16. S1: Date Night Without Sasha

Hello. I'm sick at the moment so that sucks. Country is in a state of emergency due to Corona-chan and I'm at home unrelated to that. Btw, this chapter is based on "Dating Season". I hope you like it. Review if you do :)

Love.

It's that wondrous yet horrifying feeling that showed up whenever you're near to someone or something that has a significant place in your heart. Alternatively, it's also a common symptom of a love bug, a type of heart-shaped parasite that clings on its host's torso and slowly sucks up blood like a juice box. The venom only made the heart pump faster.

Do note; 4 in 5 doctors recommended to do a checkup, should you experience a sudden burst of love. The 5th doctor died from heart failure, probably from the love bug they got.

But in most cases, love was just an intense emotion. It has its pros and cons but generally speaking, most people were pretty okay with it.

On one relatively normal day, Sasha Waybright, human extraordinaire, was outside with Polly Plantar the Pollywog, round baby with an attitude. During her stay so far, Sasha hasn't really seen any actual sports or games that the folks played. She knew there had to be some but the Plantars weren't the sportiest of frogs.

While she explained the rules of a game called kickball, the duo noticed the boy frog of their trio, Sprig Plantar, stroll away from the house all nonchalantly.

"Hey Sprig, where are you going?" Sasha asked, a leather ball in her hands.

"Yeah, it's time for our biweekly kickball game which we just totally made up!" Polly exclaimed loudly. "It's like, super hard."

"For obvious reasons, yes."

As they talked, Sasha noticed that Sprig was carrying a paper bag, its contents unknown. Outside of that, he still acted the same way he always had, though he did look a tad guilty at the moment.

"Oh, sorry about that but I've got stuff to do so maybe later?" He replied.

Sasha squinted her eyes and for a moment, it felt like she had something to say. Instead, she shrugged. "Alright, sure. See ya around, Sprig." She said, waving a small goodbye.

After Sprig left the premises, Sasha turned away and continued to explain the game, ignoring his suspicious behaviour. An out-of-character moment for her but it had a reason. On the other hand, Polly was not satisfied, extremely wary of Sprig's behaviour. Being his little sister, she knew him better than anyone else and she never once saw him leave without an explanation.

"Sprig's never busy," Polly spoke with a frown. Turning to her human friend, she glared. "Sasha! Aren't you curious at all about where Sprig is going?!"

Sasha shrugged again with a pout. "Well yeah, clearly. But I've learned my lesson about putting my nose into things I shouldn't."

"You did? But you like putting your nose into things!"

"Well, yeah. But that got me in so much trouble. So, might as well learn it now, right?" She reasoned. "Problem solved, y'know?"

It was weird how unlucky she was in this other world. No matter what she did, her actions would somehow lead her to disaster. Yes, she did learn lessons but she was pretty sure that wasn't the point. It's the pattern that stood out the most. The wilderness was just so cruel and unfair towards the poor teenager.

She liked to get involved. That's just her style. The land of Amphibia, however, disagreed.

Polly nodded, knowing what she meant. "Ah, Sasha-Karma. Makes sense." She then hopped away, her thoughts aimed at her brother's out-of-character actions.

...

...

... Wait a minute...

"Sasha-what?" The blonde girl questioned. "Polly, Sasha-what?!"

"There! Sprig went that way!" Polly shouted, pointing through some bushes. "I can feel our sibling bond getting stronger."

Several minutes after Sasha contemplated what Polly meant and receiving no answer, the two girls left the house and chased after Sprig, following his tracks. Sasha carried Polly in her bucket, partially filled with water. It wasn't that heavy but it was somewhat cumbersome. The blonde girl wondered whether Polly would have legs someday.

Nonetheless, that wasn't important. For the first half of the chase, it was pretty normal. Sprig had taken the established dirt road between Wartwood and the farm. The second half, however, the trail grew cold as Sprig veered off the path and into the woods. They tried their best to track him but in the end, the forest was too dense and hard to navigate. Polly's little sister intuition was their best shot.

It was scarily accurate.

"Only child, so I wouldn't know. Also, why am I here again?" She questioned, causing Polly to huff.

"Because I need someone to carry my bucket and obviously I won't ask Hop Pop to do it."

"Hmm, that's fair." Passing through some bushes and around a tree, Sasha noticed a familiar pink figure a few short meters away. "Oh look, there he is. And he's looking awfully suspicious…"

Far in front of them, Sprig was skipping through the woods, all naïve and harmless. In one of his hands, the paper bag was held close to his chest, while the other hung loosely.

Sprig always enjoyed strolling through the woods near town. There were rarely any dangers there since no animal would ever stay close to a populated area. While the town did get its fair share of attacks, it wasn't exactly common. Usually, it's just once every month or two. The latest one which Sasha accidentally caused was particularly bad though.

