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Chapter Text

The air was warm, the sky shone bright blues and warm yellows with the arrival of the rising sun. A breeze swept through the village of the Pop Trolls, carrying scents of pollen and distant rain. On the edge of the forest, a certain dark-haired troll sat enjoying the quiet morning.

The corners of his eyes were wrinkled in a small smile as he took a deep breath in, savoring the air that seemed to fill him with hope for the day. The twittering of birdsong in the trees behind him only seemed to aid his sense of calm, something had he had rarely been able to relish in after the events of the past few months.

Branch’s life had changed so quickly in such a short amount of time, it gave him a sense of mental whiplash like nothing else he’d ever experienced. He had changed from one person to another in what felt like the blink of an eye, his entire lifestyle morphing before him into something he could only have dreamed of before.

For years of his life, he’d been shrouded in a cloud of grief so thick that he couldn’t seem to see through it. His entire life had seemed to crash and burn before his eyes, without anyone to explain why.

He’d been born into a world with four brothers, four confident, charming, caring, funny brothers. They were his world, and for a time, he thought he was theirs, too. Branch had felt like he belonged, anywhere in the world—as long as his brothers were beside him.

One stood out above the rest, though. There was one Troll who’d been by his side no matter what life threw at him, no matter the time, no matter the place. His face was as clear in Branch’s mind as if his favorite brother had been standing right in front of him.

Floyd.

Floyd was everything that a big brother should’ve been. He was kind, he soothed Branch’s worries no matter how insignificant they were deemed by the others. He’d support even the most naive of Branch’s ideas, even something as childish as a ten-foot water slide. As a child, Branch thought Floyd to be the perfect brother that everyone deserved.

That outlook on life crumbled away before him in the aftermath of his very first—and last show. Being on stage with his brothers was awe-inspiring. He felt star struck, whether by his brothers, or the glare of the stage lights in his glasses, he couldn’t tell; but suddenly as quick as they began, their entire performance broke apart.

They’d been so focused on accomplishing one thing: the perfect family harmony. Something that signifies a bond as a family, that sent ripples of energy through the air and lit up the sky like nothing else in the world. It was rumored to be so powerful, it was the only thing that could shatter diamond.

In just a few moments though, they’d failed—and made a complete fool of themselves doing so.

He could hardly remember what was exchanged between his brothers in the dressing room. None of them had spoken to him, it was all angry back and forth shouts over his head between them and John Dory, their oldest brother and self-designated leader.

Branch could only remember being scared. He’d followed the verbal shots back and forth with his gaze, tears welling up and dotting the lenses of his glasses as he watched his family break apart into nothing. Rapidly, without even a goodbye, his brothers were gone, with their last words being nothing but venom-filled growls tossed over their shoulders.

Except, a figure was crouching down before him. Familiar red hair filled his damp gaze as he looked up at his big brother Floyd. For a few moments, he thought he hadn’t lost all of his brothers. Floyd was the one Troll who he believed in, he wouldn’t leave him too. His hope was crushed when the words that still haunted his ears today were spoken by his big brother.

“Not forever. I’ll be back, I promise.”

Unfortunately for Branch in his childhood nativity, he had been stupid enough to believe him—and so he waited, and waited, and waited. Suddenly days turned into weeks, weeks into months—and months into years.

The last person Branch had in the world was his grandmother. She was the last piece of his brothers he had, she reminded him of Floyd in small ways that he clung to at all costs. It was fitting that she would be the one to save him from his fate, the greedy clawed hand of a Bergen.

He could still hear her screams, when it got to quiet and he let himself get to thinking. Any time the song he’d been singing when she saved him appeared into his head like a curse, he felt a wave of nauseating grief so strong that he nearly couldn’t stand.

He was unfortunate enough to still retain the memory of him falling from the tree, hitting the ground with a force that made his entire body go searing cold. He’d feel that pain a thousand times over if it meant he could go back and save her.

He’d lost his brothers for what felt like second time that day. Any connection he’d ever had with them since they’d left was gone. Music, the one thing that’d brought them so close together—not only broke them apart, but led to the downfall of their grandmother.

He’d felt the music seep out of him as if it were cold water dripping down his body.. His color leeched from his skin, stealing away his bright teals and blues, to be replaced with the dull grays of someone he did not recognize. His life had felt over right then and there. Not only had he lost his brother’s music, but no longer did he even resemble his family.

That was—until he met *her.* The most fearless, spirited and bright Troll he would ever have the fortune of meeting. Her name was Poppy, and she would be the one Troll who wouldn’t give up on him. She would frustratingly, *infuriatingly* push Branch out of his comfort zone like nobody else had bothered to do.

She’d stayed by his side no matter how much he’d tried to push her away—enduring everything he threw at her. Even through his sarcastic remarks, she’d have a snappy retort always ready to keep him on his toes. She taught him so many things that he thought he’d been so sure about.

Even through their ups and downs, where they’d have disagreements and go their separate ways, they’d always make it back to each-other in the end. These moments were always so scary to Branch, and he’d think he’d lost her too; but she’d always come back in the end, and that’s how he came to believe in her.

She’d brought out his true colors, and helped him finally recognize himself again. Suddenly, for the first time in years, he had someone in his life who made an effort to stay. She gave him a reason to sing, a reason wake up each morning and look forward to what the day had to offer.

She’d become his best friend, something that he’d long since giving up on ever having. Soon his heart had started to race every time he saw her. It would dance and sing in his chest with a feeling of adoration that he hadn’t felt in years, long before he’d ever lost anyone.

Their holding hands began to linger, stolen glances became exchanged looks, and her smiles made him unable to stop smiling in return. She became the first thing he’d think of when he woke up, and the last thing to appear in his mind before he fell asleep.

He’d struggle with these emotions for so long, not knowing what to do with them in fear of losing the one person who meant the most to him. It was a split-second decision that ended this struggle through, as he flung himself through the air to shield the light of his life from the Ultimate Power Chord.

The pain was excruciating, but once more—he’d feel that pain a thousand times over if it meant keeping her safe. After she’d helped to save him and the lives of others once again, he’d finally realized that he couldn’t live his life hiding his feelings any longer. He’d told her he loved her, and to his heart’s delight, she’d felt the same.

Now they were together, spending their afternoons trailing after one another from task to task. They’d savor any and all time spent together, even if it was something as simple as doing different tasks in the same room. Poppy would oftentimes scrapbook in the floor of his bunker while he’d make repairs—or at least pretend to, so he could get away with stealing glances in her direction.

This would culminate into the night Poppy had kissed him on the cheek, where he felt any semblance of his hard exterior that was left melt away. From that night on they’d been closer than ever before. It made him the happiest he’d ever felt, and while the old him might’ve looked upon the morning like another day to survive, he now saw it as a day to live.

Suddenly a loud noise interrupted the peace, a familiar voice accompanied by a flurry of movement at his side.

“You’re up early!”

Poppy greeted, appearing suddenly beside him and causing Branch so scuttle and struggle to get to his feet. He didn’t know if she’d caught him looking wistfully into the sunrise, or if he still had time to salvage a nonchalant demeanor.

“Poppy! Oh hey, I- I didn’t see you there!”

He’d say as he finally managed to stand, waving his hands around frantically in search for something, anything to do with them. Eventually he shifted a few poses of leaning on a tree beside him before finally crossing his arms tight over his his chest and managing an awkward smile.

Poppy only laughed, endeared by his frenzied scurry to appear as if he’d been expecting her arrival all long. The sound was music to Branch’s ears and his smile became a bit more real. He rubbed the back of his neck with one arm as the other fell to his side.

Poppy beamed up at him, gazing with bright eyes. She rocked on her feet, biting her lip and beginning to jog in place in apparent excitement for something mysterious that she had yet to tell her boyfriend. Branch raised a suspicious brow, wondering what trouble she had gotten into already.

“Is there something you wanna tell me?”

Branch asked, and wasn’t surprised when Poppy exploded in a tumble of words where she grabbed his hands in hers and began to jump up and down at a speed that nearly pulled both of his arms out of socket simultaneously.

“YES I’m so glad you asked! I was talking to Bridget and since we’re like *best friends* I get to be the first to know all of the hot happenings in Bergen Town, which is like- SO cool, but because of that I found out that her and King Gristle are getting MARRIED! I get help plan her wedding and I’ve ALWAYS wanted to help plan her wedding and that’s-“

Poppy had began to talk so fast that Branch lost track, and eventually devolved to simply watch her speak with a small smile on his face. When she lost all of the breath in her lungs, she took a big gulping gasp and had to take a minute to breathe.

Branch’s eyes met hers, and she laughed breathlessly before looking down at their hands, still breathing heavily to recover from her passionate speech about her best friend’s engagement. Branch tucked a loose strange of pink hair behind her hair before she smiled and finally seemed to be finished recovering.

“Basically, I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to the castle today to start planning. Do you want to come with me?”

She squeezed his hands in hers, a wordless reassuring gesture. Branch loved seeing her this happy, her happiness radiated off of her until it became his own as well. He couldn’t help but be happy for her in times like this.

“I think I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Pop Village for you. Enjoy your time with Bridget, yeah?”

Poppy nodded, her face a mix of elation and disappointment at the notion that Branch wasn’t coming with her. She loved having him at her side, but he knew that having someone here to keep an eye over her subjects would allow her to fully appreciate her best friend’s company.

Poppy nodded assuredly, squeezing Branch’s hands again before pulling him forward into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her as she did the same, pulling each-other close into an embrace that seemed to last for lifetimes. She nuzzled into his neck, resting her head on his shoulder for a long few moments.

Their heart beats both sped up as they hugged, seemingly greeting each-other as they became close against each-other’s chests. After what felt like not long enough, as their hugs often did, they pulled away—their hands slipping into their familiar places in eachother’s grasps again. Poppy kissed Branch on the cheek, leaving what felt like fireworks across his face as she did so.

He suppressed a giggle and felt his face grow hot, and Poppy gave him another one of her beaming grins before waving and trotting away back into the trees. Branch watched her go, his heart feeling full to a point that it seemed to take up his entire chest.

He rubbed his face in preparation to make the walk back to Pop Village, not wanting the other Trolls to see himself in such a vulnerable state, one that was meant for Poppy’s eyes only. As he was looking down shyly, his eyes caught on his vest, the familiar overlapping petals of green igniting a distant memory.

He stopped to study it further, running his hand along the stitching as he thought about his brothers while people he loved was on his mind. His ears dropped slightly at the thought of them, but he shook it off with a shake of his head. Before he could take a step forward and move on towards the safety of Pop Village, the ground fell out from beneath him.

Suddenly the world around was washed in a deep purple, and the surface around him was unnaturally smooth and cold to the touch. He yelped in surprise, being flung onto his back as he was scooped up into a geometric container. He looked up in horror at the vast figure before him, feeling white hot terror flow through his veins.

Chapter Text

Poppy tried to walk back to Pop Village with a pep in her step, despite the strange urge to turn around and stay with Branch. She could sense that something was troubling him, something that she had yet the opportunity to ask him about.

Their relationship was fresh and new, and still held a delicate balance of patience and excitement that left Poppy with what felt like her own personal sun in her chest. Just thinking about Branch made her heart soar and she jogged through the forest humming a favorite upbeat melody of hers.

She greeted her friends as she approached the village, giving the familiar faces a welcoming smile and waving to them in turn. Her dad caught her eye, and although he looked like he wanted to speak to her, she hurried past and called out a:

“Can’t talk Dad, I’ve got a wedding to plan!”

Confused shouts followed after her as she skipped away, murmurings about her getting married and amused laughter fading into silence as she made her way past those who knew her best. She wouldn’t let anything get her down today, not when she had the opportunity to do something she’d always dreamed of!

***

The time with Bridget would go by all too quickly, especially since they’d gotten basically nothing done aside from a messy scrapbook page that was covered in so much glitter that it was completely illegible. Their entire hangout session had consisted of talks of the future, as well as how Poppy’s relationship with Branch was going.

Poppy knew it was time to leave when Bridget suggested that they have a double wedding, of which Poppy couldn’t help but turn her down. Her and Branch? Married? So soon? No. Before Poppy managed to escape her own embarrassment however, Bridget stopped her.

“Poppy? I have something for you.”

The Bergen would say, rummaging around in once of her pockets before gingerly pulling out a troll-sized envelope, one so small compared to the Bergen that it was hardly visible against her palm. Poppy walked onto Bridget’s outstretched hand to pick it up, flipping it over to read the address. With a jolt of shock, she saw that it was addressed to the troll tree, for someone named Floyd.

Poppy didn’t read other troll’s mail, but it was certainly odd that a troll-sized letter would be adressed to the troll tree—somewhere that no troll had lived in decades. Poppy gave a confused look up at her best friend, who returned it with a shrug. The sun was setting as Poppy left Bergen Town, half of her fingers stuck together by glue and her hair full of glitter.

When she returned home, she’d immediately sought out Branch to tell him about the odd letter and find out what had happened since she left. She strolled around the village, checking in on her friends and subjects and asking where Branch was. As far as any of them knew, they hadn’t seen him—which wasn’t exactly uncommon.

Branch had almost always been an outsider for as long as Poppy had known him. It was only when she began to understand why he was so standoffish that she began to break through his barriers. Beneath the sarcasm, insults, and nihilism; she’d discovered a diamond in the rough.

Branch—her Branch, the one that only she seemed to really be able to see, was intuitive and caring. He’d saved her multiple times, and although it had grown to be unnatural to him in the years he spent gray—he could be incredibly affectionate. All it had taken was faith, and a little bit of time. She’d always believed he’d been under there.

Poppy continued to look for Branch, heading next to his bunker, where she knocked many times to no avail.  Next, she checked with her dad, the once King of the Pop Trolls. As she walked into his pod, his face lit up in recognition.

“Poppy! I’ve been looking for you!”

Peppy would exclaim, shambling over to her with his cane in hand. Poppy didn’t pull away from his outstretched arms, instead leaning into his hug. She felt bad for leaving him hanging before, but still felt the urge to leave and continue her search for Branch.

“There’s something I saw last night that I think you as Queen should know about.”

Her father told her, his voice quieting slightly in concern that Poppy hadn’t noticed beforehand. Her brow furrowed slightly in worry, and she tilted her head in question. Instead of answering her, Peppy waved her forward and lead the way out of the pod. Poppy followed reluctantly, despite wanting to walk in the opposite direction.

Peppy would lead her far away from the village, winding a long way through the trees and out into the edge of the forest in a similar spot to where Poppy had found Branch earlier that day. A glimmer of hope shone in her chest that she might see him around, but he wasn’t there. Her disappointment was replaced with curiosity when the certain thing Peppy wanted to show her yawned before them.

A huge footprint spanned in the mud around their wake, one around the size of a giant’s like Bergens. This one though was oddly unnatural, sharp and straight geometric lines pressed into the ground. Poppy glanced over at her father hesitantly, only to be met with the same look in return.

“Not a Bergen.”

He’d say, reflecting her own inner thoughts as she looked back down at the footprint. She fidgeted with her hands unsurely, trying to see the best in the situation.

“It looks like it’s from someone I’ve never seen before. Maybe we’ll be able to make a new friend, if we can find out who made it.”

Her voice chirped into a cheerful tone towards the end, hoping to seem more hopeful than she felt. Peppy studied her unsurely, shaking his head slightly. Peppy was never one to embrace strangers or change, so she wasn’t surprised by his unenthusiastic reaction.

“Speaking of someone I’ve never seen before,”

Poppy would exclaim with a sudden jump, pulling out the letter and nearly making her father fall into the footprint with how much he flinched in surprise. Poppy presented the letter to him, watching his face closely. She knew he had a tendency to keep secrets and hide them poorly, and she wasn’t going to let any slide.

“Bridget gave me this letter when I was with her today. It was addressed to the old troll tree for some reason, and for someone named Floyd. I don’t know anyone named Floyd, do you?”

Peppy took the envelope into his hands, studying it with squinted eyes in the quickly falling darkness. He was once the king of many Trolls, and there were even more to keep track of now that they had they had made peace with the Bergens and were no longer getting eaten. Poppy didn’t expect for her father to recognize the name off the top of his head.

“I’m… Not sure. If it was addressed to the troll tree though, this Floyd must be a Pop Troll.”

Peppy handed the letter back to Poppy, who put it safely away again. She was quiet for a moment, silently wracking her brain for any mention of a Floyd she could remember. When nothing came to mind, she gave a sigh and rubbed her forehead. This was yet another mystery she’d have to figure out.

“Oh, well. I’ll have Branch help me track them down, once I find him. Oh, have you seen him today, by the way?”

Poppy asked, sure that Peppy had seen him at least once today, as much as the ex-king tried to help out around Pop Village. The last of her hope was stomped out with Peppy shook his head, his ears falling.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. I’ve been looking for him since you left, but I have yet to see him. Is something wrong?”

Peppy’s voice raised slightly higher, and Poppy quickly waved her hands to stop her father from beginning to worry. He had a tendency to panic about things that could be solved easily, and Poppy didn’t want him to think that trolls were beginning to go missing again.

“Nope, nothing’s wrong! Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s just on a walk, or taking a nap somewhere. You know how he is, he’s never gone for long.”

Peppy gave Poppy a suspicious look, narrowing his eyes and frowning even harder than he was before. Poppy figured that her attempt to ease his worries hadn’t succeeded. Instead of arguing her case, she simply took her dad’s hand and began leading him back to Pop Village while talking about what her and Branch had been up to lately to make up for her boyfriend’s absence.

After she’d made sure that her father had made it back to his pod safely, she became slightly frantic in her search for Branch. He was never gone for long, certainly not all day. Even when they were both extremely busy with whatever they each got up to, Branch would make sure to check in and go over the agenda for the rest of the day.

Even more odd, Branch wouldn’t leave without telling someone. Even though he’d broken through his old paranoid habits, he still closely followed his safety protocols, and never went anywhere outside of Troll Village without telling someone, especially without telling her. Poppy pulled out the letter and read it again, feeling an odd inkling that perhaps the arrival of this odd letter had something to do with his disappearance.

The urge to tear open the envelope and read the entirety of the letter was almost too much to bear now, and she resorted to putting it away yet again to avoid the temptation. She would find whoever this Floyd was, and figure out what they had to do with her boyfriend’s disappearance.

Chapter Text

Branch was taken far away, somewhere that was covered head to toe in unnatural shapes and colors, ones that couldn’t be more different than the natural living beauty of Pop Village. He’d hardly gotten a good look at his captors before he’d been whisked away, but from the short glance he’d managed to take—he knew they were like nothing he’d ever seen before.

Suddenly now he was in an enormous dressing room, his prison having been unceremoniously clinked down on the table after hours of non-stop travel. The sudden jolt send him stumbling sideways, and he’d barely been able to catch himself on one of the angular walls before he tripped over his own feet.

“Finally, I’ve been waiting to get my hands on a Troll for forever.”

One of his captors would say, a tall girl with porcelain white skin and shocking green hair. Her voice was dramatic and matter-of-fact, and she looked over at the boy beside her with a proud expression. The boy beside her looked slightly dubious as he studied Branch, but the expression vanished almost as soon as it arrived. He opened his mouth to speak, but Branch cut him off.

“Who are you?!”

Branch called up to them, pushing himself off of the glass floor and balling his hands into fists at his sides as he looked between the two giants who seemed entirely alien to him. They were as big as Bergens, but no Bergen had ever lookied like they did.

The duo looked down at Branch before back up at each-other, and the girl laughed—a barking giggle that sent an unsettled shiver down Branch’s spine. She had a mischievous twinkle in her eye, and Branch could sense that her intentions were far from good.

“We’re Velvet and Veneer, the soon-to-be best pop stars of our generation, and you, little Troll—are going to help us.”

Branch’s face contorted in disgust, and he shook his head sharply. Help these two random strangers with their singing career? He didn’t think so. If they wanted help, they kidnapped the wrong Troll. Someone else would be more suited for this, someone like-

Poppy. Branch froze in fear as he thought about his girlfriend. Was she taken too? Or was she still safe at Pop Village, likely searching for him? How long had he been gone? Without the outside sunlight to base his sense of time off of, he had no clue. He wanted to ask if they had anyone else, but didn’t want to give away the fact that there would more Trolls where he came from.

“Help you? I don’t think so, you’re fools if you think this is the way to go about making something of yourselves.”

