Of Ponies and Frogs

by ponydog127

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Opaline, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Misty, My Little Pony: A New Generation, Mane 5, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 11254

Ever wonder what would happen if the ponies of Make Your Mark met up with the cast of Amphibia? Tune into this epic crossover series in order to find out!

After finding a mysterious, magical book in the basement of Zephyr Heights, Sunny Starscout and her friends are transported time and time again to the world of Amphibia, full of strange creatures, three human girls trying to find their way home and only an oracle each time they visit to guide them. Can they guide these human girls to the destinies they were always supposed to have?

...not if Opaline has anything to say about it.

Published 2023-02-09 23:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-02-10 17:01:15 UTC

Prologue

~ Over one thousand moons ago... ~

Twilight Sparkle had only taken one Celestia and Luna's role as rulers of Equestria for only two moons now, and she now found that she was much better at it than she first thought she would. With her best friends ruling with her, she felt like she would never be alone… even if they did have their own lives back in Ponyville to attend to. But a few days ago, a strange occurance happened over the Everfree Forest, and this led Twilight and her fellow members of the Guardians of Harmony to investigate, and what they found, looking like it had crashed into the ground, was something that nopony expected-- a book, with the cover depecting three gems-- one blue, one pink and one green, and a frog on the cover.

Deciding that this would be an answer that the secret archives in the Canterlot Library could help her with, Twilight spent what time she didn’t have filled with meetings and speeches to learn all that she could about this mysterious and maybe magical artifact. On the third day that Twilight had it, she was busy searching the archives when Spike flew in to check on her. “Twilight, give it a rest,” the small but steadily growing dragon advised. “I don’t want you to overstress yourself and go into a Twilighting mode.”

“That’s the old me, Spike,” Twilight said with a soft smile. “And I appreciate your conern. I promise, I’m not gonna overwork myself. But… this book is a mystery.”

“Have you found out anything about the language inside?” Spike asked, only for the purple alicorn to negatively shake her head, trying not to shake her crown in the process. “Not yet. It seems to be an unidentified language, but it bares some form of similarity that is tugging at my wings. I already sent Luna and Celestia a scroll, asking if they could see if they could identify the language.”

Just as she spoke, Spike barfed up a scroll, and Twilight immediately took it out and read it. “Dear Twilight, hope you are doing well. The book you found in the forest looks like it was catapulted from a world that we have not heard from in eons, known as… Amphibia.”

“Amphibia? Where is that?” Spike asked. “According to Celestia, it’s in an alternate dimension,” Twilight explained, eyes scanning the page vigorously. “And that dimension is only accessable through a magical music box… with gems that sort of look like what’s on the cover of the book!” Spike looked at the book and immediately realized that Twilight was right-- those jewels did bare a resemblance to the jewels on the music box’s picture. “But, did they say anything about how to decifer the language?”

“I’m getting to that,” Twilight’s eyes narrowed, causing Spike to chuckle nervously. “Here’s what Celestia says next. Based on what we could read, it looks as if the Mother of Olms had a prophecy envisioned for whoever was in possession of the music box, otherwise known as the Calamity Box.” But when Twilight silently read over the prophecy in her head, her eyes widened as her ears fell flat. “Oh my hoofness…”

“What? What is it?” Spike desperately asked, wanting to get a better look at what Twilight was seeing. “...oh, sorry, Spike,” Twilight apologized, snapping out of her state of shock. “It’s just… hard to believe. Listen to this: ‘Two sets of stars burning bright; one three, one six to expel the night. Should they fight or resist the fall, their choices determine the fate of all. Ponies and humans, united in power, shall defend worlds in their… final hour’.”

“Creepy…” Spike shuddered. “And look. There’s more,” Twilight said before turning back to the scroll. “We’re not sure if the six mentioned in the prophecy are you and the girls, Twilight, but I’d be careful in case the Calamity Box shows up along with the book. No one has heard from the citizens of Amphibia in many moons, so it’s hard to determine things without their guidance, since this book is from their world. I suggest keeping the book in a safe place, so no villain, if they were to escape, will get their hooves on it. Well wishes from my sister and me. Yours truly, Celestia.”

Twilight rolled up the scroll and placed it in her saddlebag that she kept with her before settling the bag on her back. “Come on, Spike. We’d better report this to the girls-- they’ve been wondering about the book too.”

“Do you think that the six mentioned ARE you and our friends? And where’s the Calamity Box now?” Spike asked as his wings fluttered to keep up with his friend/caretaker. “I don’t know,” Twilight answered honestly. “But, for all of Equestria… and Amphibia’s sake… let’s hope we don’t find out for a while.”

~ Present day in Equestria... ~

It had been almost a year since the Unity Crystals were reunited, and only about 6 months since the earth ponies discovered that they too had their own magic. In Zephyr Heights, royal guards Zoom and Thunder were accompanying Queen Haven down to the archives of the castle, so that way they could protect her from harm. “It won’t take but a moment,” the queen said to the guards. “We know, your majesty,” Zoom replied. “But we just don’t want anything happening to you-- it’s in the royal guard guide to protect all royalty.”

“...it is?” Thunder quietly asked, but Zoom slapped her partner with her wing to silence him before the queen heard. Luckily, she was ahead of them and didn’t hear. Queen Haven trotted through the archives when her eyes fell on something in particular-- a shiny golden substance. She moved the things covering it to discover the very same book Twilight Sparkle had discovered all those moons ago. Attached with it was a note-- faded, but still readable: ‘Take good care of this precious artifact, even after me and the Guardians are gone… we hope nopony will have to use it, but things may change. Yours, Twilight Sparkle’. Queen Haven’s eyes widened at this. “My hoofness… Zipp and her friends will want to see this!”

Author's Note

After many different tries, I managed to come up with the perfect story-starter! I hope it works this time... don't ask me when the next chapter is. Hoof to heart, everypony!

1. Anne or Beast?

The night air was still in the land known as Amphibia, a lil-pad shaped island in another dimension and full of talking frogs, who lived sort of like us humans, without all the technological advancements and way more danger than we experience ourselves. Now, back to the story.

Out of Stumpy’s, a restaurant local to the town of Wartwood-- one of the oldest fashioned towns in their world, came One-Eyed Wally, who lived true to his name and was rather crafty and cool-natured. “Good night, you frogs!” he tipped his hat to some patrons outside the restaurant. “See you in the morrow.” But instead of bidding Wally the same, they only chuckled when Wally tripped over himself, barrel rolling away from them. Talk about rude. But Wally didn’t seem to care-- instead, he played his accordion and sang on his merry way home… until he felt like he was being watched when he heard a loud rustling caused by… something unknown. “Hello? What’s that?”

Suddenly, a mysterious creature popped up from behind Wally, eyes glowing white as that very creature towered over him. “AHH!!!” Wally screamed. “No no no no! NOOOOOOOO!!!!”

And with that, Wally ran off into the wilderness, afraid for his life as the creature seemed to retreat back to wherever it came from. But, who is this mysterious creature I keep mentioning? Well… that’s for when we return to Amphibia from another world-- not of talking frogs, but of talking ponies known as… Equestria.

