Chapter 45 - Chapter 43: Part 2: Chapter 20: The Third Temple

Eight Years Ago

It all began many years ago, when Frank was innocent and happy. He and Anne had been best friends for years—friends since birth, some would say. They did everything together, from celebrating each other's birthdays to playing in the playground and being in the same kindergarten class. Marcy joined them in kindergarten, and they welcomed her with open arms. She was very smart, and they liked her because she always had something interesting to say, even if Anne didn't understand it.

When they first met their friend, they were swinging on the swings.

"Look, Mar-Mar! I'm an eagle!" yelled five-year-old Anne as she swung herself up high.

"Cool! Well, I'm a twin-engine cemax amphibious aircraft!" five-year-old Marcy said, swinging beside her best friend.

"And I'm…uh, a flying submarine!" yelled little five-year-old Frank.

The three of them had the time of their lives playing on the swings, laughing together as they swung higher and higher. That was until some other kids grabbed their swings. The abrupt stop sent the boy and two girls flying off their swings and onto the woodchip-covered ground.

Looking back, they saw that it was two teenage girls. "Oh, how cute. Now beat it. These swings are ours," said one of the bullies.

Anne and Marcy started crying, and the moment he saw that, Frank instantly got mad. "Hey! We were here first! So you dumb big kids get off and go away, or I will..." The little boy noticed a large shadow covering him. He looked up and shrank back when he saw a teen boy wearing a leather jacket and combat boots, staring down at him with a malicious smirk.

"You'll what?" he asked with a smug expression.

"I... I... I... get a grown-up!" Frank told him, trying to be brave. However, his stuttering revealed how scared he was becoming.

This caused the three bullies to laugh before the older boy said, "Word of advice, kid, never pick a fight unless it's you doing the fighting."

He then kicked him, sending Frank sliding to the ground until he stopped and held his stomach, whimpering in pain.

"Frank!" Anne called out in worry before getting held back by Marcy.

"No, Anne! He'll hurt you too!" Marcy pleaded.

"You know, I don't think he gets it yet," the older girl on the left said, her smug attitude still evident. "Why don't you teach him some more?"

"With pleasure," the boy said, as he cracked his knuckles, ready to give Frank the beating of a lifetime.

As Frank looked up at him, like a wounded dog, pleading with his eyes not to hurt him anymore, the bully approached and lifted a boot, getting ready to stomp on him.

Then a new voice called out.

"Stop right there, evildoer!" Everyone turned to find the young girl who would come to be known as Sasha standing on top of a slide. Brave, she said, "Leave that kid alone!" She then slid down and did a flying kick. "Hiyah!"

"Whoa..." Anne and Marcy were amazed as she flew through the air.

"Asombrosa..." Frank said, feeling similarly.

The bully boy, however, was unimpressed as he stepped aside and let Sasha fly past him. After landing on the ground, she got up and let out a war cry, charging at him in an attempt to punch him. He once again casually dodged her attack, leading her to faceplant into a turtle-shaped sandbox.

Sasha then got up once more. "I'm not done yet. I'll never give up, no matter what!" she yelled, trying again.

However, Sasha tripped over herself, landing face-first on the ground.

"This is getting weird," the other older girl said.

"Yeah, come on, it isn't worth dealing with these babies," the first girl told the guy.

The jerk growled a bit, feeling as though he had been cheated out of some fun, before he and the two older girls turned and left the park.

Sasha got up with a chuckle, feeling proud of herself, before she saw Frank and walked over to help him up. "Hey, you okay?"

The little boy sniffled a bit but nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, rubbing his stomach.

"You know, it was really brave of you to stand up to that jerk. You just need to toughen up is all," Sasha said, giving him a gentle punch to the shoulder and adding, "And I know you'll get there."

Frank smiled at her, grateful for her words.

"Frank!" Anne yelled as she and Marcy rushed over to hug him. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Frank hugged them back.

"Well, the swings are all yours," Sasha said while dusting herself off.

"Hey!" Anne said to her. "Thank you for saving our friend. Do you want to swing with us?"

Sasha was surprised by the invitation. "I… I'd like that," she said, smiling.

"I'm Anne, by the way, this is Frank and Marcy," little Anne said, introducing herself and her two best friends.

"Hola," Frank said in Spanish.

"Hiyah," Marcy said shyly.

The blonde girl smiled and said, "I'm Sasha, Sasha Waybright."

Present

That was the Sasha Waybright Frank knew to be a friend—the friend who had protected him and the girls from danger, the friend who was always by their side. She was a loyal and trustworthy companion, always willing to lend a helping hand. No matter what challenges they faced together, Frank knew he could count on Sasha to be there for him.

That was the Sasha that Frank once knew. The Sasha he'd loved like a sister. The Sasha that he called a friend.

Sasha Waybright no longer resembled that little girl. Her behavior had become cruel, vindictive, and controlling. She had become the leader of their group, and you were expected to follow her lead. She made their friendship depend on her input, allowing her to have full control of their decisions. But Frank didn't want to be controlled. It's why she forced him out of their group.

If that's all she'd done, Frank would have thought of Sasha as a jerk. Nothing more. But she did more than stop being friends with him.

Sasha had single-handedly destroyed his life with one act. By not coming forward and accepting responsibility, the blonde girl ruined him. It was because of her that his parents practically disowned him. He rotted in juvy for ten hellish months, and he, as a person, was broken because of it. Had it not been for Anne returning to his life and their journey to Amphibia, Frank genuinely feared what kind of person he would have become.

She forced Anne to steal from his grandmother's store, leading to them being sent to Amphibia. Then, when they reunited at Toad Tower, Lieutenant Waybright had become the villain of Frank's world. She lied to him and Anne. She wanted to have Hop Pop executed for something that was out of his control. She would have done worse things for Wartwood, was going to kill Sprig, and then hurt Anne.

And now, after betraying everything she once stood for, Sasha stood before him again.

"Hello," Sasha said, nervously standing next to Grime, "Sasha and Grime here."

Frank just stood there, a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside him. But it wasn't just the Hispanic boy who was shocked to see Sasha. Hearing the blonde and the toad's names, Anne and the Plantars rushed to the door.

While the young frogs gasped at the sight of the girl who had tried to have their grandfather killed, Anne stood there, looking confused. "It can't be. Sasha?" she said with tension and caution. This was what Anne wanted to discuss with everyone: going out to find Sasha so they could head to the next temple.

"Hey, girlfriend! Good to see you!" Sasha said with a sweet, happy smile, acting as she would back home, like nothing was wrong and that Anne was still under her control.

"You too?" Anne responded, feeling very confused and unsure of what to say.

She wanted to be happy to see her blonde friend, but at that moment, her mind was urging her to be prepared for a surprise attack. Sasha might be her best friend, but with the help of her boyfriend, she'd become disillusioned by their friendship.

Marcy, however, did not have any hesitation.

"SASHA!" Shoving everyone out of her way, Marcy jumped and tackled Sasha. The blonde girl, not being prepared for the impact, was taken down to the ground.

Marcy, not caring if the others were watching, kissed all over Sasha's face and lips while saying her name. "Aah! Sasha! Sasha! Sasha! Sasha!"

Blushing, Sasha laughed and hugged her back. To long last, after four months, they were finally back together.

"Hey, Mar-Mar!" she said, hugging her back and kissing her deeply and lovingly.

When the two of them pulled away, Marcy said with a big smile and tears in her eyes. "I never thought I would see you again. I've been looking all over for you, but I didn't know if you made it to this world until Anne said that you were here!" Marcy exclaimed happily.

"You kidding me, I've been wanting to find you too!" Sasha said, smiling up at her girlfriend and stroking her cheek.

"It's so good to see you!" Marcy exclaimed as she hugged Sasha, leaving the blonde girl a blushing mess.

But then Marcy stopped.

"Wait, no, it's not!" Marcy suddenly frowned as she pulled away from her. "I know what you did to Frank back home!"

"You do?" Sasha asked nervously.

"Yeah! Anne told me how you stole those shoes and let Frank take the fall for you," she said, crossing her arms and sitting on Sasha's lap.

"No! I mean, it..." Sasha struggled to find the right words. "It wasn't like that."

Marcy looked as though she wanted to argue. However, instead of getting into a fight, she said, "We'll talk more later, but for now... I'm just so happy to see you again!" The smart girl hugged her girlfriend tightly. Sasha, blushing once more, gave a gentle smile and hugged her back.

"Ahem!"

"Hm?" Both girls looked back to see that Grime was the one who cleared his throat.

"Uh, Sasha…"

"Oh, right," Sasha said. The two of them got up. Before she could introduce Grime, however, Sasha took a look at her girlfriend and was blown away. "Whoa! Check out your new threads, girlfriend!"

