As twilight descended on the Plantar house, Anne, Marcy, and the Plantars were busy setting up a table outside in anticipation of the dinner they would have tonight. There was a sense of accomplishment in the air as Anne and Marcy hurriedly made their way about the table, setting dishes and utensils on it.
"I can't believe the four of us are finally back together," said Marcy excitedly.
"Yep, we recharged all four stones, and Sasha's turning over a new leaf. Things are really looking up," said Anne.
"That's all great," began Hop Pop, "but did you have to invite Grime?"
"Sasha trusts Grime," said Anne.
"Luz doesn't," countered Sprig, as he jumped down from a pole he was sitting on. Marcy and Anne looked at each other for a second, then back at Sprig.
"Apparently, she doesn't trust him enough to join us for dinner with him," continued Sprig
"Honestly, I would say it's more like 50/50 between both Grime and Sasha," said Luz as she walked over to where the others were gathered, still wearing her normal clothes.
"Hey, Luz. Are you sure about not joining us for dinner?" asked Marcy, looking sadly at Luz.
"I'm sure, Mar-Mar," replied Luz. "I'm still not sure how I feel about Sasha, but I know that right now, I just don't want to be around her. Plus, I've been kinda feeling in the dumps about my whole powers going away."
"So, what are you gonna do?" asked Marcy.
"I'm gonna take a walk out in the woods," said Luz. "It was always a bit calming, and right now, I just want to be alone."
"You sure you don't want one of us to go with you?" asked Anne.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind joining you, Luz," said Sprig. "If it gets me out of having to have dinner with Sasha and Grime, I'm all for it."
"Hey, why do you get to leave all of a sudden?" said Polly. "Why should the rest of us have to suffer?"
"Sprig, you are staying for dinner," said Hop Pop firmly. "I'm the one who Grime and Sasha tried to kill, so if I have to stay, then you do, too."
"Ahh, man," complained Sprig.
"Suck it up, Sprig. We all have to endure Hop Pop's cooking," teased Polly. Hop Pop glared at her.
"Thanks for the offer, Sprig," said Luz, "but I'll be fine on my own."
"I mean, I was kind of hoping all four of us would have dinner together," began Marcy in a pleading voice. "I know things aren't great between you and Sash right now, Luz, but this dinner could be a chance for the four of us to be closer."
"Listen, you guys have known Sasha for longer than I have. You've been friends with her longer than me, so I get that you want to try to fix what you had. So you guys go ahead and have fun," said Luz.
"Hey, before you go, we could use some help putting up some lights outside," said Marcy. With that, she pulled out some pieces of paper, showing them to Luz while also winking her eye.
"Why don't we all help with that?" suggested Anne, taking one of the papers Marcy had pulled out while trying to encourage Luz to take one. Luz finally did take a paper, and on the count of three, the girls all activated the light spell, causing three glowing orbs of light to appear. They gently guided them up, so that they hung around the outside dinner table. Luz smiled at this display.
"Come on, Luz," said Anne, trying to cheer her up, "help us hang up some more lights, and then you can go."
"Alright," said Luz as she took a few more papers and began helping to set up some lights. Hop Pop came over to watch, intrigued.
"That's that other form of magic you girls discovered, right?" he asked, looking up at the light orbs.
"Yeah. Marcy, Maddie, and I discovered it together," answered Luz.
"Wow, fascinating," said Hop Pop. "I've known about curses, but I can't remember hearing anything about magic like this."
"I don't think anyone in Amphibia has," said Marcy. "I hope Maddie is able to teach it to others. If more people learn it, maybe magic will become common again."
"That would be nice. I bet magic could help make our lives easier," said Hop Pop.
"I hope so too," said Anne. "I'd like to think that maybe someday you guys can have your own cool technology like we have in our world."
"Oooo, maybe they can become a steampunk world!" suggested Marcy. "Maybe you guys can develop airship technology and travel to other lands!"
"What's steampunk?" asked Sprig curiously.
"It's a kind of subgenre of fantasy," began Marcy. "Means you use steam-powered devices in new and interesting ways."
"Huh, not sure I get it," answered Sprig.
"In any case, it's almost time for dinner, so let's go ahead and put on the finishing touches. I still need to get dressed," said Anne. As she finished, she turned to look at Luz.
"Hey, can I talk to you before you head off?" asked Anne.
"Sure," said Luz. The two of them went off to be alone.
"Hey… so listen… I know you don't want to see Sasha right now, which is totally understandable, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay with Marcy and me having this dinner with her," said Anne.
