Years ago…
It was an ordinary day in the city of Newtopia, as the citizens were up and about, some going to work, some making deliveries, and others were simply standing about and mingling with friends. Overall, the day was as ordinary as any other.
One such individual walked through the streets, humming blissfully to himself. This was Shadow when he was younger, but he was called Azazel Leviathan, adopted son of Andrias Leviathan, the King of Amphibia. The human boy was a bit shorter than his present-day self, was dressed in more regal clothing, and his hair was cut to his shoulders.
The boy continued his blissful stroll, passing by the newts that said hello to him, before he entered an alleyway, turning his head and looking about, when he heard an odd sound. Stopping where he stood, he shifted his eyes scanning his surroundings to the best of his ability, and yet he saw no one.
Up above, a cloaked newt crawled over the edge of the roof, slowly making his way towards the boy, his crimson eyes staring at the boy with fierce determination, before launching himself at him, the boy suddenly spinning around and catching the newt by the shoulders before throwing him forward, the newt catching himself and stopping the momentum. Getting a better look at his attacker, Azazel saw that the newt had bluish skin and a lighter underbelly and bright crimson eyes and ashen blonde hair.
The two stared at each other intensely for a moment, both looking ready to jump at each other…
…before suddenly laughing and relaxing their stances.
"Admit it, brother," The newt said as he approached. "I almost had you!"
"You've got style, for sure." Azazel said. "But endurance is what counts, Apollo."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't one of those fights, was it?" Apollo smirked.
Azazel nodded but frowned when he noticed something. "What happened to your lip?" He asked with a pointed finger.
Confused, Apollo grazed his bottom lip with a finger, and sure enough, there was a cut that went from his lip to his chin.
"It's nothing." He waved it off.
Azazel, on the other hand, wasn't letting it slide. "Have you been getting into fights again?"
"The others were speaking ill of you, Azazel." Apollo quickly defended. "I couldn't allow them to continue."
"Brother, what kind of example are you setting by attacking people over every little comment?" Azazel asked with arms crossed. "This silly reaction over little mean comments solves nothing, but makes you seem easily offended."
"But it's not right!" Apollo complained.
"And I don't care for what they think." Azazel stated firmly. "If they wish to be narrowminded and not ask me for the truth, that is their choice." He then gestured to the newt. "Now, let's get the doctor to have a look at that cut."
"I already said it's nothing." Apollo insisted. "Besides, I don't have any money for this doctor of yours."
"Been wasting it on the arcade again?" Azazel said with a teasing smirk.
"I wouldn't call it wasting." Apollo said, his adopted brother snickering at this. "Alright, then lend me some coppers, or have you been doing the same?"
Both brothers laugh before Azazel approached one of the barrels and pulling it aside, revealing a secret hole in the wall and a small box full of copper coins and treasures.
"Wow." Apollo looked on in amazement as his brother started stuffing a small bag with coin.
"You'd be amazed by how much coin folks leave lying around, ripe for the picking." Azazel said before hiding the hole. "Now come on. The sooner we see the doctor, the sooner we can sleep."
The two brothers climbed up the wall before taking off running across the rooftops, both doing flips and tricks as they ran, laughing with adrenaline rushing through their veins and the night wind blowing in their hair before coming to a stop at the edge, looking down at the street, seeing a newt in a plague doctor's outfit, complete with a black robe and plague mask, sorting through his medicines, before the two dropped down to street level and approaching the doctor.
"Good evening, doctor." Azazel called.
The doctor turned and saw the brother's approach before sighing. "Ah, the Leviathan Brothers. Why am I not surprised." Putting a thumb and finger to the newt's chin, he moved Apollo's head a bit to look at the cut on his lip. "You made quite the mess of yourself, young master."
"It's nothing." Apollo kept insisting.
"Please help him, doctor." Azazel mock pleaded with hands clasped together. "That pretty face is all he has left."
"Go drown in a river." Apollo sneered.
The doctor quickly got to work, cleaning and disinfecting the wound before stitching it up. "There you are, now remember to come back after a day to remove the stitches."
"Thank you."
The adopted brothers left before stopping at a bridge, looking out at the sunset, and admiring the beauty.
"Tonight is a beautiful night, brother." Azazel remarked, his eyes set on the setting sun.
"Indeed. I wish all nights were this much fun." Apollo nodded. "Oh wait. They are!"
The two laughed, leaning against the guard rail.
"We should head home, Apollo." Azazel said. "Father is sure to be wondering where we have gone."
"Yes, and I'd rather avoid a lecture." Apollo nodded.
"How about a race though, before we head home?" Azazel suggested with a challenging smirk. "No powers, of course. Just running and climbing."
"Alright. Where to?"
Looking around, Azazel found a spot. "The roof of that church?"
In agreement, the brothers got into running positions.
"On three; One…two…three!"
The brothers took off, dashing down the street before turning into an alleyway, then climbing up the walls and taking the race to the rooftops, running and jumping from one roof to the next.
"Baby brother still has much to learn, it seems!" Azazel playfully taunted, clearly the superior runner.
