I do not own Trolls or Trolls World Tour or Trolls Band Together or any of the characters in the franchise or the songs! And I especially don't own any of the songs I use from the movie or any other song I pick out in general! I also don't own the characters of Trollstopia! The only thing I do own are my O.C.s Melody Song, McJagger, Buckaroo, Stereo, and Twilight Tidepool; I.M. Rally owns her O.C. Aggie Galido, and Cheah owns his O.C. Finn Okazaki Tidepool. Now, strap in, ladies and gentlemen, and let's get on with the show!
Laguna walked all the way to where the steps towards the castle were and sat on the bottom step. She looked up at the sky, eyeing at the passing clouds. A lot of them pertained a standard shape, but a few of them were in different shapes; one of them looked like a heart, another looked like a mama duck with a line of baby ducklings following her, but the last cloud she noticed resembled a baby Troll in the arms of a female adult Troll, who appeared to be its mother.
The sight of that cloud made Laguna sigh sadly, looking down at her feet, trying to resist the urge to cry, although a stray tear did form around her left eye and dripped down.
McJagger saw where Laguna was sitting and approached her, asking, "Hey, you...a'ight, boo"?
Laguna heard the sound of her boyfriend's voice and quickly maintained her composure, trying to appear okay, as she formed a smile and replied, "Oh, hey, McJagger. I'm doing a'ight. Just...thinking to myself."
McJagger tilted his head slightly while answering, "What'cha thinking about"?
"Nothing much, really, just...little thoughts is all," Laguna answered, unsure how to tell McJagger what she was really thinking about.
McJagger then asked, "Do you mind if I sit with ya? If you're thinking 'bout stuff, maybe we can think about it together"?
Laguna smiled, appreciating how McJagger wanted to be there if she felt ready to talk, as she tapped her hand by the spot on the steps next to her. McJagger walked over and sat in the spot next to Laguna.
"So...pretty surprising to hear about Bracnh previously being part of a boyband and having brothers, am I right," McJagger inquired, wanting to get the conversation going.
"Mm-hmm," Laguna answered while nodding, adding in, "While we've all been aware of Branch's stellar singing voice, I never thought he'd have experience with being in a boyband, much less one consisting of him and his brothers, whom we didn't even know he had till today."
"I know, right? I always figured that if Branch ever did have brothers, HE would be the eldest, not the youngest," McJagger responded with a chuckle, saying, "It's a learning experience for all of us. I do hope that he and Poppy are able to find the rest of Branch's brothers to help save Floyd. I can imagine how precious the family reunion is gonna be, despite the previous tensions from before, with everyone glad to see one another again after so long."
Laguna had a very hesitant look in her eyes as she then asked McJagger, "Do...you think it's possible that they'll find the rest of Branch's brothers? They've all been away from each other for so long, not even bothering to keep in touch or talk to one another while being away, and who's to say that they are all still..around, you know? What if one of them or the rest are..."?
McJagger saw the look she had in her eyes, and while he questioned in his mind why Laguna appeared conflicted with asking this, he answered reassuringly, "Well, while yeah, that is a possibility, I'm optimistic that they're gonna find all of Branch's brothers. And I think this because with family why, you have a group of wonderful people to live for and strive to succeed for. Sometimes, family will hurt one another, intentionally or not, and they will sometimes disappear and go off on their own, but in the end, family will find their way back to you, one way or another."
The red Funk Troll saw the saddened look Laguna developed from his answer, which prompted him to place a gentle paw on her shoulder while asking, concern laced in his tone of voice, "Is...there a reason why you asked that question? You don't have to tell me of you're not feeling up to it."
Laguna looked up at her boyfriend, biting her lower lip, feeling unsure about wanting to share what was really on her mind.
At that moment, Aggie, who noticed McJagger walking off and followed him, approached the couple, asking, "Hey, you two; is everything ok? The wedding reception's about to start."