Luz looked into Anne's face for a few seconds before replying, "Things are so complicated right now. On the one hand, I am still mad at Sasha, but on the other, I know you and Marcy were friends with her for longer than I was. If the two of you want to try to patch things up with her, then I should give you that chance."
"It's just… if being around Sasha makes you uncomfortable, then when we get back home, do you think you won't want to be around her there either?" asked Anne in a tender voice.
"I… I honestly don't know," replied Luz. She looked back into Anne's face. "I'm sorry. I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position, Anne. If you still want to be friends with her, then I promise I won't hold it against you."
"I mean, I care about both of you," said Anne, putting her hands on Luz's shoulder. "I don't want to lose either of you as friends."
"Hey, tell you what," said Luz. "If Sasha really has changed, and she shows it when we get home, maybe I will give her another chance. I just can't do that right now."
"Okay," said Anne. "Thank you for at least understanding and letting me have this dinner."
"Well, it was your idea, and if you think it can help Sasha, then you should at least try it," answered Luz.
"Again, thank you. I really appreciate it." Anne pulled Luz into a hug. The two parted, and Luz went off into the woods. Anne went back to the Plantars' house to finish getting ready for dinner.
Luz kept walking deeper into the woods. When she felt she was far enough away, she finally stopped sticking her staff into the ground. She took off her boots and tights and stood barefoot in the dirt, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of air. She slowly exhaled her breath as she tried to concentrate and focus.
Come on, she thought, trying to empty her mind. Concentrate, just like Uodeela taught you.
Luz relaxed and focused on her surroundings. She felt the breeze against her face, and she could hear crickets chirping in the distance.
Mmmm, crickets sound good right about now, thought Luz before snapping back to reality. No, stop. Focus, like Uodeela taught you!
Luz kept breathing, trying to relax. When she finally felt ready, she thrust her arms forward, trying to blast out some wind… but nothing happened.
"It's alright, it's alright," she finally said out loud to herself. "All I need to do is keep concentrating and try again. If I focus enough, I can do this."
Luz again closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She dug her toes deeper into the dirt in an attempt to connect with the earth. Again, she focused her thoughts and tried to use her magic powers… Again, nothing happened. Luz let out a heavy sigh.
Back at the Plantars' house, dinner was underway, though there was some visible tension in the air. The night had started a little rough when Sprig sat next to Anne and insisted on staying there.
"Sorry, this seat's taken," he said with a smile on his face.
Sasha looked him straight in the eye before letting out an "Ehum."
Grime, sensing trouble, immediately tried to intervene, saying, "Ehum, be nice."
"Ehum, but this little jerk," said Sasha under her breath.
"Ehum," growled Grime, trying to get Sasha to drop the issue.
"Ehum," replied Sasha.
"Besides, if I wasn't here, this seat would be for Luz. I think Anne would have preferred to sit next to her," said Sprig, clearly trying to needle Sasha.
"Sprig!" chastised Anne. "Come on, don't be like that."
"So she's really not coming," said Sasha. "It's because of me, isn't it?"
Anne and Marcy looked at each other and then back at Sasha, not sure what they should say before Sprig interrupted.
"Oh, definitely!" he said. "She said she didn't want to be around you right now."
"Sprig!" said Anne, Marcy, and Hop Pop all at the same time.
"What? That is what she said, isn't it?" said Sprig, trying to act innocent.
"No, no, it's fine. I get it," said Sasha, trying to play it off. "Luz needs more time to forgive me. If she doesn't want to be here, then I'm not going to force her."
"Wait, really?" said Sprig in surprise.
"Yes, really," repeated Sasha. "That's fine. Besides, Luz was a late addition to our group. For a while, it was just us three, anyway."
"Sprig, why don't you move and let Sasha sit there?" said Hop Pop.
'But I—" began Sprig.
"This night is about trying to mend friendships," began Hop Pop. "Why don't you sit next to Grime?"
Grime flashed Sprig a smile, one that was unfortunately filled with many teeth, making it seem far more sinister than it appeared to be.
"Yeah. Come on, Sprig. Let me sit with my friends who I'm trying to make up with," said Sasha, with a slight hint of malice in her voice. Sprig glared at Sasha for a few seconds before finally acquiescing and getting up from his seat to move to the other side of Grime. Sasha sat down in triumph.
As she sat down next to Anne, Sasha turned to speak to her, saying, "So, you look nice this evening."
"Oh, uh, thanks, Sasha," replied Anne.
"Those flowers in your hair add a nice touch. They suit you," said Sasha, taking a drink from her glass.
"Oh, I guess they do," said Anne, adjusting the scrunchie that had the flowers.
