Sprig points at the map, humming to himself as he lands on the part that says Newtopia. "Doo, doo, doo. Newtopia!" He says excitedly. Flossie squeals, picking up the map and hugging it. 'I can't believe it! We're almost to Newtopia!" She says.
Sprig nods, equally as excited. "I know! I can't believe it either! It's been a long journey, but we're finally almost there."
The two look over to their human companions, who looked gloomy as they stared at a shared photograph. The photograph was of the four girls. Jean, Anne, Sasha and Marcy, the portrait the two humans were staring at right now.
"Uh…Anne? Jean?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Flossie and Sprig give them confused looks, as the axolotl placed the map back down on the table. "Uh, thought you'd guys be more excited." Sprig points out. Anne sighs. "We are excited. It's just…we've been travelling Amphibia for weeks! And…." She gestures to the map, slumping over as she trailed off. Jean places a hand on her shoulder.
"It's just that we thought there'd be some sign of Marcy by now. But there's nothing." She explained.
Sprig glances between Flossie and the two girls. "Maybe that's a good thing?" He points out. "Your last friend was kind of…" he points to Sasha on the photo. "…totally evil."
Anne slapped his hand away, offended. "Hey! Look, Sasha and I might be going through a rough patch, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her." The younger girl explained. Jean looked away, crossing her arms. Although she was still angry at Sasha for the incident at Toad Tower, she agreed with Anne. She still cared for her, and never wanted to see her little sister be hurt like that.
"And since she got zapped here with us, it must mean Marcy did too." Anne continued. "Also, Marcy is COMPLETELY different from Sasha. She's harmless!"
—
(Flashback)
Marcy sat on the floor of Saint James middle School's gym, playing her role-playing video game. She cheers as she wins. "Boom! Just cleared new game plus!"
Coach yells "heads up!" As a ball comes down on the oblivious girl. Anne saves her just in a nick of time, hitting the ball elsewhere. Marcy sends her friend a grin. "Whoa! Thanks, Anne." She said, going back to her game. Anne wheezes a "no problem", still recovering from her hard fall.
The coach tells the girls they lost, as Sasha, who was also playing with them, face palmed with a groan.
—
The three girls now walked down the halls of the school together. Marcy was engrossed in her journal, walking backward ahead of her two friends. "Okay. Sash, Anne. Dungeon's almost ready. Then we can finally play some Creatures and Caverns. Oh yeah!"
"Locker door! Locker door!" Anne panics, warning her friend. Marcy ducks just in time to avoid, turning around to face ahead of her with a chuckle. "Oop! That was close!"
Sasha, leaning against the locker door, shook her head as she scrolled through her phone. "One of these days, she's gonna get herself killed." She mutters. Anne turns to her. "Ugh! Don't say that!"
Gasping once more, she runs after Marcy, who was about to walk where the janitor was working. "Wet floor! Wet floor!"
Marcy looks up as Anne grabs her shoulders, stopping her. "Oh, man. Where'd I be without you?" She says, walking off. Only to walk right into a garbage can. "Marcy!"
"I did it again, didn't I?" The clumsy girl states, as Anne helps her out of the trash.
—
"She was super smart. But super oblivious." Anne explained.
—
Jean, Anne, Sasha, Marcy and one of their friends, Charlie, a 15yo girl with bright cyan hair and glasses, were hiking. Marcy was walking around, pointing excitedly at all the different plant life before scribbling sketches and notes into her journal. As she had her head into her book, she was walking toward a log across their path.
Jean ran forward, catching Marcy by her hood as she trips. Looking up, Marcy lets out a sigh. "Phew! Thanks Jean. You're a life saver." She said, as Jean helped her back up. The older teen let out a tired sigh. "No problem."
As she watched Marcy like a hawk, the older teen didn't notice the root of a tree sticking out on the pathway. She trips with a yelp, face-palming the ground. Charlie giggles, causing Jean to blush as she chuckles nervously out of embarrassment. That is, until they all heard Marcy fall over again, yelping as she hit the ground and was sent tumbling downhill.
"Marcy!"
—
Sasha, Jean, Anne and Marcy were playing Creatures and Caverns at a park bench. A map was laid out on the unstable table, with many small pieces as well as the girls beverages. Marcy grins wildly, cheering in victory as she wins the game. In her excitement, she stands on the table. Only for it to tip over under her weight, making the girl fall onto Anne.
—
"And insanely clumsy. Like, maybe the clumsiest person alive." Anne finished. Sprig had a glass of water, listening to Anne's story while Flossie had her head tilted to the side.
The pink frog hummed in thought. "Wow. That must be horrible." He states, attempting to take a drink before clumsily dropping the glass.
Jean and Anne look back down at the photograph. "Back home, we were there to protect her. But here, she's alone, and instead of kickballs…"
"She could get mauled by an elephant scarab." Sprig interrupts. Flossie nods in agreement. "Or crushed to death by a heron!" She added. Sprig laughs, as he mops up the water with a towel. "Or worse, flayed alive by a…"
Anne leans over the table, shutting the two young amphibians mouths as the two humans sent them a glare. "Not helping."
The trapdoor above them opened, and Polly beamed down at them. "Guys! Come- it'- I- Not gonna believe- AH! Just get out here!" She squealed excitedly, hopping away.
Anne and the two amphibians huddled around the trapdoor, pushing each other to take a look outside. Jean shakes her head, walking over to the door and opening it.
The four gasp at the sight. Hopping out of the fwagon, they all run to the small, grassy cliff to see the view of Newtopia. The city sat in a shallow sea, with coral-like designs on the walls protecting it.
The Plantars and their human companions gasp. It was beautiful.
"There she is, gang. Newtopia! If there's a way to get you home, it's in that city." Hop Pop says excitedly, turning to Jean and Anne.
"Home." Flossie mutters to herself, the word echoing in her mind. That's right. Jean and Anne were going to go home. Leaving her alone again. The axolotl rubs her arm, as the two humans turn to the Plantars.
"Well, then. Let's get down there!" Anne says, as everyone jumps up in excitement. All except for the axolotl, of course.
—
The amphibians and humans were now guiding Bessie and the fwagon through the sea, on their way to the city.
"Well, my feet are soaked." Anne says, shaking her foot to prove her point. Jean nods, lifting her own foot and letting out a disgusted groan. "It's gonna take forever to get these dry." She grumbles, gesturing to her black and purple sneakers.
