G5 Adventures in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Chapters

Harvest and Hugs Day in Zephyr Heights
Bringing Bikini Bottom Back to the Ocean/Another Cause for Celebration
Return to Bikini Bottom
Sandy and Volcano's Song/Bikini Bottom Gets Taken and a Rescue Begins
Shooting Up to the Surface and Volcano's Heartbreaking Tale
Blown Off Course/Inside B.O.O.T.S Laboratory
Facing the Snakes and Meeting Sandy's Family
Operation: Sea Pals/We Only Have Tomorrow
Morning and Breakfast with the Cheeks Family/Phases 1 and 2
Learning of Allura's Involvement and Escaping from the Fuzz
Finally Reaching B.O.O.T.S Lab/Heroes Captured and Sue's Motives Revealed
SpongeBob Gets Cloned and the Final Battle
An Underwater Circus Celebration/Returning Home at Last

Harvest and Hugs Day in Zephyr Heights

It was a few weeks after the Mane 6 and the Pippsqueaks returned from their Halloween/Nightmare Night adventure in Fernfield, where they had to help the Buddies and their kids, as well as some new friends, defeat the evil Warwick and the Howlloween Hound before they opened the portal to the netherworld and released the evil spirits from within it onto Fernfield.

Of course, they succeeded, and it left the Pippsqueaks with a newfound sense of confidence that they lacked before.

But since it was about 4 weeks since they had got back, the Mane 6 had another holiday to prepare for… Harvest and Hugs Day in Zephyr Heights, one of the biggest holidays of the year.

Sort of like the Equestrian version of Thanksgiving.

All of the Mane 6’s families got invited to a huge feast in Zephyr Heights, and they couldn’t be late for it.

However… the Mane 6 were unaware that this feast was going to lead to one of the biggest Unity Quests yet..

But, we’ll get to that later. Right now, we have to get back to the story.

XXXXXXXX

In the Zephyr Heights royal castle, the Mane 6 and their families were all mingling with each other before the feast began.

The feast itself was going to consist of all different Equestrian treats, such as carrot cake (Queen Haven's favorite, as some of you may remember), mashed potatos, stew, roasted carrots, pudding... all of the Harvest and Hugs Day classics.

Zipp and Pipp were obviously attending the festivities with their mom, Queen Haven. Misty was attending with her dad, Alphabittle, and her mother, Paradise Moonray, who were both chatting with the queen. And Hitch, Sparky, and Grandma Figgy were all enjoying the festivities together.

But... the only ones without family at the feast were Sunny and Izzy.

Izzy seemed to be taking it just fine, but Sunny... she really missed her parents being there. She had lost her father a few years ago, and she hadn't seen her mother since she was a tiny filly.

She didn't want to admit it in front of anyone, but... Harvest and Hugs Day felt almost... empty without them.

Sunny was sadly sitting on her own when Hitch walked up to her, feeling concerned about the wellbeing of his foalhood friend. “Sunny... is everything okay?” he asked. “You haven't been your usual sunny self the past few days... especially since we got here.”

“Well,” Sunny began uneasily, despite knowing that she could tell Hitch anything, “I guess I just... really miss my family. My mom disappeared when I was still really young, and now with my dad gone…it’s just hard to deal with, especially on Harvest and Hugs Day.”

“...yeah, I understand,” Hitch said understandingly as he sat down next to her. “I haven't seen my parents since I was a colt, and... well... Grandma Figgy is the only family I've ever known. And before Misty was reunited with Paradise and Alphabittle... even I hate to say it... Opaline was the only family she ever knew too. We all have our family flaws.”

Misty then walked over to join them, having overheard some of their conversation. “I also know how you feel Sunny-- before I was reunited with my parents and still living with Opaline, I felt like there was no love in Equestria for me,” she admitted. “But when I met you guys, for possibly the first time in my life I felt like I had ponies who loved me. And just remember that your friends are there for you in that same way.”

She then gave Sunny a hug, which made the earth pony smile a bit. “Thanks, guys. I guess that really does help,” Sunny said.

Izzy hummed a tune as she trotted over. “Oh, hey, ponies! Is everything okay over here?”

“I guess I was just... missing my parents a little,” Sunny said before wondering something. “Izzy... whatever happened to your parents? I don't really think you've ever mentioned them before.”

Suddenly, Izzy’s smile turned into a sad frown. “Nopony’s ever asked me about my family before.”

“It’s okay, Izzy!” Sunny replied comfortingly, putting a hoof on Izzy's shoulder. “We’re your friends, and you can tell us anything.”

“But, only if you want to,” Misty added, not wanting to make Izzy feel pressured to talk about it. Izzy sighed and looked at her friends before sitting down. “Well... I had a mom and a dad when I was a little filly. Even though we had no magic in Bridlewood... we were happy just being with each other. But then... one day... my mom got sick. I did everything I could to make her better, but... she got worse and worse until she passed away. My dad... he was pretty sad after that. Nothing made him happy anymore. One day... he left me at Elder Flower's house and told me I would be staying with her for a little while and for me to be good. I... I never saw him after that.”

After hearing this story, Sunny, Misty, and Hitch felt sorry for their unicorn friend. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Izzy,” Sunny said, nuzzling her as a sign of comfort. “Yeah... I had no idea that you went through all that,” Hitch frowned. “But... you seem so positive and upbeat,” Misty pointed out before deciding to ask Izzy something. “How do you handle the memories of all that and still be so... happy all at once?”

“It can be hard sometimes.” Izzy responded with a slight shrug. “But when I met all of you, I felt like I had a new little family, and that made me feel really good!”

“Aww, Izzy... we feel the same way about you!” Sunny said as she hugged the lavender unicorn. “Group hug!” Izzy yelled as Misty and Hitch joined the embrace. And then, not even a second later, she spotted Zipp and Pipp standing off to the side, glancing at the embrace before Izzy decided to make the group hug that much better. “Hey, Pipp! Zipp! You girls gotta get in on this!”

“Oh, group hug selfies?! Absolutely!” Pipp excitedly flew over, and Zipp flew over to join in the hug as well... even though she was a bit less than thrilled about the selfie part of the deal. The hug lasted for a few more moments before Alphabittle cleared his throat from not too far away. “Kids? Uh... I don't wanna ruin the moment here, but it's almost time for the feast to start.”

“It is? Yay!” Izzy said excitedly, jumping out of the hug. “Come on, ponies! Let’s get ready to FEAST!”

“Yeah, we should probably get to our seats either way,” Zipp told her sister before they flew to sit right near their mother. “Izzy, you and Sunny are more than welcome to sit with me, Alphabittle and Misty, if you'd like,” Paradise smiled kindly. “Aw, thanks, Paradise!” Sunny said to Misty's mother with a smile. “You don’t know how much Izzy and I appreciate that.”

The group moved to the table with Queen Haven sitting at the head, ready to give the opening speech to her daughters, her friends and their loved ones. “Welcome, everypony, to our Harvest and Hugs Day feast!” The queen began. “We are so happy to have all of you here to celebrate this special holiday in the halls of the Zephyr Heights palace!”

Everyone else applauded and cheered at this claim, and Queen Haven continued her speech with a smile. “A lot has happened within the last few years. Magic returning, pony kinds reunited in friendship, love forming thanks to those friendships... even the homecoming of Paradise Moonray, as well as our children becoming not only becoming heroes of Equestria, but heroes of other worlds as well. This is a time to celebrate our accomplishments and be together for a special dinner, so please... everypony, dig in. There's plenty to go around.”

And so, the Mane 6 and their loved ones began to enjoy the feast. The food they had sampled so far was absolutely amazing, and they were telling their loved ones all about what quests they had gone on recently, hearing their amazed reactions of their newfound friendships and their battles.

But during one of the stories, Grandma Figgy noticed her grandson's cutie mark glowing, as well as his friends' cutie marks as well. “Hitchie, kids! Your cutie marks are glowing again!”

“That means we’re being summoned,” Zipp sighed as their cutie mark magic opened a portal not too far away. “We’ll be back in a little while, though-- maybe a few minutes at most.”

“Granny, can you look out for Sparky while we’re gone?” Hitch asked. “After the most previous mission we went on, I don’t wanna take any chances.”

“You can count on me, Hitchie!” Grandma Figgy said as she picked up Sparky, and Hitch gave his dragon son a little nuzzle before stepping away. “We'll be back as soon as we can, we promise!” Pipp said as she hugged Queen Haven. “Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!” Misty bid her parents farewell before she and the Mane 6 jumped into the portal to start their next adventure off right.

Bringing Bikini Bottom Back to the Ocean/Another Cause for Celebration

Sue Nahmee and Allura had finally been defeated... but not in the ways that the Mane 6 and their friends expected.

Sue was actually now connected to her pet fish, which made her a fish (don't ask me how or why this was possible), and Allura, after Volcano boldly stood up to her about the meaning of family just... gave up one of the star shards.

Volcano was surprised this actually worked on her, and was even more surprised when she actually sounded... kind to him.

But that was currently in the back of everyone's minds at the moment.

Right now, they were just grateful that Bikini Bottom was safe once more.

XXXXXXXX

Among the tiny, cheering SpongeBobs scattered all over the lab were an overjoyed Mr. Krabs and India, who jumped around in celebration, cheering for the defeat of Sue Nahmee and Allura all in one.

But Mr. Krabs accidentally bumped into two of the SpongeBobs behind him, but instead of hurting them like India thought would happen, the two SpongeBobs combined to make a bigger SpongeBob!

This caused India to hum in thought. “I wonder…”

She smushed the SpongeBobs together again, resulting in a bigger SpongeBob being created in her hoof. “Shiver me timbers!” Mr. Krabs exclaimed as the small SpongeBob laughed. “If you squish em together, the little SpongeBobs reconstitute!”

“Well, come on!” Arctic said with a grin. “Let’s smush em!”

And with that, she, Patrick and Riverstream leapt to the floor to begin with the SpongeBob smushing. “Yeah!” Mr. Krabs said as he looked up at Squidward expectantly. “You too, Mr. Squidward!”

However, Squidward seemed unfazed by such proclamations. “Why should this world be different from any other?”

And so, the smashing of SpongeBob’s began by stomping on them, smacking them into each other, chewing them up (you can guess Patrick did that)... all to bring back their original yellow sponge pal.

However, while they were doing this, the podium holding the sphere with Bikini Bottom inside collapsed, causing the sphere to roll right into the wall, and then… the sphere began to crack and leak the water out of it! “The water’s leaking out!” Mrs. Puff shrieked. “We're all going to suffocate!”

That led a lot more Bikini Bottomites to start panicking, wondering what they could do to stop this horrific event from happening.

XXXXXXXX

“Okay, guys, these are the last ones!” Hitch said as he let one of the few remaining SpongeBobs go. “Make it count!”

Arctic let the SpongeBob she was holding go, and the two remaining SpongeBobs ran toward each other before colliding, forming the one and only SpongeBob Squarepants at last. “I’m back!” SpongeBob raised his spatula into the air. “Order up!”

“SpongeBob, you’re okay!” Tropic hugged her caretaker tightly. “I was so worried about you!”

“Hey, I’m okay now,” SpongeBob said gently, stroking the filly's mane. “And you don’t have to worry about losing me again, promise.”

“Yay!” Patrick cheered, just before Volcano and Sandy raced over to the group, worried about the sphere leaking water and putting their friends’ lives in greater jeopardy. “We gotta get Bikini Bottom back to the ocean,” Volcano said urgently, “pronto!”

“Don’t look at me,” Squidward spoke up, looking down at his knees. “I've got four bad knees.”

“I don’t think Sandy was referring to you, Squidward,” Sunny said with a smile. “I think we know something else that might do the trick.”

The other ponies, SpongeBob, Sandy, Volcano and Tropic immediately caught onto what she was saying. “The Rolling Thunderball!”

“But,” Volcano said, “we’re gonna need help! Show ‘em what you got, Sandy!”

Sandy twisted her hand into the correct shape for the whistle, and the ponies went ahead and covered their ears. But when Sandy tried to whistle… it didn’t exactly come out as she hoped.

In fact, it didn’t sound much like a whistle at all!

When Sandy realized what had happened, she immediately noticed one of her teeth was missing, and realized why she couldn’t whistle. “Oh no! I lost a tooth in the fight!”

“But if you can’t whistle,” Misty looked worried, “how are we gonna call your family?”

“The situation has to be close,” Zipp said as she began to think. “I can feel it in my wings.”

As the ponies tried to comfort Sandy and try to think of a plan all at once, that's when SpongeBob suddenly realized something.

Randy had showed him how to do the Cheeks Family whistle before… so if anyone could do it, it was him!

It may be their last shot.

Twisting his hand into the right shape and putting it to his mouth, SpongeBob eventually blew as hard as he could, creating a deafening whistle that caused the ponies to yelp and cover their ears alongside their friends.

The sound seemed to stretch far and wide across Texas, and after a moment, SpongeBob stopped whistling to listen…

…and Tropic broke the silence while looking around. “Do you think it worked?”

“Well… I think it did, but not in the way we wanted!” Hitch pointed to the dome-like roof above them. “Look!”

Approaching them outside was a huge Texas twister, which shattered the dome roof and left them completely open to the dangers the twister would bring. Everyone stared in shock, thinking all their efforts were for nothing…

…when all of a sudden, Sandy’s family started cheering before they began parachuting down to them, much to the Mane 6 and their friends’ relief. “Incoming!!” Granny shouted at the top of her lungs. “Somebody call for a rescue? Thanks for the lift, twister!” Pa said before unbuckling his harness. “It’s Cheeks time!”

One by one, the other Cheeks family members unbuckled their harness and dropped down onto the floor, and needless to say, Sandy was overjoyed to see them. “Ma! Pa!”

Sandy and Volcano ran right over to the family and enveloped them in a tight group hug. “Granny!” Volcano smiled before his eyes fell on Randy. “Randy? You’re not in jail?”

“Well,” Randy shrugged, “unless you call society and all its rules a jail.”

But after a moment, Randy joined the group hug as well. “Uh… Sandy?” SpongeBob tried to get her attention before he and Tropic were suddenly pulled into the hug. “This feels very warm and fuzzy,” Tropic said, enjoying the hug momentarily, “but…”

Suddenly, Sandy gasped, momentarily forgetting their true mission. “The sphere!”

“We gotta get our friends back to the ocean before the water leaks out!” Volcano told the Cheeks family urgently. “Enough said,” Pa told the young colt. “Cheeks! Assemble!”

“Um…” Riverstream eventually blinked from where she and her friends were watching. “What’s happening right now?”

“Just wait,” Pipp advised the young hippogriff. “You’ll wanna see this for yourself.”

Sandy and the rest of her family, as well as Volcano, who had been allowed to participate this time, linked their tails together before rolling up a makeshift ramp made from some debris from the battle, and getting right on top of the giant sphere and running on it, trying to make it move.

Unfortunately… the mass of the sphere was much too great for the family and Volcano to take on, and Randy knew it, since he and his family were gasping for their breath. “It’s too heavy, Pa!”

“We can’t roll it by ourselves!” Volcano panted tiredly, and Pa Cheeks looked over at his eldest daughter, who looked heartbroken. “I'm sorry, nut muffin. It seems like one family just isn't enough.”

But suddenly, hearing this and looking down at the Mane 6 and her friends down below gave Sandy an idea. “Wait!” she cried out. “How about three families?”

“Hold on,” India blinked. “Three families?”

“How would that even work?” Arctic asked in confusion. And luckily for her, Sandy was already beginning to draw up the plan. “The twister left a charged electric field, and if I can use that to generate voltage… G into V, carry the one…”

Suddenly, Sandy gasped, the situation to their problem becoming very clear. “Hot dog! Volcano, you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

“You know it!” Volcano hoof-bumped her before looking down at his friends. “Guys! Try and find us some wires!”

The others down below began to look for wires on the floor, when suddenly, Patrick remembered something and grabbed some wires from within his trunks, freaking the others out a little bit. “I found these in my pants!”

“Ugh…” India groaned out of disgust. “Well, if they work, they’ll have to do!”

“Heave ho!” Mr. Krabs tossed the wires up to Sandy, who caught them rather swiftly.

“Okay, y’all! If this is gonna work like it’s supposed to,” Sandy told the others, “we’re gonna need some good old fashioned teamwork and some good old fashioned unity magic!”

“Well, we’re the ponies that can handle the magic!” Izzy smiled. “And if we all pitch in…”

“We might be able to pull this off!” SpongeBob agreed. “Phoebe? Kyle?” Volcano looked to the two humans. “We’ll need your help too!”

Kyle and Phoebe nodded at this, happy to be on the right side now, and Sunny decided that it was now or never to put Sandy’s plan into motion. “All right, ponies! Follow Sandy’s lead and let’s do this!”

And so, with Sandy leading them, our heroes and their newfound friends began to piece together a device that was made out of the old hamster cage and whatever else they could find that could also use Sparky’s hindquarters as sort of a rocket booster, all while singing an upbeat tune.

Mane 6: Just a little touch-up
Just a little paint
And we'll be done in no time

SpongeBob: Wow, this is looking great!

Sunny and Pipp: Cause they say there is magic
In every pony (every pony)

Tropic and Arctic: And when I need a hoof
I've got you there beside me

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

Pipp and India: (I get to work with you...!)

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

And finally, with all of their teamwork, unity and cutie mark magic, the device (which looked like a larger version of the hamster wheel Sandy and Volcano used earlier) was ready, with the Cheeks family and Volcano on top of the wheel, the other ponies, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs and Squidward inside the wheel and Sparky's hindquarters at the very bottom of the sphere itself.

Once everything was as it should be, Sandy went ahead and explained the plan one more time. “With my family on top of the wheel, and my other families on the bottom, we're gonna super conduct this baby!”

“Sandy, I’m not exactly sure about what you just said,” Riverstream frowned, “but if it gets us back to Bikini Bottom in one piece, we’re with you all the way!”

“Yeah we are!” Izzy high-hoofed her. “Bikini Bottom, here we come!”

“Now?” SpongeBob asked for the signal. “Okay,” Volcano nodded. “Now!”

And so, everyone on top of the wheel and inside of the wheel began to charge forward at rapid speed. “You're all about to find out why I named Sparky… well, Sparky! Hang onto your bloomers!” Sandy said as she closed the sphere up and began running alongside her family. “Run as fast as you can!”

“YEE-HAW!!” Randy cheered. “Faster than greased lightning!”

Even Tropic was finding the moment rather thrilling, never having the ability to run at speeds like this before. “Yahoo!!”

“Faster than a sneeze through a screen door!” SpongeBob agreed in a cowboy-like accent.

Sandy could see the electricity from the electric field and their running beginning to charge up, but she needed to wait for the best moment. “Almost there… almost there…” she muttered continuously, with the younger ponies and Riverstream beginning to get tired from all the running.

That’s when Sandy pushed the button on her remote to activate her device. “NOW!!!”

The electricity floating from their running and wheel turning channelled all the way through the wires, down to Sparky's hindquarters at the bottom of the sphere, causing them to charge with electrical energy that charged Sparky's rocket-boosters within his hooves.

And before the eyes of Phoebe, Kyle and Cuda, the sphere rocketed off into the sky, on their way back to Bikini Bottom as we speak. “GOODBYE!!” Phoebe shouted as they waved. “Happy vapor trails,” Kyle bid farewell while Cuda barked his own farewell.

XXXXXXXX

Our heroes couldn't believe it-- Sandy's device actually worked!

They were soaring through the sky and would be back to Bikini Bottom before anyone knew it!

But as they were cheering happily, they had no idea that they were flying very high up into space… that is, until Sunny yelped in alarm upon noticing. “Slow down, everypony!” she shouted to her friends, new and old. “We’ve gone WAY too high!”

Tropic, Arctic and all their friends gasped in horror at this. “What are we gonna do now, Sandy?!” Tropic asked in worry. “No need to worry your heads!” Sandy said. “If we float a little further out, we’ll be in the right spot to lower ourselves down to Earth!”

“Us flyers can take care of that!” India said as she spread her wings. “Pipp, Zipp, Riverstream, you’re with me!”

The pegasus sisters and Riverstream followed India to the sphere’s edge and pushed it with all their might, their wings flapping furiously, and sending the sphere in the right direction, past the moon and over the ocean.

And after a moment, Sandy internally deduced that this was the exact spot they needed to start their descent. “We're directly above where we need to be! Jump up and down, y'all!”

All together, the group jumped up into the air before coming back down again, sending the sphere plummeting toward the Earth at such a high speed, flames were beginning to appear on the glass. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

But as they re-entered the atmosphere and got closer and closer to the water, Sandy knew they wouldn’t survive such a re-entry speed. “We need to put on the brakes!” she said, getting back onto the wheel and beginning to run again. “Run!”

“You heard her, guys! Double time!” Volcano shouted as he began to gallop again. “Let’s move move move!”

The Mane 6 and all their friends did start to run again, once again, fueling the rocket boosters and causing them to slowly come to a successful landing in the water, causing them all to cheer once again.

Now, all Sandy had to do was get her family in space suits so they wouldn’t drown, and they could reunite with the rest of their friends once Bikini Bottom was back where it belonged.

XXXXXXXX

Sparky's front-quarters had been waiting patiently for days while the heroes had been gone to rescue Bikini Bottom, and he wasn't sure what to think when he saw a large, dark floating mass coming down toward him and the ditch where Bikini Bottom used to be.

But when he saw his hindquarters descending down with them, he was completely overjoyed-- they had done it! Bikini Bottom was really back!

As the sphere cracked as it reached the ditch, Bikini Bottom fell back into place, untouched, and the ponies had gotten their sea-pony forms back while Sandy's family all had space suits on to protect themselves from drowning.

And needless to say, everyone was overjoyed to have their mission succeeded after such a long time.

After the cheering had died down, Ma and Pa Cheeks approached Sandy, who was celebrating and hugging with Volcano. “We’re so proud of ya, nut muffin,” Pa began. “I know we weren’t that thrilled with you leavin’ the circus at first, but… seein’ what you were able to do today made us realize…”

“...that if you wanna pursue your science dreams, it’s all right for us,” Ma added with a kind smile. “No matter where you do it.”

Sandy blinked in shock. “Really, Ma? You mean that?”

Ma nodded again. “Your friends here helped us… well, me see that I was being a little too hard on you.”

“And maybe I was bein’ a little judgemental about your science methods,” Randy added as he approached. “It really saved us back there, little sis.”

“You’re a real hero today, Sandy girl,” Pa said as he hugged his daughter. “Not just to us, and not just to your friends and this town…”

“But to me too,” Volcano said softly. “I meant what I said before about… you being the sister I thought I lost. You’re the family I never knew I wanted, Sandy.”

Sandy felt herself try not to cry at these words, but before she could say anything, Pipp’s phone chimed, and as she read it, she gasped. “SANDY!! You know how my email was one of your backups in case we needed to get ahold of you from back in Equestria?” she asked, handing Sandy her phone. “Well, take a look at this!”

Sandy took Pipp's phone and skimmed through the message before her eyes welled up with tears of joy.

This was it... this was the message she had been waiting for!

Volcano, however, thought Sandy was upset about something and became concerned. “Sandy? Are you okay?”

“...sorry, buddy, I... I just got some good news,” Sandy said before wiping her eyes and eventually kneeling to his level. “Ever since you came into my life a few months ago, we've become closer than we ever had, and I could never be happier with the time we had together.”

Volcano felt his ears pin at this remark. “But...?”

“But,” Sandy continued, hesitating a bit out of nerves, “I know you need a family of your own... which is why I... I filed to adopt you into... my family.”

Volcano felt himself freeze at this, unsure of what to think at that point. “You... you wanna... adopt me...?”

“Sandy told us about the plan a while ago, on the way back from the Lost City of Atlantic City,” Zipp said as she and the rest of the Mane 6 swam forward. “And from what it seems... the adoption papers came back positive.”

“We've been trying not to spoil the surprise,” Misty said, “but... now there's only one thing left to know. Is this what you want, Volcano?”

“Yeah,” Hitch nodded. “Do you wanna follow through with this adoption?”

Volcano was silent for a few moments, trying to process everything before he looked to Sandy and her family...

...and it was clear they truly wanted him as part of THEIR family now too.

Volcano's eyes welled up with tears before he leapt right into Sandy’s arms, trying his best to not go completely overboard with his emotions. “Sandy... that's all I ever wanted...”

Sandy sniffled as well and hugged him back at this response, and the rest of the Cheeks family soon joined in.

That's when the Mane 6 got a great idea.

Since the entire Cheeks family was here... they needed to do something to celebrate the success of their mission and the success of Volcano's adoption.

