Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a late night for Poppy, which wasn't unusual, really. The concert had been fun. To the max! With her beautiful crystalline boyfriend proposing during the encore! After the concert, they moved to a beach party with all the tribes, the other leaders congratulating her on the engagement. It was midnight before she and Branch stumbled away from the beach.

Poppy opted to stay with Branch in one of Bruce's guest pods, cuddling up with him. The pods were cozy and simple, set up for Troll guests at the Hostel, and not the only Troll sized accommodation at the resort. She was impressed with Bruce's foresight on the preferences of Troll guests. And she wondered if they were new to Bruce and Brandy's ownership, or something they'd built on. She'd have to ask her future brother-in-law about it at some point while they were helping with the transition for Brandy's retreat.

"Did you know?" She asked as they were winding down, settling into their cuddle time.

"Know what?" Branch smiled at her, running a hand through her hair in that gentle way he had that almost lulled her to sleep right there. He'd be such a good father when they were ready for kids.

"That…a concert proposal was one of my dreams?"

"I didn't. But I knew you'd like it," he told her and she hummed a little, snuggling against his chest. He hummed a few bars of Paradise, and she found herself slowly drifting off. "Hey Poppy?"

"Mm…yeah?" she mumbled, whining a little at the loss of the song.

"If…you could go back? Knowing what you know now…would you change anything?"

"Maybe?" she sighed. "Maybe I'd stop myself from forcing you into anything? I've…always felt bad about how pushy I was…and how sometimes it felt like we were only friends because you got tired of saying 'no'…"

"Hm…," he hummed in consideration before he went back to humming the song and filtering his fingers through her hair. "And it's just what I imagined…," Branch sang softly. "I imagined it would feel like…in paradise…," he kissed her softly and she was floating.

Poppy jerked awake. Her bed was cold. She frowned and searched the room blearily. No sign of Branch…had he gone to Bruce and Brandy's main kitchen for coffee? Or maybe he'd gone to check on Floyd.

She yawned and crawled out of bed. Turning automatically to make the bed, fluffing the pillows and pulling the bright pink comforter back into place.

Wait. Her hands froze over the familiar comforter. Satin and Chenille made this for her twentieth birthday. What was it doing on the bed in their hostel pod? She'd long replaced it with a bigger comforter that she and Branch could properly share…since she tended to burrito them and he was a surprising cuddle monster. But that was at home in the bunker.

"Branch?" she called warily. Had he woken up in the night and replaced the bland blue quilt in the hostel pod with something more familiar? She usually travelled with it, so that could explain why it was here. There was no response and she turned.

This…wasn't the pod in the Vacay Island Hostel. It almost looked like her old pod. She blinked and flicked on the lights so she could really look around. On the bedside table was her little friend photo slider. With Creek at the centre of the bottom row.

It was all wrong…she'd long replaced that with a new one and a photo of Branch, all crystalline and wet from a swim…practically glowing sapphire with his soft turquoise patterning…as they were cuddling in a field of flowers. Worried, she put the slider face down and took another look around.

How was she here? And how was that slider there when she'd made a new one? Even more confusing was the calendar on the wall. They'd adopted the same calendar as the other tribes…but this was the old calendar she'd grown up with…that started on Trollstice. She frowned at it, especially the huge sun drawn over the first day on the calendar with a big 20 in the centre of it.

Poppy went to her bedside table, where she kept her most recent diaries. She found the last one and opened it to her last entry. She scowled at the entry. It was a colourful lament about finally settling on the speech for the party. Instead of the entry she'd made before the concert knowing that she wouldn't get to bed until late.

She sighed and thought about it. Had it all been a dream? But it felt so real…

Poppy shook her head and grabbed a pen, quickly writing it all down before it faded. It took a few pages, but she got it. From the disastrous party to meeting Barb and the other tribes to…helping Branch's brother and finding her sister. She worried her lip and got dressed, reaching automatically for one of her crowns only to find her plain old headbands.

"Come on Poppy," she patted her cheeks. "Wake up!"

Because this had to be the dream! That was the only thing she could think of. It was just a nightmare…back at the beginning. No experiences…no Branch.

She pinched herself but nothing changed. She was still alone in her pod with no crown…just a princess with no actual skills besides singing, dancing, hugging and scrapbooking.

She looked at her Hug Time Bracelet, thinking of its significance. It was Viva's…the big sister her dad never told her about to what…save her from the grief? He'd claimed it was entirely because she would have gone out to find her…but she knew how they dealt with grief…ignore it and put on a happy face, act like the ones you lost never existed.

Had Branch…known something was coming when he asked her that question about going back…? Was it all just some crazy fantasy she'd cooked up from stress?

There was one way to find out if any of it was true. She didn't have a proper clock anymore, but she was in the habit of waking up at the same time as Branch when they spent the night together. And he'd sung her to sleep at the end of that dream. He woke up at around five.

She finished getting ready for the day and left her pod, heading straight for the little alcove where her father hid the Pop String. Or at least…where it had been in the dream. There it was, sitting in that lyre. And there was the scroll with the story. She wanted to laugh at the irony of it. Glued and glittered by the winners…when every tribe had a different version of the story.

"Poppy?" her dad called and she didn't look at him. "How did you find this place…?"

"I…was just…," she paused. She didn't want to say she knew where it was because of a crazy dream she had. "I couldn't sleep so I went on a walk and stumbled on it. What is this, Dad?"

"The source of our music," he answered with a bit of a sad tone. Had he told Viva? She held up the scroll.

"And this? Are there…really other Trolls with different music and everything out there?"

"Yes…," he mumbled after a long moment.

"Is…there anything else you've been hiding from me?" she asked, watching him.

"N-no?"

"I'm going to be Queen soon," she reminded him. "I think I need to know these things…," she sighed. Poppy remembered how upset she was in the dream by all her father's secrets. But she also remembered how to tell when he was being secretive and lying to her.

"There's nothing else," he insisted, already twiddling his fingers.

"Not even…how we really managed to escape? How were the Root Tunnels even there? Did…we really get everyone out?" she looked at him. If her dream was right, she knew the answers. He shifted his gaze, avoiding eye contact.

"I…had them dug when I started hearing about the Bergens' plan for that last Trollstice…they were going to eat you, Poppy! I couldn't let my little girl get hurt…not after your mother…," he trailed off, still not looking at her. She could tell…he was lying. "And of course everyone got out of the tunnels! No Troll left behind. Just like the scrapbooks say."

Poppy sighed and saw the sun rising through the waterfall hiding the alcove. Morning Song was soon. First, she had story time with the Trollings. So, she left the alcove.

She got to the pod where she hosted morning story time, before any of the kids. She ran her fingers along the spine of the scrapbook she read every year on the anniversary. Just how much of it was actually true? Viva and Clay…and their part of the tribe…they were out there…thinking they were all that was left…

"Morning Princess Poppy," the kids greeted, joining her in the pod. Poppy took a deep breath and turned to them with a bright smile. The kids didn't need to know she was worried about anything. Especially a crazy dream that may or may not have a few grains of truth.

"Morning kids!" she greeted with her usual cheer. They all got in their circle as she picked up the book and settled in to read it. She finished and put the scrapbook back on its stand. She couldn't say that every Troll could live in harmony, like she'd told the kids in her dream. Not when she knew better.

"Princess Poppy?" one of the girls asked nervously. "Do the Bergens still want to eat us…?"

"Absolutely," she said solemnly. "But only because that's the only way they know to be happy."

The kids started rattling off party ideas and she smiled a little. Even little Keith's creepy suggestions were amusing.

"I don't wanna be food!" one of them whined.

"Don't worry," she assured, patting his head gently. "No Troll ever will be," she promised. "That's why we're celebrating tonight. Everyone's gonna be there."

"Everybody?" Keith questioned, suddenly in her hair. She honestly never liked how he would do that. He was just a little kid and still small enough to time in his caretaker's hair, even if he was almost too old, but she never liked how he would just…hide in the nearest adult's hair without warning. And this morning she wasn't in the mood to entertain him. So, she gently put him on the ground and shook her head at him.

"Everybody," she sighed. "But Keith…you need to start asking before you go in someone's hair, okay? This really isn't a good habit to have," she told him and he nodded slowly. Satisfied, she pulled out her cowbell. The kids cheered in excitement as she started clanging out the Morning Song.

Without urging, they just kept getting louder. She would have hushed them if she hadn't spread the word the night before all this to make it loud enough to be heard at a distance. She'd been convinced that there was no danger. This morning, if her crazy dream was to be believed…there was so much danger. Branch was right and she never listened.

The song ended with the impressive tower and she heard the slow, sarcastic clapping. Branch! She searched the brush eagerly and her breath caught. Oh right…he was still Grey. She'd almost forgotten what he looked like…he'd had his colours for the vast majority of her dream. And she loved his sparkling crystal skin towards the end of it.

He was making his sarcastic reprimands and all she could hear was static. All she wanted was to hear him sing…parts of the dream were fading to a niggling feeling in the back of her mind, but that wasn't going away. Voice of an angel indeed.

"You always ruin everything!" Satin groaned and Poppy snapped back to reality.

"Guys, can we not?" she said without thinking. Everyone went silent and stared at her, even Branch. "He--" she broke off and cleared her throat. "Sure, his panic attacks are poorly timed, but it's no reason to bully him."

She was met with silence and she glanced around her shocked friend group and then she looked at Branch. She knew what he went through. Constantly bullied for his habits and frequent panic attacks that he had no control over…that they sometimes triggered. Bullied by some people just for being Grey. He looked like he was just as shocked at her defence of him as her friends. It brought tears pricking at her eyes and she stepped away from her friends, glancing at her Hug Time Bracelet getting ready to announce the first Hug Time of the day.

"Poppy?" Guy Diamond asked carefully. She shook her head a little. She didn't feel up for a hug…not from anyone who would willingly give her one.

"Excuse me," she mumbled before running off. She stopped near a large boulder and sat down in the lee of the stone. Her tears broke through and she pulled her knees up to her chest.

She felt kind of stupid, getting so emotional over a dream that may or may not have had any truth. Well, she knew that Branch confiding in her about his experiences being bullied by almost the whole village for almost his whole life had a grain of truth. She'd seen it herself…and done nothing because she hadn't realized that was what it was. She never realized until he'd gotten his colours back and they'd become friends, and he had to spell it out for her.

Branch was a little taken aback by Poppy's reaction to him at the end of that obnoxiously loud Morning Song. She was just staring at him, her eyes watering. Had…he been too harsh?

No…it seemed like she was searching his face for something that wasn't there. He almost shuffled uncomfortably. She'd never looked at him like that and it was unnerving.

"Here we go again…," Cooper groaned.

"Oh, Branch…," Biggie sighed.

"You always ruin everything!" Satin groaned and he braced himself for a round of demeaning remarks about his panic attacks. He knew he 'ruined everything'…they never let him forget. And it got worse with every party or loud thing that they did that triggered him blindly running through the village screaming about the Bergens.

"Guys can we not?" Poppy said suddenly and he almost stepped back. She reprimanded her friends for bullying him.

And he wasn't the only one shocked. And she was looking at him with such a weird look…a mix of pity and sorrow and…maybe anger that was somehow not directed at him? Guy Diamond finally spoke up, but she excused herself and left.

He blinked after her. She hadn't shoved an invitation to some stupid party at him.

"Should we go after her…?" DJ mumbled.

And with perfect timing Creek showed up. He wasn't in the mood to deal with him, so Branch headed home. Without Poppy trying to force anything on him, they didn't notice his exit.

He got to the bunker and started to lift the trapdoor entrance when he heard quiet crying. Frowning, he went to investigate. Poppy was sitting behind the boulder, crying her eyes out. What was she doing at the bunker?

Persistent as she was, she never came to the bunker. She at least let him have that bit of space.

What was wrong with her today?

And it only got stranger as she apologized to him. Still crying. But now she was avoiding looking at him. Like…everyone else who couldn't look at him because of his Greyness. That was the weirdest thing about her behaviour so far. She was usually meeting his gaze and eagerly pushing her friendship. Looking at him like his lack of colours didn't matter.

"It uh…it's fine," he sighed finally, looking at the ground. "If you need to get…whatever this is…," he made a gesture to indicate her crying with half-hearted sarcasm in his tone. "Out of your system…I guess it's fine. Just don't try to come inside."

Poppy smiled a little, wiping her face again.

"Of course not," she assured. "But Branch…?"

"What?" he groaned, shuffling awkwardly. She was finally looking at him with that weird look again.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. He quirked an eyebrow. This was really sudden. "For not saying anything sooner. I never realized just how badly they were treating you. How…I've treated you…"

"It's uh…not a big deal…," he mumbled, taken aback by the apology. It's not like he didn't bring it on himself.

Stubbornly miserable and pushing everyone away before he could get them hurt…

"No. It is a big deal! You--" she broke off and turned away. "No one deserves to be treated like you have…," she sighed.

"Are you…feeling, okay?" he asked carefully and she gave him an answer when her Hug Time Bracelet chimed and she closed the flower without even attempting to force him into a hug.

It…kind of made him want to force the hug. She certainly looked like she could use it.

"I should go…," she sighed. "Big--wait. Maybe you can help me with something!" She whirled around, eyes bright.

"I'm not helping with your stupid party."

"No, not that! I need some of your traps. But…bigger."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have any traps that would actually do more than annoy a giant?" she asked eagerly.

"Maybe…? Why the sudden interest?" Branch was wary. He didn't…but he could make something out of the traps he had. But…she'd never shown interest in any of his security stuff. Tolerance and understanding, but never interest. Part of him wondered if she was really Poppy.

"I…," she trailed off. "I think you're right. But I can't just call off the party when it's mostly ready."

That was the most shocking thing that came out of her mouth. But she'd led that stupidly loud Morning Song…

Chapter Text

"Being so loud didn't bother you earlier," Branch pointed out. To his shock, she shook her head.

"It did bother me…but just…," she sighed. "Ugh…I have to tell someone and it may as well be you. Do you…mind if we go inside? You don't have to--" she broke off. "I just…"

"Fine," he sighed and went to the trap door. She squealed quietly and followed. "Just…don't touch anything…"

"Yessir!" She gave a little salute before following him into the bunker.

She plopped down on a bare bit of ground, like she expected him to make her stay there. Normally, he wouldn't even let anyone in here, so that was maybe a reasonable assumption. But he went to the lift.

"Well…come on. I'll…make some tea…," he mumbled and she stared.

"You're sure?"

He nodded and she joined him. He watched as she seemed to brace herself, like she knew it would be a bumpy descent. He sighed and pulled the lever. He stopped the elevator at the kitchen and waved her into the space. Poppy rushed inside and to the wrong side of the table, stumbling as she pulled a non-existent chair.

"Uh…Poppy?" he questioned, going to the counter to start up some tea.

"Sorry…," she mumbled, opting to lean on the wall with her hands folded in front of her.

"You can sit down…I can get another chair or something for myself…," he sighed.

"I know…," she mumbled, avoiding looking at him again. Branch sighed and went to pull out the chair.

"Sit," he insisted and she meekly went to sit in his chair. "Seriously…you're acting weird today…"

"I know…"

Neither of them said anything as he got the tea ready, digging out another cup and washing it. He could feel Poppy watching him. Or rather…the cup. She was probably just surprised that he had more than one cup for tea or coffee. Besides this one…he had five, actually.

He put it on the table and went to pull the extra chair out of the broom closet. He sat in that chair across from her with his own cup and waited. Poppy stared at the cup fondly, like she'd seen it before. She snapped out of her daze and sipped the tea.

"I'm sorry…," she started. "I've…got a lot on my mind and if I tell you, you'll probably think I've gone crazy and--" she cut off her rambling.

"You can't tell your friends?"

"They'll definitely think I've gone crazy!" she argued. "But…you're the most patient Troll I know so…"

"What makes you think I'm patient?" he asked, incredulous. He was patient…probably more than he liked. Twenty years of waiting for brothers that might never come back…dealing with her constant pushing.

"Well look at your bunker!" she said after a long sip at her tea. "If you weren't patient, you would have given up on it! And you can probably stay holed up down here for years without having to leave. I think that took a while to get together. And…you deal with me on a practically daily basis."

She looked like she wanted to add something to her argument, but stopped herself with a drink. Branch made a noise and sipped at his own cup.

"So…shoot," he sighed.

She nodded and launched into a rambling story about a crazy dream she'd had.

"Then, we befriended the Bergens and came home…friends. And there's a…lot more. It was like…almost three years' worth of life that just…never happened…," she finished. She was right. It did sound crazy. But…he'd hear her out.

"How do you know it wasn't just a dream?" he asked carefully. It felt like there was something she was keeping out of the bit she'd told him, but he wasn't going to pry.

"Well…in my dream, Dad finally told me about the other tribes…well, after Floyd--"

"What?" He interrupted, jumping up. Surely, she wasn't thinking of his brother. "You don't mean…?"

"He came back…just in time to get captured too…," she sighed. "Then he left to go drag John Dory here."

"So…you met…," he swallowed, dropping back into the chair.

"In my dream I met all of your siblings…," she mumbled. And her tone said she wasn't fond of some of them. "But a while after Floyd left to find John Dory, Dad finally told me about the String and the other tribes and…our version of history…and when I went to find the String this morning it was exactly where it had been in the dream. And then Dad lied to my face about the Tunnels and the Escape!" she griped. "Unless…it really wasn't your family that dug the tunnels…?"

He stared at her. This was a lot and there was no way she could know about his brothers. But she did and she knew about his family's involvement with the tunnels somehow.

"My uncles dug them…," he confirmed. Poppy sighed in relief, as if that confirmed more than just that potential lie from her father.

"So…I can't throw this loud…crazy party without Chef finding us and taking everyone…but I can't cancel it or try and get them to tone it down this late…especially since…the fireworks that tell Chef where we are also tell Floyd…and…if it's the same as my dream he said he's been looking for us…for you for years and…"

"Okay…so…I'm not gonna say the party's not…the worst idea in the history of bad ideas…but…it…sounds like you've locked yourself into it…"

"Kinda…yeah…," she groaned. Her eyes landed on her cup again and she fingered the antique flower design. "Why did you grab your grandma's cup for me?" she asked softly. He choked on his last sip of tea. "Oh…sorry. I didn't mean to ask that out loud…forget I asked…"

"How do you know that's…?" he gasped. "Was that in your dream too?"

She nodded a little, getting up to methodically make some more tea. He almost stopped her, but she tapped the stove just right to get the fire going again and worked everything like this wasn't her first time in his kitchen. She'd said they became friends somehow in her dream…just how close were they?

She knew about his family…Grandma's teacup that he'd kept in his hair until he made the bunker. And her going for another chair that hadn't been pulled out. Her knowing her way around his kitchen like she lived here.

"Thank you for listening…," she mumbled, opening the spice cabinet and rummaging a moment. "Where's the--oh right…," she mumbled and went to a different door, pulling out the honey promptly before going for a spoon. Humming an unfamiliar, but still lively, tune, she put a spoonful of honey in the mug and mixed in a little mint shaving. She put everything back exactly where she got it. "Maybe I gave in more than I should, maybe I sold out," she sang under her breath and checked the tea. "Was it worth it? What I gave away…for five minutes of fame…"

Branch watched as she refilled the cup and stirred it gently. She took a sip and nodded before going to wash the spoon before she joined him again at the table. She stopped as she started to take another sip, blinking away whatever daze she'd just been in.

"That…was an interesting song…?" he cleared his throat. It kind of reminded him of his parents' music that Grandma had shared with him. Or Rock songs he'd heard on the radio as a kid.

"Oh uh…in my dream I made a few songs in a little Emo girl group…no biggie," she shrugged and sipped at her tea. The princess shifted her gaze, not looking at him again.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"W-What?"

"Not looking at me. You've never done that and it's strange…stranger than the whole 'crazy prophecy dream' thing…," he groaned. Then he watched her train her gaze at her drink. "It's…because of something in the dream, isn't it?"

"I…don't want to say…'cause I might mess it up…," she mumbled, clenching her hands.

"What? Did I get scarred or something?" he asked, as if he didn't already have plenty of scars.

"Or something…it was a good thing! But…," she sighed. "I'll get used to this again…it's nothing…"

She gulped down the rest of her tea and went to carefully wash the cup and set it just so on the counter before she went to the lift.

"Poppy?"

"I need to go get to work on the party…um…I know you won't want to…but can you…maybe…if my dream is right and we get attacked…could you…give up your bunker for a while to keep everyone safe?"

He worried his lip. He fought off critters to protect the village sometimes…maybe he could lock up the supplies and ration things out…and as long as he could make sure they stayed out of his room…he could handle hiding the tribe out in the bunker until they had a better option. He almost said as much, but she seemed to take his silence as a negative and smiled softly.

"It's…okay. I know the bunker isn't big enough or stocked for almost two hundred," she sighed. "I'll figure something out."

With that, she threw out her hair and swung her way up the shaft. Branch watched her go. He heard the lock on the door click. Seriously, how close were they in her dream that she knew how to do that?!

Branch sighed and finished his tea. While he was cleaning up and debating leaving that second chair out, a familiar knocking reached him. Trickee. Part of him wanted to ignore his adopted brother old friend, like always, but today had already been weird. He may as well add to it.

So, he went to the lift, and pushed the latch. When he got to the top floor, he hesitated, hand hovering over the locking mechanism.

"Branch!" Boom called. "Let us in man…!"

He sighed and pushed the button. The lock clicked and he slid the view hole open. He looked out to see that it wasn't just Trickee and Boom. Ablaze and Hype were there too.

"What do you guys want?" he groaned.

"To be let in?" Hype laughed. "Trickee said you let the princess in."

"Ugh…fine…," he groused, shoving the door open. "Just don't touch anything…"

The guys piled in and Branch vaguely noticed that none of them were wearing Hug Time Bracelets. He didn't think anyone else besides him avoided those things.

Poppy went straight to the library after she left Branch's bunker. On the way, she saw her friends and smiled at them. She could hang out with them later. When she wasn't feeling so…confused by her dream.

"Poppy!" Biggie called and suddenly they were crowding around her. "Are you okay?"

"You were acting so weird earlier," Guy muttered.

"Did…Branch say something to you?" Smidge asked urgently. "About being…bullied?"

"Nothing like that. He's still not really talking to me," she assured. "I just realized that maybe we've been kinda hurtful. And we need to be more understanding of his feelings."

"Where did you even go?" Cooper asked and for a split second she saw Prince D.

"I just…ended up somewhere in the woods. No big deal," she sighed, shaking off the memory of his twin from her dream.

"You seemed really upset," DJ mumbled. "You're…okay, right?"

"Yeah!" Poppy grinned. She was good at faking cheer, and she hoped they were none the wiser. "I'm fine. I uh…was gonna go to the library for a bit. We can hang out later, okay?"

They nodded slowly and disbursed. Except for Smidge.

"You missed Hug Time," the Teaspoon Troll muttered.

"No, I didn't," she lied. Smidge quirked an eyebrow and she tittered, trying to think of a Troll that maybe she could have hugged that Smidge wouldn't be able to confirm the story. Maybe one of Branch's friends from Kismet? They kept to themselves enough. In solidarity for Branch. "You know Trickee…?" she tried and Smidge nodded a little. "Yeah, he happened to be in the woods where I ended up catching some air and he totally let me hug it out."

"If you're sure you're okay…," Smidge mumbled. Poppy nodded fervently and her little friend left.

She turned to go into the library and almost bowled Creek over.

"Oh my gosh, Creek!" she gasped. "Hi…," she mumbled. She had to play this cool. Surely how he was in the dream…wasn't how he really was…right?

"Good morning, Poppy," he greeted with his usual calm attitude. "I was looking for you after Morning Song and the others said you left in quite the hurry after Branch came around to spread his negative energy."

"Well, it had nothing to do with him, if that's what you're trying to say," she said, a little more sharply than she intended. She just couldn't get it out of her head! "I just have a lot on my mind today. With the party and all."

"Ah, of course," he laughed gently. "Just remember, those negative vibrations are toxic."

"Yeah," she tried to laugh it off and he booped her nose before walking off. She grimaced and rubbed her nose before going into the library.

It reminded her of him in the dream stealing her cowbell and booping her with the stick before going off to cement his betrayal.

Poppy rubbed her nose again and set to work. She wanted to see if anyone else had written anything about legit prophecy dreams.

Chapter Text

The guys grilled Branch about suddenly letting Poppy into the bunker. And letting them in. He gave them vague answers over tea.

He still wasn't sure about Poppy's crazy dream, but there were enough things that she told him that she shouldn't have known. But he didn't want to say too much about that and risk breaking that clear trust Poppy inexplicably had in him.

"Why aren't you guys wearing Hug Time Bracelets?" he asked suddenly, wanting to change the subject.

"Why would we?" Ablaze asked like the answer was obvious.

"Because everyone else does?" he groaned.

"You don't," Boom pointed out.

"I don't hug," Branch muttered.

"Branch," Trickee sighed. "If you're not gonna be willingly included in stuff, neither are we."

He stared at them in shock as they all voiced agreement. He opened his mouth to demand an explanation, but snapped his mouth shut as the guys moved their hands to the centre of the space that they'd been circled up in. Their old band circle, he realized. He stared at their hands.

"Whether you like it or not, we're with you," Hype laughed. "We always have been…"

Branch shook his head and folded his arms.

"We only stopped pushing because you stopped even answering to tell us to go away," Boom informed. "We would have helped you with all this," he gestured around the bunker. "If you'd just let us."

"Seriously…," Ablaze sighed. "You've been suffering alone, but…only because you're stubborn as all heck."

He eyed their stacked hands and hesitantly unfolded his hands to add to it. And then he stared blankly at his own hand, slowly fading from Grey to a sad attempt at his original teal. He'd seen it happen before, a weak attempt at his colours coming back as he remembered better times fondly or even the constant reminders that if he wasn't so damn stubborn trying not to hurt anyone else that he had Trolls that cared about him. And the way Poppy looked at him or even how she was avoiding looking directly at him…was it possible that in her dream she'd…gotten used to him being colourful?

Branch resolved his nerves. It had been twenty years…if Poppy was right, his brothers were looking for him. And here the guys were, telling him that they wouldn't participate in the usual Troll stuff if he didn't. A quiet and distant support, which may have been why some people stopped making snide remarks about some of his less disruptive habits.

Finally, he put his hand on the pile and smiled weakly at them. Maybe he was tired of pushing them away…or maybe he was just that tired of making himself be alone. He'd been considering relenting to Poppy's forceful friendship attempts…maybe it was passed time to try.

Trickee was the first to get up, moving closer to him and holding his hands out in an offer of a hug. Branch nodded and hugged him. The others joined in and he felt a little smothered. But this was nothing like the hugs forced on him when he was out during Hug Time. Those were forced and empty and kind of made his skin crawl. This was familiar and a…good smothering. Part of him knew that if he pulled away, they'd let him without a fuss.

He…missed this. And it was a long few minutes before he pulled away from them. The guys retreated back to their circle, grinning.

These guys had been his best friends, like brothers, before he went Grey and pushed them away. Maybe they could be that again.

"You guys…still sing, though…right?" Branch asked, suddenly worried that they'd spent all these years silent in support of him.

"Sometimes," Trickee sighed. "Not together…it doesn't feel right without you."

"And never in the big group numbers…," Boom added.

"But yeah…I don't know how you've managed so long…," Hype laughed.

"I just…haven't felt like it…," Branch sighed. "Maybe that just…went away with my colours…," he mused. He'd never really thought about it, actually. He didn't even have the urge to hum while he worked.

Poppy's quiet humming and hushed singing as she worked on her tea had been the first hints of music in his bunker. "Hey…since you guys are here…think you can help me with something?"

It was lunch time before Poppy gave up her search in the library. There was nothing to even hint at what caused that dream. She really needed to get ready for the party. Maybe she was reading too much into it and everything would be fine.

She went out to the plaza and got started. It had taken all day to set up in her dream and she'd gotten a really late start this time. Part of her hoped that if she didn't finish setting up in time, they could cancel the party.

"Poppy, darling," she heard her father call to her as she aimed a streamer at a tree.

"I'm kinda busy, Dad," she sighed, throwing it so hard it wound a few too many times around the branch. She was still frustrated that he would lie to her face.

"I know, Poppy. I'm just curious…are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, throwing another streamer and completely missing her target. "Just busy with getting the party set up."

"You seem upset," he pointed out and Poppy whirled on him.

"Dad, I know when you're hiding things from me!" she griped, throwing her hands up. "More than just not wanting to talk about it, you lied to me this morning! And news flash…I've been practically doing the queen thing for months now. I'm not a child anymore and I need to know this stuff about my tribe. Some people lost family twenty years ago and you just want to act like they never existed," she accused. "And claiming credit for the Tunnels? I know that they were dug way before you claim. They were ready for at least thirty years before the Escape…," tears pricked at her eyes as she ranted. "Outsiders came to help us get out of the Tree and you imprisoned them for having the gall to try."

"Poppy…," he mumbled, and then he drew himself up, clenching his cane. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Sure, there was no way she should have been able to know these things. But she did and it was driving her mad. Branch had told her in the dream that his parents fought with her father until they died about the Escape.

"You'd be amazed at the chatter that goes on behind your back," she hissed with a finality she'd only discovered the tone for in her dream. Poppy took a shuddering breath and looked at the plaza, not even a quarter of the way ready for the party. "I can't do this…," she breathed and hurried out of the space.

She couldn't go to her pod, that would be the first place her friends went to pester her when she just wanted to be alone. Or the bunker…she'd bothered Branch enough today. She just broke into a run and found herself at a pond. She looked around to be sure it wasn't the one that Branch had marked as the home of a nasty snake.

No, this was where…she plopped down onto the ground and ran a hand through the short, fuzzy grass. The flowers were all dead with the fall really claiming the area, but she'd gone swimming here with Branch and her other friends in her dream so many times…she sniffled and shuffled to the water, sticking her hand in the chilly pool.

Broken heart, one more time

Pick yourself up, why even cry?

Broken pieces in your hands

Wonder how you'll make it whole

She found herself singing softly. It was a song that technically didn't exist, but she could visualize Barb playing the gentle lament on her guitar. Carol with her keytar…

You know, you pray, this can't be the way

You cry, you say, something's gotta change

And mend this porcelain heart of mine, of mine

It didn't sound right without Barb and Carol harmonizing with her, but Poppy continued, sniffling.

Someone said a broken heart

Would sting at first then make you stronger

You wonder why this pain remains

Were hearts made whole just to break?

Poppy dipped her hand deeper into the water and watched as the darker pink striation started to appear in her fur, creeping up to her shoulder as she dipped her arm deeper in the water. In the dream, Branch would trace her patterning while they dried off. She would do the same to the swirling and thin lines that appeared in his fur. Even before they started dating, they just couldn't stop themselves. They were so close and he would get so close to his true colours when they were together…the water rippled as tears fell into the water.

You know, you pray, this can't be the way

You cry, you say, something's gotta change

And mend this porcelain heart of mine, of mine

She pulled her arm back out of the water and hugged herself, unable to stop the tears. Gosh if it was this easy for her to break down…how would she feel if she finally heard Branch singing again? Even if it was a recording from when he was a kid?

"Get it together Poppy!" she scolded herself. "It was just a dream…none of that actually happened."

But it still felt so real…like if she blinked hard enough, Branch would be beside her. Fresh out of the water and cuddling her against his strong chest and reassuring her that this was the nightmare.

A twig snapped and she jolted, ear twitching as she turned to the noise. Her hand started to go to her hair, to get the knife Branch had given her in the dream to protect herself. But the knife wasn't there yet. And it…probably never would be. Her scrapbooking scissors would be useless…they were rounded safety scissors.

"I come in peace," a familiar voice called. Floyd! Poppy dropped her hand and stared as a burgundy haired Troll that she shouldn't recognize came out of the bushes. He was here early! How? "I'm just…looking for someone…"

"Floyd!" she gasped without thinking. He stepped back and she wracked her brain for an explanation. Oh! She had tons of old BroZone records and the album guides that came with them. Magazines with photos of the brothers. "F-From BroZone? I um…have a lot of the albums and…"

Floyd blinked at her, probably processing her stammering. Or trying to figure out if he recognized her.

"Yeah…," he said at last. "Um…I'm guessing the…," he paused, fishing for a word. "The Trolls are near here?"

"Yeah!" she chirped, hopping up and grinning. She was so happy to see him! Maybe it was her stupid Morning Song that alerted him this time. "Well, the Pop tribe," she corrected without thinking. He quirked an eyebrow but didn't comment. "You said you're looking for someone?"

"Yeah…," he sighed. "His name is Branch and…he'd be about twenty-eight now? Teal skin…blue hair…"

"I know Branch," she informed. "But…," she paused, thinking how to ease into the subject that Branch was Grey. She remembered he hadn't recognized him until Branch spoke in the dream or maybe it was the vest…she'd been so upset in the dream when the brothers reunited, she couldn't remember the details. "He's…," she worried her lip. There really was no way to warm him up to the idea that his baby brother had gone Grey. "He's Grey…"

"Fuck…," Floyd hissed, clenching his fists and looking so mad. Probably at himself. "D-Do you know where he is…?"

"Probably in his bunker. Or he's out gathering fresh supplies for winter," she answered promptly. "I'm Poppy, by the way."

"And…I'm guessing you're friends with him?" he questioned. Because how else would she know his habits?

"Not exactly…," she admitted. The reminder hurt, but it was the unfortunate truth. They weren't friends yet, not really. "I'm the princess," she added, anticipating his next question about how she knew about the genres. Floyd nodded slowly, taking that as an explanation for how she'd referred to the tribe. And maybe how she knew Branch's habits. She noticed his wings and worried her lip, considering. She didn't want to ask him to hide them, but no one else really knew about the other genres.

"Oh…I uh…should probably hide my wings before going into the village…," he mumbled.

"No," she argued. She didn't want to make him sacrifice his comfort or hide who he was. She remembered in the dream…he told her how uncomfortable it had been. "It's fine. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your comfort or anything to be here."

"Okay…thanks," he sighed. "So…can you show me where Branch is? And…everyone's okay, right? That Morning Song was…pretty loud."

"Yeah. Everyone's okay, though…," she sighed. "Small favours…," she added softly. Then, she noticed her Hug Time Bracelet getting ready to announce the hour. "Um…we should actually wait for a little while before we go find Branch…it's almost Hug Time…"

"You…don't want to get in on it?" he laughed nervously. She shook her head.

"I've got a lot on my mind today…and I'm…just not feeling all that touchy today," she shrugged. The Bracelet chimed and she quickly closed the flower, looking around to see if anyone else was nearby to hear and bother them.

Her heart sank as she saw blue hair bobbing over the bushes. She hadn't heard another chime though so maybe…

"Someone out here?" Hype called and she sighed in relief. One of the only Trolls that wouldn't push Hug Time.

"Hey, Hype," she greeted as the blue Glitter Troll came out of the bushes. "How are you?"

"I'm…doing good. Just uh…helping my brother with something," he muttered, then he noticed Floyd and quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're not working on the party anymore Princess?"

"That's…I had to take a break," she sighed. "I'm not really at my best today. Though…you wouldn't happen to know if Branch is still home…?"

"Nope," he said a little too quickly. She shook her head and let it be. Hype clearly wasn't a good liar.

"It's fine," she said lightly. "I'll find him."

Hype tittered and she headed off towards the bunker. Floyd trudged behind her.

"Either Hype doesn't know or he's not saying anything…," she mumbled. "I know Trickee might know if he's home…or maybe he's out setting traps…I did ask him if he had anything…"

"So…Princess, why would Branch be setting traps…?" Floyd asked.

"Because it's just something he does," she laughed. "I remember one time, way back when I first officially met him…I got caught in one of his snare traps…got all tangled up in it. The rope was so thick I broke my scrapbooking scissors trying to cut myself loose!" she giggled at the memory. "He's kind of…really paranoid…but I don't blame him. He has a good reason to be so paranoid…," she trailed off. Remembering about his grandma and how he'd never met his parents…and how he blamed himself for everything that went wrong in his life. "A-Anyways…you can just call me Poppy," she sighed.

She headed for the bunker, but when they got there, she found both the front and back entrances locked. And hammering on the door got no response. She wasn't about to unlock it and force her way in.

"Now what…?" Floyd groaned.

"Let's check the north side of the valley," she said lightly. That's where she told him she figured Chef came from in her dream.

"That…was a surprisingly sad song for a Pop Troll," he mumbled as they walked. She supposed to fill the silence or get to know her.

"Yeah…it…," she worried her lip a little. How to explain the song? Barb had written it in her dream. Working off something that her mom had left when she died. She settled on a shrug. "I've been kind of down today…it just came to me."

"I get that…wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.

"Not really…," she sighed. Gosh he really fit that old moniker of 'the Sensitive One'…even more than she remembered from the dream.

This ain't for the best

My reputation's never been worse, so

You must like me for me

As they approached the edge of the valley, she heard quiet music. It sounded more like a boombox than live singing, especially with the echoing vocals, but she knew the song playing. It wasn't something she'd heard outside the dream, but she knew it. And it definitely wasn't Pop, it was Floyd after all, from his Grey era, and he sang this fun amalgamation of Country, Rock and Pop. They had to have a radio!

"That's…one of my songs…," Floyd gasped, breaking into a run towards the song. Poppy chased after him.

Chapter Text

Branch was glad for the guys' help as they combined several snare traps. And pleasantly surprised at their skills. He whipped out a tape measure and checked it.

"All right…this should be big enough…," he mumbled.

"What are we even trying to catch?" Trickee laughed.

"A Bergen," he said solemnly. "Well…just in case. Poppy abruptly took my advice but she can't cancel the party, so we're gonna put this up in the most likely place for an invasion to start…"

"That's…sudden," Ablaze muttered.

"Yeah…but I think she's right to be worried and I want to help," Branch sighed. "Let's go put this up."

The guys nodded and helped him get the trap out of the bunker. He locked up when they were out and led them to the north end of the valley. That was where Poppy theorized Chef coming to the party to grab everyone. It was the easiest way for even a giant to get to the village.

"So, uh…you probably won't be willing to sing while we work…?" Boom laughed as they got to a well-spaced pair of trees.

"I don't think I can…," Branch sighed.

"That's cool," Hype encouraged.

"We can listen to music though?" Trickee asked, pulling out a familiar boombox.

"Where did you get that?" Branch gasped, recognizing the faded stickers adorning it. That thing was older than the Root Tunnels, something that his mom had brought to the Tree when they first tried to help the tribe…

"I went to your pod just before the Escape looking for you. That's when…," Trickee sighed. "And…I grabbed your grandma's radio…and a few albums…and I kinda put an album on the record player and put out your old glasses to make your brothers feel bad if they ever bothered to come back to the tree?"

"Yeah…I was camping out at the Tunnel entrance…," he sighed. He wasn't going to comment on Trickee's other stuff. "Sure…I think I remember how to get it to work…"

"Great, because it's been pretty much a glorified boombox all these years," his brother friend laughed and Branch fiddled with the radio a minute.

It's just another war

Just another family torn

We're falling from my faith today

An unfamiliar Rock song came clear through the speakers and he smirked.

"Nice!" Ablaze cheered.

So, they got to work setting up the trap.

"Do you think this one will be enough?" Hype asked as they swung up into the tree.

"You know…maybe not," Branch admitted. "Think you can scout out other potential spots? Places like this that would be easy for a Bergen to get into the village. We'll go make more traps after we get this one set up."

"You got it!" Hype swung back to the ground and hurried off.

The guys were a great help, until Ablaze and Trickee couldn't seem to get the tension right on their end of the rope.

"I think we need more tension guys," Boom called.

"Here, let's tie it off and I'll go help them," Branch sighed. "The slip knot I showed you earlier." They tied their end. "All right, hold it and make sure it doesn't come loose," he instructed and Boom did as he was told. Branch swung to the other tree to help with that end. Then, he noticed the song that was playing on the radio. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Floyd…"

"Branch, the rope's slipping!" Trickee gasped and he snapped back to attention. They finished with the trap and hopped back to the ground.

"Oh my gosh it's huge!" Poppy gasped suddenly. "That will definitely work! Thank you so much Branch!" she gushed and he looked at her, coming out of the woods. She rushed up and tackled him with a hug, almost bowling him over.

"Well…it was a team effort," he sighed. She suddenly jumped away like he'd burned her or something.

"Sorry," she mumbled and focused on the guys. "I can see that. Thanks for helping, guys!"

"Shouldn't you be getting the plaza ready?" Ablaze noted and Poppy shifted her gaze.

"It's uh…hopefully someone noticed I'm not decorating and took over…," she sighed. "But, Branch, I was looking for you because--" she broke off and looked back. "Oh my gosh…one second…," she sighed and went to the bushes. "Come on! He's not gonna bite!" She pulled someone out of the bushes and he stared.

Floyd. Before Branch realized, he was rushing to his brother and hugging him tightly.

"You came back…," he whispered.

"I promised I would…," Floyd mumbled. "Sorry it took me so long."

Smidge was worried. Poppy was acting so strange today. And once again she was nowhere to be found.

Her friend had disappeared after Morning Song and reappeared at the library of all places. Then she disappeared again until someone saw her near lunchtime in the plaza…where they said she argued with her dad before rushing off. The one person that heard the argument said she somehow knew about the truth of the Escape. And the rumour that there was more to the Tunnels.

Knowing how important the party was to Poppy, Smidge and DJ convinced some others in the village to help finish decorating while they went off in search of her.

Hug Time came and went before Smidge spotted a Glitter Troll combing the woods at the edge of the valley. One of the few Glitter Trolls that wore clothes…and one of five Trolls in the entire village that didn't wear Hug Time Bracelets or participate in anything. She thought his name was Hype.

"What is he doing…?" DJ muttered. Smidge shrugged watching him pace between trees and then wrap a vine around one of them.

"No idea," she grunted. He moved on. "Let's keep looking for Poppy…"

DJ nodded and the two friends started looking again.

"I wonder what's wrong…she never argues with her dad…," DJ mumbled. "And how she snapped at us after Morning Song…"

"Maybe she's sick and doesn't want us to worry?" Smidge mused. That didn't seem right to her, but it was the only thing she could think of to explain it.

And clearly, even if Poppy had tried to play it off about the bullying thing, Smidge could tell that something happened between Branch and Poppy when the friend group wasn't around.

"Do you hear that?" DJ asked suddenly. Smidge strained to hear. There was strange music…and chatter coming from a little way north. Curious, and hoping it was somehow Poppy, the two girls hurried towards the noise.

"So, you guys are gonna make more of these?" Poppy asked.

"That seems to be the plan," someone answered, laughing. There was a momentary chime as Poppy's Hug Time Bracelet went off and was promptly silenced. Smidge covered her Hug Time Bracelet and looked at DJ, who promptly covered her own.

"Hype was scouting places to put them up," another guy sighed. Smidge and DJ's Hug Time Bracelets went off. Loud in the woods despite trying to hush them.

"Did you hear that?" Branch gasped. "Who's there?"

The girls came out into the open, smiling sheepishly. Smidge looked around. Trickee, Ablaze and Boom were off to one side by the boombox with Poppy, and Branch was a few paces away with another Troll that she'd never seen. Or at least…she thought she hadn't seen him…

"Smidge…DJ what are you guys doing out this far…?" Poppy sighed.

"What are we doing? Looking for you!" DJ gasped.

"What's going on?" Smidge demanded. Her gaze travelled up to a barely visible rope strung between two trees. "Is that…a trap? What the heck are you freaking out about this time, Branch?"

"Actually, I asked him to set this up," Poppy said, surprisingly firm. "I needed some air and figured I'd come check his progress."

"Next up," the MC on the radio announced as Smidge was shocked silent by Poppy's tone. "We're celebrating the anniversary of Pop's freedom with a familiar classic! Straight from the Tree, BroZone!"

"Nope," Poppy and Branch said together. Poppy turned the radio off and Smidge quirked an eyebrow.

"I thought you love BroZone," DJ mumbled. Smidge barely noticed her glance at Branch and the stranger.

"And Kismet," Smidge pointed out. "You're a total Tree Boyband nerd…"

"I'm not in the mood," Poppy hissed. "Look, can you guys go get the party set up or something? I'm gonna help Branch with the traps."

"Why? There's no actual danger!" DJ laughed nervously. The stranger scoffed.

"No danger…from giants out there looking for their escaped drug farm?" he groused.

"Great…another paranoid--"

"Smidge!" Poppy snapped, cutting her off. "Floyd literally just got here. And he--" she broke off, glancing at Branch. "There's no reason to be mean."

"Okay, Poppy…what is wrong with you today?!" Smidge demanded. "The little we've seen of you today, you've been acting like him!" she snapped, aiming an accusing finger at Branch.

She was watching Poppy, but she noticed everyone's reaction. Branch grabbed Floyd by the arm and held him back while Boom and Ablaze both held Trickee back. Their reactions told her that maybe she took it a little too far. Poppy narrowed her eyes, looking kind of terrifying as she drew herself up a little taller and glared at Smidge.

"That's enough," Poppy hissed. "I feel like we have reason to be concerned, and it has nothing to do with Branch! I came to him with this because he's clearly the only Troll who would take it seriously," she said with a seriousness and finality that Smidge had never heard from her friend. "Now, I hate to do this, but as Princess I'm going to say this one last time. Stop bullying Branch. And go back to getting the plaza ready for the party tonight. We are going to go back to making the valley as safe as we can."

"O-Okay," DJ mumbled, pulling Smidge away from the group. Smidge just stared blankly at Poppy as they went. Poppy never pulled the princess card. Especially not with her friends.

"Something's seriously wrong with Poppy," she muttered.

"Yeah…," DJ agreed. "But she's in a weird mood and I…don't think we can make her talk about it…"

Poppy took a deep breath and relaxed a little after DJ and Smidge were out of sight.

"Branch…are you okay?" she sighed, looking at the Grey Troll who was looking a little bit more colourful, still holding his brother's arm. He nodded a little and she picked up the radio.

"That…was kinda terrifying, Princess…," Boom laughed.

"Please…just call me Poppy," she sighed. "So, is Hype coming back here or meeting you guys at the bunker? I want to help with the traps."

"The bunker," Branch sighed. "Poppy, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. I just…need a distraction. You know…something actually productive besides setting up a party to serve my tribe up as a buffet…"

"Okay," he nodded towards the bunker. "Let's get to work then."

She nodded eagerly and they all went back to the bunker.

"So…Poppy…," Ablaze started, seeming to test her name. "Thanks."

"For what…?" she laughed nervously. Ablaze shrugged nonchalantly. She got the feeling he was thanking her for more than just standing up for Branch. Maybe…him letting her in to the bunker…prompted his sudden reconnection with his adopted brothers and old bandmates? Poppy hummed a little, and they spent the rest of the walk in a comfortable silence.

As they walked, she looked at the radio. She'd never seen it in the dream, but she recognized one of the stickers. It matched a sticker that Maya had put up in Rhonda, attached to a photo of her moms. If she remembered correctly, it was something from their first wedding, or an anniversary or something. Unlike the sticker in her dream, this one was faded with age. And there were more faded stickers, including both the BroZone and Kismet logos. And little scrapbook stickers that were no longer intact, barely recognizable as maybe little images of the brothers. And all that was left of what may have been a sticker representing Maya was a yellow rhinestone stubbornly sticking to it.

"It was our parents'…," Floyd spoke up. "Mom and…Mother brought it with them when they came to the Tree…it used to have a microphone set that they could contact the family, I think."

"They…probably got rid of that part after Dad locked them up…," Poppy mumbled. "Dyna had a huge family and with Maya--" she broke off, realizing that she was speaking about things she shouldn't know.

"Just…how much do you know about our family?" Floyd asked carefully.

"Just that my dad hated them…," she sighed, running a finger along Maya's sticker. "And so did his parents and grandparents…I mean, with their attitude about the eventual Escape…and such a big family in the Tree…digging out the Shelter without 'permission'…and Rosiepuff's parents started the Tunnels…"

"Okay…you know a lot," Floyd mumbled. "Out of curiosity…where's Viva?"

"You know about her?" Branch gasped.

