Disclaimer- I do not own Trolls to Trollstopia in any way or form. Melody Song, Mal Shredder, Stereo, Twilight Tidepool, McJagger, and Buckaroo are my O.C.s and belong to me. Aggie belongs to I.M. Rally. I also do not own the songs and lyrics that I use for this chapter today. Now, let's get to it!
Poppy and Branch: You can do it solo!
Aggie and Trollex: But then you'd be all by yourself.
Stereo and Synth: (Synth: Yo!) So, it'd be more fun to share this one with someone else! (Tiny Diamond: Hit it, daddy!)
Rhythm, Blues, Quincy, Essence: Together, we will soar across the sky and beyond! (Prince D: To the great beyond!)
Holly Darling, Buckaroo, Delta Dawn: So, tune-up your voice!
Val Thundershock, Barb, and Melody Song: Stand up and sing along!
All: All different voices (Tiny Diamond: Everybody now!), our melodies ringing. We're living in harmony! Yeah, we're living in harmony! Our song is much stronger will every troll singing. We're living in harmony!
Shadows of the Past
Nighttime had fallen over Trollstopia and everyone was peacefully fast asleep in their homes, cozy in bed. However, at Techno Lagoon, someone wasn't having as much restful sleep as the others were.
By Laguna's house, Laguna Tidepool was having anything but a night of restful sleep. She kept tossing and turning, unable to stay still, while her eyes were shut really tight, showing she was having some sort of intense dream, and judging by how tight her teeth her clenched and the quiet whimpers she kept emitting, it was a nightmare...and a bad one too.
Inside Laguna's dream
Laguna: *was running through a deep dark forest as fast as her fins could take her* Got to...get away...quickly!
*Behind her, a black smoke cloud with light blue eyes and a menacing smile was chasing after her, eagerly extending its shadowy limbs out at Laguna, trying to grab her*
Laguna: *saw the approaching limbs* No! Get away from me!
Shadow: Oh, why must you be so resistant? You know you can't ever escape me. I own you; I'm your master, you remember my message, correct?
Laguna: *felt a surge of pain in her back that made her stop running as the scars on her back glowed a deep shade of red.* *Dropped to her knees, trying to get up while fighting through the pain as the shadowy limbs pinned her by her fins and wrists against a rock wall*
Shadow: Oh, dear sweet, naive fool, I thought you would know already. You can never escape me! I'll always be here coming after you! *lunges at her*
Laguna: NOOOOOOOO! *screams and braces for impact*
End of dream
Suddenly, Laguna woke up with a loud gasp, trying to catch her breath as if she's never been able to breathe. Despite being underwater, she had beads of cold sweat drip down from her forehead, and her chest felt like it was on fire, her heart beating very rapidly.
Laguna placed a hand over her chest and did her best to regain her breath and calm down, doing the breathing exercises Prince D taught her in therapy, saying as she breathed in and out, "Inhale white clouds...exhale dark gray ones."
She did this a couple of times until she felt certain that she was calm, saying, "Ok, I am calm now," before laying back down and trying to get some sleep.
However, that nightmare left her awake and feeling very frightened. Despite her room not being too dark because of the glowing coral lights outside, the darkness of the night underwater, and the shadows on the wall just reminded her of the shadow in her nightmare...and she knew very well who the shadow truly was in real life. All she could really do was just lay quietly and let her mind wander on about how she was feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Wash The Hurt Away by Michael J. Woodard~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(instrumental)
In her mind, Laguna began to imagine she was above the surface of the water, just floating, with no one around or anything to stop her. She just kept floating, doing her breathing exercises, as she looked up at the starry sky, her eyes brimming with tears of fear and sadness, letting one tear slip. While she kept floating, a bit of the water around her began to glow purple, and once she started diving underneath the water, a purple ripple was seen in the water as she went under.
Laguna: There is no one else who can carry me to the end of time. There is no one left who can wake me up from this fate of mine. No crown to wear, no song to sing. Now my skin is thin so let me in; my armor is down so you can begin.
Then, Laguna was seen swimming in a huge current, as the purple light from before followed her as a trail while she swam around, before heading up and jumping out of the water, before rolling over and crossing her arms, placing her hands over her heart as she dove back in back-first.
Please wash the hurt away from. Please wash the hurt away from. Please wash the hurt away from me!
Suddenly, a whole new thought came to be as Laguna saw figures of the bullies she experienced growing up, trying to grab at her, as she quickly escaped, before suddenly, the shadowy limbs from earlier grabbed her and dragged her down. Laguna turned around and saw a huge shadowy figure of her father menacingly smiling at her, reaching his hand out to grab her, which Laguna quickly ran away from as fast she could.
Wasted, abused, and your mark stuck on my back now. Thousands of pounds; the baggage wearing me down now. Ran out of your door, all alone, with misery (All alone!). I still can't believe that you'd do this to me.
Laguna was then on a stone path and saw a glowing sign of Trollstopia, which she tried to run to, but then it disappeared. Then, a new sign that showed her mother, her boyfriend, and her friends showed up, and when she tried to run to that, it too disappeared. Laguna then ended up swirling around a colorful current of water that dragged her down to the bottom of the reef, where a bunch of sharks gathered and readied to ambush her before a blinding light enveloped her.
And the life we want flashes, it flashes! And the love we had? Ashes to ashes! We are lost and we're drifting and drifting awa-a-ay!
Suddenly, Laguna found herself in what seemed like Trollstopia and started to run around, thinking she was back home before she ended up in the laws of a shark that slowly closed on her, before a huge wave came and washed her out, pushing her into a big golden heart that, when she crashed into it, it cracked and broke, signifying how her father broke her heart when he assaulted her. Then, Laguna found herself being pulled in and crashing into more hearts, no matter how much she tried to fight it, and was tossed around all over the water, which she floated helplessly on. Then, she saw a huge wave with a dark imprint of her father on it, and tried to swim away, but the wave was too fast and too strong, dragging her under, as all she saw was the light-up faces of the Trolls she loved before she sunk deeper into the water.
