The ballad of newt and owl: chapter 3

The group walked into the convention (held in one of those massive warehouses), Marcy looking strangely happy.

"Hey Marce, what's up with you?" Asked Luz.

"Oh, nothing, just found out a way i might be able to learn magic!"

"What?"

"I'll explain later."

They walked in to wonder. People dressed in their space wars cosplays, Anime, they even saw the good witch Azura at one point.

"It's not often we get to go to a convention, they don't happen much in connecticut!" Squealed Luz. "I usually have to fly, and I can't get my suits through security."

"Why not?"

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"I'm sorry, ma'am, but i'm afraid your 'chainsaw guy cosplay' can't come through here, if it involves real chainsaws."

"You small minded little B#&!" Said a 9 year old luz, getting ready to pounce.

"Luz!" Said camila, as she was being apprehended by security.

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"Reasons."

Marcy then heard a familiar voice.

"Come on!"

She turned around to see… mr. Boonchuy? Walking toward a stand showing some sort of Bug-themed superhero.

"Daaad, do we have to?"

"Yes! The director is going to give out signatures!"

"Ugh, what's the point of a signature anyway?" Said another familiar voice.

Marcy grinned, for she had just seen Anne and Sasha walking along with Mr. Boonchuy.

She dragged her friends towards them and shouted loudly, "GIRLS!"

Mr. Boonchuy turned and smiled. "Oh hey marcy-"

Sasha turned around and pushed him away ("ow! My back!"). "MAR-MAR? What are you doing here- oh yeah, it's a comic convention, it's like your homeland."

And Anne smiled wider. "MARBLES!"

"Marbles, eh?" Smirked Luz, "don't mind if i do."

"Girls!" Marcy hugged them. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Mr. Boonchuy dragged us to the comic convention, promising us that we'd get to see you after!" Said Sasha.

"And i'm assuming these are your friends?" Asked Anne, gesturing to Luz, and the others.

Luz walked forward. "Hey, i'm Luz, and i was surprised when marcy turned out to be just as much of a geek as me! Cool costumes, by the way." She pointed to the armor that sasha was wearing, and the same with anne. "The missing shoe and leaves in your hair make you look like some sort of main character or something, i dunno."

Sasha sweated. "Yeah, actually, they aren't exactly the cheapest cosplays. They're-"

"The clothes you wore in amphibia?"

Sasha choked on some boba that had appeared in her hand within the last 10 seconds. "How did you know-"

"I accidentally read marcy's journal. Don't worry, I don't know the full story."

Sasha looked sternly at marcy. "You know what, as long as she doesn't tell anyone else, it's fine."

"Don't worry, i told her to tell them," said Anne. "Secrets can really make a friendship harder."

Both Luz and marcy chuckled nervously.

"Marcy, can i ask you something?" Said luz, pulling her aside.

Once they were out of earshot, she said, "marcy, I don't think you should tell them about the isles yet."

"Okay."

"No, i'm sayi- what?"

"I'm okay with that. I get you guys want to keep national safety. But i will have to tell them one day, I can't keep secrets for long."

"I promise, Marcy wu, that you can tell them. Just not today."

"Okay. But i do have to tell them something very important. Nothing to do with the isles, to do with amphibia."

"Okay. Go hang out with your old friends. Tell 'em i said hi, i'll be with you guys soon, me and amity are just getting our books signed by mildred featherwile."

"Kay! Bye!"

She ran up to Anne and Sasha.

"What was that about?"

"Just asking her to be nice to you guys. She's really curious and I didn't want her asking you guys too many questions about amphibia."

"Fair. I'm good with some stuff but I'd rather… leave out… other stuff."

"What, like the fact that you died and came back to life?"

"Yeah, that's still giving me an existential crisis."

"Anyway," said marcy, "i have something really important to tell you guys."

"Yeah?"

"I think we still have our powers."

