G5 Adventures in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water

Chapters

Contacted by a Pirate
Stealing the Magic Book
Arrival in Bikini Bottom/First Fight with Plankton
Sparky and the Formula-- Gone!
Saving Plankton/Assembling the Team
Talks and Schemes on the Mountain Top
Rescuing Karen
Building the Time Machine
Journey through Time and Space (Part 2)
Saving SpongeBob the Sacrifice
Across the Surface
The Super-Powered Battle (Part 1: Burger Beard)
The Super-Powered Battle (Part 2: Opaline)
A Hippogriff Farewell/A Bikini Bottom Celebration
Journey through Time and Space (Part 1)

Contacted by a Pirate

It was Maretime Bay Beach Day-- an annual earth pony celebration where everypony would spend the day at the beach, doing different kinds of activities, but it would be the first to have unicorns and pegasi in attendance, so Sunny Starscout and her friends decided to make it the best one ever...

...despite the circumstances with Opaline.

But enough of the negativity-- it was time for Pipp to kick off the celebration by singing one of her most popular hits, and Izzy climbed up onto the stage to kick it all off. “What up, what up, Maretime Bay?!” Izzy shouted to the cheering crowd. “Let's kick off Maretime Bay Beach Day with a performance by the one, the only, my friend... PRINCESS PIPP PETALS!!!!”

She quickly darted offstage and let Pipp take the crowd's full attention, and Zipp nodded to her sister before starting up the music.

I′m feelin' fresh
Like my mane is on fleek
Happiness is all I need
Spreadin′ love from you to me (Uh, uh)

Somethin' about the way I'm feelin' (Feelin′)
Like everypony got a glow (Whoa oh-oh)
Shinin′ brightly with the power (Power)
To spread the colors of the rainbow (Rainbow)

I got my make-up on
Got that glitter and glam
On this my favorite song
Yeah, they're playin′ my jam
I feel beautiful, I feel powerful
I feel me

I'm feelin′ fresh
Like my mane is on fleek
Happiness is all I need
Spreadin' love from you to me

I′m feelin' fresh
Magic all around my friends
Celebration never ends
Oh, 'cause we always attend

Ooh-hoo-hoo, ooh
I'm my best self, everypony can tell
Ooh-hoo-hoo, ooh
I'm my best self, everypony can tell

Everypony was beginning to jump and jive during the chorus, loving the pop princess and her music. At this cue, Misty and Izzy pushed one of Pipp's mirror props onstage for one of the verses before the second chorus.

When did this mirror get so gorgeous? (Gorgeous)
Who′s that? Is that me? (Me)

I got my make-up on
Got that glitter and glam
On this my favorite song
Yeah, they're playin′ my jam
I feel beautiful, I feel powerful
I feel me

I'm feelin′ fresh
Like my mane is on fleek
Happiness is all I need
Spreadin' love from you to me

I′m feelin' fresh
Magic all around my friends
Celebration never ends
Oh, 'cause we always attend

Ooh-hoo-hoo, ooh
I'm my best self, everypony can tell
Ooh-hoo-hoo, ooh
I'm my best self, everypony can tell

Once Pipp was done with the song, everypony cheered as Pipp waved to the crowd before fluttering offstage. “That was amazing, Pipp!” Sunny congratulated. “Now, everypony will be feeling fresh themselves as they spend an entire day in the sunshine and with each other! Eeeeee-hee-hee!”

Sparky babbled and began stomping on the sandcastle he made, making Hitch chuckle and bring his little dragon baby into his hooves. “Seems like Sparky really likes the idea of an all-three-ponykind Maretime Bay Beach Day too.”

“I like it too,” Misty said as her face fell. “I-It's just that...”

“Still having those thoughts about being possessed by Revolta?” Zipp asked gently, leading the blue unicorn mare to nod sadly. “Everypony has moments where they flash back to scary moments. It's completely natural.”

“Even when somepony tried to make you evil in one of those moments?”

“Well... yeah,” Pipp nodded and moved closer to Misty's side. “But the important thing is that you're coming back from that scary experience a whole new pony. And that's what matters... right?”

“Yeah... I guess so,” Misty nodded slowly with a soft smile. “Come on, guys-- I've never had a real beach day before, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what all the buzz is about.”

XXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Opaline searched meticulously for something in storage, grunting and groaning to herself as she flung potion bottles and spellbooks left and right. “Nasty little spider witch...” she growled at Revolta in particular. “If it hadn't been for that annoying insect, Misty would have been my loyal servant again and I would have had my dragon fire! So thanks to THAT hiccup, I'll have to come up with a whole new pla--”

Suddenly, there came a clunking sound coming from the mirror pool, causing her to sigh. “I wonder who THAT could be. Not that anypony calls anymore...”

The fiery alicorn trudged into the throne room and looked into the mirror pool to see a bottle floating inside of it. This peeked Opaline's curiosity... nopony had sent messages by bottles for quite sometime.

This had to have been somepony important.

She quickly opened the bottle and opened it, unrolling the scroll and reading what was on the parchment. “Dearest Opaline, I hope you are doing wickedly well. I had the greatest idea that we should team up in our latest conquests for power-- you to seize all the magic in Equestria, and me to become a rich food guru. As soon as you have recharged your power, meet me on my ship... I trust you can find it. Sincerely, Burger Beard.”

The name definitely was familiar... Burger Beard was a powerful pirate who knew how to get what he wanted... and this offer of teaming up with a menacing pirate tickled Opaline's fancy. “Oh, captain... meet you I shall.”

She then took a few drops of potion and dropped it into the mirror pool, causing a portal to appear and causing Opaline to look triumphant. “Get ready, ponies... Opaline is going to get some power.”

And just like that, she dove right in.

XXXXXXXXX

“Awwww, did you make Auntie Izzy a Seashell sculpture?” Izzy cooed as she marveled at Sparky's masterpiece. “I... LOVE IT!! You really are a style icon, you know that, Sparkerooni?”

Everypony laughed at the sight before a familiar glow filled their cutie marks, prompting Hitch to sigh in a whining tone. “Did we really have to go to the Unity Crystals now?!” he asked. “The volleyball contest is getting ready to start!”

“The volleyball tournament can wait, Hitch-- believe me on that,” Zipp stated. “Right now, there's somepony out there who needs some help kicking some evil booty!

“Or learning that friendship is the most powerful thing there is!” Sunny added. “Come on, everypony-- to the Brighthouse!”

Zipp, Izzy, Misty and Hitch raced after Sunny and Pipp, but Misty could have sworn she heard Opaline laughing as they darted through town...

Nevertheless, she took Pipp and Zipp's advice to heart and continued to follow her friends back up toward the Brighthouse.

Once they were up to the Crystal Room, Pipp giggled in excitement. “I wonder where we'll be going... a desert? A singing kingdom? Oooh, back to the Ghoul School?”

“I hope it's not anywhere dangerous like Zombie Island... never wanna go there again,” Hitch shuddered. “We're about to find out!” Sunny pointed to the glowing crystals. “Here we go, everypony!”

And as the glowing light cleared, Sunny and her friends were transported off to their next mission... and in a new way that nopony could even imagine.

Stealing the Magic Book

As the ponies were being sent by the Unity Crystals to their next location, Opaline had arrived in the mortal world herself... more specifically on Burger Beard's ship. As soon as she arrived, Burger Beard had her follow his map to something that he was sure could help them in their domination schemes. Burger Beard assured her in his gravelly pirate voice that she had nothing to worry about.

They had been... confidants ever since Burger Beard accidentally mistook her for a horse to pull one of his treasure wagons, but after that misunderstanding had been cleared up, they realized they had their dreams of domination in common, and would make sure they would keep finding ways to help them both get what they want.

And finally, Burger Beard thought he had finally found it.

XXXXXXXXX

Burger Beard and Opaline finally pulled the dinghy onto the shores of an island known as the Bikini Atoll, the dark alicorn panting tiredly, since she did not have her dragon fire magic. “That was EXHAUSTING!!” she exclaimed. “That treasure better be close by, or else... well, you probably don't want to know or else.”

“Do not worry, beautiful maiden,” Burger Beard assured her slyly. “You have gotten me this far, and now... I shall lead us the rest if the way.”

He took out his map, and Opaline glanced over his shoulder to see that the treasure they were looking for was on the opposite side of the island!

Opaline groaned to herself. This was just great... now her hooves would be completely chipped by the time she got back to Burger Beard's accursed boat!

Nevertheless, she decided to follow the pirate and see what all the hullabaloo was really about.

XXXXXXXXX

Later, Burger Beard was chopping through the branches on the island while Opaline was trying to avoid anything that would ruin her complexion, such as mud and twigs and insects.

Soon enough, they stopped so Burger Beard could look at his map again, and that's when Opaline saw a sign with the words 'Booby Traps' in big letters, obviously a warning. “Booby traps? HA!!”

She used a blast of her magic to destroy the sign, leaving it in crumpled flaming pieces as she and Burger Beard walked on, passing a skeleton on the ground, a tarantula within it as they smirked to themselves.

Another minute passed, and they saw something, making them quickly halt. Before them was a clear path leading to a skeleton who is holding a book, sitting on a chair. “Ah...” Burger Beard sighed. “There you are, my lovely.”

“...a book?” Opaline deadpanned before looking at the pirate with a furious expression. “WE WALKED THROUGH MILES OF JUNGLE AND RUINED MY QUEENLY IMAGE FOR A BOOK?!”

“N-N-Not just any book, my dear Opaline!” Burger Beard protested out of fright. “This book has magical properties, to which we will use to rewrite our stories and make them the way WE want them to be. You as Equestria's rightful alicorn leader, and me as the richest pirate in the seven seas.”

Opaline seemed to consider this. Sure, this pirate fool had dragged her out here through miles of jungle, but... the thoughts of being Equestria's true queen was enough to get her excited beyond compare... though not as excited as she would have been with the dragon fire.

How could she possibly say no to an offer like that? “All right... but I'm not laying a hoof to get it for you. I'm Opaline Arcana, not some sort of treasure fetching hound.”

“Of course not. You shall stay here while I retrieve my-- er, uh... OUR prize.”

He then walked down the path, evading every booby trap on the path, silently impressing Opaline.

Misty would have probably triggered every single one of them by accident.

Finally, Burger Beard finally reached the skeleton that held the book. “What's that? Take the book? I don't mind if I do.”

He quickly grabbed the book from the skeleton, making it fall over and into pieces. Slowly, he began to walk the other way, softly rubbing the book's cover. “At last, it is mine. Finally, you are mine...”

But suddenly, to Opaline's shock, the skeleton began to reassemble itself! But Burger Beard didn't look the least bit intimidated as the skeleton struck a fighting pose. “Bring it on, skinny. You don't scare me.”

The skeleton quickly did a left punch, but Burger Beard avoided it. The skeleton did a right punch, but Burger Beard avoided it. The skeleton did a left punch again, but Burger Beard blocked it with the book. But finally, the skeleton did a powerful left punch, which sent Burger Beard, who was still holding onto the book, to go soaring into the air.

Opaline sighed under her breath at this... always her having to save the day, she supposed. She quickly blasted the skeleton, turning it to dust before she flew off after the pirate, specifically toward the ship she assumed that he would land in.

XXXXXXXXX

Back on the ship, four seagulls were playing a round of Go Fish, the perfect card game if you were a pirate at sea.

“You got any sevens?”

“Go fish!”

Suddenly, Burger Beard harshly landed on the ship, but stood up as soon as Opaline arrived. “Is that all you got?!”

He quickly kissed the book and swung to the wheel, pulled up the anchor, and Opaline opened the sail, prompting the ship to start moving.

After a while, he pushed a button labeled "Auto-Pirate", sat down and opened the book to begin reading, with Opaline at his side. “Once upon a time,” Burger Beard began, “under the sea, there was a little town called Bikini Bottom.”

Opaline stiffled a laugh at such a name, but held herself together as Burger Beard kept reading. “In this town, there was a place called The Krusty Krab. Every greasy spoon has a fry cook, and the one who worked here was named... SpongeBob Squarepants.”

Suddenly, the seagulls around them began to a sing a song about this SpongeBob fellow, like he was some sort if famous celebrity or something.

Seagulls: Oh...

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he
SpongeBob SquarePants

If nautical nonsense is something you wish
SpongeBob SquarePants
Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!
SpongeBob SquarePants!

SpongeBob Square--

“ENOUGH!!” Opaline screeched, letting the song come to a screeching halt. “There's only one thing worse than talking birds, and that would be... SINGING BIRDS!!!”

“Okay, I promise not to siiiiiing!!” sang one seagull, prompting another one to point to some skeleton birds dressed as a mariachi band. “Take it from us,” the first said, causing the second one to agree. “She really does hate singing birds.”

The first seagull nearly pooped himself at seeing this, but the second blinked sweetly up at Burger Beard. “Just keep weading. Pwease, Mr. Piwate, sir.”

“Come closer. Let me tell you the tale.”

The seagulls excitedly got closer, but Burger Beard had to stop them when they got too close before he continued telling the story. “Now, SpongeBob loved his job as a fry cook more than anything. And that is saying a lot because he loved everything! He loved his pet snail, Gary. He loved his best friend, Patrick. He loved blowing bubbles and jellyfishing.”

Opaline shuddered-- he sounded too much like those pathetic ponies than she would have liked. “He loved making Krabby Patties for the folks of Bikini Bottom just as much as they loved eating them,” Burger Beard continued. “Why, you may ask,

do they love this

greasy little sandwich so much? Why did they eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, despite their doctor's warnings? It was a secret. No one was sure what was in these patties that made them so delicious. And, frankly, no one cared... except for Plankton.”

Opaline immediately sat up at this-- with a villain involved, now things were getting interesting. “Plankton owned a restaurant right across the street from The Krusty Krab, where no one ate because the food was really bad,” Burger Beard said bluntly. “Plankton had made it his life's work to steal the recipe. And SpongeBob was always there to protect it. But today, things... would be different.”

Burger Beard closed the book with a smirk. “With this book, we can change this town's pathetic story, while giving ours a leg up from villain to all Supreme beings! And you, my dearest Opaline... will finally be in your rightful place.”

To this, Opaline chuckled maliciously. “My rightful place... I do like the sound of that.”

Arrival in Bikini Bottom/First Fight with Plankton

Bikini Bottom was just as peaceful as Burger Beard made it out to be, if not more. Friendly fish, good businesses... all pretty peaceful.

Plus, Burger Beard's description of SpongeBob was pretty accurate as well-- from his love of being a fry cook to everything in between.

As Burger Beard was reading the tale of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob himself was hard at work in the kitchen, flipping Krabby Patties and whistling a cheery tune as he put on the ingredients for the perfect sandwich. “First bun, then patty, followed by ketchup, mustard, pickles, extra onions, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and bun, in that order!”

He chuckled to himself as he rang the bell, flinging the tray like a frisbee out to the waiting customer. “Ahh, this is the life. Just me, flipping patties in my favorite place, and a giant swirling portal opening beside me! Wait, what?”

Just as SpongeBob had stated, there was a giant, rainbow colored portal opening up beside him, looking ready to either spit something out or suck something in.

SpongeBob gasped and quickly grabbed a tray to defend himself, just as it sounded like several things impacted against the floor before it disappeared. When SpongeBob looked again, his eyes were as wide as Krabby Patties themselves when he saw what was on the floor next to him.

It looked like six different seahorses and a green tropical fish on the wooden floor, and some of the seahorses had horns on their heads, while two of them had fin-like wings, and the other two looked like regular old... well, seahorses.

But why did they come through a portal like that? Where they in trouble? Or were they just lost, helpless creatures who needed to find their way around in this dangerous undersea world? “Hmm... okay, SpongeBob. You have to be smart about this. There are strange, multicolored seahorses on the floor along with a green striped fish, looking like they're asleep or getting ready to puke. What's the right decision to make?”

Suddenly, SpongeBob seemed to get an idea. He took his trusty spatula... and began to poke at the apricot colored sea horse with a magenta and purple mane with rainbow highlights repeatedly. “Wakey wake, pretty seahorse-y! Oh, please don't be dead... Mr. Krabs won't be happy if there are bodies of innocent sea creatures in his restaurant... especially if they haven't paid for any lunch yet.”

He continued to prod the strange sea creatures until they began to stir, fluttering their eyes open ever so slightly. He jumped back in alarm as they began to wake up and prod each other. They got up slowly and their eyes all widened in shock upon seeing him.

Pipp was first to freak out upon witnessing the sight of a tall yellow sponge in front of them. “Aaaaah!!” she screamed. “Our bodies have changed! What happened to my wings?! And WHAT KIND OF FILTER IS THAT?!!”

“That’s…not a filter,” commented the white creature suspiciously. “That's--”

“Hi!” SpongeBob greeted. “I’m SpongeBob SquarePants!! Welcome to the Krusty Krab! Would you like a Krabby Patty?”

“A crabby whatty?” the apricot seahorse glanced at her friends in a confused manner before turning back to him and clearing her throat. “Sorry about that. My name is Sunny Starscout and these are my friends! Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals, Misty, Hitch Trailblazer, Sparky Sparkeroni, and--“

“I got this, Sunny!” the lavender seahorse with the horn quipped. “Hi, new friend! My name is Izzy! Izzy Moonbow. I sure am hungry!”

“Izzy!” Zipp scolded. “We don’t even know who this talking sponge is. We shouldn’t take anything from him.”

“Um, yeah we do, silly!” Izzy replied cheerfully. “We just got his name! And you know how your stomach can only think when it’s full!”

Zipp sighed in defeat. “Ugh, fine. But we’re on a mission here! We need to find out why the Unity Crystals called us.”

“I can get you that Krabby Patty lickety split!” SpongeBob immediately hopped to work, serving up seven Krabby Patties faster than a millisecond. The strange sea creatures ate the burgers up quickly, surprising even him. He knew that they must’ve been extremely hungry upon entering through that portal, which was now closed behind them.

Sunny regained her composure. “Right! Thank you so much, Mr... um... SpongeBob. These patties were absolutely delicious! You know, I’m something of a chef myself.”

SpongeBob’s eyes brightened up at that news. Finally, there was someone who he could relate to at long last. “Oh my gosh! YOU’RE A FRY COOK TOO?! We can make tons of Krabby Patties together!! This is the greatest day of my life!!!!”

The apricot seahorse blushed awkwardly. “Well you see, I’m not really a fry cook. I mainly produce smoothies and follow my own recipes at home. This is a restaurant?”

SpongeBob nodded vigorously. “The one and only Krusty Krab, run by the ever so krusty and ever so crabby manager Mr. Krabs! I can’t wait to have him meet all of you! In the meantime, you can help me around the restaurant until you can find your mission.”

Right as he said that, Mr. Krabs burst into the door to the kitchen with a very miserable looking Squidward in tow. “SpongeBob!!” Mr. Krabs cried out. “What was that whirling sound I heard coming from me office?! Is a tornado coming for us, lad?!!”

Hitch screamed. “Oh my goodness!! A talking crab and mutant octopus!!” Just as he was about to freak out, however, he thought about it and calmed down. “You know what? This is actually just a normal day for me at this point.”

“Oh hi, Mr. Krabs!” SpongeBob greeted. “I’ve just hired these multicolor seahorses to work at the Krusty Krab! They’ll just be here until they find whatever mission they’re looking for.”

“Oh no!!” Sauidward shouted. “Not again, SpongeBob! We already had enough trouble with that other seahorse of yours in the past! How can these creatures be any useful?!”

“Well for starters,” Zipp replied, getting close to his face with hooves on hips, “we can talk, so we’ll be able to communicate with the customers. We won’t be a burden.”

Squidward fainted at the sound of these creatures actually talking. He slumped on the floor, motionless. Mr. Krabs looked awkwardly at the sight of his fallen cashier, poking him multiple times. “Uh Squidward. Squidward. Squidward…”

“It’s okay, Mr. Krabs,” SpongeBob told his boss. “We’ll just have these pretty horses take over Squidward’s job until he wakes up.”

“Uh yeah,” Mr. Krabs said with a hint of nervousness. “You see lad, I’m not so sure. ‘Last thing I want to do is risk me bottom line over a bunch of strangers that just got here. I mean, we don’t even know if they have any work experience.”

“Sure we do!” SpongeBob insisted. “Sunny here says she’s a chef, so maybe she can help me with the grill!”

“Yeah, that could be a possibility…” Mr. Krabs was thinking hard about this. “Well, tell ‘em they’re working for free until I can see some progress from them. I’m gonna go count me money outside. The hats are in the back!”

