Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Calamity Bathtime (Anne)

Two weeks after the Calamity Box was opened.

Ivy Sundew arrived at the Plantar Farm late in the afternoon, hoisted over her shoulder a sack of hand-me-down clothes she aims to give Wartwood’s newest citizen. A certain fluffy-haired six year old mammal who got adopted into the Plantar family and even Ivy herself has come to view as a surrogate little sister.

Ivy noticed curiously that one of the Plantar House windows was opened and knew it was the bathroom window, but what drew her attention was the fact that steam was coming out of that open window, which usually meant someone in there was taking a bath, and Ivy had a small hunch on who it might be.

After jumping between some branches, Ivy climbed her way up to the bathroom window, and the split-second she saw something pink and frog-like, she made her move.

“AMBUSH!” Ivy leaped into the bathroom and tackled Sprig to the floor in her usual way, though the moment Sprig was pinned to the ground, Ivy was a little surprised to find he was holding a soap and scrub brush, yet was still fully clothed.

“Hi Ivy!” Anne’s voice was heard to Ivy’s right, she quickly turned and saw Anne was sitting naked in the bathtub, with Polly in the tub with her.

So that’s what humans look like without clothes. Ivy noted to herself.

Ivy turned her attention back to Sprig and chuckled awkwardly before helping him back on his feet, “Hehe, sorry, guess I picked a bad time to do an ambush, did I?”

“Kind of,” Sprig affirmed, “Even if I wasn’t bathing my sisters, I could’ve been sitting on the toilet for all you knew.”

“Eww!” Both Anne and Polly exclaimed then giggled at the thought.

“That said, I’m actually glad you’re here,” Sprig stated, “Any chance you’re cool with helping me bathe Anne and Polly?”

“Definitely!” Ivy affirmed, then reached into the bathwater and started tickling Anne’s belly button, causing her to giggle cutely, “Always glad to spend time with you and Wartwood’s favorite little shrub head.”

“Funny you bring up Anne’s hair,” Sprig said, “cleaning that is gonna be the hardest part. You’ll see why shortly.”

Sprig handed Ivy another scrubbing brush and the latter eagerly started scrubbing Anne’s back while Sprig focused on scrubbing Polly.

“So where’s Hop-Pop?” Ivy asked, “Doesn’t he normally do this?”

“He’s wrapping up the farm work,” Sprig explained, “We were playing Bugball while he was tending the crops, we got a little too into it and, next thing we knew, Anne fell into the fertilizer pile. I volunteered to clean her up and Hop-Pop asked me to wash Polly as well and I figured ‘why not?’”

“You’re just very lucky Anne sweetened the pot by asking me to join her,” Polly pointed out. And indeed, she normally likes to resist attempts to bathe her, but Anne convinced her it’d be fun if they bathed together (and Polly is a rare case where a baby sister can double as a huggable bath toy).

It was just as well for Anne. Back on Earth, she, Sasha, and Marcy bathed together very often, usually whenever they had one of their very frequent sleepovers. So Anne was used to having company in the tub and thus didn’t mind being seen in the buff by close friends and loved ones during that time.

Anne still remembers one funny time back on Earth, she and her friends unanimously decided they wanted a bubble bath, but Sasha got overzealous and dumped the entire bottle of bubble bath mix into the tub. Next thing they knew, the entire Boonchuy bathroom was filled with so many bubbles that the girls had a hard time figuring out which way was up.

Not to mention it took Anne’s parents roughly half an hour to empty out the excess bubbles.

Anne’s reminiscing was interrupted by a soapy washcloth scrubbing her face courtesy of Ivy, who by that point had already scrubbed every inch of Anne’s body and was saving her face for last. Ivy then tilted Anne’s head upward, scooped some water into a nearby bowl, and poured it on Anne’s face to rinse it.

“You okay, Anne?” Ivy asked after she finished cleaning Anne’s face, “You were kinda spacing out while I was scrubbin’ ya.”

“Yeah, I was just remembering some stuff back on Earth with my friends,” Anne replied in a wistful tone, however, she took notice on her own words and decided to tell her adoptive siblings and Ivy, who Anne considers a surrogate big sis and her future sister-in-law (even at six years old, she ships Sprig and Ivy hard), about the incident with the bubble bath mix, which gave them all a good chuckle.

“I like this Sasha’s style already,” Polly commented, “If you ever get back to Earth, you oughta bring back some of this bubble bath mix here so we can do the same thing!”

“Well, I know how to make bath bombs that do something kinda similar,” Anne noted, “But I didn’t bring any with me and I don’t think Amphibia has the materials to make one.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out later,” Sprig reassured, “In the meantime, now that Anne’s been scrubbed face-to-toe, I think it’s time we deal with the hard part; her hair.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Ivy said, “Getting all these leaves and twigs out must take a lot of work.”

“Yeah, though it’s far from the only thing you’ll find in that fluffy shrub of hers,” Sprig stated, which Anne giggled slightly over, “Hop-Pop and I got in the habit of helping her brushing and combing her hair every day to to try to keep the worst of it down, but we figured this would be more efficient.”

Sprig moved Anne to the center of the bathtub, took a bottle of what was a mix of shampoo and detangler, and began lathering it deep into Anne’s hair. Ivy did the same thing from a different angle. Polly even took out a comb and tried using it to extract what foreign materials she could from this amazingly thick labyrinth of brown curly hair.

The trio of amphibian children worked tirelessly combing through Anne’s hair, with the shampoo making it slippery enough to make the process a little easier, and while at first they only found leaves and sticks, they also found a lot of oddball objects you wouldn’t think would find their way in Anne’s messy mane;

A bugball

A short wooden stool

Some mushrooms

A rolled up newspaper

One of Hop-Pop’s model ships-in-a-bottle

A fishing pole

A Grubble

One of Sprig’s slingshots

A tennis racket

And the Moonlight Greatsword (just kidding!)

“How does all this stuff even get in your hair in the first place?" Ivy asked, amazed and baffled.

“I have no idea,” Anne answered sincerely.

“I think I’ve found one more thing to pull out,” Sprig reached really deep into Anne’s hair and grabbed something. Sprig pulled both gently and firmly at first to avoid hurting Anne, and while the shampoo made removing junk from her hair easier, Sprig still had to pull a little harder to get that last object further out. Anne felt a slight tug in her hair but didn’t fuss, she knew this needed to be done and appreciated Sprig for going through so much effort to help her.

After a few good tugs, Sprig finally managed to pull out that last mystery object out of Anne’s hair. It was, of all things, an accordion.

One-Eyed Wally’s accordion.

“Been lookin’ for that!” Wally’s head suddenly popped out of the bathroom window, causing Anne to squeak in surprise and embarrassment. Fortunately, Wally went inside with back to Anne, not facing her and thus not seeing any of her lack of modesty as he quickly pulls the accordion out of Sprig’s hands and jumping back out through the same bathroom window, leaving as quickly as he came, “Thank you and byesey!”

“Well, that was random,” Ivy commented.

“I’m starting to think we don’t check your hair often enough, Anne,” Sprig noted as he scooped up some water in a small bowl and proceeded to rinse Anne’s hair off. Anne could only give an affirmative hum in response; she’s not exactly a fan of having to sit still for so long while someone helps her with her hair, but Sprig taking care of her somehow always makes it a more bearable.

Finally, Anne and Polly were finished with their bath. Polly simply jumped off while Sprig pulled Anne out of the tub and started toweling her off himself.

“I guess I came by at a really good time,” Ivy commented.

“Definitely, thanks!” Sprig affirmed, “You’ve been a big help bathing Anne.”

“And it’s not just that,” Ivy noted, “I’m guessing Anne doesn’t have anything to wear right now? She only came her with one set of clothes last I checked.”

Anne blushed slightly as she wrapped the towel around herself to maintain some modesty.

“Yeah, last time we did this I simply had Anne borrow some of my clothes until after hers were washed and dried,” Sprig replied, “Hop-Pop’s been meaning to get her some farm clothes, but let’s just say we’ve had a lot going on.”

