Chapter 34: Part 2: Chapter 11: Final Day

When you're Marcy Wu, there are certain plans that you make with your friends. Mostly because you were the only one who remembered to do it. One was to plan out a campaign for Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons. Another way to plan out group homework meetings so that your lazy friends don't fail and you don't have to lose the two most valuable people in your life. And finally, you plan sleepovers. And that's exactly what Marcy did for Frank and Anne. She would have invited Sprig and Polly, but she wanted to have this sleepover with them, especially when it was the first time they had one with Frank. 

In a tower of Newtopia Castle, Marcy prepared for the night ahead. In the light of the moon, in her pajamas, she was completing her final chore: watering her potted flytrap on her windowsill. "Watering the plants, watering the plants," she chanted to herself. The young girl yelped and retracted her hand when one of the flytraps snapped at her. "Branson! No, bad boy."

She heard a knocking on her door. 

"Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. They're here!" Marcy cheerfully exclaimed as she ran to the door and opened it. 

However, instead of her guests, Lady Olivia came in and said, "Good evening, Master Marcy. Anne Boonchuy and Frank Ramirez have arrived for your…"

Lady Olivia was interrupted when Frank walked past her. 

"Yo, where is the party?" Frank asked with a grin in his pj's.

"Hey! It's been a while," Marcy said, hugging him.

"Yeah, at least three chapters," Frank said, hugging her back. "We missed you."

That's when Anne burst in, also in her pj's. "Sleepover!" she yelled before jumping on Marcy's bed and jumping on it. "Sleepover, sleepover, sleepover!"

With a strained smile, Olivia sighed and said, "Yes, sleepover. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen drinking... juice." Olivia took her leave. There was a bottle of rare aged-20-year wine with her name on it. 

Anne squealed and hugged Marcy, causing her to grunt from the impact. "This is gonna be…"

"Awesome!"

Frank laughed as he threw his sleeping bag on the floor. "You know, I wasn't really all that excited, but this was a great idea," he said, kicking off his sandals. "It's the perfect way to spend the night before we hear from the king."

"I wonder what he learned about the music box," Anne said.

Marcy smirked mischievously. "I don't wanna give anything away, but it's gonna be pretty cool," she said, already knowing what the book had to say about the box. "But that's for tomorrow. Let's just enjoy the night together! Especially when it's the first sleepover we've had with Frank in over three years."

Anne's eyes widened at this fact. "Whoa, you're right," she said, sad by the fact. This was the first time in a very long time. "And you know, I just realized, we've never done a sleepover without Sasha."

"All the better," Frank said with a smile, lying on his back and putting his arms under his head.

"Oh, you don't mean…" Marcy paused when Frank shot her a look. Marcy may still think that Sasha wasn't so bad, but she needed to watch the way she talked about the blonde girl around him. Sasha ruined his life, and Frank held a lot of disdain for her. "Right…Do you think we can pull it off? Sasha's the sleepover queen, not us."

Frank sat up and waved her off. "Pfft. Who says there has to be just one queen?"

"Everyone. That's sort of how the whole monarchy system works, Frank."

"And who elected her?" 

"No one. You don't elect a queen."

"Well, without a queen, sounds like we have a good ol' power vacuum," Frank said with a smile. "Meaning you're free to choose your own path."

"He's right, Marcy," Anne said. "You and I have done tons of sleepovers. We know everything about them."

Together, Anne and Marcy excitedly listened to all the things they do with Sasha. "Pajamas, junk food, and gossip galore," they said simultaneously as if beginning a song while looping their arms around each other's shoulders. "Pillow fights, movies, and tearing up the dance floor. And listen up 'cause this I won't repeat, never ever go to sleep."

"When did that become a rule," Frank asked. He always fell asleep during the sleepovers.

"Oh, sorry," Marcy said sheepishly. "Sasha always said falling asleep early is a sign of weakness."

Frank's eyes narrowed. "Yeah?" At that moment, you can consider Frank provoked. 

"Yeah, she said it meant that it means total failure and that a true sleepover goes till sunrise," Marcy said as if it were fact.

"Well, in that case," Frank said, standing up, "let's make sure we don't fall asleep. Let's get our sleepover on, baby!

Anne and Marcy both cheered. "Woo-hoo!"

First on the menu was mattress sliding. Marcy brought them over to the tallest, longest flight of stairs in the entire castle. After reaching the top, they set the mattress down and hopped on. 

"Let's do it!" Frank yelled, before pushing off and sending all of them down the stairs. He, Anne, and Marcy cheered at the top of their lungs as they slid down a staircase on the mattress with their hands in the air. On the way down, they nearly ran into Lady Olivia, before she quickly got out of the way. 

At the end of the stairs, the mattress bumps into a suit of armor, sending the kids crashing on the floor and sending pieces of armor everywhere. Even helmet landed on Lady Olivia's head.

Then he, Marcy, and Anne snuck into the royal dressing chambertry in clothes belonging to King Andrias. "Yeah!" Marcy said, wearing a cape and trying on an oversized crown. 

At the same time, Anne pulled out a big sock and jumped into it. Pretending that it was a potato sack, I started hopping around in it. 

Seeing this, Lady Olivia walked over to what appeared to be Andrias, who was standing with his back to her. 

"Excuse me, sire," she said up to him, only to be shocked when it was revealed that Frank had used various clothes to make up the body inside the suit of armor. He then used himself as the head.

Looking at her, he said in a deep voice, "Yes, my loyal subject?" 

Olivia's face turned red as she grunted angrily. 

Frank didn't know how they talked him into it, but now he was sitting on the floor, letting Anne and Marcy put matchup on his face, polishing his nails, applying matchup, and fixing his hair. 

When they were finished, they stepped away and allowed him to look at their work. It was like looking at a gender-bent version of himself, with glossy lips, a bit of powder on his cheeks eyelashes, and his brown hair in two buns that made him look like a bear. 

"I'd be very angry with you two," he said, looking at himself, "if I didn't look so fantastic."

Finally having a moment to sit down, Olivia dusted a spot on a chair by a fireplace. With a novel in hand, she settled herself down to read. However, the royally dressed newt wouldn't have the luxury. The human kids ambushed her with silly string from caterpillars, causing her to scream in 

"Oh, for frog's sake!" Olivia yelled as the kids all started laughing. She then locked her gaze on her first victim, Frank."A comedian, huh?" 

Frank's laughing stopped when she grabbed him and picked him up over her head. "Whoa!" he yelled, surprised by the strength Olivia had. "Wait, how on!"

"SUBALUWA!!!" 

Olivia threw him at Anne and Marcy, knocking them all down, and crashing the three kids down on the floor. The silly string caterpillars were thrown into the air, before landing into an open chest. Olivia quickly closed the chest and turned back to the kids.

"While I'm glad you kids are having fun…" she looked at the kids she'd just taken down, as they lay on the floor, groaning in pain. "...let me remind you that some castle rooms are off-limits, namely the basement, which is strictly–"

"Ha-ha!" Anne laughed as she pulled out another silly string caterpillar and sprayed Olivia's face, making her scream. "Montage is back on, baby!"

And montage they did. They pillow-fought, baked a three-tier cake, and painted mustaches on various portraits. By the end, they returned to Marcy's bedroom and lay together in their sleeping bags. 

Frank yawned and said, "That was the best sleepover ever." It truly was. After he left the friend group, he was never invited to other sleepovers because he had no other friends. His criminal records made it impossible to make new friends.

"See, told ya we could pull off an awesome sleepover without Sasha," Anne told Marcy, opening her right eye to look at her. "What time is it, anyway? 5:00 a.m.? 6:00 a.m.?"

"Uh…" Marcy sat up and pulled out her phone. "...only 9:00 p.m.?!"

Anne and Frank sat up and looked at her in shock. "What?!"

"How can it still be so early?" Frank exclaimed, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. "And how come I'm so tired?"

Panicking when she saw her best friend's exhaustion, she quickly grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "No, stay awake!" she yelled at him. 

"A-a-a-a-a-a-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-e-e-e-e-e, s-s-s-s-t-t-t-t-t-o-o-o-o-o-p-p-p-p-p-p!"

"Oh, sorry," she said, letting him go. 

"Thanks," he said, shaking his head to get his wits back together. "So, what're we gonna do? What did you guys do to stay awake?"

Marcy said, "We'd hang out and eat candy and fill our bellies with diet soda and play Burnout: Revenge for the PS2."

"Okay, we don't have any of those, so let's think for a moment," Frank said, placing his chin on his fist. 

The three human friends thought for a moment. However, their pondering ended when Marcy gasped and said, "Anne, I think it's time."

"Really? Are you sure he's ready?"

"Is anyone ever really ready, Anne?"

"Ready for what," Frank asked, looking at the girl in confusion. Only to be startled when the lights cut out, and the girl leaned in close with Marcy's phone under her and Anne's chins, shining up at them.