~ Back in Equestria… ~

Ponies seemed to go about their regular lives, which were now filled with magic thanks to Sunny Starscout and her best friends-- Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Hitch Trailblazer, Zipp Storm and the newest and cutest addition to the group, Sparky Sparkeroni. But, more on these characters as we go on. And as we speak, Zipp was flying their magical camper, the Marestream, toward her and Pipp’s home city of Zephyr Heights, at request of their mother, Queen Haven. “Did Mom say anything else, Zipper? It’s not like her to send a text so urgently,” Pipp asked her elder sister for the 1000th time, leading Zipp to groan. “If you wanna know so badly, here!” Zipp tossed her FlyPad to her younger sister, who showed it to the other ponies. “Zipp, there’s something you and your friends would wanna see,” Sunny read off the screen. “Zoom and Thunder will escort you to my throne room once you arrive. Please, hurry! XOXO, Mom. What do you think she found?”

“I don’t know,” Zipp answered honestly with a shrug, not taking her eyes off the sky in front of her. “Maybe it’s something to do with the mysterious pony Twilight Sparkle warned us about.”

“Or maybe it’s a whole supply of unused glitter!!” Izzy said, throwing some glitter around the group. “Izzy…” Hitch sighed. “I speak for all of us when I say… I… don’t think that’s the reason.”

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that much longer,” Zipp said, “cause… we’re here!” True to her word, the Marestream landed at the front gates of the palace, where Zoom and Thunder were indeed waiting for their arrival. “Princesses Pipp, Zipp and friends,” Zoom declared in a royal-guard-like voice. “Welcome back to Zephyr Heights! Queen Haven demands your presence in the throne room, so we will… uh… take you there!”

“Nice cover,” Thunder whispered to his partner, just before the two royal guards turned and led the group inside. After a brisk trot to the throne room, Sunny and the other non-pegasus ponies bowed before the queen while Zipp and Pipp hugged their mother with their forehooves. “We came as soon as we could, Mother,” Pipp said with a sigh. “What’s the big emergency? I was about to get my hooves done!”

“I know how you kept mentioning Twilight Sparkle and the Guardians of Harmony to me recently, Zipp,” Queen Haven said, mostly to the elder princess. “So when I found a book from Twilight Sparkle herself, I knew I had to show you.” Zipp’s eyes widened, and Queen Haven took out the book she found, still covered in a light coating of dust, before handing it to Zipp. “Twilight had written this note along with it-- ‘Take good care of this precious artifact, even after me and the Guardians are gone… we hope nopony will have to use it, but things may change. Yours, Twilight Sparkle’."

“Woooow… thanks, Mom!” Zipp hugged her mother tightly, catching the queen off guard, but she smiled at the reaction anyway. “This is amazing! And I can already feel the moons worth of information pushing themselves toward my hooves! Can we go to my old room and study it further?”

“Of course. You know where it is,” Queen Haven nodded with a smile, and the group sped after Zipp as soon as she flew in that direction. Once they caught up to her, they saw her putting her hoof on a scanner, opening the door to reveal a room in pink and teal, bookshelves loaded and some detective stuff Zipp sent over a few months ago here and there along with some posters on the wall. “Oooh!” Izzy marveled at the room. “Love the decorations, Zipperooni! I can totally see you living in a room like this."

“So, it’s authentic?” Sunny asked about the note. “Can you prove that this note is actually from the Twilight Sparkle herself?”

“Maybe,” Zipp nodded. “But we’ll have to take a closer examination. Everypony, let’s get to work!”

~ Meanwhile, outside the palace doors… ~

As many of the guards were inside the palace standing watch, nopony noticed the blue unicorn with the kinky mane and tail, teal eyes and fake cutie mark climb up the mountain cliffs all out of breath. And when she finally reached the top, her necklace’s eye opened to reveal mist coming into the shape of the unicorn’s wicked mistress. “You’re JUST arriving, Misty?” she sneered. “What took you so long?!”

“Sorry, Opaline… it isn’t easy when you haven’t got wings or a magic flying machine to take you places,” Misty panted. “So… they must’ve already went inside. Do you want me to follow them to try and get the dragon, or take Sunny’s lantern?”

“Stick with the dragon,” Opaline answered matter-of-factily. “It is the only way I can recover my true strength, and the only way for you to get your cutie mark. Now, get in there and find those ponies… or else!” And with that, the mist vanished back into the necklace, living Misty alone again. She hated the thoughts of having to hurt the ponies who were being so nice to her, but… if she wanted that cutie mark, she would have no choice. So… all she had to do was sneak around through the palace till she found Sunny and her friends, take the dragon, hike ALL the way down the mountain and bring Sparky back to Opaline. Easy breezy… right?

Meanwhile, Zipp and her friends had been studying the book, but could not read its language. Just as Zipp was about to give up, she felt a button be pushed on the cover of the book, making her gasp as the words on the first page of the book became clearer and more pony-like in writing. “Guys… look at this!”

“Whoa… it’s like the writing is… changing for whoever is reading it!” Hitch realized, and Sparky babbled in agreement. “What does it say, Zipp?” Sunny asked, and the white pegasus cleared her throat and began to read. “Dear ponies, a new adventure awaits, just beyond this book’s gates. Find the girl, lost and alone, and help her find allies to help her get home.”

“...okay, what the hay does that mean?” Pipp wondered. But before anypony could say anything else, their cutie marks began to glow, and the light from them began to swirl around them repeatedly. Misty had just crept into that very hallway, and the last thing she saw of the group was them shouting in panic before they vanished in a flash of light! Misty gasped and tapped her pendant quickly. “Opaline?! Opaline! We have a situation!”

~ The next day in Amphibia… ~

Wartwood was filled with happy frogs going about their daily lives, and one family of frogs was an example of some of those happy families.

Hop Pop Planter was the eldest, a dusty-orange frog with a green tongue and a strict lifestyle.

Sprig Planter was Hop Pop’s elder grandson, a bright pink frog with a neon yellow tongue who was up for adventure.

Polly Planter was Sprig’s young tadpole sister, who was a darker shade of pink with a blue tongue. But don’t let her bow fool you… she was a powerhouse of anger and vengeance.

As we speak, Hop Pop pulled their snail-pulled wagon in front of one of Wartwood’s many stores, and turned to his grandchildren in the back. "All right, kids I'm gonna do a little shoppin'. You watch the cart," he told them. "You got it, Hop Pop! I'll defend this cart with my LIIIIIIIFE!" Sprig said, beating his chest at the last word. "Sprig," Hop Pop spoke, "I was talking to Polly."

"What?!" Sprig couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Polly's a baby!"

"You're a baby!" Polly pointed a flipper at him. "Polly's got more responsibility in her little flipper than you have in your entire body!" Hop Pop told Sprig. "Ridiculous. What makes you think I'm irresponsible?" Sprig asked, leading Hop Pop to think of many incidents-- when Sprig nearly exploded the kitchen trying to cook, when Sprig crashed through the wall while Hop Pop was sleeping and when Sprig accidentally left the lights on, which attracted giant killer fireflies to the Planter home. "Okay!" Sprig sighed. "So yesterday was a bad day."

"Mmm-hmm..." Hop Pop hopped down from the cart. "Polly, make sure Sprig stays in the cart," he said to his granddaughter before he entered the store called 'Grub and Go'. Sprig sighed sadly as he looked on. "Wish there was a way to prove I'm not such a goof-up."

Suddenly, there came a scream, and both Planter kids looked to see One-Eyed Wally come out from the brush close to them. "Monster! Th-there's a monster in the woods! I seen it! I seen it!"

