Chapter 10: Marcy
Many Years Ago
A very young Anne was being led by her mother to a strange building. She mentioned something called "Kindergarten" but Anne really didn't know what to think of it.
When she went inside, she was quickly led to a room, that was filled with other children.
Seeing so many other kids made her… nervous.
"Ok Anne, I am gonna have to leave now… be good, and try to make some friends!" Ms. Boonchuy said as she kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Huh…?" Anne asked.
And with that, her mother left.
And Anne was very clearly upset.
But… she didn't show it.
Her days in pre-school taught her that crying would lead to being called a cry-baby over and over… and she didn't want to go through that again.
So, she found a nice corner away from everyone, and just… went to sit down.
What she wasn't expecting though, was that someone else was already there.
"Oh… hi…" The young girl said shyly.
"H-Hi…" Anne responded.
"Uh… M-m-m-my name's… uh…"
Anne, seeing the poor girl struggle, decided to comfort her.
"Hey, it's ok… I won't hurt you…" Anne said, remembering just what she thought when other kids made fun of her.
"Ok… M-my name's… Mar… Mar…"
"Mar-Mar? That's a nice name!" Anne said with a smile.
"N-no… it's… Mar… cy…"
"Marcy? Well, I like Mar-Mar! So I am gonna call you that! Ok?" Anne asked.
"O-Ok… Uh…"
"Oh! My name's Anne!" Anne said with a smile.
"Hi Anne… uh…"
"Do you wanna be friends?" Anne asked.
Marcy smiled at this.
"Y-yeah… I'd like that."
"Yay! So… what do you want to play?" Anne asked.
The teacher looked over to the two of them, and smiled in relief that they were at least able to make friends with each other.
Realizing that something was behind her, Luz quickly turned around and was ready to blast it with some fire magic.
The… whatever it was, was too quick though, as it grabbed Luz by the neck with it's claw.
At this moment, Anne and Sasha got a good look at their attacker. It was a taller creature, about their height, wearing black armor and a black helmet with horns.
But that wasn't the creepy part. The creepy part was all of the orange eyes on the helmet, and even on it's chest.
Then, it spoke with a creepy, robotic and distorted voice.
"Hello there… Sasha… Anne…" The monster said.
"What is that thing?!" Anne asked, scared out of her mind.
"I don't know, but it has Luz! We need to stop it!" Sasha said, before charging.
It didn't flinch though, and simply held Luz in front of it.
"Sasha, stop!" Anne shouted.
Sasha complied. "Don't use her as a shield you coward!"
"Aww, do you care about this witch that you just met?" The creature asked. "You seem to care more for her than you did when you tried to i̵mp̵r̷i̵s̶o̵n̶ your two best friends!"
Sasha… didn't have a comeback for that.
"How do you know about that?" Anne asked.
It didn't respond, and simply tightened it's grip around Luz's neck.
"AH!"
"Luz!" Anne shouted. "Let her go!"
"As you wish."
It then punched Luz in the gut, before chucking her at the other girls, knocking them all to the ground.
"Luz, are you alright?!" Anne asked.
"Y-yeah… just got the wind knocked out of me." Luz said. "What is that thing?"
"No clue, but it looks like we're going to have to fight it." Sasha said as she pulled out her sword.
"Right." Anne said. "Stay down Luz, we'll take care of this."
"Ok… thanks." Luz said.
"I'll watch after her, you two focus on the enemy." Grime said.
"Thanks Grime." Sasha said.
The two of them began to charge, before swinging their swords at their enemy…
Who easily caught both of them in it's claws.
"Really?"
It then spun them around rapidly before chucking them into a wall.
"I thought you two were su̶p̴p̴o̷s̶e̴dto be good at this."
"Ok, this thing is starting to make me mad." Sasha groaned out. "Think you can use those blue powers?"
"I… I don't know." Anne said. "I don't really… like using them… and I can't do it on command."
"Great, guess we gotta wing it then." Sasha said.
The creature then began to approach them.
"What are you?!" Sasha asked. "Andrias never used a robot or anything that looked like you!"