And after a moment of thinking... they knew just what to do.

Return to Bikini Bottom

The Harvest and Hugs Day feast with the Mane 6’s families were just going to have to wait.

Right now, our heroes were tumbling and spinning through a portal to their next Unity Quest assignment, and they were sure that they were going to succeed in whatever mission lay ahead...

...no matter what dangers lay ahead.

XXXXXXXX

As the portal on the other side opened, the ponies realized that they were in their sea-pony forms once again at the bottom of the ocean, and seeing a particular sign and a few landmarks up ahead made the group realize they were back in one of their favorite destinations.

Sunny was first to gasp in delight. “We’re back in Bikini Bottom!”

“Yes! We get to see SpongeBob, Tropic and the rest of our friends again!” Misty cheered. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Hitch asked. “Let’s go find the Krusty Krab! No doubt some of our friends will be there.”

“Why not make it a bit of a competition?” Zipp asked with a smirk. “Last one to the Krusty Krab has to get the spiciest Krabby Patty on the menu!”

“Oh, it is ON!” Sunny said challengingly, causing the Mane 6 to laugh and swim down the road toward the beloved underwater town that they were proud to call a second home.

Many fish in Bikini Bottom seemed happy to see them, waving as they swam by and causing them to wave back.

Soon, the Krusty Krab came into sight, and like she expected to, Zipp was the first one to halt in front of its doors. “Aw, yeah! And Zipp Storm claims victory once again!”

“No fair!” Pipp pouted. “You got further ahead cause you suggested that race to begin with!”

“Come on, guys, we’re here for one reason only,” said Misty, breaking up the fight. “To see our friends before we have to figure out what our mission details.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Zipp sighed reluctantly after a moment. “Come on, let’s swim on in and see if our friends are here.”

Sunny and Hitch pushed open the door and the group swam inside to see various customers ordering food or eating at tables. That's when they spotted Squidward lazily taking down orders at the register boat, and Princess Riverstream, Queen Skygrace's younger sister, was with him when she saw the Mane 6 swim through the door. “Squidward, it’s Sunny and the other ponies! They’re back!”

“Well, it’s about time,” Squidward sighed as Riverstream hugged her friends. “Riverstream and her friends have done nothing but miss you all since you left all those months ago! Just where have you been?”

“Heh, good to see that you haven’t changed much, Squidward,” Zipp said with a smile. “It’s good to see both of you again.”

India and Mr. Krabs then poked their heads out of Mr. Krabs’ office. “River, did you just say Sunny and the others were back?” India asked before gasping and seeing she was right. “Oh my sea glitter, you’re right!”

“Hey, India!” Pipp said to the purple sea-pony as she swam over to her. “Ah, what can we get the heroic ponies of Equestria this visit?” Mr. Krabs asked as he approached. “A Krabby Patty with a slight discount, perhaps?”

“Mr. Krabs, they can't possibly want a Krabby Patty... until they say they can do an interview for my channel!” India said before pulling out her phone. “I was so moved by how Pipp used social media for the greater good, I wanted to do something like that too, so... I became an influencer! Pretty neat, right?”

“Oh, that is so cool!” Pipp replied, singing the last word. “I know! I would love to get a hoof to heart interview with you guys later,” India said. “With some sponsorship from the Krusty Krab, of course.”

“That sounds great, it really does,” Misty smiled. “Speaking of great, where are Tropic and SpongeBob? We were really hoping to see them too.”

“I think they're in the kitchen prepping for the lunch rush,” Riverstream admitted. “Boy, are they gonna be excited to see you guys!”

“We’ll take you to them,” offered India. “We got a lot to tell you about and not a lot of time to tell it in!”

XXXXXXXX

So, without anymore hesitation, India and Riverstream led the Mane 6 into the kitchen, where SpongeBob SquarePants and Tropic Dancer were hard at work making Krabby Patties.

SpongeBob flipped half a dozen patties into the air, before grabbing bottles of ketchup and mustard and squirting the condiments onto the patties while they were in mid-air. Meanwhile, Tropic had grabbed some buns, and placed them onto plates just in time for the patties to land on them. Then, SpongeBob grabbed slices of cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and tossed one slice of each onto every burger. Finally, Tropic added onions and pickles before placing the top buns onto the patties.

And once they were done, the duo looked at their Krabby Patty creations with pride. “Voila! Six Krabby Patties all set to go!” Tropic beamed. “We make such a good team, SpongeBob!”

SpongeBob laughed at this. “I couldn’t have done it without your help, Tropic. Keep this up, and you'll be a master of the grill like yours truly!”

Tropic squealed at this, giggling as she did so. “Hey, it looks like you two are getting along just find without us,” Zipp said as the group stood off to the side with a smirk. This caused SpongeBob and Tropic to look at them with gasps and wide eyes. “Sunny! Ponies! You’re back!”

SpongeBob and Tropic came over and hugged their friends happily, overjoyed to see their Equestrian companions after months of being apart. “We weren't sure if we were ever gonna see you ponies again!” Tropic beamed. “Is it Unity Quest time already?”

“You know it!” Zipp replied. “But, like always, we’re not sure what it is yet.”

“We should be asking about you guys,” Sunny said. “Has anything exciting happened since we've been gone?”

“Oh, a whole bunch, but there was one thing here recently that stuck out above all else,” India smiled. “Right, Tropic?”

“Absolutely!” Tropic nodded before recounting the tale. “You see, Mr. Krabs decided to start selling breakfast at the Krusty Krab, but all the breakfast food SpongeBob made ended up tasting like Krabby Patties. So, we got this cookbook, but, turns out it was actually a spellbook, and when SpongeBob made breakfast food with it, all of it had side effects and started turning customers into monsters! Then, the food and the spellbook turned into a giant breakfast monster, but thanks to SpongeBob’s Krabby Patties, we managed to defeat it!”

“Well, I can't say it was ALL me,” SpongeBob giggled with a blush. “You using that Lotus Flower blast to keep the customers at bay was pretty smart too.”

“Oh, right!” Misty realized. “I forgot that Tropic, India, Arctic and Volcano got those amazing powers from the ocean spirits the last time we were here!”

“Speaking of which... as it turns out, I got chosen by an ocean spirit too,” Riverstream admitted with a soft smile. “It's true! She had to make a really tough choice of whether to stay here or go back to her lessons in being a princess,” Tropic said, “but when she made the right one for her friends, the long-lost ocean spirit of light saw something in her and chose her to wield light magic in our team!”

“Wow! That’s amazing!” Pipp sang out in awe. “Oh, ditto to that!” Izzy added in an excited tone. “Hey, girls, we gotta go!” India said, peeking through the window to look at the clock on the wall. “Mr. Krabs, Squidward and SpongeBob are gonna walk us to Jellyfish Fields for guardian training with Queen Skygrace, remember?”

“Oh yeah!” Tropic said with wide eyes. “I nearly forgot!”

“Why don't you guys come with us?” Riverstream invited the Mane 6. “I'm sure the others would love to see you.”

“We would love that!” Sunny beamed. “That’s a great idea!” Misty agreed. “Come on! Let's wait outside for the others!”

XXXXXXXX

“That’s right, all my undersea followers!” India said into her phone as the group made their way to Jellyfish Fields. “The protectors of Equestria are back in Bikini Bottom for a limited time only, so come by the Krusty Krab and see them before its too late! Catch ya later, Bikini Bottomites!”

And with that, India ended her livestream and put her phone away. “Do you have to livestream everything on our way to Jellyfish Fields?” Squidward asked in exasperation. “It's just a 10 minute walk, you know.”

“An influencer has to stay on top of the times, Squidward,” Pipp reminded him. “And India and I are proud to admit that we're influencers, through and through!”

But as the others caught up on the things they missed, Sunny swam next to SpongeBob before deciding to ask something that had been on her mind for a little bit. “Um... SpongeBob? I wanted to ask you this a while ago, but... I was wondering... have you heard any updates on Volcano's adoption case? I know Sandy mentioned it to me and Zipp on the way back from the Lost City of Atlantic City, but I wasn't sure if that was still the plan or not.”

“The results of the adoption should be coming up in a few days,” SpongeBob said. “The rest of us are trying to get the other girls adopted, but… it’s taking a lot longer than we originally thought.”

“I know it would mean a lot to Volcano to have a permanent home,” Sunny said. “Especially since… I’m not really sure what he’s been through before he came to live with Sandy.”

“Maybe she and Volcano can fill you guys in later,” SpongeBob said before looking toward Jellyfish Fields ahead of them. “And speaking of Sandy and Volcano, there they are with Arctic and Patrick!”

Indeed, Sandy and Patrick, alongside Arctic Pearl and Volcano Spark, were waiting for them in the midst of Jellyfish Fields. “SUNNY!!” Patrick leapt up on the earth pony mare and gave her a huge hug, causing her to cough slightly. “Good to see you too, Patrick,” she said in a strained tone. “Oops! Sorry, Sunny,” Arctic said as she tickled Patrick with her tail, causing him to giggle and let him go. “As you know, he doesn’t realize his own strength.”

“How could we forget?” Zipp asked with a smirk. “Well, it’s good to see y’all again, nonetheless,” Sandy said as she and Volcano came over. “Queen Skygrace should be here any minute for the foals’ training session.”

“So, have you had to deal with that evil Allura cat anymore?” Volcano asked. “Cause if she’s anywhere near here, you can bet that I’ll use my Dragon Fire attack to fry her to a crisp!”

“Well, the last time we saw her was on our adventure with Jim Hawkins and some of our Muppet friends,” Sunny replied. “I don’t think she’ll be coming back to Bikini Bottom anytime soon, though,” Misty added, “unless she wants to deal with the stuff your powers put on her last time.”

Izzy nodded in response to this. “Yeah! You guys were so awesome!”

“Indeed they were.”

That’s when everyone looked and saw Queen Skygrace swimming down to them, causing the group, including Riverstream, to bow to her. “Queen Skygrace,” Sunny said respectfully. “It’s an honor to see you again.”

“It’s an honor to see you all as well,” Queen Skygrace smiled. “I trust that things have been successful in your other missions?”

“You could say that,” Zipp said with a shrug. “We’ve had a few run-ins with Allura ever since we left Bikini Bottom last, but… we’ve triumphed nearly every time.”

“That’s a relief to hear,” Arctic sighed, relieved. “Since we knew that you could come back at any time, and… Allura could, too… we’ve been training our fins off so that way we can live up to our new titles as Bikini Bottom Guardians.”

“Bikini Bottom Guardians, huh?” Pipp smiled. “Sounds fitting.”

“Now, let’s get on with our lesson, shall we?” Skygrace said to the four sea-ponies and her sister, causing them to nod. “A big part of protecting the town is protecting yourselves as well. That’s why you’ve been learning all the attack and defense spells related to your element for the past 2 sessions.”

“And why we’ve been sparring against each other,” Riverstream added, “right?”

“Exactly,” Skygrace nodded. “But there may come a time that you’ll have to use your powers in a real battle against an outside threat, not just one against Plankton’s evil schemes.”

As Skygrace continued her lesson, Misty leaned in to whisper to her friends. “Has Plankton done anything recently that we should be concerned about?”

“Not since he tried to infiltrate his way into SpongeBob’s family a few weeks back,” Sandy whispered in response. “Of course, that was a complete dud, and we haven’t seen much of him since.”

“So… if our mission doesn’t have Plankton involved this time,” Hitch muttered, “what does it involve?”

“We can worry about that later, Hitch,” Misty said. “For now… let’s just enjoy our time with our friends while we have it.”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in a far away placed called Galveston, Texas, there was a facility called B.O.O.T.S Labratory... the same laboratory that Sandy Cheeks herself worked for.

Their main mission was to study ocean wildlife and their habits, but... ever since Sue Nahmee came into power as the new C.E.O, things have changed severely.

Currently, Sue Nahmee was watching a security camera feed outside Jellyfish Fields that Sandy had hooked up to observe the Jellyfish themselves, smirking as she held her beloved pug, Cuda (short for barracuda, since his attitude reminded her of one). “There they are, my little undersea test subjects... and they're just as perky in this footage as they are in real life.”

“I can't believe that pesky squirrel Sandy Cheeks actually works for this place,” said a sinister voice from the darkness. “Does she have any idea that you're using her to her advantage?”

“Not a clue,” Sue shook her head. “Just the way I want it to be. And those ponies you told me about don't seem to have any idea either.”

“Good,” the figure smirked before stepping out into the light, revealing Allura and Twitch. “Those ponies have double crossed me far too many times already, and once I take their friends' hometown, they'll surely want to come here to save it... and walk right into my trap.”

“Excellent,” Sue smirked. “But... how do you plan to exact revenge on ponies that are sponge and squirrel size?”

“With the power of the star shard, I can change my size to my will,” Allura said as she fiddled with the star shard on her collar. “And once those ponies arrive, I'll shrink down and... let's just say... they'll fall right into their icy demise. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!”

Sandy and Volcano's Song/Bikini Bottom Gets Taken and a Rescue Begins

While Sue Nahmee and Allura and Twitch were patiently watching and waiting for the next day to arrive, so they could exact both of their plans, the foals continued their training with Queen Skygrace before they all headed to the Krusty Krab for dinner.

Once there, the Mane 6 told their friends all about their previous adventures, but somehow... all Volcano could think about was someone he lost...

...and his powers.

Fire was unpredictable, and if he didn't watch his emotions and keep himself in check... somepony was going to get hurt.

And that was the last thing he wanted.

He loved Sandy and he loved all his friends, and if he wasn't able to protect them... no.

No, he couldn't think that way.

At least... not in front of his friends.

The Mane 6 decided that they were going to have a sleepover at SpongeBob and Tropic's house like they usually did, and Queen Skygrace had to get back to the palace to tend to some royal duties, so once the Krusty Krab closed down for the night, everyone went back to their homes for a good night's rest...

...completely unaware of what that next morning would bring.

XXXXXXXX

Volcano (who could turn into an earth pony on land) and Sandy both slept soundly after they had gotten back to the treedome after yesterday's exciting events... and Sandy said that the next day was going to be just as exciting-- Volcano was going to get to help Sandy collect data all around town for her top-side research.

And so, after a good breakfast, Sandy got dressed in her scuba/astronaut suit and opened up the entrance to the treedome, allowing her and Volcano to step/swim out of it. “Yeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaw!!!” Volcano and Sandy shouted in unison before Sandy turned to the underwater town she called her home away from home. “Goooood morning, Bikini Bottom!”

Then, she and Volcano listened as some of the townsfolk shouted back in response.

“Go get 'em, Sandy!”

“Good morning, Volcano!”

“Pipe down!”

“I’m trying to sleep!”

“They’re exuberant ones, I can say that.”

Volcano couldn’t help but laugh at this. “You sleepyheads. The early squirrel gets the acorn, right, Sandy?”

“Right-o, Volcano!” Sandy said, nooging the red sea-pony on top of the head. “And if we’re gonna start the day with some scientific research, we need to get on top of it!”

That’s when she pulled her arms out of her suit sleeves and whistled out into the open water. “Here, Sparky, Sparky, Sparky!”

Sparky, who was a robotic horse that Sandy built from the ground up when Volcano started living with her, happily trotted over to the duo and neighed rather excitedly before panting like a dog. “Time for our daily roundup, Sparky,” Volcano told the robo-horse. “We got a lot of data to collect.”

Sparky neighed before extending out a saddle for Sandy and giving her an acoustic guitar. Sandy laughed and cheered as she jumped onto Sparky’s back and began to strum a song, and Sparky placed cowboy hats onto Sandy and Volcano’s heads before a peppy song began.

Sandy: Well, all my neighbors know my name is Sandy Cheeks!
Born and raised in Texas, y'all, that's plain to see!
My speciality is marine biology,
so I knew Bikini Bottom was a place for me!

As Sandy sang this verse, they encountered SpongeBob riding a bike with Tropic and the Mane 6 swimming nearby, where Sandy used her scanner to scan SpongeBob's entire body.

And not long after that, more townfolk came and danced around with them.

Sandy: Hee, hee hee hee, it's a place for me!
Woo hoo!

That's when everyone danced right into the Krusty Krab, acting like this was a normal event.

Sandy: I'm like a fish out of water, well, it might seem strange

Volcano: (Seem strange!)

Sandy: But I ain't all that different from a ride in the range!
Researchin' all the urchins, making gadgets is my game! (Is her game!)
I saddle up 'cause I love doing science every day!

Mane 6 and Bikini Bottomites: Hey, hey, hey
She’s busy doin’ science every day!

Volcano: Whoo-hoo!

Arctic, Tropic, SpongeBob and Patrick: (laughs)

Sandy: Ooh, ooh, ooh!
I'm doing science every day!
Ooh, ooh, ooh!
This squirrel is leadin' the way!

There ain't no denyin', I love doin' science every day!

The Mane 6 happily laughed, swam and danced alongside their Bikini Bottom friends as they happily watched Sandy and Volcano gathering the rest of their scientific data.

Volcano: Well, nothin' else matters when you're out collectin' data!
And the seaweed is swayin' your way!

Sandy: No, there ain't nothin' better than finding scientific treasure!
To keep this girl happy at the end of the day!

Suddenly, the song slowed and took on a sadder tone, much to the Mane 6's surprise.

Sandy: You can bet your Bikini Bottom dollar, it's great
But sometimes I get lonesome for the Lone Star State

Mane 6: Aww...

Sandy: So when I leave this coral reef and depart (She departs)
I might've flown on up to the top!
But Texas, you have my heart...!!!!!

And with this being said, the song ended, and while the Mane 6 joined their friends on Conch Street, SpongeBob and Tropic came spinning out of their house and stopped next to them. “Good morning, Sandy!” SpongeBob happily said. “Yeah, hey guys! Haven't seen you in a while,” Tropic told her friends with a wink, causing her and SpongeBob to laugh and causing the others to glance at each other, confused. “Uh… you guys just saw us like 12 seconds ago,” Pipp said with a raised eyebrow. “During the song, remember?”

Tropic only giggled at this, smirking at her friends. “Just joking!”

“But in your absence, I’ve gained some mad skills!” SpongeBob said, holding a net with a fake jellyfish tied to it-- a game that looked a lot like one they had back in Equestria. “Observe!”

That’s when SpongeBob suddenly flung the net upward, trying to get the fake jellyfish to go into it. “Throw it up, and…”

But instead of going into the net like SpongeBob originally planned, the jellyfish whacked him in the face, sending him onto the ground. “Ow.”

“Ohhh…” Hitch groaned out of pain. “That’s gonna leave a mark in the morning.”

“Are you okay, SpongeBob?” Sunny asked “I’m fine,” SpongeBob replied as Sunny helped him back onto his feet. “Just stand by for my learning curve.”

He pulled the jellyfish off his head and began to attempt to swing it into the net, blathering wildly as he did so. “You know what Sandy told me once?” Volcano asked with a smile. “If you chew on it long enough, you can crack just about any nut.”

“Absolutely!” SpongeBob said before trying again. “Fast and steady wins the race!”

This time, he flipped in the air before falling flat on his face. “Fall 8 times,” Tropic said, getting SpongeBo up on his feet again, “get up 7! I think that’s an ancient proverb.”

That's when continued to wildly swing the net, muttering to himself all the while. “Uh… is it safe to say that this might take a while?” Misty asked in a whisper, not wanting to discourage SpongeBob. “Yes, Misty... I think it is,” Hitch replied, when suddenly, some kind of alarm began to sound! “Hey! It’s not time for my daily mane treatment, is it?” Pipp asked as she scrolled through her phone. “It’s set for 11, but right now, it’s 8:30!”

“I don’t think it’s you, Pipp,” Sandy frowned before pressing a button on her suit, turning on a display screen in her helmet. “What in tarnation…?”

“Uh… guys?” Zipp looked up with wide eyes. “I think you might wanna see this!”

Everyone (minus SpongeBob, who was still playing his “jellyfish in the net” game) and Tropic (who was watching him rather intently) then looked up to see the most terrifying of sights. A giant scooper was opening its jaws right over Bikini Bottom!

And of course, SpongeBob and Tropic were oblivious to the whole thing. “Practice, practice, practice, practice!” SpongeBob kept repeating, much to Tropic’s delight. “Come on, buddy, you’re so super close!”

Sandy and Volcano then grabbed their friends by the arms before they got everyone except the Mane 6 onto Sparky's back, allowing him to neigh in panic. “Giddy up and thrust to power!” she cried. “Fire them rockets!”

And so, Sparky zoomed away as fast as he possibly could to get out of town, with the Mane 6 flicking their fins as fast as they could to keep up. The claw seemed to get closer and closer with each passing second, and just as they thought they were going to get away, the claw came down on them, causing Sparky to lose his hindquarters and causing the others to scream and tumble to the ground.

After the tumbling stopped, Sunny groaned and shook her head to clear it, looking over at all her friends. “Is everypony okay?”

“Ugh… a little dizzy from the tumbling, but fine,” Zipp said in confirmation. Meanwhile, SpongeBob noticed that he finally got the jellyfish into the net, still oblivious to what was happening. “Ooh!”

Volcano, on the other hand, looked at the scene before them, horrified about what was happening. “Great Neptune!”

“I know, right?” SpongeBob asked as he smiled at his accomplishment. “947th time's the charm.”

“Really?” Izzy blinked. “I always thought it was three time’s the charm.”

Sandy, however, grabbed SpongeBob and Tropic, turning them in the opposite direction so they could see the incident for themselves. “LOOK!!!”

It was at that moment SpongeBob and Tropic finally saw the scene before them, and this caused SpongeBob to scream, accidentally knocking Sandy backward. “AHHH!!!”

“What’s happening?!!” Tropic shrieked in panic. “WE HAVE NO IDEA!!!” Izzy yelled, twice as loud as the seapony filly as the group watched in complete terror.

XXXXXXXX

Back in town, fish and seaponies were screaming and running al over the place out of panic, while Plankton, of all people, seemed to be enjoying the scene before him. “Yes! Doom! Terror!”

The more the claw seemed to grab the town, the more the townsfolk began to panic, and Sunny knew that the Mane 6 had to do something. “Come on, guys! We have to stop this!”

But as the Mane 6 swam toward the claw to try and stop it, the claw began to lift Bikini Bottom off the ocean floor, causing them to be blown backwards from the sheer force of the device. Once the Mane 6 got their bearings together, they and their friends watched in terror as the claw lifted Bikini Bottom out of the water. “NO!” Sandy and Volcano yelled, running and swimming towards the town.

XXXXXXXX

Back inside the Krusty Krab, all of the customers within were panicking, and Squidward was simply reading a magazine while Riverstream tried to keep everyone calm. “Everyone, please! Everything is gonna be okay!” Riverstream cried out, failing to reassure the crowd before looking at Squidward. “Squidward, don’t you realize what’s going on?! Bikini Bottom is under some sort of attack!”

“Oh, yeah,” Squidward replied, still looking at his magazine before realizing what Riverstream had just said. “Wait, WHAT?!”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, outside, Mr. Krabs and India were trying to reassure all the fish and seaponies going into panic outside. “Don’t panic, anyone!” Mr. Krabs cried as Fred slid up the Krusty Krab pole before hiding in the clam, letting his leg get caught when the clam closed. “MY LEG!!!”

“What’s going on around here anyway?” India wondered, gazing at the scene of mass panic. “A volcano? An invasion?! DOES PATRICK HAVE GAS AGAIN?!”

Just then, Patrick walked by, licking an ice cream cone while Arctic seemed to be in a state of panic. But no matter how hard he tried, Patrick couldn’t catch the rolling ice cream scoop with his tongue, getting him very upset. “Stop teasing me!”

But upon saying this, the ice cream scoop fell to the floor, causing Arctic to shriek. “This is a complete disaster!”

Then, Ms. Puff crashed into the Krusty Krab sign, causing her to inflate like a balloon (since she was a pufferfish) with a scream while the Krusty Krab sign crushed Fred's other leg from inside the clam. “MY OTHER LEG!!!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the Mane 6, Sandy, SpongeBob, Tropic and Volcano continued to watch in complete horror as Bikini Bottom rose further and further out of the ocean, not being able to do anything to stop the claw…

…and it broke SpongeBob and Tropic’s heart when they saw Gary meowing down at them in fear. “Gary…!!!”

Sparky whinnied once he saw his back half right next to Gary, and Arctic shrieked when she looked down and saw her sister and her other friends down below. Patrick, oblivious to what was happening, walked up to Gary, and looking down at SpongeBob, he gave his best friend a smile. “Hey, buddy! You caught the jellyfish in the net! Congratulatiooooooooooons!!!!”

