- In the Forest - 

"Are we there yet?!" Cooper asked. 

Cooper and Barb were going back and forth asking this, and everyone was starting to get aggravated. 

"Are we the-" Barb almost asked. 

"BARB I SWEAR IF YOU ASK THAT AGAIN-" Poppy finnaly yelled. 

"Yeahhh I was getting bored of saying it" Barb said

"Well I wasn't! Are we there yet?!" Cooper asked again. 

"Cooper. If you ask that again-" Branch also spoke up. 

"I Wana make sure I'm aware of when we get there!" Cooper argued 

"Are you guys always fighting this much?" Lizie asked, as she stopped walking to turn around at them. 

"Well I mean, We do argue often" The Chips said like they had been their friends for a long time. 

"What the point of being friends if you just argue?" Lizie curiosly asked, wanting their opinon. 

"Lizie!" Stripe whisper-shouted

"Whaaaat?! I just wanna get their input!" Lizie whined

"Lizie-" Zoie said. 

Lizie rolled her eyes 

"Well, just because we, argue doesn't mean we don't love each other." Poppy smiled at Branch and her friends. 

"huh. Interesting..." Lizie pretend to note that down on her paw 

"All relationships have their ups and downs!" Poppy continued

Lizie sighed," not at our village." 

"What do you mean?" Branch asked

That's when Zoie stopped walking. 

"Look- we, are taking you guys to the caves to show you what we mean. We are almost their, so please remain pacient." 

"Okay then." Branch said.

As they continued walking, nobody was talking. That's until, Lizie's curiosity got the best of her. 

"... Sooo are you guys like, a couple?" Lizie gestured to Branch, as she asked  Poppy, 

"Yea we are!" Poppy said 

"Oooo!" Lizzie admired them

Zoie tried to change the subject, "I think we're here... Well almost, anyway." 

"THANK GOD WE'VE BEEN WALKING FOR LITERALLY EVERRR" Barb collapsed. The Chips hopped of her back

"I feel energized and ready to go! That was a long walk! " the Chips said

Barb glared down at them, "You didn't even walk. You just sat on my back the entire time." 

"Eh you can say that but I had to listen to you ask the same question non stop." The  Chips shrugged. 

"Can you guys stop going on about nonsense, and come here?!" Branch called from the caves. 

They looked around for where the caves were. In front of them they spotted the caves. All of the others had somehow already made it. 

"hehehhhh kinda, dark in here." Poppy said trying to hide her fear. 

"pfft! It's not supposed to be...." Lizie searched around for something. 

"Over here Lizie!" Stripe said from the other side of the cave. 

"OK!" Lizie rushed over to that side of the cave to meet with her two cousins. Then, they used all  three of their paws to activate a switch. When the switch was activted, all sorts of lights began to slowly light up. There were lanterns, fairy lights, lamps, and string lights. There were even some fireflies that could be spotted, flying out of the cave. 

"Ooooooo!" They all said. 

Lizie smirked, "Told ya! It's super duper pretty, especially at night!" 

Branch was staring at the cave wall, which now in the light, could be seen to have drawings on it. 

".. What this?" Poppy stood next to him. 

"True artist right here." Barb said 

"Better Than you" The Chips said. 

"But you never have seen Barb draw." Prince. D said. 

"That doesn't mean I don't know it's bad." The Chips pointed out. 

"He's not wrong." Barb shrugged. 

"Anyway. What is this? Do you guys just like- draw on a cave?" Poppy asked. 

"Not exactly! It's tells a story." Lizie said. 

"Not just any story though." Stripe added. 

"Oooo! Is it Luca??!" Poppy asked

"Uhh no- It literally tells the story we came here for." Stripe answered 

"Oh. That makes more sense." Poppy said

"Too bad it isn't Luca." Cooper, said 

"Ikr-" The Chips mumbled. 

"Can you guys just tell us the story? I'm STILL HUNGRY-" Barb complained. 

"Oh yeah!" Lizie glanced at Zoie and Stripe who nodded their heads for her to start.

"So about a year ago, we did live very happily! We had so many friends at our village. Everybody got along perfectly."

Lizie showed the pictures as she talked. The pictures somehow moved as she told the story. They moved to show the dogs talking and playing together. 

"But oneday, Two dogs got into an arguement." Lizie did not specify who they were, "Queen Aster, the ruler of our village, could not stand the continuous arguing." 

The drawings moved to show Queen Aster yelling at the two dogs. 

"She eventually did just let it go. But as time progressed, the arguing became more consistent. It would happen every day." 

"Huh.",Branch studied the drawings. 

"Suddenly, Queen Aster had enough. She gathered all of us together to talk to us, about the fights. Then she set a spell on us, without telling anybody." 

"Wait how did she do that? Is she a witch?" Poppy asked

"No, silly! Her crown holds magic!" Lizie said. 

"Hmmm..." Branch was thinking very hard about something. 

"Now, the spell caused us to stop arguing. We could only say kind things to one another. We Always had to agree to each other even when we simply didn't. Soon enough our village became dull, boring, and quiet"  Lizie explained 

The pictures changed to show the dogs hanging their heads, with fake smiles. 

" But here is the catch. Queen Aster didn't set the spell on herself! She was aloud to say anything she pleased." Stripe continued. 

"Bruh- Then why didn't you tell her to set it on herself?" Barb rolled her eyes. 

"Because, we were not aloud to argue. And apparently, trying to convince the Queen was considerd arguing. When anyone tried, what we said always translated to something kind." Zoie explained. 

"o h" Barb said

"But how come you guys seem fine? Poppy asked. 

"OOO CAN I TELL THEM?!" Lizzie asked. 

"Go for it." Zoie said

"Zoie made a cure to the spell! But only us three took it, because when we tried to convince our village, Queen Aster found out. Thennnn she kicked us out." Lizzie Smiled. 

"Actually no-" Stripe said,"She gave us the option for her to re-cast the spell, or leave. Obviously, we chose to leave." 

Branch had been lost in thought and hadn't been listening for a bit. Finnaly, Poppy noticed him. 

"Uhh Branchh?" Poppy said loudly. 

"Oh uh, Cool story 😁👍!" Branch smiled

They all looked at him. 

"I take that, as you weren't listening." Poppy rolled her eyes

"Well I wassss... Up until you got to the spell part" Branch responded. "But that's because I have a question." 

"OOO! What is it?!" Lizie asked

"I'm just slightly confused. How did Queen Aster set the spell?" Branch wondered. 

"Duh! With her crown!" Lizie pointed at her head

"Wait a second," Prince D. Began, "Crazy thought but, Could she use the magic in her crown to help us get home?" 

"Actually-I'm not so sure." Zoie, answerd him.

"The only way we could figure out is by asking her. And I don't know if we'll even be able to go in the village-" Stripe sighed 

"Is it because your afraid of being seen?" Poppy asked. 

"Pretty much! We are very recognizable " Lizie said

Poppy looked like she had come up with a plan. 

"Oh boy-I know that look." Branch rolled his eyes.

"Huh What look?" Lizie looked at Poppy, "Ohhh that look! I do that look all the time! It means I have a crazy plan! " 

"Annnd that's Exactly what I have! A crazy plan, that might just work..." Poppy smiled at them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~