A group of frogs immediately gathered around him, followed by a large toad who Sprig knew as Mayor Toadstool. "Now, simmer down Wally. Just tell us what you saw," the mayor said, and this caused Wally to pant for a moment before explaining. "Oh, it was horrifying. It had a huge head, a weird, stubby bump right in the middle of its face and long spindly limbs!"

"Obscene!" a small frog named Toadie exclaimed as many others gasped. Even Sprig was surprised-- he had never heard of such a creature. "We better catch this beast before it hurts somebody," Mayor Toadstool declared. "Because for Mayor Toadstool, your safety comes first."

This led many villagers to applaud. "Well," Wally spoke, "it's the responsible thing to do."

"Responsible! Responsible! Responsible!" the villagers cheered, and Sprig's expression immediately grew brighter. "Polly, I just had a great idea. I am going to catch that beast and save the town!"

"Stop right there!" Polly raised a flipper to stop him. "Hop Pop said that you had to stay in this cart. You know you can't take me!" Sprig groaned in irritation before getting an idea, reaching into his pockets and pulling out some pieces of candy. "Oh, oh, Polly, look. Candy!"

"Bribe accepted!" Polly shouted before eating some of the candy. "Let the monster hunt begin!" Sprig took out his slingshot and dashed out into the woods, and Polly's only advice to him was: "Don't die!"

~ Meanwhile, with Sunny and the ponies... ~

Sunny's emerald green eyes slowly opened as a groan escape her muzzle... what was that they just experienced? It was like multiple flashes of light causing mind-blowing headaches... and apparently, everypony else had experienced it too. As she looked around, the other ponies seemed to be rising to their hooves, covered in leaves, mud and twigs. "Is everypony okay?" Sunny asked, to which most ponies replied with nods and confirming grunts, while Sparky just babbled. "Okay... at least none of us are hurt. But... where in Equestria are we?"

"I don't think we are in Equestria anymore," Hitch looked around nervously. "I gotta agree with Hitch," Izzy nodded at this statement. "Even Bridlewood isn't this swampy-- that's usually in early spring, but this place looks more like summer to me."

Suddenly, a snap behind them made them jump back, ears pinned nervously. When they looked around and spotted something coming toward them, they saw it was a creature that they’ve never seen before-- a creature exactly how Wally described it; long and spindly, a bump in the middle of its face, no tail and walked on two legs. And it stared at them with the widest eyes the ponies had ever seen. And what did they do? They screamed-- louder than they ever had before. And after a moment, they realized the creature was doing the same. “Who are you?!” it screamed in a feminine voice, raising a large branch in defense. “What do you want from me?!”

“Whoa, whoa! Take it easy… uh… whatever you are,” Zipp grabbed the branch and tossed it to the side, fluttering above the creature a bit. “We’re just as confused as you are-- about this place and… you.” Sunny had paid close attention to the creature’s features as soon as she had stopped screaming, and instantly pulled out her dad’s journal, flipping to a page before looking down at it and then up at the creature repeatedly. When she found what she was looking for, her eyes lit up in sparkles. “That’s it! You’re a human, aren’t you?” she asked. “My dad always told me that Twilight Sparkle had adventures with these, and now I’m meeting one in real life! Eeee-hee-hee!!”

“Uhhhhh… Twilight Sparkle? Not sure who or WHAT that is, but… yes, you are right, orange horse thingy. I am a human. And… what are you exactly?” the human asked with a few rapid blinks here and there. “Oh… sorry about that,” Sunny apologized. “I’m Sunny Starscout, and well… I’m a pony-- more specifically an earth pony. Hitch Trailblazer, the one next to me, is an earth pony too.”

“Uh… pleasure to meet you, Miss… Human,” Hitch greeted nervously. “And this is Izzy Moonbow,” Sunny went on. “She’s a--”

“Unicorn! A descendant of Great Great Auntie Buttons, to be precise,” Izzy chirped with a cute blink. “Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm are pegasus princesses,” Sunny said, causing the two to wave (Pipp more cheerfully than Zipp, who looked annoyed at being reminded she was royalty), “and Sparky here is a baby dragon, and is being looked after by Hitch. So… what’s your name?”

“...Anne. Anne Boonchuy,” the human smiled after a minute. “Huh… fascinating,” Zipp flew around Anne, taking some notes. “They walk on two legs instead of four, and they’re a smidge taller than ponies when they do it. Must be related to how Sparky can walk on two legs when he’s not spitting dragon fire, and--”

“Wait wait wait-- are you sure that we’re not dreaming and we’re not actually seeing one another?” Hitch asked. “I mean, we have no idea where we even are! Or how we got here!”

“Hey, me neither!” Anne spoke up. “Maybe we can be lost… together? Just until we find our way out of this place?”

“Uh, of course we can!” Pipp smiled. “Come on, lead us to your temporary shelter!” As the group followed Anne through the swampy wilderness, Sunny and Zipp walked side by side with one another, and they tried to recall something before Zipp realized what it was they were trying to remember. “Sunny, remember the writing in the book? It said we’d meet a girl lost and far from home, right? That must be Anne! Do you think the book KNEW we’d meet her somehow? And connected to our cutie marks?”

“I don’t know, but I’d guess if we wanna go home, we need to help Anne find someone who can help HER get home too,” Sunny shrugged. “Come on-- we better catch up before we run into… whatever lives out here.”

~ At the same time... ~

At the same time, Sprig was wandering the forest, hiding in bushes and tree stumps, trying to find any clues as to where this mysterious beast might have gone. As he was preparing his slingshot, he looked down and gasped-- footprints, bigger than his, were right next to him, and they looked fresh. "Seems like the beast roams these parts. Probably a good place for a tra-aaAAAAHHH!"

Suddenly Sprig was caught in a rope trap and rose high into the air, squirming and trying to get free. Well... maybe he should have listened to Polly and Hop Pop and stayed in the wagon.

~ Meanwhile... ~

Anne and the ponies (and Sparky) were walking through the forest when a snap suddenly went off, causing Pipp to gasp and jump a good foot in the air, fluttering her wings to keep her balance. "Did anypony just hear that?" she asked, trying to get her phone to work. "It sounded close!"

"Must be the rope trap I put out earlier..." Anne muttered. "Come on! Let's go see what it got!"

"Anne, wait for us!" Izzy called, and the ponies followed the disheveled human girl through the woods, and they found her coming out of the bushes... right in front of Sprig. "Caught ya!" she exclaimed. "Thought you got the best of ol' Anne, eh? Well, you didn't!" Sprig gasped in horror as Anne continued to pant... the beast was real! Just as Wally described it too. "Giant head! Spindly limbs! Face bump! THE BEEEEAASST!!"

"Beast? I know some strange critters, but she is NOT a beast in the slightest," Zipp said as the ponies and Sparky popped out of the bushes close to them. "AHHHHH!!!!" Sprig screamed. "And weird talking colorful things with wings and antlers! WHAT HAS THIS LAND COME TO?!!"

"Stop following me," Anne glared at Sprig. "I have bad news for you, beast and friends! I taste terrible!" Sprig spat in defense, and Anne lowered her stick when she heard this. "Ew, I am not gonna eat you."

"You tried to eat Wally!" Sprig protested. "I tried to ask Wally for help," Anne said, using air quotes for Wally's name. "He ran off screaming the second he saw me!" The more Sprig thought about it, the more he thought about how accurate that sounded. "That does sound like Wally... but w-w-what about the colorful monsters with wings and horns?"

