"I...hope I'm not interrupting anything." said Grime, upon entering the Throne Room.
The Olivier Clawthorne held captive by Sasha just scowled at Grime,
while Sasha herself smiled with a chain gripped firmly in her hand.
"oh, not at all Grimesy." said Sasha, sweetly. "Now, what is it?"
Grime clears his throat. "I got you something. Had it made especially for this day."
Grime then shows Sasha a wrapped gift...which she is elated to see. "Whaaaaa? Grimsey, you didn't..."
Sasha quickly opens the gift, and it is revealed to be a sword just like her first one,
only instead of being colored Pink, it was pure Silver (and obviously shined more due to being brand new.)
"(*gasps*) How'd you know I wanted to dual wield?"
Sasha smiled wide...until sees her reflection against the blade of her new sword.
and upon seeing the crazed expression she was making...Sasha then frowned.
"What's the matter? You don't like it?" Grime face palms and groans. "Ah! Dang it, I didn't get a gift receipt."
"No, no. It's just...What if what Anne said to me was true? What if I am a horrible person?"
"Who cares what she thinks?" said Grime "You and I are in charge now, and we get do whatever we want."
"Wow, you really ARE Grunge's brother." snarked Other Olivier, who then looked at Sasha coldly.
"and YES. Anyone who locks up their friends in a dungeon, and DRESSES ME UP LIKE HAREM BOY is indeed a Horrible Person."
Oddly enough, Sasha didn't react at all to Olivier's outburst.
It was strange...All her plans had come together, and she now had all she had wanted.
She had finally defeated Anne, and gotten revenge for her defeat when Toad Tower fell
(and even snagged herself Anne's cute new boyfriend to boot, which was just icing on the cake.)
She and Grime had overthrown the kingdom, and now ruled over ALL of Amphibia.
All her life, Sasha desired control...and now she had complete control over everything.
She SHOULD feel happy...but she wasn't. in fact, she felt more angry than ever and didn't understand why.
Were Anne and Olivier right? was she...REALLY a bad person.
Part of her wanted to follow Grime's advice, and just not care.
...but she DID care (and it just frustrated her.)
"Why don't you come help me redecorate this place?" spoke Grime. "might take your mind off of everything."
"and, here it comes." spoke the real Olivier watching his memory.
Anne looked at her boyfriend. "what?"
"just watch."
Anne looked back at the memory as it continued to play out like a 'VR Movie.'
Sasha and Grime approach a tapestry of King Andrias,
which depicted him as the jolly king that everyone revered him as.
Both Sasha, and Grime hated it (and even Olivier found it rather vain on Andrias' part.)
"Yikes. This thing's gotta go." said Grime.
Sasha and Grime then proceed to remove the tapestry...which revealed a very malicious mural behind it.
One showing King Andrias as a tyrant, bringing Death and Destruction upon an unknown land.
Sasha, Grime, and even Olivier himself stared in total shock at this.
"Whoa. is...Is that the king with the music box?!" spoke Sasha.
"It looks like he is using it as a weapon." spoke Other Olivier.
"I bet those circle things are portals that he is opening...Portals to OTHER REALMS."
"If it is...then it's a really good thing we stopped him." spoke Grime.
Just then, Sasha, Grime and Olivier hear a noise. They look out a window and see Anne and Sprig closing the gate.
"Are you serious?!, They escaped!?" exclaimed Sasha, exasperated.
"HAH!" laughed Other Olivier.
"And if they shut the gate, our army will be trapped outside. The King will regain control of the city." said Grime.
"But Anne doesn't know that King Andrias is the REAL bad guy." spoke Other Olivier, now serious.
"If she and the others stop your army, Andrias will regain power...and most likely use it to invade the Human Realm."
Grime slammed his fist in anger. "FRUG!, I can't believe that my brother was right ALL ALONG!
He always said that The King was more than what he seemed, But I always thought he was just Paranoid!"
"Well, it seems you were right about ONE thing Sasha..." began Other Olivier, smirking.
"Grunge may had been a scumbag...but that doesn't mean he wrong about "Everything."
Sasha scowled, actually angry that she was proven 'Right' about something.
"We need to stop Anne and those frogs." said Sasha.
"Agreed." said Grime. "I will meet the frog boy at the gate-"
Just then, Other Olivier began to laugh as if he was deranged.
"And, WHAT is so Frogdanged Funny!?" exclaimed Grime.
"Yeah, Oliver. What gives?!" said Sasha, also confused.
Other Olivier smirked at the two. "oh, nothing...I just find it funny
how you 'Experienced Military Strategists' are falling for such an easy trick."
Sasha and Grime stared at the Witch Boy. "what trick?"
Other Olivier smirked again. "Don't you find it odd how they aren't even trying use stealth to close the gates?
I mean, they could've easily snuck past your troops and done all this without you knowing.
Instead, they are making as much noise as possible to keep your attention on them.
FURTHER...I noticed Anne and Sprig, but where is Marcy, Lady Olivia, and General Yunan at?"
Sasha and Grime look at each other. "wait...You mean this is all a Distraction?!"
"YES, and while you're wasting time fighting each other. Marcy is probably freeing King Andrias." said Other Olivier.
