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!
Deep within the dark forest under the head of night, Rhonda ran by the bushes and through log tunnels before coming up on the entrance of what appeared to be an old,rickety, abandoned...whatever it was behind those rotten metallic doors.
Poppy, Branch, John Dory, and Bruce looked at the place with uncertainty; this certainly couldn't be where Clay was living now...was it?
"Uh, are we sure this is where Clay lives," Branch asked as Rhonda parked right in front of the rusted metal sliding door.
"Are we sure," tiny Diamond replied as Rhonda opened her doors, which allowed the Trolls to exit the armadillo vehicle, while the Glitter Troll continued as Bruce placed him in a small baby harness so that he could travel with them safely, "Our GPS is an armadillo bus sniffing used undies. So, no, we're not sure."
As the Trolls cautiously approached the opening under the door, Bruce commented in a creeped-out whisper. "I think this is the place from every true crime podcast I've ever listened to."
"What's a podcast," Poppy asked in response in a low whisper.
Bruce started to answer as they entered the place, "Oh, it's this really neat thing where two people do a radio show in a booth and..."
Inside, the "old rickety abandoned" place was shown actually to be an old, rickety, abandoned golf course; holes untouched for years with grass now flourishing around it, little wooden bridges still standing over the now small patches of moldy water that resided underneath them, windmills and ferris wheels firmly in place, no longer spinning, and all the tall structures, statues, and buildings that connected with each hole had an eerie presence under the cloak of darkness.
On strings of lights that hung from above, and across the bridges on the ground, little colorful golf balls that seemed to be alive all rolled around, without any of the Trolls noticing them. What, or who, was making them move like this, the mystery unknown and deepened with each passing stride they made.
One could only wonder what, or who, could possibly live in a place like this.
"Oh man, I'm gonna have night terrors after this; this place is giving me some bad creeps," Tiny Diamond commented, shrinking into the baby harness.
"It'll be ok, Tiny; we just have to see if Clay is here, and then we can go," Bruce commented reassuringly to the little Glitter Troll.
Everyone as looking around, trying to see if there was any clue to pointing out where Clay could possibly be in a place like this, and at the same time, they were all trying to stay aware of their surroundings, in case anything jumped out at them.
Suddenly, a loud booming voice could be heard shouting, "Halt"!
The lights surrounding a giant, creepy, mechanical clown head turned on, activating the mechanism of the machine, with its beady glowing eyes staring right at the Trolls, smoke surrounding it, its big red metal tongue stuck out and twisted like a slide, and its big mouth full of round, hard, moving teeth, moving as the voice inside it proclaimed, "Who goes there"!?
Poppy, Branch, John Dory, Bruce, and Tiny Diamond all screamed in fright, huddled together in fear, with Tiny climbing up out of the baby harness and hiding in Bruce's thick purple hair.
Poppy hugged Branch, who wrapped a protective arm around her, in fright while Branch felt his survival instincts kick in, ready to protect OPoppy if an attack came from this...clown head.
The voice in the clown head spoke again, declaring menacingly, "Who dares trespass on these sacred grounds"!?
No one dared to utter a word or move a muscle in fear of the clown head launching another mechanism that could attack them, but Branch knew that if they didn't do something quick, that they would never be able to move past it and find Clay in time to get to Mount Rageous. He mentally prepared himself to grab a stick or whatever possible weapon he had in his hair or his pockets, set to fight back.
However, he then noticed the scared look in Poppy's eyes, and he thought back to the many, many, MANY situations that he and Poppy were in that involved their lives being on the line, or facing enemy lines in preparation of potential danger. Whenever this happened, Poppy found a way to get them to talk about why they were doing this or what was going on, even when it backfired on her, and it seemed to help, even a little, get the situation under control or at least get an understanding of what was happening/
Deciding that he was gonna take a page out of his girlfriend's book, he looked up at the clown's head in determination and, with as much bravery as he could muster, marched straight up to it, ignoring John Dory's fearful comment, "Branch, what are you doing"?
The eldest sibling wasn't even able to grab Branch's shoulder before Branch brushed John Dory's hand aside and walked up to the clown head, staring at it face-to-face. He stood firm and told it with confidence and firmness, "Listen, we don't want any clown-related trouble, okay? We're just here looking for our brother, Clay."
The clown head didn't seem to respond, but then, its mouth moved while the voice inside of it spoke, its tone now no longer threatening, but more...curious, asking Branch, "Wait a second; you're Trolls"?
"So what? You're a clown," Branch rebutted, his remark making John Dory snicker before Bruce smacked him upside the head, getting him to stop, making the eldest brother stop and place his hand over where Bruce had hit him.
"Where have you come from," the voice in the clown head spoke again, the clown head's mouth moving at the same time.
"We came from the Troll Tree in the middle of Bergen Town," Branch replied, his antisness slowly coming back, which the survivalist desperately tried to push back.