Branch would say, turning away from Velvet and Veneer to push at the walls and try in vain to climb up them. To his disappointment, the lid of the container was sealed, and the slippery crystalline walls didn’t budge. Behind him, Velvet laughed again.

“Aww, look, little brother; he thinks we’re giving him a choice. Sorry, Troll—but there’s only so long we can survive on lip syncing and auto tune. Be glad we’re putting whatever talent you have left to good use.”

Without letting Branch reply, Velvet picked up Branch’s prison. He’d noticed that it resembled a perfume bottle, completed with an atomizer that upon being compressed, seemed to sap the life out of Branch’s very body. He felt himself get lifted off of the ground as Velvet sprayed herself, getting showered with a blue sparkling mist that glittered as it fell onto her.

With every spray, Branch felt himself grow weaker and weaker. An aching leeching pain stole away all of the strength he had in his body, and he let out a moan of agony. He fell back down to the floor of the prison, collapsing to his hands and knees as Velvet belted out a long song riff that sounded almost nothing like the voice he’d just heard from her.

Branch struggled back up to his feet, still feeling weak in the knees after having his talent leeched from him for the first time. He glared up at Velvet with a piercing gaze, his eyes narrowed to slits as he pressed his hands up against the wall.

“I thought Trolls were supposed to be happy. This one’s giving us the evil eye, are we sure it’s not rotten or something?”

Veneer asked hesitantly from beside his sister, making no attempt to pick up Branch’s prison for himself. Velvet, who looked entirely too pleased with herself for talent that wasn’t hers, waved Veneer off with an annoyed eye-roll.

“Don’t be ridiculous, he might be a bit dull-looking, but he works just fine. Besides, I have just the idea for how to get more. You see, little brother; this Troll was once a part of Brozone.”

Veneer looked at Velvet with a blank expression, and she face-palmed with a sigh. On the vanity table, Branch felt cold floods of horror flow through his veins. He hadn’t heard the name Brozone mentioned in ages, and for it to come from the mouth of his captor made it all the more devastating to hear.

“Leave my brothers out of this-!”

Branch shouted, backing up rapidly before ramming his shoulder into the crystal walls. He bounced off it, not even a dent on the surface of the purple structure. Velvet roughly picked the bottle up and shook it, sending Branch into a flurry of motion inside with a yelp of surprise.

“Don’t even waste your time trying to escape, Troll. This bottle is pure diamond, you’ll just end up hurting yourself.”

She set him back down with a tsk of annoyance before turning patiently back to her brother, all sign of annoyance gone once more. Branch pushed himself up onto his elbows on the floor of the diamond prison, gazing with distressed unfocused eyes into the distance.

“You see, my beautiful idiot of a brother; this Troll is a part of a band of many very talented and famous brothers. With them, we’ll win every award in Mount Rageous. I, in all my genius—forged a letter from this one, begging to be set free.”

Velvet would say, gesturing to Branch with an outstretched hand. Branch glowered from Velvet to Veneer, his brain meticulously studying all of the information he had at his disposal. His heart thumped rapidly in his chest, threatening to claw its way up his throat.

A short flood of relief calmed him for a moment. His captors weren’t aware that Brozone had broke up completely. This relief was short lived, as Branch thought about the fact that Brozone was no more.

Would his brothers even come looking for him? They’d abandoned him all those years ago, he had no idea if they would choose to do it again when he needed them most. Branch sat back to lean against the wall of his prison with a wince, still sore from his talent being leeched from him. He set his hand down on the floor of his diamond prison, closing his eyes shut tight.

There was only one thing that could shatter diamond; the perfect family harmony. The one thing that had brought his brothers so close together, and yet so far apart. It had been the destruction of Brozone, and the reason why they’d all abandoned Branch. They’d failed to complete it, and it had destroyed their family. How could they do it now? If he’d meant so little to them then, why would they drop all of their lives to accomplish something that had never been done?

Old memories from when he was a child began to well up in his mind again, memories that he had managed to suppress for years until now. Memories of him sitting alone after the death of his grandma, feeling a sense of loneliness so crushing that he felt he would break in two. Memories of his last interaction with Floyd, one that would appear to him in nightmares for months after.

Branch felt flurries of doubt and fear cloud his senses until he could no longer hear the babbling words of his captors Velvet and Veneer. For once, he was truly powerless to save himself. He would have to rely on his brothers, who had abandoned him once before. How could he trust them to not do it again?

Branch was forcibly snapped back to the present moment with Veneer responded, any semblance of doubt or reluctance on his face having disappeared.

“Wow, Vels, you’re amazing.”

Velvet fanned herself at the compliment, grinning.

“I am amazing! Ooh, we should write a song about that!”

Velvet would sharply pick up Branch’s prison, tossing it to Veneer who caught it defensively, fumbling and nearly dropping it—though Velvet hardly noticed.

“Go ahead and give yourself a spritz, we’ve got work to do.”

With that, she prowled out of the room, her heels clicking on the tile floor. Veneer avoided looking at Branch as he mimicked his sister in spraying himself before hurrying after her, setting Branch back down before he did so.

With more of his talent gone, Branch would hardly stand. He tried to get up before stumbling and falling back down, resigning to curling up on the floor of the diamond bottle, curling his tail over his legs. His surroundings were cold, and everywhere he touched seemed to sap the warmth from his skin, just as his prison sapped the talent from himself.

Could he rely on his brothers after all this time? Or would their abandonment of him be his downfall?

Chapter Text

Poppy woke the next morning with her hope slowly waning. With still no sign of Branch, she knew she couldn’t wait any longer. Something was wrong, and she was going to found out why. Leaving her dad in charge, Poppy gazed down at a concert pamphlet in her hand.

She’d asked around the entirety of Pop Village for anyone who knew of someone named Floyd, and to her luck, some Trolls did. They showed her records and signed autographs of a musician named Floyd who was a Pop Troll, someone who was old enough to have once lived in the Troll tree.

After speaking to some of her friends about it further, they reminded her that Floyd was once a member of a band named Brozone—one that she had loved when she was younger. They’d broken up years ago, and Floyd had made his own solo career away from them.

One of her friends had given her a pamphlet detailing Floyd’s show schedule for the week, and now Poppy set off in the direction of the venue he was set to preform at later that morning. On her journey there through the forest, she felt an odd sense of wrong-ness starting an adventure without Branch.

He’d always insisted on joining her in anything she might get up to, whether he’d wanted to come or not. Without him, she felt weirdly unprepared for what she might find. Her normally wagging tail dropped slightly at the thought. Poppy hoped Branch would come home soon, she missed him.

The time she spent traveling went by relatively quickly, as she got lost in thought quietly singing a tune while thinking about Branch. Over time, the forest around her grew a bit cooler as she traveled east and out of Pop Troll territory.

From what she had heard, Floyd formed his solo career away from Pop Village, and was never in one place for very long. It was important she find him before he slipped away, and lose her chance to get answers about him and any connection he might have to Branch.

She’d arrive at a town in the forest belonging to none of the Troll tribes, an unclaimed territory sandwiched between that of the Classical and Rock trolls—according to her map, at least. The piece of parchment was crowded with updates she’d made to it, fitting in all of the known genres and villages she’d met.

The town Poppy reached seemed to be a mix of many types of Trolls, rainbows of colors covering a certain stretch of forest. Some lived in pods suspended in the air, while others lived in a nearby river, and others in houses that littered the forest floor. Poppy gaped at the scene before her with a grin. This must’ve been a relatively new town, forming after her and Branch had helped bring peace across the Trolls.

This was what she’d fought so hard for. To see Trolls of all kinds living together and enjoying music—all music. It was a sight that filled her back up with hope and determination to find Branch. If these Trolls could surpass decades of separation, then she could survive and surpass this time without Branch.

Poppy practically skipped her way through the village, her tail wagging as she happily greeted various Trolls with a wave. Poppy pulled out the pamphlet again to study the drawing of the venue, looking up at landscape with a refreshed gaze. Spotting the building down a ways, she hurried over to it and through the doors.

It was crowded, practically full to capacity with Trolls of all types. The four-legged Trolls of Country and Funk, two-legged of Rock and Pop, and the last two tribes who hovered and flew, Classical and Techno. She could even notice Trolls she didn’t recognize, who must’ve been sub genres like Cooper’s brother, or Hickory. Voices of all kinds sung along to whoever was singing, enjoying the song as one.

Poppy weaved her way through the crowd, humming along as best she could despite not knowing the song herself. As the stage came into view, Poppy stopped in her tracks. Her gaze landed on the Troll who was singing, a Pop Troll who seemed so oddly familiar in more ways than one.

He was playing a guitar, and sung the song he was performing into the microphone with a smile on his face. He looked kind, a lock of his pink hair draped over one of his eyes. His skin was an aquamarine that Poppy was familiar with, but didn’t know exactly why. His voice was familiar though, and Poppy knew then that this Troll was a member of Brozone after all.

Poppy remembered that had a goal in mind, and kept working her way through the mass of Trolls to get as close to the stage as she could. She stood off to the side, watching the performance from a distance and waiting for it to end. Her tail flicked side to side with the beat, and she couldn’t deny that this Troll hadn’t lost any of his talent from his band days.

Floyd would play a couple more songs before wrapping up, thanking everyone for coming as he did so. As the crowd flooded out of the venue, murmuring excitedly amongst themselves, Poppy approached the stage once more—albeit slightly nervously. Floyd was slinging his guitar onto his shoulder and getting ready to leave as well when Poppy greeted him.

“Hi! You’re Floyd, right?”

She asked cheerfully, happy to meet one of her idols while simultaneously growing one step closer to possibly finding Branch. The Troll in front of her looked up, looking surprised that he was being addressed. He straightened up awkwardly, giving her a shy sheepish smile before answering.

“I am, can I help you with something?”

He asked in response, adjusting his shoulder strap as he studied Poppy curiously. Poppy took a moment to reply, still trying to figure out why this Troll was so familiar. Poppy realized she was quiet after a moment and jumped slightly as she replied.

“Oh, I have a letter for you, actually-!”

Poppy would say, pulling out the letter and holding it out to the older Troll. Floyd seemed hesitant to take it at first, but upon noticing his name written upon it, he took it from her. Looking down at it, he glanced back up at Poppy.

“Where’d you get this…?”

He asked, and Poppy noticed that she’d forgotten to introduce herself. She cleared her throat before bowing slightly.

“I’m Poppy, a friend of mine discovered that letter at the old Troll tree in Bergen Town.”

Surprise blinked itself into Floyd’s eyes and he gaped slightly, only looking away to finally glance down at the letter in his hands. Floyd slowly turned it over, tearing open the envelope and opening it. As Floyd read what the letter said, his eyes widened and Poppy thought she could see him going slightly pale.

Poppy yelped and stepped forward to catch Floyd by the arm as he nearly stumbled backwards and fell. She helped to steady him, shocked by the Trolls reaction to whatever was in the letter. Floyd didn’t say anything to her, shaking his head to himself slightly and sinking down into a sit. Poppy looked down at the letter he’d dropped, picking it up and reading it.

“Dear Floyd, I’m being held against my will in a diamond prison by superstars Velvet and Veneer. Come to Mount Rageous at once, and bring our brothers. Love, Branch.”

Poppy felt her heart give a strange shudder at the sight of Branch’s name signed neatly at the bottom of the page. She glanced from Floyd to the letter a few times, unable to believe that what she was witnessing was real. This Troll was Branch’s brother? Looking at him she could kind of see it now, and realized that was why she found him so familiar. He looked like a version of Branch who’d never lost his color, possessing nearly the same skin tone to the younger Troll.

“‘Brothers?’”

She exclaimed, looking back down at the letter in disbelief.

“You’re Branch’s brother?!”

Floyd looked up at Poppy, his expression appearing distraught at what he’d read. Floyd stood up shakily, his tail flicking sharply from side to side. His hands were quivering slightly as he rubbed his neck, shifting the weight of his guitar to his other shoulder.

“Branch is my brother, yes- You… You know him?”

He asked, his ears pinned to the sides of his head. Poppy gave a breathless scoff and nodded, pressing her lips together to try and stop herself from launching into a rant. This was unsuccessful.

“Branch is my boyfriend, actually. It’s a really long story—but he went missing yesterday, and I was wondering where he went- And this letter showed up at the Troll tree around the same time, so I thought it could be connected and it was! I can’t believe Branch never told me he had a brother!”

Poppy’s emotions were fighting to take control of her brain, panic and surprise mixing together until she felt like she would explode from the pressure of it all. Floyd looked overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information Poppy had dropped on him, but he managed to mutter out:

“Four, actually. He… We have four brothers.”

Floyd both looked and sounded nervous, and thinking about it now, Poppy realized that if Floyd was a member of Brozone, a band of brothers, and was brothers with Branch, then that must mean-

“Branch was a member of Brozone-?!”

Poppy felt faint. Why had he never told her this? This was information she deemed as important, she was so going to chew his ear off for never telling her—after she saved him. Floyd seemed not to notice her shock though, and blinked a few times before beginning to walk off the stage. Poppy followed him, confused.

“Where are you going?”

She asked worriedly, thinking that Floyd was going to ignore the letter entirely. Her brain buzzing with so many bombshells that had been dropped on her so soon, and fearing for her boyfriend’s safety she couldn’t help but imagine the worst. Floyd glanced over his shoulder at Poppy, slowing down in his pace a bit to let her catch up.

“You read the letter, my brother needs help. Diamond can only be broken by the perfect family harmony, and for that, I need my brothers.”

Poppy sped up slightly to walk determinedly beside him, relief making her legs feel as if they were turning to jelly. Floyd was going to help save him, she wouldn’t be doing this alone after all. She beamed up at him, and he exchanged it with his own small smile.

“Branch is my partner, and my best friend. I’m coming with you.”

Poppy would say, more than ready to argue her case and not take no for an answer- But Floyd simply nodded over at her before looking forward again. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, having expecting someone related to Branch to try and stop her.

“Alright. I think I know just where to start.”

Poppy followed Floyd through the streets and out of the town, savoring the company of another Troll after thinking she would have to travel and save Branch alone. She looked forward diligently, the idea of Branch being held captive powering her steps.

‘We’re coming, Branchifer. Just hang in there.’

Chapter Text

Floyd knew only the whereabouts of one of his brothers. The eldest of the brothers John Dory hadn’t ever gone far, choosing to live a solitary life in the forest and spend his days hiking Neverglade trail. According to Floyd, John Dory had been the only one of the brothers to announce where he was going.

“If anyone knows where Clay and Spruce are, it’s John. He was our manager of sorts, I doubt he stopped keeping track of all of us just because we stopped talking.”

Floyd would explain to Poppy as they made their way through the forest that grew ever denser around them. Poppy’s ears perked as she learned even more information about Branch and his brothers.

“Why did you guys stop talking after the band broke up? They’re your family after all.”

Floyd glanced over his shoulder at her, his gaze darkening slightly. Poppy felt that she was beginning to intrude on some personal business that she would much rather be asking Branch, rather than a Troll she’d met not long ago.

“… The band took its toll on all of us. We didn’t act like brothers anymore, more like coworkers—at least, most of us did. Branch was too young to understand.”

Poppy hopped over a log, jumping down and kicking a pebble across the dirt. She couldn’t imagine seeing her family as anything other than family. With everything that Poppy had known about Branch’s past previously, what she continued to learn now made her heart break for him.

“I don’t blame Branch for never talking about us.”

Floyd continued ahead of her, his voice growing quieter despite him not getting any further away.

“We all left when he was a baby. I don’t know about the others, but I haven’t since him since then. A day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t thought about him, though.”

Poppy felt slight indignation well up in her head. No wonder she’d never known Branch had any brothers, if he hadn’t seen them since he was a child. She trotted up to Floyd’s side, a brow raised in confusion.

“You never came to see him at all? Floyd, why?”

Floyd didn’t meet Poppy’s gaze, staring down at the ground as he continued walking. His tail hung still and unmoving behind him, as if weighed down by his own guilt. He didn’t answer for a long moment, seemingly struggling to come up with a plausible answer.

“… I… Just couldn’t, Poppy—it’s… It’s complicated.”

Poppy’s narrowed her eyes slightly, unsatisfied by Floyd’s avoidance of the question. Before she could press him for a real answer, a guttural roar shook the trees and sent birds fluttering from their branches. Poppy and Floyd froze in their tracks, eyes wide with fear.

Huge trampling footsteps pounded towards them, and before they could even think of escaping, a huge creature was bounding through the trees. It skidded to a stop just ahead of them, and before Poppy could even register what had just appeared before her, the beast had swallowed Floyd whole.

“Floyd-!

Poppy cried out in shock, stumbling backwards and tripping over a tree root. As she fell down onto her back, still trying to back away, a voice called out from behind the creature.

“Rhonda! Rhonda, no- Drop it! What did I say about eating things that can scream?”

A Troll with neat boxy green hair ran to catch up with the beast, who turned to greet him happily. The new Troll had googles that sat on his hairline, as well as a leather jacket and glove to accompany it. Poppy watched as the Troll noticed her, and he jumped slightly in surprise.

“Woah- Hey! I thought Rhonda ate-“

He was interrupted by the creature beside him, seemingly named Rhonda—sticking out its tongue and hurling Floyd back onto the ground. Floyd laid in the dirt, staring up at the sky with wide eyes and disgruntled hair. The green-haired Troll looked over at him, recognition sparking into a smile on his face.

“Floyd!”

He exclaimed happily, jogging over and hauling Floyd up to his feet by one of his hands. Floyd blinked a few times before his eyebrows raised and he gave a dazed half-smile, which John returned with a beaming grin.

“John Dory?”

Without the fear of her imminent demise, Poppy could see now that the green-haired Troll shared the same resemblance to Branch as Floyd did. She got to her feet, hesitantly scooting close to the two brothers, who were happily greeting each-other.

“Look at you- What did you do with your hair?”

John Dory would say, pulling Floyd into a brotherly noogie and laughing. Floyd struggled to escape the headlock, finally managing to slip underneath his brother’s arm and backing away to fix his hair, combing out the strands over his eye with his hands. As he backed up, he bumped into the creature evidently named Rhonda, and looked up with an expression of fear on his face.

“Oh! Sorry about that, bro. This is Rhonda, no need to be scared of her. I think she mistook you for prey.”

John Dory would say, walking up to Rhonda and patting her lovingly. Rhonda purred in response before licking Floyd apologetically and covering him with glittering saliva. He shuffled away with a look of disgust at his hands. He walked over to stand beside Poppy, who’d been rather impatiently waiting for their reunion to conclude.

“And who’s this?”

John Dory would finally ask as he turned back to Floyd. Before Poppy could introduce herself, she felt Floyd stiffen beside her, likely remembering why they were here, the same as she was. Floyd looked down, his ears drooping slightly before he glanced over at Poppy.

“This is Poppy, and we’re here because we need your help.”

Poppy pulled out Branch’s letter, passing it to Floyd who read it over again before walking over and handing the paper to John Dory.

“Our baby brother is being held captive, and we need all of our brothers to save him.”

Floyd would explain as John Dory read over the letter. He flipped it over, studying to back to see if there was anything else written there. John Dory looked up, his face plastered in shock and confusion. He glanced down at the letter again, appearing as if he was thinking about what he’d just been told. After a moment, he spoke.

“… The perfect family harmony?”

He asked, lightly tapping the paper where the word diamond was written. Looking back up at Floyd, Floyd nodded grimly in response, carefully studying his older brother’s face for any sign of reluctance. John Dory exhaled a breath as a sigh, and handed the paper back to Floyd.

“Alright—I’m in, for Branch.”

Poppy let out her own breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and Floyd smiled appreciatively up at John Dory beside her. He glanced down at the paper, his smile turning sad as he looked over at Poppy.

“Can I… Do you mind if I keep this?”

He asked, and it relieved Poppy to know that Branch’s brother cared enough to keep the letter. She’d began to worry that Floyd hadn’t cared at all, what with her learning that he hadn’t visited Branch once.

“Of course I don’t. It’s yours, after all.”

She replied, resting a hand reassuringly on his shoulder. On Floyd’s other side, John Dory did the same—though with enough force to make Floyd stumble a bit. The pink-haired Troll smiled at them both, before shutting his eyes and pressing the letter to his chest. After a long moment, he folded it back up and slipped it into his pocket.

