Chapter Text
Anne slowly opened her eyes from the blinding light. It was similar to the light that she had seen when she was first transported to Amphibia. She snapped them open.
“Am I home?!” Anne pulled her phone out of her pocket to see if she had a signal. Nothing. There was no signal, no network. She couldn’t get on the internet or send messages to her parents letting her know she was okay. “If I’m not home, then where in the heck am I?”
Anne walked through the forest area where she had landed. The trees looked oddly familiar. She got to a point where the trees opened to show the night sky. Her eyes widened when she saw the bright red moon that she knew well.
“I’m still in Amphibia!” Anne went into a panic mode. The music box was supposed to take them home, right? So, then why wasn’t Anne home, and why was she still in Amphibia of all places? “The music box!”
Anne had her backpack on her. She grabbed her bag and opened it up to see if she had the music box. It was gone. Anne just let out a sob as she stared at the bag. No music box. Nothing. It was gone. Where did it go? She thought back to the struggle she had with Sasha and Sasha was the one who was holding the box when it opened.
“I need to do something. But I have no idea where I landed in Amphibia. But I need to move or else I am going to get eaten by something.”
Anne got back up and started walking through the woods. She trudged through the woods, hoping to find some sort of village. Maybe Wartwood if she was lucky, and this was Amphibia. She was alerted to the sound of a branch breaking in the woods. She pulled her tennis racket out and held it out in front of her like a sword.
“Who’s there?”
Anne got the surprise of her life when she saw a large Mossman step out of the forest. Butterflies surrounded their head as they stared at Anne. Anne put her tennis racket away and held her hand towards the beast.
“Hey there.”
“Yo, Monarch. Where did you go?” Anne gasped. She recognized that voice. She knew it like the back of her hand.
“SPRIG!” Anne shouted. Anne ran towards where she heard the voice. Standing there was her best friend. The little pink frog blinked at her. “Sprig! I am so glad to see you.”
Anne ran and hugged the frog boy. She felt relieved that at least she had her friend here with her. She wasn’t alone.
“Who are you?” Anne felt her world fall apart. She pulled away and looked at Sprig in surprise.
“You don’t recognize me? Sprig, come on man. That’s not funny. It’s me. Sprig, please. It’s me. Your best friend.” Sprig looked at Anne as if she had grown a second head. “You…Don’t remember me, do you?”
“More like I’ve never met you before in my life.” Anne wanted to cry.
“What are you talking about Sprig? It’s me, Anne! Anne Boonchuy. Come on. You were the one who found me lost in Amphibia. You were the one who defended me from the town and saved me. Then you, Polly, and Hop Pop took me in.”
“I'm sorry. But I have never met you before. I think. I mean, you share the same name as my sister.” Anne looked defeated. “Hmm! You do kind of look like someone I know.” Anne bowed her head. “But you do look lost. And you look like you could use a bath.”
Sprig held his hand for Anne. Anne felt terribly lost, again, in a strange world with no one around. She just took the offered hand. The Mossman followed them. Anne spun Sprig around.
“You can see this, right?” Anne pointed to the Mossman.
“Yeah, I do. That’s Monarch. The oldest of the Mossman. She is pretty cool. She helps on the farm.”
“So, you don’t think I'm crazy for believing in this?”
“I…Haven’t called you crazy at all.”
“Never mind.” Anne sighed.
She was suddenly picked up by the Mossman along with Sprig. The Monarch carried them through the woods until Anne spotted a farm and a home off in the distance that she was familiar with. The Monarch finally set her down right on the farm. Anne looked up to see another familiar sight. One she hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
“Domino 2!” Anne ran over to the Kill-a-Moth and hugged her head. The Kill-a-Moth seemed surprised. She let out a small meow. “Oh, hello baby precious.”
“You know her?”
“Of course I do. You and I both hid her from Hop Pop’s eyes when she was kill-a-pillar until she turned into a terrifying monster that nearly ate you, Hop Pop, and Polly.”
“That’s not how I remember it. Sasha, Anne and I hid her from possible poachers, and she was already a Kill-a-Moth when I met her.” Anne stared at Sprig at the mention of Sasha. Sasha wasn’t there and it was clear the Plantars didn't care for her best friend. Former best friend? Ex-crush? What even was their relationship now, even though Sasha seemed willing to change.
“But Sasha wasn’t there. You don’t even like her.”
Sprig just started laughing like crazy. “Me not liking Sasha? Are you crazy? That’s my sister.” Anne just stared at Sprig in shock. “And that’s not Domino 2. Her name is just Domino.”
Anne just looked at the Kill-a-Moth before patting her head.
Anne was taken to the front door of the Plantar home. She noticed that the front door seemed bigger. The whole house seemed bigger than what Anne remembered. The door was large enough that Anne didn’t have to bend down to enter it. She walked through the door and gasped. The area was the same as Plantar’s home. Everything was the same. The couch and table were the same. The kitchen was the same. But then Anne noticed some of the differences. Pictures on the wall weren’t of the older Plantars but of a family. Anne recognized Hop Pop in one photo with a beautiful black hair woman with orange eyes holding a diploma in her hand.
“Who are you?” Anne spun around. Her eyes watered at seeing Hop Pop again.
“Hop Pop!” Anne fell to her knees and hugged the older frog. She didn’t want to let go.
“Who are you and how do you know my name?” Anne slowly let go. She had forgotten she was in a strange place where Sprig didn’t remember her.
“I am sorry. I just…You looked like someone I knew.” Anne stood up. She wiped her face to hide her tears.
“Ah. Sprig told me about you. Umm. You do look a bit like Anne.” That got Anne wondering who this other Anne was. “Never mind that. Where did you come from?”
“Well, you aren’t going to believe this…But I came from another world!” Anne spread her arm out. Hop Pop and Sprig stared at her before they both started laughing.
“Another world! Now, that is the craziest thing I have ever heard.”
“You don’t think I am unusual? A monster? I’ve got long arms and a bump in the middle of my face.”
Hop Pop’s eyes blinked at her. “What are you talking about?”
“I am a human! A species you have never seen before!”
“You poor sweet thing.” Hop Pop took her hand and patted it. “You must really be lost. Humans are as normal as us frogs or toads. And that’s your nose.” He pointed to her face.