Soon enough, the two reached the church, Azazel finishing first, with Apollo following behind.
"A well-earned victory, brother." Apollo said. "Now, follow me!"
The newt started climbing the church tower, with Azazel following behind, before reaching the top, Apollo helping his brother up, the two gazing out onto the cityscape, just taking in the city sight.
"It is a good life we lead, brother." Apollo said.
"The best." Azazel nodded. "May it never change."
"And may it never change us."
The two stood and gazed onto the horizon, side-by-side, enjoying the company of the other.
"Alright, enough of that, we should go." Azazel said before making to leave.
"Wait." Apollo said, stopping him.
"What?"
"Let's make a pact." Apollo said. "So that, no matter what happens, no matter what choices we make, we'll always be there for one another."
Azazel nodded, before Apollo pulled out a knife and cut into the palm of his right hand, then gave the knife and Azazel did the same.
"No matter what, we ride and die together."
They then shook hands, the blood mixing together.
"I promise."
Present day…
Ever since the trip began, no doubt even longer, Shadow's mind drifted to one person; his brother Apollo, the last newt to ever have his back, always ready to defend his brother's honor. Shadow kept telling himself that what he did was for the greater good, that it needed to be done, that he had to leave. And yet, he still felt that he had hurt the last person he could count on, the brother that needed him the most. He had promised he'd never leave his side. And he broke it.
Sighing, Shadow laid on the couch and closed his eyes, hoping to drift off to sleep.
"Master!"
Groaning, Shadow opened his eyes and looked up, seeing the swordnewt standing over him. "What is it, Kaemon?"
"No time to be napping!" The newt declared. "We're merely a few seconds away from arriving at Newtopia!"
Hearing that, Shadow got up and walked over to the window. "Wow, it feels unbelievable."
"Man, I can't wait to explore the city!" Kaemon said with barely contained excitement. "I wonder if there are any master swordnewts there!"
"I'm sure there's something for everyone in the city." Ina chuckled.
"Newtopia! Ugh. I can't believe it! It's been a long journey, but we're finally almost there." Maddie declared, giving one of those rare, adorable smiles of hers, which Kaemon loved seeing.
Shadow gave a small smile, but it soon fell when he looked over at Anne, the Thai girl sitting at the table, staring worriedly at the photo of herself and her friends.
"Anne?" He said.
"Huh?" Anne looked up.
"Are you alright?" Ina asked. "I thought you'd be more excited. Especially since things are going our way, for once."
"I am excited. It's just...we've been traveling Amphibia for weeks." Anne said, placing the photo on the map on the table. "I thought there'd be some sign of Marcy by now. But nothin'."
"Maybe it's better off." Maddie said, pointing at the photo, specifically at Sasha. "Your last friend was kind of...how do I say this without being a jerk…"
"An evil psycho harlot?" Kaemon said with a raised brow.
Anne then slapped Maddie's hand away and swiping her photo away. "Hey! Look, Sasha and I might be going through a rough patch-"
"Ha! A rough patch, she says!" Kaemon scoffed.
Anne looked at Kaemon incredulously before realizing that he was right. "Okay, so she did some rather unforgivable stuff, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her. Sure, she tried to have you and Hop Pop and Shadow killed, but I still believe that there's a bit of the old Sasha in there. And since she got zapped here with me, it must mean Marcy did too."
"No doubt, yes." Shadow nodding, sitting next to her as she scooted over. Anne being able to see the good in people was one of the traits he admired about her.
"So, what is she like?" Maddie asked. "Hopefully not like the blonde one?"
"Nah, Marcy is completely different from Sasha. She's harmless." Anne said.
"I remember you telling me how she was incredibly smart, yet oblivious and clumsy, correct?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah, super smart. But super oblivious. And insanely clumsy." Anne said, bags under her eyes, as though the times Marcy got hurt because of her clumsiness gave her PTSD. "Like, maybe the clumsiest person alive."
"Wow, that must be horrible." The newt said, raising a glass of water before clumsily dropping it, spilling it all over the table. "Aww." Ina used her powers to magically water bend the spilt liquid back into the cup. "Thanks!"
"Back home, we were there to protect her. But here, she's alone, and instead of kickballs..." Anne said, Shadow taking her hand into his.
"She could get mauled by an elephant scarab. Or crushed to death by a heron. Or worse, flayed alive by a..." Kaemon said before Maddie grabbed his lips to silence him.
"Kay, I love you, but that's not helping." She said with a frown.
"I wonder how the others are handling this…" Ina said. "Probably just as excited."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"NO! Now stop asking!"
Sprig was no doubt more excited than everyone on this trip, even more so now that their destination was mere minutes away from their arrival. So much so, in fact, he kept asking the same 'are we there yet' line, much to Valor's chagrin.
"Are we there yet?" Sprig asked once again, but then Valor mimicked it in a mocking tone of Sprig's voice.
"That's not funny. That's really immature." Sprig said, Valor once again mimicking Sprig mockingly.
"This is why nobody likes humans." Sprig said, once again Valor imitated. "Your loss!" One last time. "I'm gonna just stop talking."
