It was now morning at the Boonchuy household. And Olivier Clawthorne was walking down the steps of the basement
where Bee Boonchuy was currently busy stacking boxes, clearing up some space.
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Booncuy?" spoke Olivier.
"oh...HEY, Oliver. Yes I did want to see you." spoke the man.
"Me and Oum talked, and we decided to clean out the basement so you could have it as a room."
"Really?" spoke Olivier.
"Yes, really...It didn't seem right to make you sleep on the couch every night.
and considering the guest is..."unavailable" at the moment, and we needed to clean some stuff out anyway-"
"yeah, I get the point." said Olivier. "and It's fine...and kind of ironic, actually."
Bee set down another box. "what do you mean?"
"Well...when Anne was in Amphibia, the basement of the Plantar's house was made into her room." explained Olivier.
"I half expected them to stay in a basement while here, but apparently they are sharing Anne's actual room."
Bee paused to ponder this. "that IS rather ironic, now that you say."
Olivier took a moment to look at the progress that Bee had made thus far.
He had cleared out SOME space, but it wasn't nearly enough to be slightly livable.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Olivier.
"no-no!, you are a guest. No need to exert yourself...I can handle it-"
(("MOOOOOOOOOOM!"))
Olivier and Bee jumped upon hearing a VERY angry scream that was unmistakably Anne's.
"uh-oh." spoke Bee, dreading what had happened.
As Bee and Olivier rushed upstairs, they looked and saw Anne stomping angrily down a hall.
"But it's safer to get in pairs!" called Oum, from the open bathroom door.
"Emergency family meeting!" exclaimed Anne (mad as heck) "MAJOR BOUNDARY VIOLATION!"
At that moment, Sprig walked out into the hallway. "Family?! Should we come too?,
Also do you have any more of these candy bars?" said Sprig, as he continued eating lipstick.
[Later.]
In what felts like a case of Deja vu, Everyone was seated back in the living room
with Anne pacing back and forth, and talking just as they had the day before.
Only the emotions of everyone was a tad different.
"Mom, Dad, I'm really happy to be home." spoke Anne. "I know it's a big deal I was gone for so long
and I get that it's scary to think about losing me again." Anne then pauses for a moment.
"But I need a...little bit of space or I'm gonna lose my mind. You guys are being way too overprotective!"
"Anne, I think you're exaggerating." said Bee. "This is a big house. We all have plenty of space to breathe."
No sooner had Bee said that...Polly started kicking him with her stubby legs.
"Oops! Sorry! Just practicing my jump kick!" Polly kicks Bee again, and falls off the couch.
"plenty of space to breathe..." spoke Olivier, with mild sarcasm.
"Weren't you JUST clearing out space in the basement so *I* wouldn't have to sleep that couch?"
Bee stared blankly at his daughter. "Ok. I'm listening."
"We're tired of being shut up inside." continued Anne. "Let me and the Plantars out. Just for an hour."
To sell Anne's parents on this, the Plantars stood near Anne and made 'cute' faces at them.
"I'll take care of them" said Anne. "and we won't go far."
"Absolutely not." said Oum Boonchuy, sternly.
"Oh, c'mon! I can't go out alone for an hour?" argued Anne.
"Last time you went out alone, you got trapped in another world for five months." retorted Oum.
Anne looked at Olivier (who was petting Fleetwing.) "Ollie, help me out here."
"I would, Annie. you know I would..." spoke Olivier. "but considering I did the same thing as you,
and STILL haven't returned home to my own mother...I'm not the best person to say anything."
Anne grumbled in aggravation.
"Look..." spoke Oum, getting up from the couch. "your father and I have to go to the market. We'll talk later."
As Oum walks to the front door, Anne and the Plantars quickly intercept her.
"That's perfect! Let us come." spoke Anne.
Oum makes a disagreeable expression.
"I know what you're gonna say: "We can't take the Plantars out in public". spoke Anne, almost mockingly.
"But the market's always empty except for a few old people. Plus, I'll make them disguises..."
Anne then hugs the Frog family. "...and take full responsibility for their safety."
This statement actually amused Anne's mother. "Hehe. You think you can take care of the whole family?"
"No offense, Anne, but you're the literal poster child for hating responsibility." added Bee.
"Just look at what you drew as a kid..."
Everyone looked at a crude drawing of Anne (as age 6, apparently)
who looked mad and hade the words: 'I HATE responsibility' written remarkably perfectly.
(Olivier couldn't suppress a chuckle, while Anne's face turned red from embarrassment.)
"OK, yes...but I've changed." said Anne, finally.
It was then that Hoppadiah Plantar stepped up.
"Look, I'm a parent too, and I know what Anne used to be like. So trust me, I get it."
Anne scowled at the old frog. "Not helping."
"But she grew into a town protector." continued Hop Pop. "A hero, voted "Frog of the Year" by frogs that used to HATE her.
Were there bumps in the road? Sure. Did she burn the town down once? Yeah.
Did she almost get us eaten by a large creature numerous times? Also yes.
Did she-? Emm...What was I saying?"
Anne smacked her face with her palm, feeling like Hop Pop just dug them into a grave.
But Olivier finally stood up, approached Anne's parents and spoke.
"I think what Mr. Plantar is TRYING to say is that for Five Months, Anne had to rough it in a wild
and untamed swampland where almost everything wanted her dead, which forced her to be more responsible."