Please wash the hurt away from. Please wash the hurt away from. Please wash the hurt away from me! The hurt away from me, yeah The hurt away from me, ooh, yeah! The hurt away from me (And the life we want flashes, it flashes!)! Please, please wa-a-a-ash! The hurt away.
Laguna could feel her own tears fall after her daydream ended as she peered over to her clock and saw that it said 4:15 am. Deciding that she wasn't gonna be getting ANY more sleep tonight, Laguna swam over to her closet, pulled out her jacket (the one McJagger gifted to her), and placed it on before she swam quietly out of the house. She knew there was gonna be a wake-up rave at Hiding Place Hotsprings, and it seemed like a good way to pass the time and cheer her up, so, she started to head up to the surface to walk over there by land.
On land, Laguna looked up at the stars in the sky that twinkled brightly, like the sequins Satin and Chenille liked to use in their fashion. The sound of leaves gently rustling in the nighttime breeze and crickets chirping in the distance provided her a sense of soothing from her tense state of mind, allowing her to feel much more relaxed. She found herself smiling as she inhaled the nighttime breeze before continuing to walk to Hiding Place Hotsprings.
Once Laguna made it to the area where the location was, she looked around before pulling on the branch handle to open the door, seeing that the rave was already underway. Some of the Techno Trolls were already floating on the surface of the water, dancing, while the DJ was on a Snail Speaker Critter, blasting music through the turntable set.
Colorful lights were flashing and from the surface, you could see all of the other Techno Trolls dancing and having fun underwater.
Laguna sat down by the edge of the hot spring, dipping her fins into the water, as she slowly pushed herself in, diving underwater, as the warmness of the water relaxed her muscles. Swimming around and seeing the other Techno Trolls dancing and partying, it made Laguna feel a lot better as she swam around and felt the groove, dancing with the others.
It was enough to make Laguna forget about her troubles as she simply let go and relaxed, enjoying the party when something caught her eye. she noticed a nearby family, with a little baby girl, who was swimming around her parents. The baby girl swam around her mother before she went up onto her father's head, as the father laughed and picked her up, hugging his daughter.
Watching this from a distance, Laguna felt dazed, and...it suddenly felt like a wave of emotions suddenly just hit her in the face: sadness, jealousy, anger, fright, but...she couldn't show any of it on her face. All she could do was watch with eyes widened and her mouth a bit agape.
This was noticed by Synth, who swam up to her, saying, "Hey, 'Guna! What up"? However, when he saw that she didn't turn around to reply to him, Synth came closer and asked, "Hey, you...a'ight," and placed his hand on her shoulder, thinking it was gonna get her attention.
However, when Laguna felt something touch her shoulder, she immediately flinch and let out a shriek in fright, and then did something completely out of nature: she turned around and SLAPPED Synth across the face, unaware that it was him and not a random stranger.
Synth was taken aback by the response, screaming a bit while holding his cheek where he got slapped, and he wasn't the only one stunned. All of the other Techno Trolls saw this and gasped in shock to have witnessed this scenario happen, the music even stopped after everyone had simultaneously gasped after Synth was hit.
However, out of all the Technos currently in the hot spring, no one was more surprised than Laguna, who soon saw what she had done and felt utterly horrified, covering her mouth while her eyes widened in shock. She didn't mean to do it, she just got startled and was scared that it was a stranger, she didn't know she had just hit the Techno ambassador.
Synth saw how upset Laguna looked and started to ask, "Laguna, what's wrong," as the antrollpologist could only whisper, "I'm sorry," and swim off frantically, despite Synth's protests and his calls for her to come back.
Stereo came up to her husband and ask, "Synthesizer, what happened"? Synth could only look in the direction Laguna had swam off in and utter, "I don't know," as he felt great concern for one of his people.
In the morning a few hours later, once the sun had risen, Biggie was currently looking inside his closet before pulling out two small hats that looked exactly the same and then approached his pet worm, Mr. Dinkles, and asked, "Ok, Mr. Dinkles, which hat do you want to wear today? The one on the left, or the one on the right," and showed off the two hat.
The worm simply said, "Mew," before Biggie chuckled and said, "Of course, I expected that," before tossing that hat in his left hand aside and placing the one in his right hand on top of the worm's head.
The worm didn't seem to show any emotional response as Biggie picked him up, saying, "Oh, Mr. Dinkles, you look very distinguished! The hat suits you perfectly"! The worm, once more, replied with, "Mew," as Biggie placed him on his shoulder and said, "So, shall we go meet up with Poppy? Let me just put the other hat back," and picked up the hat on the floor as he walked back to the open closet to put it away.
However, when he placed the hat away, he found something that made him curious and knelt down to pull it out, revealing a box that said "Rock outfit."
He opened the flaps and looked inside, revealing the pompadour outfit that he wore when the Snack Pack originally snuck into Volcano Rock City to rescue Poppy during the world tour. The sight of it was enough to make Biggie smile and say, "Oh, look, Mr. Dinkles, doesn't this bring back many memories"?
The worm peeked his head in the box and pulled his head out, wearing the same wig he wore when they sang their "rock song" to pull off the disguise so they wouldn't get caught. Biggie looked at the outfit, saying, "To think this is what we considered was a "rock" outfit before meeting the rock trolls. Though it was a good thing that song we made up, well, made up for it," and chuckled a bit before he suddenly felt...dazed.
Thinking back to the events leading up to the world tour, including one particular moment he wasn't too happy to remember, Biggie's smile slowly became a frown, as he sighed sadly while looking at the outfit. Mr. Dinkles saw how sad Biggie looked and said, "Mew," in an inquisitive tone, meaning he was asking Biggie a question.
