The group, with Marcy and Anne now powerless, decided to head back to Newtopia to rest up a bit. The Third Temple, or Strength's Temple was said to be the hardest out of all the three. And the other temples were already a bit...difficult. At least, for this group.

And now? They were going to have to face it without powers...if they had Sasha, maybe they would've stood a chance.

Sasha. Anne still didn't know how to feel about HER. And neither did Marcy if she were to be perfectly honest.

Marcy wanted them to stay together forever, since Sasha had saved them from some bullies when they were little. And since then, they became friends for life. But to learn Sasha nearly killed someone and fought Anne, possibly about to kill HER too...made her scared of her.

Sasha had these amazing powers. The powers of a great hero who risked her life constantly for a new world she called home...and she used them for her own personal gain. Like a supervillain.

If only she had-

"Mar-Mar?" Anne asked. "You okay?"

Marcy squeaked and jumped. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm fine!" She laughed before looking back out the window. "Just thinking."

Anne then stood next to her, smiling. "Lemme think with ya then."

Marcy blushed, but nodded. "Y-Yeah! Go ahead! Cool beans!" She then blinked. 'DA HECK WAS THAT, MARCY?' She thought.

Anne blinked before laughing. "Oh, I missed you."

Marcy's blush increased before she giggled. "I-I missed you too..."

Anne's eyes then softened a bit. "Hey, uhh, Marcy...?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I'm not a bad friend to you, am I?" Anne suddenly asked. "I'm not making you do anything you don't wanna do?"

Marcy tilted her head. "Where did this come from...?"

"P-Please answer." Anne said, seeming a little scared of the answer.

Marcy's eyes widened a bit before she held both of Anne's hands. "You're not. You're one of the best friends I could have ever asked for. It's always AWESOME whenever I'm with you, Anna-Banana."

Anne smiled and suddenly hugged Marcy. "Thanks, Mar-Mar..."

Marcy hugged back, smiling. "It's not a problem! I mean, you've been my best friend since what? We were three?"

Anne laughed. "Oh, yeah! You and your family would come over ALL the time!"

Marcy giggled. "Yeah! We met in Kindergarten."

Anne smiled, putting her chin in her palm. "Ohhh, I'll NEVER forget that."

Anne swung on the swings, smiling as she went up and down. She kicked her legs a little more, going higher and higher. She laughed before stopping, letting the swing slowly come to a stop.

She got off and went to the sandbox, grabbing a shovel. She then thought of suddenly digging into the center of the Earth somehow and quickly began digging.

But that's when someone stepped over. A little girl about Anne's age, with black hair and wearing a green dress. She looked adorable, but also...a little nervous.

Anne noticed her and tilted her head.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but looked like she was about to run away. "H...Hey...I...I like your face!" She suddenly exclaimed.

There was a moment of silence, with Anne seeming more curious than weirded out. The girl didn't seem to notice and ran off.

Anne quickly chased after her, with her shoe falling right off one of her feet.

The girl was now on the swing set, lightly swinging back and forth as she looked VERY embarrassed. 

But then, Anne sat on the swing next to her. She smiled a goofy little grin. "I like your face too!"

The girl's eyes widened a bit before she smiled, giggling a little.

"I'm Anne by the way! What's your name?"

"M...Marcy..." The girl replied.

"Mercy...?" Anne asked, not having quite heard her correctly.

Marcy giggled again and corrected her. "Marcy. M-A-R-C-Y."

"Marcy." Anne repeated. She then smiled. "I really like that name."

"Oh, good times." Anne laughed, holding Marcy's hand.

Marcy giggled and nodded before her face turned red when she saw they were holding hands. Around the time they were six, she had developed...well...something you should all have noticed.

A massive crush.

Marcy looked at Anne, admiring her for a moment as she smiled like a dope. Her heart was melting into a giant and squishy puddle of goo, and she couldn't stop smiling. It was like all in the world, all in Amphibia, was in perfect harmony as long as she looked at Anne. The only girl who'd sit next to her at lunch or listen to her long ramblings about video games or science.

Time stood still for a moment, and Marcy sighed happily.

But then, time dramatically unfroze and Anne looked at Marcy. "You good?"

"H-Huh?!" Marcy cried, jumping. "O-Oh! Yupadoodle!"

Anne blinked before shrugging it off.

"...h-h-h-hey, Anne...?"

"Yeah?"