Anne's parents looked at Olivier as he continued speaking.
"Like I said once before: I arrived in Amphibia quite some months after she already did.
and the Anne that I know is very different from the Anne that you both have told me about.
...Their almost like two different people in my opinion."
Anne's parents took a moment to ponder this.
"They both got a point." spoke Bee to his wife. "Ever since she got back, Anne seems...a little more mature."
"She used to BEG me not to take her to market." mused Oum.
Bee turned to Anne, and cleared his throat. "Ok, Anne...We're willing to give it a try."
Anne and the Plantars gasp with excitement.
"But you stay with us at all times." said Oum, sternly. "And if anything goes wrong, it's back to lockdown."
Anne hugs her parents. "Thank you so much! I promise you won't regret it."
Anne then takes the Plantars to her room as they scream unintelligible nonsense behind her.
Olivier smiled at this, and was about to sit back down on the couch when Bee grabbed his shoulder.
"You should get ready, too."
"Me?" spoke Olivier, puzzled.
"We need you to look after Anne like you said you did before." spoke Oum.
"And you'll most likely keep up with her better than we can, if we are honest." added Bee.
Olivier scowled. "Anne's not gonna like that one bit."
"So DON'T tell her." said Oum. "Just 'hang-out' with her like any teenager would."
Olivier eyed Anne's mother. "sounds dishonest and sneaky if you ask me.
I would feel uncomfortable about that...IF it wasn't something my own mother would ask me to do."
Olivier exhaled sharply as he ultimately relented.
"alright...I guess I can keep an eye on Anne and the Frogs." spoke Olivier. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Oum smiled and hugged Olivier as if he were her own son. "K̄hxbkhuṇ, Oliver."
"yeah...sure." said Olivier, unsure how to feel about this.
In Anne's Room, Anne is jumping up and down on her bed like a toddler while the Plantars run around like hyperactive children.
"Ok. This is gonna be a cinch!" exclaimed Anne. "Earth is a cakewalk compared to Amphibia!"
"Woah-ha-ha. Really?!" spoke Sprig, who was rolling around in a swivel chair.
"Yeah, dude." said Anne, stopping Sprig from spinning in the chair.
"The bugs are tiny, the birds are small, and best of all: Nothing's gonna be trying to kill us for a change!"
[Meanwhile...Back in Amphibia.]
the castle that had once towered over Newtopia floated through the clouds on a rainy day.
The floating castle was guarded by Frobots, while King Andrias stood grimly in his throne room.
"My plans are in motion, our forces are growing. And soon we will be ready to invade." spoke the Salamander King.
"Only one remains who could stand between me and my conquest..."
King Andrias then uses the Calamity Box to open up a portal to Earth. "Anne Boonchuy."
King Andrias snaps his fingers, calling out a frightening looking Frobot: a Cloak-Bot,
which drops in from above and stands quite menacingly.
"She must be eliminated. This is your one objective." said King Andrias.
The Cloak-Bot laughs (which due to it's vocoder, sounded quite chilling.)
As the Cloak-Bot scans the blue gem's, King Andrias continues to speak: "This mission requires the utmost discretion.
We cannot allow the other world to know of the coming invasion. Make sure no Earthling sees you."
(("Energy signature acquired.")) spoke the Cloak-Bot
"And one more thing..." spoke King Andrias, ominously.
"Would you mind picking me up the latest Cynthia Coven book?" said King Andrias, suddenly soundly like an child.
"Marcy got me hooked, and I'm dying to know what happens. And maybe some of those...potato chip things she had."
(("Eliminate...potato chip?")) spoke the Cloak-Bot, baffled at this secondary request.
"Ok, forget the chips." grumbled King Andrias. "Kill the girl, get the book."
The Cloak-Bot then points at another image projected on a Holo-Screen. (("Destroy?"))
King Andrias looks and sees that the Cloak-Bot is pointing at another human teenager.
One with auburn hair, heterochromia eyes and dressed in worn attire that looked medieval.
"Clawthorne?, he is unimportant." said King Andrias. "It is Boonchuy who is the REAL threat."
The Cloak-Bot (somehow) emoted in a way that expressed 'doubt' at that statement.
And, indeed. the severely damaged state of the Throne Room was all the evidence
that the robot needed to back up it's disagreement with it's own master.
"Okay, FINE. I suppose Oliver Clawthorne MIGHT pose a serious obstacle for you." relented King Andrias.
"If he gets in the way, then by all means: ELIMINATE HIM. but Anne Boonchuy MUST remain your top priority."
The Cloak-Bot made a malevolent expression as it walked through the portal created by the Calamity Box.
The portal then closed and the cosmic power of the three stones returned to the simple wooden box.
King Andrias then sighed, not taking any joy in what was to come.
"Well, Marcy, your friends are about to be eliminated from the equation..."
King Andrias then looked back behind him...where 'Marcy' (who was dressed in a black suit)
was floating within a tube of a strange, green liquid with a breathing apparatus over her mouth.
"At least you will never know it...so continue to dream, my friend." spoke King Andrias.
"Dream...in whatever happy fantasy that the core is granting you."
As King Andrias walked away, his hands behind his back...'Marcy' opened 'her' eyes.
Only her eyes glowed like amber, with star-shaped pupils instead of normal round ones.
'Marcy' then glared angrily at Andrias as 'she' watched him walk away.
...'her' eyes glowing bright green for a moment.
[End of Part Five]