McJagger looked up at Aggie, leaving an unsure shrug while replying, "I don't know, Master Aggie. I mean, we're physically okay, but something seems to be bothering Laguna."
"Oh? What seems to be the matter," Aggie asked in concern.
Laguna didn't say anything at first until Aggie piped in, addressing with a sense of comfort, "Hey, you can talk to us. We're your friends, and we are here to help however we can. If it's something you're struggling with, we all can lend our ears to listen to and offer advice if need to be."
"We're here for you, boo; you're in a safe space with us, you can tell us whatever's on your mind," McJagger mentioned, placing his paw off her shoulder and holding her hand.
Laguna looked up at her friends, offering a small smile, before she slowly inhaled through her nose, letting out a small exhale, before answering in response, "Ok. Well, the truth is...seeing everything that happened, with the arrival of John Dory, discovering about Branch having brothers and his past boyband origins, and now with Poppy and Branch going on this journey with him to find the rest of his brothers, it's...had me...reminiscing a little."
"Reminiscing? About what," McJagger asked curiously.
"My own family," Laguna replied, adding on, "I haven't seen them in a while. My aunts and uncles, my cousins, even...my older brother, Finn."
"I didn't know you have an older brother, Laguna; that's so cool," Aggie commented, adding, "We should meet him sometime soon."
"Perhaps," Laguna replied with a hesitant shrug, adding, "Although he's not exactly "Troll-friendly" at first, he is very sweet once you get to know him."
"Do you miss your family a lot," Aggie then asked, reverting the conversation back to the initial topic.
Laguna nodded, saying, "Oh yes, I do, but...there's one person...I really miss the most."
"Who may that be," McJagged asked while his head tilted in confusion.
Laguna took a shaky breath in and out before answering, "My...mother."
The purple Techno Troll explained, mentioning, "Out of everyone in my family, I loved my mother the most; she was the most inspirational Troll you'd ever meet."
Flashback to many years ago...
A flashback showed Laguna as a young guppy, holding a small clamshell before she threw it towards someone.
On the other side was Laguna's mother, Twilight Tidepool, who happily caught the clam with her tailfins and kicked it around a bit before giving it a gentle toss to Laguna, who caught the clam with her hands, smiling brightly.
"She was just as fun and loving as any good mother was," Laguna's voice explained off-screen.
A new scene showed Twilight Tidepool wrapping some gauze around Laguna's hand, the guppy teary-eyed for a little while until she felt her mother use her thumbs to wipe her tears away gently.
"She was kind," Laguna's voice explained off-screen.
A new scene showed Twilight reading a book to Laguna, showing her a picture of a dolphin that was on one of the pages, as she explained something about them to her, with Laguna eagerly listening in and learning from her.
"She was smart," Laguna's voice explained off-screen.
A new scene showed Twilight swimming over a large coral reef, with Laguna accompanying her mother close by, the pair exploring around the reef.
"She had a knack for adventure that was exciting as it was enriching," Laguna's off-screen voice explained.
A new scene showed Twilight tucking the purple guppy into bed.
"And always did her best to make time to spend with my older brother and me," Laguna's off-screen voice explained.
End of flashback...
"Wow, Laguna! Your mom sounds like an incredible Troll that we'd love to meet," McJagger commented, amazed to hear about Laguna's mother.
Feeling honored that her boyfriend thought her mother sounded cool, Laguna smiled a little, saying "Oh yes, you'd all love to meet her; Twilight Tidepool was actually well-known in Techno Reef, especially with her job as an explorer."
Aggie was very surprised to hear about Laguna's mom being an explorer, commenting, "Woah, your mom's an explorer, just like my parents are! What kind of things does your mom usually look for"?
Laguna gave a small shrug, answering, "Well, she was always known for discovering a lot of historical artifacts and truths behind legendary myths and stories. She had a vast knowledge of many ancient artifacts, historical sitings, and mythical treasures that knew no end, her intelligence top-notch. Learning about ancient Troll history was how she got inspired to explore these sites, uncover the lost artifacts, and bring them to museums so that all Trolls could bask in their historic glory."