Polly backstroked in the water, while her brother and Flossie ran ahead, too excited to enter the city. The polliwog let out a content sigh. "Now this is the life. Huh?"
Bumping into a mound of dirt, she looks up to see it was a hole. She looks curiously inside, as her grandfather came over to see what she was doing. "Hey, what do you think made these holes?" The polliwog asks the elderly frog. Hop Pop frowns, grabbing onto Polly's flipper. "Mmm…better not to ask. Come on!" He starts walking away.
"I feel like this is going to come back later!"
The family now stood in front of the gates of Newtopia. Flossie couldn't contain her excitement. "We're finally here! Oh my frog, we're finally here! This has to be the greatest day of my life!" She squeals.
"Yo! Anybody home?" Anne calls out. They waited patiently, searching for any sign of life. It wasn't long until a tiny door opened on the gate, and a small newt pokes his head out to stare at the newcomers.
"You can't come in here. Newtopia's closed." He announced. The travellers were shocked. "What?"
"Seriously?!"
"Oh, come ON!"
"Closed? Like, closed, closed? Or like closed for lunch?" Anne asks, trying to understand what the newt meant. Maybe it was a misunderstanding and didn't mean-
"The city is closed, closed to all outsiders." The newt confirmed. Flossie crossed her arms, glaring up at the newt with a pouty expression. Everyone was equally upset, as Jean shaking with fury.
Sprig threw up his arms. "What the hey hey? Why? Till when?" He questions. The newt shrugs. "Until the barbari-ants are gone, of course. Good luck out there." He states. With that, he tries shutting the window. It was too far out of his reach, and he mutters curses under his breath as he leans out the window further.
As he grabs the handle, he falls out entirely, letting out yelps as he's left dangling in the air. Polly and Jean snicker at the unfortunate newt.
Finally, the newt was able to pull himself back up, yelling out "I'm okay!" As he shuts it with some sort of tool.
Anne turns to Hop Pop. "What's a "barbari-ant"?" Hop Pop only shrugs. "Beats me. We don't got 'em in the valley."
"Ugh! This is unfair! I've waited my whole life to come to Newtopia, and now that I'm finally here, we're not even allowed in!" Flossie ranted, kicking the water at her feet. She slips, falling on her back. Polly cackled at this, as Jean helps the axolotl to her feet. A thought occurred to the human. Didn't Pebbs say Flossie's mother was here?
Why did the newt sound upset when she talked about her?
Sprig scoffs. "I know! They closed the whole city because of a few little ants?" All of a sudden, a giant ant attacks the pink frog. He lets out a scream, as he tries to crawl away from it. "BIG ANT! REALLY BIG ANT!"
The humans and amphibians turn to see Sprig holding the ants pincers open to keep it from eating him.
The family charge toward the ants, as Jean and Hop Pop toss Anne into the air. The younger girl lands on its head, distracting it long enough for it to drop Sprig. That's when Polly jumps in, biting the ant.
While they were busy, Jean looks over to see a second ant sneaking up behind Hop Pop. "HP!"
"Huh?" The elderly frog turned to see the ant towering over him. He lets out a scream, as the ant attacks. Only for Jean to jump between him and the ant, holding its pincers open. "Leave him alone!"
The ant hisses at her, before it lets out a shriek, being dragged into the water. Glancing over her shoulder, Jean spots Flossie with her arms up, giving the human a thumbs up. Holding up her arm toward the fwagon, she concentrates. Only seconds later, her trusty trident flies from the fwagon, hitting her in the face and missing her hand completely. She lets out a yelp, picking up the golden weapon out of the water. "Oh, yeah! I just did that!" She cheers. Running forward, she strikes the ant she'd dragged under water only moments before. It runs away.
Anne and Sprig throw Hop Pop at the left over ant, punching it in the face and sending it running. The Plantars and humans let out sighs of relief. "Yay-uh! In your face, ant!" Anne yells, shaking the water out of her hair.
Walking over to Flossie, she grins. "Great job, Floss! That trident thing you did was really cool!" She compliments. Flossie's cheeks heat up (PLATONIC-), smiling up at Anne. "Thanks! I've been working on it for a while now! It's, uh, a work in progress." She chuckles the last part, scratching the back of her neck.
Their victory was short-lived. The ground rumbled beneath them, and the Plantars and humans gasp as more barbari-ants emerge from the holes. They corner the travellers, and even Bessie hides in her shell. Flossie clutches her trident close as Jean stands protectively in front of her friends.
"Starting to feel a bit antsy." Anne says. Jean glares at her from over her shoulder. "Anne, I swear to frog-"
She was interrupted, however, as a bag fell into the water between the ants and them. It explodes, spilling black liquid into the water. Several bags follow the first, placing a wall of black liquid around the travellers. Not long after, an arrow on fire lands in the liquid, lighting it up. The ants shriek, retreating back into the holes.
The travellers were confused, watching the fire die down. Looking up at the Newtopian walls, they spot a figure standing there, their cape waving in the wind. They shoot an arrow from their crossbow, a rope tied to it.
Polly gasps. "Hop Pop, can I get a crossbow for my birthday? Please, please, please!" She pleads. Hop Pop winces as the arrow lands in the wheel of the fwagon next to them. "Eh, we'll talk."
The figure starts sliding down the rope, doing cool acrobatics. Everyone gasps. "That's one cool newt." Hop Pop points out.
The rope holding the figure snaps, and the figure falls hard into the water with a loud groan. Everyone winces.
"Been there."
"Ooh, that would hurt."
"Didn't really stick the landing."
Anne pushes the amphibians aside, taking a closer look at the figure. "Wait a second…" she mutters, watching as the figure picks herself up. Jean looks down at the figure, noticing the long, gangly limbs. This wasn't a normal newt, was it?
Coughing up water, the figure pulls out a journal. "Okay, so, Newtopian rope can hold an average human girl for, uh, 2.3 seconds." She notes, standing up as she scribbles something down. "Maybe I could reinforce the rope with ironspider silk to increase the tensile strength…."
Jean and Anne stare at the girl, recognising that dorky nerds voice from anywhere. Anne tears up. "Marcy?"
The figure pauses, pulling off her hood as she turns to face them. "Anne?"
