It was not easy, and it almost got the conjoined olm twins, Lysil and Angwin killed, but in the end, Anne, Sasha, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop had managed to secure a meeting with the old and wise, Mother Olm. Currently, the team was being led down a steep tunnel by two olm guards. The terrain was more suited to slithering olms rather than bipedal creatures like the four of them, but through careful movements they were able to make the descent.
"Mother Olm's chamber is at the end of this tunnel," said the purple olm guard. "But be careful, especially if you're frail and weak. How's it goin' back there old timer?"
Out of the four, Hop Pop seemed to be having the most trouble going down the steep incline, but to his credit he was doing well so far.
"Augh. Who you callin' old?" Hop Pop sneered.
Just then, Hop Pop's left leg slipped, causing a slight shift in his joints that made him lose strength in his legs. His legs shook as he tried to maintain his stance, but the old frog realized quickly that that was a lost cause.
"Oh…help me Frog!" Hop Pop exclaimed.
Hop Pop came tumbling down the incline, crashing into the kids, and they all crashed into the two olm guards. The entire group fell down the steep incline, all the way until they crashed, roughly, at the bottom of the tunnel, landing in a large pile as dust kicked up around them.
The elderly frog managed to pick himself up and said, "Sorry, kids, my ding-dang knee's been actin' up again. Forty years of farmin' will do that to ya."
"Good goin'," the purple olm mocked.
"At this rate, you're going to get everyone killed," said the pale blue olm before they both laughed at Hop Pop in a mocking manner.
The others managed to get back to their feet, and once they had, they were greeted to the sight of Mother Olm's sacred chamber. The entire room was carved from the stone around it, along with a few other stones brought in for decoration. There were two stairwells that curved in a "U" shape that led up to two cliffs on the left and right side of the room. Yellow mushroom lights were planted on the sides, giving off more illumination in addition to the basins filled with flames. The glow of the mushroom lights and flames made the back wall sparkle and shimmer, reflecting off the hundreds of small gemstones that were embedded into the stone wall. At the center of the room was a mosaic circle that had an image of a solar eclipse, and up head were some stairs that led to a platform where a huge gong was placed, and above that gong was an image of a gemstone carved from stone.
Sprig, in his normal habit of touching everything, walked up to the gong and stared at its reflective surface.
"Wow, what does this do?"
The pink frog child proceeded to bang on the gong, making it ring constantly and echo loudly within the chamber. This unfortunately startled Hop Pop, making him lurch forward and crash into the kids, again. The four of them kept tumbling until they stopped at the foot of the stairs to the gong itself. Sprig stopped the banging of the gong as the room began to rumble and shake. Anne and Sasha quickly rose to their feet, not sure what to expect from this development. Hop Pop tried to stand again, but his knees were still giving him problems.
Sprig peeked behind the gong, finding a huge dark crevice down below. From the dark abyss, he spotted eight glowing objects that were getting bigger and bigger with each passing second. The pink frog child stepped back as he and the others watched as a huge olm rose from the abyss, it was bigger than any of the other olms they saw in Proteus, with grayish-purple scales, a few scars here and there, a glowing, translucent fin that ran from the middle of its head and down its back. It possessed two tiny arms, six glowing feeler frills on the sides of its head, a neon leaf tattoo mark in the middle of its forehead, and two pale blue eyes. This was her, the ancient one, the one who was to guide them to their destiny, Mother Olm.
Mother Olm looked upon her visitors and spoke, "WHO IS IT THAT SUMMONS ME?"
Her voice boomed within the chamber; however, it did not sound malicious or angry.
Anne gulped and waved to the giant olm as she said, "Greetings, Mother Olm. I'm Anne Boonchuy. This is Sasha Waybright."
"H-Heeey…" Sasha greeted, nervously.
"And the Plantars," Anne finished.
"Hey," Hop Pop and Sprig greeted.
"What's up?!" Polly exclaimed.
Mother Olm lowered her body so that her head was looking directly at her visitors. "OOH, FROGS. HASN'T BEEN ONE HERE IN OVER A THOUSAND YEARS. AND AS FOR YOU TWO…"
Mother Olm's feeler frills started to extend and move towards Sasha and Anne. The feelers slowly wrapped around them, but not in a constrictive manner, more as if she was trying to get a better sense of who the two girls were. Sasha looked a bit uncomfortable but managed to not do anything hostile towards Mother Olm.
"Mother Olm, we need your help. King Andrias is destroying Amphibia and–"
"WAIT, HOLD ON." Mother Olm retracted her feelers and stood up straight as she looked around and asked, "DO YOU HEAR A FLAPPING SOUND? LIKE A-A MILLION TINY LITTLE WINGS? JUST ME? MUST BE ALL IN MY HEAD. CONTINUE."
