A couple days later, they all piled on Marcy's bird, Joe Sparrow to head to the first temple.
"And you're sure Bessie will be okay?" Hop Pop asked.
"Don't worry, the King said that the newts bringing her and your cart back to Wartwood will be extra careful." Marcy said, climbing onto Joe's back.
"Uh... why do you have a bird, can't you fly already?" Sprig asked.
"Well, I got a bit lonely without Anne or Sa- She who will not be named." Marcy said, trying to avoid making Anne upset, she seems extra angry lately, "And since Joe is a bird, surprisingly closely related to Human Raptors believe it or not, I can understand him."
"Caw!" Joe Sparrow said to her, nodding to Marcy.
"Alright, we almost ready?"
"Yep. Everything's just about ready." Hop Pop said, taking a small glance at Anne. "We're ready to go when you and Joe are ready to fly."
"Well let's go then!" Marcy said.
"Caw!" Joe Sparrow cawed in agreement as Marcy transformed into her golden eagle form and flew into the air.
Anne and the Plantars held on to Joe as he unfurled his wings and flew into the air after his feathered friend.
"So, what do you think we'll find?" Sprig asked.
"Hopefully a way for me to get home." Anne said.
Hop Pop gripped the reigns tightly at that, feeling enormous guilt for what he did.
'I hope I find a chance to make things right.' Hop Pop thought.
It would be hard, but he would do what he needed.
"Think we'll find buried treasure?!" Polly asked, excited and slightly greedy.
"Maybe, just maybe." Anne said, giving Polly a tiny smile.
'Especially if Hop Pop has been around.' Anne thought.
He would know a bit about "buried treasure" but she wouldn't hold it against him MUCH. Not if he learned his lesson and didn't do it again. Still, she was still upset. It would take a LOT of time for her to come even close to forgiving him. Or even talking to him. After a bit of time, Marcy began to fly down,
"This must be the place." Anne said as Hop Pop snapped the reigns.
"Take us down, please Joe." Hop Pop said to the large bird.
"Caw!" Joe Sparrow let out.
Joe followed Marcy as she landed and turned back.
"This is it. This should be the exact location of the first temple." Marcy said, pulling out her notebook.
Joe landed and the group got off.
"Uh, you may have over hyped this place." Anne said, looking at the porta potty.
"Well this stinks." Polly said, yet making a joke as well.
"Wait, no it doesn't." Sprig said, sniffing the air around the porta potty. "I don't smell anything bad."
"That's not what I was talking about." Marcy said, "THIS is the Temple."
Marcy motioned to the very large building behind her.
"Okay, I'm half blind, what's your excuse for not noticing?" Anne asked the Plantars.
"Hey, I've never seen a temple before. I didn't know what to expect." Polly said.
"Me either, a temple could look like anything to me." Sprig said.
"I'm old." Hop Pop said, making everyone look at him. "What?! It's true! My eyes aren't what they used to be!"
"Well, moving on from that, let's go!" Marcy said.
The group walked/ran up to the top of the temple as Joe Sparrow was left outside. He began pecking the ground.
'Ah, nothing like a nice union break.' Joe thought, enjoying eating some bugs from the ground.
It should be a while before Marcy and the others get done, meaning Joe could just relax until they were done. Marcy, Anne, and the Plantars entered the temple, the entire place covered in cobwebs and dust, looking like it hasn't been touched in centuries, which it probably hasn't.
"Dusty." Anne commented, wiping her nose. "So much it's messing with my sense of smell."
"Well unless someone has been here recently, I don't think you'll need it." Marcy said before pointing to some old writing on the walls.
"Okay, Bird Brain, do your thing." Anne said.
Marcy nodded before she pulled out her journal, quickly using some notes she'd taken to help her translate a bit before speaking out loud.
"Keeper of the box, one strong of mind, three trials await, that will return the stones' shine." Marcy read.
"So we have to face three trials in this place before charging the gem?" Anne asked.
"Seems like it. Yeah." Marcy said, "Luckily, I was preparing for this, there should be some kind of puzzle to look for."
"A puzzle? Like a literal puzzle or metaphorical?" Sprig asked.
"Either." Marcy said as they all began looking around the surprising well lit temple area. "Make sure every corner or shadow is checked. We can't be too sure."
"It could be anything."
"Like this?" Polly asked, pointing to an old newt skeleton she found.
"Not that, Polly." Hop Pop said, quickly pulling her away from skeleton.
Anne walked around, before tripping over some small cube. She landed flat on her face and growled.
"I hate being half blind!" Anne said, grabbing the cube, "What even is this!?"