Jean couldn't believe it. All she could do was stare in disbelief. It was Marcy. She was right here, in front of them. Anne ran towards the girl, jumping into her open arms. "Marcy!"
"Anne!"
Anne accidentally pushes the both of them over, but neither cared. "Anne! Is that really you?" Marcy asks in disbelief. Anne nods, wiping away her tears. "Marcy! I can't believe it!"
"You? Me? Here!?"
"I know! I know! I missed you so much!" Anne cries, hugging Marcy once more. The girl giggles, embracing her back. "Oh, I missed you too!"
"Marcy!"
The two look up just in time to see Jean racing over to them, pulling them both in a tight hug. Marcy gasps, hugging the older teen back. "Oh my gosh, Jean?! You're here too? How? When?!"
Jean laughs. "That doesn't matter right now! Come 'ere you loveable dork!" She grins.
Polly awed at the sight, while Sprig glares suspiciously at Marcy, recalling the incident with Sasha. Flossie watches the three reuniting, rubbing her arm as Hop Pop's words rung in her mind.
"When we find a way home for Anne and her friends, we'll give the box back to them"
"They've all been found. Now it's only a matter of time…" she mutters to herself. And when they leave… Flossie's heart ached at the thought of never seeing her best friend again.
Sure, she was excited to finally meet Marcy. But Hop Pop kind of ruined it for her that night.
Anne helped Marcy to her feet. "Look at you! Look at this outfit. You're like an Amazon warrior queen or something." She complimented, gesturing to her friends outfit. Marcy grins, showing it off with a twirl. "I know, I know, right? It's nuts! This is real!" She exclaimed, pointing her crossbow at Anne and Jean. Jean pushed it down, away from them. "Yeah, very real, now please put that away." She begged.
Marcy chuckles to herself, putting It away. "Ah, sorry! Isn't this place wild? What an adventure. Aw, man! I've really grown out here, girls. Come into my own. Levelled up. No more clumsy, klutzy Marcy. Can you believe it?"
"Your cloaks on fire." Anne points out. Marcy freaks, running around in circles in a panic. "What!? How?!"
"Don't swing it around!"
"Duck and roll, Marcy! Duck and roll!"
Once Anne and Jean had settled Marcy down enough to put the fire out, their amphibian companions walk over, eager to meet their friend. "So, Anne, who's your friend?" Hop Pop asks, as Sprig stares suspiciously at Marcy.
"Note to self: nonflammable cloak, preferable." Marcy mumbles to herself, as Anne finishes putting the fire out from her cloak. Jean gestures to their dorky friend. "Guys, meet Marcy! Our one and only loveable dork." She says, making jazz hands.
Marcy gasps, looking up at the Plantars and Floss. "Oh my gosh! Who are these cuties?" She gasps again, turning to Anne and Jean as she points to the frogs and axolotl, putting two and two together. "Are they your surrogate amphibian family? Did they find you and take you in? Oh! I love the found family trope! Gosh, this is just like the hero in my favourite game, Vagabondia Chronicles! The greatest JRPG of all time! Have you played it? Do you wanna play it, borrow it? Just say the word and I'll lend you my copy."
The Plantars leaned back, almost afraid of the human girl before them. However, Flossie was intrigued. Marcy placed her hands on their shoulders. "Man, it'll change your LIVES!"
Sprig looks over to Jean and Anne fearfully. "Uh…Anne?"
Anne nods at Marcy's statements. "Yep, the Plantars took me in."
"Yeah, but we weren't found by the same families. I was taken in by the Harvestons. The one you got there is Hopediah Plantar." She adds, seeing Marcy measuring Hop Pop's head.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. As I thought, 62 centi-meters!" Marcy states. Hop Pop chuckles. "Yep! All brain."
Marcy nods, taking notes in her journal once more. "Judging from the size of your cranium and flecks of sediment, you're from Frog Valley, right?" She asks. Hop Pop was speechless. "You can tell all that from my head?"
Marcy turns to her two friends. "Oh, Anne, Jean! I'm so jealous you two found a farming community. I've been studying Amphibia history, and farm culture is super under-appreciated in my opinion. You're the backbone of society and do not get enough credit for it." She points out. Hop Pop starts blabbering, before gasping and clutching his heart, falling onto Polly. Polly lets out a frustrated scream. "Get off me!"
Getting up, Hop Pop shakes Marcy's hand, stars in his eyes. "Thank you, thank you!" He partly sobs. Marcy spots Polly, moving over to pick her up. "Hey, a polliwog!"
"Hi." The polliwog greets as she's lifted to the light. Marcy examines her, bringing out a magnifying glass to focus on Polly's developing legs. "Hmm. I'd say those legs should be coming in in about…Bub, Bub, Bub, buh…two months, give or take." She states. Polly gasps. "Can I get that in writing?!"
Marcy nods. "Oh, yeah, absolutely!" Placing Polly down, she gives her a note saying "legs in 2 months- Marcy". Polly starts to sob in joy, clutching the paper. "Thank you!"
Marcy approaches Sprig. "Oh! And hi there! Wow. I've never seen a frog your colour before! You're not poisonous, are you?" She asks, holding out her hand. Sprig glares at her suspiciously, taking her hand and shaking it. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." He says in a dark tone. Marcy didn't know if he was joking or not. "Wait, really?" She asks, slightly concerned.
Even Sprig seemed lost at his own accusation. "Yeah….I literally actually don't know." He admits. Marcy hums, looking at her hand. "I will iodine that later."
Turning around, Marcy lets out a fan-girl squeal, spotting Flossie for the first time. "Oh. My. GOSH!"
Flossie didn't have enough time to react, as Marcy pulls her into a hug. "You are the most cutest thing I've ever seen! I mean I've heard that albino amphibians are considered dangerous, but I don't care! How can you look at this cute face and see a dangerous being!" She says in a baby voice, squishing Flossie's face and showing it off to Jean and Anne. "Who are you?! How are you?! Where can I buy plushies of you!? Can I keep you? Can I keep her?" She asks, turning to the Plantars. She doesn't wait for a reply. "Ah! You're just too gosh darn adorable! Ha ha ha!"
"Jean, help me! She's crazier than I thought!" Flossie shouts, trying to break free from Marcy's grip, but to no avail. She was trapped in the girl's iron hug.
