The former queen of Mount Aris, and descendant of the great Queen Novo, Queen Skygrace, sat on her homemade rock throne, frustrated with the younger seapony in front of her.
Her younger sister Riverstream had been going on and on and on about the Equestrians and how they have entered the nearby ocean, and the former queen was just about sick of it.
The ponies of Equestria had forgotten about them, and that was that.
Finally, when Riverstream began saying that this could be their chance to change history, Skygrace swam in front of her younger sister's face. “Riverstream, enough!” she squawked. “I know you want to make life better for me, yourself and the hippogriffs and seaponies scattered around this world and the worlds beyond, but let me tell you something Mother told me when I was your age-- we... have been... forgotten.”
“We can't have been forgotten!” Riverstream rambled on. “If Equestrians are here, maybe Princess Twilight and the Guardians defeated that fire alicorn! Maybe they've come looking for us to take us home!”
“...no, sister. That isn't it,” Skygrace said, a bit softly since she mentioned the fire alicorn in question. “Since we still have our royal Mount Aris magic, we've been 18 and 16 for the past 1000 moons. The fire alicorn, and even the Guardians, should be gone by now. You have to accept that.”
Riverstream took a breath before turning away, flicking her purple and blue fin as she swam toward the entrance. “Fine... I'm gonna go find some Sparkle seaweed for dinner. Don't wait up for me.”
And with her sister stunned at the cold voice she had spoke in, Riverstream swam down the mountain and out of sight.
XXXXXXXXX
Our heroes had finally escaped with Karen in their grasp, able to not be seen by the forces of their once beloved town. Now all they needed was a quiet place to work on their time machine.
At an abandoned Mexican-German restaurant called Taco Haus, SpongeBob carefully set Karen's head on the floor as Pipp looked around, taking a couple of photos before looking at them with a confused glance. “Is this really where you're gonna build the time machine?”
“Sure,” Plankton nodded. “It's got everything we need. A photo booth. A cuckoo clock. Some day-old chips. Now all we have to do is build it.”
Seeing another opportunity for a song about teamwork, SpongeBob happily pulled out his trusty pitch pipe and blew into it. “Oh no you don't!” Plankton quickly grabbed the pitch pipe and ran off with it. “Hey!” SpongeBob cried. “My pitch pipe!”
“Uh, I need it. For the time machine.”
“Oh... okay.”
Plankton took the pitch pipe into another room. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! It sounded as though he was smashing something with a hammer. Then it sounded like he was flushing something down a toilet. “Installed!”
“Okay, great!” Zipp unrolled a blueprint that she and Plankton had drawn up earlier. “Now all we need to do is make sure everything has the same power voltage...”
“...hook everything together...” Plankton continued. “...go back in time, get the formula, bring it back, and save Bikini Bottom!” both of them cheered, and everyone else cheered and began to mingle before they got to work.
Well... all except one.
Sunny was glad they were finally getting a plan together, but there was still two lingering questions on her mind.
Could Opaline have come after them and kidnapped Sparky? And did she know whoever took the Krabby Patty formula?
It was a lot to take in, and it was really beginning to make her doubt her abilities as a leader...
...that is, until a certain sponge sat down next to her. “Hey, Sunny? Why is your sunny smile now a rainy frowny?
“Well... it's difficult to explain, SpongeBob. I mean... Opaline is still a raging threat to this world and Equestria, and even though we've weakened her, there's still a chance we could be in over our heads,” Sunny said as her ears folded. “I want to lead my friends the best to my ability, but... when there's an evil alicorn on the loose, your new friend and... ally are blamed for taking a recipe to a patty everyone loves and your baby dragon friend is missing, I'm struggling to keep good thoughts! What if I can't be the alicorn leader everypony expects me to be...?”
Sunny felt tears stream down her face, despite them being underwater... until she felt a gentle hand rubbing her mane, and wiped her eyes to see SpongeBob smiling at her. “No one has all the answers, Sunny. Not even the Guardians of Harmony. I admit, even I loose my optimism from time to time.”
