A/N: Review Answering time!
OMAC001: I know, she just casually says "defeated an evil cult" and now we're left wondering if that cult had anything in common with The Core/Night.
Killerbull55858: Glad you liked it. Oh, the Temple Eps are going to be...Super.
snake screamer: Well, I hope to make you "shipper squeal" with this ep!
gregorian12: Yep, that little bit from the Theme Song Takeover about a cult was such good fodder for these eps, even if it was only a few seconds in the song.
Guest: Oh, you thought Disney version "True Colors" was emotionally hard hitting. You haven't seen NOTHIN' yet!
Starwarriors: Thank you, I will!
Writer of Crossovers; Um, I did not plan on it. Although, this is a crossover with Kamen Rider Agito theme. But I mean, I could do it as a nod to Kuuga. I'll think about it.
It had been a crazy couple of days since Marcy confessed to her. Sprig had gotten accepted into Newtopia University, and Anne and Polly tried to break in to find a "crazy party" to have fun at, only for Sprig to more or less drop out. Anne got tased at an arcade after threatening to eat a couple of kids. They cut in line; she had her principles to stand up for. And apparently while that was happening, Hop Pop accidentally committed manslaughter, or "frogslaughter", point is some frog came at him, he busted through the railing, and fell into a vat of boiling sauce. But we don't talk about that, mostly because King Andrias had to do a little pardoning, and also because Marcy brought up the lack of proper maintenance on the guardrails since they broke apart so easily from one person running at them. So, it was all handled quiet like.
Anne was currently walking through the streets of Newtopia, she needed some time to herself to think. Even with all those crazy happenings, Anne still could not shake off the fact that Marcy was in love with her. It was sweet of her friend to say that she would wait for her, but at the same time, Anne still felt kind of bad deep down for not giving her a straightforward answer. In a way, it still felt as if she was leading Marcy on with the promise of a possible relationship in the future.
I've never even thought of myself as being gay…or bi, thought Anne.
She was always engrossed in other people's relationships, but she never actually thought about having one of her own. The only people she was truly close to, aside from her parents, were Sasha and Marcy. And right now, things with Sasha were…iffy. She did not want to give up on Sasha, Marcy had changed for the better since coming to Amphibia, and Anne can say that she has as well, and she was not just referring to the Kamen Rider powers. But after what happened at Toad Tower, Anne hoped that Sasha may have used it as an opportunity to reevaluate herself and the way she has been.
Tch, it took a sword fight and a crumbling tower for me to finally see just how controlling she was. What happened to her?
Anne had to admit, Sasha was pushy and a bit of a thrill seeker at times, but it was not until around close to them getting into Saint James Middle School that Sasha started to become a lot more controlling. Marcy and Anne just rolled with it because Sasha always seemed so sure of herself, and they admired her courageous side. When they were younger, they saw Sasha as a hero, and back then, Sasha portrayed herself as one. Anne chuckled when she thought back to their first meeting, how Sasha practically tried to "Rider Kick" the two high school girls who pushed Marcy and her off the swings. Sasha was always the one protecting them from bullies, while Anne was protecting Marcy from herself.
What happened to you Sash? Seriously? If you weren't like that, you'd be a lot cuter. I mean, Marcy's real cute, but Sasha would be hotter if she stopped being such a–! Anne froze in her tracks. Pause. Did I just think that?
And there it was again. Now she was starting to think of Sasha in a different way. Anne groaned out loud as she pressed her hands to her forehead, trying to make the intrusive thoughts go away. All while the surrounding newts gave her a wide berth as to not get drawn into whatever issues she was having.
Stop perving on your friends, Anne! UGH! I can't figure it out! Do I like them like…THAT or am just physically attracted to them?!
There was a big difference, one could find another person physically attractive, even if they did not swing that way. The old saying, "I'd turn gay for you" kept popping up in her mind a few times. Was that what was happening? Was she just gay for her friends? It was not like she had any boys on her mind that made her swoon or even interested her, heck, Anne could not remember the last time a boy even hit on her, even told her they had a crush on her. Was she just feeling this way because it was more convenient? Was it easier to have a crush on her friends than it was for someone else of the opposite gender?
"Hey, Anne!"
"AAH!" Anne jumped to her left and brought up her fists to fight, but relaxed when she saw Sprig. "Oh, hey, what are you doing here?"
"I've kinda been following you this whole time," said Sprig.
"Seriously?"
"You left the hotel a little down, I just wanted make sure you were okay," he admitted.
Anne smiled at her surrogate froggy brother and patted him on the head. "Thanks, dude. But I'm alright, I'm just…trying to figure some things out."
"Is this about Marcy saying that she like-likes you?" Sprig asked.
Anne blushed a little but nodded her confirmation.
"So, is it because you don't like her?" Sprig asked.
Anne shook her head. "Of course not, I like Marcy. She's my best friend."
Sprig scratched his head in confusion. "I don't get it, me and Ivy were best friends, and now she's my girlfriend. I gotta say, I kinda like the idea of MarcAnne."
Anne blushed when she heard that. "Did you just say, 'MarcAnne?"
"Yeah, like how you did mine and Ivy's names, 'SpIvy'."
Anne rubbed her left arm as she asked, "You aren't weirded out because we're both girls? That Marcy likes me, another girl."
Sprig tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Why's that matter?"
"What do you mean, 'why'?" Anne asked back.
The little pink frog shrugged. "I dunno, I mean, does it really matter if you're both girls? Marcy like-likes you, nothing weird about that."
Anne sighed as she sat down on a nearby bench, with Sprig joining and sitting next to her. "Dude, sometimes you really say some wise things. But I wish it was that simple, back in my world, things like that aren't as simple. There have been a lot of things that have happened to allow two people who are boys or two people who are girls to be with each other. I've never seen anyone get made fun of or shunned, but I've heard things, but I never really paid much attention to them because…well…"
"You never liked another girl before," Sprig finished.
"Uh-huh…"
"Well, did you know that you liked other girls?"
