Attack of the Giant Maddie

by birby6

Maddie never wanted to experience something like that day again. When a painful migraine leads to a full on bodily surge, she immediately finds herself back in a stature she desired to forget...but on a grander scale. Now it's a mad scramble to find a cure for her titanic growth before she has to live as a colossal giant forever, but something doesn't seem right...

10. Chapter 10

Flint worked his fingers to the bones to make extra sure he never screwed up. Meticulous planning and foresight intertwined for a creation few understood the consequences of. Heed the warnings attentively until they carved choice words deep into the gray matter and the chances may show percentages in the double digits. Not just anyone understood the ramifications beyond typical failure of such delicate craft work, and as such attempts dwindled to a select few. The traveling salesman of many treasures just so happened to maintain the required knowledge of such a task, but it necessitated full concentration. One mismatch here and mistake there wouldn't cut it for what Anne wanted him to do. Either he crafted the solution or Maddie ravaged Amphibia.

He never wanted to undergo such steady work again, and in retrospect a giant Maddie destroying the entire continent sounded like the better outcome. At least with the latter higher authorities potentially kept the necessary tools to bring her down. For what Flint needed to create, they walked the thinnest line imaginable for the potential best result. He understood next to nothing as to why Anne gunned for the least punishing option when the possibility almost didn't exist. She even willingly allowed herself to get swallowed by Maddie for the sake of someone who probably fell prey to the digestive system. If anything, she likely suffered the same fate and he started work on the special tool for nothing. Despite the odds stacked against him with his assumptions, something in him compelled him to move forward. Whether some long lost memory desired discovery or some kind of third factor controlled him, he continued his work. He saw a losing battle, yet imagined a win ahead.

"Got to think positive…for some shred of power…" Flint thought as he caressed a sharp edge lightly.

He missed a few dull spots which required more work. Even with all of his gripes toward such a creation, at least the constant screams from a particular infant polliwog left someone other than him in a similar predicament. The longer Maddie rampaged throughout Wartwood, the more her younger sister Rosemary fell into psychotic beliefs beyond typical sanity. Her central thoughts about how everyone would perish never left her, but at a certain point her mind steered in a different direction. Suddenly her delusions deteriorated to where she saw herself as already on the edge of the end and anyone who came close wanted to drag her into the fiery depths. Lavender even garnered the moniker "Poxy" as if she always had such a "demon name" according to Rosemary. She "repented" the so called "demons" with "divine juice" which everyone else saw as nothing but standard milk. Even so, she somehow managed to hoard entire stacks in the chaos and tossed them at whoever drew near to her "Fortress of Solitude". Such actions lead streams of milk to leak continuously out from under the bathroom door while her shrieks reverberated throughout the halls. Everyone went to bed with pillows over their heads just to ease the stress of the sheer volume of the young one's screams. At her current rate, for Maddie to not immediately notice their hideaway became nothing short of a miracle. If his work kept him out of the shrieks of a mad Rosemary, he would gladly take it.

He never fancied himself a family critter in the first place.

Felicia kept a solemn word to deliver his meals on the side while he worked, and so far he encountered next to no terrible interruptions. Any delays further muddied the waters and allowed Maddie more free reign to mess with Wartwood in any way she chooses. If push came to shove, he wouldn't hesitate to ring the royal family for assistance. King Andrias always thought one step ahead after all, but until the seriousness escalated beyond comprehension Flint held back. His concentration needed the max amount of brainpower to craft such an enigmatic tool.

Even though his back faced the door, he still heard the slight creaks as it opened. At first he continued his work and ignored it, but when he heard a certain voice it forced him to stop.

"Hey, uhhhh, Flint? My mom made some mushroom soup for you."

He traveling collector closed his eyes and slowly breathed for a second before. He couldn't have avoided it forever and the pleasant scent tickled his nostrils. Out of the corner of his eye the outgoing child who accompanied him for a certain material plastered a smile across her face as if nothing bad happened. The mythical walking potato squeaked with each passing step next to her, and its lack of expression left guesses as to what it truly felt. He saw it pivot on the spot with its behind and click its round feet a few times while squeaking in the process.

Ivy approached Flint with the steaming bowl in her hands. The opaque broth complemented the sliced mushrooms on top, luckily not any dangerous kinds, as if they motioned to him for a first taste. As much as he wanted to continue crafting, he knew functioning on an empty stomach wouldn't last long. Even with the urgency at its peak, Flint complied and turned to face the eager frog.

"Your mother knows how to make a dish." Flint said as Ivy handed him the bowl and spoon.

"Well, when you work a business that specializes in table work on light foods you sort of need some cooking expertise." Ivy stated. "It comes with the territory."

The Spudley dug its feet into the ground and twirled in its own squeaky fashion as it watched the two. Ivy giggled as Flint blew some steam off of the bowl's top.

"Oh, and this little one won't stop moving around and squeaking. Ever since we came back with that Meteor Snap chunk I haven't seen it act up this much."

The small potato creature hopped around to the point where in accidentally fell onto its back. It flailed its feet in the air and squeaked ceaselessly as it rolled around a little before Ivy placed it right side up again. From there it plopped on the ground then provided a very drawn out long squeak as it slowed its movements. Flint and Ivy hypothesized their own interpretations, but they kept the thoughts to themselves. After all of the time spent with the little enigma only seen by few, for once they really wished something existed to understand what the Spudley attempted to convey. Their own unique "squeaky" language left translations up in the air and its movements only baffled those who witnessed them. Even Marcy, the most intelligent one they knew, just watched in bewilderment and couldn't crack anything. It likely needed more time, but for now language barriers halted communication. If the Spudley knew some sort of secret to stop Maddie in her tracks it would fall on deaf ears. While unfair call it useless, they pretty much only saw a moving brick that often bashed itself into walls for seemingly no reason.

"I'd…say it has its fine moments." Flint replied.

Not wanting to delay the savory moment any longer, he sipped the soup silently. Almost immediately the faint image of a small frog sitting in a chair next to a warm fireplace emerged from the depths. It shivered in silence with eyes captivated by the throbbing flames. Crackles littered the air when another more elder frog walked up close to the intrigued example of youth. The floorboard alerted the younger frog but by the time it realized everything a warm blanket set over its trembling legs. The two locked eyes until the older one revealed the steaming bowl in its hand. After a couple of whimpers, the younger frog found the bowl on its lap where the first taste passed its lips. The happiness of a job well done plastered across the face of youth before it embraced the elder with a small tear in its eye. He wanted it to continue, and yet such a play danced around for many years. He never grew tired of it. Whatever Felicia planted in his soup really hit home.

Flint silently dipped more into his soup as Ivy glanced over at what he worked on. Once she saw the sharp edges she lightly gasped which nearly toppled over the Spudley behind her. It likewise provided sequences of squeaks as Ivy inquired about it.

"Excuse me, Mister, uhhhhh, Flint, but you've worked on this for quite I while, I see."

Flint closed his eyes and let the hot steam flow through his nostrils before he begrudgingly answered.

"I can't miss a single imperfection or else its entire function falls apart. If it works we'll have Maddie back to normal…also if everything lines up."

Something in Flint's words left a bad taste in Ivy's mouth. She knew of his foreboding words he stated during the meet up with some of the last few survivors of Maddie's tyranny, but for the most part she gave them a passing thought. Now with the tool in full view which rubbed her the wrong way, for some reason she never let go of the words.

"What do you mean by…those last few words?"

The Spudley squeaked and tapped its feet as Flint informed her of what she wanted to know.

"I've stated it before when we still had Anne around, but just because we have everything set in place doesn't mean it will automatically work. She fully hinged on this last resort even though one wrong move would end everything catastrophically. Of course she said she would take full responsibility for a failure, and yet I don't think she fully grasped just HOW terrible just one single mistake could go. I'm doing everything I can to keep the odds high, but the chance still exists."

He let all of it out and barely lifted a muscle. In some ways, Ivy understood his sentiments toward whatever he worked his fingers on. Even so, he also told no such lies. While she still lacked the full context, everything hinged on the contraption Flint worked on which he clearly stated had a chance of failure. Anne put faith in it even though the intense warnings never deterred her, so surely she must have considered it when she agreed on her part. If Maddie really lost herself too far…

Ivy refused to think of failure any further. Whatever everyone collaborated on would work. Wartwood went through worse, so logically a giant Maddie became just yet another Tuesday.

The Spudley looked over the creation and uttered long squeaks in the process. Ivy kept herself from touching it, but its distinct shape left certain images which stirred her curiosity. Flint remained relatively silent on the matter while he enjoyed his mushroom soup, and yet the young frog wanted to know more about it.

"So…what does the doohickey do anyway? You've hyped it up as the answer to the giant problem on the surface."

Flint let his soup simmer as he slowly turned to face Ivy with dread. Even the Spudley backed up a little until it hit the back wall and fell onto its backside again. Despite the signs, he remained silent.

---

Marcy's navigation skills almost lead the three completely astray in the bloodstream for several junctions. At one point she called one area near the pancreas and another above the back spinal cord even though everything around them looked the same. Same red tubes followed by red blood cells around them at every turn which provided headaches for Anne and the other two. She often kept her head down during anatomy class to avoid the grotesque visuals, because in her own words "I'm fine as long as I don't see it". Marcy became the odd one out of the trio, so it sounded reasonable for her to know where to head next toward Maddie's brain. The longer they went left and right down the corridors of the circulatory system the less Anne felt that she really knew where they headed next. If she caught a few Zs in science class she would have told her and Sasha at some point. While the anatomy of a frog drastically differed from a human, Marcy surely knew her directions in case they ended up swallowed by one.

It wasn't the first time they found themselves in a sticky situation after all.

Anne and Marcy almost lost themselves several times from suctions through puckered orifices, likely passageways to other organs, which required quick thinking. If groups of red blood cells never crowded around them every second they likely would have fallen into one. As long as they firmly grasped one of the large red discs that headed in another direction they'd barely managed to get away in time. Maddie's body already had it against them, and at every single turn they found trouble in some fashion.

