"Anne, she's too strong...!"
"We can't give up, Sasha! Not now, not ever!"
"I know, but I don't know how we can help her!"
The two girls, battered and bruised, picked themselves up from the stone floor one more time, staring across the room at the threat that lay before them. On the other side of the room stood another girl, but this girl was pulsating with dark energy, a black emptiness permeating her being. Her eyes were voids of shadow, and her arms crackled with waves of black lightning, her aura so heavy that Anne and Sasha could feel it from across the room.
"Yeah, girls, don't give up... don't you want to save your dear friend Marcy?"
The girl laughed, a voice emanating from her mouth that sounded half-demonic and half-human... the human half identical to the voice of the girl Anne and Sasha were trying to save.
This evil energy, this terrible nothingness... it had infected and was now inhabiting the body of the girls' best friend, Marcy.
The last Anne had seen Marcy had been a few weeks before, when she'd been impaled on the end of King Andrias' energy sword, just before she and the Plantars had been transported back to Earth. She'd thought her best friend dead when she'd seen her get stabbed. She'd wept for her. She'd mourned her. She'd told Marcy's parents what had happened, and had seen them both sobbing at her feet. She'd given up on Marcy... but she wasn't about to give up now.
The last Sasha had seen of Marcy had been when this thing... this terrible thing had destroyed a village all by itself, using Marcy's body and its own foul energies to wipe out the whole town within minutes. Sasha, Grime, and their newfound frog allies had evacuated everyone just in time, but Sasha knew she didn't stand a chance against Marcy with all her new power.
Maybe Anne, with her own strange powers, could fight back... but just reaching this place, this tower where an ancient weapon was said to be kept that could beat back the darkness of the Night, had drained Anne of all the power she had, at least for the time being. Anne had had to transform to battle through waves of Andrias' robots to reach the tower, and transforming left Anne completely spent, sometimes for days on end. Attempting another transformation would risk Anne's very life... but without it, the girls didn't seem to have a chance against their powerful foe.
"Let Marcy go, you monster!" shouted Anne, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at Marcy. "Marcy, fight back... fight back and get this creepy thing out of your body!"
Marcy just laughed, in her twisted, distorted voice. She raised her crossbow and shot a hail of glowing arrows at Anne, who barely managed to jump out of the way. Sasha leaped forward, both swords at the ready, but Marcy easily dodged Sasha's slashes before swiping her to the ground.
"Nnnngh!" grunted Sasha, rolling across the floor. She looked up just in time to see Marcy lunging at her, hand crackling with energy. "STOP!"
Sasha lifted her arm up to deflect the blow, letting out a scream as Marcy's open palm struck against it. Her arm wasn't broken, but it was burned where the hand struck, and she barely had the strength to keep it lifted to deflect Marcy's fist. Marcy reared back and struck at Sasha again, who grabbed her fist with both hands, struggling again to keep it held back.
"Sasha, I'm coming!" Anne yelled, leaping forward and striking at Marcy again. "Marcy, please, we're your friends, we-"
"Shut up!" Marcy shouted. She swung both her arms outward, sending out a wave of dark energy that sent Sasha flying and brought Anne to one knee. "Stop trying to reach her, it's too late! She's gone, and the prophecy will never be fulfilled! All the worlds shall be conquered! Your struggling is futile!"
"Aaaaaaaaaahhh!" Sasha shrieked as she was thrown back into the far wall. She hit the wall with a thud and slid downward, dazed by the impact and temporarily stunned from how hard her spine slammed against the stone. "Anne, get away from her... you can't stop her alone...!"
"I won't give up...!" Anne declared, climbing back into a standing position. "I won't stop trying to save Marcy! We've come this far, I won't quit now, and I know you won't quit either, Sasha!"