"I really like that blue one," continued Sasha, noticing the other flower in Anne's hair.
"Oh thanks, it's a magical one that Luz gave me," said Anne.
Sasha had to stop herself from spitting out her drink and simply tried to act cool. Sprig noticed her reaction and smiled.
"So, uh, let's eat!" said Hop Pop, eager to start the meal.
"Mmmm, seriously, this food is good," said Sasha as she dug into her dinner.
"Gotta give it to Hop Pop. He knows his way around the kitchen," said Polly.
"Oh, so you mean you aren't suffering through my cooking?" asked Hop Pop sarcastically.
"Hey, it's great to see you've improved," said Polly. "I was… cautiously optimistic."
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Hop Pop smugly.
It's working, thought Anne. We're getting along. As happy as she was to see the dinner going well, Anne's thoughts turned to Luz as she glanced over at the forest. I hope you're doing okay, Luz…
"Man, Sash, I can't get over your armor. It totally suits you," said Marcy.
"I know, right? Way better than that dorky medieval school play we were in," began Sasha. "Remember how I convinced you guys to skip rehearsal and hang out on the roof?"
"And we had the loudest dance party!" exclaimed Anne
"Ha! Classic," said Sasha as she recalled the memory. "Why'd we stop doing stuff like that?"
Anne and Marcy exchanged a look before Marcy replied, "Well… When we got caught, Anne took the blame and said it was her idea."
"My parents grounded me for a month," said Anne morosely.
"Oh, yeah… Forgot about that," said Sasha. "I guess I should have said something."
"Yeah, it's almost like Sasha just let you take the fall for her," said Sprig, giving Sasha a look that she immediately returned.
"Hey, it's all in the past," said Anne, trying to break the tension. "We're different people now."
"Or are we?" asked Sprig.
"Say, who's up for a rousing game of Drawsadoodle?" began Hop Pop in an effort to ease the tension,
Grime immediately stood up from the table. "I LOVE Drawsadooodle!" To emphasize the point, he hit the table so hard that it sent everyone flying.
"Okay, well, let's get dinner cleaned up and then set up the game inside," said Hop Pop.
"Hey, uh, Hop Pop. If dinner is over, can I go check on Luz?" asked Sprig.
"Sprig, don't you want to play the game with us?" asked Anne.
"I do, but I figure one of us should go and make sure she's okay. Maybe I can convince her to come back," said Sprig.
"Yeah, that would be great. I really wish she was here," said Anne, again glancing towards the forest.
"Alright, fine, Sprig. Go check on Luz and see if maybe she's changed her mind," said Hop Pop.
Sprig gave a nod before hopping off toward the forest. Sasha let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, that little pipsqueak is gone, she thought.
Back in the forest, Luz was still futilely trying to use her powers. She had continued her exercise of breathing slowly as well as trying to focus on the nature around her, though with each failed attempt, she had become increasingly frustrated, and trying to concentrate proved harder. Again, Luz tried to shoot fire out of her hand, and again, nothing happened. Angrily, she kicked the ground in frustration, forgetting only a second too late that she was barefoot. Luz accidentally ended up kicking a stone buried in the dirt and let out a yelp of pain. Deciding to take a break, she went to sit on a fallen log and sulk. After a few minutes, she heard a voice.
"So I take it you still can't use your powers?" asked the voice.
Luz turned to see Sprig emerging from the trees, looking at her. He came up to the log she was seated on and sat down next to her.
"No, I can't," said Luz with a heavy sigh. "I think I have to accept that, for whatever reason, I just can't use them anymore. I think the most frustrating part is that I have no idea why. Like, did I do something wrong? Did my powers have a limit on how long they would work? I wish I knew the answer."
"I wish you did too, Luz," said Sprig, trying to comfort her.
"So, uh, how's dinner going?" asked Luz.
"Anne thinks it's going okay, but well, you know me. I don't trust Sasha," said Sprig.
"Did she attack anyone yet?" asked Luz, half joking.
"No, not yet," said Sprig, "but she has been acting a bit… weird."
"Weird? How?" asked Luz.
Sprig thought for a moment before responding, "Weird in that, I think you should come back so you don't leave Anne alone with her."
Luz listened to what Sprig said, taking a moment to absorb it before replying, "Hey, Sprig, have you heard of the old saying, If you love something, set it free?"
"Can't say I have," answered Sprig.
"The full saying is a bit longer," said Luz, "but the point is that you can't force love. Anne already knows how I feel about her. She said we would talk more when we got back home, but it's still her decision."
"Luz, no…" said Sprig pleadingly.