“Then I have just the thing for my future sister-in-law!” Ivy cheered while ruffling Anne’s still-kinda-moist hair before going over to the sack she came with and opened it.

It was a rather big assortment of clothes, all of it looking as though it was Anne’s size.

“You brought all this for me?” Anne asked, amazed and appreciative of Ivy’s gift.

“Yeah, I noticed you’ve been wearing the same outfit for weeks ever since you came here,” Ivy pointed out, “So I’m giving you some of my old clothes from when I was about your age and size. My mom even added some clothes from when she was a kid.”

“Thank you, Ivy!” Anne started shedding tears of joy, grateful at Ivy being so generous. Anne promptly hugged Ivy, forgetting the towel she dropped while doing so. Ivy hugged Anne back then suddenly picked her up.

“You’re welcome!” Ivy cheered, “And there’s no time like now to give your new clothes a try.”

Ivy sat Anne down on the toilet and started dressing Anne up herself. Though Anne was quite capable of dressing herself, she was often dressed up by Sasha, Marcy, or even her own mother back on Earth when any of them wanted her to try out an outfit, so Anne didn’t mind letting Ivy do it. Ivy started by putting Anne in a pair of black short bloomers and a grey sleeveless undershirt. After weeks in the same outfit, Anne just wearing fresh clean undergarments was a welcome change that she used to take for granted back on Earth.

“And what say we start you off with something special?” Ivy suggested as she reached into the clothes sack and pulled out a long-sleeved green dress, “My mom actually made this as a welcome gift for you, you be sure to thank her next time you’re at the tea shop.”

“I will! Thank you!” Anne nodded her head then raised her arms up so Ivy could put the dress on her.

Now that little Anne was finally fully dressed (minus shoes or socks, but Anne decided not to dwell on that), she stood up and looked at herself. The dress looked wonderful on her, like she was really a part of Wartwood, like she always was.

Anne’s heart swelled with gratitude and pride, whether or not she’ll ever be able to go back to Earth, her life as a Plantar and a Wartwoodian is something she’ll hold on to forever.

“I have only one question about this,” Sprig said, getting Ivy's attention, “Why’d you call Anne your ‘future sister-in-law’?”

An awkward silence ensues, Polly could only facepalm in response.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Calamity Bathtime (Sasha)

Three weeks after the Calamity Box was opened

Sasha certainly wasn’t expecting this.

She was somewhat used to living in some unhygienic conditions when she was living with her parents on Earth. At best her human mother would vacuum the floor or wash the dishes, though Sasha suspected her mom uses those as convenient excuses to avoid spending time with her. In Sasha’s own case, the neglect of her parents meant she had little choice but to do her own laundry, which for a six year old who could barely reach the top of the washer, was not easy. Sasha even for a while had to put her bedsheets through the washer and dryer by herself almost daily because of certain…. bedtime problems she never wanted to talk about.

It also meant that when it comes to bathing, Sasha mostly had to take baths by herself. Sasha had faint memories of her human parents bathing her in her infant and toddler years, but when things started falling apart they left her forced to figure out how to do most things by herself.

That changed significantly when she befriended Anne and Marcy. Especially after her first sleepover in the Boonchuy House. Anne’s mom and dad not only cooked a good dinner unlike anything she had before, but they firmly insisted on giving her a bath, with Anne and Marcy joining her in the tub.

It was the first time in years Sasha felt as though she was actually being taken care of, that she was treated as a kid and not some mistake or burden. The Boonchuys had scrubbed her thoroughly and even washed her hair better than any attempt she made by herself. When she later slept over at Marcy’s house it was the same story with the Wus.

Which brings her to her current situation.

Sasha found herself standing in front of a wooden wash tub filled with soapy water, Grime stood next to it and looked at her rather expectantly.

Percy and Braddock were also behind her, looking like they were guarding the door she entered the room from. It was obvious to Sasha that they were expecting her to be resistant to what they were planning to do to her.

So she decided to surprise them.

“Okay then,” Sasha spouted casually as she kicked off her shoes and started stripping down, even taking off the scrunchie she used to tie her hair into a ponytail. Sasha’s rather used to being seen au naturel thanks to her frequently having been given baths in the Boonchuy and Wu houses, so she didn’t mind being seen this way by her new guardians. She did mentally note that the three toads seemed a little weirded out by how she looked without clothes, which was fair since her very existence in general was a new thing for them.

The moment Sasha was finished stripping down, Grime immediately picked her up and placed her in the tub, she gave a relaxed sigh at the feeling of warm water enveloping her body.

“Percy, take Sasha’s clothes and have someone clean them,” Grime ordered, “Braddock, find her something she can wear in the meantime, you can leave the rest to me.”

“Yes sir!” both Braddock and Percy saluted. Percy then did as ordered and gathered up Sasha’s discarded apparel.

“Hope you enjoy the bath, Sasha,” Braddock reassured as she exited the room with Percy, though it sounded a bit like she was a little worried for some reason.

Sasha turned her attention toward Grime, who picked up a scrub brush and started scrubbing Sasha’s left shoulder.

“I must admit,” Grime began, “I’m a little surprised you’re being this cooperative. When my sister and I were around your age, we were usually a little…. ….rambunctious about it.”

“Not me, I happen to like baths,” Sasha stated, “At least usually when I’m having sleepovers with my friends. I can kinda bathe myself, but I’m not exactly good at it, which is why I appreciate the help.”

“Well, you’re still quite young,” Grime pointed out, “there’s a reason most Amphibians don’t usually bathe themselves until they’re at least slightly older than you. I wager the same thing applies to humans.”

But then Grime realized something and asked, “Actually, wait, don’t your parents usually help you bathe?”

“They used to, way back when” Sasha replied, her tone being a mix of sadness and bitterness, “But they haven’t been big on doing anything with me for a very long time, sometimes I think they wished they never had me. Wish granted for them, I guess.”

Grime was shocked by Sasha’s words. He knew he and Beatrix’s parents could sometimes come across as cold, but they were supportive, understanding, and attentive in their own ways, as much as one could expect from Toad Warrior culture.

“I’m sorry,” Grime said, Sasha noticed he sounded genuinely sympathetic, though he didn’t seem used to acting this way, “I’m guessing without your friends, your life on this Earth has been… less than stellar?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Sasha admitted, raising one of her legs so Grime can scrub it, “I used to get along great with my folks, but at some point, I can’t for the life of me figure out why, they suddenly started acting like they want nothing to do with me and even called me useless to my face more than once. I think the only reason they let me hang with my friends so much is so they won’t have to even look at me as often. Heck, they’re probably celebrating that I’m gone as we speak.”

Sasha noticed that Grime stayed silent as he continued to scrub every nook and cranny of Sasha and even lathered up her hair with shampoo. Grime seemed a little shaken by how Sasha described her parents.

“Uh, sorry,” Sasha apologized, a little embarrassed with the direction she took the conversation, “Guess I laid out some heavy stuff.”

“No need to apologize,” Grime reassured, “I just didn’t expect to hear all this, that’s all. I’m quite aware we toads aren’t known for being soft, but no toad parent I know of would act the way you described your human parents being so….”

“Yeah, they’re horrible,” Sasha admitted bluntly, which further surprised Grime, “I don’t mind if you say it. Pretty sure Anne and Marcy’s parents think so too, but they never say as much where I can hear them.” 

“They may have avoided saying as much so as not to hurt your feelings,” Grime suggested, “they probably think you still love your parents even after what you were forced to endure from them.” 

Sasha said nothing, though she did wonder if the Boonchuy and Wu parents were right. If nothing else, She missed what her own parents used to be, so maybe part of her still loved them even if they lost the privilege of deserving her love.

Doubt it really matters anymore though, Sasha thought to herself, Even if I reunite with Anne and Marcy, we’re probably not going back to Earth anytime soon.

