Chapter Text
“I’m sending you back to the world of the living. You’ve shown me the error in my thinking. And if you can do that at age thirteen, imagine the guardian you’ll be after a life fully lived.”
Anne’s stomach dropped as she began plummeting through the mess of colors and lines below her. The voice of the Three-Stones-Deity continued to ring out around her as she yelled.
“Go! Live your life! I’ve waited thousands of years to retire. What’s seventy-eight years more?”
“Wait! Are you saying that in seventy-eight years, I’m gonna — AHHH!” Anne’s scream disrupted her question as her vision went white. An insane ringing drowned out all other sound from her ears as she fell from the realm of the deity.
Slowing, the ringing faded and her ears relished in the quiet. The white light piercing even through her closed eyes dimmed back to black and that weightlessness in her gut settled again.
“Where am I?” Anne asked. A breeze on her face made her shake her head and she realized she still had her eyes clamped firmly shut. As the sounds of nature slowly took silence’s place, she inched her eyelids open and was immediately blinded again.
“Oh for Frog’s sake!” she swore, jerking backwards as she accidentally stared directly into the sun. Her legs weak under her did not support her sudden motion and Anne toppled backwards, yelping as she landed in the cold water.
Finally blinking them open, Anne’s eyes widened as she found herself flat on her butt, sitting in the shallow water that surrounded Newtopia. She quickly felt her body, sure that she was just about to crumble away. Mother Olm had said that calling on the power of all three stones would surely cost the user their life. After Sprig had brought her back, she had felt the strength leaving her. She had seen the look on her best friend’s face as he tried to laugh at her last joke through his tears and then… and then…
Her head panged. Anne clapped a hand to it and then gasped as memories rushed back to her. “I did die!” she exclaimed to herself. “But there was this cabin — and… and there was Domino — and… and…”
Her voice vanished as she hugged herself. “I’m alive!” she whispered, relishing in how the water chilled her feet and the sun blinded her eyes.
She staggered up, legs still shaking as she tried to balance. “Oh my Frog, Sprig! Sasha! Marcy!” she exclaimed as she remembered her friends. “I have to tell them I’m alive —”
Anne wheeled around, beaming as she looked for her friends, her family, but the shallow lake was abandoned. There wasn’t a frog, newt, toad, or human in sight. Anne’s eyebrows furrowed.
“What’s going on?” she wondered, glancing around. Now that she thought about it, she’d just defeated the Core-Moon-combination-thing. Yet, there were no remnants of it raining down through the atmosphere. It should have still been night or at the very least daybreak, but it was nearly midday now. She distinctly remembered everyone gathered around her as she died, but no one was there. Even Newtopia, once ruined from the battle against Andrias, Darcy, and the Core, was whole and shining again.
A pit settled in her stomach. Worried for her friends, Anne turned on her heel and strode for the city gate… only to promptly fall on her face. She spat out water as she picked her head up, grumbling, “Great, I’m as clumsy as Marcy.”
Carefully shifting her feet this time, Anne inched toward the city, first getting to the encircling wall and then leaning against it to keep her balance as she approached the gate. She peered up at the top, waiting for a newt to pop out and grant her entry like every other time she had visited Newtopia, but the guard post was surprisingly abandoned. The massive doors were thrown open wide, allowing anyone to pass through without so much as a question.
Still supporting herself against the stone wall, Anne slipped inside. The carefree nature presented by the entry rubbed her the wrong way. That wasn’t like the Newtopia she knew. Concerned that something might be wrong, she hid her face with her arms and somehow edged over to the nearest restaurant without attracting attention to herself. She dipped her hand inside to the coat rack and snagged a Newtopian guard cowl then slung the garment over her shoulders and threw the hood over her head.
Adequately concealed for the moment, Anne looked around the city as she traversed the streets, searching for anything that might clue her in on what was happening. From the inside, the city was almost unrecognizable. Every statue of King Andrias had been torn down. Much of the classical newt architecture that had dominated the city before had been replaced with construction styles of all three major races of Amphibia. Certain buildings looked almost right out of Wartwood. Some reminded her of the brick and mortar of Toad Tower in the west. There was even the occasional reference to the olms. Before long, Anne had almost gotten lost in sightseeing and might have completely forgotten her intent if her knee had not buckled under her again and made her stumble into someone.
“Oh, I’m sorry —” she started before cutting off.
“No worries, miss,” the toad chuckled. His eyes narrowed. “Say, don’t think I’ve seen ya around before. Visitin’ Newtopia for the parade?”
“A parade?” Anne repeated, pulling the hood a bit lower to make sure her face stayed hidden.
The toad nodded. “Lotsa places got parades for Anne-phibia Day. But Newtopia’s celebration has gotta take the cake, save maybe that one small town a ways from here. Can’t ever remember its name…”
“What’s Amphibia Day?”
“Anne-phibia Day,” the toad corrected. He pulled down a poster from a wall. “It’s the annual celebration of the Hero of Amphibia!”
“Annual celebration!” Anne choked. Her eyes bugged at the poster. Staring back at her was her own face, posed epically in her powered-up form.
The toad peered closely at her. “Now that I think about it, ya do look kinda familiar. Have we met?”
