Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: True Colors: Part 2 (End of Arc 4)

Anne, Marcy, and the Plantars looked over at Luz as she slept in her bed. She hadn't regained consciousness since being brought to the hospital. Her left arm was wrapped in a cast, though the rest of her injuries had been cured. Anne moved her ear close to Luz's mouth and was relieved to hear breathing, even if it was slow and shallow. Anne reached down to grab Luz's hand and gently held it in her own hand, hoping that by some miracle, she could will Luz to wake up just by holding her hand. As this was happening, Lady Olivia came into the room with Lilly, Gustav, and Amara.

"Any change?" asked Olivia. Anne replied by shaking her head.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," said Olivia, "but the doctors assure me that they're giving her the best care they can. You all have nothing to worry about."

This didn't do anything to change the worried looks on anyone's face in the room, as they all looked from Olivia back to Luz. Olivia noticed this and tried to lighten the mood.

"Why, I believe Master Marcy stayed here in this very bed after that nasty fall down the stairs, didn't you, Marcy?" asked Olivia.

"What? Oh, yeah, I did!" said Marcy. "I thought this room looked familiar. Yeah, unfortunately, the very first thing I did after arriving in Newtopia was to break my leg, but I was okay!"

"Yeah, but this is much worse than a broken leg," said Gustav, looking at Luz.

Amara turned to Olivia. "Did your doctors give her that healing potion I gave you?"

"Yes, they did," answered Olivia. "It seemed to have gotten rid of most of the bruising and scarring, but it didn't do anything about her arm or her being unconscious."

"I thought it might be able to do more," said Amara, frowning. "I wish I knew something that could help her."

"If only Uodeela was here," said Lilly, hanging her head, "she could probably whip up a potion to help her."

"Hey, your potion still helped, Amara," said Marcy, coming over to the newt. "It got rid of all the bruises and that nasty cut over her eye. Don't sell yourself short."

"Thanks," replied Amara. "I just wish I could do more."

"Well, I do have some good news," said Olivia. "We've managed to round up the toads who were in the city. We've got them all locked in the dungeon, including Sasha and Grime. Though unfortunately, Beatrix managed to get away. A lot of her squad managed to slip through the cracks, too."

"Turns out she had a rhinoceros beetle waiting near the back of the Arena," said Lilly. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she had an escape plan in case things went bad."

"That only proves how much of a coward she really is," said Gustav bitterly. "She was all ready to fight Luz when she knew she could beat her, but as soon as she has to face an actual fight, she turns tail and flees."

"I still can't believe what Sasha did," said Marcy. "Telling Beatrix about Luz not having her powers and then making her fight for her life. How could she do something like that?"

"Because that's the kind of person Sasha is," said Anne, her voice heavy with bitterness. She turned to Olivia. "Whatever you decide to do to Sasha, I hope you make it hurt."

The others all looked at Anne, their faces etched with worry at seeing her wish for cruelty toward Sasha.

"Oh, are you not going to take her back with you?" asked Olivia.

"No," said Anne flatly. "Sasha wanted to stay here and be 'queen of Amphibia', so let her stay and face the consequences of her actions."

"What about her parents?" asked Marcy. "We're going to have to tell them something."

Anne thought for a bit before replying, "We'll tell them she died." The entire room let out a gasp at this. "That way, her parents won't be worried, and we don't have to explain why she didn't come back with us."

"Gee, uh, Anne, that seems kinda harsh," said Hop Pop, coming up to her.

"Yeah, Anne. Are you sure that's what you want to say to them?" said Sprig, joining Hop Pop.

"It's better than telling them she committed treason against a king and tried to kill Luz," said Anne. "What else could we say? Oh, hey, Olivia, is the punishment for treason here death? Cause if you execute Sasha, then we wouldn't have to lie."

The group all looked horrified at Anne's suggestion, though Olivia did speak up again.

"Well, uh, yes, it is, but Sasha isn't really a citizen of Amphibia, so I'm not sure if it would apply to her," began Olivia nervously. "You know, before we talk about executions, maybe you should actually talk to her first. She's down in the dungeon if you want to go speak with her," said Olivia. "Perhaps after you've talked a bit, you can—"

"No!" interrupted Anne loudly. "I don't ever want to see or speak to Sasha again! I HATE HER!"

Again, the rest of the group looked at each other in shock, trying to process what Anne had just said.

"IF WE HADN'T GOTTEN THERE WHEN WE DID, LUZ WOULD HAVE DIED!" yelled Anne, tears forming in her eyes. "Sasha tried to have her killed out of jealousy, and it wasn't enough that Sasha wanted to kill her, but she also made Luz fight a battle she had no hope of winning, knowing that Luz didn't have her powers. If Luz had died, I don't know what…"

Whatever else Anne was going to say was lost as her rage transformed into tears. She began crying loudly, letting go of Luz's hand and falling to her knees. Everyone in the room came over to her and began to comfort her. Anne kept crying loudly, letting all her emotions out and wrapping her arms around everyone as she looked for some measure of comfort. No one said anything as her tears continued to flow. They all just put their arms around her and let her cry until she was finished. For a second, Amara looked as though she wanted to say something but decided not to.

As Anne finished crying, she slowly got up from the floor, feeling numb. Sprig continued to hug her, and she hugged him back. The two stayed like that for some time before Sprig spoke.

"Luz isn't dead," he said to Anne. "She's strong. She may be hurt right now, but I know she'll pull through."

Anne looked at Sprig and smiled. He continued, "Anne, you know I don't like Sasha, but even I think it's a little cruel what you want to do to her. I know you're upset, and I know you're angry at her right now, but think it over a bit, please. Sasha hurt Luz out of jealousy. Don't hurt Sasha out of anger."

Anne smiled again, pulling Sprig into another hug. "You really are the best, dude. Thank you so much." She wiped her face and looked at the others in the room with her.

"I'm sorry. I'm really not myself right now. I'm so worried about Luz. I… I'm not thinking straight," said Anne.

"It's alright, Anne," said Hop Pop. "We all get that way sometimes."

"Why don't we go take a walk?" suggested Amara. "Help us all clear our heads and such. I think we need some fresh air."

"Yeah, that's great," agreed Marcy. "Plus, I have to talk to the King about something. Oh, hey, uh, Anne, just making sure, but you still have the music box?"

"Yeah, got it right here," said Anne, pulling the box out of her bag. "After we retook the palace, I went straight to the throne room to grab it and make sure the toads didn't get their hands on it."

"Good idea," agreed Lady Olivia. "I spoke with the King, and he doesn't mind waiting. You can hold on to it until your friend recovers, then we can finally use it properly."

Everyone agreed, and they all began to file out of the room, though Sprig and Anne stayed behind a bit.

"Thanks again, dude," said Anne to Sprig.

"You're welcome, Anne," replied Sprig. "I'm just trying to be a good friend."

"No, not a good friend; my best friend," said Anne, looking him in the eyes. "I mean it, for real!"

"You're my best friend too, Anne," said Sprig. "Ready to go for a walk?"

"In a sec," replied Anne. "Go ahead. I'll be right there. I just want a moment with Luz."

"Okay, see you outside," said Sprig as he left the room, leaving Anne and Luz alone. Anne came up to where Luz was and again took her hand in her own, gently stroking it.

"Hey, Luz," began Anne, "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I just want to say I hope you're okay in there." She paused before continuing, "I can't believe what you had to go through, fighting Beatrix all by yourself. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." Again, she paused, looking at Luz's mouth and seeing her slow but steady breathing. "When I found you in the Arena, I was worried. As I carried you out, the only thing on my mind was how I hoped you weren't dead. Because if you died, then I never would have…" Anne paused again, this time longer, as she tried to think of what exactly she wanted to say.

"Hey, Luz, I've thought about us a lot, about whether or not we should try dating… You have to wake up because… I'm ready to give you my answer…"

As she finished speaking, Anne leaned down and gave the sleeping Luz a gentle kiss on the cheek. Luz didn't awaken from this and continued her slow, steady breathing. Still, Anne smiled as she pulled away and let go of Luz's hand before going out the door and joining the others.

"Are you sure about this, Marcy?" asked King Andrias, looking down at her.

"Yes, I'm sure. After seeing what happened to Luz… I, uh… I think it's best if you just send us home," said Marcy.

"I thought you wanted to have adventures in all these other worlds?" asked the King. "You know, if you go home, your parents are going to take you away from your friends, right?"

"I know," said Marcy sadly, "but what happened to Luz is my fault… I need to try to fix this somehow."

"Have you told them your secret?" asked King Andrias.

"NO!" said Marcy loudly. "If they knew… especially after what happened, they'd hate me. If we just go home now, then everything will be fine. I'll have fixed this little mistake I made. We can put this all behind us, and they'll never have to know that it was me who…"

"Alright, well, if you're sure about that," said Andrias. "Anne has the box, yes?"

"Yeah, she grabbed it when we retook the palace," said Marcy.

"Ah, smart move, making sure the toads couldn't get it," said Andrias.

"Are you still dealing with the fallout of the rebellion?" asked Marcy.