"The Scare-Dare challenge. Oooh," they both said, trying to be spooky.

Marcy then took over. "The rules: One of us comes up with a scary dare, and we all have to do it."

"But whoever bails first gets their name added to…" Anne trailed off as Marcy pulled out a notebook. 

"The Book of Losers!"

"Yeah, and once your name is in the Book of Losers, it'll be there forever."

Marcy, trying to be scary again, said in a deep voice. "Forever."

Frank looked at the girls blankly. "Yeah, I'm in," he said, standing up confidently. 

"Really, are you sure," Anne asked, smirking with a raised eyebrow.

"Anne, I've faced death so much that I'll likely be in therapy when we get back," Frank said with noticeable bags under his eyes and a slight twitch in his eye. "And let's not forget that I'm currently being haunted by a ghost right now."

"I'm not a ghost," Leif said, sitting next to him.

"So let's do this!"

"Okay, all we need is a scary dare," Marcy said, excited to have Frank in on the challenge. 

However, there was a problem. What were they going to use as a challenge? They were in the safest city in all of Amphibia. Other than taxes and angry mobs, there was nothing to be fearful of in Newtopia. 

"Yeah, I got nada," Frank said. "If this was Wartwood, we'd have something to work with."

Anne said, "Huh. I don't remember it being this difficult."

"That's because Sasha always came up with the best scare dares," said Marcy. 

"Oh, right," Anne said, turning her head to look at a map of the castle hanging on the wall. "All right, what have we got to work with here?"

Anne turned on her phone's flashlight and walked over the map. Most of the bottom half was torn up, making it impossible to know what was down there. Lady Olivia said that it was completely off-limits to guests. What was done there? What could be so important to the king that he would ban anyone from venturing into the underground? Treasure, maybe. Perhaps a dark secret. All the more reason for the Thai girl to make it her choice. 

"Oh, what about the basement?" Anne asked, rubbing the edge of the paper before recoiling her hand. "Ow, paper cut."

Frank, on the other hand, looked less certain. "Anne, think for a moment. When has going anywhere that's off-limits been a good idea?" he said, already thinking of several incidents before Anne could even ask the inevitable question.

"Name one—"

"The lake with the water snake."

"Oh."

"Frank's right, Anne," Marcy said. "This may not be a smart idea. Even I'm not allowed down there."

"And don't you want to know why," Anne asked, determined to go down into the basement. "Come on, Marce. It's what Sasha would do."

"Well, that is true."

"Yeah, that's not something that should convince you," Frank told Marcy. 

"Well, then I guess, by Sasha's standards, you're losers," Anne said with a mischievous grin. She didn't really mean it, but it was the only way to get Frank to go into the basement with them. 

Frank glared at her and pointed out, "While I am numb to being called a loser, I will not allow myself to be that bitch to declare me a loser!" He then shot up to his feet. "I hereby accept this Scare-Dare challenge." 

"I also accept this Scare-Dare challenge!

"It is done!" Anne declared. "This Scare-Dare challenge is now...

They all spoke together in deep voices. "...official."

Getting into the basement was rather simple. Lady Olivia was stationed outside of the entrance on a rocking chair. However, she had long fallen asleep slouched in the chair with an open book in her lap and a glass of wine. Tip-toeing in front of her, the three human kids took a right turn into the stone stairway, making sure not to wake the sleeping newt.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they entered what appeared to be the royal wine cellar. Walls of wine barrels are organized and stacked as high as the roof. In the center of the room was a single trap door, leading to the castle's underground bastion. 

Frank walked up to the door and grabbed its iron ring. With a strong pull, it came up, before Frank was nearly knocked back by a powerful burst of dusty air that came rushing out of the hole. The pressure caused the door to fly the rest of the way open, as the dust made all three of them cough.

Looking down into the hole was like looking at the stairs to the gates of hell. It was a long stairway, with a tall door closed at the very bottom. It's a secret of its own to keep and safeguard from anyone foolish enough to go looking for them. 

And it just so happened that Frank, Anne, and Marcy were fools. 

"So... who wants to go first," asked Marcy. 

Frank pointed to the girl he loved. "I volunteer Anne."

Anne looked at him in shock. "What? Why?"

"Well, it was your idea," Marcy said. 

It was true. It wouldn't be the first time she had volunteered to go first, as Sasha had made her go first for various reasons. Anne gulped and looked nervous. Nonetheless, the Thai girl descended into the basement first, followed by Frank and Marcy. All three of them pulled out their phones and turned on the lights. 

It wasn't even halfway down when Marcy tripped and started falling down the stairs. 

"Marcy!" Frank and Anne yelled, unable to grab her in time. 

"Oh, no. Why am I going…" Marcy screamed and grunted in pain over and over each time she hit a step on the stairs. It all stopped when she landed on her chest on the bottom floor. 

Groaning, she picked up her phone and looked to her right…

…only to see the jaws of a monster looking at her. 

"Ahh!" Marcy gasped as she stood up, backing up into Anne, which frightened her. "AAAAH!"

"AAAAH!" Anne screamed. 

"AAAAAAH!" Frank screamed. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" They all screamed until Anne put an end to it.

"Okay, that's enough," she told the others.

Frank glanced around, seeing his, Anne's, and Marcy's reflection in a mirror behind Anne. And in the one behind him, creating the illusion of infinite realities and reflections in the mirror he was looking at. Turning his head slowly to the left, with his light pointing at where he was looking, Frank was shocked to see more mirrors lining both sides of the wall. All of different sizes and shapes. The 'monster teeth' Marcy said was only the wing pattern of a moth.

"Whoa, that's a lot of mirrors," Frank said, watching the moth flutter down the long hall into the abyss. He tried not to blink when looking at it.

"So... does anyone want to turn back and go into the Book of Losers?" Anne asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Do you?"

"Pfff. As if."

Marcy added in. "Not me."

Frank nodded and placed out his grandfather's combat knife. Together, they slowly trekked down the hall. 

"What is this place?"

"You know, some cultures believe mirrors can ward off malevolent spirits, or summon them," Marcy said, letting out a sinister laugh.

"That's nice, Marc," Frank said, his heart racing. Every three mirrors, he would see Leif in them. "And I suppose you wouldn't happen to know about this place?"

"This One only knows that this castle held many great memories for Leif when she was alive," Leif said. "Memories of This One's host are fragmentary."

"Okay, so would she have known what it is," Frank asked, while Marcy and Anne looked at him.

"Is he…?" Marcy trailed off.

"Oh, that's just him talking to the ghost of the superpowers he has," Anne said, like it was the most casual thing to say.

"HE HAS SUPERPOWERS?!"

"SSSSSHHH!" Frank ran over to help Anne cover Marcy's mouth. "Yes, I have superpowers, yes, they're alive and using the image of a frog that's died to talk to me, and now STFU before you give us away!"

"But I've got so many questions!" Marcy said with an excited expression as she pushed their hands away to speak. "Like, were those powers given to you like One for All in My Hero Academia , or were they always inside of you, like in Bleach ?"

"I…I don't know," Frank said, backing up. "Leif hasn't been the most open with me. I guess I'm not answering the right questions."

"Uh, yeah, let's try to focus on getting out here as fast as possible," Anne said, pushing the two along. 

Before long, they finally reached the end of the hallway. It was blocked by a large wooden door with chains locking it closed and a sign with red Amphibia letters on it. 

"Uh, Marcy, what does that say," Anne asked. 

"My command of Newtopian linguistics is limited, but what it says should be fairly obvious."

"Keep out," Frank translated without the need to know the old language. 

Anne gulped. "Okay, somebody's gotta wanna go back by now."

"I ain't going in no Book of Losers," Frank said, even though his blood was pumping into his veins quickly from how fast his heart was beating. His hand was shaking. Why was he shivering? He had a weapon with him.

"Guess we'll go a bit further then," Marcy said, just as frightened as the others. 

"Uh-huh. Living my best life right now," Anne said, but it was a lie. 

"Right…" Frank walked up to the door, stabbing his knife into the wood. He then grabbed the sign and pulled, straining himself. Finally, the plank was ripped out, revealing the padlock behind it. Pulling his knife out, the Hispanic boy stabbed it into the keyhole. Breaking the lock and allowing the chains to fall to the floor. 

Pulling the door open, he gasped.

"What the fuck is this?" 

Luminated only by coral, the chamber had flooded long ago by the sea, covering the floor in water and making it impossible to know how deep it went. Frank found the coffins the most disturbing. There were seven in total, some floating and others leaning on the walls—all locked together by one long chain. 

"It's some kind of creepy crypt," Anne said. 

"Yep, I'm not going any further," Frank said, holding up his hands in defeat.

"Oh, come on, Frank. It's just coffins," Anne said, trying to convince him that it was okay so he wouldn't end up in the book. To further demonstrate, she hopped onto one of the coffins.

