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                  A Marriage of the Arts                   
                      -by SPPGArchi-                       
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               The Failings of Seacreatures                
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Author's Note
Not sure when the next chapter will come out since I've had this draft for months now, but have this! I'd suggest watching the first few episodes of Spongepie Love Story for context of this chapter, but since I explain most of what happens in episode 6, it's not really needed.
The Failings of Seacreatures
His luck was beginning to turn; it was now 2 weeks since he last saw that ridiculous sponge.
Squidward was more than happy than a clam to finally have time away from SpongeBob's usual antics in or outside work. He felt as though the water itself had freshened up for him, and he wasn't going to just take that for granted.
He only saw one issue, that being work at the Krusty Krab. Without SpongeBob, a missing position was needing to be filled, and with the amount of greed in Mr. Krab's carapace, reusing the only remaining staff member was the clear choice. At least he didn't have to deal with SpongeBob and annoying customers anymore, and that's barely scratching the surface.
Strangely enough, Plankton was radio silent as well. What was expected of him was very low, but the pessimistic Squidward found himself hopeful for both of the disappearances being permanent. If there was a future without the tiring antics of them both, he never would have expected it in this timeline.
Mr. Krabs, while previously tolerable, was becoming more and more infuriating for him. Now having to practically run two part-time jobs, Squidward was growing more tired by the day and Krabs was anything but helpful.
"Aye, what's with the lack of consumers? Might it be related to the overflowing trash cans??"
"Okay, maybe, but I'm literally cooking up patties right now, can it wait 5 minutes?"
"Five minutes?!? What do I pay ya for?"
That become the routine of the two of them. Despite this, Squidward didn't hate Mr. Krabs and really just felt pity for the crustacean. After all, one's victory is another's downfall. If only he had the common knowledge to hire a replacement, that's how Squidward justified him. It was made very clear to him, however, that SpongeBob's disappearance wasn't a permanent one in Krab's eyes. To him, SpongeBob was integral to the Krusty Krab and truly was irreplaceable. Squidward couldn't stop Mr. Krabs from thinking such and he knew it.
Life outside the Krusty Krab, however, was better than ever. Finally, he could get a good night's rest consistently and was extremely lucky to have Patrick typically asleep under that uncomfortable rock of his. If life outside of work was this relaxing, he could handle a little work stress. Maybe this wasn't everything he dreamed about, but it certainly was something he could see himself living comfortably in.
"Finally, I can live my life comfortably!"
"Plankton, what are you talking about?"
"Please, Grogar, your universe is far superior than mine! If those creatures can't beat SpongeBob, than nothing can! At least TRY to keep your hopes high!"
"With all due respect," Grogar grumbled, "this world has some of the most powerful magic belonging to those associated with the guy. In fact, I'd bet that SpongeBob will easily defeat them in mere minutes."
The small blob was appalled at the bluntness in his tone, his mouth agape in shock.
"Is my hearing failing, or are you looking at this pessimistically? I worked impossibly hard for that sponge to be defeated and you're treating it as impossible?!? YOU'RE THE MIGHTY GROGAR FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"
The crystal ball atop the table Grogar and Plankton conversed glowed brightly and the faint sounds of fear were heard. The ball seemed to rapidly shake until all that was seen was the couple of SpongeBob and Pinkie Pie. Grogar laughed heartily.
"WHAT THE SCALLOPS?!?"
"I knew it, I knew it!" Grogar beamed as his once goat-like appearance changed to that of a draconequus. "I knew that they had it in them!"
Plankton saw his entire plan crumble to the floor. "You're not Grogar..." he mumbled, "But...who the heck are you?"
"Well, if you must know," the creature smiled, "I'm the lord of chaos! Pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
Plankton's despair was met with a snap of a paw and a flash of light. Once he could open his eye, he noticed that the beast now proudly wore a crown and cape matching his mismatched royal cane. Plankton himself tried to move forward, but soon realized that he was trapped under a glass with an unknown liquid defying gravity above him.
"What's the big idea?"
"I really should be asking you!" he lifted the cane and tapped the glass, causing bubbles to spew out from impact, "I mean, you REALLY thought SpongeBob had no chance to be victorious? Be serious!"
