Marcy Wu lived a relatively normal home life. Her father was an accountant, and her mother was a secretary. They both worked for the same big company, and they lived decently enough. Her parents were able to afford Marcy's hobbies, always buying her the latest game console and adding to her growing collection of dice, figurines, and D&D books. They were kind to each other, if not a little distant. They also supported Marcy's schoolwork and attended the numerous awards ceremonies she won for her science and robotics clubs.
Truth be told, Marcy didn't see her parents much. They were usually either stuck late at the office, or they were working from home, only leaving their rooms for meals or the occasional coffee break. Dinner and holidays were the only times the family ever seemed to get together and chat. Marcy was used to this routine, and she quickly fell into the habit of spending most of the time in the family's basement, which doubled as her bedroom.
Today was different. Marcy's parents were waiting at the dinner table when she got home from school, greeting her with enthusiasm. Dinner was already laid out for her in a takeaway box, which wasn't that unusual on a school night.
"Hi, Marbles! How was school?" Her mother asked. Marcy tossed her bag to the floor and pulled out her Switch from the front pocket.
"Pretty good." Marcy probably would've paid more attention to the fact that her parents were both home and waiting for her if she hadn't been so engrossed in her new game. She had started playing on the bus and was eager to continue on her widescreen TV downstairs. She scooped up her dinner in one hand and handled her Switch in the other, passing through the kitchen to the stairs. Once she reached the basement, she placed the tray on the coffee table, docked her Switch, and dropped onto the couch, turning up the volume so she could get absorbed in the soundtrack and ambience. She hardly noticed her parents had followed her until her father spoke up.
"Mar-Mar, we have something important to tell you," he said, sounding excited. She paused the game and looked on, finally noticing just how weird her parents were acting.
"What is it?" She asked with an air of suspicion, adjusting herself until she was sitting upright on the couch.
"We're moving to New York!"
The Joycons clattered to the floor, completely forgotten.
"What?" Her parents were smiling, looking as though they didn't just drop some news that would certainly ruin Marcy's life. Her hands quickly clenched into fists.
"I'm not going." Her dad rested a hand on her shoulder, his face melting into a look of sympathy.
"I know it will take some time to adjust, but-"
"I'm not leaving Los Angeles."
"Marcy, honey, you have family there, and they're so excited to see you!" Her mother chimed in. She was prepared to snap at her, but her father continued on without missing a beat.
"Our company is moving its headquarters to New York, and our salary is going to be adjusted accordingly. They're really piling on the benefits, but this really is such a great opportunity for your mom and I!"
"No!" Both of her parents flinched at the intensity of her voice. They were used to her getting loud in online games, but she never yelled at them directly.
"Marcy-" her father began, but his daughter was having none of it. She shot up from the couch, ran past them and barreled up the stairs, tripping several times and scraping her knees in the process.
"I'm not leaving Anne and Sasha! I'm not leaving my only friends!" She was crying now, running through the kitchen as she heard her parents in hot pursuit from the stairs.
"Marcy Wu, you get back here right this instant!" Her father was yelling now, too, something he rarely did. Marcy's foot caught on the dining room table and she tripped, banging her elbow against the table leg. She hissed but kept running until she was at the front door, flinging it open before calling behind her shoulder one last time.
"You're not doing this to me again!"
With that, Marcy ran off into the cloudy afternoon, ignoring the now desperate pleas from her parents as she began sprinting down the street. She swiped tears from her eyes, slowing down as she reached the end of her street. Her hand reached into her pocket, searching for her phone, and thankfully it was there. She pulled it out and flipped through her contacts, her thumb hovering over the number labeled Anne. Marcy turned the corner and passed by her school, heading in the direction of the library. After an internal struggle, she put her phone away, burying her hands in her pockets.
Anne didn't need to know if she didn't plan on leaving, and Marcy wasn't about to let her parents tear them apart like that. She just needed to go to the library to clear her head, like she usually did. Her brain was her most powerful tool, after all. At that moment, she decided she would find a way for them to stay together.
No matter what.
Marcy really had planned to tell them when they got back. She had the music box cradled in her arms, pretending to study it, but mostly staring through it. Thinking about what she wanted to say. The wind breezing through her hair was lulling her halfway into a trance, and she felt her eyelids growing heavy with the weight of her indecision. Exhaustion had struck Marcy from the moment they left the third temple, and she fought the urge to sprawl out on Joe's saddle and fall asleep right there. Whether it was due to the rigorous test of strength, smoke inhalation, or the pressure she felt in finding the right words to address her friends, she couldn't be sure.
