Chapter Text
“Wow, Anne! You did amazing. In and out, just like that!” Marcy gushed to Anne as the gilded wooden box was placed into Sasha’s open hands. Anne laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.
“This is pretty cool,” said Sasha as she caressed the multicolored gems embedded into its surface, which shone with an impossible and almost otherworldly gleam. The gems were red, blue, and green respectively, their hues forming a perfect harmony.
Alright, Sash… just open it, Marcy thought impatiently, as if she could telepathically will her friend into action. But Sasha kept scrutinizing the box, admiring the dancing ornamentation upon its surface.
“So, Mar Mar… why exactly did you make me steal from the Thrift Stop?” Anne asked nervously, clearly afraid of legal punishment.
“Well, I thought this could be a nice gift for your thirteenth birthday!” Marcy explained steadily, guilt surging through her mind, but she continued on. Sasha nodded obliviously as confirmation.
“But why did it have to be me? And why couldn’t you just… buy it?”
“It’s just not something we need to spend our money on,” Sasha said, fanning the air dismissively. “Plus, there’s a reason everyone at school calls you a twig.”
Anne just grimaced, while Marcy just restlessly urged Sasha, “I wanna hear the song. Can you open it?”
Sasha put a hand to her chin. “Hmm… maybe Anne should open it. After all, this is her gift, right?”
“Um, sure. I guess I’ll do it,” Anne reluctantly agreed, taking the box from Sasha and sitting down on a bench. As Anne slid her thumb beneath the lip of the top half, Marcy jittered eagerly, her eyes trained on the frog decal’s blank stare. Nothing could’ve prepared them for what happened next, however.
A tiny flash of rainbow light emerged from inside the open box, blossoming into an impossibly bright flashbang within the blink of an eye as rainbow forks of electricity encircled the girls.
And then they were gone.
Pale mud caked Anne’s eyes as she regained control of her body, covering her face in a generous layer of muck. She pushed herself up to her feet and furiously blinked. Once her eyes were clear, she wiped her face and took in her squalorous surroundings. Around her was a shallow puddle of tan sludge, skirted by strange trees and glowing mushrooms. But that wasn’t even the strangest thing about this swamp; a squadron of giant dragonflies buzzed above her in the sky, among other supersized insects.
The hell… Where am I?
But before she could even get used to her situation, a giant purple centipede erupted from the undergrowth with no warning. It had horns like a rhinoceros—and it was the size of one, only three times as long. Anne shrieked in terror as it clacked its mandibles with bloodthirsty energy, all four of its eyes boring into her soul. But as she started to run, her ground-facing eyes drifted to her torso, where a belt that hadn’t been with her in Los Angeles girded her waist. It supported two holstered UZI machine pistols and countless replacement magazines.
Despite her lack of gun training, a devious smile rose to Anne’s filthy face. She spun around to face the centipede, and as it began to slither towards her in an almost serpentine fashion while brandishing its horns, she quickly drew her guns and blasted the centipede with unmatched fury. By the time she emptied both magazines, the bug had been separated into several green-stained chunks which all convulsed with the last remaining scraps of life.
A liberated feeling filled Anne at the sight of the dead rhinopede. “HA! Take that, stupid thing!”
She holstered her firearms, feeling satisfied at her ability to survive in this strange new world, which even surprised herself.
And as she went to find some possible shelter within the forest of the swamp, she couldn’t help but wonder:
Where are Sasha and Marcy?
Oh my God, what the FUCK did Marcy get us into this time?
This was the only thought circling through a dumbfounded Sasha’s brain as she spun within her own detached head.
She sensed her body being torn apart and then pressed back together again, like modeling clay belonging to a second grader. But strangely enough, it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t relaxing either, but it was certainly not the source of Sasha’s current state of distress. But before she could even attempt to make sense of the situation, she blacked out against her will.
When she woke up once again, all she could see was dirt. She lifted her face from the soil, startled by the sight of several shadowed figures surrounding her, each pointing gleaming metal spears at her head. But she didn’t think they were humans, and her suspicions were confirmed when the clouds parted enough for her to see six armored frogs—no, toads. And they stood upright like people.
“HALT!” one of them commanded, as Sasha managed to stand up regardless of her currently rubbery limbs. So they’re talking toads too?
“Where am I?” she asked incredulously.
“You’re at Toad Tower, you ugly beast. Now, allow us to tie you up, or your head is gone. You don’t want that, do you?”
“Whoa, chill out, dude!” Sasha said with considerable offense. “I’m not gonna hurt you guys.” She stared at them in their glowing salmon eyes.
