Since their current plan centered more on Amphibia, and Marcy had a better relationship with Dr. Jan then any of her friends did, they let her explain. When proof of magic became necessary Luz and Amity shrugged, and Amity created a palm size abomination that looked like her (an abom-ity) that made its way over to Jan's desk and bowed.
While Marcy spoke Luz noticed how similar the abom-ity was to how her girlfriend was when they first met. Dutiful, cold, and emotionless so subtly Luz created a little il-luz-ion of herself, and had it walk up to the abom-ity. Soon the duo were dancing around similarly to how they did during Grom. It wasn't until she heard Amity chuckle did Luz notice that everyone was captivated by the display.
"You really can't let any form of me be lonely can you," giggled Amity, before she gave Luz a small kiss on her cheek.
Luz blushed, "Nope. I love King, but my life just isn't complete without my Queen, mi amor. As long as I exist, you will never have to feel alone again, and as P.T. proved I will exist for a very long time."
"Ok Dr. Jan, can you help us?" asked Marcy sweetly, making Anne turn away to prevent being caught in her girlfriends 'cuteness assault'.
Dr. Jan seemed to think for a moment before she sighed, "How can I help? I don't know anything about portals, magic, or quantum mechanics, so what can I do?"
"Marcy said you might be more connected to the scientific community though," answered Anne. "You might be able to help us find someone who does know about the science side of this problem."
Luz created an illusion of Titan's Blood in her hand, "And unless you've heard of anything like this before, the science root might be our only option. Eventually, we could be strong enough to punch a hole into the In-between with magic, but that won't help us since I only know how to get home from there. We need to get to Amphibia. I have a rough idea of how to make a magic portal, but I'm a B student at best when it comes to science, and that's only the standard kind. We need a science witch, not a witch witch."
Jan thought for a moment, before she blushed, "I might know one, but… give me a couple days, and I need you to promise me she won't get hurt. Maybe if this works out she can finally get away from that glory hog of a boss of hers. I'll need to give her some basic information though. Is that alright?"
"Do you trust them?" asked Amity.
Jan continued to blushed, "With my life." Anne and Luz shared a look and a small giggle.
"That's fine then, but keep it as vague as you can. Just give us a call when you have a time, and a place. After we meet them, we can decide how much we feel comfortable telling them. What's their name, and how do you know them?" asked Luz with a small knowing smirk.
Dr. Jan couldn't contain her blush anymore, "Her name is Terri, Terri Watts. She's a lab assistant for Dr. Frakes. Frakes has been working on a portal project ever since that weird blackout earlier this year. I'd have you talk to her, but that mad woman would just try to dissect you to make a name for herself. No, Terri is a safer option, and… we've kinda been dating the last couple months. I promise she's a sweetheart, and if anyone can help you figure out the science it's my little spark plug." Jan catches herself about three seconds too late, and gets embarrassed by what she said, but Marcy and Amity give her a reassuring smile.
Together Amity and Marcy said, "Don't worry about it. We understand how it is to have an awesome girlfriend," making both Anne and Luz blush as well, and earning a round of giggles from everyone in the room. After that the foursome of girls started walking back to Anne's house until Luz got a mischievous look.
"Hey Anne, want to have a little race?" whispered Luz with a smirk that would have made Eda proud.
Anne laughed, "Sure dude, what are the terms?"
"So how's about this? Only one rule, girlfriends can't touch the ground. Last one's back to the house have to do the dishes tonight. You think you're up for it?" Luz said with a wink.
"Just don't cry when ya lose, Noceda," Anne said as her eyes flashed blue. Suddenly, Amity and Marcy felt themselves get scooped, and held bridal style as they felt wind rush around them. While Amity had long since gotten used to Luz's playful antics, Marcy had not, but as soon as she looked up into Anne's smiling loving face she felt like she was going to melt. Anne felt confident as she rushed along, but no matter what she did Luz never got further away then a few feet. What threw Anne the most was that Luz showed no signs of any Titian powers or magic, and despite using her own powers Luz showed no signs of distress.
It wasn't until they made it to the end of the block did things change, Luz suddenly shot in front of her like a flash, and the older pair were just gone in a streak of purple lightning. When Anne arrived at the front door of her house she found Luz sitting in a chair with Amity giving her a few small kisses while still sitting in her lap.