Jean and Anne giggle at the interaction. "Okay, Marcy. I think she's had enough." Jean points out. Marcy gasps. "Oh! Right! Right! Sorry!" She chuckles, putting the axolotl down. Said axolotl let out a relieved sigh, as Anne and Jean walk over to them.
Marcy pulls out her journal once more, clicking her pen. "So, quick question: since you're an albino amphibian, do you have any unnatural abilities?" She asks. Flossie, after calming down, gives the human a grin. "Yep! Check this out!" With that, she lifts up her hand, letting droplets of water dance around herself and Marcy. Marcy gasps, eyes sparkling as she reaches out to touch them. "This is amazing! You have the power to manipulate and/or control water! Ugh! What's it called? What's it called?" She snaps her fingers in thought. "Oh! Hydrokinesis! Incredible!" She scribbles something down in her journal. Flossie was ecstatic, giggling giddily to herself.
"So what about you, Mar-mar? Have you been in Newtopia this whole time?" Anne asks, as Marcy places her journal away once more. "Here and there, but, uh, mostly here." She chuckles, explaining. "I actually warped right inside the city walls. Pretty lucky, right? Like, what are the odds…Oh, oh, okay! Oh, my gosh! Remember that game I tried to get you guys and Sasha to play, Creatures and Caverns?" She asks. Anne looked confused. "No."
Jean hums in thought. "Do you mean that game with the big book? And you'd always give us adventures with choices?" (I don't know what it actually is lol)
Marcy nods. "Yeah! It turns out newts are just like Cephalons! From Shadows of Xel'noth! Anyway, I just role-played like your typical artificer/ rogue and the next thing you know…Boom! I'm the chief ranger of the Newtopian Knight Guard!"
Everyone stares at her in confusion. Until Flossie let out a gasp, realisation written all over her face. "Wait, Newtopian Knight Guard? You're THE Chief of the Newtopian Knight Guard!?" She squeals, as Marcy gives her a nod. "Yep!"
Jean looks back up at the gates of the city. "So, you can get us into the city, right?" She asks.
"We tried the gate, but they won't let us in." Anne finished.
Marcy leans on Anne's shoulder, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, those gates will stay closed until the barbaric-ants are defeated. Luckily, we've got a plan. Come on!" With that, she walked off, shooting her bow and arrow and disappearing.
Polly turned to her grandfather. "Hop Pop. Birthday. Make it happen."
Jean laughs, watching the girl have the time of her life. Anne turns to her in confusion. "What's so funny?"
The older girl points her head. "Nothing. It's just… I can't believe how much she's grown! I mean, look at her! She's the leader of a froggin' army at the age of 13! You have to admit, that's impressive." She says. Anne hums in thought, but she didn't seem convinced. The Plantars and two humans followed Marcy.
—
Marcy led the travellers to a tent pitched outside the city. As they approached, they could hear the voices of three people arguing from inside. Marcy opens the tent flap, stepping inside and greeting them. Almost immediately, the newts Bartley, Branson and Blair stand to attention. "Ahem. Ah, Master Marcy!" Bartley greets.
They notice the Plantars enter the tent, and Bartley raises a brow at the unexpected guests. "Oh. Are you lost?" He questions.
"No, no. They're with me! The Plantars traveled here all the way from the valley." Marcy explains, introduces them. Sprig and Hop Pop eat a fly each out of the air, while Polly burps loudly. The three newts grimace. "Ah, welcome, dirty peasants."
Jean looks around, realising Flossie wasn't in sight. Looking outside, she spots the axolotl peeking into the tent, staring at the three newts. Before the human could ask her friend what's bothering her, Marcy pulls her and Anne into a side hug.
"And these are my friends, Anne and Jean." She says. Anne pokes her cheek, causing her to let her friends go. "Ow."
The brunette laughs. "Sorry. Just…still can't believe you're here." She chuckles, playfully patting Marcy's head like a drum. Marcy giggles, nudging. "Anne, quit it."
"Alright, alright. Keep doing what you're doing."
Jean smiles at their interaction, before ducking out of the tent. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asks, kneeling down in front of Flossie. Flossie's brows furrow.
"I…I don't want them to see me." She said, motioning to the newts. Jean follows her gaze. "Why?"
Flossie groans. "Ugh! You know what happens!" She starts acting out what they'd do. She pretends to wave at someone. ""Hi! I'm Flossie Harveston! Pleasure to meet you!"" Moving a little to the side, she pretends to be the newts, "pointing" at her. ""Gasp! An albino amphibian! Intense fear-driven stare activate!"" Flossie collapses onto her knees, holding her chest as she shields her eyes. ""Ah! I just wanted to say hellooo!…"" She falls to the ground, reaching up to the sky dramatically. ""Aagh! Bleh!"" Sticking out her tongue, she closes her eyes, pretending to be dead. She lifts her head, looking at Jean. "That part is me wanting to disappear, by the way."
Jean chuckles at her overly-dramatic performance. "Aw, come on. We both know that won't happen." She points out. Flossie rests her head back on the ground, ears flattening as she stares up at the sky. "It sure feels like it." She grumbles.
The human smiles, helping her to her feet. "Hey, don't let them bother you. They just haven't gotten to know you yet. But if you want to stand out here, that's alright. I'll be inside if you need me, okay?"
Flossie nods as Jean enters back into the tent, getting back to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Jean enters as the three newts were arguing, obviously NOT agreeing with whatever plan Bartley had. Marcy hums in thought, looking at the map displayed on the table.
"Well, no worries. I think I got it figured out. Anne, do you remember when we studied insect migration patterns in biology class?" She asks, turning to the brunette. Anne shakes her head in response. "Nope."
Marcy shrugs her response off. "Well, since the weather warmed up, those ants have been sending scouting parties deeper into our territory. In fact, I predict a full-scale invasion is just around the corner."
As Marcy goes on, Anne is distracted. She plays with the hood of Marcy's cloak. Jean, on the other hand, lifts up one of the pieces, listening intently to Marcy's observation. "So they're going to make this place a giant anthill?" She concludes. Marcy nods, placing a massive anthill model onto the model of Newtopia to prove that point. "Exactly! And the king has asked me to stop that from happening."
Sprig squints suspiciously at Marcy at this news. "Wait. You work directly for the king of Amphibia?" He asks with a glare. Flossie's eyes sparkled as she eaves-dropped on the conversation. Marcy worked for the king? Directly!?