Anne groaned as she slumped in the seat. "That's the thing, Sprig. I don't know! I've been out here trying to sort through my own feelings! I like Marcy, I do find her cute, but I…I…I don't know how to say it right."
Sprig could see that this was really consuming Anne, this whole thing really seemed to be eating her up inside, and Sprig hated to see Anne in such inner turmoil. He remembered the days after Toad Tower fell, how Anne would cry herself to sleep some nights, and would wake up to nightmares of seeing Sasha fall to her death. While Sprig did not trust Sasha in the least, and thought Anne was better off without such a toxic friend, the fact was that they were friends for a long time and having gone through something like that no doubt had an effect on her. And while the circumstances of this current inner turmoil were different, it was still something he did not like seeing.
"Hmm…maybe we should come at this from a different angle," Sprig suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Ahem, would you rather…date Marcy or smell of bad BO for the rest of your life."
Anne laughed as she croaked, "What?!"
"Or would you rather…eat a bunch of quillapedes or dance with Marcy?"
"Dude, c'mon," Anne chuckled.
"Oh, oh, would you rather…have a hangnail you can never get rid of or kiss Marcy?"
Anne blushed bright red, mostly because her mind jumped straight to the latter part of that answer. Images started to flash in Anne's mind, images of her and Marcy going see the latest superhero movie. Images of her and Marcy eating at a restaurant side by side instead of across from each other. And just now, an image of herself and Marcy, back in her room on Earth, their shoulder's touching as their faces gradually getting closer to each other before –
"No more games!" Anne exclaimed.
"Sorry…"
Anne sighed heavily. "Sprig, it's okay. I know you're trying to help, but I just need to figure some things out for myself. If I do decide to go out with Marcy, I don't want to do it just because. I want to know that I'm doing it because I feel a genuine connection to her. I don't know if you understand or not, but this is important to me."
Sprig looked a little crestfallen, but at the very least he seemed to understand that this was something that Anne needed to do alone. "Okay, but you know we're here for your right?"
"SprAnne against the world, dude," said Anne as she held up her hand.
Sprig smiled and went into their elaborate handshake. Afterwards, Sprig hopped away, and leaving Anne alone to ponder her thoughts.
Marcy had made great headway since she and the King found that secret room. There were so many ancient tomes there, and one of them was exactly what they needed. Of course, it required a little more research to verify its information, but Marcy was feeling good about this. And at the same time, reluctant. If the information she had researched was correct, they would soon be able to return home, relatively speaking, anyway.
The young teen sighed as she remembered what happened a couple of days ago. She finally confessed to Anne, and Anne did not reject her, nor did she hate her. But it seemed that Anne was in a period of self-discovery, and Marcy did not want to anything to interrupt that, even if her heart told her to just plant one on Anne's lips, she had to keep herself under control or risk alienating her best friend and inadvertently push her away from discovering that part of herself. At the very least, she had hope. But that brought about another quandary, it was only thanks to being in Amphibia that Anne was able to focus on herself and become the person she is now. Given some more time, Marcy was sure that Anne would at least see her as more than a friend and perhaps try and date her to see where things went.
The moment they got home, however; how likely would Anne continue explore her new horizons? There were so many distractions back on Earth, so many things happening that Marcy doubted Anne would give it a second thought. And what was worse, the moment they did return, Marcy would have to leave Los Angeles, and possibly never seen them again. Yeah, she knew there were ways to keep in touch, FaceTime, Facebook, Twitter, calling, texting, but that did not do anything for Marcy. She wanted to be around Anne, she wanted to hold hands, go on dates, and other cliché yuri couple things. Marcy's face started to turn red as her mind ever so slightly started to shift towards the more, passionate couple things she would like to do with Anne, when they were older.
Marcy shook her head free from those thoughts before they went further into the gutter. I may not want to go back…and I know it's not right to keep Sasha and Anne from their families…The Chinese girl ran her hands through her hair, groaning in frustration with the ethical quagmire that was presented to her. I just need more time to convince Anne and Sasha, that we should stay in Amphibia a bit longer. I don't think that would be too hard if I brought up the Fallen. Now that we know that this thing, The Night, isn't just some fictitious deity, that it is actively trying to harm the people of this world, maybe that would be enough incentive for us to stay. I mean, we certainly can't leave Amphibia to suffer at the hands of that thing. And what if they find their way to Earth? We'd be putting countless lives in danger!
Marcy shook her head, convinced of their duty.
Yep, that's what I need to do. The Night's been sending its Fallen to try and kill us because it knows me, and Anne are threat to it. Marcy gasped out loud. What if they're after Sasha, too?! We don't know for sure if she got Rider powers, but if The Night thinks that she does, it might be sending Fallen to kill her as well!
"Hey, Marcy."
"Hey, Sprig….Wait." Marcy glanced to her right and jumped when she saw Sprig standing there on the table. "AAAH! Wh-What – how did – when did you?!"
"Oh, I just walked right in. You looked like you were thinking pretty hard," said Sprig.
Marcy shook her head and replied, "Sorry, guess I was too deep in thought to notice. Was there something you needed, little buddy?"
"Not so much needed as much as I wanted to talk," Sprig admitted.
"Oh, what about?" Marcy asked as she returned to her seat.
"You really like Anne, right?"
Marcy blushed red. "Oh, w-we're going to t-talk about that. Okay, wow, uh." Marcy inhaled deeply and exhaled long. "Yes, yes I do. I can…I can say that I am very much in love with her. Does that bother you?"
Sprig shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Why does that keep coming up? Why should you and Anne going out bother me?"
"Well…" Marcy rubbed the back of her head bashfully and said, "It's because you're important to her. Anne's an only child and she's never had any siblings, so I can see how she might value yours and Polly's opinions. And there are instances where sometimes the younger siblings' acceptance of the older sibling's relationship can sway whether the older one continues to stay with that person. And vice versa."
"Huh, I never really thought about that," said Sprig.
"Well, how would you feel if Polly was dating someone that you didn't like?" Marcy asked. "Like maybe you knew that they wouldn't be a good fit for her."