“I know where to find the others, and just how to get there.”

John Dory would say, giving them a devilish grin and running over to Rhonda. Her side door opened downwards into a stairwell, revealing an interior that showed her to not be a beast like Poppy had expected, and instead an Armadillo bus. Poppy’s ears perked curiously, and she was glad to have the prospect of not having to walk the entire way to Mount Rageous on foot.

Beside her, Floyd looked hesitantly over at Rhonda—making John Dory laugh.

“You don’t gotta be scared of Ol’ Rhonda here. I’ve lived with her for decades, she won’t eat anything I don’t want her to, probably.”

Floyd didn’t seem to be reassured with a probably, but he bravely approached Rhonda—and skirting away from her mouth, he hurried inside, his tail tucked between his legs. Poppy smiled and shook her head slightly before following, giving Rhonda a hesitant pat on the side before she entered.

Inside was an entire set of living quarters that seemed to belong to John Dory. Brozone memorabilia littered the walls, and Poppy strolled up to one of the pictures. She smiled up at it, studying the group of brothers it contained. Her eyes immediately caught the smallest of the Trolls, one with blue hair.

Her heart ached sadly as she recognized Branch. This picture was taken before he had lost all of his color, and she hadn’t ever seen a picture of him so young and bright. He was still in a diaper, and hugged the side of Floyd’s leg as he gazed up at the camera.

“So Branch really was a part of Brozone?”

Poppy asked, looking over her shoulder at John Dory. He laughed as he walked over to her, gazing wistfully up at the wall of various pictures and merchandise. He placed both of his hands on his waist, looking  up at everything proudly.

“He sure was. The shining star of it all, really. Everyone loved Bitty B.”

John Dory glanced over at something else on the wall. An article of clothing was encased in a frame covered with glass. Behind him, Floyd scoffed, joining the pair of Trolls and gazing up at the case before looking at John Dory.

“You really kept those? That’s gross, John.”

John smiled over at his younger brother, giving him a wink as he pulled the case down from the wall.

“Gross as it may be, it’s gonna help us find Clay.”

Floyd and Poppy exchanged an unsure glance towards each other as John Dory stepped out of the bus, returning a moment later just in time for Rhonda to take off sprinting to track Clay’s scent. The door shut behind the older Troll, nearly taking him out in the process. In the sheer lurch of movement, Floyd and Poppy were sent stumbling to the ground with exclamations of surprise.

“You’ll get used to it.”

John Dory replied, having just managed to catch himself on one of the walls. He walked over to where they had been standing moments before, and hung the glass case back on the wall with gentle hands. Poppy lifted up her crown that had fallen over her eyes to catch the lighthearted Troll looking mournfully up at the wall.

“… Have you lived alone all these years?”

She asked after a moment, Floyd helping her to her feet. John snapped out of his moment of wistfulness, jumping slightly and looking over at Poppy. He played off the emotion on his face with a rather forced laugh, waving a hand in the air dismissively.

“No, of course not! I’ve had Rhonda, remember?”

Poppy didn’t say anything in response, almost feeling bad for the Troll. She didn’t know how or why Brozone had broken up, but she couldn’t tell that it hadn’t exactly been easy for John Dory to live without the company of his brothers. The wall of memorabilia was proof of that enough.

“What about you, Poppy? How do you know Branch?”

John Dory would ask, deflecting any further questioning back onto Poppy. She shuffled her feet awkwardly, feeling rather out of place here amongst the two brothers.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

She said warmly, relieved to find that the giddiness of being able to say that Branch was hers still had yet to fade. Her and Branch making things official hadn’t changed much of anything between them, as they’d always been particularly close even before they’d started dating. They were just even closer now, and as Branch warmed up to affection more and more—they continued to grow closer every day.

John Dory raised a brow, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest.

“Is he really? Isn’t he a little young to be dating?”

Beside her, Floyd gave a little disappointed sigh, wilting a little. Any belief that his brother had kept up with Branch’s life disappeared from his mind, and it showed.

“Branch is in his twenties, John.”

Floyd reminded him, turning around to sit down with his tail lashing in an annoyed way. Behind him, John spaced out slightly in surprise, his ears slowly sinking down as his eyes unfocused in thought.

“Wow… Gee, I… I hadn’t realized it’d been that long.”

Poppy narrowed her eyes, tilting her head away from John Dory slightly as she took a step closer.

“… Have you not seen Branch in all this time either?”

She asked, her voice growing an indignant edge to it. On some level, Poppy could understand one of his brothers being distant—but for half of Branch’s brothers to not have put any effort into watching him grow up? She felt upset for her boyfriend’s sake.

John Dory gave a shrug, not meeting Poppy’s gaze.

“I tried coming back, but I couldn’t find him—or anyone.”

Poppy’s tail flicked behind her, and she tried her best not to get upset.

“You didn’t try again? This is your brother we’re talking about.”

She said, raising her hands in an attempt to try and make John understand the severity of his actions.

“Branch grew up just fine without me, I’m sure.”

John Dory replied, chuckling slightly as if it was amusing to think that he could’ve had a positive impact on his brother’s life.

“How would you know?”

Poppy’s voice was quieter now, and her tail went still, drooping limply. John Dory was left slightly agape as she turned to sit beside Floyd. John Dory, seeming puzzled as to why his absence was such a big deal, shrugged again and turned away to go sit in the driver’s seat.

Her and Floyd hadn’t known each other long—only for a few hours, but Poppy already felt like he was a good friend considering what they’d already done together, and planned to do. Beside her, Floyd flicked his tail up into his hands and wrung it with fidgeting hands.

A long moment would pass, the only sounds in the room being of idle movement before Floyd spoke.

“… I stayed away from Branch because I was scared.”

He’d finally say, taking Poppy by surprise as she looked over at him. Floyd stared down at his tail, combing through the long hair at the end of it with a free hand. He didn’t say anything for another long moment and Poppy didn’t press on, letting him take his time with admitting something that he was obviously struggling to come to terms with.

“… I saw myself in him. I saw everything in him, so much potential to be so many things, I… I didn’t want to ruin him.”

Floyd glanced over at Poppy, likely gauging her reaction for any sign of disgust or judgement. He would find none though, and she pressed her shoulder against his encouragingly, giving him the smallest of nods. He gave her a small smile in return, but it fell as soon as he looked away again.

“I saw how much being in the band affected my brothers. I didn’t want him to have to feel as if being one of us was what he had to be. I was… A stupid teenager, I shouldn’t ever have left him at all—let alone for this long.”

Floyd’s eyes grew shiny with tears yet to fall, and he looked up—blinking rapidly to stop them from flowing down his face. He look a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

“He was just a baby.”

Poppy looked away from Floyd, thinking hard about this new information. Unlike John Dory, Poppy could tell that Floyd felt genuine remorse for the mistakes he’d made—and Poppy couldn’t hold decisions he’d made as a teenager against him.

She herself had made bad decisions, even recently as Queen. She’d had her fair share of decisions that had hurt Branch specifically. Although Floyd abandoning Branch when he was so young wasn’t right, she could at the very least understand where he was coming from.

“… I think Branch will understand, in his own time.”

Poppy murmured in reply, meeting Floyd’s gaze as he looked back over at her. She met it steadily, studying his familiar face for any sign of Branch she could she could find in it.

“You’re here now, that makes a difference. It’s the choices you choose to do going forward that will matter most to Branch in the end.”

Floyd listened to her words with perked ears, considering them for a moment before nodding timidly. He seemed to fear the idea of Branch holding his past against him, and not forgiving his older brother for abandoning him. Poppy knew Branch, though—and knew that he himself would relate to Floyd’s actions in his own way.

They just had to reach him first.

Chapter Text

Rhonda would track Clay’s scent far, following old tunnels and eventually finding an abandoned Bergen road. Night would fall around them as they journeyed further and further from the safety of the plotted locations on Poppy’s map. Looking out of one of the windows, Poppy could only see a dark expanse of terrain around them, and wondered what Branch was thinking in that moment.

Eventually Rhonda would track the scent all the way to a long abandoned structure, strangely oversized and appearing similar to that of Bergen Town. The armadillo bus would halt in her tracks outside the structure limits, seemingly scared of whatever could be inside.

Poppy, Floyd, and John Dory would step off the bus, looking around at the darkened exterior of where they’d arrived. It had been night for a while at this point, and Poppy wasn’t sure what time it was. It was late, likely close to midnight, surely they couldn’t find Clay in these conditions.

“Why would Clay be here?”

John Dory asked rhetorically to the air around him, leading the way into the structure with Floyd and Poppy flanking both sides of him. None of them could recognize the weirdly shadowed shapes scattered around them, having to strain their eyes just to make it across the ground without tripping.

Suddenly, with a sound extraordinarily loud against the former silence, a loud mechanical voice echoed across the scenery.

“Halt!”

A light would flicker on before a ways away, illuminating the dirty and unkempt face of a humongous Bergen clown sculpture. Billowing clouds of colored smoke accompanied either sides of it, letting out hissing mechanical thumps all the while.

“Who goes there?”

Poppy, Floyd, and John Dory all let out a synchronized scream of fear, frozen in terror as they gazed terrified up at the face of the giant statue. Despite actively speaking, only the clown’s huge teeth moved with every word.

“Who dares trespass on these sacred grounds?”

A long moment would pass between the three of them, all exchanging a glance to see who was brave enough to speak up. As Poppy stepped forward to be the one to talk, Floyd stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He walked in front of her, clearing his throat slightly to rid of the tightness his fear had resulted in.

“We’re here for a Troll named Clay!”

He shouted bravely up at the clown, his tail tucked between his legs. He took another hesitant step closer, growing slightly more confident as seconds passed where he wasn’t being eaten.

“… He’s our brother.”

The clown let out another mechanical hiss as it seemed to regard Floyd’s words, and Poppy walked up beside him in support. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the clown spoke again—every word sending a tremor through the ground with just how loud it was.

“Wait a second… You’re… Trolls…?”

Poppy and Floyd exchanged another glance, and she turned back to the clown with her tail flicking.

“Yes, we are!”

Almost immediately—the clown’s teeth opened wide, and a ball of yellow fur bounced out from the depths of its maw. It rolled down the red path towards them, sending Floyd and Poppy stumbling back to avoid being bowled over.

As it reached them, the yellow ball unfurled and suddenly transformed into a Troll, which had been the last thing either of them were expecting. The Troll glared at them all for a split second before her face brightened into an excited smile.

“Oh my gosh—hello!”

She greeted, her hands waving excitedly to them. Poppy’s fear turned to confusion as she gazed at the stranger, her bright colors against their dark surroundings seeming so out of place, like an oasis in the desert. Poppy seemed to find a bit of relief in the familiar pink hue of her skin.

“My name is Viva-! It is so fantast-amazing to see other Trolls!”

Poppy backed up to stand alongside Floyd, whose mouth was still agape in surprise. He glanced over at Poppy, closing his mouth into a small strained smile on his face.

“… What is going on…”

He asked in a whisper from behind clenched teeth, leaning closer to her. Poppy didn’t get the chance to reply, though, as Viva zipped back over again.

“Am I being a lot? Sometimes I can be a lot.”

She said cheerily, and Floyd waved his hands apologetically. Him and Poppy were too polite to say anything, and John Dory—who Poppy had forgot was even there, stepped beside them awkwardly.

“Um… Where exactly are we?”

John Dory asked, seeming impatient with how nonchalantly Viva seemed to be taking the situation. Viva didn’t answer him, instead simply smiling and turning around to address the open air. She gave a few claps before calling out.

“Okay, Putt-putt Trolls!”

Suddenly a crowd of Trolls come rolling out from out of nowhere, as well as seeming to transform from vegetation into Trolls. They had seemed to perfect the act of natural disguises, some possessing faux-grass capes like Viva, and others dawning helmets to help them blend in. Each one of them had hair was curly and messy, unlike the Trolls that Poppy was used to.

“Lights on for our new friends!”

On cue, lights began to turn on and illuminate the once dark structure around them—revealing brightly colored flooring and statues. Poppy gaped around her, eyes shining with awe. This was a Bergen Putt-putt course, tucked away in the middle of the wilderness.

Floyd nervously side-stepped closer to Poppy’s side, brushing her shoulder with his. He bit his lip, seemingly overwhelmed with everything that was going on around them. Poppy reassuringly entwined her tail with his, giving him a small smile before looking back at the mesmerizing lights around them.

With the cue of the lights turning on, another ball shot out from the mouth of the Bergen clown and came rolling down towards them, this one a bright lime green. It popped into shape beside Viva, revealing tall Troll who appeared to assess the newcomers, one with messy lime green hair and a sweater romper. He had a rather menacing glare on his face, and Poppy half expected him to begin berating the group with how serious he looked—but the glare fell into an expression of elation.

“Floyd!”

He cried out, running towards the pink-haired Troll beside Poppy. She smiled, figuring this must be Clay, and subtly slipped her tail out from Floyd’s so she didn’t get pulled along. Floyd’s gaze fell on Clay a moment later, and he smiled wide.

“Clay!”

He managed to shout back before Clay reached him, scooping his younger brother up into a hug and spinning him around.

“You’re- You’re here, you’re okay!“

Clay would say, setting Floyd back down on his feet and cupping his younger brother’s face in his hands.

“I’ve been so worried!”

Clay would continue, smushing Floyd’s face in various ways and brushing off his shoulders with his hands. He stepped back to examine his younger brother from head to toe, walking around him and grabbing his tail to make sure it was unharmed before looping back around to stand in front of him.

Floyd smiled up at his brother, raising a brow questioningly.

“You? Worried?”

He would ask, his tail wagging behind him. Clay swat dismissively at the air, looking a little offended

“Of course. I’ve said it once before, I’m more than just the fun one. I- I thought something had happened to you, I haven’t heard from you or Branch, or John-“

John Dory ran up beside Floyd, holding out his arms in greeting to his brother.

“Clay!”

He said excitedly, and Clay’s face fell completely upon seeing him.

“Hm, John.”

He replied, folding his arms over his chest and studying his older brother with contempt. John’s smile disappeared and he seemed shocked at Clay’s lack of enthusiasm.

“Wha-?”

Floyd interrupted John Dory before he could get too offended, stepping in between him and Clay with his eyes wide.

“Wait, Clay- Have you heard from Spruce?”

Floyd asked, his voice steely with the weight of the question. He held his hands out as if to stabilize the conversation and make Clay realize just how important his answer would be. Unsettled by the sudden change in direction, Clay shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“…Not really. He sent a postcard, but that’s the only reason I know he’s even alive.”

Poppy, Floyd, and John Dory exchanged hopeful glances with each other, and Clay’s ears perked curiously.

“Why are you guys here, anyways?”

Poppy stepped back up to Floyd’s side, who gave her a smile before looking over at his brother.

“… It’s about Branch. He’s being held captive, and we need all of our brothers to save him.”

Floyd pulled out Branch’s letter and passed it to Clay, who looked as if his fears about the safety of his brothers were coming true. He read the letter, his face contorting into one of cold determination.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

He’d say, passing the letter back to Floyd. Behind him, Viva stepped forward, shaking her head slightly.

“You guys just got here, don’t leave! Besides, it’s the middle of the night. Stay and rest, you look tired!”

Poppy, Floyd, Clay, and John Dory all seemed to be eager to leave and try to find Spruce, but Viva was right. It was the middle of the night, and she was exhausted. She’d been traveling since the break of dawn, and sleep weighed down her eyelids in an effort to get her to rest.

Floyd seemed to reflect the same sentiment, and looking down at her, he shrugged and nodded. When Poppy gave him a smile and nod in return, he looked back up at Viva and Clay.

“… Alright, we’ll stay—but we don’t know how long it’ll take to reach Mount Rageous, let alone to form a plan to save Branch. We’ll leave in the morning.”

Viva didn’t seem entirely satiated, but she smiled around at everyone.

“Great! We’ll get you guys some food, you must be hungry.”

Viva ran off, accompanied by some of the other Putt-putt Trolls. Seeing an opportunity, Clay stepped closer to Poppy and his brothers.

“Sorry about Viva—she doesn’t like to talk about it, but she’s been here ever since

the night of the great Bergen attack at the Troll tree.”

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was overhearing him before continuing on in a low tone.

“She doesn’t like it when people leave. Viva and some of the other Trolls fought off Bergens when the tunnels collapsed, she feels like she still has to protect everyone.”

Before he could continue, Viva was returning with an order of Bergen-sized fries, pulling it beside the group with the help of a few other Trolls. Clay took a few steps back, clearing his throat and trying to seem like he’d been in idle conversation. Looking for any topic to play off his secretiveness, he gestured towards Poppy.

“Who’s this?”

He asked rather loudly, surprising Poppy upon being put on the spot so suddenly. She jumped slightly, blinking as her mind went blank for a second.

“Oh-! I’m Poppy, Branch’s girlfriend.”

She held out her hand for Clay to shake, but before he could, a hand intercepted it and took hold of her arm. Viva was inspecting a bracelet on her wrist very closely, her eyes squinted into slits. A moment passed before she touched it, and the flower sprung open with a chime.

“… Where’d you get this hug time bracelet?”

Viva would ask, leaving Poppy confused with how the question related back to anything.

“My dad gave it to me.”

Poppy replied uncomfortably, curiosity welling up in her mind. Viva glanced up at her with an odd twinkle in her eye before clearing her throat and letting go of Poppy’s wrist.

“Okay, this is so totally random—but I used to have one just like it. Can I see it?”

She asked, her voice sounding slightly strained as she tried to play off whatever emotion she was feeling. Poppy gave her a smile and obliged, unclipping the bracelet before slipping it onto Viva’s wrist. It circled it perfectly, leaving no gaps but not being too tight. The bracelet had always been a little big on Poppy, but she figured it was just a flaw in the design.

“Wow… It fits you perfectly.”

Poppy would say, looking up at Viva—who met her gaze with even more reservation in her eyes. Viva looked back down at it and strummed the petals, which made another chime in response. Poppy blinked, unaware that it could do that.

“I’m sorry—what did you say your name was again?”

Viva would ask, handing Poppy back the bracelet. Poppy put the bracelet back on before replying, becoming even more confused as to why any of this mattered. She was too worried about Branch to be concerned about a hug time bracelet.

“I’m Poppy.”

She replied, giving Viva a small smile. The smile wasn’t returned, and instead Viva’s face fell in shock.

“Poppy…?”

Viva marched up close to Poppy, ignoring the way Poppy backed up to avoid bumping being bumped into. Poppy’s smile became strained as she glanced over at Floyd, who met her gaze with a shared confusion.

Viva leaned in close to Poppy’s face, and a gentle hand, she brushed some of the hair out of Poppy’s eyes.

“Okay, Um…. Another—totally random, weird question, but… Is your dad… King Peppy?”

Poppy blinked, responding with an awkward laugh.

“Uh… Yeah?”

With a look of finality and recognition, Viva’s face lit up like a firework.

“Poppy? You’re… Oh, you’re alive!”

She covered her mouth with her hands for a moment before scooping Poppy up into a hug—one that was rather fierce to a point that it threatened to break Poppy’s ribs with the force of it. Poppy felt uncomfortable with how this would be such big news to a stranger like Viva, and when she was put back down, Viva seemed to catch on.

“Poppy, I’m your sister!”

Poppy blinked, shock coursing through her veins.

“My… My what?”

She asked breathlessly, and Viva gave a nervous laugh.

“Your sister-! I haven’t seen you since you were a baby, how’s Dad? Did he make it out of the tunnels? Is he still King?”

Even more shock seemed to cloud Poppy’s brain, combined with all of the other revelations she’d had that day. She was stunned into silence for a long moment—and had she not been here on such horrible terms, she might’ve been elated to find out she had a sister. Instead, the feeling of hopelessness without Branch plagued her mind, and her eyebrows curved into crescents of distress.

“Have you been out here all this time?”

Poppy asked. Viva’s smile turned sad, and she shook her head slightly, choosing instead to avoid the question. Clay must’ve been right in the fact that Viva didn’t like to talk about her past.

“Nevermind that. You need rest, Poppy—you all do. C’mon, eat some food, and then you and the others can stay at my place.”

Viva seemed determined to avoid dredging up any old emotions, and took Poppy by the hand—leading her over to the group of brothers, of whom John Dory had already begun eating. Floyd gave Poppy a confused smile, and too began to eat now that she had joined them again. Poppy’s mind was reeling, and the next hour went by in a blur that she wasn’t entirely present for mentally.

