Inside Castle Newtopia, King Andrias sat in uncomfortable silence as the sounds of moans and cries of pain echoed throughout the castle. "M-Marcy, I believe it's your turn," he stammered, trying to ignore the sound of sex. He was playing flipwart with Marcy, only...

Marcy was still wearing the black bodysuit, but the mind control collar was gone, replaced with one of the parasites at Diego's suggestion. Just so there's no way her loyalty to you won't waver, he said. That being said, none of Marcy's personalty showed at all. It was no different than playing with a doll. Marcy moved her piece. "Oh, look at that, you won," said Andrias. "Three times in a row."

"You don't sound happy anymore," Marcy said emotionlessly.

"Oh, no, I am happy. It's just..." Andrias winced at the sound of an orgasm. "The Core...really likes to experience sexual gratification."

"Can you blame it," Diego said as he entered the room. "Ever since that thing took over Kars' body, it's doing everything it has ever wanted. To touch, to smell..." He made a scowl of disgust. "...to taste in more ways than one. Honestly, it's a glutton for punishment."

"You will do well to remember that 'that thing' is your god," Andrias lectured.

Diego retorted, "No. That's just what it wants to be called. It won't be a real god." Especially not since I obtained the true godly power of The World, he said to himself. But, I won't tell you that. It was then he noticed a painting lying next to the fireplace. "What's this doing here?" He inspected it, taking note of the scratched out faces of a toad and frog sitting next to a teenage Andrias. He smirked and said, "Taking a trip down memory lane, are we?"

Andrias frowned and turned away. "Nonsense. The past means nothing to me."

Let's rewind the clock back a thousand years ago. Back when Amphibia was once one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in the world, technology gained by destroying planets and enslaving their inhabitants.

Just outside the castle of the Newtopia, the young Prince did a little sneak attack on a green horned toad named Barrel, and pulled him in a headlock. "Aha! I'm disappointed, Barrel. Shouldn't the Newtopian guard always be aware of his surroundings?"

"Shouldn't Amphibian royalty know never to put a toad in a headlock?" Barrel asked before he hit Andrias with the back of his head and kicked him away. "Ha-ha! Another victory for Barrel." Barrel scratched a tally mark on the wall. One of dozens, all of them his victories. "Oh, yeah. Leif left a note for you." He handed Andrias a blank red piece of paper. "But it's blank, so I don't know why she even bothered."

"Like to you, perhaps," chuckled Andrias. "Leif and I came up with a way to leave secret messages for each other." He put on a special pair of glasses, allowing him to read the invisible message. "She's in the Garden. Come on! Let's go!" Barrel picked up his hammer and followed him.

Barel and Grime met Lief in the Garden, standing on top of a giant flower. She was a tiny red frog wearing a brown tunic with a hood and a green leaf brooch. "Hey, Leif! How's it going," Andrias called out.

"Shh," Leif shushed. "I've invented a new Ripple technique. A dance that memorizes any creature in its range. Watch." She inhaled, activated her Ripple, and began to dance. She swayed back and forth, slapped her cheeks, and flopped around like a fish on land. The chained and shackled mossmen, as well as an unlucky Barrel (Andrias looked away just in time), danced with her. Then she finished with a pose and a snap of her fingers.

Barrel blinked his eyes as he snapped out of it. "Wha...?"

Leif hopped off her flower and said, "See? Even the strangest interdimensional animals love it."

"That was weird," muttered Barrel. "Anyone else just blacked out?"

Andrias gave the little frog a thumbs up. "Brilliant, classic Leif. Though, nothing can beat THIS! Come forth, Imagine Dragon!" He summoned his Stand and it let out a roar.

"I still can't believe you're compatible for a Stand," said Leif.

"Heh, heh, yeah," said Andrias as he dismissed Imagine Dragon. "Neither can Dad."

Barrel scoffed and folded his arms. "Big whoop. So he's got a Stand and the two of us don't. I don't care."

"Don't look now, but I think someone's envy is making him greener than normal," teased Leif.

"I heard that!"