Suddenly she was floating and surrounded by a green orb.
"Whoa!" Anne let out, gaining everyone's attention as they turned to her.
"Ah, she's trapped by some kind of dark magic!" Hop Pop said.
"No, that's the puzzle!" Marcy said.
"It is?!" Anne asked, struggling to stay up straight.
"The cube you found is the puzzle!"Marcy said, transforming and flying up to Anne in the bubble.
"Well, I don't have the brain, nor the vision for this." Anne said, tossing the cube to Marcy.
The bubble around Anne popped and made her fall as Marcy caught the cube in her talon, making the bubble form around her as she transformed back.
"Alright, let's see how you work." Marcy said to the cube.
"Something seems... off." Sprig said.
"What's the worse that can happen?" Anne asked.
Marcy turned a section of the cube, making that section of the room move.
"Aaaaah!" They screamed while Marcy was perfectly safe inside of the bubble.
"Huh?" Marcy let out, looking to everyone. "Did something happen?"
"Marcy, be careful! That thing controls the room!" Anne said.
"What?!" Marcy asked in shock. "But that means, if I try to solve the puzzle, you guys could get hurt!"
"Don't remind us!" Polly screamed.
"Marcy, try and be careful, I'm fast enough to catch the Plantars if something moves." Anne said.
"Are you sure?" Marcy asked, hesitant.
I"'m sure. Just focus on what you do best and solve the puzzle." Anne said before transforming into a wolf. "Ruff!"
The Plantars didn't need to know what that mean to climb onto her back like she was a horse.
"Okay." Marcy said.
Focusing back on the cube, Marcy put her worries to the side as she began solving it as the room began shifting again! Anne ran and did everything she could to make sure the Plantars were safe. Running against every turn, jumping over every gap forming, and sliding down any ledge that suddenly popped up!
'Is this what it's like to be the bull in a mechanical bull ride?!' Anne thought.
"Almost... got it!" Marcy said.
"No pressure!" Polly shouted with her nubs up. "Seriously, take you time! This crazy fun!"
'It's not fun for me!' Anne thought, growling a bit.
With one final turn of the cube, the room stopped and the door opened.
"Yes!" Marcy said, floating down to the ground as the bubble popped. "Anne, are you okay?!"
She looked around and saw the brown wolf huffing exhaustedly as the Plantars slowly got off, allowing her to fall to the ground and transform back to normal.
"Y-y-yeah... I'm good."
"Do you need a drink? I can run back to Joe Sparrow and check if he has water." Hop Pop said, rubbing Anne's back.
"I've actually got some right here." Polly said, pointing to her bucket. "Just drink from my bucket."
"Ew! Polly, that's gross!" Sprig shouted at his sister.
"Guys... I'm fine." Anne said.
After catching her breath, Anne pushed herself to her feet and rolled her shoulders before Marcy came to her with a canteen.
"Still, drink up. We don't know what the rest of the temple will have." Marcy said with a smile that said 'please drink it.'
Anne took it and drank from it.
She didn't want to say it but she was thankful Marcy saw right through her stubbornness sometimes, Anne really did need some water.
"Aaaah. Thanks." Anne said, handing the canteen back to Marcy.
"No problem, but I think it will only get harder from here."
"I figured but I think will be fine. You managed to solve that puzzle in no time flat. I'm sure the rest will be a cake walk." Anne said.
"There's an old saying. The hardest part of a journey is always the first step." Hop Pop said.
"I don't think that will work here, these aren't designed like that." Marcy said.
"Then we'll just have to adapt." Anne said, walking to the door.
"Man, she is focused."
"Yeah, kind of reminds me of a pack leader." Marcy said following after Anne.
The Plantars looked at each other, knowing that Anne as a pack leader was just begging for trouble. Mainly because she always throws herself into danger to protect her pack and all the scars she had to prove it!
'We need to hurry!' The Plantars thought, rushing after Anne and Marcy.
"Aright, what's this next challenge going to be? Another puzzle?" Anne asked.
"Very likely, but I don't know much until we see it." Marcy said as they all came upon a room with different colored tiles.
"Is this the place? It looks like a dance hall." Anne said as Marcy gazed at the tiles.
"I'm not sure." Marcy said, looking up to the writings. ""A dangerous room. What to do? Don't be jealous of my hue." Hmm, sounds like a color coordination puzzle due to the colors of the tiles."
Marcy picked up a rock and threw it onto one of the tiles.
The moment it touched the tile, flames burst out to turn the rock into ash!