Biggie replied, "You know, I don't talk about it a lot Mr. Dinkles, but...I've been feeling so guilty for when we left Poppy while we were on the river. I know Poppy had meant well with her ambitions to help, but I was just so worried for everyone else and our safety, I didn't stop to consider that Poppy's wasn't the only one not listening...I wasn't either. The only Troll I was listening to...was myself."
Flashback to the river scene
All right, that's it! We need to go home!
Biggie was more than ready to return home to Pop Village after the sneak attack by Chaz, and secretly, he prayed that Poppy would've seen the same thing that he did and decide to go home too.
Biggie, it'll be okay.
To him, in the moment, those words were like flies that just didn't want to go away, and in that moment, Biggie suddenly felt something he didn't like but just couldn't help it: he felt anger...and worst of all...he felt anger towards Poppy. He was upset that she wasn't considering everyone's safety and was too focused on trying to unite the tribes together to really see the harsh reality of the task at hand. Biggie didn't know what to do, but one thing was for sure, he was gonna do something completely drastic, and tell Poppy off.
Stop saying that, and listen to me! You only hear what you want to hear, and it puts us all in danger!
When he saw that astonished look on Poppy's face, he felt...shocked, that he just let loose like that, but he couldn't help it. He was scared they ere gonna get hurt again, or captured, or worse, and if no one else was gonna speak up about it, then he had to take charge and say what had to be said, even if it meant...having to be fully honest at the expense of someone's feelings.
How are you supposed to save the world if you can't even keep us safe?!
Biggie felt bad for going off like this, but he just had to get what was on his mind out in the open, and now, what was currently on his mind was...going back home to help protect his friends, something he thought Queen Poppy should've done, but since she was too focused on the mission, he was gonna have to step up. Out of the sadness and anger he had pent up, Biggie then decided that he was gonna make a bold move, but first, there was one last thing he had to address.
You made a pinky promise to me, Queen Poppy, and you broke it!
With that simple statement, Biggie then picked up his pet, pulled on the hat as Mr. dinkles started to shake and move his mouth like a motor, and placed the worm in the water before he hopped onto his pet, and started to ride him in the opposite direction that the boat was going in. He knew it didn't feel right to leave, but he had to, but there was still a bit of anger left in him, and that anger drove him that state one last thing at the near top of his lungs, something he didn't expect to say.
What kind of queen breaks a pinky promise?!
He secretly prayed that the boat was gonna turn around and Poppy would stop him from leaving, but he watched as Poppy stood there, stunned to see one of her closest friends leave, and, despite feeling bad about leaving, Biggie decided to pursue on...and head home, but not before emitting a few silent tears about what he was doing.
End of flashback
Biggie held onto his pompadour shirt, with tears dripping down his face, as he said in a teary-eyed tone of voice, "I could've stayed with them, Mr. Dinkles. Why did I choose to leave? Why did I have to be so cross with Poppy? I knew I was upset but...what I did was uncalled for. Poppy didn't break the pinky promise...I did," and then, he broke into a heartfelt sob, crying into the shirt.
His sobs did not go unnoticed as Smidge, who was walking into Biggie's pod, was saying, "Hey, Biggie, I wanted to know if-," before she saw Biggie crying and came towards him, saying, "Biggie? What's wrong"?
Biggie looked down at Smidge, with tear-filled eyes, saying, "I'm a monster, that's what," and cried again into the shirt. Smidge saw Biggie's disheveled state and said, "Ok, first, put the shirt down because Satin and Chenille are gonna not be happy if they see tear marks on this."
Biggie nodded and stopped crying on this shirt, laying it out so it can dry, while Smidge said, "Second, Biggie, you're not a monster at all, why would you think that"?
Biggie sniffled and replied while drying his eyes with a tissue, "Because...back during the world tour, I got so upset with Poppy, I...just left her...without thinking. I've been feeling so guilty about it ever since. even after the events of the World Tour, I haven't stopped thinking about it...or feeling bad about it. I knew that Poppy meant well with everything she did...I just lost my cool and I was so scared...I didn't behave like a good friend."
Smidge patted Biggie on the back sympathetically while saying, "Hey, it's ok, Biggie, I know you meant well too. You were worried about us and wanted to see if we were gonna be ok. I'm sure Poppy knew that you had good intentions, and besides, you both got to move on from it."
Biggie sniffled and said, "I haven't. It's been gnawing at me every day, even if I don't speak of it out loud. I mean, if you were in my place, Smidge, and experienced everything we went through in the beginning, you'd understand why I felt that way and did what I did, but it doesn't excuse my actions. I have to make it up to Poppy, no matter what," and got up, running out of his pod, with Smidge saying as she watched, "Oh my guh," while Mr. Dinkles said, "Mew," before falling over to his side, as Smidge replied, "You said it."
Up in Vibe City, Laguna was at the therapist's office, talking to Prince D, but at the moment, it was more like a "she was curled up in a tight ball on the couch and balling her eyes out" conversation, all while Prince D listened closely to Laguna, who spoke throughout her sibs, mentioning, "And then, I just freaked out and blindly reacting, not even stopping to see who was there before I swung my hand! I didn't mean to, it was all an accident! And now, I just feel absolutely guilty"!
Prince D wrote this down before he said, "Well, taking the situation into matter, you can't blame yourself 100%. Your case of PTSD has left you in a state of mind where you're not used to letting anyone randomly approach you like that, even if it's a close friend."
Laguna sniffled and lowered her knees, returning to sitting upright, as she said while wiping the tears from her eyes, "I don't wish to be like that, especially with my friends; I love my friends a lot. It's just...I...it's hard to...explain."
Prince D gave Laguna a box of tissues so she could use one to remove any more tears that might fall, before he said, "Well, what can you tell me? Is there anything that might've triggered you to have a reaction like that? Tell me what happened leading up to that moment."
