Loyalty Among Worlds (Amphibia AU)

After a few days staying with the salamanders, Darrel immediately woke up. Today is the day the trio make their way to Wartwood. Having discovered he gained magical abilities, thanks to the Eternal Staff, Darrel never felt more excited in his life. Thanks to his new magical abilities, he has also discovered that Anne is in Amphibia too. And if he's not mistaken, so are Sasha and Marcy.

But, Darrel had to stick with the original plan: To find Anne and the music box first, then find everyone else. Thanks to the Salamanders, he'll have no problem. He was very grateful with Tint and Cronaxx teaching him how to control his newfound powers the last few days.

Darrel listened very carefully, and mesmerized all their moves and tricks. Now all that's left is to read spell books to learn more spells. And thanks to the staff, Darrel was able to translate the ancient Salamandrian tongue.

As much as he wanted to learn more spells, today was the day the trio traveled to Wartwood. But, the only way to do that was to teleport there, magically. Cronaxx and Tint prepare a ritual circle, one that is meant for transporting from one place to another.

"Is everything all set?" Cronaxx asked. "Yep, I packed everything we needed," replied Tint. Darrel packed his stuff together. "So, we're about ready to leave?" Cronaxx nodded, "Indeed we are. Stand in the center and call the staff for extra power. We're going to need all the magic we can muster."

Darrel calls to the Eternal Staff, closes his eyes, as Cronaxx begins to speak in ancient Salamandrian tongue. Darrel and the Salamanders felt the magic getting strong, so they kept a firm stance on the circle. Bright lights filled the room and in their closed eyelids. They could feel the winds blowing on their skins. Darrel had a great feeling that the spell was working.

As the winds and lights died down, Darrel opened his eyes to see that they're not in the Salamander's hut anymore. They have transported to a much more green, swampy environment.

"Did it work? Are we in Wartwood?" Darrel asked. Tint nodded, "Yes Darrel, we made it. Welcome to Wartwood." Darrel smiled with glee knowing that he's close to finding his friend.

Just then, Cronaxx falls to his knees. Darrel rushes to his side. "Cronaxx, are you okay?" Cronaxx nods as he yawns. "I'll be fine, Darrel. I'm just getting too old for teleportation. I'll need rest."

Tint points out to a clearing. "Wartwood is just beyond this forest." Not wanting to waste another second standing around, Darrel decided to carry Cronaxx until he had the strength to walk again. They traveled through the forest until sundown then suddenly, Darrel started thinking about his friends.

He takes out his two photos and looks at them with determination, "Don't worry girls, I'm coming." But as he stared down at the photos, his mind switched between Anne and Sasha. The Staff not only gave him magical abilities, but also gave him a sense of realization.

He looks to Sasha only to see that she stayed popular, while he stayed quiet. As he looks to Anne, she reminds him that she was there for him at times when he looks to Sasha for help. Darrel then realized something, he got to a point where he thought, 'Does Sasha still love me? Or has the attention got the better of her.'

As the night grew darker, and the mushrooms glow from the roots of the trees, Darrel decided to let off some emotional steam. While thinking about Anne, he reflects on all the good times they had together. Some of these feelings may feel confusing, but whatever it was, Darrel felt like he had to get it out of the open.

So while the three adventurers stopped at a tree,Darrel took out his pocket knife and carved something on the root. "What are you doing, Darrel?" Tint asked. "Illustrating different feelings, Tint," replied Darrel. Tint watches him carve initials D+A inside a heart.

Tint was confused, "Does the A stand for Anne? I thought Sasha was your girlfriend." Darrel nodded, "Yes. I don't know if it's just a fling, or an eye opener. I just want to know if I'm doing the right thing."

Cronaxx spoke up, "Wisdom knows that relationships can change over time, courage knows when it's time to change the relationship." Darrel didn't know what to say after that, only to smile and to finish his carving.

Later on, as the night grew darker, the three arrived outside the Gates of Wartwood. They entered, surprisingly without drawing a lot of attention. Tint's stomach started to growl, and luckily Darrel pointed at a place called Stumpy's Diner.