Humans were normal here!? What was going on? This felt like Amphibia but then at the same time, didn't feel the same.
“I think we are going to need to check you for injuries and then try and figure out where your home is. I bet your parents are worried sick about you.”
“Yeah, I bet they are,” Anne whispered.
“What’s your name dear?”
“Anne Boonchuy.” Hop Pop just blinked.
“That is unusual. Well, just sit down on the couch. Are you hungry? I can cook some food for you.” Anne grimaced at the idea of having Hop Pop’s past cooking before she started to teach him. “I know that face. Anne made that face when she started living here. My cooking isn’t that bad.”
“Yeah, it’s passable at best.” Anne recognized that voice, even though it sounded older. She spun around to see Sasha walking through the doorway. Well, more like having to duck down a bit to get inside. Sasha had never been this tall before. She was more like a basketball player with her height. Anne probably only reached barely to her chest. Anne knew it was Sasha just by her blue eyes and the cute little mole under her left eye. Sasha’s bright blue eyes landed on Anne, and she saw an eyebrow raised. “Who is she? She looks like Verde dragged her through the mud multiple times. And…Why are you only wearing one shoe?”
Anne looked down at her foot and shrugged her shoulders. “You get used to it.”
Sprig leaped onto Sasha’s shoulders.
“I found her in the middle of the woods. She looked lost and just said that she came from another world.”
Anne was observing Sasha more. This Sasha looked older and bulkier too. Her face was more angular and sharper, due to losing that baby fat on her face. Anne then noticed the scar on her face. The scar that Anne had given Sasha was a thin line. This one covered up most of her cheek. It clearly wasn’t from a sword fight.
“You look like you could use a bath and some clean clothes. Then we will try to track down your parents.”
“I am not from around here. I am…From another world.”
“Another world? I-” Sasha opened her mouth before closing it. “Considering what we know, it isn’t unreasonable to think that there are other worlds out there. Anne told us that her Guardian watches over many worlds.” Anne wondered what the heck Sasha was talking about. Sasha turned to her. “I am sorry. This all probably seems really unusual to you. I didn't even tell you, my name. Name is Sasha Waybright Plantar.” Sasha a Plantar? Anne had to be in some bizarro world. Sasha hated the Plantars with passion. She tried to kill them. They embarrassed her at dinner. She called them stupid frogs.
“Anne Boonchuy.” Sasha blinked at Anne.
“Did you say…Anne Boonchuy?” Sasha’s eyes wandered up and down Anne. “You don’t look like her but at the same time, you kind of do.” Sasha shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s just freshen you up and get you some food. Sprig, mind showing her to the bathroom. I am going to get some clothing for her and then get started on dinner.”
Sprig took Anne’s hand and led her towards an area that Anne didn’t know even existed. There was a big porcelain bathtub in the center. Anne noticed that there were several bottles of body wash. They were smells that she knew Sasha would enjoy. Sprig left her alone. Anne turned the water on and was surprised to find it was warm.
“I wonder where the Plantars were keeping this?”
After a nice soak in the bath and cleaning her hair of all the branches in her head, she dried off. She opened the door and peeked out. She noticed that there was a set of clothing folded neatly in front of the door. She grabbed the clothing and quickly changed. The clothing was large on her, but it was clean. She exited and walked up the stairs. Anne stopped when she noticed another human in the room. They had long curly brown hair that went about their waist. Even more surprising was the older Sasha had her pulled close to her body and was kissing her on the lips. Anne felt a twinge of jealousy. Even though she was mad at Sasha for her betrayal and attempting to kill her adopted family, she still had a crush on the blonde. Sasha turned her head and noticed Anne standing there. She smiled.
“Hey there. Sorry about the clothing. My shirt looks really big on you.”
Anne gasped when the woman turned around. It was like looking into a mirror that aged you up. Anne just stared at the older woman. They had the same face and the same brown eyes. For a brief second, she saw their eyes flash blue.
“Hi. My love was just telling me about you. You came from another world?” Anne nodded numbly. “My name is Anne Boonchuy.” The older woman held her hand towards Anne.
Anne just fell backward, unconscious.
Anne slowly opened her eyes to see she was staring up at bright blue eyes. Anne’s vision cleared up until she realized she was staring at the other Anne. The older one's eyes turned from blue to brown.
“Whoa! That’s cool.”
“Are you okay?”
“I feel okay. What happened?”
“You just fell unconscious on us.” Anne saw the older Sasha appear in her vision. “You bumped your head on our floor. You’ve been out for a few hours. I took you upstairs to rest on my bed.”
Anne was helped up by the older version. Her stomach rumbled from hunger.
“Good thing I made enough food. Let me get you a bowl while Sasha watches you.”
The other Anne left the room. Anne’s eyes scanned the room. Without the boy band posters on the wall, Anne could almost say that this was Sasha’s room. Swords were hanging on the walls and a shelf filled with books, picture frames, and a few figurines. A guitar sat in a corner that looked like the guitar Sasha used back when they were in a band, only it looked like a beetle. Anne noticed Domino’s head was at the foot of the bed.
“Think you want to get up and move. Or sit here.” Anne looked at Sasha.
“Can I go downstairs?”
“Sure. Let me help you up. If you get dizzy, just let me know. I can carry you.”
Anne slipped out of the bed and stood on her feet. She wobbled a bit before the older Sasha caught her. She was suddenly hoisted up in Sasha’s arms and carried out of the room. As Sasha made her way downstairs, Anne saw Hop Pop sitting in an armchair. Anne remembered he had bought that at Newtopia with the royal credit card. Anne noticed Sprig on the floor playing a board game with another pink frog with orange hair and Frobo. Three more humans sat on the couch and Anne noticed that newt from the second temple. One of the humans caught Anne’s eyes. They looked a bit like Marcy if she had grown her hair out and didn’t listen to her mother about how she should style her hair. She could see a scar on their left cheek that angled up from her jaw. Anne noticed the other human had long black hair done into a braid and pale skin. The other human had a hood over their head so she couldn’t see their faces.
Sasha walked up to the table and tapped the person who looked like Marcy on her legs.
“Hey Marcy, move your ass.” Anne stared at Marcy. She looked like an older Marcy but the one that surprised her the most was the dual-colored eyes. One was brown and the other was orange.