"Sooooo…Sash and I and our friend Marcy got zapped to Amphibia by a music box and–"
"MUSIC BOX!" Mother Olm interrupted.
"So, you do know about the Calamity Box?" Sasha asked.
"CHILD, I AM THE KEEPER OF THE PROPHECY OF THE STONES AND THE MUSIC BOX! UPON WHICH THE FATE OF ALL WORLDS RESTS!" Mother Olm proclaimed as her frills, fin, and eyes glowed a bright magenta color. "AND THAT PROPHECY IS…"
The olm guards were beating the drums as Mother Olm prepared to announce the prophecy. Anne, Sasha, and the Plantars were on pins and needles, ready to hear this ancient prophecy that might shed some light on how to defeat The Night and Andrias, save Marcy, and save both worlds from destruction.
"…WAIT, HOW DID IT GO AGAIN? HOLD ON, IT'LL COME BACK TO ME. O-O-OH HERE WE GO, I GOT IT!" The olm guards resumed their drumming. "THE PROPHECY IS…GONE. IT'S GONE."
"WHAT?!" the group exclaimed in disbelief.
"LISTEN KIDS, WHEN YOU GET TO BE A CERTAIN AGE. THINGS LIKE YOUR MEMORY AND BODY STOP WORKING AND ABANDON YOU LIKE BAD FRIENDS," Mother Olm said.
Hop Pop sighed as he remarked, "Tell me about it…"
"No, we've come so close. Is there anything we can do to help you remember?" Anne asked.
Mother Olm shrugged for a moment and said, "I KNOW IT'LL COME BACK TO ME NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE. A LITTLE MENTAL STIUMULATION CAN HELP. BUT, UH, THERE MIGHT BE A WAY TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS."
"What?! What is it?!" Sasha asked.
"YA SEE THOSE PLANTS OVER THERE? THE ONES WITH THE RAINBOW-COLORED LEAVES?" Mother Olm pointed to some strange looking bushes growing out of the walls on either side of the chamber. "BRING ME A BUNCH OF THOSE LEAVES, AS MANY AS YOU ALL CAN CARRY."
"Great, let's get to it!" Anne stated.
Sprig, Polly, and Sasha followed Anne, but Hop Pop stayed behind. The others waited for him, but the old frog shook his head.
"Kids, Ah think Ah should sit this one out. Ah'll only slow ya down," said Hop Pop.
"What! No, you won't! Is this because of what those jerk guards said?" Anne questioned. "Listen, HP, you're not going to slow us down!"
"Yeah!" Sprig agreed.
"You may be old, but you're still a killa," Polly remarked.
"Thanks kids, but we're too close to gettin' some answers. Ah don't want to mess with that, so go on ahead and get to it."
The others sighed but understood as they went to the bushes and started collecting the rainbow-colored leaves. Mother Olm nodded to the two olm guards, and they slithered off. As they did, Mother Olm produced a giant tea kettle and a giant teacup. She poured some into the giant cup and slid it across to Hop Pop.
"CARE FOR SOME TEA, HANDSOME?" Mother Olm offered.
"Oh, well, thank ya kindly."
The kids began picking the leaves, and weirdly enough, every time they did, a new leaf would pop out to replace the one the one they plucked.
"This is a little weird, Anne," Sasha commented.
"Yeah, but we need to get some answers, and this could be our only shot," said Anne.
Sasha wasn't going to argue, she knew this could possibly help them gain an edge over Andrias, at least she hoped that would be the case.
After the four of them collected the leaves, they turned around and watched as the two olm guards brought in a giant metal tube that had an hourglass shape to it. There was a long hose connected to one end, and a hole on the other side of it. The tube itself had many markings on it, mostly olm braille writing.
"OKAY, NOW, ANNE AND SASHA, WAS IT? I'D LIKE YOU TWO TO FILL THE TUBE WITH THE LEAVES. AND YOU TWO LITTLE FROGS, COME HERE AND JOIN YOUR HOP POP AND HAVE SOME TEA," Mother Olm instructed.
Polly and Sprig shrugged and then placed their leaves into a pile before the tube before heading over to Hop Pop. Sasha and Anne began filling the tube, taking big armfuls of the leaves and tossing them in. After about a couple of minutes, the leaves were all placed into the tube as Anne shut the hatch to it.
"THANK YOU, GIRLS. NOW, PLEASE STAND AT THE CENTER OF THE ROOM. I NEED A MOMENT TO CONCENTRATE."
Again, neither Sasha nor Anne had any clue how this was going to help Mother Olm remember the prophecy, but again, they didn't have many options right now. The human teens did as instructed and stood at the center of the chamber. When they did, Mother Olm took the hose and wrapped her lips around the opening. She inhaled deeply, and as she did, her frills and fin began to glow magenta again. After inhaling, Mother Olm leaned over the tube until she was directly above Anne and Sasha. A moment later, the giant olm released a huge puff of rainbow-colored smoke onto both of them. It came down in a large plume, completely obscuring them from sight as the two humans coughed. But then the coughing stopped, and two thuds could be heard. When the smoke cleared up just a bit, Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly gasped. Anne and Sasha were now lying on the ground, not moving at all.