Sprig chuckled a little at that. "Oh, I probably won't have to worry about that. Don't know if you noticed but Polly can be a biiiiiiiit…intense."
Marcy thought about that for a second, the little tadpole was probably the fiercest pollywog she had ever met. When Polly got older, Frog help the poor soul who broke her heart, because she probably would be coming at them with a morning star, or a battle ax. "Fair point. But it doesn't weird you out that another girl has feelings for Anne?"
"Again, still not seeing why that's a bad thing," said Sprig.
"Oh, well, there's some socioeconomic, sociopolitical, and general societal reasons for that, as well as religion-based reasons that really have no precedent on the matter, but…"
Sprig felt his brain start to swell as Marcy went into one of her information dumps about how the human world viewed same sex relationships. Somewhere between socioeconomic and sociopolitical is where Sprig started to slowly feel his mental sanity begin to break down, like he was spiraling into a blackhole, a void from which there was no escape. Finally, it seemed the void opened into the light, and sound started to return. That's when he saw Marcy standing up, with a chalkboard behind her, and a bunch of diagrams and words written on it.
"…and it wasn't until the landmark decision in the US Supreme Court on June 26, 2015, that the United States legalized same sex marriages, allowing for hundreds of thousands of same sex couples to finally legally marry and be recognized as marital partners. That's just the CliffsNotes though, was there anything you had a question on?" Marcy asked.
Sprig blinked his eyes, although one eyelid did it first, followed by the second, and if you listened closely, you could hear what sounded like wires short-circuiting.
Polly was in their hotel room, readying to hit the indoor pool, but before she could, there was a knock at the door. The little pollywog hopped along the floor until she got to the door and opened it. There she saw one of the Newtopian Knight Guards.
"YOU CAN'T PROVE THAT I DID IT!" Polly yelled.
"Uh, did what?" the Knight Guard asked in confusion.
Polly's eyes shifted from side to side before she regained her composure and calmly answered. "Nothing, absolutely nothing."
"Ooookay, so, um, Master Marcy asked us to drop him off." The Knight Guard stepped aside and let another of his colleagues carry Sprig into the room, where he deposited him onto the bed. "Have good a day."
Once the Knight Guards had left, Polly hopped back towards the bed. She then hopped onto the bed and looked down at Sprig. It only took Polly a second to understand what happened to him, based on the zoned out look on his face. "WAKE UP, BRO!" Polly screamed as she slapped his face.
"Who – what – where – 1983!" Sprig blathered.
"I see you talked to Marcy."
Sprig shook his head as he finally realized that he was not in the palace anymore. "Uh…how did I get back to the hotel?"
"Two Knight Guards brought you here, from the palace," Polly answered.
It all came back to Sprig, he went to talk to Marcy, which somehow devolved into a human history lesson about two of the same genders or something. "Oh, yeah, I was at the palace."
"What did you ask Marcy that overloaded your little head?"
"I just asked her why two girls liking each other was such a big deal. You've seen the way Anne's been lately, she may not show it a lot, but she's been thinking hard ever since Marcy told her how she felt about her," said Sprig.
Polly did not understand it much either, to be honest things like romance went over her head. But so long as the people she cared about were happy, then that was good enough for her. Like how Hop Pop had Sylvia, and how Sprig liked Ivy. Now that Polly thought about it, her grandfather and brother were in relationships with two women from the same family. Was there something about the Sundew family that just made Plantar boys swoon?
Anyway, thank Frog Sprig and Ivy were together, because Polly was going to have words with her brother if he went out with some girly-girl. Maddy was her second choice. "I don't get it either bro, but it looks like it's one of those 'big decisions' that Hop Pop talks about. Anne will figure it out, eventually."
Sprig grabbed Polly, squishing her face as he stared directly into her eyes. "But what if she doesn't figure it out?!"
"Your face is too close to mine," she warned
"What if Anne never figures out how she feels towards Marcy! And what if this hurts their friendship?!"
"Seriously, I will bite you," Polly warned, again.
"And what if Anne gets depressed again like what happened after Toad Tower and Sasha! I don't think Anne can take losing another of her best friends! And Marcy's actually a good best friend!" Sprig dropped Polly back on the bed right before she could bite his face. "I have to make sure MarcAnne succeeds!"
Polly's eyes widened. "Oh no, you are not about to do another one of your hairbrained schemes! Remember what happened last time?!"
"Yes, I successfully got Hop Pop and Anne to make up and see each other's best qualities!" Sprig stated.
"After nearly getting your head and nads speared by a couple of pitchforks 'cause Anne and Hop Pop were loopy from each other's drinks," Polly pointed out.
"That's what's called an 'unforeseen variable', I learned that from Marcy. Besides, how was I supposed to know that they'd down the other's drinks?! My point is, it did work, and Hop Pop and Anne have been good ever since, even you said so yourself!"
Polly grumbled under her breath, regretting that she ever admitted that his plan worked. She knew it would probably come back to bite her in the tail, to be fair, it took a lot longer than she thought it would, but she guessed it had to happen sooner or later. "You're going to do something no matter what I say, aren't you?"
"Indeed, I am, my dear little sister! Just try and stop me! Ha-Ha!" After that declaration, Sprig jumped off the bed and ran towards the door, slamming it shut as he exited.
Polly should say something, she had to say something, but Polly was bored and needed some entertainment today. "Oh, this will be good."
Anne was on her way back to the hotel when she had some messenger newt come up to her and deliver a letter to her. When she opened it, Anne was instructed by Sprig to meet up in District Five, as apparently there was something he wanted to show her. Anne did not know what it might be, but right now she needed a distraction. Despite her walk, Anne still was not sure how to figure out her feelings.
Anne took one of the buses to District Five, she could have called Machine Stormer and ridden there herself, but she figured she could use the extra time to think. Despite the extra time, it did not help. It took all of thirty minutes before she finally arrived, she hoped she did not make Sprig wait too long. It was times like this Anne really missed being able to text and call, at least that way she could tell Sprig that she was almost there. The bus arrived at District Five, and Anne let out a gasp. She heard from Marcy that it was a park, but it was huge. There were big gold-colored gates that opened into a wide grassy field. There were different sections to the District, one that had a huge green house that looked like a glass palace, another that was just filled with trees, and one that was just the grassy field where anyone could have picnics and enjoy some time in the outdoors, without worrying about getting mauled to death by some random giant animal.