Andrias and Leif laughed. Then she saw Andrias was carrying something on his back. "Say, uh, what you got there?"

"Oh, I almost forgot. Your surprise!" Andrias took the object off his back and showed it to his two friends. "Ta-da!" It was a painting of the three of them together. "An official portrait of us!"

"It looks just like us!" exclaimed Barrel. Not too bright, is he?

"Oh, that's a huge honor," said Leif. "What's the occasion?"

The smile on Andrias' face left him as he said, "Dad's appointed me to lead the next invasions." Barrel and Leif applauded him. "And I never would have made it this far without you guys. Thank you. I mean it."

"Aww. Thank you, 'Drias. Now what are we standing around for? We gotta celebrate!"

Barrel raised his hand. "May I suggest running through the hallway, screaming at the top of our lungs?"

"Sounds good to me," said Andrias. "Let's go!"

The three of them ran down the halls...until someone stepped in front of Andrias. It was a blue salamander with a long white beard, wrinkled skin, dark veins, and wearing green robes and a crown. In his hand, he carried a halberd instead of a scepter. This was King Aldrich, Andrias' father. "Ah. There you are, son," he said in a raspy voice. "Come with me. We have much to discuss."

Barrel and Leif were sad that Andrias had to go, but they still made a friendly wave and Barrel said, "We'll catch up with you later, 'Drias!"

"Sorry, guys," Andrias said with a sigh. "Gotta do prince stuff!"

Barrel asked Leif, "Hey, is it me, or is His Majesty...getting worse each day?"

"I have noticed," said Leif. "Is this why Andrias has been acting on edge lately?"

"If my old man was sick, I would feel the same way."

He followed after his father and the two of them walked down to the basement.

"Don't you think it's time to say goodbye to those childhood friends of yours, son?" Aldrich asked.

"What? Why?" Andrias asked, confused.

"Because you're about to become king and you obtained a Stand fit for a king." Andrias couldn't help but notice a shift in tone in his father's voice. Was it resentment? "It won't be long before those two start asking for favors," Aldrich continued. "Using you."

"No. Leif and Barrel will never do that. Our friendship is true."

"Friendship doesn't last, son. Now, let me show you something that does." Aldrich led Andrias to a door with seven snake heads on it. The crown on Aldrich's head formed an eye symbol and it opened the door. Andrias trembled with fear as he saw the golden spear inside the room. The spear that either granted the ones it pierced with the power of a Stand, or kill them. Aldrich was sadly not compatible with a Stand, hence his deteriorating state, so Andrias felt like he should count his blessings that he was. Yet, ever since that day, he couldn't help but wonder, did his own father feel jealous of him because of that?

But his thoughts were interrupted when he saw what was above the spear. A large machine with several glowing orange eyes. "Behold...the Core," said Aldrich. "It contains the combined memories of our greatest minds, including your Ancestors."

The Core glared at Andrias, making him back away a little. "Uh...hello," he said nervously.

"Sadly, since the spear has rejected me and refused to give me a Stand, my body is dying, and so my mind must become part of the Core if I am to be preserved. Just like all the others," said Aldrich. Once again, Andrias heard that tone of jealousy in his voice. "With the Core by your side, you will need no friends. Now, about your mission." He pressed a button and a hologram of a blue planet appeared in the center of the room. "We will be invading a medieval world called Earth. But before that, I want you to abduct certain creatures living on it."

"Creatures, what creatures?" Andrias asked.

"Believe it or not, these creatures are...true immortals. They cannot die," Aldrich said with awe.

Andrias' eyes widened. "Really?"

The image of Earth was replaced with an image of a humanoid being with a perfectly toned muscular body, long, dark, wavy hair, and three horns sticking out of the forehead: two small ones and one longer one in the middle. The humanoid wore nothing but a loincloth and a pair of boots.

Aldrich continued, "They do not age, they sustain themselves by draining the blood of other life forms, their strength is is unparalleled, and they have abilities no normal mortals can ever hope to achieve. But they do have a weakness: sunlight. But despite this weakness, they are just the life forms we've been searching for. You see, even machines do not last forever," Aldrich said, gesturing to the Core. "But once the minds inside the Core inhabit the body of one of these creatures and grant it a Stand of its very own, we can obtain what we've been searching for: true godhood! The creatures are currently hibernating in stone, which is the perfect chance to abduct them."

