"Why do we always hang out in the woods?" Anne asked as she followed T'Challa and Sprig. "There's a perfectly good living room."
"Where's the fun in that?" Sprig asked. "This place is full of nature."
"Yeah. Exactly." Anne said as she saw a bug get eaten by another bug.
"Hate to disagree with you, Anne, but I actually respect nature." T'Challa said.
"Dude, I thought you lived in the fanciest city in the world." Anne said.
"We respect both science and nature. Best of both worlds."
Just then, Sprig stopped himself and his friends right when he heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes next to him.
"Stay back. It could be a blood-sucking predator." He warned holding up a stick.
"You are really not selling me on this place." Anne said.
"You think you can kill a predator with a stick?" T'Challa asked.
Sprig opened up the bushes, but instead of a wild animal, all he found was a gourd with sticks on top of it and a smiley face drawn on it.
"Oh, no!" Sprig gasped. "It's an…"
"AMBUSH!"
Just then, another little frog fell from above tackling on Sprig.
"I'M HIT! SPRIG DOWN! SPRIG DOWN!" Sprig yelled feigning a dramatic yell. He dropped his act when his attacker revealed herself. It was a young, yellow girl frog with a blue cap and blue clothes. "Hey, Ivy. Nice ambush. Gourd in a wig? Classic."
"Can't take all the credit?" the yellow frog said. "You're really easy to trick."
"Well, guilty as charged."
Anne faked a cough to get the frogs' attention.
"Subtle, Anne." T'Challa said.
"Oh. Ivy, meet Anne and T'Challa, a couple of oddities from another world." Sprig introduced. "Anne and T'Challa, meet Ivy, childhood acquaintance and occasional sparring partner."
"Hey, Ivy." Anne greeted.
"Gotta say, that was a nice ambush." T'Challa said. "Even I didn't see you coming, and that's saying something."
"Wow. That means a lot coming from the Black Panther." Ivy said. "My other friends are not going to believe you said that."
"The kids talk about me?" T'Challa asked slightly flattered.
"That's right." Ivy said. "Do any of you like being randomly attacked?"
"Not at all." Anne said.
"I personally don't, but I welcome any challenge." T'Challa said. "I am trying to better my awareness."
"Good to know." Ivy said as she turned to leave. "See you later, Sprig… but you won't see me."
As Ivy hopped away, Sprig chuckled and Anne smiled at what she was seeing.
"Well, well, well. She's kinda cute, huh?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sprig said.
"Well, well, well, well, well, well, well."
"That's too many wells, Anne." T'Challa said.
"WE'RE HOME!" Anne announced loudly as they returned to the farmhouse.
"What have you three been doing?" Hop Pop asked. "I've been looking for you all morning."
"Oh, nothing… except Sprig was totally flirting with a cute girl!" Anne answered.
"Anne, it's not like that." Sprig said. "Ivy Sundew and I are just friends."
"Ivy Sundew?" Hop Pop asked. "Nobody move! I'm getting the courtship kit!" He raced upstairs.
"The what kit?" T'Challa asked.
"Isn't this exciting?" Anne asked. "I'm gonna get my dating magazines!" She raced to the basement.
"I don't actually care." Polly said.
"I'm having a hard time understanding what's going on." T'Challa said.
When Hop Pop returned, he brought a chest and set it on the table. He opened it up revealing a bunch of mushrooms and fancy clothes.
"I'm scared to ask, but what's all this for?" T'Challa asked.
"Well, the firefly formal is tonight." Hop Pop said. "It's the perfect opportunity to begin the ritual."
"What ritual?" T'Challa asked just as Anne returned with a handful of magazines.
"Only frogs who have performed the ceremonial dance in the ceremonial garb are allowed to be wed." Hop Pop said.
"Kitchy. I like it." Anne commented.
"Guys, we're just friends." Sprig protested. "Besides, I'm already engaged to Maddie, right?"
"When did this happen?" T'Challa asked.
"When Anne was trying to get us to make a pizza." Sprig answered. "The baker would only give us the dough in exchange for me marrying his daughter. She's a bit creepy, but I've been trying to give her a chance."
"Forget her." Hop Pop said. "The Sundews have secret proprietary crops. Do you have any idea what that means?"
"Uh…"
"If our families merge, we'll be rich!"
"So you're not doing this for your grandson's sake. You're just in it for the money." T'Challa said with a judgmental stare.
"Well, maybe this will get you onboard, Sprig." Anne said. She opened up one of her magazines. "It says here that two-thirds of all soulmates start out as 'just friends'."
"In animated musicals, maybe." T'Challa commented. "Sprig, you're not actually considering this, are you?"
Sprig took Anne's magazine and read from it. "Uh… I don't know. I mean, if Hop Pop and Anne think it's a good idea, I guess I'm willing to give this a shot."