Sasha nodded, trying to get back up as a tingling sensation went through her entire body. She didn't want to give up, she desperately wanted to save Marcy, but she'd been through so much already... making peace with the frogs, fighting Bog, reconciling with Percy and Braddock, and taking charge of the rebellion... she'd been ready to finally lead another attack on Newtopia when Marcy had reappeared, now seemingly a vessel for the Night... the eldritch being that Andrias was determined to spread to all worlds, including the Earth. Seeing Marcy possessed was more than Sasha could bear... only Anne's reappearance a few days later had saved Sasha from complete and utter despair.
But now, as the two girls tried desperately to save Marcy, they were on the verge of being destroyed by the very person they were trying to save... and Sasha didn't see a way out.
"I won't quit, Anne... I... I won't stop trying to save you, Marcy...!"
"That's very sweet, but I'm through toying with you," said Marcy, hands once again lighting up with dark energy. "It's time to put an end to the so-called heroes of destiny for good!"
"NO!" Anne shouted, lunging forward with a powerful punch. Marcy fired a blast at Anne, who dodged out of the way and struck Marcy across the face. I'm sorry, Marcy, but I've got to punch this creepy thing out of you!
Anne tried to strike Marcy again, but her fist was caught in Marcy's hand... which then squeezed down hard on it, hard enough for her fingernails to break Anne's skin... and nearly hard enough to break the bones in her hand.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Anne shouted, her legs shaking violently.
"I'll crush you!" said Marcy, her lips curving into a sadistic smile. "And then I'll tear you and your pathetic friend to pieces!"
"Listen to yourself, we are your friends!" shouted Anne, tears forming in her eyes.
"Then why couldn't you SAVE me?!" shouted Marcy, releasing Anne's fist from her grip, only to blast her away. Anne was thrown backward, but planted her feet down hard, bringing herself to a stop halfway between Marcy and the wall. When Anne looked up into her friend's eyes again, they were no longer a black void... they looked normal. Anne could see Marcy's real eyes... and the sadness and fear in them. "Why couldn't you protect me? How could you let me die?"
"Marcy...?" Anne stammered, reaching out toward her.
"Marcy, fight it!" shouted Sasha, stumbling toward both of her friends.
"Why couldn't you save me, Anne? Why couldn't you save me, Sasha?"
Then, Marcy smiled again, and she started to laugh. She laughed a twisted, arrogant laugh that filled the room, but her eyes remained normal, and Anne could see Marcy's legs shaking slightly, as if the being that possessed her was letting her true self come forth even as it held her in its terrible grasp. Anne clenched her fists, and began to shake with rage.
"Let her go..." said Anne through gritted teeth, walking toward Marcy and looking her in the eyes. "Let her go!"
Anne's hair began to lift up, and once again, it started to glow blue, as a blue energy aura emanated around her. Sasha gasped.
"Anne, no, you already used it today, you'll drain yourself dry!"
"Let... her... go!" Anne repeated, her voice deepening as her hair continued to shift between its normal brown color and a bright blue. "Let... her... go! LET... HER... GO!"
Anne was starting to lose control as rage and desperation overtook her. She knew her body might be ripped apart if she used her transformation again, but she didn't care. She just wanted this thing possessing Marcy to leave, by any means necessary. The room started to shake, and small fragments of rock lifted off the floor as Anne continued to channel the Calamity Box's sacred energy.
"LET... HER... GO!"
Anne lunged forward, and gasped.
She looked down to see Marcy's fist pushing against her stomach, hard.
She couldn't breathe. She doubled over, gasping and coughing for breath. Her blue aura immediately disappeared. The pebbles that had started to lift from the ground fell back down. She tasted blood.
"Sorry... not this time, Anne."
Anne fell to her knees, coughing. Drops of blood splattered onto the floor. She still couldn't breathe, and her right side felt like it was on fire. With one blow, Marcy had stopped the transformation, knocked the wind out of Anne, and had cracked one of her ribs.
"ANNE!" screamed Sasha, watching as Marcy lifted her hand to strike another blow... a fatal one. "NO!"