"They're just ponies, dude," Anne put her hoofs-- er, hands on her hips. "They're like miniature horses with colorful manes, tails and coat patterns."

"Yeah, nothing to be afraid of," Sunny said. "Here. Let's get you down from there." Suddenly, a monster-like screech echoed through the forest, causing trees to fall over and the entire group to freeze in place. "It's coming back!" Anne cried. "What is?!" Pipp shrieked, but Anne just groaned and ran off. "Where are you going?!" Sprig called out, but the monster screeched again, causing him to frail around screaming. "Hang on!" Izzy spoke. "I'll get you!"

She began to knaw at the rope with her teeth, but when the monster screeched once more, she stopped gnawing and screamed with the group. But when things seemed at their bleakest, Anne groaned and cut him free before grabbing him and bolting off, the ponies galloping/flying after them. "Whoop! Here we go!" Zipp cried, just before they ducked under a log and the monster, a red mantis, stomped past them. The ponies finally took a breath-- that was WAY too close. "You... you saved me!" Sprig said to Anne with a big smile. "You're not a beast at all! You're a hero! An ugly, ugly, ugly hero! And you ponies are heroes too!"

"But call us ugly, and maybe we WILL eat you," Zipp joked, causing Sprig to laugh. "You're not gonna eat me. You got names, strangers?"

"I'm Sunny, and these are my best pony friends," Sunny introduced with a smile, and this caused Anne to smile slightly. "My name's Anne. Anne Boonchuy."

"I'm Sprig Plantar! Put 'er there!" Sprig offered Anne his hand, but when she shook it, her hand became encased in slime. "So... your hand just barfed on my hand." But when Sprig shook the ponies' hooves, they were unfazed by what they had put their hooves into. "Huh... how come you guys aren't totally disgusted?" Anne asked. "Trust us," Pipp said, trying to get some leaves from her mane. "We're used to it by now."

Suddenly, Anne's stomach started to growl, causing her to sigh. Okay, 'Sprig'. You got anything to eat?" she asked. "Sure do!" Sprig lifted a log, revealing some bugs that made the ponies and Anne grimace in disgust. "Things that aren't bugs, maybe...?" Pipp shuddered. "No bugs, eh?" Sprig went ahead and ate one. "We'll have to hunt around a bit. C'mon! Follow me!"

Sparky and the ponies eagerly began to follow him, but Anne was still a little unsure. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked. "Whaaaat?" Sprig made one of the cute faces Sparky would make back home. "Does this look like a face that could deceive you?" This caused Anne to laugh a little bit. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Well, then, c'mon!" Sprig grabbed her and they ran off. "Chow time!"

~ Back in Wartwood... ~

Hop Pop had just returned from a successful shopping run, unaware that Sprig had fled the wagon. When he returned, he found a mob forming to go and kill the "beast" in the forest, making him sigh. "Heh. Another day, another mob," he said, preparing to put his stuff in the wagon. "vCome on kids, time to--- what the?!" Instead of both Polly and Sprig, he instead found a bloated Polly with candy wrappers all around her. "I don't have a candy problem! You have a candy problem!"

"Polly, where's Sprig?" Hop Pop urgently asked her. "Uh... something-something monster, something-something woods..." Polly tried to recall, and some came over once they heard the commotion. "Oh, if your boy went into the woods, he's as good as eaten. That beast will devour everything in its path," Wally said. "Not on my watch!" Hop Pop picked up Polly and ran toward the woods with the other villagers behind him. "Hang in there boy! Hop Pop's a-comin'!"

~ Meanwhile... ~

Sprig had found some food and laid it before Anne and the ponies, and Anne began to devour a pink branch-like-substance in front of her. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"And for dessert..." Sunny raised a glowing hoof and stomped it on the ground, causing a small bush with fruits to grow from the ground. "No... WAY!!" Anne exclaimed. "You can make food grow with your foot?!"

"It's something all earth ponies can do-- we're just now discovering all its potential," Sunny shrugged. "Mmm-hmm..." Sprig nodded, taking in all this new information. Maybe these things would be helpful to Hop Pop in someway. "So, first question: what the heck are you guys, and where did you come from?!"

"I'm a human being and I come from... another world!" Anne shouted. "Either that, or this is a dream."

"Well, we came from a land called Equestria, full of other ponies just like us," Zipp explained. "Woooow... do you know how you got here?" Sprig asked. "Well... we came through this crazy-cool magic book thingy, and then our cutie marks got all glowy," Pipp said, "and then BAM!! Ha ha ha... now we're here."

"What about you, Anne? Any ideas on how you got to this place?" Hitch asked, watching as Sparky began to climb on top of Anne's head. "Nope," Anne spoke with a frown as she sat down on a rock next to Sprig. "One minute, I was in my world and the next thing I knew I was here. I don't know how to get home... or if I even can go home. So, yup, that's my story."

"So... she got here by a different method of transportation. Fascinating..." Zipp muttered to herself. "So, what about you, Sprig?" Sunny asked. "What are you doing out here in these woods?"

"Proving that I'm responsible!" Sprig beamed happily. "Oh, yeah? How?" Izzy asked with a chirp, leaving Sprig unable to answer-- what would they think of they found out that they were being hunted by an entire village? But before he could give them an answer, Wally popped out of the bushes and pointed their way. "There they are! And there are more beasts with them!"

"What?!" Zipp exclaimed as the mob continued to get closer. "Stay away from us!" Anne cried before she screamed, having being tied up, as well as the ponies getting ropes around their wings and waists. "No!" Sprig exclaimed. "You guys got it all wrong!"

"Ha ha! You caught the monster!" Hop Pop smiled. "Sprig I'm impressed."

"Dude? What the heck?" Anne looked up at Sprig with a betrayed look. "You set us up? I thought we were connecting!"

"N-no, no, no! This wasn't my plan!" Sprig tried to explain, but was cut off by the sound of a monstrous roar, then from out of the bushes and shrubs emerged a HUGE praying mantis. "Hurry! Everyone!" Mayor Toadstool shouted. "Mantis formation!" The townsfolk then leapt into making a crazy shape with all their bodies in unison, one frog making a karate yell, and the mantis scurried away. "We scared it off!" Hop Pop cheered. "We have power!" the villagers exclaimed... just before a giant RED praying mantis landed in front of them. "Nope," Polly deadpanned. "That scared it off."

"Yeah, that makes more sense," Hitch nodded. The giant praying mantis roared and began to hit some of the villagers, making them retreat and scream. Sprig knew that Anne and the ponies had nothing to do with this craziness, so he made a mad dash to get them untied. "What is this, another trick?" Anne asked. "I'll distract that thing," Sprig told them. "You all get out of here!"

He made a dash for the creature getting out his slingshot and slinging a rock at it, only angering it further. "Ha ha... oops..." he said before screaming, and just before he could be eaten or smashed, Anne grabbed the mantis' arm and held it back. "Do something!" she cried. And then, for the slightest moment, Zipp could have sworn she saw Anne's eyes flash blue. But... it could've been a trick of the light. "Sprig!" Hitch stomped his hooves, making a large vine grow from the ground. "Use this!"