"Sprig, you know what I did. I forced myself on Anne, and that was wrong," said Luz.
"But you were caught up in the moment, weren't you?" asked Sprig. "You didn't mean to hurt Anne."
"I may not have meant to hurt her, but I still did," said Luz.
"So you're willing to just let Sasha try to take Anne for herself?" asked Sprig.
"Anne has the right to choose who she wants to be with if anyone," began Luz. "And if she wants to be with Sasha…" Luz took a very long pause as she said that, before continuing, "Then that's her choice."
"There's no way Anne would ever choose Sasha over you," said Sprig incredulously. "It would be like Constance choosing Hunter over Alister."
Luz let out a loud laugh at that. "Ha! Wait, so Anne showed you Love Choice?"
"Yeah, not just me, the whole town," said Sprig. "It actually became a HUGE deal, like the town got into a big fight over who Constance should end up with."
"Ho, boy, and I thought I was a hardcore shipper," said Luz.
"Well, I want you to know I was team Alister all the way!" said Sprig, proudly standing up and puffing out his chest.
"Yeah, me too," admitted Luz. "He's so much more artistic and sensitive."
"And right now, I am 100% on team Luzanne!" continued Sprig.
"Did you just come up with that right now?" asked Luz, smiling
"No, I've actually been thinking about it for a while. I'd originally considered Annuz, but your names are so short that it just made sense to combine both of them," said Sprig. "Luzanne just rolls off the tongue, and it's perfect for you two."
Luz let out a laugh at this. "Well, thank you for coming up with our ship name." She paused before adding, "I guess now we'll see if it ever becomes canon."
"You and Anne deserve each other," said Sprig. "You're both so kind and understanding. You both really know how to comfort someone. You know when we were in Newtopia, Anne…" He hesitated before continuing, "Anne got to talking about how she really missed her mom, and I told her how mine died when I was really young and how I barely knew her."
"So what Hop Pop said in the temple…" said Luz, slowly trying to find the right way to say it, "... that's what happened to your parents."
"Yeah. The thing is, I barely knew them, so I guess… it's hard for me to really miss them, you know," said Sprig, "and I feel kinda bad for that. It's hard to miss someone you barely knew… but still…"
Luz hung her head, tears forming in her own eyes. "I know exactly how you feel, Sprig. Something similar happened to me… My dad…"
Sprig looked up at Luz, seeing her face fall at the mention of her dad. "He passed away when I was young, so I barely remember him… I don't talk about this often, and I haven't even told Anne about it yet, but trust me, I know how you feel." Sprig kept staring at Luz as she continued talking
"Part of me doesn't want to think about it because it happened when I was so young. I want to miss him, but since I can barely remember him, it's hard…"
Luz was interrupted by Sprig as he threw his arms around her in a hug, tears forming in his own eyes. Luz stopped talking and just kept crying, letting the tears flow from her eyes. She put her arm around Sprig, leaning up against him. He accepted the gesture and the two of them sat in silence, thinking of the ones they had lost…
"You know, it's a good thing we removed the stingers from the hornets," said Anne as she bit into one. "Otherwise, I'd be scared to eat these."
"I must admit the chocolate compliments these bugs pretty well," said Marcy, taking a bite out of another one.
"One minute, there we are playing Drawsadoodle, and the next minute, the vol-cake-no suddenly explodes!" said Hop Pop.
"Yeah, I probably should have warned you about that," said Grime, realizing his mistake. "I mean, fighting the wasps is part of the fun! That's the part we toads look forward to the most!"
"I can see why," said Polly as she munched on a hornet.
"Well, it all worked out in the end, I guess," said Anne.
"I have to say, Marcy, that was pretty amazing how you stunned those hornets with those little tornados," said Sasha. "Was that some form of magic? I've never really seen anything like that. Is it related to Luz's powers?"
"Well, honestly, I don't know if it's related to what she can do, but it is pretty cool. Here, let me show you," said Marcy. With that, she brought out a pre-drawn wind glyph to show Sasha. Marcy tapped the glyph, causing a tornado to form in her hand and then shoot upwards, just as it had when she'd used it against the wasps.
"Wow, that is pretty cool," said Sasha. "I guess you really did pick up a few new tricks out here."
"Yeah, me, Luz, and Maddie discovered that when we were trying to find a cure for Uodeela…" Marcy stopped herself as she realized what she had said, causing Sasha's face to fall. She turned away from Marcy.
"Hey, it's fine. I get it," said Sasha. "I know Luz is mad at me for that, but I think in time we can work through it; at least I hope so."
