Chapter 9
Reunions and Revelations
In the central chamber of the temple, human, frogs, and salamander stood awkwardly, waiting for the party to complete itself.
"…so… this appears to be taking longer than expected," Valeriana started, interrupting the uncomfortable silence.
"It does feel like we've been standing here for months," remarked Polly, glancing aside at seemingly no one.
"If you wish, I did bring this travel bogjump set… no? I also have a deck of cards…"
"No, I think we're good. We… kinda have a lot to catch up on." Anne replied.
"That's right! We haven't seen each other in ages!" Sprig noted. "So, whatcha been up to? You better dish, gurrrl! Any crazy adventures? Been to any other worlds?" He leaned in closer. "Have you found loooove?"
Anne blushed. "Not really, definitely not, and… uh… well, nobody serious…I've mostly been focused on my career. I, uh… I study amphibians for a living. It's not really that exciting… I did discover a new species of frog in the Amazon, though. I, uh… named it after you, actually. Well, it's called the 'South American Pink Tree Frog,' but the scientific name is Phyllomedusa Spriggus."
"Lucky," grumbled Polly.
"Next one's gonna be named after you, I promise," assured Anne. "What about you two? Been busy?"
"Well, you know," Polly said nonchalantly. "I'm at Newtopia University. First step on my eventual path to world domination, unless, y'know, I feel like doin' something else."
"Got into Newtopia U?" Anne said, impressed. "I knew you had the brains."
"'Got into?' Uh, no. I'm on the faculty." She smirked. "Head of the engineering department, since, y'know, no other frog understands technology on the level I do."
"Impressive," Anne remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's my sister, the evil genius… well, more chaotic-neutral, really…"
"So what about you, fam?" Anne asked, prodding Sprig. "What's happening in your life?"
"Oh, not much, really… well, Ivy and I have been exploring this mysterious new continent… I also wrote a book about my travels, across Amphibia and on Earth… but I guess Ivy and I are probably gonna have to settle down soon on account of the kids…" He paused, noticing Anne had suddenly frozen up and was vibrating like she'd had a major malfunction. "Anne? Anne, are you…"
And Anne let out a squee so loud it woke colonies of bats within a two-mile radius.
"What the heck was that?" asked Sasha.
"Hmm… it sounded like the call of a blue-tailed shrieker," Marcy suggested. "Shouldn't be a problem, they're fierce, but harmless unless provoked. I would recommend assuming a submissive pose-"
"Relax," advised Ivy. "I'm guessing Sprig just told Anne about the babies."
"BABIES?" Marcy squealed.
"Do all humans do this?" asked Maddie.
"You have no idea, sister," Sasha commented.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
"Is that one all right?" questioned Valeriana. "She is damaged, perhaps?"
"Nah, she just does this sometimes," Polly explained. "She'll stop when she needs to breath, which should be-"
"*gasp*"
"About now."
"Kids? You're having KIDS? Sprig, you DOG!" *friendpunch*
"Yep. Ivy and I just had three eggs. It's gonna be a while before they hatch, but when they do…"
"…I'm gonna be an aunt!"
"Well, I already called fun aunt, so that's off the table," warned Polly.
"Well then, I call cool aunt."
"COOL AUNT WAS AN OPTION? Is it too late to change my call?"
"Yep. I'm Cool Aunt." Anne put on a pair of sunglasses from some unknown source. "Deal with it."
Whatever response Polly had was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the group.
"Look who we found!" Ivy announced.
"We just followed the squee. Have we missed anything?" asked Marcy.
"I'll say we have. Look who's here," Sasha said.
"Mistress?" asked Maddie. "You didn't mention you would be joining us."
"Forgive me, my student." Valeriana apologized. "I did not want to make my presence known too early."
"Why? Anne asked. "Why are you always so vague?"
"For… DRAMA!" Valeriana declared grandiosely, waving her good arm theatrically.
"…that's fair," conceded Sprig.
"Respect," added Sasha.
"Well, then, if you would permit me to continue… your return to Amphibia was no accident. A new evil threatens this world, and it is once again time for is greatest champions to come to its aid. But first… there are some things you must know, about how all this came to be."
"Long ago, before our ancestors first crawled from the oceans, there was only… the Guardian. They who watch over our multiverse and all the realms within."
"Yeah, I met them. They were really nice," mentioned Anne. "And soooo fluffy!"
"May I continue? Yes? Good? Some say the Guardian was not the only one of their kind, but part of a race of beings dedicated to preserving life in the multiverse. But their race grew corrupt, becoming more concerned with permanently sealing life away, and violently quelling any resistance. And so, they cut off this realm from all others, lest it be found by their more militant colleagues.
"Here, life was free to grow and develop in its own fashion, give rise to all the great civilizations… olm, newt, frog, toad, axolotl, caecilian, and salamander. The Guardian was pleased, and decided to grant the world of Amphibia three gifts: the Emerald of Wisdom, the Ruby of Power, and the Sapphire of Courage.