After Grime finished lathering Sasha’s hair, Sasha plugged her nose and submerged herself fully into the bathwater, coming out a second later with her head fully rinsed. Grime pulled Sasha out of the washtub and wrapped her in a rather large towel.

To Sasha’s own surprise, Grime wrapped Sasha in the towel in a way that made her almost look like a baby in a blanket. Which ended up being fitting since next thing Sasha knew, Grime was holding her in his arms almost like a newborn.

“While I’m still not sure how good I’ll be at it,” Grime began, “I promise I’ll do my best to be a better parent than what you had previously.”

“Hey, if I’m any judge,” Sasha stated, “You’re already succeeding with flying colors.”

Needless to say, Grime was touched by Sasha’s words, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, daddy,” Sasha smiled.

Grime then proceeded to carry the towel-wrapped Sasha out of the room, “Now let’s find Braddock and see if she’s found you something to wear. I’ll send for a tailor tomorrow to make you some regular clothes and even commission our armorer to build you some armor befitting our newest addition to our ranks.”

Sasha kept a grateful smile. During her first few days in Toad Tower, she initially resented not being allowed to leave when she could’ve been setting out looking for her friends.

But now, thanks to a certain gruff-looking, but gold-hearted Toad and many of the soldiers at his command, she truly has something she felt she didn’t have for a very long time; a true family.

Maybe I’ll like staying here after all, Sasha thought.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Calamity Bathtime (Marcy)

Four days after the Calamity Box was opened.

Living in Newtopia Castle was a new experience for Marcy. She’s been living here only for a few days so far and yet so much happened at once that it almost felt longer, in a good way. She was placed at the height of luxury that no other place in Amphibia could provide, though it also meant there was a standard of refinement that even she was expected to maintain.

Though Marcy expected to be given lessons in etiquette, things like maintaining a certain posture, walking in a refined way, talking in an extremely formal manner, and so on. But so far it only amounted to being given baths every night (including her very first night) and having to wear fancy dresses similar to Lady Olivia. Though the latter case was helped by how her Earth clothes were put in the laundry and the royal tailor was called to make new clothes for Marcy to wear instead.

If nothing else, Marcy’s newt guardians were savvy enough to ease her into this new life of being de-facto Amphibian royalty, any kid would likely be overwhelmed if they were buried under a ton of rules and bureaucracy they were expected to learn and memorize in a snap. Someone like Marcy? Probably moreso.

It also helps that, ever since Marcy endeared herself to Olivia, Yunan, and Andrias, all three of them made sure she knew their efforts to help her adjust to her new environment came from a place of love. 

Marcy being adorable in a fancy pink nightgown fit for a princess didn’t hurt either. Adorable enough that more often than not, she found herself being carried lovingly in the arms of either Olivia or Yunan. While Marcy suspected part of the reason her newt moms carry her around the castle most of the time was because they feared she’d trip on the hem of her dress and hurt herself (not unfounded, given her clumsiness), Marcy also knew Olivia and Yunan both adored her enough that they genuinely love keeping her in their embrace as much as physically possible.

Which is pretty much what’s happening to Marcy right now, with her being cradled in the arms of Lady Olivia one morning, clad in a fancy-looking light pink sleeveless nightgown that her newt mother put on her. Apparently even a morning ritual in Newtopia Castle warranted some small level of etiquette.

The ritual in question being a casual breakfast in the castle dining room, where Andrias and Yunan were already seated, as if they were specifically waiting for Marcy. Olivia placed Marcy on a chair and sat to her left while Yunan was at Marcy’s right.

Just moments later, a team of newt servants entered the dining room and first served Marcy her breakfast, the tiny human was pleasantly surprised to be served fruit-filled crepes. The royal chefs learned from yesterday that Marcy isn’t a fan of eating eggs outright (including, to Olivia’s own bafflement, caviar), but she clarified that baked goods and the like made with eggs are an exception.

Despite all that though, Marcy was fascinated when a bigger team of newt servants also entered the dining room, carrying an enormous egg roughly the size of a motorcycle and placing it in an egg cup in front of King Andrias.

“That’s a heron egg, isn’t it?” Marcy asked.

Andrias nodded with a grin as he tapped his egg with a spoon to crack the shell, “I see you’ve already learned a lot during your first few days in Amphibia.”

“I’ve been reading up as much as I could from the castle library,” Marcy confirmed, “We have herons back on Earth too, but they’re more around my height, nowhere near the Kaiju sizes the book said they were.”

When Marcy noticed the confusion the three newts were displaying, she clarified, “Kaiju is a human term to basically describe giant monsters bigger than most buildings.”

Yunan perked up at that description, “Oooh, so your world has such creatures too? If you find a way back to this Earth, I must insist on tagging along so that I may challenge one of them in battle!”

“Lets… not get ahead of ourselves,” Olivia intervened, “Though this reminds me, Marcy, since we want to give to give Newtopia time to adjust to having you here, and I’d prefer we keep you close, I’m making arrangements for private tutors who give you daily schooling sessions here in the castle.”

“Oooh, now there’s an idea,” Andrias added, “I’d like to also have a hand in tutoring Marcy. I know some things about Amphibia I think she’d find very interesting.”

“I’m sure she’d like that, your majesty,” Olivia agreed, “What say you, Mar-”

Olivia cut herself off upon seeing Marcy was not in her chair! She, Yunan, and Andrias looked around frantically for any sign of her.

They stopped the moment they saw something moving within, of all places, the breast pocket of Andrias’ robe. Marcy’s head popped out of the pocket as she looked down at the soft-boiled heron egg with fascination.

“How in the he- heck did she get up there without us noticing?” Yunan asked, utterly baffled, “Did she teleport? Can humans do that?”

“How’d you get these eggs anyway?” Marcy asked Andrias, oblivious to the shock the king was displaying, “I thought herons were considered the most dangerous creatures in Amphibia.”

“I, uh, have my ways,” Andrias answered vaguely, still trying to shake off his surprise.

“Marcy! What do you think you’re doing up there?!” Olivia sternly called out, “Climb down this instant!”

Marcy looked down and could tell that Olivia was upset and worried, her mood deflated when she realized she freaked out one of her newt mothers.

“Sorry…” Marcy apologized as she started to climb her way out of Andrias’ pocket, but slipped just after she got half her body out of the pocket and fell straight into the yoke of the heron egg.

Andrias quickly reached into the yoke with his index finger and thumb and quickly pulled Marcy out, who was already covered head-to-toe with yoke.

Marcy barely moved when Andrias gently placed her back on the floor, she stood stiffly and looked as though she was trying her hardest not to cry.

“Are you alright, Marcy?” Olivia asked.

“I… ruined… the nightgown… you got me..” Marcy softly mumbled, then started to tear up.

“Oh no, don’t think like that,” Olivia reassured, even place her hands on Marcy’s shoulders, trying to ignore how she was getting yoke on her hands, “clothes can be cleaned, much like you’re going to be. What’s important is that you’re not hurt.”

When the trio of newts noticed Marcy’s mood didn’t seem to be improving, Andrias suddenly had an idea.

Andrias scooped Marcy up with one hand then placed his crown on the table, “I think I know what might cheer you up. There’s a certain surprise I had prepared for you and now’s as good a time as any to present it.”

“You mean really gonna…” Yunan’s voice trailed off, like she knew what the king was talking about, but still wasn’t sure she believed what was about to happen.

“Yes, yes I am,” Andrias affirmed, “Olivia, Yunan, get yourselves suited up and meet us there.”

Olivia and Yunan bowed their heads slightly in affirmation as Andrias walked out of the dining room with the little yoke-covered Marcy in the palm of his hand.

Marcy was mostly quiet during her ride, still reeling from being covered in a substance she finds gross and cursing her curiosity having literally dropped her into this situation.

Eventually, Andrias and Marcy arrived at a large door, though Marcy knew enough about the castle’s layout by that point that she knew it wasn’t Andrias’ bedroom. When Andrias opened the door, Marcy was surprised to find what it actually was.

