Calamity Returns:

Wartwood: Marcy Wu-Longclaw

Yunan rolled her eyes as Olivia held up another outfit in front of Marcy. The outfit in question was a long-sleeve, green dress with a frilly skirt and a pair of white leggings.

Olivia stared at the shrunken human for a second, frowned, and then tossed the dress into a pile to her right. Yunan frowned as she saw the large pile and empty shopping cart next to it. She looked at the shop's owner when she felt eyes on her.

The store owner, an aging frog, gave the newt couple a side glance but said nothing. The retired general offered the owner an apologetic smile, but it came out more sheepish than anything else.

"Dear…" Yunan said, looking at her wife. "I think you should choose an outfit. We've been here for over an hour."

Olivia looked at Yuan with a conflicted frown.

"But Matster Marcy looks so adorable in all of them!" the sophisticated newt whined, voice cracking somewhat.

Yunan couldn't help but shake her head, in a good-natured way. Though she was starting to get annoyed with her wife's indecision, the retired general couldn't help but find the entire thing cute.

Still, Yunan was getting hungry, and she doubted she wasn't the only one.

The retired general heard a grumbled and looked down. Darcy was seated by her side, arms crossed, glaring at Olivia.

The created being wore a simple black sleeveless dress with a pale gray slash around the waist. The skirt of the dress went to the knee and had black leggings with a pair of gray ankle boots.

The entity's hair was in twin pigtails, and she wore a hairclip in the shape of the Newtoptia emblem. A toddler's harness was around the entity's back, with the leash tied around Yunan's wrist.

Darcy felt eyes on her and looked at Yunan, glaring at her. The retired general secretly found the gesture cute, even more so when a hint of red crossed her face at a noticeable growl came from her stomach.

The Core-created entity looked away, the red of her face getting worse when Yunan gave her a smirk.

"A-H!" Olivia suddenly exclaimed.

Yunan and Darcy looked at the high-society newt just in time to see her jump on the piles of clothes. Different pieces of clothing began to fly as Olivia searched through the pile. A set of leggings hit Yunan in the face.

The retired general pulled green leggings off her face, and looked to the right when she heard a groan. She saw the store's owner giving her a slight glare, and smiled nervously.

Yunan picked up Darcy, ignoring the murderous glare the Core-created entity gave her, and tried to reel in her wife. She approached the smaller newt and reached out to touch Olivia's shoulder.

Yunan grunted when a shirt hit her, nearly knocking her down. She managed to keep her balance and took the article of clothing off her face. She heard a snicker and looked at Darcy with a slight glare. The Core-created entity didn't even try to hide her amusement, giving the retired general a smile.

Yunan just scoffed and turned her attention to her wife. She opened her mouth to say something when Olivia, one arm filled with clothing, grabbed Marcy and dashed to the dressing room.

"Umm…" Yunan moaned, staring at the door to the dressing room.

"Ahem."

Yunan looked at the store's owner. She could tell the frog's patience was at its end, if the toe tipping and slight scolding glare told her anything. Yuna gave the owner a sheepish smile, then sighed.

The retired general then began picking up the wayward articles of clothing.

"...Sometimes I miss being General Yunan," the blonde-haired newt muttered nostalgically.

As she continued to clean, she began to go through her old routine out of habit. Her movement began more lively as she recited her old mantra as she picked up a dress.

"...Scourge of the sand wars."

Yunan danced in place, tossing the dress to the shop's owner. She then tossed Darcy up, causing the girl to cry out in surprise. The newt scooped up some clothes and spun in place, dropping the cloth into a shopping cart.

"...Defeater of Ragnar the Wretched!"

Yunan caught Darcy and put her in the children's seat of the cart. The Core Entity glared at the pink newt as Yunan finished cleaning up after her wife.

"...And the youngest newt ever to reach the rank of general in the great Newtopian Army!"

Yunan posed as awkward silence filled the room. The retired general saw all eyes on her but didn't show a hint of shame; in fact, she enjoyed the stares as she composed herself.

Yunan rolled the cart over to the owner and grabbed Dacry. The Core entity glared at the newt, but didn't do anything as Yunan took a set next to the dressing room.

Olivia didn't take much longer to step out of the dressing room with Marcy in her arms. Yunan stood up and joined her wife, casually studying the shrunken human.

Marcy wore a pair of brown leggings and boots of a lighter shade of brown. She wore a silverish-gray, short-sleeved dress with a skirt that reached below the knee and a white rim at the end.

Yunan saw that the sleeves were open and the bottom hanging off somewhat.