Seeing the younger duo arrive Luz waved, "Don't worry, I'll teach you that trick later." Anne just looked at Luz slightly depressed at the fact that Luz didn't even seem to be fazed when Anne was winded, but then Marcy snuck a small kiss to her cheek, and Anne forgot about ever feeling tired.
When all of the adults returned from work the girls explained their day. Hearing about the double date made all of them smile, even Hop pop, but when they got to Dr. Jan the human parents got nervous. Seeing their worried looks, Hop pop croaked out a, "Is this bad?"
After a collective sigh, Camila shrugged, "Honestly we can't be sure. If she keeps quiet, this is great, but if not… Hopediah what would happen to rare, one of a kind, creatures that needed to be studied in your world?"
Hop pop pondered for a minute before answering, "Well that kinda depends on who is involved, I think. Usually we frogs an't interested in the new or unfamiliar. Probably drive them off, but if they an't dangerous and stay away, we'd leave them be. Toads would extort what they can out of them, maybe sell them as pets, unless they try to fight back. In that case hunting until they're dead. Newts… um. I'm not sure. Dissection maybe, or put it in a zoo for study. Newts are unpredictable like that. Marcy, does that sound right?"
Marcy looked uncomfortable. "Ya, I think that lines up. Frankly, Anne, Sasha, and I got lucky. Anne could have easily been forced to try and survive in the woods. If not for Grime taking an interest, Sasha could have ended up as a gladiatorial beast. I could have been… if not for…" Marcy got real quiet after that as she was overwhelmed by thoughts of what could have happened, until Anne wrapped her in a hug from behind and rested her chin on Marcy's shoulder.
"Marcy. I need you to listen to me. Thinking about what could have happened will only hurt you. The past can't be changed. Marbles, you can't let it drag you down. We all made mistakes, but that is part of growing, right?," whispered Anne as she held Marcy.
Marcy started to tear up, "But Annie… it all could have gone so wrong. I'm trying to learn to accept that I couldn't have known how my part would ripple out, but that doesn't stop me from constantly looking over every choice I made."
Luz and Amity shared a look, and Amity spoke, "Hows about this Marcy. If your mind won't let you stop looking it over, let's change the angle." Marcy looked confused so Amity continued with a soft smile, "Let's say you ignored the box, and just went to Anne's party. Maybe you have one last night of fun, but not likely because the dark cloud of you leaving would keep hanging over you. Would you have found the courage to tell them you were leaving, or told Anne how you felt?"
Marcy shook her head, "No. More than likely I would have slinked away like a coward. Anne and Sash would have heard about it eventually, and tried to stay in touch, but… we'd drift apart. Sasha would probably lose it after that, and her acting out would have probably evolved into something even more dangerous… crime, smoking, drugs. I don't know, but she would have spiraled."
Anne sighed, "Honestly there is an equal chance that I would have stayed or left at that point, but regardless I would have ended up lost. Either trapped under her heel forever as her stooge, or alone and broken. I think if I stayed she would have talked me into running away with her eventually, but I'd just be her pet, not her partner."
Spring jumped in next, "Without Anne, we would have continued on like nothing happened until Bog arrived for our taxes, and took away Bessie. Maybe things would have stayed quiet, but nothing would have changed. I might never have realized I liked Ivy, but we would have just continued unaware of what was going on… unless apothecary Gary succeeded. I don't know, but we wouldn't have gone on any of our adventures Wartwood wouldn't have gotten better, and without Marcy Newtopia wouldn't have improved either. Grime would still be a jerk without Sasha, but frog only knows if he ever really improved."
Luz smiled, "It sounds like things were going downhill if you didn't do what you did. Maybe you should remember all the things you made better instead of what could have gone wrong."
Marcy pondered on that for a moment before everyone saw a faint smile start to form for a half second as she said with a sniff, "I guess if it wasn't for the box I wouldn't have met some of the most amazing people in my life: the Planter's, Ms. Olivia, General Yunan, Maddie, and then later…" Marcy chuckled through tears, "Luz, Amity, the best big sisters in multiple worlds, and the rest of the Hexsquad. I might have never gotten the courage to tell my love… my Thai hero, how much she means to me." Marcy kissed Anne's cheek making her blush. "Thanks guys. I'm sorry that I'm still kind of a broken mess, but thanks to all of you I think I'm slowly pulling myself back together. You're my family, and I love you."
