So i just saw the season 2 finale and absolutely loved it. I was also messaged by someone i know who requested this story and threw together what can be called an attempt at a prologue, not necessarily canon. For the sake of courtesy to any who have yet to see the True Colors episode I want to include a potential spoiler warning just to be safe.
Disclaimer: I do not own Amphibia and do not make any profit from this story.
Prelude to Calamity
Anne couldn't help but cringe at what she saw when she stepped into her house. Colorful balloons and streamers were all over the living room, a table with various healthy snacks and a selection of juice boxes was against the wall. The only thing that looked appetizing was the mango cake her mother had made from scratch that morning.
She walked further into her home, doing her best to ignore the gift bags sitting all neatly arranged in a box on the floor by a pinata. At least her mother hadn't set up the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game this year. That was a step in the right direction at least. But she did see that there were folding chairs set up near the couch, all facing the area where she knew for a fact the clown would be making balloon animals and telling the same jokes as he did year after year. It was hard to deny that Sasha had a point.
"Mom?" Anne called. "I'm home."
"There you are!" Anne's mother called, walking into the room with a small frown on her face. "Where have you been? You're guest will be here any minute now! Hurry upstairs and change."
"Um, about the party…" Anne began, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. "Is it alright if I maybe, showed up a bit late?"
Her mother's frown deepened. "What are you talking about? You're already here. How would you be late?"
"Well… I need to head back out super quick." Anne explained. "Sasha and Marcy have been working on a birthday surprise for me and I'm supposed to meet with them back at school."
"That reminds me. Your principal called and said you skipped out of school today." Her mother said, giving her a stern look. "If it wasn't your birthday we'd already be having a long discussion about that. But it can wait until after the party is over. Now, why can't Sasha and Marcy bring their surprise here?"
"It's um…. Not something that they can carry." Anne lied. "At least, that's what they told me anyway. But they said it wouldn't take long, so I can be back about fifteen-twenty minutes after the party starts. Twenty-five tops."
Anne watched as her mother let out a sigh and put her hands on her hips. The woman shook her head and checked her watch. Then she turned and started back for the kitchen.
"Alright, fine. But you better be quick. The pizza is almost done and I don't want to serve it to our guests cold."
The pizza she mentioned was a gluten free, vegan dish which like the cake, was made from scratch. It was also the highlight of the party, no one could deny that. But the rule was that no one got to enjoy the main dish unless the birthday girl was present. It was her privilege to get the first slice, just like with the cake. Anne definitely wasn't going to miss out on that. She'd need to hurry to meet up with Marcy and Sasha so they could get back quick.
"Okay, I promise I'll get back as soon as I can. I love you, bye!" Anne blurted out, rushing out the door.
Anne ran up the street and turned the corner. She tried to remember exactly where it was that Marcy has said she had found 'the perfect' gift for her. The address she had gotten was familiar, but not so much that she knew it for certain. Taking out her phone, she slowed to a stop to check just how far it was from her current location.
While she was looking at the map on her screen, Anne heard someone calling out her name. She looked up and spotted Marcy just down the street, waving excitedly at her. Anne put her phone away and hurried over to join her friend, getting a big hug in greeting.
"Happy birthday, Anna-banana!" Marcy exclaimed, squeezing her tight.
"Thanks, Marbles." Anne replied. "So, what's the story on this thing? How'd you find it?"
"Oh, I was just walking down the street and spotted it when I looked in the shop window. Check it out."
Marcy turned to look through the glass, Anne standing by her side. She peered into the shop and looked around, spotting a little old lady sleeping behind the counter. As she kept looking, she lots of old junk sitting around, but not the thing she was looking for. A tap on her shoulder turned her attention to Marcy, who pointed up at an old wardrobe with a weird emblem on it. Anne shifted her gaze and spotted the box, sitting right on top of the wardrobe.
"Huh, wonder how old it is." Anne thought out loud.
"Who knows? But isn't it cool?" Marcy asked. "I can't wait to get a closer look at it! Do you think the gems in it are real?"
"Sasha asked the same thing." Anne said, smirking a bit. "Careful, you're starting to turn into her."