Then, he felt his hand be gently grabbed and saw Poppy, who had now stepped forward, saying to the clown head, "We mean no harm, Mr...Clown Head...Thingee; we're just trying to find Branch's brother Clay, that's all."
Seeing Poppy beside him made Branch feel slightly better and, to be honest, a little less nervous about facing this clown head.
The clown head didn't seem to have a bodily response this time, but instead, it responded in a different way: it opened its mouth and fired what looked like a yellow-gold golf ball towards the Trolls. the golf ball rolled down the slide, bouncing off some of the curves, as it headed towards the Trolls; its size appeared equivalent to them, but based on the speed it was rolling down, it looked fast enough to hit them really hard, which got Branch and Poppy to stagger back a bit in concern, back toward Bruce and John Dory. The Trolls all braced themselves, anticipating what was gonna either be a painful hit, or someone about to get flattened.
Then, the most shocking thing happened: the golf ball, once it reached the edge of the tongue...it unfurled!
In retrospect, the "golf ball" wasn't actually a gold ball at all! It was revealed to actually be a Troll, who was using its hair to wrap itself like a gold ball, to roll around!
The new Troll, who stared the group down in a moment of temporary suspicion and curiosity, was female and looked like she was a bit taller than Poppy, also sharing the same pink skin tone as the Queen of Pop herself. She had yellow hair that seemed to be p in the standard Troll style, but had prominent waves, and part of her hair seemed to droop over her face, like long bangs, dark magenta eyebrows, and magenta and black eyes (similar to Poppy's eyes), and she also seemed to be wearing magenta and yellow glittery makeup on her cheeks. The Troll was seen wearing a white bodysuit with a golden glittery star on it, a green leafy cape, and cut-out reddish-pink stockings with pink diamonds and a golden X on it.
Once the Troll saw the group, her demeanor immediately changed from suspicion to excitement and wonder, exclaiming in a giddy, cheery voice, "Oh, my gosh, hello"!
To say that Poppy, Branch, John Dory, and Bruce were surprised was an understatement: they were shocked! This Troll was the one manning that spooky clown head?! She was actually...friendly?
Poppy, to say the least, was the most shocked by this; this new Troll looked very similar to her, in more ways than one, and that didn't only apply to the huge smile and friendly personality she had that Poppy was also well-known for!
The new Troll eagerly welcomed the group, immediately introducing herself to them, "My name is Viva! It is so "fantastamazing" to see other Trolls"!
Back in the depths of Bubble Swamp, the waters all appeared to be calm and steady, not a ripple in sight. The sounds of the birds chirping in the distance were the only sound that could currently be heard, and the sunlight shined through the swamp, making the plants shimmer.
On the shoreline by the water, the Angler bus was seen laying out flat, grumbling tiredly while it appeared soaked to the skin.
On the shoreline, scattered about as soaked, tired messes, were the Trolls, who were able to miraculously survive the fall and swim their way to the nearest patch of land that they could find. Everyone was currently either laid out on their stomachs or sitting upright, wringing their clothes and/or their hair of water.
Laguna sat up and took her fedora off, dumping the water that got caught in it while asking, "Is everyone ok"?
One by one, each Troll either let out a groan in exhaustion or gave a thumbs up, which was their sign that meant they were alright.
"Hot dang, y'all; that was ayy waald raade," Holly commented while trying to squeeze the water out of her hair.
"You're telling me; we just survived the bridge of death and lived to tell another tale of it," Dante addressed while trying to squeeze the bits of water out of the sleeves of his jacket.
"Though it was pretty fun; scary, but fun," Aggie mentioned while patting her dress dry.
"I'm surprised that the Angler bus was able to last after a fall like that," Quincy commented in interest while helping some of the other Trolls up, already having helped Essence, Trollex, and Trollzart to their feet.
Barb, who was already up and on her feet, smiled and replied, "Eh, this ol' guy's able to handle anything that's thrown his way. He's as tough as nails," while patting the closed jaw of the Angler bus. On cue, the Angler bus opened its mouth, draining out the water from inside, splashing the Queen of Rock, soaking her to the skin even more, which earned a deadpanned expression from Barb.
Trollex couldn't help but burst into laughter, thinking that the queen of rock looked so hilariously ridiculous, like an angry wet cat, which he felt was some solid payback for the bumpy ride on the swamp river earlier. However, the raised eyebrow looks that he got in response from some of the other Trolls made him stop and, with a sheepish smile, say, "Sorry."
McJagger, who had stood back up onto his feet, stated optimistically, "What matters most is that we all are safe, together, and remarkably unharmed, " before he shook himself dry, his red and purple-striped fur puffing up, making him look like a walking cotton ball.
The sight of the red Funk Troll's fur fluffed up made the group snicker and laugh, with Val saying, "Sure, that's true, McFluffster," jokingly, the joke comment making their laughter roar a little longer.