Laguna looked at the tissue box before saying, "Well, last night, I...had a really, really bad dream that...kept me awake. I couldn't go back to sleep, so, I thought I'd go to that wake-up rave I told you about. And while I was there, I started to feel better, but then, I saw a family raving together and it...it made me feel...a lot of different things, but I was so frozen by...what I was feeling, I didn't hear or notice Synth calling me or approaching me. So, when he had his hand on my shoulder, I just...remembering back to what I...went through, the feeling just made me tense up and...that's when I reacted the way I did."
Prince D wrote this down before saying, "I see. Laguna, I think I might know what may be the source of this tension you're feeling. But before I tell you, would you happen to remember the dream you had? and if you, if you're comfortable, would you tell it to me"?
Laguna nodded and said while picking up a rubber pufferfish stress toy and squeezing it, "Well...I was running through this deep dark forest. The wind was howling, and dark clouds filled the sky. I kept running as I saw this black, smoky cloud following me, but it wasn't just any ordinary one. It had...my father's eyes...and it spoke in his voice. It then made the scars on my back writhe in pain, so I fell and couldn't move, and then, it pinned me by my fins and wrists. I couldn't escape and it...lunged at me. Then, it was just all darkness, and I couldn't feel anything before I suddenly woke up. i know it was a dream but...it just felt so real, I almost felt like I was actually pinned to my bed."
Prince D was writing this down before he seemed to nod and said, "Hmmm, this helps to confirm it. First off, I want to thank you for being brave enough to come to me and share this with me. Telling people these things aren't always easy."
Laguna nodded and said, "I know. I almost didn't want to come today to talk about it but...I just had to get this off my chest, especially because of how bad I feel. I'm worried about Synth, and I'm scared of what everyone's gonna say about me after they saw what had happened."
Prince D then said, "I'm sure Synth will understand well if you talk to him afterward, and so will everyone else. Second, it seems to me that this nightmare you had wasn't just a simple one; you experienced what we call a night terror. They are a common thing that occurs usually with young children, but they also can happen with those who experience great anxiety and distress, like with your case of PTSD. And I can guess that this shadow would happen to be a dream-like representation of your father, am I right"?
Laguna nodded before Prince D continued with, "Which brings me to my next point: I believe that the cause of this rise in these tense emotions you're feeling is the fact that, deep down, you're still caught in the memory of what your father did, am I right"?
Laguna nodded tearfully as she felt more tears drip down her face, prompting her to squeeze the stress toy again while reaching over to grab a tissue and wipe the tears away.
Prince D gave Laguna a bit of time to calm down before he said, "Don't worry, I know you don't want to feel like this, but PTSD is not something that can simply go away with just a few therapy visits. I know it's hard, but trust me, you're gonna see results peeking through soon, even if it's at a very slow pace."
Laguna then said, "I know but...it's just really...really hard, especially on days where...I don't want to be trapped with this memory. But no matter how far I run, it always finds me, it always sticks to me."
Prince D then said, "You know, Laguna, I can see you starting to recover, even if you don't see it at first, but if you truly want to heal, part of it is letting go of the past. I know that can be tricky, and you don't have to do it all at once; take your time." Laguna then said, "But...how can I do that? I've tried to let go of the past and well...each time I do, it just comes back, stronger, and a lot more painful."
Laguna then picked up another stress toy that looked like a glowing heart pillow and hugged it, saying, "And it's not like I can just avoid it, because every little sign I see...it's like a reminder of...what I've been through...what happened to me...and what I'll never get to have."
Prince D then said, "Well, letting go of the past can come in a lot of different forms, and I know that you might think it's hard, but the truth is, you're already doing it, in more ways that you know. For example, in our last meeting, you brought up how before, you were scared to cut your hair because of everyone seeing the scars on your back, but you also mentioned there was a little more to it. Care to elaborate on it"?
Laguna nodded and said while running a hand through her short dark blue hair, "Well, aside from the fear of, you know, everyone seeing my scars after my mom told me that it's ok for me to embrace my scars because they help me tell my story about what happened, there's also this part of me that was scared to let go of the moments that I've had in the past, whether they'd be good or bad. And as I'm talking about this, and as I'm healing and growing and working and doing all this therapy stuff, it's just that developmental trauma that sticks with me, for almost the rest of my life. So, I guess what really made me decide to finally have the pearls to just conquer that step and decide to just "cut off" part of the trauma I have was because I realized that, for the first time in my life, I truly wanted to break free from all of this. "
"I wanted to take the plunge to start breaking free from not only the developmental trauma but also the emotional trauma of what happened to me, the mental trauma from my mom's absence, and my dad's negligence. And I know that there's still a lot more for me to work through, but I guess, in a way, allowing myself to get my hair cut was sort of like an act of symbolism, an act of rebirthing and allowing myself to really open up to these feelings inside of me and expressing them, sharing my stories with others so they can understand what I've been through, and just...allowing myself to really start going down the road towards recovery. I feel like it was an act of beginning to let go of my past, let go of the old me, that part of me where I was too scared to just be brave and stand up for myself."
Prince d nodded and said, "See, this is exactly what I mean. When you got your hair cut, you allowed yourself to break free from the negative vibes that you experienced at a young age and onward. You showed that you've grown stronger, not just physically, but mentally, and even emotionally."
Laguna then said, "It's funny how you say I've grown emotionally, but the truth of the matter is, emotionally, I still feel weak. I feel scared about having another panic attack, I sometimes just break into tears, even without reason, I feel jealous when I see Trolls spending time with their fathers and seeing how loving they are, knowing that I'll neve get to experience something like that, and sometimes, I even feel angry, and just want to be left alone."
Prince D then said, "Emotional strength doesn't only lie in what you feel, but it also lies within how you're able to be honest with these feelings. Most Trolls who experience a form of anxiety, whether minor or major, a lot of the times, tend to hide what they feel, but you've become more vulnerable and open to these feelings and admitting them, talking about them, and even showing them off when you feel like it's needed, and you know what? Being "weak" as you dub it, is actually a sign of you showing true strength."
Laguna thought about it before saying, "Really? I...I guess I never really thought about it like that."