Marcy wore a short silver cape with a hood and fur covering the shoulders. Finally, Olivia had put two hair clips in Marcy's hair. The one on the left was like the one Marcy wore during her first trip to Amphibia, with the only difference being that it was silver. The other hair clip was shaped like the Newtopia emblem and was pale gold.

Overall, Marcy's outfit had an adventurer's flare with just a hint of elegance, which Yunan had not expected from her wife.

The pink newt looked at her wife, but a loud growl rang out before any words could be exchanged. Yunan and Oblivia looked down at Marcy and saw the shrunken human smiling and blushing bashfully at them.

"...I guess I kept us here long enough," Olivia commented, turning a bit sheepish.

Yunan did not say anything; she simply nodded. Olivia then went to the owner to pay for all the outfits she got for the girls.

(SC)

"...Well, this is a surprise," Olivia mused, looking down at the human at her side.

Marcy clung heavily to the sophisticated newt's legs, eyes darting as she tried to absorb all the changes that happened to Wartwood since she left. While Olivia noted that Marcy was acting like her curious self, she also saw the girl's shyness.

Olivia thought Marcy's shyness from before was just a one-time thing, given how outspoken she was during her first time in Amphibia. But now, walking to the local eatery and pressing through the market, the shrunken human was powerfully shy, barely leaving Olivia's side. In fact, when a Wartwood resident would come up to greet the Longclaw family, Marcy would bury her face in Olivia's leg when the frog looked at the human.

The high-society lady smiled and leaned down. Marcy looked at Olivia as she gently wrapped her arms around her and picked the shrunken human up.

"You really are a shy little thing at this age," Olivia said warmly, "Are you, Little Master Marcy?"

The ex-ranger simply looked at the aquamarine newt shyly, a faint blush highlighting her face. Olivia smiled a little more and leaned in, giving the shrunken human a light kiss on Marcy's forehead.

Yunan watched all of this with a growing smile. She could admit her wife made a good mother, which made the retired general wonder if it was time to start a family.

Before the pink newt could ponder this thought further, she felt a tug on the toddler's leash. Yunan looked down at Darcy, noticing the look the Core-created entity was giving her. The retired general cocked an eyebrow when she saw the bashful aura Darcy was giving off as she held up her arms, while looking at her side.

Yunan made a face, slightly conflicted. She worked her jaw as she pondered what to do next. Darcy noticed she wasn't getting picked up, lost her bashfulness and glared at the retired general commandingly.

When Yunan continued to hesitate, Darcy's impatience grew, and she began tipping her foot. Finally, after another second of internal debate, Yunan leaned down and wrapped her arms around the Core-created Entity.

Darcy looked away as her bashfulness returned and she wrapped her arms around Yunan's neck. Yunan also felt awkward as she straightened up and looked at her wife.

Olivia gave the retired general a knowing smile and looked ready to say something when a growl reached her ears. The smaller newt looked at the human in arms and saw the blush spreading across Marcy's face. Olivia smiled a motherly smile, and looked at Yunan.

A silent message was sent between the couple, and they resumed their walk to Stumpy's.

Halfway to the diner, the group passed an old toad holding a bag and grumbling loudly.

"...When I get those hands on those two, they will rue the day they crossed Brickstoll the Unmoveable."

The Longclaw family was about to leave the toad when Brickstoll noticed them. He turned a glare their way, which intensified when he saw Marcy and Darcy in the newts' arms.

He then studied them closely. Brickstoll hummed as he approached the aquamarine newt, getting nearly in Olivia's personal space. Olivia held her ground while turning her body slightly to shield the shrunken human.

"...Are these two related to the other tiny THINGS?" Brickstoll asked suspiciously.

Olivia and Yunan exchanged glances. They didn't need to think much to realize that the toad was talking about Anne and Sasha, and they didn't like how the toad was looking at Marcy and Darcy. The retired general quickly got beside her wife and glared at the toad.

It was at times like this that Yunan wished she still carried her weapons. A quick show of her claws would have been more than scared away a scum like this toad.

"...And if they are?" Olivia asked, her hold on Marcy tightening.

Brickstoll gave the smaller newt toothy grin, and Yunan's danger instincts went off full blast. She quickly handed Darcy to Olivia and got in front of her family, taking a fighting stance. Brickstoll scoffed at this, confident in his abilities.

"You really think I'm afraid of some newt?" the toad gladiator retorted arrogantly.

Bricstoll suddenly lunged for the Longclaws, and Yunan spun around, grabbing her family. She moved then out of the way, and the gladiator hit the ground, grunting. Yunan took her family to a safe distance.

