A/N: Thank you all for your patience during my short hiatus. As you can imagine, after writing the "Broken Hearted" story, I kinda burned myself.
Kept trying to write something, but my head was not having it.
Hince the delay for both this story and Witch.
But thankfully, the break has helped.
Now I know what I want to do for Witch's next few chaps.
Also, after Witch's chapters release, I will be taking a week off. Then I'll write the next chaps of Heroes and Witch, and then another break.
Doing it this way will hopefully keep the mental fatigue away.
Well, without further delay, let's begin the 3rd and final Season of Heroes From Another World!
Anne and the Plantars figured that Amphibia was going to be a different from how they left it. But they never expected it be this bad. The sky was covered by clouds made of thick smog that was produced by factories that were littered all over the land. The soil looked lifeless, devoid of any green whatsoever. The rivers were polluted by factories spewing some unknown chemicals with complete disregard for any damage that it was doing to the environment. The Frobots were marching along, leading large machines that were being used to flatten the land or digging it up, breaking new ground for a factory or some kind of structure. The sun appeared blood red due to the smog clouds.
"What…What happened to this place," said Anne, stunned by what she was seeing.
"It's only been a month or so…and Amphibia's changed this much?!" Sprig exclaimed.
"How could Andrias do this to the land! It's…It's horrible," Hop Pop lamented, feeling his farmer's pride getting hurt at the state of the land.
"Wow…uh…just wow." Polly couldn't seem to find the words to describe this scene before her.
Not like Anne could blame her, her brain was still trying to process everything she was seeing. Anne remembered vast green fields, trees, clear blue sky, babbling brooks, clear lakes, and the fresh clean air. Now, everything was just ruined, in ruins. It wasn't as if she was in a position to criticize, after all, humans ravaged the land constantly, but some of that took centuries to accomplish, Andrias did it in just under a month.
Hop Pop was the first to snap back to his senses as she said, "We need to get back to Wartwood! C'mon!"
The others agreed as they followed after Hop Pop. Despite the massive changes to the land, there were still some landmarks that they could spot. And it seemed as if not every shred of forest had been destroyed, at least not yet, but that didn't negate the fact that the trees were feeling the effects of the pollution that was being produced by the excessive industrial factories. They had to move by foot, which wasn't bad, but it was time consuming. They were all missing Bessie right now, and Anne was especially missing Machine Stormer, the first. She glanced down at RC Frobo, remembering that her Rider Machine had been inside of his body when Andrias destroyed it. She managed to create Machine Stormer 2 with her powers back on Earth, but she doubted she would find an equivalent here to morph into one.
It took a couple of hours, and some careful maneuvering to make sure that they didn't get spotted by the Frobots, but eventually, they made it. And unfortunately, Wartwood was in no better shape. The town was in ruins, something or a lot of somethings had attacked Wartwood and left it in shambles.
"Not here, too," said Hop Pop, sadly.
"Even the statue's gone," Polly commented.
The group of five began exploring the town, so much had been destroyed while they were gone. Town hall, Felecia's Tea Shop, Loggle's store, the market, pretty much everything. Memories began to surface as their minds overlayed what they remembered what Wartwood looked like, as opposed to what it was now. A heap of smoldering remains.
"This is a lot of damage," said Sprig.
Anne looked about for a moment, there was something off about the way things were destroyed. A battle definitely took place her, and perhaps it was her imagination, but Anne was certain that this looked like the kind of destruction that occurred when she and Sasha duked it out in Newtopia.
"Can't be…that would mean that –s"
Suddenly, Anne and the Plantars heard something rustling near a building. When they turned in that direction, they saw a giant centipede munching on some remains of the buildings. The insectoid seemed to take notice of their presence and rose to its full height. There was something around it is neck, it looked like a collar, black in color, and had these crystals studded around it that glowed an eerie purple color. The same color as the eyes of the centipede.
"Uh…nice giant centipede?" Anne greeted.
The centipede snapped its jaws around a piece of debris before releasing a shrill roar at them. Polly furrowed her brow as she took action, she hadn't been able to kick anyone's butt in the physical sense since they arrived on Earth, mostly due to the fact that it would expose them. But now, back in Amphibia, she didn't have to hold back, plus, she wanted to take her new legs out for a spin. Polly crouched on RC Frobo's head and launched herself straight into the air. She led with her left flipper, aiming herself right at the centipede's face as she collided with the giant insect, striking it in the right side of its face. The blow was strong enough to stagger the giant creature long enough Polly to raise her left leg, and bring it down in an ax kick right in the middle of the centipede's head.
The giant insect was immediately sent crashing to the ground, where it landed in heap as dust was kicked up into the air. Polly landed back on the ground and smirked at her handywork as she turned around and crossed her arms.
"And stay down," said Polly.
"I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't have taught her some of my Muay Thai, or let her watch my Kamen Rider videos," said Anne, amazed at how swiftly the young tadpole dispatched the creature.
"POLLY, LOOK OUT!" Sprig warned.
It seemed that the centipede was not down and out just yet. A large shadow loomed over Polly as she quickly turned around and saw the centipede ready to attack yet again, as if it didn't care that it was just hurt. Anne's eyes glowed blue as she readied to go and save her surrogate little sister, but that was not necessary. Suddenly, something purple colored struck the centipede in the back of the head, more specifically, it struck the collar. The force of the impact was enough to send the beast flying forward, making Anne and the Plantars hasten to get away as it fell to the ground.
Anne and the Plantars looked at the centipede as the collar around its neck broke in half and fell off it. Once it had, the glowing purple color in its eyes vanished completely. When the centipede rose, it ignored the group and scurried off until it dove into the ground and burrowed away. Anne turned back and saw the flying purple object, and it was something she recognized. It was Bellona's Cestus gauntlet. She watched as the gauntlet flew back to its owner, who was standing atop one of the buildings, was none other than Kamen Rider Bellona, and next to her were three others that Anne and the Plantars didn't recognize due to the helmets they were wearing.
"S-Sasha…" Anne whispered.
Bellona reverted back to her standard form as she jumped off the rooftop and landed a few feet away from the group of five. Once she had, Bellona was engulfed in a dome of flames before the flames disappeared and revealed a warrior in red barbarian armor, and wearing a red helmet with a teal plume on top of it. There was no mistaking who this person was as she removed the helmet and revealed her face.
The blonde teen was just staring in disbelief, as if she could hardly believe her eyes. For Anne, it was the same thing, a whole month. A whole month of fearing the worst for what could've happened to Sasha, and now, here she was, standing right before her in some kind of barbarian style armor.
"Sasha…is…is it really you?" Anne asked as tears began to form.
Sasha was trying to hold back her own tears from seeing her friend/ex-girlfriend again, but somehow, she managed to maintain her cool composure.
"What's up, Boonchuy," Sasha greeted.
"SASHA!" Anne yelled.
Before Sasha could react, Anne tackle hugged her straight to the ground. Thai teen hugged her friend tight as she cried tears of joy. Sasha was alive, and she was okay. Sasha's cool demeanor melted when she heard Anne's sobbing and hugged her back, letting some tears of her own fall from her eyes.
"I missed you so much, Anne," Sasha admitted.
"I was so worried about you! I didn't know if you were alive or…or…"
"C'mon, Anne, I'm too badass to die that easily," she replied.
Anne got off Sasha and sat down in front of her. She wiped her face free from the tears as she smiled at her.
