Morning in Wartwood. Marcy, who opted to stay in the fwagon, kicked open the door. "Woo! Look out Amphibia! It's Marcy's first day in Wartwood!"

She ran into Anne's room in the Plantars' cellar, cheering, "First day in Wartwood! First day in Wartwood! First day in Wartwood! First day in Wartwood!"

"Five more minutes," Anne muttered in her sleep.

At the Sundews' house, Johan was sleeping when suddenly, Sylvia barged in and said, "JoJo! Do something about your friend Marcy! She's causing a stir, pestering people with so many questions about Wartwood!"

"Altri cinque minuti," he said sleepily.

"Not five more minutes! Now!"

Johan sat up and glared at her with groggy, baggy eyes. "È meglio che sia buono."

After getting dressed, he met up with Anne and they found Marcy sitting by the statue in the town square. "Hey, Mar Mar. How's your first day in Wartwood going?" asked Anne.

"Oh, great."

"You're surprisingly happy," said Johan. "I figured after what happened yesterday, you'd still be depressed."

"Oh, I just think of other things to take my mind off stuff that bothers me. For example, did you know this entire town is built on top of a swamp but never sinks? That's because the designers knew exactly how heavy to make everything."

"Yeah, that's why I didn't go overboard with the renovations."

"Wait, you did renovations for this town?!" Marcy asked, excited.

"I used the money from BOC's lockbox to good use." Johan said it like it was no big deal. "That and I also started an absinthe making operation to give the town more income."

"Oh, my gosh! You gotta tell me! How did you spend? What equipment did you use? Who did you hire?"

"Uh...what else did you read," Johan asked, not liking being overwhelmed by Marcy's questions.

"I also learned that small communities like this don't take kindly to strangers which mean's I don't have a chance," she said disappointedly.

Anne put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous of course, they'll accept you."

"Anne, everyone's got the torches and pitchforks at the ready," said Johan, gesturing to the angry mob. "Look at it from their perspective. The last time one of our human friends came over, it resulted in everyone almost dying."

"But Marcy's not like Sasha, you know that," said Anne. "Hey," she shouted at the mob. "Lay off, you guys! She's with me."

"All right if you say so," they said.

Then Anne saw a familiar face. "Wait, is that Polly?"

"I go where the mob goes, Anne!" shouted the little pollywog as she raised a trowel.

Marcy pouted. Anne, noticing this, reassured her again, "They will warm up to you, it just takes time."

A smile formed on Marcy's face as she said, "Time or maybe a strategy."

"Gonna say time, still."

"She's got a point, Anne," said Johan. "I know you're gonna come up with something over the top to win them over. It's not going to work."

"It worked at Newtopia."

"That's because the newts are a bunch of nerds. Frogs are humble countryfolk who are neither known for being great warriors, nor counted among the very wise," said Johan before he noticed a frog frowning at him. "Well, you are. Deal with it."

"Come on, JoJo," said Marcy. "People are just another puzzle to solve. 'Operation Connect with Wartwood' engage!" Marcy did a heroic pose, only to lose her balance and fall backward, causing the statue to topple over and break.

"Uh-oh."

The mob came back, pitchforks and torches at the ready. "What the, the town founder whose name I don't even know, how dare she!"

"It's that clumsy outsider!"

"Will knock the whole city down before she's through!"

Marcy quickly grabbed two potions from her pouch. "No problem, no problem, I can fix it." She quickly mixed them together, making a sort of glue and used it to fix the statue. Then she grabbed a rope, tied one end of it to the statue and the other end to a pig-pillbug hybrid. She gave the bug a slap on the rear, making it go and raising the statue back in place. Then she gave it a good scrubbing, making it shiny.

The angry mob turned into a group of impressed people. "Wow, she fixed it," said Mrs. Croaker.

Anne and Johan were amazed. "Whoa, when did you learn how to do that?" asked the former.

"I took a sculpting class in Newtopia," Marcy explained.

"You've been taking classes?"

"Yeah, haven't you?"

"Eh..." Johan said. Anne frowned at him. "Well, you didn't! Oh, who am I kidding? I didn't either."

