Chapter Text
"So... What was it that you had to discuss so secretly with Luz?", Anne asks presumptuously, shortly after she and Marcy have left Iva's house together.
"I had gotten her something from the palace. Something she thinks can help her...", Marcy tells, "Besides, yesterday, she had confided something to me that I had to think about for a while for myself, and I wanted to avoid a possibly awkward situation..."
Anne gasps sharply.
"Does she have a crush on you?", Anne asks in a feigned hurt tone, to which Marcy starts laughing.
"Oh no, not at all. It was about King Andrias... She thinks he's up to something bad.", Marcy explains.
"Oh, okay. I'm reassured then...", Anne says before moving on to change the subject, "So what did you bring Luz from the palace?"
"Anne?", Marcy asks teasingly, "Are you jealous of her?"
"Nonono", Anne repeats evasively, "I'm just.... curious?"
"Well, I'm not going to tell you."
"What? Why not?"
"Because it's something I want to give you later, too. And I don't want to spoil the surprise..."
"Oh, come on Marbles...", Anne puts on her sad puppy eyes. It's very effective.
'Oh no... Not those cute puppy eyes...', Marcy muses, and her inner restraints disappear.
"I surrender. Here.", Marcy pulls out a small metal card from her tiny shoulder bag, and hands it to Anne. It's the same one Marcy gave to Luz and Maddie earlier. Marcy explains.
"Luz had told me that you were also looking for a way back to Earth. With this card, you have unlimited access to the Royal Library, and you can use it to visit me at the palace anytime while you're in Newtopia."
Anne is speechless. She slides her fingers over the card for several seconds before pressing it to herself.
"I don't know what to say... This is amazing. Thank you so much...", Anne says happily, taking Marcy into a tight, grateful hug. "So, you haven't found a way home yet either, have you?"
"No.", Marcy confirms, "But I also have to admit that I haven't really had the head to do extensive research."
Marcy's gaze is fixed on the ground as she and Anne continue walking at a leisurely pace.
"You know, it's kinda funny... I was hoping to find you for so long, but now that I've found you, I have no idea what to do next... Well, except find a way home."
"Well, even if we should find a way back, it's useless without Sasha...", Marcy unfortunately realizes just too late what exactly she just said. Immediately she begins to regret it as she looks into Anne's eyes, in which tears are already forming, "I'm sorry, Anne... Luz had told me that something had happened between you two... I shouldn't have mentioned her- I'm so sorry."
"She did?", Anne merely asks, without a trace of negativity in her voice. "What did she tell you?"
"She just said that something happened, and that it didn't end well. Luz said I'd better hear it from you..."
"Hm... Part of me wishes she had told you...", Anne says with sadness in her voice. Marcy quickly looks around the area, remembering that there is a small park nearby that is hardly visited at this time of day. She takes Anne's hand and leads her into the park, and to a secluded bench where both girls sit down together.
"Do you want to talk about it?", Marcy asks softly, trying to be as supportive as possible. Anne leans her head onto Marcy's shoulder, who in turn leans her head against Anne's head.
"Sasha, she... ... I failed, Marcy. I failed and couldn’t... And- and Luz and Sprig... they suspected it, and they warned me... But I didn't listen-", Anne started to explain, before heavy tears begin to flow from her eyes. Marcy embraces her tightly, trying to comfort her.
"Shh, it's okay. You don't have to tell me if it's too hard for you...", Marcy whispers.
Anne takes a few moments to catch her breath, before continuing, "Sasha... She killed Hop Pop."
Marcy gasps sharply and tightens her embrace around Anne.
"I was so stupid, Marcy. Luz and Sprig suspected that Sasha was up to something... But I trusted her instead of them. I thought she was my friend and that she wouldn't hurt anyone...", heavy sobbing follows.
"It's alright, Anne. You couldn't have known...", Marcy reassures her, stroking her hair. But Anne shakes her head.
