Somewhere in Anne's neighborhood, the party of five were walking down the sidewalk.
While Sprig and Polly were fine just walking (well, Sprig was hopping) on their own,
Maddie was clinging to the back on Olivier's should, taking in all the sights.
"You doing okay, Maddie?" asked Anne.
"yeah." spoke Maddie. "I am now. but it's kinda weird."
"What is?" asked Polly.
"I've wandered this place DAYS before...yet it feels like I'm seeing it for the first time."
"You were lost before." spoke Olivier. "your mind wasn't on sight seeing at the time."
"yeah...that is true." agreed Maddie. "Now that I have a safe place to go,
This world doesn't seem as scary as it was before. I can't wait to explore it more!"
"We will...in time." said Olivier.
The group than stopped at a crosswalk, waiting as some cars drove by.
"Those metal monsters freak me out." spoke Maddie.
"They are apparently non-living transports that humans use, instead of beasts." explained Olivier.
"Just mind the traffic signals, and you shouldn't need to worry about them."
"All the same: STAY on the sidewalk." added Anne. "Not everyone on the road are good at driving."
Once the cars stopped, the group proceeded to walk across the crosswalk
(and, the whole time Maddie was SQUEEZING Olivier's head. feeling oddly tense.)
*I still don't like them.* whispered Maddie. *they're unnatural.*
*won't argue with you there.* responded Olivier.
At long last, the group finally arrived at the nature park.
Upon entering, Maddie hopped off from Olivier. feeling more relaxed.
"wow. this place kinda reminds me of home." spoke Maddie.
Indeed, there was something about the park that was a tad similar to Amphibia.
Walking down the path through the trees harkened back to the forest near Wartwood Village.
(true, THESE trees were nothing like they were in the Frog Valley.
But it was similar enough that Sprig, Polly and Maddie felt more comfortable.)
"KIDS. Stay where we can see you." said Olivier, as the Frogs began running too fast.
"WE WILL!" called Maddie and Polly.
"SORRY!" called Sprig.
The group eventually approached a fountain with an impressive looking sculpture.
"ooh!, this is nice." said Polly.
Sprig kept his hands in his pockets. *don't touch, don't touch, don't touch...* muttered Sprig.
((*RHEEEEEEEEEE!*))
The frogs looked up...and their eyes widened at seeing the silhouette of a large bird high above them.
"AHHHHHH!, HERON!" exclaimed Sprig, panicking. "RUUUUNN!"
The Frog Kids all ran around in circles, screaming bloody murder while Anne and Olivier watched.
The 'Heron' then landed in the fountain's pool, and the kids stopped freaking out
once they saw that the bird was just a head taller than them (rather than being 'Monster' sized.)
"oh...right. I forgot: Animals in this world are puny." said Polly.
The Heron preened it's feathers as the frog kids stared at it.
"at this size, it's actually kinda cute." said Maddie "...I hate it."
Sprig then approached, and proceeded to poke at the bird. "Not so scary NOW, are you?"
"Careful, Sprig. that is STILL a wild animal." said Anne.
"aw, what's it gonna do? NOT eat Me-(*CHOMP!*)"
In that moment, the Heron bit Sprig with it's beak. "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"No, but it can still bite you." said Olivier (mildly amused at this scene.)
As the Heron began to peck at Sprig's head, Olivier decided to end this nonsense.
With a twirl of his finger, he summoned his magic staff and Fleetwing then came to life.
The Falcon flew over and screeched at the Heron, scaring it away.
As Anne and Olivier approached, Sprig looked down in shame.
"and, what have we learned...AGAIN?" said Olivier.
"no touching?" inquired Sprig
"No Touching."
Fleetwing then flew back, reverting back into a wooden topper.
Olivier then snapped his fingers, making his magic staff disappear in a puff of smoke.
"Let's go this way." said Anne. "I think there is a playground nearby."
The group continue walking down the path until the finally reach a children's play area.
As the Frogs proceeded to climb the metal bars, Anne and Olivier sat down at a bench.
Anne bore an expressed that indicated she was deep in thought, which Olivier noticed.
"this brings back memories." spoke Anne.
Olivier looked at Anne. "happy ones, I hope."