Marcy's fist came down, but Anne wasn't there when it did... Sasha had knocked her out of the way and had blocked the blow against her crossed swords. Marcy jumped back, and Sasha jumped after her.
"Get out of Marcy you evil freak!"
Sasha slashed furiously at Marcy, ignoring her own pain and desperately fighting to save her friend... both of them. Marcy easily dodged the blows before leaping up and kicking Sasha in the side of the head, knocking her to the ground. Not to be deterred, Sasha immediately leaped to her feet and came at Marcy again. She swung one of her swords, only to have it knocked out of her hand. She swung her other sword, and Marcy caught it between her palms.
"Not smart to swing those at me, you know... you might just hit something."
Sasha breathed heavily, snarling as she pushed her heron sword down at Marcy's head. She wasn't trying to cut her or land a fatal blow, but she knew she needed to inflict some kind of wound to get the Night to leave Marcy... at least, that's the only thing she could think of doing. She hated having to fight her best friend, who'd already been through so much before this... the weapon they'd come to the tower to find had been too rusted to be of any use, and now, she and Anne would be lucky to escape with their lives, let alone with their friend's freedom.
"Marcy, I know you're in there..."
"How cliché... 'Marcy, I know you're in there, fight...'" Marcy mocked, smiling wickedly at Sasha. Her eyes had returned to their soulless appearance, and her expression was one of cruel glee as she began to yank the sword from Sasha's clenched hands. "Pathetic!"
With a mighty tug, Marcy ripped the sword free, and sent it flying across the room. As Sasha heard her other sword clatter uselessly to the floor, she screamed in frustration and rage, punching forward and hitting nothing but air as Marcy dodged effortlessly out of the way. As she turned to swing again, she was struck across the cheek by her friend's fist, and sent sprawling backwards, barely able to remain standing. She lunged forward for another blow, and this time, earned a knee to the gut for her troubles.
"Sasha...!" Anne shouted weakly, still clutching her own stomach as she lay sprawled out on the ground in immense pain. "Marcy, stop!"
Sasha grimaced and groaned, and with one hand held to her midsection, used her other to steady herself as she rose up once more, defiantly staring Marcy down.
"Enough of this," said Marcy, holding up her arms as more energy glowed around them.
"I won't give up!" Sasha said, and took another step... only to be completely unable to do so. "Huh?"
A pair of energy shackles had been formed from the ground, and were clasped around Sasha's ankles, holding them in place. Another pair of shackles then appeared, forcing Sasha to her knees. Sasha reached out toward Marcy, and black chains thrust themselves upward, wrapping around Sasha's wrists and pulling them behind her, and more chains then rose up to completely encase Sasha's arms and midsection.
"Unnngh, let me go!" Sasha shouted, twisting in the dark energy bonds as Marcy calmly walked toward her. "What is this? Coward...!"
"I'm bored," said Marcy, standing over Sasha with her hands on her hips. "Neither of you are a challenge for me, so I'm ending this now so Andrias and I can finish our plans for your pathetic worlds."
"NO!" Sasha screamed defiantly, continuing to struggle with all she had. She twisted back and forth, her shoulders jerking and her hair swishing, even as the energy bonds squeezed tighter and tighter around her body. "I will never give up...!"
"Let her go...!" Anne weakly shouted, trying to stand, only for the pain in her injured rib to force her back down. "Nnnngh... Sasha...!"
"It's over," said Marcy, leaning over Sasha with a taunting smile. "Did you really think you could save her, Sasha? Honestly, it's pathetic that you'd even try... and it doesn't make up for everything you did while you were here in Amphibia. Joining the Toad Army, invading their village, trying to kill Anne's friends, not to mention betraying her and leading your army into Newtopia..."
"Shut up!" Sasha screamed, tears forming in her eyes as she lunged forward. "I-"
Suddenly, another chain wrapped itself around Sasha's mouth, silencing her.
"No, you shut up," said Marcy coldly, tapping her finger against the chain. "End of discussion."
