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!
Over at Mount Rageous, Velvet and Veneer were still out buying yachts together. At the moment, they were cruising by a harbor shop, where lines of popular yachts and cruise ships were floating on white, bubbly water, awaiting to be set sail for whatever purposes seen fit.
This left Floyd, who was still on his own, stuck in the diamond prison bottle, left reminiscing quietly while Crimp was sweeping the floor in the recording studio.
However, as the mop-top figure was trying to keep everything spotless, she noticed that the little Troll seemed to be stuck in thought. She climbed up onto the recording table, careful not to accidentally mess with any of the buttons or knobs, and asked Floyd, "Hey, are you feeling ok"?
Floyd snapped out of his trance and looked up, replying to Crimp, "Oh, uh, yeah, I'm feeling ok."
Truth be told, though, Floyd was actually NOT feeling ok at all. Emotionally, he was a wreck; not only was he scared for the well-being of his brothers being now put at stake because Velvet was able to fool John Dory into going to find them and bring them here under the impression of "rescuing Floyd", unaware of the trap that she had set up to capture them, but the fact that there was literally nothing Floyd could do about it made the little Troll also feel a large amount of guilt. The emotional pain that he felt hit him a lot harder than the physical pain.
Physically, he was experiencing post-pardon muscle contractions and soreness from having his essence literally sucked right out of him, and not only that, but his feet and legs felt constantly nonexistent after turning into a jelly-like state, and had no feeling if he moved them. The only source of feeling that he was able to feel was the bottom of his feet touching the diamond floor of the bottle, and even then, the feeling was far different from when his regular feet touched the ground; it now felt more...lifeless. And there was one other physical complication that came with the horrible ordeal of Velvet and Veneer sucking out his talent and life essence from him.
At that moment, Floyd could feel his head throbbing in pain, causing the Troll to moan in pain and drop to his knees, using both hands to clutch the sides of his head. He tried not to let out a scream, but it didn't stop him from emitting pained whimpers. All Crimp could do was watch in concern for the little guy; as much as she wanted to try and do something to help him, what could she do? And even if she knew what to do, to risk doing something that could get Velvet and Veneer angry with her? Or think she was trying to free him intentionally?
Headaches, which were the most painful implication that Floyd has had to experience; they started out small when he first had his essence drained, but the more that Velvet and Veneer kept using the diamond bottle to suck away his talent, the worse the headaches got, as did the muscle soreness.
About a minute after the headache started, it slowly went away, causing Floyd to regain his stance and feel the headache disappearing, not letting go of his head until he was absolutely sure that it was completely obliterated.
Once he felt that his headache was gone, Floyd let out a small sigh of relief, pushing himself into a sitting position, his knees brought up to his chest. He looked up at Crimp, who's worrisome expression lessened when she saw that he appeared to not be in any more pain.
Floyd's gaze then looked up at the ceiling in the room, his reminiscent trance returning. All that was flooding through his mind was the now looming feeling of an emotion that had haunted him since childhood: regret. Regret for leaving Branch and his brothers, regret for not doing more to try and help keep his brothers together, regret for letting himself get captured and physically tortured, and worst of all? Regret of...breaking his promise to Baby Branch. He promised him that he wouldn't be away for long and would come back...and he never did. What would become of Branch now since he last saw him? Or the rest of BroZone?
A single tear fell from his left eye, the other tear hidden behind his bangs, as Floyd thought back to how much he truly missed his brothers, and how he ended up in this situation in the first place.
Flashback to months ago...
One could only wonder why Floyd had initially come to Mount Rageous in the first place. To answer that question, we look back to a few months ago, when Floyd first came to Mount Rageous to do a solo show at a nightclub that was having "open acts" night that allowed anyone to come up and perform.
The little Troll made the long climb up to the ravishing city up the mountain, carrying his guitar case in hand. As he walked down the road, he was subjected to having to jump and dodge a lot of incoming cars that passed by him, trying to avoid getting run over accidentally. He didn't even know what these strange creatures were that were driving these exotic vehicles, but judging by how much fun they were having with the reckless driving, blasting music from the radios, it appeared to be this place's norm.
Floyd found himself walking along the road for some time until he saw a gold bumper car pull up beside him, prompting him to look up and see that the driver, who was one of those creatures, who had blue eyes, light blue dreadlock-like hair in a slicked-back mullet, looking down at him and asking, "Hey, you need a ride somewhere"?
Floyd smiled and nodded, saying, "Uh, yeah; I'm heading to this nightclub called "Club Le Party-Rock."
The figure understood and answered, "Sure thing! Hop in"!
Floyd climbed into the figure's car as the person then started the car off and drove, like a wild freaking maniac, cheering loudly as he zoomed down the road. He made sharp turns around the other cars he passed, exclaiming, "Isn't this great"?!