"Well, now we can see where you got your smarts and love of Troll history from, boo; guess the apple don't fall too far from the tree," McJagger commented while using his elbow to gently rib Laguna, the Techno letting out a small chuckle while she had her hand over where she was ribbed with a pink blush developing on her cheeks.
Aggie then asked, "Your mother sounds like she's a really good Troll, Laguna; though I'm curious to know why you haven't mentioned her to us before."
Laguna's smile faltered back into a frown, as she answered, "It's...a hard topic for me to talk about."
"How come? Did you both have a fight," Aggie asked in concern.
Laguna bit her lower lip again, not sure how to explain it.
McJagger saw the anxious look in her eyes, making him say to her, "If you don't feel up to talking about it, you don't have to say anything g right away."
"I appreciate it, McJagger, but it's alright; I can explain it. Besides, if I don't say something now, this is just gonna keep eating at me later on," Laguna responded, with McJagger nodding in understanding; he knew very well how personal this was for Laguna, and he knew that she would have to be the one to explain it.
She rubbed her left arm before telling them, "So...the reason why it's hard for me to talk about my mom is because...I miss her, and it's not just a standard feeling of missing a parent; it's...more complicated for me."
"What makes it complicated," McJagger asked curiously.
Laguna tried to word it as best she could, saying, "Well, similar to Branch having long-lost siblings...my mother has been long lost...for a long time now."
Aggie and McJagger were shocked to hear this, with Aggie asking, "Is she..."?
Laguna's frown became prominent, the Techno looking down at her feet as she answered, "I don't even know. I haven't seen her in 16 years since...she disappeared."
Aggie and McJagger were silent as Laguna explained, "When I was 6, my mom was assigned to go explore some catacombs, and she was supposed to be gone for a few days. Then, those days turned into weeks...then a month passed, and there was no sign of her. My father signaled the King at the time to send out a search party to find her...and they never did. No body was ever recovered, no one found where she went to explore, nor was there any sign of her around any part of the ocean. It was like...she just vanished into thin water...and was never seen...again."
Laguna felt tears building around her eyes as she sniffled, letting a few fall as she mentioned, "My father took her disappearance hard, and my brother...he was never the same after she disappeared. But me? I took it harder than everyone else. And...I still take it hard. Every time I see a family spend time together and kids spending time with their mothers...it just acts as a painful reminder of...what I lost. And even now these days...I still miss her, you know? You don't just get over missing a parent, even when they've been gone for so long.
All I would give just to see her again...or at least...just know that she's ok or...resting peacefully...wherever she is now," Laguna added tearfully.
For a moment, the area around her seemed to darken, with a single spotlight being shined down on the Techno Troll, she stood up from the step she was sitting on and walked down to the ground below, with tears she desperately tried to hold back. All while electronic music seemed to play in the background behind her, with the Techno moving her arms to the beat, stepping in time with the rhythm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ghost by Justin Bieber~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laguna: Young ones think there's always tomorrow.
She brought her arms up, hugging herself gently while in a small spin.
Laguna: I miss your hugs that help when I'm hollow.
She then slid to the left while reaching one of her hands upward, towards the spotlight, as if she was trying to reach out to something or someone.
Laguna: I know you're long gone, left somewhere I can't follow.
She then brought her hand back, clenching it into a fist and placing the fist over her heart as she looked up at the light, letting one tear slip down her cheek.
Laguna: Since the love that you left is all that I have, I want you to know!
Laguna then felt a presence behind her and turned around, seeing a beam of light show an illuminated hologram of her mother standing there.
Laguna: That since I can't be close to you, I'll settle for the ghost of you!
Laguna tried to reach out to the hologram, but it vanished in an instant, making the purple Techno look down sadly.
Laguna: I miss you more than life (More than life!)!