Sasha continued to protest and scream despite the chain covering her mouth, her muffled cries and swears clearly audible throughout the room. Her enraged protests fell on deaf ears, as Marcy just laughed to herself and Anne grew more and more despaired with every stifled word from Sasha's mouth.
"Sasha, I'm sorry..." Anne rasped out. Immediately, Sasha whipped her head away from Marcy to look at Anne, and when she saw how desperately her injured friend was to try and help her, her eyes widened, and more tears came to them.
ANNE! screamed Sasha, before whipping her head back toward Marcy and shouting at her again. This time, her muffled protests sounded less like threats and more like desperate pleas.
"Oh, now you care about Anne and not yourself," said Marcy, pacing back and forth in front of her helpless captive. "Funny how it takes someone almost dying to care about them. First me, and now Anne. You're pathetic, Sasha, and I think I'm through listening to you. Even gagged, you're annoying."
Marcy then reached forward and grabbed Sasha by the throat, squeezing down hard. Sasha let out a small gasp, her protests now totally silent as Marcy began to strangle the life out of her.
"NO! Marcy, don't...! Stop it... you have to stop it...!"
Anne tried to crawl toward Sasha to help her, but she was so far away, and she wouldn't have been able to stop Marcy even if she could reach them. Sasha was now terrified, and looking desperately into Marcy's eyes, silently pleading with her to stop and come to her senses. Marcy just laughed, and once again, her blackened eyes reverted to normal, though the Night was still in full control, and her grip on Sasha's neck tightened even more.
"You're absolutely pathetic," said Marcy. "Weak, cowardly, selfish... is there anything I'm forgetting?"
Tears began to streak rapidly down Sasha's face as she continued to look into Marcy's eyes, staring into her own weakness at the same time.
She's right... thought Sasha, trembling in the chains that held her. She's right. I'm nothing but a pathetic coward who betrayed my friends... I couldn't save them... I couldn't help anyone.
"Sasha... don't give up... Sasha...!"
Anne was crying as well as she continued to crawl toward them. She started to pick herself up, and tried to summon the Calamity Box's energy, but she'd been cut off from it, at least until she could fully recover. She could barely gather the strength to stand, let alone stop the Night in Marcy's body from killing her best friend. She reached out, and Marcy laughed again.
"You're too late, Anne, and besides, it doesn't matter, does it, Sasha? She's going to die trying to save you..."
Anne, don't try to save me. I don't deserve to be saved.
Sasha closed her eyes.
I don't deserve to live.
"How does it feel to be totally powerless, Sasha? Completely helpless... totally at my mercy..."
As Anne watched helplessly, Sasha stopped moving at all. Her head dropped. Marcy continued to choke her, squeezing as hard as she could.
"You can't save me."
"SASHA!" screamed Anne, at the top of her lungs.
"You can't save Anne."
I... I don't care anymore.
"You can't even save yourself."
I... don't... CARE!
And as Sasha gave up on everything... saving Marcy, saving Anne, even her own will to live... she felt something enter her body. It filled every part of her mind with an overwhelming need to live... to protect her friends, to save everyone... it filled every fragment of her soul.
She opened her eyes. Her pupils were bright pink.
And she was filled with an overwhelming amount of determination.
In that instant, that split-second of time, Sasha felt more strength than she'd ever felt in her entire life... more strength by orders of magnitude. Her hair turned bright pink, and the scrunchie holding her ponytail snapped as more hair grew instantly from her head. As her hair fell down to the floor, she felt all the pain in her body lift instantly, and she could move her arms... and when she moved them, the chains holding her body snapped as if they were made of paper. She stood up, and the chains burst off her legs as well. She screamed the loudest scream of her life, instantly shattering the chain that had been covering her mouth. The sheer force of her power buffeted Anne, and blasted Marcy away immediately. Her armor glittered with a brilliant pink light. Her hair, now long enough to go down to her ankles, flowed like waves in the windless air. Her limbs swelled, her muscles expanded to twice their normal volume.