"Hey dude. Are you ok?" Anne asked, her elbow nudging Marcy's shoulder. The simple touch brought her back to the present, and she turned to smile at her closest friend.
"Ok? I'm great!" She lied. Marcy almost flinched at how easy lying felt to her lately. Thankfully, Anne didn't seem to notice. "I can't believe we're all back together again, and with the fully-charged music box to boot!" Her friend's hand covered Marcy's own from on top of the music box, flexing in a comforting grip. She sighed and leaned into Anne's touch, truly happy to be reunited with her human friends again.
"Yeah, I'm glad too." Marcy didn't miss the hesitation in Anne's voice, nor the flickering gaze over Marcy's shoulder. From her opposite side, she felt Sasha shift slightly, her arms and legs casually crossed in an attempt to hide her discomfort.
Since their reunion, Anne and Sasha had been putting considerable distance between each other. Marcy wasn't the most observant when it came to social cues, but even she couldn't miss the fact that Anne literally pulled out a weapon against Sasha and oh frog what happened between them? But Marcy had decided that it didn't matter. Whatever it was, they would work it out, like they always did. They were the best of friends, and nothing was going to tear them apart from each other, not even-
"Are we there yet?" Whined Polly, who had been resting comfortably in Anne's lap. Marcy chuckled, clutching the box tighter to her chest as Anne's hand left hers to pat the tadpole's head.
"Almost, little dude," Marcy answered her. "First we need to drop off Sasha and Grime, and then we'll get you home." The pair had been residing in a modified barracks just outside of Wartwood. Sasha had explained a little about her situation with the toads, about how she had the council's blessing and how they were stationed on the outskirts of town to discuss peace negotiations with the locals. What little Marcy knew about the toads she had learned from King Andrias, and he did not think highly of them. She knew they were war criminals, but as far as she was concerned, Sasha was the farthest thing from a tyrant. The blonde seemed happy, and she had made a real friend in Grime, so how bad could the toads really be?
It was Marcy's idea to host a dinner party at the Plantar's. She hoped that it would help Anne and Sasha to work out whatever was going on between them. If they could bring the toads and the frogs together, then they would have no more reason to fight, and all the more reason to want to stay and help their new friends get along. It was the perfect plan, so long as it went well. If Marcy knew her friends, they would be able to put aside their differences and stick together, no matter what. She would make sure of that.
"I'm finally me and it's no big deal."
Marcy banged out the final notes of the song as Anne wrapped up the chorus beside her. They had been practicing all afternoon, and they were both very familiar with the song at this point. Anne had been smiling pretty much nonstop since they started, which made Marcy's heart flutter with delight. Despite Sasha's departure from the group, their sound was coming along nicely. Upstairs, two Newtopian tailors were hard at work on Anne's imaginative costumes for the night's performance.
"So, Anna Banana," Marcy began, tapping lightly on the cymbal as she rested her chin in her hand, her elbow balanced on the snare.
"What's up, Mar-Mar?" She replied, her fingers dancing soundlessly across the guitar strings.
"You gotta tell me about your inspiration!" Marcy leapt up suddenly, tossing herself beside her friend on the bed. "This song is a-maz-ing! How did you come up with all these great lyrics?" Anne flushed at her words, unconsciously strumming a few notes of the chorus.
"Well," she began, meeting Marcy's wide eyes and patient smile. "I don't know. A lot has happened since I came to Amphibia. I've been almost eaten or maimed too many times to count, and I'm so psyched to finally go home, but… I've made a lot of friends here. I've learned a lot, especially about myself. And I think I've had a lot more good experiences than bad ones."
"Bad like what happened between you and Sasha?" Marcy hadn't meant to voice these thoughts aloud, but she was curious. Anne's hand tensed on the strings, playing a sour note.
"Sorry, I just-"
"It's fine." A thoughtful look settled over Anne's face. "I've learned a lot about Sasha, too. And I think we've worked a lot of things out between us. More so than we probably would have at home." Marcy relaxed, offering her friend a sincere smile.
"I'm glad to hear it." Anne nodded.
"Anyway, the song. More than anything else, I wrote it for the Plantars. I wrote it for everyone in Wartwood who helped me learn to be me. I like to think of it as my love letter to Amphibia. My heartfelt goodbye."
Marcy couldn't help but tense up at Anne's words. Goodbye. Their time in Amphibia was growing short, and she didn't like to be reminded of that. But she shook it off, reaching for Anne's hands as they rested on the guitar and clasping them between her own.