She then turned around and looked at where a glowing circle showed a memory playing: the day that Laguna had first hatched out of her egg and was swaddled in a little pink baby blanket, with her mother holding her close to her.
Laguna: And since you can't be next to me, your memory is dear to me!
The memory clip vanished as quickly as the hologram did, making Laguna look down sadly again.
Laguna: I miss you more than life; I miss you more than life!
She then started to step in time with the rhythm again, moving around to the beat of the music playing behind her.
Laguna: Young ones think there's always tomorrow.
I long for time with you that I can't borrow.
A picture of the map of the Troll Kingdom appeared behind Laguna, with the Techno Troll placing her hand over Techno Reef.
Laguna: I'd risk my blood and soul if I could follow.
The map then glowed and transformed into different colored leaves, which all spun around Laguna, who twirled with them before floating upward to the ceiling and exploding into twinkling light dots.
Laguna: Since the love that you left is all that I have, I want you to know!
As the light dot rained down on Laguna, she had her hands over her heart as she sang.
Laguna: That since I can't be close (Close to you!) to you, I'll settle for the ghost of (Ghost of yo-o-o-ou!) you! I miss you more than life (More than life!) (Yeah!)
Laguna then started to step in time with the rhythm again, moving as if she was in a waltz, while reaching her hands up again like she was reaching out to something or someone.
Laguna: And since you can't be next to me, your memory is dear to me (Oh!)!
From the ceiling, luminescent hands could be seen reaching towards Laguna's hand, grabbing them gently, with the Techno Troll looking up and seeing a hologram of her mother smiling at her.
Laguna: I miss you more than life; I miss you more than life!
The pair held on tightly, spinning together as they descended to the floor, landing on their feet.
Laguna: Whoa! Na, na-na!
Thinking that the hologram of her mother was real, Laguna reached over and tried to hug her, only for the hologram to fade and disappear in digital lights, much to her dismay.
Laguna: More than life (Oh!)!
Laguna hugged herself again, but this time, held her arms a little tighter, with trembling strength and energy fading away, showing how close she was to breaking down emotionally.
Laguna: So, since I can't get close to you, I'll settle for the ghost of you. But I miss you more than life.
She pulled a picture out of her hair and looked at it solemnly; the picture was one of Laguna's mom and Laguna, when she was a tiny guppy, the pair swimming together.
Laguna: And since you can't be next to me, your memory is dear to me.
She placed the picture back into her hair, feeling unable to hold in her sadness any longer.
Laguna: I miss you more than life; I miss you more than life.
When she concluded singing, the tears that built up around her eyes could no longer be restrained, and the purple Techno sniffled, allowing them to fall like raindrops.
McJagger approached her and offered a paw out, bringing Laguna close to him, allowing her to let out a muffled sob into his shoulder; he could care less if his suit got ruined because his girlfriend's feelings mattered the most to him, and it tore him to see her this sad.
Aggie approached the sobbing Troll, saying as she placed a comforting hand on the Techno's shoulder, "Oh, Laguna, I'm so sorry you've been feeling this way for so long. Believe me when I say that I know how upsetting it can feel to lose someone on your family. I was really upset when I lost my grandpa, who was a Magic Country Troll, after he passed away months ago, and it made it really hard for me to listen to Country music for-,"
"You have no idea how I feel about this," Laguna quickly rebutted, with anger in her voice.
Her statement made Aggie step back a bit, partially nervous from seeing how Laguna responded.
When Aggie realized what she said, she took a minute to breathe and removed the last bit of tears from her own eyes before saying calmly, "I'm sorry. It's just...I appreciate that you understand how I'm feeling, Master Aggie, but what happened with your grandfather's passing vs what I went through with my mom's disappearance, it's...not the same if you get what I mean."
Luckily, Aggie was very understanding, replying with, "I get it, but the way that you're feeling; missing your mom a lot, wishing she was here now, feeling sad that she isn't here; I felt those same emotions after my grandpa died, and it can be really, really hard to cope with. So, the emotions that I've felt, that you've felt, are the same. And just like when I was grieving, I had friends who wanted to help me feel better, and offered me support, and just as they did, I also offer to you my support, as well as everyone else, to help you, Laguna."
