Episode Nine: The Second Temple

The group arrived in the Amphibian arctic, landing Joe Sparrow gracefully on some ice. Joe slipped and fell into a snowbank. Hop Pop, Sprig, Polly, Anne, and Sasha all popped their heads out of the bank. "I think we would've been better off if we brought Ash and Marcy," stated Sasha. "True," admitted Anne, "But Ash would only have slowed us down, and besides, someone had to take care of her, and Marcy's the only one she really knows." "You just want your ship to sail," Sprig said slyly. "Everyone wants that ship to sail!" exclaimed Anne. "She's got a point, little frog dude," said Sasha. "I still think Ash would've been fine coming with us," said Polly. "She's still having hallucinations," stated Anne, "Do you really think bringing her on a mountain is a good idea!?" "Anne's right," said Hop Pop, "Now let's go find that temple!"

"¡ME VA A MATAR!" screamed Ash. "Relax!" exclaimed Marcy, "It's just the frobot Polly found yesterday!"

(The group had decided to take another rest day after finding the Infinity Box, since Ash was still kinda out of it. It was this day that the episode, "Friend or Frobo" occurred. Just an author's note.)

"Y-you're sure it's not a- a horrible monstruo chupasangre?" stuttered Ash. "I promise," assured Marcy, "Maybe you should just get some sleep." "Sleep!?" questioned Ash, "We have to study the box!" "One box at a time, Ash," said Marcy, "The others are handling the Calamity Box, that's enough for right now." "¿Estás segura?" asked Ash, pouting at her friend. "I'm positive," laughed Marcy, blushing at how cute Ash looked while making that face. "Okay," said Ash with a smile, seemingly forgetting everything they had just talked about, "Can we at least go into town?" Marcy saw how Ash's eyes lit up as she asked this. She couldn't possibly say no. "I don't see why not," said Marcy with a nervous chuckle, "Just try not to say anything if you have any hallucinations." "I won't," smiled Ash, pulling on her beanie and chest plate. She tied her shoes and clipped her cape on. "You need all of that to go out on the town?" asked Marcy with a smirk. "You need all of that to just watch me?" replied Ash, smirking back and gesturing to Marcy's armor. Marcy lifted her finger and opened her mouth in protest, but said nothing, knowing she had lost this argument. Ash then led Marcy out of the house, immediately tripping over the walkway stones. "I'm okay!" she said, shooting her finger up in the air. Marcy laughed a little and pulled her up. "Maybe I should lead," she suggested. "Good idea," said Ash. "Let's go," Marcy said, beginning to walk away. "Wait," Ash told her, grabbing her arm, "Could I maybe… hold your hand?" Marcy blushed and smiled. "Of course," she said, "I don't want you getting too far away from me anyway." Ash smiled widely and took Marcy's hand. The two then headed for Wartwood, hand in hand, both smiling the whole way.

"WHY THE HECK IS THIS STUPID BIRD ATTACKING US!?" screamed Anne. "Marcy's journal says it's a cardinal," stated Sasha, "They don't eat frogs, but do eat caterpillars! It wants our caterpillar wool coats!" "But we need these to not freeze!" exclaimed Sprig. "Hang on," said Sasha, "Let me just come up with a plan-" "No time!" interrupted Anne, pulling off her coat and throwing it over the cliff. The cardinal flew after it. Sasha saw Anne do this right in front of her, her face instantly heating up. "Come on!" exclaimed Anne, climbing up the mountain. Sasha took a moment to dismiss her feelings and then followed after her crush and the Plantars.

"OOH!" exclaimed Ash, "Can we get some beetle jerky from the Grub and Go!?" "Of course!" replied Marcy. The pair walked into Grub and Go and found some beetle jerky. "I love this stuff," said Ash. "Well I'm glad you're liking some part of this world," replied Marcy. "What do you mean?" asked Ash, "I love this world… and everyone I met in it." Marcy smiled and blushed slightly. "You mean it?" she asked. "Of course!" replied Ash, "This world is everything I ever dreamed! I've wanted to come to a place like this my whole life. To meet someone like you… my whole life." "What do you mean?" asked Marcy. "Back home… I was an outcast…" started Ash, "So that made me the target for all the boys…" "The boys wanted to feel accomplished because they got the weird girl," Marcy finished, "I get it. I can't relate, but I think I understand." "Not entirely…" sighed Ash, "I don't even like boys… and when the girls found out about this, I was cast out even more… and all these girls started coming after me. I hated them all… except for one." "Oh?" asked Marcy. "This one made me feel special," continued Ash, "She made me feel like I belonged." "She made you feel loved…" interrupted Marcy. Ash nodded in response. "But it was all just fake…" continued Ash, "She never loved me. Ella solo me estaba usando." "Was there anyone else?" asked Marcy, "That… you know, didn't end in you finding something like that out?" "Well," said Ash, "I don't like talking about this much, but I guess I'll tell you…" The two paid for the beetle jerky and walked out of the store. "I had a huge crush on my best friend… but she never noticed me. And before I even had a chance to tell her…" said Ash, a few tears rolling down her cheek, "She was killed in a mountain climbing accident…" Marcy gasped. Ash fell to her knees and broke down crying. Marcy crouched down beside her and held her. "Hey," she said, "It's okay. I'm here." "But I don't know for how long!" exclaimed Ash, "The time we go back home draws nearer and nearer… and Andrias no doubt has a plan so we don't have to go back to Newtopia for him to get what he wants… And in that process…" "Look at me," said Marcy, "I'm not going anywhere. That is not gonna happen. You don't have to worry. You, me, Anne, and Sasha are all going home at the end of this… even if… even if it means I'm gonna be separated from you all… forever." Ash frowned and hugged her friend back. "We should head back to the house," said Ash, "Nosotras estamos haciendo una escena." "Right," agreed Marcy, standing up and helping Ash do so, "By the way, how are your hallucinations?" "They're gone!" gasped Ash, "I know what we gotta do now." "Yeah," agreed Marcy, "Wait, what?"