"Well, we're about to find out, 'cause I already asked the Sundews." Hop Pop said. Right then and there, a large messenger bug flew in and gave Hop Pop a message on a letter. He read from it and smiled. "They agreed to a date!"
"Well, missing out on eternal love does sound bad." Sprig said skeptical. "I guess one date couldn't hurt."
"Hey!" Anne cheered.
"That's my boy!" Hop Pop proudly declared.
T'Challa and Polly both shared concerned expressions. "So you also think this is a bad idea, right?" Polly asked.
"Yeah, I think this is a bad idea."
The Firefly Formal began once the sun had completely set. Most of Wartwood had arrived and already started dancing with their respective partners. Meanwhile, Anne and Hop Pop began putting fancy clothes and makeup on Sprig while T'Challa and Polly watched.
"My boy, you look incredible." Hop Pop said as soon as they were done.
"Wow. I knew we went to another dimension, but judging by that costume, I'd say we also ended up 600 years in the past." T'Challa commented.
"I don't know about this." Sprig said. "Ivy's gonna think I look stupid. I think I look stupid."
"Great. You'll have something in common." Anne said as she pushed Sprig onto the floor.
Across the area, Ivy arrived escorted by her mom, Felicia Sundew. It was hard to tell it was the same girl who tackled Sprig earlier, with her large, pink dress, her gigantic wig, lipstick, and a whole lot of blush on her cheek. Sprig proceeded to waddle over to her because of his costume, and it was clear that the two were very uncomfortable; a fact which went over the heads of their respective guardians.
"I'm so glad we agreed on this merger, Hopadiah." Felicia said. "That Sprig of yours looks like a hard worker."
"Like we agreed, you'll get Sprig to work at your restaurant, and I'll get the seeds to those Sundew vegetables." Hop Pop said.
"Agreed."
"This is so exciting." Anne said eagerly watching Sprig and Ivy. "I wonder what their ship name will be. Ivig? SprigIvy?"
"What are you even saying?" Polly asked.
"Anne, obviously, Sprig isn't comfortable with this." T'Challa said. "I'm not comfortable watching it."
"Oh, come on, T'Challa. Don't they have romance in Wakanda?" Anne asked.
"Yes, but it's not forced onto us." T'Challa said. "This isn't the 19th century, you know."
"Well, I'm just following the advice of my dating magazines." Anne said holding up one of the said magazines.
"You mean the magazines that say that there's a hybrid bat and a cat, or that there's a boy with a radioactive fossil that turns parts of his body into parts of a dinosaur's?" T'Challa asked.
"Shh!" Hop Pop interrupted. Let's watch our little love doves fly. Love doves are birds that mate for life."
"I got it." Anne said.
"Pretty self-explanatory." T'Challa said.
After being fed-up with all the expectations of their parents and confessing to each other how they were convinced into doing this, Ivy and Sprig decided to run off into the woods not knowing that Anne was watching them leave via binoculars. She sat in a tree along with the others.
"Ooh-la-la." Anne commented. "The little love doves are sneaking out into the woods. You know what that means?"
"It means they're abandoning the ritual!" Felicia gasped. "If those two don't finish that dance…"
"Then this courtship will be ruined!" Hop Pop finished. "Along with my financial security!"
"Wait, what?" Anne asked. "We cannot let them waste this chance. They say nine out of ten people stay up at night regretting missed romantic opportunities. Nine out of ten!"
"Does that magazine ever say how they worked out the math?" T'Challa asked. "I know you guys are shipping those two, but don't you think it's better if we leave them alone?"
"Ridiculous." Hop Pop answered.
"Not a chance." Felicia said.
"I'm way too invested in this." Anne said.
"Come on, guys!" Polly pleaded. "I think this is a bad idea, and the only person who agrees with me is the giant weirdo dressed as a cat!"
"Yeah." T'Challa agreed before realizing what Polly said. "Wait a minute…"
The gang followed the trail of fancy clothes left behind by Sprig and Ivy into the woods. Their tracking was interrupted by the flapping sound of wings along with the screeches of birds. Everyone looked up at two birds gracefully dancing on top of a tree.
"Oh. Those must be real life love doves." T'Challa said.
"They're quite beautiful." Anne said.
"Don't move or we're dead." Hop Pop warned quietly.
"What?" Anne asked. "I thought they were all romantic and mate for life."
"Yeah, and they spend that life massacring all living things." Hop Pop said.
"What?" T'Challa gasped. "Why do you celebrate them then?"
"Well, you gotta admit, they're quite beautiful when they're not trying to kill us."
The love doves fixed their eyes on the gang and shrieked at them. They screamed as they swooped down toward them. They noted how beautiful the love doves were before being scooped up and carried away.