"ANNE!" Sprig cried out.
"SASHA!" Polly yelled.
The two frog children immediately ran towards them.
"WAIT, KIDS DON'T–!"
But it was too late, the moment Polly and Sprig got close to the smoke cloud, they two dropped to the floor.
"KIDS!" Hop Pop screamed as he tried to get up, but his knees failed him again. "MOTHER OLM! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Mother Olm sighed as she informed the old frog, "THIS WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING I WAS GOING TO DO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, A STALLING TACTIC."
"SAY WHAT?!"
"I COULD SEE THAT THERE IS STILL LINGERING TURMOIL WITHIN THESE TWO GIRLS, AND THIS WILL HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND. DO NOT FEAR, HOP POP. AND GIVE ME SOME TIME TO REMEMBER THE PROPHECY. THEY WILL BE FINE," Mother Olm assured.
"Well…What about Sprig and Polly?" he asked.
Mother Olm scratched her chin. "YEEEEAAH…THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN. WELL, DON'T WORRY. THEY'RE YOUNG, THEY'LL COME OUT OF IT SOON. HOW MUCH TURMOIL CAN THOSE TWO HAVE AT SUCH YOUNG AGES?"
Hop Pop recalled every instance of their adventures and muttered, "Oh, Frog…"
Sasha coughed as the rainbow smoke obscured her vision. She waved her hands through the smoke, trying to clear it, but it was just too thick and wouldn't yield.
"What the hell, Mother Olm? What's with all this smoke?" Sasha coughed. "I swear to Frog…"
Just then, Sasha started to see a figure in the distance.
"Anne? That you?"
She received no response. Sasha moved through the thick smoke, but the closer she got to the silhouette, the thinner the smoke got.
"Anne, I don't know what kind of game Mother Olm's playing, but–"
"Well, well, well."
Sasha paused; it sounded like her voice. The smoke began to clear, creating a space free of the rainbow smoke for about a fifty-foot radius. The person standing before Sasha was…Sasha. Although, this version was wearing her SJMS uniform.
"What…H-How am I…?"
"Jeez, look at us." Other-Sasha walked towards Sasha, stopping about a foot away she began circling Sasha.
"What? What about me?" Sasha asked.
"Your hair's a mess." Other-Sasha flipped Sasha's hair. "You're riddled with small scratches and scars." She then poked at Sasha's facial scar. "And, damn, if you get any more swol, you're gonna lose your feminine appeal, girl."
Sasha felt Other-Sasha feel up her arm and wrenched it free from her grasp as she growled at her copy. "So, I haven't been able to take care of my hair. So, I have a few scars now. So, I'm buffer than I used to be! So WHAT?! I had to make some sacrifices and get stronger so I could protect everyone in Wartwood, and fight in this war!"
Other-Sasha scoffed. "A war that would've never come about if you had just kept a tighter leash on Anne and Marcy."
Sasha blinked.
"What did you just say?" she asked in disbelief.
"Oh c'mon, princess, you and I both know we're always right, and those nerds can't do a damn thing without us giving them orders. Which is just how we like it," said Other-Sasha.
"Screw you!" Sasha retorted as she pointed her armored finger at the double. "I'm done with all that manipulation crap! Anne and Marcy are not just some servants I boss and order around! They're my friends!"
Other-Sasha smirked as she replied, "That doesn't mean you still can't be friends with your 'servants'. Think about it. You could tell that Anne changed a bit back at Toad Tower. Had you kept her oblivious to what was going on, or better yet just had the toads overpower her and hold her down while Grime fed that old frog to the plant, we could be back home without worrying about any of this."
Sasha furrowed her brow at the insinuation. "You'd rather we be called a killer?! We almost killed the last family member that Sprig and Polly have! They would've been alone in this world without their grandfather!"
Other Sasha shrugged. "To use our own words, 'So what'? They're just slimy little frogs. In the grand scheme of things, they don't really matter. The only thing that matters are us, and our girls."
Sasha growled as she balled up her fist and threw a right punch at Other-Sasha. Except when she made contact with her double, the double turned into rainbow smoke that dispersed as she passed right through it and fell to the ground. Sasha quickly got up and turned around, watching as Other-Sasha reformed.
"Face it, deep down, we still crave control. We still crave that rush we get from having the two people we care about the most hang on our every word."
"No! I'm not like that anymore!" Sasha argued.
Other-Sasha turned back into rainbow smoke and flew straight towards Sasha. In a matter of seconds, Sasha found herself back on the ground. Other Sasha reformed, and with her left foot pressed against Sasha's chest plate as she looked down at her "weak" counterpart.