The small blob scowled.
"Oh, Plankton, you really are a stitch!"
"Will you at least let me go, monster?" Plankton blurted out.
"Oh-ho-ho, it doesn't matter what I do with you! Your so-called enemy isn't suffering under your control anytime soon!"
"But why trick ME? That's pretty heartless, even for someone who looks like you."
Another snap of his lion paw and Plankton was released from capture now wearing a costume resembling Grogar while the chaotic creature sported a navy blue wig with pink and purple stripes along with a lavender horn and wings. If Plankton remembered correctly, one of SpongeBob's friends looked similar.
"Who said I was doing this for you?" the monster shrugged, "This is all for the good of Equestria! If Twilight and company can defend themselves-"
The draconequus squeezed Plankton with his talon tightly.
"-I can ensure that even without the elements, they can still conquer all!"
Plankton grew light-headed from lack of air, but the lord of chaos quickly released his grasp and caused Plankton to hit the table, now seemingly made of jello. He bounced up, seething with anger.
"You...YOU'RE WORKING WITH THEM?!
"Naturally! In fact," he realized, quickly snapping his paw to revert everything back to normal, "I should probably go congratulate them on the successful defeat. Toodaloo!"
Plankton tried to say something, anything, but all he could do was stammer. How could someone so threatening be so...weird? How could something as silly as that creature play him for laughs?
"You...you have got to be kidding me."
His anger grew with every breath he took. SpongeBob was...protected?
"No...no I can still get him. Yeah, I can still be victorious! JUST YOU WAIT, MONSTER!"
Pulling out a small metallic launchpad, he angrily pressed a button on the side and a portal was willed into the world. Before stepping on, he took one last glance at the cave of Grogar. Or rather, the cave of Deception.
"See you soon, SpongeBob."
What wouldn't Squidward give so he could see SpongeBob again.
The sponge's 8 year disappearance was anything but a miracle to him despite his previous yearning for life without him. He faces extra shifts at the Krusty Krab with the worst, most aggravating boss ever and a severe lack of humor in the workplace. He thought work without humor was meaningless, but at least it was something. What was the point in being miserable if nobody around you felt genuine joy?
He couldn't even live at his house in comfortably, as without frequent disturbances, the world was too quiet for his taste. He loathed being alone with his thoughts, and that's exactly the situation he was stuck in. Admittedly, silence was nice for the first few weeks, but once it was routine, the normalcy became abnormal. Not even Patrick, who still rarely left his rock abode, could help ease the tension his depression had on him.
"I can't believe I took that idiot for granted."
This became the usual routine of Squidward Tentacles. At best, he'd get 3 hours of sleep before hauling himself to work for hours until he could finally relax in the soothing silence of his own thoughts. He was amazed to consider how much better his life was WITH the sponge than without. Mr. Krabs used to be tolerable, but with his extreme stubbornness on letting SpongeBob go, Squidward's agony at his job only intensified. Patrick couldn't even be bothered to try and annoy Squidward it would seem, and Sandy had only come into the Krusty Krab rarely. Only one good thing came from SpongeBob leaving.
Squidward always enjoyed whenever Plankton wasn't to be seen, but was still grateful that he didn't have to deal with any more of his nefarious plans. Usually, SpongeBob would save the restaurant and protect its precious recipe, but no more attempts were made to steal it after his disappearance. Perhaps SpongeBob was the driving factor behind ruining the Krusty Krab, even though Plankton and Krabs had a history. Even if it meant causing Plankton to devise more plans, Squidward was hoping that he could bring SpongeBob back so life could go back to normal.
Life in Ponyville wasn't quite like it normally was, as the Carousel Boutique just started approving orders for the Grand Galloping Gala. Instead of the occasional hustle and bustle in the town, one gigantic line was forming outside the boutique and had to have stretched on for miles.
Rarity loved and hated her job, but who wouldn't? Sure, it's been her dream since who knows when to create fashion that inspires, but with 3 boutique locations to manage and an inconsistent work schedule, it was hard to find joy in this position. Still, making gala dresses and suits for everycreature was easy to work with once the orders being placed died down. She was extremely fortunate that Sweetie Belle moved out so that she wouldn't have to struggle with schoolwork amidst the constant noise, but Rarity did wish she had some helping hooves. At least there was Sassy, who was mainly dealing with the orders in Canterlot.