Anne walked along the stone path to the area where the letter said Sprig would be waiting for her. The letter specifically asked Anne to meet Sprig in the Green House Palace. Anne headed there and her eyes widened the closer she got, it wasn't as big as the Royal Palace, but it was a good contender. There were spiraling glass towers that were made of sparkling crystal-like glass that had a rainbow effect whenever the sunlight hit it just right, the entire thing was held together by gold frames, and even had flowers sculpted from various crystals adorning the different towers. Inside was even grander, it was a multilevel facility, there were some flowers and various other types of flora scattered throughout the facility. There was a map posted on a sign at the entrance, like a mall map. Anne went inside and checked the map, she took out the letter and dropped down the paragraph to where it read, "Meet me at the 'Hearts and Flowers' exhibit, they got some cool plants that actually look like beating hearts, they even beat!"
Anne chuckled, of course Sprig would want to show her something like that. But then again, it might just be what she needed to help clear her head and gather her thoughts. A little distraction might do her some good. Anne checked the map and found the spot where it said, "Special Exhibit Today!".
"Huh, guess that's the one."
The young Thai girl headed in the direction she memorized from the map, she was a mall expert, so memorizing a map like that was child's play. As Anne got closer to where the exhibit was supposed to be, she started to notice something…off. There were a few newts and frogs, which was not out of the ordinary, but it was a bit strange to see that many of the attendees were close. Like really close. Arm in arm kind of close. Is there a special for couples or something? Anne decided to brush the subject to the side for now, it just reminded her of the things she was trying to figure out. When Anne finally arrived, she paused. The exhibit was called "Hearts and Flowers", what Anne did not expect was that the exhibit was heavily geared towards couples, couples, and, you guessed it, couples. All around Anne could see various flowers that were shaped into hearts, and some that were arranged into bouquets that symbolized different things pertaining to love. Anne was no flower expert, but it was a safe bet that that was what they were meant to do.
There were vendors handing out treats that were couple themed, drinks, food, merch, the whole nine yards. Did I mess something and today is Amphibia Valentine's Day?! Why the heck would Sprig want me to come here?! Anne gasped internally. He has a crush on me! I knew it! I knew there was something off when he said, 'She's too old for me' back at the Bizarre Bazar! Which means if it wasn't for my age, he would?! Did Marcy confessing and coming out to me finally push him over the edge?! What will Hop Pop think?! What will Polly think?! What the heck am I gonna think?!
"Anne?"
Anne was pulled out of her downward spiral when she heard the familiar voice. She slowly turned her head to glance over her shoulder, and standing right there was her best friend, Marcy Wu. "Marcy?!"
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I got a letter from Sprig saying he wanted to show me this exhibit," said Anne as she pulled out said letter. "I think he was confused as to what this exhibit was about. Why are you here?"
Marcy reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a letter. "I got a letter from Sprig asking me to come and help him identify a new plant that they were showcasing at this 'Special Exhibit'. He says he wanted to improve his knowledge of flora for when he goes exploring in the woods around his village."
It was at that moment that Anne facepalmed herself. "Ugh…Sprig…Marcy, we've been duped."
"What?"
"Sprig set us up, I think he's–!"
"Welcome girls!" Anne was interrupted by a suave, red colored newt, he wore a tuxedo, with a red bowtie. He also had on a pair of sunglasses and had long black hair tied into dreads. "Ah, you must be Anne Boonchuy and of course, the great Master Marcy Wu! We've been expectin' ya, man. My name is Sebastian," spoke the newt in a Jamaican accent.
"Uh, you're expecting us?" Marcy asked.
"But of course, I got an eye for those who are in love's embrace, and I can see 'at wit' you! Now, time for 'he show!" Sebastian clapped his hands, and immediately a team of newts came rushing towards them, picked up both girls and ferried them away into the exhibit.
Now alone, Sprig popped out from one of the bushes. As Sebastian walked away, he glanced over his shoulder and winked at Sprig. With Sprig winking back as Sebastian left to enact his plan. Sprig wringed his hands together deviously as a devilish smile formed on is froggy lips. "Perfect! This will help them both get to where they need to be! And once my brilliant plan is successful, Anne and Marcy will be happy, and MarcAnne will be born! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
One of the security guards of the exhibit approached Sprig and asked, "I'm sorry, but are you hatching an evil scheme, kid?"
Sprig whipped out the RCC and declared, "Yes, and I'm rich so deal with it! HA-HA!" as he ran after Marcy and Anne.
The security guard stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, sir! Carry on, sir!"
Polly rolled up to where Sprig once stood with a bag of popcorn in her flipper. "Now let the show begin."
Anne and Marcy barely had time to react to what was happening, they were whisked away so suddenly that before they knew it, they were sat down in an indoor gondola, sitting on opposite sides. The gondola was then pushed and was taken by the current down the newt made stream and into a tunnel. Curtains opened and allowed the gondola to enter, and once they were through, the curtains closed and bathed the tunnel in darkness. It was dark for a moment, but then there was light. The flowers that lined the inner walls bloomed and released a beautiful, sparkling, luminescent light.
"Oh, wow…these are lux flores, commonly called Wayfinders."
"Why are they called that?" Anne asked.
"They only bloom in the dark, and when they do, they light up like they are now. Before torches and lamps were made, these flowers were grown along the trails around villages so that the villagers would have a way to see in the dark whenever they were outside and could find their way back to town," Marcy explained.
"Wow, that's actually cool."
The light tunnel soon opened into a wider area, there a weeping willow tree stood tall, with its branches and leaves hanging low. Those leaves and branches were drawn back like a curtain, allowing the gondola to enter, and once through, they closed behind them. There were more Wayfinder flowers inside the canopy, but they were of different colors.