"Those people are gonna die!" exclaimed Anne, charging at a hut as an avalanche prepared to destroy it. Anne busted through the door, finding a sign that read, "Out to lunch". "Ugh!" she groaned, "Why is everyone out to lunch right now!?" Anne ran out of the hut, jumping up at a bank. Just as the avalanche prepared to swallow her, a flash of purple red and green flew up and pulled her out of the way. "I gotcha Anne!" exclaimed Ash, setting her down. "Phew," sighed Anne, "Thanks. I thought I was a goner." "I do what I can…" sighed Ash. "That was so reckless!" exclaimed Marcy, "Also we brought an extra coat Anne, Ash thought someone might need one." "Thanks," said Anne, putting the coat on without hesitation. "What were you thinking!?" exclaimed some newt lady, "Throwing yourself in harm's way, that is a very unworthy quality!" Here we go, thought Ash. Things got heated between Valeriana and Anne and they ended up disappearing with a wave of a stick. "Where did they go!?" asked Sasha. "They're charging the stone," said Ash. "How do you know that?" asked Sprig skeptically. "Because I see them," said Ash. Her eyes glowed yellow, her pupils turning a darker shade of the same color. Her hair ensued. She floated up off the ground and disappeared in a swirl of yellow.

Ash fell on the giant platform that Anne and Valeriana were fighting on. Ash just stood there and watched, her hair returning to the purple, red, and green that it was before. Only her left eye remained yellow. Her right eye returned to its forest green color and her pupils back to black. Ash watched intently as Anne saved Valeriana from falling. She watched as she pulled the newt back up. "Can we just use your stick to charge the stone already?" asked Ash. "How-?" questioned Anne. "No time," said Ash, "Charge the stone!" Valeriana rolled her eyes and placed her staff in a hole in the ground. The Ancient Amphibian symbols on the ground glowed blue. She put the stone in the center of the staff and watched as it glowed. A flash of blue ran through Anne's eyes as she watched it. The stone then slowly charged. Ash rolled her eyes, preparing to use her power to help charge it faster, but then she thought. It not being charged all the way was probably why Anne got her calamity powers! Ash stood down and watched with her. Anne and Ash then heard their friends screaming. "Hurry up!" rushed Anne. The stone was almost fully charged when Anne grabbed it and put it on the box. "That should be charge enough," she said, "NOW SEND US BACK!" Valeriana nodded and waved her staff, sending Anne back. Ash awkwardly looked at the newt. "You knew she would stop the charging process," she said, "Why did you not stop her?" "Because it's important that it doesn't finish," replied Ash, "She needs to tap into her inner power… and a fully charged stone won't help with that." "I understand," said the old newt, "Would you like for me to send you back?" "Nah," replied Ash, "I got it." Her yellow eye glowed and she sent herself back to the others.

Ash appeared in front of Marcy, stumbling forward. "You're okay!" exclaimed Marcy, hugging her friend. Ash blushed and pulled away. "Are you drained!?" questioned Marcy, "Are you having hallucinations again!? Do you need me to carry you!?" "I feel fine," said Ash, "Although that is an enticing offer. But yeah… I feel perfectly fine." "Wow," said Marcy, jotting something down in her notebook, "This is a development, your first new power that didn't drain you." "That is kinda strange," stated Sasha, raising a brow, "But I'm glad we don't have to carry her down the mountain." "I feel so good right now that I could probably carry you down the mountain!" exclaimed Ash, pointing at Sasha, "And I know how heavy your armor is." Sasha rolled her eyes. Marcy smiled at Ash. "Okay can we get out of this cold already?" asked Polly, "I'm freezing my hopping tail off!" "Of course," said Anne, picking up the polliwog.

Ash looked in a mirror at her different colored eyes. "You okay?" asked Marcy. "I'm fine," replied Ash. "You're ashamed of your eye," stated Sasha, walking up to her, "Please, if anyone here understands that, it's me." Ash took a good long look at Sasha's blind eye. "I think it makes you look better," said Marcy, hugging her. Ash smiled and blushed at this. "I'll just head back into the house," said Sasha slyly, exiting the fwagon. Ash looked back in the mirror and smiled at her new look. "I never thought I'd ever go through changes like this," sighed Ash, "I mean, my natural hair color looks super dyed and my eye is literally yellow." "It's so cool," said Marcy, "Now, let's get some shut eye." "Yeah…" agreed Ash, "I'm actually gonna go into the house and take a look at the Infinity Box." "Do you need any help?" asked Marcy. "I'll be fine," replied Ash, grabbing the Infinity Box off a shelf, "I'll just grab a few of the books we got out of Hop Pop's study and sit in the living room. As for you, get some sleep. You look beat." "Okay," sighed Marcy, "Just be careful with the box." "Will do," replied Ash. She then exited the fwagon and walked into the house, finding the door to Hop Pop's study wide open. She heard snoring coming from the room. "Que?" Ash asked herself. She walked in and found Hop Pop fast asleep with a book wide open in front of him. "Is that…" gasped Ash, "Sprig's mom!?" Hop Pop jolted awake and found Ash looking at the book that he had kept hidden for so long. "I guess an explanation is required," sighed Hop Pop, "Just let me get a cup of coffee first."