Chapter Text
Her skin dug onto the limestone of the cell as she was thrown inside. The bots closed the door and locked its complex security system. Sasha only thought about how the resistance would do without her until she managed to escape. Safety was put second in this case, and in hindsight she wished she would have been just a little more cautious. She knew Marcy had to be here somewhere but figured they’d have a better chance to come back with a bigger crew.
Sasha stayed in that cell for what felt like months but were only two days in real time. She was given food and water occasionally but there was no indication as to what would happen to her. She also couldn’t find any way to escape. There was a bot guard shift change every couple of hours but that information didn’t seem to serve her in any way. The window was too small to crawl through and the cell bars were too close together for her to squeeze past it. All her weapons were taken too, so all she had was herself.
On the third day of being locked away, Sasha caught sight of a familiar silhouette down the dark hall, “Marcy?”
As the figure stepped closer she realized it had tubes sticking out from its arms and four sharp spikes expanding from its head. But that smile, that smile was Marcy’s. “Marcy! It’s me, it’s Sasha- are you okay?!”
There was no response as the figure stepped up to the bars. Sasha noticed she was close enough to reach and without thought, she put a hand through the bars to touch whatever was left exposed of Marcy’s face. She was still soft and that was familiar, but everything else wasn’t her. The armor, the helmet, the posture. None of it was her. Suddenly, a cold hand grasped Sasha’s wrist and twisted it away from Marcy’s face.
Sasha gasped at the pain but gritted her teeth and tried to keep herself from showing weakness. This couldn’t possibly be Marcy; she’d never hurt her.
“Strength, I see. I’d say it’s nice to meet you but that’d be a fallacy in my words.” It definitely didn’t sound like Marcy either, at least not the Marcy she knew. Its voice was distorted just enough to make chills scatter down her back.
Sasha figured the cords extending through her armor had something to do with the same mind control system Andrias used on the wildlife. Maybe if she could detach those, she could get Marcy back. She almost scoffed at how stupid Andrias was to let Marcy get this close, she could definitely use her other hand to pull at one of the chords. And that’s exactly what she tried to do.
“Is that a way to greet an old friend?” The figure spoke after a claw shot from the darkness and pinned Sasha to the back of her cell. The wall almost cracked from the contact with her back and now her feet were dangling in the air.
“Marcy! Come on! It’s me!” She tried to call out to her, maybe that would do something. If Marcy was still in there, she might have a chance of getting through. But now, breathing became an issue as the claw squeezed, until thankfully for her, it loosened its grasp and recoiled through the cell bars. Sasha dropped to the floor and gasped for air, but her attention was brought back to who she thought was supposed to be Marcy. The helmet’s several eyes seemed to roll with annoyance when she called out Marcy’s name again.
“I swear you humans are so dense- let me explain something to you. Marcy is gone. She’s happy now and she’s going to stay with us. You, on the other hand, cannot stay, I'm afraid.”
“What did you do to Marcy?! There’s no way she’s happier here…”
“Oh really? You and Heart both left her when she needed you most. Why would she want to see you again? Would you still love someone who left you lying out to die?”
Sasha bit her tongue as tears threatened to spill. Whoever this was had no right to speak like this. They didn’t know, they weren’t there-
“If Marcy isn’t here, why do you have the same scar on your chin?” She stood again but kept her distance from the cell door. She had to play smart if she wanted to get out of here, which was usually Marcy’s forte. Thankfully Marcy loved to rant, and Sasha ended up picking up a thing or two.
“Oh, well, it’s her body. But her mind? It’s no longer hers. I thought that’d be obvious.”
“What-“ Whatever this thing meant didn’t sound like something she’d like to find out, “is Marcy alive?”
“Her body is working, isn’t it? Can’t say the same for her spirit. Do humans believe in an afterlife? Or souls? I should really read up on you creatures some time, huh.”
“Is she alive or not?!” Sasha was losing her patience. How hard was it to answer such a simple question?
“Ugh, yes. But no. It’s complicated. I can't expect someone like you to understand. Besides, it won’t matter to you. I’m letting you go.”
