter Sixteen: You Came Back

Squidward continued to try and climb up the roof but his injury was really taking a toll on him. Squilliam yelled that he was coming for him. Squidward slid down the roof, just barely staying on as the old tiles fell off. Squilliam slid down a slanted roof and used a stuck-out window to put him on another part of the castle, all the while (Y/N) was following. Squidward used all his strength to jump onto another roof, just barely catching it. As (Y/N) ran, she had to jump over a crumbling bridge just to find a safe way to get to Squidward or Squilliam's pistol. Squidward, once again, jumped onto another roof, sliding down it a bit but managed to get his grip and climb.

(Y/N) made it to a tower window where she could see Squidward. He managed to get onto a small platform on the roof and stand there for a bit. But he almost slipped getting up there, making (Y/N) yell out to him. Hearing her voice, Squidward looked over to see (Y/N) just a few feet away. He had never been happier to see her. (Y/N) explained that she tried to stop the mob from coming for him but he didn't care. He told her to stay there while he made his way over to her. Squilliam heard their yelling and watched as Squidward made a leap of faith to make it onto another rooftop.

He landed perfectly before attempting a slightly further jump. He just barely made it, grabbing onto the crumbling platform and pulling himself up. He tried to use a safe way to get to (Y/N) but Squilliam made a part of the castle fall on Squidward before jumping down himself. Seeing this, (Y/N) left to try and find a way to help him. Squilliam took a piece of architecture from the castle and used it to bash Squidward into a wall and onto a walkway. With Squidward down, Squilliam kicked him to a sheltered tower, (Y/N) watching from the other side, next to Squidward's room. She tried yelling at Squilliam to stop but he wouldn't listen. But Squidward had finally had enough.

Before Squilliam could take another swing, Squidward caught it and stood up, stopping Squilliam from hitting him again. He got the architecture out of Squilliam's hands before taking him by the neck, leaning Squilliam over the edge. Seeing how close he was to death, Squilliam begged for his life, saying he would do anything to stay alive. Squidward pulled him close, telling Squilliam that he wasn't a monster as that's what Squilliam had called him during his pleas. Squidward threw Squilliamto the ground, telling him to leave. As quick as a flash, Squilliam ran away. Seeing (Y/N) just a jump away, Squidward made a run and jump, just barely making it.

He had to climb up the balcony but he made it to (Y/N), safe and sound. Until he wasn't. Squilliam had found his pistol and shot Squidward in the back. Squidward collapsed forward and (Y/N) started to attempt to drag him back into the castle and away from Squilliam who was reloading his pistol. And, once he had, he shot Squidward in the back once more, the force of the blow throwing Squidward into the West Wing. (Y/N) ran over to Squidward as Squilliam started to realise he was in danger. The walkway he was standing on was collapsing. And, before Squilliam could react, the walkway fell, making him fall all the way to the world below him. Meanwhile, (Y/N) remained with Squidward as he lay dying on the floor. She supported his head and held his hand.

"You came back," Squidward said, breathlessly

"Of course, I came back," (Y/N) said with tears in her eyes, "I'll never leave you again."

"I'm afraid it's my turn to leave."

"We're together now. It's gonna be fine."

"At least I got to see you... One last time."

And, with that, the last petal fell. Squidward quickly gave in to his injuries, dying in (Y/N)'s arms. She begged him to come back to her but it was too late. As the petal hit the table, and the villagers left, Spongebob was celebrating with Sandy when she suddenly froze in his arms. Seeing this, Spongebob realised that the last petal had fallen. She has become like any other squirrel. He placed her on the ground as he wallowed in sorrow at his lover's final moments. Next to him and Mr. Krabs, Karen felt her time coming too. She bid her lover goodbye before becoming an ordinary computer.

Plankton begged her not to leave him before his music slowly faded away. He had become a normal piece of plankton. Gary saw what had happened and slid up to his owners, whimpering and spoking at them, hoping to get a reaction, only to freeze and become an ordinary seasonal. Mrs. Puff came forward on her tea trolly, trying to find Pearl as she had disappeared during the fight. But, before they could reunite, Mrs. Puff also froze and she was now an ordinary pufferfish. Hearing her cries, Pearl jumped down from a window to see her, only to become a normal whale mid-fall. She was thankfully caught by the coat hanger, placing Pear next to her mother before turning into a normal coathanger. With only Mr. Krabs and Spongebob left, Mr. Krabs felt himself stiffen.

"Spongebob..." Mr. Krabs struggled to get his words out, "I can't... speak."

"It's all right, Mr. Krabs," Lumiere assured him

"I can't... Spongebob... my friend. It was an honor to serve... with you."

With that, Mr. Krabs stopped moving and he became a normal crab.

"The honor was mine."

Spongebob flopped, accepting that it was now his time to go, making himself into a normal sea sponge. With the spell still unbroken, they had become the sea creatures they had been cursed into. Meanwhile, (Y/N) was still crying over Squidward's dead body. She begged him desperately to come back to him. But he was already gone. Mindy had walked into the West Wing, watching the scene in front of her. Yet she did nothing. Just watched. But, as she stood near the rose, she heard the three words that (Y/N) needed to say.

"I love you."

And an added kiss on his forehead. Seeing what she needed to see, Mindy made the rose's fallen petals float back up in the glass casing. The petals regained their red appearance as the glass suddenly disappeared. Mindy made the petals float over to Squidward, clouding him in a golden mist that lifted him up, away from (Y/N). (Y/N) stood up and macked away as the petals and mist took Squidward into the air, surrounding him and facing him away from her. There, the magic started changing his appearance and brought him back to life. When the magic had done its part, it lowered him back to the ground where he started to take in what he was feeling.

He looked back to (Y/N) to show his new appearance. He had blue slightly curled hair, he wore an orange polo shirt with blue trousers, two extra legs behind him, his skin was a pinkish peach color and he was quite tall not to mention slim. He had brown eyes and his lips were slightly outlined blue. (Y/N) walked over to Squidward, taking in the new appearance while wondering if this was really him. But, when she looked into his eyes, they were just like the eyes she grew to love. Realising it truly was him, she smiled. And, with that, the two shared their first kiss, officially breaking the curse. All of the broken parts of the castle started to rebuild itself. But that was just the beginning.