Floyd, who was basically gripping into the car seat for dear life, couldn't really say anything, as all he could muster were weak nods while his facial expression showed more of a "I'mma die today from a crash on this crazy thing" fearful look.
The figure soon arrived to the entrance of the nightclub, where Floyd, feeling shaky from the drive, thanked the person before the figure drove off, leaving the Troll to walk into the nightclub.
Inside, the place looked...remarkably empty, which Floyd assumed that it meant that he was a little early, and it gave him some extra time ahead of him to prepare for the show later. He climbed up onto a nearby table and got a good look of his surroundings before he placed his guitar case down and opened it, pulling out a blue-and-green bass guitar from it. Looking at the guitar's color scheme, it reminded him of...Branch, the thought of how his younger brother could be doing made Floyd temporarily dazed, a frown of sadness showing on his face. He placed his right hand over his heart, thinking back to his ol' band days, and how much fun he used to have with his brothers, performing with them.
What Floyd did not notice, as his mind was too preoccupied to consider looking around, was that someone, a familiar doll-like teenage figure with her purple crown and matching purple diamond shoes (Velvet), had entered the empty club, spotting the Troll on the table and at first, she seemed to look very surprised. Of course, this was actually an act, but not wanting to appear suspicious, kept the surprised look as she approached the Troll, asking him, "Excuse me, but, would you happen to be a Troll by chance"?
Floyd looked up from his guitar and up at the person who approached him, as he replied, "Um, yes I am, actually. My name's Floyd."
"Floyd," Velvet commented, pretending to look even more surprised, as she then asked, "As in "Floyd: the Sensitive One" from BroZone"?
Floyd was, on the one hand, a little shocked, to say the least, to see that this person who approached him, seemed to know not only about BroZone but about who he was too. He didn't think that anyone outside of the Troll Tree would even know about the band, much less about him. In a way, it felt a little endearing, but also a little...odd, though he didn't know why exactly. On the other hand, he was also a little bit hesitant about being identified from his brother's boy group; he was never exactly one who enjoyed the paparazzi, especially fangirls, so he was a little bit nervous that this was one of "Those" fangirls.
However, not wanting to let his concerns mask the potential chance to meet someone new, he offered a warm smile and replied, "Uh, yes, exactly. It's very nice to meet you, miss," and offered a handshake out.
Velvet used her index finger to shake Floyd's hand while saying, keeping the act up, "Oh stars, it's such an honor to meet you! I have been a fan of BroZone for years, your music is my total vibe-check go-to everyday"!
She then turned her head and then shouted, "Veneer, get in here and come meet Floyd from that band I was telling you about"!
On cue, Veneer strutted into the club and eyed the Troll that Velvet was talking to, and he genuinely thought that the Troll was adorable (mainly because he had never seen a Troll before, only catching a glimpse of pictures of the BroZone posters while his sister was researching about BroZone) since Floyd looked so tiny, and he squealed, saying, "Ahhh! He's so small and tiny and totally rocking those torn pants."
Floyd appreciated the compliment, saying, "Oh, thank you."
Velvet then said, "Say, this might be totally weird, but could we maybe get an autograph? I have a pen here if it helps," and reached into her pocket, looking like she was gonna pull out a pen.
Floyd looked happy to be giving an autograph, saying, "Sure, I can do that. I don't have any paper on me, but-,"
However, before Floyd could even finish that sentence, or comprehend what would happen next, Velvet had taken out from her pocket a handful of glowing glitter that she then blew into Floyd's face.
The Troll could only stumble and cough from the glitter that gets blown into his face, some of which he accidentally exhales. Suddenly, his eyes grew heavy, with his legs shaking as the Troll tried to remain standing. But all he could do in that moment was feel sudden exhaustion radiate through his body, causing him to fall over on the table. His eyes struggled to remain open, as all he could plainly see before they shut was the now malicious smile on Velvet's face and the worrisome expression that Veneer had.
Velvet looked excited that they were able to have caught floyd off-guard and catch him, cheering, "Yes! I can't believe it, we actually got him! He's gonna be such a HUGE help for us in becoming famous"!
The last thing he could hear, as clearly as he could, before succumbing to unconsciousness, was Veneer whispering a remorseful, "Sorry, little guy," before everything became silent, his eyes shut tight.
End of flashback...
Returning back to reality, Floyd didn't know what else to do at the moment as he had his head resting between his knees, letting his feelings of regret and guilt wash over him for the time being. He'd be letting out tears if his muscles didn't hurt so much that it made it hurt to cry...but that didn't amount to how much emotional pain he felt. all that he could wish for was that if his brothers did come to save him, that they wouldn't get trapped because if they wind up being captured and having their talents sucked away too...Floyd couldn't even bear living with something like that happening to his family, his brothers.
