Chapter 5

Anne and Marcy at the Gates

It's been a couple of days since that… incident with Sasha. Aaron looked at the map and saw that the gang was very close to Newtopia. That's when he saw Matt sitting there, upset.

"Still thinking about her, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit," Matt admitted.

"Do you really think it's really worth finding the other girls given that Sasha was kinda, totally evil?" Aaron asked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Matt defended. "Sasha's not evil, and even if she was, those other girls aren't, and even if they were, there's no way I'm gonna leave them behind. I took their lives away from them. I'm gonna give them back."

That's when Catherine came in and simply said, "Boys, we're here."

Matt and Aaron came out of the wagon and saw a huge city in front of them. It was gated, surrounded by a shallow moat, and it was like nothing Matt has ever seen in this world before.

The gang carried on through the moat towards the front gates of the city.

On the way, Aaron noticed these giant holes. He looked at them curiously until Dareth showed up.

"Don't stare into the abyss, Aaron," said Dareth. "After all, it stares back."

"Okay, but I'm sure this will come back later," Aaron replied before the two walked on.

Once they reached the gates, a small door opened to reveal a young blue newt.

"Sorry, but you can't come in," he said. "Newtopia's closed, so none of you can enter. Not even you, Catherine."

"What's going on?" asked Catherine. "How long will you be closed?"

"Why, until the barbari-ants are gone, of course," the gatekeeper replied, before shutting the door.

"Those things are back?" Catherine muttered in fear.

"What even is a barbari-ant?" asked Matt, before getting frustrated with himself. It should've been obvious what a "barbari-ant" is.

Speaking of which, a bunch of giant ants appeared from one of the giant holes. Matt summoned his spear and got ready to defend.

That's when some small sacks fell into the moat, releasing oil. It separated Matt and the gang from the ants. The oil caught fire and the fire scared the ants away.

The quartet turned to see a figure in silver armor and a blue cloak standing on the wall. The figure had a crossbow attached to their wrist. They launched an arrow with a rope attached to it, which they used to slide down towards the quartet.

"That's one cool newt," Aaron remarked.

But Catherine knew better. "That's no newt."

That's when the rope broke and the figure fell face first into the water. They got up and coughed the water out of their system.

"So, Newtopian rope can only hold an average human girl for 2.3 seconds," they said, going into their notebook and taking notes. "Maybe if I increase the tensile strength with ironspider silk."

Matt recognized that voice. "Marcy?"

The figure stopped and turned towards Matt. They removed their hood to reveal none other than Marcy Wu.

"Matt?" she said, surprised.

"Marcy!" Matt shouted happily as he ran towards his friend.

"Matt!" Marcy shouted as the two friends hugged.

Meanwhile, Anne Boonchuy and her surrogate family, the Plantars, were on their own journey to Newtopia. After weeks of traveling, they finally reached Newtopia. As they headed towards the gates, Anne saw two familiar faces, Marcy Wu and Matthew Ellis. She ran towards them and joined them in their hug, causing all three of them to fall over.

Matt and Marcy turned to see Anne standing there, and they both hugged her.

"I can't believe it!" Matt shouted.

"You? Us? Here?" Marcy shouted.

"I know! I know!" said Anne. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you two!" Marcy replied.

"Same!" Matt added.

Once the three broke out of their hug, Anne was the first to speak. "Look at you two. You both look like fighters straight out of that fantasy game, what was it called? Something about wilds?"

"Breath of the Wild," Marcy corrected. "Speaking of wild, this place is wild, isn't it? I've really grown out here, no more clumsy klutzy Marcy, can you believe it?"

"Your cloak's on fire," Anne pointed out.

As it turns out, Marcy's cloak was on fire. She panicked and ran in a circle, risking the fire spreading.

"Don't swing it around!" Matt shouted as he grabbed Marcy, getting her to stop. He then started dipping the cloak in the water to put out the fire.

As that was happening, Marcy wrote in her notebook, "Note to self, non-flammable cloak preferable."

That's when Marcy saw the amphibians standing there. She approached them with excitement.

"Who are these guys?" she asked. "Are they your respective found families? Did they find and take you in? Gosh I love the found family trope!"

As Marcy began over-analyzing each Amphibian, Anne and Matt could only stand there smiling seeing Marcy just being herself.

When she was done over-analyzing, Matt approached Marcy and asked her, "Can you get us into Newtopia? We tried the gate, but they won't open."