"… You still haven't figured it out, have you?"
"Huh?"
"Seriously? The fact that I am just as tall as you? The lanky limbs? My S̴P̷E̷C̴IES̵?!"
At this point, Luz figured it out.
"Oh no… please tell me he didn't…"
"What?! What did he do?!" Anne asked, suddenly becoming very scared.
"Guess it makes sense…
I was always the smart one between us three."
That… that made it very obvious, as both the girls finally realized just who they were up against.
As such, they both had the same look on their faces…
One of absolute horror.
"… Marcy…?"
"Well done!" Marcy said as she began clapping. "About time you figured it out!"
"Wh-what did that creep do to you?!" Sasha asked.
"Psh, he saved me is what he did." Marcy said as she began walking forward. "Something you both f̶a̷i̶l̵e̶d̷ to do."
"Marcy, I…" Anne started.
"Save it Anne." Marcy said with a very bitter tone to her voice. "Out of the two of you, you're the w̴o̴r̶s̵t̵."
"M-me?! What did I do?!" Anne asked.
"You just stood there… you watched Andrias impale me!" Marcy said coldly. "Then… you a̶b̶and̶o̶n̵e̴d̶ me. You went back to Earth, and r̵e̶p̶la̷c̷e̴d̶ me almost im̶me̵d̶i̴at̴e̷l̷y̴ ̴!"
She then pointed at Luz. "With that witch!"
"I didn't replace you! Luz came to help us save you!" Anne tried to reason.
"Stop with your lies!" Marcy shouted as she waved her hand to the side, firing a wave of energy at the two of them.
They were able to block it with their swords, but it sent them back a bit.
"Why isn't she listening to me?!" Anne asked.
"I don't know… wait…" Sasha said, before realizing something. "That helmet… it might be messing with her head!"
"What?! What makes you think that?!" Anne asked.
"I mean… you do see it, right?" Sasha asked.
"Yeah Anne… seems kinda obvious." Luz pointed out.
"… Right."
"The Core isn't messing with my head… it opened my eyes!" Marcy declared. "Opened them to how awful you two are!"
"The Core?" Anne asked.
"Now… face me, and prepare for the deaths that you deserve!" Marcy said.
"Anne… I don't like this, but we are going to have to fight her." Sasha said.
"… No."
"Huh?!" Sasha said as she looked at Anne in shock.
"I'm not going to fight her." Anne said as she took a step forward, sheathing her sword.
"Are you crazy?! She's trying to kill us! Our best chance is to knock her out, and try to take that creepy helmet off of her!" Sasha tried to reason.
"No… I won't." Anne said, continuing to walk forward.
"Anne…"
"Sasha!" Luz called over. "Let her go!"
"But…"
"Have faith in her." Luz said.
"… Alright…" Sasha said. "I hope you know what you're doing Anne."
Anne didn't respond, and simply walked forward.
The more she looked at Marcy… that kind, smart, clumsy girl that she grew to love… the more angry she became.
Angry at Andrias for doing this to her.
But more importantly, angry at herself, for letting this happen to her.
Without warning, she began to glow a familiar blue.
"St̵a̶y b̷a̶c̶k̶!" Marcy said before firing more orange energy.
Anne didn't put any effort into dodging or blocking the attack, and just took the attack head on, unflinching.
"I said, s̵ta̶y̴ b̵a̴c̶k̷!" Marcy shouted, before firing balls of energy, one after another.
Anne continued to take the attacks, and just kept walking forward.
"B̶A̵C̵K̴!"
Then, one hit Anne straight in her face. This one caused her to stumble a bit.
But when the smoke cleared, she was still standing. And she continued to walk forward.
"Marcy… I'm so sorry."
Marcy paused for a second, before she continued to attack.
"I'm sorry for abandoning you… I'm sorry for making you feel like I replaced you…" Anne started.
Suddenly, Marcy winced, and backed away a bit, the helmet sparking a bit.
"S-St̷ay awa̵y̴!"
Anne didn't stop, and just continued to walk forward.
"I'm sorry for not doing anything to keep Andrias from hurting you…" Anne said.
