Into the Amphibi-Verse

In another part of the city, Anne and Olivier sat together at the booth of a local diner that was fortunately open late.

Anne smiled as she watched Olivier eating a plate of noodles.

"So, how do you like them?" asked Anne.

Olivier finishing slurping the noodles, and then wiped his mouth clean.

"they're good." said Olivier. "You were right about them before."

Anne closed her eyes, and smiled pleasantly. "Just wait to you taste Boonchuy brand noodles.

I mean, Noodles are ALWAYS good. but the way mom makes them are Heavenly."

"She does make good food." said Olivier.

Anne reached out, and touched Olivier's hand. Olivier looked at Anne, who smiled warmly at him.

Olivier smiled back at her. then they leaned forward, and kissed.

"You taste nice." (*oh god, did I really just SAY that!?*) spoke/thought Anne.

"well, I was eating noodles." said Olivier, half joking.

(*...just roll with it.*) thought Anne, who chuckled for a moment.

"you know...I got so caught up with that future vision of yours,

that I completely forgot to ask if you found a way back to Amphibia." spoke Anne.

"not quite yet..." spoke Olivier. "At the very least, I tried to look in on Amphibia to check on everyone in Wartwood."

Anne looked puzzled. "what do you mean?"

Olivier paused for a moment. "well...I've been...Experimenting with a new type of magic spell." began Olivier.

"a variation of something that Grunge taught me when I let myself trust him enough to tutor me in magic."

Anne frowned at the mention of Grime's evil brother (which was saying A LOT.)

He was yet another Amphibian that Anne had trusted, yet really shouldn't had.

At least with King Andrias, Anne could forgive herself due to how friendly he appeared to be

(although, even THEN, she should've been more wary at how TOO Friendly Andrias always was.)

But Grunge gave bad vibes from the very beginning, Giving all sorts of warning signs that he was actually evil.

(And in retrospect, his black and glowing red eyes like an "EXE" Creepypasta demon should've been a dead giveaway.)

The only reason she DID trust him was because he was an experienced Toad Wizard,

and at the time, Olivier (and, Maddie) NEEDED a tutor to help him control his unpredictable magic better.

(Not to mention Grunge's own empty promise to help her, and her friends return home.

and just like with King Andrias, Anne was so desperate to return home, that she *WANTED* to believe him.)

"What's the spell?" asked Anne.

"The original spell is something called "Dreamwalking." began Olivier.

"a Dark Magic technique involving astral projection during a state of slumber."

Anne stared blankly. "huh?"

"It means I can exist outside my body like a ghost while I am sleeping." explained Olivier.

"Only with Dreamwalking, it involves possessing the body of your doppelganger in a parallel universe."

"okay, you are starting to sound just like Marcy." said Anne.

"...ANNE." growled Olivier, getting annoyed.

"I get it." said Anne, quickly. "so...does that mean the Multiverse is actually real?"

"It is...I've spent many nights combining Dreamwalking with my Oracle Magic,

to project my consciousness through the multiverse to try and see if Sasha and Marcy are okay."

"and, ARE they?!" asked Anne, desperately.

"I...don't know yet." answered Olivier. "The Multiverse is a BIG place, with some parallel realities

that are so similar to the main one that we live in, with just the most minor of differences."

"What kind of differences?" asked Anne.

Olivier paused, and then reached into his pocket. He then took out a notebook

(Labeled: [LIST OF ALTERNATE AMPHIBIA'S] on the cover), and skimmed through it.

"Okay, here is one of the first ones that I found..." began Olivier.

"AMP-231", a reality where you, Sasha and Marcy swapped places."

"What do you mean: Swapped Places?" asked Anne.

Olivier looked at Anne. "Okay, you know how when you told me how were first transported to Amphiba?

How you ended up in Wartwood, Sasha was at Toad Tower and we met Marcy at Newtopia."

"yeah..."

"Well, in this other reality...It was Sasha who lived with the Plantars in the Wartwood village." explained Olivier.

"Marcy became Captain Grime's "lieutenant" in Toad Tower, and YOU became King Andrias' Newtopian Ranger."

Anne's mouth gaped open, stunned at this. "holy...that IS different."

Anne then briefly tried to imagine that strange scenario.