"Yes, you are. And you know it."
Anne was in a cloud of rainbow smoke, she felt like she was wandering around in the smoke for hours, which was impossible since Mother Olm's chamber was not that big.
"Oh, Frog, please tell me I didn't get warped to another world. Again. I can't abandon them right now," said Anne.
"It'd be a lot easier if we could."
Anne stopped.
Just then, the rainbow smoke cleared up enough to create a clear space. Some of it coalesced in the center of the space and transformed into…well…herself. This, Other-Anne, was in her school uniform. Only the uniform was less tattered, she had no sticks or leaves in her hair, and had both shoes on. Other Anne was looking at Anne with a laid-back expression as she kept her hands in her skirt pockets.
"What do you mean by that?" Anne asked.
"I mean, c'mon, this whole hero bit. This whole 'saving the world' thing. It's totally not our thing, dude," Other-Anne said. "Let's just let someone else do it. We're thirteen, we should be hanging out with Sash and Mar-Mar at the mall, not making battle plans, or figuring out rescue missions."
Anne couldn't believe what she was hearing, and from her own mouth. "So, who else should do this stuff?! We're the ones with the powers! It's up to us to protect Amphibia and Earth!"
"Pfft, dude, we just learned that there's other Kamen Riders out there. There's the Pines twins, and Luz. Plus, I'm sure Mr. Tsukasa would call in some help if it got to the point where Andrias was about to become a real threat to the multiverse or whatever," Other-Anne argued. "Or, hell, just let Sash take care of it."
"That's super ass lazy!" Anne retorted.
Other-Anne smirked as she replied, "No, that's just the easy way. We never had to do much; we just went with the flow. Think about it."
Anne watched as Other-Anne turned into rainbow smoke. The smoke swiftly flew towards her, wrapped around her for a moment, and then reformed behind her with Other-Anne leaning against Anne's back.
"If we had just done what Sasha told us and let Hop Pop get eaten by that plant. We could be back home and avoid any of this mess," said Other-Anne.
"Are you crazy?! You're telling me I should've just let Hop Pop die?!" Anne asked, incredulously.
"Yeah, I mean, the Plantars have been fun and all, but they're not our real family. Hop Pop made that clear enough when he hid the music box from us. He even had that book about it this whole time and didn't even bother to tell us," Other-Anne pointed out.
Anne couldn't deny that she wished that Hop Pop had told her sooner about the Calamity Box. Maybe some things would've been different. "I mean…I understand why he did, he was just afraid for his family."
"Yeah, his family. Meaning Polly and Sprig, not us. We're just some strange 'gangly' creature from another world. We don't belong in Amphibia," Other-Anne said.
"That still doesn't mean that it would've been right to let him die!"
"Okay, 'nother example."
Other Anne turned into rainbow smoke again and reformed in front of her.
"What about Newtopia?"
"You knew Anne might try something, if you had kept her close, kept her under control, this whole war would've stopped then and there," Other-Sasha stated as she looked down on herself, literally.
"You're saying I should just keep her locked in my room or something?! Kept poisoning her until she was so messed up, she couldn't form a sentence?!" Sasha retorted as she tried to get Other-Sasha's foot off her.
"I mean, considering where we're at now? I don't think I need a better argument to the contrary, do you?" Other-Sasha asked, rhetorically.
"I will NEVER become a monster like that! I'd rather die then hurt Anne or Marcy like that!" Sasha exclaimed.
"Pfft, please, stop acting like you're above it all." Other-Sasha removed her foot, and then kicked Sasha in the side.
Sasha rolled along the ground for a moment before rising onto her hands and knees as she glared back at her double.
"Deep down, we crave control, we crave power! Heck, our Calamity power is based on strength! On power itself! What more proof do you need?!"
Sasha watched as Other-Sasha's eyes suddenly shifted to magenta, but as soon as they did, Other Sasha's hair transformed into fiery magenta energy, almost similar to how Anne's hair changed when she tapped into her full powers.
"We just need to take it for ourselves. Why should we let Anne do all the work? We both know she's not cut out for this stuff! We just need the power she has, and we can take care of everything! We'll stand at the apex of The Night, Andrias, and Amphibia! Hell, even Earth!" Other-Sasha declared as a blazing magenta aura raged around her.
Sasha fell back onto her rear as she stared wide eyed at Other-Sasha.
"And all you need to do, is take what you want!" As she said this, a double of Anne appeared in Other-Sasha's arms, held like a hostage as she made the Anne clone extend her right hand, forcing it to glow azure. "Just like we all always have!"
"If you had just gone along with what Sasha said, we wouldn't be in this situation," said Other-Anne.
"I mean…I…NO! I didn't make the wrong decision!"