Sprig poked his tiny head out of Anne's hair as they rounded yet another turn somewhere else.

"I going to get seasick…after these travels…" Sprig said as he clutched his stomach.

"After heading through Maddie's system, I think ALL of us deserve a break." Anne said. "Marcy, please tell us we've almost reached the spot."

Marcy glanced at the two and fidgeted with her fingers a few times. Anne and Sprig just stared at her with the most unenthused faces possible as Mar Mar floated in the bloodstream silently.

"Well, uhhhhh, you see…" Marcy stuttered. "I sort of-"

"You can't delay forever, Marcy." Anne interjected flatly.

"Okay! Okay! I may have sort of…lost track of our location after the incident with the white blood cells."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sprig stated.

One of the worst outcomes finally came to light upon Marcy's confession. If she had a slight inkling of where they ended up next in Maddie's body she completely lost it by now. Without any sort of sign of where they were none of them had any insight Maddie's innards left them completely trapped in no man's land. With how tiny Marcy made all of them possibilities extended basically anywhere within the anatomy of the bipedal frog witch. They may have headed in the right direction at first, but after a while of seemingly aimless wandering through the circulatory system one wrong turn could have sealed their fates. Marcy's bright idea to travel along the bloodstream backfired the moment she forgot the directions, although from her rash decision at first Anne doubted she knew them in the first place. They needed another idea before Maddie's immune system reared up for a second round.

"We can't keep wandering aimlessly through Maddie forever! We NEED to get to her brain STAT!" Anne exclaimed. "I almost had an antibody shoved down my mouth MULTIPLE TIMES!"

"I know, I know! Just give me a moment to concentrate a bit, okay?" Marcy responded.

The smart one took a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes. Anne and Sprig watched as she clasped her hands together and slowed her breathing as if they heightened her mental connections. Her short hair flowed through Maddie's blood while numerous red blood cells nearly smacked her upside the head. She may have appeared to have lost her mind and tuned herself out of reality, but the more Anne thought about it Marcy possibly thought one step ahead. Despite all of the chaos that ensued throughout Maddie's veins, a few select traits eased the mind to anyone who looked close enough. Even as a cold blooded frog, Maddie's blood set at a very soothing temperature. Anne read in a "useless fact book" at her school's library once that humans typically relaxed well in mild temperatures, not too hot and not too cold. Combined with the slow yet relaxing heartbeat of Maddie everywhere and Marcy may have found some form of comfort in all of the chaos. The weird set of circumstances combined into a melodic synth which left the ever curious Marcy in a state of calming zen for maximum focus.

Anne and Sprig didn't know what to say as Marcy rubbed her temples in silence. She floated in the bloodstream for a few seconds before she perked up and snapped her fingers.

"If we traveled up for that long combined with the organs we already passed by…"

Marcy held up a finger before she swiftly acted. From out of nowhere, the girl reached out and grabbed a small notch in their current vein which caught Anne by surprise. She almost failed to react in time and hastily held onto Marcy's other hand before the bloodstream could separate them. If Marcy had given her a full heads up beforehand she would have acted quicker on her toes and not risked losing her friend in the depths of Maddie's body.

"MARCY?! WHAT THE HECK?!" Anne exclaimed through the flowing current.

"Sweet frog on high! I almost lost my grip back there!" Sprig stated.

"Sorry you two, but I had to act rapidly before we missed our chance!" Marcy answered. "If I calculated correctly, our stop to Maddie's brain should exist right around here!"

Suddenly Marcy's bold action made complete sense, and both Anne and Sprig had it in them to forgive her. After the perilous journey through Maddie's blood and many obstacles that had it out for them, including the immune system, the three finally reached their end goal even though visuals remained obscured. Anne and Sprig trusted Marcy, mostly due to their fatigue of dealing with Maddie's innards, although they never noticed any accessible entryway. They relied on the prodigy to conclude on a solution, or at least for a method to get to Maddie's brain as quick as possible. They couldn't take control with red blood cells ramming ceaselessly across their fragile tiny bodies, especially for Sprig.

"About time!" Sprig exclaimed. "I'm tired of this tiny business! How exactly do we get in though?"

Marcy's smile slightly dipped a bit further down than normal. Her expression alone sold Anne on something she probably regretted, especially from someone typically a cheery cream puff. Marcy's hesitation left more guesses than answers until she relayed what she had in mind back to the other two.

"Anne, I'll need your sword again."

Her words made Anne's stomach churn. She wanted to form her own path again which got them into Maddie's veins in the first place. Even after only a single time Anne wanted to forget it ever happened, and yet Marcy made sure it stayed in her cranium for a while. As much as any other option would follow a similar success rate, ignorance of the urgency on the outside became near impossible. She willingly let herself go down the hatch to rescue Marcy after all, and she cared for friends close to her. While such a method injured the giant frog girl they traveled inside of, any further delays risked even more casualties even if Maddie's normal mindset typically never resorted to such travesties. Anne felt more like an actual surgeon than an actual surgeon.

With one hand still attached to Marcy, Anne trembled as she reached to her side and felt for a specific holster. One she prodded her fingers around for a bit some familiarity sparked before she carefully brought her weapon out. The blood's current pushed against her which made her more cautious to hold it out. Like Sprig or Marcy, any one slip meant the end as it traveled endlessly through Maddie's bloodstream. She held on to her sword like she really meant it so it wouldn't suffer such a fate.

"Do we really have to…" Anne said as she swallowed her pride.

"Anne, I can't hold on here all day. Do you want to save Maddie or not?" Marcy asked seriously.

Anne's guilt slowly crept up yet she couldn't go against it. She wanted to avoid hurting Maddie, but she saw no other option. As reluctant and bad as she felt, she forced her arm through the strong current. She just about handed her sword to Marcy when a large red blood cell nearly left a head on collision with the three. Sprig shrieked for a split second and ducked into Anne's hair for cover as the impact left the smart one hanging by a thread. Just one further nudge for her to completely lose her grip, and she needed a few moments to recover. Anne's feet flailed about as she lacked the strength to hoist her legs against the surging bloodstream. The girls clenched their teeth as Marcy gained ample traction enough for Anne to steadily pass her weapon of choice to her friend. As another red blood cell nearly brushed against them, Marcy acted instantly. Through the intense pressure of Maddie's blood, she plunged the tip of the blade straight into the circular wall below and drove it further down which put her muscles into overdrive. The line staggered and zigzagged until its length surpassed their current sizes and split open. Soon after a separate current started to suck them into the nearly open gash but nothing else as Marcy made sure only they fit for safety concerns. From there the three yelled before they sunk deep into the cut in one of the most cramped water slides they ever had the privilege to ride down. Their ride opened up the further they went down as if construction continued on the spot from the quickest workers on campus. No matter how far down the three rode the ride though, Anne and Marcy never let go of each other. Unpredictability still remained a factor, and they wanted to stay together at all times. Yet another crazy plan executed very amateurishly, but also successfully at the same time.

Their landing could have gone better, as Marcy toppled head first before Anne bumped behind her. They hit the ground in one loud thud and it nearly left their heads reverberating on impact. Anne held both sides of her head to stop the comical shaking before she shook herself of excess blood from the trek. A large stream of red still poured behind them, and even though they landed in a large puddle of it at least they left the circulatory system behind for now.

"I'm going to have second thoughts when going to water parks from now on." Anne said rather dissatisfied with the ordeal.

Sprig dizzily stumbled on Anne's head while he held on to a hair strand for stability. He breathed heavily as he felt his head gain a few pounds which toppled him over.

"I think I know…how a large mosquito feels…" Sprig stated as he clutched his gut. "I inadvertently swallowed…whole buckets back there…"

His tiny frog's cheeked swelled until the pressure final caught up to him. He rushed over one side of Anne's head and heaved to the ground below right before he fell flat onto his back. Anne immediately noticed the small glob fall from the corner of her eye which she didn't appreciate.

"Hey, watch where you aim Sprig!"

Sprig gurgled and mumbled something as his body held back a potential response. As much as he wanted to get his size back, Maddie's body completely left him fatigued beyond belief. The poor shrunken frog handled the brunt of all the turmoils ever since Marcy accidentally miniaturized him further than Maddie did. He couldn't help out in any way, even though he wanted to, and tagged along in Anne's hair because she wanted him by her side. His time in the spotlight never came, and thanks to Maddie his regular size eluded him beyond reach. He wished Maddie never reduced him because he wanted to help Anne and the others with the ongoing crisis.

Anne and Marcy coughed blood a few times, but thankfully not their own as they picked themselves up. They finally had the time to glance around wherever Maddie's bloodstream took them. The entire place rounded out into a dome shaped echo chamber one could mistake for a football stadium except a lot more spacious. It lacked an opening near the top where the open sky typically set, and instead some throbbing red streaks stretched across the circular ceiling like wide open arms. While Anne, Sasha, and Marcy never experienced the luxury of visiting an open sports stadium they've heard stories from others who have. Such tales left them yearning to eventually win tickets to one no matter the sport, although they never quite clinched enough cash thanks to "young shopaholic vibes" whenever they visit a mall. While not quite on the same level as those memories, the whole area reminded Anne that she wanted to have her ears blown out by the crazy football fan next to her. Even though she technically went to a coliseum filled with living potato creatures, it didn't fill the same void. Somewhere in Maddie held the capacity for Saturday night football, although she probably wouldn't like the endless banter from the stands.

The main attraction though occupied most of the available space, and it throbbed something fierce under the hood. A pink mass near the size of the entire place with various crags around the outside that often sparked something the three couldn't recognize. The biggest one went straight down the middle in one long deep fissure that split it into two equal sides. Some type of large lump remained partially hidden underneath followed by a stub of white which went down into the ground like a wooden stake. Due to their angle and size, further details stayed out of their vision range. Still, they knew from the few inklings gathered that they've come across the mother load and final destination of their perilous journey through Maddie's body. Her giant pink brain sized up to just as huge as her appearance on the outside.

Once everything finally clicked, Anne held her forehead for a brief moment.