"Ah, it's all boring details. Nothing you need to concern yourself with," replied the King. "General Yunan assures me that the city is ours. We managed to capture many toads that were here. A few did manage to get away, including Beatrix, and the army that was outside fled. But don't worry. I'll be assembling our forces to go after them. I actually want to talk to you about your other friend, Luz."

"Oh, what about her?" asked Marcy.

"Well, I've been hearing the strangest thing," began Andrias. "We've interrogated some toads who were at the Arena, and they all seemed to be under the impression that Luz had some sort of otherworldly powers. In fact, if these toads are telling the truth, the whole reason Beatrix even wanted to fight Luz was because they perceived her as a threat of some kind."

"Oh, that," said Marcy. "Yeah, I'm not exactly sure I understand it myself, but apparently, while she was here, Luz developed some kind of strange powers. Whenever she used them, her eyes would glow purple. She could do amazing things!"

"I see…" said Andrias nervously. "Can she still do that?"

"No, and I don't know why," replied Marcy. "It was the strangest thing. One day, she could use those powers with no problem, and then the next, she couldn't use them anymore. We don't know why, though Luz seemed to think her powers were connected to the box."

"But you're sure she can't do that anymore, right?" asked Andrias. "Because the toads at the Arena all said that Luz was able to use some strange power against Beatrix."

"Huh, I don't think they would lie about that," said Marcy. "Maybe Luz's powers came back somehow, but I think if she did have them, she wouldn't have lost to Beatrix. She looked like she'd taken a real beating at her hands. I would have thought if she did have them, she would have been able to beat her, no problem."

"I suppose we'll have to ask her when she wakes up then," said Andrias. "When she does wake up, make sure I get the chance to speak with her. I would very much like to meet this friend of yours. In the meantime, why don't you go and hang with your friends? I'm sure after everything that's happened, you all could use a break. But let me know as soon as Luz wakes up, okay?"

"Of course, your majesty," said Marcy. With that, she turned to leave. "And thank you for understanding that I want to change the plan. I appreciate it."

As soon as Marcy left, the king stood still, and he began speaking to himself.

"Yes, I know. I have to make sure the girl doesn't still have her connection to the gem," he said, seemingly to no one. "I won't fail you. Once I know for certain, we'll proceed with the plan."

Marcy rejoined Anne, the Plantars, and the apprentices back at the Hemisphere Hotel. They had all gathered there after their walk and decided to get something to eat. Amara said she would arrange for rooms for them to stay for however long it took for Luz to recover, and then she treated the group to lunch. After lunch, Amara treated them to an ant-cream Sundae.

"Wow, this thing is huge!" exclaimed Polly

"I know. I had a whole one by myself last time," said Sprig.

"You what?!" gasped Hop Pop, "Sprig Plantar, did you steal that card with unlimited funds on it last time we were here?"

"No…" lied Sprig, as he looked away from Hop Pop. Hop Pop glared at him, though the others laughed.

"I shouldn't be surprised," said Polly. "You seemed really tired after our nap. No wonder you didn't want to do anything."

"Hey, I wanted to explore all the amenities the hotel had to offer," countered Sprig. "Besides, I didn't take the card out of the hotel. I kept my word and stayed inside. There's lots to do here, you know."

"Yes, I know," said Amara. "Did you get a chance to try the indoor Ferris wheel?"

"I did, actually," said Sprig. "It really did change my life!"

"Huh, I'd like a chance to try it," said Gustav.

"Yeah, me too," said Lilly. "Though honestly, after all the training I did and that battle, I kind of feel I could use a vacation."

"Well, I might have a project that the three of us can work on," exclaimed Amara. "I may have found a lead on a cure for Uodeela!"

"Wait, really?!" exclaimed Gustav and Lilly at the same time. "Where did you find this?"

Amara began to explain her journey into the dream world and how she had met someone from a different world there. She talked at length about that different world and then finally revealed what Raine had told her about curses in that world.

"There's a formula for an elixir in that world. They say a friend of theirs suffers from a curse that causes her to transform into a giant bird. And while there isn't a way for her to get rid of it permanently, she has found a way to contain it, and this elixir helps her fight the curse."

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Lilly.

Amara took out some papers, handing one to Lilly and another to Gustav.

"She told me the ingredients and the directions for how to make it," said Amara. "I'm not sure if everything it needs exists in this world, but it's the best lead we have so far."

"Wow, this looks complicated," said Gustav, looking over all the ingredients, "but we're going to have to try."

"I know we can do this!" declared Amara. "The hard part is going to be getting her to take it, but we can worry about that once we've actually brewed the elixir."

"That's good to hear," said Anne, chiming in. "I'm glad you guys might be able to help your master."

"That dream world, though," said Sprig, intrigued. "That sounds really neat. Do you think there's a way for Anne to talk to her parents?"

"Maybe… I don't know," answered Amara. "I've only just started learning about it myself."

"Aw, don't worry about that," answered Anne. "I'm about to go home soon, so it won't matter, though I do agree it sounds cool! I wonder what other kinds of worlds are out there. The King mentioned the box could open up portals to other worlds, so maybe you could visit this person you connected with?"

The group kept talking about different things and generally having a good time. Marcy showed the three apprentices the light and wind glyphs, while Gustav showed her the water glyph. The four spent time practicing and talking about the new glyphs. Anne asked the apprentices about some of their adventures with Luz, and all three regaled her with stories. Sprig asked Lilly if he could hold her sword, and she obliged. He swung the sword, only to be surprised as it disappeared from his hand and reappeared in hers. She gave a small laugh, already knowing what would happen if anyone other than her tried using the sword. Anne tried using the sword too, only for it to also disappear and reappear in Lilly's hand.

Later in the day, the group gathered in the lobby, and Gustav and Amara decided to play for the group, though Sprig asked if he could join in with his fiddle. The two agreed, and soon the three began to jam together, making up songs and enjoying the music they produced. After playing music, Sprig sat down with Gustav and Lilly, asking them about where they grew up and what their lives were like. The two shared stories with him and told him about their own experiences, while Sprig told them about Wartwood and growing up on a farm. Meanwhile, Amara, Anne, and Marcy caught up, having their own conversation about magic, the dream world, and anything else the three felt like talking about.

Eventually, it drew close to bedtime, and the group went back to the hospital to check on Luz one more time. She still hadn't woken up, but the group remained hopeful that it wouldn't be long before she did. They all made their way back to the hotel, going to their own rooms, though Anne asked to speak to the apprentices for a moment.

"Hey, thanks for hanging out with us today. I really feel I needed that!" said Anne.

"Of course," replied Lilly. "We're worried about Luz too, but I'm glad we were able to take our minds off of it, even if only for a little while."

"Luz will wake up. She's strong; I know she will," said Gustav.

"Thanks, dude," said Anne, "and thanks for telling me those stories about your adventures with Luz. You all seemed to have had your own special bond with her."

"It was great getting to meet your frog family. They seem nice," said Amara.

"That Sprig is pretty cool," said Gustav. "I'm glad we got a chance to jam together. He's got some talent with that fiddle."

"Maybe the three of us should form our own group?" suggested Amara.

"Oh, and go touring around Amphibia. Yeah, that would be great!" agreed Gustav.

"Well, it is getting late, so we should probably all head to bed," said Lilly.

"Yeah, but first, I just wanted to say… thank you," said Anne, seriously.

The apprentices looked at her, not sure what she was thanking them for.

"Thank you for being a friend to Luz," said Anne. "You all were there for her when I wasn't, and honestly… at the time, I was being a bad friend, so thank you for being there and being friends with her when I couldn't be."

The apprentices looked at each other before looking back at Anne. "You're welcome," they all said, before coming forward and hugging Anne. She accepted the group hug and returned it to them.

"We're glad she found you," said Amara. With that, Amara and Gustav turned to leave, but Lilly stayed behind, wanting to say one more thing to Anne.

"Hey, Anne," began Lilly, "I really am glad Luz found you and that the two of you made up. I don't know if you know, but she really did regret what she did at that dance. Luz told me how sorry she was for violating your boundaries and how worried she was that you wouldn't forgive her, so it's good to know you two are friends again."

"Yeah, we are," said Anne, wistfully looking away and staring off into the distance. "It was great to meet you, Lilly. Thanks again for looking after Luz! Good night!"

The apprentices made their way to their rooms, though before they did, Marcy asked to speak to Amara alone.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Amara.

"Hey, I just want to let you know I, uh, decided to cancel the trip to the other worlds," said Marcy nervously.

"Is this because of what happened to Luz?" asked Amara. Marcy nodded her head.

"I understand," said Amara. "It makes sense that after what happened, you three should just go home. Still, why didn't you tell Luz or Anne about the plan?"

"I, uh… wanted it to be a surprise!" said Marcy. "I wanted to surprise Luz and Anne, and I was gonna have the king use the box, so instead of us going home, we'd wind up in a new world. Then I was going to tell them!"

Amara looked hard at Marcy before replying, "I'm not sure that would have been a good idea, Marcy. Your friends were expecting to go home, so it would have been rude if you suddenly transported them to another world without even asking. I thought when we talked about this, you were going to ask Anne and Luz if they were okay with going to other worlds, and then when you had their answer, you were going to tell me."