"M-My sister, yeah…she's about…," she swallowed. "She's like…barely younger than Clay?" she paused, looking at Floyd. He nodded in agreement. "She…got separated in the Escape…with a whole chunk of the tribe…"

"So much for 'no Troll left behind'…," Floyd muttered sourly. Clearly the fake motto had been circulating even before he escaped.

"Yeah…he never even told me about her," Poppy complained. "I had to find out from John Dory! Just like I had to find out about the other tribes on my own…"

"Wait. JD's been here?!" Floyd gasped.

"I'm guessing you just found about all this and…that's why you're acting 'strange' today?" Boom guessed at the same time. She nodded a little to the rainbow haired troll.

"Something like that…," she agreed. They made it back to the bunker after another minute and Branch led them to the back door just as Hype ran up to them.

"I found a few good spots…," he laughed. "Oh…hello again, Princess…"

She waved a little, smiling. Branch opened the door and waved them all inside. Something in Poppy relaxed as the door locked behind them and Branch led them to the living room before disappearing to some of his storage rooms. Despite only really being here once…the bunker was mostly familiar, and she felt safe from prying eyes and accusations.

She put the radio down and flopped onto the couch. It really had been an emotionally exhausting day, and she had the sinking feeling it would only get worse.

Hype seemed about to ask something when Branch came back with a bundle of familiar snare traps. Floyd sat back as the group immediately started working the traps into a giant version. Poppy, however, hopped forward and joined in. She'd done this a few times in her dream with Branch, so she knew what to do.

"Wow…," Trickee laughed. "You know what you're doing?"

"Yep. I've done this loads of times!" she chirped automatically, finishing off a knot. There was something relaxing about this. But then, she noticed the others staring at her and she tensed.

"You make traps?" Ablaze asked.

"Well…um…," she hesitated, fishing for an explanation. "It's…complicated?" she tried. The other Trolls looked at her like that wasn't enough to explain and she hopped up. "Excuse me…," she mumbled, practically running to the lift shaft and throwing her hair up to make her way to the storage room that had become a guest room in the dream.

It had been barely used in the dream, not until Floyd moved in. She had used Branch's room, cuddling with him and giving him all the love he missed out on. Before the guest room…this room had held--Poppy's eyes fell on a bright indigo scrapbook. There were other things, a few things he'd held onto to remember his brothers that he was never sure would come back.

Poppy grabbed the scrapbook that she shouldn't recognize and ran a finger gently along the spine. It was one of the only reasons he knew what his parents looked like. And after his older brothers' egg and baby pictures, it focused on Branch. She didn't have to open it to know that after his brothers disappeared from the photos, it was just him and his grandma, sometimes with him in Floyd's vest. Wearing it like a blanket as it swallowed him. Occasionally DJ and her dad were there too.

And then the guys would appear, pages filled with group photos and shots of them with little masks or disguises that she eventually recognized as their costumes for performing together in Kismet. There was eventually a page that was only a song that they never recorded. She now knew it was the song he'd been working on when Rosiepuff--

"Poppy?" Branch called to her from the door and she vaguely looked at him. She could almost imagine him as he'd been in her dream, a worried shade of blue-grey ready to hug all her worries away with soft verse only for her. "Are…you sure you're okay?" he asked and she snapped back to reality.

"No…I'm not…," she admitted, flipping the scrapbook open to blank pages. "You ran out of pages…so…we made a new scrapbook. And…I know it never actually happened but…I have all these memories that still feel so real…and I just…," she trailed off. She loved him so much but that love was for a Troll who didn't exist yet, who might never exist. Sure…she'd had a little crush on him but that didn't grow into more than platonic feelings until after he'd let her in.

"Poppy…," he sighed, kneeling in front of her. "What aren't you telling me about your dream? How close were we in it…really?"

"We…we were best friends…," she whispered. She didn't want to pressure him, but she couldn't help answering honestly. She loved him too much to lie to him. "Closer than that, really but…I don't want to pressure you or ruin anything…"

"And…I…got my colours back in the dream. That's why you won't look at me for long…because you're used to this," he assumed, flipping the scrapbook to a page adorned with photos of him with the guys, all teal and blue and happy. She nodded a little. "And…either I told you about being in BroZone and you were concerned about how Floyd and I would feel hearing it earlier…or…?"

"I want to hear you sing, more than anything," she mumbled. "But on your terms…I don't think I could handle hearing either of your old bands right now…"

He was silent for a long moment, probably considering what she'd just admitted. And part of her was terrified she'd just ruined everything.

Chapter Text

Floyd moved to try and help his brother's friends with the traps while Branch and Poppy were gone. Poppy had claimed that she and Branch 'weren't exactly' friends, but she knew so much about their family. And she'd been so quick to defend him from Trolls that were clearly her friends. And with as quickly as his little brother went after her.

"So…what exactly is their relationship?" he asked.

"No idea," Trickee sighed, finishing a knot. "He just…suddenly let her in the bunker this morning. All he said, when he finally let us in, was that she'd been upset and needed someone that wouldn't judge her to talk to…"

"Yeah…she's usually loud and too much energy…convinced life here is one hundred percent safe and perfect…," Hype sighed.

"But I guess something happened last night or this morning to convince her otherwise and it kinda broke her…," Ablaze added.

"And after years of her pushing, Branch finally let her in and gave us a chance after twenty years and--"

"Twenty years?" Floyd gasped, cutting him off. "Y-You don't mean…?"

"He blames himself for everything," Trickee deadpanned. "From getting left alone with Grandma…to her death. He went Grey when it happened and then pushed us away. He's been stubbornly alone and miserable all these years."

Floyd blinked and looked towards the shaft where his brother had disappeared. He almost pulled out the old glasses. He really should have never left. Branch had been Grey almost his whole life and Floyd was out…being selfish.

"I'm such a fucking idiot…," he muttered.

"What matters now is that you're here," Boom encouraged.

"What about JD?" he sighed and tried to focus on the trap they were making. He realized fairly quick that he was more in the way than anything, so he moved back. He wondered if any of the others had even tried to come back. Maybe he should have tried to talk to John Dory when he spotted him at the Dive Bar in Rock City.

There was a light thump as Poppy got back to the room.

"Branch is getting more supplies to make more traps," she said brightly, joining the group and looking at the trap they were working on. She picked up a couple of ropes to help. "And…I'm sorry I've been kind of…snippy. It's been a long day and…," she trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I can't really explain because you guys might think I'm crazy and I don't really know you guys all that well and…I may or may not have made a really bad impression on you all already…"

"Poppifer, quit making excuses and do it!" Branch called down the hole.

Poppy groaned and flopped back.

"Ugh…why are you always right?! Thank you Branchifer!" she shouted back. Floyd quirked an eyebrow. They were already at nicknames? "Okay, so…," she sat up. "The thing is…I had this really crazy dream last night, where the party I throw tonight gets almost the entire village eaten because my current best friend was too selfish and cowardly--" she broke off and ran a hand through her hair. "A-Anyways…there was more, like almost three years, but you guys don't need to know that. But Branch and I became best friends and he told me everything…and you were there, Floyd…you got here early this time but, in the dream, you showed up just in time to try and rescue me and Branch and my friends…but you were captured too…," she rambled. "And apparently John Dory has a horrible sense of direction because it took him being told the exact coordinates for the village, to find us. I really don't know what Avery sees in his nitpicking, perfectionist--"

"Poppy," Floyd cut her off. Part of him believed her just by that description of his oldest brother. So, he hadn't found the village…she'd met John some time in this dream and learned about Viva then.

"So…this dream is why you're suddenly asking Branch to set up traps around the village?" Trickee sighed. The princess nodded.

"But…it doesn't explain why he actually let you in earlier…," Boom added.

"I'm sure you've noticed I'm a little emotional today? I kind of…lost it and ended up here and he felt sorry for me I guess?" she sighed.

"You guys were more than 'Best Friends'," Floyd muttered.

"Hush!" she gasped, waving her hands. "I really don't want to pressure him…"

"Were we in this dream of yours?" Hype spoke up.

"A lot, actually. First time I met Trickee, he bit me! I knew about the whole family thing, but I didn't know you guys were Kismet until almost the end!"

"I thought Branch told you everything?" Boom snickered.

"Well, everyone has their secrets…the whole band thing just…never came up?" she sighed.

"If you met John Dory…," Floyd started. "Do you…"

"Know where Clay and…Spruce are? If the dream was right…yeah. I mean…you got here 'early' so it could be wrong…," she sighed.

"You keep hesitating…not a fan of 'the Heartthrob'?" he joked.

"He'd changed his name to 'Bruce' in the dream," she explained. "It kinda feels wrong…you know…not using his preferred name…how I got to know him in the dream," she muttered. "But yeah, if the dream was right, I know where Bruce and Clay are. And my sister…"

Branch came back to the room with another batch of traps.

"Branch…how many traps do you have…?" Floyd gasped.

"Too many," he sighed. "A whole floor full…claw traps…snap traps…these snares…"

"Why?"

"I told you he was rightly paranoid…," Poppy laughed. "It did come in handy in the dream, and it's coming in handy now," she added. Her Hug Time Bracelet chimed and she quickly closed the flower. "We should hurry. The party's starting after Last Hug Time. So, in…," she paused to do some math. "Ugh…I need an actual clock…If I remember correctly Last Hug Time is at eight…"

"It's two now," Branch provided. "We have six hours. Plenty of time."

Poppy nodded and they got to work on another trap. Branch pushed the radio towards Floyd before he went to get more traps. He took that as permission to turn it on, so he did, a little surprised when it got a signal this deep underground.

You got me fucked up in the head, boy

Never doubted myself so much

Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?

I hate that I give you power over that kind of stuff

"Ooh, that's one of Maya's songs," Poppy laughed. "From her solo tour."

It only took two more hours for them to get almost all of Branch's trap collection set up to cause real trouble for a Bergen. Branch led the others out of the bunker and to the first place Hype had marked. Part of him was still wary about Poppy's dream and her new attitude. But he also liked it. She was more…aware of things. What was still a little jarring was how she seemed to be handling a potential friendship with him versus how he'd seen her with everyone else.

Well, she said she didn't want to put any more pressure on him. Which he appreciated…it was one thing to accept the guys' friendship again, but a new friendship was uncharted territory.

And to add to the crazy day, Floyd was back! Another notch in the believability of Poppy's dream, even if Floyd was there before she'd estimated. What mattered was that she was right about him coming back. Which he could surmise meant that the princess was right about just about everything else…most important being that John Dory was trying to find him too.

As they worked, there was a comfortable silence, with the radio playing softly in the background.

Branch paused in setting up the claw traps they'd strung together. He felt like someone was watching them. But when he didn't see or hear any evidence of anyone outside their group, he relaxed a little and got back to work. Poppy moved to help him.

"Branch…what's wrong?" she asked gently, prying one of the claws open like she really knew what she was doing.

"Nothing. It was probably a bird or something…," he sighed. They finished at that spot and moved on.

Poppy's Hug Time Bracelet went off as they were walking and she promptly closed it, as she'd been doing all afternoon. Impulsively, Branch gave her a side hug.

"Branch…?" she gasped.

"Thanks," was all he said as he pulled away and kept walking. He glanced at her to see her blushing furiously.

"Smooth…," Boom laughed.

"What?" he mumbled. "I just…appreciate her help…"

Boom didn't say anything else, just bumped his shoulder a little. Branch grumbled a little and got to work when they got to the next spot Hype had marked.

"Looks like this is gonna be the last spot…," Ablaze sighed as they hoped into the trees to set the snare while Poppy worked with the snaps on the ground. "We're down to the last traps…"

"Yeah…hopefully it's enough," Trickee groaned.

Branch hummed in agreement and they finished rather quickly, having effectively figured out the most efficient way to set up the traps. When they finished, he turned off the radio and looked at Poppy.

"Well…you should probably go check on the plaza…," Branch sighed. Poppy made a face but nodded.

"Yeah…," she sighed. "And I can't avoid my friends much longer…especially--" she broke off, rubbing her arm a little.

With her dream, she probably was avoiding Creek the most. And he didn't blame her, with the betrayal in her dream. The herb-addled 'guru' just had rancid energy and he was a little glad that she was finally realizing it.

Poppy waved a little at the group and hurried off. He was a little worried, but after what he'd seen over the afternoon, she could handle herself. The guys said their goodbyes, with an up in the air plan for dinner. And he and Floyd went to the bunker alone.

"I really am sorry it took me so long to get here…," Floyd sighed.

"I guess the whole tribe is pretty decently hidden," he shrugged. "I mean…in Poppy's dream it took fireworks to tell anyone where we are…"

"Morning Song alerted me…I was a few miles out, combing the woods. The song woke me up."

"I actually managed to sleep in until the song woke me up," Branch groaned. "So…how did that Solo Career go?"

"Well…," Floyd groaned and explained how things went for him. "I'm sorry…I never should have left…," he finished.

"It is what it is…at least you said goodbye," Branch shrugged. They got back to the bunker and he went in the front entrance. "We can't go back and change it."

"Right…," Floyd mumbled. "So…what now?"

"Well, usually around this time I'm coming back from foraging and stuff…so I'd be sorting it out and going over what I have and what I need for winter. I try not to leave the bunker at all during winter," he explained. "But since I didn't do any of that today…and I kind of want to do something else for Poppy."

"Oh?" his brother snickered.

"What? It's something else she asked me to do," he defended. "I'm gonna sort out the supplies and lock up some stuff…since we cleared out the trap storage, I can manage…if the Bergen still manages to get into the village and take anyone, we can keep the rest of the tribe safe down here for at least a few months…"

Poppy took a deep breath as she approached the plaza. She could hear Trolls literally making decorating a party on its own. Because of course they would do that.

"There you are, Poppy," Creek said behind her. "Where have you been all day?"

"Busy," she groaned. "This party wasn't the only thing on my agenda today."

"What do you mean?" he laughed nervously. "I thought getting ready for this party was the only thing you had planned for today…?"

"It wasn't," she said firmly. Sure…originally it had been the only thing on her mind. But things were different this time. "I've been slowly taking over for my dad lately and there's a lot more to being queen than parties and the usual stuff…"

"Of course! I was just under the impression that--" she held up a hand to silence him.

"Why do you care so much what I do? I'm not required to tell my friends where I am and what I'm doing all the time."

"That wasn't my intention, Poppy," he defended. "I'm just concerned. You haven't been your usual self today and I heard you yelled at Smidge and DJ…"

"I firmly told them to stop bullying a Troll," she groaned. "Honestly, they're lucky it was just me 'yelling', if that's what they want to call it…Floyd and Trickee might have actually hurt them if the guys hadn't held them back…"

"Who?"

"You've seen Trickee around, haven't you? He and his friends don't really participate in things…but they all are around. And they all were there when Smidge verbally attacked me, Branch and his brother who just arrived after lunchtime."

"He has a brother?" Creek gasped. She nodded.

"Yes," was all she was going to say about that. Branch's history wasn't Creek's business. In the dream it only became her business because they were dating.

"I see…and you…haven't been neglecting Hug Time and singing while doing your very important duties?"

"What kind of question is that?" she scoffed. "Of course I haven't been 'neglecting' anything. Branch even willingly gave me a hug earlier while I was checking the security stuff that I asked him to do!"

Creek stared at her like she was talking gibberish and she straightened herself up.

"You…asked Branch to do something and he complied…?" he asked, shocked. "And he hugged you?"

"Is it really that surprising?" she laughed a little. It was amazing, seeing him react to her actually giving him his space and respecting his boundaries. "He's really a good guy once you give him a chance. Just because he's a little different…"

"He's Grey, Poppy, of course he's different," Creek muttered.

"And his Greyness is no reason to belittle him," she said firmly. "And don't you dare point out how paranoid he is as an excuse."

"Of course not," he ceded, stepping back with his hands raised in surrender.

Chapter Text

Poppy almost sighed in relief as Creek seemed to decide that her conversation with him was over. She was even more relieved as he walked away with a mere nod, instead of booping her nose or anything he would usually do. The princess turned her attention back to checking on the party.

As she looked at the plaza, she almost grimaced at how ready it looked. But she put on a cheery face as she came into the area properly.

"Poppy!" Biggie laughed, running up to her. "Where have you been all day? We've been worried about you."

"I've been busy with other things," she sighed. "You know, boring princess stuff."

"Poppy?" Smidge mumbled, coming over and scuffing her feet a little. "I uh…I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have talked to you like that," she sighed. Poppy smiled a little.

"I'm not the only one you need to apologize to, but thank you," she said lightly. "The plaza looks great guys. Thanks for taking over on getting it set up."

"And you're really okay?" DJ fretted.

"I've just been kind of feeling down," she admitted. "I found out this morning that there were Trolls that got separated in the Escape. So, tomorrow, I'm gonna ask around and see if anyone's up for trying to find them," she said lightly. Honestly, it would probably be Branch and his brothers, since they knew about her dream and would be able to handle themselves in the wild.

"Oh, wow…that does sound like it would be difficult to deal with," Biggie gasped, cuddling Mr Dinkles close. "Are you going to be all right for the party?"

"Yeah," she said confidently. The valley was as safe as she could make it. She just needed to figure out what to do to protect the tribe if Chef showed up and made it past the traps. She was not going to force Branch to give up his safe space this time. "I do think we should tone it back a little, but I did promise everyone the biggest party ever."

Her friends nodded and when their Hug Time Bracelets chimed, they all hugged. With the plaza ready, she went to her pod to make herself dinner and get ready for the party.

Poppy stayed in her pod until it was time for the party. It was already getting started when she got back to the plaza. People greeted her brightly as she headed for the main stage to stand with her dad. From her vantage point, she could see most of the crowd. And her friends, having the time of their lives as Guy Diamond used Satin and Chenille's hair as a slingshot to fire glitter balls into the crowd.

She blinked. It was supposed to be Creek. She distinctly remembered Creek up on that worm with the twins in the dream. She looked around again. Biggie was crowd surfing, and Smidge was about to get thrown across the area. No sign of Creek at all.

Creek's absence seemed to be the only thing different than the dream. The crowd gasped with perfect timing as Smidge was hit in the face by a ball of glitter.

"YOLO!" Smidge cheered and everyone responded with their own cheers. DJ turned up the volume on her woofer bug and Poppy worried her lip.

The party was getting louder and louder without prompting and her breath halted as the confetti cannons exploded a wave of glitter over the crowd, almost knocking everyone off their feet.

"No wait!" she called as Cooper lit up that firework.

He clearly didn't hear her over the noise and her eyes went wide as it went off and the impressive shape of herself in the sky lingered over the village. Less than a moment after the light faded, she heard a crash from the north end of the valley. A few people in the crowd stopped dancing at the noise.

"What was that?" her dad mumbled.

"Trouble," she hissed and tried to gesture to DJ to turn down the music. Her friend did so and all eyes turned to them. "I just need everyone to bring it down and listen!" she called out. A proper hush fell over the crowd. "Everyone stay calm, and hide! Blend in and be quiet."

There was confused chatter, but they did as she instructed. Poppy pulled her dad under the mushroom stage with DJ.

"I'll cover him," her friend promised, extending her hair to create the illusion of a rock around herself and the king. Poppy looked out.

"Cooper," she hissed. "Duck your head down and blend."

The Funk Troll chuckled and did so. She sighed in relief and made a run for the north side of the plaza, swinging up to the treetop. She could see Chef using a kitchen knife to cut herself free and Poppy groaned. The one place they didn't put up more than a snare. Trickee joined her.

"We're kinda screwed…," Trickee muttered.

"I didn't know she had a knife on her!" she hissed. "But everybody's hiding already…so maybe…," she trailed off, watching Chef get up and head towards the plaza, knocking pods down as she went.

The princess worried her lip and looked down on the plaza, where the Trolls were still hiding as the thumping approach of the Bergen grew louder.

Things fell apart as the Bergen made it to the space. One person screamed and a lot of Trolls broke their cover as they panicked. It was mostly Trolls like her who had been either too young to remember the Tree or had been born after the Escape and had literally never seen a Bergen outside of the scrapbook history. All the older Trolls had probably immediately connected the thumping with a Bergen's approach.

She spotted Hype, Boom and Ablaze rush into the plaza and whip their hair out to fight the Bergen off. Trickee handed her a slingshot and they both swung down. Poppy fired a pebble right at Chef's eye and Trickee used another slingshot to fire a pebble at her other eye. Chef stumbled back, startled and momentarily blinded by their barrage of pebbles as she and Trickee fired as fast as they could get ammunition.

Chef recovered and angrily reached for the guys. They were scooped up, but they didn't go into the fanny pack without a fight. She was pretty sure at least one of them managed to bite the Bergen. They fought so much that Chef had to zip the pack after she shoved them inside.

"No!" Trickee shouted, and they continued firing pebbles as fast as they could. Chef shielded her eyes and reached for Poppy and Trickee. He shoved her out of the way.

"Trickee!" she gasped, throwing out her hair to try and rescue him.

Chef grabbed her hair with her free hand and yanked the princess up. The Bergen leered at her and she smirked as she was able to swing down to steal the knife. Gripping the weapon in both hands, she swung around to slice Chef's arm.

The Bergen dropped both of them as she howled in pain. Poppy looked at Trickee and he nodded, both of them whipping their hair up to grab the zipper of the fanny pack and try to pull it open. Teal hair joined theirs as Smidge joined them. The three of them got the pack open just enough for a purple hand to pop through and push it enough for Ablaze to pop his head out.

Chef recovered from the shock and shoved Ablaze back inside the pack, swatting their hair away from the zipper. The Bergen swept her hand through the grass and grabbed a few Trolls.

"Nice try, but I'll be back," the Bergen sneered, stomping off as she shoved the Trolls into the pack with the guys.

As her thudding footsteps faded, everyone started to come out of hiding. Poppy dropped the knife and hopped back onto the mushroom stage.

"Who was taken?!" she shouted to the crowd, desperately searching them.

Most of her friends were there. But as everyone tried to take a headcount…Biggie, Guy Diamond, Satin and Chenille, Creek, and DJ's little brother Spruce were missing.

"We have to run!" her dad started panicking.

"No!" she argued. "We're not running!"

"You heard that Bergen!" he snapped.

"We're not packing up and uprooting everyone again!" she snapped right back. She had to rescue them, and looking at Trickee, she could tell that he was thinking the same thing. Both of them had just lost friends. "Everyone, just stay in the plaza. Try and stay calm!" she urged. "Trickee…"

He nodded and they went off to the side.

"I can't believe you did that," he muttered.

"I'm just sorry we weren't able to save the guys right there…"

"Is everyone okay?!" Branch shouted, rushing to the plaza.

"Branch!" Poppy gasped. He must have been so freaked out by the noise. She remembered he said he could hear it in the bunker. She rushed to him. "Chef had a knife," she sighed, nodding towards the large and bloodied weapon on the ground.

"What happened…?" he gasped and then he stared at her. "You're not…?"

"It's the Bergen's blood," she sighed.

"Poppy really did a number on that Bergen," Trickee sighed.

"It wasn't enough…she still got away with…," she trailed off, rubbing her arm. It was wet and she realized that she was also covered in Chef's blood. No wonder he was staring at her. "With Hype, Boom, Ablaze…and Biggie, Guy Diamond, Satin and Chenille, Spruce and Creek are missing."

"Spruce?" he questioned.

"DJ's little brother," she explained. "Can we…? I know I said it was okay if you didn't want to, but…"

"I've got the bunker ready. Just…point me to someone trustworthy to give the keys to the rations and we'll get going," Branch said firmly.

"Really?" she gasped and he nodded. Poppy almost hugged him, but stopped herself, remembering not only that Branch wasn't a hugger, but also that she was covered in blood. "Thank you! Okay…one sec," she sighed and hopped back to the stage. She pulled out her emergency whistle, which she had this time, and blew it to get everyone's attention. "All right, here's the plan for now! Branch is being generous enough to offer his bunker as a shelter for now. I need everyone to gather sleepover and emergency medical supplies. Then meet at the bunker and form an orderly line to get inside. Fuzzbert, Smidge, and Dr Moonbloom, get with Branch," she instructed and the tribe scattered to follow orders. That done, she went back to the guys.

"You should probably get cleaned up while everyone's getting stuff," DJ encouraged. Poppy looked at herself and nodded. She really was a mess.

She hurried to her pod and went straight to her shower. Her dress and headband were both ruined, she'd have to get rid of them after rescuing the others. She had a bad feeling about Creek…she hadn't seen him at the party at all. She shook her head as she scrubbed the blood out of her hair and fur.

When she was satisfied that it was all gone, she put on one of her more muted outfits. It was for 'Camouflage Day', which had recently been replaced with a more 'cheerful' holiday. But the dark green shorts and shirt would help her blend in while heading for Bergentown. Poppy also dug out a hooded leaf cape from the defunct holiday and looked at herself in the mirror. She nodded and grabbed a matching headband and tied her hair back up.

Satisfied, Poppy packed up a backpack with a few things she might need. She'd gone camping a few times with Branch in the dream, but she didn't have all the same things. She just had her sleeping bag, a wooden mug and bowl…a multitool tucked away in one of her drawers…and a compass that she'd forgotten about. She huffed, wishing she had a tent and proper knife. This would have to do. She at least still had the slingshot Trickee had given her, and her emergency whistle.

Before she left her pod, she pulled the whistle out and smiled a little. It was a birthday gift from Branch. At her fifteenth birthday, he'd actually shown up at the party. Not for long, but he'd shown up and it made her night! He'd given that whistle to her before leaving the party. Now, she knew that he'd whittled it himself. Which made it all the more precious. It was the first and only thing he'd given her.

Poppy put the whistle back in her hair and went to the bunker. Floyd and Trickee were dealing with the Trolls already lined up at the back door. She went in the front and barely heard Branch giving instruction to the ones she'd picked for the keys.

She swung down the lift shaft and found them in the living room. Right as Branch was talking about the basement, where most of the Trolls should be able to sleep.

"Poppy!" someone greeted as Trolls started making it to the room. She smiled a little.

Branch finished talking with Fuzzbert, Smidge and Moonbloom and he smiled at her.

"I'm gonna get packed up, and once everyone gets inside, we can head out," he sighed, heading for his room.

"Sweetheart," her father mumbled behind her. Poppy set her expression and turned to him. "Are you sure about this? It's dangerous, going to Bergentown just for--"

"No Troll left behind," she hissed, cutting him off. "Not this time. We're going to save them."

And if she was lucky, they could show the Bergens how to be happy. It had worked last time. Chef would always be a problem…

"You're really going to save them?" DJ asked softly. Besides their friends, her little brother was grabbed. Poppy hugged her friend tightly.

"Don't worry, DJ…when I say no Troll left behind, I mean that," she assured. "I'm going to help make sure everyone gets here safe."

With that, she went to do just that, checking on the line and heading back to look for stragglers. Poppy froze when she spotted Creek looking around the plaza, staring at the bloody knife.

"Creek! You're okay," Poppy gasped, running up to him.

"Poppy! Where is everyone?"

"Going to the bunker. Branch set it up for us to use as a shelter. You should go join them, grab some sleepover stuff and get down there."

"You're…not going to hide too?" he asked.

"No. Me and a couple others are gonna go to Bergentown to rescue the ones that were taken," she said simply.

"Why don't I go with you? Surely, I could help…," he offered and she resisted making a face.

"I've already chosen the team and I know they can handle this," she said firmly. Creek pouted for a split second before pressing his hands together.

"Then, I'll get my sleeping bag and go to the bunker," he drawled. Poppy nodded and went back to checking around. Everyone was in line to get into the bunker, so she went to sit on top of the boulder to wait, fiddling with her multitool.

She opened it and flipped through the different tools. A nail file that had been filed to a uselessly dull and round edge. There was a spoon, and dulled down knife. The screwdriver was kind of sharp, but too short to be useful. And there was a little mallet that she could maybe smack something small into soft ground. She didn't even know where she got it!

Chapter Text

Floyd looked up as everything started shaking. More than just the extremely loud party beats vibrating the ground. It reminded him of lulls in Pop parties in the Shelter on Trollstice. So much so, that he froze up. Branch had a much different reaction, leaping up and running to the lift.

"Branch, don't!" Floyd gasped, reaching for his little brother. And for a moment he could only see the baby he'd abandoned with his old vest and an empty promise. "Please…"

"My brothers are out there…I have to make sure they're okay," Branch muttered, putting a hand on the platform's lever. The room shook again and Branch pushed the lever. The platform took him up and Floyd stared after him, unable to will himself to move.

Brothers? Sure, Poppy mentioned something about a 'family thing'. And he remembered seeing the extra photos on the wall…

The locks on the bunker clanked shut, sealing him safely inside. But Branch was out there. With a Bergen on the hunt. Even after twenty-seven years free, he knew…at his core…being outside of shelter during Trollstice meant death.

Floyd stumbled to his feet and ran to the shaft, looking up. He couldn't see any holds to swing up after Branch. Not that it would matter when he didn't know how to disengage the locks. And worse still, he could imagine the screams and chaos. The ground rattled and he hunched in a corner, covering his ears.

Every memory of Trollstice that he'd buried came back to him. The most recent being the strongest. When they worried that they'd lost JD…but came home to find their oldest brother alone in the pod with an egg. No sign of Mom and Dad…they'd been taken and barely managed to save Branch by handing his egg over to John Dory. The bedlam on Leap Years when Trollstice happened a day early and there was nothing but panic.

The walls stopped rattling for a long minute and he wondered if maybe it was over. Maybe Poppy was able to hide the tribe and the Bergen gave up trying to find them. Floyd tried to relax, but there was a loud howl of pain that barely made it to him through the ground. And then the ground shook again, but this time retreating footsteps. Then, there was silence. And the longer it stretched on, the more panicked he became.

Floyd clenched his knees, his breath coming in short gasps. What if he'd just found his little brother to lose him in the absolute worst way possible?

Finally, the locks clanked and the back door opened. There were several voices asking questions.

"There's a basement," Branch was saying, and relief flooded through Floyd. "It should be big enough for everyone to sleep. And like I said…there are enough provisions to last me for ten years…I'm guessing it'll last the tribe about two if things don't get out of hand…"

"This is actually really generous of you, Branch," that deep voiced Teaspoon Troll grunted. "I really misjudged you. Sorry for that."

Five Trolls came into the living room and Floyd jumped up, rushing to Branch.

"I'm fine…the Bergen was gone when I got to the plaza," Branch assured him.

"I-Is everyone else…?"

"Don't even say it, Moonbloom!" Smidge snapped as the purple Troll in the group clearly geared up for some dramatic statement. The Fuzzling in the group chattered and beeped at the clearly older Troll and pointed with their hair at a second lift at the far end of the room.

"Yeah, that one leads to the basement," Branch confirmed and the Fuzzling skittered off to the lift, pulling the lever with their hair. Floyd worried his lip and Branch sighed. "No one was hurt. But the Bergen did grab a few people…"

"Including Hype, Boom, and Ablaze," Trickee groaned. "But I think Ablaze managed to bite her. And Poppy sure as hell did some damage."

"Where is she…?"

"Poppy went to her pod to clean up," Smidge provided. "She was covered in blood by the time the Bergen left…"

"Not her own," Branch assured as Floyd almost started panicking again. "Like I said…no one was hurt. Floyd…Trickee, I'm gonna give Smidge and Dr Moonbloom a tour of the storerooms. Can you guys let the tribe in the back door?"

All Floyd could manage was a nod as he went with Trickee.

"So…Poppy…?" Floyd finally mumbled.

"She was actually pretty amazing," Trickee laughed. "After the Bergen grabbed the guys, she went after me and Poppy. I got Poppy out of the way, but when I was grabbed, she tried to help. And the Bergen grabbed her by the hair. The princess just swung herself around, stole the Bergen's knife and sliced the crap out of her. We almost had the guys free, but…," he trailed off. "Honestly…I'm surprised none of us froze up…we grew up in the Tree…"

"You're older than Branch, right?" Floyd asked.

"Yeah. About four years…And Branch is still the youngest. Ablaze is literally only ten days older than him."

Pop Trolls started lining up with packs and nervous chatter. Trollings were terrified, but kept calm by older Trolls that Floyd vaguely recognized from the Tree. Some were more distraught than others, he assumed close friends or family of the ones who had been taken. Or…like him, reminded too much of what they went through in the Tree.

Poppy hopped onto the boulder with a small pack and surprisingly muted clothes.

Branch joined them as the line dwindled. His little brother already had a loaded pack strapped to his back. The last of Pop made it into the bunker and Branch closed the door.

"Poppy, was that everyone?" Trickee called.

"Yeah," she sighed and joined them. "And good news, Creek is with them," she pushed a little rock and the locks engaged. "And I think we might have traumatized Chef."

"You might have traumatized her," Trickee corrected.

"Well…we have a bit more time to either find her or get to Bergentown," the princess sighed. "She'll have to detour to wherever her stuff is to treat that wound."

Branch pulled out a map and they gathered around.

"Quickest way would be straight through. Since we don't know where the Bergen is camped?"

"I never saw that in the dream," Poppy sighed, grimacing. "But…maybe we can take a less direct route? I went that way in the dream and almost died like…a lot of times. Not just because I didn't know what I was doing," she explained, pointing out approximated dangers. "And there's a Tarantacapuff nest at the end of that trail," she finished.

"All right…," Branch sighed, looking over the map. "The river flows towards Bergentown, and around all of that. It'll take a little longer, but we can go to the river, build a raft and ride down the current. I might be able to come up with some kind of engine to speed it along…"

"For now, we need to get going, just in case she comes back for her knife or something…," Trickee muttered. They all nodded and headed out.

Eventually, when they were completely out of the valley and would have had to climb a tree to see the village, they set up camp.

Poppy was awake before Branch, embarrassed to find herself cuddling him, with both of their sleeping bags tangled around them. He clung to her as she gently pried herself out of the burrito. She smiled a little, remembering the struggle in the dream. Usually, she'd pretend to go back to sleep and revel in the cuddle a little longer, until he woke up, but now…they didn't have time. She was already making them take longer by avoiding the direct route she'd taken in the dream.

The princess got out of the burrito and looked at the others. Floyd was sprawled out on one side of the tent, while Trickee was curled in his sleeping bag, his face scrunched as he probably was having a nightmare. Her eyes fell on Branch, looking so relaxed. Until he rolled over and probably shifted onto his wing wrong, because he jolted awake and sat up.

"Morning…," she said quietly as he stretched. "I'm gonna go see exactly how far we are from the river," she told him and he nodded, still stretching. Poppy left the tent and swung up a nearby tree.

She scanned the area and could barely see the village. She sighed and looked for the river. It was maybe half a days' journey. As long as nothing happened.

She took another glance around the woods and spotted rustling. It wasn't coming towards them, but she still filed that away in her mind. Satisfied with what she could see, Poppy swung back down to the campsite. Branch was pulling some food out of his pack.

"Trickee and Floyd still asleep?" she asked and he nodded.

"At the latest, I'll get them up before First Hug Time," he sighed, looking pointedly at her Hug Time Bracelet. "You couldn't leave that at home…?"

"It's the closest thing I have to a watch," she defended. "And besides…it was my sister's…not wearing it would…," she trailed off, fingering the twine.

"Yeah…I get that," Branch mumbled after a moment, thumbing a fabric leaf of his vest, and she reached for some of the food. "How did our sleeping bags end up tangled?" he asked abruptly and Poppy almost choked.

"I…may be a serial sleep-hugger?" she mumbled, blushing. "And you were my victim last night? Sorry…"

She hadn't done that in the dream on the rescue mission! But this time was different…for one, she was in a tent with him.

Branch shrugged nonchalantly, munching on his portion of nuts and berries. Trickee came out of the tent, yawning.

"Morning!" she chirped. "Floyd still asleep?"

"Nah, he's up. Just moping in the tent…I think last night is really catching up with him…," he sighed.

Branch got up and went to check on his brother. Poppy worried her lip and sighed.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as he sat down to grab some food.

"Yeah," he assured. "You? Outside that dream that was the first time you've ever seen a Bergen, right?"

"I'm fine," she sighed. "A little upset that I wasn't able to really stop it from even happening…but…"

"You did everything you could," Trickee reminded.

"But I feel like I could have done more. Like put my foot down and stopped the party from going so out of hand…," she griped.

"Seriously, Poppy…you did what you could," he sighed. "And you tried your hardest to save everyone right then and there."

The Trolls were getting on Chef's nerves. Three of them in particular. She had to go back to her camper and bandage up her arm before she could get them to Bergentown, and those three were loud and moved a lot in the fanny pack. She assumed they were trying to escape.

She certainly hadn't expected that bundle of ropes almost stopping her from getting into the valley. Or the Trolls to put up such a fight! One of them had bitten her. Not hard enough to do anything, but it was still frustrating.

And now she'd lost her knife to that pink one. When she got to her camper, Chef locked the rustling fanny pack into a little cage and turned her attention to treating her probably infected wound. The pink one sliced her arm fairly deep, and she was eager to get back and grab that one in particular.

"Got it!" one of them cheered, getting the fanny pack unzipped enough to get out. Into the locked cage. "Well shit," it muttered.

"Be quiet!" Chef snapped, wrapping a bandage around her arm. She could rest for the night and then make her way to Bergentown. She'd certainly need reinforcements if the Trolls were all that feisty…

Branch went into the tent to find his brother curled up on top of his sleeping bag.

"Floyd…are you okay?" he asked carefully.

"I'll be fine," Floyd sighed.

"That's not what I asked," Branch groaned, sitting beside him. Floyd sighed and buried his head in his knees.

"I don't know what I expected…," he mumbled. "Everything's happened so fast. But…I'll be fine," he repeated. Branch sighed. "Really. Let's get packed up. We're…probably wasting daylight."

"Right…"

They started rolling up the sleeping bags. Floyd went out to get some food and it wasn't long before they had everything packed up.

"We should be able to get to the river by lunch. Then we'll have plenty of time to get a raft built and ride the rest of the way to Bergentown," Poppy said brightly. Branch nodded and they set off.

Don't blink

No, I don't want to miss it

One thing, and it's back to the beginning

'Cause everything is rushing in fast

Keep going on never look back

Poppy started singing as they walked along.

And it's one, two, three, four times

That I'll try for one more night

Floyd joined her, touching Branch's shoulder as he went.

Light a fire in my eyes

I'm going out of my mind

Trickee added.

Whatever happens

Even if I'm the last standing

Poppy sang firmly, taking the lead.

I'ma stand tall

I'ma stand tall

The two guys harmonized. And for the first time in years, Branch actually felt the urge to sing.

Whatever happens

Even when everything's down

Poppy glanced at him over her shoulder, and he smiled.

I'ma stand tall

I'ma stand tall

Floyd and Trickee repeated. And Branch caught her hand. Startled, she turned her head fully to him.

I gotta keep on dreaming

'Cause I gotta catch that feeling

Branch started singing and Poppy clearly almost broke down in tears. Particularly as colour started properly seeping into his features. He noticed it in his hands first but something was different. He almost felt…lighter. Like those few notes had been just what his entire body had been waiting for to break out of the Greyness and the weight of misery he'd been stubbornly clinging to.

Whatever happens

Even if I'm the last standing

Poppy's voice almost cracked as she started walking backwards so she could properly look at Branch. He almost blushed at the look on her face.

I'ma stand tall

I'ma stand tall

All of them harmonized and Floyd and Trickee both hugged Branch a little. Branch laughed a little, the fact that his colours were back really sinking in. Sure, it was horrible timing to 'be happy' in this moment, on a rescue mission…but there it was.

Right now,

I'm loving every minute

Hands down

Can't let myself forget it, no

He sang, soft and clear and Poppy looked like she could have melted. Closer than best friends, she'd said…

'Cause everything is rushing in fast

Keep holding on, never look back

She gripped his hand and they went back to properly walking towards the river. They repeated the chorus together.

I gotta keep on dreaming

'Cause I gotta catch that feeling

Branch sang and it felt like maybe he was specifically telling her. Sure, he was also aiming that at the other two, but she'd started all this with her strange behaviour yesterday. And he would admit he'd had a little crush on the reckless princess, probably for years.

Whatever happens

Even if I'm the last standing

I'ma stand tall

I'ma stand tall

Floyd and Trickee repeated, falling back with knowing smirks. What did they know that he didn't?

Like I'm glowing in the dark

I keep on going when it's all falling apart

Yeah, I know it with all my heart

Branch belted, not at a dangerous volume but still louder than before.

Ooh, ooh

Never look back

Poppy harmonized with him, walking backwards again to take both of his hands in hers.

Whatever happens

Even if I'm the last standing

I'ma stand tall

I'ma stand tall

Branch repeated, giving a toothy grin.

Whatever happens

Even if I'm the last standing

I'ma stand tall

I'ma stand tall

She echoed, crying a little.

Stand tall

Stand tall

Floyd and Trickee joined in again. And they all repeated the chorus again. When the song trailed off, Poppy's Hug Time Bracelet went off and she held her arms out to offer Branch a hug. He nodded and hugged her. Floyd and Trickee made it a group hug and Poppy pulled away first, unable to stop grinning.

Chapter Text

Poppy just couldn't stop grinning. Branch had sung! And not to cheer her up! He just sang with her. For no reason! On the way to Bergentown! She could actually cry. And Branch's colours came back.

"Branch, did you just…?" Trickee laughed in disbelief.

"I…guess?" Branch said, looking at his hands. They were still that bright teal. Poppy squealed and hugged him again.

"You sang!" she giggled.

"That's what you're happy about, Poppy?" Trickee snarked. She nodded and pulled away from Branch, grinning like he'd just given her the best present ever. Because he had.

"Of course, that's what I'm happy about!" she laughed. It was so much better than the first time she'd heard him sing in the dream.

"Not my colours?" Branch asked. She shook her head.

"You're a walking mood ring already anyways…it's great that you got your colours back fully," she sighed, resisting the urge to run her hands through his bright blue hair. "But…"

"But…? How did it happen in the dream…?" he asked. Poppy deflated a little. That was the one thing she hadn't told him about this incident. Mainly because she was determined to not let it happen this time. She hated even the idea of how miserable she'd been to turn Grey. "Poppy…?"

"When Creek betrayed us and everyone was almost eaten…I went Grey…and seeing how miserable I was…so did everyone else. You and Floyd were the only ones with any colour in the pot…," she sighed, rubbing her arm. "You sang to cheer me up and…"

"That's why you said you wanted it to be completely on my terms…?" he gasped. She nodded a little.

"We should get back on track…," Floyd sighed. Poppy nodded again and started walking again.

They made it to the river around lunch time and got to work on the raft. Floyd pulled out an axe to cut logs and Branch got a fun engine put together. And her multitool came in handy as the screwdriver was the perfect size for pressing the vines into the cracks between the logs and into the sappy glue that Floyd made.

"Where'd you learn how to build a raft, Floyd?" Trickee laughed. "No offense but you were really useless with the traps yesterday."

"Lonesome Flats," Floyd said promptly. "Helped build a lot of barns and wagons and stuff like this."

"With Delta?" Poppy asked, tying off a vine. He nodded.

"I found my way to Lonesome Flats when I…when I left. She wouldn't let me leave until I was eighteen…and even then, it was the day before my birthday, so I was nineteen when I got out on my own again…"

"And we'd been out of the Tree a few years by then," Branch sighed.

"And when I got to the Tree…I thought the worst," Floyd added. "Especially when I checked the pod and…nothing was really gone…and your old glasses…"

"Trickee…," Branch groaned.

"What? I was twelve and petty," Trickee groaned.

~~~

By the last Hug Time, the boat was done. Floyd sat back as they set up camp. They'd have to wait until morning to get going again, to let the sap dry.

"So, I think we should sleep in shifts and keep watch…," Poppy suggested while they got the tent set. "We're a lot more exposed tonight than we were before."

"Pairs?" Branch suggested. "Easier to stay awake…"

"Yeah," Trickee agreed.

"Me and Floyd and then you guys?" Poppy sighed and Floyd quirked an eyebrow at that. No one seemed to argue and when they finished with the tent, Branch and Trickee went to bed and Poppy hopped to the side of the boat.

"Okay…why didn't you want to keep watch with either of them?" he groaned, joining her.

"Too distracting," she said plainly. "And besides…I don't really know you, Floyd."

"Not even in your dream?" he pressed and she shook her head.

"After the--a few months in the dream…you left to drag JD to the village…," she explained. "And since I didn't know about the other tribes…you and Branch were both really tight lipped about non-Pop stuff…"

"So…pretty much everything about our family and my life outside the Tree…," he prompted.

"Yeah…like I knew you had a whole solo career while you were Grey…but I never heard your music until Barb's…tantrum."

"Barb?"

"Your cousin," she sighed. "I don't know when she becomes queen…but she's like…a year older than Branch? So, she could still be just the princess…since the other tribes…"

"Live longer?" he mumbled. Poppy nodded. "Yeah…the Bergens really fucked the tribe up…"

"Tell me about it!" she laughed dryly. "Your uncle Eli is like…over a hundred and twenty, I think. I could be wrong…I only met him twice in the dream…"

"So…what do you want to know?" he sighed. He'd put off the family meeting, so he hadn't met any of his aunts and uncles…

"You grew up in Lonesome Flats, right?"

"Yeah…when I left the Tree…Delta Dawn was friends with my mom," he sighed, pulling his legs up to his chest. "She was on the team that went to Bergentown…"

Poppy nodded a little and he gave her a vague description of the last twenty-seven years. There…really wasn't much to tell. Finally, he pulled out his scrapbook and offered it.

"Ooh. Yours is a little different than Branch's, right? JD showed me his…," she giggled, opening it up.

"Yeah…Grandma made them…Clay's…has a lot more pictures with your sister in it, I think," he said lightly as she flipped past the first few pages, of his parents and older brothers.

"They all…just have the one picture of Maya…," she mumbled, pausing at John's first baby picture. He nodded.

"I think…it was too painful for Mom to talk about…I never realized who Maya was until Delta told me about her properly."

"And I'm guessing the exploding egg thing is a Rock thing?" she laughed, getting to his hatching. He nodded a little.

"Branch didn't…I'm the only one," he laughed. Poppy continued flipping pages, giggling at his braces from when he was seven. But she frowned as she got past the few pages of photos with increasingly less of his brothers and the few friends he had in the Tree. Quite a few of the photos from that last year in the Tree were of just him and Branch. Everything with his older brothers had been for the band.

He distinctly remembered the last photos from the Tree. Grandma had caught them all without the looks they'd kept up for the band and made them take a family photo. It had been Mom's birthday, and they'd posed together with a cake. Bruce had made it, copying one of Mom's recipes from before she came to the Tree as best as he could. In fact, it had been just after he'd finished decorating it, his hair pulled back in a ponytail and strays held by an orange bandana, little bits of frosting from getting into a food fight with Branch speckling his face and smeared on his nose.

Clay had tons of braids in his lime green curls, having just gotten back from either his sad book club or hanging out with Viva…or both. John Dory had been working on songs and still had his 'lucky pencil' stuck in his ear just under Dad's goggles. Floyd stood in the middle with Branch, the two of them holding up the cake and Branch poised to blow out the candle with his single toothed grin and a big smear of frosting across his face like a battle scar. Grandma was behind them with the saddest look ever.

The next photo was of them cleaned up without the cake. And JD and Bruce were scowling, standing as far away from each other as they could. Clay had a shit eating grin, cozied up with Grandma who looked a little less sad. Floyd and Branch were still in the middle, but Branch was clearly upset as they'd just dealt with John Dory and Bruce yelling at each other.

That was the day before Branch's first concert. And since he'd left before getting any of the photos from that day…Branch was probably the only one with photos from that day in his scrapbook…

Then, he'd haphazardly continued the scrapbook, for a few years, only pasting photos to the pages with little to no decoration or notes beyond listing the location and Trolls featured in the photos. Floyd watched Poppy's face go completely blank as she came to the first photo after he'd gotten his colours back. And then the rest of the pages were blank.

"You…didn't take any photos while you were searching for the village?" she asked carefully. Floyd started to answer, when he heard a twig snap at the edge of the woods.

"Did you hear that?" he hissed, pulling a knife out of his hair. Poppy nodded and set aside the scrapbook, pulling a slingshot out. "Stay by the raft…"

He barely looked to see Poppy nod and grab a few pebbles off the ground. There was rustling in the bushes and he inched towards it. The rustling moved up to the treetop, accompanied by the distinct sound of fabric ripping, and he strained to see what was there. Then, the noise started moving away from them.

Floyd narrowed his eyes and examined the bushes. There were Troll footprints. Or at least something that had Troll feet…he knew of a few critters that had that sort of camouflage. But he found a scrap of fabric, probably yellow, stuck to one of the bushes.

He went back to the princess, trying to figure out the fabric. It was a soft knit, maybe something from athletic wear?

"What was there?" she asked quietly.

"I think it was a Troll," he muttered. "But they ran away before I could get a look at them," he sighed and showed her the fabric. "Critters don't wear clothes…"

"But who would be following us?" Poppy mused, looking at the fabric. After a second, her eyes went wide. "It couldn't be…"

"Do you…recognize the fabric?"

"I could be wrong…but this looks like a piece of Creek's pants…but he was in the bunker with everyone else! And even if he wasn't…why would he be following us?" she mumbled. "Unless…"

"Unless…?" he prompted.

"I don't know…he wasn't at the party, and he was kind of acting…off when I saw him before it…," she sighed. "And he tried to get me to take him along…he's a coward…always has been…so volunteering to go on a dangerous rescue mission…?"

It felt like there was an unspoken worry, but he didn't press. They sat back down and finished their watch in silence.

