A/N: The first segment takes place after the events of Chapter 53 'The New Resistance'. Enjoy this little follow-up chapter to Premonitions.

A few days after the destruction of Wartwood...

Sasha and Lilly's swords clashed repeatedly as they sparred. Vincent had just cleared a space for the rebels to practice their skills. It had seemed only right that the Commander and her Lieutenant be the first ones to try it out.

Sasha spun away from Lilly and plunged her sword into the ground. Lilly, anticipating what Sasha was doing, quickly launched herself into the air with a burst of air. This allowed her to avoid being sent flying uncontrollably by the piece of earth Sasha had just raised.

Lilly flew towards Sasha, and before the girl could lift her sword in defence, Lilly slammed her feet into Sasha's chest, knocking her to the floor. The blue frog held her blade at Sasha's throat.

"You'll have to do better than that, Sasha," she advised.

Sasha just grinned. Next moment, Lilly was caught off guard when Sasha's knee hit her from behind. This allowed Sasha to grab Lilly's sword and twist it from her grasp. She then rolled them both over, and held the Masamune to Lilly's own throat.

"How's that for better?" Sasha demanded.

Lilly smiled, but then sighed. "That was good, Sasha. But... surely, I should've seen that coming. My Dad gave me enough training."

Sasha got off Lilly and helped the blue frog to her feet. "Hey, don't beat yourself up, Lilly. You put up a great fight here. You almost had me there." She frowned down at her Commander. "Something bothering you?"

Lilly hesitated. Though Sasha had proven her worth during the fight against Bog and his forces, she still wasn't wholly sure about discussing her worries about whether Amity was alright or not.

"M-maybe," the blue frog admitted quietly.

Sasha wanted to ask what was on Lilly's mind, but she caught Lilly's tone, and decided not to press her for it. Instead, she proposed, "Shall we take a break?"

"Eh, yeah," agreed Lilly.

The two girls made their way over to a raised mound of earth that served as a bench and sat down to rest. There was a few moments of silence.

"Lilly, can... can I ask something?" asked Sasha.

"Sure, go ahead."

"You said you had a nightmare about something bad happening to Amity." Sasha paused, marshalling her thoughts. "Did it... involve some mechanical, many eyed monster... and helmets? Her and Marcy getting possessed?"

Lilly stared up at Sasha in bewilderment. "H-how do you know all that?"

Sasha didn't immediately answer. Hearing that someone else had seen the same dream or vision as her was... daunting.

"Because... I had more or less that same dream, that same night. And no, I don't know why. But if you had it as well... that's a bad sign." Sasha, almost unconsciously, touched the scar on her face. "It's bad enough I got possessed..."

Lilly gazed up at her Lieutenant. As if seeing her eleven-year-old self in Sasha had been strange enough; now she was hearing that the girl shared her dream and her worries...

If Lilly had needed any more reason to let go of her threat to Sasha, this was it. She placed a hand on Sasha's. "Again, I'm sorry I wasn't able to rescue Marcy, Sasha."

Sasha shook her head. "Honestly, I blame myself more than you. My actions inadvertently put Marcy in that situation in the first place. If I hadn't been so selfish... so power-hungry... so jealous..." Her voice trailed away. She just drew Lilly in close, grateful for her company.

"So... you both had that dream as well then?"

Sasha and Lilly looked round. Maddie had entered the room. Uodeela was in the doorway, watching.

"Maddie," said Sasha. "Did... did you-?"

Maddie nodded. "That same night, apparently."

Lilly and Sasha felt a little dizzy. This was getting weirder and weirder. How many more people had had that dream?

"You never said anything about your dreams until now," noted Sasha.

Maddie's gaze dipped. "Because I didn't want to talk about it. I... didn't want to believe... Marcy had been..." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "She and Luz were such good friends of mine."

Sasha patted the space on her other side. Maddie came over and sat next to her. "Ditto, Mads. I didn't want to believe it either. I still don't."

The three girls sat together for a long while, not saying a word to each other. Lilly and Maddie sniffled. Sasha stared blankly at the opposite wall.

They were brought back to themselves by the rustle of feathers. Uodeela had come forward. She held up her notepad.

'I... I might have an idea on... what might have happened...'