"Yeah… I… uh… well, the thing is, I tried to find the right time to ask them, but it never seemed to come up," said Marcy.

"Oh… uh, well, I mean, I figured you'd ask them as soon as you got the box recharged, but whatever. I guess it's all a moot point anyway," said Amara. "Just so you know, though, I told Luz about your plan."

Marcy's face turned bright red as she heard this.

"Luz wants to go home, but she didn't seem entirely opposed to the idea of exploring other worlds in the future," said Amara. "She just wants a chance to see her mom and rest for a bit after this adventure."

"Oh, well, that's good," said Marcy.

"I think if you asked Luz if she'd want to go on another adventure in the future, she might be agreeable to that. Maybe this time we can pack supplies and be properly prepared for whatever we may find in another world," suggested Amara.

"Are you still interested in going to that world you told me about?" asked Marcy.

"The Demon Realm? Yeah, I am!" said Amara. "Maybe if you guys are out, I can at least ask the king if he would send me there. I want to see what magic is like there, see if there's anything more I can learn, and maybe meet that person from my dreams."

"Well, I hope you get the chance then, Amara," said Marcy. With that, the two parted ways for the night.

Anne let out a yawn as she got up from her bed. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep, and her mind was still filled with worry. She stretched out her hands, trying to wake up, and as she did, she heard a furious knock on her door. Anne went over to answer it and saw Marcy there.

"Luz is waking up!" said Marcy

Anne woke up the rest of her frog family, and they all quickly got dressed before making their way back to the hospital, rushing to Luz's room. Lady Olivia and the apprentices were there waiting for them.

"I just got word that she's waking up," said Olivia, "but she's still a bit woozy. The doctors said we shouldn't crowd her. I think it's best if you all take turns seeing her."

The group looked at each other before Anne finally spoke. "Hey, she hasn't seen you guys in a long time, so you should go first," said Anne to the apprentices.

"Are you sure?" asked Lilly. "We know how much you want to see her."

"It's fine," said Anne. "I've seen Luz a lot recently, but you guys haven't, so you should go see her first. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you again."

Lilly nodded, and then she, Gustav, and Amara all went through the door into Luz's room.

Luz was still a bit groggy as she looked up to see who was coming in, but her eyes lit up when she realized who it was!

"Gustav, Amara, Lilly!" said Luz excitedly. "Is it really you?!"

"Yes, it's us," said Lilly as she came forward. "How are you feeling, Luz?"

"My head still hurts a lot," replied Luz, bringing her hand up to her head, "but I'm okay for the most part." She turned to look at her left arm, wrapped in a cast.

"Oh, I guess they took care of my arm," she said as she moved her arm a bit, though she couldn't move her individual fingers as they were set in the cast and her arm movements were very stiff.

"Yeah, your arm was pretty messed up, but the doctors say it should be alright after a few weeks," said Amara. "As for the cuts and bruises you had, I gave you the strongest healing potion I had. It seems to have fixed all of those."

Luz turned to look in a nearby mirror and saw that her cuts and bruises were indeed healed.

"Well, that's good to hear," replied Luz. She got out of bed and came over to her friends, giving them all a hug, at least with her one good arm.

"Wow, you look different!" said Luz, noticing Lilly's new armor and clothes. "Love that new armor and cloak. Oh, and you've got a sword, too." She looked down carefully at the sword, realization dawning on her.

"Wait, is that the Masamune?!" said Luz in amazement!

"Yes, it is," answered Lilly. "Anne told me about how you managed to find the temple it was in. I never would have thought that of all the frogs in Amphibia, I would be the one to wield it. Oh, and check out what else I can do!"

Lilly closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were glowing a deep blue. She concentrated and summoned up an orb of water in her hand, holding it in front of Luz. Luz was amazed at this sight.

"What?! No way!" she exclaimed. "You can do magic like Uodeela could! I knew the gem in that hilt was magical. That's so cool!"

"Well, I'm not the only one who learned something new," said Lilly. "Check out what Gustav can do!"

Gustav brought out a piece of paper and handed it to Luz, and as soon as she saw it, she guessed what it was and pressed her hand up against it. A stream of water shot out of the paper into the ceiling and landed back down on the apprentices, getting them all wet, but they all took it in stride and laughed.

"I thought so," said Luz. "No way you discovered a new glyph. That's amazing! Also, you, uh, sound a bit different, Gustav. Has your voice changed?"

"Yeah, I went through a bit of a growth spurt during the time we were apart, though the other toads still called me a runt," answered Gustav. "But getting back to the glyphs, Marcy told me how you and she found those other glyphs for light and wind. I guess now you can add water to the list, too."

"That's great! We have so much catching up to do. Why don't you guys go first? Tell me what you've been up to since I saw you last!"

The three apprentices took turns saying what they had been up to and telling Luz about their various adventures since having parted from her. Luz also told them of her reunion with Anne and Marcy and their adventure through the temples. The four friends spent a long time talking and catching up before the door to her room opened and Marcy and Anne peaked in.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt. We just wanted to see how you were doing," said Marcy sheepishly.

"Hey, guys!" called Luz, waving them in. "Come in, come in!" She came up to Marcy and gave her a big hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you again!" said Luz, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah, me too…." said Marcy slowly. As they pulled apart, Luz noticed tears in Marcy's eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" asked Luz.

Marcy didn't reply right away, instead looking deeply into Luz's eyes before saying, "Luz, I'm so sorry! You almost died, and it's my fault!"

"What? Why on Earth would you think it's your fault?" asked Luz, pulling Marcy into another hug and trying to calm her down.

"Because I—" Marcy tried to speak before Luz cut her off.

"Oh, is this about the other adventures you apparently wanted to go on?" asked Luz. Marcy looked into her face but didn't reply.

"Amara told me," began Luz. "She told me how you wanted to use the box to go to other worlds and keep going on adventures."

Marcy tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come.

"Wait, really, Marbles?" asked Anne. "You don't want to go home?"

Marcy finally broke her silence, "It was a stupid idea… I just thought, after all the fun we had here, that maybe you two would want to explore other worlds, but this time we could be together. We wouldn't get separated this time." Luz and Anne looked at each other and then back at her.

Marcy continued in a fast, desperate voice, "But no, it's dumb, especially after what happened to you. I'm sorry that I never got around to asking you guys about it. I never could find the right time, and now, seeing what happened to your arm—"

"Hey, hey, relax, Marcy," said Anne, coming up to her and hugging her. "I get it; you really had fun out here. You leveled up! You became the amazing Marcy you were always meant to be!" Marcy blushed at being complimented.

"Even considering what just happened, I am glad we went on this adventure, Mar-Mar," said Luz. "But you know how the story goes, right? The journey comes to an end. The hero goes home. They take what they learned on their quest, try to start a new life, and be a better person!"

"Yeah, I know," said Marcy dejectedly.

"But hey," said Luz, coming up and putting her good arm around Marcy, "now that we have the box working again, I see no reason why we can't come back and visit. I'm sure Anne would love to see the Plantars again, maybe next summer. I'd like to come back and see you guys." She looked toward the apprentices.

"Definitely, dude!" said Anne, coming over and putting her arm around Marcy. "I'd love to come back some other time. But Luz is right. It's time to go home now!"

"Yeah… Listen, guys, I…." began Marcy. For one second, she thought about telling them her secret, but she hesitated. They would be home soon, and it wouldn't do any good to reveal it now. "Uh, nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Well, okay, but hey, listen to me, Marcy," said Luz, coming up to her and taking her hands into her own, looking her in the eyes. "What happened at the Arena is not your fault, okay?"

Marcy returned Luz's gaze and nodded her head. Luz continued to speak.

"I just need to know. Did my plan work? Were you guys able to defeat the toads?"

Marcy spoke up, "We were. We stopped the rebellion and took back the city!"

"Oh, that's good to hear!" said Luz. "I knew if I distracted Beatrix, you guys would be able to come up with a plan."

Marcy and Anne looked at each other as they processed what Luz had just said, then they looked back at her suspiciously. Luz realized this and quickly explained.

"Oh, well… Uh, Beatrix was going to take her troops out into the streets, and I knew if she did that, then there was no way you'd be able to stop her, so I had to do something!" said Luz.

"Wait, a minute…" began Anne, her voice now having a hint of anger in it. "What exactly did you do?"

Luz began to blush as she realized that Anne was probably not going to like this next part. "Oh, I… uh, well…. again, I was trying to help you. I, uh… might have let Beatrix think I still had my powers."

Anne and Marcy both gave her a stern look. She began to speak quickly.

"I had to do something! I knew if I bought you time, you'd both find a way to stop the toads, and I did the first thing I could think of. And hey, seeing as we're all here and not dead or in prison, I guess my idea worked, right?"

Anne didn't say anything, but she marched toward Luz with a cold expression before looking her straight in the face.

"LUZ, YOU IDIOT!" yelled Anne. "Beatrix broke your arm! You almost died!"