As the mob left, one of them, a female frog with heart-shaped pigtails, said, "You seem all right lady, for an outsider anyway." Then she spat at the ground before leaving.

Marcy gasped with happiness and put her arms around her two friends. "Oh my gosh Anne, JoJo, I just got a spit of approval! Hmm... I did win the Newtopia over by improving their city. I bet I could do the same thing here in Wartwood."

"You're kinda too late for that," said Johan. "I've already done it. Passione is in control of the businesses here, including city repairs and renovations."

"What?! Oh, come on! There's gotta be something I can do!"

Johan thought it over then said, "I'm pretty sure there's still some problems that could use your help."

"Yippee!"

The first thing Johan, Marcy and Anne did was fill in the potholes. Problem was, they didn't notice one frog fall into one of them until it was too late. "Should have started with that one," said Marcy.

Next, the kids did was change the lightbulbs in the street lamps. Then they mended the fences and gave them a fresh coat of paint, and gave the stocks a fresh coat of paint.

"Huh, I gotta say," said Johan. "This place looks a lot better. I've never seen the cobblestone streets shine before. It's actually hurting my eyes just looking at them."

"Same," said Anne.

The townsfolk agreed, but they were still skeptical about Marcy, much to her disappointment. Anne put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Nice, dude! The town looks great! I mean, Passione did a lot of improvements, but now it's starting to look almost like Newtopia!"

"Thanks, Anne," said Marcy. "But I still haven't done enough, I need to go bigger."

"Did someone say bigger?" The three humans looked up to see Mayor Toadstool riding in a hot air balloon made in his own image. He landed the balloon next to them.

"Never seen that balloon before," said Anne.

"Toadstool, have you been skimming Passione's profits again," growled Johan.

Toadstool chuckled nervously, "Eh, heh...of course not, JoJo!"

"'Cause you remember the last time that happened?"

"Of...of course not! In fact, I'm still recovering from the...uh...never mind."

"Marcy, meet Mayor Toadstool," introduced Anne. "He's like the Monopoly man had a baby with a piece of fried chicken."

"Or like Mr. Peanut if he had a weight problem," said Johan.

"Those better be compliments," Toadstool snarked.

"So, you're the local toad?" Marcy asked.

"Right on the money, uh huh. And speaking of money, are you the one who's been making all these delightful little improvements to our town?"

"That's-a me!"

"Gotta hand it to ya, I find your work mighty impressive," the toad said with money in his eyes. "How'd you like to help me make some bigger improvements? I have a lot of ideas on how to make this mob town into a real tourist attraction."

Marcy's eyes shined with hope. "If I make this town even more super successful than before, then people will have to accept me."

"Yeah, sure whatever," said Toadstool. "Toadie!" Toadie gave a set of blueprints to Marcy. "Here are the plans. Take a look, think it over. Fetch the balloon, Toadie!"

"Uh, it drifted away, sir."

"It what?!" Toadstool looked behind him to see the balloon floating away. "Ah, dang it, that's the third time that's happened today! Toadie, you're promoted to balloon now." Toadie didn't mind and he let the fat mayor ride on his back. "Well, I hope we do business soon," he said as Toadie carried him away. "Fly me away, Toadie! Higher, Toadie!"

"This is it, guys," Marcy said to Anne and Johan. "The way to everyone's hearts!"

"Marcy, no," said Johan. "Any plan of Mayor Toadstool is doomed to fail. Why do you think this town was a wreck to begin with? The only reason he's even in Passione in the first place is to keep him in check. That and his connections with the other mayors in Frog Valley is useful."

"He's right, Marc," said Anne. "I've seen what happens whenever the mayor comes up with a plan and they all go belly up."

Marcy sighed, "Ah, you're probably right."

"No, you're not!" shouted Marcy that night.

The next morning, Johan awoke to the sound of a scream. Quickly, he grabbed his gunblade and ran outside, where he found the Sundews, looking shocked and confused. "What happened?!"

"Look at our house!" Felicia exclaimed. "It's been replaced!"