When she and the others had finished eating, Viva and Clay led them to a brightly colored home that appeared strikingly similar to Poppy’s own pod. Viva was a very welcoming host, making a pallet of pillows and blankets for Floyd and John Dory—with Clay deciding to spend the night alongside them.

They’d given Poppy the couch, and she now laid upon it in the darkened room, staring up at the ceiling. So much was flying through her brain at startling speeds that she couldn’t keep up, and she felt so overwhelmed with the new information of the day that it felt like she would never sleep again.

Poppy pressed against her eyes with her hands as she felt the beginning bloom of a headache begin to emanate at the base of her skull. She’d never in a million years expected so much from this mission, and it was starting to become more than she could handle. Without Branch, she felt like a fish out of water. A horrible ripple of loneliness overtook her thoughts, and she began to feel his absence more than ever.

Poppy couldn’t even begin to imagine what Branch was going through, even in this current moment. Was he asleep? Was he thinking about her? What was being done to him? Was he okay? The reality of not knowing drove Poppy insane, and she turned over onto her side and covered her ears with a pillow—hoping to listen and be calmed by her own heartbeat.

Instead, it was thumping rapidly in her chest, betraying how truly fearful she was. She’d never been so scared, and that thought only frightened her even more. Before all of this, Branch had always been by her side. She could always count on him to help her solve any problem, and be there for her through it.

He was gone now, though—and she didn’t know if she could do this without him. Poppy glanced down at the floor where Branch’s three brothers were sleeping, smiling slightly as they reminded her of Branch, and distracted her from the fact that he wasn’t here—even if just for a moment.

John Dory was splayed out as far as he could seem to reach, resembling a starfish in the was lying. Clay was on his stomach, his head resting on his arms and snoring softly. Floyd was sandwiched between them, tucked up into a ball with the tuft of long fur at the end of his tail curled over his nose.

Poppy rolled back into her back, staring up at the ceiling. In just day, she’d learned that Branch was being held captive, that he had long lost brothers, brothers who like himself were a part of a Poppy’s favorite band Brozone. Now she’d learned that she herself had a long lost sister, who led a group of Trolls in the middle of the wilderness.

Her mind seemed overwhelmed with all of the information she had gained, and yet still yearned for more. Branch’s fate was at large, and the worst manifestations of that fact would likely show up in Poppy’s nightmares. She shut her eyes, and would eventually fall asleep with Branch on her mind.

Chapter Text

Branch would be awoken the to the muffled voices of Velvet and Veneer approaching the door to their dressing room. His eyes shot open and a shiver of sharp unease zipped down his spine. For the blissful few hours he’d been asleep, he’d managed to forget that he was here, and not home back in Pop Village.

Feeling a coldness so severe that it reached all the way down to his bones, Branch sat up with a groan—clutching his head with one of his hands. A dizzying migraine had crept up on him in his sleep, and now wracked his skull with aching ripples of pain with every movement he made. Velvet’s grating voice outside the door didn’t help, already so loud against his ears that had been tuned in to the calmer silence that had been present a mere moment before.

Branch could barely feel his fingers or toes, even the end of his tail felt frozen. He drew his hands in close to his chest in hopes of soothing them, and in an attempt to warm himself up, Branch stood—or at least tried to. Upon getting up his feet, his knees immediately buckled under his weight and he crashed back down to the ground. He cried out in pain as his head collided with the crystal floor of his prison, sending a shockwave of agony through his brain.

Rolling onto his side, Branch cushioned his head with his arms in hopes of calming the sea of pricking aches that buzzed like bees inside his skull. Once the worst of the wave passed, he sat up again—just in time for Velvet and her brother to enter the room. The lights flicked on, acting as a flash-bang to Branch’s eyes that had been accustomed to the suffocating darkness. He closed his eyes shut tight, rubbing the sleep out of them with tightly balled fists.

When he opened his eyes and gazed down at his hands, a bolt of horror instantly sobered up any brain fog his sleep had left in his mind. Branch held his hands out in front of him, palms raised to the sky as he inspected them. He rubbed one of his eyes again with a free hand, wondering if he was somehow still dreaming. Unfortunately, he was not.

The ends of his fingers had turned a crystalline blue in the night. They’d become translucent, an odd glittery sheen replacing any of his prior opaque pigment. Branch grabbed his tail from where it threatened to tuck between his legs, only to find that it too was beginning to become clear. As if that wasn’t enough, the roots of his normally deep blue fur at the end of his tufted tail were beginning to turn white.

Raising himself to his knees, Branch frantically turned around to view his reflection in the diamond walls. Amongst the shimmering purple surface, he could see his own eyes wide with horror, as well as the roots of his hair sprouting the beginnings of a ghostly ivory. It vaguely reminded Branch of when he’d once possessed frosted tips in his hair, but in reverse.

Before he realized his was doing so—his breath began to quicken to a rapid pant in his chest, fogging up the diamond wall and causing his reflection to disappear beneath the condensation. Branch’s hands were shaking as he looked back down at them, holding them away from himself as if they didn’t belong to him. What was happening to him?

“You okay in there, little guy?”

A voice said to Branch’s left, and he glanced over to see Veneer crouching beside the vanity which Branch’s prison rest upon, gazing down at him with curious round eyes. Behind him, Velvet seemed offended that his attention wasn’t on her, and strode up beside him.

“What did I say about getting attached, Veneer?”

She said exasperatedly, not paying attention to her brother? nor Branch and his condition as she scooped up the diamond prison away from Veneer’s face. Branch was sent falling to his side at the sudden careless movement, barely catching himself in time to avoid hitting his head again.

“The only thing that matters is recording and releasing this single, then becoming overnight superstars in time for the Rage Dome show.”

Veneer nodded, his expression becoming excited and looking at Velvet as if she had the answer to all of his problems. Branch’s eyes narrowed as anger began to flood through his veins, feeling warm in comparison to his freezing extremities. He stood up, steadying himself against the side of the crystalline walls with his arm.

“You can’t do this- This is… This is wrong!”

He called up to the two siblings, glaring between them as his tail lashed furiously behind him. Velvet looked down at the bottle in her hand with a raised brow, as if she’d forgotten that the Troll inside was capable of speech.

“What’s wrong is the fact that we’re not at the number one spot on The Bop on Top leaderboard. Don’t worry *little guy,*”

Velvet would say to Branch, mocking the way her brother had addressed him mere moments before.

“With you, that’ll soon change.”

Branch’s eyes widened as he realized what Velvet was about to do, and before he could protest—she was once again spraying herself with Branch’s essence. As he was dragged airborne, his skull felt as if it would split in half. Overwhelming pain threatened to splinter his brain to pieces, and he clutched his head—shutting his eyes tight against the torturous agony.

Branch felt his limbs grow colder, as if icy fangs were clawing their way up his appendages. A whimper of pain escaped from his throat as what felt like a million lifetimes of torment seemed to pass in a moment. Just as soon as it started though—Branch fell back down to the floor of the diamond prison, feeling just as broken as if he’d been dropped from sky.

From where he lay strewn on the floor, Branch messily shifted his hand in front of his face to watch with alarm as more of his skin faded into translucency. He pushed himself weakly up to a sit, studying his hands with grief on his face. Velvet opened an eye to watch Veneer, suspicion in her brother beginning to show.

Upon witnessing Branch suffer through yet another serious of sprays, Veneer bit his lip in uncertainty. He was watching Branch with apparent concern, his brows upturned in a lack of enthusiasm that Velvet possessed.

“Veneer… What’s with your vibe and your face? Why do you have resting moody-vibe-face?”

Velvet questioned, holding up Branch’s prison at her side. Veneer raised his hands innocently, preparing to defend himself against his sister.

“I know we deserve to be famous just ‘cause we want to, but honestly… That dude looks rough…”

Branch glanced over his shoulder at Veneer, glaring at him with as much energy as he could muster.

“He’s fine.”

Velvet would say dismissively, rolling her eyes as whatever compassion her brother claimed to have.

“-And he’s getting pale… And not like a, stunning Victorian way…?”

Veneer would continue, gazing into Branch’s prison as if he was a zoo animal. Branch shakily stood up despite how much his body protested, knowing this would be one of his only chances to be seen and heard by both Velvet and Veneer.

“Open your eyes, look what you’re doing to me-! I’ll run out of talent here soon, and when I do—everybody will know what you are: frauds!Is my life worth your fifteen seconds of fame?”

Velvet only laughed, inspecting Branch and his prison as if it was a jewel or some sort of trophy.

“You forget that you’re expendable, little Troll. Brozone will be here soon, and then our ‘fifteen seconds of fame’ will be cemented as a legend in the pop star history books. If you don’t have to work for your talent, neither should we.”

Without giving Branch time to reply, Velvet abruptly turned around. She roughly stomped on her brother’s toes with the heel of her shoe, waiting for his mouth to open in a cry of pain before she sprayed him down his throat. She slammed Branch’s prison back down on the table without a care of how it would affect the now frail Troll inside..

Veneer was left in a fit of coughing and sputtering, stumbling back and grabbing his throat as Branch’s talent took effect within him. Velvet looked disdainfully over at her brother, as if she was embarrassed to share a brand with him. Branch hardly noticed though, too busy enduring the aftermath of his talent being sapped from him once more.

“Feel bad for the Troll all you want, Veneer—but don’t get in my way while you do. Now hurry up, we have a song to record.”

Velvet would say to her brother, and without another word—she strolled out of the room. Veneer wouldn’t meet Branch’s gaze as he recovered, instead staring down as the floor as he quickly followed after Velvet towards the recording booth.

Branch rolled onto his back from where he’d collapsed on the floor of his prison, breathing heavily and nearly unconscious with the weakness plaguing his body. He dazedly turned his head to look at his tail, of which more fur was turning white in a sluggish march down the dark hair.

He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Had he been any other Troll—one who’d sung and danced, and been a normal Troll their entire life—maybe he wouldn’t be affected so badly. But Branch hadn’t sung for decades straight, he’d only recently began to sing again after Poppy had helped him to find his true colors.

Branch immediately regretted that thought, as Poppy’s perfect face appeared in his mind on cue. He couldn’t think clearly past his mind-numbing migraine, but one thought showed up best against all others. Relief that it wasn’t her in this prison, being tortured by these people.

If him being here meant that Poppy wasn’t, he’d go through this over and over again. Tears welled up in his eyes, falling down the creases at the corners of his face and soaking into his hair as he stared up at the illuminated ceiling.

Would his brothers get here in time? Or would Branch be sucked dry of his life, all for a pair of teenagers to become famous? Branch wanted to be saved, anything to make this torture end—but he didn’t want his brothers here. He didn’t want his brothers anywhere near Velvet and Veneer, not when there was a chance they could be taken and put through this too. After all they’d done to him—he still loved them, and wanted them to be safe.

Branch choked out a sob, starting to cry and being unable to stop. He’d never gotten to say goodbye to Poppy, after he’d only just—finally, became hers. He’d never seen his brothers again, never showed them his hideout. Branch felt like he’d done everything wrong—that no matter what he’d done or tried to do, it all just led up to this.

He turned onto his side, finally letting go of whatever hold on consciousness he had. He let the weakness of his body and mind slip him away into a lightheaded daze, and eventually dizzying sleep. A final tear dripped off of his nose, pooling onto the purple crystalline floor below.

Chapter Text

Poppy awoke, feeling rejuvenated and ready for the day. She sat up sharply, stretching and feeling weirdly light—as if she’d float away if she moved too quickly. She looked over to the side from where she was sitting on the couch, only to find that Clay, Floyd, and John Dory were gone. In their place stood a familiar face, one she’d been dying to see for what felt like years now.

“Branch-!”

Poppy exclaimed happily, jumping up off the couch. Her boyfriend’s handsome face smiled at her, holding out his hands invitingly. Poppy ran into his arms, burying her face in his neck and breathing in his comforting smell.

“I’ve missed you.”

She murmured lovingly, her voice muffled by the crook of his shoulder. Branch pressed his cheek against her head, shutting his eyes with his smile turning sad.

“I miss you too…”

He replied lowly, his arms circled protectively around Poppy’s waist. Poppy became slightly confused, wondering how Branch could miss her if she wasn’t away from him anymore? She leaned back to tell him so, but her sentence was cut short.

“Branch, I’m right…”

As she pulled away from Branch’s neck to look up at him and reassure him that he didn’t need to miss her anymore, her eyes landed on nothing. Branch’s warmth was rapidly fading away from around her, as his arms were no longer wrapped around her.

“… Here…?”

She finally finished after a moment of silence, looking around for where her boyfriend had gone. He’d disappeared out of thin air.

“Branch?”

She called out, her voice echoing in the space around her. She felt a flood of grief slam into her like a wave, sending her stumbling back. She felt panic building in her chest, everything was beginning to feel wrong.

“… Branch?!”

Poppy awoke—this time truly waking up. Her eyes shot open, her body still frozen in the shock of waking up so suddenly. She took a second to breathe, mournfully grounding herself in reality. Poppy sat up—her muscles still heavy and weighed down by sleep, looking around the room. Bright and cheery sunlight shown through the windows of Viva’s home, seeming so out of place after what Poppy had just experienced.

She shut her eyes again, her breathing still deep and quick in her chest, and tried to savor the last fading memories of the dream she’d just woken up from. It seemed to trickle out from between the fingers of her mind like it was nothing more than water. Branch’s warm embrace, the sight of him safe, his smell. It had all been so real, Poppy began to grieve over the version of him that had been within arms reach for such a short time.

When Poppy opened her eyes again, Viva had somehow entered the room without making any noise, and stood silently in front of Poppy waiting to be noticed. As soon as Poppy’s eyes opened, Viva shouted out:

“Good morning-!”

Poppy screamed out in surprise and jumped back, banging her head on the couch’s backboard with a loud thump. Across the room, John Dory began to laugh from where he stood, eventually falling breathless to his hands and knees. Beside him, Clay flicked his tail towards Poppy pityingly.

“She does that to me all the time. You get used to it.”

Poppy rubbed the back of her head with an awkward smile up at Viva, who was bouncing on her toes and beaming down at her little sister. Floyd, who’d still been asleep up until this point in a ball on the floor, sat up groggily and groaned in a confused manner.

“So, Poppy, now that you’re all rested, we have so much to talk about! Clay made breakfast, let’s get you fed so I can hear all about you and Dad!”

Viva took Poppy by the hand, nearly dragging her off of the couch in an effort to lead her to the kitchen. Poppy stumbled to her feet and nearly tripped over Floyd who just managed to scramble-crawl out of her way as Viva led her away. The kitchen smelled sweetly of muffins, of which were thrust into Poppy’s hands by her sister, who promptly gave her whiplash at the speed at which she happily dragged Poppy upstairs.

Poppy could still hear John Dory coughing and recovering from his laughing fit at Viva hopped onto her bed, pulling her legs into a criss-crossed sit. Poppy gazed wide-eyed around the room, surprised at just how identical it seemed to Poppy’s own room. Brightly colored and fun, Viva’s bed was covered in what appeared to be homemade quilts. Various cutouts from old Bergen posters littered the walls, and Viva seemed to notice Poppy’s shock.

“Pretty cool, right?”

Viva asked, rocking slightly on her spot and smiling widely.

“I never thought I’d have you here; I never thought I’d even see you again. It’s really nice to have you back, Poppy. You’ve grown up so much, the last time I saw you, you were small enough to hide in Dad’s hair!”

Viva laughed as Poppy smiled, walking over to her bed to sit down beside her. She set her breakfast down, brushing crumbs off of her arms. She had so many questions, but her mind was still on her dream of Branch that had ended far too soon. Viva filled the silence, her ears perked in curiosity.

“What are you doing here, by the way? Did you come to find me?”

Viva asked optimistically, a big smile on her face. Poppy’s heart sunk, and she didn’t feel up to giving Viva the news that Poppy had never known she existed. Did Viva think that she had only reminded Poppy that they were sisters yesterday, and not dropped such a big bombshell on her?

“N-No, I… I’m here for Clay, actually. It’s kind of a long story, but my boyfriend Branch is Clay’s brother, he was captured and taken to Mount Rageous. We need all of his brothers to hit the perfect family harmony and break his diamond prison.”

Poppy reached forward and placed a hand atop Viva’s, hardly meeting her eyes.

“Viva, I… I never knew about you until now. Dad never told me I had a sister, what… What happened?”

Viva watched Poppy for a long moment, her eyes tracing her little sister’s features before she looked away. Viva leaned back, her hand sliding out from beneath Poppy’s. A certain coldness came about her, seemingly disturbed by the fact that she had been kept a secret all this time.

Viva took a while before she finally spoke, a forced and stressed cheeriness in her voice as she played off her emotions.

“I used to live at the Troll tree, I was there when you were born. Then we got accidentally separated, and I’ve lived here ever since—the end.”

Viva would say, standing up and walking over to a desk where she began to idly tidy and fidget with what rest upon it.

“… The night we left Bergen Town…?”

Poppy asked gently, silently willing her sister to open up more about her feelings. Viva was beginning to remind her painfully of Branch, and the way he too hid his emotions beneath his outer exterior.

“… Yeah, I… Guess it was that night…”

Viva would say, not turning to look at Poppy as her voice grew quieter. Poppy felt horrifically sorry for her older sister and the things she wouldn’t talk about, and knew that it was best not to pry—especially with something as raw as this.

“I know it’s a lot. You should be able to tell me about this in your own time.”

Poppy would say spiritedly from where she sat on Viva’s bed, fidgeting with her hands since Viva wouldn’t meet her eye.

“We’ll have plenty of time to catch up on the way to Mount Rageous, though. I can tell you all about myself, and about Dad. I’ve been through so many adventures, you wouldn’t believe-“

Poppy was cut off abruptly as Viva suddenly turned around, a slight laugh in her voice as she interrupted.

“Woah! I am not going to Mount Rageous. Neither are you silly, you’re never gonna leave again.”

Viva would say in a rather casual tone, turning back towards the desk and pulling her faux-grass cape off the back of a chair. She calmly tied it around her neck as Poppy blinked, taken aback. She took a moment to reply, shocked to a point where she was speechless.

“Viva, I can’t stay here. Branch is my partner, I’m not going to sit around while he being held captive. I’ve been through way more dangerous stuff than this anyways, I can handle it.”

She gave her sister a reassuring smile, but it only seemed to cement Viva’s decision more.

“I said no, Poppy—and that’s final.”

Viva walked over to the door with her cape billowing behind her, throwing it open and disappearing through it. Poppy scrambled after her, indignation beginning to bubble in her throat.

“Viva, what are you doing?”

Poppy said rather crudely as she followed her sister down the stairs. The three brothers in the living room all turned to watch them, a mixture of curiosity and confusion plastered on their faces. Clay’s expression began to deadpan as he realized what was going on, and he slowly stood up.

“You’re not leaving here no matter what, because… Because it’s just not safe out there. You’re welcome.”

Viva stopped at the bottom of the stairs, adjusting her cape and leaving the two remaining brothers, Floyd and John Dory, to exchange a glance. Floyd then met Poppy’s gaze, sensing that something bad was happening. Poppy returned the look helplessly, biting her lip in distress.

“Viva, is this about the Bergens? They stopped trying to eat us—I helped them find happiness, me and Branch helped them find happiness. What you’re scared of, it’s all in the past.”

Viva scoffed, glaring up at Poppy from the bottom of the stairs. A mixture of irritation and agitation was present in her gaze, such a huge change from what Poppy had found there mere moments before.

“Yeah, right. That’s hilarious Poppy, I’m laughing really hard.”

Poppy swallowed anxiously, growing more frustrated by the second.

“I’m serious, Viva! Besides, I already told you I’ve faced worse than this. The Bergens, Queen Barb and her Rock Apocalypse-! You’d know about that if you ever left this place.”

Viva shook her head, immediately dismissing Poppy as if she knew nothing—as if she was a child.

“You don’t understand, I just got my sister back. I’m not gonna lose you, not for anything or anyone.”

As Viva turned to leave out the front door, Clay stepped in front of it, blocking her exit. Viva looked up at him, narrowing her eyes in hurt and anger.

“… Clay?”