"Oh, right! On it. Here we go." Sprig began to run and hop around the mantis, beginning to tie it, but when he got the rope all the way around, he wasn't strong enough to tie it up on his own. "Ponies, let's help him!" Sunny cried, grabbing the rope in her teeth, and the others did the same (even Sparky tried to help)... including Anne. Together, the mantis was tied up and fell to the ground, unmoving. "We did it!" the group cheered as the villagers celebrated. "Up top!" Anne said to Sprig, but was disgusted to discover that Sprig slapped her hand with his TONGUE. "Oh, boy that's gross."

"Well, now that that's settled, what the heck are we gonna do with these things?" Mayor Toadstool gestured to Anne and the ponies. "Maybe we oughta run it out of town just to be safe. Let it be someone else's problem." The villagers seemed to agree, starting to shout again, and this made Sparky begin to whimper, clinging to Hitch's leg. But suddenly, Sprig blocked the villagers' way to the strangers. "Stop right there!" he shouted. "They're not monsters. They're just lost and needs our help. We should take care of them."

"Are you crazy?!" Mayor Toadstool boomed. "Yeah. What if one of them goes nutty tomorrow and starts eating people?" Wally agreed. "Yeah, that is sooooo NOT gonna happen," Pipp said with a shudder. "Don't worry yourselves silly," Hop Pop reassured. "I'll keep an eye on 'em-- ALL of 'em."

"Hmm. Have it your way, Hopediah Plantar, but I don't like it," the mayor shrugged. "All right, boys, pack it in!" Soon the villagers left, dragging the mantis back with them, while Sprig sighed and held his arm, ready for another 'being responsible' scolding. "Looks like I'm back to causing trouble for the family again, huh?"

"Trouble? Sprig, standing up to that angry mob to help these creatures was... some of the bravest and most responsible stuff I've ever seen!" Hop Pop said with a smile. "That was pretty cool, Sprig. It was also really dumb!" Polly added. "Yes," Hop Pop nodded, "really, really dumb." This caused Sprig to gasp happily. "You think I'm responsible?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, just this one time..." Hop Pop said, but was cut off by Sprig's cheering. All the while, Anne was holding her phone all around them, trying to get some sort of signal, and Pipp started to do the same. "Welp, this has been great, but just give me a map," she requested. "I've gotta find my way out of this kooky place."

"Yeah, there is absolutely NO Canternet here, and I cannot live five minutes without it," Pipp nodded, eye beginning to twitch anxiously. "Oh, a map won't be enough," Hop Pop got out a map to show them. "This here valley is surrounded by mountains that are impenetrable this time of year."

"It should clear up in a couple of months," Sprig told them. "But," Hop Pop added, "until then, you try to cross those mountains--"

"You... will... die," Polly said. "Are you telling me I'm stuck in this crazy place for two months?!" Anne asked. "Where am I gonna stay?"

"...you could always stay with us," Sprig shrugged. "Just until things clear up." To this, Hop Pop and Polly seemed to reluctantly agree, and Sunny's eyes lit up before she turned to her pony friends. "Guys, the riddle! I figured it out!" she whispered. "We found Anne, a girl lost and alone, and we helped her find someone to take care of her until she found a way home! Sprig and his family!"

"Who knew a riddle like that could be so mystifyingly interesting?" Izzy said, just before Sprig hopped into her back. "Hey, you guys wanna stay with us too?" he asked. "Maybe you all could bunk together." But just before they could respond, their cutie marks began to glow. "Whoa, dude," Anne exclaimed out of shock, "what's up with your rear ends?"

"We're still trying to figure that out," Zipp shrugged. "I guess we're getting ready to go."

"All ready?" Izzy pouted with ears pinned. "But we haven't seen the Planters' house yet!" All while she was beginning to speak, the swirls of light emerged from their cutie marks once again. "Whoa!" Polly cried. "That's freaky!"

"What's happening?" Sprig wondered. "We'll be back soon!" Sunny said to them. "We promise!" And just like that, they were gone, and the Planters and Anne stood together in complete shock. "Uh... what just happened?" Anne blinked. "I don't know," Hop Pop hummed. "But I gots me a feeling that we ain't seen the last of them."

~ Back in Equestria... ~

The Mane 5 and Sparky reappeared in Zipp's bedroom again, and Pipp sighed in relief. "Oh my hoofness, I have Canternet again! Totally terrifying to be without," she panted. "So... what was that? Why did we leave Amphibia so soon?" Zipp wondered. "Could it have something to do with that riddle we spoke out? Was it... some kind of oracle?"

But before they could say anything, Queen Haven poked her head into the room. "Come on my dears," she called. "It's been 10 minutes. Come to the dining hall and have some dinner."

"It's only been 10 minutes since we left? I thought a lot more time passed," Hitch said. "Maybe different amounts of time pass between worlds," Sunny shrugged. "In the meantime, let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

~ Outside... ~

Misty and Opaline watched outside in shock as Sunny and her friends reappeared from out of nowhere, and Opaline herself looked mortified. "No... it can't be!" she whispered. "The Book of Amphibia? Twilight Sparkle told me herself that book was USELESS!!"

"What's an Amphibia? And where did they go?" Misty asked. "It doesn't matter now," Opaline shook her head. "Misty, report back to the castle at once. There is a lot of information that I must give you. And don't dawdle on your way home."

"Y-Yes, Opaline... of course..." Misty said before trotting back down the mountain, wondering what they could figure out from this book Opaline spoke so angrily about.

~ Back in Amphibia... ~

Meanwhile, Anne had rolled out her sleeping bag in the basement of the Planter household, and Hop Pop was going over many different things with her. "All righty. Kitchen's upstairs. Breakfast at sunrise, sharp."

"Ooookay. Thanks, dude," Anne said as Hop Pop went back upstairs. "Hey! Gettin' comfy?" Sprig asked, carrying several plushies downstairs. "Brought some toys to keep you company. I'm too old for these. O-oh, except for this one. Oh, and this one. Oops, this one too. Sorry. This one as well. I'm glad you're livin' with us... monster."

"Yeah, Me too, weird little frog boy," Anne smiled. "Okay," Sprig began climbing the ladder back upstairs. "Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite. Seriously, they can drain a body in seconds."

"Eww..." Anne grimaced. Then, when she knew she was alone, she took out a music box from her world and blew on it, just before she opened it and... nothing happened. She tried it three more times, and when those failed, she sighed and looked around her new home-away-from-home. "Looks like I'm gonna be here for a while."

2. Best Fronds

A day or two had passed since Sunny and her friends had gone to Amphibia for the first time, and they were in a mix of curiosity, fear for what might lie in that world in wait for them, and excitement for what may come next. After leaving Zephyr Heights and Queen Haven behind after their meal, the Mane 5 hopped back into the Marestream and set off for Maretime Bay… all while Misty was heading back to Opaline’s castle, after the so-called “alicorn queen” had become angry when she found out what the book was that sent the Mane 5 to Amphibia to begin with.

The castle loomed in darkness, and young Misty was now watching silently as Opaline marched the floors, having not said anything for the past few minutes before she spoke up. “And you’re sure you didn’t see them again after they disappeared? They vanished in light, you said?”

“Honest, Opaline-- I swear!” Misty nodded quickly. “And they didn’t come back for about 10 minutes, but they said it felt like longer!” Opaline hummed in thought at this before taking a breath. “Misty… where they went was called Amphibia. Twilight Sparkle had found a magical book from it thousands of moons ago when she first became ruler of Equestria, and she and the Guardians of Harmony hid it for all those years in Zephyr Heights. Now that it has been uncovered, it may assist me in gaining power over all magic WITH the dragon fire you have yet to recieve.”

