One day ago, Frank completed the fourth and final temple. It was one of the most harrowing experiences of his life, facing all of his fears and being driven to near insanity. However, with hope in his heart to carry him to the end, Frank completed the maze and charged the stone. Losing his powers, and Leif, the voice of that power.
One month ago, Frank, Anne, and the Plantars returned to Wartwood after a long trip to Newtopia to find their missing friend, Marcy, and to find a way to return home.
Two months ago, they reunited with Sasha. It wasn't a happy reunion.
Five months ago, Frank and Anne were reunited and stayed together in Wartwood at the Plantar house. Since then, they've been fighting to protect each other, their new frog friends, and survive this dead world. Anne stole the music box that would teleport them to the froggy world of Amphibia on her birthday.
However, their journey started a few hours before Anne would steal the box from the thrift shop. Marcy was studying in the public library, her favorite after-school activity, even if it was to study for the PSAT. Despite the young girl being wicked smart and having a passion for knowledge, she'd rather put down the book in her hands and replace it and the others around her with new and exciting fantasy ones.
If there was one thing she loved about reading fantasy books, it was the worlds they created. Where magic is real, women are powerful, men are heroic, good triumphs over evil, and she doesn't have to worry about the hardships of the real world. In this dull world, it was in her books that she felt like she truly belonged. They offered her an escape from the monotony of everyday life, allowing her to immerse herself in vivid worlds filled with adventure, emotion, and meaning. In those pages, she discovered solace, inspiration, and a sense of connection that the real world often failed to provide, even with her friends by her side.
Speaking of her friends, her phone buzzed.
Looking up from the textbook, she saw she'd received a text message from her girlfriend, Sasha. It hadn't been more than a few days since she'd confessed her feelings for the blonde girl, and Marcy felt a sense of love and happiness whenever she got a message from her.
Sasha: [Stop Studying, cutie.]
Sasha: [IT'S ANNE'S BDAY!]
Sasha: [MEET US DOWNTOWN]
Sasha: [Love you]
Alright, it's time!" Marcy said with a grin as she stood up and began packing. "I can't wait to see the look on Anne's face when she sees that Sasha and I are dating! I can't wait for them to see Frank again! Eeeeh! This is gonna be the best day ever!"
However, a librarian walked past her table, pushing a cart filled with books. She wasn't paying attention to her work, and a slight nudge against the table caused a mysterious book to fall off. Luckily, it was seen by the young Taiwanese girl, who picked it up.
"Uh, excuse me, ma'am. Did you drop your… book?" Marcy paused as she looked at the cover of the book.
Dr. P's
Extraordinary Guide
To
Magic & Mystery
Marcy knew all about this book. It was part of a series she used to love. Mostly, it was about the occurrence of unusual and supernatural phenomena around the world.
Opening the book, Marcy couldn't help but laugh at some of the crazy stuff inside. Evil triangle guys from another dimension? Stone gargoyles that come to life at night? What's next, a world of witches? Fairies are real?
However, as absurd as it all sounded, one page made her stop and take a closer look.
"Whoa! 'Calamity Box'?" Marcy gasped. It was indeed the very same box. It was printed on the page, with the stones in their natural colors. The information about it was extremely scarce, except for its appearance. Nothing about its originals.
However, there was something else on the page, printed in bold text.
"'Travel to other worlds'?" she said aloud, almost sounding bewildered. But then Marcy giggled. "Hah! Oh, goofy stuff. Cool artwork, though." She took her phone out and took a picture of the page. This would make for an awesome Creatures and Caverns campaign.
However, just as she was taking the photo, her phone buzzed. A text from her father appeared.
Dad: [Come home. We need to talk.]
"Huh, wonder what this is all about," Marcy said, placing the book on the table and pulling up her hood. "Well, guess I'll head home before meeting up with the girls."
Running home, Marcy opened the door and announced herself. "Hey, Mom! Yeah, Dad!" she said, walking into the living room where her mother and father were waiting for her on the couch. "Guess what? It's Anne's birthday! And I've got the absolute best gift for her."
She didn't realize how troubled and serious her parents looked. "Uh, Marcy," said Mrs. Wu, a woman in her 30s who resembled her daughter quite a bit, but with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and longer hair. "We need to talk to you about something major that's come up."
"Oh, that can wait until after the party," Marcy said, putting her backpack down. "So, remember Frank Ramirez? I met him a few days ago, and I'm going to invite him to Anne's party!"
"That's great, Marcy, but we really do need to talk to you about something important," Mr. Wu said, a man the same age but taller than his wife, with red-rimmed glasses. "It's about my job."
Marcy paused what she was doing when she heard that. Her father, who worked in cybersecurity for a major shoe company, had been desperately searching for new work in his field. She didn't know why, since he never shared any details with her. Everything was kept confidential. All she knew was that he had been extremely stressed over the past few months, trying to find a new position.
"Did…you get fired?" Marcy asked, looking worried.
"Now, it's nothing like that," her dad said reassuringly. "It's… well, you'd better see for yourself."
Mr. Wu pulled out a vanilla envelope and stood up. When he pasted it to Marcy, his daughter didn't look at the sender address. She just pulled out the papers inside. Marcy looked them over and saw they had a letter of acceptance from a new company in…
Her eyes widened and her heart dropped. "You…"
"That's right," Mr. Wu said, smiling as his wife stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I got a new job. Now, granted, it's going to be out-of-state, and will be a bit of a trip, but I…"
Marcy's ears began ringing. Her heart pounded as she processed the information. Out-of-state? A bit of a trip? The acceptance letter said the new job was in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. That's practically on the other side of the country. She couldn't believe they were moving that far away. Her mind raced with thoughts of leaving everything she knew behind.
She would have to leave Anne and Sasha.
Anne, her best friend since kindergarten, who'd look out for her for years and was like a sister to Marcy.
Sasha, the girl she had been crushing on ever since she realized she was gay, whom she had just started dating.
These were the two most important people in Marcy's life. She looked at her parents. They were still so excited about this move. They were celebrating the worst thing they could do to her: tearing her away from her best friends. Smiling as they prepared to do it.
"This isn't real, right? This…This has to be a joke, right?" Marcy finally asked, stopping her parents' excitement. The confused looks on their faces confirmed her worst fears. "You…You're really making me move away?"
Mr. Wu looked at his wife, who seemed a bit worried. "Listen, Marcy," Mr. Wu said in a serious voice, "we were kind of expecting this reaction, but surely you understand that this is a huge opportunity for us."
"Well, it's a terrible opportunity for ME!" Marcy cried, unable to hold back her emotions as tears filled her eyes. Startling her parents. "How could you do this to me? What about Anne and Sasha? I can't just leave them! I love them!"
Mrs. Wu stepped in and said, "Listen, everything can't just be about what you want, Marcy. This will be good for us."
"Well, then, if I cannot be with Anne and Sasha, I'm not going anywhere!" Marcy shouted, running for the door.
Her father tried to stop her. "Marcy, you have to understand—"
"NO!" Marcy screamed, throwing open the door and running out of the house, crying. "You guys are ruining my life!"
"Marcy, wait," her mother cried.
"Get back here, young lady!" Mr. Wu shouted, but it was already too late.
Marcy didn't turn back. She just kept running, trying to get away from them. She hated reality—hated it so much. A life without her best friend and girlfriend was too painful, too overwhelming. How could her parents ask her to give all that up? It wasn't far; it wasn't far at all. It was unacceptable!
After a lot of running, Marcy stopped at the thrift shop, panting with tears streaming down her face. She leaned against the window, pressing her forehead to it as her worries filled her mind.
"How could they do this?" She says to herself. "I'm in a good place, I'm about to have Frank back as a friend, and I finally got together with my Sasha! Why are they taking it from me?!"
Marcy tried to relax and looked up to see the Latino boy reorganizing some items. She dreaded the thought of having to tell him that she was moving away, but she knew she had to. If she were going to be gone forever, she could at least help him reconnect with the other girls. It's the least she can do before leaving everything else behind. But her parents weren't going to let her have a say. She had no choice. Her parents took away all her options.
Marcy stepped back and was about to enter the building, until her eyes caught a glimpse of something shiny. Looking at it, she saw that it was an ornate music box sitting atop a shelf. A very familiar-looking music box.