"Anne, we shouldn't be here," said Marcy, feeling her nerves breaking. "This feels all sorts of wrong."

"Marcy's right. We should head back upstairs," Frank told Anne. 

Hearing this, Anne grew another mischievous smirk on her face. "Oh, I see. So, I guess you two are okay with going in...the Book of Losers!"

"Anne, we shouldn't even have come here in the first place," Frank argued. "This is a place for the dead to rest."

"Yeah, and they're still resting," Anne said, tapping on the coffin with her foot. "Come on, Frank. Don't you want to stay out of the Book of Losers?"

"What does it matter if I am?"

"It matters because I know you're not a loser," Anne told the Hispanic boy. "Look, how about this? We'll go back if…" she paused before looking around. That's when she saw a rather intimidating-looking coffin at the far side of the chamber. "We take a picture of you by that coffin."

Frank gulped. Looking down at the water, he took a cautious step into it. 

"Huh," he said when his foot touched the floor. "I thought it'd be deeper. Okay…"

The girls watched as Frank walked over to the coffin. "Are we really okay with this," Marcy asked, walking over to Anne with an uncertain look on her face. "I mean…would Sasha do this?"

"Oh, yeah." It made Anne question if Sasha would be the one in the picture, or the one forcing Anne to do it. The hard truth was that the Thai Girl knew what the blonde would be having her doing. 

Stopping in front of the coffin, Frank turned around and stood as straight as he could. Then he put on a smile and held up a piece sign. "Alright, go for it."

"All right," Anne said, equally nervous. "Say desecration."

"Desecration…"

A flash of light, and the picture was taken. "Ha! Nailed it," Anne said in triumph. 

"Did you get it?" Frank asked, really wanting to get away from the coffin.

"Yea—Oh, wait. This photo's kinda jank," Anne commented, noticing how Frank's right eye was glowing red for some reason. 

That 'eye' lifted up off the screen, which turned purple. As she watched it, Anne slowly realized that there was some kind of creature in her phone—a translucent fish-like creature with the appearance of a cross between a germ and a jellyfish, with tentacles, antennae, and a single eyeball. 

Anne and Marcy looked at the jellyfish thing for a moment before screaming in terror, with the Thai girl shaking her hand to get the creature away. However, their problems didn't end there, as the water started to glow purple. 

Then, more jellyfish monsters started floating up from the water like ghosts, phasing through it, the walls, and the coffins. Each one was a different form from the last, with multiple tentacles, antennae, and eyes. 

"What the heck are these things?!" Anne screamed as she and Marcy stepped back to Frank. Another one with crab claws rose out of the coffin behind the three humans, making them scream and back up.

The one that first appeared floated up to Anne, who smiled at it. "Aw, they're actually kinda cute," she said, about to touch the little critter. 

"Anne, don't touch it!" Marcy pulled him away and pointed to another one of the jellyfish. "Look!"

Anne turned her head and saw it pulling a pile of frog bones into its translucent body. At first, they just floated around inside it, only for the bone to dissolve into dust and disappear. 

"Holy shit! They're gonna eat our bones!" Anne yelled. Both girls started backing away towards the door they came in."I don't get it. Are they aliens? Ghosts?"

"Does it matter?" Marcy said, looking back at the doorway. Only to see a jellyfish phase through the floor in front of it. Blocking their way out. "Let's get outta here, Scoob!

"Roger that—Wait, what did you just call me?"

"Focus!"

"Right, right." Anne looked around, trying to find a way out of the chamber. The jellyfish were closing in. However, that's when he saw another doorway. "Guys, this way!" 

Anne grabbed Marcy's hand and ran towards it. 

"Wait! Where's Frank?!"

She turned around and saw him still standing where he was. The look in his eyes expressed nothing but paralyzing fear, as he stared at the ghostly creatures with wide eyes and his breath hitching. As the creatures drew closer to him, Anne and Marcy rushed over to him and pulled him away, dodging the jellyfish when they tried to catch them.

As they got him to run with them, Frank remained unresponsive as the three humans made it to the doorway and ran out of the chamber. The jellyfish weren't giving up that easily. They chased the three down the hall to a sharp right turn in the hall. 

At that right turn, the kids saw that the hallway had even more mirrors, all of them the same shape and size. 

"Man, someone really loves mirrors," Anne said. 

The jellyfish's shrill shriek made her and the others scream before they took off again. They ran down the hall of mirrors, and the creatures chased them, stopping before they crossed the first mirror. They then phased through the floor.

The hall bent to the left, and the kids took that turn into another hall filled with vegetation, the sight of which made Marcy stop to observe them. "What the... A garden?" she wondered, looking at the plants in wonder. "But how are these plants growing so well without sunlight?"

Anne ran back over and grabbed her. "Mar-Mar, we don't have time for this. Come on!" she yelled, pulling her along down the hallway. 

Neither of them noticed the Moss Man rising up from the corner. Bound in chains by a shackle around his neck.

Another turn took them down another hallway. It was too dark to see anything, with the only amount of light coming in from small windows. They didn't even shine on anything noteworthy. 

Except for a painting that Leif was standing in front of. 

The girls ran past her, unable to see her. Frank could, but because of his fear-stricken state, he didn't even notice her. If he had, the boy would have seen that the painting was nearly completely destroyed. It was impossible to see who the four figures were. Three gashes were made into the painting, cutting out most of what they looked like. 

The hall came to an end at a spiral staircase that the kids quickly ran up. Desperate to get away, they reached the top of the stairs, only to find it blocked by a trapdoor. 

"Come on, put your backs into it!" Anne yelled as she and Marcy tried pushing the door open. Then Frank came up and helped. Their combined strength forced the door open, and the three looked around to see where they were. 

"My room?" Marcy exclaimed. 

And it was true. The kids were back in Marcy's bedroom in the castle. The trap door was suspiciously under the rug that was already there when she moved in. It was something that Anne would have questioned. How did she not know about the door? She lived here for four months now. Had Marcy, the smartest girl at his old school, really not known that there was a secret passageway under her feet? 

"Don't question it!" she yelled to Marcy and herself. Anne pulled Marcy and Frank out of the hole and then slammed the trap door closed."Oh, thank goodness that's…" 

She stopped when she noticed that Frank curled in a fetal position. Still paralyzed in his shocked state. 

"Frank, are you okay," Anne asked with concern. She knelt in front of him and tried shaking him, but got no response. "Hey, snap out of it!" 

Marcy looked at him and to a horrible conclusion. "Oh no, he's been paralyzed with fear," the smart girl said.

"What?!"

"Anne, you know Frank's been scared of ghosts, ever since that summer camp! He's so scared that it makes him almost immovable. It's a miracle that we even got him to run with us. But, overall, after seeing a bunch of real ghosts, it just…broke him."

Anne remembered that summer camp. When they were eight, Frank and the girls were set to have fun at a summer camp that was said to be one of the best in California. From what she remembered, it really was a great place, and they all had so much fun. However, the fun and games came to an end for Frank during a dare to spend a night in the boat house. Turned out a really bad camp manager was killed there. Frank didn't believe in ghosts. That was until he was scared so badly by the ghost that he screamed and became paralyzed out of fear. It was so bad that his parents had to take him home, after he was taken to a hospital. 

That was how Frank became afraid of ghosts. Anne and her friends would always tease him, but it was never meant to be mean-spirited. However, the experience truly scarred him for life, and it was clear he never truly got over it. 

Anne looked at her beloved with a devastated look. It was her fault now. She was the one who came up with the idea of the challenge that made him a statue. It caused her to tear up as she started to cry. 

Hesitant at first, Anne hugged him tightly. 

"I'm sorry, Frank," she said through her tears, hugging him tightly in spite of his stiff body. "I'm so sorry. Please be okay."

After a moment, Anne could feel him loosening himself. Marcy watched with awe, as the warmth of her best friend's love for the boy melted the fear away. Frank blinked for a couple of seconds. Realizing that it was Anne, he smiled to himself and hugged her back. Letting her know that it was okay. He was okay. 

"Anne…"

"It's okay…we're safe—"

Anne didn't even get to finish her sentence when one of the Shadowfish phased through the door. 

"Holy toot!"

Marcy backed up towards the window, where she noticed a book on her desk.

"Take this, you overgrown gummy worm!" She grabbed the book and threw it at the Shadowfish. 

The Shadowfish only made a squealing sound as the book passed its book and came out the other side smoking. The book hit Frank in the head.

"Ow! Damnit, Marc!"

"Sorry, but why isn't it working?" Marcy said, becoming more and more fearful of the Shadowfish as more came into the room. "Why are the books passing right through them?"