"Speak for yourself," Marcy replied, gesturing to the armor the warrior had on. "Look at that armor! How did you find us?!"

"Simple. We heard you three were traveling together and tracked you here," Sasha said.

"Ahem!" Grime cleared his throat again.

"Oh, right. Grime, allow me to introduce my awesomely smart and amazingly cute girlfriend, Marcy Wu," Sasha said, placing her hand around her girlfriend's shoulder, kissing her cheek, and making her giggle. "Marcy, allow me to introduce you to the former Captain of Toad Tower and my captain, Grimesly."

"You're never allowed to call me that," Grime snarled at Marcy and darted to Sasha. "And aren't you forgetting something ?"

"What?" Sasha asked, only for Grime to point towards the remaining two human kids. Frank remained silent, while Anne looked at her two best friends in shock. She could not completely believe what she saw after watching Sasha and Marcy kiss.

"Oh…" Marcy said with wide eyes. "Right..."

"Wait, you didn't tell them," Sasha asked, looking at her girlfriend in shock. "I thought you would have done so already."

"I wanted to do it together. It was going to be at the birthday party," Marcy said sheepishly. Seeing as though there was going to be no escaping it, she turned to Anne. "So, Anne…"

"You're dating!?" Anne yelled, walking out of the house to stand in front of Frank, who remained where he was. She walked up to Marcy and Sasha, grabbing their armor with her eyes bulging out. "How long has that been going on?!" she yelled, shaking both of them.

"Well…for a week before your birthday," Sasha said, not bothered by Anne manhandling her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Anne asked loudly, wanting to know everything. "How did this happen?"

"Well, I guess you can say that we just started seeing each other differently since the end of last semester," Marcy said, interlocking her fingers with Sasha. "We were just drawn to each other like no one else. And it turned out, we felt the same about each other for a long time."

"We were going to tell you, but then…you know," Sasha said sheepishly, and it didn't take long for Anne to understand.

"Oh…right," she said, knowing that she was referring to the music box.

"Are you angry?" Marcy asked, looking worried that her best friend would reject them for being gay or for hiding it from her.

"Yes, because I never got to see how cute you two were together!" Anne screamed again, shaking both of them, sounding angrier than the happy words. Then she hugged them. "Oooooooh, I'm so happy for you two."

"Uh, thanks," Sasha said, uneasy from the whirlwind of emotions Anne just displayed.

Grime walked up to the girls, twirling his hand lackadaisically.

"Yes, yes, they're very cute, but now that we're here—" He was stopped when the Plantars jumped in front of him. All three frogs growled as they pointed their gardening tools at him.

Grime backed off before Sasha stepped in front of him. "Whoa-ho, cancel the red alert," she said, hands held up. "Seriously, we're not here to fight."

The toad followed her example. "No funny business," Grime confirmed, holding up his hands in surrender.

"No funny business from us or you ?" Sprig asked, pointing a pitchfork in an accusing manner.

"Us," Sasha answered, frowning at the little frog boy. But Anne, no matter how happy she was with Sasharcy (her ship name for the two girlfriends), was unconvinced.

"Why should we believe you, Sasha?" Anne asked accusingly.

"Anne," Marcy pleaded, but Sasha held her hand to her. Knowing why she was mistrustful.

"I understand you're angry and don't trust me, Anne. You have every right to. But the whole reason we were trying to find you wasn't just to get back with Marcy," Sasha said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "It was…It was so I could tell you that everything that happened at Toad Tower was my fault."

Lowering her guard, Anne looked surprised that she would say that.

"Really?" she asked, not sure how to react to this revelation.

"Yup," Sasha said with fake sincerity, walking up to Anne. The Thai girl remained defensive. "It was wrong of me to put your frog friends in danger, and doubly wrong of me to push you around."

"Oh. Huh. Wasn't expecting that," Anne said, before glaring at Sasha skeptically. "But why now? Why the change of heart?"

"After Toad Tower, Sasha and I lost everything," Grime informed her.

"We had to go into hiding, and I had a lot of time to think about things," Sasha said, rubbing her arm. "And I realized that…I didn't like the person I was. I don't want to be that version of myself anymore."

Absorbing what Sasha told her, Anne looked at Marcy, who nodded. Of course, being her girlfriend, she encouraged her best friend to give Sasha a chance. But then Anne glanced at the Plantars, who shook their heads. They wanted Sasha and Grime off their farm because of the danger they presented. However, there was one person who hadn't spoken. Anne hadn't forgotten Frank, but she knew that out of everyone, he was the one Sasha needed to prove herself to the most. He was their de facto leader, and it was the boy's word that carried the most weight.

"If you're really changed, it's not me you should be apologizing to," Anne said, stepping to the side and pointing to her boyfriend.

When Sasha finally looked back at Frank, her heart nearly stopped. When Anne and Marcy came out, for a brief moment, she had forgotten about him. She was so wrapped up in getting back to Marcy and trying to convince Anne she'd changed. But now, there he was. Still standing at the open door, glaring at her. But it wasn't just an ordinary glare. The glare she received could have killed her ten times over. Frank glared daggers at her, filled with nothing but pure hate and blinding fury.

Grime saw this and said, "Okay... I'm just going to step back and let you two hash it out."

"What the, eh, no! Coward!" Sasha yelled at him as Grime took several steps back.

Sasha looked to Marcy, who gave her two thumbs up. She looked at Anne, who crossed her arms and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to do what she should've done.

The blonde looked at the boy and said, "So... how have you been, amigo?"

Frank's glare began to intensify. Gulping, Sasha tried to break the tension. "Look, I know what I did back home was incredibly stupid of me, and I shouldn't have done it, but why don't we just forget about what happened and let's move on with, eh, a hug!" She outstretched her arms, gesturing for the framed boy to hug her. "Yes, that's it, a big hug to squeeze those cares away!"

She smiled weakly, hoping her strategy would work.

Frank didn't respond for a moment until he finally said something. "That's it?"

The question took Sasha aback. "Uh, sorry?"

Marcy and Anne turned their heads towards Frank, fear rising from their stomachs. They saw that Frank wasn't just angry. He was glaring at Sasha in absolute disbelief.

"Is that really all you have to say to me?" Frank repeated in a cold and harsh tone. "After what you did?"

"Frank, wait," Marcy said, desperate to de-escalate the situation. "Sasha's just really bad at apologizing. She still meant it."

"Yeah, like Marcy said," Sasha said in a rather casual and remorseless way. "So, come on, let's just be friends and move on. Don't get all upset just because you can't let go of a big misunderstanding. We're all back together. Right? Buddy?"

Frank could not believe she just said that. After all this time apart, after everything she did, Sasha was still unable to take full responsibility for her actions. This notion was clear in the way she acted, in her words, and in how little she actually meant her apology. She just tried to brush off her crimes as if they were nothing, without a hint of remorse. Knowing that nothing was going to change, he took a deep breath and smiled.

"You know, Sasha," Frank said, walking up to her. "I just want you to know that even though you destroyed our friendship, framed me, are the reason we're here, and tried to kill my frog grandpa, my abuela taught me that revenge isn't the answer and that if someone apologizes, you should give them a second chance."

"Oh, that's good," Sasha said, thinking she'd gotten what she wanted. "I don't know who that is, but they sound wise…"

"It was my grandmother," Frank said gravely, leaning toward Sasha. He dropped the smile and returned a hateful glare into her eyes that left her frozen. "And she's not here…" His hand grabbed the pauldron on her shoulder and pulled Sasha closer to him, her forehead hitting the rim of his hat. "... Is she?"

"No…"

"RIGHT!" Frank yelled as he tackled Sasha.

Before the blonde realized it, she had landed hard on the ground with Frank on top of her, struggling to grab her neck. Acting quickly to defend herself, Sasha fought back by swatting his hand away and placing her hands on his face.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME, YOU ASSHOLE!" Sasha shouted at the enraged boy she framed, as she tried to get him to stop. Frank then grabbed her and bashed the back of her head against the ground. It happened so fast and so violently that Anne, Marcy, the Plantars, and Grime stood there in shock, watching as the two tried to kill each other.

Sasha shoved her hands into Frank's face, and the two of them rolled around on the ground before she got her legs underneath Frank's chest. With all her might from weeks of training, she pushed Frank off of her. He went flying and slammed into a cart of cabbages, breaking it and sending vegetables flying everywhere, allowing birds and bugs to swoop in and snatch them up.

"FRANK! SASHA!" The two girls cry out to their loved ones.

"MY CABBAGES!" Hop Pop yelled in distress, falling to his knees as he pulled his hair. Acting as if he'd witnessed the most traumatic event that ever happened to him.

Frank groaned as he pulled himself away from the cart, shaken by how much stronger Sasha had become. When they first fought, they were on equal footing. He won that fight because of his experience and his powers. But now, Sasha was stronger than he was.

