Sunshine and Shadows (An Amphibia AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 5: Unexpected Conversation

Marcy took a nervous, deep breath before stepping into the white, void-like area.

She was nervous. Anyone would be talking to their murderer... but she actually found herself slightly excited too...

Andrias had been her friend... and even though he had betrayed... and killed... her and just in general done terrible things... Marcy couldn't help but still care about him.

And it had been such a long time since she had seen him...

Because Marcy could enter into his mind as a spirit and he had been in his sleeping state for a while now, she felt she should go talk to him.

She looked around at the white endlessness of Andrias' mind under the sleeping spell. She then looked ahead and immediately saw the blue salamander, who stood out against all the white, staring into the distance.

"...Andrias...?" Marcy cautiously flew over to him.

He lifted his head and looked at her. He just stared in silent shock.

Marcy floated to the ground and played with her hands awkwardly, "I... I wanted to visit you..."

"...You can do that...?" Andrias finally spoke up.

"...Yeah..." was all Marcy responded with.

...

"Leave."

"...Huh?" Marcy questioned.

"LEAVE!" The former king suddenly shouted, now angry.

Marcy jumped back into the air in fear. Flashbacks of what happened when Andrias got angry in the past flashed before her eyes.

Andrias' face softened with guilt for a moment when he saw how Marcy reacted, but then he just went back to staring into the void.

"...So... do you still want me to leave... or..." Marcy asked quietly after a moment.

Andrias just shrugged.

Marcy sighed, "You don't. No one wants to be alone..."

She flew back down. She sat on the floor and leaned against him.

They just sat in peaceful quiet for a while.

"...How are you? I mean, I know you've been here for months and all that... but... how are you? How have you been?"

Andrias didn't answer.

Marcy sighed and just let the silence overtake the two again.

"...Why are you here? Aren't you scared of me? Don't you hate me?" Andrias asked after a moment.

Marcy looked up to him, "...I'm not sure..." was the only way to describe her emotions.

"Well you should," Andrias responded, "Everyone that I've ever cared about should fear and hate me," he gritted his teeth, "You, Olivia, Barrel, Leif... even my father probably hates me too because I failed and now I'm here..."

"Barrel? Leif? Your father?" Marcy questioned.

Andrias looked surprised, like he hadn't meant to say that.

He shook his head, "That's none of your business..."

Marcy just looked at him as he went back to staring into the void.

Marcy wasn't usually an angry person. It had to be the right situation to get her upset,

but this situation was one of them.

Marcy flew into Andrias' view, "You can't hide or run away from your problems!" She exclaimed angrily, "It doesn't work! I know from experience exactly what happens if you try to hide from them! Look what happened to me when I tried to run away from mine!" She signaled to her spirit self angrily.

Andrias suddenly looked at her like he might actually cry.

That made Marcy even angrier. He had the nerve to kill her, but he couldn't take a stern talking to?

...And then she realized what she had said.

"...Oh..." Marcy just whispered.

She floated back to the ground.

She wasn't sure she would ever hear Andrias say these words to her, but he did...

"...I'm sorry..."

Marcy just stared up at him in shock.

"I'm so sorry! It wasn't supposed to end like this! Us three were supposed to be friends forever and I wasn't supposed to do anything I'd regret! I- I didn't mean to betray you! I didn't mean to kill you!"

"'Us three'?" Marcy questioned, "Andrias. Who are Leif and Barrel and what happened between you three?"

"It doesn't matter! There's nothing that can be done about it anymore!" Andrias yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Andrias." Marcy responded, "Me and you have all the time in the world. I want you to talk to me. Please."

Andrias sighed and hesitantly told her everything.

About the pink frog and the green toad, about their friendship and how things used to be with all three tribes living together. About his father and the Core. About Leif's vision and how their friendship ended.

"And Marcy... I have something to confess... The reason you were put into the revival tank... was because the Core needed a vessel... and it was going to be you... But your friends rescued you before the tank was fully done healing you..."

Marcy's eyes widened, "So... that thing was going to possess me!? ...What would I have been called then? Dark Marcy? Oh!" she snapped, "Darcy. I would've totally been called Darcy," she chuckled.

But instead of laughing back, Andrias just rolled his eyes.

"But uhh... I'm sorry... about your friends... and your dad... I understand struggling with friends," Marcy shrugged slightly.

She sighed before adding, "I appreciate you opening up to me... I do have a question though... Earlier you said you never meant to hurt me... so... our Flipwart games together... your scavenger hunts for me... our whole friendship... was it all real... or... or... an act...?"

"Real!" Andrias quickly responded, "It was all real! I really care about you Marcy! I have ever since this all started! I didn't mean to do anything to you! I didn't want to!"

Marcy sighed in relief, "Good. Because that's been bothering me for a while... And I believe everything you've told me today, Andrias. I- I don't know if I can forgive you yet, but I'd like to continue visiting you... Maybe eventually I will be."

"Really!?" Andrias exclaimed, "But why? Why do you care? Why do you of all people care about what happens to me of all people!?"

Marcy thought for a second, "I know you, Andrias. I know who you are. And learning all I have about you today, I believe in you even more," she just smiled.

Andrias finally smiled back. He used to be so cheerful, it had been strange to see him so low earlier.

"Thank you, Marcy. Just... just thank you."

"Of course..."

Marcy then took a deep breath, "Alright! I have to go now, but I'll be back! See you later, Andrias."

Andrias waved slightly as she left the void.