Marcy nods in reply to Sprig's question, either ignoring or oblivious to his tone. "Uh-huh!"
Hop Pop turns to his grandson. "Sprig, behave yourself!" He growls under his breath. Anne and Jean share a glance. "I didn't even know you guys had a king." Anne says. The elderly frog rolls his eyes. "Well, duh! We're not anarchists, Anne."
"Speak for yourself." Polly pipes up.
"Okay. Plan is we're gonna sneak behind enemy lines and drive the ant queen away." Marcy explains, showing her friends a picture from her book. "With her gone, the rest should retreat."
Sprig seemed skeptical, crossing his arms. "Oh, yeah? And how are we doing that?" He asks. Marcy shows them a bunch of small yellow shrooms. Polly's eyes widen, gasping. "Boom shrooms?!"
Marcy places the belt around her, picking one up. "Not quite. These are stink shrooms!" She said. Polly sounded disappointed. "Oh. Carry on."
"They're designed to release pheromones that should drive the queen away instantly. But we will have to fight our way through a bloodthirsty hoard of ants." Marcy points out. Immediately, Polly leans against the table, interest piqued once more. "My interest had been restored."
"We'll have to be extra careful. If one thing goes wrong…whoa" Marcy leans on the table, and she nearly topples it. She catches herself, before chuckling. "Flimsy table."
Jean frowns, as Anne chuckles awkwardly along. "Uh, Marcy, this sounds pretty dangerous." The older teen points out. Anne nods in agreement. "Yeah Marbles, why don't you leave the mission to us and the Plantars? We did stuff like this all the time in the valley."
The group pose, as everyone agrees. Marcy just rolls her eyes. "Ugh. Come on, Anna Banana, Jelly Bean. I'll be fine!" She states. Sprig raises a brow, confused. "Banana? Jelly bean?"
Jean blushes at the code name. "I'm never gonna live that down am I." She grouches, crossing her arms.
Marcy chuckles. "Nope! But back to the topic: I've changed, remember?" She tries reasoning with her two friends. Anne nods, not convinced. "Mm-hmm. Your cape's on fire again."
And sure enough, it was. Marcy yelps, as the three newts start running around in circles in a panic. Anne helps Marcy remove the cape, stomping it out. Hop Pop rubs his hands together. "Those capes sure are flammable." He observes.
Blair places a new cape on Marcy, as the human places a hand on Anne's shoulder. "Anne, trust me. I can handle this. Now, let's get going. Mission, engage!"
With that, she runs out the tent, almost knocking Flossie over in the process. Anne sighs, following after her, Jean not too far behind.
Polly notices her brothers attitude. "What's your problem?" She asks him. Hop Pop, thinking she was talking to him, answers. "Me? Well, to be honest, my cholesterol's been a little…"
"Not you. Frownzilla over there." She says, pointing to Sprig. The pink frog just rolls his eyes. "Oh, come on, guys. Surely you don't trust this "Marcy" person." He said.
"I do."
"With my life, actually."
"I mean, look, Sprig. She's clearly harmless." Hop Pop gestures outside to Marcy, who was studying her journal surrounded by butterflies. She notices them and giggles, reaching up to let one land on her finger. Sprig glares at her.
"Alright, yes, on the surface she looks harmless. But do you guys not remember Sasha?" He points out. Hop Pop and Polly grimace at that, recalling the events of Toad Tower. "Eh, I try not to."
"Now that you mention it…"
Sprig nods, having proved his point. "Well, I say we watch "Marbles" like a pigeon hawk. That way we can be ready if she tries to pull anything funny. You guys with me?" He asks them.
"Still no."
"Can't say I agree, but you do your thing."
Sprig groans at their responses. "Fine! Thanks for nothin'." With that, he leaves the tent. Polly hops after them, leaving only Hop Pop and the three newts. He glances over his shoulder at them. "You guys coming?"
Bartley, Branson and Blair scoff at that. "What, us?"
"Of course not. We're analysts. We don't do…" he snorts at what he's about to say. "Field work."
Hop Pop's brows furrow, insulted. "And what's wrong with field work? I'll have you know we farmers are the backbone of society!" With a ribbit, he leaves. Branson leans toward his brother. "Weirdos." He mutters.
Moments later, their tent was flooded with water. The three yelp, picking up their scrolls from the floor before they were ruined. "Blair! I thought you said you put the tent in a spot it won't get flooded!" Bartley yells angrily. Blair turns to his brother. "I did!"
Flossie runs away from the tent, snickering to herself as she catches up to her companions. No one calls her Hop Pop names and gets away with it.
—
Marcy was guiding the Plantars and their human companions once again, this time toward the barbari-ants nest. They approach the massive dirt mound. Marcy doesn't notice, instead turning to look at the group as she keeps walking. "Okay, we should be arriving there shortly!" She screams as she falls into the hole. Anne calls her name in a panic, jumping down after her. Jean pinches the bridge of her nose, muttering something under her breath as she follows after the two girls. Hop Pop, Polly and Flossie follow soon after. Sprig stays behind with Bessie for a little bit.
"Alright, Bessie. We're about to be betrayed….probably. if we're not back in three hours, send for help." He ordered, giving the snail a pat. Bessie coos, nibbling his head.
"Good girl."
The group arrive at the bottom of the hole, inside the ants nest. Marcy stands up from her fall. "Alright! Let's go!" She cheers. Anne pushes her behind her. "Hold up. Stay behind me." She says firmly, walking ahead. Sprig hums. "Behind, eh? Just where a maybe-backstabber would wanna be." He says, glaring at Marcy. Jean elbows the pink frog, shaking her head at him. "Be nice." She hissed.
Anne lets out a relieved sigh. "Okay, if we can just stay in this formation-wait!" She spots Marcy hurrying past her, nose buried in her journal as she heads toward yet another hole. She wave off her paranoid friend. "This is gonna be a cinch, guys. Trust me, I know these tunnels better the anyoneAAAAGH-" she screams, falling down the hole again. Jean grabs her cape, yanking her back out. Marcy chuckles nervously, giving her older friend a thumbs up. "Thanks."
Getting up, she grabs her journal once more, not noticing Anne's worrying glance as she walks further away. "Okay! Note to self: Do not step in holes."
