Sasha sighed, rubbing her head. "Nothing's...working!!!" She screamed, throwing aside the plans. She then grabbed her sword and stabbed it into the table.
She sighed once she realized what she was doing. "What am I doing...? I'm throwing a tantrum."
Sasha then sat down. "How long has it been since I've gotten sleep again...?"
"2 days." Someone suddenly replied.
Sasha whipped around, grabbing her swords and pointing them at the owner of the voice, only for her to drop the swords out of pure exhaustion.
Sprig sighed, bags under his eyes as well. "Hey."
"Sprig...? What are you doing here?" Sasha asked, picking up her swords and sitting down.
Sprig walked over. "Hoping you have a better plan than I do to save Anne..."
Sasha sighed. "No. Mother Olm's warning made it worse and I feel...I feel..."
"Useless?"
Sasha nodded. "Yeah." She then sighed. "I...I never apologized for how I treated you before."
Sprig turned to her. "Huh?"
"Before all of this. I was horrible to not only Anne, but you and your family." Sasha said, rubbing the brink of her nose. "You're a much better friend to Anne than I was. In a way? You changed her for the better."
Sprig smiled. "I...I guess I did..." He then clenched his fists. "I-I miss her...I miss my best friend..."
Sasha looked down. "...yeah...me too..."
Sprig sniffled. "I-I want her back...b-but what can we do...?"
Sasha sighed. "Our...our best chance is to get someone inside the castle to try and figure out who we're dealing with."
Sprig's eyes widened. "I-Invade the castle?"
"No. Not invade. Infiltrate." Sasha said. "Get spies to try and find out who this dark force is or get Anne back or...something." She sighed. "It's the only thing I can think of."
Sprig thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I like it."
Sasha smiled a bit. "Heh. Thanks...let's get them to work then, huh?"
"We should probably sleep first-"
"Who has time to sleep right now?" Sasha asked, her voice booming...before she yawned. "Me. I have time to sleep right now."
Sprig sighed and hopped over, gently pushing Sasha onto a nearby bed, and she quickly fell asleep.
"So, everyone knows the plan?" Grime asked as he looked at the most stealthy and possibly agile warriors he knew in this Resistance.
"Yes, sir," Tritonio said with a nod, saluting. "Infiltrate the castle, find information on the dark force or what has happened to Anne and Marcy, and get out."
"And if we can, break either of the two out." Maddie added. "But only if the situation is right."
Wally blinked with his one eye. "What, uhh, they said!"
Grime nodded. "Good. Very good. Now go. We haven't a moment to lose."
"Wait!" A familiar voice cried, and then Polly Plantar raced over, carrying something in her hands. "You guys will need these!"
She then held out three small devices that would easily fit in a frog's ear without being noticeable.
Tritonio was curious as he took one into his hand. "What is this, Polly?"
"They're earpieces," Polly explained. "Communication devices from Earth. You guys will be able to talk to each other and Grime, since I snuck one into his ear while he was sleeping-"
Grime then ripped it out, glaring at Polly. "I knew I wasn't hearing voices in my head that one night. IT WAS YOU-!"
"Welp! Better go to the mission! Bye!" Wally exclaimed as he, Tritonio, and Maddie all hopped onto Domino Two and flew off into the air.
Later...
Tritonio was dead silent as Domino Two approached the castle. He had never seen the castle of Andrias Leviathan before. When he'd been younger, he had been told that the castle was enriched by not only riches, but by Amphibia's natural beauty, as well.
But, now, that beauty had been massacred by machinery and the corruption of a mad king.
Maddie growled. "If I do see Andrias? I'll turn him into a fish and then gut that fish!"
Tritonio calmly placed his hand on her arm. "Do not allow anger to cloud your thinking, Maddie. That evil tyrant has already hurt one innocent girl. We cannot afford him hurting another one."
Maddie sighed. "I guess you're right."
Wally then grabbed his sword. "Alright, we're about to land. Our intel says there's a secret entrance, so we're going through there."
"Excellent. For now, we stick together, just in case we encounter more Dark Frobots," Tritonio said, unsheathing his own sword. "If the situation calls for it, we split up. Understand?"
"Understood." Wally and Maddie said with a nod.
Domino Two then landed right on the secret entrance at the bottom of the castle, flying just close enough to it for the group to hop off her and onto the castle. They faced the door.
Wally pulled out a boom shroom to blow up the door, but Maddie stopped him and simply grabbed a vial of acid and poured it onto the door, creating a hole for them to simply walk through.
"Good job," Tritonio whispered, before he walked through the hole, instinctively crouching and touching his sword, preparing to start slicing if need be. He quietened his breathing, slowing it down on purpose so no Frobots could hear him.
Maddie and Wally followed, copying Tritonio as they snuck through the castle. Maddie would constantly peek around the walls to see for Frobots, and even felt walls for any invisible robots and even looked at the ceilings.
This was their enemy's fortress. Traps and robots could be waiting for them at any moment.
Tritonio touched the floor for any possible trapdoors. He had no doubt about the king's intelligence. That monster could have littered his castle with all kinds of traps, and he wanted to be ready to grab Wally and Maddie if they stumbled into one.