"Good!" Valor snapped, leaning back on the sofa.
"This is taking forever, though." Sprig complained. "We did all the crosswords and word puzzles Hop Pop had."
"In case it hadn't occurred, Newtopia isn't exactly next door to Frog Valley, Sprig." Valor pointed out.
"Just try to hang in there a little longer, Sprig." Ivy said, sitting at the table. "Besides, it's a few seconds now."
"All right, all right, I get it." Sprig said. "I'm just so darn bored."
"Well, find some way to entertain yourself." Valor stated.
Everything went quiet, Sprig looking about the interior of the fwagon, Ivy cleaning her naginata, Valor flipping through the pages of what looked like a magazine, and finally remembering that Hop Pop was at the reigns, with Polly at his side. Sighing softly, Sprig then popped his lips, making the red-headed boy wince. Seeing this, the pink frog popped his lips again. Valor felt like he was going to lose it, especially when Sprig popped his lips a third time.
"Sprig, could you not be yourself," Valor asked before getting in his face. "FOR FIVE MINUTES!"
There was silence once more. Sprig, undeterred, slowly peaked his head out from behind the sofa with mischievous eyes before popping his lips his lips one last time.
"AAAARGH! THAT'S IT!" Valor yelled before pouncing on the frog, choking him by the neck as Sprig choked in pain.
The violence stopped when the hatch opened, everyone looking up to see Polly looking down with wide eyes of excitement. "Guys! Come... It's... I... Not gonna believe... Ah! Just get out here!"
Looking to one another, the three stepped out nearly gasping at the sight of the city. The passengers of the garrison wagon stepped out, Ina staring with stars in her eyes, Anne looking on in amazement, the frog kids staring in equal amazement.
"There she is, gang... Newtopia." Hop Pop declared. "If there's a way to get you home, it's in that city."
"Not just any city, Hopediah, but the beating heart of all of Amphibia." Cody said. "She stood for many generations."
"A beautiful place to call home." Anne said.
"It is. Race you to the gate?" Valor said before he and Ina jumped down from the cliffside.
Anne made to race after them, but halted when she looked up to see Shadow staring at the city. Unlike everyone else, he didn't have an expression of excitement or wonder, only dread and anxiety.
"Hey, you okay?" Anne asked, walking up to him.
Shadow looked at the girl he loved, a worried expression on her face.
"Honestly, I'm terrified, Anne." He said. "Five years since I left Newtopia and I don't know what's the same or different. Or how Apollo or the king will react."
Anne understood how he felt, taking his hand in hers. "Hey, don't forget that you've got me at your side." Anne told him with confidence. "Whatever we face, we'll face it together!"
"Thanks, Anne." Shadow said, smiling.
"Alright, then let's get down there!" Anne exclaimed, pointing at the city.
"Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" The humans, newt and frogs cheered and jumped. Finally, things were going their way!
"Well, my feet are soaked." Anne said as the group continued towards Newtopia, which meant walking through the water. Thankfully, the water was shallow enough for them to walk, as well as for Bessie, Ironhide and the caravan through.
"It's not that big of a deal." Shadow chuckled, walking beside her and holding her hand, Sprig, Ivy and Kaemon running ahead of the group, full of energy. "At least you're wearing shoes rather than running around with only one shoe."
"Now this is the life." Polly said as she floated in the water on her back, before stopping when she bumped into a hole protruding from the water's surface. "Huh?"
"Whoa, look at that." Maddie said before seeing several other holes. "Hey, what do you think made these holes?"
Hop Pop looked at the hole, becoming uneasy as he stared into the black abyss. "Mmm...Better not to ask. Come on!"
"I feel like this is going to come back later." Polly exclaimed as her grandfather pulled her along by her flipper, Maddie following along.
Eventually, the group reached the massive gate, made of gold and stone, showing two newt monks facing each other.
"We're finally here." Anne said, her heart pounding in her chest. Her group was finally about to enter Newtopia. "Yo! Anybody home?"
One of the seashells flipped away, revealing a smaller door, a newt peeking out and looking down at them. "Hello? Who is it?"
"Yeah, down here!" Anne called.
"Yes, I can see you."
"Well, my companions and I came a long way from Wartwood," The Thai girl explained. "We seek knowledge that could help me get home!"
"We're the companions!" Kaemon declared.
The gatekeeper looked at them before saying, "Well, you can't come in here. Newtopia's closed."
"Seriously?" Anne and the Plantar kids yelled.
"Closed? Like closed, closed? Or like closed for lunch?" Ivy asked.
"The city is closed, closed to all outsiders." The gatekeeper said.
"Even to adopted royalty?" Shadow inquired, removing his hood.
The gatekeeper squinted his eyes before they suddenly widened in shock. "Your highness Azazel?! Is that really you?! We haven't seen you since…well, forever!"
"It's a complicated story." Shadow replied. "Now would you kindly let us in?"
"I'm sorry, truly." The newt said. "But the city must remain closed until the barbari-ants are gone."
"What's a 'barbari-ant'?" Anne asked.
"Beats me. We don't got 'em in the valley." Hop Pop told her.
