Chapter Text
February 16, 2120
Los Angeles, California, Earth
It’s hard to believe it’s been 100 years since the Frogvasion and the subsequent end of the Calamity War. There was so much that had changed in the past century. For instance: the invasion spurred humanity on to research further into robotics and otherworldly exploration, genuine virtual reality now exists, and there was significantly greater tolerance and acceptance all around. (There were no major issues with the Calamity Trio’s sapphic polyamorous marriage, after all.) And that was just a few of the many advancements made over the years. Despite all that had changed, a lot remained the same. People are still obsessed with videos of cute animals, L.A. traffic was as bad as always, and people still threw massive parties.
Speaking of massive parties, the 100th Annual Frogvasion Victory Celebration is about to begin. Every year, people gather together at Griffith Park to have some fun commemorating Anne Boonchuy’s victory over King Andrias while also visiting the memorial to pay respect to those who lost their lives. The celebration was always big, but it tended to be bigger in round number anniversary years. Naturally, this centennial celebration would be the biggest so far.
Anne, Sasha, and eventually Marcy had all attended the annual celebration back when they were alive, and while they had observed the celebration every year since their ascension to Guardianship, this was the first time they would be making their presence known. Their visits to Earth had been much more discreet than those to Amphibia, but this seemed like a good occasion to reveal themselves. It’ll probably scare some people, but hopefully it’ll be a happy surprise.
As had been tradition for the past couple of decades, the trio’s elderly children would start the celebration by giving a big speech. Old Polly was confident as usual but her brother was pretty nervous.
“It’ll be fine, Sprig,” said Polly as the two of them waited offstage. “You’ve done this plenty of times.”
“Yeah, but it was mostly locals before,” argued Sprig. “People have come from all across the world for this one. That’s a lot of pressure.”
“Okay, well, I think I’ve got a solution for you.” Polly reached into her trusty bag of inventions and gadgets and pulled out a pair of glasses.
“Those selective seeing things?” asked Sprig.
“Yeah!” replied Polly. “You can just pick and choose who you wanna see!” She put them on and peeked at the steadily growing crowd. “Alright, Dom and Julie and the kids: see. Tall tourist wearing a gaudy Hawaiian shirt: don't see.” She took the glasses off and offered them to Sprig. “Now you try!”
Sprig almost took the glasses but didn’t. “I don’t know, this doesn’t feel right. All these people came out here for a good time. I don’t want to exclude anyone.”
“Sounds like someone needs a confidence boost.”
Sprig and Polly gasped. “Mom?” They turned around and saw their moms standing there. Anne, Sasha, and Marcy had visited their children many times since becoming Guardians but somehow today felt extra special. The Calamity Trio ran toward Sprig and Polly and wrapped them in a hug.
“Mom! Mæ̀! Mama!” said the twins.
“It’s been too long,” said Anne. “We missed you two tadpoles so much!
“We’ve been watching you though.” said Marcy. “Not in a creepy way, more of a ‘let’s look at our kids and be proud’ sort of way.”
Sasha put her hands on Sprig’s shoulders. “I understand how difficult this can be, but you can do it.” She kissed his forehead. “I know you can accomplish anything, my brave warrior.”
Happy tears came to his eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”
Sasha then gave Polly a kiss as well. “You too.”
"Thank you,” said Polly.
Anne and Marcy gave their children kisses as well. Just as the five of them started conversing the moment was interrupted by the local marching band, whose music signaled the start of the ceremony.
“We’ll have to continue this later,” said Anne.
“Now go out there and make your moms proud!” said Marcy.
Everyone cheered for Sprig and Polly as they walked out on stage. There were many thousands of people out there, but the twins were able to spot some familiar faces in the massive crowd. They saw famous actor Marv Westwood, whose family found success thanks to the Plantars. They saw Taylor Miller, granddaughter of scientist Terri Miller, and her wife Gia, granddaughter of roboticists Ally Ortega and Jess Williams. They saw the Thai community, which was like an extended family to them. And of course, Sprig and Polly saw their own children and grandchildren standing at the front of the crowd, happily waving at them..
“Hello everyone!” exclaimed Polly.