McJagger was a little confused by the comment until he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water, making the Funk Troll gasp and his cheeks blush a deep pink while a sheepish smile formed on his face.
Laguna, who was failing to hold back her own blush, and her laughter, commented, "Hey, you're still my cutie McFluffster," to her boyfriend and shot him a flirtatious wink, which made McJagger's blush grow.
Once everyone had recovered and were back on their feet, they got a good look of their surroundings to see where they had ended up, with Delta commenting, "ay have ayy feelin' we maheet be ayy lil' off the path."
"Not to worry, though," Laguna stated happily, addressing, "We should be able to go back on the path we need to go so long as we follow the map," and reached into her hair to grab the map. However, as her fingers traced through her silky dark blue locks, she wasn't able to feel where the map was, and started to panic, saying, "Uh oh; the map, it's missing"!
"I'm sure it's gotta be somewhere; let's quickly look around," Trollzart suggested as everyone split up and went to take a quick look around the area. The Rock Trolls scanned the inside of the Angler bus, Trollzart and Dante did a small air search, the Funk Troll and country Trolls inspected the shoreline while the Techno Trolls and Aggie went into the water to see if it might have fallen out and was floating around.
As they searched around, something caught Synth's eye in the water, and he swam over to see what it was, as it looked flat and paper-like. Once he got close enough, he broke the surface of the water and grabbed it, recognizing it as the map, declaring, "Yo, I found it! I found the map"!
"Great going, Synth," Trollex replied back in praise as everyone regrouped back onto the shore.
Synth helped the soggy paper in his hand, saying, "Here it is, yo," and presented it to Laguna, the edges of the paper dripping wet.
However, when the anTrollpologist closely inspected the map, to her shock and horror, the map was...wahsed out! The patterns of the entire land was still present, but the markings of the landmarks they needed to follow, the pathway to find them, they were all missing, as well as the marked areas surrounding the landmarks that labeled the name of each place. In shock, she exclaimed, "Oh no; the map is..empty"!
Synth held the paper as some of the Trolls gathered to take a closer look, with Val saying, "Yikes, that is one blank map."
"The water must've washed away the marking on the map when we fell down the waterfall," McJagger theorized.
"Maybe we can simply fandry it," Dante offered as he gently took the paper and started to wave it back and forth, trying to airdry the map. It seemed to work, until the paper broke in half, much to Dante's surprise, as he hid the other half behind his back and had a sheepish grin, commenting, "Or perhaps not."
Laguna sadly picked up the fallen half and accepted the other one from Dante, commenting, "It's useless; even if the map wasn't broken, without the markings or direction, we'll never be able to find the Catacombs of Music without getting lost. that means...we won't get to find my mom, either."
King Quincy then stepped forward, declaring, "Well, we may not be out of hope just yet."
The king of Funk pulled out a remote from his cape's pocket, saying, "While we were on the bus, I used this remote to scan the map you had, Laguna, in the case where the paper map was either lost or destroyed, so that way, we had a digital copy with us."
to demonstrate his point, he pressed the button on the remote, and a small beam of light shot out from the remote's antenna, and from the light beam that was produced, a holographic digital image of the same map appeared in front of the Trolls.
"Ooh," everyone said in awe.
"That's so cool, King Quincy," Aggie commented while gently brushing her hand along the map, seeing how the hologram didn't faze when her hand was moving through it.
"Smart move ta have ayy remote backup just in case," Delta added on.
Laguna looked at the digital map happily before she gave the king of Funk a hug, telling him, "Thank you so much, your Funkiness! Thank you, thank you, thank you"!
King Quincy let Laguna hug him, smiling as he replied, "You're welcome, Laguna; happy to help."
The anTrollpologist then turned her attention back to the map, saying, "Looks like the images of the landmarks and the pathway of the direction we have to follow to each place is present, though it doesn't exactly show where we are now or how to get back on the path."
"At least we have some direction," Barb replied with an unsure shrug.
"But how are we gonna know if we're heading the right way or not," Stereo asked in confusion.
McJagger then spoke up, saying, "Well, we know that we have to find the twin Tikki Troll statues since they're the next landmark that we're heading to. Maybe if we start walking along this way, by the shoreline of the water, then we might be able to find clues or perhaps a path that could lead us down the right way towards the landmark."
"That's ayy good idea, McJ; we're bound ta head somewhere f we follow the shore," Holly replied.
Laguna, however, was unsure of this idea, pointing out, "Note: while it does sound like a viable plan, it wouldn't be the most efficient as it might lead us down the wrong way, or get us lost somewhere."
"But we could at least be going somewhere if we go down the shoreline, better than not going anywhere, right," Val addressed, raising a solid point.
"Plus, the map doesn't exactly specify any given location of Bubble Swamp, so as long as we stay in the same area, we should be safe and not get totally lost," Barb added on.
Laguna thought about it before saying, "Those are very good points."