"Well, I think it's beautiful, and so, so creative! It really screams how much you're going to miss them," she added helpfully.
"Yeah." Anne's gaze drifted off somewhere behind Marcy, a wistful smile on her face. "But even when we're apart, I'll never forget them."
"Right," Marcy managed, letting go of Anne's hands and leaning back slightly. She pushed her bangs away from her eyes, a confession on the tip of her tongue.
"But hey, if we're taking the box home with us, there's no reason we can't still use it, right?" Whatever Marcy was about to say fell from her throat to her stomach.
"Oh, for sure! Andrias promised to show us how to use the box so we can use it whenever we want!" Anne frowned, and the look she gave Marcy sent bugs crawling through her skin.
"Uh, yeah, about that Marbles, I've been meaning to ask. About Andrias-"
"Lady Marcy!" A voice interrupted Anne's from upstairs.
"Yes?" Marcy called back through the lump in her throat.
"We request your and Lady Anne's presence for further measurements." Marcy leapt up from the bed as though a small fire had started beneath her. Anne actually checked her briefly for burns, since it was not out of the realm of possibility for her to spontaneously combust. Assuring her that she was fine, just had the jitters is all, the two ascended the stairs in a flurry of giggles and excited squeals.
The Battle of the Bands was upon them by the time the costumes were complete. Anne had apparently forgotten what she was going to say, her pre-performance nerves rendering her mostly silent backstage. Marcy was nervous too, for multiple reasons. A few times while she was practicing, the drumsticks slipped from her grip. But she would not allow herself to screw up Anne's time to shine.
Thankfully, their performance began smoothly. They were hitting all the right notes, the crowd was cheering them on, and Anne was clearly enjoying herself. She danced around the stage and smiled wide through her words, and her smile was contagious. Even when they were about to pass the bass drop, Anne was serene, confident, and beautiful.
Marcy cherished the moments she spent with Anne, but the moment Sasha entered stage left, she truly felt complete. They played as if they had been practicing the same song together for years. It felt right. Just the three of them against the world. And Anne looked so happy to be there, singing on about how she finally felt like she belonged.
Marcy hoped this meant that at least she would understand.
Betrayal.
No matter how hard she searched, that was all she could see in Anne's eyes that were now brimming with tears. Marcy pulled her friend's hands to her chest, trying to will her to understand, but Anne tore herself away. Her fearful gaze was bouncing between her and Andrias. Her expression was cold, accusing. As if Marcy knew.
"Please, please understand," she wept, turning to Sasha for help. The blonde's own face was hard, full of a quiet rage that Anne simply didn't possess. Somehow, this scared her less than the hurt swimming in both their eyes. It was too much for Marcy. She collapsed to the ground, her tears falling in fat droplets that made a hollow sound as they splashed against the tile.
Marcy remembered a few things happening after that. Andrias attacked them with his army of droids, and Anne and Sasha flew across the castle, fighting side-by-side. Marcy's betrayal had drawn them closer together, and she felt her heart breaking as she watched them. The battle went by in a blur, her tears making it difficult to aim her crossbow at the enemy. She only regained clarity when she heard Anne scream, looking up just in time to see Andrias dropping Sprig to his imminent death.
For once in her life, Marcy didn't think. She acted. She threw herself out the window after Sprig, her fingers already to her mouth as she signaled Joe Sparrow to the rescue. If she could've, she would've ordered Joe to dive straight for Sprig, leaving her in a freefall. She truly didn't know if they would catch him in time.
But they did. The little pink frog landed safely in Marcy's lap. He hugged her tightly as they made their ascent, thanking her and trying to reassure her that it was fine, she really messed up but she didn't know, she would be fine. They would all be fine.
It wasn't enough. She needed Anne and Sasha to know that she was sorry. She needed them to forgive her.
As soon as Marcy dropped Sprig off, she knew where she needed to be. Sasha and Grime were distracting Andrias, and Polly was carrying the music box as fast as her newly-grown legs would carry her. She grabbed the box, being somewhat knowledgeable on how to use it. She managed to get a portal open, and ushered Anne and the Plantars inside. She knew they didn't have much time, but she began spluttering apologies anyway, hoping Anne would hear her before they were separated like she never wanted.
The next thing she remembered was the pain, and the heat, and the blade.
No, no, no. It couldn't end like this. She needed Anne to know she was sor-
"Marcy!"
