Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there were two trolls. One was named Viva, queen of Troll Village, and the other was named John Dory. Together, they saved the world…. if by “world” you mean John Dory’s long-lost older brothers, in which case, together they saved John Dory’s brothers from certain death at the hands of two fame-obsessed teenagers with questionable taste in fashion!
What’s more: along the way, Viva reunited with her own long-lost sister, and with both their families back together again, everyone became best friends and Viva and John Dory lived happily ever after! Boom! And that was that.
Pretty cute, right?
Anyhoo….
What Viva and John didn’t know is that their world was a lot bigger than they knew. Like, a lot, lot, lot, LOT bigger….
In the months since Viva became queen, she’s only ever had one goal:
To look after her people.
That’s what good queens do, isn’t it? They look after their people? Should be simple enough!
It’s a morning like any other. Viva rises with the sun, a wide smile already lighting up her face. She hops out of bed, her bright golden curls wilder than usual with bedhead, and starts up her morning shower. Under the flow of the warm water, Viva shimmies along to the tune starting up in her head, chasing away the last remnants of sleep.
She belts out:
Woke up in the morning like
Today is the day that I do everything right!
Out of the shower—Viva leaps into her clothes, runs a comb through her hair, paints glittery streaks of makeup onto her rosy pink cheeks. Clips an ornate cape of moss over her shoulders and lets it flair out behind her, the perfect finishing touch.
Now that I’m queen, I’ve got a kingdom to run!
‘Cause trolls, they wanna have fun!
Yeah, trolls just wanna have fun!
Busting through her bedroom door, Viva dances her way into the kitchen, where she’s greeted by the sound of her father’s hearty laughter.
“Good morning, sweetbean!” The former King Peppy calls out to his younger daughter as she throws her arms around him, pulls him in for one of her signature tight hugs.
“Morning, daddy!” Viva smiles it into her father’s hair, presses an affectionate smooch to the top of his head.
“And an extra good morning to you!”
Viva looks up at the sound of this new voice and smiles even wider at the sight.
Princess Poppy, Viva’s older sister, stands at the stove flipping pancakes with a wide bright grin on her face. She winks at Viva—except that Poppy only has one good eye so it ends up looking more like a goofy blink. Regardless: “I hope her majesty made room for breakfast this morning!”
Viva giggles at her majesty, reaching over to give Poppy her own good morning hug. “Come on, Pops, we’re sisters! No need to get all formal.”
Sisters: in the months since Poppy and Viva found each other again, it’s gotten easier to call each other sisters. Not that they blame each other—after twenty years of being separated and assuming the other dead, it’s still a little hard to accept the fact.
But no matter: Poppy chuckles as she wraps her free arm around Viva to return the hug. “You can’t be a good queen without nourishment!” Poppy flips up a pancake shaped like a flower and skillfully tosses it onto a plated stack of more pancakes in various fun shapes.
Viva wriggles out from under Poppy’s arm. “Hey, being queen is a lot of responsibility!” Walking backwards towards the pod’s door, Viva’s arms gesture grandiosely to emphasize her point. “And a good queen puts the needs of her people over her own!”
Poppy and Peppy exchange a quick glance, brows furrowed. “Well, in that case….” The next instant sees Poppy untying her apron and swiftly replacing it with a cape of her own, glittery blue fabric with gold embroidery along the edges. Swiping a pancake from the pile, she marches after Viva.
“A good queen needs a good council, and this council says—” Poppy holds out her arm just before Viva can open the pod door, and Viva swivels her gaze towards her in confusion.
“Please eat your breakfast.” Poppy says it firm but warm, smiling as she holds the single flapjack out to Viva. Viva groans and rolls her head back as she takes it, but it’s just a tease: she’s smiling, too.
“Fiiiiiine.” Said jokingly as she finally throws the front door open, takes a bite. Oh wow Poppy’s cooking is amazing. Viva can’t help the grateful “Mm!” that escapes her as she goes in for seconds.