Glaring at Sasha as she got up, drawing her sword, Frank did the same thing and pulled out his scythe. Deploying his shield, he was about to attack when Anne, Sprig, and Polly rushed in. All of them were grabbing onto him. The young sister grabbed his left leg, while her brother grabbed onto Frank's right hand, which held Hellcat's Claw. Anne got him in a nelson hold, her arms encircled around Frank's arms, and locked her fingers at his neck.

"Dude, stop!" Anne yelled, struggling to hold him back.

"Not until she's dead!" Frank shouted.

Sasha growled and was about to attack him when Marcy and Grime got in front of her. "Sasha, stop!" yelled her girlfriend.

"Lieutenant, stand down!" Grime ordered his subordinate.

"Hey, I'm not the one who attacked me for no reason!" Sasha said, pointing her pink sword at Frank, enraging him further.

"FOR NO REASON?!" Frank shouted as he pulled harder to get free of Anne and the frog kids.

"Frank, just stop!" Anne pulled him back further from Sasha. "You can't hurt her!"

"Why not?!" Frank yelled. "Give me one good reason why I can't!"

"Because…" For a moment, Anne struggled to come up with an answer. What could she say that would be a reason? "Because…"

"Because we should give her a chance," Marcy said while smiling, however.

Frank looked at her like she was out of her mind. "WHAT?!"

"Well, we have to invite her to the Third Temple. Come on! We're all together again. The least you can do is give her some benefit of the doubt, right?" The smart Taiwanese girl explains with her hands clapped together, smiling nervously.

"Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait! I've got a better idea!" Polly suddenly spoke up in mock excitement, before glaring at the toad among them. "How 'bout we don't?"

"Polly!" Anne chastised the pollywog in annoyance.

"Uh, did you all take stupid pills this morning? Have you forgotten what they both almost tried to do to Hop Pop?" Polly asked in annoyance, pointing to Sasha and Grime. "And now you want them to come with us?"

"We apologized for that," Sasha exclaimed.

"You are a liar!" Sprig pointed at her.

"No, I'm not!" Sasha countered. "Anne, tell them that I'm not lying."

"Kind of busy here!" Anne snapped, still holding back Frank from killing her best friend.

"Everyone, please," Marcy said, holding her hands out to both sides. She sighed and approached the enraged boy. "Look, I know you don't trust Sasha, and I understand your reason."

"Frankly," Frank said, "I don't trust you either! You, with Sasha? Are you serious?!"

"I...I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how," Marcy said, looking away with shame before looking back at him. "But as we go to the Third Temple, we will not know if it's hers or yours, and we will not be able to make it through the trials without either of you. So that's why I say we invite her and Grime to our quest."

Glaring at Marcy first, Frank looked at Sasha and narrowed his eyes. The latter formed a smug smile, and her arms crossed in satisfaction. It made Frank want to kill her even more. He understood Anne's reasoning, however.

"Fine," Frank said. As soon as Anne and the Plantars released him, he placed the Hellcat back on its hook and retracted his shield. "You guys, get ready to leave. I'm going to get Frobo."

"No need!" said Rivet's familiar voice. The little frog boy was riding on top of Frobo's left shoulder, while the robot carried two wooden crates under his arms. He walked past Hop Pop, who was on the ground, crying over his cart and the ruined cabbages.

"Rivet? What are you doing here?" Sprig asked, while Sasha looked at the robot with wide eyes, and her jaw dropped.

"Well, I was going to return your 'ru-boat' when Master Indy told me to deliver these cool armor to Frank and Anne," Rivet explained.

"Whoa! Armor?" Anne asked, amazed, as Frobo placed the crates on the ground. Opening them and pulling out their newly made protection, showing them off to both kids.

For Anne, Indy made a single, golden cuirass, a piece of armor covering her torso. It was formed from one piece and had blue trimming. On her chest, it had the Amphibia frog symbol.

"Whoa," Frank said, awestruck by the craftsmanship. His armor was different from his girlfriend's. More protective. It consisted of a silver cuirass with golden trims and darker grey plackart. For his shoulders, silver pauldrons with golden frog symbols, while dark grey rerebraces would cover most of his arm.

"Welp, I'm going back. Hi, new girl and toad!" Rivet said, giving Sasha and Grime a friendly wave before jumping off Frobo and walking away.

"You…You guys have a robot," Sasha asked, pointing at Frobo in complete and total shock.

Remembering that she was still here, Frank glared at her.

"I'm going to put this on for our mission," he said, pulling his armor out. "Keep an eye on them." Frank pasted Sasha, bumping into her shoulder. He marched into the house and slapped the door behind him.

"Sheesh, you weren't lying when you said he wouldn't be happy to see you," Grime said, a tinge of fear for the human boy in his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks for your help back there, Anne," Sasha said, walking up and patting her on the back.

"Please, don't do that," Anne said, stepping away from her.

"Hey, come on," Sasha said. "The gangs are all back together."

Anne frowned at Sasha. "I should get this on before we go," she said, holding up her armor. "Marcy, can you explain everything to Sasha?"

"See you soon, Anna-banana," Marcy said, saluting.

"As soon as Frank and I are ready, we'll head for the Third Temple together. Now that Sasha's back, we can complete it and get the stone charged."

Hearing that they'll all be going, Sasha, however, frowned. She knew this meant that Frank would be coming along. Something she really didn't want to happen.

"Uh, actually, Frank doesn't look like he wants to come," she said to Anne. "In fact, who's to say we need Frank? Come on, let's go on an adventure! Just us gals!"

"No way!" Anne frowned. "Frank is my boyfriend, and I'm not going to leave him."

Sasha was about to respond when she stopped. "Wait…boyfriend," she asked, looking at her best friend. Shocked realization formed on her face. "You…dating him?"

Realizing what she'd just revealed, Anne blushed and said, "Yeah, we started dating when we left Newtopia."

"And they're so cute together!" Sprig said with a smile.

Anne looked at Sasha, expecting to get some kind of blow-up or something. However, instead of getting mad, Sasha smiled happily and said, "Well, that's fantastic, Anne! I'm happy for you, girlfriend."

"Thanks," Anne said, uncertain, but still happy that Sasha wasn't angry. With that resolved, the young girl walked back to the house.

Sasha kept up the smile before frowning. It was one thing for Frank to take her friend, but to steal her heart as well, that'll make things even more difficult. As Anne's boyfriend, Frank obviously had her wrapped around his little finger. He could influence her best friend however he wanted. Now that Anne knew what she had done, Sasha was going to have an even harder time getting Anne back on her side. It wasn't fair. But she bit back her anger. She wouldn't have to put up with Frank for much longer. That's what she told herself.

So why did she hate herself for not giving a proper apology? She could have and should have, but it didn't come out. Sasha's pride wouldn't allow it.

"So, uh, anyone gonna tell me what's going on with these temples?" she asked, turning back to the others with a smile.

"No," Polly said, scowling.

"Oh, Sasha. It's crazy!" Marcy exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "The king of Amphibia told us the music box can transport us back home! But the stones need to be charged at four temples first! We're going to go to the third temple!"

Sasha's eyes widened. "No way! You mean we can almost go home?" she asked in amazement. "Hold on, start from the beginning."

"Gladly!" Marcy said, but halted. There was something that she needed to do. "But, actually, you mind if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you alone."

"Oh…okay," Sasha said, rubbing her arm nervously. Wondering what she could want to talk about.

Sprig and Polly walked over to her. "Marcy, are you sure you can be alone with her?"

"Don't worry," Marcy said, waving him off. "My girlfriend loves me. She's never done anything to hurt me. Plus, someone needs to keep an eye on Grime."

"Seriously?!" complained the toad. Why was he the one who needed to be looked after like a hatchling? Not when a frog was crying his eyes out.

With that settled, Marcy pulled Sasha over to the fwagon. Opening the door, she pushed her girlfriend inside and closed it behind her. "Swanky," Sasha said, looking around. "So, what's this about?"

The smart girl sighed heavily. A grim look entered her expression as she looked at the blonde.

"I deserve to know the truth," Marcy said sternly. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Sasha repeated, not sure what she was talking about.

"That night, 15 and a half months ago," Marcy said, her mind having calculated the approximate time since the night Frank was arrested: 10 months of juvy, less than 1 month after being let out, and four and a half months in Amphibia. "The night that Frank was arrested."

Sasha's eyes widened from that clarification. A look of remorse appeared on her face. This was a conversation that she'd been dreading. She was expecting it to come up, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to it. How could she possibly explain her actions to her girlfriend since Frank and Anne told her what happened? If she'd found her before their reaction to Newtopia, Sasha could have explained it to Marcy in a way that would have favored her. But unfortunately, they got to the smart girl first.