"Pfft, really, dude? You didn't even listen to her when she tried to explain she didn't want to fight. If you had listened, Marcy wouldn't have gotten stabbed, and Andrias wouldn't have been able to activate his whole robot army," Other-Anne pointed out.
Anne faltered. That was a fact that she could not deny. If she hadn't let her emotions get the better of her, if she wasn't so consumed by her anger towards Sasha, they could've worked together and figured out Andrias' master plan and stopped this invasion before it ever got off the ground.
"Every decision we've made has only made things harder for us. And made things worse for everyone. Wasn't it better when we were just doing whatever Sasha told us? I mean, she does love us. She cares about us. I honestly wouldn't mind just ending up as a trophy wife for her one day," Other-Anne stated.
Anne blushed at the thought of being Sasha's trophy wife.
"We can just let Sasha do it all. We can just let her take the reins like she always does and make things alright."
"W-What are you talking about?" Anne asked.
Other-Anne stepped back and extended her right hand as blue energy swirled about it, along with azure lightning. "Let's just give Sasha our powers."
Anne looked at her double's hand.
"No more hard decisions, no more bad choices, and no more difficult battles. Sasha's always been the powerhouse out of the three of us. Sasha's always been there to protect us. So, let's give her the power to protect us. We're way better off just supporting her, whether it's as her lover, or as, heh, something else later on. Just take my hand and we can give it all to her. The responsibility, the power, all of it."
Hop Pop was currently soaking in the tea, his body soothed by its warmth, his joints singing in relief from the pain earlier. As he soaked, he couldn't help but keep glancing at the unconscious bodies of the kids with some worry.
"They've been out for awhile…are ya sure they're okay, Mother Olm?" Hop Pop asked with concern.
"HOP POP, THEY'RE FINE. THIS IS BUT A TEST TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND HOW FAR THEY HAVE COME. AND TO SEE IF THEY HAVE THE WILL TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION OF FALLING BACK INTO THEIR OLD WAYS," said Mother Olm. "YOUR GRANDCHILDREN, ON THE OTHER HAND, DON'T KNOW WHAT'S TAKING THEM SO LONG TO WAKE UP?"
"Eh…heh-heh…" Hop Pop rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. "Well, Sprig and Polly have been through a lot these last few months. We've all faced some pretty tough situations. More than what kids they're age should be facin', heck, same goes for Anne and Sasha."
"I ADMIRE HOW MUCH YOU CARE FOR THEM," Mother Olm commented.
Hop Pop glanced back at them and smiled. "Ah do. Anne's only been a part of the family for a few months, but after everythin', she's a full-fledged member of the Plantar family, heck, if Wartwood was still up, Ah'd go to town hall and draw up adoption papers to make it official like. Although…Ah do worry about Sprig and Polly."
Mother Olm titled her head. "OH? WHY IS THAT?"
Hop Pop sighed. "Sprig's not the farmin' type. All these adventures have made that abundantly clear to me. He's an adventurer at heart, he loves explorin' and findin' new and excitin' things. Ah think meetin' Anne has helped him to broaden his horizons, opened 'em up to a whole new world, both literally and figuratively. And Polly, oh boy, Ah always knew she was goin' to be a handful, tough as nails. But after bein' on Earth, Ah didn't realize just how intelligent she is."
The old frog threw his arms into the air.
"Heck, if we hadn't gone to Earth, Ah would've never realized it how much of Polly's potential would've been wasted just stayin' on the farm." Hop Pop lowered his arms back into the tea as he slumped down a little. "Sometimes Ah feel like Ah'm only a hinderance to my grandchildren, that Ah'm keepin' 'em tethered to somethin' that has no real future for 'em."
Mother Olm nodded sagely as she said, "HOP POP, THE FACT THAT YOU'RE SO CONCERNED FOR THEIR WELLBEING AND THEIR FUTURE, MEANS THAT YOU ARE THINKING OF WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM, AND NOT HOLDING BACK. TAKE IT FROM ME, I HAVE A LOT OF GRANDCHILDREN. AND WITH AGE COMES WISDOM."
The giant olm opened her arms wide.
"YOU THINK MY GREAT GRANDCHILDREN COULD'VE MADE ALL OF THIS AND FORGED THEIR OWN PATH IF I NAGGED THEM ALL THE TIME? OUR CHILDREN WILL STUMBLE AND FALL, MAKE POOR CHOICES, AS WELL AS GOOD ONES. BUT IT'S HOW THEY LEARN AND GROW. HAVING US HERE, WITH OUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE CAN HELP THEM WHEN WE CAN, AND OFFER OUR KNOWLEDGE TO THE NEXT GENERATION FOR THEM TO IMPROVE OR EXPAND UPON. AND FROM THERE, THEY WILL GROW AND HAVE EXPERIENCES OF THEIR OWN, AND THEY WILL PASS ON THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO THE GENERATION AFTER THAT."