"If it's that serious, then we'll be more than happy to deal with it." Cody declared up to the newt. "You forget, that Newtopia has the most talented monster hunters in Amphibia!"
"Master Maelstrom?! You're here too?!" The newt said in surprise at the sight of the teacher and his students. "We would certainly appreciate it if you'd help us out!" He then looked at Anne with a more careful eye. "Say, you there, with the bush hair! You wouldn't happen to be Anne, would you?"
"Yeah." Anne replied, slightly confused. "Why?"
"Oh, the captain simply must know!" The newt then tried to reach out to grab the handle, but he nearly fell out of the window before catching the ledge. "Stupid handle. Whoa!" It was a rather sad sight, although humorous for Polly and Ivy, as the newt pulled himself up, using his tail and feet to pull himself back into the window. "I'm okay!" He then closed the window.
"Psh, they close the whole city because of a few little ants?" Sprig scoffed.
"Don't be so quick to assume, Sprig." Valor said. "These particular ants are quite large and troublesome in great numbers."
As if on cue, several large ants the size of bears emerged from the ground. They had glowing orange, sometimes blue, coral sticking out of their heads and bodies covered in barnacle.
"Those are the barbari-ants?" Anne asked.
"They are." Shadow nodded.
"Pretty big."
"As big as bears, yeah."
"…Let's do this."
The lovers faced the barbari-ants, Shadow drawing out Black Hope and Anne drawing out Azura's Tear before rushing forward, Shadow jumping over the first one and landing on its back, swinging his katana and severing the head, killing it. Anne slid under a second ant before thrusting her sword upward, stabbing it in the torso and slashing downward, spilling its guts and killing it.
Kaemon ran in with a battle cry at three ants, all three looking to bite down on the newt, the swordnewt jumping over the first one before swinging two swords, slicing it at the torso, killing it, then backflipped over the second one before swinging a sword downward, stabbing it in the head and killing it. He then held up his blades to block the mandibles of the third that charged at him, his tail shooting forward and stabbing it in the head, killing it.
"Well, that was easy." Shadow said, swinging his blade to get the green blood off.
"And hot." Anne said with stars in her eyes and blushing cheeks.
Shadow blinked. "Was that a compliment?" He asked, unsure how to react.
"Yeah, totally!" Anne replied.
"Oh, then you were hot as well." Shadow returned the compliment, only to frown when she started getting giddy. "Am I doing something wrong?"
"We'll work on the flirting." Anne said.
Suddenly, several more barbari-ants busted out of the ground and menacingly approached the group.
"Everyone, get back to the wagons!" Cody yelled. "I have an idea!"
The group did as they were told and huddled near the wagons.
"Ina! Water Cloud!"
Nodding, the blue-haired girl stretched her arms out and did several arm movements before raising them upward, the water underneath the wagons and group rising up, lifting them and the snails up, the floating water separating from the rest, keeping the group in the air. Cody pulled out one of his swords and charged it with electricity before sticking the electrified blade into the water, causing an electric discharge, shocking the ants to death.
With the ants dead, Ina slowly lowered the wagons, snails, and group, before collapsing to her knees, breathing heavily and sweating.
"That is the most I've ever lifted ever." Ina panted.
"At least the ants are dealt with." Cody said, sheathing his sword.
But just as they thought they could ease up, more barbari-ants emerged from the ground, almost surrounding the wagons and the group, both Ironhide and Bessie hid in the safety of their shells.
"Starting to feel a bit antsy." Anne quipped, the ants snapping their jaws.
Before the ants could attack, however, a sack landed between both parties, exploding in black oil that spread across the surface of the water.
"What the…" Shadow said, seeing more sacks land into the water, spreading more oil across the water in a U-shape formation.
Looking up at the city wall, he saw a hooded figure standing on the wall, their cape fluttering in the wind.
"Yo, Red!" They called, their voice sounding feminine. "Use your fire power! Light them up!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Realizing what the figure meant, Valor focused his energy, his amulet glowing as his arms lit up and fire spat from his hands, making contact with the oil and instantly lighting it on fire, creating a wall of fire, making the ants screech in fear. Too scared to press the attack, the ants retreated and burrowed underground, although two did bump into each other before retreating.
"Whoa! Huh?" Anne, Kaemon, Ivy, Maddie and the Plantars said in confusion as the fire died down, Shadow pointing upward and everyone looking up at the wall.
The mysterious figure lifted their arm, aiming a wrist-mounted crossbow and firing an arrow with a rope attached.
"Hop Pop, can I get a crossbow for my birthday? Please, please, please!" Polly begged her grandfather.
The arrow struck into the wheel of the Plantar fwagon wheel. "Eh, we'll talk." Hop Pop told her.
"I so gotta get one of those!" Ivy exclaimed with glee.
The figure then jumped, latching onto the rope with a hock, sliding down the rope.
"That's one cool newt." Maddie admitted.
Suddenly, the rope snapped, causing the figure to fall screaming and into the water with a splash, making the group wince at the sight.
"Ooh, that had to hurt." Kaemon cringed.