~~~

Branch couldn't sleep. And he tried. But it was normal, really. He'd always had trouble sleeping. And it was usually the worst when something happened. Panic attacks and having a gnarly fight with a critter were usually the culprits. But today…he lifted a hand to stare at his now colourful fur. It had settled from fully bright teal to a more muted shade.

Maybe it was that music was rattling around in his head for the first time in twenty years. He wanted to let it out, but he couldn't…it was too much, too soon. But also not enough…and he almost wished that Poppy had suggested sharing a shift with him instead of his brother.

With how light letting go of that misery felt, he figured sleeping should come easy.

But a sound startled him and he shot up. He relaxed a little, peeking out of the tent to see Poppy and Floyd reacting to the sound in a reasonable manner.

It didn't seem like there was any actual danger, so he tried to relax into his sleeping bag again. Before he knew it, however, Floyd was sticking his head into the tent to wake him and Trickee up to trade places.

And keeping watch was rather uneventful.

The sun came up and Poppy was awake first, humming as she went to the river to wash her face before heading back into the tent. She remerged after a few minutes, and he watched as she went to the trees and after a loud crashing noise that had Branch starting after her, she came back to camp with an armful of nuts and a full blackberry clenched in one hand.

"Breakfast!" she laughed.

"What was that crashing noise?" he groaned.

"The nuts falling?" she shrugged. Branch nodded slowly and they all ate breakfast before packing up the tent and testing the raft.

It seemed stable enough, so they set off down the river. Branch pulled out his map and looked it over. The river veered west as it approached Bergentown. Poppy sat at the front of the raft, humming.

"When we get there…do you know how to get to the Root Tunnels?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'd rather not deal with Cloud Guy at the south exit…and I don't remember which entrance is the right one…we kind of…well, if you meet him, you'd understand. Cloud Guy is a bully who sometimes helps…when it suits him? In the dream…when we got to the Tunnel, he just kept picking on you and finally…you and Ablaze kind of chased him into the tunnels with stakes and suddenly Cloud Guy had led us to the Tree? So…," she trailed off, pulling out her scrapbook. But, instead of one of her usual colourful scrapbook stories, she simply sketched out a map and inched closer to him. "See where the river bends and goes straight west?" she pointed out the spot on his map.

"Yeah…?"

"Your uncle Rip made a second Tunnel exit near there. That's how Viva and her group made it out. According to Viva, it should be marked with red moss and concealed with thin vines. Hopefully it's the only hole in the hillside and easy to spot. Then we just have to follow the tunnel until the fork in the path and head uphill from there to get to the Tree. There are stable hair holds up the steepest part of the Tunnel to the treetop," she explained, marking her little hand drawn map with the estimated path of the Tunnels. "So, we can just stay on the river until the bend and go that way."

"And you waited until just now to mention this because…?"

"You didn't ask," she said plainly.

"Good point," he laughed.

She was surprisingly quiet the rest of the day. And with the engine he'd managed to put together, they reached the bend in the river right at sunset. They docked and Poppy looked around. There was a cliff wall right there, and the tunnel exit she described wasn't very far away from where they landed.

"All right…we have two options…hide the raft and camp out here…or go into the tunnels and sleep in a pod. After we hide the raft," Poppy sighed.

"I'd rather sleep in a pod…the Bergens won't be looking for Trolls in the Tree, so we'll probably be safer there…ironically," Floyd sighed as the four Trolls started pulling the raft out of the water to hide it.

"That should be good," Branch sighed as they got the raft fully hidden. "Lead the way, Poppifer."

"You got it, Branchifer!" she giggled and led them to the hole in the cliffside. "Let's see…this matches Viva and Rip's description of it…just gotta check…," she mumbled, brushing some grime off the cliff to reveal what looked like a bloody handprint. Poppy's breath caught.

"Poppy?" Trickee tried.

"This is it. Let's go," she sighed, her voice shaking as she brushed aside the vines to go into the tunnel. Branch followed, worried.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, catching her hand.

"I-I'll be fine," she mumbled, lighting up her hair. Once the others were inside, Trickee did the same. Branch frowned and tried it, but all his hair did was change colours weakly.

"Guess I can't fully do that again…," he sighed. They started walking down the tunnel.

"Don't feel bad," Floyd laughed weakly. "I can't camouflage anymore either. But seriously, Poppy, what's wrong?"

"Viva and Clay's part of the tribe made it out this way…," she sighed, sniffling. "You guys know how we escaped in waves…?" she asked softly and Branch and Trickee nodded.

"I was in the first wave," Branch confirmed.

"Third," Trickee sighed.

"After your petty pitstop?" Floyd snarked.

"I was twelve and my best friend's brothers abandoned him. It was mostly directed at the older three…," Trickee defended. Branch snickered.

"Right…continue?" Floyd prompted. Poppy nodded.

"Well, apparently by sunrise there were still Trolls in the Tree. Viva and Clay were waiting with the last two groups in the Shelter when the Bergens came early. Dad got a group into the Tunnels just as the Bergens realized that we were escaping…and they started digging. They found the group waiting in the Shelter and almost--" she broke off. "B-But Clay and a few others saved them…but before they could join the others, a Bergen grabbed Clay and…he was hurt. And then…they almost died in the Tunnels…Dad got part of his group out, but when he went back…the south exit had collapsed…So Viva and Clay had to go this way…," she trailed off. "I kind of hoped it wasn't as bad as Clay told me in the dream but…the handprint…just kind of…"

"Confirmed it?" Branch sighed and she nodded, rubbing her arm. Branch sighed and hugged her a little.

They got to a fork in the path, where the area started getting a little messier. Rotten clothes on the ground led both ways. Poppy headed left and they eventually came to the steep entrance. There was a rotten crochet ladder that Branch barely recognized. Grandma had made it. Poppy threw out her hair and led the way up the hole to the top of the Tree.

Looking out, there were no Bergens, and the streets were dimly lit by flickering lamps. A small part of Branch was suddenly terrified being back here. But…he had to see this through. His friends' lives were on the line. He wasn't about to lose them when he barely let them back into his life.

The four Trolls seemed to be moving on auto-pilot as they headed to a familiar pod. And they all promptly passed out on the living room floor.

Chapter Text

Poppy woke tangled with Branch again. She worried her lip and hesitantly touched his dark blue hair. She still couldn't believe that his colours had come back. With much better timing than in the dream, if she was honest. Realizing that he was happy…letting go of that guilt and despair…on the road was much better than in a pot.

Branch shifted and she pulled her hand back. She had to stop herself right there.

Be his friend…let him make the first move if he wants to be more, she scolded herself. She absolutely didn't want to pressure him into anything. Not after years of trying to force him to be her friend.

Poppy carefully pried herself away from Branch and picked her way quietly across the living room of the pod. She hadn't seen it very often in the dream, but she knew it well enough. The upper living area hadn't interested her that much in the dream, and it still didn't. It was the typical home of a large family…the only large family in the Tree, really.

There was a bookshelf in the living room, mostly filled with scrapbooks chronicling the family. The only record of their existence, as she never saw them mentioned in the old census charts when she'd gotten hold of the left behind records. And over the bookshelf was a family tree that took up most of the wall.

Her eyes landed on Belladonna. She'd met them once in the dream. In Rock City after the Strings…and they didn't really talk, except for introductions before Belladonna had gone back to Lonesome Flats with Delta. And because of their desaturated colours, she didn't recognize them from this family. And part of her wondered if Floyd knew that they were family.

"Morning…," Floyd sighed. She frowned and looked back to see Branch still fast asleep. "What?"

"Nothing…I'm just…used to Branch being up by now…," she sighed. Maybe he was just tired after the trip. He did get his colours back after twenty years and that was probably actually exhausting for him.

"You two were really close in that dream," he laughed softly and looked at the family tree. "And…I'm guessing you came here in the dream?"

"Yeah…it's so sad…how big your family was…"

"We never got to meet Dad's siblings. They were all taken before JD was born…"

"But you've met Belladonna, right? While you were living in Lonesome Flats?" she asked.

"I…know a Grey-green Glitter Troll named Belladonna…they're the one who told the tribes about all this…," he gestured around the pod. Poppy sighed and gestured toward the picture of them on the wall. "Wait…are you saying…?"

Poppy nodded and looked through the shelf. She found the right scrapbook and opened it up to show Floyd the page showing Belladonna's wedding, with one of the most obvious listings of their name.

"I only met them once in the dream…," she sighed. "But they mentioned losing their family to the Bergens…and before they escaped the tree, only their mom and brother were left…Rosiepuff and Coda."

"Holy fuck…," he gasped. "They never--but then again I never asked…"

"Maybe at some point you should go back to Lonesome Flats with Branch and bring it up," she sighed, putting the scrapbook down. "I'm gonna go out and have a look around…once Branch and Trickee get up, we should eat something and head to the castle…"

Floyd nodded and Poppy went outside. A couple of chimneys were smoking, probably bakers or early risers. Not many Bergens were out this early, but she did see someone slinking through the empty streets towards the castle.

Chef…but instead of that fanny pack, she was carrying a covered cage. And the arm that Poppy had cut open was in a crude sling. Was the wound that bad? The idea made Poppy pretty pleased with herself. And she'd admit that she'd be even more pleased if it was already infected or something else to completely ruin that particular Bergen's life.

With only one hand, Chef wouldn't be able to open that cage to grab one of them to force-feed Gristle without one of the guys escaping and fighting back. With a slightly smug smile, she went back into the pod.

"So, Chef just got to town," she sighed, seeing Branch and Trickee up.

"We can't rescue everyone until they're alone…," Trickee groaned.

"Unless things go differently, she'll send them downstairs to Bridget's room," Poppy sighed. "One thing's definitely gonna be different though…she only has one hand."

"You really fucked her up," Floyd chuckled.

"But with that she's not gonna be able to pull anyone out without the guys fighting back or even escaping," Trickee sighed. "So, trying to force the king to eat anyone…"

"Won't happen," Poppy said lightly.

"Once we eat, we should go and follow them to make sure," Branch sighed. "And you said…Bridget was the Bergen you helped in the dream…?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "She's in love with the king and probably still our best bet to show the king he doesn't have to eat us to be happy. So, we can workshop a plan to help them…get them to stop hunting us, and get everyone home."

The guys nodded and they all sat down for breakfast. When they were ready, they headed to the castle over the roofs of the town. The four of them found an open door into the castle and slipped inside.

Poppy's Hug Time Bracelet started getting ready for First Hug Time and she covered the flower to muffle the coming chime. She barely let the flower unfurl and chime before she closed it. But she barely heard matching chimes and they followed the sound. To the throne room.

The Trolls found a high perch and Poppy pointed to the plant near the door that Chef was hiding poorly behind. Seeing the Bergen from the front, she could see that the sling was dark with blood, and Chef's barely visible hand looked a lot darker than the rest of her muddy purple skin. She grimaced.

"We could probably free them now…," Branch muttered.

Poppy shook her head, hearing other Bergens on the approach. Bridget came into the room and started vacuuming the rug, humming to herself. And it was barely a few minutes before Gristle and two of the guards came into the room with Gristle's pet alligator waddling behind them. The king flopped onto his throne letting out a long sigh. The alligator settled near the throne.

"Oh, Barnabus…," Gristle moaned, lightly petting the critter. "You're my only friend in this whole miserable world…," he lamented. But Poppy noticed him glance at Bridget.

Did he have a bit of a crush on the scullery maid? At the very least, they were around the same age and the shortest Bergens that Poppy had ever seen…maybe this could actually be easier than in the dream…if they had more in common than they think?

"Never!" Chef called grandly and Poppy was drawn back to the scene below them. "Say never!" she continued, coming out from behind that plant. All of the other Bergens in the room reacted differently to her presence.

The guards brandished their weapons at her and Bridget scurried off to a corner. Gristle stood on the throne and puffed out his chest.

"Chef, where did you come from?" he demanded. "My father banished you twenty years ago!"

"I've been out in the wilderness," Chef said in a way that was probably supposed to sound regretful. "Looking for these," she presented the covered cage and Gristle nodded to the guards.

One of them yanked the cover off and there was a collective gasp, both from the Bergens and the Trolls suddenly exposed to the harsh artificial lights of the room.

"You…found the Trolls…," Gristle gasped, hopping off the throne and rushing to get a closer look. "This means I might actually get to be happy!"

"Of course," Chef cooed, like she was talking to a baby. It made Poppy's skin tingle. "Everyone else in Bergentown will still be miserable…but that's not…your concern."

"I am their king," Gristle mumbled, glancing at the guards who were still aiming their weapons at Chef and watching warily. "So maybe it kinda is?"

"Oh? What exactly is your proposal?" Chef countered. "Bring back Trollstice? For…everyone?"

"Yes!" Gristle crowed after a moment's deliberation. "That's exactly what I'm proposing."

Chef sneered and went to the throne, sitting down and putting the cage on the ground near that alligator. Poppy could see that her friends were clearly terrified, but Hype, Boom and Ablaze were rattling the cage door and trying to get it unlocked. Gristle seemed to notice that as well and a look of sympathy crossed his face.

"Great idea, sire," Chef praised in that same talking-to-a-child tone. Gristle looked at her again. "Absolutely brilliant! Aren't you smart?" she cooed. Gristle puffed up proudly.

"I guess I am," he laughed. "But…where are the rest? This isn't enough Trolls to feed all of Bergentown," he observed, crouching in front of the cage to get a better look at the small group. His observation clearly caught Chef off guard. "And what happened to your arm?"

"Our princess cut her open!" Chenille called bluntly. The others hushed her, but she stepped forward, dragging her sister along. "Because, news flash, eating other creatures is bad!"

"You can speak…," Gristle gasped, like it was a foreign concept to him. And it was…Poppy remembered it coming up in the dream that he'd only been eager to eat them because he didn't know that Trolls were different from other creatures the Bergens would hunt for food. He didn't know that they had feelings or any of that. And Chef convinced him that Creek was a weird case.

"Of course we can!" Boom snarked. "We're not critters."

Poppy looked at Chef to see her floundering, mentally searching for a way to get things her way. And her jaw dropped in shock as Gristle examined the lock on the cage.

"We can't eat other…," he paused, fishing for a word. "Intelligent creatures," he settled on. "Let them out of here," he commanded.

Poppy looked at the guys, shaken by this turn of events. In the dream, he'd reacted almost violently to Cooper laughing, but she supposed speech was a different indicator of their intelligence.

"But…sire…," Chef argued. "How else are we meant to be happy?"

"I'm sure they might have some ideas…unlock this cage!" he said sharply and Chef fumbled to remove a key from her pocket. Gristle snatched it from her and put it in the lock.

And then, Poppy saw Chef reach for a knife clipped to her thigh. She must have had another one at her camp! The guards didn't seem to notice as Chef angrily pulled it out. Without thinking, Poppy leapt from the chandelier they were hiding in and swung her hair to grab a wire.

"Poppy!" she heard Branch shout after her as she pulled out her multitool, flipping out the screwdriver as she swung towards the throne.

Just as Chef was more blatantly brandishing her knife and there was finally a reaction from the guards, Poppy dove and drove her screwdriver into Chef's hand, making her howl in pain and drop the weapon. Poppy hopped away from the Bergen and onto the ground, picking up the knife and gripping it in both hands.

"You again?!" she shouted.

"Me again," Poppy growled, squaring her stance like Branch had shown her in the dream. "You should have taken that trap as a hint to stay away from us," she hissed.

Chef made the mistake of reaching for her, probably to grab the knife. With a shout, Poppy drove the knife through the oncoming hand. The Bergen's black blood spattered all over the princess again, but she held onto the knife as Chef stumbled back.

There was clamouring as Gristle finished unlocking the cage before hurrying back, pulling his alligator along. The guards rushed forward and thankfully only aimed their weapons at Chef. Soft thumping as the guys rushed to the ground from the chandelier. Finally, Poppy relaxed her hold on the knife and dropped it before she rushed to the cage to shakily pull it open.

"Poppy!" Satin cheered, rushing to hug her. Chenille and Guy Diamond crowded in for a group hug.

"We should never give you a weapon," Hype laughed. Poppy casually flipped him off.

"Um…," Gristle mumbled. "Thank you?" he said, like he wasn't sure what exactly just happened.

Poppy pulled out of the hug and grimaced at her friends getting themselves just as covered in blood.

"So, your name is Poppy?" Gristle tried, laying on the ground to be eye level with her. She nodded. "And…why did you come here?"

"To save my friends," she said plainly as Kismet reunited.

"We should let you all get cleaned up," Gristle decided. "Chad, Todd…take Chef to the dungeons. I'll deal with her later. Bridget," he continued, getting up. The scullery maid jolted and hurried forward.

"Y-Yes…?"

"Take these Trolls to a powder room and help them get cleaned up. And…get them fabric or anything they need," Gristle instructed and the Bergens hurried to do as he commanded.

Knowing that the cage wouldn't be locked again, the group of Trolls crowded carefully in the cage and Bridget carefully carried them to a different room. Satin and Chenille demanded fabric to make fresh clothes, commenting that they were glad about Poppy's clothes being ruined.

Branch stood off to the side with his brother and friends. Hype kept poking his cheek.

"Hype if you don't stop…," he grumbled.

"It's just so weird…how'd you finally get your colours back…?" his friend laughed.

"It just happened on the way here," Branch sighed. "Stop poking me!"

Hype stepped back, lifting his hands in surrender.

"Wait…," Biggie gasped. "Branch?"

"Yeah?" he groaned. He would snap at him, but no one in the village had really seen his colours…they all knew him as the grouchy Grey Hermit. The Troll he wasn't familiar with, a Glitter teen with electric blue skin and dark yellow hair, was looking at him weird.

"You look familiar," he mumbled and then looked at Floyd. "So do you…do you guys…know my dad?"

"Maybe?" Floyd sighed.

"You're…DJ's brother, right?" Branch sighed. "Spruce?"

"Yep!" he chirped.

"The only Troll I know who would be sentimental enough to name one of his kids after one of his friends would be AJ…," Floyd groaned. "He was a light tech."

"That's my dad!" Spruce laughed. "He has a ton of photos of his friends…"

"Yeah…he was friends with our older brother Spruce," Floyd sighed. "When we lost our parents, we all kind of…drifted away from friends."

"Wait," Biggie gasped. "You have brothers, Branch?"

"Siblings," he muttered. "A sister and four brothers…"

"Guys," Poppy called, cleaned up and in a brand-new dress. It was blessedly muted, as even the new clothes that the twins were sporting were made with the drab fabric that Bridget was able to bring them. "So, you guys aren't hurt, right?" she asked as she hopped over to them.

Chapter Text

Poppy properly looked over the other Trolls when she was cleaned up. It didn't look like anyone was hurt. Shaken and traumatized maybe, but not hurt. She just had to be sure.

"We're all okay, Poppy," Biggie assured her. "But…what now?"

"I'm gonna go talk to King Gristle and figure that out," she sighed.

"I'll come with you," Branch offered. Poppy smiled a little and nodded.

"You guys stay out of trouble," she laughed before heading for the door with Branch. When they were out of earshot of the others, she gently took his hand. "You okay…?"

"Yeah…," he sighed. "It's just…"

"Too much?" she tried and he nodded. Poppy smiled encouragingly. "You can take your time getting used to people again," she promised, ducking under the door carefully.

"Oh!" Bridget gasped, kneeling in front of the door with a hand extended. "Is everyone okay? Do you guys need something else?"

"Everyone's okay," she assured. "I just need to talk to King Gristle…if you could take us to him?"

"Of course!" Bridget lowered her hand for them to hop onto. When Poppy and Branch were settled in her palm, Bridget carried them to the throne room. "You know…I was always told that you Trolls were just like…little happy critters…"

"Well, we're not," Branch grumbled. "Some Trolls aren't even happy…"

"Wow…so…how do you do it? Be happy, I mean…"

"There are tons of ways to be happy," Poppy laughed. "Like…hobbies, and spending time with loved ones. Travelling and seeing new places…"

Bridget was silent for the rest of the walk. When they got to the throne room, there was a little table set up beside the throne and Gristle was sitting in the throne, reading an ancient looking book.

"Oh! Thank you, Bridget," he gasped, spotting them. He set aside his book and gestured to the little table. Bridget hurried to the table and let Poppy and Branch hop onto the surface. "You know…I'm new at this…I've only been king for a few months…"

"And you just want to do what's best for your people," Poppy guessed. "I'm not officially queen yet, but I get that. And what's best for my people is not having to worry about being eaten."

"Right…I'll make sure that we're not a threat to you anymore," he promised. "In fact, I'm making the announcement in a little while…after I finish figuring out the process…there haven't been may new laws since…," he cleared his throat. "We um…since Trollstice started…"

"That's good to hear," she sighed. "About the new law."

"We should get back to the Tree and get out of here," Branch mumbled. Poppy nodded a little.

"Before you go…do you have any ideas how we can maybe be happy?" Gristle asked slowly.

"There are lots of ways!" she chirped. "We have parties and holidays and all sorts of fun activities we do…," she trailed off, remembering the holiday fiasco in her dream. "But the loud parties…and glitter and all that might be a little much for you guys? I know some Trolls who prefer quiet stuff like…puzzles and…making things as hobbies and ways to enjoy themselves?"

"Being around people you care about works…," Branch sighed, looking at Poppy and then his hand. "It…worked for me. Just…find what works for you."

Gristle nodded solemnly, thankfully not questioning Branch's tone. Poppy grinned and caught his hand. Branch smiled at her.

"You…have a way home, right?" he asked after a moment. Poppy nodded. It might be a little cramped on the raft, but they could always make it bigger. "All right…I'll make the proclamation before you leave and have Chad and Todd escort you to the tree, at least. And…do you have a map or something? So, we can mark your part of the woods as off limits."

"That sounds reasonable," Poppy laughed. Gristle took them to another room with a Bergen sized map of the area.

She worried her lip as her eyes landed on the marker for Hole 'N Fun.

"I can probably try and reopen some of these old businesses…they were shut down because of the um…," Gristle trailed off, seeming uncomfortable. Poppy nodded. The amusement attempts had been abandoned because the Bergens were too convinced that the temporary high of eating a Troll was better than finding another way to be happy.

"Just…not this one…," she mumbled, putting a hand on the putt-putt course.

"Why?"

"There's a possibility that there are Trolls there," she sighed. "A group of our tribe got separated in the Escape and…,"

"It was the plan to go there," Branch spoke up. "They might have gone there, thinking that the rest of us went there as well."

"Noted," Gristle sighed. "And…your village?"

The king took the map down so Poppy could get to parts of it better. She pulled a purple marker out of her hair and found the valley.

"That looks about right," Branch confirmed, pulling out his own map to compare. "Yeah…that's the lake," he pointed out what seemed to be a pond on the Bergen map. Poppy pressed her marker to the edge of the lake and started dragging it across the map in a circle. "The Lava pit…," he added, pointing out another spot.

Poppy nodded and ran to it. She lifted her marker and wrote 'lava danger' over the spot before she went back to marking the territory. She'd never done this for Gristle in the dream. Because in the dream, they had brought a map along when they brought the tribe home. But after a few minutes, she and Branch had the whole valley and the few spots they'd 'claimed' marked.

"Oh, that's why my dad could never find you guys," Gristle laughed. "He was looking in a completely different area. And we send out hunting parties for animal meat on the complete other side of town…but with this we'll be sure not to invade your space."

"Thank you," Poppy said brightly.

Floyd waited with the others in that powder room, a guard at the door steering other Bergens away and occasionally poking his head in to check on them. He quickly learned this was Todd, as Biggie was the first to ask him his name.

"Are you guys hungry or anything?" Todd asked, poking his head in again.

"Famished!" Biggie spoke up. Floyd grimaced. They could eat when they were out of Bergentown, he thought. But then again…

"We haven't eaten since before the party," Spruce whispered.

"Okay…what do you eat? Chad's on his way to switch with me, I can get you something?" Todd offered.

"Fruits and nuts mostly," Guy Diamond spoke up. "Or sAlAd," his voice took on an autotune and the Bergen chuckled.

"That's an interesting sound. Can all of you do that?"

"Only some Glitter Trolls," Chenille grumbled.

Floyd was glad that there wasn't much more conversation until Todd left them with Chad and went to get them some food. And as long as the Bergens didn't reach for them or anything, he could almost forget where he was…so close to the place where so many of his friends and family had died. He just wanted to get out of Bergentown.

Bridget brought Branch and Poppy back moments after Todd left and he let out a relieved sigh. Yes. He knew that there had been no danger, but it didn't change that subconscious concern.

The two of them hopped down. Poppy hurried to the group of Trolls and the others started asking questions in rapid succession. Branch went to a far corner of the room and sat down. Floyd worried his lip and went to check on him.

"Branch…are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Branch assured. "I'm just…a little overwhelmed…," he admitted. "Twenty years avoiding everything and living in fear and now…"

"A lot has changed in just a few days?" Floyd guessed, sitting with him. "I kinda get it…Being around so many Trolls is kinda getting to me…"

"What do you mean?" his little brother gasped. "I thought you'd be fairly popular…"

"When I started looking for Pop, I kind of kept to myself, only really interacting with other Trolls to get stuff I needed…," he sighed. "Y'know…too focused on trying to find you to worry about stuff…"

After Todd came by with food, Poppy anxiously waited by the door of the powder room. The Kismet guys were off in a corner, with Branch and Floyd a few feet away from them, while her friends were sitting together on the other side of the room. This was so different from her dream. And she was glad for it.

There was a commotion outside that had both Branch and Floyd clenching their legs. She figured Gristle was making his proclamation. And seeing Branch darken a few shades as he panicked had Poppy rushing to him automatically.

She didn't say anything, since he was already overwhelmed from everything, but she did sit beside him. She settled in close enough for him to reach her, but she didn't touch him. And she tried to contain her excitement as he scooched closer to her and leaned his head on her shoulder.

They were in that powder room for hours before Bridget came back by with a basket in hand. Poppy lost track of how many Hug Times passed.

"Sorry you guys had to wait so long," Bridget sighed, putting the basket on the floor and sitting down. "Everyone kind of freaked out when King Gristle made the announcement…but everyone's calmed down so I can take you guys back to the Tree before it gets too late…"

Almost everyone promptly hopped into the basket, but Poppy hesitated.

"Poppy?" Branch asked, hanging back with her.

"Bridget," she sighed. "What's the situation with Chef?"

"She tried to kill King Gristle," the Bergen sighed. "We don't have much crime but that's a serious thing…I uh…don't know what the punishment would be…that's not really my thing…"

"Penalty for her crime is death," Todd spoke up.

Poppy nodded slowly and got in the basket. When they were all settled, Bridget got up and carried them out of the castle. Poppy was a little shocked to see a small crowd of Bergens in the town square. Even more surprising was that when they got to the bottom of the stairs the crowd started cheering.

"What is happening…?" Biggie gasped.

"Well, Poppy saved the king's life," Bridget mumbled. The crowd parted to let them pass and Bridget dropped them off at the Tree. "Have a--what the heck is happening?!" she gasped and stumbled away from them as green crawled through the grass around the Tree.

Poppy stared in shock as the tree came back to life and fallen pods floated back up to their branches. This happened in the dream and she wondered about it. The scrapbook called it 'the happiest tree' and wish gems grew from happiness…maybe the tree was responding to the genuine joy of the Bergens?

"You guys are seeing this…right?" Satin gasped.

They got over the shock and headed to Branch's old pod.

"What now?" Guy Diamond asked, looking around the living room.

"We can stay the night here and then head for the river through the Tunnels…," Poppy sighed, sitting on the old couch. "We may have to make the raft bigger, but we can head home the same way we came here."

Everyone agreed and her friends settled in the living room. The guys went up to the upper level, she supposed to their old rooms if they'd lived here before. Floyd went up there as well. Poppy smiled a little as Branch headed that way as well.

"Something happened between you and Branch on the way here," Biggie noted.

"I think we're friends now," she shrugged. "And that's all there is to it." That's all she would let it be unless Branch wanted more.

And she knew that it was going to kill her, being just a friend when she loved him so much. Because the last couple of days had shown her…a lot of the things she'd loved about him in the dream were just as true as some of the other things. She barely noticed the look on Guy's face before she turned.

"You guys should get some rest, we have a long trip home," she told them. Longer if they had to make the raft bigger. She didn't wait for a response as she threw out her hair and went to the upper living area.

She heard loud snoring and peaked into a room to find Trickee, Hype, Boom and Ablaze piled together and passed out on the floor. Looking in the room she could see two beds and maybe a few left behind personal items. This must have been one of their rooms when they were adopted. Poppy inched away from the room, letting the door close quietly behind her.

The next room she came to was empty except for a similar layout as the other one, two beds and some old belongings. But she saw a picture of Clay and Viva on one of the bedside tables and she figured this had been Clay's room. There were several more rooms up here, and a smaller third level that was maybe where Rosiepuff's room was…the head of the household and all that…

She spotted Floyd in the hall, looking at a door. She worried her lip and went to check on him.

"Floyd?" she whispered.

"This was our parents' room…," he whispered. "If you're looking for Branch, I think he's in JD's room," he sighed, nodding towards a door. "I just…have too many feelings about this pod…I think maybe he does too and I would probably do more harm than good…"

She worried her lip and went to the cracked door Floyd indicated. Sure enough, Branch was sitting on a large bed that looked big enough for the whole family to cuddle in. Maybe that's what they did. Taking a deep breath, Poppy rapped lightly on the door.

"Branch…? Can I come in…?" she asked softly.

"Sure," he mumbled and she stepped into the room.

Fully looking at him, she could tell he was cuddling Croco. Or at least a plush that looked like the little crocodile. In the dream she'd found him in the tunnels, lost and ratty. If it was Croco what had changed? But worse, Branch was that shade of muddy blue Grey that she knew to be an indicator of him being deeply upset about something. It must be so hard for him to be in this pod…

"Is that Croco…?" she asked gently, moving to sit beside him. Always close enough to be in easy reach but never touching. He nodded a little.

"No idea how he's back here and fixed…I lost him in the Escape and he'd already been kind of ratty…," he muttered. "You know about him…in the dream…?" he trailed off.

"In the dream you mentioned him once and I found him in the Tunnels…repaired him and surprised you for your birthday…maybe…," she fiddled with the hem of her dress. "Maybe JD came back again looking for clues to find you and he fixed up Croco?" she theorized. It was a long shot, but Floyd showed up earlier than the dream so maybe there were other little details that were different this time.

Branch opened his mouth to say something when Floyd shouted in surprise in the hallway. There was clamouring as his cry woke at least the guys up. Poppy ran to the hallway to check on him.

"John Dory?!" Branch gasped.

Chapter Text

John Dory had made it to the Tree a day ago. He wanted to see if maybe they could find any kind of hint at whether the search was worth it…and if it was maybe where to look to narrow their search. Maya and Avery were back with Rhonda in the woods. And with his sister's map, he found the right tunnel entrance.

In the tunnel, he found a familiar plushie and went back to Rhonda just long enough to clean it up and fix it. Croco used to be Branch's favourite toy and it belonged either with his little brother or in the pod. When Croco was fixed, he put the plush in his hair and ventured back into the tunnels, his determination to find Branch invigorated.

Even if Branch wasn't with the tribe anymore, he'd find him.

First, he went to the royal pod and found Peppy's diary. Uncaring if Peppy would ever find out or care about his privacy being invaded, JD cracked open the book. He started at the end and worked his way back.

Hole 'N Fun wasn't an option because apparently that was where Mother and Mom and the other tribes wanted to set them up after the Escape. Petty…but north from the tunnel exits was a start.

There was an entry where Peppy cheered 'the end of the diggers'. Grandma was dead and Branch isolated himself by the Tunnel entrance, Grey. His breath caught seeing that. The entry claimed that Branch was seven at the time, and he hoped that his little brother hadn't spent the whole twenty years Grey…

A little further back, he saw a complaint about Clay moving in with Viva. But there was no note about Clay dying at any point which left a lot of questions…

Shaking his head, JD put the diary down and headed for the old pod. Without Maya there to encourage or stop him, he spent hours in the living room crying and holding Croco tight.

Finally, he went to the old rooms and checked it out. Clay and Floyd's room had their stuff hidden away except a single photo of Clay on the bedside table, turned down, but there. Their pictures had mostly been replaced with a purple Troll and a golden Glitter Troll with rainbow hair. In a couple, they were with others, an orange Troll wearing sports goggles and a blue Glitter Troll. Some of the pictures included Branch and that made John assume that his friends had been orphaned during Trollstice and moved in. Spruce's old room had suffered similar treatment, clearly housing the other two. He found Branch's room stripped fairly bare. And when he went into his old room, John Dory found it cleaned out, but the bed still kind of messy.

Had Branch and his friends used the bed? That was the only explanation, really. But just like the other rooms, most of his old stuff was gone. And with a little digging, he couldn't find any of their stuff really. Had Branch taken it with him when he left the Pod?

His gut clenched, thinking that maybe Branch had been uselessly waiting for them to come back. Even wherever Pop had settled after the Escape…just waiting for brothers that might never find him.

He sat on Branch's old bed and cried some more.

It was getting really late when he finally pulled himself up and went to the hall to leave. But the front door creaked open and he stopped short of going back down to the living room. He half expected it to be Maya, coming to check on him even though she and Avery had said to take however long he needed. But when he peeked through the hole, four Trolls trudged in and collapsed on the floor, quickly falling asleep in a pile.

He wouldn't be able to sneak passed them, not with how loud the door was. He definitely didn't want to scare them. He tried to get a better look and even in the darkness, he recognized Branch and Floyd. And that orange Troll looked kind of like an older version of one of Branch's friends. He had no idea who the pink girl was. Maybe Branch's girlfriend as she quickly started cuddling with him in her sleep and Branch shifted to accommodate like they were constant cuddle buddies.

Oh, if she was, he could be so obnoxious showing off baby pictures and stuff.

He stifled a yawn and slipped back into his old room, curling up to sleep in a corner. He had no idea how light they would sleep, and that bed had been creaky with age.

In the morning, he woke early and checked the living room. The pink girl was awake and studying the family tree, looking sad. He worried his lip, wondering how much she knew about their family to be that affected by the tree. Maybe she was Branch's wife…even if he didn't see a ring. Did Pop even do rings anymore?

Floyd got up next and crossed the room to her.

"Morning…," Floyd sighed. She frowned and looked back to Branch, who was still fast asleep. An odd reaction. "What?"

"Nothing…I'm just…used to Branch being up by now…," she sighed. Definitely Branch's partner then, if she knew his sleep schedule.

"You two were really close in that dream," he laughed softly and looked at the family tree. Dream? JD's brow furrowed in confusion. "And…I'm guessing you came here in the dream?"

"Yeah…it's so sad…how big your family was…"

"We never got to meet Dad's siblings. They were all taken before JD was born…"

John's breath caught. He'd never heard Floyd just use his initials. None of his brothers except Branch shortened his name.

"But you've met Belladonna, right? While you were living in Lonesome Flats?" she asked. Was that where Floyd had gone? He'd been there a few times and no one mentioned meeting anyone else that might be related to him.

"I…know a Grey-green Glitter Troll named Belladonna…they're the one who told the tribes about all this…," he gestured around the pod. She sighed and gestured toward the tree. "Wait…are you saying…?"

A gentle nod and she was looking through the shelf. She found the scrapbook she was looking for and opened it up to show Floyd an entry.

"I only met them once in the dream…," she sighed. Had she…had a prophetic dream or something? "But they mentioned losing their family to the Bergens…and before they escaped the tree, only their mom and brother were left…Rosiepuff and Coda."

"Holy fuck…," he gasped. "They never--but then again I never asked…"

"Maybe at some point you should go back to Lonesome Flats with Branch and bring it up," she sighed, putting the scrapbook down. "I'm gonna go out and have a look around…once Branch and Trickee get up, we should eat something and head to the castle…"

Floyd nodded and the girl went outside. John watched as he reached for the scrapbook and flipped through it. Branch was the next one up, stretching and promptly going to the backpacks they'd piled by the door. The other one, Trickee he supposed, got up and joined him. The two hummed and sang quietly together while they dug some food out of their bags. They sounded good together, and John's heart broke a little at how different Branch sounded. Of course, he sounded different…he was twenty-seven almost twenty-eight…

"So, Chef just got to town," the girl sighed as she came back into the pod.

"We can't rescue everyone until they're alone…," Trickee groaned. So, they were here to rescue someone. Which meant a Bergen had found them.

"Unless things go differently, she'll send them downstairs to Bridget's room," she sighed. "One thing's definitely gonna be different though…she only has one hand." Did she sound a little smug?

"You really fucked her up," Floyd chuckled. John blinked. A Pop Troll had injured a Bergen? Seriously?

"But with that she's not gonna be able to pull anyone out without the guys fighting back or even escaping," Trickee sighed. "So, trying to force the king to eat anyone…"

Should he try and help? But then again, apparently some of the Trolls that had been captured were just as feisty as that girl.

"Won't happen," Poppy said lightly. Did she…look proud of herself? Okay, she was definitely a little smug about whatever state she'd left that Bergen in.

"Once we eat, we should go and follow them to make sure," Branch sighed. "And you said…Bridget was the Bergen you helped in the dream…?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "She's in love with the king and probably still our best bet to show the king he doesn't have to eat us to be happy. So, we can workshop a plan to help them…get them to stop hunting us, and get everyone home."

The guys nodded and they all sat down for breakfast. When they finished, they left the pod. John Dory dropped into the living room and carefully looked at the bags they'd left behind. Obviously, they had whatever they needed for the rescue on hand, as the bags had travelling supplies. But for four Trolls to only have two bags…one was smaller than the other. And the smaller bag looked more like something someone would use for a slumber party or something. They seemed fairly unprepared for this, actually.

Unless this was all they could grab before rushing after the Bergen?

Maybe he should go after them and try to help. He had glitter bombs, along with other weapons. It seemed like they were planning to couple the rescue with putting an end to the Bergens hunting for them, in the most Pop Troll way possible…if things didn't go how they were hoping he could really help.

He was not going to stand by while his little brothers were in potential danger.

So, he left the pod and followed after them. He got to the castle and found them. Not knowing how they were working together, he decided to stay back and only jump in if they really needed his help. The girl's Hug Time Bracelet went off, muffled by her hand and quickly silenced. There was a distant cacophony of matching jingles and the four of them hurried through the rafters after the noise.

He tracked them to the throne room and after finding a spot to hide, he spotted the Bergen they'd called 'Chef'. She certainly looked like a chef, even if a little ratty from clearly spending a while in the woods hunting for Pop. One hand was in a bloody sling, the limp hand looking like it was seriously fucked up, to the point she'd probably have to have it amputated later. In the other hand, she was holding a covered cage, probably where she had the Trolls captive.

Just what had that girl done to mess her up that bad? He almost didn't want to know…

More Bergens came into the room after a few minutes of waiting. One was obviously the king. So…there was the king, two guards and a maid. And the king had a pet alligator in the room. Definitely too risky for a rescue right there…but he'd heard them acknowledge that they'd have to wait for the Trolls to be alone. Was that maid the one they were aiming to help?

JD didn't care to listen to the conversation of the Bergens below. The cage was uncovered and shortly put on the ground near that alligator. But then as the king started asking questions, the chef seemed to get angrier. He noticed three of them, the Trolls from the pictures in the pod, rattling the cage and trying to get out.

"Our princess cut her open!" one of the conjoined Trolls called bluntly. John tuned in to the conversation as she stepped forward, dragging her sister along. "Because, news flash, eating other creatures is bad!"

"You can speak…," Gristle gasped, like it was a foreign concept to him. That would make sense…the Bergens had treated them like livestock for so long, they probably saw them that way.

"Of course we can!" the golden Glitter Troll snarked. "We're not critters."

His jaw dropped as the king turned his attention to the cage and examined the lock on the cage.

"We can't eat other…," he paused, fishing for a word. "Intelligent creatures," he settled on. "Let them out of here," he commanded.

Well…this was unexpected. Maybe the king hadn't been included in Trollstice before the Escape?

"But…sire…," Chef argued. "How else are we meant to be happy?"

"I'm sure they might have some ideas…unlock this cage!" he said sharply and Chef fumbled to remove a key from her pocket. The king snatched it from her and put it in the lock.

Turning his attention to the chef, JD blinked as she reached for a knife clipped to her thigh. Well, this just took a turn for the worst! The guards didn't seem to notice as Chef angrily pulled it out. John spotted a Troll leap from a chandelier and swing her hair to grab a wire.

"Poppy!" he barely heard Branch shout after her as she pulled something out of her hair and flipping it open. She had a switchblade?!

Just as Chef was more blatantly brandishing her knife and there was finally a reaction from the guards, Poppy dove and drove her weapon into Chef's hand, making her howl in pain and drop her knife. Poppy hopped away from the Bergen and onto the ground, picking up the knife and gripping it in both hands.

John was awestruck. Not only was this Pop Troll armed and dangerous, she clearly knew how to handle weapons twice her size.

"You again?!" The Bergen shouted.

He didn't hear Poppy's reply, but as she got ready, he knew what was coming. That first cut had been a warning. And the Bergen made the mistake of grabbing for the knife.

With a shout, Poppy drove the knife through the oncoming hand. The Bergen's dark blood spattered all over her, but she held onto the knife as Chef stumbled back.

Yeah…they'd be fine. John snuck back out of the castle and went to Rhonda. Maya came out of the woods and tackled him with a hug. He explained what he saw.

"A Pop Troll did that?" Avery gasped. He nodded a little. "Wow."

"I…I'm going back…," he sighed. His husband nodded.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Maya asked, surprisingly sombre.

"No…you guys stay with Rhonda…depending on what happens, they might need a quick escape…"

"We'll be ready," Avery promised and John went back into the tunnels and up to the Tree.

When he got up there, there was chatter about a banished Bergen trying to kill the king. He worried his lip and looked to see if he could get back to the castle. Bergens were everywhere, not as selfishly distracted as before. JD sighed and went back to the pod.

He vaguely heard the commotion grow over the day. Shaking a little, John Dory went up to his old room and sat on the bed. Part of him knew that he was safe. There was no danger in the pod…they didn't even know that there were any Trolls in Bergentown!

Still, the commotion brought it all back. Eighteen years of Trollstice…losing his parents in front of his eyes…knowing that Grandma was taken in the middle of the year…

He pulled Croco out of his hair and hugged it, trying to stay calm. He wasn't sure how long he sat there. It was just like when Mom and Dad were taken…finally the noise outside died down and he relaxed minutely.

At some point, the cheering started. Actually, happy sounding cheers. And after a few minutes of the apparent celebrating, the pod suddenly brightened up and a fallen photo even stood up. Shocked, John put the plush down and ran to a window. Somehow the tree was coming back to life!

And it was almost sundown. He could barely see a Bergen, the maid from the throne room, carrying a basket full of Trolls towards the Tree, marvelling at it. He could barely see Branch and Floyd in the basket. They were okay! Of course, they were…Poppy was clearly capable of and willing to protect them with even Bergen sized weapons.

He rushed into the hallway, but paused. Would they want to see him? Floyd had looked right at him in Rock City and left without saying anything to him. He backed into a room and took a shuddering breath. Years of looking for his brothers, and wanting to see them again…and he was second guessing himself. There was chatter as the front door creaked open. After a few minutes, six Trolls came up to the living area. Four of them went to one of the bedrooms and he assumed fell asleep rather quickly.

He heard footsteps and looked around the room he'd hid in. His breath caught, realizing he was in his parents' room. It looked like it hadn't been touched since they got Floyd to come out for Branch hatching…

There were voices after a few minutes, but he couldn't quite hear. And after a few more minutes, the door opened and Floyd stared at him. He gave a weak smile and Floyd shouted in shock and distress, stumbling backwards. Six Trolls flooded into the hall, including Poppy and Branch.

"John Dory?!" Branch gasped.

Chapter Text

Branch stared blankly at his brothers. How was John Dory here? In their parents' room, when both Floyd and Poppy thought he was in Rock City. He vaguely heard Poppy pushing the others back into Trickee and Hype's room. His feet moved on their own and suddenly he was tackling JD with a hug.

All of this was really too much, and he was so exhausted he thought he would probably sleep for days after getting home. Part of him wondered if he was imagining things. Strong arms encircled him and he started crying. If he was already asleep and dreaming, he didn't want to wake up.

He hadn't seen John Dory since he was a baby, and even if how he left had hurt, that was twenty-seven years ago.

"I can't believe it…," Floyd mumbled. "I thought you were in Rock City!"

"We left…I was just checking with Aunt Bridge if there were any hints about any of you guys…," John explained. "I thought…when I saw you at the Dive Bar, and you didn't…," he trailed off.

Floyd shook his head and joined the hug.

"Why are you here?" Branch asked, choking up a little.

"Same reason I went to Rock City…looking for clues…," JD laughed a little. "But…I bet you guys are exhausted…"

"You have no idea…," Floyd laughed. They broke apart and headed for JD's old room. And the three of them piled into the old bed.

Branch fell asleep once his head hit the pillow.

And he was plagued by the image of Poppy leaping to attack Chef…and in his head she wasn't able to actually do anything and got herself killed. Everyone was chopped up in front of him and cooked in a colourful stew. And when he went Grey again, he was buried alive.

He jerked awake, a scream caught in his throat. He clutched his chest, trying to calm down. They were safe. She was safe. The guys were safe. Everyone was safe…

Floyd and John Dory didn't stir even with his violent waking, and he was able to slip out of the bed without bothering them. He just…needed some air. Branch left the room as quietly as he could and went to his old room. He wasn't sure why, maybe the familiarity of being in the pod.

What he wasn't expecting was to see Poppy sleeping in his old bed. By this point, he'd figured out that they were probably dating by the end of her dream. Maybe even living together in the bunker. Or even her pod.

Branch worried his lip and crawled into the bed with her. This time it took a little longer for him to drift back to sleep. Poppy shifted to adjust for his presence, putting an arm around him in the start of one of the cuddles he figured she'd subjected him to since they left the village. She seemed to be awake before him every time, so he'd only seen the aftermath. Their sleeping bags tangled together as if one, or maybe both, of them tried to wrap them up in a burrito of covers. The phantom feeling of hands in his hair…

Something about this felt right. He didn't put much stock in the whispered theories of 'soulmates' and 'true love', but maybe there was something to it.

Branch fell back to sleep and he slept soundly until morning.

He opened his eyes to see Poppy still wrapped around him, his old blanket literally wrapped around them. One of his arms was tucked around her neck, supporting her head, and his other was around her waist, pulling her tightly to him. She was in a similar position, though the hand under his head was carding through his hair. Her other hand was just under his wing, fingers rubbing unconscious circles around the joint. He realized his legs were pinned, not just by the blanket wrapped around them, but by her legs, one hooked under him and the other hiked on top of him.

He decided he kind of liked this. And he almost didn't want to get out of bed, or wake her. But they needed to get back to the village.

"Poppy…," he whispered. She barely responded, tightening her hold on him. "It's time to get up…," he tried again.

