The Owl and the Frog

Chapter 61: Old Friends, New Friends

"Anne... Anne, are you alright?" asked a voice.

Anne Boonchuy let out a loud groan before opening her eyes. She looked down at her hands and realized she was on her knees, looking down at the ground.

"Anne," called the voice again. A brown-skinned hand reached out in front of her, offering her a helping hand. Anne took the hand and slowly got up, looking into the face of her girlfriend.

"Did we make it back?" asked Anne.

"Yeah, we did," said Luz, with concern in her eyes. "But..."

Before she could finish, Anne let out a gasp as she took in the sight before her. It really was Amphibia, but not the Amphibia she remembered. The many lush and life-filled forests were completely cut down, and sprawling meadows had been destroyed, with everything replaced by strange-looking factories. The air was more polluted than she remembered, full of dust and smog. In the distance, a group of frobots marched through a field, trampling down anything in their way. High in the sky was King Andrias's castle, surrounded by other smaller-looking flying fortresses alongside his. They hung in the sky, creating a menacing presence as they looked out over the devastated land.

Anne, Luz, and the Plantars were in shock, unable to come to terms with what they were seeing. Anne remembered how despite being trapped in a strange land it had a certain natural beauty to it, as someone who had lived her whole life in the city it had been refreshing to spend time in Wartwood away from all the stress of the city. Luz and her mother had always had an affinity for nature and animals, and both considered themselves environmentalists. Seeing the land now ruined by industry broke Luz's heart. The Plantars had no words for what they saw, their once vibrant homeland was now destroyed in ways they couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Devastated, Anne looked out at all this destruction before saying in a slow voice, "What... happened to this place?"

"He—he destroyed everything..." said Sprig in disbelief.

"It's only been a few months!" exclaimed Luz.

"What are those machines doing? Why are they making all that smoke?" asked Polly in disbelief.

"Why did he do this?" asked Amara, more confused than shaken, like the others. "I thought he wanted to help Amphibia by conquering other lands, but he's just ruined everything here."

"Quick! Back to Wartwood," called Hop Pop, making a motion with his hand.

The group turned and fled toward the town, though as soon as they arrived, they saw the town had not been spared. It lay in ruins with all the buildings and trees destroyed, and the arch with the city's name damaged and barely standing.

"Not Wartwood, too..." said Hop Pop, sadness and disbelief filling his mind.

"Even the statue is gone!" exclaimed Polly as the group found their way past the entrance.

They headed further into town, only to find more and more destruction of the places they remembered being full of life so vividly. Now, the stories and homes of Wartwood were gone. Seeing the town in such a state was hard for them, especially Anne, who had grown to care for it over her time there.

"Could anyone have survived this?" wondered Luz, her mind racing with worry as she remembered this place bustling with life.

"Let's look around and see," suggested Amara.

With that, the group split up and combed the area, looking for any signs of life. Anne and the Plantars took the sight of the devastated town particularly hard.