"Percussion…"
Suddenly, there was a steady drumbeat.
"Strings…"
Then came violin and cello instruments.
"Winds…"
Then came flutes and other woodwind instruments.
"Words…"
"Oh…" Marcy began.
"…Crud," Anne ended.
"Yeaaah~ There you see her
Sitting there across the way~"
Anne could not help but look at Marcy, and Marcy looked at Anne, at the same time. The two girls blushed hard and glanced away from each other.
"She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl~"
The voice was clearly that of the newt Sebastian, and it seemed that there was more to this little song. The flowers reacted to the song, brightening and dimming as if on cue, and forming shapes in the canopy above them.
"Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do~"
Anne dared to glance in Marcy's direction. The sparkling light that surrounded them was accentuating her face, making her look even cuter, if that was even possible. Anne rubbed her left arm, feeling her heart fluttering as she continued to stare off and on at Marcy. Whenever Anne did not look at Marcy, Marcy was looking at Anne, or back at the water. Marcy's heart was fluttering as well, this romantic scenario only happened in her fantasies, not in real life, but it was happening. And Marcy so wanted to cross over to Anne and kiss her, the only thing stopping her was her promise to not do anything while Anne was trying to figure herself out.
"It's possible she wants you, too~"
But what if she hasn't figured it out, thought Marcy.
"There is one way to ask her
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl~"
The tempo started to pick up a bit, some of the plants on the shore around the weeping willow started to spring out of their plots and began to dance in rhythm to the music.
"Sing with me now
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look at the girl too shy
She ain't gonna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain't that sad
Ain't it shame, too bad
You gonna miss the girl~"
Anne was a bit captivated by the performance of the flowers, and so was Marcy. For a moment, while they watched the dancing flowers and lights, they turned to each other and met each other's gazes. Anne immediately turned away, she was so confused right now, she did not know what she wanted. This swelling in her chest, the fluttering, it felt right. But was it right? Was it only because of this moment? Would this moment even be affecting her this much if there was not even the smallest chance that she could have feelings for Marcy?
Marcy felt her heart hurt a little when Anne looked away so quickly. She could not imagine how much this might be hurting Anne right now. Marcy knew Anne was confused and trying to understand herself, and she knew this was not helping the matter. The teen genius eventually figured out her orientation over a course of years, pining for Anne and doing research helped her figure out that she was gay, at the very least gay for Anne. She had a long while to come to terms with that, but Anne, it seemed as if she was struggling. Marcy wished she could do something to ease her crush's struggle, but she was also the reason she was going through that struggle.
"Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon~"
Anne raised her head, she needed to know, she needed to understand these feelings, and the only way to do that was to confront this head on. So, she looked at Marcy, she stared at her, and the longer she did, the more right it felt.
"Girl, you better do it soon
No time will be better~"
Marcy cautiously turned her gaze upward and saw that Anne was looking at her. She felt as if she should say something, but really, Marcy had no words to express what she was feeling. Even now, as they locked eyes, it all felt so surreal, as if it were a dream that was going to end at any moment.
"She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl~"
Anne moved a little closer, she saw Marcy's hand resting on the edge of the gondola. Boldly, yet cautiously, she reached out and placed her right hand atop Marcy's left. Anne's heart raced, from just a simple contact, something that she had probably done with Marcy a hundred times over in their many years of friendship, but now, the connotation of this act had taken on a different meaning, a different feeling. And Anne did not feel like backing away from it.
For Marcy, her head was racing a million miles a second. She could feel the warmth of Anne's hand and saw that she had moved closer to her. The young Chinese girl inaudibly gulped and decided to respond to Anne's actions. She moved her hand around until she managed to interlock Anne's fingers with her own, effectively holding hands. Marcy's hand and arm tingled with excitement, as if she was getting electrocuted in that one appendage. The more scientific part of her brain wondered if this was due to Anne's lightning-based affinity, but the less rational part was telling that part of her brain to shut the heck up. The music began swell to a crescendo as the flowers that uprooted themselves danced even more elegantly than before.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl~"
Sprig was in attendance with the band, bringing his fiddle playing skills into play so that he could have a front row seat to witness his brilliant plan come into fruition. At the same time, Polly had managed to find herself a spot to watch the moment this all royally backfires on her big brother, but at the same time – and she will deny it if anyone asks –secretly hoping that Sprig's plan works, which it looked like it was.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You wanna kiss the girl~"
Anne and Marcy's shoulders began to touch, their hearts jackhammering in their chests with each bold action they were taking, bold for them anyway. Marcy smiled at Anne, and Anne smiled back at Marcy.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
Listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl~
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss the girl~"
The girls' turned their heads to face each other.
"You've got to kiss the girl~"
Anne slowly and carefully reached out with her left hand and gingerly cupped the right side of Marcy's face.
"Why don't you kiss the girl~"
Marcy placed her right hand over Anne's left, keeping it there. The teen genius closed her eyes, letting Anne decide what should happen next.
"You gotta kiss the girl~"
Anne inhaled and exhaled calmly, she had seen a lot of kissing scenes from movies and TV shows, but this was the first she has ever kissed someone, romantically. This was her first kiss, and it was with her best friend, a girl. But, at this moment, that did not much matter to her. As she slowly moved closer to Marcy, eyes closing with every inch gained so that when the moment happened, her eyes would be shut at the moment of contact.
Sprig eyes were opened wide and sparkling with happiness as he watched was about to happen. Polly had stopped eating the popcorn and watched with her jaw dropped and with bated breath as she awaited the moment when her surrogate big sister finally kissed that girl. Sebastian, who was conducting the ensemble and singing, smiled, knowing that his job of granting another lovely couple a beautiful and romantic moment had been done.