SpongeBob saluted his boss. “Aye aye, sir!” Once the crab had left, he faced the newcomers. “Allow me to give you the premier tour of the Krusty Krab!”

“Wow, thank you so much, sir!” Misty smiled. Now this was a place she could get used to.

XXXXXXXXX

“…and this is the dumpster!” SpongeBob walked out of the kitchen back door with the ponies following close behind him. They sported curious eyes as he explained everything. “This is where all the messes get thrown away.”

“Oooh...” Pipp took a couple of snapshots. “Very rustic.”

As he was explaining, he suddenly caught the eyes of a familiar pink starfish coming his way. It was none other than his best friend Patrick Star! He was coming to the Krusty Krab to order a Krabby Patty and go about his day.

“Good morning, SpongeBob!” Patrick greeted him. “Morning, Patrick!” SpongeBob responded back cheerily. “Are you here for your pre-lunch Krabby Patty?”

“I’m getting two today!” Patrick explained. “One for me, and one for my friend!”

“Ooh!” SpongeBob said, playing along with his buddy’s antics. “Have I met this friend?”

Patrick reached down and pinched his belly button to make it look like it was talking in a cleverly hilarious manner. “‘You know me, SpongeBob!’”

As the two of them laughed over this, Zipp was standing behind the sponge looking utterly dumbfounded. “How does that even work?”

Misty shrugged. “Enjoy, Patrick's tummy!” SpongeBob waved farewell as Patrick walked off. But after a minute, he began to hear the sound of a plane engine.

Planes don't usually come around Bikini Bottom too often... what could that be?

SpongeBob had a feeling about what was gonna happen, so he needed to get his new friends someplace safe. “Hey, why don't you guys go help get things organized? We don't want too much on anything!”

“Sure thing, Mr. SpongeBob,” Misty nodded quickly. “Come on, ponies!”

The others quickly followed her inside with their new seapony abilities, just as a large green plane approaching dropped a giant jar of tartar sauce toward the Krusty Krab.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs was counting some of the cash he had earned earlier. “13, 14, 15...”

“Hey, Mr. Krabs!” SpongeBob greeted, interrupting him. “So... what do you think of Sunny and her friends now? They're really making a good effort.”

“Well, I wouldn't go assuming the best out of them right away, boy-o,” Mr. Krabs frowned. “They may seem lovely and innocent at first glance, but I still got me eyestalks on them. You know what happened the last time ye found one of them creatures, don't ye?”

SpongeBob nodded with a sigh, hating being reminded of his past mistakes. “Yes... I do. But these guys seem different!”

“Hmph. We'll soon see.”

SpongeBob was about to respond when he noticed something falling out of the sky right toward them. “Hey, Mr. Krabs, I thought we got our tartar sauce delivery on Thursday.”

“Tartar...” Mr. Krabs was about to answer when the tartar sauce splashed everywhere on the Krusty Krab, including on them. “...sauce?”

“Bullseye!” shouted a familiar and cackling voice, and hearing it made SpongeBob realize exactly who it was. “Plankton!”

“So it's a food fight he wants, eh?” Mr. Krabs narrowed his eyes as tartar sauce dripped down his face. “Quick, boy-o! Put up our armed forces and defend the formuler!”

“Sir yes sir!” SpongeBob cried and ran inside, right past the ponies as he grabbed Patrick and headed up for the closet. “SpongeBob? Patrick?” Sunny blinked. “What's going on?”

“No time for chit chat, Sunny girl!” SpongeBob stated as he and Patrick began to get changed into military style clothing. “Plankton’s challenging us to a food fight for the Krabby Patty secret formula!”

“Plankton? Food fight? Let us help!” Zipp zoomed in front of him. “We have plenty of fighting experience!”

“Yeah!” Hitch said. “Even though we just got here and we don't have the slightest idea as to what's going on, we wanna help!”

SpongeBob and Patrick looked over at each other before the sponge finally relented. “Okay... but be prepared-- it'll get messy up there!”

XXXXXXXXX

At the same time, Sheldon J Plankton was flying his military plane toward the Krusty Krab, preparing to blast it to smithereens. “Welcome to Air Plankton! Please put your seat backs and tray tables up as we're now approaching our final destination.”

The group immediately got onto the roof after Hitch hid Sparky in the closet, where SpongeBob stood, ready to command the firing weapon. “Okay, Izzy and Patrick. Load the potatoes!”

Patrick quickly held up two plates of cooked potatoes by this point. “Mashed or scalloped sir?!”

“No, Patrick. Raw...”

“Sir yes sir!” Izzy used her unicorn powers to load the raw potatoes into the cannon. “Locked and loaded!”

XXXXXXXXX

At the same time, Mr. Krabs opened the safe in his office to check that the formula was still safe. “Don't worry, little formuler. You'll be safe in this... uh... safe.”

He then sealed the safe and grabbed the microphone before shouting at the top of his lungs. “FIRE!!!”

XXXXXXXXX

SpongeBob fired the potatoes out at a rapid speed, watching as the military plane dodged the potatoes left and right.

Zipp was luckily able to bring her gear along, and thankfully, it worked underwater just enough to see Plankton quickly approaching them. “He's closing in!”

“I think we have a few minutes before he gets here,” Patrick said, using the binoculars he was holding... backwards. Zipp sighed and flipped them around, causing Patrick to scream. “HE'S RIGHT ON TOP OF US!!!”

Some of the potatoes got cut up through the plane's propellers, causing it to rain fries on a fish named Sandals. “Hey... it's raining fries!”

“It's gonna take a lot more than potatoes to bring this baby down!” Plankton shouted, but then watched as the potatoes took out the wings and propellers all at once. “Or maybe not.”

Everyone on the inside watched as the plane crashed to the ground in a huge explosion, and they cheered at the fact Plankton was causing no harm. On the top of the building, the group was celebrating all on their own before SpongeBob began to notice something. “Wait a minute, guys-- look! HE'S GOT A TANK!!”

True to SpongeBob’s words, a tank was dropping down by a parachute, and Plankton had just inserted a pickle into the firing chute. “Well, Krabs, you're certainly in a pickle now!”

“Everypony! Hit the dirt!” Hitch screamed, and they all dove to safety, nearly being squashed by the pickle when it impacted. The tank then landed and moved toward them, making SpongeBob realize they didn't have much time. “Pipp! Hand me your phone!”

“B-B-But... oh, fine...” Pipp reluctantly handed it over, and SpongeBob quickly dialed in a number. “Your order, sir!”

“I'll have two Krabby Patties,” said the voice of SpongeBob’s friend Sandy Cheeks. “Extra ketchup, extra mustard, and hold the mayo.”

“Wrong channel!” SpongeBob typed in another number, this time getting Mr. Krabs. “YOUR order, sir!”

“Extra ketchup, extra mustard! HOLD THE MAYO!!!!”

“Yes sir!” SpongeBob saluted and brought out a big ketchup bottle followed by small ketchup and mustard bottles. “Extra ketchup! Extra mustard!”

“Hold the mayo...!!” Patrick strained as he and Misty held up a giant jar of mayonnaise.

“Unleash the condiments!”

“With relish!” SpongeBob shouted, and screamed as he fired mustard and ketchup at the tank repeatedly, only stopping when the weapon ran out, resulting in farting noises being produced. “Excuse me!”

Patrick and SpongeBob laughed before SpongeBob reloaded and began to fire again.

XXXXXXXXX

“Hello? Hello?!” Sandy called from the drive thru window. “Guess y'all don't want my money!”

“Money?!” Mr. Krabs immediately zipped to the window, took her cash and handed her a Krusty Krab bag. “Thank you. Come again!”

And with that being said, he quickly shut the window to go back to the battle.

XXXXXXXXX

Outside, SpongeBob continued blasting the condiments, but Misty and Patrick were becoming tired from holding the mayo up for a long period of time. It became too much for Misty to use magic without her unicorn powers, and she began panting tiredly. “I can't hold the mayo any longer!!”

She kicked the mayo right in the path of the tank, and Plankton watched as the condiment splattered all over the ground. “Mayo?! Well, it's gonna take a lot more than mayo to stop--”

But the tank immediately crashed into the mayo, allowing the tank to explode and mayo to fly right onto the group. But, Sunny then heard a creaking noise coming from the pile of mayonnaise, and groaned to herself. “Now what?”

The tank began to reassemble itself into a frightening sight-- a giant robot that bore complete resemblance to Plankton himself. “Uh... I just remembered!” Patrick quickly handed his helmet to SpongeBob. “I don't work for Mr. Krabs!”

And just like that, he quickly walked off, leaving the ponies to run toward the Krusty Krab. “Robot! Robot! Robot! GIANT ROBOT!!!” SpongeBob screamed. “Robot, robot!”

“Mr. Krabs!” Sunny shouted as the group entered the office and held the door shut. “Plankton’s here! And he's got a giant robot!”

“Quick, boy!” Mr. Krabs ordered. “Bar the door!”

SpongeBob then stuck a chair underneath the door, expecting that to keep the door shut. “Got it!”

But the robot barged right through without even trying, squishing SpongeBob underneath its giant foot and pinning Mr. Krabs against his desk as Plankton smirked. “I'll take one secret formula... to go!”

“Misty, help SpongeBob!” Sunny whispered. “We'll take care of the robot!”

“On it!” Misty swam to SpongeBob’s aid as the other ponies began to use their unity magic all together without Planton noticing. And as the magic increased, the gas tank got lower and lower until Plankton was mere inches away from the safe, where it finally ran out of gas, annoying Plankton completely. “Oh, barnacles! I'm out of gas?!”

SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs laughed at Plankton’s demise, but Plankton wasn't done with his scheme yet. “Well, I'm not through yet. I've got something that will make you hand over that formula: something you can't resist!”

He then whipped out a small, brown leather wallet, and Mr. Krabs gasped with wide eyes. “Money...!”

“Yes!” Plankton looked inside the wallet, only to find out it was empty with a startled gasp. “That's... that's... that's impossible!” he shouted. “Well, it was full of money just last week. Then I bought that airplane, and built that tank--”

“Sounds to me like someone's just a wee bit... broke!” Mr. Krabs taunted, but Plankton only sighed at this. “Well, Krabs, I guess you've won. I've spent every penny I've ever made trying to put you out of business...” he said, taking out a penny as he began crying. “Except this one: my last penny. Besides, what could I do with one measly cent, anyway?”

Mr. Krabs merely shrugged. “You could give it to me. Just a suggestion.”

“Here, take it,” Plankton threw it to Mr. Krabs who tossed it into the safe. “You've taken everything else. Why not?!”

Plankton began to sob right on the spot, and that made Misty frown a little. Even though he was maniacal, like Opaline...

...why did she start feeling bad for the poor guy?

XXXXXXXXX

A few minutes after Plankton stopped crying, Mr. Krabs carried him out of the office with SpongeBob and the ponies in tow. “Well, Plankton, like a reheated Krabby Patty, you've been foiled again!” Mr. Krabs put the one-eyed creature down, and Izzy smiled. “I guess this means that the secret formula is safe forever. Right, Mr. Krabs?”

“It sure does, me dear,” Mr. Krabs patted her on the head before nudging Plankton out of the restaurant. “Why don't you scurry along?”

Everyone laughed as Plankton left the wrecked building in defeat. And after he was gone, Mr. Krabs turned to SpongeBob and the ponies. “You all work to get this place fixed up before the next lunch rush. I don't want me customers walking in on such a waste site.”

“Yes, sir!” Sunny saluted, and soon after he left, she turned back to her friends. “All right, everypony... let's get Sparky and get to work!”

XXXXXXXXX

But what the ponies didn't realize was that some creature with a whitish-pink colored coat, a purple and blue mane and fin, a shell necklace around her neck, a cutie mark of a glowing tiara and blue eyes was watching them in the caves outside of town, and she turned to the inside of the cave. “Sis? Call me crazy, but... I think the Equestrians might be here.”

Author's Note

Huge shout out to Admiral Producer for helping me with this scene!

Sparky and the Formula-- Gone!

After a little while, the Krusty Krab was as good as new-- just as good as when the ponies first saw it. The ponies were proving to be a huge help in the kitchen too-- prepping the ingredients, cooking, sending the patties out and even helping Squidward take the orders.

Squidward didn't mind-- the less he had to do, the better his days seemed to turn out.

But... there was still one lingering factor from their battle: Plankton himself.

A short few minutes after the said villain left, Sunny and Mr. Krabs looked outside, and the apricot mare found herself frowning at how sad he looked. “He's been out there crying for twenty minutes.”

“Pathetic,” Mr. Krabs scoffed and handed SpongeBob his telescope before adjusting his pants. “I'm just gonna go out there and gloat a little.”

And just like that, he left to to gloat to his enemy. “Wow. SpongeBob, have Mr. Krabs and Plankton always acted this way?” Zipp asked, turning toward the yellow sponge in surprise. “Not always,” SpongeBob shook his head. “Believe it or not, Plankton and Mr. Krabs used to be friends.”

“Friends?” Sunny looked confused. “What caused them to not be friends anymore?”

“Eh, it's a long story,” SpongeBob shrugged. “But let's just say... it's a brutal story. So, what about you? Do you all have any enemies back where you're from? What did you say it was called again?”

“Equestria. And... honestly, we do,” Misty admitted, although a little hesitantly. “An evil alicorn named Opaline is trying to steal all the magic in Equestria, and... I used to actually serve her. In exchange for Sparky, she promised to give me a cutie mark.”

SpongeBob blinked in confusion. “Is that the same thing as a beauty mark?”

“Heh heh, no. This is a cutie mark,” Sunny showed SpongeBob the shooting star cutie mark on her fin. “Whenever we do what we really love or are spreading unity, our cutie marks start to glow, and it makes our magic stronger.”

“Wooooow... I must know more,” SpongeBob said in an interested tone. “We'd be happy to teach you,” Zipp said, “but you better pull up a chair-- this may take a while.”

XXXXXXXXX

But meanwhile, in the very vault where Mr. Krabs stored the secret formula, Plankton (the real Plankton, not the one who was outside crying) emerged from the penny Mr. Krabs tossed in the vault before. He laughed wickedly before turning to the headset he was wearing. “Cyclops to Laptop. Come in, Laptop.”

“Laptop... you do realize that nickname is demeaning. I have twice the processing power of 'a laptop',” Karen, his computer wife back at the Chum Bucket said with an ironical tone. “Never mind. Maintain radio silence,” Plankton threw his headset away and approached the bottle with the secret formula inside... just before he noticed a light beneath it, as well as a silver plate. This caused Plankton to smirk a bit, slightly amused. “A pressure plate, eh, Krabs? Amateur hour.”

So, he decided to come up with a non-amatuer solution.

He managed to make an exact replica of the Krabby Patty formula bottle and slid it right onto the pressure plate, and wickedly grinned as the pressure plate accepted the weight. “Good enough to fool that idiot Krabs.”

Now, it seemed like nothing could ruin this moment.

XXXXXXXXX

Back out front, SpongeBob and the mares were watching as Mr. Krabs danced circles around the sobbing Plankton, saying 'Plankton’s broke' over and over again. “Look at Mr. Krabs go,” SpongeBob said with a grin. “I've never seen him gloat this hard before.”

“Me neither... although we did only meet him a few hours ago, so that makes sense,” Pipp shrugged in agreement. “Hey... guys?” Hitch swam toward them, looking a little worried. “Have any of you seen Sparky? I left him in the kitchen to take a nap while we were talking with SpongeBob, and I can't find him anywhere-- even Squidward hasn't seen him!”

“Huh... sorry, Hitch. We haven't seen him either,” ”SpongeBob frowned. But luckily, Sunny came up with an idea and smiled. “Not to worry. I have a way for us to find him.”

She swam a little further out before she cleared her throat and began to sing.

You hear that sound
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

There was no response for a few moments before Izzy blew on her whistle, prompting everypony and SpongeBob to jump. “Sorry.”

Then, all the mares beside Izzy began to sing along with Sunny, hoping Sparky would hear all of their voices.

The melody that's ringing out
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

But... the singing did no avail. “Come on, little guy...” Hitch frowned. “Maybe he accidentally swam into Mr. Krabs' office,” Misty tried to reassure. “Come on-- let's go see.”

XXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Mr. Krabs had finally stopped dancing and gloating, and turned to his fast food foe with a smirk. “Hey, well, Plankton, me bunions are telling me it's time to stop gloating.”

But as he picked Plankton up, he noticed a loose threat hanging from Plankton’s body. “Huh? Looks like you're falling apart at the seams.”

When Mr. Krabs pulled on the thread, Plankton's skin unraveled, revealing metal underneath. It wasn't Plankton he was holding. It was a tiny Plankton robot! “Poor me... sob. Sob.”

Needless to say, Mr. Krabs was shocked. “A robot?!”

XXXXXXXXX

SpongeBob led the ponies to Mr. Krabs' office to search for Sparky, but what they saw instead was an open safe that made them gasp. “Plankton!”

Startled, Plankton whirled around, knocking the fake formula bottle off the pressure plate with the real formula bottle. “Uh oh... that ain't good.”

An alarm began to flash all around the facility, prompting SpongeBob and the ponies to look around in terror as a warning message boomed out of the sound system. “Initiating lockdown sequence.”

XXXXXXXXX

“Me formuler!” Mr. Krabs cried from outside, but as he was about to head inside, he found a thick sheet of metal covering the entire building, trapping him outside. “NO!! Squidward! Open up!!”

The Plankton robot picked itself up and started to dance while Mr. Krabs tried to push his way inside. “Ha-ha, victory dance. Boo-ya.”

XXXXXXXXX

“Sunny, Misty, Zipp! Help me get the formula!” SpongeBob shouted, and the four leapt into action, pulling on each other while SpongeBob tried to keep the formula from Plankton's grabby little paws. “Give me that!!”

“Come on, SpongeBob, join me!” Plankton urged as the tug-of-war continued. “And we'll be rich and powerful, until I eventually betray you. Er, uh... join me!”

“No! Never!” SpongeBob shouted. “I'm on Team Krabs for life!”

XXXXXXXXX

Mr. Krabs used all the strength he could muster to force the metal shutters open just before he opened the door. “PLANKTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!”

XXXXXXXXX

While the others searched desperately for Sparky, SpongeBob and the three mares continued to tug at the formula, trying to get it away from Plankton.

They tugged, and tugged and tugged, all until... suddenly, the bottle magically disappeared into thin air.

Everyone watched the scene in complete shock, and no one knew where in the world the formula went. But that didn't seem to stop Misty from asking. “W-What? Where'd it go?!”

“Wait a minute...” Plankton thought to himself. “Molecular deconstruction? I proved that to be a scientific impossibility seven times!”

“Wait a minute...” SpongeBob thought at the same time. “I think I forget to empty Gary's litter box today.”

Mr. Krabs then barged in and immediately saw that the safe was open and Plankton was standing there. The REAL Plankton-- not a robot. “Where's me formuler, Plankton?!”

“I... I don't know!” Plankton responded honestly. “It just disappeared!”

“Why should I believe you, you lying liar?!”

“Normally, I'd agree with you, Mr. Krabs,” SpongeBob vouched for Plankton, “but this time he's telling the truth! It just vanished! Along with Sparky!”

“It's true!” Plankton shouted, but Mr. Krabs only grabbed him and taped him to his desk. “Mr. Krabs, we're telling you!” Sunny shouted. “He's innocent!”

“W-What are you going to do, Krabs?” Plankton trembled. “Pour hot oil on me? Or put bamboo shoots under my nails?”

“No...” Mr. Krabs smirked. “Knock knock.”

“Knock knock jokes?” Plankton questioned before smirking. “I can do this all day, Krabs.”

“Knock, knock.

“Oh, boy. Who's there?”

“Jimmy.”

”Jimmy who?”

“Jimmy back my formuler, Plankton!!”

The ponies looked at each other in confusion before turning back to the crab in charge. “Well, it's ridiculous,” Pipp voiced her opinion, “but how exactly is it torture?”

Mr. Krabs merely chuckled and handed them all sound proof earmuffs. “You'll see.”

He and the ponies then out on their earmuffs at the same time, along with SpongeBob thinking about the previously told joke. “Jimmy... back my formula? Hmm... ohhhhhhhhh!!! I get it!”

Then, SpongeBob began to laugh in a high pitched, hysterical voice, causing Plankton to scream in terror and pain. “Oh, make it stop, Krabs! Make it stop!”

But the ponies and Mr. Krabs couldn't hear a word. As SpongeBob continued to laugh at the knock-knock joke, Squidward opened the door to the office. Behind him, a throng of angry customers scowled and complained. “Mr. Krabs?! SpongeBob! Zip it!”

