Loyalty Among Worlds (Amphibia AU)

Darrel takes Clipper out for another delivery ride. Clipper zooms across Wartwood, as Darrel drops off jars of Plantar's potion to their customers. Despite losing the vegetable stand, the Plantars were still making good money, thanks to Darrel's delivery idea.

"Great haul today, bud," said Darrel. "Let's call it in early and catch some winds." Darrel and Clipper take to the skies. They do special stunts like barrel rolls, loop de loops. And when they catch the winds, they pick up speeds and fly higher in the sky. When they couldn't go higher, Darrel lets go of Clipper and falls with him. The two were free falling until they could see the ground. Darrel mounts back onto Clipper and the two fly back to the farm.

Back at the farm, Anne, the Plantars and the Salamanders were packing up on Bessie. Darrel comes back just in time. "Ah, Darrel. Glad you could join us," said Cronaxx. "We got good news boy," said Hop pop. "The mountain pass is scheduled to clear up in one week. Until then, we must venture someplace to get ready."

Hearing the news that he and Anne will be a step closer to finding their friends, made Darrel smile with excitement. "So where are we going?" he asked. "I'll show you," said Hop pop. "Just follow Bessie, and we'll be there before you know it."

Darrel takes Clipper and the group journey to a place Hop pop calls, the Archives. "The best way to start a quest," Hop pop began. "Is-" "Danger?" Sprig interrupted. "Weapons?" Polly asked. "Runes?" Tint asked. "Close Tint," said Hop pop. "It's Research."

The kids groan out of boredom, "More research? Are you sure?" Darrel asked. "Indeed," said Hop pop. "We'll never get you home if we get bitten to death by a venomous snake fly. Or eaten by camouflage sogekings. Or crushed to death by a sand liger."

This made Darrel perk up, "Snake flies? Sogekings? Ligers?! There's so much I don't know about this world!" "I'm beginning to think you guys are obsessed," said Anne. "And that's why the Town of the Archives is the best place to know about the dangers of Amphibia," said Cronaxx.

The group arrives at the entrance and Darrel thinks of something familiar, "You know, the more I think about archives, the more I think that it's like a library from our home." "Hey, you're right," said Anne. "Zoobooks and Manga, here I come."

"Enough chattering you lot," said Hop pop as he opened the door. "Time to hit the books." The group dismount from their riding critters and make their way to the door. "Will there be a chance that we'll read about ancient runes Uncle Cronaxx?" Tint asked. "I believe so," he replied.

"Hey guys," said Sprig. "Instead of reading, wouldn't we be better off preparing by diving head first into dangerous situations?" "No," said Darrel and the Salamanders. "Why not, Darrel? Isn't research overrated" Anne asked. "Remember what happened the last few times we dove into danger?" Darrel rebuffed.

The group thinks back to a few events where they always freak out when they're in danger. Darrel protects Tint, Anne, and Sprig from a giant fire snorting star nosed mole. The group slides down a steep mountain while riding on Bessie. And finally, the time where they got pinned down by a giant skunk before…

With eyes as wide as plates, Darrel shuttered, "Now you understand?" "I can still smell the skunk juice," said Polly. "Okay," said Anne. "Research it is." Sprig was shocked, "What? You're siding with Hop pop, guys?" "Yes!" said Darrel and Tint. "This journey is going to take us beyond the valley Sprig," said Anne. "Who knows what will run into out there?"

The group venture down a spiral stairwell until they reach the bottom. The group, sans Hop pop and Cronaxx, gaze in amazement. "Take it all in," said Cronaxx. "Welcome to the Town of the Archives." The Archives looked like one of those old libraries from medieval times. "It's amazing," said Darrel.

"Sure, it seems cool," said Sprig. "Until you realize that all you do hear is read other people's cool adventures." "Okay enough pradle," said Hop pop. "We got to get a move on before we're locked in here."

Darrel was surprised, "Locked?" "Oh yeah," said Cronaxx. "The archive door is set on a sunlight timer." He points to a mechanical device with rotating gears and a glass monocle shining from the sun's ray. "It opens when the sun rises, and deadlocks when the sun sets."

"Alright, let's split up," said Tint. "Darrel, Anne, you take that tower over there. Polly, Uncle, take the tower next to the fireplace, Sprig and I will go over there." "And I'll go over to this tower, here." said Hop pop. The group splits up to find information about the world outside the valley.

