"Operation: SashAnnArcy Downfall, an operation that was founded by one, Sprig Plantar. The mission: To prevent Sasha Waybright from becoming girlfriends with Anne and Marcy by exposing the enemy's obviously devious, sinister, and evil motives."
"Uh, all three of those are the same thing," said Maddie.
"I'm monologuing Maddie! Where was I? Oh yeah!"
"This mission is not for the faint of heart, for this will employ deception, possible bodily injury to the target to the one carrying out the mission. But in the end, it is for the greater good of MarcAnne that the crimson menace is defeated."
"So, wait, are we trying to run Sasha out of town? Or just trying to prevent them from being a…what would that be exactly if all three of them were going out? A throuple?" Ivy asked.
"Well, a couple is just two people, but I don't think 'throuple' is a word," Maddie replied. "Not sure what to call that."
Sprig, who was standing in front of a chalkboard to lay out his plan, facepalmed himself and dragged it down his face. "It doesn't matter! 'Cause they're not going to be a throuple!"
Sprig had gathered two people he trusted the most to help him with this herculean task. Ivy Sundew, his girlfriend, skilled martial artist-in-training, and stealth master, and Maddie Flour, local witch, master of hexes and curses. Unlike before when he gathered more people to help him with Anne and Marcy's date, for this operation, he needed to keep the circle small, and among those he highly trusted, but also who were highly skilled in what they did. While Sprig was certain the town felt some animosity towards Sasha and Grime, he could not take the risk that there might be some who did not want to get involved, or who could be dissuaded by Anne and Marcy.
No, in order to stop this from happening, he had to make a clandestine group who could move swiftly and take decisive action. Which was why they were meeting in Wally's house, since he was the town hobo and crazy person, no one was going to believe him, well, Anne might since she and the Plantar family knew his secret, but that's also while he had Maddie curse him with a petrification spell to put him out for an hour.
"Sprig, I'm all for helping out Anne and Marcy, but…I don't know, if Sasha's different then, maybe we could end up messing something up for them," said Ivy.
"I told you! Sasha said she hasn't changed! That she likes who she is! And that person is the same person who hurt Anne and almost fed Hop Pop to a carnivorous plant!" Sprig argued.
"Fair point," said Maddie. "But there's a chance that she's willing to at least shift her perspective with Anne and Marcy being there. You also said they're not the same as they were before, which means they could rein her in."
Sprig inhaled deeply and released it in a slow exhale. "True, but do you really think it's in their best interest to be constantly keeping someone like Sasha in check for the rest of their lives? What if she tries to drive a wedge between them?! Divide and conquer?! She could drive Marcy away from Anne and keep Marcy to herself, or the other way around!"
Maddie and Ivy thought about that for a moment. There was that possibility, if Sasha was still going to be the same manipulative person she is, then there was the possibility that that could happen was high.
"I for one will not allow Sasha to make Anne sad, again! So, I need you guys to help me out. Please? C'mon Maddie, you and Marcy are best friends." Sprig asked.
Ivy and Maddie got close and began whispering between themselves. And after a minute of discussion the girls finally made up their minds.
"Okay, I concede that you have a point. Marcy is my best friend, the only other friend whose interest in magic is as deep as mine. So, we'll help out, but under one condition," said Maddie.
"Name it!" Sprig replied.
"If it turns out that Sasha does actually care about them, and not just manipulating them, we call this all off," said Ivy. "That's the deal, take it or leave it."
Sprig scoffed at the deal. "Pfft, sure, it's a deal. But it's not gonna happen, since, you know, Sasha's a backstabbing she-witch."
"Ahem!" Maddie cleared her throat and shot Sprig a glare.
"Oh, uh, sorry! I mean the bad kind of witch! Not you!" Sprig quickly apologized.
Maddie rolled her eye. "So, what's the plan?"
"Well, from what I overheard–"
"And he eavesdropped," Ivy commented.
"Anne and Sasha are going to have their first date tomorrow, followed by Marcy and Sasha, and the third day will be all three of them. If we can disrupt them at any or all of these points, then it's mission accomplished!" Sprig flipped the board around, which displayed a convoluted and complex plan of attack. "Now here's what we're gonna do…"
Anne looked at herself in the bathroom room as she inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Okay, Boonchuy, you got this. It's just a date! You've gone on two dates already, so another is nothing. Except that this date isn't with my girlfriend Marcy, but a new girlfriend, your best friend Sasha…oh man…"
It had been a day since the dinner party, a day since she kissed Sasha Waybright, and made out with her. A day since Marcy proposed that the three of them become a…what were they?
"We aren't a couple anymore…we're a 'throuple', I guess?"
Anyway, since then, Marcy had taken it upon herself to create a dating schedule for the three of them. And after some time had passed, Anne concluded that it did make sense for Marcy to do something like that. Since it seemed like this was going to be official now, they needed to coordinate. And Marcy was great with these kinds of things. Anne understood where Marcy was coming from when she said that they each needed to spend time with each other, dating and junk. If this was not done right, one could feel like they were being left out.
"I get all that…but…am I really ready for this? Are we ready for this?" Anne asked her reflection.
She had told herself she was open to the idea at least, and while Sasha said that she had not changed, nor felt the need to, Sasha did at least accept the fact that she and Marcy had changed and would respect that. But the real test was going to be coming here soon, if this potential three-way relationship was going to work at all back on Earth, the testing ground was going to be here in Amphibia. If they could make this work under these circumstances, then Earth would be a cakewalk.
"Ugh, yeah, a cakewalk through a minefield," Anne commented.
Anne was not dumb; she knew that such a relationship would draw scrutiny from others around them. Not just their parents, but their peers in school, and really others through their life. Anne blushed.
"Whoa, calm down girl. We're just all going out…Why are you suddenly thinking that far ahead like we're all going to live together…?"
Anne turned on the faucet and splashed some water on her face, she needed to stop getting lost in her thoughts and just live in this moment for right now. She was going to go on a date with Sasha, she just needed to focus on that. Anne looked herself over in the mirror, wishing she had made other clothes for herself. But with the temple raids, and the Fallen, she barely had any time to make new duds for herself. Heck, the dress she made for the dinner party was something from before they left the valley. She made it for special occasions, but had not worn it yet, actually she made it as a form of distraction after the Toad Tower event.
But luckily or unluckily depending on your point of view, today was going to be a beach date. Which meant that she was going to the lake with Sasha. Oh Frog, if I could barely handle seeing Marcy in that school swimsuit, what am I going to do when I see Sasha?!
A knock came at the door, making Anne rush out of the bathroom, tripping on her own feet, and causing her to tumble and roll on the floor until she hit the front door and lay splayed out on the floor groaning.
"Oooh…"
The hit to the door seemed to have caused it to open, letting it swing freely. Anne's head was spinning, but her vision managed to come back into focus as she saw a pale hand grip the side of the door and push it open.
