So Greetings All
While you wait for the next chapter of "The Owl and The Frog" I thought it was finally time to start a series of one-shots that I had been wanting to do.
Firstly to clarify, one-shots are stories that still take place within the AU of Owl and the Frog but are side stories that don't have a dedicated chapter. To borrow a term from another show you can consider them "Level 2 Cannon" basically cannon unless something in the main story contradicts them. I've had ideas for certain one-shots for awhile now, so as I begin to flesh them out more I will publish them here.
This first particular one-shot is one I had been wanting to do for a long time, and felt like it should come out before "The Battle of Tadpole Pond" so you can get a brief glimpse into Uodeela and Maddie's relationship.
With all that said hope you enjoy!
Meeting Maddie
Slowly the figure of the large red heron descended out of the sky. It landed in a forest just outside of town and began to transform. After a few minutes the heron had transformed back into Uodeela, the witch of the wilds. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but knew she had flown for a long time. She cautiously made her way towards the town hoping the residents hadn't seen her and freaked out that heron was attacking. Before long she arrived at a sign with the name of town, Wartwood.
Hmmm, thought Uodeela, it's been awhile since I've been to Wartwood. I think the last time may have been over one hundred years ago. Didn't find any good candidates for training then, but maybe this time will be different.
Uodeela walked into town, getting a few stares from some of the locals, she had heard that they weren't very big on outsiders, but wasn't worried about that. As she walked along though she heard an interesting conversation.
"I swear Hop-pop I saw a heron in the sky, but it was red!" exclaimed a pink frog in the distance. He was talking to an elderly frog and a tadpole.
"Now Sprig don't go causing no trouble by making stuff up," said the elderly frog, "herons are serious buisness! Plus there ain't never been a red heron before, that ain't the right color."
"Though if there was one that color I bet it would look awesome!" said the tadpole.
"But I saw it flying in the sky!" said the frog identified as Sprig.
"If you saw it in the sky, how come it ain't attacked the town yet?" asked the elderly frog.
"I….I don't know," answered Sprig.
"Well enough of that then," said the elderly frog, "let's pick up our bread order at the bakery."
"Ugg do I have to go inside," said Sprig annoyed, "I hate being around Maddie."
"Why?" asked the tadpole, "is it because she's always trying to get her dad to make a deal with Hop-pop so you two can get married?"
"Yes exactly!" answered Sprig.
"You know I would consider it," said Hop-pop slyly, "but we don't really grow grain. I'm not sure a union between the Plantars and the Flours would make much financial sense."
"Hop-pop please promise me we'll never grow grain," said Sprig desperately.
"In any case," began Hop-pop "Sprig you can stay outside, this shouldn't take long." With that Hop-pop and the tadpole went inside the bakery. Sprig sighed in relief thinking he had at last escaped from Maddie, but was surprised when he turned around and saw her standing right next to him.
"Maddie!" exclaimed Sprig in surprise.
"Hi Sprig!" said Maddie in a cold creepy voice.
"What are you doing here?" asked Sprig nervously.
"I knew you'd be coming by for your bread I was hoping we could talk, but first it's really hot outside I'm sure you'd like a drink," said Maddie offering spring a glass of liquid.
"Oh, thanks Maddie," said Sprig taking the glass and drinking, though he noticed that it had a funny taste, "huh what was that stuff?"
"Just a tasty potion I whipped up," said Maddie innocently, but after a few moments she asked, "so Sprig tell me how you feel about me."
"Well I feel you can be a little overbearing at times," began Sprig, "Also I think you might not have a sense of personal space."
"Uh-huh, is that all?" asked Maddie.
"Well it is a little creepy how much you tend to like dead things," continued Sprig.
"You sure you aren't feeling something more…romantic?" suggested Maddie.
"No, why would you think….." Sprig trailed off as he looked at his empty glass, realization dawning on his face.
"Maddie did you drug me?" asked Sprig in horror.
"What no, of course not," answered Maddie, "I mean a love potion isn't technically a drug. It's more like….an aphrodisiac."
Sprig took one more look at Maddie before rushing to the town fountain and dunking his head in it, he drank large amounts of water trying to wash the love potion away. Maddie watched indifferently, more annoyed that her potion didn't work than at Sprig's antics.