She still didn't respond. His ear twitched at the sound of a camera clicking a photo, and Poppy's eyes flew open and her hand shot up to her hair. Branch blinked as she pulled her scrapbooking scissors out and somehow almost instantly disentangled from him and sat up.

"Whoa…didn't mean to scare you…," John Dory laughed, putting the offending camera back into his hair.

"Oh…JD…," Poppy sighed in relief and put her scissors away.

Branch sat up slowly, processing her quick response. Even he was rarely that quick to react to a noise waking him up. And looking, she was still partially poised as if to protect him. She knew he could handle himself if there was danger. It…was kind of cute.

"Anyways, now that you two lovebirds are awake…we've got breakfast," John sniggered before leaving the room.

"We're not--" Branch called, but his brother was gone. He looked at Poppy, who looked a little upset at his reminder. He wasn't ready for that…not when they just became friends officially…

"If…or when you're ready…it's your call," she mumbled, crawling out of the bed.

"Poppy," he sighed. "I do care about you…"

"I know…," she mumbled. "And…you know, if I ever make you uncomfortable or cross a line…you can tell me."

He nodded and then she was heading downstairs. Sighing, Branch got out of bed and followed. There was a big bowl of fruit salad in the living room. Big enough that they would have had to open the actual front petal of the pod to get it in. Everyone was already eating and he wondered how long he and Poppy had slept.

"So, after breakfast," Poppy started, reaching for a fruit. "We should get back to the--wait! John Dory, can--uh…you have a critter, right?"

Branch could see the minute wince as she clearly almost slipped up about the dream. She'd met JD in the dream, and that meant she knew the transportation critter.

"Rhonda," JD laughed. "If you guys want, we have room to get y'all home."

"That would be great," Branch sighed, grabbing a fruit for himself and sitting down. "That way we won't have to make the raft bigger…"

"Oh, you guys took the river?"

"It was the safest route to the West Exit," Poppy said lightly. "And we still managed to beat Chef here…"

"Probably because she had to bring us to her camp first…to treat that wound," Biggie shuddered. "I still can't believe you did that…"

"It was already infected when we got out of the fanny pack," Hype laughed.

"Good," she grumbled. Her friends stared at her in shock. "What? I didn't have my own knife or I would have gouged out her eye."

"Poppy!" Guy Diamond gasped, horrified.

"Get over it guys," Ablaze groaned. "She saved our lives. Who cares how she did it?"

"I thought that was a switchblade?" John asked abruptly.

"No, it was a crappy multitool with the sharpest thing on it being a screwdriver," Poppy sighed. "I wish I had a switchblade. I could have done so much more damage…"

Okay, even Branch was a little surprised by that. Pop Trolls were notoriously against violence. Part of why they hated his traps so much. And despite being omnivores, most of them kept a strictly vegetarian and sugary diet. But maybe in her dream she'd been more proactive about security and fighting…

"Okay…that makes it even more impressive," JD laughed.

"Wait…John Dory…were you in the throne room with us?" Floyd asked.

"Yeah…I got here the other day…dug through Peppy's pod and then cried in here for a few hours…I was about to leave when you four showed up and passed out in the living room. I…didn't wanna wake you up and scare you or anything…good thing too. This little firecracker pulled scissors on me a little while ago."

"They're safety scissors," she sighed. "Not dangerous unless you're made of paper."

"I somehow get the feeling you would have made them dangerous…," John shrugged. Branch couldn't help but agree after seeing her in action. "Anyways…after you guys went to the castle, I saw your bags and thought…hey, I have bombs and those are my little brothers…so I figured, follow you and if you really needed an assist, I'd jump in. But then Poppy chose violence and I went back to Rhonda."

"But you were here last night," Branch muttered.

"I came back. You know…just in case. I wouldn't have been much help though…once all the Bergens were--" he broke off and adjusted his goggles. Had his brother been in here having a panic attack through the commotion? "Hell, Maya and Avery--"

He broke off as the front door slammed open and a bright yellow Rock Troll burst in.

"JD are you--" she gasped, but broke off as she processed the scene. And then she was almost immediately hugging John.

"Maya," Poppy whispered to him. He nodded slowly. He'd never seen anyone move that fast besides Poppy.

"Everyone's okay, Sis," JD laughed. "Once we were finished eating, we were actually gonna head out."

"Okay, because I have questions," she giggled, sitting with them. "First, how is the Tree alive again?! When we got here, it was still dead…"

"I…have no idea."

"I might know," Poppy piped in. "According to legend, this tree grew because of the love and happiness of the Pop Trolls living here…when the Bergens were celebrating yesterday…it fed off that. So…in theory, as long as the Bergens figure out ways to be happy…the Tree should stay alive."

"Oh, cool…," Maya said lightly. "So…"

Branch noticed that she seemed to be vibrating.

"Maya, be normal…," John Dory sighed.

"I am normal! Completely normal about finally meeting my little brothers!" she giggled, but then she was suddenly in Floyd's face. "You're Floyd, right?"

"Yes…?"

Maya squealed and hugged him.

"This is our sister…," JD sighed with a nervous chuckle.

Poppy put an arm in front of Branch as Maya zipped towards them. She didn't care that Maya was his sister…if he was gonna get a hug from anyone it would be with his permission.

"We've had a long few days," she sighed. "So, hugs--" she broke off as everyone's Hug Time Bracelets went off. Her friends started a group hug and she slapped a hand away. "Okay guys believe it or not sometimes people don't want to hug all the time! Back off."

"Popsicle," Branch sighed. "It's okay…I can handle a hug from my sister," he chuckled dryly. She glanced at him, worried, but he seemed okay enough. Even if he was a few shades darker than she liked…it was probably just from where they were. He had a lot of feelings about this pod.

Poppy gave a warning glance at her friends and moved away to let Maya give Branch a hug. She moved over to the guys, who were all avoiding the group hug. After a minute all the hugging was done and they cleaned up from breakfast, opening the front petal to get the empty bowl out before they got ready to leave.

And as they headed into the Tunnels and out to Rhonda, it was blessedly quiet. But then again, she figured they were all pretty overwhelmed from the last few days. And her friends definitely saw her differently after she 'chose violence' as JD so aptly put it. She didn't miss the way they were looking at her, grateful but horrified that she'd not only hurt someone (even if she deserved it) but also voiced a desire to have been able to do more damage.

As they headed for the South Exit and the Tunnel became progressively more chaotic and messier, she worried her lip. In the dream they'd rushed through this part of the tunnels so fast after Cloud Guy, she hadn't really seen much. Heck, when she'd gone hunting for Croco, she hadn't been looking at anything that wasn't the shape of that plushie.

She spotted the rubble pile at the fork and worried her lip. That was where Viva and Clay…she fiddled with her Hug Time Bracelet. She would find them…whether they were really at Hole 'N Fun or not.

A hand connected with her shoulder and she didn't have to look to know it was Branch. She shook her head and looked down the cleaner tunnel.

"They're out there…," she mumbled.

"We'll find them," he whispered.

"Definitely," she agreed before moving on.

They made it out of the Tunnel and John Dory and Maya led them to a small clearing. Poppy looked eagerly for Rhonda. And there she was, hunkered down by a bush, just as weirdly cute as she remembered from the dream.

As they approached, Avery hopped out of the armadillo bus and ran to give JD a worried hug.

"This is my husband, Avery," John introduced. "And this," he started, patting Rhonda's side. "Is Rhonda! Ain't she a beauty?"

"She's adorable!" Poppy gushed, rushing to Rhonda's face. Rhonda purred happily and gave her a slobbery and glittery kiss.

"She's…something," Chenille muttered. "Definitely something…"

"See you guys inside," Poppy giggled, diving into Rhonda's open mouth. In a second, she was sprawled on the floor inside the armadillo bus. And Branch was rushing in.

"Poppy, are you okay?"

"Yep!" she laughed and hopped to her feet. "Is everyone else still outside?"

"Yeah…John Dory is explaining why that was actually safe for you to do…," he groaned.

"Okay," she sighed and went to the door. "We're burning daylight guys!"

"Yeah…whether they're not gonna be a problem anymore or not…I want to get as far away from here as possible…," Floyd groused, hopping in. The others quickly followed and Poppy went to wait for Avery by the wheel.

The hippie chuckled and joined her.

"So where are we going?" he drawled.

"Here," Branch offered the map before he went to sit down.

"Thanks," she laughed. And then she pointed out the valley. "Right up here. This way is pretty dangerous," she pointed out the shortcut that she'd marked up before the trip. "And over this way," she pointed out a route that she remembered as being wider and better suited for larger critters. In hindsight, it was probably the route that the guys were trying to take before she ran off in the dream. "It's a game trail, but most of the predators through there are nocturnal and Rhonda's fast enough we can zip right through…wider paths and all that…"

"All right," he sighed and urged Rhonda onward.

Chapter Text

Maya was so excited. Her youngest brothers were here! And Poppy was so fun. And with how protective she seemed to be of Branch, she had to be his girlfriend at the minimum. As they rode along, she turned on the radio.

While most of the Pop Trolls seemed pretty quiet and unsure, probably because of what they'd just gone through. JD said they were in a cage, so she could only assume that there was a gnarly story to explain that. But they were all okay, and they were heading to Pop's village.

"I didn't know there were Trolls with wings," one of the twins sighed, filing her nails.

"Oh yeah, not everyone can use them, but all the Trolls where I'm from have wings," she laughed. "Hey, are you guys thirsty or anything? We have stuff to make--"

"We're out of water," Avery cut her off.

"We still have soda though," JD pointed out.

No one really said anything else, so she huffed a little. Maybe they'd be more open after this…incident wasn't so fresh on their minds. But she still wanted to get to know them. She really only had a vague idea of what Pop Trolls were like. The few Pop Trolls she'd met in their travels weren't much help, hardened from living on the road.

Maya sighed and looked around. Branch had disappeared, most likely hiding in one of the lofts or something. She got the feeling that he wasn't much of a social Troll and probably overwhelmed by the large group crowded into Rhonda. Floyd was sitting alone off to the side. And four of the others were sitting off to the other side.

She noticed they weren't wearing the Hug Time Bracelets that the rest of the Pop Trolls were wearing. That were pinging every hour they travelled. The pinging prompted the five wearing them to hug. Finally, she went to take over for Avery at the wheel. Poppy was staring out the window, watching the terrain.

"So…are they okay?" she asked Poppy quietly.

"How would you be if you got kidnapped? By a giant that almost none of them have ever seen outside of a scrapbook…," Poppy sighed. "And they had to see one of their best friends…as JD put it 'choose violence'…twice. We're…not really a violent people…and here I am with new friends and a slingshot, stealing a Bergen's knife and slicing her open…wishing I was able to do more damage…"

"Right…," she sighed. "So, Poppy, JD said you're a princess?"

"Yep, the youngest daughter of the jerk that locked your moms up for trying to help…," she grumbled. Maya froze and looked at the pink Troll. There was some deep-seated anger there. On her behalf? Poppy was still looking out the window. Her eyes narrowed suddenly and she leaned forward. "Did you see that?"

"What?"

"That…shit. It's a wood spider. Step on it!" Poppy gasped. That's when Maya saw it. A well camouflaged and very giant four-legged spider was inching towards them.

"Hang on, everyone!" Maya gasped, opening the throttle and urging Rhonda faster. It was too dangerous to hustle, not in the woods with so many passengers, or she would slam the button. Rhonda growled in protest, but ran faster. There was crashing as the predator started chasing after them.

"What's going on?" John Dory asked, rushing to them.

"Wood spider," Maya hissed. "Poppy spotted it."

Rhonda growled and Maya worried her lip.

"We're gonna have to…," JD mumbled, looking out the window. None of them necessarily liked to Hustle. And with so many passengers…

Maya sighed and pushed the button. Rhonda shot forward and through the craziness of the hustle, she tried to keep Rhonda on course. When they came out of it, they'd lost the spider, and she urged Rhonda into a slightly hidden area. They had to check how far off they were.

"Bits, I need--" Poppy started urgently, heading to the door, a hand already up as a pair of binoculars was tossed to her.

"Here you go Popstar," Branch called as she caught them and went outside.

"They're already at nicknames?" the Giant Troll hissed. "She doesn't give any of us nicknames…"

"And finishing her sentence?" the silver Glitter Troll gasped. "Anticipating what she was going to ask for even?!"

Well, that was interesting to hear. John was theorizing that Branch and Poppy were partners. And with the way they were acting…Maya had been thinking that too. Poppy was back in less than a few minutes with the map.

"We over shot with that hustle. Branch, I need the--"

"Got it," he cut her off, hopping out of the loft and grabbing the larger pack.

All Maya could do was watch as the two of them started tossing things to each other, finishing each other's sentences and Poppy moving around Rhonda's kitchenette like she lived here! In a minute, they had a pot filled with a few ingredients out of the pack and the cooler.

"What time?"

"Five," Branch answered, looking at the clock.

"Okay, here's the deal," Poppy finally addressed everyone, talking more like a queen than a princess suddenly. "There's a clean pond just on the other side of those trees. Branch I need the--" she broke off as he tossed her a jar out of his bag. "Thanks. There's a blackberry bush that looks like it has some good fruit. Ablaze, you go get some water," she handed the jar to one of the guys and he hurried out. "Trickee, we need more stuff for dinner. Watch out for that Gloom Berry bush nearby. Blue berries, fuzzy mint leaves. They're not safe and I'm deathly allergic," she handed the emptied smaller bag to the one with goggles and he hurried out.

"What is happening…?" JD asked softly and Maya shrugged.

"Branch, we need--" she broke off as Branch headed outside and disappeared into the trees. "Hype and Boom, we need nuts."

The two of them hurried out as well. Maya blinked in shock. Okay…she and Branch were apparently on the same wavelength and those four were tuned in too.

"So, after we eat, and set up camp. We can rest here for the night, give Rhonda a little break…and in the morning we can actually probably hustle right to the village."

"What makes you say that?" Maya asked, chuckling a little.

"We overshot, but this part of the woods is spread out enough that--Rhonda's trained to track things, right?"

"Yeah…?" JD mumbled.

"So, in theory, if we were to have her smell one of mine or Branch's things…even with us inside, she'd be able to track down our home?" Poppy asked. That…was actually a pretty brilliant idea. "So, if she starts heading to the village on her own, with that navigation in mind she could safely hustle us the rest of the way?"

"That…sounds like it would work," JD agreed.

And now Maya had even more questions than she already had…

John Dory was shocked at the whirlwind that was Poppy and his youngest brother. Branch had claimed that they weren't more than friends, but yet. He knew from experience that being on that kind of matched wavelength was something that came from years of being together.

And the other four, Trickee, Hype, Boom and Ablaze…they were in on it too. And with as confused as the other Pop Trolls seemed…just what was going on?

He looked at Floyd, maybe he knew. The only response he got was a knowing look. He'd told them that he was there for most of it…

He remembered the small conversation between Floyd and Poppy before Trickee and Branch woke up. A dream…she'd had some sort of prophecy dream. Floyd had probably realized that he overheard that little conversation. And his brothers and Branch's friends were clued in on it. But her friends weren't. That was the only explanation.

JD took a deep breath and went to Floyd's side. There were too many people in the bus, he decided. Sure, they could fit and were able to be comfortable, but after so long of it being just him, Avery and Maya, it was a little much.

"You okay?" Floyd asked as he sat with him.

"Not used to this many people," he muttered.

"I get that. I've been on my own for…I don't even know anymore," his little brother laughed softly. "When I--" he broke off and averted his gaze. "When I really started looking for him…"

"Do you…know how long he was Grey…?"

"Until a few days ago," was the quick reply and John's breath caught. "He…he spent twenty years alone, John…his whole life…Grey and alone…because we were selfish…"

"We were all just kids…," he defended.

"You weren't," he accused. "You were nineteen."

"That's not fair," he whispered. "There were five of us…after Mom and Dad--" he broke off. "It was a lot of pressure…"

"You put a lot of pressure on us…you took it out on Spruce and Clay," Floyd sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not actually mad at you. I'm the one who promised to come back and never did…"

"Why didn't you say anything at the Dive Bar, if you're not mad at me?"

"I don't know," Floyd admitted. "I…really don't know. You didn't approach me and I guess…maybe I thought you were mad at me? We were closest with Branch…you and me. And I know how you guys saw me. I'm the sensitive one…if anyone had stayed, it would have been me…and me being alone in that bar…"

For some reason, that made John Dory laugh.

"Nah," he laughed. "I just…thought you were still mad. You were looking right at me, but you didn't approach or say anything, so I thought you didn't want anything to do with me. Just like Spruce and Clay…I broke our family, after all…"

"Poppy knows where they are," Floyd whispered. "I think she was only wrong about the two of us because neither of us have settled anywhere…"

"What do you mean? The 'dream'?" he stayed quiet, glancing at the traumatized Pop Trolls. One of them, the blue Glitter Troll, was looking at them. "Okay…what's with that guy?"

"His name is Spruce," Floyd explained. So, mentioning his brother caught the boy's attention. "You remember AJ?"

"The light tech? Yeah…"

"Yeah…he named one of his kids after our brother."

"Somehow…that doesn't surprise," JD laughed. "AJ was that kind of Troll, to name his kid after a friend…"

"Dinner's ready!" Poppy called suddenly and almost everyone piled out, leaving John alone with his brother. The pink princess poked her head into the bus and gave Floyd a look. She nodded a little before going back outside.

"Okay…I guess that was permission…," Floyd laughed. "She's not telling her friends for some reason…I guess she doesn't want them to think she's gone crazy."

"They probably already do," JD pointed out. "A Pop Troll choosing violence? Pretty crazy."

"It's not just that. She knew about the Bergen. Got Branch to help try and stop it with traps since she couldn't cancel the party."

"What?"

"And she knows a lot about us. Our family…the other tribes…everything."

"I'm…not following."

So, Floyd explained what he could about Poppy's dream. How she apparently made a complete one eighty from loud and carefree to this…protective and commanding.

"And she hasn't confirmed aloud…won't say more than that they were best friends in the dream, but it's pretty clear…"

"They were together," JD finished. "So…they're in the middle of a relationship speedrun…?"

"Yeah," Floyd laughed. "They've been kind of scary, actually. I've never seen a pair so in sync before…"

"I'm kinda like that sometimes with Avery," John Dory shrugged.

"Because he's your husband. I'm assuming you've had years to build that up. Until five days ago they apparently weren't even on real speaking terms."

"Wow…and you believe her about the dream."

"Just the way she described you was enough proof for me," Floyd chuckled. "Nitpicking, perfectionist with a terrible sense of direction…"

Yeah, he actually couldn't argue with that. He'd gotten better about the nitpicking and perfectionism, but it was still a problem.

"Yeah…that's me…," he sighed. "And you're sure you're not mad at me?"

"I'm sure," Floyd laughed. "Just stating facts. The nitpicking and perfectionism were a big reason a bunch of stupid kids abandoned their baby brother."

"Despite your best efforts," he noted. "I'm sorry I never listened."

"Like you said…we were kids and you were under a lot of pressure," his little brother sighed. "It's behind us…what matters right now is getting these kids home…"

"Are they all kids? Beyond the fact that we're way older than them…"

"Branch's friends are older than he is. But Poppy's friends…Guy Diamond, I think, is the oldest out of all five of them? Born there, but too young to remember the Tree," Floyd got up. "Let's go see what they've put together for dinner…"

John Dory nodded and went outside with him. He stared blankly at the full-on campsite set up outside Rhonda. A tent large enough for most of them to sleep comfortably, and a smaller tent, with a roaring fire and a simmering pot of stew. It smelled delicious. He smelled meat in it.

Okay. He had some meat stored in the kitchenette and Poppy had raided it…that, or one of them had hunted down a critter. Or they had meat in one of the bags.

"Okay then," he mumbled. He vaguely remembered that parties in the Shelter had been put up and cleaned up in record time…had Pop just gotten…more efficient at that over the last twenty years?

A bowl was passed to him and he sat down to eat.

"Do you guys have any…," Poppy shot an absolutely shit-eating grin at Floyd.

"Don't you dare say it," Floyd gasped.

"But it's cute!"

"I spent years trying to shake that nickname on the radio," he argued.

"Then you say it," she challenged.

"Or you can just ask about my actual stage name…," Floyd mumbled.

"We have a lot of music," Maya laughed. "Which artist?"

"Sugah an' Spice," Poppy giggled and Floyd went pure violet in his embarrassment.

"Ooh, he's one of my favourites! I could never find any albums though, just the occasional recording off the radio…," Maya giggled. "That's you Floyd?"

"I'm just gonna crawl in a hole and die," Floyd grumbled.

"Join the club…she's a huge BroZone fan too…"

"Hey, some of the music from the Tree was actually peak," she defended. "Especially the boyband scene. Like Kismet? Fantastic! Awesome! Absolutely--"

"Fantastamazing?" Poppy cut in.

"Yes! Floyd what's your stage name?"

"Coda Rose…," Floyd sighed. Maya squealed and ran back into Rhonda, returning with a bundle of discs and the boombox.

"You got her started…," JD laughed.

"How does this keep happening?" Maya giggled. "Almost all of my most favourite artists are my family without me even knowing?!"

Chapter Text

To say Poppy was utterly exhausted as she got ready to sleep in the smaller tent they'd found at the pod, was a massive understatement. She was a little more relaxed, knowing that Rhonda would wake them up if she sensed a threat. There were familiar footsteps as she laid out her sleeping bag…and the blanket she'd grabbed from the pod. She could easily guess that Branch would end up in the tent with her. Since she'd gone to sleep alone in a random room (she'd realized when she woke up that it was Branch's old room) but woken up in a blanket burrito velcroed to Branch.

"Is something wrong Branch?" she asked.

"It's kind of embarrassing but…," he sighed a little. She bit her lip, knowing where he was probably going. In the dream, this was why they'd pretty much moved in together once they started dating. "I guess you know about my nightmares…?" he asked and she nodded, fiddling with the sleeping bag. "Well…the last few nights…sleeping with you…they haven't been a problem…"

"Branch, you don't have to ask…," she whispered.

"But I know it's hard for you…whatever our relationship was in your dream…"

"Branch," she said firmly, turning to him. "You've figured it out. We were dating. You're too smart not to have figured that out…," she mumbled, standing and taking his hand. "I'm here for you. I care about you, even without the dream. Why do you think I was trying so hard to be your friend?"

"Because I'm Grey and a problem for the village?"

"Did…did you really think that…?" she asked quietly and he nodded dejectedly. She frowned, tears pricking at her eyes. Poppy reached for his chin, noting how dark he was, almost completely Grey again. "Branch…I never thought about you that way. Sure, I wanted you to be happy but not because you were a problem…just because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy, and loved, and…and able to heal…," she trailed off, tracing one of the little scars on his chin. His fur lightened at her touch, coming back to his usual muted blues. "You've been hurting so much…and I was just…trying to help the only way I knew how."

His free hand snaked around her waist and pulled her close. Her breath caught. What was he doing?

"Poppy…," he whispered, barely audible as he leaned closer. Their faces were centimetres apart.

"Wait…," she mumbled. She wasn't going to pull away. Part of her hoped he was leaning in for a kiss. But another part of her was screaming that she'd somehow pressured him into this.

Without missing a beat, his lips connected with hers and she melted. As her eyes slid closed, she caught sight of his colours. His true colours…suddenly bright and vibrant blues for her. Without pause, her hands were suddenly pulling at him, one cradling the back of his head to hold him in the kiss and the other on his shoulder, pulling him as if she could meld their bodies or something.

It was stupid and reckless, and definitely crossing the line, but she wanted this so much…

He tilted his head, tongue tracing the crease of her lips. Rational thought was out the window as she opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss, gripping his hair lightly. His hand was in her hair and without her really thinking about it, their hair twisted together.

They pulled apart for air and she gasped.

"Branch…is…?" she couldn't finish the thought as he dove in for another kiss.

"Yes," he murmured against her.

Gumdrops, he'd never kissed her like this in the dream, not even that last night after the concert. She loved it. But what changed? She'd ask him when he had his fill.

She wasn't sure how long they were kissing, but she was out of breath, and her mind was getting fuzzy. As much as she loved this, she had to come up for air. Poppy pulled away, pressing her forehead to Branch's.

"Wait a minute…," she mumbled. "I need a second to breathe…"

"Poppy, I…," he trailed off.

She took a few deep breaths and let her mind clear. The princess looked him in the eye, wondering just what had come over him. She knew that JD kept a stash of herbs, but his pupils weren't blown wide with a sign that he was high. And she hadn't tasted alcohol…just mint, like he'd chewed a leaf before coming to the tent. So, he was sober…

"Branch…I loved that…but…," she took another breath. "What's come over you?"

"I did a lot of thinking on the way here…," he sighed.

Oh. Poppy remembered seeing him hide up in one of the lofts when they all settled in Rhonda. Of course he'd hidden away, she hadn't thought much of that. He wasn't a social Troll, even in the dream after he'd opened up. Being around so many people for so long was probably getting to him.

"And…?" she prompted, a little terrified that she'd somehow crossed a line somewhere. That was the last thing she wanted to do. It hurt, but she was okay with just being his friend.

"What do you think?" he laughed a little. "But…trust me, Poppy…you haven't done anything to push me. And before you ask…yes, I'm sober."

Poppy giggled a little. She'd already determined that he was most likely sober. And yes, they'd been an absolute unit preparing dinner and setting up camp. But that was something she was used to from the dream. After they'd settled into their friendship, they'd been like that in the dream, finishing each other's sentences and anticipating each other's moves. Except for the non-Pop stuff, at least…and the whole 'world tour' thing. Until this afternoon they hadn't quite hit that synchronization.

"Poppy?"

"It's nothing," she assured. "I'm just…you know there's no rush…I'm okay with just--"

"I know," he cut her off. "Maybe I've managed to fall in love with you on this trip. This…," he mumbled, squeezing her waist a little closer. "Feels…right."

"Yeah…yeah it does…," she agreed. "Let's go to bed…," she mumbled, pulling him to the sleeping bag.

Branch nodded a little.

"Sleep sounds good," he sighed. "You know…your friends are gonna hate you if they realize you put meat in the stew they ate."

"I think they already hate me anyways…," she sighed, settling in the sleeping bag. Branch put down his own sleeping bag and settled in beside her. Poppy threw the blanket over them both. "Well…maybe not hate, but they definitely have been looking at me differently. They got like that sometimes in the dream too."

"They'll just have to get used to it," he noted, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She smiled and nuzzled her face in his chest, snaking her own arm around him.

Tempting as it was, John Dory learned his lesson the previous morning. Snapping an embarrassing picture of his baby brother and his not-quite-girlfriend could get him hurt. Poppy was a light sleeper and she had a weapon, even if she claimed her safety scissors couldn't be dangerous for him. So, when he woke up and couldn't find Branch anywhere until he looked into the little tent Poppy was occupying…and found them tangled in their sleeping bags and a blanket…and each other…he decided to let them snuggle in peace.

First, breakfast. He got the fire going again, again impressed with the campsite those six had put together. He had some pancake mix, he thought. The Pop Trolls would appreciate something sweet. Maybe there were some berries leftover? He found the leftovers from the night before and started working.

Let's talk this over

It's not like we're dead

Was it something I did?

Was it something you said?

As usually happened when he was up early working, he fell into singing. Today his mood was one of his parents' songs. Having two of his brothers here…just brought it back. His mistake that drove them away.

Don't leave me hangin'

In a city so dead

Held up so high

On such a breakable thread

He continued, bringing a pan out to the fire and started cooking. By the time he was done with the pancakes, no one else was up, so he went ahead and took advantage of the fire to get some nuts and bacon smoking.

"Ooh, bacon," a cheery voice startled him and he nearly dropped the food. He looked back to see Poppy, looking a little smug. Had she intended to startle him? Payback for yesterday, maybe.

"Morning," he sighed.

"No one else is up?" she questioned, looking around the campsite.

"Nope," he put the food down on a rock and went to find some plates. When he came back out, Poppy was rotating the bacon. "Oh, thanks. I could have gotten that…"

"It's no big deal," she shrugged, checking the nuts. "So…did Floyd tell you?"

"Yeah…why aren't you telling your friends?"

"They wouldn't understand," she sighed. "They made that clear before the party…"

"How?" he pressed.

"It's complicated…and you really won't like part of it…," she sat on a rock.

"Try me."

So, she told him about the day of the attack, how her friends had dismissed her concerns and worried about all the wrong things…blaming his baby brother for her 'strange' behaviour. She was right, he really didn't like the implication that Branch had been bullied.

"And you saw the way they were looking at me," she sighed, picking at her skirt. "And they got like that in the dream sometimes…not as bad, but still…everyone's so…stuck in the 'everything's cupcakes and rainbows' even after we all nearly died…in the dream I honestly think they chilled out with being judgmental and mean because I became queen and at the end of the day no one questions my decisions. Just like with my dad…"

JD sighed a little.

"Where are they?" he asked. If this kept up, he would get pissed and do something stupid about these kids being bullies, even if they didn't mean it that way or know any better. He remembered the toxic positivity in the Tree…clearly it had festered over the years.

"I might be wrong…I was wrong about you and Floyd…," she mumbled.

"I live on the road…after we went back to the Tree the first time, I've been trying to find my baby brother, not settling anywhere. That kinda makes it hard to guarantee that I'd be up to the exact same stuff as in the dream. Same for Floyd. If Spruce and Clay have settled somewhere, that might not be different."

"Bruce," she sighed. Was she…correcting him? "Wait…have you gotten a blank postcard with a sunset on it?"

"Yeah," he pulled it out of his hair.

"Then he is there!" she gasped. "I know exactly where he is. He changed his name to Bruce and settled down on Vacay Island. He's married and has thirteen kids. And with the tunnels…Clay and Viva are at Hole 'N Fun."

"They're…not at the village?"

"No…they were separated in the Escape. Because of the tunnel collapse."

"And…you just…found them in the dream by happenstance…?" he asked, hopeful. Her face fell and she looked away and that was all the answer he needed. Something bad happened that brought his family together.

"If I can help it, it's not gonna go that way. Floyd was captured while he was looking for you…and taken to Mt Rageous," she whispered. His breath caught. He'd heard stories about Mt Rageous, none of them good. "He was being held in a diamond bottle…"

"So…the Perfect Family Harmony…we had to find them in order to save Floyd…"

"Yeah…," she sighed. Her ear twitched and she shifted. "Sounds like someone's getting up. And…," she trailed off, looking at her Hug Time Bracelet. The flower was getting ready to unfurl. "Great…First Hug Time…"

"You're not much of a hugger?" he chuckled, pulling the meat and nuts away from the fire. Poppy snatched a piece of bacon and he blinked.

"Oh, I am. Usually. But until everyone's safe at home, I need to stay focused. And besides…"

"You're getting plenty of hugs," he chuckled. "So, you and Branch really aren't partners?"

She blushed brightly. Oh yeah, it was happening. The first one to emerge from the tents was Branch, stretching and completely the colours John remembered. He'd have to remember that. He'd noticed that his little brother shifted in colour a little before. Did it have to do with his mood? He was Grey for so long it made him some sort of walking mood ring?

He resisted the urge to pull out the camera and snap a picture as Branch kissed Poppy on the cheek and grabbed a piece of the bacon.

"Morning," Branch sighed. JD almost said something when more people piled out of the larger tent. The two visibly relaxed when it turned out to be Trickee, Hype, Boom and Ablaze. The four of them also grabbed a piece of bacon each before sitting down.

He was not making that for breakfast! But…he supposed with the meat in the stew he shouldn't be surprised that some of them weren't strict vegetarians like he remembered Pop to be. Poppy's Bracelet went off and no one moved, not even Branch. The tent however, filled with the muffled sound of the others hugging when their own Bracelets went off. Avery and Maya joined them.

"You made bacon, Babe?" Avery laughed, grabbing a piece.

"It wasn't supposed to be for breakfast, but yeah…," he sighed. The others joined them, grimaced at the meat, and went straight for the pancakes.

And the five Pop Trolls gasped in horror as Poppy finished eating and licked her fingers a little. Yeah…he could kind of see why she wasn't telling them about the dream. If she felt she could trust a complete stranger not to judge her about this…

"How can you eat that?" one of the twins gasped. "That used to be a living creature with feelings!"

"No, it used to be a living creature that tried to eat me," John Dory sighed. "It's kill or be killed out in the wild."

"Yeah," Avery agreed. "No one's making you eat it."

"Poppy, what happened to you?" the Giant mumbled. Gah, he really needed to find out their names.

"I woke up," she groused. "Not everything's 'cupcakes and rainbows' and pretending that it is, is what got us here in the first place." She ate a pancake whole and went back to the little tent. "Save some for Floyd, but after we eat, we need to get back on the road. Everyone's probably worried sick in the bunker."

She disappeared into the tent, probably to pack up. One of them started to say something and with perfect timing, Floyd came out.

"Be careful what you say," Floyd warned. "Besides…I thought you all were her friends."

"Yeah," Spruce piped up. "And that means we're worried about her!"

"She's never acted like this," one of the girls muttered. "We'd expect this sort of behaviour from Branch, but--"

"Leave my brother out of this," John warned.

"Not from Poppy," she continued without missing a beat. "The party was her thing. Why shouldn't we have felt safe throwing it?"

"No one had seen a Bergen in twenty years, much less any predators," the one he assumed was Guy Diamond, added. "She clearly took the worries of a deranged--"

It happened so fast, John Dory wasn't sure what exactly happened, or why. In an instant, Floyd was pinning the Glitter Troll to the ground, a knife at his throat.

"Don't you dare insult my little brother," Floyd growled. That's when he realized what was probably about to come out of Guy Diamond's mouth.

"Okay," Maya laughed nervously, getting up. "What matters is that you're all alive because of your princess."

Floyd backed off, but John Dory could tell he was one wrong word away from hurting one of these kids. Poppy had implied that Branch was bullied, but this made it clear. His baby brother had been Grey and probably paranoid…and bullied for being concerned. He glanced at Branch, who looked…numb to the situation. This had been going on for a long time.

"I get that you kids thought it was safe, but it clearly wasn't. Heaven forbid someone realize it and try and do something about it," John Dory sighed.

"We're not kids!" Spruce argued.

"Oh? How old are you?"

"Sixteen…"

"Right…and how many of you are old enough to remember Trollstice?" None of them responded, so John Dory took a deep breath. "Right. So compared to me being forty-six, you are kids. And as far as I'm concerned, you're not qualified to speak on this. The only ones here that didn't grow up in the Tree are you five, Maya and Avery. Imagine constantly being in fear for your life and loved ones. Once a year rushing to an underground shelter and praying you made it there before the entire populace of Bergens surrounded the cage. Or hiding in your pod because you didn't make it to the Shelter and hoping you were quiet enough, so they wouldn't find you. Watching a loved one sacrifice themselves so you can get away and live another day…," he paused for breath and stood, kicking dirt onto the fire. "So don't you dare imply that someone still dealing with that trauma is any form of crazy. Especially not my baby brother," he added with a growl before starting for Rhonda. "Finish eating and shut your traps…we're heading out by the next Hug Time."

Chapter Text

The tension was palpable as everyone finished their breakfast. Branch wasn't sure who to check on after he finished eating, actually. Poppy had been upset, but he knew that she knew how her 'friends' would treat her after this incident. And his brothers were so defensive and upset on his behalf. So, he decided to step away first.

He was still kind of overwhelmed anyways…

"Branch?" Ablaze asked quietly as he went to pack up the bigger tent.

"I'm fine," he assured. "I'm used to it."

"But she's not," Ablaze sighed and helped him. "And neither are your brothers."

"I know…," he muttered. "Can you take over cleanup?"

He barely waited for Ablaze to nod before he stepped out of the tent.

"I knew she had a little crush on him, but this is crazy…," Guy Diamond was saying quietly as they slowly finished eating. The guys were gone and all of his siblings were probably inside Rhonda.

"Has she been secretly spending time with him?" Biggie muttered.

"Her 'boring princess stuff' must have been him," Satin sighed. "It would be romantic if it was anyone else…"

"Really…he has to be the reason she's turned…like that," Chenille added.

Branch shook his head a little, sighing.

"Branch!" Spruce gasped, spotting him. "We uh…"

"I'm used to it," he grumbled. "She isn't. If you're really her friends, you'll accept her choices."

"What do you know about friends?" Guy snapped. "All these years, you've isolated yourself."

"Yes," he agreed. "To protect the people, I care about. You've never had anything bad happen to you until now, so I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Branch didn't wait for any of them to reply before he went into the tent after Poppy. She was packing up and munching on some bacon. It was really strange to see her eating meat. Did she already do that regularly?

"Hey Branch," she said without looking at him. "Are you okay?"

"I was going to ask you that…," he sighed, walking up to roll up his sleeping bag.

"I kind of knew they'd be like that…," she mumbled. "I've changed a lot in such a short time, but they'll get used to it. They did in the dream. It'll just take time."

"And…"

"Yes, I've always eaten meat," she laughed. "It's kind of a guilty pleasure…there's a guy, Evan, who goes hunting a lot…he makes some really good candied bacon."

"Of course it would be 'candied'…," he chuckled. She pushed him a little in response. "Any ideas for what to use for Rhonda to track the village?"

"The blanket. Or my cowbell…," Poppy laughed. He nodded a little. That made sense. They had cuddled in that blanket for the last two nights.

They finished packing up and took the tent down. The guys had the other tent down in a moment and Poppy levelled a look at the others.

"Are you guys gonna help clean up or do we have to do everything?" she griped, prompting the five of them to start trying to clean up.

Poppy went over to Rhonda and put her pack inside. Branch's siblings were sitting around a table, chatting.

"There's the woman of the hour," Maya greeted.

"You guys ready?" she asked brightly.

"Yeah…the sooner we get them home and out of our hair…the better…," John sighed.

"Let me guess…they picked the wrong things to say?" Poppy sighed, sitting with them.

"Guy Diamond almost got cut," Maya giggled.

"I've told all of them to stop…," she groaned. "But somehow I'm not surprised…"

"They need to watch their mouths," Floyd groused.

"Convenient how they waited until you were gone to run their mouths," JD sighed. The sound of someone getting punched reached them and they all looked outside.

"What happened?" she gasped. She could easily guess, seeing Guy sprawled on the ground, clearly having just been punched by Trickee.

"He just punched Guy for no reason!" Biggie wailed.

"Sure…," she groaned. "Or did you guys start running your mouths once Branch's brothers and I were out of earshot?"

"We tried to stop Trickee," Ablaze defended. She doubted that. She knew their history. She remembered how they were from the dream. Trickee and Boom had a history of biting other Trolls and Ablaze had once hit a kid because of something…probably hug time or group singing…

"No, he just beat us to it," Boom argued. Poppy groaned and went to them, catching the pack when Branch tossed it to her before going inside Rhonda.

"Guys, go ahead and get comfortable inside," she sighed and Trickee, Hype, Boom and Ablaze followed after Branch. "Now…I've told you to stop picking on Branch. And I hope you realize now that you should watch your mouths around more than just me and Branch's blood siblings," she told them, looking around the campsite. She checked her Hug Time Bracelet to see the bud getting ready to go off. "Get inside."

"But, Poppy…," Satin mumbled.

"Branch just helped to save your lives, you should be a little more respectful. And he's my friend. They all are. Keep it up and you'll have to worry about me," she warned. The five of them hurried into Rhonda and her Hug Time Bracelet went off. Poppy sighed heavily and closed the flower. "Now…Rhonda~!" she called, skipping to her face.

The armadillo bus wiggled and purred at her.

"Easy girl, you've got passengers," she chided. "Think you can find something for me?" She got a rumbling roar in response and she pulled her cowbell out. "Something else that smells like this?"

Rhonda sniffed at the instrument and frowned, whining at her. Poppy smiled gently and put the cowbell back in her hair.

"Okay…not strong enough?" she guessed before pulling out the blanket. "How about this? We both live in the village, so something that smells like either of us?" she suggested, offering the blanket for Rhonda to sniff.

Rhonda gave a rumbling roar and shifted to start running. Poppy cheered and ran to the door.

"Take us home girl!" she cheered, getting inside as Rhonda started running. She giggled and put the blanket and backpack down. "You know what will lighten the mood? Music," she said brightly and most everyone agreed.

Poppy went over to the shelf of music and started looking through it. She hadn't really looked through the collection in the dream. She knew some of the artists they had albums from. JD turned on the radio and she paused at chatter on the shortwave.

"Anyone heard more about that crazy firework over the forest the other day?" someone was asking. MJ maybe?

"Sort of," another said. "We found the source of the explosion and found a decimated Pop settlement. No Trolls though."

"Figures it was a stupid reckless Pop party," someone griped. That definitely sounded like Emmaline. "Karma-3, any sign of where they went?"

"Nothin', there was a giant knife left behind so I can only imagine what happened to them…"

"Hold off on the music," John Dory sighed, grabbing the mic. "How far out are you, Gee?"

"Oh, JD," Gee laughed. "We ditched the settlement about a day ago. Why?"

"Oh, shit," someone else gasped. "You have family there, don't you JD?"

"My family's actually safe with me," he sighed. "It was a reckless Pop party, but they're okay."

"Okay that sounds like a story for next time we get together," someone else laughed.

"Give us coordinates and some of us can help rebuild the settlement," another offered. Poppy got out the map and ran up to John Dory.

"May I?" she asked and he handed her the mic. "I don't have a handle yet, but I'm Princess Poppy," she told them and then gave the coordinates she remembered from the dream. "Help rebuilding would be much appreciated."

"Well, we can turn right 'round and get back to help," Gee laughed.

"C-Pop here, we can get to ya by lunch," another laughed.

"Same for me," one giggled.

"So…Karma-3, C-Pop and MJ…," she mumbled, handing the mic back to JD.

"She says thanks," he sighed. "See you there."

The chatter cut back to music and Poppy went back to her music search. She found a recording of BroZone and checked it. Everybody…one of their songs from right before Branch joined. And also, one of her favourites. She hopped back to the front and put in the disc.

"One song and then we hustle to the village," she laughed. "We wanna beat MJ and C-Pop. So, I can warn the village," she added quietly.

John nodded and then groaned at the song she picked. There was cheering on the recording almost drowning out the music.

"Really?"

"Yes," Poppy huffed. "It's one of my favourites. Would you rather I have grabbed Perfect? Or Candy Girl?"

"No…this one's fine…," he sighed.

"Which song…?" Spruce asked.

The crowd was cheering for BroZone. This was a 'live' recording…a Dictabird caught this at a show. Probably their first show after their parents died…

Everybody, yeah

Rock your body, yeah

Everybody, yeah

Rock your body right

Clay opened the song, clearly riling up the crowd as they got louder. Poppy could swear she almost heard Viva, but she could have imagined it.

BroZone's back, alright!

All four brothers cheered.

Poppy looked around the bus and smiled as the energy of the song at least got everybody looking a little less tense. Floyd even looked like he was trying not to sing along and hop up to dance. Satisfied with at least this small result, she went to sit with Branch.

He put his arm around her and she settled in, resting her head on his shoulder.

Floyd was glad when the song ended. It brought back memories…not all of them good. But he remembered that concert. Their first after Branch was born. They'd decided to start the band back up as a distraction, and it spiralled from there to their blow up.

But for that one show, he remembered having a blast on stage with them. They used to have so much fun performing.

He looked to see JD with his goggles down over his eyes, looking serious.

"All right…everyone brace yourselves," John Dory sighed. Oh right…Poppy wanted to hustle after the song was over.

It hadn't been pleasant before, but if that was the quickest way…Floyd wasn't going to complain. And as his brother hit the button, he tried to ignore how crazy and colourful it felt.

They came to a stop under the royal pods and Rhonda roared happily. Poppy rushed outside and he assumed started praising the critter. Everyone else got out, but Floyd stayed where he was.

"You okay?" John Dory asked, walking over to him.

"Yeah. She had to pick that song, huh?" he laughed.

"Better than a couple of the other options," John sighed. "Though with how she was raving with Maya about Kismet, I half expected her to grab one of those…"

"There's a reason she picked one of our songs before Branch joined…," he sighed, leaning back in the seat.

"Why listen to the recording when you have him there?" JD guessed.

"Kinda…he stopped singing after Grandma died…and didn't sing again until he got his colours back the other day. She probably wanted to ease back into listening to her favourite bands without hearing Branch. Or she was thinking specifically about his feelings." Floyd stood and went to the door. "Let's go see the damage…"

He hopped out and winced at the sheer number of fallen pods. A tree was downed too. And there, in the middle of the plaza was the knife. They'd have to get rid of that.

"You guys stay here," Poppy sighed. "Branch and I are gonna go get everyone out of the bunker."

She and Branch went off, hand in hand, to the bunker and Floyd leaned on a tree. Even with the Country Trolls among the crews that were coming to help, this would take a while to build back up.

But he had no plans to leave Branch again. And looking at John Dory, their oldest brother had the same plan. They weren't going anywhere.

Branch reached to unlock the Bunker when he and Poppy made it there. He got the locks disengaged and they went in.

"Do you have any idea how to tell them?" he asked her as they went to the lift.

"I'm going to wait until everyone's calmed down to explain about the Bergens…what matters right now is that everyone's safe," she sighed. He nodded and they went down to the living room.

"Poppy!" Smidge shouted, running to hug Poppy's leg. "You made it!"

"I told you we'd save everyone," Poppy laughed. "It's safe, so tell everyone they can come outside."

"You got it!" Smidge laughed, heading for the lift to the basement.

Branch sighed a little and looked around. It looked like they hadn't gotten too crazy down here. That, or they'd cleaned up any messes they made. He'd have to double check when they were all out. It would be a good way to decompress after this trip. But at the same time, the village needed as many Trolls as they could to help rebuild…

"You don't have to help with rebuilding. Not after how they've treated you," Poppy whispered, hugging his arm a little. "I know you probably need some time alone."

And this right here was how he'd fallen so quick…that sudden understanding of his needs and offering space. And just…how she showed that she truly cared so much.

The tribe started coming out of the basement in groups and Poppy led them to the back door, leaving him alone in the living room.

He took a deep breath, thinking of where to start. Maybe with cleanup. Then he could figure out what he needed to get his supplies back in order and stocked. After that, he should probably figure out his traps…they came in handy but with the Bergens not being a threat anymore he didn't need as many. Maybe he could figure out something to secure the village's perimeter?

And he could probably repurpose a few of the storage rooms into guest rooms…maybe add a space for Rhonda…

Branch cracked his knuckles and went downstairs to see what he was dealing with for the mess.

He blinked in surprise at the basement. Emptied jars were stacked neatly in a corner, clean. There was no glitter to be found. And…was it a little bigger than before? He found a little desk set up with a rough approximation of the bunker's layout and evidence that yes…someone had expanded the basement. And he found a couple of rooms added on. Had they…gotten too cramped down here? That or they got bored and instead of invading his privacy…they just found something to do? Maybe both.

Frowning, Branch checked it out. There was a curtain pinned over the doorway of each room, clearly the work of a bored Troll with knitting needles. And the rooms were stable, he'd have to treat the walls, but they were well-made. One of the rooms had some herbs and his larger mortar in there…probably a spot they set up as a clinic. Another was probably where Peppy had slept, given the makeshift bed. The last room he found had more empty and cleaned jars, it was full to capacity with them.

So…everything they'd emptied, they neatly stored out of the way. The jars in the main room of the basement were just…overflow from this storage. Well, that was one less thing he had to clean up. He would have to note the additions on his blueprints, but that could wait. Branch went back to that desk and looked at the rough drawings. There was also a notebook full of someone marking down everything they used. He blinked as he read it over. Someone among the Trolls actually had the decency to make this really easy for him.

He gathered up the papers and headed back to the living room. That's when he noticed a pile of cards. Some of them were made with his own paper, others with whatever they'd had on hand. All of them were thanking him for letting them use the bunker. And many had apologies for how they'd treated him before. It was like every single Troll had made or contributed to a card.

This wasn't something he expected. Branch smiled a little and gathered up all the cards.

Chapter Text

They didn't have many rules. Maybe that was a big part of how this happened.

Be happy.

Don't talk about the Tree or how they didn't actually get everyone out of there.

Music has to be happy.