Luz turned her face away in shame before Anne immediately threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Anne began to cry loudly as she hugged her.

"I WAS SO SCARED!" Anne cried. "So scared that you were dead! You had me so worried! DON'T EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

Luz didn't respond, as she simply hugged Anne back, trying to think of something to say but unable to find the words. Sprig looked around the room and made a motion for everyone to leave. He began silently ushering the others out of the room, wanting to give Luz and Anne some alone time. He made his way to the door, and as he left, he gave Luz a wink.

"Anne, I'm sorry," said Luz once they were alone. "I was just trying to help."

"I know," said Anne somberly as she pulled back, looking Luz directly in the face. "You're always trying to help. That's… that's what I love about you. It's so sweet when you do that, but if you had died… I don't know what I would have done."

Luz had involuntarily blushed when Anne told her that 'she loved that about her'. Now she realized that she and Anne were alone, and Anne was very close to her. Anne looked straight into Luz's eyes, and she could feel Anne's gaze on her and began to blush even more, her heart beginning to beat faster!

"You know, these past few days, I've been thinking about us," began Anne, causing Luz's eyes to widen in surprise.

"I was so worried that I almost lost you," continued Anne. "I've decided I want to give you my answer… about whether we should try dating…" Luz's eyes widened even more, causing Anne to smile and decide to try something different.

"But instead of telling you my answer… how about if I show you?" As she said this, Anne brought up her hand to caress Luz's face, then slowly moved her face closer to Luz's. As she did, she closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Luz felt a combination of both terror and joy as she realized what was about to happen and closed her own eyes…

Right at that moment, the door to the room burst open and Lady Olivia came in. "Ah, good, you're awake. The king had wanted to speak with you." She noticed that Anne and Luz had both jumped back in surprise and had very strange looks on their faces.

"Oh, is everything okay?" asked Olivia.

"WE WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING!" said Luz and Anne loudly at the same time, quickly looking away from each other, both their faces bright red.

"Oh… Well, good then. In any case, King Andrias wishes to speak to you, Luz, and I suppose you as well, Anne," said Olivia.

"Right, we'll, uh, be on our way then," said Anne.

Luz turned to Anne. "I guess we better get going, then."

"Yeah, uh, guess so," said Anne, following Luz out the door. While they both initially felt embarrassed as they made their way out of the hospital and towards the palace, they thought more about what had almost happened, and they both began to smile.

As they arrived at the outside of the palace, they saw the Plantars and the apprentices there waiting for them. Gustav came up to Luz.

"I heard the king wanted to see you guys. Guess this means you're finally going home, then?" asked Gustav.

"Yeah, I am finally going to be returning to my world, so I guess this is goodbye," said Luz.

"Well, as it so happened, I'm leaving too," said Gustav. "Lilly wants me to go check on the frog army and see how her dad is doing. Plus, my dad is with them, so I can see him too."

"Oh, sorry to hear you're leaving so soon, but I'm glad I got to see you one more time," said Luz.

"Yeah, me too," said Gustav. "And hey, with the Toad rebellion defeated, it looks like for the first time, things might be looking up for the frogs. Lilly is going to plead directly to the king for a change to the system, and Amara is going to argue for it as well. You won't have to say goodbye to them just yet." Amara and Lilly came over to join them.

"Yeah, we're going in with you to see the king," said Lilly. "I really hope this can be the start of a new chapter in Amphibia. I hope things are finally going to change."

"Guess this is goodbye for us too, then," said Amara. She and Lilly came over to Gustav, and the three friends hugged. Then Gustav and Luz shared a goodbye hug. Afterward, Gustav waved to his friends and made his way out of the city. As the group turned to go inside, they were surprised as two newts walked out of the palace—a pink and green newt that Amara instantly recognized.

"Mom! Dad! What are you two doing here?!" she asked in surprise.

"The king wanted to talk with us about some upcoming plans he has," answered her mother.

"What kind of plans?" asked Amara.

"That is on a need-to-know basis!" answered her father sternly.

"Yes, quite right, dear." Odalys stopped talking as she glanced up and took in the sight of the humans. "Are these the creatures I've been hearing so much about, then?"

Alister came up to Anne and moved all around her, poking her in different places. "Hmm, so gangly and thin. No claws or any other visible defense mechanisms of any kind." He came up to Anne's face and opened her mouth, looking into it, causing her to exclaim, "Hey!"

"Hmm, no sharp teeth or elongated tongue," he observed. Anne quickly backed away from him.

Meanwhile, Odalys came up to Luz, observing her with a monocle. "While this creature certainly is strange, I don't see why the king made such a big deal about finding one. I can't seem to see anything that suggests this creature operates at any sort of high-level intellect."

"Hey, these creatures just stopped the toads from taking over the city, Mom!" said Amara, defending her friends. "Or were you too busy hiding in the mansion to notice that anything happened?"

"Of course we were hiding in the mansion," said Odalys. "I knew building that panic room was a smart idea, though the toads still looted the house. We lost all the fine china, my prized jewel collections, the art gallery, and the bottles of vintage Newtopian Brandy!"

"Oh, no, how horrible," said Amara in the most sarcastic tone she could manage.

"Also, Jamack fled during the battle," added Alister.

"Eh, no matter. We can always find a new butler," said Odalys.

"At least we no longer have to pay for his retirement," said Alister, causing Odalys to laugh.

Amara rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes, one more thing, young lady," said Odalys. "We need to talk about the rather large bill we received from the Hemisphere Hotel. Care to explain what you spent my money on?"

Amara instantly became nervous. "Oh, uh, well, I thought you didn't care as long as I paid you back."

"Well, seeing as the amount was much larger than usual, I would like an explanation of what you spent it on, young lady!" said Odalys, coming up to her daughter and looking her right in the face.

Amara hesitated, casting a glance at the Plantars before deciding to come clean. "I got rooms for this family. They needed a place to stay while Luz recovered. I also got some rooms for my friends and bought them meals."

Odalys looked over at both the Plantars and Lilly, giving them a look of disgust. "When your business with the king is finished, we expect you back at home at once to discuss how you will be reimbursing us for these expenses. And don't forget, Amara. I charge interest."

"Yes, mother," said Amara, hanging her head. With that, Odalys and Alister took their leave, though as they left, Alister said something to his wife.

"You know, now that Jamack is gone, we could have Amara work around the house as our butler until she's paid off her debt."

"Quite a marvelous idea, dear!" Odalys called back to Amara. "I hope spending all that money on those frogs was worth it, Amara."

Amara growled in frustration. Sprig came up to her and put his hand on her.

"Amara, did you pay for us to stay at the hotel?" asked Sprig, looking up at her.

"Hey, don't worry about it," she said, trying to brush it off. "My parents will make me work for it, but it's fine."

"You didn't have to do that," said Hop Pop, coming up to the newt. "We could have found somewhere else to stay."

"We were all worried about Luz, and plus, we were tired. I figured it was best if we all stayed together," said Amara. She noticed the whole Plantar family was looking at her with a concerned look on their faces. "Hey, I don't regret it. I'm just glad I was able to help."

"Thank you, Amara," said Polly, coming up to her and giving her a hug, which actually caught Amara off guard.

"Yeah, thanks!" said Sprig, jumping up to Amara's chest and joining in on the hug.

"We don't have much, but we might be able to give you something to help," said Hop Pop.

"No, no, don't even worry about it. I was the one who spent the family money, so I'll own the consequences," said Amara. This also caused Hop Pop to join in on the group hug. It took Amara a moment, but she finally hugged them back. Despite knowing she would have to work to pay off the debt, Amara felt… strangely happy.

Luz, Anne, Lilly, and Marcy watched the scene unfold, and all smiled at seeing such a tender moment.

"Okay, that was nice," said Amara, smiling, "but we should all get going now. We have a meeting with the King."

"Right!" the others responded. They all made their way into the palace, though Anne and Luz hung back. The two tried to think of what to say to each other, but couldn't find the words. Anne and Luz looked at each other, only to both turn away, blushing but also smiling. As they turned away, Luz looked down and noticed Anne's hand was close to hers. Deciding to be bold and take the initiative, Luz reached over and gently grabbed her hand. Anne felt her take her hand and felt an incredible feeling, one she couldn't quite describe, but it made her feel happy, content, and safe all at the same time. Anne finally looked over at Luz and saw her smiling. She returned the smile and gave Luz's hand a gentle squeeze. The two gazed into each other's eyes before finally deciding to walk forward, hand in hand.

The doors to the throne room opened, and Luz took in the sight of the wondrous room. Her eyes immediately fell on the large, imposing figure in the center of the room. This had to be King Andrias.

"Ah, Luz, the last of Marcy's friends and the one who supposedly has a strange otherworldly power," said the King, getting up from his throne and going over to greet her.

"Hello, your majesty," said Luz, bowing her head in respect. "It's great to finally meet you!"

"Good to meet you too, Luz," said Andrias. "So listen, I've been hearing the most interesting story about you. Many toads we captured from the Arena are convinced that you are able to wield some sort of otherworldly power. I'd like to hear more about that."