A massive bathing pool, this was Andrias’ private bathing chambers

The architecture of the room looked vaguely like a mix of modern Newtopian, Ancient Roman, and Byzantine. Almost like it was from a different era of Amphibia entirely. It was nothing like anything else Marcy has seen so far in Newtopia, let alone the castle. 

Marcy also saw that Olivia and Yunan were in the room, with Olivia wearing a dark blue bikini while Yunan was wearing a full-body wetsuit, a black and gray version of the one Marcy saw the exhibitioner at the Newtopia Aquarium wear. Yunan was also still wearing her claw gauntlets.

Marcy quickly put two-and-two together, “I’m gonna be bathing in here?”

“On some occasions where I won’t need to use it, certainly,” Andrias confirmed as he slowly lowered his hand to the floor so Marcy could safely jump off, which she did.

The moment Marcy was on the floor, Olivia and Yunan quickly went up to Marcy and stripped her of all her clothes, hastily tossing them aside and leaving Marcy completely in the buff.

This was actually not too different from all the previous times Olivia and Yunan bathed her. Marcy was capable of undressing and bathing herself, but Olivia wouldn’t have any of that, preferring to make sure she and Yunan were personally giving her care as much as possible and wanting Marcy to enjoy the full extent of luxury that only someone of high-class in Newtopia Castle gets to experience.

Though during previous bathtimes, Olivia and Yunan would take turns undressing Marcy and carrying her into a clawfoot bathtub in one of the guest bathrooms, Olivia would scrub Marcy gently with a sponge, strike up a casual conversation about the goings-on of the current day, and even give Marcy a shoulder massage.

Yunan, in contrast, would use modified claw gauntlets that sprung out long-handled scrub brushes instead of metal claws and would scrub Marcy with those brushes with seemingly infinite vigor and enthusiasm, which the latter always found ticklish. Yunan would also drop some bath toys into the tub and play various games with Marcy, sometimes Yunan would use the toys the reenact sea battles she partook in, other times she’d let Marcy lead with a game and try to go along with them as best she could, even when some of the tropes and words the young human brought up went way over her head.

Their own ways, Marcy’s newt moms were big on making sure she knew she’s being raised like Amphibian royalty, which she greatly appreciated.

Marcy walked up to the bathing pool and saw that it was roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool and certainly deep enough for someone as big as Andrias to comfortably bathe in.

“This pool’s big enough for six Andrias to bathe in!” Marcy remarked before turning to the aforementioned king, “And I’m gonna be bathing in it? It’s a little too deep, isn’t it? I know how to swim but..”

“There’s the neat part; you won’t have to!” Andrias stated eagerly before walking over to a pair of large valves on the wall, “Watch this!”

Andrias turned the valves multiple times, Marcy looked down at the pool and couldn’t help but think she was seeing the bottom of the pool rising. She found herself proven right when water started seeping out of the pool and on to the floor for a few seconds before the floor itself started to absorb the water and turn dry again. Marcy looked at the pool again to find the depth of the bathing pool was shortened enough that she could sit and be scrubbed in it.

“Amazing!” Marcy was starry eyed at this feat of engineering, “A pool with an adjustable depth? I don’t think even Earth has anything like this! And the floor must be made from a sandstone-like filter so water that seeps out gets pulled back in and is clean enough to be refilled into the pool later!”

Andrias nodded, “You’re looking at one of the best and earliest technical achievements Amphibia has accomplished, this bathing chamber is one of the oldest rooms in this castle and is what little remains from an era that has long since passed.”

Andrias then thought to himself, In fact, this was a feat of technology Newt engineers built from a time before we discovered the Calamity Gems. And may be the only glimpse of what future Amphibia might’ve gotten if we didn’t end up relying on the Gems.

Having finally shaken off her distress, Marcy raised her arms to signal she wants to be picked up, which Olivia promptly does. Olivia again cradled Marcy like a toddler as she climbed into the pool with her while Yunan followed them both in. 

Marcy turned her head toward Andrias, “You’re not gonna change into a pair of swim trunks and join us?”

“I’d love to, but I have certain duties that I can only put off for so long,” Andrias politely declined, then added cheekily, “Besides, under this robe I have a very unflattering figure, the kind that would traumatize you for life if you saw it.”

Marcy giggled, “You’re very silly, Andrias.”

The king nodded, “Guilty as charged, that said, I think I have enough time to do one thing.” 

Andrias took a large pair of scrub brushes, rubbed them on a bar of soap as big as his hand, and motioned Marcy to move closer to the edge of the pool where he was standing. Marcy went up to Andrias who immediately sandwiched Marcy between the enormous scrub brushes and proceeded to scrub of the filth and egg yolk from Marcy’s body. 

Marcy giggled at the soft bristles cleaning every inch of her, it was almost like she was going through one of those automated car washes with the rolling brushes.

Once Andrias was finished, both Olivia and Yunan took some buckets filled with water and dumped them on Marcy to rinse her off.

“The farther half of the pool is a little deeper for in case you want to do some swimming in your bath,” Andrias added, “But now this is where I have to take my leave, I’ll see you all later. Be sure to enjoy yourselves!”

Andrias walked out of the bathing chambers, he sighed slightly once he was sure no one could hear him. He did genuinely wish he could join Marcy and her newt moms in such a fun moment, but this was one scenario that would require him to reveal his cybernetics, which he wasn’t ready to do yet. 

Maybe someday, Andrias thought, But I can’t say I’m sure when that day will come.

Feeling a little bold, Andrias decided to take the opportunity to make a detour of his bedchambers and spend a solid half hour working on his secret project before he eventually returned to the dining room.

The king found his heron egg was already replaced with a stack of pillbug pancakes, not as fancy as what he usually consumes, but he silently applauded his royal chefs for giving him a replacement breakfast. 

When Andrias finally put his crown back on, he expected to get another earful from The Core for taking them off and leaving them alone for so long. But he was pleasantly surprised to find they were being completely silent.

Andrias wondered if The Core had enough decency to not want to peek at a child bathing and thought Andrias was doing them a service by leaving them out of it, or maybe they had something else occupying their collective thoughts and didn’t even notice Andrias was gone for as long as he was.

Andrias may never know either way, but he decided it was best not to look a gift snail in the mouth. 

But back to Marcy’s bath…

The young Taiwanese girl found herself getting her scalp massaged by four gentle and loving hands lathering her hair with shampoo. After getting rinsed off again, Marcy decided to move over to the slightly deeper half of the bathing pool and started swimming around, with Olivia and Yunan keeping close eyes on her, who were pleasantly surprised to see that their adopted daughter could swim pretty well.

Not quite on par with a newt, but still.

“You’ve all shown me a lot of cool things to do in Newtopia,” Marcy noted while swimming, “Though I never thought skinny-dipping would be one of them. Anne and Sasha would love this place!”

“Bear in mind that your before-bedtime bath will be happening as scheduled,” Olivia pointed out, “We should account for any filth or sweat you pick up within the ten, no, eleven hours after this bath.”

“Two baths in one day?” Marcy giggled, “If I could get any cleaner, I’d be reflecting light like a mirror ball.”

“Fitting, since you’re already the brightest kid we’ve ever known,” Yunan grinned, then submerged herself in water before surprising Marcy by swimming around her at blazing speeds. Marcy then felt herself getting lifted up as Yunan basically popped out of the surface and startled cradling Marcy in her arms. Olivia swam up to them both then she and Yunan both gave Marcy a forehead kiss.

Some kids might find it annoying to have parents that dote on them with as much enthusiasm as Olivia and Yunan, but not Marcy, she enjoyed every second of it.

“Can we do this again on a later day?” Marcy asked, “I get that I can’t bathe here all the time since Andrias still needs to use it himself.”

“You’re right, he does,” Olivia confirmed, “Though even putting that aside, these valves you saw the king use to adjust the pool’s depth were built specifically for someone of his size and strength. So we’d need his help to prepare it for you.”