“Er — no!” Anne said quickly, tucking the poster away in her pocket. “Thank you for the help. Have a good day!”
She dashed out of sight before the toad even finished wishing her a good Anne-phibia Day. She ducked into a rather abandoned alley and pulled out the paper again. Removing her hood to get a good look at it, Anne’s jaw dropped slightly as she read.
“COME CELEBRATE THE HERO OF AMPHIBIA!” the poster read. “COMMEMORATE THE DAY ANNE BOONCHUY GAVE HER LIFE TO SAVE ALL OF AMPHIBIA!”
“The celebration… is for me?” she spat out, then looked around rapidly to make sure no one had overheard her. If this was all for her, then some amount of time had to have passed since she had died. That conclusion was further supported by the rebuilt Newtopia. But how long had she been gone?
What was she going to do? She had no way of knowing if the Plantars or Marcy or Sasha were in Newtopia right now. Even if they were, Newtopia was huge; there would be no reliable way to find them save to wander the streets and pray to Frog that she encountered them. Anne looked at the poster again and her eyes lit up. “SPECIAL ADDRESS IN THE HERO’S HONOR TO BE GIVEN BY LADY OLIVIA OF NEWTOPIA THIS AFTERNOON,” it read.
That was it! Surely Lady Olivia would be able to help her. Yunan would surely be closeby; the two newts had been almost inseparable after they had thwarted the invasion of Earth. If she was lucky, Marcy might even be there. Anne remembered how much her friend had adored the newt couple. As much as Hop-Pop had become a surrogate grandfather to her, so had Olivia and Yunan become surrogate parents to her friend.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “At least I’m not in any danger,” she said to herself. After everything that had happened in the past days, between fighting Andrias and the Core to literally returning from the dead, it was a welcome break to not have to fear for her life… again.
Her head panged again and her vision swam. Anne steadied herself against the wall, shutting her eyes as even the dim light of the shadows started to make them ache. She massaged her temples as the bout of vertigo passed.
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Something tells me that deity dude didn’t know much about making human bodies.”
That one sentence gave her pause. It had rolled off her tongue so casually, but the implications behind the words made her feel bizarre. She was, technically, a clone. That’s what the Three-Stones-Deity had said, right? She still felt the same. She had all her memories too. But how much of that was the deity’s doing and how much of that was herself? Was everything she knew just replications of the real Anne’s memories? Was she really Anne Boonchuy or was she someone else? Maybe even something else?
The ground spun again and Anne sank to the ground. She really didn’t want to dwell on such existential questions at the moment. They were making her head hurt more than it already did. I just need to get to Lady Olivia, she thought as she struggled to stand. She can help me.
Whether the newt could actually help Anne or not was a question she couldn’t answer. One thing was for sure though: she wasn’t doing herself any favors by simply sitting against an alleyway wall feeling sorry for herself. Anne peeked out of the alleyway and tugged the hood down over her eyes. Although she knew she wasn’t in any danger now, the thought of being swarmed by newts, toads, and frogs, grateful toward her though they might be, made her slightly nauseous. It would be better to just find Olivia and Yunan on her own for the moment. There would be time to unveil herself to the public later.
She made her way out to the main road and jumped when a confetti popper burst in her ear. Anne blinked in shock as floats were driven down the street, pulled by an assortment of snails and beetles. Her jaw dropped in awe as she took in the celebration. The floats featured not only her, but Sasha and Marcy all decked out in their amazing armor that stones had granted them. Some of the smaller floats even featured replicas of others who had fought in the battle: Frobo, Grime, Beatrice, Tritonio. Anne’s heart squeezed as she saw a tiny float with the Plantars on it. Sure it was rather small and insignificant compared to the other hulking displays, largely overlooked as the contributions of frogs so often were, but the mere realization that her family was deservedly counted among heroes of Amphibia made her beam. The largest float of all, however, portrayed only a single figure.
“Whoa,” Anne breathed, “is that what I really looked like?”
Her skin was a pale gray, cracks running up and down it. Blue gems twinkled in her eyes, and her white hair stuck up almost like it was floating around her head instead of carved stationary alongside the rest of the figure. Her distinctive breastplate and school uniform skirt made up the body, and they’d even gotten that one of her shoes was missing. Anne glanced down at her own feet. Sure enough, her right foot was covered only with a sock; she had spent so long with only one shoe, she hardly even noticed when the other was missing now.
She snickered. “The shoe’s on the wrong side though.”
The statue made for a rather intimidating warrior, nothing like the mess she currently felt like. The float lagged slightly behind the others, perhaps to give onlookers a better view of it. Its sign read only a few words: ANNE BOONCHUY, HERO OF AMPHIBIA. A single newt rode the float at the base of the statue and Anne’s eyes bugged out as she recognized Lady Olivia, as poised and proper as ever, standing solemnly in front of her visage.
The float reached the main square and the rest of the parade pulled away as it came to rest. “Ladies and gentlemen. Newts, frogs, toads, and all inhabitants of Amphibia, welcome to Anne-phibia Day!” Lady Olivia proclaimed, and massive cheering broke out amongst the crowd. More confetti popped, raining down into the street and Anne could only watch in amazement as Lady Olivia held up a hand for silence.
