TW: Homophobia implied in this chapter. And obviously, whatever Jean does in this episode, you shouldn't do awifukhj
Hop Pop guides the fwagon through a valley, Polly by his side while Anne, Sprig, Flossie and Jean were inside watching a series on Anne's phone. Jean was now awake and wrapped in a blanket as she sipped on a hot chocolate like drink (she didnt want to know how it was made). The brunette beside her made sure she wasn't drinking any buggachino's, much to the older teens annoyance.
But right now, all were invested in the show.
"Don't you get it, Mother? I know you want me to be a ballerina, but my heart belongs to hip-hop." Mariah exclaims, doing a ballerina pose before performing a brief breakdance. She looks up at her mother mournfully. "Are you disappointed?"
Mariah's mother tears up, smiling warmly. "No, I'm proud of you! All that hipping and hopping was breathtaking!" She states, bringing her daughter into a hug.
"Oh, mother!"
"Oh, Mariah!"
Anne starts bawling for a brief moment, before clearing her throat. "And that is the masterpiece, From Pointe to Poppin." She says, turning her phone off. Sprig grins. "Talk about an emotional roller coaster- whoa Jean are you okay?"
The trio turn to Jean, who was crying her eyes out. "Th-that…was beautiful." She sniffled. Flossie hands her a handkerchief, which the older teen gladly takes. "All she wanted was her mother to accept her!" She wails, blowing her nose.
Anne pats her back. "Maybe that wasn't the best choice to watch…" she chuckles nervously to herself.
As Jean finishes drying her eyes, the fwagon abruptly stops, causing her and Sprig to fall off the bed they were all seated on. They let out yelps as they fall.
"Sprig! Jean! You guys alright? What the heck is going on out there?" She ponders, looking over the bunkbed. Flossie joins her, wincing in pain as she spots her two friends laying on the ground, groaning in pain. Jean raises a thumb slowly. "Just peachy…"
Outside the fwagon, Hop Pop is encouraging Bessie up a steep hill. "Come on, Bessie. Come on!"
Bessie chirps, managing to make it to the top of the hill before her reins snap. Anne, Flossie and Sprig, who'd all clambered to the trapdoor in no time, gasp. The older teen peeks her own head out. "What's going on?" She asks, confused as she rubs her back.
Hop Pop held what was left of Bessie's reins in his hands. "What happened is that the ding-dang reins snapped!" He explained.
The harness falls off Bessie, but she was still connected to the fwagon. Spotting a sheepbug, her eyes light up with curiosity. The snail zooms toward the sheepbugs, who all scattered in fear. The snail was determined to make a friend, however, and started chasing them. The amphibians and humans were left clinging on to the fwagon for dear life as Bessie drags them along for the ride.
"We gotta get these reins fixed or we can't control Bessie!" Hop Pop screams.
Sprig grins, pulling out a map. "Don't worry, Hop Pop! There's a town right down the road. See? Ribbitvale!" He states, pointing to the map. Jean leans further out to take a closer look at the map. "Huh. What a coincidence."
Hop Pop scowls at this news. "Ribbitvale? The most expensive town in all of Amphibia? No way!" He yells.
Bessie stops, as she finally catches up to a sheepbug. Jean fell out of the fwagon once more, letting out a yelp as she hit the ground.
Flossie jumps down hurriedly to get her to her feet. "You okay?" She asks. Jean just nods, face in the grass as she mutters out a tired "mhm"
The axolotl looks between Bessie's broken reins and Hop Pop. "It doesn't look like we have much of a choice, Hop Pop." She explains, holding Jean's arm up. Hop Pop lets out a tired sigh of his own. "You're right. But when we get there, don't get sucked in by the fancy." He orders.
—
The small group arrive at the gates of Ribbitvale after pulling and pushing Bessie with them. It was one heck of a struggle, but they managed to get to the town.
Polly gasps, pointing at their destination. "Guys, look!"
All around them, the amphibians and their human companions could see a lot of fancy buildings and frogs around them. Everything glistened in the early sunlight.