Darrel and Anne sit in the archives reading books on what kind of plants and animals eat them. "Find anything interesting, Anne?" Darrel asked. "Only more ways of how various plants can kill you," replied Anne.

Sprig came up to them, hoping to liven up the ambiance of the archives. "Hey guys, watcha doin?" he asked in a weird voice. "Very funny Sprig," said Darrel. "Please let us read." He hands Sprig a book about snakes that eat amphibians. "See if you could find anything that helps us survive a tiger viper's bite."

Little after Sprig left, Tint finds books that involve ancient runes. "Yes!" he cried. "What is it, Tint?" Polly asked. "I found books on ancient runes," he replied. "That's swell, Tint," said Hop pop. "But maybe you could keep the excitement to a minimum? Some of us want to focus on reading." Tint nodded, "Sure."

Later on, Hop pop reconvenes the group for lunch. "I'm actually glad you suggested this Hop pop," said Anne. "Me too," said Darrel. "I'm more prepared on how to deal with large feral insects than ever before. I'm ready to give them the cold shoulder." Darrel conjures an icy aura to go along with his catchphrase.

"Uh oh, guys?" said Tint. The group looks at him to see that the door is locked up. "How long have we been in here?!" cried Darrel. Hop pop looks up and gasps, "The lens is missing." "Who would trap us in here?" Anns asked. "Only one way to find out," said Darrel. "Everyone, empty your pockets, or any other special pouches you have. If anyone has the lens, we'll know who took it."

The group empty their pockets, leaving only Sprig keeping his hands in his. The group looked sternly at him. "Sprig, hand it over," said Tint. "What makes you think I- Yeah I have it," said Sprig. "But why should we read these moldy books? They're not going to prepare us for squat. What we need is a daring escape from an old underground library." "What we need is to safely get out of here without causing any problems," said Tint. "Now put that piece back," said Polly.

He reaches in his pocket and takes out the lens. Unfortunately as he shows it to the group, it slips out of his hand and shatters into a few pieces. "SPRIG!" Anne and Darrel cried. "What have you done?!" Polly screamed. "Don't worry, I can fix it," said Sprig.

He tries to gather all the pieces, only for him to sneeze and spread them out. "Now what are we going to do?" Tint asked. "Guess we wait here until someone visits the archives," said Hop pop. "And when was the last time someone came down here?" Anne asked. He took out the entry log and said, "Three years ago."

The group stares in shock, realizing that they could be trapped here forever. Anne and Polly bang on the door in hopes that anyone outside could help them. But they were in the middle of nowhere, with only Bessie and Clipper outside.

The group tried to find several ways of getting out, only for them to fail immediately. They tried breaking down the door. They tried digging out, only for large worms to attack them. They even tried using Hop pop's spectacles to replace the lens. Only for the sun's beam to hit the books, setting them on fire.

The group sits in the middle of the archives, covered in soot. "(Coughs) Okay, I'm out of ideas," said Tint. Polly groans, "Why did they have to put the door on a stupid sunlight timer?"

Suddenly, Anne gets another idea. "That's it! Light timer. Timer, sunlight, light, skylight!" She points to the skylight, making the group smile. "If we can get out through the skylight," said Cronaxx. "We're home free." "Anne, you're a genius," said Sprig.

"That's all well and good, but how are we going to get up there?" Hop pop asked. Darrel gestured to his staff as the answer, "Uh, duh?" Hop pop immediately realized what he meant. "Okay, so who should go first?"

Darrel conjures his staff, making it glow, and points to Anne. Anne suddenly lifts up and floats to the top. "Like my mom always said, 'Ladies First'," said Darrel. Anne reaches the top and her head gets through the skylight.

She calls Bessie and Clipper to get help, however they ignore her and turn the other way. "Good news guys, I can see the road from here. One of the amphibians can go get help," said Anne. The group cheered in excitement, "Who would've thought we could find a way to get out of here?" Tint asked.

"See guys?" Sprig asked. "How do you feel about diving in now?" Hop pop and Polly felt thrilled. However, When Anne tried to get back down, she couldn't. "Uh, guys? I'm stuck." "What?!" Darrel cried. "I'm seriously stuck! Do something!" Anne replied.

Darrel tried using his magic to pull her back in the archives. "Be careful Darrel," warned Cronaxx. "Trying to force a levitation spell on something that won't move will-" Suddenly, Darrel was yanked by his own power like a slingshot. He shot straight up to the skylight, dropped his staff, and made an impact to the roof, making a bigger hole. His impact squeezed him beside Anne, and the two humans were face to face.