Buckaroo then remembered something, snapping their fingers while saying, "hold up, ay just remembered! We won't have ta worry 'bout gettin' lost so long as we follow the sun," and pointed up at the sky, making everyone look up at the sunny sky above.
"How's the sun gonna help us stay on the right path, yo," Synth asked, scratching his neck in confusion.
Buckaroo explained, "See, ay learned long ago that ta avoid gettin' lost, it's best ta stay north. Ayn' the best way ta know if you're goin' north is ta follow the sun. It's basically laake nature's compass. As long as we follow it, we'll be able ta stay on course."
Laguna thought that the idea was very clever, though she still felt a bit unsure about if it was the wisest move. But remembering her mother's mantra, she whispered, "When the going gets tough, a Tidepool gets going."
She then faced her friends, telling them, "Ok, let's walk down and start looking."
With that, everyone began to walk down the shoreline, following the sun in hopes that it'd lead them to either the landmark or the path leading to the landmark. The Anlger Bus trudged on behind the Trolls, almost completely dried out, but still dripping wet on the bottom.
"Note: I hope this path along the water will lead us SOMEWHERE closer to where we have to go," Laguna commented while pinching her eyes, slowly showing signs of exhaustion and frustration settling in.
"Don't worry, Laguna; even without a paper map, we'll be able to find those statues," Aggie commented reassuringly.
"Ayn' be one step closuurr ta findin' your maw," Holly added.
"In the meantime, perhaps we just need a small "pick-me-up" to help us relax a little while we're walking," Essence suggested.
Synth got a great idea, grinning while saying, "I know, yo: we need some upbeat meh-meh-meh-meh music"!
Laguna felt very unsure if now was a good time for music, commenting, "Uh, while music would be nice, I am positive that the timing does not seem right for-,"
Before she could finish her sentence, Barb pulled out something from her hair, saying, "Well, I got this if this is any good for some music, although the album is very cliche' for classic boybands."
She tossed the record over to Aggie, who caught it and recognized it as one of BroZone's albums, asking in curiosity, "YOU have a BroZone album"?
Barb quickly remarked, her hands shot up in defense, "Hey, I borrowed it from Popsqueak when she was showing me some of her favorite Pop albums a few days ago; they're way too sappy and bland for my taste, but this one's got at least some "real" reach for actually catchy music."
"Ay think y'all are startin' ta grow ta laake Pop," Delta commented in a playfully teasing manner, which earned some snickers from the rest of the present leaders and a few Trolls in the group.
Barb felt her face flush in embarrassment while saying, turning her face away slightly to try and hide it, "I am so not! I mean, this album is still very bland and crawls into your head like a stupid earworm for heck all I care, but...it is kind of fun to listen to, for Pop music."
"Aww, no reason to feel shy about sharing an interest in music from another genre, Miss Barb," Trollzart pointed out, though even the sound of his heavenly wisdom did nothing to curb the feeling of embarrassment Barb was feeling.
Holly took a look at the album as Aggie handed it to her, the country ambassador stating, "Awww, look at lil' Baby Branch, y'all; he's adorable as ayy tyke with his brothuurrs"!
"Awww," some of the Trolls in the groups commented in awe when they saw the album cover.
"Eh, that diaper is not doing Branch any favors as a baby," Val stated with a small shrug.
"He was a baby; diapers are a pinnacle statement for baby fashion of that age in his day," Melody rebutted, adding on, "What else did you think he would wear? Underpants"?
"Well, given the age of the time of Brozone, it'd be all the more logical to conclude-," Low-Note Jones was beginning to explain, before Laguna quickly interrupted, saying, "Uh, pardon me for sounding intrusive, but perhaps we should revert our focus back to the task at hand"?
"'Guna's right, yo," Stereo commented, first seemingly appearing to try and get everyone's attention back to what they were doing, before the glittery Techno grinned and declared, "Play that record, yo, and let's make this search party a search PARRRRTAAAAAYYY"!
Holly took out the record from the album as Low-Note Jones pulled out a record player from his hair, placing the record on it before placing the dial onto it, allowing the record to start playing music.
She's Not Afraid by One Direction
Laguna still felt very unsure that now was a good time for music, and tried to tell the others as the music started to play, "I meant about our search for the statues, not putting on music. We should be looking around, not-,"
"Just chill, Laguna; a little music to just get us motivated ain't gonna hurt someone," Barb told the anthropologist in response before declaring, "Now, let's move"!
Everyone ran ahead, eagerly beginning to look around, while Laguna facepalmed tiredly, letting out a small sigh as she went to catch up with the others.
John Dory: She sneaks out in the middle of the night, yeah; tight dress with the top cut low. She's addicted to feeling of letting go, oh, ohoo, let it go.
As the Trolls walked along the shoreline, they were looking for any sign of what could lead them to the next landmark.
Floyd: She walks in and the room just lights up, but she don't want anyone to know. That I'm the only one who gets to take her home, oh, ohoo, take her home.