“...how?” Misty tilted her head in confusion after trying to get rid of the guilt of not being able to retrieve Sparky, leaving Opaline to roll her eyes. “All you have to do is infiltrate the Brighthouse, and steal me a sliver of the book-- a page, one of the gems on the cover, I don’t care what, just get it! And if you do that… you’ll be one step closer to earning your cutie mark.”

Misty’s ears immediately perked at this, and nodded enthusiastically. But before she headed out the door, she stopped and turned back to her adopted mother. “Opaline? If I can’t get a page of the book… would it be okay if I try to get some more information out of these ponies? A-A-At least it would be something.” Opaline was about to yell at her, but then she got to thinking… Misty is very sneaky when it comes to getting information… just… not when it came to claiming dragons. “Yes, Misty,” Opaline responded. “Get whatever you can muster… whether it being a piece of a book or information OR the dragon… do whatever you can accomplish.”

The light blue unicorn nodded and headed out the door, leaving Opaline to herself. The purple alicorn tossed her head to the side, causing the mirror pool to project an image of the Crystal Brighthouse. “I’m coming for you my little ponies… and thanks to Misty, your new friends will be next on my list…”

~ In the Crystal Brighthouse… ~

“All right, everypony,” Zipp pointed to the detective board on her side of the girls’ bedroom. “Let’s go over what we have one last time. First, Mom found this book that took us to the frog-filled world of Amphibia, where we met Anne Boonchuy and the Planters. Apparently, every time the book’s writing glows and shifts into a language we understand, it apparently casts a spell that takes us to Amphibia to accomplish whatever task we need to get done.”

“I hope we get a chance to get back to Amphibia soon,” Sunny said. “It has a certain connection with our cutie marks that I really wanna check out!” Suddenly, there came a knock at the door, and they trotted downstairs to open it, and on the other side of them was Misty, smiling sheepishly. “Hi, Misty!” Izzy waved cheerfully to the other unicorn. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well… uh… I-I was hoping we could hang out for a while?” Misty spoke, her ears flickering. “I was feeling kinda lonely, and thought to myself ‘Hey! Why not go see Izzy and her friends?’ And now… heh… h-here-- here I am.” Zipp found her nervous behavior strange, but nopony else seemed to notice. “Sure you can hang out with us, Misty,” Sunny smiled and moved aside. “Come on in!” Misty smiled and trotted into the Brighthouse when Zipp noticed her simplistic butterfly cutie mark… to be quite honest, Zipp had never seen it glow before, and that meant two things; one, Misty was nervous to try her unicorn magic and see what her special talent was… or… “Zipp! Come on!” Pipp called. “We wanna show Misty the book!”

“O-Oh! Yeah, coming!” Zipp flew after her friends as they reached the bedroom. “So… what book were you wanting to show me? One about the Guardians of Harmony from Sunny’s sleepover story?” Misty asked, acting oblivious. “Actually, we’re not sure what all it’s about yet, but it’s definitely something magical,” Sunny said before picking the book up and showing it to Misty. “Wow… it’s so pretty!” Misty exclaimed. “But… what makes it magical, exactly?”

“It took us to this CRAZY world the other day called Amphibia, where we saw talking frogs and something called a human,” Pipp said excitedly. “Her name’s Anne and she’s super nice, and she needs help getting back to her own world. Isn’t it exciting?!”

“Y-Yeah. So… has it called you back to this Amphibia place yet?” Misty asked. “Not yet,” Hitch said. “It’s usually when it glows when its about to send us back. But it hasn’t done that since the day we found it.” And as if it was right on cue, the book flipped open with a golden glow, and its writing began to change into one the ponies could understand. “Whoa…” Misty gasped breathlessly. “I guess that moment’s now,” Pipp laughed. “Get ready to move out into froggy-town, ponies!” Sunny turned to the book and cleared her throat before reading: “Two new friends, though with different endeavors, to escape a dangerous threat must work together.”

And just like that, everypony’s cutie marks began to glow (except Misty’s drawn one, since she was in the middle of the group) and the light swirled around them before teleporting them out of the Brighthouse and out of Equestria.

~ In Amphibia… ~

The Planters had just finished breakfast when a portal opened up in their kitchen, and the Mane 5, Sparky and Misty fell out of it with a scream, landing on the cold hard floor. “Holy halibut!” Hop Pop cried out of shock. “Where did y’all come from?!”

“Sorry about that, Hop Pop,” Zipp apologized, fluttering to her hooves. “We’re still getting used to the whole travel by magic thing.” Sprig leapt onto Sunny’s back and hugged her. “Yay! The pony-things and their lizard are back!” he exclaimed. “And there’s another pony-thing with a pointy thing!”

“Planters, this is Misty Brightdawn! Misty, meet Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly-- the family housing Anne until she can go home,” Izzy introduced, and this caused Misty to gulp nervously. “Uh… hi…” she greeted. “Nice to meet you…?”

“Don’t act naive around me, sister! I’m onto you!” Polly waved a rolling pin in Misty’s face, only for Hop Pop to pull her away. “Apologizes for that, my dear,” Hop Pop said with a nervous chuckle. “Sometimes, Polly doesn’t know her own strength and thinks before she acts.”

“Oh, yeah no. I totally get it. Some ponies are just wary of strangers, I guess,” Misty said with a shrug and a chuckle. “So, uh… where’s this Anne-human thing that Sunny and Izzy told me about?”

“Anne’s still down in the basement. We’re just about to go wake her up, come on!” Sprig hopped down into the basement, with Hop Pop sighing worriedly before following him with Polly hopping after him. The ponies flew/bounced/slowly climbed down after them, and just like Sprig said, Anne was fast asleep on her sleeping bag. Misty’s eyes widened in surprise… she had never seen or heard of humans before, but they were certainly an interesting species. Before anyone could say a word, Anne’s eyes snapped open as she sat up with a deep gasp. "Guys, guys, guys. I just had the craziest dream. I was trapped with these talking ponies in a world of frog pe--"

But when she turned, the Planters and ponies and Sparky were staring curiously at her, and Hop Pop croaked, making Anne sigh and pull her knees up to her chest. “Right.”

"Hey, Anne. Sleep good?" Sprig tried to ask, but Hop Pop quickly stopped him from approaching. "Careful, boy! It could be hungry," he warned. "For your guts!" Polly agreed. "Dude, relax," Anne said reassuringly. "Uh, yeah," Pipp said with a disgusted look. "She's not gonna eat something that clearly doesn't bathe." Flies flew around Hop Pop, which one of them was eaten by said frog, only proving Pipp's point. "Fair point."

"See? Told you it was harmless," Sprig said. "Hmph... for now," Hop Pop huffed before going back upstairs. "Just give me an excuse to use old Doris here..." Polly threatened the group, hitting her flipper with her rolling pin before hopping back upstairs with Hop Pop. Anne shuddered in fright. "I think the little one wants to kill me."

"Yup. So, Anne-- this is Misty! She wasn't with the group last time we saw them. Isn't she pretty...?" Sprig asked, and this reaction made Misty gulp. "Oh... nice to meet you dude," Anne shook her hoof. "Uh, you too... human creature," Misty nodded, before making an effort to get to know Anne a little better. "So, you must be so excited to be trapped in another world. Ponies must get suuuuuper jealous," she said, just before clumsily flopping on the floor, making Anne laugh. "It's not all that. I miss my home and my stuff and especially..." Anne trailed off before plucking a photo off the wall. "My friends."