"Aaaah!" Hop Pop screamed, holding his grandkids close! "This room is more deadly than the last!"
"Marcy's lucky! She can just fly over the tiles!" Polly shouted.
"Not technically true." Marcy said, shifting and flying to one of the green tiles.
Everyone flinched and turned away but saw no flames coming from the tile.
"The tile didn't burst into flames?" Sprig asked as Marcy transformed back.
"That's the riddle. It's the hue of the tiles that show the safest path." Marcy said.
"Huh?" The Plantars said.
"Jealous of my hue. Green, the color of envy." Marcy explained.
"I have a few green friends that would be very offended." Hop Pop said.
"And I am sorry about that. Plus, in our world, green is a good color for lots of things. But my point still stands, green is the safest path across this room." Marcy said, jumping to another green tile and being safe. "See? Only problem is I need someone to step on the other one to open the door."
"I'll do it!" Hop Pop said immediately.
He didn't want his grandkids getting hurt if this failed, jumping from the ledge and onto the first green tile which was once again save.
"Hop Pop, are you crazy!" Anne said.
"Yeah! Where have you been hiding this?!" Polly shouted.
"I'll be fine."
Hop Pop was about to jump when a wolf rushed passed him and landed on the tile.
"Anne?!" Hop Pop shouted in shock.
Anne landed on the other green tile, making the entire floor turn green. The door opened.
'This girl is crazy!' Hop Pop thought
"There we go. Nearly easy peasy." Marcy commented as Anne turned back to normal.
"Yeah, just one more room to go." Anne said, rolling her shoulders.
"We're dominating!" Marcy said.
"We should still be cautious! The first room was dangerous and the second room was less so but we don't know what this third one will be like." Hop Pop said.
"Oh relax. We're fine." Polly said.
"Yeah. With Anne's instincts and Marcy's smarts, we can do it!" Sprig said, being positive.
They came upon a giant game of Flip Wart.
"….Okay, this is something I was NOT expecting." Marcy admitted, gazing at the board. "Seriously, I didn't expect a giant board game to be the final trial of the temple."
"Aw man, I was expecting something cool! Not boring!" Polly shouted, complaining!
"Well, I am the greatest Flip Wart player in Amphibia, I can do this." Marcy said.
"And what about us?" Anne asked.
"We can just watch Anne. It's a good thing, you can rest." Hop Pop said, putting a hand on her arm.
Marcy placed a piece on the board and an opening... opened under Polly
"Dang JINX!" Polly screamed as had fell down!
"Polly!" Everyone shouted.
"What happened?" Marcy asked, turning around before an opening appeared on the Flip Wart board.
Coming up, Polly was now clad/trapped in a stone Flip War piece with muscular arms, a sword, and shield.
"I don't think I'll be getting a rest anytime soon." Anne said, understanding what's going on.
"Check me out! I got a sword and shield!" Polly shouted.
"Uh oh. Looking over the board again, some pieces are missing. I think you guys are gonna have to play as the missing pieces." Marcy said, stretching her collar a bit. "But it's okay. I can find a way to win without you guys getting hurt. No problem."
'Uh oh, Marcy is getting competitive.' Anne thought.
"Uh, Marc-"
Anne didn't finish that sentence as Marcy placed the rest of the pieces, giving each of the Plantars and Anne a role. As Polly was testing he'd sword as a tool, Sprig popped up with a stone spear, helmet, and chest plate.
"Aw man. I think I'm a pawn." Sprig said.
"HA! You got the short stick." Polly mocked as Hop Pop came up.
"Oh! Fancy." Hop Pop said, wearing stone armor, holding a scepter and having a fancy hat. "I think I'm a bishop."
An opening formed beneath Anne.
"Damn it."
Anne fell through and popped up... on the other side of the board. While the Plantars were a rook, a pawn, and a bishop; Anne herself was a Heron Knight with black stone armor, helmet, and jousting spear on a stone heron!
"I have to play one the opposite side?!" Anne asked, looking over herself.
"Traitor!" Polly said.
"This is not my choice!" Anne said before ring rings appeared on her wrists, making her freeze like a statue. "Shit! I can't move now!"
The same rings appeared on the Plantars arms too, making them immobile as they struggled to move.
'Oh, this is going to suck.' Anne thought.
"Okay, okay, this is a bit problematic but I can still work with this! I can still win without hurting anyone!" Marcy said as she steeled her nerves and cracked her fingers. "Alright, let's play some Flip Wart!"
"If I lose my other eye in this, I'm killing someone." Anne mumbled.
As the game began, the Plantars and Anne watched as some of the pieces were destroyed in such graphic and horrific ways!