Everyone gave Marcy a hug as they said, "And we love you, Marcy."
Dinner that night felt warmer, and even more full of love than usual. There was laughter and stories all around as everyone shared stories. The Boonchuy parents shared how they met, and Camila told them about how she met Manny, and after an accidental slip all three parents were geeking out about Cosmic Frontier. Luz shared a few stories as well like the time she tried to cut her hair with a sword she bought at a convention, the wailing star incident, and the grudgby game she had against Boscha, the last two making Amity blush. Amity finally broke the truth to Luz that she had wanted to ask her to Grom, something that only surprised her. At some point Marcy pulled Oum away to talk, and after a while they pulled Luz and Amity aside as well. When they returned Lumity had mischievous smiles, and Oum looked delighted, but none of them would share why.
As their little impromptu party was winding down Anne pulled Marcy away, and up to her room so they could talk alone. As they sat on Anne's bed they took a minute to just absorb everything that had changed recently, and reminisce about some of the things they did both pre and post box. After a while they felt kinda drowsy, so they laid down, and soon they were cuddling each other. As they continued to talk Marcy asked, "So Annie, do you want to know a secret?"
Anne smiled, "Sure Marcmellow."
"Do you remember that report from Mrs. Ronda's class in third grade? The one where we were supposed to interview veterans about their service, and I was terrified to talk to anyone because they all seemed too intimidating," asked Marcy wistfully.
Anne smiled, "Yay, I ended up introducing you to Mr. Kim and Captain Schafers. They were such nice guys, and after a while you started opening up to them too. Looking back, I can't believe I missed how cute you were. I hope they're doing well."
Marcy blushed, "Well I didn't miss how cute you were. Watching you effortlessly talk to them like you had known them all your life… that was the day I realized I had a crush on you. Anne, you were my first love, and being next to you now… It feels like a dream come true."
Anne felt overwhelmed by Marcy's confession, but she just held Mary close as she said, "Yay, this is definitely a dream I never want to wake up from." After a little while longer Oum came to check on them, and decided, just this once, she would leave them be.
Anne was surrounded by light, and she couldn't see. She smelt smoke, oil, and swampy soil. As her vision cleared she saw a single battered and hooded figure as they fought wave after wave of mini-frobots as a pair of colossal rounder quadrupedal tank-like frobots shot out missiles and more of their mini counterparts. The ground seemed to be littered with uncountable pieces of scrap metal. Like a ghost Anne drifted closer, and watched as a blast went off in the figure's face blowing back her hood, and revealing a familiar head of blond hair. Anne watched as Sasha's eyes glowed pink for a split second as the embers of her powers tried to activate, but they only spluttered. Suddenly Anne recognized where she was, and her heart dropped. She was just outside of Wartwood, and in the distance she saw smoke coming from the town.
Despite never moving her lips Anne heard Sasha's voice in her head. I can't give up. I have to keep fighting. This place is her home, and I have to protect it. I have to prove to her that I want to be better. Anne's all I've got left now, and she might never want to see me again, but by frog if I'm going to die then it will be while I'm doing the right thing. I refuse to fall until I see her again. Anne… I'm sorry. With a mighty roar Sasha charged in again, all the while tears came from her eyes. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so self centered maybe Marcy would have trusted me sooner. Maybe I could have talked Marcy out of her plan with the box, but that doesn't matter. I never deserved my girls, and I can try to make excuses, but in the end I chose to control them instead of just opening up and telling them how much I loved them. Wait for me Mar-mar, I know I probably won't end up in the same place as you, but before I burn I'd love to see your adorkable face one last time.
Anne felt tears well up in her eyes, and she reached out to cup Sasha's cheek and wipe away some tears, "We're trying to come back Sash. Just hold on. Please, you're not allowed to die, ok? We love you too."
For a moment Sasha's eyes bulged, and she touched her cheek as she whispered, "Anne? Are you there?" But before Anne could answer another missile exploded before them, and Anne felt herself being bragged back and someone shaking her.
As Anne's eyes flew open she saw Marcy holding her and crying. "ANNE. Oh frog Anne, you were having a nightmare, and your powers activated… I was so scared. Please tell me your alright now. Please Annie, tell me you're ok." Marcy was trembling, and Anne couldn't help wrapping her in the tightest embrace she could.
