(In this part we will be wearing a dress, but if you would rather wear a suit, please do so! love you guys

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y/n pov

Tap. Tap. Tap.

My eyelids snap open from the persistent sound, my sleepy mind instantly waking up. The noise was coming from the window on the right side of my bed, something being thrown at the glass.

Tap. Tap.

I sit up in bed, glancing across the room at Puffy's sleeping form. She and Ghost, on the ground next to my bed, slept through the noise, unbothered. The sheets on my bed swish as I lean to look through the clear glass.

It was still dark outside, the moon on its way down. It had only been a few hours since I departed from El Rapids and returned home to Puffy. I had crashed in my bed, too tired to change or take off my boots.

A lone figure stood in the yard, arm pulled back to throw again. They paused when they saw me sit up, beginning to wave their arms to come out.

I grabbed my sword, carefully stepped over my wolf, and went to the front door. Hesitantly, I opened the door to reveal the person.

"Karl?"

The boy smiled cheerfully, energetic despite the late hour. He had his green and gold goggles strapped to his head, a compass attached to his colorful hoodie, and two watches around his wrist. Everything he wore was bright in some way.

Under his arm, he was holding his leather book, a green swirl on the front.

The key to time traveling.

"Y/n, you need to come with me." He began to walk off backward, facing me.

I glanced back inside the dark house for a moment, then following after my friend. I kept my voice low in the night, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

He led me to our old home, walking straight up the stairs into my room. Everything was coated in a thin layer of dust. I could see the ghosts of memories in every place I looked, from times when our friend group hadn't been torn apart.

From when Dream hadn't messed everything up.

I tried my best to ignore the heartache as Karl sat down on the floor, placing the book on the ground in front of him. I sat across from him, curiously looking between the book and him.

He finally looked up at me, a more serious expression on his face. "Look, I don't have a lot of time to explain. Just know that you're coming with me because I need someone else there with me."

"Wait, I'm time traveling with you?"

A rush of adrenaline and excitement rushed through me, rousing my magic when Karl nodded.

"You won't experience any consequences from doing this, which is the only reason I'm bringing you. And if you're there, maybe you could help me figure some stuff out about this egg."

"Egg? What-"

"Place your hand in mine." He took my hand while opening the book to a page.

At the top, the words, The Masquerade, were written. Karl put his free hand on the blank spot below the title, closing his eyes.

"Remember, trust no one but me while we're there." He said, not opening his eyes.

"Karl-"

Before I could ask him anything else, a green light blinded me, forcing me to close my eyes. I could feel it wrap around the two of us, sweeping us away from this time, the world disappearing.

-

Stumbling forward, I felt solid ground under my feet and heard the sound of something swishing and soft water. The summer heat had been replaced by a cooler breeze, an autumn sun warming my skin.

I opened my eyes, seeing a spruce forest spread out in front of me. There was a cloudless sky above, the sun beginning to set.

"You alright?" I turned to see Karl on my right, also facing the forest. His hoodie was replaced by a green and purple suit vest, his compass and goggles still in place. The book was missing and a purple mask was placed over his eyes.

I glanced down at myself, surprised to see my t-shirt and cloak missing. I was in the same dress I wore to our own ball. The navy, thin material shimmered in the low light, mirroring the night sky.

My sword was missing, but my magic remained with me. It was just as discombobulated as I was.

"I think so. Where are we?" I turned around, eyeing our new surroundings.

A large, pristine fountain was placed in front of an even bigger white mansion. Shrubs followed along the brick path that led up to the quartz stairs.

Karl turned with me, holding out a mask to me. I placed the light blue mask over my eyes, clipping it in place. "I don't know where we are, but I know when we are. We went back in time to a masquerade party."

"And why are we here?"

"I have a suspicion that there are some connections here to the egg." He held out his arm for me to place my own on. We began walking around the fountain. "Just keep your magic at the ready. Use it sparingly. I'll explain the egg stuff once we get home."

He turned his head to me, his dark eyes serious. "Be prepared for anything. I have a bad feeling about this."

I nodded, craning my head back to see the large house. It was larger than the mansion Bad and Skeppy owned, making it the biggest building I have seen, besides the soon-to-be prison.

At the top of the stairs, a large dark set of double doors was opened to the inside. Just inside stood a man, his features making me do a double-take.

He looked exactly like Technoblade. His hair was long and pink, his ears delicately pointed. He wore a dark suit, with gold accents and black gloves. He wore a fancy black and gold mask as well.

This man had to be an ancestor of my friend.

Karl led me up into the house, stopping just inside the door. "Uh, hello."

The man walked closer to us, his face expressionless. "Hello, who is this?" He dragged his red eyes from my friend to me, questioning. When he spoke, he had the same small canines that Techno had.