"Huh?" Johan looked back and saw that the house had changed from looking like a stump carved into the shape of a teapot to an actual giant teapot. "What the..." He looked around and saw that Wartwood had changed into something straight out of Main Street from Disney theme parks. The buildings were more modern, there was a garden made in the image of the mayor's face, and the train station had been given a new coat of paint. The statue of the town's founder had a curtain draped over it.

Johan knew right away who was responsible for this. "Marcy..." He and Ivy went to the town square and found Anne and the Plantars. "Anne! Do you know where Marcy is?"

"I don't know," she replied. "But if she did all this in one sitting..."

A stage had been built in the town's square and as a marching band played, Marcy and Mayor Toadstool, both of them dressed in shiny ringmaster costumes, jumped on stage.

"Good morning ladies and gentle frogs," said Marcy.

"And welcome to..." said Toadstool.

"NEW WARTWOOD!" they said in unison. Fireworks shot out on cue.

"Your city is new and improved," said Marcy. "Thanks to the work of myself and Mayor Toadstool."

"Gone are the days of stump stores of Wartwood," said Toadstool. "Replaced by newly imported Newtopian marble!"

"Feast your eyes on the new clock tower!" said Marcy.

Everyone looked at the clock, which was replaced with a giant, grinning gold toad statue with a clock face where its stomach should be. "Not loving that clock," Anne said to herself.

"That thing's gonna give me nightmares," agreed Johan. "Either that or that thing." He pointed to a frog wearing a Mayor Toadstool mascot costume.

"And finally," said Marcy. "May I present the new and improved town square statue!" Marcy and Toadstool unveiled the statue, revealing it to be solid gold and muscular.

"Ooh, is he single?" asked an aroused Mrs. Croaker.

"Uh, it's a statue," Wally pointed out.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I WAS ASKING!"

"And for a limited time only," said Mayor Toadstool. "For about fifteen minutes," he whispered before saying out loud, "Everything is free!"

The crowd roared with applause and whistles. Then they went exploring, shopping, and browsing in the town as the marching band played in the streets. Mayor Toadstool and Marcy couldn't feel any happier with their accomplishments. "Ooh, we're gonna make oodles!" the former said.

"Mar mar," said Anne. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Isn't this great?" Marcy asked her. "We've completely transformed the place. Now everyone will have to accept me."

"That's not how this works. People will accept you, when they accept you."

"Yeah! Which is right now! Look Anne, you and JoJo found a way that worked for you. And I found a way that worked for me." Speak of the devil, Johan climbed on the stage and approached Marcy with an angry look, but she didn't notice it. "What do you think, JoJo? Now we can get more people to come, people who won't think this is a gangster's paradise." CLANG! Johan knocked her upside the head with his gunblade's scabbard. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Come può qualcuno essere così intelligente essere un totale idiota?! I told you! There's a reason why I never went overboard with the renovations!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and crack and water began to pop out. "What the heck is going on?!" exclaimed Anne.

"Oh, no, the weight," exclaimed Marcy with horrified realization. "We built too much! The town's sinking into the swamp!"

"I for one refuse to learn anything from this," said Mayor Toadstool before he took off running.

"Vigliacco!" shouted Johan. He looked at Marcy, who was looking on with a "What have I done?" expression. "Well, they were right. You destroyed the town."

"You're not helping, JoJo!"

"What? I'm just saying like it is, Anne."

"He's right," said Marcy. "They're not going to like me after this. But, I can at least make sure that everyone lives." As soon as she said that, her hair and eyes turned green as she activated her powers by accident. "What the- How am I... Oh, the heck with it! I'm gonna roll with it!" She took out her die and activated a Spin. She flicked the die into the water and created a whirlpool that sucked all the frogs in and spat them out onto a small island.

"Eh, I was kinda getting used to it," said Mrs. Croaker. "We are frogs after all."

The human kids joined the frogs and looked at the sinking buildings. "Okay," said Johan. "Now all we gotta do is keep the town from going under. Unfortunately, DARE is not strong enough to pick up an entire building!"