"Ya, Mar-mar. I'm ok, but I don't think it was a nightmare. I saw Sasha. She was fighting frobots I'd never seen before. Oh frog Marcy, we need to get back as soon as possible. We need to save her," cried Anne.
From the doorway came Luz's voice, "And we will. After what happened to Caz I promised I'd never abandon a friend again. For now though, you two need to get back to sleep. You have training in a few hours, and I don't want to see eyebags. Titan knows there are enough of those around just with Cazador refusing to sleep." Turning on her heel, Luz headed back downstairs, and after a few minutes Marcy and Anne fell back to sleep in each other's arms.
When Anne came down the next morning, she found Luz helping her parents prep a bunch of food while Camila and Amity made breakfast. Deciding to caffeinate first, Anne went over to the coffee pot and made a pair of cups, determined not to interrupt either team. As she sipped her cup, and tried to figure out what was going on she saw Marcy come down as well. Without a word Anne gave her a peck on the cheek, and handed her the other cup. Marcy just smiled and her face lit up as she sipped her own coffee, which she found perfect just like her Anne.
After a few minutes, Anne finally let out a groan, "I give up. What are you making so much food for?"
Bee smiled, "It's Temple day Anne. I know it's been a while, but it's time you let everyone know you're alright. Also we were talking to Camila, and since we've all enjoyed our dinner exchange so far, we decided it would be nice to invite her to come with us."
Anne looked nervous, but Marcy took her hand, "You know, I've been to these events a few times over the years, but I want to go with you this time. I was always just your friend before, but this time… I want to go as your girlfriend. As much as crowds and strangers terrify me… for once I feel like I can do it. I need to do it. I want the whole world to know that I'm Anne Savisa Boonchuy's girlfriend because I love you, and standing next to you makes me feel like I can do anything."
Anne smiled, "Well dang dude. I guess if my Marcmellow wants to go, I have no choice. Honestly, it won't be so bad, I guess, and I can even show you something special while we're there." Turning to the other couple in the room Anne asked, "You two coming as well?"
Amity laughed, "We'll come by a little later, but don't worry about us. You just focus on showing Marcy a good time."
Marcy smiled, "Any time I spend with my Anna-banana is a good time."
After everything was packed up, and they were all ready to go Marcy looked at the older couple. "Ok, you two, we're heading out now. See ya later, and remember don't get any idea's just cuz you're alone. Wouldn't want you to be late." Both girls blushed and Anne gave Marcy a high five as they started to hold hands.
Once they were alone Luz looked to Amity, "So are you ready to rock, my love?"
Amity smirked, "More than ready botata, but in the meantime… we could…"
Luz smirked, "Well aren't you feeling confident today… I'm ready when you are my cotton candy queen."
As soon as Anne saw the temple gates she began to sweat, and worry if she should have agreed to do this. It was one thing to go out when she would be surrounded by strangers, but these were her extended family members. True most of the community didn't share blood, but they were still her community, and that terrified Anne. What must they think of her disappearing? Would they hate her for making her parents worry like she did? Would they even recognize her?
As Anne spiraled Marcy watched on, and without saying a word she took Anne's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Suddenly everything stopped for Anne, her fears, thoughts, and everything else that was spiraling inside her and dragging her down like a whirlpool froze. Anne looked at Marcy, and saw her… calm. It felt so odd for the situation to be flipped, but for the first time Anne realized, "This is how it feels to be Marcy. To feel trapped by anxiety. Frog, how can she feel like this all the time? How has she not gone insane?"
As if reading her mind Marcy whispered, "It's ok Anne. I'm here, and I'm ready to start returning the favor. I know you're afraid, but don't forget I'm right here. You were my rock for years, sturdy, safe, and unmoving. It's only fair that I be yours now, so take a breath, and keep holding my hand. I promise, I'll never let you go." A tear formed in Anne's eye as she nodded.