"Been there. Didn't really stick the landing." Polly said, the back of the figure facing them so they couldn't see what they looked like.
Upon a closer look, they saw that this figure didn't have a newt's tail, nor the usual skin color of a newt.
"Wait a second." Anne said, pushing past her companions to the front for a closer view.
Picking herself up, and coughing up water, the girl pulled a wet journal from her tunic, "Okay, so, Newtopian rope can hold an average human girl for, uh, 2.3 seconds." She then proceeded to stand up, opening her journal and writing in it, completely unaware, or forgetting, about the people she had just landed in front of. "Maybe I could reinforce the rope with ironspider silk to increase the tensile strength."
Anne's eyes began to form tears as she cupped her hands over her mouth. "Marcy?"
The figure stopped before turning around and pulling her hood down, revealing herself to indeed be Marcy Wu. Her time in Amphibia had also changed her, as she now wore a faded blue hooded cape, complete with a white-furred collar that was held together with a pink shell. She also wore a brown metal chest plate with a light gray t-shirt underneath, a stitched skirt, and grey winter snow boots that were wrapped with studded straps. She also had gray fingerless gloves on each of her hands; moreover, her signature primary weapon seemed to be a hand-mounted crossbow that was fitted onto her right forearm.
"Anne?" The Taiwanese girl said.
"Marcy!" Anne cried, running at the friend she missed and worried over so much.
"Anne!" Marcy cried as the Thai girl jumped at her, tackling her into the water. "Oh! Anne? Is that really you?"
"Marcy! I can't believe it!" Anne said, over come with absolute joy of seeing her best friend again.
"You, me, here?" Marcy said, pointing at Anne then herself.
"I know! I know! I missed you so much!" Anne cried, trying to wipe away the tears before pulling Marcy into another hug.
Marcy giggled and hugged her back. "Oh, I missed you too!"
"Aw..." Polly said, as she, Sprig, Hop Pop, Maddie and Ivy, along with Cody, Valor, and Ina watching the girls with pride, happy that they were reunited. Shadow looked on with a smile, happy that his girlfriend had reunited with her friend.
The only person that didn't seem pleased was Kaemon. The swordnewt glaring at Marcy with arms crossed and narrowed eyes.
"Look at you. Look at this outfit." Anne exclaimed, getting up before helping Marcy up. "You're like an Amazon warrior queen or something."
"I know, I know, right?" Marcy said, showing off her cape. "It's nuts! This is real!" She said that last part unknowingly pointing a loaded crossbow in her friend's face.
"Yeah, very real." Anne said, gently pushing the crossbow out of her face.
"And look at you!" Marcy said, looking at Anne's outfit. "You look like Link from the Legend of Zelda!"
"I know! Cool, right?" Anne said, spinning to show off her outfit.
"Anne, care to introduce your friend here?" Shadow spoke up, finally approaching the two.
"Oh, right!" Anne then posed while gesturing to the cloaked boy. "Marcy, meet Shadow, my boyfriend, teacher, and caretaker!"
"Hello." Shadow smiled and gave a friendly wave.
Marcy gasped before getting up in his face, her face riddled with excitement. "Oh my gosh! You're Anne's caretaker?!" She then turned to Anne. "Did he find you and take you in? Oh! I love the found family trope!" She then turned back to Shadow. "Gosh, this is just like the hero in my favorite game, Vagabondia Chronicles. The greatest JRPG of all time. Have you played it? Do you wanna play it, borrow it? Just say the word and I'll lend you my copy. Man, it'll change your life!"
Shadow stared back with blank confusion before gently pushing her back with one finger. "Personal space, please."
"Ah, sorry! Isn't this place wild?" Marcy declared. "What an adventure. Aw, man! I've really grown out here, Anne. Come into my own. Leveled up. No more clumsy, klutzy Marcy. Can you believe it?"
"You're capes on fire." Shadow pointed.
"What?" Marcy looked back to see that her cape was, in fact, on fire. "Help!" She started screaming and running in a circle.
"Don't swing it around!" Anne yelled, Shadow then stuck out a foot and tripped the Taiwanese girl, knocking her into the water. "Dude!"
"There's water everywhere and her cape was on fire." Shadow said, pointing at the extinguished cape.
Marcy got back up and wrote in her journal. "Note to self: nonflammable cloak, preferable."
"So, Anne, who's your friend?" Hop Pop asked, as he and the others approached.
"You guys, meet Marcy!" Anne declared, gesturing to Marcy.
Marcy looked at the amphibians before gasping. "Oh, my gosh. Who are these cuties?"
"Uh, Anne?" Sprig said, uncomfortable with how close she was.
"Yes, the Plantars took me in." Shadow told her. "And thanks to them, I made it for five years on my own in the woods. The one you got there is Hop Pop."
"On your own? In the woods?!" Marcy repeated with excitement, turning to Shadow once more. "Oh, like Mowgli from the Jungle Book! Or Tarzan!" She took notice of his attire and weapons. "Just with more clothes and armed to the teeth." She then took notice of the Black Hope katana at Shadow's waist. "Oh. My. Gosh! Is that the Black Hope?!"