Clay gazed down at Viva, seemingly sharing Poppy’s resolve to not lose Branch over Viva’s own desires. Poppy clenched her fists, beginning to feel her emotions that had been so horribly pent up over the last day boil over. She felt like she was about to burst with the weight of it all.

“-And I’m not gonna lose Branch over your own ignorant fears! Viva, I’m so sorry that Dad and everyone left you behind to face the Bergens on your own. I know that it’s hard, and that you just want to be safe, but this isn’t living!”

Poppy raised her hands and gestured around her, where Viva and the other Trolls had lived for decades—away from the rest of the Trolls, in the middle of the wilderness, surviving by hiding away. Poppy’s hands fell back down to her sides, gazing sadly down at her sister, of whom all anger seemed to have left.

“A part of life is facing your fears. If it weren’t for you once facing yours, all of these Trolls would’ve been captured by Bergens. You saved them, Viva—and now I need you to do let me do the same. Please, please see that this isn’t right.”

Poppy stepped slowly down the stairs until she stood at the bottom in front of Viva. Her older sister gazed down at her, eyes glossy with tears. Poppy could see that Viva was hurting so much, so she did all that she knew how to do.

Poppy pulled her sister into a hug, trying to show Viva that she didn’t need to be scared anymore. Poppy couldn’t even begin to imagine all that her sister had been through; fighting off Bergens, becoming the leader of a huge group of lost Trolls, being solely responsible for keeping them alive. Viva must have been only a teenager at the time, and it must have been so hard.

Viva would stand unmoving for a moment, seemingly stunned into stillness by her little sister’s wisdom before wrapping her arms around Poppy. Tears silently fell down Viva’s face, though no sobs followed them. Poppy knew Viva would have to work through this over time, just as Branch had once had to.

Behind them, Clay joined in on the hug, resting his head atop Viva’s comfortingly. After a moment, Viva pulled away—sniffling and wiping her eyes.

“Poppy, I… I’m sorry. I was so scared to lose you again, I couldn’t see that you can protect yourself now… Go to Mount Rageous and save Branch, I won’t stop you.”

Viva solemnly stepped to the side, looking away from Clay and Poppy. Poppy followed though, resting a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Viva, come with us. I can show you that you don’t have to live in fear anymore, we can protect each other. You don’t have to do this all alone, not again.

Viva looked over at Poppy, and she could see just how truly fearful Viva was. A long moment seemed to pass, and Poppy felt tense with the weight of the proposition in the air. After what felt like forever, Viva took a deep breath in and responded.

“… Okay.”

Poppy beamed up at her big sister, smiling widely. Her tail began to wag, and didn’t stop as Clay scooped Viva up and spun her around, laughing.

“You’re coming with us? Viva, I’m so proud of you!”

He called up to her, making Viva laugh too. She hugging Clay as he put her down, something that seemed to help both of them. Poppy looked over at where Floyd and John Dory sat, seeing Floyd give her a smile and an encouraging thumbs up with both of his hands. Meanwhile, John Dory flicked his tail to her, pushing up off the wall.

“The more, the merrier! Clay, where’s that postcard you said Spruce sent you?”

Clay, leaving one arm still wrapped around Viva, pulled out a brightly colored card with a vibrant sunset on it.

“I figure we can use it to track down where Spruce is at. It must’ve been sent from here.”

John would say as he walked over to Clay, plucking the card out of his brother’s hands and examining it thoroughly. Clay rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath.

“You’re the boss… Just like old times.”

Poppy tried not to let the remark dull her feelings about the situation. It was obvious the brothers were still affected by John Dory’s nature to take over any situation he was in, but that was something they would have to work through after Branch was safe and sound.

“Not a moment to waste, let’s go! It’ll take forever to reach a beach like this.”

John Dory flicked the postcard and continued bossily, likely not having heard Clay’s sarcastic comment. He walked over to the front door and led the way through it, followed by Clay and Viva. As Poppy turned to follow them, Floyd joined her at her side. He gave her a smile, flicking her tail with his as they walked.

“That was amazing, Poppy. I’m sure Branch will be so proud of you.”

Poppy returned the smile to Floyd, though it turned slightly sad.

“… I hope so.”

She replied, realizing that Floyd didn’t know the half of it. Poppy herself had always had an issue with listening to those around her, and taking their concerns into account just as much as her own. She hoped that she could one day tell Branch all about Viva, and that he would be safe and in her arms soon.

Viva would say goodbye to the Putt-Putt Trolls, explaining where she was going and when she would be back. They supported her decision, though many showed signs of fearing for the safety of their protector. Poppy led her older sister to Rhonda the armadillo bus, helping her inside.

John Dory would start the journey to the beach as soon as everyone was on, leaving just one Brozone brother left to find: Spruce. Poppy sat inside the bus, gazing out of one of the windows and thinking about her dream with Branch.

‘… You won’t have to miss me for long, Branch. I promise.’

Chapter Text

By the time the group had reached the ocean; the sun had already started its descent through the sky. An island was visible in the distance, complete with a huge sand castle resort and a whole town to accompany it. Instead of forming a plan for getting there, John Dory decided to hurl Rhonda and everyone inside straight into the water below.

Much to his promise that she was waterproof, she was not. They washed up on the sand, each and every one of the Trolls being sucked out in the water draining through the open side door. Poppy fell onto the wet sand with a thumb, coughing and sputtering on water orbs.

John Dory managed to somehow land perfectly on his feet, as if he’d expected the outcome of the situation—leaving Poppy, Floyd, Clay, and Viva to recover on the sand. Poppy looked up to check on Floyd and Viva, only for her eyes to land on someone out in the ocean.

Squinting, Poppy could finally focus on whoever was gliding over the water towards them. Atop a surfboard and riding a wave approached a tall Troll with luxurious purple hair. Poppy gaped across the water at him, knowing precisely who this was.

Floyd walked over to her side to help her up, his hair doused and slick with water. Confused, he followed her gaze—and his mouth too fell open in surprise.

“You guys alright over here?”

The Troll would say as he neared, his surfboard sailing to a stop onto the sand. He stepped off and took Poppy gently by the hand, helping to lift her to her feet.

“Spruce-!”

She managed to say, feeling overwhelmed at just how much the heartthrob of Brozone had changed. He looked to be doing incredibly well for himself, and Spruce dipped his head to her. The gazes of the other Trolls soon followed, all hurrying to their feet in surprise.

“Ah, I’m guessing you’d like an autograph? My Brozone days are behind me, but I’m sure-“

Spruce never got to finish his sentence, as he was bowled over by all three of his brothers at once.

“Spruce!”

John Dory exclaimed as he tackled his brother to the ground, sending sand flying in every direction. Poppy smiled, having to shield her eyes to avoid being blinded by the spray. Clay reached them next, laughing and joining in on the hug-dog pile. Floyd was last, and the gentlest, but even he threw himself into the mix.

Spruce took a minute to understand what was going on, having tried to wrestle the three Trolls off of him before giving up and finally looking into the faces of his brothers. Recognition crackled along his face like a bolt of lightning, and he smiled wide.

“Brothers-?! My brothers!”

He burst out, laughing as he pulled them all into a hug. Poppy took some steps back to stand beside Viva, who had been slightly confused up until this point. Viva pulled Poppy’s hand into her own, squeezing it and smiling down at her little sister, who returned it with her own.

“W-What are you all doing here?”

He asked dazedly as he let them go. The brothers untangled themselves from each other, everyone soaking wet and covered with sand.

“Spruce, we-“

John Dory began, but he was abruptly cut off as Spruce cringed slightly.

“Actually, I go by Bruce now. I figured a new life deserved a new name, y’know?”

Clay beamed at his brother, raising a brow.

“Bruce? Hey, I like it!”

Floyd would mirror the sentiment with a supportive nod, leaving John Dory to follow up messily in their wake. Bruce looked around at the group of brothers, noticing something was missing. His eyes narrowed confusedly before asking:

“… Where’s Bitty B?”

The question left the brothers to exchange glances with each other. John Dory and Clay looked expectantly at Floyd, whose ears perked and tail flicked uncomfortably. He’d become the leader of sorts for Branch’s rescue mission, even if John Dory thought he possessed that title.

Much to Poppy’s surprise, Floyd turned and looked at her. He raised a hand and beckoned her forward with an encouraging half-smile. Poppy hesitantly obliged, her hand slipping out of Viva’s as she walked up to stand beside Floyd.

“Hi, um- Bruce. I’m Branch’s girlfriend—we’re here because he’s being held captive, and we need all of his brothers to help save him.”

Poppy gestured over to the three brothers beside her, who glanced from her to Bruce. Bruce’s gaze morphed to one of shock and devastation to hear what had become of his youngest brother. He shook his head subtly, taking a step back.

“… I don’t know… I’ve got a family here now—I can’t just-“

Floyd took a step forward to follow, his ears pinned back in distress.

“You don’t understand—Branch is being held in a diamond prison. It has to be us.”

Bruce looked down at the sand, glancing up at his brothers once before looking back down. His expression hardened as he delved deep in thought, the tip of his tail lashing. Branch’s fate began to hang in the balance, beneath the crashing of waves and music playing softly on the shore.

Bruce looked down, considering his options.

“The perfect family harmony…”

He finally said, looking up at his brothers and his expression softening.

“We’ve never hit it before—how do we know that we could do it now? For Branch?”

Bruce would say, and the question seemed to sweep the floor from beneath Poppy’s feet. A shiver passed down her spine and through her tail, as if a winter breeze had just blown past her. What if they couldn’t hit the family harmony? What if, after everything, she couldn’t save Branch—the way he’d saved her countless times before?

She was snapped back to reality and out of her mind by a sudden touch, Floyd’s tail twining with hers. He’d seemed to realize how the question would make Poppy feel, and had planned accordingly. Poppy looked up at Floyd, and he glanced down at her, his expression unsure.

He looked back up at Bruce, taking a deep breath before replying.

“Branch is our brother. I’m positive that when the time comes, we’ll have what it takes to save him—all of us.”

Floyd would say, looking down at Poppy. She met his gaze gratefully, giving him an appreciative slow blink. She felt full of gratitude for Floyd in that moment, and everything he’d done for her through this journey to safe Branch. He’d been an amazing friend through every step of the way, and she would never forget it.

Bruce let out a sigh, but smiled.

“You haven’t changed, Floyd. Alright, I’m in—but at least come meet my wife and kids.”

John Dory jumped back as if he’d been electrocuted.

“You’re a father?!”

Clay began to laugh, clapping his hands amusedly. None of the rest of them were married—not even John Dory, the oldest of them all, and they’d definitely didn’t have kids. Bruce beamed at his brothers, waving for them  to follow.

“Yeah! Come meet everyone, they’ve all heard so much about you all!”

The group would follow Bruce inside his restaurant, meeting his wife Brandy as well as his many kids. Poppy would stay to the side, letting the brothers enjoy their moment as a family. It was when she least expected to be spoken to that someone addressed her from above.

“Hello—you’re Poppy, right?”

Poppy looked up to see Bruce’s wife, Brandy, gazing down at her. She was very tall to a Troll’s standard, but seemingly an average height for a vacationer. Poppy stood up, brushing off her dress as she did so.

“I am, hi!”

Poppy would greet her, waving up at the kind-looking woman. Brandy would lean against the bar, making herself shorter so Poppy wouldn’t have to look up so high—a gesture that was greatly appreciated.

“My husband told me what happened. I’m sorry.”

Brandy would say simply, though her eyes possessed a great compassion that Poppy could see. The Troll shuffled her feet, her tail still.

“It’s… It’s alright. Things happen, you know?”

Poppy replied, trying not to sound at downtrodden as she felt. Above her, Brandy’s brows furrowed in pity.

“Just remember that it’s alright to not be alright. This must be hard for you.”

Poppy took a deep breath in, thinking about the full extent of her situation that Brandy had no clue about. She gave Brandy a self-assured smile, flicking her tail.

“It’ll all be worth it to have Branch back. I’ll bring him up to meet you someday soon, after he recovers.”

Poppy would reply, willing herself to feel more confident in herself and in Brozone. They’d collected all of the brothers, now they’d be off to Mount Rageous—and then Branch would be hers again. Brandy’s eyes creased with a smile, and she gave Poppy a nod.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

After the group had finished socializing and meeting Bruce’s family, Brandy and Bruce would share a goodbye as the others made their way to the bus. Feeling as hopeful as ever now that they were one step closer, Poppy stopped to watch the sunset sink lower and lower towards the sea. She took a deep breath, allowing the smell of saltwater to calm her further before stepping into the bus.

Next stop, Mount Rageous.

Chapter Text

The journey to Mount Rageous was the longest of all. It took the rest of the day, and long through the night. Floyd offered for take over driving for John Dory, to allow his older brother to rest. Now the bus was silent, save only for quiet snores of the other passengers. Everyone had fallen asleep, John Dory on the floor, and Clay and Viva side by side on the couch, leaning against each other.

Poppy hadn’t fallen asleep though. She wasn’t tired, and probably wouldn’t be able to sleep even if she had been. Instead, she walked up to the drivers seat where Floyd sat, and opted to sit up by him. Floyd glanced down at her, giving her a smile. She returned it as she always did, though hers fell quickly.

Floyd noticed and his fell too. His tail that hung off the side of the seat flicked back and forth like a metronome as he seemed to debate on what to say. Poppy beat him to it though, speaking in low tones as she asked him a question.

“… What was Branch like? As a baby?”

Floyd thought about all of his memories of Branch, and began to truly comprehend how much of his brother’s life he had missed. The Branch he would meet in the next coming hours would not be the Branch he’d once known. Floyd gave a slight laugh at all of his favorite memories, his eyes on the road as he replied.

“He was…”

Floyd tried to find just one word that would describe his baby brother, but that was a hard task for the sweet boy he’d known.

“He was… Genuine.”

Floyd finally responded, a nostalgic smile on his face as memories flashed through his head. Beside him, Poppy grinned, leaning back to let her head rest against the wall behind her.

“He still is.”

She replied, feeling that Floyd had encapsulated her boyfriend perfectly. Branch was the most genuine Troll she knew. He was honest, brutally honest sometimes—but she needed to hear brutal honesty sometimes, so they were perfect together. Poppy looked up at Floyd, perking her ears.

“He’s a lot like you, actually. Genuine; hard-working, thoughtful.”

Floyd’s smile widened at Poppy’s words, feeling his face grow warm. The idea of Branch having grown up to be most like Floyd felt like such an honor—an honor Floyd didn’t deserve. He’d never be able to truly make up for the time he and Branch had lost, but Floyd hoped he could be in his brother’s life now. It wouldn’t make what he did right, but it was all he could do now.

Floyd was about to reply when they drove over the crest of a hill, revealing a huge mountain not far in the distance. It was covered in bright lights, illuminating the sky like a cluster of stars that had fallen down to the ground. Poppy saw Floyd tense, and got to her feet to look out through the windshield. Upon seeing the mountain and its sheer size, she felt incredibly unprepared.

“Guys…”

She said, unable to take her eyes off the mass of lights and colors. When nobody behind her awoke, she spoke a bit louder in a bark over her shoulder.

“Guys!”

John Dory sharply sat up from where he lay on the ground, a red imprint on his face where he’d fallen asleep on his goggles. Clay and Viva knocked their heads into each other, leaning away with sharp intakes of breath in pain.

“… What?”

John Dory asked blearily, looking around wildly. Poppy took a deep breath in, looking back forward at Mount Rageous looming tall and menacing in the distance. As the other three Trolls joined her and Floyd at the front of the bus, they all went quiet—simply staring up at their seemingly impending doom at the hands of a world for giants.

The rest of the drive would go by rather soundlessly, spent mentally and logically preparing for what came next. They couldn’t really form a plan until they knew what they were dealing with—where Branch was, and how hard it would be to get him out. John Dory figured they would traverse through the vents to avoid being seen, or stepped on.

This was a plan everyone supported, but the group voted against John Dory’s next proposal of parking in the spot marked, “Reserved for Brozone.” Luckily, Floyd was driving—and instead chose to keep them out of sight, parking outside the reaches of the parking lot. John Dory made a fuss of being overruled as they were on their way around, though.

“It’s a spot made specially for us-! Brozone hasn’t been given privileges like that since the band broke up!”

Floyd looked over his shoulder as he led the way, raising a brow at his older brother’s logic.

“If they want Branch, they probably want us too. I’m trying to keep us safe, not keep us relevant.”

John Dory rolled his eyes once his brother turned his back, soundlessly repeating his words with his mouth while mimicking his hand talking. As the group rounded a corner, they discovered a huge crowd of Mount Rageons surrounding an empty red carpet. From the looks of it, Velvet and Veneer hadn’t arrived yet.

“It looks like whoever this Velvet and Veneer are, they have a show tonight. We need to try and get to Branch before they get here.”

Floyd would say as he peered out at the crowd. He ducked back behind the corner, turning around to look at everyone. He took a deep breath, appearing overwhelmed by exactly what was at stake. Poppy stepped forward slightly, glancing around at the group.

“Branch could be anywhere. I say we split up once we get to the vents, everyone goes in pairs. Floyd and me, Clay and Viva, Bruce and John. We’ll set a rendezvous point where we can regroup once we find him, and formulate a plan. Sound good?”

Poppy would say confidently, such tactics coming so easily to her mind. When she looked back up, she was met by impressed and shocked faces. Poppy shuffled her feet, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

“… I learned a lot from Branch. You pick up a thing or two when you spend time around a planner like him, y’know?”

Everyone gave a nod of approval at Poppy’s plan, and thus the Trolls began weaving their way through the crowd. Poppy stuck close behind Floyd, following the pink tuft of fur at the end of his tail as they traversed through a forest of shoes.

Floyd was nearly stepped on, but Poppy managed to bowl herself into him and send them both rolling out of the shoe’s wake within a second of being crushed. Floyd stared up at her dazed from his spot on the ground, murmuring a breathless thanks before Poppy helped him up again.

Eventually they’d all make it inside, where it was much less crowded. Swinging up to the vents, they’d all one by one land with a quiet thump on the dusty metal. They’d walk as a group until they reached an intersection that led off in three separate ways, before wishing each other luck, and splitting off into their pairs.

Each and every vent grate Poppy and Floyd came across filled her with anticipation, only to be let down upon discovering an empty recording booth, or yet another maintenance closet. Poppy almost didn’t bother checking the next one they came across, until Floyd gasped and fumbled to grab her wrist.

Stumbling, Poppy blinked and peered down through the grate. Upon a huge vanity table sat many things, though one stood out in particular. A geometric bottle, shimmering and purple. Inside it, motionless—lay a Troll, one who Poppy didn’t recognize at first. His hair was… White, his skin a translucent glittering blue.

“That’s not Branch.”

Poppy would whisper, disappointment flooding through her. She looked up at Floyd, whose eyes were still locked steadfast on the Troll. He was shaking slightly, his face pale with shock and horror.

“… M-My vest. That’s Branch, he’s… He’s wearing my vest that I gave him.”

Poppy stared at Floyd for a long moment before looking back down through the slats in the vent. She squinted, focusing on the clothes the Troll was wearing, and familiar greens and browns caught her eye. She covered her mouth with her hands, feeling a cold chill trickle down her spine like ice.

Without another word, she leapt through the gaps in the grate, ignoring Floyd’s quiet shout of her name. She plummeted towards the desk, catching herself with her hair at the last second before hitting the ground. She dangled above the surface for a moment before letting herself drop, falling to her knees from the height. She stumbled as she immediately shot upright and ran over to Branch, her senses alight with alarm.

“Branch-?!”

She reached the diamond prison, pressing her hands up against it and craning to study the Troll inside of it. Her distress only got worse now that she could see Branch better, dismayed and panicked at the sight of him.

His hair which looked completely white from above turned out to be only mostly white—as his familiar deep blue still dusted the ends in fragments. His skin was nearly completely see-through, glittering as though it were made of ice. His arms and legs completely so, and the tips of his ears beginning to as well.

Branch was curled up on the floor of his prison, completely still except for a slight shivering throughout his entire body. He looked so frail, as if he could shatter into pieces with a single touch. His skin was akin to that of glass, shiny and bizarre. Poppy rest her forehead against the glass, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

“Oh, Branch…”

She rasped, her voice cracking with the sheer amount of horror that filled her. She hadn’t known that this was what she’d find, that Branch would be in such a horrific conditions such as this. Her tears fell to the floor as she struggled to stay standing, and she would’ve let herself sink to the ground if not for a voice that broke the silence.