In the bushes, there was a rustle, and Buckaroo went to go take a look to see what was in there. To their surprise, it turned out to be what looked like a baby bunny. Everyone gathered around and saw how cute the baby bunny looked, especially the way it was nibbling on a leaf.
Bitty B: But everytime I tell her that I want more, she closes the door.
Then, the bunny's eyes grew red, and its expression went from cute to mean. before the Trolls could comprehend what was happening, the bunny let out a death-defying roar, scaring the Trolls and sending them running for their lives as the bunny chased after them, chomping its big teeth in hunger.
BroZone: She's not afraid of all the attention! She's not afraid of running wild! How come she's so afraid of falling in love?!
The Trolls all ran into the dense swamp plants, hiding in them so that the bunny couldn't find it, as it rapidly hopped past them, looking for the Trolls. Once it appeared to be gone, the Trolls all peeked their heads out, sighing in relief.
BroZone: She's not afraid of scary movies! She likes the way we kiss in the dark! But she's so afraid of f-f-falling in love, ohoo!
Now walking through the plant brush, the Trolls tried to see if the path was gonna lead them down to a possible shortcut to the Tikki Troll statues, and everyone had eyes and ears opened, looking and listening for any clues or signs of danger.
Clay: Maybe she's just trying to test me, wanna see how hard I'm gonna work. Wanna see if I can really tell how much she's worth, what your worth.
McJagger found a tall tree that had berries on top and ran to it, thinking that it'd be wise to stock up on some food for their trip. Laguna approached him, wanting to help him get the berries down from above. McJagger stood back and used his back feet, giving the tree a big kick, hoping it'd shake the berries down.
To his luck, they did. But to Laguna's misfortune, the berries all fell on her, hitting to the anTrollpologist on the head like coconuts, making Laguna wince in pain and fall backwards, dizzy, while the red Funk Troll had a sheepish smile, hesitantly scratching the back of his head apologetically.
Spruce: Or maybe all her friends have told her, "Don't' get closer he'll just break your heart." But either way she sees in me and it's just so hard (Clay: So hard).
After the anTrollpologist had recovered from the berries hitting her on the head and was back on her feet, everyone continued their walk, eating the berries that McJagger had picked as a snack. However, they didn't see that behind them, the sweet scent of the berries attracted a large swam of bees that flew behind them.
Floyd and Bitty B: 'Cause every time I tell her how I feel, she says it's not real.
The sound of buzzing made Trollzart turn his head and see the bee swarm behind them, and gasped, waving for the others to stop and see what was behind them. Trollzart's arm-waving got their attention as the Trolls turned their heads and saw the impending bee swarm that had followed them, and the bees looked ready to sting.
BroZone: She's not afraid of all the attention! She's not afraid of running wild! How come she's so afraid of falling in love?!
The Trolls started running for their lives again, trying to get away from the bees, who kept following them thanks to the sweet scent of the very juices from the berries that they had eaten.
BroZone: She's not afraid of scary movies! She likes the way we kiss in the dark! But she's so afraid of f-f-falling in love, ohoo!
The Trolls then saw a small cave that seemed big enough for them to hide in quickly; they ran inside and took cover, watching slowly as the bee swarm flew by, looking around to see if they could trace the scent of the berries,s before flying away, much to the group's relief.
Spruce: What about all the things we said?
Everyone took a minute to sigh in relief, happy that they outran the bees.
Clay: Talking on the phone so late?
Suddenly, Synth heard something growl and first looked down at his tummy, thinking that the sound came from him and that he must've still been hungry.
John Dory: I can't let her get away from me!
Then, Synth looked up and saw that there was a bear standing right next to him, and he did NOT look happy to see the Techno ambassador, as well as the rest of these "trespassers" that were inside its cave.
BroZone: Ohh!
The other Trolls all saw the bear that stared them down, and they gulped nervously, already knowing what was gonna happen next.
The Trolls were then seen walking down a new set of swamp plants, and everyone looked battered and worn out, having barely escaped the clutches of the angry bear that ambushed them, only possessing bruises and scratches, with their clothes not too badly torn up.
Floyd: When I say that I can't do it no more, she's back in my door.
Laguna massaged her forehead, trying not to break down in frustration or stress, but before she could even process her own emotions, the Trolls heard something rumbling and looked up, spotting a herd of Growlbeats running, and they were heading towards them! This prompted the Trolls to turn heel and run, trying to escape the incoming stampede.
BroZone: (Spruce: She's not afraid!) She's not afraid of all the attention! She's not afraid of running wild (Clay: Running wild!)! How come she's so afraid of falling in (Floyd: Falling in, in love!) love?!
The Trolls quickly scattered and could be seen trying to outrun each singular Growlbeasts that was in the entire herd.