This helped Laguna feel a little better, the Techno showing a small smile while she replied, "Thank you, Master Aggie."
"You got us, boo, and we got you; you don't ever have to feel like you're alone in this," McJagger added as he kissed Laguna on the cheek, making the Techno blush.
McJagger then had a question in his mind that he wanted to ask, asking Laguna, "Say, I know this might sound a bit touchy to ask, but...was it ever confirmed if your mom was..."Gone" gone"?
Laguna thought about it for a minute before saying, "Well...when the king had sent out search parties to try and find her, they hadn't recovered a body or found any clues as to anything that was left behind from her. So, while she had clearly vanished, she was never really proclaimed "Dead" by statistical standards."
Aggie then asked, "If she was never confirmed to be dead, do you think she might still be alive"?
"I don't even know anymore," Laguna answered sadly, before adding as her frown became a semi-smile, "But...part of me DOES think that there is a slight possibility that she is still alive somewhere, wherever she is. She never specified to my dad or my brother and me what kinds of catacombs she had gone to explore, but my mom's always been a tough nut to crack and an expert survivalist. So, there is a chance that wherever she had disappeared too, if she hadn't been officially confirmed to be "dead," she could be safe and sound and just lost, trying to find her way back home."
Hearing this, McJagger suddenly had a thought start to develop in his mind: Laguna's mom had been missing for 16 years, yet never was she officially declared dead, which means that there is a high chance that Laguna's mother might still be alive! Though the only issue is that no one knew where exactly she had gone; perhaps Laguna's mother could've gone to a place that no Troll could physically reach, which might be why it was hard to locate a body, or her striving soul, anywhere. If there was a clue or maybe that could try and help piece things together...maybe...
Aggie noticed the look that McJagger had, asking the Funk Troll, "McJ, you got resting idea face; what'cha thinking about"?
McJagger's face grew a happy smile as he explained, "Well, Aggie, I think that we should help our friend Laguna try and find some answers to this complex mystery."
Aggie seemed to catch exactly what he was saying, smiling as she replied, "Oh, I see where you're going with this."
Laguna, however, was a little confused, asking while raising her eyebrow inquisitively, "What are you two referring to"?
McJagger held both of Laguna's hands by both of his front paws as he told her, "Laguna, you've read a lot of mystery books, right? What is the most common course of action that detectives do when they are assigned to search for something missing"?
Laguna replied, "Well, that is easy; they examine the scene of the crime, look for clues, and they follow the clue trail to try and search for whatever, or whomever is-,"
But the minute she was about to finish that statement, the Techno Troll's mind immediately processed what McJagger meant when he asked that question, but she almost didn't want to believe it at first. But seeing how wide her eyes became in surprise, she asked, "Hold on a second. Are you saying..."?
McJagger nodded his head in response, saying, "I am saying exactly what you're thinking; we should go and look for your mom"!
Laguna's jaw dropped, and her mind immediately grew frantic, declaring, "What?! I-uh, what"?!
"McJagger's right," Aggie commented, adding, "If your mom is still alive and out there, you gotta go out and find her"! Poppy and Branch have gone out to find the rest of Branch's brothers, so why can't you"?
Laguna couldn't believe it; on the one hand, it was a brilliant idea! An idea she'd love to do! She'd go to space and beyond if it meant trying to find her mom if she was still alive and kicking and getting to bring her back home! She could follow right in her mom's finsteps and embark on her biggest journey yet to locate her!
On the other hand, while this was a brilliant idea, this was also a CRAZY DANGEROUS idea too! Her mom had been gone for 16 years, lost in who knows where?! And she didn't even know if she was still alive or not! Not only that, but Laguna would be risking her OWN life and limb to try and find her missing mom, and what if something went wrong? What if SHE ended up going missing too?! If her friends went with her, they might end up in danger too, and Laguna couldn't live with herself if any of her friends got hurt or worse!