SpongeBob immediately stopped laughing, and Zipp sighed as they took off their headphones. “Thanks for sparing Plankton, Squidward. Have you seen Sparky by any chance?”

“No, but the customers are getting restless!” Squidward answered. “They're asking for... refunds.”

To Mr. Krabs, "refund" was such a horrible, terrifying word that he could hear it even through his sound-proof headphones. “Refunds?!”

Sure enough, that's what the angry customers were chanting. And Mr. Krabs knew he had to do something fast. “Listen up, boy. Get in there and make some customers some Krabby Patties!” he pushed SpongeBob through the door just before be turned back to the ponies and Plankton. “All right, Plankton--”

But when he looked at his desk, he saw that Plankton was GONE!! That was impossible-- he could have sworn he taped him down better than that.

As the ponies struggled with the fact that Plankton, the formula and Sparky were missing, SpongeBob suddenly screamed in terror like a little girl, prompting everypony to swim into the kitchen, seeing SpongeBob shaking in front of the open freezer. “SpongeBob!” Izzy cried. “What's the matter?!”

That's when Mr. Krabs looked into the freezer himself, screaming like a girl when he saw what was wrong. “We're out of Krabby Patties?!”

SpongeBob started to sweat despite the cold air pouring out of the freezer, and twisted his hat repeatedly in his hands. “How can we make more Krabby Patties without the secret formula?!”

“You've gotta have that formula memorized by now!” Zipp shrieked, just as SpongeBob put his hat back on. “But if you aren't aware, Zipp, the employee handbook clearly states, and I quote...”

SpongeBob took out the employee handbook, put on a pair of glasses and read from it in a quick manner. “No employee may, in part or in whole, commit the Krabby Patty secret formula to any recorded written or visual form, including memories, dreams, and/or needlepoint.”

Mr. Krabs wailed at that fact. “Curse you, fine print!!”

It was then that the chanting of "refunds" began to get even louder by the minute, and this got the group incredibly nervous. “Mr. Krabs, those customers are getting out of control!” Sunny said in a startled voice. “What are we gonna do?!”

Mr. Krabs eventually sighed, putting a claw on her shoulder. “The only I can do, Miss Sunny... get a crowd built up so we can get the Krabby Patty formuler back from that thieving Plankton!”

Then he noticed Hitch's desperate face, leading him to sigh. “And ye dragon too, Hitch. Come along-- we have work to do.”

Saving Plankton/Assembling the Team

The crowd was becoming even more restless than Squidward stated, and Mr. Krabs knew he was the only one who would be able to get it under control before something worse happened.

As the protestors began to shout even louder, even picking up Squidward's boat desk (plus Squidward), Mr. Krabs held up his claws. “STOP!!!!!”

Everyone stopped at the shout and the customers even dropped the boat desk, leaving Squidward to fall as well. “I'm not your enemy!” Mr. Krabs shouted before showing a wanted sign of Plankton. “Plankton is your enemy!”

“So is he an anemone or a plankton?” Squidward asked sarcastically, and Pipp played a rimshot on her phone, causing many to glare at her. “Somepony had to do it!”

“But... Mr. Krabs?” Misty tried to speak, but Mr. Krabs went on with his speech, showing off a drawn picture of a Krabby Patty. “He took this from you!”

“Krabby Patty...” murmured one customer in hunger. “I can almost taste it,” Sandals added in the same manner. That's when SpongeBob decided to try again. “Uh, Mr. Krabs, Plankton didn't take the secret formula.”

“Not now, SpongeBob!” Mr. Krabs fussed, tossing the paper away, which fell into Patrick's expecting arms. “Hey!” Patrick called out. “I ordered a double Krabby Patty!”

“So join me!” Mr. Krabs shouted to the customers. “Help get the formuler back, and I'll give each and every one of you a free Krabby Patty!”

To this, everyone in the crowd cheered, but Mr. Krabs immediately regretted the choice of words. “Oh, no! Wait! Even better, a slight discount!”

The customers groaned, but the groaning was forgotten and they followed Mr. Krabs to the Chum Bucket, only to have SpongeBob and the ponies looking on. “But...” SpongeBob said quietly, “...he didn't do it.”

“Oh, SpongeBob... I can't imagine how much of a stressful situation you're in right now,” Sunny frowned, putting a gentle hoof on his shoulder. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“There is something we can do,” Misty said with a serious expression. “We can go help Plankton escape from that mob, and then work with him to find Sparky and the formula.”

“What?!” Hitch exclaimed. “No-- absolutely not!”

“Exactly my thoughts. What if Plankton DID steal the formula somehow?” Zipp agreed. “Then we'd be helping the enemy, and we would never find Sparky!”

“Look... maybe this is what the Unity Crystals called us to do,” Sunny stated. “Help Plankton turn himself around and become a better... plankton? So... I think we need to at least try.”

SpongeBob smiled at this with a relieved expression. “Thanks, Sunny. But we better get over there before Mr. Krabs tears Plankton apart.”

XXXXXXXXX

Back at the Chum Bucket, Plankton was telling his wife everything that went on just 30 minutes before, completely downtrodden. “I had it right in my greedy little mitts, and then... poof! And now it's gone. Gone forever. Oh, I was so close to gaining the people's respect/fear.”

“Uh, Plankton?”

“Oh, when will my frustration/humiliation end?”

“Plankton?”

“Not now, hon!” Plankton groaned. “I'm ranting/raving. All right, what is it?”

“Well, I was trying to tell you there's an angry mob outside. But now they're inside.”

When Plankton looked around, he realized that Karen was completely right, and became frightened as Mr. Krabs grabbed him, the customers grabbed Karen and they all went back outside, where Plankton was heavily slammed to the ground. “You all look very hungry,” Plankton chuckled nervously. “Can I get anybody a Chum Burger?”

“Enough with the niceties, Plankton!” Mr. Krabs spoke harshly. “This is the last time I'm going to ask you. Where is me formuler?”

“I told you, Krabs,” Plankton said as he began to scoot away, “I don't have it!”

“Wrong answer,” Mr. Krabs snarled, but just as Plankton feared he would be stomped upon...

“STOP!!”

Everyone looked to see SpongeBob and the other ponies now in the center of the crowd, and looking very determined... for a reason the crowd did not know of. “All right, Mr. Krabs,” SpongeBob stated, rolling up his sleeves as the ponies swam closer. “Let us get in on this.”

“What's going on around here?” Plankton wondered in confusion, just as Misty pushed Mr. Krabs aside with her hoof. “You may want to step back a little, Mr. Krabs. This could get messy.”

“Let's hope so.”

SpongeBob leaned over and shoved his face close to Plankton's. “So you won't talk, eh, Plankton? I didn't want to have to do this.”

He pulled out a bottle of bubble solution, unscrewed the cap, and removed the wand. Then he expertly dipped the wand in the soapy liquid. “Plankton, here comes the pain.”

“Soap in the eye, eh?” Mr. Krabs smirked. “Diabolical!”

SpongeBob took a deep breath and pursed his lips, just as Plankton held up his tiny hands to stop him. “No! Please, don't!”

But instead of causing Plankton any harm, SpongeBob blew a large, shiny bubble that surrounded Plankton completely. “Wait...” Mr. Krabs frowned in confusion. “That didn't look painful.”

“Mr. Krabs, you may not understand what we're about to do today,” SpongeBob said as he and the ponies climbed into the bubble with Plankton, “but someday we'll look back... and have a good laugh.”

As he said these last words, the bubble began to float higher and higher into the sky. “Hey!” said one fish. “They're getting away!”

“We're sorry, Mr. Krabs!” Zipp apologized. But Mr. Krabs wasn't interested in the ponies, but more or less on SpongeBob himself. “So, you've been running a long con on me, eh? All these years you've been working for Plankton!”

“They're in cahoots!” one fish named Paco cried out. “Yeah, I guess that's a short way of saying it. Stop that bubble!”

The customers ran after the bubble on the ground, and SpongeBob and the ponies desperately tried to keep the bubble moving, just as one fish threw another fish toward the bubble to pop it, and the fish desperately clung to the bubble to prevent falling. “Please tell me there's something soft below me...”

“Mmmm, nope.”

The customer screamed and fell to the ground, just as the bubble floated out of sight. “SPONGEBOOOOOOOOOOB!!!!!!” Mr. Krabs cried as the bubble floated out of their line of sight. “Oh, you were like an underpaid son to me. I would have expected Squidward to stab me in the back!”

Squidward quickly woke up from his standing nap, just as Mr. Krabs continued. “But SpongeBob, me most trusted employee, working with me sworn enemy and those horses? You know what this means, Mr. Squidward?”

“We get the rest of the day off?”

“No!” Mr. Krabs snapped. “This be but a harbinger of what I fear lies ahead. For you, for me, for all of Bikini Bottom! The Krabby Patty is what ties us all together! Without it, there will be a complete breakdown of social order! A war of all against all! Dark times are ahead! Dark times indeed!”

He quickly fell on his face, but Squidward merely rolled his eyes at the outlandish thought. “Seriously?” he asked as Mr. Krabs got up. “Aren't you overreacting a bit?”

But when he looked around, Squidward saw that Bikini Bottom had already erupted into flames. People were looting stores and fighting each other over scraps of food. The town had become a violent, ugly place. And Squidward and Mr. Krabs themselves were suddenly wearing leather outfits that made them look tough.

“Welcome to the apocalypse, Mr. Squidward. I hope you like leather.”

“I prefer suede.”

XXXXXXXXX

“And so, Bikini Bottom became an apocalyptic cesspool forevermore! The end!” Burger Beard closed the book and stretched, but the seagulls around him protested the end of the story.

“Wait a minute. That's a terrible ending!”

“Oh, this is bad! Really bad! SpongeBob's in trouble, and the story's over?!”

One bird even banged his head against the bell as a seagull named Henry frowned and got on the steering wheel. “There is no way that that's the end of the story.”

“Of course it is,” Burger Beard responded. “Just turn around.”

Henry turned around, and the pirate plucked a feather from him and wrote "The End" on one of the book's pages. Not wanting the story to end, Henry tried to pull the book out of his hands, and after a struggle, Henry accidentally tore loose the page that Burger Beard had written on.

The pirate scrambled to grab back the torn page, but he slipped and fell on the deck. “You better keep reading, Mr. Pirate,” a seagull named Andy said as their butts turned to face him, and Henry tossed the torn page into the ocean, “or else!”

XXXXXXXXX

At the same time, Patrick entered the demolished Krusty Krab and approached Squidward rather calmly. “Good morning, Squidward. I'll have the usual,” he said as a boat crashed right into the building. “With cheese.”

“We're out of Krabby Patties right now!” Squidward told him, causing Patrick to slowly back up as his clothing changed into post-apocalyptic clothing. “No... Krabby Patties? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

XXXXXXXXX

Back in the skies of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob, Plankton and the ponies looked down at the town with worry and disdain, SpongeBob’s being the worst and the most worrisome of the bunch. “Look what's become of Bikini Bottom.”

“We've really got to get Sparky and the formula back,” Zipp agreed with folded ears. “Hmm... get the secret formula, you say? Excuse me, I...need a moment,” Plankton said before turning away and talking to himself. “With that formula, I could rule the world! Ha ha ha ha ha... ahem.

“You know we can hear you, right?” Hitch asked with a narrowed look. But Plankton decided to avoid the question for now. “Well, what do we do now?”

“Now we work together,” SpongeBob smiled positively. “You know? Teamwork!”

Plankton's face scrunched up in confusion. “What's a te-amwork?”

“No, Plankton. Teamwork.”

“Te-amwork.”

“Teamwork.”

“Tie em work.”

“Teamwork.”

“Tie em up.”

That's when SpongeBob and Sunny tried to explain things a little better than before. “Say team,” said SpongeBob, “like a sports...”

“Team.”

“Now say work.”

“Work.”

Sunny pressed her hooves together. “Put em together, what do you got?”

“Time bomb... work.”

Despite it being nowhere close, SpongeBob shrugged. “Getting better.”

XXXXXXXXX

Back at her safe tree dome, Sandy was just about to dig into the Krabby Patties she had gotten earlier, and turned on the Bikini Bottom Action News when she heard something knock against her window with a loud thunk.

When she turned, she saw Patrick with his tongue out, pressing up against her window. “Oh, hey, Patrick!”

But as she began to take a bite out of her Krabby Patty, Patrick banged on the window to try and get some of it for herself. And when she finally ate it whole, Patrick groaned and walked away in dejection. “Come on, tummy, it's gonna be a long day...”

Suddenly, the television's special report caught Sandy's attention immediately, turning to Perch Perkins, the town's newsman. “Perch Perkins reporting live from downtown Bikini-- ah!! Bottom,” Perch dodged a flying boat. “Complete chaos here today as our town attempts to deal with a sudden and complete shortage of Krabby Patties. Whoa! Events here have this reporter wondering, what is the secret ingredient in Krabby Patties anyway?!”

“It's love!!” a fish wailed. “The secret ingredient is love!”

Sandy quickly shut off the TV to register what she had just heard. “No more Krabby Patties? If I'd have known that, I'd have chewed it slower. Huh?”

Slowly, the page that Burger Beard wrote on fell down right over her tree dome, and Sandy couldn't believe what the page said.

The End.

XXXXXXXXX

At the same time, SpongeBob and the ponies were trying to explain to Plankton the true meaning of teamwork. “Come on Plankton, it's easy!” SpongeBob said enthusiastically. “It means, we help you, you help us, and when we accomplish our goal, then we do hands in the middle.”

“Hands in the middle? No, no. Sounds idiotic,” Plankton disagreed, and this caused the ponies to either scowl at him or frown dejectedly. “Besides, the eight of us are no match for that cranky mob.”

Down in Bikini Bottom, the angry horde was destroying a doughnut shop, pushing on the side of the building until it tipped over and burst into flames. Doughnuts flew everywhere and people from the mob frantically gathered up doughnuts and carried them off, laughing hysterically, madness in their eyes.

Seeing this made Plankton immediately cringe. “We could probably use a few more te-amworks.”

But luckily, that made SpongeBob and Izzy brighten, and SpongeBob hopped onto the seapony-turned unicorn's back. “That's exactly what we were thinking!”

“Wait, what are you doing--?!”

But it was too late. Izzy used her horn to pop the bubbles, sending them plummeting to the Bikini Bottom floor, right beside SpongeBob's house. And, in an unlikely turn of events, Plankton was the only one bruised from the fall.

But what they saw surprised them.

Patrick was sitting on top of his house, banging his face against the rock. But instead of his usual shorts, he was wearing a futuristic-looking leather outfit, smashing his rock house with the hammer on his head. “I... need... Krabby Patties!”

“Patrick! What are you doing?” Sunny asked curiously. “Krabby Patties!” Patrick cried, before turning to the others, staring at him. “Vandalizing stuff.”

“Isn't that your house?” Hitch asked, but this caused Patrick to frown. “Hey, what's with all the questions? Who are you guys?”

“It's me,” the yellow sponge said, “your best friend. SpongeBob?”

“Oh, yeah? Well, if you're SpongeBob, then what's the secret password?”

SpongeBob, Patrick and the ponies looked at each other in confusion. “Uh...”

“Correct! It is you! SPONGEBOB!!” Patrick tackled SpongeBob head on, both of them toppling to the ground. “SpongeBob!”

“Patrick!”

“SpongeBob!” Patrick cried again before he became concerned, sitting on top of Plankton. “Why aren't you at The Krusty Krab making Krabby Patties?”

“We'll, I'd love to,” SpongeBob stated, “but the formula's gone!”

“Yeah,” Patrick said, “Mr. Krabs says you and Plankton took it.”

“No, that's not what happened. It just disappeared!” Sunny said, and Misty nodded in agreement. “We're putting a team together to find it.”

“A team? Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!” Patrick gave SpongeBob a huge bear hug. “Okay, Patrick, you're in.”

“I don't know, SpongeBob,” Plankton popped out of the sand. “What does this clown bring to the te-am?”

“He brings loyalty, Plankton. Loyalty,” SpongeBob answered confidently. “Isn't that right, Patrick?”

“Yeah yeah, loyalty,” Patrick nodded... just before be turned and did the unthinkable. “I got SpongeBob! HE'S OVER HERE!!!”

The ponies immediately became fearful as Patrick began to sound the alarm. Krabs and the others were coming toward them, and fast! “Come on, SpongeBob!” Zipp cried as the ponies turned to flee. “Let's get out of here!”

But SpongeBob wouldn't leave his best friend like this. “Patrick--” he tried to say, but Patrick sat on him before continuing the alarm. “Patrick, why are you doing this?!”

“Because I... need... KRABBY... PATTIES!!” Patrick screamed at the top of his lungs. “Hurry up!” he then shouted to the approaching mob. “I'm hungry!”

“SpongeBob, grab my horn!” Misty cried, and once SpongeBob grabbed it, she flicked her fins and managed to pull SpongeBob free before they fled from the scene. “Guys?!” Patrick called out. “Am I still on the team?!”

XXXXXXXXX

The ponies had never swam this fast before in their entire lives-- they had to get their friends somewhere safe, and SpongeBob knew just the place...

Sandy's tree dome!

Once they arrived, SpongeBob turned on the air lock and provided water filled helmets for him and Plankton so they could breathe. And luckily, for the ponies, their tails turned back into their legs so they could go on land, and Zipp made an effort to think about it in her detective reports later.

When they entered, the inside of the dome was dark and eerie. Pieces of paper were stuck all over the inside of the dome, blocking the light, and something was running across the branches of the trees. “Sandy...? Sandy? Are you home?” SpongeBob called. “Gee, guys, I wonder where she is.”

“Hey... what is all this stuff?” Hitch wondered, looking at some of the papers. But suddenly, they heard something running behind them, but when they turned, they saw nothing there. “Sandy?” SpongeBob croaked. What was going on?

When he reached to examine the papers on the wall, he was pounced on by the post apocalyptic Sandy. “Don't touch that!!” she screeched before burying herself in a pile of books for reading. Sunny knew what it was like to be caught up in research, but this seemed a little extreme. “Sandy?” she called. “Are you okay?”

“Okay?!” Sandy shrieked, moving a chalkboard to the side and gesturing to the demolished town. “Have you looked outside? Does that seem OKAY to you?! I'm trying to figure out what happened to society. If we don't fix it soon, there won't be anything left to fix!!”

“Sandy!” SpongeBob cried worriedly, turning to the others. “The lack of Krabby Patties has driven her mad!”

“Gee...” Pipp rolled her eyes. “That's a no brainer, SpongeBob.”

“Pipp!” the white pegasus snapped. “Be nice!”

“I think I figured it out!” Sandy realized. “Look...”

She yanked some papers and tore them off the curved glass dome. Through the dome, the ponies, SpongeBob and Plankton could see a big sheet of paper with THE END on it. “When this came down from above, I knew it could only mean one thing.”

“And that would be...?” Misty wondered, and Sandy blinked. “It means it's the end!!” she screeched. “The sandwich gods are angry with us!!”

“Sandwich gods?” the group questioned. “I just don't know how we're going to appease them!” Sandy said before she went back to her work, and the others found themselves backing up toward the door as Plankton turned to SpongeBob. “You got any other friends who aren't dim bulbs or nut jobs?”

“Well, I have one friend who's loyal to the very end.”

XXXXXXXXX

When SpongeBob saw his pineapple home, he gasped. It had been severely damaged by a wandering mob! And for some reason, the inside was covered in gooey snail slime. “Gary!” SpongeBob called, but his pet wasn't in his bedroom. “Gare-Bear? Gary? Gary?”

As they walked into the lower levels of the house, Pipp swam right into some slime, causing her to scream in disgust, and Plankton shuddered. “Revolting!”

“But it means Gary is close by!” SpongeBob said before he ran ahead. “Gary, I'm back!”

When they got further into the house, something made them stop and made their eyes go completely wide. “Whoa...”

SpongeBob's pet snail was sitting on a giant throne, surrounded by pillars and huge fire pits, and they were surrounded by snail shells of different sizes. “Oh, hey, Gary,” SpongeBob greeted as the ponies stared in shock. “My new friends and Plankton and I need you to help us find the Krabby Patty formula and fix Bikini Bottom.”

Gary meowed at this, and SpongeBob quickly frowned at the response he got. “What do you mean you don't have to do as I say anymore?”

Gary meowed again, and that made the sponge frown even more than he was originally. “What do you mean 'king of snails'?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Gary the Snail, you get down here right now and join this team!”