Hop Pop thought about it for a moment and smiled as he let it sink in. "Ah see. Ah may not be able to help all the time, but Ah can at least be there for when they need me. And give some advice when Ah can."
"NOW YOU'RE GETTING IT, HANDSOME. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I'VE HAD A CONVERSATION LIKE THIS." Mother Olm leaned her head down and asked, "MAYBE, WHEN THE WAR IS OVER, YOU MIGHT WANT TO COME BACK AND HAVE SOME MORE CHATS?"
Mother Olm winked at Hop Pop.
The old frog blushed as he replied, "Thank ya kindly, Mother Olm, but Ah'm afraid my heart is with another."
"AWW, I THOUGHT AS MUCH. THE GOOD ONES ARE ALWAYS SNATCHED UP FIRST." Mother Olm chuckled. "STILL, IT'S HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TALKING TO YOU."
Just then, Anne and Sasha's waists started to glow blue and magenta, respectively. Mother Olm raised her head to look at them and nodded.
"What's goin' now?!" Hop Pop asked.
"A CHOICE IS BEING MADE. NOW WE SHALL SEE IF THEY HAVE LEARNED."
Sasha looked at the captive clone of Anne, and then to Other-Sasha.
"C'mon, just take it. She'll thank you for it later, she doesn't know what's best for her, but we do. These powers are a burden, for her and for Marcy. We'll take these powers and protect them like we were meant to. Like we always have! We'll destroy Andrias, his army, and The Night, and when the dust settles, it'll be us at the top, with Anne and Marcy at our sides," said Other-Sasha.
Sasha looked at the captive Anne clone, who was looking at her as if pleading for her not to do this.
"C'mon, life will be sooo much easier once we give up these powers to Sasha. She'll be able to do a lot more with them than we could. And then we can just sit back and watch her mop the floor with Andrias and The Night. And when it's all said and done, we'll have Marcy back, and the two of us can go back to letting Sasha do the thinking for us. We can live life on cruise control, so long as we make Sasha happy and do as she says. No more responsibility, no more hard decisions, and mistakes that hurt everyone, doesn't that sound better than all this crap?" Other-Anne asked.
Anne walked up to her other self.
"It does sound a lot easier. To let Sasha do it all, to let her make all the decisions for us…"
Sasha moved closer to the captive Anne clone.
"I could keep them safe; I could have them do as I say and make sure we're never torn apart again…"
"Then do it."
"Then do it."
Sasha reached out but instead of taking the captive Anne's hand, she grabbed her wrist, wrenching the Anne clone from Other-Sasha's grip as she followed up with a swift punch to Other-Sasha's face, sending her flying onto her back. The Anne clone looked at her, as if expecting something else to happen, that perhaps Sasha was planning to do something worse. Instead, Sasha hugged the Anne clone.
"I will never take from you again. I will never hurt you again, Anne. Whatever we do, we do together, as equals, as partners," said Sasha spoke.
As Anne reached out towards Other Anne's hand, she swatted it out of the way, startling Other-Anne.
"I'm not a pushover anymore. Yeah, taking the easy road, letting someone else make all the decisions for me, that sounds nice on the surface. Until you take a step back and realize what you've lost," said Anne as she stared down her other self.
"You're serious? You really want to go through all this hardship? Even if it means your decisions end up hurting you?" Other-Anne asked.
Anne reached out and hugged Other-Anne, surprising the double.
"My decisions are mine alone. I've made a lot of mistakes, but if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have learned from them."
Anne gently released her double, keeping her hands on Other-Anne's shoulders as she smiled at her.
"With each good and bad decision that I've made, I've learned more about myself. I've learned to grow. I can't become a better person, a better me if I just give up like that."
Other-Sasha got up and said, "You're willing to let her do whatever she wants?! You're willing to trust her that much?! Even if we're right?!"
"I'm not always right. I've made decisions that have hurt Anne and Marcy, because I never looked beyond the consequences of my actions."
Sasha released the Anne clone and glared at her double.
"I am not the girl I used to be."
"I'm not the person I used to be."
"I am Sasha Elizabeth Waybright! Kamen Rider Bellona! Leader of the Resistance! Warrior of Amphibia!"
"I am Anne Savisa Boonchuy! Kamen Rider Amp! Champion of the Resistance! Hero of Earth and Amphibia!"
"I WILL NEVER BE YOU!"
"I accept the old me and embrace the new me."
Other-Sasha smirked as she crossed her arms.
"Heh, good…"
Other-Anne chuckled.
"Glad to hear it…"
Anne and Sasha gasped as they sat up straight. The two teens looked around their surroundings and realized that they were back in Mother Olm's chamber.
"What…What the heck was…?" Sasha panted.
"Did…What was all that?" Anne questioned.