"That's weird. Is that the…"
Marcy gasped as she pulled out her phone and held it up next to the box in the shop. Comparing the two, she was genuinely shocked.
It was the Calamity Box.
Unable to believe it, Marcy looked at the photo on her phone again. It had to be the box. No thought of it being a replica or not crossed her grief-stricken mind.
She gets a text from Sasha.
Sasha: [WHERE ARE YOU?!]
Marcy gasped as a new thought ran past her mind. Inside the shop was the box. And, if the book's claims were true, it could allow people to travel to other worlds.
It could allow her to travel to other worlds.
No...
It could allow all three of them to travel to other worlds.
A dark smirk spread across her face as she began texting a reply. "I think I just found the perfect birthday present for Anne," she said, snapping a picture of the box.
Then, she pressed send, and the rest is history.
Cowboy Alchemist presents
Living in a Frog World
Part 2 Chapter 23:
CALAMITY RISES
Several Months Later…
Things were busy at the Frog Liberation Alliance base. Each member was going about their own business, while Myra was reviewing some reports in her tent. None of them made the least bit of sense.
First, there were reports that the humans were flying back to Newtopia. This was great news for the FLA. If Marcy kept up her word to talk to the king, they could bring him to the negotiation table and finally achieve the goal of this movement. Equal rights for frogs and the abolition of the cast system.
However, something felt very wrong. They were traveling with Grime and his human lieutenant, Sasha Waybright. Why? She could understand why the girl was coming along, but the former Toad Lord? That was troubling. Her first thought was that they were taking him in for the bounty, but according to the reports, he wasn't in cages and had a weapon. This meant they trusted him to carry one.
The second report was what troubled her the most.
The Toad Army was on the move, heading toward Newtopia. It was Bufō, the Lord of the East Tower, who led the march. Did the King want to see him and his troops?
No updates from the North Tower, but her scouts reported that they were gathering their weapons and preparing for something big.
However, the news of the West Tower made her very worried. There were no garrisons there. Almost all soldiers had left, with only a few troops stationed to guard it. Not even Beatrix was there.
Grime was heading to the capital with the humans, where they would ask Andrias to cooperate with the FLA. Now, the Toad Army was on its way to Newtopia. Myra genuinely didn't understand what was happening outside the valley. She should be happy that all the toad resistances were leaving Frog Valley, but it could only mean those soldiers were meeting up with the rest of the army.
The leader of the FLA suspected the Toad Army was gearing up for a major offensive. Their departure and the missing garrison indicated a coordinated plan. But at Newtopia? The capital and the king's castle? How? Why? She couldn't get rid of the feeling that something big was about to happen. The valley's brief calm might just be the quiet before a storm.
"Commander Myra!" an FLA soldier called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We've brought in a toad who wishes to seek an audience with you."
"Is that so?" Myra asked, standing up from her desk, curious why a toad wants to see her, especially since she's been giving them a hard time. "Well then, bring him in."
Then two more soldiers entered the tent, and behind them was a toad unfamiliar to Myra. But from the look on his face, he seemed to have been through a lot.
"Uh, hi?" Percy said nervously, waving at the FLA's leader.
"So, hon, what is a Toad Army soldier like you doing in a place like this?" Myra asked him, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"I'm not with the Army," Percy told her, before reaching for his missing arm and thinking about how Sasha had abandoned him and seriously hurt Braddock. "Not anymore."
"And why should I believe that?"
"Because I have information on the other toads—information on how they're gonna take over Newtopia and, consequently, rule Amphibia."
This news shocked Myra as much as it did her fellow rebels. Once again, she thought about her reports. Grime was heading to the capital with the humans, and three armies were en route to Newtopia. Her eyes widened as the realization sank in.
This was a coup, and the humans were walking right into the toads' trap. Or were they involved? Or, maybe, just one. Sasha Waybright. Now it all makes sense.
"Tell me everything," she said, beginning a long night of Percy explaining the Toad Army's plans to conquer Newtopia and overthrow King Andrias. The more she listened, the more her own plan began to take shape—one that would finally get the king's attention by showing the FLA not as rebels, but as liberators.
Frank, the girls, the Plantars, and Captain Grime all screamed as Joe Sparrow crash-landed in the water outside Newtopia. Frobo pulled the exhausted bird out of the water.
Soaked, just like the others, Marcy said, "For Joe's sake, no one else is allowed to join."
"Agree," Frank said, standing up and taking his girlfriend's hand. "Ready, mí amor?"
Anne blushed and giggled as she held Polly. "Yes, we shall," she said, placing her hand in his. Polly gagged at their romance. Together with Sprig, they slid down Joe's wing, shouting "Whee!"
Sasha and Grime leapt into the water on the other side. Mimicking a toddler, Hop Pop did a grabbing gesture with his arms that asked Anne to take him out of the "Hop Pocket. She did so, placing the old frog in the water.
With everyone ready, Frank looked at the gates. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. Two months ago, he'd come to the city for answers and to find Marcy. Now, everything was falling into place. He had his friends again, Sasha agreed to turn herself in, and they had a way to go home.
"What's wrong?" Anne asked, placing a worried hand on his arm. Frank hadn't realized he had tears in his eyes.
"Oh, nothing," he said, wiping his tears away. "I just... I can't believe this is really happening."
"I know, right?! Whoo! Back to Newtopia!" Marcy exclaimed as she ran to the front gate at a brisk pace. Stopping in front of the giant doors, she turned and smiled at the others. "Alright, let's go over the plan one more time. First, I'm gonna get us into the city. Anne's got the music box ready to give to King Andrias."
Anne took out the Calamity Box from her backpack. "Yep."
While Anne placed the box in her backpack, Marcy pointed to her smug girlfriend and her toad captain. "And finally, Sasha and Grime, hoods up till after we give the king the music box. Once I tell him how much you helped, he'll definitely clear you."
"Copy that," Sasha said, while covering herself with her hood.
"Will do," said Grime, covering himself with his hood too.
The way they smirked and smiled left an uneasy feeling in Frank's mind as he looked at them. Something didn't seem right about those two. What exactly it was, he wasn't sure.
"Anything else we're missing, Frank?" asked Marcy, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He turned to her and said, "Well, we did promise Myra that Andrias would talk to the FLA, so you know, don't forget that."
"Yup, yup, don't worry," Marcy said, turning around and starting to walk toward the gates. The others followed her as she called up to the guard stationed there. "Marcy Wu and crew reporting to King Andrias."
The guard nodded at his colleague, who stood next to a large lever. Pushing it to the left activated the mechanical system. This was one of Marcy's designs to improve life in the city.
The gate opened for the humans and amphibians, allowing them to walk inside and approach the castle. The streets of the capital were extremely busy, as always, with newts going about their business and guards patrolling. However, Frank noticed that there were toads in hoods on almost every street corner. It wasn't hard to tell them apart from the frogs and newts, as they were a bulkier species of amphibians.
"What an amazing adventure. Makes you wish it could last forever, huh?" Marcy asked Anne.
"Hmm, I'm not sure I'd go that far. But yeah," Anne said, smiling as she grabbed Frank's hand. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at the girl he loved and saw Anne looking at him with loving eyes and a blush. "It was all worth it." Frank returned that same smile.
"What about you, Frank? Are you sure you want to go home to your parents?"
"Well, yeah," Frank said. "I'm sure they'd be thrilled to see me."
"Yeah, but do you really want to go back to them? I mean, no offense, Franky, but they basically just cut you out of their lives." Frank paused for a moment. While he wanted to argue her logic, Marcy did have a valid point. Because of Sasha's actions, his parents disowned him and turned their backs on him.
"Yeah, but we can fix everything. Once Sasha confesses to them and the police, they'll understand and let me back in," Frank said with a hopeful smile.
Marcy then became serious. "Okay, is this about reuniting with your parents or clearing your name? Because it sounds like the latter."
"Come on, Mar-Mar," Sasha said. "All Frank wants is justice, right, amigo?"
Before Frank could answer, Polly suddenly groaned, stopping him.
"Whoa, Polly, what's wrong?" Sprig asked his little sister.
Polly groaned as she started scratching herself. "My butt is so itchy!"
This grossed out Sprig, while his grandfather pulled a tube of Olde Creame out of his pocket. "I've got some ointment that'll fix that right up," said Hop Pop, squeezing out a bit of the old, rancid-smelling ointment, much to the horror of the little girl.