"Go on and kiss the–"
Suddenly a strong explosion erupted and shook the entire building as something smashed its way through the canopy of leaves and branches and splashed down in the shallow lagoon around them. The gondola was overturned and threw both Marcy and Anne out, the band quickly dispersed and took off, all while Sebastian and Sprig stood there, mouths agape, stone faced at what just occurred. Polly, on the other hand, growled angrily and tossed her popcorn onto the ground and yelled, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Light poured down from the opening in the canopy and revealed that it was a Fallen. A white and black furred Fallen stood tall in the ankle-deep water, its long claws gleaming in the light from above, along with its silver chest plate adorned with thirteen eyes and claw marks that formed an "X" pattern.
Anne somehow ended up under the upside-down gondola, she pushed it off her and sat up. When she saw the one responsible, her mouth hung open. "What the heck?! That's the skunk Fallen I destroyed a week ago! How's it still alive?!"
Marcy slowly sat up, her eyes shaded by the shadows of her bangs as she said, "I misidentified this Fallen, I realize that now." Marcy dusted herself off as she continued speaking calmly. "It was dark, so I just assumed it was a skunk. But now with that light, I can clearly see what it is. It's a ratel."
"Did you say, 'rat tail'?"
"No, 'ratel', more colloquially known as a 'honey badger'," Marcy corrected."
Anne thought about that for a moment, and then it came to her. "Wait, as in that old Mewtube video with that guy voicing over a nature doc saying, 'Honey Badger don't care', that honey badger?!"
Marcy nodded. "They're very resilient and ferocious mammals. They'll fight other animals bigger and stronger than them, and a good handful of times they'll win. They have a tough hide, and even have a high tolerance to poison. Which I'm guessing is how it survived our first fight." Marcy raised her head a little, allowing some of the shadows to fade away and reveal that both of her irises were glowing green, and that her brow was deeply furrowed. "But I don't really care about that right now. Because this thing ruined a beautiful moment, a moment I've been dreaming of since as far back as I can remember being friends with you, Anne."
Emerald wind wrapped around Marcy's waist and made the MetamorphRing appear.
"I am going to destroy you. Henshin."
A dome of emerald wind wrapped around Marcy, transforming her into Kamen Rider Ranger.
The Ratel Fallen growled as he got into his attack stance and said, "Come and fight…Calamity of–!"
The Fallen did not get the chance to finish its sentence as Ranger fired an explosive air bolt in its face. The Fallen shook its muzzle, and growled due to the sting of the explosion, but that was not the last of it as Ranger released a continuous stream of explosive air bolts at the Ratel Fallen, each one forcing the monster to go on the defensive as he stood there and took the multiple rounds. Ranger ceased her barrage and used her wind power to give herself a burst of speed that propelled her straight towards the Fallen. The monster noticed Ranger too late, as Ranger appeared beneath him and kicked upwards, with all her might, catching him in the jaw and sending the Fallen right back through the hole he came through.
Without looking, Ranger pointed the Squall Sniper straight up into the air and fired multiple rounds. Each of the explosive air bolts pushed the monster up, and up, and up, until he was sailing higher than the Green House Palace. Ranger focused her wind and energy into her legs and jumped straight up through the hole, rising all the way until she met the Ratel Fallen in the air. Ranger, in another merciless fashion, used the air to give her momentum as she spun around and struck the Ratel Fallen in the gut with her left leg and shot him straight towards a vacant area of the grassy field.
Ranger air dashed through the sky and landed a yard from where the Ratel Fallen had plummeted. The emerald archer slowly walked towards the Fallen, her visor obscured a little by her hood. "You ruined what was possibly the most beautiful and romantic moment of my life…" Ranger raised her head and now her visor was glowing bright green. "And that's why, you have to be destroyed for your transgressions."
All of that happened so fast that Anne did not have time to react. "What just happened…?"
"ANNE!" Sprig and Polly exclaimed as they rushed towards her.
"You have to go and help Marcy!" Sprig stated.
Anne shook her head to snap herself out of her stupor and said, "Right! On it!" Anne ran to the dry shore and summoned her MetamorphRing. "Henshin!" A lightning dome appeared around Anne, transforming her into her heroic alter ego, Kamen Rider Amp. "You two get out of here! And Sprig."
Sprig froze in place. "Y-Yeah?"
"We're going to have a talk later."
Amp aimed herself at the hole and jumped straight up through it and over the Green House Palace, landing on the ground in front of it. She took a quick glance around to find Ranger and the Ratel Fallen, a series of explosions alerted her to their location and Amp dashed away towards it. Once she arrived, Amp stopped and waited to see what was happening. There was a lot of dust in the air, kicked up by the battle. Amp remained on alert, looking for any sign of movement. However, the dust cloud was blasted away by a gust of wind, revealing Ranger in her Trinity Form: Warlock, and the Ratel Fallen, beat up, but still standing.
Amp was about to run in and help Ranger, but the green colored Rider raised her left hand in a stopping motion and calmly shook her head, as if she was saying "no" to her help. Before Amp could question why, the Ratel Fallen rushed at Ranger, charging its claws, and slashing forwards, causing eight crescent shaped energy blades to sail towards Ranger. The emerald archer did not move as she swiped her right arm through the air, willing the light particles to merge in front of her and create a hard light shield that took the brunt of the attack as the crescents exploded on contact. The Ratel Fallen used the kicked-up dust to charge in, readying his claws to cut down Ranger. However, Ranger reached out with an enlarged version of her Rewrite arm, grabbing the Phantom by the head, and slamming him back first into the dirt.
The emerald archer released his head and slammed her hand onto the ground, creating a stone dome around the Ratel Fallen. Ranger jumped up into the air and flipped, extending her cape out more as she flipped into it and disappeared. Amp could only hear what happened next, there was a series of booms coming from inside of the dome, along with grunts and roars. Cracks started forming on the dome as crimson light and green energy flashed from those cracks. About a minute after the cracks appeared, the entire thing shattered apart, revealing the Ratel Fallen as its head jerked in one direction as Ranger punched it in the face with her left fist, she then went into a series of kicks, while still in the air, before double kicking it in the chest and sending the monster skidding on the ground.
Sprig and Polly found Amp and ran to her as she stood there.
"Anne what are you doing?! You have to help!" Polly stated.
"Uh, which one?" Amp asked as she pointed towards the battle.