The brunette shakes her head. "Seriously, let us handle this. You'll be safer in the back." She states, gesturing to the back of the group. Sprig, who happened to be standing there, nods. "I gotta say, I do feel pretty safe back here." He admits. That is, until a barbari-ant snatches him.
"SPRIG!"
Sprig claws at the ground, trying to grab onto anything. "Why me?! Ow! Why always me?!" He screams, as the barbari-ant covers him in acid and drags him away. Not long after, many more ants surround the gang. Everyone gets in a battle position. Flossie pulls out her trident, while Jean pulls out her sword. Anne prepares her racket. "Alright, guys. Fight mode!"
"On it!"
"Yeah, on it!" Sprig says, popping up beside them covered in acid. Everyone stares at him in shock. "Oh, Sprig, good. You survived." Polly said. Sprig nods. "Yeah. I kicked him!"
"Okay Marcy, stay close!" Anne demanded. But, Marcy being Marcy, wandered off once again. She walks over to a plant, observing it as she plucks a part of it. All the while, Jean and Anne were holding off the ants. "Okay! Maybe she hasn't changed THAT much." Jean mutters under her breath. Anne glares at the older teen. "Exactly! Marcy! What are you doing?!" She asks, approaching the girl.
Marcy was busy stirring some kind of liquid together. After a couple of shakes, she holds it out, grinning. "Done! Guys, this way!" She yells, throwing the bottle of purple liquid at the wall. It explodes, creating a hole. Immediately, everyone runs inside. The barbari-ants try to follow, but Marcy throws a bag. In a puff of yellow smoke, vines grow over the hole. "Insta-vines! Bred 'em myself!" She boasts. It was short lived.
"Uh, guys? A little help here." Polly's voice calls from the other side of the vines. Everyone gasps.
"NOT THE BABY!"
"Whoopsies."
After rescuing Polly, Sprig leant down so only the polliwog could hear. "See? That could've been on purpose!" He hisses. Polly shrugs him off. "It was an honest mistake, Sprig."
Flossie frowns at the pink frog. "Yeah. I don't think someone who is evil would rescue someone after purposefully trapping them out." Sprig pouts at the statements. "It could be a trick."
Anne points to the baby frog, distressed. "Marcy!"
Marcy holds up her hands apologetically. "Oh, sorry, sorry. But it all turned out okay, right? Anyway, isn't vegetation in Amphibia just the coolest?" She asks, holding up a plant. Hop Pop pops up between the two girls, grinning. "You think vegetables are cool? Marcy, how''d you like to be adopted?" He asks, guiding Anne and Marcy forward. Jean shakes her head, following close behind. Sprig was still staring suspiciously at dark-haired girl.
"Dude, seriously, chill."
—
Hop Pop was still talking to Marcy as they made it to the queen. The girl hurriedly hushed him, getting everyone to duck out of sight. "It's the queen." She announced. In front of the group, the massive ant queen let out a low growl. Laying eggs, she spits acid on them, before letting out a roar. Spitting on one in particular, she looks almost motherly as she tucks it in like tucking a child into bed. Sprig hums. "Well, at least she's a good mother."
"Agreed, agreed." Flossie nods her head repetitively.
"Here's the plan. We're going to have to plant these around the room." Marcy explains, pulling out the stink shrooms. "That way, she gets a nose-full. they're set to go off in five minutes, so move quickly. Also, the queen is nearly blind, but hears really well. So be very, very quiet." She says, handing the gang some stink shrooms. They nod in understanding, each carrying an armful as they went seperate ways.
Marcy and Anne teamed up, with the brunette watching her back. Sprig, Hop Pop and Polly went off on their own, while Jean partnered up with Flossie. The human watches the queen barbari-ant out of the corner of her eye, clutching her sword close while Flossie put down the stink shrooms.
A thought crosses the humans mind. About Flossie's biological mother. And the way Pebbs talked about her that night Flossie and tried finding her. "Hey, Floss, can I ask you something?" She asks, keeping an eye on the barbari-ant queen. Flossie finishes putting the last stink shroom down, and the two duck behind a rock. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"
"Well…since we're almost in Newtopia…we're also close to finding your mother." She says. Flossie's eyes widened. "Gee, how could I forget! She's here in the city somewhere!" She beams. Jean nods. "Yeah. So, uh, what exactly do you know about her?" She asks. Flossie hums in thought.
"Hmm. Not much, to be honest. All I really know is she came here to be a famous singer, but before she left she dropped me off with mum so she can take care of me for a while. But I'm sure she was going to come back for me, one day! And now I'm going to give her a surprise visit!" She giggles quietly to herself. "Ooh! I can't wait to meet her! I wonder what she's like?…"
As the axolotl rambled to herself, Jean couldn't help but frown.
"She wasn't the Lilly I used to know."
Those were Pebbs words. To this very day, Jean pondered on them. Pebbs hadn't told her what happened that night she was blessed with Flossie. But she knew by the newts reaction from what her ex had said, it wasn't pleasant.
Hearing a crash, the two freeze in place as the barbari-ant looks at the noise. Jean follows it's gaze, seeing a rock had fallen in the place Marcy and Anne had been working. The two girls themselves were hiding behind the large rock, arguing in hushed voices. No one notices Sprig being attacked by a barbari-ant larvae.
"AAAAAAGH!"
Sprig was quickly eaten by the ant queen, who let out a loud roar, summoning many more ants. Everyone screams out Sprig's name.
"He's still alive! These bugs take a while to digest their food. Look!" Marcy explains. Sure enough, the amphibians and humans could see Sprig still alive inside the ant queen by a beam of light. "I can still save him!"
Marcy attempts to charge at the ant queen, but Anne stops her. "No! I'll do it. You just.. stay here." She says. Marcy groans. "Anne, only I've studied barbari-ant biology. It has to be me!"
"No, it doesn't! I can handle this!"
"Ugh! Why won't you just let me go!?"
"BECAUSE I JUST GOT YOU BACK, OKAY?!" Anne finally broke down. Marcy is taken aback. The brunette starts to cry, holding Marcy close. "And I don't…I don''t wanna lose you again." She finally sniffled out.
Marcy gives her friend a soft smile, clasping Anne's hands in hers. "You won't. I promise." She says softly. Anne takes in a deep breath, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Okay…go. You got this." The brunette says, pushing Marcy toward the ant queen. With a grin, Marcy salutes her and Jean, who'd walked over to Anne. "See you on the other side."
