Chapter Text
Spongebob ate his spaghetti, trying not to make a full mess on the table and failing to do so. Squiliam was eating his Sagrasso salad, noticing the yellow sponge struggling to keep the noddles from falling from the fork, "Spongebob, twist the spaghetti around the fork so it can stay in place."
The yellow sponge nodded and tried to do so, only for his wrist to suddenly jerk and twitch. It was clear to both Squidward and Fancyson that Squarepants had the yips.
Fortunately, the sponge's wrist calmed down and Mister Tentacles had an idea: "Why not just stab the noodles with the meatball, so you can hold the noddles easily."
With that, the dinner continued without much interruption.
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Through the moonlit skies, not very many were walking through the streets of Biniki Bottom, since there was very little nightlife businesses in the city. No clubs to hang out or really party at, no casinos where people could go gambling, etc.
Mammon felt like he was going to pass out thanks to how boring the night in this backwater town was.
His new restaurant was almost ready and many expressed interest in the business, but it wasn't enough for him yet. He needed ideas from the other sins to bring some excitement to this joint-
That's when it hit him, he could have the sins make the night more exciting here at night!
He knew Beezlebub loved to party and Asmodeus could always make a red-light district for the city, but it wasn't just those two that could bring the night to life. Levithan, Satan, Belphegor, himself and the big bad of Hell, Lucifer could make this place more exciting.
Getting his phone out, he began texting the sins his big idea: each sin would get one or two areas of the city to make it more lively.
They would all have to go and meet together to discuss who would get what, since Satan would often lecture the greedy spider about the importance of formal meetings.
Once the texts were sent, the clown opened a portal to hell, revealing his bedroom, which was decorated in various shades of green and yellow with the symbol of the one thing Mammon loved above all: money.
He stepped through to enjoy an easy rest thanks to the backbreaking labor his workers did for him.
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"It's beautiful....."
Squiliam looked at the chipper sponge, who was staring dreamily at the almost full moon, its shimmering light dancing on the waves of the river.
After their dinner, the three went on a pleasant boat ride on the Biniki Bottom river, "Yes, it is very beautiful, spongy....." Squiliam Fancyson gave a relaxed smile to his friend as they continued through the park's river.
"Say Spongebob, can I ask you a question?"
Squarepants looked at his grouchy neighbor, "Go ahead, Squidward." Squidward thought about his question carefully, not wanting to cause any pain to Spongebob, "Do you have any idea why the citizens disappeared?"
"I don't know. Maybe a villain took them or they got teleported somewhere."
Mister Tentcales nodded, before getting a question that made his heart jump a little, "Why did you ask that question all of a sudden, Squidward?"
The octopus knew his neighbor needed to hear what Sandy told him, "Look, Spongebob....the citizens of Bikini Bottom...they never vanished, they just went away from the city." Spongebob looked confused at Squidward, "What? But why?"
"That I don't know, I'm just telling you what Sandy told me."
Luckily, the rich octopus took their attention away from what Sandy told Mister Tentacles with a bottle of Champagne and three cups.
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After drinking half of the cup, Spongebob still felt a lingering fear in the back of his mind, "Why didn't Sandy tell me about this? Why did the citizens just leave the town just like that? Why-"
"Spongebob?"
Squarepants jerked his head to see both Squiliam and Squidward looking at him with worry, "What's the matter Sponge?"
"N-Nothing!"
Squidward grabbed his hand, feeling it trembling like a leaf, "You're shaking badly, is this because of what I said?" Squarepants tried to deny it but his body disproved this claim; His heart was pounding, his chest tightening, and his figure shaking.
Fancyson immediately went to calm him down, by gently grabbing his hand and singing a song from his favorite play, The Phantom of the Opera.
To his delight and surprise, the yellow sponge began singing with him, slowly calming his racing heart. Squidward even joined in on the song, helping the evening become more magical.
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Out on an empty road, a bus full of passengers were making their long journey back to the city of Bikini Bottom, which would take one full day to complete.
They were blissfully unaware of what had happened to their once great city.