The Techno Troll was left frantically thinking it over, saying, "Note: guys, I mean this with absolute love, but this is a crazy idea"!
"Why not, Laguna," McJagger asked, mentioning, "Don't you want to see if your mom is still out there and help bring her home"?
"Plus, you love adventure," Aggie added, stating, "Adventuring's in your blood, and you're super good at it! This could be like the time you went to find the Lost Game Room"!
Laguna quickly rebutted, "Yeah, but that time was different; I knew where to find the Lost Game Room because I've studied it and its history, looked over its map and its variable facts in my books and knew exactly where to go to locate it and how to get there. I have no clues regarding where my mom had gone or what she was looking for exactly, and what's to say she's gone somewhere different from where she had initially planned to go? We don't have anything to trace her by.
Let's not also forget that she could've faced a lot of dangers that could've contributed to her disappearance too, and if we run into them, WE could end up disappearing as she did"!
"True, but wouldn't you want to take that risk if it means getting to reunite with your mom," Aggie pointed out.
Laguna knew that Aggie made a good point, saying, "True, but...I'm also a little scared," and added as she nervously fidgeted with her hands, "It's one thing to go searching for an ancient artifact or a legendary historical site, but to find someone who's been lost for years? With a lot of unknown dangers ahead of us? What if something happens? What if we get hurt or worse? What if we find her and my mom's really-,"
McJagger quickly calmed her down by releasing her hands and placing his paws on her shoulders, telling her, "Laguna, easy. Take a minute to breathe, ok"?
Laguna nodded and slowly breathed in and out a few times to calm down. Once she appeared settled, McJagger told her reassuringly, "Yes, there are A LOT of different factors that could alter our search and make things harder or dangerous for us, and the mission itself would be risky. But if there is one thing that I'm 100% certain of, is that if there is any Troll who is the most capable of going on this kind of adventure, it's you, Laguna. You're smart, you're brave, you're strong, and you are a very capable Troll. You got your mother's exploring spirit in you, and I know that even if you face something scary, you can make it through because you're Laguna Tidepool, the best explorer we know."
Laguna couldn't help but feel a little motivated by her boyfriend's words, and his speech was helping her feel a little more confident.
Aggie then added, "McJagger's right; you can be able to go on any adventure and find anything lost or historical! You just have to have a little faith in yourself, just like before, when you helped to get us out of the Game Room and save Poppy and Holly when they were hypnotized to keep playing the game. There's a saying my dad likes to tell me when I feel scared or nervous: when the going gets tough, the tough gets going."
Laguna couldn't help but smile and giggle when she heard those words, saying, "Note: my mother actually had a saying similar to that. She'd tell me: when the going gets tough, a Tidepool gets going."
"And your mother is right to have said that because you're just like her, a tough Tidepool," McJagger added while gently tapping Laguna's heart.
Aggie mentioned, "Plus, it'll be an amazing sight for your mom to see her own daughter brave out on a journey to find her and bring her back home."
Hearing all of this had Laguna's gears turning in her head. She was still very hesitant about doing such an adventure like this; it was far different from looking for an artifact. But...they were right; she was capable of such an expedition, and with the ties of the prize being the return of family, it made this all the more personal for her, and it made it all the more motivational to accomplish. She knew there were risks, she knew there were faulty possibilities, she knew that the outcome could be good or bad, but a part of her was optimistic where she felt her mother's spirit and could just feel it in her gut that her mother was possibly still alive out there. And if she was...then who better to go find her than Laguna Tidepool, her daughter?
With a decision made in her mind, Laguna faced Aggie and McJagger, saying with a determined smile, "You're right, guys. And you know what? If Branch can find the rest of his brothers, I think, no; I KNOW that I can find my mother too. So, I say...I'm in! I want to go find my mom"!