With that, the dark-haired girl jumps on top of the ants, bouncing her way toward the queen. The ants shriek as she flies right over them.
"Who new these ants were so bouncy?" Hop Pop questions to himself. Marcy hears them, turning to grin at them as she approaches the ant queens mouth. "I did, 'cause I studied them!" With a single chomp, the queen ant swallows her. Hop Pop whimpers, covering his eyes. "I can't watch."
"Dibs on the crossbow!" Polly calls. Flossie gasps, turning to the polliwog. "Have more faith in her!"
Jean and Anne watched the ant queen closely, waiting in tense silence. "Come on…come on…"
"You can do it, Marcy."
From within the ant queen, Marcy could be heard punching from the inside. Eventually, the queen pukes both her and Sprig. Marcy held the pink frog close, eyes flashing a bright green as she turns to wink at him. Sprig's eyes sparkle. "Trustworthy." He whispers to himself.
Marcy swings toward the group, as Sprig lets out a "whoo-hoo!". The gang on the ground cheer them on, relieved that they were both okay. That is, until the ant queen cuts the rope holding up the two. Then everyone let out screams as they tried catching Marcy.
Jean and Anne succeed, falling back from the force of the fall. The two were okay, albeit a little dazed.
Quickly getting back to their feet, the gang found they were surrounded by barbari-ants. All standing in a huddle, they prepare themselves. But they all knew they were out numbered.
"Uh, not looking forward to being torn apart right now!"
"I still have unfinished business!" Flossie yells out, as Jean pushes everyone behind her. Anne turns to Marcy. "Marcy, any ideas?"
Marcy grins, looking down at her phone. "Three, two, one…." The alarm on her phone went off with a cluck. The stink shrooms go off, scaring the ants away.
Coughing, the gang attempt to wave the smell away. Sprig takes in a deep breath. "Huh, you know what? It actually smells kinda nice." He comments. Marcy holds her nose. "I mean, it will liquefy your lungs if you breathe too much of it, so…"
"Welp! Time to go!" Jean ushers her friends out.
Flossie lets out an excited squeal. "That was incredible! How did you do that? How did you know it would work!? Agh! Can I join you on your missions?!" Jean chuckles at the axolotls questions, as Marcy gives her a smile. "Sure! If you're allowed to, that is?" She turns to Hop Pop. Hop Pop heard the conversation. "Absolutely not. Your mother would kill me." He states matter-of-factly.
Marcy turns to Anne, still running. "Hey. Thanks for having my back." Anne grins, raising her brow. "Not that you needed it. You're right. You really have changed."
"Uh, you're on fire again." Polly and Hop Pop say in sync. Marcy lets out a yelp, as everyone skids to a halt. "Oh, come on!" She yells, stomping on her cape. "There wasn't even any fire this time!"
The gang exit the barbari-ant hole, and Marcy face-plants the sand. "Mission success!" She says gleefully, getting to her feet. Sprig clears his throat, catching her attention. "Hey, uh, Marcy? Sorry for all the suspicion earlier. I was wrong about you. You're no backstabber." He apologises.
Jean shakes her head, leaning on the small pink frog. "Dude, I thought you would've learned your lesson by now." She states, gesturing to Flossie, who was talking to Hop Pop about something. Probably begging him to let her go on missions with Marcy. Sprig waves his hands above his head, shooing off the older teen. "I know! I know! I was wrong! Happy?" He groans. Jean chuckles at this, ruffling his hat.
Marcy giggles at their interaction. "Aw. It's okay. I'm just glad you're alright. It's obvious you mean a lot to my gal pals." She says.
Sprig smiles at her, before cringing and starts gurgling. As Jean takes a step away from him, the pink frog pukes up some of the Ant Queen's stomach acid, which lands on and dissolves Hop Pop's shirt instantly. He let out a frustrated cry. "Nyeh! Dang it, Sprig!"
The kids all laugh, much to Hop Pop's annoyance. "Oh, ha-ha." He grumbles. In the distance, a bell tolls, catching everyones attention. The gates to Newtopia open, welcoming travellers inside once more. Everyone stares in wonder.
"Now, come on. Who's ready to go to Newtopia? And write up a detailed report?" She asks, heading inside. Sprig, Polly and Jean head after her, yelling "yeah!" Before realising what she said.
"Wait, what?"
"A report? Boo!"
"Report? Nooooo! " Jean groaned.
Anne watched them go, amazed. "Wow. Marcy hasn't just changed, she's flourished. I've never seen her so happy!" She says. Hop Pop struggles to put on another t-shirt. "Always impressive what people are capable of, isn't it?" He chuckles. Attempting to put the t-shirt on once again, he waves his arms helplessly around. "A little help, please?"
Anne helps him put on the t-shirt. Looking back at the fwagon, the brunette spots Flossie hurriedly putting on a cape, pulling the hood up. Anne raises a brow, slightly concerned. "Hey, Floss. Aren't you gonna go see Newtopia? You've been waiting for this moment your whole life." She says. Flossie nods, hurrying up to her.
"I know! I know! It's just…I don't want people judging me by my appearance on my first day." She sighs, racing after Marcy and the others. Hop Pop and Anne share a worried glance, before entering the gates of Newtopia.
—
The bells continued to toll, as the Plantars and their human companions, guided by Marcy, walked through the streets of Newtopia. They awe at the beautiful sight of the city. Flossie could barely contain her excitement. She was here. She was finally here in Newtopia!
They reach a water fountain, and the group take a moment to rest and look around. Polly claims she wants to touch everything, and the axolotl agrees with her. Jean was flabbergasted. "Crikey! This place is even cooler than I thought!" She breathed.
"This is like a city, city." Anne says, equally as shocked.
The sound of marching footsteps approach the group of travellers. Confused, they look up to see a group of Newtopian soldiers headed their way. And before long, they were surrounded by the guards.
"Huh?!"
"What's going on?"
"I didn't do it!" Polly shouts out suspiciously.
The guards move aside to let a wealthy looking newt through. She clears her throat, as Marcy bows at her entrance, giving her a grin. "Well met, Lady Olivia." She greets. Lady Olivia returns the gesture, as she approaches them. "The king sends his greetings, Marcy. He trusts you have succeeded?"