Marcy scoffed. "Who needs a Stand? Joe Sparrow, help me out here!" The sparrow swooped down and started picking up and throwing the heavy buildings while Marcy used her Spin combined with her powers to send them flying across the valley. One of them, the gold clock tower, ended up crushing a praying mantis about to eat the pig pillbug.

"That helped," said Anne. "But the town is still sinking!"

"We're not done yet," said Marcy. "Joe! The gold statue!" Joe flew and grabbed the statue and pulled with all his might, but it was too heavy. Seeing this, Marcy used her Spin on the die again and flung it at the statue's base, freeing it and allowing Joe to lift it up, albeit slowly. "Come on, Joe Sparrow! I believe in you!" Hearing this caused the sparrow's confidence to rise and pick up the pace. Then with a great heave, he threw the statue over a cliff.

Marcy's hair and eyes returned to normal and she felt exhausted, but Anne caught her before she fell. Joe Sparrow landed next to the girls and panted heavily. Marcy regained her strength and patted his beak. "That'll do, sparrow. That'll do."

With all the extra weight gone, Wartwood floated back to the surface. Marcy threw her fist in the air. "We did it, Anne, JoJo! Total success!"

"Ahem!"

The humans turned around and saw a mob of angry frogs. Johan said, "Now hold on. This is Marcy's fault, but..."

"It's okay, JoJo," said Marcy. She faced the frogs and said, "I'm so sorry everyone. I mean, you all are really important to Anne and JoJo, and I know how much you love them. And, I guess I wanted you to like me too, but I took things way too far."

Mrs. Croaker approached her and said, "Marcy was it? I think I speak for all of us when I say, we're all pretty mad at you."

"To be fair, I shoulder just a bit of blame here," said Mayor Toadstool. Johan was surprised to see him apologize.

"ZIP IT, TOADSTOOL! We'll get to you," snapped Mrs. Croaker.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"And as for you!" she said to Marcy. "You're a walking disaster who doesn't know when to quit. You nearly destroyed the town and killed us all in the process. In other words..." Then the old toad lady smiled. "...you're just like Anne when she got here!"

That confused Marcy. "Huh?"

"Yeah. Which means we'll get around to probably liking you eventually," said Wally.

"Wether we want to or not, am I right?" said Duckweed.

Everyone laughed, then so did Marcy. "Anne, is that true?"

"Oh, for sure, man. I even set the whole town on fire once. No lie."

"Burnt me trousers off," confirmed Wally.

"I remember that," said Duckweed.

"I'm still on fire," said a burnt frog.

"He's probably in constant pain," said Stumpy.

"You think that's bad," said Johan. "I once got everyone involved in a gang war. I'm just lucky I didn't get anyone killed."

"You call this lucky," said another random frog as he held up his hand, revealing a bullet hole.

"The point is," said Mrs. Croaker to Marcy. "Just be patient and I'm sure you'll fit in eventually. After a lengthy period of regarding you with extreme borderline paranoid suspicion, mind you."

"Fair enough," accepted Marcy. "Thank you everyone. I'll do my best. In the meantime, let me at least clean this mess up," she said as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Okay. But you better not do anymore than that."

Marcy quickly got to work and within seconds, she repaired the buildings to their original state, impressing everyone.

"I gotta say, she's pretty amazing," said Wally.

"Yep, she's one of a kind," said Anne.

"Non c'è nessuno come lei," said Johan.

The Mayor Toadstool mascot made a sound of agreement. Something was off. "Who's in that costume?" Johan asked. Nobody knew. He took the mask off and immediately wished he hadn't as a swarm of bugs and worms popped out of the costume. The sight of it made Johan and everyone else scream in horror.

"BUGS! IT'S JUST BUGS!" screamed Anne.

"WHAT CAN I SAY?! THEY WERE CHEAP!" screamed Mayor Toadstool.

Johan immediately summoned DARE who proceeded to turn the bugs into paste.

"MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA!"

He panted heavily as he dismissed DARE after it made a bug paste. He then said, trying to forget that little scare, "So...who wants bug paste?" Apparently, Joe Sparrow did as he began pecking at the mess.

To be continued ➟