“You girls have a great day today!” Left behind in the pod’s kitchen, Peppy’s setting about making a plate for himself, piled high with syrup and whipped cream. “Make good choices!”
“We will, dad! Love you!” Poppy and Viva wave back to their father, closing the door behind them.
Outside, the forest is abuzz with color and music, the village already well on its way to waking up. Poppy stretches her arms up, yawns and takes a moment to appreciate the cool morning breeze on her cheeks. Cracking her eye open, she notices Viva doing the same, albeit with a little bit of a shimmy from her pent up energy. Raring to go.
Poppy reaches over to tousle Viva’s hair. “Hey, you’re gonna do great today!”
Viva smiles up at her, but Poppy doesn’t miss the slight note of apprehension in Viva’s grin. “You really think so?”
Poppy places a hand over her heart, an oath. “I know so!” Moving that same hand to cup Viva’s shoulder. “You know how I know?”
Viva’s eyes sparkle in the early sunlight. “How?”
“Because trolls, they wanna have fu~un!” Poppy shimmies her hips in time to the beat, and Viva laughs high and sweet as she clasps her sister’s hand and the two of them go racing down towards the village, half running and half dancing, the sound of their upbeat voices signaling to the other trolls that it’s time for a new day to begin.
They just wanna, they just wanna
They just wanna
Trolls just wanna have fun!
Meanwhile, in a secluded little glade at the edge of the village, another troll goes about his own morning routine.
John Dory hums as he pours himself his morning coffee, taking in the sharp scent in the dim sunlight streaming in through Rhonda’s portholes. He can hear the morning’s musical number starting up in the village outside and he nods along to the tune, not immune to a catchy melody.
“Trolls just wanna have fun….” Mumbling as he stirs his coffee. The floor rumbles slightly beneath him, Rhonda cooing her accompaniment. “You like it too, eh, girl?” John teases as he pats Rhonda’s walls affectionately, goes in for a sip.
He’s interrupted by a knock on Rhonda’s side door. Not putting his mug down, he goes to answer it—
—and almost spills the drink entirely when he’s ambushed by an unexpected hug. “WHOAH!”
The attacker turns out to be Clay, John’s brother, who laughs amusedly as he pulls away from John. “Sorry ‘bout that, J!” His pleased grin says otherwise, but he does smooth out John’s vest for him, a token of apology. “It’s just so good to see you again!”
“Clay, we saw each other yesterday.” It’s mostly a tease, but there’s a hint of genuine sincerity to it. It’s only been a few months since John and his brothers reunited; they’ve been trying to make every little second count.
“That’s not the only reason!” Standing on the steps behind Clay, Floyd peeks over Clay’s shoulder to shoot John Dory an excited smile. He holds up his hand—in it, he’s holding a colorful square of paper. “We got another postcard from Bruce!”
“Oh, sweet!” John is genuinely excited to take the postcard from his brother, the three of them stepping down from Rhonda’s side door to the grass below. Postcard in one hand and coffee mug in the other, John reads:
“To the bros: Miss you tons, can’t wait to come over for the anniversary celebration soon. Brandy says to come visit, drinks will be on the house! Love, Bruce and fam.”
Clay and Floyd read over John’s shoulder, trailing behind him as he paces the glade. All three of their faces perk up to know their brother’s thinking about them. Bruce can’t stay with them in the village—his home is on Vacay Island, with his business and his wife and his kids—but he promised them all he would write as often as he could, and so far he’s kept that promise, a steady stream of postcards and letters coming in every few weeks.
“We should go visit again,” John says when he’s done, letting Floyd take the postcard back. “Take Rhonda over there, make a day of it.”
“We do have some time open next week after the Strawberry Social,” Clay offers. He was always on top of scheduling when he and Poppy were leading the Putt Putt Trolls and he’s on top of scheduling now, with the Putt Putts integrating into the village and Viva appointing him and Poppy to her council.
And speaking of Viva….