'This is so cool!' Polly thought!
'I'm gonna die! And I haven't even made up with Anne yet!' Hop Pop thought.
'Please don't send me next!' Sprig thought before he began moving forward. 'Frog damn it!'
Sprig was moved forward, coming into range of a bishop. His wristbands glowed and moved his arms for him, making Sprig slice through the bishop with his spear!
"Phew, I was worried there for a second." Sprig said.
A line appeared on the statue piece, cracks slowly spreading before it exploded in a cloud of dust in Sprig's face.
"….Cuh! My mouth was open!" Sprig said with a cough.
"Alright, I think I got this game in the bag." Marcy said.
Marcy continued to play the game, moving pieces to destroy the enemy while protecting the Plantars and prevent Anne from hurting them against her will.
"Okay, last move!" Marcy said.
With a single move, Marcy made one of her last pieces move to the king of the opposite side. It was preparing an attack that would result in checkmate or Flip Wart in this case that would win the game and defeat the temple's final trial... if the king didn't jump above the blast.
"What?!" Marcy shouted in shock.
"What?!" The Planatars shouted.
"What?! That's cheating!" Anne shouted in anger, glaring at the king piece! "The temple just fucking cheating, Marcy should've won!"
Marcy became competitive.
"You may cheat, but I am still the best Flip Wart player in all of Amphibia!" Marcy said.
Marcy moved another piece, then the other side moved a piece, then she moved a peice, the cycle went on for a few minutes, and Marcy had forgotten about the Plantars, she was just focused on proving that she was smarter than this temple. That's when the other side decided to move Anne... right in front of Hop Pop.
"No!" Polly and Sprig shouted.
"Anne, try to fight it! I can still figure this out!" Marcy said, looking over the board.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Anne asked, using her bit of strength to stop herself from raising her spear. "Hop Pop, block it!"
Anne swung, hitting Hop Pop with the lance, knocking some teeth out.
"Aaah!" He screamed in pain before raising his shield but it was destroy with another swing!
Anne hit him again, then again, then again.
"No!" Anne said, "I'm mad at you but I don't want to hurt you!"
"Well, you being mad at me does hurt me!" Hop Pop said before he was hit again, his stone scepter breaking. "I've tried my best to make up for what I did."
"I know!" Anne shouted, hitting him again. "You buried the box to protect us but you still lied about it! I want to forgive you, I don't want to be angry! But I can't help it!"
"Then tell me what I can do! What can I-"
"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, OKAY?!" Anne shouted, everything and everyone freezing as her voice echoed through the room.
"Huh?" Marcy asked, stopping her reach for a piece.
"I don't know how long I'll be mad at you and I don't know when I'll forgive you but I will! I know you did it to protect us and if I'm honest, I'd do the same! So please, just give me some time and some space, okay?" Anne asked him, crying a bit as she still tried to resist hitting him.
Anne put her hands up, doing her best to resist, but struggling. This was going to be the final blow.
"No, no, no!"
Marcy looked at this and then at the board. She made an important decision, the life of someone wasn't more important than this game. She threw her hands across the board, scattering the pieces.
"I forfeit, just stop everything!" Marcy said, but it didn't stop, "I must have to flip the big version!"
"We'll hurry!" Sprig said, trying to move so he could stop Anne.
"You idiot! Throw the spear!" Polly shouted before throwing her sword and shield at Anne.
Sensing this, the game made Anne swing to destroy them before turning its attention back to Hop Pop. Not wasting any time, Marcy jumped onto the board and rushed to her king.
"Your highness, it's time to step down!" Marcy quipped.
Marcy used all her strength and flipped the king. The moment the king hit the ground, everyone froze in the board before all of the chest pieces crumbled to dust. Including the pieces that trapped Anne and the Plantars.
"We're free!" Sprig said.
"Sorry, arms but this is goodbye." Polly said to her stone arms before they turned to dust.
Anne shook Hop Pop a bit.
"Hop Pop, are you okay?" Anne asked.
"Y-y-yeah, just... going to need a new pair of dentures."
To prove his point, Hop Pop pulled out his dentures to show some of the teeth were cracked and broken.
"We'll get you new ones."
The two were soon tackled into a hug by Polly, Sprig and Marcy as they all spoke at once about being glad to be okay. Marcy got a sad look.
"I failed, I can't charge the stone."
"Hey, it's alright. You didn't know the temple would cheat. We can find another way to charge the stone." Anne said, putting a hand on her arm. "You made the right choice saving us over winning."