Another toad simply eyed her with distrust, and forced her hands behind her back as the others swiftly bound her with rope. She shouted, “HEY! LET ME GO!”
But the toads didn’t heed her call, and instead heaved her up into the air as they carried her each with one hand. It was then that she saw it.
Toad Tower.
She realized that this was the location the toad guard had mentioned. It was a wicked-looking black stone tower, surrounded by fortified walls. Red banners flapped from every nook and cranny of the wall, depicting a golden coat of arms which she could not see in detail due to the heavy mist that hung in the air. Spikes protruded from most surfaces of the tower, enhancing the fearful tone emanating from the structure.
“Take her inside to Captain Grime,” the first guard ordered, and the rest obeyed. They marched into the confines of the walls, much to Sasha’s dismay. The whole way, countless pairs of radiating eyes pierced into her judgmentally and almost fearfully. But she wasn’t scared of them; in fact, she just stared back harder.
As she continued to bounce up and down with every step of the guards, she felt something within her shirt, rubbing against the skin of her back. It felt like plastic, or maybe metal, but she wasn’t sure what exactly was there.
When she was finally placed inside of Toad Tower, still bound by rope, a stocky and muscular toad slowly strode before her. He was mossy green, wearing red armor and a deep cyan cloak over one arm. His left eye was ravaged by an old scar and was likely unseeing, while the other glowed light blue.
This must be that “Captain Grime” guy, Sasha thought ponderously. She scowled at him in an attempt to assert her dominance, but he didn’t seem fazed. Instead, he looked upon her like she was some peculiar, unfamiliar type of insect.
“What in the world is this?” Grime questioned the lead guard. “Why is it so… lanky?”
“Captain Grime, sir, we found this thing outside of the tower,” the guard replied while giving a rushed salute. “We’re not sure what it is either.”
“Hey, I’m not just some THING!” Sasha shouted incredulously. “LET ME GO, NOW!” She kicked and tried to punch, but her bindings were too durable.
Grime let out a hearty and deep laugh at her pitiful efforts. “I’m afraid we cannot, girl. But what exactly are you?”
“I’m a human, you oversized wart,” Sasha answered callously. “Now untie me. I DEMAND it,”
“What did I just tell you? You’re our prisoner now!” Grime said. Putting one hand beside his mouth, he shouted, “Guards, bring her to a cell!”
“NO, PLEASE! WAIT!” Sasha started to fight, but her efforts were in vain. Instead, a gag was shoved between her teeth, and she was hoisted upon the shoulder of a toad once again. The toad carried her up a long flight of spiral stairs, the journey painstakingly long.
Despite her inability to speak, she still seethed within her mind. I SWEAR, I will get out of this place. No matter what it takes.
Marcy could feel her very existence warping, detaching, then melding again on the cellular level, not inducing pain but rather unimaginable discomfort. As her body reformed, she was left face-first on marbled pavements. She pushed herself up, and a strange sight met her eyes:
A pristine city of walking, talking newts.
Huh…?
And as she looked down at her temporarily numb form, she saw something at her hips: Two Glock 19’s, complete with a magazine belt. She drew one, but due to her absence of shooting experience, accidentally fired a bullet and nearly took off her own foot. She yelped and re-holstered the gun before she could do any damage.
Wh… where the heck am I?
She sluggishly rose to her feet, taking in the sights around her. Pearly white buildings with multicolored roofs, paved streets, giant stone walls ringed by a raging ocean… and so many newts. She took one step and instantly stumbled in her classic clumsy Marcy way. She caught herself before injury, but she was met with the terrified face of a greenish newt, staring her straight in the eyes.
“Who are you? What are you?” they asked, voice trembling in horror.
“Uh… I’m Ma-Marcy Wu, and… I’m a human. W-What is this place?”
“Well, greetings Mamarcy,” the newt started, “this is Newtopia, the center of Amphibia’s civilization. I must… show you to Lady Olivia.”
“Heh, it’s actually Marcy,” she said, a somewhat lighthearted smile spreading across her face despite her unfamiliar surroundings. “Sor—Wait, Amphibia? Lady Olivia? What—”
“I’ll explain later,” the newt interrupted. “Please, just follow me.”
Marcy nodded dutifully and followed the newt as they trailed down an extensive flight of stairs. She took the opportunity to admire the beautiful new setting, analyzing the structural artistry and décor. But a few steps down, Marcy lost her footing and tumbled down every single stair, all the way to the one-hundredth. Sometime in the middle of her fall, she even felt a sharp pain in her left leg as the bones all fractured.
Ouch, she thought as she groaned in pain. This place isn’t gonna be very easy on me, huh?