"Hmmm," said Maddie pulling out a book and opening it, "that was supposed to be a mix of dead cicada shells, love dove egg shells, and spider egg shells all ground up into a fine dust. It also needs some red berries and giant bee honey. I thought I brewed it correctly. Did I maybe get the ingredients wrong?"
"I'm afraid you are missing the peacock feathers," said Uodeela as she strolled up to Maddie. Maddie took in the sight of Uodeela and was instantly awed.
"Whoa! Wait a minute are you a Salamander?" asked Maddie in amazement, "I've never seen one before! It's said that Salamanders used to be the ancient keepers of magic here in Amphibia."
"Well you shouldn't believe everything you hear," said Uodeela, "that was such a long time ago I'm surprised anyone remembers that."
"So is it true?" asked Maddie eyes wide with anticipation.
"It is actually, though nowadays Salamanders and by extension magic are very rare, you'd be hard pressed to find a magic user in Amphibia. Though as luck would have it I happen to be one," said Uodeela.
"Wow! I recently got my hands on an old tome and started reading it," said Maddie, "I'm trying to teach myself magic!"
"Are you?" said Uodeela now interested, "how's that going?"
"Well I tried to use a love potion on that frog," said Maddie pointing to Sprig who was still drinking from the fountain, "but I guess it didn't work properly."
"It's good to try and teach yourself if you can, but I'd say it's always easier if you have a teacher who can show you the way. Can I see this book?" asked Uodeela.
Maddie handed Uodeela the book. As Uodeela looked it over she recognized it as a tome from an old collection, one that she herself had used as a child to learn magic.
"Huh this book is part of a set that was written to teach young students magic," observed Uodeela, "I used to have a set of these when I was younger."
"Really? Wow that's so cool! So if I keep reading it I'll be able to teach myself magic?" asked Maddie.
"Well yeah you could, but I have a better idea," suggested Uodeela, "what if you were to learn magic with me?"
"Wait, really!" said a surprised Maddie, "you would teach me magic! That amazing!"
"Well don't get too excited yet," said Uodeela, "let's talk to your parents and see what they think."
Maddie and Uodeela walked into the bakery just as the Plantars were walking out, Hop-pop greetings Uodeela as they passed each other. Once inside Uodeela began explaining to Maddie's father about how she could teach his daughter.
"It would require her to be away for about four months," said Uodeela, "but I assure you by the end of it she'll have a basic understanding of curses and potions and be well versed enough to begin work on more advance ones."
"And uh how much would this cost me?" asked her father.
"For you nothing," said Uodeela, "I can see you are just a simple country baker trying your best to make a living."
"Huh that's mighty generous of you," said the father, "but I don't know if I can lose Maddie for four months, she helps around the bakery a lot. Plus I need her to look after her sisters."
"Think of it as an investment," said Uodeela, "you a loving father are investing in your daughters future. Magic is very rare in Amphibia, having the ability to brew potions would give her an edge in life. It's a skill very few people have, so it could be very handy for her later."
"Hmmm, I suppose when you put it that way I can see the benefits," said the father, "alright you got yourself a deal." Maddie could barely contain her joy on hearing her father agree.
Uodeela told Maddie that they could leave the next day if she wanted. Maddie was eager to leave, and packed her belongings quickly. Next morning she said goodbye to her father and her sisters then she and Uodeela walked out of town together. When they were far enough away Uodeela pulled Maddie aside.
"So my place is about a week's travel from here on foot, but I'd prefer a faster method of travel."
"What kind of faster method master?" asked Maddie eagerly.
"Okay don't freak out, but I'm going to transform into a heron," said Uodeela as she pulled out a bottle of potion from her hair, "I can fly us back to my place in a few hours."
"Did you say you were going to transform into a heron! Wow! That's amazing!" exclaimed Maddie, "I gotta see this!"
"Okay stand back," began Uodeela, "and don't worry I'm in full control of my mind, even when I'm a heron." With that Uodeela uncorked the bottle and drank the potion.
After a few minutes she fell to the ground in pain, but assured Maddie it was fine, a minute or so later and her body began to grow feathers and elongate, her arms grew wings and her feet became clawed. Finally the transformation was complete and she stood before Maddie as the Red Heron.
"Wow this is incredible!" screamed Maddie. Uodeela motioned for her to get on board and once Maddie had climbed onto Uodeela's back she spread her wings and took to the sky.