"No... ... Luz woke me up in the middle of the night. And... and there was blood on the floor- his blood... All the way from his room, out to the front door...", Anne hiccups, "Luz and I, we- we followed the trail of blood. and eventually, we- we..."
"You found them.", Marcy finishes her sentence. Anne nods shakingly, and takes a deep shuddering breath before continuing.
"We found her... Both of us... And Sasha, she just stood there... She dropped him onto the ground... There was a... a...", Anne hiccups again, "She stabbed him. In the back."
Anne buries her face into Marcy's shoulder, grabbing tightly onto her shirt as if she was trying to hold onto something for dear life. Marcy holds her close and tight, letting her cry her heart out, heavier that she ever seen her cry before.
As soon as Anne breaks the hug again, she moves back into an upright position and wipes some tears from her face. Marcy notices her hair start moving.
"Luz... she attacked her first, but I... I ran to him. He was barely breathing, and he was so pale. I knew he was going to die, Marcy... I just knew it... I was so scared, and I couldn't do anything to help him... But- but he smiled at me. He said he loved me... like- like his own... granddaughter"
At that very moment, Anne collapses into Marcy's embrace, her face buried in Marcy's shoulder again, just as a very strong blue shock wave spreads out from her, rippling through all of Newtopia and beyond. Marcy, being quite perplexed and close to tears herself, can only hold onto Anne, feeling as she clings onto her with more and more strength.
"A-Anne... please stop...", Marcy pleads as Anne continues crying, "I can't bear that you're torturing yourself like this..."
"You should- you have to know what happened...", Anne replies between sobs. Marcy falls silent and looks away, too afraid to speak. Seconds pass in silence and then, Anne continues.
"After that... he dies in my arms... ... and- and everything was blue. I was so... so full of hate. I attacked Sasha- I punched her again and again and again... I... broke her swords... I wanted to kill her, Marcy. I wanted to kill her so badly..."
"Oh, Anne..."
"... I... I passed out, right before... I was able to... to...", Anne can't finish her sentence, "And when I regained consciousness... she was gone. Sprig and Polly found us shortly after that... and after them, the whole village. Maddie was there too... She and Luz took Hop Pop's body somewhere... Luz came back after a while, and... And he was alive. I was so happy at that moment..."
Annes grief and sorrow slowly begin to subside as she recounts her story. Marcy, too, finds her tears slowly disappearing, and her heart finally starting to feel lighter. Yet Anne's body is still shaking. Marcy hugs Anne tightly.
"I'm so, so sorry, Anne...", Marcy puts her arms on Anne's shoulders, and she leans her forehead against Anne's. The tips of their noses are touching too. Anne looks up, and their eyes meet, "I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Anne... And I'll be there for you, anytime. Whenever you need me."
The two girls remain in their embrace for a long time. They were lucky that this part of Newtopia was almost empty at this time, as no one would disturb that comfortable silence.
"Anne?", Marcy whispers softly.
"Yes?", Anne replies, her voice still trembling a little. She wipes the last tears from her eyes.
"I... I missed you soo much."
"I missed you too, Marcy." Anne smiles, her face still wet from her tears, but she looks calmer now.
"A-and I think... I have something to confess to you. I... did something incredibly stupid and selfish and... maybe you'll hate me for it."
"Marcy, I could never hate you.", Marcy takes a deep breath.
'I want to believe you so much...', Marcy thinks to herself, before summoning up enough courage to finally tell Anne the truth.
"It's my fault that we were teleported to Amphibia. Please don't hate me...", Marcy squeezes her eyes shut, waiting for Anne's reaction and anticipation of something bad happening. It takes a while before Anne's voice breaks the silence again.
"What?", Anne asks softly and Marcy looks up, meeting Anne's gaze. "H-How could that be your fault?? No one could have known what would happen!"
Marcy hesitates for a second, lowering her eyes.
"M-Marcy? What did you do?", Annes voice is now filled with concern. Concern and confusion. Marcy takes a deep breath and finally let's it out.