But then, when Gary meowed again, Hitch pause as he contemplated the snail's response. “W-What do you mean 'seize them'?!”

All the snails who had been in their shells, paying their respects to Gary, the King of the Snails, turned to SpongeBob and Plankton and their pony friends. Then they advanced on them with their fangs bared, growling!

This was enough to sent SpongeBob screaming from the house, dragging the ponies behind him. “Why are we running?!” Misty cried. “Because they're right on our tails...”

When they turned again, SpongeBob realized the snails weren't moving very quickly, making him blink. “Oh, right. Snails.”

“Well,” Plankton scoffed, “so much for your te-am.”

“Putting together a team is a lot harder than I thought it would be!” SpongeBob sniffled back tears of heartache, leaving Izzy and Misty to comfort him. But it wasn't long until they saw the mob advancing toward them, and Hitch came up with a risky decision. “Come on, guys-- we better get out of here until things cool off!”

Talks and Schemes on the Mountain Top

After Hitch's suggestion to leave Bikini Bottom for the time being, Sunny and Izzy took Plankton and SpongeBob on their backs and they swam for the hills...

...or more specifically, swam for the mountains.

Zipp had spotted a high mountain where they could keep an eye on the town, and as the sun began to set, a fire was made, and they ended the night by sorrowfully watching the town of Bikini Bottom burn in flames.

While the ponies were saddened and worried by all these events, no one was more upset than SpongeBob. Not only was the formula gone, but Sparky could have been stolen, and SpongeBob's friends were completely different... no longer the same.

Honestly, he felt like he was at the lowest point in his entire life... and he wasn't sure what to do to help himself, his friends or the town he had come to love.

SpongeBob sniffled sadly, trying to keep tears from building. “Everything we know and love has been destroyed...”

“Well, yeah, looks like they're gonna have to change the name of Bikini Bottom to Dirty Bottom,” Plankton joked with a laugh. “Right, SpongeBob?”

“That's kinda gross, Plankton,” Zipp frowned at the microscopic organism while SpongeBob only looked out on the horizon. “Yeah...” Plankton frowned, nodding slightly. “Yeah, too soon, huh?”

SpongeBob slumped in depression, not saying anything for a moment until he finally spoke up. “This feels like it really is... the end.”

Misty and the ponies looked sad at this, but before they could comfort the sponge, Plankton actually beat them to it. “Don't worry, SpongeBob. We'll find the secret formula and everything will go back to the way it was. You know, all happy and junk.”

He then pushed a small rock over toward SpongeBob, grunting as Izzy worked on a seaweed blanket for SpongeBob, since she already made one for everypony else. “Now...” Plankton said, “let's try and get some sleep.”

SpongeBob took another look at the destroyed town he once called home before he nodded slowly. “Yeah... I guess you're right.”

He laid his head on the rock as Plankton took the blanket Izzy was working on and covered the shivering sponge with it. “There you are. Feeling comfy?”

“You know, Plankton?” Sunny smiled, pulling the blanket a little more over SpongeBob. “I think you know a little more about teamwork than you let on. You boys get some sleep-- we'll be over here if you need us.”

“Thanks, Sunny,” Plankton smiled genuinely, just as Sunny swam over to the others, who were waiting on her to come over. “Okay, guys,” Zipp said firmly. “We need to figure out how to find Sparky and the formula, and soon. I have a feeling that small, green and malicious over there knows something about it.”

“Plankton? I don't know, Zipp. I mean, he did try to steal the formula when we swam in there, but we all saw the formula disappear,” Sunny frowned. “And Plankton’s emotions to this situation seek genuine.”

“He called teamwork 'time-bomb work', Sunny. Does that sound genuine to you? It's only a matter of time before he finally reveals the truth.”

“Zipp, I kinda understand where he's coming from, feeling as if there's no other way besides stealing the formula... like how it was when I felt like my only choice was to steal Sparky,” Misty said quietly. “Remember?”

“Misty, that was different. You were Opaline's henchpony, and he does his own evil business,” Zipp pointed. “Once an evil maniac, always an evil maniac.”

Misty sighed quietly. “Still... I know how he feels...”

On the other side of that ledge, SpongeBob and Plankton had listened to some of the ponies conversing about the formula and their dragon baby, and Plankton chuckled with a small smile. “They may be weird, but they do have impressive abilities. Might really be some help in finding the formula.”

“I think so too,” SpongeBob nodded sleepily with a smile. “Not many people here are willing to give them a chance, but after they helped us? I definitely think they're okay.”

“Good night, SpongeBob.”

“Good night, Plankton.”

And just like that, SpongeBob immediately went to sleep, and after he made sure the sponge was snoring away, Plankton chuckled evilly. “Good night indeed...” he murmured as he jumped right onto SpongeBob’s head. “That's right SpongeBob, sleep. You're hiding that formula in there somewhere.”

He quickly leapt into SpongeBob’s head through one of his sponge holes, and eventually reached his brain. It was now or never for his plan to be complete. “Well... here goes nothing.”

Plankton slowly entered SpongeBob’s brain, but when he got inside, he was stunned at what he saw-- a bright, happy and sunny cotton candy forest. “What... is this place?”

As soon as he saw a waffle chasing a bottle of syrup, Plankton bolted, and then he witnessed two ice cream cones having a fudge fight. “Ew! It's so sweet in here. I think my eyeball is getting a toothache!”

“Hello, Plankton,” said a pair of twin popsicles, speaking in an eerie voice and showing creepy smiles. “Come play with us. Hurry... before we melt.”

Plankton screamed and ran trying to escape, but quickly fell off a cliff made of cake, and fell on top of some giant cotton balls, which formed into a giant white kitten. “So much sweetness! I think I'm gonna be sick!”

Plankton quickly barfed up an entire rainbow, which sprouted eyes, a mouth and arms before reaching out for him. “Daddy!”

Plankton's one eye went wide in disgust... okay, that was too much even for him.

XXXXXXXXX

Back in the outside world, the ponies turned just in time to see a cotton candy covered Plankton screaming and leaping from SpongeBob’s head, waking the sponge up after a second. “Plankton? Oh, Plankton, I just had the craziest dream,” SpongeBob said, “and you were in it!”

“I'm sure it was nothing,” Plankton chuckled nervously as he plucked a candy cane from his rear. “Now, go back to sleep.”

But that's when Hitch and Zipp, as well as SpongeBob, began to get suspicious. “Hey...” Hitch's gaze narrowed. “Were you in SpongeBob’s brain?”

“What? No! That's crazy talk!”

“Then why,” asked Izzy as she picked him up, “is there cotton candy on your antennae?”

“Because uh... because uh... okay, fine, I was in his brain.”

SpongeBob and Izzy and Misty gasped as Izzy dropped Plankton to the ground, while Zipp looked rather livid. “I knew you were up to no good!” Zipp snarled, making Misty feel incredibly guilty. “What were you doing in there?!”

“What do you think I was doing?” Plankton's gaze narrowed. “Looking for the secret formula.”

“What?!” SpongeBob looked shocked. “Don't act so innocent,” Plankton hissed. “You know what I was up to. That's why you're pretending not to know the formula.”

“I'm not pretending!” SpongeBob said, his lips beginning to quiver. “I can't believe you thought I was lying!”

“Hey, don't take it personally, I just assume everyone is lying.”

That immediately got Misty to frown-- even SHE knew that was no life to live. “That is a horrible way to live your life.”

“Whatever.”

“It is!” SpongeBob agreed with Misty. “And if we're gonna be on the same team--”

“MAYBE I DON'T WANNA BE ON A TE-AM!!!” Patrick finally screamed. “YOU THINK OF THAT?!”

While the ponies looked a little stunned at how loud Plankton screamed at them, but SpongeBob nearly got down on his knees. “But, Plankton, everything's better when you're part of a team.”

He then took out a pitch pipe and blew into it, but Plankton only have SpongeBob a deadpan expression. “You're not gonna start singing, are you?”

But we all knew that SpongeBob was going to sing anyway.

SpongeBob: Teamwork!

Zipp: (spoken) Oh brother...

SpongeBob: We can do anything when we have teamwork
Don't you think so, my friends?

Plankton: No te-am work
It's getting in the way of my sche-am work
What don't you comprehend?

SpongeBob: But working together is the key
Nothing's impossible when it's you and me!

Plankton: I'm doing just fine
On my own

Sunny: Work is no fun
When you do it alone

Plankton: If I want it done right, I'll do it by myself

SpongeBob: But what if you need something on a higher shelf?

Plankton: But-I'm-the-target-of-a-very-scary-crazy-post-apocalyptic-mob!

Pipp: Well, that's exactly why you need a partner
Helping you with this important job!

SpongeBob: I'll be the hammer, and you'll be the nail
I'll be the boat, and you'll be the sail
I'm the flower, you're the aroma!

Plankton: Right now, I wish
I was in a comaaaaaaa!!

SpongeBob: Come on!

I'm here for you, and you're here for me
It's better when you, plus me, equals we
Working together in harmony! [Chorus joins]

Side by side, we can reach our dreams, cause nothing's impossible
When we're a team!

Pipp and Izzy giggled and clapped their hooves by the time SpongeBob finished singing, holding Plankton above the ground. “All right, you can put me down,” Plankton said, and SpongeBob immediately complied. “Well... that's one minute of my life I'll never get back.”

SpongeBob merely shrugged at the response. “Not without a time machine.”

But, that seemed to give Plankton an idea. “Wait a minute... hold that thought.”

SpongeBob immediately grabbed a thought bubble with a question mark on it out of thin air, confusing the ponies as Plankton continued. “Now, back up.”

“Enihcam emit a tuohtiw ton.”

“Slow down.”

“Not without a time machine,” SpongeBob said slowly, and that seemed to solidify Plankton's idea just enough that Zipp was able to catch on. “SpongeBob, you're a genius!”

“I am?”

“If we build a time machine,” Plankton continued, “we can go back to before the formula disappeared. Before society broke down. Before we became the hunted!”

“That sounds great, Plankton,” Izzy said, “but... how do we build a time machine?”

“Well,” Plankton pondered, “first we'll need a computer powerful enough to calculate the intricacies of time travel.”

“Where would we get one of those?” Misty asked with a raised eyebrow. “Luckily, Misty Brightdawn,” Plankton smirked, nudging her hoof with his shoulder, “I know just the one.”

Rescuing Karen

As night reached its darkest, the ponies, SpongeBob SquarePants and Plankton went down the mountain and back toward Bikini Bottom, stopping at a ledge overlooking the Chum Bucket.

Fish were all around it, wearing intimidating outfits and preparing to knock down any intruder, so the gang had to make sure the stayed completely out of sight. “Plankton, are you sure there are no guards around the ledge?” Hitch asked worriedly. “With Sparky missing, my sheriff senses are tingling beyond measure.”

“Trust me, sheriff-- I know that we're safe up here,” Plankton cockily spoke. “Izzy, hand me that telescope from Zipp's bag.”

“Wait a pegasus feather,” Zipp blinked as Izzy did as he said. “How did you know that was in my bag? I never saw you look in there once.”

“Hey, I got my ways, Zipperooni,” Plankton shrugged before lifting the telescope up to his face. “Now let's see...”

He scanned around the lower area until he was able to spot Karen, locked up in the chains of the Chum Bucket's back storage room. “There she is, my computer wife. They've got her tied up in the back room,” Plankton observed, lowering the telescope. “I've never seen this many people at the Chum Bucket.”

That caused SpongeBob to shrug innocently. “I've never seen anyone there.”

Plankton shot SpongeBob a little side glare. “Now was that really necessary?”

SpongeBob didn’t deny saying it. “Cause the food's really bad.”

“Oh, come on, really?”

Luckily, Sunny was able to shush Plankton and SpongeBob before both of them were able to give away their location. “How are we gonna sneak past those guards?”

“Hmm...” Plankton hummed, getting an idea as he smirked. “Misty, Izzy, give that tire a shove. That oughta buy us all the time we need.”

Izzy and Misty immediately saluted, pushing the tire down the hill, and while all the fish were distracted by the tire, they snuck into the pile of tires on the fence's edge. And as three fish beat the pony out of the tire, SpongeBob and Plankton led their equined friends closer. “We better hurry!” SpongeBob whispered. “Those guys really hate tires.”

The group quickly crept closer and Plankton leapt down and approached the tiny door on the side of the building. But, no matter how much Plankton strained, he couldn't get it open, leading him to sigh. “We'll never get in... the door's locked.”

SpongeBob threw the sack of tires they were hiding in, just before he noticed an open window right above them. “Wait... the window is open!” he noticed. “Sunny, you and your friends go in first.”

“Let's go to the wiiiindoooow...” Pipp quietly sang as the ponies swam through the open window, and after they were through, SpongeBob turned to look down at Plankton. “Come on, Plankton, it's time for some teamwork. Give me a boost.”

“Okay-- wait a minute! NO!!” Plankton tried to stop SpongeBob from stepping on him, but managed to hold him up for a while before he was smashed flat. “Just a little higher, Plankton. Plankton?” SpongeBob looked at his foot to see a smooshed Plankton talking to him. “Why don't you boost me up instead...?”

This mere idea caused SpongeBob to blush nervously. “Oh, yeah. Good thinking.”

SpongeBob lifted his shoe up to the open window and scraped Plankton off. Groaning, Plankton landed on the windsill and then, he jumped through the window into the Chum Bucket, landing right in Sunny's hoof. Once he had hopped down, Plankton ran to the small door and opened it. “Come on, SpongeBob, come on!”

Then, before the ponies' eyes, SpongeBob squeezed through the small door and into the restaurant. “We're in!”

That's when SpongeBob slammed the door shut, prompting Plankton to jump on his nose and silence him. “There's a guard over there,” he whispered, pointing to a sleeping Patrick. “Let's take the key from around his neck. We're gonna have to be very quiet. Let's walk on the tips of our toes.”

After jumping down from SpongeBob’s face and getting solid nods from the Mane 6, Plankton began to tiptoe over toward Patrick, while mildly loud notes are played. Patrick began to stir in his sleep, causing Plankton to stop. When he and the ponies looked again, they saw SpongeBob playing a tiny piano with two of his fingers. “Would you stop playing that tiny piano?!” Plankton quietly snapped at SpongeBob, causing him to stop. “You're gonna get all of us caught!”

“Sorry...” SpongeBob said nervously, putting the piano away just before he got on Izzy's back and rode her over, where Izzy got her first set of instructions. “Now just reach over and grab it.”

Izzy nodded and leaned her horn over to grab the key, but her hoof stepped on a squeaky board, causing Patrick to mumble in his sleep. Once they were sure he was asleep, Izzy tried to pull the key off of him, but it wasn't doing much good. “Stop!” Plankton whispered. “Pull it over his head!”

“Oh,” Izzy nodded and pulled up, but ended up choking Patrick. “Stop, stop!” Plankton whispered again, stopping her. “Let me get up there.”

Plankton jumped onto Patrick and climbed up to the key. He yanked the chain free, but then the key slid down Patrick's chest, heading straight for his belly button. Plankton leapt onto the key and rode it like a snowboard, and the others watched with nervous eyes.

Just as Plankton and the key were about to completely disappear into the depths of Patrick's navel, SpongeBob plucked them out, covered in gross lint.

They had the key to save Karen! Now this mission was getting someplace.

Except, at that moment... Patrick began to wake up, and when he saw the group, he pulled out a giant whistle and inhaled, ready to blow a mighty blast. “NO!!” SpongeBob tackled Patrick to the ground, and began rocking him. “Plankton, help! I'll rock him, you tell him a bedtime story.”

“Uh, uh... once upon a time, there was a big, fat, pink idiot who went to sleep. The end!”

“Nice try,” Patrick snarled, “but it's gonna take more than that to--”

And just like that, Patrick fell asleep in SpongeBob’s arms, prompting the ponies to set him down elsewhere and entered the backroom to find Karen chained up, like Plankton had told them. “I told you,” Karen sneered, “I don't have the formula, you monsters!”

“Hey, baby,” Plankton said swooningly, “how are you?”

“Plankton! My hero!” Karen cried out in relief as the group came into the room. “You must need something, otherwise you wouldn't have come back.”

“Actually, Ms. Karen, Plankton’s got a plan to save Bikini Bottom,” Hitch said as he unlocked the chains, but Karen fell over, prompting him and Zipp to pick Karen up off of the floor. “Doesn't matter, Plankton. Krabs knows all your plans,” Karen sighed. “He's been through my hard drive looking for the secret formula.”

“Eh, I never had it. But we're going to get it,” Plankton answered his wife with a confident smile. “We're gonna go back in time and steal the formula before it disappeared.”

“Time travel. Where are you gonna find a computer that can do that?” Karen asked before realizing what Plankton was trying to say. “Wait a minute...”

XXXXXXXXX

The next thing Misty knew, she and Zipp were helping carry Karen's monitor out of the Chum Bucket in the cover of darkness. Misty shuddered at carrying the head of Plankton's wife on her back. “I've never carried a head before.”

“You'll get used to it,” Plankton said, and as the darkness remained, they got out of there as fast as their fins could take them.

XXXXXXXXX

“Sister, I know they're here!”

The older-sounding female let out a soft sigh of frustration. “Riverstream, we've been over this. That wave of magic coming through is just your imagination. Besides... they forgot about us.”

“Skygrace, don't you get it?!” the younger sister, named Riverstream, exclaimed. “If they're here, then they must be here for a reason. And... if they are here... I think I know what that reason might be. The evil one must be here too.”

Building the Time Machine

The former queen of Mount Aris, and descendant of the great Queen Novo, Queen Skygrace, sat on her homemade rock throne, frustrated with the younger seapony in front of her.

Her younger sister Riverstream had been going on and on and on about the Equestrians and how they have entered the nearby ocean, and the former queen was just about sick of it.

The ponies of Equestria had forgotten about them, and that was that.

Finally, when Riverstream began saying that this could be their chance to change history, Skygrace swam in front of her younger sister's face. “Riverstream, enough!” she squawked. “I know you want to make life better for me, yourself and the hippogriffs and seaponies scattered around this world and the worlds beyond, but let me tell you something Mother told me when I was your age-- we... have been... forgotten.”

“We can't have been forgotten!” Riverstream rambled on. “If Equestrians are here, maybe Princess Twilight and the Guardians defeated that fire alicorn! Maybe they've come looking for us to take us home!”

“...no, sister. That isn't it,” Skygrace said, a bit softly since she mentioned the fire alicorn in question. “Since we still have our royal Mount Aris magic, we've been 18 and 16 for the past 1000 moons. The fire alicorn, and even the Guardians, should be gone by now. You have to accept that.”

Riverstream took a breath before turning away, flicking her purple and blue fin as she swam toward the entrance. “Fine... I'm gonna go find some Sparkle seaweed for dinner. Don't wait up for me.”

And with her sister stunned at the cold voice she had spoke in, Riverstream swam down the mountain and out of sight.

XXXXXXXXX

Our heroes had finally escaped with Karen in their grasp, able to not be seen by the forces of their once beloved town. Now all they needed was a quiet place to work on their time machine.

At an abandoned Mexican-German restaurant called Taco Haus, SpongeBob carefully set Karen's head on the floor as Pipp looked around, taking a couple of photos before looking at them with a confused glance. “Is this really where you're gonna build the time machine?”

“Sure,” Plankton nodded. “It's got everything we need. A photo booth. A cuckoo clock. Some day-old chips. Now all we have to do is build it.”

Seeing another opportunity for a song about teamwork, SpongeBob happily pulled out his trusty pitch pipe and blew into it. “Oh no you don't!” Plankton quickly grabbed the pitch pipe and ran off with it. “Hey!” SpongeBob cried. “My pitch pipe!”

“Uh, I need it. For the time machine.”

“Oh... okay.”

Plankton took the pitch pipe into another room. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! It sounded as though he was smashing something with a hammer. Then it sounded like he was flushing something down a toilet. “Installed!”

“Okay, great!” Zipp unrolled a blueprint that she and Plankton had drawn up earlier. “Now all we need to do is make sure everything has the same power voltage...”

“...hook everything together...” Plankton continued. “...go back in time, get the formula, bring it back, and save Bikini Bottom!” both of them cheered, and everyone else cheered and began to mingle before they got to work.

Well... all except one.

Sunny was glad they were finally getting a plan together, but there was still two lingering questions on her mind.

Could Opaline have come after them and kidnapped Sparky? And did she know whoever took the Krabby Patty formula?

It was a lot to take in, and it was really beginning to make her doubt her abilities as a leader...

...that is, until a certain sponge sat down next to her. “Hey, Sunny? Why is your sunny smile now a rainy frowny?