And just like that, Bikini Bottom rose up even further, causing SpongeBob to whimper at the last words he heard from Patrick. “Thank you…”

“Zipp!” Sunny cried. “Use your visor to zoom in on the claw! See if you can find some information on there to tell us where it might be taking our friends!”

“Already on it!” Zipp said as she put on her visor and zoomed in on the claw. After zooming in all the way, she noticed a small plaque on the claw that said: ‘B.O.O.T.S MARINE BIOLOGY LAB, Galveston, TX’. “Huh… I see some sort of company logo on the claw!” she said to the others. “It says something about… B.O.O.T.S Marine Biology Lab in Galveston, Texas.”

Sandy gasped deeply at this. “B.O.O.T.S Laboratory?! That’s the lab that I work for!”

Tropic, Volcano, and the Mane 6 shared a look of absolute shock, while SpongeBob was a bit confused. “Boots? I thought you made science.”

“Eh, you think you know a person,” Izzy shrugged before giggling slightly. “Uh no no no no no no,” Volcano shook his head. “B.O.O.T.S is actually an acronym. It stands for ‘Bureau of Official Texas Science’.”

“What the heck is going on?” Sandy wondered. SpongeBob honestly didn’t have a clue, and only found himself focusing on the huge hole in the ocean floor where Bikini Bottom was. “I don't know, Sandy. But except for you, the Equestrians, Volcano, Tropic and Sparky, Bikini Bottom and everyone I ever loved is gone,” he said, his eyes welling up with tears. “And all my streaming videos on demand… I can't demand them anymore…!!!!!!!”

He fell onto the ground and cried himself a river, tears shooting from his eyes like the sponge was a sprinkler. Now it seemed like there was no chance for the Bottom of Bikini, it would never be, and man, it made him sad about it. “Oh boy…” Pipp grimaced. “I knew I should have brought an umbrella…”

“Sandy, you and Volcano try and work out a plan,” Hitch suggested. “We need to calm SpongeBob down before his flowing tears end up hurting somepony!”

And while the Mane 6 and Tropic tried to reassure SpongeBob, Volcano and Sandy walked off to the side. “We’ve gotta get to the bottom of this!” Volcano said, determined. “Better call my fellow scientists at the lab!” Sandy said. “Good idea!” Volcano realized. “Kyle and Phoebe will have to know what’s going on!”

So, Sandy looked to the computer in her space suit. “Computer, call Kyle and Phoebe!”

Volcano yelped as he was almost hit by another spray of SpongeBob's tears, when just then, the computer emerged from Sandy's space suit. “You have reached B.O.O.T.S. Laboratories,” a voice from the computer said, flashing several words and images on the screen. “Now a division of Gushing Waters Water Parks, and future home of Sea Pals. Owned and operated by Sue Nahmee.”

“Water park?” Volcano looked confused. “What in the world is a water park?”

“And who in tarnation is Sue Nahmee?” Sandy asked in frustration, but what came across the screen next shocked both of them. “I'm sorry, this call has been terminated. Goodbye.”

“No no no no! Kyle! Phoebe!” cried Sandy, but the screen already turned to flames and began to malfunction. “Dag nabbit!” Volcano growled in frustration. “Now what do we do?”

However, Sandy looked at him with a smile. “W-What?” Volcano looked confused. “What did I say?”

“It appears my slang has started rubbin’ off on ya,” Sandy said. “You’re soundin’ like a real Texan!”

“Huh…” Volcano softly smiled to himself. “I guess I was!”

“Ahem!” called a voice, and the two turned to Pipp, who had a soaking wet mane. “It’s your turn to calm SpongeBob now. I have to get all the frizz out of my mane!”

Upon seeing that SpongeBob was indeed inconsolable, Sandy approached him and picked him up. “SpongeBob, lookee here.”

But instead of the response Sandy was expecting, she was hit by another blast of SpongeBob’s tears. “I believe,” Sandy said as she dodged the water spouts of tears, “I know where Bikini Bottom is. And I swear on the alamo, I'm gonna get Gary, and Patrick…”

“And Sparky’s hindquarters…” SpongeBob added, still crying, causing Sandy to nod and continue to jump over SpongeBob's tears. “Yes, and Sparky’s hindquarters too. And Volcano and Tropic's friends, not to mention the whole dang town, and put ‘em right back in this big ol’ ugly ditch!”

“And we’ll all help as best we can,” Sunny said in agreement. “We promise.”

SpongeBob suddenly stopped crying, much to the surprise of the ponies, in order to ask a question that he had been thinking about. “Question. Where are they now?”

Sandy sighed with a frown on her face. “A place I ain't been to in a while. A place I once called home. A place called… Texas.”

“Texas? Whoo-hoo!” SpongeBob shouted. He had shapeshifted into the shape of Texas, and was wearing a ten-gallon hat and spinning his arm in a loop over his head. “Going to Texas to save our friends!”

“Yee-haw!” Tropic shouted as SpongeBob flung his hat far, far away. “Well, I guess we’re all going on a road trip to Texas!” Izzy said before pausing. “Wherever that is.”

“Come on, Tropic and SpongeBob!” cried Sunny. “You’re coming too!”

“Yay!” the duo shouted out of excitement. Without a second though, they leapt over to the group, SpongeBob on a tricycle and wearing a trucker hat and mustache, and Tropic now sporting a ten-gallon hat of her own. “10-4, good buddies!” SpongeBob said in a southern accent, before pretending to blow a truck horn and cycling around, Tropic swimming behind him, causing Pipp to giggle. “Those two crack me up...”

Sandy pulled out her pen and began writing some calculations. “Hmm… now let’s see. If we can propel ourselves to 25,000 feet above sea level, we can hitch a ride on the 10:35 Texas Airlines’ flight to Houston, but I’m gonna need some Texas-sized propulsion.”

“Cutie mark magic can only do so much,” Zipp said with a serious expression. “We’re gonna need some sort of propulsion source that comes from down here.”

Suddenly, the ocean floor began to rumble and shake, causing the group to scream as they tried to maintain balance. SpongeBob ended up inside Sparky's front half, while Sandy began dangling off the side of a cliff, causing Misty, Volcano and Izzy to come to her rescue. “Hang on, Sandy!” Misty cried. “We’ve gotcha!”

Sandy strained as Misty, Volcano and Izzy pulled her back to solid ground, and as the group tried their best to catch their breath, a geyser shot up from the depths of the ditch. “Well, lookie here! The scoop done severed a volcanic vent!” Sandy said with a smile. “Which, if I’m right,” Zipp said, writing in the air with Sandy’s pen, “means that steam is gushing with a force of nearly…”

Suddenly, as Zipp wrote out the answer, she and Sandy gasped in unison. “12,000 metric tons of pressure!”

“With that much social pressure, I might explode!” Pipp said, taking a picture of the geyser. “But how exactly can it help us?”

“We’ll explain everything once we get down there, Pipp,” Sandy said before grabbing SpongeBob from Sparky. “C'mon, SpongeBob! Let's hightail it down yonder!”

“Sparky, we'll be back before you can shake a tail! Or… eh… a robotic hoof, so to speak!” Tropic called before following her friends away, leaving Sparky to neigh and wave them farewell as the group went off on their rescue mission.

Shooting Up to the Surface and Volcano's Heartbreaking Tale

Bikini Bottom had just been scooped out of the ocean by a claw from the same laboratory that Sandy had spent time with since she arrived, and Sandy and Volcano were leading a heroic rescue mission in order to rescue the town and all of their friends who got scooped up along with it.

Of course, the Mane 6 trusted Sandy and Volcano completely, but only Zipp seemed to be sure of what Sandy was planning.

Fortunately, they would find out soon enough.

XXXXXXXX

The Mane 6, Tropic and Volcano leapt from rock to rock in front of Sandy and SpongeBob, the latter doing the same while SpongeBob hit his head on nearly every rock and ledge they came to. “Whoa! Concussion! Head trauma,” he muttered as he grunted repeatedly with each individual impact. “ Oh, just a fender bender. Ooh, that's a bump.”

Finally, they made it to the bottom of the ditch, but Tropic looked over at her friend to discover he was VERY tangled up within his own arms. So, Tropic unwrapped SpongeBob’s arms, untangling himself from them when the two of them finally saw the large geyser that Sandy and Zipp saw earlier. “Whoa…!!”

“Hmm… we’ll need a test subject to make sure this works,” Zipp said before her gaze settled on a cowboy hat laying on the ground not too far away. “Izzy, toss this into the geyser, will ya?”

“Sure thing, Zipperdoodle!” Izzy said, grabbing the hat in her magic before tossing it toward the geyser. “Hi-ya!”

The hat immediately got caught in the flow of water and bubbles and rocketed up toward the surface, causing Sandy to smile. “Just the reaction we wanted!” she said as she wrote out a formula in the air with her pen. “If we can figure out some kinda way to ride those bubbles clear up to the jet liner, which should be passing through in... two minutes and 49 seconds…”

“Whoa…” SpongeBob said in awe before realizing he had no idea what Sandy was talking about. “What does that mean?”

“Well, in simpler terms,” said Volcano, putting a hoof around SpongeBob, “we might just make it to Texas!”

“All we have to do,” said Sunny, “is figure out how to ride the geyser up above the water.”

Pipp hummed and looked around, not seeing anything in particular that they could use before she saw some large clam shells imbedded in the cliff. “Hey… what if we used these giant shells as surfboards? Then we could totally make it up to the surface!”

“Pipp… that’s actually genius!” Zipp said as she quickly pried a shell loose, but it accidentally went in SpongeBob’s mouth. “And that’s some great unicycling, Pipperoni!” Izzy said with a smile. “Aww, thanks,” Pipp blushed. “Just comes naturally, I guess.”

“Do like I do!” Sandy said as she grabbed a shell and slid down the cliff with Volcano clinging to her back. “YEEE-HAW!!!”

The shell that Sandy and Volcano were riding on plugged up the geyser for a brief moment before it rocketed the duo back out and up into the air. “It's just like surfing...!!!” Sandy called down to the others. “Come on, guys!” Zipp shouted, grabbing her own shell. “We’ve got a mission to get underway!”

The Mane 6 cheered as they slid down the cliff as well, plugging up the geyser one by one before rocketing up into the air and after Sandy and Volcano. “Come on, you guys!” Hitch called to SpongeBob and Tropic as he was the last pony onto the geyser. “Time's wasting every second you're standing there!”

Tropic clung to SpongeBob as he puffed up his chest and put on a brave face. “I got this!”

SpongeBob was about to step off the side of the cliff when he slipped and fell, and since Tropic was holding onto SpongeBob, she was along for the ride, causing her to scream. SpongeBob’s shell plugged up the geyser before it blew the shell right out of it, causing both SpongeBob and Tropic to be shot up alongside the others as they all cheered.

“YEAH!!”

“Awesome!”

“Yahoooo!!!”

“We don't got this!!!!”

Sparky stood at the edge of the cliff and watched them rocket toward the surface, worriedly wondering if their plans were going to succeed.

XXXXXXXX

Tropic and SpongeBob clung to the shell and each other with all their might, screaming as they spiraled past their friends, causing Sunny to gasp. “Hang on, guys! We've got you!”

The Mane 6 and Volcano were able to use their tails to propel the shells further and further until they were close to SpongeBob and Tropic. Then, when she was just close enough, Sandy grabbed the shell and stabilized it, stabilizing SpongeBob and Tropic in the process.

Then, once that happened, Sandy gave them all a few instructions to better their experience. “Just bend your knees and hooves, stick out your tails and square butts and keep your center of gravity low!”

Tropic nodded and tried to do what Sandy said, finding that this sort of surfing was a lot easier than she expected it to be. “Hey, SpongeBob, look! I think we're actually getting this!”

SpongeBob giggled a bit at this. “Hey, guys! Watch this!”

Blathering, SpongeBob kicked out his legs a few times before jumping, sending his and Tropic's shell spinning for a few brief moments. “Whoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoa!!!!”

Finally, Zipp and Hitch were able to stabilize the shell, causing SpongeBob to laugh once he and Tropic got up from their wild ride. And all seemed peaceful… that is, until Misty gasped upon seeing a whole flock of clams heading in their direction. “Tropic! SpongeBob! Look out!”

“Huh?!” Tropic chorused and immediately turned around and saw the clams heading for them, causing her and SpongeBob to immediately scream. But while the others were able to shield themselves from most of the clams, SpongeBob ended up getting a large swarm of them in his mouth, to which he immediately spat out.

The group laughed at this before SpongeBob spit out one final clam, and once they were all sure that SpongeBob’s mouth was clam free, Sandy turned to the others as they got closer to the surface. “What are we doing?!”

“SAVING BIKINI BOTTOM!!” everyone chorused as Tropic and SpongeBob let out a unified cheer. Upon breathing the water’s surface, all of the ponies’ tails turned back into legs, turning Volcano into his earth pony form. Sandy pushed the flower on her helmet and her space suit retracted, leaving her in her normal purple attire.

It was a few moments later before they got above the clouds, where Sandy spotted a very large passenger plane heading in their direction. “Yeeeep. Right on time,” she said, checking her watch. “Here comes the 10:35 stagecoach to Houston.”

“But how are we gonna get on?” Hitch asked. “We don’t exactly have tickets!”

“That’s where me and Sandy come in!” Tropic said. “She’s been showing me a new trick with my plant powers that can help! Vine Lasso!”

From her horn, a vine emerged in the form of a lasso and began to twirl, and upon all of her friends grabbing each other, Tropic launched the vine lasso at the plane, grabbing onto the wing before they were all pulled toward the plane wing.

SpongeBob screamed as he face-planted right on the ground, while everyone else landed on their feet and hooves, and after a moment, he picked himself up off the ground. “Wow!” he said as he puffed himself back up from the impact. “I didn’t think anyone could do this!”

“That’s the thing! Nopony else CAN do this!” Izzy said with a giggle. “It’s crazy!”

“Uh… guys?” Sunny then pointed at SpongeBob. “I think we might have another problem!”

When the others looked at SpongeBob, they immediately cringed-- he was starting to get dried out really quickly, causing Sandy to immediately think of a solution. “Oh! I gotcha covered, buddy!” she said as she brought out a spray bottle. “Something I invented for a drought!”

Sandy sprayed the contents of the bottle all over SpongeBob, immediately refreshing him with water and making him puff up again. SpongeBob immediately sighed once he was puffed up again. “That went well.”

“Sandy Cheeks’ Super Hydration Lotion!” Volcano said proudly, causing SpongeBob to grab the bottle and inspect it further. “Nine out of ten sponges prefer Sandy Cheeks Super Hydration Libation,” he said before putting on his reading glasses. “Side may effects include mad fry cook skills, porousness, and chronic optimism. Not recommended for non-sponges.”

SpongeBob laughed and more water squirted out of him, causing him to return to regular size. “Well, now I guess we just sit here on the plane wing,” said Zipp, looking around, “and wait to land in Galveston.”

“But how long is that gonna be?” asked Misty, causing Zipp to do a few calculations in her head. “Hmm…” the white pegasus muttered. “I’d say… about 14 hours.”

“14 hours?!” Hitch cried. “Bikini Bottom could be in serious trouble by now!”

“We don’t have much of a choice, Hitch,” Sunny told him. “Everypony try and occupy yourselves… we’re gonna be here a while.”

However, Volcano was the only one lost in thought by that point. He walked away from the group and sat by himself, pulling a picture out from his mane and unfolding it.

It was a picture of a younger Volcano, his parents and his older sister Electra.

He kept this picture ever since he got taken into foster care… the only thing that reminded him of what he once had.

Tropic looked at SpongeBob and Sandy before gesturing to Volcano, causing Sandy to sigh. “Seems like he’s thinking about her a lot harder than usual.”

“Her?” Pipp looked confused. “Her who?”

“Volcano’s big sister, Electra Wave,” Tropic explained. “She had the rare power to manipulate electricity, but Volcano said despite that, she was the sweetest sea-pony you would ever meet.”

“...do you know what happened to her?” Sunny asked, causing Tropic to shake her head. “No… the only person he’s ever told since he got to Bikini Bottom…”

“...was me,” Sandy admitted with a sad sigh. “But I don’t wanna tell that story without Volcano’s consent.”

“...it’s okay, Sandy,” Volcano said as he turned to look at them before approaching. “We can tell it together. Maybe then… it might not be so hard.”

Sandy nodded, and the group sat down as Volcano began speaking. “I lived in a coral home with my father, Abysmal Frost, my mother, Oceana Bliss and my older sister, Electra Wave. We were a really happy family when I was a little colt. But then… my mom got sick and… she passed away. It was my father, sister and me for as long as I can remember after that.”

Volcano took a deep breath, handing SpongeBob and Tropic his picture before continuing. “Me and Electra loved to play in the kelp forest together, and she and I had this special game we only played, called Electro-Tag. We would play together for hours and hours… but… this one day…”

The second Volcano closed his eyes, the words he and his sister last shared echoed in his mind.

“SWIM, VOLCANO!!! DON’T LOOK BACK!!”

“No! I don’t wanna leave you, Electra!”

“You have to! You have to find Dad! Go! GOOOOOO!!!!”

Volcano trembled as he opened his eyes. “Some scuba divers attacked us. They took my sister, and I escaped to find Dad. When we went back… my sister was already gone. Dad blamed me and abused me from that day on, until Queen Skygrace found out and put me into foster care with Sandy.”

Tropic, SpongeBob and the Mane 6 looked at each other with wide eyes at this, not expecting Volcano to have such a heartbreaking backstory. Sandy, however, hugged the colt out of compassion, allowing him to sniffle against her fur.

Misty was first to speak, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault that your sister got taken, Volcano. Believe me… I blamed myself for a lot of different things too, all of them out of my control,” she admitted. “I’m sure your sister would be really proud of the pony you’ve become. And… your dad doesn’t know what he was missing out on when he let you go.”

“Really?” Volcano sniffled. “You think so?”

“Misty is never one to lie to a pony,” Sunny said. “So if she says its true… it’s true.”

Volcano cleared his tears away with a sigh. “Thanks, guys, for… for listening to me.”

“Anytime,” Pipp said with a smile before getting an idea. “Now, why don’t we tell you about our latest Nightmare Nigh escapade?”

Sandy giggled, knowing that Volcano and Tropic would instantly agree to hearing the story. “We thought you would never ask.”

Blown Off Course/Inside B.O.O.T.S Laboratory

Volcano Spark had just shared his heartbreaking story to the Mane 6, Tropic Dancer and SpongeBob, and suddenly, the Mane 6 could understand why he seemed so closed off when they first met.

But they had to keep their eyes on the prize at hoof-- er, hand.

Bikini Bottom could be fin-deep in trouble, and it was up to our heroes to find a way to get to B.O.O.T.S Laboratory after they got off the plane to Houston so they could go and save their friends.

However, they had no idea of the events that were to come, and the treachery that they were going to meet at the lab once they got there.

XXXXXXXX

On the 14-hour plane ride, the Mane 6 actually managed to tell a lot of stories and get some of their more personal activities taken care of.

At the moment, SpongeBob was sitting near one of the engines on the plane, roasting a weenie he had packed for lunch while Tropic sat beside him and Volcano sat with the Mane 6 while watching Sandy do some of her research.

But as he was about to eat the weenie, SpongeBob paused and saw a hallucination of Squidward appear right where his nose was. “Why…?”

SpongeBob whimpered upon seeing this, and Tropic, seeing that he was getting homesick again, put a comforting hoof on his shoulder to comfort him. “I don't know, guys,” SpongeBob said as he stretched over to the others, Tropic trotting after him. “I was just working on my way back to happy, but then, oh, this weenie reminded me of Squidward's nose…”

“Hey,” Tropic said, tilting her head out of curiosity. “What are you guys doing?”

“Well,” Zipp said, looking away from the equations Sandy had drawn up, “in order to get off the plane at the right time, we’ll need to calculate our jump.”

“Oh, that’s nice…” Tropic began to say before she and SpongeBob realized what Zipp had said. “Jump?!”

“Yee-haw!” Sandy cried out before pointing toward the ground. “There’s Galveston!”

SpongeBob, Tropic and the others peeked off the side of the plane wing and gulped-- jumping, in that moment, didn’t seem like an entirely safe plan, and it was a LONG way down to the ground from that point.

Of course, Sunny, Pipp and Zipp could fly, and Izzy and Misty could use their magic to levitate themselves and Hitch through the air, but… what about the others?

However, before the Mane 6 could question this, Sandy spoke up again. “Ready for a kickstart?”

“Of course,” SpongeBob answered before suddenly wondering something. “What is a kickstart?”

“Well, it goes a little something like this!” Volcano said before shoving Tropic off the wing of the plane, and Sandy kicked SpongeBob off as well, causing them to start plummeting toward the ground. “Now we know!!!”

Sunny shifted into her alicorn form in that moment, her eyes steely in determination. “Come on, guys! We have to go after them!”

“Galveston, here we come!” Zipp shouted before the Mane 6 (with Hitch being the most reluctant of the group), Sandy and Volcano jumped off the plane wing after a screaming Tropic and SpongeBob. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

Zipp scooped Volcano onto her back on the way down while Pipp scooped up Tropic, leaving only SpongeBob to rescue. Sandy dove down and immediately grabbed SpongeBob by the arms, then locked him onto her like a seat belt before she opened her arms out like a flying squirrel, flying in circles and letting Izzy and Misty catch themselves and Hitch in their magic auras before going to catch up with their friends.

SpongeBob, Tropic and Volcano cheered from the ride, while Sandy and the Mane 6 laughed in amusement, and after a moment, SpongeBob looked down at Sandy with amazement. “Wow! Sandy, you never told us you were a flying squirrel.”

“Well,” Sandy shrugged, “actually it's more like gliding, but I don't like to brag. And, uh, it gives me jiggly arm flaps.”

SpongeBob reached out to touch the flaps, only to get slapped in the face. He tried again with the other slide, only to get slapped several more times. “Hey!” he shouted, rubbing his face in pain. “I’m getting flap-slapped! Ha ha!”

“Hang on, guys!” Sunny shouted to her friends. “We’re going down!”

The group screamed as they dove toward the ground, flying through the desert with precision, speed and the best thing of all? They were having a lot of fun!

“Whoo-hoo!”

“Wheee!!!”

“Aw, yeah!”

SpongeBob let forth a laugh while Volcano pumped a hoof. “Take that, gravity! WHOO!!!”

“This is so fun!” Tropic squealed. “I don’t know why we didn’t try flying sooner!”

“Well,” said Zipp with a shrug, “it’s not like you could do a whole lot of flying underwater, but I know what you mean!”

“There it is!” Sandy cried, pointing to a large circular building with a water park behind it. “B.O.O.T.S Lab!”

“Wait, hold on a second,” Sunny said, shaking her head and glancing at the building. “They added a water park to the lab?”

“Cool!” SpongeBob did a spin on top of Sandy’s back before pausing. “Wait, what’s a water park?”

“It’s basically a place full of water where people on the surface can come to cool off on a hot day,” Hitch explained. “Not really sure why they would put it behind a science lab, though.”

“Lookee there!” Sandy pointed down to one of the biggest pools in the water park. “We'll land in that floatin' pool!”

“WHOA!!” SpongeBob cried as the group suddenly dove downward. But as they got closer and closer to the lab, a strong gust of wind began to pull them in the opposite direction. “Wait, what?” Volcano looked around in panic as Zipp tried to get closer to the lab again. “Why are we slowing down?!”

“It may just be me,” said Tropic, “but I think we’re going backwards!”

Suddenly, Sandy turned around to see what was pulling them away from their destination-- the biggest Texas twister that she had ever seen! “Oh, no!” she cried out as SpongeBob held onto her in panic. “A Texas twister?!”

“It’s pulling us away from the lab!” Misty cried as she tried to get away. “And we can’t pull out of it!”

And seeing that they couldn’t control the forces of nature without India around, the group struggled to fight against the whirlwind before getting sucked into it, causing the entire group to scream and try to get their balance again. “We’re going too deep into the heart of Texaaaaaaaas…!!!!!” Volcano shrieked as he and his friends were pulled closer and closer into the heart of the twister.

The Mane 6, Volcano, SpongeBob and Tropic let out a scream individually as the entire group suddenly got pulled onto the back of a bucking bull in the midst of the twister, but Sandy was putting her Texas-born skills of bull riding to good use. “YEE-HAW!!!!”

“Ohhhhh,” Pipp groaned during all the wild tumbling, “I think I’m gonna be sick!”

In the midst of the twister, the Mane 6 could have sworn they saw three cowboys sitting around the campfire eating beans and surprisingly saying the word beans over and over. “Beans. Beans. Beans. Beans. Beans. Beans. Beans.”