They entered the diner, with only a few patrons hanging out. A big frog with a chef hat came and gave them slop. Judging by his peg leg and his missing arms, Darrel assumed that he was the owner, Stumpy. "Enjoy, or don't, doesn't matter to me," he said in a monotone.

Tint showed a frown, "Poor guy, it's like he and this place lost its passion."

"Well we can't magically give it back to him," said Cronaxx. "There are things that people have to find within themselves."

That's when Darrel came up with an idea, "You know, whenever my friends or my family feel a bit down. I always cheer them up with singing and dancing. My strongest passion is music after all." Cronaxx smiled, "Is that so? Tint here is an expert with the flute."

Tint smiles, and takes out his flute as Darrel's staff starts glowing blue.

Darrel takes his mug and says, "Everyone! A toast, to the world of Amphibia."

As the frog patrons look with curiosity or fear, the staff begins to glow brighter with music notes as Tint plays the first note.

(Original Song: Toast to 15 years World of Warcraft)

Darrel:

We met many days ago, upon a muddy road/

You a humble mage, and me I'm just a rogue/

I was the weakest of the weak, the lowest of the low/

But when we journey together, this legend will grow/

(Darrel takes the staff in his hands and stomps it in rhythm. In doing so, the frogs do as well.)

We'll journey our way from Blackrock Spire to Moulton Core/

Take 40 hours in Ragnaros and only now want more/

My days of being weak are firmly in the past/

And now my shield is stronger, my bonds are built to last!/

(The frogs smile and bounce to his beat. This gets the attention of another frog who takes out his accordion and dances with Darrel and Tint. Darrel's hands produce light in many colors, like the ones in a dance club. He smiles and continues his jamboree.)

So whether you are a salamander or if you are a frog,/

It's time to toast to Amphibia, so everyone raise your mug!/

No enemy can defeat us, there's no battle we can't win./

When we crunch the numbers, stand together and… /

(That's when Stumpy came in from the kitchen, he watched in the dining room and climbed on his barstand.)

Stumpy: STUMPY! STAGE DIVE!

Stumpy performs a stage dive and Darrel catches him with his levitation spell. The frogs in Stumpy's enjoyed the performance, and it caught the attention of other frogs outside. Soon all of Stumpy's was packed, even the Mayor of Wartwood was entertained. Then, four more enter Stumpy's, feeling quite fascinated.

Voice 1: Wow! Look at all the pretty lights.

Voice 2: Stay close kids, (looks to see Tint.) Ah, a salamander mage.

Voice 3: It looks like he's not alone. (The third voice looks to see a figure in a blue cloak, but couldn't see who it was.)

Darrel:

I have a little news for you, it's something of a treat./

Are you ready to travel Amphibia on your own two feet?/

We're going down to places where anything can hurt ya!/

So Polish your shield, sharpen your axe, we're going back to Vanilla!

The performance was a success. All the citizens of Wartwood came together, either they really liked their performance, or they were entranced by their magical abilities. Either way, the three had to wrap it up before they could cause any more rukkus across the valley.

"Alright, simmer down. Simmer down, now. As much as the people of Wartwood liked your performance, I would advise you keep this to a minimum. People are about ready to sleep around here," said the Mayor.

Cronaxx nodded in agreement and said, "I promise you, Mr. Mayor, it won't happen again. I'll keep a close watch on these two youngsters." "Yeah, this is a one time thing. We'll be on our way now," said Darrel. "I gotta say, Cronaxx, That was nothing compared to the videos I've created before. Those were real life special effects."

Then, a voice was heard, "Darrel?" Darrel recognized the voice and was shocked that he dropped his staff. He turns around to see Anne Boonchuy, right in front of him. He removed his hood to get a better look.

The two friends were shocked. "Anne?" Anne was filled with relief and excitement, "DARREL!" Darrel was cheerful, he found his friend. "ANNE!" Anne suddenly lunged at Darrel and almost fell to the ground. Luckily, his footing was in the right place and caught himself as they swung around.