Andrias was afraid to ask, but he said it anyway, "And...what do you want me to do after I abduct them?"

"What else," Aldrich asked dismissively as the image turned off. "You must exterminate the rest of the savages so that we can mine their planet for its resources."

Andrias was shocked to hear that. "What? Wipe out a whole race? Doesn't that seem a little extreme?" Didn't they usually just enslave the inhabitants of the planets they invaded?

Aldrich turned to glare at him. "Invading other world is expensive, and we need all the resources we can get for our way of life to continue. This kind of work needs to be done."

He held up a key and handed it to Andrias, who took it with surprise. "The key to the music box? But then I'm-"

"Officially in charge, son," Aldrich interrupted him. "Now, make me proud, son."

"Yes, of course, Father."

That night, Andrias decided to show his two friends the secret room. He brought them to the door and unlocked it with the key. Inside was a chamber with platinum walls and lights colored pink, blue, and green. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a gold music box with three colored gems on it. Gems that matched the colors of the lights.

"And this is where the magic happens. Literally," said Andrias.

"Wow. So it's already official?" asked Barrel.

"It's not announced yet, but yeah."

"Then I bet you'd get in big trouble if anything happened to this, huh?" teased Leif. She was standing on the pedestal, holding the music box, much to Andrias' horror.

"Okay, guys. Come on," he said nervously. "It's important."

"Keep away," Leif shouted, tossing it to Barrel.

"Guys, seriously, give it back," Andrias shouted, but Barrel tossed it over Andrias' head and into Leif's hands. Her hands touched the three gems and...

Smoke. Fire. Frogs screaming as masses of squirming tentacles were shoved down their throats. Robots marching down the forests, destroying everything. Three figures fighting someone. Someone with golden hair raised his arms as the sky literally ripped open. A gold-colored Stand appeared next to him as he shouted, "I am your king! I am your god! I am-!"

Leif gasped as she dropped the box and fell to her hands and knees. Andrias and Barrel ran up to her.

"Leif! You okay?"

"What happened?"

Tears ran down Leif's face, she was so frightened by what she saw. "I- I saw something." She grabbed onto the prince's hand and pleaded, "Andrias, if you go through with this mission, if you continue to use the box, I think Amphibia is doomed."

She continued to cry and Andrias made a look of worry.

Leif and her friends immediately called for a meeting in the throne room. She appealed to the king, "I think the music box was giving me a warning. As a gardener, I know the dangers of messing with a fragile ecosystem. And I believe by interfering with other dimensions, we have upset the ecosystem of the multiverse. We have to stop using the box."

All those present murmured in concern, only to be silenced when King Aldrich shouted, "NONSENSE! You sound like those cowardly Olms. You speak of fate and warnings, but the stones are our sacred birthright. They are unique to our world and PROOF..." He slammed his fist on the throne. "...that only we are destined to conquer."

"But, Y-your majesty-"

Aldrich slammed his halberd. "Silence! The expedition will continue as planned with the prince presiding. This council is adjourned."

Everybody left, with Barrel putting a comforting hand on Leif's shoulder. Andrias faced the king and said, "Thank you for hearing her out, Father."

"No. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Now we know the gardener is a traitor."

Shocked, Andrias backed away. "Wait, what?! No, father. She's not a traitor. She's just...worried."

"Are you certain? You've had that key less than a day, and suddenly your friend wants to dictate how we use the most powerful object in the world. I warned you about this. It won't be long before I join the Core, son. Our people will be counting on YOU." And with that, Aldrich left the throne room, leaving Andrias alone.

But he wasn't for long as Barrel and Leif came in, having overheard everything. "Well, that didn't go great," said the latter, scratching the back of her head.

"Yeah, sorry," said Andrias.

Leif hopped up to him and said, "But that's okay. You're in charge. You can just decide not to use the box."