Suddenly, Sprig heard rustling in the bushes nearby and immediately went on a defensive. A random stick as a weapon, he then slowly stepped closer in caution. Once close enough, he carefully pushed the leaves aside.

To his shock, it was not a person.

"Oh no. It's an–"

"AMBUSH!"

Suddenly from the treetops, a new petite figure appeared, jumping straight at him from above. Sprig, after several weeks of being in constant danger, felt his instincts scream and quickly lifted his stick, blocking the figure's attack. He then rolled back and kicked them off and behind him, sending the attacker tumbling onto the ground.

"W-Woah!" The figure shouted, landing with a thud.

"Haha, got'chu!" Sprig cheered, pointing his stick at the fallen foe. Or more precisely, fallen friend. Someone he's known for years — Ivy.

Left lying on her back, Ivy's eyes widened in disbelief. Quickly getting back up, however, she laughed. "Woah, good counter, Sprig!"

Sprig smiled in return. "Thanks! I've been practising. Also, gourd in a wig? Classic."

"Nothing beats the classics. Plus, you're really easy to trick." Ivy returned, shrugging her shoulders. "Still, I guess it'll take more than distractions now, huh."

The two then shared a friendly laugh, amused by it all. This was always how it goes; Sprig would meet up with Ivy once every week and they'd have fun. Usual kid stuff. The days differ each week. Sometimes, they'd hang out while he was in town and other times, he'd go out on his own. This erratic behaviour was the reason why no one in their families knew of the friendship, not as if they kept it a secret.

The only difference now was Sprig carrying a mysterious bag.

"So… you got the goods?" Ivy inquired.

Nodding, Sprig showed her the bad and pulled out its contents — a glass jar full of red paste. "Here you go! One jar of mushed up tomato stuff made from the tomatoes we couldn't sell."

Ivy took the jar giddily, inspecting the jar's insides with a little shake. "Aww yeah! It's just like the magazines said! It really does look like blood! And as for payment"— Ivy stuffed the jar into her pocket and then pulled out her own paper bag. —"Half a dozen of my mom's famous scones."

Sprig smiled; the bag was still warm. "Are you sure it's okay for me to take this? What does your mom think about you selling her scones off-store?"

"She'd be proud, that's for sure. She's been trying to get me into the family business for years."

By family, she meant her mom's business. Her restaurant was the fanciest place in town with its best-seller — the scones — easily raking in cash. At some point, Ivy would inherit that shop. It's only natural, seeing that she was an only child.

With their transaction complete, it's time for their usual bit — hanging out. Unfortunately, it was cut short as a nearby bush rustled spontaneously and the two knew full well it wasn't either of them. Without delay, they got their sticks armed.

"A blood-sucking predator! It might be after your tomatoes!" Sprig exclaimed.

Ivy gasped. Not her tomatoes! "Let's kill it!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there! It's just me!" Rising out from the said bush, Sasha the human appeared, bits of leaves sticking on her clothes and a bucket in her arms. "And uh, Polly."

"SPRIG! WHO'S THE GIRL?!"

Sprig's mouth went agape. Immediately, he dropped his stick and confronted them. "Polly! Sasha! What are you guys doing here?"

Sasha raised a brow in response. "What are we doing here? What are you doing here?"

"I always go out into the woods. Sometimes for bugs, other times for my collection of treasured junk."

"Oh yeah, you have a box full of that stuff…" Sasha recalled. "Anyway, who's the chick?"

Sprig perked up positively. He realised that they didn't know each other. Without hesitation, he then grabbed Sasha's hand and pulled them towards Ivy, intent on introducing each other. "Oh, this is Ivy; childhood acquaintance and occasional sparring partner. Ivy, meet Sasha; oddity from another world! And you already know Polly." Sprig greeted on their behalf.

Ivy's brows raised in surprise. So this was the infamous Sasha, also known as the Plantar monster by the Wartwood folks. Her mom did tell her about the monster once, visiting her shop and devouring her scones. If both Sprig and her mom thought Sasha was friendly, then so did she. "Heya, guys. Sprig told me a lot about you two."

Sasha blinked. "He did?"

"Yeah, like that time you fought against a giant bird or go through a wicked family dungeon," Ivy stated.

Those were separate occasions and incredibly dangerous. But when reduced to a few words, it kinda sounded dumb.

"Say, do you like to be randomly attacked?" Ivy asked from out of nowhere.

Sasha frowned. "Not unless you want to be kicked in the face."

"Hah! I like you!" Ivy declared with a laugh. While her plans with Sprig were cancelled, she didn't mind. At least she got to meet the Plantar monster— no, Sasha.