"Maybe they prefer audiobooks!" Frank yelled. Determined to kick his fear in the butt and protect Anne, he got in front of the Thai girl and slashed at one of the creatures. Only for his knife not to do any damage. The Shadowfish started advancing closer to the Hispanic boy, making Frank and Anne scream as he held up his knife. 

And that's when something miraculous happened. At the angle he held his knife, the Shadowfish looked at the flat of the blade. And that's when the creature experienced a transformation. Its body changed into a tangible state, losing all of its translucent appearance as well as its ability to levitate. Taking on a blue, slug-like appearance. 

"What the…" Frank said as he looked at the creature in shock. When the Shadowfish looked at him again, it opened its mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth. That's when his eyes turned red. "No!"

Frank let out a yell as he unleashed his powers. Covering himself in the red aura, he flew at the Shadowfish and punched it in between its three eyes. Killing it instantly as he punched through its head, causing green blood to spill from it. 

"Anime powers!" Marcy gasped as she saw Frank's powered-up mode while he was covered in green blood. "Wait, it's physical? But how?"

Still in his powered mode, Frank took a look at his reflection in his knife. It was all he needed. "The mirrors!" he exclaimed, powering down, no longer needing it. "Girls, don't you remember? Both hallways to the crypt were filled with mirrors."

Marcy gasped and said, "And it looks like the refraction of their own light turns these creatures physical, which means…"

"Quick, everyone, grab a mirror!" Anne yelled, grabbing two hand mirrors. She tossed one to Marcy. "Frank! We reflect, you stab!"

"Right!"

Marcy rushed at one of the Shadowfishes and pointed her mirror at it. The fish instantly turned physical, allowing Frank to stab it in the eye and kill it. Anne then did the same to another creature, before Frank jumped on its back and stabbed it in the head, making it fall face first on the ground. 

During the fight, Anne took a quick glance at herself. Taking account of something she hadn't noticed about herself. "Hey, was anyone gonna tell me I have leaves in my hair," she asked. 

"You're just figuring that out now?!" Frank yelled, dodging another tangible Shadowfish when it lunged at him. His knife ran down the length of it. "You've had them in your hair since we got here!"

"Guys!" Marcy yelled.

"Oh, right, sorry," Frank said, before a Shadowfish rammed into him and pinned them to the wall. It tried to crush him under its own strength, but Frank pulled his knife out from under it and stabbed the creature multiple times before it finally went down. 

The last two Shadowfish only took a minute to make tangible and then kill. By the time it was over, Frank was covered in blood, and the room was a mess. The young Hispanic boy looked at his hands. The last time he was covered in blood by the carnage of battle was when he battled a colony of Barbariants. Amphibia was a world of wonder, but it was also a place of savagery. To survive and protect Anne, he had to match that same ruthlessness.

Being in Newtopia made him forget what the world was like outside of the tall walls, glamorous people, high-living infrastructure, and the safety of being guarded by the kingdom's military and its king. It was something he couldn't allow to forget, not until his journey was completed. 

"Is that the last of them?" he asked, looking at the girl, who was panting. 

"Yeah…" Anne said between inhaling and exhaling through her mouth. 

Marcy looked around at the carnage in her room.

"So... anyone think they're going to be able to sleep after that terrifying experience," she asked. 

"Nope," Frank said

"Oh, heck, nah," Anne said.

"Right, didn't think so…" Marcy looked around again. "Let's clean this place up."

It took two hours to not only push all of the dead Shadowfishes back into the secret passageway under Marcy's bedroom, but also to clear the room of the blood and then get everything back into order. Marcy was sure she could find a way to sneak the dangerous creatures out of the castle. Of course, after extensive research into their biology. She was a scientist at heart, and to leave something so new and alien undocumented was an insult. 

However, that could wait for another day. She still had a sleepover to finish. 

And it came to an end when the alarm on her phone buzzed. The sun rose on the horizon, and the three of them were huddled together on Marcy's bed. Wrapped together in the covers, they stayed awake the whole night. 

"Welp, we did it," Frank said, sheathing his knife. He and the girls shared the same sleep-deprived eyes. "We stayed awake all night."

"Oh, I still have so many questions," Marcy said. "You have superpowers? What were those things? What's the deal with the basement? And if those were really ghosts, is there actually an afterlife? And if so, does that make heaven and hell real?"

"I didn't even think about that," Anne said.

"Yo, Catholic here. I knew there's a heaven and hell, you heathens," Frank said jokingly, getting a good chuckle from the girls. 

"You have powers," Marcy said, still unable to believe it. "Why didn't you ever use them before?"

"Well…" Frank looked uncomfortable. "It doesn't exactly feel good using them. And I only ever try to use them as a last resort. I guess seeing that it wasn't a ghost just…made me react."

Anne sighed. "Hey…Frank? I'm so sorry for making you do that dare."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Frank said with a soft smile. "Sure, I don't like that I had to fight…whatever those things were. But other than that, the sleepover was amazing! That's all I wanted out of tonight. I night spent with you, girls." 

Happy to hear him say that, Anne leaned her head on his shoulder and fist-bumped Marcy.

The young boy then sighed and grabbed the Book of Losers. "Welp, I guess I need to add my name to the Book of Losers," he said, a bitter taste in his mouth as he opened it to the most recent page and jotted down his name. 

When he finished, a brown hand grabbed the pen from him.

"Hand me that pen," Anne said, writing her name down. "You're not the only losers. I was scared outta my mind."

"Me too," Marcy said with a chuckle as she wrote her name in the book. "It's not the first time either."

"For real?" Frank asked. 

"Have a look."

Frank turned the page back, and saw Anne and Marcy's names on the previous pages, with a single drawing associating with the dare. The next pages showed more of their signatures.

"Whoa. Your names are in here a bunch of times," Frank said. 

"Yep, the only one brave enough to never get in the book was Sasha," Marcy said with a sad expression.

This caught Frank's attention. "You said that she was the one who came up with the dares?" he asked with a suspicious glance. 

"Yeah, the best ones."

"And you don't think that's suspicious?" he asked the girl, who looked at each other in confusion. "You don't think that maybe Sasha made you two take those dares because she didn't want to be labeled as a loser by her own standards?" 

Anne hated to admit it, but it did make her rethink the Scare Dare Challenge. In hindsight, it seemed like just a way for Sasha to scare them without seeming malicious. It would have continued to have the appearance of a fun game that Sasha would always win. The Toad Tower incident opened Anne's eyes to how toxic of a friend Sasha is, and it made her start to be cynical of their friendship. 

"We have to find her," she said, not just to Frank, but to Marcy. "She may not be a good person right now, but I still have to believe that the Sasha I know is still in there, somewhere. We need her so we can go home."

Marcy placed a supportive hand on her best friend's shoulder. "We will, Anne. I just know it."

Knock, knock!

All three kids screamed and hid under the covers. Neither of them saw Lady Olivia opening the doors, looking more exhausted from not having gotten her beauty sleep. 

"Rise and shine, kids. Because of you, I barely slept a wink last night. Ugh, well, whatever. It's go time. Your audience with King Andrias is about to begin. Get ready!" Olivia yelled before slamming the door.

Frank nearly fell over on his way to the royal chamber. He was so exhausted from not having any sleep, and so were the girls. The same could not be said for the Plantars. They were all bright and awake, with a full eight hours of sleep re-energizing them. 

"Oh, man, that was the best night's sleep I've ever had!" Sprig exclaimed, throwing his arms up. 

"Those beds are the best," Polly said in a dream-like way. "Wish I could steal it."

That's when Hop Pop looked at the humans. "Are you three okay? You look exhausted."

There was a long silence as Frank, Anne, and Marcy looked like the living dead. Disheveled and worn out. Frank's face had lines with creases, Anne was drooling slightly with her face squashing down, and Marcy squinted with her hair disheveled. All of them looked ready to pass out. "We look awesome," Frank said with a stained voice.

The doors opened, and the group entered the royal throne room. Frank quickly rubbed his eyes and blinked, getting himself as wide awake as he and the others approached an excited King Andrias. 

"Wonderful to see you all again," Andrias proclaimed to the kids and old frog.

Hop Pop bowed as the others waved. "Your Majesty."

"'Sup, King?" Polly said.

King Andrias said, "So ask me if I found out anything about the box."

Anne glanced at Frank. "Did you…"

"Bingo!" King Andrias yelled as he leaned down, knocking over Frank, Anne, and the Plantars with a hearty laugh. He then pulled his arms out from behind him, presenting a giant book. Ta-da! Take a gander," he said, opening it to the correct page and placing it in front of the kids and Hop Pop.

Everyone gasped as they looked at the gigantic book and its contents. One page contained the very music box, with the four gems embedded in them in their full colors. Below it were the same gems, with labels under them and in writings that the humans and frogs couldn't understand. The green gem had a brain under it, the blue one had a heart, the red one had a shield, and the purple one had a fist. 

