1. Making hard decisions

She was scared. She was actually scared! Sasha grabbed Anne's hand tighter. They nearly had fallen! Had those damn frogs Anne cared so much about not caught her, both of them would be falling to their deaths now! Why were they doing that? Anne and her were humans, and from another dimension! Sure, Sasha had managed to gain the respect of the toads, especially Grime, but there had never been any illusion that she was one of them. It had been a simply deal – they would help her find Anne and Marcy and eventually a way home, and she would follow Grime's orders until then. Easy. But that clearly wasn't the case with Anne and these frogs.

The anger and the fear inside of her began to slowly vanish as she watched the young pink jerk, the old orange frog and the purple polliwog trying to haul the two humans back onto the collapsing tower. She could tell immediately that it wouldn't work – they were barely able to stabilize them, but soon her and Anne would become too heavy for them. So why were they even trying? All the others had already fled. Could it be … true? Could it really be that they cared about Anne? Had Anne really found people in this hellish world that liked her?

"Hey, hey! Look at me, look at me!" She looked away from the frogs into Anne's face. She could see that Anne was scared like her … and yet the young Thai girl was faking a smile for her. Why, a part of her that wasn't busy being afraid right now asked. Had Anne and her not just fought? With real swords? Wasn't their friendship over. A feeling of dread erupted in her gut, mixing with the fear, making her feel even worse. Why, Anne? "Everything is going to be totally fine! Just. Hang. On!"

The frogs were saying something, but it wasn't important. It was clear as day that Anne's assertion wasn't true. Nothing would be fine. They would fall, both of them. And they would die. Anne and her … would die. That wasn't fair! She had come here to HELP Anne, to SAVE her, like always! Why had things turned out like this? For a short moment anger was boiling up inside of her, driving back the fear of death and giving her a moment to think clearly. She saw the stone which the frogs were standing on crack. They didn't even have a minute anymore for any toad to come back and help the frogs haul them up, not that she thought that would have been likely anyway. Maybe not even ten seconds. That thought suddenly banished all the fear inside of her. She became calm. She realized that there was only one more thing to do.

She looked up again, seeing Anne's face distorted by exertion and pain. Sadness crept in Sasha's heart. All she had wanted was saving her friends. Like she had always protected them at home. And now, for the last time … she would fulfill her self-imposed duty as Anne's protector. She was aware that what she was about to do would scar her friend for life … but the only alternative was for Anne to die. Forgive me!

"Hey Anne?" she asked softly, tears of regret filling her eyes. Anne opened her eyes. They were desperate. Anne knew as well as her that she and the frogs could not save her … and still she did not want to let go. Anne had changed. And Sasha would not live to see how much. "Maybe you're better off without me." After one last moment she let go.

The fall wasn't very long. The last thing Sasha saw before she closed her eyes was Anne's face morphing into a grimace of terror, and the helpless scream of her friend accompanied her to the ground. She could hear something moving past her, something leathery reaching out for her, but slipping off her skin and then a sound of metal against rock. But she didn't have time to open her eyes again before she hit the ground. Sasha Waybright died instantly.

Or so she had thought. Sasha opened her eyes. What she saw was wondrous. A magnificent night sky full of shooting stars. Wasn't she … dead? Did this mean that she was in heaven? She sat up and looked around. If this was heaven, then it was very different from all the depictions in television, with clouds and big gates and angels and stuff. Nothing of that in sight, just a few floating rocks with towers, some weapons and a small castle structure on the rock she was lying on. Also a few training dolls, for some reason pom-poms and – wait a second, was this her sword on the rock over there, next to another shiny sword? She looked on the sheath on her waist. Empty. Damn. Not that she could reach the sword, the rock was too far away. She stood up and walked towards the small castle wing on her rock. And her eyes widened.