"Thank goodness we ultimately ran our course to get here. I held back on so much disgust and experienced enough inner body to wake up an entire hospital."

"We just made every surgeon in existence blush." Marcy stated as she slowly shook her head. "Remind me to never go for a medical license at any point."

"And I can't think of any other smart quips for the moment!" Sprig sequentially added after Marcy.

Anne and Marcy stood up and wiped themselves off a little as they saw the behemoth of a brain before their very eyes. Anne even whistled briefly.

"You think Maddie gained some smarts when she grew? Bigger brains means more knowledge from what I've heard."

"Possibly, but judging from some of her current tactics…I doubt it." Marcy responded.

"Tell that to my shrinkage!" Sprig exclaimed.

"I consider that more archaic than smart since she already had those curses on hand." Anne replied. "Something probably reignited those old memories and used them against you."

"That…actually makes sense, now that I think about it." Sprig remarked.

"I appreciate conversing right now, but we have a giant witch frog girl to stop." Marcy said. "I'll get the reversal curses to restore our sizes first."

Anne and Sprig couldn't argue against that. As Marcy rummaged through her pockets, Anne lightly plucked Sprig from her hair and kept him in the center of her palm. Because Maddie miniaturized him already, he would still remain considerably smaller than both girls even after Marcy's reversal curse. While she would undo her own curse for shrinkage, Maddie's still stayed. Only she maintained the ability to undo the damage cast on him, but as long as she controlled Wartwood she likely never considered it. It fueled Sprig's desire to put an end to the madness, shrunken or not.

Marcy required a quick minute, but eventually two small bags with a knot around the top emerged. She held them gently to not accidentally spill their contents, but her goofy smile already told Anne about her initial intentions.

"As the one who concocted these, I'll go first. Gotta take one for the team in case I screwed up, you know?"

Anne knew better than to follow such a blatant lie. She practically plastered a giant neon "I just want to act as the big one again" sign across her forehead after their initial miniaturization. Her fascination delayed their course of actions for a bit while she messed with them, and she stated after she wanted to do it again. Even so, Anne expected at least a few weeks before she wanted to go for it again, not immediately after a travel through Maddie's body. Marcy's unpredictability often lead Anne and Sasha scratching their heads at times, whether it made sense or not. Whatever occurred in her noggin left the other two baffled, but it was also something they loved about her presence.

With one comical and overeager smile, Marcy stepped back then threw a bag to the ground near her feet. At first nothing seemed to have happened, but a few seconds later Anne and Sprig started to see an all familiar sight. Marcy's height extended higher and higher while her body scaled appropriately as a complete reversal of the curse in Maddie's stomach. To her she started to get her regular size back, but for the frog and other tween she appeared as if she ingested a hundred mushrooms before their eyes. Her body expanded to astronomical degrees and appeared as if she would never stop, but after around a minute they saw her growth back to normal end. They felt like they didn't need to reiterate their thoughts from before, and yet they sort of understood Marcy's intensive intrigue from towering over them. She may have her normal size back, but Anne and Sprig still remained tiny.

Almost immediately after her size came back, Marcy's eyes dilated before she put her hands on her cheeks. With her sight aimed right at them, they knew why her emotions skyrocketed immediately and they barely had time to think about it. Before they knew what hit them, Marcy's squealed and reached down to snatch the two. Anne found herself bound between multiple giant fingers and encapsulated within a large fist at one point. She could barely move as the darkness covered her everywhere, and once all of the gravity shifts stopped she needed a few moments to hold her heavy head. Once she saw the light emerge her head popped out from the top where one of the biggest excited smiles took up her entire vision. If she never knew the huge face above her maintained the identity of one of her close friend her escalation of fear likely shot over the big red line at that moment. She still kept Sprig safe in her own hand, but Marcy stood on a whole other level. She already had another moment as the big one of the group much to her delight. Although Anne wanted her restoration as soon as possible…she would let Marcy have her moment to not ruin her happy mood.

The giant one acted instantly and drew Anne's tiny form toward her massive face. Before Anne knew it, Marcy already smothered her against her soft cheeks. She got a face full of Marcy and braced herself as her friend's happiness knew no bounds.

"YOU. ARE. SO. CUTE!" Marcy exclaimed. "I wish you can stay like this forever!"

"Not so…hard there…Mar Mar!" Anne responded between smothers.

Marcy hard pressed Anne several times against her cheeks and even tightened her grip from pure excitement over Anne's tiny form. Before long, Anne felt one of Marcy's hard fingernails against her scalp as she thoroughly enjoyed her tiny friend. For her fluffy marshmallow personality, her huge friend acted more like Sasha with her tightening grip on occasion. Out of the three of them, she acted more stalwart compared to Anne's valorous and Marcy's studious antics. If she wanted something done, she put her foot down and anchored her tension filled gaze on her targets until whatever arduous task finished to her liking. With so much power in her stance and personality, she often lead Anne and Marcy down paths she deemed fit for the three of them. Often her ideas worked out, but for very scant occasions it backfired which she brushed off whenever the other two brought them up. As much as the other two girls wanted her back, they knew in their hearts she still existed out there ready for action at the flip of a switch. In certain ways, Marcy's strong hold over her shrunken body reminded Anne of her and how much she wanted Sasha back safe and sound. Just because they butted heads and had a recent rocky relationship meant nothing in terms of how they really thought of each other. As the giant Marcy cuddled Anne hard against her face, she wondered how Sasha would have handled her in the same shoes.

…at least in a sense where she doesn't end up with multiple fractured and broken bones from a possible power trip.

Once Marcy filled herself up with tiny Anne joy, she pulled her off and set her back into her fingerless gloved hand. She still expressed a wide smile as her planet sized eyes stared right at the speck of a girl. Anne wobbled before she sat down from the constant motions and allowed her head to settle. She still held a tinier Sprig as Marcy contemplated on something else.

"Ohhhhhhh, I want to try out so many activities while I have you so tiny! I can't settle on only one though! Uggggggh, come on Marcy! I'm running on fumes and I need something!"

She used her other hand to knock herself lightly on the forehead for some type of idea. Anne shuddered as Sprig squeaked something out she couldn't hear, but before she could respond the biggest girl of the bunch snapped her fingers.

"Ooh! I finally have one! I know I don't have the longest locks, but I'm curious anyway! Time to start bushwhacking, Anne!"

Anne managed only a brief utterance before she lost all sense of gravity the moment she suddenly hurled forward. From what Marcy stated, she knew where her giant friend intended to send her. Once her head smacked against some long black strands she sank down until she landed on a hard surface. She needed one one light glance to find out that she ended up in the denseness of her friend's hair. Out of the three of them, Anne obviously maintained a large bush of hair which lead to the nickname "Broccoli Boonchuy" in her childhood. Sasha and Marcy typically found shorter lengths more appealing, but when shrunken atop Marcy's head she could easily mistake such an interest as the contrary. Long black strands waved in the breeze which inhibited her ability to see around her. She understood how Sprig must have felt when he went for a dip into her own jungle of bushy hair. Whatever Marcy had in mind, she wanted Anne to feel like she found herself lost in unfamiliar territory…like when she first arrived in Amphibia.

Anne figured Marcy let her excitement get the better of her, because she only had a few seconds to relax when she heard her giant friend's bellowing voice.

"Oh Aaaaaaaaaaaaanne! Where aaaaaaaaaaaare yoooooooou?"

Anne received an eyeful of Marcy after she saw what came down from the sky above. Nothing but many of Marcy's column thick fingers descended into the black hair forest and prodded across her scalp for any sign of her shrunken friend. Sprig lightly screamed before Anne took off in the other direction. The locks of Marcy's hair impeded progress despite the fact she typically kept her hair short. Her fingers acted as a bulldozer which flattened anything underneath them if her fingernails didn't cut into them first. At one point Anne came extremely close to having her body sliced open as one of Marcy's fingers dug into part of her scalp mere inches before such a tiny speck. Her fingernails rubbed up some white flakes before Anne rushed in the opposite direction. She wished Marcy would have let up just a bit if her excitement never took over. While not a toy, Marcy saw Anne as one while she maintained the bigger size.

After minutes of running from Marcy's grasp, the angle of her scalp stared to decline which caught Anne by surprise. The endless stalks of hair covered her vision to the point where an immediate drop didn't stand out as a possibility until nothing but air existed under her feet. She ran across Marcy's head so quickly she inadvertently rushed completely off of it which sent her into a free fall. Luckily she only experienced a skydivers life for a split second before she suddenly halted in the air. As it turned out, Marcy thought one step ahead and snagged her right in the nick of time by the back of her shirt. Anne dangled as she lowered downward until a typical giant friendly expression filled her sight. Her game lasted very shortly, but the bigger girl enjoyed it nonetheless.

"Caught you!" Marcy's booming voice said. "You really know how to rush out of danger, Anne!"

"Well, I had experience numerous times." Anne responded to her giant friend. "Blame it on Wartwood's escalating dangers."

"Right, I can imagine." Marcy stated.

As Anne suspended from Marcy's fingers, the giant one couldn't help herself again. Just like clinging car keys, she shook the dot of a girl back and forth while giggling and laughing under her breath. For Anne, it felt like she just seated herself onto a motion filled ride at Disneyland without a barf bag on hand. Marcy's shakes became so rough that Anne almost lost her hold on Sprig, which to her stood out as a sign that the "big and small" games needed to end before she acted too careless. As much as she wanted to keep Marcy happy, she shrunk for a reason and any further delays left Wartwood in even worse shape.

Marcy's giggles and laughs resonated through Anne and Sprig like a rock concert as they hung from her fingers.

"Hahahaha! Oh Anne, you have no idea how enjoyable this feels! I can do this all day!"

"I get it Marcy! Trust me, I get it!" Anne replied. "I know you want to still act like you just grew huge, but we still have a town to save, remember?"

Marcy's smile faltered a bit but a good portion remained up. At first, Anne doubted that she would reverse the effects on her. She fell into the same enjoyment Maddie felt the longer she stayed massive, and in her case she wrecked Wartwood in the process. If she sat in the same boat, they'll stay tiny for longer which she continued to mess with them. As much as Anne wanted some optimism, ignorance of the evident other side proved foolish to the uninformed. Her fate, along with Sprig's, literally fell into Marcy's hands since she maintained the greater size over her.