Sadness is bad. Forbidden even. Sorrow leads to being Grey…which is fatal. Branch is just a weird exception to that. But he's not. Most Trolls that faded to Grey either left the village or 'got better'.

Everything's perfectly safe. But it wasn't. There were more than Bergens that they should have been worried about.

Smidge had gone to Branch's office in search of the blueprints for the bunker. Some of them were getting bored and it was kind of cramped down there in the basement. By the look of it, Branch had built the bunker with more than just himself in mind as a resident, but not this many. By the looks of it, he planned for five at the most…

Instead of the blueprints, she found a journal full of notes about critter migration and habits…and a map of trap placement. He had all these traps set up around the village, to protect them…not just from Bergens, but critters.

He did all that…offered up his home as a safe place for them. Branch was prone to panic attacks, yes. And he was a little mean at times…but they were mean to him first.

And Poppy had seen that. Something had happened to Poppy the day of the party…and she and Branch and his friends tried to stop that Bergen.

To make it worse, Smidge realized that she recognized the Troll she'd insulted that day. Floyd…she hadn't thought about it at the time, too shocked by Poppy's attitude to really process. But he was one of the members of BroZone. 'The Sensitive One'…

Smidge sat in the basement of the bunker, listening to the hiding Trolls chat. King Peppy was napping upstairs in the living room, and in the absence of their king's judgemental gaze, all bets were off. Their biggest rule was to never talk about the Tree. But those that remembered the Tree were tired of bottling it up. Trollings were asking questions. And in the presence of others that knew the truth, it was easy to talk about.

Some of the older Trolls were sharing easy stories about life in the Tree, avoiding the hard and painful things.

"Smidge," Cooper started. "You okay?"

"Yeah…," she sighed. "Just…thinking. We all were really horrible to Branch…when all he ever did was try and protect us."

"Rosiepuff raised him right," Moonbloom sighed. "Well…as much as she could."

"What do you mean?" someone gasped.

"The 'diggers'…they dug graves and placed headstones to remember those lost in the Tree…and they all died of either old age or protecting other Trolls," another of the older Trolls sighed. "They dug the Shelter, even if the royals claimed they commissioned it…"

"And they started the Tunnels," Moonbloom added. There was a gasp from those in earshot of the doctor. "I remember the cookbook…dozens of Trolls were taken in the middle of the year…and Peppy…he'd just been crowned…and just like his mother…he wanted us to pretend it wasn't happening."

"Why?!" Cooper gasped.

"That's just how it was. How it still is. We don't talk about things that make us sad…," she sighed. "And we definitely don't talk about Dyna and Alice…"

"Who?" Smidge whispered.

"Trolls from outside. Dyna was…she wasn't a Glitter Troll, but she was sparkly…I barely remember her, but I remember Alice. She was Branch's mom. Very short tempered, but that wasn't surprising when she'd been trapped in the cage with us. I vaguely remember her coming to the clinic when I was a young doctor…injured and feverish. In her delirium, she spoke of a volcano and a daughter. They only had sons."

"So…they were separated from a child…?" someone gasped and Moonbloom nodded.

"When we were getting ready for the Escape, a boulder was removed from the top of the Tree to reveal already dug and stable tunnels…and little Branch…who we'd been led to believe died with his grandmother, was camped out and Grey…"

"Branch had brothers…?" Cooper prompted, jumping up.

"Four of them…John Dory, Spruce, Clay, and Floyd…"

"I kinda remember them," DJ spoke up. "My dad worked lights for their concerts…and babysat Branch after they were gone…I thought they died but…Floyd was here. And Branch…"

"Rosiepuff was taken several months before the last Trollstice…," DJ's dad sighed. "And Peppy--" he broke off. "It's just frustrating…"

"Floyd and Clay were my friends…," Milton spoke up. "I always believed that Floyd escaped that night…but Clay would never talk about what happened with his brothers. Neither would Viva. And then they never came out of the Tunnels…"

"Maybe they got out that branched off tunnel?" Kayla, Creek's mom, mumbled.

It continued like that and the Trollings started making the cards.

DJ had regrets. She'd spoken up for Branch a few times, but never insistently or loud. She was never heard. She felt like she could have done more to defend her childhood friend. Of course…it had taken her years to realize that the Branch her dad babysat sometimes and Grey Branch, were the same Troll.

Hard to connect the colourless loner of the village…paranoid (rightfully so) hermit…with Bitty B. The Branch she knew in the Tree had been energetic and loud…with a singing voice that could put adults to shame. And by the time she connected the dots…it was too late.

The village shunned him, the king ignored his existence except when he had an episode and Peppy had to 'smooth over' the incident.

But…the guys seemed to be friends with him again. Maybe she could do the same. More than friends, he was her godbrother in all technicality.

She was still one of the only Trolls that knew exactly who the members of Kismet were. Maybe that might have meant something.

She'd have to ask if when they got back.

They had to get back safely. Not just her friends but her baby brother…

"You know, he probably only opened up the bunker to prove how unprepared we were…," someone griped at one point and DJ snapped.

The Treasure Troll marched right up to them and grabbed them by the collar. Usually, she didn't like to make waves or speak out. But she'd had enough.

"Branch and Poppy tried to stop that Bergen!" she snapped. "He opened up his home to us when he has every right to let us fend for ourselves! After the way almost the entire village has treated him the last twenty years…after every mean comment or hateful look…tearing him down because he's suffering?" she demanded and let them go. "Even some of us who remember…I remember when he was blue. We don't talk about what makes us sad and that erases the people that we lost. That may have survived."

She paused, tears welling in her eyes.

"If Poppy…and Branch and Floyd and Trickee…if they hadn't--" she choked. "Poppy and Trickee fought for us. Like literally fought a Bergen for us. Hype, Boom, and Ablaze fought for us. If King Peppy had his way, we would have run…our friends," she sobbed. "My baby brother…Peppy would have had us try and forget about them. They're out there, risking their lives…Branch…who has every reason to have left us for dead…every reason to literally only be concerned about saving his friends…every reason…and you know why? Because he's a good guy, he's out there fighting to keep us safe…even before this…"

A hand connected with her shoulder, big and strong. Probably her dad. Or one of the Trolls that had been sticking up for Branch. Trolls that were braver than DJ.

She ran to a corner and sobbed. Part of her insisted that she shouldn't have said some of those things. Especially about the king. But it was true. One of the Trolls that didn't make it out of the Tunnels…was his daughter. And Poppy didn't even know about her sister because Peppy…the whole village lied about the escape.

Cooper was conflicted. And he was the only one that got nosey. Hey, he thought he saw glitter. In the home of someone who notoriously hates glitter? He had to check it out.

There was a room with all sorts of stuff, a sparkly photo included. He found a scrapbook and flipped it open.

Parents. Branch had parents. And brothers. Lots of brothers by the look of it. Something in him ached at that idea.

Some of the baby Trolls in the pictures…had wings. The last baby picture…he assumed it was Branch. DJ and Smidge said he used to be blue. The baby had wings.

But…Branch didn't have wings, right?

Actually…in most of the pictures his brothers didn't seem to have wings, despite having them as babies. Did they hide them? There were Trolls with wings out there…

Cooper looked at his own feet. Were there Trolls out there that looked like him?

He got to the end of the scrapbook and frowned. There was a note, a song maybe? There were notes about music. And the tempo written before the lyrics was slower than anything Cooper had heard.

You were my sun

You were my earth

Oh, this was a sad song, he could already tell.

But you didn't know all the ways I loved you, no

So, you took a chance

And made other plans

But I bet you didn't think that they would come crashing down, no

You don't have to say what you did

I already know, I found out from him

Now there's just no chance for you and me

There'll never be

And don't it make you sad about it

You told me you loved me

Why did you leave me all alone

Now you tell me you need me

When you call on the radio

Girl, I refuse

You must have me confused

With some other guy

The bridges were burned

Now it's your turn

To cry

Cooper frowned. This seemed to be talking about a girlfriend, but with what he'd heard and the photos in this scrapbook…something bad happened with some of his brothers.

Cry me a river

(x4, echo with guys)

Know that they say

That some things are better left unsaid

It wasn't like you only talked to him and you know it

(Don't act like you don't know it)

All of these things people told me

Keep messing with my head

(Messing with my head)

Should've picked honesty

Then you may not have blown it

You don't have to say (Don't have to say), what you did (what you did)

I already know (I already know), I found out from him

Now there's just no chance (no chance), for you and me (you and me)

(Chorus)

So, cry me a river (Go on and just)

(x4)

(Spoken:) The damage is done

(Spoken:) So I guess I'll be leaving

(x4)

(Improv)

And then Cooper noticed another note, reading never again I'm a curse music is a curse.

This…was written before the village. When Branch went Grey. Cooper remembered just…agreeing when people told him that to his face. He called Branch a 'party pooper'…on multiple occasions.

Now that he thought about it, he'd agreed with and said a lot of mean things to Branch. He should apologize when Branch gets back to the village.

Chapter Text

Poppy gathered everyone in the plaza. And it felt like a stone dropped in her stomach as she couldn't spot Creek anywhere.

"Poppy," Smidge started, hopping up onto the mushroom she was using to see over the crowd. "Where's Creek?"

"He…wasn't in the bunker?" she asked, hopeful. Smidge shook her head.

"We thought he was taken with the others."

"He was never at the party," she sighed. "I thought he was going to the bunker when I bumped into him before we left…"

"Then…where is he…?" Smidge muttered.

"That…is a good question…," Poppy groaned. That fabric at the river…

"Poppy…?"

"It's nothing," she assured. "Just thinking. You guys didn't leave the bunker a glittery mess for Branch to deal with…did you?"

"Nope," Smidge assured. "And it wasn't even me or Fuzzbert that kept everyone from going crazy down there! Several of the older folks…like AJ and Torrent…oh and Kayla. You know, Creek's mom?"

"Okay then," Poppy sighed. Then she turned to the anxious Trolls. "Listen up everyone! I have good news! We are officially and truly safe from the Bergens! The Bergen King has officially outlawed the hunting and eating of Trolls," she told them and there was cheering before she lifted a hand to quiet them. "Onto the state of the village. We're gonna have some help rebuilding later today. And don't freak out when you see them, because they're gonna look a lot different than what we're used to. But first, we need to organize!"

She divided them into teams, pulling up pods, removing debris…general cleanup. And by lunch they had the knife gone at least.

Just in time for a blue and yellow armadillo bus to pull up to the area. Poppy waved as the crew of travellers piled out of the critter.

"Hi! Thanks for coming to help," she greeted them. "I'm Princess Poppy."

"Nice to meetcha," one of the Country Trolls greeted. "Ah'm Emmaline. An' this here's my crew. This…is quite the mess."

Four other Trolls stepped forward and looked around.

"I'm Maya," the olive Treasure Troll introduced. Someone rushed out of the crowd. "Jade? Oh my gosh you're okay!"

"I was going to say the same thing! Where's Kaya?"

The girl rubbed her arm and shook her head.

"Oh no…," Poppy gasped. "You lost someone during the Escape? Maybe I can help. After we rebuild, me and a few friends are gonna go look for the Trolls that got separated--"

"She can't be found…," Maya sighed. "My sister…died in the cave in."

"I'm so sorry…"

"Yeah…little four-year-old me couldn't go with everyone…," she sighed. "But it's great to see that most of the tribe is okay."

"I'm Frej," the Classical Troll greeted. "And this is Laya," she hovered by a copper Glitter Troll.

"And I'm April," the other Country Troll greeted.

A caterbus pulled up just then and another Country Troll hopped out.

"Hey MJ!" John Dory greeted. Poppy giggled and went back to her mushroom.

"All right! Let's eat lunch and then we can get really started!" she called.

By the end of the day, they got the fallen tree moved. And she was sad to see that it fell in the same direction…Hype and Ablaze's house was destroyed. Poppy encouraged everyone who's pod was downed to sleep over with friends who still had their homes intact. And then she headed towards the bunker.

"Going to check on him?" Trickee asked, suddenly walking with her.

"Yeah…you?"

"He's my brother and best friend," he shrugged. "Twenty years of him stubbornly pushing me away doesn't change that. And the guys are meeting at my house in a little while, if you wanna join."

"House?" she laughed. She'd known about Hype and Ablaze, but Trickee had a house too?

"Yeah. I have a little house on the ground. On the other side of the village."

"Oh, cool. I knew about the others. I've even been in Boom's pod," she sighed. "Well, we'll just have to get their house rebuilt!" she laughed as they got to the bunker. She bent and knocked on the trapdoor.

"Go away!" Branch called, though he didn't sound nearly as grumpy as usual. Just tired. Poppy sighed and looked at Trickee. He shrugged.

"Okay," Poppy said brightly. "We just wanted to check up on you."

"And I wanted to throw out there that me and the guys are meeting up at my house, if…you wanna join," Trickee added.

Branch slid the view hole open and looked at them. He definitely looked exhausted.

"Well…I'm fine. And I'd rather be alone for a while…maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" he mumbled.

"I get that. See you tomorrow," Trickee laughed before starting off. "Poppy, you coming?"

"In a minute," she assured. Trickee smirked and left. "Branch…you're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Pops," he sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right. Well, if you change your mind…you know how to find me," she said lightly and got up to leave.

"Night."

"Night," she echoed before heading after Trickee. "So…what do you guys have planned?"

"Well, it's Branch's birthday in a couple days. We usually get together and figure out a gift for him," he shrugged.

"Oh right!" she gasped. "I can't believe I lost track of the date…I wonder if his siblings realize…"

"They're his family. I'd hope so."

They got to a log cabin, with a nice view of the lake. Poppy whistled in appreciation. It must have taken him a while to get this built. Hype, Boom and Ablaze were already waiting for them.

Branch actually slept soundly for once. Not a single nightmare. And he slept well into the morning. When he finally woke up, he actually felt rested for once. And a glance at his grumble clock told him it was close to lunch. But the date on his little automatic marker showed that he'd slept through two entire days. He was a little surprised at that. But…he supposed he was just that tired.

"All right…that happened…what to do now…winter stocking…see if anyone wants my help with rebuilding the village…if they're still rebuilding at this point…," he mumbled to himself as he headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. There were at least three groups of travellers coming to help, and maybe there could have been more, or even someone from the other tribes answered the call for help.

And as he got the water going, he realized what day it was. His birthday…with what they just dealt with…would anyone realize? And he'd never had a birthday with any of his brothers.

Maybe he should do something. This was the first time in twenty years he actually kind of wanted to do something for his birthday. Right up there along with his suddenly resurging urge to sing.

Speaking of singing…how had he slept through the usual singing and partying? He shrugged it off and started planning for the day. He wouldn't have much time for winter stocking…and Poppy had assured him that he wasn't expected to help repair the village that shunned him.

Plus, with it being his birthday he kind of wanted to have a small party…just with his family and friends. Maybe he had time to get what he needed for a cake, at the very least. He thought he remembered the recipe for that cake Bruce had made so many years ago…JD and Floyd would appreciate that. Heck, maybe he could get help from Maya.

Either way, he made himself some lunch after he got some caffeine in his system. Then, he grabbed his backpack and got ready for an afternoon of gathering. And just as he was about to leave, a light knocking came from the rock. Trickee and Poppy knocked on the trapdoor, so this was a Troll who'd never been here. He sighed and peeked outside to see his sister rocking on her feet.

"What do you want, Maya?" he sighed, climbing out.

"Oh! That's the door? I thought it was just a mat," she laughed. "I figured you may want some help with stuff?"

"Well…it would go faster with help…," he admitted, getting up and locking up behind himself. "But you probably won't like what I have planned…"

"Branch," she said gently. "I just want to get to know you. I know I'm a pretty…high energy Troll…but I've spent a good chunk of my life on the road, from the look of that pack, you're going foraging?"

"Yeah. Winter supplies…," he sighed. "I don't like getting out much when winter hits."

Maybe that might change this year. He was in new territory, having gotten his colour back.

"That tracks. We usually hunker down near Rock City during the winter," she noted as he started walking, pulling out his checklist. "It's too hot for Avery in the volcano, but it's warm enough at the base of the mountain to be comfortable for both him and Rhonda."

"It's not the cold that I don't like…it's the parties and…everything," he tried to explain. Had anyone told her that until a few days ago he was Grey?

"I can get that. Our cousin, Riff, he's actually about your age and a major bookworm…I think working on his second degree right now? He doesn't really like being stuck in social situations," she laughed. "So, I get not being all that social…You know, JD doesn't like crowds anymore either."

"I guess you're a bit of an odd group then…? If he doesn't like crowds and you're 'high energy'?" he guessed. He hadn't gotten a good read on Avery, so he couldn't say how his brother-in-law fit into the dynamic.

"Yeah," she giggled. "Avery's a really go with the flow kinda guy, most hippies are. So, he kinda balances us out," she noted. "What about you? Besides not liking the party stuff…what do you do for fun?"

That gave him pause and he turned his attention to his list. They needed to get to the river for water, there was a holly bush near there he could get leaves from…and his collection of other herbs had been seriously dwindled. All of those were on the way to the river. And he should tap a tree for sap to work on those rooms…

"Branch?"

"Oh uh…," he mumbled. "Puzzles? And…," he trailed off. Was this fun? If he really found this stuff fun…shouldn't his colours have come back years ago? That's what people claimed, at least…

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm…guessing no one told you?"

"Told me…what?"

He took a deep breath and paused at a tree that looked good for getting plenty of sap. He stopped at that one and got out one of the jars and some rope. Keeping his hands busy made it a little easier to form the words.

He'd spent most of his life Grey and miserable. That was something his siblings would have to know about and come to terms with. He wondered if JD even knew. He probably did. He could tell Floyd felt a lot of guilt over it and would have told John. But…he didn't even know if other Trolls could fade to Grey.

"I don't even know if you'd understand…," he admitted as he strapped the jar to the tree. "It might be a Pop thing…"

"My best friend is a Pop Troll, and my little brothers are part Pop…try me," she said gently as he hammered a tap into the tree.

"I…," he trailed off, looking at his muted fur. He was still getting used to that, actually. "A few months before the Escape…I faded…"

"Oh, yeah…that's not a 'Pop thing'," Maya encouraged. "It just happens more with Pop…the whole toxic positivity thing. Most everyone else just has…therapy and stuff. Better ways to deal with it. And I know it hits everyone different. Like, I think part of why we never connected 'Coda Rose' as being Floyd was because he was Grey when we caught one of his shows…"

"Until a few days ago I didn't even have the urge to hum…," he sighed, setting up another jar and tap. "I don't know…I thought it was just because I wasn't happy and…if I really found something fun, I would have gotten my colours back years ago…right?"

"Not necessarily," Maya sighed as they moved on. "Look, I actually have a degree in psychology and not to brag…but my thesis was all about turning Grey…there have even been Trolls who went Grey due a serious injury rather than emotions…what happened?"

So, he told her. How for years he blamed himself for his brothers leaving. He had been the one to topple the pyramid after all. And then how he got Grandma killed…that fear that somehow, he would be responsible for the guys getting hurt too.

Sure, he realized now that none of it was really his fault. But that didn't change years of thinking he was the problem…specifically his singing.

Maya nodded slowly as he filled bags with herbs on the way to the river.

"Okay, well going Grey can be for any reason…depression, unresolved trauma…guilt. But it's hardly ever as easy as just being happy again. Having fun doesn't mean you're happy…or that the weight is lifted."

Weight…that was a good way to put it. When his colours came back, it did feel like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Can you help me with the holly bush?" he asked as they got to the bush.

"Sure," she laughed. "What do you need?"

"Just a few leaves…all these that I can reach look a little too dead to be useful. You can fly…right?" Branch added as an afterthought. That would be embarrassing if he just assumed his sister could fly when her wings may well have been for show…but she nodded in response.

"What am I looking for?" she asked.

"The ones that have buds at the base of the bundle," he sighed.

"Got it," she laughed and flew up to grab a few bundles of leaves carefully. "This enough?" she called, showing off the armful of leaves she'd gathered.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"So…," she landed beside him and put the leaves in his backpack. "You like this stuff? Gathering supplies and like…botany and stuff?"

"I guess…it's just how I've survived for the last twenty years…"

"No one even…tried to help you after your grandma died…?"

"No adults…," he mumbled, checking the list and marking off what they'd gotten. "All right…I just need some water and…okay this is embarrassing but I don't have the recipe…and I was too busy throwing frosting at Bruce to pay attention…of course I was barely ten months old at the time…," he chuckled at the memory.

"Oh, are you talking about that cake? In the last photos before…," she trailed off, pulling out a bedazzled yellow scrapbook and flipping to a page. She showed him the photo and he nodded a little.

"How…?"

"Rosiepuff made this for me…we found it the first time we went to the Tree. Well, I found it. After we found Clay's sweatband and JD almost went Grey…he went back to Rita, our bus at the time, and I went back to look for any hints at what happened…," she laughed a little and showed him the book. "In her note she said she wasn't sure if I would get to meet any of you before I somehow got this…so she put a little bit of everything so I could get to know my brothers…and JD told me about the cake that you guys tried to make. Thing is…unless there's a lava pit around here--"

"There is," he gasped, cutting her off. "After I get this water and everything back to the bunker, we can go there."

"Nice," she laughed and they finished his list quickly and he checked the sap jars before they headed back to the bunker to drop everything off. He led her to the lava pit and she cannonballed into the lava. "Come on Branch!"

"Uh…I'm not a Rock Troll?"

"But you're half Rock," she reminded him. "You're just as lava-proof as I am. The lava resistance doesn't fade until like the third generation without additional Rock family members."

Branch paused and stripped off his vest, just in case, and jumped in after his sister. It was hot, but not unbearably so. Then, he noticed that Maya was a completely different colour and glowing. A glance at his own hand showed dark swirling lines snaking up his fur. That had never happened. But he saw it with other Trolls…maybe it was just something else that his Greyness stopped.

"All right, what are we looking for?"

"You'll see. You've been swimming in fresh water, right?" she asked and he nodded dumbly. "All right, swimming in Lava's a little different, but kinda the same? And, here," she pulled a pair of goggles out of her hair and offered them. He took them and she put on another pair. "So, you can see better down there."

"How long can you hold your breath?" he asked, pulling the goggles on.

"I don't need to in Lava. Rock Trolls are kinda like Techno…sort of amphibious," she explained. "I've never taken JD diving, so I don't know if it applies to you guys…let's try it? Just stay close and if you can't breathe in the lava, there's no shame in going up for air."

Maya dove under the lava and Branch took a deep breath, just in case, before following after her. He was the first one she was doing this with. After twenty odd years travelling with JD, she never went diving with him?

As they went deeper into the lava, Branch's lungs started burning from holding his breath. He tapped Maya's shoulder and gestured up.

"All right, I'll get the stuff we need and meet you up there," she assured, and he blinked. "Yeah, I can talk down here," she giggled. "Go, before you pass out or something," she urged, pushing him towards the surface.

Branch swam for the surface, but before he got there, his mouth opened in a reflexive gasp for air. He started to panic, a gasping scream caught in his throat, but stopped as he realized that the gasp for air hadn't drawn burning lava into his lungs. Well, it had, but not in the same way as accidentally 'breathing' water or even dirt. It was just like…warm air.

"Huh…," he mumbled and laughed a bit. Then he swam back down to Maya, who was already combing the floor of the pit.

"You okay?" she asked, plucking a rock out of the floor and inspecting it.

"Yeah…I guess I can breathe down here," he laughed.

"Sweet. So, for Mom's famous Lava Cake that you guys tried to recreate, you need cake rocks," she giggled, putting the rock down and moving to another patch. "They grow in spades at the volcano, but I guess they're in short supply here. They're kinda spongy and either purple or black," she told him. He joined her search.

And one of the first rocks he checked was a vibrant purple, and surprisingly soft to the touch.

"Like these?" he asked and she swam over to check.

"Exactly like those!" his sister cheered. "Now, we need one other thing from down here: snap dragons."

"Oh, I know those…but Meadow grows them in her garden…no lava required."

"Then they're not the right kind of snap dragons. I think I see some over there," she sighed and led him to a patch of glowing flowers. "And see those over there? Those look like Lava Blooms," she pointed out some flowers partially encased in a rock. "Don't mess with those. They're kinda like the poison ivy of lava…"

"Noted…," he chuckled as they gathered up flowers and rocks. "So, what else do we need for the cake?"

"A few things we can get in the village. Unless you have flour, sugar and cayenne on hand…?"

"Wait, cayenne?"

"Oh, and I'll need to make some lava paste…I'll need a few tomatoes and a fire safe pot…"

"Okay…I'm beginning to think Bruce got the entire recipe wrong…"

"Mom probably adjusted for what she could get in the Tree," Maya sighed. "This'll be the real deal…Mom used to make it for me and the cousins all the time…it's my favourite dessert. And one of my favourite things to do was go diving with Mother to get ingredients…so thanks for suggesting the cake."

"I was just thinking it might be nice to make…"

"Especially for your birthday?" she guessed. "That's part of why I wanted to hang out you know…besides to get to know my baby brother."

"You…know…?"

"Eight days after Trollstice," she recited. "November fourth. I know all my brother's birthdays. Mine's on August tenth."

"That…would be great to know if I understood that…I vaguely remember we had a translated calendar, but I left it at the Pod…"

"Oh right…Pop uses a different calendar than the other tribes. I'll show you our calendar after we get the cake done."

And then, they were off to the market to get the rest of what they needed for the cake.

Chapter Text

Without fail, there was Morning Song. Poppy heard it through the walls of Trickee's cabin and blearily went out to check it out. Especially since it didn't give the same sort of energy or vibes as the usual Morning Songs. This felt more like a concert that happened to be in the morning. There were no lyrics yet, just a calm wakeup call with the instruments. It was refreshing.

And it had the sombre tones of Country. She got to the plaza as Frej was drawing out a note on her violin. So, Emmaline's crew was performing.

I was sure by now

Oh, You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

Emmaline started singing as Trolls gathered to listen, wiping sleep from their eyes.

And once again

I say, "A-men" and it's still rainin'

But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

Laya sang, pressing a button on her keyboard to add a gentle drum. No one seemed upset by the gentle tune, which was a good sign.

And as Your mercy falls

I'll raise my hands and praise the One who gives

And takes away

Em added, stepping up to centre stage.

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

The crew harmonized together, Frej pausing in her violin playing while Laya pressed another button to play a recording of the violin.

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

April sang while the others echoed a gentle vocalization. Frej went back to playing and Laya stopped the recording, flawlessly switching from recording to active playing. Poppy was impressed with that…

I remember when I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry, You raised me up again

But my strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You?

Em stepped forward to sing again.

But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

Emmaline put a hand on Em's shoulder as she sang. The whole crew repeated the chorus, though this time Frej continued playing her violin, the chords building to something.

"Where does my help come from?" April asked and all the instruments stopped. Not even in the way that most instruments faded out, no…they managed to completely silence them instantly.

"My help comes from above," Laya responded, lifting a hand as if she were about to start counting down. "The makers of heaven and earth."

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Frej sang, patting her violin like a drum before she lifted her bow to the sky.

"Where does my help come from?" Emmaline asked, joining the others in lifting her hand.

"My help comes from above," Laya repeated, waving her hand gently. "The makers of heaven and earth!" she called, stronger.

They repeated that a few more times, prompting the gathered Trolls to mimic the gentle waving of hands, and some emotional hugging. The silence in the plaza was somehow louder than anything Poppy had experienced.

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

Em sang strongly into the silence.

No matter where I am

Laya sang in a familiar sort of autotune, hitting a strong chord on her keyboard.

Every tear I've cried

Frej sang before lowering her bow to play equally powerful notes. Poppy could see a few well needed tears being shed, like the return of the music had opened a dam for her Trolls.

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

Emmaline gave a serious look towards Poppy.

Though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

The crew harmonized.

And though my heart is torn

Em lifted her voice, turning the last word into an aria.

Though my heart is torn

Laya echoed with a lower aria.

I'll praise You in this storm

April sang, giving a gentle alto aria.

Praise You in this storm

Emmaline echoed, drawing out the last note as Laya stopped her keyboard and Frej drew out a note to match.

Hug Time Bracelets promptly went off and everyone was hugging. But unlike their usual Hug Time, this seemed…genuine. They weren't hugging simply because it was what they do…or because that was what time it was. But because everyone was genuinely touched by the performance and somehow their pent-up distress and emotions from the last few days were released. By a different kind of music.

She hopped up onto the stage and nodded to Emmaline.

"Thanks for that…," she mumbled. "It looks like they needed it."

"Well, they've been through a lot, I figure…sometimes people don't even realize they need a sad sounding song to uplift them," Emmaline said lightly. Poppy nodded and waited for the hugging to end.

"When everyone's ready, we should all get breakfast if you haven't already eaten," Poppy called out to them. "And then divide into the teams we established yesterday and get back to work! More help should be getting here sometime today."

Everyone gave an enthusiastic cheer and went off to do as she instructed. That taken care of, she went to the bunker. She could help Branch with restocking…

She knocked gently on the trapdoor and waited for a response. Not even the rumbling of the lift. Poppy frowned and knocked again, a little louder. Still no response.

Worried, she unlocked the door carefully and went inside. She hated to force her way in, but the lack of response was concerning. She didn't even smell any coffee or the leftover smells of him making his breakfast. Signs that he wasn't answering because he wasn't even home.

"Branch?" she called quietly, walking over to the lift shaft. The platform was somewhere below, so she jumped down, catching herself with her hair to lower herself safely. And there was the platform, at his bedroom.

And there he was, curled up in his bed, fast asleep and looking surprisingly peaceful. She smiled a little and went to check on him. He didn't have a fever, so he probably was just exhausted from the last few days. Poppy gently pulled his covers up and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well, Branch," she whispered before leaving the bunker and locking up. She spotted the guys on the approach and she rushed to them. "He's sleeping," she warned.

"Aw…I was gonna pick his brain about our house," Ablaze sighed.

"Well, Floyd spent a lot of time in Lonesome Flats helping with that stuff…," she pointed out. "Maybe he'd be willing to help?"

They spent the rest of the day lifting pods. Poppy even made a checklist and colour coded chart. Karma-3 arrived at dinner and the Pop Trolls marvelled at Geraldine's size. She was definitely a unit of a Country Troll. After introducing herself to them and showing off her chart, she invited them to pick whatever they wanted to help with.

"Thanks again for coming to help," she sighed. "And checking for the source of my stupid firework…"

Over dinner, she told the travellers about what happened, down to her acts of violence. They were impressed and even applauded her for how things turned out. When everyone disbursed for bed, she went to check on Branch.

Again, there was no response when she knocked, and there was no outward sign that he was awake, so she went into the bunker quietly. The lift was still by his bedroom and he was still in bed, in almost the same position she'd found him in that morning.

The princess sighed and checked him again. Still no fever, so she fixed his blanket and started to leave. This time he unconsciously grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go.

She shook her head and crawled carefully into the bed with him. As she settled in, she kissed him softly and hummed a gentle tune.

She woke to the grumble clock crowing five o' clock, tangled in a blanket burrito and Branch's strong arms. She smiled.

"Branch…," she whispered, trying to coax him awake. He only tightened his hold on her. She freed an arm carefully and cupped his face gently. "Branch…we need to get up…," she tried again.

Still no sign of him waking, and she soon fell back to sleep. And she woke again around lunch time. She tried to rouse Branch again.

He only rolled over, mumbling a song in his sleep.

"Branchifer…," she whined quietly. He didn't respond, except to pull the blanket further around himself. Poppy shook her head and got out of bed. "Well…you have to get up eventually…"

Maybe the smell of coffee would wake him up. It worked a lot in the dream…she went down to the kitchen and got the coffee going.

I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation

Living in the past, it's a new generation

A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do

An' I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation

She started singing, thinking of one of Barb's favourite songs. She really wanted to build that friendship the right way.

Oh no, not me

An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation

As she sang and the water heated, she got some food started. Just enough for herself…just in case he wasn't tempted by the smells to get out of bed.

Never said I wanted to improve my station

An' I'm only doin' good when I'm havin' fun

An' I don't have to please no one

An' I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation

Poppy belted the lyrics, moving to get some bacon out of the cold closet.

Oh no, no, no, no not me, oh no, no, no, no not me

She banged her head a bit as she grabbed the pan and got the bacon going.

I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation

I've never been afraid of any deviation

An' I don't really care if you think I'm strange

Lost in the song, she bustled around the kitchen, frying up the bacon and finishing up the coffee.

By the time she finished cooking and singing, there was no sign that Branch was getting up. How had he slept through her belting out a rock anthem?! Huffing, she sat down to eat. Still nothing when she was done. Even after she had the kitchen cleaned up from her late breakfast, he still hadn't come down, so she went back to his room and checked on him. He'd rolled over again, but that was the only change.

Poppy kissed him lightly, fixed the blanket and left the platform where it was, climbing up the shaft to leave the bunker. Trickee was on the approach.

"There you are…he still asleep?" He laughed.

"Yeah…I overslept and he didn't even wake up when I made coffee…that's usually enough…," she trailed off. "I guess he's just really tired…I was belting out a rock anthem while I was cooking and he just rolled over."

"Wow…well, hopefully he'll be awake tomorrow…," he sighed.

"So, were you looking for me?" Poppy asked as they headed back towards the village.

"Just about everyone was," Trickee shrugged. "But they got sorted. I personally figured you were at the bunker or helping Branch with something. You two were practically attached at the hip on the road…"

She blushed a little.

"I can't help it…I love him," she mumbled.

There was a rumbling and Poppy jumped into a tree to look for the source of the noise. There was an angler bus on the approach!

"What do you see?" Trickee asked, jumping into the tree after her. She pointed at the critter heading their way. "What the heck is that…?"

"It's an angler bus," she laughed. "I don't know of any travellers that use them…but they're from Volcano Rock City! Oh my gosh what if it's Barb?!" she gasped and swung through the trees to get their attention. "Hey!"

A door on the side of the critter opened and a familiar Rock Troll hopped out.

"Where can we park?" Barb called.

"This way!" she shouted, pointing towards where the other critters were parked. "Everyone else has parked on the other side of the plaza."

She led them to the makeshift parking area. And when the critter settled, several Rock Trolls piled out. Poppy especially recognized Carol, Riff, and Sid. And then, she saw Rage, Rip, and Bridge.

"You still need help rebuilding?" Bridge asked.

"We can always use some extra hands," Poppy giggled. Especially since she had plans to build some extra protections. "I'm Princess Poppy."

"I'm…Barb," Barb introduced herself. "I…guess it's good to meetcha."

"Nice to meet you too!" she crowed. "Are you guys hungry? I think--" she broke off as her Hug Time Bracelet went off. "Ugh…I really need a proper watch…I think it's lunch time? If not, we probably have some stuff?"

"Nah, we ate on the way," Barb assured. "What the hell was that?"

"Hug Time," Poppy sighed. "It's an hourly thing…but you guys don't have to worry about it. Everyone knows that if you're not wearing one of these," she showed off her Hug Time Bracelet. "You're not someone to force a hug on." She's made sure of that.

"You have meaningless hugs every hour on the hour?" Carol groaned.

"Yeah…it's something I'm gonna work on when I become queen," she shrugged. "Anyways, let me show you around? I need to check on everyone anyways…"

"That sounds good," Bridge laughed. "Though I'm curious…is there a Troll named Branch here?"

"Yep. He's sleeping right now…but when he comes out of the bunker, I'll definitely introduce you to him."

"We heard an angler bus coming and--hey, guys!" John Dory laughed, running to hug his aunt and uncles. "Poppyseed, this is my Aunt Bridge, her kid Riff…Uncle Rage and Rip…and uh…"

"Carol," Carol waved a little.

"So…you came to help?" John asked.

"Dad thought it would be a good idea," Barb groused.

"Well, like I said, extra hands are always appreciated. I think we might have most of the pods back up?"

"The ones that weren't completely destroyed…," John sighed.

"Pods…?" Barb questioned.

"They're plants that Pop Trolls live in up in the trees," Riff piped in.

Poppy led them through the village.

"We can grow new pods…but for now, we can get some shelters built," Poppy mused. "I'll have to add that to the chart. We have a lot going on that you guys can help with. JD have you seen my dad?"

"He's in his pod sulking. Probably about everyone who's helping," John rolled his eyes. "Racist prick…"

"I know," she moaned. "And I know he's not going to like you guys being here. I don't care. I'm about to be queen and I'm in charge of getting the village back in order. He's certainly not doing anything. He wanted to uproot everyone and run away again! Honestly with how he is, he'd probably finally take us to Hole 'N Fun. Heaven knows it's been long enough…"

"Okay…no love there…," Bridge laughed nervously.

"After I found out what he did to Dyna and Alice, can you blame me? He may be content living in fear and fake positivity, but I'm not," she grumbled. "I do love my dad, it's just…I'm really mad at him still."

"Princess!" someone called and she looked to see Geraldine trotting towards them. "Can you please come tell these hoodlums that glitter is not a construction material?"

"JD, can you finish showing them around?" she asked and barely waited for him to nod at her before she went with Geraldine.

Sure enough, a large wall was being put together and Glitter Trolls kept trying to use their glitter as a way to nail the wood together. It was not working.

"Hey Poppy!" someone greeted.

"Guys…that's not gonna work…are we out of proper materials? Have we raided Funtime yet? I know Sky Toronto has stuff in the factory that would work better than glitter…," she groaned. "Glitter is decoration, not meant to hold things together!"

John Dory shook his head as Poppy hurried off with Geraldine.

"Yeah…glitter's been a problem the last couple of days…," he laughed.

"It's glitter," Barb snarked. He shrugged and led them to the place they were using as a planning space. A hollowed-out tree stump.

There were charts everywhere, blueprint workups, security plans…most of which was drawn up their first night back by Poppy and Branch's friends…

"Wow…who knew Pop Trolls could be this thorough…," Barb laughed.

"Barbara," Bridge chided as they started looking over everything.

"Yeah, no…a lot of them are just like Barb's imagining…just not Poppy. There are a few others…like most of these she worked up with Branch's friends…," he shrugged.

Chapter Text

Floyd kept himself busy, helping where he could. Sure, he went to check on Branch, but the bunker was locked when he went and there was no answer. He didn't know how to unlock it, and he wasn't about to go into his brother's home without permission.

And more help kept arriving. They'd have the village rebuilt and Poppy's security plans up and running before the end of the week at this rate. Most recently, a team from Rock City showed up. His aunt and a couple of uncles and cousins, including Princess Barb.

What he found interesting, watching the Pop Trolls, was how they reacted to the outsiders. Curious and genuinely interested in other cultures and music. Meanwhile, Peppy holed up in his pod avoiding everything.

Two days of rebuilding passed and he realized that it was Branch's birthday.

"You realize what day it is?" he gasped, rushing up to his siblings at breakfast.

"Uh…Monday?" JD guessed.

"It's Branch's birthday!" Maya gasped. "We should throw a party for him!"

"As long as it's small…," he agreed. "He's not a big party guy. Just family. We've never been with him for his birthday," he sighed.

"We should talk to Poppy and his friends and see if they have anything planned," John laughed. So, they finished breakfast and went to find Poppy.

She was in the hollowed-out tree stump that he'd heard Poppy jokingly call 'the dungeon'. She was munching on a bagel while she updated her charts.

"Morning, guys!" she greeted without turning. "Branch is still in bed, if you're looking for him…"

"We were looking for you," Floyd sighed. "It's his birthday, and--"

"Do you guys have any plans?" JD cut in.

"Of course we're gonna throw him a party," she giggled. "Just family though…we're gonna go out to Trickee's house. Play some rummy…maybe put together a puzzle. I'm just not sure about the cake…I know he likes your grandma's Fluffleberry cake but…I've had it and I…I love him but not enough to eat that thing."

"I've been meaning to try and spend some time with him," Maya piped in. "Oh, maybe he'd like Mom's Lava Cake!"

"All right. Maya, you're on 'distract Branch until the party' duty then!" Poppy giggled. "If he's not up by lunch come get me and I'll drag him out of bed."

"Got it," she giggled.

"Any ideas for a gift…?" JD asked.

"He likes puzzles, and he makes all his stuff. His clothes…furniture…everything," Poppy explained, turning to her charts. "Barb's about to storm in."

"What makes you--" Maya started.

"What the hell is up with this sugar water?!" Barb shouted, slamming the door open and brandishing an empty cup. Floyd blinked at his cousin.

"Heard her coming," Poppy laughed. "Try this, Barb," she pointed at an insulated cup sitting on the table. He hadn't even noticed it there. And it wasn't the only one.

Barb ran forward and sniffed experimentally.

"Is that cayenne I smell?" she asked in surprise, before sipping at the cup. "Oh, that's good."

"Yeah, the coffee stand around here brews sugar into the coffee, sometimes it's even too sweet for me. And that's saying something when one of my favourite things is raw sugar dipped in chocolate…"

Floyd sighed and looked at the charts. Maybe he could find something to give Branch while working on the village. He noticed that the design for the shelter looked like a windmill…did that have to do with Hole 'N Fun?

"What are the guys getting for him?" Floyd asked, getting back on the subject of the birthday.

"Fabric for some new shorts," she giggled. "At least…that's what Hype and Ablaze have for him. I'm not sure about Trickee and Boom."

"What's going on?" Barb asked, drinking the coffee.

"It's Branch's birthday," Poppy explained, turning to her charts. "We're having a little party this evening."

"Branch as in…?"

"Our baby brother," Maya giggled.

"Not sure I wanna check that out, even if he is my cousin…," Barb muttered. "What else is on the agenda for the day?"

"It's not gonna be a 'normal' Pop party," Poppy assured. "He's not a fan of…all that," she waved a hand in a circle. "And we're probably gonna be working on the shelter and a new library. We need to expand it since I'm gonna start moving everything from the Tree…"

Poppy started muttering to herself, uncapping a pink marker to add to her charts. Floyd sighed and went to find something to do.

Poppy fixed her charts and then turned to see that the only one left in the building with her was Barb. She smiled at the Rock princess.

"Something wrong, Barb?" she asked, capping a marker.

"Nah," Barb sighed. "Just curious…I always thought Pop was bland--"

"Bland, Repetitive, earworms?" she giggled. "Some of it is…really, with some of our music, if you've heard one song you've heard them all. And usually, we're loud and colourful and it's not a party without a metric ton of glitter and confetti…we have whole holidays dedicated to glitter and confetti!" she added. "I've seen people panic about glitter shortages…and for almost everyone, it's a major party foul if you host a party without glitter on every surface. Even if you personally don't like glitter…," she sighed.

"Yikes," Barb laughed. "I can't think of anything we're that obsessed with in my tribe…"

"I'm actually gonna encourage people to be less obsessed with it. There are Trolls that don't like glitter and have fun in other ways…Trolls have lost out on friends and have even been bullied over it. And I'm not okay with that."

They fell into a comfortable silence while Poppy worked on the plans. She absently started humming.

"Hey!" Barb gasped. "I know that song. You don't just listen to Pop?"

Poppy froze, trying to think of what she'd been humming. And comparing the songs she remembered that Barb loved to listen to.

"Oh," she mumbled, clearing her throat. "Yeah. Only recently though…there's only one shortwave in town and we barely got it working…Jetta lives in my head rent free now, though," she giggled. But then she almost sobered and cursed. They didn't have an economy that would warrant that phrase. Oh well, she could just say she picked it up from someone if Barb asked.

"Same!" Barb laughed. "Have--wait…if you just started listening to music from the other tribes…you probably haven't heard anything by my dad…"

"Probably not," she agreed. She had, but this was a thin line of things she could justify knowing. Poppy glanced at her charts and nodded. "I have everything set up so if anyone needs a new task, they can just check the charts…you wanna go listen to some stuff? I'd love to hear more Rock music."

"You're sure you don't have stuff? Like that party later?"

"I'm sure," she giggled. "It's at Trickee's house, so he and the guys are setting things up. And I'm always up for making new friends."

So, they went to the angler bus and Barb put some music on.

John Dory wasn't sure what to do for Branch. He'd realized very quickly that he didn't know his baby brother anymore. When Branch was a baby, it was one thing. It was easy to please him back then, dancing and singing…Croco. Back then, he just had the energy of a Troll who would be surrounded by friends, but now he seemed to be a loner…

"Babe?" Avery cut into his thoughts. "You okay?"

"It's been twenty-seven years…," he mumbled. "He's turning twenty-eight…he hadn't even had a birthday when I left. That was pretty much the only 'birthday present' any of us gave him…"

"Hey…what matters is you're here for him now," Avery encouraged.

"I have no idea what to get him."

"Well…we have a bunch of stuff," Avery sighed. "The chests…? Remember?"

Avery had a point. But the chests were Maya's idea. Twenty-seven missed birthdays and the presents to go with them. Most of them were handmade trinkets for his brothers…as he remembered them.

But they'd probably all changed just as much as Branch. According to Poppy's dream, Bruce even changed his name! Would Branch even appreciate that he'd spent all these years looking for him? Or care about the twenty-seven presents he never got to give him.

"I don't know Babe…he probably wouldn't like what I have in there…"

"There's only one way to find out," Avery encouraged, pulling him to Rhonda.

JD smiled weakly and dug out the faded and lopsided blue chest he'd made to hold the gifts. He opened the chest and ran a hand over the edge of it. Everything in it had a story, even the chest itself, same with the gifts for his other brothers.

Would any of them care about any of it? It was his fault they'd left. He broke their family. In Poppy's dream it had taken Floyd being in a life-or-death situation for them to finally talk again…if it had been John Dory in the same kind of situation, would they even care to try and save him?

Avery put a hand on his shoulder and JD nodded a little. This would have to do…

Branch took Maya and the ingredients they'd gathered back to the bunker. He took his sister down to the kitchen and started pulling things out. A long time ago, he'd tried to recreate Grandma's Fluffleberry Cake, so he had all the stuff they needed to bake a cake now.

"All right," Maya cheered as he got everything cleaned up. "So first we need to get the Lava Paste started…I have the recipe memorized, but I also have it written down back with my stuff in Rhonda," she explained. "I have Mom's whole cookbook."

She got the tomatoes prepped and tossed them into the fireproof pot with a few other things, listing off the ingredients and measurements as she went. Then she eyed the oven.

"I have a fire pit in the basement," he sighed. Maya sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Let me guess…can't leave it unattended?"

"We can but I'd rather not have to cart a hot ass pot back up here from the basement…," she laughed.

"Okay. Well…," he trailed off and looked around the kitchen. "We can set up in that corner."

Maya nodded and he went to get a little fire going over there. She promptly put the pot directly on the fire.

"In the volcano, we have lava-proof pots and just make the paste in the lava. Hence the name. Mom made this so often, we had a stash of paste prepared. She even jarred and sold it…and she made a killing off her cookbook. And stuff like the lava paste. No one could ever make her recipes exactly, because she had secret ingredients…oh! You'd probably love her Fluffleberry Cake."

"Fluffleberry Cake?" Branch gasped. "My grandma used to make me a Fluffleberry cake almost every week."

"It could be the same as Mom's recipe…we can check my recipe book…," Maya laughed. "Anyways, we can get everything else ready to mix while the lava paste is cooking. We need three bowls total."

Branch nodded and got the bowls, paying attention to how she measured everything and put it into the different bowls. He started mixing the sugar and cake rocks while she blended the dry ingredients.

"Wait…where do the Snap Dragons come in?" he gasped, realizing the flowers and a few other ingredients they'd got were missing from their mixes.

"The frosting," she said simply. Maya turned her attention to the fire and stirred the tomato mixture. "What we really need is a pepper that literally only grows in Rock City…the Reaper…Mom would use it instead of cayenne for us…but I don't know if any of your Pop friends could handle it…the joke is that it's so hot that it's like eating lava…Avery passed out after one bite when I gave him one to try."

"Yeah…I don't think that'd be a good idea," he chuckled. Maya pulled the pot off the fire and stomped out the flames. She immediately scooped the mix into the pan they were going to bake the cake in and squished everything better. "What now…?"

"We let this cool for a minute. Then we mix everything with the sugar and rock mix. Like in a dry, paste, stir, repeat…until it's all in one bowl and really clumpy. Like we want everything barely mixed here," Maya giggled. "While we're waiting, you have a mortar and pestle somewhere?"