“First thing’s first—” John Dory says, determined. “—we make it through this week.” He downs the rest of his coffee in a single gulp and tosses the mug behind him (Clay and Floyd watch it disappear into the trees around them, bewildered) before going up to Rhonda and tossing her a treat he’s pulled from inside his hair.
“We’ll be back in a few hours, okay girl?” He coos, scratching Rhonda’s chin. “You can keep yourself busy ‘til then, right?” Rhonda yips her agreement, nuzzling her face into John’s. “That’s a good whatever-you-are!”
John turns back to his brothers, dramatically adjusts his visor over his brow. “Let’s roll.”
John Dory, Clay, and Floyd march side by side into Troll Village.
That’s all they really want
Some fun!
When the working day is done
Oh trolls, they wanna have fun!
Every troll in the village coming together to add their voice to the chorus. A group of them is going around in roller skates handing out fresh muffins; they toss one to each of the brothers as they pass, calling out cheerful Good mornings! One of the skater trolls hangs behind so he can send an extra little wink towards Floyd before leaving, and Clay and John both chuckle teasingly to see the flush in Floyd’s cheeks.
Trolls just wanna have….
They finally make it to the base of the watchtower at the heart of the village. John Dory’s pride and joy as the official head of village security. He feels the need to emphasize that he’s the head of security—Clay is his subordinate, not the other way around.
Floyd stops to lean against the tower, catching his breath. John and Clay can’t help sharing a worried glance as they wait for him to recover, and as soon as Floyd is upright again Clay is stepping up to him with a canteen pulled from his jacket.
“Not too bad today, is it?” Clay asks. Ever since Mount Rageous Floyd has made great progress in his recovery, barring the lingering fatigue. Barring the stark white roots of his otherwise deep pink hair, still bleached out all these months later like the color refuses to ever come back. Scared away.
Floyd shakes his head as he drinks from the canteen, hands it back to Clay. “I’ll be fine,” he reassures both his brothers, shooting John an especially placating smile. “I have guitar lessons today, so. Shouldn’t be too much activity.”
Still, John returns the sentiment with a soft slug to Floyd’s shoulder. “Don’t go passing out on Biggie again, okay? The guy’s neurotic enough.”
The three of them share a lighthearted chuckle, before Clay and John are waving Floyd off and turning to start climbing up the ladder to the top of the watchtower, the song carrying on below them.
Trolls just wanna have….
“You really think it’s a good idea for him to be traveling?” John calls down to Clay on the ladder below him. “I mean, he is doing a lot better, but…. you know….”
“Can’t see the harm in a short trip,” Clay answers. Sterner: “We can’t shelter him, either, J. We don’t do that anymore.”
John reaches the top of the ladder. “I know that, I’m just—” He stops himself.
“Branch?”
Standing at the top of the watchtower with a pair of binoculars in his hands is John Dory’s oldest brother, Branch. He doesn’t turn around at John’s exclamation, only offering a terse “Good morning” as if he was expecting this. He keeps his gaze fixed firmly over the railing, down towards the village.
John pulls himself up off the ladder. “What are you doing here?”
“My job,” Branch answers stoically, still not looking at John. He adjusts the focus on the binoculars.
“No, this is my job,” John retorts as patiently as he’s able. “You offered to be head of defense, this is where the security team works!” He gestures between himself and Clay, who’s climbing off the ladder with just as much confusion.
“Defense is part of security,” Branch answers, before pulling a clipboard from out of his vest and handing it to the bewildered John. “I’ve prepared the agenda for the day.”
John stares incredulously down at the clipboard, leafing through the multiple sheets of neatly outlined paper. Over his shoulder, he hears Clay mourn, “Hey, that’s my job!”
Instead of getting angry, John takes a moment to breathe in deep. “Branch,” he starts, keeping his tone steady, “I know you want to help keep everyone safe, but we’ve talked about this.” He risks placing his hand on Branch’s shoulder, noting the way Branch reflexively tenses up. “You need to trust us with this. You can’t keep sneaking around trying to do everything on your own.”
It takes a moment, but it gets Branch to finally lower the binoculars and look over at John, his face wincing slightly as his shoulders loosen.
