Chapter 1: Spranne Reunited
When the light cleared, Sprig and Ivy got a good look around.
"What is this place?" Ivy asked as she went up to some sort of glass container.
Sprig walked over, and took a look inside, and saw a bunch of aquatic life, appearing to be sleeping.
Though none of them looked like any species he saw in Amphibia.
"I… think we're in an aquarium."
"I mean, yeah, that's obvious... but are we on Earth is the question..." Ivy asked.
After thinking for a bit, Sprig got an idea.
Pulling out his phone, he took a look at the top left corner of the screen...
And the "No Signal" turned into four bars and said "5G"."
Sprig had to smile at that.
"Yup, we're on Earth!"
"Awesome!"
Taking another look around though, they noticed that no-one was around.
"Where... is everyone though?"
"Well... I guess this aquarium is probably closed now..." Sprig said.
"So... we're trespassing..."
"Looks like it, yeah." Sprig said with a shrug. "I don't get it though, the portal was supposed to be take us right to Anne... why would she be here after closing?"
"Oh, there you are Sprig!"
And Sprig froze at that...
He knew that voice.
Turning around, he didn't see anyone there, just a light coming from another room.
Deciding to investigate, the two walked over...
And when they entered the room, they saw her.
"So that's where you like hiding off to... man you are adventurous sometimes." Anne said with a laugh. "Now come on, gotta eat something before I head home for the day."
She then placed a bunch of flies nearby, to which the tiny frog began to eat.
"Heh... you really were hungry huh?" Anne asked.
Then she sighed.
"You know... it's been thirteen years since I saw the guy I named you after... I wonder how he's doing..."
Sprig couldn't help but tear up at that...
She still thought about them.
"Anne..."
Anne suddenly tensed at the voice, before going lax and sighing.
"Wow, Mom was right... I really have been spending too much time here lately." She said with a laugh. "Well, when in Rome I guess."
She then went up to the glass.
"Tell me your secrets frog boy."
Sprig and Ivy couldn't help but laugh a bit at this... still the same old Anne.
Then, Sprig got an idea.
"Tell me about that other Sprig, you know, the one you haven't seen in so long." Sprig said.
"Oh don't get me started!" Anne said with a laugh. "He was... he was something, to say the least... he was the one who found me all those years ago, and the reason that the Plantars took me in at all...
We went on adventures together, fought off monsters, saved the town... really, we did everything together when I was in Amphibia... the world, not the exhibit.
I may have had to say goodbye to him and the others... but our hearts will always be connected... so in a way... it's like he's still here... right beside me."
Then, Sprig began to smirk.
"I mean yeah... but the fact that he's standing right behind you with Ivy probably helps."
"Pfft... yeah right. Like that'd ever ha-" Then she stopped. "Wait... did you say with Ivy?"
"Anne..." Ivy said.
And that got her.
Anne whipped her head around, and was now looking right at the two frogs... well, the ones from Amphibia... the world, not the exhibit.
It took her a moment to realize just what she was looking at, but when she did, tears began to form in her eyes.
"... Sprig... Ivy...?"
They could hear her voice breaking a bit at that.
Sprig smiled widely.
"Hey Anne... miss me?" Sprig asked.
Anne didn't hesitate, before scooping Sprig off the floor and hugging him.
Anne then just fell to her knees, continuing to hug the frog as tightly as she could. Both of them beginning to sob.
"Oh my gosh dude! What?! Why?! HOW?!" Anne asked, tears falling freely.
Sprig couldn't help but laugh as he dried some of his tears.
"It's... it's a long story..." Sprig said.
"Well... I have all the time in the world." Anne said. "Oh wait... but... are you gonna be able to make your way back? Are you stuck here?"
"Psh, nah." Sprig said before holding up his wrist. "As long as I have this bracelet, traveling between worlds should be easy!"
Anne just stared at the bracelet in awe.
"Wow dude..."
"And speaking of..." Sprig said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the other bracelet. "Here, this one's for you!"
Anne smiled and took it.
"Wow... so... I can come and visit whenever now?" Anne asked.
"Yup!"
"I... wow..." Anne said before setting Sprig down on the floor and wiping a couple of tears out of her eyes. "I... I was not expecting this to happen... ever really."
"Me neither… we kinda just lucked our way into this." Sprig explained.
"Sounds like a good story… alright, I just gotta wrap some things up here and then we can go to my place. We'll talk there." Anne explained.
"Wait, what are you doing here anyways?" Ivy asked.
"Oh, I run this exhibit." Anne explained. "Didn't you notice that it's design is based on Wartwood?"
Looking around, Sprig realized that she was right. The exhibit really did remind him of home.
"Trust me when I say, there's a lot to get caught up on." Anne said. "But yeah, take a look around, and I'll be right with you!"
Anne then began walking around the room, feeding the various amphibians on display.