"Unfortunately, those gates will stay closed until the barbari-ants are gone," Marcy replied. "Luckily, we got a plan. Come on."

The group carried into a nearby tent. They went inside and saw three newts.

"What's up, Triple B?" asked Marcy.

"Ah, Master Marcy," said the newt on the right. He turned to everyone else. "Are you lost?"

"No, they're with me," Marcy replied. "These amphibians traveled from far away."

"Ah, welcome peasants," said the newt in the middle, before noticing Catherine. "And Catherine. Long time, no see."

"And these are my friends, Matt and Anne," Marcy continued, right as Anne and Matt pinched her cheeks. "Ow!"

"Sorry," Matt and Anne apologized in unison.

"That's fine," Marcy replied, as she pinched them right back. "'Cause now we're even."

The three friends giggled for a second.

"Alright," said Matt. "Keep doing what you're doing."

"Well, no worries," Marcy replied. "Anne, Matt, do you remember when we learned about migration patterns in biology class?"

"No," Anne replied.

"A bit," Matt replied. "Something about ants migrating north when it gets warm."

"That's exactly what's happening," Marcy explained. "Since it's been getting warmer, scouts have been getting closer and closer to our territory. In fact, I think a full-scale invasion is around the corner. The king wants me to stop them before they can turn Newtopia into a giant anthill."

"Wait, you work directly for the king of Amphibia?" asked Aaron.

"Yes, yes I do," Marcy replied.

"Aaron, behave yourself," Matt scolded.

"I didn't know you guys had a king," Anne remarked.

"Anne, if these people were anarchists, this world would be in shambles," said Matt.

"Speak for yourself!" Polly shouted.

"Okay," said Marcy. "The plan is, we sneak through the enemy lines and drive away the queen. Once she's down, the others will retreat."

"How are we gonna do that?" asked Matt.

"With these," Marcy replied, bringing out orange mushrooms. "Stink-shrooms. They're designed to release pheromones that will drive the queen away. We'll have to fight our way through a hoard if we are to have a chance at getting to her." She leaned on the table. "We gotta be careful. If one thing goes wrong…" That's when the table almost fell, but she steadied herself and the table. "Heh, flimsy table."

"Marcy, this sounds dangerous," said Matt. "Leave this to me and the guys. We've done this sort of stuff a lot."

Matt, Aaron, Dareth, and Catherine struck a pose.

"To the max!" Aaron added.

"Same with me and the Plantars," Anne added as they struck their own pose.

"Come on you two, I'll be fine," Marcy assured. "I changed, remember?"

"Yeah, right," Matt scoffed. "Your cloak is on fire again."

As it turns out, it was. The "Triple B" ran around like the unprofessional morons they were. Anne quickly grabbed the cloak and threw it to the ground, before stomping her foot, getting rid of the fire.

"Guys, trust me," said Marcy. "I can handle this. Now, let the mission engage."

Marcy walked out, Anne and Matt following her. The amphibians stayed behind.

Catherine turned to Aaron and asked, "Is something bothering you?"

"Surely you don't trust those girls," Aaron replied.

"I do, actually," Catherine replied.

"Me too," Dareth added, before pointing towards the girls. "I mean, look, Aaron. They're harmless."

Outside, Matt, Anne, and Marcy were surrounded by butterflies, and they all seemed to be having a good time.

"On the surface, they may look harmless," said Aaron. "But don't either of you remember Sasha?"

"And how can you be sure that they're like her?" asked Dareth.

Aaron tried to reply, but couldn't figure out the right words.

A bit later, the group made their way towards the ants' hideout.

"We should be arriving shortly," Marcy told everyone, right as she fell through the cave entrance. The others followed.

Marcy got up and was about to continue before Matt stopped her and said, "Maybe it's safer for you in the back."

"I do feel safe here," Sprig remarked right as an ant snuck behind him and grabbed him.

Matt quickly grabbed his spear and stabbed the ant, forcing it to let go of Sprig and retreat.

The group carried on, but as they continued, Marcy was roaming around and picking up some items around her, before mixing them together. That's when some Barbari-ants approached them. Marcy quickly threw her concoction, summoning vines that blocked the ants, and Polly.

"Whoops," said Marcy, realizing her mistake.

"NOT THE BABY!" everyone else shouted in unison.

Marcy quickly destroyed the vines, grabbed Polly, and summoned more vines before the ants could get anyone.

"See, that could've been on purpose," Aaron told Matt.

"It was an honest mistake, Aaron!" Matt retorted.

