Chapter 3: Wingfrog Sprig

This chapter takes place during Anne and The Plantars first visit to Newtopia

When Sprig first met Marcy, he didn't quite know what to think of her…

Ok, that's a lie, he was incredibly suspicious of her. He decided to give her a chance cause not only was she one of Anne's best human friends, but, as she recently revealed to to him, her crush.

As such, when his suspicions were finally cleared, he was very quick to ask Anne to re-confirm her crush on Marcy… at least, he was going to, but he remembered that he promised to keep quiet about it just in the nick of time, and kept his mouth shut until he was alone with her.

"So Anne… that's your crush, huh?" Sprig asked as the two of them sat on the roof of the Fwagon, staring at the stars.

Anne immediately turned red at the question.

"Oh! Uh… yeah." Anne confirmed.

"Wow, you must really be happy to see her again, huh?" Sprig asked.

"More than you will ever know." Anne said with a smile.

"So… why don't you ask her out?" Sprig asked.

Anne just sighed.

"Cause I don't even know if she likes girls like that." Anne explained. "Plus, if she didn't like me like that, then that would just make things awkward between us."

Sprig… just sighed.

"Yeah, I guess that is a good reason to be scared of asking her…" Sprig said.

Suddenly though, he got an idea.

"What if I found out for you?" Sprig asked.

"Uh… I'm sorry?" Anne asked.

"What if I found out if she liked you or not? Would that make things easier for you?" Sprig asked.

Anne… looked unsure.

"I mean… yeah, I guess but… I dunno dude. Would you really be able to get that out of her?" Anne asked.

"Of course! It'll be easy!" Sprig said.

"WITHOUT, letting her know that I like her?" Anne asked.

"I promise, Marcy will not know about your crush on her!" Sprig said.

"… Alright." Anne said. "I'm putting a lot of trust in you dude… don't betray it."

"I won't!"

The next day, Marcy had taken the group to a place where they serve, in her own words, "The Best Beatle Burger in town!"

Sprig had to admit, she was right. The Beatle Burgers they served there were pretty incredible.

That being said, their day quickly turned into a Scavenger Hunt, as Marcy was sent a "Puzzlegram" by the King himself! So, Sprig and Anne were now accompanying Marcy around Newtopia, trying to figure out the puzzles…

While Sprig was worried about what Anne told him after they left, about her being jealous of Marcy's smarts, he decided that getting the information she wanted out of her 'friend' would be the best way to cheer her up!

So, when Anne went off on her own to try and figure out the second puzzle, Sprig decided to take action.

… To limited success.

"So Marcy, you must be really happy to be reunited with Anne, right?" Sprig asked.

"Oh yeah! Absolutely!" Marcy said happily. "Seriously, Anne being here with me… kinda feels like a dream come true!"

Ok, a good start!

"Ok, that's good…"

"Of course, I would of been just as happy if Sasha was here, those two are my BFFs after all!"

And Sprig stopped talking.

'I… ok… that didn't work… how did we get Anne to talk about it before?'

Then he remembered…

He really hoped Marcy would have a very different reaction to this than Anne…

A little while later, Anne had went off on her own again, and Sprig was working with Marcy to figure out the last puzzle…

The perfect opportunity…

Again.

"So Marcy, you got a boyfriend back home?" Sprig asked suddenly.

Marcy tripped at that question, falling flat on her face.

"Oh gosh! Sorry Marcy!" Sprig said as he helped her up.

"NO! No, it's fine, you just surprised me is all!" Marcy explained. "Never took you as someone who would ask something like that is all."

"Well, I may not look it, but I do have a girlfriend back home." Sprig explained.

Not a complete lie, but his relationship with Ivy had nothing to do with his question.

"Oh really? Wow, gotta ask Anne for the details on that one!" Marcy said.

"Yeah… so anyways…"

"… No, no boyfriends, and honestly, I don't think I would want one." Marcy explained.

This caused Sprig to smile internally. Anne gave a pretty similar answer before!

"I mean, I have HAD boyfriends before but… well… those relationships went… pretty terribly to be honest…" Marcy explained. "They all pretty much gave me the vibe that they just wanted to take advantage of my smarts…"

"Oh… so when Anne once told me about her being the 'breakup queen' that was because…"

"Yeah, she pretty much helped me break up with a lot of boys." Marcy explained.

"Wow… so wait, what about that 'Angel of Death' nickname she told me about?" Sprig asked.

"Uh… that has to do with the one time I tried to break up with someone on my own…" Marcy admitted. "He… didn't take it to well and uh…"

"Anne decked him, didn't she?" Sprig asked.