"What was – whoa – Anne are you okay?" Sasha asked.
Anne was blushing, again.
Sasha was not wearing her armor, which made sense given they were going to the lake. She was wearing red colored wraps around her chest and shoulders, creating a bikini top. Her stomach was exposed but going further down Anne saw that from her waist down to her thighs were covered in the red wraps, and with the addition of a magenta-colored loincloth to give her a kind of skirt look.
"Uh…Uh…"
"Amphibia, to Anne, you alright?" Sasha asked.
Anne shook her head, snapping herself out of the stupor as she shot to her feet. "Y-Yeah! I'm good! Super okay!"
"Uh-huh. You know, if this is still too…awkward, we can just call it off," said Sasha.
"No! No! I'm good!" Anne used her super speed to rush into the kitchen, got their picnic basket, got some towels from the bathroom, and then returned to the front door. "All ready to go!"
"Alright, if you're sure, let's hit it," said Sasha as she stood aside. "Lead the way."
"Huh?"
"You know where the lake is, and I don't, so, you lead."
"Oh, right! Yeah! Of course! 'Cause I know where it is, and you just got here so you don't know where it is! Right…Let's go!"
Anne walked, trying to keep Sasha behind her.
As she left, Polly could be seen watching them from the window. "Why am I getting a strange feeling that Sprig is going to do something today?"
Polly hopped up the stairs and knocked on his door. "Sprig, you better not be up to another one of your hairbrained schemes! Sprig?!"
The little tadpole opened the door and saw a lump in the bed, along with Sprig's hat sticking out from the covers. Polly grumbled as she got closer and then hopped straight up as she yelled, "WAKE UP!" But as soon as she landed on the lump, it deflated. There was some rope that she did not notice before, and it was quickly running out. That rope was tied to a makeshift pully system, which was winding down fast.
"Uh-oh…"
Within a matter of seconds, Polly found herself snagged in a net that now had her suspended above the middle of the room.
"What the?!" Polly looked around, and that's when a note was lowered down in front of her.
Dear Polly,
If you're reading this, then you've been captured in my net trap.
I knew you'd try to stop me or tell me not to do anything. But I cannot not do anything. So, until my plan to keep Anne and Sasha from becoming a 'throuple' is complete, at least for today, you'll be in the net. I left some cookies within arm's reach, so you won't go hungry!
Love, you're older brother
Sprig Plantar
Polly glanced to her left and watched as a bucket descended with cookies inside. "Sprig…for leaving me cookies…you will suffer pain rather than death. But you'll wish for it all the same."
This was a bad idea, thought Anne.
Not because it was going bad, quite the opposite. Sasha had taken a dip into the water, cannonballing into it as Anne set up their rest area. When she was done, Sasha emerged from the lake with the water dripping off her body. Anne's face was blushing bright red as they gave Sasha a bright sheen, accentuating the muscles she had developed during her time on the run and constant training. Anne thought she had toned up a bit thanks to her battles with the Fallen, and Marcy had a lean build going, not too bulky, just enough to show that she had muscle tone and was getting stronger. She was more on the agile side of combat.
However, looking at Sasha, she could actually see the beginnings of a six-pack forming. And on top of all that, Sasha was just drop dead gorgeous and hot, there was a reason why she was the most sought-after girl in Saint James Middle School, and while Anne had been aware that her best friend was attractive back then, from an objective standpoint, it was not until now that she could see why those boys were drooling over her. That smile, those curves, that golden hair that gleamed in the sunlight, and did she see sparkles? Oh no, that was just the water droplets falling off her and reflecting the sunlight.
"Dang, Anne, this place is great! The water's nice and clear, the beach is clean, and there are hardly any critters roaming around!" Sasha exclaimed as she moved her wet hair over her shoulder.
"Oh…y-yeah! I'm glad you like it! Sprig showed me the place on my second day of living with them. There was a huge water snake that almost killed us, but then it came back when I brought Marcy here. That thing turned into a Fallen and nearly drowned me before Marcy Rider Kicked that thing into oblivion," said Anne.
"Seriously?! You almost drowned?!"
"I wasn't paying attention and it snuck up on me and dragged me into the water. Used me as a meat shield the whole time Marcy was fighting it, but I'm okay."
Sasha sighed. "Jeez, that scared me."
Anne raised an eyebrow. "Why? I'm okay."
"Yeah, I see that. But still…" Sasha rubbed her right arm as she said, "I worried about you back at Toad Tower…still did even after what happened."
"Oh…"
Sasha shook off the sad feelings and put on a smile. "Alright, enough with that. C'mon!" The blonde teen quickly went up to Anne and began pulling her by the arm. "Let's swim around a bit!"
"Uh, well, give me a sec I still need to–"
"And scoop!"
Anne swiftly found herself in the arms of Sasha Waybright, being carried bridal style. "S-S-Sasha!"
"We're heading in, Boonchuy!" Sasha declared.
Without any time for protest to be given, Sasha ran towards the water and jumped in with Anne held tight in her strong arms. Anne held her breath and shut her eyes right before they hit the water. When she opened them, Anne found herself submerged, with Sasha still holding onto her. Sasha gave Anne a wink before letting her go to swim around. Both girls breached the surface, with Sasha shooting Anne a cheeky grin.
"Really, dude?!" Anne complained.
"You look like you needed to cool off," Sasha chuckled. "I know I'm hot, and the last thing I'd want is for you to get overheated."
Anne rolled her eyes. "Pfft, modest much?"
Sasha swam a little closer and stared at Anne with half-lidded eyes. "Don't deny it, Anne, I know you were checking me out. I don't mind, BT dubs. If we're going to be girlfriends now, it's not unnatural for us to be ogling each other."
"I…I wasn't…I mean…"
"Hey, Anne~"
"W-What…?"
Suddenly, Anne got splashed in the face by a wave of water, making her splutter.
"Gotcha!"
"Why you!"
The two girls got into a splash fight, just laughing, and having fun. Anne's blush faded as she began to enjoy their playtime, remembering the times they hung out at Sasha's pool or just going to the beach. Sasha grinned as she channeled her power and struck the water before her, causing a stronger splash that created a mini tidal wave that swept Anne up and threw her a few feet away.
Anne burst out of the water and as she yelled, "Hey! No fair using your powers!"
"Sorry," said Sasha. "But it you're not skittish around me now, are you?"
Anne took a moment to think about that and replied, "Maybe a little bit, but not as much as I was earlier."
Sasha swam back towards Anne and smiled at her. "Hey, I know this is new for us. But, Anne, I really don't mind if you look at me. You're allowed to do that when you're with the person you care about. Plus, it's not that easy for me either…"
Anne scoffed. "You seem to be fine to me."