"We're just in the area! Who are you?" Karl kept his voice cheerful.

"I am Sir Billiam the Third, the owner of this here mansion." His voice became prideful, sweeping his hand to the house beyond.

The house was beautiful on the inside, decorated as if each piece of flooring was hand-picked. Two sets of staircases led to a balcony, and in between was a large chandelier.

"I'm Karl, and this is Y/n. We're here for the party." Karl said to the man.

"I specifically said no poor people here, so if you are, please leave now."

I was shocked by the man's tone and vanity. Karl seemed to feel the same, pausing for a second.

"Don't worry, we aren't poor." He said, trying to sound confident.

This seemed to satisfy Billiam, as he smiled slightly. He turned, facing the stairs. "Butler!"

A boy, who was wearing a black vest and masquerade mask with red and green dots, came running down the stairs. His dark hair curled over his pale ears as he towered over us.

He didn't say a word, only turning to Billiam. "This hideous commoner is my butler. I let him live here in exchange for absolute loyalty, twenty-four-seven service, and sometimes I let him sleep. On the floor of course."

I fought to keep my disgust in. This boy didn't look much older than the teens back home and he was being treated like garbage.

I kept my voice even and sweet as I turned to the butler. "What's your name?"

He didn't respond, Billiam speaking for him. "He's just a commoner, it does not matter if he has a name."

My eyes snapped up to his as he moved to face the open door again. Karl and I turned as well, seeing several people begin to appear.

The first two people up the steps were an old man with orange hair, plus a white streak, and a fox mask, and a brown-haired man with a black and red mask. We learned their names were Oliver and Lord Sebastian.

Next, came a man with dark hair and a pure white mask that covered the left side of his face. James, the man, instantly reminded me of Sapnap, with his darker eyes and hair. Karl seemed to think the same, his eyes snagging.

Lastly, a woman who closely resembled Niki stepped in, wearing a pale blue dress and matching winged mask. Liaria marked the last of the invitees, according to Billiam.

All of us turned to head into the large room ahead, where a bar was at the end. Pleasant chatter filled the quiet, Liaria coming over to me. She was friendly and put together, the spitting image of my friend.

Karl was speaking to Sir Billiam and James, more particularly the latter. The group seemed nice, but it was still strange to me that I was way back in time, before the SMP had even been found.

How the hell did I get here?

"I really like your dress! Who'd you get it made by?" Liaria asked, peering at the gown. I swept a hand over the soft material, admiring Niki's handiwork.

I kept my panic at bay, trying not to show it. If Liaria was an ancestor of Niki, then the gown had come from her bloodline. I tried to sound as elegant as possible, "Why, thank you! I got it-"

My words were stopped short as every light began to flicker. The room flashed for a moment before plunging into complete darkness. Panicked cries filled the room as I grasped Karl's arm.

Karl was right, something bad was happening.

It was too dark to see Karl's face or body, but he began to move, pulling the two of us out of the ballroom. People were darting around, for some reason, as if they were trying to hide.

We ran up the stairs, into a small guest room. Once inside, I turned to Karl. "What is happening?!" My voice was hushed, my magic starting to urge me to hide.

Karl pulled me behind a plant, trying to look at me in the shadowy room. "I don't know, but I know enough that we need to hide. Somethings happening."

We stayed quiet, pressed into the corner, hiding. My senses reached out and my ears strained for any sound.

Thanks to the magic, I could hear stronger than an average person. But I was not thankful when I heard Liaria scream from below.

Without hesitance, I ran from the room, rushing towards the sound.

"Y/n!" Karl called after me, his footsteps echoing my own.

As I made it off the last step of the staircase, the lights flickered back on. When I came around the corner where I heard the scream come from, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Lying face down on some barrels was Liaria. Her dress and blonde hair were hanging off the side of the crates, completely still.

She wasn't breathing.

Karl came in right after me, gasping. The others came towards our commotion, just as shocked as we were. Karl and Billiam stepped around me, jogging towards her body.

I had just been thrown into another time period, without any details, and now I was trapped in a murder mystery.

My ears pricked again, another distant sound making its way to me. It came from down the hall, soft bubbling noises.

Billiam, whose hearing was also heightened, turned to face me. "Why do I hear someone drowning?"

That moment was when I noticed that Oliver, the old man, was missing.

Our group ran towards the sound, coming into a small room with a large aquarium built into the wall. More gasps arose when we rounded the corner.

There was Oliver, his hands pressed against the glass, struggling for air. How he managed to get trapped in there, I had no idea.

Karl led us up to the glass, all of us pointing upwards at the opening. We frantically signaled for Oliver to swim up. He had somehow gotten trapped in the corner of the aquarium, not seeing the exit.