“What? You’re letting me go? After trying to kill me with your frobots for weeks?” This time Sasha actually scoffed and chuckled at how ridiculous this was. Even she knew how stupid someone would have to be to let such a valuable prisoner go.
“Yes. That’s what I said wasn’t it?”
“But why? I thought your whole goal was to kill me or something. Beside, I’m not leaving until I see-“
“Good question. Allow me to demonstrate,” The figure reached for the lock system and began to undo it, interrupting Sasha’s thoughts in the process.. Sasha really wondered if this thing was that stupid. There weren’t even any bots around for back up. This would be a piece of cake.
Right as the cell door began to lift, Sasha rushed forward but was caught by two other claws. One kept her arms at her side and the other kept her legs locked together as metal tubes wrapped around her limbs.. Sasha was being kept in the air this way as she tried to wiggle out of her new imprisonment. It kept tightening until she couldn’t keep herself from gasping for air, causing the figure to know the limit. That’s when the pressure stopped increasing.
“I’m letting you go, as an example. You’re not winning this war, so go back to your little group and tell them to stop trying.”
“Y-you know this won’t do a-anything,” Sasha grumbled, being leaned forward so the figure could see her face better. The claws lowered her for easier inspection and Sasha followed as all the glowing eyes scanned her face.
Cold hands grabbed her chin and moved her head around with a tight grip, “Darcy. Remember my name for when you go back. Besides I’m not letting you leave empty handed… what kind of ruler would I be without any manners?”
Darcy patted the side of Sasha’s cheek and turned around with a smile, “She wishes she could have done more for you, ya know. Too bad she can’t do anything.”
“Marcy? Marcy?! You can talk to her?” Sasha didn’t even care for her current position. She just wanted to know from Marcy herself that she was somehow holding up- that maybe, they could still get her back.
With a set of fast movements, Sasha was swung to have her back facing the floor and a third claw came from above. Its mechanical composition clinkered and tinkered with its sharp grabbers twitching. Almost like they were hungry for something, and as it neared her face, Sasha knew what they were hungry for.
Desperation grew as her heart continued to race and she could hear its fearful beating in her ears. Sasha looked over at Darcy with pleading eyes, because if Marcy was there in any way, she could stop this. Sasha needed her to stop this. But she was alone. Anne wasn’t there to help her, and Marcy needed to be helped too, so as the claw neared her face she simply wiggled. Her body did whatever it could; it tried to scratch at the mechanical tubes that were wrapped around her, and her head swayed side to side in order to avoid whatever punishment was coming.
Because of her resistance, another claw came and held her face in place. This was it. The claw came closer and closer to her right eye and all Sasha could do was watch. In a burst of adrenaline, she was able to free an arm from beneath the tubes and held it out to stop the claw from reaching her face. Her arm shook and her muscles ached, but she was somehow still all in one piece.
Darcy turned around as she heard the mechanics clank together in a struggle, scoffing at Sasha’s resistance, “you kids really don’t know when to quit, huh?”
Suddenly, the claw stopped pushing and Sasha let her guard down in surprise. Before she could see Darcy flip a dice in its hands and snap it’s fingers, Sasha realized this had to be a trick. She tried to put her arm out again but it was too late; the claw swung with a swift strike and it was over.
Sasha was dropped several feet onto the ground and her back bounced at the contact. She was definitely getting sick of getting her back smashed onto hard surfaces. At least now she wasn’t constrained and her limbs were free to breathe. She grumbled and tried to stand but she felt light headed- too stunned and tired out to get herself up.
At first, she felt the usual pain of being thrown around, but she could tell half her vision was gone. Nothing on her right was visible. Then, she felt something drip on her arm and as she looked down, even more dripped. Red. Her hands were shaking as they came up to touch her face, regrettably, as it stung and the pain shook through her head like seismic waves. Before her brain could even catch up with what happened, the claws returned and picked her up again. This time she had no strength to fight back.