Hitch shuddered before turning to his friends. “Good think we’re upwind.”

“WHOOAAAAAA!!!” the ponies and their friends once again screamed as they were suddenly tossed out of the twister and toward the desert ground before. “Hang on, everypony!” Sunny cried as the flyers struggled to regain control so they wouldn’t crash. “We’re coming in for a landing!”

With some of the group still screaming, all of the flyers started gliding as best they could toward the ground, with Sandy getting some branches caught in her mouth before they all eventually touched down onto the ground. But while Sandy and all the ponies collapsed onto the ground without much of a scratch...

...SpongeBob was the only one that got flung right onto a cactus.

Izzy gasped and immediately ran over to SpongeBob with her friends, using her magic aura to pry SpongeBob free... even if he WAS still caught in the thorns of the cactus. “Ouch…”

“Ooh…” Izzy winced out of pain. “Sorry about that, SpongeBob.”

“Here, let me give you a hoof,” Volcano offered. “Hiii-YA!!!”

And with one mighty slap on the back, the thorns were sent back on the cactus. “Thanks!” SpongeBob smiled as Izzy set him down. But while the others cleaned themselves up from the hard landing, SpongeBob’s voice suddenly became raspy and dry. “A bit thirsty…”

Pipp yelped as they saw that SpongeBob was so dehydrated, he lost one of his arms. “That is SO… ugh!!”

“Ohh, if only Arctic were here! We could melt some of her ice,” said Tropic, “and we could use that water to rehydrate you!”

“Aww, we don’t need fancy magic for that,” said Sandy as she approached a cactus nearby. “There’s plenty o' water in the desert. If you know where to look.”

Sandy flipped open a cactus, which revealed a drinking fountain, which she immediately turned on. The spout from the fountain hits SpongeBob, which rehydrated him again. And once SpongeBob was fully rehydrated, he whistled over to his lost arm. “Come here,” he beckoned. “Give a little sponge a hand.”

And with that, his arm came back on, filling itself with water from SpongeBob's body, causing SpongeBob to laugh. After this was over, Misty looked around a bit nervously. “Where are we?”

“I’m not sure,” Zipp said as she checked her FlyPad. “There’s no signal out here, otherwise I’d use my FlyPad to see where we are.”

Sandy hummed and looked around before spotting a dusty sign on the ground, brushing off the dust with her paw before looking at what it said. “Galveston, 626 miles?!”

“It’s THAT far to Galveston?!” Sunny cried before sighing. “The twister took us farther away from the lab than I thought.”

“And it’s too far to use magic,” Misty sighed, “so I guess… we’re walking.”

“You know somethin’?” Sandy said as they began walking in the general direction of Galveston. “There’s been a question been rollin' around in my brain like a tumbleweed-- what could B.O.O.T.S.' lab possibly want with Bikini Bottom?”

SpongeBob let out a terrified gasp upon coming up with several different ideas. “Maybe they’re taking out peoples’ brains and making them fight in a terror dome!” he said before assuming a robot-like voice. “Or maybe they're replacing everyone with robots.”

“SpongeBob,” Zipp rolled her eyes playfully, “science isn’t all clone monsters and lasers.”

SpongeBob cleared his throat, causing the ponies to turn around and see SpongeBob a rock with a graduation cap and monocle reading a comic book titled ‘CLONE MONSTERS & LASERS’. “Let's agree to disagree.”

Sandy sighed at this, and Izzy put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sandy-Wandy-- we’ll save Bikini Bottom from whatever B.O.O.T.S wants. We just gotta stick together as a team!”

“And I’m sure,” said Volcano with a smile, “that B.O.O.T.S isn’t planning anything TOO outrageous for our friends. At least... I hope they're not.”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, back at B.O.O.T.S' laboratory, Bikini Bottom and all its citizens had been placed inside a giant glass sphere so the water wouldn't leak out, and all the citizens, including Riverstream, India and Arctic, were inside the Krusty Krab, openly terrified about the events that had led up to this one moment.

After a long silence, Riverstream finally had the nerve to speak up to her friends. “Do you think it's safe to come out?”

“It does seem pretty quiet…” Squidward muttered back as he and Mr. Krabs hid in the register boat. Suddenly, the sound of flushing was heard, causing Mr. Krabs, Arctic, Squidward, Riverstream and India to shriek, and all of the Bikini Bottomites followed right after them.

But it wasn't a moment later that the source of the flushing was revealed-- Patrick coming out of the bathroom. “Whew…” he sighed before noticing everyone’s frightened faces. “What? I washed my hands!”

Arctic sighed wearily-- of all the times for Patrick to be acting stupid, this HAD to be the time. “We definitely not in the ocean anymore, Mr. Squidward,” Mr. Krabs said, pointing outside with his claw. “Don't you think someone should go out there and check it out?” Squidward asked fearfully. “That’s actually a good point,” India reasoned. “Somepony should check and make sure that the town isn’t in anymore danger than what it is.”

“Excellent idea, India,” Mr. Krabs praised before turning to Squidward. “Why don’t you go out there?”

“How about, um, no?” Squidward responded rhetorically before pointing at Mr. Krabs again. “Does that work for you?”

And to make matters more frustrating, none of the other Bikini Bottomites volunteered either, causing Riverstream to sigh out of reluctance and annoyance. “Fine… us Bikini Bottom Guardians will do the job. Right, ladies?”

Arctic gulped nervously. “I guess so…”

“As long as we go together,” India sighed, “I’m game.”

The three sea-ponies nervously donned umbrellas and pointed them defensively as they swam out of the Krusty Krab and looked over at the tarnished streets.

It was so sad… the home they loved was nearly destroyed.

They had to find someway to fix this mess before anything worse happened to themselves or their friends.

A lot more Bikini Bottomites were beginning to emerge from their hiding places, muttering out of fear and confusion. As she and her friends swam around the area, Arctic screamed as soon as she heard a meowing sound from behind her, causing her heart to nearly jump out of her chest. But upon turning around, she realized it was only Gary, causing her at least some fort of relief. “Gary, you better get back home. It’s not safe out here, especially since we don’t know where we are.”

Gary meowed and slithered away after that, but not too long afterwards, the girls turned around to keep going, only to scream after seeing Patrick breathing in their faces. “Pretty scary, huh?”

“Patrick!” India scolded. “Just like we told Gary, go home! It’s definitely not safe out here!”

“Okay…” Patrick muttered before sliding away on his belly. “Come on, girls,” Riverstream said before swimming on. “We better keep patrolling until-- OW!!”

Riverstream had slammed her head right into the glass of the sphere, causing her to back up in panic. “What in the seven seas…?”

“It’s like we’re trapped in some sort of glass orb!” India realized before beginning to wonder something. “But… who or what put us in here?”

Outside of the glass, a woman, Phoebe, puts her hands on the glass as she observed Bikini Bottom, causing the three girls to scream and swim back to the Krusty Krab for cover.

“ABANDON SHIP!!!”

“Move it or lose it!”

“Coming through! Out of the way!”

The three girls immediately swam into the Krusty Krab and barricaded the door before collapsing on the floor, trying to gather their breath, much to the concern of the citizens. “It’s better that you guys know this,” said Riverstream after getting her breath, “but don’t say we didn’t warn you. Outside… there are giants!”

XXXXXXXX

Phoebe blinked and looked away from Bikini Bottom for a moment before looking around for her research partner. “Kyle, where are you?”

“I’m right here,” said a voice as a filing cabinet opened, revealing a blonde-haired man dressed in white. “Filed under K.”

Kylie immediately put on his cowboy hat and stepped out of the filing cabinet. “I can't believe you still live here and the boss doesn't know,” Phoebe said as Kyle brushed his teeth. “I don't see any of them critters. Did you eat them? You weren't sleep-eating again, are you?”

“Not since I ate half my lab coat,” Kyle said, cracking an egg into a pot before resuming brushing his teeth. That’s when Phoebe approached a computer and spoke to it, hoping to get some clear answers. “Computer?” she asked as she began typing. “Is all of Bikini Bottom accounted for?”

“Oh, computer, is all of Bikini Bottom accounted for? Ugh,” the computer scoffed, causing Phoebe to scoff right back at it. “The computer hates you since you spilled coffee on it,” Kyle said, putting a hand on Phoebe’s shoulder. “ Let me show you how it's done.”

That’s when Kyle turned to the computer for himself. “Hey, computer. Is everybody in the glass marble accounted for?”

“SpongeBob and Sandy are currently missing,” said the computer, “as well as their little sea-pony friends. Now could you please stop using my DVD drive to heat toaster pastries?”

“Missing?!” Phoebe looked stunned. “Oh, the boss and the leopard aren’t gonna like this?”

“MISSING?!”

The doors opened, and in through the doors stepped Allura and Twitch, both to their full size thanks to the power of the star shard, Sue Nahmee (a stern woman with blue hair) and her dog Cuda, all of them looking irritated and not very happy. “Who, may I ask,” said Allura viciously, “is missing exactly?”

Phoebe and Kyle looked at each other nervously, causing Sue Nahmee to groan. “Well, since you two chatterboxes ain’t gonna tell us, Allura and Twitch are just gonna have to inspect the sphere themselves,” Sue Nahmee scoffed before turning to the leopard and rabbit. “Get to it!”

“...yes, ma’am,” Allura rolled her eyes. “Come along, Twitch. We have work to do.”

Twitch nodded and got on Allura’s back before the magic from the star shard shrunk them down to Bikini Bottomite size, gave Twitch a scuba suit and gave Allura a fish tail so she could breath without scuba gear.

They hated being bossed around by Sue Nahmee, but according to analysis, the star shard was somewhere in the lab, and Sue promised to give it to them if they helped her get her own plan under control…

…and as long as Sue let Allura and Twitch finish off Sunny and her friends once and for all.

Not long after Allura and Twitch got into the sphere, Sue Nahmee approached a large tank filled with green water. “Where's my beautiful scaly baby? Hmm? Where-- oh,” she said as she brought out a chicken leg, and a giant mutated goldfish emerged from it. “Nope, nope, first give mommy a kissy.”

To the disgust of Phoebe and Kyle, Sue Nahmee and the fish kissed each other on the lips, and then the fish kissed Cuda too before Sue gave the chicken to the fish, who happily ate it before swimming away.

And once the fish was gone, Sue turned to her two scientists now that they were alone. “Now, tell Cuda here who's missing, and we’ll have Allura and Twitch confirm it when they return.”

XXXXXXXX

Upon hearing something entering the orb with them, Arctic whimpered and looked out the Krusty Krab window, trying to see if she could see anything out of the ordinary, when suddenly…

…Allura snarled and appeared at the window, causing Arctic to scream and swim back to her friends, frightened. “Well, well, well,” Allura smirked as she swam outside the window. “Look who we have here.”

“Allura and Twitch?!” India gasped. “They’re back?!”

Riverstream whimpered to herself. “Just when we need Sunny and the others, they’re nowhere to be found!”

“Now, this is how things are going to be,” Allura said viciously to the trembling Bikini Bottomites. “You’re all going to comply with me doing a headcount to ensure all are here, and if you FAIL to comply… well… things are going to get much more fun for me.”

Arctic, Riverstream and India glared at her with hatred in their eyes.

Allura wasn't gonna get away with this, and neither were those giants... not as long as they were here.

But unfortunately... all they could do was hope that their Equestrian friends, SpongeBob, Sandy, Tropic and Volcano were on their way to save them from this disastrous situation.

Facing the Snakes and Meeting Sandy's Family

While the Mane 6, SpongeBob, Sandy, Tropic and Volcano were cross the vast deserts of Texas and hoping to get to the lab before too long, Riverstream, Arctic and India were more than ready to protect their friends against these giant humans, and not to mention Allura and Twitch, who struck a deal with Sue Nahmee in order to gain possession to another star shard.

The computer already knew that SpongeBob, Sandy and their sea-pony pals were missing, and Allura and Twitch already dove into the tank to put the Bikini Bottomites in line while doing a headcount.

And there was no doubt in Kyle and Phoebe's minds that Sue and Allura were not going to be happy when they found out about this.

XXXXXXXX

Sandy bravely led the way through the desert with her friends right behind her, all while figuring up how long it was going to take them to get to the lab from this point. “If Galveson is 626 miles away,” she muttered as Zipp wrote down all the calculations, “uh, my strut is about four inches...”

At the same time, Izzy was walking with SpongeBob and Tropic, with SpongeBob smelling just about everything there was to smell, from flowers to poop that animals left behind more recently. “Texas sure is magical!”

“Yeah, and in more ways than one!” Izzy giggled before she and her two friends ran to catch up to the others as Sandy continued her calculations. “It would be 3,663,063 inches, which means--”

“You know what? You guys might actually be right about something,” Hitch said to Izzy, SpongeBob and Tropic as he sniffed the air. “Even the air smells amazing!”

Suddenly... the group stopped and froze upon hearing something that sounded a lot like... a rattlesnake.

Zipp and Pipp unfurled their wings, Misty and Izzy lit their horns and Sunny and Hitch pawed the ground with their hooves as they surrounded their friends, trying to keep them safe as the rattling got louder, and this caused Tropic to whimper nervously. “Whoa, Texas sure smells dangerous all of a sudden...”

“W-What's that weird sound, Sunny?” Volcano asked, trying to not act nervous. “A rattlesnake,” Sunny answered the young colt quietly. “They can be really dangerous to those who don't wanna leave them alone. Just stay close and we should be okay.”

Suddenly, a loud impact caused the group to gasp, shriek and turn to see a large cowboy boot sitting behind them. Before Zipp and Hitch could inspect it, however, a huge rattlesnake with long fangs, a cowboy hat, a mustache and a purple bandanna appear from within the boot, laughing sinisterly. “This is an ambush!”

At this, more rattlesnakes appeared to surround the group, causing the Mane 6 to strengthen their protective positions around their friends, just in case they tried anything.

The lead rattlesnake approached SpongeBob, and Sunny flared up her alicorn powers to protect him. “What do you do,” said the rattlesnake, gaining up on them both, “when death stares ya right in the face?”

“Me?” SpongeBob gulped. “I tell 'em it's rude and look the other way?”

But when he tried to turn the other way, he saw the rattlesnake’s rattle behind him, causing him to yelp. “How dare you ambush us! You low-down dirty rattlesnakes?!” Sandy growled before spinning in place, and in a bright flash of light, wore a bright yellow karate outfit that SpongeBob had seen her wear before. “Hi-ya!!”

The other snakes looked shocked by this, as did the Mane 6, but the lead rattlesnake only chuckled sinisterly once more. “Well, well, congratulations on correctly identifyin' our genus and species. Low-down and dirty. But we're also hungry!”

Volcano and Tropic gasped at this before turning and nodding at one another, the fear in their bodies turning to unbridled bravery to protect their friends as they put their hooves on the pearl necklaces they were wearing. “PEARL POWER!!!”

Their pearl necklaces began to glow brightly at this, and as the foals’ eyes gleamed in determination, that’s when their appearances began to change.

Tropic was the first to change, conjuring a small orb of light from her necklace before it swirled down around her body, giving her a dark green Roman warrior dress before she cracked a vine like a whip with her unicorn magic.

Volcano was next, twirling a staff made from fire, and when the burst of light from it faded away, he gained a dark red Roman warrior outfit.

And once both of them were transformed, the two foals took on heroic poses and stood in front of their friends, determined looks on their faces.

Needless to say, the Mane 6 was shocked. “Oh my glitter, that was amazing!” Izzy gasped. “Since when have they been able to do that?!” Hitch gasped. “Oh, I wish I could have gotten that on video!” Pipp exclaimed. Tropic giggled in response before smiling. “Thanks. It’s something us and the rest of our friends have been working on for a while. Now, back to the matter at hoof.”

“Now, you lookee here, snakes!” Volcano barked at the snakes as SpongeBob whimpered fearfully. “We’re on the trail to Galveston!”

“And,” Zipp added fiercely, “if you don’t want any trouble…”

“Oh, no trouble at all. Just hold still!” one of the snakes, named Bonnie, said before lunging, causing Pipp to gasp, rear up and kick her into the air, proving that she didn’t JUST have good looks-- she also knew how to kick some tail if need be. “Take that!”

“Nice one, sis!” Zipp complimented with a grin, causing Pipp to smile herself. “Hey,” another one of the snakes, named Clyde, looked around. “Where’d Bonnie go?”

That’s when Bonnie collapsed on the ground, weak, not too far away from them. “There she is,” Clyde commented before the snakes, Sandy and all the ponies entered an epic stare-down just before… the snakes attacked!

All the kicking, dodging, lunging, magic attacks... it was enough to make your head spin, that's how wild it was.

Even Tropic and Volcano were more skilled in fighting than even the Mane 6 realized.

SpongeBob, since he wasn't as skilled in fighting as everyone else, did his best to dodge the snakes as best he could, but that went out the door when a rattlesnake entered his body through one of his pores. SpongeBob tried to get it out, but it kept dodging his attacks by re-entering his body, causing him to really start punching himself. “Help!” he cried out. “Ponies! SANDY!!!”

“Sorry, SpongeBob!” Misty said as she blasted a rattlesnake backward. “We’ve got our hooves and paws full over here!”

And seeing that his fellow rattlesnakes couldn't strike Sandy or the Mane 6 down, the head rattlesnake shoved two other ones aside, ready to make his own move. “I always get the first bite!”

As the snake lunged, Sandy made ready to kick out his fangs, but she misdirected her kick, and the rattlesnake did end up biting her on the leg. “YEOW!!”

Sandy quickly pulled her foot out, but she began to inflate rapidly due to the venom in her body, causing her to gasp and groan, becoming dizzy and disoriented. “Whoa, boy. Dadgummit, I'll get y'all next time…” she groaned as she sat down on a nearby rock. “...in a bi-big Texas-sized fix now…”

“Sandy!” Sunny cried as the Mane 6, Volcano and Tropic ran over to her. “Oh no… she’s been hit!” Zipp cried. “And rattlesnake venom is dangerous!”

“Can you guys cure her?” Volcano asked desperately. “I don’t know,” Hitch shook his head. “Rattlesnakes are something we never had to deal with in Equestria, but we’re gonna try our best. You and Tropic just focus on helping SpongeBob.”

“Wait a second,” Misty looked around. “Where is SpongeBob?!”

“Oh, SpongeBob?” Izzy asked casually before pointing not too far away. “He’s over there, making some new friends.”

“WHAT?!”

The other ponies turned and saw SpongeBob being held captive by one of the rattlesnakes, looking terrified for his life. “What have we here?” the rattlesnake asked, poking SpongeBob with his tongue, causing SpongeBob to scream.

That caused Tropic to growl in anger. “That’s it! No one messes with my best buddy on my watch!” she said before letting her horn light up. “Gaia’s Defense!”

A glowing green shield surrounded her horn before Tropic screamed and charged, knocking away the rattlesnakes as she got close to them, and then finally reached the rattlesnake holding SpongeBob, causing the rattlesnake to let SpongeBob go.

Tropic kept SpongeBob behind her as she continued to launch spell after spell, but the rattlesnakes were starting to predict her movements.

Sunny knew Tropic couldn’t beat them all on her own, and she also knew that someone needed to be here with Sandy to protect her since she was weakened. “Volcano, stay with Sandy and don’t move!” she ordered. “We’ll be right back!”

The Mane 6 rushed off to rejoin the fight, trying to get the rattlesnakes to back off, but they were becoming a bit much for them to handle.

That’s when Sandy knew she had to make the one decision she thought she wouldn’t have to make. “I did not wanna do this,” she said, standing up with Volcano’s help. “I'm an independent squirrel, but I reckon I have no choice.”

“Sandy, what are you talking about?” Volcano asked his best friend/foster figure desperately. “You’re in no condition to fight!”

“I’m not talkin’ about fighting,” Sandy droned on. “Might wanna cover your ears, though.”

Volcano worriedly did as she said, and a second or two later, Sandy twisted her hand and whistled through it, causing the rattlesnakes to stop, stunned, causing the Mane 6 to cover their ears with their hooves and causing another rattlesnake to drop SpongeBob onto Tropic’s back.

Not long after the whistle finished echoing, SpongeBob shook his head to get rid of the bells ringing in his ears. “Hey, that whistle had a nice ring to it,” he said with a laugh. “But I don’t understand,” Misty shook her head. “What was that supposed to do?”

The snakes seemed to laugh at the whistle having no effect, and continued to gang up on our heroes... that is, until another sound caught their attention.

It seemed to be the sound of a large vehicle approaching... and it was coming up fast!

It appeared to be an old jalopy, zooming down the hill toward them, and causing the ponies to glance at each other with wide eyes. “What is that?!”

The jalopy screeched to a halt not too far away, and all fighting seemed to cease as the head rattlesnake got a closer look. The driver door was opening… but there wasn’t any driver in sight! “What in the Sam Hill? A phantom jalopy. Vintage!”

That was when a figure did step out from the jalopy-- a squirrel that looked sort of similar to Sandy, who wore a red one-piece swimsuit with a golden star in the middle, and brown cowboy boots. “Well, look at who's back from briny blue,” he said with a proud smile as he jumped onto the horns on the vehicle’s hood. “It's our little squirrely girl!”

“Howdy, Pa,” Sandy greeted with a groan of discomfort. “Sandy? You wouldn't have used the Cheeks family whistle for nothin', now,” Sandy’s father said before he banged his fist at the rattlesnakes. “These tapeworms givin' you trouble?”

“Afraid so, Pa,” Sandy said obediently. “Enough said,” Sandy’s father said sternly. “Cheeks, ASSEMBLE!!!”

That’s when several more squirrels, who bore a close resemblance to Sandy, came out of the jalopy, much to the Mane 6’s surprise.

The first, Sandy’s mother, had blonde hair and wears a purple cowgirl outfit and a belt with "Cheeks" spelled on it.

Next were Sandy’s younger brother and sister. Rosie, Sandy’s little sister, had a pink dress with dark purple leggings and a flower on her head, while Sandy’s younger brother Rowdy had a blue shirt, blue shorts and a rainbow mohawk.

Up next was Sandy’s older brother, Randy, who had a vest with a zipper. He wears black pants and has a belt with his initials on it. He also has a helmet, with Texas colored designs on it. He has a very big tail, and black hair and mustache. He also wears gloves.

And lastly, there was Sandy’s grandmother, who had grey hair, pink glasses, orange shirt, pink headband, purple shorts, and light blue shoes attached to the long stick.

Once all the squirrels were out of the jalopy, they landed right in front of the rattlesnakes, and Granny Cheeks was the first to call the snakes out on it. “Slither on outta here!”

“YAH!!!” the Cheeks family cried before leaping into action, fighting off the rattlesnakes left and right while the Mane 6 protected SpongeBob, Sandy and the foals.

At one point, Pa Cheeks threw the lead rattlesnake into the air, who landed on the windshield, which made the vehicle honk and pull down its banner. “Cheeks Family Circus!” SpongeBob read the banner out loud. “Wow!” Volcano cried out. “Sandy, this is your family?”

“Yep,” Sandy nodded. “This is my family.”

The Cheeks family leapt in front of the ponies, Sandy and SpongeBob, just as the rattlesnakes got themselves together again. “Mmm... squirrel buffet,” the lead rattlesnake hissed. “My favorite...”

“Hey. Y'all thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?” Ma Cheeks asked her family, causing all of them to smile and silently agree on what they should do. “The rolling thunderball!”

“The rolling thunder-what-now?” Tropic looked at her friends in confusion, but the other ponies merely shrugged in response.

And as they tried to decipher what the squirrels were talking about, the Cheeks family leapt up into the air and on top of a huge boulder before beginning to roll it toward the rattlesnakes.

Sandy, SpongeBob and all the ponies got off to the side in order to avoid being crushed by the boulder themselves, and the snakes tried to slither away before they were crushed.

However, this was not the case, cause the boulder's mere force was enough to squeeze the snakes out of their skins, leaving them practically naked.

Embarrassed by such a feat, just about all of the snakes retreated into the rocks of the desert, leaving only the head rattlesnake behind. “I think you've done enough damage for today,” Tropic snarled, standing in front of her friends. “Now beat it!”

“Fine... but just so y'all know, I ain't leavin' cause I'm 'shamed to be in naked,” the head rattlesnake hissed. “I’m leavin' cause... uh... I'm getting sand in my innards!”

And just like that, the head rattlesnake slithered away, causing the ponies and Sandy’s family to cheer after their victory over the snakes. “That’s how you do it!” Granny Cheeks said as the squirrels jumped down to the ground. “Thank you very much,” Pa Cheeks said as he and his family took a bow. “I'm here all week.”

Randy couldn’t help but chuckle at what they had done. “Did you see them slither away?”