“Alright. Alright. I am moving.” Marcy chuckled. The other girl chuckled. Sasha set Anne down on the couch and next to the girl. “Damn, she does look like Anne.” Marcy stared at her.
“Considering this poor girl in a new world, let’s just go around and introduce ourselves.” Sasha pointed to herself. “You already met me and met Anne.”
“I’ll start. My name is Marcelina Regina Wu Plantar. Or you can call me Marcy.”
“Marcy?” Anne stared at the older Marcy. Her friend had a growth spurt, being nearly as tall as the older Sasha. But what surprised her was that Marcy called herself a Plantar as well. “What’s up with your eyes?”
Marcy laughed.
“I have heterochromia.” Anne didn’t know that word. “I have two different colored eyes. The brown color came from my dad and the orange color came from my mom.”
Anne saw the picture of the woman with the diploma next to Hop Pop.
The other human stood up and stood by Marcy, slipping her hand into Marcy’s hand.
“Lillian Amery. But Lily is fine.”
“I’m Sprig Plantar.” Sprig leaped onto Sasha’s shoulders. “I’m the favorite Plantar, unlike Sasha.”
“Listen here you little pipsqueak.” Sasha grabbed Sprig and started to noogie him. Sprig giggled. Anne smiled at the sight. Never did she think she would ever see Sasha teasing Sprig like one teased a sibling. It was nice to see.
“You may be the favorite Plantar but I’m the cuter one. Polly Plantar and this is Frobo.” Frobo waved at her. Anne gasped. She suddenly hugged Polly.
“Polly! Look at you all grown up. You aren’t a tadpole. You have legs.”
“You speak nonsense, woman! Unhand me.” Anne finally let them go.
“And this is Valeriana and Raven.” Sasha pointed to the hooded figure and the newt. Anne nodded her head. She could see the strange newt observing her.
“You are not of this world, are you?” The newt, Valeriana said.
“No. I’m not. I was transported here. Well, it’s kind of complicated. I came from a place called Earth before I had found my way into Amphibia. Well, not this Amphibia. The Amphibia I know doesn’t have humans.”
“An Amphibia without humans?” Marcy put her hand on her chin. “This is fascinating. How is this possible?”
“Other universes.” Everyone turned their head to the older Anne. Anne came in with plates of food and set them on the table. The other Anne smiled at Anne.
“So, it’s just like in Marcy’s sci-fi movies.”
“My what?” Marcy looked over at her confused.
“Sorry. I have…A friend who is just like you. Her name is Marcy Wu too. But she is obsessed with fantasy and sci-fi movies and video games.”
“Movies?” Everyone parroted each other. “Video games?”
“You don’t know what movies are? Oh, have I got to show you all?” Anne searched her bag and pulled her phone out. She turned it on and saw her screensaver. It was of her and Sprig. She stared at her, not noticing Sasha was looking over her shoulder.
“You two seem close. I am not surprised. But what is that contraption?”
“It’s a cell phone. It allows for instant messaging or going onto the internet.”
“In-ter-net?” Sasha and Marcy looked confused.
“Yeah. I am guessing you don't have this technology here.”
“We don’t. But that is fascinating. And you said instant messaging?” Anne nodded. “We could make use of that technology. It could be faster than flying on birds. Or sending batiquitos. But for now, I am interested in the concept of a movie.”
“I think I got just the movie for us all to watch. Do you have popcorn?”
“We do. Give me a second to cook some.”
Marcy helped get a glass set up to increase the size of the screen while Sasha and the other Anne made some popcorn. Everyone huddled around the screen as they watched Anne’s favorite movie, Love Choice. Sasha and the other Anne sat huddled close to each other with Sasha wrapping an arm around her. Marcy had Lily in her lap as they watched. Hop Pop retired for the night but Raven and even surprisingly Valeriana even stayed. Sprig and Polly sat in Anne’s lap as they watched. Anne was still surprised by Polly being a frog and not a tadpole. Frobo sat next to Anne as well.
The credits rolled and Anne looked at everyone.
“So, what did you all think?”
“That was interesting. But why did they end it there?” Sasha said. Anne laughed.
“They are making part two. It hadn’t been released when I was first zapped to Amphibia.”
“Damn. I want to see who she chooses.” Sasha pouted.
“That Alistair guy was a kind and gentle person.”
“You big weenie. Hunter is the bomb!” Polly punched Sprig.
Anne was reminded of the time she had accidentally had Wartwood start a civil war over who was better because she showed them this movie.
“Who do you think that Constance picked?” Sprig asked Anne.
“I have no idea. I personally don’t care who she ends up with. Who do you think she will pick.”
“Well, I think Constance will pick Alistair for his gentle and poetic life.” Anne chuckled at Sprig’s answer.
“It has to be Hunter for his strength. I bet Sasha is with me.” Polly jumped up and flexed.
“Ummm. I mean, Hunter is pretty hot. Nothing like my beautiful Anne.” Sasha kissed Anne's lips. Younger Anne felt another twinge of jealousy. Those two seemed to not have gone through the pain that she and Sasha had gone through. No betrayal or backstabbing or trying to kill her adopted family. They seemed to be madly in love. “But I may have to pick Alistair though. He reminds me a bit of our Spirit.”
Sasha rubbed Anne’s arm. Marcy chuckled.
“Yeah, I got to agree. Alistair reminds me a bit of my Lily.” Marcy kissed Lily’s lips.
Anne was surprised to see Marcy kissing her. But she suspected they were dating by how Lily grabbed her arm earlier.
“Oh boo. You four are no fun. What about you, Raven?”
Raven just suddenly started to sign something that Anne had no idea what she was saying.
“She is saying that she did like Hunter more.” Marcy translated.
Sasha slapped her knees. “Well, it is late, and we need to get up early to work at the stand.”
“Where am I going to sleep?” Anne meekly asked. “Is my basement available?” The older Anne put her hands on her shoulder. She felt comforted by Anne.
“She can sleep in my room!”
“No can do. Your room isn’t big enough Sprig. The couch isn’t taken. Anne can sleep here for now. Until we can get her back to her home or if she wants, back to Amphibia.”
Sasha left to grab some blankets and pillows. Valeriana and Raven left for the fwagon outside. Anne watched as Marcy and Lily walked down into the basement. Sprig and Polly left for their rooms, with Frobo following Polly. Anne sat down on the couch. The other Anne joined her.