“Well... it's difficult to explain, SpongeBob. I mean... Opaline is still a raging threat to this world and Equestria, and even though we've weakened her, there's still a chance we could be in over our heads,” Sunny said as her ears folded. “I want to lead my friends the best to my ability, but... when there's an evil alicorn on the loose, your new friend and... ally are blamed for taking a recipe to a patty everyone loves and your baby dragon friend is missing, I'm struggling to keep good thoughts! What if I can't be the alicorn leader everypony expects me to be...?”

Sunny felt tears stream down her face, despite them being underwater... until she felt a gentle hand rubbing her mane, and wiped her eyes to see SpongeBob smiling at her. “No one has all the answers, Sunny. Not even the Guardians of Harmony. I admit, even I loose my optimism from time to time.”

Sunny was surprised to hear such a statement. “You do?”

SpongeBob laughed at this. “Sure I do! Nopony is perfect, but what's important is that we never give up hope. Your friends believe in you because they care about you. They know that you have the confidence and strength you need to defeat Opaline and save us all. I know that too. So, here's the big question, Sunny. When are you gonna start telling that to yourself?”

Sunny thought about this for what seemed like the longest time before she realized that SpongeBob was right... she just needed to keep faith.

That's what would pull them through.

The apricot mare nestled into SpongeBob’s loving embrace, and she smiled at her new friend. “Thanks for that, SpongeBob. That's what I really needed to hear.”

“I'll always be there to give you guys advice... or make you laugh. Hoof to heart.”

“Hey, hoofers!” Plankton called. “You gonna help us or what?!”

“Sure we are,” Sunny said, getting up. “And I know just how to set the mood... with a song!”

“Hooray!”

“Whoo-hoo!”

“Oh brother...”

And soon, all the ponies had gotten their assignments and began to sing a catchy tune to pass the time.

Ponies: Just a little touch-up
Just a little paint
And we'll be done in no time

Izzy: Hey, this is looking great!

Ponies: Cause they say many hooves
And the work gets lighter (Work gets lighter)
And working with your friends
Will make the whole day brighter

Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work

Cause I get to work with you
Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do

Sunny: (We got this!)

By the time the first chorus was done, SpongeBob and Plankton watched with wide eyes as the ponies worked their magic, and couldn't help but smile as they worked along their equine friends.

Pipp: I found the perfect color

Hitch: Yeah, and you know that I measure right

SpongeBob: Cause we'll be done in no time

Misty: And we'll make this place a delight!

Ponies: Cause they say there is magic
In every pony (every pony)
And when I need a hoof
I've got you there beside me

SpongeBob and Ponies: Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
Cause I get to work with you

Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do

Nothing we can't do
Nothing we, nothing we can't do
Nothing we can't do
Nothing we, nothing we can't do

Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
'Cause I get to work with you

Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do

Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
'Cause I get to work with you (Pipp: I get to work with you!)

Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
'Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do!

Finally, at the end of the song, Plankton started the newly renovated time machine and beamed at the fact it actually started. “I did it!”

“No-- we did it!” SpongeBob smiled as Plankton hopped into his hand. “Wait... we DID do it. As a te-am!”

“A team!”

“Whatever.”

SpongeBob and Plankton: Working together in harmony...!

Side by side, we can reach our dreams
Cause nothing's impossible
When we're a team/te-am

Izzy whimpered loving when the two ended tie duet, whipping a fake tear from her eye. “He finally learned something from us!”

“I hate to say it,” said Zipp, “but maybe Plankton is capable of changing after all.”

“You bet he is...!” SpongeBob strained as the ponies swam inside the enlarged photo booth, and he carried Karen's head inside. “Okay, and now for the brains.”

He slid Karen's monitor into place, and Karen immediately turned on and faced her husband. “Okay, Plankton, this is it. It's gonna take all my processors and energy to power this time machine. So if you have anything you wanna tell me, you better tell me now.”

Plankton then took a deep breath... here went everything. “Well, Karen... I know I've taken you for granted all these years, and I... I just wanted to say... I'm glad you're on my te-am.”

“Oh, Sheldon, that's the sweetest thing you've ever...”

Plankton then flipped the switch, turning Karen off as the time, midnight, flashed onscreen. Misty could have sworn she heard sobbing coming from Plankton, and knelt closer to his level to check on hihim. “Plankton? Are you crying?”

“No, no, no! It's just one of the hazards of having a giant eyeball,” Plankton wiped his eye with the handkerchief Izzy gave him. “There's always stuff getting in there. Anyway, ahem... where were we? Say 'cheese'.”

SpongeBob inserted a corner as everypony smiled wide. “Cheeeeeese!!!”

And just like that, the time machine fired up, sending our intrepid heroes into time and space and beyond, hoping to steal back the formula and Sparky before it was too late.

Journey through Time and Space (Part 2)

Sunny knew that they were getting closer to the right moment in time-- she could feel it in her hooves. But since Opaline had hold of Sparky who knows where to get her fire powers back, they would have to move quickly and retrieve the formula and get Sparky, so they could change their current events.

There was no if or buts about it... it was now or never.

Finally, the time machine's ride was slowing down, and they heard voices coming into existence... particularly Plankton and SpongeBob's voices, which Sunny and her friends guessed was the voices of their past selves.

Past SpongeBob’s voice gasped first. “Plankton?!”

“SpongeBob?!”

Finally, the time machine poofed into existence, and everyone quickly hopped out of it. “Plankton?!” Past SpongeBob gasped. “SpongeBob?!” Past Plankton exclaimed. “Who are you all supposed to be?”

“I'm you,” Plankton told his past self, “from the future.”

“And we're them from the future!” Hitch said, pointing to the past selves of himself, his friends and SpongeBob, who looked incredibly shocked. “So you traveled back through time to help me?” Past Plankton asked. “Great thinking!”

“Nope. He's helping us,” Pipp spoke confidently, but Past SpongeBob gasped in shock. “But he's the enemy!”

“Was the enemy,” SpongeBob took the current Plankton into his hand. “Now we're all one, big multiverse team.”

“What?” Past Plankton looked confused. “A te-am?”

“A team!” Plankton responded, finally getting it right as he leapt down. “All right, now go get Sparky and the formula!”

The ponies swam into the main part of the restaurant as fast as their fins could take them, while SpongeBob ran toward Past Plankton and the safe... while Past Zipp looked toward her friends in shock. “What have we become...?”

Nonetheless, Past SpongeBob approached current Plankton and smiled goofily. “Do you have flying boat mobiles in the future?”

“We only came back from the day after tomorrow, dim wit.”

“Are there... rocket packs?”

XXXXXXXXX

The ponies looked around all the main parts of the restaurant before they regrouped, no one holding a fish-turned dragon and looking rather glum. “No sign of him,” Zipp shook her head. “Opaline must have got Sparky while he was alone.”

“Sparky...” Hitch trembled. “What do we do now?”

“We have to keep faith,” Misty said, “and hope and pray that the formula returning will be enough to convince the townsfolk to snap out of this phase and help us.”

XXXXXXXXX

Past SpongeBob and Plankton kept coversing, while the past ponies wondered what their future selves were doing. “Did they outlaw clothes in the future?”

“No!”

“Then why are you naked?”

“Cause they don't make clothes in my size.”

“Hold still, you!” SpongeBob chased Plankton's past self all around the vault, and Past SpongeBob asked current Plankton one last question as the current ponies returned. “If you're from the future, what am I gonna say next?”

“Something moronic?”

“Wow...”

“No sign of Sparky-- Opaline already took him,” Zipp told current Plankton before turning to current SpongeBob. “SpongeBob, hurry up over there!”

But then, SpongeBob knocked the decoy formula bottle off the pressure plate and the light went off, causing Past Plankton to scream. “Uh oh... that ain't good.”

“Initiating lockdown sequence.”

“Come on, SpongeBob!” Sunny cried as they raced for the time machine. “We gotta get outta here!”

“Got it!” SpongeBob grabbed the bottle and raced toward the time machine, barely making it before it disappeared. On the way back to their time, the others laughed and cheered happily at some of their mission being a success. “Oh my glitter,” said Izzy, “that was crazy!”

Plankton hugged the formula bottle like it was a tender baby by that point. “So that's what teamwork is. All those years, I tried to make you mine and I finally did it. I mean, we did it!”

“Yeah we did!” Zipp agreed. “Now all we need is the town to help us find Sparky, and Equestria is saved!”

But will it be as easy as it sounds?

XXXXXXXXX

At the surface, Burger Beard was finishing up another chapter of the book after being forced to by the seagulls. “And so, it would seem that our heroes have accomplished all they had set out to do.”

“Now, that's an ending,” said one of the seagulls as they cheered, but before the song and dance portion could commence, Opaline emerged from below deck and slowly sauntered past them. “Oh, no. That's not the end... not by a long shot.”

“Then,” said Kyle, the youngest seagull, “you mean the ending might be even happier?”

Burger Beard ignored this and pulled out his telescope, seeing a view of the beach ahead of them. “Land ho! Opaline, prepare to engage the land wheels!”

Opaline scoffed. “It is thanks to me you have land access, and THAT'S what you have me do in return? Geez...”

She activated a button which caused wheels to sprout out below deck, and the pirate ship drove onto a strip of pavement, much to the bewilderment of the passing tourists. “All right, you feathered rats, time to shove off!” Opaline snarled. “What? Why?” Andy asked. “Well, I can't have you pooping all over this restaurant, can I?”

“Restaurant?” asked Andy. “I thought this was a pirate ship.”

“Oh, it is. But it is also...” Burger Beard activated a mechanism that turned his pirate ship into a food truck with a pirate theme. “...my very own food truck.”

“A what?”

“Uh, you know, a restaurant on wheels.”

“Like a garbage truck?”

“No!” Opaline snarled. “Are you trying to scare away the customers?!”

“Well, we're not leaving until we see how the story ends.”

But one flare from Opaline's horn was enough to send them flying and squawking away. “Well done,” Burger Beard smirked. “But what of the baby dragon you captured?”

“He's right here,” Opaline levitated a scared Sparky up to their faces. “And once I use the dragon stone I acquired to steal his dragon fire and gain my power back... those ponies will be the first to go.”

XXXXXXXXX

Back in the post-apocalyptic present, Patrick was staring longingly at the picture of the Krabby Patty he was handed earlier. “Uh... Squidward?”

“Still out of Krabby Patties.”

But then, a crazed Sandy appeared and spoke to all the fish there. “I done figured it out! We have angered the sandwich gods and only a sacrifice will appease them!”

“Oh, that sounds fair,” a big fish stated with a shrug as Sandy continued. “Soon, our post-apoca-whatchamacallit will be over and Krabby Patties will rain down from above!”

“Rain down?!” Mr. Krabs cried. “Well that's no good! How will I get me money?!”

“Oh, you don't like that idea?” asked Nat. “Then we'll just sacrifice YOU!!”

The crowd carried Mr. Krabs over to the door with shouts of agreement, just before the time machine appeared, and SpongeBob and Plankton appeared from the inside with the ponies, and SpongeBob was the first to speak. “It's not a good idea to have a sacrifice on an empty stomach,” he said, holding up a bottle. “Who wants a Krabby Patty?!”

The crowd cheered at this, and Mr. Krabs gasped in delight upon seeing his beloved formula again. “SpongeBob, is that me formuler? Oh, happy day!” he cheered, kissing the bottle. “I've missed you so much. Where was it? Where'd you find it?”

“Well, Plankton, SpongeBob and all us ponies made this time machine out of an old photo booth and then we added--,” Sunny explained, just when Patrick got into the time machine. “Cheese!”

“Patrick, wait!” SpongeBob cried, but to the shock of the crowd, Patrick vanished along with the time machine. “It's okay, everyone,” Mr. Krabs reassured them. “The post-apocalypse is almost over!”

The crowd cheered, and the ponies, SpongeBob and Plankton high fived each other before Mr. Krabs unrolled the piece of paper in the bottle, and read what it said. “Eugene, Eat My Sub-aquatic Air Bubbles! Love, Plankton?!”

The ponies gasped as Plankton turned to glare at SpongeBob. “You grabbed the wrong bottle!” he said, and Sunny swam in front of the crab with a pleading look. “We are SO sorry, Mr. Krabs!”

“That's okay, me dear... we'll just have to sacrifice the eight of you then! Prepare them for the sacrifice!”

Sunny and the ponies whimpered nervously as the crowd began to surround them, but then, Patrick reappeared with the time machine. “I bring a message from the dawn of time!”

SpongeBob smiled-- this might be something to listen to... and maybe it's something hopeful. “What is it, Patrick?”

“RUN!!!” Patrick screamed and ran from the time machine... just as a squid-a-saurus rex emerged from inside it, and caused the crowd to fall into panic, while Sunny, Zipp, Hitch, Izzy and Pipp tried to calm them. And then, SpongeBob spoke nervously as he, Plankton and Misty anxiously watched the scene. “Well, Plankton, I guess we failed to accomplish our goals.”

Plankton looked down at him in disbelief. “We?”

“But...” said SpongeBob meekly, “even failure hurts a little less when you do it as a team, right?”

But that's when Plankton revealed his true feelings toward SpongeBob and his 'teamwork' methods with these next few words...

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!”

Author's Note

I'm sorry if this felt a little rushed, but there was a lot of unlikable scenes I wanted to skip, and I have plans for tomorrow, so I wanted to get this out there before then.

Saving SpongeBob the Sacrifice

No one expected Plankton to shout at SpongeBob in such a cruel manner, and most of the patrons gasped as Misty tried to defend her new friend. “His fault?! Plankton, it was an accident! A big one, sure, but that doesn't change he was trying to do the right thing!”

“But SpongeBoob was the one who stole the wrong secret formula!”

“I didn't know there were two bottles!” SpongeBob shook his head. “Of COURSE you didn't!” Plankton snapped. “Because you got cotton candy for brains!”

“Oooh...” some fish muttered. “No, seriously,” Plankton stated. “He does.”

“Well, we wouldn't even be in this mess in the first place if you weren't so selfish and evil!” SpongeBob huffed. “I was selfish and evil,” Plankton threw an insult back, “until you and those mules ruined everything with your teamwork!”

SpongeBob gasped at that. “You take that back! And leave Sunny and the others out of this! They were just trying to help, and we were actually getting someplace until YOU ruined everything!”

But Plankton wasn't done with his rant just yet, despite the ponies being warmed by SpongeBob’s defense. “You are the worst teammate ever!!”

“NOOOOOOO!!!”

In a total mental breakdown, SpongeBob kicked over a trash can, resulting the crowd to gasp as he began to mix the recycling and the trash piles together.

Sunny and her friends watched horrified as they watched their friend break down... it was just... horrible to witness.

After taking a few breaths, SpongeBob looked around, finally realizing what he was doing. “Look at me. Why, I've become like all of you,” he said after looking at his hands. “Savage. Fear-ridden. Selfish. An entire town of formerly good citizens, turned into heartless freaks, bent on their own self-prever... self-preter...”

“Self-preservation?” Zipp asked. “Yes!” SpongeBob nodded. “We've become alienated from each other. Each one an island unto himself, concerned only with ourselves. And in the name of all fishhood, I am not about to let that happen!”

He then tore some fabric from a fish's shirt and made a headband with it, marching up to the register boat with a determined look on his face. “And so, if a sacrifice is needed to restore Bikini Bottom to its former glory... then I am willing to take one for the team!”

Plankton, Sandy and the crowd watched with shock, and solemn expressions... one fish even took his hat off in respect. It all lasted until Squidward finally spoke after the moment of silence. “You heard him!”

The crowd grabbed SpongeBob by his hands and legs and ran outside with him, and the ponies were not far behind. “SPONGEBOB!!!” Izzy and Misty screamed, but Squidward stopped them right in their tracks. “Sorry, guys, but this is for Bikini Bottomites to see only. Go back to your own world... this is our chance to save ours.”

The ponies watched with wide, fearful eyes as the crowd took SpongeBob away, wondering what would become of him... and Misty fell to the ground, sobbing in sadness. “Misty...” Izzy tried to comfort her. “Don't cry...”

Misty found her voice after a moment. “But it's all my fault... I really thought I saw something good in Plankton... but I guess I just was stupid... just like I was when I served Opaline.”

“Misty, that isn't true,” Zipp frowned. “You were just--”

“I guess you were right, Zipp,” Misty spoke with a voice that was wobbling. “Once a villain, always a villain... and I guess since I was once a villain, I guess that still makes me one too.”

She quickly darted away, and Zipp tried to go after her, but Sunny stopped her first. “Let's all go... I think Misty could use all of us there.”

“Yeah... maybe you're right.”

XXXXXXXXX

Riverstream grumbled to herself as she picked sparkle seaweed for her and her sister to have for dinner later that night, not sure why her sister would neglect trying to sever the bonds between the hippogriffs and the Equestrians.

It could change their lives for the better, and Skygrace wouldn't do anything about it?

And if Skygrace wouldn't do anything, Riverstream supposed that she would have to do something herself. “All I have to do is find them... but where in the world could I start?”

But as she pondered in silence, a small noise gradually grew louder, and Riverstream recognized it easily.

Crying. The very thing she heard her sister doing late at night recently, since she was really missing their mother.

She looked down and saw a blue seapony with a swirly pink and blue horn sniffling as she swam up the mountain, not focused on anything in particular, and Riverstream gasped quietly.

She was an Equestrian!

She could show her sister that they were here!

But first... she'd have to comfort the unicorn, still quietly sobbing.

Riverstream swam down the mountain until she was in front of the stranger, smiling gently. “Hey... are you okay?”

Misty gasped in alarm, not expecting anypony else to be up there, before her frown seemed to deepen. “Not really... my friend is going to be sacrificed, a baby dragon is in danger and it's all my fault...”

“Really? I don't think it is. You seem like a really nice pony.”

“But... I used to serve a villain,” Misty frowned. “So...”

“So that doesn't mean anything. Your actions may define you, but your real intentions is what really show,” Riverstream said. “And, if you really wanna try and save your friend, I may be able to convince my sister to help you.”

“Really?” Misty said, but that bloomed to a gentle smile. “Thank you... for saying that. I'm Misty, by the way.”

“I'm Riverstream-- princess of the hippogriffs of Mount Aris.”

Misty gasped at that. “Opaline told me the hippogriffs disbanded moons ago after... she attacked...”

“We did, but... me and my sister, Queen Skygrace live together at the top of the peak,” Riverstream explained. “But I think she'd--”

“Princess Riverstream, who are you talking to?!”

Both of them turned to see Skygrace swim toward them, and Misty immediately bowed as Skygrace pulled Riverstream away. “Leave here, Equestrian! We will not be pushed away from our home again!”

“Sister, knock it off!” Riverstream snapped coldly. “Misty needs our help! The evil fire alicorn has stolen a baby dragon, and her friend is about to be sacrificed!”

That seemed to cause Skygrace to pause. “Wait, what...?”

“It's true, your majesty,” Misty nodded. “And unless we can save SpongeBob, we'll have no chance of stopping this.”

“MISTY!!!” cried Izzy's voice. “MISTY, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“There are... more of you?” Skygrace asked. “Yeah... those are my friends,” Misty nodded. “I'm up here, everypony!”

Misty's friends swam up to her and wrapped her in tight hugs, relieved to know she was safe. “Guys, this is Riverstream and her sister, Queen... um...”

“Skygrace,” the queen responded with an edge to her voice. “Of course,” Misty nodded. “I asked them to help us save SpongeBob... and maybe save both worlds as we know it!”

“Sure! We'd love some new friends helping!” Izzy chirped, while Skygrace scoffed. “Friends?! Give me a break... the Equestrians forced us to leave their land without a simple explanation, and I had to find out another way that a fire alicorn had broken up the land! All hippogriffs and seaponies know this story, told by mothers and grandmothers for generations. And you come asking for help in spite of everything?!!”

“Your highness... I know this is hard to understand, but... Equestria is united again,” Sunny said, “and we can't beat the formula thief, save Sparky and defeat Opaline without you. Please... we need you. Both of you.”

Skygrace looked like she was in a rock in a hard place situation by this point, and Riverstream looked entirely desperate. “Please, Skygrace...? Think of the life Mom would have wanted for us... and for our subjects, wherever they may have gone.”

That immediately set Skygrace's thinking into motion. What had she been saying all this time?

Riverstream was right to trust them. The hippogriffs were a species of peace... not of grudges and heartbreak.

And these ponies did seem sweet... and desperate enough to plead to a queen.

So, she sighed with a small smile. “All right... show us the way to this friend of yours.”