“It means so much to us that you all came out here today,” said Sprig. “100 years ago we were invaded by an interdimensional empire… and we won! But we’re not just here to celebrate our victory a century ago. We’re here to celebrate how far we’ve come since then! We couldn’t have done all this if it wasn’t for all of you, so give yourselves a round of applause!”
The crowd erupted into cheers again, even louder than before this time.
“Now, before the festivities truly begin,” said Polly, “there are three very special guests who also want to say a few words.”
“That’s right,” said Sprig as he and his sister moved to the ends of the stage. “Introducing, or reintroducing I suppose………… our moms!”
At that moment, three explosions erupted onstage, each the color of one of the Calamity Gems. The explosions lit up the stage for a few seconds, but quickly disappeared and in their place was Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright, and Marcy Wu. There was normally much less flourish whenever the trio appeared somewhere, but they figured putting on some theatrics was worth it for a special occasion.
The audience gasped in shock. Never in a million years did they expect the savior of Earth and her wives to appear on stage, looking young and healthy as if they hadn’t been dead for years. The moment of silent shock passed and suddenly there was a barrage of questions. Anne and Marcy tried to calmly handle the situation but it was Sasha who put an end to the commotion.
“Hold on a second!” she screamed, louder than would normally be possible. It succeeded in quieting the crowd. “We understand that you’ve got plenty of questions, and we’ll answer them all later.”
“Yeah!” said Marcy. “We all came here to have a good time, so let’s focus on that first.”
The crowd murmured in agreement.
“For now, just know that since our deaths we’ve been watching over the multiverse,” said Anne. “I promise that’ll make more sense later.” She looked at the gathered crowd and all of the people seemed to make eye contact with her. There was something calming in her eyes, reassuring them that everything was going to be alright. “100 years ago we were just a few teenagers way in over our heads. We never would’ve gotten anywhere without help from the community, so here’s to a hundred more years of making the world a better place!”
After that, the festivities began. There were rides, games, food stands, competitions, and pretty much everything else you respect from a big outdoor festival. Everyone had a wonderful time.
But of course, Los Angeles wasn’t the only place a celebration was being held…
Notes:
Translation: Mæ̀ (mom)
Dom and Julie are Sprig Boonchuy-Waybright-Wu’s son and daughter-in-law.
Chapter 2: Part 2: Amphibia
Summary:
The Calamity Trio play a concert at the Hundredth Annual New Amphibia Festival.
Chapter Text
February 17, 2120
Wartwood Swamp, The Old Continent, Amphibia
Wartwood had become an unofficial second capital of Amphibia ever since it was the base of the Resistance during the Calamity War. It was one of the first places rebuilt, and now, 100 years after the Calamity War, it was the main urban center in the valley. Needless to say, it was the natural place to hold the party celebrating the defeat of the Core (and the destruction of the moon which apparently had no major effects on Amphibia’s ecosystem).
The Wartwood celebration is much less extravagant than the corresponding one in Los Angeles, though like the one on Earth, it would be bigger than ever before for the hundredth anniversary. Some people joked that all of Amphibia was going to show up for the Hundredth Annual New Amphibia Festival, but considering the massive turnout, it seemed those jokes were more accurate than expected. All of the Paladins were in attendance, as were the Toad Lords and other prominent figures in Amphibia like Mother Olm, Lady Olivia II, and Winston-Geoff Ribbiton. Citizens came to Wartwood from all over: New Newtopia, Proteus, Ribbitvale, Bittyburg, and more. Even some amphibians who emigrated to the new continent of Anne-phibia trekked to Wartwood for the celebration. And everyone who arrived in Wartwood was happily greeted by Mayor Tulip Plantar, who now heavily resembled her great-great-great-great-etc. grandmother Leif.
(Honestly, if someone wanted to cause a major catastrophe somewhere in Amphibia, today would be a good day to do it. Luckily, the continent-wide security system developed by Polly Plantar can detect and prevent such a nefarious plot. Polly herself was gone at this point. Although many amphibians including Polly had cybernetic enhancements, it was unofficial Amphibia law that no one try to extensively prolong their lifespan with cybernetics like Andrias had done.)
Of course, there were other, smaller, celebrations occurring across Amphibia but this one was the main attraction. Just about every corner of Wartwood was decorated with an insignia of the three Calamity Gems, and the statue of Anne at the center of the city was adorned with flower crowns, as were other statues of the Calamity Trio throughout Amphibia.