BroZone: She's not afraid of scary movies (John Dory: She's not afraid!)! She likes the way we kiss in the dark (Bitty B: Kiss in the dark!)! But she's so afraid of f-f-falling in love, ohoo!
Soon, the Trolls were able to dodge the stampeding Growlbeasts, hiding behind the rocks and trees that they came across as they ran.
Bitty B: She's not afraid! She's not afraid (BroZone: Ohoo, ohoo!)!
When the herd was gone, all of the Trolls gathered back, regrouping together, and in absolute exhaustion, they all fell backward and collapsed, passing out for a good while.
After a while of walking and running and escaping death on multiple occasions, the Trolls appeared to have absolutely no idea where they were or where they were going and could only conclude one important, frustrating matter:
"Welp, it's official: we're LOST," Dante exclaimed as his voice echoed through the swamp trees, making a few birds scatter in the air.
"On the plus side, we got to explore these swamplands a little more and saw some interesting things," McJagger mentioned while looking at a few pictures he took of the animals he noticed.
"And we've been having fun vibin' to the music of that BroZone album; Dubstep carries a good falsetto, bro," Synth added happily.
"AND we've been wasting time possibly going nowhere in no direction, and STILL haven't found the twin Tikki Troll statues," Laguna exclaimed, frustration laced in her voice.
The Trolls noticed how visibly frustrated Laguna looked; they were doing their best to look for any clues while they were walking, but the plant life of Bubble Swamp was so thick and expandable that it was hard to find even a trace of what they were looking for. Plus, with the way things looked at the moment, they could tell Laguna was experiencing some stress that could use a little help managing.
Trollex was the first to speak up, telling Laguna, "Hey, hey, take it easy, Laguna; I'm sure we'll find them somewhere in this swamp scenery."
"We'd find it faster if we still had the paper map with us," Laguna bitterly spat out, adding, "At least IT'D have given us SOME sense of actual direction to follow and not have us aimlessly wandering."
"Well, the paper map got wet and it broke, unfortunately for us, but fortunately, we still have the digital copy if you want to take a look at it again," Quincy offered reassuringly.
Laguna turned her head and rebutted in frustration, "While the thought is very much appreciated, your Funkiness, we can't afford to lose anymore valuable resources, and using your remote too much might drain its power."
Quincy understood as Laguna made a valid point.
Meanwhile, Holly saw the tiresome/stressed look in Laguna's eyes, asking her in concern, "Y'all feelin' ok, sugar? Ya look ayy bit worn out."
"Note: I am perfectly fine, Holly," Laguna stated through slightly gritted teeth, adding, "I'll be feeling even more fine the sooner we get to the Catacombs of Music."
"We understand, but you look like you're gonna blow a fuse if the stress keeps mounting," Aggie stated, offering Laguna, "You should take a minute and take a deep breath. Try to relax a little."
"Yeah, Laguna; why not just look around while we're walking and let the scenery mellow you," Low-Note Jones recommended.
"Smell in the fresh swamp air and let it calm your soul, yo," Stereo suggested.
McJagger also added while placing a gentle paw on Laguna's shoulder, "Maybe I can add in offering you a ride on my back so you can put your fins up for a bit"?
While all of this was some very generous offers, Laguna, still reeling in her frustration, stated while pushing McJagger's paw away, "I'll be feeling more relaxed once we find my mother, and we'll be finding her a lot faster if we all stay focused on the task at hand."
"But y'all maheet be able ta focus bettuurr if-," Delta was starting to state before Laguna shouted, "Can you guys stop focusing on me and focus on looking for the Tikki Troll statues?! I'm fine, ok," before marching ahead of the group, fuming.
"Yikes, Laguna does not look so good," Melody commented hesitantly while scratching the back of her neck.
"We can't blame her for feeling this way; between how we all brushed with death after falling over the waterfall, losing the paper map, those animals that almost killed us, and now appearing lost, and adding in how much she really wants to try and find her mom, she's just feeling a bit stressed by everything. I know how it can feel to be overwhelmed by so much stress," Trollex pointed out.
"Though she doesn't have to be so much of a jerk about it," Barb bluntly stated, which earned her a sharp elbow to the ribs by Trollex, who glared at her while saying, "Be nice."
"We're all just trying to help her and show support; why is she acting like we're not being helpful to the situation," Dante inquired worryingly.
"Ay hate to say this, y'all, 'cause it sounds almost offensive, but she's is actin' as stubborn as ayy mule," Buckaroo commented, adding, "Even more so than Holly."
"Hey," Holly called out, hearing the small shot sent at her by her best friend.
"I'm sure she'll feel a lot better once she has a moment to calm down," Aggie stated reassuringly before adding in, "Though convincing her to is gonna be a little difficult given how driven she is right now."
Val looked up at Laguna before looking back at the others; in her mind, she knew that the way Laguna was acting right now was definitely not her; if anyone deserved to be an angsty, stubborn Troll, it was her, even though she was changing a little since moving to Trollstopia. She figured that if all Laguna had to do was calm down, she just had to drill it into Laguna's mind until the Techno snapped out of it, it sounded like it'd work, right? Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she walked up to Laguna, set on talking to her.
