Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A blinding flash of light and the world no longer existed. Somewhere in the back of Calvin’s mind, a part of him wondered how many stories started like that. Not exactly original, but a good way to show that a familiar status quo has been shunted away with haste. And what is a story without a setting?

Once a world started to exist again, it was clear he wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Or LA, where he’d actually been for the last 6 months. For one thing, the summer sun was done roasting him to be perfect for the local insect population to chew on. For another, the damp chill may well have been sending him into shock with how quickly the temperature had shifted. If by some miracle he’d be able to see again, Calvin was beginning to realize he probably wasn’t going to like what he saw.

So. Kidnapped, probably. Opportunists, as he couldn’t think of anyone who had the capital worth extorting his life for that would make planning out that brazen of a taking worth the risk. Or maybe Dad had gotten into some sort of criminal trouble? That’d be rather out of character, but LA living can get expensive and the stress has been piling up… Still, the least likely option.

No, magic was the least likely option which is why Calvin dismissed it with a grin he kept in his own head. For now he let the mask be honest, knowing that it was just pained scrunches and the occasional groan. Oh look, the world’s loading in. He had been wondering what color the frigid stone under his bruised behind was.

It seemed to be a mosaic of some kind, done up in gold, silver, and an ebon core. As he stood on shaky legs, the imagery became clearer: A golden circle that gave off lines leading to the smaller points of the sun, which itself contained a golden outline of a crescent moon with the points leading to the outline of a diamond.

Calvin kept blinking the blindness from his eyes as the rest of the chamber stopped being so fuzzy. To either side was a staircase flanked by lit braizers that apparently curved up and led to nowhere, like a bridge used to connect them but had been cleanly removed. Lining the stairs were mushrooms glowing a pleasant yellow color which he leveled an incredulous look. In front lay a path of smooth gray stone outlined again in gold, flowing up to a dais, again flanked by braizers on smaller platforms, that held a bronze gong with a simpler version of the symbol he’d woken up on. Resting over the gong was a well polished stone replica of a gemstone. He walked towards the raised platform and, holding the gong’s pillars for support, looked the abyss on the other side in the face. And, in a moment of commendable bravery, collapsed on his rear without a word.

Oh. Cult. That explains the seeming randomness of his abduction, Calvin thought. So this is how I die, huh? To some sort of whacky, underground sun cult. At least that’s kinda funny, worshiping the sun but being underground where you can’t see or feel it. Can’t imagine where in Los Angeles this would be, but it’s a big town. Bigger than any back home by a country mile, as the saying goes.

Now that he was up next to it, Calvin got a better look at the gong. The center of the sun motif contained what looked like some sort of serpent wrapped in a circle over itself. Not quite a world serpent analog, as its head stood a bit over the body and wasn’t chewing its own tail, but the similarity was interesting a bit. Swanky digs, as far as places to die go. He lightly rapped a knuckle against the gong to get a feel for its weight and was very surprised when the noise rocked the cavern (cavern?!?) he was in.

Something in his soul told him where the answer to the earthquake was, so he looked back into the chasm. Calvin liked being right, felt better than being wrong, but sometimes you don’t want to be right. Watching a pair of glowing blue orbs rise out of the abyss, each followed swiftly by what he could only call 3 fronds off to the side a bit, while above and between the orbs came a glowing crest of sorts. The glows pierced the deep shadows of the below to give hints to a massive creature made of pallid flesh.

When he found himself in a heap near where he first came to consciousness, the boy couldn’t recall if it had been wind pressure or his own legs that had carried back to the middle of the cave.

Oh good grief he was underground, there was even moss on the ground and a glowing rock in the back. He was going to be sacrificed underground with no idea what was going on, no one but his captors knowing where he was, leaving Dad alone in what might as well have been a foreign country.

At least his cost of living is about to go down, Calvin said to himself as the leviathan crested the pit. Ever the optimist, indeed.

The beast rose well out of the pit, its skin marked by the occasional crossed scar. Its arms were tiny, close to vestigial; a disconnected part of himself began to commentate while primal fear ate the rest of the young man. Its teeth ended in points, suggesting a carnivorous diet, as the living mountain groaned a bit with the effort of moving that much body anywhere. On what would be the forehead of a reasonably made creature was a symbol like a stylized V with a leaf in the middle.

The imagery down here would run an English teacher up a wall, said the commentator in Calvin’s head. The rest of his head had elected to sit the end of his life out.

The serpent amphibian hybrid from a land of giants glared down at him. Wait, not glared, it seemed like it was actually squinting. Probably a combination of the difference in lighting combined with how small its eyes were compared to its body. Those might be on their way out the evolutionary door too, said his inner peanut gallery.

“Who is it that summons me?” Questioned the leviathan in a voice that might have passed for grandmotherly if it spoke words instead of thunder. There was also an odd edge to the voice that was unlike anything Calvin had heard outside of sci fi media.

For his part, he did a pretty good impression of a shattered statue there on the floor. Would have even physically fallen apart if he wasn’t worried that would give him away.

“Not all at once now, these old ears aren’t what they used to be.” He was being sassed by a creature larger than anything he’d ever heard of. Its eyes locked onto him with the speed of a glacier and the chill that ran down his spine was just as cold.

“There you are. My, what an interesting looking newt you are. Haven’t seen one of you in I can’t even remember how long” Newt? She began to lean down. Assuming it was a she, at least.

“Look at you, no tail, no snout, and some sorta face bump. And those spindly limbs, good Frog, are you eating enough hun?”

Once she was close enough, the tendrils along the side of her head reached out and began to poke and prod at Calvin. His eyes got so wide they felt like they were about to make a run for it if he wasn’t, but they stayed in their sockets just like he was cemented to the floor. The tendrils themselves were a bit damp, but they didn’t leave him much colder than the cave had already left him.

“Wait a moment there.” Not going anywhere, trust me. She pulled back like a cautious mountain.

“You’re no newt, are you? Don’t taste right. Too dry to be a frog, not bumpy enough to be a toad. What sort of exotic thing are you, if that’s not a rude question.”

It was, but you don’t tell mountains they're rude. Wait, taste?!?

“Human,” a voice like talkative gravel said much louder than he would have ever thought possible.

“Human? Never heard of those before.” That was just enough to crack his fear and let confusion leak out.

“Really? We’re, uh, kind of famous where I’m from. Not much else talks round those parts.” His voice was beginning to smooth out to it’s usual cadence, if a bit shaky, as he spoke more.

“And where woul-” She stops as a bit of fire light glints off of a dull gray gem. One of the relatively small arms points somewhere behind Calvin.

“Well now, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that box. Must be, oh, a thousand or so years now. I should get a calendar.”

Glossing over the last half of what was just said, the boy looks over his shoulder to see a little golden chest with a dark green wooden lid. Laid in the lid were 3 dull gray gems and a gold frog gesturing toward them. As he got up and walked towards the box he made out a landscape scene of a swamp imprinted on the bottom panels and a key coming out of the right side.

A music box.

A familiar music box. Why was it familiar?

He saw a flash of light burst from its depths as Anne opened it, Marcy and Sasha to either side blocking their eyes. He can just make it out from over Anne’s shoulder, walking up to give her the birthday card he wasn’t able to after she had disappeared from school that day. It was pure chance that as he walked home from school he saw the three girls make their way into the park across the road.

Sasha looked nonchalant as she usually did, ever in control. Marcy was about to burst out of her skin, fidgeting even more so than usual with every step she took. Anne walked like the state of California was in her backpack with a pensive look on her face. Sasha led while the others followed, business as usual.

With a bit of luck traffic had broken for the moment, so he made his way across the street. Calvin was going to call out to them, but there was something in the way Marcy hovered over Anne’s back, the way Anne glued her eyes to Sasha’s back as she led them to a bench that kept him quiet.

Calvin’d already established a bad habit of walking silently, they wouldn’t be too surprised for too long if they saw him as he walked over. Hopefully his curiosity or concern didn’t dent his usual slightly happy mask too much. Whatever Anne was taking out of her bag was enough to lock down even Marcy’s attention, who could best be described as a balance of completely oblivious and almost disturbingly observant. He got close enough that he could see over Anne’s shoulder just in time to catch a beam of starlight right in the eye.

He wasn’t sure when he picked it up, but he was looking at his reflection playing back on the golden swamp as he left his flashback. Hardly a flashback, couldn’t have been more than an hour ago at most. Absentmindedly he tried to open the box and he looked at the inside. Empty, no adornment or plating, the same deep green as the rest of the wood. Not an ounce of blinding light.

Something was off with it and Calvin just couldn’t place it. Same size as far as he could tell, the frog on the lid looked the same, and he didn’t get a good enough look at the sides last time for any difference there to ping for him. So what was it?

“Coulda sworn those rocks had more color last I saw them though.” The forgotten monster from the deepest abyss had a hand resting on the hill that passed for her chin, like she could dig the answer out of the bumps and wrinkles there.

The gems. They had color before. Why none now? It reminded him of something he’d seen in a space movie with the girls, mostly Marcy as it had been her latest obsession, how the fuel gems lost color as they lost power.

A part of him threw that out as magical and ridiculous, much like he had during the movie. A part of him told him he was going insane, that he’d been hit by a car crossing the street, this was the dream of a dying child. A part of him screamed at the madness behind him, shouted that it couldn’t exist on so many different principles of nature and no shortage of common sense.

A different part of him was a realist and a lover of fantasy, a part that was willing to believe a dream it could see for a little bit. Sometimes the only thing that makes sense is nonsense and he was finished thinking about it.

“They did have more color. Blue, Green, Pink.” A robot with his voice said, though the color began to come back to his skin and tone.

“They’re spent now, I guess. That flash of light must be how I got here. We? Kinda has to be we, I wasn’t even holding the damn thing so it would be really bizarre if I was here and they weren’t.”

He glanced at the opening on the other side of the cavern, seemingly the only way out besides the hole taken up by the Big Salamander. Who seemed a little lost in the dust as Calvin began to devolve into rambling, too many thoughts to fit in his head as whatever gate held them at bay dissolved.

“Okay Human, calm down a second. Can we start from the beginning again?” A being large enough to topple a building with ease and apparently old enough to remember when the Dark Ages were just Today pleaded with a 13 year old.

“I’m the Mother of Olms, this is my cave underneath the city of Proteus. Now it’s your turn.” The encouraging gesture she made would have been funny if he was capable of registering humor. The silence that had begun to consume him again was easier to shed now that he’d broken it before.

“I’m Calvin Tyric. From Illi-. Los Angeles, California.”

The look on Mother’s face didn’t spark with recognition, so he went bigger.

“United States of America.”

Blank.

“North America?”

Nada.

“Planet Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy?”

He was just having a bit of fun with it at this point and that was the only value he got as she blinked and nodded politely like one does when a child spouts nonsense.

“Where am I?” He finally asked.

“Does the name Amphibia mean anything to you?”

“What, like frog land?” Bit of etymology for you there.

“Bit more than just frogs, kid.”

He looked up at Mother Olm and back at the frog on the box.

“That tracks as well as anything else I’ve seen.”

A dozen questions walked into his head unprompted as he glanced around for his tiger backpack to get his phone. Did she have any maps? History books? What was tech like here? What time was it? Are otherworldly creatures a common problem here, as she seems rather nonplussed. If it’s as unusual here as it is back home, does that just mean this is one weird world? One came to the front as the most dire and he felt a little bad that it hadn’t been first.

“Don’t suppose you know where my friends might be?” Calvin gave a sheepish shrug as it began to feel like he was living in his skin again instead of it just being there to hold him in one piece.

“Sorry hun, I’ve never seen or heard of your kind before you summoned me. Is that what you’re looking for?” She pointed underneath one of the staircases where a flash of orange was hiding. He walked over, threw a strap over one shoulder, and pulled his phone out of a side pocket.

6:11 PM. That leaves him missing about 10 minutes or so. Guess traveling between worlds isn’t quite an instant process. That or he was unconscious for a bit which wouldn’t be the oddest thing.

“Say, where did you get that music box? It’s kind of a big deal for such a small thing.” She raised to her full height again as a serious air washed over the cave.

“I’m not sure where they got it, I was just there when it opened.” Calvin shrugged as he put his phone back into his uniform shorts.

“Well, like I said, I am Mother Olm and I am the Keeper of the Prophecy of the Stones and the Music Box, upon which the fates of all worlds rest!” She threw her arms up as the color of her eyes, whisker tendrils, and crest went from teal to purple.

“And that prophecy is…” The blue returns.

“Wait, how’d it go again?” She asked the world and not the boy in front of her.

“Hold on, it’ll come back to me. By the way, do you hear a noise like the flap of a million little wings?”

Calvin glanced around and up, shaking his head as he appreciated just how big of a cavern this was but that he could still make out the top, faintly seeing some sort of script up there. Must be something there for her, she’s the only one who could get up there he reasoned.

“Okay, here we go!” Purple again. “The prophecy is… gone. It’s gone.” Back to blue.

“Hmmm,” still looking up Calvin hummed in a vaguely curious manner.

Mother Olm rested her elbows on either side of the gong platform and let out a sigh like a hurricane. She plopped her chin into her palm, melancholy washing away the seriousness of the moment.

“Stay young kid. Once you get old, your memory and body begin to betray and leave you like bad friends.”

“I’ll see what I can do about that. That wouldn’t happen to be the prophecy up there, would it?” He tucked the music box under an arm and pointed up at the ceiling. She made her way up there and changed her color to read the text that was there.

“Ha, aren’t you an observant dear? I guess I had it written down when my memory started to go. I feel clever.” Her good mood chased away the sour reminders of age as she straightened up and looked truly menacing since she first spoke.

“Three stars burning bright, come from beyond to expel the night. Should they fight or embrace the fall, their choice will determine the fate of all."

As she spoke flowers bloomed within the cavern and the glowing stones glistened with the timbre of her voice. The weight of the moment was almost enough for him to miss what felt like a key detail. Almost.

“Three? There’s only three ‘stars’ in the prophecy?” He tried to keep emotion out of his voice when he asked, but a hint of dread slipped out with each three. If she noticed, she didn’t act on it.

“That’s what it says dear.”

“Well, there should be four humans in Amphibialand.”

“Just Amphibia kid. And what do you mean, four?”

“Like I said earlier, I was the furthest from the box when the girls opened it. Anne opened it while Marcy and Sasha stood behind her. If I’m here, I can’t imagine I’m here and one of them wouldn’t be.”

Mother Olm, ancient living mountain of amphibian flesh and prophetess of the fate of the universe, stared at the young human like a second head had grown out of his neck and began to speak a dead tongue.

“Huh. That makes sense to me, I suppose.” She shrugged then glanced between the ceiling text and the human in the middle of the floor.

“Eh, predicting the future isn’t an exact process, kid. It’s like a river like that. Even if you know it starts in the mountains and ends in the ocean, that doesn’t mean you’ll always know what it’s taking to sea.” The old olm nodded sagely before her head whipped down to almost level with him at a speed a creature that big shouldn’t be able to move at as the purple returned to her features.

“Do you burn with the power of the stones?” He was taken aback, both by the question and the amount of air that was displaced by something that big moving that fast.

“You’ve seen me nearly the whole time I’ve been here lady, I’m pretty sure you would know just as well as I would by now.” Always did have a bad habit of aggressive responses under stress. Calvin started shouting like he actually had a chance of drowning out her hurricane voice with his little wind.

“What’s even the point of this? Why a prophecy about some cute, little box from a different world than yours? What even are these stones, gems, whatevers for?”

Silence reigned for a time and it was long enough for the fire in his belly to simmer down enough to recall the difference in size between the mouse and the lion it just screamed at. But she chuckled a little and moved on like an adult.

“The olms believe they serve a greater purpose and should be left alone. While others believe their powers should be used for conquest.” She gestured towards a mural he hadn’t taken the time to notice with how bonkers things have been for the last 5 minutes.

An ouroboros olm was wrapped around a triangle split into equal thirds, each holding a diamond of different colors; Blue, Green, Pink. From each side a section of the circle was also dedicated to the corresponding color. To either side of the Olmoboros was a sun and a crescent moon, while bearing down from above was a yellow fire holding seven shapes that looked like squares with their horizontal lines stretched into new points. These ten sided shapes were in turn filled with red, then an orange diamond in the center, with a yellow diamond inside of that. They almost looked like eyes.

“These conquerors, with their arrogance and greed, created an unnatural thing that does not sleep and cannot die. The prophecy is our one shot at salvation and we believe that the three stars were summoned to save us from what we’ve become: the worst versions of ourselves.”

He followed her eyes and saw there was a second mural. A massive toad-looking creature with a jewel for an eye extending a hand holding flame at three figures. A seemingly floating blue one with a poof of hair and sword, a green one in a hood with a bow, and a pink one with a ponytail pointing the tip of her sword at the beast. He might not have known the girls for terribly long, but Calvin had read enough books and seen enough movies to know Chosen Ones when he saw them. Heck, he’d seen those three not even an hour ago, though Marcy was down her hoodie then.

The silence was deafening as all of that sunk in with the resident 13 year old. His friends were chosen heroes to save a world he hadn’t even heard of when he woke up that morning. They’d be fighting conquerors to save the soul of a people who were succumbing to their own darker natures. And the more he tried to focus on that, the more the math started to make itself obvious.

Three. Not Four. He shouldn’t be here. Unless that hooded figure was suddenly supposed to be him, but he’d taken to wearing hats instead of hoodies after the move because LA was intent on baking him like a cake and he was fighting that fate one baseball cap at a time, whereas Marcy was hardly ever seen out from under the confines of her hood. Calvin shouldn’t be here, fate itself shouting that fact down from the ceiling.

The image of a river appeared in his mind, flowing from the Sierra Madre into the Pacific. He saw the snow losing the fight to the sun and dripping down ancient stones, taking grains of sediment with it. Watched as sticks and pine cones joined the procession, fish living their entire lives in mountainous runoff. Getting closer to home, he saw the junk it accumulated, memories of lives that don’t even know what they’re losing. Cans and photos, little moments and the glue that held personalities in place slipping away with a new tide.

What panic had been seeping into his being was gathered, stuffed into a bottle, and sent along the river. The mask slipped as he took a breath deep enough to nearly match the Mother of Olms. The many things he might be, football player and track runner, actor wannabe and concerned son, at the heart of it all was a fantasy fan who was just handed an adventure. Even if it was one he wasn’t invited to. The smile was infectious as Mother Olms lips curled sweetly.

“World saving heroines lost in the wilderness of a foreign world, with nothing but the clothes on their back and what kindness they’re offered? Sounds like they could use a hand. Where do I start?”

Chapter Text

Calvin had absolutely no idea where to start and the Olms seemed intent on keeping him that way. Not that they didn’t want him to go on his personal odyssey, quite the contrary; Parisia, some sort of guardian of the city, had been trying to convince him to leave ever since Mother Olm first called guards down into her chambers to assist him. Maybe assist means something different in Olm speak. Or, maybe, no one likes when people magically teleport directly into what is supposed to be the most secure location in their entire society. Could be either.

The way she glared at him once she made it down the pit was absolutely draconic. If he wasn’t almost sure they were amphibious then Calvin would have expected to be incinerated by dragon fire, how fierce her blind eyes were. As it turned out, he was right about their eyes, Mother Olm being an outlier from before that phase of evolution. Hope there was at least some light in town, he thought, else my eyes were next to go.

Luckily, Proteus glows an unnatural neon purple at all times, seemingly by accident since none of its residents need to see and are in fact burnt by sunlight. With a wary glance and no small amount of disdain Parisia gave him an abandoned shed on the outskirts of the city, close to a guard post so keeping an eye on him would be simpler. The fact that it was at least half the massive cavern away from the entrance to Mother Olm’s chambers was surely a coincidence.

The Olms seemed to have a real thing about outsiders, but he understood that to a certain degree. While they might not be human, the people ‘upstairs’ were still people and eventually someone would want to abuse something that could catch glimpses of the future. Even if that something was someone. Especially the people who made that seven eyed thing from the mural, if the Big Granny was to be believed. Between the description from Mother Olm and the stress of coming here, Calvin was pretty sure that thing would be haunting his nightmares. Assuming you can have nightmares in a dream.

Honestly, after a few sleep cycles the young man gave up on trying to figure out if it was a dream or not because the difference didn’t really matter. If it was a dream, eventually he’d wake up and go back to the malaise of real life. If this was real then it required his full attention to make sure he didn’t die out here, let alone find his friends. Despite the circumstance of it all, he couldn’t help a little excitement.

Calvin hoped they were fine. He tried to know that they were fine, to be sure that they were healthy and maybe even happy. Marcy was sharp as a whip and would love something like this, Anne could hold a conversation with a stone and have it asking her to share lunch with it, while Sasha… was Sasha, he finished in his own head.

But Marcy was the kind of gal who could look at a flower and get so focused she wouldn’t notice the sky falling on her, to mention nothing of her incredible lack of dexterity. The girl could trip in a void. Anne was loyal, loyal to a fault with a habit of going with what other people wanted even if she didn’t want to. He hadn’t known her for that long but the rare times they’d hung out just the two of them had proven that pretty quickly. And Sasha was Sasha. Not a ton of explanation needed for that in his own head. Before he could analyze his own inadequacies for the task ahead could eat him alive, he focused on happier memories like his therapist had recommended.

He settled for one of his more recent ones, how he’d met the three of them. It wasn’t all that complicated and under normal circumstances he’d probably recall it in a poor light, something about it all had clicked in a way he wouldn’t have expected. Although that hoodie was one of his favorites and he still hadn’t gotten the gravy stain out.

It was lunch period at Saint James Middle School and Calvin was having lunch by himself at the end of one of the tables. He’d been going to school there since the start of the semester, almost two weeks, and hadn’t really made what he’d call friends yet. There were people he talked to, sure, but that felt more like an exercise in passing the time than meaningful relationship development. Or maybe he was picky, maybe he missed what people he’d left behind. Hard to tell while he was wearing the mask in class and it wasn’t like he could relax just because he was eating.

The only person during this lunch period that he recognized was Sasha Waybright, but she’d already made it clear enough that he wasn’t ‘allowed’ to speak to her at school, which in and of itself was more than enough to put him off the prospect of willingly speaking to her. He first figured she was embarrassed about going to a children’s therapist for divorce trauma, but he saw how much attention she paid when they spoke, so it wasn’t that.

Lost in his own head, he didn’t notice one of Sasha’s friends trip and perform what he was told was some truly impressive acrobatics to slam her arm right in front of his lunch tray, still mostly full. The console she was gaming on went flying over his head and, because human instinct is weird, he threw himself back to catch it, barely staying on the bench by catching himself on the folding crossbar in the middle of the table. Bending to the limits of his back, Calvin managed to save her game from a crash no programmer could recover it from. In the second it took for momentum to dissipate and let him fold back into a proper sitting position he finally noticed the gravy, grease, and unidentifiable meat bits covering his Creatures and Caverns hoodie. One last gift from home ruined, no big deal.

As his aggravation began to seep into his mask like the food he was wearing, his head shot to the asian girl who’d redecorated him. The venom on his tongue drained with the first tear to hit the floor.

At first he was worried that she’d gotten herself pretty hurt, but as he leaned closer she leaned away refusing to meet his eyes, mouth moving like she was trying to say something but lacked the air to do it. Perhaps he’d been lonelier than he’d thought after the move, because suddenly he felt the need to clear those tears.

“Goodness, you’re a rude date.” His tone was light, dripping with sarcasm and mock offense. She finally met his grinning face, watery confusion coloring her features.

“You come over to my table, I check out your game, and then lunch is on me. I thought we were gonna split it.” He leaned his elbow onto the table and gave a thoroughly dramatic sigh as he glanced at what she was playing. Looked like Vagabondia Chronicles, but he wasn’t much into JRPG’s, so he wasn’t sure. Still, a lack of knowledge had ever stopped him before.

“Oh well, at least you seem to have good taste. I might be willing to give you another shot, although maybe not on gravy day next time.” He gave a little gesture with the console. A small part of him, one he hardly even heard, was surprised the smile he leveled at her was genuine.

At this point the confusion had taken the time to double before it collapsed under its own weight, leaving her in neutral silence for several painful moments. Sasha and her other friend had made their way over by now and seemed to still be lingering on bewilderment, the blonde especially. He hadn’t exactly led with charm the first time they spoke.

After sometime between an hour and a second, Marcy burst into laughter. First she chuckled, then cackled, until guffaws ripped their way out of her chest, knocking her from where she’d been cradling her arm to the floor. Like a character out of an anime she legitimately rolled on the floor, laughing her ass off. Her friend with the mane of brown hair began to giggle as well, putting a hand to her mouth like she could push the sound back down. Even Sasha tried to repress a smirk, failed, and let out an airy chuckle at the scene before her.

Once she’d run out of air a half dozen times, then failed to stand up half as many times, she finally managed to get a full lung of air and get to her feet. She handed him a napkin and waited for him to clean himself before sticking her hand out toward him. She met his gaze for the first time as she introduced herself.

“My name’s Marcy, funny guy. What’s yours, or do I have to wait until after the second date?”

“Oh don’t tempt me now.” Calvin had managed to wipe what little had gotten on her game before putting it in her hand, not quite what she expected. Before she could say anything, he spoke while wiping off what he could from his surely ruined hoodie.

“Calvin. I’m Calvin. You’ve certainly got an interesting way of introducing yourself, you know that? Y’all meet like that, too?” At that he glanced at Sasha and the other girl. Said other stuck a hand out.

“Anne Boonchuy and not quite. It was a sandcastle, not my lunch.” Anne turned to Marcy and began to fuss over her elbow much to the gamer girl’s protests.

“Sasha Waybright. Bee Tee Dubs, thanks for being chill about that. I know a lotta guys would’ve blown a fuse over that.” Her arms stayed crossed in front of her while she spoke, never really looking at him. Guess we’re pretending to not have met, Calvin thought. I wonder why, but I’ll play.

He must have done a decent job cleaning his hoodie, as Marcy let out a piercing gasp and practically dived into the bench seat next to him. She was pointing at the logo on his chest, then shoulder, and finally the dragon on his back. Someone could have landed a helicopter on either pupil, her eyes were so wide.

“OH EM GEE, I DIDN’T KNOW SOMEONE ELSE AT SCHOOL WAS INTO C&C TOOOOO!” Her excitement was not subtle. First half the lunchroom had started staring after she tripped, now the other half was glaring at the shouting. Sasha’s own glare melted whatever eyes it met, force of personality alone stopping their looks. Anne had managed to get Marcy out of her jacket and was wrapping the sleeves around the bruised arm while Marcy began to grill Calvin over what he knew about her favorite tabletop role playing game, which turned out to be enough to rival her own database.

And that was where it all started. It took him a month to realize he’d made proper friends, that was the first day Marcy had invited him over to her house to help her work on a dungeon she wanted to run for the other two girls. Imagine his surprise when she invited him along. Some of the tension he didn’t realize rested in his shoulders lessened at that.

A week later he was helping Anne study at her family’s Thai restaurant. She’d figured out how his taste buds worked and had bribed him well for his aide. Calvin just couldn’t stay completely in his shell in Thai Go, some mythical combination of great food, good table company, and the momest mom he’d ever seen.

Even Sasha had warmed up, much later than the other two but still. He hadn’t really noticed until after PE one day when one of the token bully boys began to give him grief. Calvin was seriously thinking about snapping, go ‘hillbilly’ on him like he wanted, when suddenly Sasha appeared and disarmed the situation with the unsubtle threat of some blackmail she apparently had on the brute. Calvin had barely thanked her before she was dragging him toward the lunch room, saying Marcy had a new game and she needed a nerd barrier. His laugh preceded them into lunch, where Marcy could barely wait for him to sit before launching into lore-talk about what must have been the dozenth version of Heaven Edge. He matched her word for word with a face splitting grin while watching Anne play a puzzle game on her phone and pretended not to notice Sasha’s smile.

The warmth of his memory stayed with Calvin for a bit, clearing the cavern’s chill from his sore muscles better than anything, with the exception of Mrs. Boonchuy’s cooking maybe. He stayed like that for who knows how long, as time meant little in this dark place where you couldn’t see the sky, you’ve resolved not to drain your phone, and those around you don’t feel inclined to be any more helpful than “There’s the exit, have fun with the tunnels.” Eventually he left that glowing nostalgia, newly galvanized to his task. Memories are a lovely thing, but nowhere near as pleasant as the forging of new ones and Calvin had a creeping sensation that Amphibia was going to be full of those.

One of the first things he’d asked for when they came to check on him after they gave him the shed, the apartment back home could fit in there twice, were books about the world. For the third time in Calvin’s life he’d wanted to study and Parisia delivered what might have actually been the worst books she could find and a meal to match. Of the five, 4 were in a language he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of deciphering and the fifth was a cautionary tale written by an Olm for the Olms about why the surface is a fate worse than death.

Taking this one with enough salt to turn a Great Lake into a Little Ocean, it gave some information that at the very least let him form some first impressions. Firstly, this was a world with several sentient species and the world was incredibly insulted by that fact. In response to this insult, it had spawned an unending tide of monstrous bugs, birds, lizards, and the rare mammal, plenty of which were liberally mixed Earth animals, in an effort to kill everything with more than three brain cells to rub together. In direct mockery of this, the Newts, Toads, and Frogs continued to endure above the surface while the Olms went underground where at least something would have to dig first to murder them.

Secondly, it seems that while the three amphibians all share the continent that hates, they remained mostly divided from each other at the time this tome was written, recently by Olm standards he’d been assured. The Newts have Newtopia, clever, the Toads have various towers throughout the world, and the Frogs are mostly found in a valley relatively close to Proteus. The distances were labeled with measurements that meant nothing to a 13 year old, so who knows how relative that is.

Thirdly, the Newts had at one point in the distant past won the technology race and had… not really subjugated the other 2, more so put in a loose caste system? The old book started to step out of character for a second, leaving the propaganda genre and stepping a bit more into mystery. How the Newts manage this is unclear to the author and how their technological knowledge was lost was even less so, but what was clear was the fact Toad culture was based on war in a land that hadn’t seen a new ruler in at least centuries and the Frogs mostly just farm. If this was still anti-surface Olm talk, then it was starting to work on Calvin.

The author seemed to have a rather low opinion of the Toads and wasn’t overly fond of the Newts, but parts of that section read in an almost understanding manner. Superiority complex for both, got it. As for the Frogs, most of their mentions were in relation to the other two, suggesting that they aren’t that dangerous or don’t travel as often. Could be both.

Once he’d sifted through the one readable book, separating the propaganda from the facts, Calvin asked about equipment. Once the quartermaster had finished laughing and realized he was serious, he was pointed toward a place that was one part graveyard and one part junk yard. All intelligent intruders of Proteus were given the choice to brave the tunnels again, be food, or live out their days as prisoners in the cavern city. Either way, this is where the metal bits ended up. He changed into his gym clothes for the journey, buried the music box where he’d hopefully remember it, and got headed out.

The walk to the grave junk gave Calvin a chance to appreciate the absolute scale of the place he’d found himself in. The pillars holding up the cave ceiling went on for what must have hundreds, maybe thousands, of feet, containing housing for more Olms. Several bells of unbelievable proportions were housed in the largest of the pillars and he shuddered to imagine how loud that must be inside a cave, even one as large as this. Even bigger chandeliers with stylized Olm faces on them dotted the ceiling alongside humongous chains of blue jewels. It’s a good thing everything on the street level is so large, it makes it easy to tell where you’re going even when staring at the ceiling or dark horizon.

After a few hours of walking and ignoring the Olm guard following him, he made it to the little divot where they threw the leftovers of prisoners. He was drenched in sweat and his legs ached like the devil, but it was good to move around after a few days of being cooped up in that rather spacious shed. He hadn’t thought he was falling behind on his practice, but even a few days was enough to dent his endurance apparently. At least, he thought it’d been a bit more than a couple. Again, no sun and he didn’t have the patience to time guard shifts.

Weapons and armors littered the ground. Not sure Calvin would have had the stomach for this if there were still bodies involved, Calvin thought in the third person. Although, he wasn’t entirely sure he had the stomach to scavenge from the dead that had been so unceremoniously disposed of. The Olm’s lack of respect for their surface neighbors was kind of painful to look at, but he tried to ignore that in an effort to get some value out of this venture for himself. Worst come to worst, it was a look at both Amphia’s resident’s tactics.

Once he’d gotten some strength back from his walk over, he began to sift through the disrespected dead. To his surprise there was actually a sorting method involved; signs with drawings of what seemed to be Newt, Toad, and Frog people. One half was dedicated to what he took to be Newt armaments, the other given over to Toads, and Frogs had a mostly empty corner. What little was there seemed to various vaguely froggy farming equipment. Why would a pitch fork need to look like a stylized frog foot, it’s just silly.

He’d brought his backpack along, emptied of most of its contents save for Hobbes and his phone, to carry smaller items back with him and was glad for it. While nothing in the Toad section was small enough or compact enough to fit comfortably, most of the Newt armors were made with flexibility in mind. Made sense, in hindsight. It also meant they didn’t seem terribly protective for someone that couldn’t twist and contort their body, but it was a start at least. That’s not to say they didn’t have heavier armors, they did, but he’d need to get a hold of some sort of wheelbarrow or cart to haul those off. Same thing he’d need for basically all the Toad items he wanted, which were a few. The clawed gauntlet theme they had going really called to Calvin but it's not called heavy metal for nothing.

The horror had slipped from his excitable, young mind as he began to hop between the piles with little sense of direction, just whatever styles caught his eye. Slick Newt plate mail, the chainmail beneath rotted away but the plates themselves withheld the test of time. Toad leather curiasses that were tough enough to echo when he rapped his hand against the hollow chest. Various helmets that were always either too wide or too narrow for his human head, but they gave him an idea.

Using broken spear shafts, he was able to assemble some mock dummies of how he thought Newts and Toads looked. Calvin knew that it was inaccurate, as there weren’t that many suits of full armor for the leg regions of either species and there were no complete pieces of cloth clothing. Still, he was able to put together that the Newts on average must stand around four and half feet tall, while Toads seem to be around three and half feet tall and just as wide. Nothing for the Frogs unfortunately, they seemed the least warmongering of the three.

He was so wrapped up in typing notes onto his phone, he hadn’t thought to bring his writing supplies, that he didn’t notice the sound of rustling metal coming from the center of the Toad pile. Sliding out from under a set of old kurata-esque armor was a bug roughly the size of a wolf, its carapace the color of rust and its antenna protruding a good distance from its relatively small head. Its beady, multifaceted eyes looked at the exotic intruder as this thing it didn’t recognize rooted through the piles of food and nesting of its territory. While the odd Olm might have been too large to stop, this thing was much smaller than they and looked quite distracted at the moment.

It stalked towards the enemy when it suddenly froze in place, trying to blend into the old metals of its home as it stared at the bright oranges of the face on the creature’s back. As the secondary face shook upon the intruder’s back, the rust bug’s animal intellect was screaming caution when Calvin turned and looked actual face to face with a bug larger than most of the dogs he’d ever seen.

They blinked in time like this was some sort of television program. The boy was the first to concede ground, stepping backwards slowly without breaking eye contact with the big bug. The book had mentioned some species of insects were natural amphibivores but somehow he never made the connection that bigger Frog people plus bugs eating those people equaled massive insects. Not for the first time, he wished he was better at math.

Also, he suddenly wished he had better short term memory as he ran into the Toad dummy and tripped backwards over it. Breaking eye contact seemed to free the rust bug from whatever indecision it was in as it charged the intruder. Said boy scrambled over the fallen armor and made as straight a line as he could toward the lip of the massive trench the junk was all in. Not the simplest process for a trash pit that was only barely organized.

For every helmet that got stuck on a shoe or every knee banged against an unseen breastplate the rust bug gained ground on him; all six of its legs landed precisely between the littered ground while it just climbed over the larger piles that Calvin had to run around. The sweat was soaking through his shirt again, he’d just dried off from the walk, and he suddenly wished he hadn’t worn basketball shorts that caught on every piece of rusted metal he ran past. His inner commentator wondered if they had tetanus shots in this world, because he was pretty sure he was gonna need one.

He couldn’t have been more than ten feet from the edge of the pit when he tripped. Time slowed to a crawl as his eyes shot down toward his foot, where he saw a clawed gauntlet wrapped around his ankle in a mockery of a sadistic life. Calvin swore treachery against the style as he crashed and rolled into the pile of trash that would be his grave. The bug barreled down on him like it was just going to crash through him while his hands shot out around him, feeling for anything to defend himself with. He wasn’t sure when he started crying.

Calvin’s right hand wrapped around a wooden haft and something in his head clicked. The words of his therapist echoed in his mind instead of a cork as the bottled emotions burst forth, saying he responded to most forms of stress aggressively and asking his dad where he could have gotten that from. More memories than he could count of parents screaming bloody murder at each other underscored their words and fear ran from a feeling that slept closer to his heart.

Rage bubbled up from where he stored it deep within. Rage against a random universe, rage against a prophecy he had no part in, and rage older than he wanted to credit powered the swing. More than he could contain rumbled up his throat in a scream, a roar, first fear being forced out quickly chased by an anger he wasn’t proud of, right into the face of an alien creature wholly incapable of processing why its foe was acting like that when an old ax head buried itself halfway through the exoskeletal skull of a bug large enough to crush him.

And crush him is just what it did. While the blow had the momentum to turn it sideways, it was still hauling ass as it came down on top of the kid. It came to a crushing stop right on top of him with a painful impact. There was a flash of white over his vision accompanied by a warm feeling from his nose as the dark took him. The dreams that followed were jumbled and unpleasant, filled with yelling that sounded all too much like himself.

Chapter Text

It was noisy at home, like it always was when they thought he was asleep. They didn’t notice him climb out the window, though he wasn’t surprised. They were loud, he wasn’t, they were on the first floor, he wasn’t. Wandering the dark streets of his hometown was old hat at this point, he was running out of interesting things to run into.

The gas station? Nah, he wasn’t hungry, Dad cooked dinner tonight. The junkyard was better patrolled these days because teenagers have no gift for subtlety. That was kinda it honestly. Not a ton to do in Small Town, Nowhere, US of A. Hands buried in pockets and focusing on the rock he was kicking, the kid wandered. Most of the buildings he passed were just as dark as the autumnal sky above him, but there was one bright light that caught his eye.

The house that had been for sale forever, at the end of a block of abandoned buildings about half a mile from home, didn't have any lights on inside it, but there was a soft glow coming from the backyard. As he crept closer the sound of metal slamming against metal became clearer and the warm light became brighter.

From the safety of a bush, a younger Calvin watched a man in nothing but loose fitting pants beating the stuffing out of a practice dummy. Literally. He had a six pack and serious pecs, the muscles in his arms flowing like molten iron as he flowed from one strike into another. Fire light from a nearby pit cast him in red, showing how fiercely his blood must have been pumping to keep up with his motivation. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, the eastern dragon covering his back seeming to breathe with him.

“You know,” He called back in a relaxed voice, “It is rude to stare.”

And like that the jig was up. Calvin’s first instinct was to flee, but he’d been raised to at least pretend to take responsibility. The kid climbed out from his hiding spot, having to shake the sleeve of his hoodie off of a branch, nearly knocking himself over once it came free. The fighter chuckled as Calvin caught himself from falling. A perfect note to start such an odd friendship.

The man introduced himself as Ryu, but the ten year old was later convinced that wasn’t his real name. He didn’t strike Calvin as the kind of guy to have the ego to get a massive back tattoo of his namesake. One google search about what back tattoos mean in Japan later and the youngster decided asking about his past was maybe not the best of ideas.

Ryu’s house quickly became the troubled lad’s home away from home, the place he’d find himself at whenever the stress was getting to him. He was there a lot, to say the least. The older Japanese man wasn’t the most talkative guy, but he understood stress well enough, so he showed Calvin what had helped him. That’s where he learned how and when to throw a punch.

For months his daily routine was going to school, stopping by the house long enough to inhale his dinner, and then he was back to Sensei Ryu’s house. He didn’t actually ask the kid to call him that and actively discouraged it, which just had Calvin doubling down. Once he got his student out of his giggling fit, they would begin. If the weather was bad they’d go to the basement, but most lessons happened in the fire light of the backyard.

The basics came naturally to him, keeping the shoulders loose for recoil, when to push through to avoid self harm. It was the discipline, the restraint, where he struggled the most. Calvin had a bad habit of getting lost in the aggression of it and didn’t recognize what Ryu was actually trying to teach him. But fate would help teach this lesson for him.

One day, after the first snow of the new year, Calvin sprinted into Ryu’s home out of breath and his eyes stinging with tears. Before he could ask what the problem was, there came a pounding on his door. He opened the door in his normal white suit with a red undershirt alongside matching dress shoes. Three teenagers were there and they might have been exhaling steam even if it was summer, they seemed so furious.

“Where the fuck is that little punk?” The one in the middle, self appointed leader.

“Only punks I see are on my porch,” Ryu replied calm as the ocean.

“Bullshit old man, we saw him run in here. Give us the shit head and we won’t break your shit.” To emphasize his point, one of the hellions broke the mailbox.

Ryu’s brow furrowed.

“You are a bit old to be harassing a child, aren’t you?”

“Fuck off your high horse and give us the kid! Pretty sure he broke my buddy’s nose, so he’s about to pay with interest.” He popped his knuckles because that’s what apes do to seem intimidating on the playground.

“Last chance kid. Back down.” Something in his tone spoke to a part deep in the human psyche and the teens almost listened. Almost.

The lead punk took the first swing and in turn took the first blow to the chest. It sent him right off the porch and nearly to the street, leaving him spluttering. The mail box breaker went for a kick that landed firmly in Ryu’s hand. He spun him around, planted his shoe on his keister, and gave a healthy shove. Punk number two head butt the first one right in the stomach just as he was sitting up.

Loser the third had eyes wide like a plate as his head kept bouncing between his friends and the dragon in the doorway. Intelligence almost won out as he began to step away, when he glanced just past the guardian and saw Calvin blowing a raspberry at him from inside. Whatever pride demanded he cripple a child surged through him as he pulled a switchblade from his pocket and took what he thought was a menacing stance. He only looked like a threat to himself.

As he lunged forward, Ryu dropped to a knee. In that brief moment where gravity was doing the work of lowering his body he shot a fist out into the high schooler’s gut, his entire weight behind the blow. His body thumped to the ground like a sack of rocks as Ryu straightened back up. With a nudge of his foot he pushed number three off of his porch and onto the sidewalk that led to the road, not too far from his friends who almost felt human again.

Calvin’s savior shut the door and turned on him with all the speed of a mountain, his expression just as serious, and arms crossed.

“Care to explain why you brought trash to my home?” Tears began to return to the young man’s eye as fear crept up his spine. He stammered for a bit before finally remembering how to talk.

“Th-they were pick-king on Su-usie while we-we were waiting for the bus.” The salt stung as he refused to meet his mentor’s eyes as he arched an eyebrow.

“So you broke someone’s nose? Did you think I was teaching you so you could solve problems with your fists?”

“Th-th-they started shoving her around a-after I told them to stop. I did-dn’t like the w-w-way they laughed.'' He was shaking hard and it had nothing to do with how far from the school he had just sprinted. Ryu just now noticed he was clutching his stuffed tiger with a death grip. His gaze softened as he got down on a knee and pulled the kid into a hug. The Japanese man’s strong shoulders grounded Calvin as his panic attack began to subside.

“They started yelling and I just ran to the first place that was safe. I’m sorry for coming here.” The hug grew tighter

“You are always welcome here Calvin.” His voice grew soft like beach sand as he soothed the young man.

“I hope that you will never truly be sorry to come here.” Ryu pulled Calvin away from him to look him in the eye as he put a bit of serious back in his expression.

“But you need to understand that every time you raise your fist someone could get hurt, including yourself.” The kid looked at him, green eyes belying a maturity that he shouldn’t have after only ten years.

“Do you want to hurt people?” A sniffle and a shake of no. “Good. Then I can continue teaching you.” A look of confusion. “Do you want to protect your friends?” A pause. A glance toward the door. A nod. An older man’s grin.

“Then I think you're ready to properly begin, Ritorutaigā.”

The first thing to pull Calvin out of yesterday was a throbbing from his forehead. Next was the smell, dank and dusty all at once. He cracked his eyes open, waiting for the shift of light to aggravate whatever head injury he’d manage to pick up. And here he was thinking he’d gotten pretty good at avoiding head shots. When there was only a slightly bright purple, confusion trickled into his mind.

And the last few days crashed back on top of him. The thirteen year old tried to blink away the insanity but it was firmly planted in the reality all around him. He was on a pillow in the middle of what looked like a jail cell, except the door was unlocked. With shaky legs he fell out of the cozy plushiness and made his way to the door, picking up his backpack from where it lay unceremoniously on the floor. Glancing up and down the hall revealed its massive size, big enough for an Olm to comfortably pass through.

Once his legs had stopped shaking he began to walk toward the only doorway in the hall, past a dozen normal sized cells and 3 Olm sized cells. From a glance, he estimated that an Olm would have more room by ratio than someone in the smaller cells. With a roll of his eyes he strolled into the barracks of the Grotten Guard. Gaston, one of the guards tasked with watching him, was leaning against the wall next to the archway, dozing off. He scoffed and made his way toward the neon purple that indicated Proteas proper so he could rest off what felt like a concussion.

He hadn’t made it five feet out the door when there was a shout behind him from a voice with that strange timbre he’d come to associate with all Olms and not just the Mother. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a sleepy Gaston slithering to catch up. He panted for a bit after such a short distance before planting his spear and mustering up what dignity and air of haughtiness he could after that display. It wasn’t much.

“Did you drag me out of the junkyard?” Calvin lifted an eyebrow as he glanced up at what he’d decided was a younger Olm. Who wasn’t sure he was allowed to talk to the little alien in front of him, but decided it couldn’t hurt.

“Uh, yeah, I did.” A sheepish sixteen foot long salamander was a helluva sight. “You looked like you needed it.”

“Mmm. Suppose I did.” He turned and started walking to his shed, having gathered his bearings. The guard deflated ever so slightly.

“Thanks.” And then stood just a bit taller as he followed their guest.

They walked in silence for some time as Calvin busied his head with thinking about what he wanted to take with him out of the pit. He did a mental inventory, hampered by the concussion, but eventually came out with what he’d try to cobble together. His fists flexed in anticipation as he rolled his shoulder to change where his bag was resting. First things first, unfortunately, he needed to recover.

Recalling the words of his sensei, ha, he took a couple days to recuperate. His phone told him that he’d been lost in a different dimension for a week now and he already needed a break. Calvin tried to keep from thinking about what the girls must be going through right now, but he couldn’t focus on reading, the light of his phone shot pain through his head, and walking around was bad for his recovery so thinking was about all he could do.

Nightmares danced through him no matter what state of consciousness he was in. Most of them were for Anne, Marcy, and Sasha but every once in a while it’d be about emptier homes. A dad wondering what happened to his son, drowning in perceived failure. Two immigrants desperately looking for what they did to make her run. A stoic man and his wife spending a fortune in a search that can’t succeed. And a broken couple fighting tooth and nail, sure the other is the culprit.

Calvin never much cared for Sasha’s parents.

Gaston brought his meals and they conversated, small talk about the hubbub of the city and surrounding tunnels. Apparently there was an increase in sightings, or smellings, of surface folk lately and it was making Parisia anxious. Thankfully no one had started a witch hunt for the human yet, but Calvin was paranoid that it was on the horizon.

Gaston had warmed up to him considerably after the incident with the rust bug. It was nice to finally have someone to talk to instead of the walls of his admittedly huge shed. He let the Olm do most of the talking at first as he wasn’t sure which mask to wear yet but he figured it out pretty quick. Youngest guard, anxious, and wanting to prove himself led Calvin to go with the classic supportive listener. It was even easy to do as Gaston seemed like a genuine guy and his issues weren’t exactly unfamiliar territory. Disappointed father, lack of self confidence, desire to help, and leave the world better than he found; where had he heard that before?

On the ‘morning’ of the third day Calvin was feeling well enough to make another venture to the junkyard, although this time Gaston offered to let him ride there. Couldn’t hurt to take it easy for a little bit, he thought to himself as he climbed up the giant amphibian. Not nearly as slimy as he looked.

They made much better time this way, what with the city being made with Olms in mind and what not. The duo pull up on the junkyard, not too far from where Calvin almost made his escape as indicated by the rust bug body that’s still laying where he slew it, ax included. Without a word he hopped off of Gaston and made his way toward the weapon. It had already done right by him, it’d be a shame to just leave it behind.

Mother of mercy, he thought, I’m already ascribing personal feelings to objects and it’s only been a week.

He shook that off and drew his Excalibur from the head of the beast, holding it aloft for a moment before shaking the collected gunk off of it. Then Calvin gave it a once over to make sure it was still actually in workable condition because he wasn’t sure when he first swung it if it was a tool for war or a weapon against trees. He still wasn’t sure, but the blade wasn’t chipped and the haft was still solid, so it’d work.

The kid began to make his way back toward where’d been working a few days ago, having mostly put together what he thought he’d get the most value out without turning through the entire pile. This time a rust bug popped up as he walked, likely smelling the freshly disturbed bug blood on his ax. Before it had a chance to react Calvin had jumped and cleaved its head with an overhead strike, huffing like a beast. His eyes danced across the metal field to an erratic tune, looking for more. If there were, they were wiser.

“Uh, you good man?” Gaston called from where he’d posted up near the pit, trying to track his ward by his scent.

“I’m fine. Just not a fan of repeat chase scenes.” Calvin caught his breath with a sigh and went back to his stalking through the metallic graveyard, ax still firmly in hand. He splattered the fresh blood around as he went, hoping the scent of their dead would keep what other rust bugs there were out of his way.

Maybe it worked, maybe he was paranoid. Whatever the truth of it, his notetaking was unbothered for the day. There was a brief lunch break with Gaston, but besides that it was a long day of checking armor integrity, seeing what fit (not much), and seeing what weapons maintained their killing edge (even fewer). Not exactly encouraging, but there must be some kind of blacksmith in town. Worst comes to worst, he’d cobble something together himself. The idea pleased him for a moment until he remembered he had no idea how to do that.

He’d settled on a Newtopian breast plate that adjusted wide enough for a young man, some Toad arm guards covering arms and legs, and some Toad gauntlets that were small enough for normal hands when the junkyard shook. Calvin was worried that it was the mother of all rust bugs when pebbles from above also fell. The pit was near the middle of town, nothing that only shook here could be big enough to shake the ceiling, which meant something was wrong at one of the edges of the cavern. He turned to Gaston, who’s head had shot to the left, toward the closest cave wall. There was smoke.

Other members of the Grotten Guard were already heading that way to investigate, so Gaston hesitated. Calvin made his way through the junkyard and rested a hand on the giant’s side.

“Come on,” he said with a grin, “bet they could use all the help they can get.”

The Olm stared for a second before a resolved smile spread across his snout and with a nod toward his back Calvin mounted up and they went to join the investigation. They’d just crossed the lake surrounding Proteus before the yelling started. There were shapes moving through the smoke, much smaller than the half dozen guards making their way toward the hole in the cavern wall. Just as the smoke was clearing was when the first ballista bolt tore through the dank air, narrowly missing the Olm in front of it.

The sudden displacement of air let Calvin catch a glimpse of the invaders; stout, broad creatures with mottled skin and heavy armor complemented by much thinner, smoother ones with tails and snouts not unlike the Olms. A group of Newts and Toads had broken into the cave of Proteus.

And they were dressed like pirates. That Newt even had a tricorn on.

Underground.

Sure, why not.

The sound of combat broke Calvin out of his stupor, shaking himself out of his head and back into his silly life. A second massive bolt was even further off target, but crashed into the underground beach not ten feet from where Gaston stood in horror.

“No one’s ever invaded Proteus.” He whispered as though the louder it was said the realer it became.

“First time for everything soldier.” Calvin tried lacing his voice with a tone he’d spent hours practicing after one of Ryu’s lessons. It seemed to do the trick, at least a little as Gaston went from statue still to more like a sheet of stiff leather. The kid hopped off his guard’s back.

“Head back to Proteus, tell Parisia what’s happening.”

“If I’m going back, why’re you heading toward them?” The panic in Gaston’s voice was appreciated, making him feel like less than a burden for the first time in a week. Or maybe longer.

“Well, I gotta introduce myself to the locals eventually. Besides, looks like they could use a bit of help.” The Grotten Guard were holding their own, due mostly to their significant size advantage, but Calvin could hear the ballista reloading and could see what Olms had arrived were slowly being driven apart. The foe had prepared for this fight while the guards were trained about as well as a thousand years of paranoid peace could get them.

Which was to say, poorly.

With a nod, Gaston returned to the water and made a beeline for the city proper, where alarms could begin to be heard filling the cavernous expanse. Calvin in turn started making his way towards the fighting, moving with decent hustle. He’d made it just to the edge of the fighting before the first cry of confusion was heard.

“Wot dah frog is dat fing?” Screamed a Toad with a club who, after a brief moment of thought, charged a thirteen year old.

The kid stopped in his tracks and waited, giving adrenaline time to do its thing as the hollering of the pirate Toad grew louder. A deep breath to settle the shaking of his limbs, a deliberate pace to get into his stance, and eyes a steely green met the Toad’s dull browns. It wasn’t a stance from any martial arts he’d been able to find through google, Ryu had simply told him to have a solid position to start every fight from, something that came naturally. He brought his forearms down to his waist as he filled his lungs, spread his legs till they were even with his shoulders, bent at the knees, and then raised his fists eye level, shoulder length apart as he exhaled.

The club came down wildly as Calvin stepped out of the way, throwing a testing left jab into the jaw. They didn’t have much for necks he noticed, so this was going to be a learning experience, as the Toad did not have a glass jaw. As he came to a skidding halt from his charge, the pirate tested his jaw with his clawed hand before giving a guffaw.

“Da creetcha can frow a pawnch, ey?” He grinned and a violent glint passed through his eyes as he started his assault in earnest.

The Toad swung wildly, every swing causing the air around Calvin to whistle fiercely just inches from his weaving guard. He could already tell his knuckles were going to be bruised after all this, his gauntlets would need better padding. After a downward strike that left a crack in the stone floor Calvin made his move, dropping down and uppercutting into nearly the same spot he had already bludgeoned his opponent.

Turns out, with the right application of force, Toads can be pretty aerodynamic. He landed with a meaty thud and a groan. Calvin didn’t give him a second to catch his breath, jump stepping and delivering a plain mean kick into an unarmored side. Judging by how rhythmic the pirate’s breathing became once he caught it again, he was out for the moment but Calvin wasn’t getting a second to catch his breath as he heard slapping footfalls behind him.

He spun around just in time to catch a dagger on the armored side of his right gauntlet, a blow that would have craved a decent chunk off his brain if he’d let the Newt. Said pirate stared in disbelief at the face of his foe, mind processing exactly what he was looking at. Calvin, kind soul that he was, gave this newest pirate some percussive maintenance in the hope that it would help his future processing needs. The kid assumed it worked as the computer shut down, presumably to install updates.

Two bodies slumped to either side of him, Calvin shook his hands to work some of the numbness from his hands as he checked the scene. Five Olms stood like mountainous islands as they were each being hemmed in by a dozen pirates each armed with cruel looking weapons. The sixth Olm was thrashing wildly, a ballista bolt sticking into the stalagmite behind them and one in their chest as they flung bodies in their death throes. Only a few of the Olms had taken out more invaders than he had, not counting their downed ally, which was a rather poor sign Calvin thought. He made a beeline for the nearest one, taking the Newts dagger as he picked up speed.

He shoulder checked a Newt at full speed as he buried the dagger in the arm of the Toad to his right, the tip of the blade barely peeking out through his unsleeved arm. He planted a straight kick into the throat of the Newt pirate to the left as he shouted up toward the guard in front of him. Again he pulled out the Ryu impression.

“We gotta move trooper! Form up with the others and fall back to the beach.” His voice reached the scared Olm over the shouting of the invaders and she turned her head toward him with fearful eyes. Calvin fixed her with the fiercest mask he had and forgot she was blind as she began to slither toward him at max speed. The pirates on the other side of the circle took lunging swings as she moved but they thankfully missed, not realizing the circle had collapsed on one side.

Calvin didn’t wait for her to catch up before he turned and ran in the other direction toward the rest of the Grotten Guard. Another set of bolts flew, one flying wide enough to skip off the water while the other thudded shaft deep into the stone in front of the kid as he sprinted to the next Olm in trouble. Instead of stopping he jumped into a flying knee, knocking a Toad ass over head right into the guard he was hemming in. He applied a quick three blows to the chest of the pirate to his right as he picked up speed again, climbing up the Olm as the first one barreled down on them all.

“If you don’t wanna die here, put some pep in your slither, boy!” Without checking to see if his words struck true, the kid jumped from the guard’s back and delivered a thunderous right hand to the face of a Newt who was slower than his fellows as he landed with a roll into a run. He was huffing for breath but he heard the pirates behind him get swept out of the way by a duo of spears, their attention following the pink creature they didn’t expect instead of the leviathans they prepared for.

The kid managed to rally and wrangle the five remaining Olms behind one the many humongous stalagmites that littered the cavern while they all took some time to catch their breaths, the pirates getting cautious now. Most of the Olms were bleeding, everyone was breathing heavily, and the arm of one hung limply on his side. They all turned toward Calvin, who did what he did best and made it up as he went.

“Shoulder to shoulder.” His tone shifted from Ryu to his Dad when he was in an authoritative mood. “Y’all have the distinct honor of defending your home today.”

“You actually think we’ll go back out there, just because a human who’s been here a week said so?” The girl guard’s voice scowled and dripped with trepidation. The thump of a giant shaft embedding itself in stone punctuated her fear.

“Die on the beach or die in the water.” He said like there was no other option in the world. “They’ll have a much easier time hitting you lot with a ballista when you’re turning tail toward home.”

They glanced between each other, getting that he was right but still unwilling to risk their lives. Alright, let’s see if the practical card works.

“Gaston already headed back to shore for reinforcements. More guards are on the way, we need to deal with those siege engines to make sure they can actually get over here.” And now a bluff. “ The reason their aim was so off just now is because they’ve clearly been ranged for firing into the lake, not down their nos-snouts at us.”

The gathered Grotten Guard were slowly shaking their heads, getting the picture he was painting. A bolt shook the stalagmite at their backs. Now for an actual plan, a dash of heroic sentiment, and no small amount of luck and they might actually do what needs doing.

“I need y’all to charge them, keep their eyes on you.” Before they could complain, he doubled down. “While you’re distracting them, I’ll edge around our cover and make my way to the ballista. Then I’ll make sure they can’t fire anymore. Besides, I doubt they’ll see this coming, so we’ve got surprise on our side.”

Calvin was glad he sounded more confident in this plan than he was, because the Olms actually looked like they were considering it when another ballista bolt rocked their hiding spot. As the ground they sat on shook, their resolve solidified and a look like fire entered their blind eyes. The gathered guards of Proteus gripped their spears tightly and took a look between themselves; nothing but resolve between them anymore.

“Stay low, stay together, and don’t be afraid to be loud.” Calvin allowed himself a nervous grin as he went to his side and got ready to make a break for it.

“Go!” And they were all off like a shot. The guards heeded his words and slithered with their snouts to the ground, leaving the ballista useless as they reloaded. They crashed on the gathered pirates, who’d been creeping up to the stalagmite, like an avalanche down an amphibious mountain. THe foes that didn’t scatter in the face of this fury were crushed and pierced and even consumed.

“I’ll just leave that nightmare with the thing that doesn’t die,” Calvin thought as he stalked toward the back of the cavern, ax in hand. His mind tried to distract itself with how poorly he’d been sleeping since he’d gotten here, but now felt like a poor time to linger on his lack of sleep. Now was a time for focus or a time for dying and he wasn’t planning on the latter.

As it turns out, a more coordinated charge from Olms makes for an incredibly devastating offensive and an even better distraction. Not a single pirate noticed as he took a wide berth around the fighting and stalked toward the siege equipment. Once he was within ear shot he made out the sounds of fierce arguing. A little closer and he could see that a Toad in an off brand Jack Sparrow cosplay was screaming at the ballista crews to fire into the troops to try to halt the Grotten Guard while the crews seemed a bit put off by the prospect of friendly fire.

“YOU LILY LIVERED FOOLS WILL BE THE DEATH OF US IF’N YOU DON’T SHOOT THOSE OLMS!” Real charmer, this guy.

“We can’t just shoot the crew, Cap’n!” The Newt cowered in on himself, struggling to stand up for himself but putting his foot down. The captain drew a cutlass as thick as his massive forearms with a cruel glint in his eyes that reflected off the killing edge of his blade.

“If ye won’t be listenin to your Captain, then ye be mutineers.” He approached with menacing intent, focused on the apparent leader of the ballista crews.

“Mutineers usually hang but exceptions can be made in crisis.” He hefted the weight blade with a joyful smile. So focused on his sadism was the Captain that he didn’t notice the blunt end of the ax until just before it shattered his fanged maw. As the built Toad reeled from the blow, Calvin took the initiative and cut through the ballista string, ruining it. He began to make his way to the other one when he felt a hearty blow get caught on the back of his breastplate, the force still enough to make him tuck and roll.

Jaw broken, teeth ruined, and almost certainly concussed, the Captain chased the kid down with his sword pulled back for another strike. His aim was a bit higher this time and put Calvin on the defensive. He backpedaled from the murderous amphibian until he abruptly dove forward for a tackle, a hair under a decapitating blow. Even as unprepared as the Toad was, it was still like trying to push over a mountain of mottled flesh. The mountain grinned, dropped his sword as he latched onto the kid’s sides, and threw him bodily over his head and a good ten feet back toward the siege engines. Calvin landed on his stomach, which was probably why nothing but the breastplate broke, forcing his breath out of his lungs. The Captain sauntered back toward him, swinging his cutlass in lazy arcs around himself as he reset his jaw.

“Well, aren’t you a curious beasty.” He swaggered closer as Calvin scrambled for a plan. “Can’t say I’ve seen your ilk before. Might fetch a cute copper at the Bizarre Bazaar. Cor, don’t think you’ll need those legs if’n you’re to be a display piece for some rich git.”

Calvin undid the shoulder straps of his ruined chestplate and threw it like a frisbee to buy some time, but the pirate just leaned out of the way with a chuckle.

“Maybe I’ll keep ya, I like em feisty.” He launched his tongue from his mouth with a distinct ‘Bleh’, latching onto the ax and ripping it from young hands and threw it over his shoulder.

“All the more fun to bring to heel.” He stopped and tapped the blunt edge of his blade against his shoulder, waiting to see what this strange creature would do unarmed and unshielded. To his joy it stood up and squared up. His grin split his jaw like a fault line, jagged and looming ominously.

“Atta boyo.” He spun the cutlass again and continued his approach.

They circled each other, five feet between them, as Calvin’s mind raced a hundred miles a minute. How does he escape this? Surrender and escape at the first chance? Stall until the Olms get to him? Somehow actually defeat this monster, seemingly the least likely option. The panic was setting in and he could hear familiar screaming when his spiral was thankfully interrupted by a different shout.

“COME ON YA WORM LOVER!” The Captain began his assault as his loud voice triggered something in the smooth alien he wanted to break. Common sense and strategy fled his mind as Calvin’s cork popped and bottled rage flooded his thoughts like a boiling tide. Burning muscles were reenergized and the memories conditioned therein took control as a beast in man flesh watched its prey charge.

Again with a decapitating blow, saying that if it couldn’t avoid this it wasn’t worth the effort to keep. He didn’t think, he just knew how to respond as the Toad began to cleave the air. The thing driving Calvin threw the body back in an arch as it shot a foot into the pirate jaw. If the break was manageable before, the bone was properly mangled now. The flip continued as the Captain fell back for a moment, absorbed by his facial pain while the rage pushed the advantage, raining blow after blow wherever it could.

For every concussion avoided there was a new bruise on the Toads arms, legs, and the occasional cracked rib. He swung wardingly with his cutlass just to feel a downward blow connect with his wrist, knocking the blade to the ground and sending a shock of pain up his entire arm. The Captain threw a wild punch at his mad foe only for it to be met by a falling elbow, cracking several digits. He backpedaled fiercely, the beast keeping just a step behind. The Toad took this as an opportunity and made one desperate attempt to get a punch in. The little tiger dropped to a knee and threw a straight arm into the Toad’s gut with its entire body mass behind it. That combined with the pirate’s own considerable momentum suddenly used against him led to a blow that could drop a tiger in one strike.

The Captain, to his credit, stood for a few moments on teetering legs. Finally gravity won and he collapsed in an undignified heap. The alien beast stalked back toward the siege equipment, only slowing to grab the cutlass off the stone floor. What crew had remained for the spectacle fled through the blown out cavern wall, unwilling to find out what would happen when the creature reached them.

With difficulty, Calvin reasserted himself, put the cork back, and used the claimed blade to ruin the second and final ballista. His arms were lead and his legs might as well have been melting, they felt so hot and weak. How he didn’t simply collapse is beyond him, but he managed to stay standing as the Olms’ reinforcements finally arrived and the combined might of the Grotten Guard made short work of capturing the remaining invaded. Gaston collected the kid, who took the scabbard from the ringleader as he pointed him out. The guards wrapped him tightly in chains and took care to make sure couldn’t flee, even if he was unconscious.

Calvin, to his credit, didn’t head off to dream world until he’d gotten back to his shed, promising to personally tell Parisia his side of the story after he’d awoken. She had to wait a whole day for that tale.

Chapter Text

Calvin’s dreams lately, on the occasions they happened, were a roiling mass of shouting, stress, and images of his friends fending for themselves. Faintly, he saw a dreary cell with no illumination save for the occasional flash of lightning that revealed a form leaning against the furthest wall. The tide shifts and now his tired eyes are nearly blinded by how bright the sterile tiles of the hospital are. Someone is lying in a bed, the cast on their leg covered in colorful scribbles he can’t make out. Hospital? The question disappears with the scene, replaced by a dank basement littered with objects he thought he recognized, that he should recognize, but there’s some kind of disconnect stopping him.

The flashing images all fade as quickly as they had arrived until he’s left alone with his fear. And boy howdy was there a lot of fear to choose from: this strange, new world full of adventure and death, his missing friends, his dad, and more. Take your pick, it's quite the selection. And after his mind tortured him long enough with those, the same fear from the first night he’d slept in deep Proteus found him again. Something with eyes like fire that did not sleep and would not die. Out of everything she had said that night, Mother Olm had managed to make that thing stick out the most in his mind, like a blade stuck in a wound.

Waking up was a blessing in Amphibia when back home it always felt like a curse, the lack of dreams actually making for a rather soothing experience. He told himself.

His eyes cracked open slower than flowing tar and felt about as sticky as he almost wasn’t shocked to see he wasn’t in his room. The kid still wasn’t used to waking up in near pitch black, the only light being what purple rays seeped in from the greater Proteus light pollution. With a roll of his shoulders and a deep groan from how sore all of him was, Calvin made his way toward his wake up routine.

First he grabbed a bucket and made his way toward the lake that surrounded the city, which was a ten minute jaunt round trip. He had to carry the bucket in his other hand this time, as his elbow was bruised something fierce. Then he’d start a fire with the scrap wood, thank you boy scouts, and boil the water because he did not trust it. Once that cooled off to a manageable level he’d bathe in the shed, dry off, and get dressed for the day. It had mostly been his school uniform except for the few times he’d headed to the junkyard and he’d have to figure out how to wash clothes by hand soon, as the smell was becoming too much even for a thirteen year old.

Speaking of that scrap heap, he’d have to head over there at some point, he had equipment to replace. But first things come first and that meant dealing with Parisia. While Calvin appreciated that as guardian of the city she had to be cautious, yesterday proving that quite well, he didn’t appreciate her insistence on being a pain.

Guards tailed his every step, citizens were ordered not to interact with him, and she’d passive aggressively ‘suggest’ he start his journey literally every time he saw her. He’d gotten used to feeling unwanted back home, but constantly being told as much was even more annoying.

It wasn’t until he walked through the cut out in the massive door of his shed for the second time that ‘morning’ that he noticed his ax leaning against the building. Someone must have grabbed it from wherever the Toad pirate captain had thrown it yesterday and even brought it back for him. Even if he was unwanted, at the very least someone appreciated him. The thought warmed him as he hung it on the opposite hip from his newly won cutlass. He’d probably use that more honestly, but the ax was becoming a fast friend.

Gaston followed in his wake, a look of concern making his snout look like it was dipping. They trundled on in silence as they made their way toward the city center where Parisia took her meetings. The young Olm broke the quiet first, as Calvin couldn’t think of anything to say.

“How’d you sleep?” He tried to keep it casual, but the worry was palpable. “You were out for a lot longer than usual.”

“Like a brick,” Calvin lied. “Repelling invasions is exhausting work.”

“Yeah, it looks like they put you guys through the ringer. Even got Johanson.” He sobered up with that, recalling the casualty.

“How’s everyone else holding up?” Calvin looked back for the first time to get a read on the guard as he spoke.

“Francois is down an arm, Charlie’s going to be blind in her right eye, and more cuts and bruises than the doctors cared to count.” Gaston counted off on his hands and made a show of giving up.

“But, we managed to capture most of the survivors and their captain will probably even survive long enough for an interrogation. So, we’re sure to figure out how they found out about Proteus pretty soon.”

“That’s good, I suppose.” The kid turned back and kept walking as Gaston slithered behind him.

“I’m glad you’re fine.” He could hear the smile in Gaston’s voice.

“Yeah, me too.” The grin cracked his usual mask and his voice, lending a jovial air to the rest of their stroll towards what was sure to be a jolly talk with the paranoid head of state.

She was waiting for them when they arrived, standing in front of the Olm-ish monument that stood in the center of the open area, flanked by two guards. This was usually where he saw her, trying to avoid her gaze as he made his way toward the junkyard. He wasn’t actually sure where she lived, maybe she slept behind the mural. She looked rather impatient as Gaston bowed in respect.

Calvin crossed his arms and stared down the third most intimidating dragon he’d ever seen.

“Finally, the human awakens and graces us with his presence.” The usual venom was there, but it had lost some of its edge.

“What can I say, I needed a good nap after defending your city.” He jutted his chin out. “No big deal, just my life on the line for you, ‘s all.”

“I’m aware. I’v heard the reports of Gaston and his fellows,” Her tone evening out as she spoke. “They paint you in a favorable light. I’d dare say we’d be burying more than a single guard if not for your actions.”

Calvin admitted his shock to no one but himself, face the same neutral mask he usually wore when facing authority figures. Genuine praise was not what he’d come into this meeting expecting. Even if his mask didn’t betray his feelings, his silence did as she continued.

“I’ve come to understand that perhaps I’ve been too harsh on you.”

No shit?

“With that in mind, by your deeds two days previous and my words today it has been decided that Proteus will aid your journey however we can.”

Before he could get a word in, she continued with a slight squint to her eyes.

“None shall join you, but we will ensure that when you begin your journey on the surface you will be as prepared as is possible.”

He couldn’t stop the eyebrow that rose on his face, nor the short exhale of surprise he gave.

“I have sent for the finest toysmith in the city, he shall help you with your armament. At the same time Grotten Guard are being sent deep into the tunnels, both to find the last of the invaders and to scout the surface world. We will find you the closest point of civilization and craft you a map more accurate than any we’ve allowed you to see until now.”

That last bit had him scowling in his head as he kept it off his mask, a bit miffed that they had better maps than the one old tome he could actually read and they were originally not going to show it to him. Oh well, don’t look a gift Olm in the mouth.

Still, he was at a genuine loss for words, support was not what he had expected here, but it looked like she expected a response.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it Parisia.” At least he didn’t stammer.

“Of course. Gepetto will be taking your measurements whilst you give me your recollection of the battle.” Her tone brokered no argument, but was softer than before. Less a command, more a formal request without the question mark.

And that’s exactly what happened. It took a couple of hours all told, Parisia stopping herself from turning the report into an interrogation while Calvin did his best to withhold his low opinion of the Grotten Guard’s training. The whole time he was reciting, an elderly Olm with a set of tri-lensed goggles was propping the kid into various poses to get a sense for limb length, torso width, and some measurements that Calvin didn’t really get but didn’t put up a fuss.

Eventually the city guardian dismissed him and Gepetto grabbed the human and took off to his workshop with surprising haste for someone seemingly that aged. Said shop was filled to the brim with relatively massive metallic knick knacks, plush Olms, and the occasional wooden play piece. It was a delight that reminded him vaguely of his grandfather’s wood shop.

As the weeks pressed on, Calvin spent most of his time bouncing between the workshop and the barracks. After spending hours discussing design, material, and technique with Gepetto he’d make his way to the Grotten Guard to get updates from Gaston and ask the pirates questions. It was slow going with the Olms, they were weary of the sun and only went out at night but the pirates were actually much more useful.

While the Newts, with the exception of the siege crews, stayed silent out of stubbornness, the resident Toads were cooperative in the extreme. The joys of a culture based on strength, he supposed. Thanks to them Calvin was able to get a much better insight into the nature of Amphibia’s residents. A bit about the continent's king, the relationship between Toads and Newts he put in place, and even the closest bit of civilized living; there was a Toad Tower that was, technically, close by that the pirates had to skirt on their way to try to plum Proteus of its treasure. When he pressed them for where they got that information, they all pointed to the cell the Captain had to himself who was significantly less talkative than his crew.

Sore loser.

What they told him of the king, Andrias Leviathan, fit pretty well with what Calvin expected of medieval rulers as conquerors who kept the best for themselves. He would have dismissed it as Toad slander but the king was the only topic the other Newts spoke on and they all agreed. But they did at least paint him as a silly man, so that was neat. Someone who subjugates with a smile and a joke would be more pleasant to deal with than a brooding goliath.

Eventually, after he’d been underground for almost an entire month, the time came. Gepetto had painstakingly crafted him a set of laminar armor that fit over Calvin’s chest and arms like a glove. He’d made him shin guards that had little Olms plated on top of them. Where the armor was a pleasant mix of style and protection, the leather boots were pure function and if Amphibia was going to be as swampy as he expected, the knee high boots were going to become his new best friends and smelliest foes. He also presented the kid with a cloak of dark fabric that he said would keep his works safe from the surface weather.

“That’s good, I’d hate for such fine armor to rust. I just hope it’ll help me too.” He spoke with a smirk that the old Olm pointedly ignored as he reached behind himself with a huff.

“So long as ya wear it.” He had one last package and presented it with more reverence than the others.

The gauntlets were works of art and Calvin told the toysmith as much. It was banded in a similar style to his laminar, but the detailing was immaculate. Little copper Olm faces were on each knuckle and their bodies ran winding circuits down to the wrists, where their tails intertwined into the sun motif that Proteus was oh so fond of. They were almost too pretty to use for combat, but they were too comfy not to.

Packing the two weeks of food they gave him into his tiger backpack next to the music box, protected by Hobbes, the human was at the edge of town with Gaston, who’d be guiding him, when Parisia stopped him.

“The Mother would like a final word with you before you depart human.”

“Who am I to deny a prophetess?” He gave a casual shrug and began to walk all the way back to Mother Olm’s pit, wishing that this meeting had happened at any point before he was at the tunnel edge. It was only about an extra hour of walking in armor with an overloaded backpack, no big deal.

Gaston waited outside in reverence as Calvin walked in like he owned the solemn cavern beneath Proteus. She was already waiting for him when he arrived, so he didn’t wallop the gong again.

“Hey Calvin, good to see ya.” Her voice was kind and warm, a stark contrast to her immense size.

“Hello Mother Olm. I’d have visited more often, but Parisia didn’t want me breathing your air.”

“She can be a bit of a worry wart, I hope you won’t hold it against her.”

“Of course not.” Not that part, at least.

“Glad to hear it. Let’s get on to business, as I understand you’ll be leaving us today.” Calvin had glanced at his phone earlier and knew it was night, but he didn’t feel like mentioning that.

“I’ve almost been here a month and I’m pretty sure I’m about as prepared as I can be, so there isn’t much reason for me to put off finding my friends.”

“Fair enough kid, fair enough.” She nodded sagely while scratching her chin with one of her comically undersized arms, then her smile began to dissipate into something more serious.

“There’s something I wanted to let you know before you left. About the invasion from a bit ago.”

Now she really had his interest. But he fit a question in before she continued.

“Is it a prophecy, cause that was a good 3 weeksish ago Granny and my schedule hasn’t been THAT full.”

“Would you believe I forgot until Parisia mentioned you’d be leaving today?” The giant gave a guilty shrug with a lopsided grin.

He would. She forgot a prophecy that apparently covered the fate of her entire world; he'd bet she’d forget how to breathe if it wasn’t kinda important. He chuckled and nodded in agreement and for her to continue.

“Not a prophecy, but a warning to keep in mind. You see, Amphibia used to be a very advanced culture and while we might not leave Proteus often, we know that that has changed over the last one thousand years. And for the last thousand years the throne has been kept by the same man: Andrias Leviathan.”

“Yeah, the prisoners mentioned him a bit. Sounded like a jolly guy, as far as kings go.”

Wouldn’t know, never met the guy” She said dismissively. “But, what I do know is that back in those days we had dealings with the royal family. Prophecy in exchange for autonomy.”

“Huh.” There was a pause as he thought.

“Neat.” The human said as Mother Olm looked a little exasperated.

“What I’m trying to get at is that we cut ourselves off from the world as soon as the box left us and Proteus wasn’t even common knowledge outside of the royal courts back then.” Realization began to dawn in Calvin’s eyes as the gigantic Olm continued.

“The only being in the world who would still remember where we are would be the one on that throne, the only one who could get the word out there would be buried treasure here, guarded by giants. But it's been nine hundred years and some change since the last time Leviathan tried anything.” The kid interrupted as he made the connection.

“That means something’s changed the game.” She gave him a moment to collect himself as he let the information settle in his mind.

The king knows that they’re here and it looks like he’s being none too friendly about it. The only way he could think of how he’d know, if Mother Olm was right about the dip in technological standards was…

One of them was in Newtopia.

Calvin had a heading, had a clue on what to do to see this all through. And he wanted to be excited about that, and truth be told some of him was, but his gauntlets creaked ever so slightly as one hand tensed into a balled fist while the other rested on the cutlass. These were unfriendly lands and what people did live here did not seem to have good intentions with the chosen ones.

Calvin had sworn to help those burning stars and he’d always tried to be good to his word, when he gave it.

He looked back toward the ancient Olm and pushed his anxieties off of his mask as he shot her a winning grin.

“Thanks for the tip, oh great Mother Olm. Now I know where I’m heading as soon as I get situated topside. Even if the hospitality of Olms leaves a bit to be desired,” She looked sheepish at that, “I’m glad that the box threw me here. I get the feeling I’ll see you later, so no goodbyes just yet.” He gave a two finger salute as he did his best to stop from sprinting for the surface. She gave him a wave and wished him well as he made his way up and out of her chasm beneath the cavernous city of the Olms.

Gaston was waiting for him as they began the trek back to the chosen exit tunnel. As they walked, Olms stared from their homes and the side of the road. But their eyes were different this time around, the looks no longer running the gambit between disgust and fear. Something like curiosity and a bit of gratitude surrounded the silent two man procession. Calvin hadn’t even noticed their gazes had melted before now, he’d been so convinced they’d never care for him. A new warmth in his chest fought off the chill of the tunnels as Gaston guided him to the surface world.

A red moon, nearly full, over craggy mountains and jungle fauna, casting treacherous shadows over the terrain was the first view of Amphibia that greeted the fourth human to ever see its lands. The air was quite humid, even at this elevation and time of night. Gaston covered his eyes, not used to this much light at once, while Calvin reveled in the strain setting into his eyes. He’d been getting rather tired of Proteus’ purple mood lighting at all times.
“Well,” Gaston broke the silence with a little hiss of pain in his voice. “This is as far as I go. Parisia would have my tail, but I wish I could help you more.”

“Y’all have done enough by me, don’t worry about it.” Calvin gave a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned to his large friend, who had shrunk down ever so slightly.

“And you most of all.” The Olm perked up at that. “I would have gone absolutely insane without someone to really talk to for a month. So thanks Gaston.”

They fist bumped as Calvin adjusted how his pack rested on his back, taking the fresh map out of the side pocket. It was easy to read in the crimson moonlight, especially compared to the dark of the tunnels. The path toward the Toad Tower was marked clearly in a purple dotted line, marked with an X in the same hue. He rolled it back up, put it away, got a lungful of that muggy frog air, and began his journey in earnest with a determined look on his face. He didn’t look back, refusing to let fear push him back into the relative safety of his amphibious hosts.

It wasn’t going to be too far of a walk and, assuming that night here was just as long as back home, he might even make it before the sunlight can melt his eyes. The readjustment was going to be a pain in the ass, Calvin thought. His introspection was interrupted after about an hour of walking by massive shapes passing overhead. The kid’s neck popped with the speed he turned heavenward to watch massive birds fly the opposite way he was heading.
Wonder and horror fought at the forefront of his mind as he watched them fly away. Those birds clearly hadn’t heard of the laws of aviation, as mountains weren’t supposed to be flying even if they were made of feathers. The gust of wind caused by their passing finally hit him as the name finally rolled off his tongue.

“Herons.” He said to no one but himself. “Herons the size of skyscrapers.”

Before more questions could fight for the spotlight of his mind, there was a crash of stone in the direction he’d been walking. Calvin snapped out of his fugue and crept through the undergrowth toward the noise as the sun began to sneak over the world.

There was a tower on its own jut of land there, a massive hole knocked into the wall near the ramparts but still standing. The gates were in ruins and the walls had fared no better but the land bridge over the canyon still seemed solid as a cart driven by a car-sized spider crossed. For what he could make of the shattered stonework he could make out from his vantage on a ridge, the main aesthetic seemed to be bones and spikes.

Whole lotta spikes. Like, a silly amount honestly.

Scattered around the courtyard were stout figures running back into the tower in formation. Despite the devastation around them, they seemed to be in good spirits. Two figures had stayed behind and seemed to be having an intense discussion, but Calvin couldn’t hear it. Even if he could, he wouldn’t have heard it, as one of them was different from everyone else he’d seen at the tower.

Taller by a head and shoulders, blonde hair in a ponytail, and a stance radiating confidence was Sasha Waybright. Captain of the cheerleaders, top scorer in Super Dance Fusion, and de facto leader of their little gaggle of friends. She looked nearly the same as a month ago, even in the same clothes. Her hair was longer and she was a bit roughed up but besides all of that she seemed the same, so much so he could practically hear her tone as she began to talk down to the Toad in a copper cuirass as Calvin made his way down the incline toward the bridge.

He threw his hood up as he crossed, wanting to look mysterious as he approached. The tiger backpack slipped his mental image of the moment. No one was watching the entrance as he approached, the sole soldier on the rampart having come down to address the one eyed Toad as he walked toward the tower, pointing toward the cart that was stopped in front of a pile of shattered wooden beams, thatched roof, and fencing. The three Toads looked around in bewilderment before catching sight of him and making no effort to hide their shock that shifted into anger almost as quickly. Sasha was distracted, looking at something he couldn’t see. Calvin was about ten feet away when the Toad with the single green eye glanced behind Sasha and shouted at him.

“You!” He pointed a clawed finger as his wicked grin replaced with a scowl. “Toad Tower is closed, state your business before we throw you in the canyon.”

“Woah woah, take it easy Toady,” Calvin threw his hands up to show he meant no harm. And to be close to his stance if he meant to do harm. Waybright put what she was looking at in a pocket midspin at the sound of his voice and stared with her mismatched brown and blue eyes. The owner of the jabbing finger looked about ready to pop a blood vessel as the kid kept going.

“A guy’s not allowed to come see a friend after we’d been apart for a month?” The lead Toad put his finger down but the scowl may well have been set in stone. Actually, that might have just been his face, hard to tell.

With a flick of his neck the hood fell down to reveal a human face as the sunlight crested over the ruined wall at his back. Golden rays danced through blonde tresses and the light highlighted just how poorly Amphibia had treated his fellow human. Her face was gaunt, her hair was a mess she’d have never allowed, and her fingernails were ragged. She was tired from something, not sure what, but she still had the energy to nearly tackle him after she got over her stupefaction. Even with the weight loss Sasha still packed a wallop as he barely held his ground.

“Calvin!” She nearly burst his eardrum with excitement, “Ohmigosh what’re you doing here!” He tried to keep his cool and to his credit only one person noticed the slight blush. The person he was hiding it from, but still.

“I was in the neighborhood, figured I’d drop by.” His voice was much more casual than he felt. “Saw some fuck-off big birds on the way over, craziest stuff I ever seen.”

“I know, right?” She finally disengaged, but kept a hand on his shoulder. “We just got done beating the feathers outta them.”

“No kidding? How’d you manage that, scrawny?” It came out before he had a chance to think about it and regret began to race like lightning as she looked him in the eye. Then she laughed.

“I guess I haven’t been eating too well since I got here. I might be starving, but a girl’s gotta have standards, you know?” She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and looked off in the distance. Calvin tried not to dwell on the weight of his rations in his bag.

A ways off in the valley, Sprig offered Anne some beetle jerky that she accepted without looking. At the same time much further away, Marcy was scarfing down bug hors d'oeuvres like they were going out of style.

Standards indeed.

The moment was ruined by Captain Grime, who hadn’t introduced himself yet, stomping over and glaring up at the boy. They both had their arms crossed as they stared each other down and it was a testament to Sasha’s resilience that she didn’t burst out laughing at the display.

“Lieutenant, would you care to introduce your compatriot.” He raised an eyebrow, or at least the part of his face where there would have been one on a human, not shifting his gaze an inch as though daring Calvin to break their little contest.

“Lieutenant?” He voiced it in her direction but his eyes were locked onto the single working eye as he also refused to lose their childish game. The cheer captain rolled her eyes as she broke it up by pulling them both in for a quick hug, before pushing them both back and out of her way, striding toward the tower like it was built for her.

“I’ll tell you guys everything, but I’m doing it over a proper meal. I wonder if they can do burgers.”

Sasha didn’t look back as she strutted, fully expecting them to follow. After a neutral glance between them, they did. One because he knew what she was like when ignored and the other sure he didn’t want to find out.

And so Calvin walked into the dark, broken depths of Toad Tower, noting one star found out of three.

Chapter Text

Toad Tower was not easy living by any stretch of the meaning. First of all it was a military complex, tasked with policing the valley’s population of frogs and they took to their government ordained bullying with a cruel glee. Apparently the heron assault had lit a fire under their warty asses because the soldiers of the Tower were going into overdrive with both the repairs and their training. Sasha was more than happy to run them through the meat grinder, working them about as hard as she had her subordinate cheerleaders.

Pretty easy to see why they were the best squad in California, Sasha was a hard ass with very exacting expectations from those who walked in her shadow. A fact Calvin had become familiar with pretty quick after they met at divorce therapy. Her eyes hid a steel that a kid their age shouldn’t have had time to gather, though she still had her father convinced she was just another spoiled little princess, which seemed to be how she preferred him.

He was broken from his thoughts as the troops around him began to groan. Sasha was at the front of their march, glaring back at him like he’d kicked mud into her hair. The Toads weren’t in fighting shape, but Waybright was determined to beat them into a weapon she could wield. In contrast, even after a month of lighter exercise, Calvin was only puffing a little from their three mile armored march while the others might well have been having heart attacks.

None of that explained why she was making him participate with them or why she was stomping back toward where he’d been keeping a comfortable pace in the middle. He lifted an eyebrow at her, but she refused to repeat what she had said while he was in own head. Instead she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him bodily to the front of the procession. He’d only been here a week and she was already back in proper Waybright form after almost a month in a prison cell. Grime nearly lost his other eye for that. Luckily for him, and probably for Calvin too, Sasha was at least understanding about the situation an alien appearing at his doorstep put him in.

Sasha shoved him to the front of the line, gave a huff as she crossed her arms over her new brass cuirass in that way that ground on his nerves, and shot him a look that could boil water out of mud.

“If you’re gonna ignore orders and refuse to give this your all, then this clearly isn’t the pace you wanted trooper.” Golden hair flew an eye-catching arc as she shook her head in exaggerated annoyance. “Why don’t you show us all how it’s done maggot?”

He mouthed that last word back at her as he stared with bewilderment leaking into the mask. The kid gave a glance back to the Toads at his back and how they wordlessly begged him while they forced their lungs to take in more breath. An analyzing look toward his fellow human confirmed what he’d figured: Sasha was unhappy with their progress but didn’t want to be the scapegoat for any sore feelings. He could just start walking and see how she felt about that, but he didn’t want to do frog jumps until he croaked.

“If you say so Lieutenant.” With a roll of his shoulders and a grin he gave a lazy salute and set a pace that’d make him breath hard by the time they got back through the gates. He might as well have shot the Toads for how much they whined, Sasha taking position at the rear to kick anyone who fell behind.

Let’s just say she got some good value out of her new armored boots.

The troops collapsed after getting into the courtyard, needing the few Toads left on the ramparts to bring them water that they gulped down and covered themselves with in equal measure. Calvin chugged some of the ice cold goodness himself before getting out of his armor and relieving his sweat glands of duty for a moment. And not for the first time this week he was glad he let his new hosts put together a new outfit for him that was much more breathable than his school uniform.

Sasha followed suit, though he suspected she didn’t need THAT much water in her hair as she tossed the tresses to and fro. Calvin to his teenaged credit wasn’t staring, but she had literally stopped in front of him to get him in the face with the spray. He wanted to suspect it was coincidence until she looked over at him, gave a wink, and told him he was welcome for the cooldown.

See, this is what really bugged him about Sasha Waybright. One second she was throwing him to the wrath of the Toads and the next she’s flirting with him like that. He knew that she had Anne and Marcy wrapped around her fingers in their own ways and apparently this was her way of trying to leash him.

Trying? A voice like his said to no one else.

Trying. He said. Mostly believed it too.

Anne had a heart of gold and a spine of jelly, making for a dreadfully easy combo to string along. He’d even done it himself a couple times to get some more of her family restaurant’s food. Marcy on the other hand was born to flip between a rabble rousing gremlin or laser focusing on every topic under the sun. If she wasn’t gungho for a plan Sasha subtly reminded her of her latest passion and then it was a simple matter of keeping her hands on task while the mind wandered at a hundred miles a minute.

And apparently flirting was Calvin’s Kryptonite. Not to say he didn’t like a little mischief as much as the next guy, but he and Sasha usually differed over the definition of ‘a little.’

Everytime she went too far, pushing him a little too hard he’d start plotting how he was going to get back at her, the speech that was going to explode out of him when it finally became too much. And then she’d grab his arm like she did for Anne or Marcy and drag him off to the next adventure, a smile here and a gentle look there kept him just almost as in line as the other two.

Almost?

Yes, almost. We’ve stood up to her a time or two, mostly for Anne’s sake.

A time or two.

Still counts.

Fair enough.

The worst part of all of it though? The worst part was every now and again he couldn’t figure out why she flirted. The schemes were inconsistent, coming and going with her moods but the attention he got from her was consistent; he’d seen enough teen dramas to know what the confident-friend-with-a-crush trope looked like but he just didn’t trust that Sasha actually felt like that for him. But every now and again he forgot his mistrust and she in turn wrapped him a little tighter around her finger.

It was Grime’s turn to knock him out of his musings and quite nearly off his feet as he came up to the side of the second human in the tower and slapped a meaty claw into his back, guffawing all the louder as the kid fought to keep his balance. Warty heads turned toward the noise as Grime spoke.

“Excellent work today Corporal,” He said the title just a little harder than necessary. “With hustle like that, these Toads will be the valley’s finest warriors once more!”

The troops grinned at their captain’s faith in equal measure to their scowls at the human scapegoat. He met their eyes with a dare in his own before turning to look down at Grime.

“I don’t recall accepting a position in this military.”

“I don’t recall civilians being allowed to sleep under our roof. Or eat our food. Or request clothing. Or-” Calvin cut him off with a wave.

“Alright, alright, frog damn man. I would have liked it in writing first, but whatever.” He huffed as he gathered up his armor and made his way toward his room. At least his unwilling recruitment came with bathing quarters. Sasha chuckled as she caught up with him.

“Trust me, he’s a big softie,” She said with a cutsie lilt to her smoky voice. “He’s just warming up to you, that’s all.”

“I’ve been thrown into warmer snowbanks back home.”

“Really? I can’t imagine you letting yourself get thrown around.”

“You should’ve seen the other guy.”

“I’m sure it was quite the sight.” With that, she strutted past him to her own, much larger room, hopefully missing the slight blush he had.

The cold water turning his bones to ice was a nice change of pace from the strangling humidity of Amphibia. And he’d just gotten used to LA’s unyielding heat compared to the Midwest's wildly shifting temperature. He was done and gone after ten minutes, back in his armor because that’s what the Toads expected, even from someone who was only technically a superior.

He frowned as he thought about Grime’s little reveal after the march that morning. Toads were a warrior culture and didn’t seem to take much stock in superiors that weren’t physically their superiors.

He’s put a target on us, said a voice like fire. He wants us gone and doesn’t care how.

You see how he looks at the cutlass, a colder voice stated, how he listened about the invasion. Even if we did lie about every part having to do with Olms, a pirate invasion doesn’t seem to be uncommon around the coast.

Pretty sure most of that is shock that we ‘crossed’ the mountains. They’re supposed to be unsurmountable for another month.

As a pair of soldiers passed him while he made his way down the tower, Calvin pulled himself out of the one man argument and focused on getting some food. He hadn’t been doing this to himself while staying with the Olms, why was it happening again now?

Stress, the icey voice suggested. The Olms weren’t friendly, but they also kept a distance.

Calvin didn’t let himself go under again as he pulled into the main hall, tables arranged for breakfast. It was Cricket Thursday and the human was not feeling it, but he didn’t want to be hungry even more. Sasha’s timing was impeccable, as Percy didn’t show up at his lonely table until he was halfway through the second bowl.

“Sir!” He gave a crisp salute, offset by his jester hat. “The Lieutenant requests your presence in her quarters, sir!”

“Is that right?” He leveled Percy with one of his colder looks, but he did like the little clown. “Mind telling me why she’s interrupting my breakfast?”

“She wanted you to know she had ‘food from home’ prepared.” Calvin was moving as soon as the messenger boy said home. He made the climb back up the tower in record time, 3 steps at a time, and hardly a drop of sweat on him as he knocked on her door. She answered in her fluffy pink robe. It was the second thing she had had the Toads make for her, right after a couple of functional outfits. She had a couple spares, but Calvin had a guess who those were for.

Lining the table in front of her couch was a spread of food that looked like it had just fallen through the music box from a five star bed and breakfast. Even with a bowl and a half of cricket slop in there already, his stomach sounded like thunder at the familiar scents. Sasha cleared her throat, dragging his attention away from the spread at the speed of a glacier.

“Not bad, right?” She spread her arms over her hoard. “They’ve really started getting the hang of this. I’m gonna try to get some ketchup for fries later, but Braddock froze up when I mentioned tomatoes. Weird.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment before dismissing it with a wave.

“Eat, get your fill. I’m sure you’re just as sick of grody bug food as I am.”

He’d gotten through half an omelet before she’d finished talking and the first star laughed as he gorged himself with no care for decency. She let him continue like that for a bit before pulling a plate out of the way as he reached for it. With animal gluttony his eyes shot to her and he may well have been a gentle breeze for all she cared.

“I’m not sharing with you just to be friendly, even if it’s nice to see a face clear of warts again.” She’s all business now. “We have things to talk about, important stuff. And believe me, I wanted to get this done as soon as you got here, but these guys are in sorry shape.”

“I already told you and your pet captain what happened to me and y’all already told me your story,” Calvin’s eyes strayed back toward the taste of home he was being denied. “If it’s an apology for making me the fall guy for today's march, then I forgive you. Now gimme!”

He made a lunge for the breakfast sausage but Sasha was faster, wagging a finger at him as he simply laid on the table a moment.

“Look, I’m glad you’re alright, really, but that just means more of us are here than I thought, which means you and I have work to do.”

“I already knew that.” She stared for a moment before he righted himself and continued. “The only ones nearby when the box went off were you three and me. If more people were here, I’d be very surprised.”

“Why were you there anyways?” Her arms were crossed as she managed to look down on him when they were the same height. “I know I didn’t invite you to see Anne’s present.”

He reached into his backpack and pulled from it a letter that had managed to survive Amphibia pretty well, if a little worse for all the time spent in his bag.

“I never got a chance to give Anne her birthday card. She disappeared from school halfway through the day, don’t suppose you know why?”

“You walk too quietly, like some sorta cat.” Sasha shrugged and leaned back with her legs crossed as he put the letter away. “School is no place to waste a perfectly good birthday, each one only comes by once. Besides, the box was Marcy’s idea, so if you wanna grumble, go find her. Don’t suppose you passed her on the way over?”

This was the first time she’d asked him about either of the other stars, she only mentioned Marcy, and didn’t react much when he mentioned Anne.

Why’s that?

Sasha’s a confident person, she doesn’t ask questions if she already has answers.

Unless she wants to lead you along.

Which didn’t seem to be the case here, so why?

She knows where Anne is.

“If I had, she got a lot better at hiding. Or eaten.” Calvin gave a dismissive shrug as he leaned back like her male mirror. “How's Anne holding up these days? That card ain’t gonna last much longer in this humidity, ya know?”

It was Sasha’s turn to be shaken, but she reeled it back in nearly before he noticed. Calvin was the only one of her three friends who read people as well as she did, or at least the only one who played off it. Marcy was a tough book to read and not just because it was run through five different dialects of nerd speak.

“She’s down in the valley having a fun time with a bunch of slimy frogs.” She pretended to check her nails, knowing they were flawless now that she was out of her cell.

“And why is she there instead of here?” Fire crept into the timbre of Calvin’s voice, mask slipping. “Or the other way round? Why’re you playing at general when we’ve got more important shit to be doing?”

She looked up from her hand like she’d forgotten he was there until his outburst. She frowned at his tone but he didn’t back down. Waybright leveled him with a sigh like she was talking to a simpleton, which did his temper no favors.

“You’ve been out there. You look even rougher than usual, so you should know that tramping around out there is a suicide I don’t plan to commit.” Her tone ground on his gears something fierce before she flipped the script on him. “Honestly, it’s a miracle you made it here without getting eaten by a flower or, Frog forbid, one of the Herons. I’m glad you’re fine, but that’s not how we’re going to get this done.” That damned smile.

She stood and walked over to where a map had been drawn on a stretched leather then turned back to him, spreading her arms like a queen might before her armies. Kid didn’t even notice the fire leave him.

“The toads are here, by orders of the king, to keep the frogs in line. And lately, they’ve been stepping out of their lanes, so I’m going to help Grime remind them of the pecking order. In return, I get an army at my beck and call to help find Anne and Marcy.”

At the mention of the king, Calvin stiffened in his chair. He hadn’t mentioned that the pirate attack was likely to be his fault as he couldn’t figure out how to spin that without bringing the Olms into his story. Besides, he figured the Toads would head down there themselves for the challenge if they knew where to look. Sasha leveled him with a curious look as she caught his reaction, so he tried throwing the ball back into her court.

“Unless you’re planning on toppling the kingdom, you won’t need an army for Marcy.” He threw an arm over the back of his chair and tried to look casual. Once her eyes were done expanding like dinner plates, Calvin continued.

“If you’re right and Anne’s down in the valley, then Marcy has to be in Newtopia.”

“How’d you figure that out?” And now for the hard part. He’d been practicing this one to himself for a week now, but Sasha was sharper than the sword usually on her hip.

“There was a Newt with the pirates, he wasn’t as shocked as the rest to see an extra dimensional alien. When I got a chance to grill him on it, he told me he heard of another one of us in Newtopia. Never saw her himself, but that’s where I was going to go after I got myself orientated at Toad Tower.”

Sasha squinted at him for a few pregnant moments. The tension between them could have been cut with a tap of a finger but he didn’t falter in his lie. She didn’t need to know about the Olms, especially now that she wanted an army. Besides, it wasn’t the first time he’d lied to make things easier, probably wouldn’t be the last either.

Eventually she broke the momentary eternity that had developed between them, clasping her hands and squealing as she jumped for joy. Calvin was not ready for her to drag him out of his seat and making him prance about with her.

“We found them! Hardly more than a month and we know where they both are! This nightmare is basically over, we just need to go grab them before they can hurt themselves!”

The excitement in her mismatched eyes was infectious as a grin spread across his whole face. They spun and laughed for what couldn’t have been more than a minute but felt like forever and a day before falling to the floor, catching their breath. Calvin, ever the optimist, was the first to break their celebration.

“Still gotta figure out how to get home.”

“We just need the box and you’ve got that covered.”

“I'm not sure it’ll be that simple.” He sat up and turned to face his lieutenant. She did likewise as he pulled out his phone and showed her the picture he had taken in his room the first night he’d slept in Toad Tower.

“See? The gems are colorless, dead.” She checked the picture Marcy had sent her and confirmed that their color had indeed changed to stone grey. A frown marred her features as her hair fell to one side of her face like it always did when in a ponytail. She thought for a bit without moving from the floor, until she let out a groan and threw her hands up.

“It doesn’t matter for now,” She leveled him with a deadly serious look. “First things first, we still need to get all back together again.”

Calvin nodded as Sasha went back to her seat on the couch. The silence didn’t last long as she began eating for the first time since he’d gotten there. He got back into his chair and ate with more restraint. Not a word passed over the table for some time before there was a banging at the door. With a word from Lieutenant Sasha, Captain Grime let himself in.

“There you two are.” He had his claws clasped behind his back as he inspected them like misfiring weapons. “Eating in the mess hall with the troops would be better for morale.”

“And eating in private with my choice of dishes inspires improvement to climb the ranks to share the privilege.”

“Then what’s his excuse?” The Toad glanced at the other human like he was a thing and not a person. The hackles rising along his back proved that false.

“We were talking, duh.” When he raised an eyeridge she smiled and waved his worries away. “Human stuff dude, nothing to freak out about.”

Grime glared with his good eye at Calvin for a second before going back to looking at his second in command, seemingly pacified. The kid met his glare evenly, though the effect was a little lost thanks to his stuffed cheeks.

“Well, there’s more work to be done if you intend to uphold your end of the deal Lieutenant. These Toads were useless this time a week ago, but with your complimentary witchcraft they just might prove to be the greatest warriors this valley has ever seen.” Another glance toward human number two, “And I’m sure you’re helping too, uh, Kevin?”

Calvin knew it was a jab. He knew the captain knew his name, he’d used it when getting on his ass too many times not to. He knew he was being baited. That didn’t stop him from wanting to run the hook through Grime’s good eye as he swallowed.

“By the time we’re done with them, they’ll either be the finest fighting force in the frog forsaken forest,” His voice was sweet as decay but dropped like a stone. “Or they’ll drop dead from exhaustion. I don’t care which.”

Calvin set his plate down, threw his cloak behind himself as he stood, and shoulder checked Grime on the way out. He’d been assigned a course on hand to hand combat to fill out his time until lunch and it sounded like a good way to work out stress.

He didn’t see the look that passed between Grime and Sasha or hear the discussion of loyalty. He wasn’t aware Sasha vouched for him or that she knew how to aim him where she needed him. Calvin didn’t know Grime had already had his room searched for the music box and he never found out that they were both rather concerned when they didn’t find it.

And neither of them figured out which brick in the wall was loose and had been replaced with an identical one that had shattered except for one side during the heron attack, leaving just enough room for someone to store a little chest in the wall.

What they all three noticed were the sounds of pained shrieking when Calvin was challenged by Fens, the green haired Toad usually joined at the hip with Bog, in the courtyard and he broke her arm in the fight. And in the valley Anne’s arm felt a little better for some reason. The two officers looked out the window to where the scene was happening just in time to see the kid shout for the next foe.

No one challenged Corporal Calvin after that.

Chapter Text

Sasha Waybright was a fiend sent straight from the pit to ensure that Calvin repented his ways to avoid the hellfire. This was a fact in his mind as time progressed and Captain Grime was not only in on the scheme but actively encouraging it. Behind nearly every encouraging word, almost every bit of friendship there was a task, an ordeal, his own personal Herculean Trial.