Back over at Techno Reef, Laguna and her friends were all at the moment face-to-face with the presence of Laguna's older brother Finn. Deciding that it'd be better to talk about things out in the open properly, Laguna suggested that they could all talk out in the hallway where everyone could be properly acquainted, but once they ere in the hallway, just before someone could start talking-
"Yo! Finny boy," Synth excitedly shouted as he swam up to Finn, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.
The dark blue Techno Troll felt like he was getting the air squeezed out of him, causing him to squeak out, "Crikey, Synth, let me go! You're crushing my ribs"!
Synth then let go of Finn, who looked like he got shaken by a blender, as Synth chuckled and commented while scratching the back of his head, "Oops, sorry Finny boy, I forget my own strength sometimes."
Finn, now feeling bothered, rolled his eyes before saying, "And for the millionth time, would you please stop calling me Finny boy?! You know I prefer being called Electro Ray; how many more times do I have to tell ya that"?
"Uh...seven," Synth replied with a hesitant shrug, which caused Finn to grimace as a red vein could be seen throbbing on the left side of his head.
Laguna couldn't help but sweatdrop sheepishly, remembering how very straightforward her brother was when it came to how he wanted to be called; ever since he was little, he was into DJing, and came up with the name Electro Ray because he thought it sounded a lot cooler than DJ Finn.
Then, Val Thundershock approached the anTrollpologist, asking her curiously, "So, Laguna, are you gonna introduce this guy to us, or are we gonna stand here like chopped liver"?
Laguna swam over to her brother's side, facing her friends, as she said, "Guys, I'd like you all to meet my older brother, Finn Tidepool, but he prefers to be called Electro Ray. Finn, these are some of my friends who I've met back in Trollstopia. I think you might know of Aggie, the Master of all Music."
Aggie smiled and said to Finn, "Hello, nice to meet'cha, Finn"!
Finn had a small semi-smile as he said, "I've heard a lot about ya, mate; the happy girlfriend of my king; saw ya DJ with him a few weeks ago, you're pretty good."
"Thank you, Finn; I bet that you're a good DJ too, right," Aggie asked curiously.
"Eh, more or less," Finn answered with a shrug, saying, "I just play my music and make it flow how I want it to."
Laguna then proceeded to introduce the ambassadors, saying, "These are the ambassadors of the other tribes who work with Synth: Val Thundershock, Holly Darlin', Dante Crescendo, and Low-Note Jones."
"Howdy, sugar," Holly went first, saying hello to Finn.
"Greetings, Electro Ray," Dante went next,t bowing as he said his greetings.
"Hey there," Low-Note Jones went next, winking as he greeted Finn.
"S'up," Val went last, crossing her arms as she said hello to the Techno Troll.
After introducing the other ambassadors, Laguna then introduced the associates, saying, "These are the associates who tagged along with the ambassadors. Melody Song, she's Val Thundershock's cousin-,"
"Adopted cousin, to be more specific," Melody interrupted before saying with a warm smile, "But hey, nice to meet ya, Electro Ray"!
"Buckaroo Ringer, ace detective of Lonesome Flats and Trollstopia," Laguna then introduced Buckaroo, who tipped their hat while saying, "Howdy there, Mr. Ray, pleasure ta meet ya."
Laguna then proceeded to introduce the next person, "And this is-," before she got interrupted again by Stereo, who eagerly approached Finn while saying as she shook his hand really fast, causing the Techno to shake, "Hey, yo! Nice to meet ya! Name's Stereo, and it's so *imitates airhorn noises* to meet ya! Any friend of my friend is a friend of mine"!
Finn could feel his body move very fast and his mind becoming to dizzy, his soul becoming very rattled as Stereo soon let go. He saw that his arm was still shaking, even after Stereo had let go, as he held his arm down while saying, "Crikey, what's with ya? You're as energetic as Prince Synth."
"I know, right," Synth happily commented as he swam up to Stereo and kissed her on the cheek before adding, "She likes to part-tay, like I do"!
"And when I rave, I love to ra-ave with my precious Synthesizer," Stereo added while kissing Synth in return as the pair went back to the rest of their friends.
Finn pinched his eyes, saying to himself while feeling slightly annoyed, "Of course, they'd be dating; a girl with that much passion and energy would be a bloody match for someone with Synth's overeccentric personality."
Laguna then swam over to McJagger, who was still holding his leg where Finn had punched him earlier, as she then said, "And this is McJagger, our resident first-responder."
McJagger gave a wave toward Finn, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Electro Ray. No hard feelings for the little altercation, I probably startled you when i opened the door, huh"?
Finn let out a small huff before saying, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "Well, it's not everyday I come home and hear noises coming from the library, and I find a stranger greeting me at the door."
McJagger chuckled, saying, "Very true, and it's not everyday I open a door and wind up getting punched by my future brother-in-law."