A couple of steps later, she was standing right in front of Marcy.
"And finally… Most importantly…
I'm sorry for not doing this sooner."
Without warning, Anne grabbed Marcy by the shoulders…
And pulled her in for a kiss.
The rest of the group, was caught off guard by this.
"Well then… didn't expect that." Grime commented.
"As happy as I am that you finally did that Anne, what was that supposed to do?!" Sasha asked.
Without warning though, Marcy shoved Anne away, before clutching her head.
"Duh, haven't you seen any movies?!" Luz asked. "A kiss from her one true love to break the curse!"
Marcy then fell to her knees, continuing to clutch her head.
"Come on Marcy! Fight it!"
"N-No!" A new voice said, seemingly from Marcy's helmet. "You will not get rid of me!"
"Â̵͕͜A̷̡̺̐̾Ả̶͇́Á̷̲AA̴̩̚͝A̶̮͈͆H̵͕͒ͅH̵͇̹̾HH̴͎͉̃Ĥ̴̦͇Ḧ̶͖́H̶̢̐̌H̶̰͒H̶̡̲̑H̵̡̫́H̵̗̪͝!" Marcy screamed.
"Marcy!"
At this point, Marcy began trying to pull the helmet off of her head, and Anne was able to see her eyes.
One of them was normal… the other, was just like on the helmet.
"Ỉ̷̢̫̆ ̺W̵̘̿I͙L̴͇̄̄L̶͚̦̔ K̴͚̘͛I̶͎̔͠LL̴̨̍̕ ̷͕̐̎Y̶͛͠ͅO̵̜̅U̴̬̒!" A mix of Marcy's and the helmet's voice shouted.
"Come on Mar Mar! Fight it!" Sasha shouted.
"You can do it Marcy!" Luz shouted.
"Uh… yeah! Go human! Tear that helmet off your head!" Grime said.
"G̷̻͇̕ET̷̫̮͝…̵̯͓̏ O̷̢͐͛Ǘ̵͍̫Ţ̵̬̈́̓…̴̤̂ O̷̩̊F… MY… HEAD!" Marcy screamed as she tore the helmet off, leaving a myriad of cuts on her face, most likely from the helmet trying to stay on her.
She then tossed it to the side, before collapsing to the ground.
"Marcy!" Anne shouted before rushing over to her.
Before she got there though, the rest of the armor detached from Marcy, leaving the girl on the ground, wearing a grey body suit.
When Anne got there, she quickly pulled Marcy into her arms.
"A-Anne…"
"Marcy! Thank goodness you're alright!" Anne said.
"It… hurts…"
"Marcy?"
When Anne pulled away, she was horrified.
Blood… lots of blood… all seeping through the bodysuit from the chest area.
"Marcy! No! NONONONO!"
She was still very injured from Andrias impaling her.
"That… thing… it was the only reason I was alive for this long." Marcy explained. "I'm so sorry… Anne… for everything…"
"Don't talk! We… we'll get you help and…"
"Anne… it's too late…"
"Please! Don't give up on me!" Anne said. "I just got you back! I am not losing you again!"
"Heh… sorry Anne… but I can't say that I'll make it through it this time…" Marcy moaned out.
"Marcy…"
"Anne!" Luz suddenly shouted as she sprinted over.
"I-I don't know what to do!" Anne shouted. "Please! Help her!"
"Don't worry." Luz said as she pulled her bag off her back. "I came prepared for this."
After digging through the bag for a bit, she pulled out a potion.
"This is the strongest healing potion… like, ever." Luz said. "If anything can save her, it's this."
Anne quickly took the potion.
"Ok Marcy, here you go…" Anne said before putting the bottle to Marcy's lips.
Only for some of it to spill out the side.
"Sh-she's not drinking it!" Anne panicked.
"Oh no… I don't know what to do about that!" Luz said.
Then, Anne got an idea.
She took the potion, and took a big sip of it, making sure to keep it stored in her mouth.
Then, she pulled Marcy in for another kiss.
Luz then watched as her cheeks deflated, signifying that she was forcing the potion into Marcy's mouth.