"…Yes, and no. I've just gotten good at hiding it from you two. I've always had to control myself around you and Marcy. Careful not to blush or fidget, careful not to let my touch linger for longer than was necessary. I had to constantly keep myself in check because if I didn't…I might scare you two away…" Sasha confessed.
Anne's expression changed to one of sympathy as she swam closer and, boldly, moved some of Sasha's went hair from her face and back over her ear. "You don't scare me, Sasha. What you feel towards me and Marcy, doesn't scare me at all. Before, it would've surprised me for sure. But scare me? No. You're my best friend, and we would never abandon you because we found out you were bi."
"What about when you found out I was gay for you two?" Sasha asked.
"Knowing how Marcy feels now, I'm pretty sure she would've been over the moon," Anne answered.
"And you?"
Anne put on her own cheeky grin as she placed that same hand on her chest and proudly puffed it out. "I would've been able to brag that the most popular girl in school, Sasha Waybright, had a huge crush on me. I'd be the envy of all the boys, and some of the girls, at school."
"Wow, so you use my crush on you to elevate your status in popularity?" Sasha sniffled. "I'm so proud of you."
Meanwhile, Sprig was putting his plan into motion. Sprig planned on sabotaging this date, and the subsequent dates to show that this relationship had a dark cloud over it. If Sprig could cause enough disasters to occur during the dates, then Anne and Marcy would believe that their throuple plan would not work, it would be like a message from Frog themselves that this was doomed to fail. The first part of this plan was to cause a little mayhem.
Since Anne and Marcy took care of the water snake, the lake had become a safe place once again. Of course, they neglected to tell anyone about that, deciding to keep the lake a nice little secret for themselves and letting everyone believe that it was still snake infested. However, Sprig decided to bring something else to the table. And with Ivy's help, that would be a cinch.
A bug phone flew up to Sprig and said, {Sprig, I found the thing! It's right where you thought it would be!}
"Great! Lure it here, and let it do the rest," Sprig replied.
{Yeah, uh, are you one-hundred percent sure about this? I mean, I know Anne has powers and all, and Sasha's pretty hardcore. But if something goes wrong, they could really get hurt.}
"If it looks like it's going to go south, I'll just let it see me."
{And how will that help?}
"Oh, trust me," Sprig face became serious, "it wouldn't pass up a chance to get revenge on me."
{Oooookay, that's not unsettling in the least. Let's get this over with then.}
Sasha and Anne made their way to a lily pad and hopped out of the water. Once on it, they laid down, enjoying the warm sun against their skin as they relaxed. It was strange, Anne was starting to feel happy, similar to how she felt around Marcy when they were like this. Anne briefly glanced to her right to look at Sasha, her eyes were shut as she, too, enjoyed the warmth of the sun. Anne could hardly believe a girl like Sasha felt like this towards her, or the fact that Anne would find herself in this kind of situation. Yet, she smiled all the same.
The blonde teen opened her eyes and noticed Anne looking at her, she smiled gently at her and said, "Like what you see, Boonchuy?"
"Yeah, I do," said Anne without hesitation.
That got Sasha to blush.
"What about you?" Anne asked.
"Of course. I've always liked seeing you…you're hot, Anne," Sasha confessed.
Anne felt the heat return to her face. She was not that confident in her physical appearance, so when Marcy said she found her physically attractive, it was a real confidence booster. But to hear Sasha say that, well, it was making her feel even more confident in herself.
"I'm surprised you find my string bean self attractive at all," Anne commented.
"Don't do that, Anne. I know some of the girls back at school made fun of you, especially Pattie. But you are to me and Marcy, no matter what anyone else says."
"Thanks, Sash."
Suddenly the water rippled as the lily pad they were on undulated with a wave. Both girls propped themselves up on their forearms and turned around, and that's when they spotted it. A huge blue shelled crab came bursting out of the reeds. It was missing its left pincer claw, and from the looks of it, the giant crustacean was very ticked off.
"Holy crap, is that a giant crab?!" Sasha exclaimed.
"Yeah, and I recognize it! That's the crab that almost killed Sylvia! We beat it, but I guess it tracked us somehow," said Anne.
Sasha sprang to feet as she smirked and cracked her knuckles. "Anne, you think you could whip up something tasty if I took that thing down?"
"Definitely, but–"
"Wait right here!"
Sasha jumped off the lily pad and onto another, getting closer to the giant crab. She hopped onto another one, putting herself right in front of the beast. "HEY! MR. KRABS! DOWN HERE!"
The crab looked down and chirped when it saw her. It recognized Sasha as a human, it remembered a creature similar to her was on the boat that had the pink frog that took its arm, and now it would take something of the pink frog's. The crustacean raised its one claw and brought it down like a hammer on Sasha's position. Sasha's eyes glowed bright magenta as she jumped at the last second and landed on the beast's claw. She ran up the claw like a ramp, but the crab flung its claw upwards, throwing Sasha into the air.
The blonde teen smirked as she focused her flames into to the soles of her feet and released an explosion that propelled her forward. Those same flames coalesced around her right fist as Sasha spun in the air twice to gain momentum before bringing her right fist down into the crab's head. The crustacean shrieked in pain as its shell cracked like a walnut and Sasha's flames shot right through it. Blasting through the bottom as it fell over and collapsed into the lake.
Ivy and Sprig, who were watching all this from a safe distance, had their mouths gaping after witnessing Sasha just K.O. a giant crab with one blow.
"Sprig, why does Sasha have fire powers, and is crazy strong?" Ivy asked.
"Uh…Sasha…sorta, kinda, is a Kamen Rider like Anne and Marcy," he said quickly.
"WHAT?!"
Sasha stood on the corpse of the giant crab, with one hand on her hip, and her hip cocked to the right as she looked down from on high and shot a smirk at Anne. "Any chance this town's up for a crab dinner?!"
That was super-hot…! Also, hells yeah! "Oh-ho-ho! Momma's gonna have fun cookin' this guy up!"
Needless to say, two hours later, the entire town had a giant crab feast. Stumpy and Anne worked together to cook the crustacean, with Sasha helping out here and there, but it was clear halfway through that of all of Sasha's skills, cooking was not one of them. If it wasn't for her fire abilities, she probably would have burned herself ten times over. But Anne still had fun, even if Sasha was a disaster in the kitchen, she was still willing to try. And she did look cute covered in soot.
And on the flipside, Sprig was angrily munching down the delicious crab meat. His first plan was a complete bust, and if anything, it looked as if Anne and Sasha were closer. But he was not about to give up. Not yet. He was not going let Sasha hurt Anne again. Time passed and eventually everyone headed home, Sprig unfortunately witnessed Anne and Sasha give each other a goodbye kiss on the lips before leaving, and Anne had zero hesitancy while doing it. Both were blushing like schoolgirls, which they are, but that's beside the point.