"Oh, right, that," said Luz sadly. "Well, the truth is that at one time, I could, but I can't do it anymore."

"I don't understand. Were all the toads at the Arena lying?" asked the King.

"No, uh, I was the one who was lying, actually," said Luz. "The thing is, yeah, I was able to use this strange power. When I used it, my eyes would turn purple, and so would my hair. I could cast magic naturally, but then one day I just couldn't use that power anymore. What the toads saw at the Arena was something else."

Luz got out some paper and a pen and began drawing the wind glyph on the paper. When she was done, she activated it, causing a gust of wind to blow out from the symbol.

"Whoa, I've never seen anything like that before!" exclaimed the King. "What is that?"

"We've taken to calling it glyph magic," said Marcy, stepping forward. With that, she took out another piece of paper, this one with the symbol for light on it, and tapped it, causing a light orb to appear in her hands.

"Fascinating!" said the King as he looked at the orb in awe. "I never knew anything like this even existed, although… I once knew someone who theorized that there were untapped ways to use magic in Amphibia, and we simply hadn't found the way yet. Magic is still not fully understood here."

"Well, I hope that this new discovery will help advance magic here," said Marcy.

"Yes, me too," said the King. "But so just to make sure I fully understand, then this is what you were using against Beatrix when you fought her in the Arena? Not that other thing you were talking about?"

The King seemed oddly nervous as he asked Luz about that other power, though she didn't notice this.

"No," answered Luz. "As I said, I can't use that other form anymore, and I don't know why, though Marcy told me you knew a lot about the box, and Uodeela told me that my powers come from the box, so I was actually wondering if you knew anything more about how it might work or why I can't use that power anymore."

The King's eyes darted around nervously, but he did answer Luz's question. "I'm afraid in all the research that Marcy and I did, there was nothing in there about the box granting powers, right, Marcy?"

"Yeah, I don't remember seeing anything like that," said Marcy.

"And as for Uodeela, well, she was wise, but even she didn't know everything. My best guess is that she was mistaken about where those powers came from," answered the King.

"Oh, I see," said Luz in a sad tone.

"But hey, don't worry about it too much, kiddo. You're going to be heading home soon," said the King.

"Oh, uh, hey, about that," said Anne, stepping forward. "Listen, I know Sasha has caused a lot of trouble here, and I am sorry for that."

Marcy and Luz nodded, also apologizing on Sasha's behalf.

"But I think it would be best if you let us take her home with us. That way, she'll be out of your hair, and we can finally put this whole mess behind us," said Anne.

"That is agreeable," said Andrias. With that, he turned to Yunan. "Fetch Sasha and bring her up here, but make sure she's secured."

"Oh, and also, can you put something over her mouth so she can't talk?" added Anne. "I don't want to hear anything she has to say."

"With pleasure," agreed Yunan.

It didn't take long to bring Sasha up from the dungeon. Her hands were chained up, and a gag had been tied around her mouth to prevent her from speaking. She still made noises as though she were trying to say something. Anne walked up to her, looking her in the eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully, Sasha," began Anne in a serious voice. "I'm bringing you home with us, despite everything you've tried to do. Part of me wanted to leave you here, but I realized just how cruel that would be."

Sasha continued to try to speak behind her gag, but only managed to mumble.

"Once we get home, you can do whatever the hell you want. I don't care," continued Anne, "but I don't ever want to see or speak to you again. Don't ever contact me! We are not friends anymore! Do you understand?"

Sasha didn't nod but again tried speaking, more urgently this time as her eyes moved towards the king. Anne sighed in frustration and turned back to Andrias.

"Whatever, Sasha," began Anne. "Let's get this over with."

She reached into her bag and brought out the box, handing it to the king. Sasha mumbled one more time, but to no avail.

"Alright, big guy," began Anne. "Send us home."

"In good time, my dear, but first, I'm gonna let you all in on a little secret," said Andrias. "There was a time when Newtopia was truly great! But that greatness was stolen from us! Centuries of prosperity brought to an end because of me. I was weak, trusting those who said they were my friends, and because of that, the music box was taken under my watch. It cost us everything, and after a thousand years, no one even remembers our legacy. But now, at long last, the box is back, and with its power, Newtopia will be returned to glory!"

"Oh, well, that's nice," said Hop Pop

Anne heard what the king was saying and was beginning to have doubts. "Something's wrong here."

Andrias continued to speak, "For you see, my ancestors weren't frail explorers. They were glorious conquerors!"

Andrias pressed his foot on an area on the floor, causing a small pedestal to rise out of the floor. He put the music box on that pedestal, and the four gems inside it began to glow. That glow flowed out of the box and through various lines in the pedestal, seemingly spreading to the whole castle. As this was happening, the windows began to shatter. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and the entire castle began to rise out of the ground!

As the castle rose, it sent a signal out to the many other factories scattered throughout the land. Those factories came to life and began producing robots similar to Frobo. Within minutes, numerous emerged from the factories and flew towards the hovering castle. This caught the attention of amphibians all across the land as they stared up and wondered what was going on.

Sprig made his way to the window and looked down. "We're way high up!" He jumped away from the window as some robots flew towards it and came in.

"I'm sorry, Anne," began the King, "but I'm afraid you and your friends can't go home just yet. Wouldn't want you telling anyone about the coming invasion."

"What?" said Anne.

"Now that I have the box back, I can finish the work my ancestors started," said the King. "From this castle, I will rule over not only this world, but all worlds!"

"No! You'll never get away with this!" said Anne.

"Yeah," said Luz. "Anne's right, we'll stop you!"

"Stop me? I can see a demonstration of my power is in order," said the King. He turned to Yunan. "General, if I understand correctly, all the Toad Lords were involved in the rebellion, yes?"

"Uh, yes, Sire," answered Yunan nervously.

"Ah, good to know," said the King. "Aldo has lived too long, anyway. Let's test out the power of this box on his tower!"

Andrias pushed down on the box, and outside the castle, a device on the top of the palace came to life and swiveled to point towards the north. It aimed directly at Aldo's tower and began to charge up with power.

Inside the tower, the bug that controlled Aldo turned towards the source of the bright light, wondering what the heck that was. It only had a second to process what was happening as a bright beam of destruction fired straight at the tower, destroying it in one blast and killing Aldo for good!

"Stop!" yelled Marcy, coming up to Andrias. "What are you doing? This wasn't what was supposed to happen."

"Ah, sweet ignorant Marcy," began Andrias. "So naïve and trusting. I would have said anything if it meant you delivered the box to me fully charged. Hate to break it to you, kid, but you've been duped."

"Don't worry, Marcy," said Luz, coming up to her. "So he tricked you; it doesn't matter. We can still stop him!"

"Oh, I'm not the only one who tricked someone. Isn't that right, Marcy?" asked Andrias slyly. Anne and Luz both looked at each other as he said that.

"Wait, no, I—I," began Marcy, faltering.

"Time to fess up now, Marcy," said Andrias. "If you don't tell them the truth, then I will."

"You wouldn't!" said Marcy nervously.

Luz felt a pit form in her stomach as Andrias spoke. "Marcy… what's going on?" she asked in a serious voice.

"Did it ever occur to you, Anne, Sasha, Luz, that one of you knew more than you were letting on? That one of you might have gotten you stranded in Amphibia… on purpose?"

As the King said those words, Luz, in her mind, recalled something Marcy had said to her a few days before they had disappeared

"Luz…" began Marcy. "If you had the chance right now to leave this world and escape into another one, would you take it?"

"Are you kidding?!" said Luz. "Of course! Yes! One hundred percent for sure!" Her eyes seemed to light up at this before becoming depressed again. "But of course, there's no way for that to happen."

Marcy shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked away from Luz before saying, "I mean, hypothetically, what if there was a way you could open… say, a box… and when you opened that box, you would be transported to a new world. Would you take that chance?"

"I mean, I just said yes," said Luz. "But come on, Marcy, be real. Something like that isn't going to happen."

As she recalled that memory, a lot of things began to make sense to Luz, and her expression quickly changed to one of horror. She tried to say something but couldn't think of the right words. Sasha had heard this whole exchange and glared angrily at Marcy, still unable to say anything because of the gag on her mouth. Anne's expression changed to one of disappointment.

"No, it can't be," she said sadly.

"Oops, looks like I spilled the tea, as you kids say," said Andrias with a cruel laugh.

Marcy finally turned around to face her friends and said in a small, weak voice, "I did it for us…"

Anne, Luz, and Sasha stared hard at Marcy, not sure how to respond to that. She continued.

"The day we left, your birthday, they told me my dad got a new job out of state. They're making me move out of state. They were gonna tear us apart!"

"Marcy…" said Anne seriously

"I found the box," she continued. "I had no idea it would work, but it did!"

"Marcy…" said Luz in the same serious tone

"It sent us to a place where we'd never have to grow apart, where the four of us could be friends together forever." As she said this, she came up to Luz and Anne and took their hands into her own.

"How could you?!" Anne said. "I've been missing my parents, my life!"