The love doves made it back to their brightly colorful nest and dropped the gang in. Before they could get up, the birds shot a green gel which stuck their appendages to the ground.
"We're stuck." Anne said. She watched the birds fly away. "So they're not gonna eat us?"
"Not right away." Hop Pop said. "Love doves prefer to let their prey marinate in fear first."
"Well, that's a problem." Anne said. "T'Challa, why didn't you go full Black Panther on those things?"
"I was about too, but I got distracted by how graceful they are." T'Challa said.
"Understandable." Hop Pop said.
"Can it, Plantar!" Felicia groaned. "This is all your fault! If you taught your grandson proper courtship technique…"
"My fault? It's obviously yours!" Hop Pop argued.
Anne used her teeth to pull out her magazine and opened it up. "Guys, it says here that our relationships define us and nothing else. Nothing else!"
"ENOUGH!" Polly shouted getting everyone's attention. "It's all your faults! Except you, T'Challa. You're the only one who understood."
"Thank you, Polly." T'Challa said.
"What did we do?" Hop Pop asked.
"The only reason we're here marinating is because you all had to play matchmaker." Polly said. "Hop Pop, Felicia, you two were greedy, plain and simple."
"Maybe a little." Hop Pop said shamefully.
"It's nuanced." Felicia said.
"Nice. Totally innocent for once." Anne said. "You two should be ashamed."
"You're not entirely guilt-free yourself, Anne." T'Challa said. "You would rather listen to a bundle of colorful pages than your own eyes. Sprig clearly didn't want this. He only did it because you made him believe he had no choice."
"Well, you know what I have to say to your pages?" Polly asked. She took the magazine and ripped it into shreds with her teeth.
"Wow. I feel lighter somehow." Anne said. "More free."
"Listen, everyone," T'Challa said, "Love doesn't come from financial benefits or romance columns. And it shouldn't be forced either. If Sprig and Ivy wanted a relationship, I'd encourage it. But I don't like seeing you all pushing and shoving for your own wants and needs without considering theirs. So if we get out of here, let's all agree to never make relationships happen unless they want us to help. Deal?"
Everyone looked at each other and nodded at once. "Deal."
"Glad to hear it!" said Sprig as he and Ivy suddenly climbed into the nest. He used a stick he had to cut the gel open and free his family and friends before they all climbed out of the nest together.
"I gotta say, I was not a fan of that dress." Ivy said. "And a corset? Did you think I hated to breathe?"
"Sorry, dear." Felicia apologized.
"I'm sorry too." Hop Pop said.
"We're all sorry." Anne said.
Suddenly, the love doves returned. They landed on their nest and shrieked at the gang.
"I always told them, save the heartfelt apologies for when we get to safety!" Polly stated.
"I got this." T'Challa said ready to tap on his medallion, but Ivy interrupted him.
"Don't bother. Sprig and I are ready for combat. On the count of three. One… two…" She just noticed that Sprig was no longer beside her. "Sprig?"
"AMBUSH!" Sprig shouted as he jumped from the trees. He landed on top of the male love dove and wrestled against it in the nest. "Take that, you beautiful creature!" He swung his stick at its neck and it collapsed instantly. The female dove threw Sprig off and checked out her unconscious mate.
"Nice ambush." Ivy commented at Sprig when he landed next to her.
"I learned from the best."
"Now, let's finish this up." Ivy said before throwing her stick. It spun in the air until it hit the female dove's neck. She fell unconscious too right alongside her mate.
"Amazing." Hop Pop said looking at the unconscious birds. "Even in defeat, they're majestic."
"Come along now, Ivy." Felicia said. "Let's get you home so I can apologize safely."
"Okay. That was fun." Ivy said as she left with her mom. "See ya, Sprig."
"See ya, Ivy." Sprig returned.
"Sprig, next time, we won't get the courtship kit out until you're good and ready." Hop Pop promised. "Now, I can focus on finding love for Polly."
"NOOOOOOO!" Polly screamed.
"Well, that's the end of that." Anne said. "T'Challa, I just wanted to say, sorry for not listening to you. You were right. I don't need some dumb magazine that tells me that most relationships start out as just friends. It does sound kinda silly now."
"Yeah. By that logic, there's a high chance of you and I ending up together." T'Challa said. He and Anne shared an awkward chuckle before an uncomfortable silence.
"Anyway," Anne said turning back to Sprig, "Now, you and Ivy can go back to being just friends."
"Yep." Sprig said looking over at Ivy as she left. Just then, Sprig suddenly had a new way of looking at her. It gave him a warm feeling, and he instantly knew what it was. Anne and T'Challa knew what it was too when they saw the look on his face.
"Oh, you just fell in love with her didn't you?" Anne asked.
"Yeah, I just fell in love with her." Sprig answered.
"Well, this should be interesting." T'Challa commented.