Branch sighs. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Another sigh, an apologetic glance at his younger brother. “I swear I’m going to get better at this.”
“Hey, we never said we needed you to change overnight.” Clay winds his arm around Branch’s shoulders, to which Branch only tenses a little bit. “Just…. talk to us. Okay?”
“Ah…. o-okay,” Branch answers, still uncertain. Gently he shoves Clay’s arm away. They have to give him credit—he’s certainly a lot less overprotective than before, he just needs a nudge in the right direction every once in a while.
With that sorted out, John goes to take over binocular duty. “So what’s on the docket for today, anyway?”
Branch begins, “I spotted Queen Viva and Princess Poppy heading towards the square—” But before Branch can finish, John spots Viva for himself through the binoculars, catches sight of her sparkly pink figure as she hops through the village, laughing as she greets her trolls. It’s a good thing he’s turned away from Branch and Clay so they can’t see the big doofy grin spreading across his face.
“I got her!” John Dory calls out, and before either of his brothers can react he’s jumping up onto the railing and launching himself from the watchtower. Branch and Clay panic in unison.
“JOHN!”
“We just got up here!”
But John doesn’t stop: he swings himself through the trees and vines until he reaches the village square, and when he does he lets himself drop down to the ground—directly in front of Viva.
Viva jumps, but she’s laughing the instant she recognizes who it is. “JD, where did you—!” But she’s cut off when John Dory takes her by the hand and moves her into an unexpected twirl, her surprised laughter mingling with John’s voice as he picks up the chorus where she left it off.
They just wanna
They just wanna!
Trolls just wanna have—
He spins Viva into a dip so low the back of her head nearly touches the ground. She’s laughing still, her face flushed, and John brings the whole number home with a single, soft note:
Fuuuun….
The gathered trolls, including Poppy, break into a round of applause, for themselves as much as for John Dory’s impromptu performance. Poppy throws in some “YEAHS!” aimed in her sister’s direction. She can see the way Viva’s blushing under her makeup.
Speaking of blushing, John can feel his own face going warm the longer he looks down at Viva in his arms. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he lets her go. “AHEM— Viva! Hey!”
Viva lets loose one last little giggle as she straightens herself up, brushes her bangs back. “Nice to see you, too, JD!” She clasps her hands behind her, rocks idly on her heels. “What’s got you so chipper this morning?”
John Dory kneads at the back of his neck, trying to will his pulse to stop racing. Why did I do that? “Ah, well, you know, just…. uhhh….” Pretending he doesn’t notice Viva’s smile, he fumbles around his person—and pulls out the clipboard Branch had handed him earlier. “Just wanted to show you today’s agenda!” is what he settles on, hurriedly holding the clipboard out to Viva.
“Ooh!” Viva exclaims with genuine excitement, taking the offered clipboard. As the rest of the crowd disperses, Clay and Branch finally catch up to their brother, jogging up on either side of Poppy before they both stop to catch their breath.
“Hey!” Poppy says to them cheerily. Clay is the first to recover, returning Poppy’s greeting with a quick wave.
“Heya, Poppy!” Clay pulls himself upright, stretches out the stitch he acquired from the run over here. As he does so, he notices John and Viva standing a few feet away, awfully close to each other as they go over the morning schedule. Clay can’t help but notice that his little brother is clearly paying way more attention to the queen than to the clipboard. He grins.
“Looks like somebody’s got it baaaaaad,” Clay sing-songs playfully as he nudges at Poppy, who giggles in response. She can see the timid tension in Viva’s shoulders.
“He’s not the only one!” Chipper, she turns to playfully sock Branch’s shoulder. “What do you think, Branch?”
Branch stumbles a bit, caught off-guard, but he answers with a hesitant, “Ah, I— yeah, Clay’s probably right.” He rubs at his shoulder.
He doesn’t notice the curious way Clay is side-eyeing him, taking note of the slight tint creeping into his cheeks at Poppy’s ensuing laughter. Clay squints. “Not the only one, eh….”