“Hey Tyric, squad Theta is struggling with claw to armed basics, think you’ve got a second?”

“Does this arm look like it’ll wrap itself?”

“Oh, okay.” She pouts ever so fucking slightly. “You teach that stuff the best in the tower, but I can take over for a bit if need be.”

Then she’d head over to where her sword was resting and Calvin could just make out the massive bruises on her arm as she grabbed her blade with the speed of a sloth.

“Fine, fine.” He’d grit his teeth and double timed his first aid. “Gimme a sec.”

“You’re the best, Corporal!” She struck a kawaii pose at him and he went from a boil to a simmer.

“Corporal!” Grime was a surprisingly bombastic individual. “You’ve been doing an outstanding job! It’s almost a shame to arm these soldiers, some days it seems their greatest weapons are their Frog-given claws!”

As Calvin’s spine inflated with pride there was a sickening crack that would have doubled him over if he didn’t just fall back into his leaning position on the wall. He listened on with wide eyes as he took a little comfort in the fact that the pain proved he hadn’t broken something.

“Sasha is out collecting tomatoes, Frog rest their souls, and we’re expecting a delegate from Newtopia, so I need you to run the troops through their afternoon drills.”

The human almost got a chance to protest before a warty paw slapped him on the back, righting whatever was wrong in the worst of ways, and with a guffaw Grime made his way toward the makeshift landing pad within the tower’s walls. The delegate didn’t show up until the next day and Grime spun it as bureaucracy slowing down the honorable Toad war machine.

But instances like that weren’t actually the worst part. Sure, he felt like he was running through the ringer at a hundred miles a minute, but so were the other two. Waybright earned her bruises and her rest in equal measure while Grime was actually learning parts of being a proper leader. Watching rage rise and fall from his face like a tide was both a humorous and impressive display.

No, the actual worst part was when there was no followup. When they simply mentioned appreciation and gratitude for his help, those moments were what made the kid’s mind race. Maybe he just wasn’t used to it, maybe the stress of this odd new world was getting to him. But he just couldn’t bring himself to put stock in what Sasha said and made Grime say, as Grime was still figuring out the definition of the word ‘compliment.’

Sasha was his friend. Fiend that she was, he still had a more positive view of her than negative. Sure, he didn’t like some of her behaviors, her need to be in the driver’s seat even if she doesn’t know where she’s going, something she’d never admit to. But he could also tell she genuinely cared for her friends, for him, and for Grime even. The Toad that locked her in a cell for a month and Sasha held his word like it was worth its weight in gold. Calvin didn’t want to say daddy issues, but…

And Grime, for all his posturing and insistence on ruthlessness, was in fact a big softie under it all. The moment that broke the facade for him was when he’d walked into his office with a report just to catch him watching Suspicion Island off of Sasha’s phone. The way he stuttered, puttered, and went red in his warty face refueled Calvin for the rest of that week. References to that cheesy show from the Corporal to the Captain still elicited a blushing response weeks after the fact, an easy source of energy to be tapped.

But, even with all of that to their credit, they were bad together. Sasha may not have been the kindest ray of sunshine, but Grime only magnified her intensity, fanning flames of ruthlessness and the occasional cruelty. She in turn tutored him in ‘Waybright’s Academy of Make Em Love Ya,” teaching the Captain how to read someone to play them like a harp. He was rather attached to the metaphor of a carrot on the stick, mostly because he liked the idea of beating someone with a stick.

Calvin did what he could to try to steer Sasha away from these trains of thought, but between her seeing Grime more often and the momentum picked up well before Amphibia, it was an uphill battle to say the least. The fight came to a head with that damned sword.

“Calvin, dude, check out what Grime just gave me!” Sasha kicked his door open and came running into his room while he was doing maintenance on his weapons. While his gauntlets were always his preferred method of solving fights, he felt alright using the ax or the cutlass on bugs. And good Frog, there were a lot of those.

As soon as he’d looked up she ripped a pink blade sharper than a razor out of its leather scabbard and held it aloft in both hands, eyes sparkling with the light reflecting off of its unusual metal. Calvin oogled it too but the design itself is what his eyes were stuck on. The crossguard was in the shape of a simplified bird he’d seen about a month ago, the night he made it to the tower.

“Are you sure a heron sword isn’t in bad taste?” He gestured out his window where scaffolding was plain to see, the repairs still not finished after the mountainous waterfowl had assaulted Toad Tower.

“Whaaat?” She spun the blade with a flourish and planted the tip into his carpet, leaning forward on the sword. “Nah, come on, they’re over that, they’re warriors.”

A Toad on the scaffolding was crying for a lost friend, eaten by a heron.

“Besides, that’s the night they became heroes of the valley, they loved beating up those monster birds.”

Said trooper could be heard pondering the value of violence when it only bred pain, in between his sobs.

“If you say so Lieutenant.” Her title would usually placate her. “What’d Grime give you that for?”

“Cause I’m the best? Obvi.” She gave him a dismissive wave of her hand and hummed a note for a few seconds. “Sooooo…”

“Soooo…”

“Wanna help me break it in?”

“We’ve got more dummies than soldiers and plenty of practice targets in the yard, I’m sure you don’t need me for this.” Calvin went back to oiling his cutlass.

“Oh come OOOOON Tyric, you know none of them are as good as us. Except for Grime, but he never takes me seriously when we spar, it’s infuriating.” She threw an exasperated arm out, the heron blade cleanly cutting through a Toad tabard that had been in the room longer than its current occupant. It took the cloth a second to realize it had been parted and Sasha starred in childish delight, head shooting between her fellow human and the bisected piece of art floating to the ground.

“Come on Cali, you know you wanna throw hands with me.” She teased, knowing he hated that nickname.

“And what makes you say that, Waybright?” This barb had his attention.

“I see the way you glare your way through the day. You wanna let off some steam, I wanna test this thing in a way that’ll matter, we both get what we want, and it’ll be a great way to remind these warty creatures who’s in charge around here.” Her smug could have powered a city for a month.

“I let off steam just fine.” He put the ax head to a whetstone and it sang like a stung dog.

“Pssssh. You don’t just bottle up your feelings dude, you have a bucket with a bolt-on lid. And I know you hate being told what to do, you’ve got authority issues.” He had no clue what she was talking about and told her as much.

“You barely ever listened back home and I can tell you only do this because you don’t have a better idea than Grime’s plan.” She rested her head on the hilt of her sword while leveling him with half lidded eyes and a grin.

“Your plans back home ran the gamut between ‘Unusual Fun’ and ‘Actually just Crime,’ I can’t imagine why I never bowed to your wisdom.”

“I’m glad to see you’re beginning to learn after all this time. Shame it took us getting stranded in swamp landia, but silver linings and all that. Now come along, I wanna feel like I earned the shower I’m gonna take after I kick your butt.” She sang her way through that last bit.

She straightened up and turned to leave. Calvin made no effort to stand and took a breath in to give her a final piece of his wind when she whipped a mean look from over her shoulder at him.

“End. Of. Discussion.” One of the bolts on the bucket shot off into the depths of the boy’s psyche with a steaming hiss. He embedded the ax into the headboard of his bed and stood. They matched glares for an agonizing second before he sheathed the cutlass without looking and brushed past her down the tower. He could feel the smirk that she bored into the back of his head.

Calvin wasn’t sure how word had spread throughout the tower, but his guess was Sasha told Grime her plan before going to see him, as the warty Captain was waiting in the yard where silenced reigned, despite what must have been three fourths of the garrisoned gathered to watch aliens fight.

“Corporal.” Grime greeted in his usual jovial tone from a stage meant for mass ordering of the troops. “What brings you down from the tower, isn’t this usually your rest shift?”

The glare the kid leveled the Captain must have been fierce as Grime dropped the act real quick. He gave a clap and armored soldiers surrounded the human, shields raised and spears at the ready. Calvin had seen this ritual a few times now and was confused why he was suddenly in the middle of a trial by combat. Grime grinned when he saw the boy’s raised eyebrow.

“Why the surprise Corporal? You agreed to fight on the Lieutenant’s terms, surely you know why?” His silence made that bear trap smile curve higher as he continued.

“You’ve been a rather poor role model for the garrison, Calvin. You’re obstinate, unruly, and demonstrate a clear disrespect for your superiors. Such actions are unfit for my military and had I had my way, you would have been enjoying the rest of your time with us in a cell. However, Lieutenant Waybright wanted to give you a chance, the Toad Fashioned Way!”

The ring clashed their weapons to their shields as the ones on the opposite end of the circle parted to let Sasha sashay her way into the ring, spinning her blade in lazy arcs where the tip barely touched the dirt. Her smile was sickeningly sweet as she met his empty mask.

“You’re tough, sharp as a whip, and a good fighter on top of all of that. But, I think it’s gone to your head.” The way she said it lacked her usual lilt, making it sound more like a statement than a judgement as she continued her lazy circle around the ring, Calvin following suit expressionlessly. “I told Grimesy that you just needed reminding of the pecking order here at the Tower and that you’d be a model soldier boy. I did also want to test out the new sword, bee tee dubs. This goes well and I’m gonna try dual wielding.”

Sasha planted herself in their makeshift ring and pointed the heron blade at his chest, the sun glinting off the sword and her teeth. He hated how much he enjoyed that view under the noon day sun.

“Here’s the deal Cali: I give you a whoopin and you step back in line. Do your job, do what you’re told, and stay a jokester please. It helps my mood.” She pretended to inspect the edge of the blade for a moment before glancing back up at him with a questioning smile.

“And when you lose?” Calvin deadpanned her way.

“On the off chance, the very slim chance, then we’ll leave you alone. No more running drills, no more patrols, won’t even need a title in the Toad Army anymore. You’ll be our guest until we calm down the Valley and grab Anne. How’s that sound?” Her cheshire grin caused another bolt to leave the lid as boiling steam poured into Calvin’s head.

The only reply she got was the sound of a cutlass leaving a scabbard. He folded the empty hand behind his back and raised the blade toward his Lieutenant. Her smirk split into a proper smile as she took her blade in both hands. You could have heard a pin drop anywhere in Toad Tower in those brief moments when the humans stared each other down when they each launched themselves at each other like shots from a gun. And Grime almost got to tell them to start.

They clashed in the middle or at least that’s what Sasha expected. Instead of meeting her blade Calvin let it slide down his own, letting her momentum push her too far forward. His knee met her stomach with a crash of metal on metal and she tried to back away, but he kept pace with her.

Despite her pain she parried strike after strike while on the back foot, until they finally clashed with the Lieutenant’s back to a shield. Her mismatched irises had contracted into pinpricks that tried to pierce the emotionless mask bearing down on her but found no purchase there. So she did the next best thing and kicked him in the shin, throwing off his balance while she slipped out of the way as he fell into the shield bearer, who threw him back into the ring. Calvin staggered to a stop and barely dodged a stab that would have ruined his arm.

“See Cali?” Sasha postured while they both retrieved their breath. “This is why I need you for this. You’re good, but just not as good as me.”

“Did you consider just talking to me about that then?” The first crack in the mask appeared as he fought to keep the fire out of his voice.

“Maybe if you listened, but you don’t. So I figured I’d do you a favor and talk to you in a way you’d understand.” She charged and led with an overhead swing that he sidestepped, beginning a merry chase around the ring as he continued the conversation.

“I have listened before Waybright, that’s why I know better.”

“See, this is why I like Anne more,” That stung a bit. “She never gave me much grief and when she did she’d see reason just fine.”

“That’s because she has no backbone.”

“Maybe your’s is just too stiff to know when someone else has a good idea.”

“I try not to make a habit of giving bullies too much attention, it just encourages them.” That struck a nerve as she pulled on energy Calvin was not prepared for, actually having to block as her assault somehow grew even more fierce.

“Bully?!” She screamed the accusation at him. “I’m their protector, your leader! I keep the bullies away, keep those two safe, kept YOU safe!” She launched her blade in an upward arc that he tried to meet, but the strange metal just cleaved through his cutlass and left a gash down the middle of his forehead. Waybright threw a vicious kick into his chest and he went tumbling across the makeshift arena to the sound of cheering Toads. Sasha tossed her hair out of her face and it fell perfectly back into place while cut strands of his own brown hair fell around her.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Anne and Marcy, just left you to deal with your own problems.” She rolled some life back into her shoulders before stalking toward where he’d landed.

He could feel his arms going numb from keeping up with her sword work, her words were ice cold rain and the fire in his chest was sputtering. She pointed the tip of her pink sword at his chest and smiled that damn smile that he almost missed because of the blood leaking over his vision.

“Now, be a good boy, learn your place, and when we’re done having fun in this humid hell hole I’ll think about whether or not you’re allowed to be our friend still.”

The bucket that had replaced the bottle where he used to stuff his emotions exploded, shattering his mask, and launching Calvin into the peanut gallery of his mind. Rage took over as he watched an Olm-steel hand grab the pink blade while his body stood.

“You know what the first thing I learned about fighting was?” The kid heard in his own dead voice. “It wasn’t how to throw a punch or take a hit.”

Sasha struggled against his grip as whatever had been powering her began to dissipate. She met his gaze for only a second before the heated emotions therein proved too much. The blood wasn’t the only reason for the crimson tinge to his viewing experience in the back of his head.

“The first thing I learned was that everytime you raised your fist it was a promise to hurt, yourself or someone else.” Blood began to trickle down the blade, dripping off the heron's beak as Sasha stared in horror.

The Lieutenant looked up just in time to see the fist shoot out of its ready position, guaranteed to crash into her face and Sasha worried it might not stop there as she screwed her eyes shut with fear.

Man that’s a slow punch she thought after a few moments, cracking her eyes open to see the arm restrained by a long tongue.

Grime, from his place on the stage overlooking the ring, had caught the blow mid-flight, needing to dig his feet into the boards to stop Calvin. His face was twisted into an beastial scowl and he’d even popped a blood vessel in his left eye, a sort of mirror against Grime’s stone face with his one scarred eye. Percy sidled up next to his captain with clear trepidation as he coughed a figurative frog out of his throat.

“L-Lieutenant Sasha has d-d-drawn first blood, therefore this duel is settled. S-she wins.” He gave some jazz hands as a roar ripped through the ring. Grime had just enough time to go from smug to surprised as he was dragged into the dirt by his tongue. Before the old toad had a chance to get his feet under him Calvin had already pounced on top of him, landing a superman punch before really laying into him.

What followed was a slobber-knocker that left half of the garrison some kind of bruised as the corporal turned the ring into a mosh pit. They did manage to subdue him eventually and drag him into Sasha’s old cell. Grime had a hearty chuckle about all of it and congratulated his second in command on a fight well won. She gave a small laugh and thanked him, not wanting her father figure to see how shaken she was.

Sasha went to visit him the next day. After all this time the cell room still made her uncomfortable, not least of all because the repairs weren’t finished and had to be paused while the cell was occupied. Fens was on guard duty, shooting her commanding officer a steely look before opening the door with a nod that the cheer captain returned.

Calvin’s black eye was in full swing by now and the medics were keeping his hand and forehead wrapped, but she chalked that up to the fact they didn’t understand human biology all too well and definitely not because it’d been a deeper cut than she’d thought. He was out of his armor and in the same clothing he’d been wearing during the fight. The frog skeleton had been removed so they could chain him to the wall, where he stalked back and forth in front of the bars like some sort of tiger in a zoo. He could have frozen blood if he deigned to have looked at her for more than a second before turning his green eyes back on the floor.

The silence was deafening as she waited for him to ask why she was there. Unlike back home, he didn’t take her bait after a minute of awkward, pacing silence that she broke with a huff.

“Grime is pretty impressed with your tenacity, you know.”

If he knew, he didn’t stop to let her know. She crossed her arms over her chest, blew an errant hair out of her face, and continued.

“Said he’d be willing to let you out if you’d just swear your loyalty. I know how much your word means to you.”

His good eye glared at her for a second before he went back to his pace robotically. She huffed and stamped a foot into the stonework.

“I know you wanna find them too but how do you expect to do that from in there, huh? You’ve got two choices pal: keep moping in there, doing nothing and helping no one. Or you come out here, say your sorry, give us your word, and then we’ll all move on like this never happened.”

“I ever tell you I hate that I want to be your friend?” He didn’t stop to enjoy her shock, he was too emotionally exhausted but he trudged on.

“You’re self-absorbed, arrogant, and possessive. Never does it ever cross your mind that anyone else in the world has a thought in their head. The world doesn’t orbit around Sasha Waybright and that fact seems to offend you deep down. As it would so happen, people fall into your orbit with incredible ease and you love that. You play your little games with them, bouncing them off of each other like billiards before launching them back into the cold of the void with a laugh. The only people you’ve ever allowed to be your moons are Anne and Marcy and some days I worry that’s only because they’re your favorite toys.”

Even if Sasha wasn’t open mouth staring at him in shock Calvin would have continued.

“You treat them like shit, you know that?” That reminded her how to use her mouth.

“Excuse you? Who gave you the-”

“DID I SAY I WAS FINISHED?” There was fire in his good eye as he finally turned on her and she flinched.

“What’s Marcy’s favorite movie?”

“War of the Warlocks, obvi.” The smug was cautiously returning to her face before he spoke again.

“Which one?” She looked at him like he had two heads.

“What do you mean, which one? There’s only the one, they’re just long as hell.”

“There’s three of them, Marcy just refuses to watch them in anything less than one sitting.”

The silence that followed was all the answer he needed as Calvin sighed.

“What’s her favorite book?”

Silence.

“Favorite show?”

Empty air and iron bars between the humans. He figured he’d pitch her an easy one.

“Favorite video game?” Sasha perked up, finally having an answer.

“Vagabondia Chronicles, she never stops talking about it.”

“Why’s it her favorite?”

An avalanche of dead noise slammed into Sasha and took the wind from her sails. She was tired of being on the defensive and shot back at her prisoner.

“Okay funny man, like you know all the answers.”

“Return of the Queen. She likes the spectacle and it has her favorite scene in the series. The Crested Castles, book two of War of the Warlocks. She loves the nuance in the relationship between Bippin and Theowyn that the movies couldn’t get across. Stephan Galaxy, it’s a fun look into why children shouldn’t be main characters accompanied by great musical numbers. Vagabondia Chronicles, you got that one at least, because she adores the found family trope in stories.”

With each answer Sasha visibly shrank into herself but when he finished she made one last attempt at saving face.

“So what? Just because we’re friends I’m supposed to love everything she does? That girl bounces between interests like they’ll disappear if she doesn’t master them in a week.”

“When did I say that? What I’m getting at is you don’t listen and don’t care about what she likes. That doesn’t sound too friendly to me.”

Before the Lieutenant could mount a defense, the Corporal pressed his advantage.

“How often do you listen to Anne? How many times has she actually wanted to go along with one of your cockamamie schemes?” He waited for her to take her tongue out of her throat and respond, which she did without so much as a hint of shakiness to her voice.

“Day before her birthday. She loved the bit with the puppies and I know we both love K-pop.”

“Wrong. You and Marcy ganged up on her, saying it’d be funny. She was worried y’all would get in trouble and so was I. Only one of us had the sense to tell you two no.”

“Fine, whatever. A week before that-” He cut her off there.

“Wrong again. You had to actually drag her into the theatre, that’s why we almost got caught and had to make a run for it.”

Sasha was going to continue, but the more she thought about it the more she heard the Thai girl’s objections echoing through her memories. She made one last attempt to save herself from these new thoughts of shame.

“Okay smart guy, what about getting the music box, huh? She went and stole that when we asked. Whatcha got for that?” It took her half a second to realize what she said as she slapped a hand over her mouth and it took Calvin a full second to respond.

“You made her steal the thing that got us all trapped in frog world?” Sasha’s defenses finally crumbled before how incredibly tired her friend sounded and she started stammering while the boy stared at her in disbelief. She spun on her heel and began to book it for the door when a peal of laughter rooted her to the floor.

He was laughing at her. That sound was like a lash against her newly raw emotions as Calvin began to struggle for breath, then fell to his knees. She watched as his head fell and his shoulders convulsed, taking tentative steps closer toward her friend.

His laugh had degenerated into sobbing.

Sasha reached hand toward him cautiously before reeling back and falling onto her backside as his face shot skyward, tears streaming from pained eyes over a manic smile.

“I suppose I ought to be thanking you, now Dad has one less mouth to feed! That’ll make that LA rent easier.”

Waybright got onto her knees and made her way back toward him, reaching again but flinching away as an insane laugh tore its way from his throat.

“Just my sorta luck, you know?” She hated the pain in his emerald eyes. “First friend I make after moving and this is what I get. Why couldn’t you just be rotten, that’d be so much easier for both of us.”

Sasha Waybright, Captain of the cheerleaders, top scorer in Super Dance Fusion, and second in command to Captain Grime was at a complete loss for words watching the only one of her friends that had come back to her in this hostile dimension fall to pieces in front of her.

“I hate that you actually care, even if you don’t listen.” He wasn’t shouting, just crying as he fell forward and slammed a fist into the stone floor of the cell.

“I hate getting lost in that confident smirk that could convince the world to turn the other way ‘round.”

Slam.

“I hate how I love watching the sun dance off of your golden hair like it only shines for you.”

Slam. Blood.

“I hate enjoying your stupid plans, how much fun we all have together.”

Slam. Blood. A little crack in the floor.

“I hate that I want to help you, that I care for you, and that I can’t stop myself from chasing your approval.”

Fens finally opened the door to see what the fuss was and her eyes went wide with confusion at the spectacle before her. She made a choice and shouted down the stairs before she grabbed the Lieutenant by the shoulders, hoisting her to her feet and pulling her out the door. They stood in the hallway for a second before more soldiers rounded the corner and went into the cell, trying to stop Calvin from hurting himself, or maybe just the Tower, more.

She was about to talk to Sasha, but the human girl just brushed past her, face hidden behind her hair, and went down to her room for the rest of the day. Not even Grime was able to get her out to show her the statue that he’d had made for her. She took a long shower, long enough that no one heard the choking sobs or would have noticed her red eyes.

A couple days later, it was Fens guarding the cell again. She heard the knock on the bars she’d been waiting for and, with a confirmation that no one was coming up, went into the room. After the challenge in the courtyard between her and the third human she’d ever met, Fens had developed feelings for this strange, powerful creature. She liked the fire that hid behind his marshy eyes.

Calvin’s black eye was most of the way gone and his head was still wrapped, but now both of his hands were wrapped up. There was nothing in his expression as he looked at her, a silent cue to begin.

Bog, Mires, and Fens had volunteered for this duty, in that Fens had volunteered and Grime accepted before Bog could argue. He wouldn’t have though, as this post was nice and easy with the added benefit of getting some catharsis out of a human. Shame the beast didn’t rise to provocation that easily. Mires wasn’t largely opinionated one way or the other, but he did like that the Corporal had given him advice on bare handed fighting so he didn’t try to torment him like Bog did.

Fens was doing this under Calvin’s orders. Pessimist that he was, he had sent in place a couple of systems just in case Sasha’s power lust got the better of her and he ended up stuck in the tower, playing off Fens’ creepy, new feelings. He really did not understand Toads and everyday told Calvin he didn’t want to.

Under his orders scouting missions throughout the valley had doubled and he had Fens intercept every report from Wartwood, after she mentioned that’s where Anne was, so he could review it first. The orders were part of the five that he’d ever bothered to push to Grime’s desk and the only one that wasn’t a diversion.

Every mention of the Plantars was erased and every bit of dissent was down played in an effort to keep Anne and Wartwood as a whole as under Toad Tower’s radar as he could manage. And before his imprisonment he’d managed pretty well, as the plan was to start on the other end of the valley and work their way back to the Tower, ending with Anne’s village.

He’d also had Fens put together a map for him, just in case he’d need to leave the Tower and go to Wartwood himself. All he really needed was most of the garrison to leave for some reason.

Like, for instance, if after a couple weeks of patience and training Grime declared the time had come to pacify the valley. And the army shipped out as the sun set while Calvin watched from the broken wall that served as his window. With a whistle toward the door, Fens came in, unlocked the cell door and his ankle chain.

“So, Grime got tired of waiting and is bullying the valley, huh?” He asked as he rubbed life back into his ankle. She handed him his armor and his beloved gauntlets.

“Yessir. Sasha an’ him seemed real antsy to get started down in Wartwood.” She scowled as she named the place.

“Wartwood? I thought the plan was to start in Swamp shire and work their way back?” After getting into his laminar, he made his way to the door with Fens on his heels, fiddling with the clasp of his Olm cloak.

“That WAS the plan, sir, but plan’s changed. After your little fiasco with the Lieutenant she started pushing for a different approach.” He had both of his gloves secured by the time the steps led him to his little apartment.

As they entered his room she led him to the window and pointed into the yard where a monstrous plant was being held down by ropes, snapping at any Toad that got too close.

“They’re gonna go down there, grab the whole town, including Anne,” she said the name with an audible smile, “then they’re gonna throw em a party and end the celebration by throwing Hopidiah Plantar to that thing.”

Instead of packing like he’d planned, his eyes went wide as he tracked the torches of the army that were marching along the path he wished to walk with a pair of vehicles he didn’t recognize.

Down into the valley.

To Wartwood.

To star number two.

“Shit.”

Chapter Text

Calvin was in a panic as he threw his cloak over his shoulders and latched it in place, but he hid it well. Good enough for Fens not to comment at least. She wasn’t the most observant of Toads as she never really noticed that the human boy didn’t share her feelings. Or maybe she saw him as something to conquer instead of woo. The thought was no comfort in the face of Sasha’s power grab.

The kid wracked his brain as he flew down the stairs three at a time, trying to figure out why Sasha had pushed to go to Wartwood first. For one thing, it was inefficient because any rebels that escaped from the village would have an easy time spreading the word of the coming army to the other habitats of the valley. The largest mountain pass out of here was also closer to Swamp Shire, whereas from Wartwood you would have to basically go through Toad Tower’s shadow to head through the mountains.

So it clearly wasn’t a change for tactical reasons. If not that, then what? The memory of the last time Sasha had visited his cell ran through his head unbidden. The cold fury, the crying, and seeing Sasha vulnerable for the second time in his life when it hit him.

She was going for Anne. She was trying to hold onto what sense of control she could by grabbing the friend that was the easiest to keep under her thumb and clinging to her. He began to pace the length of the room, muttering to himself at a dozen words a second.

We can’t take an entire army, said a frosty voice in his head.

We can’t let them kill that old Plantar, a burning voice replied.

Why do we care exactly?

Because Anne cares. She fought Fens’ crew for him, didn’t she?

True. Plus, he’s the figurehead for a burgeoning rebellion.

Okay, and?

That might be useful. The king seems firmly against us, even if we don’t know why. As long as we stay out of the way, a rebellion drawing his eye can only help us.

Fair. None of that helps right now.

The sound of Fens’ voice dragged him back from his solo debate. He turned to her and asked her to repeat herself.

“She said you’ve got company, creature,” Said Bog at the door, Mires just behind him.

“Kinda figured you’d be with them. Get your kicks in by roughing up some villagers,” He shot back neutrally.

“Orders were to stick around the Tower. Lieutenant said we ‘wouldn’t paint a trusting picture’ after our last venture to Wartwood,” He grumbled. “But now I can safely say I’m glad we stayed. Good job cornering the beast Fens, now let's put him back in his cage.”

His knuckles cracked like stones under a hammer, like the one he was drawing.

“After roughing him up some, of course.” And he charged while his creepy compatriot climbed onto the ceiling. Fens, unsure where to lay her loyalty, stepped out of Bog’s way but didn’t draw her club.

Calvin had been treated much better than Sasha had been when the Toads locked her away and he was pretty sure that was her doing. He’d been allowed supervised walks around the facility and even to exercise some. Which is all to say, he was in much better shape than Bog gave him credit for, explaining why he was so surprised to see the human lean out of the way of his hammer and crack him right between the eyes with a right jab.

Mires fell off the ceiling then and his weight nearly knocked Calvin to the floor as he began to rain blows on the human. For his trouble he was slammed into the windowsill head first before Bog takes the chance to try to shove them both out the window. In a moment of luck, Mires grabbed Calvin by the hair and began to drag him away from the window just as Bog went for his shove, leaving him barely clinging to the bricks as he dangled off the edge yelling. The kid eventually got a grip on the creepy toad and shot-put him into a wall before looking at where Bog was burying his claws into the stonework.

We could just leave him, he’ll probably pull through.

We have to make a decision here. With his shouting, our cover’s already blown.

That’s true, yeah. Think he’ll vouch for us if we pull him up?

Unlikely. He’s a petty creature. The world won’t miss him much.

We certainly wouldn’t.

Before he could really decide, Fens ran over and began to pull her friend up from his gravity impairment. As she was hauling him back in however, the bricks making up that portion of the wall began to creak and crack ominously. Guess the repairs were more haphazard than he’d thought as the windowsill collapsed while Fens was leaning on it. Without thinking Calvin grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged the two toads back inside.

They all stood there awkwardly for a time, huffing air back into their lungs, more from terror than effort. Except for Mires, he was trying to remember how to breathe after becoming intimate with the wall at high speed. Calvin gave Bog a weary look that he met in kind. After a tense couple of seconds, the horned toad nodded.

“Fine. We’ll call it even, creature. But if the order comes…” He left the promise hanging in the air as he gathered his minions and left. Fens, with a final glance toward the human, followed down the stairs.

Down a minion and the whole tower knows that something went down in your room. Excellent work Tiger.

We don’t do minions, he replied to himself.

Not anymore. What’s the plan?

…

…

…

I think I got it. The one place the Toads were too scared to look and the first place Sasha would take Anne after they get here. Assuming she doesn’t see through this asinine plan.

After grabbing something from his bag, Calvin snuck his way to Sasha’s room. It had changed a bit since he’d been in there a couple weeks back. The plushies were certainly new, one was about as big as he was, and the busts were a bit tacky in his humble opinion. Also, no matter what way you sliced it, the Heron painting was in bad taste.

AND WHY WAS THE FRAME COVERED IN SPIKES?

“I’ve never even seen Sasha skateboard,” He said to the statue of his friend. It was lacking in detail work, but not as crude as he might have assumed.

He ran his gaze over the room, trying to figure out where to hide. Under the bed was too cramped for him in his armor, so that was out. Behind the curtains was a classic, but they weren’t low enough to obscure his boots and were the first things you saw when opening the door. The bathroom was vetoed before it was even considered.

Time and again his eyes would get stuck on the person-sized rabbit plushie. There was no way that’d work, he kept telling himself. It was a stupid plan he told himself while grabbing a near by dagger and removing the head. There is no version of this where they don’t notice you was all he heard as he stuffed feathers under Sasha’s blankets. You’re gonna sneeze at the most inopportune moment came the muffled thought as he stuffed himself into his new rabbit suit.

He carved little holes into the felt under the button eyes so he could see, then he sat down and waited. The only noises he heard for hours were his own giggling at what an incredibly bad plan this was but how funny it’d be if it worked. Besides, odds were that the one to discover him would be Sasha and Anne, cause she’d done a helluva job scaring the troops away from her territory.

Calvin wasn’t sure how long he’d sat there, mostly because he’d ended up falling asleep. After Proteus he’d fought pretty hard to reign his sleep schedule back in order which was suddenly working against him in this boring, cozy environment.

As he drifted in the empty expanse that waited for him most nights he realized that this wasn’t one of his usual dreamless nights. For one thing, he was thinking. For another, the smell of petrichor and salt faintly wafted toward him. He made his way toward it, somehow, only to be greeted by more darkness. Textured somehow, like he was somewhere dark instead of the usual void.

Dream Calvin turned every which way he could, about as fast as if he was swimming in gelatin, until the faint glint of firelight caught his eyes. With a thought he drifted that way, past occupied hammocks, barrels, and chests he could barely make out. In the corner of the deck was a figure hunched under a candle and over a book, scribbling like their life depended on it.

On their head was a crimson bicorn with gold edging and a frog skull with butterfly wings pin on the front. They wore a long coat of matching colors with epaulets on the shoulders over a simple aqua shirt, what looked like jeans, and seafaring boots. Across their back was a belt with a simple lope, holding a cutlass. Under the hat was a bob of black hair with a green hair pin, a button nose, and the dorky smile of one Marcy Wu, third and final star on Calvin’s list.

He couldn’t make out what she was writing, but it was clearly her journal, with all of the sticky notes sticking out and colorful stickers he could barely distinguish from the worn leather of the cover. Marcy was into her zone as page after page whisked away under her pencil, never once looking up from her task. It warmed his heart to know she was alright, even if she seemed to be a pirate at the moment.

Before he could try to say something to this pirate dream of Marcy, a gauntlet-covered arm shot through his chest and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her from the Zone. As she turned to look through him, the edge of her hat got caught by the candle flame, igniting. That was the last he saw before his concentration shattered and he was back in the dark.

It didn’t stay that way for long, as out of the darkness came a dark green couch drawn by a tarantula in sunglasses, the vehicle accented in leaves of gold. The windows were all in the shape of hearts and through those he could make out two figures, one blonde and the other with a bush of brown hair, complete with leaves and a stick.

"I can not believe her plan worked", said a ghost on the wind. The pink pollywog in a bucket glanced up and looked around, but brushed it off as nothing. Joining his fellow humans was a trio of frog people: an orange old frog in a green-gray jacket with a yellow vest, a pink frog kid in a floppy hat with goggles on it, and a darker pink tadpole. A quick glance told him that Sasha was not even close to thrilled with the fact they were there, but Anne had never been good at peeking under Sasha’s facades.

The cheer captain was trying desperately to get a word in but the frogs had a firm hold on Anne’s attention and he could almost hear her laughing. Ghost Calvin was pretty sure he actually heard one of Sasha’s teeth crack from how hard she was clenching her jaw to keep that smile in place. He lingered on her a moment longer than he wanted before turning back to Anne.

Through the haze, she seemed about the same. Hair a bit poofier with a bit more greenery than last time they'd hungout, but not by much. She was still in her school uniform and Calvin could not believe that it was only a little dirty, let alone still functional as clothing. He kinda figured the frogs would have treated her better than that. Then again, she wasn't the type to ask for much.

Calvin tried to keep up with the carriage, but that tarantula and his sick shades were hauling thorax along the mountain roads and moving through this molasses air was exhausting. He floated for a minute to catch his ethereal breath and watched the party barge ride past him.

“What a colorful cast of characters,” He thought out loud. This time the blue frog in a hat with one eye closed was the only one who heard the specter whispering in the breeze. For a second he even thought he saw a figure outlined by the moon, but brushed it off as being the town loon before getting his groove back on.

The caravan turned a bend on the cliff face road and were in sight of Toad Tower. Calvin took that as his cue to leave, let the darkness of his usual rest claim him once more. Imagine his surprise when he was awoken by the crashing noise of the tower’s wrought iron gates opening and techno dance music.

So. Not a ‘dream’ dream then. Huh.

Why is Marcy a pirate?

We’ll ask her later.

Calvin went limp against the couch and breathed evenly as he waited for Sasha to stay in character. Sure enough, five minutes later and there was the sound of armored boots against stone stairs approaching. He held his breath as Sasha Waybright and Anne Boonchuy walked back into his life.

It just now hit him that he was disguised as a bunny plushie in Sasha’s room. She was going to kill him right in front of Anne.

“This,” Sasha said as she threw the wooden doors to her room open, “Is where I’ve been living.”

“Hoopadah Boopdah!” Anne always did have such a way with words.

The Thai gal woahed in awe as she took in the sight of the room and Calvin’s heart nearly stopped when her eyes passed over the cuddly pile he was hiding in. But her gaze didn’t linger and continued its trip around the room.

Once Anne had absorbed her friend’s living condition, the Lieutenant called for the head chef and snapped her fingers. She asked him to bring up the usual, he gave an affirmation, and made his way down the tower steps post haste.

“The usual?” Anne asked as they both made their way toward the couch.

“Don’t worry, you’re gonna love it.” Sasha gave her a wink as she sat down.

“Huh, I never thought about whether Toads would be good at cooking or not.” She joined the blonde on the couch that almost matched her friend’s hair.

“They can be absolute wizards once you get them on the right track and a dash of the right motivation.”

The girls made small talk for a bit, dancing around the elephant in the room while the rabbit in the room tried to figure out when the best time to make himself known would be.

After the food, definitely after the food was here. This place’s prison chow sucks hard and Calvin really missed eating with Sasha.

Because she had earth food, obviously.

A train of cook Toads came into the room, each carrying a pair of platers that they deposited on Sasha’s work table. Under the lids was an array of earthly delights, ranging from pizza to tacos back around to hamburgers.

“WOAH, you’ve got KETCHUP.” Anne fell onto the table after Sasha pushed her into the one chair, gazing longingly as the blonde dipped french fry. “It just occurred to me I’ve been eating bugs for a month.”

“Anysing else, Commander?” Said Brunton, the head chef, with his pseudo french accent.

“Run the hot water please? For the shower.” Said his commanding officer while Anne was already going to town on whatever she could reach.

“SHOWER?” And there went a cascade of crumbs everywhere. Never change Anna Banana, never change.

“Oiu oiu.” Brunton gave a bow and made his way out of the room, closing the doors behind him.

Anne attacked the food like it meant ill will towards her family, showing no mercy as she wrapped a burger in a pizza and made a good effort of cramming both down her throat. Sasha for her part just gave a quiet giggle as she nursed a taco. Calvin’s stomach made an effort to betray him, but Anne’s assault was too vigorous for anyone to hear the growl of his belly. But that did give him an idea, so crazy it just. Might. Work.

Calvin stood up, dusted off his rabbit thighs, and walked over to the table where he took the bunny head off to start munching on a hot dog. Then he shook some feathers out of his hair. He didn’t look up until he was onto his second one.

Sasha was making no efforts to hide the daggers she was glaring at him and his side eyed grin did nothing to calm her down. Quite the opposite, if you’d believe it.

Anne on the other hand was staring open mouthed at him, but that might just have been because she physically couldn’t shut her mouth currently. Oh, never mind, she slammed her mouth shut like an iron trap and somehow swallowed a fourth her weight in food, eyes never shrinking below dinner platter status.

“Hey Girlfriends, good to see you!” Calvin did his best Sasha impression and from the look of the blonde beside him it was spot on as the anger on her face cracked for a second as she suppressed a laugh. She failed to keep it down entirely as the other girl in the room dove over the table and tackled Calvin onto the carpet, knocking even more feathers out of him.

“OH MY FROOOOG, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?!” The Thai gal on his chest shouted down at him before crushing the air out of him in a hug. “I can’t believe you’re here too, I didn’t even get to see you on my birthday!”

“Oh yeah, that reminds me.” He removed his arm from its bunny sleeve and grabbed the card that he’d grabbed from his room earlier. “Happy Birthday Annie B, sorry I’m late. I was a tad detained.”

Sasha flinched a little at that, but no one else in the room was looking her way. Anne ripped into the envelope and read the card. It was home made, sweet as honey, and she teared up before knocking the wind he’d just gotten right back out of his lungs.

“Sasha, why didn’t you say he was here too? You told me Marcy wasn’t with you, why didn’t you mention Calvin?” She pointed down at him while she looked at Sasha, confusion clear on her face.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, duh!” She said it calmer than she looked, rubbing the back of her head.

“I think it’s cause she didn’t wanna explain why she threw me in a cell, but that's just me.” Anne stared at him for a moment as he squirmed under her, before taking the hint so he could stand and get out of his hiding suit.

“Gonna have feathers stuck in there for weeks, I swear.” The second star wanted to be awed at his armor and his cute little salamander gloves but she was too stuck on what he’d just said.

“Why were you in a cell? And what happened to your forehead?” Confusion rang in Anne’s question as she fussed over his rather prominent scar. Instead of responding he just raised an eyebrow at his Lieutenant.

“He went ballistic during a training session, he even attacked Captain Grime!” She went with a statement that was technically true, not confident if she could actually lie to Anne with the turmoil going through her head right now. Calvin being there was doing her no favors, nor his laughter.

“Not inaccurate, per say, but lacks context.” He grinned while he spoke but deflated when he looked the blonde in the eye. With a sigh he turned to Anne. “Why don’t you go take a shower real quick? The water should be fine by now, we’ll sort this out ourselves real quick and let you know when you’re clean.”

“You can NOT just drop a bombshell like that and then tell ME to step out!” Anne threw her arms up in protest as she got up in his face. He wore his shock on his sleeve before rolling it back with a sly smiling mask.

“Hey, if you want a cold shower, that’s on you man.” He shrugged and made his way back toward the table. There was still some pizza left.

Anne’s face shot between her armored friends and the steam leaking out of the bathroom, truly agonizing over whether she wanted to confront the two most stubborn people in her life or feel truly clean for the first time in three months. The decision was made for her when she caught a whiff of herself and nearly gagged.

“FINE. But we’re talking about this when I get out, got it?” She leveled a stabbing finger at both of them, who each nodded, and then left an outline of herself in the steam she ran into the shower so fast. They both enjoyed the squeal of delight she made when she saw the bath robes.

“What the hell Tyric? How’d you get out?” Sasha stormed up to where he was eating and leaning against her table. She struggled to meet his eyes instead of staring at his forehead. “And why did you ruin Biggems?”

“1: I figured if Anne was here you wouldn’t just sic your goons on me.” He counted off on greasy fingers. “B: I have my ways. And Third: There was nowhere to hide in here and I thought it’d be funny. I was right.”

“Skinning and wearing my Biggems to spy on me and Anne is not funny!” She shouted and stomped a foot, conflicting feelings spilling into the small talk she tried to use to distance herself.

“No, maybe not. But the look on your face sure was!” He licked his fingers clean before continuing. “Besides, I wasn’t spying, I was just waiting for the Toads to leave.”

“Little creep,” She grumbled while trying to calm down.

“I’ve seen how you look at Anne, don’t start with me Waybright.”

Sasha turned redder than ketchup and collapsed with a groan onto her couch. Her hands flopped against her face and dragged down while Calvin walked over, passing her a banana split, and setting down a couple mugs of hot cocoa. He sat at the coffee table in front of her and waited while she ate. Once she finished Calvin took a deep breath, clapped his hands together, and pointed them both at her.

“This plan is insane, someone’s going to get hurt, and Anne’s not going to stand for it.” They locked eyes and there was steel behind both. “I won’t either.”

“Why do you care? They’re gross, slimy frogs, they don’t matter.” A fire was sparking inside her now, maybe ignited by the warm chocolate beverage in her hands.

“Not much to me, no. But I saw the way Anne talked to them, the back and forth reminded me of the better times back home.”

“And how’d you see that? You were in your cell when I left, I know that.”

Here is where his argument fell apart, as ‘I saw it in the dream I took while napping in your room’ didn’t hold up too well in the court of Sasha’s opinion. Instead of a nap he really should have thought of how to talk to her, dangit.

Before he could make an ass of himself the bathroom door shot open and Anne Boonchuy stepped out in a pink bathrobe and the foliage in her hair replaced with a set of curlers. She sighed in relief as she made her way to the couch, grabbed the unclaimed mug, and took a big swig before melting into the cushions.

“You have never showered that fast before. “ Sasha meekly said.

“I was excited to see you guys so I did a speed run.” Her voice was so serene that both soldiers relaxed a little as she spoke. “Okay Sash, Cal, spill.”

“Eh?” Said both officers.

“You two got your chance to chitchat, now I wanna hear why Calvin was in a prison cell!” Anne sat up and a gleam of fear entered her eyes, offset by her chocolate mustache.

“Not much time, with you breaking records and all, but fair enough,” Calvin sighed and leaned back on the table. “Want some pie? I’d kill for some of that pie.”

“Oooo, yes please!” As Calvin stood, Sasha pulled herself to her feet. She ignored their looks as she grumbled toward the preheated shower and he grabbed the whole pie alongside a couple forks.

“Well shoot. Ah well, the water should help her relax, make her easier to chat up.” Anne shrugged, but the worry only left her face when she saw the color of the pie filling. “Now come to Mama, you beautiful pastry you!”

He was thankful Sasha took her sweet time, as Anne recounted the last three months of her life in between inhaling pieces of pie. It all sounded like utter insanity; between meeting and later thinking she killed the Plantars, pot lucks and flash freezes, grand theft snail and fighting a gigantic version of every pest under the Sun of Sol, Calvin was at a loss for words.

“Anne Boonchuy, you’re either the best liar I’ve ever met or a secret badass,” He said astonished, “And either way I will never forgive you.”

“Whyssat dood?” She cocked an eyebrow at him without much conviction, wiping berry filling from her mouth.

“If you’re lying and just spent three months in a cozy little basement, I’m gonna be pissed I worried so much. If you were always a kick ass hero, I’m gonna be pissed you never told me.” He pouted no with hurt behind it.

“What can I say, I guess I never had the chance to find out back home.” She chuckled at his face and he joined her. “Hero might be an overstatement though, I just solved problems I made or stood by my friends. Nothing new there.”

Her smile was sweet but there was a hint of something rueful in her voice that gave Calvin pause. He put an armored hand on her shoulder and beamed her his best smile.

“Lotta folk wouldn’t risk their life for much of anything, much less to admit they made a mistake that needs fixed. That’s heroic in my book, and I’ve read enough to know what I’m talking about.”

Anne met his gaze for a moment, then her face broke out into a wide smile that confirmed why he was labeling the three of them as stars before dragging him into a giggling squeeze. She’d been athletic back home, but now she might even be as tough as Sasha, her hug was like iron.

He hadn’t even noticed the shower turn off as Sasha stepped out in matching robe and slippers. She sat down and had just enough time to get a sip of her cocoa before Anne dragged her into the hug, crushing the drink out of her blonde friend and over Calvin’s head. Nice shot too, got the Grime bust in the good eye.

No one’s sure who started it. The odd quiver of a shoulder here, the heave of a chest there, and suddenly they’re a gangly pile of laughing children. Exactly what they should have been in the summer between school grades, not fighting monsters, or each other, for their lives.

Marcy’s heart panged with longing as she stepped onto the docks of Newtopia for the first time in weeks, but she wasn’t sure why.

Chapter Text

They stayed huddled together for Calvin didn’t even know how long. Not that he was waiting for an end, mind you. After three months of nothing but giant Olms, learthery Toads, and snooty Newts, he hadn’t realized how much he missed contact with a fellow human being. Sure, before their fight he had Sasha for a month and a half, but she wasn’t big on hugs with him.

Thankfully, Anne had no such reservations and was doing her best to sweetly, gently, crush the life out of them both. Not that he was trying to stop her. Felt like an acceptable way to go, especially with the irony that a loving grip would be the death of him on this murderous world.

But, like all good things, the hug came to an end. Neither he nor Sasha pulled away first, but Anne needed to catch her breath from all her giggling. Calvin and Sasha unlatched from each other as soon the Thai girl let them and refused to look in their directions. Sasha couldn't stop herself from staring at the scar that she had gouged into the top of his face and Calvin was suddenly aware that his crush had just gotten out of the shower in a bathrobe.

Once her giggle fit had passed enough to speak, Anne retold her story to Sasha and Calvin was amused to watch her face shift from shock to fear to pride and misting over into something he suspected but wasn’t quite sure of.

“So, yeah.” Anne ended off like it was the simplest thing in the world. “That’s been my life the last few months.” The Corporal leaned toward the Lieutenant.

“Pretty heroic, huh?”

“So heroic. I’m swooning over here.” And Sasha did just that, right into her lap.

Anne’s blush lit up the room as the other humans shared a chuckle. Teasing the Thai gal was a favored pastime of theirs back home and the tradition survived the trip through the music box. Even Marcy would get in on it every now and again, when she knew she had a kill shot chambered that would leave Anne a stuttering mess.

“Wow guys, this is so surreal.” To her credit, the tennis player recovered quickly these days. “I still can’t believe you two are actually here.”

She leaned back and began to absently stir her cocoa with her pie fork. Sasha took a draft of hers and sighed while Calvin got up to get himself a cup again.

“I know, right?” She replied. “And once this is over, we can finally find a way out of this crummy, gross world.” Calvin audibly winced.

Anne stopped her slurping and looked at the Lieutenant with wide eyes and a cocoa mustache. Adorable.

“Once what’s over?” From over Anne’s shoulder Calvin was making signs to get Sasha to hit the brakes but she ignored him like a bad parent.

“Oooh, the rebellion.” He threw on his best scowl and made ‘why’ hands at his commanding officer who only had eyes for her drink.

“Hehe, the what now?” Anne wore a confused smile as Sasha turned so her feet were dangling off the couch and she had an easier time not seeing Calvin silently screaming at the food table.

“You don’t know about the rebellion?” Sasha set her drink down, stood, and Calvin noticed that she was forcing herself not to look his way.
“Look, I’ll explain. Just, promise not to freak out or anything.”

“Uuuuokay.” Was all the reply she got as she made her way toward the map stretched over the wall to the right of the bathroom.

“So you’ve probably already noticed that the Toads of this valley have One Job.” She turns and spreads her arms almost exactly like she did when she explained it to Calvin, with maybe a hint less assuredness. “To rule over the Frogs. And lately, those Frogs have been stepping out of line.”

She made her way back to the coffee table and grabbed a scroll no one had noticed until now. Calvin hadn’t walked back over and was practically pulling his hair out now.

“Turns out these ‘rebels’ have been inspired by a certain frog. You might just know him: stood up to some tax collectors, even ran for mayor against the local Toad.”

With a flourish of the wrist she let the scroll open, revealing a red and blue political poster of one Hopidiah Plantar. There were two words framing him as he struck a confident pose, ‘Freedom’ on top and ‘Frog’ on the bottom. Not exactly inspired, but it got the point across.

Anne shot out two cups worth of cocoa and coughed her surprise away before shouting at the other girl.

“WHAT? Hop Pop’s not a revolutionary!” She threw her arms up, trying to physically remove the silly notion but Sasha just shrugged as she threw five newspapers from different towns across the valley onto the table.

Where was she even hiding those?

“Doesn’t matter,” Sasha said matter-of-factly while Anne read the titles. “Word has traveled like wildfire and we’ve got to make an example out of him.”

She gestured Anne over to the window and Calvin followed, knowing what they’d see.

“So, that Toads are just gonna feed him to that thing.”

In the courtyard was the giant, flesh eating plant. A trio of soldiers helmed by Captain Grime were trying to keep it under control, but it fought and roared like a possessed fly trap. Anne’s gasp was quite the understatement.

Sasha turned back to her friends, one met her with wide eyed fear and the other with abject disappointment. She powered through her personal emotional storm and did her best to display the same calm power she usually felt and almost got there before she continued.

“We struck a deal with Grime: we’d capture Hop Pop and crush the rebellion, and Grime and his army will help us find a way home.” She opened her arms like she was expecting an embrace.

“The whole banquet trick? My idea, obvi.” She seemed rather proud of that. “Now we’ve got those slimy Frogs right where we want them. Isn’t this great?”

“What’d you mean, we?” Calvin finally interjected. “The deal I got out of Grime was all the tasks he dumped on me around the Tower.”

“Hush, the grownups are talking.” Sasha tutted at him as he could feel steam trying to blow out his ears. Anne began to sidle toward the door.

“Uuuuh, I, uh, need to go to the room rest. RESTROOM!” She bumped into the bust of Sasha next to the door, caught it and spun it in a juggle for a second before putting it back upside down with a nervous chuckle. “Stay, hehe, BRB!”

And she was gone so fast the air whistle and the door closed itself. Both officers stared at the door for a second before Sasha took a loud slurp from a chalice, breaking the quiet of the room.

“Oh she’s totally freaking out.”

“No kidding. Couldn’t have bungled that better myself.” They shared a glare before she made her way toward her wardrobe. She threw it open, revealing a dozen copies of her military outfit.

“Shoo Tyric, I gotta get changed. Have the troops start looking for her.”

“Aye aye Commander.” He gave a crisp salute and made his way down the stairs, stopping at his room.

I think she actually forgot that she had me locked up, he thought. Sure, lemme just go throw myself back in the clink while selling Anne down the river, gonna get right on that.

He rolled his eyes and began to pack his tiger backpack, it being pretty obvious that his stay in Toad Tower either ended tonight or became too permanent for his liking. As he tried to figure out what his next move should be, he noticed that he was missing one of the cloaks the Toads gave him, alongside a breastplate and shoulder pad.

Huh.

“Hope she gets better use out of em than I did,” he mumbled to the music box’s hiding spot.

Before he could open it the door was kicked down by Bog, Fens and Mires at his back. The air between them was tense enough to have been cut with a spoon. The Corporal gave a sigh, threw his hands in the air, and made his way toward the trio.

The descent down the stairs was silent save for the clink of metal jostling on metal and stone. Bog didn’t even try to provoke Calvin or poke him with the sword at the kid’s back. They stopped at the main mess hall, which was done up for a party. It looked like the guests left in a hurry.

And of course Sasha was there, chit chatting with Grime. They stopped their conversation when Fens announced the capture of the escapee, the Lieutenant giving him her best ‘saw that coming’ smile. The Captain gave him a once over before nodding to Bog, who tore the bag out of Calvin’s hands. He dumped its contents on the floor, poking through it with his sword. When Sasha started shaking her head, the lead Toad leveled his meanest scowl at the human boy.

“Where. Is. The. Box, Corporal?” He took a step with every word until he was face to chest with Calvin.

“After all that, I get to keep my title?” He put the cheekiest grin he had on the mask. “Gotta say Cap, I’m flattered.”

The fist to the gut was much less flattering, knocking the kid to his knees. They were finally eye to eye and Grime grasped his chin to force that perspective. A duet of throaty growls fought for a moment before Grime threw him to the floor.

“I won’t ask a third time, Calvin. We all know that that box is how you all got here and showed it to Sasha already, now what have you done with it?”

“I won’t even tell you second time Grimesy: Eat shit.” He spat on the Captain’s boots.

Grime stared longswords at him for a moment before pinching the place between his eyes and chuckling. He stepped closer and raised the same boot over Calvin’s head as his chuckle evolved into a proper laugh. The kid shut his eyes and hoped the blow would put him under immediately.

The stomp never came, Sasha grabbing Grime by the shoulders and glaring hard at him.

“Remember our deal Grime.” Her voice had a steely edge to it. “Besides, we’ve got a bigger problem right now.”

She swung an arm out over the empty party hall and then pointed at the sewer grate by the only door into the room. Grime nodded in understanding and began to order troops where to go out in the yard to wait for their errant guests. As the squads hustled out, he shot an annoyed glance back toward where Calvin lay, then raised an eyeridge at Sasha.

“Take him up to the roof. I’ll be up in a bit with Wartwood and Anne in tow.” She walked out then, followed by Percy and Braddock. Grime grinned a crocodile smile down at the only human in the room before having Bog drag him back up the stairs.

Hi, I know what you’re thinking. How’d we get in this situation, huh? Here we are, surrounded by Toad soldiers we’d trained, waiting for our friend/crush/commanding officer/personal bane in the ass to collect the second of the only three friends we have in the world so she can make her watch while Captain Not-A-Father-Figure throws Totally-A-Grampa-Figure off a tower into the maw of an evil plant. What a whacky turn of events! You see, it all started with this funny little box-

Shut up you, Calvin’s consciousness thought toward his inner audience.

Buzz kill, it's a good narrative structure.

It’s a shitty trope and an unfunny meme. Now hush, I think I hear footsteps.

Grime was looking over the edge, throwing his pet carnivorous plant a bug leg when the roof hatch opened, Sasha dragging Anne by the arm in front of a procession of Frog captives and Toad captors.

“Caught these prisoners trying to escape, Grime.” She said stoically.

“Dude, are you crazy?” Anne asked as she pulled herself from Sasha’s grip.

“SHH. I’m trying to get us home.”

“Very impressive Sasha. Always playing Flipwart when everyone else is playing Bogjump.”

The present humans each made a noise and expression of confusions, prompting Grime to try to explain his analogy.

“Your reference sucked Cap.” Calvin called from the back.

“Bog, could you gag him?”

The horned toad looked like he was going to attempt it, but one look into the Corporal's eyes made him fear for his hand. He turned back to his Captain, gave a salute, and shook his head ‘no’. With a sigh, Grime moved on.

“I was trying to say you’re smart.” Exasperation dripped from his voice.

“Oh, haha, thanks Grimesy.” Sasha smiled and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. Not many people noticed the crack in her voice there. “What can I say? It’s just how I do.”

She made her way next to Grime and posture at her troops. There was an awkward moment as she taught Grime to high five in front of a live captive audience. It wasn’t that painful to watch, but Calvin laughed to himself a little as he sidled up next to Anne.

The Plantar family growled at the first and second in commands of Toad Tower while Anne made a pleading gesture.

“Sasha, PLEEEEASE. There has to be another way!” She took a step forward that was quickly blocked by crossing spears.

“There IS no other way, creature.” Grime took his arm out from under his cloak and made a fist toward the frogs. “Our very way of life is at stake. I wouldn't expect an outsider like you to understand.”

Sasha sagged ever so slightly at that.

“Seize the traitor Hopadiah Plantar!” Grime snapped his fingers and a pair of soldiers shoved his grandkids out of the way before grabbing him by his old shoulders.

“No, git your hands off me!” He protested as he was pulled into the air. The kids tried to beat the Toads back but were each backhanded away. “KIDS!”

“NO!” Anne cried, shoved the guards in front of her, and stole one of their swords. Calvin was so shocked by this display of bravado that he was rooted to the spot like a dumbfounded tree. She fought off the troops holding her Hop Pop, then took a defensive stance in front of him.

The soldiers began to encircle the townsfolk, hemming Calvin in with them, spears at the ready. The townies all got ready to brawl it out with an army and the kid couldn’t help but grin: it was equal parts impressive bravery and crazy imagery in his mind. Still, he squared up with the rest of them.

Anne must have made quite the impression on them.

“In retrospect, we really should have tied them up.” Said one Toad soldier.

“ENOUGH,” Sasha shouted from behind her wall of goons, that parted so she could properly level a glare at Anne.

“Anne, what are you doing?” She asked in a much softer voice. Calvin’s hackles rose, he knew where this was going.

“Are you really going to risk your life for these talking frogs?” She smiled with incredulity at the last word, reminding all three of them of how silly their situation was.

“We don’t even belong here. Don’t you wanna get back home? See your family?”

“Yeah, but-” Anne was wavering in the face of her bullying friend.

“Then put your sword down now.” She pointed at the ground, like Anne was some sort of dog that wanted to bring a stick inside.

“End. Of. Discussion.” Calvin audibly growled and it was almost enough to break Sasha out of her controlling zone. Almost. “I’ll deal with you in a second.”

Anne’s shoulders fell and the sword tip began a slow arc to the ground. He took a step toward his friend just to see the tip of a spear between his eyes.

“There we go.” Sasha praised, “That’s my guuurl. There. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

A perfectly timed ball of mud flew from the Plantar kid’s slingshot right into the blonde’s smug mug.

“WHAT THE HECK?” The collected Toads, Frogs, and Anne all gasped while Calvin fought down the strongest laugh he’d felt since coming to Amphibia.

“For someone who’s Anne’s best friend, you sure don’t know her very well!” The little frog pointed his weapon at his victim before listing off on his hand: “She’s brave, she’s smart, and most of all, she’s not gonna be pushed around by a bully like you!” He reloaded and got ready to fire again.

The smile Anne wore was sweeter than any treat Calvin had ever had.

With a groan, Sasha wiped the mud off her face and drew the heron blade. He and the frog kid shuddered a little at the sight.

“I think I’ve had enough of you, squeaky toy.” Her downward slice was blocked just in time by Anne and the dull thud of their blades connecting rolled like thunder into the canyon below.

“Anne?! What are you doing?” Sasha could not wrap her head around the idea of her little Boonchuy finally pushing back and she wasn’t the only human surprised.

“Something I should have done a long time ago: Standing up to YOU.” With a spine like steel, heart of gold, and eyes overflowing with determination, she threw Sasha back across the tower, who barely caught herself. Anne looked down to the frog boy behind her.

“Thanks for believing in me, Sprig.” He nodded and put his arms up with resolve.

“Spranne against the world.” Was his little cheer.

Grime rubbed his chin and chuckled, causing Sasha to turn on him with a fierce look.

“What’re you laughin at?” And there was the voice crack again.

“I believe that makes two rebellious seeds of your own now? You’ve given me plenty of advice, now let me give you some.” The jovial air left him as he took on a serious look. “Stamp this out. Make them yield. Fail and nothing will ever be the same.”

Sasha turned, looked at Anne, and it was like they’d switched roles. There stood the Boonchuy girl, proud and confident with all the strength of a mountain in contrast to Waybright, as stable as a piece of paper in a tornado. Grime met Calvin’s eye and chuckled a little more.

“Though, with that one here, maybe there never was much hope of that.” This sparked something in Sasha and she stopped wavering, readying her blade.

“Not gonna happen.”

“This should be fun,” Grime mumbled to himself before throwing his arms wide and addressing the gathered folk. “MY FRIENDS! Instead of a messy free for all, I have a splendid idea!”

“How about we settle this,” He jumped onto a rock they built on top of the tower for some reason. ‘THE TOAD FASHIONED WAY!” With a snap of his claws, Toads circled Sasha and Anne, spears up and shields ready.

Fire bloomed in Calvin’s chest as he remembered the last disagreement settled that way.

“TRIAL BY COMBAT!” Warty bastard looked too happy to be doing this to a pair of humans again.

“If your champion wins, you all go home, no harm no foul.” He gestured to Anne, then let his arm make a lazy line to a nervous Sasha.

“But if our champion wins… Weeeell,” As if on cue, the beast plant growled loud enough to reach them on top of the tower. Grime smiled and laughed wickedly. “Baby’s hungry.”

“Anne, you don’t have to do this.” Said Hop Pop. A quick look of the town folk confirmed that they were all still more than willing to throw hands. Anne however looked back to her blonde friend and shook her head.

“Yes I do.”

The two teenage girls began to circle the makeshift ring and Calvin’s forehead began to ache at the familiar sight. Sasha dragged her sword, sending sparks flying, before they both stopped and squared up.

“BEGIN” Came the call from Grime.

Sasha led the deathly dance, making Anne defend herself until she was able to lock their blades at the hilt and meet the cheer captain face to face.

“What’s gotten into you Anne?” The blonde grunted with effort, surprised to find a physical equal in the Thai gal. “You were never like this back home.”

“Do you ever stop talking?” Anne slammed the heron blade into the ground and knocked it out of Sasha’s hands. It flew a spinning arc through the air before clattering onto the top of the tower. The Plantars and Sasha gasped before the blonde drew a dagger. Anne was too busy congratulating herself and stuck her sword out with a ‘Ha HA’ that was swiped away.

“Oh come on, a dagger?” The Lieutenant was rearmed before Anne could stop her and they both charged again. Sasha feinted out from under an overhead chop and blocked the next swing before throwing her blade into her off hand, taking off her cape, and throwing it in her friend’s face. She dropped and lashed a kick into Anne’s ankles, knocking her to the floor, pointing her sword at Boonchuy’s face.

“They’re just slimy little frogs Anne,” She drew her dagger as she shouted. “THEY DON’T MATTER.”

“They’re not just frogs,” Anne’s hair covered her eyes as she steadied her grip. “They’re my FRIENDS!”

She knocked both of Sasha’s blades out of her hands and carved a permanent reminder of this loss into the Lieutenant’s cheek. She fell with a gasp as both her weapons embedded themselves into the stones where she’d been standing, Anne in the same pose as her from a few seconds ago.

Calvin was gonna need to spend a minute trying to find his jaw off the floor. The residents of Wartwood exploded in cheers and congratulations, Sprig even doing a handstand on a Toad’s head.

“It’s over, Sash,” The Thai gal got her breath back. “You’re not gonna push me around anymore.”

Tears welled in the blonde’s eyes as she narrowed her gaze at the victor.

“So how about it, big guy?” Anne looked at Grime. “We’re free, right?”

Calvin knew the answer when he saw that cheeky little grin.

“Yeaah,” It dropped into a frown, “I don’t think so.”

His cheeks bulged and he lashed his tongue out toward Anne. She dodged it and he grabbed Hop Pop instead, who’d been right behind her.

“Pretty cool, huh?” He held the old frog by the shirt over the edge of the Tower. Hop Pop struggled for a second before looking down, realizing his predicament, and grasping onto Grime’s arm for dear life.

“This ends now,” He growled as he took one last look at Hopidiah Plantar.

That’s when the world began to fall apart at the seams. Toad Tower was shaken over and over again by blue explosions, causing stones to crack and walls to fall.

“Wally, what did you do?!?” Anne looked back toward the one eyed blue frog.

“Wot, I thought we agreed? Wait, could you not tell I was winking? OH CURSE YOU ONE EYE!”

Calvin’s pupils dilated to dots and he shoved his way to the roof hatch and threw it open. He heard Toad’s falling as he sprinted down to his room, praying to whoever would listen that the music box was fine. He didn’t even take the time to remove the blocking stone, shoving his metallic fist through the thin cover to wrap around the wooden lifeline inside.

As he pulled it free and stuffing it into his bag the room shook and the wall gave out behind his bed. It was a magnificent view, except for Grime falling past at that exact moment. He saw what the kid was holding and roared as he passed.

“Maybe the plant’ll get him,” Calvin told the box as he put it into his bag.

Toads and Frogs alike were streaming down the stairs, species divisions forgotten in the face of the crumpling death trap. Calvin finally freed his ax from the headboard of his bed and was about to join the tide when something stopped him.

Nothing grabbed him.

He didn’t hear anything, smell anything, FEEL anything.

But he stopped.

He looked out at the full, red moon and stood at the precipice of what would be a rather short walk into a rather long fall. He’d never been especially afraid of heights, but he wasn’t beyond vertigo. But for some reason, he didn’t feel any nausea. No stress, no fear or rage or emotions he refused to acknowledge. Very unusual for a teenager, especially one as stressed as himself.

Then the heron blade fell right past his face. His neck cracked with how fast his face shot up, just in time to see Anne catch Sasha from a certain death.

“I’ve got you Sash, you’re gonna be okay!” And the ledge that held both of them crumbled and fell past his room. Their screams almost broke him out of the weird, zen state he was in.

She has to be holding on by her toes, someone said in the back of his head.

Anne slipped an inch, but was then pulled back some.

And now he could see Sprig being held up by Hop Pop and Polly while both human girls were completely off the Tower now.

“Hold on kiddo!” The old frog did not seem built for this task.

We should get up there, we need to help.

Don’t move.

What do you mean, don’t move? They’re going to die, we’re going to fail, we’re going to be alone again!

Do. Not. Move.

Calvin stayed where he was while every thought, feeling, instinct, and fiber of his being screamed for him to go.

“Hey hey, look at me, look at me!” Anne insisted to Sasha. “Everything’s gonna be totally fine.”

Golly, that smile was almost believable.

“JUST. HANG ON.”

“We got you Anne, no matter what!” What a loyal family she’d found.

Marcy would love this.

The grunts of effort from the frogs was briefly drowned out by the sound of breaking masonry. The pollywog pointed out the obvious.

He couldn’t see her eyes, but he could see how her head moved and how Anne looked at her.

“Hey Anne?”

Might wanna plant that ax, should make this easier.

“Maybe you’re better off without me.”

What? Calvin broke from his zen and he drank in the situation for what felt like the first time.

Sasha let go.

Her silhouette obscured the red moonlight for a quarter of a second and the image of her crumpled body on the ground ran through his head. But his hand was already moving. He didn’t even hear the head of the ax bury itself down to the haft, deeper into the wall that he could have driven it, hardly felt the cold, open night air as he leaned out of his broken room.

He did, however, most definitely feel the shoulder of the ax arm dislocate as he caught Sasha under her shoulders one armed. There was barely a noise past his lips as he tried to drag them back into the relative safety of the tower, but his arm was not cooperating and the stones under the one foot he had on the ground were shaking.

Then something struck the side of the tower and the force of it threw both humans onto the carpet. The scraping of metal through stone was the only identifier he got.

The Tower began to settle as Anne and the Plantars found them on the floor, because Calvin was panting in terror and Sasha was out cold. He started sitting up before the Thai gal tackled him in a hug. Now that got a scream out of him.

“Oh my frog, your arm!” She pointed like he hadn’t noticed.

“Don’t worry about me, give her a once over while I fix this.” He nodded at the unconscious girl to her side as he stood. He winked at the frogs and steeled himself for what he had to do.

“Don’t try this at home, gang.” And he shoved the arm back into the socket with a stomach churning pop. To his credit, he only cried out a little.

Turning so he wouldn’t have to look at the frog family or his fallen friend, he looked out toward the forest. There, just outside the thicket, were Grime, Percy, Braddock, Bog, Mires, and Fens. He met the one baleful eye of the Captain, then the glint of his newly dulled dagger caught his eye. They passed a nod over the canyon and the head Toad made his way into the deep shadows under the canopy.

Fens caught his eye one last time before following her compatriots into the dark. Calvin decided he felt a little bad for leading her on like he had.

With a groan, Sasha began to sit up, only to be laid out by Anne’s hug. Her brave face lasted all of a second before both girls were bawling their eyes out on the floor. Calvin smiled and crossed his arms.

“Hey,” Sprig interrupted, “Not to be rude but how’re we getting home?”

“Hush up boy,” The old frog tutted.

“I think the town’s commandeered the party barge, actually.” Calvin pointed to where it was parked on the other side of the bridge.

“I’m kinda all partied out for one night.” Sprig rubbed the back of his head, his eyes never leaving the hugging teens.

“That makes two of us.” Polly agreed.

“Gonna sleep like the dead when we get back.” Everyone but the human boy shot daggers at the old frog. Calvin, for his part, was just glad Hop Pop said it first.

They made their way down the Tower slowly, Anne attached to Sasha at the hip and the waterworks never running dry. There were a couple close calls, but nothing that really rustled their feathers and before they knew they were walking through the debris covered courtyard.

Fortunately, the plant had been crushed.

Unfortunately, the carriage had been too and all of the spiders had gotten out.

Party barge with all the kidnapped towns folk it is.

Two stars down, one more to go. Calvin looked both of the girls of destiny over and a question formed on his lips.

"Hey Anne, what happened to your other shoe?"

Chapter Text

There was so much tension on the ride back, Calvin was sure one wrong breath would make it all snap. The town Frogs glared at them like they’d tried to kill them. Which Sasha sorta had, but what’d he do? He was just there, no need to start making assumptions. Maybe they were just giving her the stink eye past him?

Oh, nope, that old frog lady was glaring right at him.

Said blonde was asleep in Anne’s lap for the ride home, during which he regaled her with his perspective of his time spent in Amphibia, sans Olms once again. She didn’t say much, but her expressions were easy to read. The crush wasn’t a surprise, nor that he held his own in his fights, and she wanted to be surprised Sasha kept him locked up for two weeks, but what actually got her was hearing him describe how vulnerable the girl in her lap was seeming lately.

“Guess your fight really shook her up, huh?” Anne suggested. Calvin gave her a look, humor fighting forced neutrality behind his eyes.

“Whole lotta shakin goin on in her world lately.” He settled on as he leaned back and reminisced, adjusting how the heron blade and his ax rested in his lap.

“I’d say I shook her a bit more than you did though.” They both sighed, but it was the boy who looked over.

“I know what you’re doing Annie B.”

“What? I’m just petting her, she likes that.”

“No, not that. You feel bad.” She made to counter but a sleepy Sasha pulled her hand back down and broke her train of thought.

“You finally grew a backbone and stood up to Sasha. A minute later the Tower explodes and she falls off. Somehow, you’re doing mental gymnastics to make that your own fault.”

“If I’d just pushed Wally-”

“Down the stairs? Nah, probably would have set it off sooner.” She smacked his shoulder with a humor filled huff. The blue frog gave him the stink eye but flinched when Calvin matched it and then some.

“You told Wally that was a bad plan, he made his choice. You told Sasha your feelings on that matter, she made her choice.” He paused and caught her eye with his own.

“We can’t force other people to make decisions, only our own and how we respond to them. You can’t beat yourself up for other people, plenty are willing to save you the trouble.”

“Where were you hiding all this fortune cookie wisdom?” Her smile lit up the night.

“An old dragon, way back home.”

They both leaned back against the railing of the party barge and let the sounds of Amphibia’s night serenade them. For some reason, this world had massive and normal sized insects. It bugged Calvin, pun intended, that the disparity existed so blatantly. After all of this time above ground he was beginning to notice the difference between giant and normal cricket songs.

Anne, for her part, looked serene, in spite of everything. She rested so easily in the maddening humidity, her head lolling back over the edge with the early morning breeze passing through her hair like it was just another bush on the side of the road. Sasha looked calmer than she had been in a while in her lap, the Thai gal still running her hand through those golden fields.

How could Anne seem so in her element in such a foreign world?

Maybe it was less foreign than he’d convinced himself.

"Hey, uh," Anne mumbled to the sky. "Before I forget: Thanks."

"It's what I'm here for." The dull throbbing of his shoulder lessened with Anne's words.

The rest of the trip back to the honky tonk town was quiet and peaceful. Not much left to say for the night, too eventful to be discussed so soon. The frogs of the town were all some combination of exhausted and banged up, so they didn't fuss too terribly about the two tower officers coming along.

Hop Pop, bleeding heart he was, offered his house to both of them. Calvin accepted on both of their behalfs, didn’t wanna wake the blonde more than it took to drag her onto the couch. For himself, the old frog let him borrow the chair from his study, as comfy as it was well worn.

He had half expected Anne to offer Sasha her bed, but the smile she wore on her way into the quaint little frog house didn’t quite make it to her eyes. What was there made Calvin’s heart ache. Even healthy change can hurt, as it turns out.

In any case, the kid was ready to drop like a rock and everyone on the property agreed, so sleep came easily even in this new place. As soon as his armor was off to the side and he plopped into the chair, he was out like a light. Unfortunately, the light was turned back on a few hours later to the mad banging of pots and pans.

“Up and at ‘em soldier,” Waybright looked down at where he was drooling with a bright, slightly manic smile. The heron blade rested on her hip, she was fully armored already, and there was a look in her eyes that Calvin really did not like. “We’ve got training to do!”

“Sasha? What, and I mean this with all due respect, the actual hell?” Even feeling like death warmed over after what couldn’t have been more than four hours of sleep, he was ever the charmer.

“Same as every morning, duh.” She tutted at him like he was a child saying well meaning nonsense. “Can’t be slacking on our training now, there’s work to be done!”

By now the rest of the house was creeping out of their dens to glare daggers at the two humans in the living room. All except Anne, the hatch to her basement room stayed shut. The groggy frogs and tadpole leveled mean looks at the blonde as soon as they’d gotten the wearines out of them. The little pink one in particular looked about ready to throw Sasha off Toad Tower.

“Gotta put some pep in your step Corporal or some grody bug is gonna be the death of you!”

“You’ve barely slept, I’ve barely slept, Waybright, “He tiredly pleaded. “I can’t help but feel like this is something we could start later in the day.

“And break routine?” She looked at him like he’d turned into a toad right before her eyes. “That’s how you fall into bad habits trooper! And as for you frogs, get ready cause you’re joining us!”

There was an unenergized chorus of disbelief as Calvin struggled to find some way to get Sasha to chill out. Unfortunately, all he could think of was playing along.

“Come on Sash, how about you and me get started for the day while they get breakfast ready?” He put on his most loyal smile before throwing a pleading look Hop Pop’s way. “They haven’t been training with us, they would only slow us down.”

“You kids can’t be workin all day on empty stomachs, right?” The old frog was a better actor than the kid had given him credit for. His back had gone stiff and he threw a crisper salute than most of the Toads ever had.

“That’s a good point oldie, Corporal.” Sasha nodded to them both in turn, pointedly ignoring the daggers the younger frogs were glaring at her. “I expect something yummy once we’re back from our march.”

“Oh, it’ll be to die for,” Mumbled Sprig.

“Suit up Tyric, the sooner you're drenched in sweat the sooner we’ll get to eat!”

Sasha didn’t wait for his reply, she just strode out the door like it was just another day back at the Tower. Calvin got into his laminar begrudgingly and gave each frog apologetic looks as he made his way after her. Sprig didn’t meet his gaze, eyeing a barrel filled with some kind of pepper with menacing intent.

The early morning sun shed light on Sasha’s manic, mismatched eyes. She locked her gaze on Calvin as he came out and waited as calm as a bomb down the path leading away from the farm house. Without waiting for him to reach her she set a crushing pace down the forest road that Calvin was in no mood to keep up with but didn’t have much in the way of options.

It only took a few minutes for Wartwood to come into view in the morning light. No one was out and about yet, not a big surprise there, but the signs of a killer rager the night before were still evident. Bulbs filled with fireflies and banners declaring Anne the Frog of the Year were strewn about the square, which seemed well cooked.

And why did the whole town smell like burnt chocolate?

If any of this registered with her, Sasha didn’t show it, keeping their pace set to a drum being worked by a monkey on a serious sugar rush. Everytime Calvin tried to close the gap she’d push just a little harder, a little faster. By the time they took their first steps out of town they were both at a sprint and the Lieutenant seemed intent to leave him behind.

Eventually even she began to run out of steam and started to slow down with all the grace of a teenager who’d slept three hours and then went for a sprint. Which is to say, none at all. Calvin didn’t catch the memo in time and they ended up a gangly pile of limbs on the side of a dirt road.

After they’d managed to untangle themselves, the silence was heavier than the morning humidity. He glanced at where she had ended up, knees pulled tightly to her chest as the blonde looked intently at absolutely nothing far off on the horizon. Feelings Calvin couldn’t put names to danced behind her eyes to a raging tune but her features might as well have been carved from stone, with the exception of her new scar. The tumble had opened it right back up and thin trails of crimson began slow marches down the side of her face. She didn’t fight him as he cleaned the area, humming a tune Ryu was fond of as he did what he could.

“We’re gonna have to wash that off,” He mumbled. “Should probably wrap it or maybe stitches? It isn’t actually that deep, now that I look at it.”

“I think I remember there being a river nearby,” Sasha’s voice was cold and distant. “At least, that’s what was on the map back at the Tower.”

“It’d probably just be safer to head back to the farm house.” She wouldn’t have reacted stronger if he had slapped her.

“And why would we need to go back to the den of our enemy?” Her scowl was fierce enough to put him off, but he’d made a promise and he was a guy of his word.

“Okay, sure, they probably ain’t fond of us.” Calvin conceded but pressed on before she could spiral. “But they care for Anne and she vouched for us. We’ve got some time, at the very worst.”

Not technically accurate, he thought, but she hadn’t told them to sleep somewhere else which was a good sign. Besides, Sasha had been pretty out of it, so she might not recall.

The ambient noise of the countryside was so like home that Calvin found himself relaxing despite the circumstance. It was a lot easier to focus on then the ponderous look on Sasha’s face and the return of that one ton silence. Anyone else and he would have pressed his argument, but the cheer captain was stubbornness personified and no amount of evidence or facts were going to help him here. All he could do is enjoy the better parts of his hometown memories and hope she saw sense.

A day and an age later, or maybe a few seconds, Sasha stood and without a word began to make her way back the way they’d come. With a sigh of relief he followed along like the lackey he didn’t want to be. He was glad as he was running out of untainted recollections.

The town was beginning to come to life as the walked through what passed for a central plaza. What scant few frogs there were gave them either glares or the occasional look of pity. Sasha kept her eyes forward and steely, ignoring everything that wasn’t directly before her. As if to reinforce the character she projected, her hair had somehow fallen perfectly back into place after one toss of her head, as though she hadn’t just taken an impromptu dirt bath.

It was… infuriating he decided.

Just when acid was starting to scream in his limbs the farmhouse crept into view out of the woods. There was a single light on inside on the first floor, what Calvin guessed was the kitchen. He was surprised, he’d kinda expected the old frog to just head back to bed after Sasha’s display. As the duo drew closer they caught whiffs of their breakfast. Neither were so hungry that the pungent aroma didn’t cause some pause but, after sharing a look of impending suffering, went back inside the Plantar’s homestead.

All three amphibious members of the family were at the dining room when they came in and two thirds of them had looks of concern when they saw the blood dripping down Sasha’s face. Sprig just looked not terribly shocked. Calvin was a touch surprised that Anne wasn’t up, but maybe she was just elsewhere in the house.

“We’ll eat in a sec,” Calvin explained. “First things first, I gotta make sure she doesn’t get some sorta infection.”

“I can clean my own wounds, dad.” The blonde grumbled as she made her way past him toward the sink. He wasn’t far behind her with a roll of his eyes you could hear.

“Hell, if you think you can stitch up you cheek yourself, be my guest.” He leaned against the counter and folded his arms over his chest as she began to clean the blood with a wet washcloth into the sink. “I just don’t wanna hear your whining when I have to replace your shoddy work.”

“Gimme my sword and we’ll see who can stitch who better.” Even with the exhaustion in her voice there was still an edge there.

“Hopidiah,” He pointedly ignored her as he turned to the patriarch of the house. “You wouldn’t happen to have a needle and thread set we could borrow?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Hop Pop stepped away from the bio weapon he was cooking, walked over to a cabinet, and pulled out a tackle box. He then took out a spool of fishing wire and a needle. “ This here box’ll have whatever you need, in case you get banged up again.”

“Get it while the getting's good,” The tadpole piped up. “We get into a lot of adventures around here and go through a lot of the stuff in there.”

“Duly noted little miss.” Calvin turned back to Hop Pop. “Don’t suppose you’ve got something I can boil this in so it’s sterile?”

“Sterile?” The old frog looked at him like he’d shed his skin and was now a snake. The careful grin the human wore slid into a flat look of concern for Anne.

“It’s, uh, human magic?” He wasn’t very convincing and was even less so when their hosts started laughing.

“We know what sterile is boy,” Hop Pop reassured. “Sure, lemme grab you a little bowl. What do you think we are, animals?”

He chuckled a little to himself as he walked over to a different cabinet while Calvin decided not to answer that. The old frog pulled down a little metal bowl, filled it with some water, and then made his way to the fireplace. He grabbed a set of tongs and held the bowl into the fire until it started steaming. They put the needle in for a minute, then strained it out while Calvin got his hands clean. Sasha did not look excited, but at least it’d be healthier.

To her credit, she took it like a champ, barely a noise out of her while Calvin worked. The silence in the dining room was practically physical as old man Plantar finished up his concoction. The teens were wrapping up when Sprig grabbed some normal sized bowls and set them around the table. Notably, he grabbed four; one for each frog and another for the human in the basement. He barely snuck in a stink eye before Hop Pop turned back from his dire duty and gave his grandson a stern look. With an exasperated sigh, he grabbed two more.

“Thank you kindly Sprig.” Calvin said in one of his warmer tones after he was handed both. The little frog huffed, turned up his snout, and walked back to his seat. The Corporal passed the clayware to the Lieutenant and they waited their turn for a bit of morning gruel. Or maybe they were putting it off, who can say really.

Everyone had their bowls and for some reason no one was eating. The hosts looked between their food and the two humans at the counter while said mammals did much the same. A growl rolled out of Calvin’s stomach like thunder and he was the first to bite the bullet. Well, the spoonful in this case. Sprig had a look of victory on his face when he put the spoon back in the bowl and took another bite.

And another. The look faded but didn’t leave.

And another still. The look was now mildly concerned.

“This stuff’s got almost as much kick as Dad’s pepper back home, good night a livin!” Calvin was digging in by now, the food so hot you couldn’t actually tell the flavor. It reminded him a bit of home, Dad’s barbeque recipe could also be counted as vehicle fuel in some states and it was his favorite.

The trio at the table made no effort to hide their shock or pull their jaws out of their bowls when they fell open. The kids realized their mistake as soon as smoke began to billow out of their stomachs. Hop Pop was just surprised to find someone who appreciates the finer foods in life. As soon as they started screaming the hatch to the basement flew open and suddenly Anne Boonchuy was among them, sword in hand, protective look in her eyes quickly replaced with a complete lack of comprehension.

Sasha sighed, walked over to the ice box, and pulled out a gallon of milk. She ate her first spoonful with resolve and chugged straight from the clay bottle as she started sweating. She ate like the food had insulted her and she was intent to drown it in her belly. None of this helped Anne as a flaming Sprig ran past her.

“Uh, hey guys.” She said, the unspoken question clear.

“Howdy sleepy head!” Calvin was down right cheery. “You should try this stuff, it burns calories before it even reaches your gut.” He was going for seconds as she made her way over, blade on shoulder.

“Huh. Why’d they break out the peppers, Hop Pop’s the only one who likes them.”

“Not anymore Anne!” Said frog cheered from his seat. “Have as much as you like kiddo, no one else here has such a refined palate.”

“I ain’t gonna argue.” Calvin replied before drinking straight from his refilled bowl. It burned good.

“Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with you Cali,” Sasha sniffled after putting her jug down. “Then I remember your diet has probably grilled your brain to Well Done.”

“Ain’t my fault you’ve got no love of heat. You’d think all that Pad Thai would have done you some favors by now, but I guess not.”

“There’s a difference between spicy and edible fire, Tiger.” She was dunking her head into the icebox now.

“Well drag your head out of there, that’s a waste of cold.”

He was promptly ignored before he had to dodge a flaming pollywog bouncing around the room. Anne caught her and dunked her into a bucket, most of the water evaporating on impact. Then she grabbed the pink frog by the collar and dunked his head into the sink, relieved bubbles flowing to the surface. Hop Pop belched fire and leaned back in his chair, bowl empty and face content. There was a gurgling sound from the dirty water and Anne pulled Sprig out.

“Thanks.” He gave Anne an appreciative look before turning to Calvin. “Sorry I tried to prank you guys with Hop Pop’s peppers.”

“That was a prank?” The human boy raised an eyebrow at the frog boy as he wiped his mouth with a sleeve. “What’d I do?”

“You were at Toad Tower, you were with Her.” Even if he wasn’t looking her way, the accusation toward the blonde wasn’t exactly subtle. She sat up at his tone.

“I seem to recall all I did that night was save a box and a life, thank you very much.” Calvin was leaning down to the kid’s level when Sasha made a noise and began to run out the door. She’d barely made it past the porch before she was violently ill. Anne was next to her not even a moment later, fussing over her like a mother hen. Calvin was a step behind when a thought occurred to him. He quietly shut the door and ushered the worried frogs back to the table.

“Let’s give em some space,” He said. “I think they’re about to have quite the moment and we wouldn’t help much.

As the minutes passed the tension there only escalated. When the shouting started, Sprig shot out of his seat and nearly made it to the door before a gauntlet caught him by the jacket and dragged him back to the dining table. The little dude looked ready to throw hands when suddenly they all heard sobbing. Unable to hold back any of the bubbling curiosity at the table, they all piled under the front window to spy on whatever was going on between the teenage girls.

They were holding each other fiercely. Between Sasha’s heaving shoulders and Anne’s face, Calvin wasn’t sure who was crying harder. Waterworks still flowing freely, the Thai gal pulled away until Sasha was arm’s length away and they were looking each other in the eye. Anne was leading the narrative now and looked deadly serious before smiling sadly and while he couldn’t read lips, Calvin had gotten pretty good at interpreting body language. Guarded but willing to forgive versus defeated and lost.

I guess her dam finally broke, he thought.

Never thought we’d see the day, another him replied.

Can’t help but feel a little guilty about that.

I don’t, she locked us in a cell.

Still, there had to be a better way to get some change out of her.

If you were about to say therapy, I’d like to remind you she’d been there longer than we had.

Fair play.

Anne raised an eyebrow at the blonde, who began to nod and they both started to stand. In a panic, Hop Pop began to usher them all back to their respective spots in the kitchen. Everyone had barely settled when the door opened slowly and they made their way inside. The four of them were all terrible actors, especially Calvin’s ‘casual’ whistling while marveling at the ceiling.

“You’re all awful spies, you know that?” Sasha said indignantly. Anne rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a kind look.

“Come on Sash.” The blonde melted ever so slightly into her touch. “You can’t blame them for being a little curious? You’d do the same.”

“I guess…”

“Come on, let’s go to Stumpy’s. Even if he’s not open yet, I think he’ll make an exception for us.”

“For you, you mean.” The mumbled words didn’t stop her from tailing Anne back out the door.

Everyone left in the house shared looks before returning to the window without an ounce more of grace. Anne was dragging Sasha by the hand as they went, a smile on both their faces. It warmed Calvin’s heart as he leaned back with a sigh. Sprig began to make his way to the door but Hop Pop’s voice stopped him.

“And where do you think you’re goin, boy?” He was too cute to be intimidating, with his little get up and ascot.

“Following Anne, duh.” Sprig said it like he was explaining the color of the sky. “There’s no way we can trust her alone with that backstabber.”

“What, worried she can’t take care of herself?” Calvin crossed his arms after he got out of his armor. “She beat her once, have a little faith.”

“Oh yeah?” Sprig threw a suspicious look his way. “Maybe you two made a plan while you were ‘training.’ Get Anne away and we’ll all be easy pickings? Well not today, I’m ready for your Toad ambush!”

Calvin looked down his nose at the slingshot aimed his way with an unimpressed look. He pointed at the heron blade, Sasha’s only weapon now that her dagger was buried under Toad Tower, and kept getting out of his gauntlets. He turned to Hop Pop.

“Got anywhere I can clean myself? Between yesterday and this morning, I am absolutely foul. After that, we can talk shop about what we’re all doing next.”

Chapter Text

It turns out that Hop Pop liked to be prepared. He’d put together three separate drafts of both their route and lists of theoretical supplies. Because he was the only one who had been outside the valley, above ground at least, he was the one deciding on the what, the where, and the possible whos of the trip. The kids were all pretty sure they could see the years getting taken off his life.

Calvin and Sasha had a side bet going on whether the stress would do him in before or during the drive.

Finally, once everything was set up in a way that the old man approved of or at least tolerated, he took Polly and they went to grab one last surprise. Wasn’t a tough guess, but he seemed excited so Calvin kept his mouth shut.

“Yup, it's been three months,” A voice called from overhead. He looked past where Anne and Sprig were sitting on the roof and saw a frog being carried by a dragonfly. “Still up here.”

“How is he not dead yet?” He mumbled from the fence he was leaning on. Hearing a familiar snail calling down the road, he turned and opened the gate for Bessie. He gave her a chin scratch as he kept pace with her in front of the new wagon Hop Pop had gotten.

Anne wiped an annoyed face away as she pointed down at them just before Hop Pop called to the kids. Sprig hopped down with ease while Anne slid down into an undignified heap, but recovered quickly. Calvin raised an eyebrow at her that she waved off as they convened at the wagon’s door.

“Whoa, Ho Pop,” Sprig inquired, “What is this thing?”

“Impressive, huh?” The old frog boasted. “This here’s an all terrain, custom modeled family wagon! Calling it the Fwagon.”

He patted the side and chuckled to himself, while Calvin shook his head with a snort and Sprig was awed by the vehicle.

“Fwagon, really?” Anne was not sold on that name.

“Cheap too.” Hopidiah stated.

“The previous owners died in it!” Polly has a morbid sense of humor.

“That’s one way to slash prices,” Calvin and Polly high fived.

“So why do we need a new wagon?” Anne asked?

“Fwagon.”

“I’m not calling it that.”

“Well, with the snow melted and the mountain pass open, we can finally travel outside the valley.” He pointed toward the pass they’d be taking. “To Newtopia!” There was an excited shine in his eyes when he said the name of their capital.

“Oh my FROG!” Sprig was even more excited with his shouting. “We’re going to Newtopia!?”

“What’s in Newtopia?” Anne hadn’t been paying much attention to the last few living room meetings, apparently.

The old orange led them all into the fwagon and the little sitting area within. He sat at the booth and slammed a map onto the table, jabbing a finger into the center where a stylized oceanic city was depicted.

“It’s the beating heart of Amphibia,” He exclaimed. “A bustling metropolis, full of ancient knowledge, run by the wisest of Newts! If anyone can help you get home, it’s them.”

From under the table he pulled a little Newt info sheet that made them look like mysterious wizard lizards. The frog kids were in awe of the surrounding mysticism while Calvin was much less impressed. Sure, the Newts he had met were pirates, but there was hardly anything mysterious about them.

“I can’t believe it,” Anne said. “You mean this could actually be our ticket home?” She gave Calvin a side hug with a smile. “Not only that, but maybe out on the road, we’ll find Marcy.” Then she pulled out the BFF photo that all three of them had.

“Only if she’s coming down the same way.” Calvin dryly stated.

“What do ya mean dude?” The leaf haired girl asked.

“I feel like I already mentioned that Newtopia is where Marcy should be.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d remember a big deal like that!” Anne had him by the shoulders and was shaking him a bit.

“Guys, back me up here, didn’t I mention this?” An unsure frog chorus was the only response he got until the door opened.

“You told me at least.” Sasha stepped into the fwagon and gave herself a quick tour. “This’ll do.”

The former lieutenant stalked over to the table and pulled out her own map, crisscrossed with several different routes in various blues, pinks, and greens. Everyone braced for the familiar storm as she leveled her mismatched eyes at the old farmer.

"Going through the Dry Swamp is the stupidest route we could possibly take, it’s wicked unsafe." The orange frog met the storm with the same tired aggravation he had the last five times she’d brought issue with his choice of trail.

“Unless you want to make a one month trip three, I’d suggest you calm down missy.” He pulled his map out from under her own and straightened out like she wasn’t there. “Besides, it ain’t no more dangerous than anywhere else in Amphibia, just different ‘sall.”

As Sasha sucked down air to begin her rebuttal, Anne dragged the other three kids out of the fwagon with a nervous chuckle, Polly grabbing a key as they went. Once they were firmly on the swampy ground they let out a collective sigh. The topics might change, but similar arguments had become routine over the last few days of Calvin and Sasha living with the Plantars. The fight left the blonde like smoke on the wind whenever Anne said anything, but it must be exhausting to constantly be taking the wind out of her sails. Calvin could see that the Waybright girl meant well, she just didn’t know how to do it well.

He hadn’t gotten the details out of either of the girls, but he figured he’d gotten the gist of it by now. Anne informed Sasha she’d become more bully than friend and Sasha had reacted Poorly, but saw sense eventually. Now the blonde was pushing really hard at the protective angle without any real understanding of how to do that without putting herself in front. Credit where it’s due though, she wasn’t shouting or throwing out the much hated ‘End. Of. Discussion.’ anymore.

Calvin was just happy to be reveling in some conflict with much lower stakes than what had become his norm the last few months. While he was by no means a fan of fights, he was a fan of watching two people clash ideas like blades until the better verbal duelist won. His therapist had said something about the irony of his love of arguing but hate of shouting, but her words eluded him at the moment.

Anne was rubbing her elbow, refusing to look at any of her friends as they all awkwardly stood by the fwagon. Sprig took some initiative and clapped his hands together, dragging everyone out of their collective thoughts.

“Okay gang, we’ve got our ride,” He was all smiles and sparkling eyes as he spoke. “Now all that’s left is to pack.” He paused, looking at the humans. “Well, me and Polly need to pack. You don’t really have much to take and you already gave Hop Pop the box, so...” The frog boy trailed off after looking at the human girl and boy in turn.

Calvin was rather surprised when Anne told him that she’d explained everything to the Plantars. That was also when he’d been told the whole story of what happened that night, how Marcy had found the box and both her and Sasha had pushed Anne to take it while being late for her family birthday party. While the brunette continued, he began mentally working on the script he was going to use when he confronted Marcy about all this.

In one of the old family books, Hop Pop had found a dual spread page dedicated to the music box, noted as the Calamity Box. The pages were covered in cryptic warnings of disaster and ruin that would follow in the wake of using the box and Calvin could see the fear in the old frog’s eyes as he relived the fact that such a supposedly dangerous artifact had brought him his newest granddaughter.

“These books have never steered us wrong,” There was a quiver in his elderly voice but he pushed on. “And they say that thing’s a menace. But it’s also your best chance for getting home. I know me some folk from back before I stopped traveling and they might have more insight on this thing than we do and I’d like to ask them for help with this, if you’d let me.”

The boy met the frog’s eyes for a long moment before looking between Anne and Sasha. The blonde looked ready to pass some of her trademarked envenomed words, but then her eyes darted between Hop Pop and his human grandchild and instead the words became a huff as she shrugged while folding her arms over her chest. Anne for her part rested her hand on the elderly frog’s shoulders and beamed a reassuring smile.

“I trust Hop Pop and if he trusts them, then I do too. It’s probably safer than traveling with the box too.”

All of this weighed on Calvin as he tried to decide if he wanted to be free of the burden he’d put on himself. He didn’t know this frog all too well and he’d sworn to himself that he’d keep the box safe. On the other hand he was scared to keep it on him in a place as wild as Amphibia. Sure, it might be a dimension connecting device of untold power, but it was also made of some pretty old wood.

With a sigh that carried all of his woes with it, Calvin reached into his backpack, past Hobbes, and pulled out the music box before setting it on the table, pushing it toward Hop Pop. The old frog grabbed it in tentative hands, meeting his eyes and giving him a determined nod.

“Thank you Calvin.”

“Don’t think nothing of it.” He looked out the window like it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. “Just remember, I swore I’d keep that thing safe and get us all home. Don’t make a liar outta me.” That last bit came out a bit harsher than he’d intended, but the orange frog didn’t seem to hold it against him.

“Well,” Polly said from her bucket on the ground. “Hop Pop wanted Anne to give Chuck the key to the house when he swings by.”

“Who’s Chuck?” Anne asked before Calvin got the chance.

“We played bug ball together.” Sprig piped up before Polly jumped on his head.

“He grows tulips!” Calvin had deduced Polly’s love of chaos, but it seems she also had a love of flowers.

“Mmmnope, not ringing any bells.” Anne’s thinking face gave way to confusion. “Why does he need a key?”

“Because Hop Pop hired him to protect the house from all the things waiting to destroy it.” The little tadpole explained.

“Wait, what!” Anne exclaimed.

“An empty house is easy pickings Anne,” Sprig said with the casualness of discussing the color of trees as Polly handed over the key. “Especially a farm house and all its crops.”

“I didn’t realize you guys were risking so much to help us.” Anne looked at the little iron work in her hands like it was liable to make a run for it.

“That’s what family does Anne.” Sprig and Polly stood next to Anne and all three of them looked lovingly at the house, the human a bit more concerned than the other two. The two humans were the only ones who saw a flaming tornado made of locusts destroy a nearby windmill and house. There was a little scream that hardly lasted before the windmill blade slammed into the ground.

“Whoa, that was a close one.” Sprig didn’t sound concerned. “Anyways, Polly, let’s go pack.” They made their way inside as Calvin sidled up to a worried Anne.

“Starting to feel a little guilty about all this.” She buried the worry under a smile as she put the key in her pocket. “Well, at least Chuck’s gonna handle it. Whoever that is.”

As if on cue, the trilling of a snail could be heard as a trail of dust began to charge down the dirt road leading to the house. Anne and Calvin exchanged a look before trying to make details out of the cloud. Jumping ahead if the dust came a Conan looking frog riding a snail that was just as jacked. On the shell was a little hut labeled ‘Taxi.’ His majestic hair flew in a breeze that existed only around his head as he struck a natural pose and gazed down upon the human children.

“Chuck!” Anne’s eyes shone as she looked excitedly at Conan-Frog.

“Actually, I’m Dave. That’s Chuck.” He pointed a thumb back toward the snail’s shell and Calvin was sure that the taxi driver was made of marble.

A little, green frog with eyes hidden under a straw hat opened the taxi’s door, wearing jean overalls and carrying a little bag with a tulip embroidered on the side. He held his hat as he stepped out into the morning light and Calvin could feel his gaze as he looked down at them.

“I grow tulips!” Infectious enthusiasm, this frog.

He stepped off the shell and the snail was gone at breakneck pace. Anne stared in unhidden disappointment at the little guy that was left behind.

“Oh yeah.” She finally remembered him from the bug ball game. “Chuck.” Didn’t sound enthused.

He spat on an anthill. The earth briefly shook before the mound erupted and a flying scorpion burst forth, menacing the little frog. Before either of them could help him, it dove on top of him and they rolled away. Chuck got up in a run and he ran away screaming ‘Tulips!’ all the way into a tree, falling over. Three more of the bugs flew out of the tree and all four dogpiled the poor guy as Anne facepalmed.

“No, no! There’s no way this guy can handle the job.” She briefly deflated, but straightened up as she pulled the key out of her back pocket like it was a holy relic. “The house is doomed and it’s all my fault. Unless…”

“Alright, I’m gonna stop you there Annie B.” Calvin piped up while he made his way toward the fighting pile. “This trip ain’t just for you, so it can’t only be your fault. Secondly, I thought you trusted Hop Pop?” He grabbed a scorpion fly by the stinger and began walloping the other three with it.

“I mean, I do, but come on dude!” She stood next to him and threw her hands down at the beaten mess of a frog before them. His leg twitched a little as a faint ‘tulips’ passed his lips. “You actually think he can protect their house?”

“Honestly? No, not even a little.” Calvin threw the bug and clapped his hands clean. “But Hopidiah thinks he can, so shouldn’t you at least ask him before you do something silly?”

“Uhmm, maybe,” She admitted before doubling down. “But he’s busy dealing with Sasha and then he has to pack and honestly sometimes he’s not the best judge of character, you know?”

“He likes you alright, so he can’t be that bad a judge.” He threw an arm around his blushing friend’s shoulders as he forcibly moved them both toward the quiet fwagon. “Besides, I’m sure he’d love an excuse to leave that argument for a spell.”

“Really, I think it’d just be better to go with my idea, honest.” She dug her heels in and Calvin was having an awkward time pushing her forward like this.

“That reminds me, we gotta see about getting you new shoes. And clothes, good Frog.” He made a mental note and stopped pushing her. “Alright, level with me Anne, what’s up?”

“Whaddya mean dude?” Anne tried to smile and shrug casually but she just looked constipated. It was kinda funny, but now wasn’t the time. “I just wanna protect my friends, is that so weird?”

“Dreadfully in character, but that’s not all of it.” He narrowed his eyes into needle points to better pin her to the truth. He replayed his interactions with her the last few days and decided he’d landed on target. “You don’t wanna see Sasha.”

Anne squirmed under his eyes and words for a moment before relenting, shoulders drooping and a sigh escaping from her chest. Calvin could nearly swear he could see the weight of her thoughts on her back when she started to explain herself.

“After Toad Tower and our blow out the next day she’s been so…” She searched for the right word a moment before settling on “Intense. I’m still piecing together how I feel about ‘Us’ and now whenever she isn’t trying to lead us all like dogs on leashes she’s glued to me like I’ll stop breathing if she doesn’t see me do it!”

Even as she threw her head back in frustration she stood a little taller, just letting her troubles out of her head enough to lessen the weight they put on her chest. Calvin allowed himself a little smile before trying to tackle his friend’s problem. He flexed his hands and faintly missed the comforting weight of his gauntlets before an idea came to him.

“Alright, we won’t save Hopidiah from the wrath of Waybright.” She smiled at him briefly before the image of Sasha being angry at her Hop Pop crossed her mind and her easily read features. Calvin pressed on to keep her grounded. “I’m gonna take your mind off of all this for a second.”

“How’s that?” Curiosity outran trepidation as she raised an eyebrow in his direction.

“First things first, let’s give that key to Chuck.” She looked ready to protest but he insisted. “Have a little faith in Hop Pop, if only for a moment.” She gave him a pensive look but Calvin still felt the iron key placed into his waiting palm. He walked back, picked Chuck off the ground, and put the key into the front pocket of his overalls. Poor guy still seemed a little dizzy from the venom.

He jogged back, grabbed Anne's hand, and they both made their way into the house. The kid started throwing on his gloves and nodded toward the hatch that led to her basement room. When all he got from her was a raised eyebrow, he grinned, rolled his eyes, and opened it with his foot.

“Come on, let’s grab your racket.” She was hot on his heels as he made his way down below. It wasn’t hard to find, but Calvin was struck by how homie she’d managed to make the basement room. It didn’t look like a spare shed repurposed at the last minute or like a fancy tower suite made out of deference, but like the room of a loved child. It felt lived in. He was broken from what would have been a spiral by the room’s occupant bumping into him. He ignored her shocked words, grabbed the tennis racket, and made his way past her up the stairs.