“Today, we commemorate those who fought bravely against the tyranny of the Core, risking their own lives in our stead to free us from those who sought to destroy this world and all who live in it. Let us begin with a moment of silence for those who fell in the name of freedom for all Amphibians.”
A solemn quiet hushed the crowd. Many removed their hats as a sign of reverence and Anne once again had to blink. She could not remember a time when newts, toads, and frogs got along this well. Yet there appeared to be no enmity between the races at all now. They stood side by side with each other, all united in their respect for the fallen.
“Thank you,” Lady Olivia said, ending the moment of silence. “As you all know, today marks the anniversary of the Battle for the Multiverse, where many newts, toads, and frogs courageously rose up to protect Amphibia, Earth, and any future worlds from destruction at the hands of the Core. In particular, let us remember those three humans who all made great personal sacrifices to bring about peace.”
Roars of support rang out at the mention of the three humans.
“These friends owed this world nothing, yet they selflessly took on the burden of the Calamity Stones and used their powers to defend us from harm. Their choice meant that they surrendered their only passage home to their world, yet they still acted. It was a choice of great sacrifice and let us never forget their kindness and dedication to the inhabitants of this world. Let us praise two of those humans now: Marcy Wu and Sasha Waybright.”
As more cheering filled the air, Anne’s smile fell. Surrendered their only passage home? she repeated mentally. Did… did that mean what she thought it did? Were Marcy and Sasha STILL in Amphibia?
She missed the next part of Lady Olivia’s speech, dwelling on the thought. Logically it made sense. Using the secret spell had consumed all of the stones’ power. She had even been thinking of her friends as still around since entering Newtopia and trying to plan out her next course of action. Still, some part of her had thought maybe they had found another way back. After all, she and the Plantars had made an almost operational portal back on Earth with help from her friends. With the technological prowess of Amphibia on their side, surely Sasha and Marcy must have made it home. Anne had to have misheard. If she hadn’t, it would mean that her sacrifice had stranded Marcy and Sasha in Amphibia again, permanently this time.
“Of course, we must honor the hero for whom Anne-phibia Day was named. The one who made the ultimate sacrifice when no other person could, she gave her life to claim victory when defeat seemed all but certain. Please, Amphibians, let us honor the memory of the one and only Hero of Amphibia: Anne Boonchuy!”
The loudest cheering of all shook Anne out of her thoughts. Slowly, the cacophonous cheers morphed into a single word.
“Anne! Anne! Anne!”
Her eyes watered as newt, toad, and frog alike cried out her name, thanking her for saving them in every repetition.
“Anne Boonchuy gave up her life for Amphibia,” Lady Olivia started again. The cheers faded to a dull roar as the onlookers were once again sucked into the newt’s speech. “I only knew Anne for a short time myself. Yet, from the moment I met her, she exemplified the traits we should all aspire to possess: selflessness, kindness, and a fierce willingness to always do what she believed was right, no matter the cost to herself. When the safety of Amphibia was threatened, she did not hesitate to stand up to those in power and challenge them. When Andrias and the Core turned on the people of Amphibia and she was stranded from this world, Anne worked tirelessly to return to us. Despite her own personal struggles, she immediately began to fight back against that tyranny and managed to unite all races of Amphibia, a deed once thought to be impossible. She bested Andrias in single combat, thwarting the invasion of Earth, and then used the power of all three Calamity stones to destroy the Core when it intended to wipe out all life on this planet. The effort cost Anne her life, but she stood by her choice to her last breath. She is truly worthy of the title of Hero of Amphibia.”
Tears openly streamed down Anne’s face now. It was all she could do to keep from screwing her face up and ugly crying right in the middle of the square. She was not the only one; many of those around her were tearing up or sobbing into handkerchiefs. A toad next to her blew his nose particularly loudly into his shirt.
“Even with all her achievements, Anne was a very humble person. She never claimed complete credit for any of her successes and insisted that she only made it as far as she had because of all those around her supporting her and lifting her up.” Lady Olivia raised her arms. “So, I ask you people of Amphibia to go out and do good today. Do good deeds in the name of Anne Boonchuy. Even the smallest selfless act is enough to lift up those around us. Today we act in memoriam of the woman who saved us. In doing so, we truly honor Anne’s memory.”
The newt’s speech ended and the air split with roaring again. Anne wiped her face on the edge of her stolen cowl, choking on her tears and snot as she tried to get her emotions under control. “That… that was the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about me!” she sniffled, blowing her nose into the corner of the cape.
There was the faint rumble of cobblestones under wheels as the float started moving again, following the others down the road out of the square. Observers began to depart, clearly signifying the end of the parade. Anne coughed as she fought to regain control of her emotions, wiping her nose and eyes clear.
She blended into the crowds as she trotted after the float, turning onto street after street until the float was nearly back to the castle. Anne had to pause for a moment. The castle was completely different; unlike the towering sigil of power and riches it had been under Andrias, it had been rebuilt to be what Anne could only describe as modest. It reminded her more of a fancy town hall, more suited to a mayor than the ruler of an entire world, especially compared to how exorbitant Amphibian architecture could be. Even a shack in Ribbitvale would be fancier than this. Frog, Anne could swear that some of the rooms Mayor Toadstool had given her back when he tried to market her pimples were fancier than this. Anne gave a slight smile at the memory. What simpler times those were.