"I'm sure she will, Sash," said Anne, coming up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think you just need to give her time."
Sasha turned to look at Anne and saw that she had some chocolate on her face from eating a wasp.
"Oh, Anne, you have something on your face," said Sasha. "Here, let me get it." She reached up her hand and gently wiped away the stain on Anne's face, though as she did, she also caressed Anne's face, looking deep into her eyes. After a while, Anne pulled her face away, becoming uncomfortable with how Sasha was looking at her but not wanting to say anything.
"Whoa, what the heck happened here?!" declared Sprig, as he and Luz arrived back at the house.
"The vol-cake-no exploded, but we're all okay," said Marcy. "Hey, Luz, how ya doing?"
Luz didn't respond, her eyes moving quickly to Sasha. Anne came over to talk to her.
"Hey, good to see you," she said. "We were just having dessert. How was your walk?"
"Okay," said Luz, trying not to sound sad. She looked up and saw Sasha staring back at her.
"Hey," she said, giving Luz a wave of her hand.
"Hey," replied Luz. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, not sure what else to say, before Anne decided to speak up.
"Hey, listen, Sasha. Is it too much of a stretch for you to understand how you hurt Luz? I think the reason it's easier for me to forgive you is because, in the end, nothing happened to Hop Pop. Yeah, you tried to kill him, but we were all really lucky that neither of you ended up dying. If something had happened to Hop Pop, I know it would be a lot harder for me to forgive you. In Luz's case, she essentially lost the parental figure who took her in and cared for her, as Hop Pop did for me. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
Sasha looked between Anne and Luz for a long time before finally coming up to Luz.
"Listen…" she began. "I'm not good at apologies, but I think I understand what Anne is saying. I don't know what else I can say, other than I'm sorry again, and I guess I can see why you're still mad at me."
Luz absorbed what Sasha had said, staying silent for a long time before finally speaking, "I can't say when or if I can forgive you, Sasha, but I suppose given what you just said… It's a start."
Sasha smiled before offering Luz a hornet. "So, uh, want some chocolate-covered hornets?"
Luz accepted the hornet, biting into it. "Mmmm, this is actually really good." After a moment, she looked again into Sasha's face.
"Thanks, Sash," she said.
The next day, the girls found themselves together in the Plantar's basement, excitedly practicing for the newly announced Battle of the Bands!
"It's been a while since you guys have played, hasn't it?" asked Luz
"Yeah. I think the last time we played was at the end-of-the-year 6th Grade Talent Show," answered Marcy. "After that, I wouldn't say we broke up, but we just didn't meet for jam sessions anymore."
"Anne told me about your band once before, but I don't think I ever got to see a show," said Luz.
"Yeah, it was before we met you," said Sasha. "After 6th grade, we just kinda stopped. No real reason. Guess we got too busy with other stuff."
"Hey, Luz, can you play an instrument?" asked Marcy
"No, I didn't really have the patience to learn one. I can sing, though," she said.
"Well, that's fine. You can sing, and Marcy, Sash, and I will handle the instruments," said Anne.
"Maybe if I'd grown up with you guys, I would have learned an instrument so I could be in the band too," said Luz. "Were you guys real popular?"
"I'd say we were a crowd favorite back in the day," said Marcy. "I wonder what song we should play?"
"We should definitely play my song, Heart-stomper," suggested Sasha. "It was always a hit back home."
"Ooo, I'm into that," said Marcy. "How about you, Anne?"
Anne paused before saying, "Actually, I wrote a song about Amphibia, and I was hoping we could play it together."
"You didn't tell me you were writing a song! Let's do it!" said Marcy. "I mean, if that's okay with you, Sasha."
"For sure," said Sasha. "Teach it to us, Anne."
"Thanks, Sash," replied Anne.
"Riding snails, but it's no big deal. Eating flies, but it's no big deal," sang the girls.
"Finally me and it's no big deal," sang Anne. "And here's where Sasha plays a killer guitar solo, then we sing the refrain one more time, and we're done."
"Nice work, Anna-banana," said Marcy. "Fun to play too."
"I like it," said Luz. "The melody is really catchy, and the lyrics really tell your story."
"Sasha, what do you think?" asked Anne, coming up to Sasha.
"It's good," began Sasha. "I just have a few tiny notes that I think could make it even better."
"Oh… okay," said Anne.
"Great! These lyrics are all over the place tonally. They'll have to change," began Sasha. She turned the page to see what else Anne had written. "Uh, are these bug suits? Oh, no, no, no." She took a pen and crossed them out.
"Hey! You didn't need to cross them out like that!" exclaimed Luz.