"I-I don't understand, you're here in Wartwood? Since when?" Anne asked.
"Since Andrias sent his robot goons after us," said one of the warriors behind Sasha.
Sprig scrutinized one of the three who had a spider on their shoulder, and said, "Wait, that voice, are you…?"
The three warriors removed their helmets, and revealed themselves as Mrs. Croaker, Wally, and Loggle, who was completely ripped.
"Croaker! Wally! And…Loggle?! Is that you?!" Anne exclaimed, both in surprised, and in disbelief upon seeing buff Loggle.
"Yep!" Loggle confirmed as he began flexing. "I've been lifting weights every single day since you've been gone. Who knew I had these kinds of gains in me all along!"
"Whoa, Loggle's buff now?!" Polly gasped.
"Okay, what was that thing?!" Sprig asked.
"And what the heck is goin' on around here?!" Hop Pop questioned.
Sasha and Anne got back to their feet, with the former answering, "I'll explain everything, but right now we're too exposed. We need to head to the base and then we'll be safe to talk. Loggle, Wally, Croaker, do a perimeter check and head back to the base once you're done."
"Roger!" the three replied before redonning their helmets and heading off to do as she ordered.
"Whaaaaaa?" Anne questioned.
"Again, I'll explain later."
It was unreal for Anne, she was so happy to see Sasha alive, and not just alive, but…wow, was she buffer than the last time she saw her? Anne snuck a glance at Sasha's arms and felt heat in her face.
Yeah, definitely got buffer, she thought.
They continued their walk down the familiar path, and were surprised when Sasha brought them to none other than the Plantar family home. Unfortunately, not even their old home could escape the ravages of this war, as the farm itself was in ruins, and the house was looking a little dilapidated. But overall, it could be worse. As they approached their old home, they found that Chuck was standing guard outside of it.
Sasha saluted the tulip farmer and said, "Chuck."
Chuck nodded his head and replied, "Tulips."
Sasha opened the door and let the Plantars in first, but once they were there, they noticed that, aside from the damage, and Chuck, there was hardly anyone else here.
"Wait, our house is yer secret base?" Hop Pop asked.
"There's no one here," said Sprig.
Sasha chuckled a bit as she walked over to the fireplace. "Only the basement."
Everyone watched as Sasha knocked her fist against the side of the fireplace and entire thing opened into the secret passageway that led to the underground facilities under the house.
"No way! The Plantar family tunnels?!" Sprig exclaimed in shock.
"C'mon," said Sasha as she led the way.
It had been a long time since Anne, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop had been down in the tunnels. The last time they were down there they had to deal with a plant monster, a crazy training room, and of course a puzzle room with a game that nearly crushed Anne, Sprig, and Polly into paste.
After a few minutes they reached the bottom of the stairwell and gasped when they saw what had become of their secret basement.
"Welcome, to the resistance!" Sasha announced.
The entire underground had been remolded, expanded, and added onto. It was as if the entire town of Wartwood itself had been moved below ground. There were shops for both food and other supplies, weapons, the statue of the town founder had been moved to the center of the cave, and off to the side was a large pond. The citizens of Wartwood were moving about the underground base, in addition, there were some that weren't from Wartwood, possibly refugees whose towns and homes were destroyed by Andrias' army. Down below, they could see Grime training a bunch of young frogs.
"Holy…Sash, what the heck?!" Anne exclaimed.
"Crazy, huh? Don't worry, we made sure to keep all the rooms that were related to your ancestors intact. Also, did you guys know that you had a pumpkin monster in one of those rooms?"
"Yep,' they collectively answered.
"Okay, good to know. C'mon, I think there are a lot of people who'll be happy to see you," said Sasha.
The barbarian armored girl led them to the center of the entire cave and brought them to the statue of the town founder. Once there, Sasha grabbed the a large horn that was left against it. Sasha grabbed the horn and then blew intio it, releasing a loud note that echoed inside of the cave. The frogs of the resistance already knew to recognize this as a call to gather at the statue for important news or for a meeting on what their next big operation was going to be. Sasha waited until she saw that most of the Wartwood frogs had gathered and began her announcement.
"Frogs of the resistance! As you know, we've been fighting King Andrias' robotic forces for over a month now. We've had our victories and loses, but now we're about to hit a turning point! Because I found us some new recruits!" Sasha motioned with her arms towards the statue.
As soon as she did, Anne poked up from behind the statue, throwing two peace signs as the Plantars appeared with her.
"Heeey guys!' Sprig greeted.
"We're back!" Anne exclaimed.
The crowed erupted into cheers upon seeing the Anne and Plantars, all five of them stood on stage with Sasha as some of the residents came up to it and reached out their hands towards them. The three frogs and human shook their hands and greeted almost everyone, and Sprig spotted Ivy in the crowd who winked at him, causing the frog child to blush. Something that did not go unnoticed by Anne as she nudged him with her elbow.
"The Plantars have come back to Amphibia just in time to help us kick King Andrias right in the big 'ol tail!" Sasha proclaimed.
Anne missed seeing the faces of the Wartwood frogs, she was happy that many of them were still alive and well, despite all the madness that was happening above ground.
"You can all talk them later, but for now, I'm going to get them caught up on what's been happening. Until then, get back to it," said Sasha.
"Yes, Ma'am!" they replied as they all dispersed.
"Wow, they, uh, they really listen to you, huh?" Anne observed.
"Yeah, there's a story behind that. But, like I said, you guys need to be brought up to speed on what's been happening in Amphibia."
Sasha brought the group to the war room, there were maps, diagrams, and other items from battles long since fought. There was a map on the round table in the center of the room, Sasha brought a chair over and got a few for the Plantars and Anne. Once everyone was seated, Sasha took off her helmet and sighed as she smiled at Anne.
"I'm happy to see you again, all of you," said Sasha. "I figured you'd be safe on Earth, but I wasn't too sure of Plantars."
Anne chuckled nervously. "Y-Yeah…about that…there are some things that we need to bring you up to speed on as well. But, you go first."
Sasha was a bit worried by what Anne said, but decided to ask those questions another time. There was a pressing matter to deal with right now.
"Well…after you guys got through the portal. Grime and I made our way to Wartwood to hide from Andrias' and his robot forces. Didn't last too long 'cause were followed. I ended up almost biting the dust due to him sending a robot that turned into a freakin' Fallen! I didn't even know they could do that," said Sasha.
"Trust me, it was a surprise for me, too," said Anne.
"What do you mean?"
"Andrias sent a robot assassin after Anne, and it could turn into a Fallen too," Sprig answered.
Sasha sprang to her feet as she yelled, "WHAT?! When was this?!"
"Uh…start of the month when I got back. Don't worry, I destroyed it, but it almost nuked half of LA. That was a close one," said Anne.
Sasha sat back down and sighed. "Geez, it never crossed my mind that he could just open portals whenever he wanted and send assassins after you. If I knew, I would've tried to disrupt him or…"
"Sash, it's okay, he only sent the one," said Anne.
"Oh, don't forget the demon Santa," said Polly.
Sasha raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Demon Santa – what?"
"Long story. Keep goin'," said Hop Pop.
Sasha continued her info dump on how they've been scrounging up resistance fighters from other villages and towns who didn't bend the knee to Andrias' demands, and how for the first few weeks of the resistance's fighting, Sasha had been designated the pseudo leader of the resistance until she was eventually given the position of commander of the Wartwood resistance.