"But look at all the fun we've had!" said Marcy desperately. "Look at how much we've all grown! Look at Sprig! I gave you this! Look at Luz! The two of you are friends again, and maybe even more than friends!"

As she said this, Marcy took Luz and Anne's hands and brought them together. Luz and Anne looked into each other's eyes and pulled their hands apart, both unsure how to feel about this new revelation.

"Luz, you said it was okay!" said Marcy, now looking into Luz's face and grabbing her hands. "You wanted an adventure, remember? You wanted to escape from our boring world. I gave you an adventure just like Azura!"

At first, Luz felt shame, thinking that it was her fault, but as she thought about it more, she realized she needed to say something. She needed Marcy to know exactly what she had put her through. Luz began to speak in a low voice.

"Marcy… There's something I haven't told any of you because it's painful to talk about, but now given what you just said, I think you need to know." Luz looked hard into Marcy's eyes, still holding onto her hands.

"My dad died when I was young," said Luz somberly, her eyes tearing up. "When that happened, my mom and I were devastated, but part of what helped us move on was knowing that we had each other."

Marcy's face fell as she realized why Luz was telling her this. "Luz, I—" Luz quickly interrupted her.

"Now I've been missing for god knows how long," continued Luz, in a tone that hovered between anger and sadness. "Do you have any idea what my mother must be going through?! It was hard enough losing my dad. How do you think she's feeling about losing me too?! Did you honestly think that when I said yes to wanting to go to another world, I was being serious?! I wasn't thinking straight because of how I was feeling!" She finally pulled her hands away from Marcy, glaring at her in anger.

"Luz, I'm sorry," began Marcy. "I just… didn't want to be alone…"

As she said this, Luz looked hard at Marcy, and whatever anger she was feeling towards her instantly melted away as she heard the pain in her voice. She saw the tears in her eyes and saw her fall to the floor. That feeling, Luz knew it well. It was how she had felt before coming to St. James and before meeting Anne and Marcy. She knew what it was like to have no friends and how terrible it felt to be alone. She wanted to say something to Marcy, but couldn't think of what to say.

"Well, I guess that's what you get for pouring your heart out to me over Flipwart," mocked Andrias from his throne. Luz focused back on Andrias. Her anger at Marcy instantly redirected at the King for the way he broke his promise to her and how he had so casually revealed something Marcy had told him in confidence. Luz looked from the King back to Anne, the two nodding as they came to an agreement. Finally, Luz spoke.

"Marcy may have made a mistake, but you? You're evil!"

"Here we go," said the King.

"And we're going to stop you! Right here, right now!" proclaimed Anne, drawing out her sword. As she said this, Sprig came up next to her, getting his slingshot ready in his hands. Amara came up next to him, getting into a fighting stance, and Lilly joined her, drawing out her sword with her eyes glowing.

"We're with you, Anne, till the end!" said Sprig.

The King glared at Amara and Lilly. "You're citizens of Amphibia. Will you really take up arms against your king?"

"Whatever your plans are, I can tell they won't be good for us," declared Lilly, drawing her sword and pointing it at him.

"How about you, Amara? You think your parents would approve of this behavior?" asked the King

"I don't care what they think!" yelled Amara defiantly. "I'm going to do what's right!"

"You guys are serious," said the King incredulously. "Okay, let's have some fun!" As he said this, he pulled out a device from his belt and turned it on, revealing a giant laser sword!

The two groups looked intently at each other before charging forward into the fray! Andrias held back and directed his robots to attack. Meanwhile, Anne and Lilly led the charge, both using their swords to slice at the robots. Anne and Lilly gave each other a look before going back into the fight, cutting down any robots that came toward them. Meanwhile, Sprig had taken out his slingshot and began using it to launch mud at the robots' eyes, blinding them. Amara joined Sprig and used her combat skills and glyphs to take down the robots after he incapacitated them. Marcy, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes, got up from the floor and launched arrows at the robots to stop them. Polly and Frobo joined her. Luz tried to help, but having only one arm to use her glyphs made it very hard to do anything. Sasha was still bound and gagged and wanted to help, but she couldn't do much without the use of her hands. At the moment, all she could do was move out of the way of the blasts the robots were firing. She tried to free herself from her bonds but couldn't. Sasha dodged a blast from a robot and fell into Luz. She began frantically mumbling, causing Luz to finally remove the gag.

"Luz, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. Luz looked at her.

Sasha began speaking very fast, "When I set up the fight with Beatrix, I thought you still had those awesome anime powers! I thought you'd at least have a good chance, but when I realized you didn't have those powers anymore, I changed the plan. I didn't want you to fight her! I tried to keep you safe! Please understand, I'm sorry!"

Luz listened to everything Sasha said before replying, "We have a bigger threat to face right now. Whatever our problems, we'll talk about them later, but this isn't over yet, Sasha," she said that last line in a firm voice to make sure she understood she was not yet forgiven. Sasha hung her head in remorse while Luz started picking at her bonds, trying to free her from them.

At that moment, the door to the throne room burst open, and Grime entered, holding both his hammer and Sasha's swords.

"Ha! No prison can hold me!" he declared loudly. Grime stopped when he realized there was a big fight going on. "Whoa, what did I miss?"

"Grime! Over here!" called Sasha. He came over and quickly used one of Sasha's swords to cut her bonds, freeing her.

"I'll bring you up to speed later," said Sasha as she stood up and grabbed her swords. "Right now, what's important is that we need to defeat Andrias and get that box away from him."

"Ha! Good! I was hoping for a fight after being stuck in that cell!" Grime rushed forward to join the fray. Sasha followed him, though before she did, she looked back at Luz, giving her a smile. Luz met Sasha's gaze but turned her face away, not wanting to look at her. Sasha turned back and charged into battle, trying not to let Luz's coldness toward her discourage her. Though as she did, a voice began to speak to her.

It's not too late, said the voice. You can still get the box and use it on Luz!

Shut up! said Sasha internally to the voice.

What?! That's what you want, isn't it? To send Luz away. If you don't do it, she'll steal Anne away from you! said the voice, desperately trying to persuade her.

"I said SHUT UP!" yelled Sasha out loud, causing Grime to shoot her a weird look.

"It's nothing," said Sasha. "Let's just stop Andrias!"

"I think you and I need to have a serious talk about something later, lieutenant," said Grime, concerned for Sasha.

Lilly was locked in combat with a robot. She leaped out of the way as the robot fired a laser at her. She came back at the robot with her sword out, ready to slice it, but before she could, Grime came up to the robot and smashed it in one strike with his hammer. He let out a yell of victory before rushing off to fight another. Lilly looked at Grime, and as she did, she suppressed a very strong desire to rush forward and cut him down. It was all she wanted to do at the moment, but she knew that right now there were bigger concerns. Still, she hoped that someday she'd get her chance to take revenge on Grime…

With the addition of Sasha and Grime to the group, they had managed to turn the tide against the robots, having destroyed many of them. Andrias began to get frustrated and stabbed his sword into the ground, causing a shockwave that scattered the group. Most of the group was pushed back, but Luz and Sprig got pushed away toward a window. Polly got launched toward the King, and Andrias made a move to smash her with his foot, though he was stopped as a pair of robotic arms wrapped around him. Frobo was doing his best to hold Andrias back and protect Polly.

"Polly, I will save you!" said Frobo in his synthesized voice.

Andrias got frustrated and turned around. "Oh, look at that. One of my robots. Must be defective!" As he said this, he used his fist to smash Frobo apart in one strike! His head rolled away from his body toward the rest of the group.

"Frobo!" exclaimed Polly. She looked up at Andrias. "You monster!"

"Don't worry, you're next!" yelled Andrias. He brought his fist down at Polly, seemingly smashing her in the same way he had Frobo! The group let out a gasp!

Andrias withdrew his fist, expecting to see Polly's corpse, but there was nothing in the crater he had made.

"What the?!" he exclaimed

"Over here, you bozo!" taunted Polly, and all eyes turned to where she was. Luz and Marcy gasped as they saw that Polly had grown legs!

"Guess who just got her legs!" said Polly.

"My little baby's got legs!" said Hop Pop, with tears in his eyes.

Sasha looked between Polly and the box, and an idea came to her head. "Polly, get the box! Get the box!"

"On it!" said Polly, who quickly took off towards the box.

"Stop that little brat!" yelled Andrias to the robots who were between Polly and the box.

Polly kept running, dodging the lasers that the robots fired at her. She was too fast for them to hit her, and as she closed the distance between two robots, she jumped onto one of them, causing the other to fire at it and hit it square in the chest. Polly used the momentum from that jump to spring towards the pedestal where the box was landing and lifted the box up in triumph!

"Got it!" exclaimed Polly. As she lifted it off the pedestal, the castle began to sink back toward the ground.

"Go, Polly! Go!" the group cheered.

"Not so fast," came the voice of Andrias. "You've all got spunk, real chutzpah. But this ends now." As he said this, he held up both Sprig and Luz in his hand.

"Guys, don't listen to him!" said Sprig, as he struggled to break free.

"Whatever he offers, don't do it!" yelled Luz. "We'll be fine!"