Sasha ignored her and continued on her list of changes, "Mar-mar, the drumming is a little too dense. Let's strip some of this down."
Sasha came up to Polly. "And you? We definitely need more lights." Sasha dropped a ton of glow shrooms onto Polly.
"Frobo, too much fog, and yet not enough fog. You feel me?" asked Sasha. Frobo's eyes simply changed to question marks in response.
"Boom! Fixed it!" exclaimed Sasha, sliding into the middle of the room.
"It does seem simpler," said Marcy.
"Yeah, these are solid ideas," said Anne, "but it's just not my song anymore. The lyrics are different, the melody is different; it's just different."
"That's called collaboration, Anne!" said Sasha.
"That's not at all what collaboration is," said Luz, coming up to Sasha. "Collaboration is when different people come together with their ideas and find a way to make them work together. What you're doing is saying that we all have to do it your way."
Sasha stared hard at Luz for a few seconds before finally saying, "So once again, I'm forcing you to do things my way. You know what? Maybe I should leave and join a different band."
"What?!" said Marcy.
"No, Sasha. It will be more fun if you're here with us," said Anne, trying to stop Sasha from leaving.
"If I leave, you guys can have all the fun you want, I can have all the control I want, and we can all get what we want," said Sasha.
As Sasha said this, Luz thought for a moment. Part of her wanted Sasha to leave, but another part of her knew that Anne and Marcy were trying to repair their friendship with her, and they would both be sad if Sasha left. As strained as her relationship was with Sasha, Luz decided to try to see if there was some way she could help.
"Hey, Sasha, wait," began Luz. "You know what I said about collaboration. It's true. It's not that we don't like your ideas; it's just that we don't want to feel forced into doing them."
Sasha stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking at Luz.
"Listen, Anne, is there a way that we could all maybe talk about this? I know it's your song and you put a lot into it, but maybe we can talk and see if we can come to any sort of compromise. There's no reason we have to reject all your ideas, Sash," said Luz, looking at Sasha and Anne.
Sasha listened to what Luz had said and was intrigued. She looked over at Anne, who smiled.
"Luz is right. Real collaboration means that we all have a say in how things go. I may have written the song, but there's no reason it has to be all my way either. In fact, it should be about all of us. We all went through unique experiences here," said Anne. "Why don't we all sit down and share any ideas we have about it?"
"It's just… Well, I want us to win!" said Sasha. "That's why I want to change things. If we do it my way, then I know for sure we can win the competition."
"Maybe," said Luz, "but let's be real here. Mayor Toadstool basically announced this as a way to keep everyone distracted, so I don't really think there's much at stake here besides being able to say, 'You won.'"
Sasha considered what Luz had said.
"Hey, you know, I am willing to try to meet you somewhere in the middle, Sash," said Anne. "If we all made some suggestions for how the act should go and talked about it as a group, I'm sure we could come up with some sort of compromise. You said the lyrics needed to change, but what if we kept the first verse and then added in some more? Hey, maybe you could add in a verse about how you feel about Amphibia. What do you think of that?"
Sasha paused for a long time before saying, "Well… I guess I could give that a try."
As the battle of the bands kicked off, the acts came through quick and fast. Many of them only featured a few people and acts that were not all that intriguing. Hop Pop, Sprig, Loggle, and Wally's jug band act had just ended after Loggle fell off the platform.
"That's good enough for me," said Hop Pop, reacting to the score they had received.
"Mediocrity is comforting," said Sprig, as he also raced backstage. "Good luck, Anne. Cool costume, by the way!"
"Thanks, dude!" said Anne. "Okay, girls, we're up next!"
"How's my costume look?" asked Luz. For her, Anne had decided she should be a firefly. Luz wore a costume that was mostly purple in design. She had on purple gloves, just like Anne's, with little sparkles on them. On her head, she had some antennae, and on her back, she had wings to give her the look of a firefly. Just like Anne and Marcy, she had some makeup on her cheeks, though hers was in the design of a firefly. Finally, she wore purple tights and dark purple flat shoes to complete the look.
"You look great!" said Anne, flashing Luz a smile.
"Thanks," replied Luz. "Oh, check this out!" She brought out about half a dozen light glyphs and activated them, forming them into light orbs. She tossed them up into the air, where they hovered around her while striking a pose!
"Ahh! You look so cute!" said Marcy.
"Thanks," said Luz. "You guys look cute too. These costumes were a great idea, Anne!"
Anne had dressed up as a "drag-Anne" fly, while Marcy was wearing a green costume with butterfly motifs.