"Eh, I gue-," Finn started to say before he suddenly backtracked what McJagger just said, his eyes widening in shock as the male Techno then commented, "woah woah, woah woah woah! Back up, mate! What do you mean, "future brother-in-law"?
Laguna held McJagger's paw before answering, "Well, Finn, believe it or not, McJagger and I...happen to be dating."
If Finn's jaw could drop any lower, it'd be on the floor, but the male Techno was feeling very surprised to hear about his sister DATING, much less her boyfriend being that of a Funk Troll, although that factor was also a shock to him as well. He didn't know what to say, but his agape mouth, his startled eyes, and his raised unibrow said all that he could without words.
A few seconds later, finn snapped back into it, his regular demeanor returning as he crossed his arm, his unibrow raised inquisitively as he asked, "How long"?
"About a week now," Laguna answered.
"He makes you happy," Finn then asked.
"Note: very happy," Laguna replied with a blush.
"I treat her like the precious princess she is," McJagger added as he gently caressed her cheek, making the purple Techno purr.
Finn then swam up to McJagger, eyeing him up and down, before he said, "Well, mate, I'm gonna be very blunt with you about this, and listen closely, because I'm only gonna tell ya once, got it"?
McJagger nodded as Finn then started to say, "If you EVER do absolutely anything to hurt her or hurt her feelings or worse, I will know, and when I know, I will find you personally and make you regret ever crossing her and crossing our family; she is my sister, my blood and soul; and it'll be all laid out on your hands if you EVER do anything to break it. Understand, mate"?
Finn's clear warning loomed over McJagger, who nodded in reply, saying, "I swear on my passion for medicine, your sister is in good hands."
"Woah; he's intimidatin', ayn' ay thought my guilt trips were strong," Holly commented in surprise.
"Well, can you blame him? Finn's just looking out for the well-being of his sister, as any good brother would," Aggie mentioned.
Finn seemed to accept McJagger's answer before he then asked the group, "So, anyways, what are you band of whippersnappers doing here anyway"?
"Most importantly," before he turned his head and asked Laguna, "What are you doing back home, Laguna? Is everything ok"?
Laguna nodded, saying, "Yeah, everything's ok. We just came here to look for somethi- wait up, what are YOU doing back home," before she turned the question towards Finn, asking him, "You haven't returned home in a long time since you left after your 13th birthday."
Finn replied, "I came back to restock my records for my setlist. I've been so busy with tuning up my DJ mixer that I forgot to make sure I was up to date on having enough records to play."
"Makes sense," Laguna replied, before she added with a smirk, "You've always had a fondness for keeping your music records organized, even to the point where you'll re-restock them for hours on end."
Finn could feel his face heat up with embarrassment, rebutting back, "Hey, it's not my fault I'm more picky when it comes to how I want my music in order, I'm detail-oriented after all. And who are you to say that considering you spend more time picking out what books to read"?
Both Tidepool rolled their eyes in sync before Laguna smiled and chuckled, saying, "You haven't changed one bit."
"Not like I want to," Finn replied with a small smile before he then asked, "So, turning back to you and your friends, sis, what are you guys doing here anyway? What are you looking for"?
"Well, we happened to be searching for any books that might detail any ancient artifacts or historical sites that your mother may not have discovered yet," Dante replied.
Finn looked a little confused, asking, "Uh, well, I don't know about if we have anything like that, mate. I mean, a lot of the books here have already marked that she's found them. I mean, you could check her journal logs."
"What's a journal log," Melody asked in confusion.
Laguna explained, "A journal log is a type of journal entry that explorers write. they often detail thins that they find, what they witness as they make their way across, and other details."
"Mum has a whole collection of them in her bedroom; but why do you Trolls wanna read 'em," Finn inquired, adding, "They're just dusty old books about her past adventures; not much you can really find in them, unless you;re looking for some bloody thrill story."
"We're actually looking for some clues about Twilight Tidepool," McJagger responded.
"Clues? What clues? And what does it have to do with mum," Finn asked while his unibrow arched in confusion.
Aggie answered, "Well, we're all helping Laguna look for Twilight Tidepool"!
Finn looked very hesitant to hear about how his sister and her friends were looking for their mom; he felt unsure of why they were looking for clues about the location of someone who has been gone for a long time. He tried to appear calm, masking the growing feelings of anxiety and hesitancy, as he then stated, "Uh, mates, I don't know how to really say this, but our mum's...gone, you know"?
"That's what I have been thinking too," Laguna explained to her brother, saying, "But then, Aggie and McJagger pointed out that while she's been technically missing, she has never been labeled "Dead" officially. Which means that there is a chance that mom might still be out there, alive! And I wanna try to find her, and if we do, we can bring her back home and be reunited! Doesn't that sound exciting"?
Finn looked off to the side, trying not to appear too standoffish about the circumstances as he said, "Well, sis, I mean...I'm gonna be real for a minute; I doubt that she's still alive; you sure that this isn't just your grief manifesting some sort of emotional delusion."