"There's something else I should tell you, Anne. Marcy's alive," said Sasha.
"WHAT?!" Now it was Anne's turn to spring to her feet. "Y-You're telling the truth, right?! She's alive, for sure?! B-But how?! I-I…"
"Anne, it's alright. I don't know what her current condition is, but…" Sasha gritted her teeth as she recalled that awful moment when she witnessed her ex-lover and friend getting stabbed through her chest. "But when you left, I overheard Andrias saying that she was still alive thanks to her powers. Well, they were only delaying her death. He ordered Yunan and Olivia to take her to a 'rejuvenation tank'. So, for now, he's probably her prisoner. No, she definitely is. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" Anne asked.
Sasha went silent.
"Sash, this is not the time to hold anything back. Tell us what else is going on," Anne demanded.
"You saw the condition of the town right?" Sasha asked.
They nodded a "yes".
"We were attacked at night. Thankfully we discovered your underground tunnels and had already expanded them and made them act as our secret underground base. It was going to be our fallback position should we get raided en masse. But…I never expected us to get attacked by a Kamen Rider," Sasha answered.
"Another one?!" Sprig exclaimed.
"Who was it?!" Anne asked.
"…It was the The Night, Anne. The one behind all of this. It someone got ahold of Marcy's Driver and did something to it. Now it goes by Kamen Rider Terminus. I fought it that night, and it nearly one if I hadn't gone into my next form. But, honestly, even then I don't know if I could've won," she said.
Anne couldn't believe what she was hearing, Marcy was alive, and somehow The Night had taken control of Marcy's MetamorphRing Driver. Now their enemy had access to the Rider powers they did, and was able to overpower Sasha. Anne sat back down and sighed as a little smile formed on her face.
"I'm just going to focus on the good news from that. Marcy's alive, we may not know what condition she's in, but she's alive," said Anne.
Sasha could tell that Anne must've had countless sleepless nights. While Sasha's sleep was more or less undisturbed, Anne must've been plagued by nightmares about what she saw, since, as far as Anne knew, Marcy was dead. Sasha couldn't imagine the mental trauma she had to cope with, probably still is coping with, from seeing someone who was once her lover and her best friend getting killed right in front of her. The blonde resistance leader stood up from her seat, walked around the table and placed a hand on Anne's shoulder.
"I don't know what kind of pain you must've gone through, thinking that Marcy was dead. But, I hope knowing she's alive will help you," said Sasha.
"It does. You have no idea how much it does right now, Sash," Anne replied as she held back another crying fit. "Anyway, what was up with that centipede thing? Polly beat the crap out of it but it just got back up like it was nothing."
"Oh, that." Sasha walked over to one side of the room, came back, and plopped broken collar onto the table, similar to the one that was on the centipede. "Andrias has been using a special collar to control the local wildlife. Not only that, but he's also used smaller versions of this to control whoever doesn't willingly do as he says."
"That's barbaric!" Hop Pop exclaimed.
Polly hopped onto the table and looked at the collar as she asked, "How do these things even work?"
"From what we were able to figure out, they use a special mushroom enzyme," said Sasha.
"Gee, wonder where I heard that before," Sprig commented.
Anne, Polly, and Sprig turned their deadpan expression towards Hop Pop.
"Ah turned ya inta zombies one time," he complained.
"So, do you have any plans on how to stop it?" Anne asked.
Sasha smirked as she pulled out a dagger, twirled around in her left hand, and then stabbed onto a certain spot on the map. "Simple. We located the factory where the collars are made. It's the largest one in the region. If we can destroy it, it'll put a huge dent in Andrias' army."
"Sweet," Polly exclaimed. "When do we start?!"
"Heh-heh, I like how you guys are ready to hit the ground running. The operation is scheduled for dawn, but you guys just got back, you should rest up a bit," said Sasha.
"No way. We've been out of action here on Amphibia for too long, it's time that Andrias dealt with TWO Kamen Riders," Anne retorted.
The blonde couldn't help but smile when she heard Anne's determination. "I should've known better, but okay. Go to Toadstool to get some supplies and then find a nice cave to inhabit. You can visit, but don't be too long, you'll need your rest for tomorrow."
"Got it," the replied.
As they were about to leave, Sasha reached out and placed her hand on Anne's shoulder again. "Hey, Anne, do you mind if we talk in private for a bit?"
Sprig glared up at Sasha as he asked, "What for?"
"Nothing bad, I just want to catch up with Anne, privately. Please?" Sasha asked.
Anne knelt next to Sprig and said, "I'll be okay, Sprig. Don't worry. Go and find us a good place."
Sprig hummed in contemplation as he glanced between Anne and Sasha. Then he looked back at his surrogate big sister and said, "Okay, but…be careful."
Sasha rubbed her left arm when she heard those words. Not like I can blame him for feeling that way. I deserve that level of suspicion after what I did…
Once the Plantars left the room, Anne returned to the table and sat down. Sasha got the chair she was using and brought it closer so that she was across from Anne.
"So…" Sasha began awkwardly.
"So," Anne replied, also awkwardly. "You're looking good, Sash. Kinda ripped."
Sasha blushed a little as she said, "Oh, uh, thanks. I really wasn't trying. All this fighting and moving around just made this happen. I looked in a mirror one day and I was like, 'Damn, I'm cut like a diamond.' Heh-heh."
"Looks like fighting in a war does that to people. I mean, Loggle's frekain' buff!" Anne exclaimed.
"I know, right?! Most of us were surprised when we saw Buff Loggle," Sasha laughed. "I-I don't look too buff, right?"
Anne shook her head and replied, "No way, you look ho – uh – good! Y-You look good!"
Sasha was more than sure that Anne was about to say hot. The air became awkward again, but Sasha decided to get rid of the elephant tick in the room. "Anne, before we get into anything else. I want to tell you how sorry I am. For everything I've done. Not just with what happened at Newtopia, but everything else. I know this apology probably doesn't mean much considering what happened. But this war, it's given me time to think, about how I've treated you and Marcy, and how toxic of a person I've been. My days of toxic manipulation are now over, Anne. I don't expect you to believe me right away, but I hope overtime, I you'll see that I have changed."
Anne looked up at Sasha, stared into those blue eyes and sighed as she looked down for a moment. "To be honest, Sash. When I thought that you might be dead, too, I thought, 'The last thing I said to her was that I hated her.' And sense then…well…I'd be lying if said what happened hasn't effected me. But before that, I think it's your turn to get updated about Earth."
The Thai teen began her story about what occurred on Earth while Sasha was busy fighting against Andrias on Amphibia. The talk she had with Sasha's parents, the assassin robot, becoming a popular superhero, and of course her run ins with Foundation X and meeting Dipper and Mabel Pines, Kamen Rider Gemini. Then there was the incident that sent Anne to the Alternate Demon Realm, where she helped Luz Noceda fight against a dark version of herself called Oscura. Anne told Sasha that it was because of what happened here in Amphibia that she almost made a huge mistake, and almost hurt someone who had become her friend.
Sasha frowned as she looked down at the table. "I'm sorry…I didn't know how badly my betrayal hurt you. I didn't think it'd make you distrust someone like that."
"Me neither. But, after all of that, I thought about what I was going to say to you if I ever got to see you again, and now, I think it's about time you heard it," said Anne.
Sasha sighed, furrowed her brow, and held her head high. No matter what Anne was going to say to her, she needed to face it, she needed to let Anne get it off her chest once and for all.