"Hop Pop, no! It stinks!" She screamed and ran away with Hop Pop chasing her.
Frank, Anne, Sprig, and Marcy laughed as they watched the two run around.
"I can't believe we did it," Sprig said, looking at Frank and Anne. That was until a sad look of realization formed on his face. "After all our adventures, this is the end…"
"Yeah…" Frank said, looking down with a sad expression of his own. Going home has been what he's wanted for five months, but now that he's finally able to go back, he realizes he'll have to say goodbye to his froggy family.
Anne, noticing how gloomy her boyfriend and best friend were becoming, wrapped her arms around them. "Whoa, what's with all the sad faces? Just because the adventure's over, doesn't mean we can't see each other. As long as we've got that music box, I'll be able to visit."
Frank gasped with wide eyes as he grinned. "You can even come visit me in my world," he told his froggy brother. The Latino picked up Sprig and placed him on the back of his head.
Sprig gasped, and his eyes widened with stars in them. "That'll be awesome!"
"Right? I'll take you to fast food," Anne said, grabbing Frank's hand.
"I don't know what that is, but yay!" Sprig said as the group started walking toward the castle. With the realization that they don't have to say goodbye forever, the human couple was even more determined to get back home. The idea of new adventures with the Plantars on Earth was growing exponentially.
Walking into the throne room, the group saw the king on his coral chair, with two guards on either side of him, and Lady Olivia standing to his right, looking fabulous as always.
"My friends, wonderful to see you," he said with a grin and stood up. "I trust you were successful."
Anne pulled the Calamity Box out of her backpack and presented it to the king. "Boom, baby!"
"The charged music box," Andrias said, as the stones' lights shimmered and he became ecstatic. He couldn't believe it. His gamble of letting the humans charge the stones had paid off. And now, they were bringing the box back to him on a silver platter. "Well done. Well done! Now, let's finally send you four home."
He extended her hand to Anne, waiting for her to place the box on it. Frank and Anne stood side by side, sharing a smile as the Thai girl began to give him the box. At last, they were finally heading home...
Suddenly, a long tongue shot out and grabbed the box, snatching it from Anne's hands. Everyone gasped as they watched Grime retract his tongue and hand the box to Sasha.
"Sasha, what are you doing?!" Anne exclaimed, utterly shocked.
No longer having to pretend, Sasha—taking off her hood—said with a satisfied smirk, "What I do best, taking control. Now, Grime!"
Everyone was too stunned to react when Grime removed his hood and revealed the Hammer of Dawn. Swinging it over his head, he brought it down with force, hitting the floor hard and causing a tremor. Everyone screams as the weapon punches a crater into the floor.
A couple of guards rush to stop Sasha and Grime, but Sasha's superior fighting skills easily defeat them. The first guard she cut across the chest before they could attack, and the second she blocked their thrust and then stabbed them.
"What the hell's going on here?!" Hop Pop exclaimed as the guards fell dead.
"Sasha's betrayed us!" Frank yelled, pulling Hellcat's Claw off his back.
He was about to take down Sasha when a roar echoed through the throne room. Everyone turned around and saw King Andrias growling like an enraged beast. He was already furious when he saw Barrel's hammer, but he refused to let these upstarts overthrow him. He roared again and charged at disgraced Toad Load. Headbutting Grime and sending him flying into a pillar, cracking it.
Sasha was surprised by this animalistic attack, before Frank stepped towards her. "Drop the box, Sasha!" Frank yelled, pointing Hellcat's Claw at the traitor.
King Andrias turned to Frank and gasped when he saw the boy pull out the legendary scythe.
"So it is true..." he whispered to himself. "The boy carries the scythe."
But Sasha, determined not to let Frank win again, said, "Very poor choice of words, amigo!"
She ran to the right, onto the balcony. Everyone turned to the blonde girl, wondering what she planned to do. There was nowhere to go. But, to the shock and horror of Frank, Anne, and Marcy, Sasha moved to the safety rail and held the Calamity Box over the edge.
"Yeah, you see this? I'm in control here," Sasha said, glaring at everyone. "And you're not going to do anything unless you want me to smash this piece of shit into pieces!"
"No!" Anne yelled in complete and total shock as she, Marcy, and Frank rushed over to stop her.
"Sasha, don't do it!" Marcy pleaded, unable to believe her own girlfriend would do this. Why was she doing this?
"She's not going to," King Andrias said, glaring back at Sasha. "She's bluffing."
"Try me," Sasha challenged.
The group and Sasha faced off against each other. Sasha remained still, poised to drop the box as the wind flowed through her cape. Frank, with Hellcat ready, wanted to attack her immediately. But with the box in danger, he couldn't do anything without risking his way home.
"We had a deal, Sasha!" Frank shouted. "You swore you could be trusted!"
"Hey, come on. I needed to say something to earn your trust."
"So, wait a minute. All that stuff you were saying when you came over for dinner, about clearing my name when we got back home, was all a lie?!"
"Well, yeah. No, wait." Sasha hesitated a moment before answering. "Yeah, yeah. It was all a lie."
"YOU PROMISED ALL OF US!" Frank yelled, his voice echoing throughout the kingdom.
Sasha was surprised at first, then smirked. "Next time, get it in writing," she said with an evil smirk. "Oh, and I suggest that you hand over that scythe."
"Over my dead body," Frank said.
"Oh, it's not gonna be your dead body."
Suddenly, Grime seized his moment and swung the warhammer into Andrias' ankle. "AAARGH!" yelled the king, falling to the ground.
"King Andrias!" Marcy screamed.
"Both of you, stop this!" Anne yelled.
"What will it be, Frank? Give me the Hellcat's Claw, or lose your ticket home forever?" Sasha smiled devilishly.
Frank clenched his fists around the scythe and gritted his teeth. Once again, he's stuck in an impossible situation, just like before on Earth. He could rush to attack Sasha and grab the music box, but she would most likely drop it before he could catch it. He still remembers the terrifying visions he saw in the Fourth Temple, where his grandmother took her own life. He never wants to see that again. He can't lose her the way he lost his grandpa; he refused to. After a long, tense silence, Frank closed his eyes and gave in.
He raised his hand slightly and held out the legendary artifact to Sasha.
Smirking, she took the weapon. Sasha was impressed. It was surprisingly balanced and lightweight. "The Hellcat's Claw, the symbol of the Frog Kings of the Old Kingdoms," she said with a smile. "Legend said that whoever wielded this blade would rule all of Amphibia."
She threw the scythe off the balcony.
"And I took the throne without it," Sasha said with smugness. "Grime, if you would?"
"With pleasure," Grime said with an evil grin. Walking over to join Sasha on the balcony, the toad captain let out a bellowing roar that echoed throughout the capital. The signal for the rebellion to begin.
All over the city, Toad Soldiers from the North Tower heard Grime's roar. At last, the time has come. Throwing off their cloaks, they attacked. Killing the Newtopian Guards near them, sending the citizens into a panic as the soldiers started ransacking everything they could get their hands on.
More Newtopian Guards came out to try to stop the carnage as people ran past them. They were stopped, however, when Grime's voice called out to all of them.
"SOLDIERS OF NEWTOPIA, PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS THIS INSTANT, OR THE NEXT THING I SMASH IS YOUR KING'S HEAD!" he yelled to all of them while standing on the back of the injured king.
To make his threat clearer, he pointed at King Andrias with his warhammer.
Seeing their king down and wanting to avoid harming him, the Newtopian Guards knew they had no other option. They dropped their spears and raised their hands. Toad Soldiers started laughing and cornered the Newtopian Guards. But they didn't kill them like their comrades. Their punishment will be the reality that they could do nothing as they took the city.
"Excellent," Grime said, grinning. Everything was going according to plan. There was just one last thing he had to do. "OPEN THE GATES!"
Up on the city walls, two Toad Soldiers pulled the lever to open the gate, leaving the city vulnerable to the invading force approaching. To keep the doors open, they jammed a sword into the mechanism's slot at the base.
The doors to the throne room were slammed open, and more toads entered the castle. They forced giant shackles onto the king's arms, binding them behind his back.
"So you think you've won, do you?" Andrias asked, looking at the toad.