They blushed like crazy, "Hey," said Darrel. "Guess pulling you out with magic didn't work." "What are we going to do now?" Anne asked. "The important thing is that you guys don't panic," said Tint. "We'll try to find another way out. We won't leave you hanging."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Darrel sternly asked. The two humans look back at each other, smiling shyly. Then, Darrel started chuckling. "What's so funny?" Anne asked.

"I was just remembering the last time I got stuck," replied Darrel. "I was about 5 years old and me and my family were vacationing in Paris. We visited many great landmarks, and ate many great cuisines. When we got to the Palace of Versailles, I couldn't see beyond the iron gate. So I squeezed my head to get a better look. When we were about to leave, my head couldn't get out. So my mom used ice cream on my ears to slip me back out."

Anne laughed, "Wow, what were you thinking?" "I wasn't thinking," replied Darrel. "My mind was processing the beauty of the palace. I was lost in its glory, I didn't pay attention to what I was doing." "We were toddlers at that time, Darrel. We all do crazy things," said Anne.

The two remain in silence for a while. And then, they hear a noise. "Hey guys, we're hearing a strange noise out here," said Anne. "What is that?" "Anne, Darrel, keep quiet and remain calm," said Tint. "The Cicadas are coming to graze."

Darrel and Anne look around to keep an eye out for cicadas. Darrel sees one behind Anne, revealing to be as big as Bessie. Darrel turns to Anne, "Anne, keep your eyes on me, and stay calm. They're right behind you." Anne starts to freak out, but Darrel tries to keep her eyes on him.

Darrel looks around to see them grazing on the bushes, and comes up with a quick idea. "Anne, give me your hands," Anne just grips on Darrel, and he uses his magic to turn them into metal. The Cicadas turn away from their shiny look and continue grazing.

"Darrel, I'm scared," said Anne. "I know, I am too," said Darrel. "We tried doing things the right way, and now we might never get back home." "Wait a minute," said Sprig. "This place used to be someone's home. And if this was a home, there was a bathroom, and that means…" "Pipes that will lead us out of here," said Tint.

The amphibians look around the archives and find the blueprints to the building, Sprig and Tint find the bathroom and swim through the pipes to get to the other side. The two rescue Anne and Darrel from the surrounding cicadas and they fly off. Darrel removes the spell and the two revert to their old selves.

"Thanks guys, that was a close one," said Anne. "We're just glad you're okay," said Tint. Then, The rest came out from the archives looking wet. "So how did you guys get out?" Darrel asked. "Let's not talk about it Darrel," said Cronaxx. "I've seen things," said Hop pop.

"We dove into another adventure and escaped," cheered Sprig. "I told you it would work." "We were in this situation because of you Sprig!" Darrel shouted. "You pushed us. Why couldn't you see that?" Anne asked. "Listen, this trip out of the valley is more than that. It's our only chance to get home. We can't mess this up."

"I mean, do you want to run before you walk?" Darrel asked. "I want to walk, even if it means doing stuff we don't like." Sprig nodded, "Then that's what we'll do together. Sprig jumps to hug Anne's head, until the hole cracks open wider and the three fall in. "It's okay, we landed on books," said Anne. "I landed on books," said Darrel. "You landed on me." "Knowledge hurts," said Sprig.

Darrel grabs his staff and casts his levitation spell again. This time, he succeeds in getting all of them out of the hole. "Well, glad to know Sprig learned an important lesson on being prepared," said Cronaxx. "Let's go home."

Darrel whistles for Clipper, and he and the Salamanders fly back to the farm. As for Anne and the Plantars, they take Bessie back home. "So Tint, did you find any good runes in the archives?" Darrel asked. "You bet I did," Tint replied.

He takes out a scroll that shows a circle with symbols and a triangle in the middle. "Good thing I don't know what this stuff says," said Tint. "I can," said Cronaxx. "It's dark magic. So I think it's better to leave it alone." Darrel guides Clipper back to the archives and Tint dumps it back in the hole where Darrel, Anne, and Sprig fell through.

The group return to the farm, all tired and worn out. And in good timing too, considering that the sun was set. Inside the house, Darrel and Anne were sharing more stories of their vacations years ago. Sprig and Polly watched Tint perform light magic. Hop pop and Cronaxx were in the study preparing a map for the journey. 'I've got a feeling we'll be prepared for the journey,' thought Cronaxx. 'With attitudes like the ones Anne and Darrel have, who knows what we'll accomplish.'