"AND WITH THAT, THE TEST HAS BEEN PASSED."
Anne and Sasha looked up at Mother Olm, who was now smiling down at them.
Sasha got up, but her legs were a little wobbly from the effects of the smoke. Anne managed to get up and helped her to her feet. Both lovers smiled at each other and turned their gazes back up at Mother Olm.
"What kind of freak test was what?" Sasha asked.
"A TEST TO SEE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME. A TEST TO SEE INTO YOUR OWN HEARTS AND KNOW YOURSELVES BETTER. AND SEEING AS HOW YOU'VE COME THIS FAR; HOW DO YOU FEEL?" Mother Olm asked.
Anne and Sasha thought for a moment as they thought about what they saw.
"I feel like I've come a long way from who I used to be. I'm no longer someone who just glides through life," said Anne.
Sasha nodded.
"I know I never want to be who I used to be. I want to be better than who I once was."
Anne looked down and saw that Polly and Sprig were out. "Uh, what happened to Sprig and Polly?"
As soon as she said that the Plantar siblings quickly sat up and looked around.
"Kids, y'all alright?" Hop Pop asked as he got out of the teacup.
"I feel like, I went on a long journey of enlightenment. One that has allowed me to open up into a world of possibilities," Sprig said.
"Eh, I just palled around with the other me and we came up with some sick redesigns for Frobo," said Polly.
"Huh, guess you were right about them bein' okay," said Hop Pop.
"TOLD YOU SO," Mother Olm replied. "NOW, I THINK IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO HEAR THE ANCIENT PROPHECY!"
"Yes," said Anne.
"Finally," Sasha remarked.
Mother Olm closed her eyes for a moment, and then…
"WOW, UM, SORRY KIDS. I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER IT."
"AAAAUGGHH!" Sasha, Anne, Sprig, and Polly groaned.
"Wait! Mother Olm! Did ya perhaps write it down? That's what Ah do when Ah want to remember somethin'," Hop Pop suggested.
Mother Olm tapped her chin as she thought aloud, "WELL, IF I HAD, THEN IT MIGHT BE–" Mother Olm looked around and when her eyes looked up, she smiled. "–UP HERE ON THE CEILING! HOP POP YOU CLEVER DEAR."
"What's it say?! What's it say?!" Anne asked.
"Quick, before you forget how to read!" Sasha said.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. The crystals in the room started to emit a glowing radiance as the budding flowers started to bloom and release their own sparkling light. At the same time, Mother Olm's fin and feelers glowed a brighter shade of magenta as she began to speak the ancient prophecy.
"THREE STARS BURNING BRIGHT…
COME FROME BEYOND TO EXPEL THE NIGHT.
SHOULD THEY FIGHT OR EMBRACE THE FALL…
THEIR CHOICE WILL DETERMINE THE FATE OF ALL!"
Anne and Sasha took in those words and looked at each other.
"Three stars?" Sasha questioned.
"Is the prophecy really talking about us?" Anne asked.
Mother Olm lowered her head to look at the two girls as she asked them, "DO YOU BURN BRIGHT WITH THE POWER OF THE STONES?"
"Well…Sasha, Marce, and I have powers, but…for some reason, I'm the only one who can use a Final Form, why is that?" Anne pondered.
"IN COMING TO THIS WORLD, THE POWER OF THE STONES MOVED FROM ONE FORM TO ANOTHER. THE STONES CHOSE THE THREE OF YOU TO BECOME THEIR VESSELS. BUT WHILE ONLY SMALL EMBERS REMAIN IN YOU, SASHA, A BRIGHT FLAME BURNS WITHIN ANNE," Mother Olm informed.
"Embers…Wait a minute. When Andrias was giving his whole villain monologue, he said that the box was fully charged. But that only happened when each of us went to one of the three temples," said Sasha.
Mother Olm nodded and said, "THAT WOULD EXPLAIN IT. THE TEMPLES WERE ONCE USED TO MOVE THE POWER OF THE STONES FROM THEIR WIELDERS BACK TO THE STONES THEMSELVES. BUT IT SEEMS THE POWERS LEFT BEHIND SMALL EMBERS."
Sasha looked at Anne and then back to Mother Olm. "So, why is it that Anne seems to have more power than I do? The Spirit gave up the power she had in order to give me my new Super Form, but even compared to Anne's Final Form, I know it doesn't compare in the least."
Anne's eyes widened as she remembered. "Andrias said that I was still connected to the stone, I don't think I fully charged it when I was at the Temple of Heart with Valeriana! That's why I was still connected to it and could access more power!"
"Wait, does that mean I could get a cool Final Form, too?!" Sasha asked with excitement.
"YES, HONEY, YOU SHOULD ALL GET COOL FINAL FORMS," Mother Olm assured.
