Episode Eleven: The Third Temple
Ash looked around a playground, seeing a young Anne and a young Marcy swinging on the swingset. "Look Mar-Mar!" exclaimed Anne, "I'm an eagle!" "Cool!" replied Marcy, "Well, I'm a twin engine cemax amphibious aircraft!" Suddenly, two girls came up to the two and pushed them off, earning a scream from Marcy and a cry from Anne. Ash growled at them and charged. She ran right through them and fell into a bush. "I guess I'm not actually here," sighed Ash, "This must be one of those many earth flashbacks that Anne and Marcy have. But why am I seeing it?" "How cute," said one of the mean girls, bringing Ash's attention back to the crying kindergarteners, "Now beat it. These swings are ours." Anne and Marcy kept crying, watching their swings having been taken from them so violently. Ash walked back up behind them, glaring at the girls. "Not so fast, evildoers!" exclaimed a voice from on top of the slide, "Leave those kids alone!" Ash rolled her eyes. "Wait," she said to herself, "If Sasha's on our side, why is this still going on? IS SHE GONNA BETRAY US!?" Anne and Marcy gasped at Sasha's bravery in standing up to them. "Algo irónico," Ash mumbled. Sasha went down the slide and jumped at them, preparing to kick the absolute crud out of them, but the girls moved and Sasha face planted on the ground. Ash burst out laughing. "That will never get old!" she wheezed. Sasha rolled over and growled, revealing a scratch mark on her forehead. She got up and screamed at them, charging again. The girls moved once more and Sasha face planted into a sandbox. She stood up and spit out some sand. "I'm not done yet!" exclaimed Sasha, "I'll never give up! No matter what!" She then ran at them once more and tripped over her own feet, face planting… again. "This is getting kind of weird," stated one girl. "Yeah," said the other, "We're outta here. Enjoy your swings, babies." They then got up and left. Ash smirked and watched Sasha get up again. "The swings are all yours," Sasha laughed. She then went to leave. "Hey," said Anne, "Wanna swing with us?" "I-I'd like that," stuttered Sasha. "I'm Anne by the way," said Anne, "And this is Marcy!" "Hiya!" interrupted Marcy. "I'm Sasha," said the blonde, "Sasha Waybright!"
"GET UP!" screamed Sprig, jumping up and down on Ash. "Bajate," she said menacingly, her eyes glowing purple. Sprig whimpered and jumped down. Marcy shot up on the chair and jumped up. "We're almost home!" she exclaimed. Ash then felt something. She felt as if something bad was going to happen. "Does anyone else have the sinking feeling that something's gonna go horribly wrong today?" she asked. Anne and Sasha stepped out from the basement. "Not really," they said in unison. "It's fine," said Marcy, "You're just being paranoid." "Paranoid!?" questioned Ash, "Was Hopla being paranoid when she felt like Jumpro was gonna leave!? NO! She was going with her gut! And after what I've seen is gonna happen I-" "It won't happen," assured Marcy, "We're not even going to Newtopia. And even if we do, I'll stay away from Andrias!" "Okay…" sighed Ash. Ashla Moltono already knew what could potentially happen at the end of this day. She knew that Marcy would finally see… and she didn't want her to… so she had to do something before it all went down. "Let's go!" exclaimed Sprig, running out the door. Everyone followed after him, getting ready to board Joe Sparrow. "I'll just portal there," said Ash with a weak smile. Marcy nodded and took off, everyone else being with her. Ash sighed and looked back at the house, finding the door open and the Calamity Box on the counter. Ash rolled her eyes and levitated it up to the bird. "Thanks!" called Anne from Joe Sparrow. Ash then levitated the Infinity Box to her. She grabbed a small bag and put both the diary and the journal in it. Ash then portaled to the temple, looking up and finding Joe Sparrow still a good ways away. Ash then turned and walked into the temple. Finding that it had ancient amphibian texts inscribed on the walls. "Right," said Ash, "This is the weird one. Lift to enter, 'brah'." Ash lifted the door open and stepped inside. "Oh Frog, it's hot in here," she said to herself, "We should leave the Plantars out there with Joe Sparrow and Frobo." "Agreed," said a voice from inside. A dried up Captain Grime then stepped out of the darkness. "Holy FROG!" exclaimed Ash, "Sasha saw you die right in front of her!" "Sadly, yes," said Grime, "But I lived! They brought me back and sent me here. I'm sorry, who are you and where's Sasha?" "I'm one of Sasha's