Citizens from all over were mingling together, sharing stories of past New Amphibia Days or of when the trio visited their neck of Amphibia last. They had all heard the stories of how divided their world used to be, and were glad those days were permanently behind them. However, these conversations came to a stop when Frobo came out on stage and produced an alarm-like noise which caught everyone’s attention. Frobo had become the town frontman in recent years, serving as an announcer for events such as this one in between his gardening work.
“Attention everyone,” he said. “It’s almost time for everyone’s favorite part of the festival!” There were loud cheers all around. “Please give a warm welcome to The Sharps!”
Just like in Los Angeles, the Calamity Trio’s arrival was heralded by three colorful explosions, which quickly dissipated to reveal Anne, Sasha, Marcy, and their instruments. Anne and Marcy were wearing adult versions of their old moth and butterfly Battle of the Bands outfits, while Sasha wore a matching pink firefly-themed outfit. At this point the L.A. party was still going on late into the night, but the Calamity Trio’s Guardian powers allowed them to attend both parties simultaneously.
“How is everyone doing tonight?” asked Marcy.
Everyone raised their hands in excitement, saying they’re having a great time.
“It means so much to us that you’re enjoying yourselves,” said Anne. “We love how much Amphibia has grown over the past 100 years, and it’s all thanks to you guys!”
The assembled amphibians cheered yet again before Anne continued.
“This year’s performance is dedicated to Leopold Loggle. We’ll never forget you, dude!”
(Every year, the trio would dedicate their concert to one of the amphibians who had touched their hearts 100 years ago.)
“Alright, we’ve got a full set planned for tonight, and we’re starting with a hundred-year-old favorite,” said Sasha, preparing to play. “Hit it, girls!”
♪ Took a leap through a box, super weird
To a swamp where frogs talk
(O-o-oh)
Now I'm stuck, got no plans
Just my luck, I'll do the best that I can
(Who-o-oa)
Making friends and enemies
It's weird, but hey, it's grown on me ♪
The throuple decided to reform their old garage band when they were in their fifties, simply called The Sharps out of equality. It was mostly a side experiment they worked on when they had time off from their actual jobs. They only played a few local concerts, but they had a following of devoted fans, and everyone involved had plenty of fun.
♪ Bugs, frogs, newts, and toads
Gonna be a bumpy road
Flies for snacks, worms for lunch
I think I actually love this swamp! ♪
The New Amphibia Festival was always well-regarded, but most agree it went from good to great once the Calamity Trio began playing a concert. Most Wartwoodians had heard about the fabled Battle of the Bands from their grandparents or great-grandparents, so most of them saw Earth-style rock music through a nostalgic lens.
The Sharps’ catalog also included a harp piece as tribute to Grime’s memorable winning performance.
♪ It's no big deal, yeah, no big deal
Find a way to start again, brush off the dirt and make some friends
It's no big deal, yeah, no big deal
I feel at home in a place that shouldn't be real
Crazy strange, but it's no big deal ♪
The trio’s deceased friends and family, both human and amphibian, watched the concert from the Afterlife Realm with pride and awe. Loggle was especially touched that he was remembered so fondly.
There was a particular trio that seemed to be watching the festival more intently than the others.
“You’re proud of those three, aren’t you?”
Andrias looked down to where Leif was sitting next to him and smiled. “I suppose I am. This is what Amphibia should’ve been from the beginning. But if anyone should be proud, it’s you. None of this would’ve happened without your family.”
“Yeah, Leif!” Barrel chimed in. “The Plantars are heroes just as much as the three stars.”
Leif looked back to where Sprig and her other descendants were watching the show, a few happy tears coming to her eyes. “You’re right.”
♪ Ohhhhhhhhhh!
It's no big deal, yeah, no big deal
I feel at home in a place that shouldn't be real
Killer birds, but it's no big deal!
Riding snails, but it's no big deal!
Eating flies, but it's no big deal!
Finally me, and it's no big deal ♪
Here’s hoping the 200th anniversary is even more spectacular.
Notes:
The position of Paladin is held for 10 years so Olivia II isn’t one anymore.
Dragon_G0ddess on Chapter 2 Tue 18 Apr 2023 05:37PM UTC
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