“P-Poppy…?”

Branch’s voice sounded sickly, as if he’d been couching for days. The diamond bottle warped and echoed the sound as if he was in a cave, scaring Poppy and making her jump. Her gaze shot up to look at him, finding his eyes open now—albeit only slightly. Tears were falling steadily from them, sideways down his nose and cheek as he was lying onto his side. They pooled on the ground on the crystal floor in front of his face, casting a reflection.

Poppy choked out a sob and nodded, her ears pinning themselves downwards distraughtly.

“It’s me, Branch. I’m here now, I’m so… I’m so sorry. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

Poppy managed to say, his voice quavering all the while. Branch blinked, causing another teardrop to roll down his face and drip off his nose. He shut his eyes, appearing to drift off for a moment before replying. His voice slurred slightly, as if talking took great effort.

“… We…?”

Above all of the pain and exhaustion in his voice, Poppy could still hear signs of curiosity. She couldn’t help but let out a mix of a laugh and sob, nodding again profusely.

“We… I brought your brothers, Branchifer.”

Suddenly, a thump behind her made Poppy jump again, fearing the worst—but upon looking over her shoulder, she’d only find that Floyd had joined them. He ran over to stand beside Poppy, his breath fast in his chest as he surveyed his once brightly colored baby brother.

“… Hey, Bitty B.”

Floyd finally greeted, pressing a hand against the bottle. Branch managed the weakest of smiles upon hearing his brother’s voice, his eyes fluttering open once again.

“Floyd.”

Branch mumbled as strongly as he could, the end of his tail beginning to wag feebly at the sight of his two favorite people. Poppy and Floyd exchanged a glance at just how disturbing Branch’s condition was, their panic-stricken eyes conveying to each other that they had no idea how they were going to get Branch out of this.

A sudden noise came through the vents, a far away and nearly inaudible roar of cheering. Dread and fear began to course through the pair’s veins as they realized that Velvet and Veneer had arrived. They didn’t have long before they would be in the dressing room—they needed to regroup with the others and make a plan, fast.

Poppy turned back to Branch, her heart breaking at the sight of him all over again.

“Branch, we have to go—but we’ll be back for you, I promise.“

Her hands felt almost as if they were glued to the surface of the bottle, she wanted so desperately to stay. Beside her, Floyd sniffled and hugged the side of the crystal.

“… I won’t abandon you again, little brother. We’ll see you soon.”

He’d say, though neither of them were sure that Branch had even heard them. He’d seemed to have drifted off again, something that struck fear into Poppy’s heart—but Branch couldn’t afford for her to be scared. She had to get back to the others and form a plan to rescue him.

As a final goodbye, Poppy pressed a kiss to the diamond bottle before turning and running back the way she came—grappling back up to the vent grate and disappearing through the bars with Floyd close behind her.

Chapter Text

Poppy and Floyd would sprint down the vent as fast as they could, ignoring their burning lungs until they reached the intersection of the ventilation. Clutching stitches in their sides, Poppy leaned against the side of the metallic wall, panting and trying to regain her breath.

The other Trolls had beaten them there, all of them looking downtrodden as they hadn’t been the ones to find Branch. As Poppy and Floyd approached though, their faces brightened in hope.

“Did you find Branch?”

Clay would ask, stepping forward to look between Poppy and Floyd. Floyd had sunk down into a crouch, giving Clay a frantic nod as he was unable to answer with his recovering lungs. He took another gulp of air before forcing himself to elaborate, his hands shaking as he stood up.

“It’s bad—really bad. We need to get him out as soon as possible.”

Beside him, Poppy looked out at the others.

“I-I don’t…”

She choked out, feeling tears well up again in her eyes. She pressed her back against the wall behind her, sinking down into a sit as she began to sob.

“I don’t know if he’ll make it to morning.”

Poppy pressed her hands against her eyes, her lip quivering as she tried in vain to stop crying. She had to stop crying, Branch needed her—now more than ever. He needed her and she couldn’t stop. Clay, Bruce, and John Dory were all frozen in shock, but Viva—who had no connection to Branch, rushed to Poppy’s side.

Vicva’s focus was solely on her little sister, and getting her through this safely. Viva crouched in front of Poppy, resting her hands on both of her shoulders.

“Poppy, Branch *will* make it. We’re getting him out.”

Poppy lowered her own hands, gazing hopelessly into her sister’s eyes. Viva had a look of sheer determination and resolve that Poppy couldn’t help but feel like her big sister was had to be telling the truth. Viva wasn’t unfamiliar with fighting off giants, if anyone could do this—it was her.

Viva offered Poppy a hand, helping her to stand back up before pulling her into a fierce hug. Poppy returned it loosely, wrapping her arms around her sister. When she pulled back, Viva used her hands to wipe the tears from Poppy’s eyes.

“No Troll left behind.”

Poppy would croak, her voice cracking with strain. Viva gave her a firm nod, forcing a smile on her face for her sister. She pulled Poppy over to the others so they could make a plan as quickly as possible. Past the horrible image of a motionless Branch that kept appearing in her head, Poppy wracked her brain frantically for a plan.

“We… We can try to move the bottle Branch is in to somewhere safe, so we have time to hit the harmony without being caught. Velvet and Veneer just arrived, so we might have enough time to hide him before their show—but if we’re going to do it, we have to do it now.”

Time was of the essence, quite literally. Branch’s essence was at stake, as well as his life. Poppy tried to not let that idea affect her, but she could feel electrical shocks of fear zipping up and down her chest.

“What if this doesn’t work?”

Asked one of the brothers—the most serious one of them now. Clay was gazing at Poppy with doubt in his eyes, noticing all the ways in which their situation could go wrong. She hadn’t expected to have a time limit, and it was affecting her abilities to plan accordingly.

Poppy met Clay’s gaze for a moment before looking down. She searched for an answer, something—anything to say, but her mind went blank and she stayed silent. At her side, Viva flicked her tail into Poppy’s and picked up the slack.

“Then we’ll figure it out, but we don’t have time for hypotheticals. Let’s go try to save Branch.”

Without hesitation, Viva turned around and raced down the vent Poppy and Floyd had emerged from. Exchanging glances, the others followed—the echoing drum of their footsteps thundering in their ears. They slowed as they approached Branch’s grate, and Poppy sunk down into a crouch to peer through it. The others joined her, surveying the room for anywhere they could hide Branch.

“Do you think we could fit him into the vent?”

John Dory asked, looking up and glancing between Poppy and Floyd.

“I don’t know. That would be our best option though, it’s worth a try.”

Floyd would reply, standing up and looking around at the group of Trolls. He thought hard for a long moment before making a decision.

“That diamond bottle is going to be heavy. You guys go down and try to boost it up as much as you can, I’ll keep a look out and pull it up the rest of the way. Branch is fragile, so you all need to put in work so he doesn’t get jostled.”

Before Floyd had even finished speaking, Bruce and John Dory had already jumped down through the gaps in the vent. It seemed in character for them to do, as they were the two eldest brothers. Poppy, Viva, and Clay followed after, much more cautious than the other two.

Landing on the vanity tabletop, John Dory and Bruce ran over to their little brother. Seeing him for the first time, they both recoiled in horror. Branch didn’t notice they were there, still inconsistent with his brow furrowed in pain and his mouth open slightly. His breaths were short and shallow in his chest, accompanied by a horrible wheeze that crunched with every inhale.

“It really is bad…”

Bruce said, glancing over at John Dory who said nothing in response. He only lowered his goggles over his eyes and moved closer to Branch’s prison. Clay nearly slammed into the bottle with the speed at which he rushed over, pressing his hands against the bottle.

“Branch-?! Oh my- What happened to him?”

He asked, looking over his shoulder at Poppy with wide eyes. Poppy looked down, only shaking her head. She didn’t know—and she almost wanted it to stay that way. Whatever horrors Branch had gone through would likely haunt him for life, and it would always be a burden on Poppy’s conscious.

“Let’s try to move him.”

Viva would say, walking over to Clay and resting a hand on his shoulder. Clay gave one final look back at Branch before taking a step back. Joining them, Poppy took a deep breath.

“On three.”

She murmured, glancing up at the vent where Floyd sat peering through it. He gave her a nod and a thumbs up, signaling he was ready when they were. Poppy looked back around at the others before counting.

“One, two, three-!”

In unison, they all formed a platform with their hair, weaving and winding together to grip and hold Branch’s prison securely. With great effort to keep it steady, they began to propel it steadily upwards as fast as they could manage without being too rough

As they passed the halfway point, Floyd began to reach out with his own hair, curling around theirs to assist in guiding Branch towards the vent. As they reached the grate, Branch’s diamond prison clinked against the metal—but didn’t pass through. With a bit of careful shifting and more effort, the result was clear—it didn’t fit.

Only a moment of disappointment could pass between the Trolls before the door to the dressing room suddenly opened, revealing the figures of Velvet and Veneer to be standing in its wake. Her loud voice called over the panicked gasps of the Trolls on the vanity.

“I knew it!”

Without warning, Velvet’s arms shot across the room—stretching multiple times longer than their normal length and grabbing two of the brothers. The Trolls holding up Branch all too screamed, helpless to do anything for fear of dropping Branch.

John Dory and Spruce were wrung back in, where Velvet shoved them both into bottles identical to Branch’s that were resting on another table. She’d acted with such speed, it was as if she’d known they were coming.

“Veneer, help me!”

Velvet barked commandingly at her brother, who stood shocked and frozen in the doorway. He didn’t move, staring from the group of Trolls then up to Branch suspended in the air with a concerned look on his face.

Without the two brothers to help hold up the sheer weight of the diamond bottle with Branch inside, the remaining Troll’s strength faltered and Branch’s prison slipped from their grasp. With no help in holding Branch up, Floyd’s own strength gave out and Branch’s prison began to heart-sickeningly plummet towards the ground.

“Branch-! No!”

Poppy shrieked, ending in a blood-curdling scream that felt like it would shatter her own eardrums. Time seemed to slow as Poppy stared at the falling gem, too immersed in her partner’s fate to notice Velvet reaching to grab her too. Beside her, Viva made a split second decision and ran at Poppy, shoving her out of the way and taking her place in Velvet’s hand as her and Clay were grabbed.

Finally, Veneer decided to act—but instead of helping his sister, he hurled himself forward and caught Branch’s prison just before it hit the ground. So much was happening at once that Poppy didn’t feel real—but it was one voice in her ears that kept her moving.

“Poppy-! Go!”

Viva shouted to her as she was pulled away, pushing Poppy to swing by her hair and escape. She obeyed, pulling herself up into the vent and colliding with Floyd, sending them both tumbling into the safety of the ventilation shafts. Neither of them dared show themselves again for fear of being snatched, and instead lay motionless on the ground in the same position they’d collapsed in.

“Veneer!”

Velvet growled as she turned around, a new cluster of four diamond prisons left resting on her vanity. Veneer stood up, clutching Branch’s bottle carefully in his hands. Branch had been disturbed to consciousness inside, and he was blinking with unfocused eyes. Veneer gazed down at him and made sure he was okay before sighing in relief.

Velvet stormed over to her brother and snatched the bottle out of his hands. He made a slight grab for it back before stopping himself, gazing guiltily over at his sister. Velvet held the bottle high behind her, rather loosely considering the height.

“What were you thinking?!”

They began to argue, but Poppy didn’t hear it. A quiet ringing had begun in her ears, a creeping numbing sensation beginning in her limbs. She sat up finally, shock overcoming any feeling that she could muster. She was too dazed to think about anything else than what had just happened, and what they had just lost.

“… What have I done…?”

Chapter Text

Poppy looked over at Floyd, who gazed back at her with a pale face. He stood up, slowly stepped over to Poppy and offering a hand to help her up. When she didn’t take it—only looking away mournfully, he gently crouched down and pulled her up before pulling her into a hug.

Poppy didn’t reciprocate, simply resting her head on his shoulder, her arms dangling at her sides. They’d failed—she’d failed, failed her sister, failed Brozone, failed Branch. Grief was palpable in her throat and she wanted to throw herself down and never move again.

“We can try again, Poppy. Don’t give up.”

Floyd said from before her, pulling back with his hands resting on her upper arms. Poppy shook her head, beginning to become angry with how unaffected Floyd was by her mistake. Didn’t he care?

“It’s all my fault, Floyd-! What’s the point…?”

She snapped, her voice faltering. She didn’t meet his eye, and instead staring hotly down at the floor. Floyd’s ears lowered, his tail going limp behind him. He looked down too, but after a moment, he grabbed Poppy by the hand and led her back over to the vent.

Pulling her down into a crouch to peer through it, he gently took her chin in his head and guided her gaze to look at where Branch was now. He was still in Veneer’s grasp, staring out at the rest of his brothers that had been taken by Brozone with slitted eyes.

“Look at him, Poppy. He’s the point.”

Floyd raised a hand to wipe a tear that had fallen onto her cheek and brush hair out of her eyes, smiling weakly.

“… You’re the point.”

Floyd said, gazing at Poppy for a long moment before standing up and walking away from the vent. Poppy stayed there stunned for a second before getting up and following him, sniffling and wiping her nose with her arm.

“You brought me and my brothers back together. You reunited with your sister, you did all of that, Poppy. You can give up on Branch now, I can’t stop you—but you’ve never given up on him before, I don’t see why you should start now.”

Floyd stopped now that they were a safe distance from the vent and turned around to face her. Poppy gazed over at him, the will to give up still alight on her veins. The fear of failing again and being the reason he was killed raged like a storm in her head—but Floyd was right. She’d never given up on Branch, and she never would. Taking a deep breath, Poppy opened her eyes.

“… Okay.”

She said, furrowing her brow in determination. Floyd beamed proudly at her, his tail beginning to wag. Poppy began to walk down the vent, leaving Floyd to jog to catch up to her. Floyd cleared his throat, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Velvet and Veneer will be going out for their show any minute. We won’t have a chance to save the others in the dressing room, they probably have another trap set up. We’ll have to figure out how to save Branch while they’re onstage, whether he’s out there with them or not.”

The pair walked deeper into the ventilation shafts, on the search for where the stage which Velvet and Veneer would be preforming. It took a lot of dead ends, but they eventually found it—stumbling across grate that opened up to a huge auditorium packed with Mount Rageons.

The stage was dark, but as Poppy and Floyd journeyed further and further through the vents towards it, bright stadium lights clunked on and illuminated the stage. Entry music began to echo across the stands as the siblings Velvet and Veneer rose up from a platform in the floor.

“What’s up, Mount Rageous?”

Velvet greeted sweetly, causing the crowd to roar and cheer in excitement. She waved  enthusiastically to her fans, though beside her—Veneer seemed noticeably subdued. He kept throwing short glances over his shoulder to a microphone stand behind them, sitting alone in the center of the stage.

“Thank you so much for voting me- I mean, my brother and I, to be your Lifer Award recipients!”

The crouch cheered even louder, and above them in the vents, Poppy and Floyd got closer. Catching glimpses and Velvet and Veneer through the grates, Poppy strained her eyes to notice something new on both of the siblings. Shoulder pads, to be exact—ones with familiar purple gems on them.

“Floyd-! Look!”

Poppy skidded to a stop and pointed to the duo on the stage, who were now beginning to sing their hit single. Watching closely beside her, Floyd breathed in a sharp intake of breath upon seeing what had been added to Velvet and Veneer’s outfits.

In their shoulder pads sat the three brothers John Dory, Bruce, and Clay—as well as Viva. They couldn’t see them well from here, especially past the glare of the stage lights, but their familiar colors shone through occasionally past the purple hues of the diamond.

“We have to find Branch. Maybe he isn’t on the stage after all, maybe-“

Poppy stopped mid-sentence, another purple shape catching her eye. Branch *was* on stage, connected to a microphone and barely visible beneath the glare of the stage lights, perfectly hidden to anyone who wasn’t paying attention.

“… There.”

Poppy would say, nodding towards the microphone that had yet to be picked up by either of the siblings. Branch’s blurred white and blue shape was motionless behind it, which made Poppy sick to her stomach.

“I think they’re using the others instead of Branch for now, they’ve bought him some time.”

Poppy turned to Floyd, her expression one of determination.

“We need to cut the power. If we can stop the concert, they as well as everyone else will have no choice but to listen to us.”

Floyd nodded, his brow furrowed resolutely.

“Right. I’ll figure out how to get down to the stage, you cut the power and meet me back here. We’re getting them back, now.”

Floyd pulled Poppy into another hug, one that she reciprocated strongly with before they parted ways, wishing each-other luck. Poppy ran down the vents, which were maze-like above such a huge auditorium. Where their size would be a detriment fighting giants like this—here, it was an advantage. They could act in total secrecy, unable to be detected until they wanted to be.

Poppy would have to make it to the vents closest to the stage, where she was able to slip through a gap in the metal to fall into the main wall structure. With access to the wires that powered the entire Rage Dome, she rubbed her hands together with a wicked smile.

With Poppy destroying the wires, all of the lights and audio would cut off across the auditorium simultaneously, with a mixture of shocked gasps and alarmed screams from the fans in the crowd. Complete darkness would call across the space before backup generators cut on, illuminating only the core lights as well as backup microphones and the television screens that broadcast the stage for those in the nosebleeds.

Velvet and Veneer gazed around confusedly, Velvet giving an uncomfortable laugh.

“It seems we’re experiencing some technical difficulties.  Give us just a moment to-“

Velvet was interrupted by shout from above, as well as the screens on either side of the stage swiveling away from their focus on her.

“Velvet and Veneer!”

Floyd called, who was standing atop the catwalk below the vents, his hair having turned the broadcasting camera towards himself. Not a moment passed that Poppy was joining him, her breathing labored from the run back to him.

“Your fans deserve to know who you’ve used to get where you are. Let our siblings go!”

Gasps and murmurs began amongst the crowd, and Velvet raised her hands to cover the purple diamonds on her shoulder pads. Veneer didn’t move beside her though, glancing down at his own with a somber expression.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Troll.”

Velvet said dismissively, and would’ve waved her hand if not for her hiding the two Trolls beneath her palms. There was a stunned silence for a moment before Veneer stepped forward to stand beside his sister, squaring his shoulders.

“… But I do.”

He said, gazing into the crowd uncomfortably. Velvet gaped at his side, her mouth falling open into an expression of indignation and betrayal. Veneer glanced over at her, taking a small precautionary sidestep away.

“The Trolls are telling the truth. We’ve been torturing Trolls to get where we are, we just wanted to be famous… I- My sister wanted to be famous, I was too much of a coward to stand up to her.”

Veneer reached up and popped the diamonds out of his shoulder pads, setting them down gently on the ground. John Dory and Bruce appeared on one of the TV screens as a star-shaped camera zoomed out from backstage and began to film the stage for live TV, gazing up at Veneer’s retreating hands.

The crowd began to erupted in angry muttering and disgusted shouting, the expressions of people who’d once been fans of the duo Velvet and Veneer now plastered in outrage. Velvet sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing.

“It’s like I don’t even know you.”

She growled, taking a few steps back with her hands still covering her shoulder pads possessively. Veneer took a step forward to follow her in an effort to free the Trolls beneath her hands.

“Because you don’t. I shouldn’t have allowed this, not after I saw what we did to the first one.”

Seeing a chance at the opportunity to free the others, Poppy and Floyd took off running down the catwalk. Below them, Velvet began to sing rebelliously, now frantically backing up to avoid her brother.

“I’m gonna live forever,”

She began, her voice sickeningly sweet against the tenseness of the situation.

“I’m gonna learn how to fly.”

Poppy and Floyd swung down to the stage as they got closest to it, hopping from the screen to various speakers and working their way down until they stood on the same level as the diamonds of which John Dory and Bruce sat upon. They ran up to them, relief washing over the two’s purple-hued faces behind the crystal.

“We’ll go after Velvet, you guys work on getting Branch.”

John Dory shouted to them, beginning to run and roll his prison towards Velvet and Veneer.  Bruce gave Floyd and Poppy a nervous glance before following, running after John. Velvet was still singing, though it was beginning to become strained with the effort of evading her brother. Too focused on keeping what she felt was rightfully hers, she didn’t notice the two diamonds that slunk beneath her feet and sent her sliding and tripping on their rolling surface.