“So, you are pretty familiar with Amphibia?” The other Anne asked.
“Yeah. I’ve been in the other Amphibia for about five months. I was transported there on my birthday.” The other Anne touched her hand.
“I can tell it is rough on you.”
“Yeah, it was. I was separated from my parents and my cat. I was separated from my home and my friends. I shouldn’t have listened to Sasha and stolen that music box.”
“Music box?”
“Yeah. It’s what brought me here.”
“What does it look like?”
“Well, it looks like a music box. But with frogs and lily pads all around. It has three gems on it.”
“Ummm. That sounds eerily like my music box.” Anne looked up with hope at her.
“You have a music box?” The other Anne nodded. “Can it transport people to other worlds?”
“No. Sadly it doesn’t. It just plays music and some figurines dance around.”
Anne’s mood deflated. The other Anne stood up and went upstairs. She soon came down with a music box in hand. It did look like the one she had stolen. The same frog was offering the three colored gems. One blue, one pink and one green. The other Anne opened the lid which made Anne shield her eyes. She heard music playing but she slowly opened her eyes. She was still on the couch and looking at an older version of her. The music box in her hands was just that. A music box. The figurines danced around as the melody played. One looked like Anne.
“It’s beautiful. Where did you get that?”
“Valeriana made it for me.”
“Valeriana? The newt with the missing hand? She made that for you. But she hated me.” The other Anne laughed before looking at her.
“What did you do to piss her off then?” The other Anne said sternly before cracking a smile. Anne laughed. “You know, she also gave me my name.”
“Really? What name did you have before?”
“Most people just called me Spirit.”
“Spirit?
“I am the Spirit. That’s my title and my name. I was chosen by my Guardian to watch over Amphibia for many years. The protector of the world. I protect Amphibia as their Spirit. I will be your protector as well.”
“How long have you been their protector?”
“I’ve been watching Amphibia for over 2000 years.”
“2000 years?! How old are you?”
“Ehhh…Maybe 3….4000 years. I’m not sure honestly. You lose track of time when you are immortal.”
“Whoa! We are really different. I’m not immortal.” The other Anne’s face fell.
“Oh. You are lucky then.” Anne shook her head. “But never mind that. We will protect you, find your friends and get you home. That I promise.” Anne watched as the other’s hair turned bright blue with branches growing out of her head. She held her hand out. Anne wanted to freak out, but she felt calm seeing her. She knew the Spirit was telling the truth. Anne took the other’s hand and could feel a sense of calm wash over her.
“Thank you.” Anne smiled at the other. She saw a twinkle in her shining blue eyes. She took her music box and handed it to Anne. “Here. You can have the music box for the time. It is great to help you lull to sleep.”
“Thank you.”
“Got the blankets and a couple of pillows.” Sasha tossed them on the couch. The other’s hair turned back into its curly brown. The other Anne kissed Sasha on her lips before going upstairs to their room. “If you need anything, then I suspect you may know where to find it. But if you really do need anything, Anne and I are at the second door. Just knock lightly. I’m a light sleeper so I’ll hear you.”
Anne grabbed the blankets and a pillow before hugging it. Sasha looked at Anne.
“You can’t sleep, can you?” Anne nodded. Sasha sat down on Hop Pop’s chair. “Then how about we just ask each other questions? Get to know each other since you are going to be here with us for a bit.”
“Okay.”
“So, what do you want to know?”
“How did you get that scar?” Sasha chuckled before rubbing the scar. “Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You didn’t offend me. I got this scar when I was thirteen.” Anne looked over at Sasha.
“Did you get it in a sword fight?”
“No. It came from a heron talon. About seven years ago, Wartwood was attacked by two herons. At the time, I was the only soldier available as the Tower wouldn’t make it in time. So, I raced out to protect the town.” Sasha looked away. Anne could tell it was hard for her to speak on the subject. “We lost so many that day. Especially our parents.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ask.”
“It’s okay. Everyone asks about it. And yeah, the pain is there but I did what I could. I willingly bear this with pride and a silent promise to protect Sprig and Polly. They are family and I’m not going to let anything happen to my family.”
“Sasha, saying she loves Sprig and Polly. That’s unusual. You don’t even like the Plantars.”
“What?” Sasha looked at Anne confused.
“Uh. My best friend.” Anne looked away. “Can I even call her my best friend? Ex-best friend? Just friend or acquaintance. I don’t know. I just know that she is you. Well, a different version of you. She landed in the other Amphibia with me and our other best friend, Marcy.” Sasha got up and sat down next to Anne. “Only she got sent to the South Toad Tower with Grime.”
“You sound like your relationship is pretty complicated.”
“It is.” Anne pulled that photo she held so dearly close to her and showed Sasha. Sasha stared at it.
“She looked just like me when I was that age. You three seem close.”
“We were. I mean we are. Ugh, I’m not even sure what to call us. We were really good friends. I even have a crush on her. Sasha, my Sasha, has this ability to just command a room. She controlled a lot of our relationship. I just went along with it, taking the easy way out because Sasha knew best. On my birthday, we skipped school and ran around town. Then, she had me steal this music box. We opened it and we ended up here. I met the Plantars and they took me in. Well, they thought I was a monster at first.”
Sasha chuckled. “Sounds sort of like our Anne. We thought she was a monster too. It’s a long story. What happened next?”
“Well, a lot. I guess while I was in Wartwood, Sasha became lieutenant for Captain Grime. But stupid Sasha had to declare that she was going to help Grime kill Hop Pop because he was starting some sort of revolution against the toads. Something about not paying taxes.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, I was surprised too. Like, this is Hop Pop we are talking about. The guy wouldn’t be some revolutionary leader. He would be terrible. I had to fight Sasha, and I won. Then Wally blew up the South Tower with boomshrooms.”
“That sounds like something Wally would do. Let me guess, he winked at you, but it was like a blink because of his one eye.” Anne started laughing.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“We have a Wally here. A vagabond but he has a good heart. Missing an eye.”
“It’s weird to hear you have so much affection for the frogs when you hated them.”
“Well, to us, talking amphibians are normal to humans. I’ve been around Wartwood most of my life. Grime,” Anne’s head shot up at the mention of the former captain. “Took me in when I needed a home. I’m an orphan. He legally adopted me. Same with Marcy’s mom, Darcy. She was my mom. And Hop Pop and his family adopted me as well. Not legally but I’m a Plantar and damn proud of it. It’s why I am so protective of Sprig and Polly. We lost our parents on the day of the heron attack. We only have each other.”