"I…I wanted to tell you months ago," Sasha said.

"But you didn't," Marcy said. That's what hurt the most: that Sasha would do something so bad and now tell her or Anne about it.

Sasha didn't respond.

"Did someone force you to steal those shoes? Did Maggie blackmail you into doing it? Did she threaten me or Anne?" the smart girl asked, hoping that these theories weren't true. But Sasha closed her eyes before opening them to answer.

"...No."

"Then why?" Marcy asked, becoming dejected by her girl's response.

"I...It's hard to explain," she said, wanting to end the conversation right then and there. Sasha walked up to Marcy. "You need to trust me. If you could do that, we'll be okay, Anne, too. Everything will be fine." Smiling sweetly at her, she placed her hand on the smart girl's cheek.

Marcy placed a hand over Sasha's, asking with sincerity. "Will it, though?"

"Yes," she said. "Because you know me."

"There are a lot of things I thought I knew about you. Frank has been our best friend since we were kids. He's a good person, kind and brave. But, you threw him under the bus, and let him take the fall."

"I had no choice!" Sasha said sharply.

"Everyone has a choice!" Marcy exclaimed back. "And you chose to take ten months out of his life!"

"Well, what do you want me to do?!" Sasha asked, backing away from her. "Because I can't just go back in time and fix it!"

This hurt Marcy. She loved Sasha, but the blonde didn't seem all that sorry or willing to make it up to Frank or anyone. It wasn't what she wanted, but the smart girl knew lingering on it would get in the way. Marcy said calmly, "You're right. What's done is done, and nothing can change that. But what can be changed is what we do now. So, I am willing to forgive you for the shoes if you try to make amends with Frank."

Sasha pointed out the window. "Marcy, come on! He hates me, even now more than ever! He's never gonna accept anything from me!"

"Maybe he can, when you are sincere about it," Marcy said firmly. "So please, can you try, for Anne, for Frank, for me?"

Sasha had her doubts, and she outright didn't believe it was possible. However, when Marcy gave her the biggest puppy eyes she had ever seen, Sasha sighed and said, "Fine, but only for you and Anne."

Marcy happily gasped and hugged her. "Oh, Sasha! You're the best!" she exclaimed, kissing her cheek, making her bright red in the face.

When Frank and Anne came out of the house, clad in their new armor, they immediately set off for the Third Temple. They all got on Joe Sparrow's back, who then picked up Frobo. Using all of his strength, he took off into the sky and flew to the Third Temple.

When the group arrived, they found themselves flying towards Death's Eye Mountain, the largest and most active volcano in Amphibia. This massive, slanting volcano blocked the sky over it, and lava flowed from the top.

"Weird how there's a caldera in Frog Valley and a volcano on the other side of the continent," Sprig said.

"Why should it be weird?" Polly asked, not knowing why it would bother him so much.

Joe Sparrow flew towards the base of the volcano. The combined weight of the humans, Plantars, Grime, and Frobo had become too much, and after dropping the robot, he collapsed on the ground. Panting heavily as he just lay there, completely and utterly exhausted.

"And, wha-bam!" Anne exclaimed, pulling out the music box from her backpack. She held it up, allowing the blue light to shine its beam. The beam pointed to the side of the volcano, where an archway of pink light appeared on the solid rock. This archway surrounded what appeared to be a doorway, closed off by a large rock door.

"The entrance to the Third Temple," said Frank. His poncho was worn over his armor, with the front of it thrown over his left shoulder, making it look like he was wearing a cape.

"So, how does this work?" Sasha asked, getting off Joe Sparrow while holding Marcy's hand. After four and a half months, she wasn't going to let her girlfriend out of her sight, especially when Frank was around. "We just bust down the door and just get my stone charged?"

"It's not that easy, Sasha. You see, each temple has a theme," Marcy said with a smile. "All we have to do is complete the three tests inside the temple, and then we can charge the stone."

Frank, Anne, Grime, and the Plantars got off Joe and joined the two girlfriends. Sprig eagerly ran up to Marcy. "What's it say, Marcy? What's it say?!" he asked, pulling on her cape.

Marcy pulled out her journal and stared at the archway. "Huh," she said in confusion. "Well, this can't be right."

"What is it?" Frank asked, frowning. "You can't read it?

"Give her a minute," Sasha said, pushing him back.

"No, I can read it," Marcy said, looking at the archway with a raised eyebrow. "It just said…'Lift to enter, brah?'"

Frank stopped glaring at Sasha and looked at Marcy in complete confusion. "Brah?" he asked. Did she read it wrong?

Frobo, deciding that it was worth a shot, walked past the humans and amphibians. Using his robot strength, he lifted the door off the ground, opening the passage way into the temple.

"Wow! Way to go, Frobo!" Hop Pop cheered as he, his grandkids, Sasha, Marcy, and Grime all applauded the robot.

"Alright, Frobo. We'll handle the temple," Frank said to his machine friend. "We'll need you to look after Joe Sparrow."

Frobo looked at Sasha, then at Frank, and pointed at her. Frank looked at Sasha with a scowl and turned back to Frobo.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he said, pulling on the Hellcat's Claw.

"Hahaha, not that you'll need it," Anne quickly said, nervously stepping in. The last thing she needed was for the two of them to get into an argument or try to kill each other again. "You just make sure Joe's fine, Frobo."

For this, Frobo gave the couple a thumbs up.

"Alright, let's go crush this temple!" Anne exclaimed, raising her fist and grabbing Frank's hand. Together, they walked into the temple ahead of the others.

The moment Frank entered the temple, the heat of the volcano blasted him. He coughed once through his nose. His lungs began to burn from the superheated air, and it almost hurt to keep his eyes open. But he did, and looking around, he saw that the temple housed a massive lake of magma. Going across it was a thin rocky path that led to the first entrance. Many statues of muscular toads were around the entrance, holding up the roof like Atlas held up the sky.

"Whoo! It's hot in here!" Anne declared, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"No kidding," Frank said, feeling himself heating up in his armor.

Marcy punched her palm excitedly. "All right, gang! There should be three challenges, just like the two other temp…les?"

She trailed off when she looked back at the Plantars and Grime. Frank, Anne, and Sasha looked at their amphibian friends and were shocked to see the frogs and the toad looking like they had been drained of all the water in their bodies. Their skin was pale and shriveled, making them look thin and sickly as they groaned and coughed.

"Whoa. Are you guys okay?" Anne asked, immediately worried for her frog family.

"Just a little dehydrated from the heat. We'll be alright," Hop Pop said through a strained voice.

"Alright, but let us know if it becomes too much," Frank said, shooting a glare at Sasha. "The sooner we can leave, the better."

"Fine with me," Sasha said, walking ahead of the group towards the next door.

Frank followed her, not wanting to let Sasha get out of his sight. Anne and Marcy looked at one another worriedly before following their partners. The amphibians were behind them. Both girls knew that this temple would be more difficult, not because of the tests, but because of their respective lovers.

Anne knew that her boyfriend would likely cause the most problems. So, as they walked together, she attempted to talk to him.

"Frank?"

Frank shook his head. "Forget about it," he said in a bitter tone. "Let's just get this done."

"Frank, do you want to talk about it?" Anne asked.

"What's there to talk about?" Frank asked rudely.

Upset, Anne frowned and looked away. "Nothing. Let's just go," she said, pulling away her hand.

Frank, regretful of how he acted, wanted to apologize, but they'd already reached the door.

Entering the next chamber, they saw it was just like the other one—a lake of lava and a bridge to cross over it. But there weren't any muscular toad statues.

Frank was about to ask where the challenge was until a pink glow lit up from the left. He and the others turned to see a chest under a roll of pink crystals that glowed.

"'Whoa, there, boss. Think you're strong enough to get across?'" Marcy read from the growing writing on the wall.

"Are you simplifying what it says?" Frank asked, thinking it couldn't be that simple and casual.

Marcy shook her head. "Nope, that's exactly what it says," she said, pointing to the wall as if he could read what it said.

"I have a distinct feeling that this temple is about strength," Anne commented.

Sasha scoffed and said, "Then it's a good thing I showed up."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sprig asked, offended.

"It means you three are going to slow us down. Go wait outside until we're done," Sasha said, waving them off.

Frank walked up to her. "You don't call the shots anymore," he growled, glaring into her eyes. "Meaning you don't get to tell them what to do."

For ten extremely tense seconds, the two of them stared at one another. Sasha looked neutrally at Frank, but he glared at her. All while Marcy and Anne stared at the two of them nervously. The Plantars were waiting to see if there was going to be a fight. Grime crossed his arms. His shriveled-up face made it hard to tell what he was thinking.

"Okay, fine," Sasha said, shrugging at him. "It was just a suggestion. Whether or not you take it is up to you."