Seeing his chance, Veneer jumped on the opportunity and took his sister by the wrists, prying one of her hands off of the Troll beneath it. They began to struggle as Velvet used her brother as a way to lift herself up. Veneer managed to free one of the diamonds, but his sister was now rushing towards the microphone in the center of the stage, the one that held Branch.

Veneer swiftly set the diamond in his hand down, leaving Clay rattled and shaken up on the floor before sprinting after Velvet. On the floor, Poppy and Floyd made the swift decision to spread out and entwine their hair together, tripping Velvet on her way towards Branch.

The impact with the ground as she fell forward sent Viva tumbling out too, but Velvet quickly recovered, flipping over herself into a front-walkover and seizing Branch’s microphone in her hands. This caused everyone on stage to freeze, each of them knowing just how close to death Branch was.

An evil grin crossed Velvet’s face, but before she could begin to sing into it, a voice overtook her.

“It’s some kind of love…”

Began Floyd, his voice a melancholic drone beside Poppy. She looked over at him, her face pale with fear, furrowing her brow in confusion.

“It’s some kind of fire.”

He continued as the others made their way over to them. Even Velvet was confused now, the hand with Branch in it falling slightly.

“I’m already up,”

Behind them, the Brozone brothers began to sing too, realizing what Floyd was trying as a last ditch effort to save their brother’s life.

“But you lift me higher. You know I’m not wrong, you know I’m not lyin’. We do it better, we do it better—yeah.”

Poppy’s gazed eased as she too came to understand why Floyd had broken out in song. The perfect family harmony, the one way they would be able to stop Velvet now once and for all. And she too began to sing, pulling Floyd’s hand into hers.

As the song went on they got more confident, encouraged by the confused yet enthralled roar of the audience in support of their efforts. Soon they all began to lift into the air, and for a moment Poppy thought she’d died, but suddenly she was flying—up and up.

Across the stage, Branch’s prison threw itself out of Velvet’s microphone in her hand, rising up and leaving her unable to grab it above her. Poppy glided up to in the air, pressing her hands against the diamond as she noticed him waking slightly. In the quietest and most gravely of voices, he finally sang—the crystalline walls around him beginning to crack and splinter.

“Just let me take you to a better place…”

A shockwave shot over the crowd, knocking Velvet and Veneer off their feet on the stage. All of the diamond prisons broke apart at once, turning to a glittering dust and blowing away in the aftermath of the shockwave. They all began to sink slowly back to the ground, but Branch—the lightest of all of them, fluttered down like a leaf in the wind.

Floyd stepped forward to catch him, noticing with dread that Branch’s skin and hair were now completely translucent. Branch was limp in Floyd’s arms as his brother slowly lowered him to the ground, his mouth open slightly in his unconscious state. Now he showed no signs of life, the tenseness of pain in his face and limbs gone. He didn’t shiver, even the labored wheeze that had once been present beforehand was gone.

Floyd went ice cold, his hands beginning to quiver as he set Branch down. A ways away, Poppy took in the scene, and a horrible grief bubbled up and out of her throat. She screamed out a wail, running over to Branch and falling to her knees beside them.

“Branch-!”

Chapter Text

The last few hours had gone by in a blur for Branch. He’d grown so weak in such a short amount of time, eventually lacking the strength to even sit up, let alone stay awake for a prolonged period of time. He’d drifted in and out of consciousness, sleep creeping up and fading away like waves on a beach.

He’d grown so accustomed to not being addressed that when a familiar voice pierced his sleep, he couldn’t help but wake. It took nearly all of his remaining strength to open his eyes—but he did, thank god he did. His gaze focused on a blurry pink shape before him, and upon noticing it, his heart fluttered in his chest.

Tears began to flow from his eyes, leaving him unable to stop them even if he wanted to. They clouded his vision, forcing him to blink to recover it. They were cold against his cheeks, lacking the internal warmth from his continuously falling temperature as his skin lost its color.

“P- Poppy…”

He managed to rasp, tears falling into his parted lips. It was the first thing he’d had to drink in days. Across from him, Poppy looked up sharply, her gaze locking on his. She was crying too—the first he’d ever seen her cry, and vice versa, though he was in too much pain to notice or realize. She nodded enthusiastically, her ears pinned back in distress.

“It’s me, Branch. I’m here now, I’m so… I’m so sorry. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

Branch felt his strength begin to recede, no matter how much he tried—and failed, to hang onto it. A tear fell from his nose, making the quietest of sounds as it dropped into the puddle that was forming where his face was pressed against the cold diamond floor.

Branch’s eyes shut again, and he was drifting away for a moment. He pushed against it as much as he could, forcing himself to talk as sleep threatened to steal him away again. He wasn’t sure how many times he would drift off before he wouldn’t wake again, and that scared him.

“… We…?”

He murmured sleepily, trying to sound as alive as he possibly could as to not scare his partner more than she already was. On the other side of the wall, Poppy nodded again, laughing and sobbing all at once.

“We … I brought your brothers, Branchifer.”

Branch hardly noticed the arrival of a new Troll beside Poppy, and wouldn’t realize exactly who it was until he spoke. It felt as if cold flames were lit beneath him as the voice entered his ears, willing him to get up, to be alive.

“… Hey, Bitty B.”

Branch couldn’t help but smile, no matter how much it hurt to do so. It was Floyd, Branch’s favorite brother. His voice was deeper than Branch remembered, and Branch opened his eyes again to see the full extent of just how much Floyd had changed.

Bringing his brother into focus, he could see that his brother was totally different. A flood of emotions that Branch was too weak to feel threatened to overwhelm his deprived senses. Branch nearly choked on his own tears before slurring out as much of a greeting as he could.

“Floyd.”

He murmured blearily, swallowing painfully with emotion. His tail began to wag involuntarily, sending a feeling of pins and needles up and down his spine. His eyes shut again, much to his protests of continuing to look at his two favorite Trolls. His hearing began to fade away, replaced by a flat ringing that sent an ache across his temples. Poppy and Floyd’s voices echoed just past it before he was gone.

“Branch, we have to go—but we’ll be back for you, I promise.“

He felt like he was beneath water, cold and motionless, sinking deeper and deeper.

“… I won’t abandon you again, little brother. We’ll see you soon.”

And then he was gone again, lost in a dark sea of static and dreamless sleep. It felt like both forever and no time at all passed, days could’ve gone by and he wouldn’t be any the wiser. When he was waking again, suddenly he was plummeting through the air. For one blissful moment, he was free of the cold solid ground below him—one that he’d been subject to for days.

And then he hit the ground, caught by huge shaky hands. The pain that wracked his body upon impacting the floor was immeasurable, a mixture of pure agony and freezing numbness that changed Branch’s mind and made him wish that he could fall asleep and never return to such a world in which pain like it existed.

He forced his eyes open, blinking blearily and noticing that he was held in the hands of Veneer, as if he was being protected from Velvet and her selfish desires. He couldn’t bring himself to care though, knowing that Poppy and Floyd were somewhere nearby. Seeing that they weren’t here, he didn’t feel the need to make himself suffer with the pain of consciousness. He slipped away again, feeling as if he was capable of time travel with how often he faded in and out of reality.

The next time he woke, he wasn’t falling through the air—he was flying through it. The sound of song and music rang beautifully through his ears, the most beautiful thing he’d ever had the pleasure of hearing. It was swamped by the echoing ripples of sleep, but that only made it all the more angelic.

He knew this song, and he knew the voices singing it too. Familiarity dawned in his mind, and faces of people he once knew began to appear there. His brothers… They were here, they’d come to save him—all of them. The perfect family harmony, they were doing it. He had to do it too, even with nearly every last drop of talent having been stolen from his body.

… Would he survive this?

“Just let me take you to a better place…”

He managed to sing, as much of a song as he could muster. The walls around him began to crack and splinter before him, but something was wrong. He was getting colder, it felt as if ice was clawing the rest of its way up his chest, up his chest and over his face and through his heart and suddenly-

It was gone. The cold that he’d grown so agonizingly familiar with vanished from his limbs, gone was the weakness that plagued each and every fiber of his body too. He wasn’t tired, he wasn’t hurting, he wasn’t… Anything. It was all dark, deathly silent aside from a faint noise coming from somewhere very far away.

Through the darkness came a distant rumble of voices, unintelligible and impossible to understand. It wasn’t known whether it was their volume made it so, or if this was a skill one had yet to possess. Abstract thoughts and senses were all that seemed to exist here, except for the pressing darkness and murmurs of sound.

Just as soon as the calm arrived, it was broken away—piercing cracks of eggshell interrupting any semblance of blissful peace. Suddenly the darkness had broken apart, falling away to reveal a world of light and color beyond anything imaginable. The world around was fuzzy, unfocused eyes blearily blinking in their newness.

The entire world was lifted out from beneath as huge hands scooped a tiny creature out from where it had spent its time up until this point. Newborn eyes met that of their brother’s, and realized with a world-breaking shock that this was a memory—the oldest of memories, one he could hardly begin to understand.

Branch looked up, finding his four brothers looking down  him as if he was the most fascinating thing in the world. Their faces were ones he’d once grown to love, but faces he was seeing for the first time.

This must’ve been his hatching, when he’d first met his brothers and they’d wanted to protect him more than anything. To keep him from harm, safe and warm in their hands. Why did that have to change? Why couldn’t they always keep him safe and warm, why did they have to leave?

… Why did they let this happen?

With the realization that this memory wasn’t set in reality, the warm hands holding him fell away. Suddenly reality was rebuilding itself, changing and morphing to show a different echo of the past. Suddenly he was bigger now, tears flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks as he sat in his childhood bed. A thunderstorm raged outside and fear clung in his throat, nearly gagging him with the weight of it.

“F-Floyd!”

Branch called out to the room, his voice quivering into a wail. He pressed against his eyes with his fists, choking out a sob that sent his breathing into a stutter. A childish fear of the thunder and the dark drew his tears to his eyes, he’d never felt so scared before. The fear didn’t last long though, as s familiar figure of his older brother approached his bedside from the darkness beyond.

Branch threw himself into his big brother’s arms, relishing in the safety of Floyd’s hug. It was such a naive relief, to find such comfort in something as simple and mundane as a hug. Branch missed the days that a hug could solve all of his worst problems, days that were long, long gone.

“It’s okay, Baby Branch. I’m here, I’ll always be here.”

Floyd’s voice was fading away, and as Branch tried his best to hang on to the safety in the warmth of his brother’s embrace, it fell away. He fell away too, now sent plummeting through the air. A scream of terror yanked itself out of his throat before he hit the ground, his cry getting sharply cut short by the impact.

All of the breath was knocked out of Branch’s lungs, and he had no choice but to lay against the ground frozen. The Bergen that had just snatched his grandmother out from before him was burned into the backs of his eyelids, making an action as simple as blinking into something of a nightmare.

After Branch could breathe again, he sat up, pushing himself to his knees. A horrible leeching feeling pulled at his limbs as his color seeped off of him in droves, leaving a desaturated grey in its wake. This memory was all too familiar, one that Branch had relieved every time he’d seen his own reflection.

As he looked down at his hands, he’d expected to see the familiar ugly tone of his skin, but instead—he saw a bright pink hand pressed against his. Looking back up, Branch was staring into eyes of Poppy, whose voice echoed around the space they were in with song.

She was singing, and he was singing. He was singing, and her hand against his seemed to bring his skin back to life. Suddenly his hand became teal, the colors of his brothers, spreading up his arm and down his body and through his hair. His color had returned, a feat he’d once thought impossible.

Branch felt like if he so chose, he could spend the rest of his time here—reliving memories, safely tucked away from the reality of the pain and misery he had gone through—not just recently, but of his entire life. All he had to do was let himself go, and he would never have to heal from the things he didn’t talk about.

This memory seemed to overwhelm any semblance of those ideas though. Poppy—the way he remembered her here, strong and beautiful and herself, he couldn’t even begin to consider the idea of not waking up to see her. To see his brothers, to be free of his prison, to heal from the things he’d never talked about.

He had to go back, he had to wake up be with them. What would all of his life be for, if not spending the rest of it with the people he loved the most? They were worth every moment of pain, every struggle of healing, every break in his heart. They’d come all this way to save him, he couldn’t give up now.

And then Branch awoke, forcibly drawing a breath into his lungs that felt as if they’d spent years without one. All at once returned his senses, and with them came the agonizing pain—the true sign that no longer was he living only in memories.

Someone was hunched over him, having pulled him to their chest that was wracked with sobs. Branch could immediately tell that this was Poppy, her cries echoing through his ear pressed against her. As his breathing steadied slightly he tilted his head up, Poppy immediately noticing and pulling back with her sobs cutting off.

She stared down at him in shock, her wide eyes brimming with tears. His own gaze fluttered open to meet hers, and he managed a smile for her. His voice broke as came out in a rasp, but he didn’t care.

“… Popifer.”

Chapter Text

Grief.

Poppy could feel nothing but pure, unadulterated grief. It blanketed her mind like morning frost, gripped her lungs with icy talons, flowed from her eyes in hot tears. It possessed her like a ghost, taking control over her body with racking sobs that prevented her from getting a breath in edgewise.

In front of her, her partner and best friend lay lifeless. He was colorless—truly colorless, infinitely worse than when he’d been grey. Now he was translucent, any sign of his beautiful blues now reduced to a sparkling crystal that resembled the ice which she felt was freezing through her veins.

Her hands hovered over him, clueless as to what to do. Until now she’d been able to do something, anything to help get her closer to saving Branch. Now he was in front of her, free from his prison, safe from his torture—and it hadn’t been enough.

Poppy’s hands slowly pressed against either side of Branch’s face, trembling as if they held the entire world between them. For all Poppy knew, they did. Branch’s skin was freezing cold beneath them, unnaturally so. It was stiff, sickeningly stiff to a point that Poppy couldn’t believe that it belonged to her Branch. Her Branch, the Branch that she’d come all this way to ensure was safe and warm and loved.

He didn’t react to her touch. His expression had eased from one of pain, to one devoid of anything at all. The usual furrows at the corner of his eyes were absent, his brows lacking any sort of tension indicative of life. His mouth hung open loosely, and not a single breath came from it. Any sign that Branch was still alive was gone, and Poppy soon came to realize that.

“No…”

Poppy managed to sob, her lip quivering uncontrollably. She pulled Branch up to her chest, cradling his head in one of her hands and wrapping her other arm around him, keening a wail of feral misery like that of a mourning dove. It came from somewhere deep within her, a place of dark and hopeless anguish like nothing she’d ever felt before.

She could hardly sense when the remaining Brozone brothers approached, each reacting in their own unique ways. At her side, tears were flowing down Floyd’s face as he watched her hold his brother, though he cried silently. Poppy hadn’t noticed, but his tail was wound tightly with hers, supporting her in one of the only ways he could at a time like this.

John Dory stood the furthest back—stoically staring down at Branch with a look of mingled mourning and horror on his face. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his tail flicking with the helplessness he felt. There was no way for him to lead his brothers through this, he couldn’t protect them from what lay before them—who lay before them.

Bruce hadn’t been able to stomach the limp body of his baby brother, so he’d taken shutting his eyes tight and bowing his head in grief. His ears were pressed back low, his tail hanging limp behind him. He’d neglected his first family in exchange for a new one, and he felt as if he’d taken for granted all that his brothers had meant to him.

Clay walked up and fell to his knees on Floyd’s other side, gazing at Branch’s unmoving form on eyes brimming with tears. He loved his brothers—that had never changed, but his identity as a member of Brozone had permanently damaged his own self worth. Branch had been innocent in all of that, and hadn’t deserved to be left to rot, especially like this.

Viva followed after Clay, unwilling to let neither her best friend nor her little sister go through such a loss alone. He kneeled behind Clay, resting a hand on his shoulder. She glanced over at Poppy, pity and sorrow for her sister at having to watch her own partner waste away like this.

Poppy didn’t know how long she’d cry over Branch for, but she knew it’d been long enough for her to run out of tears and leave her now quieted sobs to run dry. It was when she felt movement in her arms that she stopped, freezing mid breath to pull back and gaze down at the Troll in her arms.

Branch had tilted his head up in her hand, his gaze slowly fluttering open to reveal familiar, colorful blue eyes. The smallest of smiles raised the corners of his mouth, his lips still parted weakly. From between them came his voice, ragged and crackling dryly, but oh so beautiful.

“Popifer…”

Elation and relief coursed through Poppy’s brain at the speed of light, and she felt as if she would begin to fly again at any moment. Her face ached with the effort of her sobs, but she smiled wider than she ever had before.

“Branch-? Branch?!”

She cried, her tail still entwined with Floyd’s beginning to wag furiously. She pulled Branch close once more, into a hug as tight as she could without feeling like she would break him. The Brozone brothers all looked up at her shout, their faces lighting up with shock and excitement at the fact that their brother was alive after all.

John Dory and Bruce ran up to the group than circled Branch, where Clay and Floyd had wrapped their arms around Branch as well, both of them weeping with relief. The two other brothers tried to stay strong, but even they were beginning to shed tears of joy.

Behind them, Velvet and Veneer stood on opposite sides of the stage. Veneer’s pale skin was looking even paler than normal, but he steeled his expression as he looked over at his sister. Velvet was glaring across the stage at Veneer, her hands balled into furious shaking fists at her sides.

When security came from backstage and handcuffed her, she didn’t protest. Only shooting another look of daggers at Veneer before being dragged off. They came for Veneer too, but he went him them willingly—glancing at the group of celebrating Trolls with a small smile on his face.

When the group pulled back from the hug, Poppy looked down to study Branch and cupped the side of his face in her hand. His color was slowly returning, starting from his face and spreading to the rest of his body like a thawing lake. He was still very much weak—if not weaker than he already had been after nearly losing his life.

His hair was still white, and the edges of his ears and limbs faded to a lighter hue of teal instead of being the same color all the way through like it had been. It was an eerie reminder of what he had been through—but Poppy didn’t dwell on it. As he met her eyes, she pressed a kiss to his forehead, his face having regained a tiny bit of warmth.

“You rescued me…”

Branch murmured, his eyes glistening with emotion. Poppy nodded, laughing sadly and rubbing her thumb across his cheek. Branch looked over at his brothers, who greeted him with waves and smiles.

“You… All came back?”

He asked, almost as if he failed to believe his eyes. The brothers nodded, beginning to look ashamed with themselves. Floyd was the one to speak, pulling Branch’s hand into both of his and squeezing it reassuringly.

“Of course we did, Branch. You’re our brother.”

Branch smiled, and shut his eyes against the stage lights that shone above him. For a split-second, Poppy began to panic—wondering if Branch was fading away again. Her worries were resolved when he spoke again, though quieter this time.

“… I wanna go home.”

Chapter Text

John Dory and Bruce would take turns carrying Branch back out of Mount Rageous. As they reached the parking lot, Poppy was walking behind JD, who had Branch at the current moment. Branch’s head rested weakly atop his oldest brother’s shoulder, the familiar furrow of pain back in his brow. Although it hurt her heart to see, it gave her relief to see that he was alive.

Branch looked like a child being carried in his brother’s arms, so frail and fragile. John Dory treated him as such though, carefully stepped over bumps and cushioning him as best he could against any sort of jostles or shakes. Occasionally, when John Dory handed Branch back to Bruce, he’d carefully make sure Branch was comfortable and alright before walking on his own.

The sun was beginning to rise, turning the sky pink with paintbrush streaks of clouds. It was beautiful, and Poppy took it as a hopeful en that they no longer had anything to fear. That Branch’s color would soon return completely, and that he would never have to experience anything like this ever again.

As they reached Rhonda, John Dory refused Bruce’s offer to take Branch back. Instead, he carried him inside and carefully laid him down on the couch. As the other Trolls filed in, exhausted by their efforts—John Dory was seen layering blankets over his little brother, propping his head up with pillows and making sure he was warm.

Poppy walked up beside him, resting a hand on John Dory’s shoulder.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

She murmured reassuringly, and the older Troll gave her a grateful nod. As John Dory walked away to start their long journey home, Poppy felt someone scoop her up from behind and spin her around before squeezing her tightly. Poppy didn’t resist, instead welcoming the hug.

“I was so worried about you, Poppy.”