Now she was by a window with Darcy watching her. It said something Sasha couldn’t quite hear before she felt gravity pull at her body and the feeling of needles pinching her as she ripped through the air. Sasha fell for longer than she thought she could survive before landing on top of a bush. At this point everything hurt but especially her head, it pounded, but she had no courage to touch it again. She had to go back home.
Sasha crawled off the bush and rolled onto the forest floor where she lay for however long it was. She no longer had any concept of time. The only thing keeping her from drifting away with time was Bessie’s face hovered over her own with an inquisitive look. So, she took back whatever strength she had left and got on top of the snail, who helped her throughout the process.
“Get us home, please… Get Anne-“ Sasha slumped back against the snail’s shell while Bessie began her journey back to HQ. She felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness the whole way through but managed to stay awake. She had to reach Anne no matter what.
~*~
Anne was sitting in the rubble of the Plantar home as she used the handheld telescope to scout the surrounding areas. It’d been three days since Sasha disappeared and it’d been three days since Anne devoted every free moment she could get to finding her. She knew it might be worse to actually go out and look for Sasha so she stayed in HQ, especially since she became Commander the moment Sasha went missing. She hated it, she hated having to wear that helmet knowing damn well it belonged to Sasha. She had no business wearing it, especially if something bad happened. It made her feel dirty.
The sun was just now setting and the orange streaks in the sky were quickly getting overrun by the darkness of the night. Anne sighed and marked a third line by the wall she hid behind- slumping against it. She traced the markings with her finger and held back the tears she would release later in the privacy of her own blanket. They had sent a few scouts out to find Sasha the previous days but all of them came up empty handed. She just wanted to see Sasha walk up that dirt road again, alive.
Hopeless, Anne got ready to head back inside for the night but decided to check the tree line one more time. That’s when she caught sight of a familiar snail coming out of the trees, scrambling to her feet and putting the telescope up to her eye- confirming that it was indeed Bessie and Sasha.
Anne hardly felt the ground beneath her feet by how fast she was running. She expected Sasha to be hurt, sure, but the scene she ran up to was enough to make her throw up. She’d never seen someone drenched in that much blood.
She wasn’t even sure Sasha was alive except for the shallow breaths her chest moved along with. Sasha turned her head just slightly and it seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out, so Anne climbed up onto the stirrup to help get her down. It was hard to figure out the proper steps- there was hardly any way to tell just how messed up Sasha was.
“W-what happened? Sash…” Anne had no words. Strands of Sasha’s hair fell over her face and stuck with the dried blood. She could tell Sasha’s chest piece was almost ripped off her body as it hung open. Her arms were cut and bruised too but the main area of concern was her face. If Anne wasn’t Sasha’s only hope at the moment, she would have stepped aside to get a breather from how full the scene was.
“Anne… please…” Her voice was so quiet and hoarse Anne thought it had to be a ghost. She shushed Sasha gently and tried to lift her off the seat, but Sasha winced which caused Anne to pause.
“Did you break anything?”
“I don’t know. I- I don’t-“
“Ok ok that’s fine. I’ll get you inside for help, let me know if you think i’ll make something worse,” Anne tried lifting her again and this time Sasha kept her pain to herself through gritted teeth. Her body held more weight than Anne remembered but maybe it was just because of how limp she was. Sasha’s arm had fallen off to the side and swung as Anne now rushed her to the entrance.
Anne called out to Grime when she came inside. She could tell Sasha was having a hard time breathing and keeping herself awake which was the most urgent issue Anne wanted to fix. But she was just one sixteen-year-old in the middle of a war, she had no idea how to fix this.
“Someone get Grime!” Anne yelled desperately now that frogs were staring at her with Sasha in her arms. She was able to reach the main area of the HQ but even there, no one seemed to know what to do. Thankfully Anne’s wishes were met and Grime ran out of Stumpy’s dinner and rushed down towards her. He too looked worried but he managed to keep his composure and helped guide Anne to the best next step. He led her into an empty room with a table in it and told her to lay Sasha down on it- saying he’d be back with help.