A lot of them really reminded him of the other frogs, toads and newts back home. Heck, there even was a toad that looked exactly like Grime, missing eye and leg too!
"That poor thing was found a few years ago." Anne explained. "I nursed him back to health and named him Grime… for obvious reasons."
"Wow… this is all so cool!" Sprig said.
"Yeah, must of been a lot of work!" Ivy added.
"Oh, it was…" Anne said as she fed a newt. "This… this was my passion project for so many years… I was so happy when it all finally came together."
Sprig smiled at that.
"Alright! That should just about do it!" Anne said suddenly. "Let's get…"
"Ahem."
Turning around, the group saw a security guard standing there, arms crossed.
"Dr. Anne, you know you're not supposed to be here this late…" The guard said.
"Sorry, sorry. I was swamped this afternoon and still needed to feed them. I was just leaving now!" Anne explained calmly.
"Ok… and uh…" The guard started, gesturing to the frogs.
"Oh, so my old pal the OG Sprig found a way back to Earth, and ended up here with his girlfriend Ivy." Anne said before thinking a bit. "You guys are still dating, right?"
"Oh yeah, we are." Sprig said.
"Ok good."
"…Huh… Wasn't expecting to meet that frog you wouldn't shut up about at first."
"Me neither to be honest. Anyways, we were just heading out! Enjoy the Night Shift!"
"Later Frog Lady." The Guard said before leaving.
"… Ok wow…" Sprig suddenly said.
"Hm? What's up?" Anne asked.
"When we were kids, you would of tried to come up with some excuse to not explain what you were doing here or, well, us." Sprig explained. "But now? You handled that really well!"
"Oh, thanks… I have changed a lot I guess." Anne said, a bit embarrassed. "Now come on, we should get going."
And with that, Anne began leading Sprig and Ivy out of the aquarium.
—
When the group got outside, Anne pulled out her keys and unlocked the doors to a car that Sprig didn't really know anything about.
"Uh… what is that?" Ivy asked.
"Oh yeah! This is your first time on Earth isn't it?" Anne asked. "This is a car, think of it like Bessie back in Wartwood, but mechanical, like Frobo."
"O-oh… uh…"
"You'll get used to it all. Trust me." Sprig said as he put a comforting hand on Ivy's shoulder.
"If you say so…" Ivy said as Sprig held the door open for her.
When they were all inside, Anne just pulled out her phone.
"Let me just make a quick call… and try and be quiet, I want to surprise them." Anne said with a smile as she started calling someone..
"Them?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard.
"Hey Anne! What's up?"
"Hey Sash! So look, I actually have a BIG surprise that I want to show you, so you think you could come by my place? We could watch a movie!" Anne said.
"Yeah sure, I was actually gonna swing by anyways, so I'll see you soon!" Sasha said. "Think you could pick up a pizza though?"
"Can you just get it delivered? I can't wait to show you this!" Anne said.
"Wow, been a while since you've been this amped over something, must be big." Sasha said. "Alright, I'll do that. See you soon!"
And then she hung up.
"Oh, better call home and tell her that Sasha is coming actually..." Anne suddenly said before making another call.
"Uh..."
"Shhh!"
"Heya Anne!" Another familiar voice answered.
"Hey Mar-Mar! So, Sasha's coming over to watch a movie, just wanted to let you know." Anne said.
"Oh cool! Ok, I'll get the setup ready for a movie night! See you soon!" Marcy said.
"See you!"
And with that, Anne hung up, and began driving.
"... Ok, a lot to unpack there." Sprig said. "First of all, great to see you're all still friends."
"Yeah... it was rough after Marcy moved away... but we still are just as close as we were back in the day." Anne said. "Even closer really."
"Wait, so Marcy DID move away?" Sprig asked. "Then... how...?"
"Oh! So, about three years ago, Marcy actually came to visit! She did often already, but this visit was to mark ten years since we left Amphibia." Anne explained. "Sasha still lives in town. Anyways, turns out, there was a company that she wanted to try and work for in the area, and Marcy got the job!"
"So she moved nearby?" Ivy asked.
"Well... not exactly." Anne said. "At first she started staying with me, at least, until she found her own place. One thing led to another, we decided it would just be easier for both of us if we just lived together and yeah! Marcy is, as of right now, my permanent roommate!"
"Oh cool! Glad things worked out in the end." Sprig said. "Even if it took ten years."
"Yeah well… there is one more part to the story… but I want Marcy to be there for that one." Anne said.
While Sprig didn't see it, since he was sitting behind Anne, Ivy got a full view of her face, now tinted a slight red.
'No… way…'
"So... what have you two been up to these past thirteen years?" Anne asked.
"Oh a lot! Helping out at our families businesses, that avocado your dad gave Hop Pop after you beat Andrias REALLY came in handy by the way, we sometimes go and help each other's businesses, and every now and then we go on cool adventures!" Sprig said.
"Cool adventures huh? Like what?" Anne asked.