"...d-do...y-you...m-maybe...might..." Marcy was a tomato red before she finally spit it out. "WANNA GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME?!?!!"

Anne's eyes widened and her face went red. "H...Huh...?"

Marcy quickly felt embarrassed and wished she still had her powers so she could fly away. She then prayed she didn't hear her and cleared her throat. "N-Nothing, just f-forget about-"

"I'd love that-!" Anne then blushed and cleared her throat. "I-I mean, sure! What time and where?"

Marcy's brain had completely exploded and she felt nothing but utter joy and happiness. "U-Uh! There's this restaurant in Newtopia I-I like to go too! M-Maybe...tomorrow n-night?"

Anne smiled. "I-I'd like that! I-I'll let The Plantars know. I-I gotta gay back to the hotel anyway." She then blushed. "I-I MEAN GOTTA GAY- GO! GO! I MEAN GO!"

She laughed nervously before waving. "C-Cya tomorrow, Mar-Mar!" She called, still having a genuine smile on her face as she left.

Marcy was left silent...before she began to squeal. She twirled around, falling onto her bed with the most happy expression she could muster.

And Anne had the biggest smile on her face as she headed back to the hotel. Once she was out of the castle, she spun around and cheered. "YES, YES, YES!" She whispered to herself. If she still had her powers, she'd practically fly throughout the sky, dancing in joy with the other stars.

The next day...

Sprig watched Anne look around in a store, with the golden card Andrias gave them in hand. "Uhhh, whatcha doin'?"

Anne blushed before facing Sprig. "I...have a date."

Sprig blinked. "Oh! Okay- WHAT?"

Anne giggled, finding her best friend's reaction priceless. "Yup! With Mar-Mar!"

Sprig laughed. "So, THAT'S why you kicked Hop Pop when he asked if you had a boyfriend."

"Yup." Anne said before continuing to look around, most likely for something nice to wear since...well, there was either her school outfit or her armor. Not a very large wardrobe. "I don't regret it."

Sprig nodded before he suddenly had an idea and grinned evilly.

"If you try to spy on us, I WILL kick you."

"Dangit. Guess I won't then." Sprig said. "Or will-"

Anne faced him. "I'm serious. I WILL. You may be one of the best friends I've ever had, but this is serious."

"Awww! Thanks! And also, okay. Jeez." Sprig said. "Have fun on your date, Anne."

Anne smiled. "Thanks."

"If Marcy breaks your heart somehow, she is instantly going on the Sasha List."

Later that night, Anne went over to the palace and towards Marcy's room. She didn't choose anything fancy...at least to her. Her hair was tied up so it wasn't as messy, and her outfit was similar to her home culture. A white and sleeveless shirt with a blue dress/skirt. Overall with a more Thai theme to it.

Olivia noticed her and hummed. "You look different, Anne. Is there a special occasion?"

Anne smiled and nodded. "Yup! I have a date with-"

"Marcy." Olivia said with a smile. "She told me."

Anne blushed and giggled. "Heh, I guess that makes sense."

"Yes...if you break her heart, I will send Yunan after you." Olivia said, seeming protective over Marcy. Like a parent would over their child.

Anne was a little more afraid, but nodded. Breaking Marcy's heart was the last thing she wanted. She eventually walked up to Marcy's room, knocking on the door.

A few seconds later, Marcy walked out. She was wearing a light green dress that went down to her knees. Along with some kind of top part to it with a sea or wave design, with a seashell tying it all together.

Anne's eyes went wide and her cheeks went red. "Y-You look...wow! Y-You're gorgeous, Mar-Mar!"

Marcy blushed, but giggled and spoke, but not in her language. "Xièxiè!"

Anne blinked before trying to remember the complicated Chinese lessons Marcy had attempted to teach her before shrugging and speaking Thai. "Khuṇ k̆ rū̂ ẁā c̄hạn h̄̀wy reụ̄̀xng p̣hās̄ʹā cīn."

Marcy giggled. "Dī thī̀ rū̂ p̣hās̄ʹā thịy!"

Anne laughed before holding out her hand to Marcy. "Shall we, m'lady?"

Marcy did a curtsy before taking Anne's hand and following her out of the castle. Olivia watched with a smile on her face.

She would compare them to Heart and Wit's relationship, and they were alike in many ways. But? It was nicer to have them be their own relationship, instead of being a reminder of another.