"She wishes." Marcy joked. "Say, where is she anyway? I thought the two of you were hanging out when I texted her."
"Just after that she got a call from her dad. She had to hurry home and said she'd meet us here." Anne answered. "I think she might be getting in trouble for cutting out of school today. I know I did. Or at least I'm gonna."
"Yeah, Sasha tried to get me to tag along for that. Glad that I didn't." Marcy said, rubbing her arm slowly. "The last thing I need is to have to explain that to my parents. As it is, they don't really approve of Sasha. They say she's a bad influence. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they suddenly didn't want me to be friends with her anymore."
Anne snorted a little in amusement. "Like Sasha would let that stop her from hanging out with you. Like she says, there's no rule that cannot be broken."
Marcy didn't seem too convinced by Anne's words for some reason. She looked at Anne, a trace of anxiety in her eyes. Anne started to suspect that something was up, something bad. However, before she could say anything, Marcy's phone started to ring, the eight-bit theme from 'The Legend of Tetra' blasting from her pocket. Marcy was startled for all of a moment and then quickly fished her phone out, declining the call. She seemed upset now, Anne noticing tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Mar-mar, what's wrong?" Anne asked. "Who was trying to call you?"
"My dad." Marcy answered, silencing her phone's ringtone. "He's…. he's been on my case lately, that's all. I don't want to talk about it."
"Are you sure? Because you know I'm right here." Anne told her. "I don't mind letting you vent to me. It'll make you feel better."
Marcy met Anne's eyes, a small smile coming to her face. She looked back into the shop, up at the box sitting atop the wardrobe. Her smile slowly grew and a confident look came to her eyes as she faced Anne again.
"Thanks, but it's nothing to worry about." She said. "Just some stupid, little problem that will be solved soon enough. Then things will be better than before."
"Well, okay. If you say so." Anne replied with a shrug. "But you know you can always talk to me if you change your mind. Sasha too."
"Did someone say my name?"
Anne and Marcy turned to see Sasha heading their way. As she got close enough, she pulled them both in close, laying an arm over each of their shoulders. Sasha looked into the shop, a catlike grin coming to her face as she spotted the box.
"Wow, that think looks tackier IRL, am I right?" She asked. "So, what do you think Anne? That the perfect gift for you or what?"
"It's uh, different." Anne replied with a forced smile. "But you guys don't need to get it for me. Just getting to hang out with you is enough for me."
"Oh, but we aren't going to get it for you." Sasha told her, an impish look in her eyes. "You're going to get it for yourself, Anne."
"Huh? You want me to buy it for myself?" Anne asked, looking confused as she stepped away from the other two. "Why do I have to buy my own gift?"
"No, silly. I don't expect you to pay for it." Sasha replied. "It's your birthday, girl. Treat yourself to a special discount. One hundred percent off."
"What?!" Anne blurted out in disbelief. "Oh no. No, no, no. I cannot do that. My mom will ground me until I'm older than my grandma if she finds out I stole anything!"
"Then don't get caught." Sasha stated, as if it were common knowledge. "Look, the old lady who owns the place is fast asleep. Just sneak inside, nice and quiet. Then stuff the box into your backpack and walk right out. Marcy and I can keep watch. Right, Marce?"
Marcy nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Don't worry Anne, we got your back!"
"Seriously?" Anne asked. "You're really on board with this idea, Marcy?"
"We're just going to take a closer look at it." Marcy said. "We can sneak it back in just as easily when we're done."
"Unless you actually plan to keep that ugly thing." Sasha added.
"No, definitely not." Anne said, shaking her head.
"Cool. So hurry up and go grab it before granny wakes up." Sasha ordered. "The sooner you do, the sooner this will be over with."
Anne hesitated. She didn't like this one bit. But the fact that Marcy was on Sasha's side left her feeling like she had no choice. In her mind, she could already see the angry expression on her mother's face if she found out and it made her stomach churn a little. Regardless, Anne walked over to the door to the shop and put one shaky hand on the handle.
"Okay, just head in, grab it and get out." She whispered to herself as she opened the door. "What's the worst that could happen?"
The beginning, er... end.