"Oh yeah…" Marcy said with a laugh. "That was my last boyfriend, and well…"

Marcy started to turn a bit red at that.

'Oh? Come on Sprig! You're so close!'

"Is there… something wrong?" Sprig asked.

"It's just… I dunno… I mean, would you understand?" Marcy asked herself.

A very familiar situation indeed!

Just one more push and that would do it!

"Come on Marcy, you can trust me! Even if I don't understand what's bothering you, I can tell that you want to get it off your chest." Sprig said with a smile.

"I… no… I'm sorry Sprig." Marcy said sadly.

And Sprig deflated at that.

"Come on…"

"Sorry, it's just… the last person I told about this… they were really not happy about it…" Marcy explained. "I… I'm not ready to tell anyone about it... not yet."

Sprig… just sighed in defeat.

"Alright. That's fine I guess." Sprig said. "But listen, you're really important to Anne… so if you ever decide that you want to talk about it, I'll be happy to listen."

"… Thanks Sprig…" Marcy said with a sad smile.

"So… this puzzle." Sprig said.

"Right… not gonna lie, thought about it on the way here, and I am kinda stumped." Marcy admitted.

"Huh… let me call Anne! Maybe she'll have an idea!" Sprig said as he hopped towards Anne.

He got some good info… but not a complete confirmation.

So, as the group finished the puzzlegram, he began planning out his next move.

While the group was on their way to the hotel that the king had reserved a room for them in, Sprig had an opportunity to talk to Anne alone, as they were lagging a bit behind Polly and Hop Pop.

"So, I talked to Marcy a bit." Sprig admitted.

"Oh, ok… and?" Anne asked, a bit hopeful.

"So… she told me about her… previous experiences with boys." Sprig asked. "Did you really tackle one of her ex's?"

"Oh uh… yeah. That happened a few months before we got here." Anne admitted. "Uh… but what about…?"

"Ok, so she didn't say anything concrete about her liking girls, but I have a feeling that she does." Sprig explained. "She seemed really nervous about telling me something, really similar to how you acted the night you told me."

"Wow… good work dude!" Anne said. "That's… a lot of info to get in such a short time."

"Yeah well… hey, do you think I'm being a jerk telling you all this behind Marcy's back?" Sprig asked.

"Oh… uh… maybe? I dunno…" Anne said. "I mean, I already knew about her past boyfriends, and the rest is just an assumption from you so…"

"Gotcha." Sprig said.

"That being said… don't overstep things… I wouldn't want to make her upset." Anne said.

"So if she says that she likes you, but tells me not to tell you?" Sprig asked.

"Then don't… I'll trust your judgement on what to do then." Anne said. "I mean, what are the odds of that happening?"

"Yeah! What are the odds of that!" Sprig said as they entered the hotel, the glitzy building taking their minds off of their troubles.

One afternoon of hotel shenanigans later, and Sprig was just about ready to head back the the family's room in the hotel, when suddenly there was a bit of commotion at the entrance to the hotel.

Deciding to investigate, Sprig hopped over, and was pleasantly surprised to see Marcy standing there, signing autographs.

"Wow… she really is popular around here…" Sprig said.

When Marcy finished the autograph session, she immediately noticed Sprig standing there.

"Sprig! Perfect! Just the frog I wanted to see!" Marcy said as she jogged over.

"Hey Marcy! Uh, can I help you with anything?" Sprig asked.

"Yeah uh… let's go somewhere a little private first." Marcy whispered. "It's uh… about what we talked about earlier."

"Oh… OH! Ok!" Sprig said as the two went over to an area where no-one else seemed to be.

"So uh… I thought a bit about what you said, and I decided to tell you what I wanted to tell you…" Marcy explained.

"Oh! Ok… are you sure? You seemed upset about it." Sprig said.

"Yeah well… after what you said, I figured that maybe you're the best person I could ever tell about this." Marcy explained. "Since you're so close to Anne."

"Ok! I'll see what I can do to help you with… whatever it is that is bothering you." Sprig said.

'THIS IS IT!'

"So uh… do you happen to know what it means to be… bi?" Marcy asked.

"Bi… what?" Sprig asked, genuinely confused.

"Uh… we call it 'Bi-sexual' on Earth." Marcy explained.

"Oh uh… not really?" Sprig said, unsure about what Marcy was talking about.

'Is this like what Anne is? A LesbiAnne? Is this just Marcy's version of it? I am so confused!'

"So basically, it means that I like boys." Marcy began to explain.

'Aaaand there it is… sorry Anne…'

"… But…"

"But…?"

"It uh… also means that uh… I like girls too?" Marcy said, suddenly unsure of herself.

…

'YES!" Sprig practically screamed in his mind.