"HELL, she probably already HAS in the time it's taken for me to EXPLAIN all of this to you idiots."
Grime ground his sharp teeth in anger. "I hate it when you make sense."
Sasha looked at Olivier. "Then, what do we do?"
Other Olivier scowled. "I love Anne...but she needs to be stopped from making a terrible mistake.
But she will not listen to you, Sasha. Not after you betrayed her trust TWICE now...but she might listen to me."
Sasha glanced at the key to Olivier's chains that she had on her person.
"Let's make this clear here: Ever since Anne first told me about you, I didn't like you." began Other Olivier.
"and my opinion of you didn't improve when we eventually DID meet, and I STILL don't like you.
Marcy spoke so highly you, like you were this 'Brave Hero', but you are nothing but a villain in my eyes.
You are a BULLY, Sasha. No better than the *Beldam* who gave me my scars back in my own world.
BUT...despite my personal feelings, there are much bigger things happening here than Me and You.
So, we need to set aside our personal feelings and work together to STOP King Andrias...ALL OF US."
Sasha frowned, now feeling really bad at her most recent actions.
And while she loathed to admit it...Olivier also had a good point.
After what she had done, Anne would NEVER believe anything she said now.
If she faced Anne alone, nothing she did or said could convince her former friend to listen to her.
But Anne had no reason to doubt Olivier. If he vouched for her, Anne MIGHT then listen.
With a heavy sigh, Sasha drew out a key and unlocked the shackled around Olivier's neck and wrists.
As the boy rubbed his wrists and neck, Grime looked at Sasha. "soooo...are we the Good Guys, now?" asked Grime.
"sure seems that way." said Sasha, who then looked at Olivier.
"I'm sorry, Oliver...I just- I mean, I...God, I really have no excuse for this."
"Let's focus on stopping the REAL threat for now." said Other Olivier...who then glared at Sasha.
"but after this is all over...you and Grime WILL face judgement for your treachery.
How severe your punishments are will depend on how much you help us."
Sasha nodded. "okay...that's fair."
"Good. Now, before we do anything...(*shouting*) WOULD SOMEONE *PLEASE* GIVE MY FRICKIN' CLOTHES BACK!"
At that moment, the memory ended as the world around Anne and Olivier dissolved into an empty void.
After a few minutes passed, the darkness faded...and the pair found themselves in a stone chamber.
They looked, and saw a lone jail cell...where Sasha was slumped against a wall.
Sasha looked VERY different though. Her hair was longer, and shaggy looking.
She wore a fur cape not unlike the one Grunge wore, and a pink headband modeled after her Heron sword.
"is...is this another memory?" asked Anne.
"I don't think so." said Olivier. "I think...I think this might be her, Sasha's core consciousness."
"Why is she locked up, then?" asked Anne.
Before Olivier could answer...Sasha began to speak (though, she didn't acknowledge anyone.)
her body rocked back-and-forth as if Sasha was in a catatonic state.
"i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry..." muttered Sasha, mindlessly.
Anne frowned at this. Despite the anger she still felt for Sasha,
there was still a part of her that cared for her...and felt terrible for Sasha's present state.
"Now I understand..." spoke Olivier, speaking with clarity.
Anne looked at Olivier.
"Sasha really isn't the same person that we remember anymore." continued Olivier.
"This is her Nightmare World afterall...and everything we encountered is something that is haunting her.
Those Sasha Clones, the reminders of her parents, the locked Plantar Home, and...that memory was saw earlier."
Olivier then approached the bars of the cell Sasha was locked in.
"Sasha is being held captive by her own guilt...and she hates herself for what she has done to us."
Olivier then blasted gold energy at the cell door, destroying it.
As he entered the cell, Anne followed him. They both then faced the still catatonic Sasha.
"i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry..." chanted Sasha.
Anne frowned. "I hate to see her like this."
"If we weren't already in her mind, I'd presume she was faking all of this." said Olivier.
"But after everything I've learned recently...I guess she isn't as horrible a person that I thought she was."
As Sasha continued to rock back-and-forth...Anne lowered down to her.
Olivier then also lowered down, and they both looked at Sasha with soft eyes.
"I was so angry with you, Sasha." spoke Anne, her voice soft and firm.
"I wanted to hate you...I was so ready to cut you out of my life, and forget you.
But...I can't. despite everything that you have done...I still love you, girl."
Anne then embraced Sasha tightly. Sasha flinched at this, but still remained catatonic.
Olivier then exhaled, realizing he had to do something too.
As Sasha frequently repeated 'I'm Sorry', over and over like a mad woman,
Olivier then remembered something his mother once told him when he and King quarreled over something.
And, so Olivier recited her words exactly...
"you know...they say the second hardest thing in the world is to say that: "I'm Sorry." spoke Olivier,
who then proceeded to embrace Sasha with Anne. "and, the first one...is to say that: "I forgive you."
That did it...In that moment, Sasha finally stopped and burst into tears.
Anne and Olivier tightened their embrace, letting Sasha cry in their arms.
Finally, after a full minute...Sasha became self-aware and looked at the pair with wide eyes.
"ah-Anne?...oh-Oliver?!"
[End of Part Thirty-Seven]