Marcy exhaled through her nostrils while nearly blew Anne out of her grasp.

"You're right. I got carried away yet again and forgot what we came here for. As much as I want to continue this…you deserve to have your size back. Sorry, Anne."

"None taken. I knew from the look on your face that you wanted some 'tiny' time with me. Good to have you back, Marse." Anne responded.

"So I'm not a factor in this then?" Sprig stated. "I'm the worst stricken one here! First Maddie and now Marcy shrunk me!"

"Nah, I can't ignore you, Sprig." Anne said to the dot of a frog in her hand. "At least Marcy will undo her shrinking curse so you won't feel TOO small."

"I know, I know." Sprig responded. "It just feels weird having to look up to speak to you instead of straight ahead. You think Maddie will undo her curse?"

"I'm certain we can convince her after everything said and done." Anne remarked.

Right as Anne finished, the normal sized Marcy placed her shrunken friend in the palm of her free hand and carefully lowered her down to the ground. Anne made her way across Marcy's fingers until she reached her fingertips and jumped off. She nearly clipped herself against one of her huge fingernails, but otherwise she remained unhurt. With her speck of a stature near Marcy's titanic boots, the giant one reached into her pockets until she found the extra bag for Anne and Sprig. They expected Marcy to toss the bag down immediately, but a few choice words escaped her mouth first.

"You know I'll never get over this. I'll do it again when you least expect it."

"Yes, you made that perfectly clear back in Maddie's gut." Anne responded before a few light chuckles.

To anyone else, they likely heard Anne's response as blunt and insulting as if seriousness never echoed throughout her head. Her chuckles helped reinforce such a hunch to an unhealthy degree, and yet Marcy never fell into such a trap. In fact, she lightly giggled back in agreement even if the fragility behind Anne's size meant one single stomp from one of her boots meant her end. The two understood each other well to understand their words often played around rather flavorful topics. Their exchange reflected such a strong bond even when sarcasm arrived uninvited. Anne's and Marcy's friendship ran deep, even when something rather hurtful ran between them.

With all of the banter out of the way, Marcy finally released her hold on the bag. Sparkly powder covered Anne and Sprig which left them coughing a few times, but they felt the effects rather quickly. As the dust settled, the ground began to push away from them. Anne held Sprig a little tighter just in case, and Marcy appeared to not have as much of an advantage over them anymore. Marcy herself lightly clapped before she witnessed the other girl of the group lock eyes without any extra help. Sprig still remained encompassed in Anne's hand, but at least he didn't stand even smaller after Marcy's mishap. It felt nice to have mostly everyone back to their normal sizes.

The three glanced down toward their feet where they initially arrived and saw the cut that still oozed a bit of blood. It barely matched the thickness of their fingernails. To know they came in through there showed just how small Marcy shrunk them just to get to Maddie's brain. At least that part of their trek ended with everyone still intact.

"Ohhhhhhhkay, now we got your shrinking curse out of the way…" Anne stated before she motioned over to the giant pink mass next to them.

"Except for me obviously." Sprig added from Anne's hand.

"Oh, right! Taking control of Maddie from the inside!" Marcy said. "After everything that happened so far I nearly forgot!"

"Knowing you, I'm not too surprised to hear that." Anne responded. "So how do we intend to seize control? Don't tell me you need to slice something with my sword again."

"Thankfully, we don't have to resort to such actions anymore." Marcy answered. "In fact, if I remember correctly…"

Anne and Sprig watched Marcy rummage through her clothes again for a few moments. In the end, she brought out yet another bag containing another curse she whipped up at some point. Anne put one of her hands forward and waved it, since one hand still held Sprig, while the tiny frog used both.

"Oh no. Oh nonononono. We just got done with the shrinking business. I'm not having another go for your amusement." Anne said.

"Plus I don't want to suffer another klutzy mishap to leave me even smaller!" Sprig added.

"I'm using a different curse, Anne." Marcy responded. "I ran through Maddie's spell book a few times and concocted this just for the heck of it. Supposedly it allows direct control to whoever gets covered in it as long as you remain in direct contact."

"Oh, really? I can see why nobody would want to use it." Anne said. "Having to stay connected to your target just to control them doesn't sound too practical."

"Sounds like a more watered down version of those mind controlling mushrooms to me." Sprig stated.

"Yeah, I understand your points." Marcy answered. "Heck, I never thought I'd use it in any capacity and keep it for bragging rights. However, we just so happen to be in the perfect state for it to actually have some use. Hopefully we can hold off Maddie's destruction long enough until Flint and Ivy get back to craft that special tool."

"Then I guess you'll act as the one to take control of Maddie for a while?" Sprig asked. "You said that the curse requires direct contact with whatever…"

He didn't have to finish his sentence as the three stared back behind them to the giant pink mass that nearly took up the entire area. Its surface wriggled albeit ever so subtly while the craggy ravines opened and closed to the power that weaved between them. Each part of the brain controlled different functions, but because Anne repelled repugnant grody topics she often skipped many details even during science class. The area they occupied near Maddie's brain controlled something, but specifics eluded them. Even so, thanks to the one requirement in Marcy's created curse…she would have to get her hands dirty.

Marcy closed her eyes for a few moments and pinched her forehead.

"Yes, it won't look pretty. At least feel glad your sinewy fingers won't touch excess gray matter anytime soon."

The prodigy of a girl walked up close to the seeping wall of pink and sat down with her legs crossed. With the bag in one hand, brain slime sagged down near her feet which forced some dry heaving from Anne and Sprig. Marcy shuddered before she glanced back at Anne one final time.

"If anything looks wrong while I'm in then pull me away. It'll sever the connection and bring me back. I'm counting on both of you."

"You'll always have us on standby, so don't worry about it." Anne responded.

Sprig nodded in agreement as Marcy faced the pink wall again. She pinched the top of the curse bag and concentrated before she undid the top. In one fell swoop, she hurled the bag at the small portion of Maddie's brain which clouded her surroundings in purple glitter. Without any hesitation after, Marcy immediately thrust her hands forward as her finger grasped as much brain as possible. Her eyes closed, her teeth clenched, and her muscles tensed. Anne and Sprig watched from nearby, but as the process continued Anne took a step back. Brain slime covered Marcy's hands but she refused to let go. She appeared as if she suffered pain, but Anne held back for now. Marcy wouldn't call for something wrong at the start of the process despite the visuals. Anne trusted her to know how to seize control away from Maddie, and Marcy gave it her all.

Her actions continued for several minutes with no signs of success. Not until Anne witnessed Marcy's muscles weaken and soften did she realize the end result. The moment the young genius' eyes opened, the translucent purple sclera sealed the deal along with two words from her mouth.

"I'm in."

---

After hours upon hours of nothing but making the town of Wartwood hers, Maddie eventually tired herself out. She still isolated the entire town thanks to the curse barrier so nothing can come in or out, but pure enjoyment fatigued the giant frog girl. At least half of the population, including her father, went into her digestive system whether by refusal to do what she wanted or just because she felt like it. She eventually started to salivate the more she thought about consuming more residents, but she always kept a specific fact in the back of her mind. The more she ate the less toys littered the ground to mess with, and she wanted to have some tiny frogs to spare for her amusement. With endless days ahead she thought of numerous cruel activities, and anyone who refused or performed poorly took a trip down her throat. She commanded total attention, and she made sure everyone kept their eyes on her. Calling her a "giant monster" described only half of her inhumane actions upon everyone tinier than her gigantic body.

After she nearly ended multiple lives when she played whack-a-mole with her huge fists, Maddie settled on an activity just as immoral, if not worse, than what came before. With her two giant feet stretched across the entire ruins of Wartwood, she commanded everyone still around to rub her dirty flats all over. After days of relentless cruelty her feet stank to high heavens where one whiff sent flies reviling for cover. The intensive glare from her one eye provided all of the intimidation for her, so after a few minutes numerous tiny frogs plastered themselves across her feet. They started rubbing like their lives depended on it, and despite the sheer scale differences Maddie's foot muscles loosened the longer it went on. Her appreciation hit a boundary, although she refused to display such an emotion, and yet she wanted more hard work thrown her way. Just simple rubs won't cut it in her presence, not when she controlled whose status tipped toward either servant or snack.

Some of the tiny frogs eventually made it between Maddie's two massive toes and massaged the particular spot as well. As much as Maddie enjoyed their tenacity, she wanted to mess with them even more. She wiggled her two toes as the tiny ones nearly lost balance, and after a few more they completely fell off. Their heads hit the dirt but Maddie never reacted. To her their existence hinged on the perfect foot massage and any delays decreased their chances of survival. She controlled them and they served her.

"Hey! I'm not feeling much on my back heels! Don't make me CRUSH you!"

The ones by her feet got the message and immediately went to work on the respective areas. Maddie lightly chuckled as she sat back and watched their misery unfold before her one visible eye. For a certain group hidden behind a wall of a particular building the entire situation made them sick. Her feet gathered so much dirt and grime from her romps around Wartwood, so the putrid fumes alone could have have knocked out anyone from a light whiff. To see numerous other frogs combat the stink against their will proved repugnant and they needed to get them away from her. They deserved none of it.

Flint, Ivy, Polly, Hop Pop, Frobo, and the Spudley watched from afar to the horrors before them.

"When I get my feet, remind me to not become that sadistic." Polly said.

Frobo whirred and spun his head around before her uttered a few clicks in response.

"Sarcasm, Frobo. I'm talking sarcasm."

The robot's head tilted as a large hourglass filled his two eyes. Once they emptied, two large Xs formed followed by some type of toaster ding. Polly shook her head and slapped her forehead.

"I'll provide the details after this whole fiasco."

Frobo fell into a light slump and pulled back before Ivy broke the ice.

"So, you have a plan, Mr. Flint?"