Sunny was surprised to hear such a statement. “You do?”
SpongeBob laughed at this. “Sure I do! Nopony is perfect, but what's important is that we never give up hope. Your friends believe in you because they care about you. They know that you have the confidence and strength you need to defeat Opaline and save us all. I know that too. So, here's the big question, Sunny. When are you gonna start telling that to yourself?”
Sunny thought about this for what seemed like the longest time before she realized that SpongeBob was right... she just needed to keep faith.
That's what would pull them through.
The apricot mare nestled into SpongeBob’s loving embrace, and she smiled at her new friend. “Thanks for that, SpongeBob. That's what I really needed to hear.”
“I'll always be there to give you guys advice... or make you laugh. Hoof to heart.”
“Hey, hoofers!” Plankton called. “You gonna help us or what?!”
“Sure we are,” Sunny said, getting up. “And I know just how to set the mood... with a song!”
“Hooray!”
“Whoo-hoo!”
“Oh brother...”
And soon, all the ponies had gotten their assignments and began to sing a catchy tune to pass the time.
Ponies: Just a little touch-up
Just a little paint
And we'll be done in no time
Izzy: Hey, this is looking great!
Ponies: Cause they say many hooves
And the work gets lighter (Work gets lighter)
And working with your friends
Will make the whole day brighter
Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
Cause I get to work with you
Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do
Sunny: (We got this!)
By the time the first chorus was done, SpongeBob and Plankton watched with wide eyes as the ponies worked their magic, and couldn't help but smile as they worked along their equine friends.
Pipp: I found the perfect color
Hitch: Yeah, and you know that I measure right
SpongeBob: Cause we'll be done in no time
Misty: And we'll make this place a delight!
Ponies: Cause they say there is magic
In every pony (every pony)
And when I need a hoof
I've got you there beside me
SpongeBob and Ponies: Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
Cause I get to work with you
Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do
Nothing we can't do
Nothing we, nothing we can't do
Nothing we can't do
Nothing we, nothing we can't do
Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
'Cause I get to work with you
Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do
Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work
'Cause I get to work with you (Pipp: I get to work with you!)
Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true
'Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do!
Finally, at the end of the song, Plankton started the newly renovated time machine and beamed at the fact it actually started. “I did it!”
“No-- we did it!” SpongeBob smiled as Plankton hopped into his hand. “Wait... we DID do it. As a te-am!”
“A team!”
“Whatever.”
SpongeBob and Plankton: Working together in harmony...!
Side by side, we can reach our dreams
Cause nothing's impossible
When we're a team/te-am
Izzy whimpered loving when the two ended tie duet, whipping a fake tear from her eye. “He finally learned something from us!”
“I hate to say it,” said Zipp, “but maybe Plankton is capable of changing after all.”
“You bet he is...!” SpongeBob strained as the ponies swam inside the enlarged photo booth, and he carried Karen's head inside. “Okay, and now for the brains.”
He slid Karen's monitor into place, and Karen immediately turned on and faced her husband. “Okay, Plankton, this is it. It's gonna take all my processors and energy to power this time machine. So if you have anything you wanna tell me, you better tell me now.”
Plankton then took a deep breath... here went everything. “Well, Karen... I know I've taken you for granted all these years, and I... I just wanted to say... I'm glad you're on my te-am.”
“Oh, Sheldon, that's the sweetest thing you've ever...”
Plankton then flipped the switch, turning Karen off as the time, midnight, flashed onscreen. Misty could have sworn she heard sobbing coming from Plankton, and knelt closer to his level to check on hihim. “Plankton? Are you crying?”
“No, no, no! It's just one of the hazards of having a giant eyeball,” Plankton wiped his eye with the handkerchief Izzy gave him. “There's always stuff getting in there. Anyway, ahem... where were we? Say 'cheese'.”
SpongeBob inserted a corner as everypony smiled wide. “Cheeeeeese!!!”
And just like that, the time machine fired up, sending our intrepid heroes into time and space and beyond, hoping to steal back the formula and Sparky before it was too late.