"I'm the personification of metamorphosis!" exclaimed Marcy in delight.
"That's a good look for you, Mar-Mar," said Luz. "You really have changed a lot out here!"
"Do I look okay?" asked Sasha. She had decided to forgo any insect costumes and simply wore some standard rocker threads.
"You look good, Sash," said Marcy.
"You can definitely pull off the rocker look!" agreed Luz. "I'm glad we agreed to let you wear what you want."
"Yeah, thanks for that," said Sasha. "Not that you guys don't all look good, but I just didn't want to wear anything bug-related."
"And that's fair," said Anne, coming over to her. "See? That's what real collaboration is about, Sash. A little give and take."
"Well, thanks for letting me add a verse to your song," said Sasha.
"It's not just my song anymore. Now it's about all of us," said Anne, coming over to the group and pulling them into a big hug. She looked over at Marcy and Luz. "I'm sure they're going to love your verses, too." Marcy and Luz smiled.
"So we all ready to have fun out there?" asked Anne. The girls all nodded their heads.
"Ladies and gentle frogs," proclaimed Mayor Toadstool loudly, "I give you Sasha and the Sharps!"
With that, Frobo began to spray some fog onto the stage, and Anne began to sing.
"Took a leap through a box super weird to a swamp where frogs talk
Oh-oh!
Now I'm stuck got no plans just my luck I'll do the best that I can
Whoa-oh!
Making friends and enemies, it's weird but hey it's grown on me
Bugs, frogs, newts, and toads, gonna be a bumpy road, flies for snacks worms for lunch, I think I actually like the swamp!
It's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Find a way to start again, brush off the dust and make new friends it's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Feeling home in a place that shouldn't be real, crazy strange but it's no big deal!
Found myself in a city, unlike anything I'd ever seen
Oh-oh!
And it feels like I'm living the fantasy life of my dreams
Whoa-oh!
Made a new life, met the king, became a flipwart champion!
Stopped a cult, sailed a ship, this new world is quite a trip, beat the temples, charged the stone, I feel like I have really grown!
It's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Find a way to start again, brush off the dust and make new friends it's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Feeling home in a place that shouldn't be real, crazy strange but it's no big deal!
All alone in a tower, by myself, without any friend
Oh-oh!
But I turned it around, found a way out in the end
Whoa-oh!
Stopped the herons, rescued Grime, I feel like I am in my prime!
Trained the toads, got new threads, almost wound up very dead, had a dinner, wrote a song, I think we all might get along!
It's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Find a way to start again, brush off the dust and make new friends it's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Feeling home in a place that shouldn't be real, crazy strange but it's no big deal!
Woke up in a swamp, lost my friends, far away from my home
Oh-oh!
But got found, taken in, made new friends, I'm no longer alone
Whoa-oh!
My mentor saw the best in me, I hope one day she will be free
Learned some magic, fought some toads, traveled down many roads, got cool powers, and a cloak, I think really feel at home!
It's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Find a way to start again, brush off the dust and make new friends it's no big deal, yeah no big deal! Feeling home in a place that shouldn't be real, crazy strange but it's no big deal!"
"Okay, ready for the big guitar solo, Sash," whispered Anne over to Sasha.
Sasha responded with a nod, and a moment later, she began shredding on her guitar, rocking out and filling the group with even more energy! Luz looked over at her, smiling and, for the first time, genuinely glad that Sasha had decided to stay.
Once the guitar solo was over, it was time for the rocking finale! The girls all sang together.
"It's no big deal! Yeah, no big deal! Feeling home in a place that shouldn't be real."
"Killer birds, but it's no big deal," sang Luz
"Riding snails, but it's no big deal," sang Sasha
"Eating flies, but it's no big deal," sang Marcy
"Finally me, and it's no big deal," finished Anne.
With that, the crowd cheered loudly, with Hop Pop and Sprig jumping up from their seats and waving wildly at the girls. All four girls took a bow, making their way offstage. They were all full of energy and hype from their performance. As they made their way offstage, the girls all came together in a big group hug, yelling and cheering.
"That was awesome!" exclaimed Marcy
"You guys were amazing!" yelled Anne. "I'm so glad you changed your mind about joining us, Sasha!"
"That… was actually really fun," said Sasha. "I can't remember the last time we had fun like that."
"Me neither," said Luz. She looked over and realized that she was hugging Sasha. The two looked at each other before Sasha spoke up.
"Hey, uh, Luz, it was really fun jamming with you up there," said Sasha in a slow, almost quiet tone.