"Nothing but get atop of Maddie's head and use the tool." Flint replied. "I tried my hardest to minimize the chance of failure from the crafting, but it's still a factor."

"Oh, right. You worked for hours on end making such a creation." Hop Pop said. "So, what does it look like exactly?"

Ivy only received a few glimpses when she delivered breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Despite them, she never understood the full picture and left Flint to his own devices before she grew too curious. After all of the buildup from inklings of knowledge spilled here and there, it became time to finally unveil such a spectacular work. She held back her vivid fascination and wonder as Flint exhaled deeply through his nostrils and reached into his endless bag. Once he snagged what he wanted, everyone saw the specially crafted tool to finally put an end to Maddie's tyranny. Time to finally let the large caterpillar cat out of the bag.

The pristine sharpness cut even the air clean in half. No such common metals yielded results in such a conglomerate of materials. Only something truly exotic contained such edges almost like a scimitar, and it made perfect sense as to why a chunk of a Meteor Snap's shell fit like a glove. Three long curved needles akin to claws warded anyone unaware of the consequences off unless they liked shish kabobs. Anyone skewered or slashed never stood a chance. To think crafting one willingly often never happened likely contributed to its scarcity and knowledge of its existence. Flint wore both claws across his hands but kept his distance for safety, but he never fully stated how such a tool provided the best chance to bring Maddie back to size. Automatically Polly wanted a go with them, but with Hop Pop on scene any attempts never passed his watch. Whatever the case, Flint deserved the credit for a creation of such dangerous yet dazzling proportions.

Polly's eyes lit up from the shiny surfaces that reflected her image. No matter how many times she reached for them though, Hop Pop immediately slapped them down. The young polliwog pouted and crossed her stubs for arms as the others marveled at its splendor.

"Whoa! You made…THOSE?!" Ivy exclaimed in awe. "Looks…relatively simple actually. I hoped for a bit more pizzazz, and yet…I can't take my eyes off of them."

The Spudley squeaked as it hopped up and down while Frobo's head extended lightly upward on a small pole then went back down.

"Because the only ones who craft these know of their purpose and only incredibly selectively." Flint stated. "Nobody makes these in their own free time, but only if they truly need them."

"You need those sharp thingies just to stop Maddie's rampage?" Polly asked. "Looks like you want to rip her to shreds."

"Oh, these rip something open all right." Flint explained. "With Maddie's magic side in full control, only one option remains outside of ending her outright. These tools can directly contact and rip it straight out. If all goes well, the process will kill it instantly."

He poured all of the skeletons out that caught everyone by surprise. Ivy understood what Maddie went through thanks to Flint's explanation a few days ago, but the purpose of the large claws eluded her until she heard the words for herself. While partially okay due to the tools seemingly unable to kill her, the fact it killed anything at all made her queasy. If Maddie lost her magic side would she lose her ability to conjure up curses and interest in the dark arts? Her personality literally embodied such a hobby which left Wartwood on the edge of collapse a few times. However, not many took an interest in the dark arts in the first place which lead actual users rather scarce. To rip out one of the pillars that shaped Maddie sounded almost criminal, and yet if they didn't she would keep Wartwood all to herself. Either they saved one or an entire population.

Nobody wanted to speak up after, and even the Spudley muted most of its squeaks.

"So…that's the plan then." Hop Pop said rather shakily. "Couldn't you go for…something less…graphic? Maybe have her sit down and offer some tea…"

"Yeah, you might as well send that idea to kingdom come." Polly stated.

"Then does anyone else have any idea how we can get close for these?" Flint asked as he pointed to the claws over his hands.

He made a good point. Maddie wouldn't let anyone near her unless she wanted them for one of her twisted games. Her sadistic tendencies ever since she grew also brought a high risk of her swallowing any of them if she caught any of them out of line. While they could have waited until nightfall like Anne did, time lasted finitely until Maddie completely caught everyone in Wartwood. Any amount of waiting might prove too late until the end, and they already put too many risks into their plans. They needed something smart to delay her long enough.

…and Ivy had all of her cards in the right spot.

"I may understand something to maybe squeak out a win on our side."

Everyone glanced at Ivy while the Spudley in particular watched and dug its round feet in the ground. As always, it uttered its squeaky sounds as it moved.

"No pun intended, little guy. I just think I have a plan to keep Maddie distracted."

The Spudley tilted its head before it teetered too much and fell onto its side. As it started to flail its feet in the air, Polly hopped on over and helped it back up.

"What sort of idea could possibly emerge in your head to halt a behemoth like Maddie?" Flint asked. "You do realize she won't stop unless she feels like it."

"Just trust me on this. Blame my mother and her long stories of exquisite table wear of all things." Ivy responded.

Everyone else, minus the Spudley since nobody truly understood it, stood baffled at just what someone like her could do for some sort of distraction. As the more rambunctious type she often acted first and asked questions later. Sprig gravitated toward such personalities so it surprised no one to see the two together. Even so, in terms of brains they often let many facts slip through their heads. Maddie may not have the keenest of smarts, but still had enough beyond understanding the simple game of Bog Jump. If Ivy truly knew of something she needed to match or surpass such smarts, and upon first glance a better genius likely scored higher than her young mind.

…but everyone ran on fumes at the moment.

"You really have an idea?" Flint asked. "You do realize the stakes in this operation, right?"

"Yes, I do." Ivy responded. "Give me a chance and I'll make it worth your while."

Everyone else looked at each other one final time before Flint provided his final statement.

"Okay, you distract Maddie with…whatever you have in mind while I climb up atop her head. Remember though, you wanted this."

"Ooh, ooh! What about me? I always wanted to save the town with the great Flint at my side!" Polly exclaimed with a large smile.

Hop Pop immediately knew what she attempted to do…and joined in just as well.

"Hey, you're not just one package deal, young lady! I deserve just as much attention and would love to assist too! I still have plenty of years left!"

Frobo watched as his pupils changed into two large question marks. He beeped as the Spudley squeaked to the display before them. Both Flint and Ivy looked at Hop Pop and Polly like they lost all of their marbles.

"You two, uhhhhhhh, can gather any stragglers and bring them to safety."

The two frog appeared less than pleased with the result. They wanted to have as much of Flint's attention as possible, and yet they ended up with scraps as usual. In somewhat of a rare move though, Frobo looked at the two in a fashion as if someone just found out their pet goldfish died. The robot lightly shook his head then subtly pointed over to all of the suffering frogs massaging Maddie's giant feet. He uttered some low pitched zaps before he picked up the Spudley who squeaked on contact. The small critter tapped its feet against Frobo's armor then leaned back in one starchy stance for several seconds. While Frobo's intents displayed clear for Hop Pop and Polly, the Spudley still ran over their heads with ambiguity that provided headaches. Still, they ran with it anyway since they knew the right answer.

"Alright, you hulking hunk of bolts, we'll get any residents away from Maddie." Polly stated.

Frobo smiled and whirred before he set the Spudley back down. The potato creature itself bounced on its behind and head a few times while numerous sequences of squeaks ran for seconds on end. The frog robot appeared pleased, but it was anyone's guess as to what the Spudley felt.

"As much as I regret so much…you make a good point. We'll do what we can to help from here." Hop Pop said.

"Thanks." Flint stated.

Polly and Hop Pop instantly felt giddy upon hearing Flint's good graces. As if they wanted to impress him in the tenth degree, they zoomed off which accidentally left Frobo behind. The mech's head spun around like an empty fruit bowl before he placed his hands on the sides of his head to stop. His pupils ran laps around his electronic displays for eyes until them settled where he noticed his absence from Polly and Hop Pop. Just to not keep himself behind, Frobo put his lanky legs to use and headed off in the general direction where the two disappeared. Flint and Ivy assumed the Spudley ran off with them since its absence also went unexplained at the moment. Clearly Flint's influence set records straight for the Plantar family.

Flint and Ivy gave each other one final look before they separated. Flint ran toward some bushes while Ivy headed straight for the giant behemoth girl herself. They needed an opportune time for the claws to work their magic, and the certainty in Ivy's eyes spelled something to lower Maddie's resistance. As for the giant frog witch herself, she continued to live her power hungry fantasy, both figuratively and literally, as numerous specks rubbed her huge feet. She shot her tongue out against some she deemed to have performed poorly and swallowed them whole which set an example for any other slackers.

"Hey, small fries between the toes! I can barely feel anything from here!"

Her deep tone from how big she grew hammered into everyone's heads which sent a message. From there, the regular sized frogs rubbed her feet as if she drenched them in black tar. As they suffered, Maddie creepily smiled. Her dominance completely enveloped Wartwood and she wouldn't let anyone go. After all of her twisted activities she wanted everything to continue on endlessly. She never wanted her perfect position to leave her, and she maintained a size to seize back control if needed. To her Wartwood served as her playground.

She spent the next few minutes barking orders in her deep pitched giant voice. If not for another straggler she immediately ate for incompetence a recognizable face would have never passed her sight. While still just a speck to her, the face of Sprig's close girlfriend always stood out in Maddie's mind. Sourness clouded her head to the point where she partially wanted to eat her right then and there. One of her curses completely neutered Sprig and yet Ivy never passed her judgment until she appeared right before her huge feet. For now, she required consideration before she set Ivy's fate anywhere within her own enclosed paradise.

"Well, well, well. Look what the woolly caterpillar dragged in." Maddie stated with her booming deep giant voice. "Never thought you'd willingly come out in my presence."

Despite her imposing stature and menacing position, Ivy kept her cool. If she showed weakness it provided Maddie an advantage, and the town counted on her to subdue the giant behemoth. Besides, she typically averted the first move in most circumstances. Ivy knew Maddie well enough to know she walked of safe ground for now until it became "juicy".

"You sort of leveled everything here, so I couldn't possibly ignore you for too long. Besides, girls like us need to stick together through thick and thin, right?"

Maddie went straight as her one visible eye planted Ivy in place. She never called off the rubbing of her massive feet despite the interruption, so when one of the frogs thought to take a small break Maddie acted immediately. Her tongue shot out and gobbled him up instantly which would have spooked any onlookers, but Ivy bottled her worries for the best.