"Marcy!" Anne scolded.

"Sorry," Marcy replied. "But it worked out in the end. Anyway, vegetation is the coolest, right?"

"You think vegetables are cool?" asked Hop-Pop. "Marcy, how would you like to be friends?"

"Wait, get down," Marcy whispered. "It's the queen."

Everyone got down and saw none other than the queen of the ants. They can tell by how it's bigger than all the rest, and every other ant in the area was bowing to her.

"Here's the plan," said Marcy. "We plant the stink-shrooms all around the area. They're set to go off in five minutes. Also, the queen can't see, but can hear very well, so be very quiet."

The group nod in understanding, before heading out to plant the stink-shrooms. As they were planting, Matt and Anne noticed that Marcy was about to be crushed by a column. They quickly pushed her out of the way. They quickly ran behind it so the queen wouldn't notice them.

"What are you doing?" Marcy asked her friends.

"Saving you," Matt replied. "That could've crushed you."

"I was about to get out of the way myself," Marcy defended.

"No you weren't," Anne scolded. "I had to save you, like I always did back home."

"But we aren't back home," Marcy argued. "And I was doing just fine by myself."

"Yeah, but…" Matt was about to say.

Meanwhile, Aaron was about to plant a stink-shroom when he stepped on a conveniently-placed twig, making it crack. This drew the queen's attention, and she ate Aaron.

"No!" Matt shouted.

"He's still alive!" Marcy shouted. "These ants take a while to digest their food. I can save him."

"No, I should do it," Matt argued.

"No, it should be me!" Anne argued.

"Guys, only I studied barbari-ant biology," Marcy said. "It has to be me."

"It doesn't though," Matt argued. "I can handle it."

"Why can't either of you let me go?" asked Marcy.

"Because we just got you back!" Matt and Anne shouted in unison, their eyes flashing teal and blue respectively. "And we can't lose you again!"

"You won't, I promise," Marcy assured.

Marcy ran towards the queen, jumping on the other ants.

"Who knew these were so bouncy?" asked Dareth.

"I did," Marcy replied. "Because I studied them."

Marcy landed in the queen's mouth, and came out with Aaron shortly after. Marcy's eyes flashed green as she winked at Aaron.

"Trustworthy," Aaron decided.

Marcy launched an arrow with a rope attached to it, and was about to swing to safety, when the queen sliced it.

Matt quickly ran towards the two. He felt his powers coming back, but it felt different this time. He felt more in control as he leapt into the air, dashed, and grabbed Marcy and Aaron, before landing safely on the ground, releasing a teal energy wave that sent the other ants back. That's when Matt's power faded, but he didn't pass out this time.

That's when the stink-shrooms went off, causing the ants in the area to run away.

"Huh, that doesn't smell too bad," Aaron remarked.

"It might to the ants," said Matt.

"That and it will liquify your lungs if you breathe in too much of it," Marcy added.

"Well, time to go," said Aaron with no second thought. Everyone ran out of the cave.

As they were walking out, Marcy turned to Anne and Matt and said, "Thanks for having my back, you two."

"Not that you needed it," Matt replied. "You really have changed."

That's when both Matt and Anne noticed something on Marcy and told her in unison, "Your cloak's on fire again."

Marcy stopped and saw that, indeed, her cloak was on fire again. She quickly stomped the fire out and shouted, "Are you kidding me? There wasn't even any fire this time!"

Once they left the cave, Aaron approached Matt.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry for being suspicious of your friends earlier. Marcy saved my life, so I can trust her, so I'll trust Anne as well."

Matt smiled. "Good to know."

The two boys unknowingly held hands. This was seen by the other people in the area. The Plantars didn't react at all. Dareth and Catherine were happy for them. Anne and Marcy were jealous of Aaron, but didn't say anything.

"Come on guys," said Marcy. "Who's ready to go to Newtopia!"

"Yeah!" all the kids cheered in unison.

With the ants gone, the gates opened, allowing everyone entry.

"Look at this place," said Anne.

"Mighty impressive," Matt added.

"I want to touch everything," said Sprig, as he went to find something to touch.

That's when some guards showed up and surrounded everyone. A blue newt in a white dress approached the group.

"Well met, Lady Olivia," Marcy said to the newt.

"The king sends his regards, Master Marcy," Olivia replied. "I trust you succeeded."

Marcy showed Olivia a severed head of one of the ants, proving the job's been done. Olivia had one of the guards carry it away.