Anne looked into Sasha's eyes and said, "I forgive you."
"W-What?" Sasha asked in disbelief.
"I forgive you, Sasha. For everything that happened, not just in Amphibia, but before we came here," said Anne.
Sasha shook her head as she stood up and replied, "That's it?! You just 'forgive me'?! Anne, I broke you heart! I betrayed you! I poisoned you! I lied to your face about changing! You should be furious with me! You should hate me! I know we have a lot to do here with Andrias and The Night, but I'm fine if that's how you really feel! So long as we can fight together, save Marcy, and put an end to them, I'll accept all of that! But…I don't…"
"Sasha, tell me something, do you still love me?" Anne asked.
Sasha blushed upon being asked the question, she clenched her fists and boldy proclaimed, "I do. Despite everything, Anne, all the lying and manipulation, if there's anything you can believe that was true, it's that."
"Good…because I still love you, too," said Anne.
"Anne –s"
"But right now, we can't go back to what we all three had. It was built on lies."
Sasha nodded. "Yeah…you're right."
"So, why don't we start over?" Anne stood up and took Sasha's right hand into her left. "Let's be friends again, and once this is all over, we can decide on how this relationship goes."
The blonde commander had tears forming in her eyes, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You…You're willing to give us another chance…? Even after everything I've done?"
"I want to. But like I said, let's start our friendship over first. We can see where everything goes after. Are you okay with that?" Anne asked.
Sasha carefully wiped her years away with her right hand as she nodded vigorously. "Of course! That's totally okay! I'll work even harder and show you that I'm worthy of your love, Anne! I promise."
Anne opened her arms and hugged Sasha, to which Sasha hugged her back feeling relief wash over them both.
"Thank you, Anne," said Sasha.
"You also need to thank Luz when we see her again, if it wasn't for her, I probably would've stayed suspicious," said Anne.
Sasha separated from Anne and smiled. "I definitely need to meet this girl one day. Also, that Alternate Demon Realm, is that where you got that killer uniform?"
"Oh, yeah, my WATs custom uniform. It can repel magic and is durable enough to protect from getting stabbed or cut," Anne replied.
"Looks good on you."
"Same with you and your barbarian look, and what's with that helmet?" Anne asked.
Sasha picked up the helmet and showed it to Anne. "Ah, the Helmet of Authority. Apparently Wartwood whips this thing out during wartimes to show who's in charge. Which reminds me." Sasha handed the helmet to Anne, who accepted it in confusion. "I'll make an official announcement tomorrow after the mission, but I'd like you to be in charge, Anne."
Anne's eyes widened as she looked at the helmet, and then back to Sasha. "W-Wait, what?! You want me to become the leader of the resistance? Is that really a good idea?"
"Of course, it is, Anne. The Wartwood frogs have been waiting for you to come back, their town hero, their knight in blue armor. I've only been keeping the seat warm for you, now the true leader can take command," said Sasha.
"Uh…thanks, wow. If you're sure, then, I guess I'll take command," said Anne.
"Good, well, you better get some sleep."
"Will do." Anne was about to leave the room, but paused when the curtain to the room was opened. "Oh, hey Grime!"
"Welcome back, Anne," Grime happily greeted, and then he saw the helmet. "Oh, uh, I mean Commander?"
"I know, weird, right?" Anne asked as she left the room.
Once Anne was gone, Grime turned his attention to Sasha and said, "YOU GAVE ANNE THE HELMET?!"
Sasha shrugged as she replied, "Yeah, I did. If Anne is here, I can't be in charge. It's just too complicated."
Grime couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"B-B-But she's never led an army! And she has no idea how much Amphibia has changed! Or what we're up against!" Grime argued.
"I brought her up to speed on the important parts. I'll give her more detail after the mission's over," said Sasha.
"B-But everyone here chose YOU as their leader!" Grime argued.
Sasha's eyes glowed magenta as she narrowed her gaze at Grime and retorted, "I said it's complicated."
Grime was not intimidated by Sasha's glow and just huffed as he crossed his arms. "Great. Fine. Just saying it would've been nice to know that I was demoted. AGAIN."
Sasha watched as Grime left in a huff.
It's better this way. I'll show Anne how much I've changed; I'll support her with everything I have! She's willing to give me a third chance, and I am not going to screw this up. For my sake, for her sake, for…the sake of us having something again.
Dawn finally rose on a new day. Anne and the Plantars met up outside of the house, with Sasha leading Mrs. Croaker, Wally, and Loggle.
"Good to see ya back, Anne," said Wally.
"Same to you Walls," Anne replied.
"Alright, Commander, how're we doin' this?" Mrs. Croaker asked.
Sasha raised her hands up and shook her head. "No, no. I'm not the commander anymore."
"WHAT?!" Croaker, Loggle, and Wally exclaimed.
"You're new Commander's standing right there," said Sasha as she pointed at Anne.
The three wondered why Sasha wasn't wearing her helmet, but now that they looked at Anne more closely, they realized that she was holding it under arm.
Sasha could sense their trepidation, so she walked over to Anne and said to them, "Guys, c'mon, it's Anne. You know you can trust her, and I know she'll be a much better commander than me. I promise."
Croaker, Wally, and Loggle still looked a little unconvinced, but then again, it was Anne after all.
"Okay, Comman – um – Sasha," said Loggle.
Sasha nodded and backed away as she said to Anne, "Stage is all yours, Commander."
"Thanks, this really is an honor, and also a lot of pressure." Anne slipped on the helmet and stood on top of a stump as she prepared to address the team. "I know the Plantars and I have been out of the loop, but believe me when I say, we're ready for this fight! Now let's go show Andrias what we're made of!"
Croaker and Archie saluted and asked, "Right! Which way, Commander?"
"Oh…uh…no idea," she admitted.
Croaker and Archie slowly lowered their salute.
"Oh, didn't you take a picture of the map?" Sprig asked.
"Shoot! Dang it! W-Wait here, let me just go and grab it," said Anne.
"No need." Sasha walked up to Anne and unfurled the map to their target destination. "Here's the map, Anne. And, might I add, with all the important parts labeled~~"
"Oh thanks, Sash!" Anne gratefully took the map, but then turned her attention back to Sasha. "But are you sure that you don't want to take over? Maybe show me how it's done or something?"
"No way, Anne. You should be in charge, not me," said Sasha with finality.
Anne groaned. She understood what Sasha said about the Wartwood frogs believing in her and seeing her as their hero, but it wasn't as if she led them into battle or anything. Heck, even back in the Alternate Boiling Isles, neither she nor Luz were put in charge of leading anyone. If anything, they were the spearheads of the assault on Oscura's castle. Regardless, Sasha seemed keen on not taking up the helmet, so Anne had to make do with the situation.
Sprig could tell that his surrogate big sister was not looking particularly confident in her leadership skills and decided to give her a boost of confidence. He quickly hopped onto her shoulder and gave her a confident smile.
"C'mon on, Anne! You got this! You steered us from Earth, and back to Amphibia! You can do this; we believe in you! Just follow your Anne-tuition!" Sprig stated.
Anne smiled at Sprig as she nodded. "Heh, 'Anne-tuition', cute. Alright! Here goes nothing!"
And so, their journey began. It was an understatement to say that Amphibia had changed since their departure to Earth. The land had been so ravaged by Andrias that it was practically criminal. It was honestly sad to see the natural beauty of this world so callously destroyed without any concern or care for what this would do to their environment. They traveled for a couple of hours before stopping to eat. As they were cooking, Anne couldn't help but ponder the situation.