"After you stole Sprig away from me? What makes you think I won't just eat and get you out of my sight? I don't take kindly to traitors."

To think Maddie resorted to calling her such a negative title told Ivy that she really divulged off course. She focused on the dark arts to help people despite what many saw on surface level. Monikers like "friend" or "family" exchanged commonly between folks at Wartwood, but for something like "traitor" to sneak out meant someone definitely earned it. For Ivy, she never considered herself on such a level and more "rambunctious" than anything, so once the word hit her ears she didn't see Maddie over her. If anything, it reminded her of the seriousness in the situation.

Ivy stood her ground so Maddie's intimidation tactics inflicted less on her.

"Because I wouldn't willingly put myself in the open if I knew I'm just walking into my premature end. I'm may not rank high compared to your level of smarts, but I'm not an idiot."

Maddie shot daggers in Ivy's direction as her visible eye squinted. The uncertainty trembled from both sides in a stalemate nobody saw coming.

"Flattery will get you nowhere. If you think complements will avoid a trip into my gut then better change plans."

"No need to resort to such savagery yet! I never explained why I revealed myself before you!"

Ivy acted on a timer. The further she delayed everything the less opportune moments Flint had to act on. For the plan to work out Ivy required Maddie to focus on something other than her backside. The two haven't reached the point yet, but Ivy scoured for a free moment in their conversation to finally reveal the opening Flint needed. If she held out a little bit more…

Maddie snacked on another slacking frog on her foot with a quick tongue lash before she spoke again.

"Fine. Make it quick because I'm hungry for some sweet revenge. I wonder how you'll squirm as you go down…"

Maddie's face loomed closer which revealed the excess amounts of drool dripping from her teeth. Introducing Ivy to her stomach stuck in her head and the anticipation swelled for execution, but Ivy knew better. She saw the entirety of Maddie's cavernous maw and the dark pit where she'll end up if played incorrectly. While in an extremely dangerous position, she took advantage of her grace period while avoiding the giant frog witch's insatiable hunger. The certainty behind her idea bound her on the spot in a brave twist of fate.

She needed to explain the first part though.

"I learned about this brain teaser from my mom, and she refuses to tell me the answer to 'stretch my brain out'. It never left my head and the nagging has really irked me, so I hoped someone of your smarts could possibly solve it with me. I would have asked Marcy, but you know…"

Maddie blankly stared at the speck of Ivy unfazed by her statement.

"Really? You went out of your way to make yourself known to me…for that stupid reason? Yeah, I have a genius intellect, so thank you for the complement. How about you visit Marcy and ask her about it? She can answer that…provided I haven't digested her yet."

She set dark undertones for her final sentence as her eerie smile went ear to ear. From there she opened wide and provided Ivy full view of her moist maw and black interior. It dripped saliva everywhere as she set her tongue down like a makeshift red carpet. Goosebumps shot across Ivy's back from how massive and deep her mouth went. Her gnawing hunger became somewhat justified and her ability to stuff entire armies of froggy Wartwood villagers seemed not too far fetched. Despite her desire to goad Ivy into her mouth the normal sized one herself saw such an outcome as the absolute worst. Maddie completely lost her mind and the fact she wanted to eat anyone set precedents for how much she needed help. The dark dank hole of the giant frog girl's mouth didn't persuade Ivy into becoming another snack for her.

"No need to resort to such harshness!" Ivy said as she waved her hands warily before her. "I specifically came to you over her for this! As new ruler of Wartwood, shouldn't everyone go to you for you problems and blessings?"

From the corner of Ivy's eye she witnessed Flint's round saucers from the bushes in the back. She couldn't let Maddie know about him so she never reacted, but the apparent signs gave the message. Maddie closed her mouth yet never backed away for comfort. Colonies of villager frogs continued to rub her feet, but her attention set on Ivy and her strange request. Fragile equilibrium between the two balanced for now, although Wartwood always had its fair share of unpredictability.

Maddie's titanic face dwarfed Ivy's, and her visible eye narrowed at her.

"One wrong move and I'll introduce you to my belly. Make. It. Quick."

She finally gained the attention she needed. However, Maddie made it clear to not hold her attention all day so she needed to make it count. While not quite ready for Flint to make his move, once she got the ball rolling the dominoes would fall one by one. Ivy had to give it to her mom for the long winded stories of her travels, for she never would have known about a distinct tale that left her head rattling for days. Time for Maddie to find herself stumped.

Ivy told her brain teaser soon after with confidence.

There's this prisoner on death row in a king's jail. One day the jail door opens and the guard says the king wants to speak with him. He walks to the main chamber where he sees the king with a table in front of him showing two small boxes. The prisoner takes a seat as the king explains everything.

"I know you've remained in that dungeon for months, but I've felt some pity for you. Because I'm such a nice guy I'll give you a chance at freedom if you succeed this little game. These two boxes each contain a marble and you must choose one. If you pick the black marble you'll get executed, but if you pick the white one I'll let you go free."

Now the prisoner knew the king was terribly evil with no remorse whatsoever, and that both boxes contained a black marble. What did the prisoner do to escape his death?

Ivy saw Maddie's visible pupil contract a little once she finished. Such a subtle sign hinted that she clenched her right where she wanted her. Maddie even pulled back a bit and rubbed her head a few times right when a blur zipped out of the bushes near her back. She focused so much on Ivy's question that she failed to notice a couple of frogs drop off of her giant feet and run for cover. Polly, Hop Pop, and Frobo headed the rescue squad so any loose villagers wouldn't escape their watch. Maddie became instantly stumped just like Ivy wanted which served as the one signal Flint needed to start his climb.

For Flint himself, he gave it to Ivy for a distraction method. He never guessed a simple brain teaser to wring out the brain provided the ample opportunity to act. He wanted to give her more credit if Maddie's tall back never stared him down. Mountains provided a challenge for a traveler like him, and while he trekked over numerous peaks and bluffs the back of a giant frog witch offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. If the circumstances went anywhere positive he may have cherished the moment, but unfortunately Wartwood didn't often work that way. With the claws stashed in his endless bag, he cracked his fingers and prepared his ascent. Act fast, finish quicker.

However, right before he placed his hands on the black fabric a low audible squeak hit his ears. If anything else uttered such a sound recently it could have fooled him, but because of a particular brown round critter he honed his answer right on it. Once he opened his endless bag, the aforementioned creature stuck its upper body out and squeaked which caused Flint to frown. He wanted to handle the climb alone, but because of the stowaway he needed to bring him along too. As much as he wanted to just ditch it, the shortage of time meant he needed to act fast. Whatever ran through the Spudley's head for it to decide to tag along became the least of his problems.

"Ugh, of course." Flint said as he rolled his eyes. "Just stay in there and wait until this blows over."

A series of squeaks followed before Flint tightened the bag so nothing fell out. After a slight delay, Flint channeled the instincts of a spider and scrambled up the blackness of Maddie's clothes. He only hoped the giant frog girl wouldn't feel him, although Ivy made sure her focus stayed on the topic at hand. His climbing experiences lead to speeds faster than normal compared to other frogs. With many predators out in Amphibia ready to crunch his bones fast escapes became necessary even with a bag of near infinite space for rare objects. By the time he approached the rope around Maddie's waste, not a single bead of sweat dripped from his face. He exhaled a few times through his nose and paused for a moment to regain his composure. He reached halfway up Maddie.

"Does the prisoner have anything on him?"

"No, nothing."

"He can tell the king to go first."

"Possibly, but I don't think that's the correct answer."

"Can't he just bolt out the front door?"

"Maybe? I assume a king of anything would have some kind of trained guards nearby."

Ivy really kept Maddie's mind busy.

With his feet sturdy against the rope, Flint went up again. Marcy went through the same process, but at least she had a hook shot to skip to halfway. For the world traveling frog, such a luxury never crossed his mind. The Spudley seemingly went mute which helped his concentration, and by the time he reached the pink blob on her head he already tasted the finish line. With a piece of squishy mass between his fingers, Flint hoisted himself up as his feet gained traction. He required a few more moments to fully put his muscles to work, but once he plopped atop Maddie's head he huffed deeply. Such a great amount of climbing left exhaustion in its wake, and yet he knew he couldn't dilly dally further. He needed to act immediately for the best chance to cure the giant girl.

He just about opened the bag and brought the claws and the Spudley out when one of Maddie's giant hands cast a shadow over him. He barely managed to bag everything and roll out of the way just as her huge fingers scratched the exact spot he once sat. The Spudley squeaked and wiggled its feet yet Flint remained on edge.

"Ugh, that stupid question! How can someone solve something that impossible?!"

"Don't ask me. Ask my mom."

With everything set in stone for now, Flint fitted himself with both claws and picked a spot in the center of Maddie's head. He thought to himself for a moment as the Spudley gazed at both him and the claws while squeaking. He knew the moment they make contact with her scalp the skeletons will pour out of the closet. Not only would he have to stay connected but also avoid Maddie's titanic wrath which wouldn't go by in a snap. As long as he stayed on her head though most methods of his premature end remained a fever dream. No need to fear her long mighty tongue while he stayed embedded on the spot. He mentally prepared several minutes as the process typically followed such times. The sight of the claws reminded him of his mission, and Anne needed him to go through with such an action.

He gave the Spudley a serious look before he could start.

"Keep yourself mounted firm. With your balancing issues and lack of arms I don't want you making a splat on the ground anytime soon."

The Spudley stood idle as if it never heard him at first, but soon after it squeaked then kicked the air a few times. It then tapped the tips of its feet against Maddie's pink blob then dug them into it as deep as it could. A couple sequences of squeaks later the Spudley slumped downward then went immobile which Flint took as a good sign. While not completely sure the critter performed what he asked, it still planted itself enough to possibly not find itself knocked off anytime soon. Everyone still had many questions about Spudlies that needed firm answers much to their ambiguity.

He heard some small banter between Maddie and Ivy one final time before he lightly scraped the pink blob with the claws. Just like he expected, a wondrous palette shone underneath for a second before disappearing. Any deeper and he would reach into the other side of Maddie. The Spudley locked eyes with him one final time before he thrust the claws upward and prepared for the worst.