"Still fresh, I see," Olivia remarked. "As expected of the Great Marcy Wu. I see you have company."

"Lady Olivia," said Marcy. "Meet Anne and Matt, some friends I've been telling you about. Turns out, they were transported to other parts of Amphibia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two, Anne and Matt," said Olivia.

"You too," Anne and Matt replied in unison, before gesturing to the amphibians. They all bowed.

"Welcome to Newtopia, newcomers," said Olivia. "And it's nice to see you again, Catherine. This is an old city of rich and splendor. Don't touch anything that looks important."

Meanwhile, Sprig was hanging on the arm of a statue, and he broke it.

Olivia's eye twitched, but she did her best to keep her cool. She said, "Do enjoy your stay." before walking off.

"Are you a big deal around here?" Matt asked Marcy.

"To put it lightly," Marcy replied. "I have a perfect record when it comes to missions."

Sprig approached Marcy and said, "I have a couple of questions. How are you so smart? What was Anne like back home?

Hop-Pop approached Sprig and told him, "How about you help me unload the f'wagon? Give Anne time to catch up with her friends."

The amphibians left to unload their respective wagons. Marcy led Matt a good distance away from Anne.

"Thanks for not telling Anne that…" Marcy was about to say.

"We trapped us all here on purpose?" Matt guessed.

"Don't say it aloud," Marcy scolded, worried Anne might hear. She turned and saw Anne sitting near a fountain, minding her own business. Marcy turned back to Matt and asked, "How have you been feeling since…"

"Since I had this epiphany?" Matt interrupted. "That I might be hanging around a bad influence? That we could've trapped us here over a misunderstanding? Oh my God, Marcy. Anne and Sasha will hate us if they know."

"Come on, they won't hate us," Marcy assured. "They're our friends. They'll understand." It was clear by the look on her face that she didn't believe her own words.

Matt and Marcy turned back to Anne, before Matt decided, "We'll tell them, when the time's right."

Matt and Marcy then approached Anne so they could talk.

"So you haven't found a way home, either?" asked Marcy.

"No," Anne replied. "It's funny. I've been focused on finding you two for so long, now that I have, I don't know what to do now."

"Same here," said Matt.

"I know what you mean," said Marcy. "First thing's first, we gotta find Sasha."

Both Matt and Anne were shocked by what their friends just said.

"I actually found Sasha," they both said in unison.

"What?" asked Marcy. "Both of you?"

"Yeah," Anne explained. "To be more specific, Sasha found me. She led me, the Plantars, and everyone in Wartwood to this Toad Tower for a banquet. As it turned out, Sasha and the toads she was working for were using the banquet as a trick to… hurt the people I care about. I wouldn't let that happen, and let's just say, there were swords and explosions, and I don't know where she is now."

"When I found Sasha," Matt explained. "It seemed she was on the run. She was with three toads. We had a fight, not against each other, but a newt named Yunnan who tried to capture one of said toads. Afterwards, Aaron said something like 'we have to go' and Sasha instantly got mad and…" Tears formed around Matt's eyes as he said the last part. "She said she didn't wanna be my friend anymore."

"Well, if we find a way home, it's pointless without Sasha," said Marcy.

"So what now?" asked Anne.

"I don't know," Marcy replied. "Sasha always called the shots back home."

"Well then," said Matt. "It's time we make our own choices, free from Sasha's negative influence."

"Yeah," said Marcy. "It worked for us so far. Come on you two, stand up."

Anne and Matt did as they were told.

"Let me see those power poses," Marcy continued.

Anne and Matt made the best poses they could.

"This good?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah," Marcy replied before clearing her throat. "I'm Marcy Wu!"

"I'm Anne Boonchuy!" Anne continued.

"And I'm Matthew Ellis!" Matt added.

"And together, we'll find Sasha and find a way home!" the three finished in unison.

Meanwhile, King Andrias watched the three teens from a window. He then went to a chess board.

"The pieces are starting to fall into place," he said. "It's time for the game to begin."

Andrias set a couple of pieces that looked like Anne and Matt next to a piece that looked like Marcy.

A.N.

This may be the longest chapter in the story so far, but boy was it fun to write.

Matt has finally made it to Newtopia, and reunited with not just Marcy, but Anne as well.

This will be the last chapter I've written this year. I'll be taking a small break before getting back to this. Besides, I have other fanfiction plans in January. I'll post a journal on my Deviantart tomorrow so you'll know my plans.

Anyway, that's all for now, and I wish you a Happy New Year.