Shadow did a double take. "Wait, you know about Shen's sword?"
"I sure do! I've been looking into myths and legends and old tales!" Marcy said with glee. "I've been trying to find evidence of its existence! Did you know that the Frog Shogun named his blade after his home tribe, the Black Hope! The tribe were honorable warriors that were masters of the katana and archery! Their leader, Shen, along with the leaders of the toads and newts, and with the help of the salamanders, unified the land and founded the continent of Amphibia!"
Shadow blinked a few times. "That's…impressive that you know that." He said.
Marcy nodded before suddenly gasping. "Wait! Anne, did you say that he's your BOYFRIEND?!"
"Uhh…Yeah?" Anne said, slightly afraid.
The reason became clear when Marcy suddenly let out shrill yell, causing everyone to plug their ears, lest they lose their hearing.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" She said extremely fast and excitedly. "The teacher/student romance trope! An underrated and overly hated trope! That's super CUUUUUTE!~~"
Both boyfriend and girlfriend looked at each other with wide-eyed expressions before looking back at the hyperactive girl.
"Oh man, this reminds me of Tarzan and Jane, you remember that movie, right Anne? Did you draw a picture of him? Did you dance in the moonlight?" Marcy asked before taking notice of Cody and his students, gasping once again. "Oh my gosh! GUYS!"
The couple watched her run and jump at the trio with a hug, the three laughing as they returned the hug, both lovers sporting looks of confusion.
"Wait, you guys already KNEW Marcy?!" Anne pointed at them.
"Certainly. Trained her myself, alongside these two knuckleheads." Cody said, before Valor and Ina lifted Marcy up. "I mean, we didn't know she was your friend exactly, but we soon found out how insanely capable she had proven to be."
"Good to see you again, girlfriend!" Ina declared, rubbing the side of her face against Marcy's.
"How's life been without the Three Musketeers?!" Valor yelled, giving Marcy a noogie.
"It's so good to see you guys!" Marcy laughed, wringing her arms around the duo.
Watching the scene, Anne had a dumbstruck expression. "Man, imagine if they had mentioned it sooner."
"Anyways," Marcy then turned her attention to the amphibians, pulling out a measuring tape and wrapping it around Hop Pop's head. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. As I thought, 62 centimeters!"
"Yep! All brain." The old frog said before Marcy pulled away with the tape.
Marcy pulled out her journal again and wrote some things down, such as a description of the old frog. "Judging from the size of your cranium and flecks of sediment, you're from Frog Valley, right?"
Hop Pop let out a happy gasp. "You can tell all that from my head?" He asked.
"Oh, Anne. Asides from the wild boy as a boyfriend, I'm so jealous you found a farming community." Marcy said while writing in her journal. "I've been studying Amphibia history, and farm culture is super underappreciated in my opinion. You're the backbone of society and do not get enough credit for it."
"Hub, bub, bub, bub. Hub, bub, bub, bub..." Hop Pop stuttered, his mind broken, before he let out a gasp and clutched his heart before he fell on top of Polly.
"Get off of me!" The polliwog yelled.
"Thank you, thank you!" Hop Pop got up and shook Marcy's hand.
"Hey, are you two from Frog Valley too?" Marcy quickly turned her attention to Maddie and Ivy, quickly drawing and writing descriptions of the two.
"Yeah, I work at a tea shop with my mom. I also do martial arts on the side." Ivy said with a wave. "I'm Ivy, by the way."
"And I'm Maddie. I help my dad at a bakery." Maddie said. "I also practice dark magic."
"A curse user?! Amazing!" Marcy gasped again, getting up in Maddie's face. "How many curses do you know? Do you know any other curse users?"
"There was one." Maddie said. "Although he had to be punished."
"Oh, understandable." Marcy chuckled nervously, before turning her attention to Polly. "Hey, a pollywog!"
"Hi."
Marcy then lifted the polliwog up to the sun and held up a magnifying glass and focused it on the lower part of her body, showing her innards. With the light from the sun, she saw her inner organs and a pair of developing legs.
"Hmm. I'd say those legs should be coming in in about..." She paused for a moment, as though doing the math in her head. "Bub, bub, bub, buh... two months, give or take."
Polly, still being held upside-down, let out a gasp with sparkling eyes. "Can I get that in writing?"
"Oh, yeah, absolutely." Marcy said, putting Polly down before giving her a note.
Legs in 2 months – Marcy.
Polly squealed in delight and snatched the note and hugged it. "Thank you!"
Marcy then approached Sprig, who was smiling. "Oh! And hi there. Wow. I've never seen a frog your color before. You're not poisonous, are you?" She asked, reaching out to shake his hand.
Sprig shook her hand and thought for a moment. "Huh. I don't feel poisonous." He then gasped. "Wait! What if I've been poisoning Ivy every time we kissed?!"
"I'm still here, Sprig." Ivy said as she walked over.
"Oh." Sprig said, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head. "My bad."