"For centuries, the people of Amphibia were content to regard the gems as holy relics, but with time, ambition grew. Wars were fought over them, until eventually, the kingdom of Newtopia acquired all three. Soon, the great scholars of Newtopia sought to find a way to harness their power. They thought it would lead to a new golden age.
"One such scholar, her original name lost to time, found a way to tap into the stones energies. She constructed a device designed to harness their unique harmonic vibrations, and found that she had found a way to travel between realms.
"At first she saw the device as merely a way to peacefully explore, but again, ambition proved our undoing. We discovered many things. In the realm called The Green, we discovered advanced techniques that greatly expanded our lifespans and eradicated disease; in the realm of the Titans, we learned how to harness the power of magicks; and in the realm of the so-called First Ones, we learned of highly advanced technology.
"But soon, everything changed. Legend has it, The Good King Argus Leviathan used the box and gazed into a dimension of madness. For months, he spoke only of a beast with one eye. He would recover his wits, to an extent, but he was never the same. His thoughts turned to paranoia, and conquest. Instead of learning, we plundered. Amphibia did indeed reach a golden age… but the expense of great suffering. In trying to become the best version of ourselves, we instead became the worst.
"Eventually, the one known as Lief stole the box and hid it on the next world set to be conquered – yours. And the rest, you know."
"Whoa. I was able to piece together some of this from a few record fragments I found, but not all of it!" Marcy said. "Of course, the records also said that the creator of the box still walks the Earth… well, not the Earth, because that's where we're from, but you get what I mean… but that would be impossible, right?
Sasha raised an eyebrow. "…really? After all this, I think the whole skepticism ship has sailed."
"She does indeed walk this land," Valeriana confirmed. "For I AM SHE!"
"Okay, Hop Pop isn't here right now, so I'm gonna say it. SAY WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Sprig interjected. "If you were the creator of the box, there is no way you could possibly be alive."
"Unless she's a ghost," reminded Polly. "Dude, we met a ghost."
"It is true," confirmed Valeriana. "I am indeed a spirit. Cursed to find no rest until my soul knows peace. I had thought it would come when the Core fell, but I still remained. My work was not done." She turned to Maddie. "At the time, I thought there was merely some sort of delay until it happened, so I began training you as my successor. But when years had passed and I was still here, I knew it must be something more. And so once your initial training was complete, I began to investigate. My journey led me to the new continent."
"…yeah, this is a lot to take in," Maddie replied uncertainly. "So you've been dead this whole time? I gotta say… you really hide it well."
"Can we get to the point?" Sasha asked. "You know, this big new threat that we've been called upon to fight."
"Very well. My investigations led me to this new continent, and this temple. Join me on this dais, if you please."
The frogs, humans and robot shrugged and, with no other, better options, climbed up. Valeriana tapped her staff on the ground and the dais began to descend into a lower, even more ornate chamber decorated with symbols none recognized, though an eclipsed sun-and-stars motif repeated.
And, set into the walls…
"No way," Anne said.
The three stones were larger than those that had decorated the music box, but they were unmistakably in the three same colors, magenta, blue, and green.
"The Guardian, it turns out, was not the only one of their kind to come here. Another – we shall call them "The Adversary" – pursued her, to force them to rejoin the rest of their people, bending to their philosophy of preserving the ideal and purging the rest. The Guardian defeated their pursuer and sealed them in this tomb, hiding it, and the entire continent, so it would never be discovered or interfered with. But the global disruptions caused by the War for Earth and Amphibia caused the seal to break." She indicated a crack on the red gem.
"The Adversary… is free. And they could be anywhere."
A.N.: Well, it was a longer hiatus than I intended!
I actually started this chapter over a month ago but took an unexpected break from writing – don't worry, nothing serious – and finally got back to it now! The story's changed a lot since I started, in no small part due to the recent release of Marcy's Journal. I've incorporated some of the revelations from that book into the story, with a few embellishments of my own. I also went back and fixed a few things in previous chapters.
MarMarFaAnne: That's the one, thanks! And yes, that's the reference. Mr. X definitely has been in contact with Powers and Trigger. Not familiar with the other two, but he is pen pals with Major Monogram. I agree that we should have seen more of Maddie and Marcy's connection, and I kinda like the idea of Sasha and Ivy having a similar bond (I used that in my unfinished story, "Frog Kids in a Human World"). And no, I just wanted an annoying monkey.
DisneyTVAFan: As you can see, I have read the Journal, and I have been using some of the info from it here.
Jose: Yep!
Lyger 0: I would recommend against kissing monkeys.
Fickleness: Thanks for confirming it.
Ashley: Well, now you have!
Mister Joseph: She knows now, and so do everyone's eardrums.
Next: Re-Return to Wartwood