Anne liked this, Sasha. She didn’t seem possessive or had a desire to take control of things. And the love she had for Sprig was enough to make Anne see that she was genuine. Sasha suddenly slapped Anne on the back, forcing the air out of Anne’s lungs. She had a lot of strength.
“Well, it's late and I do have to help Hop Pop with the stand tomorrow. Hey, you want to come along with us to Wartwood?”
“Can I?”
“Sure. Wartwood is better with accepting strangers, and you look like Anne, and they love her. And I’ll be right beside you if you need me.”
“So, like my own personal bodyguard?”
“Why the hell not? You are in a new world. I don’t blame you for being scared. Good night, Anne.” Sasha ruffled her hair. Sasha opened the music box and allowed its music to drift through the room. Anne felt her eyes getting tired as she watched the two figurines dance. Anne spread out on the couch, amazed that she was able to fit on it without having to bunch her body up. She was soon asleep.
She dreamt of herself and of her Sasha dancing like the two music box figurines.
Anne felt someone licking her face. She tried to push them away.
“Domino, stop. Knock it off.” They continued to lick her face. “Domino.”
Anne opened her eyes to not see her cat but the fuzzy face of a Kill-a-Moth Domino. Anne let out a surprise scream. Anne heard someone come running in.
“Domino! Baby precious, no.” Anne saw the other Anne gently pulling on Domino’s fur. Domino let out a small meow. “You scared her. She isn’t used to your presence. You have to give her some space until she is more comfortable around you.” The other Anne chided Domino.
Domino hung her head as she walked away, letting out a sad meow. Anne noticed the Spirit’s appearance. She had a blue dress that went to about her knees and sleeves that attached to the dress and exposed her shoulders. She had a red bandanna wrapped around her head. The Spirit smiled down at the human.
“I am sorry about that. She loves people.”
“It’s okay. I was thinking she was my cat, Domino.”
You have a Domino too?”
“Yeah! Let me show you my baby precious.” Anne pulled her phone out and showed the other one all the photos she had of her cat, Domino.
“Oh, my Guardian, they are adorable. They look like Domino when she was a kill-a-pillar. I've only seen a cat once in my long life. My Guardian took me to a world that was filled with them. They were so fuzzy and cute.”
“I know, right? That’s why I named the kill-a-pillar I found, Domino 2. Then she turned into a Kill-a-Moth and tried to eat the Plantars.” The other Anne gasped. “They are okay at least. But it was a harrowing experience. But I didn’t get to keep my Domino. I hope she is okay.”
“I am sure she is safe. Our Dominos are tough. Now come on sleepy head. Breakfast is on the table.”
“Does it have bugs in it?”
“Yes.”
“Dang, I was hoping that maybe I could have a bug-free meal. But I am used to it. I really would love just a burger with some fries. And ketchup.”
“If you want, I am sure there is a recipe I can make that is bug-free for you. Fries aren’t too hard to make here, and we have ketchup.”
“Really? You would do that for me?” She nodded. Anne hugged the other.
The Spirit pulled Anne off her feet and dragged her into the kitchen area. Anne could see a larger table with chairs for the frogs and some of the chairs large enough for a human to sit on. Older Sasha was sitting beside Lily when she spotted the two Annes walking in. She waved at them. Anne noticed Sasha had a simple red cloth shirt on with black pants and boots. Her hair was done in that familiar ponytail. The Spirit steered Anne to sit and helped get her some food. Anne smelled it and her mouth watered at the smell.
“Oh, this smells delicious! It definitely isn’t Hop Pop’s cooking. It’s too good.” The Spirit Anne laughed at the comment.
“Will you look at that? She agrees that your cooking did suck.” Sasha looked over at the blushing Hop Pop.
“Oh silence, you ungrateful brat.” Hop Pop shook his fist at Sasha. Sasha broke out laughing.
“Aw Hop Pop. You know I love you. My poor stomach just couldn’t handle your old cooking. You are better. But you can’t hold a firelight to my beautiful Anne.”
“Eh. I’ll let that slide because you are right. No cooking will hold a candle to my precious granddaughter’s cooking.”
“So, you made this?” Anne asked the older version.
“I did.”
“How did you learn? Did your parents teach you?” Anne realized she said something wrong by the pained look in the Spirit’s eyes.
“I…I don’t have parents. I was created from a star by my Guardian.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rub salt into the wound. I didn’t know.”
“That’s okay. But I assume you have some knowledge of cooking?”
“I do. Here, let me show you.” Anne pulled out her phone and flipped through the multiple photos of Domino and of her friends until she came across the photo of her parents’ restaurant. Sasha and Marcy stood over the chair to look. She pointed to it. “My parents on earth have their own restaurant. I worked there a lot to help them out. And they taught me a lot of their recipes so you could say I have pretty good knowledge of cooking.”
“That’s impressive for a thirteen-year-old. Your parents sound nice as well. They had to be if they raised a daughter like you.”
“Yeah. They are. I miss them.” Anne flipped to the next photo. It was her and her parents. “That’s them.”
Anne felt Sasha touch her shoulder in a comforting manner. She saw the Spirit stare longingly at them. She didn’t realize how grateful she was to have her parents who loved her. Marcy’s were nice but they really expected a lot from her. Sasha had parents who divorced, and Sasha was forced to try and divide her time with them. Maybe that’s why she was so controlling. Trying to control Anne and Marcy because of the fact that she had no control over her life? Anne didn’t want to think about that Sasha. There was still a lot of pain there for her to confront it head-on just yet. And her feelings as well.
“Alright twig, eat up.” Sasha gently shook Anne’s head around.
“Hey, I'm not a twig!” Sasha just smiled.
“To me, you are.”
Anne rolled her eyes. Once breakfast was done, Sasha had Anne take a bath and get dressed while they did the dishes. Anne sighed at the feeling of being clean. She could get used to living here if they couldn’t find the music box. She dressed in her normal school uniform and slipped on her socks and one shoe. She walked out into the living room to see Sasha just staring her down.
“The fuck are you wearing?”
“My school uniform. It’s the only clothing I have.”