"I know but this was important to us. If we can't charge all three stones, we can't get home." Marcy said, still sad.
"That's true but your lives are more important than the stones. Never forget that." Hop Pop said.
Green arrows formed on the ground, they were pointing them back the way they came, showing the temple only hand one entrance and exit.
'Is this place mocking us?' Anne thought, glaring at the arrows a bit.
"Alright, if I failed, I fail with my head held high."
The group followed the lines outside of the temple, going back through Marcy's previous victories until they found themselves before Joe Sparrow and the outhouse again.
"Uh... is the Out House glowing?" Anne asked.
"What?" Marcy asked, looking up again.
"The out house is glowing." Sprig said, pointing to the outhouse as it glowed with symbols all around it.
Marcy was confused and opened it, revealing Amphibian writing.
"Only the worthy will have the wisdom to choose whether it's more important to win, or have the humility to lose. A choice was made to save thy friends and, honestly, doesn't that make you a winner in the end?" Marcy read.
"So... we did it!?" Anne said.
"Yeah, yeah we did it! I was so focused on winning that I didn't see the truth behind the final trial! Being smart isn't always about right and winning, it's about making the right calls when they're needed." Marcy said with a smile, looking to Anne. "And I did make the right call by choosing my friends over a game."
"Don't give the temple a chance to change its mind, charge that stone!" Polly said.
"Oh yeah! The box!" Anne said as Marcy quickly pulled it out and pulled a gem out. "So how does it work?"
"Just watch and be amazed." Marcy said, moving the gem over the "toilet hole."
"Uh, I wouldn't touch that with your bare hands." Hop Pop said.
He was ignored and the gem was placed down. A tiny thin podium rose and caught the gem, making the symbols in the outhouse glow brighter. The gem began to glow and began to become green. The symbols slowly retracted around the outhouse, seemingly flying into the gem as it shined brighter and brighter! When it was fully green, Marcy took the gem, and a green beam came from it.
"This must be pointing to the next temple!" Marcy said.
"Really? So we don't need to make another map? We just follow the gem?" Polly asked as Marcy picked it up.
"We'll need to triangulate the position first but yes. We can just follow the gem." Marcy said, seeing the beam not stopping no matter what gets in its way.
"Yeah, that's cool, but... why don't we deal with that another day." Anne said, "This was a lot more challenging than we thought."
"Yeah, my face needs time to heal." Hop Pop said.
"Okay, then let's get to Wartwood, I can't wait to see this place." Marcy said.
"Wartwood? Are we that close to home?!" Sprig asked in shock and excitement.
"Yes, we are! I've got the map right here!" Marcy said, putting the gem in her bag and pulling out a map, "And your snail and wagon should be back home by the time we get there."
"Really? Sweet!" Polly said with a smile.
"Also, don't worry about all the gifts. I already had them taken care off." Marcy added as she got up from the outhouse.
"Gifts? What gifts?" Anne asked.
"The list of gifts you guys had. You know for all of your friends in Wartwood? I found it in the Fwagon and decided to take care of it for you!" Marcy said with a smile.
"Let me guess." Anne turned to the Plantars, "You forgot."
"Of course not./Yeah we did." Hop Pop and Polly said before looking at each other.
"Ehehehe, maybe a tiny bit." Sprig said with a nervous chuckle.
"Next time I'm in a fucking coma, can you guys just not leave the house?" Anne asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.
The family just laughed nervously at the sad joke as they go back on Joe Sparrow.
'So, how was the temple?' Joe asked Marcy, cawing.
"Very frustrating but very educational." Marcy said with a nod, "Now come on, I want to see this Wartwood place."
"Okay, okay. Let's head home." Hop Pop said, taking the reins of Joe Sparrow. "Even from the sky, I know Frog Valley like the back of my hand."
Anne sat next to him.
"Hey... uh... I'm sorry." Anne said, "About what happened back there."
"It's alright, Anne. You had every right to hit me. Even if the temple made you do it." Hop Pop said as Polly and Sprig jumped in Joe Sparrow, cracking the reigns.
"No, I mean... about being so angry at you." Anne said, "Ever since I got here, things have been hard and I've been taking the brunt of it to protect you guys. When I found out you lied, I... I just felt like all the pain I was taking for you guys... I felt like it was worthless. Like, if you couldn't trust me enough to tell me-"
"I understand, Anne." Hop Pop said, "I get it. I should've been more upfront about is. When we get back, I'm going to show you something I did find out about the box. Hopefully it can begin to fix this."
"Yeah, hopefully but I think we're off to a good start." Anne said, smiling sadly at Hop Pop.
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