No other reason to stay, Ivy decided to leave. "Welp, I gotta go. See you later, Sprig! Thanks for the blood!" It wasn't blood but they both knew that. Just an inside joke between them.

Waving goodbye, Sprig and co. watched her leave and later on, walked back home, this time side-by-side. Sasha smirked, pleasantly surprised by it all.

"'Childhood acquaintance', huh? And here I thought you didn't have any friends." she remarked, nudging him slightly. Sprig, however, was unbothered.

"Oh, Ivy? I've known her for years. She's… different."

Stifling a laugh, Sasha let it go. "Pft, yeah, sure."

"Kids! Where did you three go off to?" Hop Pop probed, though Sasha shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just a walk through the woods. You know us kids and walking."

Back at the Plantar household, Hopadiah Plantar, patriarch of the Plantar family and Sprig and Polly's grandpa, tapped his feet annoyedly. He's been looking for them for the past hour, only to discover they weren't home. There was no particular reason; just that the house was eerily quiet. None of them told him they were going out.

"Oh hey, Maddie!" Sprig greeted cheerfully.

While they were away, an acquaintance had come to visit — Maddie Flour. After saving Sasha from a lifetime of being cursed as a newt, Sprig and Maddie became good friends, occasionally hanging out whenever he stopped by the bakery. She was a weird and creepy girl but after knowing her better, those became likeable traits.

In reply, Maddie waved back. "Hi there, Sprig. I came here to deliver some bread." She clarified, showing the basket of baked wheat products. She then turned to the sole human, her expression as passive as ever. "By the way; Sasha, you're temporarily banned from the bakery. Pops is still mad that you broke our engagement."

"I… didn't do anything."

Well, yes but actually no. A few weeks ago, Sprig and Maddie were once engaged, courtesy of Sasha herself. It broke off after the whole curse incident but there were no harsh feelings between them. The exception being Mr Flour who was really looking forward to it. He had no strong feelings against Sasha but it was fair that he felt a bit cheated.

Plus, Maddie was not good with words so the message might have been muddled at some point.

"Hop Pop, Sprig has a girl friend!" Polly exclaimed to the surprise of the two other frogs. Confused, Maddie silently pointed at herself, causing Polly to roll her eyes. "Not you. Another girl friend. Her name's Ivy."

"Ivy?" Hop Pop blurted, the name sounding familiar. "Wait, IVY?! You mean Ivy Sundew?!"

Ivy Sundew, the daughter of Felicia Sundew and youngest of the Sundew family. One day, she'll inherit ownership of Felicia's tea shoppe, making her a well-off frog.

Sasha, realising who she was, blinked. "Wait, Felicia has a kid?" She was, however, ignored.

Straightaway, Hop Pop rushed over to the boy, grabbing his shoulders. "Sprig, how close are you with her?!"

"I don't know. Pretty close."

Hop Pop gleefully beamed. This was it. "This is perfect!"

Sasha, however, was perplexed and not at all amused by this. "Okay, can we rewind this for a bit? I feel like I'm missing a lot of information here." She urged, feeling left out by this whole exchange.

"He's talking about the Sundew proprietary farm," Maddie answered in their stead. "Owned by the matriarch of the Sundew family, it's one of the biggest sources of medicinal herbs and high-quality vegetables in Frog Valley. Almost every doctor and health addict here buys from them. It's a pretty big deal."

The old frog snapped his fingers. "That's right. I always wanted Sprig to one day become the Plantar family head and there are two ways of going at it: One is giving him a proper higher education like in Newtopia University, the other is him getting married to some rich folk." He then nudged Sprig playfully. "And lookie here! He's already making moves before I even told him the plan! Ooo, I should tell Felicia about this!"

Marriage? If he had a nickel every time he was forced into marriage with a girl roughly his age for reasons beneficial to everyone else but him, he'd have two nickels. Which isn't much but it was weird how it happened twice.

"I don't know, Hop Pop. I mean, sure, me and Ivy are"— He glanced at Sasha who in turn, gave him a thumbs up. —"friends but marriage? That's kinda a big step."

"You almost got married to me," Maddie remarked.

"That was an accident. It's not like either of us was looking forward to it anyway, right?"

Sasha could hear the glass crack. Having been accustomed to dealing with people, that was not what he should've answered with. Sprig, being the oblivious boy that he was, evidently didn't notice which honestly made it worse.

Maddie's fist tightened.

"Right. Whatever."

"Come on, Sprig! I've just written a letter to Felicia and"— Just then, a messenger mosquito flew onto the window frame. Immediately, Hop Pop glanced at the paper as the bug flew away. —"she said yes! The Firefly Formal is tonight and we need for the two of you to get ready!"

