Eyes | Amphibia

Chapter 29

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The bright light of day caused Anne's face to contort as her eyes fluttered open.
The first thing she felt was pain. Pain everywhere, especially along her face where she had been cut.
Sasha and Anise appeared to feel the same.
"Shhh, they're waking up," Someone said. Anne recognized the voice as Lady Olivia's.
Hop Pop, Grime, and Lady Olivia helped Anne, Sasha, and Anise sit up. The three looked beaten and bruised, and they were covered in both their own and each other's blood.
"Anne!" Sprig called out. He was sitting a little ways away, where Hop Pop had left him when he went to go help Anne up. His leg hadn't gotten any better, making walking a hassle. "Are you okay?!"
"We're okay," Anne gave the pink frog a weak smile. "The Core is gone. We did it."
"It was kind of crazy," Anise added, "Its eyes were the source of its power in Marcy's mind. We just had to take them out."
Smiles lit up everyone's faces, and relief seemed to fall over the whole room. Finally — for real, this time — their troubles with The Core were over.
"That's amazing! Well done, you three!" Grime grinned.
"I will admit, we were starting to become worried with how long you were taking," Lady Olivia added, "but we knew you could do it."
There was a brief moment of silence as Anne, Sasha, and Anise got to their feet again. However, once she was up, Sasha looked around with worry plastered on her face. "Wait... where's Marcy?"
Sasha's alarm was promptly spread to Anne and Anise, who looked around for their dark-haired friend to no avail.
"Don't worry," Grime quickly chimed in. "We saw that she was bleeding, so we had Yunan take her down to the hospital. And it looks like you three could use a visit there as well."
The three relaxed upon hearing Grime's explanation for Marcy's absence, and Anne quickly nodded at the king's offer for them to be checked into the hospital. "Oh yes, please— I'm pretty sure I'm going to need stitches." She chuckled dryly.
With that, Anne, Sasha, and Anise were escorted down to the hospital. Once they were there, they all went their separate ways to be attended to by the doctors and get some much needed rest.

...

A few hours later, after getting all fixed up, Anne, Sasha, and Anise had all reconvened in Marcy's room. Like she had predicted, Anne had needed stitches for the cut on her face. Sasha and Anise were treated for minor cuts and bruises, however Sasha's arm was still a major concern to the doctors, who had failed to come up with a viable cure. But Sasha had insisted that it was fine, and that she'd figure out what to do about it later.
The dark-haired girl was lying there with an oxygen mask on and a bunch of wires attached to her. She looked exhausted and sickly, but her vitals were in stable condition, thankfully. All that was left of the eyes that had once lived on her forehead were three tiny scars that looked like they would fade with time.
The three all immediately quieted down as Marcy's eyes began to flutter, indicating that she was waking up. And it wasn't very long before she did.
"Mmm... where... where am I?" She mumbled weakly as her eyes slowly opened, squinting due to the bright light. "Wh-What's going on?..."
"Marcy," Anne stepped forward, gently taking one of Marcy's hands into her own and smiling down at her. Her teary eyes were full of nothing but love and relief. "We're in Newtopia. You got hurt in the mindscape, so you had to go to the hospital... but everything's okay now. We're all okay."
Sasha then stepped forward as well, also wearing a warm smile. "We took care of The Core. It won't bother you anymore."
Marcy's eyes widened at the news of The Core's defeat. After all this time... it was gone. The constant pain and suffering was over. She was free.
The relief was visible on her face as her lips curled up into a small smile. She felt lighter, as if the anguish that had been weighing her down had been at last lifted.
"I can't... I can't thank you guys enough..." Marcy breathed out. "I'm so sorry for lying, and putting you through this again, I-I just—"
"Shhh, it's okay," Sasha interrupted. "We forgive you, Marcy."
"Yeah," Anne smiled. "After dealing with The Core ourselves, we understand that all of this was done against your will. We're just glad you're okay."
Marcy's smile enlarged, and her heart swelled with joy. The Core was gone, Sasha and Anne forgave her... she couldn't believe it. Everything was actually okay.
But then, her eyes suddenly filled with concern as they scanned over Sasha and Anne. "But... are you two okay? Anne, your face... and Sasha, your arm... wh-what happened?"
The two briefly glanced at each other before Anne replied, "We got hurt by The Core too... but it's okay. We'll be just fine."
Marcy frowned, and she averted her eyes from the two with shame. "I let you guys get hurt again... I'm so sorry..."
"No, Marcy, it wasn't your fault." Sasha quickly assured. "Just because The Core used you as its host doesn't mean any of our injuries are your fault. That thing is a heartless parasite. We don't blame you, and we certainly don't want you blaming yourself."
Marcy finally met Sasha and Anne's eyes again, a glint of appreciation in her own. It'd be extremely hard not to blame herself, but knowing that Sasha and Anne wouldn't hold it against her brought her some solace.
It wasn't long before she noticed Anise, who was standing on the other side of Marcy's bed. They felt pretty awkward in the midst of the trio's reunion, but they smiled when Marcy turned toward them.
"Anise... you're here too..." whispered Marcy. "Thank you... for everything. I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess... I never wanted you to see me like this..."
"Oh, don't mention it," Anise replied softly. "I knew something was bothering you ever since that day I found you crying in the bathroom... I just wish you would've opened up about it. If not to me, then to Sasha and Anne... we could've helped you, Marcy."
Marcy sighed. "I know... I wish I did too. But it was easier said than done: The Core forbade me from talking about its plans with anyone, and it would hurt me when I even thought about going against it... I'm really sorry..."
"It's okay... just remember that we're here for you, alright? I promise, no matter what, you can tell me anything. I'll always be here to support you."
"Us too." Anne added, which Sasha nodded in agreement too. "We're always here, Marcy."
Tears filled Marcy's eyes. "Thank you... that means a lot to me. I love you guys."
"We love you too, Marcy," answered Anne. The three then gathered to share a gentle but warm group hug, and for the first time in ages, Marcy felt safe.