It was mechanical taking orders; Rarity never said a single word differently from customer to customer. She even felt like a robot these past few days: all work and no play. That is, until she saw Fluttershy approaching her counter.
"Fluttershy, darling!" she exclaimed joyously, "How are you?"
"Well, I think I'm doing alright! I would love to chat, but I'm sorta busy after this, sorry..."
Rarity, being slightly disappointed, just gently sighed and maintained her smile.
"That's a shame...Oh! You came here for something though, didn't you?" she rushed, "Are you here for a gala dress? Oh, I have some exquisite ideas for you and the girls!"
"I did come to place an order," she said, "but after seeing this line, I don't think I'll have enough time..."
"Nonsense! I'm sure there's time for you to see plenty of my designs!"
"I guess one or two wouldn't hurt..."
Rarity nearly bolted away, but just managed to stop herself.
"Oh, one more thing! Is there any sort of theme or color scheme you've though about?"
"I don't think I have any ideas. I know whatever you have will be just wonderful."
After darting to gather up her sketches for her friends, she levitated only Fluttershy's over to the counter. It took only mere seconds for Fluttershy to pick one of them, intentional or not.
"Oh wow, this one is...wow! If it's no trouble, I'd love this to be my dress."
"Are you sure you wan-"
"You really outdid yourself, Rarity. I can't wait to see it, but I really should get going. Sorry for the short stop, take care!"
Without another word from Rarity, Fluttershy ducked out of the boutique. She just sighed a breath she unconsciously held and hoped that tomorrow wouldn't be as stressful as today. After all, it was only the first day allowing orders to be placed. She knew that she can handle more than just today, she just knew it.
This was the last possible day Squidward could handle. He couldn't help but think about SpongeBob and how desperately he wanted him back. He wasn't the only one who felt like this.
Krabs always resented him for SpongeBob's disappearance and didn't even seem to care about the restaurant he was running anymore. Although Squidward attributed this to Krabs' refusal to accepting SpongeBob leaving, it felt as though he only cared for the money now. And here he thought that his boss actually cared for the business he was managing.
"Well, at least I'm getting paid something, I guess." he repeated to himself, "I swear something addictive must be in those stupid things. If not, maybe Bikini Bottom could let go of this dump."
Through his pondering, he was able to make out a question.
"What if the recipe was destroyed?"
He figured that having someone so dedicated as SpongeBob working for the Krusty Krab most likely meant that the formula was memorized. He himself had a little grasp on what was in a Krabby Patty, but even if he was forced to cook it after it was destroyed, he could just explain that he forgot what it was. Without the recipe, the Krusty Krab can't operate, which would give him time to find SpongeBob. With SpongeBob back, he could rewrite the recipe and restore Bikini Bottom to what it was. Was this the answer to his problem?
"I need to get that formula."
It didn't take much convincing for Krabs to allow him to work overtime. Although he would suffer longer today, at least he wouldn't tomorrow. Thankfully, nighttime also had the least amount of customers, so he quickly ducked into Krab's office when no eyes were lurking around.
"What am I doing..." he couldn't help but wonder, "NO! This is my time to finally do something good for myself! Don't get cold tentacles now!"
There it was. The safe locking Squidward's happiness away. All he needed was the combination and his new life awaits. While tearing apart Krab's office, he couldn't help but wonder how exactly he'd destroy the recipe. Fire was ideal, but would it destroy the recipe quick enough? He also needed to somehow sneak out the recipe too, so where would he hide it?
Squidward finally came across a slip of paper with a list of numbers. Finally, the missing puzzle piece was found. He no longer cared about the means of hiding and destroying the recipe, he couldn't get that far if he messed up now. With every turn of the safe, his heart beat increased. This was the moment where everything mattered. At last, the safe creaked open.
Sure enough, a glass bottle sat inside. Only the glass bottle.
"WHAT?!?" Squidward couldn't help but yell.
Fearful, for how the recipe was taken and for revealing his position, he slammed the safe shut and ran back to the cash register. His plan became unachievable.