Prince D then said, "Exactly, and I know that if you tell Synth about what we're talking about right now, he'll understand, and even if he doesn't at first, I know deep down, he will, because friends are always there looking out for each other, no matter what."
Laguna thought about it before saying, "Ok, I will give it a try and attempt to talk to Synth. Thank you so much, Prince D." Prince D adjusted his therapist glasses while saying, "No problem, Laguna, and if there's anything else that you want to talk about, you can always feel free to come by and talk to me, appointment or not."
Laguna nodded before she got up and shook hands with the Funk prince before she exited the therapist's office. As she exited Vibe City and headed back down to Trollstopia, she saw Synth talking to Dante and Gust, and thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk to him. Suddenly, flashbacks of when she slapped Synth by accident played in her mind, causing Laguna to feel so nervous, she ran off in fright.
Back in Pop Village, Poppy was sitting by a cafe, waiting for Biggie, as she looked down at her hug watch and said, "I wonder what's taking Biggie so long."
Suddenly, she saw the big blue Pop Troll running over to Poppy, saying, "I'm here, I'm here! Sorry for being late, Poppy! But I'm here now, 'cause I'm always here, and never not here," before nervously chuckling.
Poppy didn't seem to mind as she said, "That's ok, Biggie; I'm just happy that you're here now, and now, we can get our hang-out day started. Take a seat, I was just about to order us something to drink."
Biggie took his seat next to Poppy as a Fuzzling waiter came over to take their orders. Poppy started to say, "I'll take-," before Biggie interrupted her by saying, "Hold on, Poppy; let me order for us. It'll be my way of making up for being late," before quietly muttering to himself, "Among other things I want to make up for too."
Biggie then faced the waiter and said, "One Super Sugar Serenade with a blue crazy straw, and a little cup umbrella for Poppy, please, and a hot cocoa for me."
The Fuzzling waiter nodded and went to fetch their orders while Poppy was surprised by the order, saying, "You ordered me a Super Sugar Serenade? That's my favorite drink."
Biggie smiled and said, "Well, of course, you're one of my closest friends, and I'd do anything for my friends to show how much I care about them. Speaking of which, would you like a cushion for your seat"?
Poppy looked down at the seat she was sitting in, saying, "Uh, I-," before Biggie ran off and returned with a bright pink cushion, picking up Poppy and placing the cushion on her seat before placing her back down. When Poppy felt the cushion she was sitting on, she was surprised again before commenting, "Well, my seat does feel more comfortable now. Thanks, Biggie," as Biggie replied, "No problem, Poppy, and if there's anything, and I mean anything, else that you want or need, let me know and I'll get it done for you"!
Soon, the waiter came back with their drinks, giving them to the assigned Troll, before heading to attend to the next table. Both Trolls happily sipped on their drinks, but Biggie wasn't feeling that thirsty since he was more focused on if Poppy was enjoying herself and was having a fun time during their hangout, watching the Pop Queen happily drink her beverage through the crazy straw.
Seeing her loving the drink, Biggie sighed a huge breath of relief before saying in his mind Well, Poppy seems to be happy. I just have to keep doing these nice things for her and I'll soon be able to make it up to her in no time! I just hope nothing goes wrong; I don't want Poppy to be upset or sad like...before.
After they had finished their drinks, Poppy and Biggie soon started to head to their next location for their hangout: Up the hill to go Critter Boarding.
When they made it to the top, Biggie started to fish through the bucket to pull out the Critter Board he loved to use. It was light blue and it had red hearts on it, and it even had a cushiony top, thanks to the soft moss that grew on its back, that allowed Biggie to have a tight grip on it when he stood, while at the same time, something soft so the texture of the hard back didn't hurt his feet.
Then, he saw Poppy looking for her favorite Critter Board in the bucket, but then, he noticed her frowning, prompting him to ask in concern, "Poppy, is something wrong"?
Poppy said, "Looks like my favorite Critter Board isn't in here. I guess someone must be borrowing it." As on cue, they both saw a bipedal Funk Troll pass by, riding down the hill with Poppy's favorite Critter Board which was pink, had a light pink top covered in glitter, and it sang an angelic theme when it was riding down the hill.
Biggie, seeing this, narrowed his eyes in determination, saying, "I'll get it for you," before riding his Critter Board down the hill after the Funk Troll, despite Poppy protesting, "No, Biggie, it's ok; I can just use another one"!
Biggie rode after the Funk Troll before catching up to him, shouting as they both rode down the hill, "Um, excuse me, sir! I hate to be a bother, but Poppy really needs to use the Critter Board you're currently on! It's her favorite, and she never rides down a Critter Board Hill without it"!
The Funk Troll heard Biggie and replied, "Sorry man, but I'm kind of using it at the moment." Biggie then said, "Would you be willing to make a trade? I'll trade you my Critter Board in exchange"!
At the sound of the deal, the Funk Troll thought about it before saying, "Ok, man, it's a deal," and both boys skidded to a stop and exchanged Critter Boards.
The Funk Troll hopped onto Biggie's Critter Board and rode it down the rest of the way, as Biggie walked back up the hill and gave Poppy the Critter Board he got in exchange, saying, "There you go, Poppy. Now, you can ride your favorite Critter Board down the hill."
Poppy held her favorite Critter Board while saying, "Wow, uh...thanks, Biggie. But I could've just used another one. you didn't have to go through that much trouble."
Biggie nervously chuckled while saying, "Well, I know that this Critter board means so much to you, and you know what I always say: I'm always there to help a friend no matter what."
Biggie then let out an exhausted breath of air, saying, "Climbing up has worn me out. I'm gonna sit and recoup; you can go ahead and ride, Queen Poppy."
Poppy, still feeling confused about what had happened, shrugged and said, "Ok, thanks again, Biggie," before she hopped onto her Critter Board and started to ride it down the hill while Biggie watched and regained his energy. Then, he noticed Poppy heading towards a rock, and despite him shouting, "Poppy, look out," the Critter Board bumped into the rock, and Poppy was sent flying through the air.