"Sure do," Grime told him with a sense of superiority. "And if you think things are bad now, in a couple of hours, the rest of our army will be at your doorstep. Take him to the dungeon, and be sure to find an extra-large cell."
"You'll never get away with this!" yelled Andrias as he was being led away.
Passing Marcy, the king spared a glance at the young girl, giving her a nod. She returned it to him.
"Well, frogs, say hello to the new rulers of Amphibia," began Grime. "Pretty hot, right?"
"Sorry about that. Things got a little crazy back there," Sasha said, acting all casual with her friends, as if she didn't just betray them.
Frank gave her a disappointed look.
"What? I wasn't gonna really smash this thing," said Sasha in a mocking voice. "Come on, don't you trust me?"
"You have to trust someone to be betrayed, Sasha," Frank said in a growl. "And I never did."
"Oh, get off your soapbox, amigo," said Sasha, rolling her eyes. "Just because I felt terrible about putting you in juvie, doesn't mean it'll be the same now. I thought we could try to make amends and be the friends we once were. Until you told me to turn myself in!"
"Is that why you did it, Sasha?" Frank said. "Why are you doing all of this?"
"Tsh. Of course, you would ask something like that. Have you ever asked if maybe, just maybe, I like my life here? That I may not want to go back home? Back to a mom who hates me for existing. A dad who's not there most of the time. Ever thought that maybe I didn't want to go home and rule a school? Perhaps I want to stay here and rule a kingdom. Queen Sasha sounds pretty good to me," said Sasha.
"And for that, you stabbed everyone in the back," Sprig protested angrily. "That's low, if you ask me."
"And your opinion matters, why?" Sasha asked dismissively as she walked over to Marcy and Anne and wrapped her arms around them. "Let's not call this a betrayal. How about a...change of plans? What do you girls say?"
"What do I say?! Are you serious?!" exclaimed Anne, pulling Sasha's arm off her.
"Sheesh, don't be a sore loser," said Sasha as she approached the now-empty throne and casually sat down on it. "I'm gonna stick around and help get this toad regime off the ground, but I can totally send you home if you want, Frank. While I keep Anne and Marcy here with me."
The more Sasha talked, the angrier Anne got. Was that really her plan? Trap her in Amphibia? Take away her boyfriend?! Her Frank?! Just the thought of that made her blood boil so much her cheeks turned red, much to Marcy's concern. She didn't know what to do. This was going way too far.
But Frank? Frank just glared at her in disappointment. It was as if he wasn't even surprised by her actions.
"Or, you can stay here with me and them, Frank," Sasha said. "I mean, I know we've had our disagreements, and we'll need to fix that with you, but once you hear out my plan—"
"Your plan," Frank interrupted, stepping towards her, "is that we do as you say."
"Frank, can't you see what I'm offering you, Anne, and Marcy?" Sasha asked. "A chance to be more. Think about it. Other than maybe your family, what's really waiting for you back on Earth? I'm giving you a chance to have a better life."
"By putting me on your leash?"
Sasha seemed unfazed by this response. "Seriously, Frank, if you just listen to me and just go along with my plan…"
"AND THEN WHAT?!" Frank exploded after being unable to hold in his rising anger, startling everyone in the room. "You never think these things through! You keep saying you have a plan, but for what? Do you mean like your plan to have Anne fly around in the school play? Or that plan to throw that party on the school's roof? Or better yet, your plan to steal those shoes? This is exactly what happened when you made Anne steal the music box?! You had a plan to get what you wanted, and then you had nowhere to go!"
"Hey, I would've figured something out!" Sasha said, feeling offended by that.
"But you didn't!" Frank shouted again. "All you do is try to get what you want, no matter who gets hurt."
"I know what I'm doing," replied Sasha unconvincingly.
Frank sighed and shook his head. "Anne always told me that there was still some good in you," he said, turning to his girlfriend. "That you just needed time and you would become a better person."
Anne looked away in shame, realizing that Frank was right all along to never trust Sasha.
"...and I wanted to believe that," Frank admitted, surprising not only Anne but Sasha too. "I wanted to believe that the Sasha I knew is still inside the horrible person that you've become. But now, all this secret planning, all that talk about being sorry, about wanting to be a better person... was any of it real? Was all that just lies? Did…Was your apology even real?" He looked at Sasha with a hurt expression.
That remark deeply hurt Sasha. "You…really think my apology was fake," she asked.
"Of course, he doesn't!" Marcy quickly said as she approached Frank, trying to soothingly calm him down. "Frank, you know she meant it," she added, her voice filled with desperation and fear as she worked to deescalate the situation.
"Then prove it! I never wanted to give you this, but I'm offering you a second chance now..."
Frank walked up to the first step of the giant throne. He then held out his hand to her.
"Sasha, please, come home with us," he pleaded with Sasha. "It's not too late to stop this."
Silence filled the throne room as the two rivals stared at each other. Frank's expression was steady but gentle. Sasha's, however, was conflicted and mixed. She couldn't even look at him as she thought about what he said and what she should do.
In the end, she knew her answer.
"Sorry, Frank, but this is what I want," the blonde said with a darkening expression. "And if you're not on my side, fine! Then you can say goodbye to Anne forever, right now!"
Frank's eyes widened in disbelief. "You wouldn't," he said.
"MY box, MY rules!" Sasha said, holding up the box for emphasis with a cruel smile. "Say hi to your parents for me, amigo!"
Before she could open the box and send the Hispanic boy back to Earth, Anne stood in front of Frank. Glaring at Sasha with trembling fists.
"Anne? What are you doing?!" Sasha yelled.
"If you're really going to send him back, then you're going to have to send me back too!" Anne said, glaring at the blonde girl.
Sasha was surprised at first but glared at her. "Anne, get out of my way."
"No!"
"What did you just say?" Sasha growled.
"Ooohh, snap..." Polly muttered as her brother and grandfather exchanged awkward glances.
"You heard me! After everything you've done, you really think I'm going to spend another second with him?!" Anne asked in total disbelief. "I say you're clearly fucking insane if you think I'm gonna let you bully me and everyone else just to get what you want, especially after what you did to my boyfriend long ago!"
"Anne, I know you're upset..."
"Upset? UPSET?! I'm more than just upset! I'm completely livid! I thought you'd changed, Sasha — turned over a new leaf. But instead, you lied, AGAIN! I can't believe I let you manipulate us like we were back in school! But that's nothing compared to what you did to Frank. How could you do all that to him?! Do you not understand all the pain and suffering you caused him? Because of you, both his parents and everyone at home hate him! His life is ruined because of you, and you don't even care to make it right!" Anne screamed. "He's a much better person than I am, because I would never speak to you again. Hell, I don't ever want to after today! So, send me back with him, if you!"
"Enough!" Sasha yelled, getting angrier to hide the guilt. "Guards, get her and lock her up in the dungeon..."
Hesitantly, Marcy joined Anne. Standing beside her best friend, much to the shock of the blonde girl.
"Marcy? What are you doing?" Sasha asked.
"I...I love you, Sasha, but this is all wrong!" Marcy declared. "You can't do this! She's our friend!"
"I can and I will!" Sasha shouted. "Get out of the way!"
"I'm not going to!" Marcy said. "Sasha, I promised Frank he wouldn't regret giving me a second chance, and I'm not going to let him down again."
Sasha was completely stunned. Everyone in the room was surprised by this. Frank and Anne were also taken aback. But the more she looked at her and saw how much she was willing to defy her, the more Sasha grew enraged by what she saw as an act of betrayal.
"If that's the way you feel, FINE! You can go back with them, because we're through, Marcy!" screamed the blonde girl, shattering Marcy's heart into a million pieces. "I don't need you! I don't need any of you! And if none of you want to stay here, then I'll send you all home!"
"Sasha, wait!" cried Marcy. Frank and Anne turned to see the Plantars, who had worried expressions on their faces. This couldn't be happening, could it?
"NO!" Anne cried as she ran over to her frog family, while her boyfriend pushed Marcy behind himself and deployed his shield.
"NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Sasha screamed. By this time, Anne had made it to the Plantars. She threw her arms around the frog family, and they all braced themselves for the inevitable.
"NOOO!" Marcy screamed, but it was too late.