"I've been thinking about something," said Anne.
"What's that?" Sasha asked.
"Andrias said his ancestors were world conquerors, and that Amphibia was a super technologically advanced society, but from how he said it, it didn't sound like Amphibia was like this in the past," Anne remarked.
"You thinking that they took resources from other worlds, right?" Sasha asked.
Anne nodded.
"It would make sense. Why use up your own world's land when you can just go to another and take what you want and need. It's not like whatever world they conquer has the power to chase after them, and once they got what they needed, they just close the portal and move onto the next."
"Makes sense, but that was back when Amphibia probably had its full robot army and whatever else they had. Without that, they can't go and conquer other worlds to get their resources, so they're mining everything they can here instead," said Sasha.
Hop Pop dug his hand into the soil and frowned when she saw how polluted it was. "At this rate, the land will be too toxic to have anythin' growin' from it."
"I'm starting to think that Andrias doesn't care. He did say that his goal was to wipe out humans on Earth, what if he wants to move all of Amphibia to Earth when it's over? Like moving into a new home?" Sprig suggested.
"The only thing that makes sense at this point," said Loggle.
Anne sighed. Andrias, The Night, all they care about is conquering other worlds, shedding one world like a snake sheds its skin.
The new commander stood up and headed over to the nearby river. Once there, she got on her knees and lowered her head to the water to get a drink. Afterwards she turned back to her companions, who were all looking at her with worry. Before she could ask why, Sasha pointed up ahead. Anne turned in the direction and noticed there was a machine there that was acting as a drainage pipe for toxic waste. Unfortunately, the pipe spewed an excessive amount of that waste, causing a wave to move towards Anne.
The Thai teen called on her powers and quickly jumped backwards just as the wave swept over the spot where she once was. "Holy Frog that was close!"
Sasha ran up to Anne and asked, "Are you alright?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine…oh, wait. I just drank toxic water, didn't I?" Anne asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Oh…excuse me a second."
Anne ran to the nearest bush and not a moment later, puking sounds could be heard. Sasha carefully walked up behind Anne and rubbed small circles on her back.
After that lovely time, the team headed out once again. The Plantars were getting a little bored so Anne let them use her phone to watch some episodes of Primrose Manor. This was not the best option as it proved to be a distraction, and before the Plantars realized it, they had walked right into a pool of quicksand.
"AAAAAH!" they screamed.
"GUYS! HANG ON!" Anne yelled as she ran to them.
She tried to pull them out, but only ended up getting stuck herself and screaming along with them. Seeing this, Sasha hurried over to them and channeled her power to call upon her super strength. But before she could pull her out, a squad of Frobots flew overhead, spotted them, and opened fire. Sasha had to let go as the rest of their team started running around, trying to dodge the laser cannons of the robots. Sasha drew her twin swords, ignited the blades, and slashed the air with them once. Two flaming crescents flew through the air and cut down two of the six robots.
Another two were about to attack Sasha from the side, but Mrs. Croaker jumped into the air and landed on its head. At the same time, Wally did the same with the other. The two frogs managed to pull on the wings of the Frobots and forced them to ascend. Once they had, both frogs whipped out a couple of daggers and stabbed them into their heads, giving them a twist for good measure. Once that was done, the Frobots went offline and fell out of the sky, but not before they managed to rip off their arm cannons and tossed them to Loggle.
The buff axolotl thrust his arms into the broken ends of the arms, took aim at the remaining two, and fired their cannons. The two laser blasts struck the last two Frobots, shooting them out of the sky as they fell to the ground and exploded. Loggle then flexed his arms, breaking the arms from inside out as he struck a pose. Once that was done, Sasha sheathed her swords and rushed back to Anne. She grabbed her outstretched hand as the Plantars grabbed onto Anne. With one mighty pull, Sasha yanked Anne and the Plantars out of the quicksand. The Plantars landed a few feet behind Sasha, while Anne, well, Anne landed on top of Sasha.
"Ugh, thanks for that Sash," said Anne.
"No problem," Sasha replied.
When Anne propped herself up with her arms, she found herself staring down at Sasha. Both teen girls' hearts began to thump loudly in their ears they found themselves staring at each other. After a minute they snapped out of it and quickly moved to opposite sides.
"Y-You guys work well together," said Anne.
"Well, y-yeah. It's just 'cause we've ran a lot of missions together, that's all. Just like you and the Plantars are in sync," Sasha remarked.
"Y-Yeah, makes sense." Anne rubbed the side of the helmet and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to take command?"
"No, Anne, I'm good. It's just a little hiccup, happens to all of us. I believe in you!" Sasha stated as she gave her friend a thumbs up.
"Mmm…"
Despite that little incident, they pressed on. Anne checked their position through a spyglass that Sasha brought. Unfortunately, she was looking through the wrong end and made the determination that a trio of machines were farther away than they really were. The machines in this case were huge and designed like rhinoceros beetles. All three of them had equally huge steam rollers that they were using to flatten the terrain and crush any obstacles that could prove a hinderance to future construction.
"Uh, Anne, they're gettin' closer!" Hop Pop warned.
"Wait, really? They look far away," said Anne.
Sasha looked at how Anne was holding the spyglass and quickly exclaimed, "You're holding it backwards, Anne!"
"What?!" Anne brought it down and screamed when she saw that the robotic steam rollers came charging straight at them.
Anne acted quickly, using her superspeed to grab the Plantars, and their teammates, and moving them out of the path of the huge machines. Sasha jumped and accessed her powers as she balled up her left fist and punched the metal drum that came at her. The impact was enough to make the machine stop, and once it had, Sasha focused her flames at the soles of her boots, releasing an explosion that sent her flying into the air before landing on top of it. Anne followed suit as she dashed straight for one of the machines, jumped, and landed on top of it. Sasha placed both of her hands on it before burning a hole through it with her flames, at the same time, Anne used her lightning to short circuit it until it stopped moving.
For the final one, Anne and Sasha jumped into the air at the same time until they were right over it. Sasha formed a fireball in her left hand, while Anne created a ball of lightning in her right. Both girls hurled their elemental attacks at the third one, and as they flew, both the lightning and fireball merged together until they became an electro-fireball. The electro-fireball exploded against the machine's head, blasting a hole into it as electricity surged through it and brought it to a halt.
Sasha and Anne landed on the ground, both huffing from their effort, but otherwise alright. Anne and Sasha high fived each other as they gave shouts of victory.
"Heck yeah! That was awesome, Boonchuy!" Sasha exclaimed.
"Same to you, Waybright! We were totally in sync just then," said Anne.
Sasha chuckled as she replied, "Considering how many times we've played Super Dance Fusion, there's no way I can't sync up with you."
This caused both of them to blush again.
Anne cleared her throat and said, "Okay, now do you think you can take over? At least until I learn the ropes?"
"It's a…a trial-and-error thing, Anne. I definitely didn't get good overnight, it took a lot of hard work. But, with me, I can cut that time down for you, and you can become an even better leader than me," Sasha countered.
"Augh…"
Another couple of grueling hours traversing the transformed landscape finally brought the team to their destination. It was a fairly large factory, colored gray and gold, with blue glowing lines around it in a type of circuit board pattern. The factory had three smokestacks that bellowed thick smoke into the air, only adding to the pollution. The factory was situated on an equally large piece of land that had a deep chasm all around it, which was filled with sharp rocks at the bottom, and making it an island unto itself.