The float came to a halt at the foot of the steps up to the palace. Lady Olivia hopped off the platform, thanked the driver, and then began up. Anne hastily went after her, tripping over her cowl in the process as she called out, “Wait —”
“Who are you?”
Anne hit a wall of newt and bounced off, landing on the cobblestones. She caught herself, wincing as the fall twisted her wrist. “What the heck, dude?” she exclaimed, massaging her hand. She blinked as a Newtopian spear was leveled at her.
“State your business,” the newt demanded.
Anne hesitated. “I need to speak to Lady Olivia,” she said.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, I —”
“Lady Olivia is not seeing the general populace today. She has many commitments to honor for Anne-phibia Day.”
Anne grit her teeth in worry as Lady Olivia reached the top of the steps and started to end the palace. She tried again desperately, “I’m a friend! If I could just see her —”
“Is something the matter, Captain?” Anne nearly jumped at the voice. She whirled around to stare at the newcomer. General Yunan looked between the pair. “Captain?” she prompted.
“Er — no, ma’am,” the newt responded. “This stranger wants to see Lady Olivia, but she doesn’t have an appointment.”
“Is that so?” the female newt said, raising an eyebrow “Well miss, I’m sorry to disappoint, but — ERK! What are you doing?”
Anne crushed the newt into an embrace, gratitude at finally having a familiar face before her overwhelming her sense of reason. She pulled down her hood and beamed up at the newt. “Yunan, it’s me! Anne!”
Yunan’s face went slack. “I — what — ANNE?” She didn’t move as Anne continued to hug her, bewildered by the sudden revelation. Her eyes met the guard’s, whose own pair had gone as wide as possible.
“Anne Boonchuy,” he breathed. “Hero of Amphibia…”
“Ahem! Captain,” Yunan said sharply.
He snapped to attention. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I will be taking this young lady to my wife immediately. Until I say otherwise, tell no one what you saw here.”
“Y-yes, ma’am. Just as you say,” the guard responded, saluting.
“Good!” Yunan’s hands closed around Anne’s shoulders, prying the two apart. Keeping a tight grip on her, Yunan marched Anne past the guard and up the stairs. Anne beamed the whole way, unable to take her eyes off the newt. She and Yunan had never been particularly close, but after everything that had happened, she might as well have seen the Plantars again for how full her heart felt.
Yunan hadn’t changed much since Anne had last seen her. The general appeared to have traded her usual armor for more formal attire, although she still wore her medals pinned to the left side of her shirt. She muttered quietly to herself, and though Anne couldn’t make out what she was saying, the newt appeared more stunned than anything.
They reached the top and Yunan threw open the doors, earning a yelp from the young newt at the desk. She eyed the pair as they strode by.
“Lady Yunan, I will ask you again to please have mercy on our new hinges. They aren’t as firm as the old ones and Lady Olivia has asked you more than once to —”
“I’m seeing my wife now. Make sure we aren’t disturbed,” Yunan commanded, showing no regard for anything the attendant had said.
“Oh! Oh, of — of course…”
Yunan guided Anne through a second pair of doors, slamming them shut as loudly as she had opened them. There was a rustling and Lady Olivia appeared from behind a wall of papers.
“Really, sweetheart,” Lady Olivia said, sounding exasperated, “how many times must I ask you to not slam the doors? We just had them replaced…”
The newt trailed off at the sight of the two of them. Anne waved enthusiastically. “Hi Lady Olivia!”
For giving such an elegant speech earlier, Olivia seemed quite at a loss for words now. “A-Anne Boonchuy? Is… is that you?”
“You see her too, right?” Yunan burst out. “I’m not going crazy!”
“Yes, dear, I see her…” Olivia cautiously picked her way out from behind her desk. “But how is this possible?”
Anne chuckled and rubbed the back of her hair. “I don’t really know,” she said cheerfully. Her excitement was far too high to even try to explain everything that had happened after she died. The newts continued to only gaze at her. Anne’s smile slowly slipped away. “Is everything alright?”
“Are you a ghost?” Yunan asked suddenly.
“What? No!” Anne poked the newt general’s arm, making her jump. “See, totally solid.”
“This shouldn’t be possible,” Lady Olivia said. “Are you really Anne Boonchuy?”
The question struck Anne’s heart, bringing all the existential dread back with a vengeance. She swallowed hard, shoving it down and putting as tight a lock on that mess that she could. She nodded. “It’s really me,” she confirmed.
“But — but how?” Yunan exclaimed. “You’ve been dead for five years!”
Anne’s heart missed a beat. Now she knew she had hearing problems. It almost sounded like Yunan said five years had passed since her death. “Did… d-did you say…” She couldn’t even voice the question, not wanting to hear it again.
Lady Olivia sighed. “Perhaps you should sit down,” she said. She pulled out a chair in front of her desk and settled behind it once more, gesturing for Anne to take the seat. Yunan moved to stand behind her, hands crossed behind her back in a military-like stance.
“Dear, you’re doing it again,” Olivia prompted, and Yunan’s arms relaxed, coming down to her sides.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “Old habits die hard, you know.”