Flossie and Polly gasp, hugging each other. "So shiny…"
"So sparkly…" the two say, entranced with wide eyes. They're suddenly sprayed with water, ripped back to reality. Screaming and hissing, they glare at their Hop Pop.
"Hey, hey! I said look away from the fancy!" He scolds.
Jean chuckles to herself, arms across her chest as she looks over to the town. "I gotta say, it sure is something." She comments. Sprig jumps on her shoulder, pulling at her hair. This gains a yelp from the human, but he ignores her.
"Something? Something?! It's like nothing I've ever seen before! A ten-tier fountain. A solid gold snail carriage! There's even a One-Eyed Wally!" The pink frog pauses, doing a double take. "Wait, what?"
The now fancied up Wally was standing next to another frog. He turns around at the familiar voice, dropping his cane in shock at the sight of the Plantars and humans.
"One-Eyed Wally!?" They all cry out, walking over to the nervous frog. Jean, the only quiet one, raises a brow at the frog. She recognised him from around Wartwood, but never interacted with him much.
Anne greets him, punching his shoulder. "You didn't tell me you were leaving the valley, you scamp!" She chuckles. Wally glances nervously toward the frog next to him (who was now looking in their direction), stuttering over his words as he thought of what to say. "Oh, um-"
"Walliam, you know these pungent common folk, do you?" He asks, scrunching up his nose at the Plantars. Wally smiles awkwardly at the frog. Jean's eyes widen, recognising that look.
"Uh, yes, Father. I met them on my business travels." He explains, gesturing to them. His father, Wigbert, looks at the Plantars once more, eyes lighting up. "These must be your servants from Wartwood then!" He exclaimed.
Hop Pop raises a brow. "Servants?"
"Excuse me?" Jean asks, crossing her arms once again. Flossie glares at Wally's father, as Wally chuckles nervously, butting in between the enraged amphibians and humans and his dad. "Yes! That's right, Father. These are my servants!" He emphasises servants, giving Hop Pop a pleading look. Polly grabs his wrist tightly, causing the blue frog to whimper in pain.
Wigbert walks over to Anne and Jean, poking them with his cane. "And these must be some kind of exotic beasts you tamed. Though I sooner would have had it stuffed!" He laughs at his own statement. Anne just glares at Wally. Jean says nothing, recognising the signs. Wally lying about the Plantars, his change of behaviour around his own father. Although she never interacted with Wally before, she knew this wasn't really him. It was all an act. A facade to please a parental figure.
Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Wigbert takes a step back to introduce himself. "Anyhow, I am Wigbert Ribbiton." He says, tilting his hat in greeting.
Hop Pops eyes widen with recognition. Rushing over to the fancy frog, he pulls out a bag full of ribbons, holding it up. "Ribbiton? As in Ribbiton's Ribbons? The finest web crusty floss in all of Amphibia?!" He gasps. Wigbert nods.
"That's us. And when we retire, Walliam here will be head of the Ribbon family empire. Right William?" He calls out to his son.
Wally smiles at his dad awkwardly. "Right, father. Can't wait for that!" He replies. When his father looks away, Wally lets out a sad sigh. Anne stares at the blue frog, humming in thought. Flossie glances up at the human. "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh nothing. Nothing at all." She waves off the axolotl.
Wigbert gasps, walking over to Bessie. Taking a closer look at her broken reins, he tsks. "Looks like someone needs repairs!" He states the obvious. Jean scoffs. "No shi-ACK!"
Anne elbows the older teen in her ribs. Hard. Jean clutches her side, as Wigbert continues. "My mechanics will make her right as rain in no time."
Clicking his fingers, a bunch of mechanics rush over, picking up Bessie and carrying her away.
"Oh, mighty kind of ya!" Hop Pop says, smiling up at Wigbert Ribbiton. Wigbert waves him off. "You'll be joining us back at the mansion, of course?" He asks.