friends," stated Ash, "And they're on their way." "They?" asked Grime. Joe Sparrow then landed and dropped Frobo, Anne, Polly, Hop Pop, Marcy, Sprig, and Sasha off. Sasha gazed into the cave, seeing Ash and someone else in front of her… someone she knew. "GRIME!" she screamed. Everyone turned their heads in her direction. "Oh my Frog you're alive!" she exclaimed, enveloping Grime in a big hug, "Wait. This isn't you, is it!?" She pointed a finger at Ash. "Don't look at me," said Ash, "This is the real Grime… somehow…" Sasha cried and hugged her toad friend. "Can we get out of here?" asked Grime. Sasha picked up the toad and toted him out of the temple so he could hydrate. "Okay," said Ash, "While Sasha and Grime have their moment, I just wanna say, the Plantars should stay out here. They'll dry up and it just won't be good for them." "She's got a point," said Marcy, "I mean, Grime didn't look good at all, granted, we all thought he was dead…" "Alright," said Anne, glaring at the toad, "We need Sasha to help us in here. Can I trust you to stay here and not hurt anyone?" "Sure," said Grime, "But I'm not sure Sasha wants to leave." "No," said Sash, standing up slowly, "She's right. I have to go in there. I'll be back soon, Grime." "We'll be out soon," said Anne to the Plantars, "You all need to keep an eye on Grime… I don't trust him.. at all." "You can count on us Anne!" said Hop Pop. "Sure thing," said Sprig. "Like a hawk," said Polly, staring into Grime's soul. "Great," said Anne, "Be safe!" The humans then made their way into the temple. They walked into the next room and found a bunch of warhammers on the side. "Hey look," said Sasha, "Ancient texts that I can't read." "Though you can't read them, they speak your language," stated Marcy. "'Whoa, there boss. Think you're strong to get across?'" read Ash. "I have a distinct feeling this temple is about strength," said Anne. "Let's go," said Sasha, grabbing a warhammer. She ran across the bridge and slammed a bunch of lava monsters with her hammer as she went. Once she got to the other side, she found Ash, Anne, and Marcy stepping out of a portal. "Right," said Sasha, "I forgot you could do that." "I don't care how you go through the temple," said Anne, "Just don't die on the way." "No promises," replied Sasha. "Hey Marcy," said Ash, "Before this all goes down.. I need to talk to you." "Can it wait?" asked Marcy, "Like, after we go home? We're so close!" "Okay…" sighed Ash. They made their way into the next room. "Sup bro'seph," translated Marcy, "Do you even lift?" "You didn't read the texts at the last two temples," said Anne, "Why this one?" "I wasn't at the second one," clarified Marcy, "And I just like the way it's casually written." "I guess you have a point," admitted Anne. "This temple just isn't trying anymore." Ash said as she pointed at a bench press in the middle of the room. "This is all me," said Sasha, cracking her knuckles. Sasha walked over to the bench and laid on it. "I'll spot you," said Ash, going behind the barbell. Sasha rubbed her hands together and lifted the barbell up. She struggled… a lot, but she finally got it up in the air and then put it back on its rest. "Hey good job," said Ash, high fiving Sasha. Sasha got up and wiped the sweat off her brow. The next door opened and they went through. "Anne, Marcy, I suggest you stay back for this one…" said Ash, "I have a bad feeling about it." "We're going," said Anne, "Whether you like it or not." "Bien," said Ash, "But when it feels like your lungs are gonna explode, don't come crying to me." Ash looked at the texts on the walls. "'You've definitely got skill, no doubt. But it's time you learn what real strength is all about'." she read. "What's that mean?" asked Marcy. Suddenly, the room's gravitational pull increased. "Holy Frog-!" exclaimed Anne. "I was half expecting this," said Ash, standing up without a problem. "How come you're not fazed?" questioned Anne. "It must be my powers," replied Ash, "The room doesn't affect me." A red circle then appeared around Ash. "This can't be good," she said. She was then launched out of the ceiling and thrown out of the temple, dropping her bag on the floor in the process. "Ash!" stressed Marcy. Suddenly, a yellow apparition appeared beside the trio. "Alright," said Ash, "I can be here through the mind stone. Now listen, the temple kicked me out, but I have to warn you, this last stage is challenging… on all of you." "What do you mean?" asked Sasha. "You'll see," replied Ash, pointing ahead of them. Suddenly, a giant stone monster walked