Loggle, Wally, and Sprig looked down the cliff and gulped when they saw the many sharp, spear-like rocks that awaited them if they failed to cross to the other side.
"How are we going to get across, Anne?" Loggle asked.
"Yeah, what's your 'Anne-tuition' tellin' ya?" Wally questioned.
Anne looked at their current situation and thought hard about their options. At the same time, Sasha raised up a grappling gun, ready for Anne to ask her to use it or suggest its use.
"Hmm…how about we build a bridge–"
Oh, that works too, thought Sasha.
"–out of ourselves!" Anne finished.
…Excuse me?
It seemed the rest of the team was just as confused as Sasha was, so she slowly lowered the grappling gun and waited to hear how Anne was going to make this work.
"I saw it in a movie once." Anne raised a sketch of some mice. "All these tiny mice worked together to get some oregano from a French restaurant. Once we get across, Sasha can use her super strength to pull you guys onto the other side, easy!"
Sasha cared about Anne, a lot. But that plan was…she didn't want to say "stupid"…it sounded like it could work, but she still wasn't sure. However, Anne seemed confident in her plan, and Sasha had resolved herself to supporting her friend to earn her trust back.
"You heard the Commander, everyone! Hop to it," said Sasha.
The others shrugged, and without further question, stacked on top of each other until they were at least twelve feet tall. Although it was a bit of a wobbly mess, they managed to hold it together.
"Alright everyone, now lean forward into the canyon!" Anne ordered.
Anne and Sasha watched as the team got ready to lean forward. Now that she was looking at it, Sasha thought that this might actually work.
"Nice plan, Anne. Did you manage to measure the width of the canyon just by looking at it?" Sasha asked.
"No, why?" Anne asked.
Her question received an answer as she heard their team screaming their heads off in fear as they leaned forward into the canyon. Just as Sasha had thought, the width was off, by at least two or more feet. Thankfully, Sprig managed to grab onto a root growing out of the other side of the canyon and held on for dear life. Sasha wasted little time in breaking out her grappling gun and firing its hook at on the smokestacks of factory.
Once it was secured, Sasha quickly wrapped her left arm around Anne's waist and said, "Hang on!"
Sasha pulled the trigger again and the grappling gun managed to reel them to the other side where they landed. Once on the ground, Sasha hurriedly ran to the edge of the cliff and reached out with her right hand.
"GRAB ON!" Sasha yelled as her eyes glowed magenta.
Sprig didn't hesitate to lash his tongue out and wrap it around Sasha's arm. Once secured, Sasha whipped her arm back and pulled the team out of the chasm. All six of the team members fell behind Anne and Sasha in a heap, groaning from the impact of their not so soft landing.
"Anyone else think this is going poorly?" Loggle asked.
"We're usually a lot more coordinated than this," said Wally.
Anne had had enough now. "Okay, I think it's clear by now that I'm obviously not fit for this role! Sasha, will you puh-lease just take command and tell us what to do?!"
"No! Anne, you need to be in charge! So, you've had a few hiccups, big whoop! Not every leader is good in the beginning," Sasha argued.
"WHAT?! I'm drowning out here, dude! I almost got our entire team killed! Do you want me fail?!" Anne went silent as a thought crossed her mind. "Wait…is…is that what this is? Some new form of manipulation?! I thought we said we would start over!"
Sasha sprang to her feet in a panic as she desperately retorted, "NO! No! That's not what this is at all! I swear to Frog, Anne! I just…I…"
"We're, also, usually a lot quieter than this," Wally commented.
No sooner had the vagabond frog said that, did the factory engage its defense systems. A pair of double doors slid to either side, and from that opening slithered out a giant red and copper scaled snake. It was fitted with a mind control collar and fitted with armor plates and a helmet. The armor plates didn't seem to be just for decoration or protection, as it seemed the armor plates were surgically attached to the animal, possibly augmenting its strength.
"ATTACK!" Anne ordered.
"What kind of attack?" Loggle asked.
"WHATEVER FEELS RIGHT!" Anne clarified.
With that direction given, Loggle, Croaker, Archie, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop charged for the snake, but the snake easily batted them away like annoying flies. Anne drew her sword, channeled her powers, and dashed straight for the snake. All she had to do was break the collar and that was it. Easy enough. However, before she could get close to it, a second snake burst out from the opening and tackled Anne, throwing her away from the first snake as she hit the ground. This new snake was colored copper and purple and had the same armor as the first snake.
"AAAAH!" Hop Pop screamed.
Anne quickly turned around and asked, "What happened?!"
"Ah got a grass stain on my pants," said Hop Pop.
Anne deadpanned.
"Oh, I have Mrs. B's stain remover pen," said Sprig as he whipped out said pen.
"Ugh, soak it in water first," Polly scolded.
Their little discussion was brought to a close when the first snake came down and snapped its jaws around all three Plantars. It then proceeded to do the same for Loggle and Croaker, and finally Wally. Swallowing them whole.
"NOO!" Anne quickly turned to Sasha and asked, "What do we do?!"
"N-No, you're in charge! Whatever you think is best, Anne! Just tell me and I'll do it! You got this!" Sasha insisted.
"Sasha, I don't know what the hell I'm doing! You've made your point! You're the better leader!" Anne removed the helmet and shoved into Sasha's arms. "Just take back the helmet and take over!"
Sasha shoved the helmet back into Anne's arms as she vehemently refused. "I-I can't! I just can't, Anne!"
"Why not?!"
"BECAUSE THE LAST TIME I WAS IN CHARGE I RUINED OUR FRIENDSHIP!" Sasha confessed.
Anne stared at Sasha with wide eyes.
"Not just our friendship…our relationship…I ruined everything the last time I tried to take charge…I don't…I don't want to do that ever again!"
Anne looked down at the helmet, and at the two snakes that were guarding the factory. That's when Anne knew what she had to do. The Thai teen threw down the helmet and charged straight for the red and copper scaled snake.
"W-What are you doing?!" Sasha asked.
"Putting my faith in a real commander!" Anne replied.
Sasha watched as Anne jumped straight up as the red and copper scaled snake opened its mouth and snapped its jaws around her before swallowing.
"WHAT THE HELL, BOONCHUY?!" Sasha yelled.
Anne found herself sliding down the snake's throat until she stopped. The others seemed to have bunched up in one spot, preventing them from going down further.
"Great, now how will we get out?" Croaker asked.
Suddenly, there were sounds of battle that they could hear through the snake's body. There was some rumbling as well, but then they started to see light from far up. When they looked up, they saw none other than Sasha Waybright, eyes glowing bright magenta as she forced the snake's mouth open.
"FROGS OF THE RESISTANCE! EXECUTE MANEUVER: THREE!" Sasha ordered.
"Maneuver what?" Hop Pop asked.
Croaker, Wally, and Loggle nodded as they began to lock hands with each other. Anne and the Plantars were confused but mimicked the others and locked hands.
"NOW, INFLATE!"
Croaker, Loggle, and Wally croaked and inflated their necks. At the same time, Polly, Sprig, and Hop Pop did the same. Anne couldn't really inflate like they could, so she just puffed out her cheeks. The combined inflation was enough to forcibly expand the snake's throat, causing it to cough violently as it spat out all of them se.
Anne shook off that unpleasant experience as she said, "Sasha! You did it!"