She appeared by Laguna's side before telling her with a hesitant smile, trying to break the ice, "Hey, Laguna. Look, I know that this whole "finding your mom" mission is cool and all, and we're all super focused on helping, but you're kind of being a bit...pushy about it."
Laguna, who was still feeling a little bothered by the frustrations and stress he was feeling, replied firmly, "Well, I'm sorry for appearing as such, but we have to keep on track and stay moving, or else we aren't going to make it to the Catacombs of Music."
"And we get it, we all do," Val pointed out before saying, "But you gotta relax a little and not be so uptight about it. Otherwise, it's just gonna drive your mind crazy.
Laguna replied while looking over her notes to see if anything she had written down so far would be useful, "Note: I'm sure that you would be acting the same as me if your mother was in danger."
Val let out a small sigh before addressing, "I can't really say that."
"And why not," Laguna asked while placing her clipboard away.
"'Cause my mom is not in any danger," Val replied, looking away slightly as she stated her answer.
Laguna then replied, "But if she were, you'd be hell-bent on wanting to find her and rescue her, correct"?
Val bit her tongue as she stopped walking, being silent for a bit, but it was more than enough for Laguna to interrupt the Rock ambassador's thinking state, stating, "Precisely my point," before proceeding to walk ahead.
Then, Val snapped out of it and caught up with Laguna again, telling her, "Hold up, I didn't say anything, but it doesn't mean I don't have an answer to your question. Of course I'd want to know if my mom is ok, but the only reason why I didn't reply right away is because I can't speak from this kind of experience."
"Why not," Laguna asked, commenting, "Aren't Rock Trolls known for risk and thrills? Wouldn't it be that one of those risks would be considered "Dangerous" enough for your mom to run into"?
Val's jaw was a little gaped from Laguna's comment, stunned by what the Techno had said before she pinched her eyes and stated, "Ok, first off, there is a CLEAR difference between the Rock Trolls' love of thrill and recklessness and danger. Second, this does not mean that my mom would've had any brushes with danger regardless. And third, what I meant is that I don't have the experience of knowing my mom is in danger as you do, although if I did, I wouldn't be taking it as so seriously as you are."
This comment made Laguna stop and turn around, facing Val and stating, her frustration slowly morphing into slight anger, "Excuse me?! How can you say that? This kind of matter is something to be VERY serious about! The safety of a family member is crucial; anyone would understand that, and you should too"!
The sounds of shouting alerted the other Trolls who were a bit behind, with Bab asking, "Hey, who's shouting their heads off"?
The group looked up and saw that Laguna and Val appeared to be having a heated argument with one another, with Melody saying worryingly, "Uh oh, they're arguing"!
"Should we stop 'them," Dante asked in concern.
"Hold on, Trolls; let them talk things out; if it gets too intense, then we step in," Essence suggested, with everyone biting their lower lips and watching in concern.
Meanwhile, Val had rebutted back to Laguna, "The point is, you're taking this way too seriously"!
"Because it's a personal family matter," Laguna argued back, saying, "When the well-being of my family is brought up, then it's indeed a serious matter that you should think about! How can I not take this seriously"?!
"I know," Val shouted before addressing, "But you're taking it too seriously to the point that your stress is making you act out"!
"Well, excuse me if I am "acting out" as you say, Thundershock," Laguna harshly spat out, saying, "But unlike you, I actually have concerns for the well-being of my mother, and I want to see if she is ok or not."
Val, now feeling tense and slightly agitated, crossed her arms and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you saying that I don't care about the well-being of my mother"?
"I think you know what I said," Laguna bitterly replied back, the two Trolls now in a glaring match with one another, before Val rebutted, "Well then, let me "spell this out" for you: stop obsessing over something that could possibly not be! It could all end up being over if she isn't around! Or if she is, and we might not find her"!
"What's that supposed to mean," Laguna asked sternly.
"I mean, for all we know, we might not be able to find your mother, regardless of wherever she may be! and even if we even find your mom, she might either be alive or dead; what are you gonna do if she's dead because you seem so sure of what to do if your mom is alive," Val argued back, stomping her foot.
Laguna gritted her teeth while shouting back, "Well, we won't have to worry about that question for now because I know that she is alive out there."
"What'll it be like if she isn't safe and sound like you say she is?! what are you gonna do if we find her and her corpse is lying all rotted to the bone," Val harshly rebutted back, making Laguna growl in anger while clenching her hands into fists.
Laguna turned around, too angry to face Val, and argued back, "Big talk for someone who seems to not have any problems having to think about this with her own mother."
"Hey," Val shouted while pointing at Laguna, "Don't you even dare"!
Melody gulped nervously, seeing how tense the argument got, and whimpered, "Uh oh."