The humans and amphibians were shocked. "Mansion?!" They gasp. Wally jumps in front of them. "Oh, no, they couldn't-" he starts, but was immediately cut off as the Plantars and Flossie push him aside. "Oh, yes, we could!"
Jean glanced between her friends and Wally, knowing this wasn't going to end well for the well-known Wartwood local.
—
"Here we are!"
The Plantars and Ribbiton's arrive in front of the mansion gates. They open, revealing a large yard. Giant peacocks walk back and forth on the grass, as bushes lined a large pathway leading up to the mansion itself.
"Some of my prizewinning birds. Ever seen a frog torn in half by a peacock? Grizzly stuff." Wigbert chuckles.
Flossie looks up at the peacocks. One looks right back at her, letting out a loud shriek. Flossie jumps, huddling closer to Jean. The human wraps a protective arm around the axolotl, all the while keeping an eye on Wally, who was visibly drooping.
Inside the mansion, Wigbert had guided the Plantars and their human companions to a guest room. "It's, uh, one of our smaller rooms but please enjoy." He says, walking away and leaving them be. A small frog hands Hop Pop a key before following his boss.
Opening the doors, the humans and amphibians gasp for the millionth time that day. Although Wigbert said the room was the smallest, it had to be the largest room the amphibians and humans had seen.
Portraits hung all over the walls, as a giant chandelier hung in the centre of the ceiling. A couple of beds rested on one side of the room, while an arm chair sat in the corner. Flossie lets out a squeal as she runs over to one of the beds, feeling the soft blankets. "We're in a mansion! We're in a mansion! And it's huge!" She laughs, running around the room in excitement. Jean shook her head, smiling softly. The axolotl can have this. She had to get her excitement out somehow.
Hop Pop flops down on one of the beds. "This place is magnificent!" He breathes. Anne chuckles at his reaction. "What happened to "Look away from the fancy"?" She asks.
"It don't count if ya don't pay for it." The elderly frog points out.
Sprig, who was looking around with wide eyes, had a brilliant idea. "Hey, let's go explore!" He yells. Hop Pop immediately sits up. "Okay!"
Hop Pop, Polly, Sprig and Flossie all run out of the room, giggling giddily.
Jean lets out her own tired sigh, flopping onto the second bed. Anne glances over to her. "Aren't you gonna go keep an eye on them?" She asks. Jean, who had her hands over her eyes, looks over to the younger teen. "They're in a secure mansion. I think they'll be okay. Besides, I'm too tired." She grumbled. Anne shakes her head. "That's what happens when you drink too much buggachino's and don't sleep for a whole week." She scolds.
"…shut up."
Giggling to herself, the brunette turns to Wally, who was still in the room with them. He seemed lost in thought.
"So…Walliam, what's going on here?" Anne asks, pointing an accusing finger at the tense frog. "I thought you were a fun-loving tramp, not some little rich boy." She points out, looking a little hurt. Jean sits up slowly, raising a brow at Anne. "Anne…."
"What? Oh, come on! You've seen Wally around Wartwood! You can't tell me you weren't curious too!" She says to Jean. Jean shakes her head. "No, I wasn't actually. Because it's easy to see what's going on." She states. Wally and Anne both turn to her.
"Okay, smartie pants. Then what's going on?" Anne asks, to which Wally gulps nervously. Jean looks away.
"It's…not my place to say." She responds quietly. Anne stares at her, confused, before shrugging, turning to Wally. "So? Do you wanna tell us?"
Wally looks down, rubbing his arm sadly. "The truth is, I live like a bum in Wartwood because…well, it's what I love. This life may look nice but there's so many rules. And if my family knew the real me, well, they'd disown me for sure!" He exclaims, sinking to the ground.
Jean gets up from the bed, sitting down opposite Wally and Anne. She knew what that fear felt like.
Anne, not getting the seriousness of this fear, just gave the blue frog a reassuring smile. "Just be honest with them. Tell them the truth and I know they'll support you. Just like my favourite movie From Pointe to Poppin'!"