Calvin led them to an empty part of the fields surrounding the farm house and tossed Anne her weapon, which she caught easily but was still unsure of why they were out there. He put his armored hands up and squared up with the brunette, who only became more confused.

“Yeah, I know, not exactly what you expected,” He admitted with a grin. “But, trust me when I tell ya that this’ll help.”

“How’s getting in a fight supposed to help right now?” She rested a hand on her hip and did not look amused.

“It’s not a fight, it’s sparring. Practice to stay in tip top shape.” He rolled his shoulders and danced from foot to foot. “This is a dangerous place and it’s important to stay ready. Plus, you’ve got a lot of restless energy to burn. And, if I’m being honest, I wanna see if you’re actually any good at this.” Her offended scoff and the look in her eye told him she was considering the bait, making his grin grow.

“I’m not sure what you were watching up there, but I beat Sasha on top of Toad Tower, thank you very much,” She got into a lower stance as she locked competitive eyes with him, readying her unconventional weapon. “And I’m gonna backhand that smirk off your face!” She charged.

He leaned just around the swing and fell forward a step, turning to face her as she swung back around, throwing a wild stab his way. The unorthodox method of tennis play caught him off guard and he almost didn’t have time to block it on an armored glove. Her laugh of triumph twisted into a happy growl of being tested as she pressed the assault.

Calvin dipped, dodged, and weaved his way through the onslaught, only occasionally having to actually block a swing. He had to admit, her swing was stronger than he’d have guessed and her footwork was pretty good too. Apparently that Newt she’d told him about had actually done a decent job getting the basics into her head, although being a tennis player for a few years back home probably didn’t hurt. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he had two people to spar with now and, more importantly, one that didn’t come with a deluge of confusing feelings. Just as he was slipping into a relaxed headspace, his opponent let out a huff and slammed her racket into the ground, panting a little.

“Come on dude, is this what you call sparring?” She twirled her weapon and recentered herself. “Or am I just that tough, you can’t do anything but avoid me?” Her grin was cocky and it did his heart good to see her forgetting her woes for a moment.

“Allow me to teach you an ancient lesson passed to me from my Master, Boonchuy-san.” He was under and inside her guard with a grin before she could react and shoved her a ways back with an open palm to the chest. “Talk shit, get hit.”

She caught herself before she could fall over and was immediately on the defensive as Calvin began his own storm of strikes. And was pleasantly surprised to once again find Anne to be competent as a sparring partner. She managed to deflect most of his attacks with her racket and what she didn’t were weathered like a street fighting champ. He wasn’t hitting her that hard, but some of those were going to bruise nicely. And then she swept his legs out from under him after ducking a right hook, suddenly putting him at quite the disadvantage.

He managed to catch himself on his hands and rolled away from Anne before she could capitalize. For a few weighted seconds they just stood, panting with exertion and not taking their eyes off the other. The Thai gal broke the moment with a warcry and a sprint, tennis racket cocked back for a mighty two handed swing.

Calvin felt muscle memory take over, legs tensing and arms tightening. No thought went into the motions, mastering the timing of this counter had been his favorite exercise with Ryu way back home and it was the one technique he ever felt close to calling himself a master in. Within the confines of his head, he knew the fight was over, simply a matter of putting the final bow on top. Anne began her swing and he started falling nearly to a knee, arm shooting out like a cannon shot with all his body weight behind it.

And he was just able to stop himself from seriously injuring his friend. It was a blow for ending actual threats, not for friendly sparring matches. Unfortunately, that meant he still ate the racket right across the jaw and went sprawling across the field a good few feet. The Boonchuy girl had an absolutely vicious swing on her and Calvin was genuinely surprised to find he still had all of his teeth, once the stars and frogs cleared from his dancing vision. Anne was already on top of him, fussing like he was Marcy tripping into another trash can.

His laughter had her reeling back in shock for a moment before the levity proved too much for her and she joined in, sitting down and laying over him in the dirt. Neither was sure how long they spent like that, but eventually life caught back up to them and the adrenaline began to wear off, making their various bruises and minor cuts start to sting like all hell. With amused, pained breaths, Calvin managed to push Anne to her feet and they collectively limped back to the house to sit down on proper furniture, laughter following them the whole time.

Sprig and Polly were already occupying the couch and had the pained disinterest held by all children who did a poor job of hiding their spying. Neither human made anything of it as they went to the kitchen and began to acquire beverages to stay hydrated. Hop Pop was already there with a pitcher of water, they needed only to grab the glasses.

Sasha was still in the fwagon, fussing over their route and comparing it to what she could recall from the Toad Army’s records. When Anne went to pack what little she was planning on taking, Calvin joined his commanding officer next to the map and listened as she listed off potential hazard after likely risk. He didn’t have much to say, given that both his fictional and factual journeys had little to do with the path they were taking to Newtopia.

This was a version of Sasha that he was unfamiliar with, that protective side of her that had long been tainted by ego into something possessive and mean-spirited. That’s not to say the ego was gone, but it was being consciously forced down, leaving a thin facade of bravado and quips. That was why the confidence in her stance was such a surprise, the determined look in her blue and brown eyes catching him off guard.

Her best friend had just shaken her down to her core and yet she still looked like the idea of giving up had never even crossed her mind.

Incredible.

That sense of wonder kept pace with him as Hop Pop cracked the reins and Bessie pulled away from the Plantar family farm, onward toward the rest of the continent, Newtopia, and the final star in his quest.

Chapter Text

Marcy Wu was once again burning the midnight oil. There wasn't a specific reason for this particular session, she'd just found herself immersed in the fascinating biology of what were categorized as 'warrior bug's species, such as Barbariants. They were a classification of insects that maintained community structures but actively pursued territory for conquest. Barbariants were also bouncy, which was funny.

And then Calvin was dragged awake by a particularly mean pothole that Hop Pop couldn't avoid in the dark of the early morning. There was a muffled apology from the bench he sat at to steer Bessie, but the damage was done and the boy was thoroughly awake now. With a grumble he climbed out of the interior of the fwagon to sit on the roof and take in the early morning sights. Sprig was already there, doing a poor job of pretending not to be up here just to keep an eye on Sasha sitting next to his grandfather, eyes roving around hawkishly for any threats.

He was going to try to get a better grasp on how to see things in his dreams as they traveled, but it wasn't an exact science by any stretch of the imagination and Amphibia’s crummy roads weren't helping him much either. At least the view into Frog Valley from the mountain road was beautiful, even if he knew of the dangers that hid under the verdant canopy. Even back home, before LA, he couldn't believe there was so much green in any world.

“Trouble sleepin, Calvin?” Hop Pop tried to start some small talk, but he slurred his speech a little from waking up so early.

“Always was something of a light sleeper,” He grumbled. “I figure I’m going to be seeing a lot of Amphibia by starlight until proper exhaustion sets in.”

“It’s only the first night sport, the roads out of the valley are always a bit dodgy after the thaw. And clearing the rocks that fell. And clearing out the crab-moles. That’s probably what made that hole back there, now that I think about it.”

There was a time in his life that something called crab-moles would have given him at least a moment of pause, to stew in the sheer ridiculousness of his situation, and to perhaps allow a little mental break down, as a treat. But now? Now it would seem odd if that wasn’t a thing and he was honestly just curious what something like that would even look like. Part of him sketched ideas of it in his mind while someone further back in there squirmed under the mismatched eyes looking his way.

Sasha was staring at him after what he said and he was pointedly trying not to look at her. She crawled back to where he was against the stump on the top of the fwagon and shouldered into him as she sat down. Sprig took the opportunity to sit next to his grandfather and rained endless questions about the continent past the valley on the poor old timer.

“You’re about as light a sleeper as the dead, dude,” Blunt as a brick, this chick. “Why’re you sparing his feelings for his shit driving?”

“I’m sure you could do better, Waybright.” He still didn’t meet her eyes, trying to let the wonder from before wash back over himself. “Besides, it’s been true since we got here. I guess interdimensional travel makes me jumpy.”

“I could, thank you, if it were a tarantula instead of a snail. Are you sleeping alright?” The concern in her voice did something for him, but then he started counting the seconds till the other shoe dropped.

“Sleep five hours, wake up tired. Sleep nine hours, wake up tired. I pass out and wake up tired, so you tell me chief.”

“I know you were never a morning person, but at our sleepovers you were almost always the last one awake, this isn’t like you.”

“This world isn’t like ours, can’t really blame me for adjusting.”

“There’s adjusting and then there’s unhealthy habits. We can’t do this without you.” That was a bit out of left field. It took him a few seconds to respond and in that time her look only grew sharper. She put a hand on his shoulder and he conceded a glance at her worried features.

“I get the feeling y’all would manage, but I appreciate it.” He slithers down a little, putting his hands behind his head and letting his boots hang over the edge. It wasn’t comfortable, but he hoped it looked casual enough for Sasha to stop beating around the bush and ask for what she wanted already.

“I don’t think falling to my death counts as managing Cali.”

Calvin flinched a little, involuntarily remembering their last night at Toad Tower. Now he turned to face her and saw a sad smile on her face as she looked at nothing off over the horizon. His turn to be concerned.

“How’re you holding up? I can’t imagine how that must have been.”

“Honestly? Letting go was the easy part.” She chuckled darkly at her whispered admission. “The hardest part was looking at Anne and the Plantars, realizing she’d drag us all down if I’d let her. And I almost did.”

He could only see her blue eye but was pretty sure tears were forming in both of them before the blonde ran an arm over her face and took a centering breath. Gone was the vulnerable human being and returned again was the confident illusion of Sasha Waybright, with all that that entailed. She flashed him a cocky grin and slapped him twice on the shoulder before standing on top of the moving fwagon.

“The suns coming up, so not like you’ll get more sleep now, but tonight you are passing the hell out and I don’t want to see you again until the next sunrise, you get me, soldier?” Calvin knew better than to try chipping away at that bravado, so he just put on an enthused mask and threw her a lazy salute.

“Aye aye Lieutenant.”

“Hey Sasha,” Hop Pop called from the bench as they turned away from the cliff road in a crevice between mountains. “While you’re up, think you could get Anne and Polly? We’ll officially be out of the valley when the sun’s up and I don’t think they’ll wanna miss this.”

“Sure Hop Pop.” She ignored the glare that nickname got out of Sprig and made her way through the roof hatch to where the other two girls were still out like lights.

Calvin gave a bone cracking stretch and sighed, finally feeling like people again. He ignored the look the little frog kid was now leveling his direction and went back to watching the countryside slip on by. A groan made its way out the window beneath him, followed by a muffled ‘five more minutes.’ That’d be Anne then, now for the funny one. And as if on cue there was a quick warcry and the fwagon rocked a little on its wheels.

“Heh heh, that’s why you don’t wake Polly.” The old frog chortled to himself as the shouting match inside the family vehicle climaxed and began to dissipate. Calvin didn’t let his surprise reach his face, now realizing that the older timer had a bit of mischief to him even in his twilight years. That explained where the kids got it from though.

All three young women eventually made their way top side, Anne joining the two frogs on the steering seat with Polly in her lap while Sasha stood leaning against the roof stump, going back to her careful survey of the world around them. The sun began to crest over the mountains, shadows pooling in front of them as the crevice they drove through was slowly being filled with the first rays of morning.

Once the last of night was dispelled, they could all make out a sign along the road. In stark white letters on mossy wood covered in orange mushrooms read ‘Now Leaving the Valley.’ Just behind it was a similar sign in red that said ‘May Frog HELP You.’ Not exactly encouraging stuff here.

“Did you see that sign?” Sprig turned back from staring behind them to his family, throwing his fist in the air in celebration. “We’ve officially left the valley! This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to anyone. Aren’t you excited? I’m excited. You should be more excited Anne.” The boy could ramble, goodness.

“I’m excited.” Calvin could hear the smile drop as she spoke. “You know, it’s just there’s a lot riding on this trip for me, for us.” She looked back at the other humans, Calvin waved while Sasha just so happened to be looking up at the mountain like she was expecting an avalanche. “And I wanna keep my expectations in WHAT?”

They crested a hump in the road as they exited the mountains proper and saw what the world was like outside of the valley. People sized mushrooms dotted the landscape and some bigger than the trees they towered over in the distance. Plants like lily pads on stalks were growing around while a hill to their right was covered in massive crystalline growths. And past the picturesque fields, little buildings, and babbling river right out of a fairy tale was an active volcano. A trio of warm colored butterflies the size of large cats flew by, shaking off the nightly drowsiness.Hop Pop had Bessie stop so everyone could take in the overwhelming majesty of it all.

“All of this was right outside of the valley and all three of us got stuck in that swamp.” Sasha’s emotionless voice carried from behind them, but no one paid her any mind.

“It’s amazing, it’s majestic.” The sparkle left Anne’s eyes as she rubbed her face but the smile was back quick. “It’s hurting my eyes.”

“It’s even better than I could’ve dreamed.” Sprig shimmied a little in excitement before hopping onto Bessie’s shell. “Full speed ahead, Hop Pop. Keep driving and never look back!”

“Hold on Sprig, look back here for a second.” Hopidiah was clearly not as enamored as the rest of them, once more confirming he had in fact traveled long ago. “Now that we’re out of the valley, things can get dangerous fast, so..”

“Only now?” Calvin’s comment was ignored as the orange frog led them all into the fwagon, whereupon he produced an absolutely massive tome labeled…

“From now on we’re gonna follow Hop Pop’s Rules of the Road. By me, Hop Pop.” The smile on his face perfectly contradicted the chorus of groans that met his declaration.

“Another huge book, seriously?” Anne was the first to voice opposition and by the looks of their faces all the kids agreed.

“You kids got a problem with books?” The elder assumed prime nagging position. “Why, without books…” All three Plantars kids helped him finish with not an ounce of enthusiasm between them. “Our civilization would crumble to nothingness.” Must be a familiar lecture.

“Now, the only way we’ll get to Newtopia in one piece is if we follow these rules.” Hop Pop was back to being all grins as he wrenched open the dusty mountain of pages. Looking over his shoulder revealed gold numbers in the top left corner of each page and the occasional exceptional drawing. “Like this one here: Rule number 98: Never strike a heroic pose on the fwagon.” He lowered the book, revealing Sprig to be looking out the window in the exact pose depicted.

“It’s a sign of hubris that invites disaster.” Sprig’s adventure loving face dropped like a stone in a well at the warning. The old frog, from seemingly nowhere, pulled out a couple kids coloring books and a cup of crayons beforing shutting the blinds and strapping his grandson into his seat that apparently had a hidden child belt installed. “That should keep your sense of adventure in check.” Hop Pop climbed back out onto the roof, calling down before he left.

“Alright kids, let’s stick to the rules and we should have a safe and completely uneventful trip. Okay, thanks, Byyye.”

“He only explained one rule and it was mostly a defense against narrative.” Calvin said as he stared at where old man Plantar had been.

“Apparently he was an acting major.” Sasha shrugged next to him.

“Man, this stinks.” Sprig shot his tongue out and sent the blinds back up. Sasha watched as Polly began to stab at the table around her flipper, getting faster and faster with each poke. She glanced outside at the wondrous world behind her and chucked her pencil into the kids books like a spear, where it stuck.

“All those adventures out there, and we’re stuck in here with these dumb rules.”

“Not much we can do.” Anne leaned over where her best friend was belted down. “My dad was the same way back home. One time, we drove to the Grand Canyon and didn’t stop once.”

“Well, if anyone can figure out how to have fun with these rules, it’s us.” He glanced at the other two humans. “Well, most of us.” Sasha could have curdled milk with that look but the little frog was undeterred.

“Newtopia, here we come!” Shouted the Plantar kids.

“Road Rule number 29: No Shouting.” Hop Pop shouted down at them. “Marauders will follow the sound and steal your skin.” The kids sighed and their excitement deflated a little.

“Pfft, can you believe him?” Calvin looked at the blonde, drawing her out of her angry staring. She met his gaze and gave a snicker.

“I know, right?” She sighed and leaned against a countertop. “The marauding bands are way further north, they never came this close to Toad Tower.”

Calvin stared at what she said, unsure it was a joke or not. As the statement filled the room like an uncomfortable liquid it became increasingly clear that she was serious, before she slapped her knees and climbed back onto the roof to continue her vigil. She and Anne looked away from each other as she walked by, getting a disappointed sigh out of Calvin and an approving look out of Sprig. Polly followed, mumbling she at least wanted to see the world.

Eventually Anne got the frog boy out of his harness and he opened the top half of the side door, where he despondently leaned over it, gazing longingly at the mysterious world behind them. He let out a gasp of wonder that caught Calvin’s attention, showing a beautiful vista of three different waterfalls all meeting in a single pond, a rainbow coalescing over the miracle of nature.

“A rainbow waterfall?” He called while pointing back. “Oh, we gotta pull over!”

“Bah-bah-bup!” Hop Pop tutted down. “Road Rule number 243: All natural phenomena lead to an unnatural death.”

Everyone rolled their eyes at the old frog while the young frog despondently looked back toward the waterfalls. This continued on for the rest of the day, passing natural wonder after frog made fantasy and each time Hopidiah Plantar, the tyrant, already had a rule for each and every occasion. Probably because this was the route he always took back when he traveled, but who could really say. Even Anne couldn’t catch a break.

“Ooh, what’s that?” Her head shot out of the fwagon and up to where the frogs were sitting, pointing toward a building off to the side of the road.

“Whoa! Amphibia’s Best Diner?” Sprig read the sign, proclaiming the restaurant to be just that. “Okay, we HAVE to stop here.”

“Rule number 193: Don’t stop anywhere claiming to be the best.” The old timer must have had the whole book memorized.

“But look, they have crickets-and-cream ice cream.” Polly jumped on his head and pointed a flipper.

“Rule number 194: No ice cream in the fwagon.” He was met with another round of complaints from his kids. “Hey, hey, I just enforce the rules, I don’t make em.” He pulled Polly off his head as Anne looked about ready to blow a fuse.

“You did make them! They’re called Hop Pop’s Road Rules!” She threw her arms out in exasperation.

“Darn straight. And I stand by em.” Most of the youngins groaned until Calvin piped up.

“Actually, I’m with Hop Pop on this one.” Everyone turned to stare, even Sasha taking her eyes off an inoffensive frog couple for a moment.

“Traitor.” Anne stuck a tongue at him.

“No, really, any roadside joint claiming to be ‘the best’ is just some grease trap that’s literally named The Best. If you want the actual best diner on the road, you gotta ask truckers and travelers, that’s how you really figure it out.” The human boy nodded sagely.

“How’d you figure?” Sprig looked ready to go eat there just to spite him.

“When we moved from Illinois to LA, we drove the whole way.” Calvin backstoried. “Dad asked around at a couple truck stops along the way and let me tell you, they steered us perfectly. I still dream about those burgers.”

The kids looked wistfully at the diner as they passed but the dreamy look in the boy’s eyes had them sold that this probably wasn’t the best in the entire froggy world. They came to a series of little hills that quickly put the probably not best diner out of sight and idyllic scenery became the norm once more. The contrast between this area and the valley’s swampy countenance was refreshing, to say the very least.

Anne sat down at the couch while Sprig began to pace the floor. She and Calvin were throwing a tennis ball back and forth while the frog boy began to visibly work himself into a frenzy under their game. He was even starting to turn a darker shade of pink before his frustration blew out his mouth like steam from a kettle.

“Ugggh, I can’t take it!” There was adventure and rage in the little frog boy’s eyes as he looked past Cavlin out the window to the moving landscape. “All these once-in-a-lifetime experiences are literally passing us by.”

“I know,” Anne said, catching the ball and stopping their game of catch. “And I really wanna complain about it, but Road Rule 345: No complaining, takes care of that.”

“I swear to frog, if one more cool and exciting thing passes us by-”

“Red alert, kids.” Hop Pop’s voice was muffled before he reached back and opened the hatch so they could all hear him. “We’re coming up on the Ruins of Despair.”

Anne threw the top half of the side door wide open and all three cabin kids looked out at the ominously titled area. Past the ragged fence were numerous metal and stone frog structures shaped like frogs preparing to pounce. They were clearly old, moss and other unfamiliar floras growing over and through the stone work, but despite their clear age the copper-like metal of the mouth and eye-bolts were pristine, if a little dirty. As they kept moving, Calvin noticed that the hills the structures were on were also artificial, seeing the same light gray stone worked into brick walls peeking through where erosion had worn away grass and dirt.

Ominous, sure, but he didn’t get much of a sense of despair from these ruins.

“Whoa,” Anne called in wonder. “What are those weird structures?”

“No one knows, Anne.” Hop Pop was great with explanations. “They’ve been here long before any written history. Just a mystery better left unsolved as far as I’m concerned.”

After she shut the door, Anne plopped back into her spot with crossed arms and a pout, Calvin began to absentmindedly doodle on a coloring book, and Sprig got onto the head of the couch, shuddering as he looked at the ancient mystery. A glance told the human boy it wasn’t fear and he could tell that the pink frog was finally reaching a boiling point.

“This place is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” Sprig pressed his face to the glass, trying to get just a little closer to solving the mystery. “If I don’t get out and at least touch something, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” He collapsed onto the arm of the couch with what could have actually been tears in his eyes.

“Don’t sweat it dude.” Anne had a determined look in her eye and mischief in her posture as she pointed at her best friend. “I have a plan.” She made her way toward the hatch and popped it open.

“Hey HP,” She used her best sick voice, which is to say not that convincing. “I’ve never ridden in a wagon this long and I’m definitely gonna hurl.” She brought a fist to her mouth like she was prepared to physically push vomit back down. “Can we stop for a second?”

Calvin heard a quick step and skidding on the roof as Sasha’s blonde locks came barely into view from below. She had Anne by the shoulders and began to angle her this way and that, looking her bestie over in a manner that gave him flashbacks to Anne mothering Marcy. It was kind of adorable, actually, if it wasn’t for how forceful it was and the fact that the Thai gal actually looked like she was going to hurl.

“This is serious Hopidiah,” Sasha’s voice was dire. “We gotta stop now.”

“Danged humans and their unreliable innards.” He grumbled and started getting Bessie to slow. “Let me know when we can start moving again.”

“Okay, thanks.” Anne was all smiles as she pulled herself out of Sasha’s grasp and slammed the hatch shut behind her. Before Calvin could ask why she looked so shaken, the fwagon stopped, and she made a run for it with Sprig out the back doors, hopping the fence and disappearing into the ruins. The whole vehicle shook and Calvin could see Sasha already hot on her heels.

“Dang it you three!” Hop Pop grabbed his infernal rule book and jumped down after them. “Polly, Calvin, watch the fwagon till I’m back.” He called out to them before he too was gone.

Calvin climbed on top of the fwagon with the tadpole. They glanced at each other before looking back in the direction everyone had run off. The two kids sat back and waited a moment or two before collective boredom, or maybe worry, started to weigh on them. Polly was first to act, slowly reaching for Bessie’s reins and bringing them toward herself. Calvin caught the movement and looked the round, pink girl in her big eyes.

“They’re probably off on a wild, mysterious, and possibly life threatening adventure.” She said.

“Yep.” He replied.

“And Hop Pop ordered us to watch the fwagon.”

“Uh Huh.”

“Which means we can’t really leave this bench.”

“I don’t think he said anything about the fwagon staying put.”

“We should probably stay on the move so trouble doesn’t find us too.”

A pair of wicked grins spread across both their faces in tandem and the leather reins cracked like lightning in Polly’s flippers.

“Bessie, things are getting messy!” She hollered and the snail was off like hell itself was behind them. The wind roared around them and they crashed through the fence instead of following a turn in the road. She hopped in his lap and they were both steering now, the terrain and Bessie's enthusiasm seemingly too much for the tadpole. If Calvin had been thinking clearer he might have recalled the insane strength he'd seen from her in the short time he'd known her, but he wasn't so he didn't. Kid was just too busy wondering if this is what having a sister was like.

They tore through the ruins with reckless abandon and surprising skill, ramping off of old structures like skatepark features, the fwagon taking the punishment better than any derby car Calvin had seen at the county fair back home. Not a surprise, given the world it was made to travel, but the makers might not have had extreme vehicular sports in mind when they put it together. Or maybe it was, who could say, this was a weird world.

Loose clumps of grass tore off of brickwork ground in sparks as Bessie let it rip for who knows how long, the two kids on the bench barely doing anything to tell that beautiful girl how to move or where to go. Polly’s maniacal laughter warmed Calvin’s heart and for just a moment he wasn’t cooking in his armor in Amphibia’s blasted humidity, but he was back home. Not the sweltering heat of the City of Angels, or Earth in general, but home.

He is in the fields of Illinois on the family ATV jumping from ditch to ditch, tearing up mud from a fresh rain and Calvin looks down at a little girl about half his age, her features fuzzy and indistinct but he knows she would have looked more like Mother because he looked like Dad. Her long brown hair would fly into his face as he’s steering and he’d spit it out of the way with a snide jest to which she’d reply in kind. They’d hit a ditch just wrong and stop for a moment, both children dazed. He comes out of it first and checks to make sure she’s alright, doesn’t start crying. Instead she shouts in his face to punch it and he does. Later that night, they’d get back to town just when Dad gets done grilling and laments fondly how much gas they spent today. Mother tells them to wash the bugs out of their teeth so they don’t spoil their appetites, Calvin would say that it’s extra protein and the little girl would playfully wretch. They fight over who gets to use the hose first and he wins, but Dad tells him to let his little sister go first.

Because that’s what big brothers do.

The sound of a massive explosion not too far off drew him out of what-could-have-been and the pollywog on his lap steers them in that direction. Bessie is happy to oblige, hitting every jump and bump she can to keep the flow interesting. Polly managed to flip the whole damn fwagon in a tight spiral before they came to a landing right next to their friends and a crater where Calvin was sure there had been a building before they’d left.

“Boom baby!” Polly celebrated the sick trick she’d just managed with a family vehicle. She looked at her family and Sasha, then pointed at the snail. “Bessie made me do it.”

And why was Hop Pop in his underwear? The questioning look was fine, expected even, by why was he nearly naked?

Calvin was still recovering from the flip, both physical and emotional just before, while the tadpole looked skyward, threw her fins out, and got started on apologizing to her grandfather.

“”All right, I’m sorry, okay?” She crossed her arms and looked away. “That’s the last time I break a rule. I swear.”

“Yeah, us too HP.” Anne piped up while Sasha brushed soot out of her hair, looking no better herself. The Thai gal slapped her hands absentmindedly and the blonde looked… Scared? “For the rest of the trip, we’ll follow all the rules.” She got up despondently and began to make her way back to the fwagon.

“Yeah.” Sprig followed with hardly any more joy in his step. “We just won’t experience anything special, I guess.”

Sasha followed behind and looked ready to say something overprotective, but the words died in her throat and she stepped after them holding her arm sheepishly. A look of remorse came over Hopidiah and he looked to the ground before sighing and walking after them.

“Hang on a sec kids.” He reached out after them as they turned, stopping just shy of arm's length. “Maybe this only happened because I was being too strict with ya.” The old frog began to rub his arm to try to work off some of his anxious energy. “We’ve never taken a trip like this and I just wanted it to go smoothly. So, what do you say we set aside the rules for a bit and make a stop or two?” He put a hand out like a peace offering as the Plantars kids all gasped with delight.

“Really?” They asked in unison, hoping it wasn’t a joke.

“Oh oh oh,” Sprig raised a hand like he was in class. “Can we stop at the Hills of Impalement? I’ve heard it will traumatize you for life.”

“Ruin has that covered, squeaky toy.” Sasha mumbled from behind him, leaning against the fwagon and looking off in the distance. Everyone turned toward her and she withered a little under the eyes, but still managed an embarrassed smile. “Just a joke gang.”

“Besides,” Hop Pop salvaged, “I’ve got something else in mind. But first I need to get dressed.” He made his way best the kids and into the fwagon to get dressed, Sprig not too far behind him. Sasha climbed onto the roof and sat against her usual spot, looking more relaxed than when she’d hopped off. Then Anne joined them topside on the other side of the stump. Calvin noticed the tension in the air a moment later as he watched stress begin to take over the blonde.

“Well, this is awkward.” Polly hopped out of his lap and next to the hatch. “Bye.” She went inside, leaving the humans amongst themselves for a moment. The girls broke at the same time, though Anne was much chiller about it.

“Anne/Sasha, I-,” They said in sync. “No, you go ahead. Really, I insist.” They would have kept going if Calvin hadn’t started laughing at the display. The girls turned to him and thanks to the stump between them they couldn’t see eachother go through the same facial journeys at the same time. Confusion into concern.

“Dude, are you okay?” Sasha asked first, none of her usual snark anywhere to be seen.

“You look like you’ve been crying.” Anne followed up with a heartful voice.
Calvin raised an eyebrow at them and ran a sleeve over his eyes, no small amount of surprise to find the fabric damp. He blinked a couple times both in confusion and to get rid of the salty moisture he now realized was stinging his eyes. After a moment of thought he put together where those must have come from and hummed to himself.

“I suppose I was.” His voice was jovial but even he couldn’t keep the hint of sadness out. “Don’t worry yourselves, just a bit of heavy thinking I guess.”

“Too much thinking would make you cry.” Sasha remarked, the laugh in her voice obvious. Anne gave him another look that he dismissed with a wave before he gestured for her to speak.

“Sash, I wanted to say sorry I’ve been avoiding you lately.” She leaned all her weight on the stump, like she knew she wouldn’t have the energy to admit this and hold herself up. “It wasn’t fair to you and I shouldn’t need a life threatening scenario to tell you how I feel.” The silence is heavy on top of the fwagon before the cheer captain breaks it.

“It’s okay Anne. I get it, I’ve been pushy our whole friendship and I guess I don’t really know how to be a friend without being a leader.” Sasha wrapped her arms around herself to ward off her own words and worries. “I thought maybe I could do for you what you always do for Marcy, but that clearly isn’t it either. I’m not sure I know what to do anymore and that scares me.”

Calvin was going to need to pry what happened down there out of Sprig because it sounded like absolute insanity, just like everything else that happened in Amphibia. Anne turned around and reached over the stump to put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder, who leaned into the touch but looked away. It was honestly kinda cute and if Marcy was here she’d call it tsundere. Anne would be the only one who didn’t get that joke.

“Sasha, I still want you in my life,” She reassured. “But things couldn’t keep going the way they were, it made me feel bad and I’m sure it wouldn’t have been great for you in the long run either.”

“I get that now. And I want to be a part of your life too, I don’t know how!” The confident, self-assured, proud, and cocky Sasha Waybright admitted to her own failings in a whisper that left her like a death rattle.

“I don’t either.” Anne’s voice was warm like the sun and despite the contents of her statement Sasha grew hopeful in her tone, looking toward her for the first time with teary eyes. “Isn’t that exciting? We get to find out how to be friends all over again.”

The dam broke and floodwaters flew from mismatched eyes as Sasha dragged Anne over the stump and crushed the wind out of her in the second strongest hug Calvin had ever seen. She wailed with sorrow, with despair, and no small amount of joyful hope. He was starting to feel awkward like Polly was when a pale arm shot out at breakneck speed and dragged him forcefully into the embrace, confirming that this was a contender for first place. He gave a dignified wheeze before he was also trapped under the sobs of the toughest girl he knew. In between wet sniffles and choking breaths, her voice was surprisingly firm.

“I swear, to you guys and Marcy too, that I’ll be the best friend you’ll ever have. I’ll be your protector, your shield, your frog-damn knight in shining armor!” Calvin wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but he’d nearly swear he saw a flash of pink in her eyes. “I’ll never hurt any of you ever again and frog help anyone who tries.” Her wailing redoubled now as she finished, Anne and Calvin sharing a look as she tried to squeeze them into being a single person. They were saved by Hop Pop popping open the hatch from beneath them, fully clothed now.

“Who wants ice cream?” He looked sheepishly at the quivering pile of teenage emotions.

“ME!” Sasha cried into the sky.

Anne and Calvin were thus reduced to a couple of compressed, chucking children.

Chapter Text

The beautiful peace of traveling grew dull to the kids after a time, all but Calvin. It was during their time in the fwagon that he would really put together that there was a serious difference between himself and his fellow humans that were stuck with him: they were taking to Amphibia like a frog to a swamp and he most certainly was not.

A few days back, the day after Anne and Sasha had their big blow out, a giant mud fish blew through town and One Eye Wally ran to the Plantar house for Anne’s help. The Boonchuy girl and her froggy friends hopped to the task with alacrity while he and Sasha followed along to be helpful. It was the closest to dying he had come since Toad Tower fell and it rattled the human boy to his core. That fish had swallowed a frog family whole and walked through buildings like Calvin did through wheat and everyone else just dived at the thing like it was no big deal.

He got a couple swings of his ax in, sure, but it was Sasha who jumped off a ruined shop and stabbed right into the monster’s back. It was Anne who taunted the beast into CHASING HER through the town to keep it from hurting anyone else in its death throes. By the time he had caught his breath and confirmed his heart hadn’t climbed out of his chest to make a run for it, the beast was dead, the town was cheering, and everyone else was all smiles and confidence. The little frog family that had been devoured even crawled out of the corpse’s maw and went about like nothing untoward had happened.

It’s not like this was even really a trait shared in Amphibia as far as he could tell because he’d been on patrol with the Toad Army before his little disagreement with Sasha, he’d seen how they reacted to their world wanting them dead. They met their monstrous foes grimly, unabashedly, but with clear fear. Calvin saw the effect that fighting such creatures had on the garrison; there was hardly a Toad within the stone walls who didn’t at least shoot their eyes to the sky every time a bird called with horror lurking in their panicked gaze.

Calvin still felt mortal here, he still felt the fear that came with it and nothing in his observations of the girls told him they felt any of that. It wasn’t just the big stresses either, the little things didn’t seem to get to them either. For every little bug bite and everyday where the humidity soured his mood the other humans brushed off the attrition like one would brush dirt away with a broom.

If it wasn’t for this trip out of the valley, full of refreshing new sights and locales, Calvin admits to himself in his own head where he can hardly even hear it that this all might be too much for him. How was he supposed to keep up with these kids of prophecy, to be of any use when this world so different from the one he knew was dragging him down and lifting them up in unison?

After he’d gotten out from underground, how like one of his fantasy books it was had started to stick in his mind but the grueling months spent with the Toad Army washed away what fantastical paint there had been on this world and replaced it with a sense of realness. With every scrap of his skin, wonder pearled and dripped from his wounds, replaced by determination to get himself and his friends out of this death world.

And there they were, getting by like it was a funky vacation. Frog damn their casual ease in this stressful world.

His perception floated outside the fwagon as they went. This trick, whatever it was, was getting easier with practice. While Anne and Sasha were this close, he didn’t even need to pop into that empty void to switch between them anymore. That place threw off his mood, like there were things there just beyond sight. It made checking up on Marcy a more sobering task then he would have admitted if he told anyone about this weird dream stuff.

How would one even go about broaching a topic like that?

The sound of Sprig gently twanging away at his fiddle drifted up to where his mind floated and prompted a little motion out of the human boy. He always did love the fiddle growing up and the frog kid was a natural to say the least. Braving that unholy sunlight would be worth the performance, at least he hoped. He went back to himself, stepped past a napping Sasha, a coloring book shielding her eyes, and popped open the roof hatch, standing on the ladder instead of subjecting his whole body to the scorching rays of midday.

The fiddler was on the roof with his instrument while the rest of his family were on the bench, where Anne was scrolling through her phone. She sat up from her lounging and stared intently at her device and its seemingly endless battery supply.

“Huh, I don’t remember taking this picture of Toad Tower?” Calvin climbed up a couple rungs to look over her shoulder as the frog family leaned in to see the offered photo. It was a shot of the ruins of the Tower after Wally’s plan came to fruition, from the angle of the cliffside road that led to and from Wartwood.

“Oh yeah, that was me.” Polly piped up from beside her before hopping on Hop Pop’s head. “Wanted a little reminder of how we MESSED THOSE TOADS UP!” She pulled on her grandpa’s eyelids as she flexed, revealing substantially more muscle mass than Calvin would attribute to a child of any species. She shot a quick glance his way as her enthusiasm retreated ever so slightly, but he just put on a bit wider of a smile.

“Heh, sure did.” If the old man was in pain he didn’t let it show.

“You know,” Sprig crawled back and retrieved his fiddle and bow. “I’ve actually been working on a song based on the battle.”

“Oh, am I in it?” Hop Pop looked back with hope, his neck turning nearly all the way around to look at his grandson.

“Maybe.” The kid said with a cheeky look before clearing his throat to prepare himself. The Plantar Patriarch chuckled in anticipation before turning back to the path as his granddaughters took their seats next to him to enjoy the performance. Calvin climbed back down a ways until only his head was sticking out, wondering if he had a part in the song too.

“There was a little frog who stood for revolution!
The Toads didn’t like that, so they tried to execute him!
But thankfully our Anne stepped up to take the tower,
And she saved Hop Pop whooooo…
Mostly hid and cowered!
And cowered and cowered and cowered and cowered and cowered and cowered and cowered-"

“Alright, that’s enough.” The coward interrupted with a huff as the rest of the audience cheered.

“Wow, great song dude.” Reviewed Anne.

“Really covered the important parts.” Chimed Calvin.

“Yeah, that was awesome.” Exclaimed Polly.

“What? Awesome?” Hopidiah seemed less impressed. “It was missing all the context! Like what about the time I courageously ran for mayor? Or the time I stood up to those nasty tax collectors?”

“Eh, boring.” His granddaughters shot his arguments down with all the emotion of a middle aged office worker.

“Audiences want clear stakes Hop Pop.” Sprig joined in. “And action.”

“ACTION!” The other three kids did actiony poses to highlight the point. The old frog just sighed and deflated into himself.

“Feels like just yesterday people thought I was some kind of revolutionary hero.” A bit of light caught his eye and he looked up before straightening his posture and pointing. “Whoop, heads up gang! Looks like we’re about to stop at our first town.”

A little sign of worn wood reading ‘Bittyburg’ welcomed the travelers just before the town was in sight. The wood was sun-bleached, but in mostly good repair save for the occasional round hole. Perfectly round, actually. Looked kinda cosmetic if Calvin was honest with himself.

“My first town outside of Wartwood!” Anne was very excited for the opportunity. “I wonder what it’ll be like? Will the frogs be friendly? Will they have a bathroom?” She looked rather serious about that last part.

“Don’t get too excited.” Hop Pop warned. “It’s just your average small town.”

“Pssh, how small could it be-” Anne sarcastically inquired as she leaned back before glancing down. “Wow.”

The answer was very as they rolled into an adorably small town right out of a spaghetti western film. The fwagon was nearly as long as the entire town, much longer if you counted Bessie. Calvin was almost waiting to see a Frog with No Name leaning against a wall among the various small frog inhabitants. They were in tiny cowboy era outfits and seemed to be living little old western lives. An even younger part of the young Calvin swooned at the living cowboy fantasy before him, even if it was made of frogs.

“Oh my gosh!” Anne climbed down, followed by Sprig, as Hop Pop brought their snail to a halt. “It’s literally a small town.” She was enraptured by how cute everything is when you make it tiny and dressed it up for a rodeo. “Just wook at the whittle buildings!” She walked over and ripped the ceiling off of the local saloon. Calvin was too busy looking at the boot store, but shook his head after a moment, pretty sure they couldn’t make anything in Anne’s size.

Hop Pop was feeding Bessie when suddenly a bunch of little frogs gasped, dragging everyone’s attention to the other side of town. An aqua colored frog in an eyepatch, vest, pants, little cactus hat, and spurs with no shoes was mean mugging a bunch of townies before punting one, that Anne caught.

“Y’all know the rules.” The ruffian reminded. “Pay me and no one gets hurt.” The little folk started producing coins the size of their torsos and placing them into his waiting hand. A father tried to argue that his kid needed it more, but the bandito just hoisted him up and started shaking him. How the little fella was storing so much copper on him was a true mystery of this world.

“Those poor Bitties.” Anne let the frog hop out of her hand.

“Someone should do something!” Sprig looked helpless, which was odd to Calvin as the first real memory he had of the kid was shooting Sasha in the face. Hop Pop glanced over at his grandson’s fiddle and got a look on his face like he’d had an idea.

“Yes, somebody should!” He began to make his way down the main road, hands on his pants and waddling like he was trying to walk tough without any of the required toughness. “Sprig, get that fiddle ready. You might have a song to write.” He hoisted his pants up even higher and seemed to really struggle as he kept walking.

“Ready and willing!” The grandson called to the grandfather.

Hopidiah squared up with the bully and immediately verbally stumbled as he blustered. The frog introduced himself as Judro Hasselback and that he owned this town, wondering who the orange frog thought he was. Hop Pop introduced himself, stated his intentions, and then used his throat pouch to bully Judro out of town. He sent the bandit crawling through the sand, declaring an end to unlawful payments. The little frog boy whose father was being shaken hugged the old frog’s ankle before the entire town picked him up and came back into Bittyburg cheering.

“I can’t believe that worked.” Calvin was a little dumbfounded. “I figured there was going to be an actual fight we’d have to save him from, but nope. He just shoved the bandit away.”

“Hey man, sometimes life’s just that easy.” Anne said as she went to congratulate her adopted grandpa. Sprig went to follow, turning mid hop to shrug at the human boy. He picked up Polly and they followed along.

“Why, that was nothing. Judro’s just a big blowhard.” Hop Pop’s jolly grin turned cheeky as he faked a bashful voice. “Not like those tax Toad’s I stood up to.”

The little town took the bait and Old Frog Plantar spent the next three hours regaling the citizens of Bittyburg with mostly false tales of his heroics. Like most stories based on true events, all that was shared with reality were names and the occasional location. By the end of it Hop Pop would have you believe he was Frog’s gift to the layman, a living god of war and benevolence. Calvin spent the entire exchange with a shaking head and a grin, recalling a certain dragon from back home that he was sure had actually done most of what the old frog was claiming.

“Threw three toads?” Polly questioned from Calvin’s lap. “I don’t remember that.”

“That’s because it didn’t happen.” Sprig whispered to his sister.

“Oh, let him have this.” Anne waved reality away with a smile. “He’s just juicing up the details a bit. In my world, we call this ‘Marketing.’”

“Marketing is what Dad does.” Calvin chimed in. “ This is false advertising.”

“And so, using my Frog-given natural strength,” Hopidiah struck a flexing pose and looked ready to crap his pants before doing a jumping kick. “I kicked the side of Toad Tower and it exploded!” He did a grandiose fall to his knees as the Bitties exploded around him in cheers.

“Hooray for Hopidah Plantar!” The soft voice of Bailey, the little boy from earlier, came clearly from the crowd. “Here to protect us from the ruthless Hasselback Gang!” Hop Pop was dragged forcefully from reveling in the town’s adulation.

“I’m sorry Bailey, did you say ‘gang?’”

“Hopidah Plantar!” The voice of Judro Hasselback stopped all of the celebrating like a gunshot. Behind him stood a newt with blue hair, a frog in a hat, another frog with a mustache wider than his head, and the biggest damned frog person Calvin had ever seen. Maybe just the biggest person, period. Her gray hair was in a messy bun, a vest that Judro’s could have been cut from several times over, gray dress with a belt, and she had a tattoo on one arm that proclaimed ‘Mama Knows BEST.’

“Whoo-ee, you done asked for it, so here it comes.” Judro stuck out a fist and slapped it into his chest as he began the introductions. “This here’s the Hasselback gang.”

“This here’s my brother Heathro.” The frog in the hat huffed smoke and squinted.

“Half sister Ruth.” The newt unfurled her tongue, revealing a knife that she grabbed before picking her teeth with it.

“Uncle Talbert.” He was combing his facial hair with two tiny combs.

“And of course, the matriarch herself, Mama Hasselback!” The gang got out of her way as she produced a dirty rolling pin as thick as her massive arms. She wielded it with an easy menace. She slammed one end into the dry ground, cracking it and sending out a shock wave that knocked everyone in town an inch off the dirt.

“You the frog who dare throw my Judro out of town?” She towered over the fallen orange frog, who looked ready to collapse in terror. He gave a chuckle and prepared to concoct a story when little Bailey stepped out from the crowd.

“Yep. And he’s gonna run you outta town too.” The itty bitty kid pointed at the walking mountain with confidence. “Right Hopidiah?” Calvin was really glad he was behind the town and couldn’t see the hope in the kid’s eyes that was dripping from his voice. The crowd joined in, cheering his name as the kids looked between themselves in worry.

Mama laughed and planted herself down in front of Hop Pop, telling him that this was something she really needed to see. THe old man mustered up some of his bluster and feebly tried to first push, then pull her away, and finally climbed her in an effort to at least move her arm. He fell to the ground and righted himself just in time for Mama to give him a wallop on the head good enough to shatter the ground beneath him with his face. The town gasped as his grandkids charged, but were all wrapped in Heathrow's tongue and shoved into barrels by the gang.

“Aw man, this is just like middle school.” Anne bemoaned the rush of memories.

“Not much different from my bucket, really.” Polly looked only a little uncomfortable.

“Looks like you folks chose the wrong frog.” She laughed as she grabbed Hop Pop by the ankle and dragged him into the air with ease. “Or should I say ‘Fraud?’” She let him go to bounce off his head before joining her gang in surrounding the townies.

“Word of advice folks: Don’t believe everything you’re told about heroes. After all, they don’t exist.” Mama’s massive frame cast a shadow over all of the gathered Bitties, draping them in fearful shade. Bailey turned to Hop Pop’s prone form.

“Is it true Hopidiah? Are heroes a lie?” The old man righted himself and turned with tearful eyes.

“It’s true Bailey. It’s true!” He looked just about ready to cry and the only human who wasn’t either trapped or napping decided he’d let this go on long enough. But he’d would probably need help.

“Hmm. I think I’m gonna go grab Sasha real quick.” Calvin stood to get the fwagon when he heard a whipping sound and raised an arm on instinct.

The tongue of one Judro Hasselback wrapped around his forearm and he looked the frog in his one eye. The bandit smirked, gave a tug, and was rather surprised when nothing happened. The one kid outside of a barrel flexed his fingers and gave the bully a mocking, questioning look. The other town younger members of the gang began to move on him and while Judro couldn’t move the human, he was also keeping the kid in place. With a frown he looked back toward where their ride was just out of town. And realized he’d forgotten to close the hatch inside. A couple glances between the tongue and the distance to the hatch and Calvin shot Judro a wicked grin as he snickered.

Rolling the tongue around his forearm a couple times for leverage, Calvin grabbed it in both hands and gave a mighty tug. Judro was airborne and spinning through the air, everyone present staring in disbelief at the flying frog. The kid twirling the frog around began to laugh and that sound broke Mama out of her stupor.

“Git him you idgits!” She screamed to her family who ran to help their kin. Calvin noticed and decided enough was enough. He planted his feet and threw his arms down, the tongue following suit and slamming Judro into the middle of the fwagon, Bessie’s head shooting out of her shell where she was napping. The kid was grinning as he was tackled by Uncle Talbert.

“What in the Sam Hill’d you go an do that for, boy?” Mama stomped over and looked down on him. Calvin was getting kinda sick of bullying amphibians knocking him over and staring at him like scum.

“Picture’s worth a thousand words, Mama.” He chuckled as the sound of a ruckus began to leave the fwagon. “And this is gonna be a helluva show.”

Judro came flying back out the way he’d gone in, followed quickly by a certain blonde. She wasn’t in her armor, as how’s anyone supposed to nap in armor, but she did have the heron blade and looked absolutely livid. Whether that was because of the scene she saw or the state of her hair is anyone’s guess.

“What the heck is going on out here?” Sasha held Judro by his vest as she climbed onto the bench. Her miscolored eyes drank in the town and the state its inhabitants were in before settling on her traveling companions. There was fire behind her gaze when she spoke again.

“Okay, never mind, don’t care, get your goons off my friend,” She pointed to Calvin under half the Hasselback gang, then pointing to the trapped kids. “Get my best friend and her frog family out of those barrels, and how about you get out of my sight when you're done.”

She threw Calvin’s delivery on the ground and the bandit scrambled back toward his Mama. The matriarch looked rather impressed with the blonde’s gumption as she gave a derisive laugh, hefting the rolling pin.

“Why don’t you come down here, little lady, and make me?” She guffawed, throwing her head skyward, and her gang joined in. It wasn’t until they noticed Sasha joining in that they stopped. The human girl’s laugh might have lacked their malice, but she beat them out in terms of menace.

“If you insist.” With that, Waybright dove off the fwagon a good twenty feet and tackled Heathrow off of Calvin. He righted himself, grabbed Talbert, and chucked the mustached frog into Anne’s barrel, shattering it with his head. In turn she pulled out Sprig and Polly destroyed her barrel with a flex. The little pollywog held two broken pieces of wood with a very clear intent behind her manic grin.

A silence passed then, aside from Heathrow’s and Talbert’s pained moans from where they unconsciously laid. The tension grew thicker with each passing moment, the eyes of the Bitties passing nervously from the Plantar family and co, and the remaining kin of Mama Hasselback. Calvin whistled suspenseful notes from a cowboy movie back home, earning an incredulous look from Sasha.

“Come on, we’re having an actual Texican Standoff in a tiny, western, froggy town,” He playfully pleaded. “You can’t expect me to be serious now.”

And that shattered the tension, making everyone shout out and charging into the slobberknocker. Fists flew, blades flew, and a rolling pin sent cracks crawling every time it hit the ground. Mama was powerful but she wasn’t the quickest draw in the west. Sasha in contrast flew around the giant frog like a graceful bird, the odd slash and glancing stab slowing the matriarch down and irritating her to make her angrier but even more predictable. The rest of the gang were faring even worse, Judro already winded from his flight and rough landing before dealing with SprAnne, while Ruth was dealing with Polly as Calvin kept her from getting a hit on the tadpole. It wasn’t long before Mama was the only left standing and even then just barely.

The matriarch was puffing like a locomotive while Sasha had barely worked up a sweat. And maybe it was the setting sun dancing over her golden tresses, but he’d swear later, just to himself, that her hair flowed like pink fire for a moment there. She looked like the main character of one of the fighty anime Marcy had gotten her into, grinning and victorious.

“Well come on Mama,” The cheer captain taunted and twirled the heron blade. “That was a pretty good warmup, but are you ready to go for real? Or are you going to grab your pet bullies and leave these little frogs alone?”

Mama took a step back in fear and nearly collapsed under her own weight. She looked between her kids and brother, trepidation clear in her eyes. Calvin broke the moment, as he is wont to do, by starting to throw her gang in a pile at her feet, whistling the same tune again. By the time he was done he’d managed to get through the whole thing, wiping his gauntlets of imaginary dust.

“There ya are.” He said in a casual tone. “Now why don’t you hoof it?” The punk pushed a metal hand through his light brown locks, pushing the hair out of his face. This was the longest it had ever been in his life.

The massive matriarch took the hint, gathered her kin under a single arm, and jogged out of town. Her moving that fast caused an incredible amount of broken glass in Bittyburg, but the townsfolk considered it a small price to pay to be rid of the Hasselback gang for good.

The little frogs must have been ninety percent lung because they nearly blew the traveler’s ears out with their cheering and celebration. They all spent the rest of the night partying in Bittyburg, Sasha most of all as the one who beat back Mama Hasselback. To Calvin’s surprise, she downplayed herself at every turn, always pointing out what she saw from the other fights. It was kind of endearing, but the warmth in his chest couldn’t make it past two weeks of iron bars, stone floors, and a wall opened by a heron’s beak.

Polly ate up all the sweets and adoration she could get, neither of which were in short supply that night. Sprig played his fiddle until the strings started to wear down and even then the Bitties offered him fresh ones so he’d continue. Anne was just enjoying the vibe when she noticed Hop Pop was missing. She asked around and it was Calvin who revealed the old frog was hiding away inside the fwagon.

They both went to see what was bothering the old timer, although Calvin went mostly to leave his inner conflict for a spell. Hopidiah was sulking by the table, wallowing in self pity and snacks.

“Hey Hop Pop, what’s the matter?” Anne asked as she sidled up next to her grandfrog. “We won, the town’s free from those banditos, and they’re throwing an absolute rager for us. What’re you sulking in here for?”

“Because it’s my fault they were in trouble in the first place!” Hop Pop shouted. “If it weren’t for me sticking my fat head into this, you guys wouldn’t have gotten shoved into those barrels and those Bitties-”

“Would still have their wallets drained into Judro’s grimy mitts.” Calvin interrupted. “Conflict is the nature of change, whether violent or not.” He recited his Master’s words because they seemed like they’d fit. “Sometimes you just need to get the ball rolling, you know?”

“You’re a hero as much as any of us, Hop Pop.” Anne met his eyes and reassurance inflated his posture into a much prouder frog. “You’re the one who stood up to them first and ran him out of town. If it wasn’t for you, we might not have done anything and the town would still be under their thumb. And you still didn’t back down from Mama. We all need help sometimes, and where better to get it than friends and family?”

Hop pop mulled her words over, his head leaning from side to side like he was listening to arguments from an angel and a devil on his respective shoulders. Eventually a smile broke his contemplative expression like a jolly flood through a wrinkled dam. He pulled first Anne and then, to his shock, Calvin into a big hug, before patting their shoulders and making his way outside. The trepidation in his stride died with the cheers of the town when they saw him.

The two humans in the fwagon shared a smile before high fiving and heading back out into the party, determined to regret it come the morning light.

And boy did they all.

Chapter Text

Amphibia liked to keep things fresh with its biomes, apparently. Back home on Earth, the world and nature had to abide by silly things like ‘rules’ and ‘environmental niches,’ such ridiculous notions of sensibility. Whatever creator deity had glued this lily pad shaped continent together had a much greater focus on the concept of style than on practicality and logic. Hence why a cowboy desert gradually gave way to a jungle denser than even the swamp around Wartwood. The humidity had been bad there, but still breathable. Here, the air was practically a liquid, cloying and choking but still necessary to breath.

Hop Pop had brought Bessie to a stop in a clearing just before the evening began to properly hit, declaring they’d set up for the night here because the jungle was too dangerous to drive through at night. While the kids began to set up tents, started a campfire to cook, which seemed to surprise Sasha. Once they were all finished, they all gathered around a stump slamming silverware on the makeshift table as the grandfrogger approached with a silver dish. He put the platter onto the stump and removed the top, revealing a stick.

“Now hold onto your butts. Bam! Stick surprise!” He shouted at their dismay.

“Hop Pop, this isn't food.” Sprig stated the obvious for them.

“But I didn’t tell you what the surprise is.” Hope began to return to the face of the children but it was quickly dashed when he spoke again. “Alright, there’s no surprise. Sorry kids, this trip’s taking longer than I thought and on top of that we’ve got an extra pair of mouths that I wasn’t accounting for.”

Polly mumbled something followed by a crunching sound.

“I told you that we were gonna run out.” Sasha said without any smugness. “And now we’re stuck in a jungle with no food.”

“We bought all we could, Sasha.” Hop Pop conceded. “After Toadstool took the stand, we hadn’t really had a way to get more coppers and folks can only donate so much.”

“It hasn’t even been two weeks yet, do we really eat that much?” Calvin threw the question out there for everyone to consider. They all put a hand to their chins and looked up, pondering. There was a good chance they were all thinking of Bittyburg and how much they ate that night. They all sheepishly shared a look as they came out of their flashback. Anne ran her hands through her vegetation-filled hair and groaned.

“This is all my fault! I dragged you guys out here to figure out how to get me home, and now we’re all gonna starve to death!” She fell back in exasperation as everyone was quiet for a moment. Then the air was filled with laughter from everyone but Sasha, who just shook her head.

“We’re not gonna starve to death.” Sprig dismissed the idea with a wave of his head. “This is our chance to find food the way nature intended: As hunters!”

“Hunters, eh?” Anne rubbed her chin and got lost in her daydreams. Calvin in turn looked at the assembled frogs and struggled greatly to imagine them tracking down and killing much of anything. Suddenly, the Boonchuy girl sprung up from beside him with a determined smile.

“Leave the hunting to me, gang!” Everyone made various noises of disbelief at her declaration, including Hopidiah’s iconic ‘Say WHAAAAT?’

“That came out of nowhere.” Polly said what they were all thinking.

“You guys do so much for me, let me do something for you for a change.”

“Ooh!” Sprig got off his log seat to stand beside his best friend. “I can teach her to hunt the Plantar way, Hop Pop. Just like you taught me!” His grandfather seemed to consider it for a moment before speaking.

“Hmm. Okay, but you two need to be careful. We’re not in the valley anymore. Who knows what dangerous predators could be lurking about? They could be poisonous or they could be psychic. They could be poisonous and psychic, you don’t know!” Hop Pop’s tone was manic as he started pulling on the last two tufts of white hair he had left.

“Whoa, whoa.” Sprig tried to call down his grandpa. “Hop Pop, it’s fine. Anne, you ready to hunt?”

“I’m so pumped!” She looked pumped. “This is gonna be awesome!”

“Pfft, have fun city girl.” Calvin called from his seat with a chuckle.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Anne responded offendedly.

“Anne, you’re sweet as honey, but I can’t imagine you doing much hunting, except maybe deals at the mall.” The human boy pulled out a dagger and began to make a show of cleaning his nails like he’d seen in movies.

“Oh, and you’re some kind of expert then?” Sprig intervened for his bestie.

“Compared to her? Might as well be.” He said matter of factly, sitting up. “Dad used to take me hunting back before we moved to LA. Unlike some humans present, I’ve got experience tracking animals.”

“Oh yeah tough guy?” Anne got up in his face while he smirked down at her. “Wanna make something of it?”

“What, like a bet?” He wanted to see where she was going with this.

“Yeah! Human vs Frog!” The human girl declared, dragging her frog brother into a crushing hug. “You and your human style hunting, while Sprig teaches me how to hunt like a Plantar! Whoever brings back the most food wins.”

“Wins what, exactly?” Calvin dragged himself to a standing position, reminding Anne who was taller as she had to look up into his cocky smirk.

“Loser takes over the second driving shift.” She thrust a hand out toward him. He pretended to think for a moment before striking like lightning into a handshake.

“Deal. Hope you weren’t fond of sleep, Annie B.” They were touching noses as they shook hands, clearly taking this way too far.

“Hold on now.” Hop Pop interjected. “More food is nice and all, but Calvin can’t just go running off into the woods by himself, someone’s gotta go with him.”

“I was planning on it.” Sasha kicked off the tree she’d been leaning against, her copper armor jangling as she stood. Calvin’s stomach did a flip on the first thought of spending time with her before the second thought made it land in a pit.

“Don’t you think you should stay here and defend the camp?” He managed to keep the growl out of his voice but couldn’t meet her mismatched gaze. “Doesn’t matter how well this bet goes if our stuff’s gone when we get back.”

Maybe it was because she was in the shadow of a tree but at that moment he couldn’t read what her expression was. At the very least she leaned back into her spot.

“That still doesn’t solve the problem of you going alone, young man.” Hopidiah put a hand on his hip and pointed.

“I’ll go.” Polly piped up from her bucket next to the log.

“Are you sure Polly?”

“Yeah, Hop Pop.” She hopped onto Calvin’s shoulder and looked at her grandpa. “I wanna see how humans hunt.”

“I don’t have my 12 gauge, so I suppose you’ll have to settle for the classic version.” The frogs looked confused at the human boy while Sasha laughed.

“Figures our bumpkin would have a shotgun.” He glanced at the blonde and realized he might be losing his touch, as far as the mask goes. She recoiled a little from his look and started sulking against her tree. The silence was as dense as the humidity of the jungle as everyone else shared a look while Calvin stared off into nowhere.

“Well, if you say so Polly.” Hop Pop finally popped the tense bubble, though mostly for his own sake. Poor old boy can’t handle silence. “Get to it kids, I’ll keep the pot ready for yah.”

And with that the two pairs went off in different directions into the verdant undergrowth. Polly wasn’t talking, leaving Calvin alone with his doubts for a moment. As much as he liked poking Anne’s buttons, he wasn’t entirely sure of his odds here. Unless there was a deer-bug or coyote-crawly, then he felt that what he knew from home wouldn’t translate all that well to Amphibia’s fauna. At least he could stall for a moment by preparing.

Drawing a dagger, he walked over to one of the countless trees and began to saw off one of the sturdier branches that he could reach. Once the limb had been removed, Calvin whittled away the flimsy end before sharpening it into a spear. Polly was getting excited on his shoulder, even more so once he handed her the dagger.

“I’d make you a spear, but that’d be kinda awkward to use at your size.” Calvin tested the balance of his makeshift weapon like he knew what he was doing.

“You’ve already got your ax, why the spear?” Polly pointed out with her blade.

“I’m not planning on throwing my ax.” Calvin explained. “That’d just be silly.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” She nodded along, always eager to expand her knowledge of bloodshed.

Her young eyes weighed heavily on the young man, playing on hidden hurt that she had no way of knowing. Memories came forth unwanted and Calvin growled with the effort of pushing them back. When he came back up he saw that the tadpole was looking at him strangely and he scrambled to think of an excuse.

“I’m getting myself into the mindset of a predator, see?” He growled again and hunched into what he hoped looked like a predatory stance. After a tense moment Polly twirled the knife in her fin so the tip was to the ground and gave her best growl. His cheeks hurt a bit from how wide his smile was.

“There you go. This jungle is gonna be empty by the time we’re through.”

“Yeah!” She shouted before hopping through the underbrush. Calvin chuckled while jogging to keep up. Maybe her passion was infectious or maybe he just had a soft spot for the young frog-to-be. Hard to tell.

“So. what’s going on between you and Sasha?” Young children are such a charming mix of perceptive and no respect for privacy, aren’t they?

“What’d you mean?” He kept his shock pretty well in check when he replied.

“Before we left the valley you stuck to her like glue, but now it’s like you can’t stand her.” Polly looked into his soul, her usual love for violence absent for the moment. “What happened? It couldn’t have been on the trip, someone would’ve heard.”

He looked at her as a million and a half stories and lies flew in between his ears. Some were even a little true, as the best tall tales should be. ‘I didn’t trust her around you guys, I’m just enjoying being around more people again, I needed to be there before she made up with Anne but it looks like that’s been solved.’ And for anyone else, they would have gotten one of those half-truths, but Calvin met the little pink orb’s eyes and for a moment she was a little girl that looked like Mother and he just couldn’t do it.

“Honestly?” He sighed, the exhale carrying heavier emotions than he was really aware of. “Back at Toad Tower, before y’all blew it up, we had a fight. A pretty bad one, truth be told. And she locked me up for a couple weeks. Would’ve been longer, but you were around for most of the rest.”

“Oh.” She took some time to process that while he just appreciated the silence. He was trying to pay attention around them, actually trying to hunt, but now he was too wrapped in his own head to focus. Too busy trying not to think about how he felt. And then she had more questions, because that’s just what kids do.

“If that’s the case, then why were you the one who went with her the next morning? And followed her around when she was helping Hop Pop plan our trip? You two were pretty close until the stuff at the Ruins of Disaster, actually.”

He stopped walking and felt compelled to explain himself. But he didn’t really have an answer for Polly. Now that Sasha had or at least started to mend her relationship with Anne, the blonde was starting to grind on his nerves. Every good natured jab felt like a knife, her laugh raised his heart and spiked it, and everytime she spoke to him he felt his mood begin to sour. Something had shifted between them and the only two people that he thought had noticed were the two talking about it.

“I’m not sure, kiddo.” Calvin conceded with a frown and a shrug. “I guess I felt needed before and now that Anne’s helping her work on herself and their relationship, I don’t feel so needed. Maybe now I’m letting myself be mad at her now that she doesn’t need me.”

“But aren’t you guys friends?” The little girl didn’t seem to understand. “You always need your friends.” The teen looked at the child and considered her simple wisdom.

Are we friends?

“Sasha Waybright. Bee Tee Dubs, thanks for being chill about that. I know a lotta guys would’ve blown a fuse over that.” A smile almost hidden under careful disinterest.

“See, this is why I like Anne more.” Clashing blades and incredulous anger.

“There’s a difference between spicy and edible fire, Tiger.” She only had two nicknames for him and this was his favorite.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Anne and Marcy, just left you to deal with your own problems.” Pain worse than any blade she could have held.

“I’ll never hurt any of you ever again and frog help anyone who tries.” Too many conflicting feelings to sort through, so much easier to bottle up and throw in the back of his mind.

“Now, be a good boy, learn your place, and when we’re done having fun in this humid hell hole I’ll think about whether or not you’re allowed to be our friend still.” The only choice he had was rage or crying. Kid never was one for tears.

Calvin grit his teeth and pulled himself out of yesterday with effort. He’d slid down the tree while he was gone and Polly had taken the opportunity to sit on his bunched up knees. Concern played across her rounded features as she looked into his face. He pulled on his more punkish smile and ruffled her bow. With a groan, he pushed himself up the trunk back into a standing position.

“I suppose you’ve got a point kiddo.” He began to head into the undergrowth once more, hoping physical distance would help mentally. “Now come on, I’m sure Anne and Sprig are getting ahead of us now.”

Whether she bought the thinly veiled deflection or not, Polly didn’t say anything as she hopped back onto his shoulder. Keeping his eyes peeled for signs of prey helped stop him from checking her expression.

Calvin kept his eyes wide open as they moved and he was slowly not liking what he was seeing. Every now and again, on the strongest branches and tree trunks were massive trios of gash marks. They weren’t common, maybe one mark for every dozen trees, but after noticing what he realized was the third set they were much easier to spot. He called to his pollywog ward and pointed them out.

“Did you notice that a lot of the trees around here are marked?” This would make for a good teaching moment, just like his Dad had once upon an early morning.

“Whoa! I hadn’t.” Polly hopped over and was entranced by the wounded wood. The claws of whatever beast had done this were long enough that she couldn’t reach the deepest part.

“Yeah, it looks like something pretty nasty hangs out around here.” He studied the mud around the tree, then moved back a ways to the previous marked tree. “Here’s another. Notice anything odd?”

“The fact that they’re absolutely massive?”

“Not inaccurate, but no. Look at the mud.” She turned her gaze down, back to the trees, and back again before realization dawned on her.

“Oh, oh, there’s no tracks!” The kiddo seemed rather pleased with herself and so was her teacher.

“That’s right. Whatever did this travels through the trees instead of the jungle floor. Which makes these marks even stranger, now that I think about it.” He rubbed his chin with the butt of his spear as he thought.

“Why’s that?” Polly took her place at his shoulder again, a round, pink parrot parody.

“It climbs around, right? And it has claws. So that would usually mean that it uses the claws to climb the trees. But look around.” She whirled around inquisitively, but eventually seemed stumped so he continued. “There would be ‘tracks’ over the trees or barely any markings at all. Instead, these seem to me to be territorial markings.”

“Like our fence back on the farm?

“A lot like that, yeah.” His train of thought was crashed by a series of clicking coming from above. It sounded like a copyright violation from a classic 80’s sci fi horror movie.

“Polly, get down in front of me.” She didn’t argue, jumping down to his feet and looking up into his face. Her eyes darted just behind his head and went wide as dinner plates. It would have been pretty funny if he wasn’t involved in the context.

Deep breath in, long exhale, and straining his ears to their limits. The ever so subtle creaking of wood under foreign weight, the hair on the nape of his neck starting to prick and stand, a hissing breath, and the unique whisper of chitin rubbing against fur. His knuckles grew white as he gripped the spear tightly, the wood whining under his strength working as lyrics for the percussion thundering from his veins. The human in Calvin fought fiercely against countless millennia of apish instinct to look death in the face, hoping against hope that he was quicker than the beast. A branch behind his head groaned deeply and every muscle he had tensed in response.

The pinpricks in Polly’s eyes bounced between her human and their foe, sweat rolling down her little body in a cascade. She clutched her dagger with an iron grip in both flippers, steeling herself for the inevitable conflict. Calvin watched as her stress piled up to a critical mass and her fight or flight triggered and he was pretty sure Polly Plantar did not have a flight reflex, except in the context of flying towards her targets.

“I’m too cute to die!” The pollywog screamed as she made an incredible leap toward the jungle canopy. Calvin was almost so impressed that he forgot to be horrified that the girl he was thinking of as a baby sister was making a very serious suicide attempt.

He spun around to follow her trajectory and finally saw his foe. It was massive, three meters at least from snout to tail. Its dark brown fur matched the carapace covering its back, leading to a scorpion tail, the tip of which followed its beady eyes. The red mandibles on either side of its jaw distended as the beast roared at the challenge, terrible claws unsheathing on its front paws.

“POLLY!” He shouted as she flew straight toward the beast’s fanged maw. He reared back to throw his spear, but knew that there was no way he could move fast enough to affect the immediate clash. Time crawled as his arm cocked back, Polly hurtling closer to her inevitable death at the hands of just another of Amphibia’s monsters. He could hear Hop Pop and Sprig’s laments.

Anne’s tears falling on the jungle floor, full of self blame.

Sasha’s disappointment.

Something coursed down the length of his acting arm and like lightning his weapon shot from a grip he only recognized as his own when he saw the gauntlet on the hand. The sharp stick blazed through the air like a bolt of fire, skirting just under Polly as it passed through the animal, then embedded itself into the tree trunk behind it. The pollywog landed just in front of the corpse, staring in shock and awe, darting between Calvin and his kill. Then relief began to wash the adrenaline away and the pain in his arm was the stuff of legend.

Marcy groaned into her bugaccino as she felt the start of a headache coming on. Anne stumbled as she walked away from Sprig, a grubble under each arm. Sasha lost focus for a second and was wrapped in the surprisingly dexterous stinger tail of a rival Scorpaleo.

The kid fell to the ground clutching his arm, the body of the beast landing with a meaty thud not a foot from his legs. Polly followed not long after, bouncing off a hairy flank to land at his side with a look of concern. She reached a flipper gently to touch his arm, then looked at him like she was asking permission. He nodded, braced himself for more pain, and she made contact. And while it didn’t hurt, it didn’t really help.

Calvin, past the shade of agony that mired everything, began to inspect his right arm with his other hand to try to figure out why he was in so much pain. His bones seemed to be intact or at the very least didn’t feel broken, he had a little movement where his shoulder connected to his chest, and there was still some movement in his fingers.

“It’s like I tore every muscle in my arm.” He stated through clenched teeth, unable to understand his own thoughts unless he heard them. “Helluva throw, eh?” He chuckled as he used his good arm to flop the useless limb onto his midriff.

“Are you going to be okay?” Polly had climbed onto his legs and looked scared for him. “What even was that, is it a normal human thing?”

“To throw sticks?” He humored. “Older than any city, I reckon.” The arm was already starting to go numb, maybe shock he thought, so he made to stand. Pushing himself up the tree, the boy managed to get his feet under him and was surprised that they held, after a little wobble.

“All humans can throw stuff that hard?” Polly sounded confused as Calvin inspected the wound. A perfect circle, like someone had just taken a tube of flesh out of the big cat bug thing. “Anne hasn’t before and I can think of a couple times she totally would’ve,”

“Oh, that.” He said numbly. “Yeah, no idea kid. Bit of a shock for me too.”

“Then how’d you do that?” She jumped to just above where he was inspecting to force eye contact.

Suddenly he was back underground, deeper even than Proteus. Mother Olm glowed neon purple and the massive orbs of her eyes pierced him to the soul. Her voice was like Grandma Thunder when she spoke and her body the size of a mountain loomed over him as she looked at him with a hope that wrenched his guts.

“Do you burn with the light of a star?”

I don’t think so, said a cold and logical voice.

If not, what would you call that, came the impassioned reply.

If the prophecy meant us, there wouldn’t be four of us. We would have been in the mural. And I don’t think we would have hurt ourselves like that.

Even Mother Olm admitted that the prophecy must’ve been wrong, why couldn’t we be stars too?

Three gems gone dull, three heroes from another world. We’re just a tag along and you know it, something that doesn’t belong.

Kinda like the box, huh? A third voice that he hadn’t heard since Toad Tower.

Polly slapped him across the face with a flipper, actual fear maring her young face. Calvin blinked away his confusion as his cheek stung. As soon as he seemed to have glued himself back together the tadpole crossed her flippers and huffed at him.

“You gotta stop doing that.” There was the slightest tremble in her voice.

“Heh, sorry. Had a lot to think about today, I suppose.” He looked sheepish before looking back to what Polly was sitting on. “So, think Anne can top this?”

“Anne? No way. But Sprig knows the Plantar Family Hunting Dance, so who knows?” She shrugged and toyed with her dagger.

“I’m not even going to ask.” He shrugged as he began to look the body over. “Doesn’t really matter, as I am out of commission as far as more hunting goes. I can still probably lug this back to camp though.”

First he tried to grab it by the jaw and was surprised to find that there was a seam that split it into halves. He rolled his shoulders, crouched down, hooking his left fingers around the front of its top teeth, finagled the shoulders of the creature onto his own, then stood under the body. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked and he told his ward as much when she questioned him. Now all that was left was the march back to camp.

The sun had set and the moon had revealed itself by the time he lumbered out of the underbrush into the chosen clearing. The first thing to greet him was the sound of Anne shouting as she charged them with sword held high. Calvin had to roll out from under his catch to avoid the blow, a cut that cleaved deeply into the corpse’s shoulder. He rose panting, leaning his dead arm against a jungle tree.

“What the hell Anne?” He shouted. “Didn’t take you for THAT sore a loser, damn.”

“Oh my frog, you guys are safe!” She wrapped Polly and him in a crushing hug, tears streaming freely. “I was so scared when I saw that thing drag off everyone else but couldn’t find you and then I heard rustling from where you went and then another one came out and I was so worried!” Anne Boonchuy could ramble with the best of em.

“Wait, what?” Polly glanced around the clearing and saw that the only other soul here was Bessie. Poor girl looked scared stiff. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Another monster, like the one you dragged back, took them.” Anne was worried, but resolve cemented itself across her face. “But we’re gonna go get them back. Come on, it went this way!”

Polly hopped onto her shoulder as she grabbed Calvin by the dead arm and began to run off into the jungle. They blazed through the undergrowth for a time before coming to a point where three separate paths split from theirs. Anne ground to a halt and stared, hoping for a sign. When nothing was obvious, she lamented to the sky.

“Didn’t Sprig teach you the Plantar Way, Anne?” Polly demanded.

“I mean, yeah, but-.” She was interrupted by a flipper across the face, then the pollywog clung to her collar and shook her.

“Then do the steps. Step One!”

“Right, the steps!” Anne paused and leaned against a stump. “What were they, again?”

“Track your prey, Anne!” Polly was beginning to get a little stressed.

“Right, track.” She got into a confident pose that laxed a moment later. “How do I track again?”

“Smell the dirt woman.” Polly produced her dagger from inside her bow with intent.

“Right, right.” The Thai gal got down and took a deep whiff of the mud. As she began to lean back up, opening her mouth to speak, Polly harrumphed at her. The little kid pointed at the mud, then her mouth, and ended her flipper on Anne with a commanding look. With a groan, she took a mouthful of soil into her mouth and chewed deliberately.

Calvin was trying very hard not to break out laughing. Anne spat the soil back to the earth and rose, sputtering.

“I could already smell Sasha’s perfume, I didn’t need to taste it too, dude.”

“Oh. Sorry, I was getting in the zone.” The tadpole looked a little sheepish, but it didn’t last.

The human girl began to run down the leftmost path, Calvin keeping at an even pace with Polly once more on his shoulder. The montage that followed Anne made short work of and he would have too if not for his wildly flapping arm. She hurdled a massive root that nearly toppled Calvin over. Although going to swing from the vines was a silly idea and he told her as much after she picked herself back up. When she led them to a sheer cliff face and started climbing a tree to get over it, he threw Polly onto Anne and had an awful time following them.

“You good dude?” Anne called down from the top? The boy’s reply was muffled as he held a handhold in his jaw.

“He threw a spear really hard and now his arm’s dead.” Polly explained from beside Anne’s head.

“Wait, seriously? Why didn’t you say so back at camp?”

“I’m fine.” He insisted as he dragged himself a little higher, sole working arm burning with effort. “They need our help and I’m going to be there for them.”

“You’re in no condition for this man, it’s okay to sit this one out.” Anne’s big heart was his favorite quality of hers and it was pissing him off.

“Like.” Grab and pull. “I”. Grab and pull. “Said.” Grab and throw self over ledge and awkwardly stand again, sweating and puffing while his friend has barely worked up a sweat. “I’m fine. Let’s go, no time to waste.”

Polly and Anne shared a look but forged on. The canopy overhead blocked out the moonlight as they pressed on. Eventually it returned as the trio came upon a canyon that was only passable by an old, rickety looking log. Before he could say anything, Anne was already running across. Once her foot hit the middle of the wood, it gave way and she fell ten feet to the ground. And even though the log was still embedded into the ground, Calvin was pretty sure it wouldn’t hold his weight. He made his way to the edge and called down to make sure the girls were okay.

“We’re fine.” Polly confirmed as Anne dusted herself off.

“Pretty sure we can just climb back up the other side.” The athletic human girl began to prove her point, calling back once she made it to the top. “You seem kinda out of luck though. Guess you should probably head back to camp, man.”

Armored hands clenched into fists as he glared across the gorge. He did some mental comparisons to past feats, cracked his neck, and pulled out his ax. Glancing between the second friend he’d found in Amphibia and his destination, the kid resolved himself with a few steps back.

“Dude, you can’t be serious.” Polly deadpanned.

“Calvin, you’re gonna hurt yourself and we’ll have to drag you back instead of helping our friends!” Anne called as he started his run up.

“I said I’ll help, Frog-dammit I’m gonna help!” Spite lit the bomb but a different feeling was the final spark before the explosion. Fire coursed down his legs in the final steps before his jump, Calvin pushing himself harder than he ever had before. To his credit, he covered most of the distance pretty well.

He caught himself halfway on the edge of the otherside, ax head digging into the ground a foot from Anne’s shoeless foot. Anne made to help, but she looked nauseous for a second and stopped, so the punk dragged himself up with his one good arm. With the exception of his numb arm, every muscle in his body screamed in agony by the time he collapsed on his knees heaving. The girls went to him with worried looks but before they could check on him he got his feet under himself and started moving. Calvin didn’t even sheath his ax, the blade carving a furrow into the mud as he plodded forward.

“Come on Anne. Lead the way.” He sounded as tired as he looked.

Worry for her friend weighed against the fear for the ones lost and the needs of the many won. Anne sidled around him and followed Sasha’s scent to a cave in a dried lake bed. A black Scorpaleo with blue chitin had Hop Pop and Sprig under one paw, Sasha in the other. It roared in their faces and the frogs stopped their struggles in fear while the blonde only redoubled her effort.

“Okay Anne, now step two: Use your environment.” Her tadpole sister didn’t trust her to remember the second step.

“Right, got it.” Her bush of hair whipped after her as she looked around manically. Calvin could practically see the light bulb ignite over her head as an idea came to her. Like a girl possessed she started clawing at the mud and an impressive pile began to form outside her new pit.

The monster, on the other hand, had made up its mind and raised the cheer captain over its head as it prepared to bite her head off. Sasha cried defiance the whole way and the damned thing seemed to chuckle at her.

“Anne…” Polly’s voice trembled as she silently asked her sister for an explanation, her eyes never leaving the beast.

“Gimme a second, almost there.” Anne was almost over her head in soil now.

“Only a second?” Calvin asked, sounding more confident than he could have been. “I can do a second.” He stepped out of their cover and slide down the bank,

“Calvin, get back here!” Polly whisper-screamed but he ignored her.

“Yo, ugly!” He shouted into the clearing. The beast took the bait and turned to stare at him along with Sasha.

“Calvin?” Confusion and relief fought for lead emotion in her voice. The cat bug looked curiously at the boy as he raised his ax in his off hand.

“Hungry? How about stick surprise?” The punk teen grimaced as he threw his weapon with less coordination than usual. It spun end over end in a wobbly arc until the butt of the haft nailed the creature in one of its four eyes. It roared in agony as it dropped Sasha, got off the Plantar boys, and pawed at its face like it could rub away the pain.

“What’s the matter? Not your flavor?” His taunts brought the Scorpaleo back to the present and it snarled at him. Calvin grinned and flexed his left hand in a ‘come on’ motion that the monster obliged. It pounced and he found that his legs didn’t have the strength to save him. With a grim smile, he bunched his functioning fist back and wondered if the counter really could drop a tiger.

He never found out as Anne shoved him out of the way, just ducking under the claws herself. The animal skidded to a halt looking at the newest human and roared. And Calvin was sure he’d actually just died and was hallucinating as he bled to death, because Anne proceeded to perform the strangest damn dance he’d ever seen.

There was flopping, gyrating, and slamming of one’s face into nearby objects and the ground. He and the beast were in sync as they tilted their heads in confusion.

“I am the leaves.” Anne chanted like she was in a trance. “I am the morning dew. I am,” Theatrical bolt of lightning. “The Hunter!”

“It’s so beautiful.” Sprig’s mystified voice came from where he still laid on the ground with his grandpa.

Anne kicked dirt into the Scorpaleo’s face, breaking the daze it was in. The creature dove once more at her and Calvin was sure he was about to watch his friend die.

With her eyes closed, she ducked under the blow and slammed her fists into the ground. A pile of leaves turned out to be a cover for the pit she’d dug and the big cat bug fell to the bottom with a pathetic meow.

“You did it Anne!” Her frog bestie came running up to her, tackling her with a hug, Polly piling on with Ho Pop walking over. “You did it!”

“What?” She looked back like she just now realized what she’d done, noticing the disgruntled growling coming from behind her. “Whoo Hoo! I did it! Dance in yo face!”

And then it started to scramble up the other side.

“Okay, time to go.” Anne gathered her frog family under her arms and began to sprint back the way she came. Calvin tried to stand and follow, but his body was finished for the day. He’d barely managed to prop himself up on an elbow when he saw the cat bug climb out and begin to stalk into the jungle. He was about to call after his friends when Sasha scooped him into a bridal carry and ran after them.

“That makes twice now you’ve saved my life.” The butterflies her voice put in his stomach had razor wings. “At this rate, we’re never gonna be even.”

“What can I say?” He looked anywhere but at her face. “I’m a competitive soul.”

She laughed all the way back to camp, doing Calvin’s confused, agitated, and drop dead tired body not a single favor.

Chapter Text

The jungle persisted for a few more days. They were rather uneventful as they didn’t need to stop thanks to the Scorpaleo Calvin had brought back. He’d won the bet but no one really remembered after getting back. The dead predator did a good job explaining away his exhaustion, but his human friends pestered fiercely about how he’d killed it. The perfect hole through its abdomen was many things, but subtle wasn’t one of them.

“Haven’t you guys felt a little off ever since coming here?” He was fishing here, wanting to figure this ‘burning like a star’ thing out but keep his word about the Olm’s secret existence.

“Not really, no.” Anne’s reply was chipper and sure, like always.

“Not particularly.” Sasha seemed to be back in the swing of things, confident and assured as ever but with maybe more humility. Hard to tell from his muddled perspective.

“Well, you guys have been doing some pretty cartoony shit, Anne especially. I’m just saying, maybe there’s a little more to all this than just a magic box? Maybe we could look into it after I'm feeling back up to standard?”

The girls mulled the idea over, sharing a look before wishing him a speedy recovery and, as soon as Anne or Sasha got off his case, Polly was immediately there, pestering him to talk to Sasha about how he felt, which he continued to ignore.

Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a big brother, he grumbled in his head. He flexed his right arm, still sore as the dickens bit functional enough.

“Just go talk to her already.” Polly bounced onto the table in front of the human boy. She crossed her flippers and gave him her best scowl, which would give Sasha a run for her money, even if it was adorable.

“I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times,” Calvin groaned at his new found sister figure. “It ain’t that simple kiddo.”

“It is, actually. You just start talking.” She was unimpressed with him.

“See, right there, that’s the hard part.”

“No it’s not, we’re talking right now.”

“We’re arguing, having a talk like you keep insisting is a pain in the ass.”

“Language.” Hop Pop grumbled from where he was sleeping in the bed behind them.

“It’s kinda creepy how he sleeps with his eyes open.” Calvin looked over his shoulder into the empty eyes of the old frog.

“No changing the subject.” Polly grabbed his face and made him look her in the face, inches between them. “Sasha hurt you and needs to know that. You tell her or I do.”

“It’s not your business, kid.” He swallowed his growl, at least trying to be the bigger person while insisting on pigheadedness. “If I feel inclined to bring it up, I will.”

“No you won’t. I saw you in the jungle, you’d rather rip yourself apart than ask for help.” Her anger softened into concern. She let him go so he could sit back up with a huff. “People care about you and it’s not fair to them to do this to yourself.”

“It’s not fair to them to make problems for them.” He countered. “There’s trouble enough around here without inventing new ones out of thin air.”

“You're not inventing anything! It’s Sasha’s fault, it’s her job to make it right, not yours to hide it.”

“What’s my fault?” Said girl leaned over the hatch to the roof where she was helping Anne and Sprig direct their fwagon along the trip.

“The fact that we’re still driving even though it’s dark out.” Calvin interjected quickly, earning an annoyed, adorable look from Polly.

“How’s it my fault we get tired before Bessie does?” Sasha defended in mock offense. “She’s a smart girl, if she wanted a break she’d ask.”

“Well, some of us struggle to stay asleep in moving vehicles.” He grumbled back to her. Seemingly satisfied with his early morning grumpiness, Waybright returned to helping with the driving. Polly scowled at him once more, to which all he could do was roll his eyes and sigh.

“It’s going to end badly.” She was rather insistent about that.

“I’ll either get over it or we’ll just stop hanging out.” He played it off like it was no big deal, but the latter option sent a bit of hurt through him. “It’s not the end of the world as we know it.”

“I might be a tadpole, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works.” She shook her head/whole body at him.

“Why do you care, anyway?” He leaned back as he spoke, looking away. “Were our antics really that entertaining?”

“Well, I realized I don’t like watching my friends hurt themselves.” Calvin turned back to see tears welling up in Polly’s eyes. She sniffled once and what stubbornness he had shattered. With a sigh he wrapped her up in his right arm and gave her a squeeze.

“Fine, fine. I’ll see what I can do when I find the time, just can the water works.” He held Polly against his chest for a minute or so while she let her anxiety soak into his shirt.

Maybe you could’ve been a brother after all, he thought.

As soon as she was done, she hopped out of his hug and made her way to a shelf near the floor. A plaque with her name on it was under the assembled items: four books, a duck plushie, and a flail. She grabbed the book titled Feargus Frog Finds a Friend and jumped back over to the tired teen.

“Now that that’s settled, it’s story time.” Polly said matter-of-factly.

“Seems a bit early to me, but there were some nights I didn’t even sleep I was so engrossed by a book, so what would I know?” Calvin shrugged and turned to the first page. Just as he was about to start the pop-up book, blonde tresses fell from the roof hatch followed by Sasha’s face.

“Hey kids, we’re pulling up at a truck stop to keep Bessie fresh, if you wanna stretch your legs now’s the chance.” She met Polly’s glare. “Right. Sorry Polly.” She disappeared the way she’d come.

“Okay kiddo, story time is gonna have to wait.” He closed the book with care and set it on the table. “My legs are itching up a storm and I need to get some blood flow going.” The pollywog looked disappointed, but then a proverbial firefly lit over her head and she grinned with intent.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Her eagerness was hard to miss and Calvin wasn’t sure why it was there. “I’m gonna go see if Sprig’ll help me get some snacks.” And like that she was up onto the roof before he could say anything. After the fwagon came to a stop, the only kid not on the roof hopped out and got some stretching in, choosing to pay Polly’s odd behavior little mind.

Sasha was already walking through the diner’s doors, leaving Anne at the honey pump to let Bessie have her fill of the sweet nectar while Sprig spoke to his sister at the bench. They spoke in hushed tones he couldn’t overhear and looked away when he glanced in their direction.

Odd, his inner audience commented, wonder what those two are conspiring about.

He knotted his fingers and stretched his back as far as he could, popping five vertebrae and briefly reaching Nirvana. In his ascendant state he barely registered a pink frog boy jumping from a vehicle and running inside to speak with a tattooed, aqua colored, Australian looking frog that had grown a massive beard decorated with bones. The talk was quick and the boy returned swiftly with a little bag of sweets to share with his sister.

Guess that settles that then, he assumed as he returned to corporeal life.

Seems a bit mundane for whispers the mental audience replied.

“Oh shoot,” Sprig exclaimed in the fakest shock Calvin had ever heard. “I forgot the change. Hey Calvin, think you could go grab that for me?”

He narrowed his eyes at the boy, who started sweating bullets. A tense few seconds passed as Sprig’s smile grew wider and more forced by the moment. Eventually, the punk relented with a shrug and mosied on over to the little restaurant. It was a quaint, backwoods joint, complete with stuffed squirrel-beetle on the counter. As he made his way to the counter he was waved down by the bearded frog Sprig had been talking to.

“Oh, I see you were in the same vehicle as Sprig Plantar.” His acting was even worse. “I noticed he forgot his change, could you see that it gets back to him?”

“Okay ‘mate,’ Calvin called on his best Australian impression, which was at best a decent caricature. “What’s the dealio? What’d Sprig set you up for?”

“Whatever do you mean, my good man?” He batted bushy eyelashes at the human boy who was buying none of it. In a much more natural voice he introduced himself and stuck out his hand. “Name’s Soggy Joe, by the way.”

“Okay, sure. Calvin.” He took the offered hand and found himself trapped in an earthquake of a handshake. Just before he was bodily dragged off his feet, Joe released the human who stumbled in place for a moment, dizzy.

“So, what’s got you folks traveling out of the valley?” Soggy Joe asked in a conversational tone. “I thought Hopidiah’s traveling days were over.”

“Vacation. Weren’t you holding on to Sprig’s change?” Kid was having none of it.

“Vacation, eh? You know, I drive from the valley to Newtopia all the time, I know the best stops along the road. Lemme grab my map, I’ll point em out.” Before Calvin could protest, the frog was out of his seat and heading towards one of the bigger semi trucks. Sasha sidled up next to him and leaned her back into the bar, following his annoyed stare. She whistled before she spoke.

“You’ve sure got a way of making friends, Cali.” His jaw twitched but if she noticed she didn’t comment.

“It’s my sheer animal magnetism.” He grumbled with furrowed brow. “Although I’m beginning to think I’ve been played for a fool.”

“What makes you say that?” Her tone was jovial like it usually was after spending time with Anne.

“Anne’s leaving without us.” He pointed to the fwagon which was, indeed, heading back to the trail. The Thai gal met his eyes and shrugged like she’d been caught playing a prank. Sprig waved while Polly leveled a serious expression at him as they turned the corner.

“Huh.” Sasha was taking this rather well. He glanced over when he heard nearby silverware clinking on the counter, the source of which being a shaking Waybright. So, not taking it well. He didn’t move until she started hyperventilating, handing her a nearby to-go bag and moving her to an empty booth.

“Alright, alright. Take your time.” Calvin patted her back reassuringly, silently preparing his script for when he saw Polly again. He was thinking of throwing a whooping Soggy Joe’s way if he came back inside when Sasha started sobbing.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” She whispered to herself. “I should’ve known not even Anne was that forgiving.”

“Hey now, we both know she’s got the biggest heart around, I’m sure that’s not it.”

“Yeah, but she isn’t stupid Calvin, everyone has their limits.” Her laugh was a stiff, humorless, barking noise. “I guess her’s isn’t trying to kill her frog grandpa, or even a near death confession on a conveyor belt, but failure.” Her blonde hair cascaded around her head as she fell forehead first into the table. “I failed to protect her family and now they’re ditching us on the side of the road.”

Calvin mouthed ‘conveyor belt’ before shaking his head and filing that away for later. He rubbed her back to ease her tension, letting her sob a bit more while he ordered his thoughts.

“Look, I’m sure there’s an explanation for this that’s almost reasonable, we’re just gonna have to ask them when they get back. Besides, if it was just about you, why would they have left me too?” Poor fool, he tried to use logic on a hysterical teenager.

“Because you were with me at Toad Tower, obviously?” Depression gave some ground to irritation, but the former lieutenant didn’t sound too sure of her reasoning. “Maybe they think we’re going to betray them to the Toad Army or something.”

“Sash, all I ever told any of them about my time at the Tower was that you were in charge and had me thrown in a cell.” Her tears extinguished some of the fire in his chest as he remembered. But not all of it. “I can’t imagine why they’d think I’d be loyal to the Toads.”

“Cause you’re loyal to me and I was kinda thinking about it.” She mumbled into the crook of her arm and he almost missed that last half as her voice descended into a whisper. “Not anymore, not after the Ruins.”

“Why am I not surprised?” The admonishing words rode a tired voice as Calvin leaned back into his plush seat, suddenly not feeling particularly loyal. “So much for ‘they don’t matter,’ huh?” She flinched when he quoted her speech from just before her duel with Anne.

“Look, I was having fun with Grime and running the Tower, okay?” Her defensive tone was undermined by her watery eyes. “Giving orders, being waited on hand and foot, thinking about marching on the capital-”

“Attacking your friends and having them imprisoned, wait what was that last one?”

“I didn’t attack you, I-”

“Asked to spar and tricked me into a Toad honor duel in front of the entire army that would never have let me out of that ring, but again, what was that third point?”

“I thought that it was the only way to get through to you, always walking around like you’re the toughest guy in the room,” Her quivering voice got darker. “That you don’t need anything or anyone. I thought, maybe if I proved I was stronger, then you’d stay and just listen.”

“And we saw how that worked out, didn’t we?” His frown stuttered as she laughed, genuine, mirthful laughter. The cheer captain sat back up and put her head on his shoulder before she spoke in hushed tones.

“Yeah, we did. You talked about how much you hated liking me and told me all your favorite things about me while trying to see if the floor of the cell or your hand would break first. I’m still surprised it was the brick.” Sasha’s laugh turned sour. “You pointed out how bad a friend I’ve been and even now I’m realizing I don’t know how to be good to the people I care about. I wanted to be a leader, I became a bully. I wanted to be a protector and failed. Maybe being a queen bitch is the only thing I’m good at.”

“I might have been a tad upset at that moment.” Calvin was feeling sheepish as she recalled her side of his breakdown.

“Even back then, I noticed you didn’t bring up yourself.” Two orbs, one brown one blue, met his emerald eyes as she looked past his mask to the kid underneath. “You know what Marcy likes, you listened when Anne didn’t like one of my little schemes, but you didn’t once bring up what you like, how you felt.”

“I might have if you didn’t drop that bombshell about the box.” Change the subject kid.

“I doubt it. Dr. Maheswaran would have an easier time prying anything out of you if she used a crowbar instead of therapy.” Now she looked away and moved into the crook of his neck, the increased lack of distance between them throwing sweet feelings into Calvin’s bitter mix. “I don’t really know what you like because it was never stuff I liked. I could have guessed how you felt, but it was only to gauge what I’d have to say to get you to do what I wanted. I never wanted you to get hurt, any of you three, I just don’t know how to do that without putting you on rails or in a bottle.”

"At least you want to learn?" Poor guy was scrambling now. "It's better to try and fail than stay the same, right?"

"We just got ditched in the jungle, you tell me."

Calvin sighed, as he unfortunately only saw one way out of this swirl of emotional turmoil and that was giving in to Polly’s wishes. He promised himself he'd dribble the brat when he got the chance. The boy steeled himself with a deep breath and confronted himself.

"They didn't leave because of you. I told Polly I'd talk to you as soon as I got the chance, so she forced one. I guess she got Anne in on the joke too."

"I just had a panic attack because a child wanted us to have a heart to heart?"

"'Fraid so."

Sasha's face was blank as she stared off into nowhere. Making a decision in her own head, she groaned and hid her face against his shoulder.

"Alright, let's get this over with." A dismissive wave of her calloused hand was his signal to start.

"I don't think this is a great time or place for this kinda talk, Waybright." Not to mention either of your moods.

"Probably not, but Polly’s a determined girl and crap like this is gonna keep happening until she gets her way, so go ahead and air your dirty laundry. I'm a big girl, I can take it." Her voice was devoid of hope and emotion.

"We could always just not and say we did." Even if he brought it up, that didn't mean he actually wanted to deal with his feelings.

"Look Calvin, I can tell something's been bugging you for a while now. You might be good at hiding it, but I'm better at seeing it." She sat up and looked him in the face, daring him to back down and prove her right. He did. "There's no way around this that won't be awkward at best so we might as well just get to it."

“Oh Frog on a stick, woman.” He tried to make himself small next to her in the booth but her piercing gaze pinned him to the spot. "This is gonna be exhausting."

Kid set his head on the back of the leather booth seat and locked his eyes on the ceiling so he could focus on his thoughts. What to tell, what to hide, what was worth the effort, and what was a waste of time. If he was being entirely honest, he wasn't 100% certain what was actually bothering him. But the kid did know where to start, at least.

"I want an apology." Maybe it wasn't much, but it felt right.

"For what?" And Calvin very nearly exploded. The words sparked at the powder keg inside before his head had a chance to consider the tone. It wasn't 'I've never been wrong in my life' like he would have expected, but instead 'Where do I start?' He relaxed back into his seat, just now noticing that he'd nearly jumped out of it, noticing the shock (fear?) in Sasha’s eyes.

"For throwing me in a box, same one you spent a month in, with no intent to let me out until we were leaving." The boy gave himself some credit because he couldn't believe how even his voice was.

"Suppose I should have seen that coming," His lieutenant replied before taking a steadying breath, as though to continue, before it stuttered out of her lungs when he continued.

"And what you said during the duel." The scar up his forehead stung with the memory and he nearly left it at that, but the rest came out on momentum, like a string attached the sentences. "I haven't slept right since that day." Sasha's face dropped as she finally got an answer to his new insomnia.

Later, far in the future and not so distant, Calvin would look back on the moment he shared with Sasha in this booth, in a podunk truck stop in a jungle on a completely different plain of existence. In those moments, he'd realize all over again, looking into the memory of her wonderfully unique eyes and the shoddy lantern light adding beautiful depths to her strawberry blonde hair, that Sasha Waybright had changed. Maybe he'd felt it before, maybe that was what was throwing him off his usual social rhythm, but he'd never really registered the data until he confronted her in the face and saw actual, genuine, real remorse maring her features. A face so often painted in hues of confidence, smugness, carefully framed disinterest and here it was in watercolors of shame and regret. The memory was always in turn followed by who she would become, but we need to get there before we can remember it ourselves.

At that moment, he wouldn't have needed her to say anything, he could read her speech already because it was written across her face. But it was nice to hear anyways, in between tears that washed away a bad past and sobs that promised a brighter future. When the high of reconciliation finally left him that night the kid slept like the dead, just like he had before coming to this strange, hostile, wondrous world.

Sasha didn't mention how she'd do right by Anne, how she'd really get to know Marcy after everything was settled, but instead how she'd be a better friend to Calvin. All she talked about was wanting to know his favorite foods, shows, colors, even his middle name. What a silly thing to mean so much to someone, even if that sentiment suddenly made all the sense in the world. She didn't even notice when Anne walked in and sat at the bar next to Soggy Joe, who'd snuck in when Calvin wasn't looking. He waved at her and she replied in kind, leaves rustling in her unmanageable curls. It wasn't until the flash from their Thai friend's phone washed over them did Sasha sniffle to a stop and look up from his shoulder where she'd placed her hope and tears.

Behind the device was a grin draped from ear to ear, eyes wet with joy as, just when Sasha was getting ready to beg her to delete the photo in one last ditch attempt at pride, Anne piled into the booth with them and cheered. Then the blonde joined her with waterworks all her own. Calvin couldn't help but smile at them as they hugged around and with him, dragging his arms out to throw over their shoulders. The little discomforts of a recovering body fled him entirely then and Calvin could have brought the world to heel right then and there if asked.

As the sunrise crashed over the jungle canopy and washed away the last vestiges of Amphibia’s night, finally hiding the blood red moon, three humans stepped out a truck stop. They left behind what turmoil and strife they'd built between them over the last few months and were finally ready to carry a much lighter load: the weight of the world.

Once they finally got moving and Calvin was doodling on one of the free pages in a coloring book, Sasha plopped down next to him. She glanced at his little comic and stifled a giggle. Normally she'd just let it fly, positive reinforcement and what not, but she had a topic on her mind that she didn't know how to broach.

"Out with it Waybright, you're throwing off my mojo." His treacherous face grinned and leaked into his words.

"You're not mad about the box? About me having Anne steal it, getting us all stuck here?" Her voice was a mix of curiosity and trepidation, needing answers but not wanting the one she expected.

The would-be cartoonist stopped and put the butt of the pencil to his lips in thought. He hadn't even thought about that, or at least attributed it to her until now. The prophetic words of Mother Olm played through his head and he realized why it never felt like anyone's fault.

"I'll admit I'm not happy about it, but that sounds like something you'll need to apologize to a lot of people about, Anne first." Kid tried to make himself sound more upset than he was, but Sasha’s sudden slump into a thousand yard stare made it difficult to tell if she bought it or not.

"Oh trust me dude, I have. Repeatedly. And I'm making a list of everyone else who'll need an apology too." She came back from wherever she'd gone and glanced at him. "Your parents are there too."

"Eh, just Dad is fine." He shrugged and went back to work. Sasha looked blankly at him for a moment before nodding and leaning back.

"So why aren't you bent out of shape over me dragging us all out here?"

Because apparently you three were fated to come here. To burn like stars for these people and save them from the worst versions of themselves. I'm not upset at you for helping to fulfill your heroic destiny. I'm just mad I should have no part in it. I'm jealous that you, Anne, and Marcy get to be legendary heroes right out of the stories I used to hide in and all I get is the 'honor' of watching from the front row instead of the back seat.

But how do you say that without admitting to lying from the get go, admitting that you sprinkle falsehoods into nearly every sentence because you're scared of your own voice, of abandoned? How do you open such a poorly built dam without just letting the floodwaters free? You hiss like a snake because you think smooth scaled lies are better than rough furred truths. It's exhausting to keep track of, but it means you don't have to risk what you've built, doesn't it? Just acknowledge that it's all built on towers of sand. They're smart girls, they might just be humoring you to see how long you can manage.

"I mean, it's not like you went out of your way to find a magic music box that could send people hurting across worlds."

"Does that make it Marcy's fault? She found the dang thing and told us where to find it." Sasha's tone was tough for him to read, something like a mix of relief and dread.

"That ain't really fair to her, either. How was she supposed to know magic was real, you just had to import it?"

Sasha stewed over what he said and stared off into the dwindling jungle outside the fwagon. She didn't say anything, just eased her head onto his shoulder and politely ignored the shiver that ran down his spine. The last 24 hours had given her a lot to think about and she intended to do it right. Like her friends deserved.

Chapter Text

The traveling band eventually came out of the jungle into yet another blasted desert, this one even sandier and deader than the one that encompassed Bittyburg. As Calvin cursed his new found long hair, soaked with sweat to the back of his neck, he was at least thankful that growing up in the Midwest had conditioned his soul against rapidly changing climates. Hard to believe they’d nearly been gone from earth for four months now, even longer since his last hair cut.

He was using his cloak as an umbrella of sorts for himself and the frog kids while Sasha was doing the same at the bench for Anne, Hop Pop, and herself. They’d all gotten a good laugh out of Anne’s confidence towards managing the Dry Swamp but now that they were all in the same boat it wasn’t so funny.

“Welcome to the Dry Swamp, kids.” Hop Pop’s cheery tone didn’t match the environment in the least bit. Dunes of sand were all that covered the landscape as far as the eye could see and it burned Calvin’s retinas like he was staring at the sun. “Home to giant frog-eating sand worms. Bandits. Vagabonds! You’d know, of course, if you’d ever read the classic play Fear the Dry Swamp.”

For some reason, he had a copy of the manuscript in his jacket. Actually, scratch that, this is Hopidiah Plantar, that makes sense.

Hop Pop took a deep breath in preparation to bombard the kids with the opening monologue of said play, but was interrupted by Sasha, of all people. She gasped loudly and turned to Calvin with glee in her eyes. He searched his memory for a moment until the right one triggered and he rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Oh lordy, here we go.” The rest of the kids glanced between the former officers with confused looks, while the old frog steering the fwagon looked ahead while grumbling about uncultured youths.

“Hark!” Sasha began in the most melodramatic voice she had on call, which was really sayin something. “For I am homeless, I am friendless! I am the Dry Swamp!” She glanced around for positive reinforcement, met only with confused expressions, an old man grumbling, and Calvin tapping his feet for applause so he didn’t have to give up his shade.