“No way we can turn them ourselves,” Yunan admitted sheepishly, “Believe me, I tried.”

“This place is still definitely going on the list of things I wanna show Anne and Sasha when they come here,” Marcy noted cheerfully.

“I believe you said you and your friends used to bathe together many times back on Earth?” Olivia asked.

“Pretty much every time we have a sleepover together at either my house or Anne’s,” Marcy confirmed, “Sasha adamantly insisted we avoid her house though, something our folks agreed with her on. I looked in there once and it seemed a little drab and dirty. Plus I think I saw some empty beer bottles laying on the kitchen floor. I don’t think Sasha has good parents.”

Both newts shuddered at Marcy’s description of the Waybright house.

“Well, we can hope your Sasha friend has guardians who are taking better care of her than her human parents,” Yunan then mused, “Granted, that’s probably a low bar to clear, but hey, any improvement is better than none.”

Olivia nodded in agreement, “And if she and Anne find their way to Newtopia, you have our word we’ll make sure the three of you getting a bath here gets put on the itinerary.”

After a few more minutes of playing, swimming, and splashing in the enormous bathing pool, Olivia and Yunan noticed Marcy was starting to get a little pruney and decided to carry her out of the pool. Both newts patted Marcy dry with a large towel before getting wrapped in it and finding herself getting cradled in Yunan’s arms like a newborn baby.

It was Yunan’s turn to carry Marcy to her room to get her dressed, and Olivia would get her turn later tonight when Marcy has her before-bedtime bath.

Marcy still longs to see her friends again, but for now she’s happy knowing there’s always something new to see and do with her newt family.

Chapter Text

Calamity Promises

One month after the Trio returned to Earth

Coming back to Earth was a wild time for the Trio, between massive media attention, a mountain’s amount of schoolwork to catch up on, and the Boonchuy parents making arrangements to officially adopt Sasha into the Boonchuy family and have all her stuff brought to their house, with Oum having converted her "workout room" to a bedroom for Sasha.

Getting settled back into a new normal wasn’t easy for the three girls, as much as they were ultimately glad to be back on Earth.

That said, they all missed Amphibia.

When Mrs. Boonchuy first tried to take the Calamity Box from the girls, she had originally intended to give it to Mr. X so that she can be sure it won’t take the girls away again, but the Trio (with some remarkably impressive keep-away skills) managed to keep it out of her reach.

Oum tried to put her foot down on the issue, but the girls made it clear they’re not taking any risks that may leave them not able to see their Amphibian families again, which clicked a realization into Mrs. Boonchuy’s mind;

These girls were in this Amphibi-land for over a year, and through that year in that place, they had also had families that loved them and the girls loved them back. Oum realized it’d only be cruel and hypocritical of her to take that away from them.

And while Mrs. Boonchuy didn’t say as much out loud, she was curious about these Plantars who took Anne in as one of their own, Particularly this Sprig person who Anne talked about almost constantly and clearly has a great relationship with him. Oum was Anne’s first and only child before adopting Sasha, so she was intrigued that Anne got to experience having an older sibling who helped take care of her.

So she offered a compromise; she hides the music box somewhere in the house where no one but her can find it, but promises to allow them to use it later once they fully adjust to returning to their lives on Earth. The girls fortunately agreed.

It was after that month passed and the dust settled a bit on the public attention gained from the Trio returning that the Boonchuy and Wu parents decided to honor their side of the bargain.

One Friday afternoon when school was over, Oum heard a knock on the door and upon answering it, was pleased to see the Wu family and immediately welcomed them in.

“So how have things been for you three?” Oum asked.

“Amazing!” Marcy exclaimed, “we just got my journal published!”

Stephen Wu nodded, “It was a little tricky finding a good publisher, but one came to us with a great contract that agreed to pay royalties as well as a good cut on the sales.”

“We’ve already worked out a plan for how to spend it when the first check arrives,” Chen Wu added, “We’ve already opened a savings account for Marcy so that the profits can help pay for her college tuition should she wish to attend, but also we’ll be adding some of it to her monthly allowance.”

Stephan Wu ruffles his daughter’s hair affectionately, “Our kid was raised like a princess by the newts in Amphibiland, we figured it’s only fitting we try to do the same.”

“Amphibia, dad,” Marcy corrected.

“Right, Amphibia, sorry,” Mr. Wu apologized with an embarrassed smile.

“So we’re doing this today, huh?” Chen asked as Oum gave confirmation with a nod.

“Doing what?” Marcy asked with confusion.

“You’ll see in a minute, Marcy,” Oum reassured then called out, “Anne! Sasha! Can you come down to the living room?”

As both families gathered in the Boonchuy living room, the parents stood in front of the TV while the girls sat on the sofa listening intently.

“Okay, I think today is as good a time as any,” Oum began, “You may use the music box to return to Amphibilan- Amphibia.”

“REALLY?!” All three girls cheered.

“Settle down, girls,” Bee requested, though he found their enthusiasm adorable, “There’s a small catch to this first visit; Anne, Sasha, your mom and I will be going with you.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Anne agreed, “I think we all want our families from both worlds to meet and get along.”

“Speaking of which, be right back,” Sasha got off the couch and ran upstairs what what seemed like practically light speed and returned to the living room wearing the Toad soldier armor and swords she got from Amphibia, and she was holding the Calamity Box.

“She gets changed fast,” Stephen commented with an impressed tone.

“She still sometimes wears that armor around the house,” Bee noted, “She’s very proud of her time as a Toad Soldier.”

“I bet I’m even the first seven-year-old to qualify for veteran’s benefits,” Sasha joked.

“How’d you even find the box so quickly?” Oum asked, somewhat dumbfounded, “I thought I hid it somewhere you wouldn’t think to find it.”

“Like the top of your bedroom closet where you also hide Christmas gifts?” Sasha asked rhetorically, “I knew where it was the moment you agreed to keep it in the house. I love you, Mrs. Boonchuy, but sometimes you’re predictable.”

“Given the circumstances, I’ll let that bit of sass slide,” Oum responded as Sasha placed the Calamity Box on the coffee table, “Anyway, We’ll both be going with you for a weekend-long visit. Oughta be enough time for us to get to know Amphibia as well as the friends and family you three made here.”

“As well as give Sasha and Marcy’s Amphibian parents enough time to be notified about your return and arrive to reunite with you,” Bee added, “Once we use the box, we’ll be ending up in this Wartwood, right?”

“The Plantar Farm, more specifically,” Marcy replied, “We studied the book Valeriana gave us and technically can use the Box to warp to any spot in Amphibia we know of, but we all figured Wartwood would be the best place to ease you into the world.”

“This reminds me, Marcy,” Stephen interjected, “Your mother and I agreed to watch the Boonchuy house while you, your friends, and Anne’s parents are in Amphibia.”

“If none of your come back here by Monday morning,” Chen added, “We’ll assume something went wrong and notify a certain Mr. X about it.”

“Fair enough,” Anne said, “But make sure Domino’s fed every day while we’re gone!”

“Don’t worry Anne, we will.”

Anne noticed her dad pulling out a pair of duffle bags from next to the TV and handed one to her mother, she was glad to see her parents have prepared themselves for the weekend-long trip and they’re both determined to meet Amphibia halfway despite any misgivings they might’ve had given some of the bad stuff she and her friends went through.

With a confirming nod from both her parents, Anne jumped off the couch and started pressing the gems on the Calamity Box before turning the key and opening it, summoning a portal, which all four parents looked in amazement.

“Wow, that’s quite a light show,” Bee remarked.

“This’ll take some getting used to,” Oum noted.

Anne and Sasha eagerly ran into the portal, with Anne holding the music box. Marcy turned to her parents and waved at them.

“Bye mom! Bye dad! We’ll be back before you know it!” Marcy promised as she went in the portal too, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy followed them into the portal immediately afterward and the portal closed.

Mr. and Mrs. Wu, despite having prepared themselves for this moment, still found themselves processing that their little girl was away to Amphibia.