Sasha threw open the box as she aimed it at the little group. Together, the heroes waited for the bright light that would send them home…
…but nothing happened.
"Huh?" Frank asked as he, Anne, and Marcy all opened their eyes. Sasha opened her eyes as well, confused by what hadn't happened.
"Whaaat?" Sasha questioned as she looked at the music box. She tried flapping the lid, but it didn't work. She tried turning the key, but it didn't work. She tried shaking the box, but it still didn't work. "Well, that was embarrassing. Maybe some time in the dungeon will clear your head until I can figure out how to use this thing. And when you're ready to start listening to me, then you can come out. Guards, get them out of here!"
With that, a group of toad soldiers moved in around the Plantars, Frobo, and Lady Olivia. Four more began walking toward Sasha's former friends. But as he looked into her glaring, angry eyes, Frank started to feel a mix of emotions. He had always hated her for what she did to him, and there's no guarantee that fury would fade. Still, somehow, deep inside, Frank wanted to believe that Sasha had changed—that the friend he knew was still there and that she wanted to come back out.
It looks as though he was wrong all along.
"Then my friend never truly existed," Frank said with a look of defeat. "Goodbye…Queen Waybright."
The toads dragged him and the girls away. Sasha watched as the boy she had wronged so much was marched out of the throne room and toward the dungeon with her former best friend and ex-girlfriend. When Marcy looked back at Sasha with pleading eyes, the blonde said nothing. Sasha had to stay strong. If Marcy wasn't going to follow her, then she needed to learn as well. This was all for the greater good.
She was finally getting everything she wanted.
It just cost her everyone she loved.
Sprig, standing on Hop Pop's shoulders, grabbed the ceiling bars of the cage that Polly, Lady Olivia, and both of them were in. He tried to pull the bars off, bend them, or do anything to get free. But when they wouldn't budge, he pulled himself up off his grandfather's shoulders. Hooking his feet onto the bars with his toes, Sprig tried using all four limbs to pull them down.
"Gotta—get—outta—here!"
The two cages sat in the center of the castle's dark, frightening dungeons. Suspended in the air by metal chains, Toad Soldiers marched around, patrolling, while some laughed at the human girl's attempt to escape.
The Plantars and Lady Olivia were in one cage, while the humans were in another. Frobo was chained up next to them, unable to move.
Hop Pop said, "Sprig, would you calm down?"
"You can't lock us up like this!" Sprig shouted after ten seconds in the cage. "Let me go! What about my Miranda rights?! You're supposed to tell me I have the right to remain silent! And no one has!"
"Sprig! You do have the right to remain silent," Frank said, getting him to stop. The Hispanic boy was sitting in his cage against the bars. "What you lack is the capacity to do so."
Anne sat apart from the others, glaring at her single shoe and sock. "Everything," she said, steaming. "Every single thing she said about earning my trust back... was all an act."
Frank sighed and hit the back of his head against the bars. "Lo sabía. I goddamn knew it," he said, hitting himself again. "Deep down, I knew something was off."
"I was her best friend... and she used me."
"I told you she couldn't be trusted!" Sprig said. "I sure as hell didn't want to trust her."
"Never trust someone when they try to off you once," Polly said.
"Didn't you guys try to kill us when we first met?" Frank asked.
"What's your point?"
Hearing sobbing, Frank turned to Marcy. She was completely heartbroken over her and Sasha's breakup and had curled up against the bars, crying into her arms. "I just... I just can't believe Sasha would do this. I thought she wanted to... I thought we were..." She started crying again.
Frank gave her a sympathetic look. Although he hadn't approved of their relationship from the start, he understood how crushed she was over their breakup. The two of them truly seemed to love each other. At least, until Sasha turned on her.
"I thought she'd changed," Anne continued, growing angrier. "She said she'd changed…but she... lied to my face."
"How could we have been so gullible?" Hop Pop said, hugging his knees.
Turning to lean his back against the bars, Frank sighed and slid down to sit. "I told myself I would never go back to jail. And Sasha managed to get me locked up twice," he said, looking down with a bitter, defeated expression.
The silence lasted only a moment before they all heard paper ripping. The group turned and saw Anne tearing pages out of her journal—pages about Sasha and her hopes that she would have changed and become a better person. All her hopes and dreams focused on them becoming best friends again. Once she finished, Anne tore the pages into even smaller pieces, letting them fall through the barred floor of the cage.
"What is wrong with me?!" Anne screamed, grabbing her head.
"A-Anne?" Marcy asked, halting her crying.
"I just had to give that bitch another shot. I can't believe I fell for her manipulation! AGAIN! I haven't changed at all. If I had, I wouldn't have let her back into our lives! I would have seen through her lies!"
"Hey, none of us knew she was gonna do this!" Marcy protested, still trying to defend her ex-girlfriend.
"Yeah?! Well, this never would've happened if we'd just left her out!" Anne retorted, standing up and pacing around. "How could she think that leading a revolution would make things better?!"
"You can't blame yourself for what happened, Anne," Frank said. "Sasha and Grime have been planning this invasion behind our backs from the start."
"Ugh, that's just great! They've been planning to stab us in the back, and I couldn't have seen it," Anne said. "What's Sasha going to do now that she's in control?"
"We can't think about what she's going to do!" Frank said, standing up. "We need to be thinking about what we're going to do!"
"Why are you so calm about all of this?! Sasha hurt you the most, yet here you are, not freaking out like you're supposed to be!"
"You don't think I'm not angry? I'm furious, Anne, but I can't focus on that now."
"Then what can you focus on?!"
"Well, don't you want to stop Sasha or not?
"NO, I WANT TO LEAVE HER!" Anne suddenly yelled with all her fury as she spun around to face Frank, her voice echoing through the dungeon and shocking everyone inside. "She doesn't want to go back home? FINE! Sasha can stay here, in chains, and as we're leaving to go home, I want her to see us leaving her here in this world to face the consequences for her crimes. I'll just tell her parents that she died, and we'll just forget she even existed. I want her to suffer and to rot in the darkest hole in Amphibia before she dies, alone and forgotten! It's better for all of us that way."
Silence filled the dungeon.
"Do you really mean that?" Frank asked with a hint of disappointment. "Are you really set on leaving Sasha in Amphibia?"
"That's right! I am!" Anne snapped. "Maybe that's what I need!"
"Aren't you concerned that she'll be executed?" asked Olivia. "She's committing treason, and the punishment is death."
"Maybe that's what she deserves!"
Marcy gasped, horror visible on her face as she looked at her friend. "Anne, you're starting to sound like Filip," Sprig said, sounding scared.
"It's not the same! Filip attacked the innocent, and he paid the price for it! That's exactly what Sasha is doing and what she—"
"ANNE!" Frank shouted, stopping her rant. He went to stand in front of her, lifted a finger, and said, "Blow out the candle."
"Frank, now's not the time for—"
"Blow. Out. The candle," Frank repeated more sternly.
Anne looked at him, then at his finger, then back to him with a look of frustration. Seeing that there's no way around this, the Thai girl took a breath and exhaled in a sigh. From there, she began to calm down.
Frank then smiled and asked, "There, better?"
"Somewhat," Anne said.
"Listen, Loca, I'm angry at Sasha too. Hell, out of everyone here, I have the most reasons to want her dead. But even now, I'm not gonna let it push me into doing something I'll regret."
"What makes you think I will regret it?"
"Because I know you, Anne. You're a person with a good heart. And if you go through with what you're saying, it'll just haunt you forever, and I don't want that for you," he said. Anne turned her face from his, but Frank gently turned it back, continuing with a smile. "We'll stop this coup, and we'll do it the right way, okay?"
Anne felt her anger die down, becoming grateful for her boyfriend being there with her. She sighed in shame. "I'm sorry, Frank," Anne said, placing her hand on his. "This is all my fault."
"Why?" Frank asked, confused. "You didn't betray everyone for power."
"Yeah, but I did give Sasha the opportunity to do so. I thought…I genuinely believed we could have fixed our friendship and gotten back to how it used to be before things fell apart," Anne said, a tear rolling down her face.
"Oh, Anne…"
"I thought she was better than that, but she's not," Anne said, leaning against her boyfriend, who held her close. "She never was! I was too blinded by having her back to see the truth. And look where that got me. I ended up hurting everyone. I hurt you most of all. I did it when I told you to be nice to Sasha—to keep being around her. I forced that on you when it wasn't fair. I'm so sorry, Frank. You were right about Sasha all along. She really is a bad person."