“I was this close to the lead part once.” Hop Pop mumbled to himself while the blonde huffed and stuck her nose up at her peers. “I had dreams before I settled on the farm. I guess rude youngsters are just another part of life.”

“I still think Percy deserved the lead.” Calvin took potshots at Sasha’s ego and she reacted in muted offense. She agreed, but you can’t just go around saying that. “Theater night was his idea and he showed up with the script memorized.”

“How was I supposed to stop the garrison from voting for me because they wanted validation?” Former Lieutenant Waybright shrugged casually, but the other two humans caught that slight hint of shame on her face before she turned back to the open dunes before them. Sprig nearly said something, but thankfully the performance attracted a giant frog-eating sand worm.

It was at least three wagons tall and had no eyes. Along its back ran fronds that mimicked tufts of tough desert grass and its skin was an alternating palate of greens, one close to brown and the other close to the color of its tufts. As it roared down at them, Calvin couldn’t help but not that it had two sets of jaws in its mouth.

The massive beast shot out of the sand then it dove to eat the travelers, fwagon and all. Hop Pop steered Bessie away from the monster’s maw in a serpentine pattern, the worm constantly diving in and out of the ground in an effort to consume them. The kids made ready for battle when suddenly a beetle came flying over a dune toward them. As it got closer, it became clear there was a figure steering the big bug, wearing a shawl and thick, orange glasses.

“Hey you!” A feminine voice called as she drew even with the fwagon’s bench. “Head towards that dune! We’ve got a caravan on the other side and this thing’s spooked by numbers.” Before Hop Pop could get a word in, the beetle rider was off again, flying over the dune she had instructed them toward.

She was barely out of sight before a trio of wagons hooked together and pulled by a beetle as big as any one of the wagons crested the sand hill and began to circle the fwagon. The worm hissed at the sight and burrowed away, showing that it was double the length they had seen.

“We totally had that.” Sasha sheathed the heron blade with a grumble. Calvin hefted his ax onto his shoulder and wiped away a forehead’s worth of sweat that had nothing to do with the heat. The lady from before landed in front of a wagon labeled ‘Acting Troupe,’ complete with froggy renditions of the comedy and tragedy masks.

“Say, thanks for your help back there.” Hopidiah called to her as she dismounted.

“Don’t mention it.” She replied, in an accent that was strangely reminiscent of Boston. “You know, you folks really shouldn't be out here on your own. Haven’t you ever read Fear the Dry Swamp?”

“You know that play?” The old man’s voice was edged with hope as he clutched the reins to his chest and leaned toward her.

“Know it? Ha! I directed it!” She grabbed her shawl and threw it off with a flourish, revealing a yellow green frog woman in a classic director's outfit, complete with weird little leg fins and beret. “Renee Frodgers is the name and managing this acting troupe is my game.”

“Acting troupe? Here?” Hop Pop stuttered out as the rest of his traveling party looked on with looks ranging from Sasha’s begrudging acceptance that of course there were actors in the desert to Calvin’s unabashed disbelief.

“Wow, what’re the chances?” Anne asked with mild interest and the human boy wished Marcy was here to crunch the numbers on that question.

“Say, why don’t you folks join our caravan?” Renee finished her posing and walked up to the fwagon driver to ask the question, not waiting for him to pick his jaw off the ground before continuing. “We could use the extra stagehands and you know what they say: ‘Safety in Numbers.’”

“We’re in!” Hop Pop shouted as he dropped the reins and hopped after the director as she went to the back of the wagon at the end of their trio. Anne chuckled as she made to follow, accompanied by the Plantar kids after they shared a look and shrugged. Sasha was next, heron blade at her hip, with an eye rolling Calvin bringing up the rear.

Renee threw open the back doors, revealing that the cart had been devoted entirely to serving as the backstage area for their troupe. Actors and workers scurried about like very posh ants, scripts and lattes aplenty. The only one not moving was a rather small frog in a Victorian styled dress cranked up to eleven, mostly because that seemed to be the diameter of the skirt in feet.

“Welcome to our humble operation.” The director declared as the travelers looked on in slight interest, except for Hop Pop’s open mouthed gasp and starry eyes. She walked them over to a frog boy in a green cloak and beret that matched Renee’s. “Hey, Francis! Show these youngsters to the kids’ wagon”

“As you wish, madame.” Why the sam hell was the kid doing a french accent. “I am Francois, heir to House D’arncool.” Mother of Olms, he’s bowing so deep his chin is almost scraping the floor.

“He’s method.” Director Frodgers stated, as though that explained anything about what Calvin was being forced to witness. Thankfully, everyone but Sasha was just as confused, if not as irked.

“It means he embodies a character on and off set, duh!” Hop Pop and Sasha dueted, then stared deep into each other's eyes.

“Ha-ha! Sharp as a tack, you two. Care to join me in my trailer?” Renee’s voice snapped them from their mind meld and they locked onto her like water in a desert. Topical. “I’d love to pitch you our latest production.”

“Would I?” The amatuer thespians were in sync once more, all massive grins, giggles, and sparkling peepers as they followed the troupe manager to her office at the back of the wagon. Behind the four remaining guests Francis, or Francois if you cared, cleared his throat to get their attention.

“You three are free to join me if you wish. Ha ha!” He threw part of his cloak over his face as he ran out the back door and made to go toward one of the other wagons.

“Wow.” Sprig spoke first. “That guy is the coolest kid I’ve ever met!” His tone really spiked in the middle, good misdirect on his part, even if he was gaping at the spot the kid had been standing in a moment ago. “Let’s go with him!”

“I’m in.” Polly jumped into his open hands and they began to jump after Francis.

“Absolutely not.” Anne Boonchuy, apparent hater of fun. “I was in a school play once. It was awful and this place is bringing back memories.” She squinted at the ceiling in an accusatory manner and Calvin could pinpoint the exact moment her flashback started.

“Four out of five dentists agree, I was traumatized.” The fact she said that with a smile scared him deeply. “Anyways, see you dudes later. I’ve got a complicated jigsaw puzzle with my name on it.” She reached behind her back and produced a Koalas of Passion puzzle that Calvin was sure wasn’t there a second ago. “Yes, my babies, yessss.” Why was she cuddling and whispering to them?

“What about you Calvin?” Polly turned her gaze from her creepy sister to the new brother figure.

“Sorry kiddo. Between that accent and this heat, I feel the great grandpappy of all headaches coming on and I’d do anything to avoid at least one of the causes.” He shrugged as he ruffled her bow then put on his broadest smile. “You have enough fun for both of us, alright?”

“Okay, bye!” The siblings called as they resumed jumping after the method actor. A fierce chill ran down the human boy’s spine and he turned to meet Anne’s eyes, almost physically with how close she’d snuck up behind him.

“Anything?” She shook the puzzle box menacingly and the little cardboard pieces chanted threats of aggravation and feelings of inadequacy. He wondered if it was too late to forsake his self-imposed ideas of honor.

“Frog dammit.” He conceded, allowing the surprisingly strong young woman to drag him back to the fwagon by the wrist.

“And how is it still so humid out here?!” Calvin screamed to the heavens before the fwagon door slammed shut and sealed his fate.

The only reprieves from his puzzle commitment that day were supervising a couple of exceptionally brawny frog stagehands maneuvering the fwagon and Bessie into the caravan between the backstage and the kids’ wagon, then communal dinner that night. The rest of the day was entirely sacrificed to trying to assist two koala bears in creating a scene on a cruise ship that must have only barely based copyright law. He spent the remaining hours of his day muttering, first about his hate of koalas as animals labeled as bears, then his disdain for pandas for being bears that were barely bears, and his final rant before bed centering on humanity’s failure as an apex species for stopping evolution from enacting justice on floundering species but instead executing countless animals that were thriving in their habitats.

Anne had a good deal of fun poking at his train of thoughts as it went past, defending koalas and trying to justify panda bear’s existence with less to oppose her friend but more to keep him throwing fuel into his own fire. It lightened his aggravation to frame it mentally as a debate instead of aimless whinging, but then he’d go back to looking for the piece he wanted and instead find five that he might need soon. How this was anyone’s idea of fun, especially a close friend of his, was entirely beyond the green eyed kid.

He wished that Anne could have put this much focus into her school work, as he couldn’t stand the ‘knowing’ looks from her parents whenever he stopped by Thai Go to help her study and her grades barely improved. It was a little funny at first, he had to admit, but after a couple of months of the Boonchuy parents ‘playing along’ with their ‘secret relationship,’ it began to grind on his nerves. Thankfully, he’d developed a taste for Thai food at an exceptional rate, so that helped. And it’s not like he could ask any of his friends for help with this specific problem, because how does one broach such a topic, honestly?

Why is that part of home keeping me up, Calvin wondered to himself as he slinked through the midnight interior of their fwagon. He made his way over to the ladder that led to the roof and climbed out with a silence that Domino couldn’t match. Though that might be unfair, as Anne made efforts to keep her baby chonky. Speaking of, the Boonchuy girl was already occupying the roof of their mobile home, laying down flat and staring at the starry expanse of the heavens. He caught the hatch as it fell shut and slid his fingers out from under it to make its shutting silent before sitting at the steering bench.

“And here I was thinking I was the only one restless tonight.” He commented just loud enough to be heard.

“I never imagined there were so many stars anywhere.” Her voice was dream-like, carried by wonder into the welcoming night air. “You think Earth’s out there?”

“I’m not sure, but tell you what city girl, we ever get a chance and I’ll be sure to take y’all somewhere back home with hardly any light pollution.” He leaned back and enjoyed the chill that was settling into his bones, a stark contrast to the drilling sun of the day. It wasn’t until the sound of sniffling came from behind him that he opened his eyes and looked back.

“Home. Yeah, I'd like that.” Anne’s teary voice was a whisper but he would have heard it over miles of desert dunes. “I’ll hold you to that Cal.”

Calvin shimmied out of his seat and laid his head down next to hers so her curls were on his shoulder and his shoulder length locks on hers. They stayed like that in silence for a time, broken only by the occasional tearful sniffle that no one noted. After something between a minute and forever the boy raised an arm and gestured to a cluster of light pinpricks in the sky.

“What’ya think that is?” She followed his arm past orbit into infinity and pondered.

“Kinda looks like a snail shell, right?”

“I was thinking Hop Pop’s face.”

“Nah, it’s missing the hair tufts.” Laughter replaced the tears in her voice. “That haircut is iconic dude.”

“Ya got me there.” He pointed to a different piece of the sky. “What about there?”

“A puzzle piece.” He groaned audibly and could feel the grin splitting her face.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.” The regret was real, it was just the amount that was being played for show.

“Come on, you’ll love it when it’s finished.” Calvin wasn’t sure if she meant the image the puzzle hid or the experience of making it appear. He was sure she was wrong either way and told her as much. She just giggled. “It’s kinda cold out here, isn’t it?”

“California has made you weak, Boonchuy.”

“And Illinois made you a snowman.”

“At least I don’t need to wear an entire closet everytime it drops below 40.”

“You melt anytime it gets above 100, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“If life had wanted me to endure such madness, I wouldn’t have been born a mammal.”

Neither was sure how long they were on the roof, but eventually exhaustion came a calling to reap its toll. A chuckle led to a yawn here, a slurred reply there, and before they knew it they fell asleep in the open air on the wooden roof, using the ruddy moonlight for a night light and wearing their friendship as a blanket. The fourth human dreamt of a trio of stars, Blue, Green, and Pink, and how he fit into that orbit. Each time he drifted too close, foreign images raced through his mind and he drifted back.

Before the morning light had a chance, Calvin was abruptly awakened by the hatch into the fwagon being slammed in his rump. He’d been assaulted three whole times before he scooted up and split his legs, dodging the fourth blow and allowing Sprig Plantart to periscope out of the fwagon’s interior with a panicked look. His worry was helped a whole lot of not at all when he was dragged off the ladder by the collar of his jacket.

“Explain right now why I’m waking up with a bruised ass.” The young men met eyes and the boy behind the green eyes had to fight hard to keep his tone neutral. His blight wasn’t helped by memories of where he’d slept coming back to him and how similar to a sleepover they all had at Anne's this situation was, although it was a bedroom door last time. Mrs. Boonchuy had been rather cross to find all four of them in a pile on the floor instead of in their sleeping bags or bed in her daughter’s case.

“Because you slept on top of the hatch?” Sprig hazarded a guess and brought the human back to the present and away from the cold fury of Oum Boonchuy.

“Not technically inaccurate, fine.” He released the frog boy who looked at the slowly waking form of his best friend. “To be fair, I would have preferred the couch but I got distracted.”

“By what?” That tone was right off Suspicion Island Calvin thought and never realized how right he was.

“Stars.” Not a lie, but Anne can tell him about her homesickness if she wanted to.

“Oh.” Sprig straightened up and dropped the defensive attitude. “She does seem to like the night sky. We used to read by candlelight every now and again, back home.”

“That’s adorable.” Calvin yawned, rolling the bad sleep out of his shoulders. “Think we should give her a few minutes?”

Before the younger Plantar could reply, the eldest came out the side of the fwagon with a script in his hand, bellowing lines that wouldn’t be out of place in a Shakespeare work butchered down for high schoolers. Anne came to with a start and a snort, mumbling something about Domino and ice cream. She looked around bleary eyed until she spotted Sprig and a smile took over her features.

“Morning dude. Hardly saw you yesterday, are the acting kids really that interesting?” Her voice was groggy and husky, leaving Calvin to wonder if her parents had a point. Youthful feelings are stupid he concluded.

“They’re the coolest, I just gotta make them realize that I am too!” Determination glinted in Sprig’s eyes as he looked toward the wagon attached ahead of their own.

“If that’s all you gotta do, you’ve got this in the bag.” Anne clapped him on the back, missing a couple times in her recently awakened state.

“Yeah! I was just looking for you guys before heading back over there.” The frog boy pumped his arms to hype himself up for the monumental task before him. “I got this.”

“Go get em bucko.” Calvin gave a lazy thumbs up and forced himself to stand, cringing as his spine played a discordant tune like an untuned accordion. “That can-do attitude can weather even the sourest mountain to dust.”

“Really? Sasha doesn’t seem to like me much.” The country frog scratched his chin in thought.

“She just doesn’t want to admit it.” The country human nodded sagely. “Waybright likes a challenge, just not actually being challenged. Or shot in the face with mud.”

“Oh, I think I get it.” Sprig nodded along. “Okay, not really, but I’ll believe that first part of what you said and move on.” With that, he jumped down and made his way over to where the caravan was preparing the morning meal. And as if summoned by her name, a cranky looking blonde climbed onto the roof from the back door.

“Morning sunshine.” Calvin's wry grin grew wider as his lieutenant growled at him and plopped down next to their shared friend.

“Renee wouldn’t know talent if it crawled out from under the stage and bit her.” The blonde clearly wanted to roar but had managed to temper herself to a near whisper.

“Auditions not go well Sash?” A sleepy Boonchuy flopped her head onto Sasha’s shoulder and immediately shattered her bad mood. Calvin pretended not to notice the slight blush threatening to meet the strawberry blonde scalp as the cheer captain collected herself with impressive speed.

“It’s discrimination, is what it is!” She huffed and leaned into Anne’s hair, nearly losing an eye to one of the branches hidden there. “Just because I’m ‘A nearly inconceivable creature beyond their wildest horrors,’ they’re not letting me star on stage!”

“To be fair, given that we’re actual interdimensional aliens, I’m kinda surprised this hasn’t been a bigger issue in Amphibia.” Calvin lampshadded.

“If you’re not gonna be in the play, where were you all of yesterday?” Anne asked.

“Turns out because I’m taller and stronger than pretty much everyone here, I’m the perfect stage hand.” Sasha took a little pride in that, but only a little. “The director made it sound like this production would ride or die on my shoulders, said her big guys were out of commission from a worm attack.”

“Two round guys in overalls?” Calvin inquired.

“That’s them, I think. Why?” The blonde looked at him through the bush of curls that topped the Thai gal’s head.

“They seemed just fine when they finagled the fwagon into the caravan last night.” As he spoke, lo and behold the aforementioned frogs coming out in casts. The humans watched as they hobbled toward the line forming in front of the breakfast cauldron.

“Huh. Wonder when that happened.” Anne stated.

“I feel like we would have heard that go down.” Calvin added.

“Renee said it happened the day before we got here.” Sasha threw clues to the mysterious fire. “That’s kinda suspicious.”

“Little bit.” Boonchuy agreed from her shoulder, the tickle of her breath making the former officer blush a bit more.

“Wonder what that’s about.” The Tyric boy pretended not to notice his friend’s predicament.

“Investigation time?” Sasha quirked an eyebrow at them.

“I don’t know, Cal was really attached to those koalas yesterday.” Anne drawled with a Cheshire grin.

“I’ll attach them to a rock and throw em in the ocean, is what I’ll do,” Was all the answer he gave as he hopped down and made his way toward the line for food.

The burly frogs had been given pass to make their way to the front and get their food early, so they were already heading back to the first wagon in the train where the adults bunked when they weren’t rehearsing. As luck would have it, Polly Plantar was the one in front of him and he took the opportunity to flick her into his hands with his foot.

“Wah!” She cried briefly as she flew into his grasp. She turned in his hands with murder in her eyes that dissipated when she realized who it was. “Oh, hey Calvin. Wassup?”

“Not a ton. How’s your sweet tooth?” As his question entered her mind, the tadpole immediately started salivating.

“Underfed. Do I hear a job coming on?” The girl had an appetite for three things, in order: Violence, Mischief, and Sweets. Calvin was prepared to promise the latter two and not rule out the first.

“Clever girl. We’ll talk as we eat.” He looked back toward their ride and winked at the girls who hadn’t gotten up yet. Anne was still waking up and Sasha was too gay to not be paralyzed. He saved the image where he kept his fonder memories.

“Come on, you can’t just set me up like that!” Polly complained in his hands as they got closer to their food.

“Patience, grasshopper. I’m just wetting your appetite.” He chuckled at his pun in harmony with her groan. After another minute they got food for themselves and the other two humans, then made their way back to the fwagon.

“I’m not a delivery boy, so be grateful, yeah?” Calvin passed the morning stew to Sasha who rolled her eyes with a smile.

“But of course, majesty.” She thanked in the thickest royal accent he’d ever heard.

“And don’t you forget it, chosen one.” He said and slunk inside before he could be questioned for his slip of the tongue.

“Alright, what’s the scheme?” Polly rubbed her fins together after finishing her meal, Calvin still slurping away as he reclined into the plush booth seat he preferred.

“You see those big frogs in the casts?” He asked once his mouth wasn’t full.

“Yeah, want em even more roughed up?” Her smile turned manic.

“Maybe, but we don’t want to make enemies where we don’t need to.” He waved away her violent glee but continued before he lost the pollywog’s interest. “See, they weren’t wearing those casts last night when they added us to the wagon train, but I heard tell that they were injured the day before we got here.”

“Oh ho ho, how Suspicion Island of them.” Polly leaned in conspiratorially.

“Indeed. I want you to keep an eye on them and in exchange I will give you an Earthly treasure.” Calvin leaned with her.

“I do like a good adventure and I do like treasure.” The little girl leaned back on her tail and rubbed where a chin would be if she wasn’t an orb with arms. “But I think I need to see the payment before I agree. I’m having plenty of fun with the actor kids and it would need to be pretty good to get me out of that wagon.”

“Fair play, fair play.” Green eyes closed as he nodded. He reached down to his tiger backpack and reached inside, past what clothing he had left from home and Hobbes to an egg shaped object. Grabbing it, the cold of the container consumed the excess heat that the desert morning sun had given him.

Polly eyed it greedily when he withdrew it from the bag and held it firmly in both hands. With theatrical deliberation, the teenager unclasped the lid of the small, custom made cooler with a hiss of steam to reveal a trio of chocolate eggs twice the size of his thumb. His pseudo sister gasped and stared with gaping mouth at the little marvels.

“What are they?” She was awestruck by the brown, edible treasures.

“Burycad Creme Eggs. Some of the sweetest, richest candies that humanity has ever crafted.” No matter how many he’d eaten, his voice was just as full of wonder as the pollywog. “I always keep some on me in case I need a pick-me-up. I’ve probably needed one a time or two these last few months, but I saved them because there’s no way to get more. But this feels worth it.”

Figuring out the caravan mystery or seeing Polly on a sugar rush of such legendary magnitude?

Those aren’t mutually exclusive.

Fair.

“And you’d give me one just to follow some guys?” Hope clashed with doubt, the little girl unable to understand how her work could be worth such a divine gift.

“I know you work for sweets and these are all I have on offer.” He shrugged, trying and failing to make this no big deal. “Besides, I’m allowed to spoil my friends as I see fit.”

She dove and latched onto his neck in a killer hug, knocking the wind out of human lungs and dark unconsciousness quickly began to entomb his vision. But just as quickly as the loving assault began it ended and he gasped air back into his circulation. Calvin released with a gruff laugh and gently grabbed one of the eggs. Even with how cold they were, they already melted a little at his touch. He gently placed it into Polly’s fin.

“Word of advice before you inhale it,” He warned just before she nearly took her hand off with it. “Bite it in half first. You’ll see what I mean.”

Following his advice, the tadpole bit the confection clean in half and nearly began to melt in taste bud driven joy. It took her sometime to return from chocolate heaven, but when she did she looked at the rest of her treat and squealed in delight.

“It’s an egg on the inside! Like, a real egg!” The chocolate shell hid two layers of creme, the outer one white and the inner one yellow to replicate actual bird eggs. It didn’t affect the flavor of overwhelming sugar, but it was cute. She gobbled the rest of it up and deflated into a content pink pile.

Calvin chuckled as he resealed his egg-shaped treasure chest and hid it back away. After once more returning from the sugary Nirvana that hides within every Creme Egg, Polly’s pupils dilated and began to buzz. Her little body began to vibrate on the table, visibly blurring with speed.

“I believe we have an accord, then?” The human boy unlatched and opened the window behind himself, leaning out of the way just in time to avoid the pink blur from taking his head off. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Whoa dude.” Anne’s voice carried from the roof hatch where he hadn’t noticed either of the teenage girls observing the negotiations. “I didn’t know you were capable of sharing those.”

“Yeah Tiger, I’ve had to break up fights you’ve had over those eggs.” Sasha concurred.

“It was all I had to barter, what can I say?” He made an attempt at a casual shrug and succeeded at sheepish.

“Bet you could have just asked.” The tennis girl conjectured.

“Maybe. But it’s good for her to learn about deals and negotiating, you know?” He defended.

“Not a lot of negotiating going on there.” The blonde tore through his meager walls. “Kinda just looked like you wanted to spoil her.”

“And what if I did?” The punk countered, falling into their trap. They cooed at him.

“That’s so cute!” Anne flopped down from the roof and barely avoided tasting the floorboards. She was up in an instant and crushing Calvin in a hug. “You’re acting like her big brother, eeeeeee!” Her squeal rendered him temporarily deaf.

“Hush, you.” The teen boy tried to dislodge the stabbing pain in his ear to no avail. “Can’t a guy be friendly for once?”

“We’re your friends Cali, we know what your friendly is like.” Sasha rested her weight on his freer shoulder. “You brother her.”

“Oh what would y’all know, we’re all only childs.” A bit of bitterness leaked into his tone as he tried to shy away from a fact he’d figured out in the back of his head. They leaned off and shot him concerned looks that he pointedly ignored. “Come on now, don’t we have days to be getting to?”

“Are you really that excited to get back to the puzzle?” Anne’s tone asked a more serious question but he chose not to notice.

“We’ve got time till Polly reports back in, so what else do I have to do?” He managed to pull his fangs back and put the surprise venom back where it belonged. “Those marsupials aren’t going to commit copyright infringement by themselves.”

“If you say so dude.” Sasha trailed off as she and Anne shared a look over his head. “I guess I’ll get to work too, in case Polly misses anything.”

“Yeah, at those speeds she might not catch much.” Anne agreed.

“Maybe I should have paid after the job was done instead of up front.” Calvin thought aloud, when a crash from the caravan camp came through the window. Someone screamed something about pink lightning. “Nah, I made the right call.”

Chapter Text

The routine of the day before they reached the first town of the Dry Swamp was checking in with Polly and Sasha, doing mental combat with Anne’s Koalas of Passion puzzle, then getting a final report from his duo of spies come nightfall. There was clearly something afoot with the acting troupe, as the girls had witnessed activities of generally suspicious behavior from the supposedly injured frogs. Did a lot more physical activity than would usually be recommended for one thing, but taking the casts off with well hidden zippers was something of a dead ringer.

Renee didn’t leave her office much, despite being the director of their upcoming production. She only came out twice according to Hop Pop, who spelled it out in marveling words about how good it felt that she had such faith in him. Calvin didn’t have it in him to shoot the joy out of the old frog’s eyes. Both times were for meals and he couldn’t help but notice that while she spent a good deal of time making her way through her little company, during both meals she sat with the ‘injured’ stagehands to huddle up and speak quickly. The young man hadn’t even clocked the first interaction, Polly had.

“Wonder what that’s all about.” He muttered to his tadpole sibling figure, specifically not looking toward the conspirators. The effect was ruined by Anne immediately turning to look and he had to grab her by the chin and bring her back to their own little huddle. The pout that followed was cute but he just gave her a chuckle for her performance.

“Think she’s in on it?” The Thai gal asked after getting over the indignity rendered unto her.

“Seems like it.” Sasha ventured. “Makes sense, this is her operation after all.”

“Even if she’s in on ‘it,’ We don’t know what ‘it’ is.” Calvin reminded. “That’s the important part in all this.” He pondered for a moment, making a show of resting his chin on his fork without actually stabbing himself. “But if she is the ringleader, ha, then that just means we gotta run through her office when we get the chance.”

“Dude, are you serious?” Anne nearly shouted, being shushed by her fellow humans for her outburst. In a lower tone she continued. “We’ve been with them for almost two days and you seriously want to start trespassing?”

“They’re up to something and if it’s not on the up and up I don’t want us to go down with them.” Calvin got where his brunette friend was coming from, but he felt he was in the right. “Getting us home is too important to get stuck in local scheming.”

“Maybe you’re going a bit too fast here, Cali?” Sasha, in a turn of events the boy didn’t expect, was both against a scheme and on Anne’s side. He would have been prouder if he hadn’t just been outvoted. “I mean, yeah, they’re totes sus, but we don’t know why-”

“And we’d know if we just checked.” He interrupted in an annoyed tone, pressing forward even as the blonde puffed in injured pride. “All one of us would have to do is be a little late to a meal and give her room a quick once over. I’m not saying we start stealing shit, probably, just make sure we haven’t hitched our fwagon to a bunch of bandits or cannibals.”

“I’m pretty sure they would have tried to eat us already man.” Anne deadpanned as she poked holes in his argument. “And if they were bandits, I get the feeling they’d be better off.”

“So what, we just wait for the other shoe to drop and hope we can finagle our way out of it?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” The human Plantar said with a shrug. “It’s worked out ever since I got here, so why stop a good thing now?”

“Annie B, I don’t care much for planning myself, but you’re gonna give me conniptions with talk like that.” Her casual attitude toward her wacky, life-threatening adventures worried him. The punk rubbed at his temples in the vain hope that he could just friction away his friend’s lackadaisical attitude.

“Evidence suggests she has a point.” Sasha finished her plate of don’t-ask surprise and leaned back on her elbows.

“First you shoot down my plan and then you start making points like Marcy,” Calvin threw his hands up in defeat. “I just can’t win tonight.”

“Sorry dude,” Anne took a bite and pointed at him with her newly emptied fork. “Can’t help it if you have bad ideas.”

“Now you’re just being rude.” He drank down the rest of the… I wanna say stew?

“Sometimes the truth is rude ~Tiger~.” The blonde singsonged at him.

“Is this what y’all were like before I moved in?” Calvin grumped at the world in general. “Two ganging up on the third?”

The girls shared a look that held more weight than one might think, then turned back to the newest member of their little gang.

“Pretty much, yeah.” They said in sync.

“Well, glad I could even the vote out, I suppose.” He started collecting plates and utensils to take back to the tub where they were cleaning dishes. On the way back he looked around for the rest of the Plantars and had no difficulty whatsoever.

Polly and Sprig were with the theater kids, or that is to say the pollywog was sitting with them and the frog was waiting on them hand and foot for approval. Green eyes closed and he shook his head at the display, still not used to the unusual amount of hair he’d grown.

Hop Pop was a bit harder to find but not by much. The old frog was with a group of frogs Calvin had come to understand all had larger roles in the coming performance. Even now they were going through their scripts by firelight, giving suggestions and advice as they saw fit. The dedication was impressive, he admitted where no one else could hear.

As he finished his little survey, the human boy nearly ran into the director, stopped by a quick display of flexibility and strong tippy toes. His chin nearly clipped her beret as he straightened back to his full height with strain.

“Hey Calvin.” Her vaguely northeastern accent still bugged him ever so slightly. “Haven’t seen you much around, how the heck are ya?”

“Mmm, I’m holding out alright.” He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets out of habit. “Accidentally agreed to help with a puzzle, so I reckon I’ve been better. Play coming along alright?”

“Sure is.” Renee’s casual tone gave way to genuine excitement. “HP’s a real natural, even after so many years away from the limelight! Drama runs through that frog’s veins, I tell ya!”

“He is quite the drama king, I’ll agree.” The human let a smug smirk settle on his features as he stepped out of the boss lady’s way. “Don’t let me keep you anymore.”

“Ever think of giving the stage a crack, kid?” Despite wearing orange sunglasses, even after the red moon had risen, he caught a gleam in her eye.

“Only crack I’d ever give one would be from tripping over myself and hitting my head. Besides, I heard rumor that we we're ‘nearly inconceivable creatures beyond your wildest horrors,’ or some such sentiment. Wouldn’t wanna give folk a fright by accident.”

“I’ll be straight with you kid, that Sasha girl scares me, but not because of that.” The director’s voice grew dire for a moment before the usual eccentricity returned. “But you’ve got a real presence to you, ya know that?”

A bit of the talk he had with Sasha at the diner replayed in his head and now he was stuck wondering if he really had gotten that good at faking confidence.

Maybe you only think you fake it? A voice like his said.

Hush you, we’re conversating, he replied.

“Either way, I’ve got a prior commitment, so I’ll have to pass this time around.” He gave another shrug and went to make his way back to his friends.

“Shame, that. You could be a star, kid.” There was no way she could have seen the train of thought that connected that idea to a sore spot. “A star!”

“What was that about?” Anne inquired as he plopped back onto his stump seat.

“Miss Frodgers seems to have a faulty eye for talent, is all.” Calvin swept the interaction to the back of his head and got comfortable as Sasha began a tirade once more into the prejudice of the Amphibia acting community. Anne took up her verbal racket and played the defense half heartedly, mostly just teasing really. For his part, the token boy of the group mostly just listened and grinned, playing devil’s advocate whenever she seemed to be losing steam. It was a good way to end the day, in his humble opinion.

He spent that night in the same place and the same way as the last, on the fwagon's roof with Anne, gazing at stars so foreign but so similar to the heavens back home. They took turns making up stories of constellations that only existed between the two of them. A bloody gibbous moon was the stage light for the epic deeds of froggy heroes and the tragic romances of toads, setting a surprisingly fitting tone for the comedic tale of a newt who continues to cry heron.

This time when sleep takes him away, Calvin makes sure he isn’t laying on the hatch. The dark of his inner night is textured once more and the little oracle isn’t terribly surprised to once more find himself in that inky place in between nowheres. A trio of familiar stars float in each other’s orbits, though the green light seemed furthest so that’s where he starts.

8-bit music in a familiar tune he couldn’t place began to play as a world made of pixels in bright shades loaded into reality. A flat plain of brick made up the floor with a background made of the occasional bush, cloud, and endless blue sky. Unlike the music, the location was familiar in a way that he could almost remember, but it was just out of his reach when something appeared to the left of his vision. Scratch that, someone.

An 8-bit sprite in a familiar, skirted school uniform appeared with a head of raven hair and a pair of brown pixels for eyes. She did a confident pose before running to the right and jumping, with a cute little sound effect accompanying each hop. After a few steps, Calvin found himself dragged along with her progress. As they moved, brick blocks and flashing orange blocks with exclamation points appeared, along with what he guessed was an Amphibian toad walking toward the hero. The gamer did a short jump and landed on the toad’s head, flattening him for 100 points and hitting one of the flashing boxes, which dispensed an apple that began to move to the right. She ran into the fruit after it bounced off a purple pipe, growing taller and changing into an caped outfit he didn’t recognize.

“Oh my frog, it’s Cardio Bros.” Calvin tried to deadpan but instead of words more 8-bit sound effects played, vaguely similar to his voice. A text box spelt out his words at the bottom of the screen in time with his sound effect. The character looked directly into the camera with a red question mark appearing over her head.

“Hey, I’m walkin here!” Marcy Wu’s text box read. “I’m trying for a World Record run, don’t throw off my rhythm!” She looped through an animation of angrily stomping her foot and shooting an indignant expression. It was rather cute and very Marcy. Then she stopped and curiosity played over her 2D features. “Calvin?”

As soon as she said his name another sprite loaded in next to her. It was still in small mode, a head of light brown hair and attire very similar to Marcy’s previous look, with shorts instead of a skirt. Two bright green eyes adorned the face and blinked twice. He looked at his hands for a moment and did a test jump. It was about a block higher than what he’d seen Marcy do.

“Huh.” Calvin’s text box appeared beneath his sprite. “Co-op?” He shrugged to Player One, who made a show of pondering it before shaking her head.

“Eh, not really in the mood. Alley Assault?”

“Didn’t know you were in the mood for a whooping, especially in your own dream.”

“Oh you are getting so combo’d.” She rubbed her hand nubs together and suddenly the screen went black for a second before a 16-bit arena set on a grassy yard in front of a lounging buddha statue loaded into existence. An anime, 16-bit redesign of Marcy Wu appeared on the left side of the screen, aiming a crossbow mounted on her arm at her opponent. A buff Calvin stepped on screen, throwing off his gray cloak in a dramatic flourish, revealing his laminar and purple metal gauntlets. He crossed his arms and laughed dramatically before striking a more dynamic stance than usual.

This Party’s Getting Crazy!

First Fight…

Attack!

And she immediately began projectile spam, an insult to his skill as a gamer. Calvin ate three crossbow bolts before he began a jumping approach, just to eat a fourth shot at an angle.

“Show me your moves!” Marcy taunted as he whiffed the landing.

“Ask and ye shall receive.” The little edgelord rumbled as he stood, blocking the fifth bolt. In quick succession he did a couple of crouching punches, a shuffle forward, low kick, and suddenly started floating forward and through the next projectile. He grabbed his foe and suddenly the screen turned white followed by a series of orange flashes. When the screen returned to normal Calvin was standing above Marcy and facing away from the screen. A roaring tiger flashed across his back before he returned to his idle animation.

Player One was pressing buttons on wake up and walked right into a Tiger Drop counter, sending her rolling across the screen and at dangerously low percentage. He was right back on her as she was getting up, so she went for the crouching block, just in time to eat an overhead punch into a gut blow, followed by a dozen kicks in quick succession, and ending with a shoulder pop that took the last few pixels on her health bar. Her cry of retro pain echoed as her body bounced away.

“You lack motivation.” Calvin said as his cloak flew back on screen and clasped itself around his neck. He crossed his arms as the screen faded to black.

Second Slapping…

Brawl!

This time Marcy tried a more offensive approach, jabbing through his grab attempt. She followed up with a series of stabbing kicks into a flip kick that launched Player Two into the air. Before his body could hit the ground she jabbed him over and over again, carrying him to the corner of the arena and taking over half his health off of one mistake.

Calvin tried for the counter on wake up, but Marcy back dashed and frame-perfect punished the input into another kicking combo that left his pixelated body dribbling off the edge of the screen and the ground. She did a little flip, nearly lost her balance, then ended on a kawaii peace sign.

Final Face Off…

Catch These Hands!

Marcy attempted to open with a high kick but Calvin shoulder checks into the blow, winning the exchange and moving into a flaming slide that ended in an uppercut that bounced his foe off the top of the screen right into a spinning uppercut, this time he followed her into the air and performed a vertical spinning kick that launched her into the ground and he fell after her.

His opponent swept his legs on landing and flip kicked him once more, following up with a crossbow bolt before sliding forward and ax-kicking him into the ground twice, followed by a drop kick that sent him hurtling across the screen. Instead of pursuing she waited for him to stand and there was a moment between them as they stared across the little battlefield, both one good combo away from ending their tie.

So of course they both taunted.

“Hold this L for me, would ya?” Marcy put a hand on her chin, put on a cocky smirk, and struck a hip out.

“I’ve fought a dragon,” Calvin gave a smiling sneer, scoffed, and weighed his foe's worth. “You are no dragon.”

Both character models flashed, a dazzling emerald and blazing orange, before unleashing their ultimate moves. Marcy reached behind her back and began to throw an absurd number of potions all over the screen while Calvin’s aura pulsed in a tiger strip pattern as he again flew across the screen. With every bottle that smashed across his face, the color of his health bar dropped from yellow to orange to a deep red. The screen pulsed in anticipation as the gameplay slowed down, Wit pulling out one last massive poison bottle labeled with a skull as Honor was a hair’s breadth from landing his grab.

Calvin woke up a foot from the ground as the feeling of rushing air dragged him from someone else’s dream. His eyes opened just in time to be screwed shut as he left a human teen shaped imprint in the sand dune they’d stopped next to the night before. He came up with a sputtering yawn, slapping sand off his face.

“Okay, I think I’m done with the roof as a bed, I’ll take the hint universe.” Just as he was about to tell reality what he really thought of it, a concerned gasp came from where he had been resting moments ago.

“You alright man?” The morning voice of Anne Boonchuy floated down to him on the first rays of dawn.

“Oh yeah, just peachy keen pal.” The punk rolled into a sitting position as he looked up. He grumbled to himself, “I totally had that round.”

“What was that?”

“Knocked me out of a decent dream, is what you did.” Weird that Marcy was there, but he was probably missing her role in their little gang.

“Sorry dude, guess my dream made me antsy.” She rubbed the memory from her eye as she lounged over the side of the fwagon.

“What was it about?” Calvin rolled some life into his shoulders before standing and shattering his spine with a stretch.

“Just some hanging out back home, no big deal.” Oh goodness, she’s blushing. Some rather specific kind of hanging out with one of their two shared friends, no doubt.

“Hey, what's with all the ruckus you two?” A bleary eyed blonde stuck her head out of the top half of the side door and pretended to be able to see in the morning light. “Some of us are trying to feel human again.” Anne looked away with darkening cheeks and mumbled an apology.

Well, that answers that question, Calvin thought with a grin.

“What’re you doing in the sand, Cali?” Sasha mumbled as her eyes finally started to work for her.

“No clue, I woke up falling.” He quirked an eyebrow towards the roof girl. “I guess Anne can be an antsy sleeper.” As his lieutenant sluggishly nodded in agreement he mumbled quickly. “Something for you to watch out for in the future.”

“Didja say something?” Sasha didn’t notice Anne sputtering in a panic on the roof. He cackled quietly as he shook himself free of sand.

“Think that might be enough late night stargazing for a bit, is all.” He made to climb back inside and the curtain of dazzling gold hair pulled back to make room. Just before he shut the door, he caught the brown eyes of his Thai friend, motioned with his eyes toward where their pal had just been, and wiggled his eyebrows at Anne. She squealed at him and nearly smacked the grin off his face, but he was just too quick for her.

“We’re supposed to be pulling into a town today, right?” Calvin asked now that Sasha was out of the sun and could see well enough to hear him.

“Yup, second stop on the troupe’s current tour.” She had unfurled a map of the Dry Swamp and squinted at it. “I guess they didn’t do a performance in Baby Town if they didn’t have a lead.”

“What?”

“Look.” Lo and behold, there was a location somewhere in the desert called Baby Town, apparently for babies.

“Huh.” The punk shook his mane and moved on. “So Stone Well then? Wonder how they got the name.”

“Couldn’t imagine.” Waybright rolled her eyes at the froggy lack of creativity.

“What’s the play even about?”

“Seriously dude?” She looked at him incredulously. “The troupe’s been practicing outside your window for two days straight and you don’t even know the name?”

“It’s a tough puzzle, gimme a break.” They’d barely finished the outline and it didn’t look to be getting any simpler.

“You’re unbelievable.” Heterochromatic eyes continued rolling as Sasha crossed her arms and huffed. “It’s called The Dreamer. Not exactly an original narrative, but it’s a fun romp.”

“Suppose I’ll find out once it gets rolling.” He shrugged noncommittally and glanced around for his discarded armor.

The rest of the morning passed in a buzz as the caravan practically hummed with excitement for their opening night. Or afternoon in this particular case, Renee wanted them to start seconds after pulling into town and didn’t have much desire to stick around past the final bows. Not exactly subtle, but general suspicious activity wasn’t really enough to pass a verdict besides ‘Sus,’ as Sasha put it.

“Look, I’m just sayin,” Calvin said after a mouthful of breakfast stew. His fellow mammals groaned as he continued. “She’s gonna have to be at the play while it’s going on, yeah? So one of us just waddles on over to her room and gives it a lookie loo, that’ll probably solve this little mystery.”

“Cal, buddy, bubba,” Anne leaned forward and made a pleading gesture. “I’m not a big fan of criminal ventures on the best of days, especially against people who’ve shown us nothing but kindness in a really hostile desert. So what if they’re a tad strange, there’s not really anyone I’ve met in Amphibia that isn’t. Everyone’s got their weird habits, Sash has her anime-”

“Blame Marcy for that if you want, I never would have discovered shounen without her.” The weeb made a show of checking her well worn nails.

“And you’ve got that tiger in yo-”

“Don’t bring Hobbes into this, Boonchuy.” He pointed and squinted at his real friend for mentioning his imaginary one.

“Alright, alright dude.” She threw her arms up in surrender but pressed on. “I’m just saying, Renee probably just has some strange habits.”

“Boy, do I!” The eccentric director appeared from behind Anne’s abundant curls of brown hair. The kids around the campfire nearly jumped out of their skins as she spoke. “Say, what’re you kids conspiring about? If it’s juicy, I need to know if it’ll make a good show.”

“Eh, it’d be a cultural piece.” Calvin interjected quickly, flying by the seat of his pants as he leaned back onto his elbows. “We were just talking about how many things in Amphibia are kinda similar to Earth.”

“A cultural piece?” There was a twinkle of genuine fear behind her sunglasses. “In this economy? Not a chance bucko!” The director power walked back towards the main cast campfire and began to animatedly give some final tips.

“Whoa dude.” Anne was the first to speak after they all sighed in relief. “When’d you come up with that one?”

Calvin chugged the rest of his savory breakfast and gestured with his freshly emptied bowl. “You watched me.”

“Huh.” The girls sat back and looked contemplative for a moment. “You never do that with us, right?” Sasha looked into his soul as she asked.

“I don’t think we have the skill set to make a cultural piece.” He made to stand. “And I hear it’s not a good market for one.”

“That’s not what I meant Tyric and you know it.” He suddenly found a curtain of blonde locks blocking his path to where they were doing dishes. Threat mixed with concern as she spoke. “We’re your friends, that means you can talk to us.”

“You know that, right?” Anne stood and joined her, piercing him just as easily as the reforming control freak had. Her worried look weighed heavy on his shoulders, but he kept the mask in that cocky smirk he was so fond of.

“I'm aware ladies, really.” He threw his hands up in surrender and went to skootch around them. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a puzzle that gives me a headache to fight with.”

They let him pass, so he didn’t see the worried look that passed between them as he dumped off their empty earthenware with Sprig. The pink frog was doing the entire camp’s dishes by himself, jumping back and forth from one basin to another in a frantic mess of suds and grease.

“Don’t they usually have a few people on this?” Calvin inquired as the clay dishes in his hands disappeared in a cloud of bubbles.

“It was François’ turn, so I volunteered to let him get more rehearsing in!” The kid was actually managing to keep up, but he was sweating like a waterfall doing so.

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why you’re doing it yourself.”

“A couple of the other kids thought I meant for all of them, so I guess I did.” A hint of frustration but it washed away along with the stickier parts of the morning meal.

“Need any help?” The human boy chuckled.

“If one were to need help from others, how could their own worth shine through?” Sprig put on a halfway decent French accent and struck a dramatic pose that was watered down by the mug in his hand.

“Morning Calvin doesn’t have the patience to explain to you what a bad mind set that is.” He shook his head and began to saunter back to the fwagon. “Just don’t be their doormat, kid.”

“Oui Oui!”

“Yare yare.” Calvin griefed as he made his way inside and let the Koalas of Passion waste his time until showtime rolled around. Anne joined him after a few minutes and they passed the hours telling stories. Well, he did, she mostly listened, throwing in the odd detail here and there. They’d managed to get three pieces into their places when out the window a quaint little town rolled into view.

“Welcome to Stone Well,” Standing with a stretch, the green eyed boy kicked open the door of the fwagon. “And there’s the titular well. Wonderful naming schemes they’ve got here in Amphibia.”

“I know, right?” Anne missed the sarcasm by a country mile. “It’s always really easy to figure out why a place is called something.”

Calvin just shook his head and walked to the end of the train. The back of the last wagon had fallen out like a drawbridge and Hop Pop was already in costume, beginning what felt like a lengthy introduction. Lotta ‘hark’ and ‘forsooth’ in there.

As the lead performer solliaquey’d, the stage hands came running out and depositing seating in front of the stage for the intrigued townsfolk. It wasn’t terribly long before what must have been the entire town had gathered to watch the show and Francis was doing rounds between the seats to collect payment for the show.

Throwing his hood over his head, Calvin made his way over to the famous well, plopped down on the old bricks, and leaned against the support for the bucket. It wasn’t a perfect view, but he didn’t feel like surrounding himself with frogs who had never seen a human before. Not a concern Anne shared, as she hopped into the seat Polly and Sprig had saved her. The tadpole threw a look his way and he waved her way.

Besides, he could see a little backstage, where Sasha was working the ropes for the curtain. And behind her, Renee talking to the frogs in the fake casts, handing them burlap sacks.

Well. That warrants investigation, eh?

Reckon it does.

As the burly frogs made their way into town Calvin padded after them, the desert sand masking his already considerably quiet step. They weren’t particularly observant fellas, but the teen chose to let it feed what ego he had. Their first stop was the town general store, where they began to gather food stock that would hold up well under the arid conditions of the Dry Swamp, along with some more rope.

Oh please tell me Anne wasn’t right, Calvin thought as he tried to decide if he wanted beetle jerky or not.

But if she is, then why the fake casts? And the need to leave as soon as they’re done?

Maybe they’re method actors too. Maybe, like she said herself, Director Frodgers is just rather eccentric. Could be some superstition.

Mayhaps… I guess we’ll head back to the well.

Jerky?

We didn’t take Bessie back to the Toad Tower vault for nothing.

His prize in hand, the human began to make his way back to his seat when he noticed the frogs weren’t heading toward the wagon train. They weren’t moving that fast and they hadn’t left that long before him, so he knew they couldn’t be back there already. As the villain on stage took a deep breath to speak and the crowd grew hushed, Calvin heard the faint draw of a zipper from down a nearby alley way.

There you are. Eat your heart out Boonchuy.

With a cheshire grin, the punk made his way toward the sound and, coincidentally, the local bank. A side door was hanging open briefly, as the top half of a security guard was dragged inside. The door almost finished closing, but a blue uniform hat had caught itself on the bottom corner and barely held it open for the human teen. He slunk inside and followed the short trail of unconscious bodies to see the round pair of frogs, fake casts stuffed into back pockets, had removed the supplies they’d bought and were filling the bags with the town’s coppers.

Instead of confronting them both at once Calvin stalked back the way they’d come and the way they would need to go to leave inconspicuously, shimmying into a cleaning closet and holding the door open an inch. His patience was rewarded quickly as the jangling of canned foods against ill gotten spoils began to ring down the hallway and he saw the frogs pass his hiding place.

Wasting no time, the trained teen sprung out on silent boots and slapped the closest amphibian in the side of the head. He carried the blow to drag the bulbous head into the wall with enough force to make the dry brickwork crack. With a clatter and a groan, the first brother was down for the count. Before the second had finished turning, Calvin was on top of him with a palm strike to the chin that briefly knocked him off his feet. Again the teen slapped a burly guy across the head, ending by grabbing his head and slamming it into the ground.

With the passing of the sudden violence came the eerie quiet that came from being surrounded by the unconscious. Calvin dragged the two crooks back to the vault with haste, emptying their stolen goods onto the ground and refilling one of the sacks with all the supplies. He rummaged through their pockets and found the key ring they’d taken off a fallen guard, dropping it on one of the bodies as he went out the back. With respect, the teen threw the hat that had held the door for him back inside, spinning on its owner’s resting face for a couple of rotations.

No one noticed as he deposited the bag in Renee’s office, the door unlocked like she was expecting a delivery. Luckily she wasn’t inside, funding her play not enough to keep her from missing the opening night. Calvin was back lounging in his seat just as the second act began.

He joined in when applause began to roll like thunder over the little desert town. The cast came out one last time, holding hands in a line and bowing as coins and flowers were thrown onto the stage. Even from as far from the stage as Calvin was, he could see the teary diamonds in Hop Pop’s eyes.

“Thank you all for coming, you’ve been beautiful!” Director Frodgers called to the crowd with a flourish. “If you’ll forgive our haste, we have a tight schedule to keep for our tour, so we must thank you for your generosity and make our way back into the unforgiving desert!”

On that note, stagehands came forth once more to collect troupe property and the onlookers took their cue to go back to their lives in the light of the setting sun. Renee left the stage and made her way to the front of the caravan and into her office, but was out again in a moment with just a couple beads of sweat on her forehead. She paced through the crowds, responding to pleasantries but never initiating, head swiveling like she was looking for something.

“What'd ya think that’s about?” Anne elbowed Calvin as she walked over to where he was lounging, nodding toward the nervous woman.

“Couldn’t imagine.” He grinned and changed the topic. “I always knew he was dramatic, but I can’t believe Hop Pop can really act.”

“I know, right!” The other two Plantar kids came hopping over and the three grandkids began gushing over their guardian’s performance. Sasha joined them after a fashion and they all went to congratulate Old Man Plantar, who accepted all the accolades with about as much humility as one would expect.

Which was to say, not a singular ounce.

Anne wasn’t too happy about what had happened when he told his fellow humans on the roof that night, but Sasha thought it was okay.

“We avoid legal trouble, HP gets his dream, win win.” She explained with a shrug.

“True, but Renee was going to rob those people, we can’t just let that go.” Justice shined in her brown eyes as she spoke, easy to see even under what little light the red moon gave.

“Anne, you’ve seen the state of this set up.” Calvin interjected. “She thinks robbery is their last chance to keep this venture afloat. With her cronies mysteriously gone, she’s gonna be too paranoid to try anything else I reckon. This acting troupe is ending out here, she gets her comeuppance and Hop Pop gets one last hooray. Perfect ending, in my humble opinion.”

With a sigh, Anne conceded the argument, but got Calvin to swear to keep an eye on the director. Given he planned to, it wasn’t a difficult agreement to make.

As exhausting of a routine as traveling through the Dry Swamp could be, seeing Hop Pop finally live out his dreams for a week gave Calvin a sense of joy that he hadn’t expected to find in the old timer. Combined with the quiet smugness he got from Renee’s worry over her missing minions he was refueled for their journey when they finally unhitched the fwagon and were back on their way to Newtopia.

Chapter Text

Leaving the desert and immediately going into a mountain range that resembled gray swiss cheese was not Calvin’s idea of a good time. The stark contrast between the low desert heat and the high mountain chill were running helter skelter within his chest and he was sneezing up a storm. He was a little worried about causing an avalanche, honestly. As was proper, instead of dealing with his problem he was nobly trying to ignore it until it went away by taking a nap.

Unfortunately, the froggy portion of the Plantar kids were at each other's throats today with how apparently awful the other was. Sasha was about ready to throw one or both of them down the mountain, so she excused herself to the roof to avoid ending the Plantar bloodline.

From what he understood, sibling relationships weren’t meant to spend two weeks together in what was basically a room on wheels. Even if he understood, Calvin was about to tell Sasha to go for a personal best. And all of this grinding away at his nerves because Sprig wanted to show off some moss he grabbed off the mountainside.

“Stop pushing me!” The older brother shouted as a tadpole almost as big as his head jumped into his hip. He retaliated in kind, Calvin pulling his doodling book off his face to glare death at the children.

“No, you stop pushing me!” Younger sister retorted and dived at her brother’s hip once again, nearly knocking him into the table. “Get that stupid stuff out of my face!”

“Well, sorry for showing you all this cool moss I found.” Sprig waved the damp clump at Polly and she hopped up, socking him in the jaw. “Ow! What was that for?”

“I saw a punch bug!” Polly didn’t believe her excuse for violence anymore than anyone else, but that wasn’t really the point. “Punch Bug!”

“For the last time, I’m not playing Punch Bug. Ow!” How about that, she knocked his signature floppy cap off and was wearing it like a trophy. How quirky. “Maybe Calvin wants to play.”

“Try it and we’ll see just how aerodynamic you two are.” Even with his stuffy nose, the threat still carried enough chill to shut that idea down. With a huff, the youngest climbed up the ladder and knocked open the hatch, making the sibling argument everyone’s problem instead of just Calvin’s.

He heard Polly suck down a massive lungful of air and physically felt whatever peace had formed above head shatter. Wanting absolutely no part in the coming fit, he grabbed the pink frog by the vest and threw him through the hatch and slammed it shut before he could fall back down. The tired teen was slumped back into his seat and sighed contentedly as the following argument was hardly more than muffled irritation. Having your senses dulled by illness has its benefits, apparently.

Kid had almost made it to slumberland when the hatch flew open yet again, but before he could dredge up another empty threat he noticed the armored boot of one Miss Waybright land on the first rung of the ladder, followed swiftly by the rest of her. She closed the vertical door behind her with finality then wiped imagined sweat from her forehead as she sighed in relief. Her armor jangled as she stopped where Calvin rested, huffing as she folded her arms over her chest and crashed into the plush leather.

“I’m gonna kill em.” It wasn’t a threat, just a fact. Even if it was empty as his earlier comment.

“Pretty sure Anne could still take you.” Her corporal grumbled next to her, his voice a deeper octave than usual.

“Pretty sure she’d join me at this point.” From his left periphery he caught an ice blue eye glance in his direction before widening in concern. “You look like shit dude.”

“And you’re a picture of pretty, same as always.” Thick sarcasm dripped from the delivery of his actual opinion.

“No, I mean like sick bad, not your usual boys-are-gross bad.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s just the altitude messing with me, tha’s all.” Crusty eyelids hid green eyes as he let sleep close around his mind once more. A hunk of leather slapping against his forehead knocked him back to reality with all his drowsiness intact. Sasha grumbled a curse as she took off her single glove and put the back of her hand to his head again.

“Okay, yeah, you’d be colder if we threw you in a bonfire, I think it’s a bit more than just mountain air.” Her gruff voice hid an edge of concern pretty well, but even in his addled state Calvin knew his commander.

As he went to shoo away her worry, the fwagon came to a screeching halt that sent her tumbling over and him out of his seat without really changing his posture. The blonde pushed herself to her feet with a storm in her eyes, approaching the ladder to investigate. Just as she went to climb, she remembered her ward and went to him. Imagine his surprise when she lifted him bodily, with ease, and put him right back in his spot.

“You hang out right there for a sec, alright?” Her tone had taken a softness he had never heard in his direction, one he’d assumed was reserved for Anne and Marcy. “I’ll go wring Hop Pop’s neck real quick and then I’ll see what I can do for you.” And with that she returned to the roof, catching the hatch on her foot to prevent it slamming.

Huh. That felt out of character.

Did it? Or is that character development?

Suppose she has had a tough few months now.

Haven’t we all.

…eh, probably. Hope Newtopia’s been kinder than the rest of this death world, Miss Wu ain’t the toughest nail in the box.

Sasha returned, only given away by the slight noise caused by metal sliding on metal as her cuirass shifted over her form. She was rummaging through the cabinets and mumbling to herself. He couldn’t process what she was saying, but her annoyance at the contents was clear. Minutes dragged on and he was waiting for his friend’s hair to ignite from the heat of her rage when they were suddenly joined by the third member of their merry mammal mob. She wore a carefully blank expression as she made her way to the table and stared at the box of the puzzle the two of them had barely finished before the end of the acting tour.

“You good mAnne?” Calvin’s sickly voice made the pun difficult to detect, but the Boonchuy girl always picked up on his jokes. Her façade was cracked by a grin she failed to choke back, finally looking his way. The jolly expression she’d just put together melted into worry as she took in his pale complexion.

“I should be asking you that, what-”

“He’ll tell you it’s altitude sickness,” Sasha interrupted before he had a chance. “I’ll tell you he’s full of it. And I have no idea what in this podunk wagon is medicine and what is hillbilly poison made to get them through the off season.”

“Fwagon.” His tired comment wasn’t so much ignored as much as it was verbally sidestepped by both girls.

“Oh, we’re gonna be his doctors?” Anne got up with excitement.

“I’ll be his doctor, you can be his nurse.” Sasha asserted, but heard herself and quickly back pedaled. “If, you know, that’s alright, we can switch otherwi-”

“Sounds good to me!” The Thai gal shoved past the blonde with a smirk. “Nurses do the real work anyways, you can just sit there and look pretty.”

“Not the hardest job she ever managed.” Calvin forgot to shut off the connection between brain and mouth, earning twin gasps from his audience. His lieutenant hid her blush in a cabinet she’d already emptied while the brunette snickered at the display. It took a few moments for him to process, but once what had just happened processed for him he dragged himself to his feet and opened the top half of the side door.

“I had a good run of it, say nice things at my funeral.” He’d hardly gotten his shoulders over the threshold before he was forced back inside by a pair of brown skinned hands.

Anne was still giggling as she shoved him back into his seat, pushing the tip of an open bottle of murky liquid into his mouth at an angle. The foul tincture flowed down his gullet unbidden and settled into his gut like an upset beast. Once his mouth was his own again he sputtered and coughed, hoping to launch the lingering flavor from his tongue and memory.

“Try that again and I’m tying you down.” Sasha’s voice was a little muffled as she bounced her voice off the wall before her instead of turning to speak. She’d retrieved a number of cooking items and was starting some kind of dish. “Good thing scorpaleo tastes a bit like chicken, just keep your eyes closed and I bet you won’t even know it’s not chicken noodle soup.”

“Didn’t know you could cook Lieutenant.” The sick teen mumbled from where Anne had deposited him.

“Oh yeah, she’s a real whizz in the kitchen.” Anne rested an elbow on the chef’s shoulder while she worked, shooting a sly grin his way just barely in the corner of their blonde friend’s vision. The brunette drawled on. “You know, she runs a pretty tight ship. Keeps things organized. Isn’t afraid to clean if need be. And smart too. Kinda sounds like a perfect wi-”

“Don’t you dare Boonchuy.” A dripping spoon appeared under the teaser’s nose with threatening intent. Calvin could feel her simmering cheeks from here, even if he couldn’t see them. “Not another word.”

“Yeah Anne, don’t hype your girlfriend like that when she’s cooking me lunch.” Let it never be said Calvin was afraid to up an ante.

He was pinned to his seat by a single brown eye piercing through a curtain of strawberry blonde hair over her singular shoulder pad, but the malice behind the look didn’t hinder the toothy grin that spread across his face. Anne, for her part, was mortified and turning red in the face as she tried to hide behind her hands. The young woman disappeared to where her grandpa was steering Bessie along the mountain pass, leaving the sick boy to his consequences.

“You are a brave fool Calvin Tyric.” Sasha approached slowly, threat behind her every footfall.

“Teasing like that is the only thing that gets under your skin and I am a troll by my nature.” Calvin didn’t flinch from the fire, too high on smug to believe he could be brought low.

“Am I prettier when I’m mad?” Her new, innocent tone gave him emotional whiplash as she fluttered her eyelashes and brandished a steaming bowl of shadowy broth and floating chunks of that odd bug-mammal meat.

Fool, maybe. Coward? Never.

“What can I say, I like spice and you’re a helluva firebrand.” He sat up for the first time all day and met her gaze despite the slight shake to his voice. Spoon met broth and he blew steam off the first bite of his meal, his taste buds melting in joy as he consumed. “Oh wow that’s good.”

“I know my way around any kitchen, even this froggy mobile home.” She struck a victorious pose and the blush began to fade as her cocky features returned.

“That’s good, one of you needs to know how to cook and Anne might be a lost cause by now.” The blonde tomato shot daggers into the scar on his forehead as he made a show of ignoring her to eat the food she made him. “I’m sure Mrs. Boonchuy would be fine giving a daughter-in-law the family recipes, though.”

His ears caught the very tip of a piercing scream before it rose to an octave detectable only by canines. He spared a glance toward his teasing target and chuckled as she did a very good impression of an anime pose Marcy had shown him once. In his sickly state Calvin didn’t register that Sasha’s hair was beginning to rise on currents of emotional energy but the effect faded as her scream petered out, leaving her slouched in the middle of the room.

“So dramatic.” Calvin mumbled loud enough to be heard and went back to eating the divine soup.

“How are you so unfazed?” She lamented as she barely stopped herself from slamming her palms onto the table, halting an inch above the wood before pressing her weight down. “There’s no way you can just take this kind of teasing on the chin and fire back.”

“You would not believe what I’m willing to suffer just to get a good hit in.” His chest throbbed in memory of the closest he ever got to besting his master.

“You’re right, I don’t.” Sasha grumbled as she sat in the chair opposite him. “I know you’ve got a crush on me Tyric, yet you keep poking at the idea of Anne and I getting together. Shouldn’t that drive you up a wall?”

He slurped at the bowl in thought for a moment, but it didn’t take him long to put something together.

“You two like each other, clearly, and your constant dancing around that fact is hilarious and adorable.” He stated simply. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t give you grief for that?”

“Well, I’d love to sink your ship Cali, cause I already told Anne how I felt.” Sasha glumly looked off in the past when he glanced up from his dish. “In the Ruins of Disaster, I told her exactly how I felt when I thought we were going to be crushed to death saving Hop Pop. Then Sprig shoved the rule book in the disk drive and the whole thing blew up. And Anne hasn’t talked about it at all since, so that’s a pretty telling answer.”

This is our chance.

Snowball’s chance in hell, more’s like.

Bottom two rings are frozen, remember?

That is religious fanfiction and doesn’t count.

“You sure about that?” Calvin set the bowl down and gave her his undivided attention. “To be fair, as far as you girls’ relationship has gone in the last couple of months, turbulent is a light descriptor.” Sasha sniffled and met his look with wet eyes. “From control freak, to a month apart, into ‘gonna kill your grandpa,’ and ending on ‘I think you’re hot’ is a pretty wild emotional rollercoaster. Wouldn’t blame her for needing to think about everything.”

“Huh.” Her voice was shaky when she spoke after several silent moments, the only noise being a distant ‘Ow’ in Old Man Plantar’s voice.

“Besides, she isn’t avoiding you anymore after the trip into the Ruins. That’s gotta count for something.”

“I guess that’s true. Hadn’t really processed everything that’s happened this summer.”

“Holy shit this trip ate our summer vacation.” These two are just full of epiphanies today.

“How much you wanna bet we’ll miss the start of the school year?” The thinnest of hopes lined her query.

“Now you’re really making me feel sick.” He finished off the last of that good soup with a slurp and yawned as the warm food worked well with the foul medication from before. “Great, with my luck I’m probably gonna dream of class. Thanks.”

“Really? Gonna take a nap instead of talking about your feelings?” Sasha put her hands to her hips and shook her head at him, almost hiding her small smile behind cascading golden locks.

“Oh, you know it.” Reaching up to the back of the couch as he laid down, Calvin grabbed his cloak and threw it over himself like a blanket. He used his hands as pillows, letting his mind recede to escape the aching of his illness even if the girls had helped to start his recovery.

“Pfft, dork.” Sasha mumbled as she made her way to sit on the bed in the corner.

“Dork? Really, that the best you got?” He said as he sat up, feeling lighter already. She ignored him as she pulled a thin square out of her pocket. “Whatcha got there?” He practically skipped over to the mattress and crashed into a sitting position at speed. So intent was he on the mystery that he didn’t notice when barely anything moved from his impact.

In her pale hand was a cracked polaroid of the three girls in their school uniforms, ‘BFFS!!’ and a heart written under the photo. Sasha was in the middle with a smile, holding her girls by the shoulder as the brunette was to her right and the black haired girl to her left. Anne had her eyes closed above her massive smile, arm around Sasha’s waist and holding a peace sign to the camera. Marcy was wearing her hoodie, with her right arm in the pocket, her smile smaller and closed but no less present as she raised an eyebrow at their Thai friend’s excitement.

“How very ‘you three,’” Calvin commented from his vantage over Sasha’s shoulder. She continued to pretend he wasn’t there, rubbing a thumb over an empty corner.

“Bet he’d have fit right there.” She whispered to herself. A single tear hit the photo as she finally let go of her emotions. “Wish I told him we were doing this.” Her sight rose to where he’d been laying down for just a moment.

“You know, I was kinda wondering when y’all did that.” He trailed off as he followed her gaze and stared dumbly at his sleeping body. As he was processing what he was looking at she stood up again and glanced between the photo and his body.

“I will be better.” You could have used her voice to build an unbreakable bridge, there was such strength behind it. “Not just for them, like you think. You’re my friend too.” For the briefest, unmistakable moment, a pulse of pink fire ran down her pony tail before she kneeled down and kissed him right on the cut she’d put through his forehead. Rising, she turned and made her way to the roof silently.

Leaving him alone with himself and a host of questions. Believe it or not, stepping out of his sickly flesh wasn’t actually one of them, the teen was mostly just surprised he’d managed to do it by accident. Guess whatever this was was getting easier.

Think there’s anything to read in that kiss, an emotionally charged voice inquired.

Unlikely, I’d expect it was just an instance of spur of the moment sweetness, a colder voice replied in a clipped tone.

Mmm, probably, yeah. Besides, she already confessed to Anne so it ain’t really even our ball game to play in.

Indeed. May as well cheer loudest from the bench.

He thought about climbing through the ceiling, but the idea of seeing the two of them talking didn’t quite sit right with him at this exact moment in time. So, the only course of action was to visit Newtopia.

Or hop back into his ill body.

Like he thought, the only option was to visit Marbles.

His shade blinked and the interior of the fwagon was replaced by a dank cavern lit only by glowing fungi. A shadow passed over a smaller mushroom halfway up the wall right in front of his sight and he knew that he’d found what he was looking for. Now there was just the question of what Marcy was doing underground.

She was hunched over a leather-bound book that she was constantly scribbling into, only stopping when she took a moment to glance around at her surroundings before diving back with the same vigor he’d come to associate with her. A blue cloak with a white fur around the shoulders hung over her back, held in place by a little conical shell. Under a breastplate of riveted sheets might have been her uniform shirt, but it was hard to tell in the cave lighting, but the patchwork skirt she wore was definitely an Amphibia original, alongside her knee high leather boots. On the forearm of the hand she was using to write was a little crossbow but he couldn’t determine the firing mechanism no matter how many times he floated around the little weapon. She had a blue bag hanging off her shoulder with a cute little marshmallow pin and still wore her classic green hair pin despite everything she’d probably been through in the last three months.

So that’s where her outfit from Alley Assault came from, he thought. Wonder how I knew that.

It bothered Calvin that she seemed to be all alone down in whatever depths she’d found herself in, as her reputation for accidental harm was truly legendary back home. Now that he was thinking about it, the ghost teen was surprised he hadn’t seen her injured yet, which just made the times he had seen her all the odder. The first time she’d been a pirate and the couple other times he’d managed to throw himself this far she was either in a dusty library or studying the city of Newtopia. Which meant this was the second time he’d seen her outside of town, also a surprise.

This world was, at least at first glance, a fantasy nerd’s dream and the idea that Marcy would spend three whole months in one city on the continent didn’t mesh well with what he knew of Marcy. Her appetite for knowledge was voracious, real or fictional, so it stood to reason that if she found herself in a living fiction like this she’d have covered as much ground as possible.

Calvin was forced out of his thoughts as inhuman screeching filled the tunnels. He whipped his perception down the tunnel towards the source and saw the largest ant he’d ever seen with antlers that resembled blue, glowing coral. It’s bellowing was launching green spittle from its spread mandibles before the creature charged the human girl.

Who was still face deep in her writing.

The ghost punk flitted around her, trying to get her attention without success. So great was his panic that he missed the breeze he made around the edges of her cloak as he sped around her in an orange blur only he could see. His voice was so loud in his own ears that he almost couldn’t hear the bug barreling down on his final star, fear mounting as she continued her scribbles.

“Oh come on, not even you could be this dense!” He screamed when the ant was a dozen feet out.

Without so much as a glance from her page, Marcy flicked her arm out and shot the creature right through the eye. The bolt was lost within the chitinous skull as the scurrying creature stumbled, parts of its body realizing its own death later than others. Her button nose scrunched up a tad as the stench of insectoid brain fluids met her march, but she barely paid it any mind as instead of going around she hopped over its head and bounced off the midsection to clear a thorax nearly as large as herself.

“I’m not that dense, thank you kindly.” She mumbled to her nay-saying inner thoughts as she continued along the ant tunnels. Calvin blinked where he floated for a few moments, the world losing color as his anchor walked on.

“What!?!” He shouted as he made to blaze after her, but found that it was like pushing two powerful magnets together. No matter how he tried to move forward, he found himself being dragged back the way he’d come.

Calvin blinked himself awake, stuck back inside meat that felt unwell, though not as poor as he’d left it. The scared features of Sasha Waybright greeted him, light dancing through her golden locks and falling over their faces like a curtain to keep the rest of the world out of their interaction.

Poor kid couldn’t catch a break on today’s emotional whiplash circuit.

The intimacy of eye contact under such circumstances proved too much for his puberty stricken heart so he turned his head to look at just about anything else. Anne was crouching next to her and was also looking down where his body had apparently fallen off the couch while he was out.

Sasha grabbed him by the chin and started examining his face, scrutinizing every detail like whatever she thought was wrong was written there in marker. Over her shoulder came the worried face of Boonchuy, although why she tried to stifle a giggle as she looked down at him was beyond him.

“Yes, hi, hello.” Calvin pushed on his caring captor’s shoulders to free himself and she relented. “I’m back, thank you. Why do you look like someone screamed bloody murder?”

“Because you were screaming bloody murder.” Anne said, her tone not matching the grin she was hiding behind Sasha’s head.

“I’m not sure the stuff we gave him earlier is helping,” Sasha stated as she marched back to the cabinets and began to unload them in an effort to fix him. “He sounds better, but now his face is red and still burning up.”

Ah. I’m blushing, Calvin thought. Suppose that tracks.

“Give him a sec Sash, I’m sure that’ll pass.” The Thai teen sidled up to him and nudged him with her elbow, shooting her eyebrows at him like she knew something. He shoved her away with a grumble and plopped back into his seat with his arms crossed.

“I’m not taking any chances Anne, who knows how Amphibia illnesses could ravage a human body?” She spun on her friend with her arms outstretched, like she could just grab his sickness and throw it. “For all we know, it could be the Natives and Europeans all over again.”

“Eh, I was fine when I got sick.” Anne waved her concerns away as she pushed under a calloused hand to grab a snack Sasha had already pulled out. “Look, he’s already back to his usual pale palette.”

The blonde turned to where he was stewing and dove into him. Her arms latched around him and squeezed as much life out of his body as she could manage. As his breath made a hasty retreat for his involuntarily contracted lungs his lieutenant sighed in tandem, letting her released stress mingle with his pain.

“Uuuugh, don’t scare me like that dude.” She finally released him and he inflated back to life with a sputter. “No more sleeping on couches for you, I don’t want you trying to crack your head like an egg every time you have a nightmare.”

“I don’t get nightmares, thank you very much.” Calvin folded his arms back across his chest as he pouted away from her, to hide the blush he felt trying to creep its way up his features.

“Yeah? Well I’ve never heard you do anything in you sleep, let alone scream for Marcy like you were watching her die.” It was Sasha’s turn to cross her arms and give him a stern look. Her expression softened quickly and she put a hand on his shoulder. “You can tell us if you have bad dreams dude, it happens to all of us.”

“Oh yeah man,” Anne chimed in with a mouthful of jerky. “If I had a copper for every time I woke up in a cold sweat thinking one of you died out here I could’ve afforded the fwagon myself.”

Her friends stared at her in worry and she looked between them with a questioning look.

“What?”

Before they could all get into all that, the fwagon came to a stop and the sound of a couple small bodies hopping aboard could be heard. Sprig and Polly were back from their little outing and Anne hustled up the ladder to greet them. Sasha turned back to Calvin with a determined look.

“Oh what now?” He lamented as she stood and towered over him.

“You need more rest, young man.” She tapped her foot at him and Calvin desperately hoped this didn’t come back during the therapy he’d have for Amphibia. “Now are you going to go to the bed or do I have to make you?”

“Good grief woman, I’m fine.” He rolled onto his side away from her and flipped his cloak over himself. “It was a one time deal, I can sleep here just dandy.”

“And scoop.” The strong woman picked him up bridal carry style and deposited him gently into the corner bed. He hoped she couldn’t see his bewildered eyes or the blush rolling up his neck. “Now back to sleep with you, I bet you’ll feel better after a nap that doesn’t end in a fall.”

“Pfft, yes Ma’am.” Calvin threw the blanket over his head to hide his embarrassment and try to pretend to sleep. Before unconsciousness took him once more, he tried to make a mental note to ask Polly about her trip, but the thought was lost as he plunged into a recovering sleep finally.

Chapter Text

That morning, Calvin was drawing another four panel comic at the fwagon table with Polly’s help while Sasha was on the roof helping Hop Pop navigate on their journey to Newtopia. Anne was on the top bunk with Sprig, who was wrapped up in a yellow blanket, and they were watching her favorite movie together, From Pointe to Poppin’. The movie was wrapping up and she was mouthing along with the final dialog with tears in her brown eyes, making the human boy roll his eyes and focus back on his work.

“Oh, oh, what if they went sledding?” Polly piped up.

“I don’t know, they went sledding last issue.” Calvin declined. “I wouldn’t want to wear that bit out too quickly now.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” They rubbed their chins in thought for a moment before the fwagon bouncing over a bump broke everyone’s concentration, even knocking Sprig off the bed.

“Sprig! You alright buddy?” Anne called down to him. He gave an affirmative and they both made their way to the roof, followed swiftly by the tadpole. Calvin didn’t want to crowd so he went to the side door and looked out through the top half.

They were on a steep incline in the middle of a sheep-fly field. Bessie was chugging her way up the hill with everything she had and Hop Pop was dragging on the reins like that would help her pull them all. Then the leather straps broke off in his hands just as they crested the hill.

“Oh, dang it!” The old frog snapped at the scraps in his hands. “The ding-dang reins snapped.”

A fuzzy fly bleated, catching the family snail’s attention. With a gleeful chirp she dove off the road after the noisy bug, dragging all the travelers along with her. Except for Calvin, who fell out of the fwagon at the sudden turn and had to run after the vehicle. Not an easy task by any means, as Bessie was the best at what she did and what she did was drive fast. At least the odds of losing track of his friends was low, with Hop Pop’s screaming.

It didn’t take long for the ol’ girl to catch her quarry and playfully nuzzle it into the ground, not that the sheep bug seemed to mind. He’d just started working up a sweat as he jogged up to Bessie and leaned against her shell to catch what breath he’d lost.

“Alright girl, I’d reckon that’s enough of that.” He patted her shell with a chuckle. She snorted at him, but Calvin got the sense she grinned a little too.

“Okay kids, let’s get this over with.” The old frog grumbled as he hopped off the steering bench and gathered up the longer portion of the broken reins, tying them together. He threw the new lead over Bessie’s neck and began to walk her back toward the road.

With Polly on her shell and the rest of the gang surrounding her, they eventually managed to finagle Bessie into the nearest town, Ribbitvale according to the massive sign. It appeared to be solid marble, like the pillars flanking it, surrounded in golden bushes, the head and wings of a fly, two tadpole cherubs, and solid gold trumpeters on top of each pillar.

The town matched the sign to a T, as Polly pointed out the most ostentatious location the punk had ever been forced to look at. Wherever a metal had needed to be used for building material, they had chosen gold and every building had marble walls with tasteful roofing. The frogs that strolled about looked right out of a bad Victorian era piece, complete with powdered wigs. There was even an ambient, orchestral soundtrack playing from Frog knows where.

“So shiny.” Polly said in a mesmerized voice. “So sparkly.” Hop Pop sprayed her with water.

“Hey.” Hey, I said look away from the fancy.” He admonished before Sprig piped up and undercut his point.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” His eyes almost shone as brightly as the town he was looking at. “A ten-tier fountain, a solid gold snail carriage, there’s even a One Eye Wally!” The cycloptic frog looked their way at the mention of his name and his white-gold cane fell out of his hands. “Wait, what?”

The official Tramp of Wartwood was dressed to the nines, like every other frog here. His dark turquoise hair, that Calvin didn’t even know he had, had been straightened until the ends curled onto themselves into a tube on either side of his head. His iconic wide brimmed hat was replaced with a proper sun hat, then he had on what looked like a doily collar and pink ribbon around his neck, over a brown waistcoat with white cuffed sleeves and shorts a shade lighter. Knee high socks gave way to buckled shoes instead of his usual broken pair of crummy boots. His little beard was the same though. If it wasn’t for the quiet horror that oozed out from his singular eye then Calvin would have assumed this was his long lost twin.

“One Eyed Wally?” The Plantars family shouted as they all clambered over to the fancy looking vagrant. Even Bessie crawled over to chirp at him.

“You didn’t tell me you were leaving the valley, you scamp.” Anne walked up and gave him a playful tap on the arm that could have been a gunshot, judging by his reaction. As he stammered, the older frog of the same color in a similar, black outfit and white tophat turned from the jug he was looking at with an appraising look.

“Walliam, you know these pungent common folk, do you?” He wore a monocle and wavy mustache with a voice that matched all the presented evidence. Calvin’s blood may have been simmering at the wasteful extravagance, but now it began to boil through his usual mask.

“Uhh, yes Father.” A pompous accent covered the usual bumpkin affliction that Wally’s voice carried. “I met them on my business travels.” Then his eye glided over Calvin and Sasha. “Most of them.”

“These must be your servants from Wartwood, then.” A satisfied smile leaked out from under his bushy facial hair as he made his son’s excuse for him.

“Servants?” Hop Pop said just before the human boy could shout.

“That’s right Father, these are my servants.” Walliam patted Polly’s head and Calvin was certain he was about to become One Handed Wally. She settled for nearly breaking his wrist in her flipper.

I’d burn the world for that gem, Calvin thought to himself as Wally’s dad walked over to where the humans were standing beside Anne and her family.

“And these must be some exotic beasts you’ve tamed.” He finished his visual inspection with an approving look. “Though I sooner would have had them stuffed.” He hit Anne in the stomach with the head of his cane and guffawed at his own joke.

A growl nearly made it up Calvin’s throat before it was snuffed out by Sasha’s. A quick glance told him that the blonde was getting ready to actually maul Wally’s father and he was about ready to let her. The assaulted girl stepped in front of her raging friend and shot the blue frog a disappointed frown that he replied to with a nervous laugh.

“Anyhow, I am Wigbert Ribbiton.” He tipped his tophat to them, careful not to lose a flower. Hop Pop’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he stared.

“Ribbiton?!?” The orange frog pulled a pouch from his back pocket with a stitched-on sticker of a frog on the front, flossing its toes. Polly rested on his head, looking less than impressed. “As in Ribbiton Ribbons? The finest web crusty floss in all of Amphibia?”

“That’s us.” The rich frog trilled. “And when I retire, Walliam here will be head of the Ribbiton family empire. Right, Walliam?”

“Right, Father.” The heir called back with a smile that didn’t breach the sadness his eye held. “Can’t wait for that.” He gave a dejected sigh that anyone would have noticed, except apparently the frogs.

“Hello.” Wigbert walked over to Bessie and inspected the damage done to her reins. “Looks like someone needs repairs. My mechanics will make her right as rain in no time.” With a snap of his fingers, a dozen tiny frogs appeared, picked up the entire vehicle, and began to run down the street.

“Oh, mighty kind of ya.” Hop Pop was quite warmed up to this hidden side of Wally’s life now. Wigbert raised a hand to stop the compliments, like such generosity was an expectation instead of a kindness.

“You’ll be joining us back at the mansion, of course?” The floss baron inquired.

“Mansion?” The Plantar’s asked incredulously.

“Oh no, they couldn’t-” Wally put himself between the travelers and his father, trying to make them decline when he was shoved down by Anne as the froggy family leaned over him.

“Oh yes we could!” The four of them said. The other two humans were less than thrilled by the prospect, but it wasn’t as though they had anything else to do in fancy land.

Their walk to the Ribbiton estate took them to the other edge of town, whereupon they found themselves in front of golden fencing that culminated in a similar gate, embossed with a big red plaque with a golden, fanciful ‘R’ stamped onto it. The gates opened as Wigbert spoke, on mechanisms that must have been hidden in the brick supports on either side of them.

The lawn was immaculate, perfectly green and each blade the same perfect height. Lining the perfect brick path was lined with beautiful white flowers that contained a subtle inner glow. Further back on both sides was a row of topiary bushes that swirled around themselves twice, the height of a frog. Stalking around the yard were humongous peacocks, each a head taller than the bushes, that eyed them hungrily.

“Some of my prize winning birds.” Wigbert had a bizarre idea of small talk. “Ever seen a frog torn in half by a peacock? Grizzly stuff.” Everyone but the Ribbitons shuddered at the image.

Past the double doors of golden wood was a foyer that was just as opulent as everything else Calvin had seen since they got to Ribbittvale. They were escorted down a white hall lined with countless paintings, golden pillars, and velvet red furniture. Eventually the party stopped at a gold wood door that looked the exact same as the rest, but apparently this was the destination.

“It’s, uh, one of our smaller rooms,” Wigbert gestured and a frogservant that came up to his neck undid the lock. “But please, do enjoy.”

They opened the door as the master of the house left with the butler, leaving Wally with his awestruck friends and a couple of annoyed mammals. The room was large enough to fit Calvin’s apartment back home and was decorated in a similar sense as the rest of the manor. A number of the paintings actually bore similarities to famous works back home, but their names were something he never would have remembered.

Marcy probably knew, he thought. He could practically hear the spiel she’d go one if she saw this, the questions she’d have about the odd reoccurrences between Earth culture and Amphibia.

“This place is magnificent.” Hop Pop jumped backwards onto the bed and practically melted into the heavenly mattress.

“What happened to ‘Look away from the fancy?’” Anne gave him an accusing point and smile.

“It don’t count if you don’t have to pay for it.”

“Hey, let’s go explore.” Sprig pointed back the way they’d come, balancing on one foot for fun. His grandpa and sister took off down the hall with him, the lot of them giggling along the way. Once they’d left, Calvin couldn’t help but notice the painting over the bed had a frog playing a banjo for a fly while leaning against a cluster of blue mushrooms marked by white skulls.

“So, Walliam, what’s going on here?” Anne leaned down to his level and jabbed him in the chest before straightening up and crossing her arms at the fake hobo. “I thought you were some fun-loving tramp, not some rich boy.”

“The truth is, I live like a bum in Wartwood because, well, it’s what I love.” Wally’s voice went from apologetic to pleading as he went on. “This life may look nice, but there’s so many rules. And if my family knew the real me, well, they’d disown me for sure.” He slid down the wall with a teary eye.

“Just be honest with them.” Anne sat down and clutched her knees to her chest as she shot him a reassuring smile. “Tell them the truth and I know they’ll support you. Just like my favorite movie, From Pointe to Poppin’.” Sasha and Calvin rolled their eyes and groaned in union.

“It’s just too risky Anne.” He groaned as he pulled up a floorboard to reveal a copy of his signature accordion, which he proceeded to play. “I have to hide these around the house or I’d lose my mind.”

“What about that time you told me not to care what other people thought about you?” Anne sat cross legged as she tried to make her froggy friend see reason, throwing out her best frown.

“This is different. This is my family we’re talking about.”

“I still think you should be honest with them. I mean, what do you have to lose?”

“Come with me and I’ll show you.” He pushed himself back up the wall and the two of them went back out into the hall. The abandoned humans heard Wally point out his memories as they walked, but they didn’t make a move to follow. Sasha looked at Calvin and he at her, then they shrugged and threw themselves onto the bed.

“So, now what?” She boredly asked him.

“I’m not sure.” He trailed off, kicking his feet up and letting them crash into the wooden frame. Seeing his own boots triggered a chain reaction in Calvin’s mind and reminded him of one of the side quests he’d given himself before they left the farm. “Actually, I’ve got an idea.”

Sasha gave him a questioning look as he pulled himself regretfully from the plush heaven. He pulled her up with only minor protesting and put her hands on her hips, a look of minor interest curving the edge of her cheek scar.

“Alright, what’s the plan?”

“What size shoe does Anne wear?”

“Women’s 7 and a half. Why?” Curiosity was replaced by confusion as she raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“I’m pretty sure three months of only wearing one shoe can’t be healthy, especially in this death world.” Calvin pointed out and Sasha’s jaw dropped.

“Oh my Frog, how did I never notice?” She started pulling at her hair in frustration.

“Chill dude, it’s not like they had a cobbler back in Wartwood, the farm frogs all went barefoot.” He put an arm around her shoulder and began to lead them out of the room. “Plus, all the toads who could have left when Wally blew up the Tower.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She trailed as she recovered from her minor panic attack. Then what he’d said registered. “Wait, HE DID WHAT?!?”

Calvin waited for his sudden burst of deafness to clear, rubbing his ear to hasten the process. When the ringing stopped, he saw that Sasha was beginning to turn red and was about to start trying to track down the heir of the estate.

“Yeah, Anne told me he planted them in the sewers as they went. And before you say it,” He cut her thoughts off at the pass. “Anne specifically told him not to do it, the problem lies in the fact he’s a moron and an explosive maniac.”

“I’m gonna turn him into her new shoes.” Sasha was nearly blowing steam out her nose as she followed after her second in command. She was actually distorting the air around her with the heat of her rage.

“As cute as I’m sure that pair would be, I don’t want to get eaten by a peacock.” Calvin steered the time bomb down a different hall when he caught the tail end of Anne’s curls just passing a curve. “I’m sure we can hire someone to just make her a pair in town.”

“Oh yeah?” The de facto boss of the humans huffed. “You and what money?”

“Observe.”

The smooth criminal straightened out his gait and walked with a purpose, eyes slightly lowered. He stopped next to another of the mansion’s hired help and clasped his hands together.

“Pardon me sir, but I am one of Master Walliam’s servants from Wartwood.” He injected a little more southern twang into his voice than was natural and a hint of humility. “He has tasked me with acquiring footwear for one of my fellows and told me to simply ask for an allowance to get the task done swiftly in town.”

“But of course. A moment.” The frog took his feather duster and rested it under his arm before giving a low croak. Within moments, an identical frog in a black suit jumped down from the ceiling and they shared a quick, hushed discussion. They weighed Calvin’s character mentally before the other frog disappeared as quickly as he’d come. He passed a wink back to Sasha during the silent minute they waited before the servant returned with a sack of jangling coins bigger than the human’s fists.

“Thank you kindly good sir.” He took the bag and walked backwards to his companion.

“But of course. I recommend Delilah’s, she did the Young Master’s footwear and still carries a candle for him.” The frog put his hands behind his back as he spoke with a bowed head.

“I shall heed your advice, thank you again.” Calvin mirrored his posture before taking Sasha’s wrist and whisking them both down the hall toward the foyer.

“Damn, I’m good.” He returned his voice to normal and stood straight once more as he shook his usual swagger back into his pace.

“Holy cow, I didn’t know you had an ounce of humble in you Tiger.” Sasha nudged his arm as they went and he snickered.

“Like I said, I’m damn good.” He shot her a grin and hefted their new purse. “Now let’s go see Miss Delilah.”

As it turns out, cobbling is a rather easily translated skill. The basic concept of ‘put thing under foot to stop ouch’ crosses borders no matter what world or foot shape you have. Sure, Sasha had to sit there for an hour or so as the shopkeeper wrapped her noggin around the ins and outs of the human foot and the kids had to figure out what a woman’s 7 and a half meant in a measurement they could explain. Luckily, Sasha wore a 7 so they just cut a diagram of her foot into sevenths and added a half. Frog ingenuity at its finest. An hour and a half after Calvin’s performance they were back with a pair of plain but pleasant blue sneaker adjacent shoes for Anne.

“Well, it ain’t gonna help the damage that’s been done,” Calvin hefted the bag as they made their way past the peacocks and into the manor. “But better late than never, or so I’ve heard.”

“Speaking of damage,” Sasha was trying to figure out how to limp with both feet and winced in failure with every step. “Why did they need to poke my feet so many times?”

“Something about pressure points, I think.” He shrugged at her discomfort. “Fitting the leather for better support?”

“Anne’d better appreciate the hell out of these.” The blonde grumbled. “And if she loses one of them, I’m serious about using Wally for the next pair.”

“Using Wally for what?” Anne stuck her head out of the guest room they’d been walking to. Calvin held the bag up to her face with a toothy grin.

“Gotcha something, should be in your size.” The Thai gal ripped it from his hands and obliterated the bag in a rain of confetti as the other two made their way inside, leaving the new shoes practically shining in her hands. She gasped in awe at the footwear, a single tear craving a path down her cheek. Sprig and Polly poked over the bed when they heard her sniffle with concerned expressions that shifted to confusion when they saw the object of her emotions.

“They’re beautiful.” Anne’s voice quivered as she marveled at the simple blue pair of footwear.

“Bet they’d look better on your feet.” Sasha made her way to the bed and jumped on rump first, launching a dozing Hop Pop into the opposite wall with a snore. He woke with a start once he finished sliding down to the floor, trying to hold onto the after effects of sleeping in a high quality bed for once.

“What's with all the hubbub kids?” The old frog rubbed at his eyes to get rid of what sleep survived the surprise flight and landing.

“Check it out, HP!” Anne had gotten into the new pair in record time and was striking pose after pose to show them off. “Cal and Sash went to town and bought me a new pair of kicks.”

“With what money?” Hop Pop eyed the two humans suspiciously. Before either of them could respond, a tiny frogservant knocked on the door, informed them dinner was ready and that they were expected. Sasha took the lead while Calvin got everyone out the door, the cheering of the Plantar kids drowning out the patriarchs continued questioning.

The dining room was as decorated to the nines as the rest of the manor and there comes a certain point where the extravagance starts to sour in one’s eyes, or at the least in Calvin’s. The rest of the gang seemed just as awed by the waste of wealth as before, though Sasha seemed less impressed given her upbringing. The table was spread with all manner of delicious morsels that the human boy could appreciate with gusto and before he knew it he’d cleared a plate’s worth and then some.

“My my, the appetite on that beast!” Wigbert chortled from his place at the head of the table. His hangerons joined in once he set the approved response and suddenly Calvin wasn’t so hungry anymore. He settled for gnawing the end of what was probably not a chicken leg and brooding into his cushy seat. Next to him, Sasha was still staring butter knives at Sprig for taking the coveted seat next to Anne. Polly leaned over to her human brother figure before whispering.

“Did you really need to wear the gauntlets to eat?”

“Better to have and never need than to need and not have.” He nodded sagely at the pollywog who mumbled something about Hop Pop’s rules about weapons at the table.

The Head of the Ribbiton Family stood on his seat and tapped his fork against his glass of Amphibia-wine-substitute.

“A Toast, to Walliam valet.” Then he donned a wide toothed grin and made an odd keening sound that his groupies mimicked.

“Great seque.” Anne cleared her throat and stood. “To thank you Ribbitons for your hospitality, I have prepared a special presentation.”

“It talks? How capital!” One of the nameless nobles said as he rocketed out of his seat in surprise. A purple metalled hand gripped the top of the frog’s head and shoved him back into his seat, a bestial growl silencing any comments on manners.

“Thanks Cal.” Anne continued, pulling her phone from her pocket. “Now, please enjoy this video of Wally’s life in Wartwood. Edited by me.”

Wally dropped his spoon, barely managing not to wear his soup as a look of dread repainted his features. “Wait, wot?” Anne ignored the interruption and pressed play.

Calvin couldn’t see it from where he was sitting, but it sounded exactly what he’d imagined Wally’s life was like before running into him earlier that day. Singing, sleeping in barns, and getting assaulted by local law enforcement. Judging the blue frog’s mortified expression and the patriarch’s sinking look of disappointment, it was just as unflattering as it sounded. The former toad officer couldn’t help the schadenfreude smile that crept across his face, Sasha only a step away from bursting into laughter next to him.

“Think we’re even for the Tower now?” He quietly inquired to his lieutenant as they looked at Wally like carrion birds.

“Mmm, closer to even than we were yesterday.” She replied no louder but they both saw Walliam shudder under their gaze.

“Cue emotional acceptance.” Anne whispered to herself as the video ended and she looked around the table with a smug look. Wigbert evenly pushed his chair back, took a deep breath, and shouted at his son while lording over him.

Anne’s face fell like a stone when Wigbert began to berate his heir for how he wanted to live his life, banning him from leaving when he tried to defend his preferred living habits. In response, Wally undid his pink bowtie, wrapped it around a knife, performed a complex ribbon dance routine down the table, and ended by flicking the knife into a golden gong covered in the Ribbiton crest.

“What? What does that mean?” Anne said before the other two had a chance.

“Family challenge.” Sprig supplied.

“Come on Anne, you’ve been here long enough.”

“If my family won’t accept me for who I truly am, then I don’t want to be a Ribbiton anymore!” Wally stomped his way back to where his father was standing as he spoke, growing more confident with every step. The heir stabbed his finger at the family head. “I challenge you to a winner-takes-all duel!”

“Very well. One-on-one Beast polo.” His father, as the challenged, set the rules and the stakes. “You win, you can leave Ribbitvale and live however you like. You lose, you take over the family business and stay in Ribbitvale forever.” Wigbert looked rather confident for that second half. His final stake caused a servant behind him to dramatically gasp and drop a teapot.

“I accept.” Wally’s determination laden his voice like stout brickwork.

“Oooh.” Anne deflated as the mood of the room had properly soured. “Kinda went off script there.”

The dinner dissolved after that, the hangerons dispersing in a chorus of whispered gossip while Wally grabbed Anne by the wrist and dragged her out quick enough to knock a leaf loose. Her traveling companions shared a mix of looks, some grinning and some concerned, before making to follow. Hop Pop stole the crab legs and before Sasha could give him grief for it Calvin walked past with a whole not-a-chicken that he and Polly were chewing on. Sprig, not one to be left out, grabbed a single croissant.

Anne was beside herself in worry when they found her alone in the guest room. She explained what Wally had told her, where the duel was going to happen and the rules.

“So, it’s just Polo then.” Sasha simplified. “Instead of horses, they have bugs. Yeah, that tracks.”

“But what do I do guys?” Anne practically begged. “This is my fault, I can’t just let him do this alone, right?”

“Eh, why not?” Calvin shrugged at her indignation. “Odds were this was going to blow up eventually or he’d grow old in regret. Probably for the best that it come to a head now.”

“Dude, you are no help.”

“Pardon me if I’m not all that sympathetic to a rich boy who nearly blew me and friends to kingdom come.” He rolled his shoulders and made his way back to the hall, glancing back as he went. “Now come on, betcha those seats are gonna fill up quick.”

They had to flag down a butler to navigate that labyrinthine mansion, but eventually found themselves at the Polo field and prime seats for the show. One goalpost went back to the manor while the other was in front of a fenced off area containing massive blue mushrooms adorned with white skulls. Before Calvin had a chance to ask, a blue Kermit the Frog in a top hat half his size with an equally large peacock feather walked up the stands and into the middle booth, an announcer’s seat of some kind.

“Hi-ho, Crumpet the Frog here and welcome to the official Ribbiton family challenge.” Not Kermit announced. “A ribbiting game of Beast Polo. See what I did there? Ribbiting, riveting? Because we’re frogs?”

“Well, this guy’s quite the character.” Hop Pop lampshaded.

“Bet he plays a mean banjo.” Sasha nudged Calvin’s side with a cheeky smirk.

“Hey Polly, where’d you get that?” Calvin pointed at Wally’s hat that she was wearing, complete with cattail in the headband and ignoring the copyright violation frog for a moment.

“Found it.” She wretched in disgust as she looked down at the field and Calvin joined her once he followed her gaze. Turns out Wigbert was also a one-eyed frog, made apparent as he pulled out the solid gold orb that he had in the socket behind his monocle.

“There’s no way that’s sanitary.” Sasha bemoaned as she had to fight back vomit.

“Yeesh!” Crumpet agreed with the crowd. “And now the players will pick their beasts.”

Wigbert chose a monster of a beetle, sharing the skull motif in between its horns. Wally went to choose a more reasonable beetle with a bowtie as large as its head, but his father informed him that was against the rules, as Wally wanted to leave the family but that was a family beetle. Leaving the heir mountless, it seemed his loss was inevitable, but would you believe it if Anne wasn’t in the stands all of a sudden?

“I’ll be your beast!” The Beast of Wartwood declared as she appeared from behind Fiddle Leaf the beetle. While the rest of the audience was surprised, the ones who knew her all shared a facepalm.

“Look, if you’re gonna go down, might as well go down fighting.” She stooped and held her hand out in peace to her blue friend. “Plus, I got you into this. At least let me try to get you out.”

“All right.” Wally grabbed a saddle from the ground and pushed it into her hands. “You know how to do this?”

“No, but I’ll figure it out.” Anne wearing a saddle was not something Calvin had expected to see today.

“Here.” Wally reached behind himself with a toothy grin and presented a mouthpiece. “Put this bit in your mouth.” She slapped his hand and gave him a negative. Wally hopped in the saddle as the announcer gave the opening signal and the game was off.

Wigbert opened up by revealing monstrous strength was a trait he and his mount shared, scoring a goal shot from between Anne’s legs that embedded into the manor wall and sent a spider web of cracks through his wall. In the next drive Wally replied by demonstrating that strength means nothing without speed, maneuvering his beast around the massive Andromeda beetle with ease to score his own, gentler goal.

It was around goal number seven that Calvin began to glance around for the hidden cameras and producers, as the competition was so bizarrely in pace that it felt scripted. Wigbert would hit the ball first and score, followed by Wally returning the favor on the next drive. The family head’s beast was a locomotive in chitin, but Anne was the most athletic human in Amphibia and far more agile than the burly beetle, leading to a surprising tie going into the final drive.

“All right folks, this is it!” Crumpet announced as the ball was retrieved and placed back in the middle of the field. “Next goal wins!”

Wally and Wigbert jockeyed for front position until the older frog used his larger mount to shove into Anne. She stumbled for a moment, but thanks to her new shoes was able to catch herself in an instant and gave herself a little cheer as the duo powered ahead of Andromeda for a shot on the goal. Wally stuck his tongue out and squinted to aim as he swung his mallet to launch the ball towards what should have been the wrong goal. The golden orb hit one of the goal posts, which bent and launched the ball so fast the other way that Anne had to dive to the dirt to avoid concussing herself or her grinning jockey.

“Ah ha!” Wigbert shouted as he turned his beast, which had a surprisingly short turn radius. He was already speeding after the ball as Anne’s blue shoes tore through the grass and she was after him.

“He’s too fast, we’re not going to make it!” Anne’s frustration was only matched by her desperation to right her wrong.

“That’s what you think.” Wally replied, tossing his mallet and fishing through brunette curls to pull forth one of his signature accordions.

“Wally, how long has that been there?”

“Oh ho, a season at least!” Pulling one end back like Sprig does with his slingshot, the rich vagrant fired his instrument like a projectile into the ball mere inches ahead of his father’s swing.

The golden eye replacement caught the evening sun and flew like a little comet through the goal and into one of the massive mushrooms, which exploded like a sparkly, blue atomic bomb. The shockwave shook the competitors and audience alike, leaving stunned silence that was shattered by joyful announcements of Wally’s victory.

“Goal!” Declared Kerm-Crumpet the Frog, like no one noticed. “Walliam wins!” The Plantars and their human tagalongs jumped down from the stands to the victorious duo as they were in the throes of celebration.

“I can finally be meself.” Wally was nearly in tears as he hugged the side of Anne’s head.

“Can’t be yourself without your signature hat.” Hop Pop held Polly up to Wally, who threw off his polo helmet so she could crown him with his floppy hat. There came an ‘Ow’ from behind them and with a turn they realized Wally had beaned his father with the helmet.

“When did he have time to grab his cane?” Calvin mumbled the question to himself as son approached father for what might be the final confrontation. Before the family had time to get into it, Anne shoved the crowd back with a disapproving look, tutting at them like children. Funnily enough, Hop Pop was the most annoyed by the treatment.

“Ah come on, Anne!” He argued. “I need to know the future of my web crusty floss.”

“Hopidiah Plantar.” Anne admonished the old frog, who had the decency to look ashamed. “This is a personal moment between father and son, not a soap opera about the fate of a business and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Yeah, HP.” Sasha joined in as she leaned past Anne with her arms crossed, trying to listen in. Anne cuffed her by the ear and pushed her back toward the rest of the group.

“Aw, isn’t this great?” Crumpet interrupted Anne’s mothering from the stands. “I just love happy endings. Well, what do you say? How about a song? Always works for me.”

They turned back to see the eldest Ribbiton holding an earthen jug, in front of a hole in the field that revealed even more jugs of various sizes.

“That explains a lot, actually.” Calvin said as Wally waved Anne over.

“Thanks, Anne, for everything.” The smile didn’t leave his face as he looked down in thought. “Well, not everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Anne wore a satisfied smile as she put her hands on her hips.

“Hit it, Pops!” Wally shouted and the duo began a hokey little folk tune on their rustic instruments that was rather pleasant to bob one’s head to. Unfortunately, one of the peacocks disagreed and swung round back to make its complaint known. All of them but the resident blonde screamed in fear at its maw of jagged teeth.

“Everyone’s a critic, eh?” Sasha chuckled to herself after raising her eyebrows at Calvin, drawing the heron blade with zeal.

Chapter Text

Strength

If Anne's map was to be believed, their final stop before Newtopia was just a little ways down the road. One more night's rest and the gang would finally be back together again, assuming Calvin was right and that Marcy hadn't run off on some scatterbrained quest of hers. Which was, let's be honest with ourselves, a rather bold assumption

But, Sasha thought to herself, that was part of her charm. I should tell her that, when I get the chance.

She was pretending to get a nap within the wagon while Anne and the Plantar kids played some board game that looked like an unholy union between Monopoly and Battleship. Marcy’d love it, but Sasha was most certainly not Marcy, hence the fake nap.

“Are you sure we can’t get Calvin down here,” Polly’s higher pitched voice pierced through the air. “He’d love this!”

“Sorry Polly,” Sprig replied with a hint of fake sincerity. “It’s his turn to keep an eye out while Hop Pop drives and it’s not like anyone else wants to endure his rambling.”

All the present kids shuddered at the thought of being the sole subject of Hopidiah Plantar’s story time.

Speaking of the Tyric boy, she knew he was hiding something. It had started bugging her back at the Tower, the night it all came tumbling down. Remembering the night still brought a frown to her face even if she was beginning to accept that she may not have entirely been on the right side of that particular conflict. After he’d convinced Anne to take her first real shower in months and they argued, he mentioned noticing how she looked at the Plantars.

Which wasn’t possible. Calvin was in his cell when she’d left to grab Anne and was in her room when the two of them came up, there was no way he could have seen how Boonchuy interacted with her frogs. How bright her eyes were when they met Sprig’s, how her laughter was like bells when Polly did something silly, the way she bickered back and forth with Hop Pop for no real reason other than to hear his voice. A pang of jealousy threatened to take Sasha from her train of thought, but the cheer captain was not so easily deterred.