Biggie gasped in horror before he stood up and started to run down the hill to try and catch Poppy before she could hit the ground and get hurt. However, as he ran, he lost his balance and tripped, crashing onto the ground and rolling down the hill very fast, before he finally reached the flat land, landing back first, and groaning in pain. There was one good thing that came out of this: when Poppy fell, she ended up landing on Biggie's stomach, which cushioned her fall, much to the blue Pop Troll's dismay, as he gasped in slight pain when Poppy landed on him.
Poppy saw that she had landed on Biggie, and said, "Oh my Troll! Biggie, I'm so sorry," as Biggie mustered a weak nervous smile, saying while giving her a thumbs up, "It's ok, Poppy; this was part of the plan 'cause you know me: always there for my friends, and I'd never leave them hanging, or falling, no matter what."
He chuckled a bit before wincing in pain and adding, "I'm grateful you're unharmed," while he struggled to his feet. As Biggie was standing up, Poppy could only raise an eyebrow in confusion as she felt very perplexed about why Biggie was acting so strange.
All throughout most of the day, Poppy noticed Biggie acting more and more strange, especially with how "extra nice" he was being to her.
At the spa, Biggie ordered Poppy the full treatment, despite Poppy saying she only wanted a back massage, and she ended up getting a full body massage, a back adjustment, a manicure, a facial, and a soak in the hot springs.
When they went to go scrapbook at her pod, Poppy ran out of her favorite glitter glue, and Biggie basically lunged himself out of the pod and ransacked the entire art store to find the glitter glue she liked, coming back covered in more paint than Harper was the last time she tried to paint a full portrait of herself. And not once did Biggie want to leave her side, like at ALL!
He followed her everywhere: on lines, even when she told him to wait because she would be ok waiting by herself, on the flyer bug, squeezing in to sit behind Poppy despite it being only having room to fit one Troll, and even down the water slide, which despite the "one Troll at a time" rule, he went down with her at the exact same time, and when they both landed in the water, Bigge stood up and saw that somehow, his head ended up inside of Poppy's mouth, and Poppy was somehow sitting on his head, like a hoodie, and had Biggie's head in her mouth, making it very hard to talk!
After that, Poppy decided it was time to get Biggie to talk and see what was going on. Once they got out of the water and dried off before changing back into their clothes, Poppy pulled Biggie to a side clearing and said, "Biggie, I know that we've been having some "fun" today hanging out, but what's going on? You've been acting so strange almost all day."
Biggie fiddled with his thumbs and said, "Strange? how strange? I've just been wanting to spend time with you and have fun and make sure you're enjoying yourself."
Poppy then said, "Yeah, for the most part, but you've been a bit... too nice. and I know that normally, it's impossible to be too nice, but from some of the things we've done today, you've been going out of your way to do some crazy things just for me, and while it's flattering, it's also very odd. Is something wrong"? Biggie nervously smiled and said while looking, "What? No! N-Nothing's wrong, Poppy. Just, you know me, always there for my friends."
Biggie did his best to keep his composure while he saw Poppy looking at him inquisitively, trying to get Biggie to talk. Suddenly, Biggie had enough and just allowed his emotions to overwhelm him, as he shouted while covering his eyes, "Oh, who am I kidding"?!
Then, he removed his hands, as Poppy saw his big, tear-filled eyes, while Biggie said, "No matter what I do, I'll never be able to make up for it," and ran off sobbing, while Poppy ran after him, saying, "Biggie, wait"!
Biggie ran as fast as he could, hiding behind a tree, while he watched Poppy run past him before he sniffled and said quietly, "I might as well face it: I'll never be able to get over the guilt of leaving her back then."
At the same time, Laguna had found a clearing where she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, as she sighed sadly and said, "How can I ever face Synth after what I did"? Both Trolls then simultaneously, without any of them knowing, broke out into song.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Towards the Sun by Rihanna~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laguna: Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you.
Biggie: Don't look back, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you.
Both: Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you. Don't look back, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you.
Biggie: Lost in the rock and roll.
Laguna: Got lost in a promise of a parental love I'd never know (Biggie: Ooh!). Shadows chased me far from home.
Biggie: I remember when my heart would shine like gold (Laguna: Ooh!).
Both: And you know.
Laguna: I've been burned, I've been burned, I've been burned.
Both: You've seen me lose control.
Biggie: It's not worth, it's not worth, it's not worth my soul.
Both: Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you. Don't look back, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you.
Laguna: Shattered my faith and cracked my trust.
Biggie: The memories stick to me like dirt and dust (Laguna: Ooh-Ooh!). I still swear I feel it still.
Laguna: Tryin' ta move on, I question if I will (Biggie: Ooh-Ooh!).
Both: Many know.
Laguna: I've been burned, I've been burned, I've been burned.
Both: You've seen me lose control.
Biggie: It's not worth, it's not worth, it's not worth my soul.
Both: Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you. Don't look back, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you.
Suddenly, both Trolls started to gain a new feeling inside of them, something that was stirring a sense of determination. For Biggie, he was understanding this feeling as he said, "It's not worth it for me to just have this feeling linger on longer. I thought I could make it up by always being there for her, but I now see: there's only one way I can truly be able to repent to her. I have to talk to Poppy about this. Tell her how I'm feeling...even if it means making her upset with guilt, I can't ignore my feelings about this."
With Laguna, she was contemplating with her thoughts, remembering Prince D's words in therapy, as she said, "If I truly want to be able to allow myself to recover, I have to let go of the past. It's hard, and I know it won't happen right away, but any step I make now can be very helpful. Synth should get to know about what was on my mind and why I accidentally reacted the way I did with him."
Biggie: Where you gonna go?
Laguna: Where you gonna go?
Both: Where you gonna run to, when you get to the edge of the night? It's time you face the sky, ooh!