“Hell no. I am not going to let you go out in that filthy thing. And not especially with one shoe. Come on. I am sure Lily and Anne have something you could wear. We may have to buy you some shoes.”
“Don’t worry about me. Please. You don’t have to spend your money on me. The Plantars are pretty poor.”
“No, we aren’t. We actually make a good living for ourselves. The stand does pretty well. You don’t have to worry about us here. And I have quite a bit of gold stashed away 'cause I hardly ever used mine.”
After getting Anne some clothing that wasn’t a dirty school uniform, she walked outside to where she could see Bessie hooked up to a cart. She looked bigger than the snail she knew. Anne walked over to Bessie and patted her neck. The snail purred and nuzzled her head.
“She asked how you are doing here in this world. She heard what happened.” Anne turned to the Spirit.
“You can understand her?”
“Yes. I can understand all the creatures of Amphibia.”
“Oh, that is super cool.” Anne was star-struck. The Spirit stroked Bessie, Bessie purring in response.
Anne turned before letting out a blood-curdling scream. She fell backward on her butt at the sight of the strange moss-covered wolf-like creature. It had a bulb on its back. It reminded Anne of Bulbasaur from that game Marcy likes. The other Anne helped pick Anne up from the ground. She then turned to the wolf creature.
“Bad Verde! You scared her.” The wolf whined before flopping onto its stomach. It whined like a dog. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. What is that thing?”
“Verde is a Wolfant. He didn’t mean to spook you. He just wanted to say hello. He is a good boy. Aren’t you, boy?” The Spirit kissed his nose before waving Anne over. Anne reached to gently stroke his muzzle. She wasn’t a dog person like Sasha was, but she liked Verde. He licked her cheek, making her giggle.
“Yeah, I agree. He is a good boy.” She heard the loud thumping of his tail. “My Amphibia didn’t have this creature there. And no one believed me about the Mossman when I saw one.”
“Most people don’t believe them here either. But this group is my pack. I lived with them for years before I met Sasha and the Plantars.”
“So, you lived with the Mossman?” The Spirit nodded.
“My duties as a Spirit require me to oversee Amphibia. But…” The other Anne looked away. “I ran and hid because of the ever-crushing weight of hatred I was feeling. I hid from it and didn’t keep an eye on Amphibia like I should have. I let it rot and my good deeds have been soiled. Many consider me evil. Wartwood doesn’t. Thankfully. But everywhere does.”
“So, I have to be careful about mentioning you as the Spirit.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry about me.” The Spirit laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. This is one that I will keep.”
“Thank you. It’s just so my family doesn’t get hurt. And now so you won’t get hurt because you happen to know me.”
“Sasha! Marcy! Help me get the crates in.” Hop Pop shouted. Anne watched as Sasha carried two crates in her arms. Marcy, in a simple green shirt and black pants, helped carry more crates over. Anne decided to help out. She grabbed a crate and was amazed at the vegetables. They looked healthy and plentiful. She turned around and handed Marcy the crate. Anne saw Marcy’s arms flex and just was amazed at the amount of muscle on her.
“Wow, Marcy. You don’t have noodle nerd arms.” Marcy just started laughing.
“Nope. I don’t have nerd arms. But considering the line of work I do; I need all the muscles.” Marcy flexed her arms before looking up and wiggled her eyebrows. Anne looked behind her and saw Lily blushing fifty different shades of red. “I am not nearly as built as Sasha though. She is built like a tree.” Anne couldn't believe that.
Sasha laughed as she came behind them. She slapped Marcy on the back.
They packed up and everyone climbed into the back or on the saddle beside Hop Pop. Anne decided to sit with the humans.
“Just stick close to us. The town won’t hate you, but we just don’t want you to run off on us.”
“Fair.”
The town came into view, and it was just like the Wartwood Anne was familiar. Only, she was now seeing the differences. Instead of just amphibians, Anne could see humans walking around as well. The houses and buildings were bigger as if to also accommodate the humans. Hop Pop pulled into the market and towards the stands. It was just like the stand Anne knew. Only the saying was different. She could see Sasha’s name proudly there.
“Good morning, Hopediah.” Anne looked over and saw a toad she didn’t want to see again. “Good morning, Lieutenant.”
“Morning Bog.” Sasha turned towards him. He saluted her. “How was the patrol?”
“It went swimmingly. Nothing unusual to report.” Bog finally noticed Anne. “Where did this kid come from? You lost kiddo?” Anne was taken back by how kind Bog was.
“Bog!? What the heck are you doing here?” Bog stared at her.
“Do I know you?”
“Yeah, you broke my arm!” Bog had a look of utter confusion on his face before it changed to…Sadness. Sasha stepped in and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Bog, this is Anne Boonchuy. I know. She shares the same name as our Anne, but she comes from another world. A world that is like ours only there aren’t humans. We are going to work on getting her back home but for now, she is staying with us.”
“Another world, huh? Our Spirit did explain that other universes exist outside our own. Would explain why she does look like Anne. But how does she know my name and knows that I…Broke the Spirit’s arm.”
Sasha looked at Anne. Anne rubbed her arm, the same arm he had broken.
“Well, you see…Bog and his goons came into Wartwood where I was to collect the taxes that Mayor Toadstool had stolen. No one knew the taxes were stolen. But Bog gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse because the town didn’t respect me. After all, I was a monster and a stranger to them. I stood up to Bog because they were going to steal Bessie, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. We fought and Bog smashed my arm with his hammer.” Bog grimaced at her very speedy explanation. Anne barely took a moment to stop to catch her breath. She felt Sasha squeeze harder. “Then you became captain of the South Tower because Captain Grime was gone. You were a real jerk.”
“Shoot kid, I’m sorry. But my apologizing isn’t to excuse the actions of my other self. But since you are in this world, I ain’t letting anything happen to you.” Anne was surprised. “I’ll keep an eye on you while you are here.”
“Thanks, Bog.” Anne wasn’t sure what to say. The Bog she knew attacked her willingly. This one…Seemed to be kinder. She looked behind the other Anne. She was standing idly by but there was something in her eyes that told her that the Spirit would spring into action if need were.
“I’ll be going. I have to finish my patrol. See you folks later.” Bog waved.
Sasha removed her hand and turned to Anne. “Sounds like you had quite the adventure in Amphibia.”