"You do, Teach?" Maddie wondered.

Uodeela nodded solemnly. 'It's actually related to why I cut ties with Andrias 100 years ago. I can tell you... but... only if you feel up for it...'

Lilly, Sasha and Maddie glanced at each other. Lilly and Maddie had often wondered what their old mentor's history with the King was, but they'd known better than to badger her about it. Now, however, they weren't sure if they wanted to know, given it could very well confirm their dream.

Ultimately, it was Sasha who spoke. "If... it means learning more about the enemy... then I think... we should know..." She paused and glanced at Lilly. "That is... if you're okay with that, Commander..."

Lilly took a few deep breathes to compose and steel herself. 'Marcy... Amity... this is for you!' she thought.

"Yes, Sasha," the blue frog declared out loud, "it is. Uodeela, tell us everything."

Uodeela inclined her head before scribbling, 'Just a heads-up; it's a long story. I'll going to need a lot of paper for this...'

But as the salamander-turned-heron began writing her story, none of the girls were concerned about how much paper would be needed. They were thinking about how they would explain all this to Luz and Anne when they returned. Sasha, in particular, knew they would be heartbroken at the news.

That is, if they didn't already know... perhaps they had shared the dream too...

Earth, the morning after the vision...

"Luz."

"Anne."

"I had a bad dream about Marcy last night. What?"

"I had a bad dream about Marcy last night. What?"

"At about 1:20am?"

"Yeah... and that's not all. Amara had a similar dream as well."

"..."

"Anne, is everything alright?"

"Meet me at the beach, near Santa Monica Pier."

"But why-?"

*BEEP*

The sound of the water ebbing and flowing on the sand was soothing to Luz, especially given how Anne had reacted during that phone call. The beach was sparsely inhabited and the wind was chilly, given it was late October. But Luz didn't mind. And neither did Amara.

"Beautiful sound, isn't it?" the newt observed, her eyes closed as she listened.

"Yeah," Luz agreed vaguely. She was scanning the beach for any sign of her girlfriend as they approached Santa Monica Pier. At last, she spotted the poofy-haired girl sitting on the beach near the water, gazing out to the horizon. Sprig stood a short distance away, waving to them.

"Is Anne alright?" asked Luz anxiously as they approached.

Sprig shrugged. "I don't know. I asked her what this was about, but she just told me she was saving it for when she met up with you. I understand she had another bad dream last night."

"We all did," Amara told him, while Luz approached Anne. "Luz and I had the same dream; or vision, I think is more accurate. And from the sounds of it, Anne did as well."

"Wh-what happened in that dream?" Sprig wondered, rather apprehensively.

Luz stepped up beside Anne. The Thai girl barely acknowledged her girlfriend's arrival. She continued to stare out over the sea through misted eyes, her chin resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs.

Luz sat down beside her. She wanted to say something to snap Anne out of it, but felt it better to let Anne speak first.

For a few moments, there was silence, but for the soft rush of water and Amara quietly telling Sprig what she and Luz had dreamed of last night. Luz tried her best not to dwell on it, but the image of those hellish eyes and that malevolent grin kept intruding.

"We met on this very beach," said Anne at last.

"Hmm?"

"Marcy and I; we met at more or less this very spot, when we were both three. Did I ever tell you that story?"

Luz shook her head.

"Marcy had built a scale model of a castle from her favourite game... can never remember what it was..."

"Oh, 'Dynasty of Hearts'!" Luz recalled. "Marcy asked me about it the day I met you girls. Not as a huge a fan as she is, but I think it's pretty good."

Anne smiled. Of course Luz would remember. "Marcy was afraid that the water would ruin her masterpiece. As the waves got closer... I swore we'd protect it til the bitter end." She chuckled. "It was a losing battle; we could never stop the waves. But... Marcy ultimately didn't mind. She lost her castle, but we'd found each other. It made her so happy, as it did me."

Luz beamed. "That sounds lovely."

Anne chuckled again. "It was." She sighed. "I honestly can't remember my life without Marcy. As we grew up, Marcy's clumsiness became more and more pronounced. As her best friend, I took upon myself to always look out for her. It was frustrating, sure; caused me no shortage of inconveniences. Marcy has brains to spare, but she really needs to pay attention to her surroundings." She paused. "Still... it was kinda emboldening, always catching her; like I was her guardian. It actually gave me a feeling of purpose in her life."