That was HER wing, the room Grime had given to her as his Lieutenant … and it was not. It was smaller, for once, and some furniture was different. Her couch was from earth, not the big yellow one Grime had somehow acquired in Amphibia. The posters were a mixture of her posters in Amphibia and back at home. The picture wasn't showing a heron, but the photo of her, Anne and Marcy she had carried with her for a long time. Some of the statues didn't show her, but Marcy and Anne … and all of them with sad expressions. The desk hadn't changed … unless you counted the computer on it, showing a chat request. She walked closer and sat down.

"3_Stones_Diety, huh?" she muttered, accepting the chat. Probably the fastest way to get some answers here.

"Hello Sasha 0.o"

Sasha raised an eyebrow. Then she typed: "Who are you? Where am I? What is happening to me?"

"I am the cosmic guardian who has watched over countless worlds for countless eons :)"

"Suuuuure, buddy," Sasha commented, typing: "If you're such a big dude, why are you using such an old computer?"

"Old? Are you human teens using something else these days?"

Sasha just snorted. She typed: "You bet! This thing must have been built before I was born."

"That so? Then perhaps we should try a different form ..."

Suddenly the computer began to glow and Sasha's hand moved to her sheath, only then remembering that she didn't have any weapon. And when the light vanished … she blinked. Was this the dog her father had bought just a few months ago, the St. Bernard named Sarge? She had wondered if her dad had given the dog a name that sounded so similar to her's on purpose, but she hadn't asked him yet. But WHY was this dog wearing Percy's duncecap?

"Is this better?" she suddenly heard a voice in her head.

"Uhm … sure, yeah," she answered, petting the dog's fur on a whim. "What about the hat?"

"Didn't you like this headpiece?" the … Guardian asked. "I thought you complimented the toad named Percy on choosing it?"

"Ehhhh, sure … but it looks kinda weird on a dog," Sasha explained, letting go of the fur, suddenly realizing that she knew nothing about this creature.

"Ah." The duncecap vanished and the … dog panted. "Wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

That reminded Sasha. "Yeah, about that … am I dead?"

"Yes … and no. I made a copy of you just before Grime tried to catch you while falling – a backup if you will. For all intents and purposes you are the same Sasha Waybright."

THAT floored her! "The hell? I'm gonna need some serious therapy once I get home … wait, you couldn't by any chance …?"

"Nope," the dog declined, turning its head away from her. "I'm just a watcher – a viewer. Not in the transport business."

"A-ha. And you look like my dad's dog because …?"

"... my true form would make your human brain explode."

"Now hold on," Sasha replied, a familiar cocky grin returning to her face. "I've face some serious danger since ..."

Sasha's eyes widened and she began to scream. The Guardian's true form was … a somehow sentient mass of energy, constantly shifting, wavering and telling her brain TO SHUT DOWN BEFORE …

The dog barked, amused, jumped to the floor and sat, looking at her expectantly. "Now to business! Sasha Waybright, I've brought you to this place because I want to offer you a job."

Sasha blinked. "Eh?"

"To keep a near infinite story short, I've been doing this job for a VERY long time. It is not a job just anyone can do – looking after countless worlds, making the hard decisions to let some of them die or be destroyed by its inhabitants so that the freed life energy can be moved elsewhere, resulting in new lifeforms to gain a chance to prosper … it requires a strong, disciplined personality to stay sane and keep the order in the multiverse intact. So I was hoping you'd be my replacement."

"Wait … ME?" If Sasha had been floored before, she now went down another floor.

"Yes, you." Suddenly the dog was behind her. Sasha turned around, surprised. Was this Guardian playing with her? "You have a power inside of you … a power you haven't learned to control yet. In time you will grow into it … and then you would be able to prove that you are a worthy ruler and protector of countless lives."

That was … BIG. If not for the fact that she could feel the stone beneath her feet and that she had felt the fur of this creature with her own hands she would have assumed that this was a near-death experience or hallucination. SHE should have dominion over billions of lives? A 13-year-old girl? Okay, she WAS quite good at managing the cheerleading squad in school, and she HAD successfully protected Marcy and Anne from some bullies … oh Frog!

"Anne!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering the other girl's shocked face and outstretched arm. Bitterness and regret fought in her heart, with regret and concern winning this time. "Where is she? Is she alright?"