“I did. What did Bog mean by he broke the Spirit’s arm.”
“Well, things went eerily similar to what happened to you. Anne was frustrated because the town didn’t love and respect her like it once had before. She went along with Bog to collect the taxes and well…She had her arm broken in the process of defending the Plantars. Sucks that I didn’t get there sooner or none of that would have happened.”
Anne looked at the Spirit. She smiled at Anne and then at Sasha.
“Sasha, why don’t you take her around Wartwood.” Sasha leaned over and kissed the Spirit.
“Good idea, my love. We’ll take you around and also buy you some new clothing and shoes.”
“I’ll come along.” Lily volunteered.
“Oh. Oh. I want to come too.” Sprig was about to hop over before his shirt was snagged by Hop Pop.
“Then Sasha, I expect you to keep a watchful eye on Anne. She is lost in a new world. Everyone else, we have work to do. Marcy, you run the register. Anne and Sprig will be our shouters. Polly and Frobo will pack the product up.”
Sasha took Anne and Lily through Wartwood.
“So, Lily, where are you from?”
“I live in Newtopia with my dads.”
“Your dads?”
“Yep. I have two fathers.”
“So is Amphibia in general very open about same-sex relationships?”
“Very open,” Sasha said.
“Nice. So, you live in Newtopia?” Anne asked Lily.
“Yeah. That’s actually how I met Marcy. We met when we were four and went to school together. She lives in Newtopia as well.”
“Then why are you in Wartwood? I imagine Wartwood didn’t take too kindly to you.” Lily laughed.
“Marcy is family to the Plantars. Her mom was legally adopted by Hop Pop. My grandma also lives here. She was born here and so was my baba. Because of that, I’m treated as a Wartwoodian myself. And I come down every chance I get to see the sights and see her. And Wartwood is close to some pretty amazing views for me to paint. But when Marcy and I aren't here, we live in the Newtopia Castle.”
“Wait, you live in the castle? How? Is Andrias a king here? Do you even know an Andrias?” Sasha and Lily started laughing.
“Andrias is still king. And we knew the king pretty well.” Sasha said.
“Darcy, Marcy’s mom, was the king’s personal advisor. So, Marcy has lived there her whole life and I then moved in with Marcy. Andrias is like a father to her.” Sasha suddenly stopped. “Here are the stores. Let’s get you two pairs of shoes instead of one. That is not comfortable. And some clothing so you ain’t wearing that dirty uniform. What was your Hop Pop thinking of letting you run around like that?” Anne laughed.
Sasha pushed Anne inside. It definitely wasn’t like the malls on Earth, but it was different from Amphibia. She was really going to have to get used to the fact that humans existed here because she was going to keep thinking of the other Amphibia. Anne spotted shoes and boots, and even high heels made just for humans. Clothing as well that would fit her perfectly without needing a tailor. That was the problem poor Hop Pop had. They didn’t have the money to really get Anne a set of clothes that fit her. So, she had to make do with the dirty uniform. It was the only set of clothing she had. And she did learn her lesson from putting the house up for sale to buy some stuff and Hop Pop’s worthless I.O.Us.
Sasha helped her pick some clothes that Anne liked and were comfortable for Anne. Sasha even helped pick out some shoes. They weren’t like her yellow sneakers, but they fit the environment. Sasha chatted with the store clerk.
“When did you and Anne adopt this kid?” The clerk asked. Sasha blushed a deep red as Lily and Anne both snickered at her face.
“Anne and I didn’t adopt her. She…Is lost and needs a place to stay. We are taking care of her for the time being.”
“If I didn’t know better, I would say she was a dead ringer for our Anne.”
Sasha didn’t say anything else. She just dumped the coppers down and walked out, carrying Anne’s bags. Anne kept her head down. She was a little embarrassed about everything.
Anne almost got run over if it wasn’t for Sasha grabbing her by her shirt and pulling her into her body. Sasha kept a tight hold on her. Lily came beside them and was quick to look Anne over.
“You, okay?” Anne just nodded but she could hear the shakiness in her voice.
“Whoa, dear. I almost ran right over you.” Anne blinked at the sight of Mrs. Croaker leaping off of her ladybug and another older human woman leaping off. “You alright?”
“I’m fine. I have Sasha to thank for that.”
“Thank frog for this soldier’s quick reflexes.” Mrs. Croaker tapped Sasha’s leg with her cane. “But she isn’t the best for nothing.”
“Grandmas!” Lily hugged the older human.
“Lillibell.” She hugged Lily. “Can you go fetch us, Marcy. There is something we do need to speak with her about. You can come along too. This does concern you as well.” The older woman said, putting a hand on Lily’s shoulder.
“Yeah, grandmas. I’ll go get Marcy. Be right back.”
Lily ran off with little Archie following her. Anne looked at the Sadie Croaker of this world. She did look just like the one she knew. The human looked at her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you dear. It would seem introductions are in order. My name is Caroline Amery. But you can just call me Carol. I’m Lily’s grandma.” Anne shook her hand.
“And I am Sadie Croaker. Lily’s other grandma.”
“Her other grandma? How?”
“It’s more a name for her than anything. Carol and I are old friends here. I have been there for Lily since the day she was born so she is family.”
“My name is Anne Boonchuy. I’m not from around here.”
“Just like her,” Carol whispered but Anne heard it. Anne wondered who she was talking about. Carol smiled. “So where do you come from?”
“I first came from a place called Los Angeles, California. I found this strange music box which transported me and my friends to Amphibia. It was there I met Sprig and the other Plantars.”
“So, you came from another Amphibia?”
“Yep. Only, it didn't have humans until I arrived.”
“Hey, Carol,” Marcy called out with Lily holding her hand. Lily had Archie in her arms. “What’s wrong?”
“There is something that you need to see at my home,” Carol said.
“Based on your look, it seems serious. Let’s go.” Macy and Lily looked at each other. Marcy whistled. Anne saw a large shadow pass over before Joe Sparrow set down. “We’ll take Joe to your house.”
“Of course, you would have a Joe Sparrow. I was wondering if you had him.”
“He’s been my buddy since I was a kid.” Marcy patted his head. “Come on, Lily.”
Marcy helped Lily up on the saddle. They set off towards the sky.
“Let’s go back to the stand and see if Hop Pop needs help.”