"Depends on how you look at it." spoke Anne. "It was in a playground like this one...where I first met Sasha."
"ohh..."
"I was already friends with Marcy at that point." explained Anne, smiling as she reminisced.
"We were having fun on the swings, when these...older girls showed up, and started picking on both of us."
"why?" asked Olivier, genuinely puzzled.
"because we were little girls...and they were older than us."
Olivier scowled at this, as it forced him to remember his own childhood struggles
with bullies who used to harassed him (Thank Titan those days were long behind him.)
But the very thought of Anne, the girl that he loved with all his heart,
being subjected to bullying for any reason made the witch boy feel absolutely livid.
(there was a part of him that wished he had known Anne when they were young children.
maybe...Maybe they could've protected each other, and prevented unnecessary suffering.)
"Me and Marcy...Neither of us were good with confrontations back then." continued Anne.
"But then Sasha appeared like some kind of superhero, and tried to defend us..."
Olivier froze as an image popped in his head...
...one of a little version of Sasha with her face planted on the ground.
"but, she-"
"-never landed a single hit." said Olivier.
Anne looked at Olivier. "ye-Yeah...wait, how do YOU know that?"
Olivier scratched his head. "I'm...not sure. I just...do."
"well...yeah, she never DID hit any of them." continued Anne.
"And she only won after they got weirded out, and left on their own."
Olivier paused as he pondered this. "I see now why Marcy always thought Sasha was "so cool."
"She was cool. one of the coolest people I knew." Anne then frowned.
"I still can't believe how things changed between us...between ALL of us."
Olivier breathed out sharply. "Time has a way of changing people..." spoke Olivier.
"sometimes for the better. but, other times...for the WORSE."
Anne paused as images suddenly flashed in her head.
They were almost like a memory, yet none of it seemed familiar to her.
In her mind, she saw the image of a young girl with brown hair tied into a topknot.
The girl had golden eyes like Olivier's right eye, and...pointed, elf-like ears for some reason.
The girl had a bright smile that almost reminded Anne of Marcy.
...but then that image faded as it transitioned into a different one.
The girl now looked about her own age. Her hair was the same, only it was a minty green color.
Gone was the girl's one friendly smile, replaced now with cold stare and snobby scowl.
Anne then felt a strange mix of sadness and anger that she couldn't explain.
It was almost as if she knew this strange girl...yet Anne knew that she didn't.
Anne was then jolted from her thoughts by a sudden voice addressing her: "That you, BOOBchuy?!"
Anne and Olivier looked and saw a girl with bright red pigtailed hair approach.
She had freckles on her face, and a gap in her teeth that was clearly seen as she grinned maliciously.
(Olivier didn't know who she was...but he had a feeling that he DIDN'T like her.)
"hi, maggie." grumbled Anne, scowling.
"Surprised to see you. I thought you ran back to "Tie-lantis", or some crap." said Maggie, condescendingly
"no, maggie...i didn't." said Anne (her hazel eyes flickering blue.)
Maggie smirked...and then looked at Olivier. "and, whose this guy?!"
"no one you want to know, Maggie." answered Anne.
Maggie scoffed as she looked at Olivier (who stood there silently.)
"Your eyes look weird." said Maggie. "And what's with your EARS?!,
you got some kinda freaky Birth Defect, or some crap like that?"
Olivier scowled, now CERTAIN that he didn't like this girl.
He recalled how while in Amphibia, Anne once told him about a school bully she had.
a 'racist' girl named 'Maggie', who Sasha often had to 'protect' Anne from.
Seeing this 'Maggie' in person made Olivier regret ever calling Sasha a bully herself.
He could at least 'tolerate' Sasha when she was at her meanest.
This Maggie, however, was making Olivier's blood boil more than the seas of his home world.
"SO where have you been, BOOBchuy?!" continued Maggie, smugly
"please don't call me that." said Anne, bluntly.
Maggie smirked. "Okay, then..."PUKE-Bun."
Olivier's eyes turned a solid black in that moment.
Maggie then looked down, taking noticed of a blue ring of light under her feet.
"what the he-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Maggie screamed at the top of her lungs as she was shot up into the sky
by a beam of blue light shoot her upward like an erupting geyser.