The young Plantars were wondering what she meant, that is until they watched the battle and understood what Amp was talking about. Ranger was hardly giving the monster any time to counterattack, or defend, she was completely blitzing the Ratel Fallen, she was on the warpath and be damned anyone who dared to get between her and that Fallen.
"We're ending this, now!"
Ranger brought her hands together in front of her. In the gap between her hands a sphere began to form, it was green in color and pulled in the air around her, creating a mini hurricane around Ranger. Then came the neon blue energy, discharging like lightning as it crackled and wrapped around the green sphere. Then came the black energy, forming particles that floated around it like several electrons racing around an atom. Ranger's horn crest fanned out as the lines on her armor glowed even brighter. The Ratel Fallen energized its claws, and in its mouth, it formed a ball of energy.
"Yuánzǐ Chāi Jiě (Atom Disassembling)…"
"Oh, holy shiiiiiiiiiitake mushrooms!" Amp quickly pressed on the left hip device and entered Spike Form. "Polly, Sprig, get behind me!"
The Plantar siblings did as Amp said as the hero got down on one knee and brought her arms into an "X" pattern in a defensive position.
"What's going on?!" Sprig asked.
"I've only heard Marcy ever speak in Chinese once. It was at a gaming tournament about a year ago, this guy was talking a lot of trash at her, but then he said something about me and that's when she got dead serious. She said something during the match, in Chinese, right before she completely obliterated him in the game. It wasn't even a contest! And after what I've seen, that's what about to happen!"
The Ratel Fallen slashed with its claws, creating an "X" shaped crescent energy wave. After it was launched, the Ratel Fallen released a powerful roar that fired off a beam of crimson light. The two attacks merged and tore up the ground in their wake as it got closer to Ranger.
"…Léitíng Dàpào (Thundering Cannon)!"
Ranger thrust out both of her arms forward and fired the sphere of power straight for the Ratel Fallen. The sphere roared like thunder as it sped towards the monster's beam attack at double the speed. The sphere slammed against the Ratel Fallen's beam, but when it hit, it was not even a contest. The sphere ate up the attack, disassembling the particles that made up the energy attack, the Ratel Fallen was given no room to counter, it was effectively locked into the attack. If it stopped the beam, the attack would reach him faster, but if kept up the attack, he was only delaying the inevitable. The Ratel Fallen's dilemma was no longer an issue as the attack reached it. Instead of exploding the sphere wrapped around the monster, completely enveloping it.
Ranger raised her right hand and pointed the flat of her palm at the sphere. "You are a tough opponent, but you picked the wrong time to appear. Now begone. Huǐmiè (Destruction)!"
The moment that Ranger spoke that word the sphere's energy became more aggressive, the sphere that enveloped the monster doubled in size and began breaking down the monster's atoms in a matter of seconds. Without much of an explosion, the sphere broke down the monster, destroying its atomic structure and reducing it to absolutely nothing. Ranger released the tension in her body, as she fell onto her rear, the transformation ending and returning the hero back to her civilian form.
Amp released her own transformation and ran to Marcy. "Mar-Mar, you okay?!"
Marcy brought her legs close to her and buried her face into her knees as she sniffled. "No…"
Far away, from the top of the palace, King Andrias watched the battle from a high-tech spyglass. His eyes were wide with shock after seeing just how fierce Marcy was, and how she completely, and without mercy, dispatched that Fallen. Andrias lowered the spyglass and said, "Wow, something must've happened to really tick her off."
Today was disappointing. After the battle, the Knight Guard came in and began the cleanup operations. Marcy rested for a few minutes and changed back into Ranger, using Artificer Form to fix the Green House Palace and the parts where her battle with the Ratel Fallen had taken place. All the while, neither her nor Anne had spoken a word to each other. When everything was fixed, Marcy just called Machine Zefyr and flew back to the palace without saying anything to Anne or the Plantars.
Hours had passed and Marcy had not heard anything from Anne. She lied there, curled into a fetal position, clutching her pillow. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, although she never planned on any of that happening, it was such a romantic moment, it was everything she could have hoped for her first kiss. Except a stupid Fallen fell through the ceiling and ruined it. She was not sure if it was just the moment, or maybe Anne had finally come to terms with herself, but perhaps that moment could have been the spark that she needed to finally make her see. Marcy had to admit, she both dreaded and longed for that kiss, because that one kiss could tell Anne whether she liked girls, and whether Anne wanted to go out with her.
A knock came at the door. "Go away…please."
The door opened despite her request, and from it entered Lady Olivia. The refined newt woman looked upon her young ward with sympathy as she slowly approached the bed and sat down on the edge. Far enough to give the young teen some space, but close enough to be within arm's reach. "I heard the details about what happened at District Five. I'm so sorry that happened, Marcy. A special moment like that should not be ruined by such a ghastly creature. But that doesn't mean you can't try again."
"No…that was it. That would have been the moment for Anne…I could see it, she was ready to accept my feelings, to accept that part of her. But it was ruined…and now she's probably more reluctant than before," said Marcy.
"I don't understand, you said you were willing to wait for her, were you not?"
"I am! I've waited this long! But just then everything was so perfect and…" Marcy sighed as she buried her face in the pillow. "I don't know if that moment will ever happen again. It just made me realize how much I wanted to do that with her."
Lady Olivia sighed as she twiddled her thumbs. "Believe it or not, Marcy, I do know how it feels to wait for someone and not know if they feel the same way. And just to be clear, it is a woman I speak of."
Marcy raised her head to look at Lady Olivia, she was surprised to hear this from her. "You never told me you liked girls, too."
"Well, it is a personal matter. And there are certain expectations to carry on the family legacy, like bearing a child. I can't very well do that if I am with a partner of the same sex now can I?" Olivia asked rhetorically.
"Newtopia's medical technology is pretty advanced, is there not an option for In Vitro Fertilization?" Marcy asked.
Lady Olivia turned to look at the young teen with confusion. Sometimes she said things that went clear over her head. "I'm sorry about the only part of that I understood was 'fertilization'."