Sprig was handed the photo, and there was two other girls (one with blonde hair and one with black hair) in the photo with her. And... they all looked very happy. "Without them, I just feel kind of lost. You know?" Anne curled up, and Sunny put a comforting hoof on her shoulder as Sprig got an idea. "Well, then, why don't I be your friend in the meantime?"

"You?" Anne questioned. "Me!" Sprig chirped. "And us too!" Izzy agreed, but Anne wasn't totally convinced. "You?" she questioned again. "Come on, it'll be fun! What things did you guys do together?" Sunny asked. "Everything," Anne responded. "Marathon dumb TV shows, drink boba till we vomited, hung out at the beach..."

"Oh! We got a lake!" Sprig realized. "Would going there with me make you feel less homesick?" Anne looked at the photo and then back at Sprig a few times, contemplating her decisions. "Yeah yeah yeah!" Sprig spoke before flashing a pose. "Is gon' be great." Anne and the ponies giggled at this, slowly finding a friend and an ally in the pink frog before Anne decided on what to do. "I like your moxie, frog child. Let's do it!"

Anne rushed up to the bathroom and got ready for a few minutes before she rejoined the group outside the bathroom. "You ready to go?" Zipp asked, pulling out her sunglasses. "Yeah-ah!" Anne cheered, and the group walked/trotted toward the door, but before they could exit, Hop Pop stood in their path. "And where do you kids think you're going?" he asked them sternly. "We're going to the lake!" Sprig said, stretching out the elastic on his trunks. "Ooh, ow..."

"Why? You want in? You wanna come?" Izzy asked. "Absolutely not!" Hop Pop said before lightening his mood. "Look, Anne, you and your friends are new, unsettling, strange, bizarre, gangly, horrifying--"

"Thanks, we got it, dude," Zipp stopped him by raising a hoof. "Point is, the frogs in this town can be pretty small-minded," Hop Pop looked out the window as a frog greeted him from outside. "And paranoid. We just need to give 'em time to get used to ya. I think it's best you stay put." Taking a key out of his pocket, he locked the door before putting the key back where it was. "But--" Anne tried to protest. "No buts!" Hop Pop interrupted. "Now I'm gonna go into my study to get a little reading done."

"Ugh, Hop Pop..." Sprig groaned. "Don't do anything stupid!" Hop Pop told the group before slamming the doors to his study. "Ugh! Adults are all the same," Anne groaned. "...they are?" Misty tilted her head. "Yeah, don't you recognize a pattern?" Anne asked her. "Curfew, rules... old." Misty thought about it and she did realize that Anne had a point... Opaline did set a lot of rules regarding what she could and couldn't do. "Yeah, looks like we're stuck here," Sprig said before getting an idea. "Ooh! I know what'll be fun. Let's try some of Hop Pop's pain peppers!"

"Pain what now?" Hitch blinked, and Izzy and Sparky followed Sprig where a barrel of peppers in bubbling red-hot liquid lay in wait. "So hot, they'll make you wish you were dead," Sprig said before taking one out of the barrel and touching it with his tongue. But, the heat of the pepper made Sprig run around in circle and drink so much more water than Misty had ever drunk in her whole life. All the while, Pipp was laughing and recording the reaction for her to put on Clip Trot later. "Someone just kill me, please! Bleh," Sprig pretended to faint before he tried handing a pepper to Anne. "Your turn."

"No thanks," Anne said with a determined grin. "I'd rather go to the lake."

"Uh... what?" Sprig was about to eat some more peppers when what Anne said made him stop in confusion. "But Hop Pop said, uh--"

"Sprig, you wanna know the best thing about friendship?" Anne asked, coming over. "When you got your friends by your side, anything is possible. Whatever you want, a real friend will help you get. And you know what I want?"

"The lake!" Misty chirped. "Yep," Anne nodded. "Now, let's go rob and old man!!" But this made the ponies and Sprig grimace in how bad that sounded. "Yeah, that didn't sound as cool as I wanted it to."

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! This is a bad idea," Hitch put his hoof down. "Going behind Hop Pop's back when he thinks he's doing what's best for you guys? It's got trouble written all over it-- IN PERMANENT MARKER!!"

"Come on, Hitch-- we'll only be gone for a little while. And we'll be back before Hop Pop even realizes we're gone," Zipp tried to encourage. "Plus... didn't you ever wanna be a rebel as a kid?"

"Well... all right. I guess it wouldn't hurt to be rebellious for a little while," Hitch said with a heavy sigh. "Just so long as we get back before anypony notices we're gone."

The group then quietly snuck toward Hop Pop's study, seeing him at his desk quietly reading. "Anypony got any ideas?" Sunny asked, just as Sprig got an idea. "Ooh! What if we use fishing line to lower me from the ceiling? Then I grab the key right out of Hop Pop's pocket. I'll move like a shadow!" But as he moved, he nearly knocked over a vase, which Izzy caught with her horn's magic aura. "Shadows knock things over sometimes..." Sprig said sheepishly, just before Zipp's ears caught onto a familiar-sounding noise. "Do you year that?"

The others seemed to hear it as well... and it sounded like it was coming... from Hop Pop? "No... way!" Anne couldn't believe it as they walked over-- Hop Pop was sleeping with his eyes open. "Ooh..." Sparky waved a hand in front of Hop Pop's face. "This might be the creepiest thing I've ever seen," Pipp shuddered. "Happens all the time," Sprig explained. "He makes a great scarecrow." Izzy then levitated the key from Hop Pop's pocket and into Anne's hand, giving it a sniff. "Know what this smells like?" she asked, handing it to Sprig, who licked it, and Misty sniffed it as well. "A key that's been in an old man's pocket?" Sprig assumed. "FREEDOM!!!"

"That was our next guess!" Misty said cheerfully. Once they got the door unlocked, the group headed over to the lake, the forest nice and peaceful. "This is great," Anne sighed. "Just a group of pals beatin' the odds to have some fun."

"Smile!" Pipp sang, and took a selfie of the entire group. "Whoa. Hey, that turned out great!" Sprig took Pipp's phone from her and studied the selfie for a moment. "I don't know what's crazier, that you just stole my soul in a tiny box, or that we look so incredible. I gotta say, this friend business is amazing!"

"Didn't you have friends before we showed up?" Sunny asked curiously, and Sprig's answer of 'uh' made him flashback to a day of which Sprig having played with a skeleton in front of the other kids horrifying them, with Sprig then replying, "Kids around here don't really get me." Misty's ears flattened... she sometimes felt that ponies often didn't understand her... or maybe she didn't understand them. While Misty contemplated this, Anne smiled and playfully punched Sprig on the shoulder. "Well, hey, they are missin' out. Come on."

"So, is punching part of friendship?" Sprig asked. "Absolutely!"

~ A little while later... ~

Soon, they cleared through some bushes and to the lake on the other side. "We made it!" Hitch smiled. "Whoa..." Anne stared at their surroundings. "It's beautiful!"

"It... really is," Misty smiled. But just as the group was about to swim, they noticed a 'don't swim' sign right beside the lake's edge. "Oh. This was not here last week," Sprig observed. "I know exactly what's going on here," Anne figured. "Some jerk just wants this beautiful lake all to themselves. Well, forget that."