"This is so exciting! I'm getting the courtship kit!" Hop Pop cheered, running up the stairs. Behind him, Sprig frantically chased after him.

"Wait, Hop Pop! We're just friends!"

Meanwhile, Polly stared as her two older family members leave. She had a blank expression with no discernible emotion. "I don't really care."

Sasha turned to Maddie, feeling the coldness emanate from her smaller body.

"Hey, you okay?" Sasha asked out of concern.

"… Yeah, I'm fine."

The Firefly Formal — an annual dance where townsfolk celebrate out in the open and watch the migration of fireflies. On this night, one can see swarms of them gliding across the dark sky, its lights blinking brighter than stars. Sasha wondered whether Wartwood suffered from winters, considering that's why migrations occur and that everyone was either a frog, toad or newt.

"My boy, you look incredible." Hop Pop praised, putting on the finishing touches on Sprig.

In Amphibia, there was an old practice of courtship where both partners wore traditional garbs and perform a specific ritual. Hop Pop, being as old as the dinosaurs, had a whole kit made just for this occasion. Handed to him by his own pop, it hasn't failed them yet.

Needless to say, the practice was archaic and when judging from a modern lens, seemed quite ridiculous.

Sasha had no words on how to describe Sprig's new appearance. He looked like he was part of the French royalty as the 4th generation offspring of incestuous lovers. His puffy shoulders and balloon-sized pants made him resemble an aristocratic clown. And let's not even begin with the collar and makeup.

Sasha couldn't help but cringe over the whole outfit. Apparently, neither could Sprig.

"Ehh, I don't know about this! Ivy's gonna think I look stupid." The boy frog complained, looking at his reflection. "I think I look stupid. Sasha, help me out, please?"

She really wanted to but in the end, shook her head. "No can do. Keeping my nose out of things. That's the lesson today."

"But you didn't even get into trouble yet!"

"That's exactly why I'm learning it early." Sasha retorted. "If you need me, I'll be on the rooftops with Polly and away from everyone else. I'm pretty sure they still hate me." She then gave a thumbs up. "Good luck though!"

Meanwhile somewhere nearby, Ivy was facing her own problems. Her distinguishable tufts of orange hair were hidden underneath a voguish pink wig and her usual rough outfit was replaced with a frilly red dress so unlike her style. Much like Sprig, she was also wearing a dense layer of makeup, turning her into a porcelain doll. If Sprig looked like a deformed prince, Ivy looked like a pretentious queen who wanted to feed cake to her citizens because there wasn't any meat.

Felicia Sundew, her mother, clapped her hands, a proud smile stretched across her face. "My girl is now a woman. And to Sprig Plantar, no less."

"Moooom…!" Ivy whined.

Finally, at the Firefly Formal, it was time for the two love doves to meet. If Sasha was still around, Hop Pop would've definitely explained to her that love doves, a local avian species, were majestic but horrifying creatures that mated for life. Not that it was important but it was neat to know.

"Alright boy, go get that lucrative business relationship!" Hop Pop exclaimed, slapping him in the butt and giving him a bouquet of mushrooms. Realising what he just said, he quickly backpedalled. "I mean, romantic relationship. Hehe, saved it."

Sprig, in his ridiculous outfit, awkwardly walked his way towards Ivy. Both looked extremely uncomfortable.

"H-hey..." Ivy greeted with a drawl.

"H-hi…" Sprig greeted similarly.

It was easy to tell where this was going.

"Ooo, this is fantastic, Hopadiah. Sprig's such a fine young boy and a hard worker to boot. He'll do well to work at my restaurant in the future." Felicia exclaimed. She already knew Sprig well and despite his childish behaviour, his endearing personality was enough to garner her respect. Hooking him up with her own daughter was a fair plan. Even she didn't know the two were acquainted.

Hop Pop nodded in agreement. "And I'll get the seeds to those Sundew vegetables."

"Agreed."

So far, everything was going to plan. Hopefully, it'd stay that way.

While the two frogs exchanged awkward and horribly polite conversation starters, Sasha was exactly where she announced before: on a rooftop above the scene, watching the whole thing. She had a pair of binoculars with her and even though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she was pretty sure this wouldn't go well.

Polly, who sat beside her, crossed her flippers and frowned. "I thought you said you didn't want to put your nose into things."

"Look, I can't help it! I'm a teenage girl with teenage needs! Snooping around is, like, part of my nature or something." Sasha answered weakly. "Besides, it's not like I'm getting involved. It's still a safe distance away."

Just then, the speakers boomed out loud as on stage, a newt in a pioneer's outfit tapped the microphone gently. He had a couple of flashcards in his hands and was far more well-dressed compared to everyone else.