"One of you might be fine, but that depends on what happens next," taunted Andrias as he moved his hand outside the window, holding Sprig and Luz out of it. The two looked down at the ground. They were incredibly high up and knew a fall from this height would be fatal.

"Now, Anne, I'll make you a deal. Put the box back, and I'll let one of your friends live," commanded Andrias.

"Wait… what?" asked Anne, a deep pit forming in her stomach. She didn't want to believe she heard what she thought she heard.

"Anne, don't!" called Sprig desperately.

"You know he won't keep his word!" said Luz. "Don't do it!"

"Silence!" called Andrias, looking at his captives before turning towards Anne. "You know what's going to happen if you don't. Now do what I say!"

"Sprig… Luz…" said Anne slowly. "Polly, do what he says!"

Polly quickly put the box back on the pedestal, and the castle began to rise back into the sky.

"Okay, dude, you have what you want. Now, please, put them down. They're my best friends," said Anne.

"Oh, of course," said the King in a mocking tone, "but you heard what I said, Anne…"

"No… please, no…" Tears formed in Anne's eyes. She knew what was coming next…

"I said I'd let ONE of your friends live," taunted Andrias. "So, Anne Boonchuy, time to decide which one…."

That line hit Anne like a ton of bricks, and she froze in time, unable to move, unable to think, unable to do anything other than cry as she realized the impossible situation she was in. Anne couldn't entertain any sort of thought or even try to form any sort of list of how she could make this terrible choice.

"You monster!" yelled Amara. "She did what you wanted! Let them both go!"

"Why are you doing this?" yelled Lilly desperately.

"Because it's time you all learned a hard lesson in having conviction!" said the King. "Part of being a ruler is making tough decisions! Do you not have the stomach to sacrifice one of your friends to save the other, Anne? Are you willing to let them both die because you're too cowardly to choose one of them?"

The words pounded hard on Anne, and she was only barely listening as she struggled to think of something, anything, that would allow her to save them both. Then Luz spoke up!

"Hey, Andrias!" she yelled. "If Anne won't choose, then I will! Save Sprig! He was Anne's first real friend, and he was there when she needed one. Drop me and save him!"

"Don't you dare, Luz!" said Sprig, looking between Luz and Anne. "I choose to save Luz! I know how Anne really feels about you! She needs you! Drop me! I choose Luz!"

"Sorry, you don't get a say in this!" said Andrias, squeezing his hand tighter to make them stop talking. "Tick-Tock, Anne! Time's running out! Who's it going to be?"

Anne looked at her two friends, trying to think of some way to save them. She refused to even consider sacrificing one of them! But the more she thought, the more hopeless the situation seemed to become. Again, Andrias spoke to her.

"I'm losing patience, Anne!" he bellowed. "Here, maybe this will motivate you, 5… 4… 3… 2… 1—"

"STOP!" screamed Anne in a raw, desperate voice. "I CAN'T… NO… PLEASE… I CAN'T DO THIS!" After yelling, her voice broke into a whisper. "I can't… I can't do it… Choosing one of you would mean letting the other die… I can't… I can't…"

Andrias turned to look at his two hostages. "Everyone thinks their friends will stand by them, but they all eventually betray you. It's Anne's fault that both of you are going to die!"

"What?!" exclaimed Anne in horror.

Andrias turned back to Anne. "If you had chosen one of your friends to save, I would have spared them. It always hurts when you lose a friend. I gave you a chance to save one of them, but if you can't sacrifice one to save another, then you don't deserve either…"

As he said this, Luz and Sprig looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. It was only a second later when Andrias opened his hand, dropping both of them out the window and to their deaths…

For Anne, time seemed to slow as she watched her friends fall. She fell to her knees, crying, unable to accept what had just happened. She felt nothing but grief as she recalled the moments she had with Sprig. The first time she met him, that time when Sprig stood up to Sasha and helped Anne feel confident in herself. The many times she had sat out with Sprig on the old wall by the house, reading books late into the night… The thought that Sprig was gone became too overwhelming.

Those memories led to new ones involving Luz. She recalled meeting Luz on her first day at St. James, when Luz and she had reunited in Amphibia under a bright red moon and a sky full of stars. Then finally, a recent memory from less than an hour ago, when Luz had held her hand and looked into her face with that bright, charming, beautiful smile… a smile Anne would never see again.

Slowly, her grief transformed into rage, and as it did, Anne opened her eyes. When she did, they were now glowing a bright blue! Then the blue gem on the box began to flicker, and as it did, a blue aura spread from the gem to Anne. The aura continued to grow until it had completely enveloped her. Andrias looked over in surprise.

"No, it can't be!" he said slowly. "She's still connected to the stone! But that's impossible!"

While all this was happening, Marcy looked between Anne and a nearby window, making her way toward that window and diving out of it!

"What's going on?!" asked Hop Pop in confusion.

Sasha and Grime looked at each other and then back at Anne.

"She looks just like Luz did at Tadpole Pond!" exclaimed Grime.

Sasha stared hard at Anne. Grime was right; she looked very much like Luz did when she defeated her at Tadpole Pond. Remembering that fight, though, and how powerful Luz had been, Sasha couldn't help but be in awe, knowing that if Anne was now as powerful as Luz had been on that day, things were going to get crazy!

"I sure hope that's what this is then," she said, her mouth forming into a devious smile as she looked up at Andrias. "Cause if so… he's about to have a really bad time!"

As Anne continued to absorb this energy, she stood up, her face contorting in rage. When she spoke, she did so in a deep, unnatural voice, just as Luz had sounded when she had used her own powers.

"Give them back… Give… them… BACK!"

Anne launched into the air! The power of her jump instantly destroyed the robots that were around her. She launched herself straight at Andrias, punching him hard in the face and causing him to fall over! Andrias recovered and tried to smash Anne into the ground, but she was too fast. She jumped up to the ceiling, looking down at Andrias. He ordered his robots to fire on her. They did, but again, Anne dodged and weaved through the shots, avoiding all of them. She let out a yell and dove straight down onto Andrias, causing a huge explosion of power. The others covered their eyes as the wave washed over them!

When they looked again, Andrias had activated some sort of shield to prevent Anne from hitting him. She was now charging up against this shield, trying to break through it! The King growled at her from behind the shield and tried to push back against her. This struggle sent out sparks that exploded all over the room. He was able to hold Anne back for a bit, but she simply flicked her hand at the shield, causing it to explode and sending Andrias falling backward.

Anne came down and stood still, the power still emanating from her body as she repeated the same words she had said before.

"Give them back…"

It was the last thing she said before falling over due to fatigue.

While this was going on, Luz and Sprig continued to fall. They held onto each other, trying to think of something that could save them. Luz reached into her pockets and pulled out some wind glyphs, though many of them escaped from her hand as she brought them out. Still, she held three in her hand and pointed them down at the ground. Sprig reached over and touched the glyphs, activating them and causing a gust of air to blow out and push them back into the air, but it wasn't enough, and soon they began falling again. Luz and Sprig shared a look, resigned to their fate.

"I think this is the end for us, Sprig," said Luz. "I'm sorry I couldn't save us."

"You did your best, Luz. I wish Anne had chosen you. I know you both care a lot about each other," said Sprig as he held onto Luz. She looked into his eyes and came up with an idea. She wrapped her arms and legs around Sprig, then turned so that she was falling first and Sprig was on top of her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"It might be possible to save you," said Luz. "If I hit the ground first, maybe because I'm bigger, I can protect you. If I break your fall, maybe you'll live."

"Luz, no!" said Sprig.

"If we don't do something, then we both die," said Luz desperately, tears forming in her eyes. "You're smaller than me, so it makes sense for me to take the fall and try to save you. At least this way, you might survive. Anne needs you…"

"Luz…" said Sprig, touched at the gesture but also not wanting Luz to die.

"Say goodbye to Anne for me, okay?" said Luz.

Sprig hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding his head. Luz and Sprig held onto each other, closing their eyes as they waited for the inevitable…

Though, thankfully, it never came, as a second later, they felt themselves get pulled out of the sky and onto something else. Luz and Sprig opened their eyes and saw that they were on Joe Sparrow, with Marcy guiding him.

"Marcy!" they both exclaimed.

"I'M SORRY!" she said through a mess of tears. It was all she said as she guided Joe Sparrow back to the flying castle. Sprig quickly disembarked, rushing over to Anne, who was lying on the floor for some reason. Luz stayed back to talk to Marcy.

"Marcy, listen," said Luz, looking her straight in the eyes, "it wasn't right what you did… but I think I can understand why you did it. I know that feeling of being alone, and I know how much it sucks. If that's what you were afraid of, then I can at least empathize with you."

Marcy managed to smile before looking past Luz and towards Anne, her expression changing to horror! The king was marching towards her with his sword drawn. Marcy looked over at the box and ran towards it, motioning for Luz to follow her. The King came up to where Anne and the Plantars were.

"I have to admit, even I'm surprised! Somehow, you still got the gift, kid, which means I can't let you live!" He pulled back his sword, preparing to stab them, when suddenly the castle began to shake.

Andrias looked behind him and saw that Marcy had taken the box. She was using it to create a portal.