The older teen let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Anne, real life is a little different to movies. This stuff is scary, especially when you know how badly they'll react." She tried to explain gently. Wally lets out a groan, pulling out an accordion from underneath the floorboards. "Your friend here is right, Anne. It's just too risky. I have to hide these around the house, or I'd lose my mind!" He cries, playing the instrument sadly.
Anne didn't understand. "What about that time you told me not to care what people think about you?" She points out. Wally stops playing for a moment, looking up at her. "This is different. This is my family we're talking about."
The brunette shook her head, resting her chin in her hand. "I still think you should be honest with them. I mean, what do you have to lose?"
"Oh sweet, naive heart. She doesn't understand how complicated it is, does she?"
Wally stood. "Well, come with me and I'll show you. You can come too if you want, lass." He said, directing the last part to Jean. Jean nods, standing up. "Sure. Better to wander around in a giant mansion with a guide." She says jokingly.
The blue frog turns around, but being on his blind side, he didn't realise the wall was right behind him until he bumped into it. He falls back, the accordion going off.
"Meant to do that."
"Yeah, yeah. Of course."
"Didn't see anything."
—
Meanwhile with the Plantars and Floss….
The four amphibians wandered down a long hallway, hopelessly lost. Polly let out a groan, as she sat in Flossie's hair. "Welp, we're lost. Probably gonna be stuck here forever." She points out. Flossie nods in agreement.
"Stuck in a maze of hallways. There couldn't be a worse way to go…" she said dramatically. Polly giggles at her words.
Sprig had another bright idea. "Oh, I know! Let's just open some doors at random. One of them's gotta be an exit." He says. The other amphibians agree with him.
The pink frog runs up to a set of doors nearby. Opening them, he immediately regrets his decisions as his gaze sets on a group of frogs having a steam bath. Hop Pop covers Polly's and Flossie's eyes. "Sorry, we're just- carry on." He chuckles awkwardly, motioning for Sprig to close the door. The young frog did so, and both he and Hop Pop shivered.
The four open another set of doors, spotting another group of frogs wearing masks assaulting a chair with bats. Around them, broken furniture was piled up high.
Another frog wearing a large dress and mask jumps on the chair, kicking it to pieces. They hurriedly close the door, not wanting to be a part of whatever activity those frogs were participating in.
Opening one final door, they freeze at the sight of several peacocks in the room. One shrieks, staring hungrily at them. Flossie notices a shorter figure and, with wide eyes, pulls Hop Pop's sleeves. "Hop Pop. Look." She hissed.
The axolotl points to a tiny peacock. Except, it wasn't a peacock. It turns to face them, a creepy and tired smile on his face. The frog wearing a peacock costume raises a finger at them.
"Shhhh."
Flossie shivers at the sight, while Hop Pop, Polly and Sprig groan tiredly, walking away.
—
Wally opens the doors to a stable, Jean and Anne by his side. The blue frog guides them inside, stopping in front of a certain door. "So much of my past is here. It would break my heart to leave it all behind." He explains, opening the door. Inside, a beetle chirps. It had a bright pink bow, and Jean mentally "awed" at it.
"Meet Fiddle Leaf. I've been riding her since I was a wee tadpole." He introduced. The two girls "aw" together. Anne spots a photograph of a young and bright Wally with Fiddle Leaf. Her gaze returning to the present Wally and Fiddle Leaf, she could see how life became depressing for the both of them. "Ugh."
"Now do you understand, Anne?" Jean asks, gesturing to Wally and his beetle, clearly ignoring the picture. Anne "hm's" as a response, meaning that no, she didn't understand.
""Lucky is she who lives unaware." Loving, supporting parents, not afraid to tell them anything. Or having the fear of losing everything she has over a thing they considered "demonic" or "inappropriate"."
Jean hushed the voice in her head, as Anne continues talking to Wally. "Well, if you're not gonna tell 'em, what are you gonna do?" She asks, getting more concerned now. At least she's now understanding how fragile the situation is.