Hearing this, Andrias clenched his fist. "It's not that simple, Leif. Our society is built on these expeditions."

"I know it won't be easy, but we have your back." She gestured to Barrel, who gave the two of them a thumbs up. "See, together we can use your power for good-"

"Look, Leif," Andrias snapped. "Maybe you should focus on gardening and leave the ruling to me, OKAY?" Seeing the hurt looks on his friends' faces, he calmed down a little. "Sorry. That was harsh. I'm just under a lot of pressure right now, you know?"

"For sure. Now, I get it. Friends?"

"Friends."

Andrias and Leif hugged. Not wanting to be left out, Barrel joined them. Neither one of them noticed Leif take the key to the music box out of Andrias' pocket.

Andrias joined his father, accompanied by robots and servants. One of them asked, "Any orders for the portal operation tomorrow, your highness?"

"Don't ask me. Andrias is calling the shots tomorrow. Show them the key, son."

Surprised, Andrias said, "Oh, yes, of course." He reached into his pocket...only to find it empty. He felt his heart race. "Ummmm... be right back." He ran down the other way; Aldrich had a sneaking suspicion.

Andrias entered the music box's chamber and found Leif holding it. "Leif, what are you doing?!"

"If you won't stop this, I will."

"DON'T!" Andrias tried to grab her, but she hopped away, taking the box with her. "Wait, no!" Andrias chased after her, only to trip and tumble over Barrel.

"Hey! What's the ruckus?!" he asked.

"Leif has betrayed us!" Andrias shouted.

"What? She would never do that!"

"I saw it with my own eyes. Come on. We gotta find her before she does something crazy!"

The two of them chased after Leif, past the robot factory and past the lab. "She's heading for the armory. I'll cut her off," Barrel shouted before he used the secret passageway hidden behind a painting. He burst out the other side and stood in front of Leif, hammer at the ready. "Stop right there, Leif. Don't make me do this."

"Barrel. Please trust me," Leif pleaded. "What I do, I do for all of us."

Barrel lowered his hammer. "Leif, I-I don't know-" Seeing his guard dropped, Leif jumped over his head and hopped off. "HEY! Get back here!"

Andrias shoved him aside and summoned his Stand. "Imagine Dragon, stop her!" The Stand lunged for her, but Leif managed to dodge it. "H-How did you do that? You can't see it!"

"I don't have to! Imagine Dragon, when summoned, increases the temperature. The hotter it is, the closer it is to it's target! I can feel it coming a mile away!"

Andrias let out a roar, "STOP HER!" Imagine Dragon breathed fire at Leif, but she dodged it and crawled her way through an air vent. Andrias dismissed Imagine Dragon and shouted at Barrel, "You had a chance to stop her! What happened?"

"She confused me."

Growling in frustration, he grabbed Barrel by the head. "Come on!"

Leif entered the garden where the mossmen were and used her Ripple to free one of them. "Come on, girl. Let's get out of here." She took a deep breath, then concentrated her Ripple on the wall. "OVERDRIVE!"

Andrias and Barrel heard the explosion. "That came from the garden." The two of them entered it, only to find a huge hole in the wall. They looked out and saw Leif riding on the mossman, escaping Newtopia. "Leif... LEIF!" Andrias shouted, shedding tears of anger and betrayal.

Outside the city, Leif said to the mossman, "We must find the olms. They'll know what to do." With tears in her eyes, she looked back at the city. "I'm sorry, my friend. This thing can't stay in Amphibia." She looked down at the box...

Days later, the scouts made no progress in finding the box or Leif. King Aldrich said to his court and his son, "The worst has come to pass. The box has left this world. It is lost. And with it, our legacy."

"I promise," said Andrias. "I will do everything in my power to right this wrong."

Aldrich snarled at him, "There is nothing you can do, son. Our way of life is ruined." The eye symbol on his crown glowed and the voice of the Core spoke to him. "I see... According to the olm prophecy, the box will return, when and how is impossible to calculate. So we will wait, we will bury and preserve our glorious civilization until our birthright has returned to us. And only then, you could begin to redeem yourself."