Anne ran her right hand through her hair as she thought on this. "But King Andrias stole the Calamity Box from us, so how–?"
"STOLEN? HMM, THEN KING ANDRIAS HAS STOLEN THE POWERS WHICH ARE RIGHTFULLY YOURS." Mother Olm pointed one of her fingers at Anne and said, "BUT SO LONG AS YOU RETAIN THAT PIECE OF THE POWER, YOU CAN RESTORE THE FULL POWERS OF THE STONES TO YOUR FRIENDS."
"Mother Olm, what's this prophecy for? What are the stones?" Anne asked.
"THE OLMS BELIEVE THE STONES SERVE A GREATER PURPOSE. AND SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE. BUT OTHERS BELIEVE THEIR POWER SHOULD BE USED FOR CONQUEST. THESE CONQUERERS, WITH THEIR GREED, CREATED AN UNNATURAL THING THAT DOES NOT SLEEP, AND DOES NOT DIE. A THING WHICH BLEEDS DARKNESS INTO THIS WORLD AND THREATENS TO CONSUME OTHERS."
Anne, Sasha, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop all looked at each other. There was only one thing that fit that description, The Night.
"THE PROPHECY IS OUR ONE SHOT AT SALVATION. AND WE BELIEVE YOU THREE WERE SUMMONED TO SAVE US FROM WHAT WE HAVE BECOME. THE WORST VERSIONS OF OURSELVES."
Sasha stepped forward a bit and asked, "There is one question I've been wanting to have answered. Out of all the things these Calamity powers could've turned us into, why Kamen Riders? As far as Anne and I can tell, no one's even heard of a Kamen Rider since we arrived."
Mother Olm nodded and replied, "THE STONES LATCH ONTO A CONSTRUCT IN THE MIND OF THE HOST. IN TIMES PAST, THE STONES WOULD SHAPE THE USERS WILL INTO FORMS THAT PERSONAFIED A FORM OF STRENGTH AND POWER, SOMETHING THAT WOULD FEEL EASY FOR THE HOST TO WIELD THE POWER BESTOWED UPON THEM. BEFORE, THEY WERE CALLED KNIGHTS, AND NOW, WITH YOU, THEY ARE CALLED KAMEN RIDERS."
"So, there were others before? Amphibians who used the power of the stones?" Hop Pop asked.
"INDEED. I'M NOT COMPLETELY AWARE OF HOW THEY WERE USED, BUT I DO KNOW THE TEMPLES WERE CREATED TO MOVE THAT POWER BACK TO THE STONES."
Sasha slammed her right fist into her left palm as she growled.
"We totally let that overgrown salamander play us. We thought we were only powering the box back up, but in reality, we were just making ourselves weaker, and easier to beat."
"But the joke's on him." Anne placed her hand on Sasha's right shoulder. "He didn't expect that I would still have a connection with my Calamity power. And thanks to that, we have an edge over him. And if we can get to the box, there's a chance I can help you gain back your full power, and we can take down Andrias and The Night once and for all! There's no way he can handle two Riders in their Final Forms."
Sasha smirked as she replied, "Hell yeah, Anne! Let's show 'em what happens when you mess with a couple of Riders!"
Anne looked back up at Mother Olm. "Thanks Mother Olm, you just gave us a huge piece of this puzzle."
Mother Olm bowed her head slightly.
"IT WAS MY PLEASURE. NOW GO FORTH YOUNG ONES. AND BRING ABOUT A NEW DAWN TO OUR WORLD."
The group bowed back to Mother Olm, and once they were done, the olm guards led them back up the tunnel and out of the chamber, leaving Mother Olm alone. Or so it seemed…
"SO, HOW LONG WERE YOU GOING TO KEEP YOURSELF HIDDEN?" Mother Olm asked.
On the platform before the gong, a shimmer of blue energy sparked before it manifested into the form of a newt with one arm, a staff, and a glove upon her tail.
"YOU KNOW, YOU COULD'VE ADDED A BIT MORE TO THIS. THEY SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT WENT ON BACK THEN."
"They do not need any further burdens. This whole course was set by me long, long ago. And now many worlds have paid for my mistakes," said Valeriana.
"GIRL, YOU GOTTA LET THAT GO. YOU HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WOULD USE YOUR CREATION FOR DESTURCTION. YOU ONLY MEANT TO USE IT FOR GOOD," said Mother Olm.
"The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. Had I heeded your wisdom regarding the stones, perhaps Amphibia would have taken a different course. But now we must put our faith and future in the hands of those young girls."
Mother Olm lowered herself and gently placed her finger on Valeriana's shoulder. "I KNOW THEY CAN DO IT. I CAN FEEL IT. THEY WILL MAKE THINGS RIGHT."
The elderly newt sage sighed.
"Yes, I feel it, too. But…I wish they did not have to pay the price for my mistakes, and the mistakes of our past."