Together Marcy and the Boonchuy's entered the Thai Temple with the Planter's and Camila just behind. Looking around Anne saw familiar faces all around her, but she didn't panic. She just held on to Marcy like a lifeline, and felt their love give her strength. As they walked, more and more people took notice of them, and soon they were surrounded. To Anne's surprise she saw no anger, only relief and joy on everyone's faces until the crowd parted before them as a positively ancient woman walked up. Together Marcy and the Boonchuy's bowed to her in a traditional wai, and a respectful, "Sawadee kah.". This made the ancient elder smile sweetly, "ดีใจที่ได้พบคุณกลับมาหาเราหนุ่มแอนน์ ความปลอดภัยของคุณคือความกังวลที่ยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดของเราเสมอ. (It is good to see you returned to us young Anne. Your safety was always our greatest concern.)"
Anne looked away sheepishly, "Thank you, Khun Amarin. It feels… odd to be back."
Amarin's face softened further as she said in a slightly struggling voice, "Home you are. Loved you are. Much missed were you. Glad I am." With her piece said, the elder started to slowly move away again, the crowd once more parting for her as she went.
Once she was gone the floodgates broke as all around people asked questions, or tried to give words of thanks for the Anne's safe return. All that stopped as people noticed Anne and Marcy holding hands, and upon it being pointed out Anne took a deep breath, "I'm sure some of you remember Marcy from her visits over the years, but recently we've decided to take our relationship in a new direction, so… I'd like to introduce my girlfriend, Marcy Wu." Marcy forced a smile, and gave a little awkward wave.
For a moment nobody spoke, and then cheers of congratulations rang out from all around them making both girls feel slightly embarrassed, but more than that they felt accepted. After Oum forced the crowd to disperse with promises of stories and answers later everyone got down to business. Oum and Camila started returning the mountain of plastic bins that had been piling up over the last few months, and Anne and Marcy worked to hand out the free samples that Bee gave them. After a short conversation, the Planter's started to explore, hoping to learn more about their favorite human's culture. Much to Anne's surprise she heard Marcy exchange a few Thai words with some passersby. When Marcy saw Anne's surprise she smiled, "What's wrong, Annie? Did I catch you by surprise?" Marcy let out a giggle that made Anne's heart melt, "Polly and I have been studying to surprise you. I can't take credit though, it was Polly's idea. She really looks up to her big sister."
Anne smiled back, and continued to hand out samples. After a few hours the Boonchuy's were starting to run low on samples, so Bee let the girls go with assurances that he could handle the rest with Oum and Camila. With a thankful smile Anne started showing Marcy around. Marcy was familiar with most of it, but she couldn't bring herself to interrupt Anne, and seeing Anne so happy and excited to share this side of herself with her filled Marcy with butterflies.
Making sure they weren't seen, Anne suddenly pulled Marcy into some bushes, and indicated for her to stay quiet. After a few minutes Marcy found herself in a beautiful garden with relaxing streams and a couple benches to rest on. As Anne guided her to sit down, and they basked in the tranquility with no one else around Marcy asked, "Where are we? What is this place?"
Anne smiled, "My favorite place in the whole temple. This zen garden doesn't get many visitors anymore, so I started coming here when I felt overwhelmed. Over the years I started caring for it as best I could. I guess that's one of the reasons I took to farm life so easily. I might be a city girl at heart, but seeing something grow and thrive under your care… It's a great feeling, and you, Ms. Wu, are the first person I've ever brought here. I'm sure my parents know, but they give me my space, and… Marcy, this is the only other place where I've ever truly felt at peace other than when I'm around you and Sasha. Thai Go can sometimes be stressful and home can be too, but this place never fails me, and I wanted to share it with you because… I love you. I don't know what's going to happen when we return to Amphibia, so I wanted to make sure that someone else knew about this place, and should the worst happen… I know I can trust you to take care of it."
Marcy sat in silence for a moment until she asked, "This is about your nightmare last night isn't it? Was it that bad?"
Anne sighed, "Ya, Mar-mar. It was. I saw Sasha fighting waves of bots to protect Wartwood, and she looked really beat up, but you know Sash, she would never give up." But then Anne looked away, "I think I heard her thoughts as she fought… Marcy, I'm scared for her. She sounded so defeated. I'm worried she might try to go out in a blaze of glory, and if she does I'll never forgive myself. Ya, I'm mad at her for what she's done, but… I don't want our last conversation to be me telling her that I hate her."
