Chapter Text
Skeppy couldn’t remember the last time he had allowed himself to drop the glamour effect on his body. It was a miracle that the masking device even still worked, with how much nonstop use it got. It was a shame, and it even started to hurt mentally these days, that he couldn’t bear to let himself just be who he actually was amidst the growing conflict and distrust between everyone he knew. This world has grown sour, unhappy, and bleak. Even when he went on his month-long trips without anyone knowing where the hell he even was, he couldn’t bring himself to turn the device off. Surely it would end up exploding with its overuse. But he was just too afraid.
It’s funny. Him, afraid of being himself, considering just how strong he really was. But that was just it. He was strong, so strong, beyond what anyone of the SMP knew, but that strength was something Dream always wanted. He wanted power on his side, and he would blackmail his targets to get his way. As much as Skeppy wanted to pretend like he had nothing he cared about, that was far from the truth. He wasn’t just talking about the mansion, either. Sure, he cared about the house, but at the end of the day it was always possible to build another.
There was no way to replace Bad.
Not that Bad himself was weak, of course. The Nether Demon was insanely powerful as well, standing at nine foot six inches as a normal basic height for him, as well as sporting a number of powerful magic spells under his belt, he was a force to be reckoned with. Including his natural weapons in his teeth and claws, as well as his decent swordsman skills. There was nothing Bad couldn’t handle at his best, and a whole handful of things he could still handle at his worst.
It’s just that, compared to what Skeppy really was, Dream might consider him a better power to have. A force more on the muscle side, with a skill that could pretty severely poison anyone he was fighting against. A mutated creature evolved from a species that went extinct millions upon millions of years ago. Yet no one knew of his true nature yet. Yet, because he’d surely screw up at some point in the future.
So what was Skeppy really?
Well, to put it lightly, he was a twenty foot long carnivorous reptile with mutated crystal features and colorings that stretched across his back and tail for added offense and defense. Oh, and a poison gland in his throat that allowed him to spew toxic breath at his target in close range.
Skeppy was a dinosaur.
A Dinaurian, the more accurate term. Sure, if you really got a good look at him in full dinosaur form and had a decent enough knowledge of every species of dinosaur that ever existed, one could probably make connections between him and a standard Alectrosaurus- aside from the fact that the sketched version in history books were missing quite a few feathers. But that's besides the point- Dinaurians and standard dinosaurs were not quite the same. Aside from the obvious differences in intelligence, his kind had the ability to morph between a humanoid form and a full dinosaur form. The humanoid one was usually the standard, with a clear humanoid body along with the individual’s specific extra features- feathers, crystals, spikes, wings, tails, all that. The dinosaur form, of course, was just full dino.
However, Dinaurians had long since invented the technology to mask as fully human creatures. Back in times where anything not human was considered a mutant, it had become common practice for Dinaurians like Skeppy to hide away their true features and blend in with the majority, choosing to live life in hiding. Because while each individual was powerful in their own right, power like that was always bound to scare the less fortunate. Dinaurians were few and far between now. Fear of discovery and less Dinaurians being born into the world led to dwindling population numbers.
For all Skeppy knew, he could be one of the last. And honestly, that just scared him more.
Skeppy knew he would most likely face no judgment from the community of the SMP, what with most if not everyone living there being some sort of hybrid mutant themselves. That wasn’t what he feared. He feared being used, being seen as a weapon in the ways people like Bad or Technoblade are. He doesn’t want to be used as a commodity. He doesn’t want to be seen as a threat. But oh, how he wished to live without the glamour on.
He couldn’t.
It was clear people like Dream sought power. It was no secret that Skeppy himself had been planned to be locked up in a tiny cage, in that room of precious blackmail. He’d slipped away on one of his month-long escapes before Dream could snatch him away, but the intent had still been there. He would have been used as leverage over Bad, to get him to do whatever Dream wanted. Of course, if he truly had been caged by Dream, blackstone and iron bars couldn’t hold him back for very long, even if Dream tried to injure him before the capture. But that would reveal his secret more or less. He was too afraid of that.
What he was afraid of more, however, was losing his best friend. One thing that was obvious was that Skeppy and BadBoyHalo would do anything for each other. Bad was slipping through his fingers now, he knew it, everyone knew it. The warning signs were there, but no one did enough to stop it. That egg, that damned red egg, a filthy parasite that was taking control over his home. His family. His best friend.
Skeppy had enough of it.
After returning from another one of his multi-month trips into the unknown with only himself for company, the vines were all he could see when he stepped foot to his home. His house, covered. Everything was taken over. And Bad, his poor BadBoyHalo- color stripped from his body, vines buried lightly under his graying skin like swollen veins. His eyes were bagged, tired, but like the puppet he had become told Skeppy all about his new wonderful friend. While Skeppy would admit to some level of flaring jealousy whenever Bad came home to tell him about a new friend he’d made, there was no jealousy here. There was only anger. Anger at this parasite, and at himself. If he had only been around, he could have stopped this before it had gotten to this point.