"Excuse me, everybody, but I hear we have a couple of love doves here tonight. Ivy Sundew and Sprig Plantar!" He announced, clapping joyously. "Whoo! A big hand for them. Come on, let me hear it."

Everyone proceeded to clap just as loudly, the spotlights aimed directly at the young couple. Sprig and Ivy both blushed at the attention, their rosy cheeks glowing even against the heavy makeup. Nodding, the newt then continued reading the cards given to him.

"Hopadiah Plantar says, 'Sprig, don't mess this up for us'. And Felicia Sundew would like Ivy to 'have a great courtship. Wink.'" He paused briefly for a chuckle. "It says 'wink' here. 'Love, Mom.'"

Putting the cards in his coat pockets, he then pointed at the musicians behind him. "All right, then. Hit it, Boys!"

'Boys', being the actual name of the country music band, began playing their signature songs. It had a certain hippity-hoppity tune to it; fitting for the audience involved. On a different stage, Sprig and Ivy held hands, doing their best to perform the traditional courtship dance.

Emphasis on 'their best'. There was only so much you could learn in one afternoon.

Ivy nervously gulped. "I… had no idea you felt this way about me, Sprig."

"Oh, you know me. Just full of surprises. Hehe…" Sprig replied, his throat feeling tight.

The dance was rigid and simple with the two of them being stressed out of their minds. Both struggled to remember the steps, keeping it at a slow pace. While Ivy's movements were far more relaxed, having come from a minor mercantile family, Sprig was technically the leading dancer and thus, being forced to follow his steps made it genuinely troublesome.

After several minutes of quiet dancing — neither able to converse without it being too weird — eventually, the music died down and their performance concluded. Thankfully, nothing bad happened as of yet.

"Oh b-boy, that dance sure was hard." Sprig coughed, trying his best to sound positive. "Do you, uh, want to go get something to drink?"

Robotically, Ivy bobbed. "I would love to, Sprig."

Ivy and Sprig then left the stage together, heading straight for the food and drinks table. Since this was a public event, the catering was paid for and provided by the town's local government. In this case, by Mayor Toadstool. Oddly enough, he wasn't here but one thing for sure was that the food was definitely lacklustre.

At the table, Sprig attempted to grab himself a cup of 'freshly mixed apple-infused agua' — a fancy word for water with apple slices — but to his shock, discovered that he couldn't reach the cups. His restraining sleeves were in the way. For the first time ever, clothes had betrayed him.

"Ggh, come on! Stupid courtship garbs!" Sprig snapped. The cups were literally just an inch away, making fun of him and his outfit. Just a little more…

To his surprise, however, two filled cups suddenly appeared in front of him, right within reach.

"Here." A familiar voice spoke.

Sprig gasped. He knew who it was. "Maddie! You're here! You have no idea how glad am I to see you." He happily spoke. Finally, someone close who wasn't involved in this debacle.

Interestingly enough, Maddie decided to clean herself up just for this event. Special occasions meant special clothing. Gone was her hobo outfit, replaced with a recently cleaned yellow summer dress with a bow tie around her waist. He guessed that even Maddie adhered to basic societal etiquette.

"Eh." Maddie tiredly shrugged. "I heard you got engaged. This must be the lucky girl."

Behind Sprig, Ivy gestured a greeting, looking flustered. "Ivy Sundew. N-nice to meet you." She greeted as politely as she could. "I'd shake your hand but I can't feel my arms."

Maddie nodded back, accepting that reply. She then looked up and down, examining the two's clothes, before taking a sip of her drink.

"Both of you look stupid." She bluntly stated, causing their eyes to widen.

"You think so too?!" Sprig called out in a panic.

Ivy then turned to him, startled by his response. "Wait, you think we look stupid too, Sprig? I thought I was the only one!"

Their true feelings now out in the open, Sprig and Ivy sighed. This farce could not continue any longer.

"I'm sorry, Ivy. But I can't do this. I-I don't want to date you! You're, like, one my best friends! I hope you're not mad…" Sprig explained, each word bringing him relief but also a sense of guilt.

"Mad? Oh, thank the frog gods, why would I be mad? I only went along because I didn't want to hurt you." Ivy returned with a smirk, followed by rolling her eyes. "Also 'cause my mom forced me."

Sprig then laughed. "Hah! Parents, am I right?"

It was... comforting. There were no harsh feelings between them. Despite the difficult position they were placed in, their friendship held strong. Sprig was glad of that.

"What do you say we ditch this thing and go watch some fireflies? They're in season." He coaxed.

Ivy giggled. "After you, friend."

"Why, thank you, friend."

Before they left though, Sprig noticed that Maddie was on her own at a boring party like this. Maddie has helped him before and despite her terrifying habits, he genuinely thought of her as his friend. Leaving her here? This would not stand.