Laguna couldn't help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow, asking, "What's that supposed to mean"?
Finn explained, "I mean, think about it; mum's been missing for 16 years, and there hadn't been any trace or clue that shows that she could still be living, you know"?
"Well, I mean-," Laguna started to say, but got interrupted.
"And even if she was still alive, I mean, if someone's been gone for so many years, that literally is telling you straight in the face "I will never be coming back." I mean, can you even think of someoen's who's been gone for over 10 years who's ever come back safely? Or if even not safely, still be alive"?
Laguna, biting her tongue since she felt unsure of how to respond, could only shake her head no in response.
Finn, seemingly thinking that Laguna understood what he was getting at, then stated, "Exactly, which only means that after being gone for so long, it could only mean that she's...you know...dead. I know that you've been missing her since you were a guppy, I have too, but you know, you don't have to let your grievances warp your mind to create this emotional delusion where it's masking the truth with what you're wishing is real."
Laguna could feel her stomach turning in disbelief as the astounded Techno quickly rebutted, "Wha- but it's not a delusion, Finn; it's a logical theory. I mean, the possibility of mom still being alive and just lost is probable."
"Sis, if it was probable, then she would've already been back home years ago, but she's not; why are you letting your emotions affect you like this? Can't you just accept that she's gone," Finn remarked back.
This spurred an argument between Laguna and Finn, with Laguna sternly saying, "I'm not letting my emotions cloud my mind; yes, I feel strongly about this, but because I believe that just as it is probable that she could truly be dead, that there's also the same chance that she could truly still be alive."
Finn angrily rebutted back, "How can you possibly know that, sis? Where's your proof? Your logistics? Your "data" of proving your theory valid? I think you're just too stubborn to move from grieving about mum not being here anymore; you have to see this realistically, Laguna: she! Is! Not! Alive"!
"How do YOU know THAT, Finn," Laguna shouted back, stating, "For someone questioning if I have evidence, you seem to not have any that proves YOUR theory either"!
"I don't need any evidence because realistically speaking, it's only rudimentary given everything hat happened that she is clearly dead," Finn angrily shouted back.
"That's not a valid answer," Laguna snarkily stated.
"Yours is not valid either; you just need to move on from this, let it go," Finn snarkily added.
The Trolls were watching the siblings arguing back and forth, with Low-Note Jones commenting, "Uh-oh, this just got ugly, fast."
"Shouldn't we do something, yo," Stereo asked in concern.
"Nah, we ken't; this is somethin' those two need ta work out themselves," Buckaroo commented.
As the Trolls continued to watch on, Laguna and Finn's argument seemed to get even more heated.
"You calling me stubborn just because I'm looking to see if we can find our mother," Laguna rebutted harshly.
"Yes, I am," Finn snarkily answered, stating, "You need to stop letting grief mess with your head, Laguna; mum's been gone for so long, deal with it! Move on! I've stopped grieving about mum already, why can't you"?!
"I can't just simply forget about mom, especially not if she's still out there," Laguna stated harshly before asking, "Don't you care about our mother"?!
"Of course, I do, you dinglebat," Finn harshly answered.
"Then, why won't you agree with what I'm saying," Laguna asked very loudly.
"Because what you're saying is just you projecting how you're feeling with how much you miss mom! Just stop missing her so much," Finn shouted back.
"Why, so I could be cold-hearted like you," Laguna bitterly spat out.
The Trolls all gasped in shock, with Melody saying, "Ooh," while covering her mouth and looking at the others.
"Hot dang, she did nawht just go there," Holly stated in shock.
"But yet, she did," Val added in disbelief.
"Bro, that was harsh, 'Guna," synth mentioned, though Laguna didn't listen.
Finn, however, was very taken aback by his little sister's comment, saying softly, "Cold-hearted? Cold-hearted"?
"Cold-hearted," he then shouted, looking very angry.
"Well, you;re definitely acting like it, making me try to move on from missing mom when you clearly don't seem to miss her anymore," Laguna stated bitterly.
"You don't think I miss her," Finn argued back, explaining harshly, "Ever since she disappeared, I've missed her constantly! After she was gone, I was a wreck! while you were bawling your eyes out in your room and dad was left pissed off in the office, I was left trying to pick up the pieces of her disappearing; I was broken by her being gone! She had been my only source of inspiration to be out there and be strong enough to be the best version of myself that I could be, and without her, I felt like I couldn't do anything! I couldn't go find her, I couldn't message her, I couldn't even pull myself away from the window because I kept a lookout in case she did come back! when she never came back, I was left reeling with the reality that she was long gone, never coming home! Dad was a mess from it and couldn't bother to have anyone look harder, and you took her disappearance a lot worse, and without mum around, there was no strong figure around to help comfort us or keep us from falling into a dark place! That left it up to me to take on that role; I had to force myself to be strong because I didn't want us to suffer emotionally any longer! I had to be the freaking rock to keep dad from killing himself, and I had to be the role-model to help guide you through the first few years of your life. Even after I moved out of the house, I still had to keep being strong for our family, to help us through the hard time."