Marcy imitates a trumpet fanfare as she tosses a barbari-ant head onto the ground between them. Olivia nods.
"Ah, still fresh, I see. Excellent work. As expected of the great Marcy Wu." Snapping her fingers, a grossed out guard comes and takes the ant head away. "I see you have….company."
"Lady Olivia…" Marcy squeals, gesturing to her two friends. "Meet Anne and Jean, two of the friends I was telling you about." She introduces, pulling the two forward. "Turns out they got transported to Frog Valley."
"Uh-huh."
"A little town called Wartwood!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Anne, Jean." Lady Olivia smiles kindly. Anne smiles awkwardly, sending the rich newt finger guns. "You too, dude! Oh, uh, I mean…milady." She says, bowing. Jean copies her, smiling equally as awkwardly. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, miss." she chuckles nervously.
Marcy nods in approval, before remembering their other companions. "Oh, oh, and these are the Plantars!" She said, gesturing to the amphibians.
"Hey there!"
"Hi!"
"Sup."
"Hello! We can bow too!" Sprig says, bowing. The rest of the Plantars and Flossie copy. But as Hop Pop bowed, Polly falls off his head, knocking over Sprig. The elderly frog hurriedly helps them to their feet, as a guard snickers.
Not long after, a small jet of water smacks him in the face, surprising him and catching him off guard. Jean and Anne glance down at Flossie, who sneakily put her hand back in her cloak, quietly giggling to herself.
Olivia eyes the Plantars and Flossie warily. "Yes, well, uh…Welcome to Newtopia, Plantars, Anne and Jean. This is an old city, but one rich in history and splendour. Please don't touch anything that looks important." She states firmly.
Sprig had already climbed onto one of the many statues, and was sitting on its arm. "Hey, look what I did!" He calls out. The statue breaks underneath him, and he lets out a yelp. "I'm okay! Statue's broken."
Lady Olivia's eye twitches, and her smile looked more strained in Jean's opinion. "Do enjoy your stay." She mutters through her teeth, leaving with the Newtopian guards. Hop Pop hums. "She seems friendly…ish." He says, unsure.
"So, are you like a big deal here or something?" Anne asks Marcy. Marcy grins. "Let's just say I have a perfect record when it comes to missions." She chuckles.
Sprig jumps on Marcy's shoulders. "Okay. So, Marcy, I've got a couple of questions. How'd you get so smart? What's your cloak made out of? What's in this pouch? Where'd you get that wrist thing? What were Anne and Jean like back home?" He whispers the last part.
Hop Pop clears his throat, interrupting his grandson's questions. "Kids, will you help me get the fwagon unloaded? Let's give the girls some space."
The three kids groan, but follow the elderly frog to help with the fwagon.
—
The three human girls rested by the fountain, throwing stones into the water. "So, you guys haven't found a way home either, huh?" Marcy asks.
"Nerp."
"Nada." Jean adds, sitting down beside Marcy.
"You know, it's funny. I've been hoping to find you for so long, but now that we've actually found you, I have no idea what to do next." Anne says. Marcy chuckles. "I know what you mean. First things first, though. We have to find Sasha." She states.
Jean and Anne share a look. It was time to tell Marcy.
"Oh! Actually, we did find Sasha. We, uh…we had a fight." Anne explains, sitting down with her back against the statue. Marcy gasps. "No…was it bad?"
"Er…there were maybe some swords, minor explosions…" Anne says, trailing off.
"We don't know where she is now." Jean finishes, throwing another rock into the water. "Or if she's okay, for that matter."
A moment of silence passes between the three, as Marcy twirls her finger in the clear water. "Well, even if we find a way home, it's pointless without Sasha." She points out. Anne raises her head from her knees. "So, what now?"
"I don't know. Back home, Sasha always decided the plan." Marcy says. Jean raises her brow at the two.
Anne chuckles at Marcy's statement. "Yeah. Maybe it's time we started making our own decisions, huh?" She questions.
Marcy grins. "Yeah! I mean, it's worked out for us so far, right? Come on, stand up!" She cries, holding out a hand for her two companions. The two hesitantly get up. "Let me see that power pose!"
Anne inhales, puffing out her cheeks and chest. "This good?"
"Good enough! C'mon, Jean! Show me your power pose!"
Jean straightens up, puffing out her chest. "I feel stupid." She mutters. Marcy laughs. "It doesn't matter!" Clearing her throat, she makes her own pose. "I'm Marcy Wu!"
"And, uh, I'm Anne Boonchuy!"
"And I'm Jean Goodeman."
The three pose together, saying in unison. "And together, we're gonna find Sasha, and find a way home!"
The three stay in the pose for a second, before bursting into laughter. "Oh, my gosh. Okay, so I wanna know everything that's happened to you two since you got here. You got any photos?" Marcy asks.
Anne's eyes sparkle, pulling out her phone. "Do I?!"
The three sit back down, looking down at Anne's phone and telling Marcy about their adventures.
—
Unbeknownst to them, the king of Amphibia was watching them from a window. He moves over to a chess board, placing down two figures. "The pieces are starting to fall into place. It's time for the game to begin."
The figures look uncannily like Anne and Jean. Placing a third figure down, the king glares down at the god-like entity figure.
"Looks like we won't have to worry about the so called "Child from the Stars" prophecy. Nothing but a bunch of nonsense."
A/N: So yeah this episode was more focused around Anne and Marcy lol
The scene where Marcy starts fan-girling over Flossie was actually by a commenter. I don't know who you are, but to that commenter: I loved your idea so much I just HAD to add it. It was so cute and adorable that I couldn't leave it out. Thank you for the idea haha! (I TRIED LOOKING FOR YOUR COMMENT BUT IT JUST DISAPPEARED-)
And thank you to all the people who've commented on my fics! They always make my day! Even though I don't say anything whenever you comment, just know that I'm over here crying and appreciating your kind words iwfeukgsjczhmg you guys are always inspiring me to keep this story going!
rewatching this episode and oh my god the fucking foreshadowing everything just hits different-
And just a reminder: I've changed the colour of Flossie's trident and another thing that'll pop up later. I'm still in the middle of editing it lol since A REALLY COOL IDEA HIT ME AND I JUST HAD TO DO IT-
And Jean and Flossie's design will also be getting an update too that'll be in the new cover I'm working on for this au's one year anniversary.