Calvin let it slip and the former officer knew that. Out of her little group, he was the only one that verbally sparred with her. Sure, Anne argued when she was really against an idea, but maneuvering her into doing what Sasha wanted was an easy trick by now. And there’s that guilt rearing its ugly head again, but on track she stays. Little Cali was the only one who showed her any backbone, part of his charm and what made him annoying in equal parts.

And a part of their sparring was picking up on each other’s tells and Sasha knew what Calvin looked like when he realized he’d let on too much. If Anne hadn’t chosen that day to finally show some hustle when showering then Lieutenant Waybright would have put Corporal Tyric through the ringer to figure out how he knew what he shouldn’t have. And it’s not like that night was a singular event either.

They still had some parts of that Scorpaleo he’d killed in the jungle. Which was another memory that made Sasha frown, failure being a taste she never appreciated. Calvin was a tough guy, which had surprised her to learn once they started hanging out at school because that was exactly how he acted, but no one was strong enough to throw a sharp stick hard enough to leave a perfect circle through a giant bug lion.

Which he did to protect Polly. One of Anne’s frogs.

See, now the jealousy and guilt were starting to become acquainted, their courting in Sasha’s heart setting her up for the kind of emotional spiral therapists feel bad about hoping for. Focus, girl, you’re better than this!

Once they’d gotten moving again and he was feeling better, Calvin danced around the superhuman feat as much as he could. Then he began a counterprobe, turning their own questions back on Anne and herself. Which, upon review, was fair. Sure, they’d both always been athletic girls, but Sasha knew that the two months they’d spent apart was not nearly enough for them both to have become so strong.

If even half of what Anne had talked about happening in her first month were true, then they were even tougher than they were strong. Sasha’s inner anime fan squealed in delight, but the sound was drowned out by her anguish at knowing her friends had to put up with so much insanity without her help.

Which was another thing about Calvin that was bugging her.

Because he was lying about his first month in Amphibia.

She’d spent a couple nights pouring over the maps the Toad Army had of the mountains around Frog Valley and there was no conceivable path he could have taken from the coast to Toad Tower at that time of year that wouldn’t have taken months, not to mention how treacherous the terrain got during the wet season. The only fact she could trust was that he came down from the mountains to her Tower, coincidently on the night the Herons attacked.

Briefly Sasha wondered what he would have done if he’d arrived sooner, while she was still Grime’s prisoner. She was pretty sure that he hadn’t and was hiding, because as lazy as the garrison might have been, the one thing they did rather well was make sure the area around the Tower was safe for themselves. Flashes of how he looked at the Captain after she mentioned her prison time and what he was like when he lost his shit danced through her mind and suddenly Sasha wasn’t so curious.

Calvin might not have won, but he certainly would’ve tried.

Kinda made her feel bad about using his crush like a leash. Then again, he’d probably storm a tower for the other two girls if he thought he needed to.

Probably.

Sasha was brought from her thinking by the wagon coming to a stop. With her eyes closed, the only reason she knew the roof hatch was being opened was the groaning of the old metal hinges that was followed by creaking from the ladder.

She knew it was Calvin because he was the only one who tried to perform either task quietly. In fact, most of what he did he tried to make as little noise as possible. It made him difficult to keep track of, like when Anne’s cat Domino was in a mischievous mood. Between that, his backpack, and the stuffed toy in said bag, it all added up to her calling him her Tiger.

Sasha blinked herself ‘awake’ in slight confusion.

Her Tiger?

“Alright gang,” Calvin preambled. “Last stop before Newtopia. HP wants the humans in disguise for the first time since we started this journey and told me to stop undermining his authority when I reminded him.”

He unceremoniously threw Sasha and Anne some raggidy cloaks and pulled his own hood up. With a roll of his shoulders he brought more of the strange gray fabric around to his front and was mostly lost under the cloth, save for his leather boots. She could feel his grin as he watched her inspect the low quality garment he’d thrown her. She could also feel it redouble as Anne put her’s on with hardly a shrug.

With a defeated sigh, Sasha put on the patchwork cloak and flipped the hood over her blonde hair. Neither her nor Anne were nearly as obscured as Calvin was, another part of his little origin story that didn’t add up to her, but it was the best they had on such short notice. Why Hop Pop was worried now was anyone’s guess, but Sasha didn’t bother wasting brain cells on the old frog’s inane worries most of the time and wasn’t about to start. The wagon was emptied in due fashion and they followed the orange frog into the final frog town of their journey.

Anne and the frog siblings began to chant as they entered the new town, Stony Gulch, that looked basically the same to Sasha as just about every other froggy town. Having three shops next to each other that were apparently all just ‘Shops’ was a new one though. The frog kids seemed enamored like you’d expect from being so sheltered in the Valley, so she didn’t hold it against them even as it began to grate on her nerves.

While Hop Pop said something that took the wind out of his grandkids’ and Anne’s sails, Sasha perused the shop windows to see if anything looked worth having. The small sack of gold coins she’d gotten from Walliam was a comforting weight in her back pocket while she browsed.

And before any guilty voices begin shouting, she didn”t threaten or attack him for the money. She literally just asked and may or may not have corrected him when he acted like he was being threatened. Sasha even said please and she was honestly proud of herself for being so nice to someone that had nearly killed her and her friends.

The sound of a lot of frogs gasping caught her ear and Sasha turned to see Anne had taken her hood off and Calvin’s gauntleted hand disappearing into the shadows where his face was, no doubt face palming.

These two are a riot, Sasha thinks to herself as her hand subconsciously rests on her Heron Sword.

“Right.” Anne deadpanned. “Sometimes I forget the whole ‘We’re a freak in this world’ thing.” Calvin somehow face palms harder when she mentions multiple freaks.

Or maybe it’s the crying baby frog, he does seem sensitive about those given how he acts with Polly.

“Whoa, whoa!” Anne made her way toward the crowd, hands out in a peaceful gesture. “Don’t cry. I’m not a monster, I’m just weird. See?” She pointed to her sniffing noise then her wiggling ears before striking a charming little pose. Sasha did the old farmer frog the courtesy of pretending not to notice his disapproving scowl. The baby stopped crying and looked at its mother with a smile.

“Mommy, mommy, give that freak money!” The baby called and the mother agreed, pulling a few copper pieces from a coat pocket and handing them to Anne. The shouty orb cried for her to perform again and to Sasha’s dismay Polly agreed, putting a ‘Tips’ sign on her bucket and pushing it in front of the Boonchuy girl’s blue sneakers.

The bumpkin frogs were literally throwing their money at Anne after she did the ol ‘removable thumb’ trick and that was about all Sasha could take as far as second hand embarrassment went. She grabbed Calvin by the wrist and dragged him deeper into town. He didn’t protest, like she hoped knew he wouldn’t, and like a shadow he followed her as she went back to her window shopping.

Nothing on display really caught her eye in a way that made her want to take it with her and Sasha made sure to steer clear of the one labeled Curiosity Hut. Oddest thing about it was that it was the only wooden building in a town of stone, but it gave the blonde bad vibes either way. She was an LA girl through and through, she knew a scam when she saw one.

“I’m just saying, it could at the very least be kinda funny.” Her shadow commented from the depths of his cloak.

“Hey man, no one’s stopping you from checking it out for yourself.” She replied in a terse tone.

“Actually, the economy is.” The vaguely human shaped gray bundle stepped into her periphery as he continued. “Some of us didn’t scare a rich boy into forking over some traveling money.”

“All I did was ask, thank you, it was his choice to be scared.”

Calvin shrugged and backed down with a token ‘fair enough,’ sparing a glance toward the tourist trap as they continued their patrol of the town. By the time the sun was starting to set she’d concluded that nothing here was worth her time or her cash and that she was ready to hit the hay back with Bessie. They made their way back to Anne, who was holding an actual bucketful of money, as her host family wore looks that ranged from amusement to disappointment.

“Now what to do with all this cash?” Anne did a little dance as she looked around, before her eyes settled exactly where Sasha didn’t want them to. “Oh, that oddity place is still open. How about it?”

“Well, you made the money.” Hop Pop conceded before trying to be stern. “But only if you keep your hood up. I don’t like you drawing so much attention to yourself or your friends.” He gestured to the other two humans.

“I’m flattered to be remembered.” Calvin snarked in a dry tone.

“Deal, let’s do it!” Anne threw her hood up and made her way to the tourist trap. Sasha was about to protest and lay out a better use of that money, literally anything, but stopped herself. A dozen different occasions back home played at once and the blonde decided that one of her oldest friend’s could take the reins for once.

She turned to the human boy and even though she couldn’t see his face she could feel his victorious smirk. With a roll of her eyes and a huff that didn’t do as good a job of hiding her small smile as she hoped she followed after the Plantar’s and their human ward.

The inside of the shack was exactly as Sasha pictured it. Woody, cheap looking, covered in expensive knick knacks for sale, and filled with the fakest looking junk she’d ever seen. The only believable wax sculpture was the praying mantis in a basketball getup. Okay, that was the second most, because the actual realest thing was that frog statue in a suit, eyepatch, and red fezz, holding a cane topped with an 8-ball from billiards. That bore a striking resemblance to someone she’d seen on a family vacation so many years ago.

Before Mom came out of a drunken stupor and remembered that half of everything Dad owned was technically hers. Before he realized that he made enough that he could basically buy a younger, hotter girlfriend instead of settling for a tired wreck that just took up space on his bed.

Felt like lifetimes ago some days.

As the Curator’s awful voice stabbed Sasha’s brain followed by everyone but her and Calvin screaming their lungs out, she concluded she just wasn’t allowed to remember things while in Amphibia, good or bad. Her ears were almost done bleeding as the eye patched frog made a quip and welcomed them to his wack museum.

Anne threw a handful of coins into a proffered burlap sack with a red question mark on it and the owner of the shack began to give their group the tour, giving them the spooky spiel about his ‘totally real’ oddities from all over Amphibia. The only impressive thing about any of them is that upon closer inspection they actually looked like things trapped in wax instead of just statues, and that Sasha couldn’t see the stitches holding them together.

Not that she believed any of this garbage, even this world couldn’t be THAT weird.

Calvin’s body language suggested he was getting a kick out of all this even as he remained silent, while Anne kept bouncing like a tennis ball between terror and delight as their were led from one stange decoration to the next. And the frogs were there, like they always were.

Polly screamed and hopped away from the statue she was looking at, the oddest in the shop, into the waiting arms of her grandpa. Sprig was already there and looked just as shaken as the other two Amphibians. Sasha pretended not to notice how Calvin’s head snapped to the talking pink ball when she screamed fast enough to knock his hood off.

The Plantar’s went back outside, something about being little chickens or whatever and Sasha was just about to spin Anne a story about this really cute bag she saw when the Thai girl’s attention was grabbed by another room. The sign above read ‘Artifacts’ Sasha noted as she followed, unsure why her friend was so enraptured until she saw the item herself.

Sitting under a glass dome in the middle of the room with a light focused on it was a Skip Man and headphones.

A CD player.

From Earth.

“Is that a Skip man?” Anne asked while grabbing the device. “My parents had one of these.”

“Calvin, get in here.” Sasha called over her shoulder, forgetting to keep the command out of her tone. She felt the scowl leveled at her as he walked in but it melted by the time he was standing over Anne’s other shoulder and all three of them were staring at the human technology.

“Hey Curator, how much is this Skip-” Anne turned as she asked and was cut off in shock as the creepy frog was already behind her in the shadows.

“Ah ha, The Skip Man.” He took the ancient music device from her hands and held it to the light like a precious stone he was gauging. “It can be yours, for a million Coppers!” The Curator cackled as Anne panicked.

“Come on man, I can’t afford that.” She pleaded with him as he wiped a tear from his uncovered eye, which landed on Calvin.

Who was the only one of the three uncovered.

And was an actual interdimensional alien.

“Shit.” Sasha mumbled as the little creep ran up to her corporal with a dark glint in his eye.

“You know, I trade in oddities. Freakshows, real lookers.” The suited charlatan circled her Tiger like a capitalist vulture. “And there’s nothing like that Skip Man that I’ve ever seen. But I could say the same thing about you… kiddo? Any ways, that doohickey’s made me a lotta coppers but imagine how much more people would pay to see something like this!” He jumped back and threw his arms out like Calvin was a display piece. The kid looked about ready to make the Curator’s eyes match.

“Hold on, what ab-” Before Anne could finish Sasha had already pulled the bag from her back pocket and jingled it at the one eyed creep.

“You really expect us to believe you’ve made even a cent on this thing in the, what, three months you’ve had it?” Sasha exaggerated her guess with a raised eyebrow, smirking as the Curator gave her an honest reaction. So it’s been here as long as we have, got it. “Hardly anyone travels in Amphibia and if they do they’re not gonna waste their money in a tourist trap like this, so here’s the actual deal: I give you this bag of GOLD, you give us the Skip Man, and we all go our separate ways.” She gave her cutest smile and took her voice up a couple octaves from the threatening low she was just at. “Okay?”

For seemingly the first time, the Curator looked Calvin in the face and decided he did not like the fire he saw there. He passed the CD player back to Anne, took the offered gold, and the money disappeared into his suit.

“Pleasure doing business with you scary lady!” He reached into a different pocket, drew a small pouch, and slammed it into the ground, producing a cloud of sparkly purple smoke. Once it cleared he was gone.

Scratch that, he was jogging away from behind one of the darker displays.

“Sash, where’d you get that money?” Anne turned to her with a concerned look, not the appreciation she expected. “That bag had Wally’s family seal on it.”

“I asked for some traveling money and he obliged, that’s all.” Sasha nonchalantly waved the question away and made to leave. Imagine her surprise when she found her way blocked by a head of bushy curls and leaves.

“You bullied my friend into giving you money?” She was nearly screaming in Sasha’s face. Calvin, for his part, looked lost and a bit scared. Between the occasional spat back home with Marcy and what happened on top of Toad Tower, Sasha was beginning to suspect his default reaction to his friends fighting was to collapse into himself.

“I literally just asked.” Sasha defended herself indignantly. “It’s not my fault he was afraid of me, but I’m not about to lose any sleep over it. His stupid boomshrooms nearly killed you, me, and Calvin! Not to mention all of Wartwood.”

“It was an accident, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone!” Can’t tell if she’s trying to convince us or herself, the blonde pondered.

“Not hurt any of you, you mean.” Sasha’s words sank Anne’s argument like an iceberg. “He knew what he was doing and his estate was covered in boomshrooms! Is it okay just because he only thought he was blowing up an army instead of the town?”

“No!” Anne fired back before recoiling into herself. “That doesn’t make it okay. But he was just trying to defend himself, all of us, from you!”

How dare you think of me as someone you need to be protected from, after everything I’ve done for you, to keep you safe! That’s why I set the rules, to make sure you guys don’t hurt yourselves, isn’t that why you chase Marcy like she’s your baby?

But then she looks Calvin in the eye and the fight goes out of her. Sasha was someone Anne needed to be protected from and Calvin knew that even back on Earth, he was just too desperate for friends to actually stand up to her.

“You’re right.” Sasha hung her head and sighed in defeat. “That is what I was like. Someone pointed that out to me, that I became your bully instead of your protector.” Tears threatened to fall as she looked back into Anne’s beautiful brown eyes. “But that’s not what I am anymore, or at least that’s not who I’m trying to be. I really did just ask and he really did just hand it over, I swear.”

Anne took a step back and weighed her own concerns against what Sasha had been like since the Tower fell. Since the Ruins.

“Let’s just go, okay? Next time I see him, I’ll find some way to pay him back.” The blonde made to sidestep her friends and leave but was stopped by a pair of Thai arms wrapping around her waist.

“I’m sorry for assuming, that wasn’t fair.” Anne sniffled into Sasha’s cloak. “ I just got worried that this whole time you hadn’t actually changed and it was all just some trick to try to boss me around again. But the old Sasha never spoke to me like that.” The arms around her waist drew her in tighter. “I like this new Sasha. And for the record, I’m sure Wally would have been fine with buying this for me.”

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there or how long she’d cried. Tears of joy, of relief, of depression, of fear of change. The only reason she noticed time had passed at all was when a lull came in her waterworks and she couldn’t find Calvin. Sasha pointed out his disappearance to Anne and the pair of them made their way out of the Curiosity Hut. On the road out of town, back toward their wagon, was a gray shape too tall to be a frog stalking its way out of town.

“I can not believe he’d just walk away while we’re having a moment.” Sasha said in disbelief, the shake in her voice leaving with each word.

“Can’t say I blame him.” Anne stretched as she made to follow, Skip Man in hand. “Must of been an awkward scene to third wheel for.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.” With one final sniffle and running the back of her hand over her eyes, Sasha was ready to keep facing the world with her usually confident grin. Imagine her surprise when Anne caught her hand in her own as they started walking.

They weren’t in any rush to catch up, the sun was in no hurry to set, and the pair of them knew that Hop Pop planned to camp just outside of town so it wasn’t like their ride was going to ditch them. The young women meandered their way back to camp like they had all the time in the world, passing the music player between each other to inspect.

The blood red moon was out by the time the two of them walked into the firelight beside a sleeping Bessie. Sprig was playing a song only he knew while Hop Pop worked some Scorpaleo meat over the fire, Polly watching with a drooling smile.

“Where’s Calvin?” Anne inquired, as the other human didn’t seem to be present.

“He said he was tired and hitting the hay early tonight.” Sprig sang in time with his playing. It was tough trying to keep that friend stealer from worming his way into her good graces and he made it harder everyday. Curse Calvin for introducing her to the joys of good fiddle music.

“Really ran him ragged around town, huh Sash?” Anne elbowed the blonde with a laughing smile before sitting down next to the old chef. Sasha gave her a little chuckle before turning to the wagon with a ponderous look.

Before she could make her mind on what to do, she was dragged into a seat next to her ‘friend’ and forced to bring the Plantars up to speed on what had happened after they left. It was worth it to watch Anne accidently shoot the oldest one in the eye with a laser from the Skip Man. She did have the good sense to keep the details of their little argument out of her retelling, though.

As she was eating, she thought she saw a bit of the fire in one of the trees but after blinking in sudden panic the flash of orange was gone. When Anne had finished saving Sasha from choking to death, Calvin came out with a yawn and grabbed a kebab that he tore into with lethargic abandon.

“How’s a guy supposed to sleep with you people making such a ruckus all the time?” He said after his first swallow, a bit more of his drawl creeping through than he preferred.

“Guess I bit off more than I could chew.” Sasha grumbled a reply before smiling. “First time for everything.”

Anne doubled over from laughing and the Plantars were giggling pretty hard themselves. Calvin’s reaction was the most subdued, just a bit of a chuckle.

Sasha analyzed him as subtly as she could from across the firepit, trying to gauge if he was actually tired or if he was trying to pull one over again. For a guy who had such a thing for always doing what he said, you’d think he’d be more honest. He definitely seemed sleepy, but not so much that he’d actually try to sleep. It was clear to her that he was just trying to be evasive and she was going to make sure to get to the bottom of it.

Actually, you know what, tonight’s the night to confront him on all of it, she decided. Just, you know, not in front of everyone. That’d be kinda awk, ngl.

As the fire died down, Hop Pop carried Polly inside and dumped the copper out of her bucket so she could sleep in it. Sprig put his instrument away and jumped into his spot on the bed, followed by his grandfather, then Anne on the top bunk. Calvin had volunteered to take first watch, claiming the exhaustion would really help him sleep, and slunk his way to the wagon’s bench where Sasha was waiting for him.

“What, first Hopidiah starts to care about us wearing disguises, now we’re doubling up on watches?” He rolled his eyes as he lounged back. Credit where it’s due, even when he knew he was caught Calvin stuck to his guns. “Just before we get there and he’s still coming up with rules.”

Better to just rip the bandaid off and see how things go.

“I know you lied.” She stated flatly, not a hint of accusation to be found. Sasha was already sure, no reason to beat around the bush.

“Gonna have to be more specific than that, Waybright.” Neutral tone, very little accent, and using her last name. He was thinking before he spoke now, she knew she was on to something.

“About your first month here.” That was the only lie she had to call him on, a realization she had as she planned for this confrontation at dinner. “There is no physical way you could have made it from the coast, either of them, through the mountains to Toad Tower. And yet, you came down the mountain pass right under the Herons.”

“Maybe the mountains aren’t so bad for a human, mmm?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“That was one of the first things I patrolled after being made Grime’s 2nd in command.” She shook her head at her opponent. “They were and you’d know that if you had to go through them.”

“I can’t help it if I’m tougher than any toad in their little army.” He leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head, knowing the cocky card wouldn’t work here but playing it anyways.

“Or any frog in the valley?”

“Whoa now, those are hillbilly frogs.” The brown haired teen sat up with a start. “I ain’t fuckin with that.”

“That’s what I thought.” Sasha’s smug smile didn’t stay for long as she went on. “And they agree that those mountains are completely impassable during the rainy season. Besides that, there’s not a single coastal city close enough to the mountain range that you wouldn’t spend months walking to Toad Tower from.”

“Then where’d I get the cutlass from, before you and your weird bird sword ruined it?” He countered quickly, leaping to give the baited response.

“It was just a sword dude, you can get them anywhere.” And judging by the glint in his eye she’d fallen for something.

“I saw the way Grime looked at the hilt and I remember the captain I got it from, even if I never caught his name.” Calvin audibly smirked as he spoke. “You can’t just sit there and tell me that my trophy was a dime a dozen butter knife.”

“I suppose you got me there.” Sasha shrugged and sighed. “But that still doesn’t explain the distance.”

“Fine, you want the secret?” She nodded and he leaned back with a sheepish expression. “I didn’t go through the mountains. I went under.”

“Under?” The blonde repeated in disbelief.

“Yup. Those mountains have more holes through them than Swiss Cheese and one of the townsfolk led me through until we came to the Tower. They made me promise not to bring them up for some cultural or maybe religious reason, I don’t really recall. Besides, doing the impossible sounded cooler.”

Now she knew he was lying. Calvin loved weird culture stuff and would know exactly why they asked him not to tell. She remembered his disappointment at the Tower and at Wartwood to find how similar they were to Earth. But most importantly, if he’d promised not to tell anyone, then he wouldn’t have. Unfortunately, it was going to take her a while to piece together which parts were true and what weren’t.

“Alright.” She pretended to believe him. “What about at the Tower?”

“What about the Tower?”

“How’d you know about Anne and the Plantars, how she acted with them?” This one she had no leads on and honestly just kinda bugged her.

“Did you consider I just looked out the window and saw them?” The Tyric boy gave a sheepish shrug because he knew before he asked. His meek grin broke against her flat frown. “Alright, fine, sheesh. So, you know how we’re totally magic as heck, right?”

“Unproven but not unlikely, go on.”

“Well, sometimes I can see you guys without being there. Like a ghost.” He refused to look anywhere but where he’d locked his eyes, vaguely in the distance. “I think Marcy even saw me one time.”

Sasha’s first instinct was to call him crazy, like a reasonable teenage girl. Her first thought was reviewing the strangest parts of her time in Amphibia, including the fact that they’d fallen through a thrift store music box to get there.

She must have been blank for a while, cause Calvin was staring a hole into the side of her head now. This required a nuanced and precise response.

“Huh.”

Nailed it.

“Really. That’s all?” Calvin seemed less impressed.

“We got here through a music box, two giant birds destroyed a military tower that I was locked in, which let me make a deal with a Toad man Captain to be his second in command to conquer a valley of country Frog people in the name of a thousand year old Newt King.” Sasha explained the plot of her summer. “And that was just the first month, we’re on number three, baby. You wanna sit there and tell me that us having ‘whacky’ magic powers in the middle of all that is supposed to be insane?”

“Huh.” Watching his mask fall and features dance as he reviewed his own summer mentally. “Huh.”

“Right?”

“Kinda takes the wind outta my sails, you know?’

“Life does that bud.”

“Don’t it just.”

They passed that watch and the next together in silence, hardly anything making a sound under the red moon. Calvin barely got out of his armor before collapsing into his spot unconscious, leaving Sasha to wake Anne for her shift. As the Thai girl made her way groggily up the ladder, the blonde surveyed her traveling companions.

She begrudgingly admitted to herself that the frogs weren’t so bad. They had something in common, their care for Anne and she was an easy topic to bond over. Then she spared a glance to her Tiger and sighed. He was a fickle thing but she was almost glad her parents were getting divorced otherwise they might not have been friends.

After Marcy had covered him in his own lunch some nine-ish months ago, she’d been so embarrassed that she could barely talk about him after the fact. Anne wasn’t largely opinionated on the boy, Marcy having made a mess on basically everyone in their class by that point. But Sasha, behind her well practiced air of disinterest, couldn’t help but notice how his rage evaporated into the first smile she’d ever seen on him.

One thing led to another and suddenly their trio was a quad. Didn’t roll off the tongue as nicely, but nothing’s perfect.

“One star to go.” Calvin mumbled in his sleep and Sasha smiled at his sleeping form, practically able to see his mind sinking deeper into sleep.

“One more to go.” She agreed, putting both their armors away properly before heading off to dreamland herself.

Chapter Text

Honor

Calvin looked over the top of his cards at his opponents. Sasha gave nothing away, wearing a smirk that oozed confidence through bluffs and unbeatable hands. Polly on the other hand was completely emotionless, her face so blank he mistook her for a big ball of gum a couple times.

They’d only taught her Texas Hold Em an hour ago, how was the pollywog already a card shark?

Anne and Sprig had made the intelligent decision and escaped to the roof with their map, reminiscing over the journey thus far. Calvin, fool that he was, had made the mistake of wanting to get some use out of the deck of cards Hobbes was holding onto in his backpack. Now he was down a dagger, a candy egg, and if he wasn’t careful then his armor was next.

Just when Polly was going to call his bluff and leave him undefended, the ceiling hatch flew open to reveal Anne Boonchuy, gushing with excitement and wonder gleaming in her eyes.

“I want that armor, Calvin.” Polly informed as he carried her up the ladder just ahead of Sasha.

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved his impending loss away. “You can have it when you pry it from my cold, dead body and even then good luck, because I will have glued it to my cold, dead body.” Sasha’s reply died in her throat as they joined the rest of their traveling companions.

The city of Newtopia was truly a sight to behold. Nestled on top of a large, shallow pool that ran directly to the ocean, was an incredibly tall city filled with mushroom-like growths of coral. The visible buildings wrapped around a central castle like a coned shell. On top of the castle was a strange, metal statue that Calvin couldn’t tell the rhyme or reason for. The equally impressive wall that surrounded the place was larger than any the young man had seen in his life, the image only lightly marred by the clear cracks, coral creeping up the side, and the obvious ruins outside the golden gates.

And just like Ribbitvale, everything was built in hues of alabaster and gold, in case anyone was curious about where all the wealth in this world went.

“If there’s a way to get you kids home,” Hop Pop pointed down at the heart of his civilization. “It’s in that city.”

“Well then,” Anne did the token call to action, as is a main character’s right. “Let’s get down there!”

As they all gaped in awe for the beauty of the city, Calvin wondered about the stories those walls could tell, the tales the broken aqueducts kept amongst their broken frames. When they began the trek down the cliff to the shallows he wondered what the intricate carvings on the golden doors meant. After nearly four months, it was nice to again be somewhere that felt like a fantasy instead of just ‘Earth, but Frogs and Actively Murderous.’

“Well, my feet are soaked.” Anne stated flatly as they walked through the shin deep water.

“Maybe I should’ve gotten you boots instead of sneakers.” Calvin acknowledged glumly.

“Eh, wouldn’t have matched my style.” The brunette shrugged.

Scattered around the humongous tide pool were countless holes that reminded him of the gopher holes back home. You know, if those gophers were the size of cows. Polly was out of her bucket and floating around when she bumped her head on one of the burrows, risking a glance into the underground.

“Huh.” She leaned even further, raising Calvin’s anxiety. “Hey, what do you think made these holse?”

“Mmm.” Hop Pop joined her for a moment before dragging her away from the hole. “Better not to ask, come on.”

“I feel like this is gonna come back later.” She foreshadowed in her wake.

As they grew closer to the massive gates, Calvin grew concerned. This was the nation’s capital and the only walled settlement he could recall seeing, Proteus not really counting given that it was underground. The place wore its wealth on its sleeve and was the seat of power in Amphibia, so why would its gates be closed? Where was the trade, the traffic, the coming and going of weary travelers? Maybe his image of a fantasy capital was leaking too much into his expectations with reality, trying to shake the feeling as Anne called at the gate. A hatch in the shape of a seashell opened above one of the robed newt figures on the door, revealing a robed, blue newt.

“You can’t come in here, Newtopia’s closed.” He spoke down to them. Calvin felt slightly justified in his worry.

“Seriously?” The travelers asked in exasperation.

“Closed?” Anne asked.

“Like, closed closed?” Sasha continued.

“Or closed for lunch?” The Thai gal added with hope in her voice.

“The city is closed closed to all outsiders.” The gate watcher clarified.

“What the hey hey?” Sprig demanded more explanation. “Why? Till when?”

“Till the barbariants are gone, of course.” Calvin knew the name, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Good luck out there.” The newt gave the pleasantry without much feeling, leaning out to grab the handle of the hatch that covered his window. Just as he got a hold of it, he nearly fell out the window to what would have been a rather unpleasant fall. With some finesse, the newt managed to get himself back inside, relenting to using the hook on a stick that he was supposed to to shut the hatch.

“What’s a barbari-ant?” Anne turned to Hop Pop, their resident Amphibia expert.

“Beats me.” Dang it Hop Pop. “We don’t got them in the valley.”

“Pfft.” Sprig scoffed, like he didn’t know any better. “They closed the whole city because of a few little ants?”

As if summoned by such mockery, an ant the size of a cow rammed into the young frog’s back and sent him sprawling out on one of the few dry patches in the tide pool. It had a pair of orange, glowing coral growths on its head and its topside was covered in barnacles. Fun details to catch as the creature charged them with a hissing roar.

“Big ant, really big ant!” The pink frog shouted as he pushed against the beast's mandibles with all four limbs, barely stopping the ant from biting him in half.

Sasha drew the Heron Sword and drove it in between the barbariant’s black eyes with little fanfare. It screeched in pain as the body caught on to the fact that instead of a tasty snack it had, in fact, just died. The animal collapsed almost on top of the Plantar boy, but the blonde had him by the collar as she scanned around for more foes. There was a look of awe in Sprig’s face, like he just noticed her character development or something.

Before any heartfelt apologies could be made, the ground shook and more ants burst from underground. It turns out their coral antlers can come in multiple shades, as there were aqua blue ones scattered amongst the oranges. The travelers quickly found themselves surrounded, Bessie retreating into her shell as Calvin suddenly wished he kept his ax on his hip instead of with his bag.

“Starting to feel a bit antsy.” Anne punned as they backed against the fwagon.

That’s when the first oil bag burst in the water in front of a barbariant, followed swiftly by more and more until there was a clear break between the bugs and the people. There was a moment of tense silence that was turned to ash by a flaming arrow igniting the oil and creating a wall of fire around the ambushed visitors. The ants fled from the flames that averaged a height of two teenagers tall, returning underground from whence they came. The fire died out not too long after, what with being lit on top of water and what not.

Glancing behind themselves and up the wall, there was a hooded figure on top of the parapets looking down. The mysterious person raised an arm and an arrow with a rope attached launched forth, embedding itself into a fwagon wheel. Calvin felt like that outfit was familiar but he couldn’t quite place it, like something from a dream.

“Hop Pop,” Polly pleaded in wonder. “Can I get a crossbow for my birthday? Please please please?”

“Eh, we’ll talk.” Old Man Plantar rubbed his head as the human sidled over with a grin.

“When’s your birthday?” He inquired as innocent as sin, stars filled the tadpoles' eyes. Before they could continue, the stranger hand affixed the rope to a pillar and was sliding down toward them.

“That is one cool newt.” Hopidaih Plantar, despite his successful acting career, has no understanding of literary irony. A moment after his words carried over the air, the rope snapped and sent their savior falling a story and a half face first into the tidepool with a hearty grunt. In a rather familiar voice.

“Been there.” Sprig sympathized.

“Didn’t really stick the landing.” Polly reviewed.

“Seems like something Marcy would do, huh?” Sasha elbowed Anne as a look of recognition grew across the latter’s face.

“Wait a second.” Anne shoved her way past her frog family toward the fallen hero, who pushed themselves up and coughed up a lungful or two of water. Reaching into a hidden pocket, they withdrew a soggy journal that they shook off before opening and already taking notes.

How in character, Calvin thought.

“Okay, so Newtopian rope can hold an average human girl for,” Marcy trailed off as she did the math, her mind beginning to outrun her mouth as she was already devising solutions to her problem, finally standing out of the water. “2.3 seconds. Maybe I could reinforce the rope with iron spider silk to increase the tensile strength.”

“Marcy?” Anne warbled the name with tears in her eyes. Miss Wu turned and actually looked at the people she’d rescued for the first time and drew back her hood. Can’t believe she still has that green hair clip.

“Anne?” Was all the Taiwanese girl got to say before said friend shouted her name again and tackled her into the water for a hug. She returned the embrace before putting Anne at arm’s length to get a better look at her. “Is that really you?”

“Marcy, I can’t believe it!” Boonchuy was actively crying now, with Mar-Mar not too far behind.

“You, me, here?!?” The raven haired girl tried to wrap her big brain around her dreams coming true.

“I know, I know! We missed you so much!” Anne dove back into a hug, gripping the third star fiercely who barely managed to squeak a laugh past the embrace.

“Oh, I missed you too!” She blinked as she processed the entirety of that last sentence. “Wait, we?”

Sasha took her cue and dove into her friends, throwing them all once more into the tide pool. If Anne was crying, then Sasha was actively sobbing her relief to finally have her little gang all back together. She was making sounds in a pattern in some attempt to communicate, but her throat was too tight for words so intent would have to do.

“You already found Sasha?” Marcy beamed between the blonde wreck and her oldest friend. “Man, I can’t believe it! It’s only been, what, three months?”

“More like she found me, I’ll tell you later.” Anne snuggled into Marcy’s neck and pointedly missed the blush that flew to the asian girl’s face. Calvin, last human standing, missed nothing. “Calvin, get over here dude!”

Now he’d been spotted, everyone was looking at him, and suddenly he chose to develop stage fright. With a nervous laugh, he walked over to the pile of salt water and salty tears that were his gems. His nerves passed with each step as the end of this nightmare world seemed to draw nearer and his smile became broader and more genuine the closer he got. He very nearly broke into a run to join them, but settled for stopping just short and waving down at the three.

Anne decided that one of them remaining dry in these current circumstances was unfair and made efforts to rectify that. With a speed Calvin wouldn’t have guessed she had, the tennis player dove up, grabbed him by the edge of his armor, and dragged him into the drink. He came up giggling like the rest of them.

“Calvin’s here too?” Marcy asked incredulously. “He wasn’t at the park, how’d he get here?”

“I was, actually.” He corrected without an ounce of sheepishness.

“He saw us making our way to the park and tried to give me a birthday card.” Anne explained further.

“Ooooh.” The final star took that all in. “You and your uber high stealth score.”

“What can I say, it’s why I play elves.” Calvin shrugged as he leaned back.

Anne pulled her Marshmellow to her feet and they in turn dragged the other two up as well. For a moment they all just looked at each other and took stock of their physical appearances. Marcy was wearing the same outfit as she’d had in the dream he’d had of the two of them being fighting game characters, looking surprisingly no worse for wear despite being Marcy alone in a hostile world for three months. Calvin had honestly expected to find her in a hospital of some kind. Marcy returned his gaze and her trademark thinking face appeared.

“Where have I seen that outfit before?” She wondered aloud, the memory just in the periphery of her mind.

“Something like a dream, I’d imagine.” He replied with a knowing grin. Before she could ask how he knew that, Anne dragged her attention away.

“Look at you,” Anne gestured to All Of Her. “ Look at your outfit! You look like some sorta Amazon warrior queen.”

“I know, I know, right? It’s nuts!” Marcy’s smile was infectious in its joy as she brandished her hand crossbow level with Anne’s face. “This is real!” There was an alarming sound not unlike a mechanism cocking just before Calvin put his armored hand over the bolt tip. Her brown eyes sparkled as she looked at the golden olm faces on the knuckles and the strange purple metal.

“Right, sorry.” Marcy uncocked the weapon as she pulled it away with an embarrassed smile. “Isn’t this place wild? What an adventure.” She began to pace around them like she had a hundred times before when she got excited about her weekly fixation. “Ah man, I've really grown out here gang. Come into my own, leveled up, no more clumsy, klutzy Marcy.” Her mouth moved faster and faster with every word until they came out like an audible blur before stopping on a dime and turning to Anne. “Can you believe it?”

“Your cloak’s on fire.” The bushy haired girl pointed out in a much calmer voice than one might imagine. Given Marcy’s usual array of oblivious antics, flaming clothing was actually rather tame.

“What? How!?” Marcy began to run in circles, flinging the flaming end of her cape around and nearly into her regathered friends.

“Don’t swing it around!” Sasha yelled as she kicked water onto the flammable piece of fashion.

“So, kids,” Hop Pop chose now of all times to enter the conversation. “Who’s your friend?”

“Note to self; nonflammable cloak preferable.” Said friend wrote in her journal before looking at the speaker.

“Guys, meet Marcy.” Anne presented her to her adopted family for approval.

With a gasp, Marcy made her way toward the fwagon and the Plantars. She spared an appraising glance toward the vehicle and Bessie, making a mental note to study both in depth when she got a chance before turning to the froggy family with stars in her eyes.

“Oh my gosh, who are these cuties? Are they you guys’ surrogate frog family?” She turned back to her friends but continued before they could reply. “Did they find you and take you in? I love the found family trope! This is just like the hero of my favorite game, Vagabondia Chronicles!”

A pang of emotion crossed Sasha’s face just a hint slower than a lightning bolt and she withdrew into herself for a moment. Before the mood could sour properly, Calvin patted her on the back in as reassuring a manner as he could. It did the trick well enough for no one else to notice the little moment, everyone too busy trying to keep up with Marcy pitching her life changing video game.

“Mars, dude.” Calvin called to where she was kneeling and holding the Plantars. “Chill. They took in Anne, we’re kinda…” He trailed for a moment as, between the way they all met and the month of travel, he wasn’t actually sure where that left the relationship between the former toad officers and the accidental face of a rebellion.

A rebellion that was actually probably getting worse, now that the punk recalled it.

“Friends of the family?” Sasha inquired, without much of her usual bravado.

“Just friends?” Polly’s questioning tone as she met Calvin’s eyes melted his heart like chocolate in the summer sun and he very nearly whimpered at the sight.

“It’s a thing.” He barely managed in a shaky voice as he sat down next to the pollywog, who seemed content to leave it at that and hop in his lap.

“Uh, yeah,” Anne re-entered the conversation. “The Plantars here took me in. The one you’ve got there is Hop Pop.”

Marcy nodded and ‘uh-huh’d’ in agreement, pulling a measuring tape from Frog-know’s-where, and quickly got a measure of the orange frog’s head. She didn’t notice how it wrapped around his eyeballs, but then again he didn’t make a fuss about it so maybe it was fine.

“As I thought, 62 centimeters.” Marcy was pleased to have guessed correctly, putting the tape away.

“Yup, all brain.” HP confirmed as his eye popped back out to their normal position. It suddenly occurred to Calvin again just how weird the physiology of frog people was. After spending months around them, you just kinda become desensitized.

“Judging from the size of your cranium and flecks of sediment,” The third star surmised as she took notes. “You’re from Frog Valley, right?” Hopidiah gasped in awe of her brilliance.

“You can tell all that from my head?” She ignored the frog and spoke to her friends again.

“Oh Anne, I’m so jealous you found a farming community.” Marcy clutched her journal to her chest. “I’ve been studying Amphibia history and farm culture is super underappreciated in my opinion. They’re the backbone of society and do not get enough credit.” She rued at the universe and its indignities as the old farmer sputtered where he stood, unused to appreciation for his life’s work.

“Thank you, thank you!” He said once he’d finally recovered enough to speak. Polly rolled her eyes and somehow that little motion was enough to catch the curious eye of the Wu girl.

“Hey, a pollywog.” Marcy marveled at how cute the talking ball was.

“Hi.” Polly just got a greeting out before she was hoisted from her spot and raised so Marcy could use the sun to see through her skin, revealing most of her anatomy.

“Hmm.” The Taiwanese girl studied closely with a magnifying glass before coming to her conclusion. “I’d say those legs should be coming in about… two months, give or take.”

“Can I get that in writing?” As though that made it more official for the kiddo.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely.” Marcy winked and produced a small piece of paper and made it official.

“Oh, thank you!” Polly collapsed onto the sand bar but if Marcy heard she didn’t acknowledge it, running off to the final member of the family.

“Oh, and hi there.” She waved at Sprig, who was acting oddly aloof at the moment, his eyes squinted, arms crossed, and looking away. “Wow, I’ve never seen a frog your color before.” She stuck a hand out to shake. “You’re not poisonous, are you?”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” He shook her hand and widened his eyes at her like he was trying to be intimidating.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah,” The bluster left him like leaves on the wind. “I literally actually don’t know.” He pondered his own body chemistry as they pulled away from the handshake.

“I will iodine that later.” Marcy raised her hand as Sasha leaned over and nudged Calvin.

“Is it just me or is Squeaky acting like you?” She grinned as she asked, already sure of her answer and just wanting the satisfaction of seeing him deny it. Which he did, looking away with his arms crossed.

“So, what about you Mar-Mar?” Anne approached and asked the question most of them had. “Have you been in Newtopia this whole time?”

“Oh, here and there.” She gestured with her raised hand. “But, uh, mostly here. I actually warped in right inside the city walls. Pretty lucky, right?”

“Super lucky.” Sasha deadpanned, a month in a cell coming back to her.

“Like, what are the odds?” Marcy pressed on like no one said anything. “Oh, okay, oh my gosh, remember that game Calvin and I tried to get you to play? Creatures and Caverns?”

“No.” Anne recalled nothing of the sort.

“That’s what you get for wanting to run 3.5.” Calvin smirked, but it might as well have been to himself as Marcy pressed on.

“It turns out Newts are just like Cephalons.” She threw her hands out as if to pass Anne the memory, who remained unreceptive. “From Shadows of Xel’noth! Anyway, I just roleplayed as your typical artificer/rogue and next thing I know, boom: I’m the chief ranger of the Newtopia Knight Guard.”

“Uh, were those words?” Polly looked between her family and Calvin, who shook his hand in a ‘sorta’ manner.

“So Marcy, can you get us into the city?” Back to business with Boonchuy. “We tried the gate, but they won’t let us in.” Marcy leaned forward and put her elbow on Anne’s shoulder, highlighting the fact that she was not the shortest of their group anymore.

“Unfortunately, those gates will stay closed until the barbariants are defeated.” She straightened up, threw her pointer finger skyward, and walked to the edge of their sand bar. “Luckily, we’ve got a plan, come on!”

With gusto, the ranger fired a grappling arrow into the wall and flew away from the group, jumping from ruin to ruin as she went around the city to get to somewhere only she knew. The tired travelers watched in a mix of awe and exasperation. Except for Polly, who just gestured between Calvin and the crossbow wielding girl with obvious intent.

He grinned mischievously and Hop Pop shuddered in fear for reasons he didn’t understand and knew he didn’t want to know.

The tent where Marcy’s think tank did their thunking wasn’t terribly far, just in front of the other gate on a larger portion of dry sand in a lavish red tent with yellow accents, two cloaked guards with spears and shields defending the entrance with looks that suggested their shift was not over soon and neither was the arguing from within. A purple standard with a golden frog foot as the sole decoration fluttered from the center pole.

As they grew closer, led by the chief ranger, the sounds of arguing devolved into violence. Calvin frowned subconsciously. Drawing back the tent flap revealed three Newts, purple, blue, and orange, all in black cloaks and thick glasses, currently trying to bludgeon each other with whatever was at hand, including a book titled Pacifism.

“Sup Triple B?” Marcy asked like nothing unusual was going on, which was probably true. The three of them quickly stopped their beating and cleared their throats collectively, lining up with their hands crossed behind their backs.

“Ah, Master Marcy.” The purple one said, Calvin assuming he was the oldest or the leader or what have you. As the rest of them filed into the tent, his eyes grew wide and his smile even faker. “Oh, are you lost?”

“No, no, they’re with me.” Marcy gestured back to them and explained. “The Plantars traveled here all the way from the valley.” Hop Pop and Sprig snatched a couple of flies out of the air while Polly let a belch rip loud enough to shake the tent and its occupants.

“Ah.” The lead Newt squinted at them and spread his arms smugly. “Welcome, dirty peasants.” Calvin’s eyes narrowed.

“And these are my friends, Anne and Sasha.” She gestured to the girls as Anne poked her in the face. “Ow.” Marcy turned and recalled they were four and not three. “Oh, and Calvin.”

“Hehe, sorry.” Anne was still jittery with excitement. “Just still can’t believe you’re here.” She drummed on Marcy’s hooded head to help get some of the good energy out into the universe.

“Anne, quit it.” Marcy was all giggles and smiles as she weakly protested the teasing.

“All right, keep doing what you’re doing.” The brunette withdrew with smiling reluctance while Sasha pretended to study a diagram of a medically butchered barbariant.

“She didn’t get like that when she found me.” The blonde murmured almost quietly enough to miss.

“Marcy didn’t roll up with a toad army.” Calvin muttered back.

“Fair.” She conceded with a sigh.

“You’ll be glad to hear we’ve agreed on a battle strategy.” The lead nerd stated, as the other two immediately piped up in disagreement.

“Well, no worries.” Marcy leaned over the table and observed the map of the area, Anne enamored by her friend existing. “I think I got it figured out. Anne, do you remember when we studied insect migration patterns in biology class?”

“Nope.” She replied after a pained moment of thought, her smile leaving for only a moment.

“Vaguely.” Calvin replied even if he wasn’t asked.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Sasha cringed at the memory of so many gross little crawly things.

“Well, since the weather warmed up,” Marcy was used to pressing on for an uninformed audience. “Those ants have been sending scouting parties deeper into our territory.” She moved a figure on the map to highlight her point but Anne was too distracted playing with the hood of her ranger cloak to notice. “In fact, I predict a full-scale invasion is just around the corner.” She turned to Anne, who dropped the hood to go unnoticed. “The king has asked me to stop them before they turn Newtopia into a giant anthill.” Maryc pulled from nowhere an anthill model and smashed the little Newtopia into pieces.

“Wait, you work directly for the king of Amphibia?” Sprig questioned with suspicious eyes. The Chief Ranger of the Newtopia Knight Guard gave him a quick confirmation.

Well, that makes life difficult, something like Calvin’s voice said to him.

Does it? He replied.

Well, Mother Olm warned us about the king and that he probably sic’d those pirates on Proteus.

True. Best to keep an eye out, then. Shit, think we missed some of the conversation.

“Well duh, Anne.” Hop Pop chastised his granddaughter. “We’re not anarchists.”

“Speak for yourself!” Polly piped up from Calvin’s shoulder, accepting his offered high five.

“Okay,” Marcy pulled out her journal like mild treason hadn’t just been encouraged, turning to a page that covered the ant problem. “The plan is we’re gonna sneak behind enemy lines and drive the ant queen away. With her gone, the rest should retreat.” She shut the book with a satisfied smile.

“Oh yeah?” Sprig apparently the only one with the common sense to question such a plan. “And how are we doing that?”

“Check this out!” Producing a bandolier of yellow tipped orange mushrooms, Marcy displayed it to the group. Polly’s eyes went wide and hopeful.

“Boomshrooms?” She begged with a gasp for the explosives to be here while Calvin and Sasha recoiled ever so slightly.

“Not quite.” Marcy clasped the belt around her shoulder as she withdrew a mushroom for closer inspection. “These are stink shrooms.”

“Oh.” Polly’s interest was lost, waving a dismissive flipper. “Carry on.”

“They’re designed to release a pheromone that should drive the queen away instantly.” The Witty girl’s smile dropped as she put away the shroom and turned back to the map. “But we will have to fight our way through a bloodthirsty hoard of ants.”

“My interest has been restored.” Polly practically reinflated at the prospect of coming violence, a feeling she seemed to share with Sasha.

“That I can get behind.” She rested a hand on the hilt with a grin just as sharp as her blade.

“We’ll have to be extra careful. If one thing goes wrong-” Marcy was interrupted by some of her classic clumsiness as the table nearly fell apart under her leaning. She just managed to catch herself before falling face first for the second time today “Ha, flimsy table.” As she picked the miniatures off the floor, Anne shot a pensive look her way and began to rub the back of her head.

“Uh, Marbles, this sounds pretty dangerous.” Anne tried to let her duckling down softly. “Yeah, why don’t you leave the mission to us and the Plantars? We did stuff like this all the time in the valley and on the way here.” She waved the danger away before her and her frog family struck power poses to highlight their heroic nature.

It did not work.

“Ugh, come on, Anna Banana.” Marcy was not pleased with the concern. “I’ll be fine.”

“Banana?” Sprig asked, apparently the one thing on Earth that doesn’t have a correlation on Amphibia.

“I’ve changed, remember?” The ranger raised her arms in a pleading manner while smiling at her protector.

“Mmhmm. Your cape’s on fire again.” Anne pointed to the source of the smoke as panicked screaming erupted from the Newts. Given that the guards didn’t come running, this must be a common occurrence.

“Hold still.” Anne to the rescue, undoing the clasp keeping the flaming cloak around her neck. “There.” She stomped the fire out with her blue sneakers.

“Those capes sure are flammable.” Hop Pop observed.

“Never had that problem with my toad cloak.” Sasha mumbled just loud enough for no one to miss. Calvin hummed an agreeing tone. “Must be a Newt thing.”

“Anne, trust me.” Marcy put a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder as one of the B’s put a new cloak over her shoulder, clasped it, and put her hood up. “Now let’s get going. Mission engage!” And with that, she withdrew her journal and went back to writing as she walked. Anne followed with a sigh usually reserved for parents who kept their children in helmets until high school. Sasha and Calvin weren’t far behind with shared grins, while the Plantars stayed back a moment to chatter amongst themselves. Anne pulled the other two aside while Marcy got lost in her notes.

“Okay, so we all agree that she has to sit this one out, right?” Anne brought them into a huddle as she half whispered her inquiry. “There’s no way she can handle this, even if her plan would work.”

“I don’t know Anne.” Calvin piped up. “She’s been alone for three months and is apparently a major military figure in the central government. As klutzy as she may have been, she has to be some kind of competent now.”

“Besides,” Sasha joined in. “It’s not like we have a better plan and we need to get into the city. You can’t baby her forever.”

Anne looked between her friends in astonishment, incapable of wrapping her head around the concept that maybe her Marbles was good at something physical. To be fair, he’d agree if it wasn’t for the fact they’d all watched her grapple her way over to the camp. She managed to stick the landing four out of the five times, that's a pretty good record even for the average person.

“Are you two serious? Look at her.” Anne gestured to the note taker who totally couldn’t hear them, who was suddenly being surrounded by butterflies under a ray of sunshine. It was a rather cinematic moment, truth be told. “Whatever she’s been up to must have mostly been math and stuff, there’s no way they actually let her fight anything!”

“Let who fight what?” Sprig piped up after adding himself to the huddle. They all turned to him, holding himself off the ground on Calvin and Anne’s shoulders so that his head was level with theirs. His blank smile did wonders toward deflating the tension of the conversation.

“Anne’s trying to be Marcy’s mama.” Calvin teased, reveling in how the two girls blushed and turned away.

“Oh.” The young frog looked thoughtful for a moment before looking between the flustered teens. “Would that make Sasha the dad then?”

Marcy finally noticed that her adventuring party had left the tent because Calvin’s howling laughter was a difficult thing to miss. Somehow he only grew louder as he rolled to dodge Sasha’s stomping boots.

“What’s that all about?” She turned to face Anne, who was doing her best tomato impression.

“Don’t worry about it Mar-Mar, they’ll catch up.” She put her hands on Marcy’s shoulders to turn her and begin heading towards the objective.

“Okay.” The studious one shrugged and went back to sketching diagrams in her journal, more than willing to let her competition give her a lead.

Chapter Text

Marcy led her adventurers to the biggest opening into the den of the barbariant horde that she’d discovered, an impressive mound of sand around a hole in the ground nearly big enough for the fwagon to fit in. Calvin was glad for the reassuring weight of his ax at his side as they approached, rolling a shoulder to try to relieve some of the discomfort from his new bruises.

Whether he knew it or not, Sprig was absolutely hilarious.

“Okay, we should be arriving there shortly!” Marcy’s voice kinda trailed off at the end there as she misjudged how shortly they’d be arriving and fell face first down the burrow.

“Marcy!” Anne shouted in exasperation, sliding down the slope after her Marshmallow.

“Wait up, dangit.” Sasha was quick on their heels. Hop Pop and Sprig gave Bessie and the fwagon a final look over while Calvin sighed, with Polly hopping onto his shoulder wearing a smile filled with razors.

“Off on another whirlwind adventure, then.” The punk drew his ax and headed underground. He came to a stop at the bottom, where Marcy had already managed to get back to her feet, Anne hovering over her protectively. Sasha had the Heron Blade drawn and was surveying the first room like she was daring a bug to taste her killing edge. The cave was full of glowing corals of various warm colors with a sandy floor. A little green crab scuttled along without a care in the world.

“Alright, let’s go!” Marcy pointed toward adventure with a smile, which turned to mild surprise when Anne grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to the back of the group.

“Hold up, stay behind me.” Anne ordered, walking ahead flanked by Sasha. Marcy’s look of annoyance didn’t last long, gently smiling at her notes as she started walking.

“If we can just stay in this formation-” Leader Boonchuy started before the third star power walked right past all of them to the front. “Wait!”

“This is gonna be a cinch, guys.” Marbles looked back with a smug expression. “Trust me, I know these tunnels better than anyone!” And she fell right into a hole, journal fluttering above her. Anne dove after her, catching her by the cape and dragging her back to terra firma, to which Marcy’s only reply was a thumbs up, chuckle, and thanks. “Okay. Note to self: Do not step in holes.”

“She actually wrote that down.” Sasha observed as the Taiwainese girl started walking off.

“Seriously, let us handle this.” Anne pleaded with her oldest friend. “You’ll be safer in the back.”

“I gotta say,” Sprig said. “I do feel pretty safe back here.”

The barbariants clearly have a sense of humor, as one appeared at that moment and grabbed the young frog by the head with its mandibles. It pinned him to the ground, spat green goo over him, and began to drag him down the tunnel.

“Why me? Why always me?!?” Sprig lamented as he was carried to what seemed like a certain doom. Sasha was quick to follow, but a pair of the ants came out to impede her progress. She snarled as she began her grisly work.

“Alright guys, fight mode!” Anne drew her sword and the remaining Plantars agreed, Calvin readying his ax with an aggast expression.

“Yeah, on it!” Sprig, still a little covered in goo, raised his fists next to the human boy.

“Oh, Sprig, good, you survived.” His little sister nonchalantly said.

“Yeah, I kicked him!” He mimicked the action.

“Okay Marcy, stay close.” Anne turned just in time to watch the girl in question run off towards a plant by the cave wall. The brunette blew a raspberry in unsurprised annoyance. As a pair of bugs went to accost the nerd, Anne swooped in and stopped them both in their tracks . “Marcy, what are you doing!?”

“Picking flowers to mark our graves!” Sasha called, up to her elbows in bug blood and carapace chunks.

Calvin was in no better condition, but a tentative smile was creeping across his features. Maybe Polly’s love of carnage was infections, or maybe he was just glad to finally have completed the first major goal of his quest, but either way the young man was actually starting to enjoy himself. There was something cathartic about such guiltless violence, enough that even he was getting into the swing of things.

Human’s ax and tadpole’s flail fell in time to keep eachother safe, like a demon with eyes and arms on its back. They were insync with their pair’s violent feelings, no swing wasted on an already claimed target. The two of them flew from one pocket of fighting to the next, keeping their friends and family defended and surrounded by maniacal laughter. Marcy’s live demonstration of fantasy chemistry to craft a bomb and blow open a hole in the cave briefly caught Calvin’s attention, relenting to let Polly have the ant-lion’s share of the carnage for a moment.

“This way!” The ranger waved to her companions, the lot of them making their way toward the fresh exit. Calvin plotted a meandering course to their location, loath to stop his stress relief so soon. Then he saw the poof of smoke where his friends had just passed and the purple vines that were starting to form.

Whatever positivity he was getting from all this evaporated in an instant of flaming dread. The glowing plant structure was growing too rapidly for him to just run over, there was no way the two of them would be able to make it. Crystal clear realization flashed over him and he glanced at the pink ball of death on his shoulder. Polly paused in her dance for a second, meeting his eyes with feral glee that began to peter out when she registered his expression.

“Wha-” Was all she managed before he rolled her down his arm into his free hand and launched her across the cave toward the exit. Before he could see if she made it or not, a barbariant took advantage of his distraction to bite at the hand holding the weapon. Luckily his Olm Gloves were made of sterner stuff and barely even groaned under the pressure, but it did leave the human locked in place for the moment. With a swift punch, he caved in the front of the creature’s head, wrenched his arm free, and returned his panicked look to where his little sister would be.

Polly’s worried look broke his heart from the other side of the wall of vines but, thankfully, she made it right into her Hop Pop’s arms. The rest of the crew were realizing that they’d left someone behind.

“Calvin!” Anne and Sasha shouted. Sprig took the initiative, redrew his slingshot, and began to take what pot shots he could around the vines and the bugs still trying to break through. He couldn’t hear what Marcy said from where he was, but she looked embarrassed.

Calvin tried to fight his way towards the barricade, but with each step he took that way more and more bugs clambered in front of him, like they were trying to force him away from the group. Panic was setting in and his technique was growing desperate, sloppier blows leaving him more tired and less efficient in a time when both were death sentences. The punk managed to carve himself a moment of reprieve on top of the pile of ants Sasha had made, pointing his ax around like it was a spear instead to ward off the suddenly cautious bugs. It gave him time to look over the sea of carapace to see his stars arguing.

Sasha was gesturing aggressively, constantly pointing between the group and the one left behind while Marcy kept bouncing between pleading looks and pointing down their tunnel. Finally, the two abruptly stopped and turned to Anne, who looked between them, then her brown eyes met Calvin’s greens.

There would have been no way to hear her from so far away, over the gnashing mandibles and hissing of ants, but he read her face and knew what she was going to do long before she actually said anything.

“I’m sorry.” Her lips read before she pushed Marcy down the tunnel and dragged Sasha by the wrist. He could actually, just barely, hear the blonde screaming bloody murder as the frogs joined in on forcing her down the cavern tunnel.

Calvin blinked several times and went lax as they disappeared from sight. The ants tested the radius of his weapon for a moment to see if it was a feint, but when he didn’t react the foolhardiest among them leapt at the opportunity to eat the foreign flesh. All it ate was a purple metalled fist that came back out between its eyes. His vision began to turn orange and dull fire flooded his veins as grief and rage fought for the steering wheel of his mind.

Calvin’s eyes opened and he regretted that. Burningly white lights, ceiling, and walls greeted him by scorching his retinas for having the audacity to wake up. Next came the aching pain of overworked muscles that he felt in his Everything. He tried to shift himself into a sitting position but that was asking far too much of his current condition.

His stirring caught the attention of the other two occupants of the room. Anne got up slowly from her seat in the corner, mindful not to startle the boy even if he was in no condition to do much moving. Polly, on the other flipper, dove out of her sister’s hands right into his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

“What is wrong with you?” The little pink lung deflater demanded.

“No clue, haven’t had a chance to ask a doctor.” He shrugs a little and winces a little more at the motion. Polly looks ready to knock him back out but the mean streak in her eye dims and she settles for hugging him around the neck before he’d gotten much air back. Anne, hero of Wartwood, came to his rescue after a moment with a little smile.

“Polly, humans aren’t supposed to turn that shade of purple.” She lightly chastised their sister, pulling her off his neck to let him gasp down air. “Why don’t you go tell the others he’s awake?”

The tadpole squinted up from the palm she was sitting in before glancing at Calvin and how weak he looked. She reappraised Anne before rolling her eyes and hopping out the door, disappearing down the hall. Anne stared at the open doorway for a moment like she was waiting for the kiddo to turn around. Satisfied by the sound of Polly sassing a nurse down the way, the Thai gal shut the door before sitting down at her friend’s bedside with a serious look.

“Okay Calvin, what the heck happened down there?” She was trying to put up a hard front, but concern couldn’t help but seep in to soften her eyes.

“I’m still a bit fuzzy Boonchuy, mind filling me in?” Calvin finally managed to sit up in spite of the protest of his body. Despite his own confusion and worry, he put on his neutral mask as he faced his interrogator.

“Oh dude,” Anne ran a hand through her bushy curls and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “Where do I start?”

“I remember leaving the tent with Marcy and getting to the ant hill.” Calvin paused, staring at his casted finger. “I think.”

“That’s as good a start as any.” She leaned back forward and rubbed her palms together. “Alright, let’s see…”

Heart

Anne still couldn’t believe that they were all back together again, even after all the walking around and poking at Mar-Mar. There was still that nagging at the back of her head, but she brushed it off as nerves from when Sasha picked her up in Wartwood. She glanced at her blonde buddy who was already looking her way. They locked eyes for a moment before turning away in a hopeless effort to hide their blushes.

Buddy might be putting it lightly, Anne thought. We really should have found a second to talk about this, but the fwagon is sooo packed and it was literally last night that we held hands. Maybe I was too forward?

Marcy’s voice dragged Anne from her thoughts just in time to watch the Taiwanese girl fall face first into a hole in the side of a big ol pile of sand. Anne called after her like her name would stop gravity and was right behind her into the ant’s den. She stayed on her feet the whole way down, followed swiftly by her friends and froggy family.

She didn’t pay the cave much mind as she went to the prone body of her ranger. Before she could pull her off the cave floor herself, Marcy righted herself, picked up her notebook, and immediately went back to the activity that distracted her from the danger in the first place.

“Alright, let’s go!” Marbles began to make her way towards her next bout of harm and Anne couldn’t stand the thought.

“Hold up, stay behind me.” Anne put herself between the shadowed threats ahead and her newly found friend. She felt Sasha take a position on her right while Calvin and Polly went to her left.

It’s nice those two are getting along, Anne smiled to herself inside before focusing on the task at hand.

“Alright, if we can just stay in this formation-” She was interrupted by Marcy walking right past her at a speed walk. “Wait!”

“Come on guys, this is gonna be a cinch.” Marcy’s cute smile looked back at her, paying no attention to the path in front of her. “Trust me, I know these tunnels better than anyooooone!” Good thing Anne had attention to spare, as she was already moving before Marcy had even fallen into the hole. Her button nose scrunched up as she smiled and thanked her savior, her thumb up in approval. “Okay, note to self: Don’t step in holes.”

“She actually wrote that.” Sasha muttered after looking over the black haired girl’s shoulder at her book. Anne ignored that comment as she went back to her oldest friend with a pleading look.

“Seriously, let us handle this. You’ll be safer in the back.” She gestured back, hoping looking at the safety would help her sell her accident prone friend on the idea.

“I gotta say, I do feel pretty safe.” Sprig said from beside where Anne was pointing. Then a barbari-ant appeared just to prove her wrong.

“Why me? Why is it always me?!?” Her little brother called as he was covered in goo and dragged away. A dozen or so like-minded bugs appeared and began to menace towards her people.

“Alright guys, fight mode!” Anne pulled out Tritonio’s Family Sword as she backed into Sasha, who already had her pink sword out. Hop Pop had squared up, Polly had her flail at the ready with an evil smile, and Calvin looked a little scared as he hefted his ax.

“I can’t help but feel like ‘scared’ might be pushing it.” Calvin interrupted. “I was just worried about Sprig, that’s all.”

“If you say so dude.” Anne smiled as she rolled her eyes. “Now where was I?”

“I believe Sprig rejoined the group after saying he kicked the ant.” Calvin offered.

“Right, right. Anyway…”

“Okay Marcy, stay close.” Anne advised, looking over her shoulder as she spoke. The girl in question did the exact opposite of that as she walked toward the cave wall, nose deep in her book. A couple of ants went to take advantage of the situation, so Anne intervened with a tennis swing repurposed with two balls and a sword in mind. “What are you doing?!”

Marcy seemed to be giggling as she plucked a little flower off a cave plant, but Anne was now too busy fending off a pair of barbari-ants to figure out what her little genius was doing, leaving herself wide open while they were under attack.

“Picking flowers for our graves!” Anne followed the comment to its source to find Sasha hacking her way through bugs to get over to her girls. Hop Pop and Sprig were making a fighting retreat toward them as well, leaving Polly and Calvin the odd ones out. It was actually kinda disturbing to watch, Cal’s earlier fear washed away by Polly’s enthusiasm for violence.

Anne smacked a bug aside and managed to get next to Sasha as the two of them made a human wall against the barbari-ant horde. Sprig took out his slingshot and took shots where he could, pushing back the ants that would have gotten past the pair of swords. She could just make out the sound of Mar-Mar chuckling to herself and sloshing liquid, but before she had a chance to ask what was so funny there was an explosion that rocked the entire underground area.

“This way everyone!” Marcy could be seen through the dust cloud pointing toward a hole in the wall that wasn’t there a moment ago. Never one to question genius, Anne ran through the exit with everyone else. Before a headcount could be done, Marbles reached into her bag and drew a pouch not unlike one of Maddie’s that she threw into the ground where the wall used to be. Purple vines began to grow out of the ground, quickly closing off the ant swarm from the people.

Then Hop Pop fell over with a grunt, Polly in his hands. She turned around desperately, almost jumping away from her grandfather before he held her tighter to his chest. They were about to scold her for trying to go back out there when she spoke first.

“What about Calvin?” She sobbed as a flipper pointed back the way she’d flown. Following her flipper revealed the fourth human, punching an ant that had bit his hand then looking in their direction.

Anne and Sasha called his name like it was a magic word to stop the glowing vines from their path. The light crunching as they embedded in the ceiling proved that it was a different word and Sprig began to provide covering fire as best he could through the veggie wall.

“We have to go get him.” Sasha said firmly, readying her sword to carve through the only thing keeping the ants away.

“We can’t!” Marcy interjected. “There’s too many, but if we get rid of the queen they’ll drop everything and flee with her.”

“Oh good, they’ll drop his arms after they chew them off, great.” Sasha’s sarcasm didn’t hide her panic all that well.

“That’s why we need to hurry and get this done now.” Marcy insisted then gestured to the boy. “Look, he’s holding them off just fine for now, the sooner we’re done the sooner he’ll be safe.”

Calvin was at the top of a pile of dead ants, swinging his ax around to buy himself a moment as he looked over at their arguing. It was almost like he could tell what they were talking about.

“Wasn’t the hardest puzzle I ever solved.” Calvin grumbled and folded his arms with a wince. “Yeah, I think I get the picture now.”

“Okay.” Anne matched his pose with a questioning look. “Then why were you glowing orange?”

“What?” His pout broke to blindsided confusion and she chalked that up as a point in her corner.

“That’s what I thought. Now stop interrupting, I’m getting to the parts you don’t know.”

“No one could last that long, even if the queen was literally right there under a guillotine!” Sasha pointed vaguely as her expression became angrier.

“If he’s survived Amphibia this long, then he should be able to manage for a few minutes alone.” Marcy countered, sounding pretty sure of her argument. “Besides, while she isn’t right there, the queen Ant isn’t too much further now.”

“Anne, come on, back me up here.” The blonde pleaded as both teens turned to look at her.

When did I become the leader? Anne asked herself as she looked at the horde of ants solidifying around the young man. His chest was heaving from effort with a panicked look in his eye. Any bug that got too close wound up dead in a gout of shattered chitin and blue blood. Emerald eyes kept flitting between the bugs surrounding his little death mountain and his friends, until their eyes locked and she knew what she had to do.

“I’m sorry.” Anne said even if he couldn’t hear her. She grabbed Sasha’s arm by the wrist and began to drag her down the tunnel, pushing Marcy ahead of them both. “Come on Marcy, we gotta make this quick for his sake.”

“I knew you’d see reason Anna-Banana.” Marcy’s brag was nearly lost under the sound of Sasha’s roars of disbelief.

“You can’t be serious!” HP and Sprig were helping to push along with Polly bringing up the rear with trepidation in her hops. “I am not going to leave him! I wouldn’t do this to any of you, why would you do it to him?!?”

“Sash, please, it just makes the most sense.” Marcy’s logic had worked on Anne, but Sasha was too frenzied to be reasoned with. “Besides, he’s distracting a lot of the hive in there so this will be a speedrun compared to what I was initially planning for.”

“Oh, so you’re glad to abandon him like that?” The even flow of blonde hair was broken by a wave of pink fire flowing from tip to scalp as Sasha’s eyes flashed a similar color. “Then it would be even quicker if there were two of us.”

Then her legs gave out from under her and Anne accidentally dragged her into the ground. Before she could ask what was going on, her chest tightened in grief at their situation, tears flowing freely. Marcy had unclipped her bandolier of stink-shrooms and was about to pass them out, but she gripped her head with a sharp intake of breath.

“Now that’s a headache.” The Asian girl grumbled, rubbing her temples.

“What happened?” Sasha weakly asked from the ground. Anne pulled her up in a flash and crushed her in a hug while sobbing. “I know this is sad, but what the heck Boonchuy?”

“I don’t knooooow!” She wailed in response, clutching the enfeebled blonde tighter.

“Well, this is curious. I wonder-” Marcy’s verbal thought process was halted by another pained breath and she tightened her hold on her head.

“What the heck is going on here?” Hop Pop was flabbergasted at the humans, worry evident in his voice.

“I think it’s a human thing.” Polly said, no less confused.

“What do we do?” Sprig looked between his family and the distraught teens before a strap of mushrooms was pushed into his hands. The rest of the Plantars were likewise armed by a groaning Marcy Wu.

“We hope that the queen doesn’t notice that we're debuffed.” Marcy’s pain was clear in her voice, but she managed to lead them down the tunnel. Anne stopped her wailing, but kept Sasha tight to her chest and the blonde was too weak to protest further.

The queen’s chamber was, from what Anne could tell through her tears, a massive cave covered in warm sand and surrounded by stone and coral. The occasional beam of light snuck through the ceiling, keeping the glow of coral from being the only light source. She was humongous, a blue coral crown growing out of her head that rested on top of a torso just a bit bigger than a normal ant. From there she only got bigger and flabbier, ending at a hole that popped out a couple dozen eggs as they were watching. She vomited some goo on top of them eggs like a blanket, even tucking one in.

“At least she’s a good mother.” Sprig conceded.

“Alright, let’s get this done, team.” Mar-Mar’s enthusiasm was dulled by her headache. She explained where they needed to go with their shrooms, then they all split into pairs to cover more ground; Sprig and Sasha, Hop Pop with Polly, leaving Anne to keep an eye on Marcy.

As they snuck away from the rock giving them cover, Marcy had to keep a hand on Anne’s forehead to stop her from crushing the life out of the ranger in a despairing embrace. A couple pebbles landed in her hair and a quick glance told her that the stalactite above them was about to give out, so she pulled herself and her sobbing protector out of the way, then used it for cover from the ant queen.

“See Anne?” Marcy lightly gloated, flexing a little earned pride. “I’m more than capable of looking after myself now.”

“You’re so brave.” Anne cried into her raven locks, stroking her face. “My little Marshmallow doesn’t need me anymore.” And her sobbing redoubled. The floor rubbled under the weight of the approaching matriarch.

Her advance was halted by the sound of something shattering against the far wall. All three individuals around the fallen stalactite looked in that direction, a broken egg shell and well-kicked egg larva waiting for them. Another turn revealed an exhausted looking Sasha and a grateful looking Sprig in the middle of the room.

“Ah crap.” The blonde offered without energy just before the queen roared at the intrusion. A half dozen ants crawled out of the wall tunnels to answer the call to their mother’s confusion. She leveled a glower vaguely back the way the intruders had come before turning back to the baby slayer. A clawed tongue shot out of her maw towards Sasha, who looked like she felt silly for not expecting a grappling tongue to be the death of her.

Imagine her surprise when Sprig pushed her out of the way, getting grabbed in her stead.

“What the hell Sprig!” A spark of her usual self igniting as Anne’s best friend was eaten with a smile. She stopped using her sword as a cane and held it strong like she normally did. “I’m coming, Squeaky Toy!”

Sasha’s pink eyes focused on the giant ant in front of her, hardly acknowledging the barbari-ant she cut in half as she ran toward the frog-eater.

“Sasha, wait!” Marcy called. “She’s highly pressurized, if you cut her open, she’ll explode and take us all with her!”

“I’m not gonna abandon him too!” Sasha plunged her sword down to the hilt in another ant’s thorax, swinging it’s body instead of withdrawing her blade as she attacked another.

“We don’t have to: Watch!” Marcy’s neon green eyes danced between the remaining bugs before she took off from Anne’s reach, jumping onto the back of one and using its springiness to jump from one to another, picking up momentum as she went.

“Who knew these ants were so bouncy?” Hop Pop asked as Polly dueled a barbari-ant beside him.

“I did.” The resident genius stated, spreading her arms as the queen opened her maw. “Because I studied them.” And with that she was gone, gobbled up like a snack.

“First Calvin,” Anne mourned. “Then Sprig, and now Marcy. Newtopia sucks.”

The queen ant almost seemed to laugh at her grief, before recoiling. Everything stopped as she reacted to another blow, then another, before finally spewing out their consumed friends. Marcy was surfing on bile with a giant bone, Sprig in her arms looking up with wonder and trust in his gaze. Marbles shot a grappling bolt into the ceiling and swung them safely to the ground, then pulled out her phone with a triumphant grin in direct opposition of the roaring matriarch.

“3,2,1…” She counted down. And right on cue, the stink-shrooms began to explode in lines across the cavern. The ant queen took one whiff and screamed, burrowing into the furthest wall to flee. Her guards followed quickly.

“Oh Em Gee,” Anne ran up and gathered everyone into a crushing hug. “I can’t believe you’re all okaaaaay!”

“Me too.” Marcy agreed. “Let’s get out of here before this smell liquifies our lungs.”

“Okaaaaay!” Anne carried them down a larger tunnel. She let them down as her arms began to give out, Sasha unable to catch herself while Marcy stumbled clutching her head again. The frogs helped the cheer captain to her feet, thanks written in her tired, mismatched eyes while the ranger shooed away Anne’s concern even as she rubbed her head.

They walked in near darkness for about a minute before coming onto a scene of absolute carnage. The cave floor couldn’t be seen for all the ant bits covering it, half the walls painted a gory blue. By the far wall was a familiar silhouette wreathed in orange fire, clutching half the haft of his ax in one hand and the other clenched into a purple fist.

The grief in Anne’s heart shed away to burning joy that Calvin was alright. Sure, fingers don’t usually bend like that and that was a lot of blood down his leg, but alive is alive and she’d been very worried that that wasn’t how they’d find him. Before anyone could comment on his expression or the fact he was on fire, she shot across the cave without a care for all of the crushed and cleaved bodies.

She didn’t really register that he looked confused. Or how his eyes latched on to her, like a beast that couldn’t decide if someone was food or not. But, even through her tears and unnaturally emotional state, she did notice as the tension between them snapped with a roar. Calvin’s face had twisted into an ugly, angry mockery of his usually aloof features as he charged toward his friends.

Normally kind green eyes burned a baleful orange with rage, carapaces shattering under his boots as befuddlement washed over Anne. If it wasn’t for the Plantars shouting her name, then a bit of red would have been added to the freshly blue walls. He roared in frustration at missing with his broken ax, sending a wild punch her way that sent her sprawling across the room.

“Anne!” The other two girls called, suddenly forgetting their previous weaknesses.

“Cavlin, what’s wrong with you?” Marcy asked, drawing his ire. Recognition flashed across his features and he somehow grew angrier. In three strides he covered six paces and was nearly at her throat before Sasha pulled her out of the way by her cape.

“Cal, dude.” Sasha locked his ax out with her sword and caught his wrist, pink and orange auras clashing. “What is your major malfunction?”

Calvin hesitated for a second, pinprick eyes darting around before falling on the fallen ranger. He once more met her gaze and she did not falter as his voice sent her hair dancing behind her. There was a quiet moment as the blonde ponytail resettled on her back and the guardian took a steadying breath.

“Fine.” She said, calm like the sea. “If you want sense knocked into you, I’m happy to oblige.” She punctuated her sentence by head butting the Tiger right in the forehead.

And he didn’t move an inch.

She realized her mistake as he reared back to reply in kind. Instead of meeting him in the middle, she rolled onto her back and kicked him square in the chest. Their forces combined led to Calvin crashing head first into the cave wall behind them, cracks launching out from the crater there like poorly made roads. He came up snarling even as blood began to seep out of his forehead.

It evaporated before it could make it to his eyes.

“As cool as this is,” Marcy commented after standing up. “Why is he like that?”

“It’s kinda like that time in the jungle.” Polly said with concern in every word. “But that was only for a second and his arm was basically dead for a couple days afterwards.”

“Really?” Marcy jotted the information down at a speed unusual even for her, green eyes following the action instead of her pencil tip. “Fascinating. A power boost caused by strong emotions? Seems we can all do it.” She glanced between the pink star and the orange sun as they continued their fight. “Maybe it becomes easier if one of us is already doing it? Is it connected to our recent afflictions? A connected power source but only so much to go around, maybe? AGH, We have cool anime powers apparently and I didn’t even know!”

“Mar-Mar,” Anne shouted over the fighting. “We gotta stop him before he hurts someone or himself!”

“I’m counting a broken ring finger and about half a liter of human blood in this cavern, he’s already hurt himself.” Marcy pointed out with all the warmth of a machine.

“You know what I meant.” Anne was not amused, a bit of fire in her own voice.

“Yeah, I know.” The genius shrugged cutely. “Couldn’t help it.” She reached into her bag and grabbed a bolt with a vial instead of a metal tip. Marcy measured Calvin with her eyes and ran some quick calculations through her head before mixing various chemicals and a bit of his own blood from the floor into the little arrow. She sealed the mixture and shook the bolt until it turned an odd, glowing purple color.

“Interesting, it doesn’t usually glow.” The brainiac was lost in the possible explanations for a moment before shaking her head, loading the bolt, and flanking around the fighters to get a perfect shot.

Sasha was holding her own, but after her throw had spent the entire fight on the back foot. Normally Calvin fought with controlled, explosive strikes and a fair share of counter blows. Now, he was the aggressor, with wild swings and unpredictable movements that stopped her from taking advantage of what should have been clear openings. He hardly blocked, either avoiding altogether or simply letting armor do its job. His chest plate was going to be ruined after this, but the gloves were still pristine, oddly enough. He’d abandoned the broken ax a bit ago, settling instead for clawing strikes and vicious punches.

“Sasha,” Marcy called over his shoulder. “Hold him still.”

“Gee, why hadn’t I thought of that?” She parried a fist as she joked, realizing too late it had been a ploy to open her cover as an open palm struck the middle of her chest and sent her flying across the room. Before Calvin could pounce anyone else, Anne jumped on his back and got him in a headlock.

“Got to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep.” Anne mantra’d as she held on for dear life. The fourth of their merry band roared and flung himself wildly around the middle of the cave. He paused for a moment, staring at a stretch of wall untouched by tunnels or blasts and made his way towards it. Before he could body slam Anne into the wall, Polly latched herself onto his face and looked into his eyes.

“Calvin, what’s gotten into you?” She pleaded with the beast in man’s clothing. “Why are you attacking your friends? Didn’t you promise to help them?”

Something about what she said gave him pause and he went slack on his feet for a moment. Marcy only needed a moment, firing her concoction toward the raging teen’s face with pinpoint accuracy. Anne moved the tadpole out of the way at the last second and glass shattered across Calvin’s face, covering it in the potion. The rage returned with a vengeance while Anne ran her little sister away from ground zero.

He pawed at his eyes, trying to clear them of Marcy’s brew. His movements grew sluggish within seconds and he stumbled forward a couple paces. The boy blinked several times, tried shaking the sleep from his head to no avail, and looked around in ignorance. Even as his aura began to dim and flicker, the second he saw Marcy his mouth curled into a snarl and he took a shaky step toward the ranger captain.

A second step.

He collapsed on the third.

Honor

Calvin listened in rapt horror as Anne recounted the rest of her tale. Horror gave way to detachment as she talked about dragging his body out of the tunnels, making their way into the city proper, and cutting the fanfare short to rush him to the hospital.

“Luckily,” Anne joked with a sad smile. “The Newts have free, public healthcare, so it’s not gonna cost much.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Calvin replied from somewhere distant. “Here I was worried it’d cost me an arm and a leg, cause it doesn’t feel like I have any to spare.”

“Yeaaaah…” Anne rubbed the back of her head. “The doctor said that, besides the missing blood and broken finger, your recovery’s gonna take a while with all those ripped muscles. Won’t be able to move for months, at least.”

“Oh.” He absorbed the information as well as a wet sponge absorbs the ocean from the sea bed. “How about that?” He blinked a couple times. “Wait, like move at all?”

“He said something about ‘basically paralyzed,’ so yeah.”

“So I shouldn't have been able to sit up a bit ago?” They both stared at each other for a second. They blinked in time. Calvin raised an arm with some difficulty and waved it around. He sat up so he wasn’t resting against the fluffy pillows and folded his legs one over the other.

“Huh.” Anne observed. “Point for Team Humans?”

“I think that’s a point for super powers.” Calvin countered wryly.

A scream of joy drowned out Anne’s reply, as Polly once more wrapped herself around his throat, followed quickly by Sasha. The other two Plantars sidled into the room with smiles, Marcy bringing up the rear with her journal. They all jumped back a step as Calvin’s scowl summoned a quick flare of orange energy.

“Okay, seriously.” Sasha smacked him on the shoulder with a frustrated sigh. “Stop doing that.”

“Soon as I figure out what causes it, I’ll stop.” He replied while rubbing the new sore spot.

“Stress, extreme emotion, possibly a sense of duty from what I’ve gathered from Polly.” Marcy listed off from her notes without looking at him. When her eyes left the page, they were full of stars. “Here I am in Newtopia for three months, solving mysteries and infrastructure, this whole time with no idea that we have powers now! I should have figured there was some explanation for my sudden coordination besides ‘leveling up.’” She blew herself a raspberry before seriously invading the bed bound boy’s personal space. “When did you realize you were a Super Saiyan?”

“Wouldn’t she be the Super Say-Anne?” Calvin pointed at Boonchuy, who started laughing at his pun all the harder when Sasha groaned.

“Actually, from what we’ve seen so far,” Marcy replayed the previous day in her mind’s eye, pressing her pen tip to her lips. “She was actually the only one who displayed no power up, just heavy emotional distress. Weird.”

“I’m more worried about why I could barely stand until I got worried.” Sasha pushed past her laughing friend in an effort to steer the conversation. “We need to figure out how to avoid that.”

“Agreed.” Marcy agreed.

You know, a warmer voice like his own thought, this would be a lot easier if you could tell them about the Prophecy.

And how, a cold voice replied, do we do that without bringing up the Olms? We promised.

I know. Just sayin.

Super Saiyan.

Booooo.

“Calvin.” Sasha’s stern tone brought him back to reality.

“Sup?” He patted Polly on his chest while giving the blonde a casual look.

“How’d you go all fiery and stronger and stuff?” Marcy repeated.

“I don’t know, I was pissed you guys left and just kinda went ape-shhhhhhh-” Hop Pop stared daggers at the hospitalized teenager. “Shnikes. Ape Shnikes.”

“Stressful situation, high emotional state, and a drive to survive?” Marcy sounded less sold on the last point. “Pretty classic Shounen.”

“I’m too smart to be a Shounen character.” He fought.

“If you say so Cali.” The Taiwaniese girl hummed, jotting down thoughts all the while.

Calvin snorted at his least favorite nickname and a hint of steam came out of his nose. Polly was startled by the heat but thought it was the coolest thing.

“Do it again, do it again!” She cheered with wonder.

“Maybe it gets easier each time you use the power?” Marcy mumbled to herself for everyone to hear. “The subject is even now, in recovery, subconsciously performing supernatural feats.”

“Alright, I think I’m done here.” Calvin’s limbs all begged to differ, but he was ever a man of his word. With a slew of barely censored swearing, he dragged himself out of bed and finally noticed the hospital gown he was wearing, alongside that his leg was wrapped. “I ain’t a lab rat, I’m not gonna run through a maze, and I’m not overly fond of cheese. Where’s my stuff?”

The travelers all looked between themselves and shrugged at him. Everyone turned to Marcy, who grinned with wicked intent while raising her notebook, pen clicking threateningly.

“For Frog’s sake.” Calvin blasphemed, like a lab rat getting ready to run.

Chapter Text

Marcy barely let Calvin sleep, despite the Newtopian doctor assuring them that, even with his bizarre healing rate, rest was still an important part of recovery. She was simply too excited to study and push the limits of whatever powers they might have and with Calvin being the one to reportedly use it the most, barely, he had been elected the official guinea pig.

Nevermind that Sasha had been just as on fire as he had and didn’t even need a hospital bed afterward.

It didn’t help that he wasn’t particularly glad to see Marcy. Sure, it was nice to have all three gems together again, but she hadn’t even been back for more than an hour before giving him abandonment issues. His therapist was gonna have an absolute field day when they got back home.

Happy to see her or not, the fact was that Marcy was the only one among them that knew anything about Newtopia, so Calvin didn’t have much choice but to grin and bear it. At least she knew where the good restaurants were, because these bug burgers were really hitting the spot.

Sasha and Marcy were having the politest argument he’d ever ignored across the table, while the Plantars were struggling to comprehend Anne’s walrus joke. Apparently the tusked seals weren’t a thing in the frog world, go figure. For his part, the punk was mourning the breaking of his ax. The handle could be replaced, but would it really be the same weapon? Calvin was under the opinion that he was too young to decide on where he stood in the philosophical debate of the Ship of Theseus.

A silence fell over the outdoor table they’d been eating at and he readjusted his eyes to stop looking off into nothing and rejoin the land of the living. He found his fellows staring at him like they were waiting for something.

“What?” Calvin raised an eyebrow at them, refusing to feel odd for paying them no mind.

“Did you hear anything we just said?” Sasha asked in an exasperated voice.

“No, not even a little bit.” He admitted with no shame.

“We were devising an itinerary for today.” Marcy explained. “I think that we can’t afford to spend another day being ignorant about our anime powers, but Sashy thinks that we need to go see the king.”

“Ah, I see.” Calvin deadpanned. “In that case, I vote against both of you.” He returned to his burger.

“What?” was Sasha’s incredulous reply. “That’s not how this works, dude. We gotta figure out how to get home, and if Marcy’s right-”

“I am.” The local genius butted in through a mouthful of milkshake-adjacent beverage.

“IF,” The blonde reiterated with the kind of strain a leader has when they’re unused to actually listening to subordinates. “Then that means King Andrias is our best shot at figuring this all out, the box, powers, the whole shebang. And the sooner this is all settled, the better.”

For the shortest instant, short enough that he wasn’t even sure it happened, Calvin saw Marcy’s face grow cold after Sasha finished. He spent longer trying to figure out if he’d been seeing things than the look had chilled her bubbly features and by the time he filed the thought away for later she had taken a deep breath to launch her rebuttal.

“Andrias is a busy guy,” She explained. “He’ll call for us when he has time, I’m sure, and until then I wanna figure out how to go Super Saiyan!”

“Be that as it may,” Calvin replied after a moment’s hesitation. “I’m in no mood to deal with millennia old kings, especially the kind that send children to solve his problems.” The loud slurping of a soda put a stop to whatever argument either girl had for the moment. “And I’m still no lab rat, so stuff it. Study Sash, she was just as glowy as I was.”

“True, but she only did that in response to your aggression.” He winced a little at the descriptor. “We don’t know enough about our condition, maybe it’s only you and Sasha who can fight like that, while me and Anne have different roles in our team.”

“What team roles?” Anne finally joined the talks.

“Well, the tropes here are pretty clear, I’d say.” Marcy explained like it was obvious. “I’m the brains, Sasha’s the brawn, Calvin’s our lancer, and you’re obviously the heart of the team.”

“Huh.” The other three humans said together.

“And maybe we all have different powers based on our roles.” Marcy concluded, before scratching her chin with the back of her pen. “Although what concerns me most is how debilitated we were once Calvin, presumably, started using the powers. I could barely think, Sashy couldn’t stand, and Anna-Banana was an emotional wreck. But whenever it was ‘go time,’ we were fine. UGH, these inconsistencies are as frustrating as they are fascinating.”

Before she had a chance to continue her audible thinking, an arrow embedded itself into the restaurant wall just beside them. Hop Pop screamed for his life while Sasha immediately went on the defensive, scanning the city for their attacker. Anne and Calvin had each grabbed their respective frog siblings and were holding them to their chests when Marcy gave a brief chuckle.

“Well, I guess Sasha wins.” Without explaining, she grabbed the piece of paper tied around the arrow shaft. “This is how the king summons me, unless it’s super important. It’s a puzzle gram!”

She turned it around for everyone to see, revealing three diagrams bordered in gold. They were numbered, the first being a tree with eyes, one open and the other closed. The second was a dragonfly and a compass rose with only the west labeled. And finally was an ‘M’ and a triangle with what looked like a little radioactive sigil on it. Calvin was suddenly very worried that Amphibia somehow had the nuclear option available.

“Ooooh, this is gonna be a blast!” Marcy broke him from his little panic. “Getting to solve puzzles with my best buds! Ah, it’s like a dream come true.” She hugged the letter to her chest and spun on one foot with a dreamy smile painting her lips.

She is tough to stay mad at, huh?

Indeed. But I’m sure we’ll manage.

For now, probably.

“Well what are we waiting on, gang?” The ranger captain squealed. “Let’s get moving!” And with that she was gallivanting off down the streets of Newtopia, having left exact change for the bill without checking with the waiter. Anne was quick to follow, Sprig hardly a hop behind her. Sasha hauled Calvin out of his seat as she marched after them, coming short of dragging him only because he was an agile guy. He spared a glance behind them to see if Hop Pop and Polly were coming and he was just in time to see the despair in the tadpole’s eyes as a waiter mentioned something about free rewards. With a chuckle, he let himself be led along for the moment while slipping into his gauntlets.

Eventually, the brunette shrugged the hand off his shoulder, also adjusting how his cloak rested so that it curatined over his chest. Honestly, he felt kinda like Batman. Marcy was endlessly babbling about the city, pointing a hundred times a minute at pretty much everything. While he normally found her fascinations amusing at worst, right now her voice ground on his nerves like a whetstone, leaving it sharp and jabbing his patience. With near instinctual ease, the sound of his boots stopped echoing off the cobblestone streets and he slowly drifted out of his blonde friend’s periphery. When next the green star led them to a turn, Calvin kept straight like nothing had happened.

He took to absently wandering the capital with his hood up, a gray shadow among the hustle and bustle of the big city. On the surface level, he was trying to find a weapon shop as he had a few ideas he wanted to pursue, but really he just wanted a bit of alone time. The last time his thoughts didn’t have to share his attention with someone else’s voice was back when he’d been stuck in a prison cell, so being able to both walk and think was a welcome change of pace.

By the time he was two city blocks from where he’d split off from the group, Calvin was nearly fuming. The boy was pissed, to say the least, and was fighting himself pretty hard over why. He was mad at Marcy for suggesting the plan, at Anne for agreeing, at pretty much everyone for not fighting harder for his rescue, at Sasha for not putting her foot down, at himself for attacking his friends, the list just kept getting longer the more he thought.

“Didja hear me, big guy?” A gruff voice broke the human from his festering. A quick glance around revealed a rough looking axolotl with a knife and a pair of goonish looking newts to either side. He’d apparently wandered into one of the seedier parts of town in his fugue state.

“Not really.” Calvin deadpanned, making no efforts to hide his irritation.

“I said you’ve got a toll to be payin’.” The axolotl repeated, apparently.

“Is that right? Then I guess I’ll just go somewhere else.” The punk took a step back without turning and wasn’t surprised when the thugs stepped forward.

“See, that ain’t how this works.” One of the newts said.

“Yeah,” Continued the other. “You already stepped on our turf, now you gots to help pay the, uh, maintenance fees.”

“Cobble’s expensive these days.” The lead thug pretended to clean his fingers with his knife.

“Oh yes, the economy is in absolute shambles.” Even if they couldn’t see his face, the eye roll was audible.

“Yeah, shambles.” A newt agreed while walking closer.

“Be a doll and help some poor, unfortunate souls, eh?” The other newt followed suit.

“I’d love to fellas, but I haven’t a coin on me.” Which was true, he'd left his Toad Tower money in the fwagon and didn't keep the change from buy Anne's shoes..

“Ah, but them gloves o’ yours would fetch a copper or two, I reckon.” The leader pointed to where his hands should be under his cloak and they clenched into fists at the acknowledgement.

“I bet they would.” Calvin agreed as he filed that thought away for future study. “They might even cover your hospital visit.”

A purple fist flew out from under the gray cloth and caught the closest newt in the side of the head like a bolt of lightning. Before he’d finished crumpling to the ground the second newt had leapt at the human only to catch a fist to the chin and a boot to the chest launched him through the wooden wall blocking off an alleyway.

Calvin stomped toward the axolotl with catharsis in mind, kicking the first newt in the head as he passed to make sure he was down. Instead of rushing him, the lead thug readied his blade and took a solid stance. The mugging victim stopped a couple paces from the attacker and waited in silence. The seconds passed in agonizing silence, save for the creak of broken wood and the moans of the injured. Eventually the armed thug’s nerve broke and he charged the human, who only grinned in the shadows of his hood.

The young man’s legs snapped out from under him, widening his stance and dropping his weight in an instant. At the same time, a gauntleted fist shot out from the confines of the cloak, aimed at the attacker’s chest. The axolotl flew a good ten feet or so down the shaded road, knife spinning comically in the air for a second before gravity reasserted itself. It was shoddy metal and shattered on impact with the stonework.

“Oh my Frog!” Came a familiar voice from back the way Calvin had come. Looking over his shoulder revealed one Sprig Plantar, slingshot in hand and mouth agape.

“Howdy Sprig.” Calvin turned and made his way to his traveling companion. The movement broke him out of his shock and he leveled his weapon on the human, earning a raised eyebrow under the hood. “Need something?”

“Uh.” Whatever nerve had led the frog boy to leave the group in favor of tracking him down had clearly left him at the sight of what had just happened. “Yeah, I, uh...”

“Come on now, I got things to do now.” The human boy was eyeing the defeated leader, wondering how he’d known about the gloves and wanting very much to ask.

“I’m keeping an eye on you because you’re suspicious!” Sprig found his confidence and drew the slingshot with determination. “Even if Anne doesn’t believe it, I know you’re dangerous.”

“I was having a bit of a moment, alright?” He felt his temper rising at the reminder. “Wasn’t exactly in my right mind, which I can’t help but feel is understandable.”

It must not have been because Sprig didn’t move a muscle, besides narrowing his eyes further. Rolling his emerald peepers, the punk went to see if the leader was conscious. He found his efforts impeded by a clod of mud splattering just in front of his foot. Now the frog had his undivided attention, but didn’t flinch from it.

“Look, can we do this after I talk to my muggers?” Calvin pushed down what anger he could, having had his fill of catharsis for the moment.

“You mean the guy that’s running away?” Sprig asked. Snapping his head back showed that the axolotl was up and sprinting down the road. Looking around revealed that the newts had slinked off while he was distracted. Even with the metal hand, the facepalm didn’t hurt nearly as much as his developing headache.

“Yeah, I meant him.” The human conceded with a sigh. “Why’d you bother following me here, why not just stick with Anne to keep an eye on her?”

“I had to make sure you weren’t meeting your shady contacts.” The frog boy sounded so sure of himself, it would have been funny under other circumstances.

“Contacts? Really?” Okay, maybe it was pretty funny now, as Calvin suppressed a chuckle.

“Yeah. Sasha was telling Anne about how bogus your story was, why else would you be so eager to get to Newtopia?” Sprig somehow found the room to squint his eyes even more.

“To get us home?” The teen supplied.

“A likely story. Then why are you so buddy-buddy with Polly?” Calvin barely registered the question, as memories of screeching tires, falling tears, and yelling in parental voices filled his ears. He shook himself out of the panic attack and leveled a steely look at the kid.

“What, I need your approval on who I can be friends with?” The menace in his voice wasn’t subtle.

“When you’re that suspicious and that person’s my sister, yeah, you do.” Sprig answered with conviction.

Calvin glared under the hood of his cloak and let the silence drag over the seconds. After almost a minute, he relented with a sigh and walked past Sprig. Anne’s brother followed after a moment of thought, the suspecting look never quite leaving his features.

“I wouldn’t hurt Polly.” Even Calvin was a little surprised at how emotional he sounded, his voice barely more than a wobbly whisper. “Not in a million years.”

Sprig stopped hopping for a moment, looking thoughtfully at the human’s back. The pink frog came to a conclusion and put his slingshot away before following with a more questioning face than before.

“What about Hop Pop? Anne, or me?” The younger kid pressed.

“I certainly don’t want to and I can’t imagine why I would.” Calvin replied without a thought.

“That’s not the same thing.” Sprg replied with a serious tone. The teen stopped and looked at his follower in thought.

“No, I suppose it’s not.” He agreed as he started walking again. “But it’s true.”

“What about the other girls?” His pink shadow continued to press. “You and Sasha seem pretty close, but I’m not sure about Marcy.”

“I hope I don’t have to fight Sasha again, but I can certainly imagine why I would.” He answered with a chuckle. “As for Marcy…” Calvin trailed as he tried to rake through the majority of his rage for a more unbiased answer. “Well, I wasn’t happy to be left for dead. Was even less happy when y’all agreed.”

“I didn’t agree-” Sprig started but was interrupted when Calvin reared on him wearing a mask twisted in anger.

“But you didn’t disagree either!” He accused in a hissing whisper, lest he scream and let too much out. Frog eyes met his orange orbs for a moment before turning watery and looking away. Calvin’s rage fled him and his green eyes filled with concern. Sprig took a hop away in fear and turned away from the human.

“I was scared, okay?” The kid admitted. “We were surrounded, then suddenly Marcy saved us all. But she forgot you and Polly, but then you saved Polly. Before I could even wrap my head around everything, Anne was dragging Sasha screaming down the tunnel and I couldn’t do anything but support her.”

The teen crouched to the boy’s level and threw his hood back with a sigh. Somewhere deep inside he knew it wasn’t fair to blame everyone for his feelings and that realization became a lot easier when he was looking the result of his anger in the face.

“Hey.” He called softly, trying not to startle the delicate kid. “I’m sorry Sprig. That wasn’t fair, I should know better. I was scared too and that can make me kinda mad sometimes.”

“Only kinda?” The sass in the frog’s tone almost hid the slight quiver.

“Okay, maybe a bit more than kinda.” Calvin chuckled at himself. “How about I let you in on a secret?”

“Is it about your bogus story?” Sprig brightened up a little.

“Just go for the throat, why don’t ya.” The secretive teen mumbled. “I made a promise, alright? And I keep my promises. No, wanna guess?”

“Oh, okay.” He deflated a little, but perked up not a second later. “Why’re you out here?”

“Ding ding, we have a winner.” Calvin congratulated, patting his shoulder invitingly as he stood. Sprig took the invite and jumped onto the offered shoulder. “I was gonna see about getting Polly that crossbow she wanted.”

“Didn’t she call dibs on Marcy’s?”

“Myea, she did. Suppose we could just steal that and call it good, huh?”

“No way! What if Marcy needs it?”

“Eh, need is such a strong word.” Calvin glanced at Polly's other brother and burst out laughing at the serious look he wore. “Guess we gotta find a shop then.”

“I guess so.”

They walked in silence for a time, eyes lazily tracking up and down the sides of the various roads they walked, looking for signs that any of the visible shops sold weaponry or not. Eventually they came to a beautiful, white bridge that crested over one of the many rivers that ran through Newtopia. As they crossed, the sun caught off of something golden and shone into the pink frog’s eyes. He blocked the glare and looked toward the source before gasping and grabbing Calvin’s head to look. He stared for a solid minute before rolling his eyes and continuing his search.

It was a gigantic, solid gold statue of a smiling Marcy in her ranger get up, holding what he guessed was some kind of measuring device and her journal.

“Come on, we gotta check that out!” Sprig was not so easily dissuaded from the trophy.

“Do we though?” He argued poorly against childlike wonder.

“Of course we do, that’s a whole statue to Marcy! We need to know why it’s there.”

With a groan, Calvin conceded to Sprig and his own buried curiosity. Cutting through the bridge traffic to the marble plinth the statue rested on revealed a plaque. Yes, it was also gold, because what else would it have been.

“‘To Master Marcy Wu.’” Sprig read. “‘For services rendered, in defense both from villains and failing infrastructure.’ How about that?”

“She always was quite the achiever.” Calvin grumbled. “I wanna be surprised, but this is dreadfully in character.”

“I didn’t realize Anne wasn’t the only hero you knew, Calvin.” Sprig was a little awed as he spoke. He was rather confused when the human started to chortle as they left the plaque.

“Miss Wu always did like to play heroes.” Calvin reminisced . “But the Anne I knew back home was no hero. Heart of gold, sure. But I’ve seen doormats that spent less time getting walked over than she did. I don’t really get what happened in Wartwood that injected her with a spine, but I’m glad for it.” Calvin paused, thinking back to the ant cave. “Or maybe I speak too early.”

“What do you mean?” Sprig dug for answers that were not easily given.

“Eh, it’s nothing.” Calvin waved away his comment. The frog took umbrage with this and clambered over his face, giving him a frown.

“What?” The teen asked, met only by a disapproving hum and a deepening frown. “This is not how communication works dude.”

“Neither is speaking your mind then saying it’s nothing.” Sprig replied. Somehow his frown grew even deeper.

“It’s not important, come on now, I can’t see the road.” All he got for his attempts to bury the lead was Sprig turning to stare at him with one eye like a bird. “Why is this a thing?”

“Tell me your feelings.” Sprig whispered, something between a beg and a demand.

“Oh good Frog, will you climb off my face then?”

“Deal.”

“Sheesh. Fine, lemme find somewhere to sit.” Calvin stomped over to a convenient bench by the roadside and plopped down. Sprig popped a squat next to him with sparkling eyes and hands clasped in his lap. It was sickeningly sweet.

“Look, when Anne stood up to Sasha at the top of the Tower, it absolutely blew my mind.” The teen explained after a moment. “I was honest to goodness convinced that she was going to spend the rest of her life as Sasha’s whipping post, doing what she was told with a worried smile until it put her in an early grave. And yet there she was, sword in hand with conviction like I never would have imagined in her eyes.”

“That’s always how they’ve been?” Sprig asked with no small amount of disgust lacing his words.

“From what I’ve heard, no.” The teen admitted. “I've hardly even known them a year, but they’ve been pretty good friends to me, even if it hasn’t been perfect.”

“Okay…” The frog boy didn’t sound entirely convinced but wanted to move on anyway. “Then what’s the problem?

“The problem.” Calvin pondered for a moment, trying to put his feelings into words instead of a bottle for once. “The problem is that the second we found her little Mar-Mar, suddenly she’s back to playing her old role. And the second she has to make a call, she caves. The only difference is it was for Marshmallow instead of Sashy.” The nicknames rolled off his tongue like they were sour to taste.

“She didn’t ‘cave.’” Sprig air quoted back at him. “She made a choice because they made her. The whole time you were asleep in the hospital, she was pacing back and forth, muttering about how she made the wrong choice, what a bad friend she was. Anne wouldn’t listen to anyone and you waking up practically huffing steam couldn’t have helped.”

Calvin didn’t immediately melt into a puddle of apologies and forgiveness, not even close. But the hard expression that had solidified when he wasn’t looking softened noticeably.

“Anne’s beating herself up enough as is, she doesn’t need the help.” The kid didn’t even sound mad at the source of his sister’s anxiety, just worried. Nothing else would have cooled Calvin’s jets as effectively.

“That right?” The frog nodded. “Hmm. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time I see her.”