XXXXXXXXX

SpongeBob was chained to the top of a giant tower, a giant stone hanging over him as the town began to chant 'sacrifice' over and over, but SpongeBob wasn't afraid... at least not yet.

Mr. Krabs stood beside SpongeBob's side, while Squidward would act as the executioner. Finally, after 5 minutes of chanting, Mr. Krabs spoke to the crowd. “Let the sacrifice... BEGIN!!”

“Krabby! Patties! Krabby! Patties!” the crowd chanted, while the squid-a-saurus rex only scoffed, rolling its eyes. “And I thought my friends were primitive.”

SpongeBob sniffed the air repeatedly, a new scent filling his nostrils. “Don't cry, me boy,” Mr. Krabs said gently. “Everything's gonna be fine. For us.”

“Oh, I'm not crying, Mr. Krabs,” SpongeBob said before he sniffed the air again. “I smell Krabby Patties!”

“That's right. Keep thinking happy thoughts. NOW!!”

Squidward slipped on an executioners mask and sliced the rope holding the stone, and SpongeBob braced himself for impact, waiting for the stone to hit...

...but it never did.

When he opened his eyes after the crowd had gasped, he witnessed the Equestrians and a couple new friends heaving the stone far away from their soon-to-be executed friend. “Ponies!” SpongeBob cried. “You came back!”

Sunny chuckled as they tossed the stone away. “Hey, you really think we'd leave you alone in a time like this? And we brought back-up!”

Queen Skygrace swam forward so the crowd to could see her face to face. “Citizens of Bikini Bottom! I am Queen Skygrace, ruler of the hippogriffs and seaponies of Mount Aris! My kingdom was divided, but your home does not need to be! Listen to Sunny Starscout, her friends and SpongeBob SquarePants-- they seem to know better than even I do! And... listen to my sister, Princess Riverstream. Without her persistence, I wouldn't be standing before you in this moment.”

Riverstream nodded with a smile, and Sunny and SpongeBob smiled back at her. Realizing what SpongeBob said earlier about Krabby Patties, Mr. Krabs sniffed the air and immediately brightened. “The boy's right... I smell them too! Okay, SpongeBob!” he said, ripping off his apocalyptic outfit. “Go get it!”

“Wait... you mean we can take this stuff off?!” Squidward asked, ripping his own apocalyptic outfit off just as Mr. Krabs threw SpongeBob down the mountain of a tower they had perched on. “Go find that Krabby Patty!”

“I got him!” Riverstream said, and caught SpongeBob on her back before she swam out in front of the crowd. “Come on, everybody!” SpongeBob cried. “I've got some Krabby Patty orders to fill!”

Everyone cheered before tearing off their apocalyptic outfits and racing after the sponge and ponies, and as she carried the sniffing sponge on her back, Riverstream turned to her elder sister. “Thank you... for saying all of that, Skygrace.”

“It was the least I could do after shutting you away from the world for so long.”

“But it's all in the past now,” SpongeBob pointed out. “We have a chance to fix all our wrongs. I just hope we can do it before Opaline and whoever stole the formula can reek havoc first.”

“I don't know where Opaline is exactly,” Sunny shook her head, “so we'll go after the formula thief first... for Bikini Bottom. Okay, SpongeBob-- lead the way!”

Across the Surface

SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends were leading everyone from Bikini Bottom on a major journey across the sea floor to find the Krabby Patty secret formula, after having smelled the scent of Krabby Patties before he was set to be executed, only to be saved by Sunny, Misty, the rest of the Equestrians and their new friends-- royal sisters Queen Skygrace and Princess Riverstream.

Along the journey, the Equestrians realized that they were a lot smaller than they thought they were-- as small as a regular fish would look at home. But despite their small size, they decided to do all they could to make sure their friends would be safe on their life changing journey.

They followed SpongeBob through all different kinds of places, such as the following:

A gigantic shipwreck
A barren snowy wasteland
A desert
A canyon

The group found themselves becoming closer to Skygrace and Riverstream, and SpongeBob and his friends found themselves doing the same-- even giving them temporary residence in Bikini Bottom once everything was over.

Suddenly, after crossing the never-ending desert, SpongeBob could feel the Krabby Patties' scent getting even stronger than before. “Come on, guys! I think it's just over this hill!”

But when they got over the hill, they realized the smell was going up to the surface, leading everyone from Bikini Bottom to groan. “How do you expect us to go up to the surface?!” Squidward asked. “We won't be able to breathe!”

“We will find a way, but we just need a plan,” Queen Skygrace said in thought, but then, a fish from the crowd spoke up. “All right. All secondary characters, come with me.”

Most of the fish started to head to Bikini Bottom, and Squidward even started to follow them with a deadpan expression. “Yeah, I'm with you guys.”

“No way, Squidward,” Zipp swam in front of him before pointing up at the surface. “You're going up there with us!”

“But, we can only turn into regular ponies on land, and Riverstream and the queen can become hippogriffs with those necklaces,” Sunny reasoned. “How can they go up there with us when they can't breathe?”

As the ponies tried to think of a solution to the problem, Patrick whined from behind them. “My feet hurt...”

“Patrick, you don't have feet,” SpongeBob frowned, and Patrick gasped at realizing that SpongeBob was right. “Well, it's not fair. You have feet. Sandy has feet. Squidward and the ponies have feet.”

“Actually, in pony form, we all have four feet,” Misty said, and Patrick grumbled in protest. While this debate went on, Plankton crept closer and hid in SpongeBob’s sock. “It's not about feet!” SpongeBob protested, and Squidward scoffed at that. “What is it about then?”

“It's about being a team and sticking together no matter what!”

“SpongeBob is right,” Riverstream said. “We just need to find the right magic to help us get where we're going. Then we can find the patty formula, the dragon and Opaline.”

But Squidward was still rather skeptical. “The only way we're going up there is if some fairy godmother shows up and helps us breathe air.”

Before anyone else could respond, a glowing ball of light came closer and closer, prompting them to shield their eyes from the brightness. When their eyes opened again, SpongeBob and the ponies immediately recognized who was in front of them, but SpongeBob was the only one able to speak. “Bubbles!!”

“SpongeBob! You know this guy?!” Riverstream asked. “Um... sort of,” Misty said awkwardly. “He's the magical space dolphin that nearly killed us after he got fired... and Sunny kinda chewed him out big time.”

Sunny chuckled nervously at that. “Uh, heh... oops?”

“Don't hurt us!” SpongeBob pleaded to Bubbles, getting on his knees. “We're sorry we got you fired!”

“Hurt you?” Bubbles clicked. “Why, I traveled back through time to thank you. I've been stuck in that job for eons. After Sunny had stood up to me, I realized that I needed a change, but I was too afraid to go for it.”

SpongeBob and Sunny smiled in relief, just as the others came over. “Well, Bubbles,” SpongeBob said, “I'm glad we could help.”

“Now, it is my turn to help. I can get you safely to the surface. Now,” Bubbles clicked, getting closer, “quick, all of you. Get in my mouth.”

“Um... royal queens first,” Zipp bowed to Queen Skygrace, who allowed herself to come forward as if it was natural. “Come on, all-- let's go!”

But not many of the others were ready to be convinced to do such a feat. “There's no way I'm climbing into some dolphin's mouth,” Squidward spoke with a frown. “Yeah,” Mr. Krabs agreed with the statement. “This guy just wants a free lunch.”

“But--” Skygrace tried to say, but SpongeBob stopped her curtiously. “It's okay, your highness, let me take care of it,” he offered before turning to his friends. “Guys, if Bubbles has the courage to quit his dead end nowhere job and travel back through time to help us, then we need to have the courage to--”

Suddenly, Bubbles captured everyone in his mouth and started swimming up toward the surface. Inside of Bubbles' mouth, Hitch sighed after the ponies' tails turned back into legs and tails, and the royal sisters turned back into hippogriffs. “Well, I never thought I'd be eaten by a dolphin.”

“No, if he was eating us, he'd be chewing us up and we'd be going down there,” SpongeBob pointed down Bubbles' throat before kicking back. “This is what you call riding in style.”

Pipp groaned as her wings were covered in spit from Bubbles' mouth. “More like riding in saliva.”

Squidward sighed, fidgeting slightly. “Not a lot of leg room in here.”

“Well, maybe if you didn't have four feet!” Patrick called back. At the same time, unbeknownst to the others, Plankton emerged from SpongeBob’s sock out of breath. “Note to self: never stow away in a gym sock.”

Bubbles finally emerged from and floated above the ocean before opening his blowhole, letting sunlight into the mouth and letting SpongeBob and his friends feel it for the first time. “What's happening?” Patrick asked in wonder. “I feel tingly!”

Bubbles spit everyone out of the blowhole, allowing them to scream as they fell back toward the ground, only for Bubbles to slap them right back onto the beach. “Ow...” Squidward groaned. “My neck!”

Misty turned SpongeBob over with her horn while everyone else stood on their own. “I've done all I can,” Bubbles told them. “The rest is up to you.”

“Thank you, Bubbles!” SpongeBob said as he and the ponies waved. “Farewell, Sunny Starscout and SpongeBob,” Bubbles greeted, and Sunny saluted with a smile. “Farewell, Bubbles!”

“Now, to update my-- hmm-mm-mm... r-r-résumé! ”

And just like that, Bubbles flew off and out of sight as Riverstream and her sister took to the air after so many moons. “My goodness... it feels amazing to fly again!” Skygrace laughed, and Sandy took off her helmet to breathe in some fresh air. “Ah, fresh air. Oh, how I've missed you.”

“Ugh! This place smells awful!” Squidward covered his nose, just as SpongeBob found the Krabby Patty scent again. “Come on, guys. Let's get the Krabby Patty formula and save Bikini Bottom!”

The group then trekked through the sand and around the giant beach goers, and SpongeBob's eyes went as wide as saucers. “Whoa... what is this place?” he wondered, and Mr. Krabs couldn't help but shudder. “I have a bad feeling about this...”

“Maybe this guy knows where we are,” Patrick walked up to a bare foot. “He looks smart. He's got five heads.”

“Excuse me, sir,” Riverstream poked the foot with her claw. “Do you know where we can find this Krabby Patty thing SpongeBob cooks on a daily basis?”

But like the ponies expected, the foot did not respond. “Hey!” Patrick poked the foot. “The hippo princess is talking to you!”

“Uh, hippogriff, Patrick.”

“Isn't that what I said?”

Pipp and Zipp frowned at Riverstream's behavior, and Pipp whispered over to her sister. “Do they know that's just a person's foot?”

“I don't think so,” Zipp whispered back. “But I kinda wanna see where it goes.”

SpongeBob wondered why the foot wasn't responding, and looked around to see that the foot was connected to a sleeping sunbather. “A giant, hairy porpoise! It's beached! It's suffering...” he said, sadly getting on his knees. “Poor thing...”

“Y'all,” Sandy tried to explain, “those aren't porpoises--”

“All hands on deck!” Mr. Krabs shouted, and everyone joined SpongeBob and Riverstream near the sunbather. “We need to get these guys back in the water!”

And like that, the gang, alongside the queen and Riverstream, flipped the sunbather over to the ocean and Mr. Krabs yelled "Heave!" and everyone else yelled "Ho!".

But after a minute, they began to get increasingly tired.

“Put your backs in to it!”

“Come on, push!”

But, like the ponies expected, they were all smushed underneath the sunbather when he fell on top of them, prompting Squidward to sigh. “Well, I guess this is where that horrible smell was coming from.”

“No problem!” Izzy chirped. “We'll dig our way out!”

Everyone followed the unicorn's advice and started burrowing out from under the sunbather's back and they run into a shovel, bumping into it. They then split into different directions, and they popped out of a girl's sand castle and turned to see her staring in fascination. “Whoa...”

“Excuse me dear,” Skygrace said politely. “Do you know where we can find a Krabby Patty around here?”

Suddenly, a little boy, probably the girl's brother, came over, looking angry. “Invaders!”

“Uh oh...” Sunny and SpongeBob said nervously, and the queen, her sister, Pipp and Zipp flew up to prevent potential impact. “You get out of my sister's sand castle!”

The boy kicked the remaining group off in different directions, but Misty and Sunny stayed with Sandy and SpongeBob (who landed on an umbrella, Hitch with Squidward (on the back of a sunbather) and Izzy with Mr. Krabs (crashing into a cotton candy machine).

Patrick, however, landed in the giant ice cream cone of a little boy, and his eyes widened in awe. “Ahh... where have you been all my life?!”

While Patrick devoured the ice cream, Hitch and Squidward tried to stand up on a sunbather's back, but her back was oily, and they couldn't stand up all the way. “Oh, Frank...” the sunbather sighed. “That's so good...”

The little boy with the ice cream tossed it away, and it collided into Squidward and Hitch, knocking them down while Patrick popped out of the cone. “Oh, hey, Hitch and Squidward!”

“Ugh...”

XXXXXXXXX

“Girls! Sandy! The Krabby Patty!” SpongeBob ran on the top of the umbrella, making it spin. “I see where it's coming from!”

“I... can't!” Misty groaned. “Too... dizzy!”

A beachgoer began to collapse the umbrella, but when it sprung back open, they were sent flying into the cotton candy machine with Mr. Krabs and Izzy, just as the fliers came down to them, Zipp speaking first. “Is everypony okay?!”

“Ooh... as good as we can be,” Sunny groaned, just as Patrick and the others approached. “SpongeBob, you would not believe the size of the ice creams here!” Patrick said. “I wonder what other giant snacks they have...”

That's when he and SpongeBob noticed the cotton candy machine, and the two of them, Riverstream and Sandy climbed on top of it. “If you ate all that,” Riverstream noticed, “you'd have enough energy to run around the whole world!”

SpongeBob and Patrick dove in, not wasting another second, and devoured as much cotton candy as their mouths would hold. However, this led to a massive sugar rush that made them believe they really were running around the world...

...when it was really just Izzy and Riverstream flipping postcards. “Yah!!” Squidward was covering his ears. “When is the sugar gonna wear off?!”

SpongeBob and Patrick fell flat on their faces, much to Squidward's relief, and SpongeBob got up and sniffed around as he climbed the postcard rack. “Hey, guys! I smell Krabby Patties!” he said, jumping down and running ahead. “I think it's this way!”

But sooner than they thought, SpongeBob and the others had to dodge bike riders all over the sidewalk. They ran to the side, but Squidward immediately got caught in the fray, causing Sandy to pick him up and carried him in her arms to safety. Pipp panted tiredly from exhaustion. “Now what?!”

“We're never gonna make it!” Squidward panted. But as Patrick bumped his head against a bike pedal, Skygrace seemed to get an idea. “Does anyone know how to work this contraption? I think I found our way to the formula.”

XXXXXXXXX

“Heave!”

“Ho!”

“Heave!”

“Ho!”

SpongeBob and Patrick jumped down on the pedals repeatedly as Sandy, Mr. Krabs and Squidward steered, and the ponies and hippogriffs rode in the basket. SpongeBob couldn't believe it-- it as actually working! “We're doing it, guys!”

A skateboarder noticed them working the bike and hit a light post before they came towards a stroller. “Hold on!” Sandy cried. “Huh?!” SpongeBob leaned to the left. “LEAN!!!”

“Starboard!”

Together, they steered the bike away from the stroller and rode up a surfing board like a ramp, and they screamed as they fell off the bike and into a soft, towel filled wagon. “River?” Skygrace approached her sister. “Are you all right?”

“Whoo... can we do it again?!” Riverstream asked, and this elicited a chuckle from her sister. But then, the group gasped at what they saw-- Burger Beard's ship had "Home of the Krabby Patty" printed right on the sail. “What?! Home of the Krabby Patty?” SpongeBob questioned. “But the Krusty Krab is the home of the Krabby Patty! Mr. Krabs, what are we gonna do?!”

“$8.99 for a Krabby Patty?!” Mr. Krabs pushed SpongeBob aside. “Why didn't I think of that?”

“Well then... come on, everyone,” Queen Skygrace assumed a leaderly tone. “Let's see what this is all about, then.”

XXXXXXXXX

Burger Beard was happily flipping burgers while Opaline had went to a hidden location in the city to continue the dragon fire draining, but that's when SpongeBob and the others entered right through the window. Mr. Krabs was first to speak, and it was say it wasn't a happy tone. “You...!”

Burger Beard quickly turned and dropped the spatula out of shock, while Queen Skygrace spread her wings with a scowl. “Cease and desist that patty flipping at once!”

“Yeah!” SpongeBob nodded fiercely. “That's my job!”

“How did you get here?” Burger Beard asked them. “Many of you cannot breathe air.”

“Well,” Riverstream began explaining cheerfully, “there was this magical dolphin from the future who shot us out of his blowhole and then--”

“Wai-wai-wait! Wait...” Burger Beard grabbed the book and skimmed through it. “That's not in the book.”

“Book?” Mr. Krabs asked as Burger Beard continued. “There's no magical dolphin in this story.”

“What story?” Mr. Krabs asked suspiciously, and Burger Beard slammed the book shut. “The story of how Bikini Bottom and Equestria was brought to its knees when its beloved Krabby Patty formula was stolen by me, Burger Beard.”

Everyone stared on in shock, but only Patrick seemed to look on in childlike innocence. “How does it end?”

“Well, let me see...” Burger Beard hummed. “It looks like, um, Burger Beard becomes the richest food truck proprietor in all of the land while a dear friend of mine becomes a powerful queen of a land that should be hers.”

Misty shuddered when she heard that all-too familiar description. “Opaline...”

“I was thinking the same thing... and not in a good way,” Skygrace added. But there was one thing that didn't make any sense with SpongeBob. “But... how did you steal the formula?”

“That was easy,” Burger Beard said. “I simply rewrote the story and... poof!”

He held the formula bottle up in his hand, and SpongeBob gasped as Mr. Krabs' eyes widened. “Me formuler!”

“What do you mean rewrote the story?” Zipp asked suspiciously. “Watch this,” Burger Beard began writing in the book. “The brave and handsome Burger Beard banished our poor heroes to be stranded on Pelican Island!”

Everyone screamed as they disappeared from the ship, and Burger Beard smirked triumphantly. “The... end!”

XXXXXXXXX

The group had reappeared on Pelican Island-- an unsteady piece of rock right in the middle of the ocean, with pelicans flying all around it. “Oh, this looks bad,” SpongeBob said worriedly. “And these guys look hungry!”

“I don't wanna be pelican food!” Pipp wailed. “I have a concert to go to when we get home!”

“LOOK OUT!!” Riverstream shouted, and everyone ducked before they were eaten by a pelican, but Patrick was barely holding onto the edge. Squidward sighed and brushed themselves off. “Nice. So this is what teamwork gets you.”

“Here!” Mr. Krabs held Squidward up to the sky. “Take Squidward, you vile beasts!”

“Mr. Krabs! You don't mean that!” Sunny nudged him scoldingly. “I wanna be on a new team!” Patrick whimpered. “This one's broken!”

“Sandy, you're smart,” Zipp said as she helped SpongeBob pull Patrick up onto solid ground. “Any ideas?”

“I ain't been too smart since I found this old piece of paper!” Sandy slammed the piece of paper torn from the book down on the ground, but no one noticed Plankton smirking from SpongeBob’s sock.

The sponge in question was majorly confused. “What?”

“INCOMING!!!” Izzy cried, and SpongeBob's body hid in his pants and popped out with another idea. “Wait a minute!”

He leapt out and grabbed a pelican feather before landing. “Now all we need is some ink...” he said before looking down at the ground. “Oh, which Squidward has helpfully provided.”

Squidward had inked right in front of the group, and Squidward blushed in embarrassment. “It happens when I'm nervous.”

SpongeBob dipped the feather into the ink before he began writing on the page. “Whatever you're gonna do,” said Hitch, “make it quick! They're closing in on us!!!”

“I'm gonna write us all out an ending,” SpongeBob said as a pelican roared in Patrick's face. “Will it be a happy ending?!”

“It's gonna be super powered!”

SpongeBob slammed the feather down, and a bright light enveloped them before they disappeared from the island... leaving only Plankton and the feather and page behind, and the one eyed creature smirked and lifted the feather high. “I'll show you a happy ending...”

This was bound to be his chapter... he just knew it.

The Super-Powered Battle (Part 1: Burger Beard)

Burger Beard's rendition of Krabby Patties were becoming a huge success, and he was getting more money in his box than he ever thought he would.

But as his customers ate their delicious Krabby Patties, there came a sudden gust of wind before a bright flash of light emerged in the sky. And from that flash came SpongeBob, his friends, the ponies and the hippogriffs... only they weren't the same as before.

