The Road to Newtopia (The Calamity Girls Book 2)

Swamp and Sensibility

Things have been crazy. We had reached the halfway point to Newtopia, and we had Sprig and Polly go on this adventure to get them to stop fighting. We were so used to them arguing, however, after we dropped them off at this place called Quarreler's Pass, Hop Pop couldn't take the silence, so he mentioned he-who-must-not-be-named, Anne's boyfriend, more like ex boyfriend.

A few days later, I was watching a movie with Anne and Sprig. It was about a ballerina who wanted to dance hip hop. Anne started crying with the beautiful ending. "And that is the masterpiece, From Point to Popping." "Talk about an emotional roller coaster." Sprig said. "Right, this movie gets Anne every time." I joked as the fwagon ran over a bump. "Sprig, you alright, buddy?" "What the heck?" Anne asked as we checked in with Hop Pop. Turns out we were going up a hill and Hop Pop accidentally broke the reins, losing control of Bessie. "Dang it, the reins snapped!" Hop Pop exclaimed as Bessie started chasing a sheep bug. "We gotta get these reins fixed or we can't control Bessie!" "Don't worry, Hop Pop, there's a town right down the road, Ribbitvale." Sprig explains. "Ribbitvale, the most expensive town in all Amphibia?" Hop Pop asked. "No way!" "Looks like we don't have a choice, HP." Anne said. "You're right." Hop Pop sighed. "But when we get there, don't get sucked in by the fancy." "I make no promises." I said.

We pulled Bessie into Ribbitvale to fix the reins. The town was beautiful, like a rich person threw up all over this town. "So shiny." Polly gasped. "So sparkly." I added as Hop Pop sprayed us both with water. "Hey, I said look away from the fancy." Hop Pop repeated. "And I said I make no promises." I replied. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before!" Sprig exclaimed. "A ten tiered fountain, a solid gold snail carriage, there's even a One-Eyed Wally, wait, what?" Sprig was right, he did se Wally, but he looked different. "One-Eyed Wally?" We asked. "You didn't tell us you were leaving the valley, you scamp." Anne said. Wally stuttered. "Walliam, you know these pungent common folk?" His father asked. "Yes, father, I met them on my business travels." Wally lied. "These must be your servants from Wartwood then." His father said. "Servants?" Hop Pop wondered. "Yes, that's right, father, these are my servants." Wally lied as Polly squeezed his hand tight enough to almost break it. "And these must be some kind of exotic beasts you tamed, though I assume I would've had them both stuffed." His father laughed as Anne and I glared at Wally. "Anyhow, I'm Wigbert Ribbiton. "Ribbiton, as in Ribbiton's ribbons, the finest web crusty floss in all of Amphibia?" Hop Pop asked. "That's us, and when I retire, Walliam here will be head of the Ribbiton family empire, right, Walliam?" Wigbert explains. "Right father." Wally replied. "Can't wait for that." Wally sighed quietly. At the same time, Wigbert sent his mechanics to work on new reins for Bessie.

Wigbert invited us to his mansion until Bessie was finished. Him and Wally showed us to a fancy bedroom. "What the heck, Wally." Anne said. "This place is magnificent!" Hop Pop exclaimed as he lays down on a bed. "What happened to look away from the fancy?" I asked. "It don't count if you don't have to pay for it." Hop Pop replied. "Hey, let's go explore." Sprig suggested. "Okay!" Hop Pop exclaimed as they went to explore the mansion. "So, Walliam, what's going on here, I thought you were a fun loving tramp, not some little rich boy?" Anne asked. "The truth is, I live like a bum in Wartwood because it's what I love, this life may look nice, but there's so many rules, and if my family knew the real me, well, they'd disown me for sure." Wally explains. "That's just frog abuse!" I exclaimed. "Just be honest with them, tell them the truth and I know they'll support you." Anne suggested. "It's just too risky, girls, I have to hide these around the house or I'll lose my mind." Wally sighed pulling out a tile and grabbed his accordion. "What about that time you told us not to care what people think?" I asked. "This is different, this is my family we're talking about." Wally said. "Both of us still think you should be honest with them." Anne explains. "What do you have to lose?" "Well, come with me and I'll show you." Wally replied as he bumped into a painting. "You alright?" I asked. "Meant to do that." He replied.

