The Road to Newtopia (The Calamity Girls Book 2)

Marcy at the Gates

After traveling for weeks, we were almost to Newtopia, although, Anne and I were excited, we were also pretty bummed. "Newtopia, I can't believe it!" Sprig exclaimed. "It's been a long journey, but we're finally almost there!" I put my arm around Anne, who was frowning at the Polaroid photo of her, Sasha, and Marcy. "Guys, thought you'd be more excited?" Sprig asked. "Of course we're excited, buddy." I replied. "But we've been traveling Amphibia for weeks, we thought there would be some sign of Marcy by now, but nothing." Anne added. "Maybe that's a good thing, your last friend was kinda, totally evil." Sprig said, pointing at Sasha's photo, but was slapped away by Anne. "Look, Sasha and I might be going through a rough patch, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her." Anne explains. "And since her and Rowena both got zapped here, it must mean that Marcy did too." "You wouldn't have to worry about Marcy, she's completely different from Sasha, she's also a friend of mine, she's harmless." I added. "She was so smart, but super oblivious, and insanely clumsy, like maybe the clumsiest person alive." "Wow, that must be horrible." Sprig said as he dropped a glass cup. "Back home, we were there to protect her, but here, she's alone, and instead of kickballs..." Anne sighed. "She could get mauled by an elephant scare up, or crushed to death by a heron, or worse, flayed alive by a..." Sprig continued before I shut his mouth. "Not helping." I said as Polly opened the roof of the fwagon. "Guys, come, it's, not gonna believe, just get out here!" Polly shouts speechless. We came outside to see what she was yapping about, and it was Newtopia. "There she is, gang, Newtopia!" Hop Pop announced. If there's a way to get you two home, it's in that city." "Well then, let's get down there." Anne said as we walked into the water.