"Oh My Gosh! I can't believe it! You're here too?!" Anne wasted no time talking with him. "I wasn't sure. I woke up, I was all alone, and- Are Sasha and Marcy with you? Where have you been?" Before Darrel could even have a chance to talk, Anne hugs him. "I missed you so much!"

Darrel returned her hug and said, "I missed you too, Anne! You have no idea what's happened to me the past few days!" He looks to Tint smiling. "Oh Anne, there's someone I like you to meet. These two are Salamander wizards. They found me out in the wilderness when I was lost."

He turned to the Salamanders and said, "Tint, Cronaxx, this is one of the friends I was telling you about: Anne Boonchuy." Tint walks up to her, "Hi Anne, My name's Tint Tormak." "And I am Cronaxx, at your service." Cronaxx takes a bow and Anne bows as well. "Nice to meet you. Darrel, Salamanders, meet the Plantars. Here's Hop-pop, Polly, and Sprig."

Darrel and the salamanders wave hello to the frogs, "Hello there." "Sup?" "Hey there, I'm Anne's best friend too." Darrel takes a knee and offers Sprig a handshake. "Well any friend of Anne, is a friend of mine. Put 'er there, pal." Sprig shakes Darrel's hand, as Cronaxx takes a big yawn. "It's getting late, we should get some rest."

That's when Anne decided, "You guys can come with us to the Plantar's farm." Hop-pop was a little worried, "Woah, hold on Anne. We're a farm, not a bed and breakfast. We may not have any more room for these three."

Sprig came up with an idea, "What about Bessie's Stable? There's plenty of room there." Darrel shrugged, "I'll take anything that's a roof over my head."

"If you let us stay, we'll gladly help around the farm. You don't even need to pay us," said Cronaxx. "All we ask for is shelter. Deal?"

Hop-pop was reluctant at that point, but he eventually shook his hand. "Okay, but you're responsible for your human." Darrel gave Hop-pop some reassurance. "I can handle myself Hop pop, you won't ever have to worry about me."

The seven arrived at the Plantar's farm and Darrel and the Salamanders settled in Bessie's barn. Inside the barn showed a sleeping large snail, they set up their sleeping equipment near the haystacks. Once they unpacked their stuff, Darrel walked outside to see the Plantar Farm. The crops looked fresh and the view of the land was breathtaking.

Suddenly, Darrel hears a knock on one of the windows leading to the basement. "Anne?" Anne opens up the window, "Darrel, come on in."

Darrel crawls in through the window and sits down on a crate. Darrel smiled, "I can't believe I found you, Anne. I knew you would be here."

Anne smiled, but was confused, "How could you know?" At that moment, Darrel knew it was time to show Anne his powers. He takes a glance at a barrel full of water and he performs hydrokinesis in front of her. She watched in shock and amazement.

"How else can a wizard know these things?" Darrel asked. "You can perform magic!" Anne exclaimed. "Indeed I can," said Darrel. "But I don't think I have the power to transport us back home. So far, our only option is that music box. Do you still have it?

Anne pulls out the box, "I do, but it's not working. Think it's busted?" Darrel gets a good glance at the box. She opens it to reveal nothing happening, and the four gems lose their colors. Darrel was curious, "Strange, do the Plantars know about this?" Anne shook her head, "No, do the Salamanders?"

Darrel nodded, "Yes, I thought if I could show them the box, Cronaxx may have an idea what we're dealing with. But, if you want to wait until we can trust everyone, we'll keep it hidden until the time is right."

Anne smiled, "Thanks, Darrel." Darrel smiled back until Hop pop appeared, "C'mon kids, bedtime." Darrel nodded, "Okay, Hop pop. I'll see you in the morning Anne." Just as Darrel got up, Anne hugged Darrel in a firm grip. "I'm so glad you're here with me." Darrel returned her hug and said, "Me too. I'm so glad I found you first."

Darrel gets out of the basement and makes his way back to Bessie's Barn. He looks to the stars until he falls asleep, along with Tint and Cronaxx. 'I'm so happy we're together again. She has always been there for me,' he thought.