Wally let out a long, sad sigh. "Maybe if they could see how happy I was living in Wartwood, they'd understand and accept me for who I am!" He says optimistically. That hope soon left, though, as he groaned. "Who am I kidding? Well, I better go get ready for dinner." He says sadly, walking off.
Jean walks after him, leaving Anne behind to think. The human spots the Plantars walking into the stable, but decides to stay with Wally.
"Aren't you gonna tell me I should tell my folks the truth too?" Wally asks, defeated. Jean merely shakes her head, putting her hands in her pockets. "No. I know how fragile this kind of stuff is." she states quietly. "I'm not gonna force you to tell anyone anything." Wally lets out an exasperated sigh, throwing his hands in the air.
"It's hard. I love them, but I can't tell them! But I can't keep lying, either! I feel so alone. I want to tell someone about these things, but nobody understands. Sometimes I wish things were easier…" He says sadly, as they reach Wally's room, which happened to be opposite the guest room. Jean nods at his statement.
"I do too." She mutters to herself. A moment of silence passed between them, before Wally sighs once more.
"Aight'. Better go now. Thanks for listening, Jean." The blue frog says, opening his door and stepping inside. Jean smiles.
"Anytime, you crazy frog."
—
Back with Anne and the Plantars….
Anne spots the Plantars and Flossie stepping inside the stable. "Hey, where have you guys been?" She asks them. All stare blankly ahead, images of opening doors to find horrific things flashing before their eyes.
"Around."
"Rich people are messed up."
"I need to poor something in my eyes to purify them from what I have seen."
Anne grabs Sprig's face, bringing him in to talk. "Dude, I've just spent the last hour talking with Wally about how miserable he is. Well, tonight I'm gonna help him come clean!" She exclaims. Sprig looks concerned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Off. Are you sure meddling is a good idea?" He asks worriedly.
Anne scoffs at this statement. "Pfft! It's not meddling. It's the right thing to do because it happened in a movie! And movies are never wrong!" The teen says reassuringly. The pink frog shrugs. "Okay."
—
Much later, the Plantars and humans were in the dining room. Fancy frogs were gathered around the table, chattering amongst themselves and sending Hop Pop and the kids snooty glances. Jean ignores them, eating the food on her plate. Right now, she sitting next to Sprig, on the other end of the table. Flossie sat next to her, placing a gap between the human and one of the fancy frogs.
Jean's attention was soon caught by Anne's mischievous smirk. The older teen knew that look. It never meant anything good.
Wigbert Ribbiton stood, tapping his glass and clearing his throat as he turned to his son seated next to him. "A toast to Walliam's valet." He says, shrieking in a peacock manner. Many of the frogs copy him, before returning to their food.
Seeing her chance, Anne cleared her throat, bringing out her phone for all to see. "Great segue. To thank you Ribbitons for your hospitality, I have prepared a special presentation."
One of the frogs stood up, pointing at Anne in shock. "It talks! Oh, capital!"
"Gonna ignore that. Now, please enjoy this video of Wally's life in Wartwood! Edited by me!" With that, she plays the video on her phone. Wally and Jean drop their utensils, staring at Anne in horror, but unable to move.
Wally's accordion starts playing on the video. On screen, the Wally everyone knew and loved back in Wartwood stood on a wall, grinning happily. The moon was high, and he held an accordion in his hands.
"Oh, I'm a vagrant With a heart of gold-" the Wally in the video sang, before he falls off the wall. Falling into the trash, a cat yowls in fright.
In another video, Wally is in a chicken coop with some chickens. Anne could be heard in the background as she finds him. "Wally!"
Wally chuckles. "What can I say? I sleep better with company!"
The final video had to be the worst. Wally was bathing in the water fountain in Wartwood. People threw coins at him, as he happily sang to himself.
Hearing a whistle, Wally perks up, noticing the police. "Ooh. Gotta go!" He cackles, jumping out of the fountain. He falls, however, and a bunch of cops jump on him.
The video ends, as Anne turns to Wally's father. "Cue emotional acceptance." She grins to herself. Unbeknownst to her everyone in the Ribbiton family (plus Jean) were staring at her, mortified at this new revelation.