“You think Marcy and the others will be okay?” Chen asked her husband.

“I won’t lie, part of me is a little worried,” Stephen admitted, “But I feel better knowing all of them will be together and Marcy has friends and family here helping take care of her as well. And lest we forget, when they do return, it’ll be our turn to go with them next weekend.”

“That’s something to look forward to,” Chen agreed, “Marcy speaks highly of these Olivia and Yunan newts, meeting them oughta be a very interesting experience.”

“This Yunan in particular seems like quite a character if Marcy’s descriptions are anything to do by,” Stephen agreed with a grin, “Though it does leave us one question; what’ll we do while we wait?”

Chen picked up the TV remote from the coffee table, “Bee and Oum did say we’re free to give their streaming apps a try.”

“That’s a start,” Stephen nodded, “Let’s see which one of them has Blade Runner, haven’t watched that one in a while.”

______________________

Anne, Sasha, Marcy, Oum, and Bee all emerged from the other side of the portal, which closed as soon as all five humans had fully cleared it. The Boonchuy parents looked at their new surroundings with awe.

“So this is Amphibia?” Bee asked, “Somehow it’s more colorful than I thought it’d be.”

“Wait ‘till you meet the people here!” Sasha grinned.

“And that’s the Plantar Farm in front of us?” Oum asked, which Anne confirms with a nod, “I’ll admit it looks cozy.”

Before the five could do anything else, the front door of the Plantar house burst open, with Sprig, Hop-Pop, and Polly hastily coming out and being ecstatic upon seeing Anne is here again.

“ANNE!” All three Plantars cheered in unison, Anne ran up to them and found herself being put in a group hug by her entire frog family. Despite already knowing they exist, Oum and Bee couldn’t help but find the sight of them a little surreal.

“We knew you’d come back to us!” Sprig said with tears of joy coming out of his eyes.

“Welcome back!” Hop-Pop greeted his adopted granddaughter.

“You’ve been gone way too long!” Polly claimed, “Though I’d probably say that even if you were away for just a day.” 

Anne giggled at Polly’s words, “Never change, Polly.”

Once the Plantars released Anne from their group hug, they turned their attention toward Anne’s parents and went up to greet them.

“You must be Anne’s human parents,” Hop-Pop offered his hand, Oum shook it after some slight hesitation while Bee took HP’s hand more eagerly, having more quickly shaken off his initial surprise, “She’s told us a lot about you, you raised her well!”

“Thank you,” Bee said, “We know you also did a wonderful job taking care of her. You have our eternal thanks.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Sprig placed a hand on Anne’s shoulder and looks at his human little sister lovingly, “Anne’s as much part of our family as she is yours, there’s nothing we won’t do for her.”

“That’s fair,” Oum affirmed, seeing her daughter being so happy with this young frog boy she calls her big brother. In that moment, Oum smiled warmly as she could see everything Anne said about him was right on the money.

“Well, no sense leaving you five standin’ out in the open,” Hop-Pop motioned the five humans to follow him into the house, “Come on in, I just brewed some coffee.”

Anne, Sasha, Marcy, and Polly quickly ran into the house past Hop-Pop, eager to do whatever fun thing they already had planned for the girls’ return while Sprig calmly followed them as if he already volunteered to chaperone them.

If nothing else, Oum was now confident that the Boonchuy and Plantar families were going to get long great, as Anne hoped they would. 

Chapter Text

Calamity Misunderstanding

One week after the Calamity Box was opened.

The first time Anne went into Wartwood, her appearance was met with shock, suspicion, and a bout of being called ugly by some of the frog townsfolk. Which resulted in Anne curling up in the fetal position and crying with Hop-Pop spending a good amount of time assuring the Wartwoodians that she posed no threat to them while Sprig and Polly comforted their adopted sister as best they could.

It was not a pleasant experience, but the Plantars knew they just couldn’t keep her cooped up in the house forever. Hop-Pop did his best to assure Anne that the next time they come to town will be less hostile. Which may not seem like much, but Wartwood’s motto is “Slow to accept, and even slower to respect,” so the only way to fully integrate Anne into their society was for her to keep interacting with them so that they can gradually at least get used to her and Hop-Pop knew it.

That said, the first visit wasn’t a total wash, it did lead to Anne meeting Ivy for the first time, who took a liking to her immediately and visited the Planter Farm just as often to get to know her as much as for her usual ambush bouts with Sprig.

One Wednesday morning, Anne found herself and her froggy family riding Bessie toward Wartwood again, she wasn’t looking forward to it, but it was either this or having to stay alone on the farm for several hours. 

Anne decided to keep her mind off the impending wave of suspicious villagers by striking a conversation with Polly, “Say Polly, how old are you exactly?”

“Five years old,” Polly replied.

“Five?” Anne asked, “You’re only a year younger than me and you’re considered a baby?”

“Well I am still a tadpole,” Polly pointed out, “I’m guessing you humans aren’t still babies at my age?”

“Uh, kinda?” Anne replied, unsure of how to explain how humans age, “I mean, my mom and dad still sometimes called me baby after I turned six and started school, but most humans stop being babies when they turn three or four.”

“Seems a bit fast to be out of babyhood if you ask me,” Hop-Pop remarked with concern, “If you came to us a year or two earlier we’d probably make sure you were more properly taken care of in a way befitting those ages.”

“Thanks, but I’m not sure five-year-old me would’ve been into having to strut around the farm butt-naked and sitting in a bucket all day,” Anne said with a giggle, “No offense, Polly.”

“None taken,” Polly reassured.

“Hey, give us some credit,” Hop-Pop said, “We would’ve adjusted our approach to account for you being a mammal and I’m pretty sure we would’ve figured things out as they come with taking care of you at that age.”

“Well, even if you knew everything about taking care of human babies,” Ann said with a slight giggle, “I doubt you or Sprig would’ve been a fan of having to change my diapers.”

“What’s a diaper?” Sprig asked.

Anne blushed, she was too embarrassed to reply out loud, but she respected and loved her big brother enough that she didn’t want to outright refuse answering him. Anne saw they were coming close to Wartwood and had an idea.

“Oh look! We’re at Wartwood!” Anne pointed out, changing the subject, then whispered to Sprig, “I’ll tell you later.”

Upon entering Wartwood a second time, Anne was relieved to find the froggy townspeople were acting much less hostile than her first visit and more indifferent. Still not exactly as friendly as she would’ve liked, but it was a remarkably big step forward for them according to Hop-Pop.

After the Planter Family finished setting the stall up, an unexpected visitor showed up almost immediately, a certain light blue frog girl with pink mushroom-looking hair and a short black sack dress.

Maddie Flour.

Anne thought to herself how she might’ve seen Maddie at a distance during her first visit, but wasn’t entirely certain. She noticed Sprig seemed to freeze up a little in Maddie's presence and it wasn’t hard to see why; she had this rather unreadable demeanor and looked straight at Anne with the one yellow eye as she walked up to her like she thought Anne was the only other person around.

She almost looks like she walked out of a Tim Burton movie, Anne thought to herself.

“So you’re this ‘human’ that recently arrived here?” Maddie asked, but before Anne could reply, Maddie took Anne’s arm and examined it with what seemed to be a scientific curiosity. 

“Hmm, warm-blooded, skin emits no mucus,” Maddie mused, she then lifted Anne’s shirt slightly and started looking at Anne’s belly button, causing Anne to blush slightly, “You’re obviously a mammal, but your skin is smooth and doesn’t appear to have any fur, fascinating.”

Anne looked to her adoptive frog family and while Sprig appears a little intimidated, Polly and Hop-Pop don’t seem particularly bothered by Maddie. In fact, Hop-Pop seems pleased to see her.

“Good mornin’ Maddie!” Hop-Pop greeted, which got the blue frog’s attention, “Runnin’ the stall for your dad again?” 