Maddie loved the view from this high, she could see so much of Amphibia. She could see towns she had never been too, she could see lush forests and tall mountains. Off in the distance she saw Toad Tower, and beyond that she caught a glimpse of Newtopia. Even from this high up in the sky the city looked beautiful, it was unlike anything Maddie had ever seen before!
After a few hours they began to descend. Maddie saw that they were landing in a deep part of forest. Off in the distance she saw what looked like a small quaint house. As the heron finally touched down on the ground she began to transform back from a heron into a salamander. A short time later Uodeela was back to normal. The two of them stood before a house, it was a nice small house that was accented with red paint, the same color red that Uodeela was. On the door was a large ornate carving of a salamander, and right over the door hung a sign that read "Uodeela: The Witch of the Wilds." Uodeela came up to the door and opened it leading Maddie inside.
The interior of the house was nice if very simple, there was a couch in the living room and a stair case that lead up to an upper level of the hosue. Over on one side was what looked like a kitchen and on the other was a door that looked like it lead down to a basement.
"Cozy isn't it?" asked Uodeela to Maddie.
"Yeah it's pretty nice," said Maddie.
"The living area is here, my rooms are all upstairs," said Uodeela, "so let's show you to your room." With that Uodeela lead Maddie to one of the spare rooms she had.
"I'll let you take the rest of the day to get settled in," began Uodeela, "starting tomorrow your training begins."
Over the next few days Maddie enjoyed learning form Uodeela, she would listen to Uodeela's lectures and enjoyed going on walks with her to learn about the various plants with magical applications. Maddie asked all sorts of questions which intrigued the Uodeela.
"So how did amphibians first discover potions?" she asked.
"Well centuries ago, when Salamanders were more common, they did experiments with various plants and other ingredients," answered Uodeela, "they were the first to come up with many of the potions we have today."
"So they just randomly experimented with potion ingredients, not knowing whether or not the resulting combination would be deadly or not? That amazing! I wish I could have been alive during that time!" exclaimed Maddie.
"You certainly do enjoy talking about death a lot," observed Uodeela.
"Yeah I know, a lot of the other kids back home think I'm weird because of that," replied Maddie.
"There's nothing wrong with that," replied Uodeela, "I think that quality is what gives you a good aptitude for magic. I admire your curiosity about the subject, curiosity can often lead to discovery.
"Thanks teach" said Maddie
"Though I assure you being alive in that time was not a picnic," began Uodeela, "Sometimes potion brewers got things wrong and did indeed die. In fact so many ended up dying from experimental potions that it motivated the salamanders to come up with some way to prevent that, or at least provide some insurance against it."
"Huh, what do you mean?" asked Maddie.
"The salamanders are the ones who came up with the Elixir of Life," said Uodeela, "they invented it as a way to bring those who had been poisoned testing experimental potions and elixirs back from the dead."
"Wow so does it work?" asked Maddie intrigued.
"It did, though seeing how powerful of an elixir it was the salamanders kept it secret, very few knew what ingredients were required to brew it. And unfortunately that secrecy eventually meant that the elixir was lost to time," said Uodeela, "no one, not even me, knows how to make it anymore."
As the weeks went by Maddie settled in to Uodeela's training. She listened carefully to Uodeela's lectures and read through the books Uodeela had given her. She enjoyed the walks through the forest where she learned how to identify different plants, and what they were used for. When Uodeela started teaching her how to brew potions and elixirs she proved to be a natural. Maddie managed to make an Elixir of light correctly the first time. One day while working on a particularly complicated potion Maddie asked Uodeela a question.
"So teach, any chance you'll teach me how to correctly brew a love potion?"
"So you can give it to that pink frog I saw you talking to?" asked Uodeela slyly.
"Yes, exactly," said Maddie.
"Why are you so obsessed with him?" asked Uodeela.
"I can't really explain it," answered Maddie, "but there's something about him I just find so endearing. I've asked may dad to see about arranging a marriage between us, but his family doesn't seem interested."
"I think you may be confusing love and obsession," answered Uodeela, "if he's not returning your affection maybe you should consider leaving him alone."
"But back to my question," said Maddie, "can you teach me to brew a love potion?"
"Oh certainly, it's honestly not even that hard," said Uodeela, "now the question I have to ask you is, are you prepared to give it to him your whole life?"
"Huh, what do you mean?" asked Maddie.