“You’re gonna be okay. I promise, you’re gonna be okay. You have to be,” Anne whispered now that she tried to brush some of Sasha’s hair out of her face. Careful hands were placed on Sasha’s cheeks as Anne disregarded the blood, she needed Sasha to know things would be okay. Except now, she looked over at Sasha’s chest and noticed how little it was moving so she removed the ripped apart chest piece and threw it to the ground. Maybe that’d take some pressure off. Sasha’s undershirt was ripped too but she left that on so it wouldn’t disturb the cut that ran across her chest.
“Anne… Marcy was- I don’t know if she-“
“Shh save your breath, okay? You can talk to me when this whole thing is over. I’ll listen, but please just focus on breathing.”
Sasha closed her eye and nodded with a gulp. She thought she was dying and that there might not be an actual “later.” She had to tell Anne what happened before she could no longer be in Anne’s presence with a beating heart. But now, she had no more strength. Everything still hurt and she could just barely feel Anne’s hand against her. That would be enough.
The longer Grime was gone, the more desperate Anne grew. Sasha was dying right in front of her and there was nothing she could do. Thankfully, he came back with Stumpy, Loggle, and Felicia. Stumpy had a small scalpel on his stump and Anne knew exactly what the plan was. Sasha seemed to catch on too because she started quietly resisting it. She whispered several nos as she tried to get off the table.
“Hey, it’s okay. They’re just gonna help. Sasha you gotta let them help you-“
“No. Anne. Don’t- please don’t let them do anything. I’m okay. I promise you I’m fine. Don’t-“ Sasha had managed to cling onto Anne’s arms with so much fear in her eyes that Anne could hardly recognize her.
“We don’t have another choice, it’ll be quick…” Anne gently pushed her back down onto the table, but Sasha was starting to kick with her legs. Her arms kept up some resistance too and Anne was struggling to keep her down. That’s when Grime looked at Loggle and nodded.
“Anne, step aside please,” Grime requested, putting a hand by her shoulder. She looked between Grime and Loggle before hesitantly letting go of Sasha. Holding on was her preferable choice but with Grime nudging her back, she figured she should listen to the Toad who undoubtedly had more experience in this field.
In turn, Loggle wrapped his arms around Sasha and kept her limbs pressed to her side without struggle. The only thing he couldn’t hold was her head as it lifted up to look at Anne again.
“Anne! Don’t-“ Sasha was screaming now and her voice was riddled with desperation and fear. Anne felt like crying due to her uselessness, though she doubted that would make things any better. There was nothing more she could do and seeing Sasha so helpless was heartbreaking. The only other time she’d seen Sasha this scared was back in Toad Tower, but this didn’t compare in the slightest. This was worse.
“Come on, you don’t want to be here for when it happens,” Grime tried guiding Anne out of the room, and she let him- empty body being pushed out the door.
“But she’s scared… I could at least try to comfort her-“
“Anne, she’ll only panic more if she knows you’re here. She’ll panic for help and that only makes everything worse. I doubt you want to see any of this anyways. Please.”
She took a moment to think and looked back at Sasha, who was still crying out to her. Tears streamed down the left side of her face and Anne almost went back, almost removed Grime’s hand from her back and rushed over to her aid. It hurt seeing her this way and it hurt to leave her alone in this situation. There's no doubt her mind and body were still in shock, seeking the only comfort she had left. But Stumpy was placing rags along the sides of the table and Felicia was removing sharp tools from her bag- Anne knew she wouldn’t be able to stomach it. No matter how much she wanted to.
“Anne! Don’t leave, please-“ The only eye still visible through Sasha’s bloodied face was closed as the strength to keep it open escaped her body. Her head leaned back too and for a moment she was quiet. For just one moment, Anne thought she lost her. But when Grime opened the door to push Anne out before she could panic, the hinges squeaked, and Sasha shot up. She heaved and her back arched up as she tried to free herself again. It was no use.
“Please I need you, Anne! Don’t leave me here- please-”
She locked eyes with Sasha momentarily and gave her a sorry look. One that she hoped would show Sasha just how sorry she already is, and with one tear welling up in her eyes, Grime closed the door and separated the two. Still, Anne could hear Sasha cry out for her through the door and her heart ached with every word.