"Not yet. Croaker, Loggle, Wally, mirror punch! Anne, you and me!" Sasha ordered.
Anne got up, along with Sasha, and the two of them headed for the copper and purple scaled snake, while Loggle, Croaker, and Wally went to the second snake. Loggle grabbed Croaker and Wally as he spun around and launched them straight at the snake that had swallowed them earlier. The two frogs led with their fists as they both struck the control collar around the snake's neck, breaking it into pieces. At the same time, Anne drew her sword, and so did Sasha. The two girls jumped into the air, while energizing their blades with fire and lightning respectfully. Anne and Sasha lunged forward in the air and slashed either side of the collar, landing on the other side of the copper and purple scaled snake just as the collar shattered to pieces on the ground. Now both snakes were freed from the mind control they began shaking their heads, as if just realizing where they were for the first time.
"Okay, now that that's taken care of, let's blow this factory," said Sasha.
Suddenly, the two snakes began releasing screeching hissing sounds as if they were in pain. The armor that was attached to them started to ooze black slime that began to coat their entire bodies.
"No way," said Polly.
"Is that?" Hop Pop asked.
"Fallen…" Anne and Sasha whispered.
The black slime started to release strands that latched onto the other and brought them both together before creating a large cocoon around them.
"Sasha!"
"Let's do it!"
Rings of fire and lightning appeared around Anne and Sasha.
"Henshin!"
"Henshin!"
Domes of fire and lightning wrapped around Sasha and Anne, and within seconds, the domes and cocoon shattered apart. Kamen Rider Amp raised her fists, while Kamen Rider Bellona drew out her Phoenix Wing sword from the MetamorphRing Driver, ready for a fight. From the cocoon, the forcibly merged snakes had been transformed into a hydra. It now sported nine heads, its scales were pitch-black, with the underbelly scales colored a deep violet that shimmered and gleamed. It had two strong arms with long talons at the ends, and two huge serpent trunks. Each of the nine heads had two curved horns that sparked with violet lightning. On the back of the creature were two large black feathered wings that flared out as all nine heads roared at the same time.
"Huh, looks like Andrias thought I might come and take this place out," said Bellona.
"Then let's kick this up a notch," said Amp.
Their MetamorphRings flashed and shifted to the MetamorphRing TRI. The domes of lightning and fire returned, but at the center of both shined a bright blue and magenta light. When the domes shattered once again, Amp had entered her Raging Heart: Vengeance Mode, but when Amp looked to her left, she was surprised to see Bellona's Super Form had changed. Bellona had skipped her standard Super Form and shifted straight into Invictus: Burst Gladiator Mode.
"Whoa…Sash, what the heck, dude! You got an upgrade?!" Amp asked.
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention that. Yeah, it happened when I saved Wartwood from the initial attack. Let's just say, I'll be able to keep up with you this time around," said Bellona. "Everyone! Anne and I will take care of the Fallen! Loggle, build an escape route! Croaker, Wally, Plantars, plant the charges and then evac!"
Amp got into position, widening her stance. At the same time, Bellona mirrored her movements. Without a second thought, both Riders took off as sparks of blue lightning and magenta embers danced in their wake. Amp cocked back her left fist and Bellona her right. The two Riders thrust out their fists at the same time and struck the Hydra Fallen in the chest, they didn't stop as the two heroes pushed forwards and launched themselves and the monster off the island and over the canyon to the other side, away from their comrades.
Amp and Bellona flipped backwards and landed with practiced ease and grace, with the former glancing at her partner and saying, "Wow, you're way faster than you were before!"
"A power boost, and a speed boost. I won't hold you back, so let's go all out, Anne!" Bellona stated.
The Hydra Fallen's horns began to spark with violet lightning and then fired them all at once, sending dozens of lightning bolts that screeched towards them. Amp smirked as she stood out in front and raised her right hand into the air. The lightning bolts gathered to Amp's right hand as she acted as a lightning rod, converting the violet lightning into blue lightning energy as she had it go to the left hand. Bellona took off once again towards the monster and drop kicked it in it's stomach, knocking the air out of it and causing its lightning attack to cease.
Amp, after collecting the lightning, formed it into a ball as she brought both hands around it, and then fired it in the form of huge lightning bolt that blasted three of the nine heads. The stubs that were left started to bubble and wriggle as the beginnings of new heads started to come into existence. But Bellona descended from the sky with a blast of magenta flames that showered over the entire creature. The Hydra Fallen roared in pain, but more importantly, the stubs were cauterized on the spot, keeping the Hydra Fallen from regrowing its lost heads.
Bellona flew in next to Amp as she said, "Yeah, I remember enough about Greek mythology to know that you gotta burn the heads or they grow back. Not gonna get us like that!"
Amp pressed her right hand against her MetamorphRing TRI and summoned Saipha. "I'll cut 'em, and you burn 'em!"
Bellona nodded.
Amp dashed into the air as she sliced one head, with Bellona following right behind her as she blasted the stub with a fireball, searing it shut. Amp came around and did the same to another. The two Riders worked in tandem, going back and forth as they sliced and burned one head after the other until there was only one left. The Hydra Fallen had no chance of holding its own against this powered up version of Bellona and the power and speed of Amp.
Once there was only one left, Amp dismissed her sword and got into position as Bellona did the same. The symbols of Amp and Bellona appeared in the air before them as they took aim at the Hydra Fallen. Lightning gathered around Amp as a sphere of fire formed around Bellona. Once the two Riders were powered up, they launched themselves at the Hydra Fallen, passing through their symbols as they fell like two meteors from the sky. The Hydra Fallen could only stand there as both Riders struck at the same time, creating a massive explosion with the two of them skidding to a halt behind the explosion itself.
Both Riders looked behind them and watched as the Plantars, Croaker, and Wally planted all the boom-shrooms and were now running away. Loggle had, surprisingly, forged an ornate bridge in record time. The frogs and axolotl ran across the bridge just in time as the boom-shrooms exploded and destroyed the factory. Amp and Bellona glanced at each before Amp raised her left hand up, Bellona smirked under her helmet and gave Amp a high five.
Now that the mission was over, the team was on their way back to the base. Anne had to admit, it was nice fighting alongside Sasha like that, they were in sync with each other, like nothing had changed at all. Well, some things changed, but in a good way. As they walked, Sasha removed her helmet and held it out for Anne.
"C'mon, Anne, take the helmet back," said Sasha.
"Nooo, way. You're clearly, the better commander," Anne retorted.
"But after everything I did to you…I don't deserve it," Sasha remarked.
Anne smiled. "Sasha, not too long ago, you would've fought to keep the helmet. The fact that you don't want it now proves you've changed."
Sasha let a little smile appear on her face as she looked away for a moment. "Yeah…maybe."
Anne smirked as she grabbed Sasha's hand and raised it into the air as she said, "All in favor of Sasha Waybright as your leader?!"
"Oh yes!" Croaker exclaimed.
"Oh Frog! Please, Sasha!" Wally pleaded.
"We need you," said Wally.
Sasha blushed at hearing how much the three wanted her back, but even more so that that Anne trusted her to take on a position of authority and leadership, despite everything in their past.
"Listen, Anne, even though I'm calling the shots. I want you to know, this is a partnership. We fight together, we strategize together, and we look out for each other," said Sasha as she held out her hand.