Marcy wrapped Anne in a warm embrace, "I won't lie… I'm scared too. I could never imagine a world without you two in it, so knowing that Sasha is still there, most likely fighting. It isn't the best feeling, but then I remind myself that it's Sasha. Indomitable, unstoppable, and gorgeous Sasha. If anyone can hold out, and keep fighting it's her, and we aren't going back alone. This time we're bringing backup. You remember what we saw when Luz showed us her fight with Caz, right? Well, now we have two Titans to help. Andriass won't know what hit him."
Anne laughed, "I think we finally corrupted our sweet pure little Mar-mar."
Marcy snorted, "I was never pure Annie. I just hid it well." With a flirty wink Marcy whispered, "Maybe someday I'll show you just how impure I can be." This made Anne turn scarlet and Marcy giggled as she gave Anne a chaste kiss. Before anything else could be said the duo heard buzzing getting louder, and above them they saw a huge swarm of robot wasps each the size of a medium size dog making a beeline for the front of the temple. Hand in hand they rushed off to help.
As the Thai community watched in confusion the swarm descended, and began to fire energy blasts down at everyone randomly. Those that could tried to defend others, but most just hid. Others tried to fight back with whatever they could get a hold of. By the Boonchuy booth Oum and Bee looked scared, but Camila put a calming hand on each of their shoulders, "Stay safe, and stay hidden. Just watch the show." Camila gave them her best reassuring smile, despite her trembling, as she reached into her purse and pulled out an odd whistle, and to the Thai couples surprise a red steel bat too big to have ever fit in the tiny bag. Taking a deep breath, Camila blew into the whistle as hard as she could, but no sound came out. Trusting what her mija had told her, Camila rushed out with her bat raised roaring, "Venid a por mí, zorras insectoides. La Ira Roja está aquí para una última paliza. (Come and get me you insectoid bitches. The Red Wrath is here for one last beat down.)"
The Boonchuy's watched as Camila's whole demeanor changed as she dodged and swung her bat with a wild chaotic energy that was as much awe inspiring as terrifying. Bot after bot fell to Camila's bat as Camila let out a jubilant laugh, until a blue streak appeared, and a dozen bots exploded at once. From out of nowhere appeared Anne in her full blue glory. Together Anne destroyed the bots or drove the wasps lower, and into Camila's reach. A number of times a bot would attempt to attack Anne's back only to catch a knife in its head as Marcy dashed from cover to cover giving support, and where possible reclaiming ammo.
Together the trio did their best, but the bots just kept coming until a roll of thunder could be heard despite the clear day, and appearing out of nowhere landed Luz and Amity with staffs ready and their Titan forms on full display. As soon as they arrived Luz roared, "Ground now." As Anne hurried to obey, the Titan duo drew a colossal circle with their staves that summoned a whirlwind that continued to grow in force, causing everything that remained in the air to be sucked into it. Once all the bots were caught the Titans slammed their staves down activating a second circle between them, and the whirlwind burst into flame incinerating everything caught within without a trace.
With the attack over the Titans fell to a knee, and breathed heavy as they shifted back. As she rushed over to check on them Anne let her form fade as well, which caused her to stumble for a few steps, but she soon recovered. As soon as Anne got close to the pair she started looking for injuries, but instead she found some questionable marks. Luz had a row of hickies near her neck and Amity had a few odd claw marks, and Anne had never seen either girl look so tired, but that could have been from the spell they cast.
When Marcy came over she blushed, and Camila surprisingly just looked exhausted as she sighed, "You do realize that people are going to get the wrong impression if you keep doing that right?"
Luz immediately covered her neck and a few seconds later the marks were gone as a faint blue glow faded as well, "Sorry Mami. Amity wanted to spar, and you know how that goes. We still can't hurt each other so we 'punish' openings with a different kind of bruise or touch."
"Sorry, Mrs. Camila. I just thought with everyone out I might finally be able to be on top, but Luz is just so skilled," whimpered Amity, making Camila blush.
Luz snorted, "Phrasing botata, and I'm only stronger because I've had this form longer. You'll beat me soon, I'm sure of it."
Unbeknownst to the family a crowd was forming around them. Suddenly the aged voice of Khun Amarin croaked out, "Explanation." Coming to their rescue dashed Oum who along with a small group of elders went to try to clear things up. While that was going on Luz, Amity, Anne, and Marcy helped clean up any debris from the attack, and repair any damage that was caused. On the later part Luz and Amity proved invaluable since they both knew a simple spell to mend small rips, tears, and burns since those things were common on the Isles.