…

…

…

…

…

The giant frog girl's scream shattered every window in the vicinity.

Maddie stumbled backward immediately which forced off all of the frogs on her feet. They ran for cover while Ivy took refuge behind a house. From there she knew her time as a distraction ended since she saw the dot of Flint atop Maddie's head. She never imagined the claws would have hurt her to an extreme degree since he stated they only contacted the magic side and not physical. Too bad the giant frog's deafening scream told her otherwise. She could now only put her faith in Flint to perform everything correctly.

Maddie reached for her head and prodded her fingers across her pink blob vigorously as Flint and the Spudley held on for dear life.

"WHAT THE HECK SORT OF WITCHCRAFT SUDDENLY SPIKED MY HEAD?!"

Flint managed to avoid the huge pillars of Maddie's fingers as the Spudley barely held on. Even with all of the pandemonium though, he couldn't release his hold on the opening. The rainbow of colors spilled around his feet but he scanned it thoroughly for a familiar shape. The clock ticked and every precious second counted.

Maddie's frenzy to pry whatever spiked the pain on her head left Wartwood in tatters. She stood back up to her full titan height and stumbled like a ditzy dancer. Every step she made left incredibly strong tremors as she twirled and focused on the pain. Several houses below became piles of rubble and bricks rained destruction from above. One particular building finally succumbed to the giant frog girl as one of her feet completely flattened it. Luckily by the time she crushed it, Frobo rounded up the last of the remaining survivors and lead them to the hidden basement with Polly and Hop Pop close behind. The mech carried several villagers across its shoulders and into the safe fallout chamber right before Maddie wiped the building from the map. She turned the entire town into her own stomping grounds as she tried to pry the insurmountable pain from her cranium.

Flint kept his eyes on the prize despite the constant backs and forths between him and Maddie. Every time she attempted to snatch him he pivoted around her huge fingers, and even though she crushed the Spudley numerous times its weird regenerative abilities meant it always got back up. With so much commotion, for him to track down Maddie's magic half his concentration matched the accuracy of threading a needle in a pile full of them. He watched two large dinner plates between several converging colors, and once his target appeared in view he delved the claws into the rip once again. Maddie shrieked, but he snagged the wriggling copy like he set an ambush beforehand. However, his arms sank quickly which forced him to tug against it. It wouldn't end that easily.

"It's…fighting back!" Flint stated as he pulled harder.

Maddie's magic side gave a fighting chance to not get ripped out and killed. Both sides became deadlocked in a tug of war for the ages with the fate of Wartwood at stake. Flint winced but never let up, for he dealt with a resistant magic side before and wanted to not start a losing streak. He wrangled the enigma as it pulled away, but his full attention left an open spot behind him. After the Spudley regenerated again after another strong press from one of Maddie's fingers the frog girl's other hand hovered over Flint's speck of a body. The Spudley squeaked again and again but it fell on deaf ears, so right when Flint thought he gained an edge two massive blue pillars nearly turned him into paste. The wet skin of Maddie drenched him as her hold pulled him away for the open gash. Even with Maddie's enhanced strength due to her huge size her magic side in the large cut never budged. Wartwood's chance at curing Maddie literally started to slip from Flint's digits until only the tip of the claws maintained some form of hold on the mysterious entity. Everything acted as if Amphibia really wanted Flint to fail and for Maddie to rule.

"Gotcha, you stupid pest! Hurt me, will ya? Well, I'll make sure you go down very slowly!"

Of course Maddie wanted to eat him to get rid of him. Flint held on to the best of his ability, but the giant one's strength easily surpassed his. He just about had it as his entire vision became covered in nothing but Maddie's blue skin. She completely pinched and enveloped him between two of her gigantic fingers. It seemed almost hopeless as Flint even heard the Spudley squeak rapidly like it meant something. He nearly lost his grip on Maddie's magic side, but right before the claws would have slipped…she paused. From there the blue void released him back onto the pink blob where he recomposed himself and instantly felt Maddie shake. The Spudley rushed over as Flint peered down to see the set of circumstances.

Maddie fully prepared to ingest Flint the moment she snatched him. She anticipated his taste and texture which left her salivating at the thought, but such a moment never came. As if someone literally wanted to force something out of her, she staggered and wobbled while her cheeks swelled numerous times. Her breathing deepened until she fell to her knees in one loud boom and barely held herself up with her arms. Nothing but destruction and dirt filled her vision as it felt as if her life literally drained the longer she lived.

"I'm okay… I'm okay… Nothing to worry about… Just a light…dizzy spell…" Maddie thought.

Everything went black soon after, but not for the frog and potato creature on top of her head. For a very short moment, in a moment where one could have blinked and missed, Maddie visible eye completely shut off into pure darkness as if someone just hit the power off button on a TV. It startled Flint a little before the Spudley squeaked, but once she awakened again he realized something went awry. Maddie's visible eye displayed some purple sclera as her mood completely shifted. Her head lightly turned as she scanned the world below her, and soon after she gazed down at her hands. Her once vigorous breathing slowed into short bursts followed by a normal pace. At first, Flint considered she may have lost her marbles again, but then he finally heard her speak. Maddie left the building.

"Whoa! Yeah, I'm definitely Maddie now! Better try to avoid the tiny stuff… OW, THIS SHARP PAIN!"

She scooted back and nearly toppled over some tree with her behind. Flint and the Spudley held on as Maddie's magic side in the gash drove him downward. With barely enough time to react, the traveling frog pulled back to not lose his hold on it. Afterwards, the giant one waved her arms lightly and tepidly smiled.

"Easy, ow, everyone! You're hearing Marcy speaking! I've taken over Maddie's brain to minimize any further destruction! I have to admit though, the perspective changes really fascinate me."

Maddie's voice came out, but not her destructive tendencies ever size she grew. Flint and the Spudley glanced at each other for a second before he finally let the cat out of the bag. As someone familiar with curses, the purple eye already sold him on her statement.

"Marcy? Am I really hearing you?"

The giant frog girl instantly perked before she felt sharp pain again. She just about instinctively moved one of Maddie's hands near her head, but Flint immediately shouted back.

"DON'T TOUCH THE HEAD! I'M STANDING ON IT!"

From there she immediately withdrew her hand back down. Flint exhaled before he fought back against Maddie's magic side again. Despite Marcy taking over Maddie, it still carried some steam and actively worked against him in every way.

"Temporary, ow, possession spell. I traveled with Anne up to, owowowowow, Maddie's brain and set the curse appropriately."

"You, grrrrrrrn, didn't get digested?" Flint asked before he tugged again.

"No, we managed to, owwwwww, avoid everything Maddie's body, owowow, threw at us." Marcy responded through Maddie's own voice.

"Well, you came in…at an opportune…and crucial time…if you couldn't tell!" Flint stated with some grunts in between. "Whatever you do despite the pain…DON'T TOUCH MADDIE'S HEAD!"

The entity attempted multiple times to slip out of his reach, and for anyone else they likely would have failed early on in the scuffle. However, Flint's knowledge of how magic worked in Amphibia lead to him having an edge over one who never knew better. He made extra sure his target never tried anything sneaky, but its strength on the other hand wore him down. Maddie, with Marcy in control, sat down to ease herself which left a magnitude ten across what remained of Wartwood. The Spudley ran up to the edge of the pink blob and gazed down to see Maddie's once dark demeanor lifted and replaced with a look only the smart human cream puff could do. It squeaked and flailed its feet, but Marcy couldn't react immediately. She managed a slight glance up to see the speck of the potato creature above before she lightly smiled then winced back in pain. Everyone had their minds set on their own agendas with some goals clearer than others.

Eventually Maddie's magic side dug him even further into the rainbow slice to the point his head almost submerged. Marcy held back so much screaming from the pain although she mumbled a few choice words just to hold herself down. The Spudley's eyes sparkled before it twirled on the spot and squeaked. Flint barely had enough time to raise his head out of the shining gunk and remark something drastic.

"I can't hold on…much longer! It's gained…too much! I need more power before it gets away!"

He almost slipped on his own two feet as Maddie's magic side dunked him again. Marcy painfully winced and bit her bottom lip, but Flint's struggle became not the only problem she had to worry about. An immense amount of pressure ambushed and kicked her forward. She fell shortness of breath as hundred pound weights rumbled throughout her cranium. She held the sides of her head and almost hurled as the one large visible purple eye flickered. She slammed it shut over and over but the faint yellow slowly crept up which she attempted to shut down. From there her teeth clenched before she exclaimed to the skies above.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

The extreme giant frog witch burst out for a split second as purple took over again. The yellow continued to rear back as shifts between the two colors occurred frequently. Marcy constrained herself throughout the strong pushes, but she couldn't allow Maddie control yet. Flint needed some extra leverage fast, and she knew a certain curse that might give him the power boost. She would need to give up some control to relay the situation back to Anne and Sprig since she left her gear back with them. The risk loomed over her head like a guillotine, but if Flint failed they went through all of their turmoils for nothing.

Marcy quickly cut partial connections to Maddie which warped the scenery straightaway.

---

Anne and Sprig watched Marcy as her body went stiff into a convergent position. The way she refused to move like a statue creeped them out, but since she gained control of Maddie it made sense that her consciousness migrated over in the process. In some ways it reminded them of the mushroom zombie incident from a while back, but at least there an empty body never ended up left behind. Marcy willingly gave up her body to usurp Maddie's mind, albeit temporarily, which neither of them ever imagined to actually witness with their own two eyes. The more they watched, the more glad they felt since someone else other than them took one for the team. Anne lacked Marcy's clever nature and Sprig was in no condition to help with his reduced size. If anything, Marcy wanted to feel like the big girl against without casting another shrinking curse.

The two put a pin in that particular notion.

They nearly caved into boredom when they received a reality check. An incredibly nasty bolt dropped around Marcy's still body before the two saw her wince. Her left eye shot open which revealed a near complete purple coloration. Anne rushed on over with Sprig encompassed in her hand.