First, imagining all the misadventures she had with the Plantars happening to Sasha, instead.

Then she imagining herself living in Newtopia, and travelling Amphibia as a researcher like Marcy did.

but the one thing that she didn't like thinking about Marcy being with the Toads, and even wondered

if she and Sasha had the same falling out that she did with Sasha that day when Grime's tower crumbled.

"were...YOU there?" asked Anne.

Olivier nodded (but also had an awkward expression on his face.)

"ye-yeah...I was. and not much changed with me in that reality. Except for...one thing."

"what?" asked Anne.

"well...since SASHA was the one living with the Plantars, instead of you.

And I still ended up in Wartwood after meeting Maddie. I...well...you see, I-"

Anne blushed as it suddenly dawned on her what Olivier was referring to.

"wait...you mean in that reality. You, and...SASHA!?"

Olivier blushed harder, REALLY not wanting to discuss this topic. Anne also blushed hard,

Her imagination already creating the image of Sasha and Olivier kissing, and being romantic.

"I know I should feel jealous (and, maybe even mad) about that..." spoke Anne. "but I'm more fascinated by it."

"I am more Confused by it, if anything." said Olivier. "I mean...all thing considered,

I can't see HOW I would ever end up with someone like Sasha."

"Well, she DID flirt with you when you first met her." said Anne, smirking.

"She only did that to peeve YOU off." argued Olivier.

Anne chortled a little. "yeah...she did. Sheeee Did. hey, wait!"

"What?"

"Is there like...an Alternate Swapped universe, too?" inquired Anne.

"Like, one where Marcy was in Wartwood, Sasha was in Newtopia, and I was with the Toads."

"Probably...I don't see why not." said Olivier. "Though, I've never seen a reality like that myself."

Olivier then quickly scribbled: [AMP-312?], in his notebook.

"Too bad...It'd be funny to see if there is a version of you with Marcy, too!" said Anne, laughing.

Olivier hid his face, blushing beet red. "can we PLEASE talk about something else

besides "me" being in some weird, "Calamity Harem" with you, Sasha and Marcy."

"(chortling) Okay...Alright. I'll stop." said Anne, a smirk on her face.

Anne then took a look at Olivier's notebook, reading the scribblings.

"AMP-888"...what is THIS one?" asked Anne.

Olivier looked at his notes. "Oh, this is an interesting one.

In THIS reality, you, Sasha and Marcy were much younger when went to Amphibia."

"HOW much younger?" asked Anne.

"You three were practically toddlers, so not long after you first met Sasha." explained Olivier.

"You were adopted by Sprig and Polly's parents, and raised alongside them.

Sprig was practically your little brother, and you two did everything together."

Anne paused, once again taking some time to think about this scenario.

Sprig had always been her best friend (apart from Sasha and Marcy, that is.)

yet she never thought to perceive him as being like a younger sibling.

and in retrospect, they kinda WERE like siblings given how they lived in the same house

(in fact, they STILL do. Heck, they even all share the same room now.)

"That does sound interesting..." spoke Anne.

"although, I do wonder how I ended up in Amphibia if I were THAT young."

"Yeah, I haven't figured that out either." spoke Olivier.

"In fact, THAT version of you didn't have any desire to return to this world."

"I didn-SHE didn't?!, WHY!?"

Olivier shrugged. "guess your counterpart was so young at the time,

she just forgot about her old life and grew up believing she was just a weird-looking frog."

Olivier then chuckled. "Your doppelganger even got upset because her tongue was so short, and wasn't sticky."

Anne chuckled at this. "wow...So I really did become a Plantar."

Olivier nodded...but then his smile faded into a frown.

"what is it?" asked Anne.

"there was...one part of that reality, that...I really hated." began Olivier.

"do you...remember how Hop Pop told you about how Sprig and Polly's parents died?"

"yeah." said Anne, frowning. "They were killed by giant herons whil Hop-"

Anne then froze as she came to realize what Olivier was implying. "wait. you mean that-"

"You were there when it happened." said Olivier. "you watched your adopted parents die."

Anne stared blankly, in total shock.

She couldn't imagine what it must've been like for her counterpart

to have to watch her parents (adopted or not) just DIE right in front of her.