"Yeah," he went to go get it from the cabinet. Maya dropped the petals from the snap dragons into the stone bowl and he started crushing them to a powder.

Maya mixed in the icing sugar and then got the chocolate melting on the stove.

Poppy actually really had fun with Barb, listening to Rock music in the angler bus. She was so different from how Poppy remembered in the dream. Some things were the same. Like Barb's disdain for Pop music and how she would destroy things when she was excited.

But whatever happened to make Barb want to get rid of all the music besides Rock clearly hadn't happened yet. She remembered it had something to do with Thrash's advisors. Oh well, it wasn't something that she should worry about. If she was friends with Barb, maybe it wouldn't matter.

"What time is that party?" Barb asked suddenly after a while. Poppy glanced at her Hug Time Bracelet automatically, but then she remembered.

"Probably around dinner," she sighed. "I don't have an actual watch so…"

"Well, we should probably find out what time it is…you have shit to do anyways…"

Poppy laughed a little and they went outside. She covered her eyes as she adjusted to the light.

"Wow…it must be around five," she giggled. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"Yeah…I guess."

They headed back to the dungeon and Poppy paused, hearing a commotion. It wasn't like the arguments over glitter or anything like that…but it was still worrying. She went to investigate and her jaw dropped.

"I can't believe you're okay, Creek!" Biggie laughed.

Poppy blinked, suddenly hearing static. Where had he been? She looked him over, to see him covered in scratches and scabs. One of the legs of his pants was completely torn off and his leg was a bandaged mess. The other leg of his pants was ripped and bloodstained. Part of her felt like if she'd kept that scrap of fabric she could fit it perfectly in that rip.

A hand touched her shoulder and Poppy jolted. She looked at Barb, who was giving her a questioning look. She took a deep breath and started for her friends.

"Where were you?" Smidge asked. "Poppy said she thought you had come to the bunker with us."

"I--" he fell over and everyone started freaking out. Poppy sighed and went to the group.

"Everyone calm down and get him to the clinic," she instructed and Biggie took the initiative, lifting Creek and carrying him off. "Did he just…walk up?"

"More like stumbled up," Smidge groaned. "He was limping too…"

"I'll go check on him in the morning," Poppy decided. "For now…I'm gonna go check on stuff and then get dinner."

"Hey Poppy," Guy Diamond mumbled. "Do we have any parties planned any time soon? We've missed two weeks' worth of holidays and I'm bOrEd!" he finished in autotune.

"When we finish getting the village up to snuff, we can celebrate," she groaned. "If you're that bored, do a pop-up or something," she told him. "Just be respectful of our guests."

With that, she headed for the dungeon and looked over the checklists. Everything was going well…she'd just have to take some time to adjust her projected schedule in the morning. For now…she checked the clock that JD had given her and nodded. Almost dinner.

Chapter Text

Branch and Maya finished the cake and his mouth watered. Of course, it had been tempting him ever since they started baking. He was proud of how it turned out. And as Maya decorated it, he couldn't help himself. It just felt right with this cake. He scooped a bit of the frosting onto his finger and flicked it at his sister's nose.

Maya jolted and grinned at him.

"Oh, two can play at that game," she taunted, flinging a spoonful right back at him. He almost managed to catch it with his open mouth.

Branch barked a laugh and retaliated, landing a glob right above her eye. Maya giggled and grabbed a piping bag of sparkly blue frosting. She aimed it at him and he grabbed the bag of green frosting. And as they flung frosting at each other, he almost felt like a little kid again. That last joyful day with his older brothers etched in his mind, food fights with Grandma and the guys where more decorations ended up on him than the treat they were making.

This time, streaks of coloured frosting ended up on both the siblings and the cake. And for the first time in forever, Branch was having the time of his life. Maya ran out of frosting first and he sprayed the last bit of his bag right at her chest.

"Kill shot!" she cackled, flopping to the ground and feigning death. He chuckled and looked around at the mess they'd made. The cake had a good coating of the homemade frosting and had been caught in the crossfire of his 'battle' with his sister.

"Well…at least the cake is…decorated…," he sighed, sobering at the idea of having to clean all this up. Maya giggled and hopped up. He looked at her and laughed. "You're a mess…"

"You should see yourself!" she reached to smear some frosting across his face. "But before we clean up…do you have a camera?"

"I need to develop the film in it," he sighed. "I've…been following the habits of this Cuddlepup family group that nests near my summer foraging route…"

"Ooh, that sounds fun," Maya giggled. "I left my camera with Rhonda…maybe--" she broke off as someone came knocking on the trapdoor.

"That might be Poppy…it's not Trickee's knock," Branch sighed. He went up to the door and peeked out of the doormat.

"Hey Branch!" Poppy greeted. He smiled.

"Come on in," he laughed. She did so and blinked at his frosting covered appearance.

"You look like you had fun," she giggled.

"You should see my sister," he teased. "Do you have your camera with you?" he asked, even though he figured it was obvious.

"You know it!" Poppy gave her toothy grin and pulled the camera in question out. She snapped a picture of him and they went down to the kitchen. "Oh my gosh you guys went crazy!" she giggled and snapped a picture of the kitchen before she took one of Maya.

Maya giggled and ran to pose with Branch, making that Rock gesture with her hand and sticking out her tongue. Caught in the fun of it, he mimicked her and Poppy took the picture.

"I'm gonna need copies of those," Maya laughed.

"Of course!" Poppy agreed. "You two should get cleaned up. We're having a barbecue out at Trickee's house. Ooh and you should definitely bring that cake!"

Branch shook his head and showed Maya to the bathroom. They got cleaned up and went to get the cake. He could clean up the kitchen in the morning. For now…they left the bunker and Poppy led them towards the lake. He realized as they walked that he'd never seen any of their homes.

All these years he'd been so stubbornly pushing them away and he'd never once gone to even secretly check on them. But they checked on him. When he started completely ignoring them…they still dropped a gift off at the bunker on his birthday. How could they want to be friends, much less call him brother, anymore after how he treated them?

A hand caught his and he almost instinctively knew it was Poppy. He looked to see pink in his almost grey hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Just…thinking about how the guys really shouldn't even want to be friends anymore…," he muttered. Poppy squeezed his hand a little.

"Branch…they don't care about any of that," she encouraged. "You were in a bad place…"

He nodded a little and let out a breath. Poppy smiled gently at him and they soon came to a log cabin near the lake. There was smoke rising from the chimney and something outside. And there was soft music playing. He could smell whatever they were cooking. It smelled delicious and he realized just how hungry he was.

Poppy pulled him gently to the house and as they came around the house, he noticed a few party decorations. Was this…?

"We brought him!" Maya cheered and all eyes turned to him. His family, adopted and blood…and a few Rock Trolls he didn't know.

"Happy birthday!" they all cheered. He turned to Maya and gaped at her.

"You were just distracting me, weren't you?" he demanded, without any venom. His sister grinned.

"Only a little," she giggled. "It just worked out that I wanted to hang out with you. We brought cake! Mom's famous Lava Cake."

"Aw man, it's been ages since I've had that," one of the Rock Trolls laughed musically.

"Sweet," another of them grinned and extended a hand. "I'm Barb. Uh…your cousin."

He blinked and shook her hand. The others introduced themselves. So…some of his Rock family came to help with the rebuild. And they'd…come to this apparent birthday party.

"Nice to meet you," he sighed.

They all ate dinner, played a few card games. He slayed them all at Rummy. Trickee pulled out a board game. When they finally went to cut into the cake, JD lit a candle and everyone surrounded him.

Today is your birthday, we're all here for you

So, make a big wish, and it will come true

The gathered Trolls sang and he almost teared up.

You're one more year older, and so we all say

We love you dear Branch on your special day

On your special day

He smiled and blew out the candle. Then they cut the cake and ate it. He moaned as the flavour settled in his mouth. Despite being made with tomatoes it tasted like chocolate alongside the spice. And it wasn't too sweet or anything, just the perfect balance. Nothing like the version Bruce made when he was a baby.

Then, he was presented with gifts.

A puzzle from Poppy…made from a photo of him and Grandma out of his scrapbook. That got him a little teary. He never had a puzzle like that, with a personalized picture…and this was the one photo of Grandma he would have considered getting an enlarged copy of.

There was a package of fabric from Hype and Ablaze, a blank journal from Boom, and a carving knife from Trickee with a hand engraved handle. A closer look at the gifts showed they were all hand made. That got him crying. Sure, they always left gifts at the Bunker, usually items like this, but never like this. And their cards had heartfelt messages, as always, but Hype and Ablaze's card had a piece of cardstock inserted. A wedding invitation.

"You guys…are getting married?" he asked, shocked. The two of them nodded. He didn't even know they were dating.

"We've been together for a while but…," Hype trailed off.

"How could we get married without our best man?" Ablaze asked. Branch blinked, catching his meaning. They'd put it off because he wouldn't have been willing to go to a party, even to be there for his brothers, and they didn't want to get married without him there.

"You…want me to be your best man?"

"Who else?" Hype laughed, grinning broadly.

"Okay," he agreed. He wiped his face and reached for Floyd's gift, which at first glance seemed to only be a card. Branch opened the envelope to find a disc like the ones John Dory had in Rhonda. He'd have to borrow the radio to listen to it.

"It's…a few songs I wrote for you when I was…travelling," Floyd explained, avoiding his gaze. Branch reached to put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks," he smiled.

His aunt and uncles presented him with a large package. It was an old acoustic guitar with little birds and vines etched into the body.

"That…was your mom's first guitar," Bridge explained. He started crying again, admiring the carvings. He never had anything of his parents besides the photos in his scrapbook. And this told him more about his mom than the photos could.

"This is…amazing," he sniffled. Barb passed him a small box.

"It's not much…I didn't know about this until this morning…," she mumbled. It was a…Walkman? But for those discs? And a pair of headphones with…bat ears?

"It's cool," Branch laughed.

"The headphones are sound blocking," she added.

He nodded slowly and looked at a faded blue chest. There was a 'B' etched on the latch.

"This is…this is from me," John Dory said quietly. Branch went to the chest and looked it over.

He figured at some point it probably matched his hair, but the paint had faded with age. One side was shorter than the other, making it a little lopsided with the base poking out past the misshapen walls. The lid had the same problem as the base, the 'right' rectangle shape just a few millimetres too large on one side for the walls. He couldn't help but chuckle at the imperfection of it.

His perfectionist brother presenting him with this box that was the exact opposite of the perfection he pushed for when Branch was a baby was…sweet. He looked inside the chest to find an array of handmade trinkets. Some were rougher than others, probably from when JD was first learning to do that particular craft.

A lopsided plush Cuddlepup, whittled paperweights that barely resembled creatures, an unevenly crocheted blanket with mismatched yarn…a leather vest that fit surprisingly well. The vest was the only thing in the chest that was 'perfect', with no hint of the lack of practice everything else had. It was the one thing that JD clearly took the extra time to perfect that craft before putting it into the chest.

He hugged his oldest brother when he finished looking through the chest. There were exactly twenty-eight items. One for every birthday that John Dory had missed and this one.

"Y-You really like it…?"

"I love it, JD," he laughed.

After the party, Poppy and the family helped get Branch's gifts to the Bunker and when she was the last one in the Bunker with Branch, he caught her hand.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"The party was Trickee's idea," she laughed. Branch shook his head and Poppy tilted her head.

"That's not…," he sighed. "Just…for everything."

"Branch…," she giggled and kissed him lightly. "I love you. And you know me…'I love you' means you are never getting rid of me."

"I would never want to get rid of you," he laughed. She felt his hair twine with hers and Poppy grinned at him. He kissed her and suddenly swung her out in a spin.

Poppy laughed and looked at him when she came to a stop. He reached for her hand and pulled her into a slow sway, humming a little.

If I never knew you

If I never felt this love

I would have no inkling of

How precious life can be

He started singing and she teared up. He hadn't really sung much since they were on the way to Bergentown, and she wasn't going to fault him. Twenty years of silence made it hard to just…jump back into singing at random. In the dream, he'd sang two songs practically back-to-back, but she could attribute that to the energy of what was going on.

If I never held you

I would never have a clue

How at last I find in you

The missing part of me

He continued and the swaying became a proper waltz around his living room. She vaguely knew that their hair was still tangled together. Poppy couldn't help but hum along, catching his melody like it was second nature.

In this world so full of fear

Full of rage and lies

I can see the truth so clear

In your eyes, so dry your eyes

He wiped her cheek as he sang and she realized a few tears had slipped. She smiled at him, trying to convey that they were happy tears. He smiled right back, spinning her out again.

And I'm so grateful to you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Lost forever

If I never knew you

He pulled her back and she settled in his arms, back to his chest and his arms hugging around her. That perfect fit that she never felt with anyone.

I thought our love would be so beautiful

Somehow, we'd make the whole world bright

I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong

All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night

But still my heart is saying we were right

For-

Poppy started singing, content to just sway in the living room like that, nestled in his arms.

If I never knew you (There's no moment I regret)

If I never knew this love (Since the moment that we met)

I would have no inkling of (If our time has gone to past)

How precious life can be (I've lived at last)

She continued and he responded eagerly as she turned in his arms and kissed him lightly.

And I'm so grateful to you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Empty as the sky

He sang softly, pressing his forehead to hers.

Never knowing why

Poppy whispered as she pressed another kiss to his lips.

Lost forever

If I never knew you

They harmonized and he pulled her into a deeper kiss. Mouths open, tongues dancing around each other.

"I should get home…," she whispered when they broke for air.

"Do you have to?" he mumbled. Poppy thought about it. She felt more at home down here in the bunker than in her pod, actually. And why shouldn't she? She'd moved in towards the end of the dream…and that pod was practically foreign to her now. A constant reminder of the changes that never got to be made…of how she used to be.

"Hm…," she hummed. "I am home," she decided. Branch smiled at her and they went to the bedroom, cuddling as they fell asleep. Yeah. This was home. Or rather…Branch was her home.

Branch woke early with a massive headache. He was tangled with Poppy, as he was getting used to. He lifted his head to look at the clock. Midnight. Way too damn early. He tried to settle back into the bed and go back to sleep, but the throbbing in his head wouldn't be ignored. So, he carefully untangled from Poppy and went to the bathroom, reaching for his medicine cabinet and his painkillers. He paused before opening the cabinet, catching his reflection. And something odd in his hair. There was a sprig of red hair in his deep indigo hair. Branch frowned and reached for it. It was a completely different texture than his own hair, and as he searched for the root of it, his hand connected with something hard.

He gasped and parted his hair to reveal an egg nestled against his scalp. No wonder his head hurt.

Chapter Text

Branch stared at the egg. Oh god. Oh no. He hadn't been trying to do that! He didn't even realize you could do that without planning it! Of course…he never imagined himself as a father…or even having a partner. He'd been starting to lose hope of ever having a family again, actually. Until a few days ago, he only imagined, in his deepest fantasies, his brothers finding him, if they were even looking. And sometimes those fantasies turned into nightmares of them disowning him and lamenting that they'd wasted years of their lives looking for a complete failure of a brother. Floyd had given him one job after all…and for the longest time he blamed himself for Grandma's death.

But now…two of them were here, with the apparent intent to stay. And there…in his hair…was an egg…a speckled dark pink egg. A baby. Evidence of his and Poppy's sudden love.

He slapped himself, wondering if this was a dream. But the sharp pain in his cheek told him that no. He was awake. He reached into the cabinet for his painkillers, but stopped himself as his hand hovered over the jar of handmade pills. Was it safe for him to take any of his home remedies? Could the things he ingested harm his baby? He sighed heavily, closing the cabinet. He'd have to power through the migraine this egg was giving him until he could get some books…or advice from someone with more experience.

So, he drank some water and went back to bed. Poppy was awake, looking worried.

"Branch, are you okay…?" she asked as he tried to get comfortable again.

"Y-Yeah," he tried. His hesitation clearly sparked worry in her. She sat up and looked him over, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I'm not sick, Poppy."

"Then, what's wrong?" she sighed.

"I'll tell you in the morning…for now…I just want to get back to sleep," he sighed. Poppy frowned, but accepted that and settled back into bed. He settled beside her and quickly fell asleep again.

And he woke up at five. Back to his 'usual' sleep schedule, he supposed. He was tangled with Poppy again, but she was wide awake, looking at his hair.

"Morning," he tried. Her eyes flicked down to his and back up to his hair.

"Is that…?" she whispered, pulling her hand up to gently brush her fingers through his hair. He nodded his permission, worrying his lip. Poppy brushed his hair aside to reveal the egg and she gasped. "Oh, my gumdrops…," she gasped. "How--" she broke off. "Oh. Oh!"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I wasn't trying to--"

"Don't apologize, Branch," she whispered, kissing him lightly. "Accidents happen. We should go to the clinic and check to be sure it's…you know…," she trailed off.

Right…there was a chance it was a 'dud'. He vaguely knew about those…empty eggs that rarely manifested when partners did the ritual. Usually, there just wouldn't be an egg if the ritual somehow failed. But with his past…twenty years Grey and unable to do more than stretch his hair…there was the possibility that this was the worst kind of false alarm ever. If it was a dud…it would destroy Poppy. Both of them, in fact. Something in his gut told him this was real.

"I don't think it is…," he mumbled. "Something tells me there's really a baby in there…"

"Same, but…we'll go and check after breakfast. To be sure," she assured him. They got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Poppy helped him clean up from his frosting battle with Maya and they made breakfast.

With the same coordination they'd had on the way home. No words needed, he just knew when she wanted something and vice versa. And they ate breakfast in silence. Not an awkward silence, just…comfortable.

"By the way," she broke the silence as they finished eating. "Creek's alive."

"Someone found him?"

"He stumbled back into the village yesterday," she sighed. "He passed out and was taken to the clinic."

"And…you're concerned," he noted.

"He was pretty beat up. But…when we were at the river waiting for the raft to be ready, while Floyd and I were on watch?" she worried her lip.

"I heard a noise," Branch sighed. "I was having a hard time sleeping that night…but you guys didn't raise an alarm or anything so…," he trailed off.

"Whatever made the noise was gone when Floyd got to the source…but there was a piece of yellow fabric stuck to a bush…ripped from someone's clothes."

"You don't think…?" he gasped.

"I hope not but…if it was Creek…I need to know why. I don't know…it's just got me worried."

"Well, you know what he's like now," Branch sighed.

"Yeah…and that's what worries me. I don't know why, but he hates you…but he's selfish and cowardly…and I'm not sure how much of how he was in the dream is how he is right now."

"But you'll be prepared for his bullshit," he pointed out. She nodded and they cleaned up.

The two of them went up to the trapdoor and Poppy turned to face him.

"We should do something about the egg," she pointed out. "That hair's obviously not yours."

"Oh…right…," he chuckled. "Uh…short of me grabbing a hat or something…"

"Hm…I can probably…," she trailed off and looked around. She grabbed some of his moss and fashioned a--

"Poppy, is that--?" he broke off as she put it securely in his hair. "I can't wear this, Poppy…it's a crown…"

She grinned at him.

"Too late, it's already on," she giggled and took his hands. "And it looks great."

"But we're not married and you're not queen yet," he reminded her.

"We can ignore protocol for now. I'm about to be queen and I choose you to be my king," she told him, squeezing his hands.

Oh right…that was part of having fallen for the crown princess. He sighed and they left the bunker. The two of them went straight for the clinic, but Branch didn't miss the whispers and stares of early risers that saw him with that makeshift crown. They got to the clinic and Branch almost sighed in relief.

"Poppy!" a familiarly accented voice greeted brightly and he looked to see Creek, wide awake and properly bandaged.

"Oh…Creek…you're awake," Poppy laughed nervously. "We need to redesign the clinic for some privacy," she decided quietly.

"You could consult Barb…," Branch noted. "I'll uh…just go wait for one of the doctors to be available to talk…"

"Okay. I want to be there for this though," she laughed. He nodded and went to sit down.

Poppy was excited about the egg. Whether they'd intended it or not, she was eager to be a mom. There was just that niggling worry that with how long he was Grey, that might affect an egg…

"Did I miss your coronation?" Creek asked and she grimaced, turning to him with a grin.

"Well, if you'd gone to the bunker like I told you to do after the party…," she groaned. "You would know that I haven't been crowned yet."

"Oh," he sighed in relief.

"What happened to you?"

"Oh uh…the bunker was already locked when I got to it, so…," he hesitated. "I went to find a place to hide. But a growl beast chased me away from the glen I camped in. And then I fell in a Gloom Berry bush…twisted my ankle and lost my way trying to get back to the village…"

Her gut clenched. That sounded like a lie. She just…couldn't figure out why he would lie.

"Princess!" Dr Plum Plimsy greeted brightly. "Good morning. You'll be happy to know that Creek is on the mend, but the cuts and scratches he sustained from his…adventure…are infected and it'll take a while for him to heal up. And if I'm not mistaken, Creek, your pod was destroyed in the attack last week, so you'll be nice and cozy right here in the clinic until you're healed," she explained in a chipper tone. Poppy glanced over to see Creek grimace.

"That's good to hear," Poppy laughed. "Now, doctor…I need to talk to you in private."

"Oh, of course! But it seems we have a patient waiting? Unless you have a medical emergency as well, I should prioritize the sick and injured," she sighed. "I'm sure you understand."

"Of course," the princess sighed and followed Plum over to Branch.

"Can we do this somewhere more private?" Branch sighed.

"Oh! Branch? I almost didn't recognize you!" Plum laughed. "For you to come to the clinic, it must be serious. Right this way," she gestured towards the next room. Branch went that way and Poppy started to follow. "Princess…I'm going to have to ask you to wait out here…doctor-patient confidentiality and all that."

"R-Right…," Poppy mumbled and sat down, twisting the hem of her dress. Plum and Branch disappeared and she waited anxiously.

"That is Branch?" Creek asked incredulously. She'd almost forgotten that he was here.

"Yeah," she tried to sound light. "He got his colours back."

"He's finally happy?"

"It's not just that he wasn't happy. It's a lot more complicated than we thought before. I'm sure if you need something to do while you're stuck here, I can see if Maya has a copy of her book on hand and you can read all about how fading works."

"Who?"

"Branch's big sister," she said brightly, giving a tense grin. "He apparently has more than one sibling! And three of them are here. Along with his aunt, a couple of his uncles…a couple of cousins…it's so exciting to see him reconnecting with his family and friends…"

"He had friends?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "Trickee, Hype, Boom and Ablaze. I'm sure you've heard of them, at least. Only five Trolls in the village didn't participate in parties and hug time before."

"Before…?" he asked haltingly.

"Yeah. Now that we're rebuilding the village and my dad's pretty much unofficially handed the crown over to me, I've let everyone know that they don't have to do all that stuff if they don't want to. Quite a few Trolls have decided to stop wearing Hug Time Bracelets."

"Princess," Plum called from the other room and Poppy hurried over. "Come inside."

"Okay," Poppy laughed nervously and went into the room.

"Don't be nervous," the doctor laughed warmly. "I understand that you're his partner?"

Poppy nodded and Branch caught her hand, grinning like a madman. Oh, this was good news, she could just tell.

"We…haven't had a chance to make it official but…yeah," she agreed.

"Well, you can't get much more official than this," Plum chuckled. "I've looked the egg over and yes. You're going to be parents. Congratulations."

Poppy squealed excitedly and kissed Branch's cheek. She couldn't be more excited about this! And Branch wasn't being as obvious as she was, beyond the grin, but she could tell…by his brighter complexion and the glint in his eyes, he was just as happy for this news.

"So, about Creek…have you had a chance to ask him what happened?" Poppy asked, sobering.

"Yes," Plum sighed. "Normally I wouldn't break policy…but you're the princess and this is…concerning. He claims that he was driven out of a hiding place by a Cuddlepup…which apparently led to a chain of events that left him this injured and practically starving…"

"The Cuddlepup family that nests near here have moved to their winter nest already," Branch noted. "And they're already settling in to hibernate by Sunshine Day…"

"And he told me it was a growl beast…," Poppy sighed.

"The only growl beast that lives near the village moves away from here at the beginning of summer for the mating season…it always comes back alone though…"

"Aw poor thing," she whined. Branch shrugged and looked at the door. Poppy followed his gaze and frowned. "What really happened to Creek…?" she wondered aloud. She had a sinking feeling that he'd followed them to the river and then gotten lost because they almost caught him.

But why…?

"Anyways, I uh…have no idea how to take care of an egg," Branch admitted.

"Well, there are plenty of books in the library," Plum laughed. "Congratulations again," she said brightly before leaving them alone in the room.

"So, we can go to the library and get some books…and I need to talk to my dad…I've kinda been avoiding him," Poppy laughed. "Oh, and we should announce the egg soon, too."

"I want to tell my family first," Branch chuckled as they stood to leave. He eyed the moss crown she'd made in the bunker and grabbed it. He didn't put it back on, but he did push it into his hair.

They left the clinic and headed straight for the critters.

Branch was impressed. He hadn't really looked at the village the day before, but it was coming along. And already looked kind of different. Apparently, pods had been completely destroyed, but there was a windmill-like building already erected near the edge of town that was probably a shelter or something similar, as Trolls were coming out of the building.

"When the new pods finish growing, we're gonna turn the shelter into a hotel," Poppy told him. "I'll show you the plans for everything in a while. And here's the new Critter Park!" she laughed. "We just got the barn finished yesterday."

He nodded slowly, impressed. A large area had been cleared and partially enclosed with tall walls and a roof while the rest was fenced off. And there were several transportation critters in the enclosure, including Rhonda. A caterbus, another armadillo bus, and two larger creatures he didn't recognize. One looked like a kitty.

"Impressive," he noted.

"This is MJ's caterbus, Cleo. And this is C-Pop's armadillo bus, Jolene…," Poppy explained. "And this adorable kitty is Karma-3's critter, Liza. The angler bus is from Rock City. And of course, you know Rhonda," she giggled and went to knock on the door.

"Mornin'," John Dory greeted them when the door opened. "What's up?"

"Is everyone home?" Poppy asked instead of answering.

"We…have something to tell everyone and it'll be easier if you're all here," Branch sighed. JD nodded and stepped aside to let them in. Sure enough, Maya, Avery and Floyd were all sitting around the table. He took a deep breath. He had no idea why he was suddenly nervous to let his siblings know that he was going to be a father.

"Morning!" Maya greeted brightly and Branch noticed Floyd's gaze travel up to the little shock of red sticking through his hair. Maya followed his gaze and her jaw dropped. Branch could feel the squeal building.

"We have an announcement," Poppy started, nudging him.

"Right uh…," he trailed off and cleared his throat. "We…," he paused, unsure. How did you even announce something like this? Poppy gripped his hand and gave an encouraging smile.

"We're having a baby!" she finally announced for him. Maya finally let out that squeal and Floyd hopped up to come congratulate him with a hug. John clapped him on the back, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Congrats," Avery laughed gently. He had that same look. A broad smile that didn't reach his eyes. Were they…upset about this?

Chapter Text

John Dory was excited for his baby brother, he really was. But seeing that egg…almost hurt. And he could tell it affected Avery too. He was almost jealous. They'd tried so hard to have a kid, only for it to not even be an option…and here was an egg…taunting him.

"Is something wrong, John Dory?" Floyd asked.

"N-No," he tried. "I'm happy for you guys. Really."

"You don't seem happy…," Poppy noted, shifting a little.

"I am," he argued. "I just…"

"We tried to have an egg," Avery sighed. A look of realization hit both Poppy and Branch. JD sighed.

He wasn't jealous. If Poppy was right, which she had been right about almost everything else, he was already an uncle. Bruce had thirteen kids. He was just…sad that he couldn't have a kid to be a cousin for them or anything. His only advice for his little brother about raising a kid was from helping their parents, and later Grandma, with his brothers. A kid raising kids wasn't the best metric.

"I need a minute to get my head right," John decided, stepping outside. Maya joined him after a minute.

"I get it," she sighed, surprisingly serious. "Fidela and I didn't get the chance to try, but I get it. I'm excited for them but…also kinda jealous."

He nodded a little and blinked as the angler opened up and Aunt Bridge hopped out, stretching a little.

"Morning!" she greeted. "Are you kids okay?" she asked suddenly. He hated being called a kid. He was forty-six for crying out loud! And Maya was twelve years older than he was! But…this was his aunt and she was his mother's second oldest sibling. It hit differently coming from his aunt.

"They're probably gonna announce it to everyone sometime today, but Branch and Poppy have an egg!" Maya laughed, her excitement back.

"And you two are a little jealous because you don't have your own kids?" Bridge guessed. John nodded a little. "I get that. I had to deal with my kids going through that. Katrina had her first kid before either of her older siblings and we went through a whole deal with that. I know it's different for you two, but you just gotta deal and be happy for them."

He nodded a little and straightened up. They should probably get breakfast. And he could hear instruments in the plaza. Another of the groups was probably about to give another morning concert. Because that's what Morning Song pretty much was. Right now, it was just…less a big group number and more a showcase of the different music out there.

He wanted to say he heard a flute, so it was probably Geraldine and her crew.

"Let's go check out the show," Maya laughed, pulling him towards the plaza. Yep. Geraldine and her crew were setting up on the mushroom stage.

It's easy if you do it right

Well, I refuse, I refuse, I refuse

Kat belted, warming up and probably testing the acoustics.

"Nice!" Caden laughed, testing his turn tables a second.

"I'm feeling Decode, actually," Kat laughed, pulling her guitar around and plucking a couple of notes to test the tuning. "It's just the energy I'm getting this morning."

"Especially with the king outta his pod?" Geraldine noted, heading for some drums at the back of the stage. John looked around the plaza to see Peppy, watching them get ready in horror.

Kat flipped him off before nodding to Caden. The Techno Troll flipped on his equipment and started an electronic tune that Kat quickly added to with her guitar. Trolls started to gather, clearly eager for the new music. And Peppy obviously hated that.

How can I decide what's right?

When you're clouding up my mind

I can't win your losing fight

All the time

Kat started singing and Geraldine started the beat on her drums.

Nor could I ever own what's mine

When you're always taking sides

But you won't take away my pride

The Rock Troll continued as more Trolls entered the plaza, including Poppy and Branch. Geraldine spun her sticks and waited, only pumping the bass.

No, not this time

Not this time

She belted and Geraldine started hitting the beat again.

How did we get here

When I used to know you so well?

How did we get here?

Well, I think I know

They paused for a moment, letting Caden tap out his little electric tune before the girls picked the song back up.

The truth is hiding in your eyes

And it's hanging on your tongue

Just boiling in my blood

But you think that I can't see

What kind of man that you are

If you're a man at all

Well, I will figure this one out

Kat made eye contact with the king as she sang, glaring at him.

On my own

(I'm screaming, I love you so)

On my own

(But my thoughts you can't decode)

Kat continued and Caden flipped a switch. A recording of her singing echoed through the speakers as she just kept repeating her one line. She repeated the chorus and then stopped singing. Geraldine slammed out a solo before Kat took over with a riff.

Do you see what we've done?

We're gonna make such fools of ourselves

Do you see what we've done?

We're gonna make such fools of ourselves

When Kat started singing again the crowd cheered. She let out another guitar solo and repeated the chorus. She and Geraldine got more aggressive for a moment.

I think I know

She bit.

There is something I see in you

It might kill me, I want it to be true

When Kat was done, the drums stilled next and Caden let his stuff fade to a soft echo before he cut off the sound and Poppy hopped up on stage, saying something softly to Kat.

"Thank you for that amazing song, Karma-3!" Poppy laughed and the crowd cheered again while the travellers started packing up their gear. "Anyone who noticed our…friend Creek get back to the village yesterday, you'll be glad to hear that he's recovering from his little…adventure…in the Clinic. Remember to give him space to let him recover in peace. And the village is looking great! We're almost done with the rebuild, I think. So, yay for that! We will definitely have a party to celebrate that! I'll have the charts updated with what still needs to get started or finished in the next few hours, so be sure to check at HQ."

He waited for her to announce the egg as she went through her little spew of announcements, but there was nothing. She finished and hopped off the stage to head to her dungeon. John Dory noticed Peppy hobble after her as the crowd disbursed and he headed for the dungeon, concerned. The rest of his family followed suit.

"Poppy, what is all this?" Peppy was asking as they got to the tree stump.

"Rebuild plans," she said plainly, grabbing a marker to mark off a few things on her lists. She promptly started ignoring her father's presence and got to work. "Let's see…oh! Someone dropped off those treehouse designs yesterday," she mumbled, looking over them. "I think we have enough materials--"

"Poppy what is going on?" Peppy demanded, cutting her off. She frowned and looked up at her father.

"We're rebuilding and fortifying the village," she said sharply. Her tone implied an unspoken ‘obviously’. "You're not doing anything meaningful so someone had to step up."

"And you're letting…them help?"

"Unlike you, I'm not a racist bitch!" she snapped and the king stepped back. John almost snickered. This had been building with her, probably starting with her dream, and now the explosion was amusing. "They offered to help and I'm not about to turn away helping hands! They've been a huge help. Some of the stuff I wanted to put together would have taken a lot more time without the help of experienced architects. You should really see some of the things we've been able to accomplish with the help of Trolls that aren't from our tribe. Like…," she gave a terrifying smile and gestured to John Dory's uncles behind him. "Rage and Rip have been a particular help, again. I've been meaning to say this, but had hoped my father would take that initiative. Thanks for finishing the Root Tunnels all those years ago. We wouldn't be here at all without your help."

She's clearly been waiting to rub that in her father's face. And the way the old king blanched as she spoke and brought attention to the mixed family was kind of comical.

"Hello again, King Peppy," Uncle Rip laughed humourlessly. "You know…you're lucky I'm not a Troll who holds grudges…"

"And we promised your daughter that we wouldn't give you your just desserts for what you did to my little sister," Rage groused. "She may as well be queen with how wonderfully she's been handling this situation."

"Actually, you bring up a good point, Rage," Poppy laughed. "Since your advisors are all dead, I have to do this myself. But part of that party I mentioned will be my coronation. I'm retiring you King Peppy," she bit. "And before you say something stupid, yes I qualify to be queen and I'm not going to hear any of your bullshit. Now go do what you do best and sulk in your pod."

Poppy turned back to her charts and JD actually snickered when Peppy sulked his way out of the room.

Poppy capped her marker and smiled at her charts. They were almost done! Just a few more things needed to be done…building the fence and the guard treehouses, mainly. Otherwise, they were stuck waiting for the pods to grow.

"At the rate we're going, we'll have the fence and guard houses built before the end of the week," she laughed. "Oh! I almost forgot. When we went to the clinic earlier, I was thinking we need to upgrade. Both in the clinic itself and in our stuff. Can you guys spare some doctors to help get our clinic updated?" she asked her soon to be in-laws.

"I'll have to check with my dad, but probably," Barb shrugged.

"That would be awesome," Poppy laughed. So, she could put building a new clinic on her list, and maybe they could get that much needed update. "All right, adding that to the list…," she mumbled, writing it down.

"This is actually pretty impressive, Pops," Branch noted, looking over the chart.

"I learned from the best," she giggled, nudging him.

For lunch, they went to the plaza. Stands were properly rebuilt and Evan had even opened up a stand with his cured meats! She eagerly got some candied bacon to go with her salad. Her eyes travelled to Branch, and the little spark of red hair peeking out and she couldn't help her excitement about the new life they'd created. Even if it was unintentional…this was still their kid. She was itching to announce the egg to everyone, but she knew what that would spark.

A huge celebration among her tribe. They could celebrate after the rebuild was done. They didn't need the distraction.

She'd announce it during her coronation. That way, they could combine celebrations. And Branch could have an easier time escaping if he got overwhelmed.

After they ate, she and Branch went to the library to get some baby books. Poppy was a little distracted as they got the books back to the bunker. She had big decisions to make.

"You're sure you don't need to be supervising the rebuild or anything…?" Branch asked as she pulled out a notebook and started making a list.

"I'm sure. They've been handling themselves fine and keeping to the charts I've made," she assured.

"What are you working on now?"

"I'm trying to think of my council. Dad used to have a council of advisors who were supposed to help him lead. You remember them, don't you? I barely remember them, but they weren't much help beyond helping to plan parties and maybe getting the village built. They all died when I was little and Dad never replaced them or anything…and in the dream, it never came up as something I needed as queen. But in the dream, I saw how Barb--well Thrash right now I guess--has a whole team of Trolls helping keep Rock together…and I looked at our old laws and saw that yes, I needed a team of my own…but we'd been doing it that way for so long…I had planned to form a council when I got back from--" she broke off. She needed to tell him. "A-At the end of the dream, we had this big party on Vacay Island in Bruce's cantina. All the tribes were there and you and the guys had a concert…half was with Kismet and then the last bit was with BroZone…and in the encore…you proposed," she mumbled, tapping her pencil to her notebook. "You sang me to sleep and…then I woke up in my pod…and none of it was real."

"Poppy…I think it was real," he sighed. "There's no way you could know some of the things you know if it was all in your head…"

"I guess," she mumbled. Branch smiled and nudged her. "I just want to know how and why…"

"Does it matter?" he asked. "You have a second chance. And I spent enough time dwelling on stuff like how and why…maybe it's not all that important."

"Yeah…," she laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're right."

They sat like that for a little while before dipping into their books. Branch groaned at the anecdotes at the beginning of the first parenting book he cracked into. Poppy decided on her council.

By the end of the next week, like Poppy predicted, they had the village completely reconstructed. Branch was pretty impressed. And he was glad that Poppy and his siblings insisted on helping him restock the bunker.

The books warned that there was a chance that he could have any number of symptoms after the first few weeks. He was already so exhausted.

So, he'd almost definitely be staying in the bunker as much as possible with the egg. Well, for now he could go to the party.

After the final nail was put in the new clinic, Poppy gathered everyone in the plaza.

"That marks everything as rebuilt! We still have to wait for the new pods to be grown enough to get them set up, but that'll take time. For now, I have an announcement to make!" she called over the crowd. "Tomorrow we'll give our guests a proper send off and 'thank you' for all their help, but tonight we're gonna party!" she laughed and everyone cheered. They'd gone weeks without a 'proper' party and he heard some people complaining about that every time he left the bunker. "We're gonna party because we're a proper village again…but also…My dad is stepping down as king and tonight's my coronation!"

He had to cover his ears from how loud the cheering got. Then, everyone parted ways to get ready for this event. Poppy pulled him to Satin and Chenille and the twins made him a nice suit, and he didn't miss the pink they included. And the way they designed it so he could keep his wings out was appreciated.

And as he stood near the mushroom for her coronation ceremony, he also didn't miss the amount of blue in her dress. When Poppy had her crown and announced her council, she smiled gently at him.

"And…I know it's not…traditional, but I've also…already chosen my king," she said lightly, extending a hand. He stared blankly at her hand for a moment, but stepped up to join her.

Chapter Text

There was a collective gasp among the tribe. Poppy realized (just now) that some of them didn't even realize that the beautiful blue Troll that joined her on the stage was Branch. Even if he was desaturated from his years Grey, he wasn't anywhere near the lack of colour he'd had for so long. So as far as some of these Trolls could tell, she was introducing a stranger as her king. Branch caught her hand.

"In my authority as queen," she said firmly, it wasn't going to be a big ceremony or anything, but she wanted to cram her two big announcements into this celebration. "I take this Troll, Branch Joywhistle," she turned to him and took his hands in hers. "As my husband and king. If he'll have me," she already knew his answer. But she had to ensure that the tribe also knew that they were both willing to do this. That this was entirely because they love each other.

They didn't do marriages of convenience. But there was always rumour when an egg came before the marriage, especially when a partnership seemed to come out of nowhere like this one, that the egg was the reason they were getting married. She thought it was ridiculous. There had to be deep and real love for an egg to form. The rumours were usually started out of jealousy.

"Yes," he said, just loud enough to be heard by the crowd. There was a murmur among the crowd, many confused, and some clearly horrified. Branch's expression fell from happy confusion to discomfort and she pressed her forehead to his. Of course, there would be some opposition to this…Branch was the village grump, after all.

"They'll get over it," she whispered to him. "I don't want any other Troll by my side. Ever."

"You don't want a huge engagement and ceremony?" he laughed quietly.

"If you want all that, we can do it. It would be for show, of course," she giggled.

"Hm…the less parties I'm a guest of honour at, the better," he shrugged. "At least for now."

She grinned and kissed him lightly. One person gave a horrified gasp and she turned her head to look at the crowd, trying to pinpoint the culprit. He wasn't subtle, with a bandaged hand over his mouth and wide…angry…eyes. Creek.

He was in a wheelchair, accompanied by Dr Moonbloom, at the edge of the crowd. Moonbloom chastised him quietly and he seemed to say something back at her.

Poppy elected to ignore him in favour of her next announcement. She flicked her eyes towards Branch's hair and he laughed nervously.

"You want me to…?" she asked and he nodded.

"Please…," he mumbled. She turned back to the crowd.

"I have another announcement before we celebrate everything," she called and they hushed again, most exchanging confused looks. "Branch and I are having an egg," she told them and Branch barely parted his hair to show the egg. Part of her knew he only did it because he'd seen other Trolls do it. Either at announcement parties he accidentally crashed or from afar. Parents always showed off their egg when they made the announcement.

The shock and confusion around both Branch's colours and Poppy's seemingly sudden choice in partner turned into raucous cheering. She squeezed his hand when he stiffened, giving him an encouraging look. He smiled and took a deep breath before nodding. She waved DJ forward and the party kicked in.

Nowhere near as loud and crazy as the anniversary party, but still kinda crazy. Poppy stayed up on the mushroom stage with Branch and small groups of Trolls came up to congratulate them. After a couple hours of the party, Branch started looking like he wanted to run away.

"If you want to leave, you can," she assured. "You have the egg…no one's going to fault you for needing to go home and rest. I hear it can be especially tiring in the first few weeks."

"Okay…I've just…it's been so long…," he mumbled.

"I know," she smiled and kissed him lightly. "Go on home…I'll be there soon."

He nodded and slipped away. It wasn't long before she left as well. The party was still raging, but by the time she got to the bunker, she could barely hear it. Poppy went inside and got a drink before she went to find Branch. He was still up, reading one of the baby books in the living room.

"Is the party over?" he asked as she sat with him.

"No," she giggled. "But I'm tired. I do that all the time," she assured. "I may be a party animal, but sometimes the party's over for me before it is for everyone else. And they've gone almost three weeks now without a big party. They'll probably be at it most of the night."

Branch shook his head a little and she settled on the couch beside him.

"So, learn anything new?" she giggled.

"Yeah. There's actually a surprising amount of technical stuff in this one," he chuckled and shut the book.

Branch and Poppy saw the visitors off. Barb left with a promise to keep in touch. And then it was…back to normal in the village. Sort of. There was an air of seriousness that Branch was grateful for.

He had to go with Poppy to the first council meeting, in the dungeon. Part of being king. Most members of the council he knew from when he was a kid, a couple of them were in his age group too. The two he didn't know…were Rock Trolls that, like his sister, sang Pop almost exclusively.

They had their wings out thanks to Poppy's openness to the other tribes. He had his wings out, which was actually surprisingly comfortable.

This first meeting was mostly introducing everyone to each other and Poppy pointing out a new colour coded chart with ideas and a tentative schedule. She wanted to streamline some things they did at random…actually make them a functional tribe. Branch couldn't help but smile, watching her fondly as she rambled to the council.

Like the rebuild, she was setting up her chart and lists and letting other Trolls take the responsibilities of their groups. Trolls were…usually an honest bunch. He guessed that method was because she'd been really stressed in the dream. And he wondered what made her father think it was okay to shoulder literally everything alone.

There was a holiday every single day, so there were the related parties, birthdays and weddings and baby showers and dozens of other parties circulating every day and Poppy had a hand in almost every single one. He hadn't noticed how much was on her plate and how stressed that made her, until he saw how relaxed she'd been the last few days just from letting other Trolls take some of the responsibility.

"One last thing…you have a nursery, right?" Torrent, a Troll that Branch recognized out of Bruce's friends, laughed as Poppy called the meeting to a close.

"Not yet, but…we can get it set up pretty easily," Branch sighed.

"If you're sure. If you guys need help digging or decorating or anything…just say so."

"Uh…thanks."

"Look, Branch, I know it'll take some getting used to, but you're not alone anymore," Milton added. "And not just because you're the king now. Or because you got your colours back."

He nodded slowly. He didn't quite believe that, from anyone but Poppy. Years of being bullied by almost the whole village gave him pause. Maybe the few Trolls that knew him when he was little…but they had never done anything, as far as he knew, to stop the rest of the village or help him in any way.

No one else said anything to him and he left the tree stump, heading to find his siblings. They were at the bunker, talking in hushed tones.

"Morning…," he greeted them.

"There you are!" John laughed. "Floyd and Maya mentioned you need some help restocking for winter."

"Yeah…come on in," Branch sighed and unlocked the bunker, pulling up the trap door to let them in. "I should probably show you guys how to engage and disengage the locks…," he mumbled.

They followed him to the lift and JD gaped as they went down the shaft.

"Did you dig all this by yourself?" he gasped.

"Yeah. Took me about…ten years to get it liveable…even longer to get the electricity and water figured out," he shrugged and stopped the lift at the office. "Some of the trap storage I want to convert into guest rooms…but…," he trailed off and went to grab the blueprints and the stock notebooks. And his notebook that he'd been using to write down possible expansion and room plans.

"This is amazing, Branch," John praised, looking at the blueprints.

"It's kind of like the old hideout we talked about," Floyd noted, looking through the stock lists.

"Just without the ten-story water slide," he chuckled and sank into a seat.

"You okay…?" John asked and he sighed.

"Egg…," he grumbled.

"Oh…right…," his oldest brother mumbled. "Well, we can definitely help with stuff."

"Great," Branch chuckled. "Winter stocking…and we're definitely gonna need a nursery…maybe expand the office or just add a second workshop for Poppy…"

John Dory blinked, still looking at the blueprints.

"The levels…are labelled with our initials," he mumbled.

"Yeah? I dug this to stay safe but…," he sighed. "When I was first starting it, I hoped you guys would find me…," he trailed off and sat up. "Anyways…do you guys mind working on restocking for now? I don't feel comfortable letting you dig any of the expansions just yet…"

"Sure!" Maya laughed. "You get some rest and we'll be back in a while," she promised, pulling the blueprints from JD. "The jars to store stuff…?"

"In the basement," he pointed to the other lift.

"It'll be easier to take the back door," Floyd sighed as they all went to the basement to start carting out jars. Branch settled back on the couch and picked up the expansion plans and blueprints.

After a few minutes, the three of them left him alone and he focused on the plans.

Poppy avoided the clinic. Sure, checking on Creek was on her to do list, but she wanted to come up with a plan to get the truth out of him. But she had more important things to worry about than what Creek was up to in the woods. Like the new economy.

The Pop tribe didn't really have an economy, it died when they were captured by the Bergens. Sustainable in their community, but if she wanted to open up for trade with the other tribes, she needed to figure out a currency and get some structure set up.

So, she consulted the maps. The sprinkle mine needed inspection, she remembered. There had been a cave in a few days before the Party. No one was hurt, but it was a safety concern. Same for the coal mine. There hadn't been a cave in there, but they should check it out.

The other tribes had a universal currency, coins of varying size and material. So, if they could find a place where they could get the metal to make those coins, they'd be on the right track. And with the peace with the Bergens, they could venture out further.

At least she had a council this time. Being queen was a lot less stressful with a team to help take the load off. She'd realized that she couldn't be everywhere at once, and having a hand in every party in the village on top of the 'boring stuff' was too much for one Troll to handle. So, she was taking notes from what she'd learned from Branch, with the charts and schedules and delegating. She'd learned the hard way that she could be present and involved with her tribe without stretching herself thin. And as they slowly built their population back up, the council would be even more necessary for future rulers.

So, Poppy put her mind to paper and made a proper to do list. Checking up on Creek and interrogating him was at the bottom of her priorities. First order of business would be to inspect the mines and get the sprinkle mine repaired. That would be for Torrent and Alanis to handle without her next time, but she wanted to personally check it first. Next would be planning on retrieving their old library materials…maybe ask Gristle for ideas where they could mine for ore…

Then she needed to properly get moved into the bunker. Poppy realized that she would be the first ruler of Pop that lived underground instead of in a pod, but that was fine. She liked the bunker and actually really liked the idea of living down there with Branch and their kids. Because she definitely wanted more than just the one.