"You see the love potion would make him enamored with you, but it only lasts a few hours," warned Uodeela, "as soon as it wears off he would lose interest in you, and you'd have to keep giving it to him to make him stay "in love" with you."
"Oh really," said Maddie dejectedly.
"The choice is still yours, but consider what I've told you," said Uodeela.
Maddie continued to progress well with Uodeela's lessons. She had maanged to brew some advanced potions as well as three different elixirs. On this particular day though it was Uodeela who was brewing a potion, Maddie came up to her intrigued about what kind of potion it was.
"So what this then?" asked Maddie.
"This is called the prophecy potion," replied Uodeela, if brewed correctly you can drink it and then you will be able to see into the future and make a prophecy!"
"Wow! Neat!" said Maddie.
"Yes it's a very advanced potion much more complicated than anything I've taught you so far," said Uodeela, "I thought I'd try it out just to see if there is any impeding doom headed our way."
"Always good to watch out for impending doom," agreed Maddie.
"Should be just about finished now," said Uodeela, checking her book to see that the potion was the correct color. Once she confirmed it was she scooped out a glass.
"Hey master can I drink it?" asked Maddie.
"Oh, any particular reason," asked Uodeela.
"I just want to feel what's it like to give a prophecy," answered Maddie.
"Well you should know that the giver of a prophecy never remembers it, once you drink it you'll go into a trance while you give the prophecy, someone has to be there to hear it," explained Uodeela.
"Even so I'd like to try it," said Maddie.
"Very well then," said Uodeela handing the glass to Maddie. Maddie drank the entire glass in one gulp.
At first nothing happened, but then Maddie's eyes turned a dark deep purple, she began to speak in a deep almost unnatural voice.
"Four Stars burning bright
Come from beyond to expel the night
But danger lurks from another world
And cries from there are also heard
An owl screeches, a titan falls
An epic fight to determine all!"
After speaking Maddie's eyes returned to their normal color and she fell over. Uodeela rushed to her side to check on her, but Maddie was fine and got up almost immediately.
"Whoa my head," declared Maddie, "feels like I got hit in the forehead with a hammer. Still did it work teach? I can't remember anything."
"Yeah it worked, you did end up reciting a prophecy, though it's one I had already heard before." said Uodeela.
"Oh what was it about?" asked Maddie.
"It was an old prophecy about four beings coming to Amphibia, at least that's what I believe the first part was about, I'm honestly not sure about the rest," said Uodeela, she repeated the prophecy to Maddie so she could hear it too.
"Huh that's a little confusing, what does all that stuff about an owl and a titan mean?" agreed Maddie, "are we sure that prophecy hasn't already come to pass in some way?"
"I doubt it, if it had then I don't think you would have repeated it right now," said Uodeela, "still it is a little weird that you would repeat that prophecy now. Last time I heard it was almost one hundred years ago."
"Hmmm," mused Maddie.
Before long Maddie's time with Uodeela had ended and Maddie packed up her belongings and got ready to return to Wartwood. Uodeela promised to fly her there so she could have the experience one more time. The flight back to Wartwood was uneventful and before long the two had arrived back at Maddie's home.
"This is where we part ways then Maddie," said Uodeela
"I can't thank you enough teach," said Maddie as she gave Uodeela a hug, "It was really great learning magic from you. I had an incredible time! So what's next for you?"
"Well I find other apprentices and continue to teach them magic, hopefully try and get magic more well known in Amphibia like it used to be," said Uodeela, "and you can help with that too. Someday maybe you can take on an apprentice and teach them magic like I taught you."
"I hope I can find someone who'd be willing to let me teach them then," said Maddie, "any idea who you're next apprentice will be?"
"Actually there's an old friend I made a promise to three years ago," began Uodeela, "I promised him I would teach his daughter magic, and I think she's old enough to begin learning. There was also a high class Newt family from Newtopia that wanted me to teach their daughter magic, so I think I'll have her learn at the same time. And I might also have a toad apprentice, but I'm not sure on that one yet."
"Sounds like you'll be busy," said Maddie.
"I will be, but I'll try and check in on you if I can," said Uodeela, "in the meantime I hope you'll continue practicing your potions and improving your skills."
"I will master, I promise," said Maddie hugging Uodeela one more time.
"Well then, I'll be off, it was fun teaching you Maddie, I wish you the best," said Uodeela as she walked off into the distance.