Sprig marched up to his bedroom, feeling annoyed, but tomorrow was another day and Operation: Sashannarcy Downfall would not be deterred. However, the moment he reached his bedroom door, something felt…odd. There was a menacing miasma coming from behind his bedroom door, as if some unspeakable force of death and destruction was just waiting for him to turn that knob so that it could exact its unholy vengeance upon him. Every cell in Sprig's body urged him on a primal level to back away and run far from this place. But whether out of morbid curiosity, or foolish bravery, the pink frog twist the knob and opened the door.
The ominous feeling did not dissipate as the door creaked unnaturally loudly, swinging slowly all the way open. Sprig cautiously walked in, briefly wondering if he should have broke out his slingshot for defense. But as he made it further in, he noticed something that made his blood run cold, well, colder for a cold-blooded species. The net trap had been set up earlier was activated, but the net was empty now, and the bucket of cookies he left had been devoured.
"Oh no…"
Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him, and there was Polly.
"Hello, big brother."
"P-Polly!"
"Allow me, to impress upon you, the severe mistake you have made. You thought you could just leave me in a net, and that I would benignly just accept my fate. But you were wrong, older brother, oh so wrong. And now, you have forced me to unleash the vengeful flames a thousand suns! You will curse Frog for the day your birth!"
"P-Polly, c-calm down, I-I'm doing this for Anne!" Sprig tried to plead.
"But, since you left me a bucket full of cookies, I will not end you," said Polly sweetly.
Sprig sighed in relief, prematurely mind you.
"Instead…I'm only going to make you wish you were dead!"
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Hop Pop, who was downstairs at the time, heard some commotion coming from the kids' rooms, so he decided to go and check on them. When he did, Hop Pop watched as Sprig's bedroom door burst open as Sprig tried to run away, but he was quickly denied, and was being dragged back into the room. He desperately clung to the frame of the door, as he looked at Hop Pop with desperation in his eyes.
"HELP ME, HOP POP! HELP ME! OH FROG!"
For some reason, Polly's eyes were red, and she now spoke with an echoing demonic voice. "Hop Pop can't save you! And there's no Frog here! I AM YOUR GOD!"
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Sprig was then tossed up and down like a ragdoll before being yanked back into the room, with the door slamming shut. What followed was a string of noises, painful noises, screaming, and the sweet evil laughter of Polly.
Hop Pop knew that he should probably go in there and stop his granddaughter before she murdered his grandson.
"Oh-ho no! You're not getting out through the window! COME BACK HERE!"
"AAAAAH! MERCY!"
"LET FROG HAVE MERCY, FOR I! HAVE! NONE!"
Then he reevaluated his position on that. "Eh, better to let them hash it out."
It was Marcy's turn today, and was she nervous? Ha-ha! You better believe she was. Even though she was the one who proposed and planned out the triple dates, it was another thing when it was actually her having the date now. Before coming to Amphibia, Marcy wrote out many little one-shot ship fics about herself and her friends becoming more than friends, some were exclusively about her and Anne, others were only about herself and Sasha, and a few others were about all three of them together.
She felt like an anime harem protag, but unlike those guys, she actually recognizes her partners' affections and isn't wishy-washy about choosing one or the other. But in this case, the "both" option was given to her, so she was happy she did not have to choose. She meant what she had said to Sasha, if Anne was not onboard with this, she was going to choose Anne over Sasha, the first girl always gets priority in anime harem situation, it's the rule.
Although, this was not an anime, this was real life, and Marcy could hardly believe this was happening to her. Only in her imagination would something like this be possible, but now it was for real. Not only did she manage to end up in a relationship with Anne, but now that relationship included their other best friend, Sasha Waybright, arguably the hottest girl of Saint James Middle School, and undeniably the most popular of all.
"Whew, you can do this, Wu! You've spent time with Sasha before and didn't get all flustered, so you can get through this date the same way!" Marcy assured herself.
The date was going to be simple, nothing over the top. Especially after hearing how Anne and Sasha's lake date ended up. Today was just going to be a little tour of Wartwood and the different things she discovered while staying here. It was probably going to be boring for Sasha, but unfortunately, there weren't that many options for entertainment around here. Newtopia had plenty of things to showoff and do both in the day and at night, but a rural town like this limited their options. Not to say she didn't love Wartwood, far from it, but she would like to have more options like in Newtopia or even back on Earth.
Marcy heard a knock at the fwagon door and headed on over to it. And just like she thought, Sasha was standing there, arms crossed, and a smile on her face.
"Hey, how's my favorite nerd? Ready for our date?" Sasha asked.
Steam could be seen pouring from Marcy's ears. Oh Frog, that sounds just like a line from one of my fics! Marcy snapped herself out of her thoughts and quickly replied, "Y-Yeah! Yes! Totally ready!"
Sasha chuckled and offered her right hand to Marcy. The Chinese girl gingerly reached out and took her hand, letting Sasha guide her out of the fwagon. "Cool, and hey, don't be so nervous, Marcy. It's just me."
"Yeah…just you. As my girlfriend," Marcy pointed out.
"Heh, yeah, as your girlfriend." Sasha's smile broadened a bit. "Jeez, why does saying that make me feel so dang giddy inside."
Marcy smiled, too, and replied, "Maybe it's because you no longer have to hide how you feel. You're free to say and feel these things that you've been bottling up for years. I know I felt the same way when Anne and I became a couple."
"Yeah, I think you're right. I've been holding back for so long, that all of this feels like it's too good to be true. Like I'm about to wake up from a really nice dream at any moment," said Sasha.
Marcy squeezed Sasha's hand a bit tighter, as if reaffirming that this was not a dream, but reality. "If we're dreaming, then we're all having the same dream. And that should tell us something. That we want this, right?"
Sasha released Marcy's hand and then threw her arm around the teen genius' waist, bringing her closer until their hips touched. "Well then, I'm not holding back anymore!"
"S-Sasha!"
"I've always wanted to hold you and Anne like this, and not give a damn who sees me with two cute girls on my arm," said Sasha.
Marcy blushed. "C-Cute!"
"Duh, now, you were going to show me around this place?"
"Y-Yes, l-let's go."
Sasha and Marcy started walking, but Marcy noticed that Sasha had not let go of her. "Are we going to walk like this the whole time?"
"Like I said, I don't have to hide how I feel about you and Anne anymore. So, I'm going to do what I couldn't do before. That's not a problem, right?" Sasha asked with a slight tone of worry.
Marcy rested her head against Sasha's shoulder as she said, "No, I've wanted this for a while now, so it's no problem at all."