~*~
"Don't go, please!"
It was no use, Anne was already gone. Her heart dropped when the door closed, She wasn't going to come back for her. She felt her eyes burn hot and she felt tears of frustration and confusion roll down her cheeks, but most of all, she felt betrayed. Her back arched as she attempted to free herself, using the last few drops of adrenaline to buy her some more time.
Stumpy slowly approached her writhing body with a seemingly sympathetic look. "Sasha, y'need to calm down-"
"Get the fuck away from me!" She cried out. She wriggled out of Loggle's grasp slightly and tore his arm away from her body with newfound determination- she was running on pure desperation and adrenaline. Her wild eyes scanned the room, looking for an out. But before she could make a move she was pinned back down to the table, a grunt of pain escaping her as a pressure was applied to her upper chest.
"Do you want to die, young lady?" Felicia asked with a stern tone, her narrowed gaze piercing Sasha's own. "Because if we don't do this now, you will!"
She yelled and tried to kick to no avail but her face dropped when she realized her legs were bound when she wasn't paying attention. There was no getting out of this. The feeling of entrapment was never one Sasha favored but it felt even worse now. It felt like everything in that dark castle was happening again and she just wanted to feel okay. For a moment she closed her eyes and hoped to wake up in the small wagon with Anne after a successful mission, but her only reality now was the cold stare of horror.
Loggle held her right arm down as Sasha continued to struggle. "Nhgh- get off me!" She gasped when Stumpy approached with a new sharp attachment to his prosthetic. Either she was going to die or he was going to have to kill her, but she wasn’t about to let that thing near her face. Not again. As the knife came closer to her she growled, pulling a hidden dagger out from her cloak with her left hand and swinging it to block the toad's own blade.
"You are not coming near me with that!"
She went to swing again but the blade was quickly ripped from her hand by Felicia and her left arm, her last chance at saving herself from this, was pinned down next to her head by a cold hand on her wrist.
"I'm so sorry dear." Felicia whispered. She grabbed the blonde's chin to hold her steady.
Sasha's entire body was filled with a pure terror unlike any she's ever felt. Her muscles burned with exhaustion and she hopelessly cried out for a final time. "Anne! Please Anne, I need you! I'm sorry! A-!"
The rest of her sentence was cut off by a shrill screech as Stumpy made the first incision directly on her eye.
The operation has begun.
~*~
She thought Sasha would at least give up after five minutes, but it’s been over fifteen now and she could still hear Sasha wailing from inside the room. Anne covered her ears to try and shelter herself from the painful screeches that rang through the empty caverns, but it barely tuned out the screams. Eventually the screaming turned raspy and lowered in volume until all Anne could hear was a few sobs accompanied by wheezing. Finally, after another few agonizing moments, it all stopped altogether. Stumpy stepped out with Loggle right behind him. They exchanged words with Grime outside and Anne slipped by, entering the room slowly and cautiously.
She never thought one injury could entail so much blood. The entire right side of her face was red and swollen, a trickle of blood still seeping out of a few designated drainage holes. The entire room reeked of iron and infection. A portion of her long blonde hair was parted to one side, and the rest was seemingly trimmed away, exposing her scalp.
"It's not my best work, but I did what I could." Felicia piped up. Anne didn't even realize the yellow frog was present. She was just about done securing the bandages that wrapped around Sasha's chest and shoulders. "Her shirt is on the ground, I don't think she can wear it anymore."
Anne looked down to the ripped fabric by her feet, though she barely saw any of it through the thick fog clouding her mind.
Sasha was clearly passed out, but Anne only cared that her heart was still beating. That’s really all she could ask for. She stood in silence as Felicia carefully packed Sasha's face in gauze and wrapped another bandage around her head.
At last, the frog stood up and gathered the discarded clothing in her arms, making sure that they hid her blood-stained hands. "I'll leave you two alone for a while, you both seem like you need it." And with that, Anne was alone with the limp body of her best friend.