“Oh! You should come meet the egg Skeppy!” Bad crooned with an uncanny grin, eyes wild with something Skeppy had never seen.
“I don’t know, Bad… This Egg thing, it doesn’t sound good. Look what it’s done! Everything is…”
“Made better?” Bad supplied helpfully, under the strings of the puppeteer. “Look how much the vines have grown! So much more than when I first found the egg underground. It had been so weak, trapped behind layers of stone for so long, I didn’t think it would even make it! But now look! It’s spreading across the whole SMP! Isn’t that just wonderful!”
Skeppy grimaced. “No…no, Bad, no! It isn’t wonderful! This thing is bad, we shouldn’t keep letting it live! This has gone too far. We have to destroy it.”
Bad faltered and frowned, as if he couldn’t understand why Skeppy would be saying this. “Destroy it…? Why would we do that? Skeppy, the egg is wonderful, it’s making everything better! It’s made our friends better! It’s made me better!”
“Bad, have you seen the state you’re in right now?!” Skeppy exploded, gesturing wildly at him. “You look like death! Like a slight breeze could turn you into dust! This isn’t healthy, this thing is sucking the life out of you! I can’t let this go on. I’m putting an end to this, now.”
A pause, then- a giggle. Something sinister, not his best friend. “Oh Skeppy, you’re so silly. What could you possibly do to the Egg? Come on now, no need to be so hostile. Just let me take you to it, you’ll change your mind when you meet it face to face.”
“What can I do?!” Skeppy snarled, the masking device on his hip vibrating. Too much, Skeppy! Reign your energy in, this masker can’t do anything if you go full dino! Reel it in! “You know what? Fine. Take me to the egg. I want to meet this thing face to face, like you said. But that thing will not change my mind. I’ll be changing yours.”
Another fit of sinister giggles. “See! I knew you’d want to meet the Egg. All of your empty threats are so cute. The Egg will take care of you, Skeppy. I promise, we’ll be unstoppable together once you just change your mind.”
Skeppy gave his puppet of a friend a withering look, saying nothing as he followed the Demon down the Prime Path. There were so many vines, thick and strong. Skeppy didn’t know what to expect when he finally got down there- It was a parasite, but it was clear it had a strong pillar of power of its own. Could he really deal with this? He still had a chance. But the more vines they passed, and the more sinister the air felt, he was slowly losing hope he could deal with it unscathed.
As a Dinaurian, Skeppy had seen and learned about encounters of alien creatures before. His kind had dealt with planet eaters and won, for god’s sake. So why was he so nervous about a parasitic egg? Well, for starters, the clear signs of possession and mind control were setting him off. This was dangerous. In the event that he failed somehow, and the Egg got to him first, it would be in control of him and his full dinosaur form as well. It would not only expose his secret to everyone, but it would surely use him as a weapon. Was that worth the risk?
To save Bad, absolutely.
“Ugh!” Bad spat suddenly, pulling out his pickaxe. They were in a tunnel now, off the main room of the experience grinder. Skeppy craned his neck to see what Bad was so disgusted over. It was a piece of… obsidian?
“Uh… why the offended response? It’s just some obsidian.” Skeppy questioned.
“Just obsidian?” Bad retorted with a huff. “Vile! The Egg doesn’t like obsidian, and for it to be so close to its room, a crime!”
Skeppy zeroed in on this. Obsidian, huh? He had some of that in his pack- Bad hadn’t even let him put his stuff away when he’d gotten home. It was one of the fun parts of his trips alone- looting villages, collecting random resources whenever he felt like. It was a miracle on his part that he’d decided a full stack of obsidian was interesting enough to spend time getting. Maybe he didn’t have to risk himself at all.
“Someone tried to trap the Egg!” Bad gasped with horror as the two walked fully into the room.
Skeppy’s jaw dropped in horror. The room, the entire room that had clearly once been nothing but stone, was now infested with vines, red matter, and lava. It was everywhere. A plague. The space hummed with alien power that set Skeppy on the most edge he’d been since returning home. This was worse than he’d thought. It was terrible.
“Huh… that’s new.” Bad suddenly commented as he trailed closer to the egg. “Look! Some of it is crying obsidian… Skeppy, I think the Egg is evolving to be obsidian proof! This is wonderful news!”
Shit. “That’s not good, Bad.”
“Sure it is!” Bad argued. “This means that those muffinheads that keep trying to subdue the Egg will have no way to do so anymore! Heh, not even the prison could hold the Egg forever…”
Lord, that was a terrifying idea. The Egg, using its ability to erode obsidian to free Dream? No, no it couldn’t get to that. He couldn’t let it. Trapping it would do nothing. He… he had to destroy it. At the expense of exposing himself.
“What?” Bad suddenly said aloud, looking between the half-covered Egg and Skeppy. “What do you mean, he’s lying? How is he lying?”
Skeppy stared. “It’s… talking to you?”