Suddenly, an elderly voice called over the relatively quiet square. The only reason Calvin registered the old woman’s concerned exclamation was because she was shouting a name he knew, someone he’d just been talking about.

“Anne?” An old newt woman had shouted just a block over. The boys shared a look, a nod, and took off running toward the source.

An axolotl in an apron was shouting down an open manhole, looking frantic. A little girl with a caterpillar was standing next to her looking just as worried as the old woman the boys had heard. They joined the little crowd and were only a little surprised to find the girls being accosted by a gigantic alligator. Sasha was holding it back as best she could while the other two were trying to climb out of the sewer.

“How even?” Calvin mumbled while shaking his head. He rolled his shoulders to get a feel for how recovered he was. The consensus came back ‘not very,’ which was to be expected but still not useful. “Come here, Sprig.” Said frog nodded and hopped into the teen’s hands, where Calvin proceeded to aim his head like some sort of firearm. “Fire!” He shouted and Sprig’s tongue shot out of his head and latched onto Anne’s shoulder. With lightning quick reflexes she latched onto Marcy’s arm and the two of them came flying out of the sewers as the crowd collectively pulled them out.

“Reload and make ready to fire again!” Calvin called in his best military voice. Sprig saluted with a giggling smile and began the process of resetting his tongue. Marcy was already taking notes on the disturbing display when Calvin put a rough hand on her shoulder. “Ranger Wu, provide covering fire, now.” With a giggle and faux salute, she got to task.

“I gotta get down there, she needs my help!” Anne looked ready to jump back down into the sewers, but a metal hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned to look Calvin in the eye, but couldn’t hold it for more than a second.

“We already got you out and we’re about to get Sasha.” He told her in a voice softer than silk. “No one’s being left behind, you don’t need to do it all Anne.”

Her brown eyes began to well up just as Sprig gave him the all clear, cheeks puffed with pride. Calvin returned the gesture and rearmed himself with the pink frog. The gathered amphibians each got a hold of his shoulders as he aimed for in between Sasha’s shoulder blades, no small feat with how much energy she was dedicating to dodging the big lizard. Thankfully, Calvin was a country boy and he knew him how to use a rifle on a moving target.

“Fire!” Came the call and Sprig struck true, his long tongue lashing out and sticking just beside her ponytail. Sasha only had a moment of confusion before she was dragged off her feet by the combined force of Sprig’s biology, Calvin, and the friends Anne had made that day.

“This is so groooooss!” The heterochromia girl shouted as she was saved from the alligator. The massive beast, refusing to be denied, lunged after its treat with reckless abandon. For its efforts, it found its snout stuck in the open manhole.

It… Cooed? In vague disappointment.

“What the sam hill were you guys even doing down there?” Calvin asked after they all got their breath back. “And why was there an alligator in the sewers?”

“That’d be Anne and then Marcy.” Sasha pointed as she spoke, voice starting soft but ending rough. Calvin gave the other two teens an appraising look and waited.

“I was trying to solve the final puzzle and thought the answer was in the sewer?” Anne shrugged with a nervous smile.

“And the alligator is there to help improve the cleanliness of Newtopia’s sewer systems.” Marcy sounded rather proud of herself, even putting her hands on her hips to strike a heroic pose.

“That sounds incredibly unsafe.” Calvin pointed out.

“Whaaat?” Marcy was incredulous at the implication. “It’s perfectly safe, for trained employees. I taught them alligator signs and how to avoid the big guys. Guess I was too distracted by the puzzle gram to notice, heh.”

“Alright, lemme see that then.” Calvin held a hand out for the message, which Anne reluctantly handed him. A checkmark had been put over the first two symbols, leaving just the radioactive triangle under the letter M. “Okay, this must be from me being new to town, how does this say ‘Sewers’ to y’all?”

“Oh, well the ‘M’ is for my bridge,” Marcy explained gleefully. “Anne surmised that because triangles have three sides and three rhymes with tea and tea is made with boiled water, that the last clue was in the sewer system somewhere.”

Moments passed at a glacier pass as Calvin stared at Anne blankly. She squirmed under the uncolored expression, shifting her weight from foot to foot until she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I needed to prove myself, okay?” She shouted, tears threatening to spill over. “I needed to prove that I could make the right decisions, that I could know things, too! That I don’t need Marcy to think for me, that Sasha doesn’t have to fight for me. Prove that no one needs to be left behind…” She trailed off, locking her eyes on the gnacho cart without really looking at it.

Sprig elbowed Calvin, who looked down to see the frog enjoying a trayful of chips and cheese, as the axolotl who apparently ran the stand was passing them out to everyone involved. The boys shared a meaningful look and once more today Calvin let out a sigh.

“Anne, you don’t have anything to prove.” He raised a hand before she could interrupt. “Nothing at all. All I ever needed from you was to be a good friend, which you’ve done over and over again, everywhere we go.” He gestured to the three Newtopians who’d just risked alligator bites for her. “Better to me than I’ve been in return.” He stopped her again. “I should have pushed more, back on Earth, when Sasha was dragging us around or when Marcy wanted someone to help her test a theory. I saw what was going on and I barely did a thing because I was too scared to be alone and that’s on me.”

He stepped forward and crushed her into a hug. Finally the tears gave way and rolled down his cloak freely. It wasn’t pretty, but a proper cry never should be.

“You don’t need to be Marcy, you don’t need to be Sasha.” Calvin reassured. “I just need you to be you, always and forever, alright?”

“B-b-but what about the ants?” Anne stuttered, refusing to believe she was being let off the hook.

“It was a bad situation with no good answers.” He assuaged her fears. “Maybe if Marcy had more vines we could have done something else, but she would have remembered that.”

Sasha, even sunken into her own shame at being reminded how she treated her friends before, noticed Marcy gulp down a lump in her throat.

“They made you make a choice and you made one. It all worked out in the end, yeah? I’m still here to give you grief and the only lasting damage is that I need to fix the ax I broke. No harm, no foul.” He broke the embrace and held her out by the shoulders so she could see his smile. “Ain’t much point in worrying about what-ifs and could-have-beens. We’ve only got the here and now, might as well work with it.”

“O-okay.” Anne sniffled in reply, wiping an arm under her dripping nose. The old newt gave her a hankie that she blew into vigorously. Sprig offered up his cheesy treat, which she tore into with reckless abandon until the tray was empty in moments. He looked into it to see if his sister had missed anything in her ravenous assault only to pause in confusion.

“Hey Gertie, how’d you know my last name?” He asked and the stand runner looked up from the heap she’d piled up for Sasha.

“I don’t, hun.” Was her reply, leaving Sprig even more befuddled.

“Then why’s it on the bottom of my tray?” Glancing over the frog’s shoulder revealed a little placard at the bottom of his gnachos that did in fact contain his last name. Anne joined the huddle, then recognition flashed in her eyes and she looked to the stand’s sign.

“Look!” She pointed excitedly, her curls bouncing in her joy. “The symbol on the map, it’s a chip with a jalapeno on it!”

Sure enough, comparing the puzzle gram to the sign revealed that they were almost identical, save for the actual chips being purple instead of yellow. Anne was practically vibrating in place with a toothy grin, a hint of cheese on the corners of her mouth.

“Anne, you did it!” Marcy congratulated, draping herself over the Thai gal. “You solved the final puzzle!” She reached into the shadows of her cloak and produced a brick and a piece of paper.

On the paper was the word ‘Bring,’ while the brick had a familiarly styled placard that held ‘Me.’ Combined with Sprig’s tray, the message became ‘Bring me the Plantars.’

“There we go, the king wants to meet you guys.” Marcy turned to Sprig, then looked around confused. “Whatever happened to Hop Pop and Polly?”

“Still at the restaurant, I reckon.” Calvin guessed. “When we were leaving, the waiter said something about ‘free rewards’ and I had to shield my eyes from how HP’s twinkled.”

“Oh no, his poor wallet.” Anne mourned her grandfather’s poor spending habits. “We should probably go save Polly.”

The kids all agreed, with the exception of Sasha. She was only halfway through her mountain of snacks and was rather enjoying some relatively normal food.

“Sash, come on, just feed it to the gator.” Marcy called as she began to march down the road. With a sigh of hunger unsolved, she threw her mountain to the lizard. It again cooed, this time in delight. As they left, the old woman and little girl were tossing chips to the beast. Its calls of joy echoed after them nearly all the way to the burger joint.

Hop Pop was in a gleaming suit of armor, embossed with the title of ‘Best Burger Boy’ and surrounded by hundreds of plates. Polly was absolutely pissed beside him, fins crossed as he rubbed his belly in contentment.

“I will remember this betrayal, Calvin.” She declared as he picked her up.

“Hey now, someone needed to watch the old timer.” He countered. “Last to leave gets stuck with it, simple rules right there.”

“Betrayaaaal.” His little sister whispered menacingly, causing him to mirthfully laugh.

“By the way,” Anne slid over to where Calvin and Polly were sharing a one sided joke. “What were you and Sprig up to today?”

“Oh, just some boys bonding.” Sprig hopped onto her shoulder, winking to Calvin.

“Yeah, something like that.” He winked back, somehow even less subtle than the first. Polly and Anne shared a confused look, but shrugged it off as the procession turned toward the castle.

Chapter Text

It was an incredibly long, spiral ascent through the castle. Calvin had been convinced that the seemingly endless staircase was going to be the worst of it, but imagine his surprise when it only made up about half of the ascending one needed to do before arriving before the throne room. After 100 years, 1,000 steps, and a heart attack scare from Old Man Plantar, they finally came to the hallway before the throne room.

“Very ‘Holy Roman Empire’ meets ‘Atlantis,’ isn’t it?” The punk chimed in as they passed the bronze doors under an arch made of lobsters of the same material.

“Right?” Marcy looked back from her position at the front beside Anne. “The cultural similarities between Amphibia society and Earth societies is so cool and I can’t wait to be able to do a more in depth study.”

“Dang girl.” Anne’s voice caught Marcy’s attention like nearly nothing else. “You’ve been hanging out here?”

“I wouldn’t say I ‘hang out’ here, but yes!” The ranger stepped ahead of them to walk backwards and address the whole company. “Staying at the castle has been awesome.”

“Must be, if they managed to keep you here instead of exploring.” Sasha commented.

“I can’t believe we’re here.” Sprig was in awe of the castle interior and what it meant for them all.

“And that we’re about to meet the king of Amphibia!” Despite her official anarchist status, even Polly was excited at the prospect of meeting the ruler of the world.

“Wow, just look at this place.” Hop Pop, on the other fin, was his usual bundle of nerves. “Am I dressed okay? Should I have worn my silk ascot? I’ll go back and get it!” He turned to flee, but Marcy was on top of the situation.

“Hey, hey.” She crouched to his level and held the old frog. “Don’t stress, guys. This is no big deal.” Her reassuring smile dropped to mild surprise as the stained glass door behind her opened to reveal Lady Olivia, who Calvin was too unconscious to have met last time she was around. A pair of guards in full royal platemail wielding ax-like halberds held the doors open as she passed through to inspect the guests.

“I dig that armor.” Calvin mumbled to Sasha as the noble drifted closer.

“Okay, frog family.” Her voice was regal with a hard edge to it. He decided that she was rather similar to fine china. “You’re about to meet King Andrias. This is a big deal.” Her grave expression and tone set the frogs right back on the edge Marcy had just talked Hop Pop down from.

Satisfied with the fear of Frog she’d put in the group, Lady Olivia turned and began to glide back the way she’d come without waiting to see if they followed. The gang hustled to catch up to her even pace, falling into a silent line once they had.

Under the sloped, glass ceiling of the hall came pairs of pillars at equal intervals, snakes of stone coiled around each until their heads rested on the plinths. Pink shell lights lit the area when the sun was unavailable as daylight filtered through the colored glass above. More silent knights in the ocean themed armor stood vigil over the throne room, a dozen visible as each stood before a pillar. Coral growths grew seemingly at random around the chamber, but clearly kept contained and aesthetically pleasing.

Calvin tried desperately to be unimpressed. The words of Mother Olm came back to him unbidden, like they did every so often to herald nightmares of something with fiery eyes that did not die. The last they’d spoken before he left Proteus, she’d warned him that Andrias was the most likely culprit behind the attack on the city that Calvin had stopped. Between that and the disparity between Newtopia’s prosperity and the rest of the world, the punk found himself already assuming the worst as they all approached the shadowy giant in the throne.

“May I present to you Andrias Leviathan,” Lady Olivia’s voice was steeped in respect and the weight such a name held to his people. “Lord of Amphibia, Peacekeeper of a thousand years, and the first of his name.” She bowed and stepped out from in front of the group so that the king held their full attention.

“Now that’s king-sized.” Anne gasped in awe of the sheer size of this lad.

Wrinkled blue skin and hair whiter than snow, a beard that made it halfway to his chest. Eyes like wilted daisies were heavy with the weight of seeing a millenia come and go under eyebrows thicker than most bushes. He was draped in purple toned armor and matching tunic. His pauldrons were in the shape of snail shells and on the right one was the only piece of battle damage his suit held, a simple X larger than Calvin’s head. Whether the simple crown he wore was made of bone or ancient wood was anyone’s guess.

The giant loomed back in his throne, a grim expression setting his features as sunlight pierced the window at his back, draping him entirely in shadow. It was an intimidating image, perfectly suiting the picture that Calvin had formed in his mind of the Leviathan after nearly four months of dreading this inevitable confrontation.

The mental image shattered into uncountable pieces of fine dust the instant the king spoke.

“Hellooooo, Plantar family!” Greeted the jolliest sounding man Calvin had ever heard. His jovial guffaw grinded the dust into atoms as he shot forward out of the shadows to peer down at his guests. Andrias stood from his orange, coral throne and spread his arms wide as he approached, the ground shuddering under his weight. “Oh bring it in guys, bring it in!”

“Quick kids, bow.” Hop Pop pulled Polly out of Calvin’s hands to set her on the ground and all three frogs gave their best bows. The effort was in vain as the king rounded up all three in his arms and ground them into his beard as he hugged them.

“It’s so good to finally meet you!” The frogs seemed stuck on whether this was an attempt on their lives or over enthusiasm. Eventually the hug ended and he plopped them back onto the floor.

“I love this guy!” Polly was the first to recover, her comment summoning another typhoon of laughter.

“Dear King Andrias,” Olivia reappeared drifting to his side with an exasperated tone. “Just once, it would be nice if you followed proper castle etiquette.” He blew her a raspberry before replying.

“Oh, etiquette schmetiquette!” Was the king’s official stance. Finally noticing the aliens in the room, he turned to face the children of prophecy.

And Calvin.

“Ooh! And what do we have here?” Andrias’ attention had Anne sweating bullets and Sasha looking absolutely befuddled. Marcy had her arms crossed, wearing a smug face of ‘Yeah, I get it.’ Calvin, for his part, had screwed his mask on as tight as it ever had been, facial muscles set into the least emotional face he could manage.

“Hey.” Anne sheepishly greeted.

“You must be Anne.” He covered three meters in a casual stride and crouched before the teens. “Sup?” He turned to Marcy. “Am, am I saying that right? Sssup?”

“You got it!” Marcy shot him a thumbs up that seemed to mean more to him than a single one of the titles Lady Olvia had used to introduce the king.

“Oh ho ho hooo, the thumb of approval.” Andrias mimicked the expression and moved it in front of Anne, the casual motion sending her bush of hair back with the wind it made. “And here’s a thumb for you, Anne.”

“Oh!” Anne’s nerves flew away like her hair nearly did and her mind raced with how to respond. “Uh… Right back at you!”

Anne Boonchuy fist bumped Andrias Leviathan. She even waved her hand a little as she pulled away.

First the king chuckled a little in astonishment. His voice quickly hiked in humor before becoming a full bellied bellow of a laugh that shook the air around them. He launched himself to his feet with his tail and the landing knocked everyone but Marcy and the guards off their feet. Marcy helped Anne up and kept her arm over her shoulders while the other humans managed themselves.

“Delightful!” The king clapped his hands together and pointed down to the third girl. “You must be Sasha.”

“Hello, sir.” Sasha’s confusion was mostly kept out of her voice.

“Sir?” The king was incredulous at the respect he was being given. “Please, my father was a Sir. Just call me Andrias, Waybright. Can I call you Waybright?”

“I, uh,” Sasha of all people tried to find the right words for the moment. “Sure, si-... Andrias.”

“Just as charming as Marcy warned me, ho ho!” The laughter never stops with this guy, I tell ya. He slapped his knee and produced a sound like thunder before turning to the last human. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name, son.” Before he could speak, Marcy stepped away from Anne and gestured like he was her class project.

“This is Calvin, your majesty.” Her voice was covered in posh falseness before she straightened up and giggled. “I hadn’t gotten a chance to bring him up yet.”

“Oh, I do love a good mystery!” Andrias rubbed his massive mitts together, leaning over just enough to give Calvin that uncomfortable feeling one gets when they’re under an unstable ceiling. “Master Marcy had quite a lot to say about the other two, I’m sure you’re just as fascinating a character.”

“I do try, highness.” Calvin said, thoughts ping ponging between going unmentioned and the king being personally interested in him.

“But now, let’s get down to business, shall we?” The king went to his full height again. “Getting you four back home, safe and sound.” He looked among them and stopped smiling for the first time since he started speaking, placing a fist on his hip. “Alas, without the music box, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.” Andrias sat on the steps leading to his throne. “Marcy doesn’t have it and I don’t see it with the rest of you.”

“Oh, uh, actually,” Anne chimed in. “We do have the box!”

“Wait, are you serious?” Marcy asked, reminding Calvin that they hadn’t really had a moment to all sit down and swap stories yet.

“Why, this is marvelous news!” The Leviathan cheered, leaning forward with childlike excitement. “Come, come, let’s see it.”

“Well,” Anne rained on the collective parade. “We don’t ‘have it,’ have it. Hop Pop left it with some contacts to see what they could learn about it.” The old frog in question clasped his hands behind his back and gave a nervous little laugh. “But I do have a photo of it.” Anne produced her phone and its seemingly infinite battery charge, the picture in question already open.

“Yes, yes, a photo.” Andrias measured the word on his tongue like a new, exotic flavor. He donned a pair of pink, corally glasses and squinted at the proffered phone. “Hmm, how peculiar. Marcy, didn’t you say the gems were colored? Look here, they’re, they’re gray.”

Anne turned the phone so they could all see and put her free palm to her cheek in embarrassment. Sasha slapped a hand to her forehead and let it drag until it fell off her chin. Calvin just stared at them in puzzlement.

“Hey, you’re right.” The Thai gal agreed. “I never actually noticed that.”

“Me neither.” Sasha admitted in shame.

“Seriously? I saw it for all of a second before we left home and even I noticed that.” Calvin tutted at them, choosing to forget that Mother Olm pointed it out to him.

“That ain’t fair, Tyric.” His lieutenant argued. “You had it longest, of course you’d know.”

“Did you now?” The weight of the Leviathan’s gaze was just as heavy as his hand would have been on Calvin’s shoulders. “More mysterious by the moment, I think I’m gonna like you, Calvin.”

The human boy couldn’t stop the fear that rattled down his spine at the attention.

“Back to the gems, this will require further study in the deepest of our archives.” Andrias took off his glasses and rubbed his chin in thought. “Give me a few days to work with this information.” He sat up and clenched his fist with a determined smile. “At that time, we shall reconvene and set a glorious plan in motion.”

“Great!” Anne excitedly turned to the human genius. “Mar-Mar, what can I do to help?”

“Can you translate ancient Amphibian runes?” Marcy matched her energy in reply.

“I sure can’t!” Anne’s enthusiasm didn’t waver for a moment.

“Don’t worry about it dude, I got this.” Marbles chuckled.

“Ah, just like our group projects back home.” Sasha rested her arms over the girls’ shoulders and leaned into the conversation.

“Until then, my dear Plantars, go forth and enjoy the sights of Newtopia.” Andrias offered to his guests. “We’ve booked you a pair of suites at the Hemisphere hotel, my treat. And here!” A pair of fists the size of a person each flew out from behind the king’s back, sending tornado-like winds flying past the group. “Pick a hand!”

Anne stepped up to the challenge without a second’s hesitation and studied the provided fists in detail. Andrias clearing his throat caught her attention and he indicated that she should choose the left hand, which she did. He turned over the massive mitt and opened it, to reveal nothing at all.

“PSYCH!” The giant, ancient child roared in their faces, stirring up more twister strength winds with how happy he was with his own joke. No one else was impressed, least of all Anne and Olivia. “But wait? What’s this?” With a quick bit of sleight of hand, a golden card appeared in the king’s hand. “The Royal Credit Card! It will grant you access to do anything in Newtopia.” He handed the treasure over to Hop Pop. “Be safe with this now. Wars have been waged for less.”

“Whoa!” Sprig flipped over his grandpa to get a better view. “We get to explore Newtopia with unlimited money? This is a dream come true. Onward, family and co!” He struck a wide pose and declared: “Time to see Newtopia!”

“Alright frog family,” Olivia glided over once more, hands clasped daintily before her. “Let us move along so you can be shown where you shall be staying, the king is a very busy man and must move along with his schedule.”

The weary travelers gave light hearted thanks and goodbyes to the Lord of Amphibia and let themselves be ushered toward the door. As Calvin psyched himself up for the return trip and the hell it promised on his already sore muscles, Anne sidled up next to him and they bumped shoulders.

“Hey dude,” She half whispered, making some attempt at privacy even as they all moved as a pack. “Are you alright? You seemed kinda tense in there. Well, more than normal.”

“That feels like a fair response to meeting royalty, don’t you think?” He downplayed.

“Eh, I guess.” She shrugged and gave him an inch more space. “I dunno, you’re not a rude guy exactly, but you don’t usually act so stiff with authority figures.”

“Pfft, whaaat? I’m great with authority figures.” Calvin mocked insult, putting a hand to his chest and everything.

“Keep telling yourself that.” Anne shoved him playfully before her smile turned more serious. “You’d tell me if something was bothering you, right?”

And make another problem for you and your new fix-it Felix attitude? Yeah, I’ll get right on that Annie B.

“Of course.” Calvin lied through his teeth. “That’s what friends are for, or so I’m told.”

“I’m telling you now, so believe it Tiger.” Her normal levity returned to her smiling face. As if summoned, Marcy jumped them from behind, an arm over both of their shoulders.

“Believe it, Sasuke!” The resident genius quoted with joy.

“You have bad taste in Anime, Marbles.” Calvin shook his head to hide his grin.

“Okay, Jojo.” Sasha joined in from his other side, ensuring no hiding his expression.

“I don’t know what we’re talking about,” Sprig said as he jumped on Anne’s outer shoulder. “But I wanted to feel included.”

“We’re bugging Calvin as we walk, I think.” Polly hopped into his arms while Hop Pop gave a dry chuckle from beside Anne.

“What did I do to deserve this?” The teenaged boy bemoaned sarcastically.

“No backing out now, dude.” Anne hit him with her winning smile, a much more common sight in Amphibia than it ever was back home and one of the few things that made this death world worth the effort. “You had your chance when the three of us met and you chose this.”

“Fool that I am.” Calvin let a little laughter slip through as they came to the first set of many stairs.

The Hemisphere Hotel certainly looked the part for the grandest hotel in the capital of Frog World. It was a massive red brick building covered in that Newtopian nautical aesthetic with gold accenting near the roof, though Calvin could barely tell in the evening light as the top was more than a couple dozen stories above him. On the curved front of the building was a giant oyster shell with a fanciful, golden ‘H’ attached to the front. The inside of the hotel was no less impressive, trading red for a soft yellow and even more gold. In the center of the plaza, past the check in lobby, was a Ferris wheel waterfall feature nearly as tall as the hotel it was inside, surrounded by a lily pad fountain structure that trickled serenely.

Marcy had seen them to the castle doors but stayed behind, wishing to dive into the research with King Andrias and to think up some experiments to put the token male of the gang through. He would have argued, but those doors close awful quick for being so big.

“Alright kids,” Hop Pop caught up with them as they looked around in awe, room keys in hand. “Let’s go get settled. Calvin, Sprig, you’ll be bunking with me. Girls, you get your own room.”

The news was met with a chorus of mild acceptance, not really all that surprising and not really noteworthy. Sprig seemed a bit glum about not getting to hang out with Anne, but he didn’t argue as they made their way toward the elevators. Between the credit card and the elevators, Calvin was getting a little lost in the technological discrepancy between the capital and the rest of the world.

Before he had any chance to properly sink into that brainstorm, the punk noticed Hop Pop giving him a suspicious eye for the first time since they’d met. When he’d noticed that Calvin had noticed, the old frog made an act of looking away and whistling innocently, but he never actually stopped looking at the human boy.

“Need something, old timer?” Calvin inquired, bemused and curious in equal measures.

“Oh nothing, nothing.” The orange frog played at casual, but for such a good actor he wasn’t particularly subtle. “No problem with the sleeping arrangements?”

“Can’t imagine why I would.” He shrugged, still getting used to the missing weight of his armor. Shame it wasn’t made of the same stuff as his gloves, else it’d be right as rain instead of abandoned scrap.

“It’s just, I’ve seen the way you talk to those three.” Hop Pop nodded towards where the girls were gabbing in front of them, Sprig tagging along to get as much Anne-time in as he could before slumber. “Not for Polly, but I know a crush when I see one.” He wiggled his eye ridges at Calvin.

“You disturb me, old man.” Was the kid’s sole denial.

“Whatever you say, buckoo. Just don’t go sneaking around when I get to sleep, you hear?”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Calvin stretched his arms over his head before donning a mischievous grin. “Might have to now, though.”

“Dang it boy.” Hop Pop muttered as they got to their pair of suites.

“Alright gang,” Sprig rubbed his hands together with adventure in his eyes. “Let’s wait for them to bring up our stuff, then let’s go exploring!”

“Chill Squeky Toy.” Sasha said, flipping her hair out of her face. “It’s been a real trip and a half to get here, alright? All I’m doing today is showering and passing out.”

“Yeah, I think I’m with Sash on this one, dude.” Anne agreed. “We’ve got a few days, what’s one evening spent relaxing?”

“You guys can’t be serious. We have unlimited money, the city’s our playground!” Sprig argued, looking around in hopes of someone on his side. When his family shook their heads at him and Calvin shrugged lazily, his enthusiasm deflated noticeably. An idea struck him as he reached for the plastic gold in his grandfather’s hand. “Or, I could take the card and-”

“Sprig Plantar,” Hop Pop interjected. “Under no circumstance are you to leave this hotel.”

The frog boy’s arm fell to his side as he moped in defeat, light returning briefly to his eyes when they saw inside their rooms identical gift baskets of various fruits, lotions, and what looked like a little doll of Sprig. Weird gift, but alright.

“All I wanna explore is that gift basket.” Anne decided as she sat on the bed next to it, parsing through the assembled freebies.

“Have fun,” Sasha slid past her, nearly running for the back. “I’m gonna go explore that shower.”

“Hey, I had dibs!” Polly called after the blonde, hopping behind her as Hop Pop tossed their key in the basket and closed their door for them with a chuckle.

“Heh, kids.” He shook his head wistfully as the boys all filed into their mirrored room.

Calvin gave the basket a glance, but spied neither of his favorites so he settled for testing one of the beds. His spine confirmed that it was like laying on Cloud Nine and he had to pull himself out of the comfy prison so he could at least bathe first. When the old frog began to excitedly list the soaps and whatnots available, he realized it was probably going to be a bit. Sprig waddled his way over to the other bed and slumped in a pout, arms crossed over his chest.

“The city’ll probably be there tomorrow, you know.” Calvin stated.

“I know.” Sprig agreed with a sigh. “But there’s just so much of it! I feel like I could spend a lifetime here and not see everything and that’s so exciting!” A bit of that spark came back to him and the pink frog was on his knees looking far past the closed doors, eyes sparkling. “There’s so much to do, to see, there’s no way we’ll have enough time to do it all, especially if we spend so much time in our rooms.”

“Mmm, maybe.” Calvin conceded, bouncing his head back and forth. “But Old Man Plantar was pretty clear about not leaving the hotel.” He looked over at the kid, wondering if he’d reach the same conclusion.

Sprig registered the words and processed them for a second before a rascal smile spread over his face. Never let it be said that the older Plantar sibling couldn’t be clever in his own right.

“You’re right, Cal.” The palm rubbing returned, roguish glee in his froggy grin. “I can’t leave the hotel tonight.”

“Atta boy.” Calvin and Hop Pop said at the same time by accident, for rather different reasons.

“I’m glad you understand, Sprig.” Hop Pop congratulated as he stepped out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel on his head and a matching white bathrobe. “It’s nice to get my point across for once, with no hairbrained schemes brewing behind my back.”

“Course not Hop Pop.” Calvin yawned as he stood, gauntlets coming to rest on the end table. “He just needed some words of wisdom from a peer, that’s all.” Sprig caught his wink as he made his way into the bathroom.

After what felt like a pound of dirt was washed away and his muscles were moving closer to a liquid state, Calvin finally dragged himself out of the blissful heat into the comforting chill to get ready to rest. He found a similar towel and bathrobe combo as Hop Pop’s, though this time with human sizing in mind.

Or maybe some newts are just that big, he mused. Anything goes, between the Triple B’s and Andrias.

As he settled back into his seat, Hop Pop’s snoring sawed away without a care in the world. His eyes were still glued to the page in his book that he had been reading, an unsettling trick that Calvin still wasn’t used to. Shining from one of the robe pockets was the Royal Credit Card and Sprig stared like he was waiting for it to run away.

“What’re you still doing here?” Calvin whispered, Anne’s bestie nearly jumping out of his web crusties in surprise. “I figured you would have grabbed the card and bolted as soon as the old man was out.”

“I was waiting for you, duh.” Sprig snatched the card with practiced ease, turning to look his partner in crime in the eye.

“Much as I enjoy encouraging mischief,” It tugged at his heart to deny the frog boy, but the body needs what it needs. “But I’m still gluing myself back together after the ant stuff.”

“Dang it, a reasonable argument.” Sprig’s pout returned with a vengeance. Calvin ruffled the frog’s hat, revealing a bit of the orange locks hidden underneath.

“Besides, someone needs to cover for you on the off chance HP wakes up.”

“It’s a pretty slim chance, but you’re right.” Sprig agreed with a groan. “I guess I’ll just have to have enough fun for the both of us.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage, somehow.” Calvin opened the door for him, only for a newt bellhop to be delivering their bags at that exact moment.

“Four years of Newtopia University and a mountain of student debt, for this?” She asked herself, before noticing the door was open. “Oh, hi there. Bella the Bellhop, at your service. Got your bags here.”

She sounded as enthused as one might expect of a recent college grad. Her load wasn’t so awful, but if the slight click of the door beside their own was any indication, then Bella had just dropped off a decent amount of it. Calvin and Sasha hadn’t had much to pack for obvious reasons, neither had Polly, so most of what was in the fwagon had been Anne’s, Sprig’s, or Hop Pop’s.

The bellhop rolled the luggage into the room and then held her hand out with a rehearsed smile. Sprig met it with a more genuine one of his own while Calvin settled for glancing between the two with a knowing smile. His father had taken him on a business trip or two before, and the bellhops had always needed tips to survive on Earth and it seemed like Amphibia wasn’t much different in that regard. However, it seemed that the Plantar boy was unfamiliar with the custom and the annoyance on the worker’s face was too rich for the punk to interrupt. Eventually the staredown became too much and she cleared her throat to speak.

“How about a tip?” My my, blunt tonight, aren’t we?

“Oh, sure.” For the briefest moment, Calvin wondered if Sprig was just messing with her, but then he kept talking. “If you got to do one thing in the hotel for fun, what would it be?”

“Oh, well I’ve never gone,” Bella’s smile became truer and her eyes shone as she imagined. “But everyone says the view from the top of the indoor Ferris Wheel will change your life.”

“Great, thanks for the tip!” Sprig exclaimed and made to shut the door. He nearly flew over the railing of the walkway their room was situated in front of when Calvin caught the door.

Too unapologetic to stop the awkward situation, too nice to let a retail worker starve.

“Say, y’all got some sorta cafe down there?” Calvin asked as Sprig looked back into the room with a questioning face. Bella nodded confusedly. “Grand. Sprig, why don’t you two go get a snack real quick? She seems like a hard worker, she deserves a treat and I’m sure she knows the best spots around the plaza.”

“That’s a great idea Calvin!” Sprig nearly broke his cover, his grandpa’s snoring hiking briefly before settling back into its consistent sawing. The young frog grabbed the newt by the wrist and dragged her into the hall, cutting off her surprised yelp with the door. Calvin barely stopped from slamming again, tugging it closed with a gentle click.

Exhaling for what felt like the first time all day, the human boy laid down on the feathery cloud and let sleep wash away consciousness. After moments or maybe hours of solitary darkness, ten fiery points began to form in the shapes of diamonds. The sounds of something massive and mechanical began to grow louder, closer. Just as whatever that thing was was about to reach him, lights from behind his view dispelled it, Blue and Pink starlight.

Calvin floated through the cosmic scape, his earlier fears burned away in the familiar glows. The Green Star wasn’t aglow tonight, though he could see its cold core. He didn’t ponder on that for long in his exhausted state, drifting instead toward the revolving pair of lit lights.

The disembodied mind extended the idea of an arm and caught the Blue Star as it passed him by. Lazily, he dunked his perception under the sea of boiling gasses to gaze within. Inside was a constant loop of memories, some he knew and many more he didn’t. It was a screen bigger than an ocean of Marcy Wu falling over, running into things, being a general klutz and danger to herself, followed by a familiar, chocolate colored hand coming to the rescue.

“Ah, that tracks.” He mumbled to himself, not all of Calvin understanding what exactly was going on. The show seemed to respond to his presence, soloing out memoires where he was visible. Marcy falling into a trash can and a brooding Calvin taking a step to help but falling back when Anne already had it covered. Anne diving to stop a flying marker from taking out one of Marcy’s brown eyes and Calvin’s guilty look as his hands froze mid catapulting. Marcy slipping on ice and taking Anne with her on accident, then Calvin skating by with a giggle or two.

Marcy with a tray full of food, managing to cover the new boy at school not only in her own food, but his as well. The fear Anne felt in the moment, unsure how this, honestly, intimidating country boy was going to react to a ‘Marcy Moment.’ Everyone else at Saint James had already accepted that Marcy had too much knowledge in her head to save any room for coordination, but this guy in the black hoodie wouldn’t be so conditioned to the occasional outfit destroying accident. Imagine Anne’s surprise when she hears the two of them laughing.

Now the scenes shift away from her Marshmellow and instead begin to focus on the new kid.

Calvin offering to help Anne with history, rambling on and on about presidents long past and what absolute characters they all were. He could remember that conversation and could fill in the words here, even if the memory itself lacked them because the listener wasn’t listening. Despite her lack of attention, Anne still felt content in that moment.

Calvin with bruised knuckles, nursing a plate of Tom Kha Kai and a negative disposition in a lonely booth at Thai Go. He felt Anne’s hesitance when she notices him, still a little unsure how to approach the Tiger without Sasha to rein him in. Still she approached and sat across from the agitated boy. He very nearly snarled at her, something he himself didn’t recall, but settled down when she opened up her own container of Khao Pad and started eating. They ate in silence and her heart warmed as the tension visibly, slowly but surely, left his posture. All he remembered of that night was a relaxing dinner and sore fingers, he couldn’t even recall why he’d been mad.

Laying down under unfamiliar stars in contrasting night chill to the day's blistering heat, Calvin quickly recognized the nights they’d shared on the roof of the fwagon in the Dry Swamp. Even if it hadn’t been so long ago, he was still surprised to hear that Anne remembered every word they shared, the stories they imagined together, the questions they asked, and the answers they shared. She was still planning on holding him to that promise about the night sky. He didn’t even have it all memorized and Calvin felt a bit of shame at that.

Somewhere along the way, a feeling had woven itself into the background of the scenes. While he couldn’t hear what was going through her head, Calvin felt what she did as Anne recalled. With each Marcy mishap there came a wave of cold stress and what he could only describe as recently contrasted views. But always in the back was a certain kind of warmth, like the first rays of dawn or candles in the dark.

When it had transitioned to Calvin remembrances, that warmth had dimmed. At first it was like a comfortable blanket, but as the scenes progressed the temperature rose. It never grew hot, per say, but it did evolve, like a complicated firework display. After the Dry Swamp, it seemed to crescendo to its most encompassing.

Then came the Curiosity Hut and Anne’s feelings went from even waves to a roiling mess of emotions. Her usual passive joy as she entertained the crowd, her eyes following Sasha and Calvin as they made their way around the square. A sudden fascination with the strange tourist trap and its displays. The bone rattling shock of finding an Earthly relic. Calvin nearly gagged when Anne felt a sickening twist, from pride in Sasha’s progress to immediate fear that it had all been a lie. The only thing that stopped him from vomiting on her memories was the cleansing relief that followed Sasha’s apology for who she’d become and how she wanted to be better. That warmth returned all the brighter as the girls held hands and meandered their way back to camp.

It would have been nice if he could have been given time to process that instead of a pollywog slamming down into his stomach for a wake up call, but nothing in life is perfect.

Calvin came to with a choking gasp, unpleasantly ripped from someone else’s dreams. In the middle of his torso was Polly, bright eyed and bushy tailed with a look of adventure inherited from her big brother. Her toothy grin shone away what anger he might have been able to muster for such a rude awakening and the punk was beginning to suspect that he might have a soft spot for kids.

“Come on Cal, we’ve got a city to explore!” The kiddo cheered into his face, his drowsiness flying away in her typhoon of enthusiasm.

“Did’ja have to wake me first?” Calvin grumbled.

“She didn’t.” Came the pained voice of Hopidiah in the other bed. Sprig lay collapsed at the foot of the bed, seemingly dead to the world.

“Are the girls getting ready?” The human boy mumbled.

“Nope. Started with you guys.” Polly beamed.

“Why?” The punk’s exasperation was nearly physical.

“They need their beauty sleep,” The tadpole explained matter of factly, before pondering. “Atleast, that’s what Sasha said.”

“They don’t need the help.” Calvin began to roll off the bed and Polly was quick to get out of the way. Once he’d reappeared from over the side, he was out of his robe and back into his normal outfit, gloves and all. “Come on, let’s go raise Hell.”

“What about Sprig?” She poked her brother in the side and he responded a whole lot of not at all. “I don’t think he got much sleep.”

“Oh, he’s just bellyachin.” Hop Pop waved away her worries, pocketing the Royal Credit Card now that he was dressed. “Come on Sprig, don’t wanna miss the adventure, do ya?”

“I got him.” Calvin said, grabbing his backpack and opening the zippers just wide enough to fit a frog boy. He hoisted the nearly unconscious kid and stuffed him into the bag until only his head was sticking out.

“Woo hoo.” Sprig’s exhausted voice floated from behind the human’s head and he snickered ever so slightly.

“Alright, now let’s go get the girls.” Calvin stated sweetly, picking up Polly and getting his arm ready for an absolute hail mary throw.

Chapter Text

Calvin liked to think of himself as a fan of history. He loved a good piece of fiction, no small love of fantasy nestled in his heart, but knowing at least some of what you’re reading was a part of someone else’s life made it all the sweeter. Sure, it’s only written by the victors and prone to being edited by new regimes, but that didn’t change the fact that history was a fascinating topic to the young man, one that normally held him in rapt attention.

Unfortunately, a bus tour of what had to be a curated list of Newtopia’s least interesting locales couldn’t have been anyone’s idea of fun, least of all an antsy group of kids and teens.

Scratch that, Hop Pop’s grin was ear to ear under his cheese hat, eyes locked on the owner of the monotonous voice spewing unfun facts.

“Now if you’ll look to your left,” Despite his enthusiasm, the tour guide just had a naturally dull voice and it would have been infuriating if it wasn’t so blasé. “You’ll see the second oldest bistro in this neighborhood, known for its more than adequate marinara.”

The bus riders looked to the restaurant as instructed and were met with a lovely little building done up in shells and faux-marble. Just like every other building they’d seen for the last hour.

Were you to only listen to Hop Pop’s gasp of awe, you wouldn’t be able to tell, but he was nearly drowned out by all the groaning of his young wards. If he noticed, he didn’t reprimand their lack of respect for once.

Sasha was nearly clawing her eyes out, Anne was pulling handfuls of curls nearly straight, Sprig had his hat pulled over his face, and Polly had been face down in her bucket longer than was probably healthy. Calvin, for his part, had fully dissociated and was completely unaware that he was leaned back, staring upward with unseeing eyes. The kids were not alright.

A slight bump in the road knocked the back of the seat into the young man’s head, knocking him back into his own head with a start. After a second of panic, Calvin remembered where he was and slumped in dread. He looked to his fellow youngsters and realized that something had to give. Shaking Sasha out of her despair earned him a glare that subsided when she saw the look in his eyes. They nodded in silent agreement and slowly the message spread amongst the kids. His sight darted between them all and, just as the bus slowed for its next ear achingly boring vista, he shouted.

“SCATTER!” Came the call and like a shot the kids began to scramble.

Sasha bolted down the aisle and out the back while Polly was carried by Anne out the window. Calvin dove out his own and Sprig made to follow, but was the only kid stopped by Hop Pop, the old timer’s tongue too fast for the youngster to avoid. Before the grandpa frog had a chance to round up anymore of his wards, they’d disappeared into the bustling streets of midday Newtopia. After a moment’s cursory search, he shrugged and sat back down with a tighter grip on Sprig’s shoulder, who lamented his lack of haste.

Calvin had rolled under a food stall after exiting the tour and only crawled out once the bus had begun moving again. He crawled out and glanced around for either a bush of brown curls or curtain of golden locks, but found neither. He dusted himself off, nonplussed at his solitude, and began to wander through the bazaar they’d jumped into.

A multitude of shopfronts greeted him, advertising various clothes and accessories to anyone who could read Amphibian script. Which he couldn’t. At least they had windows, so he didn’t need to guess any wares.

The punk drifted along, people watching more so than window shopping. It didn’t take him long to conclude that people were basically the same no matter where you went or what they were. Wartwood just reminded him of home but muggy, while Newtopia was beginning to look an awful lot like a nautical Los Angeles. Right down to the gruff looking goons that were eyeing him up and starting to shadow his meandering path. A quick glance confirmed that there were no guards around, how very convenient.

“Alright,” He sighed, turning to face his followers. “Let’s get this over with.”

“What?” Said the lead newt.

“You’re a bunch of thugs following me around, I can guess how this is gonna go, so let’s just get it out of the way.”

“Wow.” Said the smaller of the four. “Just, take all the fun outta this, why don’t you?”

“Nah.” Calvin cracked his knuckles and rolled his wrists. “I’m just getting to my fun quickly.”

“Look, freak.” The tallest one stepped forward and casually pulled out a wicked looking dagger. “Hold still and we’ll make this painless like, alright?”

“I tell ya,” Calvin hopped from foot to foot, shook the lethargy out of his arms, and rolled his shoulders. “I just keep making friends everywhere I go around here.”

That served as his warning, the teen charging the ruffians. His boots devoured the ground separating them at a shocking pace. Before they could do more than stance up he was on them and hardly slowed as he grabbed the first newt by the snout and swung him bodily into the silent thug. They bounced together off the cobblestones as the punk rounded on the smallest assailant.

The little guy lashed out with an uppercut that Calvin met halfway with his elbow. There was a disquieting crack of bone before a metal fist cracked across the newt’s face. He fell to the ground, trying to figure out how to clutch both his face and broken hand when he only had a single functional hand as Calvin narrowly dodged that cruel looking dagger.

The tall one swiped with fury but little skill. It didn’t take Calvin’s trained eye long to see the pattern and he took the opportunity to step just past the end of the blade’s arc. He clasped his hands together and slammed them into the newt’s back, sending him reeling right into a rising knee that knocked what little wind he had left right out of him. With his height, it took him a bit longer to finish collapsing, then he watched a human boot break his precious dagger before swinging back to launch a vicious kick right in between his eyes.

The Tiger was shaking some feeling back into his hands when the first two thugs had finally finished disentangling themselves and were advancing on him. One had knuckle dusters on while the other had a punch dagger of all things. Calvin, ever the fair fighter, grabbed the newt recently rendered unconscious and flung his body at the pair. Dusters was a touch too slow and ended up with a mouthful of tail for his trouble as he went back to the ground. Punch Dagger was quicker than his fellow and used the opportunity to rush the human.

Mid-leap, the newt had a moment to wonder why his foe was smirking before he suddenly dropped with his arm cocked back. Just before he could strike with his dagger, purple metal rushed into his stomach and sent him dribbling down the street. Onlookers had to jump out of the way to avoid bruised shins. Calvin straightened back up and dusted imaginary dust off.

“No, please, really,” His irritated gaze cowed the crowd as he walked to the remaining thug. “I’ve got it covered, just a kid being attacked on the street, no big deal, honest.” He growled in his throat as he put his boot on the chest on the last ruffian and put his weight onto his knee. “Before I get going, I was wondering exactly why I had to knock the piss out of you guys.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be waltzing about with such fancy gloves on, eh?” She wheezed. Calvin squinted down, looking through her as he thought. A quick jab to the side of the head rendered the final mugger unconscious and he started making his way back down the street, holding his chin in contemplation.

Two attacks as I’ve walked around town, both times mentioning my gloves, he said in his head. Are they really that eye-catching?

Before he had more time to ruminate on that, a hand clasped his shoulder and he immediately lashed out with a blind kick. Luckily for everyone involved, Sasha was already on alert and just managed to step out of the way in time to avoid a broken shin. He flicked around with a sneer, ready to crack more heads, but relaxed as soon as he saw who it was.

“Jeez Tiger,” Her chuckle hid most but not all of her nerves as she brushed off her bristine armor. “I knew you were jumpy but that was a bit much.”

“Let’s see how calm you are after a mugging.” He grumbled in reply.

“Yeah, I caught the tail end of that.” The blonde stepped up so that they were shoulder to shoulder and prompted him to keep walking. “You really let em have it, huh?”

“I don’t start fights, I just end them.” He intoned with a bit of pride.

“Clearly.” She chuckled again, glancing over her shoulder back the way they’d gone. “Can’t believe no one ran for the guards.”

“Maybe they did?” Calvin wondered aloud. “It wasn’t exactly a long fight.”

“What’d they even want, anyways?”

“Guess they thought I was rich because my gauntlets are nice.” Calvin raised the Olm Gloves to eye level and gave them a quick once over.

“Gotta admit, they’re almost as nice as my sword.” Sasha whistled, her eyes tracing the golden olms decorating the knuckles that slithered down to his wrists. “Unfortunately, we haven’t got a copper to our names.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” He crossed his arms under his cloak. “Shoulda looted Toad Tower after it fell before we left.”

“Eh, don’t sweat it dude.” His lieutenant threw an arm over his shoulders. “I’m pretty sure Old Lady Croaker was organizing a raiding party just before we headed out. Anyways!” Sasha looked back again and started steering them off the main road. “With how bad that gang looked, I can’t help but think you went easy on me way back when.”

“Eh,” He shrugged the bad memory off and let her lead the way. “I’m a brawler, not a fencer. Grime stepped in before I could really get into the swing of things.”

“Oh Frog, he’s back to puns.” She groaned and facepalmed.

“What can I say, they call to me.” He shrugged with a grin.

“Well, I call you a dork.” The blonde tousled his brown, shoulder length hair. He shook his head away from the affection which only inspired her to redouble her efforts.

“Oh good Frog woman, would you knock it off?” Calvin weakly batted at her hand. She finally relented and he was able to brush a stray lock out from in front of his eyes.

“I can’t help it, you’ve never had enough hair to toss around before.” Sasha argued playfully as they continued their wanderings together.

The silence grew comfortable around them as they passed shop after restaurant after home. Apparently they’d left the shopping district behind and had meandered into a more residential area. A newt couple were enjoying the shade on a nearby bench and it raised a question in the human boy’s mind.

“So, how’re things with Anne?” A hint of that teasing edge to hide the genuine curiosity he felt. Sasha blushed faintly but played cool well enough.

“Good, things are good.” She crossed her arms behind her back to hide her tapping fingers. “Very good, things are, yes.”

“Mmm, indeed.” Calvin read her like one of his books. “How was the first kiss?”

She actively sputtered at the query, slapping his heaving shoulder like one would silence a morning alarm. His laughter only grew as she tried to physically defend herself from his verbal ribbing. Eventually the blonde settled for pouting and stomping beside him, mumbling under her breath.

“Gonna need to speak up, Waybright.” The punk managed between snickers, leaning closer. “No one’s hearing is that good.”

“I said we haven’t had the chance yet.” Sasha very nearly blew his eardrums out. “Ever since we’ve gotten to Newtopia, it’s been Marcy this, Marcy that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see Mar-Mar too, but I thought me and Anne had something after that weird tourist trap, you know?”

Calvin nodded along as they walked, gently shouldering her toward a relatively private bench under a tree. They sat together and he really looked at her. Gone was the usual confidence, looking so much like the scared girl from the diner who saw a problem to fix and no clue what tools to use. He was no expert in this field, but he was a firm believer in communication.

“Have you tried talking to Anne about this?” He inquired and how she turned away answered that question for him. “Well, there’s your problem then.”

“Dude, I can’t just talk to her about this shit.” Sasha defended indignantly.

“And why not?” He demanded before she could give a lame excuse. “She’s not gonna laugh at your feelings, that's not Anne and you know it. She isn’t going to stop being your friend just because you took a hint she didn’t give. Worst comes to worst, you’ll have to settle for having a crush on your best friend.” He leaned back and turned a bit away as she considered his words. “You get used to it.”

Sasha had the decency to pretend she didn’t hear that whisper over the wind. It may not have been a secret between them, but that’s no reason to poke at it.

“Ugh, but it’s not that easy.” She groaned and leaned into him, neither teen looking at the other.

“You’re right, it’s not.” He agreed, nodding sagely. “Thing is, those thoughts are gonna rot away at you and it’ll only get harder to dig them out. Best to get it out of the way now, especially while Marcy’s busy and you two are roomies.”

She turned on his shoulder and he glanced down, right into her waiting eyes, the unmatched colors dazzling him even in the shade. He felt like a hypocrite as the moment stretched into several, but kept telling himself that they’d be better for each other than for him. Mostly believed that, too.

“Uuuuugh, this is gonna be so awkward.” Sasha groaned as she dragged herself into a sitting position so she could flop her face into her hands.

“Yes, yes you are, Waybright.” The coyness in his voice would have been something a deaf man could hear and a baleful blue eye glared at him past a curtain of golden locks. A cheshire smile crawled across Calvin’s features as she prepared to pop him in the shoulder again.

“Sup nerds.” Polly called from back the way they’d come. Looking toward the voice revealed she was in Anne’s arms and they were sprinting in front of what looked like a mob of angry newts. In sync, the seated teens tilted their heads in silent questions.

“We’ll tell you later, just run!” Anne screamed past them and the mob took the statement as a passing of guilt, staring daggers at the other two humans.

“Frog’s sake.” Calvin mumbled as he dragged Sasha from the bench by the elbow, sprinting after the tennis star with rolling eyes. He didn’t catch the look she bounced from Anne to himself and couldn’t know about the butterflies dancing in her stomach.

A dozen blocks, several destroyed stands, and one upturned beetle buggy later and the kids had managed to escape from the consequences of Anne and Polly sharing a day together. Calvin was huffing down air like he’d never had the stuff before while the other two panted as one would from a brief jog. Polly had been passed around the lot of them on their run and now sat firmly on Calvin’s shoulder, her favorite spot currently.

“Well, that was certainly something.” Sasha said in a deadpan. “You two are a disaster.”

“Oh please,” Polly waved away the accusation. “We weren’t even trying. I could burn this town down if I wanted to.”

“Maybe when we’re leaving.” Calvin suggested, straightening up with some effort. Using his cloak to swipe sweat off his forehead, he couldn’t help but notice how restless Sasha suddenly looked. That wicked grin returned and he started to slowly step away. “Hey Sash, what was it you needed to talk to Anne about?”

“Calvin Tyric…” The menace was not lost on anyone present.

“Why don’t I give y’all some space?” And with that, he jogged down an alleyway before the thunderous steps of Sasha Waybright could grow too near.

“What was that all about?” Polly inquired from beside his head.

“Anne’ll tell you when you’re older.” He passed the responsibility as best he could in his tired state.

“Eh, whatever.” The tadpole shrugged, boredly looking ahead. Once they exited the narrow passage, her eyes lit up and she pulled his cheek to see what she saw. “It’s Gertie! Let’s get some gnachos!”

“Hope she takes IOU’s” Calvin mumbled with a smile.

“Or credit cards.” Turning to face her, he saw that she’d somehow managed to swipe the card from Hop Pop back at the tour bus.

“Didn’t he need that to pay for the tour?”

“Nah, he paid up front.”

“No, he tried to but they wouldn’t let him.”

“Oh.”

“...”

“...”

“Awkward. Anyways.” As it turned out, every business in the capital was legally required to be able to accept the royal credit card as legal tender. Their snack secured, they asked the friendly axolotl for directions back to their hotel.

The walk took the better part of the rest of the day and Calvin only got accosted once on the way back by a pair of toads. He didn’t even throw a punch, Polly diving on the opportunity to incite violence. It was sweet, unlike the taste of blood those thugs were dealing with when they left them unconscious in the street.

The woman at the reception desk barely gave them a glance. While a pollywog might not have been the most memorable guest, interdimensional creatures like a human were hard to forget and so they had little hassle returning to their rooms. Unsurprisingly, they were the first two back for the day. Evening had just begun in earnest, but Calvin was already feeling rather spent, running low on gas somewhere between his earlier fight and running from a mob.

Exhausted in a way rest didn’t fix, Calvin lazily cleaned himself of the day’s sweat and shimmied into some casual wear. The thudding sound of heavier boots making their way across the balcony greeted him as he popped his head out the top of his shirt. They stopped and he heard the door to the other room opening for a beat, then shutting.

Seems like the girls are back, then. He thought to himself just before the door opened and closed again.

Before curiosity could beat his sloth and compel him to investigate, there came a knock at the door. Finally managing to escape the comfy confines of his bed, Calvin trudged to the peephole to be greeted by the sight of a bashful Anne Boonchuy.

“What’s the hip hop happening Annie B?” He yawns out after opening the door.

“Hey Cal. Mind if I come in?” She asks with a nervousness unlike what he was familiar with.

Without a word Calvin ushered her in, sitting on his bed and offering the Plantar girl the Plantar’s shared bed. She took the seat gladly and fidgeted in silence, refusing to look at him but grinning like a maniac all the while.

“Alright, guess I’ll sta-” Was all Calvin could manage before Anne squealed and launched herself into him, barreling them both nearly off the furniture.

“She asked me out!” Anne screamed into his ear with abandon. “Sasha asked me on a daaaaaate!”

“I’d be a lot happier for you if my ears weren’t bleeding, Anne.” Calvin tries to defend himself from the audible assault and only succeeds in getting her to shove herself off him with force. Now his ribs hurt too.

“OH, right, sorry dude.” She giggled sheepishly, flushed in that way usually reserved for when she thought no one was looking.

“No worries, probably not permanent.” He dug at an ear to see if he was actually bleeding and was pleased to find the answer in the negative.

As Anne began to rain detail after detail down upon him, Calvin’s mind bounced back and forth. On one hand, he was rather jealous. His crush on their blonde friend had developed when she could, politely, be described as a tyrant, but after their time since the Tower she’d been on a little redemption arc. Hearing concern in her voice and believing it tugged on his heart strings in a way he was both uncomfortable with and never wanted to stop.

But on the other side of the coin, he’d spent enough time with the girls to see how they looked at each other. Those three had spent too long together and couldn’t notice how their friendly glances had evolved into something with more oomph behind them. They had the most obvious of crushes on each other and basically everyone at school knew it except the three in question.

Maggie had even started a betting pool on who would notice first and make a move. Calvin had bet on Sasha and wished she’d fortified up to ask back on Earth so he could collect that couple hundred.

Dual heats of envy and empathy coiled around his heart, too disparate a mix for Calvin’s poor soul. He put on one of his better masks for Anne as she began to wind down. Her smile was absolutely precious, as was the way she couldn’t quite meet his gaze; too embarrassed to look him in the eye, too excited not to talk about it. She ran a hand through her hair and Calvin found himself getting lost in her curls.

He blinked several times. Maybe it was from viewing her dream the other night, but memories of their time in the Dry Swamp came back to him, linked to those warm feelings she felt back then.

Perhaps he was jealous of Sasha and Anne right now.

Inconvenient.

“Calvin?” Anne’s voice brought him back from his spiral with hints of concern seeping into her excitement.

“Took her long enough.” Calvin leaned back onto his elbows across from her. “I was beginning to worry she’d never figure out you two liked each other.”

“I didn’t even realize it until we got to talking!” She stamped her feet to release pent up joy. “I always knew I liked her, but that I liked her? And that she felt the same? That’s honestly the craziest thing to happen in Amphibia.” She fell back onto the bed with a content sigh.

“Craziest thing so far, I’m sure.” Calvin chortled as he sat back up to lean on his knees.

“Oh, pssh.” Anne waved his concern away. “We found Marcy, her and Andrias are figuring out how to fix the box. We’re basically done and are just enjoying ourselves until we go home.”

“Oh, I’m sure you and Sashy are really gonna enjoy each other till then.” His teasing tone elicited a squeak from the Thai gal whose cheeks darkened fiercely at the implications it brought to mind.

“Calvin!” She shouted and slapped him across the room. The sting was nearly enough for him to miss the flash of blue light that danced over her eyes.

“Embarrassment is shame leaving the body.” He groaned from the heap of bedding he was in before adding on with a mumble. “Pain has a similar relation with weakness.”

“Oh my Frog, are you alright?” Anne was next to him in a heartbeat, worry coloring her face as her chocolate eyes surveyed him for damage.

“Nothing I won’t walk off eventually.” Calvin pulled himself free of his comfy crater and was going to remake his bed before Anne gave him a gentle chop on the head.

“I threw you across the room, at least let me fix your bed.” Before he could argue or agree she was already getting to work. “These powers are kinda scary, huh?”

Dull pains ran through his arms and legs as his vision took on an orange hue. Each swing of his ax cleaved limps from thoraxes and every time a raised fist fell a fountain of blueish blood burst. The prey were of a hive mind and so knew no fear, but their predator knew no restraint nor any care for itself. They died in droves near unrelenting, the fight beginning to slow only because the ants struggled to maneuver over a field of their dead.

For a moment it seemed as though the creature was done for, as an ant had managed to grab it around the waist with clacking mandibles, bodily throwing the monster across the cavern. Luckily even in death barbariants are rather bouncy and the man-shaped thing barely felt the landing before returning to its self-appointed task.

The beast’s muscles burned and ached from effort and something more, but it didn’t care. How could it, with work to be done and a promise to fulfill. The more ants that fell here, the fewer there were to stop his friends and the more help he’d be. So what if it punched hard enough to break one of his fingers, he still had nine more. It didn’t care that that was a lot of red blood running down his leg, if it could still break chitin then it was well enough. The ax’s haft might have broken in his grip, but it still had heft enough for the task.

“Yeah.” Calvin faintly agreed, face paler than before. “I suppose it can be a bit scary.”

He was glad Anne had her back to him, because he was aware enough that he couldn’t play off how shaken he felt. Luckily, just as she was finishing up, the sound of an irritated old frog could be heard outside the hotel room. She raced for the door while he took his time and arrived to see Hop Pop chewing Polly’s ear off. Or whatever a tadpole used for hearing.

“Dang it Polly, I nearly had to sell Sprig for a week to get off that bus.” He complained. “You’re lucky Sasha’s quicker than a hiccup.”

“What’s the big deal?” Polly argued back. “Anne sold Sprig to Maddie for pizza dough and we didn’t even get to make the pizza!”

Sprig, for his part, seemed bored out of his gourd, brightening up upon seeing his older sister. Sasha looked painfully awkward as she glanced between the squabbling Plantars, but she gained a tomato’s complexion as soon as she noticed Anne’s chuckling.

The brunette walked up and put a toned arm over the shoulders of his lieutenant and let her laughter grow as the bickering increased. The blonde developed a timid smile as she looked away with content eyes.

Calvin suddenly felt rather alone.

Chapter Text

Marcy was adorable, passionate, and easy to talk to in her own way. She was also a pain in Calvin’s ass. These qualities struck him in equal measure and instead of balancing out as was proper, they just kept him ping ponging between friendly and irritated with the ranger captain. He wanted to forgive her for the ant hill incident, he’d forgiven Anne, but it was kinda hard when she didn’t seem to understand what the actual problem was with that whole event. Out of the three of them, he was the only one who got to see the absent minded genius, but only barely as she was still helping the king research the box.

So she delegated the super power research to the lovely professionals of the Newtopia Medical Institute. Such jolly folk, with their hungering eyes and cold words. Imagine Calvin’s joy, waking up the day after the tour fiasco to newt rangers at his door, ‘asking’ him to join them at the Institute to ‘garner greater insight into your abilities.’

“I can’t help but remember that I told Marcy I’m not a lab rat.” Calvin said in a neutral tone.

“Of course, sir.” One of the rangers replied. With their hoods up, there really wasn’t much to tell one from another beside snout color. “That’s why we’re asking instead of ordering.”

“And what makes you think you can order me around?” He asked in a less than neutral tone.

“Not a thing, sir. Just figured you’d be safer there than in the city proper.” The muggings of the last few days replayed in the teen’s mind. How they all mentioned his gauntlets and didn’t seem too put off with the idea of attacking a human when Ranger Captain and Royal Advisor Marcy Wu was their only point of reference. Paranoia started to seep into the young man’s mind.

“Is that right?” His voice was as warm as winter midnight. “Well, your city has proven about as hospitable as the rest of this damned world, so why not? Didn’t have much of a plan till we left for home anyways.”

Marcy stopped by a couple times throughout the day, always mid test, to go over numbers and do Q/A with the scientists about what a human should and shouldn’t be capable of, but she never actually came to talk to him. By the time he was done running on a treadmill or lifting junk, she was already gone with the wind, nose deep in her journal.

“According to Master Marcy’s information,” Nameless Doctor Number 12 analyzed at him instead of to him. “And the tests conducted once her leg had healed, your physical performance is well above the average of what an adolescent of your maturity should be capable of, to say nothing of your remarkable healing.”

“I aim to please.” Was the deadpan reply. “We done here?”

“We can be done for today, the first day being light on tests is an acceptable loss for morale purposes.” The lab coated Newt nodded wisely. “Be sure to rest well, tomorrow will involve physical and mental challenges.”

“Joy.”

Loathe as he was to run the rat races for them, the rangers that had escorted Calvin here had hinted that he was being targeted in Newtopia and it didn’t take a genius to figure out the ‘who,’ now he just needed the ‘why’ and this was his only lead without barging into the throne room. A part of him wondered why he didn’t ask the girls or the Plantars for help with this, especially since Sasha and Sprig both knew it was happening. A different part, in a familiar female voice chastised him for trying to spread his problems to his friends after what an ordeal Amphibia had proven to be.

He was so wrapped in his mental gymnastics that he nearly bumped into the Toads blocking the path in front of him. Calvin glanced around and wasn’t surprised that, even though he was on a relatively public road instead of an alley, there wasn’t another soul in sight. Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms at the line of warty muscle in front of him, the punk quirked an eyebrow at them to start their spiel.

“Awful lonesome round these parts, ain’t it?” The middle Toad commented.

“Are you going to mug me ‘for my fancy gloves?’” Calvin air quoted in reply.

“What?” Apparently the delegated speaker, the lead thug looked baffled. “How’d you know that?”

“Lucky guess.”

As he spoke, he’d already launched into a knee strike into the talker’s face. There was a cruel crunch as he went down like a sack of bricks. Without pause Calvin launched a kick into the hooded face of another Toad as they drew a dagger. The final one raised a club to bludgeon the human who stepped aside and slammed a pair of fists into the ruffian’s back, launching him into a knee strike to the chest.

“Why don’t y’all do me a kindness and answer some questions I just thought of?” Calvin inquired as he grabbed the kicked Toad by the collar and raised a fist threateningly. It was pure luck that it was in the path of a crossbow bolt.

Choosing not to waste anytime, Calvin sprung forward into the cover of one of the stalls that lined the street. Glancing around, he couldn’t see any more shooters but that didn’t give him too much comfort given that he missed the first one. Choosing to gamble, he made a break for the nearest alley.

His boots thunder against the cobbles for a minute, twisting at random, before slowing down and letting his thunder die to a whisper. The teen stalks into the second darkest shadow the tight path has to offer and waits. Some ten seconds later and the sound of heavy breathing and a rough voice come down the way he’d run. The secret fourth Toad passes his hiding place without a second glance, too busy gauging the better hiding spot by the detritus just a little further along.

After a couple good kicks, the shooter is satisfied with how empty this stretch of alley is and continues running. Calvin waits until the sprinting is out of ear shot and waits a little longer in case anyone follows. After silence had reigned long enough, his silent footfalls led him back the way he’d come to see that the muggers were well and truly gone, a hint of blood on the pavement the only sign anything had happened here. With a grunt of frustration, the human threw his hood up and went back along his way, gauntlets as hidden under his cloak as he could manage, even if that didn’t seem to affect the odds of an attack.

The walk back to the hotel was dull, the streets eventually refilling and making passing without much trace a simple task. The lobby was mostly empty in the evening light and Calvin trudged up to his room exhausted in a way sleep didn’t fix. He was surprised to find the suite empty and it sounded like the girls’ was in a similar state. Shrugging off the oddity, he showered and got ready for sleep. Just before sleep finished claiming his mind, the sound of his companions returning could be heard past the door.

“Oh, hey Calvin,” Sprig greeted warmly. “How was the science?”

“Sweaty, aggravating, and I think Marcy designed it to get on my nerves.” He grumbled, mood lightened by the frog boy. Hard kid not to like.

“I wouldn’t put it past her.” Sasha commented, throwing some popcorn into her mouth. “You went all fiery after getting pissed, she might be trying to see if you need to be mad to pop off.”

“Huh.” He blinked twice. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Well,” The blonde shrugged with inflated pride. “We can’t all be geniuses, can we?”

“No, I suppose we can’t.” His cheeky tone wasn’t missed, but she did leave the point at that.

“What’d you guys do today?” Calvin asked to ward off the approaching silence. The story, regalled to him between Anne and Sprig, was about what he expected. It was wacky, nonsensical, and needlessly dangerous, everything he’d come to expect from a day in Amphibia.

Sprig continued talking as he made ready for bed and while Calvin was only listening enough to give the barest of replies, the teen found the wave of speech an agreeable alternative to silence. It filled the room with a buzzing joy, not dissimilar in how Marcy would with her focuses, but where a Wu rant was a train without brakes Sprig’s tale would shift and bend even with what little input he received.

Calvin didn’t realize he’d felt ignored until someone listened.

It made him wonder why he felt that way and all that wondering made sleep difficult. He thought about his last six months on Earth, after the move and school starting. Back then, Calvin didn’t really have much to say, but the girls weren’t exactly renowned listeners. Anne ran everything through a filter of ‘Would Sasha approve’ or ‘Would this put Marcy in danger,’ it was Sasha’s way or the highway, and there was no way to guess what would actually catch Marcy’s attention.

Going a bit deeper, he thought about his dad. A single father in LA taking on a promotion he didn’t want because the divorce cleaned him out doesn’t make for the most attentive of parental figures, but even still he couldn’t find it in him to blame his old man. Or maybe he just didn’t want to linger on the one person he left behind.

For a moment, he began to think further back. Calvin decided he did not want to and so he did not.

With no more past to trespass, he instead had to come forward. Anne was the exact same and completely different all in one go. She was still the same bubbly, go-getter who cared for her friends, but now she cared for herself too. Sasha had pulled a complete 180 and was trying to relinquish all control she had once craved. He wasn’t sure if that was a good change or not, but at least she heard other people speak now. As for Marcy, she seemed the exact same, if not more physically coordinated.

Calvin was probably different too, but he’d have to ask to figure that out.

So if most of them were ‘better’ now, why didn’t he feel better? Sure, it was better than the kind of loneliness he felt right after the move but that’s a low bar to clear. Maybe he was still mourning the life he thought he was going to have back home, that’s what his therapist said he was doing. As much as he liked Polly as a little friend, it had a bad habit of dragging him back to dreams from before the accident.

Even thinking about thinking about it was getting on his nerves and Calvin decided he needed some fresh air. Silent as the grave he got out of bed and made his way onto the outdoor balcony. It wasn’t as bright as Los Angeles at night, but Newtopia from up there looked like a city that never slept. At least in amphibians that’s not so odd, a number of species being nocturnal by nature. He tried to distract himself by thinking about how the lights glittered like captured stars, explaining why the night sky looked empty save for the sanguine moon.

“Ain’t it pretty, bro bro?” He heard the voice of a young girl say. She would have been a hint more than four by now.

Tears began to blur his vision before it started to tint orange and the salty grief evaporated. The teen’s breathing became heavier and rough, nearly heaving when the sound of a sliding door opening reached him. It was that disruptive noise that made him notice the railing now had hand-shaped dents in it.

“Calvin?” Anne asked. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Getting some air.” Not wrong, exactly. “The room was getting too humid for me and I needed a second. Not that the salty air is doing me much better.”

“Heh, yeah.” She leaned over her own railing and gazed out across the city. “Nice view.”

“Ain’t too shabby.” He agreed as calmly as he could. “Too humid in there for you, under that bush of hair?”

“Not really, I’ve gotten pretty used to it.” The brunette shook her head and let her curls bounce to highlight her point. “I was having a pretty good dream when all of a sudden my heart broke.”

“No one likes a nightmare.” Especially living in one.

“Broke just like what happened in the ant hill.” He could feel her eyes on him but refused to turn.

“Aw, you dream of me?” Deflect with humor, a classic. “I’m touched.”

“Wise guy.” She lightly punched him on the shoulder, their balconies close enough for the interaction. “You know that’s not what I meant. I was going to knock on your door when I got a feeling you might be out here.”

“Heck of a feeling.” Stalling is not a good look on you, Tiger.

“Seriously dude, what’s up?” Anne’s voice ringed with concern and he knew that if he looked he’d break.

“Alright, maybe I had a nightmare before I remembered I hated humidity.” He shrugged without looking her way.

“A nightmare bad enough to make you go all orange and glowy?” Calvin snapped to her quick enough to watch her worry warp into a victorious grin. “Knew it.”

“How?”

“Call it a heck of a feeling.” Her smug smile softened into something welcoming and warm. “Come on, what’s bugging you?”

Oh you know, the usual. Thinking about how unhealthy our friend group was until we got teleported to a swampy hell hole. Thinking about how Sasha is scared of leading and how Marcy is the same vibrant, inattentive girl who ruined my lunch months ago. Got a little stuck thinking about how Dad is killing himself with worry, but I ran away from that topic pretty quick. Believe it or not, I got even more stuck thinking about what caused my parent’s divorce and ruined my life. Guess that’s probably what ticked me off.

“It was a pretty good nightmare.” Maybe this is what they mean when they say talking is a learned skill instead of human nature.

Anne was very clearly not buying that malarkey but figured that pressing more would just upset him. She gave him a reassuring pat on the arm and leaned on the railing, eyes a brilliant cerulean that he didn’t catch. The pair of them stared at the unsleeping city in silence for a time. A drawling yawn from the young man broke the moment and with hushed wishes for better dreams the pair went back to their rooms. Sleep caught Calvin the moment his head hit the pillow.

For the first time in what must have been forever, his own dreams crawled out of the darkness of night. It wasn’t a memory but still felt too real to be imagined. The four humans, enjoying each other’s company and relaxing, hanging out like nothing was important. Anne told a joke and they laughed, Sasha made a suggestion on what else they could do for the day. Marcy had a hundred and one fun facts on the topic but stopped when Calvin remembered that his dad wanted to grill out that evening. Like a storm, the teens ran to where the steaks would be waiting.

Sometimes, you don’t notice how poorly you’ve been sleeping until a single good night comes along. Calvin woke up refreshed and beaming like the morning sun. When room service came by with breakfast, they found a jolly alien waiting for them, a regular delight compared to his usual polite indifference. The human was also generous with the tip that morning, having used the card several days ago to take out tip money for the staff. His grin only grew to accommodate his breakfast.

Hop Pop and Sprig woke up as bright eyed and bushy tailed as the dead, but Calvin’s attitude was infectious and the hotel’s food was just as high quality as they’d come to expect. Neither frog commented on the surprisingly chipper roommate they had, lest drawing attention to the mood would dull it. He wasn’t a grouch, per say, but Calvin had a habit for being a sarcastic and sullen son of a gun when he wasn’t putting on an act.

Mere moments after finishing up their breaking of the fast there came a knock at the suite’s door. No one was all too surprised, the girls usually woke up earlier, but they were surprised to find a pair of Newtopian Rangers waiting.

“The Captain sent us to escort you to the Institute, sir.” One of their voices ordered from under their hood.

“What, too busy to say ‘hi’ to her friends?” Calvin inquired.

“Master Marcy is very busy researching with the King.” The other replied. “I’m sure she’d be here if her work wasn’t more pressing.”

“More pressing, eh?” Sprig could feel the air around Calvin shift. “Why be friendly when you can convince yourself you’re being useful, I suppose.”

“She’s been a great boon to Newtopia.” In a more hushed tone, they continued. “Unlike the lot of you.”

“I was under the impression we were guests of the king.” Not hushed enough, it would seem. “Are guests supposed to make themselves useful?”

“Everyone in Newtopia earns their keep, outsider or not.”

“You must not get out of the walls much, managing to get here is effort enough.” Calvin wasted time looking at what little clothing he had like he didn’t already know what he was wearing for the day.

“Perhaps your compatriots have.” Now the punk was paying attention. “We’ve read the report on the barbari-ant incident. Be thankful you haven’t been caged like the beast you act like.”

They blinked for a moment and Calvin was in their face. His smile had never left his features but had soured into something decidedly unkind. The young man was nearly a head taller than the ranger and even unarmed felt like a threat. The newt had to crane their head up to meet his mean, flaming eyes.

“Speaking awfully rude to a guy who could dribble you off the ground floor from here.” His tone was sickly in its sweetness. “Be a dear and wait here quietly while I get ready, yeah?”

Cruel as it was, he took some pride in how cowed the pair of newts looked as he made his way into the shower. Ten minutes later he was out and clean, not terribly shocked to see the girls waiting for him as he came out. Polly and Sprig stopped their whispering, Hop Pop his twiddling, and the humans gave him their full attention. Their worry did little to crack his aggravated mood.

“Dude, what’s gotten you so worked up?” Anne led the discussion.

“I think Sasha might have been right about Marcy trying to piss me off,” Calvin explained. “Because she sent the rudest damn guards she could to pick me up this morning.”

“Language.” Old Man Plantar mumbled, refusing to make eye contact.

“Okay, fair enough,” Sasha stepped in front of Calvin. “But is that really enough to set you off like this?”

“Apparently.” He grabbed his gauntlets from the end table and stepped around the blonde for the coat closet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna punt a scientist or two.” The clicking of the clasp put some finality on the topic that the girls wouldn’t stand for.

“Maybe you should sit out today.” Anne cautioned. “I get that you volunteered, but one of us could take a crack at it.”

“Volunteered?” His voice was incredulous. “I was volun-told, thank you very much. A pair of rangers show up yesterday practically ordering me to go to her dumb testing and Marcy doesn’t even have he decency to show up for most of it! I only went because they mentioned the muggings, now I have to deal with pricks like these guys? I’ve got half a mind to head up to the castle and drag ‘Mar-Mar’ down here by her cloak.”

“Muggings?” Anne latched onto that point.

“There was more than one?” Sprig and Sasha said at the same time, looking at each other in shock.

“Three, actually.” Calvin seemed nonplussed, playing at checking his gloves for damage. “They all knew about my gloves no matter how well hidden they were, then a guard of all people hints at it. Not the most subtle of hints, but I’ll take it.”

“You’ve been attacked three times now and didn’t mention even one of them?” Anne couldn’t believe what she had heard.

“At first, I thought it was just big city troubles.” The punk shrugged. “The thing about my mitts was weird, but maybe I’m not as slick as I thought. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Okay, but why didn’t you say anything?” She was really stuck on that part.

“Didn’t seem important at the time.” His boots were on now and he was heading for the door when a couple of hands, one white and one brown, landed on his shoulders.

“You were attacked, not once, not twice, but three whole times.” Sasha was somewhere between ashamed at not knowing and astounded she wasn’t told. “You should have told us immediately.”

“It isn’t like I’ve had all too many chances to go and bring it up, you’ve all been busy trying to wind down from this adventure of ours.” His veil of nonchalance was fraying under the weight of his annoyance.

“Why should we be relaxing when you’re being targeted?” Sprig piped up, worry an odd sight on his normally happy-go-lucky features.

“As you and Sasha can attest, it’s been nothing I couldn’t handle.” A touch of pride leaked past his mask.

“For now, but if that changes then we need to be there to help you!” Anne clasps his hand in both of her own. At the hint that he was going to pull away, brown eyes burned blue and her soft concern galvanized to resolve. “We’re supposed to help each other, aren’t we?”

“Like we’re helping Marcy?” He didn’t mean for the hint of venom in his voice, but it was there anyways.

“That’s not the same, we can trust her to translate the old books and stuff-”

“But don't you trust me to take care of myself?” Calvin interjected, eyes narrowing.

“Marcy’s not in trouble in the castle.” Sasha tried to rationalize but that just seemed to push the young man further.

“How do we know that?” His voice grew in decibel before he brought it to heel. “A thousand year old king, barely ruling a kingdom from the middle of the continent, and we trust him with our friend just because he’s an unprofessional goofball?”

“Sure, he might not be very royal-y, but he seems harmless enough.” Anne defended.

“There’s no way someone gets a title like ‘Unifier of the Toad Clans’ in a harmless manner.” He countered. “Or rules a kingdom for a millennium. That sounds like some pretty absolute power, which has a bad habit of being absolutely corrupting.”

“Back on Earth, sure.” Sasha admitted before making her own counter. “But we aren’t on Earth.”

“Oh please, just because they’re short, slimy, or warty doesn’t mean they aren’t people. And people are the same everywhere you go.” The start of a growl lingered just under his throat.

Before the argument could escalate further, there was a firm knocking at the door. In the commotion, everyone had forgotten that there were still newts waiting at the door.

“If you’re done making yourself presentable, you have a full schedule of testing today, sir.” The other ranger said through the door.

“I’d love to keep this going gals,” Calvin finally took his hand back from Anne. “But as you can hear, I have places to be and answers to find. So, if you’ll excuse me.”

Sasha stepped between him and the door, arms crossed with pink fire in her eyes. The tension between them grew at a meteoric pace as he stepped closer. They were nearly nose to nose, Strength craning her neck to look Honor in the eye.

“Unless you’d like to stop me?” Orange clashed with pink in a silent contest of wills. Then pink glanced to blue and whatever she saw there softened her features. Sasha blinked and her heterochromia returned with a sigh. She stepped aside and Calvin walked out without another word.

He stormed past the guards and was thankful that they were just as talkative as yesterday’s pair. The walk to the Institute was silent in the morning light, ocean mist dancing in the cutting stride of the human boy. Imagine his surprise when Marcy was actually waiting there, surrounded by a gaggle of lab coat wearing newts. One of them glanced up when the doors clanked shut behind him and tugged on the Ranger Captain’s sleeve.

“What, Bar-” She began, turning in the scientist’s direction and consequently seeing why he wanted her attention. “Oh, hey Calvin.”

He grunted in reply and whether Marcy noticed his foul mood or not, she pressed on in that bubbly way of hers. She began to spew terms to her retinue of nerds at a rapid pace that he was sure they couldn’t catch all of. The scientists had to scramble to keep up as the genius began to walk down one of the various clinically adorned halls. Calvin followed after a spell under the assumption that this was the plan.

“Alright, so I’ve got the morning free thanks to some nobles demanding Andrias’ attention,” Marcy explained from the confines of her journal, walking backwards to address her test subject. “So I’m really excited to see what you can do today compared to yesterday’s control!”

“Mmm, I’m sure.” Calvin grumbled. Her enthusiastic smile finally crested over her notebook to look at him and she let out a gasp.

“Oh my Frog, you’re already doing it!” She pushed through the scientists and grabbed the young man by the face, turning him to and fro to get every detail she could of his condition. “Unless you always had glowing orange eyes, which I’m pretty sure I would have noticed by now.”

“Wouldn’t bet on it.” He muttered to her face. She paused for a second and her face became unreadable as she looked at him differently than before. The moment passed as quickly as it came and she was back to scribbling in her ratty book.

“We were going to spend the morning going over ways to trigger the effect, but it seems like you’ve got that covered already.” Marcy spared him a glance. “What brought this on?”

“The guards you sent got on my nerves.” That growl from before finally escaped.

“Ah, so aggressive feelings do help trigger the power.” It was kinda funny how she slammed her book shut, squealed in joy, and did a little dance. “Gah, you really are a Supah Sayajin! I wonder if the rest of us need to be angry to do it, too.”

“There’s gotta be a newer anime you could reference.” He said in Japanese, a trick he picked up trying to impress Ryu.

“Nothing beats a good classic.” She replied in kind, because of course she could. “Though, given your medical report, maybe Naruto would have fit better.”

“Don’t even, Wu.” Calvin couldn’t help but let playfulness slip into his tone. “It was a subpar series and you know it.”

“Don’t be such a Sasuke, dude.” The weeb chided teasingly. She went back to business in English. “I guess we can skip right to physical tests if we’ve already got you in a ‘powered’ state.”

“Actually, Master Marcy.” One of the near dozen Newts that had been following them this entire time piped up. “If I may make a suggestion. Perhaps now would be an appropriate time for a combat trial?”

“Are you serious?” Calvin asked incredulously. “That is such a bad-”

“IT WOULD BE SO ANIME!” Marcy shouted right in his ear, cutting his thought off at the root. “This’ll be even better than the ant hill, I’ll actually be able to take notes while you’re being a badass!”

“There’s not a world where this goes well.” He managed, trying to skirt past her last comment. “I’m not above defending myself, but I don’t do blood sports.”

“You also said you wouldn’t help with the testing, yet here you are.” Marcy booped him on the nose with a toothy grin. “Come on, we’re not gonna force anyone to fight you. This’ll be great data dude, it’ll demonstrate how the power impacts us physically and mentally.”

“Mentally?” He asked unsurely.

“Yeah. You attacked us in the ant hill and that was the first time any of us started popping off. Sasha flared in response but still looked focused. This will be a controlled environment to push our powers to see how they impact our personalities.” She explained clinically. One of the science squadies scuttled off.

Calvin wanted to argue, he really did. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of attacking someone while he was in a heightened state. Flashes from what he did to the barbariants played through his mind and he shuddered. But by that same sentiment, if he was going to have these powers he wanted to understand them better and Marcy unfortunately had a point. If he couldn’t control the powers, then it was better to learn that now than when he might hurt someone important to him.

Marcy took his contemplative silence for acceptance and dragged him by the wrist to an expansive, metallic room. She led him to the center and let go of his arm, beaming at him like she did her favorite shows. His anger at her dueled with how infectious her enthusiasm always was.

“Alright, me and the boys are gonna head up to the observation chamber to observe, ha, and all you gotta do is try not to kill anyone. Easy.” She threw him a thumbs up right out of Japanese animation. The chuckle he gave in return was involuntary but genuine.

“Fine, whatever, I can probably manage that.” Calvin sighed and rolled his shoulders. “But when this is done, I need to talk to you.”

“Sure, of course dude.” She sounded authentic, but was already heading for the door with a wave. It closed with finality and he was alone in what looked more like a bunker than a lab. He hardly had a moment to wonder what this room was designed for when the door flew back open to reveal one of the rangers from before.

“Maybe this wasn’t the worst idea I ever heard.” He said to himself as the rude ranger hefted a spear and readied his shield.

“Prepare yourself, beast.” The newt took a defensive stance and began to circle the teen.

“Did you volunteer for this whooping?” Calvin asked, keeping distance and pace with his foe.

“Of course I did. Someone needs to teach you that you can’t just attack a hero of Newtopia and get off consequence free.” He slammed the haft of his weapon against his shield.

“That’s hard to argue with, I suppose.” The fire eyed teen shrugged. “How’s your health insurance?”

The ranger charged with a battle cry in response. Calvin snickered a little, already knowing how he planned to respond. As the tip of the spear was drawn back to attack the test subject raised his fists like he normally did. When it was plunged toward the center of his mass, he slapped it aside and turned the motion into that brutal counter punch he was so fond of. It was hard not to take some satisfaction as the newt flew across the room to slap against the wall, sliding to the ground like a cartoon character.

“Apparently it’s great.” He eyed the reflective window ten feet in the air as what humor he had drained away. His voice rose as he addressed the unseen spectators. “Happy? Now get him an ambulance, or whatever you’ve got here.”

The door opened once again, a trio of guards entering. One beelined for their fallen comrade, confirming his vitals before dragging him from the room. Silently, the other two leveled their weapons and moved around the human in opposite directions.

“Seriously?” Was all he had time to ask before he started filling more hospital beds in the name of research.

Chapter Text

What a day. At least sleep came easy, the fire in his eyes having died just before dinner. His limbs were leadened and red from exertion, but you should have seen the other guys. Calvin was pretty sure he must have put at least half of the Knight Guard in the hospital before they finally let him out of the test chamber. There came a certain point where they felt like their pride had been insulted but after the fourth wave they accepted the insult.

He arrived back at his shared room with hardly a sound, washing the day off of his skin lethargically before heading to his bed to collapse. The night took him with no fanfare and the tired test subject was a bit annoyed to find himself in that weird, space area instead of normal oblivion.

Once again, three unnaturally colored stars orbited themselves, glowing in their respective neon colors. And maybe it was because he was low on energy, but he didn’t recall Blue and Pink floating that close together before. Normally he’d drift to one and see what the dreamscape had to offer, but he couldn’t find it in himself to interact tonight.

A morning blow out and a day of aggravation dedicated to one of them did leave something of a sour taste in his mouth. Then he slapped his ephemeral forehead as he realized he never got to have that talk with Marcy.

Calvin just sat in the void, watching as incredibly distant lights began to make themselves apparent. The astral projection of a teen wondered if those were minds too or just sparkly bits on the edge of whatever this place really was. The conundrum did a good job of keeping his mind off the day for a time but eventually he either had to check or think.

Drifting further and further from the familiar neon glows, the points became clearer but never closer. Faintly gleaming and frustratingly out of reach for him, Calvin began to feel cold. Colder and colder still, even if he couldn’t see his arms he could feel them shivering. Growling at the taunting fairy lights, he wills himself back to whence he came and the warmth washed over his mind immediately. Lesson learned.

Feeling forced into a pen, the oracle drifted closer to the pair of close celestial bodies with a curious mind. Blue and Pink were far closer than any stars could get away with, what with gravity and physics and all that. Maybe it was intuition, or luck, or a nudge from somewhere else, but Calvin moved himself in between the two stars and was rewarded by being dragged into a new scene.

The air was colored like blood as the moon of Amphibia beamed down on the recently half demolished Toad Tower of Frog Valley. My arm is straining, muscles screaming in agony. I look at her fair/darkly skinned arm and fear runs fresh through me again and again. Something, faintly, sparks at the back of my mind, but it just won’t catch. Confusion, annoyance, terror, and fury race through my mind at the girl below/above. Just moments ago, we were fighting blade and fist for people we barely knew, now I’m/she’s risking life and limb to save her/me.

Calvin jerks out of their heads, hyperventilating on reflex. The second he’s out, the emotions are ripped from him like invasive barbs. He’s left incredibly confused and no small amount of disturbed. He nearly has time to get his bearings before Anne screams, wails like the damned, and he watches Sasha fall out of her hands to what would be a very sure death.

And there he is. A bit of ego comes a calling, wanting to throw around terms like ‘Knight in Shining Armor,’ ‘Dashing Hero,’ things like that. But it’s overruled by the first thought of just how bad he looks. His hair’s nearly gray from all the dust in it, his clothes are scuffed at best, and there’s blood on his face that he doesn’t recall bleeding. And then there’s that fire in his eyes.

Calvin gets the odd feeling that it’s different, somehow.

From where he floats, he can see Grime watching with bated breath, lips moving wordlessly for a conversation only the captain can hear. As Sasha lets go, he starts sprinting up the slight incline on the edge of the canyon and leaps toward the tower. Calvin can see that his aim would have been true and that he would have caught her if not for his own intervention.

Wonder what that story would have been like.

It’s a blow to his pride, knowing that his friend was safe either way. That moment was the first time Calvin felt like he mattered in this wacky world, that he was finally contributing to the destiny that had been forced on his friends. Sure, he knew Grime made an effort back then, but he never put much thought into whether or not the toad would actually succeed, just acknowledged the attempt.

That’s the funny thing about fate, apparently. It works out, no matter the road you take to get there. And he had no part in that fate. He didn’t belong. Just like he didn’t belong in this dream.

The void welcomes him back, the same kind of cold comfort one hopes for in their pillow during the summer. It numbs him to his own foul thoughts until exhaustion has left his flesh enough to allow for an uncomfortable morning. Imagine his surprise when he isn’t the first one in the room awake.

Hop Pop sits on the edge of his shared bed, face contorted in a mask of concerned thought. His hands are clasped together as he stares at the ground like his boring stare could dig up answers to the questions that plague him. As Calvin stirred in his waking, the old frog’s face snapped to him, expression morphing to shock and maybe a hint of relief. He holds a finger to his lips for silence and motions for the teen to follow him out of the room.

Confused, Calvin complies with the curious request. They exited the suite quietly and walked to the elevator. The lobby was about as lively as one would expect for the time of morning, the early staff getting things ready for the day and a couple folks who were awake at this unholy hour for whatever reason. Neither of them spoke until they had sat at one of the tables of the food court. Hop Pop twiddled his thumbs and made to speak several times before clamming up again.

“These are nice seats, I’ll admit,” Calvin broke the ice with all the subtlety of a mallet. “But I’m not really sure this is the time to admire them.”

“Look, Calvin, you’re a nice kid,” Oh, that's never a good start. “But you can be a mite bit… Explosive.”

“Is that right?” The old frog might have turned blue if Calvin’s voice was any colder.

“Yeah, well…” He searched desperately for the version of his thought that perfectly convened what he was thinking without sparking the powder keg. “I was just thinking, that, you know, with how impressionable the youth can be and all that…”

“Uh huh.” It was a shock to see that frost wasn’t forming on the tabletop.

“Perhaps it would be best, just for the time being, while you’re doing the tests and all, that maybe…” Ah, the battle between paternal duty and a life of breeding aversion to danger. No greater duel will you find.

“Just maybe.” He had an idea of where the farmer was going, but he wanted him to say it.

“You could consider giving Polly some space?” Hop Pop flinches away proactively.

How frogging dare you? After saving her life, after her being the first friend I managed to carve out of this miserable hellscape? You look at me like I’m some kind of danger, a monster that needs to be caged and controlled? Just like those guards, like Marcy does? Suddenly you have the capacity to be a parent and decide who she can and can’t be around? Sasha tried to throw you off the frog damned tower, but she’s A-Okay for Polly? The sheer audacity, you slimy, lazy, cowardly little-

Huh.

Huh…

Maybe he has a point.

The request, the day of testing, and yesterday’s outburst, and just maybe the build up of the last four months, finally catches up to Calvin and his rage collapses under its own weight. What little remains is a cold malaise that couldn’t be bothered with it all. His body language must be an accurate reflection of this, because Hop Pop stopped hiding in himself with a look of worry.

“Sure, Hop Pop.” Calvin conceded with a devastating sigh. His chair scraped harshly as he stood, turning back to the elevator to make for his bed. “Whatever you say.”

“Wait a second, Calvin.” Of course the human heard him, the hotel was quiet as the grave, but he just kept trudging along. Not exactly how the old timer had expected this to go and somehow he came out feeling like the bad guy.

“If Sal’s was still open, I’d take him there.” He muttered before getting up with a bit more grace and heading toward the stairs. Kid probably needed a moment alone.

The trip back to the room is a silent cacophony of derisive thoughts that no one should have to deal with. First the dream, now someone thinks he’s a danger to his little sist-friend. His little friend. Not his day, and the moon still tinted the world sanguine. This was gonna be a rough one no matter how he sliced it.

And as if to prove his point, there was Anne just about to knock on the door to his suite. Must be serious, she was still in her PJs. Calvin deliberately let his footfalls slap against the tiles and the Thai gal looked his way. His half lidded gaze met her full eyes and watched as determination steeled them. With a sigh and an about face, Calvin made the laziest break for an elevator anyone had ever seen. Imagine his shock when he heard the sound of slippers running to catch up.

“Dude, I’m sure you mean well,” The boy said emotionlessly, walking backwards to face her as he spoke. “But there is no way that this is the morning for this.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure this is.” Her voice was soft with understanding but reinforced by conviction.

“I disagree.” He shrugged and slid shoulders first over the railing.

Anne’s gasp of shock filled the lobby and her hair struggled to keep up with how fast she looked over the edge. The immediate relief she felt when she saw him catch the ledge they were on and swing onto the floor below left her shell shocked for the moment.

“Wasn’t sure that would work.” Calvin said, clenching the soreness from his fingers.

“Calvin Jamie Tyric.” A part of Anne’s personal development he hadn’t really noticed until now was the progression of her ‘Mom Friendness’ growing to encompass everyone instead of just Marcy.

Genius that he was, the called out kid decided to walk away from the elevator this time. The glass contraption slid past the second floor with barely a whisper and no prizes for guessing where it stopped. The doors slid open and shut as fast as the mechanism would allow and he was only halfway to the stairs when they opened again. Righteous thunder rumbled through the floor as the Boonchuy girl stormed towards her wayward friend.

“How much you wanna bet I could do it twice?” Calvin asked with hangman’s humor. Anne did not see the funny in it, apparently.

“Calvin Tyric, if you do that again I swear to Frog I will glue you to your bed.” She wagged a finger at him, a spitting image of her mother.

“Promises, promises.” He muttered dismissively, not stopping his walk to the stairs.

“You little-, get back here!” Anne whisper-shouted, at least trying to be respectful to the still sleeping guests.

Sparing her a glance before looking at the railing beside him, Calvin pondered what the weight limit for the metal rod would be. The glass panes embedded under it would help, but not much. Then again, what did he care? Anne was unfortunately more wise to his tricks than he gave her credit for because as he jumped onto the rail and turned to grab back onto the third floor, she was upon him. Tennis and Amphibia had given the teen girl an iron grip that she locked around his ankles before he could pull himself up.

“Well that’s just unsporting.” Calvin derided.

“Get down here so we can talk.” Anne ordered, nerves a bit frayed at his antics and the time of day.

“You seem to be talking just fine from there.” There are, in fact, easier ways to try to get your ass kicked.

“Dude, seriously, let go.” She shook him a little to drive the point home.

“Gotta pick your words better, Annie B.” Oh he let go alright.

What he expected to happen was that he would either flip down and crack his spine on the balcony she was standing on or she’d let go and Calvin would try to stick the landing on the ground floor. Either outcome was acceptable at the moment. Imagine his surprise when Anne implemented option three, dragging him into her arms faster than lightning. For a second he hung there, dipped in her arms that hid strength he had only seen hinted at before.

Calvin blinked. He did it again for good measure. When his reality was still looking Anne in the face, outlined by a curtain of brown curls, he was at a loss for words. Silence reigned in that moment which passed them at a glacial pace, save for Anne’s labored breathing from the sudden exertion. But pass it did and she awkwardly pulled him to his feet and neither teenager could look at the other.

“We, uh,” Anne was the first to remember how to speak. “We need to talk.”

“Not sure anything good has ever followed that.” Calvin leaned against the railing and surreptitiously rubbed his slipper print off the metal.

“First time for everything.” She joined him, elbowing his shoulder light heartedly.

“Suppose so.” The malaise crept back up on him and started to worm back into his mind. “Alright, get it over with.”

“I just…” Anne took a deep breath and centered herself, picking her vocabulary very carefully. “This whole thing has been pretty hard on you-”

“Just me?” He snorted derisively.

“No, not just you, it’s been tough on all of us. But,” Now he feels her soft eyes boring into the side of his head. “I found the Plantars. Sasha, even for how mean they were, had the Toads. Heck, Marcy fell into the middle of the world capital!”

“Luck of the draw if there ever was any.” Calvin tried to derail her.

“But you? According to Sash, you just walked into Toad Tower after the Herons attacked. And you’ve been pretty cagey about where you landed.” She rested a hand on his wrist and he wondered when her soft hands became so calloused.

“I haven’t-”

“Dude. I get it, you don’t really need to tell me,” Anne didn’t even let him try. “Keep your promise if you want to. It doesn’t change the fact that you came back to us alone. We all dealt with our start in Amphibia with people around us who helped us at our own paces. Did you?”

He thought of Gaston, the only Olm that seemed inclined to care. The pity in Mother Olm’s eyes when he pointed out that four humans didn’t fit into a three person prophecy. The cold stares of the citizens that grew lukewarm at best, after Parisa herself said he had saved their lives. Unsought, the frigid wind passed through the wall of the broken cell Sasha had thrown him in.

Calvin shivered at the memory even as the heat of Newtopian night encased him.

“Not really, I guess.” He confessed.

“I get that you’re high strung right now, no one wouldn’t be.” Anne squeezed his wrist and grounded him back in the now. “But you’re not alone. You don’t have to do it all yourself. We, I, want to be there for you just like you have for us.”

His mouth opened to deny the need, to try to save them from problems he imagined were his alone. Just keep piling it all on his own back until it crushed him. Anne snuck one last comment into the conversation before he could.

“Sasha’d probably be dead if not for you.” Hardly above a whisper.

Once again, Calvin saw a version where Grime caught the falling lieutenant safely and carried her off into the night, to who knew what other branch in the story.

“You kept her with us and brought her home the next morning.” The tears in her voice didn’t so much halt his train of thought as much as it rendered it to ash. “We got to talk out our problems thanks to you. It’s not perfect, but what is?”

The boy’s throat constricted and his own tear ducts threatened to make an emotional wreck out of him.

“Then you go and save Polly in the jungle,” She laughs a little at that. “Helped me with that puzzle you hated-”

“No past tense, still hate.” Calvin manages to squeeze past.

“Hate, okay.” Her giggle rang like a chime. “When it turns out we have super powers, there you are pulling them out first. After we…”

The barbariants. Yeah. Hard to forget, although parts were easy to repress.

“And Marcy immediately throws you under a microscope.” Anna Banana groans and flops onto the rail. “I’m gonna have such a talk with her when we get a chance.”

“Taking the ‘mom friend’ thing a bit far, aren’t you?” Calvin chuckled.

“Okay, you joke, but honestly someone has to be the responsible one and it’s not gonna be the kids, Sasha refuses to take the wheel anymore, and Hop Pop is too goofy.” She languishes under the role she made herself.

“I’m responsible out the wazoo.” The punk defended.

“Yeah, right out the wazoo and down the drain.” The Hero of Wartwood blew him a raspberry. “Nah, I’m sure I got this.”

“Pfft, if you say so.” He wore a little grin with ease, relaxing more into his lean.

“I do, actually.” Anne pulled herself back onto her elbows. “What I’m getting at is, maybe stop with this edgy, lone wolf bit? It might fit Marcy’s RPG plot for all this, but life’s not a game and we shouldn’t live it like one.”

Calvin looked over the empty hotel. Sunlight began to purify the space from the bloody tint of the moon. Menacing shadows became doorways and alcoves to hallways, foreboding caverns to shop fronts and eateries. What little moved stopped looking so monstrous and more like the usual newt workers. Shining a bit of light on a situation has a habit of stripping the fear from it, go figure.

“Suppose you’re right.” Calvin conceded. “And what would you suggest I do then?”

“Take a day off?” Anne stood up straighter. “Sasha’s just as magic as the rest of us might be, she’s more than willing to ‘give those nerds some numbers to choke on.’ And maybe she’ll have an easier time with that investigation of yours.”

“I’m sure.” His snickering wasn’t subtle by any means. “Also, that was a terrible impression.”

“Yeah, it was.” Anne agreed and joined in the laughing. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. It’s too early for emotional drama.”

“She starts it, then says it’s too early.” Calvin’s emerald eyes rolled like downhill balls. “Make up your mind, woman.”

“Oh shut up.” She smacked him on the shoulder and they went to the elevator.

A comfortable silence met them there and joined them back to their neighboring suites. Anne waved as she went back to her room and he returned it with his usual low gusto. Entering his own, he wasn’t terribly surprised to see Hop Pop, once again on the foot of his bed, ringing his hands like he could sieve the answers of the universe from between his fingers. He perked up as the human returned, the hair sticking out of the side of his head practically standing at a higher angle in surprise.

“Calvin, I-” He started but the boy in question just raised a hand to shush him.

“I get it, honest.” Calvin explained with a melancholy smile. “Family first and all that. Guess I haven’t been the happiest camper lately. We’ll see about figuring that out, alright?”

“I… okay, son.” The old frog’s back straightened out like a weight was gone. “Sorry if that came off harsh.”

“To be fair, can’t imagine how it couldn’t.” Calvin allowed himself a childishly wicked smile as he heard Hop Pop choke a little on his own tongue. He didn’t let him stew in it long, lest the damage to his old heart be too much. “I’ll live, don’t worry.”

“Life’s about more than living, Cal.” A wrinkled orange hand rested on his side. “You only get the one, you gotta enjoy it.”

It was kinda weird hearing grandparent wisdom from the grandparent frog of the group.

“I’ll do what I can, how about that?” He patted the old timer on the head, earning a light slap on the wrist for his cheekiness.

“I guess that’ll do.” Hop Pop fixed the hair he didn’t have anymore before telling Calvin to get some more rest. The farmer took his own advice and was back to sawing logs in no time.

Calvin chuckled to himself, quiet as he could. He slipped off his slippers and laid back to rest. Emotional exhaustion lent him to sleep easily enough, falling into a dream of clear laughter, brown curls, and calloused hands.

And then there came a forceful knock at his door. Not the most difficult mystery to solve. Lo and behold, more newts in blue hoods and royal armors, come to demand that their rat run through their mazes. Already his mood began to curdle, when suddenly the neighboring door flew open with a crash.

“Morning.” Sasha Waybright, armored again and Heron Blade on her hip, greeted the newts with all the hospitality of a shark. “Where’s the lab? I’ve been dying to get a good workout in for a while now.”

“Uuuh, we’ve been instructed to escort the other human?” My my, they’re sending timid rangers now. Kinda wish they led with that.

“Oh, is it my turn?” Anne’s head pops out of her room with a comically raised eyebrow. “Shoot, lemme find my sword. Or maybe tennis racket…”

“Noooot you, the other other one?” The pair stepped away from the eager teens, having not been prepared for this kind of confrontation.

“Oh yeah, him, yeaaah.” Sasha drawled, drawing her sword and inspecting its edge like anything yet had dulled it. “He said he’d love to, but nah.”

“That’s not how-” He nearly jumped out of his official boots as mismatched eyes lanced him through.

“It is today.” There’s his lieutenant.

Under the shadows of their hoods no facial features could be distinguished except for the protruding snouts, but it wasn’t hard to pick up on how nervous the pair were as they looked at themselves then at the blonde. Proving themselves intelligent enough, they made the healthy decision and motioned for Sasha to follow them. With a dagger filled smile back to her girlfriend and the boy behind the peephole, the cheer captain strutted behind her escort with a pep in her step.

“I think that went rather well.” Anne put her fists on her hips, already dressed for the day just in case.

“Good thing they wore their brown pants.” Calvin opened the door and leaned against the doorway. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“MALL ROMP!” Sprig shouted, rushing past the human boy to jump onto his big sister’s shoulder.

“Mall Romp!” Polly exclaimed from the room behind Anne.

“Mall romp.” Anne nodded definitively.

“Mall romp.” Calvin shrugged with a smile and went to get dressed.