"Atta girl, Laguna," Aggie cheered.
"Yeah," McJagger declared happily.
Laguna then rubbed her left arm while saying, "But, this is gonna be a huge expedition, and...even though I want to do this...it'll be really scary doing it...on my own."
"Well then, you won't be alone on this trip; I'll be coming with you, boo," McJagger replied while wrapping one of his front legs around Laguna, pulling her into a gentle hug.
"I'll be coming along too; you'll need all the backup you can get," Aggie added while fluttering up in the air, hovering a bit.
Laguna was deeply grateful her friends were gonna come along with her on her trip, saying to McJagger and Aggie, "Thank you, both of you; though I feel like we might need just a little more help for this expedition to be successful, or at least, for our safety to be intact."
"Then, let's go ask the Tribal ambassadors and see if they want to come along with us; I'm sure they'd love to help you with your adventure, Laguna," McJagger suggested.
"You both go ahead and talk to the ambassadors, I'll catch up in a minute," Aggie commented.
"Understood, Master Aggie," Laguna replied as she and McJagger went to go find the ambassadors of Trollstopia so they could talk to them. Meanwhile, Aggie flew off to go tell some other Trolls about what was going on.
Back by the Troll Tree, the other leaders were packing some of the wedding decorations up, helping the Bergens clean up the venue; Trollzart and Trollex were working together to fold up the tablecloth, Quincy and Essence were tying up bunches of balloons so that they wouldn't fly away all at once, Barb was using her guitar to cut down the streamers, and Delta was picking up the flowers that ere on the ground.
Earlier, Gristle and Bridget had hopped onto a fancy motorcycle and driven off to go on their kuch-anticipated honeymoon; they agreed to hold off on the wedding reception until they came back so that they could celebrate it with the other Bergens.
As the venue was looking spotless, the leaders saw Aggie flying up towards them, with Quincy saying, "Hey, Aggie, what's up"?
"Where'd you go earlier? You missed Gristle and Bridget leaving for their honeymoon," Barb asked while hopping down, carrying some streamers with her.
Aggie replied, "Oh, I was just checking up on a friend. Anyways, I need to tell you guys something."
"We're all ears, Aggie; lay it on us," Delta replied as the leaders all paused from what they were doing to hear what Aggie was gonna say.
Aggie informed them, "So, Laguna is going on an expedition to try and find her missing mom."
"Woah, she's gonna go look for Twilight Tidepool," Trollex asked curiously, mentioning, "She hasn't been back at the reef in 16 years."
"Exactly," Aggie replied, saying, "And Laguna's gonna go find her, and McJagger, the ambassadors, and I are gonna be going with her to help her out. It's going to be a really intense mission, and pretty dangerous. i know that you guys have your responsibilities to do back in your kingdoms later, but if you can, do you think maybe you could join us later"?
"Of course, Aggie dear; we'll happily join you later on your trip," Trollzart replied.
"You make sure that you and your friends stay safe while you're out there, ok? Try not to get hurt, don't let any dangerous animals come close to you; feel free to message us if you need anything," Essence commented, rambling a little bit with concerns for her adopted daughter.
Aggie, seeing essence's worrisome expression, quickly commented, "I'll be fine, and I'll make sure that my friends will be fine too, I promise."
"Good luck, Aggie; help Laguna out anyway you can," Trollex told his girlfriend before the pair shared a small romantic kiss together.
Aggie, once they separated from the kiss, nodded in response before she took off and flew over to where McJagger and Laguna were.
As Aggie was finishing up talking with the leaders, McJagger and Laguna had found the ambassadors by the bakery, and were telling them about the journey.
"So, let us get this straight: you are going on a journey to find your mother, who's been missing for 16 years," Val asked first.
"Somewhere where they may aw may nawht be an'mawe," Holly asked second.
"And you'll be facing any dangers that are along the way," Dante asked third.
"To try and find where your mom is, whether she is alive or not," Low-Note Jones asked fourth.