"Stay here!" Yunan told her wife lovingly but sternly. "And keep those two safe."

Yunan turned her attention to the toad and got close as a crowd began to form.

Brickstoll recovered quickly, kept himself low, and charged at the retired general. Yunan readied herself for the oncoming attack, and jumped up when the toad gladiator lunged for her again.

The pink newt was surprised when Brickstoll shot up and grabbed her by the tail. The toad grinned as he slammed the newt into the ground. Before Yunan could recover, Brickstoll dropped on her. He then rammed his elbows into Yunan's back.

Yunan screamed as she felt the bones dig into her just in the right spot, and she felt her lower half go numb somewhat.

"Ha!" Brickstoll exclaimed in victory. "You think you're the first newt soldier I threw down with? It doesn't even matter what rank you had, no newt can handle my technique!"

Yunan looked at the toad, scowling, and tried to push him off her. Brickstoll just grinned and grabbed one of Yunan's arms, pressing it against her back as he dug his elbow into her back further. The retired general clutched her teeth so she didn't scream and give the toad any more satisfaction.

From the sidelines, Olivia watched all of this with growing fright. She wanted to help her wife, but she couldn't dare get involved, not with Marcy and Darcy needed to be looked after. Still, her grip on the girls tightened as her anger mounted.

Suddenly, Marcy began to squirm in Olivia's arms. Startled by the sudden movement, the refined newt couldn't stop the shrunken human as she managed to free herself.

Marcy hit the ground and ran up to the toad. She began punching the toad with all the might her little body had, which wasn't much given her current size.

The toad glared at Marcy and the human returned the gesture. Brickstoll scoffed at the human and turned his attention back to Yunan. He pressed his elbow into Yunan's back and twisted her wrist.

The toad gladiator grinned when a small scream escaped the newt's mouth.

Marcy continued to glare at the toad but didn't try to attack again. She realized her current body lacked the strength to affect the gladiator. Thankfully, Marcy Wu was smart at any age and was already forming a plan.

The shrunken human looked around, trying to find anything that could help with her plan. Marcy smiled when she noticed a stall selling some kitchen wares. She walked over to the stall, and saw another still selling the other items and a little something extra that would help with her plans.

(SC)

Yunan continued to struggle, but it was all in vain. Not only was the toad putting all his weight onto her, but he had one of her arms in a lock and was pressing his elbow into her back at such a spot she could barely feel her legs.

Still, Yunan was once a Newtopian general and that meant she didn't give up. She tried to work through the pain and pushed herself up. Brockstill saw this, grinned, and pushed his elbow into Yunan's back.

Yunan clenched her teeth as she felt pain go through her lower half, and she felt her strength leave her. She hit the ground, groaning.

"Ha!" Brickstoll exclaimed triumphantly, leaning close to Yunan's face. "Surprised about this newt?"

Yunan managed to turn her head enough that she could glare at the toad. This didn't have the effect the retired general wanted, and just caused Brickstoll to grin viciously.

"If you're curious," the toad said egotistically, "I learned that most of your newts have a tender spot on your back that, when applied with enough pressure…Well, I don't think I need to tell what's happening, do I?"

Yunan growled and once more tried to work through the pain to get to her feet. Brickstoll saw this, and pressed his elbow into the newt's back. Yunan couldn't hold back her screams this time, and she cried out as he hit the ground once again.

Brickstoll laughed at the newt's misery, loving the sound he was hearing. Suddenly, a dirt rag was thrown into the toad's face. With a groan, he shook off the rag and looked to his right. He groaned and gave a flat look to the shrunken human.

Marcy was glaring at the toad gladiator, frying pan in each hand. Brickstoll glared at the human for a second, scoffed, then turned his attention back to Yunan.

Marcy grinned as that was what she wanted. Unknown to the toad, while he was busy taunting Yunan, Marcy sneaked up on him and tied a rope around Brickstoll's leg without his noticing.

Now it was time for Marcy to execute her plan.

The shrunken human hurried over to the nearby Killamoth, with the other end of the rope tied around one of its legs. With a grin that would make Yunan proud, she slammed the pans together as hard as possible.

Startled, the Killamoth screeched and took to the air. The rope quickly extended to its full length, and the toad was suddenly pulled away from Yunan, screaming.

Everyone watched as the toad disappeared into the sky. Then, looking at Marcy, the small creature waving innocently at the departing gladiator, the crowd couldn't help but feel uneasy and impressed by her intelligence.

The crowd soon broke apart when they realized the show was over.