The other page showed four places, with arrows leading to the next location. The first location was a temple, the second was an archway, the third was a volcano, and the last one was a mountain. Next to the locations were four weapons overlapping each other. In order from bottom to top, the weapons were a shield, a bow, a dagger, and a sword. Each one was a representation of the four humans trapped in Amphibia. There was also the cylinder part of the music box that made the music printed on the page. 

"That's…grandma's music box," Frank said as he walked up to the book. "It's what brought us here."

"And it will be the box that gets you home," Andrias explained to the young boy. 

"What is it this thing?" 

King Andrias pointed his giant finger on the page. "According to this book, it's a magical artifact that is thousands of years old. Apparently, my ancestors used it to visit entirely different worlds. They were peaceful explorers, and scientists, if you will. 

"Can you tell us how to get it to work exactly," Anne asked. 

"These four stones are the key to getting it working again," the king said. "They need to be recharged."

"Recharged," Frank asked, while Marcy took down notes. "How?"

"The book mentions four different temples, each channeling a different kind of energy. And once the stones are recharged…"

"We'll have a way home?!"

"Steal my thunder, why don't you?" King Andrias said, annoyed. "But yes! Boom!" He flipped the page back and forth, showing the gems before and after they were charged. "Eh, eh?"

Frank and Anne stood together. Their hands reach to grasp each other's. "I don't believe it, the girl said. "A real chance to get home."

"We have our mission, y'all," Frank said, sounding more cowboy than usual. "Let's get this temple hunting started!"

"Whoo-hoo!"

King Andrias, however, stopped the humans. "Whoa-ho. Let's rein those snails in for a second. The book only gives the location of one temple. Besides, you still have a lot of preparing to do before you set off."

"Good point," Marcy said, already excited about the quest and preparing for it. "Gotta get equipped for a mega-quest like this. Armor to buy, maps to study, weapons to forge. This is gonna take a few days."

"Few days, huh?" Hop Pop asked as he held his granddaughter. "Well, I hate to say it, but we really need to get back to Wartwood. The harvest is coming up, and we can't miss it."

"Okay, Marce, me, Frank, and the Plantars will head back to Wartwood, and when you're ready, we can just meet up," Anne told her friend the plan. 

However, Marcy said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. It doesn't really make sense for you to go back to Wartwood."

"Say what now?" Frank raised an eyebrow.

Anne, Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly said, "What?"

"The last thing we should do is separate again, now that we're so close to finding our way home," Marcy explained to her best friends. 

Anne looked uncertain about how to react to Marcy's logical plan. Her head was saying to go with the plan, but her heart said to go. "I guess that's true, but, uh, I, uh, need to go to Wartwood to get the music box. Right, H.P.?"

Hop Pop nodded. "Technically, yes.

Marcy waved her off and said, "Nonsense. Once Hop Pop gets the box back, we'll just send a servant to pick it up. More efficient that way."

Frank wanted to agree with Marcy. It, sadly, made sense. However, before he could voice his agreement with the plan, the young boy stopped when he saw Leif. She was standing to Marcy's right side. She looked at him cautiously. 

"If you stay here, you'll never leave the jaws of the enemy," she said. "Besides, don't you want to spend more time with the Plantars?"

If that was ever a reason to get out of the city, it was that.

"How about this," Frank said, patting Anne on the shoulder. "I go back to Wartwood with the Plantars. That's my music box, and besides, I left my grandpa's jacket with Mrs. Croaker to patch up." 

"That…I guess that's okay," Anne said, sounding even more uncertain about letting her beloved go without her.

"What?!" Marcy exclaimed. "But what about the plan?"

"I know your plan, Marcy. But I need more in Wartwood than I do here. Anne will be safe with you. Once I have the box, I'll come right back."

Marcy, however, wasn't giving up and placed her hands on Frank's shoulders. "Frank, right now, you have to follow your head, not your heart. The Plantars got the two of you here, to me. It's time to let them get back to their lives."

Frank frowned and said, "Sounds like you need to practice what you preach because I know you only want us to stay here." He pushed her hands off. "But that box is mine, and quite frankly, sending a servant to get the box would be stupid. As soon as Hop Pop's contacts give back the box, and once I get that box in my hands, I'm not letting that thing out of my sight until I'm back in Newtopia. I don't trust anyone else with that box."

For a moment, Marcy looked uncertain. It was clear that she wanted to keep Anne and him in the city because she didn't want to lose them again. And Frank would have stayed, but Leif changed that. Especially with that 'jaws of the enemy' comment. Was this city really all that safe as it seemed, or was there something darker going on, as the basement of the castle showed? 

However, Frank also didn't want to pull Anne away from Marcy, the one she'd been wanting to find for so long. Anne would be in good hands, so it didn't bother Frank that much to be away from her for a few weeks. 

"Alright," Marcy said, finally relenting. "Why don't you guys take the day to say goodbye?"

"Yeah…" Frank looked at Anne, who was just as sad as the Plantars. "...Yeah, that sounds good."

That's when King Andrias leaned in. "You folks want a giant tissue? Seriously, you would not believe the size of these tissues," he said with a chuckle. "I'll get you one."

"Are you sure you want to go back, Frank?" Anne asked with concern as Frank placed the Hellcat's Claw in a corner of the Fwagon. Bessie was sleeping outside of the carriage, inside the massive parking lot of the hotel. Once the five of them were dismissed by the king, they headed back to the hotel to collect themselves, while also dealing with the grief of leaving each other. Even Frank was deeply upset with the idea of leaving Anne, but he knew the Plantars needed his help. 

"You don't have to go," Anne said. 

"Come on, Anne, look at them," Frank said, pointing to the frog family, who were sitting on the couch with miserable looks on their faces. Hop Pop was even wiping his eyes with a giant tissue. "Someone needs to look after them. Besides, I've been wanting to get out of the city for a while now."

"Why?" Anne looked at him in confusion.

Frank looked at Leif as she sat next to Sprig. 

"Let's just say I've had a bad feeling about this place for a while. Just…something not right about this city," Frank said. "Plus, you heard Hop Pop. Harvest is about to start, and they'll need the help."

"I guess…" 

"Hey, come on. It's not like this is goodbye forever." Frank stood up and smiled at his frog family. "It's just goodbye for now. Let's make our last day with Anne awesome!" 

Snapping out of his depression, Hop Pop jumped to his feet on the couch. "You know what, gang? Frank's right," he declared, pointing up at the ceiling. He then pulled out a map of the city and sprawled it on the table. "The least we can do is have a fun last day together. Now, come on, let's pick an activity. There's the opera house, the coliseum, the aquarium."

Anne gasped and pointed to the map's aquarium. "There's an aquarium? That's perfect," she said. "Anytime I was feeling gloomy back home, the aquarium would always make me feel better. There's nothing more peaceful than being surrounded by water and sea creatures."

"Oh, good thinking, Anne," Hop Pop said.

Polly chimed in. "Works for me."

"Yeah!" Sprig cheered. "Let's go have fun and not think about our crippling sadness."

And just like that, they all remembered their crippling sadness. Earning Sprig a punch in the head by Frank.

After walking to the other side of Newtopia, the gang arrived at the world-famous Newtopian Aquarium. Like all of the buildings of the city, the large structure was made from the coral and vegetation of the reef and stones. With a giant spiked cone shell standing tall like a spiral tower acting as the entrance, and coral plants all around the base of the building. The inside was filled with the wonders of Amphibia's deep oceans. Fishes never seen on earth, along with fossils of monstrous aquatic lifeforms that lived at the time before the Frog Kings. And it was all for Frank, Anne, and the Plantars to see firsthand. 

Together, they ventured into the river room and approached an exhibit of beaver bugs. One was chewing rapidly on a stick, while others were in the water, keeping themselves cooled off. 

"Look at the beaver bugs," Polly cooed as one jumped out of the water. "They're so cute."

"What'd I tell you? The perfect place to relax and take our minds off…" 

Anne didn't get the chance to finish when a sharp-toothed fish jumped out of the water. The sight of it made her scream and jump back before it dived back into the water. 

Kneeling down, Hop Pop chuckled as he looked through the glass of the pool at the fish. "Oh, hey. Check it out. It's the same kinda fella that attacked we caught during our camping trip, remember?" he said, but didn't get a response. "Kids?"

He looked up to see Frank, Anne, and Sprig kneeling together as they looked at Frank's phone. On it, they stared at a photo of Frank, Anne, and Sprig standing next to the giant fish she caught and Frank killed. Sure, it wasn't her best experience at fishing, but it was still Anne's first catch in her life, and it was a member that brought them happiness.

Anne sighed sadly. "Those were good times, weren't they?"

"Yeah…" Frank sniffled. 

"It's too bad that they're over," Sprig said, whimpering.