"And bring her home, yo," Synth asked fifth.
McJagger and Laguna both nodded in unison, with Laguna saying, "Precisely, yes."
"And it'd be very helpful if you guys come with us, if you want to, of course, " McJagger added.
Holly was the first to respond by saying with a happy smile, "Whel, hot dang! Count me in, y'all"!
"Haha! Me too, yo! I'm all in to help find Mrs. T, as any prince would be to help a fellow friend in need," Synth replied second with a confident grin.
"Low-Note Jones graciously volunteers his services to help you out, Laguna," Low-Note Jones answered with an assuring wink.
"And I also wish to partake in this exhilarating search-and-rescue mission," Dante addressed with a reassuring nod.
Val smiled and crossed her arms while saying, "A trip with danger and action? I'm so in for that! You can count me in too"!
Laguna smiled gratefully, happy to see the ambassadors more than happy to want to join her and help her out in her search for her mother.
Suddenly, a new voice chimed in, saying, "Don't forget about us"!
The group turned their heads and saw Stereo, Buckaroo, and Melody coming toward them, Stereo saying eagerly, "We wanna help too, yo"!
"Y'all are gonna need some detective assistance ta faand some clues in locatin' ya maw, Laguna," Buckaroo stated while tipping their hat.
"I wanna help too! I'm great at finding lost things considering Val loses her stuff more times than I count on my fingers," Melody answered with a chuckle, earning a playful eyeroll from Val.
Laguna smiled at the trio, saying, "Thank you, guys, but are you sure you want to come? I don't want you to feel like you have to come help."
"Of course we want to come help, Laguna; you're our friend," Melody replied happily.
"And friends help friends, no matter what," Stereo added.
"We all got your back, ayn' we ain't gonna stop til we help ya faand your maw," Buckaroo added on.
"That goes for all ov us," Holly mentioned, with the rest of the ambassadors, and the associates nodding together in unison.
"We're in this, together," Synth said while he placed his arm forward.
"As a team, baby," Low-Note Jones said while placing his paw in nxt to Synth's hand.
"No task is too big," Dante stated while placing his hand in.
"Naw Troll is too small," Holly added while playing her hand in.
"Through rain, wind or snow," Val declared while placing her hand in.
"We're here for it all," Melody proclaimed while placing her hand in.
"Yeah, yo," Stereo shouted while placing her hand in.
"Teamwork," McJagger added while he placed his paw in.
"Harmony," Buckaroo added while placing their hand in.
"And friendship," Aggie, who soon flew in after finishing her talk with the leaders, stated while placing her Rock hand in.
The group all looked up at Laguna, who smiled at her friends before she placed her hand (the one with the bracelet) in, and together, the Trolls cheered and raised their hands up together.
"So, where do we go look first," Val asked curiously.
"Well, my mom was last seen at Techno Reef before her disappearance. so, we should start our look there," Laguna advised.
"Maybe some of the other Techno Trolls at the reef might know something," Aggie suggested.
"We could look in the castle and see if there are any files that my and Trollex's dad might've left behind on her," Synth proposed.
"Smart idea, Synth," Buckaroo complimented.
"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Melody declared as the group was about to leave.
But McJagger quickly stopped them by shouting, "Wait"!
"What's wrong," Dante asked as the group stopped and turned around.
McJagger smiled and answered, "Nothing's wrong, but I think that if any Troll should be leading this expedition, it should be our resident exploration expert," and placed a paw on Laguna's shoulder.
Laguna looked up at McJagger, mouthing a quiet, "Really," which earned a round of nods from everyone.
"Makes perfect sense to us," Low-Note Jones replied.
Laguna stepped forward and cleared her throat before declaring, a determined smile on her face, "Onward to Techno Reef," and ran forward, leading the charge, as her friends all followed behind her.
As the group all ran to Techno Reef, Laguna's gaze looked up to the sky, where she silently spoke Mom...we're coming to find you! I won't stop until I see you again!