Laguna remained silent during her brother's rant as she was very shocked to hear of all this.
But Finn was not done yet, he then said, "I had to face up to the reality of what happened, and I had to keep reminding myself of it because if I started thinking that she was alive, then it was gonna be all the more painful to relive those days of grieving all over again. I can't afford to just be...broken...again. Not again."
Finn could feel the tears well up in his eyes, and for the first time in a long time, Laguna saw a side in her brother that she never saw before: a side of vulnerability. She'd known her brother for so long, and he'd never been one to express his emotions in such raw fashion openly, so it came to a huge surprise to see him suddenly just start breaking down, his usually stoic and tough persona torn down to reveal a Troll who had been just like how she's felt: hurting, grieving, and feeling deep sorrow for the person that he misses the most.
Suddenly, music began to play in the background as Finn could feel the lights dim, and darkness in the background appear, leaving the Techno to start singing. The music seemed to take on that of a broken merry-go-round, a childhood entertainment that he loved when he was very little, tying back into his interests to his own genres of music that he liked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~When I Was Older by Billie Eilish~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finn: When I was older, I was a sailor on an open sea.
He thought back to a time where he was so young and innocent, and liked to spend time with his mother, riding on top of her shoulder as she carried him everywhere, with his little sister sitting on Twilight's other shoulder.
The memory then snapped back to reality, where Finn allowed himself to measly float around, eyeing the darkness of his own skin color, almost being darker to that of his surroundings, which reflected on how pale he felt with how deeply he truly did miss his mother.
Finn: But now I'm underwater, and my skin is paler than it should ever be, hmm.
Finn then pretended to swim like he was floating on his back in mid-air, looking up at the ceiling above, picturing his mother's facial expression made of the stars that shined above.
Finn: I'm on my back again, dreaming of a time and place where you and I remain the best of friends. Even after all this ends, can we pretend?
The star picture then morphed into a beam of light that surrounded Finn, who moved along with it, reaching out to the light as he watched it disappear, symbolizing the longing for his mother, who disappeared.
Finn: I'm on my, I'm on my back again; it's seeming more and more like all we ever do is see how far it bends. Before it breaks in half and then, we bend it back again.
Finn then landed on the floor and started to move in sync to the beat, his movements being equivalent to that of hip-hop, and every time he stomped the floor, glowing rings could be seen emitted to indicate how strong his emotions were.
Finn: Guess I got caught in the middle of it; yes I've been taught, got a little of it in my blood, in my blood. Memories burn like a forest fire; heavy rain turns any funeral pyre to mud, in the flood.
Finn then started to sadly reminisce again, thinking back to an illusion picture of his mother.
Finn: When I was older, I was a sailor on an open sea.
The picture then moved around him before disappearing in a glittery wave, with Finn collecting the glitter, but sadly watching it fade into his hands.
Finn: But now I'm underwater, and my skin is paler than it should ever be.
Finn then pictured his colors fading away, the black-and-white color scheme standing out amongst his grey body, which symbolized the previous broken state that he felt when he was younger and missed his mother, with Finn resuming his hip-hop dance.
Finn: I'm watching movies back to back in black and white, I never seen anybody do it like I do it any better.
Been goin' over you, I'm overdue for new endeavors, nobody lonely like I'm lonely, and I don't know whether.
He remembered how much every Techno Troll liked to stop and say to Twilight when she passed by around the reef.
Finn: You'd really like it in the limelight.
He then thought back to how Twilight often helped conversate with some of the Technos who acted as bullies, which helped them change their ways.
Finn: You'd sympathize with all the bad guys.
As the memories faded, Finn felt his colors come back as he tried to retain his realistic mindset again, but looking down at his hands, he felt like forcing himself to be strong was only causing him more harm than good.
Finn: I'm still a victim in my own right, but I'm the villain in my own eyes, yeah.
As the music started to fade, Finn sadly had his hands over his heart, and he felt tears building up again, and this time, he let them fall, each drop coloring the back floor until it was a sea of neon colors.
Finn: When I was older, I was a sailor on an open sea.
When Finn concluded singing, he allowed himself to let go of some of his stoic personality, and let his tears fall. He didn't make a sound as he cried, but every tear drop that he let loose was equivalent to that of a loud cry.
Laguna herself was tearing up too, letting out a sniffle as she wiped away one of the gtears that fell form her own eyes before she approached her older brother and gave him a big hug. Finn didn't even have the strength to fight back, but also didn't feel like wanting to fight back either; all that he felt like wanting to do was just hug his sister tight.