For a moment, Frank looked at her in confusion. That was certainly not how the Sasha he knew would have reacted.

"Let's move," he told the others.

Together, they walked toward the chest. As they got closer, the chest opened, revealing a set of heavy-looking hammers. Seeing that it was a part of the test, Frank, believing this was his temple, grabbed one of the hammers and tried lifting it out of the chest. However, he struggled at first to pull it out, as it was incredibly heavy.

As Frank struggled to lift the hammer he'd grabbed, Sasha walked over. She gave him a cocky look, and asked, "Are you having trouble?"

"No! I just... need to…get a better grip," Frank strained to say. He tried again with both hands, lifting it over his head and holding it like a big axe. He could feel his arms straining under the weight of the hammer's head. Sasha could tell that too, by the look on his face.

"Wow... and here I thought you had more upper body strength than me," the blonde girl said.

Reaching into the chest, she shocked the others by picking up another hammer with ease with one hand.

"Oh well, silly me, I guess," she said, placing it on her shoulder. "Looks like you're not as strong as you thought you were."

"At least, I'm not the perra who lost at Toad Tower," Frank snapped.

"And just what does that mean?" Sasha asked in a threatening voice. That's when Frank and Sasha growled at each other like rival wolves. That was until Anne intervened, putting her hands on the Hispanic boy and the Slavic girl's chest to back them off.

"Enough!"

"Hey, I'm not the one that—"

"I said ENOUGH!" the Thai girl said in a stern tone, glaring at the two teens. "We're in the middle of a volcano! Now is not the time to get at each other's throats! At least for now, try to get along!"

The two teens glared at one another, nodded in agreement, and moved forward.

"Wonder what these are for?" asked Sprig.

His question was soon answered by something very large bursting from lava. It landed on the floor behind Sprig, startling him and making him jump back. It was a massive lizard that looked like a Komodo Dragon, but it was a little like it was made of magma and had hard rock scales.

It opened its hard eyelids and looked at the party that entered the temple, roaring at them as they screamed.

Seeing it crawling towards Sprig, Frank immediately sprang into action. Grabbing both hands onto the hammer, though it was so heavy, Frank dragged it along the ground. When he got close enough to hit the Komodo Dragon, he spun around and managed to knock it back into the lava. But the effort of wielding the hammer had left him extremely tired, so much so that he couldn't pick it up again when another magma lizard came out of the lava behind him.

It roared and would have killed the young boy, had it not been for his girlfriend. Anne rushed in with a hammer of her own, carrying it with all her effort. With a yell, she pushed it up and then swung it down on the lizard's head. Killing it instantly.

"Shit, this thing weighs a ton!" exclaimed Anne, feeling tired after only one swing.

"At least that's all of them, right?" Frank asked, hoping and praying that it was. "We just had to get across this bridge."

When he looked across the path, he saw several more of the armored lizards in the lava. He made a tight face, realizing just how difficult it would be for them to cross.

"Alright, guys, it's hammer time," Marcy said as she reached into the chest to grab a hammer. Pulling out with all her might, even though it weighed so much.

Marcy passed the hammer to Polly, who couldn't even lift it, letting it hit the floor instead. "Yeah, this isn't happening," she said.

"Forget about the hammers!" Frank yelled, dropping the hammer and pulling out his scythe. "We'll do this old-fashioned way!"

"Grime and I can help!" Sasha said, pulling out her sword.

"No!" Frank said harshly, deploying his shield. "Just stay behind me and Anne!" He turned to Anne. "Can you take the lead?"

"You got it!" Anne said, dropping the hammer and pulling out her sword. "Everyone, follow me!"

Anne rushed forward across the path, while everyone followed her. Frank was in the back. When another lizard jumped out of the magma to chase them, he quickly killed it. Anne did the same when another one got in front of her. But they couldn't be in two places at once, as they could only defend the tail and head of the group. Both the boyfriend and the girlfriend struggled as they killed each lizard. Marcy defended the middle, shooting each monster in the head.

"This isn't going really great!" Sprig yelled.

"Don't stop, just keep moving!" Frank yelled before another magma lizard jumped out of the lava. It landed in front of Frank and struck at him. Reaching out with its claws to pin him to the ground.

"FRANK!" Anne yelled, reaching out her hand in a futile attempt to save her boyfriend.

The magma lizard reared up and opened its mouth, ready to attack. But before it could…

"Hands off, bitch!" Sasha yelled, her pink sword slicing across its neck before swinging the hammer she still carried. Knocking off the severed head.

Landing on the ground next to Frank, who looked at her in shock as the magma lizard's body toppled to the side and fell back into the lava.

"How about I take the lead on this one?" Sasha asked with a smug smile. "You ready for battle, Grime?!"

"More than ready!" Grime yelled, pulling his sword out and cutting down another lizard. Laughing as he slayed another one. "Even in this state, these things were no match for me!"

The group followed Sasha and Grime, all except Frank, who sat there in shock.

"Frank, come on!" Anne came up to him, grabbed her boyfriend's hand, and pulled him up. Snapping Frank out of his shock as he followed behind.

Sasha and Grime stayed ahead of the group, using both their swords and the hammer the blonde picked up to attack the remaining lizards. Once they had crossed the pathway, Sasha kicked the door open and led everyone inside.

After making it into the other room, they were able to take a small break and catch their breath. Frank looked up at Sasha, who twirled the hammer around and placed it on the ground, head first.

"You…You saved my life," he said, getting Sasha's attention.

"Uh, yeah," Sasha said, shrugging. Acting like it's no big deal. "After all, you were too weak to lift the hammer. I guess that means this is my temple. Now, let's keep going."

"Wooo!" Marcy, excited, grabbed Sasha's hand and led her away. Grime followed behind her.

Anne, however, was worried about Frank. She looked at him as he glared at Sasha, watching her leave down the path. This whole mission had her on edge. Not just because Sasha was there, but because she didn't know how much longer Frank would stand being around the blonde girl when he harbored so much hate for her. Hate that Anne could understand. While she was willing to give Sasha the benefit of the doubt, she knew her boyfriend wouldn't.

But perhaps Sasha's action of saving him would open up a way for them to reconcile.

Anne walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, are you okay?"

"I'll live," Frank said in a grim tone.

"That's not what I asked," she replied.

"It's still my answer," Frank insisted.

He tried to walk away when Anne grabbed his hand. "Look, I know it's not easy being around Sasha..."

"I can't stand being around her, okay?" Frank shot back, looking at the ground. "Is that what you want me to say? She's back and can't even give me a proper apology, and now Marcy's dating her. How could she even stand to be around her?"

"I mean..." Anne trailed off. "It was a surprise to me as well. And Sasha did just save your life."

"But you were happy for them!" Frank said loudly, looking at Anne with an upset expression. "And you think that'll make up for what she did. Are you that willing to forgive her?"

"That's not fair," Anne said, looking upset.

"Your goddamn right it isn't," Frank said, turning away. "You're my girlfriend. We're supposed to be partners!"

"I'm on edge with Sasha just as much as you are," Anne told him, making Frank stop and look at her. "I don't know whether to believe she's serious about changing."

"Yeah? Well, don't believe her," Frank suggested, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You and I both know what she's like, what she's done, what she's capable of doing!"

"And if she's different? Would you give her a second chance?" Anne asked. Frank wheeled around and looked at her. She must have lost her mind. Maybe it was the heat getting to her. That's probably what it was. "It's what your grandmother preached. It's what you gave me . I wronged you, too, Frank. Sasha might have had a hand, but it was still me who made those decisions. And after all of that I did, you still were willing to give me a second chance."

Frank was silent for a moment.

"Yo, guys!" The two of them looked up to see Marcy waving at them. She and the others were on the other side of the hall, waiting for the couple. "We going or what?"

Frank offered Anne his hand, and she took it. Feeling her touch calmed him, but it didn't put out the flame in his gut.

"All I'm asking is that you work together with Sasha," Anne said, seeing the anger and conflict in Frank's eyes when she pointed that out. "I don't trust her completely, but it doesn't seem like she's going to betray us anytime soon. Maybe she's really better this time?"

Silence was Frank's only answer. That was, until he asked her something.

"How would you feel if Marcy betrayed you?"

Anne was surprised for a moment before shaking her head. "It's not the same," she said.

"It's precisely the same. We all grew up together and treated each other like family. She's your best friend, just like Sasha was mine. How well would you sleep knowing she turned her back on you because of her selfishness?"

It was a simple question, yet Anne found it difficult to answer. "Not very well, honestly. Luckily, that isn't true," she said with conviction. "And never will be."

Must be nice, Frank thought to himself, to have so much belief in one person.

