Chapter 59: A Day at the Aquarium

I'm feeling conflicted, journal.

So, you'd think that after all that happened last night, we'd want to take it easy, maybe push off our appointment with the King for a day or two. But that's the thing; when a king makes an appointment with you, it's probably not a good idea to keep him waiting. Especially if he's three times your size.

So, there we were, exhausted, drained, and in no condition for any of it, but there really was no choice in the matter. Besides… I wanted to know about the music box as much as anyone. It is my ticket home, after all.

So here's the tea: when we used the music box to travel to Amphibia, its power was completely drained. It can be recharged, but we have to travel to three different temples and recharge one of the stones at each of them. Sounds kinda like something out of a video game, doesn't it? I can't say I'm not psyched. I mean, I'm not on Dad or Marcy's level, but I enjoy a good dungeon crawl as much as the next gal. We've got a ton of stuff to do… research, gathering supplies, mapping out travel…

But here's the bad part. The Plantars can't stay in the city any longer. It's getting close to harvest time, and a farm lives or dies by the harvest. I can't ask them to give up their livelihood for me. And it makes more sense for me to stay here in the city with Marcy.

That's what my brain is telling me, and maybe it's long past time I started listening to it for a change, but my heart is telling me that this might be the last time I see them. I mean… does it really make sense for them to go on the temple quest with us? It would be a huge risk.

So this was it. This could, quite possibly, be our last day together. The most important thing was to make it count.

We decided to check out the Newtopia Aquarium. Back home, whenever I was feeling down, a trip to the ol' AOTP would always perk me right up. I don't like to admit this because it makes me sound like a huge nerd, but I've always been so fascinated by the diversity of marine life. It comes in so many shapes, colors, sizes… it's beautiful.

Honestly, I could see myself working at an aquarium someday.

What… a… day.

Who knew a trip to the aquarium would wind up being such an emotional roller coaster?

Oh, it started innocently enough, in the river room, watching a bunch of beaver bugs cavort. So cute!

[drawing of beaver bugs]

DAM, THEY'RE ADORBS

Get it, 'cause they build dams

But then, right next to them was a tank of river lampreys. Like the kind that burrowed into the house and flooded the basement, forcing me and Sprig to fight them off. A precious memory that we had forged together… memories that there might not be any more of.

And it just got worse from there. The next room had a Kraken… just like the one we fought at Stumpy's. We thought we'd be okay in the next room – it was just a coral exhibit – but by sheer coincidence, every piece of coral was shaped like something that reminded us of our adventures. Hop Pop's old cane. The cannibal frogs from the inn. The other cannibal frogs from the camping trip. The zapapedes. The giant bat. Domino II. Veggie Robo. That really fast blue hedgehog from when we took Bessie for a joyride. Ma Hasselback. The grubhog.

And the next few rooms didn't look too promising either. There was a giant crab, a mudskipper, and an alligator…. Each and every one a reminder of adventures we'd no longer be having together.

We were about to cut our losses and split (not to mention the museum guards were on the verge of tossing us out for bring the other guests down.

We did have at least one option… a docent mentioned a live show with sting rays. Seeing as we had no precious memories tied to sting rays, we figured it would be a safe bet.

Boy, were we wrong!

It all began pretty much as you'd expect. They brough out the sting rays, had 'em do a bunch of cool tricks, and then called out a volunteer to feed them. And wouldn't you know it, Sprig was the one they called up!

Then they pulled the bait-and-switch on us. Instead of the rays, they brought in a water snake.

You know, a water snake. Like the one we tangled with on literally my second day in Wartwood.

So, Sprig freezes up on the platform and starts bawling, and the spooks the water snake. Which by itself wasn't a problem, because this particular snake was completely tame, but her getting spooked led to her wrecking the platform Sprig was on, knocking him within the range of the hungry, frog-eating rays.

Well, the time for crippling depression was past. It was time for Anne and the Plantars to do what we did best… kick monster butt! Or whatever rays use for butts. Sprig and I did the flush-out and whack 'em strategy, HP gave 'em a face full of throat sac, and Polly used watergun, which was super-effective!

Of course, we get kicked out – aquariums kinda don't like when you beat up the exhibits – but who cares! It was a classic Plantar adventure… maybe the last one. But it sure was nice to go out on a high note.

I wonder if I'll ever see them again. I suppose it's for the best…

Hey, journal, you'll never guess where I am!

So, there I was, all set to stay in Newtopia. But suddenly out of nowhere, Marcy suggests that she'll be fine doing the prep by herself, and that it would be a better idea if I was in Wartwood to accept the music box personally when HP gets it back from his contacts, rather than the king sending a messenger to get it.

And so, I ran. I think I ran clear across Newtopia. Guess all that running from ravenous monsters has done wonders for my conditioning. But I managed to catch up with the fam! Wartwood, here we come!

…and I know, I'm eventually going to have to say goodbye to them anyway. It's inevitable. But if I can put it off for just a little while longer, that's fine too.

I kinda feel bad leaving her here all alone, but then I remember that she's not alone. She's made connections in Newtopia just like I have in Wartwood. I mean… if this trip has proven anything, it's proved that we can all handle ourselves.

A. N.: And we're back! I know I've been updating spottily lately, but I just can't keep up the kind of schedule I used to. I'm committed to finishing this series, though…

MarMarFaanne: One thing I love is how this show's constantly setting up things that seem inconsequential and the moment but prove to be important later. As you may have seen, I postulated a lot of Amphibia's backstory from the Journal, though stuff like the Guardian being connected to the Collectors and Andrias's ancestor being driven insane by gazing into Bill's dimension is just me mixing canon as usual. No plans to get the Ducktales artbook at the moment.

Jose: Thanks, always a pleasure!

Ashley: If you like scares, you'll love Ch. 62…

Sean: I try to be thorough but a few spelling errors will just naturally slip through now and then.

Eddy: Disney does seem to be on a "bring stuff back" kick. Who knows… maybe someday Amphibia and The Owl House will get their second chance…

Next: Night Drivers