"Well, my feet are soaked." I complained. "Now this is the life." Polly smiled, relaxing in the water, until she bumped into a hole. "What do you think made these holes?" "Better not to ask, c'mon." Hop Pop replied, grabbing Polly and followed us to the gates. "We're finally here." I sighed in relief. "Yo, anyone home?" Anne asked. A newt opened a small door at the top of the gate. "You can't come in here, Newtopia is closed." He said. "Seriously?!" We shouted. "Closed?" I asked. "Like closed closed, or like closed for lunch?" "The city is closed closed to all outsiders." He replied. "What the hey hey, why, till when?" Sprig asked. "Until the Barbariants are gone, of course, good luck out there." He explains as he closed his door and left us. "What's a Barbariant?" Anne asked. "Beats me, we don't got them in the valley." Hop Pop replied. "They closed the whole city because of a few little ants?" Sprig asked as one ant snuck up behind us and started to attack. It took Anne and I to throw Hop Pop to scare it off. "In your face ant!" I shouted. Suddenly, the ground started shaking and more Barbariants came to the surface, surrounding the fwagon. "Starting to feel a bit antsy." Anne said as some mud was thrown from the top of the gates and was later set on fire, scaring away those ants. We were all confused. The mysterious figure shot their crossbow at one of the fwagon wheels. "Hop Pop, can I get a crossbow for my birthday, please?" Polly begged. "Eh, we'll talk." Hop Pop replied. The figure who saved us came down on a zip line. "That's one cool newt." It was cool, until the zip line collapsed and the figure fell in the water. "Ooh, didn't really stick the landing." Polly said. But something was off about this newt. It had no sign of a tail and looked like it had human flesh. "Wait a second." The person coughed up some water and pulled out a journal. "Okay, so, Newtopian rope can hold and average human girl for 2.3 seconds." She said. Yes she was a female, who sounded oddly familiar. "Maybe I can reinforce the rope with iron spider silk to increase the tensile strength." I can't believe it, that's her. "Marcy?" Anne gasped. She turned around and put down her hood. "Anne?" Marcy asked. "Marcy!" We shouted as we ran toward her. "Anne!" Marcy shouted as both of us hugged her, tackling her to the ground. "Omg, Anne and Rowena, are you two really here, together?!" "Yes it's us!" I cried. "You, me, here?!" Marcy asked. "We know, we know, we missed you so much!" Anne and I cried. "Aw, I've missed you both too." Marcy giggled. Sprig wasn't convinced. "Look at this outfit." Anne said. "You're like an Amazon Warrior Queen or something." "I know, right, it's nuts, this is real!" Marcy replied, showing us her crossbow, which was pointed at both of us. "Yeah, very real." I panicked, signaling her to put it away. "Ah, sorry." Marcy apologized. "Isn't this place wild, what an adventure, I've really grown out here, guys, no more clumsy, klutzy Marcy, can you believe it?" "Your cloak's on fire." I said. Marcy panicked. "Don't swing it around!" Anne shouted as I walked into the fwagon to grab my bag and also pull out my fire extinguisher. "Hold still, Marcy." I said as I used the fire extinguisher on Marcy's cloak. "Rowena, you had a fire extinguisher the whole time?" Anne asked. "I always bring one, you never know when a fire is active, whether it's my dad when he's cooking, or when Marcy is around a fire, no offense, Marcy." I explained. "None taken." Marcy smiled. "So, girls, who's your friend?" Hop Pop asked. "Note to self, non flammable cloak preferable." Marcy said. "You guys, meet Marcy!" Anne introduced. "Oh my gosh, who are these cuties?" Marcy gasped. "Are they your surrogate frog family, did they find you guys and take you in, oh, I love the found family trope, man, this is just like the character in my favorite game." "You mean Vagabondia Chronicles?" I asked. "Only the greatest jrpg of all time, have you played it, do you wanna play it, do you wanna borrow it, just say the word and I'll lend you my copy, man it'll change your lives!" Marcy exclaimed, fangirling. "Uh, guys?" Sprig asked. "Yup, the Plantars here took us both in, the only you got there is Hop Pop." Anne replied as Marcy started measuring Hop Pop's head. "Just as I thought, 62 centimeters." Marcy said. "Yup, all brain." Hop Pop replied. "Judging from the size of your cranium and flecks of sediment, you're from frog valley, right?" "You can tell all that from my head?" Hop Pop gasped. "Oh, guys, I'm so jealous that you guys found a farming community." Marcy said. "I've been studying Amphibia history and farm culture is super under appreciated in my opinion, you're the backbone of society and do not get enough credit for it." "GET OFF OF ME!" Polly yelled. "Thank you, thank you!" Hop Pop gasped. "Hey, pollywog." Marcy said as she picked up Polly to examine her. "I'd say those legs should be coming in in about two months give or take." "Can I get that in writing?" Polly asked. "Oh yeah, absolutely." Marcy replied as she gave Polly a piece of paper, then walked over to Sprig. "Oh, and hi there, wow, I've never seen a frog your color before, you're not poisonous are you?" "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Sprig replied glaring at her. "Wait, really?" Marcy asked. "Yeah, I literally actually don't know." Sprig explains. "Sprig, if you were poisonous, Anne and I would be dead by now, I'm pretty sure you're fine." I said. "I will iodine that later." Marcy said. "So, what about you, MarMar, have you been in Newtopia this whole time?" Anne asked. "Here and there, but mostly here, I actually warped here right inside the city walls." Marcy explains. "Oh my gosh, remember that game I got Sasha and you guys to play, Creatures and Caverns?" I nodded. "No." Anne replied. "Well it turns out newts are just like cephalons from shadows of Zelnoff, anyway, I just roleplayed like your typical artificer rogue and the next thing I know I'm the chief ranger of the Newtopian night guard." "So, Marcy, can you get us into the city, we tried the gate, but they won't let us in?" I asked. "Unfortunately, those gates will stay closed until the Barbariants are defeated, luckily, we've got a plan, c'mon!" Marcy replied as she uses her crossbow to make an exit. "Hop Pop. Birthday. Make it happen." Polly said.