Frank knew in his heart that Sasha hadn't changed. Even if she saved his life, Frank refused to believe it was out of the goodness of her heart. Together, he and the others caught up with Sasha, Marcy, and Grime. Both girlfriends held hands, with the smart Taiwanese girl leaning her head on the blonde's shoulder. As he walked with Anne beside him, holding her hands, with the Plantars in front of them, Frank had his scythe at the ready.

Feeling the holes being burned into the back of her head, Sasha frowned and rolled her eyes. He can mistrust her all he wants, but it didn't change anything. It wasn't Frank's trust that Sasha needed.

The doors to the next room opened, and the group walked in. Inside, the group saw a weight-lifting bench made from stone with a barbell. Behind it, on the wall, the challenge presented itself.

Marcy read, "'Sup, bro'seph. Do you even lift?'"

"It's not even trying anymore," Anne said, annoyed.

Sasha walked over to the bench.

"Wait, Sasha? Don't you remember what we said?" Anne asked, alarmed. "These temples always have some kind of catch. Let's just search the room before we try that thing."

"I don't think so," Sasha said, shaking her head. "This temple is all about strength, right? There's not going to be any mind games or puzzles. It's all about strength…"

She cracked her knuckles and lay down on the bench.

"Oh, please," Frank said with an eye roll. "What makes you think that you can—"

His jaw and the jaws of everyone watching dropped to the ground when Sasha lifted the weight with ease, leading to the door opening.

"This is gonna over before it even starts," she said to the dumbfounded Latino boy. "Let's get going, nerds." With that, Sasha walked off.

"By nerds, she means you guys," Grime told the group.

Marcy and Sasha opened the doors to the next room, and the former said, "All right, this should be the final room."

Frank looked around, trying to figure out what the test was, but there was nothing—just a circular room.

"'You've definitely got skill, no doubt. But it's time you learn what strength is all about,'" Marcy read from the text.

"Stay back, everyone. I got this," Sasha said, making her way to the end of the room.

However, the moment she moved forward, the floor glowed pink. Frank and the others yelled as an invisible weight dropped down on each of them. Each of them felt the gravity of the room doubling, increasing their normal mass and forcing them onto their hands and knees.

"Great grasshopper guts!" Grime yelled. "It's like an elephant beetle is standing on my back!"

Marcy groaned as she tried to stand up. "G-force!"

"What?"

"It's gravitational force. It's a mass-specific force that's felt when acceleration causes a perception of weight."

"What does that mean?!" Polly screamed.

"It means we're experiencing gravity twice as strong as normal," Marcy told her. "Normally, we'd be at 1 g. But right now, what we're feeling is 2g, meaning our weight is doubling down on us. Making us feel like we're twice as heavy."

The frogs had it worse than the others.

"I-I can't get up," Sprig said, face down with his grandfather and Polly.

"Just sit tight. We humans will handle this," Anne said with a confident smile. She looked at Frank and grasped his hand. They nodded at each other and started moving forward. Sasha did the same, grabbing Marcy's hand.

"You go, guys," Polly said through a strained voice.

Together, the human kids moved toward the other end of the room. Two stone pedestals connected by an old red ribbon, like the finish line of a marathon, stood there.

"We just need to get to that pedestal," Marcy said, sweating profusely. "Then we can—"

The floor glowed again. Three grams of force came crashing down on the kids, who fell to their hands and knees. Frank, Sasha, and Anne stood back up. Marcy, however, wasn't moving.

"Come on, babe!" Sasha said, trying to pull her up.

"The gravity's too much. I can't move," Marcy said to her girlfriend.

"Don't worry. Leave this to us," Anne said. Together, they walked slowly, making it past the center of the room. Their bodies ached so much. Their muscles screamed, their backs felt like they were going to collapse, and their necks struggled to keep their heads upright. Their hearts pumped blood throughout their bodies at a much higher rate to try to compensate for the increased force. When Frank opened his eyes, he couldn't see any colors. He'd greyed out.

"Shit," Frank said, straining even to talk.

"Yeah," Anne said, still holding hands with him. "Who would've thought we'd be working together after everything that has happened?"

"Yeah, unbelievable," Sasha said, breathing heavily. She'd greyed out too. All her training, all the muscles and strength she'd proudly displayed throughout the temple couldn't help her. Not when the room was pulling her down at three times the normal gravity. "Especially since you two still don't trust me. Even after I apologized."

Frank stopped and looked at Sasha, appalled. "What?"

"What do you mean? I trust you," said Anne, confused.

"Oh, please. I've been watching you two the whole time. You don't trust me at all," Sasha said accusingly.

"Well, can you blame us?" Anne asked, finally letting out all her frustrations about Sasha. "Why would I trust you? It wasn't just Toad Tower, Sasha. It was everything! You've been pushing me around my whole life. You made us stop being friends with Frank, making him feel all alone. And THAT isn't even the worst thing you've done for my boyfriend!"

Gravity in the room increased, bringing Frank, Anne, and Sasha down.

"It feels like my lungs are going to explode," Anne said, barely able to get the words out.

Sasha tried to push herself up. Her body gave out, however, and she was on the ground again. "It—It's over. We can't do this," she said, admitting defeat.

"We can't just…stop," Frank said, trying to think of something. "If we don't keep going…we'll be crushed to death."

Anne looked around, trying to think of something to get them out of this situation. But all she could see in front of her were Frank and Sasha. And it was then that she got an idea.

"You're right, Frank, and that's why you have to help Sasha," Anne grunted. The intense gravity around them made it difficult for her and everyone else to move.

"WHAT!?" Both the Hispanic boy and the Slavic girl said in unison.

"There's no way-URGH! I'm working with that asshat you call you're boyfriend," Sasha said, looking at Anne in disbelief.

"We don't have a choice!" Anne struggled to yell. "You're both so strong, but the only way you can make it is by working together."

"But…But, how can you believe in me after I was such a jerk to you?" Sasha asked, unable to understand why Anne was putting so much faith in her.

"Because you weren't just a jerk," Anne said, biting back the pain from gravity's pressure. "You also inspired us. You're fierce, you're brave, and most of all, you never give up." She lifted her struggling arm to give her a thumbs up, but she couldn't quite manage it. Her muscles trembled with the effort, and her hand fell back to her side.

As her eyes widened, Sasha gasped. As she thought about it, she remembered something her father had said. She didn't recall the whole thing, but he told her that her true strength was about inspiring those who couldn't fight to become better. How could she have forgotten that? It could be that she was so desperate to gain her mother's approval. Could it be that her father was never home? Offend on military deployments that could last a year while she stays with her stepfamily? It was enough to make her start asking more and more questions about herself. How did she become this way? She looked up to her father so much. Would he be proud of her?

Whatever the answer, Sasha could still show that she was still that same version of herself. "You're right!" she said, her expression turning into a determined look. I'll never give up—not today, not ever!"

However, she knew that she wasn't going to make it without someone else.

"Frank, I'm gonna need your help to get across!"

"No way!" The boy yelled, however.

"Frank," Sasha said, pleading with him. "Please, will you just trust me?!"

"Why?!" Frank glared at her while the side of his face was pressed into the ground. "Why would I do anything for you if you're just going to betray us just like you did at Toad Tower? Why should I do anything at all for you? Give me one good reason why I should give you a second chance, and I will."

Sasha was silent for a moment as she stared at him.

"Come on! Give it to me!"

Sasha looked away with a frown.

"Yeah, that's right. And you've got no one to blame but yourself," Frank said. He wanted to see it. He wanted to know if that line sank in. And from the look of it, it was. "We may need you to go home, but I'll never forgive you, Sasha. Why Marcy's even dating you is mental."

"That's not fair."

Frank looked at her in appalled anger. "Fair?"

"Frank, please. What happened that night…" Sasha said, feeling so heavy in her armor. "I…I didn't have a choice..."

"Didn't have a choice? You still can't say you're sorry? You talk about fairness, but nothing you did was fair. I didn't have a choice because I had all my choices taken away from me. I'm done letting you try to make excuses for all your mistakes. I'm not letting our girlfriends think that you're worth still being friends with, but you're not! My life is ruined because of YOU! You did that! And you're going to have to live with it!"

Sasha was silent as she looked at Frank in shock before looking away, frowning.

"Frank…" Marcy struggled to talk.

"WHAT?!" Frank snapped, turning his pent-up anger on the smart girl. "You got something to say? Gonna defend your girlfriend? Don't think I'm not furious with you! Dating Sasha is on the same level as dating your BFF's bully—"

Frank's enraged ranting stopped when he turned back to the blonde. And when he did, his glaring face fell.

Sasha was in complete and total shame. But she hid it behind a scowl that was turned downwards. If there was one thing that could be said about her parents, it was that her father represented the best of what Sasha could be, and her mother was the worst. Unfortunately, she was around more than he was. If there was one thing Sasha's mother ever taught her, it was that if all else failed, never let your pride fail you. She was always a prideful woman. If it weren't for that pride, her parents would still be together. If it weren't for that pride, Sasha wouldn't have desperately tried to be just like her. If it wasn't for that pride…

But now pride could hide the tears welling up in her blue eyes.