"What could be a good place to start looking?" Wally whispered.
Maddie hummed. "Let's try and look at the cells. It's as good a start as any."
"Let's go, then," Tritonio agreed, picking up the pace by only a little bit, looking around for a row of cells.
And after avoiding many Dark Frobots, Maddie started to take notice of something as they snuck around, whether it be through climbing walls or using new gear they had to stick on the ceilings.
The Dark Frobot's eyes had turned from red to...orange...?
Tritonio looked at her, noticing that she had gone quieter than usual. "Is everything alright, Maddie?"
"I'm fine. Let's focus on the mission." Maddie whispered back, figuring that the orange eyes just had to fit the really strange banners they had around the castle. Of a crown with an orange eye.
But why an orange eye? It seemed to just...stand out. Andrias didn't have orange eyes, did he?
Eventually, they made it to the cells. Wally slowly took out a dagger and smoke bomb just in case they needed a quick escape plan...but to their surprise?
There was only one prisoner...and it wasn't Anne or Marcy.
Tritonio's eyes widened, before they narrowed. "Andrias..."
"What is HE doing in here?" Wally whispered, noticing that they hadn't even bothered to put any guards inside. "We're looking to save Anne and Marcy! Not this crusty ol' crazy person! And that's coming from me!"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Wally. But... he may know something about the dark force Mother Olm warned everyone about."
Maddie then looked through the satchel she had before pulling out a potion. "Temporary truth potion. It should work on him for 5 minutes. He'll be unable to lie...maybe for the worst. It's, err, still a work in progress. So, prepare for some personal stuff just in case."
"To be fair though, the world is ending." Tritonio said with a shrug. "Might as well learn his backstory while we can, I guess."
Wally grabbed some ear plugs from his own bag just in case, already imagining the really personal things Andrias could possibly tell.
Maddie then slowly snuck over and then? She threw the truth potion with all of her strength...but much to her surprise, Andrias didn't even flinch when it hit him.
Andrias then lifted his head. "I was wondering when a break in would happen...Anne's not here. And neither is Marcy. You are far too late to save them. And that isn't me being a villain, that's just me telling the truth." He then narrowed his eyes. "Whatever you splashed me with...? I hope it helps...they've all gone too far this time..."
Tritonio narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward. "What are you talking about? What happened to Anne and Marcy?"
"And why are you in jail when you're the leader of this whole shindig?" Wally added.
Andrias sighed. "To the second question? They locked me in here to make Anne more comfortable. As for the first...they've both been taken and turned to the side of The Core."
Maddie's eyes widened. "W...What? Explain."
"I was never the leader of this kingdom. This crown is not a sign of royalty, but a sign of slavery." Andrias said. "The true leader and my master is called The Core. They are a collection of Amphibia's greatest minds preserved inside of a robot body. For centuries, they have led Amphibia behind the scenes. They are the ones who helped build these robots. They are the ones who want to invade and destroy other worlds. They are the ones who planned for Marcy and Anne to be taken and turned."
Tritonio's eyes widened, and he took a moment to process the onslaught of new information. "...Then, why the hell did you let all of this happen? You could have done something. From what I was told, you seemed to care about Marcy..." He then growled. "...unless it was all an act..."
"I can assure you, my caring for Marcy was far from an 'act'. I liked having her around and even begged The Core not to take her." Andrias said, and Tritonio could have sworn that the larger newt's voice actually trembled. "But it would not hear me out...Marcy reminds me so much of the one I...I wanted to forget...my dear friend from so many years ago who...who betrayed me. Marcy reminded me of her and no matter how much I tried, I could not bring myself to hate Marcy or even despise her...she has a knack of working her way into people's hearts with that personality of hers."
Maddie then stepped forward. "...t-then what happened to her? What did The Core do to my friend!?"
"And Anne! Whaddya mean turned!?" Wally cried.
Andrias sighed. "You won't like this...The Core's original robotic body was something that could not be used for conquest. It grew tired of observing and commanding from the shadows. It grew tired of not being able to rule from a throne and instead a shadowy lab...it wanted a host."
His eyes then grew grave. "Someone who was the most intelligent being they had ever witnessed...and Marcy Wu proved to be just as brilliant as they were. At only 13 years old. And due to being a champion of The Prophecy? There was no convincing The Core otherwise...Marcy Wu is now the chosen host of The Core..."
Maddie stepped back, shaking her head. "N...No. No, no-!"
"And it gets much worse...The Core saw Anne Boonchuy as the biggest threat to their rise to power and wanted to eliminate her...at first. They realized that while uncontrolled, Anne's magical power gifted to her by the stones would make her a powerful weapon...and using Anne's love for Marcy? She took her and brought her here. The Core put on this fake charade of being Marcy back from the dead in order to keep her there long enough to put one of our Control Collars on her. To make her a sentient weapon that would destroy anything in her path for Marcy's love."
Tritonio let out a choked noise. "You lie."