And what a romp it was. What started as just another uneventful day of looking at pretty things quickly devolved into a cart race brawl to win the perfect gift for Mrs. Boonchuy. Hop Pop divvied out two coppers to each kid instead of letting them attempt to dent the national treasury. A lesson in haggling, he called it. Calvin could have counted on both hands the number of minutes that had passed until he was in a blissful coma in the most expensive massage chair they had.

Polly took to haggling like a pig to mud, gone for all of a minute before returning in a solid gold bucket being pulled by the cutest little snail he’d ever seen. Well, little by Amphibia standards, Micro-Angelo was a bit larger than Polly and her bucket combined. He was also a fancy little guy, wearing a vest without sleeves and a polka dot bow tie. Polly rolled up to him in her new chariot and waited to be showered in praise.

“Quite the haul.” Calvin observed, unable to keep the smile from his voice.

“You know it.” The pollywog boasted, striking a glamorous pose.

“How’d you even manage that?” Seemed like the obvious question.

“What can I say, I’ve got a gift.” Of her many qualities, humbleness was not counted among them.

“Of course.” Calvin agreed, turning back to the window he was barely looking at.

The snail and the bucket sat at his feet for a few more moments before Polly steered it away with a pout. The smile he wore grew melancholic as she went, but he still agreed with Hop Pop so he just kept looking at nothing.

He drifted through the shopping district like a listless ghost, people watching more than window shopping. Newts scuttled from shop to shop just like humans back home and were about as polite to the workers too. Maybe rudeness is a result of civilization as a concept, the teen pondered. That was how he intended to spend his ‘day off,’ when suddenly people started gathering in the middle of the courtyard.

Wondering what all the hubbub was for, Calvin moseyed on over to look over the gathered folk. Back home he was just above average for his age, but the average height in Amphibia was about 3 feet and some change. Not counting the Olms and Andrias, of course. Or the beef cake looking newt squaring up to Anne in the middle of the clearing. She was a good head taller than the Boonchuy girl, at least

“Oh Frog damnit.” He swore under his breath.

That’s when the cart race started. On the way back to the hotel, Anne explained how she and Sprig had gotten mixed up in that by trying to get a tea pot for her mother. He’d seen it after the race and had to admit that it was worth the effort. But he also wasn’t so heartless as to deny a daughter her mother’s last work and Anne certainly wasn’t so cruel. Even though she won, she still gave the tea pot to Priscilla, the other racer. In return, Priscilla’s daughter gave Anne a cute little butterfly trinket. Heartwarming moment, all around.

They’d hardly made it into the lobby before Sasha crashed into them to brag about her day. The tests were cake walks, the scientists awed by her prowess, and she even got to talk to Marcy for a bit. Calvin and Anne shared a look and did their worst not to laugh at her embellishments. The look on her face was priceless in its indignity.

Bit of a rough morning, but the day sorted itself out, in his humble opinion. Still didn’t feel great about that little moment with Polly, but nothing’s perfect. Once again, he found himself at the balcony in the ruby moonlight. Barely a thought floated between his ears as he just tried to relax and let the moment be peaceful.

What little peace he had cultivated withered when the sliding door beside him slid open and the racing champion of the day came out. Anne fiddled with the butterfly gift, staring at it and somewhere worlds away at the same time. She didn’t notice he was there until she’d sat down, dangling her legs over the edge and laying her head on the railing. He gave her a wave, she gave one back, and they let the silence be more a companion than a result of loneliness.

Calvin nearly jumped over the edge when the door behind him opened up. Snapping his head around revealed a bedraggled Sprig Plantar, rubbing his eyes and looking like his sleep had been unrestful. His normal beam returned as he looked at Anne’s gift.

“It’s really pretty, Anne.” He complimented. “You’re mom’s gonna love it.”

“Yeah…” Anne trailed.

“What’s she like?” Sprig leaned against Calvin as he asked, not that the human minded much.

“My mom? Uh.” The question surprised her, but looking at the butterfly seemed to bring her back alongside a smile full of heart. “Kind, in her own way. Strict, too. She thought I goofed off too much, that I should study more. She annoyed me sometimes too. Like, in the kitchen, she’d sing these goofy Thai love songs. And her singing was BAD. Woof, she was beyond tone deaf.”

As she spoke, joy radiated off her like heat from a flame. Calvin had met her mother and knew a bit of what she was talking about, but hearing it from her like this was sweet enough to damage a tooth. Then her eyes began to grow wet.

“You know, it’s funny.” Still smiling, but holding her head up with her free hand, Anne’s tears flowed freely. “I’d give anything just to hear her singing.”

Then she remembered that she was talking to people and hastily wiped her eyes, apologizing all the while. Less emotionally charged, she made her way to the sun chair and leaned back into it, arms limp at her sides.

“It’s cool you know your mom, though.” Sprig plopped down on a stool and glanced her way, playing with his night cap. “Mine passed away when me and Polly were pretty young. I don’t even remember what she looked like really, much less the sound of her voice.”

Anne’s face fell like a stone and Calvin’s wasn’t far behind her. The kid was too lost in his fogged over memories to notice.

“You know, I always wondered. Can you miss someone you never actually knew?” Something dangerously close to a serious expression was covering Sprig’s face, but it disappeared as he chuckled and waved away his own question. “That’s silly, I mean, of cou-”

His sister had made it out of her chair and was about to jump balconies, but Anne stopped when Calvin leaned down and pulled Sprig into the tightest hug she’d ever seen him give. Sprig’s waterworks started leaking and he weeped quietly in the grip, though he wasn’t the only one.

“Nothing silly about that at all.” Calvin managed past his own sobbing. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Calvin?” A dozen questions in one name, Anne asked for as much as he was willing to give. He glanced her way a moment and thought a moment longer. He stood, but kept a comforting hand on Sprig, and looked away towards the city.

“When I was younger, my parents sat me down for some big news. ‘Calvin,’ they say, ‘You’re gonna be a big brother!’” He hummed at the memory. “A lotta kids get worried about that, no longer being the center of attention. I guess I was too, but babies are pretty helpless, you know? I understood. And it meant I was getting a friend for life, so what if I gotta share the spotlight?”

He felt Sprig turn to watch his face as he spoke. Anne’s eyes were practically a laser carving twin holes into the side of his head. It wasn’t his favorite story to tell, but it felt important right now.

“And the months passed, and Mom got weird cravings, moody, and blew up like a balloon.” Calvin threw his arms out to highlight what pregnancy does to a mother and joined in the laughter that deflated the tension he was injecting. “It became realer by the day; ‘I’m gonna be the best big brother my sister could ask for,’ I’d tell myself from sunrise to sunset.”

Sprig’s eyes flew wide at the mention of sister and realization painted Anne’s features, but Calvin wasn’t looking their way.

“Then one day, there was an accident.” What joy had accidently covered his face evaporated. “Some drunk behind the wheel and a moment’s haste at a stop sign and our lives flipped head over end into a ditch.”

Not even King Andrias could have pierced the silence that sucked all the noise away. It was oppressive and uncomfortable, wanting to hear more of the sad story but feeling that this somehow wasn’t the bottom yet. Eventually Calvin continued, if for no other reason then all stories need endings.

“Mother survived. My sister didn’t.” Emotion fled his retelling, distancing himself from the recollection as best he could. “Cherry on top was that it ruined her and Dad’s relationship. So, yeah, it’s not too odd to miss someone you didn’t know.”

Sprig latched onto his leg and squeezed for all he was worth. Anne finally made the jump and was on him like a constrictor boa that wanted to crush the sad out of him. Calvin just stood there in the humid night air, letting salty tears fall to the stone streets below. He returned the holds after a time and the trio tried their best to be comforts for each other.

Chapter Text

Calvin sat at a bench in a courtyard of Newtopia and slurped quietly at his… Well, it wasn’t really a soda, per say, they didn’t have the technology for that (but they had credit cards and cars? Weird world.) but it was bubbly, sugary, and almost certainly having a negative impact on his dental health, so it was soda enough. The sun was shining, the streets were at a murmur instead of their usual bustle, and, best of all, his favorite show was on.

“Whoa, that Grime guy sounds like he was really intense.” Marcy said, eyes on her girls and hands burning through pen and page with ease.

“I know.” Anne replied while Sasha had the decency to look bashful.

“The tongue thing was kinda cool, tho.”

“Right!?” Sasha exclaimed, throwing her arms up and letting them fall around her girls. Anne rolled her eyes and smirked at the gesture as Marcy turned into a blushing mess.

Calvin took another draft of his not-a-soda and let out a content sigh. With all the madness that the last four months had been, a dash of normalcy was exactly what his fraying nerves needed. Not that it was the exact same as back on Earth, mind you. A touch more tender, maybe? Less bite, for sure.

“Hey Cal, whatcha doin?” Sprig hopped onto his shoulder with a pair of spider egg bubble teas.

“Enjoying the show.” He gestured with his drink to the trio of girls that were definitely not flirting with each other.

“Why’re they all flirting?” The pink frog scratched under his chin with what was hopefully his own straw. “I thought only Anne and Sasha were dating?”

“Ya see, that’s the funny part; they aren’t flirting.” He smirked. “This is just how they are together.”

Sprig and Calvin sat in silence for a minute, watching three besties conversate in ways that went just a bit beyond bestie and a bit closer to hand-holding degeneracy. They missed what Anne said, but it was good enough to garner a hug from Marcy that left the Thai girl with darker cheeks and a cheeky smile. Sasha boxed her girlfriend in by resting her chin on her free shoulder, chittering something to their ranger friend, who ‘eeped’ at whatever the thought was and straightened up.

“Are you sure about that?” Sprig raised an eyeridge at his human perch who snickered.

“I’m telling ya, this is what they were like back on Earth, more or less.” He shook his head and took another sip. “For some reason, they think that this is normal.”

“They’ve got to be doing this on purpose.”

“I thought the same thing for a bit, but they just kept dancing around that next step. Now that Anne and Sasha are actually going out, I’m convinced that they have absolutely no clue what they’re doing. Especially to Marcy, the poor ball of embarrassment. It was funny before, but now it’s comedy gold.”

“And that’s about when the Tower started exploding, I think.” Anne rubbed her chin, dredging up the memories of what was a rather poor day.

“Wait, Wally actually planted the boomshrooms!?” Marcy shouted, looking aghast at her notebook where she’d sketched Toad Tower from Anne and Sasha’s descriptions. It was rather accurate, no surprise there.

“Yeaaaa, turns out he doesn’t really get the difference between sarcasm and serious when stressed.” The sheepish Thai girl rubs her neck and turns her face to not have Sasha in the corner of her eye. “He planted, like, a ton of shrooms.”

“And even then, some of the Tower held.” Sasha added, the very picture of melancholy, though a hint of wistfulness still lingered in her mixed eyes.

“Wow, those must’ve been some good fortifications.” Marcy made another note. “What happened next?”

“Bit of gravity, bit of catching, and a whole lotta running.” Calvin butted in, Sprig on a shoulder and Polly under an arm. She was devastating a lollypop like it had offended her, not that Calvin minded the slobber too terribly. “All in all, pretty normal Amphibia day, if I do say so myself.”

“There was a bit more to it than that, like-” Anne started but Calvin passed her Sprig with their drinks.

“Just another day in Amphiba-Land.” Calvin smirked at his Thai friend as she began to sip at her drink. The punk laughed exceptionally hard as the spider eggs in Anne’s tea hatched in her mouth and she screamed in horror. Sasha joined him even as she took the traitorous drink from her girlfriend.

“Aw, those have such a fun texture, I really wanted you to try that.” Marcy groused.

“You recommended that and you KNEW IT WAS SPIDER EGGS?!?” Anne roared.

“Insects and the like are excellent sources of protein, Annie B.” Mar-Mar looked more confused than cowed by the yelling. “Besides, what have you been eating for the last few months?”

“Th-that’s not the point! Those weren’t hatching in my mouth!”

“Actually, there was this one time-” Sprig started before his irate human sister grabbed him by the face and gave him a look that could curdle milk.

“I’ll, uh, get you something else?” The frog boy offered in a muffled plea. She released his gob and he ran off to make good his promise.

Anne’s glare melted away in the time it took to move her head back to her girls. Save for one parting frown at Calvin, giggly as he was. A lightbulb practically lit over her head and she met her token male friend’s gaze as he settled into a comfortable grin.

“Actually, now that I think about it,” Anne tentatively explained. “I think I need Calvin’s help today?”

“With what?” The other humans asked as one.

“It’s a, uh, surprise, actually.” The Thai gal stammered a little, shyly looking away.

“Well, you’ve at least caught my interest, Annie B.” Calvin shrugged before passing Sasha a pollywog. The blonde didn’t seem to appreciate the spray of slobber that came with Polly enjoying her lollypop but didn’t try to pass her back. “Do I get any hints?”

As if on cue, Sprig returned with a drink like Calvin’s that he passed to his human sister with care. Anne narrowed her eyes at him before inspecting the dark brown liquid as closely as she dared, giving it the ol sniff test even. Satisfied or too tempted by the sugary smell, she took a swig before perking up and slugging back half the beverage with a content smile.

“That’s a lot better, thanks Sprig.” Anne sighed.

“No problem Anne.” Sprig reinflated as though a physical weight had been taken off of him.

“Wait, isn’t that-” Marcy started before Anne grabbed Calvin by the elbow and started dragging him away.

“Lalala, I can’t hear you, see you guys later, can’t wait for the sleepover, byyyyyye!” Anne shouted back to drown out whatever sickening ingredients went into her nice tasting drink, Calvin helping her out with his cackling as they departed.

“What’s wrong with beetle blood?” Marcy murmured as Sasha patted her on the back reassuringly and only a little sarcastically.

After a while, Anne graciously allowed Calvin to walk of his own accord, her frown eventually melting in the smug heat of his grin. They made their way through town in amicable silence, Calvin having given up on asking Anne to confirm her surprise before they arrived at it. Instead, he thought it would be more fun to try to poke at the Why rather than the What.

“So…” He drawled, stepping up beside Anne without looking at her. “The four of us, together for the first time in months, free from research and combat. A special occasion, sure, but it’s not exactly a first, so I don’t think that’s why.”

“What are you-” Anne started but she was tutted silent.

“I’m thinking, gimme a second. What’s so different that it would warrant this bout of spontaneity?” Calvin side eyed his friend appraisingly, smirking as she nervously twisted a curl around her finger. “The Plantar kids? Maybe, but, near as I know, any shop that would catch their eye would have been the other way, so it’s not that?”

To her credit, Anne gave nothing away as he went on, but that was hint enough for him.

“And it’s clearly not for me, else why ask for me instead of your girlfriend?” There was a hitch in Boonchuy’s step for a moment and Calvin doubled down on the lead. “My next guess might have been Marcy, but I get a feelin that ain’t it, eh?”

“Well, I-”

“Some sort of surprise for Sasha? What ever could that be, I wonder?” The amateur detective hummed as they walked, glancing at the signs they passed. Even if he couldn’t read Amphibian like Marcy could, most of them had pictures. Specifically, in this part of town, pictures of dresses and such. “Ah, that’d do it.”

“I figured, you know, we’ve got the royal credit card, so why not-”

“Finally get you out of the old school uniform and into actual clothing?” Calvin finished for her. “And if it just so happens to be something Sasha finds nice to look at, a nice bonus?”

“Yeah, you could put it like that.” Anne blushed at having been so easily read by a male of the species, even if she had planned on explaining this herself anyways.

“As the guy who bought you new shoes, I approve of this plan wholeheartedly.” Calvin clapped her on the back with a smile. “Though, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’m qualified for this.”

“Out of everyone else? You were kinda my only option dude.”

“Really? Whyzzat?”

“Well, Sprig and Polly don’t know anything about human taste, despite my best efforts.” Anne faked wiping away a tear. “And Marcy’s idea of fashion would have me leaving a shop either looking like an anime character or a different kind of school girl.”

“Sasha might be into that, we’ve talked about some Shounens.” The bilingual kid pointed out.

“See, that’s what I mean!” Anne pointed out. “You might not have known her the longest, but you still know stuff about her I don’t! I didn’t know she liked, uh, whatever that is.”

“It’s an anime genre, teen boy main characters punching evil for their dreams and friends.”

“Huh, where have I heard that before?” Anne smirked at Calvin, who had to stop and seriously analyze the last few months of his life. He didn’t know how to feel about the results he got back.

“Back to the topic at hand, I’m not sure how useful my niche knowledge of Sasha Waybright is gonna help you pick out an outfit.” Calvin pressed on.

“It’s better than nothing and it’s not like I could have asked Sasha to help.” Anne snorted as she chuckled, which Calvin found cute. “Sure, lemme just go ‘Hey Sash, could you help me go clothes shopping? Oh, be sure to grab the things you like best on me, no reason!’”

“Does it have to be a surprise if the both of you like it?” He asked with a raised brow. Anne threw an arm over his shoulder and shook her head wistfully.

“Cal, Cali, sweet, innocent Calvin.” She sighed and patted him on the shoulder with a grin. “I’ll do what I can to make sure you don’t die single.”

He put on a deep, if exaggerated, frown. Before he could argue his charms, they had apparently arrived at the store that Anne had preselected for today’s scheme. She grabbed her assistant by the wrist and dragged him into a scene that brought back boring memories of shopping with Mother.

Rows on rows of vaguely feminine clothes returned his gaze with the quiet menace of a droll day. Frilly dresses, sleek pants, puffy shirts, and countless other apparels and accessories greeted them and Calvin couldn’t help but lament the efforts he went to for his friends. At least he still had his sense of humor.

“I’m not sure they make these in your size.” He said to Anne after grabbing a tail sock.

“Dude, come on, can we be serious for a minute here?” Anne tried to hide her smile at his antics and failed miserably.

“A whole minute?” Calvin put on an exaggeratedly dire expression and sucked air through his teeth. “That’d be a new personal best, I’m not sure I can manage that, chief.”

Instead of replying and rewarding bad behavior, Anne simply groaned and made her way to the counter. A newt woman looked up from a magazine to greet this latest customer and recognition sparked in her eyes.

“Well hey there Anne!” She greeted warmly. “Is it time for the sleepover already?”

“You know it, Bee.” The human girl shot her finger guns with a grin. “How’s my order looking?”

“You’re lucky that you came to us for this.” The woman, Bee, walked around the counter and gestured to be followed as she continued to speak. “You ‘humans’ body shapes are closest to us newts, as far as Amphibia folk go. Some of my favorite outfits were made by frogs, but anything they made you would have to be custom fitted, so at least this way you save a bit of coin and still get to look fabulous.”

“We have the royal credit card, why do we care about savings?” Calvin whispered.

“It’s called being polite Cal, now hush.” Anne shushed her hanger-on and returned her attention to the store owner.

“A bit more in the limbs, a bit less in the torso, no snouts but slightly larger heads so that works out about the same.” Bee kept going, glancing at her merchandise as she went. “I did my best to follow your suggestions, but you’ll have to forgive me if creativity got the better of me.”

“I’m sure they’ll be wonderful Bee, thanks!” Anne’s excitement was almost identical to back when she insisted on taking Calvin shopping at the mall. It was not an assuring piece of familiarity.

“Now, before I leave you to it, I gotta ask.” Bee turned and addressed the humans as she stopped in front of a wooden door. “Who’s this strapping young lass?”

“Lad, actually.” Calvin deadpanned with a frown.

“Ah, my apologies, I wasn’t sure if humans had males or not.”

“This is Calvin, he’s gonna help me judge which outfit to wear tonight.” Anne wrapped an arm around his shoulders and his frown grew lighter.

“Oh, I see, trying to see what he likes you in, clever girl.” The older newt winked at the teens as they both began to blush.

“Not like that Bee, I have a girlfriend!” Anne shouted as she covered her face.

“Hey, I’ve been around the block a time or two, doll, I don’t judge.” Bee shrugged and started to walk off. “The clothes are in there already and I’m sure you’ll be able to find the dressing room. Don’t make a mess you crazy kids!~”

“I am so sorry Cal.”

“Let’s just… Let’s just go.” Calvin dragged his hands down his face in a vain effort to recenter himself. “The sooner we’re done, the less time she has to gossip.”

“Yeah, fair, let’s go!” A bit of Anne’s previous vigor returned and the pair went into the room.

It was a modest, circular room about fifteen feet in diameter. On one side was another door and across from it the wall was covered in mirrors and, besides a padded stool, that was all the adornment. Calvin assumed that whatever outfits Anne had ordered were in what he guessed was the changing room.

“Well, this is a quaint little thing, ain’t it?” He asked, hoping to crack the awkward silence that was beginning to fall.

“Private but not too small, yeah.” Anne nodded along. “Might as well get this show on the road.”

“I’ll get my score cards ready.” They shared a chuckle as she went into the smaller room and he sat down to wait.

Alone with his thoughts, Calvin wondered about what was in stock for them all next. There was still the conundrum of how the four of them were going to get home, but Marcy seemed pretty confident that she and the King had found something, which left Andrias to double check records older than himself to confirm whatever findings they’d found. He briefly wondered if Hop Pop’s people had come up with something too, but that was a thought for when they got the Music Box back, something that needed doing either way.

And after that, then what? They just go back to school, summer vacation spent on an alien world that might very well be in a different dimension? Where magic and giant bugs and talking amphibians were normal and dull while credit cards and cars were the pinnacle of technology?

Actually, scratch that, Anne and Sasha had apparently found some kind of ancient factory back in the Ruins of Despair. Apparently this world had a case of ‘ancient, advanced civilization that disappeared and the world regressed to the stone age’ or something of the like. Frog, he wouldn’t believe this place was real if it hadn’t tried to kill him a dozen times already. You spend so long up to your neck in the madness that you forget that your life has gone insane.

“Alright dude, you ready?” Anne called and drove Calvin from his thoughts.

“Don’t know what else I’d be.” He replied and plastered an easy smile across his face.

“Har har.” She grumbled with a grin as she stepped out. She wore a white tee with brown pants and a flannel left unbuttoned. Anne gave a little spin and stuck her hands out, nervous grin on her face. “What’dya think?”

“It looks good on you, but there’s something here that I’m not sure you’re aware of.” He nodded along as he gave her an appraising look.

“Really? It looked fine before I put it on, did the tail hole open?” Anne spun around trying to check her backside, forgetting about the copious mirrors available.

“Well, I’ve just heard that’s a rather common outfit for women dating women, that’s all.”

“Oh. I suppose I am wearing the lesbian uniform, aren’t I?” She stopped spinning and really looked at what she was wearing.

“You said it, not me.” Calvin shrugged. “But it does still look good.”

“Yeah, yeah it does.” Anne rubbed her chin as she surveyed herself in the mirrors. “To the ‘Keep’ pile it goes!”

“One down, an afternoon to go.” Calvin sighed as he leaned against the wall behind him.

“At least you only have to sit there, I have to put everything on, take it off, and figure out what goes with what.” She’d already headed back into the other room but shouted back at him.

“At least you’re doing something, I’m just sitting here twiddling my thumbs.” He countered.

“If you want to try some stuff on, I’m sure Bee has clothes in your size.”

“I’m not exactly worried about being the height of frog fashion or impressing anyone, so I’ll stick with ‘functional chic,’ thank you.” Though he could stand to have some of his stuff repaired. “Not like I brought luggage anyways.”

“Okay, but like, we could just buy some with the royal card.”

“Like how you bought refitted newt clothes instead of getting human clothes made?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.” Anne deflected poorly.

“Uh huh.”

“Whatever dude.” She stepped out again. This time she was in a sunlight yellow shirt tucked into shorts that stopped just under her ribs with six golden buttons. “Well?”

“That’s kinda cute, yeah.” Calvin noted.

“Only kinda? I need more than kinda.” Anne looked at her reflection critically. “Maybe if puberty hadn’t made me so gangly…”

“Not much that can be done about that.” Calvin stood and walked to stand next to her, both looking through the looking glass now. “Untuck it a little.”

Anne listened, let the extra puff of the shirt free without undoing the tucking completely. She twisted and turned a bit, looking a little more satisfied with each new angle.

“Maybe some knee high boots?” She posited.

“Yeah, in an earthy color. You’ll look like a sunflower.” Calvin suggested.

“Oh, that would be the cutest!” Anne ran out of the room to go ask Bee about her stock of footwear. She was back hardly a minute later in the perfect boots. “You were so right, I look cute!”

“I concur.” He laughed with her infectious enthusiasm.

“Definitely going in the ‘Keep’ pile.” Anne bolted back into the changing room, giggling excitedly all the while.

Calvin looked at himself in the mirror and watched his smile droop at what he saw. He was a youngin, he never really paid his appearance all too much mind back home, but he didn’t have much else to do now. And he didn’t really care for what he saw.

His brown hair looked a couple shades lighter from all the sunshine and it had grown longer than he could ever recall it being. It made his head look even rounder than usual and larger too. The bags under his eyes looked like a permanent feature at this point and he wasn’t sure how he felt about how much more natural frowning looked. His arms were smattered with little marks, various cuts and pockmarks that he hadn’t bothered to keep track of. The clothes he wore were from the batch he’d gotten back in Toad Tower, one of three sets he still had thanks to what little packing he managed to do before it all came crumbling down. It was rough but functional, good for keeping the weather out and that was all Calvin needed it to do at this point. His boots from Proteus were still toughing it out and so was his cloak, both strange materials that made them up just as hydrophobic now as they had been months ago when he was gifted both. His gauntlets were mostly pristine despite everything he’d thrown hands with at this point, the little Olm faces on the knuckles immaculate. The leather had some little cuts, but was still perfectly fine.

Slowly he moved his newfound bangs off of his forehead to look at the first major scar he’d picked up on this adventure. It was a testament to Sasha’s speed with her sword that it was a perfectly straight line from the top of his nose that disappeared into his hair. And it was a miracle that he didn’t have brain damage from that blow, let alone surviving it. Calvin remembered how he felt after that, not even feeling the pain of gripping the Heron Blade that tightly. Grime stopping him that day is the one thing he was thankful to that Toad for.

“Alright dude, what about…” Anne bursted out, still all sunshines and rainbows before she saw Calvin’s expression. “Hey, are you okay Calvin?”

His teeth were bared and his pupils had dilated into points. He didn’t even realize he had been snarling lightly at the memories, at what he had wanted to do during that duel. He let his hair fall back into place and stepped away from the mirror, unsure of when he’d gotten so close to the glass. Calvin took a couple calming breaths and did his best to relax, which wasn’t much even on his good days.

“Yeah, I’m good.” He tried to sound casual and succeeded in sounding strained. “Might need a haircut though.”

Anne analyzed him closely, concentrating on her friend like he was another math problem that was just beyond her. She stepped into his personal space with a hum as Calvin began to look sheepish. That upgraded to confusion when she grabbed his chin and gently pulled his head around to see his face at every angle she could think of. Anne tried to play it cool when she saw that his normally green eyes were currently orange, but if Calvin noticed the extra scrunching of her face he didn’t understand it. She released him and took a step back, noting how his eyes changed back to normal now that he seemed calmer, albeit befuddled.

“Yup, it’s just as I feared.” Anne nodded solemnly, rubbing her chin in what she hoped looked like a wise manner.

“What?” Calvin asked, equal parts confused and worried.

“You’re still a very handsome young man.” The Thai gal stated sagely. “I’m gonna have to keep Sasha away from you if I want her all to myself.”

Calvin blinked.

He blinked again.

He blinked several more times, for good measure.

Then he sputtered into a full bellied laugh, falling onto the stool to avoid crashing into the mirrors. It got so bad he had to wipe a tear from his eye. Faintly, he heard Anne also chuckling but not with nearly as much fervor as himself. Eventually, long enough that he knew his abs were going to hurt soon, he was able to get control over himself, but was still grinning like a royal fool.

“Careful Boonchuy, if she hears you flirting like that with someone besides Marcy…” He snickered knowingly.

“I’m not flirting, just stating facts.” His Second Star corrected before sputtering herself. “Wait, Marcy?”

“Nary a clue what you’re on about. Oh, that’s a cute little number.”

“Now hold on a minute, Cal, run that back.”

“What’re you talking about? We’ve got a sleepover at the castle to get to, we’re burning daylight Annie B!”

“Shoot, you’re right, but don’t think we’re done talking about this.” Anne did her best impression of one of her mother’s glares and to her credit Calvin was worried for a moment. “But seriously, how do I look in this dress?”

They left just as the sun was setting, each laden with a pair of bags per arm with instructions to come back if something didn’t fit right or needed repairs. Calvin got a special talking to about his fashion choices that he shrugged off. Anne turned tomato red as Bee wiggled her eyeridges at her after commenting on all the noise she heard from their room. He’d never seen her power walk out of a store so fast in his life and it was hilarious.

“So, what’dya think’s on the agenda for tonight?” Calvin asked as they began the hike up to the front door of the palace.

“Between Marcy and Sasha, I’m sure it’ll at least be memorable.” Anne wore a rueful smirk, mind abuzz with recollections of the trio’s previous slumber parties. “The couple you got to go to were pretty tame compared to what usually goes on.”

“That’s a concerning thought.” He shuddered.

“Yeah. Although, I’m kinda worried about Sasha.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, ever since we started dating, she’s been kinda slow to take the lead.”

“What, you mean first base?”

“Dude!” Anne smacked him across the shoulder and Calvin cackled in reply. “Not like that! I mean, like, you know when she wants to do something and she’ll try to wrangle all of us into doing it with her?”

“I recall, myeah.”

“Well, she hasn’t really done that. We’ve only done stuff in Newtopia that I've wanted to do.” Anne sighed. “I keep asking her but it’s like trying to give Domino a bath, except with fewer scratches.”

“I was gonna say, I knew Sasha liked her nails kinda long but not that sharp.” Calvin smirked before looking a little more serious. “Honestly, is it such a bad thing if she’s figured out how to let other people take the reins?”

“I guess not. It’s just, she’s not a bad leader, she was just kinda using her powers for…” Anne trailed as she tried to find a polite word.

“Evil?” Her friend supplied.

“Ugh, yeah, I guess evil is kind of the word for it when you wanna throw grandpas to giant fly traps.” She ran a hand over her face. “I’m just worried that she’s holding herself back, you know?”

“Have you considered talking to her about it?”

Anne gave him a Look and Calvin was startled at how much like her mother she looked in that moment. He stuck his hands up in surrender and she laughed at him for it.

“I guess I could do the mature thing and just talk to her.” The Blue Star mumbled.

“My Frog, Anne Boonchuy, choosing maturity.” Calvin dramatically slapped a palm over his heart and one to his forehead. “Amphibia truly has driven us all mad.”

“We’re all mad here, Alice.” Marcy greeted from the open door of the royal palace, already in her PJ’s. The pair hadn’t even noticed that they were already at their destination. Hop Pop was there too, having driven the Fwagon up to see them all off.

“Now y’all behave now, you hear me?” He lectured his amphibious grandchildren. “No touching ancient artifacts and no trying to cripple a millenia old government, understand?”

Sprig and Polly both snapped their fingers and grumbled at the incredibly specific but highly accurate instructions. Meanwhile, Sasha sidled up next to Marsmellow in her own sleep attire.

“Hey guys. What’s with the bags?” She inquired, tilting her head in curiosity.

“That’s a secret for later.” Anne explained, moving her bags behind her back as best she could.

“Then why didn’t you take them back to the hotel?”

Anne and Calvin looked at each other for a moment. Then they face-palmed together and groaned.

“That would have made more sense, wouldn’t it have?” Calvin groused.

“At least Hop Pop’s here with the fwagon.” Anne sighed.

“What now?” The frog in question asked, spinning on his heel. He was just in time and position for the teens to laden him down with eight bags filled to bursting with clothing and various accessories. “You could have at least put all this in the Fwagon.”

“Good point Hop Pop.” Anne agreed and the pair loaded the bags where the old timer wouldn’t have to walk too far for them.

Old Frog Plantar grumbled and mumbled his way onto the bench of the mobile home and snapped Bessie’s reins. The snail dutifully carried the Fwagon back to the hotel and the kids all waved after the adult supervision. The humans all turned and looked at each other with mischief in their eyes, snickering quietly while the frog kids tried to join in without any clue what was going on.

“Ahem, children.” A stern female voice called from behind Marcy. “I’m glad to see you’re all in high spirits but if you wish to stay a single night in these walls, then there are rules that must be covered first.”

“Oh, right, of course Lady Olivia.” Marcy bowed. She eyed her friends and grunted at them. They all followed suit, though Calvin nearly touching the ground with his forehead felt a bit sarcastic.

“There goes the party.” Sasha whispered to Anne.

“Aw well, at least I get to spend the night with my favorite people.” Anne snuggled into her girlfriend as they all made their way inside.

With a party pooper like Lady Olivia on the case, there was no way that anything terribly exciting was going to happen, right?

Chapter Text

“So, we’re not talking about that, right?” Anne asked as the kids blearily walked to the throne room, not an ounce of sleep between them.

“I mean…” Sasha started before a yawn overtook her. “There isn’t really much to talk about. It was a very ‘Amphibia’ sleepover.”

“I have never seen anything like that in my life and it will haunt me to the end of my days.” Sprig intoned solemnly.

“Yup, just another Amphibia adventure.” Calvin grumbled.

“I don’t know why you dang kids didn’t get any rest,” Hop Pop chided. “You knew what we were doing this morning!”

“At least it was memorable,” Marcy was as chipper as ever, 24+ hours without sleep was nothing compared to her weekend anime binges. “Right gang?”

A chorus of exhausted youngsters replied with varying degrees of agreement. They’d gotten dressed from their pajamas at a snail’s pace and even had to wait as Sasha insisted on wearing her armor if Marcy was going to do the same. The rest of the kids were thankful for the excuse of a few extra minutes to try to wake up, or at least figure out sleep walking.

Bleary eyed and unfluffed of tail, the congregation entered the throne room of Newtopia. In direct contrast to the children, King Andrias was all smiles and laughs as they approached his seat. He clapped his massive mitts and rubbed them together with a conspiratorial glint to his eyes. As they all made their way into the throne room proper, Calvin saw out of the corner of his eye one of the guards pass Lady Olivia a handkerchief to wipe the marker off of her face, to which he snickered quietly.

“Wonderful to see you all again!” Andrias greeted with his hands behind his back and all the calm of thunder. Everyone returned the greeting with varying degrees of enthusiasm and the King continued, bouncing on one leg in excitement. “So, ask me if I found out anything about the box.”

“Did you-” Anne started before Andrias cut her off.

“Bingo!” He rushed down to be level with them, knocking everyone but Marcy and Sasha over, the blonde catching her girlfriend. Andrias chortled in joy and slammed a Leviathan-sized book in front of the group, already opened to the relevant page. They all got back up and stepped closer to the yellowed pages of the tome.

Both pages had a couple paragraphs in old Amphibian script that Calvin couldn’t read, but the positioning made them feel like notes. On the left page was a realistic drawing of the box, with grayed out gems. Below that were the gems in their fully colored state and what he imagined were information tabs below each jewel. Apparently they each meant something, or at least did to the author who-knows how long ago, a symbol for each color. A brain for green, a heart for blue, and a clenched fist for pink. The right page held more text, but not by much. There were three boxed off images, a temple, an arch, and an erupting volcano. In the top right was a sword with a dagger and bow crossed behind it and the bottom left held what was presumably the cylinder for the music box.

The gang gasped in chorus as they all absorbed the information presented, Marcy beginning to do that excited little dance she does when she’s really excited to info-dump.

“It’s the music box!” Sprig observed most astutely.

“According to this book, it’s a magical artifact that is thousands of years old.” Andrais spoke with an air of mystique that went unhampered by his current, crouching position. “Apparently, my ancestors used it to visit entirely different worlds. They were peaceful explorers, scientists and adventurers, if you will.”

Calvin’s eyes narrowed slightly at that, but he hardly noticed.

“These three stones are the key to getting it working again. They need to be recharged.” The King gestured between the gray stones in the diagram and the colored gems below it.

“Recharged? How?” Anne inquired.

“The book mentions three different temples, each channeling a different kind of energy.” Andrias rested a massive finger on the image of the music box for a moment before raising that hand like a kindly tutor. “And once the stones are recharged…”

“Homeward bound we’ll be.” Calvin nearly whispered, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in three distinct shades.

“Steal my thunder, why don’t you.” King Leviathan grumbled before his happy mood resurfaced. “But yes!”

He flipped the page, showing the same image as before but this time with the gems charged and glowing. There was some kind of diagram of worlds on the next page, six in total. Four had a line connecting them to the middle sphere, which was clearly Amphibia judging by the lilypad shaped continent. The other balls meant little to Calvin but the unconnected one bore an uncanny resemblance to Earth’s Western Hemisphere.

“I don’t believe it.” Anne leaned towards the book, like she was about to jump into the drawn music box. “A real chance to go home!”

“Right?” Marcy agreed. “Now let’s get out there and conquer these bad boys!” She threw her fists in the air, Anne and Sasha following suit with a cheer.

“Whoa!” Andrias stuck a raised palm out, earning a glare from Anne. “Let’s rein those snails in for a second.” Before any mammal could start a riot, he pointed to a passage of alien text and continued explaining. “The book only gives the location of one temple. Besides, you still have a lot of preparing to do before you set off.”

“Good point.” Mar-mar’s enthusiasm went unfazed and already Calvin could see the lists and numbers flitting through her mind, leaving Anne all smiles once again. “Got to get equipped for a mega-quest like this. Armor to buy, maps to study, weapons to forge? This is gonna take a few days.”

“Few days, huh?” Hop Pop interjected, not sounding nearly as excited as his human grandkid looked. “Well, I hate to say it, but we really need to get back to Wartwood. The harvest is coming up and we can’t miss it.”

“Okay Marce,” Anne took the news on the chin with fists on her hips. “Me and the Plantars will head back to Wartwood and when you’re ready, we can just meet up.”

Calvin and Sasha began to protest/comment on this plan of action, but Marcy beat them both to the punch.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” She gestured to Anne with both hands. “It doesn’t really make sense for you, any of you three, to go back to Wartwood.”

“Say what now?” The Plantars all copied a milder version of Hop Pop’s catchphrase as they looked confused at the King’s advisor.

“The last thing we should do is separate again, now that we’re so close to finding a way home.” Marcy explained. Calvin couldn’t believe his ears; Marcy the sensible one, where did the time go?

“I guess that’s true, but, uh,” Anne looked despondently toward the ground and rubbed her shoulder before she had an idea. “I, uh, we left the music box in Wartwood and one of us needs to get it! Right, HP?”

“Technically, yes.” Hopidiah readily agreed. Anne practically sighed in relief at her quick thinking, but Marcy was undeterred.

“Nonsense.” Anne deflated a little as her Marshmellow spoke. “Once Hop Pop gets the box back, we’ll just send a servant to pick it up. More efficient that way.” She looked rather pleased with the prospect of saving efficiency on this project.

“Yeah, but…” Anne started before Marcy put a hand on her shoulder to explain her logic.

“Hell no.” Calvin piped up. “I barely trusted him with it, you think I’ll let some random Newt carry it from there to here?”

“Calvin, come on, we’ve got the best people in the world working in this castle.” Marcy pshawed his concerns with a smile. “I’d trust any Newt here with my life.”

“Look, I get that partying in the castle and occasionally going out to deal with migratory bugs or playing pirate might have given you some idea of what this world is like,” He stepped closer, almost within Marcy’s personal space. “But it ain’t all marble walls and froggy cars out there Mar-Mar.”

“Cali, I’m pretty aware of what it’s like out there, I’ve traveled just a bit farther afield than you’re giving me credit for.” The ranger gestured to her whole self and raised her eyebrows expectantly at him. “Besides, Newtopia has the grandest library in the world, everything worth mentioning is in one of their books.”

“How tall’s a Heron?” Calvin verbally pivoted with narrowed eyes. He missed how uncomfortable the question made the frogs.

“On average, a Heron clocks in at a staggering 300 feet tall with wingspans easily reaching 500 feet.” Marcy intoned without a moment’s thought.

“Did that book tell you what it sounds like when a mated pair flies overhead?”

“Well, I imagine-”

“Like a twister back home cranked up to 11.” Calvin cut her off with a grim look. “Like a storm of the Rapture has come down to wipe you from the world. The forests scream in pain as each flap of their wings snaps ancient oaks and bends younger trees back into the soil, leaves first. What do you do when they come for your town?”

“Head to the nearest shelter, of course.” Marcy rubbed the back of her neck, looking around for back up.

“What kind?” He asked, his gaze narrowing with each passing second of silence.

“Underground.” Hop Pop spoke up, wearing a haunted look. “If you think it’s deep enough, you’re halfway down.” He held his grandkids closer and tighter.

“I see what you’re getting at Cali, but we’ve got the best Sparrow riders in Amphibia working out of royal stables.” Marcy backpedaled. “They can make it to Frog Valley and back lickity-split. Plus, our Sparrows can outfly any giant Heron Amphibia can throw at them.”

"What do you do if a horde of barbariants menaces your home?” Calvin pivoted once more. This time, Marcy looked terribly confused.

“You drive away the Queen without harming her due to how much compressed gas she produces to help her travel.” She explained, not sure why he was bringing up an adventure he was a part of.

“Where’d you figure that out?”

“Through research and experimentation?”

“So, not the library then?” Calvin raised a brow as he made his point.

“Well, no, but our scouts are all veterans that know this world front to back.” Marcy defended, a bit less sure of her Newts than before. Calvin looked ready to continue arguing when a thunderclap shook the throne room. Turning around revealed the King standing with his hands together with a pained, awkward look on his massive snout.

“Alright, well, as much as I’m sure we would all like to continue this lovely, painfully awkward discussion,” He said as he picked up the book and shut it under his arm and put on a strained smile. “It sounds to me like everyone has stuff to do in the near future, so we should probably all get on that, right?”

Strength

Guards advanced from the back of the room, Lady Olivia at their head, to begin escorting them all out of the throne room. Calvin marched out ahead of everyone else with a flick of his cloak, all stiff body language and agitated expressions. Anne walked with the Plantars in silence, the four of them glancing between themselves as thoughts of finally parting ways played through their heads. Sasha walked with Marcy as they brought up the rear of their procession.

“You good, dude?” She asked quietly.

“I just don’t get why he’s being such a jerk.” Marcy pouted and crossed her arms. Sasha resisted the urge to give her cheeks a pinch as she continued. “We finally have the chance to go back home, we should all be excited for this last adventure! I get that me and Cal didn’t always agree back home, but those arguments always felt playful, you know? Not like back there…”

“Trust me, I don’t think anyone wants to go back home more than he does.” She rubbed reassuring circles into the ranger’s back and took some satisfaction in watching a bit of the tension leave her. “That’s why he’s so scared about something happening to the music box, it’s our only ticket out of here. He’s the kinda guy where, if he can’t see it happen himself, how can he know it’ll get done right, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess I see what you mean.” Marcy sighed and rested her head on Sasha’s shoulder as they walked. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but oh well. “Not the best reason to blow up on me like that, but whatever.”

“You know how boys are, terrible with their emotions.” The pair giggled amongst themselves before Marcy stood back up with her head held higher. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, thanks Sashy.” She wrapped Sasha in a squeezing hug for a moment. “You always know what to say.”

“Heh, I try.” Sasha rubbed the back of her neck with a grin. “I think I should probably talk to him too, before he manages to stomp through the floor.”

“If he does, I’ve got some great renovation ideas!” Marcy said as her friend jogged to catch up with her Tiger.

“Hey, man.” Sasha tried to break the ice gently. “How ya doin?”

His eyes shot to her and stuck like a lance. She withered ever so slightly under his gaze but it softened as Calvin fully registered who he was looking at. The footfalls became less harsh and the hunch in his shoulders lowered to a more normal posture, but the scowl across his features didn’t shift an inch.

“Of all the cockamamie, uninformed, city girl sounding ideas I’ve ever heard from her, ‘get a servant to do it’ takes the cake, the pie, and the whole tub of ice cream to go.” He grumbled as he started looking forward again.

“I get it, really.” Sasha nodded along. “I remember back at the Tower how you nearly chewed Grime’s hand off when he first asked you about the Box. Still can’t believe you actually gave it to Hop Pop.”

“Honestly, I still think it might have been a better idea to keep it.” Calvin sighed, trying to puff some of his hair out of his face. “If it wasn’t for Anne vouching for him and that old book he had, they would have had an easier time prying it from my cold, dead hands.”

“And even then good luck, because you would have glued it to your cold, dead hands, right?” Sasha beat him to the punch and he smirked at her.

“Exactly.” She smiled as she watched him stop marching and that familiar swagger come back on. Then he grew thoughtful. “The old Plantar Family book…”

Calvin rubbed his chin in contemplation, paying little heed as Sasha nudged him here and there to stop him from hitting anything. After a few moments, he turned and looked at Marcy, who had taken out her journal to go back to whatever notetaking had consumed her now.

“Hey, Marcy,” She nearly jumped out of her skin when he called her but if he noticed he didn’t show it. “You can read Amphibian, right?”

“Mmm, I dabble.” Marcy waved her hand in an unsure way with a look to match. “Haven’t exactly had time to nail down a Rosetta Stone to work with yet.”

“Could you read the book back there?” Calvin started walking backwards and now Sasha really had to steer him.

“Unfortunately, that was in Ye Olde Amphibian.” She groused at the lore hidden by that language barrier. “Even Andrias had to do some serious studying to figure out how to read that. Why, what’s up?” Marcy put a bit of pep in her step to catch up.

“I was just wondering if the Box had a name besides just ‘The Music Box.’” He said, but Sasha knew that look in his eyes. He wasn’t asking for answers, he was asking for confirmation.

“Huh.” Marcy proceeded to also rub her chin in thought before taking out her notebook and flipping back some pages. “I don’t think a proper name ever really came up. Kinda weird that they would just call it The Music Box and not something fancy. Like, The Music Box of Newtopia or The Music Box of Worlds, or something like that.”

“Yeah, weird…” Calvin turned to start walking normally, thoughts racing across his face as Sasha watched. She couldn’t follow his current train of thought specifically but she could tell that Marcy had given him enough for something.

“Wait a minute.” Anne piped up, the conversation finally drawing her from the malaise of leaving her froggy family. “HP, back at the farm, in your old book, wasn’t it called something?”

“You know, I think it was.” He agreed. Now Hop Pop, Anne, and Marcy were all massaging their chins like they had beards. Sasha began to reach for her phone to get a pic when Calvin chimed in.

“Calamity Box.” He said with a serious look. “It was called The Calamity Box.”

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Marcy got all excited again as this new lore made her forget her previous troubles. “The Calamity Box…” Then Sasha watched the excitement drain as she really processed that name. “Wait, Calamity? As in, bad things and ruin kinda Calamity?”

“Or perhaps a menace, one might say.” Calvin hummed darkly. Now that he mentioned it, Sasha remembered the night Anne convinced him to let Hop Pop take the box. The old frog also called it a menace, or at least said his books did.

“Menace, whaaaat?” Marcy looked astounded at the thought alone. “It’s a gateway between worlds, a magical bridge between realities letting explorers and scientists learn more than previously possible! That’s awesome, not menacing!”

Sasha was ready for another argument to spring up but to her surprise Calvin merely ‘hmm’d’ and kept walking. She tried to pry his thoughts out of him, but he just kept whispering that he’d rather wait until they were out of the castle.

As they all stepped out into the morning sun, a tension filled the air. The Plantars had all congregated around Anne, boxing her in as best as they could despite the height disadvantage. Now that the idea of them leaving this place was so much closer than before they’d gotten into Newtopia, Sasha found herself surprised to admit she was going to miss the frogs. Though they were still kinda groddy, sorry not sorry.

“So, uh, what’s the plan, gang?” Marcy spoke to all of them but she only had eyes for her Anna-Banana. “At least, I know that I’ve got stuff to do. Armor and maps and, yeah, you know what I mean.” There was that sheepish Mar-Mar all over again, Sasha had wondered where she went.

Anne agonized over what to do as she glanced between her genius, her frogs, and her others. She looked on the brink of a panic attack so Sasha sidled up next to her and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. She nuzzled into the bush of brown curls and hummed.

“I’m with you, whatever you want, Anne.” She reassured and Anne calmed down a bit.

“Sounds to me,” Calvin stepped forward, arms crossed. “That we’re at something of an impasse. Either way we’ve got to have at least one more day, right Hop Pop?”

“Yeah.” The old frog agreed with a nod. “I planned for the travel time both ways and about a week in Newtopia.”

“So, a day then.” The human boy held up a single finger and not the rude one. “A whole day for us all to think about what we do next and to spend time in Newtopia. Anne, go take the day with the Plantars, Sasha and I can go help Marcy with whatever’s on the agenda. Then we can all meet back up at the hotel and settle on a course, alright?”

“I…” All eyes were on Marcy, given that she was the only real snag in this plan. They waited with bated breath as she crunched some mental numbers that only made sense to her. “I think that’s a pretty good idea, thanks Cali.”

“It happens, on occasion.” He snorted at the nickname. “In any case, go have fun you wild childs, the grownups have chores to do.”

With that, he turned and started walking down the way into the city proper. Marcy waved ‘bye’ and started running after him, shouting about the stores they’d need to hit and the stuff to look out for. Sasha chuckled as she watched even though she knew she was going to have to catch up.

“Are you going to be alright today?” She squeezed Anne’s hand and gave her a questioning look.

“I survived just fine with only the Plantars to watch my back, we’ll manage one more day at least.” Anne had a sorrowful smile as she said it but the sorrow drained away into something cheekier as she had an idea. She leaned up and left a quick peck on Sasha’s cheek, right next to the scar she gave her. Before Sasha could recover from her brain overheating, Anne picked up Polly and started to run down the hill, the other frogs following with giggles. “See you tonight, Sashy!”

“I, uh, yeah, uh, will do Anne…” Eventually ground control was able to get in touch with Major Sasha and she started running toward the city as well. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to catch her girlfriend or the others but Anne had managed to escape into the streets by the time she was at the gate.

“Glad to see they’re in high spirits, huh Sasha?” Marcy asked from where she and Calvin were waiting.

“Haha, that’s a word for it.” She shook her head and walked over to where they were. “So, what’s first?”

Honor

The first thing Marcy had them all do was run over to where there was a shop run by an old Newt named Bernardo. Apparently he did the armor for the Night Guard that Marcy was a part of and he was her go to guy for all things armor.

“What am I looking at?” The ancient Newt asked as he looked a lot harder at Calvin’s gauntlets than he appreciated.

“Metal, I’d reckon.” Calvin tried to pull his hand back but the armorer had a tighter grip than he expected. “Hard stuff, usually found underground, gotta make it hot to mold it, ring a bell?”

“Thank you, brat.” Bernardo snorted as released the gauntlet and the hand in it with a huff. “It’s just, it’s exceedingly rare to see works like that these days. The techniques for that kind of metal work were lost ages ago, after some great calamity befell Amphibia. Work’s so good, you can’t even tell how old that stuff is.”

“Wait, is my sword like that?” Sasha asked as she unsheathed the Heron Blade, the pink metal gleaming in the shop’s lights. Bernardo stared with a blank expression.

“Yes. Yes it is.” He sighed as he struggled to accept that a pair of aliens were wandering around with artifacts of incredible value and likely without an inkling of how to care for them. The old Newt swore he felt his hair turn grayer in that moment.

“Suppose that explains a lot.” Sasha nodded as she pondered her sword. “Wonder how Grime got his hands on it…”

“I don’t know this Grime character,” Bernardo said as he read the list Marcy had given him, said smarty pants running off to ogle some axes. “But that sounds like a Toad name. It’d make sense, they’re big on tradition in the Towers. If he gave it to you, you must’ve left quite the impression.”

“Really? Huh.” The blonde looked at her reflection in the pink metal and got lost in thought.

“I just wish I left a better impression in the side of his head.” Calvin grumbled as he began to peruse the shop. It was pretty standard stock for a fantasy weapon shop, which felt pretty out of place for Newtopia’s pseudo-modern setting. Swords and maces, glaives and mauls galore, all made from the strange monster parts of the natural Amphibian world. Marcy had moved on to the ammo section and was making various notes about fletchings and bolt heads for her alchemical ammunition. “Honestly, I’m kinda surprised there isn’t a gunpowder equivalent in Amphibia. Like, powdered fire ant or some kind of beetle that craps bombs.”

“What in the name of Frog would you want any of that for?” Bernardo asked in mild disgust.

“You know what? I don’t wanna be the guy that reinvents guns in a fantasy world, bit of a faux pas.” Calvin went back to browsing the various crossbows on offer at Bernardo's. It didn’t take him long to find one almost identical to Marcy’s and he grinned as he took it up to the counter. “One of these and, eh, let’s call it twenty shots?”

“I don’t suppose you have coin on you?” The weaponsmith asked with a knowing frown.

“Put it on the king’s tab?” The boy shrugged sheepishly.

Bernardo grumbled under his breath and made a note in a leather bound ledger. Leaning over a bit, Calvin saw that there were quite a few notes under an ‘Andrias’ tab, more than half of which had a ‘Marcy’ addendum added on. He wrote down Calvin’s order then began copying down a new list Marcy had passed him with a begrudged sigh.

“Alright gang, that should be all for our first stop, all done and settled!” Marcy beamed, pointing out toward the door and marching. “Now, onto the cartographer!”

“Aye Cap’n.” The other two mumbled with a smile and a roll to their eyes.

“Hey Cal,” Sasha whispered as they walked through the Newtopian streets. “You looked like you had an idea, after the whole ‘Calamity Box’ thing, what’s up?”

“Just…” He replied no louder than his blonde friend. “I can’t help but wonder if the old Plantar book might be a bit more honest about the Box than the old King’s tome.”

“How would a bunch of ancient hillbilly frogs know more than the people who owned and used it?” She was trying to follow his logic but it didn’t quite make sense in her head yet.

“I didn’t say more.” He corrected with a glint to his eyes. “Just more honest. It was a tool for the old royals and that scared an old frog for some reason. If they were just adventuring around the stars, why would that scare one of their own people? And how do our dumb anime powers factor in?”

Sasha pondered on that for a moment before an excited cheer from Marcy caught both of their attention. Calvin had a sneaking suspicion that the weapon shop was going to be the fun part of this little outing as they entered the map store. Due to the poorer lighting of this store and the overwhelming scent of ink, it was almost like a cloud of writing liquid was layered over the entire shop.

There were occasions where Calvin hated being right and this was one of them. How Marcy found entertainment in the mundanity of preparing, planning, and supplying was entirely beyond his teenage mind, but that’s probably why it was best left in her capable, if scatterbrained, hands. Worst of all, he had no one to blame but himself, he mused as he carried twin armfuls of parchment maps, it was his idea after all.

“Should’ve volunteered myself for Plantar Family Fun Day.” He grumbled for the hundredth time as they finally made it to the castle.

“Aw, but then I would have had to guess your measurements for your new armor.” Marcy pouted, hauling a sack of alchemical reagents that she swore were the bare necessities. She’d apparently gotten rather good at making potions on the fly with whatever was available, even Amphibia’s flora being just as reactive as its fauna. “I think I’ve got them down to a half inch, but you want that kinda thing to be exact!”

“How in the-” Calvin started before deciding he didn’t want that answer. “Whatever, where are we dropping all this off?”

“My personal armory, where else?” The Chief Ranger led them deftly through the castle until she booted open an innocuous door to reveal the most clustered murder-den Calvin had ever seen. Honestly, he was half expecting Bubba and the Sawyers to pop out of one of the weapon piles.

“Girl, you live like this?” Sasha asked, dripping with exasperation at the sheer state of all this. Sure, Marcy’s room back home wasn’t exactly put together, but that mess was made of soft things like plushies and clothes, not swords and explosives.

“I don’t sleep here.” Marcy paused, feeling the weight of her friends’ looks. “Usually. Never intentionally?”

“If we weren’t leaving on an adventure in a week’s time, we’d have a long talk about organizational habits.” Sasha face palmed and went to set her sack down where it was least likely to cause an avalanche. Calvin placed the maps on the nearly hidden tactical table in the center and Marcy followed suit to gently set her reagents down.

“Yeah, all of us on one last, life changing adventure!” Marcy practically had stars in her eyes at the mere thought, but then she grew more dour. “But what about Anne?”

“Honestly?” Calvin asked, waiting until he had his friends’ full attention. “Leave it up to her.”

“Are you sure? What if she wants to split up?” Mar-Mar spoke like it was the worst thing in the world and Calvin honestly didn’t disagree that much. “After all this time, one week and we’re going our separate ways again?”

“Anne’s found herself a little froggy family, is it so strange that, at the end of our sojourn into Amphibia, she’d want to spend as much time with them as she can? It’s not like they’re going to Earth with her.” Calvin rolled his shoulders and shook his arms back to life. “And, hey, you never know, maybe today was all she needed to say goodbye.”

Sasha looked like she didn’t believe that last part but Marcy seemed sold enough. She nodded along, the gears in her genius mind turning at a mile a minute as she did friendship math. Apparently it all lined up in a way that she could agree with as she shook her head with more certainty.

“I guess you’re right Cali, it’s not like I can just force her to do the smart thing, right?” She sighed as memories of class projects long passed came back to her.

“Ha, no kidding.” Calvin recalled countless tutoring sessions that may as well have been conversations with brick walls.

“Come on, you guys are talking about Anne like she’s dumb or something.” Sasha chidded as they started to leave the castle.

“Dumb? No, no, of course not.” Marcy sputtered. “She gets perfectly normal grades, I just wish that she could follow my logic sometimes, you know?”

“With how many niche anime, history, and internet facts you mix in, I don’t think anyone else could follow your train of thought.” The cheer captain chuckled as her Marshmallow made an indignant noise.

“Maybe we’re all just geniuses and Anne’s the only normal one among us.” Calvin suggested as he folded his hands behind his head.

“That would explain why she’s the best with emotions.” Marcy mused, the other two humming in agreement. “Like Anne put her points into emotional intelligence instead of book smarts. She really is the Heart of our group, huh?”

“Keeps us balanced, you could say.” Calvin concurred.

“Do you think we’d be bad people without her?” Sasha whispered like she meant to think it instead of speak. She slapped a hand over her mouth just in time to miss the tail end of her worry. They walked in silence for a moment, wondering what their lives would be like as a trio instead of a quartet. Then Calvin yawned and chuckled a little.

“I think we’d certainly be worse off for her absence.” He conceded. “She’s a good friend and she’s nice. Everyone deserves someone like that. Sure, she might not be much help with a math test, but that’s what we’re for.”

“Yeah!” Marcy cheered, wrapping an arm around her friends as they stepped into the evening air of Newtopia. “We’re the perfect four-man band set up, that’s why we’re gonna nail these temples!”

“Frog yeah we are!” Sasha cheered, leaving her malaise behind. “We’re gonna kick some ancient temple butt, then we can finally get out of this froggy world and back to air conditioning!”

“Should be just in time for classes to start, too.” Calvin groused, getting a smack on the back of his head from Sasha for his troubles. “Ha, fair.”

“You are such a spoilsport, Cal.” She bemoaned.

“I’m a realist. Also important for keeping our cadre balanced.” He smirked as Sasha looked ready to reapply her hand to his head.

The shenanigans continued as they walked to the front gate at the end of the castle’s stairway. Calvin could feel his cardio improving as he finished that jaunt for the fourth time in 24 hours, or that’s what he told himself that burning feeling in his chest was. He could at least congratulate himself on not breathing too heavily as they approached the gate to mosey on over to the hotel.

The trio got there as the sun was setting and found that the fwagon was already out front and nearly finished being loaded. The only luggage that hadn’t been put away already belonged to the humans that had made the trip with the Plantars. The meager bags were set off to the side as the family looked unsure what exactly to do with them.

“Hey guys.” Sasha called then jogged up to her girlfriend and frogs. “How’s it hanging?”

“Oh, you know, the usual.” Anne tried to be chipper, but there was a dour note to her words.

“We got banned from the Aquarium.” Sprig said with a laugh that quickly faded. “It was fun, I guess.”

“At least it was memorable.” Hop Pop chortled with melancholy. With the last box put away, he turned to his human granddaughter and spread his arms. “Bring ‘er in, Anne.”

Anne dived into her Hop Pop’s arms and was pounced by Sprig and Polly for the tightest group hug Calvin had ever seen. Reluctantly, they all pulled away and looked at each other with eyes welling with tears. Little sneak that he was, Calvin slipped Polly's present into the fwqgon while they were busy.

“No more tears, y’all.” Hop Pop consoled even as he threatened to ruin his own advice. “We’ll see each other again.”

“Will we though?” Anne asked with a shaky voice. “When?”

“I don’t know, but we’re family.” Old Frog Plantar reassured. “And family always finds each other.”

“Spranne against the world!” The pair cheered one last time, performing their handshake and everything.

Everyone looked at Marcy expectantly. Under all the scrutiny she began to sweat and lightly stammer as the pressure mounted in her head. Calvin thought about just letting her squirm like this until something popped but he found he didn’t have the patience or lack of heart for it. Sighing and shaking his head, he clapped his hands with a clang and stepped forward.

“Alright, so, we got what supplies we could and put in orders for what we couldn’t.” He glanced around to make sure everyone was paying attention before continuing. “In one week’s time, we’ll be as ready for temple hunting as it gets. All we’re missing now is the Box.”

“Calamity/Music Box.” Both Hopidiah and Marcy interrupted at the same time.

“The Box.” Calvin reiterated and gave both offenders a hard look. “And so, we gotta get it. Marcy wants to send a servant and I’d rather send my severed hand by post. Anne wants to go with her froggy family and Marcy and I would rather she stay.” Marcy started at that, given that Calvin hadn’t mentioned that yet. “And Sasha is also here.”

“Thanks Cal.” Said blonde grumbled with crossed arms.

“When at a crossroads, the only way forward is by making a choice.” He crossed his arms behind his back and tried to look authoritative. “Marcy made her vote back at the castle and I think I’ve made my position on the matter clear. That leaves the decision with you, Anne, given that Sasha is just gonna go where you go like a lost puppy.”

“Again, thanks.”

“I couldn’t resist.” He stuck a tongue out at her, to which Sasha replied in kind with a sneer.

“Really?” Anne was looking at Marcy when she asked.

“Well, we do need someone we trust to get the Music Box, so it would make the most sense to have someone we completely trust go get it, sooo…” Anne cut her off with a hug before Mar-Mar could keep going, one that she answered with a crushing grip of her own.

“Thank you.” Anne sighed into Marcy’s neck, causing the grandmother of all blushes to consume her face. Anne turned back to the Plantars with a wide grin and failed to notice the lesbian disaster the King’s Chief Advisor had become. “We’re going to Wartwood, gang!”

The Plantars all cheered at the proclamation and dogpiled Anne again, leaving them a giggly pile on the sidewalk. Sasha chuckled as she stepped next to Calvin, who himself was all smiles at the display.

“Guess that settles that then.” She hummed, a jolly sparkle in her miscolored eyes.

“Suppose it does. Be sure to let us know when you’ve got the box, yeah?” He patted her on the back.

“What?” She looked at him with a raised brow.

“It’d be weird if we split the band 3 and 1, wouldn’t it?” Calvin shrugged and crossed his hands behind his head. “2 by 2 makes the most sense and we’re all about making sense.”

“Well, I guess, but what about-”

“I’m a big boy, I’ll manage just fine. Besides,” He leaned in conspiratorially. “It’s either you go with her or I do Waybright~.”

“No, seriously Calvin, you’re not sa-” This time Sasha was cut off by the cracking of Bessie’s reins. A quick glance revealed that Anne and Sasha’s bags had been put away already and that the Plantars were heading out.

“Better get to stepping, Lieutenant.” Calvin wiggled his brows at her and with a groan of defeat she started running. He had a thought as she went and enacted it with haste. “Hey Sasha, give this to Polly, will ya?”

She turned to see what he meant and just managed to catch Hobbes after Calvin had thrown the stuffed tiger at her.

“Tell her I expect him back!” He shouted as he and Marcy waved goodbye. “And you better keep an eye on her, pal!”

“I will!” Sasha replied, waving the toy and running to catch her ride.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Calvin sighed as she disappeared around the bend. Hobbes gave him a thumbs up and wink as he followed his carrier toward the tiger’s latest duty. The boy gave his oldest friend a two finger salute and pointedly ignored Marcy’s questioning look.

“Always sad to see someone go, isn’t it?” King Andrias said from behind the pair in an uncharacteristically serious voice. Calvin did a good job of not jumping out of his skin at the fact a fifteen foot tall Newt had managed to sneak up on him. Some of the king’s schmaltz came back as he addressed both of them this time. “Hey Calvin, I didn’t think you’d be staying with us.”

“Eh, figured someone’s gotta keep an eye on Mar-Mar.” He grinned and ruffled his friend’s hair. Marcy batted at his hand as a smile returned to her face. “And we haven’t hung out in months, we’ve got catching up to do.”

“That’s true, yeah!” Andrias agreed as he started ushering them back toward the castle. Calvin put his backpack on and mentally wept at the thought of climbing those stairs again. “And I, for one, can’t wait to get to know you, Calvin Tyric.”

Chapter Text

Wit

Marcy was walking through the halls of Saint James High School, having just put her SWiitch away after beating her high score in Cardio Bros again. Classes had just gotten out and it was time to check in with her girls to see what was on the agenda for tonight. There was a comedy that Sasha said yesterday sounded pretty good, so that was probably the plan, though convincing Anne to sneak in again might be a bit trickier given how poorly that went last time.

Her heart grew lighter as she heard her friends' laughter up ahead and Marcy picked up the pace to catch up. She burst out of the front doors with a wide smile, looking around for her besties. They’re crowded around the flagpole, Sasha is all smiles and even if Anne’s back is to her, Marcy knows when her best friend is excited.

“Hey gang!” Marcy calls as she gets closer. They jump a little at the sound and for some reason Sasha looks surprised. “What’s the plan, Stan?”

Anne sucks a breath through her teeth and doesn’t turn around while Sasha puts on her thinking face. The blonde reaches a conclusion and returns to her carefully crafted indifference as she steps up to a suddenly confused Marcy.

“Heeey Mar-Mar.” Sasha put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze. “What’s up, did you need something?”

“I was, uh, just wondering what the, uh, plan was for the evening?” Marcy shrugged sheepishly. “No serious homework, so I figured that, uh, you had a plan? Like a certain comedy?”

“Oh, yeah, yeaaaah, a plan.” Sasha nodded while looking into the middle distance over Marcy’s shoulder. “You see, we’ve got a plan, it’s just that…”

“You’re not a part of it.” A male voice said from the flagpole. Looking around Anne revealed that Calvin had been standing there the whole time, leaning against the symbol of patriotism disrespectfully. He kicked off the pole in his dark combat boots, hands secure in the pockets of his spiked leather jacket. He leaned his forward and smirked at her over the rims of his aviators. “We’re gonna go be cool and physically coordinated somewhere else and we don’t need a Marshmallow like you slowing us down.”

“Anne?” Marcy called to her last line of defense. The only reply she got was her Anne stepping away to look at some frogs in silence. “But, I-”

The scene swirled and suddenly they were back in class, Math class specifically. Her head still spinning, Marcy couldn’t hear anything as panic welled in her mind. Eventually the ringing passed and she realized that the room was silent. Glancing around, she saw all of her classmates staring at her expectantly, except for Anne who was turned away.

“Miss Wu?” The teacher asked sternly, sounding far too much like her father. Marcy started to babble in anxiously, eyes flitting around the room for any hint as to why she was being persecuted like this.

“Yeah, I got it, teach.” Calvin called from his seat in the back corner. He moved the sucker in his mouth from one corner to the other as he leaned even further back in his seat, boots casually resting on the desk. “X=3.”

“Very good Mr. Tyric!” The teacher ran to the back of the class and put a blue ribbon on his chest. “You really are the smartest student in the class!”

“Hey, hey, come on now.” The punk started waving away the praise before grinning and meeting Marcy’s befuddled gaze. “I think you mean the whole school.”

“Gee Cali, think you can help with our homework tonight?” Sasha ran up, carrying Anne under her arms.

“I’m sure we’ll find time for that after our Creatures and Caverns session.” Calvin snickered without breaking eye contact. “You guys are fighting Sephalons tonight, remember?”

“How could I forget? You always make such awesome 5th Edition campaigns Calvin!” Sasha cheered. “I’m especially impressed with how well you use the Found Family Trope!”

“I do what I can.” He chuckled as he stood and walked over to Marcy’s desk. His smile was all teeth and his eyes blazed a cruel orange as he leaned over her. “Don’t worry Mar-Mar, I’ve got it from here. Besides, don’t you have a flight to catch?”

Marcy’s eyes shot open and she stared sightlessly at the ceiling as her panic attack consumed her completely. After what felt like forever, her breathing began to calm down and her chest stopped heaving quite so violently. Drenched in sweat and mind abuzz with terrible futures, Marcy sat up and put her face into her hands. She shook her head out and walked to the bathroom to wash her face. The young woman refused to return to sleep that night, instead heading to the bird stables to check on Joe Sparrow. He didn’t question why she was there and was more than happy to accept the early morning pampering, like the little prince that he was.

Sunlight crept into the roost and Marcy padded back down toward her quarters. She cleaned up in a flash and was ready to go for the day before the servant had even knocked on her door for breakfast. Andrias was already at the head of the table in his fluffy bathrobe, his face lighting up when he saw her. The giant king began to wave enthusiastically enough to shake the ancient tabards that hung from the vaulted ceiling.

“Good morning Master Marcy!” He called as she climbed onto the massive table and walked over to the more normal sized table set up near his plate. “How did you sleep?”

“Honestly, big guy?” She sighed as she collapsed into her seat. “Terribly. I had a doozy of a nightmare.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that, would you like to ‘vent’ about it, as the kids say?” King Leviathan leaned forward until his caring features took up most of the screen.

“Eh, maybe later.” Marcy admitted as she started poking at the offered foods. “It was just some stuff about back home. Guess I might be a bit more worried than I thought.”

“It’s perfectly reasonable to be worried about someone trying to pull up your stakes and make you start over somewhere else.” Andrias nodded understandingly. “Especially your own father.”

“Whose father?” Calvin asked from just behind Marcy.

With how suddenly he made himself known, how could Marcy and Andrias be expected not to jump in shock? Marcy hated how cool she thought that was, being able to effortlessly sneak up on people like that. Even after her Amphibia adventures, she still couldn’t imagine herself being that coordinated. The table shook as the king landed and it was enough to knock Calvin off his feet before half of the smaller table’s contents landed all over him. It reminded Marcy of how she first met Calvin, actually.

“Here, let me get that.” Andrias said after he recovered. He picked up a massive piece of french toast and started dabbing it against Calvin. Marcy tried to hold back her giggling at the, let’s call it displeased, face Calvin was making, especially as this now reminded her of how she first met Andrias. “There we are then, better?”

“Now I’m covered in syrup, juice, and grease.” Calvin’s eye twitched. “Yeah, I’m great.” He took his shirt off and rubbed his face on the clean back. Marcy certainly didn’t stare but she was totally using this moment as an art study in her journal when she got the chance. “So, what did I miss?”

“How was your first night in the castle, Calvin?” Andrias asked dotingly. “Restful, I hope?”

“Not gonna lie, that is the coziest bed I've ever slept in.” He nodded along as he filled a plate with meats, pastries, and the occasional fruit. “I was never much of a morning person before, but now I’m really going to hate getting up.” He bit into a pear and smiled sweetly at the flavor. Marcy didn't know Calvin could do sweet.

“I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the bed!” Andrias huzzahed and turned to his advisor. “Now, Master Marcy, where did we leave off yesterday?”

“I think we were just getting to the Manhattan Project?” She tried to recall but was interrupted by a fork hitting the table. A glance revealed that Calvin had dropped his silverware and was staring agape at her. “What?”

“The Manhattan Project?” He repeated incredulously.

“Yeah, I've been telling the big guy here about some of the highlights of human history!” Marcy gleefully explained. “In return, he's telling me about Amphibia!”

“Okay, yeah, sure, but we’re calling the Manhattan Project a highlight now?” Calvin looked aghast at the mention of what could be considered the best and worst advancement of the 20th Century, though Marcy didn’t see the harm.

“Well, it was certainly a turning point for the planet.” She pointed out.

“Really?” Andrias inquired. “How so?”

“It defined the rest of the 20th Century and is still impacting modern life on Earth!” Marcy explained. “Honestly, there aren’t many things humans have done that were as wild as making nucl-”

Calvin slapped a hand over her mouth with a dire look in his eyes. There was some kind of message he was trying to convey with his expression, but she couldn’t fathom what it was or why it warranted interrupting story time. He saw that she wasn’t getting the memo and his more familiar exasperation took hold.

“Pardon us, highness, but can we have a moment?” Calvin asked Andrias without removing his hand.

“I try to be accommodating, but you have to admit that this turn of events is a touch odd Calvin.” The king leaned forward, looking concerned and covering the humans in his shadow. “Whatever needs said can be said here, for all present to hear.”

“Yeah Cali, what’s the big deal?” Marcy asked after pulling his hand away.

“The big deal is that no one should know about the nuclear option.” He hissed through his teeth in a whisper.

“New Clee Are?” Andrais sounded out as he leaned back into his chair. “An interesting word, though it does little to explain this option or the dread you seem to have for it.”

“Probably the cities it wiped off the map.” Marcy suggested. Her Amphibia-trained instinct to dodge triggered and she glanced at Calvin, who was glaring hard. “Right?”

“How large were the cities?” Andrias asked like one would the weather. Marcy glanced at Calvin, who at this point was hiding most of his face in his hands but glowering at her through his fingers. But he didn’t say anything, so onward she pressed.

“I think the total casualties are estimated to range between 150,000 and 225,000 people.” Marcy recalled. “And that’s not even getting into the loss of infrastructure, the damage to the environment, and the nuclear fallout.”

“Fallout?” The big guy leaned down with his face in his hands, enraptured by human history,

“Oh yeah, nukes leave an area of radiation that’s highly toxic to living things.”

“And how often have these sorts of weapons been used?”

“You know what?” Calvin interrupted, his face completely blank as he stood. “I just realized I’m shirtless. I’m gonna go fix that and probably bathe too. See you later Marcy, Majesty.”

“But Cal, you barely ate!” She called as he walked away.

“Lost my appetite.” He gave a single wave without looking back.

“That makes sense.” Marcy conceded as she turned back to her food. “He’s a big fan of Japan and that’s where the bombs were dropped.”

“Ah, poor boy.” Andrias agreed. “I believe you were going to tell me how many of these ‘nuclear options’ there were?”

“Oh yeah, duh!” Marcy explained the history of nuclear weapons to Andrias as they finished their breakfast. In return, he told her the differences in boiling a Heron’s egg versus a Peahen’s. It’s the little details in life that most people don’t end up appreciating and it was up to Marcy to make up for them.

Marcy found Calvin in his room after she had gotten ready for the day and grabbed a certain something. He was sketching in a notebook while lounging in his bed, one leg resting on his knee and foot lightly wagging. She paused and observed for a moment, as she’d never seen him having such a domestic moment. The last shadows of irritation slowly melted off his face, leaving relaxed features that looked almost unnatural to her. In the time she’d known him, Marcy had seen plenty of fun expressions on Calvin’s face, and sketched the funniest ones down, but now that she thought about it, the closest to relaxed she had ever seen him was when he completely blanked out.

Maybe he wasn’t so bad afterall, she thought. He even likes to draw, just like… I do…

While Marcy would have loved to take the time to unravel the thread on that particular sweater, they had things to get through today that would be vital toward getting the box recharged. Though, if they were quick and lucky, she might be able to cram in some anime power research time. It’d be great to compare Sasha’s performance to Calvin.

“Hey Calvin!” She greeted as she pushed into his room, hiding something behind her back as she entered. The sudden noise made the budding artist jerk his pencil and he clenched his jaw as he surveyed the damage. It was kinda fascinating to watch the tension pour back into his face, like rain into a dried river. “Oh, sorry dude. What were you working on?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Calvin intoned.

“In that case, you should be ready for today’s mission!” She cheered as she stepped closer. Marcy chose to interpret his glare as being hungry, she’d have to make time for an early lunch today.

“And what’s on today’s docket, oh Captain mine?” He asked sarcastically, not that he had any other way.

“Well, Bernardo sent a runner this morning.” The Artificer-Rogue reached into a back pocket and produced a letter in a familiar hand. “He says that if he’s going to be able to finish our order by the end of the week, then we’re going to need to get him some ingredients.”

“Oh, fetch quests, joy.” Calvin rolled his eyes, not that she noticed as she parsed over the list.

“I know, right?” Marcy was glad he sounded like he was excited. “We get to make progress and explore! It’s bargain adventuring!”

“Well, when you put it like that, I suppose so.” He shrugged and rolled out of bed. Calvin walked over to where his cloak was hanging and clasped it around his neck, then he slipped on his boots and fastened them. Marcy noted how they looked like they were made of the same material, just different thicknesses. Much like his gauntlets, they were relics of his mysterious Amphibia backstory. She’d pry that story out of him eventually, or she wasn’t Marcy Regina Wu! “So, what’s first on the shopping list?”

“Thankfully, it’s all stuff that’s pretty local.” Marcy explained as they started leaving the castle. “Stink shrooms and crawling moss for leatherworking, grail sap for adhesive, and then there are a couple of beasties we gotta get shell parts from.”

“I was wondering when that other shoe was gonna drop.” Calvin grumbled.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing I haven’t bested already.” She reassured with a smile. “A Golden Crab was the first thing I dealt with when I got to Newtopia and Preying Mantis’ aren’t that complicated.”

“Suppose I’ll take your word for it.” It was kind of unnerving how quietly Calvin moved but you got used to it. At least, that was the theory, Marcy still hadn’t. “What’s with the box?”

The air headed genius looked at the package in her own hands that he was pointing at and bounced a palm off her forehead for her forgetfulness. She stopped in the hall and began to hop in place as her excitement spread from her massive grin down to her legs.

“Actually, it’s the first part of our order!” Marcy practically swooned. “So, remember how you usually punch people but used to have an ax for bugs and stuff?”

“I think I recall, yeah.” He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Weeeell, I figured, since we’re probably gonna end up fighting bugs and whatever the temples throw at us, that you would need something new!” She held the parcel out to him and waited expectantly for him to take it.

Calvin reached out and gently took the package. He glanced at her one more time and she gestured for him to rip into it, which he did with abandon. Slowly, reverently, Calvin pulled his new ax out of its packaging. The handle was seafoam coloured leather with fine, golden threads pattering diamonds into the material. The haft was pearlescent white and swirled as it rose to meet the head, which itself was styled like a pair of flat clam shells, one resting on top of the other with a simple spike on the other side. As Calvin shifted it from hand to hand, he looked absolutely awed.

“It’s more art than weapon.” He spoke with wonder. “It’s almost a shame to actually use it.”

“I know she’s pretty, but trust me, Bernardo makes his stuff to do work first.” Marcy reassured as she patted his back. She liked the grin Calvin gave her as he twirled his new ax one handed, going from his palm to the back of his hand before snatching it out of the air. She was gonna have to try that move later. “But he really swung for the fences with this one, huh?”

“No kidding.” Calvin continued to get a feel for it as he worked it in his hands. “Think I should name it?”

“Oh, oh, oh, what about Bug Bane?”

“Clam Chop!”

“Dude, come on, be serious!” She laughed.

“What about Clam Chop doesn’t sound serious to you?” He grinned as he snickered.

“All of it.” Marcy scratched at her chin as she gave it a good think. “What about…

They suggested names back and forth all the way out of the gate and down into the coves to the north of Newtopia. The crawling moss was the first thing off their list, marching out of the tide pool to avoid the coming high tide as they arrived and easily tricked into a special basket. Grail sap came next, sort of, Marcy just marked on her map where they’d have to swing back around to because it was a bad idea to carry the coral around right now. Marcy still had some spare stink shrooms from the Barbari-Ant incident growing at a patch nearby, so they’d nab those up on the way back too. All that really left to do was the hunting, the fun part!

“This is kinda nostalgic, you know?” Marcy said as she surveyed the tidepools for crab signs.

“I’d bet.” Calvin agreed as he kept an eye out for anything generally dangerous.

“It takes me back to when I joined the Night Rangers. The test was to get an egg from a Golden Crab, but the lesson they were going for was recruits reacting to failure.” She recalled the shocked look on Albert’s face and found the memory satisfying, in spite of later reveals.

“I take it you somehow actually got the egg?” Her assistant for the time being kept pace, somehow managing to slosh through shin deep water almost silently.

“Yeah! I redirected some geysers and blasted a crab while she was taking a nap!” Marcy marveled at the memory for a moment, recalling how much fun it was to figure out and implement, the satisfaction of solving a previously unsolved puzzle. “Didn’t hurt her but it did put her into an emergency hibernation. They promoted me straight to captain for that!”

“Of course they did.” She could practically hear Calvin roll his eyes before he focused again on the mission. “Are we going to be able to get parts from a shell while they hibernate?”

“Hmm.” The Ranger Captain wondered. “I’m not sure, but I certainly hope so! Golden Crabs are pretty tough, you’re usually supposed to scare them away instead of fighting them and if you have to, you’re supposed to bring a couple squads.”

“And it’s just the two of us.” He sighed. “Fantastic.”

“Aw, don’t worry Cali, we’ve got this in the bag!” She cheered as she turned around to give him a confident smile and peace sign.

“Tell the crab that.” He deadpanned as he pointed over her shoulder to the right.

Sure enough, turning back around showed that there was indeed a giant Golden Crab crawling out of its cove. It began to sift through the nearby sands to pluck morsels out of the sediment and into its mouth. From here, it looked a bit smaller than the one Marcy had dealt with but still just as armored. Which, hopefully, meant it wouldn’t be too impacted by suddenly being a bit lighter of shell. As Marcy watched it hunt, she got an idea that would help them progress the quest and help her get a little research in.

“Hey Cal, I’ve got an idea!” Marcy went over to where he was leaning against the small coastal cliff to stay out of sight.

“The suspense, it kills me, please, regale me Mar-Mar.” Calvin snarked but he still grinned.

“I need you to get all glowy and toasty, then give the crab a hug!” Marcy clapped to seal the deal.

“Your plan is for me to 1v1 a giant crab that usually takes multiple, full squads of trained soldiers.” Calvin reinterpreted with a frown. “With a power that we don’t really understand, debilitates you, and theoretically makes me go berserk.”

“You don’t have to fight the big fella, just heat 'em up until their instincts kick in and they take a nap.” The Ranger patted his back and nodded toward their quarry. “And if you’re so worried, just give me a drop of blood for a sleep arrow.”

He stared at her for a moment and she watched his train of thought travel across his face. Irritation into contemplation, then what might have been a spark of eagerness that was snuffed swiftly by a flash of fear, before settling on his usual annoyed frown. The punk sighed as he ran a hand down his face.

“Fine, sure, let’s see if I can just set myself on fire at will, trial by fire, ha.” Calvin growled out as he took off his gauntlet, took out his ax, and pricked his finger. Marcy collected the sample as he began to stalk towards the unsuspecting crab. Once the arrow was ready, though not glowy this time, she pulled out her notebook and eagerly awaited the results. “If slash when this kills me, I don’t want you speaking at my funeral.”

“If anything starts going wrong, I’ll go grab some of that grail sap from before and make a quick fire bomb.” Marcy waved away his deathly comment. “This is practically the safest testing environment we could ask for!”

Calvin grumbled something she didn’t catch as he walked off toward the crab. He twirled his ax as he walked and Marcy noted with a certain glee that with each step there was a little more steam. She jotted down every observation she could, such as how the sleep arrow started to glow now that Calvin was. There was a brief moment where her head began to pound but she focused like she had during the research sessions and felt the feeling subside. He glanced back when there were twenty paces between him and the crab and raised an eyebrow for confirmation, to which Marcy nodded. He hooked his ax back to his belt hesitantly before charging the crab with preternatural speed.

The big girl turned as the noise reached her, leaving her in the perfect position for Calvin to grab her by the elbow of her primary arm and sling himself onto her back. He scrambled to the middle of her shell, splayed out as he laid down, and held on for dear life as the Golden Crab did her best impression of a rodeo bull.

“Go to sleep!” Calvin started shouting like a mantra as the crustacean spun and shook.

“You gotta run hotter!” Marcy shouted from the safety of fifty feet away. “You’ll need to raise her temperature to at least 100 degrees Celsius before she’ll hibernate!”

“I’m working on it!” He shouted in reply.

Suddenly, the Crab stopped and Marcy swore to Joe later that she smirked. The big gal rocked to one side before attempting a somersault to crush the human on her back. The coin flipped and Marcy was once again thankful that Calvin was a dexterity build otherwise she wouldn’t know how to explain to the girls that she let him get crushed on her watch. Her assistant pushed off the Crab just as the topside was taking on water, then rolled out of the way as the rest followed. He turned to face off again but the Crab had lashed out before it finished, landing a hit and launching Calvin into the coastal cliff wall with enough force to send cracks spider webbing out.

“Calvin!” Marcy shouted and ran over to where he was. Before she got to him, he dislodged his free arm and pushed the rest of his body out of the wall. He nearly fell as he landed but managed to keep his head dry as he rolled his shoulders, wincing in pain. “Are you alright?”

“Ask me again after I’ve ate.” He growled as he once again charged the Golden Crab, this time ax drawn.

“Wait, Cal, we don’t need to-” The Artificer-Rouge was then blasted with the wave that followed his wake.

The Crab held her own for a time, her far superior size and surprising agility keeping Calvin at bay as she outranged him. But, eventually she swung too high and the berserker slid under the dominant claw, lashing out at the arm joint as he went. The noble beast screeched as the appendage fell limp before her and made to defend herself with her lesser arm. Calvin simply caught it and snapped it in his grip, earning more squealing. He hooked a hand under the Crab’s face, threw himself back onto the shell, and hoisted his ax two handed. With a triumphant roar, he slammed the spike of the blade into the Golden Crab’s face and held on as the creature’s death throes shook the tide pool.

“That was a bit much, dude.” Marcy tutted as she walked up to the dead crustacean. She noted with interest that he was maintaining his glow, with irritation being the most likely cause.

“No, the me-shaped hole in the cliff is a bit much.” Calvin countered as he wrenched his ax free, dripping with crab brain juices. “This is fair play. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He turned and walked toward the center of the shell, tapping his foot as he went. Using some metric only he understood, Calvin found a suitable spot and stomped hard, shattering the top of the shell. He started to carve chunks of meat out of the crab and grabbed a large piece of shell, then started walking toward one of the dry parts of the tidepool.

“Is there anything around here that’ll work for oil or butter?” He asked as he went, still nursing a sore shoulder.

Before Marcy could comment on his cavalier attitude, the forest above the short cliff shook as something big and mean roared a challenge. Breaking out of the treeline came a Preying Mantis with a bright red shell and malice in its compound eyes. Those nests of malice filled orbs locked on the humans and Marcy got the impression it was grinning.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Marcy sighed as she switched her readied bolt. “Preying Manti are big opportunists, they love showing up at fights and killing the winner for twice the reward at half the effort.”

“Why wouldn’t they.” Calvin sighed as he threw his would-be lunch back toward the carcass. “Saves us the trouble of finding it.”

“More like robs us…” Marcy groused as the Mantis leaped off the cliff right toward them. “Oh Frog, run!”

Whatever sarcastic reply Calvin had was drowned out by the big bug landing between them and swiping at where they both had been. As soon as she was stable, Marcy fired on the Mantis. With the Power running through her veins it was a perfectly calculated shot but Manti had pretty good instincts for protecting their eyes. She jumped back from her crouched position as she reloaded, given that melee with a Preying Mantis was certainly not where she wanted to be. Calvin, on the other hand, was Mr. Melee himself.

The big bug shrieked as Calvin punched it right in the back of a knee, then brought his ax down onto the joint to cleave the limb clean off. In thanks for the boy’s efforts, the Mantis backhanded him across the tidepool to skip like a rock. Marcy made a mental note to doodle that into Joe when she wrote today’s entry.

Steadier than she had ever felt before, Marcy raised her crossbow and fired as the Mantis was turning away from its ruined leg. Before the predator could react, it found a bolt piercing into its bulbous eye and out through the other. For a moment the Preying Mantis wavered on its remaining legs and even managed a tentative step towards its slayer, but gravity won out against the corpse.

“Quest completed!” Marcy trilled as she took out a carving knife and descended on the Mantis.

After a while, there came the sound of someone stomping through the tidepool. Marcy glanced up from her harvesting to see a drenched Calvin, no longer aglow, grumbling under his breath as he walked toward the Crab. He grabbed the pieces he had made earlier, then a second chunk of shell before walking back the way he’d come, Marcy staring in confusion the whole time. Her assistant stopped at a protrusion in the water and set the smaller part of the shell on top, then the meat, and finally covered all of it with more shell before crossing his arms leaning back. As Marcy finished carving the breast shell from the Mantis, a familiar hissing sound began to rise from the hole and her eyes widened.

“Wait, Calvin!” She shouted out just before the geyser went off, completely obscuring the other teen in mist. As it started to subside, she saw an orange glow where he had been. He stood there completely unaffected by the gout of boiling water, using his ax to lift the larger shell and look at his meal.

“Steamed’ll do.” Calvin hummed as he reached into his makeshift pot to grab a bit of crab meat. He popped it into his mouth, huffed out some steam, then swallowed. “Could use some butter, but oh well.”

“I guess it is around lunch time.” Marcy conceded as she started setting up what she had packed.

Calvin, done being on fire again, came over with what he had cooked and the pair had a pleasant little picnic on the beach. They didn’t talk much but even the quiet was kinda nice, even if it wasn’t exactly the company she hoped for. Then again, as she looked at her companion who was covered in bruises and friction burns for their quest, who also just wanted to help get their friends home, Marcy struggled to line him up with her dream from the night before.

“So, not bad for our first duo adventure, huh?” She elbowed him with a hopeful smile. The corners of her mouth began to droop as the silence grew and Calvin got lost in thought. When he sighed deeply, Marcy braced herself for a scathing remark to kill her good mood.

“Honestly, I think I’m starting to lose my mind.” Calvin bemoaned, resting his chin in his palm as he stared at the horizon. “Despite getting my butt kicked literally across the beach, twice, today wasn’t too bad.”

“Are you gonna be alright?” Marcy set her sandwich on her plate and gave him a proper once over.

“A broken finger healed in less than a week.” Calvin waved her back to her food. “This is all skin deep, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all gone by the morning.”

“One long rest and all your HP will be back, nice.” Marcy congratulated as she went back to eating. He chuckled at the thought and she was glad to have someone who got her references without needing them explained.

After finishing lunch, the pair started gathering up what they needed from the carcasses. Marcy only had a couple more, smaller pieces to grab off of the Mantis and Calvin had done a pretty good job showing which pieces of the Crab’s shell were the best held together. Using the bigger chunks of shell like makeshift backpacks, the teens trekked back the way they’d come to grab the coral and pluck the largest stink shrooms. Finally, moss basket under her arm, they headed back into Newtopia and over to Bernardo’s to give him the goods.

“Excellent work, you two.” The old newt congratulated in a rare instance of good mood. “How did you manage to get such large pieces of Golden Crab?”

“He/I kicked it.” The two said at the same time then laughed at the coincidence.

“Of course he did.” Bernardo sighed and started moving things into his workshop in the back. “Either way, your order will be done by week’s end.”

“Thanks Bernardo!” Marcy called as they left. “So, shall we head back to the castle?”

“And here I was worried you were gonna put me back in the rat races.” Calvin side eyed her with a grin, folding his hands behind his head.

“I was thinking about it, but you got pretty banged up today, so it’d just be outlier data.” Marcy explained.

“Suuure Cap’n.” He purred. “Far be it from me to question a chance to take a nap.”

After dinner that night, Calvin went to bed with haste and Marcy could hear him snoring as she walked past his door. She smiled as she started to recount the day to Joe and was pleasantly surprised to find she was feeling significantly better than when she had woken up. Once she was done updating her journal, Ranger Captain Wu took out a different notebook to begin the muscle study Calvin had inspired her to do when there was a gentle rapping at her door. Lady Olivia was there, wearing the same cool look of grace as always.

“Good Evening Master Marcy.” Her tone was like a cool breeze on a hot day, gentle and comforting. “King Andrias has asked to speak with you in his study, despite my protest of your need to rest.”

“It’s fine, Lady Olvia.” Marcy gave her a quick bow before slipping into her slippers. “If he’s asking this late, then it must be kinda important, right?”

“He did seem a touch more serious than usual.” Olivian admitted. “Still, try not to spend too long out, young women need their rest.”

“Yes Lady Olivia.” The teen smiled as she took the familiar route to the king’s private office.

She wasn’t all too surprised to find him sitting at the old Flipwart board. What was a surprise was the serious look on his face, running a hand over his massive beard in thought as she entered. When he heard the door close, he glanced over and the reassuring smile lines returned with vigor.

“Ah, hello Mar-Mar.” He greeted, warm as a campfire. “Please, sit. It’s been sometime since we last played.”

“Is that all, big guy?” Marcy giggled as she took her seat. “If Lady Olivia finds out…”

“In all my years, few people have had such an effective wrath.” Andrias shuttered before chuckling. “But no, I did actually wish to speak with you.”

“About what?” Marcy asked as she made the first move.

“Two things, actually.” The ancient king answered her probing attack defensively, as usual. “I have a proposition for you and…”

“And?” It was pretty unusual for Andrias to trail off like that, especially looking so uncertain.

“And I have a concern about Calvin that I think you should know.”

Chapter Text

Honor

Calvin laid curled up in his bed in the castle of Newtopia, basking in levels of comfort that he had never previously experienced. There was a mild terror in his heart at the prospect of never feeling such soft goodness again once they’d all gone home. Even as his belly grumbled demands for food, he found he couldn’t be bothered to acquiesce. It wasn’t until there came some light knocking at his door that he finally cracked open an eye with the hints of a frown. He rolled until he reached the edge of the bed, then rolled a bit more. The discomfort of falling a foot and landing on carpeted stone was enough to rebalance the teen and he stood with a sigh.

“Myeah?” Calvin drawled as he opened the door.

“Good Morrow, Calvin.” Lady Olivia greeted cooly. He hadn’t checked his phone to see what time it was, but Calvin knew Olivia would have to wake up at an unholy hour to look this presentable every morning. In his opinion, she truly did have all the bearing of fine chinaware.

“Howdy.” He yawned. “What’s up?”

“What is ‘up,’ young man, is that you have quite nearly slept through breakfast.” She tutted maternally. “I may be no expert in human biology, but I know that all living things need sustenance. Especially when they continue to acquire injuries like you kids seem to.”

“Hmm, fair play.” Calvin hummed bemusedly. He couldn’t tell if she actually cared or if she felt some form of obligation to be congenial for hospitality's sake. Given what he had done on his first day in Newtopia, he wagered it was the latter. “Alright, lemme go make myself pretty first.”

“If you’d like, I can lend you some make up.” If she was pulling his leg, Olivia had a masterful poker face. “I had tried to instruct Master Marcy, but the lessons did not take.”

“She got lost trying to figure out how they were made, didn’t she?” Calvin smirked as Olivia sighed.

“Indeed.” The noble Newt shook her head with exasperation. “Fine young woman, finest I might ever meet, but she struggles with the ‘woman’ part of the equation.”

“If it ever catches her interest, Marcy’ll be the properest lady you’ve ever met.” Calvin chortled at the thought, especially because he believed it.

“That I believe.” Lady Olivia gave a curt nod before turning and gliding down the hall. “I shall inform the staff to save you a plate. Also, King Andrias would like to speak with you afterward.”

“That right?” Calvin mumbled with a frown as he started to scrounge through his laundry. A bonus of living with royalty is that your clothes get washed when you’re not looking. “I couldn’t imagine why…”

The dining hall of the previous day was near barren by now, a time Dad would describe as brunch back home, save for a plate stacked tall with pancakes, a few slices of bug-bacon, and a single pear set up on the smaller table atop the king’s own table. Thankfully, the pear was fresh and the other bits were warm, which was about as far as Calvin’s care went. He ate with little haste, mulling over what the King might want and how to respond in such cases. The sweet juices of his favorite fruit dripped down his chin as he chewed slowly in thought.

The study wasn’t terribly far from the dining hall and Calvin had little trouble finding it. He had certainly taken his time eating, feeling no small amount of anxiety at presumably being alone with King Andrias. The fact that he hadn’t heard a peep from Marcy today either did little to curb his concerns. But, at the very least, he refused to wear it on his face as he knocked at the door. He did, however, nearly jump out of his skin as the door was nearly pulled off of its hinge by a very excited old Newt.

“Calvin, my boy!” Andrias shouted with joy. “So good of you to join me, did you remember to eat first?”

“Pretty sure Lady Olivia would have strapped me to my seat if I hadn’t.” Calvin chuckled lamely as he tried to slow his heart from M-60 to Normal. “So, what’s up your Majesty?”

“Ghack, titles.” The King pretended to vomit before smiling warmly once more. “Please, just call me Andrias.”

“If you say so, Andrias.” The human finally accepted the inviting gesture and entered the study. The shelving was massive, even considering the size of the king, and each shelf was packed nearly to bursting with tomes. A single window let light into the room and fell directly on a table with two chairs set in the middle of the room. On the table were little stone figures in a froggy twist on Chess, though with some distinctions.

“Do you play board games much, Calvin?” Andrias asked as he gently shut the door.

“I’ve been known to dabble.” The teen said as he took in the game set. He had some passing guesses of what most of the pieces did, but found it odd that there were more pieces without counterparts than is Chess.

“Marcy was a rather quick study of Flipwart, I imagine you’ll find similar success.” The King hummed as he made his way to the obviously king sized seat, gesturing for his guest to take the normal sized one.

“We can’t all be as smart as Mar-Mar, let’s not get crazy now.” Calvin said as he sat down.

“I’m sure you’ll manage just fine.” A smile as wide as the table they sat at spread across the old newts face as he began to explain what piece did what and why. No wonder Marcy got so into it, Flipwart had a plot to it.

Andrias explained the rules and it was a good thing he was so enthusiastic about them, his energy was the only thing keeping Calvin conscious as the Kingspoke. The Warts were just renamed Kings and Pawns were still Pawns, but that was about where the similarities ended. The Archer pieces were kinda like Rooks if they never had to get within spitting distance of the enemy and the Toads were allowed to hop twice, but not if they took a piece of the first jump. It got stranger from there and the word ‘laser’ was thrown around too, leaving Calvin quite curious what state Amphibia must have been in when they had first devised this version of Flipwart.

“And that’s basically the basics.” Andrias grinned visibly and audibly at the prospect of having a new mind to sharpen himself against. “I’d go into discussion of strategy and tactics, but then we’d be here all day. Besides, I wouldn’t want to influence your decision making.”

“I hope it’s not because you like crushing newbies.” Calvin muttered as he rubbed his chin, a little mirror of his Dad.

“Ha, Frog no. I enjoy this game too much to take pleasure from beating someone who barely knows it.” The King reassured. “No. Flipwart is a game that encourages you to try to think like your opponent and I find that it is a great way to get to know someone.”

That caught Calvin’s attention. He glanced at the old Newt with a raised eyebrow, silently asking him to continue. Andrias was more than happy to continue gushing about his favorite game, like the big dork that he was.

“Actual battles are messy things, full of many moving parts, and far too consequential to the people actually fighting them.” He said in a rare somber tone. His disposition brightened as he gestured to the board game that was comically small compared to his frame. “Flipwart, instead, is all of the pleasant mind games and none of the ‘People actually dying.’ It also makes for a good occasion to just talk, which I hear is also a good way to get to know someone.”

“Hard to argue with not waging wars, myeah.” Calvin agreed as he pondered. I guess Andrias is trying to take my measure, he thought. Two could play that game. He shrugged and put on an easy smile. “Well, I’m already here, might as well try it on for size.”

“That’s the spirit!” Andrias cheered. “I’ll take the first turn and we’ll call this first game practice.”

With a nod from the teen, they started. Calvin’s strategy was defensive as he learned the ropes, less trying for victory and more trying to get a feel for the game. Andrias congratulated him when he managed to drag the game for 50 turns, though the punk had seen the writing on the wall around turn 30. If the old Newt had learned anything, it was that Calvin was petty enough to drag a fight out to the absolute end.

“Don’t feel too bad if you don’t manage to flip my Wart today.” Andrias consoled, but Calvin noted a wry smile hidden in his expanse of facial hair. “Only one person has taken a game off me since my father reigned.”

“That was Marcy, wasn’t it.” The boy sighed, well aware of his friend’s easy grasp for tactics.

“Come on Cali,” His memory of her tried and failed to teach. “It’s like a big ol puzzle but with two people trying to solve it first!”

“That it was.” The Lord of Amphibia grumbled and Calvin swore he caught something displeased in his eye for a heartbeat. Whatever that was passed quicker than it arrived and the King was all smiles once again. “Shall we go again?”

They set up again and once more Andrias led. He opened with the exact same move and an expectant look. A childish part of Calvin wanted to also mirror his first turn but that part was drowned out by the cries of his competitive side. He passed a Toad beyond his lines as bait but it was ignored for the moment as the King continued to repeat himself. The Toad returned to where it had started, a move mostly made in protest of perceived mockery.

“In tournaments, stalling is a valid tactic.” Andrias conceded as he pretended to think on his next move. Once again his Toad came out, right where he had before. “If you’d like to put timers out, I could light a candle.”

With a grumble, Calvin pivoted an Archer with a Toad and shot a Pawn. It was a nothing move, he’d gathered enough to know that, but competitive spite was among his virtues. The old coral of his seat shook gently as the master of the castle chuckled and finally broke from copying the first game. The match was shorter this time, but when the dust settled Calvin had managed to snag more of Andrias pieces this time around. Although, he suspected a number had been gifts instead of conquests.

“You’re picking up on this faster than I think you expected.” Andrias complimented as he reset the board. Despite his paranoia, Calvin was inclined to find the comment genuine. “With some time and practice, I think you could give Marcy a run for her snails.”

“If she enjoys this game even half as much as you say she does,” The human countered as he placed piece after piece. “Then I doubt whatever talent I might have will compete with her skill and experience.”

“Give yourself a little credit, young man.” The giant playfully chided. “If one can’t even speak nicely of oneself, then who else will?

Calvin chewed on that as they went into their next game. He was beginning to see the pace of the game, stroke and counterstroke. Despite that, he still struggled to read far enough ahead to avoid another flipping of his Wart.

“Might I give you some advice?”

“I seem to recall you said you avoid doing that.” Calvin quirked a smile at him, despite himself.

“I also enjoy encouraging growth.” The King smiled warmly as he spoke. “You play a defensive game, one that relies on reacting to and out-playing your opponent. And while there’s nothing wrong with that style, a good counter at the right time can end an entire engagement, if you spend the whole game playing the opponent’s game then you’ll only see the opponent’s outcome.”

“Hmm.” Green eyes peered at the board as he added that to the thoughts to consider. “Shall we?”

“Let’s.” Andrias seemed very happy to be teaching Flipwart again.

In Calvin’s opinion, there was a certain liveliness to the King now. Sure, he was always rather energetic, but as they played it felt more… Pure? Less intentional, maybe. There was a lack of bombast to it that spoke to something closer to the heart than Andrias’ usual antics that Calvin had seen. Then he blinked twice and realized that the game was about three moves from ending in the reigning champ’s favor. A glance to his side of the board revealed a decent bounty of opposing pieces and fewer on the other side. Andrias had won once again, but this time it had cost him more than he had gained. A pyrrhic victory was victory regardless, but now Calvin felt he had made him work for it.

“Quite the toll.” Andrias hummed. The tone was positive, but Calvin wasn’t sure if it was actually approving or not. “Sometimes winning isn’t worth the price, eh?”

“History is written by the victor.” Calvin intoned as he passed his spoils back to his host. “Besides, it’s just a game.”

“Indeed.” Andrias agreed and Calvin felt like something significant had just passed.

Fingers drumming on his thigh, Calvin had pushed other thoughts to the shelf and pondered the game. Given that he had learned Flipwart today versus Andrias’ centuries of practice, the odds of him taking a game were slim to none at the most optimistic. He understood that and believed it too, but that was no excuse to drown the fires of his competitive ambition. Plus, he thinks he might have gotten a grasp on how Andrias plays. It was a bit like a magic trick honestly, doing something flashy with one hand so the audience doesn’t notice that you palmed their card in the other. The Toad charges out while the Archer surreptitiously takes its place, the Priest steps protectively in front of the Wart while the Heron prepares to charge. Calvin wondered if that was just the most optimal way to engage the game or if it said something about Andiras. As his Wart Flipped, Calvin was already brewing his next plan of attack.