Though his incredibly happy face made Marcy worried.

"Uh… you good?"

"Oh yeah! Great actually!" Sprig said. "So wait… the reason you think I'll be able to help you…"

"Uh… yeah… see, the thing is…"

"You have a crush on Anne." Sprig more stated than asked.

"Yup." Marcy said plainly.

"Great!" Sprig said. "So, you want me to help you ask Anne out?"

"Oh! Uh… actually, I didn't think that far ahead… hehehe…" Marcy said embarrassed.

"Hey, take your time! Just know that I am available to help!" Sprig said.

Marcy just took a deep breath before taking Sprigs hands into her own, and looking at him dead in the eyes.

"Please Sprig… help me and Anne get together!" Marcy pleaded.

'YES! Mission accomplished!' Sprig celebrated in his mind.

"Great! So I'll just go and tell Anne that you like her and…"

"NO!" Marcy suddenly shouted. "I mean uh… don't tell her?"

"What? Why not?"

"I mean, what if she doesn't like me?!" Marcy asked. "I mean, I don't want you to tell her only to find out that she doesn't like girls…"

"But she…" Sprig said before stopping himself.

"It would just make things super awkward…" Marcy said with a sigh. "On second thought, this is a bad idea, forget I said anything!"

And with that, Marcy was about to walk away.

"Wait!" Sprig said. "Uh… what if I found out for you?!"

That got Marcy to stop.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, I am sure I could get it out of Anne no problem! We are besties after all!" Sprig said with a fake smile.

"You… you'd really do that?" Marcy asked.

"Yeah! Anything to help my friends!" Sprig said.

Marcy then had a huge grin on her face before scooping Sprig up into a hug.

"Thank you thank you THANK YOU!" Marcy said. "You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Y-yeah! No problem!"

"Welp! See you later Sprig!" Marcy said as she skipped away, really happy with what was happening.

…

...

…

"Oh no…"

A couple of days later, Sprig was walking through the halls of Newtopia university.

He REALLY didn't like it there.

But that's a subject for another time.

"Hello Mr. Plantar! I trust that everything is going well?" Professor Herringbone asked just before Sprig bumped into him.

"O-oh! Yeah! Just great!" Sprig said. "Just… a lot on my mind is all!"

"Oh my, anything I can help with?" The Professor asked.

"… Well…" Sprig started, unsure if he should talk to him about Anne and Marcy's issues.

He eventually decided to just keep things vague.

"Ok, so there are these two friends I have back in Wartwood. Both of them are girls, and they both like each other." Sprig began.

"Ah, frogs like those. Nothing for them to be ashamed about!"

"Yes well… they don't know that the other likes girls, and are worried about asking each other out, cause if they don't it'll make things awkward." Sprig continued. "I promised to help them find out if the other likes girls, but they also made me promise to not tell the other about any of it…"

"My… sounds like quite the predicament indeed…" The Professor said while stroking his beard.

"I know! What should I do…?" Sprig asked.

"Hmmm… well, I have limited experience in this field, but if it were up to me, then I would simply set the mood for them!" Professor Herringbone said. "Get them in a situation where it would be perfect for them to reveal their feelings. If they know that you set it up, then they might go for it!"

"Hey yeah! That's a great idea! Thank you so much!" Sprig said with a smile.

"Yes well, that is what I am here for! To educate the next generation, even if it is not something you'd find in a textbook!" Professor Herringbone said with a smile. "Now, off you go! Lunchtime is just beginning!"

"Right! Thanks again!" Sprig said as he began to walk away.

It may of just been a conversation to avoid the topic of Sprig's misery in this place, but it really did prove to be quite fruitful!

This was going to be easy!

This was not easy at all…

Despite everything he tried, he just couldn't find a good time or place to get Anne and Marcy alone together, one that was romantic enough to reveal their feelings, and one that they KNEW that he had set it up…

And then, came the day of their departure.

Anne… was staying behind with Marcy.

While he was certainly upset that he probably won't see Anne again… he was at least happy that she'd have plenty of opportunities to ask Marcy out.

True to his word though, neither of them knew the other's secret… so it was really unlikely.

Sighing as he slouched in his seat, Sprig looked up to the sky and just hoped things would work out…

That is, until Anne jumped in front of the Fwagon, and declared that she was joining them back to Wartwood.

When she got back on board, Sprig gave her a worried look.

"Are you sure about this?" Sprig asked.

"Yeah, I mean… I'll see her again! As soon as she finishes her preparations!" Anne said.

"But… who knows how long that will take…" Sprig pointed out.

"Yeah well… I'll… I'll be fine until then…" Anne said as she rubbed a tear out of her eyes.