Marcy then turned her attention to Kaemon, approaching the swordnewt who had his arms crossed and his head turned away, but his cautious eyes were on her at all times. "Whoa, that outfit! Are you a ronin, by any chance?" The Taiwanese girl asked excitedly.
"…maybe." Kaemon answered cautiously.
"Whoa, four swords!" Marcy gasped, looking at his swords. "Roranoa Zoro, eat your heart out!"
"What the heck is a 'roranoa'?!" Kaemon demanded, throwing his hands in the air.
"I mean, you have a tail, so it makes sense you'd use four swords." Marcy rambled on, unaware of the question. "Ooh, can I have a look at your swords?"
She then reached for one of his swords. Unfortunately, the one she reached for happened to be the sword in the blue sheath, which he valued the most. Before Marcy could reach another centimeter, Kaemon's hand shot at lightning-fast speeds and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to his face, the newt glaring daggers at her.
"You reach for my sword again. In fact, if you ever so much as dare touch any of my swords," He said in a deathly, warning tone. "And you'll lose both your arms and both your legs, and then you'll lose your face. And you'll be nothing but a limbless, faceless thing, won't you? Rolling down the street. Like a turd, in the wind. You feel me?"
Marcy blinked a few times before laughing, much to Kaemon's confusion, before she pulled away. "Wow! So, it's true that some swordnewts are pretty protective of their swords."
"No, just me, over this sword in particular." Kaemon said, patting the blue-sheathed sword for emphasis.
"Ooh, sentimental value! Of course!" Marcy said, smacking her forehead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disrespect."
Kaemon softened his expression a bit, but rehardened it and turned his head away. "I'll let it slide this time." He said.
"So, what about you, Mar-mar?" Anne asked, her and Shadow walking up to her. "Have you been in Newtopia this whole time?"
"Here and there, but, uh, mostly here." Marcy said with a wave of her hand. "I actually warped in right inside the city walls. Pretty lucky, right?
"Good luck, or bad?" Shadow inquired silently.
"Yeah, like, what are the odds," Marcy said before a new thought entered her head as she snapped her fingers. "Oh, oh, okay! Oh, my gosh! Remember that game I tried to get you and Sasha to play, Creatures and Caverns?"
"No." Anne said honestly.
"It turns out newts are just like Cephalons!"
Anne's eyes slowly drifted to the side to Shadow, the boy holding his hands up, "Don't look at me."
"From Shadows of Xel'noth!" Marcy declared. "Anyway, I just role-played like your typical artificer/rogue and the next thing I know, BOOM!" Marcy said, fist pumping. "I'm the chief ranger of the Newtopian Knight Guard!"
"Uh... Were those words?" Polly asked.
Suddenly, the ground started to shake, getting the attention of everyone as the shaking intensified.
"Uh, you guys feel that?" Sprig asked.
Suddenly, a much larger barbari-ant busted from the ground with a loud screech, the size of an elephant, the group looking up in shock at the giant ant.
"That's the biggest barbari-ant I've ever seen in all my years in this world." Cody said.
"Anne, Kaemon, to me!" Shadow commanded, the two joining his side with swords drawn.
"Valor, Ina, to my side!" Cody called, the teens joining his side, Ina conjuring water whips while Valor conjured fireballs in his hands.
"Kids, behind me!" Hop Pop called, the frog kids huddling behind him.
"What about me?" Marcy called.
There was a moment of silence, as though they were deliberating what Marcy could do, before Valor yelled, "Just stand to the side and look pretty!"
"Oh, that's fine!" Marcy replied, backing up.
Back up on the wall, however, the white-cladded stranger stood at the edge of the wall, watching the scene, before sliding a golden, ornate spear from the right sleeve of his cloak, lifting it up and allowing it to levitate outward, the spear hovering over the scene and the tip of the spear pointed downward towards the giant ant. The strangers only visible eye glowed a bright white, the spear glowing in turn, before several other white spears manifested around it, from one to two, then four, then ten, and soon fifty.
Looking up, Kaemon raised an eyebrow at the sight of over fifty light spears levitating overhead, all pointed at the ant.
"Uh, guys?"
Everyone looked up, their eyes nearly bugging out at the sight, all those spears pointed at the ant.
"Move!"
At Shadow's command, everyone jumped back, the barbari-ant looking up in confusion.
Raising a hand, the white-cladded stranger clench it into a fist before bringing it down, silently commanding the light spears to shoot down, all hitting and causing the ant to screech in pain as the spears pierced its body, piercing through the coral skin and even cutting off several of its legs, immobilizing it.
The last spear, that being the golden ornate spear, shot downward at great speeds, hitting the head of the ant and killing it, the remains of the ant collapsing to the water-covered ground with a splash.
The group in shock looked up to see the stranger step off the ledge and float downward, descending as though they were an angel descending from Heavan, the figure wearing a long, white cloak with a golden sun peaking from the bottom, a yellow interior, and a chin-high collar, fur around the cuffs of the sleeves and the rim of the hood, but the most stand out thing was the mask they wore, white in color and having a golden spiral pattern that focused on the left eye, the eye itself from pure white to red now, red seeming to be their natural eye color. They also seemed to be wearing gray trousers, but no shoes, the skin on their feet being a bluish color.