out of the darkness. "Let's do this!" said Sasha, charging at it. It swiped at her, which she dodged. It instead went Marcy's way. Anne jumped at Marcy and pushed her out of the way. "Thanks Anne," said Marcy, trying to get up, "The gravity is too much. I can't move." "That's okay Marcy," said Anne, standing up after much effort, "Sasha and I can handle this." Anne ran at the monster and hit it with her tennis racket and sword. "Who would've ever thought that we'd be working together after everything that happened?" asked Sasha. "Definitely not me," said Anne, "But I always knew there was good somewhere deep down inside you. I'm glad you let it out." "I am too!" said Sasha, throwing her sword into the rock monster's head. She jumped up and grabbed it, jumping back down and making cracks in the ground. Suddenly, the gravity increased more. Anne and Sasha fell and couldn't get back up. "It feels like my lungs are gonna explode!" screamed Anne. "¿Qué te dije?" asked Ash, "And now you're crying to me." "Well can you blame me!?" questioned Anne. "Fair enough," said Ash. "It's over," sighed Sasha, "We can't do this. Three of us are on the ground and one of us is pretty much a ghost at the moment…" "You're right Sash," said Anne, "We can't. But you can! I believe in you!" "How could you ever believe in me?" asked Sasha, "I was always such a jerk to you!" "Because you weren't just a jerk," clarified Anne, "You also inspired us. You're fierce, you're brave, and most of all, you never give up!" "You're right," groaned Sasha, struggling to get up, "I'll never give up! Not today- Not ever!" Ash and Marcy both had those- well, anyone remember that face Luz made when Amity made up with Willow? I hope you do, otherwise, you're on your own. I can't put pictures in here hahaha
Sasha stood up and threw off her cape, which made a crater in the ground when it landed. She threw off her shoulder plate and boots as well, which also made craters when they landed. "How heavy was that armor!?" questioned Marcy. Charging at the monster, Sasha drew her sword and jumped up and slashed all the way through. "Get croaked!" she exclaimed, breaking it to pieces. The gravity then turned back to normal. "The gravity's back to normal" exclaimed Anne, running up and hugging her friend, "You did it Sash!" "Thanks for believing in me Anne," said Sasha. "Anytime," replied Anne, "Sasha, do you think maybe we could start over? Do things right this time?" "I-I'd like that," stuttered Sasha. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. "Let's just charge this stone before things get more awkward," said Anne. "Not possible," laughed Sasha. "Oh my Frog, this is so sweet," said Ash, wiping a tear. Marcy laughed and went to lean on Ash's shoulder, falling right through her. "Illusion," stated Ash. "I forgot about that," said a grumpy Marcy. More texts appeared on the wall. "'Congrats, brah'," read Ash, "'You finally know what it takes to go the distance. For what is true strength without persistence'." Sasha put the magenta stone into the charging station that had just appeared out of the ground. It charged quickly and a flash of magenta went through Sasha's eye. She then put the stone back on the box. "Should we open it?" asked Marcy. "You're forgetting a few others that want to go back to earth," said Ash, tapping her foot. "Right," said Marcy. "I'll send a portal to get you all out saf-" Ash's illusion disappeared, and a portal never came. They could hear the sounds of struggling coming from outside. "What's going on!?" questioned Anne. Marcy then grabbed Ash's bag and bolted out of the temple, Anne and Sasha following closely behind. When they exited the temple, they found the Plantars unconscious on the ground, Frobo's arms tied to a tree, Joe Sparrow half in the ground, and Ash and Grime nowhere to be seen. "I don't believe it!" exclaimed Anne, "Grime betrayed us! And he took Ash!" "Let's not jump to conclusions," said Sasha, "I know it doesn't look good but-" "Dear Sasha," read Marcy, "I'm sorry, but I betrayed you all and took Moltono. If you three ever want to see her again, deliver both boxes to King Andrias immediately." "No…" sighed Sasha, "I- I can't believe this! Grime would never do this! He would never betray me! Maybe all of you, but not me!" "Maybe he was threatened?" suggested Marcy. "Look," said Anne, "I may not like Grime, but I know he has enough respect to not ambush a family of frogs and kidnap a teenager." "Come on," said Marcy, "Let's dig up Joe Sparrow, wake up the Plantars, untie Frobo, and go get our friend."