As the two girls left the farm, Polly watched them from Sprig's window. Again, romance was not her thing, being a young tadpole, such things were not on her mind. But she could be happy for those who obviously liked each other, like Sprig and Ivy, and Anne and Marcy. Speaking of Sprig…
Polly turned around, checking to make sure her older brother was where she left him. Sprig had been beaten up, but he was alive. Polly tied him up last night and threw him into his bed, staying in his room all night to make sure her deranged kin's plans were not going to come about.
"Okay, Marcy and Sasha are having their date, so, I'm going to go. I'll tell Hop Pop to bring you lunch and to check on you," said Polly as she hopped off the table.
"Y-You can't keep me here…forever…!"
"Nope, just until the end of today and tomorrow, or until you stop your little plans," Polly bargained.
Sprig narrowed his gaze and retorted, "Never."
"Then enjoy being tied up! Oh, and Sprig, if you leave this room and do anything else, just know that your punishment is going to involve a whole barrel of pain peppers!"
Polly shut the door behind her, leaving Sprig alone in his room. What Polly did not know was that Sprig did not have to leave his room in order to put Operation: Sashannarcy Downfall into effect. It was for this reason why he called upon his friend and girlfriend to execute his plans in his absence.
"Sorry, dear little sister, but even tied up, my plans are already in motion! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The door slammed open.
"Did I just here you laugh in a manically crazy tone?!" Polly asked with an edge in her voice.
"Uh…no."
Polly blinked. "Oh, probably me then."
The door shut again.
"mwahahahahahaha."
Marcy and Sasha were walking around town, with the former showing off the different architectural splendors of the rustic little frog town. Normally Sasha would tune out Marcy's little history lesson and fun facts, but today, she found herself listening intently to them. Guess that's what happens when you're officially a couple, you find yourself more interested in what they say. At least that's what Sasha believed, compared to the other dates she had with boys, she could give to flips about what they said. Although to be fair, most of them were jocks, so their interests didn't go beyond sports, or how great they were, or how popular they were.
Ugh, I mean, c'mon, I know you're popular and I know you're good at whatever sport you play but talk about something else! Hell, even if it's a nerdy hobby, just say something interesting!
But unlike those guys, and probably most of the popular girls, Marcy wore her interests on her sleeve. Literally in some cases. She did not care who knew or what others thought about her interests, she was happy to talk to anyone who was willing to listen to her about them. Whether it be tabletop games, video games, anime, tokusatsu shows, or manga. Honestly most of that did not appeal to Sasha, she understood Marcy liked that stuff, and some of it was pretty cool, but she was not as hardcore into it as Marcy was.
However, that was also part of her appeal. She was such a nerd, and a certified genius, that it made her very endearing. Which was also why Sasha felt the need to protect Marcy from the kids at school who would try and use her. Back in the day, Anne did not like confrontation. Which frustrated Sasha on a level, considering that she knew her friend knew how to fight thanks to her Muay Thai lessons, and her natural athletic prowess. If Anne were more willing to throw hands, the other popular girls back at school would probably think twice before messing with her, or just jerks in general.
Marcy just needed protection from herself more than anything, Sasha was mostly in charge of keeping the jerks away, while Anne was in charge of keeping Marcy from accidentally killing herself with her clumsiness or obliviousness to what was going on around her.
Frog, it's a miracle we kept her alive this long. But, at least she's not as clumsy anymore.
She started noticing this as they walked around the town, as Marcy continued to spit out facts about Wartwood, there were a few times where Sasha was about to spring into action to prevent Marcy from knocking something over, or getting smacked in the face by a sign, but each time Marcy avoided it like she was completely aware of her surroundings even while in her lecture mode.
"Wow," Sasha marveled.
"Huh? You mean, 'Wow, the weight limit of Wartwood is fascinating', or wow something else?" Marcy asked.
"Um, well, the first part is interesting." Sasha tapped her foot on the ground. "And a bit disconcerting knowing that this place is only a leaf away from sinking into the swamp. But, also, I'm amazed at how aware you are. Whenever you get like this you lose track of the things around you."
Marcy smiled, but it was a melancholy one. "Yeah, I'm not particularly proud of that. I almost got Anne and the Plantars hurt because of that back at the Temple of Mind. I learned that being 'in the zone' isn't really a good thing, it's useful sure, but it's meaningless if you shut out everything and everyone around you." Marcy sighed as she leaned up against a building. "I'm sorry, Sash."
"For what?" Sasha asked.
"For zoning out and blocking you two out back on Earth. After the temple, I promised myself I would not be like that anymore, that I'd be more aware of my surroundings and not have to make you or Anne have to put yourselves in harm's way to just keep me from hurting myself," Marcy explained.
"Mar-Mar, it's fine. Better you figured it out now, am I right?"
Marcy nodded.
"Cool, so, maybe you could tell me why that angry mob's been following us for last hour and a half?"
Marcy deadpanned when she saw a crowd of the townsfolk with torches and pitchforks. "Guys! C'mon! Anne and I said Sasha's not going to do anything! She's cool!"
The mob grumbled and reluctantly dispersed, but as the crowd thinned out, Marcy noticed Polly with a torch.
"Really, Polly?" Marcy asked.
"I told Anne, and now I'm tellin' you. I go where the mob goes, Marcy!"
Sasha watched as the pollywog began hopping away after extinguishing her torch. "Yeah, that little tadpole is, like, hardcore."
"Yep! But you get used to it."
Unknown to either of the two human girls, Maddie was watching from around the corner of a shop. She said she would help Sprig with his plan, but as she watched her new best friend walk around happily with Sasha, she was starting to wonder if this was the right thing to do. Yes, she remembered that Sasha nearly got Sprig's grandfather killed, and she also remembered how she sucked the fight out of Anne before Sprig brought Anne back. But if Marcy and Anne could forgive Sasha, was it too much to ask for her to do so as well?
Marcy's the first best friend I've ever had. If she finds out I messed up her date, she may never talk to me again…but if Sasha's really the bad person that Sprig thinks she still is, then doing this is the right thing to do. AUGH! Why is friendship so complicated?!
"SURPRISE~ YOU LITTLE WITCH!"
Maddie quickly looked over her shoulder and gasped when she saw someone throw a pouch right at her. She sensed magic in that pouch and quickly jumped out of the way as it hit the ground and caused that spot to grow pink fur.
"What the?!" Maddie looked at her assailant. They were wearing a mask and wore a black outfit to cover up their appearance, but Maddie recognized that voice the moment she heard it.
"Barry!"
The assailant stopped and gasped. "What?! How did ya know it was me?!"
"Aside from your voice, you're wearing a top hat over that getup, and some of your red hair is showing."
Barry felt his head and realized he had forgotten to take it off, but he did manage to tuck his hair back into the mask. "It's an iconic item, I forget that I have it on sometimes. Any-who, today's the day I get my revenge on you!"
"Uh, could we reschedule this? I kinda have something important to do, or not do…ugh, whatever, I just don't have time to deal with you today! So can we pick this up tomorrow, maybe?!" Maddie exclaimed.