Sprig frowned at this…

Then, he decided to take action.

"SCREW SUBTLETY!" Sprig suddenly shouted.

He then took the reigns from Hop Pop and brought the Fwagon to another stop.

"Sprig! What the heck are you doing boy?!" Hop Pop asked.

Sprig ignored this.

"The ferris wheel in our hotel! You have two hours! GO!" Sprig said. "Make sure you have no regrets!"

Anne looked at Sprig in shock and smiled.

"Thanks buddy…" Anne said as she got off the Fwagon and began running back into Newtopia.

Sprig watched her re-enter the city with a smile on his face.

"Go get her Anne…"

"Would you PLEASE explain what is going on?!" Hop Pop asked.

"When Anne comes back, she'll tell you all about it… I just know it!" Sprig said with a smile.

Marcy was walking back into Newtopia castle with the king when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

"Marcy!"

Turning around, Marcy was shocked to see Anne standing there, gasping for breath.

"A-Anne?! What are you…?"

"I… I wanted to do something with you before I left… just us two…" Anne breathed out, clearly tired from the run.

"O-oh! But what about…?"

"Sprig got them to stop so I could do this…" Anne explained.

That… got Marcy's attention.

"Sprig huh?" Marcy said with a smile.

She was pretty quick to figure out what this could mean.

"Right… We'll talk later King Andrias!" Marcy said as she let Anne lead her away.

And when they were out of view, he sighed.

"Well this could complicate things a bit…"

When Anne and Marcy arrived at the hotel, Anne quickly lead Marcy over to the ferris wheel.

When they got on, Marcy quickly began asking questions.

"So… what's this all about?" Marcy asked.

"I just… there is something I've been wanting to tell you and… well… Sprig wanted to help and… I guess this is his way of doing it!" Anne said with a laugh.

"Funny, he was also helping me with something…" Marcy admitted.

This caused Anne to go a slight bit red.

"Well, I guess we should thank him the next time we see him." Anne said with a shy laugh.

And then, they reached the top.

"Whoa…"

The sight… was beautiful.

"You know… I keep hearing about this view… but I never came up here before." Marcy admitted.

"Really? Why?" Anne asked.

"I… wanted to come up here with you…" Marcy admitted.

Anne smiled, and took Marcy's hand.

"Marcy… would you go out with me?" Anne asked.

Marcy responded by pulling Anne into a hug.

"Of course…"

And so, the two of them just simply enjoyed the view… together.

"And that is why Marcy is coming back to Wartwood with us!" Anne finished explaining when the two of them got back to the Fwagon.

Hop Pop and Polly just looked at them in shock, as Sprig had a proud look on his face.

"Wait… so you two are… dating now?" Hop Pop asked.

"Yup!" Anne said happily.

"And after telling the King about it, he suggested Marcy come with us while he got everything ready for the temples?" Polly asked.

"Also yes!"

"And Sprig was in on this THE WHOLE TIME?!" Polly asked.

"YUP!" Sprig said as he hopped onto Anne's and Marcy's shoulders.

"Thanks a lot Sprig." Anne said.

"And sorry I made things tougher for you… with making you keep my feelings a secret." Marcy apologized.

"Eh, it's in the past." Sprig said.

"Well then… this is sudden but… welcome aboard Marcy!" Hop Pop said with a smile.

"Glad to be here Hop Pop!" Marcy said as she put her arm around Anne's shoulder. "Now then, ONWARDS! TO NEW ADVENTURE!"

"WHOO!" Anne and Sprig cheered.

And so, with Marcy in tow, the Plantars began making their way back to Wartwood.

The End.

And that is another One Shot done!

This one is a bit different, being a what if within a what if… yeah, kinda weird, but hey! I got the idea and I rolled with it.

Honestly, this entire series is based on the idea of how one change can lead to a big difference, so What if stories like this one kinda feel… right.

I do have others planned, including one that is the events of "True Colors" if Marcy DIDN'T tell Anne about the music box! That one will be interesting.

I do already have that one mostly planned out, since I did actually write it a while ago, but I want to touch it up a bit before I post it.

Until then though, 2 things.

1) I will be posting the first "The Fourth Light" one shot next. I don't know when, but I do want to get it done before "Recovery" begins. The reason for this is, while it isn't important for "The Forth Light," it IS slightly important for what will happen in "Recovery." It'll make more sense why when it comes out.

And 2) I want to announce another story that is in the works. It is still in very early planning stages, and won't come out for a while… I was debating whether or not to share what it is about quite yet, but I decided to do so, just to build some excitement! So, go on and take a look! Again, it'll be a while until it starts, but it's coming!

Anyways, see you all soon for the first "The Fourth Light" one shot!