The Latino boy's eyes widen at this. He wanted what he said to sink in, but he didn't think it would sink in this much. Sasha lay there. Frowning, all she wanted, but her eyes showed a look of genuine shame and remorse. And what surprised him so much was that it looked so authentic.

He looked away while gritting his teeth. This had to be a trick. Sasha was a bad person. She wouldn't be feeling this way. It had to be a ploy.

But what if it wasn't, and that's what he hated.

Because this was still Sasha Waybright. How was he supposed to trust the blonde girl who ruined his life? Who framed him by allowing him to take the fall? All over a pair of shoes she stole? Anne was different. He had every reason to trust his girlfriend with his life. She was asking him to trust the one person he hated. She trusted Sasha because this was her temple. Not his. Because Anne believed that Sasha had changed. Not him.

"You've had armor on," said Lief. Frank opened his eyes and saw her standing in front of him.

"Lief…" Frank said in a strained voice.

"Is the armor you're wearing meant to protect you from being injured? Or from being hurt," she asked with that same smile. That damn smile. "Could the armor be holding you down, and are you hurting yourself by wearing it?"

Once again, Frank had no idea what she was saying. But with no other options left, he turned to Sasha. "God damn it, FINE!"

Pushing through the intense gravity with all his strength, Frank got his arms and legs under him. Using every ounce of strength he still had left, Frank lifted himself despite the gravitational force until he was finally standing up. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. The next time the gravity changes, it'll likely be his last.

Turning to Sasha, he held out his arm. "But don't make me regret this," he hissed, glaring at her.

Glancing between his hand and face, Sasha nodded and grabbed his hand. Frank helped Sasha to her feet, and the two of them placed an arm over each other's shoulders. Together, they walked towards the finish line.

"Thank you," Sasha said, her legs shaking and her ankles feeling like they'll explode. She didn't know how long she'd keep standing, but the gravity would increase at any moment.

"I'm not doing this for you," Frank said between labored breaths.

Suddenly, the gravity was turned on again, and Frank's legs finally gave out. Sasha gasped when it happened, being brought down to her knees as Frank collapsed on the ground.

"Holy crap, Ramirez. Not used to wearing heavy armor," Sasha asked smuggly, gasping. It was false confidence. Not even she could keep going.

Frank would have snapped at her, but then he stopped as he thought about what Lief said to him. "Could the armor be holding you down, and are you hurting yourself by wearing it?" he repeated what she said under his breath.

"What?" Sasha asked, looking at him in confusion.

"It's the armor," Frank said, looking at the blonde with wide eyes. "Sasha, you've got to take off your armor!"

"What? How do you know?" Sasha wanted to tell her to trust him, but that would be hypocritical, wouldn't it?

"A friend told me," he said instead.

"What?"

"Just do it!"

Confused, Sasha frowned. She didn't know where he got the idea, but it was a sound one. This armor was meant to be light, allowing her to move with ease, but tough enough for any fight she got into. But now, Sasha realized just how heavy it had become.

"Alright," Sasha said, putting Frank down and undoing her cape and pauldron. I trust you."

She threw it to the side. In an instant, Sasha felt so much lighter. Her cape and piece of armor, however, landed on the ground and created a crater around them. Making Anne, Marcy, Grime, and the Plantars gasp.

"The fuck," Frank said in shock, watching as Sasha removed her armored boots and threw them back.

Going over Sprig's head, they hit a large rock behind him, making two more craters as they implanted themselves into the stone. "How heavy was that armor?!" the little frog exclaimed.

The gravity amped up, but Sasha grinned, even as the ground cracked under her feet. She pushed off and ran for the finish line.

When she reached the steps leading to the ribbon, she jumped over them. Drawing her sword, she raised it over her head as she came down.

"You are beaten!" Sasha yelled, landing and cutting the ribbon.

The moment it was served, the ground's glowing immediately turned off. When it did, Frank gasped loudly and clenched his chest plate. He coughed violently. He felt so much lighter, but his body was still so sore.

"The gravity's back to normal!" Marcy said, standing up and running to her girlfriend. "You did it, Sash!"

Frank sat there, watching as Marcy passed him and jumped into Sasha's arms. Luckily, after she sheathed her sword. The two girlfriends kissed each other passionately before pulling away. Marcy gushed over Sasha, while the blonde showed off by flexing her arm.

Anne walked over to him and helped him stand up. "Hey, who cares what the trials say? You'll be strong to me, " she said, looking lovingly at the boy.

Frank smiled back for the first time all day. "Thanks, mi amor," he said appreciatively. The couple kissed before they were interrupted by Sasha clearing her throat.

"Uh, guys, while I'm happy for your two, this just popped up," Sasha said, pointing to a glowing pink pedestal that emerged from the ground.

Taking off her backpack, Anne pulled out the music box. "Come on, let's go finish this," she said with encouragement. Frank looked troubled, but nodded. They walked up to the two girls.

Standing by his girlfriend, Frank crossed his arms and stared at Sasha. Watching her, still on guard. Anne pulled out the blonde's gemstone and held it out to her. "Here, go ahead."

Taking it, Sasha looked at the gem and looked it over. It looked different from the photo that Marcy had taken the day they stole the box—Anne's birthday, the day her selfishness took them to this world. She remembered thinking they looked valuable, that they could be worth something if they were real. That's why she had Anne steal it. She wouldn't get in trouble if caught, and Anne would have her birthday gift if they got away.

But it didn't work out that way.

Sasha placed the stone on the pedestal. Like the other stones, it glowed brightly. A pink beam of light shot up with great power. The power that was given to Sasha was drained from her. It didn't feel like anything. She didn't even know if it was taken. But the others saw it—the pink glow in her eyes being drained.

Two rings of glowing runes formed on the ground, with four lines going through them. But that wasn't the message. The real message was on the ceiling. Marcy read from it.

"'Congrats, brah. You finally know what it takes to go the distance. For what is true strength without persistence.'"

Frank took the charged stone and placed it in the Calamity Box. When it was back in place, he looked at the last stone to be charged—his stone.

"Only one more to go," Anne said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think the temple will be like?"

"Don't know," Frank said, looking at her. "But no matter what, I'm going to beat it."

"And you'll not be doing it alone," Sasha said, looking at him with a fearless expression.

Giddily, Marcy exclaimed excitedly, "Look at this! The gang finally got back together again!" Marcy put her arms around Sasha, Anne, and Frank, attempting to unite them. That was until the Hispanic boy yanked Marcy's hand off him.

"No, it's not," Frank said, leaving Marcy shocked.

"What? But, Frank…I…I just thought…" Marcy stammered. "Sasha saved us…"

"You think that's going to make up for what your girlfriend did," he asked her, turning away to walk out of the temple. "You can't be this gullible, Marcy."

Getting upset, Marcy frowned as she followed him. "She conquered the temple," she said, Anne and Sasha behind her. "We wouldn't have gotten the third gem charged if it weren't for her! Can't you just forgive her?"

Frank stopped and whirled around. "NO!" Frank shouted, making Marcy flinch. "She doesn't get off that fucking easy. She has to answer for what she's done! You might be willing to forgive her, but I can't. I wouldn't!"

"Hey, if it weren't for her, you'd all be dead," the shriveled-up Grime said, coming to Sasha's defense. Frank then turned his anger on him.

"Like you have a leg to stand on, Grime. After what you tried to do to my frog family, you're lucky I'm letting you live!" Frank said, jabbing him in the chest. "Yeah, I still remember what you tried to do. Somebody has to!"

"Frank," Anne said, coming up to Frank to try to calm him down.

"Sasha was my friend, too. That's what you said at the tower, Anne. " Frank said, glaring at Sasha, who just stood there. "She was my friend, and I trusted her! But she lied to me. Abandoned me. Forced all of you to stop being my friend! And you used to steal from my grandmother! Wanted to have our friends killed! Stood by and watched as my life was destroyed! And for what?! SHOES?!"

When Frank finished his rant, he felt like the same broken child he had been when he came out of prison. He glared at Sasha, who looked saddened, but she was also shocked to see tears in his eyes.

"I can't just forgive her like you can, Anne," Frank said, letting out a sigh. "I won't."

Silence fell on the room. Sasha actually seemed hurt by that statement. "Listen, I know I wasn't the best person to be a friend with, and I know I have done some bad things in the past," Sasha said in the most sincere voice she could muster. "When we came to this world, I thought if I just continued being who I was, I would get us home. But when I lost everything, I started to see how wrong I was. All I want to do now is go home with all of you."