“Care for something to drink?” Andrias offered. “After a couple hours of this, even I get thirsty.”

“It’s been two hours already?” Calvin asked, bewildered at the passage of time.

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” The King went over to a wall and pulled a satin rope. After a few moments, a little door in the wall slid up to reveal a tiny snail, complete with black bowtie, holding a paper and pen in its mouth. Andrias wrote something down, gave it back to the snail, and pulled the rope again.

“Huh, snail dumbwaiter.” The boy noted. Neither his nor Marcy’s room had them but there had to be more of them scattered around the castle. He’d have to get a proper tour out of Marcy at some point, no matter how enlightening exploring the castle during the sleepover had been. Given where the night went, it was hard to recall the more mundane parts.

“What’s so dumb about him?” Andrias asked, sounding a little offended. “Snails don’t have the vocal cords needed for language, that’s no indication of Jeramia’s intelligence.”

“On Earth, we have a similar device.” Calvin explained, repressing a smirk at the King’s misunderstanding. “It’s called a dumbwaiter because it does the job of a waiter but there’s no person, no ‘intelligence,’ involved in moving the food from the kitchen to the table.”

“Ah, I see.” He ran a cerulean hand through his forest of a beard as he digested that information, like it was some great secret of the universe. “Humans have a very interesting perspective of the universe.”

“Ha, don’t they just.” The human concurred. A moment later, a bell rang and the snail waiter returned. Andrias retrieved a pitcher and two mugs, flipping a coin to the snail. The little guy chirped and the door closed, returning back to the depths of the castle. Now with a mug of fruit juice, Calvin was refreshed enough to continue his losing streak.

He had a different strategy in mind this time, playing far more aggressively than he previously had. It cost him three pawns, but Andrias’ Heron sat pretty in Calvin’s corner for the first time today, followed swiftly by a Toad that had hopped out in an effort to stop the tide. Catching it had cost his own Toad, but Calvin didn’t mind losing imaginary troops in an imaginary battle. He was weighing what it would cost to take the Archers when Andrais cleared his throat to speak.

“So, how is Mother Olm these days?” Andrias asked nonchalantly.

It was the tone one used to ask about the weather three feet from a window or how someone’s parents were doing after seeing them the day before. It was plain and unexcited, not the tone of a question that shattered Calvin’s concentration enough for him to completely forget the game at hand. Suddenly he found himself in a much different game and he realized that his Wart might already be flipped.

“Who?” Calvin played dumb about as successfully as he played Flipwart.

“Bigger than myself, glowing blue frills that turn purple, ancient back even when my father was born, ring any bells?” Andrias supplied with a helpful lilt.

“Sorry big guy, I feel like I’d remember that.” As he sat in the back of his head, watching himself on autopilot, Calvin noted that he was rather decent at lying. Without evidence, he would have believed himself there and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Well, it’s the darndest thing, you see.” The King clapped once and the doors to the study swung wide. A pair of Newtopian guards in full plate entered, carrying a couple condemning pieces of Calvin’s attire; His gloves and his cloak. “I had to check some old tomes to confirm, but the techniques for making cloaks like that were closely guarded secrets of the Olms. Hydrophobic in the extreme and almost perfectly keeping out sunshine to account for their sensitive skin and they weren’t often in the habit of giving those to outsiders.”

Calvin, in a stunning show of restraint, did not look at his boots that had almost identical properties as his cloak. He wasn’t really looking at anything at the moment, desperately looking for what his next move would need to be to get out of this, but he was struggling to think. There was a clatter and he glanced over to see he had spilt his cup without feeling it. He stared at his own hand in confusion as Andrias spoke up, sounding like he was underwater.

“Ah, that would be the slacktus juice kicking in.” He nodded sagely. “Wonderful sleep aid in lower doses and a safe sedative in higher, though it would take quite the dosage to affect me.”

Ah. We’ve been drugged.

That’s… distressing.

Yeah, that’s a word for it.

I do believe that this might be checkmate.

Don’t you mean flip?

Not at the moment, no.

What’re you going to do about that, Calvin?

He knew that voice from somewhere important, he was sure, but at the moment Calvin couldn’t place it. Honestly, he was struggling to place himself as his eyelids grew heavy and his mind became soft with exhaustion. Thankfully, or maybe not, he wasn’t so out of it that he didn’t notice a bookshelf sliding to the side to reveal a hidden passage with a certain ranger standing in the archway.

“So, wait, Calvin was actually part of the Olm Cult?” Marcy asked, not quite sounding convinced even as Calvin’s head hit the table. Even if he couldn’t keep his eyes open, he’d fight off this bad night doggedly.

“It would seem that he landed in Proteus when he arrived.” Andrias said mournfully. “The gloves could have been old relics, like your friend Sasha’s sword, but age would have taken the cloak and boots a long time ago. The only people who could have made those for him were the Olms.”

“The same Olms who’s cult was causing all kinds of mayhem when I got here.” Marcy deduced. In his head, Calvin saw her take the Priest just to get caught by the Heron and he knew Andrias was giving her a sad smile. “They brainwashed him?”

“First impressions are very important, Marcy.” The King was a better liar than Calvin, he had to admit as he fought down a yawn. That remorse sounded genuine from where he was sitting. “After all, Sasha landed with the Toads and look how that went.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Marcy trailed and Calvin knew she had her arms crossed with a scrunched up face. “What’s gonna happen to Calvin?”

“We’ll find somewhere secure and comfortable for him to stay while you and the girls complete the Temples. After that, perhaps you should just send him home?” Andrias spoke solemnly, like this was a tragedy and not a comedy from where he was sitting.

Wait, ‘send him home?’ What was that supposed to mean?

Fire began to spark in Calvin’s veins as his mind reached a conclusion before him.

To send him home, to imply that we are the only ones?

‘Send him home,’ not send them home.

Whatever poisonous lethargy had entered his body was burned by the stolen light of three stars. He stayed where he was to keep eavesdropping.

“I guess we should probably move him soon, then.” Marcy sighed. “With his crazy healing factor, who knows how long the slacktus is going to last?”

Well, so much for the patient game.

Calvin’s eyes shot open and he rolled out of seat, miraculously leaving the game board undisturbed. He landed on all fours and shot towards the guards, who had stepped further into the room in anticipation of their orders. He shoulder checked the one with his gauntlets, slipping them on as they twirled through the air. For the one with his cloak he dashed in and struck him with a jumping uppercut. The cape was fastened on before the plate mail clattered.

“Guards!” Andrias shouted as he moved a protective hand in front of Marcy. The implication was almost enough to offend Calvin enough to bait him in, but the drumming of armored feet approaching was enough to keep him in check.

He frantically looked around to gauge what his best avenue for escape was. The front door was a no go, Calvin had no idea how many guards were coming and there’d surely be more after that. The secret passage was tempting but he didn’t know the castle well enough to gauge where that would take him. Then he faintly recalled passing through the kitchen during the sleepover and his feet were moving before he’d even finished deciding.

“Calvin, wait!” Marcy shouted as he made a break for the snail waiter.

He caught himself on the lip of the alcove instead of slowing and that’s all that saved him from running head first into a thrown bottle of insta-vines. Calvin threw the little door open and was relieved to find the space wider than his shoulders. Without a word more he jumped down the shaft, praying to whatever would listen that it wasn’t too far of a drop. There was the twang of a bowstring as he fell and out of instinct he clutched his cloak. When the crossbow bolt struck true, his grip and weight were enough to keep him falling instead of breaking the clip holding it around his neck, though the tear from the middle to the edge was unwelcome.

As air rushed past him, Calvin took a moment to hope the little snail wasn’t currently at its post. He wasn’t sure how he’d live with himself if he turned the little professional to paste. A glance downward told him that he was about to land and Calvin imagined more of the power entering his legs without any idea if that would actually help or not. He had just enough time to think about the fact that if this didn’t work, they’d have to pull him out by his broken legs.

The dumbwaiter platform was shattered beyond repair by his landing and the ropes wiped around as they came free. If Calvin’s math was right, he’d fallen about four seconds in what was pretty much free fall, so that should have been almost an eighty meter drop. As he kicked out the door and slid into the kitchen, he reflected on how cool it was to have superpowers. And hey, even the drawbacks were affecting him less the more he used them, imagine what today will do for him! Sure, his legs were sore now, but they were also still functional.

Calvin didn’t pay the royal chefs any mind as he sprinted out of the kitchen. He flicked his head back and forth along the hall as he tried to recall where in the labyrinthine castle he was. With an age inappropriate curse, he started running to the right supernaturally quickly. For the life of him, possibly literally, he had no idea where he was in the castle, but he hadn’t been too far from the dining room, which wasn’t more than a couple rooms from the throne room, and the hall that led to that was a relatively straight shot to the front door, so he was hoping that he could just keep heading that way. Then the hall ended in a T junction and he felt a desire to strangle an architect.

“He went that way!” Someone shouted from behind him and Calvin kept sprinting.

For every left he took he tried to counter it with a right but guards started to cut him off. Calvin was starting to contemplate the value of just running them over when the dreadfully familiar twang of a bowstring took up his entire perception. He rolled to the side without check and was rewarded with watching a guard get struck in the leg and entrapped in vines.

“Calvin, come on dude!” Marcy shouted behind him as she reloaded. “This is absurd!”

“No, this is.” He replied dryly as he jumped out the window.

As the glass shattered and fell around him, he realized it was late afternoon by now. And he was about four stories off the ground, that distance rapidly shrinking. Actually, you know what, not that big of a deal, he thought, the snail waiter was a further drop, just don’t land on your head smart guy.

“Man, I wish I could fly.” Calvin mused right before a flower shop broke his fall and he its roof. “Sorry ‘bout that, send the bill to the castle.”

With his piece said, he jumped up and ran out of the store before the befuddled newt could comment. He started running for the gate his friends had used to leave Newtopia just days ago, irritated that he never got a chance to better map out the city in his head. He was sure there had to be at least one more gate, he just wasn’t sure where it was in the wall. Though he could have made a run for the docks, he got the impression his lack of nautical experience would make that route a rather poor idea. The rewards of growing up in a landlocked state.

So, now that it’s just cardio time, what’s the plan?

Now would certainly be a good time to concoct one, wouldn’t it?

Calvin growled as he tried to repress that particular tick. Bad habit was what it was and Doctor Maheswaran had agreed when he told her at therapy. But, seriously, he needed a plan. He couldn’t stay in the city, that much was for sure, he hadn’t exactly made any friends in town. Running through the forests and jungles of Amphibia sounded just as inhospitable but it’s not like he knew how to drive a beetle or snail. A shadow passed overhead and put a stopper on his thinking.

He glanced up and saw a giant sparrow, adorned with a golden breastplate and matching helmet with a green feather in the top. As the bird turned, he saw Marcy Wu riding on a bench on its back, eyes peeled as she scanned the roads. With a hiss, Calvin dove into a back alley and hoped the chase wasn’t up yet. Deep breaths in rhythm, just like his master had taught him years ago and Calvin’s breathing and heart rate were down to a manageable level. If speed wasn’t an option, then he’d just have to rely on stealth. Throwing his hood up, Calvin began to stalk through the pathways of Newtopia.

It took an hour for the gate to enter sight and when it did it reassured him not at all. A whole platoon of guards were stationed there, checking everyone and everything that came through. They even stopped a snail drawn cart to briefly pop the shell off to look underneath. Today Calvin learned what an indignant snail looked like and it did lighten his mood a touch.

Calvin leaned against the wall in a shadow and pondered how he was going to get past the blockade. As he watched, the guards were making an effort to make no exceptions to their inspections, just as willing to tear up a cart full of grain as they were to turn a noble’s carriage inside out. The sun continued to descend and light caught him in the eye. The fugitive covered his face and glanced to see where it was coming from. When he caught sight of the manhole cover, Calvin stared. Then a Newt began to light street lamps in preparation for the coming night and he had a terrible idea.

“Pardon me, good Newts of the city.” Calvin declared as he entered a tourist trap a block from the gates, a stolen, lit torch in his hand. “Might I have your attention please?”

The proprietor behind the counter and the family of three looked at him in confusion then mild horror when they really saw him. He waved the torch meaningfully and wore a sad smile.

“If I could please ask you all to evacuate, I’d greatly appreciate it.” He said calmer than he felt. “I’m trying to make a mess, not a tragedy.”

These were a smart bunch, as no one really said anything to the alien with the fire as they hustled for the door. Just as the owner was about to pass, Calvin grabbed him by the sleeve.

“Anyone else in the building?”

“N-no sir.” The old red Newt confirmed, sweating from heat and fear.

“That’s good. Go get the guard, I’d hate for the building to collapse.” Calvin patted him on the back and gave him a little shove to drive the point home. Not that he needed to, goodness, look at that old timer hustle! Almost like his livelihood was on the line or something.

With a hope that the Newt had insurance, Calvin tossed the torch off to the side and started making his way toward the back. Thankfully there was a backdoor and he didn’t have to bust through a wall to exit. Given that he hadn’t turned off the power since the end of the Flipwart game, Calvin was certain he could have. Just like he was certain that it was going to hurt when he finally pulled the plug.

The clatter of armored boots began to echo down the alley when Calvin wasn’t even two buildings away. Even if they were hunting him, he begrudgingly admitted that the guards moved fast in a crisis. Shaking his head and throwing his hood back up, Calvin stalked into the evening shade as the fire crackled and the first buckets of water began to drown it.

Traffic at the gate had gone from a crawl to a halt as a clear half of the guards had been commandeered to combat the fire. Better than he’d hoped for, honestly. He took a second to imagine the fire filling the veins of his arms and legs, shaking them out for effect. With a grimace, Calvin dashed towards the nearest guard and clocked them in the side of the head. The next closest began to turn, but looked oh so slow from where the human was leaping at them. He flipped midair and drop kicked the armored newt into their companions, the screech of rending metal hopefully meaning they were out for the count.

Instead of standing, Calvin pushed himself to the wall, bent his legs, and launched himself across the cobbles to sweep the legs out from under another guard. They came down with a clatter right next to him and he slammed a fist on their head for good measure. The guard in front of Calvin was heading around the carriage separating them from their fellows but was stopping and started turning around. Before they could finish, the living comet launched himself into their back and rode the tackle to the ground. In a stroke of brilliance, he headbutted the solid, plate helmet. Instead of a headache, he was pleased to find that the helmet was dented and the wearer was groaning listlessly.

Calvin jumped up, kicked the body at the last three guards, and started high tailing it out of Newtopia. There were calls to shut the gates, but that would cut a cart in half and the doormen were too confused from their vantage to destroy that much property. The shouting grew quieter as he churned the shin deep waters surrounding Newtopia. With how fast he was going, it didn’t even matter if his cloak and boots were waterproof.

Following the road up the cliff and toward the forest, Calvin slowed as he thought. In hindsight, getting out of the city was probably going to be the easy part of this process and before him laid the difficult portion. Obviously he had to get back to Wartwood, to Anne and the gang, that much was clear. But just because the destination was obvious didn't suddenly clear the path. Besides, it was a month long trip in the fwagon, how long and dangerous was it going to be on foot?

Some sixth sense called to him and he shifted to the left just in time for an arrow to pass by his head, tip replaced with a vial full of bright fluids. When it struck the ground, it exploded like a supernova and nearly burst his eardrums. Calvin rubbed his eyes with a snarl and shook his head like it would help clear his ears of the ringing sound. Just as his sense returned to him, he felt something winged landing some twenty paces to his right.

“Calvin, dude.” Marcy pleaded after dismounting, crossbow raised and loaded with another alchemical dart. “Are you seriously just going to run off into the night? Where would you even go?”

“‘Send him home.’” Calvin quoted, leveling his most piercing glower at his supposed friend. “‘Him.’ Not them, not you all, ‘him.’ Why’s that, Marcy?”

“I, well, uh, you see…” She fidgeted, trying to find the right words but those had never come easily to her. Marcy shook herself and steadied her aim again. “Don’t change the subject! What’s your plan, run off to Anne and Sasha and try to replace me again?”

It was Calvin’s turn to stand dumbfounded. He had absolutely no idea what she was on about.

“What?” Was his elegant reply.

“Don’t play dumb!” She demanded, recentering her aim. Though, even with a crossbow aimed at his chest, Calvin didn’t have it in him to be intimidated by Miss Wu. “I saw how you guys were getting along without me, I heard the stories! You just swept right into the story and stole my friends while I was waiting in the second act!”

“How did we get here?” Calvin muttered to himself, Marcy too on a roll to stop now.

“Here I was, worried sick about Anne and Sasha, and you were out there schmoozing with them!” Marcy accused.

“I’m sorry, schmoozing?” Calvin wasn’t sure he’d ever been more confused in his life and that’s including waking up in Mother Olm’s chamber. He shook his head to reorient his thoughts. “How worried could you have been, hiding out in Newtopia while we had to deal with the hospitality of Amphibia?”

“I practically rebuilt this city! And that was after rooting out the Olm Cult, which you’re clearly a part of!” If her voice got any higher pitched as she screamed, it would only work for dogs. He also noted, with great displeasure, that her eyes were green and glowing. “It was just one crisis after another in Newtopia! Heck, you guys showed up while I was dealing with one!”

“Juggling was never my strong suit, especially topics.” Calvin conceded, surreptitiously adjusting his stance for a fight. “Why are we bringing the word schmoozing back from the dead just to insinuate I’m being nefarious?”

“No, I’m not letting you brainwash the girls!” As the last rays of light of the day landed around them, Calvin finally noticed that Marcy had been crying. “I’m not letting you turn them against me, not after everything we’ve gone through together!” Steel entered her burning, emerald eyes and she narrowed them at him. “You’re going home Calvin, and spending a while in a cell before that.”

“Ya know, funny thing about that.” Calvin chuckled as he shook his arms. “Last time I had to break out of a cell, the tower came down the same night.” Legs shoulder length apart, feet straight. Left arm up next to his head, right arm out and bent in front of him. Hands open and itching to strike. A part of him recalled his fight with the pirate captain forever ago and how much more defensive his stance had been then. “We’re all going home Marcy, even if I have to drag you back kicking and screaming.”

Leviathan

As Marcy raced off to catch her wayward friend, Andrias hummed and clasped his hands behind his back. Another day, another step closer to the return of the box, and another piece off the board. Calvin was clever, but he hadn’t seen anything from the boy today or the days leading up to it to indicate that he’d be able to evade the guard and Master Marcy. Secure that the deed was as good as done, he began to walk out his study to assist in the search. Absent-mindedly, he glanced at the Flipwart board one last time.

It was a daring gambit that Calvin was going for, one that cared little for casualties as long as it secured the objectives. Which, until the abrupt ending, it actually had. In his mind’s eye, Andrias began to play through the rest of the game. There were a few false starts as he kept imagining the boy acting more in line with his early plays, but as the picture grew clearer, Andrias became privy to a truly sacrificial game plan that would have ended with a pawn flipping his Wart. It was the kind of ruthlessness tactic that he expected from cynics aged beyond their years, not a quiet, slightly paranoid young man. How insightful.

“Huh.” He admitted to no one else in the world, hopefully. “I wonder if I would have seen that coming.”

In the corner of the study, a cold orange light watched on. Calculations would need adjusting.

Chapter Text

Welp. As some of you may or may not have noticed, I seem to have missed my usual upload window for the month. Darn shame that, I was enjoying the streak.

Unfortunately, the chapter still isn't done and looks like it might not be for a little bit, but I still wanted to have something going up nowish, so why not a quick little Q&A?

Whatever questions might be boiling away within your brain box, now's the time for em! Who knows if we'll ever be doing this again! Heck, I might even keep this chapter up once the ACTUAL chapter is ready, for posterity or sumfin.

Leave em in the comments if you've gottem and I look forward to continuing to ruin Calvin's day in the near future for your entertainment.

Buh Bye!

Chapter Text

Heart

“You know HP,” Anne admitted as they passed the three mile mark back to Wartwood. “When you said that we’d be able to make this trip in a week, I thought you were joking.”

“Why does no one ever believe me?” The old timer grumbled at the reins. “I’m experienced, dang it! I traveled a lot when I was younger.”

“Yeah, but someone saying they can make a month-long trip take a week is usually talking crazy.” Sasha offered from the otherside of Anne’s frizzled hair. She’d forgotten just how humid the swamp was and now her hair was a nearly perfect circle of messy brown follicles.

“That route ain’t exactly open year long and besides that, it helps having three people who can drive in shifts instead’a just two.” Hop Pop pointed out. “How did you get through Bessie’s manual so quick, anyhow?”

“I did that before we even left, why are you asking now?” The blonde asked.

“Well… I…” He scratched his chin as he tried to figure that out himself. Just as an epiphany struck, Polly clawed her way out of Anne’s hair and pointed as they crested a hill.

“I see Wartwood, we’re finally home!” She called excitedly. Her brother hopped over to the bench and gasped in joy at the sight, fiddle in hand.

“O Wartwood, Mighty Wartwood!” Sprig sang and played his fiddle to a jaunty tune. “I sing to thee; Our noble history! A newt told a toad, ‘head to the frog’s abode; But don’t let them escape poverty!’”

It sounded like he had more verses in him, but before Sprig could continue his surprisingly dark serenade a certain old frog struck the town bell. Mrs. Croaker waved as they approached and shouted for the townsfolk to come out and welcome them home. Anne and Sasha had to lift the town motto sign out of their way as they pulled in; ‘Slow to Accept, even Slower to Respect.’ In Anne’s humble opinion, both had been worth the effort. Though, getting the same for Sasha might be a tad more difficult.

“Hiya folks!” Hop Pop jumped down first and was immediately grabbed by an old woman in winged glasses.

“Hoppy!” Sylvia cheered as Old Man Plantar’s eyes started to pop out of his head.

“Sylvia!” Well, he didn’t sound worried, so it was probably fine. She let him go so they could have a more equal hug and Anne had to stop from cooing at how cute the old frogs were. Sasha, thankfully, didn’t sarcastically gag loud enough for anyone but the kids to hear as they climbed off the fwagon.

“Any luck finding a way back to your world, Anne?” Loggle called as he made his way to the front of the crowd.

“Well, we’re a ‘whittle’ closer than we were before!” Anne confirmed and quietly reveled in her girlfriend’s groan of displeasure. Puns, for when you want to laugh more than your audience.

“That pun was for me!” Loggle whispered excitedly to the woman beside him.

“Well, if it isn’t the Plantars!” Wally said as he made his way out of the crowd, then somersaulting over to Anne, and sticking his elbow out toward her. “Haven’t seen you lot in a long time! Uh, definitely didn’t see you on your trip.”

“Whatever you say, Walliam.” Polly and Sasha said at the same time, flippers and hands respectively on hips and giggling afterward. The one eyed vagrant cleared his throat, lowered his hat, and walked off without another word.

Meanwhile, Sprig was scanning the crowd from the driving bench. When he didn’t see who he was looking for, he jumped down next to Felicia and someone that definitely wasn’t wearing a disguise.

“Oh, hey Felicia.” He wrung his hands nervously. “Where’s Ivy?”

“She said she had something more important to do.” Ivy’s mom said, looking abashed at how devastated Sprig was from the news.

“More important?” The Plantar boy asked, absolutely crushed with tears in his eyes.

“Something about an…” She smiled and gestured.

“AMBUSH!” Ivy screamed as she threw off her disguise and tackled Sprig to the ground. They rolled a good ten feet away and Anne decided to give them a little privacy. Besides, she knew where Sprig slept, he wasn’t keeping those juicy details from her.

“Ow, ow ,ow, ow.” The Mayor walked out of the crowd as he walloped Toadie with his golden cane instead of a bell or gong or literally anything other than a whole person.

“Simmer down now, come on, simmer down.” He stopped beating his subordinate, though kept holding him by the wrists. If Toadie minded, he didn’t show it. “Market stops for no one, y’all can welcome the Plantars back after business hours.”

“Oh, how about we all meet up at my restaurant tonight?” Stumpy suggested. “Have a big town dinner for the Plantars?”

“Say, if we’re all gonna be together anyway, why not bring all the gifts from our wishlist?” Mrs. Croaker suggested, earning a wave of approving noises from the crowd.

“Gifts?” Sprig asked.

“Wishlist?” Anne was just as lost as her brother. Sasha, for her part, glanced at a suddenly nervous Hop Pop.

“Great idea Mrs. Croaker.” Hopidiah did not sound like he agreed with himself.

“Hop Pop, can we go home?” Polly yawned dramatically. “I’m sweepy.”

“Of course, my sweet baby child.” Hop Pop hopped onto the fwagon with his granddaughter and waved desperately at the rest of his family. “Okay, here we go! Come on, kids!”

Like confused, dutiful ducklings, they all followed suit, hopping in the fwagon, and leaving, with the town waving them off. It was nice to be welcome somewhere with such open arms for a change, Anne thought. A little less welcome was the abrupt mention of a gift list, one that she hadn’t heard a peep about the entire time they’d been gone. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, but had to ask anyway.

“So, do either of you want this one?” Anne glanced back at Sprig and Sasha.

“No, no, all yours.” Sprig held a hand out like he was handing her the right.

“I really wanna see how this plays out.” Sasha crossed her arms and grinned like a wolf.

“Hop Pop, Polly, what the heck was that?” The chosen speaker demanded.

“Eh heh, well, ya see, funny story…” Hop Pop rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “We ran into Missus Croaker on the way to get the fwagon and she asked us to pick up a new romance novel for her while we were in Newtopia…”

“And Loggle heard that, so he asked us to grab him a new chisel…” Polly continued.

“Then Felcia asked about a new tea set while we were out…” Hop Pop took to scratching his chin and looking anywhere that his granddaughter wasn’t.

“It kind of spiraled from there.” Polly shrugged with a nervous look. “Now we kinda sorta technically owe the entire town gifts?”

“Oh my frog.” Anne groused as she pulled a hand down her exasperated face. “Neither of you could have written that down or at least tried to remember?”

“We did write it down, we just forgot. How do you try to remember something? You either do or you don’t!” Polly threw her flippers up in protest. “Why don't I just remember not to forget?”

“Exactly.” Anne crossed her arms and smirked at the irate, pink ball she called a sister.

Polly gave her the fiercest stink eye that she had on call and the resemblance to Calvin’s was pretty funny, in Anne’s opinion. She missed him and Marcy, but she knew they couldn’t be too far behind. Marcy was sure to have a great plan ready to deal with these temples, Calvin would probably follow up with something sassy, then they’d all laugh and get cracking at going home.

A flaming tornado full of beareattles blazed by and took out the neighboring farm just before they could get a big ribbon commemorating the refounding of their home. Anne noted that they all had to survive the following antics, but they had a pretty good streak up till now so it was probably fine.

Hop Pop crawled around on the floor until he found a loose floorboard. With a triumphant laugh, he pulled the board away, reached in, and withdrew a rolled up bit of paper. His grandson took it from his hand and frantically searched for Ivy’s name and request.

“Well, we'll have to lie.” Sprig’s voice drew Anne out of her thoughts and she blinked in confusion.

“What the hey hey?” She turned to where Sprig was reading through the wishlist.

“Ivy asked for a Red sunshell from the Newtopian coast to match my Blue one” Anne’s adoring cooing was interrupted by Sprig jumping onto her face and shoving the list as he started a quick panic. “She can’t find out, Anne! What if she gets mad? What if she thinks I don’t like her!? The relationship will be over before it starts!”

Anne reached up to pull the little guy off but Sasha had her covered and set Sprig onto the nearby bench. She pinched her nose and glanced at her girlfriend, who only looked bemused at this goofy turn of events.

“Fine, I’ll do it for Sprivy.” Anne sighed. “No way I’m gonna let that ship sink.”

“I knew Marcy would make a shipper out of you.” Sasha sighed, shaking her head with a faint smile.

“Great, now let’s put our heads together and come up with a plan.” Hop Pop suggested with only the faintest hint of desperation.

“Oh yeah, and we better hurry or else you might forget.” Anne grumbled. Her froggy grandpa’s angry retort was drowned out by a blonde, a frog, and a tadpole all shouting ‘ooooooh.’

Those mocking oohs were quickly replaced by awed ones as they crested a little hill and came into sight of the Plantar homestead for the first time in months. Nearly every speck of available ground, holes in stumps and trees, and every window on the house were absolutely covered in magnificent tulips. Chuck did indeed grow tulips.

Hop Pop quickly got the housesitter out the door with rushed thanks before dragging a blackboard out from somewhere and some of his many, dusty tomes. They kicked ideas back and forth for a bit, everyone for once on a similar page. Anne tried to ask Sasha for some input, but it seemed this was another instance of her girlfriend’s seemingly endless font of tricky ideas finally running dry, something that had become increasingly common since the diner. With narrowed eyes and a suspecting hum, she turned back to the blackboard where they had the start of what could be mistaken for a plan.

“So, we all agree on the concept: Fake, empty gift boxes that all get tragically destroyed somehow.” Hop Pop pointed at the diagram describing such while Anne crossed ‘Mantis’ off their list of potential destroyers. She only had a little PTSD from her first week in Amphibia, everything that came after didn’t give her room for much more.

“But it can’t be too dangerous, we don’t want anyone to actually get hurt.” Anne reminded them.

“How about this?” Sprig piped up from behind his evil looking book that he turned so all could see the pages he was referencing. “The Chicka-lisk; A beast eats gold and treasure, doesn’t eat amphibians, won’t attack unless threatened, and can be summoned to a certain area with a ritual!”

“Whoa, where’d you get the Necro-whosawhatsit?” Sasha asked as she leaned over the couch arm. “That looks like actual frog-leather.”

“Maddie gave it to me.” Sprig explained and for everyone who knew her that was enough. Then he blinked and registered the back half of that comment. “Why do you know what frog-leather looks like?”

“There was a little museum on one of the Tower’s levels dedicated to previous commanders. Some of the older captains weren’t as friendly, or lazy, as Grime.” The former lieutenant explained. They all collectively shuddered at the image.

“Anywho, this Chicka-list is pretty perfect.” Hop Pop said as he took the book and read through the details on the monster. “Gifts get eaten, no one gets hurt, and we don’t get blamed.”

“As long as no one tries to protect the empty boxes, yeah.” Sasha piped up sarcastically, to which everyone nodded honestly.

“We all okay with using ancient, eldritch magics?” Hopidaih asked and everyone responded with varying degrees of assent.

“I’m gonna record it for Marcy and Cal.” The blonde tacked on, which the other kids thought was a great idea.

“Great! Now let’s go get those ritual components.” Hop Pop glanced at the ingredients and nodded.

First they made a quick trip to the nearest mountain. At the peak was a village of isolationist, frost toads. While Sasha went up to their gate and bellowed orders at them that triggered their ancestral, soldiery memories, Hop Pop and Anne snuck inside to crack a horn off of the sacred Sky Goat while Sprig and Poly watched the perimeter. They got distracted sticking their tongues to a pole, so the high priest walked into the temple right as the horn came off. After this was done and they all ran screaming down the mountainside with the entire village in pursuit, Anne decided that the noise the hollow horn made as air rushed through it was kind of arcane.

Next, they shook the toads, the gang took a quick jaunt down to the Blister Bog to get some cursed obsidian. The book didn’t really give them a good description of what it would look like, just that you’d know it when you saw it. After walking into a cave vaguely in the shape of a toad’s head, they did indeed find a chunk of glassy, black stone that Anne artfully described as ‘Bad Vibes made solid.’ Sprig plucked it out of the dirt and the gang was immediately seized by the tentacles of a land octopus. Luckily, the Heron Sword is very sharp and Sasha was a pretty quick draw.

Lastly, and possibly most important of all, the girls made a quick store run to grab some candles to achieve the proper vibe while the boy prepared the dummy gifts. Polly didn’t get it, but Anne and Sasha were pretty adamant that it was vital to the ritual’s success. Loggle scared the bejeezus out of everyone when he started randomly screaming after Anne grabbed a scented candle, but he stopped pretty quick when Sasha’s two toned glare pierced him. Once they got home, they set the ritual up on one of the nearby hills and Hop Pop passed out patchwork black robes.

“You know what, I take it back, these were important.” Polly conceded after Anne lit the candles and the smoky scent of artificial campfires wafted over the magicks.

“Told ya.” The big sister was only a little smug as she grinned, giving her recording girlfriend the thumbs up.

“Play the forbidden note!” Hopidiah ordered and Sprig began to blow into the horn. It produced a truly prodigious sound that must have been audible the valley over.

“Corrupt it’s sacred message!” He crooned and Anne dumped the cursed obsidian into the music hole. The sound grew muffled before warbling unnaturally, then the ritual circle burst into a pillar of bloody light that pierced the night sky. Everyone looked on in shock and maybe a touch of horror as to what they may have unleashed onto the world. But then the magic stopped and everything seemed fine.

“Alright then! Who wants Stumpy’s?” Hop Pop was met with a chorus of excited whoos as they all threw the robes off and started to make their way back into Wartwood proper.

Off in the distance on a mountain top, the clouds that had been pushed away by the magic spat red lighting across the peak, which was probably fine.

The whole town had gathered outside of Stumpy’s and they excitedly mingled amongst themselves. Sprig and Ivy had a table to themselves and there was a very excitable pollywog playing bouncer while Hop Pop made stilted small talk while the proprietor worked the grill. Anne was stuck entertaining a decent percent of the rest of the town with some stories from their journey while Sasha lingered to offer the odd detail. The excitement dipped everytime the crowd was reminded that she was here, but it picked back up again when Anne’s energetic tale washed back over them. If the blonde cared, she didn’t show it, but Anne still appreciated the effort. When clouds gathered, spat lightning, and parted for a beam of crimson light that connected the sky to the ground, Sasha’s smile became a sharp thing.

With great flaps of its ragged wings the Chicka-lisk descended, eying the amphibian crowd with its yellow, beady eyes. Once its talons crashed to the dirt, it spread its wings to reveal its scarred hide and gave a piercing shriek of a roar that seemed to summon dramatic lightning off in the distance. The display had the desired effect, the crowd scattered away from the monster as it continued to cause thematic weather features.

“Oh no, who could have predicted this?” The frogs of the Plantars family piped up in a terrible attempt at acting, while Anne deadpanned and Sasha did her best not to face palm.

“Don’t overdo it.” Anne chided them.

The Chicka-lisk finally stopped its peacocking and noticed the glittering pile of gold painted presents. It chirped malevolently a few times, twisting its head at strange angles, before stomping towards the pile. When asked, Maddie informed them that the monster’s language was older than written history, which was a fun fact that didn’t help any. The giant monster bird tore the banner away that was above the pile of fake gifts and began to peck at the boxes for the tastiest morsel.

“Oh not, it is eating the presents.” Polly said in the least convincing, most emotionally dead voice she could muster. Anne was practically at a loss for words at how bad of a performance it was. Hop Pop, slightly more convincingly, suggested that they leave it alone until it’s finished.

“No way!” Ivy shouted after jumping on a table. If Sasha looked a little smug as she rested an armored hand on the hilt of her sword, no one noticed to call her out. “You guys did something nice for us! Are we just gonna let some chicken get away with this, would the Plantars?”

When the entire town shouted a courageous ‘NO,’ Anne felt herself smile even as she paled at the realization of what the amphibians of Wartwood were about to do.

“Well then, come on! Let’s save those presents! For the Plantars!” Ivy called them to war and they echoed her cry as they charged.

“Look at that, you guys made friends.” Sasha cooed teasingly.

“Can’t believe it’s finally time to say this, but, told you so! Boom!” Anne dunked on her froggy family.

The townsfolk threw rocks at the great beast, but it had little impact. Given that its feathery hide was covered in countless arrows, a few swords, and the occasional spear from previous attempts on its life, the Chicka-lisk might not have noticed that it was even being attacked. When Loggle rammed a pitchfork into one of its toes and introduced himself, that was when the monster finally decided it had been provoked. With a single flap of its wings, it produced a miniature tornado that flung the assaulting amphibians around the clearing. Sprig caught Ivy and the rest sorted out landing procedures on their own.

“Let’s spatchcock this chicken!” Anne was finally glad her mom had taught her so much cooking terminology as she drew her banged up old sword. Polly had a rolling pin, Sprig had his hands full, Sasha had her pink sword, and HP had his dukes up. Yeah, this bird was cooked.

Then the townsfolk charged again, ignored her attempts to coordinate them, and were turned to stone by the Chicka-lisk’s purple eye lasers. Anne felt like she should have studied the book in case things went pear shaped, but studying was never her strong suit. Thankfully, Maddie had enough antidote for everyone. Probably.

They were much more coordinated with their next charge. Anne ordered them to split up and surrounded the bird, which gave the beast a moment of pause as it weighed its options. It proved its intelligence when it singled out Anne and attempted to turn her to stone as well. Anne readied her sword to deflect the blast before Sasha dashed in front of the attack and caught it on the flat of her blade. The look in the Chicka-lisk’s eyes when its own petrifying gaze shot back at it was priceless, the monster barely getting out of the way in time. A few feathers turned to stone and cracked when they hit the ground. The beast prepared a different attack before a hail of boomshrooms drew its attention.

“Aim for the eyes, children!” Wally advised, which Ivy and Sprig took to heart.

With a hiss of equal parts irritation and pain, the Chicka-lisk hopped into the air and slammed back down, sending out golden pulses of energy each time it landed. This knocked over Wally and the kids, but Syliva and a Hop Pop with Polly on his head hopped each wave with inches to spare. The three of them each got a good shot at the beast’s face, Sylvia nearly scratching an eye out as she passed. The bright red marks faded quickly from the Chicka-lisk’s eyelid as it blinked, made a serious look, and gouts of fire began to blaze from its nostrils. It belched a torrent of flame at the gathered townies that was narrowly blocked by Mayor Toadstool shielding them with Toadie’s still petrified body. The fact that he only noticed his lackey was still stone, and therefore safe, after it was pointed out to him was not lost on anyone present. The pile of golden presents were also, conveniently, set ablaze.

Old Lady Croaker and her pet spider climbed onto the monster while it was distracted. She started to punch it in the head, which it didn’t notice, as Archie spun silk around the bird’s beak, snapping it shut. It managed to shake them off and snap the threads in a roar, but at least the fire was done now.

“This thing’s unbeatable!” Anne bemoaned.

“Nothing’s unbeatable!” The Mayor roared. Maddie chose now to cure Toadie. “Everyone, Chicka-lisk formation!”

“We have a formation for this?” Toadie inquired like they weren’t all about to die.

“We have a formation for everything!” Toadstool explained and the town moved to prove that assertion right.

Sasha had the dubious honor of watching as the townsfolk formed a standing formation that made her cheerleader captain heart green with envy. If a vaguely bird shaped structure is what they could do with so little instruction, imagine what they could do with some proper instruction. She also made sure to record the whole exchange for posterity. Anne was thrust to the top as the head of the town’s display and they all started to hop back and forth. What they hoped to accomplish, Sasha couldn’t tell, but Anne was really feeling it and that was enough for her.

With a series of trills that sounded genuinely offended, the Chicka-lisk cawed and summoned down a beam of red moonlight once again. It was seemingly teleported into the sky like one of Marcy’s old scifi shows, leaving a copy of its summoning sigil burnt into the grass, and then the night was quiet. After a moment to process, the town gathered around the Plantars and hoisted them into the air with celebratory cheers.

“We did it!” Hop Pop whooped.

“Finger-licking gone!” Anne taunted.

“But it destroyed all the gifts you worked so hard to bring back for us.” Miss Croaker pointed, gesturing to the giant pile of ash. A breeze came by to sweep that all away, leaving a small patch of charred swamp peat. That realization dampened the mood quite a bit for the townsfolk.

“If only we had fought harder.” Ivy bemoaned. She looked down at the dirt, defeated. “I guess we let you guys down.”

The frogs of the Plantar family shared a look before turning to their human as a unit. They all recognized the crossed arms and stink eye Anne gave them, though usually it was on a different human.

“Me and Hop Pop forgot the wishlist and didn’t get you guys anything!” Polly admitted in a panic, waving her fins in a panic and looking to the sky to avoid her shame. With a shocked gasp, the crowd dropped the four of them to the ground, where Sasha helped Anne to her feet.

“Why am I not surprised?” Mayor Toadstool walked up to where they were dumped with his hands on his hips, the rest of the town muttering disparagingly behind him. “Typical Plantars. Giant monsters, property damage, putting the entire town at risk.”

The four of them dropped their heads in collective shame, while Sasha looked about ready to really speak her mind. Then the toad began to chuckle and the gang looked flummoxed.

“I gotta admit, I missed this!” Toadstool’s admittance was met by a wave of approving noises from the rest of the crowd.

“Things have been really boring without your four around causing mayhem and learning emotional lessons.” Old Lady Croaker informed them with a wry smile.

“Wait, so you don’t care that we lied and summoned an elder god to cover it up?” Hop Pop asked for clarification and it turns out the amphibians of Wartwood were bored enough that this wasn’t something they’d lose any sleep over.

“Ivy, I’m sorry I didn’t get you that Red sunshell.” Sprig waddled up and apologized to his shipmate. She socked him in the arm and grinned.

“You big dummy! It’s just a shell.” Ivy stuffed her hands into her pocket and started looking anywhere but at Sprig’s face. “You can make it up to me by finally taking me on a date.”

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and the pink frog was blasted into a faraway land of childish joy and the wonders of a budding love. Anne nearly ruined the moment by crouching down and squeeing at her ship becoming canon, but Sasha preserved the moment by dragging her girlfriend off to the side. Sprig fell over on his side without his posture shifting even a fraction of an inch, causing Maddie to blast him with her last antidote bag.

All in all, when the Plantars and Sasha finally returned to the farm, they were able to collapse into their long waiting beds with large smiles and sweet dreams.

Chapter Text

Strength

“Why was this stuff even in your bag?” Sasha asked, leaning against the basement wall as Anne finished wrapping her wrists.

“You never know when you might need to put out a whoopin.” Anne smirked at her through the mirror. She inspected the wrapping around her hands and feet, finding them acceptable.

“Stealing Calvin’s lines just because he’s in Newtopia? For shame, Anna Banana.” Her girlfriend tutted dramatically and wagged a finger. They both burst into giggles a moment later. “You just forgot that your Muay Thai stuff was in your backpack, didn’t you?”

“As it turns out, I didn’t leave much room in there for actual school stuff.” Anne noted, rubbing her chin. “That probably explains why I wasn’t doing that well.”

“At least there was someone willing to tutor you.” Sasha sighed nostalgically and pushed off the wall with her foot. “Speaking of, why teach Polly Muay Thai?”

“My mom signed me up when I was younger to help me burn energy and learn some patience.” Polly’s sister did a few quick stretches to center herself while she explained. “Also, I think she did it to get me out of her hair, but that’s beside the point.”

“I’ll give you that, that tadpole has more energy to burn than the three of us combined had at her age.” The blonde tried not to think about how many meals had been interrupted by the pink ball blitz around the fwagon and now the dining kitchen. Calvin seemed to have found it all charming, the weirdo. Despite herself, Sasha was starting to as well.

“Alright, let’s grab the day by the horns!” Anne tossed her roll of athletic tape in the air and caught it with a winning grin. Sasha had grown rather fond of the butterflies that look put in her stomach.

As they climbed out of the basement, ladies first, Sprig waved as he ran for the door with a butterfly net on his shoulder. She vaguely recalled him saying something about hanging out with Ivy today, but she had been more focused on the way Anne’s eyes twinkled at her ship sailing for the horizon. Polly was still at the dining room table when they got there, putting the finishing touches on one of Hop Pop’s mysterious stews.

“So Polly, you pumped for some Earth martial arts?” Anne leaned in as she asked, the two of them sporting identical grins.

“You know it! I can’t wait to kick butt even harder!” Polly bounced out of her seat and spun her tail around in a surprisingly accurate recreation of a roundhouse kick, despite not having legs.

“That’s the spirit! Let’s get you wrapped up.” Her instructor started with the tail, doing well in spite of her pupil’s excited vibrating.

“Oh, oh, is this so that I can keep fighting even with broken bones?” The malevolent glint to the tadpole’s eyes was no trick of the light and Sasha was very glad they had made peace over the trip to Newtopia.

“What? No, this is to stop you from bruising too much.” Anne took the morbidity and Polly’s subsequent disappointment in stride. “Although, I’m pretty sure I remember something like that in one of the comics Calvin was reading back home.”

“Oh, I’ll have to remember to ask him about that.” Polly rubbed her face with a flipper before turning across the table. “Hobbes, don’t let me forget that.”

Sasha finally noticed that she had Calvin’s stuffed tiger at the table with her. There was even a bowl in front of the toy that looked like it had food eaten out of it. Sometimes she forgot that Polly was still a little girl.

“Thanks Hobbes.” Polly turned back to Anne and was all smiles again. “So, what’s first, teach? Heart stopping fist, leg sweep that turns bones to dust, The Death Glare!?!”

“Okay, slow down, Polly. First things first, we’re gonna have to go somewhere good to train.” She patted her sister on the head after she finished wrapping the last flipper. “Lucky for you, I already know the perfect place.”

“And then The Death Glare?”

“Depends on how fast you learn.” Anne winked and Polly practically shone.

“Muay Thai, Muay Thai, Muay Thai!” The pair chanted as Polly jumped onto Anne’s head and they started heading towards the door. Sasha made to follow when a wrinkly, orange hand entered her vision.

“Actually, Sasha, before you head out, could you help me do a supply run real quick?” Hop Pop asked meekly. “Chuck did what he could, but he was only buying to feed one guy, not four growing kids and an old frog with a specific diet.”

“Crackers and cheese isn’t a diet, HP.” Sasha informed him while trying to keep track of where Anne was going through the window.

“It’s a low protein diet.” He defended, jutting out his saggy chin defiantly. He returned to nervousness a moment later. “I’d go myself, but it’d be too much stuff for me to get on and off’a Bessie.”

“Ugh, fine.” The blonde conceded after her girlfriend disappeared into the underbrush and was gone from her sight. Hopefully she’d be able to track her down when they got back.

The ride into town was painfully awkward in its silence. Hop Pop started sweating after a minute and at first Sasha thought it was because he was still a little scared of her. Which would have been entirely fair given her poor first impression, but he didn’t look away when she’d meet his frantic glancing about. It occurred to her that he just couldn’t stand the silence a moment before he sucked down more air than she thought he could fit.

“So, you got a boyfriend back home, Sash?” He asked, voice cracking worse than his awkward little smile.

Sasha stared at him in disbelief for a moment. The sheer audacity was almost impressive, honestly. Then she recalled Anne telling her of a time Hop Pop made a similar remark during the trip and how she had handled it. After another silent moment of consideration, Sasha decided to do what she’d been doing for the last month or so: She followed her girlfriend’s example and punched the old frog hard enough to knock him off the snail. Then she took up Bessie’s reins and flicked them against her shell to get a bit more speed out of the old girl.

“I suppose I deserved that.” HP shouted as Sasha sped away before springing repeatedly to catch up.

“Anne and I are dating, in case you hadn’t noticed.” She grumbled at the old frog, then gave him a more appraising look. Older folks back home weren’t usually receptive to those sorts of declarations, so she felt like she had a right to be cautious. If Anne’s froggy grandpa cared, he did a great job of hiding it.

“Yeah, I’m just bad at small talk.” He rubbed the back of his head, moving most of the skin on it and briefly blinding himself. “You and that Calvin boy seemed sorta sweet on each other, hope you being with Anne didn’t bruise any feelings.”

“I don’t think it did. He seemed happier for us than Marcy did when we told her, honestly.” Sasha still wasn’t sure what it was she saw in Marcy’s eyes when they broke the news to her, but the smile that followed less than a second later was as sweet as their Marshmallow ever managed.

“I’m glad you three turned out to be such good kids.” Hop Pop sighed, leaning into Bessie’s bench with an easy smile and hands on his belly. “I was a hair worried about that at the start, if you’d believe it.”

“Ha, yeah, I would.” Sasha ruefully agreed.

She did her best not to think about how things had been before Amphibia as they slid into town. Hop Pop directed her to the general store and the pair went inside for a general resupply. It wasn’t actually as much as Sasha had expected, mostly just replacing the foodstuffs they had taken with them on the trip. Hop Pop handed it all to Sasha and she was completely sure that he could have carried it all himself. She was suspecting that he just wanted some company for the trip when she felt a prickle on her neck. Quick as a flash, Sasha leaned out of the way just in time for an egg to pass through her ponytail and splatter against the door. The most Mean Girl glare she had was fixed on as she spun around to look at her assailants. A trio of pollywogs were staring at her, bug eyed and flippers full of eggs they had grabbed from the open ice box.

“Got a problem?” Sasha asked, Popular Girl dripping from her voice.

“Yeah.”

“It’s big, dumb, and has an ugly face bump.”

“YOU!” The tadpoles cited before launching another volley.

Just as Sasha was stepping out of the way to protect her outfit, a yellow tongue lashed out and caught the eggs out of the air. Hop Pop swallowed them whole, taking a certain satisfaction in the crunching as they went down.

“Rosemary, Lavender, Ginger, when I tell your father that you’ve been wasting eggs…” Hop Pop threatened, wagging a parental finger at them. The tadpoles collectively paled before scattering back into the aisles. With a sigh, he paid Loggle for the eggs and the pair left with haste.

“Wish I could say I didn’t know what that was about.” Sasha grumbled while loading the groceries into Bessie’s shell hatch.

“To be fair, they might have done that with or without that Toad Army business.” Hop Pop sighed as they climbed onto the snail and trundled towards their next stop. “You’ve read the town sign.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighed and flopped deeper into her seat.

“Don’t feel too bad about it kiddo, it took em a while to warm up to Anne, too.” Hopidiah reassured.

“And she’s a delight! And I’m just…” Sasha trailed and looked toward the middle distance.

“They’ll take to ya. Eventually.” The old frog patted her head a couple times, then retracted the appendage when Sasha gave him a look like she might bite it off. “A round of apologies might ease the process along.”

“Yeah, probably. At least Anne would appreciate it.” The blonde began to pack away her pride and work on a speech when she felt serious eyes on her.

“What do you think of the idea?” Hop Pop asked pointedly.

“Well, I mean, I think it might start getting me to a point where I’m not at risk of getting egged in public, which would make all our lives easier.” Sasha shrugged with a confused look.

“And how would that make you feel?” The old frog leaned even closer. It was a good thing Bessie was capable of somewhat driving herself because no one else was.

“Uh, less annoyed?” She tried. When the old timer didn’t relent, she kept digging. “It would make Anne feel better, which I like?”

“Is your name Anne Boonchuy?” He somehow managed to arch his eyeridge even higher. There was a real chance his eye was just gonna slide out of the socket, Sasha was sure of it. “What does Sasha Waybright want?”

“Some personal space.” She offered before shoving the old frog hard enough that he nearly fell off the snail again. “Look, I messed up and I was doing it for a while. As long as it isn’t bothering anyone I care about, then I can take whatever the universe dumps on me.”

“And you think that you being hated by the town Anne loves won’t bother her? Even if it does, you’ve made your mistakes and you’ve realized that’s what they were. You’re trying to be better, I even noticed that. Punishing folk doesn’t accomplish anything, especially folk who want to improve.” Hop Pop gently explained. Sasha sometimes forgot that he did actually have some wisdom in his nearly bald head.

“But I deserve-”

“People never know what they deserve, they always think it’s too much or too little.” Anne’s grandpa chided. “I think you deserve a chance to show them you want to be better and I know Anne would agree with me. But, most importantly, what do you want?”

Sasha kept looking off at nothing and thought about that. She knew exactly what she wanted, she just wasn’t sure if she wanted to share that with someone outside of her little circle. With a slight turn of her head, Sasha was able to put a blue eye on the old frog, who was patiently waiting for her response or accepting her silence as he drove. The blonde was ready to just call the conversation there, but something tugged at her. The way Anne’s face lit up when talking to Sprig, when she laughed with Polly, and when she traded stories with Hop Pop stuck in Sasha’s brain and she realized that her circle would never again be as small as she’d once forced it to be. If she wanted to be better, then she was going to have to trust her friends to come back to her. Even if they had other people.

“I just want to be the friend they deserve.” Sasha whispered, half hoping that the old timer’s ears wouldn’t catch it. Judging by the way his smile grew, he heard it just fine.

The rest of the trip passed in a more comfortable silence. Hop Pop’s need for conversational noise was apparently less than his delight in emotional moments. The fact that Sasha only had to dodge a couple more projectiles before they left town was something she took as a positive sign from the universe; They’d run into more people who hadn’t thrown things than had. The sun was still high in the sky by the time Bessie’s shell had been unloaded and Hop Pop assured her that he didn’t need her help putting everything away. He waved her off as she went to the edge of the woods that she remembered Anne passing through earlier. Tracking her girlfriend was actually a bit harder than she had expected, Anne having gotten pretty good at tramping through the swampy woods.

“Huh.” Sasha noted as she entered the patch of giant lily pads Anne had been training Polly at. Ivy and her mom, who was dressed in her own Muay Thai kind of outfit, were hugging it out while Anne, Polly, Sprig, and Wally of all people sat on a nearby log. The pair were talking about tea now, so Sasha tried not to catch their attention as she edged around the muddy water towards her goal.

“Well, I guess our work here is done.” Sprig clasped his hands with a fond look. As she glanced towards where they were sitting, Sasha noticed Polly had gone missing.

“To be honest, I have no idea what’s going on.” Wally cheerfully admitted.

“Hey, have you guys seen Polly?” Anne glanced at her empty lap in confusion.

“GOTCHA!” Polly roared as she came flying at Anne’s head, fist first. Anne and Sprig were more than fast enough to avoid the flying tadpole, but Wally checked what the noise was before trying to move.

“Ha.” Sasha sniffed as the vagrant’s unconscious body landed face first in front of her.

“That was technically your fault.” Polly casually pointed a flipper at Anne.

“Eh, there’s a good chance he doesn’t remember this.” She shrugged, then noticed the other human present. “Oh, hey Sash.”

“Hey Anne.” The blonde gave a small wave. Ivy and her mom’s smiles dropped at the sight of her, but Anne’s and her frogs’ didn’t. It’d do, for now.

Wit

Marcy methodically marched around her room, carefully avoiding the new clutter. The whole place was cluttered these days, but this particular mess she’d made on purpose. It was all of her supplies for the trip to Wartwood, arranged by how easily she could launch the item if need be. Obviously, she’d put the various books she 100% needed on the bed. There would be no throwing those unless it was all that separated her loved one from a grisly demise and the odds of that were exceptionally low. By Amphibia standards, anyway.

She had finished going through her potion reagents for the seventh time when a knock that she definitely wasn’t waiting for came at her door. The page on the other side was not prepared for the door to fling open before his third knock and nearly jumped out of his skin. He lost his footing and was making his way to the floor when Marcy caught him. Unfortunately, she missed trying to catch the door frame and was dragged down on top of the poor newt. There was a quick scramble and many a flopping limb before the pair had disentangled and were now standing a few paces apart. The messenger cleared his throat and straightened up in a desperate attempt to inject some professionalism into this disaster.

“Master Marcy, the latest report has-” The letter was ripped from his hand hardly a moment after he proffered it, quick enough to give him a paper cut. He reeled his hand back and managed to bite back on his glare.

“Yes, yes, thank you, that will be all.” Marcy didn’t pay him an ounce more of attention, staring at the envelope as she walked back into her room and shut the door more forcefully than was necessary. She knew that it was standard practice to give a tip in moments like this, but she was too absorbed to recall that. Add another embarrassment to the pile, it’ll be in good company.

She carefully tore the top of the envelope and withdrew the precious intel from within. Quick as her eyes would allow, Marcy scanned through the contents. Then she read through it again. Then, more slowly, silently demanding that the letter told her what she wanted instead of the truth. One finally lookie loo just in case, after which she sighed in defeat and tossed the missive on top of a decent stack already on her desk. She pulled her chair out, uncaring of the pile of clothing knocked over, and collapsed into it to stare unseeing at the ceiling.

“Another round of concussions, broken bones, and a clear path heading to the mountains blocking Newtopia from Frog Valley.” Marcy groaned toward the uncaring stones above her.

The map pinned to her wall gave the impression that Newtopia and Frog Valley were practically neighbors, but that was far from true. There were miles upon miles of forest separating the capital’s tide pool from even the closest mountain making up the range that encircled the frog’s homeland. On top of that, there had been numerous expeditions into the mountain range to find a more direct route between the capital and its breadbasket, all of which had ended in unmitigated disaster. Monsters that displayed genuinely magical powers, passes that existed for days out of the year at best, and weather that was unpredictable even to the canniest of newts and the most experienced of frogs. All of that is to say that trying to pass through those mountains alone, on foot, with nothing but the clothes on your back and the gauntlets on your hands was as secure of a death sentence as could be found on the lily pad shaped world of Amphibia.

“He might have his own map now.” She mused to the bricks of her wall, head lolling to the side. “Post mission equipment retrieval has been lower than usual standards. And he’s not stupid enough to try those mountains, I think. Just stupid enough to…”

Before she could continue to spiral, a much louder but somehow more timid knock echoed from her door. Marcy managed to drag herself out of her seat and meandered toward the entrance. She dragged the door open, peered out, and immediately perked up a little.

“Good evening, Marcy.” Andrias warmly greeted from where he was hunched over in the hall. “How goes the preparations? Are the ‘vibes immaculate,’ like you were hoping for?”

“Hey big guy.” She sighed and leaned against the door frame, looking at the floor. “My stuff’s prepped, I sent a letter yesterday, and Joe Sparrow is ready for the flight once the weather improves, but the vibes are not, in fact, immaculate.”

“And what would improve the ‘vibes,’ Master Marcy?” She always did like hearing the king call her that, it made her sound really cool. It didn’t help as much today, but it was nice regardless.

“A better report from the rangers, for starters.” Marcy grumbled and crossed her arms.

“Was it unclear or poorly put together?” Andrias raised a hairy brow larger than her arm. “I can see about having the reporting officer reprimanded. After they finish recovering, anyways.”

“No, the technical aspects of the report are as exceptional as usual, it’s just that they haven’t succeeded yet.” She scrunched her face up to look frustrated so he might not notice how the stress was eating at her.

“He has certainly proven to be slippier than we had expected.” Andrias begrudgingly admitted. “But after a certain point, the quantity of our troops will simply wear him down. Everyone has to sleep, eventually.”

“I thought so too, but we’re coming up on two weeks and he couldn’t have gotten more than a couple hours each night. Assuming the rangers caught him while he was asleep each time, while they haven't once.” Marcy pointed out with, unable to repress the nervous glance she shot the king. His warm smile just wasn’t as reassuring as it used to be, which she blamed on her own lack of recent sleep. “He isn’t exactly heading for safe territory, Andrias. I wouldn’t want anyone to head into those mountains alone and unprepared, heading out while loopy from lack of sleep can’t be an improvement.”

“Either way, I will be sure to keep you informed once you head out.” Andrais reassured her. “That said, I did wish to discuss your plan one last time.”

“Look, Andrias, I get where you’re coming from, I’m not trying to be obstinate or anything, but I want to make sure me and the girls are as ready for this as we possibly can be. We have powers, strange powers that made one of us go briefly crazy, and we need to at least have a handle on them before we go into any ancient, dangerous temples.” The facts that Marcy was excited to get some time with her girls for the first time in forever and getting to do an anime training arc were entirely incidental. Andrias didn’t seem to buy it, but he didn’t push it either.

“I have made my stance on the matter clear before, but this is ultimately your quest, Marcy. It’s not as though there is some kind of time limit, anyways.” He did his best to shrug in the cramped hallway and Marcy paled a little.

“Ha, yeah, right.” She turned and looked back at her room so he couldn’t see her expression. “Well, it was nice seeing you, big guy, but I still have to triple check my supplies. Wanna be prepared, you know?”

“Of course, Master Marcy.” Andrias sighed and nodded. “Try to get some sleep too, alright? You look even more tired than usual, which seems like a bad vibe to me.”

“Yeah, I’ll, uh, I’ll do that. When I find the time.” Marcy gave him a quick wave before shutting the door. She slid down the door until her knees were to her chest and she just stared at nothing for a while.

Marcy wanted to call it impossible. All the evidence she had on those mountains proved that there was no getting through them, whether you sent an army or a lone warrior of extreme skill. She wanted to scream at the world that there was exactly no chance that he beat her to Frog Valley. Then she recalled how impossible she thought it was when he was with her girls, how impossible it was when they had magic powers, how impossible it was when she found that magic music box to take them to this impossible world. Every resource and report, all the data and intel that there was on that mountain range said that it was impossible for anyone to get from one side to the other and that scared her beyond thought.

After coming to Amphibia, impossibilities seemed more likely by the day and Marcy found herself begging the clouds to let her fly to her girls before it was too late.

Somewhere Else

Honestly, when James had become a sergeant in the Knight Guard, missions like this were kind of what he had expected. That business with the cult earlier this year had been a bit unexpected, but basic training had taught him to expect the unexpected, so it didn’t count. This, though? Tracking a strange beast through the wilderness to ensure that it couldn’t harm any more of the good people of Newtopia? Now that he could get behind, easy peesy. The sheer volume of rangers who had already tried and failed at this hunt only made the coming victory all the more glorious, in his eyes. Captain James had a certain ring to it and this success would pave his way to an easy promotion.

One of the forward scouts raised a fist and everyone mirrored the motion, bringing their hunting pack to a halt. Slowly, the scout edged forward into a miniscule clearing. They made another gesture and James approached. It was the remains of a constructed fire, the smoke of which they had seen an hour ago. He grinned to himself, signaling for his squad to locate the monster’s foot trail. They fanned out, close to the ground to search for clues. It was probably too much to hope for more blood splatter, there had been no reports of the beast bleeding in a week. They rustled through the underbrush and he couldn’t help the quiet, excited thumping of his tail, he could practically smell their quarry.

“Sarge, you’re gonna want to see this.” One of his soldiers reported after a few quiet minutes and James jogged over with a hopeful hop to his step. The hope evaporated when he saw the find.

“Did anyone lose a crossbow?” He murmured as he poked at the wreckage before him.

“No sir.” The ranger reported from under his hood.

James blinked a couple times as he tried to place the voice to a face, but for the life of him he couldn’t. He glanced over and noticed a number of things very rapidly: Firstly, there was a second, frayed gray cloak under the standard light blue of the rangers. Secondly, no snout stuck out from under the raised hood, it had shadows so dark that the only things he could make out were two glowing orange orbs. Third and finally was the golden olms on purple metal rapidly flying towards his face. After his body had bounced off a tree twenty feet behind him and collapsed to the ground, consciousness fading, James heard the beast speak as it stalked away.

“That didn’t take long, they must be scraping the bottom of the barrel for troops.” The fire-eyed beast chuckled darkly. “Can’t imagine why that might be.”

Chapter Text

Strength

“So, uh, yeah, that’s where I’m at with all… That.” Sasha waved her arms vaguely. Admittedly, she did feel a lot better telling Anne about wanting to apologize to her froggy town. Not that she’d ever admit that to Hop Pop, can’t let the old timer’s ego get too rowdy. She resisted the urge to fidget as she waited for Anne to give some sort of reply, laden with the wisdom she’d gained in her time with Wartwood.

“Yeah dude, I think that’s a pretty good idea.” Anne gave her a cheery grin and a thumbs up. When a moment of silence passed without a follow up, Sasha realized that her girlfriend wasn’t going to offer to help her. Which meant that she would have to actually ask, something that the cheer captain wasn’t quite sure she had in her. This whole ‘trying to be a better person’ thing always seemed to get trickier as soon as she thought she had some of it figured out.

“Okay, I guess I’ll… Get on that, then.” Sasha awkwardly rubbed the back of her head and looked off towards the horizon.

“I know you can do it Sash, just gotta show them how cool you’ve gotten!” Anne patted her shoulder, then started tripping over her tongue. “I mean, you were still, like, cool, but now you’ve gotten pretty cool with stuff, like more agreeable, and you know what I’m just gonna stop now.”

“Thanks Anne.” Sasha sarcastically grinned, rolled her eyes, and gave her girlfriend a peck on the cheek. The burning blush and noise like a tea kettle that Anne made corrected Sasha’s approaching bad mood with incredible haste.

Sasha was satisfied to simply sit in this scintillating second, but a buzzing bug became a bother brisky. She was about to swat the pest when Anne gasped and snatched something from the grody bug: It was a letter with an important looking purple wax seal on the back, addressed to Anne and Sasha. The seal held the frog’s foot of the royal crest, so Sasha had a fair guess as to where it had come from. Anne flipped a coin to the mail fly, who caught it and tipped his little hat before flying away, grabbed Sasha’s wrist, and sprinted inside to share the news with the Plantars.

“How come I never get mail?” Polly grumbled.

“Who would you even get mail from?” Hopidiah pointed a questioning spoon at his granddaughter.

“Spam, probably.” The tadpole conceded with a sigh.

“Open it!” Sprig excitedly jumped onto Anne’s head and they read the letter together.

“It’s Marcy! She said she’s going to be flying out as soon as she can, Newtopia has been having some bad weather for a bit now.” Anne explained and everyone gave a little cheer. “Oh, she even included a checklist of things to bring. Let’s see; ‘Food, weapons’…”

“Check!” Sprig jumped off her head and gestured to his bowl of HP Delight stew.

“Double check!” Polly shouted as she produced a flail from somewhere and nearly crushed her brother’s foot, his quick reflexes the only thing keeping him bipedal. “Jumpy little fella.”

“Cool! What else?” Anne glanced at the list. “‘Armor.’ Armor?”

“Check.” Sasha cocked a thumb back at where her suit of toad officer standard issue armor was resting on an armor stand she had personally carved. And then Hop Pop had helped her fix.

“Don’t worry kids, I made the rest of you your very own suits of armor.” Hop Pop volunteered, to the general disbelief of his grandkids.

When he broke out a set of what looked like leather balloons and a set of bellows, Sasha decided that her skepticism could wait to see if this was going to be as funny as it looked. When the Plantar kids were turned into people shaped pillows that could barely move, Sasha snuck a photo on her phone before reminding HP that if they couldn’t move then they’d just get eaten. The look on his face was convincing enough that she was sure he’d forgotten that somehow.

“Anne-ything else on that list?” Polly asked after everyone had been pulled out of their balloons.

“Oh yeah.” The human Plantar grabbed the list and browsed to the bottom. “Duh, the music box!”

“Speaking of, did Marcy’s letter say that ‘she’ was flying out?” Sasha leaned over and double checked the wording, Anne joining her in the venture.

“Yeah, yeah she did.” Anne sighed after a moment. “She always was bad about remembering to include people when she’s excited.”

“Yeah…” Sasha tentatively agreed. She recalled how a certain one of their group had a much worse time in Newtopia than the rest of them and Marcy’s poor word choice wasn’t helping.

“Well, I’ll let my contacts know to have the box ready by tomorrow.” Hop Pop looked like he had completely forgotten about the music box, but at his age he probably forgot about a lot of things.

“Great, you’re the best!” Anne gave her gramps the Boonchuy Thumbs Up and he chuckled nervously in response.

The rest of the day passed with an excited air. Anne was looking forward to seeing her other two friends again and finally getting to see her parents, Sprig and Polly were looking forward to a new adventure and violence respectively, and Hop Pop ran off to town to get the message to his oh so mysterious contacts. Sasha hovered around her girlfriend most of the time, talking about various kinds of armor and what accessories would look best with each style.

“I’m not sure I’m going to take armor advice for a girl with only one shoulder pad.” Anne teased, flicking the pauldron.

“It only has one pauldron because I have one sword and to maximize protection while staying agile it makes sense to only apply armor to the shoulder that would be closest to the enemy.” Sasha defended.

“That’s what Grime told you, isn’t it.” Anne leaned forward and poked her girlfriend in the reddening cheek.

“Calvin agreed.” She grumbled, the last line of defense she had.

“Far be it from me to argue with you, your toad, and Cal.” Anne went back to standing straight and shrugged with a cheeky smile.

Despite the excited and anxious jitters in her stomach, Sasha eventually managed to get to sleep that night. She dreamed of a forest caught in a storm, with unforgiving mountains occasionally painted against the sky when lightning broke free of the clouds. There was a constant feeling of dread in the air that was only matched by a nearly overwhelming wrath burning deep in her chest. As she reached a hand out and tore the undergrowth out of her way, Sasha noticed the light of a thunderbolt reflecting off of a familiar, golden pattern on the gauntlet she was wearing.

“Anne, what’re you doing here?!?” Someone shouted and broke Sasha from the nightmare, heart pounding and teeth grinding together. She tried to take a few moments to catch her breath, but the voice she now recognized as Hop Pop yelled again from the front yard. “I can’t lie anymore!”

Trying to rub the sleep and bad dream from her eyes, Sasha got off the couch and shuffled over to the window. Anne had her back to the house and Hop Pop was on his knees next to a hole under a tree. He got up and began to gesture wildly, flipping from the hole to Anne and back again, though now that he wasn’t screaming Sasha couldn’t make out what was being said. She slid out the door and wandered up behind her girlfriend, stifling a yawn.

“You gotta understand, I was just trying to protect Sprig and Polly!” Hopidiah begged as he stepped closer to Anne, who in turn edged away and nearly bumped into Sasha.

“So you’ve been lying to us? This whole time?” Anne asked, sounding heartbroken as she stared at the ground. That woke Sasha up faster than any espresso back home.

“No! Well, yes, but it’s complicated!” Hop Pop was grasping for straws now, desperate to explain his stupid idea.

“No it isn’t!” Anne shouted, causing Sasha to take a step back and swallow what she was about to say. There was the faintest blue glow as Anne began to slam a finger into her palm. “We need the music box to get home and you buried it under a tree! What’re you trying to do, keep us here forever!? That’s it, isn’t it? You sicko!”

Sasha almost wished she was back in that bad dream, at least there she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to speak during this tense moment.

“No, no, it’s not like that!” Hopidiah tried desperately to get his point across. “It’s just… I’ve lost so much already and-”

“Stop.” Anne threw her hand in his face and he shrunk away in resignation. Tears began to show in her eyes as she began to walk away. “I can’t be here right now. Don’t follow me.”

Before either Hop Pop or Sasha could say anything, Anne dashed off into the night with inhuman speed. The blonde walked up beside the old front and folded her arms in thought. With a shake of her head and a sigh, she spared the wrinkly old frog a look.

“You are so lucky Calvin wasn’t here for this.” She chastised him. He looked at her with a confused, tearful expression and so she decided to enlighten the orange frog. “If Calvin ever hears about this, he might actually kill you.”

“That’s fair.” Hop Pop decided with a defeated groan. He trudged back into the farm house and left Sasha to decide what exactly she should do.

Marching back into the living room, the outlines of a few plans began to make themselves known in Sasha’s mind. She knew she needed to get Anne back and she knew they had to find out what had happened to the music box. Everything else involved was a little more fluid, to put it lightly. After getting into her armor and strapping her sword to her hip, Sasha gave the depressed old frog one last look. He was making a mug of coffee and looked prepared to wait all night in the vain hope that Anne would come home, a fate that Sasha was more than willing to leave him to. With her nose turned up, she gave a final harrumph and walked out of the building. She jogged back out to the hole in front of the tree and investigated.

As much as she wanted to just go chasing after Anne, actually finding the box was probably more important. It was, after all, their only ticket back home. That’s what Sasha kept repeating in her head over and over again to keep her anxiety at bay, trying to keep herself from feeling abandoned again. Apparently she was going to need to add abandonment issues to her therapy docket, great.

The sun began to crest over the mountains of Frog Valley and shed a little light on the current situation. Sasha discovered that there was a little hole inside the hole that went off deeper into the soil. She laid down and looked into it to see if there was any indication as to where it went, but it was too dark inside. Getting back to her feet, Sasha weighed on whether or not she was just going to go straight the way the tunnel led. Concluding that that was a stupid idea, she tried to figure out what to do next.

The growing sunshine glimmered off something in the distance and caught Sasha in the eye, causing her to turn and glare at the glare; the Wartwood town sign hung shining, the motto mocking her quietly. She mulled over the idea for a few moments before shrugging.

“It’s either that or I grab a shovel.” Sasha started walking down the path toward town.

When she got to Wartwood, the entire town was buzzing with froggy panic. There were holes everywhere and people mulling about in confused anxiety. Sasha decided to walk up to the nearest townie to bargain for some assistance. She set her sights on a blue frog with pink hair and made her approach.

“Hey, what’s with all the holes?” Sasha asked in her best ‘cool girl’ voice. If the one eyed look she got from the frog was any indication, it didn’t work.

“What’s it to you?” The frog girl squinted at her, voice dripping suspicion.

“Something pretty important to me and Anne is also missing and my guess is that we have the same problem.” Sasha was pleased to see that invoking the town hero was enough to at least break some of the frost in the frog’s gaze.

“Well, someone dug a bunch of holes and stole stuff from everyone in town.” Frog girl turned back to the hole she was investigating and clenched her hands into fists. “I even lost a talisman that, if that fell into the wrong hands, it would bring an end to all-. I’ve said too much!”

“Hey, wait!” Sasha called as the witchy frog began to make a break for it. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at the blonde, suspicion creeping back in. “You’re Maddie, right?”

“I don’t remember introducing myself to you.” Maddie turned and folded her arms defiantly.

“Squeaky- I mean Sprig was talking about you during our trip.” Sasha explained. That was true and so there was no reason for her to know that Calvin’s team at Toad Tower had gotten a list of odd persons in Wartwood put together.

“Oh, okay. What else do you want?” She tapped a foot impatiently.

“I, you see, uh, ummm…” Sasha found her tongue tied and wasn’t sure what to do with that.

“Look, I’ve got better things to do today than listen to an ex-Toad soldier stammer, so I’m gonna go now.” Maddie turned to hop away and a shot of panic was enough to free Sasha’s words.

“I need help.” She admitted, unfond of how that tasted. “If I can’t find the box, then we won’t be able to get back to our own world. Anne will never see her parents again, neither would me and Marcy, and Calvin’s dad would never know what happened. Please.”

Maddie stopped and stared at the blonde, searching for a hint of insincerity. When she couldn’t find any, her shoulders relaxed and she began to really consider the offer. Then she looked back at the hole and rubbed her chin. She looked at the sky as she did some arcane math before reaching a conclusion.

“Alright, I might be able to help.” She declared and Sasha could have hugged her if she wasn’t a weird little frog person. “What can you tell me about this box?”

“It was an old timey music box with three gemstones set in it.” Sasha showed her the picture Marcy had sent her. Anne’s birthday felt like a hundred years ago now, on top of being worlds away. “After coming to Amphibia, the gems are gray.”

“Hmm. I’ve never heard of any kind of magic like that before, but it has to be.” Maddie scratched her head before glancing at Sasha. “Either way, if it was powerful enough to get you guys here, then there might still be a kind of magic residue on you.”

“Something like that.” Sasha muttered and ignored the questioning look she got. “Alright, so what do we need to do?”

“I’ll need the body of a fly, a nematode’s heart, and the venom of a hybeena.” Maddie listed off, then thought for a moment. “And some of your blood.”

“How much blood?” Sasha squited at her.

“It’s fine, I’ll only need some of your spare blood.” Maddie waved off her concern and started walking away.

“That’s not how that works!” Sasha shouted before stomping after her.

First they tracked down a fly about the size of a golden retriever and Maddie blasted it with a magic pouch full of honey. It flew off in a panic and the pair gave chase through the thicket. After a couple minutes, buzzing laughter began to fill the air and the fly was mobbed by a pack of bee-hyena hybrids. The second hardest part of their little adventure was making sure there was enough of the fly’s corpse for it to still be useful. The actual hardest part came later when they were bargaining with a nematode for its heart. Turns out they had spares, who knew.

“Alright,” Maddie dropped the heart into the bubbling cauldron, where it started beating again. “Now for that blood.”

“This better work.” Sasha grumbled as she produced a dagger and pricked her finger. With each drop, the broth flashed with neon pink light. After four droplets the fly’s wings began to vibrate again and the heart slid down the neck, made easier by the fact they weren’t able to save the head. “Whoa!”

“Wow, that was quick. I thought for sure we’d need at least a pint.” Maddie excitedly began to hop after the crime against nature they had made.

“A pint!?” Sasha shouted incredulously, also giving chase.

“Oh, there you are Sasha.” Sprig called, riding a rolling Polly, as the Plantar kids came into town.

“No time, follow the glowing fly, we’re getting the box!” She ordered as she ran past. When the kids didn’t even bat an eye and turned to keep up, something lit up in Sasha’s belly.

Storm clouds gathered from the north and broke as they blitzed through the forest. Something about this particular weather pattern felt familiar, but Sasha couldn’t put her finger on it so she ignored the feeling. The fat droplets didn’t seem to bother their tracking device or the frogs, but the same couldn’t be said for the human in forty pounds of metal armor. A growl bubbled out of her throat and Sasha focused on why the box was important: it was their only way home, Calvin promised to keep it safe, and because losing it had upset Anne. Her armor felt lighter and there was an edge of pink light around her vision as Sasha began to pound through the mud like it was nothing. There was the sizzle of instantly boiling water as the rain that hit her turn to steam and the ground beneath her boots would dry out as she sprinted past.

“Whoa!” Maddie hopped out of the way as Sasha passed the frogs with a determined look. She took the opportunity to jump onto the passing human. It was nearly a mistake as her hands quickly began to overheat but as soon as Sasha noticed the additional weight the temperature dropped from scalding to cozy. Oddly enough, rain still turned to steam against the pink aura surrounding the human. “I didn’t know humans were magic.”

“We aren’t.” Sasha clarified, then thought for a moment. “Not usually, at least. Maybe that’s just an Amphibia thing.”

“Or maybe you people never tried hard enough before.” Maddie argued.

“Whatever.” Sasha rolled her eyes before skidding to a stop. The fly dove neck stump first into a giant pit and was destroyed as it crashed into a massive collection of small dog sized beetles. It was like a chitinous blender full of random valuables and it made the absolute worst noise Sasha had ever listened to, including Marcy’s remixes. “I think we found it.”

“Now we just gotta find the box.” Sprig came up next to her and threw his goggles on. After a few moments of surveying the typhoon of bugs, he gasped and pointed. “There, I see it!”

Sasha followed the outstretched digit and was able to see the box in the mix. The beetle that was wearing it like a second shell was on top of other beetles like a little queen and Sasha felt the urge to dethrone the little magpie. Maddie dismounted and surveyed the situation, glancing through her various magic pouches to identify which ones would help right now. Sprig, on the other hand, was sure that he had the hops for this venture. He did not, in fact, have the hops for this.

“Gah, they got me!” He shouted, being dragged into the swirling mass of bugs.

“Sprig!” Polly and Maddie screamed.

Sasha looked down at Anne’s frog brother and decided that she didn’t want to see him get hurt. That resolve turned into a thing of iron inside her, leaving the only thing left to do would be showing the world that it was true. She took a couple steps back, drew her sword, ran and jumped over the pit. The Heron Blade was turned toward the bugs and Sasha came crashing down like a comet. Beetles went flying if they weren’t outright crushed and a lot of people’s stuff was broken in the chaos, but most importantly her friend was no longer being pinched to death. Sprig jumped onto Sasha’s shoulder with an appreciative look, then something caught his eye. His tongue lashed out and he reeled in the music box before kicking the offending beetle off of it.

“That was awesome!” He cheered and Sasha swelled with pride. “How are we getting out of here?”

She deflated a little as beetles began to land and turn towards the pair with malicious intent. Before Sasha had to carve her way out of this mating monsoon, a pair of frog tongues caught her arms and dragged her out of the pit. As she stood up, Sasha noticed that the mud was sticking wetly to her gloves and that she wasn’t glowing anymore. She almost took a moment to grumble at the rain before she noticed that Anne and Hop Pop had caught up with them.

“How’d you guys find us?” Polly asked.

“The giant bug explosion was kinda hard to miss.” Hop Pop explained and shepherded the kids under some big leaves at the tree line. Sasha started to follow, but stopped when Anne didn’t move.

“Anne?” Her girlfriend turned and looked at her, then turned to the box.

“Well, with that settled, we’re through here.” Anne took the music box and put it into her backpack. She nodded her head to the side for Sasha to follow and started walking back towards the woods.

“Anne, no…” Sprig bemoaned.

“Where are you going?” Polly asked.

“We’ll go stay with someone who isn’t a liar. Maybe Loggle, he seems like a straight shooter.” Anne grumbled, clutching her bag straps tighter. Sasha glanced between the Plantars plus Maddie and her girlfriend a couple times before following after her fellow human.

“Anne, wait.” Hop Pop ventured back out into the weather but Anne didn’t humor him. “At least let me explain. What I did wasn’t right, but I didn’t do it to trick ya!”

When Anne kept walking, Hopidiah sighed and chose to bite the bullet.

“Sprig and Polly’s parents…” That was enough to stop Anne in her tracks, Sasha with her. The Plantar kids ran out to comfort their grandpa, who raised a hand to let him continue, and Maddie scooted off into the woods to avoid the emotional baggage that was incoming. “It was a few years ago. I was out of town when the Herons attacked Wartwood.”

Sasha sheathed her sword and tried her best to hide it behind her cape. Maybe Calvin was right about it being in poor taste, not that she’d ever tell him.

“Sprig and Polly survived but their parents… weren’t so lucky.” Tears fatter than the rain welled up in Hop Pop’s eyes as he balled his fists in regret. “If I’d just been there, I know things would’ve been different! Ever since then, I swore I’d never let my family down again. That I’d do anything to protect them!”

Anne finally turned around and looked at her froggy family. Hop Pop began to walk closer with his arms outstretched.

“So, when I found out the box was dangerous, I lied to you and hid it away.” He stopped halfway to the girls and clutched his sides. “I thought I was protecting my family, but now I realize how foolish I was; You’re my family, too. And I’ve let you down.”

Hop Pop collapsed to his knees and stared at the mud before him.

“I let us all down.” The tears finally began to flow and he held his face in dismay. “I’m sorry, I’m just so sorry!”

Anne walked past Sasha and stood in front of Hop Pop. She set her backpack on the ground, crouched in front of him, and brought her grandpa into an embrace. He opened his eyes, mixtures of hope and surprise swirling on his face.

“Hop Pop, I forgive you.” Anne quietly confirmed, words nearly lost in the storm. They sat there holding each other for a sweet couple of seconds. Then the squeaky toy ruined it.

“Reconciliation!” Sprig shouted as he lunged into the hug.

“Frog pile!” Polly launched herself at her family and barreled them all over, knocking them all into Sasha and they all collapsed on the ground around each other. Giggles began to fill the air.

“Can we get out of this rain?” Anne asked and they all quickly scrambled under the cover of the canopy.

The walk back to the farmstead was silent but warm, despite the weather. Clouds turned fluffy and white after they got back inside, the weather moving on to harass other parts of Frog Valley with an emotionally appropriate atmosphere. While Sasha oiled her armor to prevent rusting, Hop Pop grabbed one of his old books from his room.

“This book’s been in our family for as long as I can remember.” Hop Pop set it on the table for them all to be in awe of.

“Wow, that IS a long time.” Sasha muttered with a smirk.

“Quiet you, it’s story time.” Hop Pop admonished. “Look.”

He flipped open the page he’d left the ribbon in, revealing the Calamity Box for all to see. The words ‘Beware!’ and ‘Dangerous!’ were written in larger font, but there was also a red stamp of ‘Destroyed!’ on the page opposite the picture of the box. Given that said box was on the table next to the book, it seems that was an inaccurate stamp.

“‘Calamity Box.’” Anne read out and frowned. “Reading all this, I’m starting to see why Calvin was kinda jumpy back in the throne room.”

“Yeah, not exactly comforting.” Hop Pop said with a serious look.

“I guess all that’s left is to wait for Calvin and Marcy.” Sprig said and they all made various noises of agreement.

“Guys, I hate to say it, but this temple quest may be more dangerous than we thought.” Anne warned, looking at her gathered loved ones.

“Well Anne, think this gang can handle it?” Hop Pop put on a determined expression and rested his fists on his old hips.

“After today?” She threw her arms around her frogs and brought them in for a hug. “I’m pretty sure this gang can handle anything.”

Sasha wiped the grease off her hands with a washcloth and rested her head on top of her girlfriend’s curls. She almost jumped in surprise when Hop Pop and Sprig each wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her completely into the group hug. If anyone asked why her eyes were becoming watery, Sasha was completely ready to blame it on getting some armor grease in her eyes.

Chapter Text

Wit

Marcy was beginning to worry that the storm clouds would never break. More than once she had simply considered starting to walk with Joe Sparrow until the weather turned or they were far enough away to take flight. The experts of the aviary had reassured her that the time she might save would be minimal while a sparrow is at their most vulnerable on the ground, so she had waited. And waited. And chewed her nails to the point of uselessness multiple times as she continued to wait. Then there was that one day where she woke up with a ray of sunshine on her face and got really excited so she jumped out of bed and ran to the window only to see that the single break in the clouds just so happened to land right on her bedroom window. Marcy was rather upset after that one. When the storm finally broke the next day she almost didn’t head out because she was so convinced that it would come back as soon as she left. But it didn’t and she did finally, finally, head off to Frog Valley.

The air was thinner at the altitudes Joe Sparrow normally flew at but Marcy had gotten a lot of practice in so she wasn't bothered. What did bother her was trying to keep all of her books from falling off the bench, she really should have put them in a bag or something. At least the paper in Amphibia was mostly waterproof otherwise all the clouds they flew through would have rendered bringing the tomes useless.

The trip took a day and a half as Marcy skirted around the mountain range called the Beast’s Teeth. She would have flown straight over them but she had it on good authority that even flying over the range was a poor idea. The Chickalisk gets territorial this time of year, apparently. The fact that she was able to get a couple hours of sleep while she and Joe Sparrow rested on the ground was the stuff of miracles. It was the same nightmare she had been having since a few days after the girls left, so she was glad that she didn’t sleep too much. Marcy always woke up just before the bolt struck home, but that didn’t stop her from shouting herself awake again. Joe Sparrow wasn’t particularly enthused by the early hour that they left camp at, but he didn’t try to stop them either so it was basically fine. Her crossbow felt heavier as she attached it to her wrist.

As the cute little town of Wartwood came into view, Marcy’s little nerd heart swelled with how quaint and perfectly froggy it was. It was absolutely oozing with rustic charms and she was once again somewhat jealous that Anne hand landed here. All of this simple country living must have been much less stressful than single handedly saving the capital of the world over and over again, not to mention all of the infrastructure reform Marcy had totally needed to do.

Marcy patted Joe Sparrow’s side and he gave a mighty caw as they descended towards the farmhouse that looked exactly like Anne’s sketch. A bit of turbulence shook the sparrow rider as they came in for a landing, crashing her books to nearly smother her on the bench. She felt Joe land and was bumped in the head by at least half the pile.

“Gah, a monster bird, ridden by a pile of books!” Screwed a vaguely familiar, older voice. It was just on the tip of her tongue, but at least she knew the family’s name. “Wait, huh?”

“Hiya Plantar Family!” Marcy greeted as she popped out of her nest of literature.

“Marcy!” The youngsters replied before running over to her. They didn’t look mad, so that was a good sign.

Marcy had Anne and Sasha’s movement patterns memorized, she could have heard them coming in her sleep but she was still struggling to recall the names of the Plantar kids. She moved to dismount the bench but the encyclopedia she was standing on shifted and Marcy tumbled out of the stack face first. Joe Sparrow wandered off, littering more books as he did so.

“Good dismount, Marcy.” She grumbled light heartedly, rubbing her face and dusting herself off. She gasped in awe once she was finally able to absorb the country charisma of the Plantar Family Home. “Whaaat, is this your house? It’s so rustic and cute! What century was it made in, third? No, second, gotta be…”

“Hey, Marbles, where’s Calvin?” Anne piped up, glancing around in confusion. Sasha’s face went blank in that way she had when she was being sneaky with her feelings and she stared at nothing. “Did he take a second bird or something?”

“Oh boy, was not looking forward to this.” Marcy muttered to herself, steeling her heart for the coming explanation. She had practiced with Andrias before leaving, so now it was just a matter of putting the right words in the right spots. “After you guys left, Calvin revealed that he was part of the Olm cult that I told you guys about. He had landed in their secret city and had been brainwashed by the Olms and sent to the surface to assassinate the king.”

In the quiet that followed, each second was a brick and they began to crash onto Marcy’s back. She nervously glanced between her girls to see if they would accept the truth. Well, okay, mostly true, he hadn’t actually attacked Andrias but it was definitely going to happen sooner or later. Andrias had seemed sure of that and that was enough for her, which Marcy had to mentally repeat to herself several times before someone finally spoke up.

“I always knew there was something off with that boy.” Hop Pop, that was the old frog’s name, shook his head and crossed his arms. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Anne and Sasha turned and pinned him down with truly vicious glares.

“Hopidiah Plantar!” Anne reprimanded, a spitting image of her mother’s disappointment.

“Hehe, right, yeah, I’ll, uh, go check on Bessie.” The orange frog shimmied a few steps away before sprinting towards the barn. “Git, giant bird, git! She ain’t like that!”

“Marcy, are you serious?” Sasha asked, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. “Cal was a secret cultist assassin this entire time? Really?”

“I didn’t want to believe it either, but the evidence was there; His cloak and boots were made using secret Olm techniques and his gauntlets were forged using methods lost to everywhere else on Amphibia. That, plus him going crazy a few weeks ago really sold it for me.” Marcy shrugged and tried to put on an air of nonchalance. Judging by the looks she was getting, she really needed to work on her charisma score.

“Okay, but where is he right now?” Anne insisted, worry scrunching up her face. It would have been cute any other time.

“Right now, he’s secure in one of the most secure cells in Newtopia castle. Once they’re sure he’s stable enough, Lady Olivia will be overseeing his rehabilitation. He’ll be under the care of the best psychologists in Newtopia.” Marcy managed the lie without a stutter. She desperately hoped it wasn’t a fib but, given that the Night Guard hadn’t sent out a patrol since he reportedly went into the mountains, it wasn’t the most likely of events.

“Uh huh…” Anne trailed and she glanced between the Plantar kids and Sasha with a questioning look. The frog shrugged and looked confused while the pollywog (Polly, right!) looked pretty upset by all this. Sasha, on the other hand, looked absolutely furious.

“So, what, he’s just locked up in the castle, getting poked at by a bunch of newt doctors like some kind of exotic animal?” The blonde snarled, eyes flashing a brilliant pink. “And you just left him like that?”

“The sooner we can get cracking at the temples, the sooner we’ll be able to get him out of the Olms’ reach and away from Newtopia. I might not have a doctorate, yet, but I’m pretty sure that both of those facts should be good for his recovery.” Marcy wasn’t used to arguing with Sasha, at least not like this, so she was kind of just grasping at whatever would keep her head above the figurative water.

“That tracks, okay…” Anne rubbed the back of her neck and kept bouncing all of this new information around in her head.

“Anne, are you kidding me?” Sasha burst out but visibly deflated when the Thai gal turned to her. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine, Sash, I get it.” She reassured the blonde with a quick peck on the cheek. That caused a twinge deep in Marcy’s chest, but she wasn’t quite sure why. “I’m not exactly thrilled with all of this either, but we trust Marcy, right?”

Sasha turned to Marcy and the heterochromia returned to her vision. She locked eyes with the ranger, who felt even more sweat build up on her neck, with a burning intensity. Some kind of conclusion must have been reached because, with an unreadable expression, Sasha turned away, drooped her shoulders, and groaned with far more angst than Marcy had ever heard from her before.

“Yeah, I trust Marbles.” Sasha conceded. “I just…”

“I know. I know.” Anne pulled her girlfriend, that thought also caused a twinge, into a tight embrace.

They stayed like that for a few moments before Polly hopped onto their shoulders and joined in. Sprig squeezed in a second later, a little more hesitant but looking like he wanted to feel included. Marcy also wanted to be included, though she wagered that that might be pushing her luck today. She stood off to the side, quietly patting her sides and watching as Hop Pop kept trying to fend off Joe Sparrow from flirting with their family snail. They would make weird babies, on the very off chance that that was possible.

“Alright Mar-Mar, what’s the plan?” Anne asked, bringing Marcy’s attention back to the task at hand.

“Well, ideally, first we’ll get a better handle on our super cool anime powers, then we’ll go crush the temples, and finally get the box up and running!” Marcy listed off on her fingers, trying to get them as far away from the previous topic as possible.

“How do we start?” Sasha asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Some physical training wouldn’t hurt.” Marcy reached for her journal and started to flip back to the notes she had taken when she was able to concentrate. “Stronger bodies would have an easier time using the powers. We’re also going to have to do some soul searching, because they seem connected to our emotional states somehow.”

“That makes sense.” Anne nodded along, giving Sasha a reassuring squeeze.

“How can we help?” Sprig hopped forward. Polly’s face was unreadable as she glanced back towards the farmhouse from Anne’s shoulder.

“If you could let us do our training here on the farm, that would be super helpful!” Stars began to dance in Marcy’s eyes now that she was onto what she was most looking forward to once she was finally reunited with her girls.

“Do we need to start today?” Anne asked. “We’re all, almost all, finally back together again and I thought we could maybe take some time to just hang out as friends?”

“Come on Anne.” It was Sasha’s turn to squeeze her girlfriend’s shoulder, a fierce look of determination on her face. “The sooner we can get this all done, the sooner we can relax.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Anne sighed and blew a raspberry. “At least all these near-death experiences have kept me in shape.”

“That’s the spirit!” Marcy ran up and wrapped her arms around her friends.

Anne responded in kind instantly, though Sasha took a few more seconds to do so. Sprig and Polly also joined in after a second. Hop Pop scooted over and wrapped his arms around Anne and Marcy’s legs too, which earned him a glare from Anne. He pulled away like he’d been burned and stared off at the horizon with a morose look. Marcy makes a note to figure out what’s going on there so she can make sure it doesn’t mess with Anne’s training.

“Alright team, let’s go put on some workout outfits and get to work!” Marcy dove into her pile of books and popped out with her travel bag. The trio disappeared into the farmhouse and were out again minutes later in proper workout attire.

“Let's start with a quick lap around the farm to see where everyone's at.” Marcy suggested.

In spite of everything that Marcy had gone through here in Amphibia and all the adventuring she’s done, Marcy found that she was still quite inferior to her girls in manners of physicality. Which was to say that by the time they were back at the front door she was sweating a river and panting like a dog while their breathing was at a medium at worst. She almost wished she’d spent more time participating in gym class now. Life just really was not fair. As Marcy gulped down lungfuls of air, Hop Pop walked by and quietly muttered something about heading into town before scampering off like his coattails were aflame.

“Hey, good job Mar-Mar!” Anne congratulated, clapping her on the back. “I was worried you were going to collapse halfway through, like back home.”

“Gee… thanks…” Marcy managed between gasps for breath.

“Glad at least this has all been good for your cardio.” Sasha dryly teased as she pushed a water skin into her hands, which Marcy greedily gulped down.

“How about we take five so everyone can catch their breath?” Anne suggested, with a hint of humor as she tried not to look at Marcy.

“Sounds good.” Sasha stretched her arms out and sighed when they popped.

The three of them leaned against the fence in various states of recuperation, Marcy doing her best to look at the cutesy, rustic farmhouse and not the girls. It was the third most difficult task she performed that day. The Plantar kids hopped through Marcy’s line of sight and seeing Polly again reminded her of something the tadpole mentioned back in Newtopia. With some reluctance, Marcy pushed herself off the fence and tepidly approached the pollywog.

“Hey Polly, didn’t you say you wanted to try out my crossbow?” She asked quickly, worried that if her mouth was open too long the anxious bugs in her stomach would fly out.

“Oh yeah, I thought it was the coolest!” Polly beamed and Marcy sighed internally. “That’s why I’m stoked Calvin got me my own!”

“He did?” Marcy balked for a moment before coming back to herself. “When did he do that?”

“I think he got it the day we left Newtopia, ‘cause it was in the fwagon when we left.” The pink orb of a girl hopped inside the farm house for a moment and swiftly returned with a near identical copy of Marcy’s wristmounted crossbow.

“Oh wooow, how about that…” Marcy swallowed a defeated sigh and crouched down to pretend to look over the weapon. So much for that plan, she mentally grumbled.

“Wanna go shooting sometime?” Polly suggested, eyes gleaming with hope.

“Yeah, maybe sometime, Polly.” She stood back up and scratched the back of her head, trying to find some other topic to bounce off to.

“Oh, actually, that sounds like fun.” Sprig piped up, brandishing his slingshot. “It’d be good training too, right?”

“Well, it could-” Marcy started.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Anne jumped in next with that big smile of hers. “We can be in the front with our magic powers while you and Polly are our range support! That’s a thing, right Mar-Mar?”

“I mean, there was a division between ranged and melee troops in the past, true, but-”

“And they’ll be able to stay out of danger while we’re in the thick of it, bonus!” Anne pumped her arms at the big sister win.

“Not too far, though.” Polly grinned maliciously. “I like to hit stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Anne waved dismissively. “Sash, think you can grab us some stuff for target practice?”

“Sure, I bet there’s plenty of spare hay around here.” Sasha shrugged and sauntered off. She looked over her shoulder and called back. “Marcy, help me out, would ya?”

“Yeah, sure, Sasha!” Marcy jogged to catch up. She was trying to figure out what she could do to get herself out of having to shoot when Sasha started speaking again.

“You’re not lying to us, right Marcy?” Sasha’s voice was cold as ice as she spoke.

“Why would I do that?” Marcy wanted to thank whatever Muse had allowed her to speak without stuttering there.

“I don’t know why and I don’t want to think that you would. It’s just, Calvin was getting mugged over and over again in Newtopia, then a week after we leave you show up without him.” Sasha sighed, sounding more tired than she looked. “I guess I’m just worried. I made a promise and you know how he gets about those.”

“Y-yeah, I know.” Now she wanted to curse irony. “I didn’t know that he was having problems in the capital, Olm stuff notwithstanding. He didn’t mention anything.”

“Of course he didn’t.” The blonde shook her head and opened the barn, gathering up hay and twine. Marcy followed suit, hoping that this would be the end of Sasha’s interrogation. She should have known better. “Olm cult, huh?”

“When I first got to Newtopia, the first thing I had to deal with was this weird cult thingy that had burnt a bunch of books in the library.” Marcy explained. At least she didn’t have any conflicting feelings about this part. “It turns out, the guy who was mentoring me in the Night Guard was actually the leader of the local branch and we had to take him down.”

“We?” Sasha quirked a brow at her.

“Oh, yeah, my Night Guard squad. They were a cute little group of misfits, but we managed to save the day!” Marcy pumped her arms and accidently threw her hay everywhere. With a sheepish smile, she went about getting it all together again. “It was pretty classic, as far as these sorts of stories go.”

“How come you didn’t mention them before?” The cheer captain hefted most of a bale of hay onto her shoulder like it was just a pillow.

“It didn’t really come up, I guess. They all left to chase their personal quests, but Newtopia still needed my help.” She shrugged and looked between their piles of straw. “Think this’ll do?”

“If it’s not enough, they can get the second set of targets.” Sasha shrugged as she made for the door. “What do you think they’re up to now?”

“I’m sure they’re living their best lives, following their dreams.” Marcy smiled at the thought.

“Hope so.” Sasha plopped the straw in front of the others and they all started tying together little targets.

While Marcy and Sasha had been in the barn, the other three had gotten a hold of some scrap wood and paint to make little targets to stuff into the hay. The three humans took the trio of targets and set them along the fence across the yard, then Marcy measured out twenty yards. She dragged her foot through the dirt to mark the distance and waved at their makeshift firing range.

“Alright, we’ll fire from behind this line. Aim for the center of the target, yada yada, and then we’ll see if we need to work on aim or not.” She rolled her wrist as she explained, not terribly interested if her girls weren’t going to be participating. Unless Anne was going to try to play tennis midfight, which might be pretty cool, actually.

Sprig and Polly took their spots with an excited glint in their eyes. The tadpole had her crossbow set for both hands, given that it was bigger than her arm it probably wouldn’t fit on her wrist anytime soon. The haft of his slingshot creaked as Sprig gripped it tightly, both Plantars just itching to start firing.

“Uh, Mar-Mar, aren’t you going to shoot too?” Anne bumped their shoulders together and brought her back to the present moment.

“Hmm? Oh, I thought we were just seeing where they were at, skillswise.” Marcy clumsily tried to dodge the inquiry, but the confused looks of her friends revealed that she did not roll the crit she wanted. “I, uh, guess I can participate too.”

She took her step at the firing line, next to Sprig, and did her best to ignore the feeling of everyone looking at her. Her hands went to her hood and covered her head in an effort to narrow her focus. It did little to slow her suddenly racing thoughts, but it did remind her of her beloved hoodie, so it would do. Hopefully.

Marcy raised her crossbow arm and tried to ignore the minor tremors running up and down the limb. In her head, Marcy knew that her weapon didn’t weigh anymore now than the last time she had modified it and that she shouldn’t be having any difficulty loading or aiming it. Unfortunately, her arm was less than convinced. In fact, as she narrowed her vision at the trio of targets set into her dummy, she couldn’t help but note that they were arranged like a human’s weak spots as seen from behind. As that unfun fact started chewing away at her, the scene at the edge of her vision began to shift: the farm was gone and in its place were trees, the muggy swamp heat replaced by a coastal breeze, and the noon sun was instead just on the cusp of conceding to night. Marcy blinked to clear her vision and was distressed to instead find the past clawing its way over her present, the stationary dummy replaced by a familiar boy running into the woods. She yelped, jumping a little and clenching her hand, which in turn triggered the firing mechanism. The bolt flew for his back and Marcy once again cursed herself for memorizing human anatomy, because if that bolt landed where she knew it would, then it could ki-

“Marcy!” Anne was doing her best to keep her from crashing to the ground, holding her up by the armpits. The evening vanished in the noonday sun as Marcy blinked rapidly, glancing frantically to make sure that she was away from Newtopia’s forest. “Are you alright, what happened?”

It took Marcy a few moments to get her breathing back under control. She got herself to her feet while she focused and Sasha stepped into her field of view, miscolored eyes narrowed in concerned observation. She waved the blonde away and took a couple steps to center herself.

“I’m good, I’m good.” Marcy said, trying to convince herself more than anything. She didn’t believe it and the looks on her girls’ faces told her that they didn’t either.

“What was that?” Anne asked quietly, stepping closer.

“A bullseye, that’s what.” Sprig noted and Polly whistled in appreciation.

Marcy glanced over to see if that was true. For an instant, she saw the bolt embedded into his back and again heard his shout of shock and pain. But the apparition left when she blinked, reality confirming that Marcy had indeed landed a direct hit on the middle target. Right in the heart, if one was inclined to morbid metaphor.

“I think I’m done shooting for today.” Marcy whispered. She slowly slid her crossbow off, folded the arms, and hung it from her belt.

“Yeah, okay Marcy.” Anne patted her on the shoulder. She led her oldest friend over to a stump, which she promptly sat down on. “How about we call it for training today?”

“That sounds alright to me.” Marcy sighed and dropped her head into her hands.” Sorry, guys.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Anne sat next to her and wrapped her into a fierce hug. “Amphibia’s been a rough time for all of us, it’s okay. We’re together again and that’s how we’ll get through this and back home.”

“Exactly.” Sasha took her other side and joined the hug. “We’re all in this together, Mar-mar, and don’t you forget it.”

“What would I do without you guys?” Marcy sniffled, trying to hold back her tears.

“You seemed to do pretty alright in Newtopia, but together we’ll be unstoppable!” Anne cheered.

Marcy basked in the radiant energy of her two best friends as they reassured her. She couldn’t remember the last time that the three of them had felt so tightly knit and she found herself once again thanking her lucky stars that she had found the Box on Anne’s birthday. Once she was able to tie up that one loose end, they were going to have so much fun exploring the multiverse! Together, forever and always, with no one to ever threaten to break them apart ever again.