A whole lifetime passed between them in those final few moments. Of three girls, chasing each other on the playground. Of Sasha and Marcy cheering Anne on as she slipped the music box in her bag, showed it off to them, opened it. Of their tearful reunion at the gates of Amphibia. Of the look in Anne's eyes when she realized Marcy had betrayed them. All because she didn't know how to say goodbye.
Another apology was forming on her lips as her vision swirled, and all the strength left her in a single breath. Anne and the Plantars disappeared into darkness, the sounds of combat faded from behind her, and with no energy left to fight, Marcy finally let go.
Anne's screams were swallowed up by the portal as she was whisked away, along with the wide-eyed Plantars. The only other sounds in the room were the echo of two heavy objects falling to the floor; one with a clatter, and the other with a solid thud.
It was Sasha who recovered first, the sound of Anne screaming Marcy's name still ringing in her ears. She grimaced as she willed herself to her knees, stars dancing in her vision. Her head had struck the castle wall, hard, and she had momentarily blacked out. The first thing Sasha was able to focus on was King Andrias, his face cast in the sickening orange glow of his sword. Below him lay a familiar figure, sprawled out in an uncomfortable position, a portion of her cape still smoking from the heat of a flame.
Sasha didn't breathe, didn't think, just barely felt her feet moving her across the room. Before she could feel its familiar weight, she had Barrel's Warhammer gripped tightly in both hands. Grime was lying on his back nearby, his hand slowly reaching out towards her. He was grunting with the effort of trying to speak, but the impact had knocked the wind out of him. Sasha wasn't listening, anyway. In moments, she disappeared from his side in a blur of pink.
Andrias knew Sasha was coming as a strangled scream was torn from her throat. He brandished his sword in her direction, but Sasha ignored it. The king changed his position, aiming for her chest. He would realize his mistake too late, as the hammer stayed its course, soaring straight for his face.
A sickening crunch rang out through the hallowed halls, and the massive newt crumpled to the ground, his sword skidding across the tile in a mass of sparks. With her hands free of the massive hammer, Sasha landed a few meters away, landing on her side and rolling painfully to a stop. A silent cry escaped her lips as she clutched her abdomen, the charred remains of her armor still hot to the touch. She felt cold hands lifting her to her feet, and she managed to stand with help from Grime. She turned to him, and he seemed as though he wanted to say something to her, but couldn't. The blonde took a deep breath, slowly pushing herself away from Grime, who didn't stop her. He and Yunan hovered over the unconscious form of Andrias, their expressions equally solemn.
Sasha collapsed onto the marble floor, her knees buckling at the sight of Marcy lying motionless on the tile. Her head was swimming, and it was a miracle she didn't double over and throw up right there. From the corner of her eye, Sasha recognized Lady Olivia, her dress pooling as she kneeled down beside her. She watched as the newt slowly reached out and cradled Marcy's head. There were no words spoken between them, but the tears rolling down Olivia's face said more than enough.
For once, Sasha didn't hold anything back. The choked sob that left her ragged throat was foreign to her ears, but she allowed the tears to flow freely as she leaned heavily onto the newt next to her. Olivia made no protest, her eyes staring blankly ahead as she processed her own grief. She moved stiffly, her hands slowly releasing the clasp of Marcy's armor and sliding it to the floor with a clang. There was a charred hole in the center of the breastplate, and if Sasha didn't know before, she definitely knew now. Rebellion forgotten, Sasha buried her head in her hands and wept.
Andrias was placed in chains and dragged off to the dungeons under the supervision of General Yunan. Sasha carried Marcy in her arms, with Grime and Olivia following closely behind. She had picked up the girl without words, and despite her aching muscles, Marcy felt featherlight, weightless. The ghost of someone she once knew. Olivia drifted ahead, still without words, directing them to the infirmary. She had regained some of her composure, trying to act as though she had any hope left. As she walked on, Marcy's last words to her echoed in her mind.
"I gave you everything."
Amphibia was everything Marcy ever wanted. Adventure, magic, and cartoon peril. Despite being incredibly naive and clumsy, she was right in her element within Newtopia, and she not only survived, but thrived. She was living her dream, but even a fantasy world wasn't complete without her best friends. Sasha and Anne tagging along was the only logical choice. She couldn't leave them. Even if they didn't want to stay in Amphibia, the calamity box would give them the ability to go wherever they pleased, for as long as they pleased, always together, never apart.
In the end, it took everything from her.
Sasha wouldn't forget that.