“You know it, Mr. Plantar,” Maddie confirmed, “Dad’s been having Mr. Gunther look after my sisters while he tends to the bakery. He’s lately encouraged me to cut down on stall hours so I’d have more time for my other job.”

Hop-Pop nodded with approval, “ Glad to hear it. Oh, that reminds me, can you take an order for me? Just bring it to the house when it’s finished.”

Hop-Pop handed Maddie a small piece of paper, the latter nodded in confirmation, “Consider it done, Mr. Plantar.”

Maddie then turned toward Sprig and asked, “Say, Sprig, can I ask you a few questions over at my stall?”

Sprig sweated a little, “Uh, sure…”

Sprig and Maddie walked away from the Plantar stall and went over to the Flour stall just across the dirt road, they talked, but in a strangely quiet tone that Anne couldn’t make out from where she was standing, but she could tell Sprig still looked a little nervous talking to Maddie.

“Why does Sprig look scared of Maddie?” Anne asked, “I thought he could brave anything!”

“Wow, way to hold him on a pedestal, Anne,” Polly snarked, “He’s like this because he knows Maddie has a cruuuuuush on him!”

“A- a crush?” Anne was stunned by Polly’s words, if for no other reason, then she didn’t think anyone had eyes for Sprig other than Ivy, and was dismayed by the news.

“I’d tease them both about it,” Polly added, “But I don’t wanna risk Maddie deciding I’d look good cursed to turn into a massive ball of hair or a bird or something, as funny as that would be.”

“Wait, she can do that?” Anne asked.

“Don’t scare Anne like that, Polly,” Hop-Pop scolded, then turned his attention toward Anne, “There’s nothing to worry about, Anne. Maddie may seem off-putting and strange, but she’s an earnest young lady who’s done a lot of good. You can learn a lot from her example.”

Anne didn’t seem particularly convinced and asked, “But what’s this about her cursing people? I didn’t think swear words could do anything magical.”

“Maddie doesn’t do those kind of curses,” Hop-Pop replied then added with sudden theatricality, “She’s a practitioner of the Darrrk Aaaarts! ”

Unfortunately for Hop-Pop, that didn’t help matters and Anne looked shocked by what she was hearing.

Polly crosses her arms and grins at her grandfather incredulously, “Now who’s scaring Anne?”

Hop-Pop couldn’t help but chuckle in embarrassment, “Sorry, guess the theater frog in me kinda rose out for that one.”

Anne decided to change the subject, “Um, is there a bathroom nearby I can use?”

“There’s a row of outhouses just at the west edge of the stalls,” Hop-Pop replied as he pointed westward, “If you’d like, I can call Sprig back over so he can escort you.”

“No thanks, I can get there on my own,” Anne answered before she dashed off, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Anne took another look at Maddie still at her stall talking to Sprig and thought to herself, If Maddie is some sort of witch, that must mean she has Sprig on some sort of spell. I gotta do something to break him out of it before it gets worse! I can’t have my big brother be on someone’s leash, not to mention Ivy would be upset if she’s unable to date him anymore.

It wasn’t long before Anne found the outhouses, she actually did need to ‘go’ a little, but figured it can wait until her mission to free Sprig was complete. Her plan was to loop back into the stalls stealthily and try to sneak into Maddie’s stall without anyone noticing, figuring she can find out something about Maddie’s dark arts that can help undo her spell on Sprig.

But that plan was interrupted when a familiar voice, “Why hello there, little Anne!”

Anne turned around and saw Barry, the top hat wearing candy maker frog who was also running his own stall in Wartwood, and incidentally also one of the few people in Wartwood who was nice to her from the start, even gave her some free candy.

“Uh, morning Barry,” Anne greeted, “Can we talk later? I’m kinda in the middle of something.”

“Oh I wouldn’t bother trying to find anything about Maddie’s witchcraft in the baker stall,” Barry said, “She doesn’t bring much of her stuff there and I think she keeps most of her important stuff in her room anyway until she’s ready to use it.”

Anne was surprised, “How did you know…?”

“I was on my way to my stall when I noticed how worried you looked with how Sprig reacted to her,” Barry replied, giving a look of empathy, “You’re right to be concerned, you know, she did place a curse on him.”

Anne was horrified, “She did?”

Barry nodded, “Oh-ho, yes, you see, she wants to marry Sprig and figured the only way to do that is to cast a spell that will compel him to immediately agree to marry her and only her when they both grow up. No doubt poor Ivy will be left in the dust if that happens.”

“Please tell me there’s a way to free Sprig from Maddie’s curse!” Anne pleaded.

“You’re in luck because you have good ol’ Barry on your side!” Barry exclaimed, then pulled out a cloth pouch and threw it at one of the outhouses, which caused it to turn into a gold plated version of itself, “You see, I’m also a practitioner of Amphibian magic and I know just the spell that can free Sprig. However, I’ll need your help to make it.”

“Of course!” Anne accepted, “I’ll do anything to free my big brother!”

Barry grinned, “I was hoping you’d say that, follow me.”

Barry casually gave Anne a lollipop, which she eagerly took before they started walking off. Just a minute later, they arrive to Barry’s shack.

“Here we are!” Barry exclaimed, “With your help, Maddie won’t know what hit her!”

“I hope so,” Anne said, suddenly feeling very drowsy as she started to yawn, “I think that lollipop you gave me tasted… kinda…. funny…”

Anne suddenly collapsed onto the ground and fell asleep, Barry looked at the sleeping human and chuckled evilly.

Meanwhile…

“In a way I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Sprig said to Maddie as they both started walking back to the Plantar Stall, “It’s better than the suspicion the rest of Wartwood’s treated Anne the last time we were here, but try to be a little more delicate with her next time. She’s been going through a lot and I don’t think putting her on-the-spot is helping.”

Maddie scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, “Right, sorry about that.”

Sprig greeted his family when he was finally back in the stall, but quickly noticed Anne wasn’t here.

“Uh, Hop-Pop, where’s Anne?” Sprig asked.

“She said she needed to use an outhouse not long after you started your talk with Maddie,” Hop-Pop replied, “Though I admit she seems to be taking quite a while doing her business.”

“Must be this morning’s breakfast didn’t agree with her,” Polly teased, which earned her an indignant huff from her grandfather.

“We better check up on her,” Sprig said, “She might’ve gotten lost on the way back or something.”

“I better go with you,” Maddie offered, “Just in case it’s something worse.”

Sprig nodded as he and Maddie made their way to the outhouses. When they got there, the golden outhouse got their attention.

“Was that always there?” Sprig asked, “Looks like something Mayor Toadstool would use.”

Sprig knocked on the golden outhouse’s door, “Hey, Anne! You in there?”

But there was no response, not even from the neighboring port-a-johns, which both Sprig and Maddie promptly opened and found nothing inside.

Sprig was growing more worried, “She’s not any of them! Where could she have gone?”

Maddie looked back at the golden outhouse and, on a hunch, pulled out a curse pouch and threw it at the tacky-looking latrine, after a puff of purple smoke, a purple sparkling trail came out of it and made a path out toward the forest.

“Hey Sprig!,” Maddie called out, “That outhouse was cursed! Someone else was here not too long ago!”

“You think whoever made that toilet gold also took Anne?” Sprig asked hopefully.

“Seems likely,” Maddie replied, “We better follow this trail quickly.”

And they did.

Back in Barry’s shack….

Anne groggily woke up and felt some cold metal on her back and posterior, she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw were iron bars. She was horrified upon realizing she was in a cage!

Anne looked around and saw the shack had a cauldron in the middle of the room and shelves containing strange ingredients, almost resembling the interior of a witch’s hut she’s seen in pictures of some of the fantasy books Marcy showed her.

“Sleep well?” Anne heard Barry’s voice as Barry himself walked out of a shadow almost theatrically, “I’m honestly a little surprised you fell for my trick so easily. Didn’t your mother tell you not to take free candy from people you barely know?”

Anne mentally kicked herself, her mom did indeed warn her about scenarios like this, but she didn’t think Barry technically qualified as a stranger because she knew his name, she realized she needed to know more about a person than that to trust them.