Anne followed Sasha through the town and stopped when she noticed a giant eagle with armor and a helmet. There was a symbol of a circle on its armor. It looked like the symbol that was on Sasha’s armor when they reunited at the third temple. Anne noticed two toads that looked familiar to her.
“Wait? Percy? Braddock? What are you two doing here?” Sasha asked.
“Sasha, you are requested by Captain Grime to come back to the South Tower.” Anne wasn’t surprised to hear that the South Tower was still standing, and that Grime was still captain. Was he just as cruelling though? “He wishes to speak to you about something.”
“Dad wants to talk to me. This sounds serious by the sound of it. I'll be there soon.” Sasha turned to Anne. She handed the bags over to her. “I’ve got to leave for a bit. It sounds like this is possibly serious. You know how to get back to the stand?”
“Yeah. Are you going to be back soon?”
“Don’t worry, twig. I’ll be back.” Anne puffed her cheeks in annoyance. “Just tell Hop Pop that I had to step away for a bit.”
Anne nodded. She watched as Sasha climbed into the saddle of the eagle with the two toads behind her.
“Let’s fly high, Jupiter.” The eagle squawked before flying off. Anne headed back to the stand and saw just the Plantars and the Spirit. The Spirit approached Anne.
“Where’s Sasha?” She asked.
“She had to do something at the South Tower. Grime was asking for her.”
“Uh. Wonder what the heck that old toad wanted?” Hop Pop said.
“It sounded important. Is she going to be coming back?”
“Sasha always does. Old Grime can’t keep her away.” Hop Pop shook his head.
“And Marcy had to go to Carol’s house with Lily.”
“Maybe they had a clue on who is trying to smear Anne’s good name.” Sprig said.
“Smear my good name? What?” Anne was confused.
“Remember what I said last night?” The Spirit came up beside her. “I was considered evil by all of Amphibia for deeds I didn’t do. Someone was framing me, and we are trying to figure out who that is.”
“Then I want to help. You have helped me so far by giving me a place to stay.”
“No. You are not getting involved with this. I will make sure you get home and to your parents safely first. Getting you home is going to be my highest priority.”
“My Anne is right.” Hop Pop came up. “I agree. We need to get you home safely and the last thing we want is for you to get hurt in the process.”
“The only way home is my music box, and I have no idea where it went off to. Sasha may have it. She was the one who was holding it when the box opened.”
“Then we search for your friends.” The Spirit said. “If we find your friends, then we will find that music box. Don’t worry, Anne.”
The Spirit pulled her into a hug. Anne was transported back to earth to where she was hugging her mother. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip around the Spirit.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. I am right here.”
“Mom.” Anne felt the arms around her tighten as well.
By the time the market closed, Marcy and Sasha were still not back. But Anne saw firsthand just how much copper the Plantars got. Sasha wasn’t kidding. The Plantars did really well with themselves here. They had more copper that they made today then they usually made in a week.
“Dang, you guys do make a lot of coppers. That's more than what Hop Pop usually makes.”
“We have a few benefits. Thanks to Mossman and our Spirit, our vegetables have been getting better and better.”
“Now, what should we have for dinner tonight?” The Spirit asked everyone on their way home.
“Can I help with dinner? You could show me your tricks and I can show you mine.”
The Spirit smiled.
“Of course. I have a recipe in mind, and I would love to hear your thoughts.”
When they got back to the house, Anne noticed that Joe Sparrow was in the yard next to Verde and Domino. So that must have meant that Marcy and Lily were back. Hop Pop pulled Bessie into the farm. Everyone leaped off and started towards the door. It opened and Marcy stepped out with Lily behind her.
“Hey guys! Welcome back!” Marcy and Lily kept their bodies hiding behind the door. “How did the stand do?”
“Excellent! When did you girls arrive back?”
“Not too long ago. And we got a surprise for you.” Marcy turned to the door. “You can come out now.”
Anne gasped when Marcy stepped to the side and saw her oldest friend.
“Marcy!” Anne tackled her friend. Marcy hugged her back as she laughed.
“Anne!”
“I am so glad you are here too. You will not believe where we are.”
“I know. Amphibia but Amphibia has humans. We aren’t an odd species to them. We are normal.”
“Where have you been? Where did you land? Back in Newtopia?”
“No, I landed here in Wartwood.”
Marcy was going to continue until everyone heard the loud screech of a bird. They looked up to see a large shadow pass over them. It was in the shape of a bird. The bird, or eagle landed on the farm next to Joe Sparrow. It was the eagle that was in Wartwood. Sasha leaped down along with a toad that Anne recognized well. It was Grime.
“Uncle Grime!” Both Anne and Marcy did a double take when they saw Sprig and Polly run over to Grime. The toad scooped them up while laughing and put them on his shoulders.
“It hasn’t been that long since I have seen you all.” Grime walked over to them. Sasha remained by the eagle. “Hello, girls.” Grime stopped when he spotted the younger Marcy and Anne. He looked mostly at Marcy. “You look just like Marcy when she was that age. It’s eerie. I couldn’t almost tell the two apart if I didn't look into your eyes.”
“You didn’t call me Marsha.” The young Marcy pointed out. Grime laughed.
“Ahaha. That reminds me of dear old Darcy. That was a name she was going to name you Marcy until she settled on your name.”
“Wait, mom wanted to name me Marsha. That's why you used to call me Marsha around mom when I was younger.”
“Your mother used to get really pissed at me about that. But it was fun seeing the look on your mom’s face.”
Anne and Marcy looked at each other. They definitely were not used to Grime being less…Scary. It seemed he was an old friend and uncle to the Plantars then a terror to them.
Anne looked up at Sasha. She was smiling as she crossed her arms. She suddenly turned around.
“You can come down now. I’m sure they would like to see you.”
Anne watched as another figure leaped off the saddle. She gasped when she saw who it was.
“Sasha!” The younger Sasha looked up. Anne ran over and hugged Sasha tightly. Sasha stilled for a moment before returning the hug.
“…Hey Anne.” And Anne didn’t see the troubled look on Sasha’s face except older Sasha. With her sharp eyes, she saw the look of guilt swimming in her eyes before she closed them when she returned Anne’s hugs.
Older Sasha had her suspicion that the little blond was hiding something from little Anne, and she worried it could end badly.