Then, Marcy began to glow.
The three girls and toad watched, as all the visible cuts and scrapes on Marcy's body began to disappear.
Then, her breathing calmed down, as she slumped into Anne's arms.
Quickly checking her pulse, Anne was relieved that she was just asleep.
"Thank goodness…"
"Remind me to thank Hunter when I see him again." Luz said. "That potion worked just as well as he said."
"Thanks Luz… really." Anne said. "Especially since she tried to kill you just now."
"Hey, it's fine." Luz said. "She wasn't really in control."
"No she wasn't… and she won't be having that control for long."
The girls all looked up to see Andrias looking down upon them.
"Andrias!" Anne shouted as she got in between him and Marcy.
"Gotta admit it kid, that was sweet." Andrias said.
"It's over Andrias!" Sasha shouted, "We freed Marcy from that… thing, and the box has been destroyed! Your plan failed, and you are trapped here in Amphibia!"
Andrias didn't seem phased by this…
In fact, he started laughing.
"You really seem to think that destroying the box has ruined all my plans." Andrias pointed out.
"Uh… yeah! Doesn't it?" Luz asked.
"Oh on the contrary young witch." Andrias said. "All you did is slow me down. The box itself is simply just a conduit for the gems power, it can easily be replaced. The gems themselves however, I am going to need those back."
Anne drew her sword, ready for a fight.
"Over my cold, dead, body!"
"That could be arranged!" Andrias said as he snapped his fingers.
At that moment, a swarm of robots landed around the group, completely surrounding them.
"… Uh oh…"
"Did you really think that I didn't have a plan for replenishing my army without the box?" Andrias asked.
"Kinda, yeah." Luz said.
"Well… a fatal mistake."
All the robots pointed their laser blasters at the group, ready to terminate all of them.
But at that moment, a group of smoke bombs were set off, causing the entire area to be engulfed in a cloud of smoke.
"This way!" They heard a voice call for them.
Looking over, they saw a cloaked figure waving over to them from a manhole.
Anne acted quickly, and scooped Marcy into her arms, before running over and jumping inside, managing to avoid all laser fire.
Before long, they were all under ground.
"It won't be long before they realize where we went, let's hurry!" The hooded figure said before running.
After following for a while, the group reached a dead end.
"Oh great! Now what?!" Sasha asked.
"Now…"
They kicked the wall, causing it to crumble and reveal a hidden path.
"Follow me!"
"Are you going to set us free?" Luz asked.
"Yes, just trust me and we will escape from the city!"
The group went through the hole, before the hooded figure managed to put up the wall rather quickly.
"Ok, we should be safe now."
"Thanks… uh… who are you?" Luz asked.
"Who am I? WHO AM I?!"
The other two humans suddenly became painfully aware of who their rescuer was.
"Oh no… here we go…"
"I!" They then removed the hood to reveal…
"Am General Yunan! Scourge of the Sand Wars, Defeater of Ragnar the Wretched, and the youngest newt to ever achieve the rank of general in the… formerly… great Newtopian Army!" Yunan declared while doing dramatic poses along the way.
While Anne, Sasha and Grime were all annoyed by this, Luz was happily clapping.
"Wow! That's impressive!" Luz said.
"Thank you, thank you." Yunan said with a bow. "So uh… who are you?"
"Me? I am…" Luz said before getting up on top of a rock. "The good witch Luz! Warrior of peace, defeater of the formerly Emperor Belos and uniter of the human realm and the demon realm!"
Yunan began clapping. "Impressive human!"
"Oh great… now there's two of them." Sasha groaned out.
"Good to see you're safe." Anne said.
"Likewise. Now come on, I'll take you where you can rest for the night."
Yunan then began leading them away, until they reached a familiar area… at least, to Anne it was.
"Whoa… this… brings back memories." Anne said as she looked around.
"Yes, this is where you and Marcy drove away the barbariants." Yunan confirmed.
The group then made their way out of the ant tunnels, and into the nearby forest, where a small shack was hidden away.
Upon entering, they saw Olivia sitting there.
"Good work Yunan." Olivia said.