"Oh well, let me check my schedule – NO!" Barry tossed another curse pouch at Maddie.
The young witch jumped back as the pouch hit, but she was not prepared for the curse as it released a strong explosion that sent her flying backwards, and right into the street in front of Sasha and Marcy.
"Maddie!" Marcy exclaimed.
"Marcy!" Maddie gasped.
"What's going on here?" Sasha asked.
Barry hopped onto the roof and threw another pouch; Maddie saw that it was heading right for them. She did the only thing she could do, she jumped straight into the air and let the curse pouch hit her in the back as it released its curse.
"MADDIE!" Marcy yelled as she caught Maddie out of the air. "Maddie! Maddie talk to me!"
Maddie groaned as the curse created markings that creeped over her body.
"Ha-Ha! I finally got that little witch!" Barry triumphantly stated.
Sasha saw Marcy's worried and sad expression, and then she got angry. "I hope you're not attached to those hands, 'cause I'm taking them!"
The Waybright girl channeled her powers and ran for Barry. The candy man curse user still had plenty more curses to use and began flinging them at Sasha one after the other.
"DON'T LET THOSE HIT YOU!" Marcy warned as she hurriedly got some of Maddie's curse pouches and began mixing up a counter curse.
Sasha listened to her girlfriend and swiftly dodged them. Barry was not prepared to deal with a warrior, and even less so a warrior who was ticked off. Sasha took out one of her hidden daggers and flung it at Barry. The knife whistled as it cut through the air sliced right through his iconic hat and made the candy man frog nearly wet himself. Barry took out two pouches and threw them on the roof, creating tentacles with spikes at their tips to act as a wall and a weapon to keep her at bay. However, as Sasha got within range, she ignited her left and right hands, made a knife hand gesture, and slashed the tentacles with both of them.
Barry screamed when he saw the human girl glaring at him with her glowing eyes while flaming embers danced around her. The cheerleading captain grabbed Barry and threw him down to the ground like a ragdoll. Once on the ground, Sasha jumped off the roof and came down into a hero landing. She rushed towards Barry and pinned him down to the ground, bringing his arm back to the point that she was close to breaking it off.
"Tell me what kind of curse you used!" Marcy demanded.
"I ain't telling you – AUGH!"
Sasha bent his arm back a bit more. "Talk, or else."
"Or else what? You'll kill me? Ha! Then you'll never help her," said Barry in a smug tone.
"Oh, I don't need to kill you. I can make you hurt to the point that you'll wish for death, though! But something tells me that you're afraid to die either way." Sasha kept bending his arm, making Barry thrash under her foot in pain. "What's your answer?"
"AAAAAH! FINE! FINE! In my left pocket, the curse pouch has the ingredients!" Barry confessed.
Marcy wasted little time rummaging through his pocket and pulled out the pouch. After untying it, she separated the ingredients and mixed them with Maddie's batch. Once combined, Marcy threw it on Maddie, releasing a sparkling green cloud. After a few seconds, the curse markings began to leave her body, and Maddie took in a deep gasping breath as she shot upright.
"Whoa…that was close." Maddie looked up at Marcy and smiled. "You're getting better, apprentice."
"You are a great teacher after all," Marcy replied.
"You gonna be okay, kid?" Sasha asked as she kept her hold on Barry.
Maddie looked up at Sasha, she risked getting hexed by Barry to take him down and help her. The Sasha she saw back all those months ago probably wouldn't have cared at all, but she went and did what she did anyway. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Thank you, Sasha."
Sasha smiled at Maddie and said, "No prob. Now, what are we going to do with this guy?"
"Ah'll take it from here." The girls turned their heads to see that Constable Elliot Samson had appeared.
"Uh, okay, all yours."
Sasha got off Barry, allowing Constable Samson to take custody of him.
"Barry, ya done gone and messed up. How the jolly have fallen."
"Ah, shut up."
Marcy stood up and kissed Sasha on the cheek, making her blush.
"W-What was that for?" Sasha asked.
"That's for looking hot while taking that guy down." Marcy then kissed Sasha on the lips and said, "And that's for helping to save my friend."
Sasha rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, but happy for the show of affection. "So, what else is there to see around here?"
"Ahem…" Sasha and Marcy looked down at Maddie. "If you don't mind, I could show you around my secret hollow where I make spells. We can try out some different curses, the fun ones, and not the ones that can turn you inside out."
"Oh! Sash! This will be great! I can show you how much I've learned when it comes to magic here in Amphibia!" Marcy gushed.
"Wait, you can do magic here?" Sasha asked.
"Yep! And Maddie here taught me everything I know! Still an apprentice, but hey, I'm willing to keep learning!"
Sasha nodded as she smiled at her girlfriend and the goth frog girl. Heh, girlfriend, I'm loving thinking that when it comes to them. "Well, lead the way and show me what you got!"
"WHAT?!" Sprig exclaimed.
"Yeah, apparently Barry messed up Maddie's part. And she kind of ended up showing off some of her spells to them. It was kinda cool, actually. She looked like she was having a lot of fun, and those two were having fun, too," said Ivy.
Sprig groaned incredulously at this turn of events. "She wasn't supposed to help them! She was supposed to break them up! Ugh, whatever, tomorrow is our final chance!"
Ivy, who was sitting on Sprig's desk while he was still tied up, rubbed the back of her head, and said, "Hey, Sprig, maybe Sasha's not as bad as we thought. She saved Anne from the crab, and she took down Barry. Still can't believe he was that much of a jerk."
"I can, not surprised in the least. Speaking from experience."
"But Marcy and Anne seem happy with Sasha, happier anyway. Maybe she can't change, but maybe she'll change in small ways overtime?" Ivy suggested.
Sprig heard what Ivy said, and as much as he wanted that to be the truth, deep down he had a gut feeling that Sasha was still the same backstabbing person she was at Toad Tower. He did not want to see Anne sad like that again, and even more so now that she had Marcy.
"I can't take that chance! Tomorrow is gut check time!" Sprig stated.
Ivy sighed heavily. "Okay, well, I like you, Sprig. And I'm sticking with you no matter what, but this last bit you're on your own. Still love you, though."
"Same."
"Just don't go too overboard."
With that, Ivy backflipped out the window and left the Plantar farm. Sprig's face morphed into one of devious intent as he managed to wriggle his arms out of the ropes and bring up Maddie's ancient tome.
"Oh, it won't be too overboard." Sprig flipped through the pages and found the page for summoning an old acquaintance. "It'll be way overboard! AHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!"
The door slammed open again.
Polly shot a narrowed eyed glare at her big brother but noticed that his arms were still restrained. "Hmmmmmm…"
"Goodnight, Polly," said Sprig, his eyes big, sparkling, innocent.