"The day we left, your birthday, they told me my dad got a new job out of state... They were making me move away, they were gonna tear us apart... Then I... I found the box. I... I had no idea it would actually work, but it did... It sent us to a place where we'd never have to grow apart, where we could stay together forever... But... that was wrong. I ripped you and Sasha out of your lives, away from your parents... It's my fault, you had to go through so much pain and suffering... ... Just because I didn't want to be alone... I'm so sorry, Anne.", Marcy looks back up from the ground, into Anne's eyes, hoping she would understand... However, Anne's face doesn't show understanding, but rather shock and betrayal... "Can- can you ever forgive me?"
Anne jumps up from the bench and starts pacing, trying to understand what Marcy just told her. She doesn't say anything for a few moments, and Marcy starts to feel more and more scared.
"I... I can't believe it!", Anne stammers, shaking her head, "I-I mean... How could you? How could you do something so selfish and stupid?"
Marcy looks down again, and starts trembling, not knowing what to say.
"A-Anne... I-", Marcy stammers, but Anne interrupts her.
"No, Marcy... Stop. Don't say anything else. I... I need some time to think about this. I... I need to be alone right now."
Anne turns around and starts running away, leaving Marcy behind on the bench, feeling completely devastated. She curls up into a ball, her mind and heart racing in confusion and guilt. She should have told Anne the truth sooner, she shouldn't have let herself be so selfish... Marcy looks up to the sky, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I just didn't want to be alone...", she whispers, before burying her face in her hands.
The sun has already set, and the night has fully settled in, as Marcy slowly begins to realize that Anne isn't coming back. She slowly stands up, and starts walking back towards the palace, her head down and her heart heavy. She's already planning to cry herself to sleep once she's back in her own room.
'Great job Marcy. Not only is it my fault that Sasha might be dead, the most important person in my life hates me now... If I only had never found that stupid box...'
Arriving at the palace, she immediately makes her way straight to her room. To her surprise, she runs into King Andrias, who seems to notice the sadness in her body language.
"Marcy, it's late... Is something wrong?", he asks her in a concerned voice.
"Not now.", she replies void of emotion, not even looking up.
"Mar-"
"I said NOT NOW!", she yells, her voice echoing in the hallway. The King takes a step back, startled by Marcy's sudden outburst. She runs away from him, crying her eyes out as she runs up the stairs leading to her room.
Once she arrives in her room, she slams the door shut and falls onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and letting out a heart-wrenching sob and lets her tears flow freely. She had been so scared of being alone, but now she was alone and in pain, and it was all her own fault.
'Why do I always have to ruin everything??'
Marcy remains in the position, until she eventually gathers the strength to get back up and change into her pyjamas. Before she goes back to bed, there's a knock on her door.
She ignores it.
Another knock.
"Go away! I don't want to talk to anyone right now!", Marcy yells and buries her face in her pillow again.
"Marcy?"
Marcy's eyes are wide open in surprise as she recognizes the voice. She rapidly gets up from the bed and runs to the door, her pulse racing.
Marcy opens the door and Anne rushes in, her eyes red from crying, and she wraps her arms around Marcy, pulling her into a tight hug. Marcy freezes for a couple of seconds, before gradually returning the hug, wrapping her arms around Anne and burying her face in her shoulder.
"But... but I thought you hated me?", Marcy whispers, her voice trembling. Anne pulls away and looks into Marcy's eyes.
"I was angry and sad, Marcy. But I said I could never hate you, and I meant it."
"So... Can you forgive me?", Marcy asks, her voice still trembling. Anne smiles and wipes away the last tears from her eyes.
"No. But you are extremely important to me, Marcy. And you told me the truth when didn't have to. It... it will probably take me a while to forgive you, but this... this is a start."
Anne and Marcy stand in silence for a few moments, before they both break out of their hug.
"May I... stay here tonight?", Anne asks, "If not, it's not too far to-"
"YES!", Marcy interrupts her, her eyes beaming with joy, "Of course you can stay! I... I don't want to be alone tonight either."