The attempt at humor fell flat as Anne sat down. She peered up nervously at the newts, all excitement thoroughly replaced with trepidation.
“Anne,” Lady Olivia started. “I don’t think I could start to describe how many questions I have for you right now. But I have to know, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“I-I remember destroying the Core using the stones. I remember Sprig and Frobo carrying me down and I remember everyone looking down at me,” she answered. “Things went dark and next thing I knew, I was back in Amphibia, outside Newtopia. And now I’m here.”
It was a shoddy recap, but there was no short way to cover everything that had happened with the Three-Stones-Deity. Anne didn’t think she could explain it even if she tried. She could barely comprehend the entire interaction herself at the moment. So she decided to stick with what she could explain: she defeated the Core, died, and then came back.
Lady Olivia sighed again. “Anne… that was five years ago. You’ve been dead for five years.”
The chair might as well not have been under her for how far Anne’s stomach dropped. She had heard correctly after all. “W-what?” she started. “How… how did this —”
“We’re as clueless as you are,” Olivia said. “As far as we knew, you were gone. We were witnesses to your death on the battlefield. But somehow, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, you’ve come back to life! It’s unbelievable.”
The three were quiet for a minute, just trying to absorb the whole situation. It was surreal; in what had felt like an instant between her death and the Three-Stones-Deity returning her to life, somehow, years had passed.
“S-so,” Anne began in a very bad attempt at sounding casual, “what’s… what’s new then?”
She cringed at the poor effort to restart conversation. Well what the heck am I supposed to say to that? she erupted internally. How is one supposed to react to the news that they were dead for five years?!
“Sorry,” she apologized before either newt even had a chance to respond. “This is… this is just a lot to take in.”
“For you and us both,” Lady Olivia assured her. “I must say, I nearly didn’t recognize you. I’m afraid that may have played a part in my disbelief.”
“You didn’t recognize me?” Anne repeated. She stood quickly and crossed over to the window. There in the glass, a strange figure stared back at her. She blinked. The reflection blinked back. Anne raised a hand. The figure mirrored her action.
She gazed long and hard at the reflection. This is me? she thought, shocked. The reflection was almost her, but at the same time, it wasn’t. For one thing, Anne knew she didn’t have gray streaks running down her hair. She certainly didn’t remember the smattering of long crack-like scars disturbing her skin all along her arms and legs and even up her neck. And her eyes… they were supposed to be brown! But now half of each iris was tinted bright blue, the same color as when she had used her powers. And while she didn’t feel it, she looked taller too, several inches at least, as if her body had grown up properly in the five years she had been gone.
“What the…” she whispered, touching the reflection and then touching her own skin. She ran her fingers through the gray hairs and over the lightened scars, shivering as the light touches gave her goosebumps. She glanced at Yunan and Olivia who simply matched her look of confusion. Not knowing what else to do, Anne plodded back over and retook her seat in front of the desk.
“So, what do we do now?” Yunan asked. Olivia shot her a look as if scolding her for insensitivity. “What? We can’t just sit here forever!”
Still appearing annoyed, Lady Olivia nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’re correct. So then, Anne, what do you wish to do?”
“Me?” Anne said, surprised. “I-I thought maybe you’d know what to do.”
“Frankly, I don’t think anyone in Amphibia would know how to respond to this. Given the circumstances though, I believe it would be best for you to dictate your own course of action. After all, you’re Anne Boonchuy,” Lady Olivia said fondly. “We have faith in you.”
Anne laughed as the vote of confidence moved her, and her headache came flying back. She groaned, holding a hand to her temples. She bent over slightly as a wave of exhaustion crashed down over her.
“Are you alright?” Olivia asked in alarm as Yunan swung around to her side, kneeling to support Anne.
“I don’t feel that great,” Anne admitted. “I think it's a side effect from coming back.”
“Then we should get you somewhere comfortable to rest and recover,” Lady Olivia decided. “We have plenty of rooms here that you can stay in for now. Once you’re feeling better, we can get you a sparrow and fly you to Wartwood.”
“To Wartwood?”
“Am I wrong in assuming you’d like to be reunited with the Plantars, now that you’ve returned?”
Anne’s eyes went wide. “Yes! I’d — I’d love that. Thank you.”
“It’s the least we could do for you,” Lady Olivia said. “Yunan, dear, take her to one of our spare rooms. One with a very comfortable bed, preferably.”
“Aye aye, m’lady,” Yunan said with a small salute. She slung Anne’s arm around her shoulders and helped her up. Anne leaned on the newt, letting herself be almost carried to the door of the study.
“Anne,” Lady Olivia called, and the pair stopped. “I’m very glad you’ve returned. Truly.”
Anne smiled weakly. “Thanks. I am too.”
Yunan moved Anne out of the study and gently closed the door behind. She snagged a key from the attendant they had spoken with earlier and the two slowly started up the stairs. Anne’s new height was reinforced by the fact that she now stood slightly taller than Yunan; before she had measured a good deal shorter than the Amphibian. It felt bizarre to know that she had one just as much growing while dead as she would have alive.
I wonder how much taller Sasha and Marcy got, she wondered groggily. The thought made her frown.
“Hey Yunan,” she started. The newt hummed responsively. “After I died, what happened to Sasha and Marcy? Are they okay?”