Polly made a gesture with her flipper, indicating that she was watching him before closing the door.
"Now, where did Hop Pop put that horn?"
"You sure about this, Mars?" Sasha asked.
"Yeah, I mean, wouldn't you rather be do something else?" Anne inquired.
"Nope! Now c'mon! I wanna see you two go at it!"
Part of their group date, apparently, involved Marcy wanting to see her two girlfriends spar with each other. Anne was dressed back up in her swimsuit and trunks, while Sasha was back in her crimson wrap bikini. This was the first time Marcy had seen her in that outfit, and she loved it.
"Starting to see that Marcy has a type," said Sasha.
"What was your first clue? The fact that she's drooling over us, or the fact that her eyes are practically feeling up our muscles?" Anne asked in a deadpan tone.
"Both." Sasha shrugged and got into a fighting stance. "Well, I can't say this isn't a bad thing. I've kinda wanted to see what you can do. Show me what you got, Boonchuy!"
Anne sighed, but then smirked as she got into her stance. "You asked for it, Waybright!"
"Remember, no powers! Aaaaaaaand…begin!"
Sasha and Anne dashed straight at each other. Anne came in with a roundhouse kick, but Sasha dove under it and tried to uppercut Anne. The Thai girl managed to bend backwards enough to avoid the blow, letting the both of them slide to the opposite sides of each other. The two girls reengaged and began throwing punches and kicks, they had to admit, it was kind of fun. Sasha was thankful for Grime's training, but there were few people who could match her athleticism like Anne could. Their top score in Super Dance Fusion was a testament to that.
Anne was finding this oddly cathartic, a way to blow off steam from those times before, while not feeling any animosity or anger towards her now girlfriend. She found herself admiring Sasha's form and technique, showing that her time on the run had done a lot to improve her fighting skills since Toad Tower, but Anne wasn't slacking off either.
However, far away from the two girls, a little ten-year-old frog child was dressed in black robes. He had carved the magic circle and procured the items from the last summoning ritual. All he had to do now was play the forbidden note, and mighty Chickalisk would descend from the skies.
"If this doesn't work, nothing will!" Sprig stated as he prepared to blow.
"Hold it right there!" Sprig turned around and saw Polly. "Don't you dare play that horn!"
Sprig slowly put the cursed obsidian into the horn.
"Sprig…"
He slowly raised the horn up.
"Don't you dare!"
He inhaled deeply.
"Don't you froggin' dare!"
And blew.
Their fight eventually brought Anne and Sasha to the ground, both of them grappling and trying to pin the other down. Marcy was laser focused on her two hot, athletic girlfriends wrestling on the ground. She was wondering if she should record this, you know, for their benefit. So, they could review it later and give each other tips. Yeah, totally for no other reason.
Anne managed to pin Sasha to the ground, but it was clear that Sasha was close to throwing Anne off. "C'mon, Sash! Just give up!"
"You forget who you're talking to?!" Sasha shot back.
"Heh, nope! Just wanted to spare you the humiliation!"
"Oh, let's go, Anne!"
Before any further action could be taken, the skies darkened above them as thunder roared and lightning surged through the clouds. Sasha and Anne got back on their feet as Marcy joined them, all three girls were on edge as they wondered if this was a natural phenomenon, or a Fallen attack. Their answer came in the form of the clouds parting as a pillar of red light shown from them, and within that pillar of light flew down the mighty, the ancient, Chickalisk the Storm Bringer.
Sasha's jaw dropped when she saw the giant fowl and asked, "What in the heck is that thing?!"
"It looks like a cockatrice, but three times bigger than it should be!" Marcy exclaimed.
"Oh crud…it's Chickalisk…"
The elder god looked around the area, his gaze eventually falling on Anne, Marcy, and Sasha. Marcy and Sasha were getting ready to transform and fight this creature, but Anne stepped forward and raised her hands up.
"Whoa! Hold up! Don't provoke him!" Anne warned.
"Anne, there's a giant chicken-dragon standing right in front of us, and you're telling us not to provoke it?! It has a pretty provoking presence!" Sasha argued.
"Y-Yeah, I get it! But I know it! We fought each other once and I think he's okay now…probably," said Anne. "I'll show you."
Anne took a deep breath and walked forward, standing before Chickalisk as she asked, "Hey there, big guy. You remember me?"
Chickalisk took a hard look at the girl before him, and as he did, his mystic eyes were able to see a familiar energy glowing inside of her. He immediately recognized this energy and perked up.
"ARARAHGH RRAHAGHA AAHARAHAH GRRRGGAGHA AHA!"
(Oh sweet! You're the girl I fought last time! What's up? Did you want to fight again?)
Anne blinked.
"AARAHAHRAHAACH AHEEHEEHAAAHA? GARRHGAHAHA HAOC CHAHD."
(What's the matter, you don't understand me? Oh, duh me. Should've done this last time.)
Chickalisk bent down and tapped Anne on her forehead with its claw.
"Do you understand me now?"
"Holy Frog! I can! What did you do?!" Anne asked.
"Translation spell. Forgot to cast it on you last time we met. I was too excited from the fight we had."
Anne chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sorry about all that. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Heck yeah it hurt! But that was great! Do you know how many times I've fought 'warriors' who said they were the best and strongest, but always fell short. You're the first one who actually pushed me to get serious! I respect that. So, why did you summon me anyway? Did you want to fight again? Or just hang?"
Anne was visibly confused. "Wait, I didn't summon you."
Chickalisk blinked. "Huh, I was summoned, but you didn't do it? Weird. Oh well, do you want to hang?" Chickalisk looked at the two girls behind Anne. "They can come, too. They look strong."
While this was going on, all Marcy and Sasha could hear was squawking from Chickalisk as Anne seemed to be carrying on a conversation as if she understood it.
Anne turned around and asked, "Hey, you guys, I know this was not planned. But do you think you want to hang out with an elder god for our date?"
Marcy's eyes widened and sparkled with fascination. "Are you kidding?! YES! We get to hang out with an eldritch Amphibian god! Let's do it!"
Sasha looked hesitant. "I don't know…can we trust this thing?"
Anne smirked as she put her hands on her hips and said, "Is Sasha Waybright scared?"
"What?!"
Marcy smirked. "Oh, so I guess this would go down in…THE BOOK OF LOSERS!"
Sasha's face burned bright red as she retorted, "I ain't goin' in no Book of Losers! Let's go party with a god!"
"Woo-hoo!" Anne and Marcy cheered.
Sprig had managed to get away from his sister, but when he arrived at the spot where Chickalisk appeared, he was shocked to see that all three girls were now on its back. Chickalisk spread his dragon wings and took off into the sky as the girls cheered happily.
"What…just…happened…?"