(it made her think of her own parents, and how devastated she would feel if she had to watch them die as well.)

It made her feel bad for her 'other self.'

"man...that really sucks." said Anne, finally.

Olivier nodded sadly. "yeah...I felt really bad for her, even if she isn't MY Anne."

Wanting to change the subject, Olivier looked at his notes again. "Here is another that I found..."

Anne looked at a note that read: [AMP-111]

"And, what's different about THIS universe?" asked Anne.

"Well, it's like the prior one..." began Olivier.

"only you, Sasha and Marcy were only BABIES when you all arrived in Amphibi-"

Anne stared blankly, flabbergasted at this.

"okay...Seriously. MAYBE I could believe that I swiped that music box as a little kid..." began Anne.

"but HOW in Frog's Name did I end up in Amphibia AS A FROGGIN' BABY!?"

Olivier shrugged. "Again, I have no idea. the Multiverse can get Weird, sometimes."

Anne exhaled sharply. "Okay, I'll bite: Apart from me and the girls having Tarzan's origin story,

How is this particular universe different from the other one that you spoke of."

"Well...You, Sasha and Marcy were given magic potions that turned you all into Amphibians." explained Olivier.

"So, you all then grew up THINKING you were a Frog, Toad and Newt, instead of humans."

Anne stared blankly for a full minute. "...whyyyy?"

"I guess in your case, the Plantars had no idea how to care for a human baby (or, what a human even was)

and figured it would be much easier raising you if you were a frog like them." said Olivier.

"Or...maybe they were afraid of how others would treat you,

and wanted to protect you by making you fit in better...I don't know."

Anne thought about this for a moment. "well...I suppose that makes sense.

And, it's not like I haven't wondered what it might be like if I were a "real Plantar."

Anne then scowled. "It took a LONG TIME for the frogs of Wartwood to finally accept me.

And I hated that period of time when they didn't, and treated my like I was a monster."

"yeah...THAT Anne never had to go through that." said Olivier.

"Good for her." said Anne, smiling.

"One other positive about that Universe was that King Andrias wasn't a total A-Hole." continued Olivier.

"Because Marcy was raised in Newtopia since birth, King Andrias grew to love her like his own child."

Anne looked at Olivier. "So. what happened to *MY* Marcy...never happened?"

"no." answered Olivier.

"thank GOD." said Anne. "If only *WE* had been that lucky."

Olivier reached over, and grasped Anne's hand. She then looked at him...and he smiled.

"we'll get through this, Anne...I promise." said Olivier.

"everyday I learn a little bit more at how we can win...and, WE WILL."

Anne managed to force a smile. "I know. we'll save them...we'll save ALL of them."

As Olivier grabbed his notebook, and put it away. Anne spoke again:

"hey, I have a question: Apart from that one swapped universe that you mentioned,

were their any versions of you in those other parallel realities? like...did those Anne's ALSO have an Oliver?"

"I'm...not entirely sure." said Olivier. "I wasn't really focusing on my own doppelgangers.

BUT since they are variations of our own universe, then...I suppose there were other versions of me as well."

Anne then grinned. "I wonder if there is a universe where *WE* are swapped."

Olivier stared at Anne. "How do you mean?"

"Well...Like maybe a universe where *I* am the witch from the Boiling Isles,

and YOU were the normal human who lived here on earth, only for us to meet in Amphibia."

Olivier paused to ponder this. "I've never glimpsed such a universe before...

BUT, based on what I *have* seen thus far, I wouldn't be surprised if such a world DOES exist."

Anne smiled. "well...I hope those other Anne's got to meet their own Oliver's.

You've made me very happy, and I am glad to have met you. THEY should be happy, too."

Olivier blushed as he smiled. "you make...me happy, too."

Olivier then checked his phone. "woah, we'd better get going.

There is only more place I want us to go before we head back home."

"Where is it?"

Olivier grinned. "It's a surprise."

Anne eyed Olivier, but continued to grin. "Okay, then. Lead the way."

Olivier laid down some money, and he and Anne got up and left the table.

As the young couple exited the diner, and walked down the sidewalk...

...a pair of glowing red eyes was watching them both from a dark alley across the street.

[End of Part 20]