As she listened, Anne looked at Sasha, shocked. Hearing those words, she thought for a moment. Afterwards, she stared at Sasha with a stern look in her eyes.

"Sasha, I meant everything I said. Looking back, I saw just how controlling you were before we even came to Amphibia. But you weren't always that way. So…even after what you did, I forgive you for what happened at Toad Tower."

Sasha looked at her best friend in shock before smiling. "Thanks, Anne. I knew you would—"

"Not so fast," Anne interrupted her, looking hard into Sasha's eyes. "Frank's right. You don't tower off that easily. I can forgive you for the tower, but not for what you did to Frank. That comes when you apologize to him sincerely, and he forgives you."

That caught Sasha off guard. She looked between Anne and Frank, who glared at her. "I…I understand," she said. So…are we friends now?"

Anne shook her head. "It's not that simple. I do want to try to be friends with you again, but it's going to take time. When we came to his world, I had to rebuild my friendship with Frank before I became his girlfriend. It wasn't easy, it took time, and I slipped up a lot, but I did it because I genuinely wanted to prove I was worthy. I'm willing to start over with you, only if you're willing to put in the effort to prove that you've changed."

Sasha nodded. "I…I understand, and I'll make the effort to be your friend again," she lied before looking behind Anne. "What about them.

Anne looked at the others, her boyfriend and the frog family. These were people who were going to be hurt by Sasha's actions, and she had already hurt some more than others.

"What do you think?" she asked, starting with the Plantars. "Are you guys gonna be cool with her?

Polly was the first to speak. "Go ahead and let her try. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at her for the Tower," she said with a malicious smile.

"Sprig?"

The little frog looked at Sasha with a frown. He still remembered how he'd trusted Sasha, thinking that any friend of Anne was a friend of his. That was until the rug was pulled out. For all that time after, he'd believed Sasha to be evil. But after she saved all of them, Sprig didn't know what to think.

Shrugging, he said, "Hey, all I want is to get you home, Anne. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it." Anne smiled at him. Good old Sprig. Always loyal to the end.

"Hop Pop?" Anne turned to the elderly frog. "You're the one they tried to kill. You think you can work with her?"

"Eh, everyone's tried to kill me at least once," Hop Pop said, shrugging. "I'm willing to have her around, but I don't want her or Grime alone with the kids."

And then came the last person—the one Anne was afraid to ask, the one that never should be asked.

"Frank," she started, but stopped when she saw her boyfriend glaring at Sasha. She knew he didn't trust her, and Anne wasn't sure if he'd ever trust her. But with Sasha not going anywhere, she needed to see if he'd be willing to work with her friend.

Frank glared at Sasha for a moment, and Sasha started to sweat. She began to get nervous, knowing that as Anne's boyfriend, Frank had more sway over her than she did. And due to their past, there was no real chance. But there was still one thing she could do.

"Frank…listen, about what happened," Sasha said. "Obviously, I'm…I was wrong to do that to you. I just…I…" Why was this so hard? Every time she wanted to say the words, her mother's voice talked to her. Telling her about pride.

"You really can't do it, can you?" Frank said, looking at her with disgust. "You really can't say you're sorry."

Sasha looked away with shame and embarrassment. "Does it matter if I do?"

"No, it won't," Frank said in a growl, turning and walking away. However, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Anne. "I'll go along with whatever you think is right."

"Yes!" Marcy exclaimed. "You'll see. Sasha is a totally different person."

But Frank only glared at Marcy, furious over the secret relationship with Sasha. He merrily turned and walked out of the room. The Plantars followed him. Frowning, Anne looked at Marcy apologetically, then at Sasha and frowned, leaving the two girls alone with Grime.

"Thanks for doing this, Felicia. I know that it's…unusual," Anne said nervously as she rubbed her arm. She was walking down the hall of the second floor of Felicia's Tea Shoppe, with Felicia and Ivy escorting her, Sasha, and Grime.

Frank made it very clear that he would not allow them to stay at the farm. There was no room for argument, and he wasn't going to relent. Not that Anne was going to argue against him. Meaning they would need somewhere else to stay. Sasha and Grime had chosen to remain with Felicia because there was nowhere else in town for them. While reluctant, Felicia had agreed to lend them a spare bedroom. Ivy wasn't convinced, though, considering that the two had tried to execute her boyfriend's grandfather and that Sasha had framed Frank for a crime he didn't commit.

"Yes, well, I don't expect this to be a permanent thing," Felicia said. They reached the bedroom, and she unlocked it.

"Don't worry," Anne said, smiling. "Once we get the stones charged, we'll be out of your hair."

Sasha and Grime walked into the room. It was fairly simple, with a couch, a bed, a dresser, and a mirror. "Thanks, Felicia," Sasha said, smiling at the skinny frog.

"It's Mrs. Sundrew to you," Felicia said in a stern voice. "And while you're here, I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Do not fear, Madame," Grime said, hand up. "We shall leave this room as we left it."

Felicia looked at them sternly, but walked away. Leaving Anne with the two guests.

"So… Marcy and I were talking and we thought about having dinner," Anne said, smiling.

"You…really want to do dinner with me and Grime," Sasha asked, a little surprised. "What about Frank?"

Anne waved her off. "Eh, I'm sure Frank will be fine with it…" she said, but it was clear that even she didn't know for sure. "I think."

Sasha chuckled and said, "Yeah, that sounds great. It'll be nice to catch up and show how much I've changed."

"Yeah!" Anne said, turning to walk away. "We'll be doing it tomorrow night! See you there!"

"See you, girlfriend!" Sasha called out after her, sticking her upper half out of the doorway to wave at her. Once she was out of sight, Sasha closed the door. Sighing in relief.

"Well, today could have gone better," Grime said now that they were alone.

"It's fine. You saw how Anne and Marcy were. They bought my act back there. Hook, line, and sinker," Sasha said in confidence.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Grime said.

Sasha frowned slightly and looked away. "We both knew Frank was going to be a challenge," she said. "Not that I blame him…"

"You haven't forgotten the plan, have you?" asked her toad captain seriously. "We only need these jokers to get safely into Newtopia. And if Frank is going to be a problem…"

As soon as he said that, Sasha began to grow and an uneasy feeling in her stomach. "Of course, I haven't forgotten," she said, trying to stay strong. "But…as I've told you, no one needs to be hurt."

"That's all depending on Frank, Lieutenant," Grime told her. "Because the things we've set into motion cannot be stopped. And if Frank's going to be a problem…you're going to have to deal with him."

Grime then turned around. "Now it's time for a bath," he said happily, and walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

Sasha sighed and walked to the window. Looking out at it, she saw the townsfolk returning to their homes for the night and the mountains beyond the valley.

Today could have been so much better. At least she finally had Marcy back. However, she knew what she did. Her girlfriend seemed willing to give her a chance and looked like she was on her side. That's what Sasha loved about the smart girl—she was loyal. Her status with Anne's trust was unknown. She showed more backbone than Sasha thought she had. However, it seemed as though she was still willing to give the blonde another chance. The Plantars didn't matter. They could not trust her for all she cared. But they weren't the problem.

Sasha was just getting settled when she turned around and saw Frank in the doorway.

"Oh, Frank. I didn't see you there," Sasha yelped in surprise, trying to smile at him. Afraid that he'd heard everything Grime and her were talking about. "Can…I help you?"

Frank stood there, glaring daggers at her. Then, he finally spoke.

"You may have fooled everyone with your so-called transformation, but I'm not convinced. You and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past," he said.

Frank approached her and stood about a foot and a half away from her face. "So let me make this clear: we are not friends," he said with venom in his voice. Surprising Sasha with each word. "You take one step backward, one slip up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Anne, and you won't have to worry about going home. Because I'll be there, and I. Will. Kill you."

The two continued to stare at each other, with Frank glaring into Sasha's shocked expression before he turned away and slammed the door behind him. Sasha stood there in her room. At first, she looked angry, but then she started getting sad and regretful. Denying all she wanted, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for what she had done. She had ruined his life, all because of what her mother had told her.

If you want anything in the world, you have to take it. No matter who got hurt.

The blonde girl shook her head. She did what she did because she had to. If she had gone to jail, who would've protected Anne and Marcy? He was the only person in her friendship circle who constantly questioned her, always arguing with her, and disagreeing with whatever plans she came up with. She was right to sever her ties with Frank. At least she kept telling herself that.

Grime was right. Frank was going to be a problem—perhaps one that wouldn't be solved with bloodshed. Sasha thought about the box. If she could get her hands on it, she could send Frank home, getting him out of her way for good. Then, Sasha would never have to worry about him stealing Anne away. Everything would be as it should be.

Calamity awakened at Toad Tower. But in a few days, she'll be one of the few individuals to reveal her true colors…

….when Calamity Rises.