They were superheroes!

Mr. Krabs was now a full on robot, Squidward was in a gold and white suit, Patrick was dressed with a purple and green mask, cape and boots, and SpongeBob wore a blue mask with a bubble wand on top, along with his signature pants, white shirt and red tie.

Riverstream wore a violet mask and cape, along with violet bracelets on her forelegs, and Skygrace wore the same accessories in blue, along with a glittering crown.

And the ponies had their own star-studded looks, defining them each personally.

Sunny wore the same mask from the Manesquerade Ball, along with the same yellow and blue highlights on her legs, with a blue cape and glowing shoes of light under the name Cosmic Sunlight.

Pipp wore her Manesquerade mask as well, as well as a gold and purple cape, and the same gold and purple on her legs, going under the alias Harmonizer.

Izzy also wore her Manesquerade mask, as well as glitter in her mane and tail, a purple stripe in her mane while her legs had light green and pink highlights, and she also wore her crafting sash with her purple and green cape, going under the alias Multi-Crafter.

Zipp wore her Manesquerade mask, with light blue and pink and her hooves had lightning bolts on them and a blue and pink cape, going under the alias of Royal Bolt.

Hitch wore his mask as well, and had the colors lime green and pink on his hooves and mane, along with a green cape, as well as the alias The Masked Defender.

And finally, there was Misty, who had pink and yellow on her legs, a golden swirl on her horn, a half-butterfly, peacock-like mask and a yellow and pink cape, going under the alias of Butterfly Whisperer.

After everyone emerged from the light, they stood ready for battle... except Patrick (aka Mr. Super-Awesomeness), who was facing the wrong way. “Da-da-da-da!!”

“Patrick!” Misty whispered, and Patrick turned around with the others before he noticed something. “Hey, I got feet!”

Zipp and Riverstream looked at him with a deadpan expression. This was definitely ruining their superhero vibe. “Ugh... what is in these things?” asked one of the customers, and the customer beside him shrugged as the group strutted forward confidently. “We'll take one secret formula...” said Sunny, “to go!”

Burger Beard stopped his burger flipping to look out in shock at what was happening. “Clear the area, citizens. There is going to be some serious... aft-kicking here,” SpongeBob slammed his fists together, but all the customers did was just stare and take pictures. “But...” Burger Beard stammered, “...I banished you...”

SpongeBob looked over to Squidward and the pink pegasus nearby. “Harmonizer? Sour Note?”

Squidward brought out his clarinet as Pipp's cutie mark began to glow brightly, and after a deep breath, Squidward played the most out-of-tune note he could, while Pipp sang the highest note she ever sang, and it was enough to chase Burger Beard's customers away.

Once the customers were out of harms way, SpongeBob turned back to his own best friend. “Mr. Superawesomeness, take him down.”

Patrick scrunched his face, and two ice cream cones were yanked away from beach goers. In a dramatic gesture, he grabbed the cones and held them up. As the sky darkned and lightning struck, Burger Beard held up a pink umbrella while Riversteam and Queen Skygrace held up their wings to protect the group with their force field powers.

Suddenly, Patrick licked the ice cream, not doing anything else with it, and Sunny gave him a deadpan expression. “Uhh, maybe we should have picked a better superpower for you, Patrick.”

As Patrick finished the ice cream, Burger Beard grabbed the book to fight them his way. “Let's see how you get out of this one!”

SpongeBob gasped, but Izzy used her unicorn powers to imprison Burger Beard against the side of his ship with a hula hoop, and Mr. Krabs (aka Sir Pinch-A-Lot) shot his claws at Burger Beard's hands, restraining them.

Now, it was SpongeBob’s turn. “Get ready for the Invincibubble!”

Using the bubble wand on his head, SpongeBob blew a bubble that imprisoned the book and sent it flying up into the sky. “NOOOOOO!!!!” Burger Beard cried. “MY BOOK!!!”

“All right, team!” SpongeBob said victoriously. “Time for hands in the middle!”

“Yes!” Riverstream cheered and placed a claw on SpongeBob’s hand. Mr. Krabs was about to do the same, but then realized he had no claws. So, he summoned one of his claws back, unaware that it allowed Burger Beard to get free. “Great job, everypony!” Sunny cheered. “We did it!”

Everyone stand their hooves, hands and claws on top of each other... just before a giant squirrel paw came on top of their pile. “Ewww!!!”

Everyone then looked to see a giant squirrel facing them, speaking in Sandy's voice. “What?”

“Sandy?” Hitch blinked. “Is that you?”

“You can call me... the Rodent!” Sandy shouted, doing a spin. “Hiiiii-ya!”

“Well, I can't say I've ever seen that happen before,” Skygrace said with a chuckle, “but there's always room for more things to be seen.”

“Hey...” Patrick frowned, scratching his head. “Where'd the pirate go?”

Everyone turned to see that Patrick was right-- Burger Beard was gone! “Royal Bolt?” Sunny called. “Think you can do a scan around for him?”

Zipp closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they glowed bright blue before they went back to normal, the pegasus princess letting out a sigh. “No good... he's nowhere within a 5 block radius.”

SpongeBob glanced around before he noticed a trail of grease on the ground, inspecting it by tasting it and smacking his lips. “Hmm. It looks like Burger Beard forgot the first rule of mobile fry-cooking: Always batten down your grease traps.”

The trail of grease seemed to extend for a long while, and Sunny seemed to get what SpongeBob was saying. “And if we follow that trail, we'll find Burger Beard and get the formula back!”

“Follow that grease, team!” Mr. Krabs shouted, and sprouted his wheels before giving chase. Squidward got on Sandy's back and the squirrel galloped off, and Patrick rode SpongeBob as his spit out bubbles to get them moving. “Your majesty,” Sunny said politely as the other ponies ran after their friends, “can you do a scan around the city and let us know if there was any sign of Opaline?”

“Of course, Cosmic Sunlight. Come along, sister!” Skygrace said to Riverstream, and they both set off before Sunny gave chase to the rest of her friends.

XXXXXXXXX

Further ahead, Burger Beard pulled out his telescope and narrowed his sights on the book, floating ahead in the bubble SpongeBob had created. “There she blows... ha ha ha ha ha!!”

Burger Beard then saw the group gaining on him in his side view mirror that read "OBJECTS APPEARING CLOSER THAN YOU THINK." He hauled down the four sails and took off, with the ship going airborne for a second, just missing a sports car.

As Burger Beard steered like a maniac, SpongeBob took in a chest full of air for a burst of bubbles, and the others followed as fast as they could. As she and Pipp got closer to SpongeBob and Patrick, Zipp reached out to get the book, but Burger Beard was two steps ahead. “Buzz off, you flying mule!”

He used a cannon full of water to blast Zipp backwards, causing her to fall behind. As Zipp struggled to catch up, Patrick reached to grab the side of the ship. “Oh no, you don't!”

Burger Beard tried to steer away, but Patrick managed to grab the ship, knocking off SpongeBob. Blowing more bubbles, SpongeBob propelled himself into the crow's nest, hitting himself in the head. As he fell, he grabbed Patrick's trunks, pulling them down to his butt crack and screamed. “AGH!!!” Pipp screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. “I CAN NEVER UNSEE WHAT I JUST SAW!!!”

Burger Beard quickly released the anchor, knocking them off of the ship and they crashed into the others. Burger Beard laughed, but then he saw the book and made an attempt to grab it, heading up to the crow's nest.

But it turns out that SpongeBob and the rest of the group had hung onto the anchor in order to stay with him. “He's after the book!” SpongeBob cried out. “Sandy, use your squirrel powers!”

“Roger that!” Sandy cried, and began to climb up the anchor chain, but Misty knew it would take her a long time to make it to the crow's nest at the speed she was going. “Oh, she's never gonna make it! Multi-Crafter, you have something we can unicycle to speed things up?!”

“Sorry! I'm all out of supplies!”

SpongeBob knew he had to think of a plan-- and fast. When he saw a statue nearby, he instantly got an idea. “Everyone! LEAN!!”

The ponies help to guide their friends over to the statue, which the anchor got caught on and caused the ship to slowly stop, but that caused everyone to fly right off and all over the street.

And unfortunately, Burger Beard made ready to grab the boom, causing Misty to gasp. “The book! Harmonizer!”

“ON IT!!” Pipp cried before releasing her high note, causing a sonic wave to pop the bubble and the book falls below deck on the open grill. Pipp then fell to the ground, completely out of breath, leading her sister to help her stand. Misty and Sunny sighed in relief. That was way too close.

Burger Beard leapt down to check the book, and found the grill had caused the book to burst into flames, destroyed forever. Burger Beard screamed in anguish before SpongeBob and all the group approached. “All right, Burger Beard!” SpongeBob declared. “Prepare to be teamworked!”

But Burger Beard looked unfazed at the remark. “I'm going to scrub my armpits with you...”

“Uh...” SpongeBob blinked. “I don't get it.”

“Because you're a sponge?” Squidward asked, and SpongeBob shrugged. “Oh... get him, Masked Defender and the Rodent!”

“Consider him roasted!” Hitch slammed his hooves down on the ground, causing plants to surround the ship, trapping it while Sandy gathered nuts in her mouth as the crowd ran off in fear. Then, Sandy began to fire nuts at Burger Beard, who used his spatula to deflect them. “Aww, nuts! I'm all out of nuts!”

But luckily, Patrick had his own idea. “Justice is best... soft served.”

He then used his powers to yank ice cream from people on the street, and through the window of a nearby ice cream store. He then pointed his arm, directing the cones in the direction of Burger Beard. “Patrick,” said SpongeBob, “Sunny and I should have never doubted your powers!”

Laughing evilly, Burger Beard swung on a rope and the cones followed. He then pointed his finger, redirecting the cones straight back into Patrick, who got hit repeatedly and was struck to the ground. “I can't think of a sweeter way to go...” Patrick said before fainting, and Zipp and Hitch pulled him somewhere safer. “Ha!” Burger Beard taunted, holding up the formula bottle. “It's all mine!”

“Not so fast, Booger Beard!”

Mr. Krabs shot both his claws toward the mast of the ship, making it fall and caused Burger Beard to fall on deck, and the formula rolled right in front of the Krusty Krab owner. “Me formuler...”

But as he reached to get it, Burger Beard brought out a melted butter cannon and aimed it right at him. “This will make you feel a little butter.”

“Not melted butter!!” Mr. Krabs wailed, but the pirate fired the butter anyway, and Mr. Krabs screamed as he was knocked away. “Mr. Krabs!” SpongeBob cried. “We'll get him, SpongeBob!” Pipp promised as she and Izzy ran off to retrieve him.

That left Misty, Sunny and SpongeBob with the ultimate question... now what could they do?

SpongeBob saw the formula bottle on the ground, but when he reached down to get it, Burger Beard brought out a multitude of cannons. “Viola! Ha ha ha!”

“Uh oh...” SpongeBob smiled nervously and put it down, but that didn't stop the cannons from repeatedly firing.

BANG!

BANG!!

Misty and Sunny dove out of the way while SpongeBob repeatedly dodged the cannonballs... until one passed through his bubble wand.

That gave him another idea.

With each cannonball Burger Beard launched, SpongeBob put it in a bubble, scattering them all over the sky. Patrick licked off the ice cream and his eyes widened as one floated above his head. “They're beautiful...”

But as he popped one, it fell right on his face, causing SpongeBob to lose concentration. “Patrick!”

Burger Beard immediately saw his chance to strike SpongeBob down, and fired his cannon, striking SpongeBob head on. “Aha!!”

“SPONGEBOB!!!” Misty wailed in terror. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!”

Cannonballs fell out of their bubbles and onto the ground as SpongeBob lay weakened on the ground, and Burger Beard grabbed the formula back before going back to his ship.

Patrick, Sunny and Misty ran toward their fallen friend, and Patrick lifted SpongeBob’s head up. “SpongeBob!”

SpongeBob groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. “Misty? Sunny? Patrick?”

“Talk to us, buddy,” Sunny said as SpongeBob squinted against the sunlight. “We're right here.”

“I'm... I'm seeing a bright light.”

Misty then moved her head to prevent the sun's light from reaching SpongeBob’s eyes. “Is this better?”

“Much. Thank you,” SpongeBob smiled weakly before letting it fade. “But the discomfort I feel in my eyes is nothing compared to the shame I feel for letting down the Patty. For letting down Bikini Bottom.”

“Yeah, SpongeBob,” Patrick said bluntly. “You really blew it.”

“No, Patrick. We blew it, as a team.”

“Nope, this one's on you.”

Misty and Sunny shot Patrick a glare before their attention moved back to their fallen friend. “Hold on, SpongeBob,” Sunny said. “I'll use my healing light to get you out of this.”

Sunny let her hoof glow with a bright white light and letting it touch SpongeBob’s back, letting him glow before his discomforts began to heal. “It's working... it's working, Sunny!” Misty cheered. “Keep going!”

XXXXXXXXX

Back on his ship, Burger Beard was just getting ready to get his ship out of Hitch's vines, when a voice suddenly spoke to him. “Where do you think you're going?”

He then turned and saw Plankton peeking from hiding, and laughed at his small stature. “Why don't you get going, little fella, before you hurt yourself?”

Plankton did slide out of view, but then he began to lift the pirate ship, now a muscular giant!

SpongeBob and Sunny looked at him in total surprise. “Plankton?”

“It's Plank-TON!” he responded, and Misty and Sunny cheered-- Plankton was finally choosing the right side! Plankton shook the pirate ship in an attempt to taunt Burger Beard. “Come on down from there, little fella. You wouldn't wanna get hurt.”

Burger Beard quickly climbed below deck, and Plankton growled and he threw the ship into the air, caught it and spun it on his finger like a basketball and he pokes his head into a porthole of the ship. “Come out, come out, wherever you are! Huh?”

Burger Beard squirt hot sauce in Plankton's face, causing him to scream. “MY EYE!!!”

“Sunny!” Misty cried. “Light shield!”

Sunny stomped her hooves, resulting a shield of light forming around them as the ship dropped to the ground. And once the ship was back on the ground, Burger Beard made an attempt to run... something SpongeBob noticed. “He's getting away!”

Plankton then leapt over the ship and offered his hand to SpongeBob. “Ready for a Plank-TON of bubbles?”

SpongeBob immediately brightened-- now he was talking. Plankton picked him up by SpongeBob's legs, took a deep breath and blew into SpongeBob's bubble wand creating lots of bubbles coming after Burger Beard. When the bubbles finally cleared, Plankton had a firm handle on Burger Beard, preventing his escape. “The formula please.”

“Come on. Team up with me. We'll be rich and powerful! Huh?”

“No, thanks. I'm already part of a teamwork.”

Reluctantly, Burger Beard handed Plankton the formula before Plankton kicked Burger Beard to the farthest reaches of the ocean... right on Bikini Atoll.

Soon, the entire team reunited (except for the hippogriff sisters), and Patrick immediately spoke to SpongeBob. “Can we do hands in the middle again?”

“Yes, we can, Patrick. But this time there's one more hand to go in the middle.”

Everyone stacked their hands and hooves on each other, but then, Misty noticed one hand was missing from the pile. “Plankton?”

Plankton was eyeing the small bottle with the formula inside, humming to himself, and letting Mr. Krabs gasp. “Oh, no!”

But as he braced for the worst... Plankton gave the formula back! “Here you go, Krabs. She's all yours.”

Mr. Krabs studied the bottle closely for a moment. “This doesn't have another insulting note in it, does it?”

“No... that's the old me,” Plankton said. “The one who turned his back on everything important just to have that formula all to himself. But I realize now that keeping something to myself is... selfish.”

“Especially,” said SpongeBob, “when that something is the Krabby Patty.”

“This is what we tried to tell you all along, Plankton,” Misty said. “You would have had all that power to yourself, but when you have friends... you already have everything you need.”

“Aww...” the ponies smiled and hugged Misty tightly, SpongeBob and Patrick included. But suddenly, Misty's hooves and legs began to glow bright blue before she was lifted up into the air as a sphere of blue light danced around the unicorn. “Huh?” she questioned, as the others backed up out of shock. “What's happening?!”

The sphere danced around her for a moment more until it touched her right flank, transforming into a butterfly cutie mark, purple with pink and orange on the wings.

Everyone cheered and exclaimed in happiness as Misty was set down, admiring the mark on her flank. “At last! A cutie mark!”

“Declaring that friends were the most important thing in life gave you your cutie mark!” Sunny said as she and SpongeBob approached. “I... I guess it did!” Misty said joyously. “It... unlocked something in me! What if... that something was me... the real me?”

“That's it!” Sunny said. “Come on, everypony-- we still have one more thing to do; find Opaline and get our baby dragon back!”

The Super-Powered Battle (Part 2: Opaline)

Everyone was now on the same page-- after Misty had finally received her cutie mark, Sunny declared that they were going to find Sparky and save Equestria from Opaline's reign of terror.

But since SpongeBob and the gang had never seen Opaline before, they had no idea what to look for. “Okay, lassie,” Mr. Krabs said to Misty. “Ye know this Opaline better than any of the rest of us. Where do we find her?”

“Well... in Equestria, Opaline would be in a large castle, looming in the shadows of the mountains,” Misty recalled. “So she'd probably be in a similar structure. But... since we've never seen this town before...”

“...we'll never be able to find something like that, right?” Squidward deadpanned with a scoff. “That's just perfect.”

“I don't think Misty meant NEVER, Squidward,” Zipp frowned. “She just meant it would take longer for us to find something that Opaline would reside in.”

“Sunny! Friends!”

Everyone looked down to see Skygrace and Riverstream flying down to them. “Riverstream! Your majesty!” Sunny smiled. “Did you find any clues as to where Opaline is hiding out?”

“We think we have,” Skygrace said. “We spotted some sort of invisibubble over a sector of town, but when we got close, a wind blew us away, and we weren't able to find it again.”

“That invisibubble reminds me of the one Twilight Sparkle once put over Equestria before magic was lost,” Zipp pondered. “So... it makes me think...”

“You think Opaline copied that same spell to prevent anyone from getting close to where she's keepin' Sparky?” Sandy asked. “Maybe,” Sunny pointed out. “I think we should go and check it out, just to be sure.”

“Great!” Riverstream spread her wings. “Only... we don't know where exactly the invisibubble is exactly-- got blown away, remember?”

Misty then heard a chirping sound from nearby, and watched as a butterfly landed on her right front hoof. “Oh... hey there, little guy. What can I do for you today?”

The butterfly chirped enthusiastically, and Misty nodded. “I'm sure I can find you some flowers, but maybe a little later. Right now, we're in the middle of something. Have you seen a giant invisible bubble around here anywhere? Someplace where an evil fire alicorn would hide out and steal the dragon fire from a baby dragon?”

SpongeBob, Izzy and Patrick turned to see Misty talking to the butterfly as the butterfly chirped again. “You know where it is?” Misty asked, and the butterfly chirped again. “That's great! Just show us the way!”

The butterfly took off, and Misty immediately turned to the others. “Guys! My new butterfly friend knows where Opaline's new hideout is! We need to follow him!”

“Follow a butterfly?” Plankton said skeptically. “You think your new cutie mark is affecting your logic, kid?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but I think this might either be part of my magic, or one of my superpowers! We have to try something,” Misty said. “Let's go, before he moves too far off!”

XXXXXXXXX

As the butterfly was leading everyone to Opaline's hideout, the said fire alicorn looked out the window of a creepy abandoned house, turning to the bubble that held Sparky as his dragon fire was inserted into the dragon stone she had retrieved from her castle. “Finally, I will possess my full enhanced fire powers! I've been waiting for this moment for so long! Hundreds of moons! And finally... nopony will be able to stop me-- not even those pathetic, water bound fools!”

XXXXXXXXX

At the same time she was victoriously laughing, the group arrived at the house and the invisibubble surrounding it. “Ooooh...” Pipp shuddered. “I can feel Opaline's evilness really radiating off this place. So... what's the plan?”

Misty turned to the butterfly, and she nodded as it chirped. “I can work with Monty about ripping the bubble apart, but we can buy you just enough time to sneak in, grab Sparky and defeat Opaline in such a harsh battle she never bothers us or this world again!”

As she panted from explaining the plan in one breath, SpongeBob blinked. “You named him Monty?”

“Not really a good time to ask, SpongeBob!” Zipp said scoldingly. “Misty, get that bubble open!”

Misty nodded and charged, piecing her horn into the side of the bubble, and where she pierced her horn into it, a small hole began to form. “Hurry! Your majesty, River, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Plankton! Stay out here and help demolish the rest of this thing! The rest of you, go!”

