Earth is what TRULY begins our stories. Our original heroes, Heart, Strength, and Wit came from this place...but in a more complex and ancient time. Now? Things were much more 'chill'.

Now? We meet our new heroes. They may share similarities, but? They're not the same...maybe. These girls are like 15.

Anne, a Thai-American girl with messy brown hair and light brown skin, whistled a tune as she parked her bike. She then looked around. School was over for the day, and today was VERY special.

It was officially her 15th birthday.

Right now, she was at the playground. Not to play in it though, it was more or less a meet up spot that she and her friends-

"Hey, girl!" A familar voice cried before she received a bear hug from a peach skinned girl with blonde hair stuck up in a ponytail.

Anne laughed as she was lifted in the air. "Sasha! Let me down!"

Sasha laughed with her before setting Anne down. "Happy Birthday, Anne!" She then sighed. "Sucks that I couldn't see you like, ALL day. Different classes suck."

Anne nodded. "Yeah, they do. So, where's Marcy?"

"Oh, at the library. Still searching for an awesome gift for the most awesome friend on the Earth!" Sasha said. "Come on, follow me!"

Anne tilted her head. "Huh? But we just got here!"

"And now we're gonna travel again." Sasha said smugly.

Anne rolled her eyes with a smile before following her friend around town. "But remember, I got a party later!"

Sasha let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah! Your mommy and daddy love you very much! Let's get this thing started!"

For most of the day, Sasha and Anne partied all around town. Going to the arcade and getting top score...with Sasha kicking the machine to get back her coins, even though she won.

Doing graffiti on an empty alley, which Anne had only done a small squirt of spray paint because the moment she heard a siren of a cop car? She panicked.

Some wondered why Anne was even friends with Sasha, who had once been described as 'ruthless'. But the answer was always because of what Sasha did for her and Marcy when they were 6 years old, and they had been friends ever since. Yes, Anne may have been slightly...uncomfortable with how Sasha did things. But teenagers were rebellious, they couldn't help it!

It's not like there was some other motive like she was a toxic friend now...right?

"I'M GONNA GO TO JAIL." Anne said, clutching onto Sasha. "I CAN'T SURVIVE PRISON."

Sasha narrowed her eyes as she quite literally carried Anne out of the alleyway. "You're fine."

"I DON'T WANNA GO TO JAIL, SASHA!" Anne cried.

Sasha set Anne down and shook her. "Girl, snap out of it! The car's gone anyway!"

Anne blinked before looking from side to side. "Oh...I guess...they are...huh."

Sasha snorted. "You can be so dramatic, Anne."

Anne rubbed her neck. "Heh. Yeah. But hey! It's why we did that play!"

"Marcy was a bad stagehand." Sasha said, recalling the visit to the hospital after Anne crashed. Peter Pan was probably not a good choice.

Anne shrugged. "Can't help if she'll get distracted." She said before checking her phone, mostly to see what the time was. 5:00. "Okay! Still got some time before-"

Sasha then grabbed Anne. "Come on, Anne! Mar-Mar's waiting!"

Anne laughed. "You don't need to drag me!"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. That's for me to know." Sasha laughed as the two ran off.

At a nearby thrift store, Marcy Wu rapidly moved around a joystick and started to button mash. Her eyes were glued to the screen on her game of her Nintendo Switch. She bit her tongue before continuing to button mash, muttering her opponent's attack patters to herself before a voice snapped her out of her senses.

"You won!" The game said.

Marcy cheered, hopping into the air and congratulating herself. "HA! Eat it! No one beats Marcy Wu! Head of the chess club, master RTS player, straight A student except for gym, because I was reading in class, which only PROVES my point!" She exclaimed, striking a pose.

Then, there was a clapping sound. Marcy turned to her right, but there was nothing. So, she turned to her left and gasped. "Anne! Sasha!" She then ran over to Anne, and hugged her tightly. "Happy Birthday!~" She sang.

Anne laughed and hugged Marcy back. "Thanks, Mar-Mar!"

"15 years old. You've finally caught up with us." Marcy giggled.

"You're only a week older than me!" Anne cried, laughing with her.

Sasha just clicked her tongue. "And I'm months ahead of you two." She said before facing Marcy. "So, why are we here?"

Marcy smiled. "Well, I found the perfect gift for Anne!"

Anne looked through the window and into the store. Like any normal thrift store, it was quite small, and filled with things either from the 80's, very cheap, or uninteresting. But the store itself seemed homey.

Marcy quickly took out her phone and showed Anne a photo...of a strange looking music box. It was golden, and navy blue, with...frogs and swamps as decoration? It looked ancient, with strange looking gems on the top.

"Whoa...what IS that?" Anne asked before Marcy directed her to look at the music box again, only actually through the window this time.

"A crummy music box? Really?" Sasha asked, raising an eye.

Marcy blushed, tapping her fingers together. "I-I mean...I thought Anne would like it."

"H-Hey! I do! Sasha didn't mean to be mean about it!" Anne said.