Yunan just looked smug.
"So uh… got a good place to put her?" Anne asked, gesturing to Marcy.
"Oh my… yes of course!" Olivia said as she led Anne to a bed, so she could let her down.
"Ok… Marcy is saved… and… rest…ing…" Anne mumbled out before she began to sway back and forth.
"Anne!" Sasha shouted before rushing over to catch Anne as she fell.
"Is she alright?!" Luz asked.
"Yeah, she's just passed out." Sasha said. "Got another bed?"
"Just the one I'm afraid." Olivia said. "Yunan was going to sleep on the roof."
"Better spot to keep a lookout for our enemies!" Yunan declared.
"Right… guess they won't mind sharing a bed." Sasha said as she placed Anne next to Marcy.
She then walked over to a nearby chair and nearly collapsed into it.
"Are you alright Sasha?" Grime asked.
"Oh yeah… just… relieved." Sasha said with a deep breath. "Marcy is safe… Anne is safe… we're all safe."
"Yeah… all that's left is to beat Andrias and go home!" Luz said before coughing a bit.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah… just… girl had a strong grip." Luz pointed out.
"Whatever that thing was, it was giving her power, a lot of it." Sasha pointed out. "Hopefully we don't have to deal with it again."
"I agree."
"Alright, it is time for us to exchange intel." Yunan said. "We need to devise a plan of attack!"
"Right, of course!"
A couple of hours later, they were all resting… until.
"Mmmm… huh?"
"Marcy!" Sasha said in surprise as the girl opened her eyes.
"S-Sash…? Where am I?" Marcy asked as she looked at her friend.
"A place where we can rest." Sasha explained. "Are you alright? You were in really rough shape back there."
"Y-yeah… I think so…" Marcy said as she sat up. "H-how am I alive?! I thought I was a goner for sure!"
"Luz here saved you." Sasha said, gesturing to the witch.
"Hey there!"
"O-oh… you…" Marcy said as she pulled her knees into her chest. "U-um…"
"Don't bother, I already forgave you." Luz said.
"Wh-what?"
"I figured you were feeling guilty for hurting me, but don't worry about it." Luz said as she walked over and put her hand on Marcy's shoulder. "You weren't in control… I'm just happy that you're alright."
"Still…" Marcy said. "I just… I saw that you became friends with Anne, and they… they made me feel like she abandoned me… no, they didn't make me feel that way… I really did. The Core might of been controlling me… but deep down… I really did want to do that…"
Then, she began to cry.
"And that… that terrifies me!"
Luz quickly pulled Marcy in for a hug.
"It's alright… we'll help you through this."
"*sniff* Thanks Luz… you really are a good person." Marcy said.
"And if Anne said was right, so are you!" Luz said with a smile.
Marcy then came to a realization.
"Wait… where is Anne?" She asked.
Luz didn't respond verbally, and simply pointed behind Marcy.
When Marcy's eyes landed on Anne, she just sat there for a minute…
Before leaping out of the bed, and landing on the floor, her face a bright red.
"Wh-Why was she in bed with me?!" Marcy asked.
"She passed out right after putting you down, and there's only one bed." Sasha explained. "Those powers of hers apparently take a whole lot out of her."
"O-oh…" Marcy said before getting up and walking over.
It was at this moment that she noticed just how injured Anne was.
"I… I did all of that to her?" Marcy asked. "I… I hurt her so much…"
"Marcy, that wasn't your fault…" Sasha said.
"Yes it was! I already told you… I wanted to do those things! I wanted to hurt her!" Marcy said.
"No you didn't! They just made you think you did." Sasha said. "I know you… you would never want to hurt anyone, especially Anne!"
"But I still did! You can't tell me that Anne being hurt is not my fault!"
"Marcy…"
"I… I should leave." Marcy said as she took a step towards the door.
"Marcy! Wait! Where are you going?!" Sasha asked.
"… Somewhere you'll be safe."
And so, she began to leave…
Before a hand grabbed her wrist.
Looking back, Marcy saw Anne staring desperately at her.
"Please don't leave…"
And just like that, all the resolve Marcy had to leave just flew out the window.