Our yells made him look up, pushing his feet off the sandy floor. He disappeared from our view as he climbed out of the hole.

"Come down here! There's a body down here!" Karl yelled, running back towards where we had left Liaria.

Oliver, now soaking wet, joined our group around the stacks of barrels. I walked over to him, the group watching. "How did you get in the aquarium?"

He smiled as if he hadn't just been close to drowning. The old man rambled on about going to London, ignoring my question.

I turned back around, giving the group a look. My eyes snagged on Sebastian, who was still holding a wine bottle. He had a strangled expression on his face, his eyes darting around.

"And where were you, Lord Sebastian?" My question pinned him to the spot.

"I-I was by the wine! I hid by the wine barrels!"

I gestured to the barrels that were beneath Liaria's body. "These barrels?"

"N-no! The one's in the party room!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was acting extremely suspicious, and I didn't need my magic to know that.

Billiam looked as if he were about to say something, but the lights flickered once more. We were plunged into complete darkness within seconds for the second time.

I felt bodies shuffling around me, and a hand grasped my arm, dragging me back up the stairs. My magic instinctively stretched out, trying to know who the person was. It returned, telling me that Karl was guiding me and Sebastian was running on his other side.

People's frantic noises faded as Karl pulled the two of us into a bedroom closet, just big enough to fit all three of us. I was pressed on the end, Karl squished into my side.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, slow, creepy footsteps winded their way through the hallway, and into the room, we were hiding in. I grasped Karl's hand tightly and pulled my magic into my fingertips.

In a matter of seconds, Karl pushed me tighter into the corner, using his body as a shield as the closet door opened, revealing Sebastian. The two of us remained in the shadows, light pouring in on Sebastian's pale face.

I had to press a hand over my mouth to keep my scream in, a sword plunging straight into the man's chest. His body went limp, falling out of the closet.

When we pushed open the door to reveal the murderer, no one was there.

We weren't able to figure out the mystery killer, as more and more people died. The lights flickered on and off several more times, each time revealing a dead body.

Each time, Karl and I fled, hiding away somewhere. And every time we emerged, there was a person missing from the group.

When the lights flickered a final time, it was just me, Karl, Billiam, and the butler left. The butler had last been with Oliver, who had just died, leading us to believe it was him.

Billiam pulled the three of us away from his servant, running to a hidden room. It was behind a red wall, the door built into a painting for secrecy.

When we stepped inside, my magic coiled, trying to pull me away.

The room was covered in red vines, dirt, and magma. Crimson exploded everywhere, reminding me of the distant voice from the other day.

At the end, was a huge maroon egg. Instantly, whispers filled my head, speaking backward. I swayed, placing a hand to my head. Well, this was the egg.

Karl glanced nervously at me then the egg, Billiam leading us towards it. "Y/n, are you alright?"

My heart was hammering in my chest, fear filling my veins like ice. I whispered, "Karl, I think we need to get out of here. This place isn't right." Every instinct and drop of magic told me to run.

We were a few feet from the egg now, the whispers growing in volume. "Um, Billiam, I think y/n and I will be going now-"

Billiam turned around to face us, a sinister smile on his face. His eyes had managed to turn even redder. "But the party has just begun! Why this is my favorite room!"

He gestured to the strange egg in front of us. "You see, this egg here, it demands blood."

Everything began to click into place. The murders hadn't been an accident, no, they were a sacrifice for the egg.

And we were next.

What had Karl brought us to?

I turned around, hearing footsteps, to see the young butler holding a sword. I pressed myself closer to Karl, my magic returning to my hold. Turning halfway to face Karl, I whispered, "We need to leave now."

His eyes widened when he saw the butler stepping closer, turning back to Billiam. "I really do think we should be going now!"

Billiam scoffed but his voice remained regal. "The egg is hungry. Butler! Please feed the egg."

And for the first time, I heard the boy speak, his voice serious. "My pleasure, sir."

The boy began running at us, the whispers turning into a scream saying, JOIN ME! My head was pounding, the pain only increasing when I threw up a barrier of wind around Karl and I.

Karl began whispering something, closing his eyes. I clutched his arm, yelling over the strong winds, "KARL! GET US OUT!"

But he was lost somewhere, in his mind. My wind broke for a moment from the headache, opening a hole in front of Karl.

I screamed as the butler darted forward, but it was too late.

The sword plunged into Karl's chest, straight through his heart.

A millisecond later, the world disappeared as bright green lights replaced it.

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hehe I wanted to write at least one tales of the smp chapters

sorry if this chapter isn't the best, I didn't want to make it too long lol. But I hope you enjoyed anyway!

thx for reading :) make sure to get some water and eat something! stay safe