“It’s saying you’re lying, Skeppy. It keeps saying you’re lying. Why can’t it talk to you? How are you blocking it? You’re lying, the Egg says you’re lying. What are you lying about?” Bad questioned, circling his friend multiple times.
“Huh…” Skeppy mumbled. It could tell he wasn’t human. It must have been trying to take control of a human that didn’t actually exist. His masking device was saving his ass and he didn’t even know it could do that. But if the Egg could evolve to overpower obsidian, then there was no telling his masker would protect him forever. He had to take advantage of this.
“Skeppy?” Bad was growing visibly upset. “Why are you lying? I thought we had no secrets between us!”
“I don’t know what the Egg is talking about.” Skeppy deflected with a glare. “I think it just wants to tear us apart. I won’t let that happen, Bad. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll talk to your Egg. Do you think I could have some one-on-one time with it?”
Bad narrowed his eyes, studying him. “Only if you promise to stop lying.”
Skeppy nodded robotically. “I’m really not lying, but I promise!”
“Well… okay…” Bad said with a sigh. “It wants to talk to you too. I’ll be right outside, okay?”
Skeppy only watched silently as Bad shuffled over the thick growths of vines and small lava pools, disappearing from sight. His façade dropped, and he turned back to the filthy parasite with a snarl.
“I’m going to kill you.” Skeppy spat, his device humming again as his energy began to let loose again. His fake form flickered like a failing flashlight. He could begin to hear whispers of a sinister being.
I’ve never seen a creature like you. You lie to appear weak; why?
“My business is none of yours, you parasite.” Skeppy retorted, pulling his backpack off his shoulders and retrieving his obsidian stash. “Now, I barely know anything about what you are, but Bad was really helpful to mention your aversion to this material here. Maybe you’re evolving to resist it, but you haven’t fully gotten there yet. I’ll make this quick, but I’ll make it far from painless for you.”
Many have tried to get rid of me before you. What makes you think you’ll succeed where they have failed?
Skeppy gave a wild grin, placing his obsidian carefully. His device shook violently before a pop was heard and smoke billowed out from the metal- and with it, Skeppy’s human form vanished. Visible again for the first time in a long time were his crystal spikes, his tail, his blue skin, his fangs. “Because you’ve never seen a creature like me.”
A wave of power surged through the air- a summons. The Egg was summoning its puppet protectors.
“Skeppy!” Bad shouted as he reappeared, Antfrost and Punz suddenly appearing behind him. “Get away from the Egg! We’re supposed to help it, not harm it!”
Fat chance. He wouldn’t be able to place all of the obsidian in time, he had to find a different way to block himself and the Egg off from the rest of the room. Fuck it. If this was how he’d have to expose his secret, then so be it.
With a roar and a flash of light, the full Alectrosaurus came out. The cave echoed with his roar, and with a swing of his crystal-plated tail, he began slamming the walls around to cause a cave-in. It would trap him and the Egg for certain death, but his friends and Bad would be safe. Besides, if he survived this, he’d be able to dig his way out. No big deal.
The ceiling began to crumble, layers of loose rock smashing into the floor below, crushing vines, splashing huge drops of lava as they fell. The three advancing puppets stopped, seemingly frozen in their tracks as they slowly disappeared from view as the collapse piled up. Well, at least that was taken care of. But even with the obsidian weakening the parasite beside him, he could still feel strong waves of power rolling over him from it.
How interesting. I’ve never had a dinosaur to play with. You’d fit nicely in my collection next to your demon friend.
Skeppy felt his resolve weaken, and the vines began to move like snakes ready to constrict him to death. There was no more time- he had to act. It was now or never. With one final thought of who he was doing this for, he roared once more and lunged, jaws wide, teeth sharp.
Bad didn’t remember there being a cave-in.
Actually, he couldn’t really remember why he’d wound up in the Egg room to begin with. The last he truly remembered was when someone had placed a cage of obsidian around the Egg, and how much clearer his head had been feeling because of it. He could hear groans and grunts from Antfrost and Punz behind him- had they all been caught in the cave-in?
“Ow… what happened?” Ant asked with a grumble, rubbing his head. “Why are we in the Egg room? Or… what’s left of it?”
Bad looked around. There was a wasteland of ruins around him- crushed vines, half melted rocks of magma that had come down from the ceiling, and a massive pileup of rocks so high he couldn’t see the other side around a good portion of the cave, where the Egg had lay.
The Egg…
He’d brought Skeppy down to see the Egg.
Skeppy had somehow transformed into a big dinosaur and attacked the Egg.
Skeppy wasn’t with them on this side of the collapse.
Bad blinked dumbly to himself for a moment. The memories were starting to become clear again, the fog of the Egg’s presence fading more with each passing moment. The information his brain was feeding him was a lot to take in, but it seemed real somehow. But if it was all real, then that meant…
“Oh my goodness!” Bad screeched in horror.
“What?!” Punz and Antfrost both shouted in reply. “What’s wrong?!”
“Skeppy! He’s trapped in there with the Egg!”