Both Trolls soon got up from where they were sitting and began to run back in the direction of where their friends were, determined to find them and finally get to talk to them.
Both: Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you. Don't look back, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you.
Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you. Don't look back, just carry on, and the shadows will never find you.
Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you.
Biggie found himself back in Pop Village, looking around to see if he can find Poppy. While walking, he took a deep breath in and out and sat on a rock, saying, "Ok, Biggie, you can do this. Just find her, approach her gently, and let her know that you want to talk. Then, just-," before someone interrupted his monologue by saying, "Uh, Biggie"?
Biggie looked up and saw that Poppy was standing right next to him, startling the blue Pop Troll as he said, "Poppy, you gave me a scare there"! Poppy replied, "Sorry, but good thing I found you. I really want to talk to you about...earlier."
Biggie bit his lip before he sighed, "Yes, you're right. About everything. We do need to talk. Truth is, I have been acting strange today, being all "extra nice" for you. but I was doing all that for a reason."
When Poppy asked, "What's the reason," Biggie twiddled his thumbs nervously and replied, "I...I can't say. not that I can't, I'm...scared to say. Because...if I tell you, you're gonna feel...upset and sad."
Poppy placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and said, "Biggie, it's ok, you can tell me anything. I want to help you. You're my friend, and I care about you, and i want to help you as best I can, no matter what it is."
Biggie felt a bit better when he heard Poppy's words as he breathed in and out again before saying, "Ok...I'll tell you. you see...recently, I've been feeling...guilty...about when I left you and Branch and Hickory during the world tour. I know that it was a very selfish move, and I didn't mean to upset you like that, especially with some of the harsh things I said. I really didn't mean to go off like that, I was just so scared about our safety, especially after that sneak attack by Chaz, and I was worried about everyone else's safety back home, worried Barb might hurt them, that I didn't think that I was also hurting you by leaving. I just felt so angry and upset that...I didn't think before I spoke...or acted. You weren't the one who broke that pinky promise that night...I was, and I'm so sorry for everything, Poppy. I've been feeling utter regret ever since the end of the world tour, and I thought, if I was with you a lot more and did all these nice things for you and had fun with you, it'd make up for my abandonment and...I guess...I went overboard. I'm really, really, really sorry, Poppy," and hung his head down in shame.
Poppy was shocked and taken aback by Biggie's confession; she never knew he was feeling this way, especially considering that moment on the raft after Hickory had stepped in to save them from being taken by Chaz. She knew that she made a lot of mistakes during her "mission" to try and unite the tribes to stop Barb's world tour, but was so focused on getting everyone to be the same, she was too blinded to really understand the truth about where real harmony came from, and it even blinded her from doing one of the most important jobs a queen does: looking out for her people and keeping them safe.
She then approached Biggie and sat next to him, saying, "Biggie, I'm so sorry that you've been feeling this way, and I'm really happy that you decided to talk to me about this." Biggie looked at Poppy and asked worryingly, "Are you...upset," as Poppy said, "I am...but not at you. I'm upset...at myself," and hearing this, Biggie was confused, asking, "Upset? At yourself? But why"?
Poppy then said, "You were right, about everything you said that night. I wasn't listening to the other Trolls around me; I only heard what I wanted to hear. I dismissed everyone who spoke otherwise, including you, and I shouldn't have done that. You had every right to tell me off like that; I was just so focused on the mission, I didn't think of anyone else's opinions, other than my own. You didn't break that pinky promise, Biggie, I did, and you were right: what kind of queen breaks their pinky promise"?
Biggie then said, "Poppy, I know I was upset, but I didn't mean to be harsh with you like that."
Poppy then said, "It's ok, you had every right to be, and you know? It's perfectly normal to speak out like that if you feel that something's wrong. You never have to be scared to tell me if I'm doing something that you don't feel is right."
Biggie then felt his eyes water again as he mentioned, "But...I hurt your feelings that night...especially when I left."
Poppy patted his shoulder again while saying, "No, you didn't hurt my feelings, Biggie, you were only speaking what you felt was right. You were looking out for everyone's safety and wanted to make sure that everyone was ok. That's what a true friend does. That's...what a true leader does, and during my time locked up in Volcano Rock City, before the concert, that was when I realized my mistake and finally saw what you and everyone else were trying to tell me. And I can understand why you left, and you know what, Biggie? You did the right thing, because if you hadn't, then I wouldn't have known if the other Pop Trolls were ok, and that our friends wouldn't have been safe. If you hadn't left, then you would've never have done that hilarious distraction to try and save me."
Poppy then added, "So, you see, Biggie, if there's any Troll who has the right to feel guilty, it's me. My mistakes almost cost us our lives, and you never have to be afraid to let me know if something like this happens.
You can always tell me the truth about how you're really feeling because that's just your gut instinct telling you that something's wrong. You can be as blunt with me as you want, and no matter if I'm upset about what I hear or angry or whatever other emotions, what matters most is that you tell me this so that we can work it out, and find the "rainbow on the other side" if you get what I mean."
Biggie was emotionally touched by Poppy's words as he asked, "So, does this mean-," before he saw Poppy stand up and say, "Yes. I forgive you, Biggie, and I'm sorry too. I just hope you can forgive me."
Biggie tearfully nodded, with a huge smile on his face, as the two shared a hug together, even though it wasn't Hug Time yet.
Meanwhile, Synth was fiddling with his glowsticks when he saw Laguna approach him, as he said, "Haha, what up, 'Guna? You feelin' a'ight"?
Laguna shyly waved at Synth before saying, "Hey, Synth," before adding as she rubbed her left arm nervously, "And actually, I'm not feelin' to a'ight. Can we...talk? Troll to Troll"?
Synth nodded and said, "Of course," and the two found a quiet spot near the lagoon to talk, as Synth asked, "So, what do you want to talk about? I got this hilarious story about the time I got my hand stuck in-," before Laguna interrupted with, "Actually...I got something to tell you. I...owe you a huge apology for what happened at the wake-up rave, and I'm really sorry for slapping you like that. I truly did not mean for that to happen, I just freaked out and...reacted poorly."