"Hey, Maddie, you want to come with us?" Sprig asked, causing her to raise a brow.

"You want me to come along?"

Ivy thumbed up alongside him. "Of course! My mom always said, 'the more, the merrier'!" She claimed. "Also, we kinda need someone to get us out of these dresses."

Huh. For the first time ever, someone had invited her to hang out. That felt... really nice.

Stopping herself from smiling, Maddie winked. "Eh, why not?"

On the rooftops above the party, Sasha was having a blast. Sure, she would've loved to be a part of this celebration despite having no idea what it was about but only so that she could dominate the spotlight. At her current popularity, the spotlight might just backfire on her in the form of torches and pitchforks.

No, what she was happy about had nothing to do with the party. It was the event in it involving a certain Sprig Plantar and Ivy Sundew.

"There they go. And I didn't even do anything this time." Sasha spoke out loud, thankful that she had no blame in this.

She would've celebrated but currently, she was a bit cramped. Unfortunately, the number of inhabitants in her semi-comfortable survey spot has increased from 2 to 4, adding in Hop Pop and Felicia. They were really hogging up the good space, much to her annoyance.

"This is horrible! If they don't finish the ritual, then the whole courtship is ruined!" Felicia shrieked in terror.

"And I won't get my vegetables!" Hop Pop added, just as afraid. "Come on, y'all! We gotta do something!"

Polly wanted to argue but it was too late. Dragged with them alongside Sasha, the four darted straight into the woods to confront the two wayfaring kids. Unbeknownst to anyone, the prescheduled chaos was about to begin.

Meanwhile, the three amigos — Sprig, Ivy and Maddie — were watching the fireflies. These little harmless insects were supposed to gently float over the town in an hour or so but the setting just felt off. Why watch fireflies in a crowd when you can do that privately? It took them a while to find but the view was worth it.

"Wow... This is way better than some crummy dance. Don't you think so, you guys?" Sprig asked, awed at the twinkling bugs, just close enough to grab. Though when looking around, he realised his comrades were not with him. "Ivy? Maddie?"

"AMBUSH!"

"Huh?!" Sprig blurted. Ivy had jumped out of the trees for an ambush.

Startled, he quickly went out of his way to dodge but from his blindspot, Maddie sneakily appeared and threw a handful of fine dirt in his eyes. Sprig screamed in pain. "AH, POCKET DUST!"

Stunned, he was unable to dodge and thus, was easily taken down by Ivy. The tomboyish girl laughed victoriously.

"Haha, got you this time, Sprig! Thanks for the assist, Maddie." Ivy said, only to get the same handful of dirt in her eyes. "AH, POCKET DUST! Maddie, you betrayed me!"

As the two children squirmed on the ground, crying in agony, Maddie smiled. Being a practitioner of magic, she always carried around with her a few curses and hexes. Though, not all pouches had curses in them. Some of them just had pocket dust which, while not magical, still stung the eyes. Rarely did she ever get to use it against others, especially willing one.

"Hehehe..." Maddie laughed creepily. What a magical moment.

Nearby, the B-Team finally found the old courtship garbs, strewn across the bushes and ferns. Hop Pop turned left and right, scratching his head in confusion.

"Now where did those love doves head off to?" He wondered out loud. Unfortunately for them, a pair of majestic swan-like birds suddenly landed in front of them.

Hop Pop shrieked. "Oh no, love doves! Everyone, no sudden moves!"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Oh please, they look harmless."

SSHHRRIIIKKK!

"... I stand corrected."

Back at the A-Team, the kids were lying peacefully on the grass, watching as the fireflies float aimlessly above them. One particular swarm stood out, glowing a purple colour instead of orange.

"Wow, those are purple!" Sprig stated, pointing at the swarm.

"Oh yeah, I read about those. They're baby fireflies and they're purple so that their mommies could easily find them." Ivy explained.

"That's so cool."

...

...

Hanging out with the two of them, Sprig had a thought.

Ivy Sundew was his oldest friend, probably even his best friend. No offence to Sasha but him and Ivy had known each other for years. She was positive and outgoing, and he was the same. The two shared interests and quirks, and that helped them get along. In a dangerous spot, he knew that Ivy would have his back and he had hers. No matter how far or how fast she'd run, he could always catch up and run alongside her like partners.

They were inseparable.

On the other hand, there's Maddie. Unlike Ivy, Maddie was his newest friend. Unlike Ivy, Maddie was introverted and creepy; a direct contrast in fact. They were like the sun and the moon and since Sprig was so similar to Ivy, that meant Maddie was so different from him.