Wally took both of us to a stable. "So much of my past is here, it would break my heart to leave it all behind." Wally explains as he opened one of the doors. "Meet Fiddle Leaf, I've been riding her since I was a wee tadpole." Above him was a painting of a young Wally and Fiddle Leaf. "If you're not gonna tell them, what are you gonna do?" Anne asked. "Maybe if they could see how happy I was living in Wartwood, they'd understand me and accept me for who I am." Wally explains. "Who am I kidding, well, I better go get ready for dinner." Anne and I looked at each other as Wally ran out of the stable, and Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly  ran in. "Where've you guys been?" I asked. "Rich people are messed up." Polly replied as Anne nudged Sprig. "Dude, we've just spent an hour talking with Wally about how miserable he is." Anne explains. "Well, tonight, we're gonna help him come clean." "Are you sure meddling is a good idea?" Sprig asked. "It's not meddling, it's the right thing to do because it happened in a movie, and movies are never wrong." Anne replied. "Yes they are, all the time." I said. Sprig agreed with Anne.

At dinner, Wigbert made a toast to Wally. As much as I was cautious about Anne's plan, I went along with it. "To thank you Ribbiton's for your hospitality, I have prepared a special presentation, now please enjoy this video of Wally's life in Wartwood, edited by me, also, thanks to Rowena for teaching me to edit." Anne announced. Even though I knew this was wrong, I blushed when she mentioned me. Wally dropped his spoon in shock. "Wait, what?" Anne played the video of Wally singing a song along with his accordion, bathing in the fountain in the town square, and falling asleep with the flies. "Cue the emotional acceptance." Anne whispers. Wigbert stood up from his chair. "Walliam, that is how you've been acting outside of Ribbitvale?" He asked. "Unacceptable, you have brought shame to the house of Ribbiton, worse, you've been lying to us!" "I only lied because I didn't think you'd accept the real me." Wally confessed. "Well, you weren't wrong, we do not accept this, you are henceforth forbidden to leave this town!" Wigbert ordered. "Then you leave me no choice." Wally grunted as he rang a fancy gong, which can only mean one thing. Family challenge. "What does that mean?" Anne asked. "Family challenge." Sprig and I replied. "C'mon, Anne, you and Rowena have been here long enough." Hop Pop explains. "If my family won't accept me for who I truly am, then I don't want to be a Ribbiton anymore!" Wally snapped. "I challenge you to a winner takes all duel!" "Very well, one-on-one beast polo, you win, you can leave Ribbitvale and live however you like, you lose, you take over the family business and stay in Ribbitvale, forever." Wigbert said. Wally accepts the challenge, leaving Anne to feel guilty. Wally and Anne left the dining room. "I knew this would happen." I whispered to Sprig.

We were invited to watch the challenge, which was way more fancy than Sprig and Hop Pop's challenge. "Hi-ho, Krumpet the Frog here and welcome to the official Ribbiton family challenge, a riveting game of beast polo!" Krumpet joked. "Well, this guy is quite the character." Hop Pop commented. "He reminds me of a character from a show I used to watch with Rosalina." I added. "Here comes the ball now!" Krumpet announced as Wigbert pulled out a ball from his closed eye. I almost threw up on another frog in the audience. "Why is Anne on the field with Wally?" I asked. Turns out that Wally wasn't allowed to use his beast because it was under his family's name, so he just rode on Anne's back the whole time. Near the end of the challenge, Wally pulled out an accordion from Anne's hair and launched it to shoot the ball into the goal. Everyone cheered for Wally. We joined the winners to congratulate them. "I can finally be myself." Wally said. "Can't be yourself without your signature hat." Hop Pop added as he gave Wally his hat. Wally walked over to his father. "Well, son, I concede defeat, I suppose this means goodbye, forever." Wigbert whimpers. "I don't want to leave forever, I just want to be able to be me, wherever I am." Wally explains. "You mean you still want to be a Ribbiton?" Wigbert asked. "Of course I do, but you have to accept me for who I am." Wally replied. "Both Walliam, and Wally!" "I suppose we can do that." Wigbert agreed.