Wigbert stands up, clearing his throat. "WALLIAM! That is how you've been acting outside of Ribbitvale?!" He screams in fury. Wally flinches, sinking further into his seat.
"Unacceptable! You have brought shame onto the house of Ribbiton! Worse, you've been lying to us!"
Anne's smile faded with each word Wally's father said. She glances over to Jean, who was only staring at the interaction between Wally and his father. An expression of pure fear, as if she were recalling something.
—
"What is this?!" A figure screams, holding up a diary. Something that the figure wasn't supposed to see. Jean backed away.
"I-i can explain-"
"There's nothing to explain! Hanging around that girl has brainwashed you! Filling your head with sin! I don't want you hanging around her!"
"What?! Charlie didn't do anything, I swear! This is all on me-"
"I did not raise you to be like this. I'm telling your father when he gets home. Go to your room."
"B-but-"
"NOW!"
—
That week had not been pretty for Jean.
Watching Wally being yelled at… the teen could only watch. She wanted to stand up for their loveable crazy frog. But all she could do was watch.
"I-I only lied because I didnt think you'd accept me for the real me!" Wally exclaimed, heartbroken. Wigbert fixes up his tie. "Well, you weren't wrong. We do not accept this. You are henceforth forbidden to leave this town!" He yelled. Wally and the Plantars gasp.
"Then you leave me no choice!" Wally yells. Taking off his ribbon, he rolls it up on a knife and spins it around the table, all while dancing gracefully. The knife is thrown into the air, striking the gong.
Everyone around the table gasps. Anne was even more confused. "What? What does that mean?" She asks. The Plantars turn to her, seemingly disappointed. Before any of them could answer, Flossie gasps at this new turn of events.
"It's a Family challenge! Wally is challenging his dad to a match!" She exclaims.
"Come on, Anne. You've been here long enough." Hop Pop says in a disappointed tone toward Anne.
Wally points to his father. "If my family won't accept me for who I truly am, then I don't want to be a Ribbiton anymore! I challenge you to a winner-takes-all duel!"
Wigbert scowls at his son. "Very well. One-on-one Beast Polo. You win, you can leave Ribbitvale and live however you like." He states. A grin grows on his face as he continues. "You lose, you take over the family business and stay in Ribbitvale forever."
Wally only glares back. "I accept!"
Anne, watching the whole thing go down, groans. "Kinda went off script there…."
In the hallways…
Anne followed Wally into the halls. The blue frog turns to her angrily. "Why did you do that?!" He asks. The girl felt guilty as she spoke. "You told me this is what you wanted. You said, "I wish I could see me in Wartwood!"" She says in his accent.
Wally pauses in the hallway, groaning as he pulls his hair. "I didn't actually mean it!"
The human bends down to his level. "Look, I just wanted to help you be proud of who you are. Are poppin' lockin' fresh don't stoppin' hip-hop B-girl!" She says. Wally eyes her, confused. "A what?"
Realising what she said, she shakes her head, sweating. "Never mind. What can I do to fix this?" She asks hopefully, placing a hand on the blue frogs shoulder. Wally looks down at her hand, before looking away.
"You know what, Anne? You've done enough already." He mutters, slapping the humans hand away. "I've got to face the music…on my own." He leaves, playing the accordion.
Anne watches him go, standing up. "Ugh, I messed everything up!" She yelled, placing her head in her hands.
"That, you did."
Anne looks up to see Jean behind her. Her expression was blank, as she looks after Wally. Anne's brows furrowed. "You knew. You knew what would happen, didn't you?" She asks.
Jean doesn't see anything, but the younger girl could see the pain in her eyes.
"How did you know?"
The older teen closed her eyes, putting her hands in her pockets. "I don't tell you guys everything, Anne. Some things are better kept to oneself if you don't want to worry others too much."
With that, Jean walks away, headed toward the polo field. She doesn't turn to look at Anne, knowing full well she'll make it right with Wally in her own way.