"Ah, I don't know, Anne," Zipp studied the sign with her drone. "Whoever wrote this wrote it in a hurry, like they were scared to be here."

"Or maybe they just had bad handwriting. Come on. Don't be a buzzkill," Anne said before dipping her foot in the lake. "Ooh, that's nice." But before she could go further in, Sprig grabbed her with his tounge. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Something's not right here. Let's just go back," Sprig told her. "Ugh, I thought you were trying to be my friend," Anne groaned. "I am," Sprig told her. "Well, this is what friends do. Remember? They help each other get the things they want."

"Huh?" Misty and the ponies turned confused, as did Sparky, who babbled in question. "Look," Anne sighed. "If a friend likes a pencil case, you get it for them. If your friend likes your new shoes, you give them to her. And if a friend wants you to steal a crazy music box from a thrift store, even if you don't really want to, you do it, okay? Because if you don't, they might not want to be your friend anymore."

Sunny and the ponies looked at one another once Anne said this... was it them, or did Anne think of friendship a different way than they did? Or did that friend Anne talked about sound... manipulative? "...fine," Sprig said before running off. "Fine..." Anne said, sounding a little dejected... just before Sprig came back and jumped into the pond, much to Anne's delight. "Aw, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about! Cannonball!"

For the next several hours, the group spent the day playing in the water, relaxing on the shoreline, riding giant water bugs, and splashing and hitting each other with giant cattails. But once Anne took a picture of Sprig flexing in the water, she froze at what was behind him. "I was blinking, wasn't I?" Sprig asked. "Sprig..." Sunny gulped, ears pinned. "Don't make any sudden movements."

But just then, a giant water snake rose out of the water, causing the group to swim for their lives as the snake gave them chase. Though Anne and Misty were slowing down, the pegasus sisters’ wings were soaked, making it impossible for them to fly. Sprig and the others came to their rescue, momentarily taking cover on a lily pad. “Sprig, I’m just slowin’ you down, buddy,” Anne panted. “Take the ponies and get outta here. This was my fault anyway. I should have listened to you."

"Friend punch!" Sprig punched Anne hard, causing her to yelp in pain. "Never!" Sprig then told her. "I'm not about to let my first real friends get eaten. We're in this together." But no sooner than he had said this, the snake found them and wrapped its coils around the lily pad. "Hitch, can you talk to it and calm it down?!" Zipp asked, listening to the snake hiss. "I-I don't think it wants to listen!" Hitch stammered. "Any other ideas?"

Without a moment's notice, Sprig leapt on top of Anne's head and grouped the team together with his tongue. "Ah! What are you doing?" Pipp asked. "I have a plan. Stand up!" Sprig urged them to do such. "When I count to three, duck."

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Anne asked him. "Just trust me. All right. One, two... three!" The second the group ducked, Sprig jumped right into the path of the snake's mouth and got swallowed! “SPRIG!!!” Anne screamed. “VENGENCE!!!” Grabbing a stick, she started bashing the snake in the head as it swallowed Sprig, and Pipp and Zipp flew up and started kicking and bashing the snake to help her. But the snake still moved around with Anne on top of it, eventually tossing her into the water. Sunny swam to her aid, but the snake dwelled above them… just as it started emitting fire and spit a screaming Sprig out. “You’re alive!” Zipp caught him in her hooves. “What did you do?” Sprig pulled out a pain pepper with a smirk. “ So hot, they'll make you wish you were dead.”

“You little genius!” Zipp smirked-- that was a pretty solid plan. “And it looked like he couldn’t take the heat.” The group laughed just before the roar of the snake sent them back toward shore. While the group ran on ahead, Misty noticed that her fake cutie mark had washed off in the water, and quickly repainted it back on before she followed the others. All they had to do now was get back there before Hop Pop woke up.

~ A little while later… ~

Hop Pop woke up with a start as the sun started to go down, but once he felt that the key was missing, he began to panic. “The key. It's gone! Oh, no. Did they get out? Is the town rioting? Are they dead? Has Anne eaten the kids, THE WHOLE TOWN?!” He immediately leapt up to search for them, but what he discovered surprised him. “What's this now? It's still locked.” Just to ease curiosity, he peeked down into the basement to discover Sunny, Sprig, Sunny and Pipp playing a board game while the others watched. “Come on. Mama needs a new pair of shoes!” Anne said, rolling the dice. “Seriously though, I do need new shoes.”

“You guys been here all day, huh?” Hop Pop asked suspiciously. “Yes sir!” Sunny smiled. “Anne and I are on a winning streak!”

“I own Zipp my first-born child,” Sprig said optimistically. “Oh, by the way, Hop Pop. We found this on the floor,” Misty handed him the key. “You must have dropped it.”

“Dang shallow pockets. Well, you get what you pay for…” Hop Pop muttered before going back upstairs, just as Polly burst into the basement. “Aha!”

“Oh, hi Polly,” Izzy waved cheerfully, and Polly’s determined face fell. “You're not gonna eat us, are you? You're not even gonna try. Dis... appointing,” she said before hopping back upstairs, leading the group to sigh in relief. “Hey, sorry I almost got us killed today,” Anne apologized. “Are you kidding?” Sprig asked. “That was the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me! My heart was beating faster than a dragonfly on a sugar rush. In fact, I'm feeling a little... sleepy…”

With that, Sprig fell asleep on the stairs, making Anne smile and set Sprig down on her sleeping bag. And just like that, the ponies’ cutie marks began to glow. “I guess you guys gotta go again?” Anne asked. “Yeah… we all need to get used to that,” Zipp said. “Hey… thanks for helping us today,” Anne smiled. “I’m gonna enjoy having you guys around time to time.”

“Us too!” Sunny called before the ponies faded from sight. Once they were gone, Anne pulled out the photo of her friends. “Sasha, Marcy, I hope you guys are okay, because I am.”

~ In Equestria… ~

The ponies reappeared back in the bedroom, sighing in relief. “Phew… what a day,” Pipp sighed. “And we’ve been gone for… 10 minutes again? Sheesh!”

“Who’s up for watching the sunset on the beach?” Hitch asked. “Just as long as we don’t go in the water for the rest of the day, I’m game,” Zipp smiled. “You coming, Misty?”

“I’ll… be right there,” Misty said. Once the others were gone, Misty went over to the book and pulled a page from the back of it before hiding it in her mane. She then left the Brighthouse and headed back toward Opaline’s castle, and Opaline was sitting on her throne when she arrived. “So? Did you get it?” Opaline asked. “...sure did,” Misty nodded, taking the page out. “And I got dragged to Amphibia with them. It’s strange, but… actually kinda nice.”

“Ugh… I don’t care about that,” Opaline ripped the page from Misty’s grasp. “Now go make yourself scarce, Misty. I’ll call you when it’s time for your next mission.” Misty nodded and retreated to her room, and once she was behind closed doors, she sighed and looked hopefully at the heavens. “I hope I get to go back soon… that was the most fun I’ve ever had.”

~ In Amphibia… ~

Meanwhile, during a stormy night at a tower called Toad Tower, a large intimidating toad was seen in front of a cell, holding one of Anne’s shoes. “Take a look at this please, Sasha. It was found far from here, in the South Forest. Now we know that you've been lying to us,” he said to the same blonde haired girl from Anne’s photo. “Now we know that there are more of you.”