Anne and Olivier watched as Maggie gradually became a black speck in the sky,
eventually disappearing from view with her continuous screaming slowly growing faint...and then silent.
...at least, THAT is what happened in Olivier's imagination.
In reality, Maggie was still there acting smug towards Anne.
...and Olivier was looking around to see if there were anyone else here to witness
whatever it was he planned to do to shut this annoying girl up once and for all.
(he thought about what his mother would do in this situation...and all answers ended in a Fire Spell.)
Just then- ((*BAMF!*))
"OW!" exclaimed Maggie, holding her nose. "SONUVA-!"
"SORRY!" exclaimed Maddie (running over with Sprig and Polly.)
"Sorry, we found this cool ball and it...sorta got away from us." said Sprig.
Polly picked up an orange basketball, and bounded it against the ground...
...which ended up hitting Maggie in the face again.
"AHH!, GOD-F***ING-DAMMIT!" cursed Maggie, holding her nose again.
Anne and Olivier both covered their mouths, *trying* to suppress their laughter.
Olivier finally bent down, and took the ball from Polly.
"Now, POLLY. you can't just play with whatever strange thing that you find." began Olivier.
"You have no idea where this thing has even been. I mean, look at it: It's so FILTHY."
Olivier then threw the ball in a specific direction, causing it to hit a metal pole.
The ball then ricocheted from various objects...before (once again) hitting Maggie square in the head.
THIS time, the girl was knocked out cold. Dropping to the ground like a stone.
As Anne and Olivier looked down at the unconscious girl, Anne eyed her boyfriend.
"you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Olivier said nothing...but the sly grin on his face said everything.
"oh, FROG. is she dead!?" said Maddie (while poking Maggie with a stick.)
"Do you honestly care?" spoke Polly, bluntly.
Maddie thought for a moment...and then answered with an equally blunt: "no."
[Later..]
Olivier scowled as he and Anne both carried the still passed out Maggie along the sidewalk
to wherever she lived in Anne's neighborhood while Sprig, Polly and Maddie followed them close behind.
"don't see why we couldn't just leave her at the bench." said Olivier.
"Maggie may be a bully, but she doesn't deserve to be attacked by some creep after dark." said Anne.
"fine..." said Olivier, defeated. "still hate this, though."
"I don't like it, either." said Anne. "But it's the right thing to do."
"Hey, Anne!" spoke Sprig. "Is THAT her house over there?!"
Anne looked where Sprig was pointing. "Yeah, It is. Good job, dude!"
"thank the titan." spoke Olivier. "Now, let's hurry up and dump her in the yard."
"No, we should set her down at the front porch." said Anne.
"oh, for titans sake!"
Anne and Olivier proceeded to carry Maggie over to her front porch.
"okay." spoke Anne "now, let's gently set her dow-"
Olivier totally ignores Anne's specific instructions,
and just drops Maggie onto a lounge chair like a sack of potatoes.
"okay, she's safe at home. now, let's get out of here before the cops show up." said Olivier, quickly.
"HOLD IT!" exclaimed Polly. "we're not done yet."
Before anyone could say anything, Polly drew out a black market and uncapped it.
"oh, yeah..." said Anne, grinning like a gremlin.
Polly then hopped onto the still unconscious Maggie, and began scribbling on her face.
"aaand, DONE!" said Polly, re-capping her marker.
"nice..." said Maddie, smiling.
"where did you learn those words from?" said Olivier, half-shocked.
"I'm more amazed how you were able to fit such words on her face." spoke Anne (also shocked.)
"It's a gift." said Polly, proudly.
Sprig stared at the writing on Maggie's face. "what does THIS word mea-"
"ASK-HOP-POP." said Anne, quickly.
Olivier then looked around behind him.
"Okay, fun's over. we SERIOUSLY need to disappear before we are caught."
"Agreed. Let's go home." said Anne.
The group then all ran from the front porch, and house as quickly as possible.
Eventually, Maggie awoke. Groaning as her nose still felt sore.
The girl then drew out her phone, and powered it up.
She pressed her camera app, and flipped the screen to look at her own face.
...and when she did, her jaw dropped in absolute shock.
"WHAT THE FU-!?"
[End of Part Seventeen]