Andrias returned to his bedroom and unconsciously summoned Imagine Dragon, who began to burn everything. "That slippery little frog has ruined everything! Her and her kind will need to be in kept in line." He turned around and pointed to Barrel. "And, as for you, you failed me as well. I'm having you reassigned. You will travel to the outskirts and defend villages. Now, get out of my sight."

Barrel saw the flames in Andrias' eyes and knew right away this was not his friend anymore. "Yes, Your Highness," he said sadly.

Having finished remembering, King Andrias was still glaring at the picture. "You say the past means nothing," said Diego. "Prove it." In response, Andrias summoned Imagine Dragon, who proceeded to turn the painting into ashes. "Good boy."

A door opened and "Kars" entered the room, still clad in the black armor and the horned helmet. "What are you two doing here?" he demanded.

"Ah, so you decided to stop fucking and eating random people and come to join us," snarked Diego.

"Watch it," warned "Kars". "You may be one of Our best soldiers, but We won't hesitate to devour you from the inside out and leave behind only your skin if you keep talking back to Us." Diego only smirked. "Kars" turned to Andrias and asked, "What are you thinking, Andrias?"

"Nothing," said Andrias. "Just preparing myself for the invasion. And finally getting rid of every single thing that reminds me of HER."

"Kars" smiled. "Why, son. I think I'm almost proud of you." He turned to Marcy and said, "I cannot wait for Us to capture her friends and drain their powers dry."

"My lord, I still have my uses," said Marcy as she bowed to him. "Have you ever watched 'War of the Warlocks'?"

"Kars" let out an exhausted sigh. "We are not interested in your Earth movies."

"How do you think I came up with all these strategies and plans? From watching these movies, anime and playing RPG games. It's how I came up with our counterattacks against the resistance groups."

The glowing eyes on "Kars'" helmet narrowed at her then said, "Fine. Continue to show your worth. But We will not hesitate to kill you once it's all used up." And with that, he left. Most likely to feast some more.

Andrias cleared his throat and said, "Shall we continue our game of flipwart, Marcy?"

"Yes, my king," said Marcy. She sat at the table, and began to set the pieces on the board. Andrias had a look of guilt on his face.

"I'll leave you two to it," said Diego as he returned to his chamber. "Now...where were we," he asked as he locked the door behind him. Sitting on his bed were the naked forms of female amphibians; Bella the Bellhop, Billie, Priscilla, and the Infected Yunan and Olivia among them. With the exception of the latter two, Diego didn't need a silly mind control collar or a parasite to get these women in bed with him. All he needed was the right amount of charisma, the right words, and enough confidence to get them to obey him.

"Lord Diego," Billie said. "We've been waiting so long, we almost had fun without you."

"My dear..." He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed it. "I always have time for you all." He leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth. "Oh, Yunan, how did the tractor go? Has it exterminated the ants that have been devouring our Infected troops?"

"Our scouts have reported that it's been destroyed, and the ants are now aiding Sasha and the Joestar boy," said Yunan as she rubbed her cheek against Diego's fingers. "Forgive me, my lord."

Diego smirked. "I don't blame you, General. But, let's keep this a secret between us. I want to see the look on Andrias and Marcy's faces when they realize her strategies are being outwitted by her former friends."

"Don't count it, my lord," Olivia said as she took off his hat and slowly peeled off his turtleneck jumper. "You know Marcy is the smartest out of all of them. Her strategies haven't failed yet."

"Hmm, mmm, mmm," Diego chuckled as he pulled down his pants. "True, but Anne, Sasha, and JoJo continue to surprise me. But right now..." He plopped down on the bed. "Right now, what I want to focus on is right here with me. Who wants to go first?"

"Please, let me," begged Priscilla.

"Oh, alright. But I'm on top this time. Last time, you nearly crushed my pelvis."

"And...Pearl?"

Diego kissed Priscilla and said, "Safe. I promise."

As the carnal pleasure began, nobody noticed the anonymous letters for the Resistance sitting on a nearby dresser. Letters Diego had been secretly sending as part of his own plan for Amphibia.

⬅ To be continued...