"I know," Frank said softly, pulling her closer. "But you can't blame yourself for someone else's actions. You're not responsible for what Sasha did. You made a mistake, but that doesn't define you. You're still the person I love, and I'm here for you, no matter what."
Anne said with a smile, "How did I get lucky with someone like you?"
"Because I got lucky with you." They press their foreheads together, letting this moment linger a bit before Olivia speaks up.
"Frank's right, Anne. You too, Marcy," she said, trying to comfort the poor girl. Neither she, the others, nor the guards noticed a newt appearing and moving across the ceiling. "Now, let's not lose hope. If we lose hope, then we open ourselves up to insanity."
Suddenly, the newt used a pair of blades to slash through the chains holding up both the cages and Frobo.
"Did someone fart?" Sprig managed to ask. He and everyone else screamed as the cages dropped with them inside. The prison shattered upon hitting the ground, with everyone sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. Frobo was unharmed, and the chains around him loosened and fell right off.
"Ow…" Frank groaned before sitting up.
"HEY! The prisoners have escaped!"
Frank and the others gasped upon hearing that. As they got up, they saw all the guards of the dungeon rushing toward them. Without their weapons, they had nothing to defend themselves against the Toad Soldiers.
That was until someone dropped down from above in front of the guards, flashing a menacing grin as she drew her blades.
"Yeah!" In a flurry of slashes, General Yunan cut through the armor of all the Toad Soldiers, killing them as blood spewed from their wounds and they fell dead. Yunan retracted her blades and stood straight with her back turned to the others.
"...too late," Olivia said, looking at her not-so-secret admirer with an annoyed, exasperated expression.
Everyone else looked at the general with gasps and looks of amazement. "Whoa," Hop Pop said. "Who the heck are you?"
General Yunan chuckled. It's been a while since she had the chance to introduce herself to someone. "I…" she turned around and struck a pose, "am General Yunan—"
Lady Olivia wasn't having any of it and cut her off by raising her finger to her lips. "Her name is Yunan. She's very important. Blah blah blah... We don't have time for this. C'mon!" she said impatiently, leaving Yunan surprised.
The group hurried through the dungeon with the general following along. They soon reached the largest cell in the entire dungeon, where the king was sitting inside, his head lowered and his legs bent to fit himself in. "My lord!" Olivia and Yunan shouted.
"Andrias!" Marcy ran to the cell's door and grabbed it.
"Marcy?" Andrias looked at the girl in shock. "How did you get out of your cages?"
"Yunan helped us!" Marcy said, looking towards the giant lock of the door. "But don't worry, we'll get you out too!"
"No!" Andrias said, stopping her before she could try to break him out. "No, don't worry about me. You need to stop the Toad Army before it's too late. Sasha and Grime can't be allowed to take the city."
"But what can we do?" Anne asked. "We don't even have an army."
"That's where you're wrong, hun," said a familiar voice.
Shocked, everyone turned around and was stunned to see none other than Myra walking out of the shadows of the dungeons. Behind her were a few of her FLA troops, armed with swords, wearing chainmail with some armor plates, and holding shields.
"Myra?" Frank asked, surprised by her arrival. Hearing her name shocked the King and his officials.
"Myra..." Yunan growled.
"Heya, Yunan, right?" Myra said it in a mocking tone. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"On the contrary, you're right on time!" Yunan said with a murderous grin. The newt got ready to kill her and the rebels.
"STOP!" Frank yelled, and he, the girls, and the Plantars got between her and the rebels. Stopping Yunan in her tracks just a few inches.
"What are you doing? She's the leader of the FLA, the frog rebels!"
"We know!" Anne said. "We were going to talk to the king about…you know…maybe talking to them?"
"What?!" Yunan asked, looking at Anne like she was crazy.
"Yunan, trust us," Marcy said to her friend. "Myra's not here to fight. Wait…" She turned back to the frog leader. "Why are you here?"
"A defector from the Toad Army told us about Sasha and Grime's plans. We'd hope to arrive in time to stop them, but…it was already too late," Myra said, walking past the humans and newt general.
Lady Olivia, glaring at the rebel leader, said, "How did you even get here?"
"That's the thing about these old castles, there's always a secret entrance," Myra said with a smirk, walking past her to stand in front of King Andrias in his prison cell. "And even the dungeons are connected to the sewers."
When she decided to come to the capital, Myra wasn't sure what to expect from Andrias Leviathan, the last and longest-living member of the Leviathan bloodline. The family of newts that overthrew the Frog Kings. She knew he was huge, a giant in all but name. She'd heard stories of him being a proud but jovial king.
She didn't know if she could believe it was true. Myra only knew the hardship he placed on her and her place. She was only familiar with the cast system in Amphibia.
But Marcy trusted him. Frank and Anne trusted him. Hop Pop trusted him.
With one swift motion, she drew her rapier.
Yunan was about to attack, but was stopped when Marcy placed a hand on her arm. She and the others watched as Myra jammed the needle-thin blade into the large lock, lock-picking it until the door could be opened.
With the cell unlocked, Andrias pushed the door open and pulled himself out. He tried to place pressure on the foot that Grime hit, but cried in pain.
"My Lord," Olivia said, coming to aid him.
"I-I'm fine. But I wouldn't be able to move for a while," Andrias said, before looking down at Myra.
The frog woman took off her hat and took a bow. "Myra, Founder and Leader of the Frog Liberation Alliance. At your service, my king."
Andrias wasn't fully convinced she was here to rescue him. Sitting down and leaning his back against the wall, he looked down at the frog and asked, "Why are you here, Myra?"
"Well, is that any way to thank your subject for saving your ass, hon?" Myra asked after she finished bowing and put her hat back on.
"Now, see here, you will show respect in the presence of the king!" Olivia said rather sharply.
"Really? I thought being labeled as a crime would have exempted me," Myra said with a smug smirk.
"Myra, why did you come?" Frank asked after Olivia looked like she was about to explode. "We said that we would talk to Andrias about your requests."
"You allied yourself with these terrorists?!" Yunan asked accusatorily.
"No, we allied ourselves with freedom fighters," the Hispanic boy replied defensively. "I was only trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. It was the only way to prevent further bloodshed."
"Yeah, plus the last thing the frogs needed was another Head Toad ruining their lives," Anne said. Yunan, however, remained unconvinced, her expression hardening.
"And I'd rather live under Andrias' rule than Sasha and Grime," Myra told the newts. "A defector from the Toad Army told me about your friend's plan to seize the throne. But by the time we arrived, it was already too late. The city is now swarming with soldiers of Beatrix, the Toad Lord of the West. Bufō's army is an hour away, but when they do…"
"It's all over," Frank said with dread.
"Yep, it's a full-on toad rebellion. But don't worry, I've got a simple plan to fix all of this," Marcy said before explaining the plan she came up with on the spot. "If the Toad Army is less than an hour away, we need to close the front gate; otherwise, we'll be overrun. We've already freed King Andrias, so all we have to do is defeat Sasha and Grime, work through our emotional baggage, get me and Sasha back together, and finally redesign their current political system so this kind of uprising never happens again!"
After saying all that, Marcy started panting, her face now red from exhaustion.
"Gee, is that it?" Hop Pop asked.
"Yeah... It ain't looking good," Polly admitted, sitting on Frobo's shoulder. Everyone sighs in defeat.
"Not without help," Myra told the King. "You need an army to push back the Toad Army. I happen to have my forces inside the walls of Newtopia and outside the walls, ready for my command. But if you want our help, you will listen to and hear our demand."
Before Yunan and Olivia could argue further, Andrias raised his hand. "I am your King," he said. "And as your King, I will listen to the needs of all my subjects."
"You will?" Myra asked, looking doubtful. "Tell me. Do you know how to make a farm?"
The question confused the giant sovereign. "No."
"You don't? But don't you see?" Myra asked, looking shocked as she held out her arms. "Amphibia is your farm. You inherited it from your father, and take a look at what you've done with your rule."
She pointed to the FLA, the frogs that were so fed up with the King's unfair rule that they were willing to risk life and limb to stand against him and the toads.