Yunan groaned as she slowly pushed herself up. Feeling was returning to her lower half, but it was slow. Her arm was also screaming in pain from being twisted in such a way.

"...I could have taken that toad if I was still in fighting shape," the retired general muttered bitterly.

The irony wasn't lost on her; in the few short months since retiring, she had lost most of her old fighting instincts. If she had been in her prime, she would have been able to handle the toad without much problem, even if he employed dirty tricks.

"MOMMY-YUNNY!"

Yunan groaned when Marcy rammed into her gut and hugged her. Startled, the retired general awkwardly returned the hug. The pink newt took a moment to collect herself, then looked down at Marcy.

Yunan noticed that the human was shaking slightly, and she could have sworn she had seen some tears building in the corners of her eyes.

The pink newt was surprised by this. Just a second ago, Marcy was acting like her old self, making plans to get out of trouble. So, to suddenly see Marcy break down like this was startling.

Still, the retired general found herself comforting the shrunken human.

"It's okay," Yunan said in a soft tone, surprising herself with her tone. "You did good and it takes more than a few lucky shots to bring me down."

Marcy looked up hopefully, and Yunan saw the tears clearly now. With a small, motherly smile, the newt reached out and gently wiped the tears away.

"MARCY WU-LONGCLAW!"

Yunan and Marcy stiffened as they looked over Marcy's shoulder and saw Olivia stormed up to them. The smaller newt looked none too pleased with the shrunken human, glaring scoldingly at Marcy.

Even Darcy looked a little scared of the aura coming off Olivia.

"What were you thinking?" Olivia asked, her voice mixed worry and anger. "You could have gotten hurt!"

Marcy's face fell as she looked away from the aquamarine newt, shame highlighting her face. Yunan looked at the human, then at her wife and smiled as she wrapped her arms around Marcy.

Yunan winced as she stood up, and looked at Olivia. She opened her mouth to say, but quickly snapped it shut when Olivia shot her a look. The aquramarine newt turned her attention to the shrunken human, and Marcy squirmed under the look.

"...But Mommy-Yunny-" Marcy tried to say, but faltered under Olivia's glare.

Marcy began fiddling with her fingers as she tried to find something to say. But under Olivia's glare, the human found her quick-witted mind locking up.

In the end, the ex-ranger couldn't find anything to say, and looked away shamefully.

"...Sowwy?" Marcy managed to squeak out.

Olivia glared at Marcy for a few more seconds, then let out a tired sigh. The smaller newt's anger gave away to worry, and she stared at Marcy. She looked at Yunan, and a silent message was sent between the two.

Yunan sent Marcy down and took Darcy from her wife. Olivia then picked up Marcy and hugged her tightly. Marcy was startled by this, but hugged the aquamarine newt back.

The two stayed like this for nearly two minutes before Olivia gently pulled Marcy away, offering her a small smile.

"Little Marcy…" the smaller newt said warmly. "You scared me just now."

Marcy looked up at Olivia, confused. Olivia saw this, sighed, and explained.

"It's just you're currently a toddler. And despite knowing you still have your incredible intelligence and experience, it's scary watching you do something dangerous."

Marcy looked away, shame once again highlighting her face. Olivia saw this, smiled, and gently turned Marcy's face to look at her.

"So, please," the small newt pleaded softly, "Until we can figure out how to restore you to normal, you can be more careful?"

Marcy looked in Olivia's pleading eyes for a moment, then nodded eagerly. "Otay, Mama-Olivy!"

Olivia nearly gushed at the cuteness and hugged Marcy again. The shrunken human for her part, blushed faintly and retired the hug. The moment was quickly ruined when a loud growl filled the air.

The aquamarine newt gently pulled Marcy away from her chest and looked at her. The shrunken human's blush had gotten redder, and it didn't take much for anyone to realize that the noise had come from her.

"Well," Olivia said warmly, looking at her wife and offering her a hand, "I'll say we have earned a decent lunch. Don't you, dear?"

Yunan nodded, smiling, and took Olivia's hand. Hand in hand, the Longclaw family made their way to Stumpy's.

(G Corner)

I want to say I'm sorry to all Yunan fans for how I treated her during this chapter. But I reasoned that her new position would have kept her busy, and she wouldn't have gotten much training. Besides, Brickstoll cheated.

Speaking of Brickstoll, this would probably be the last time I use him for a while. But if you're wondering, he's going ot be okay. He would get free shortly after leaving Wartwood and landed on a familiar witchy family from my slightly famous story series, the Noceda-Clawthorne series.