Anne spat out hot dog bits. "What? The stones were-"

"Destroyed, yes. I think their power just sort of… moved… into us."

"Wait, you guys didn't know?" Asked sasha.

"No!" Said Anne. "You did?"

"Yeah, i've been using them for chores.I can't activate the full thing, but dad keeps telling me my eyes glow pink and i can do it on command."

Anne put down her hot dog. "Get me to the nearest empty room, we need to test this."

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They were in an empty warehouse room, being unused by the convention.

"So, anne, how did you activate them?"

"Well, before they'd only activate through intense emotion, but i learned to control them by… well, being taunted by a federal government agent one too many times."

"Oh, yeah, sure, get me the nearest government agent," said Sasha sarcastically.

"Ok, what riles you guys up?" Asked Anne.

"The overuse of precussion in music."

"Cliche tropes."

Anne smacked her forehead. "A little more than that."

"Okay, Anne, how about we test your powers first?" Asked Sasha.

"Oh yeah! Doy," she said, and suddenly her eyes glowed blue.

"Wait, didn't your hair used to go shiny too?" Asked Sasha.

"That was only when i was really riled up, like my fight with a giant newt king, or my best friend falling out of a window. This happened if government agents patronised me," said anne in an overlapped, more powerful voice.

"I'm gonna clip that out of context."

"So what can you do?"

"I can cause small earthquakes, and cut an avocado perfectly in half."

"…just avocadoes, or…?"

"Probably just stuff in general marcy," said anne, powering down, her eyes returning back to normal.

"Well, we still have the powers, at least!" Said marcy.

"Yeah, we just need to wait for a traumatising moment or some bout of confidence," joked Sasha.

"…what the fubbernickel?" Said a voice.

They turned around to see Luz, staring at anne.

"Oh, you saw the whole thing, didn't you," said Anne, deadpan.

"You have anime powers? Can i learn?"

"Probably not. I'll explain later," said Marcy, pushing her out of the door.

"Guys, i have to tell you something, and i'm breaking a friend's trust for this. She cannot know i told you.

"Luz has also been to another world, but still has access to it. I've been for a small while accidentally. We have to keep it secret so the government don't find out, so I can't tell you where the entrance is. That's all i can say."

"…marcy, why are you telling us if it's supposed to be a secret?" Asked Anne.

"Because the last time i kept a secret from you guys i nearly ruined our friendship."

Anne looked at her in understanding. "Okay. We won't tell her what you told us."

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"I'll see you guys again soon!"

"Bye, Marcy! Bye, Luz! Bye, Luz's friends that I forgot the name of!"

"Wow, i'm offended," said Gus in a happy voice.

The girls and Mr. Boonchuy turned the corner, to the car park.

Luz sat there for a second and then said to marcy, "you can tell them soon. I promise."

Marcy smiled. "Okay."

And they called out their palismen from their bags and flew away into the sunset.

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"I promise! I saw a bunch of kids and two parents riding on broomsticks! It's witchcraft, i tell ya!"

"Sure, jacob," said a police officer, clearly amused. "And is this in connection to the literal child on halloween that was apparently a demon from mars?"

"Ha! Good one!"

And they walked away, laughing.

"Stupid police force," growled jacob Hopkins, sitting around his room. "They never believe me."

"Honey, are you coming down for dinner?"

"IN A MINUTE, MOM!" He sighed. "If only i could be like you, my Idol." And he smiled at an image of phillip whittebane's statue. "You would have understood me. I won't forget your message you gave to me on halloween."

And he took out a piece of crumpled paper, stained green.

'To whichever noble man reads this,

It is I, phillip whittebane. I have lived on to fufill my purpose of getting rid of all sinful beings, such as witches, once and for all. However, i might not succeed in this quest. I beg of you to continue my work.

Thank you.'

He smiled, and left his room, getting into his car. He drove to a local warehouse and entered, to a workplace with piles of… frobot parts.

"Let's get to work. Thank heck for the IT gals."