And yet... That worked. Whatever Sprig's flaws were, the weaknesses he had, Maddie was able to fill in those roles. Sprig loved adventure but he could never stay focused. Maddie, however, could and that kept him on track. If she didn't come that day Sasha got cursed, Sprig would've tried to solve it himself and catastrophically failed. He just didn't have the focus for it. She didn't run alongside him; she helped him up to reach places he never could. She showed him magic, broke him out of his hero worship and literally just dropped everything to help him in his dire need.

If Ivy and Sprig were two peas in a pod, then Maddie and Sprig were cookies and cream.

While Sprig was deep in thought, Ivy got up and walked to the weird girl. "Hey, Maddie. What are you doing?" Ivy asked, seeing her capture the glowing bugs into a glass jar.

"Just collecting some fireflies. They make good magical ingredients."

Ivy gasped. "Whoa, you can do magic?!"

"I dabble," Maddie responded with a shrug.

"So cool...!" Ivy awed. Her hands in her pockets, Ivy rocked back and forth. "Say, you think you can make me glow like a firefly?"

Maddie blinked at the request. "Don't see why not. You can come visit the bakery tomorrow. I'll see what I can whip up."

"Great! Plus, we get to bring Sprig with us. It'll be a three-friend get-together!"

Before a reply could be made, suddenly, the trio heard screams from within the forest. Hurriedly, Sprig got up and hopped towards the girls. "What was that? That sounded like—"

To their shock, a pair of majestic love doves swiftly flew over their heads. In their talons were familiar faces, much to Sprig's distress.

"Ah, our families! We've got to save them!" He shrieked in panic.

A stick then flew over to him and turning around, he saw Ivy by the edge of the clearing, a stick of her own and Maddie close by. "Way ahead of you. Come on, let's go!"

"Argh, this is so gross!" Sasha squawked, a sticky purple goo having trapped her hand onto the birds' nest.

To think that the one day where Sasha decided to do nothing, something bad still happened. To be honest, she definitely saw this coming but she held hope that maybe, maybe, her day would've gone normal. Like recently when the Plantars built her a bed. That was a relatively normal non-chaotic day.

Well, at least it wasn't her fault this time.

TWACK! "Hiya! Wacha!" Felicia yelled, fighting back against the love doves with a broom. "Back! Back, you foul beasts!"

Sasha stared at the older woman, mildly surprised by her skills. "So, you just carry a broom with you all the time?"

TWACK! Felicia hit one of the love doves in the head. "It doesn't hurt to be prepared, hun." She spoke. Meanwhile, harmed by the smack, the love doves squawked angrily.

SSHHRRIIIKKK!

After throwing a minor temper tantrum, it spat its nasty goo at Felicia, shooting her cleaning tool out of her hands. "Oh no, my broom!"

Unarmed, the four were defenceless against the love doves' retaliation. Without hesitation, the birds shrieked and expelled their purple goo at the four, trapping them in a strong cocoon. They struggled but to no avail. The substance was too tough to break out. Once done, the love doves immediately left the nest.

"Where are they going?!" Polly yelled, her voice laced with worry.

"Love doves prefer to marinate their prey in fear first. It softens them up." Hop Pop explained, watching the birds fly away.

Felicia growled. This was not how the evening was supposed to go! "As much as a hard worker Sprig is, it's obvious that he wasn't taught proper courtship etiquette. Had you taught him that, none of us would be here!"

Hop Pop gasped as if every bone in his body was insulted. "Are you saying it's my fault?!"

"Well, I can't exactly blame it on anyone else now, can I?!"

The two continued arguing, shifting blame from one person to another like a game of tennis. As their shrill voices shot out of their mouths with pure venom, Polly felt something in her crack. She has had enough of this.

"WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP?!" Polly yelled in anger, startling everyone. "It's both your faults! Did any of you even bother to ask what Sprig and Ivy felt? NO! You just went and got them engaged!"

"B-but I—!" Hop Pop stuttered but unable to reply.

Thinking back, Polly was right. He did force Sprig into this courtship, even though he verbally protested. The boy frog was uncomfortable about it all but eventually relented. Stubbornness ran in the Plantar blood and Hop Pop had a lot of blood. Sprig just didn't bother to continue arguing, simply because he knew he couldn't convince him.

Hop Pop didn't know about Felicia's situation but he guessed it was roughly the same. Guilt-ridden, the two adults looked down in shame.

Sasha clicked her tongue. "Well, you obviously can't blame me. I didn't do anything."

Polly growled. "And that's the problem! You didn't just do nothing, you were avoiding the whole thing! I get that you don't want to do stuff and get blamed like always but sometimes, you just have to put your nose in things!"