—
A crowd gathered for the upcoming challenge, filling the seats of the polo field. A frog that to Jean looked more like a puppet spoke up.
"Hi-ho! Crumpet the Frog here, and welcome to the official Ribbiton family challenge. A ribbiting game of Beast Polo. Hey, see what I did there? Ribbiting, riveting? Because we're frogs?"
Jean rubs her forehead. "I never would've guessed…" she mutters. Hop Pop glances up at the chatty frog. "Well, this guy's quite the character." He states. Polly wore Wally's hat, while Flossie swung her legs as she watched the field. "I hope Wally wins! These challenges are intense." She says mostly to herself.
"And here comes the ball now!" Crumpet states. Jean looks down on the field, spotting Wally and Wigbert walking over. Polly looks around, confused. "Ball? I don't see any-"
Wigbert takes out his fake eye, placing it on a pad. Everyone grimaces in disgust.
"And now the players will pick their beasts!" Crumpet cries. Wigbert gestures to a large beetle, with a skull on its forehead and large horns. "I choose Andromeda."
Wally turns to his beetle, Fiddle Leaf. "And I choose Fiddle Leaf!" He announces, giving her a pat. The beetle chirps in reply.
Wally's father scoffs at this, walking over to him. "Not so fast. Fiddle Leaf is a Ribbiton family beast. Since you no longer wish to be a Ribbiton, you can't ride any of them."
The blue frog panics. "Well then what am I supposed to ride?!" He asks. Anne jumps out from behind Fiddle Leaf, startling the two arguing frogs. "I'll be your beast!" She yells.
Jean smiles, crossing her arms as she leans back. She knew Anne would try and make it up to Wally on the field.
Anne kneels down in front of Wally. "Look, if you're gonna go down, you might as well go down fighting. Plus, I got you into this. At least let me try to get you out." She says. The blue frog sighed, smiling up at his friend. "Alright. You know how to do this?"
"No, but I'll figure it out." The girl stated, placing on the saddle Wally gave her. He then handed her the reins. "Well, here. Put this bit in your mouth."
She immediately slaps it away in disgust. "Not happening, bud."
—
"Okay, fellas. Let's keep this game cool and friendly-like. Three, two, one. Ee-ee!" Crumpet yells. With the blow of a whistle, the game begins. Wigbert scores a goal within seconds, which made the Plantars worry. If Wally didn't up his game, he'd never be able to return to Wartwood, the home he loved.
Luckily after that first score, Anne had become way more competitive. She used her small size against the way larger beast, hopping right over Wigbert with the ball and scoring another goal.
The game went on, with the two teams eventually tying with 9-9. Crumpet declared that one more game be played to break the tie.
In the middle of the game, as Anne and Wally fought for the ball, the human tripped, falling to the ground. Wigbert laughs at them, as he goes for the goal.
"Oh, no!" Wally cries out. Wigbert shoots, but the ball bounces off the goalpost, shooting back in their direction. Anne and Wally cheer.
"He missed!"
"Second wind!"
Scrambling to their feet, they chased after the ball and Wigbert. Wally waves his club around. "Come on, Anne! We're so close!" He encouraged. Anne shook her head. "He's too fast. We'll never make it!"
Wally cackles at this. "That's what you think!" He says, reaching into Anne's hair and pulls out an accordion. The human was shocked. "Wally, how long has that been there?"
"A season at least!"
Aiming the accordion at the ball, he launches it, using it to hit the ball before his dad gets it. Wigbert gasps, as the ball soars past him. It shoots through Wally's goal, striking a large boomshroom and causing a huge explosion to go off.
"Goal! Walliam wins!" Crumpet yells out. The crowd cheer, but clearly the loudest there were the Plantars, Jean and Floss. The said amphibians and human race down to Wally and Anne.
"We did it!" The human and blue frog cheer. Wally embraces Anne in a tight hug. "I can finally be myself!" He says, tearing up a little. Hop Pop carries Polly, who was still carrying his hat, over to them. "Can't be yourself without your signature hat!"