Anne saw this and quickly picked him up like a baby. "No! No, Sprig. Fight the sadness. Fight it," she said, trying to soothe him as he tried to hold in his tears. "Come on, buddy. It's gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine."

The duo started whimpering together. That's when Frank rushed over to push them out of the area. "Okay, River Room is a bust. Let's keep moving," he said, with Hop Pop and Polly following him. "Okay, if we're gonna have a sadness-free day, we need to avoid anything that might trigger our very delicate emotional states."

The group moved on to the next part of the aquarium, the underwater glass tunnel. Walking into the tube, the humans and frogs were astonished by the variety of marine lifeforms, from jellyfish that glowed in the water to fish that lived in coexistence. 

Still holding Sprig, Anne smiled at Frank.

"Actually, this is pretty peaceful," she said, as the young frog hopped out of her hands. 

"Yeah."

Polly added. "So soothing."

Exiting the tunnel, they looked at another glass wall in front of them, sighing in contentment and peace as they watched more fish swimming by. However, that's when a large squid swam by the window of the tank.

"Hey, look, a kraken," Sprig said, pointing at it. 

"It is," Polly said while riding her grandfather's head. "Ha! Anne, it's like the one you and Frank tried to cook up at Stumpy's." It made her sad remembering that day. It was such a good memory. 

"Heh. Yeah! Who knew fish sauce and fear of death went so well together?" Frank asked Anne, only for the girl to become sad again. "Anne, are you okay—?" 

He didn't get the chance to finish his question when she pulled him into a hug with the others. They all cried together like babies. It was embarrassing for Frank, especially when everyone around them looked at him and his friends

"Okay, that's enough," he said, grabbing everyone by the back of their clothes and dragging them away. "Time to change rooms, everybody."

A moment later, they were walking into a new part of the aquarium. 

"Oh, cool. It's a marine geology exhibit," Anne said, as the group looked at the colorful, majestic coral and aquatic vegetation all around them. There was nothing to remind us of our adventures in here."

Instantly forgetting about their trauma, Frank and the others spread out to take in the corals and sights. 

"Wow, this coral is so neat," Sprig said as he and Frank walked together. They walked up to a strange little piece of coral, which made the young boy laugh. 

"Hey, that stalk looks exactly like…" Frank gasped in horror. "Hop Pop's cane!" 

"What?!" Hop Pop yelled as Anne ran over and held up the photo she had taken of Hop Pop's painting with his cane. "My cane."

Becoming increasingly worried, Anne looked to the left and pointed. "Oh, no. That one looks like…" She was pointing to a coral that bore a strange resemblance to a certain man-eating moth. "Domino 2!"

Sprig gasped at another one. "That cannibal couple from the inn!"

Polly gasped. "Man Bats!"

And it was all downhill from there, as more and more of the coral resembled everything they'd come across in the world. 

"Elephant Beetles!"

"Zapapedes!"

"Night Feeder!"

It brought Anne to tears as she sobbed, "Who knew coral came in such variety?"

Then, she and the Plantars hugged one another tightly and sobbed uncontrollably. Frank sighed and shook his head in embarrassment, as their crying drew the attention of the other tourists, who all looked at them in a mixture of discomfort and annoyance. It got so bad that someone finally complained to the staff, and a security guard walked up to the crying family to say, "Excuse me, folks, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. Your misery is scaring the efts."

He was referring to the school boys with their strict mother. The middle eft started to cry, but was pointed at by his parent. "Hoop. No emotion."

Seeing that there was no way they would be able to have a good time when everything in the aquarium reminded them of every adventure they had, Anne sighed in defeat. "Sorry, guys. Looks like my grand plan for a sadness-free day at the aquarium is a total bust," she said, standing up.

"Well, If you folks are feeling blue, you could try the Stingray Stage Show. Always cheers me up," the security guard suggested. 

That got Frank's attention. "Wait, wait, a stage show? Oh, I love those—" he pointed at the guard with a quizzical expression. "Wait. Did we have any run-ins with stingrays? Anything even slightly resembling a stingray?"

"Nope," Polly said. 

Sprig said, "Don't think so."

"Nadda," said Anne

Hop Pop finished with, "No siree."

"Then let's go!" Frank yelled, punching the air above him. 

"Whoo!" all three of them cheered as they turned and started walking away. The Stingray Stage Show was their last hope for a magical day, making the family even more determined to have fun. 

"Show's that way, folks," said the guard.

Frank hadn't ever been to Seaworld. There was never enough money to take all of them to go to Seaworld. He's heard so many other people's experiences about the rides, both water and regular, the exhibits, and the world-famous Shamu show. As the crown jewel of the Newtopia Aquarium, the Stingray Stage Show was exactly what Frank imagined what Seaworld was like. Made from stone, the show was held in a massive auditorium with a big pool. Behind it was an ornate wall with the underside of a stingray caved into it. 

Surfing with the stingrays as they hopped up and down in the water was the aquarium's host. The crowd cheered as she jumped off her surfboard and onto the platform that stretched out into the water.

"All right, give it up for our stingrays, Sugar Ray and Billy Ray," the newt woman said with a smile. The two stingrays jumped out of the water and over her in an arch. "And now, for the main event, I'll need a volunteer."

Sitting with his friends and family in the bleachers, Sprig gasped and hopped up and down, waving his hands. "Oh, oh, me, me!"

"You, the pink frog over there!" The host pointed to Sprig and waved him down. "Come on down."

The crowd cheered and whistled as Sprig ran down to her. 

"What's your name, and where are you from?"

"Sprig Plantar from Wartwood," Sprig yelled with a big smile. 

"Wartwood, represent!" Polly yelled from the stands. 

"Well, Sprig Plantar, all you have to do is take this fish in your hands and hold it out over the tank," the host said, walking Sprig to the end of the platform and handing him a dead finish.

Sprig excitedly took the fish. "And the stingray will jump out and eat it?"

"Usually, but we have a very special guest today." the newt said, turning to the crowd. "Everyone, put your hands together for Wanda the Water Snake!"

And just like that, a water snake that looked exactly like the one that tried to eat the young frog and two humans jumped out of the water. It did a looping trick in the air and hissed before landing back in the water. 

"Ah, come on!" Frank yelled, questioning in his head why the universe was doing this to them. What did they do to deserve this?

"Wait, what's wrong," Hop Pop asked, confused. 

Anne started crying as she answered him. "It looks exactly like the water snake that almost ate me, Frank, and Sprig," she sobbed, showing a picture of the water snake they killed. 

"What!? When?"

"Uh…" Frank rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "The day you tried…to lock us in the house…"

Hop Pop instantly got mad. "I knew it! You two always…" His anger turned to sadness, and he started crying. "...disobeying and causing trouble!"

Polly started tearing up, too. "That was the day I realized you two weren't going to eat us!"

"Ah shit," Frank said, before he was pulled in by the others in a big group hug as they all started crying. He sighed, and looked at the pink frog. His eyes widened when he saw Sprig was about to burst into tears again, even as the host continued with the show. 

"Now, Wanda will leap up and eat the fish right out of this lucky kiddo's hand," she announced to the audience. "And so long as he doesn't do anything to surprise her, this should be perfectly safe."

"Oh, shit!" Frank yelled, pushing the others off. "Sprig's about to…"

It was too late. The water snake jumped out of the water. It looped its body in the air and came down towards Sprig. However, the pink frog wasn't paying attention to the snake. Whimpering, Sprig couldn't take it anymore and unleashed all of his pent-up sadness. He cried loudly and let a torrent of tears fall from his eyes like a water fountain. Frank jumped out of his seat and rushed down the steps towards his brotherly frog. 

However, the water snake's reaction was completely out of the ordinary. Instead of getting mad and attacking Spring, it looked startled and dived back into the water, without getting its fish. Swimming away from Sprig, its tail lashed out and destroyed the platform, sending Sprig into the water. 

"Sprig!" Frank screamed as he stopped next to the aquarium host. Sprig came up for air, before leaning on a piece of debris and started sobbing. "We've gotta get Sprig away from that snake!"

He grabbed a surfboard but was stopped by the host's hand grabbing his arm. 

"Oh, you've got nothing to fear from ol' Wanda," she said with a smile. "The gal's afraid of her own shadow."

"Oh, that's a relief," he said. 

"Oh, no, no, no. It's the rays you should be worried about."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, they love the taste of frog flesh."

"The fuck?!" Frank yelled and looked back at Sprig. Like a duo of sharks, Sugar Ray and Billy Ray circled the young frog. "Sprig!" 

Thinking quickly, he grabbed two surfboards. He didn't have his weapons, having left all of them at the Fwagon, so he had to adapt, and the surfboards were what he needed to save his friend. Jumping across the large debris in the water, he rushed to Sprig.

"Hey, buddy!" he yelled, tossing one of the surfboards at him. "You set 'em up…"

Seeing it coming at him, Sprig gasped, jumped out of the water, and caught the surfboard. "I'll knock 'em down!"