"You always did good by her, Anne," Luz assured, smiling.

Anne nodded, still looking towards the horizon.

"You know, one dream I had, not long after we got back... most dreams I've forgotten, but that one... I remember it well."

Luz, Sprig and Amara all stared at Anne intently.

"We were at an amusement park, queuing for a ride." Anne's voice was starting to shake a little. "Marcy, as expected, was excited. I was worried for her safety; that she'd fall over. She... was sure I would catch her. I... gave her some... protective gear." She gave a shaky laugh as she rested her head on her knees. Her next words came out a little muffled. "Mar-Mar said I should 'be her mom, already!' I then said that I... didn't want her to get hurt." Anne's whole body was shaking now, and not from the chilly wind. "I-I couldn't catch her when she fell in Newtopia... I... I failed to protect her! Me, her oldest friend! And now... this dream we had... that scream... that m-monster! And I w-wasn't there! I k-k-keep telling myself I have to s-soldier on; for her, for you, for everyone! But... but..."

Anne finally turned to face Luz directly. The sight of her red, swollen eyes, tears-soaked cheeks and runny nose made Luz, Sprig and Amara's hearts break.

"I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN!" she howled. "I'VE NEVER FELT SO SCARED OR HELPLESS ABOUT MARCY IN MY LIFE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW!"

And Anne threw herself at Luz, sobbing her heart out on her girlfriend's shoulder.

Luz was torn between sympathy for her girlfriend, and slight alarm. Over the last 8 months, she had admired how Anne had managed to keep it together. She had shed tears shortly after they returned to Earth, and when she revealed that she'd considered leaving Sasha behind in Amphibia, but otherwise, Anne had remained resolute, confident they could and would return to save their friends. She'd reasoned that it was no good letting sorrow overwhelm them, given there was nothing much they could do here on Earth.

Yet now, she was losing it, overwhelmed by sorrow, fear, guilt and a feeling of helplessness; feelings that were all too familiar to Luz.

"Oh, Anne," the Latina whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around her girlfriend, even as her own eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm so sorry."

"So are we," mumbled Sprig, his voice breaking as he and Amara also wrapped Anne in a comforting hug.

For several minutes that seemed more like many cold, windy days, the group just sat there; Anne sobbing without restraint, while Luz sobbed silently with her, and Sprig and Amara comforted them both.

"There, there, Anne," Amara soothed. "Just let it all out. Even soldiers need to cry."

As Sprig hugged his weeping big sister, he thought back to how he'd initially distrusted Marcy when they met outside Newtopia. Turns out he had been both right and wrong; though quite frankly, he wished he had been completely wrong. Life seemed to be full of stuff being both right and wrong.

At last, Anne's crying eased up.

"Feel better, Anna-Banana?" asked Luz.

"Yeah, a little," mumbled Anne, wiping her face as she lifted it from Luz's shoulder. "Luz, I know you must be as afraid as I am, but I have to ask: do you honestly... think that dream was real?"

Luz mulled it over for several moments.

"I... I think it may be," she answered at last. "Maddie told me about how she'd dreamed of Uodeela trapped in her heron form when I first met her. It can't be coincidence that you, me and Amara all had the same dream. But at the same time... just as with the case of whether Marcy might still be alive... I don't want it to be true. But... I guess we won't know for certain until we get back to Amphibia."

"Yeah," agreed Anne. "But it's so torturous sometimes; not knowing such an answer beyond all doubt, and being unable to find that answer, yet wanting it so badly."

"I know," Luz concurred. "But Anne... whether it's true or not, Marcy is counting on us. I assure you; I'm as scared as you are. But we can't give up now, whatever has or has not happened. Marcy needs us. If it has happened, then she needs us to be there to give her the biggest hug she's ever had. You agree?"

Anne nodded.

"You know," she sniffed, "towards the end of that dream, when I lamented how I'd failed Marcy... she told me this was just a dream. She was sure I would find her again; that I could do this; and she'd always wake me up from that nightmare." She smiled weakly. "Mar-Mar said to keep moving forward and never give up; pretty much like you are now. And I intend to - for her."