"Anne… Flint needs more power to…return Maddie back…"

The two could tell Marcy tolerated a lot of pain at the moment, but she only needed to crack once under pressure to collapse. The fact she returned with news of any kind became nothing short of a miracle, but the moment remained short lived. She held on to some control of Maddie's brain but released some to communicate back with Anne. Time for Anne's help to shine the most.

They never inquired about the situation outside of Maddie's body because of the urgency across Marcy's face.

"Okay, okay! I'm on it! What do you need?" Anne asked straight and to the point.

"Back pocket… The bag with the enhancer curse…" Marcy responded through clenched teeth.

Anne only needed the one statement before she already had her sights on Marcy's clothes. She raced through a few extra pockets, which almost left a cut or two from Marcy's hookshot, until she found one with recognizable curse bags in it. She ran her digits around each one but found no labels to distinguish them.

"The one…with the red lace…around the top…"

Anne wished Marcy told her sooner before she blindly searched. Luckily she only needed another glance to come across the indicated bag. Sprig ran up to the edge of Anne's fingertips for a better look.

"Doesn't really stand out from everything else. You sure we have the right one?"

"Just…cast the curse on Flint! Announce your target…then throw to the ground!" Marcy exclaimed.

Marcy acted on her last legs before she had to seize control again, but Anne lacked any sort of knowledge about casting such curses successfully. Too bad any extra availability didn't exist and left only her as the last hope. If she botched the process they may as well call it quits even though Anne acted against such ideas. Her frivolous intellect set exclusively for anything science or mathematical which Marcy often corrected. At least the situation didn't have Sasha instead of her because she fared even worse in the same ballpark. She thought tactics not equations. Even so, either Anne cast the curse correctly or doomed Wartwood.

Such pressure wouldn't bode well with potential mental trauma, especially at her age.

The intensive force against Marcy's body finally wore her down to the point where it forced her back into possession. She faced Maddie's brain again and went completely stiff like before which left Anne to pick up where everything left off. Both Anne and Sprig glanced nervously at each other before they aimed their sights on the curse bag in Anne's hand.

"Uhhhhhhh… Please tell me you understand how these work." Anne said.

"Yeeaaaaaaaahhhh, I got nothing." Sprig replied. "You remember how Maddie used hers?"

"For direct contact curses, then yes." Anne said. "Not so much for indirect ones."

"Then this won't end pretty…if I had to guess." Sprig responded.

Anne attempted to compute the strategy meant for casting such a curse without consequences. She witnessed multiple times how curses that required direct contact functioned because she saw Maddie do it, but long distance variants drew blank for her. Options thinned to possibly other forms of media, like movies or books, out of desperation and time. If Marcy never had heavy lifting with possessing Maddie she could cast the curse no problem, but with her out of the picture Anne needed to act on it herself. Too bad her interests existed somewhere else which compounded her possible success rate.

"Okay, ummmm, I, uhhhhhhhh, cast this curse in the name of, uhhhhhhh, Flint for the extra boost to his, uhhhhh, power! Give him the strength to, ummmmm, save Maddie!"

She then tapped her feet and pivoted a few times before letting go of the bag. The bag burst open upon contact and released a cloud of white mist that evaporated after a second or two. Sprig's face went flat before he glanced up at Anne.

"I'm no spell caster, but that looked like the bare minimum to conjure a curse."

"Hey, I never cast one before so give me a break!" Anne responded.

---

Marcy fought lengths in order to hold Maddie in place. The frog witch herself didn't appreciate having someone else dictate her actions, and Marcy felt the torrents of power in her current wicked mindset. It felt like a krill going against a whale, but she tugged all the same. Never had she expected to go against a friend like her, but she saw someone else when Maddie lost her mind. The more she held on the more her control faltered as if timers added more flavor to bad situations. She did all of it for Maddie, and she wouldn't let her feelings toward her go.

Flint's skirmish bled horribly on his side. Maddie's magic half maintained more power behind it than he initially thought, and it attempted numerous times to slip through the claws. His reaction time often caught it at the last possible second, but on his own he struggled. If her knew what he would have gone up against he would have cursed himself with something extra for backup. The solution to Maddie's problem literally slipped from his fingers and his sole witness barely spoke a word. If the Spudley wanted to stay safe it would have remained hidden with the others in the secret basement. Too bad it didn't and now he had someone to watch him fail. Just one minor slip up and he would lose everything.

His confrontation with Maddie's magic side went completely one side for a while, but then some light white mist enveloped his body. From there the stress on his muscles lessened to the point where he noticed his target come in closer. At first it caught him by surprise, but as he slowly started to feel his strength increase he figured it didn't come naturally. As a curse user and follower of the dark arts, certain patterns typically lead him to believe occurrences involved a hex or two. Something that involved mist, fog, or clouds of any kind reflected signs toward a curse. Luckily, he knew not all curses kept bad reputations and sometimes benefited the target. The fact he felt like he could lift a few extra weights left him to place his bets on the latter, but it "zoned" in and out at random periods. He figured Marcy possibly cast it to help him out, but due to her struggles against possessing Maddie she only went halfway and never finished it. While a half baked curse was better than nothing, Maddie's magic side still had the edge as the inconsistent strength increase barely assisted him. If she actually completed the curse he might have some sort of chance, but it wasn't even close to help get the enigmatic entity out.

"Not enough… Not enough!" Flint exclaimed. "I'm…slipping!"

Flint stood on his last legs. Marcy fumbled and thrashed around in her own scuffle to maintain control of Maddie which further left him hanging by a thread. The Spudley miraculously planted itself firm so it never fell off despite the erratic movements. Everyone had their minds occupied with terrible troubles and couldn't hold on any longer. Maddie's magic side proved too strong despite the work done to access it. She won, and nobody could deny it.

Flint shut his eyes as one claw slipped from the entity…

Then another…

Then another…

Then another…

…

…

…

…

…

…but he never felt the last one let go.

Confused and in need of answers, Flint opened his eyes and couldn't believe them. Who he once thought stood out as a liability flipped the script. With its brown round skin against the gash, the frog felt power in him like no other. It provided a muddled elongated squeak as it set itself down next to Flint and faintly glowed with its eyes closed. He stood almost dumbfounded to the point he almost forgot about tugging against Maddie's magic side. With his newfound capability, he regained his hold on his target and witnessed the entity draw in closer. He actually started to win the tug-o-war he once thought would end in a loss for him, but the longer it dragged out the worse the potato creature's body ended up in. Dents formed across its body while what once displayed as lush brown dulled into an arid ash gray. Its long squeaks waned but never formed into cries of anguish. The longer he looked at it the conditions worsened, so he pulled at Maddie's magic side even more. It fought back even harder than before, but Flint wouldn't have it. The tip stuck out first followed by the lower body as the claws dug into its sides. He huffed and poured the last of his muscles into one final pull. His body dropped buckets of sweat before he went all out. It was now or never.

…

…

…

Reality skipped along and by the time he came to again he lay flat on his back. The claws rested over his hands while the fog cleared over his eyes. He sniffed and shook as he sat up and looked forward. He recognized the light pink of Maddie's pink blob under him but never saw the large gash he ripped into. His body at least remained intact, but he questioned whether he imagined the whole incident. Marcy appeared to have quelled Maddie since he felt no sudden movements, although such a hunch never had reinforcements to back it up. For once, everything accounted for a job well done since the claws instantly killed any magic side once it hit reality.

He felt like something slipped his mind, and he received a harsh reality check when he glanced over and saw the other entity who joined him. What once uttered nonstop squeaks as it moved ceased the incessant noises and lay on its back in a condition only possible in the worst of times. Color left it completely for a crusty gray as it barely had its eyes open. Flint rushed on over but refused to touch it in case it worsened its state. Its two round dull feet appeared like they would peel off at any moment and its two gaps remaining of its eyes slowly stared into space. The once recognizable roundness hollowed into a worn vegetable past its prime. Flint didn't know how to react at first, but he knew the worst of the worst when he saw it. It wouldn't end well.

"Oh no. Nonononono…" Flint muttered.

The Spudley barely shook its worn body as Flint swore he heard some incredibly low audible squeak. Then everything came to a head when small chunks of its body slowly blew away in the wind. The potato creature's eyes stared into his soul and yet the frog never averted his gaze away. Eventually, even the Spudley's eyes lost all life in them right as the creature went completely limp. After only a period around half a minute, nothing remained in its spot. What once existed as an obnoxious squeaky creature of weird power was no more.

Gone.

Flint wanted to forget he saw anything. He normally covered his emotions to not shed any weakness, especially to something as inconsequential as a small potato creature. However, part of him cracked to a point where just a shred of sympathy squeezed through. All this time he cataloged Spudleys as immortal due to their regenerative abilities. The ones who observed the creature closely, like Marcy, even wrote down their incapability of death as if it stood out as fact. Unfortunately, it seemed the records jotted down false data. Only after it accidentally stowed away with the girls did it garner attention, and they even promised to bring it back to its homeland if given the chance. They would never have the opportunity now, and for Flint he now had the burden of the memory etched into his head. The many mysteries of the Spudleys continued on, including the mysterious power that enhanced him and why it chose to sacrifice itself in the first place.

He never noticed himself shed a tear until it hit the ground.

Movements from under him jarred his mindset back to the problems at hand. Once he looked back down toward Maddie's face he saw the pitch black eyes from before until another color popped back in. Marcy's purple never reappeared, but Maddie's normal yellow did. He held on to her pink blob as she wobbled and held the forehead for a second.

"Ugh… What… What just happened? I feel like…jelly replaced my legs…"

The moment stepped prematurely as something before both of them chuckled rather eerily. Both Maddie and Flint looked forward, and their hearts skipped a beat. The process should have solved everything. Reality should have killed in conjunction with the claws ripping it out. Marcy's curse plus the Spudley provided the extra boost needed to end everything. The sight shouldn't exist.

…but Maddie's giant dark magic side had something to say about it.

"I've waited for this moment, Maddie. Now I can finally interact with you…face to face."