"The girl you fought with?" the Guardian inquired. "She is … alive. See for yourself." Suddenly a picture appeared in front of her. It was Toad Tower. Anne was kneeling on the same overhang that had caused Sasha's death. She was simply staring into the abyss … was this the moment just after Sasha's fall? Probably. The pink frog jerk was talking to Anne, but she didn't hear any words. And then the girl … started crying. The old frog and the polliwog came closer too and they hugged her. Sasha's gaze was focused on Anne's tears. Was Anne crying … for her? Maybe the duel they had fought – why, Anne? – hadn't destroyed everything … maybe Anne WAS heartbroken that Sasha had protected her one last time, that all the fun they had once had was now in the past? Had Anne still … cared? Melancholy rose inside of her, but then her gaze fell on the frogs. She scowled. Why had Anne fought for them? She and Sasha had been friends since childhood, and she had known THEM for just a few months – why were they so important? She didn't understand. Did they mean more to Anne than her? She bit on her lip as bitterness fought back against regret. The picture vanished.

"So … what do you say?" The Guardian interrupted her thoughts. "Do you think you are ready?"

Was she? Well, she WAS a successful person, not one of these slackers in school. Heck, even Anne had been a slacker – always needing motivation from her to do anything resembling fun. And Marcy, well … that girl was smart, but INCREDIBLY absentminded. Without her or Anne leading her to safety constantly she'd probably have spent most of her life in the hospital. She DID know how to take care of a group, at least a WAY smaller one than the billions the Guardian was talking about … and yet …

Sasha lowered her head. This was too big to not be brutally honest with herself. And fact was that … there had been something wrong in their little friend group for quite some time. Flashes of Marcy's smile, looking factitious sometimes, and of Anne's face, often sad or stressed when she thought they were not looking at her … she couldn't pinpoint what exactly was going on, but there had been a gloomy atmosphere around those two lately. Sasha had tried to compensate with thinking up more outrageous activities for them, like stealing this damn box, but it hadn't worked, Anne had stayed silently sad and Marcy … she couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was hiding something important from them. This was not how close friends should act around each other … and was someone who couldn't solve the problems even in a little, if important group really cut out to become a god? At least at this moment?

"I'm … not sure if I'm ready," she admitted. It felt strange for someone as confident as she was to utter these words, but it was the truth. "Do I at least have a choice?

"Well, OF COURSE you do!" the Guardian confirmed and panted. "I'm not a jerk!"

"Well then … sorry dude, but I can't." Which was funny. Sasha HAD considered herself the queen of her school more than once, or at least a duchess, but now that she was offered ultimate power, she was declining. Sure, it was obvious that she had it in her to be a great ruler, but again Anne's crying face flashed through her mind. Perhaps not good enough … yet.

"What? Not fair!" the Guardian moaned, lowering his head like a dog having been told he was a bad dog. That … was funny. "I haven't even told you about all the things you'll be able to do!"

"Yeah … I'm sure what you're offering is awesome, but no offense … I'm just a 13-year-old girl. Sure, I'm good with people, but I'm still figuring out my own life, you know, my parents' divorce, Anne and Marcy acting strange, how to get these moron cheerleaders to work harder …" Sasha sighed. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm tempted – I mean, who wouldn't? But I have no clue how the world even works, let alone a whole multiverse? You'd need to call someone smart like Marcy for that."

"Nooo!" The dog rolled on his back. Was the Guardian of the Multiverse … trying to look cute? Sasha couldn't help but smirk. "Don't do this to me, kid! You're the only one with the necessary mixture of leadership and protectiveness! You're perfect!"

"Heh! Damn straight," Sasha confirmed smugly. Then she got serious again and sat down. "But … I'm still learning. I mean, how many rulers are known for being young and immediately do all the right things? Most of them have years to prepare for their role, and what you're offering me isn't a kingdom, but a whole frickin' multiverse! I'm just saying, I'm flattered … but I need to figure some things out first before I can be the perfect choice." She closed her eyes and remembered her and Anne fighting. Anne had never outright disobeyed her before. All Sasha had wanted was to protect her get them back to their world … but the decision she had made to end the life of that pink menace, like the ones the Guardian had told her about with snuffing out life in one place to safeguard others, had turned Anne against her. As long as she couldn't understand even that, she couldn't be in charge of basically everything, she was realistic enough to know that.