Thanking the polliwog, Wally threw off his helmet, placing the familiar hat on. Hearing a yelp, Wally looks over to see his helmet hit his father.
As his son walks over to him, Wigbert clears his throat, preparing himself. "Well, son, I concede defeat. I suppose this means goodbye. Forever." As he turned away, Wally spots tears in his fathers eyes. He gives him a reassuring smile.
"I don't want to leave forever. I just want to be able to be me, wherever I am." He explained, giving his dad a hug. Wigbert sniffled, looking down at his son hopefully. "You mean you still want to be a Ribbiton?"
"Of course I do! But you have to accept me for who I am. Both Walliam and Wally!" Pulling out an accordion, he plays a little tune to empathise his point. Wigbert grins. "I suppose I can do that. Ah, accordion, eh? You know, I used to love playing the jug, but I gave it up a long, long time ago." Wally gives his dad a suspicious but playful glare. At that, Wigbert cackles. "Oh, alright, you got me!" With that, he reveals a hole in the field where he had hidden all his jugs. Pulling one out, he holds it up for all to see. Wally gasps. "You've been holding out on me!"
Crumpet "awed" at the sight. "Isn't this great? I just love happy endings. What do you say? How about a song? Always works for me!"
Wally and Wigbert give each other a quick look, both agreeing. "I don't see why not!"
Wally turns to Anne. "Thanks, Anne. For everything. Well, not everything." He chuckles to himself. Anne gives him a quick thumbs up. "Don't mention it."
Wally's gaze fell on Jean, standing in the background. The human was looking in their direction, seemingly staring at his father. But it was clear that her mind was elsewhere. Her expression had one of longing. The blue frog turns to his father. "Dad, could you just give me a minute?" He asks. Wigbert, who was cleaning his jug, gave his son a quick nod. "Of course!"
Wally walks over to Jean. Clearing his throat, he snaps her out of her momentary trance. She looks down at him.
"Look, Jean. I don't know what you're going through…but I want you to know it'll be okay. Everything will work out in the end, even if it don't look like it. Things aren't always easy. And sometimes, the hardest things feel wrong. But in the end, it may be the better choice to live a happier life."
Jean pauses. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, kneeling in front of the frog. She places a hand on his shoulder, eyes opening once again to reveal that tears were threatening to spill. She smiles at him gratefully. "Thanks, you crazy frog." She sniffs.
The blue frog places his hand on her arm. "And thank you, Jean, for listening when I needed it."
Wiping her tears away, the teen chuckles. "Alright. Now you go have some good ol' bonding time with your pops. Don't let me hold you back." She says, giving him a gentle punch. The blue frog grins, saluting the human before jumping over to his father. "Hit it, pops!"
The teen watches them with a smile, glad that Wally was able to fix his relationship with his father. Her smile faded, however, when the voice returned.
"Not everything will turn out like that, and you know it. Not everyone gets to have a happy ending."
Anne, the Plantars and Flossie danced to Wally's and Wigbert's music. They were interrupted, however, as a giant peacock appears. It shrieks, showing off its sharp teeth. Everyone screams in horror, running for their lives.
A/N: Was that Wally's room or a guest room? Ima just assume it was a guest room lol
WHO'S HEARD OF DEAD END PARANORMAL PARK? As I'm writing this Ive watched up to episode 8 but I already fucking love it! I wanna watch mooooooOOOOOOORE-
Also, I'm working on a Lego Monkie Kid fic in case I haven't said that already (which I probs have-) and I REALLY LIKE HOW ITS COMING ALONG SO FAR PLEASE IF YOU HAVENT SEEN THE SHOW I BEG YOU TO WATCH IT I PROMISE YOU WONT REGRET IT the first season is a little slow but by the end it gets WAY better.
Another note: I have a tiktok and recently I've been doing art for my ToH and Amphibia aus (as well as working on my LMK characters) I also post edits and spoilers for the books (like MASSIVE spoilers just to warn you lol) so be warned lol but if you're interested my name is alilweirddragon