"See for yourself..." Andrias said, looking down. "And do not bother trying to reach Anne...her training has been going on for weeks. And with that collar, she will obey The Core like a pet."
Wally shook his head and began heading out to The Throne Room, with Maddie not too far behind.
Tritonio allowed his gaze to linger on Andrias for a moment longer, narrowing his eyes. "You... you are a coward."
"Don't you think I know that...?" Andrias said, hanging his head low. "And because of my cowardice, this world is doomed...so, take my word when I say I want The Core stopped as much as you do. Because taking Marcy away is one thing, but using love as a weapon is another and a step too far for me..."
"This world is not doomed." Tritonio suddenly said. "Not as long as we keep fighting for it."
Andrias was silent as Tritonio ran off after Maddie and Wally...he hoped he was right.
The three all made it to The Throne Room, sneaking in...only to see a horrible sight.
Darcy AKA The Core themselves...dancing with Anne, who wore armor exactly like hers. They both seemed...happy.
"A...Anne's...right there...she looks normal-" Wally said, but Maddie stopped him.
"H...Her eyes." Maddie breathed, looking more scared of what The Core did to Marcy's body than what she was actually looking at. "Look at Anne's eyes..."
Tritonio took a closer look... and he felt like he just stopped breathing.
Anne's eyes were blue, as far as Tritonio knew. As blue as the sky itself. But now...
Her eyes were as purple as amethyst, and she looked at Darcy so lovingly. As if she was the center of Anne's universe.
He had to swallow down the acidity threatening to come up from his throat. Dear frog, help us.
"Okay, I know I've asked for it a bunch of times, but...I just wanna hear it one more time." Darcy said, smiling like a goof. "'I love you, Marcy!'"
Anne's cheeks turned pink, but she giggled, the sound as sweet as honey. "I love you, Marcy."
Darcy smiled wide and kissed Anne's nose before pressing her forehead against Anne's, although softly since she had her helmet. "...one more time?" She asked in an adorable voice.
But to the frogs, it was sickening to hear with that dark echo of Darcy's voice.
Tritonio growled, grabbing his sword. He was going to end this. He didn't know Anne that long, but she didn't deserve this. She should be saying those things to the real Marcy, not to the technological demon possessing her.
But then... he noticed it.
An orange eye, staring right at them.
Tritonio's blood became colder than before.
He grabbed Maddie and Wally by the wrists.
"We have to go," he hissed. "Now."
"But, Marcy-" Maddie said before she was practically dragged away alongside Wally.
Tritonio was running as fast as he could carry himself. He could still feel that cold stare from that one orange eye of Darcy. Of The Core.
It knows we're here, he shivered at the thought. If there's one eye, then there must be more.
One thought in particular almost made him finally throw up.
It must know that we've talked to Andrias.
He spotted a window, and he ran towards it...
But he didn't get to toss Maddie and Wally out of it.
"What are you three doing here?" a familiar voice asked.
The three froze, slowly turning around... to see purple eyes looking at them, filled with confusion.
"A...Anne..." Wally whispered, taking a step back...especially when her collar began to glow a brighter purple.
Anne's amethyst eyes suddenly narrowed, and her face suddenly twisted.
"You... you came here to hurt Marcy," she accused, and Tritonio almost wanted to cry, because he hadn't heard that raw betrayal and hurt in her voice since he'd tricked her and the Plantar children so long ago. "After I just got her back!"
Maddie stepped back. "N-No! Anne, we would never hurt-" Her eyes then widened when Anne suddenly pulled out a sword handle without a blade.
The sword handle ignited with flames forming an orange blade...and she was going to swing at them.
Andrias was right after all.
Tritonio instinctively pulled out his sword, swinging it up just as Anne's blade swung at them, meeting in a literal blazing clash.
"Traitors!" Anne screeched, pushing her blade forward as she stepped closer, forcing Tritonio to step back.
Tritonio looked into Anne's eyes, and his heart shattered upon seeing tears.
"I thought you were my friends!" Anne wailed, glaring at the three. "I... I TRUSTED you!"
"We are your friends, Anne!" Tritonio pleaded, praying that Anne could hear the sincerity behind his words. "Please, stop!"
Anne stared into Tritonio's eyes, and then glanced at Wally and Maddie... before her face went terrifyingly blank.
"You aren't my friends," she growled. "And neither is Sasha... she hasn't changed at ALL."
Maddie and Wally's eyes widened in horror. Yes, they didn't bond with Sasha as much as they did Anne...but Sasha protected them. She fought side by side with them for the sole reason of just keeping them all safe. For months.
"...I-I'm sorry, Anne." Maddie whispered before grabbing a smoke bomb and throwing it into Anne's face.
The three took this as their chance to escape.
But, even as they rode on Domino Two, flying almost miles away, Anne's roar reached their ears.
Tritonio almost felt numb as he stared into the distance, and then he pressed his finger against his ear. "Commander, we're on our way back now."
"What did you find out?" Sasha asked. "Is Anne-"
"We'll tell you when we get back." Maddie said, purposely taking off her earpiece and dropping it as tears streamed down her face.