“I’m sure you figured out by now Maddie didn’t curse Sprig with anything,” Barry pointed out, “Though I wasn’t lying about needing your help with her. Since you’re a rare stock around here, I figured I’d experiment with parts of you to see what can be used for brewing new curses, certainly would give me a leg up over Maddie in the witchcraft business.”

Barry picked up a handsaw and grinned with sadistic glee, “Now there’s an idea; let’s see what one of your legs can do in my cauldron!”

Terrified, Anne backed herself as far as she could in her cage as Barry slowly walked toward her, clearly enjoying how much he was scaring the little human.

The frog candy-maker and curse-user suddenly stopped himself and sniffed the air in confusion, “What's that strange smell?”

Both Barry and Anne heard a loud thud, Barry quickly turned around and saw Sprig and Maddie, having kicked down the door with their respective weapons already in hand.

“Sprig!” Anne cheered, relieved and ecstatic that her big brother came to her rescue.

“Barry! What do you think you’re doing to my sister?!” Sprig called out as he aimed his slingshot at the candy-frog.

“Oh-ho! Anne’s just helping me with my mystic arts,” Barry replied with thinly-veiled cheekiness, “You really should be proud of her for playing a part in advancing the craft.”

“You pervert the craft!” Maddie exclaimed, “The dark arts should be used to help good people, not hurt them!”

Sprig whispered to Maddie, “I see a key hanging above Anne’s cage, think you can keep Barry busy while I get Anne out?”

“Gladly,” Maddie replied as she immediately threw a curse pouch with it hitting the saw Barry was holding, turning it into a bouquet of flowers, which surprised and confused Barry for a brief second before he tossed it aside and threw a curse pouch of his own, which Maddie dodged.

While Maddie and Barry were having their magic battle, Sprig quickly went up to Anne’s cage, extended his tongue to snatch the key above Anne, and used it to open the cage, which prompted Anne to immediately bolt out of the cage and hug Sprig tightly. Sprig hugged his little human sister back.

“I was so scared and stupid, Sprig!” Anne sobbed, “I thought Maddie cursed you and Barry offered to help me free you, but he tricked me and put me in here!”

Sprig was confused by Anne’s words, but he knew now wasn’t really a good time to get into that, so he hoisted Anne over his shoulder and ran for the doorway.

Unfortunately, Barry saw Sprig trying to escape with Anne and quickly threw a curse pouch his direction. When Sprig saw the oncoming pouch, he promptly put Anne back down and positioned himself to shield Anne from the pouch. But his peripheral vision revealed that Barry wasn’t aiming for him or Anne, but the doorway, which is now blocked by vines. 

“Well kiddies, it’s been fun,” Barry said, “But I’m afraid playtime’s over. I can’t have any of you leaving to tell anyone what I’ve been doing. But I’m quite willing to spare your lives if you agree to stay here with me as my… unpaid interns.”

“You mean slaves?” Sprig said with an incredulous glare.

“Eh, Po-tah-to Po-tay-to,” Barry said dismissively, “Speaking of which, I advise putting Anne back in her cage, she’s still gonna be harvested for ingredients, but if you two cooperate I’ll be sure to only take the more renewable parts of her body like her hair, her tears, and maybe a teaspoon or two of her blood.”

“Not a chance!” Maddie was about to pull another spell pouch, but realized to her shock that she’s run out!

“Well’s run dry, huh?” Barry asked rhetorically as he smugly pulls out two pouches himself and started to walk toward the young frog witch, “Bit of a pity you decided to cross me, Maddie, but maybe with just teensy bit of brainwashing, you’ll make a fine and obedient apprentice.”

Sprig saw Maddie take a few steps backwards and looking around for anything she can use, but from where she stood any reagents she could craft a spell with were on the shelf behind Barry and Maddie was trying to figure out how she could get to them without Barry hitting her with a spell pouch first.

Sprig however noticed a table also containing some ingredients, some of which he recognized from the times he saw Maddie brew spells in the past and had an idea.

While Barry’s attention was still on Maddie, Sprig used his slingshot to launch a mudball at Barry’s eyes, blinding him and causing him to drop his pouches.

“Gah! Foiled by bratty mischief!” Barry exclaimed.

“Maddie! The table behind you!” Sprig called out.

Sure enough, Maddie turned around and was pleased to see some reagents on the nearby table, she promptly jumped on to it, tore off a sleeve from her dress and used it with some of the ingredients to put together another spell pouch. When Maddie saw Barry was still wiping mud from his eyes, she quickly went over to Barry’s cauldron and slammed the pouch into it, which caused it to start bubbling violently.

“Sprig! Move to the side of the cauldron opposite of me and get ready to help me tilt it over!” Maddie called out, “Anne! Get behind us!”

Both siblings immediately did as Maddie ordered. By the time Barry finished wiping mud off his face and gained his sight back, he saw Maddie and Sprig with his cauldron and immediately realized what was about to happen.

“How’s this for a well run dry, Barry?” Maddie rhetorically asked, “Now, Sprig!”

Both Maddie and Sprig pulled on the handles to tilt the cauldron over to where its brim was pointed straight at Barry, who slumped upon realizing how the tables have turned.

“Oh son of a-”

The cauldron burst out a large stream of pink liquid that hit Barry so hard that it launched him clean through a wall and out of the shack.

Anne, Sprig and Maddie walked up the hole Barry made to the wall he crashed through and saw a large cloud of magic smoke dissipating.

“Is… he dead?” Anne asked.

“If he did,” Sprig said, “It’d be a gruesome fate for a gruesome man.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say he got off that lightly,” Maddie stated.

As the cloud fully dissipated, it revealed that Barry had turned into what looked like a top hat wearing yellow-feathered chicken, to his own shock and outrage.

“Oh-ho, you three brats may have won this time,” Barry conceded, “But at the risk of sounding cliché, this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me! One day I’ll have sweet vengeance and you’ll be begging for mercy!”

Barry ran further into the forest in retreat. 

Sprig breathed a sigh of relief that it was over before turning to Maddie, “Gotta admit, we made a good team there.”

The pink frog boy raised his hand to offer Maddie a high-four, which she promptly took.

Both frog kids then turned toward Anne, who hanged her head slightly down in shame.

“I owe you an apology, Maddie,” Anne began, “Hop-Pop and Polly told me how you practice magic and that you were crushing on Sprig, so I thought when you pulled Sprig over to your stall that it meant you cursed him to obey and date you even though he’s already with Ivy.”

Maddie and Sprig looked at each other and realized Anne misunderstood what happened before turning their attention back to her.

“Well in your defense, I may have been a little over-eager with you when I was examining you,” Maddie said, “That’s actually why I pulled Sprig over for a talk, because I thought you seemed too shy to answer any questions about yourself and I figured he’d fill me in.”

“So, you don’t have a crush on Sprig?” Anne asked.

Maddie blushed slightly and chuckled, “Well I didn’t say that , I already knew he’s in a relationship with Ivy which is why I didn’t try getting Sprig to date me. But I’m quite happy with simply being friends with them both. And I’d certainly like to be your friend as well. Wanna start over?”

Anne gave a relieved smile and hugged Maddie, who hugged her back, “Definitely!”

Sprig also smiled. He knew Maddie can come across as off-putting and a little creepy, but there are a few friends more dependable than her and he’s more than glad Anne now knows that as well.

After Anne and Maddie released each other from their embrace, Sprig however noticed a strange smell in the air.

“What’s that smell?” Sprig wondered aloud, and he could tell Maddie noticed it too.

“I don’t think it’s anything coming from the shack,” Maddie looked around, “Honestly smells like…”

Anne looked down at herself and quickly pulled down her shirt to hide her shorts from view, “Uh, Sprig, remember when you asked me what a diaper was earlier?”

“What’s a diaper?” Maddie asked.

Anne blushed profusely in embarrassment, “Let’s just say I wish I was wearing one right now.”