Chapter Text
She hadn’t really thought the box would work. It had to have been pure coincidence that she found a music box that looked identical to the one she saw in an old book that claimed it could transport people to other worlds. She and Sasha had convinced Anne to steal the box, since none of them had money to buy it. Then, they opened the box in the old playground where they met years ago. There was a flash and Marcy woke up in the most beautiful city she’d ever seen. With humanoid newts instead of people. She thought it would be the dream fantasy adventure that she had hoped for. One problem though… Her friends were nowhere to be seen. As she explored the city, she fell down a large flight of stairs. She broke her leg. That hurt a lot. She had planned to use a splint to help her walk until her leg was healed, since she didn’t have any money that the newts used to pay for a doctor visit. But a high class newt, named Lady Olivia, explained they had free public healthcare. Boy, that was a relief. Back home her family didn’t have a lot of money and could barely afford healthcare insurance. She spent about three weeks in the Newtopian Hospital. Where she recovered and got to know Lady Olivia. The newt had explained King Andrias had heard of her and wanted to meet her.
Marcy tried to think of what Anne or Sasha would do. But she was never good at reading people, even her best friends. She had hoped they would be teleported together and become heroes of another world. Fighting criminals and gaining followers and support as they traveled this new land, having fun and meeting allies along the way who would give them tips and alert them of crimes happening so they could stop them with their smarts and might! But instead she is alone, in a big city, with strange creatures who have never heard of her friends or her kind- until she had arrived. The first red flag that something was wrong should have been obvious to her. Andrias, despite not exactly ORDERING her like the king he was to show up at the castle, had been sending messages to her almost her entire stay at Newtopian Hospital to meet him as soon as she could. Sure, she thought it was weird, but if a newt were to come to the human world, she would want to meet them as soon as possible too! Besides, if he was really a bad guy, he could just use his authority to order her to show up at the castle or command his guards to drag her to his feet or something. So, she ignored the odd insistence and simply waited until her leg was fixed. Lady Olivia said her school outfit was entirely unfit for meeting the king.
That should have been her second hint something was wrong. Why did the king care what a random person wore in his presence, was there a city-wide dress code she hadn’t been told about? Well, all the newts tended to wear robes and cloaks anyway. So, she decided to describe an outfit she made custom in a RPG video game once. The outfit was a faded blue hooded cape, complete with a white-furred collar that is held together with a pink shell, a light blue undershirt with a brown chestplate, paired with a teal skirt with a green patchwork for added detail, she wore black boots with white tufts of fur on the tops. It was a cool outfit and one she loved. She hadn’t really thought much of what the king would look like, but a giant blue newt sitting on a throne made of shells with a white wooden crown wasn’t what she would have ever pictured.
“Hello there!” The king seemed very jolly. Marcy vibed with his energy. “What are you, little creature?”
“I’m a human! Your majesty,” Marcy smiled, as she bowed. She stood up and dramatically stated- “And I come from… Another world!!!” The king laughed-
“Say, how did you get to our world and what is your name?”
“I’m not sure. One second, I was standing with my friends around a music box, and the next, I woke up in the city! Oh! And my name is Marcy!”
“I see,” The king said, in a mildly annoyed tone. “So, do you know if your friends are here?”
“Nope! I was hoping I could find them while exploring the city. But I didn’t…”
“Well, there’s more to Amphibia than just Newtopia!” The king’s booming voice made the castle walls shake. Marcy had a bad feeling but ignored it. He was big, but that didn’t mean he was evil per say. “Perhaps they are just lost in the wilderness. I shall send my troops to see if they can find out anything about any other... hoomans... in Amphibia.”
“That’s great! Thank you, your kingliness!” The laugh she got in return seemed a bit forced and unnecessarily long for what she said. The king finally calm down and spoke, his eyes taking on a dark look-
“So, would you say- at least here in Amphibia- you are a rare creature?”
“I guess that would be true, for all I know I might be one of kind- assuming my friends didn’t also get teleported here…”
Marcy couldn’t focus long on the depressing thought that she might be here alone- which was the very thing she was trying to avoid by getting the music box in the first place- as the king continued to speak.
“What is your world like?” The king asked, Marcy barely noticed the newt taking notes of their conversation.
“Well let’s see…”
Marcy went on to explain the city and her home. She explained how the schools and government worked. How the planet had many different terrains and locations, even showing the king some on her phone. And how she had never really been outside the city she grew up in.
“Good, good,” The king dismissed Marcy. “You may stay here in the castle until you can find your friends and return home.” Marcy nodded and with a bow, thanked the king for his kindness. Marcy left the room with a servant telling her that he would take her to her quarters. “Can’t wait to see you in your new home away from home!”