"Honestly… it was fun rocking out with you too, Sasha," said Luz, looking at Sasha and smiling at her again. "I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime when we get home."
"Yeah, sure," said Sasha, with some hesitation in her voice. She was going to say something else but was interrupted by the announcement of the last performer.
"All right, everyone! Give it up for your final contestant!" said Mayor Toadstool in a loud voice. "Grime time!"
With that, Grime came out onstage, dragging a large, heavy case beside him and laughing manically. He moved to the side of the case and opened it in one swift motion, revealing a large golden harp. The crowd let out a gasp!
"Eh-hum," began Grime. "This piece is dedicated to the serenity of nature."
With that, Grime began to play his harp. He was surprisingly talented. The melody he played was soft and serene, and it captured the attention of everyone in the audience. Luz couldn't believe how someone like Grime was able to play an instrument so beautifully, and for a second, she was reminded of Gustav and how he played his ocarina. Time seemed to slow as Grime continued to play, so much so that no one noticed that he played for an astounding three hours.
"Well, I've seen enough. Grime wins!" declared Mayor Toadstool.
"Sorry we lost, Sash," said Marcy.
"You know, as much as it pains me to lose, it was worth it to have so much fun with you guys up there," replied Sasha.
"Yeah, it was," agreed Luz.
Mayor Toadstool continued to speak, "Alright, folks, gather around. I got one more announcement. Now, as I understand it, you four girls will be leaving us soon."
"Yep," said Anne. "With the box charged, we'll be heading to Newtopia tomorrow for the King to send us home." She looked out into the crowd of frogs. "Everyone, you've all done so much for me, and I'll miss you more than you could ever know."
"Ah, shucks," said Mrs. Croaker.
"Hey, everyone, before we go, can we take a group photo?" asked Anne, holding up her phone.
"Heck, yeah!" said Mayor Toadstool enthusiastically. "Everybody, line up!"
It took a bit of work and sorting, but eventually, everyone in town got into position for the group photo. Sprig set the timer on Anne's phone before moving to get in position for the photo himself.
"Sprig, come on! Hurry, hurry!" called Anne. Sprig managed to get in the photo just in time.
Before Luz, Anne, and Marcy headed back to the Plantar home, they said goodnight to Sasha. As they did, Sasha asked to have a word with Luz. The two of them went off to be alone.
"So, hey, uh, thanks again for convincing me to stay and do the song with you guys. I'm glad I listened," said Sasha.
"I… guess I'm glad you did too, Sasha," said Luz. "You know… I think… when we get back, I would like to try to rebuild our friendship."
"Wait, really?" said Sasha in disbelief.
"Yeah… really," said Luz. "I mean, it's going to take time, and it might not happen overnight, but I think that if both of us are sincere and try our best, then maybe it can work."
"Yeah… uh, maybe it can," said Sasha, with some hesitation in her voice. She knew in the back of her mind what was going to happen tomorrow, and that feeling began to gnaw at her and make her feel bad.
"Are you okay?" asked Luz.
"I, uh, just nervous about tomorrow, that's all," said Sasha. "I guess it's time for bed. I'll see you in the morning." With that, she waved goodbye to Luz and made her way back to her own home, all the while consumed by her thoughts.
I have to save Luz, she thought
What do you mean? asked the voice.
I can't let her face Beatrix, thought Sasha. I have to change the plan somehow.
You heard what Grime said regarding the plan. It's too late to change it, said the voice.
Just… let me think a bit, thought Sasha. Okay, so Grime said that Beatrix likes a good fight, so if she knew Luz didn't have her powers, she wouldn't want to fight her, right?
So what are you going to do? asked the voice.
Sasha took out a pen and paper and began to write a letter. I'll just send a note to Beatrix telling her we're changing the plan. Since Luz doesn't have her powers anymore, it would be a waste of resources to fight her. Instead, all she has to do is keep Luz locked up at the Arena, and then she and her battalion should join the main force trying to take over Newtopia. We'll need her help in the streets if we're going to overthrow the King, so this will be a redeployment of sorts.
You are still going to send Luz to another world, aren't you? asked the voice.
I… I mean, do I need to? thought Sasha. Maybe after all this is over, we can still be friends.
If you don't get rid of her, she will steal Anne away from you. Is that really what you want? asked the voice.
I… I… don't know, but why does it matter so much that I send her to another world? thought Sasha.
I need you to send her to my world, said the voice.
Sasha instantly froze upon hearing that. What do you mean by "send her to your world?"
The voice didn't respond, causing Sasha even more panic.
"Hey!" she finally said aloud. "What did you mean 'send her to your world?'"
Again, no response.