“Uh, yes! They’re very well,” Yunan answered stiltedly, sounding rather uncomfortable.
“Did… did they ever find a way back home?”
The newt paused and Anne almost tripped over the next step. “Erm — well —”
Anne’s heart dropped. “Oh, I-I see.”
She didn’t want to think about the implications of Yunan’s response, but it was all that filled her head. Even once Yunan had gotten her to the room and helped her into the admittedly extremely cozy bed, Anne couldn’t relax.
It’s your fault. It was your choice to use up all of the stones’ power. Trust me, you said. It’s your turn to follow my lead, you said. And where did that get them? Stranded. Again.
“Shut up,” she muttered, pulling her knees to her chest. “Shut up. Shut up.”
You doomed them to stay here forever. They didn’t want to, you know that. They’ll hate you now.
“Just be quiet,” she demanded. She shook her head violently, trying to banish the intrusive thoughts twisting her feelings.
I have to see them again, she thought, forcefully replacing the voices that wouldn’t leave her alone. They knew that we might not have a way home if we used the stones to stop the Core. They wanted to help anyway.
But you didn’t tell them about the secret spell beforehand. Did they agree to those consequences?
“UGH! Just shut up!” Anne burst out, throwing a pillow over her head and yelling her frustration into it. “Know what? Fine, you win. Maybe they hate me now. But I won’t know until I talk to them, right?”
Somehow, there was no snarky comeback for that. Anne rolled over. Just think about something else, she thought. It’s been five years. Sprig and I will have a lot to catch up on. I hope Polly didn’t burn down the farm yet.
A small smile wormed its way onto her face as she started to drift off to sleep. Her thoughts wandered to the others she loved. I hope Hop-Pop and Sylvia reunited after the war. I wonder how Grime is doing. Has he gotten used to the one arm yet? I’m sure Mom and Dad have been worried. If we can find a way home, I’m going to have a mountain of homework to make up. I wonder if I’ll have time to finally see Love Choice 2…
Her eyes flickered and the world spun under her as sleep started to take her. Love Choice 2… her thoughts echoed again. There was something familiar about this: the feeling of drifting away, Love Choice 2, and darkness creeping in. A vision of Sprig sobbing through a smile flashed through her mind. My only regret is I never got to see… Wait… Am I… no, I — I don’t want to die! Not again! I want to live! Please! I don’t want to —
Anne screamed, throwing the blanket away. She scrambled out of the bed, tumbling onto the stone floor. Her heart pounded in her chest, thumping hard against her palm as she clutched at it.
“I don’t — I don’t want to —” she panted. Anne’s hands closed around her ears. “It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.”
But it had felt so real, so similar. The same thoughts, the same sights, everything just as it had been before, right before she died. Her heart rate spiked again at the mere memory of it and she trembled. Her shaking hands slipped down to try and hug herself.
Her door slammed open. “Anne, are you okay?” Yunan asked, alarmed. Lady Olivia followed her, hustling into the room. “We heard you screaming.”
Anne tried to speak but choked on her words, stammering as she struggled to form a sentence. She gasped for breath as unbidden tears streamed down her cheeks. “I-I-I d-didn’t wanna —”
Yunan had closed the distance between them before Anne had even finished putting the thought together. Sliding down to the floor beside her, the newt general brought her into an unexpectedly gentle embrace. “It’s okay,” she said. “Let it out. You’re safe here. I promise you’ll be alright.”
The dam broke. Anne sobbed hard into the newt’s shoulder, half out of worry with the intrusive thoughts still haunting her, and the other half out of fear — fear that she would die again, fear that allowing her consciousness to slip away would take away this second chance she had. Olivia came around Anne’s back and embraced her other side, the two newts swaddling her in warmth and safety. Slowly, her sobbing softened to a sniffle and she managed to sit up onto the edge of the bed. Olivia grabbed tissues and offered them to her. Anne blew her nose loudly.
“How did you know what to do?” she asked through the tissue.
Yunan wore a somber expression. “I didn’t always work alone in the Newtopian army. Back when I was still in charge of soldiers, our missions were often the most dangerous and not everyone made it back. Those that did weren’t the same. Some handled it quietly and others… well, others were like you, Anne. The things they saw and experienced hurt them, not just physically but their minds too.”
Anne’s eyes started to water again. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m sorry —”
“Don’t apologize!” Yunan said with surprising sternness. Olivia glared at her and she capitulated. “I mean, you have nothing to apologize for. Those soldiers didn’t, and neither do you. Trauma isn’t something someone can just handle, Anne. It takes time. If near-death experiences messed us newts up as badly as they did, I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
Olivia knocked her wife on the arm again and Yunan quieted. “Anne,” she said, “we’re here for you. Whatever you need.”
“Th-thanks, you guys,” Anne managed. “Could you… could you just stay close by? Please?”
“Of course,” Olivia promised. “We’ll be just outside. If you need us, don’t hesitate to call. When you’re ready to go, just let us know.”
“Thanks,” Anne said again. The pair exited the room, closing the door softly and leaving Anne sitting on the edge of the bed, still trying to stifle the tremble in her fingers.