"Well, one thing that happened after you left was that a team was formed to explore the world, find lands outside of Amphibia!" Ivy explained. "Grime actually goes on these trips often, since he is one of the best fighters in Amphibia."
"And whenever he finds something, he tells us about it! And so, we go on a new adventure!" Sprig said. "That's... actually what led to us getting here."
"Well, while I am sure you want to tell me all about it, I am sure Marcy and Sasha would love to hear it too so, let's wait on that story until we get to my place." Anne said.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Sprig said.
For a while. Anne just drove along, a big smile in her face.
"So, anything else?" Anne asked.
"Well, I've been adding to the Plantar family tome. It started as logging all the stuff from when you were there, using the pictures from your phone as a reference, but now it's filling up with our adventures!"
"That's really cool… glad you're doing something that makes you happy." Anne said before smirking, making Ivy slightly worried. "Speaking of making people happy…"
"Uh… "
"You two partake in, or at least plan to partake in any courtship rituals lately?"
If Sprig and Ivy were drinking something, they would of spit it right out at that moment.
"Wh-what?! No! I mean, not yet! I mean uh… sure we've TALKED about it but…"
"Relax Sprig, I was just messing with ya." Anne said with a laugh. "You have all the time in the world to figure that out!"
"I… yeah… we actually… we agreed that we wanted to, you know… make it permanent one day." Sprig said to Anne's surprise. "But… we aren't doing a courtship ritual."
Anne smiled widely at this.
"Oh my gosh dude! I am so happy for you two!" Anne said happily. "But… isn't the courtship ritual how it's supposed to happen?"
"Normally yeah… but we wanted to do it differently." Ivy said.
"We… want it to be an Earth style wedding."
At that moment, Anne stopped at a red light, and looked back at the two of them, eyes wide.
"You… really?" Anne asked. "How… would you even know how to do that?"
"You forget, Polly became a huge movie buff while on Earth, she loaded Frobo up with a lot of movies, one of them was a romance movie all about a wedding." Sprig explained.
"Oh wow... that's cool." Anne said as the light turned green.
"Also... you maaaaay or may not of left a certain note on your phone about a 'Dream Wedding' that you wrote a long time ago." Sprig said with a smirk.
Anne went red at that.
"Ugh, I wrote that when I was like, eight, and had no idea what a good wedding was... Don't worry, now that I can come visit, I'll help you plan the wedding." Anne said with a smile.
"When we're ready." Ivy said flatly.
"When you're ready." Anne said. "By the way, you mentioned Polly, how's she doing?"
"Full blown frog now! I think you'd want to see her yourself though, instead of a picture." Sprig said.
"I can't wait!" Anne said with an excited squeal. "And Hop Pop?"
"Doing well, but his body hit its limit when it came to farming a couple of years ago." Sprig said. "He doesn't work the farm any more, but he is still managing to enjoy his life."
"That's good... that's really, really good." Anne said. "After everything, he deserves to enjoy his retirement."
"Yeah, it also helps that Frobo is able to do pretty much everything super quick." Sprig said. "But me and Polly still like to help out, she is REALLY persuasive at the stand."
"Oh, I can imagine." Anne said with a laugh. "Remember when she learned about haggling?!"
"Oh yeah, Microangelo is a constant proof of that… he's grown quite a bit now." Sprig said.
"Rideable?"
"Only one passenger right now. But he's Polly's snail, so they've been getting a lot of practice." Sprig said.
"Good for her. I'm glad Polly is doing well." Anne said, her smile still on her face.
At that moment, they pulled into a parking lot, and parked.
"Well, here we are!" Anne said. "Casa de Boonchuy y Wu!"
"Uh..."
"House of Boonchuy and Wu." Anne explained.
"Oh! Uh... doesn't look like a house though..." Sprig said, looking at the building before them.
"... Ok yeah, we still live in an apartment, but it's much more affordable than a house." Anne explained.
"Gotcha."
"Anyways..." Anne said, before looking at a red car nearby. "Looks like Sasha is here already... ready to give them the surprise of their lives?"
"Boy am I ever!"
End of Chapter 1
And here we are!
One of my absolute favorite stories to write was a Sonic the Hedgehog story called "Reconnecting With The Team." It was based around Sonic traveling to the future and finding out just how much changed during his absence. I loved coming up with ideas of how everyone's lives would of changed in all that time, and I wanted to do a bit of that here. Obviously, there is a base for it with the time skip in the finale, but from there, there is a lot to guess and interpret.
This is actually partially why I decided on 13 years in terms of a time skip instead of 15. This would put the Trio at 26 years old, which is my current age as well. So, it would just be easier to measure how much they could of changed in that time.
I also want to point out: Yes, there is Marcanne content in this story, a fair bit of it in fact… but this is mainly a story about Sprig. Specifically, Sprig and his relationship with Anne and Ivy.
Anyways, that's it for now, so I'll see you all next week for Chapter 2!