“I gave em one of these!” Rosie cheered, throwing a punch. “And I gave em one of those!” Rowdy agreed, also throwing a punch, just before Tropic stepped forward. “SpongeBob and I are more of lovers than fighters,” the young green unicorn admitted. “And we loved the way you kicked their booties!”

As SpongeBob let out an optimistic laugh, the Cheeks family stared over at SpongeBob and the ponies with a look of bewilderment and confusion, which finally broke as Ma and Pa walked over, and Pa inspected SpongeBob a bit more closely. “Honey, I think someone done fill this kid full of holes!”

“No,” Ma brushed off as Pa stuck his arm through one of SpongeBob’s holes. “That's a Swiss cheese boy.”

Izzy couldn’t help but giggle. “Cheese boy...”

“That’s no cheese boy,” Sandy droned on, still weakened by the rattlesnake venom. “That’s SpongeBob, and he and them ponies are my friends.”

Misty chuckled nervously and waved her hoof at the squirrels. “Hi there. Nice to meet you.”

Sandy’s mother gasped and rushed over as soon as she saw the state Sandy was in, even going as far as pushing Hitch over to let her through. “My baby!”

Wasting no time, Ma Cheeks started sucking on Sandy’s arm, releasing all the inflation and letting her body go back to normal. Sandy sighed in relief as her mother spit out the water she had slurped up-- that was too close.

Volcano sighed in relief as he nuzzled Sandy-- if anything had happened to her, like something had happened to his sister… he wouldn’t have forgiven himself.

After a few seconds, Granny Cheeks turned back toward the jalopy again. “Cheeks family, let's roll!”

“All right!” Izzy cheered. “Come on, ponies! Let’s go!”

“Wait for us, Iz!” Zipp shouted as she, the rest of the Mane 6, SpongeBob and Tropic followed Izzy and the rest of the squirrel family over to the jalopy, soon followed by Ma Cheeks, and then brought up by Sandy, Volcano and Pa Cheeks, who carried Sandy and Volcano on his shoulders.

Volcano wasn’t used to being hoisted around this much, so it was a bit much to take in at once.

And once everyone was inside the jalopy, Pa Cheeks made an announcement. “Next up, Varmint Parade in Tyler, Texas!”

“Hold on a second!” Sunny said to Sandy's family, standing up. “That does sound fun, but we can’t go with you guys!”

“Well, I don’t know about them,” SpongeBob said, “but I’m in!”

Sandy growled to this, but before she could react further, Pa strapped her, SpongeBob and all the ponies, Tropic and Volcano included, into their seatbelts. “Everybody ready? Then sound off!” he shouted before jumping onto the steering wheel he crafted. “Pa on the wheel!”

“Ma on shifter!” Ma shouted before swinging on a trapeze onto the shifter, moving it slightly. “Yoo-hoo! Whoo!”

“Randy on gas pedal,” Randy said before unhooking the shopping cart he was riding on, popping some bubblegum, letting the cart roll down the ramp and then jumping through a ring of fire. “YEE-HAW!!!”

And once he was on the gas pedal, he tapped the brakes next to him. “Oh, and once in a while,” he said, shooting Pipp a wink, “brakes.”

Pipp rolled her eyes to this. “Oh, brother…”

The Cheeks family turned for Granny to do her turn, only to see her fast asleep in her rocking chair. “GRANNY!!!”

Granny immediately woke up with a startle. “On the clutch!” she shouted before falling back asleep again. “And Rosie and Rowdy,” Pa finished, seeing his youngest children swinging into a makeshift ball bit underneath the passenger seat, “stayin’ safe, twin style!”

Once everyone had sounded off, Pa used a claw to grab the keys and turned them in the ignition switch. Granny Cheeks got knocked over in her rocking chair as the vehicle started running, Randy presses on the gas pedal, moving the RPM arrow from snail speed to cheetah speed, and Ma backflipped on the shift stick, causing the car to tilt backwards. “Whoo-hoo!” SpongeBob cheered happily as Tropic and Volcano braced themselves. “Hooray!”

And after a moment, the car finally started driving along the desert roads, causing the Cheeks family and SpongeBob to cheer-- even Volcano and Tropic couldn't help but giggle in excitement.

But Sandy and the Mane 6 seemed firm in their mission.

After a few moments, Sandy got out of her seat and whistled to get her family’s attention, ceasing their cheers. “Listen up, Cheeks!” Sandy said sternly. “The reason I'm back in Texas is because Bikini Bottom--”

“Uh, weren't that the town you were spyin' on?” Randy asked, shooting his sister a smirk. “ I weren't spyin'! I was-- doing observations,” Sandy protested, and realizing what Sandy was trying to do, Zipp stepped forward to help. “Anyway, the whole town with all our friends was transferred to the B.O.O.T.S. lab in Galveston! And we’ve got a bad feeling they’re in trouble!”

SpongeBob let out a sudden gasp of shock, thinking of something quite horrific. “Maybe they're sewing them all together into one giant patchwork quilt of living flesh! WAAAAAHH!!!!”

“That ain’t the science I remember at B.O.O.T.S,” Sandy said, comforting SpongeBob. “But nonetheless,” Misty said, turning to Sandy’s family again, “we need all the help we can get in order to get to the lab and get Bikini Bottom back where it belongs.”

“Well, now don’t you and your friends worry now, sweetheart,” Pa told Sandy with a gentle smile. “We'll get you to that lab and help you get your friends back.”

“Heck, yeah!”

“We will get your friends back!”

“With pleasure.”

Sandy, SpongeBob and all the ponies smiled at how gracious Sandy’s family was being to them, feeling rather lucky that they weren’t the only ones tackling this mission anymore. “Cheeks family, detour to Galveston!” Pa said as he quickly turned the wheel, causing the group to cheer as they set off down another road, this time in the direction of Galveston.

And after a lot of the cheering ceased, Pipp suddenly gasped, having an idea of her own. “I think we need a little song to pass the time! And I have the perfect one!”

And so, she turned her phone's volume up as high as it could go before she began to sing.

Pipp: First thing's first, you gotta look for the spark
That bit of magic way deep down in your heart
It's the rhythm that connects us, when you find it
Yeah now that's a great start (Start, start, start)
Hey!

You gotta follow your beat (Beat, beat)
And then soon you will see (See, see)
You won't have that far to go
Until your song starts to grow
All you need is your beat (Your beat, your beat)

All you need is your groove (Groove)
Hey, come on!
To get them stomping their hooves (Hooves)
And then the next thing you'll know
Imagination will flow

All you need is your beat
All you need is your beat (beat)
Woo!
(All you need is your beat)
Ba-da-da, ba-da-da
All you need is your beat
Ba-da-da, ba-da-da

Everyone cheered as soon as Pipp got done singing, and Sandy and Volcano were each filled with a sense of hope.

They were gonna save their friends in time.

They had to.

Operation: Sea Pals/We Only Have Tomorrow

The Mane 6, SpongeBob, Sandy, Tropic and Volcano had now joined forces with Sandy’s circus performing family to get to Galveston in order to save their friends, and while Sandy was happy to see her family again...

...she was worried that she was going to be pressured into staying again.

Zipp could sense Sandy’s turmoil, knowing how it felt to be pressured into a life you didn’t want.

She would check on Sandy later on, though. Right now... they all had Bikini Bottom on their minds.

XXXXXXXX

After a check of the captured undersea, Allura realized that the Mane 6, Sandy, SpongeBob and their young sea-pony friends were indeed missing, and not only did that irritate Allura, it also angered Sue Nahmee.

Even Cuda seemed frustrated with their screw-up, barking at Phoebe and Kyle while Twitch shouted gibberish at them. “Cuda says he can't believe you idiots lost the sponge with the pants!” Sue Nahmee scolded the two. “Along with those sea-pony friends of his!”

“In addition to my revenge plan,” snarled Allura, pacing around and trying not to lose her temper, “that sponge is supposed to be the masterpiece to Sue's entire project!”

“OMG, Cuda, I am so sorry,” Phoebe apologized, causing Allura to growl under her breath. “It is only temporary and we're gonna find them.”

Cuda growled softly as Sue Nahmee walked over to the water tank containing Bikini Bottom and started shaking it, much to Phoebe and Kyle's terror as Sue Nahmee began to yell out in rage. “I... want... that... SPONGE!!!”

XXXXXXXX

Those in the Krusty Krab screamed as they were suddenly tossed to and fro against their will, and Mr. Krabs suddenly began barking orders to whoever was around. “Shorten the sails! Man the lifeboats!”

“Batten down your Krabby Patties!!” India sobbed out of terror, wanting this nightmare to be over.

XXXXXXXX

Cuda barked and growled as Sue Nahmee finally set the sphere down in its resting place again, eventually whimpering. “I know, Cuda,” Sue tried to comfort her pet. “They obviously don't understand Project Sea Pals yet.”

She glared over at Phoebe and Kyle, and Twitch quickly moved a step-stool so Sue could look Phoebe directly into the eyes. “I said… Sea Pals!”

“Sea Pals,” Phoebe quickly repeated with a nod, and Allura took a breath to calm herself down before looking over at Sue. “I think everyone needs a refresher, don't you? Both your plan AND mine?”

“Excellent idea, Allura,” Sue said, rather pleased. “At least someone gets my vision.”

Allura rolled her eyes at this, just trying to play along so she could get what SHE wanted. That’s when Phoebe turned on a video on the projection screen, sort of a commercial for what Sue was trying to sell to the public…

…and India, Riverstream and Arctic were listening to it all. “Kids love fish!” said an announcer as the video began. “But sales of pet sea creatures have long been hurt by one sad fact. You can't cuddle with the little darlings! Until now! Sea Pals are a revolutionary new consumer product. Ocean creatures that can breathe air and live in your house.”

“Say wha…?” India muttered as a little boy in the commercial took out a crab that looked an awful lot like Mr. Krabs. “Oh boy!” said the kid in the commercial. “It’s a crab man!”

“That's right, Bobby. Mr. Krabs. And you can collect all of Mr. Krabs' friends!” said the announcer as they showcased all the Sea Pals people could collect. “There's Patrick, Squidward, and the anchor product, SpongeBob!”

“SpongeBob…?!” Arctic looked at her friends, stunned as the commercial continued. “And Sea Pals are genetically modified to stay adorable and compliant even during aggressive cuddling! Sorry, Fido, looks like you're out of a job.”

Cuda barked irritably at this, but Allura’s piercing glare shushed him as the commercial continued. “How is this possible? We've designed a three-phase process! Phase one! We feed the critters our special genetic modification paste. This prepares them for phase two! Their DNA is altered by our patented gene machine, turning them into air breathers ready for phase three! Cloning! And soon they'll be on their way to a retailer near you.”

And with that, the commercial was finally over, and Sue smiled at the thoughts of her plan being put into action. “Now that’s production value.”

“That’s a great video,” Phoebe said as she clapped along, causing Allura to glare at her. “Sue and Cuda don’t like suck-ups, dear. And honestly… neither do I. And if I know anything, when Sunny Starscout and her friends hear about their precious underwater comrades being in the utmost danger, they'll stop at nothing to ensure their safe return to the ocean. And that... is when I take my chance to pull off the ULTIMATE revenge plan. Now... prepare phase one so it can be initiated first thing tomorrow morning! NOW!!”

Phoebe and Kyle began to rush around to get ready, only to collide into each other very comedically, and causing the popcorn bucket Kyle was eating from to get stuck on his head.

Twitch laughed at this, but Allura only sighed to herself as she watched Phoebe try to get Kyle’s head unstuck. “Why did I get stuck with a bunch of idiots this round…?”

“Find me that sponge!” Sue Nahmee then barked at her two lackeys. “You got it,” Phoebe shot Sue a thumbs up before Sue, Cuda, Twitch and Allura left the lab for the night.

But what they didn't realize was that India, Riverstream and Arctic had heard the entire thing, and were now much more worried than before. “What are we gonna do?” Riverstream asked in a whisper. “We can’t let our friends be cloned and sold as pets!”

“I know, but I have zero shell service in here,” India waved her phone around, “so I won’t be able to get a message to Sunny and her friends!”

“We’ve got to do whatever it takes to make sure this phase 1 doesn’t happen,” Arctic said, “and we’ve got to protect Sunny and the others when they get here to rescue us so Allura’s plan doesn’t happen either!”

All they could hope was that... wherever their friends were... they were safe for the time being.

XXXXXXXX

SpongeBob and Tropic sat in the passenger seat of the Cheeks family’s jalopy, looking out at the setting sun sinking lower into the sky.

They often did this with Patrick and Arctic back in Bikini Bottom, so it was good to carry out a similar tradition, even if they were miles and miles away from home.

The Mane 6 sat with Sandy and Volcano nearby, obviously worried about how truthfully their friends were taking being away from home. “I know SpongeBob doesn’t wanna admit it in front of Tropic,” admitted Hitch with a frown, “but… I think they both are really worried about Bikini Bottom and all our friends.”

“I think you’re right, Hitch,” Zipp frowned. “They do seem kinda… down in the dumps.”

Sunny gestured for the group to approach the duo, and they all sat together to watch the sun continue to set. “Hey, SpongeBob,” Sandy said softly. “You two doing okay?”

“Oh… yeah, we’re okay,” SpongeBob said with a nod. “It’s just… being so far from Bikini Bottom in a world we hardly know…”

“...I guess it’s just hard. And… we’ve been thinking,” Tropic muttered, looking at her friends with the most dejected look in the world. “What if… what if we’re in over our heads this time? What if we can’t save Bikini Bottom and end up risking our own lives too? And what if...”

“Hey, hey, I don’t want you two to think like that anymore,” Sandy said, trying to be gentle yet firm. “No matter what sorta dangers lie ahead, one thing is for sure… even if the end of our world is coming sooner than we think, we’ve gotten this far, and we can’t give up now.”

And to further boost their spirits, the Mane 6, Sandy and Volcano started to sing a song, their determination shining through and through.

Sandy: We only have tomorrow
To try to save the day

Volcano: The world may end tomorrow
SpongeBob, we have to find a way

Mane 6: A way...

Zipp: We're gonna climb those mountains
However scared we are

Sunny: Our team may just have us now

Izzy: But we can still go on

XXXXXXXX

Back in Bikini Bottom, word had spread of the experiments beginning tomorrow morning, and the Bikini Bottomites knew it was only a matter of time before the world around them ended.

Riverstream: We only have tomorrow

Squidward: To show them what I've got

India and Arctic: We only have tomorrow

Mr. Krabs: So get 'em while they're hot

Allura, however, was smirking out of malicious revenge as she thought of finally getting revenge on those ponies at long last.

Allura: Ooh, I'm delirious
Such sweet revenge
Tomorrow means... victory!

XXXXXXXX

Back on the jalopy, it was time for SpongeBob and Tropic to sing a verse of their very own.

SpongeBob: We only have tomorrow

Tropic: I wish it was with you...

Mane 6, Sandy, Volcano, SpongeBob and Tropic: The world will end tomorrow
We know what we must do

That's when all of the Bikini Bottomites, Sandy, her family, the foals, SpongeBob and the Mane 6 began to sing in perfect unison, despite being miles and miles apart.

All: The sun has sunk below us
The dark of night is here
The hands of time keep ticking
Tomorrow's almost here, almost here, almost here

We only have tomorrow
To somehow find a way
To save ourselves tomorrow
There's only one more day

Sandy: In the world renowned....

All: Bikini Bottom

Volcano: Have to save this town...

All: Bikini Bottom

Mane 6: As the sun goes down
On a beautiful Bikini Bottom

All: We only have one more...
Daaaaaaaaaay...

And with that being said, it was time to rest for the day ahead.

Our heroes were going to succeed... even though they were currently unaware of Allura and Sue's devious plans.

Morning and Breakfast with the Cheeks Family/Phases 1 and 2

After meeting up with Sandy's family the previous day, the Mane 6 seemed more than comfortable sleeping in their jalopy with Tropic, Sandy, Volcano and SpongeBob while they were on their way to Galveston to save their friends.

However, the only Cheeks family member Pipp didn't seem to like was Randy-- he just seemed like a big bragger in her opinion.

So, imagine her surprise when she woke up early the next morning and found Randy piloting the jalopy while striking up a conversation with SpongeBob and Tropic.

And since she didn't want to interrupt the conversation, Pipp just chose to listen in until the time was right to make her appearance. “Yessiree, Bob Sponge. Not to brag, but I got voted most irresistible wink in Texas,” Randy said before he winked at the duo, stars coming from his eye as he did so. “8 years running.”

“Eight years?!” Tropic asked him in surprise. “Wow, that’s a really long record!”

“Ooh, ooh!” SpongeBob eagerly spoke as Tropic removed the stars from his body. “Let me try!”

SpongeBob tried his best to do a wink like Randy did a moment before, but he was having a hard time getting his eye to close. And in his attempts, SpongeBob got his eyelashes knotted around his eye. “Eugh…” Pipp softly groaned at the sight, trying not to make her presence known, and even Tropic and Randy seemed taken aback by the sight.

But SpongeBob managed to make the best out of this situation, plucking a tune on his knotted eyelashes, and causing Tropic and Randy to laugh.

Pipp stiffled some chuckles of her own as she watched Randy and Tropic begin to dance. Maybe Randy wasn't as bad as she thought. I mean... he did seem to like Tropic and SpongeBob, despite his overconfident attitude.

But a second or two later, the entire jalopy began to pop and rumble, causing all those who were awake to struggle for balance. “What in the hey?!” Pipp cried out, trying to balance herself before she leapt down to them. “Oh, morning, Pipp!” Tropic smiled in greeting before it faltered. “Uh… yeah, we’re not exactly sure what just happened.”

“Uh-oh! The bubble gum I use to keep the engine together is probably wearing out!” Randy said, while trying his best to keep the jalopy steady. “Ooh! Sandy can fix anything!” Tropic said with a smile. “Let’s wake her up.”

“Now hold yer britches there, Miss Dancer,” Randy said, booping Tropic on the nose. “She ain't the only one who's good at mechanical science.”

“And I assume you do?” Pipp raised an eyebrow skeptically. Randy simply nodded in approval before making a decision. “I'll put her on cruise and check it out.”

Not long after Randy leapt out the window, Pipp stopped SpongeBob and Tropic from following him. “Guys, watch yourselves around Randy. I’ve been in social media long enough to know when a pony… er, squirrel, in this case, is a bad influence.”

“But he’s Sandy’s brother,” Tropic frowned. “What’s got you so riled up about him?”

After nodding in obedience, Tropic and SpongeBob followed Randy out of the window over to the hood of the jalopy, just as Volcano, Sandy and the rest of the Mane 6 began to stir. And not long after that, Sandy’s mother appeared in the doorway leading to the back of the jalopy. “The sun's coming up. Might as well set up for morning supper!”

Sandy sighed before smiling. "Ma, it's called breakfast!"

“Whatever you call it, I’m all for it!” Izzy chirped before prancing toward the back, with her friends in pursuit.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, SpongeBob and Tropic were helping Randy fix the problem under the hood, and SpongeBob handed Randy a wrench. “Here you go!”

Randy took the wrench and tightened something below the hood, and when he was done, he handed the wrench back to SpongeBob. “Say, you look like a gearhead.”

“Afraid not,” SpongeBob shook his head. “Square head.”

Tropic couldn’t help but burst into laughter at this. “Square head!”

And after SpongeBob started laughing with her, Randy caught on with the joke before he started laughing alongside them. “I get it! Oh, that's a good one, Bob!”

XXXXXXXX

Back inside the jalopy, Sandy's mother swung on the trapeze she set up to open the blinds, just as Sandy, Volcano and the Mane 6 entered the main area of the vehicle.

Sandy looked at the posters of her and her family during the days where she was part of the circus. She was just a teenager at the time, but during that time, she loved being in the circus alongside her family.

In a way... she sort of missed it at times, as well as her family.

Volcano, on the other hoof, was so amazed by all the posters and equipment that Sandy's family used in their shows when he stumbled upon a pair of water skis.

Were these... Sandy's?

They had to be hers... he didn't think any of the other members of Sandy's family could water ski.

But if the skis were Sandy's... why didn't she ever tell him about her circus days?

But before Volcano could ask Sandy about this, Sandy was already approaching her parents, a smile on her face as she rubbed her stomach. “I am kind of hungry for some home cooking.”

“Think fast, pumpkin!” Pa Cheeks said as he tossed Sandy a torch. “Fire up the grill! Ha-ha!”

Sandy caught the torch with surprising ease, her smile growing wider before she put the flame in her mouth, waiting a few moments and then blowing the flames onto the grill, lighting it instantly. “Oh-ho, whoa!” Volcano said, ultimately impressed. “I gotta figure out how to do that next time we have a fight!”

“Ah, that takes pure and unbridled practice, kid,” Pa Cheeks said as he noogied Volcano on the head. “If you wanted, I could show ya some highlight reels from our shows a few years back.”

“Really? That would be SO amazing!” Volcano said enthusiastically. “Right, Sandy?”

“Uh… right,” Sandy nodded in response to Volcano's claim, though she seemed a bit hesitant. “A-Amazin’.”

Before Volcano could notice Sandy's hesitant expression, Sandy saw her mother nearby cleaning dishes for breakfast, and decided to do one of the family's old routines with her. She scooped her mother out from under her feet, and Sandy's mother whooped and somersaulted right into the air before landing in Sandy's hand again, allowing her and Sandy to both laugh. “Yep!” Sandy said, still impressed with herself. “I still got skills.”

Ma Cheeks let out a sigh as she looked down at her eldest daughter. “I always hoped the circus would be handed down through the womenfolk. First Granny who started it, then me, then you!”

Sandy blinked up at her mother for a moment, trying to contemplate what she had said... and trying to figure out how to take the news. After her mom flipped away to help Pa, plus Rosie and Rowdy, with the breakfast prep, Sandy smiled and picked up a rubber ball, carefully balancing it on her nose. “Oh, Ma, you knew my love of science would always win out over the circus,” she said, trying to keep her attention on the ball in front of her. “I'm the first-ever scientist squirrel to live in the ocean.”

“It’s true,” Volcano said as he tried to do the same, only to fail every time. “She’s amazing at what she does!”

“Well, that’s all well and good,” Ma Cheeks said as she flipped breakfast on the grill, “but Sandy was already the first-ever water-skiing squirrel. And we miss our little star.”

Sandy stopped balancing the ball on her nose and sighed, looking at it and remembering her water-skiing days as if they were yesterday.

And for a brief moment, she almost swore that she could hear the crowd chanting her name again.

Would it... be so wrong to say that she liked her life underwater a lot more than performing with her family?

And what about Volcano? What would he think about all this circus calamity? He was her main priority, after all.

But before she could reminisce anymore of her childhood, Rosie and Rowdy came right over to their big sister and started climbing all over her, causing her to laugh and juggle them for a moment as she approached her parents. “Who's a little rascal? Who's a little rascal?” she asked before setting them down, letting them continue to play a game of freeze taf with Volcano. “I think they get that from my side of the family,” Ma said with a chuckle. “They're a little nuts! Or is it that they like little nuts? They do have small teeth!”

Sandy and Volcano couldn’t help but laugh at that, and a second or two later, Randy came down the ramp with Granny. “I don’t know about you guys,” Zipp said, “but I’m hungry!”

“Well, you’re in luck,” Ma Cheeks said as she finished breakfast. “This mornin’, we’re having hickory nut crusted apple steaks with roasted pecans!”

“Oh, Mama, you made that just for me, cause you know that's my favorite!” Randy said, pushing Granny forward before he and Sandy headed for the table, causing both of them to laugh. “You know, Randy might not be as bad as you think, Pipp,” Zipp told her younger sister. “I mean… he obviously cares about Sandy enough.”

“Who wants walnut milk?” Pa asked. “I got some!”

“Me!”

“Me please!”

“I’d like to try some!”

“Me too!”

Pa poured a little bit of walnut milk into everyone’s glasses as Ma set the apple steaks on the table. “Whatever Sandy wants to do with her life,” said Pa, “is okay by us 'cause we love her. Isn't that right, Mama?”

“Of course we love her,” Ma Cheeks answered without hesitation. “Aww,” Sandy smiled. “I love y’all too.”

“She can do whatever she wants in her life,” Ma added, gazing over at her daughter, “as long as it's right here in Texas.”

“Huh?” Volcano looked confused. The whole Cheeks family was just gonna make Sandy uproot her entire life back to Texas just cause they wanted her closer to them?

That… really didn’t feel right.

He needed Sandy as his foster parent… and she probably needed him too.