How...? thought the Night, staring through Marcy's eyes into the blinding pink glow surrounding Sasha. She's not even connected to the Box! How did she access its power?
"Sasha..." whispered Anne, looking up at her friend. "That's... that's amazing... it's just like when I..."
Anne was rendered nearly speechless, while Sasha's mind was consumed with overwhelming emotion. Rage, hate, lust for power, all flooded her mind as she felt the energy coursing through her. Every negative impulse she'd had in Amphibia, she could feel it all inside her, and the urge to take everything she wanted and tear her enemies to pieces.
Sasha turned toward Marcy, who was crackling with black energy. Marcy lifted her crossbow arm and fired a barrage of bolts at the glowing girl. Sasha calmly walked toward Marcy, not even bothering to dodge as the bolts hit her skin and armor and shattered on impact.
"That's impossible!" shouted Marcy, who ran at Sasha and through a flurry of punches at her. Sasha dodged them all, then caught Marcy's fist in one hand and slammed an open palm into Marcy's chest, instantly throwing her back into the far wall. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Sasha...!"
Anne stumbled toward Sasha, frightened that her friend might hurt Marcy. She could sense Sasha's newfound overwhelming power, and remembered how much she'd struggled to control it herself the first time she accessed it against Andrias, as if something otherworldly had overtaken her body and mind.
"Sasha, I know the power feels really crazy right now, but remember Marcy..."
Sasha could still feel the rage within, and that urge to destroy... she looked at Marcy, struggling to stand, and could feel all the pain that the Night and its harbinger Andrias had put Marcy through... had put everyone through. She wanted desperately to do terrible violence against anything that stood in her way, and as Anne continued to plead with her, she calmly picked up both her swords from the ground, stalking toward Marcy with fury in her eyes.
"Sasha, don't lose control!" Anne pleaded.
Sasha, holding a sword in each hand, turned toward Anne, and the fury in her eyes subsided. Her lips curved into a smile.
"Anne, I'm in complete control."
Marcy suddenly unleashed a barrage of dark lightning at Sasha, who raised her crossed swords in front of Anne and herself, protecting them both and continuing to walk toward Marcy. Marcy let out a furious scream, intensifying the energy blasts, but Sasha's strength was far too much, and soon, her foe could no longer sustain the lightning attack. She gasped and dropped her arms, before lifting them once more.
"You're... no match... for my power!"
Marcy began to fling objects from around the room at Sasha, who swatted them down with her swords. Then, as she reached Marcy, she lifted up her swords.
"No...!"
As Marcy shrieked in fear, Sasha slammed her swords down... into their sheathes. She then grabbed Marcy by the arms and lifted her up, slamming her hard into the wall.
"MARCY!" shouted Sasha, looking right into her friend's eyes. "I know you're in there, so listen up!"
"It won't work!" Marcy shouted back, struggling against Sasha's grasp. "She's mine! She is my vessel! You won't have her!"
"I know you can hear me, and I know you haven't been fighting this thing as hard as you can!"
Sasha's voice softened slightly, though her grip on her friend's arms remained fierce and strong. Marcy continued to struggle, the Night desperate to extricate its vessel from the powerful girl's grasp.
"I know... I know you feel bad about everything you did! Bringing us to Amphibia, tricking us into gathering the gems... you feel guilty, and that's why you're letting the Night win, because you're hiding behind it so you don't have to face us!"
Marcy blinked, and Sasha could see the recognition in her eyes. The Night was still in charge, but for the first time, Marcy was actively trying to get free, no longer hiding inside herself. Her struggles diminished, as did her shouts of protest.
"But you can't hide behind this... this thing! It's the thing trying to destroy Amphibia, it's the thing trying to destroy our home! It's the reason Andrias attacked us, it's the reason he killed you, so he could bring this evil monster back to life and take over everything! And we can't stop it without your help, so no matter how bad you feel about bringing us here..."