The rest of them quickly got inside, and Sunny turned to her friends. “Come on, guys-- let's get this plan underway and get Opaline out of this world for good!”

XXXXXXXXX

Sparky's dragon fire had almost completely charged the dragon stone, and Opaline laughed victoriously as the dragon fire lit her horn, chest, anklets and wings.

This was it.

Her fire powers were finally at full strength!

Nothing could stop her now!

That is... until she heard horrible clarinet playing from downstairs, and she instantly cringed at the sound. “Now what?!” she screeched, and sighed ultimately. “I better go shut them up before I waste all my powers on them.”

What she didn’t know when she was going downstairs, Zipp was carrying Hitch in her hooves, and they had plucked a sharp branch to free Sparky from the bubble. Hitch gasped at the state Sparky was in. “Sparky!”

Zipp flew out of the window as she flew under Sparky to make sure he didn't fall. “Don’t worry, Sparky-- we're here to rescue you!”

Hitch stuck his head out as he used the stick to pop the bubble Sparky was in as Zipp caught him. “Gotcha!”

Zipp quickly delivered the weakened Sparky back to Hitch, who nuzzled him even with the mask on. “I'm never letting you go again...”

Sparky cooed weakly, but happily, and Squidward panted as he scaled the side of the building, finally reaching the window. “Why couldn't I have flown up with you two?!”

“Sorry, Squidward. We couldn't have had that happen, lest we wanted Opaline to figure out our plan,” Hitch said. “Come on-- we better help Sunny and the others with the rest of the plan.”

XXXXXXXXX

Opaline flew down to the center of the house, where she saw Misty, Izzy and Pipp loudly playing the clarinets Squidward had crafted for them, and when they noticed her, Misty smirked. “Hey, Opaline! Like our song of victory?! Pipp wrote it just for this screeching moment!”

“Where are the rest of--” Opaline began to ask when she realized this was a trick. She growled and went to stop the ponies from getting Sparky but she was blocked by none other than Sunny, SpongeBob and Patrick. “So...” SpongeBob huffed. “You're the evil alicorn.”

“Oh, is that what they're calling me?” Opaline sneered as her wings and horn flared with dragon fire. “Better make it evil FIRE alicorn-- OPALINE ARCANA!!”

Izzy gulped nervously. “Uh oh.”

“Oh dear...” Pipp said fearfully. “Sunny and her friends warned us about you meanie!” Patrick said. “You tried to steal their magic!”

“And now that I have the dragon's power, I'll do it again right now!” Opaline cackled before blasting at the group, prompting them to split up. But after they did, Opaline focused her sites on Sunny herself. “Oh, whoa!” Sunny called out as she ran around. “Ha ha! Missed!”

“Ah!” Opaline cried out as she fired another beam as she then fired at the wall where Sunny was running under, and a chunk of it fell on top of Sunny, trapping her. Izzy gasped in horror as SpongeBob and Patrick screeched to a halt. “SUNNY!!”

Misty, SpongeBob and Patrick gasped before Patrick and SpongeBob tried to lift the wall off of Sunny. “Look at me.” Opaline said with an evil smirk. “Do you really think you could stop a fire alicorn? Ahahaha...”

But before she could use her magic on Sunny, something hit her in the face, and it was revealed that Izzy was throwing bottles and books right at her. “Leave... Sunny... alone!”

Opaline shook the book off her face before Pipp threw a potion bottle at her. “Yes! Leave her alone!”

“You pests!” Opaline yelled out as she trapped Izzy and Pipp in a bubble, and flung it at SpongeBob and Patrick, also trapping them and sealing off their superpowers. “You weak little ponies can’t stop Opaline Arcana!”

Izzy, Pipp, SpongeBob and Patrick gasped from this as Sunny grunted to get the big chunk off as her alicorn magic lit up. Then, as Opaline fired at the imprisoned group, Sunny leapt before them, reflecting a golden shield and causing them to cheer, and Opaline to reel back. “Uh oh...”

“Maybe alone, we can’t!” Sunny called. “But together, we can do anything!”

She then engaged in an epic battle with Opaline, all while Misty watched on with shock. “Yes!” SpongeBob cheered. “You can do it, Sunny!”

“Way to glow, Sunny!” Pipp cried as Squidward, Zipp, Hitch and Sparky came down to witness the battle. “Yeah!” Zipp cheered. “We have your back!”

“Get her!” Squidward shouted, and Hitch used the stick to get the bubble popped and freed the others, just as the royal sisters, Mr. Krabs, Sandy and Plankton barged in to witness the battle.

As they encouraged Sunny with all their might, the ponies' cutie marks glowed as Opaline was still firing. Misty looked there with a small smile as she watched the battle. “You can do it, Sunny.”

Her new cutie mark began to glow as she fueled the battle scene, and the magic of the cutie marks fueled Sunny so her cutie mark glowed as well.

Opaline gasped from that as Sunny shot her magic at Opaline, knocking her down before putting a magic bubble around her as she landed, noticing Sparky before anything else. “Sparky! Aw, I’m so glad you’re okay!” she said in relief as she and Sparky touched heads as they nuzzled. That's when Skygrace stepped toward the evil alicorn. “You lose, Opaline... surrender now, or things won't end well.”

“NEVER!!!” Opaline screamed. “Mark my words... I'LL BE BACK!!!”

She lit her horn in flames from inside the bubble, and when the flames finally died down...

...Opaline was gone.

A Hippogriff Farewell/A Bikini Bottom Celebration

Everyone looked on at the place where Opaline once stood, not believing she escaped...

Again.

Sunny sighed, her ears pinning, but Misty was quick to put a hoof on her shoulder as a form of comfort. “She's gone from this world at least, Sunny,” she said. “We'll defeat her someday... but I guess today just wasn't the day.”

SpongeBob sighed. “I don't know how you guys tangle with her on a regular basis... that was something Plankton never did!”

“Hey, that's cold!” Plankton huffed. “...but true.”

“But now we can go back to Bikini Bottom!” Izzy cheered. “Wanna come with us, your royalnesses?”

“I wish we could,” Skygrace smiled sadly, “but Riverstream and I made a decision on our flight... by doing a little traveling.”

“We're gonna see if we can find more hippogriffs from our old colony and see if we can rebuild in this world. But... we will come back and see Bikini Bottom again,” Riverstream stated. “Maybe sooner than you guys think.”

“Well, thank you for all your help. Both of you,” Plankton said politely. And with that being said, the sisters waved everyone goodbye before flying through the clouds until they were out of sight. That's when SpongeBob turned back to the group. “Okay, everybody, let's get back to Bikini Bottom and--”

But when he reached for the enchanted page, he saw he didn't have it and gasped. “Oh, no! I don't have the page!”

“Oh, no!” Hitch cried as Mr. Krabs gasped. “It must be back on Pelican Island!” SpongeBob realized, but Plankton smiled and brought the page out of his pocket. “Don't worry. I thought of everything,” he said, giving SpongeBob the page. “All right, SpongeBob-- take us home.”

“Thanks!” SpongeBob smiled and turned, only to be met with Squidward flexing his muscles in front of the mirror. “Squidward!” he scolded. “Come on, it's time to go back and open up the Krusty Krab!”

“Are you out of your patty-flipping mind?” Squidward grabbed SpongeBob by the collar. “I'll never leave this place! I mean, look at me. I'm a god!”

“No, Squidward. You're a cashier.”

SpongeBob wrote that everyone would be teleported back to the Krusty Krab, and the page's magix went to work, teleporting them all from the creepy old house back to home.

XXXXXXXXX

Once Squidward realized they were all back in Bikini Bottom, no longer superheroes, he sighed with a sad frown. “Well, it was fun while it lasted...”

“Don't be sad, Squidward,” SpongeBob said with a smile. “I left you a little surprise... under your shirt!”

Squidward lifted his shirt and beamed at what was underneath. “Rock hard abs!” he said in delight, and playfully punched SpongeBob on the shoulder. “Aw, SpongeBob, you're okay in my book.”

“Aww shucks.”

“Excuse us!” said a fish, one of the townsfolk as the entire town gathered there. “We'd like 3000 Krabby Patties please!”

Mr. Krabs lit up and Squidward ultimately sighed. “That sound must mean things are back to normal.”

“Yeah it is. And I know just the way to celebrate!” Pipp said. “While SpongeBob is frying, I'm gonna rock us into tomorrow!”

XXXXXXXXX

After SpongeBob had made all those Krabby Patties, everyone turned to see SpongeBob and Pipp getting onstage. “And now, a special performance of a special collaboration!” Pipp cried. “Ladies and gentlefish, I give you me and the Dreamlands!”

The screen behind them showed the Dreamlands in their signature attire, and everyone screamed and cheered as a song began to play over the loud speakers.

Dreamlands: Ohhhhhh, hey!

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, oh
Put your hooves up, put your hooves up
Hey! Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh
Put your hooves up, put your hooves up

Pipp: Generations comin' together
Celebrations, dancing, and laughter (SpongeBob laughs)
This is a call to you from all walks of life
Lift up your hooves now under the starlight

There's magic rainbows for hundreds of miles

Dreamlands: Me and my ponies
Never go out of style

Pipp and Dreamlands: We don't hang our heads
When things get too hard
We put our hooves together
'Cause we're forever friends
Making our mark
And putting hooves together

The rest of the crowd happily danced, and the Dreamlands began to perform their solo parts on the big screen.

Minty: All new places, the lengths that we've gone to
Newfound faces, the friendships that grew

Blue Belle: This is a call to you from all walks of life

Snuzzle: Lift up your hooves now, under the starlight

Pipp: There's magic rainbows for hundreds of miles

Dreamlands: Me and my ponies
Never go out of style

Pipp, SpongeBob and the Dreamlands: We don't hang our heads
When things get too hard
We put our hooves together
'Cause we're forever friends
Making our mark
And putting hooves together

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
We put our hooves together

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Put our hooves together

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Minty: If it ever feels like there's something out to get ya

Snuzzle: Or if it ever feels like you're wasting time

Blue Belle: Yeah, we come galloping from across Equestria

Pipp: You just reach out and touch your hooves to miiiiiiiiiine!

As Pipp and SpongeBob held hands and hooves, fireworks lit up the sky, prompting the others to get on stage and sing and dance along.

All: We don't hang our heads
When things get too hard
We put our hooves together
'Cause we're forever friends
Making our mark
And putting hooves together

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Put our hooves together

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh

Misty: We put our hooves together!

Everyone cheered wildly as the song came to a close. It may not have been the adventure the ponies were expecting...

...but it was definitely worth the time and effort spent with some brand new friends for life.

Journey through Time and Space (Part 1)

Sunny and her friends couldn't remember much of anything after the time machine flashed a bright white light in their faces-- all they did remember was a sick feeling in their guts, feeling dizzy and being blinded with lights of many different shades and colors.

Finally, the ride was over, and SpongeBob and Plankton quickly led the ponies out into a blowing sandstorm, shielding their eyes with their arms and hooves. “Agh!! Oh...” Pipp whined as she got dust in her mane. “If only sand wasn't so sandy-- then it wouldn't get in my mane so easily!”

“Save your 'redesigning sand' comments for later, Pipp!” Misty said with a frown. “We don't know how far back or forward we went, so we have to start from scratch!”

“According to my calculations,” Plankton said over the howling winds, stopping at a certain point, “the Krusty Krab should be right here!”

SpongeBob could have sworn he saw something sticking out from one of the sand dunes, and covered his eyes as he pointed over to it. “What's that? Over there?”

The object turned around and it was revealed to be Patrick! But Patrick was much, much older, with a long beard of light gray. “SpongeBob...?!”

“Patrick?!”

“Is it really you and those seahorses?”

“Yes, Patrick,” Zipp nodded, despite being called seahorses again, “it's--”

“Finally!” Patrick cried out. “The Great Krabby Patty Famine is over!”

“Great Krabby Patty Famine?!” Pipp cried, startled, looking around in panic. “Wha-- what year is this?!”

“It's Thursday,” Patrick dumbly responded, and Plankton inserted some information into the device he was holding. “According to my calculations, we've only gone four days into the future.”

“Where is everypony?” Misty asked, seeing no one else around. “They all gave up on you. But not me! Cause I'm not very smart,” Patrick said, knocking against his head. SpongeBob strangely knew that, but there was one other thing he failed to notice. “Where is the Krusty Krab?!”

“Right where it's always been!”

A gust of wind blew away sand from underneath Patrick, revealing that he was sitting on the Krusty Krab's old sign. SpongeBob felt his entire world crumble as he gasped, and they ran back toward the time machine and climbed in, allowing the ponies the chance to comfort SpongeBob. “Covered... in... sand,” SpongeBob panted shakingly. “Gone... forever! Oh, Sunny! We have to save it!!”

“We will. We just need to keep trying,” Sunny promised, purring her hoof on SpongeBob’s hand in comfort. “But, if trying results in us going back to ancient Equestria and seeing the Guardians of Harmony in real life, I wouldn't mind it!”

“Eh, sorry, Sunny. I'm not sure how much power this time machine has,” Plankton frowned, causing Sunny to slightly pout. “It can take us back and forth, but we can't go to alternate dimensions AND back in time all at once.”

Sunny was a little disappointed, but remembered their mission all the same. “Hey-- it was worth a shot. Let's get back on the time circuit.”

Zipp activated the machine, and pretty soon, after a little while of time traveling, it finally stopped, and Izzy and Hitch pushed open the curtain. Turns out... they were in a lush jungle, causing them to look around. “Where are we...?” Hitch wondered as they looked around, just as SpongeBob spotted Patrick nearby. “Oh, there's Patrick! Hey, Patrick!”

But as they got a closer look, the 'Patrick' they thought they saw had a huge dinosaur body and a freakishly long neck. “It's a Patrick-a-saurus!!” Izzy screamed. “Maybe we went a little too far back!!”

“Gee, you think so?!” Plankton cried as they fled right back to the time machine... only to be stopped by a giant dinosaur with a Squidward like head! “AHHHHHHH!!!!” the ponies and SpongeBob screamed, running through its legs. “SQUID-A-SAURUS REX!!!!”

As soon as they made it past the dinosaur in question, they leapt into the time machine, panting tiredly before Plankton turned to look at SpongeBob. “Quick, you got a quarter?!”

“Yep. Just cashed my paycheck.”

But as they were ready to insert the quarter in, the squid-a-saurus rex grabbed it in his teeth, but was left completely charred as the time machine went right out of existence.

The ponies panted tiredly as they traveled through time, thankful they were able to escape the dinosaur's terrible jaws. “That was way too close,” Zipp panted. “The sooner we get to the right time and right place, the better we'll-- be?”

At that moment, the pegasus princess looked down to see their back hooves and tails had returned, just as the time machine slowed its ride down to a stop. When they were sure the ride ended, they looked out and saw...

...nothing. Everywhere they looked, they saw gray nothingness.

Sunny stepped a hoof out of the time machine, turning on the lights and the group found themselves in a great hall. At the end of the corridor, they could see a mysterious hooded figure standing with his back to them, watching the void of space between Saturn and Jupiter. “I think we may be lost in time, everyone,” SpongeBob said as they got closer. “Maybe we should ask this guy for directions.”

Misty whimpered... this guy reminded her of Opaline in more ways than she could count, and she immediately disliked that feeling. But nevertheless, she trotted alongside her friends until they reached the giant figure. “Excuse us, sir,” Sunny said politely. “Could you tell us when we are?”

That's when the figure spoke to them in a loud, booming voice. “Who dares disturb The One Who Watches?”

“The one who watches?” Misty squeaked. “Your name is The One Who Watches...?”

“No. My true name... is... Bubbles.”

When the figure turned to face them, the group was stunned to discover that Bubbles was a dolphin! “Bubbles?” Plankton tried his best not to laugh while Sunny tried her best not to start squealing. “What-- what kind of a name is Bubbles?”

“It is my ancient dolphin name,” Bubbles answered, but Hitch was still confused. “So, what's a dolphin doing out here in the middle of space?”

“My kind have been watching and protecting the galaxy for...” Bubbles tried to explain, but the clicking dolphins do cut him off. “...10,000 years!”

“Oh, so you're the one keeping the meteors from hitting us,” SpongeBob said with a smile. “But wait-- I thought it was the atmosphere that kept us safe from meteors,” Zipp voiced an opinion. “Ugh... everybody else thinks the same, but it is really me,” Bubbles rolled his eyes. “And I could really do with a potty break. Would you mind keeping an eye on things?”

“Sure thing,” SpongeBob said uneasily, “but, uh... what are we keeping our eyes on?”

But Bubbles had already left, closing the bathroom door behind him as music began to play. When Misty and Plankton noticed SpongeBob and the other ponies looking into the vast galaxy, they decided to approach, the blue unicorn being the first to speak. “What are you doing?”

“We're watching,” Izzy responded. “But we don't even know what we're watching for,” Zipp pointed out. SpongeBob then thought for a minute as two planets began to orbit into view. “Maybe we should split up the work load. Plankton, you, Pipp, Izzy and Hitch watch the one with the big red eye, and the other girls and I will watch the one with the ringy thingies. Like a team!”

“Eh, sounds easy enough,” Zipp shrugged, and the group stared out at the planets coming closer and closer together. “Okay, mine's moving,” Plankton noticed, and SpongeBob nodded. “Mine too.”

But the planets seemed to continue getting closer together, and this seemed to trigger some sort of danger sense within Pipp, eyes darting back and forth rapidly. “No, this doesn't seem right! Should we call Bubbles?”

“Let's give him a minute,” SpongeBob answered. “He's been holding it for 10,000 years.”

But as they debated, the two planets suddenly collided, resulting in a huge explosion. Everyone hunkered down to protect themselves from the blast, but when their eyes opened, planet debris was scattered, causing Izzy to gasp loudly. “I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen!”

“Come on, Plankton! We gotta clean this up before Bubbles gets back!” SpongeBob shouted and tried to sweep the debris under the floor, but then, Bubbles emerged from the bathroom, toilet paper still stuck to his fin. “Much better, yes. You eight are free to go.”

After Hitch kicked SpongeBob’s broom away, Bubbles' eyes widened as he saw the two collided planets completely destroyed. “What happened to Saturn and to Jupiter?!” he cried, watching as Saturn's rings fell off. “You were SUPPOSED to keep--”

He began to click repeatedly in anger, but then, his voice returned as he continued his rant. “--keep them from smashing into each other!”

“We are SO sorry!” Zipp said apologetically. “Now I am going to lose my job! And you... will lose your lives.”

His blowhole then shot a laser out at them, causing them to leap out of harms way with a scream. “Misty, get them to the time machine!” Sunny cried. “We'll use our unity magic to hold him off!”

“Hurry, guys!” Misty urged as SpongeBob and Plankton followed her at top speed. “But what about them?!” Plankton cried out as they reached the time machine. “That space porpoise will kill them!”

“Not if they charge their powers enough! Look!”

When Plankton and SpongeBob looked in the ponies' direction, they gasped as they saw Sunny in her alicorn form, lifting up as her friends' Mavic surrounded her, charging her own cutie mark and sending a blast at Bubbles.

Bubbles was wrapped in a ribbon of magic caused by Sunny, and once they made sure it was tight enough, Sunny landed at the ground. “Bubbles, I get you're upset, but it was a complete accident,” she said. “You can't just kill us after one tiny mistake! So... maybe we did accidentally cause this. Nopony is perfect, and you need to realize that.”

Bubbles was silent for a few minutes before he chuckled softly. “Your power is great, Sunny Starscout... but you use yours for good instead of the wicked things in life... unlike the fire alicorn that stole your dragon.”

That seemed to catch everypony offguard, and Hitch looked extremely frightened by what he said. “Opaline... took... Sparky...?”

“Guys! Hurry!” Misty cried. “Go, all of you,” Bubbles instructed. “You must go and complete your journey before it is too late.”

So, reluctantly, the ponies galloped to the time machine just before it disappeared to their next moment in time, and SpongeBob, Misty and Plankton noticed their distressed looks. “What?” Plankton asked them. “Killer dolphin got your tongue?”

Sunny finally found her voice after a moment. “Opaline has Sparky... and she's going to take all his dragon fire!”

SpongeBob and Misty gasped in horror while Plankton was trying to think of a solution to their problem. “Then while we get the formula, you get the dragon before Opaline takes his dragon fire-- you know... te-amwork?”

Sunny smiled at this. “I knew you'd see the light eventually, Plankton. Come on... let's get to the right moment in the past before history is completely rewritten.”