Turning to the water, Frank watched one of the stingrayers swimming past him. Getting his timing right, Frank dug the surfboard into the water, under the ray, and tossed the creature into the air. 

Sprig then swung his surfboard and smacked it away. Sending it bouncing off the water before it sank down. 

The other stingray, furious over their mate being hit, stood its barbed tail and rushed at Frank. Frank saw it just before it dived under the water. Gulping, he watched its shadow go under the debris he was standing on. 

Suddenly, the spear-like tail stabbed through the stone below him. 

"Whoa!" Frank yelled, before the stinger tried to stab him in the foot again. Frank, luckily, jumped back and landed on another piece of debris. 

Then the same thing happened. However, Frank lost his balance and fell into the water, making everyone in the audience gasp in terror. The moment he felt his body was in the cool water, Frank quickly swam back to the surface and climbed onto the surfboard. 

"Frank!" Anne yelled, hopping on the debris to get to him. However, the rubble had floated too far away from each other. Looking back at the shore, she held out her hand. "Over here, Hop Pop!"

"Bleh!" Hop Pop lashed out his tongue and wrapped it around her arm. 

Then, with all her 13-year-old strength, years of tennis practice, and months of survival, Anne swung her arm around and flung Hop Pop at her crush. 

Frank panted as he swam on the board towards Sprig. Just as he placed him on the board, the stingray jumped out of the water with its bottom side facing the two boys. 

Billy Ray hummed at the meal he was about to eat and growled when he opened his mouth, displaying his rolls of teeth. However, Hop Pop's fist punched the stingray, sending him flying away and back into the water.

Frank caught the old frog before he could land in the pool. "That was awesome, HP," he praised, placing him on the board with Sprig. "Let's get out of here before—"

Suddenly, the stingrays came up together under the surfboard, breaking it in half as they spun in the air together. They then started coming down towards Frank, Hop Pop, and Sprig.

The frogs screamed while Frank yelled, "Polly, watergun!"

"Oh, it!" Polly yelled, jumping into the water and gargling as she took in a large amount of water into her mouth. Anne grabbed her and threw the polliwog into the air. That's when Polly spat out a column of water, hitting the stingrays and sending them flying away.

Together, they flew over the wall that separated the aquarium from the outside world. They landed in the open ocean and surfaced again. Realizing that they were freed, they turned away from Newtopia and swam away, hopping and diving happily.

For a moment, no one said anything, until one newt spectator yelled, "Yes, be free!"

Anne and Polly helped the boys out of the water. Once they were on dry land, panting exhaustedly from their battle with the rays, they cheered together. "Yeah!"

Then security tossed them onto the street. "And stay out," yelled the guard before closing the doors. However, the family was far from upset. 

"Oh, man, that was classic," Sprig exclaimed. 

"We stung those stingrays!" Polly yelled. 

Anne said with a smile, "Well, we didn't have a relaxing day at the aquarium.

"But now, we've got another perfectly us–memory to cherish," Hop Pop said.

"And that's all that matters," Frank said, pulling all of them into a hug. They all laughed together. Even though their adventures in Newtopia didn't end the way they wanted them to, it was still a memory they wouldn't soon forget.

But like all good memories, their time together had come to an end. After returning to the hotel, Anne stood sadly next to Marcy as Frank helped place the last of the luggage into the Fwagon. When it was all placed inside the compartments, Frank closed and locked them, making sure they wouldn't come out during the trip. 

He sighed and turned back to the girls. "Well," he said, swinging his arms lazily with the turns of his torso, "I'll be seeing you two in a couple of days…more or less."

"Have a safe trip back, Frank. Let us know when you get the music box and when you're on your way," Marcy said with a sad smile. She and the Hispanic boy pulled each other into a hug, which Marcy reluctantly let go of. As if afraid of not seeing Frank again. "You too, Plantars. Thank you so much for keeping them safe."

"You're very welcome, Marcy," Hop Pop said. 

Marcy stepped away from Frank, who looked at Anne. The young girl looked at both him and the Plantars with tearing eyes. She then rushed over to the frog family. Kneeling down, Anne pulled off of them into a hug. Frank joined in and hugged them, while Marcy looked unsure about what she was asking her friend to do.

"No more tears, y'all. We'll see each other again," Hop Pop said in a soothing voice.

"Will we, though," Anne asked, unconvinced. "When?"

"I can travel back here on with everyone," Frank said, trying to cheer up Anne with a smile. "We'll have a big goodbye party."

"And after that," Anne asked.

"Well…I don't know," said Hop Pop, "but we're family, and family always finds each other."

Anne and Frank released the frogs, and they walked back to the Fwagon, leaving the two secret lovebirds to talk and Marcy to watch them, making herself feel even more uncertain. 

Are you sure you want to do this, Frank?" Anne asked sadly.

"I have to. The music box has been in my abuela's store for years, and I'm traveling with the others to get it back," Frank said. 

Anne looks down to the ground. The boy could tell she was really sad about his decision to go with Hop Pop and the others. He placed his finger under the girl's chin, making her look up to him.

"Hey, it's okay. It'll be a long journey back, but we'll see each other again," Frank smiled, trying to be positive, but deep down, it hurt him to leave her. 

Sighing, Anne held out her hand to the boy. "Well, so long, Frank," the girl said. The Hispanic boy raised his right hand and joined together, moving them slightly up and down.

"So long, Anne."

They'd held their hands for a minute before they let go slowly. He turned and opened the carriage door, but not before he looked at the girl he loved one last time. Anne waved at him with a sad smile. He returned the gesture and walked in, and with that, the Fwagon headed off, leaving Anne with Marcy.

Marcy looked at Anne and sighed. "I'm sorry, Anne. This just made the most sense," the Taiwanese girl said, trying to comfort her friend.

"I know, I know," Anne said with a sniffle, wiping her nose. "Logical thing to do."

Marcy looked at her friend. She could tell she was still hurting from watching Frank leave. She reached out to Anne and then looked to the side. If Anne stayed, she would still be missing the boy she fell in love with. She then let out a sigh.

"You really love him, don't you?"

Anne turned to Marcy with a surprised look. "How did you...?"

"Come on, the way you two have been around each other for days and the moments you both shared, it was obvious," Marcy replied. It was a situation that she'd seen all the time in real life and in fiction. Fuck you, Danny Phantom , she secretly thought to herself, with the show being a prime example of dragging out its romantic plot. 

Anne sighed, "Yeah, it's true. I love Frank." 

There it was. Finally, out in the open. Anne loved Frank, more than any other person in her life. And Frank loved her. Now, because of Marcy's plan, he had to leave her. It wasn't fair to Anne, and Marcy knew it. 

Then a thought came to Marcy's head.

"You know, the more I think about it, maybe sending just Frank to get the music box isn't such a good idea. We need someone looking after that thing the second Frank and Hop Pop get it back. Someone we trust besides Frank."

"Marcy..." Anne said with a hushed tone. "What are you saying?"

"Go to him, Anne," Marcy said with a kind smile. "I know you'll both be missing each other every day."

"But what about you?"

"I'm sure I can handle the preparations here by myself. I'll just come pick you up on the way to the first..." Marcy was interrupted when Anne suddenly hugged her. "...temple."

"Thanks, Marcy," Anne said with tears in her eyes.

Marcy chuckled while hugging the Thai girl back. "Now go. Follow your heart."

"Okay, later! Bye!" And with that, Anne pulled away and took off, leaving Marcy standing there with a dazed look. She ran faster than she'd ever run before. She ran down the same street the Fwagon took to catch up with Frank and the Plantars. 

While Bessie was pulling the fwagon out of Newtopia's gate, the Plantars and Frank were sitting at the front looking all gloomy. Frank was the most gloomy, for he knew he had to leave Anne behind with Marcy. But what made him sad the most was that he never got to tell Anne how he felt about her, or how much he loved her. 

"Hey, everything's gonna be alright, Frank," Sprig said, trying to be supportive. "You and Anne will be seeing each other again soon anyway."

Frank sighed and said, "I know, it's just... There's so much I wanted to tell her. Now I guess I'll never—"

He stopped when a voice called out to him.

"Frank!" 

Frank perked up hearing the Thai girl's voice. 

"Frank!"

He and the Plantars turned their head to look back. There, they saw Anne running out of the city's gates and over to them.

"Anne?!" Frank yelled. He jumped off the fwagon and landed, only to be jumped by Anne, who tackled him into the water with a hug. "Whoa! Anne, what are you doing out here?"

With tears in her eyes and a big smile, Anne lifted herself off of him and said, "I wanna say something to you!" 

"What is it?" Frank asked, looking up at her with wide eyes. 

"I've got something really important to tell you!"