From a nearby rooftop overlooking the temple, a cloakbot was analyzing the results of the test, and feeding it's readings to Andrias as he was completely taken aback by what he was seeing. After confirming that no errors were present the eye on Andrias's crown opened, and the newt king began to laugh, "Cloakbot, continue observation. These three show promise."
After cutting off communications, Andrias heard a familiar voice. We knew of no power source that rivaled the box, and now we are faced by two. Each with outputs approaching ninety percent of its output. We must tread carefully, but we need to claim them for ourselves. With the combined power of the box and these others we will truly be unstoppable.
"I agree my lord, but how do we proceed? With those two in the mix, and young Anne's sudden synchronization with the heart gem… I must admit… I am concerned. I have no doubt when it comes to your power, but without a viable host I am afraid that we may have a hard time overcoming these pests," stammered Andrias.
Andrias heard a loud sigh from the collective. Drastic measures must be taken, it appears. Fear not my son, together we will do great things. Andrias's head suddenly felt like it was being split open, and his vision got blurry…
Back at the temple, Oum was returning with Khun Amarin who let Oum speak since all of the excitement that day was tiring her out. "So the elders have decided that since you three protected the temple and our community… they saw nothing. No robots, magic, or anything else, and you are all welcome to return whenever you like," declared Oum.
"Thanks Mrs. Boonchuy. I'm guessing it's thanks to you that our secret is safe, and I'm sorry we had to go big like that," apologies Luz.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to handle it on my own, everyone. Maybe if I had the entirety of my powers I could have, but… I feel like I let you down," moped Anne.
"Given the circumstances though, we couldn't take the chance of going smaller. If we had someone could have gotten seriously hurt, and that would have been on us. More than anything else, we want to protect as many lives as we can, and it's ok Anne. We might have swooped in to steal the win, but next time you'll do better. You're still learning. I've had magic all my life, and I'm still only second best," sighed Amity, feeling dejected.
Amarin smiled, "Essence of true hero that is. Never forget: grow, learn, protect. That most important." All three girls nodded, with her job done Amarin left to get a nap.
After that many of the people they saved came to thank their heroes, and when one asked about 'La Ira Roja' Camila looked away nervously, and Luz's eyes lit up. Spotting her Mom's nervousness and sweating Luz started to smirk, "Mami? What are they talking about, and what's this about a 'Red Wrath'?" Suddenly Luz gasped, "Are you saying my own mother is keeping her epic backstory from me? Oh Amity, please hold me. I feel so… betrayed." Luz theatrically fell over into Amity's arms as she hamed up her acting, and making everyone else laugh.
Camila sighed, "Ok. Ok, but later. I'd rather not tell this story in public." Getting a smirk Camila stated, "In the meantime, if you want to show off, Marcy tells me you two are quite the dancers. It seems a shame to keep those skills secret, mis hijas."
Amity smiled, but Luz rose instantly to her feet, "Well Ami, my love. It sounds like we have an appetizer to put on before the big show later. So, would you like to dance with me?"
Amity's smile turned into a full blush, but she reached out and took Luz's hand, "Anytime, my Titaness. Anytime and everytime." Hand in hand they walked a safe distance away, and they began to dance. They started out calm and slow, and a number of other couples joined them, but as they continued the pace did as well. Soon the world fell away from them as there was only them, and as their adoring crowd watched they felt waves of feeling begin to wash over them, and the sounds of two hearts beating as one played throughout the crowd. Love, true and eternal, washed over everyone, and those that had partners began to join the dance.
Feeling her confidence swell Marcy held out her hand to Anne as they joined the dance as well, and as the two couples danced the Titans began to shift and to everyone's amazement so did Marcy and Anne. Marcy's green glow was faint, and barely there, but it was. The crowd marveled at both couples as they seemed to complete each other, even if Anne and Marcy knew deep down they weren't complete yet.
Slowly the dance began to slow, and the energies receded along with the girls' forms. Finally snapping out of their trance to the sounds of cheering, everyone took a bow. As it was starting to get late, some people began to pack up, and once again the girls helped out where they could, much to the continued thanks of the Thai community. At some point Luz and Amity separated to help elsewhere, and Anne barely noticed until it was starting to get dark. Spotting the signal, Marcy smiled, "So, Anne… remember when I said I had an idea to help lighten your mood?"