Laguna's friends all watched on, feeling nothing but deep sympathy for Finn; having to act so strong at such a young age to help his family stay strong during the hard times of Twilight being gone must've taken a lot of emotional tolls on him. One could only imagine how much he's kept pent up inside.
Finn soon felt himself regain his composure and stepped back, wiping away what was left of his tears before he said, his voice now sounding shaky from crying, "Crikey, that...I haven't cured like that since the memorial we held."
Laguna looked up at Finn, telling him, "You don't have to hold it all in, Finn; I know how hard it can be to be strong when deep down, you're hurting so much. I never knew...how much of a struggle it was for you to...be our rock."
Finn then said as he let out a shaky chuckle, "You wanna know the irony in all this, sis? Despite saying I've moved on and everything and said that I don't miss her...I do miss her terribly. I mean, you really just can;t get over how much mum really meant to us, to our family. I just...I try to keep myself from thinking about it, but...I feel this nagging feeling in my gut, and it's telling me...there is a slight chance that...she IS still out there...alive...like you said, sis."
Finn then admitted, "I keep feeling it, but it's so much work trying to just ignore it, but I have to...because if i don't, and i let myself think this...it's just gonna make me all more of a mess like when I was little. I don't want to have my hopes being let up just to all crash down from reality, so...why not just face the reality already and...ignore what could be? All to just...avoid feeling the pain of what could truly be if mom truly is dead...or not."
Finn then felt Laguna place a sympathetic hand on his shoulder as she said to him, "Finn...I can only imagine that it's been so hard for you to...keep all of this in. I'm sorry i said that you were cold-hearted."
Finn let out another shaky chuckle while saying, "It's not your fault, sis; if trying to avoid feeling the emotional pain of mum being gone and any chance of her being alive is what it means to be cold-hearted, then I guess i am."
Laguna quickly rebutted, "No, you're not; I only said that because I was angry thinking you didn't understand...but you understand it a lot better than even I do. And...I do understand what you were trying to do; telling me to think realistically so...I wouldn't feel like a wreck..like you did."
She then said, "and believe me when I say this, but...I understand what you meant when you said about having a realistic mindset of mom's disappearance. I know that it is likely that she could be truly dead, that's been a logic I have considered for so long, even now, I'm still thinking it. But I'm also thinking of the chance of her being truly alive too, and you know, the real reason why I'm so persistent about wanting to try and find is her is not just because i wanna see her again."
"Then, what is your reason," Finn asked.
Laguna smiled and replied, "My reason is because i want to get something that no one in our family had gotten since she disappeared: closure. I meant to get closure, regardless if she's alive or not, not only for myself, but for dad, for our family, and especially for you. Whether we find her dead or alive, i just want to find her and get that sense of knowing that I can rest easy knowing what truly happened, you know"?
Finn, to her surprise, understood what Laguna meant, saying, "Yeah, I get what you mean."
The male Techno then said, "You know, I still think that you're probably having very high expectations of finding mu alive and, I still think that you should consider thinking of your search with a more realistic perspective. But...," before he smiled, saying, "You're very passionate about finding mum, and...I really want to know if you will succeed or not. If...you or your friends need anything while you're out there...just...let me know. I...want to help."
Laguna was very surprised/happy to hear that her brother was supporting her and her friends' journey, with Aggie offering, "you could come along with us if you want."
Finn shook his head, saying, "Nah, mate, I appreciate the offer, but...I can't bring myself to...see mum wherever she has ended up...if she's dead or alive. It'd just be too painful to...bear it. But...I do want to help you Trolls with at least getting a clue on where she could've gone. So..." before he swam off down the hall, with everyone watching curiously.
Finn then returned with a box that was full of old brown leather journals, placing it in front of Laguna and her friends, saying, "Here. These were all of mum's logs. I hope that these help you."
Everyone looked at the box of journals in awe, with Laguna saying to Finn, "Thank you, brother."
"You're welcome, sis," finn replied with a semi-smile, but one that displayed a lot of sincerity.
Suddenly, Finn could feel something vibrate and pulled out a small clam clock that he looked at; when he saw the time, he panicked, shouting, "Ah, blimey dingos! I'm late for my set"!
He was about to swim off and out of the house, but before he could, he turned back around and looked at Laguna, before he swam up to her, saying, "Sis...good luck trying to find mum...alive. Give her a hug if you do, 'kay"?
Laguna nodded happily, saying, "I will, Finn; I promise."
Finn seemed to give a nod of acknowledgment before he swam out of the house, leaving Laguna and her friends to look through the box of journals.
"Wow, look at how many logs your mother has kept, Laguna," McJagger commented as he and some of the other Trolls were reading a few journals they had picked out already while the others were looking in the box.
"There mjust be hundreds of them in each page," Aggie said while flipping through a log she was looking through.