"Yes, I heard you. Now get off me," Frank said, pushing the girl off. For a moment, Anne panted as she tried to catch her breath. "Jesus, Anne, did you really run all the way here?"

"Yes! The…truth is that I don't want you to leave. It just doesn't feel right," Anne said, looking up at Frank with a blush on her face. 

That's when a blush appeared on Frank's face. "Anne, you know that I have to go," he said, looking away with a sad expression. "I'll be back in a few days."

"I don't want it to be a few days. I want us together now," Anne said, much to Frank's surprise, as he looked at the Thai girl with wide eyes. She then started to gain the courage to continue. "Frank, I know I'll be safe in Newtopia, but…It just wouldn't be the same, without my favorite froggy family, and... without you."

Anne's words surprised Frank and the frogs, with Sprig gasping like it's his favorite soap opera ship coming to fruition. 

Frank, unsure if he heard right, asked, "Uh... care to repeat that?"

Blushing brightly in embarrassment, Anne started over. "Okay, the thing I wanted to tell you is that…everything is so crazy right now. What with Sasha and Marcy and getting home. I have no idea what the future holds, but I know that I want you to be a part of it, Frank. I want you to stay in my life. Any day without you is a day I can't experience. You mean the world to me, and I... I hope I mean the same to you. It's because, uh..."

It was like a bad romance movie. At the most critical moment, when she could have been saying what she wanted to, Anne clamped up. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Breathe girl! Anne stared at the ground, then took several deep breaths. She then looked at Frank again, as he stared at her with a blush that matched hers in redness. Anne then started again. 

"I love you!" Frank quickly shouted, unable to show it inside any longer.

There's a moment of silence, as both love-sick kids stare at one another. Then Anne started hitting Frank. 

"Damnit, Ramirez!" she yelled, as Frank laughed and blocked her attacks. "I was so ready."

Frank laughed some more and grabbed her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, looking at Anne with loving compassion as he laced their hands together. "You can say it."

Still mad at him for stealing her moment, Anne sighed and let it go. "Okay," she said, smiling at him with a bright blush. "I love you, Frank Ramirez.

"Really?!" He exclaimed with the biggest grin she'd ever had as she shed some happy tears. Making the Thai girl he loved laugh. 

"Yes, you dummy!" Anne said before laughing. 

The two of them stopped laughing for a moment to stare at one another. Unsure of what to do now, Frank and Anne followed their instincts and took their first action as a couple step by step. Once they get closer to each other, they move their arms to hold one another, with Frank placing his hand on her left cheek. Once in each other's arms, they leaned in until their foreheads and the tip of their noses were touching. Once their lips were only an inch away from each other, Frank and Anne closed the gap and had their first kiss in the light of the setting sun.

Both of them held that kiss for as long as they could, sharing their love for each other as they let out all of their pent-up feelings and emotions. At the same time, it felt as if sparks were starting to fly all around them. 

Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly had been watching the whole thing and were surprised, yet happy for the two humans. When they pulled away, Frank and Anne gazed lovingly at one another, both in awe at what transpired between them.

"Wow, sparkles," Anne said, looking at him with stars in her eyes. 

Frank had the same stars. "Yeah…" 

"Why is this still so scary," she asked.

"I don't know," Frank said, and he didn't know why. Was it because this was everything he ever wanted? Or that he was afraid to lose her now that Anne was his girlfriend. "Do you still want this?"

"Absolutely," Anne said. 

"Me too." Frank kissed her again as he caressed her cheek. "I love you too, Anne Boonchuy. No matter what happens, one life with you is all I could wish for. 

Anne shed some happy tears, as they rested their foreheads on each other. The moment was perfect until...

Polly threw her flippers up. "Well, it's about time if you ask me!"

"I'll say!" Sprig exclaimed. "Looks like the Franne ship has finally set sail."

"The what now?"

"It's a human thing. Picked it up from Anne."

Hop Pop nodded. "Makes sense."

Anne turned to the Plantars and asked, "So, got room for one more?"

"Wait, if you came here, does this mean...?" Frank's eyes widened as another smile appeared on his face. 

"Yep," Anne exclaimed, giving him another big smile. "I'm coming with you to Wartwood!"

"Really?!"

"You betcha!" Anne said, hugging Frank and kissing him deeply again. 

"Yeah!" Sprig cheered as the two teenagers pulled away and hugged each other. 

Hop Pop nodded and said, "Glad to have you back, Anne."

"Hop on up here, you two!" Polly said. With that, the new couple climbed up to the seating area while holding hands to join the frog family.

"Thank frog! I really didn't know how much longer I was gonna make it without either of you confessing!" Sprig said as the two settled in together.

"Now let's go home," Anne said, prompting Hop Pop to give the reigns a little pull. Bessie followed her command, and pulled the Fwagon back to Wartwood.

Polly then asked, "Quick question: You two aren't gonna be all mushy with each other, are you? Because what happened was all pretty cheesy to me."

"Polly!" Sprig chastised his sister. 

"Well, it was!"

The two humans glance at each other, before briefly chuckling.

Frank laughed. "There's no guarantee to that," he said teasingly, giving Anne a kiss on the cheek. He's been waiting so long to love his new girlfriend the way he always wanted to, and there was nothing that was going to stop him. 

Marcy knew she did the right thing. She knew that Frank and Anne loved each other, and being far away from one another would kill them inside. If anyone understood that feeling, it was her. And yet, now she was all alone again. Just as she was in the beginning. Everything that was set into motion was all for the sake of keeping her friends together. And yet, new developments have changed the trajectory of their lives, and Marcy was left having to let Anne go in the pursuit of her own happiness. 

She stood alone in the light of the setting sun, but she wouldn't be alone. 

"Always sad to see someone go, isn't it," asked King Andrias. Marcy turned around to see the massive king standing behind her. "I have a proposition for you, Marcy, and I think you'll find it very interesting."

And now, the next stage of the plan was set in motion.

It was nighttime on the road, and Frank took up the first watch. Taking the reigns, he sat down in the seat and drove Bessie down the road. The trip back will take a few days, but they'll make it. And if it took them more time, so be it. It didn't matter to Frank, so long as he had his girlfriend and he could get her home. 

However, there was something else plaguing his mind, and it had to do with the ghostly figure that sat next to him. Or perhaps she wasn't there. Leif had a tendency to show up anywhere she wanted, and then she would disappear the moment Frank turned his head away from her. But no matter what the circumstances were, she would be there when he needed to ask her a question. He hasn't asked to grant him her powers, because they were in a place he wasn't familiar with, with people he couldn't trust with the power. Now, he could cut loose with the gift Leif gave him. 

Frank took in a deep breath and sighed. "You haven't been straight with me, Leif," he said to her. 

"Yeah," Leif asked. 

"I know that you're more than what you say you are. And I've got a feeling that King Andrias isn't telling us everything either. Why else would you warn me not to stay in Newtopia," Frank said, looking up at the night sky. The road was straight enough, and Bessie was a smart snail. "After all the pain and death just to get to this point, all we have to do is give you back to the stones? Flip the switch back, and we're free to go back home. Just like that. Nice try.

"There's a reason we're here. I saw the mural, and I think I finally understand what's going to happen. I think you brought us to Amphibia for a purpose. That was the plan. But what I want to know now is…are we—me, Anne, and the Plantars…are we doing the right thing? Are we following the plan?

"I don't believe you appeared to me out of the goodness of your heart. You showed up because something forced you to come out. I've still got a journey to finish, and like the author of a book, you're trying to make sure I get to the end— my end. We now have the next chapter. A new waypoint in a video game. Four temples we need to go to in order to go home."

"And will you go," asked Leif.

Frank nodded. "You know we're gonna go. It's how the story goes. And it will be soaked in blood," he said, the stars reflecting in his eyes. "Am I scared? Fuck yeah, I am. And I think you know why. I just found happiness, have unfinished business, and a promised new love life. It'll all be taken away from me one day. But I've got a feeling that there are forces at work. An unknown aggressor that we'll have to face down. And when we do, I'll die. 

"And what I'm asking is…is my story really written down for me?" Frank looked to Leif, who was standing on the seat and looking out at the stars of the expanse. "Or can the story diverge? Is it possible to write my own ending? 

"That's what I'd like to know," Leif said, turning to him. "But the question isn't if you can make your own ending. The question is if your journey allows you to. Is your story truly set in stone? Or is it just a prediction based on what kind of person you are?"

"A fan theory," Frank asked. "Like predicting what will happen… based on everything that did happen?"

"You're still the author of your story, Frank. Chose your chapters wisely," Leif said. "You will face this unknown aggressor, and all your choices will lead you to an ending."

Frank turned away. So, his prophecy was like a multiple-choice game, with a set of endings. Such was life. Letting out a sigh, he leaned back in his seat. Destiny was never so kind to him. But for once, he wished it would give him a happy ending. 

All he had to do was make the right choices.