"The laws of this land enslaved people to its king, a king who demands loyalty but gives nothing in return. You might not understand what it's like to live under a tyrant's rule, but frogs do. For over a thousand years, we've suffered under the rule of the toads you commanded to keep us in line. And I know that tyranny only leads to failure. I saw it happen when these humans could and brought down Grime."
She smiled at Frank and Anne. The two humans smiled back and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Marcy calls you nice and a good person," Myra continued. "But you placed the cast system that has punished and oppressed your subjects for over a thousand years. Only a very few frogs ever make it big and rise above our station. You claim to be great, but where is the greatness in that? Now is the time to right your wrongs."
Andrias stared at the frog and asked, "And what would you suggest?"
"If Your Majesty were to offer justice — justice in the form of a charter of liberties, allowing every frog, toad, and newt to equally forage for their hearth, to be safe from conviction without cause or prison without charge, to work, eat, and live on the sweat of his brow — and be as merry as they can — then not only would you receive the loyalty of your people but their love as well," Myra said, as her troops behind her cheered.
"So what would you have? Hmm?" Andrias asked, raising an eyebrow. "Castle for every frog?"
"Every frog's home is his castle. What we would ask, Your Majesty, is liberty. Liberty by law!" Myra declared, earning more cheers. "You do this, you will unify all your subjects, high and low, so say we all."
"So say we all!" Her troops chanted in unison.
Frank looked at the king, who seemed to ponder what she said. Seeing this and believing that he was truly going to accept Myra's offer and demand, decided to step in and join her.
"It's the right thing to do, Andrias," he said.
Andrias nodded. "Indeed," he said. "It's time to put an end to my mistake. If we survive the upcoming battle, I will relinquish the caste system. Undoing the divide between all amphibians and giving frogs the liberty and equality they deserve."
"We'll not only survive, Andrias," Frank said, standing beside the rebel frog. "We're going to win."
"Frank, are you really sure?" Sprig asked. "This isn't like anything we've faced before."
"Is it?" Frank asked, looking at all his family and friends. "C'mon, you guys! We can do this! They may think we're a weak little frog family, a clumsy nerd, a big metal baby, a goofy pushover, and some weak boy. Still, they have no idea who they're dealing with."
"Frank's right," Anne said, joining him and Myra. "We have been through a lot together. Cannibals, giant killer moths, zombie turtles, you name it. We're gonna beat this, too. Because when we're together, nothing can stand in our way."
Smiling at the two young kids, who have proved to be much braver than anyone she had ever met, Myra nodded and said, "So say we all."
"So say we all," chanted her troops.
Frank looked at Myra, then at the army she arrived with. Then he turned to Anne.
"So say we all," he said.
"So say we all," chanted the rebels and Anne, who smirked with determination.
"So say we all," Frank said, looking at the Plantars and Marcy.
"So say we all," chanted the rebels, Anne, and the Plantars. Sprig threw his hand in the air, Hop Pop nodded, while Polly was the loudest.
"So say we all," Frank said, looking at Yunan and Lady Olivia.
"So say we all," chanted the rebels, Anne, the Plantars, Yunan, and Olivia.
"So say we all!"
"SO SAY WE ALL!"
Frank turned to the king, who looked at his subjects in awe and amazement. "So say we all," he said to Andrias.
For a moment, Andrias didn't know what to say, but in the end, he smiled at the young human. "So say we all."
The amphibians that Frank and Anne befriended in Newtopia—Doris, Gertie, and the young girl with her pet Goblin—were hiding together in a shop, trying to stay quiet while they listened to the carnage outside.
The invasion happened so quickly. They were going about their daily activities, which included selling gnatchos, feeding pigeons, and playing with the caterpillar. The next thing they knew, guards were getting slaughtered as Toad Soldiers emerged from hiding. The girl screamed as the first guard fell dead and grabbed Goblin. She ran to the two adults, who were just as shocked as she was. Reinforcements from the royal guards were about to fight back, but when Grime made his demand, they watched in shock as they laid their arms down.
Gertie took the girls, and they hurried into the shop before the sheets of Newtopia turned into a war zone. Toads were everywhere, destroying stores, vandalizing the once-beautiful city, and killing anyone who got in their way as they harassed anyone they saw. The bodies of their victims lay on the ground as the soldiers stepped over them. They pillaged and plundered everything in the capital, while those lucky enough to hide did their best to stay safe.
Tearing up, the young girl whimpered as she hugged Goblin tightly. Doris hugged her, and Gerties shushed her.
Suddenly, they all screamed when a brick was thrown through the door.
"Hey, someone's in there!" yelled a toad. The ladies knew it was all over. They were about to charge in, and they were going to do what the frog knew.
"Close your eyes," Doris said to the little girl, who shut them tight.
"HEY!"
Everything seemed to freeze when they heard a familiar voice. The toads went quiet and halted whatever they were doing. The girls' eyes widened.
"Anne?" Gertie said, getting up.
The group looked out the window toward the human girl. They saw not only her but also her boyfriend, Frank. They were walking down the street, glaring at the toads, dressed in armor they'd never seen them wear before.
Bravely, they marched towards the Toad Army, all of whom couldn't believe what they were seeing. These humans had to be suicidal. Seeing them, the toads laughed and drew their swords, maces, and axes.
At the front of the toads was their captain, Beatrix, who said to him, "Surrender, your new leaders demand it."
"Oh yeah," Anne asked, hand on her hip, "who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Beatrix smirked and said, "The name's Beatrix, Captain of the West Tower. And you must be the hummus who killed my little bro's lieutenant, Tartarus. Lucky day!"
"Ugh, this again, can't you people just let that g—" Frank stopped himself, asking with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, you're Grime's sister?"
"So glad you noticed," Beatrix complimented. "Anyway, why don't you take out that ancient farm tool you always carry around? Oh, wait, you don't have it anymore! Ha! So much for keeping the Frog King's weapon close."
Frank glared at her as Beatrix and the toads laughed at her. Then he smirked and reached behind his back, silencing the laughs when he pulled out the Hellcat's Claw.
"You mean this weapon?" Frank asked, pointing at a very shocked Beatrix.
"H-How did…"
"Do you genuinely want to know, or are you going to surrender unconditionally before things get really ugly?"
Beatrix burst out laughing. "You and what army?"
Frank smirked. "This army."
Behind him and Anne, their friends and allies advanced to join them. General Yunan and Myra had their blades ready, as did the rebel troops. Hop Pop, the inspiration for the rebellion, carried a yellow flag with the FLA symbol on it. Sprig was given Frank's knife to fight. All of them stared at the toads, who looked at the army in front of them in shock and started feeling nervous.
Beatrix saw this and struck one of her soldiers on the head. "Get over it!" she yelled at him and the others. "They're just frogs and newts! They're weaklings and nerds!"
"Oh yeah!?" said a voice from above. The toads looked up and were surprised to see Marcy, Polly, Frobo, and the rest of the FLA, all with bows and arrows aimed at the soldiers.
"How about now?" Marcy asked, aiming her crossbow.
"GET READY FOR THE PAIN!" Polly yelled, pulling out a tiny sword.
Now, Beatrix was starting to get scared. She and the toads began to back away. Doris, Gertie, and the young girl were still watching and were shocked to see the army that the human couple had brought with them. Not only them, but the amphibians in hiding were also surprised to see that, when all hope seemed lost, there were still people willing to fight against the tyranny of the toads.
Frank raised his scythe. "People of Newtopia, this is your home, do not let it fall!" he yelled. "FOR AMPHIBIA!"
Frobo transformed his arms into blaster cannons and deployed two missile pods from his shoulders. He began the attack by firing at the Toad Army, unleashing a barrage of missiles and causing fiery explosions that killed many toads.
Frank, Anne, and the amphibians on the ground shouted their battle cries as they charged forward. The toads, recovering from the explosion, were caught off guard when the humans and frogs closed the distance and, within seconds, engaged them in combat. Weapons clashed as the two armies began to struggle against each other. But with the frogs raining down arrows from the roof, the toads were easily killed.
Immediately, General Yunan tackled Beatrix, and they began fighting. Frank and Anne stuck together as they charged at the toads, with Frank using his shield to protect them and Anne stabbing and slicing at any toad that got close.