Suddenly, a clearing of one’s throat got their attention, and the group looked toward the door to see SpongeBob and Tropic entering the room. “SpongeBob found the problem with the engine,” Tropic said uneasily, “but uh… we’re not sure what to make of it.”

That’s when SpongeBob pulled out a very angry looking raccoon. “A kitty cat!”

This caused the others to yelp in panic on seeing it, but only Pa had the courage to approach it. “All right, you, time to leave!” Pa said as he grabbed the raccoon by the scruff with a grabber arm, carrying it to the back door and let it go free. And once the raccoon was gone, Pa approached Tropic and SpongeBob with a bit of advice. “It's best not to handle the wildlife out here. They could have the rabies.”

“What’s that?” Tropic asked, confused. “Well, it’s uh…” Zipp hesitated when she tried to find the words to explain. “What are the right words here…?”

“HA!!” Granny scoffed, white walnut milk foaming around her mouth. “I've had rabies more times than I can remember!”

The group stared at her for a moment before they all burst out into laughter. “Granny, you crack me up!” Izzy said as she doubled over. “Hey, Sunny,” Misty looked over at Sunny with a suggestion. “Do you think you can fix us some smoothies with whatever apple steaks we don’t eat?”

“I think that’s a great idea!” Sunny smiled. “But let’s get to eating before Rosie and Rowdy devour everything in sight.”

XXXXXXXX

Back in the lab, Bikini Bottom was eerily quiet... too quiet for some people.

At the moment, the only ones out in town were Karen and Plankton, the latter getting an idea for his own plans after hearing about all the phases of Sea Pals the night before. “They've got a cloning machine!” Plankton cheered. “Yes!”

“Uh-huh,” Karen said sarcastically. “One that actually works, unlike yours.”

“Quiet, I'm thinking!” Plankton then scolded before coming up with his own plan. “If I can get my hands on their machine, I can finally turn myself into an unstoppable army and rule the world! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Good,” Karen said sarcastically before dropping a garbage bag on top of her tiny husband. “Then maybe one of you would take out the garbage.”

XXXXXXXX

Back inside the Krusty Krab, the citizens were gathered and were huddled around each other due to fright, and Riverstream, Arctic and India were trying to reassure them, but it didn’t seem to be working that well. “Maybe this is one of those, um…” Patrick tried to think before turning to Squidward. “What do you call those… scary movies you have when you sleep?”

“Nightmares?” Squidward asked with a deadpan sort-of look. “No!” Patrick trembled. “Scary sleep movies!”

“...don’t try to argue, Squidward,” Arctic sighed with the shake of her head. “Nothing can get Patrick out of it when he’s this upset.”

That left the three fillies to wonder one thing and one thing only.

Where were Sunny and her friends when you needed them?

Suddenly, the hatch of the sphere opened, releasing a little bit of light into the underwater town. Fred cautiously opened the door and stepped outside to see pellets that looked sort of similar to Krabby Patties falling down to them, and Fred cautiously caught one and tasted it.

And to his surprise... it wasn't all that bad! “Hey, everybody! It's raining Phase Ones! And they're free!”

Mr. Krabs gasped in horror at such a claim, but the rest of the townsfolk immediately ran outside, running over Fred in the process. “My leg again!!”

“Sorry, Fred! No time to help you now!” India said as she, Riverstream and Arctic swam outside to stop the munching townsfolk. “Kind of an emergency situation!”

“Stop it!” Mr. Krabs pleaded with the rest of the town. “You're eating into me profits!”

“And if you keep eating,” Riverstream agreed, “you’ll let Phase 2 happen all on its own, and Allura and these humans will win!”

But unfortunately... the townsfolk were too hungry to care.

Even Squidward, who overstuffed himself greatly, much to Riverstream's own concern.

And Patrick didn't even have enough to eat, going around and munching on all the half-eaten ones. “Are you gonna eat that?” he always asked before taking another bite. “Are you gonna eat that? Are you gonna eat that?!”

“Patrick, that’s your 45th one!” Arctic scolded as the girls gathered around, not noticing the net heading toward them. “You need to cut down on these things, or else you could become a--”

Suddenly, India, Riverstream and Arctic let out screams as they, along with Patrick, were scooped up and taken out of the water by a net that Phoebe was using. “How about the pink one?” Phoebe asked Sue Nahmee. “Yes! Good market research on pink,” Sue said as she stroked Cuda. “Put him in the gene machine!”

“Gene machine?!” Arctic blurt out, still trying to get used to her land legs. “Oh brother…”

“What about the sea-ponies?” Allura asked Sue with a suspicious look. “They’re not going to let their friends go easily.”

“Which is why they get to watch,” Sue said with a wicked smirk. “Their friends’ time will come soon enough, and before you finish all them off when Sunny and her friends get here, those tiny seahorses will get to watch their friends’ demise.”

The girls let out a nervous squeak at that before they were carried onto a table along with Patrick, where they were pushed out onto the counter while Patrick was put into the gene machine.

India groaned as she stood up, her new pegasus wings flaring. “Allura and Twitch are so gonna get it when we’re done with them.”

“We have to time this just right, Indy,” Riverstream reminded her friend. “We don’t wanna unintentionally put Bikini Bottom in more danger.”

Deciding to ignore the fillies' conversation for now, Sue turned to Kyle. “Get me two more.”

XXXXXXXX

As Kyle was walking over to the sphere with his net within reach to get two more test subjects, Squidward was currently in the middle of an argument with Mr. Krabs about taking orders during these desolate times. “I don't work for you in this insane orb! In fact, I'm getting as far away from you as I can get!”

But all of a sudden, much to their shock, the net scooped them up and began taking them toward the exit. “Avast!” Mr. Krabs cried in surprise, whereas only Squidward sighed in exasperation. “Typical.”

“Wait, wait!” Plankton cried, wanting to go with them, but it was too late-- they were already outside the sphere, leaving Plankton to whimper and walk back toward the Chum Bucket in defeat. “Why won't they pick me?” he asked himself. “It's just like high school all over again!”

XXXXXXXX

“They got Squidward and Mr. Krabs too?!” Riverstream cried out in panic as Mr. Krabs and Squidward were placed into two other gene machines right near Patrick. “Oh… I think this is getting even worse than before!”

“Is there any chance we can bust them out?” Arctic asked in a whisper. “Not unless we want to cause our friends anymore harm,” Riverstream said. “We’re just going to have to wait till the right time.”

“Commence phase two,” Sue commanded with a smirk as Patrick, Mr. Krabs and Squidward suddenly became fearful. “Allura… charge it.”

Allura sighed under her breath. “As you wish…”

And after Twitch got off of her back, Allura placed her paws upon a large crystal that could power the device, and once this was done, Phoebe turned the devices on.

Inside, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and Patrick were spun out of control against their will, and Patrick seemed to be the only one enjoying the gene-altering process.

Arctic whimpered and hugged up against India and Riverstream, who glared over at Twitch and Allura with nothing but pure hatred.

And finally, as quickly as it started, the process was finally over. The spinning finally stopped, and all the water drained out of the gene machines. Squidward was first to speak, feeling a mix of emotions and sickness now flowing through his body. “I think I’m gonna hurl…”

“Take us out of here, you monsters!” Mr. Krabs pleaded, banging up against the glass. “Again, again!” Patrick cheered. “Oh, can we go backwards this time?”

Allura sighed tiredly as she removed her paws from the crystal. “It’s done. They should be able to breathe on land now.”

“Excellent,” Sue said before turning to her more human lackeys. “Put them in the play-set! Let's test these puppies. Bring the tiny seahorses with ‘em too.”

“Seahorses?!” India growled, flaring her wings. “Why I ought to…”

“Do as Sue says, unless you want to be harmed,” Allura said as she towered over them, still shrunk down to their size to keep them in line. “Is that clear?”

India wasn’t about to do anything that overgrown house cat ordered her to do, but if it was for her friends… she didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter. “Fine,” India sighed eventually. “We’ll do it.”

Patrick, the fillies, Squidward and Mr. Krabs were then grabbed by Allura, Phoebe and Kyle and brought over to a play-set on the nearby countertop, which looked very much like Conch Street back in Bikini Bottom. “Yay! We're back home in Bikini Bottom!” Patrick cheered before noticing a lot of things… well, more one thing in particular. “Hey! Why is it so small?”

“Cause it’s not real, buddy!” Arctic said as she walked around the play-set. “It’s some kind of… unholy simulacrum!”

“Put us back in the water, ye landlubbin' demons!” Mr. Krabs pleaded with Phoebe and Kyle, allowing Allura to roll her eyes in exasperation. That’s when Squidward suddenly realized something. “Wait! We're not in the water!” he realized before trying to get a grip on the current situation. “I feel... I feel… five, six, seven, eight!”

“Squidward!” Riverstream was stunned that Squidward was trying to pull a musical number on them. “Seriously?!”

But even Riverstream’s stunned nature didn’t stop Squidward from bursting into song.

Squidward: I feel so strange

“Ugh…” India rolled her eyes.

Squidward: I feel so odd
This is rare, I’m breathing air
Someone applaud…!!!

Oh, the oxy…

But before the song could continue, Squidward was suddenly trapped in a snow globe, thanks to Allura’s powers. “Huh?!”

“Ugh… much better,” Allura scoffed before preparing to fly off. “I’m going to go find my star shard… it has to be around here somewhere. Summon me when Sunny and her friends arrive, Twitch.”

Twitch saluted as Allura flew away, and watching Squidward struggle in the snow globe made Mr. Krabs hum in thought. “Heh. Now why didn't I ever think of that?”

“Bring in the focus group,” Sue said as she made sure Allura was gone. “Let’s take these for a test drive.”

The doors to the lab soon opened, and in came a very rowdy and excitable pair of children, bouncing off the walls with excitement. “Toys! Gimme the toys! Where are the toys? Where are the toys?!”

“Hide… hide now!” India yelped, not wanting to be a doll or action figure for those kids to rip apart. “HIDE NOW!!!”

Arctic yelped as Riverstream pulled her into the model of Squidward’s house, with India joining them in there as the kids got closer. But from inside their hiding place, the three fillies saw the unthinkable-- Patrick being pulled in the most unimaginable ways, hugged and squeezed to the maximum, Squidward and Mr. Krabs being flung across the room and into the window and the three of them being brought against chess pieces and being forced into a large plate of spaghetti.

By the end of it, Twitch, Phoebe and Kyle seemed disturbed, the fillies’ friends were exhausted, and the fillies were mortified… all while Sue seemed pleased with how the tests worked out. “Yes! Yes! Excellent. Kyle. Pay them off and return them to their parents.”

Soon, once SpongeBob was there and Phase 3 would be completed, nothing would be able to stop Operation: Sea Pals.

Unless Sunny and her friends could foil Sue and Allura’s plans in time.

And that would take a miracle.

Learning of Allura's Involvement and Escaping from the Fuzz

Phase 1 and Phase 2 had already been put into effect, and Mr. Krabs, Patrick and Squidward had already been put through a kind of terror they were never gonna forget.

Rambunctious human children who were obsessed with toys.

India, Riverstream and Arctic knew there had to be some sort of way to get a message to Sunny, but they weren't exactly sure how yet.

But that didn't stop them from trying to come up with an idea in the meantime.

Maybe, since Pipp's phone worked so well in big places like this, maybe they could get some sort of signal and send it to Sunny and the others!

However, they had to find a way to get the message through soon... and hope that Phase 3 didn't happen before then.

XXXXXXXX

Zipp and Misty offered to help Ma and Pa Cheeks with the dishes after breakfast was over while everyone else went to do their own thing, and needless to say, Ma Cheeks was very impressed by the ponies' work ethic. “Pa and I appreciate y’all takin’ the time to help with the mornin’ supper dishes, girls,” she smiled. “Ya didn’t have to, ya know.”

“No problem, Mrs. Cheeks,” Misty smiled. “We’re happy to do it, especially after what you’ve done for us here recently.”

“Actually… we wanted to talk to you both while we were alone,” Zipp said, an uneasy frown on her face. “You see… I’m not just a pegasus. I’m also the heiress of Zephyr Heights… a title that my mom uses a lot regularly.”

“And… we noticed here recently that you guys seem to be putting a lot of pressure on Sandy,” added Misty, taking note of their surprised and stunned expressions. “In order to get her back to the circus.”

“Well, of course we are,” Ma Cheeks told them. “She’s our star and we love her. We only want what’s best for her.”

“We know that, and Sandy knows that,” Zipp said. “But, she loves what she does back in Bikini Bottom, and we’re sure you don’t wanna take her away from that. Plus… there’s something else. Do you see the little colt that Rosie and Rowdy are playing with?”

Ma and Pa turned to see Volcano, Rosie and Rowdy playing together, laughing and having a great time while Sandy looked on. “Volcano is in foster care right now,” Misty said. “He’s been through a horrible ordeal with his mother passing away, his father mistreating him and his sister… disappearing when he was little. Sandy is in the process of adopting him, and… she needs to be here for him.”

“Our little nut muffin is takin’ that little colt under her wing?” Pa asked, looking at Ma with surprise. “Why didn’t she say somethin’?”

“Well… adoptions can be really complicated,” Misty said with a frown. “It can take a long time, and Sandy probably didn’t wanna get her hopes up in case it didn’t go through.”

“But you should know… Sandy probably won’t wanna think of Volcano as a son if the adoption goes through,” Zipp added . “Volcano sees her as more of an older sister, or so he’s told me. Take all this into consideration. If Sandy is forced to leave Bikini Bottom and Volcano behind… well… I don’t know if…”

“Zipp! Misty! Everyone!” Sunny cried from the front. “Get up here! We just got a message from India… and it’s urgent!”

This got Zipp, Misty, Volcano and Sandy to look at each other in concern.

What could this be about?

XXXXXXXX

“So, don’t hold us in suspense, Sunny!” Pipp said as the Mane 6, Volcano, SpongeBob, Sandy and Tropic sat in front of the earth pony mare. “What’s India’s message?”

“Yeah,” Hitch nodded. “Are our friends okay?”

“I hope so. Here it is,” Sunny said before clearing her throat and reading. “Sunny, me and the rest of our friends are okay… a lot of Bikini Bottomites are scared, and not even the guardians can reassure them. We could really use some help right now, but there’s something else you should know.”

Sunny was just about to continue when she froze, her eyes widening. “Sunny?” SpongeBob tried to shake her. “What is it?”

Tropic glanced over Sunny’s shoulder to read the rest of the message. “Allura and Twitch are here too! They’re working together with some land witch with blue hair for a top-secret project, and in doing so, she’ll help Allura and Twitch get another star shard. They’re gonna get their revenge on you by getting through to us, we’re sure of it. We need you to hurry as fast as you can to save us… Bikini Bottom… AND Equestria while you’re at it. See you soon… India.”

“What?!” Volcano cried. “Allura’s holding our friends captive?!”

“But I thought y’all totally stopped that pussy-cat!” Sandy argued. “We did… for a while, at least,” Hitch sighed. “But if she gets another star shard, she’ll gain even more power!”

“Enough to create a portal,” Zipp muttered out of horror, “that leads all the way to Equestria!”

“Ohhhhhh this is bad!” Pipp panted out of terror. “So… totally… BAD!!!”

“What are we gonna do, Sunny?” Misty asked. “We can’t let Allura win!”

“I… I wish I knew…” Sunny said, sitting down. “We don’t have the secret to defeating Allura yet, and… we can’t keep fighting her like this.”

“Well, if you want my opinion…”

The Mane 6 gasped as they saw Randy climbing up to them from the driving position. “Oh, sugarcubes, Randy!” Pipp huffed. “How long had you been listening?”

“Hey, just happened to be in the neighborhood, Miss Petals,” Randy said before sitting down next to them. “Sunny, I don’t think your problem is that you haven’t found the secret to beatin’ Allura yet.”

Sunny looked confused. “Then… what is the problem?”

“Well, it sounds to me this Allura is right intimidating, and sometimes, you let her intimidate you and your friends with threats of hurtin’ those you love,” Randy said. “Don’t let her. Take everything she says with a grain of salt.”

“Randy, excuse me for saying so, but… that’s just ridiculous!” Zipp said with a serious frown. “Yeah!” Izzy huffed. “Sunny doesn’t let Allura intimidate her! R-Right, Sunny?”

“...no. He’s actually right, Izzy,” Sunny said, surprising the others greatly. “I do let Allura intimidate me, even when I don’t realize it.”

“...wow,” Pipp blinked. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“But you’re the heroes of Equestria!” Tropic pointed out with a frown. “You’re not scared of anything!”

“...that’s actually not true,” Sunny said, shaking her head in response to the claim. “I’m scared of a lot of things. Being the only alicorn left in Equestria… failing magic… failing my friends. I guess we’ve let Allura under our skins a little too much. We just need to focus on doing OUR best. Not letting her threats get to us. Thanks, Randy. I didn’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

Pipp hummed suspiciously in thought, but didn’t say anything as she and the rest of her friends comforted one another due to the harsh circumstances.

XXXXXXXX

Pa had fallen asleep on the gas pedal after a long while, and Ma Cheeks had fallen asleep while Rowdy and Rosie were painting her nails.

The Mane 6 were playing a game of cards in the passenger seat while Sandy sat with Volcano, rubbing his mane as he tried to get some sleep himself.

Tropic sat up on the dashboard with SpongeBob, and both of them were watching Randy pilot the jalopy. “Hey, Randy?” SpongeBob spoke up. “Will you show me and Tropic how to do the Cheeks Family Whistle like you promised?”

Randy flipped off of the steering wheel and hooked a rope to it, sort of an autopilot, then sat next to SpongeBob and Tropic. “Does Texas chili burn yer mouth?”

“Does it?” Tropic asked the Mane 6 quietly, causing them to look up and nod. “Huh, I guess it does!”

“Well,” Randy began, twisting the fingers on his hand into a strange shape, “just put your fingers in your piehole like so…”

SpongeBob tried to emulate him, but he got his fingers twisted all wrong, and Tropic, well, she didn’t have any fingers, being a pony. “All right, there you go,” Randy encouraged SpongeBob as he put his hand in his mouth. “Now just put your lips together and blow!”

“Come on, SpongeBob… you can do it!” Tropic said. “Just pretend you’re blowing up a giant balloon and it should come naturally.”

SpongeBob chuckled nervously before taking a huge breath and blowing as hard as he could. Unfortunately, as he tried to whistle, everyone suddenly heard the sound of sirens, causing them to react with great shock. “Wow, SpongeBob, nice one!” Izzy said with a smile. “You made your whistle sound just like one of those police sirens!”

Tropic then looked in the rear-view mirror with a bit of fright. “Uh, Izzy? I don’t think that was SpongeBob.”

Upon realizing she might be right, Randy looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a police car on their tail. “Wuh-oh. That’s the fuzz. Hold on, everybody!”

“What?!”

“Oh, no!”

Randy immediately swung down from the dashboard and sped the car up… pressing his foot right up against Pa’s face, waking him with a startle. “Keep your foot off my face! What the heck are you doing, boy?” Pa asked. “We gotta pull over!”

“Sorry, Pa!” Randy apologized. “Can’t nearly do that.”

“Why in the Sam Hill not?”

“Well,” Randy admitted, “I might’ve stashed a load of stolen nuts in the back.”

“Seriously?” Pipp said in a deadpan manner, folding her front hooves. “Dagnabbit, Randy!” Sandy scolded. “You let us off right here!”

“Yeah!” Volcano huffed. “You’re gonna ruin everything!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Randy said confidently, “I been in lotsa high speed chases, and ain’t never been caught once! I'll get you all there in half the time”

Sandy groaned in exasperation before hopping up and grabbing Tropic and SpongeBob. “Then do it,” she said sternly. “Just make sure you drop me and the ponies off at Galveston before you get hauled off to jail!”

“Well then, hold on tight!” Randy shouted as he steered the jalopy to the dirt road. Tropic whimpered nervously beside SpongeBob, worried that if they got caught, they weren’t going to save their friends from the lab and whatever Allura was planning. “Oooh, that’s funny,” SpongeBob said innocently while pointing ahead. “Looks like we're headed straight for a cliff.”

Everyone aboard began to scream as they realized that they really WERE heading for a cliff. “WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO US?!!!” Pipp wailed as the car sailed off the cliff toward the valley below, and everyone screamed once more as they fell through the sky, but thankfully, they were caught by a twister. “What do you know?” Sunny asked with a smile. “This is the same twister that caught us before, SpongeBob!”

SpongeBob waved to some cowboys below, who were eating around a campfire and saying, “beans, beans, beans,” over and over again. This caused SpongeBob to giggle. “This time we're downwind.”

Zipp then caught a whiff of the air, causing her to gag and cover her snout. “Definitely downwind…”

Suddenly, police sirens sounded again, and the gang saw that the police car was in ANOTHER twister, chasing after them. “Oh my pony, will this ever end?!” Pipp groaned in frustration. “If only India were here!” Tropic whimpered. “She’d be able to control the twister and get it to stop!”

“Hmm… maybe we don’t need India!” Sandy said, getting an idea. “You ponies follow me to the roof! We gotta get this twister stabilized!”

Not wanting to waste another second, while Sandy's family took cover, Sandy, SpongeBob and all the other ponies ventured through the tube system to the roof of the jalopy, and once they were there, Sandy broke out her lasso and began to twirl it. “Here's a trick Grandpa Cheeks taught me!”

“Ooh!” SpongeBob smiled. “What happened to him?”

“Uh…” Volcano’s ears pinned back nervously. “Eventually, this trick.”

Sandy swung her lasso out incredibly far, far enough to wrap it around the twister. “Okay, ponies, pull as hard as you can to tighten the lasso!” Volcano shouted to the others. “NOW!!”

Everypony pulled the lasso as tightly as they could, tightening it around the twister. Eventually, it caused the twister in its tracks, but Volcano knew their mere force wouldn't hold it in place for long. “Izzy, Misty! Use your unicorn magic to drop the anchor and keep us from moving!”

Taking this as a direct order, Izzy and Misty grabbed the anchor with their magic, and tossed it down to the ground below. And with the anchor in place, the twister holding the group stayed put while the one carrying the police car flew far out of sight. “Yee-haw!” Randy cheered as the ponies, SpongeBob and Sandy re-entered the jalopy and as they watched the other twister sail out of sight. “Theys moving faster than green grass through a goose! Nice work, sis.”

“Wasn’t just me,” Sandy said with a proud smile on her face, wrapping an arm around Volcano. “This little cow-pony sure took charge out there.”

“Really? Me as a cow-pony?” Volcano blushed nervously. “I-I never thought of myself like that before.”

But that’s when he began to wonder… how good WOULD he be as a cow-pony in Sandy’s family?

The jalopy then drove itself down the twister and back onto the main road, and after a few seconds, SpongeBob spotted another sign off the side of the road. “Galveston, eight miles.”

“Yes!” Tropic cheered as she and SpongeBob spun in celebration. “We’re almost there!”

But no sooner than this was said, a whole horde of police cars and helicopters gave the group chase, causing Tropic to sigh. “I’m really gonna have to stop saying stuff that’s motivational…”

“Gee,” Zipp rolled her eyes, “ya think?”

“Shoot!” Randy growled to himself. “We're gonna have to let you off without stopping.”

“Pull over!” one of the police officers shouted. “We have you surrounded!”

However, Sandy was more concerned with what her brother just said. “What are you talkin’ about?!”

“Sandy!” Pa Cheeks exclaimed from the back of the jalopy. “You and your friends get on back here!”

This caused Tropic, Sandy, SpongeBob and Volcano to look at each other and the Mane 6, worried, mind you, before they all followed Sandy’s family into the back, leaving Randy to drive…

…and hopefully get away from the cops before they were caught.

Finally Reaching B.O.O.T.S Lab/Heroes Captured and Sue's Motives Revealed

The Cheeks' family's jalopy was currently being chased by a swarm of police officers in cars and helicopters, and since Galveston was coming up fast, Randy deduced that they were going to have to let Sandy, SpongeBob and all the ponies off without stopping, much to Sandy's worry.

Now, we can only wonder... what are the squirrels planning in order to get our heroes to the lab in time to stop the evil plans Allura and Sue Nahmee were cooking up.

XXXXXXXX

The Mane 6 groaned as helmets were quickly placed on their heads, and they were quickly stuffed into a cannon with SpongeBob, Tropic, Sandy and Volcano, with all four of them wearing helmets as well, Sandy wearing water-skis and SpongeBob being strapped to Sandy with a long rope.

And after her family made sure that she and her friends were safely secure, Sandy looked up at her parents. “I gotta go get my friends!”

“That’s my girl!” Pa Cheeks praised. “You go get ‘em!”

“Aww… but dang it,” Volcano frowned, ears pinned. “We just got here.”