Luz smiled. "That's the spirit." She paused. "Say, do you have a picture of you two and that castle?"

"Oh yes," Anne replied. She pulled out her phone, and scrolled through the photos until she found what she was looking for. As she turned her phone to show Luz, Sprig and Amara, Anne remarked, "Mom and Dad took it and were able to upload it so I could keep on me."

Luz, Sprig and Amara smiled warmly at the sight of the two girls trying to beat back the sea with spades with Marcy's sandcastle standing behind them. It was remarkably well-detailed, considering it had been made by a three-year-old.

"How sweet," Sprig mused.

"Indeed," Luz agreed. "Come on, Anna-Banana, let's rebuild it here."

Anne stared. "Really? But... aren't we a bit old for this? Besides, we didn't bring any buckets or spades."

"Let's do it by hand then," Luz asserted. "Come on, let's have a little fun."

Anne was pleasantly surprised by Luz's determination. It felt... familiar.

"Yes," she consented. "Let's."

Soon, the sandcastle was erected. They'd started by lumping piles of sand on top of each other, and then Luz had carved in the finer details, using Anne's picture as guidance. The likeness to Marcy's castle was uncanny.

"I can see why Marcy wanted to defend this," Amara mused.

"Certainly blows Andrias' out of the water," Sprig added. The girls all stared at him, eyebrows raised. "What? At least it doesn't have some big, nasty laser on it!"

Anne and Luz chuckled. "Fair point," said Anne.

"I'm sure Marcy would love this," Luz noted, sniffing a little.

"Very much so," whispered Anne, a few fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

The two girls gazed out once again at the horizon for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts about what had happened, or what may have happened, to Marcy.

At last, Luz turned to Anne, extending her hand and pinky finger.

"Anne, I want you to make a pinky swear with me."

Anne hesitated. She loved holding hands with Luz, of course, but she wondered what this was about.

"Go on, Anne," Sprig urged.

Anne linked her pinky with Luz's. The Afro-Latina cleared her throat.

"I am Luz Felicidad Noceda!"

"I am Anne Savisa Boonchuy!" Anne cottoned on at once.

"And we are going to return to Amphibia and fight for Marcy and Sasha 'til the bitter end!" they completed together.

"Huh, I thought I'd have to ask you to repeat what I said," Luz noted.

Anne smiled. "Marcy did a similar thing with me in Newtopia about finding you and Sasha. You two really are sisters!" She thought for a moment. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I feel that, had you not come into my life, or else had we chosen to just be friends, I think Marcy and I would've hit it off well."

Luz beamed at the thought. "And you two would have my full blessing."

Anne threw myself at Luz again, happy tears flowing down her cheeks. "Oh Luz... thank you. No wonder your name means 'light.'"

Luz chuckled. "Hey, like you once said, we're together through the bad times and the good. Besides, you did the same for me at the Temple." She kissed Anne on the forehead.

Sprig thought his heart would burst at this scene. "Say, is it okay if I take a picture of this moment? So you can show it to Marcy later on?"

Anne handed him her phone. "Be our guest."

Luz handed her own phone to Amara. "I fancy having this on my phone too."

The two amphibians stepped back to get a better image, as Anne and Luz again linked pinkies in front of the castle. Sharing a nod, they took the picture together.

"Definitely a keeper," Sprig smiled.

As Amara returned her phone to Luz, she placed her hand on their linked pinkies. "Girls, I want you both to promise me something."

"Sure, anything," Anne said.

Amara took a deep breath. "If... what we saw in the dream... does turn out to be real... promise me you won't hold it in. Anne, I know you want to be strong, and I admire that very much. But strength is willingness to show vulnerability and not be ashamed by it. Can you girls promise me that?"

"Yes," Luz Noceda replied, without hesitation.

Anne looked back at the sandcastle for a few moments. For a moment, she was three years old, defending it against the sea with Marcy.

'We will be there for you soon, Mar-Mar,' she thought. 'We're coming to save you. And we're going to make things right between us.'

"I promise," Anne Boonchuy vowed aloud.

The dream Anne talks about is taken from the comic dub 'Anne's Nightmare' by Will Starshine, which I thought deserved a reference.