Synth didn't seem to mind as he said, "Aw, it's ok, Laguna; I know it was just an accident. If anything, I probably should've waited for you to respond instead of putting my hand on your shoulder right away. I probably scared you a lot, huh"?
Laguna waved her hand back and forth while saying, "A little bit. Anyways, Synth, I've been feeling awful about how I reacted, I really didn't mean to slap you, I just got startled and...I guess I just acted without thinking."
Synth then said, "Hey, like I said, no worries, Laguna. I'll admit the slap was a bit surprising, yo, but it's all good. I'm not hurt or anything."
Laguna then asked, "Is...Stereo mad at me," as Synth chuckled and said, "No, she's chill about it, yo. I told her it was just an accident and she took it pretty well, she understands you just got a bit jumpy is all."
Laguna then said, "I still wish that didn't happen, you know. I mean, I'm not one who just, you know, acts out like that if I get scared, especially with my friends. It's just...ever since I got assaulted by my father, it has always been hard for me to really trust other guys, especially strangers that I don't even know. When I first came to Trollstopia, it was a huge step for me to get away from my father, but it was also a huge change because I was now surrounded by a bunch of different Trolls from different tribes whom I did not even know, apart from some of the fellow Techno Trolls that I did know. Once I made some friends and met McJagger," and blushed for a minute, thinking about her Funk Troll boyfriend, before adding, "It became a little easier for me to ease up around others, especially certain guys I felt comfortable with, but I still carried that fear and nervousness about coming in contact with anyone that I didn't know, fearing that...they might hurt me the same way my father did."
Synth continued to listen as Laguna continued, "I know that I still have a long path of recovery ahead of me and that there are gonna be days I have that's hard for me to shake off my PTSD, so, Synth, if I say or do anything that might startle or alarm you, please don't take it personally; it's just me struggling. I would never want to intentionally do or say anything hurtful to you. I'm still going through a lot, letting go of my past is not easy, and there are gonna be times when it feels like a lot, and it's almost too much to take. So...what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for reacting how I did at the rave and...I hope you can forgive me."
Synth was very stunned to hear Laguna pouring her heart out like this, as he knew very well about Laguna's personal struggles with PTSD, and how she was working so hard to try and move on from it. He offered a warm smile and said, "Yo, it's ok, really. I know just me saying "It's ok" won't do much, but... I know things will turn out alright, and you got nothing to worry about. I know you got those "Feeling down" days and those moments where you feel like a flickering glowstick, but you're not in this alone. I feel you, I honestly do, and no, it's not just because I'm the Techno ambassador/prince. It's also because I get it, letting go of something so petrifying and terrifying yo, ain't always easy. I mean, is it ever"?
Laguna couldn't help but let out a small snicker as Synth continued, "I sometimes have those "Feeling down" days too where I'm sad, even if it's just for no reason. Days where I feel like I'm on stormy seas or rough waves, and it's always hard to just move away from them. but you never had to hide these feelings. I get that you didn't want to react like that, and I can probably tell with everyone looking at you, you were worried about what everyone was thinking, right"?
Laguna nodded, with Synth saying, "That's ok, yo, 'cause we all feel like having an outburst like that sometimes. Whether we are scared, angry, sad, etc. what's really important, yo, is that we don't hide these feelings. They may not be pleasant to see for some, but for others, showing how you're feeling helps send a message out, letting them know, "Hey, yo, I ain't a'ight, ok? I don't feel good." Because you can't heal from what's hurting ya if you always feel like you're in pain. Plus, there is one good thing that came out of that surprise slap to the face."
When Laguna asked, "Really? What is it," Synth answered, "It woke me up. Not literally because I was already awake, but I mean, metaphorically, it woke me up...to really see what you were going through. When I first heard you had PTSD, I didn't even fully understand it, to be totally honest, and I didn't really know how bad it can make a Troll feel. So, when you slapped me, I witnessed it first-hand, that it's really serious. When you flinched like that when my hand was on your shoulder, I saw that the trauma from what your dad did is deep, yo, and that you're going through many different feelings inside, some I didn't even fully get until your hand hit my cheek. So, the whole day today, I was actually doing some research about this PTSD and ways I could help you handle it. I talked to Dante and gust about ways to help a Troll with anxiety feel calm and destressed so there's less tension on the mind and body"
Laguna was very surprised to hear of Synth actually doing research, prompting her to smile and say, "You really did research about PTSD...for me"?
Synth nodded proudly while saying, "Of course yo, you're one of my people, and as the prince, like my brother Trollex, I got to look out for my fellow Technos, including you. So, from now on, when you ever feel dazed and you don't respond to any of my calls or shouts for you, I'm willing to wait until you snap back into it so then I can come towards you upfront, so you can see it's me, so that way, you don't get startled if I tap you on the shoulder or something like that. And I also found out about ways I can help keep you calm if you ever feel a panic attack coming, and we can't get to Poppy or your boyfriend, or anyone else in time. We're all always gonna be here for you, Laguna, and no matter how long it takes, I know you will be able to soon move on from the past fully. It may be hard, but with good friends by your side, I know you got this. You're Laguna Tidepool, the smartest, and one of the bravest Techno Trolls I've ever known."
Laguna couldn't help but feel so touched by Synth's words as she gave the Techno prince a big hug, with Synth hugging her back, as she said, "Thank you, Synth. You're a really great friend."
Synth smiled proudly before he then said, "So, how about we go relax and unwind ourselves with a rave? If you're up for it"? Laguna nodded and said, "After the day I had, a rave sounds really good." S
ynth chuckled proudly before saying, "I'll even invite McJagger to join, so things can be even more fun for you," and ran off, leaving a blushing LAguna with her cheeks flaring red from blushing about the mention of her boyfriend's name, while she ran after Synth, shouting, "Synth, wait up"!