Anne was starting to become a bit overcome with emotions as she shook Sasha's hand, and in a spontaneous show of affection, drew Sasha in for a hug. A hug that Sasha returned, enjoying the feeling of Anne's warmth and her hugs once again. The two girls separated, smiled at each other, and then began their walk.
"Okay you frogs, back to base," Sasha ordered.
Anne walked up next to her frog family, who looked utterly beat from the mission. She didn't realize it, but Sasha may've had a point, living on Earth with all its modern luxuries may've softened them up a little. Not that she had room to talk, but then again, she had Rider powers, so it wasn't that bad for her.
"Looks like this is our new life now, guys," said Anne.
"House guest to resistance grunt is a harsh transition," said Hop Pop.
"Yep," Polly agreed.
"You can say that again," Sprig commented.
"Eh, don't worry, after awhile, we'll be back in fighting shape," said Anne.
Sprig looked up at Anne, back to Sasha, and then to Anne as he said, "Just be careful around her, Anne."
"Sprig, don't worry. I can tell that Sasha's changed this time. It's hard to explain, but I can feel it, here," Anne pointed to her heart.
Sprig was not convinced. If there was one thing Sasha Waybright was good at, it was lying and playing the part of an apologetic girl. She may have tried to make Anne the commander, but who was to say that all of this wasn't a elaborate plan to make sure that Anne didn't want to become commander and gave up the position back to Sasha? Sprig never wanted to see Anne hurt like that again, and he was going to make sure it didn't. Not on his watch.
Marcy felt like the luckiest girl in the multiverse right now. Well, aside from the fact that she and her girlfriends were getting attacked by a bunch of eldritch monsters, it was still a good day nonetheless. They were now sixteen-years-old, a whole three years had passed since they defeated The Night and had gone on to become multiverse defenders of justice. There was no shortage of evil that wanted to harm the innocent, and every world that Marcy, Sasha, and Anne jumped into was a brand new adventure.
Currently, the girls were fighting in their Final Forms, which turned them into elementals. Anne was literal living lightning, Sasha was a walking inferno, and Marcy was a being of wind. The three of them were currently surrounded by the eldritch monsters, all of them salivating at the prospect of killing them and taking their powers for their own evil agenda.
"These guys really think they can beat us," said Marcy.
"Like hell they can," Sasha remarked.
"Let's show them what we can do, together!"
Sasha, Anne, and Marcy raised their hands and joined their powers together. Transforming themselves into a vortex of wind, fire, and lightning that raged out in all direction. Their Calamity energy spiked and released a huge explosion that wiped the entire land and sky free of the monsters. When it was over, all three Riders reappeared on the ground. Their bodies were wrapped in domes of their individual elements, when the domes disappeared, the girls returned to their civilian forms.
Anne had her hair up in a ponytail, and was wearing special blue armor, matching white pants and shirt, and stamped on her chest plate in a lighter shade of blue was her Amp symbol. Sasha had similar ornate custom armor and clothing, and on her chest was the symbol of Bellona. The blonde had cut her hair short and had gotten a bit bulkier during their time fighting, something that Marcy took the time to admire when she was given the chance. Marcy had the same attire as well, and her raven hair had been grown out.
"Looks like we got 'em all," said Sasha.
"Another win for the Calamity Riders!" Marcy exclaimed.
Anne held up her cellphone and said, "And as always~"
Sasha, Anne, and Marcy got close as Anne snapped a selfie, but right as they did, Sasha and Anne kissed Marcy on either side of her cheeks as the picture was snapped, making the Taiwanese girl blush and make a cute surprised expression.
"Gotcha, Mar-Mar," said Anne.
"Annnne! No fair! Delete it, I know I made a weird face!" Marcy whined.
"No way, that's a keeper," Sasha retorted. "A cute Mar-Mar face is always something to treasure."
Marcy huffed as she crossed her arms. "Now you two are just being mean."
"Aww, Marce, don't be like that." Anne came up from behind and draped her arms around Marcy. "How can we make it up to you?"
Marcy hummed in contemplation for a moment before answering, "Date, all three of us. We've been pretty busy lately, but I want us to take some time and go out together."
"Heh, if that's what our Mar-Mar wants, then it shall be done," said Sasha with an exaggerated bow.
Marcy rolled her eyes but still smiled.
Things were great, and not so great at the same time. While they did defeat The Night and save Amphibia. When they returned to Earth to tell their families of what happened, it didn't go so well. Apparently, her mother and father were vehemently against Marcy being, not only in a polyamorous relationship, but one that involved two girls. It didn't even matter that those girls were her two best friends, they were still against it no matter what. Sasha's parents were a mixed bag, Sasha had come out as bisexual, but they seemed to have some apprehension. It wasn't clear to Marcy if that stemmed from the poly relationship or the fact that their daughter was bisexual, but either way, they were less keen on the idea.
Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy, however, while needing some convincing from Anne, eventually got onboard with their relationship, and even gave them their blessings. Again, while not all that enthused by the girls going on missions to protect the multiverse, the Boonchuys knew that the girls had a big responsibility and that they had to fulfill it, plus, Mr. Boonchuy was totally geeking out about the fact that his daughter was a Rider, and that both his daughter's girlfriends were also Riders, having said, "That is AWESOME!"
Marcy was definitely living her best life, and there was nothing that could ruin this for her.
However, Darcy watched from the sidelines, just out of Marcy's periphery, both conscious and subconscious. She smiled as she watched her other half enjoy the fantasy she created for her. The addition of some of their parents not accepting of the relationship was a dose of reality that the rest of The Core thought would break Marcy out of the fantasy, but Darcy argued it was a necessary factor in helping Marcy believe this world was real. She informed them that based on Marcy's memories, the most likely parental units to accept this relationship would be the Boonchuys, having two out of the three families not accept the relationship, and add a little hardship into it, would make it more realistic. And her gambit paid off as Marcy believed it more than she did before. At this rate, Darcy surmised that Marcy would be fully assimilated in no time.
/***\
Darcy exited her dreamlike state, and opened all seven of her eyes as she looked around the throne room. Just then, she felt something. Something that made the MetamorphRing CORE resonate. Darcy was confused by this for a moment, that is until Andrias walked in.
"My Master, we have a situation," said Andrias.
"And what kind of situation do we have?" Darcy asked.
"One of our factories for producing the collars was destroyed. But don't worry, while it sets us back a bit, it does not alter our timetable for the invasion," he explained.
Darcy looked at her Driver and asked, "How was it destroyed? Was it Sasha?"
"We believe so, but…"
"But what?"
"We also detected an unusually how amount of electrical energy discharge around the area as well," said Andrias.
Darcy's eyes widened as a broad smile broke out across her face. "She's here…She's finally here! Anne's back!"
Andrias' eyes widened as well as he asked, "Already?! But how? We control the only means to travel between worlds!"
Darcy rose from her throne and said, "Who cares how! The important thing is that she's back. And things are going to get a lot more fun around here! It won't be long now that she's back. I know they'll make one last stand against us when the time is right, and then…hehehehahahahahahahahaha!"
Andrias was, to say the least, disturbed by Darcy's behavior. She was elated that Anne was back, the only one out of the two remaining Riders who could possibly stand a chance of derailing this entire operation.
"Ah, so good. Anyway, since she's back. I better go take care of that little project of mine," said Darcy as she walked up to the music box and activated it.
A portal opened up in the middle of the throne room, one that seemed to lead to somewhere with a lot of computers and machinery.
"Have the additional equipment immediately sent to Dawnblood Castle. I'll be waiting."