"No!" he yelled as he turned his attention to her, moving to stop her, but then Grime, Sasha, and Lilly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.

"We'll hold him off!" said Lilly, her eyes glowing blue.

"Just go!" called Sasha.

Marcy called to the rest of the group, "Quick! Into the portal, everyone! Hurry!"

Anne nodded, and she and the Plantars ran past them towards the portal. Anne was relieved to see Luz there. As the group moved, Polly tried pulling along Frobo's head but was having trouble dragging it across the floor.

"Here! I got you!" called Amara, moving to where Polly was and picking up the robot's head. She followed the others to the portal. For a second, Amara hesitated, but then went through, still holding onto Frobo's head. The rest of the group quickly managed to get into the portal, though they left their heads out so they could see what was happening.

Lilly sent out a blast of water at Andrias, but it barely phased him. He swatted her away in one blow. Meanwhile, Grime tried to hit Andrias in the knee like he had when they had captured him, but the blow didn't have the same effect, and Andrias punched him away too. Sasha slashed at the King, but it was barely a scratch, and before long, Andrias had beaten all three of them and was rushing forward, yelling about the box.

[Start playing "Schala's Theme" from Chrono Trigger]

"Marcy, hurry!" called Anne, trying to get her to join them.

"I just need to—" was all Marcy said before she was run through with the King's sword, her expression quickly changing to horror.

"MARCY!" screamed Luz, unable to believe what had just happened.

Andrias was indifferent in his response. "Now look what you made me do…"

Marcy looked down at her wound, knowing this was the end. She wanted to at least part on better terms with her friends. She looked them in the eyes and said in a soft tone, "I'm sorry… for… everything…" She fell to the ground, dead.

For Luz, time seemed to have stopped when she saw Marcy get stabbed. A million thoughts went through her mind as she at first tried to convince herself it didn't happen, but this was impossible as an old memory came flooding into her mind—one that was all it took to know that Marcy was dead, and there was no way to fix it.

In her mind, Luz could almost see Maddie talking directly at her, as she had on that day, many weeks ago. When she said the words that were now playing again in Luz's mind.

"One among you…

will shortly…

… perish!"

As she saw Marcy's lifeless body hit the floor, she knew with certainty that the prophecy had been fulfilled. It was the last thought on her mind as Marcy dropped the box, causing a bright flash to envelop them all and send them home.

Far away, in a distant land known as the Boiling Isles, in the throne room of a castle at the center of the Titan's heart, Emperor Belos slammed his fist hard against his throne.

"NO!" he growled. "No, no, no! The plan is ruined!"

As he continued to yell, he also began to lose control of his form. Belos began to breathe heavily as he struggled to get a handle on his body. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a spare palisman he kept there for just such an emergency. Bringing it up to his face, he broke open the palisman, one in the shape of a newt, and inhaled the bile that was stored within. This managed to stabilize his body and allow him to regain control. As he stood back up, he felt a familiar presence enter the room.

"Oooo, you're mad, aren't you?" asked the voice playfully.

"Of course I'm mad!" yelled Belos at the voice. "The plan to bring Luz here has failed. She's made her way back to the human world!"

"Oh, that's right," said the voice. "You need her to teach you those glyphs in the past, don't you?"

Belos didn't reply and began to sweat nervously. He brought up his hand and looked straight at it, wondering if soon he would fade away from existence.

"Sasha failed!" he yelled. "She wasn't able to send Luz here. Now what's going to happen?!"

"Well, I dunno," said the voice.

"Stop hiding in the shadows and come out, Collector!" demanded Belos.

"You know, even when I'm out, I'm still technically in the shadows, right?" said the voice, laughing at his own joke, though he did comply. A figure appeared on one of the far walls of the throne room that emerged as a shadow, though it took the form of a small child and seemed to have a jester-like appearance. As he moved along the walls, he began to taunt Belos.

"It seems your plan has gone to waste

How can you now destroy this race?

Without the human to help you

Oh, whatever will you do?"

"It's not just about that," sneered Belos. "I need Luz to teach me the glyphs, not just the light one, but the ones she learned in Amphibia."

"Or else what?" asked the Collector.

"I don't know what, but I know it can't be good," replied Belos. "Seeing as those glyphs are carved into my skin, I'd rather not find out." As he said this, he brought up his right arm and pulled back his sleeve, revealing an array of carved glyphs in it.

"Well, I mean, is anything happening right now?" asked the Collector.

Belos actually paused. He pulled back his robe on his left arm and saw that the wind, water, and light glyphs were still there. He continued to look at his left arm, thinking that maybe the symbols would fade away, but they didn't.

"But how?" he asked, puzzled. "If my theory on time travel is correct, then something should be happening. If Luz doesn't teach these to me in the past, then they shouldn't exist in the present."

"Maybe your theory is wrong?" suggested the Collector.

"Please, I'm never wrong," said Belos smugly.

"Well, then maybe she wasn't supposed to come here yet," said the Collector

"But… everything seemed like this was the moment," said Belos. "Luz had a device that could take her here. She would have been trapped in this world, and she already knows the glyphs she's supposed to know. And of course, most importantly, she'd lost her powers. How could this not have been the right moment?"

"I dunno. My brother might, though," answered the Collector. "He can see everything: the past, the future, other dimensions, all sorts of alternate timelines, and such."

"Hmph, sometimes I wish it was your brother who I talked with," said Belos with a huff. "He could tell me how many timelines there are where the plan succeeds, or if there's ever a timeline where the Grimwalker clone is successful and doesn't betray me!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" shot back the Collector. "I taught you all those fancy glyph combos and the draining spell. You think my brother would have done that? He hates doing just about anything other than watching over the various worlds."

"All that power at his disposal, and all he does is watch? How pathetic," said Belos.

"Well, he does occasionally get involved in things, but only when he feels all of creation is in danger," said the Collector.

"And yet in all those times he's gotten involved, he's never once tried to free you has he?" said Belos slyly. The Collector instantly frowned.

"No he hasn't," said The Collector in a pouty voice, "he knows I had nothing to do with getting rid of the Titans but he still won't free me. He visits me and says something about how he's looked into the future and how I will get out eventually, but he can't free me now."

"You must really hate him…" said Belos, clearly trying to bait the Collector.

"You bet, I do!" yelled the Collector. "If I ever get out of here, I'll make sure to make him pay!"

"Maybe you shouldn't say that," said Belos. "He could be watching you right now." As he said this, he looked up towards the ceiling.

"Bah! He already knows how I feel," whined the Collector. "Even if he is watching us, you know he won't do anything!"

Belos cast another look of disdain at the ceiling. "If all he can do is watch events play out, then he really is a poor excuse for a god. I prefer gods who strike down sinners! And since that's what I plan to do, I suppose that makes ME A BETTER GOD THAN YOU!" He defiantly yelled that last line up at the ceiling, almost daring the Collector's brother to smite him, but of course, nothing happened.

"Ha ha!" laughed the Collector. "Oh, I know he heard that, but you're right, he won't do anything about it. Ha ha ha ha!"

"Yes… Well, getting back on track, what are we going to do about Luz?" asked Belos.

"I say don't do anything," replied the Collector. "If those glyphs are still carved in your arm, then that must mean that the timeline is still okay. My guess is that Luz will still make her way here, eventually; it just isn't now."

Belos paused as he considered this. "I suppose that makes sense, but how can she get here without the box?"

"I mean, you got here without using that box, so maybe Luz will find another way?" said the Collector.

"I suppose that's possible. Still, I may want to keep an eye on her and see how the situation develops."

"Well, she's back in the Human Realm, though, and Sasha isn't with her anymore, so how are you going to do that?" asked the Collector.

"I don't know," answered Belos. "It was a fluke that I was able to get into Sasha's head, but I don't think I can count on anyone else finding my old mask and casually putting it on."

"So does that mean you're going to do something about that Andrias guy?" asked the Collector.

"What do you mean?" asked Belos.

"I mean, he said he wants to conquer Earth. You know where you're from. You said the reason you want to wipe out all witches is to save humanity from them," said the Collector. "I figure since this guy poses a more direct threat to your world, maybe you'd want to do something about him."

"It's not my problem," answered Belos flatly. "I'm busy trying to protect humanity from witches. I don't have time to deal with him."

"Oh, do you not have time, or are you scared?" taunted the Collector, though, right as he said this, Belos shot out his arm at the wall he was on. He quickly dodged out of the way.

"I have more important things to deal with," said Belos. "I don't have time to waste on that fool. Though that power the box uses, I am interested in that."

"I thought you'd be," said the Collector. "My brother is the one who made the box. Well, to be more accurate, he made the gems. He put a lot of his own power into them."

"Yes, but how were the girls able to absorb that power into themselves?" asked Belos, intrigued

"I don't know. It happened when they opened the box, but I don't know the specifics of how it works or why it worked for them," said the Collector.

"Just imagine what we could do if we had that kind of power..." said Belos, flashing The Collector a sinister smile—A smile the Collector returned…

END OF ARC 4

NEXT TIME…

Arc 5: Home