"It's a process where a male donor's sperm cell is taken and combined with the egg of a female, and the combined two are placed inside the would be mother for the fetus to grow into a baby," Marcy explained. "It's how most same sex couples in my world are able to have children, either that or adoption. If we could apply that technology here, you could be with whoever it is you really liked and still be able to carry on your family's legacy."
Lady Olivia smiled at the notion of such a thing being made possible here in Amphibia. While same sex relationships were not looked down upon, it was still not deemed…practical to be in one. Most notably among the aristocratic class, as family lineage was everything, the ability to have children and continue the name of the family or use the children as a means to build connections with other noble families of wealth. If something like what Marcy was suggesting were to come to Amphibia, it could theoretically turn everything upside down. Personally, while Lady Olivia did adhere to some of the traditions, there were some that she would happily do away with if given the chance.
"Perhaps one day something like that can come to Amphibia. Maybe you'll be the one to pioneer it," said Olivia.
Marcy blushed. "No…I know I'm smart, but that requires a whole other level of smart. I would need to study for years in order to make something like that even a theoretical possibility here."
"Well, no one said progress happens overnight." Lady Olivia got up from the bed and said, "I know you are sad Marcy, but perhaps you would like to join me for game of flipwart? I may not be a champion like our king, but at the very least I can try and give you something else to focus on."
Marcy sniffled and sighed. She did need a distraction, today was a disaster and she needed it. Without saying a word, Marcy got off the bed as well and walked down the tower with Lady Olivia. Marcy was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was not paying attention to where Olivia was taking her. When they eventually arrived at their destination, Olivia opened the doors to what Marcy thought was the study, but instead it was a small ballroom.
"Percussion…"
Bongo drums began to play.
"Strings…"
Violins followed.
"Winds…"
Flutes came next.
"Words…"
Marcy's eyes widened when she saw the band from earlier now on stage, along with the newt Sebastian holding a microphone, and Sprig was among the ensemble. And at the center of the ballroom was Anne Boonchuy.
"There you see her
Standing there across the way
She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl~"
Lady Olivia gave a sly smile as she raised her tail a little and used it to give Marcy a little shove into the ballroom, making the Chinese girl stumble forward before turning around to face the refined newt woman. But before she could say anything Lady Olivia closed the doors.
"Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
It's possible she wants you, too
There is one way to ask her
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl~"
Marcy turned around and looked at the waiting Anne. The teen genius worked up the courage and walked until she was at the center of the ballroom and standing there before Anne. Marcy opened her mouth to say something, but the words died in her mouth.
"Sing with me now
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look at the girl too shy
She ain't gonna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain't that sad
Ain't it shame, too bad
You gonna miss the girl~"
Marcy could not take it anymore and finally spoke, "Anne, I…I don't know what to say to all this…"
"Neither do I."
Anne reached out with her left hand and took Marcy's right into it, she then placed her right hand on Marcy's left hip, reminiscent of the time they were at the ball. Marcy seemed to understand what Anne was doing and the two began to dance. They were once again gliding on the dance floor, moving to the smooth beat of the band playing up on the stage. The lights in the room started to shift in color, bathing everything in a soft blue color.
"Have you…did you figure it out?" Marcy asked timidly.
"I still don't know to be honest. But this, right here, this feels right." Anne spun Marcy a little before bringing her back. "So…maybe I don't need to think too much about it, and just go with the flow."
"Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Girl, you better do it soon
No time will be better
Don't say a word
There's no need for words
Just gotta kiss the girl~"
Anne increased the speed of the dance in rhythm with the song. Marcy just followed Anne; she would follow her anywhere. They moved fast yet with grace, moving as one as the two girls felt their connection grow stronger in this moment.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You wanna kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
Listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss the girl~"
As the music slowed, Anne gradually brought Marcy closer to her until they were standing in the center of the ballroom again, staring straight into the other's eyes.
"You've got to kiss the girl~"
Marcy looked away for a moment, fear gripped her as a myriad of bad things entered her mind. Imagining the worst-case scenario that would result in what came next. However, Anne released Marcy's right hand and gently placed it on Marcy's cheek. Nudging ever so slightly as to make Marcy look back at her.
"Why don't you kiss the girl~"
When Marcy looked back at Anne, she could see that she was just as nervous as she was. And somehow that made her less nervous.
"You gotta kiss the girl~"
Marcy placed her right hand over Anne's left and smiled at her. Anne smiled back as she leaned forward.
"Go on and kiss the girl~!"
Sprig was on the brink of throttling his fiddle, Polly was nearly about to snap the armrest of the chair she was sitting in, and Lady Olivia was pressing her hands into a prayer position as she watched from a secret spot in the wall, begging Frog to have nothing interrupt this moment. Even Sebastian was on edge. Then it happened.
Anne and Marcy's lips met; it was a gentle, almost chaste kiss. It was a moment that felt brief but in contrast felt as if it lasted for almost an eternity. The two girls parted, their faces burned a bright shade of red, their lips tingly from the sensation of having kissed the other. Marcy wanted to know Anne's answer, but words were not needed, as Anne gave her answer in the form of another kiss, a bit firmer, but done so with care for the girl in front of her. Anne removed her hand from Marcy's face and had it join the one on Marcy's hips, hugging her closer, while Marcy brought both of her arms to drape over Anne's shoulders as her right leg lifted just a bit.
Lady Olivia let a tear fall from her eyes. Well done, Marcy.
Sprig was a crying mess, but he somehow still found the strength to keep playing. Polly was doing her best to keep from crying her own tears of joy, trying to maintain her tough girl image, but it was no use, even she could not resist how beautiful this moment was. Sebastian smiled and sang.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la
No need to fear
Your love is full of care
You just kissed the girl~
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't stop now
No need to hide it how
You went and kissed the girl~
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
Listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl~
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss the girl~"
A/N Part 2: I kinda altered the lyrics a bit here and there, but I don't think I disrupted the tempo. Don't ask me how this came in existence, but I had a lot of fun writing it.
"Kiss The Girl" song belongs to Disney's "The Little Mermaid".