She tapped her pencil to her chin and nodded. Inspect the mines, plan a trip to Bergentown, get moved into the bunker, and maybe interrogate Creek. That would be enough for the day. Those tasks would take most of the day, and then she could go check on Creek and try and weasel the truth out of him.

Poppy went to find Torrent and Alanis. She found them quickly enough, in the dungeon going over maps.

"Over near the lava pit would be a good place to start," Alanis was saying. "If we have to, over near this mountain…we'd have to wrangle a caterbus or something to get out there though…"

"What are you guys looking for?" Poppy asked. She already knew, since Torrent was in charge of structure and Alanis was her treasurer.

"Just places to try and mine to get the economy really going to open trade with the other tribes," Alanis laughed.

"Well, we can start on all that tomorrow," Poppy giggled. "For now, we need to check out the sprinkle mine and figure out repairs and preventative measures…and Torrent, we might not have time for it today, but we need to inspect the coal mine."

"I can take care of that, Poppy," Torrent laughed. "You can focus on other stuff…"

"I want to help with the sprinkle mine, at least," she argued.

"I'm gonna keep looking over the map for likely places to mine and then go help Abi with the library situation," Alanis laughed. Poppy nodded and she and Torrent headed out.

"How's Branch doing?" Torrent asked as they walked. "I know from experience that having an egg is pretty crazy."

"He's doing fine. His siblings are helping us out with the bunker and everything," she assured.

"Do you know if any of them know where Spruce or Clay are…?"

She worried her lip. Torrent had been friends with Bruce, if she remembered correctly. But she had to pretend she didn't know exactly where the last two brothers were.

"JD has a theory about Spruce," she sighed, internally wincing at using Bruce's old name. "But he's said that he's not gonna test it out until after the baby hatches. And Clay…they don't have any clues."

"I saw Clay around the Tree before the Escape…but I think he was in the last groups with Viva…I seriously hope he's okay…"

"You were friends with them, right?"

"Spruce was one of my best friends. After BroZone broke up he just kind of…vanished. I thought he was just keeping to himself. Y'know, redefining himself after the band…but then I found out from Rosiepuff that he made it out of the Tree. I just hope he's okay out there…," he trailed off.

Poppy almost gave a vague encouragement but she heard an explosion as they approached the sprinkle mine.

"Did you hear that?" she gasped. It sounded like it came from the direction of the coal mine.

"Yeah…isn't that the direction of the coal mine?" he gasped. Poppy grimaced and they ran for the coal mine.

She saw the smoke first. Black from a fire. And as they made it to the entrance, there was heavy dust billowing from the mine itself.

"Oh no…!" Poppy squeaked before pulling out her whistle and blowing it as loud and long as she could. Torrent rushed through the dust, pulling his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose.

Chapter Text

There were plenty of Trolls that stayed behind, away from the big party on Vacay Island. Creek was one of those Trolls. Partially because he'd been told in no uncertain terms by his former friends to stay away. His other reason was that he had more important things to do. He wasn't planning on watching another of Branch's successes. Particularly when there was rumour that Branch was going to propose to Poppy.

This wasn't how anything was supposed to turn out. He'd planned to play the hero and free everyone back at the Last Trollstice. That king was easy to manipulate, so he could have easily solved the 'eating everyone' problem with a few choice words without the chef there to poison the attempts.

They would have forgiven him instantly and brought him back into the fold with that. Even if the simple fact that he'd been under duress should have been enough to warrant forgiveness.

Instead, everything went sideways thanks to Branch. And as he sailed out of Bergentown in Chef's fanny pack, he could have sworn that somehow the most toxic and negative Troll had become colourful.

He'd escaped and made his way back home, hoping that his ever-forgiving friends would welcome him back with open arms. They welcomed him back, but made it clear that he wasn't really welcome. Branch had taken his place as Poppy's confidant and best friend. Something that Creek was convinced wouldn't have happened if Branch hadn't somehow gotten his colours back.

Everything he'd worked so hard to cultivate. Years of work down the drain, and all it took for Branch to steal everything from him was getting his colours.

Oh well, Creek was going to change all that. While ostracized in the village, he spent most of his time either in the library or meditating. While in the library, he found a map to a mythical artifact…an hourglass that could turn back time.

So, when the party was being planned, he followed the map. Deep in the mountains west of Mt Rageous, he found the cavern detailed in the story. Falls of rainbow sand flowed down the walls as he went inside. The story told of a creature guarding the artifact, but it seemed that he had perfect timing as the cavern was apparently unoccupied.

And as he ventured deeper, he spotted the hourglass. It was so giant even a Bergen would have a hard time turning it! There hadn't been instructions in the book. But as he got closer, he spotted smaller hourglasses and some sort of mechanism to turn the larger glass.

"Who goes there?" a voice boomed behind him. Creek jolted and looked to the voice. The creature coming into the space was humongous…larger than even a Clawlossus. Horned and hauntingly beautiful as it padded towards him. The sphinx described in the book. Maybe he could reason with it. Get instructions and fix things.

"My name is Creek, noble creature," he said grandly, pressing his hands together and giving a polite bow.

"A Pop Troll…," the sphinx laughed, loud and terrifying. "I've never been visited by a Pop Troll! Very rarely a Troll of any breed, but Pop! The cheeriest and most 'in the moment' breed…very well, this will be amusing. But I will warn you first: some things cannot be rewritten."

"I'm sure my life is not one of those things," he assured. The sphinx gave another raucous laugh, causing piles of sand to shudder and collapse.

"If you're sure," they chuckled, calming down. "Fill the glasses. Green sand for years, red for months, and…pink for days. One scoop per increment. As an example…," they trailed off, settling in a lying position and peering at him. "Two scoops for two years…ten for the months…and…twelve for days."

Creek nodded and set to work. He vaguely wondered how the sphinx knew exactly how far back he wanted to change. And he would have found this too easy if he hadn't been so eager. Or that the colours of the portraits in the book didn't match what the Sphinx was directing him to use. He must have been the luckiest Troll in the world. Even this creature knew he deserved a second chance.

He finished filling the hourglasses and the sphinx stood to pad over to the device. Creek fidgeted eagerly as the mechanism was turned and the hourglasses that he'd filled slowly drained.

"Good luck, little Troll," they chortled as everything started to swirl around him. "Another for the collection," he barely heard as the world went dark.

Creek woke to the familiarly loud Morning Song that had started that fateful day. The start of the Last Trollstice. He simply had to keep safe for the abductions. Convince Poppy to take him to save their friends instead of that Grey interloper and his antisocial friends.

But things didn't go according to his memories. The song ended and he watched from the bushes as Poppy started acting strange. He got his bug and went to ride in, but Poppy was gone when he arrived. She hadn't even given Branch that invitation! Odd. Maybe he could still spin this, he was ready to get a few choice words against Branch, but when he turned, the Grey Troll was gone.

He was flabbergasted. It was all wrong. After Hug Time, he asked after Poppy and his friends said she just ran off, looking about to cry. Maybe Branch had said something to upset her this time. That would make it easier to keep her away from the Grey Troll.

He wanted to find her, be that comfort and maybe twist whatever bad feelings Branch had sparked into full distaste. If she disliked Branch even as a potential friend, that would make this so much easier. But he had prior commitments in his morning yoga class. After his class and the subsequent Hug Time, he started looking for her.

He remembered that Poppy had spent the entire day getting the plaza ready for that party, but when he went there to find her, she was missing. Concerned, he went to her pod, but she wasn't there either. Finally, he spotted her at the library with their friends. Frowning, he approached and stayed out of sight.

"And we need to be more understanding of his feelings," Poppy was saying. Creek frowned. Just what was going on?

"Where did you even go?" Cooper asked.

"I just…ended up somewhere in the woods. No big deal," she sighed, almost sounding like she was hiding something.

"You seemed really upset," DJ mumbled. "You're…okay, right?"

"Yeah!" Poppy grinned. She was good at faking cheer, but Creek knew. There was definitely something off. "I'm fine. I uh…was gonna go to the library for a bit. We can hang out later, okay?"

The friends nodded slowly and disbursed. Except for Smidge.

"You missed Hug Time," the Teaspoon Troll muttered.

"No, I didn't," she argued. Smidge quirked an eyebrow and Poppy tittered. Was she…lying? Poppy wouldn't lie. "You know Trickee…?" she asked slowly and Smidge nodded a little. Creek didn't know anyone--wait. The one with the knife in the cage was named Trickee. He vaguely remembered DJ calling him by name. Did Poppy…was she actually friends with that violent grouse? "Yeah, he happened to be in the woods where I ended up catching some air and he totally let me hug it out."

"If you're sure you're okay…," Smidge mumbled. Poppy nodded fervently and Smidge finally left.

 Creek took the opportunity to make his presence known. Poppy turned to go into the library and almost bowled him over.

"Oh my gosh, Creek!" she gasped. "Hi…," she mumbled.

"Good morning, Poppy," he greeted with his usual calm attitude. Surely, he could find out what was going on with subtle prodding. "I was looking for you after Morning Song and the others said you left in quite the hurry after Branch came around to spread his negative energy."

"Well, it had nothing to do with him, if that's what you're trying to say," she said sharply. He realized that maybe this would be harder than he originally thought. "I just have a lot on my mind today. With the party and all."

"Ah, of course," he laughed gently. "Just remember, those negative vibrations are toxic."

"Yeah," she laughed and he booped her nose before walking off. He looked back over his shoulder to see her grimacing and rubbing her nose.

Creek frowned and went about his business. His business now becoming following the princess to figure out why she was acting so differently.

He hid near the library, after he took off his Hug Time Bracelet and put it in his pod. He didn't want to be caught or interrupted. And the Trolls outside the library had Hug Time several times before Poppy finally left the library, looking disappointed.

Creek frowned and followed her as she finally went to decorate the plaza. Poppy wasn't nearly as enthusiastic, as she threw streamers around, as he remembered. Her behaviour became straight perplexing as her father joined her in the plaza.

Usually, she would multitask perfectly when she was decorating for a party. But now, she was over decorating or even missing her mark as her father spoke.

Curious, Creek moved closer to hear what was being said.

"You seem upset," Peppy pointed out and Poppy whirled on him. Creek was shocked by how furious she looked.

"Dad, I know when you're hiding things from me!" she griped, throwing her hands up. She was…yelling at her father. "More than just not wanting to talk about it, you lied to me this morning! And news flash…I've been practically doing the queen thing for months now. I'm not a child anymore and I need to know this stuff about my tribe. Some people lost family twenty years ago and you just want to act like they never existed," she accused. Creek wondered how she already knew that. He certainly never told her about one of his mothers being separated in the Escape. He barely knew about it himself. "And claiming credit for the Tunnels? I know that they were dug way before you claim. They were ready for at least thirty years before the Escape…," she ranted. "Outsiders came to help us get out of the Tree and you imprisoned them for having the gall to try."

There was no way that she could know all that already. He'd barely learned about the outsiders being involved with the Tunnels in the aftermath of Rock's 'World Tour'.

"Poppy…," Peppy mumbled, and then he drew himself up, clenching his cane. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"You'd be amazed at the chatter that goes on behind your back," she hissed with a finality he only ever heard from her after he'd been 'welcomed' back into the village. His friends had called it 'her Queen Voice'. Poppy took a shuddering breath and looked at the plaza, not even a quarter of the way ready for the party. "I can't do this…," she breathed and hurried out of the plaza.

Creek hurried after her. She started running and he was hard pressed to keep up. The princess stopped near a pond and promptly broke down. She put her hand in the pond and started singing a song that was familiar to him. In the worst way.

After uniting the tribes, Poppy spent some time with the Rock queen and another Rock Troll making depressing Emo music. This was a bad sign…there should be no way that she knew that song! It didn't even exist!

Unless…but it was impossible. He was the only one that was supposed to know what happened. A twig snapped and Poppy jolted, hand going for her hair.

Normally, she would have called out and approached the sound recklessly. Her hand froze, like she realized something. Creek remembered that she kept a knife in her hair after making friends with Branch. Now she only had her safety scrapbooking scissors. But she shouldn't be reaching for anything to defend herself!

"I come in peace," an oddly familiar voice called. How did he know that voice? When the stranger came out into the open, Creek realized. One of Branch's siblings that he'd only met once or twice before he'd gone to find the Hourglass. "I'm just…looking for someone…"

"Floyd!" Poppy gasped. The burgundy haired Troll stepped back and Poppy floundered, eyes wide and searching, her nose scrunching as she clearly struggled to think of an explanation for her reaction. "F-From BroZone? I um…have a lot of the albums and…"

Floyd blinked at her. Creek clenched his teeth. Her explanation sounded flimsy, even if he knew she was a huge fan of BroZone and several other bands from the Tree.

"Yeah…," he said at last. "Um…I'm guessing the…," he paused, fishing for a word. "The Trolls are near here?"

"Yeah!" she chirped, hopping up and grinning. "Well, the Pop tribe," she corrected. Floyd quirked an eyebrow but didn't comment. "You said you're looking for someone?"

Creek internally cursed and snuck away from the scene. All of Poppy's strange behaviour would only make sense if she somehow knew the future he was trying to change. And there were enough hints in her actions to imply that she did. He rushed to the library and found the book that detailed the Hourglass.

And there…in the smaller hourglasses in front of the relic itself…green, red, and blue. And the details about the Sphinx guarding the relic claimed the beast was potentially hostile and would test hopeful Trolls seeking to change the past…and that it was known to be mischievous.

And there was a note about something horrible happening to anyone who failed to rewrite history as they desired.

He shook his head. Maybe he could still fix this. Poppy was notoriously forgiving, and she might give him a chance to prove that what she was thinking about him wasn't true. So, as he came up with a new plan, he went back out to find Poppy. She was leading Floyd through the woods when the older Troll started running towards music that Creek barely heard and recognized. Someone had a radio with access to 'outside' music? Something about the song had Floyd barrelling through the woods with Poppy close behind.

When Creek caught up with them, he was annoyed to see that the radio seemed to belong to Branch. Or one of his antisocial cohorts that shouldn't be hanging around him yet! And they were…setting a large trap?

Creek hoped Poppy would scold them for being paranoid, but she praised them for getting it set up.

"That will definitely work! Thank you so much Branch!" she gushed as she came out of the woods. She rushed up and tackled Branch with a hug, almost bowling him over. Creek smirked, anticipating the Grey Troll snapping at her for invading his space or something.

"Well…it was a team effort," he sighed, seemingly okay with the invasion. Poppy however jumped away like he'd burned her.

"Sorry," she mumbled and turned to the others. "I can see that. Thanks for helping, guys!"

"Shouldn't you be getting the plaza ready?" the purple one noted and Poppy shifted her gaze. Creek grit his teeth. Things were too different…he'd have to figure out an entirely new plan.

"It's uh…hopefully someone noticed I'm not decorating and took over…," she sighed. "But, Branch, I was looking for you because--" she broke off and looked back. "Oh my gosh…one second…," she sighed and went to the bushes. "Come on! He's not gonna bite!" She pulled Floyd out of the bushes and Branch stared.

In an instant, the grouch was rushing to his brother and hugging him tightly.

Creek did not like how stark the differences were.

He slunk away from the scene, considering his options. The Sphinx warned him that some things couldn't be rewritten…but how could he even try if Poppy knew what he was trying to change? Well, he'd just have to try harder.

Chapter Text

Creek hid for the party, holing up by the lava pit. Granted, as the Bergen chef announced her presence by getting caught in one of those traps, he almost panicked. The party quietened down and after a minute there was rhythmic thudding as Chef approached. He heard distant screaming as Trolls panicked, but there was a distinct sound of a struggle. There had been a struggle the first time, so it wasn't surprising.

Curious, he went to a treetop where he could see the plaza. Poppy was using a slingshot against the Bergen. His eyes went wide as she was grabbed by the hair. And then, the princess did the unthinkable by swinging around and stealing a knife from the Bergen to carve a deep cut into the giant's arm. Chef howled in pain and he covered his ears, even if his vision was tunnelling, transfixed on the immediate rescue attempt.

Blood-stained pink, striped, and teal hair shot out to pull the fanny pack open and one of the captured Trolls was almost able to escape before Chef recovered from her shock and smacked the hair away. And then…she was gone. And as everyone recovered from the shock, Poppy hopped up onto the mushroom stage and started shouting at everyone.

Creek moved a little closer, to hear.

"Who was taken?!" Poppy shouted to the crowd, desperately searching them. Creek could guess who might have been taken. Beyond Branch's friends that he wasn't familiar with, surely some of the same Trolls that were originally taken…

He waited with baited breath as everyone tried to take a headcount…Biggie, Guy Diamond, Satin and Chenille, and DJ's little brother Spruce were missing. And Creek's own name came up, his absence at the party had been noticed.

Creek had to look away. The sight of Poppy covered in that blood was nauseating. Especially how…unbothered by it she seemed.

"We have to run!" the king shouted, panicking.

"No!" Poppy argued, using her 'queen voice' again. All the more intimidating with her covered in a Bergen's blood. "We're not running!"

"You heard that Bergen!" he snapped.

"We're not packing up and uprooting everyone again!" she snapped right back. Finally, she was going to be predictable and go try and rescue them. "Everyone, just stay in the plaza. Try and stay calm!" she urged. "Trickee…"

Creek could work with that. He could try and get Poppy to take him with her on the rescue mission…but with as open as she'd somehow already made Branch, that might be harder to do. Speaking of the grouse…Creek spotted him running towards the plaza. Ah, he was having an episode. This would make things worse, and he might actually enjoy watching Poppy's glowing opinion of the Grey Troll shatter.

"Is everyone okay?!" Branch shouted, rushing to the plaza. Creek's jaw dropped. He wasn't…barrelling through the crowd toppling everything in a blind panic?

"Branch!" Poppy gasped and rushed to him. "Chef had a knife," she sighed, nodding towards the large and bloodied weapon on the ground.

They lowered their voices and he had to find a way to hear what they were saying. He just…had to avoid looking at Poppy.

"It wasn't enough…she still got away with…," Poppy trailed off, probably rubbing her arm. He chanced a glance to see that she was a little shocked suddenly. Had she not realized that she was doused in Chef's blood? "With Hype, Boom, Ablaze…and Biggie, Guy Diamond, Satin and Chenille, Spruce and Creek are missing."

"Spruce?" Branch questioned. Why was he honing in on that name?

"DJ's little brother," she explained. "Can we…? I know I said it was okay if you didn't want to, but…"

"I've got the bunker ready. Just…point me to someone trustworthy to give the keys to the rations and we'll get going," Branch said firmly.

What was happening?! Was Branch really ready and willing to let a bunch of glitter obsessed Trolls wreck his hideaway? Creek made the mistake of looking at Poppy. The fact that she was grinning with all that blood on her made his nausea come back and he hurried away to lose his dinner.

When he got back to the plaza, most of the Trolls were gone. What to do?

"Creek! You're okay," Poppy gasped, running up to him. He jolted and looked at her. She was cleaned up and in a shockingly bland outfit. It kind of reminded him of that defunct 'Camouflage Day'.

"Poppy! Where is everyone?" he gasped, feigning shock and worry.

"Going to the bunker. Branch set it up for us to use as a shelter. You should go join them, grab some sleepover stuff and get down there."

"You're…not going to hide too?" he asked. Of course she wasn't, but he shouldn't know that.

"No. Me and a couple others are gonna go to Bergentown to rescue the ones that were taken," she said simply.

"Why don't I go with you? Surely, I could help…," he offered. This was his chance to really make an impact and try and fix his life.

"I've already chosen the team and I know they can handle this," she said firmly. Creek pouted for a split second before pressing his hands together.

"Then, I'll get my sleeping bag and go to the bunker," he drawled. Poppy nodded and went back to checking around. Creek went to his pod and got ready. Not to go to the bunker, but to follow them. Branch almost caught him earlier, so he had to be even more careful with this. But his pod was destroyed, so all he could salvage was a sleeping bag.

He watched for them and frowned as Poppy left the village with Branch, his brother, and Trickee. They paused to consult a map and Creek moved closer to hear. They headed out of the valley and Creek followed as best as he could. He had no idea how late it was when they finally set up camp, but he knew that he couldn't see the village anymore. He found a place to sleep for the night, pulling out his sleeping bag and taking cover under a bush with minty leaves.

He woke up itching. But it wasn't anything serious, so he packed his sleeping bag and watched the would be rescue party. He could delay them somehow and go ahead to Bergentown…maybe manipulate the king to end Trollstice.

Poppy came out of the tent first and hopped up a nearby tree. The fact that she knew the tainted future he was trying to erase…the survival skills she'd picked up over those near three years, would make it even harder for him to sabotage them.

It wasn't long before they packed up and set out. On the way, he wasn't surprised that Poppy started singing. He was put off by the Emo sound of the song. He also wasn't surprised when Floyd and Trickee started singing with her.

What was surprising was the smile on Branch's face. The Grey Troll hated music, right? He didn't do happy, or anything remotely fun.

I gotta keep on dreaming

'Cause I gotta catch that feeling

Creek's jaw dropped as Branch started singing and his blasted colours came back! Well, that…was not only a shock, but he thought it was impossible! Of course, he had no idea how Branch had originally gotten his colours back. Had it been as simple as him singing again? And why did he have to have such a good voice? Wasted on the grouch…

No…it couldn't have been that easy. Branch was a rude, crude, miserable thing…pushing everyone away or making himself a problem for the entire village. A waste of Poppy's time! But here he was…looking to be enjoying himself.

Creek ground his teeth at the sight. The group finished their song and there were hugs and tears and Poppy explained how Branch had gotten his colours back the first time. It seemed like it was as simple as Branch breaking his silence. The rest of the day was rather quiet. And he heard the rushing of the river as noon approached. Why were they going to the river? Maybe he should have studied some maps…

Floyd produced a weapon from his hair and flipped it open to reveal an axe that he hacked a tree down with and made quick work of turning it into lumber for what clearly became a raft. And the others helped construct it while Floyd put together some kind of glue from the sap.

Great…if they were going down the river, he couldn't keep up with them. And he didn't know the way to Bergentown. Creek would have to find a way to hide on the raft or sabotage it…maybe get their map and see if he could beat them to the giant town.

But after they ate dinner, Poppy and Floyd went to sit by the raft and Branch and Trickee went to the tent. Sugar.

Creek shifted his weight, watching for them to fall asleep or something. The two simply sat there, talking and then looking through a scrapbook. Maybe he could get to the raft when they traded watch or something…but a twig snapped under his foot and Floyd and Poppy jumped into action.

Poppy pulled a slingshot out of her hair and Floyd pulled a knife out of his. Creek extended his hair into the tree above himself and fled, wincing as his pants ripped. Floyd didn't pursue him as he fled through the treetops.

When he stopped, he climbed to a treetop to try and figure out another way to Bergentown. He spotted the giant city and went back to the ground to camp for the night.

In the morning, he went to find a bug or something that he could use to get there faster. He found a Flier Bug and rode it to Bergentown. Finding the Root Tunnels was harder, especially since it was dark when he made it to a spot that might have been them…the cliff wall was littered with holes.

Maybe he'd have better luck figuring it out in the morning. So, he camped out again and woke to something poking him in the cheek. Creek groaned and swatted whatever was poking him away.

"Wakey, wakey~!" a voice crooned. Creek blinked and shouted, scrambling away from a talking cloud. Worse, he recognized this cloud. Cloud Guy. An annoying creature who seemed to derive pleasure from making a nuisance of himself…and he particularly enjoyed tormenting Branch. Which would have made him 'okay' as far as Creek was concerned, if Branch was the only one that he targeted.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to try and get on this cloud's good side.

"Have I made it to the Root Tunnels?" he asked cordially.

"Oh definitely," Cloud Guy grinned, shooting finger guns at him.

"Excellent. Now…do you happen to know the way to Bergentown from here?"

"Absolutely," the cloud agreed.

"Wonderful. If you'd be so kind as to point the way," Creek said brightly, giving his best smile and pressing his hands together.

"Hm…nah."

"What?"

"Well…maybe I can show you the right hole," the cloud laughed. "If you do something," he taunted.

"Okay…?" Creek didn't like where this was going. But there wasn't much he wouldn't do to try and fix this.

"There's this armadillo bus and Trolls blocking my favourite spot around here. Get them to move and I'll tell you," Cloud Guy deadpanned, pointing towards an oddly familiar critter.

"Well, I suppose I can try," Creek sighed and walked over.

"You think we should go check on him?" a female voice groaned as the door popped open.

"Maya, we told him to take however long he needs," a lazy voice countered.

Creek hissed and went to hide in the bushes. Branch's sister Maya. He could not handle a Rock Troll. He heard Cloud Guy snickering and blinked. That stupid cloud knew this would happen!

"Ugh, the cloud's back," Maya groaned. "Go find another spot, you damn puffball!" she snapped before going back into the armadillo bus. Creek grimaced and went back to the cloud.

"Can't you just tell me how to get into the Root Tunnels? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Nah, if you're too scared to talk to a Rock Troll, how you gonna handle a Bergen?" Cloud Guy taunted.

Better than some other Trolls, he wanted to say, instead he simply pushed passed the cloud and tried to figure it out on his own.

He picked a tunnel and lit up his hair. To find a monster roused by the light. It roared and Creek froze. The beast chased him out of the cave and into the trees.

He vaguely heard Cloud Guy cackling after him as he fled. Creek tripped over a root as he ran, twisting his ankle as he went down. Another roar and for a moment, he was terrified that this was how it ended for him.

But in a stroke of luck, the creature was dragged away from him just as it started to bite into his leg. It managed to take his pant leg with it though, a tooth scraping painfully down his leg. A pained scream ripped from his throat. But, free of the beast, he scrambled back. To see that it was being eaten by a larger beast.

It growled at him and turned away. He fell back and sighed in relief.

"Is someone out there?" Branch's sister called after a few minutes. The Rock Troll flew over him and gasped when she spotted him. "Holy fuck! Are you okay Kid?"

Creek groaned and sat up a little. She landed beside him and pulled a first aid kit out of her hair.

Because of course over-prepared and paranoid Branch would have an equally over-prepared sibling.

Without even asking if he wanted help, she skilfully treated the gash on his leg. Creek yelped at the disinfectant burning his leg.

"You're lucky it's not that deep. With this thin ass skin you're probably a Pop Troll, aren't you?" she asked and he tried to school his face into a look of confusion. He shouldn't know about the genres, after all. "Oh! You don't know about the genres, do you?" she gasped.

"No…?"

"Well, that means you're probably from the main tribe, right? Were you born in the Tree or after the Escape? Do you know where the others are? Ohmigosh, do you know a Troll named Branch?!" she rattled off as she bound his leg and secured his ankle. Creek was at a loss for words.

How did she have that much energy? The Rock Trolls he'd met before were more like Branch…aggressive and short tempered…

"Oh," she giggled. "You're probably in shock from what just happened. I'm going to go get my brother and then we can get you back to your village so you can get your leg looked at properly," she promised before straightening up and putting her kit away. "You just stay here…I'll be right back with help," she said firmly before flying back towards the tunnels.

Creek couldn't be caught! Poppy knew that cursed future he was trying to fix…and she would be suspicious of him being there. So, he hauled himself up and limped his way away from the Root Tunnels. Making himself out to be a hero wasn't going to work, he realized. So, he just needed to find his way back to the village and come up with something else…

Chapter Text

When they got back to the village, Satin was glad to find their pod intact. Compared to the fallen and destroyed homes…the damage that Bergen caused. She was sure that she saw what might have been parts of a wooden house under the fallen tree. And as she watched everyone work, she almost wished that Chenille was more willing to pitch in. Satin couldn't quite help properly if her sister was tugging their hair away from the cleaning efforts.

So, instead of being useful, Chenille holed them up in the pod. They only left to get food and listen to the morning concerts from the travellers helping with the rebuild. She wanted to apologize to Branch. If only to appease her sense of creeping guilt. Especially as Smidge let them know about stuff that she'd found out down in the bunker.

The bunker that Branch offered up as shelter for the village despite how everyone treated him for the last twenty years. He spent all those years enduring how they treated him…and still finding the time while building and stocking his doomsday shelter to protect everyone. Branch was a big reason no one had seen a predator of any kind in years.

Sure, he had terrible fashion sense, but when they'd seen Poppy in a similar style in Bergentown, Satin would forgive it. Clearly it was a style that prioritized survival. Out in the wilds, or that whole thing…Poppy clearly had an easier time fighting that Bergen in her bland as heck survival outfit than with the dress she'd been wearing at the Party.

Two days into the rebuild, Satin happened to spot Branch. He was heading off somewhere with his sister and she really couldn't imagine how his siblings hadn't been in his life until this. She needed the juicy gossip, about the formerly Grey Troll. She was also desperate to know how he'd become colourful.

She didn't see him again until she dragged her sister out to an early breakfast. Satin shook Chenille by the shoulder and pointed at Poppy and Branch heading for the clinic. They were hand-in-hand and Branch was wearing a crown. Chenille's jaw dropped. Oh yeah, Poppy's 'boring princess stuff' before the Party was obviously Branch.

How long had they been secretly dating? Why hadn't he gotten his colours until their trip to Bergentown to rescue everybody? How were they so in sync?! She'd never seen anyone, even long married couples, that in sync. With the nicknames and finishing each other's sentences…it almost made her jealous. But more than anything it made her all the more desperate for details.

Her sister was in agreement, so they tried to catch Branch all day. Without success. He was practically attached to Poppy all day. When they saw him next, the crown was gone, but there was a barely visible streak of red in his blue-black hair, previously hidden by the crown.

Satin had a theory about the streak, but since there was no egg announcement, she bit her tongue. If it was an egg, clearly even Poppy didn't want to announce it yet. Of course not. The entire village would throw aside the rebuild and actually interesting expansions that Poppy was pushing to throw a huge party for a royal egg. And Poppy was so serious now…plus with Branch's aversion to parties…they were probably just putting it off until the rebuild was done.

Eventually, they were able to catch Branch alone. The twins had agreed to not look at the red streak. They were going to pretend it didn't exist until one of them confirmed that it was an egg.

"Hi, Branch," they said in unison and he jolted.

"Uh…hi."

"Helping with the rebuild?" Satin asked lightly.

"Not really, no," he sighed. "I was helping clear up some of my traps though…," he mumbled, glancing at them with a look that almost screamed 'why are we talking?'

"Oh, well, we won't take up much of your time," Chenille said a little too sharply.

"We just wanted to apologize," Satin added, nudging her sister. "For how we've treated you."

"And thank you. You didn't have to help any of us," Chenille added.

Branch shrugged and shoved his hands in pockets of his ratty shorts. Satin tried not to rake her gaze over him, but she failed, trying to figure out his measurements. And were those wings sticking out of his vest? Wouldn't surprise when she'd seen that his siblings had wings…and so did those Rock Trolls. If they ever made anything for him, they'd have to account for the wings.

It was Chenille's turn to nudge Satin as she stared.

"Please tell me you have better clothes," Chenille grumbled.

"Yeah, I do," he said firmly.

"So, you dress like that on purpose?!" they both demanded.

Branch nodded and that's when Satin noticed that he looked exhausted.

"Well, we have stuff to do," she said brightly. "We just wanted to clear the air."

"Yeah," Chenille agreed. "No hard feelings?"

"It's not that easy, but…it's a start," he sighed before turning to leave. Satin pulled her sister away.

Cooper went to the bunker between helping with the rebuild. He couldn't do much, but he tried. And he'd seen Branch heading there. He knocked on the rock where the door they'd gone in before was. Branch opened the door, looking tired and not really in the mood for guests.

"What?" he groaned.

"Uh…I wanted to say I'm sorry," Cooper mumbled, shifting his feet. "I had no idea that I was always agreeing to hurtful things. But I should have…and I shouldn't have been part of it. You found me when I was an egg, and how I've treated you isn't fair…"

"It's uh…it's okay Cooper," Branch told him, something in his expression unreadable. Cooper hoped that it was just that he was considering things.

"I wanna try and be friends," he said bluntly. "I know it's probably not gonna be that easy, but…"

"Okay," Branch agreed after a moment. "But I have stuff to do around here."

"I could try and help," Cooper said eagerly.

"I have plenty of help from my siblings," Branch assured. "Uh…thanks though."

Cooper nodded and backed away from the door, waving with his front foot before he trotted off.

Smidge waited a few days. She needed to collect her thoughts. She needed to apologize to both Branch and his brother. And she bumped into Floyd first. She wasn't surprised when the burgundy haired Troll started to go in the other direction. She'd been awful to him, without even knowing who he was. And she heard that her friends that he'd helped to rescue were twice as bad.

"Wait," she called. "I just want to say I'm sorry. I was way out of line when I met you," she added.

"Yes, you were," he agreed flatly before walking away.

Smidge sighed. Yeah, after the first impression she'd made…she really shouldn't have expected anything less.

She took a deep breath and went looking for Branch. She found him heading back to the bunker with a small bundle of sticks. She frowned. Was that bundle smaller than usual? And he looked really tired.

She'd heard that he and Poppy went to the clinic the other day…was he getting sick?

Then she noticed the little streak of red hair oddly placed in his hair. Perfectly placed for him to have an egg!

"Oh, my gah," she gasped aloud, then clapped her hands over her mouth when Branch looked at her. "You uh…need some help?" she offered.

"I'm fine," he sighed. "Did you…want something?" he asked, the look in his eyes tired, but not annoyed. Oh, she wasn't the first one to approach him with an apology.

"I wanted to apologize again for how I treated you before. And…say that if you're willing…I'd like to be friends. I completely understand if you're not okay with that…," she mumbled, scuffing her feet on the ground.

"Okay," he said after a long moment. Smidge looked up at him in shock. It was that easy?

But then again…he probably paid attention to who was particularly nasty to him and those that were silent.

"Really? Silence is still taking sides, Branch. And the day of the Party…"

"I know," he sighed. "But some things I can forgive."

She was too busy the rest of the rebuild to talk to Branch. DJ was a little upset about that. John Dory recognized her, and so did Floyd. She didn't think they would when she was barely a couple months older than Branch. At the time they left the Tree, she hadn't even been a year old.

She apologized for not stopping Smidge in the woods when Floyd first got there, and he simply shrugged.

When she saw Branch, which was rarely during the rebuild (she figured he was busy restocking the bunker and getting ready for winter) he was with Poppy or one of his siblings…or the guys. And then, the rebuild was done and the village looked completely different! More than just pods in the trees and a few stands…

They had a proper market now, still out in the open but with a tall frame and roof around it. Things were organized and Trolls that had been trading their 'unusual' goods out of their homes were comfortable selling in the market now.

A lot of Trolls stopped wearing Hug Time Bracelets since Poppy was pushing for a policy of acknowledging boundaries. DJ stopped wearing her Hug Time Bracelet. She always hated Hug Time.

She noticed that Biggie and Guy Diamond weren't hanging out with their friend group anymore. While they were getting ready for the party…celebrating the rebuild and Poppy becoming queen, DJ found them.

"Hey guys! Haven't seen you around much in down time…," she greeted.

"Been busy with stuff," Biggie mumbled.

She frowned. She'd barely seen Biggie around at all. And Guy was one of many Glitter Trolls that got into arguments with the outsiders about an excess of glitter.

"I don't understand how you can be okay with what Poppy did…," Biggie sighed. "I mean…I'm grateful that we're here…but…"

"She did what she had to do," DJ defended.

"She eats meat you know," Guy Diamond said, as if that held any weight.

"Plenty of Trolls eat meat," she groaned. She couldn't even count how many Trolls in the village weren't vegetarians. "Just like there are Trolls that don't like sweets. Or Hug Time. Or glitter. Everyone's different and that's not a bad thing."

"How can we stay friends with someone who hides things from us?" Biggie complained.

"With the way you're acting, is it a surprise?!" she snapped. "Everyone spent the last twenty years hiding things to fit in…especially seeing how Branch and the guys were treated. I think it's great that Poppy finally let us see this side of her. And that she's encouraging everyone to stop forcing themselves to be Trolls they aren't."

"Well, I'm glad she's happy with her secret boyfriend and disgusting habits," Biggie sighed. "But I can't be friends with her anymore."

"SaMe," Guy Diamond agreed in autotune. DJ shook her head a little and left them alone with their crappy attitudes.

She had a party to deejay. So, she dressed up a little and went to the plaza. She carefully selected the music. She usually avoided Kismet and BroZone, just in case Branch decided to attend, and knowing that he would attend tonight, she made absolutely sure to keep the bands that Branch was part of out of it. She didn't want to bring up any bad feelings.

Poppy was crowned and she announced a council. Trolls to help her run the village actually sounded like a good idea and something she barely remembered Peppy having. She was shocked when Poppy announced her as event coordinator. DJ was always so anxious about hosting parties. But…when she managed to push passed the nerves, her parties were successful, so…maybe she could do the job. Especially with Poppy clearly planning to change up their 'party etiquette' that was the cause of most of DJ's anxiety.

Poppy's next announcement was exciting. It didn't matter how long she and Branch had been together, DJ had seen them and they were so in sync it was scary. Then, the new queen and king showed off an egg! DJ had no idea how long they'd been keeping it a secret, but Branch's rare appearances outside the bunker suddenly made sense.

If he was exhausted from carrying the egg, he wouldn't want to be out much.

But he was enduring the party. For as long as he could, at least. She barely noticed him slip away right before she switched the music to just play, so she could take a break and mingle.

"The egg has to be why they rushed things," Satin giggled when she approached the friend group. Creek had been wheeled over and was looking aggravated, either at his lack of mobility or the whole situation. DJ knew he was aiming for Poppy's hand…and the power it would give him in the village. Quite a few Trolls thought they'd been dating, even.

"Or it's why they even got married at all," Creek griped, folding his arms.

"That's ridiculous," Smidge snarked. "There has to be real and deep love for the ritual to work. Whether planned or not."

Creek scoffed.

"Someone's jealous," Chenille deadpanned. "You never had a chance, Creek."

"Not when they're already at nicknames," Satin giggled.

DJ grinned at that. Oh yeah, however long Poppy and Branch had been secretly dating, Creek didn't stand a chance getting Poppy's affections with that. Poppy only gave nicknames to special Trolls. Sure, they all had small nicknames…but she'd been told that more than one was used in a single conversation between the newlyweds, from both of them. She didn't remember Branch ever giving anyone a nickname when they were kids.

So, what they had was really special.

DJ sighed a little and went back to her woofer bug and kept the party going. Poppy left after a while, but that was normal. Sometimes even the party princess (as some called her) was done with a party before the rest of the tribe. But it was a shame, as Cooper joined her on the mushroom stage and grinned. They'd been working on something and she wanted Poppy to give her feedback on it.

Oh well, she'd let Poppy hear it another time. DJ started up the track for the song.

Woo-hoo, yee-hoo

She sang, repeating it several times.

If I could escape

I would, but first of all let me say

I must apologize for acting, stinking, treating you this way

She practically rapped, with Cooper beatboxing along with her tune.

'Cause I've been acting like sour milk all on the floor

It's your fault you didn't shut the refrigerator

Maybe that's the reason I've been acting so cold

They started rapping together and the crowd cheered for them.

Chapter Text

Poppy waited anxiously when she had to put away her whistle. There was noise as Trolls finally came as the dust was settling. She covered her face and ran to help Torrent trying to clear the entrance.

"Gosh I hope no one was hurt…," she mumbled as Evan and the new security team came to help.

They had ropes and other gear, so she assumed that was what took so long. Or maybe it hadn't been that long and she was just too freaked out about this. They got the entrance cleared and Poppy stepped back as they went in for the rescue. Rhonda came over as Poppy stood out of the way, wringing her hands.

"We heard the whistle, what's wrong?" John Dory demanded as he jumped out of the armadillo bus before she stopped, machete at the ready.

"The mine…," Poppy mumbled, nodding towards the rescue attempts. JD put his machete away and put a hand on her shoulder.

Finally, they started bringing out workers. And Poppy was horrified at how many of them were gravely injured. A dozen Trolls. And finally, they were all out. Fifteen workers, all with varying degrees of injury.

"We have the room in Rhonda to get them to the hospital," Maya gasped out. The rescue team loaded everyone in Rhonda and they headed for the clinic.

They needed to wrangle a caterbus or something.

Poppy teared up as they tried to help the injured workers. And she lost it as they realized that some of the Trolls were dead…either before they were even loaded up or on the way. Of all the things to happen when they were literally about to check the mine's safety!

When they had everyone unloaded at the hospital, Poppy fled to the bunker. She knew she'd have to deal with this later, but she needed to get away. She heard noise from the bathroom and went to check it out.

Branch was hunched over the sink, throwing up. She grimaced. Egg symptoms…

She approached and rubbed his back a little.

"Poppy, what are you doing…?" he moaned when he finished puking.

"I just…needed a minute," she sighed. "I'll explain in a minute. I'll clean up in here and then make us some tea. I think we have everything for this ginger tea that Brandy told me about," she kissed his cheek. Branch smiled a little and left the bathroom. She cleaned up and went to the kitchen. "Let's see…ginger…holly leaves…raspberry juice…," she mumbled to herself as she dug through the cabinets for ingredients. She bustled around the kitchen to get the tea started and then went to check on Branch.

He'd gone to the living room, and looked exhausted. Poppy smiled a little and went back to her task. This…was a good distraction from the mine. When the tea was ready, she brought a cup to Branch.

"This smells good," he noted, taking a sip.

"Brandy swears by it. And I trust her judgement about stuff like this…with thirteen kids," she chuckled, sitting beside him.

"Yeah…I'm still a little surprised by the idea that I have thirteen niblings…," Branch laughed. Poppy worried her lip. Fourteen…but if she mentioned little Dyna, that made it feel real. "After the baby hatches, which of my brothers do you want to track down first?"

"Clay," she said without hesitating. "He and Viva and the Putt-Putts are at Hole 'N Fun…terrified to leave. It's…like their bunker."

"Do…you want to go there before the baby hatches…?" he asked slowly, taking a sip of his tea.

"No…," she shook her head. "You…and maybe Floyd…but you can relate with them. I want my sister back, but in the dream…she tried to stop us from leaving…I'll need backup."

"Okay…so we take the baby," he agreed. Poppy nodded and stared into her cup. "Poppy…?"

"I-I'm fine," she mumbled. "When our baby hatches, we go to Hole 'N Fun."

Branch frowned and took her hand.

"Poppy, what's wrong?"

"Can't fool you, huh?" she sighed. "The…there was an accident at the coal mine…about fifteen of the miners were trapped and…most of them died. Either by the time they were dug out or on the way to the clinic…"

"Oh…"

"And Torrent and I were literally on our way to look into ways to fortify the mines so something like this was less likely to happen!" she moaned. "I hate that this happened…telling their families is going to be so hard…"

"Do you want me to go with you to do that…?" he offered.

"That…would be great," she sighed, leaning against him. There was a light thump at the lift and she looked up. Floyd was dusting himself off. "Oh, hey Floyd. I didn't know you were home."

"Yeah, I wanted to get some reading done. Been studying up on digging and stuff."

"Cool. Uh…we're gonna head out in a little while…," she trailed off.

"Okay. I figured I could get started on some of the expansions…it's really not much different than building a barn. I thought you had a whole to-do list for the day, Poppy."

"That's…taking a back seat," she sighed. "Something came up, so I have to take care of that first…"

"Sounds…taxing? You okay?"

"I'll be fine," she assured. Floyd frowned, but didn't press.

"Oh, I found this interesting book of legends while I was at the library," he changed the subject, pulling a book out of his hair. "There's an entry about the Perfect Family Harmony, so I figured you could verify if there's any merit to this book…since you've seen the Harmony."

"Participated in it, too," she laughed, taking the book when he offered it. Poppy flipped through the pages and found the entry on the Harmony. Yeah, how it was described in the book matched with what happened. "Oh sweet, this theorizes that with a Rock instrument the blast could be streamlined and even doubled with a Perfect Power Chord. If only I had my bass on that yacht, I could have tried it."

"You can do power chords?" Floyd gaped.

"I can get up to eight," she shrugged. She looked to see Branch looking fairly confused. "Oh, Rock Trolls have set up most of their instruments to use as weapons. I learned how to do those sound blasts with Barb, Carol, and Riff in the dream. Apparently, the max setting is the hardest and just as powerful as the Harmony…but twice as dangerous. Barb can pull it off. Or at least she could by the time I met her in the dream…"

"Okay then…"

"So…if it's right about the Perfect Family Harmony…maybe the time travel entry is right to a point…?" Floyd trailed off. Poppy frowned and flipped through the book to find the entry he was talking about.

At the very least, it was interesting. The Sands of Time. A sphinx and an hourglass…and how it warned that some things couldn't be changed. Echoes of the original timeline lingering. Like how Floyd found them…or that look Gristle had when he looked at Bridget in the throne room…the guys still ending up in Bergentown somehow…

"If this is how it happened…," she mumbled. "That would make sense…"

"So, the theory is that someone, probably Creek, dragged you back in time?" Branch guessed.

"That's what it looks like…he's the only one I know that would be crazy selfish enough to try something like that…when he came back to the village in the dream…I told him that if he could show that he'd changed…I only let him back into the village because he was hurt and struggling, but he never made an effort. And he was even outright mean to some Trolls…because he wasn't forgiven and no one trusted him…"

"Well, after setting up the entire tribe for slaughter just to save his own life, under duress or not, why would anyone forgive him?" Floyd groaned.

"I don't know…we don't have much conflict and being 'forgiven' is usually easy. But that's in little stuff, like…accidents and misunderstandings…not outright sacrificing your entire tribe in exchange for your own life," Poppy groaned. "I came close to kicking him out a few times…"

"But you're too nice," Branch joked, nudging her.

"I know," she sighed. "But would you want me any other way?"

"No."

She handed the book back to Floyd and stood. She needed to take care of the accident.

"Are you still up for helping with this stuff?" she asked Branch. He nodded.

"What happened?" Floyd asked as Branch stood.

"There was an accident in the coal mine," Branch sighed. "Some of the miners died…"

Floyd nodded slowly as they headed out.

John Dory was worried. About the whole situation, really. They had been out gathering things on Branch's list when they'd heard a distant boom and the whistle. And, like a traitor, Rhonda almost went on her own after the signal. They'd barely managed to get inside before Rhonda sped off.

They came to a stop near the coal mine as dust was settling. He grabbed his machete and rushed out when he saw Poppy.

She assured him that she was safe, so he put the machete away. Poppy was safe, but this was still serious.

Only a couple of the miners survived…

And when they got the hospital, Poppy disappeared. JD knew she probably retreated to the bunker for some air. Maya opened her mouth to say something when she noticed something and squeaked.

"Oh, hey!" she gasped. He looked to see her darting up to a Troll in a wheelchair. "When you were gone, I was worried you got eaten or something. How's your leg?"

He frowned. Maya had mentioned seeing a Troll fleeing a critter in the woods, and almost eaten. She'd patched up his leg and went to get help moving him. That's what she was doing in the woods that day. But the Troll was gone when she and Avery had gone to get him. Was this…that Troll?

The look on his face was…confusing. John frowned a little. He looked familiar, now that he thought about it.

"Are you related to Sage Swallow?" he asked.

"My mother," the Troll sighed. "I've never met her," he muttered. Something about his tone set off alarm bells in John Dory's mind. "She was separated in the escape…"

"Well…I think after the baby's born; Poppy wants to go look for the Trolls that were separated in the escape," John said carefully. There wasn't going to be much 'looking' when Poppy was almost certain where they were. But Poppy was being reasonably careful about the dream. At this point they were keeping it 'in the family'.

"What's your name, anyway?" Maya asked abruptly.

"Creek…," he mumbled. "How do you know my mom?"

"I--"

"John Dory?" someone gasped behind him. He turned to see Kayla. He barely remembered her from the band days. "Oh my gosh, it's been forever! Most everyone thought you were dead…when BroZone broke up and you all disappeared…"

"I escaped the Tree and went to the Neverglades. Br--Spruce and Floyd made it out of the Tree too," he sighed. "But it's good to see you, Kayla. How's the band?"