"What oh? What's wrong, Mel," Aggie asked the Pop/Rock Troll in concern.
Meanwhile, the argument rained on, with Laguna retorting as she turned around and faced Val, "Dare what? Talk about how so little you seem to show value and sincerity about the well-being of the person who's loved and raised you"?
Val gritted her teeth, and her right hand balled into a fist, trying to restrain herself from snapping, but she was very close to just letting her anger out, especially since this argument had just gotten very, very personal. She shouted back, "At least I know where MY mother is while yours is as lost as we are"!
Then, Laguna bitterly rebutted back with her voice as cold as ice, "At least I know that my mom is still alive and not rolling around in a grave"!
Everyone gasped in shock from how harsh the statement was, shocked to see Laguna act so...harsh.
"Oh snap, yo," Synth commented, his jaw dropped and eyes widened in shock.
"Holy Troll," Trollzart commented in disbelief.
"What the funk," McJagger commented, stunned to see his girlfriend being so harsh.
"Oh golly," Aggie commented while holding her head in stunned surprise.
Melody could only bite her tongue and wince, saying, "Oh, Laguna, you should've never said that."
Val, in the meanwhile, was the most shocked by Laguna's statement; her face shook, and a hand over her heart as the ambassador's face was trying to comprehend what Laguna had just said in disbelief. All while seeing the angered look Laguna still held, her position did not change one bit.
Then, anger overwhelmed Val, and in a sudden fit of rage, she shoved Laguna suddenly, the anTrollpologist pushed back, before Val angrily spat out, "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT"!
Laguna was now shocked, feeling how hard that shove felt, and with anger fueling her, she shoved Val back in retribution, shouting back, "NO RIGHT FOR WHAT?! STATING THE TRUTH"?!
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE WITH ME AND MY MOTHER," Val argeud back, shoving Laguna again.
Laguna shoved back, rebutting angrily, "AND WHY NOT"?!
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT'S LIKE WHEN IT COMES TO ME AND MY MOTHER," Val shouted back, shoving Laguna.
"HOW CAN YOU KNOW," Laguna rebutted, shoving Val.
the back-and-forth shove match continued as the agreement between them got worse, with Val starting to form tears in her eyes as she screamed, "YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT MADE WITH THINKING YOUR MOTHER IS ALIVE OUT THERE! WHILE I CAN NEVR SEE MY MOTHER AGAIN"?!
"WHY NOT"?!
"OH, LIKE YOU'D UNDERSTAND! MINE'S BEEN GONE FOR YEARS LIKE YOURS, EXCEPT SHE AIN'T ON A TRIP"!
"AND WHY NOT"?!
"BECAUSE SHE'S DEAD," Val exclaimed at the top of her lungs before adding, "AND IT'S MY FAULT SHE IS," before her shove sent Laguna to the ground.
Before Laguna could rebut, the comment Val stated took her, as well as everyone else, by surprise, as Laguna asked, "How is it your fault"?
Val sniffled and used her arm to wipe away the tears that fell, stating bluntly in an emotional, broken-down voice, "My mom had her whole life ahead of her, and then after I was born, she just...gave up. She chose to end her life because of me; I made my mom choose death over living"!
Everyone in the group was speechless, some Trolls covering their mouths in shock, while others were all stunned, trying to process it in their minds.
Laguna was speechless, almost finding it hard to fathom that a Troll's mother chose to end her life because of the birth of her kid. there had to be another logical reason for it...right?
Val's emotional state of mind was now haywire; she had tears flowing from her eyes, her hands clenched in fists, as she bitterly looked at Laguna, yelling at her, "You happy now?! Happy to hear that I ws the cause of my mom's suffering and decision to end it all"?!
Then, the Rock ambassador sniffled and spat out harshly, "I hope you find your mom dead. Because then you'd understand the pain of living with a dead parent who never came back."
That comment sent Laguna reeling in anger, making her stand up and lunge at Val; the two were sent down to the ground and began to wrestle each other, trying to land blows and punches. Anger fueling both Trolls, all that was plain to see was how much they both wanted to tear each other's heads off.
Aggie quickly flew in between the fighting trolls, using her Country strength to keep them apart while shouting, "Hey, you two! Stop fighting"!
Melody was struggling to pull Val away, shouting at the Rock ambassador, who tried to lunge at Laguna, "Val, stop it; this is not helping"!
McJagger, meanwhile, was desperately trying to hold Laguna back, shouting as he felt her flailing in his grip, trying to reach for Val, "Laguna, easy! Just calm down"!
The fight between Val and Laguna reached its boiling point, and there seemed to be no sign of them stopping anytime soon, seeing how angry they were. And despite what everyone was trying to do to help them, both Val and Laguna looked ready to explode downright and tear the living hell out of each other.
When it all seemed like nothing was gonna put this to rest, a new voice chimed in, declaring, "Well, howdy, strangers"!