The Guardian dog crooked his head. "So you're saying … you first need to continue to improve before you are given unlimited power? That is a very responsible thing to say!"

Sasha grinned and boxed against her chest. "Yep, responsible, that's me. I mean, have you seen how well I've taken care of Anne and Marcy for all those years?" Even if I have to figure out a thing or two still …

"And it's true, the king of Amphibia is much, much older than you … and in my opinion he knows very little about what a good leader looks like." The Guardian sat up again and shook his head. "Knowing that there's still room for improvement is one of the things that makes YOU more worthy than him."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. So the king of Amphibia wasn't fit to rule, eh? Good to know … well, at least it would have been good to know if she hadn't been dead. She and Grime could have gotten rid of him to give her a chance to learn more about ruling responsibly. And yeah … for all her self-confidence, she would NEED training for this Guardian task. Maybe such a task would also persuade Anne and Marcy, wherever she was, to fall in line again – Sasha WAS fit to rule, she knew it, but things were always easier with Marcy's brain and Anne's loyalty backing her up. Together it just would be nicer, it always was … IF Anne could be persuaded. She scowled when she thought of Anne's frog friends. Perhaps not as long as these pests were still around her …

"Yeah, well, that doesn't do me any good, does it?" she concluded, leaning back. A sting of sadness pierced her heart. Yes, she would have loved to see Anne's and Marcy's proud faces after she showed them how much better Amphibia would become under her rule … but that wouldn't happen now. She wouldn't see them ever again. Unless she could sweet-talk this all-powerful entity to send her back? "I'm dead. I can't become any better now. I guess you'll have to look for someone else to replace you, sorry."

The Guardian dog grinned. "About that ..."

Sasha yelped as an energy vortex opened up beneath her, with her floating above a seemingly endless tunnel of light. "Wah! What the hell?" she shouted while trying to balance herself with her arms. "I thought you'd send me back so I could improve!"

"I AM sending you back," she heard the voice of the Guardian … but he didn't look like her dad's dog anymore. When she raised her head she saw a huge wolf … kinda like this god-wolf Marcy had shown her in this norse-legends-related game that had been "the best game ever made" for a few months. The creature radiated strength and power, but also knowledge, wisdom and above all age – she hadn't been certain before if this thing was really an immortal being. Now she was. "You have the talent and willpower which a true Guardian needs … but you have also shown that you are able to see your own shortcomings and are willing to better yourself, which is worth infinitely more. If you are already this promising at the age of 13 … imagine how great a protector you will be after a life fully lived!"

Before she could say anything else, she started to fall into the vortex. She screamed. Screw dignity, falling was NOT something she enjoyed!

"Go," the Guardian commanded her. "Live your life! I've waited thousands of years to retire … what's 74 years more?"

That shook her out of her panic. "Wait … 74 years? Does that mean that's when I'll …?" And then … everything went white and she lost consciousness.

This time, thanks to the Guardian's meddling, her original body vanished while the copy of her body immediately appeared just a bit closer to Grime's outstretched hand, resulting in him managing to catch her before she could hit the ground. This time she lived on to learn more about life, of its beauty and its hardships. Until her final destiny would finally catch up with her. And the Guardian would watch all of it with great interest.

"You are wrong about one thing, mortal," he mused. "You don't need to learn much about ruling … but you do need to learn about the true nature of strength." Pictures about a possible future popped up … about Sasha leading a rebellion, risking her own life to save the frogs she despised to much right now, Sasha and Anne shaking hands in an agreement to share rulership, Sasha fighting against Darcy and pushing herself to her very limits to not kill, but free her friend from the Core, even at the risk of her own life. "I wonder how long it will take for you to realize that ..."

Does this alternate continuity work? What do you think?