The group watched the stranger approach their spear, which was still lodged in the ants head, reaching down and grabbing the top near the blade of the weapon before pulling it free, twirling it in between their fingers to get the blood off before sliding it back up their sleeve.
"I take it back; I want that spear instead." Polly said, staring at the spear with wide eyes. "Hop Pop. Birthday. Make it happen."
Shadow watched the figure standing on the head of the ant, the stranger staring at the corpse still, before the boy stepped forward, sheathing his katana.
"Apollo?"
Their head perking up, the stranger turned their head, their single crimson eye staring at the boy in black, before stepping off the head and floating downward, standing before Shadow at full height, both matching in height.
They stood in silence before the stranger reached a hand up and gripping their mask, pulled it down, and sure enough, it was in fact Apollo Leviathan, his adopted brother for ten years.
The same brother he had left behind.
The newt before him looked almost the same the day he had left, a bluish skin color, a lighter underbelly, although his ashen blonde hair was cut short and slicked back, and a crimson eye. An eye, not eyes? Well, the right side of his face was covered in special plating that covered the top right side of his face, covering the eye and reaching the mouth, leaving only his left side uncovered, his only crimson eye visible.
The now estranged brothers stared at each other in pregnant silence, as though waiting for the other to speak first, the rest of the group waiting as though they were watching an intense Mexican standoff.
"Man, this seems intense." Sprig commented, looking on in worry.
"Are they gonna fight, or…" Polly tired to ask, only for her question to trail off.
The two brothers stared in silence, silently daring the other to speak.
"Azazel." Apollo was the first to speak, his voice cold and holding hints of venom. "It's been a long time."
"It has, Apollo." Shadow nodded solemnly, looking him up and down. "Like the attire. Changed up your wardrobe?"
"Father insisted." Apollo replied. "Training's been rough, but I manage."
"I admit, I've been slacking. But thankfully, Master Maelstrom was more than happy to help me catch up." Shadow said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder and at Cody, who gave a friendly wave.
"I can tell, just by looking at you." Apollo said. "You've fallen behind, brother. Gotten too lax in your new environment out in the boonies."
Shadow could hear the venom when he said the word 'brother'.
"Yeah, well, I've been accepted by a rather welcoming community in Wartwood." Shadow said. "It took some time and work, sure, but they accepted me as one of their own."
"That's great. That's great." Apollo said blandly, almost sarcastically. "Must've been nice, isn't it? Living out in the woods amongst the frogs, not worrying about the troubles of the world."
"I've had my fair share of troubles, if you must know." Shadow calmly countered. "The occasional monster hunt, villain of the week and toad bullies have offered their fair share of challenges."
"Is that so?" Apollo said, narrowing his eye. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"
Silence once again, both waiting for the other to voice a rebuttal of some sort, or worst case scenario, throw the first punch…
"APPAAAAA!"
Suddenly, Apollo was tackled by Marcy into the water, Shadow and the others watching in confusion, with the exception of Cody, Valor and Ina, as the Taiwanese girl rubbing her head under the cloaked newts chin like a puppy happy to see its owner.
"Appa, it's so good to see you!" Marcy exclaimed, looking up at the boy with sparkling eyes.
Apollo looked at her with a blank eye, blinking a few times, before his brow lifted. "It's only been a few minutes, but okay." He said, closing his eye and shrugging his shoulders.
"Can someone explain what the heck is going on?" Polly yelled.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Marcy then got up and pulled the cloaked newt to his feet. "Everyone, meet Apollo Leviathan; Official Captain of the Newtopian Knight Guard, Prince Heir to the throne of Amphibia and son of the king! Also, my teacher and boyfriend."
Anne blinked a few times before the last part sunk in. "Wait. BOYFRIEND?!"
"Oh boy, not again." Valor groaned, as he and the others covered their ears, even Apollo plugged his ears for the sake of his hearing.
Both Anne and Marcy squealed in absolute joy so loud, the sound echoing across the area, both girls jumping with joy in each others arms.
"This is amazing! We both have boyfriends!" Marcy declared, squealing with excitement. "The wild boy romance and the prince romance tropes, both at the same time!"
Shadow and Apollo watched with confused eyes. "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Shadow asked.
"Not a damn clue." Apollo replied with a shake of his head.
"That's amazing, Marcy!" Anne said happily. "When did this happen?"
"A few months after I dropped in and ranked up!" Marcy declared, taking Apollo by the arm. "After a while, we just clicked and made out under the moonlight. It was so romantic~." She swooned over the last bit, her face blushing as she leaned up and kissed the left side of Apollo's cheek.
"Mars, please, not in front of the guests." Apollo said, his cheeks blushing.
"Right, romance and intense standoffs aside," Anne side, remembering their predicament. "So, Marcy, can you and Apollo get us into the city? We tried the gate, but they won't let us in."
"Unfortunately, those gates will stay closed until the barbari-ants are dealt with." Apollo said.
"Luckily, we've got a plan. Come on!" Marcy said, gesturing everyone to follow.