Cautiously, she laid back down and pulled the covers up to her shoulder. Almost immediately the warmth suffocated her and she shot up again, gasping for air. She blinked and even the brief spot of total darkness made her heart skip a beat. There was a faint shuffle outside the door as one of the newts shifted. Small though the sound was, it pushed Anne out of her head and back into the room.
“It’s okay,” she reassured herself. “I’m not dying. Yunan and Olivia are here for me. I’m okay. I’m okay…”
She flopped back down on top of the sheets, staring up at the ceiling, not willing to close her eyes again. “People fall asleep with their eyes open, right?” she asked the air. “I remember reading something about that once.”
The hope sounded weak to her, and it hadn’t even been thirty seconds before her eyes became uncomfortably dry. Even worse, she was quickly running out of things to occupy her mind with. Thinking about Earth only brought disaster. Thinking about Sasha and Marcy only made her feel worse. Her tired eyes scanned the ceiling for anything to hyperfocus on, but the blank surface was tragically uninspiring. Maybe they could have kept a bit more of the traditional newt architecture, Anne thought, remembering the fancy hotel rooms Andrias had given her and the Plantars when they had first come to Newtopia.
She turned over, looking to the wall and rolled her eyes in exasperation when it was just as bare as the ceiling. Does no one like art anymore? she complained silently. At the very least she would’ve thought that Lady Olivia enjoyed hanging a good portrait. Maybe they hadn’t gotten around to decorating yet, or maybe the interior designer of the castle was just the most minimalist Amphibian ever.
She shifted as a lump poked her hip. When it didn’t move, she felt around for whatever was disturbing the comfy mattress. She gripped the offending object, mildly surprised to find that it was actually in her pocket. She had assumed whatever she had possessed before she died had been destroyed along with herself. Yet apparently the Three-Stones-Deity was very thorough in putting her back into Amphibia.
“Not thorough enough though,” she grumbled under her breath. “Couldn’t even get the timing right…”
She pulled the thin object out of her pocket, confused by the textures. One part of it was soft, with the middle felt almost like metal. She held it up to the moonlight coming through the window and her eyes widened. It was the miniature Anne, the one Sprig had made her for Christmas.
Anne had completely forgotten she’d taken that with her. It had been a last second grab, something that combined some of her best memories of both worlds. She took the doll and clutched it to her chest, relishing in the happiness and love it contained and brought back for her.
“Spranne against the world,” she muttered, and before she knew it, her eyes were closed and she was sleeping soundly, like nothing had ever been wrong in the first place.
Anne only knew time had passed when she was suddenly blinking open her eyes to morning sunlight streaming in the window. She yawned and stretched her arms, hands still holding tight the little figure of herself that had allowed her to rest at all.
“Oh, you’re awake. That’s a relief.” Anne jumped as Lady Olivia poked her head in. “We saw you fall asleep several hours ago and didn’t want to disturb you. Breakfast is being made soon though, if you would care to join us.”
Anne’s stomach growled louder than the royal announcement horns, and she grabbed her abdomen in embarrassment. She gave a sheepish smile. “I guess I am a little hungry.”
Lady Olivia returned the smile. “Yes, well, whenever you’re ready. Down the stairs and third door on your right.”
The newt closed the door behind her and Anne sprung up from the bed. She tucked the figurine tenderly into her pocket, ensuring she wouldn’t misplace it, and glanced in the mirror. There wasn’t really much to fix regarding her appearance; Anne had slept in the only clothes she currently possessed. And honestly, given her growth spurt, she doubted any of the clothes she had brought with her to Amphibia would fit even if she did have them. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to sort out any knots or cowlicks, — Frog, did she really still have those leaves and sticks in there? — but her tangle of hair was hard enough to manage as it was that it didn’t do much to be effective. Shrugging, Anne slipped out of the bedroom and followed Lady Olivia’s directions.
She pushed open the door, delighted to smell all different sorts of food plated on the table. “Whoa! What’s all this?” she asked as she marveled at the table, covered end to end in various dishes and foods.
“A proper welcome back,” Lady Olivia said as Yunan waved to Anne from beside her. “I know it isn’t much, and I’m sorry it’s only us here, but I thought you could use a good meal before we get you on your way.”
“Not much? This is amazing!” Anne said, mouth drooling.
Nearly everything she could remember Hop-Pop ever making was there — with the exception of that Frog-awful dish from the Plantar family cookbook — and even some stuff Anne didn’t know Amphibia had. Surprisingly there was a lot of fresh fruit just like from Earth: strawberries, bananas, mangos. She sweated a bit when she saw a sauce that looked suspiciously like tomato sauce. I hope nobody got hurt for the sake of breakfast, she thought, remembering how vicious tomato plants in Amphibia were.
“Well, don’t hold back on our account,” Yunan encouraged, grabbing another pancake from the stack in front of her. “These pill-bug pancakes aren’t gonna last forever, y’know!”
Needing no further invitation, Anne hopped into a chair across from Yunan and started piling food high onto her plate. She dug in eagerly, barely stopping to breathe as she packed it all away. If it was ever hard to believe that five years had passed, Anne’s stomach certainly believed it. It was all she could do to not choke as she proceeded to eat at least some of if not a lot of every dish placed on the table.