Sasha's voice, for the first time since her transformation, began to break, and the Night, sensing weakness from her for the first time as well, intensified Marcy's struggles.
"YOU WON'T STOP ME!" it shouted, using Marcy's voice as its own. "I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS! I AM ALL POWERFUL!"
"Aaaah...!"
"Sasha, hold on!" Anne screamed. She ran toward her friend, only to stumble and fall to one knee once more.
"Marcy...!" Sasha cried out, strengthening her resolve. Her pink glow intensified, and electricity crackled around her. "Marcy, you have to face what you did, just like I had to! If you feel so bad about what you've done, then help us fix it! Help us fight! Don't let this stupid evil monster possess you! Get it out of you! The Marcy I know would never let some bad guy take over the world... that's not what happens in your stupid games, and it's not going to happen here!"
Tears began to flow from Sasha's eyes again, floating up toward the ceiling with her energy. Marcy screamed and tried to kick her away, but Sasha held tight, looking directly into her eyes.
"You're going to fight that thing and you're going to get free, and we're going to save Amphibia together! You're going to come back to us right now!"
Sasha narrowed her eyes, which glowed a bright pink as Marcy's eyes glowed a solid black.
"End. Of. Discussion."
Marcy suddenly screamed, turning her head toward the sky. Sasha stepped back from her, and Marcy suddenly lunged forward, and her body twisted wildly before she doubled over. She coughed, and then violently spewed a thick black substance from her mouth onto the ground, as black wisps of energy began to lift up around her. She coughed out more of the substance, which also trickled from her eyes and nostrils, and began to convulse before throwing up again.
The black liquid that Marcy expelled from her body began to coalesce nearby, and transformed into an oozy creature that vaguely resembled a human, still crackling with dark energy. The being seemed to look over at Anne, and then Marcy, who was crumbled up on the ground, arms wrapped around her chest. It then looked at Sasha, who was still pulsating with a pink aura.
"Not looking so hot without your vessel, are you?" asked Sasha, who unsheathed both her swords and narrowed her eyes. "Time to purge the Night from this world for good."
Sasha advanced toward the creature, which seemed to have trouble maintaining its corporeal form. It hissed and growled, weighing its options for a moment, before snarling with rage.
"This isn't over!" the creature gurgled, in a guttural, demonic voice. Before Sasha could take another step, the creature lunged through the open window, disappearing over the horizon in a dark puff of smoke. Sasha grunted with disappointment, then caught her breath for a moment.
"Whew..." she breathed, her shoulders slumping with relief. She then let out a sigh, and the power faded from her body. Her hair reverted to its normal length, and she collapsed to the ground, conscious but exhausted. She bowed her head, emotions still overwhelming her mind. I... I did it... I saved Marcy... I saved Anne... I saved myself.
Anne was back on her feet, and looked over at both the spent Sasha and the collapsed Marcy. She immediately ran toward Sasha, who shook her head and gestured toward her other fallen friend.
"Go check on Marcy," Sasha said, waving Anne off. She then looked over at Marcy, who let out a quiet groan as she began to stir and sit up. "I'm just tired..."
"Right, right..." Anne replied, mentally berating herself for going after Sasha first. She'd just been flooded with concern, after everything that she'd seen Sasha go through... torture at the hands of the Night, then transformation... but Sasha was right, Marcy was the more pressing concern. "Marcy...?"
Marcy coughed again, then sat up, her legs tingling. She could tell that the Night's presence was completely eradicated from her body, but her mind was still swirling... all the guilt she'd felt over the past few weeks, and at what the Night had made her do... it was all flooding back, as was the fact that Anne and Sasha had both risked their lives for her, and she'd hurt them so much. She could see them both looking at her now, but she could barely look at them without wanting to cry.