Viva murmured as she let Poppy go, grabbing her little sister’s face in her hands and inspecting her from every angle. Poppy rest her hands against Viva’s, her face squished to a point where her voice was a bit distorted.

“Thank you for saving me, Viva. I don’t know where we’d all be right now if you hadn’t.”

Poppy replied, and Viva gave her a sad smile. She shook her head, some of her messy yellow hair falling into her face.

“I’d do it all over again, Poppy. You were amazing.”

Viva let go of Poppy’s face, taking a step back to let Poppy tend to Branch.

“And right about everything.”

Viva added, turning and walking away to join Clay where he sat towards the back of the Armadillo bus. Poppy watched her go before turning back to Branch, who looked sickly and awful, too weak to even toss or turn. Floyd walked up beside Poppy, leaning down to press the back of his hand to Branch’s forehead.

Branch subtly leaned into the touch, the coolness of Floyd’s skin helping to ease the discomfort he was experiencing. Floyd flipped his hand over and touched Branch’s cheek with his palm, withdrawing quickly.

“He’s got a fever, but the rest of him is still freezing cold.”

Floyd turned his gaze to look at Poppy with concern. Poppy met his gaze unsurely, looking back down at Branch. His days of torture had taken a toll on him, when he’d already struggled so much in his life already. Having spent years grey, without singing or living a normal life—having his talent drained affected him worse than it would’ve anyone else.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Floyd murmured quietly, rubbing his hands together. He stared down at his hands for a long moment, his brow furrowing in thought. Finally, he looked up again, his tail flicking.

“Let’s get something in his system. This may be new to me, but I know how to fight a fever.”

Floyd trotted away to find John Dory, leaving Poppy to settle down on the floor in front of the couch Branch lay upon. She rested her chin on the edge of the cushion, pulling his hand into hers. Although he didn’t have the strength to hold it, she could feel him give a single squeeze of acknowledgment that made her smile.

Not long went by before John Dory and Floyd approached once more, each holding something in their hands. John, with a ceramic bowl of something steaming, and Floyd with two mugs—one of which he handed to Poppy. She blinked, taking the cup and looking down to study it.

Inside was a warm amber liquid, a pouch of tea leaves infusing within it. Poppy lifted it up and smelled it, savoring the warmth on her face. She felt like she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in years, and quickly took to taking a sip. It tasted sweetly of honey and herbs, and might’ve been the best thing she’d ever tasted.

John Dory kneeled on Poppy’s other side, holding his bowl in one hand to run the other gently through Branch’s hair.

“You must be starving, Bitty B. Let’s take it easy on your stomach though, I made you some soup. Floyd thinks it’ll help regulate your body temperature.”

Branch’s eyes opened curiously, squinting and blinking blearily up at his oldest brother. John’s hand ran through his baby brother’s hair to rest at the back of his head, helping him to slowly drink the broth he’d brought. Their suspicions were right, and Branch ended up finishing the entire bowl at a startling speed.

Branch then promptly fell into deep asleep, warm and full and safe for the first time in days. Poppy stayed by his side, loyally refusing to leave him in case he woke. The drive was long, though—and she was exhausted, it had been nearly an entire day since she’d last slept.

Those that had gotten sleep the night prior seemed in good spirits, not nearly as groggy as Poppy—or as Floyd, who had beside her blinking unevenly. He yawned widely, stifling it with a hand before stretching his arms out in front of him. He hadn’t slept either, and had taken the night shift in driving to Mount Rageous to let John Dory rest.

The cold of sleepiness settled in and Poppy shivered slightly, tucking her knees up to her chest and wrapping her tail around her ankles. She leaned back against the couch, Branch still sound asleep behind her. She decided to rest her eyes, welcoming the darkness that came when she did.

When she opened them next though, the sun shone brightly through the windows. Her head was resting atop Floyd’s shoulder, and they’d both fallen asleep. He still snored softly, his head hanging forward slightly and his arms crossed over his chest.

Poppy blinked, a touch on her cheek having woken her up. Glancing over her shoulder, Branch was gazing at her, his hand sticking out of the covers to graze the back of his fingers against her cheek. He gave her a smile, and seemed better rested—though he still possessed bags beneath his eyes that would take much more rest to go away.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

He murmured as Poppy lifted a hand and pressed it against his. She returned the smile, making an effort not to cry out of sheer relief. It felt like a sheer miracle any time he woke up, but Poppy hoped it wouldn’t soon. She didn’t want to have to fear losing him every time he shut his eyes.

“Hello, My Branch.”

She replied, turning around gently pulling Branch’s hand from her face to press her lips to his pale knuckles. As she pulled back away and looked down at his hand, her brows curved upwards concernedly. She ran a thumb over the back of Branch’s hand, noting just how light the skin on it had became. It bore the scars of his crystallization, retaining a misty teal color.

Before she could say anything, a voice to her right made her and Branch jolt in alarm, as well as Floyd jump to his feet out of a dead slumber.

“Up and at ‘em, sleepyheads!”

John Dory called from his spot in the drivers seat, appearing to have switched back with Bruce after Poppy had dozed off.

“You’re home.”

Chapter Text

Poppy got to her feet, approaching the front windshield with wide eyes. Opening up from the forest around them sprouted pods hanging from the trees, as well as the familiar flora and fauna of Pop Village. It felt like an oasis amongst a desert of anguish, to finally be back where she belonged.

The others gathered around her, gaping up through the glass at the sheer beauty of the scenery. Viva rest a hand on Poppy’s shoulder, unable to take her eyes off of the forest.

“… This is where Dad led everyone to? Poppy, it’s… It’s beautiful.”

Viva murmured, her eyes wide and round with awe. Poppy looked up at her, smiling sadly.

“You should’ve been led here too.”

Poppy replied, resting a hand atop Viva’s. As Rhonda made it into the heart of the village, sending Pop Trolls scattering in her wake, she jolted to a stop. The scattered Trolls soon regrouped in a circular crowd around the Armadillo bus, studying it with a mixture of confusion and excitement.

As they backed away from the window, Poppy turned around to face everyone. Each of the brothers had their own unique reactions to being back amongst their kind. Poppy didn’t know how she would explain their arrival to everyone, but she knew she had a duty as Queen to announce where she’d been over the past few days, and why.

John Dory looked hesitant as he clambered out of the driver’s seat, wringing his hands together uncomfortably. He’d lived in isolation for so long, having to exist in such a large group of Trolls again would likely be a lot for him to take in.

Bruce seemed a little excited to be around Trolls again. Being the only Troll on Vaca Island  was a freeing experience, but also a lonely one. He missed his family though, and knew that he wouldn’t stay very long.

Clay was mostly focused on Viva, and seemed carefully tuned in to her emotions. He stepped up beside her, his tail winding around hers comfortingly. She leaned against his side, shifting her weight unsurely. Clay himself seemed eager to see what had become of the Pop Trolls in his absence, though.

Floyd was the least worried. He had never been to Pop Village, but he traveled far and wide on his tour, being the only one of his brothers to not stay in one place. He’d been far and wide, and met Pop Trolls as well as the rest of the genres in his journeys. He was by Branch’s side, casting occasional glances over at his little brother.

And finally, Viva. She looked as if she wanted to pace, but instead chose to sit still as best she could. She was shaking slightly where she stood, her hands pulled into fists at her sides to try and quell her anxiety about seeing the home she never had. The home that was stolen from her.

“I’ll get Branch.”

John Dory would say, seeming to want to have a reason to focus on something that wasn’t his own intolerance for strangers and their prying eyes. He’d always been a perfectionist, but their little group here was far from perfect—especially with Branch, who they all felt they’d failed.

The oldest of them walked over to the couch, picking Branch up into a cradle carry. Branch leaned into John Dory’s chest, shutting his eyes tight against the crowd soon to come. He didn’t want to be seen like this, in such a vulnerable and weak state. Poppy followed, her tail flicking in thought behind her.

“You can take him to my pod. I’ll point it out to you, most people will be too focused on me to notice. Just head straight there and I’ll join you when I can.”

She told John Dory, reaching forward to gently brush hair out of Branch’s face. John Dory nodded determinedly in response. Poppy leaned forward to kiss Branch on his forehead reassuringly, squeezing his hand with hers before walking towards the door. Branch peeked an eye open to watch her go, smiling for just a moment before leaning back into John’s chest.

Upon opening the door and stepping out, the crowd erupted into murmurs and greetings.

“Queen Poppy!”

“You’re back!”

“Queen Poppy’s home!”

As the other Trolls too stepped out from the bus, they all looked over at Poppy with looks of mingled confusion and curiosity. She gave them a slightly shrug and a smile, realizing she’d never told them that she was Queen of the Pop Trolls. Oops.

Poppy glanced over and noticed John Dory slowly sidling away, gazing at Poppy with wide round eyes. She looked up at the trees above and motioned with her hand to her pod. He nodded, and after he was free of the crowd, swung up and disappeared into the canopy.

“Poppy—you’re Queen?!”

Viva said as she stepped up to Poppy’s side, gazing up at her sister with a look poppy couldn’t quite understand. Poppy opened her mouth to answer, but the crowd began to part with the callings of a familiar voice.

“Poppy! Poppy!”

A stout older Troll appeared from the mass of colors, his cane in hand. Ex-King Peppy’s eyes landed on Poppy and Viva, and he stopped in his tracks. Poppy gazed back at him, glancing up at Viva—who was staring at Peppy with alarm and surprise.

“… Hi, Dad.”

Viva murmured quietly, and all of a suddenly it was like she was a kid again. Peppy hobbled forward, walking up to Viva and gazing unblinkingly up at her. He raised his free hand up to her face, tucking the hair that hung over her eyes behind her ear. His hand rested against her cheek, as if trying to discern if she was real or not.

Finally he pulled her into a hug, his quiet sobs silencing the crowd. Viva’s arms hovered on either side of her as if she didn’t know what to do, before she finally hugged Peppy back and rested her head against his shoulder. Tears began to fall silently from her eyes as she stared down at the grass below, rolling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

Poppy stepped forward slightly, her brow furrowed in pity for her father and sister. It’d been decades since they’d last seen each other, and neither one had truly known if the other was alive or not. The crowd began to disperse at such a private moment, though Trolls still watched from afar from the tree line or their pods above.

“I thought I’d lost you.”

Peppy said with a sniffle as he pulled back, his gaze studying Viva’s face. He took a step back to take in her entire figure, his eyes lingering on the faux grass cape that flowed behind her. Viva didn’t meet his gaze, rubbing the side of her arm with a hand and shuffling her feet.

“I took care of myself.”

She replied, her voice going slightly dry. She wiped her tears, steeling her face of any grief it’d possessed moments before. Viva looked as if she wanted to say a lot to Peppy, but instead she turned to Poppy. She looked almost angry, but confused most of all.

“H-How long have you been Queen?”

Viva asked, stifling a waver in her voice. Poppy glanced over at her father, who met her gaze unsurely. Poppy took a deep breath before she replied, biting her lip to round up her thoughts.

“Not long. Just a few months, I… I’m still getting used to it.”

She finally answered, setting her sights on her sister once more. Viva studied Poppy with slightly narrowed eyes, and Poppy knew exactly what she was thinking. After a long moment Poppy shook her head, looking down.

“You should’ve been Queen.”

She murmured, deciding to bite the bullet and come clean about her thoughts. Viva had saved so many Trolls from the Bergens—she’d protected them, and didn’t allow them to get captured in the first place. Poppy had been the reason her friends had nearly been eaten, nearly been the reason every Troll lost their music. And now she’d nearly lost Branch, she’d left him alone and he’d nearly died.

What kind of Queen was she?

“No- Poppy, No.”

Viva shouted suddenly, quite loud compared to her earlier voice. Poppy jumped in surprise and looked up just in time for Viva to take Poppy’s hands into hers. Viva stared into Poppy’s eyes with a look of fiery determination that Poppy had seen in herself many times.

“From what I’ve seen so far, you are an amazing Queen. Your subjects love you, you saved Branch and his brothers—you saved me. You’re the reason I’m here in the first place, Poppy. You brought all of us together, you deserve to be Queen more than anyone I know.”

By the time Viva was finished speaking, Poppy could feel the beginnings of tears in her eyes. She’d expected Viva to be angry—she had every right to be angry. She’d lost everything, her family, her home, her right to be Queen. And yet she still supported Poppy through it all, the person who’d gotten everything Viva should’ve had.

Poppy pulled Viva into a hug, wishing she could magically give her sister everything in the entire world. A hug would have to suffice for now though, until she could make up for all that Viva had missed out on. When Poppy pulled away, she glanced back at the three remaining brothers still standing by the Armadillo bus.

Her mind immediately snapped back to Branch and she took Viva by the hand.

“We found Branch, Dad. I’ve gotta go to him, he’s pretty sick. We’ll see you later.”

Before Peppy could answer, Poppy was waving the brothers forward and swinging up to the trees, Viva copying her movements beside her. Soon enough, they were all swinging up to Poppy’s pod where John Dory and Branch were waiting. Heading inside, Poppy walked over to her bed where Branch lay atop her covers, his eyes shut tight seemingly against a headache. His hands pressed against his temples, and his knees were curled up to his chest in a fetal position.

Pop village was too noisy. Poppy knew where Branch would do best, somewhere that was quiet and familiar to him.

“Wanna go to your bunker, Branch?”

Chapter Text

Branch knew he was in his bunker even when his rapidly depleting strength prevented him from leaning away from John Dory’s warmth to look out at his surroundings. The smell was one of home, of safety and of purpose and everything in between. He could smell himself, at nearly every age he’d ever been.

Although his eyes were shut tight, he couldn’t still see the signs of his younger self in his mind. From old finger paintings made by small hands, to the most recent of repairs on the bunkers structural health—Branch’s childhood self was still very much alive in the home he’d made for himself, even if he couldn’t recognize any sign of that person in the mirror anymore.

Poppy guided John into Branch’s room, though his older brother’s pace had slowed—as he was too busy gazing around at the bunker surrounding them. The other brothers had lagged behind as well, studying the craftmanship and decorations of the space.

It was as they entered Branch’s room that he caught a glance of an odd bright white through the door left ajar to his bathroom. Branch narrowed his eyes, and swung his legs out from John Dory’s grasp. Thinking he’d dropped Branch, John Dory lunged forward with a gasp, but Branch’s feet met the ground and he didn’t fall.

Branch stumbled through his room and over to the mirror, slamming the door open with his shoulder and just barely catching himself on his bathroom sink. His legs trembled and shook beneath him as they struggled to hold his weight, but he hardly noticed. His gaze was laser focused on the shimmering surface of the mirror before him.

The Troll in the reflection was pale, whose eyes were gaunt and shadowed in bags that looked as if no amount of sleep would ever make them recede. The pigment of their hair had been leeched of color, leaving the majority of the strands a pure snowy white, one of the moon and stars.

Only the tips possessed any sort of their former hue, the familiar deep midnight blue being one of the only signs that this overbearing white was out of place. Teal skin had resorted into fading to a misty blue at the tips of his ears and the ends of his limbs.

Above all else, this Troll looked weak. This wasn’t Branch, this couldn’t be what he’d been turned into. He’d fought so hard throughout the years to prevent himself from being dragged down, was this what he had come to? Was this what he’d become?

Before Branch could realize what he was doing, he shoved himself off of the counter in disgust and dismay. His tried to run as far as he could from himself. He didn’t get far though, and just barely managed to stumble out of the bathroom before his knees buckled, and his legs gave out beneath him.

As his knees hit the floor and sent a painful shockwave through his femurs, gentle but strong hands caught his before he failed to catch himself. Looking up with his eyes brimming with tears, Branch gazed up at Poppy—who had hurried forward to catch him.

Poppy sighed out of her nose, and her eyebrows creased upwards in pity.

“Oh, Branch…”

She murmured as she pulled him into her chest, wrapping an arm around him while the other cradled his head against her shoulder. Branch collapsed into her touch, letting her envelop him in her comforting presence. Suddenly he was crying, horrible and guttural sobs emanating from his throat in feral lamentation.

Pure unbridled grief washed over him in waves, crashing in and ebbing out like the tides to the moon. The emotion was sickeningly familiar, and he felt disgusting and impure to feel it so severely once more. No matter how hard he tried to push it away though, it kept coming back stronger.

“Why… Why did it take all of this for you all to come back?”

Branch finally managed to ask from between sobs, opening his bleary eyes to look at all of his brothers gathered behind Poppy. In near synchronization, their ears fell and their tails dropped. They had no answer for him, each of them were quiet, averting their gazes.

“Answer him-!”

Poppy suddenly snapped, anger and indignation beginning to flood her veins. After all they’d caused, Branch’s brothers couldn’t find a reason why. Why they’d sacrificed their baby brother’s well being for their own happiness.

The four brothers jumped slightly, each looking guilty in their own way. Finally, Floyd stepped forward, like Poppy expected he would.

“… Branch. If I had known this was going to happen, I… I never would’ve left in the first place, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t regret leaving you.”

He took a deep shaky breath and continued, putting effort into keep his eyes on Branch. He fidgeted with his hands, struggle to find words for the things he’d longed to say for years.

“I thought you were better off without me. Without the fighting, without the band. I didn’t want you to grow up and go through the same things we did, but I can see now that leaving wasn’t the way to protect you from that.”

Clay stepped up beside Floyd, lifting his head to meet Branch’s gaze. Clay had no choice but to be the fun one as a kid, he’d always feared he wouldn’t be enough to help raise Branch.

“I wanted you to grow up to be your own person. I didn’t want you to grow up in our shadows, Branch. I wanted you to be who you wanted to be, not like who I had to be.”

Bruce was next, glancing over at Floyd and Clay before over at Branch. As the second oldest, he’d always felt partially responsible for walking out on his younger siblings.

“I was always starting trouble with John Dory, Branch. I didn’t want to ruin the relationship you had with him. I… I never knew no-one came back.”

Clay and Floyd nodded slightly, revealing that they’d each thought the other would’ve come back for Branch. Finally, they each in turn looked back on John Dory, who’d been awfully quiet. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke—and surprisingly, his voice broke.

“… I know caused all of this. I’m… I’m sorry.”

He sniffed and wiped with face with his arm, not meeting any of their eyes. Branch was taken aback by everyone enough to have stopped sobbing, only tears rolling down his face now. John Dory continued, looking smaller than he ever had before.

“… I tried to make us perfect, instead of trying to make us a family. I’m the reason we aren’t one anymore, why we broke up. Why this happened to you, Branch. Why everything happened to you.”

He walked forward, dropping to his knees before Poppy and Branch. He didn’t dare meet their gaze, instead staring down at the ground between them.

“It’s eaten me up inside for years. I… I understand if you hate me.”

He turned to look at the rest of his brothers, his eyes brimming with tears. They only gazed back at him with shock and confusion in their eyes, surprised to see such raw emotion in their once steely older brother.

“If all of you hate me. You have every right to be angry. I could never deserve your forgiveness, but I have to ask-“

John Dory was cut off by arms wrapping around his neck, squeezing weakly but as tight as they could.

“… I only ever wanted answers.”

Branch murmured from his eldest brother’s shoulder, his tears dripping into his jacket. John Dory was still for a long moment, surprise freezing his limbs. It was only when the rest of his brothers joined in on the hug that he let himself wrap his arms around Branch, his tears beginning to fall.

Poppy watched from her spot on the ground, her eyes beginning to sting with emotion. Floyd looked up from the hug, looking over at Poppy and smiling sadly at her before holding out a hand.

“We wouldn’t be a family again if it weren’t for you, Poppy. You’re one of us now.”

He murmured to her, and Poppy took his hand, allowing herself to be pulled into the hug. They stayed like that for a while, Branch warm and safe at the center of them all, like he always should’ve been.

“We’re so proud of you, little brother.”

John Dory murmured to him, and the others began to murmur their own words of admiration.

“You built the hideout, like you always said you would.”

Floyd said, meeting Branch’s eyes with pride sparkling in his gaze. Branch nodded, choking out a laugh that was dry from crying.

“It’s so well built too, I can already see it’ll pass a safety inspection.”

Clay added, gazing around at the room in awe. Branch felt his face flush with embarrassment at so much praise from the brothers that he’d idolized for years.

“Grandma would be proud of you too.”

Bruce murmured down to him, and for once—Branch believed it. Branch sniffled, his tail beginning to thump weakly on the floor below.

“… I love you guys.”