Everything is abruptly interrupted by the sound of screaming in the distance. Viva and John jump, John reflexively holding an arm up to shield Viva. “What is that?!”
The screaming comes closer: coming up over the hills is Biggie, terrified, looking like he’s running for his life. “AAAAAAAAHHH VIVA HEEELP!!”
“Biggie!” Viva shoves John’s arm away and races towards the other troll.
Biggie is being chased by two pursuers—one of them is Floyd, running up behind him with his guitar in hand, and the second is a furry, winged creature that none of them have ever seen before. It swoops down towards Biggie, snapping at him with jaws full of dangerously sharp teeth. Trolls shout as they move out of the way, shielding their faces.
John Dory runs up to Floyd, catching him up in his arms. “Floyd, what happened?”
Between panting breaths, Floyd starts, “We were just…. hhngh, in the glen and we….”—John eases him down to a seated position on the ground—“....that thing just came out of nowhere….”
“I’m being harangued by a monster!” Biggie yells at the same time that Viva shouts, “Calm down, Biggie, hold still!” and whips her hair forward to snag it around the little beast.
Heroically, Viva knocks the creature out of the air—
—and smack-dab into John Dory’s face. SPLAT!
John falls to the ground, hands flailing up to claw at the thing clinging to his head. His muffled shouts almost sound like “NOT AGAIN NOT AGAIN AGGGHGH!!”
“Sorry, John!” Viva runs to help him—but Branch beats her to the punch, leaping forward to grab at the creature and yank it off his brother with enough force to elicit an “OWW!” from John.
“Easy, EASY!” Branch shouts up at the growling thing in his hands, which soon manages to wrestle itself free. It hisses at Branch, before proceeding to drop the object it’s been holding in its claws and flap away, out towards the forest and the world beyond.
Branch watches it go in confusion for a moment before leaning down to help John Dory upright. “Are you alright?”
John spits out a mouthful of fuzz. “Do you have to ask?”
With the commotion died down, Poppy steps forward to pick up what the creature dropped. It’s some kind of scroll, scratchy denim material tied with a red ribbon. Strangest of all, the scroll also bears a tag that reads TO QUEEN VIVA.
“It’s…. it’s for you,” Poppy says uncertainly, holding the scroll out to her sister. Viva gestures to herself, bewildered.
“Me?” She takes the scroll.
Unfolding it reveals it to be some kind of poster, scratchy patchwork lettering and sewed-on patches shaped like skulls and lightning bolts. It takes her aback, even more so when she reads what it says:
“Barb, the Queen of Rock, announces her One Nation Under Rock world tour. Bring your string to Volcano Rock City for the biggest party the world has ever seen.”
Several things stand out to Viva. She turns the strange letter over in her hands as if to look for answers. “Queen of Rock?”
“IT’S NOTHING!”
It’s almost like Peppy has materialized out of nowhere for this express purpose—he snatches the letter out of a shocked Viva’s hands and clutches it into himself, wide-eyed, panicked enough to crumple the denim.
“IT MEANS NOTHING AT ALL! IT’S JUST JUNKMAIL! FORGET WHAT YOU SAW!!” And before anyone can stop him, he rips the letter into pieces, panting terrified as he scatters those pieces to the wind.
Everyone is backed away like they’re witnessing a rabid animal. Viva gapes. “Dad??”
Hands up, Poppy steps towards her father tentatively. “Dad, calm down. It’s okay.” Careful: “What’s going on? Do you know who sent that letter?”
Peppy’s still breathing hard, but he does calm down some when he sees Poppy’s worried expression. He holds his hand up to her to signal that he’s fine.
“I’m—I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have….” Deep breath. Peppy looks to Poppy, to Viva. Both of his daughters looking at him like a man drowning.
Peppy measures his next sentence carefully. “....I never wanted you to find out like this.”
Viva steps closer. “Find out…. what?”
The group of trolls all look to their former ruler expectantly. Peppy hesitates for only a moment.
“We are not alone in this world. There are other kinds of trolls.”