“Ma… Pa…?” Sandy looked up at her parents with sad eyes. “I just want to say…”

“You can tell us the next time you visit, dear,” Ma Cheeks said, patting her paw with her own with a smile. “Well… thank you guys so much for everything,” Sunny said gratefully. “It means so much to us.”

“We’ll never forget any of you,” Misty added sincerely. “And if we’re ever in Texas again,” said Zipp, “we’ll be sure to look the Cheeks Family Circus up-- we promise.”

After getting nods from the rest of the Cheeks family, the cannon began to lift up into the air until the jalopy roof opened, giving them a clear shot into the sky. “Water park is coming up!” Randy shouted from the driver’s seat. “And sorry, sis, I may have overloaded that cannon just a smidge.”

“Wait,” Pipp blinked in surprise. “Say what now?!”

But a second or two later, the group was shot out of the cannon quicker than they ever thought possible, leaving them to scream as they vanished from Randy’s sight. “Huh?” he blinked in realization, holding up a few parachutes. “I guess it's too late to give them these parachutes.”

XXXXXXXX

“I TOLD YOU TRUSTING RANDY WAS A BAD IDEAAAAAA!!!” Pipp wailed as the group sailed through the air at top speed toward the water park. “Guys, you forget!” Sunny said as she turned into her alicorn form. “A lot of us can fly!”

“Oh, yeah,” Pipp suddenly blinked. “I guess we forgot.”

Volcano and Tropic fell onto Pipp and Zipp’s backs, and then Sunny and the pegasus sisters grabbed Hitch, Izzy and Misty as Sandy unfurled her flaps and began descending toward the ground. “Whoo-hoo!” SpongeBob cheered. “All right!” Volcano cried, pointing his hoof down below. “We’re closing in on the water park!”

“Let’s land in that huge pool you pointed out before!” Zipp shouted to Sandy. “That would be our best option for us to fully turn into sea-ponies!”

“Good thinkin’, Zipp!” Sandy shouted. “Hang on!”

The group proceeded to head toward the water park, eventually touching down in the large floating pool that they were supposed to land in the first time around.

But while the ponies landed in the water and reverted to sea-pony forms, Sandy used her skis to help her and SpongeBob glide along the surface of the water, reminding Sandy of her old water-skiing act. “Whoo! I'm back in the circus!”

“Oh yeah!” SpongeBob struck a few poses. “Ta-da!”

“Sandy, SpongeBob!” Izzy cried as they were heading toward some floaters nearby. “Look out!”

SpongeBob and Sandy did hear Izzy's cry, but a bit too late-- they crashed right into the inner tubes of the floaters, causing the Mane 6, Tropic and Volcano to quickly swim to their rescue... at least before they were spotted.

XXXXXXXX

“I gotcha, Sandy,” Volcano said as he swam to shore with Sandy hanging on. “Let’s get you outta the water before something worse happens.”

He eventually climbed out of the pool, letting his tail turn into back legs again, and Sandy shook herself to get herself dried off as soon as they were on dry land. “I hate what chlorine does to my tail! Makes it all frizzy!”

“I know what you mean,” Pipp said with a groan as the rest of the Mane 6 joined them. “I don’t know if I’m gonna get this frizz out of my mane!”

“Uh… guys? One tiny question for ya,” Hitch said as he glanced around, noticing they were missing a few members of the group. “Where are Tropic and SpongeBob, exactly?”

“Huh?” Misty looked around. “I thought they were right behind me!”

As it turns out, SpongeBob and Tropic were still in the pool, and SpongeBob was using his ability to breathe underwater to his advantage, tickling people's feet as he and Tropic went by them, causing them to giggle and scream in reaction.

Eventually, Tropic and SpongeBob got out of the pool to join their friends. “Wow, guys, that was fun!” Tropic smiled. “This place has more legs than Squidward!”

“Well, now that you two have had a little fun, let’s find the lab,” Zipp said to her friends as she pulled out her visor. “It's gotta be somewhere in this water park.”

“Ooh!” SpongeBob exclaimed as the group began searching. “I got a great idea for Bikini Bottom. Air park!”

But as the group began searching with binoculars, they could have sworn they heard a strange sound... almost like something was growling at them. And when they turned, they came face to face with a large, growling pug... Cuda himself!

The group yelped in surprise, unsure of what to do about the situation, until Sunny got what seemed like a good idea. “EVERYPONY, RUN!!!”

This caused the others to scream and try and get away from Cuda, but the pug seemed to stay right on their heels. “The parks at Bikini Bottom don't have those things!” Tropic yelped as they ducked under several poolside chairs. “Dogs chasing squirrels?” Hitch panted. “How cliche!”

Eventually, the group fell into the pool, where the ponies reverted to their sea-pony forms once again. But just as they thought they were safe, Cuda jumped into the pool and began to doggy paddle after them toward the giant water slide. “Don’t eat me!” SpongeBob pleaded as Tropic drug him away. “I don’t taste good!”

“Now you know why I moved to the ocean!” Sandy panted out of fear as the ponies pulled the group onto the water slide. “Land critters are nuts!”

“Sandy! Somepony can seriously take offense to that!” Pipp said as the ponies tried to follow their friends up the water slide. “And by somepony, I mean me!”

“Get off to the side, hurry!” Misty shouted as the group jumped to the side of the slide, just as a large man came down the slide… right toward Cuda, causing him to yelp and swim to the side of the pool for safety. “Well,” said SpongeBob with a shrug, “I was hoping to make a splash here!”

“Yeah, yeah, real corny, SpongeBob!” Zipp said rather sarcastically as she tried not to slip. “I’m more focused on us making to the top of this thing alive since my wings are soaked!”

Finally, they reached the top of the slide tower and they all began to look for the lab and a quick way to get there in one piece. And it took her a minute, but Sandy was able to spot the dome-shaped building on the other side of a very large parking lot. “Yee-haw! We found it!”

“Great work!” Sunny praised with a proud smile. “Now all we gotta do is get over there and…”

But before Sunny could finish, the group turned and gasped upon hearing Cuda growling behind them, causing them to yelp. “Oh great… here comes the murder hound!” cried Izzy. “What are we gonna do?!”

“Well… there’s nowhere else to go except down!” Sandy declared to the others before grabbing SpongeBob’s arm. “Come on, SpongeBob!”

“WHOA!!!” SpongeBob, Volcano and Tropic yelped as Sandy and the older ponies suddenly leapt off the edge of the tower before they started flying away, leaving Cuda in the dust as they began to celebrate.

“Whoo-hoo!”

“We did it!”

“Hasta la vista, dog!”

“Yeeeee-haaaaaw!!!”

But the second they ended their cheering session, they gasped when they heard a ferocious bark, and the flyers and their passengers turned their heads to see Cuda riding a hang glider after them, causing Pipp to yelp. “Bad dog!”

“How are we gonna get away from him now?” Tropic asked worriedly as the dog kept dodging her magic blasts. “We can’t keep flying forever!”

Zipp looked down and saw a volcano squirting up hot water and steam, deciding it might be the perfect distraction to get away from Cuda. “Sandy! Volcano!”

“Huh?” Volcano looked confused from atop Zipp’s back. “Zipp, no need to yell at me, I’m right here!”

“No!” Zipp groaned before pointing down at the other volcano down below. “Head for THAT volcano!”

“Ohhhhh…” Volcano realized slowly, nodding his head. “Yeah, better idea.”

The group zoomed down toward the volcano as fast as they could, and when they got close enough, Zipp gave the others the signal. “NOW!!”

Sunny, Zipp, Pipp and Sandy piloted away from the volcano just as it erupted, sending Cuda (who got caught in the blast) sky high into the air, causing him to whimper and yelp.

The others cheered for their success, eventually touching down next to a grate that led right to the sewer system. “This should lead us straight to the lab!” Sandy said, lifting the grate. “Everyone in!”

“B.O.O.T.S Laboratory,” Sunny declared, “here we come!”

The ten of them jumped into the hole beneath the grate, bouncing around on every corner in every pipe they came into, screaming as they eventually landed out of the pipe system and into the main part of the sewers. “Ewwww gross!!” Pipp groaned, shaking dirt and grime off of herself. “This is gonna take forever to get the smell out!”

“Well, look on the bright side, Pipp,” Misty said as they began running. “At least we lost that dog!”

SpongeBob panted tiredly after this, despite the group not having gone very far. “Do you feel drained? I'm so drained!”

Izzy giggled at this, not noticing Cuda on the other side of the pipes trying to get to them. “Drained… I get it!”

“Well,” Sandy said, “I feel more like a mole than anything!”

Zipp, who was out in front, suddenly screeched to a halt, eyes wide with pure fear. “Wait, everypony, stop!”

“Why?” Sunny asked in concern, doing as Zipp said. “What’s wrong?”

That's when they suddenly saw it-- Cuda was trying to get through the pipe system and over to them, but the small dog was too big for those pipes, and he found himself stuck...

...something that hurt Hitch's heart. “Poor little guy… he’s whimpering!”

“Yeah, and we’re escaping!” Volcano said, pushing Hitch away. “Come on, we can go down another one of these pipes and continue on the other side!”

But as they moved through the pipes and got to the other side to keep moving, Hitch couldn’t help but feel bad for the still whimpering Cuda… and then again, Tropic felt bad for the sweet pug too.

After all, it wasn’t his fault his owner was so cruel.

After a moment, Tropic turned to Hitch. “Should we help him?”

“That’s exactly what I think we should do,” Hitch said before approaching Cuda’s backside. “Hey, buddy… me and my friend Tropic are gonna give your hindquarters a little push to get you free, okay? Just brace yourself!”

The dog answered with a slight bark, and Hitch and Tropic braced themselves to push the dog free. “One…” Hitch began. “Two…”

“THREE!!” Tropic shouted before she and Hitch began to push with all their might, and after a few moments, they finally got the dog free, allowing him to bark in joy. “You’re welcome, little cutie! Now stay out of those drains!” Tropic called to Cuda on the other side. “Come on, Hitch! We gotta catch up with our friends!”

Hitch nodded, and the two immediately galloped off to rejoin their friends, who had stopped in the middle of the tunnel to catch their breath. “Do I look flushed?” Pipp asked. “I feel flushed.”

“Nah, you look fine,” Tropic said before realizing why she felt so uneasy. “Wait a second… isn’t the sewer where all the flushed water goes when…?”

Suddenly, a flushing sound was suddenly heard behind them, causing them all to turn and see a huge wave of flushed water heading right toward them. “AHHHHHH!!!!”

“GUYS, RUN!!!” Tropic screamed before the group tried their best to get away from the wave. But unfortunately, they weren't able to run fast enough, and were caught in the wave, being tossed to and fro like yesterday's garbage.

Finally, Sunny was able to shift to alicorn form and was able to pull her friends toward a drain that she had managed to find, pulling everyone through it as a burst of water followed behind them, leaving them wet, but unharmed.

After a moment, Sandy was the first one to speak. “Huh… now I know what toothpaste feels like.”

“Yeah…” Misty said as she shook herself to get rid of the water on her fur. “Something I wish I didn’t have to feel like.”

“Focus, guys,” Volcano said sternly. “We gotta find our friends and get out of this place before Allura and this Sue Nahmee character spot us.”

Slowly, the group climbed out of the sink and onto the countertop, with Tropic being the first to spot Bikini Bottom in the large sphere. “There it is! Bikini Bottom!”

“Oh,” SpongeBob said as he couldn’t help but smile in relief. “I’m so happy!”

Sandy, however, let out a gasp. “I’m so horrified!”

“Don’t worry, we’re gonna get the town outta here,” Zipp reassured. “We just gotta make sure our friends are safe first.”

And it didn’t take long for SpongeBob and Tropic to spot one of those friends still inside the sphere. “Gary!”

Gary immediately brightened up when he saw them, and Tropic levitated herself and SpongeBob over to the sphere to see him. “Tropic! SpongeBob!” Sunny cried out, feeling that something wasn't right. “Wait!”

SpongeBob, however, laughed when Gary licked the side of the glass. “Good old Gary!”

“Don’t worry, boy, we’re gonna get you guys outta here!” Tropic promised before looking around, not seeing her sister or their other friends. “Have you seen the others?”

“Look!” Arctic said as she, Patrick and their other friends came out of hiding in the playset. “It’s Tropic, the other ponies and SpongeBob!”

“Helloooooo, SpongeBooooooob!!!” Patrick called out loudly to get his best friend’s attention, and it quickly did. “Helloooooo, Patrick!!”

“Sandy, you and Volcano stay here and keep watch,” Zipp told the duo sternly. “We’re gonna go check on our friends and make sure they’re not hurt.”

The Mane 6 quickly teleported over to the other countertop, thanks to Sunny and the unicorns using their magic, and Tropic and SpongeBob managed to make it over there on their own, where Patrick licked SpongeBob and Tropic’s faces, causing them to laugh. “Boyo!” Mr. Krabs cheered. “You’re really here!” India said gratefully. “You came to save us!”

“Yep…” Squidward said as he immediately slumped. “We’re doomed.”

“Glad to see you too, Squidward,” Misty said with a slight roll of her eyes. “Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine… other than the whole playtime incident, which we’ll tell you about later,” Arctic said before hugging Tropic tight. “I was so worried about you!”

“Seriously? I was worried about you!” Tropic emphasized. “When we found out that Allura was helping hold you guys hostage…”

“What did she want with you guys and Bikini Bottom anyway?” Hitch asked the others rather curiously. “What was her master plan?”

“Well, that’s just the thing,” Riverstream frowned. “We knew it was dangerous to warn you, in case things went south in the rescue plan, but she wanted you guys here so she could--”

“FINALLY!!!”

Cold blasts of magic came out of nowhere and froze the Mane 6 in their place, causing them to scream out of fear. “We’re trapped!” Zipp cried out. “Oh no no no!!” Riverstream yelped. “She knows they’re here!”

“She?” SpongeBob gulped nervously, eyes darting around the room. “You don’t mean…”

At that moment, Allura and Twitch (at the same size as SpongeBob and the others) landed not too far away, the snow leopard smiling maliciously. “Hello… SpongeBob and company.”

“Allura!” Tropic snarled. “As leader of the Bikini Bottom Guardians, I demand you let Sunny and her friends go at once!”

“How about… no?” Allura said before holding up her paw. “And unless you want to suffer the same fate, you’ll stay quiet, you idiotic foal.”

“Hey!” Sunny snapped. “Leave our friends out of this!”

“Suddenly brave when it comes to facing me and Twitch, Starscout? Admirable, but also foolish,” Allura said with an unreadable expression. “It shouldn’t be long before you and your friends suffer the ultimate downfall.”

Phoebe gasped as she suddenly entered the room, seeing SpongeBob immediately and taking note that Sunny and her friends had been captured. “Holy sugar cookies!” she cried, grabbing SpongeBob. “He’s here!”

“SpongeBob!” Tropic shrieked, but Twitch pounced on her, holding her down. “Let him go!”

“Tropic, don’t worry!” SpongeBob tried to reassure the filly. “I’ll be fine! Uh… at least, I hope I will be.”

“Hey,” Kyle said calmly, taking SpongeBob from Phoebe. “I found him.”

“Excellent!” Sue Nahmee said as she entered the room, earning a glare from the Mane 6. And after immediately realizing what Sue was up to by looking at the instruments in the room, Sandy let forth a growl. “Sue… Nammy!” she said, earning the woman’s attention. “You're an embarrassment to scientists everywhere!”

“It’s Nahmee,” Sue emphasized. “Oh, really? We’ve always said Nammy,” Sandy said, realizing her mistake. “Aw, I'm so sorry.”

“Uh, Sandy?” Volcano said as he tried to redirect his friend’s thoughts. “Are we forgetting something here?”

“Um… oh, you’re right!” Sandy realized before turning to Sue in anger. “How dare you team up with Allura to hurt the ponies? And also, how dare you scoop up our friends for profit!”

“Oh, Miss Cheeks,” Sue smirked as she got closer. “I'm so glad you brought Sunny, her friends and even our prized trophy SpongeBoy to us.”

“His name,” Volcano snarled, taking a fighting stance immediately, “is SpongeBob! GET HER!!!”

And with that, he and Sandy leapt on the woman to attack, but since Volcano’s powers weren’t up to speed yet, and since he and Sandy were rather small, they couldn’t really inflict much damage, and after a moment, Sue grabbed them and carried them toward a small hamster cage set up on the counter. “Vermin!”

“Oh, you wanna play, do ya?” Sandy snarled as Volcano tried to wiggle from Sue’s grip. “I'll show ya how you play Texas style! Take that!”

After a moment, Sue tossed them in the cage and locked them up, leaving Sandy to bite at the metal bars in order to escape... just before Phoebe and Kyle approached. “Hey, girl squirrel!” Phoebe greeted as if nothing was wrong, prompting SpongeBob to wave. “Hey, Sandy and Volcano!”

“Phoebe?” Volcano looked betrayed. “Kyle?”

“How's your science going?” Kyle asked, but Sandy had to disregard this. “How could you turn to the dark side of science?”

“Yeah,” Volcano nodded. “You’re her friends!”

Kyle spared a glance at Phoebe before deciding to explain. “Uh, Sue got us a vending machine for the break room. And if we're good she says she just might… fill it.”

“WHAT?!” the Mane 6 exclaimed out of shock, appalled as Allura began to fly over to them. This caused Kyle to nod. “That was a year ago.”

“Why are you idiots standing around?!” Allura snarled out of anger. “Get the sponge into the cloning machine, on the double!”

Sandy looked shocked at this. “Cloning machine?!”

“That monster,” said Mr. Krabs, “is gonna clone us and sell us as pets!”

Sandy, Volcano, Tropic and the Mane 6 each let out a horrified gasp at this… what else could go wrong?

XXXXXXXX

Phoebe and Kyle set SpongeBob up in a roller coaster-like device, and SpongeBob treated this as if this was just a normal event. “Hope I'm tall enough for this ride!” he said before looking toward the steep hill in front of him, becoming quite intimidated. “FYI, I usually stick with the kiddie rides. Weak stomach.”

To buy himself a bite more time, SpongeBob stuck his arm outside of the car. “Psst! This arm isn't inside the vehicle.”

But unfortunately, Kyle stuck it back into the car before turning it on, sending SpongeBob right toward the cloning machine.

“Soon,” Sue declared, “there will be a SpongePants for every household!”

“What happens to the original?!” Sandy asked in terror. “The original will no longer exist,” Allura smirked, “but… there will be legion.”

“A legion of SpongeBobs?!” Riverstream cried out, causing Squidward to sigh. “Someone kill me now!”

“And,” Sue added, sending a glare in Sandy’s direction, “I never would have known about this porous little treasure if it weren't for you.”

“Leave Sandy alone! She didn’t do anything wrong!” Volcano said, getting in front of the squirrel who had done so much for him. “Why would you do this, anyway?”

“I’ll tell you why, Volcano Spark,” Sue said, frightening the little colt slightly. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl. A little girl who loved fish. I mean really... loved... fish. She wished she could take them out of the water so she could cuddle and sleep with them. But every time she tried that… they died.”

“Uh, yeah,” India rolled her eyes. “It’s not rocket science!”

“SHUT IT!!” Allura snarled before letting Sue continue her story. “And this made the little girl…”

There seemed to be quite a long pause at this, as if to let the suspense grow. “...frustrated!” Sue finally continued, deepening Sandy and Volcano’s glare. “She used her family's considerable fortune to travel the world, swimming with swordfish in San Tropez, ogling octopi in Orlando, and finally. an unfortunate encounter with piranhas in Peru deprived her of her earthly body.”

“Huh?” Volcano looked confused at this… Sue’s body didn’t look that bad outta shape. “And yes, Volcano Spark and Sandy Cheeks,” Sue said with a smile. “That little girl… was ME!!”

Sue quickly removed her coat, revealing her robotic body underneath, causing gasps of terror from everyone in the room… even Phoebe, Kyle, Allura and Twitch were shocked by such a reveal.

Tropic whimpered and hid her eyes, wanting SpongeBob next to her to protect her while Sue glared down at Sandy, who was trying to protect Volcano. “I'm doing something great and beautiful, thanks to your scientific research, Cheeks!”

And with that, several holographic videos began to play, demonstrating Sandy doing countless science experiments back in Bikini Bottom…

…all the research she had sent to B.O.O.T.S for all this time. “My science…?” Sandy stammered as she looked at all the footage. And that’s when she saw the betrayed looks of the other Bikini Bottomites… even SpongeBob looked betrayed. “Guys, wait a second!” Volcano tried to defend his friend. “Sandy didn’t know they were using her to spy on Bikini Bottom!”

“No… they’re right to be mad at me, Volcano,” Sandy said, hugging herself. “Randy was right too… they were all right.”

“Sandy…” Volcano tried to not let his voice tremble. “No…”

“With Sea Pals,” Sue continued, not caring if Sandy was heartbroken or not, “I'm giving the whole world a chance to cuddle with the creatures of the sea! I am so good!”

“We were going to feed you to the fish, Cheeks,” Allura said. “And if that didn’t work, I was going to eat you, but… I think we would rather see you scamper on that wheel in your cage.”

Sandy whimpered and looked toward the wheel in the cage, not even having the heart to look over at Volcano. “I reckon you’re right,” she muttered, getting on the wheel depressedly. “All I'm good for is scampering.”

“Sandy…” Volcano whimpered. What was he gonna do now?

How could he convince Sandy that this wasn’t her fault?

Allura finally turned to Sue with an expectant look. “I believe that since we both got what we wanted, Nahmee, I deserve my prize,” she said. “Don’t you think?”

Sue sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine… the star shard is in my desk in the next office over-- you can’t miss the little thing.”

“Do you realize what you’re doing?!” Misty cried to Sue. “If you give her that shard, you’re allowing her to gain more power that she could use to destroy other worlds!”

“I know… isn’t it wonderful?” Allura smirked over at the ponies with malicious greed. “And as soon as I get that shard… your downfall will only be minutes away. HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”

And just like that, she and Twitch flew out of the room, leaving the Mane 6 and their friends to wonder one thing and one thing only.

How are they gonna get out of this one?

SpongeBob Gets Cloned and the Final Battle

The Mane 6 had been captured by Allura, and Sandy and Volcano had been captured by Sue Nahmee, who revealed to be half cyborg before revealing she never would have gotten inspired for Sea Pals without Sandy's research.

You can bet Sandy felt pretty awful when she heard this, and not even Volcano had the resources to comfort her.

And since Allura and Twitch had left to find the star shard, the Mane 6 were worried that their lives were going to end in mere moments...

...unless something could be done to stop them.

But the question was... what in the world could they do to get themselves and their friends out of this nightmare?

XXXXXXXX

Sue quickly approached SpongeBob, who was getting closer and closer to the cloning machine and getting more and more frightened. “Welcome to the Cloning Popper, SpongyBoy! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

SpongeBob could only chuckle nervously at this, not realizing that he was in as much danger as Sunny and her friends were in that moment. “Avast there, land witch!” Mr. Krabs pleaded as Riverstream tried to comfort Tropic. “Do not pop SpongeBob! It's the only thing I'll ever ask of ye!”

But of course, Sue paid no mind to these claims, only caring for herself and her own needs.

SpongeBob was becoming more and more nervous as the small coaster car reached the top of the hill, but just then, he was ejected out of his seat, causing him to scream as he was suddenly thrown into the cloning machine.

And after a moment of sitting on his face, SpongeBob sat up and took a breath. “It’s hot in here...” he said as the machine began to charge up. “I-I feel funny.”

But suddenly, SpongeBob felt himself being lifted off the ground, causing him to panic. “Hey... what's happening?!”

At that moment, several parts of his body began to split into smaller versions of himself, which he didn’t think was all at that weird... at first. “Hello, little me!”

But that's when he noticed his hands turning into small versions of him too, fingers and all... even his nose was turning into a miniature version of himself. “That’s weird!”

The Bikini Bottom residents watched from the edge of their glass, completely shocked at what is happening-- Mrs. Puff fainted, one fish covered his eyes and Larry the Lobster grabbed onto that fish and used him to cover his own eyes.

Sandy turned to look at SpongeBob with huge teary eyes, but then she and Volcano gasped in total fear and shock. “SPONGEBOB!!!” Volcano cried out. “NO!!!”

“Which one is the real me?!” SpongeBob’s vision kept darting around at all the miniature versions of himself, unsure of what to think. He closed his eyelids, then they lifted open as two SpongeBob's popped out in place of where his pupils should be. Then he began swelling up, about ready to burst from the cloning process. “I don't even know who I am anymore!!!”