"Anne... Sasha... I... I'm so sorry!" Marcy shouted, her voice breaking with sobs. "I'm sorry for everything... for lying about the Box, for bringing you here... everything you've been through, it was all my fault! I was so selfish, I only thought about myself and how much fun I thought I'd have, even while you two were suffering... you could've been killed... and then... and then all the stuff I did to you after Andrias stabbed me... I... I know you'll never forgive me, and I don't blame you... and I promise, I promise I'll spend every waking moment getting both of you back home... I'm a terrible person and I-"
Before Marcy could speak another word, Anne and Sasha both fell on her, hugging her tighter than they ever had in their lives. Both girls were sobbing, and soon, Marcy was sobbing as well.
"I forgive you, Marcy," sobbed Anne, embracing and nuzzling her friend.
"I forgive you too, Marcy," said Sasha. "And... and you're still my best friend."
"Mine too," Anne said, nodding as she rubbed her face in Marcy's shoulder.
"But... but how?" Marcy stammered, barely able to speak through waves of tears. "How could you both forgive me after everything that I did? How could you still be friends with me?"
"Look... we've got a lot of stuff we need to talk about when we get back to Wartwood," said Anne, looking into Marcy's eyes as she reached up to wipe the tears from her friend's face. "And yeah, bringing us here was really messed up. But you're still a good person, Marcy. You saved Sprig, and you sacrificed your life to try and get us back home."
"And... it's not like I've been the best friend to you guys either," Sasha added, shamefully looking away. "I tried to kill Anne, not to mention all the messed up stuff me and Grime were gonna do after taking over Newtopia. It doesn't make what you did any better, but if you and Anne can forgive me for all that, I can totally forgive you for being desperate not to lose us."
"We thought we'd lost you, Marcy..." sniffled Anne. "And it was the worst feeling in my entire life... even when I was back home with my family, all I could think about was how I'd failed you."
Marcy looked at Anne and Sasha, overwhelmed with gratitude that they could forgive her, and overwhelmed with joy that she was finally free from the Night's possession. She started to speak, but overcome with emotion, she just sobbed into her friends' arms, and let them hold her close. The three friends all cried together, relieved to be reunited, and happy that all of them were safe. They all had scars from their ordeal... physical scars, mental scars... there was still healing to be done, back in Wartwood where Sprig, Polly, Hop Pop, and the rest of their friends were waiting.
But for now, the three girls were reunited, and until Amphibia and all the other worlds were safe, nothing was going to tear them apart.
"I'll get all of us back home," said Marcy, after she'd finally finished crying. "I promise."
"We know," said Anne, nuzzling Marcy's cheek with hers.
"No more sacrifices," said Sasha, a determined look in her eyes. "No more betrayals. We do this together, or not at all."
Anne and Marcy nodded in agreement, and the three girls rose to their feet, a new determination filling all of them as they stood together at the top of the tower.
"Let's go back to Wartwood, together," said Anne, reaching out and taking Sasha and Marcy's hands.
"Will they be happy to see me, after... everything?" asked Marcy, looking worried.
"Hey, after everything I did, they let me lead them," replied Sasha with a laugh. "I'm sure you'll be fine."
The three girls made their way down the tower, talking and laughing together the whole time. For the first time in her entire life, Sasha looked at Anne and Marcy completely unburdened by the sins of her past. For the first time, she felt as if they were truly her friends... and that she deserved to have friends at all.
The power to protect my friends... the power to protect everyone. I never knew I needed it until I almost lost everything.
When Sasha gave up on herself, she realized how much she needed everyone else. Not to control, but to protect, and that's when the power had come to her, even though her connection to the Calamity Box had been severed back in the third temple. She didn't know how, but she didn't question it... and she knew exactly how she was going to use her newfound power.
As Sasha felt Anne's hand grip hers tightly, she looked back over at Anne and Marcy, watching as they smiled and laughed together, and no longer feeling left out or betrayed, but happy that they were safe... and her heart felt warmer than it ever had before.
Anne, Marcy, I promise... I'll always protect you.