“Well, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her appetite,” Yunan jibed, looking very amused and slightly impressed.
“Apparently not,” Lady Olivia agreed, delicately eating her own meal.
Anne swallowed a large bite of pancake and washed it down with a bigger gulp of water then sighed as she finally paused. “Oh yeah, that hits the spot!” she said, stretching again. “So, what’ve I missed?”
“Huh?” Yunan stopped, fork halfway into her mouth.
“You guys said it’s been five years, right? What did I miss when I was, uh, gone, I guess?” Anne asked, sidestepping the word “dead”. She still didn’t like to use it if she could help it.
“Where to begin?” Olivia posed. “This is practically a new world compared to the one you knew. Amphibia’s changed a lot since you, ahem, went away.”
Anne appreciated the newt’s perspicaciousness in her word choice.
“Well I know where to start!” Yunan exclaimed. She held out her hand, waving a very shiny gold band in Anne’s face.
“Oh heavens,” Lady Olivia said, resting her head in her palm. “Dear, please.”
But Yunan went on anyway. She grabbed Olivia’s hand where a matching ring sat. “Boom! Married! Boom! To her!”
The newt general sat back, looking exceedingly proud of herself.
Anne glanced between the pair then burst out into a cheesy grin. “I thought I heard something about a wife yesterday! Congrats, you guys!” she exclaimed.
“I know. It’s great.”
“Sweetheart, please, we talked about this,” Olivia tried again, her face rather red now.
“So,” Anne prompted, “I’ve gotta know. How’d it happen? Who made the first move?”
“Well, I actually —” Yunan started.
“Alright, that is quite enough of that!” Olivia stated firmly, cheeks totally aflame now. “Anne, I thought you would ask more about the Plantars, about your friends and family, not the affairs of a lady and the idiotic general who needed to be asked out three times before she got the hint!”
Yunan rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Is that how it went? I don’t exactly remember.”
Olivia huffed as she sat back down. “Anyway,” she stressed, “I figured we would accompany you on your way to Wartwood today, if you are agreeable. You should return there as soon as possible, and it has been far too long since we visited last. If you would like, we can discuss the development of Amphibia or anyone else on our way there. Would that be okay with you?”
Anne blinked. “Oh, yeah totally! I’m super ready to see everyone again.”
“Good,” Olivia said. She clapped her hands together and a servant poked in the door.
“Yes, ma’am?” he said.
“Get a sparrow ready to fly,” Olivia ordered. “My wife and I will be escorting this young lady to Wartwood today.”
The servant looked to Anne, then blinked, rubbed his eyes, and stared some more. Anne raised a hand to wave and Olivia harrumphed.
“Now, if you please,” she pressed. The servant snapped to attention and went off down the hall.
It didn’t take long for the trio to finish their meal and prepare to leave. Anne shoveled down another two plates of food, mildly sure that she would regret eating so much so quickly later but too satisfied to care much at the moment, then waited patiently as Olivia and Yunan packed a few small travel bags. She followed them to a balcony where a very familiar bird was waiting saddled up for them.
“No way! Joe Sparrow?” Anne said. The bird dipped its head, nuzzled Anne affectionately, and she responded in kind by scratching the back of his neck. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Marcy?”
“Joe Sparrow is the primary carrier between Newtopia and Wartwood. After Marcy settled down, she agreed that he would continue to work under us,” Lady Olivia said.
“Marcy… settled down?” Anne questioned. Joe Sparrow chirped in indignation as her hand paused.
Lady Olivia sighed. “Perhaps we should get on our way. We discuss whatever you like en route.”
“Oh, uh yeah, sure,” Anne responded.
She clambered up into the saddle as Yunan slung the bags beside her. The newt general bent and hoisted her wife up, providing her hands as a stepstool up to the saddle. She followed, jumping into the spot behind Joe Sparrow’s neck and taking the reins in hand. She spurred them once and Joe Sparrow launched into the sky.
Anne’s stomach lurched as they rapidly gained altitude and she very nearly vomited from the violent motion. Now I really regret eating so much, she thought. She pressed a hand to her mouth and swallowed hard to keep her breakfast down, taking deep breaths as Joe Sparrow leveled off, flying steadily. She raised an eyebrow as Yunan dropped the reins and turned her attention to her and Olivia.
“Joe Sparrow knows where he’s going,” she said in response to Anne’s questioning look. “Now that we’re on the way, we can talk.”
“Yes,” Olivia confirmed, “and away from any wandering ears and eyes I might add. I don’t know about you, Anne, but I feel it might be best to try and keep your return under wraps for now. At least until you are ready to reveal yourself.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Anne said. “I don’t think it’ll be that bad. We’re going back to Wartwood anyway and I’m sure word will spread quickly, so…”
“Mhmm,” Olivia hummed uncertainly. “Anyway, enough of that. I’m a newt of my word, so, Anne, what would you like to know?”
Anne sat back, whistling faintly. “I don’t even know where to start. I just wanna know everything, I guess.”
“Of course,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly as Anne smiled apologetically. “Well, you’d better get comfortable. That’s a lot to cover.”
Anne crossed her legs and sat up attentively as the newt began to speak.
“I suppose I should start five years ago, right after you destroyed the Core…”