And then, all of a sudden... the original SpongeBob exploded into hundreds of tiny SpongeBobs, and this caused Tropic to scream and sob, heartbroken at what was happening to her best friend.

Sue, however, seemed satisfied as she peered into the cloning machine. “Perfect! Now give it a little time for them to grow to actual size.”

“Avast ye, land witch!” Mr Krabs pleaded as he and India approached Sue from the floor. “Do not give it a little time for them to grow to actual size! It's the only thing I'll ever ask of ye.”

It was at that moment that Cuda came out of the sink, witnessing everything that was happening. And when he saw that those who helped him were in danger because of his former owner, he knew there had to be something to do to help...

...starting with those cloned SpongeBobs. “Hey, Blue Hair!” India taunted. “Over here!”

Cuda barked at Sue to get her attention, and Mr. Krabs knew that in order for this to work, Sue would need to be distracted one last time. “Land witch! Hello!”

“Cuda, do something!” Hitch pleaded as he and the Mane 6 tried to break out of the ice. “Please! We're begging you!”

At hearing this desperate plea, Cuda hopped right over to the machine and knocked it to the ground, breaking it and releasing the SpongeBobs. “NO!!!” Sue cried before pouting. “They needed more time to grow...”

That's when she noticed Cuda chasing after some of the SpongeBobs around the lab. “Cuda, no! Heel! Stop, Cuda!”

“We've got a SpongeBob spill on aisle five,” Patrick said calmly over the intercom. “That is a SpongeBob spill on aisle five.”

“Kyle, Phoebe! Do something!” Sue commanded, and her two scientist lackeys tried to put the cloning machine back together, trying not to make Sue madder than she already was.

XXXXXXXX

“Sunny, what are we gonna do?” Misty asked. “We’re still trapped and Sandy and Volcano may end up being our only hope!”

“Tropic, you've gotta get over there and help convince Sandy and Volcano to break outta that cage and stop Sue before Allura and Twitch get back with the star shard!” Zipp said. “And oh yeah, and convince Volcano to get us out of here!!”

“Okay... I'll be right back!” Tropic promised her friends before climbing onto the ground and getting in the middle of a small SpongeBob swarm. “Okay, SpongeBobs... forward to Sandy and Volcano’s cage!”

The swarm of SpongeBobs cheered and darted right over to the cage, carrying Tropic along with them. And once they finally reached the cage, one of the SpongeBobs stayed behind with Tropic and tried to communicate with Sandy and Volcano... only for all of it to come out in high-pitch chattering.

Volcano seemed relieved that his friends were okay... well, partly, but Sandy only sighed and continued to mope around on her exercise wheel. “Sorry, tiny SpongeBob. 'Fraid I can't hear ya.”

“I hate to admit it, but... yeah,” Volcano winced as be spoke. “You're gonna have to find some way to speak up, SpongeBob.”

“Luckily,” Tropic said, reaching out of nowhere and pulling out a megaphone, “I have this!”

That's when Tropic handed the tiny SpongeBob the megaphone, causing him to clear his throat. “I just want to tell you not to feel bad because this was not your fault!”

“Yeah,” Sandy nodded with a sad look, “it was.”

“...well yeah, okay, you got me there,” SpongeBob said, causing Tropic to glare at him. “What he's trying to say,” the green unicorn stated, “is... don't give up on saving Bikini Bottom!”

SpongeBob nodded, snatching the megaphone back from the unicorn filly. “Think of everything we've been through! The plane, the twister, the snakes, your family... and those zombie vampire werewolves!”

Sandy stopped and turned to him at that. “Wait... zombie werewolves?”

“Ha, gotcha! We were checking to see if you're paying attention,” Volcano said before becoming quite serious. “Bikini Bottom is our home, Sandy... it's not something to be reproduced and sold.”

“And all of us sea creatures,” the tiny SpongeBob continued, unaware that Phoebe and Kyle were having a change of heart themselves. “We’re not just your friends, we're your--”

Sandy finally realized what SpongeBob and the foals were trying to say, her eyes lighting up with joy and realization. “...you're my family!”

“Aww...” the Mane 6 couldn’t help but coo, and as Phoebe and Kyle removed their hats in respect, India even saw a lot more SpongeBobs playing classical, heartwarming music down on the floor.

And after the music died down, Sandy suddenly made a decision that reinstated all her beliefs and self-morals. “And I don't turn my back on kin!”

“Attagirl, Sandy!” Zipp cheered. “We knew you wouldn’t let us down!”

“All right, Sandy...” Volcano took a deep breath and joined Sandy on the wheel. “Let’s do this!”

And so, as Tropic and the tiny SpongeBob leapt to get somewhere out of harm's way, the two of them began to roll on the wheel as fast as they could, in order to fully ensure their plan went smoothly.

XXXXXXXX

Phoebe and Kyle watched this, wondering what they should do when all of a sudden, Sue stomped right over to them, looking furious. “What are you idiots doing? Fix that machine now!” she barked. “And sweep up these SpongeBobs!”

“Yes, boss!” Phoebe and Kyle said at once, purely out of fear. But once they were alone, Phoebe turned to Kyle with exasperation. “You're such a suck-up! Can't believe you made us follow Allura and Sue's evil plan.”

“Hello!” Kyle said as if it was obvious. “She bought us a vending machine.”

“With money,” Phoebe emphasized, “from our paychecks!”

Kylie blinked at her stupidly. “We get paychecks?”

“Oh my gosh…” Phoebe sighed to herself, wondering what she and Kyle were going to do now. But looking over at Sandy and Volcano increasing the hamster wheel’s speed, Kyle finally made an audible decision. “The heck with Sue Nahmee and her stupid empty vending machine!”

He and Phoebe both put the pieces of the cloning machine down before looking at each other. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Zipp said while looking around, “you guys need to help Sandy and Volcano out of that cage before Allura and Twitch get back! Volcano might have heat powers strong enough to melt the ice around us!”

“Come on, guys!” Volcano shouted in the direction of the approaching Phoebe and Kylie as he and Sandy continued to run. “Line us up!”

Phoebe and Kyle proceeded to pick up the cage and centered it so it was directly facing Sue Nahmee, who had her back turned to them at the moment.

“Right about…”

“...there!”

In fact, Sandy and Volcano were spinning that hamster wheel around so fast, Volcano’s hooves began to get red-hot, signaling that his elemental powers were in effect. And after a moment, the hamster wheel broke loose, and Sandy and Volcano were sent rocketing out of the cage! “YEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAW!!!”

“RAH!!!” Volcano cried out in unbridled anger as he and Sandy charged right at Sue Nahmee with the hamster wheel, knocking it into her and causing her to fall to the ground while Sandy and Volcano were able to leap to safety.

Needless to say, many were cheering because of this development.

“WHOO-HOO!!”

“You got her!”

“Way to go!”

“Attagirl, Sandy!”

“Awesome job, Volcano!”

“You guys got this!”

But as you might expect, Sue Nahmee was the only one not happy because of this. “Nobody knocks over Sue Nahmee with a hamster wheel!”

“Well now,” Sandy smirked, “could'a swore I just did!”

“Yeah!” Volcano snarled. “Robo-jerk!”

When Sue Nahmee got back onto her feet, she growled furiously, but Volcano already had a plan. “Sandy, I gotta get Sunny and her friends outta that ice before Allura and Twitch get back!” Volcano said. “You distract Sue Nahmee for as long as you can!”

“You got it, Volcano!” Sandy replied, before charging to Sue Nahmee, and beginning to climb up her leg, agitating Sue Nahmee further. At the same time, Volcano climbed up to the countertop where the others were and reared up, ready to melt the ice. “Dancing Flames!”

And with this being said, Volcano shot a strong wave of fire from his hooves, melting the ice that had the Mane 6 trapped. “Thanks, Volcano!” Sunny smiled, as she was now finally able to activate her alicorn form. “We were starting to get a little chilled.”

“Oh, ho, ho, it is on NOW, Sue Nahmee!” Izzy shouted as she lit up her horn, ready for action.

“I don’t think we have to worry about Sue Nahmee just yet, Iz,” Riverstream frowned. “I think Allura and Twitch are on their way back!”

“Then we gotta be ready to fight when she gets here!” Tropic said firmly. “Come on, guys… we know what we have to do!”

Riverstream, Arctic, India, Volcano and Tropic nodded before putting their hooves/fins on the pearl necklaces they were wearing. “PEARL POWER!!!”

Their pearl necklaces began to glow brightly at this, and as the foals’ eyes gleamed in determination, that’s when their appearances began to change.

Arctic and Tropic were the first to transform, a small pearl floating around each of them. The two pearls swirled downward as the two sisters gained Roman warrior girl style armor on their bodies, Tropic’s in dark green and Arctic’s in dark blue.

Then, India and Volcano began twirling staffs made of lightning and fire, giving them their own Roman styled armor on their bodies as well, India's being a dark purple and Volcano's being a dark red.

And lastly, Riverstream used a ribbon of light to transform her body and give her a silver Roman warrior outfit much like her friends.

And once they were all transformed, they all took on heroic poses and stood in front of their friends.

Zipp sighed proudly. “I’ll never get tired of seeing that.”

At that moment, Allura returned, this time with TWO star shards hanging on her neck. “At last… victory shall FINALLY be mine!”

“I wouldn’t count on it, furball!” Pipp challenged with a smirk. “What?!” Allura looked furious while Twitch looked stunned. “Impossible!”

“Not so impossible when you got a fire pony on your side!” Volcano shouted. “Arctic, Tropic, Riverstream and India, you guys protect Mr. Krabs, Patrick and Squidward,” Sunny instructed. “Volcano, go and help Sandy. The rest of us will take care of Allura and Twitch.”

“Got it!” the 5 young ponies chorused, before setting off to perform their specific tasks. “YAH!!!” Izzy cried out as she charged toward Allura, knocking her to the ground. “You gotta learn from this, Allura,” Zipp said fiercely. “If you mess with our friends, you mess with us!”

“Oh, I’ll take great pleasure from this, believe me,” Allura challenged. “Now… the fight for these shards is ON!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Volcano raced up Sue Nahmee’s leg, and up to Sandy. “The others have Allura distracted, but I don’t know for how long!” he shouted. “Any luck trying to stop the robo-jerk?”

Sandy was trying to remove a panel on Sue Nahmee’s back, with no luck. “Not yet! I can’t get this ding-dang control panel open!”

“Rotten rodent and miniature horse!” Sue groaned as she tried to get them off. That’s when Volcano spotted a magnet hanging from the mini fridge nearby. “Kyle! Throw us that magnet!”

Kyle ran to the fridge, grabbed the magnet, and flung it to Sandy, who caught it with surprising ease. And with the magnet, Sandy was able to pull out the screw to the control panel. “Ha! Science!”

She opened the panel, grabbed a wire, and ripped it in half with a triumphant laugh. “NO!!” Sue Nahmee cried out as Sandy began to pull on the wire, controlling her movements. Volcano then grabbed the wire and decided to have a little fun with it, pulling on it to make Sue Nahmee do a country dance. “Oh, I like this,” Phoebe smiled as she and Kyle danced along. However, Sue Nahmee wasn’t enjoying this at all. “What's this? River dance? What am I doing?”

Volcano laughed at this, finding enjoyment in Sue Nahmee's demise for what she did to his friends. Then, Sandy grabbed the wire and made Sue Nahmee do, much to her dismay, the Robot. “Oh no! No!” she said sternly. “No! No!”

Kyle and Phoebe began to dance along, only to make Sue Nahmee angrier. “Nobody makes Sue Nahmee do the Robot!”

“Come on, Sandy!” Volcano cried out. “One final blow oughta do it!”

On that cue, Sandy grabbed her lasso and swung it up to the ceiling. Volcano grabbed onto her, and the duo were pulled up by the lasso toward the ceiling. “Hey, Sue Nahmee!” cried Volcano out of determination. “This is for our friends and for all of Bikini Bottom! But more importantly, this is for ME!”

Once they were high enough, they let go of the lasso, diving towards Sue Nahmee. And low and behold, the forceful impact of their kick was powerful enough to get Sue to tumble into the sphere holding Bikini Bottom, and causing her head to come off of her robot body. “I just wanted to cuddle fiiiiiiiiiiiish!” she yelled as her head flew to the other side of the room. And then, her head landed right inside the mutant fish's mouth, causing many inside the Bikini Bottom sphere to gag.

But then... something rather unexpected occurred.

The fish popped back up, but it seemed that Sue’s head, still stuck in its mouth, was now CONNECTED to the fish itself. This weirded out the Mane 6.

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

“What in the actual-?”

Even Twitch and Allura stopped the fight in surprise. “I… I’m a fish!” Sue cried out, not believing this herself. “How is this possible? It's a scientific breakthrough!”

“It’s something,” Arctic muttered to Riverstream, who nodded in agreement. Sue then began to swim around in excitement. “I live it! I love it! I’m finally a fish!”

And with that, Sue dove under the water, not to be a bother to anyone again. “Whoa!” Sandy blinked in surprise amist the cheering SpongeBobs on the floor. “I didn’t see that coming.”

Allura, fed up with these pests ruining her plans, growled and leapt toward Sandy, something Tropic didn’t fail to see. “SANDY, LOOK OUT!!”

Unfortunately, Tropic wasn't able to warn Sandy of the threat fast enough. Sandy yelped as Allura pounced onto her, malicious intent in her eyes. “You know, Sandy Cheeks... squirrel is a rare delicacy where I come from,” Allura said, licking her chops. “And frozen squirrel... that will be a treat all its own.”

Something about that made Volcano fearful for Sandy’s life, especially when Sandy began to whimper and try to free herself from Allura's hold. But then... Volcano's powers began to flare up immensely, due to his anger rising more and more. “Leave... Sandy... ALONE!!!”

Volcano leapt right at Allura, knocking her to the ground while Volcano's eyes glowed with intense anger. “You can take me on all you want, you greasy furball!” he snarled. “But leave my big sister out of it!”

“Volcano, stop!” Sunny cried out as the Mane 6 rushed to the scene. “She’s too dangerous for you to take on alone!”

However, Volcano stood firm against her. “Let her come. I'm ready.”

“Why do you care for this squirrel so much?” Allura panted as she slowly picked herself up off the ground. “She is no way related to you, and you still call her family.”

“In case you didn't know this, Allura... family is built off love, not blood,” Volcano spat. “And if you mess with my friends... who are really my family... you have to get through me.”

“Through all of us,” Tropic declared as she and the rest of the Mane 6 came forward, ready to attack Allura if they needed to. However... Allura thought about what Volcano had said for a moment.

Something in her mind triggered a bunch of memories from her childhood... before all this started. Memories of her dear brother, Alterro, who she missed terribly.

And thinking about these memories triggered something in Allura that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Compassion.

Volcano and Sandy were as close as she and Alterro were... and they didn't deserve to be harmed. At least... not right now.

Allura sighed as she removed a star shard from her neck, and gave it to Volcano, who took it with hesitation before realizing this wasn't a practical joke. “...you're giving this up?” Volcano seemed surprised. “Why?”

“Well, you know more about family than I realized, and I believe that you deserve to keep this,” Allura explained, gentler than she had ever sounded, honestly surprising Sunny and her friends.

Never, in all their time that they knew Allura, had she spoken so... kindly to one of their friends.

Or them, if they were to be honest with themselves.

Volcano looked at the shard in his hoof, but managed to look at Allura after a moment. “...thank you.”

Then, Allura did something no pony thought was possible for her. She smiled a kind smile at the young red pony, and though he had some hesitancy, Volcano smiled back at her. “Come along, Twitch,” Allura called out to the rabbit. “We’re leaving now.”

Twitch hopped onto Allura’s back before the flying leopard took off. And as they watched her fly away, Misty looked toward Sunny. “Should… we be worried about what just happened?”

“...I’m not sure yet,” Sunny answered honestly. “All we do know is that Bikini Bottom is safe again… for real this time.”

An Underwater Circus Celebration/Returning Home at Last

Bikini Bottom was successfully returned to the bottom of the ocean, and all of the heroes and their friends were safe at last.

But that's not even the best part.

Volcano Sparks had been officially adopted into the Cheeks family as Sandy's new younger brother, which is what he wanted ever since they met.

And the Mane 6 thought that since the entire Cheeks family was here, they could celebrate both their success and Volcano's adoption with an underwater version of the Cheeks Family Circus!

Queen Skygrace would be back in just a few days, so she would be able to announce the acts and get caught up to speed on events that had happened while she was away.

Now there was only one thing to do... plan out the acts, and get the word about this circus-y celebration.

XXXXXXXX

A few days later, after Queen Skygrace had returned and had been filled in about the past few days' events, the plans for the big celebration had been settled, and was going to take place at the Krusty Krab, with Sandy and Volcano headlining the show, Queen Skygrace and the Mane 6 being the guests of honor and SpongeBob and Tropic being the announcers for the event itself.

Finally... the big night had arrived.

Fish from all over came to see the Cheeks Family Circus in person, and Mr. Krabs knew he was gonna make a ton of money with them here.

And once the stands had been filled, SpongeBob knew that it was officially time to start the show. “Ladies and gentle-fish, Bikini Bottom and the Krusty Krab proudly present... the Cheeks Family Circus!”

“Now,” Tropic added with a smile, “with their newest addition, our very own Volcano Spark!”

A spotlight shone on the tightrope, revealing SpongeBob and Tropic balancing on it. SpongeBob pulled out a hoop and hung upside down from the tightrope, holding the hoop in just the right position for Randy to jump through on his waterskis.

But since they were underwater, Randy had attached wheels to the skis, and the audience watched in awe as he zipped around the tent. “Thank you! Oh, you're too kind!” he said, winking to the audience. “Yay!!” Tropic cheered happily. “Whoo-hoo! Go, Randy!”

A few fans, including Squidward, who had fainted into Riverstream’s fins, swooned over Randy. As Randy continued to ride through the tent, Pa Cheeks was rolling on a barrel. “We're having a barrel of fun!” he said with a laugh. Ma Cheeks jumped onto his hand and began juggling bowling pins and Sandy’s little siblings, Rosie and Rowdy, as Grandma Cheeks walked in on her stilts. “Don’t try this at home!”

Patrick, Arctic, Izzy and Pipp, as well as a few more audience members, were almost hit by her stilts as she moved them past, but they were able to dodge and keep cheering.

Meanwhile, Mr. Krabs and India were handing out Krabby Patties to the audience. “Krabby Patties! Krabby Patties!” Mr. Krabs called out. “Get your Texas-style Krabby Patties right here!”

“We'll take some, Mr. Krabs!” Sunny called from where she and Hitch sat with Kyle and Phoebe (who shrunk down and were wearing scuba suits in order to watch the show with them) and Queen Skygrace. Mr. Krabs laughed giddily as he gave Sunny five Texas-styled Krabby Patties, one each for her, Hitch, Queen Skygrace, Kyle, and Phoebe.

And needless to say, Kyle and Phoebe were enjoying themselves. “Cheers to Sandy for making that shrink ray,” Phoebe said as Sunny handed her a Krabby Patty. “I still don’t see why she had to make me shorter than you,” Kyle pouted as he tried to eat his Krabby Patty. “Well, I'm just glad everything is back to normal at last,” Queen Skygrace sighed with a smile. “I have to thank you ponies again for what you've done for my sister and her friends.”

“You’re welcome, Queen Skygrace!” Sunny responded with a proud smile. “We’re just happy Sandy gets to keep doing what she loves,” Hitch smiled. “Along with the fact that Volcano's been adopted into a family he adores.”

Sunny looked at the stage and noticed the spotlight beginning to center on the edge of the arena. “Ooh! Speaking of Sandy and Volcano, I think they’re getting ready to go on!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Zipp and Misty were helping Sandy and Volcano get ready for their own performance. “You feeling nervous, Volcano?” Zipp asked the young colt, causing Volcano to nod. “A little, I guess.”

“Thanks guys,” Volcano said gratefully as he and Sandy took to the stage for their performance.

XXXXXXXX

“And now,” Tropic announced to the crowd, “the headliners themselves, Volcano Spark and Sandy Cheeks!”

Everyone cheered as Sparky placed cowboy hats on Sandy and Volcano’s heads. Sandy began to play her guitar, beginning her and Volcano’s performance.

Sandy: Well, it's Texas up top
Bikini at the Bottom
I love three families
And I'm sure glad I got 'em

I'm a surf and turf

Chorus: Surf and turf

Sandy: Blue water, red dirt

Chorus: Blue water, red dirt

Sandy: Got two homes, two neighborhoods
Hey Ma, hey Pa
Your girl done good

Sandy played a guitar interlude as she, Sparky, and Volcano rode around the tent, before beginning the second verse.

Sandy: Sometimes I’m gonna stay
Sometimes I’m gonna go
A place is just a place
Your heart makes it a home

Volcano: She’s the surf and turf

Chorus: Surf and turf

Sandy: Blue water, red dirt

Chorus: Blue water, red dirt

Sandy: Got two homes, two neighborhoods
Hey Ma, hey Pa
Your squirrel done good

Volcano did a little flip in the air. “Whoo-hoo!!”

Sandy played another guitar interlude as everyone danced, before diving into the bridge of the song.

Sandy: If I sink (If she sinks)
Or if I swim (Or if she swims)
Up or down
I'll always come around again...!!!

Then, before the final chorus, Volcano jumped in to perform a rap verse.

Volcano: Well, she’s surfin’ and a-turfin’ in the dirt and water
She lives two lives, so we better applaud her
Whether in Bikini Bottom or the Lone Star State
You know she’s Sandy Cheeks, and she sure is great

As for me, I’m feeling good, with my brand new fam
The Cheeks sure are caring, and they really can jam
I know they’ll be by my side, wherever I go
Up or down or all around, just happy to be home, yo!

Sandy: I'm the surf and turf!

Chorus: Surf and turf

Sandy: Blue water, red dirt

Chorus: Blue water, red dirt

Volcano: Serving up science in your neighborhood

SpongeBob: Hey Ma, hey Pa
Your squirrel done good

Mane 6, Ma and Pa: Yee-haw, SpongeBob!
Our squirrel done good!

Sandy: Hey Ma, hey Pa
Your squirrel done good!

As the crowd began to cheer as the song closed, Zipp's gaze fell on the shimmering portal appearing off the side of the stage, causing her to sigh. “I guess that's our cue to head home, ponies.”

“Aw, do you have to?” Arctic pouted as she and the others came forward to say their goodbyes. “We're having so much fun!”

“Sorry, Arctic, but you know how this works,” Hitch frowned. “Besides, we gotta get home for our Harvest and Hugs Day celebration!”

“Thank you all for everything,” Sandy said gratefully before wondering something. “You'll be back soon, right?”

“We sure hope so!” Izzy replied. “You guys take care of Bikini Bottom while we're gone, okay?” Sunny asked Tropic with a kind smile. “We promise!” Tropic nodded. “We won't let you down!”

And so, exchanging farewell hugs, the Mane 6 swam into the portal before it closed, leaving India to make a decision. “Well, this audience deserves a killer closing number. How about we give em one... as a unified family?”

“Let’s do it!” Volcano exclaimed. And so, India turned on some music, and the entire group began to dance and sing their hearts out.

India: The only rule is
Get on your feet

Volcano: I don’t wanna see nobody heating up their seat

Tropic: And if you believe it

Arctic: If you ‘bout it

Both: No matter where you’re from
The apple don’t fall far from it

All: The people wanna know when they see us dancin' (Ayy, ayy)
Wanna know how we got those moves
People wanna bottle it up, up, up, but no can do
People wanna know how to follow a feeling (Ayy, ayy)
Wanna know how we got that groove (Ayy, ayy)
They're thirsty for the juice

SpongeBob: But let us tell you the truth!

All: Ooh, ooh, hoo
It runs in the family!
Hee, hee, hee, hee
Ooh, ooh, hoo
It runs in the family!
It’s all about you and me!

The crowd cheered once again as the Bikini Bottom gang and Sandy’s family waved and bowed to the crowd after a performance well done.

XXXXXXXX

But... what they didn't realize that a mysterious figure was watching them through her crystal ball, and she let out a scoff. “Those fools are finally figuring out how their love as family members and as friends connect with the guardians' magic. Took them long enough,” she muttered with a sadistic grin as the image disappeared, causing her to turn to the frightened young seapony beside her. “And now that they have, it's time to take back what is mine! Ha ha ha ha ha... AHA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”

But who is that mysterious figure, you may wonder?

And what is her evil plan for Bikini Bottom?

Well... it'll take our heroes' next visit to the undersea town to find out.

Author's Note

I couldn’t have done this story without the help of my dear friend Stormblazer... she gave me a lot of different ideas and I owe this girl so much! Give him a shout out, everyone!