Anne looked confused until the sky lit up as the first 'firework' went off. For the next fifteen minutes, the sky was awash in the most beautiful display that Anne had ever seen. Shooting stars in all of the colors of the rainbow, dragons and creatures from around the world came to life in vibrant displays of light, and every so often a trio of colors would flash across the sky, but always the same colors: pink, blue, and green, united and burning as one. Through it all Marcy stood next to Anne, hand in hand.
When it was over everyone cheered, and finished packing up. When the Planter's and Boonchuy's returned to their car with Camila and Marcy in tow they found Luz and Amity leaning against it looking winded, but satisfied. "Mind if we bum a ride? We would fly back, but I think we might have gotten a bit too excited today," asked Luz with a wink.
They all piled in, laughing and joking, none of them noticed the Ice cream truck parked by the street, or the duo within as they reviewed the footage they had recorded since their arrival. Screenshots of purple and blue blurs as they raced through empty streets, fuzzy images of a trio of figures: one glowing blue, and the other two furry, and finally an image of five figures as they flew through the sky on what looked like broomsticks with only the moon and stars to light them up, making them only silhouettes. As the screen widens we see a mostly undamaged robot wasp laying partially dismantled on a table as light flashes off of a pair of glasses and a smiling bald figure can be seen…
Author Notes: Sorry if this one is a bit shorter than usual, but I did what I could with what I could come up with. This story has gone through a lot of rewrites since it started, and that's causing a bit of trouble for me, because I'm debating a massive shift. It won't be apparent for at least two more chapters, but deciding whether to go with it or not is causing a lot of issues. For now I'm just trying to focus on getting to that point, but it's causing a lot of discord as it keeps cropping up and ruining my flow. Ok, notes time.
Yup, Hexsquad wasn't as sneaky as they thought, and let's be honest, who's surprised? X is in town a bit earlier than in the show, and watching from afar. Also I know constantly going over Marcy's guilt might feel repetitive, but trauma isn't conquered overnight. It takes time and I try to show how she's processing, a little at a time. First taste of fic Sasha, and one of Anne's unique abilities: Emotive telepathy. It's only a taste since Anne only has a fraction of her gem, but she can reach out using her connections with people to see and 'interact' with them. Each gem has abilities based on them, but gaining them only happens once a few requirements are met. More on that in future chapters.
I know the teasing/flirting can get a bit 'much' from time to time, but hormonal teenagers in their first relationships can be like that. Also for characters like Marcy and Amity to have the confidence to express themselves like that is important, and shows a lot of growth when compared to where they started from… also I live on the internet. I wouldn't be the first to imply that Marcy might be a bit less 'pure' than her adorkable first impression implies. Also blushing awkwardness is just fun to write.
Thankfully this should be the heaviest use of the Thai language for this story. Nothing against it, but I know nothing about it so everytime I use it feels nerve wracking since I don't want to make a mistake and offend anyone. While doing research I found that Thai culture is apparently still anti-lgbtq for the most part (which I ignored, because every temple can be different. Fight me.), but ironically a history of polygamy meaning that the girls might not find as much stigma as a thruple as I originally thought. Nice. As for the engrish, wasn't planning on yoda, but it happened, and I figured, after hanging out with my own great grandmother, she knows what she's doing and couldn't care less,
I loved coming up with 'Red Wrath', and I'm going to enjoy showing you all what I have planned. How does Marcy know how to throw knives? One of her friends is Yunan… think about it, she probably taught her more than just the crossbow. I did try to write out the titans sparring session, but it got too close to smutty for me to feel comfortable including it.
So here's the beginning of an explanation about something for transparency. What the Core and Andrias think is the limit of the box's power is only about sixty percent of it's real power, and a synchronized welder of a single gem while alone can only hit about twenty percent, aka the finale of the show each girl had twenty, but as a unit it was closer to seventy-five, synergy bonus. More information on that will come later. Just thought it was important so as not to confuse anyone with some comments that characters make. (FTR 90% of 60% is 54% or just over half power.)
Welp that's another chapter down. Shine on beautiful readers. Shine on.