Sasha nodded. "Yeah! Sorry, Mar-Mar."

Marcy smiled and giggled. "Forgiven Sashimi!"

Anne then hummed. "So...uhhh, how are ya gonna get it? And why didn't you buy it already?"

"Oh! I got distracted, heh. Hang on-"

"Actually? I have a better plan." Sasha smirked before she stepped inside the thrift store.

Marcy and Anne looked at each other for a second before watching Sasha mind her own business in the store. She constatnly looked at the store's clerk before seeing she was asleep.

Sasha smirked before suddenly grabbing the box and leaving, walking over to her friends as she ripped out the tag.

Marcy's eyes widened. "S-Sasha! That's stealing!"

"Happy Birthday, Anne!" Sasha said, handing the box over.

Anne was still wide eyed as well. "S-Sasha! We gotta buy this! You just stole it!"

"Relax, girl." Sasha said, waving her hand. "It was like a dollar. Besides, it's a music box. It's not like I robbed someone!"

Anne and Marcy looked at each other. She did have a point, but it was still stealing. Plus, those gems looked incredibly valuable.

Sasha sighed. "Okay, girls. Look at me. We'll be just fine! But this is Anne's 15th birthday! You only have one of those! We gotta go all out!"

Anne sighed. "Well...alright." She then took the box. "Thanks, Mar-Mar."

Marcy blushed and smiled. "No problem, Anna-Banana! But it feels more like Sasha's present now!"

Sasha chuckled. "Nah, it's still yours! I just fetched it for ya! I gave Anne a night- Err, day on the town! That was my present!"

"A unicorn tastes like corn syrup!" Anne said, making a derpy face.

Marcy blinked. "...unicorns aren't real though, Anne."

"THEY ARE TO ME."

Later that day, Anne had completely forgotten to check her phone. It was 5:45. 15 minutes from her party.

But? She was too focused on the box. Anne hummed before grabbing the opening. "Alright, ready?"

Sasha chuckled. "Yup. Open it though! Other than those gems, there could be money!"

"I'm looking forward to the music!" Marcy smiled.

Anne then opened the box...before suddenly? A blue, green, and pink light SURROUNDED them all and then?

Anne, Sasha, and Marcy disappeared. With the box in Anne's hands.

Anne groaned as her eyes slowly opened. She managed to stand up, before looking down. "Hey. Where's my shoe?" She asked before looking around and seeing the music box again. She picked it up, holding it close to her chest...but when she looked at where she was? Her eyes widened in horror.

She was...in a swamp. A GIANT swamp to be specific. Mud, lakes, and all kinds of things that were disgusting.

Anne shrieked at the top of her lungs, looking around. "SASHA?!? MARCY?!? WHERE ARE YOU?!?!" She screamed, quickly starting to run around. But her hair got caught in a tree and she screamed, trying to escape as twigs and leaves got caught in it.

She kept running and running, still screaming before she heard a giant sound. It was some kind of footstep. She whipped around. "MARCY?! SASHA?!" She cried before blinking. "Wait, how did I even get here?! And their footsteps are NOT that loud."

The footsteps continued to be heard...before they stopped, and a shadow loomed over Anne.

Anne slowly turned around and her eyes widened even further.

Standing over her was a giant red MANTIS, with bloodshot eyes and raptorial legs with spikes as sharp as razors. And it looked hungry.

Anne screamed, quickly dashing the other way and running as fast as she could. The mantis hissed and quickly chased after her. Mud splashed, vines hit her in the face, and she quickly hid behind a tree.

The mantis growled before looking from side to side. He snarled again before walking off.

Anne sighed in relief before noticing a cave, and ran in, the box still in her hands. She quickly dashed inside, feeling safe. She smiled, laughing hysterically. "I'M SAFE! AND COVERED IN...MUD. EWWW!" She screamed, wiping off the mud, but that only got it all over her hands. She growled before looking at the music box. "YOU!!! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!!"

She grabbed the music box and started...strangling it? Her mind wasn't all there.

But then? She noticed...a shine. She turned and gasped. "THE SUN?!"

But instead, it was...armor? Golden armor on a stand. It had a knight's helmet, a sword in a scabbard, a golden and blue chestplate, a blue skirt, golden and blue boots, and finally, black pants.

She blinked before walking over. "Shiny..." She said, before touching the armor...and nothing happened. "Huh. What did I expect to happen?"

Then? She heard the familar roar of the mantis again and shrieked, quickly grabbing the sword from the armor. And suddenly? The sword glowed blue. "Whoa!"

The mantis heard her and crawled in, roaring as its saliva shot out from its mouth.

Anne screamed and waved her sword around. "Stay back! I got a glowy sword!"

The mantis' eyes went wide, and it roared, but this time? In terror. It quickly ran away, almost as if scared of something else other than the sword. Scared of what was behind Anne.

Anne laughed, resting the sword on her shoulder. "No one messes with Anne Boonchuy!" She then turned to the armor. "Guess I'm gonna need you if I'm gonna find Marcy and Sasha...hang on, girls."