"We'll… give you two some time alone." Sasha said as she and Luz went outside.
"… Anne…"
"So uh… I'm still really tired… think you can come here?" Anne asked.
Marcy complied, only to be wrapped in a bone crushing hug.
"Thank goodness you're ok!" Anne cried out.
"Anne… I am so… so sorry…" Marcy said as she returned the embrace.
"It's alright… I already forgave you." Anne said.
"How?!" Marcy asked in shock. "After everything I did to you, how could you possibly forgive me?!"
"That thing that was controlling your mind… that was what hurt me, not you." Anne said. "I don't care what you say, that's the truth."
Marcy didn't respond, and just hugged Anne tighter.
"Thank you…"
"No problem Marcemallow."
And the two of the just sat there, enjoying the embrace…
For about five seconds.
Then they started sobbing again.
"I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOOOOHOHOHOU!" Anne sobbed out.
"I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU TOOOOOOHOHOHOO!" Marcy responded.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Uh… are you two alright in here or do you need more time?" Sasha asked as she opened the door.
One look at them gave her the answer she needed.
"…"
And she closed the door.
"So… I have something of yours." Anne said as she reached into her pocket.
Then, she pulled out Marcy's bracelet.
"You… you held onto it?" Marcy asked.
"This bracelet… is the symbol of my loyalty to you." Anne explained. "Nothing will change that… nothing at all."
Anne then grabbed Marcy's hand and put the bracelet on her wrist, where it belonged.
"Anne… thank you…" Marcy said, more tears threatening fall.
"… I love you Marcy…" Anne declared.
Marcy smiled.
"I love you too."
Anne smiled back. "Come here."
Anne then pulled Marcy in for a kiss…
…
…
…
"Ok, you guys are quiet so I am gonna guess you're good now!" Sasha said as she opened the door.
Only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of her friends kissing in bed.
"…"
The three girls just stared at each other, unsure what to say.
And Sasha closed the door one more time.
End of Chapter 10
Gotta end in comedic fashion!
Fun fact: This story at first was actually going to be it's own thing. One Small Change was something I began to write a couple of days after writing this chapter. That means that the kiss at the end was Sasha's first indication that Anne and Marcy were together! Also, yeah, just like in One Small Change, Sasha was always planned to have already known about Anne and Marcy's crushes on each other.
Speaking of that, the reason that Anne thinks to give Marcy the kiss to try and break the mind control is because of her conversation with Sasha at the beginning of the last chapter, which is when she would of revealed that she knew of Anne's and Marcy's crushes.
The Marcy encounter was something I had set in stone for a while. Mainly, how Anne manages to get through to her. I actually had an idea for another story for another franchise that I wanted to write, but I eventually decided to not write that story. However, this scene was a part of it, and I liked it a lot. So, I decided to put it here instead. You might of noticed that Marcy's distorted text started tame, but got more common and crazier as the fight went on, until she finally regained control, and it just stopped.
… This is assuming that the distorted text that I tried to include actually worked on this site… I really hope it did, it adds a lot to the encounter I feel.
Now, as for the fight with "Darcy." I tried to make it obvious, but the controlling of Marcy using The Core is a lot more rushed here as opposed to canon. As such, she had not fully recovered from being impaled, and The Core's control over her wasn't yet complete. Thus, Marcy still had some control, but they manipulated her mind to make her feel like she had to fight Anne. The kiss is what made it clear to her that things were NOT as they made it seem, and thus, is when she broke free.
As for the whole part at the beginning, with Marcy and Anne's first meeting, it actually was a really late addition. I added it because, honestly, I really do think we are going to see how the two of them met during the big confrontation with Darcy in the show. We already know how they met Sasha, so this is something I also REALLY want to see! So, I included my own version of it.
Now then for some news: The first one shot is done, and I will be posting it tonight! It was something cute that I thought of, that's all. It is not based off any episodes or extended media like some of the other one-shots, so it is completely original! It should go up at about… 8-9 pm EST if you want to check back then. Reminder: the one-shots will be in their own story.
So yeah! See you tonight!