Hearing that, Sasha was taken aback. For some odd reason, she felt lighter, as if much of the guilt she accumulated from before today just vanished. Getting into things caused so many problems that she thought the solution was simply not get involved. She didn't enjoy it but it had to be done.

But now, maybe that wasn't it. Maybe it's about choosing your battles.

While relieved, Sasha begrudgingly agreed. "Alright, fine, I guess..."

"Okay, so we've all learned our lessons?" Polly asked, checking on everyone. Seeing there were no objections, she then smiled blankly. "Cool because I'm freaking out right now!"

Just then, coming from the bushes nearby, a miracle occurred. Three young and aspiring frogs leapt out of the leaves, brave and bold: Sprig, the dastardly charming boy of the group; Ivy, the radical girl up for the challenge; and Maddie, the mature one.

"Hey! We're here to rescue you!" Sprig announced, waving his stick around.

Hop Pop gave out a sigh of relief. He was genuinely glad to see Sprig. "Phew, thank the frog gods!"

With haste, Ivy and Sprig broke the hardened goo that trapped their families with their sticks. The substance crumbled like snow, its chunks falling off with little resistance. They then jumped out of the nest quickly, having no reason to stick around.

On the ground, Ivy quickly brought up her thoughts. "We're also here to tell you," she started. "we don't want to date each other."

"And we never will. We know. Polly set us straight." Hop Pop reiterated, shaking his head. It was a shame that it didn't work out but it had to be done. "Look kids, we're sorry for putting you two in this situation. Even if you do want to date each other, it should be on your terms and pace."

"Also, I'm sorry for not backing you up, Sprig. I've just been so worried about getting in trouble again." Sasha added, ashamedly scratching the back of her head.

Sprig blinked. "You mean the Sasha-Karma? Oh, totally. I get you."

"You guys gave a name for my bad luck?!"

Speaking of bad luck, it had finally come in doves. Love doves, to be precise. While everyone was confessing their sins as if it was a Sunday, the carnivorous birds finally returned and to their horror, their prey had somehow broken free.

"Should've kept the heartfelt apologies for when we get to safety."

SSHHRRIIIKKK!

Quickly, without fear or hesitation, Sprig and Ivy jumped in between the predators and the preys. They lifted their sticks, brandishing them as if they were swords and they were knights.

"Don't worry, guys! Sprig and I are ready for combat!" Ivy assured. "On a count of three. One... Two... Thr—!"

Before they could do anything, however, a puff of powder came flying from behind them, smacking the two love doves in the face. Stunned, the birds initially panicked but quickly quieted down before eventually and simultaneously, both doves gracefully fell onto the soft dirt, snoring peacefully. Baffled, Ivy and Sprig turned around to see who threw that, only to find Maddie who had positioned herself as backup. The weird girl had a small pouch in her hands, its contents appearing like glitter.

"Whoa, what did you do?" Sprig asked, gobsmacked.

"Sleeping hex. They'll be out for a few hours." Maddie divulged. "Always have some with me in case of emergencies."

Ivy squealed, awestruck. "Oooo, so that's the magic! That's so cool!"

For a moment, Maddie was taken aback. Usually, she didn't care about what people thought about her hobby. Much like Hop Pop, magic was often frowned upon in public, even though it wasn't illegal. Sprig was one of the few who genuinely was impressed by it and now, so was Ivy. The creepy girl couldn't help but smile slightly.

After everyone checked up on each other, Maddie packed her curses and waved. "Well, it's been fun but I gotta head back."

"Likewise for us two," Felicia added with a nodded. It has been one heck of a doozy evening. "Come on now, Ivy. Let's go home so I can apologize safely."

"Okay! That was fun." Ivy walked away with her mother, waving goodbye. "See ya, Sprig!"

"See ya, Ivy! And you too, Maddie." Sprig replied, returning the gesture to his two friends.

Now leaving only the Plantars, Hop Pop sighed. He was still disappointed over what happened but it wasn't a total loss. No one died, so that's a plus! "Well, I guess I'll be putting the courtship kit back in the attic for now." Hop Pop exclaimed, now the one holding Polly. "Heh, now I can focus on finding love for Polly."

Polly's eyes widened. "NOOOOOO!"

Sasha giggled. 'No good deed goes unpunished', as they said. Still, she was glad Polly was there to slap some sense in them. Sure, Sasha would be more careful today but she won't be a bystander anymore. She'd just have to do her best and make the most of what she had.

"Well, I guess that's the end of that. You and Ivy are back to just being friends and from the looks of it, Ivy and Maddie also became friends." Sasha noted with Sprig nodding in response.

"Yep. We're a trio now."

A trio, huh? How nice…

…

…

…

"You just fell in love with her, didn't you?"

"Ohohoho no. It's way worse." Sprig replied. "I think I'm in love with both of them."