"Oh Spriiiiiiiiiiiigggg~"
Several hours passed before Anne, Sasha, and Marcy came back to Wartwood. All three of them looked exhausted, but also had various party related items either on them, or in their hands. All three girls jumped off Chickalisk's back and waved to the giant drago-chicken.
"Thanks, dude! That party was epic," said Anne.
"Anytime, you three are fun to party with! Oh, and if you find out who called me here, smack them in the face for me. Chickalisk, out!"
The elder god created a pillar of crimson light and vanished from the area.
"Okay, I've thrown a lot of parties, and been to a few, but I can honestly say, that was the first time I've partied with gods, plural," said Sasha.
"Not bad for a group date," said Marcy. "Not planned, but that was fun all the same!"
Anne glanced between her now girlfriends and asked, "So, I guess we can say that this thing can work out? Right?"
Sasha and Marcy looked at each other for a moment and then back at Anne.
"That's up to you, Anne," said Marcy. "I had a lot of fun, and I'd love it if we could all stay together like this. But, if you still don't feel comfortable, then, I'll accept your decision."
Anne looked at Sasha. "And what do you think?"
Sasha sighed as she answered, "I never really thought something like this could happen to us. It was barely a pipe dream. A fantasy, really. But, after these last three days…I've realized that I want this. I want to make this work. But none of this works unless you're onboard. I'm not going to push you into it, like Marcy said, it's your decision."
Anne thought about it for a moment, she was happier than she had ever been. Having this relationship with her best friends, now turned lovers, was amazing. And it was something that she wasn't ready to give up or felt like she ever could give it up. Anne reached out with her right hand and took Marcy's left into it, and with her left hand she took Sasha's right. Her answer to them came in a physical affirmation. She leaned forward and kissed Sasha on the lips, holding that kiss for about five seconds before switching over to Marcy, and holding for the same amount of time.
"I want to keep this going, for as long as we can. I want to see where this can go, with all three of us. As long as you two are okay with someone like me?" Anne asked timidly.
Sasha and Marcy immediately drew Anne into a group hug, feeling extremely happy upon hearing her decision.
"You won't regret this, Anne," said Sasha.
"I second that," Marcy remarked.
"I…I love you guys," Anne confessed.
After some farewell kisses from Sasha, and a couple more hugs. The girls each retired to their domiciles. Marcy went back to the fwagon, and Anne walked inside the house, but paused when she saw Sprig.
"Holy Frog, what happened to your face?!" Anne exclaimed.
Sprig's face was swollen, along with his lips. "Nothing…"
Anne smirked as she asked, "Got into Hop Pop's pain paper stash, didn't ya?"
Sprig shuddered as he remembered Polly stuffing his face with the vegetable that was birthed from the hellfire of the underworld. "…Something like that. How was your, ugh, date."
Anne smiled as she said, "It went really well, super well!" The Thai teen got down on one knee and looked at her surrogate little brother. "Sprig, I want to thank you."
That caught Sprig off guard. "Thank me? For what?"
"For trusting me, for believing in me to make this decision. I know it's not easy having Sasha around. Frog knows she's made some mistakes, but it makes me happy that you haven't really raised a stink about it," said Anne.
As Anne said these words, Sprig felt several sharp arrows piercing his heart with each word spoken. The truth is he did trust her, he just did not trust Sasha. But Anne really wasn't asking that of him. She was asking him to believe in her, to trust her in her decisions.
Sprig released a long sigh and smiled, as best he could, at Anne. "You're welcome. And…if she makes you happy…if all three of you being together makes you happy. Then, I'm happy for you."
Anne brought Sprig into a hug as some tears fell down her cheeks. "Thanks, buddy. You guys are my family, and I want to make sure you're okay with this." Anne broke the hug and stood up. "Now, I'm gonna get some of this stuff off, and then I'm going to find some ice for your face."
"Thank you!" Sprig watched as Anne left the room and went down the trapdoor to the basement. He then flung his arms into the air and exclaimed, "Frog dang it! Fine! I'll allow this, I guess!"
Polly, who had been watching from the stairs retorted, "You'll 'allow it'? Pfft, don't kid yourself. And Sprig, if, and/or, when I find someone special like those three, if you ever pull any kind of junk like this, what I've done so far will be like a sweet, sweet dream compared to the nightmare I will unleash. Got it?"
Sprig stood up straight and quickly uttered, "Yes! I will never ever do that again!"
"Good."
When Polly left, Sprig's eyes shifted to narrow slits as he muttered, "So long as you don't know about it, dear sister."
"I heard that!"
"No, you didn't!"
Sasha was on cloud nine right now as she walked back to Felicia's place. She was aware that there was another mob with pitchforks and torches following her, but she could hardly give a damn right now. Plus, it wasn't like they could do anything to her. Sasha opened the door and closed it behind her, shutting the blinds to forget that the mob was outside.
"Oh, hey, Sasha, you look happy," said Ivy as she helped clean up the downstairs shop.
"Totally." Sasha looked at Ivy and said, "You don't seem as on edge as everyone else about me being here. Why's that?"
Ivy shrugged. "Well, Anne seems to really like you. And, well, I trust Anne. She's, my hero. So, I want to trust you, too."
Sasha's eyes widened with surprise. "Uh, thanks…um…Ivy, right?"
"Yep, let me know if you and, eh, Grime, need anything."
Sasha nodded and headed upstairs. For some reason, the little frog girl's words echoed in her head. "Well, Anne seems to really like you. And, well, I trust Anne. She's, my hero. So, I want to trust you, too."
"Trust, huh…?" Sasha opened the door to the room and saw Grime binge watching another show on her phone while sipping some Bog Grog. "Hey, Grime."
"Ah, Lieutenant, you're back. How was your outing with those two?" Grime asked.
"It was a date, Grime. We had a date," Sasha corrected.
"Yes, and have you secured our assists?" Grime asked.
Sasha paused. "…Yeah, we're – they are – in love with me. And everything should be good before we head to Newtopia."
"Good." Grime got off the couch and stood in front of Sasha as he said, "You know what will happen the day after tomorrow. I need you to be ready for whatever happens. Be it a resolution that you want, or one that is not to your liking."
"Don't worry, Grime, I know they'll fall in line once everything is off the ground," said Sasha.
They…They just have to.
"Well, Anne seems to really like you. And, well, I trust Anne. She's, my hero. So, I want to trust you, too."
"Ugh, I'm gonna take shower. I feel dirty for some reason."
Only one episode left until...TRUE COLORS...
A/N: Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that I started a poll asking a question: If you could pay anywhere between $1 to $10 to get early access to the chapters of my works, would you?
The poll ends at midnight tomorrow, and depending on the response, I might start a account to facilitate this. Just something I'm thinking about, you guys won't hurt my feelings either way if you choose no, and it will not affect the speed of which I write nor the quality of the chaps.
You can find it on my profile page.
Anyway, thank you!