"The Spear ov Selena G," Buckaroo read in one of the journals, saying, "Ooh! Sounds laake ayy maheety weapon"!
"Ooh! The Leaning Tower of Pillow; I thought that place was only a mere myth," Dante squealed excitedly.
"The Silver Bouncy Ball of Birthday Bashes? Cool," Stereo looked at a page in the journal Synth was reading in awe.
"St. Pudding-field?! Shje found this place?! That is so hardcore," Val commented in awe while Melody read the page Val was reading excitedly.
Laguna picked up a journal to read while saying, "Look closely guys, see if there's any clue as to any artifact or site that my mom planned to explore before she vanished."
Everyone was reading the logs in each journal closely and carefully, eyeing any possible sign of a clue.
Then, Low-Note Jones picked up another journal to read, but when he did, something fell out of it, making him chuckle and say as he picked it up, revealing to be a flimsy folded-up piece of paper that was the same kind used to put maps on, "Hey, Trolls, Low-Note Jones seems to ave uncovered something."
Laguna eyed what Low-Note had picked up, gasping as she said, "That's a map! Let me see"!
Low-Note Jones gave her the map, and Laguna opened it up, revealing what was inside, with everyone gathering around to see.
"Ooh," everyone said in awe.
The map detailed 4 main places: a vast desert, a bubbly swamp, a dense forest, and a picture of what looked like an old temple, and above it were the words "Catacombs of Music." The map showed a path that started from where the Troll Kingdom was, and led down through the desert, the swamp, and the forest, all the way to the temple.
"Looks like that map is leading to this charming temple over here," Dante pointed out.
Laguna read the name of the temple, saying, "Catacombs of..Music? I haven't heard of that place before, and I've studied a lot of different archeological sites."
"Maybe it's an old one that Mrs. T knew about," Synth suggested.
McJagger borrowed the journal Low-Note Jones was holding where the map fell out of, saying, "Maybe there's a log about it in here." He looked into the journal before saying, "Here we go! Log Date, 7-1-6: I am in the midst of planning out my next exploration. As I was heading over to the nearest body of water to rehydrate, I heard a voice, though I could not find who it came from, say that there's an ancient temple filled with many music-related artifacts hidden away, called the Catacombs of Music. I was very surprised to hear about it; I had not even known that a place like that existed, until I came across an old book that detailed about its origins and found a map hidden in between the pages."
"Like how the map was hidden in the log journal," Melody pointed out.
McJagger then saw something in the log that made him smile before he said to Laguna, handing her the journal, "You might want to read this next part, Laguna. There's an excerpt here about you."
"Me," Laguna asked as she accepted the journal, holding the map under her arm as she looked inside. She read the journal, saying, "Log Date, 7-1-7, I have made plans to search the Catacombs of Music and retrieve the artifacts inside it so that they can be brought into museums for all to see. It won't be an easy journey as it appears to be quite far, but I will prevail! But what I'm most excited for is that if I can successfully accomplish finding this place, then I can be able to take my youngest child with me during our trip to land. She's never been up on land before, only her older brother, and I think that the best way for her to have such a fulfilling experience for her first time on land would be to see one of the historic places that mommy (myself) finds. It'll give her a real-life look at what it'd be like to be an explorer."
Laguna's eyes glistened in awe, the anTrollpologist surprised and amazed that long ago, that "trip to land" that her mother had planned out was gonna be her taking Laguna to see the Catacombs of Music!
"So, this was where she wanted to take me when I was six," Laguna commented in awe, placing a hand on the page with the log excerpt was.
"Hot dang, that's so sweet ov huurr," Holly commented happily.
"A mother-daughter trip to a far-out place on land? Haha, that's so *imitates airhorn noises* Synth exclaimed happily.
"That's so sweet, Laguna; your mom wanted to take you on a fun trip," Aggie mentioned.
McJagger then said, "So, according to the information we've gathered, it sounds like these Catacombs of Music was where your mom planned to go explore before she vanished."
"Which means that that must've been where she was going to before she disappeared," Val added on.
"So, somewhere along the line of where she was going, she either got lost, or arrived to the Catacombs of Music, but got lost in them," Melody suggested.
"We have a clue, and we now have a path to follow," Laguna addressed as she closed the log and placed it in her hair before pulling ther map back out and opening it, saying, "If we retrace the steps of the path that my mom followed to find the Catacombs of music, we'll either find clues that'll lead to where she's gone, or even find her herself."
"Sounds like our expedition can now be in full-swing," Aggie declared.
"Where do we need ta go first," Buckaroo asked Laguna.
Laguna looked at the map, saying, "Well, note: we must go across this desert, so that's our first location"!
"Then it's time for us to get moving, babies," Low-Note Jones commented.
Laguna then pulled out her trusty fedora, placing it on top of her head, before she said, "Then, Trolls, we;re off to the desert! Let's go"!