A toad rushed in behind Anne and tried to hit her with a hammer. When he swung, Frank rushed in and knocked the attack away, then used his scythe to cut the toad down.
"Frank, Anne! Catch!" yelled Myra, throwing the two humans a horn made from an insect horn. "Get to the gate and blow that horn! It'll signal the rest of the FLA to attack the incoming army and keep them out of the city!"
"What about you?!" Frank asked, blocking another attack.
"We'll be fine!" Sprig yelled, kicking a toad in the face. "Just go!"
Frank and Anne looked at each other and nodded. Then they stopped fighting, headed down an empty street, and hurried toward the tower of the rampart wall connected to the gate.
Back inside the palace, Sasha had been tinkering with the music box, trying to figure out how it worked. After a while, though, she started to get bored with it. It shouldn't be this hard, right? She and her friends charged the stones, so they should be able to make them work.
Friends…
Sasha sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. She couldn't shake the thoughts about what Frank and Anne had told her. Even though she threatened to take him away from everyone, she felt a pang of guilt gnawing at her.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Grime approaching her, hiding something behind his back.
He cleared his throat to get her attention. "I got you something. Had it made especially for this day." With that, Grime brought out a long, thin gift and handed it to her.
Sasha got excited. "Whaaaaa? Grimsey, you didn't…" She took the gift and quickly opened it. Gasping when it was revealed to be another sword. It was just like the one she already had, although this one was a bright silver instead of red.
Sasha let out a gasp of delight as she took the new sword in her hand. "How'd you know I wanted to dual-wield?"
Bringing the sword up to her face, Sasha looked directly into her reflection. If only Marcy could see how amazing she was—
"But you didn't!" Frank shouted again. "All you do is try to get what you want, no matter who gets hurt."
Oh, that's right. The moment Sasha thought about her girlfriend, she reflected on everything she did.
"Upset? UPSET?! I'm more than just upset! I'm completely livid! I thought you'd changed, Sasha — turned over a new leaf. But instead, you lied, AGAIN! I can't believe I let you manipulate us like we were back in school! But that's nothing compared to what you did to Frank. How could you do all that to him?! Do you not understand all the pain and suffering you caused him? Because of you, both his parents and everyone at home hate him! His life is ruined because of you, and you don't even care to make it right!" Anne screamed. "He's a much better person than I am, because I would never speak to you again. Hell, I don't ever want to after today! So, send me back with him, if you!"
But why? Why should she feel anything but pride in herself? She did it. She finally got what she wanted—
"AND THEN WHAT?!" Frank exploded after being unable to hold in his rising anger, startling everyone in the room. "You never think these things through! You keep saying you have a plan, but for what? Do you mean like your plan to have Anne fly around in the school play? Or that plan to throw that party on the school's roof? Or better yet, your plan to steal those shoes? This is exactly what happened when you made Anne steal the music box?! You had a plan to get what you wanted, and then you had nowhere to go!"
"Hey, I would've figured something out!" Sasha said, feeling offended by that.
"But you didn't!" Frank shouted again. "All you do is try to get what you want, no matter who gets hurt."
—to be in charge. And now, she finally had what she wanted. Her friends just couldn't handle how bold she was.
So, she got rid of them. Anne, Frank, and Marcy, the girl she'd loved. The moment she stood up to her, Sasha dismissed her. Dismissed all feelings she thought she had for her. All that time falling for that nerd had been wasted. All because she got in Sasha's way—
"I...I love you, Sasha, but this is all wrong!" Marcy declared. "You can't do this!"
And the more she thought about everything she did, the more her face fell.
Grime noticed this. "What's wrong? You don't like it?" he asked in a worried tone. "Ah! Damn it, I didn't get a gift receipt."
"No, no, it's just—"
"...and I wanted to believe that," Frank admitted, surprising not only Anne, but Sasha too. "I wanted to believe that the Sasha I knew is still inside the horrible person that you've become."
"Grime? Am I a horrible person?"
Grime was confused. "Is…this like a trick question or…?"
"I did everything I did just to get here. To finally be back in control and be at the top. But what if…what if Frank's right? What if I am a horrible person?"
"Well, if I must be honest, it was a little extreme to send him back to earth alone."
"Well, he was gonna force me to turn myself in! What else should I have done?!"
"Keep him in the dungeon forever, or something like that?" Grime suggested. "But come on, who cares what he thinks? We're in charge now, and we get to do whatever we want! You know the sacrifices you had to make.
"Yeah, I get it. Victory requires sacrifice, and I never would have achieved anything if I hadn't looked out for myself. But look at what it's cost me: Braddick could be dead for all I know, Percy hates me, Anne will never trust me again, Frank wants nothing to do with me again, and Marcy…" Sasha sighed and grabbed her face, trying to stop herself from crying. "God, I broke up with the girl I liked the most!"
"They got in the way," Grime said.
"They put their trust in me!" Sasha said loudly, looking upset. "I thought…I thought I knew what I was doing, but I don't. I thought all my plans would work out on their own, but they never did. I thought I knew what I wanted—"
"Sasha, please, come home with us," Frank pleaded with Sasha. "It's not too late to stop this."
"...but I'm not sure what I want anymore."
"Huh," Grime said, at a complete loss. Normally, he would know how to stoke Sasha's dark desires to get her motivated, but this was something else completely. "Why don't you come help me redecorate this place? Take your mind off it."
Sighing, Sasha got up from the throne and followed Grime. The first stop was a tapestry hanging in the throne room. It showed Andrias with a rainbow over his head, caring for various amphibians, and generally appeared as an old, kind-hearted ruler.
"Yi-Yi-Yi-Yikes. This thing's gotta go," Grime said with a cringe as he and Sasha both pulled the tapestry down. Though as it fell, they gasped at the sight of something much, much worse.
Behind the tapestry revealed a mural, one that was far less pleasant than the previous one. Death, destruction, and war were what it depicted. Andrias was no longer a benevolent king, but a dark emperor, holding the music box above his head and standing over a pile of bones with a fire behind him. In front of the King was what appeared to be a castle flying. There were six eyes above the figure, and standing on top of the box were four figures, each of whose colors matched the box's gems.
"Whoa... Is that the king with the music box?" Sasha asked, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Grime said, "If it is...it's a really good thing we stopped him."
Sasha was about to reply when the sound of an explosion caught her ear. She went to the window of the castle and gasped.
The battle to retake Newtopia raged on fiercely. The frogs continued to push back against the toads, forcing them back towards the open gate. With each street they cleared, the more the citizens of Newtopia took up arms to fight. Despite the toads' strength advantage, the rebel frogs were too fast, and they never fought alone. No matter where they were, there would always be three frogs together to overwhelm a toad, leaping around to confuse and then kill them with their swords.
Yunan was proving why she was the most dangerous general to have lived, as her speed was greater than that of any toad. With one slash, she killed as many as five toads. Always with a grin on her face. Now she was fighting against Beatrix, and the toad was barely holding in there.
At the top of a building, Frobo had Polly on his back, while he fired missiles into the crowd of Toad Soldiers, sending severed limbs in all directions.
"PUSH THEM OUT OF EVERY STREET!" Myra shouted at the top of some wreckage that rose high off the ground. Trying her best to inspire her people and the rebelling citizens as Hop Pop waved the FLA's flag. "HOLD NOTHING BACK! SEIZE YOUR GLORY!"
"The FLA?! What are they doing here?!" Grime asked in surprise as he joined her at the window.
Sasha couldn't believe what she was seeing. How was this possible? How could the FLA be here? Suddenly, the sound of a horn blaring had Sasha turning to the city rampart walls over the gate.
It was Anne blowing the horn. Frank was with her.
"Are you serious? They escaped!" she said in disbelief.
"Wait, what's going on outside the city?" said Grime, pointing to something.
Bufō's army had arrived. They were less than a mile away from the gate. But then, to Sasha's right, a new army was coming over the horizon. But that couldn't be right. It was only supposed to be Bufō's army that was going to attack from the outside. Not only that, but it wasn't marching to join the rest of the military. It was positioned to charge straight towards the Toad Army.
Pulling out her telescope, Sasha looked at this new army and was shocked by what she saw. There were hundreds of FLA frogs armed with spears, shields, and swords on their hips. Some of them didn't have a shield or a spear. In their place were quivers and bows that had arrows notched.