"We kinda stopped when Sage and I got married, but the girls are fine," Kayla laughed. "Aisha and Bubbles settled down. Married with kids. We all need to get together for brunch some time."

"Mother, you were in a band?" Creek gasped.

"3LT," John chuckled. "We worked with them in a few shows."

"And the Spice Trolls acted like they were our rivals," Kayla chuckled. "We weren't even in the same party circuits…"

"Don't even get me started on the Sugar Gals."

"Says the guy who dated their lead singer…"

"To the one who married her."

They laughed together for a minute. Really, before things got so stressful with the band, it was a lot of fun. Stress of his own making, really. He imagined it would have gotten more stressful a lot quicker if there was money involved…but Pop was barely about to get currency and all that again.

"The Tree was…difficult," Kayla sighed, looking at Creek. "Best way to survive was by being in a band…helping keep everyone happy and distracted from the Bergens…except this guy," she pointed at JD with her thumb. "His grandmother was older than King Peppy. They knew how to survive…don't know why they started a band…"

"Because my younger brothers wanted to show off the dances they came up with while playing with Viva. And…when our dad went Grey, we wanted to cheer him up."

"Oh, by the way…you mentioned Floyd and Spruce left the Tree too…whatever happened to Bitty and Clay?"

"Clay apparently moved in with Viva…and Branch…stayed with Grandma."

"Wait…you mean…Branch as in…our new king?" she gasped.

"That's my baby brother," he chuckled. "I never imagined when we finally found him that he'd be with a princess…"

"And Clay…oh! I didn't recognize him without the yellow…," Kayla laughed. "I thought it was weird that Princess Viva wasn't upset when her bestie vanished. But he didn't vanish…just stopped keeping up that lemon hair…if I'd realized who he was…and…he had to be in the last waves…because I haven't seen him around…"

"What happened…? Poppy was a hatchling and Branch was in the first wave, so they couldn't say…"

"Well…Sage and I were in the last group before the digging started…it was chaos, and I barely got out of the way of a shovel…and--" she choked up. "Sage was on the other side of it…but I was shoved towards the exit by the crowd…then the tunnels collapsed and…Creek hatched early…on the way to find this valley…"

"You've never told me any of this…why?" Creek muttered.

"King Peppy's rule…we couldn't talk about the Tree or the particulars of the escape…You remember how it was in the Tree, John…anything 'not happy' is bad…," she sighed. "Beyond his rule…it hurt too much to talk about…"

"Well, not surprising…you remember the hoops we had to jump through just to play certain songs outside the recording booth?" JD sighed. He remembered the struggle all too well. He'd already suspected how bad things had gotten, but this confirmed it…

"I'm just glad that Queen Poppy is already pushing for change…it feels good being able to talk about things and just…really let it go…," Kayla laughed. "So…Creek, honey, how are you holding up? I was really scared when I didn't find you in the Bunker and you weren't with everyone that was kidnapped…"

"I'm fine, Mother…," Creek mumbled.

Kayla made a face and sauntered off to talk to one of the nurses. Probably to double check.

"What were you doing at the Root Tunnels?" John asked when she was gone.

"I…don't know what you're talking about," the purple Troll tried. "I already told Poppy and the doctors. The bunker was locked when I got there, so I went to find a place to hide out on my own, when a muck-wallower chased me away from the place I found…too close to a swamp, I suppose…then I got lost, and that beast tried to eat me…"

"Hm…see, that doesn't match what you told me," Poppy said, suddenly behind them. "Or what you told Dr Plimsy. So, what really happened, Creek?" she demanded, folding her arms.

Creek blanched and stammered.

"Well, I know what happened when I found him," Maya sighed. "That stupid Cloud was involved somehow, but he picked the wrong tunnel and then woke up a cave snake. It chased him out to the woods and almost ate him when it was eaten by a larger snake. That one left him alone, and I found him with a twisted ankle, Gloom Rash, and a gash in his leg."

"Ugh…Cloud Guy…," Poppy grimaced. "He's the reason we took the river. So…you were trying to get to Bergentown? To do…what?"

"What do you think?" Creek hissed.

"Well, I have two guesses. Either betray us again or try and make yourself out to be a hero," Poppy growled. "Unless I'm wrong and you didn't try and start everything over."

"You belong with me! Not that paranoid freak!"

Maya grabbed JD by the shoulder as he automatically started to punch this brat.

"Branch is ten times the Troll you ever were. In the future we came from or before," the queen snapped. "And nothing you can do will change how I feel about my husband," she added before turning on her heel. And that's when John noticed Branch standing a few feet away.

"Well, we know why…," Branch grumbled. "Let's go take care of the situation with the miners…"

"Gladly," Poppy sighed and they headed for a nurse.

"You know…Sage would be so disappointed in you," JD muttered before leaving Creek. Maya went with him.

"That guy's a bit bonkers…," she said, not so quietly.

"He has the energy of someone hitting the wrong herbs…," Avery agreed. John nodded a little and looked to Poppy. The queen was wilting as she spoke with a nurse, and Branch was turning grey. He had to remind himself that that was just his little brother's mood being reflected by his colouring rather than him actually fading again.

"Oh no…from the look on Poppy's face…it's worse than we thought…," he sighed. The nurse touched Poppy's shoulder and turned to go back to work. Poppy choked up and turned to bury her head in Branch's chest.

The siblings slowly approached. And JD worried his lip.

"How bad is it…?" he asked quietly.

Branch shook his head and hugged Poppy as she sobbed. He could only guess that there were no survivors.

Chapter Text

There was a lot going on. And Branch was glad that he wasn't nauseous anymore. That tea Poppy made for him clearly had long term effects. He'd have to find a way to thank his sister-in-law for the recipe somehow.

There were no survivors from the mine accident. And most of them had children that were orphaned today.

He went with Poppy to the plaza and rested a hand on her shoulder as she pulled out her cowbell. She took a deep breath and started banging the bell. It wasn't long before almost everyone in the village was in the space, with confused chatter.

"Sorry to interrupt your day," Poppy started. "But…there's something major that just happened this morning. I'm not sure how many of you heard the explosion earlier…," she trailed off and there was a murmur of confirmation that quite a few of them heard it.

Branch hadn't, but that was probably simply because of distance.

"What was it?" someone called.

"There was an accident in the coal mine, we're not sure if the explosion caused it or was something that was caused by it…," she choked up and Branch squeezed her shoulder a little.

"Fifteen workers were in the mine," he continued for her. "And…despite all attempts…none of them survived," he informed and there was a collectively horrified gasp.

"S-So…," Poppy sighed shakily. "We'll have a funeral for them and we'll get in contact with their families individually soon." Poppy took a deep breath and listed off the casualties. With perfect timing, Hug Time Bracelets went off. Branch took the opportunity to hug his wife.

When hug time was over, most of the crowd disbursed. Leaving the ones he assumed were the families of the miners. Smidge and DJ hurried to join them as Branch and Poppy hopped off the mushroom.

"Sucks that my first real event is gonna be a funeral…," DJ lamented. "But I've got you guys."

"We've got this, Poppy, if you guys have other stuff to do…," Smidge sighed gruffly.

"Well, Torrent's probably already inspecting the mine…and my to-do list is clear now…unless…Branch are you up for helping me get my stuff moved? I could always get someone else to help…"

"I'll be fine," he assured and they left Smidge and DJ with the families. The two of them went to Poppy's pod and Branch eyed the high pod. "On second thought…I don't trust my hair with our egg to get up there…"

"I can carry you. You're light as a feather," Poppy laughed.

"I'm guessing you're speaking from experience?"

"Yep," she chirped before pulling him into a hug and throwing up her hair. They vaulted up to the pod and Branch looked around the altogether messy living room. "So, I was thinking we can convert 'Clay's room' into an office for me, so I don't mess up your office. You know how I am with glitter. He'll want to live with Viva when we get the Putt-Putts out of there."

"That sounds doable…," he nodded, searching for a bag or something to start packing her things. "It's a little early, but have you thought of names for the baby?"

"Definitely! There are classic plant names…," she trailed off. "But you're right, it's a lot early to name them. After the egg detaches and we can share care, then we can really field ideas. The baby should get a say in their own name," she laughed.

"Right…," he mumbled. "I really have no idea what I'm doing…"

"Well, I don't have any personal experience with eggs, but I know enough," Poppy laughed, pointing to her bedroom. "Use the blanket. And I have a suitcase in the closet."

He nodded and went to find them. In her room, he noticed a frame turned down on the bedside table. And there was a trail of bloody footprints heading toward the bathroom. He grimaced and tried to ignore them. He found the suitcase and started pulling out clothes to pack.

Branch finished emptying the closet and sat on the bed to fold the clothes.

Smidge was already tired. Sure, Child Welfare was her job as Poppy's Secretary, but this was crazy. Fifteen kids were just orphaned and they hadn't had a chance to really revamp the foster system. But she had the plans for the new system and she could manage this. So, she took the kids to the 'dungeon' (she still didn't know why Poppy kept calling it that) and started asking them questions. Just the basics, how old they were and names…if they had any other family or Trolls they wanted to stay with.

She also tried to determine if they had any special needs or preferences. Smidge remembered all too well what it had been like in foster care growing up. No one had been really able to care for her and her different needs being a Teaspoon Troll that couldn't sing. And no Teaspoon Trolls wanted another kid when she was growing up. Not many families wanted more than one kid, if any at all. And she remembered how Branch's friends had been treated when they were literally forced into the system just before the Escape. The system was broken and she had a chance to fix it.

The big thing was gonna be to listen to the kids.

"All right…," she sighed when she finished writing everything down in her new journal. "You kids can go on home. Start packing up whatever you want to keep with you for now…after the funerals we'll get you guys taken care of. Just…take some time to process this and we'll go from there."

All of the kids nodded and most of them left. She was left alone, with Keith. Smidge smiled a little at him.

"I don't wanna go home…," Keith mumbled.

"If I go with you, will it help?" Smidge offered. The Trolling shook his head, one of his odd eyes focused on her. "Okay…do you not want anything from your pod?" she asked and he shook his head again. Smidge sighed and opened her notebook to look over what she'd written down about him. "Well, let's see…you said you like to tell stories? I have some extra notebooks at my pod, so we can go there and get you a book to write down your stories? You can work on that in here while I find someone to take care of you?" she suggested and he nodded.

"Okay," he replied, his eyes focusing in the same direction for a split second before wandering in different directions again. Smidge got up and led Keith to her pod, where she found one of her empty notebooks and a pencil.

"You know, I like telling stories too," she said conversationally as they headed back to the dungeon.

"Scrapbooks are boring," Keith said plainly.

"Not every story has to be a scrapbook," she shrugged. "There are plenty of books without pictures."

When they got to the dungeon, John Dory and Avery were waiting outside. Smidge sighed and looked up at them. She hadn't really talked much to Branch's siblings. In fact, she barely knew their names.

"Oh, are you busy?" Avery sighed. "We can come back."

"I was just about to get Keith set up in here," she laughed. "Were you…looking for me?"

"Yeah," John Dory mumbled. "We uh…we were considering putting our names in the pool for fostering…"

"All right. I'll put you down," Smidge said lightly. "If you wanna look at the list of kids and get to know them a little, since you guys are new in town…I'm wanting to wait until after the funerals so they can get closure, y'know?" she sighed as they went inside. Keith ran to the table and very quickly started working in his new notebook.

Smidge went to the list of kids and put John Dory and Avery on the list of possible families. She tapped the notebook with her pen and frowned. She had a vague idea about Branch's siblings. Smidge barely remembered BroZone, she recognized them from that old band.

She'd been excited about Bitty B especially…a kid about her age in a band was unheard of. Very few babies in the Tree even had the motor skills that early to sing and dance, much less at the level of a band. She'd been two at the time of the band's breakup, and she barely remembered it. Bitty B hadn't even been a year old, she guessed.

Since she recognized his brothers as being part of that band, and Branch was apparently twenty-eight now…he was the right age to have been Bitty B. Smidge remembered sitting on her mom's shoulders so she could see the concert. And in the middle of the first song, she remembered they started glowing but then they tried to do a crazy tower and it fell apart. The older four had been caught up in the vines above the stage and then they fell in a painful looking pile.

The concert was cut short and no one ever saw BroZone again. She guessed that she never connected Branch with that band because she didn't even know he had brothers. Bitty B always wore those glasses in photos leading up to that concert. The only explanation for that…since that concert was in the middle of the year and she didn't think the Bergens had started grabbing Trolls monthly at that time…

There had been word that BroZone was gonna try the legendary Perfect Family Harmony. That was probably the glowing. So…for whatever reason, the band broke up after that disaster and, since there was rumour that they were taken the next Trollstice, the older four had escaped. And left their baby brother behind.

Abandoned him…

Was that the kind of Troll that she could trust an orphan with? But at the same time…they seemed to be helping Branch a lot…

"Actually…I'm going to need to talk to you…," she paused and glanced at Keith, who was engrossed in his writing. "In private."

The older Trolls nodded and she hopped off her chair. Smidge sighed and went to the other side of the room. John and Avery followed and she hopped up onto a root so she could still see Keith and be almost eye level with them.

"What do you want to know…?" John Dory asked slowly.

"BroZone," she grumbled. He flinched. "I need context."

"Well…uh…are you like Poppy and a fan after the escape…?" John mumbled.

"I was at that concert," she sighed, folding her arms. "I barely remember it, but I do remember that no one saw BroZone again after that. And I know Branch grew up in the Tree without any brothers. So, I need context."

"We attempted the Perfect Family Harmony and I screwed it up…," John Dory sighed, gripping his arm. "And I ran away…"

"So, you abandoned your baby brother," she concluded. "How do I know we can trust you with one of these orphans?"

"That was twenty-eight years ago," Avery sighed. "He's a different man now. And he was only nineteen at the time."

Smidge tapped her foot, considering. She should give them a chance…Avery had a point. A lot can change about a Troll in twenty-eight years.

"Okay. After the funerals…I'm going to let the kids decide. I'll put your names on the list…and here…," she sighed, showing them the list of kids. "Poppy can help you find them, but you should probably try and get to know some of the kids before then."

The two of them nodded and started to leave. John Dory paused before they left the dungeon and went to Keith.

"Whatcha working on, kiddo?" he asked and Keith lit up. The boy started rambling about his story and Smidge smiled a little.

Poppy and Branch got her stuff back to the bunker and they started going through the bedroom. Most of the water jars had been used up while they were on the rescue mission, so there wasn't much to clear out. Maya, JD, and Avery were already helping to reorganize supplies while they were restocking.

"I've got this, if you wanna rest," she sighed, seeing Branch looking fairly worn out.

"Okay…," he sighed and went to the office. Poppy smiled after him and looked around the room.

It was fairly bare, but she could work with it. Like…she highly doubted she'd ever sleep in here, but she could put in a bed…and it was high time she got a new desk. For now, she sorted her stuff. And heck, she could use the closet.

Poppy hummed as she worked on unpacking her clothes. And she could barely hear digging. Floyd must have been working on the expansions. She got her clothes in the closet and put the rest of her stuff in neat piles where she was thinking of putting furniture.

When she finished setting things up, her stomach grumbled. So, she checked the time and went down to the kitchen and dug out some stuff to make some food. She started humming again as she worked.

Perfect by nature

Icons of self-indulgence

The humming quickly turned into singing.

Just what we all need

More lies about a world

Poppy hit the stove with her hip when the fire refused to stay the right level. They needed to get that fixed.

That never was and never will be

Have you no shame? Don't you see me?

You know you've got everybody fooled

She got some water going and moved to chop some vegetables. Stew should be safe for Branch with his morning sickness.

Look, here she comes now

Bow down and stare in wonder

Floyd's voice joined her and she glanced over to see her brother-in-law barely cleaned up from his digging. He grabbed a glass of water and sat at the table.

Oh, how we love you

No flaws when you're pretending

But now I know

They harmonized.

She never was and never will be

You don't know how you betrayed me

And somehow, you've got everybody fooled

Poppy got some water boiling in a pot and started scraping ingredients in. She paused in singing to get her own glass and join Floyd at the table.

"So did you already know our parents' music before this?" Floyd laughed.

"Yes, actually. Of course, I didn't know that they were your parents," she giggled. "Dad hates that I like their music. I didn't know why until the dream, but whatever," she shrugged. "How's the digging?"

"Well, I'm about halfway through with digging out the nursery," Floyd shrugged. "And…the accident?"

"No one survived," she sighed heavily.

"Oh, Poppy, I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"We're…dealing with it," she told him as she went to check on the food.

They fell into a comfortable silence as she finished cooking and then called Branch down.

John Dory liked Keith. He was a weird kid, to be sure, but creative. And when he left the dungeon to head back to Rhonda, the child followed him. He couldn't just tell a Trolling barely old enough to be in school to go wherever Smidge would take him until things were sorted.

They got to the critter park and Keith's eyes focused for half a second as he looked at Rhonda.

"What is that?" the child gasped.

"This is Rhonda," JD laughed. "She's an armadillo bus." He took the boy to Rhonda's face and patted her side. "We live inside her," he explained as Keith held out a tentative hand to pet her. Rhonda gave a rumbling purr and licked the boy.

"Ew!" Keith gasped.

"It means she likes you," John sighed. "Here, let's get you cleaned up. Are you hungry?" he asked as he led Keith inside. The boy looked around with wide eyes. He showed Keith to the bathroom. "Are you hungry? I can make some pancakes or something."

"Breakfast for dinner?" Keith gasped as JD helped him clean off Rhonda's glittery saliva.

"Yeah…I guess you could say that," he laughed. "You wanna get some stuff from home after we eat?"

Keith shrugged. John tried to give a gentle smile.

"I don't wanna go home…," Keith mumbled.

"Don't you have stuff you wanna keep from your pod?"

"Well…maybe my books," he whispered.

"Okay. Do you have friends you can stay with?" he tried as they left the bathroom and JD headed for the kitchenette.

"CJ or Priscilla…," Keith sighed.

"All right. We'll have to ask their parents if you can stay over. And hey, how old are you?"

"Five."

He blinked in surprise. Keith looked like a kid that would still spend plenty of time tucked in their caretaker's hair…even if he looked about to grow out of that. But five was too old for that, even if he could fit. He felt like he'd seen this child hiding in hair since he'd been in Pop Village. But…Keith was a little weird and different, so maybe no one stopped him because of a supposed disability.

"And you still hang out in the hair of adults?" he questioned. Keith shrugged. "Why?"

"They let me…," he mumbled.

"You're getting a little big for that," he pointed out. Keith shrugged again, one of his eyes drifting in the direction of the door. John shook his head and got to cooking. "I don't really make sweet stuff, so this might taste a lot different than you're used to."

"Food is food," Keith gave a slightly unnerving laugh. John chuckled and finished up the meal, giving Keith a plate.

They ate in relative silence before John talked Keith into going home to get his stuff. After that errand, they found Keith's friends and their parents took Keith to have a sleepover.

Chapter Text

For the first time, a Pop funeral was actually a sombre affair. None of the loud and obnoxious partying…or laying them to rest and never speaking of them again to avoid the grief and sorrow. The funeral for the miners was a quiet banquet. With their surviving family and friends giving speeches to honour their memory. The only ones that didn't stay for long were expecting parents, simply because of the energy that carrying eggs took.

Branch stayed as long as he could, but after the fourth speech, he was starting to nod. Floyd helped him back to the bunker.

"So…Poppy's heading to the Tree with a team tomorrow…," Branch sighed as they walked.

"I know," Floyd mumbled. "She mentioned it earlier…asked if we want anything from the old pod…but it looked pretty bare. You took stuff when you left?"

"Whatever I could carry…," Branch muttered. "When…when--" he broke off, gripping his arm. "When she died…I packed a bag and stuffed what I could in my hair…everything else I just…"

"So, what happened to the rest of our stuff…?"

"I packed it up and shoved it in a closet…," he sighed. "The longer you guys were away…the more I hid away…and I never went into our parents' room…"

They got to the bunker and Floyd opened the hatch.

"The stuff that was in my room?" he guessed as they headed for the lift.

"Yeah…"

"It's mostly Grandma's stuff…," Floyd noted.

"By the time she died…I'd hidden away almost everything…and I didn't want reminders of--" he broke off. Floyd hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I know I've said it a million times, but…"

"Floyd…it's…fine."

"It's not though. I'm the one who left. I--" he broke off, choking back a sob. "It's my fault…"

"You were ten," Branch reminded him. "None of it's your fault. And besides…it's not like we can go back and change things."

"Well, we could…all I'd have to do is find that hourglass…"

"No…the past is…the past. Creek dragging Poppy back almost three years is one thing but almost thirty? There's too much to worry about messing up," he argued. Floyd smiled a little. The smile didn't reach his eyes, but Branch wasn't going to push.

"I know…," Floyd sighed. "Uh…do you have an idea how the nursery should be decorated?"

"You've seen how this place is decorated," he sighed.

"Yeah…it's not. But uh…I guess you prioritized survival before aesthetics?"

"Yeah. I don't know, Floyd. About--" Branch broke off, covering his mouth.

"Shit, come on," Floyd helped him to the nearest sink, which was in the kitchen. He barely made it.

"Ugh…why do they call it 'morning sickness' if it hits at any time of day…?" he groaned.

"The big question is…would you put yourself through this again?" Floyd chuckled, rubbing his back.

"Planned? Yes. No regrets, but…"

"I think I get it. Did Poppy write down that tea recipe anywhere?"

Branch shrugged and started to clean up. But that only made him more nauseous.

"Okay…I'm gonna clean up. You go to the living room or something…," Floyd groaned, pushing him away from the sink.

"Hey uh…can you make me some fried ice cream?" he asked suddenly.

"Fried…holy fuck that's a weird ass craving…I'll do what I can?" he chuckled. Branch smiled weakly and went down to the living room.

The day after the funeral, Poppy, John Dory, and a few others, took Rhonda to Bergentown. This would be the first trip of many to get their stuff that had been left behind at the Tree.

"JD are you sure you want to go in with us?" she asked as they approached the giant city. He nodded.

"Yeah…I'll be fine," he gave a reassuring grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You don't have to force yourself," she reminded. "There's no shame in parking at the tunnel and waiting for us to get done…"

"I know. I've got this Poppyseed," he assured. "Besides…I know we're safe with my badass warrior queen sister-in-law here."

She blushed a little at the praise and turned to the others. Most everyone on this trip were Trolls that didn't remember the Tree, if they were even born there. There was a lot of hesitation to return to the Tree for most of them, simply because of the trauma.

Still, John steered Rhonda towards a ramp that seemed to lead to another entrance into Bergentown. They got to an open gate and John took a deep breath before urging Rhonda forward and to the Tree. They stopped at the roots and Poppy turned to everyone.

"All right, we need to prioritize the library right now. John Dory…can you show them the way?" she asked and he nodded. "Thank you," she put a hand on his shoulder and went to step out.

Poppy hopped out of Rhonda and took a deep breath. The Bergens seemed bored, but the Tree was still alive, so whatever Gristle was doing so far was working to help them be happy. She ran up to the edge of the grass and tried to get someone's attention.

"Hey!" she shouted. No one answered. "EXCUSE ME!" she tried again, still no one batted an eye. Poppy tapped her foot and then whistled for Rhonda.

The armadillo bus bounded up to her, entire rear end wagging.

"Hey girl!" she giggled as Rhonda licked her. "I need the loud speakers," she laughed. And Rhonda spat out the mic. She paused and tapped the mic to check. A light patting came from the speakers. "Thank you, Rhonda," she pet the bus on the side before lifting the mic to her mouth. "Excuse me?"

"Oh! Sorry miss," a Bergen chuckled awkwardly, pulling a pair of headphones off. "Didn't hear you down there," he sighed and knelt in front of her. Poppy smiled awkwardly and tossed the mic back into Rhonda.

"Thanks Rhonda…go back and wait for JD," she sighed. Rhonda whined. "I'll be fine, girl," she assured and Rhonda rumbled off. "She's a little protective, but we love her. Hi! Can you take me to the castle? I need to talk to King Gristle."

"Of course!" the Bergen laughed and held out a hand. Poppy hesitated a second before hopping into his palm. "My name is Anthony, by the way," he sighed as he straightened, cupping his hand so she could hang on to his finger.

"I'm Queen Poppy," she laughed. "Things are looking a lot brighter around here," she commented as they went.

"Yeah…King Gristle is having everything refurbished. And reopening some things. It's a shame he's not reopening the old putt-putt course. I barely remember that we used to have one."

"Well, maybe if there's enough interest, he'll look into building a new one?" Poppy tried. They got to the castle and Poppy waved at Todd.

"Welcome back, Princess," he greeted.

"I'm the Queen now," she laughed. "But 'Poppy' is fine," she hopped to his extended hand. "Thanks Anthony!"

"Of course," he said lightly and left.

"So, is Gristle busy?" she asked, waving at the retreating Bergen.

"I'm sure he'll have time to speak with you," Todd sighed. "Unless he's with Bridget…but the last I saw him, King Gristle was in his office looking over places to refurbish."

"Ooh, Bridget?"

"You remember her, she was the scullery maid that helped you around before," he sighed.

Poppy nodded a little.

"Are they…friends now?" she asked eagerly.

"Yeah."

Poppy couldn't help the squeal. They did it on their own this time! Well…she could just ask Gristle how things were going. It had been really easy to get them together in the first place, so maybe he already kinda liked her even without what happened before.

Todd jolted and dropped her. Poppy yelped and tucked her hair around herself in a ball. She bounced on the ground and then uncurled for the landing.

"Sorry," she called. Todd knelt to pick her up again. "Did that look like a golf ball?"

"Yeah…," he chuckled. She grinned and hopped into his hand.

"Wait!" she gasped, noticing something on the wall. "Do…you guys have a rat problem?" she asked, hopping back to the ground and going to investigate.

"A small one, yes," Todd agreed. Poppy got to the spot and frowned.

It was a crack in the floorboard, but as she examined it, it seemed more intentional than a rat hole or crack from wear. She stepped inside the wall and lit up her hair out of habit. She realized very quickly that she didn't need it, as the space was already lit.

"Queen Poppy?" Todd called as she stepped further in. There were Troll lights strung across the space.

"Oh, my gumdrops!" she gasped and went back out. "What if your rat problem is a Troll problem?! There's Troll stuff in there!" she giggled and ran in place for a second before darting back into the wall.

Poppy looked around and hurried in a direction. Occasionally there were worn macrame ropes leading up to higher holes. At a junction, probably a room's corner, she found a little hand carved rack with rusty needles and sewing pins lined up, sharpened to act as swords. Her heart dropped, realizing that these were rusty from no one taking care of them.

But what really caught her eye was what was carved into the rack. Little birds and vines…just like Branch's new guitar. And as she headed down one of the paths, she found what had probably been a living area.

There was a lumpy old bed made of a torn oven mitt and ratty towels…a blanket crocheted the same way as most of the yarn work in Branch's childhood home was resting across it. And there was a makeshift desk made out of tied together utensils. A mirror made from a polished spoon reflected the space.

Poppy covered her mouth as she found a book open on the desk. Hesitantly, she read the page. It was a diary! Letting her curiosity take over, she flipped to the beginning of the diary.

We were the only ones to make it out of that kitchen. I wish I had my guitar! That would show those Bergens who they're messing with. Too dangerous to go back to the Tree…I hope John Dory didn't see Coda and I being taken…well…at least we were able to save Branch.

They'd survived! Branch's parents had survived when they were taken.

I wonder how the boys are doing…Mom's probably taking care of them. She's used to having a bunch of kids to care for. I heard some music that the Bergens had taken from the Tree…It was BroZone…because of course Peppy's system would encourage the boys to immediately get back to work. There was a fifth voice, and it hasn't even been a year! Branch is too young to be in a band. He can't be more than eight months old…he was due to hatch any day when we were taken…

The next entry was in a different handwriting. Coda.

Another Trollstice…and we tried to help the Trolls that were taken. All we were able to do was confirm Rosiepuff's suspicions. They were sacrificed. Some sort of quid pro quo, I guess? For what, I can't imagine…well, at least the boys are okay. I had time while we were trying to free them to ask about them. Bands are usually safe, but Peppy hates our family so he could have turned on them. BroZone broke up months ago and no one's seen any of the boys since. They apparently tried to do the Perfect Family Harmony…which was why Branch was involved so young. They must have escaped the Tree.

Alice's handwriting again and Poppy couldn't believe what she was reading! Actually, she could…and that was upsetting. Her dad hadn't confirmed it, but Viva had theorized.

We've tried and failed five times…we haven't been able to save any Troll, or escape the castle. The new prince…we've both taken a liking to him, singing him lullabies and telling him stories…it's not like his parents are very involved. This last Trollstice, during the rescue effort, one of them lamented missing a band called 'Kismet' performing. To which two of them in particular offered nothing but scorn. Apparently, their son, Trickee, is a member of that band, despite their protests. They placed blame on the youngest member of the group…Branch.

Coda's handwriting again after several pages of crudely drawn maps and supply lists. She could see where Branch got it from. Those pages reminded her so much of his maps and journals.

They've started taking Trolls in the middle of the year! Just a small handful once a month. We've been as successful helping them as the others. But one of them confirmed what we suspected. After failing the PFH, the older boys left the Tree, and Branch. I hope they're okay out there…a broken family is hard to put back together…

Poppy almost couldn't read any more. There were now monthly entries lamenting failed rescues. And they were the ones to teach Gristle to talk. But then, when she got to the end of the …journal, her breath halted. This last entry was a completely different handwriting, shaky and written in blood. Purple Troll blood.

The queen took another look around, to find little blood stains under the dust of the area. Old footprints leading in and then…to the bed. Which, she realized with horror, wasn't lumpy from age or use…there was a body, decayed to bones, under the blanket.

I'm so proud of my son. And glad to see him one last time. Coda and Alice gave their lives freeing me. But I'm afraid the injuries I took in the melee…I'm not long for this world. At least I was able to save Branch

This was Rosiepuff. The body was Rosiepuff. Poppy felt weird, seeing her last words. She tried not to cry.

"Queen Poppy? Where did you go?" she heard Todd call from the other side of the wall. Poppy looked to see a 'crack'. She worried her lip and put the journal in her hair before heading out. "Oh, there you are," Todd laughed, bending to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured. "I was wrong, it may have been Trolls twenty years ago…but…it looks like they're gone."

"Oh…okay," he mumbled as she hopped up into his hand. "I had a chance while I was looking for you to find out that yes, King Gristle is in his office."

"Great," she sighed and Todd took her there.

Chapter Text

Poppy was still kind of shaken about what she'd found in the walls, but she tried to push it aside for now. She had things to talk with Gristle about, ruler to ruler. And she was also dying to know if Bridget and Gristle were dating.

Todd put her down on Gristle's desk and she dusted herself off.

"Hey, Poppy!" the king greeted brightly. "What brings you by?"

"Well, I have a team working on getting the stuff left behind from the Tree. And it's great to see you guys feeling less miserable."

"Yeah, your advice really came in handy…," he laughed. "If you want, I can get a van ready and take everything from the Tree at once for you…"

"Thanks, but I'm not sure everyone would be ready for that…my brother-in-law drove us here and I know he's having a hard time being back here…even if he says he's fine…," she chuckled. "John Dory's stubborn like that…the whole family is…"

"You're married?"

"Yeah…it's happened recently. When I became queen, since my partner isn't a fan of parties, we mashed everything together. My coronation, the wedding and him being named king…and…we're having a baby."

"Congratulations," Gristle laughed.

"How about you? Anyone special in your life lately?" Poppy giggled. Since they were on the subject of big life changes and partners, it was a great segue way into asking about things she shouldn't know.

"Well…Maybe not like you're thinking, but…I have made a friend. You remember Bridget, right? I had her taking you guys around before?"

"I remember," she assured. "And you guys are just friends?"

"Well…yeah. She's really shy and it's hard getting her to talk to me…it's like…I don't know how to explain it."

"Gristle, have you ever had a crush on someone?" Poppy sighed. He nodded, which was a little surprising. Unless he was thinking about Bridget. "Well…if you were put in a room with them, what would you do?"

"Talk to them," he said immediately. "Sure…I'd be a little worried that they're only talking back because I'm the king but…"

"Okay. Take the crown away. Imagine you're a housekeeper…or someone else on the bottom of the social food chain. Maybe you have a single smelly outfit that you can never quite get the smell out of no matter how much you wash it. You literally can't keep the grease out of your hair no matter how often you wash," she tried painting Bridget's situation to him and it seemed to work, as Gristle's face scrunched up. "What would you do then?"

"Probably…keep my distance and only speak when spoken to…whether I had a crush on them or not…," the Bergen king mumbled. "Just like she is…"

"So maybe to get her to open up…you could find out why she's so shy and try and help her?" she suggested. "Look, I saw how you were looking at her. And the look in your eyes just as you were talking about her just now. Being madly in love with Branch, I can tell a crush when I see it…if you want to be better friends with her and maybe more…you'll have to work for it. Make it clear you're not trying to 'buy' her friendship or anything. Just…help her. Show her that all that stuff doesn't matter. That no matter where you are socially…you're just a guy and a girl that are friends."

Gristle nodded a little.

"Okay, I'll give that a try," he laughed. "So, anything else you wanna talk about…?"

"Well, you guys have a mine for metal stuff, right?"

"Yeah…," he rolled his chair back and went to get a map. "The mine's here," he pointed out the spot on the map. That was near the 'mountain' Alanis was looking at for their potential mine. In the Bergen scale it was more like a tall hill. "Why?"

"Oh, we're looking for a place to mine for materials for money…I can't reintroduce the tribe to the other Trolls without money to spend and exchange with trade. This…," she pointed out the hill that Alanis was talking about. "Is where my treasurer is thinking we might find stuff…"

"Our mine extends there. But we can share," Gristle assured. "After all…technically you guys are part of my kingdom. You were here first, in fact…"

"Thanks! That would really work out…comparatively, we wouldn't use much anyways, being so much smaller than you guys. So, I can let Alanis know when we get back to the village. Another thing…related to the mine thing. How do you guys prevent cave-ins and accidents?"

"Well…short of putting supports in regularly and being careful where they use explosives and how much…there's no way to completely prevent accidents…"

"I was afraid you'd say that…," she sighed.

"Why…?"

"Well…the other day, we lost fifteen miners in an accident at our coal mine…we don't know exactly how it happened, with no survivors to ask."

"Oh…well, I'm sorry for your loss…hopefully everything gets straightened out…"

"Thanks," she laughed. "Oh! I found some cracks in the wall and Troll stuff in there," Poppy gasped. "And…a body. It's only right that we retrieve the body and give her a proper burial."

"Of course!" Gristle gasped. "Wait…Troll stuff in the walls? Any idea how long it's been there?"

"Twenty-eight years…the Trolls hiding in there kept a journal, and…," she took a deep breath. "Do you remember anyone named Coda and Alice?"

The king lit up at the names.

"I barely remember them…everyone said they were 'imaginary friends' I made up when I was a baby, but…I always thought they were real. I haven't heard those names since…well…in twenty years."

"They were Trolls," Poppy sighed, rubbing her arm. "They died a few months before the Escape. When Coda's mother was taken, they died saving her…but she didn't make it out of the castle…"

Gristle gasped in horror.

"H-How do you know this…?"

Poppy pulled out the journal.

"I found their journal…and Rosiepuff wrote the last entry in her own blood, before she went to die…," she said, tearing up again. "Small comfort to know they weren't eaten…"

"Oh my gosh…so…all this time, my first friends…were Trolls?" Gristle gasped. "And I spent forever wanting to eat a Troll…believing that you guys were--" he broke off. "A-And it's just…you said Rosiepuff?"

"Branch's grandmother…," she sighed. "Look…what's past is past. I just want to give Branch and his siblings some closure…the truth about what happened to their parents and grandma."

"Of course," Gristle agreed. "I can't imagine what you all went through in that cage…and I'm really glad that you helped to stop it from ever happening again…"

"I was just saving my friends. How things turned out, just happened," Poppy laughed. Gristle smiled.

"Well, who knows how things would have turned out if you hadn't come blazing in at just the right time…Chef was seriously trying to kill me."

John Dory helped move things from the library into Rhonda. He wasn't going to say that he was worried about Poppy. He shouldn't be. He knew she could take care of herself. And she probably wanted to make friends with Bridget, since they'd been besties in the dream.

He would lie if he hadn't gone back to the pod to dig out some stuff. He did find some bags made with his family's hair, so he could use those to help with things.

"I thought I'd find you here," Poppy said behind him as he was going through Grandma's room.

"Well…Abigail has everything handled with the library move, so…," he mumbled.

"I get it," she sighed. "And hey…I need your help with something…at the castle."

He froze at the mention of the castle. But then he remembered it was safe. Even if it wasn't safe because of the peace with the Bergens…he was with Poppy. And they both had weapons.

"Okay…?" he agreed, though it came out as a question. Poppy pulled an old journal out of her hair and offered it.

"I found something in the castle, and…well, just have a look," she urged. John took the book from her and flipped it open.

At that first entry, he dropped the book in shock. That was Mom's handwriting.

"H-How…?" he gasped, stooping to pick it back up. Surely there was an answer in there. And there was…right in the first entry. And flipping through, he was both upset and not surprised. His parents wouldn't have been able to get out of the castle in the height of that era…and they tried to help others that were taken. Because of course they would. And here was a catalogue of their attempts.

Trolls being sacrificed by the king for whatever selfish reason, a fleeting idea of how his parents kept up with things in the Tree…the almost palpable horror of knowing what he pushed his brothers into.

He got to the last entry and his breath caught. This one was written in blood.

"Grandma…," he breathed. "She…she wasn't eaten. What…what do you need my help with at the castle…?"

"She deserves a proper burial," Poppy sighed.

"Okay," he agreed. "It'll take more than just me to move her body though…"

"We can at least get her out of the walls…Gristle said he could help us get her to the Tree," she assured.

"Well…that's definitely an odd idea…taken by a Bergen to die and brought out by a Bergen to be buried…"

"I know…but I think it's what your parents would have wanted…according to the journal, they were like parents to Gristle too…"

JD nodded, seeing a note in the journal about his parents teaching Gristle how to talk…being sort-of parents to him in absence of his actual parents. He closed the journal and handed it back to Poppy. She put it in her hair and they went to the castle. Poppy took him to a hole in the wall.

He paused, noticing how it was carved. This was Dad's handiwork. They came to a living area and he looked around. He could definitely see both of his parents in the simple décor. Down to dusty little twine dolls that might have been him and his siblings. Six dolls, one wearing makeshift goggles.

And there…on the attempt at a bed…were bloodstains and bones. This was almost worse than thinking they'd been eaten. He fell to his knees and sobbed.

Branch was glad his morning sickness had mostly settled down. Now he just had to deal with everything else. Like his ankles swelling if he sat and rested too long…or the weird cravings. He didn't like sweets, why was he constantly wanting sweets?

The migraine he was getting used to, and he was glad to know that he could take his homemade pills to take the edge off.

With Poppy leading teams to get stuff from the Tree, he had to keep an eye on the village while she was gone. Which wasn't hard or too tiring…with the charts and council, it was a lot easier than he imagined Peppy had made things for himself and Poppy.

Floyd was digging the expansions and Maya was working on stocking up the bunker…and Avery and John Dory were probably adopting that creepy little kid, Keith, so Avery was taking care of him while JD helped with transport. Well, he'd try and be a cool uncle. That was the least he could do. He felt he was already doing a good job, when Keith seemed excited to be staying in the bunker while Rhonda was busy.

Floyd's next project with the expansion since the Nursery was done and ready to be furnished and decorated, was the garage for Rhonda, so they didn't have to go back and forth across town to get to JD.

"So, it looks like the accident in the mines was probably caused by the dynamite," Torrent sighed as they met to discuss the coal mine. "We'll have to rebuild the mine. And I've drawn up a preliminary set of pyrotechnic regulations to avoid something like this happening again."

Branch nodded and looked over the rules that Torrent offered.

"These look reasonable…," he sighed, rubbing his temple. "Do you have the schematics for the mines on hand?"

"Yeah!" Torrent laughed, producing two sets of blueprints. "You okay…?"

"I think it's just the egg," Branch mumbled. "The headache is centred around that part of my head," he explained. Branch looked over the blueprints. "Do we know when the last time the supports were changed out? I know they don't reinforce the walls or treat the wood…I had to figure that out myself," he sighed.

"Reinforce the walls?" Torrent blinked. "I didn't even think of that. I guess for the bunker…?"

"Yeah," he agreed and pulled out a copy of his foraging maps. "The sap in these trees," he pointed out the general area he used. "I think they're some variant of rubber tree, the sap is too cloudy to use in resin crafts but it dries with a fabric texture and bonds really well with dirt and clay. Helps the walls act as supports and help to keep the beams from getting over stressed, and reduces mess," he explained. Torrent copied down his explanation with wide eyes. "And here," he pointed to another spot on the map. "The juice from the vines in this area is edible, and soaks into wood really well. When it dries, the wood gets hard as stone."

"Wow," the orange Troll gasped. "This is some really good stuff to know," he tapped his pencil on his notebook. "And I don't think the supports have ever been replaced in either mine?"

"That's probably why the Sprinkle Mine had that cave-in…you should look into that."

"The downside to that…I don't think they've been replaced because getting the lumber for the supports requires cutting down trees…"

Branch actually grinned and pointed out a spot on the map that Trickee told him about. He'd simply cut down a tree and planted a new one when he was working on the bunker. But Trickee found stupid regenerating trees.

"My brother Trickee found a grove while he was working on his cabin. The trees are small enough to be manageable and in the next couple of days, they grow back as if they were never damaged."

"You and your friends have all sorts of knowledge about these woods…"

"That's what happens when fending for yourself out here," he snarked.

"Right…," Torrent sighed. "You know that King Peppy got almost everyone to believe that you were dead…right? By the time any of us…you know, those of us that were friends with your brothers…by the time we even realized that you were alive, it was too late to really do anything."

"Right…and whether you knew that or not…I was a Grey orphan that might have appreciated some adults at least trying to help," Branch sighed. "And…whether you participated in how most of the village treated me…silence is still taking sides," he continued. "So, about the mines," he redirected the conversation. "I approve the pyrotechnic regulations, unchanged, and I think you have enough resources to get the mines repaired," he stood. "I have other stuff that needs to be done."

Namely he needed to check in with DJ and Smidge to see if they needed anything. Giver Day was coming up and Smidge might need help organizing the minutes or something. He left the dungeon without another word, but left his map for Torrent to use.

Small comfort that Trolls that might have cared had been literally unaware of his presence outside of his episodes. Worse that they might have only cared because of friendship with his brothers.

He took a deep breath and went to find DJ. It was kind of roundabout, but he found out where she was. A clearing with a pond, on the east end of the valley.

So, that's where he went. And there she was, charts set up all round her with her headphones on. The deejay was tapping her foot to the beat of whatever she was listening too.

Uh-huh, this my shit

All the girls stomp your feet like this

She started singing and stomping her feet, scribbling something down on one of her charts.

A few times I've been around that track

So, it's not just gonna happen like that

'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl

I ain't no hollaback girl

DJ belted as she worked. Branch almost didn't want to interrupt. He knew the feeling of getting lost in the music. She repeated herself and bustled over to a notebook. She paused and pulled her headphones down.

"I'll have to go in and edit the tape…," she mumbled. Oh. She was working on a song. All the more reason not to interrupt. DJ looked up. "Oh! Hey Branch! I didn't even notice you."

"It's fine," he assured. "Multitasking?"

"Always," she laughed. "Did you need something?"

"I was just going to see how things were going. If I'm not mistaken…Poppy mentioned downsizing the daily holidays?"

"Yep, which y'know…is probably for the best," she sighed. "I'm working on the calendar, marking which holidays 'need' parties and stuff. Probably not your bag though…I know how you are about parties…"

"Yeah…," he agreed.

"And oh, I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to you since it's been so crazy busy…I feel I should apologize for how my little brother and friends acted when you guys saved them…but hey…no one ever listens to me, so I'm not surprised it got that bad with our friend group…"

That gave him pause. He knew that AJ was one of the few that defended him. But the former light tech had been too busy with his own kids to really do anything significant for Branch growing up. He should have known that DJ tried too. Beyond her behaviour when he was dragged into group hugs.

"It's uh…it's fine," he sighed.

"It's not, though. We were friends when we were little…and I should have been more confident in speaking up for you," she argued. "So…I'm sorry."

Chapter Text

DJ Suki was actually having fun with the task Poppy had set her to. Downsizing the daily holidays was a huge undertaking. Especially when she also had Giver Day to plan for. She wanted to do a village wide Secret Giver, and she only had a few weeks left before the holiday. She sent out surveys, both for the downsizing and the gift exchange.

And the surveys flooded in. It was kind of overwhelming. Poppy was busy with Abigail getting the library. DJ was putting her focus into one of her new beats and planning for Giver Day, letting the downsizing take a back seat. She took off her headphones to rest and wrote down her thoughts.

"I'll have to go in and edit the tape…," she mumbled. She looked up and Branch was there. "Oh! Hey Branch! I didn't even notice you."

"It's fine," he assured. "Multitasking?"

"Always," she laughed. "Did you need something?" she asked, hoping that everything was okay. Oh, maybe he actually had ideas for new holidays. Not likely, but it was possible.

"I was just going to see how things were going. If I'm not mistaken…Poppy mentioned downsizing the daily holidays?"

"Yep, which y'know…is probably for the best," she sighed. "I'm working on the calendar, marking which holidays 'need' parties and stuff. Probably not your bag though…I know how you are about parties…"

"Yeah…," he agreed.

"And oh, I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to you since it's been so crazy busy…I feel I should apologize for how my little brother and friends acted when you guys saved them…but hey…no one ever listens to me, so I'm not surprised it got that bad with our friend group…," she sighed. She'd been meaning to talk with him about this since the rebuild.

He paused, and for a moment she was afraid that it was too late for things to change.

"It's uh…it's fine," he sighed.

"It's not, though. We were friends when we were little…and I should have been more confident in speaking up for you," she argued. "So…I'm sorry."

Branch smiled a little, rubbing his temple. DJ sighed and patted a rock. Branch sat down.

"Egg headache?"

"Yeah…do you have any jelly beans on hand?" he asked.

"Always," she laughed, pulling out a bag. "That's what you're craving?"

"Sweets in general," he groaned, popping one in his mouth. "It's crazy. I've never liked sweets."

"I remember," she chuckled. "Dad could never get you to eat with us when you were over."

"Sugar is an ingredient not an entrée," he chuckled, eating another jelly bean. "But that's all I want lately."

"So…friends again?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah…," he agreed. "Your brother better watch his back though…"

"Oh, Dad gave him a serious talking to after everything. Poppy told us what happened and Dad was not pleased," she sighed. "Anyways…since I've got you here, can you help me with sorting these surveys out? Part of the holiday downsizing…I sent out surveys for everyone…you know, least favourite holidays and redundant ones and all that…"

"Sure. I came looking for you to see if you needed help with anything," Branch chuckled, finishing off the bag of jelly beans. "And I do enjoy organizing things, so let's see what we can do."

He got up and DJ showed him the pile. They got to work sorting out everything. And some of the most disliked holidays kind of surprised her. Others weren't so surprising.

Maya hummed to herself as she worked on restocking the bunker. It was surprisingly warm for being November. But it was cooling off. They probably just had a later snow season around Pop Village. She asked around and apparently, they didn't usually get snow until the first of December. And the snow lasted until almost March.

And maybe she really just had a different awareness of temperature, when most of Pop were wearing sweaters and other cold weather gear.

She checked Branch's lists again and nodded to herself. They were officially stocked up! And it only took them a little over a week to do it. Of course…with several sets of hands…

And of course, she filled out DJ's Secret Giver survey when it made the rounds. That sounded like such a fun idea and a great way to make friends. She was a little hesitant, seeing how so many Pop Trolls treated her baby brother, but except for that selfish jerk Creek, she was willing to give them a chance…a lot of the tribe were seeing the error of their ways.

And she'd admittedly taken over Bruce's planned room, so she had to decorate it. Hell, she wanted to decorate the entire bunker. Branch had spent so long focused on survival, so the bunker was bland. And she definitely wanted to get rid of his writing and carvings that covered a good portion of the wall at the base of the main lift.

And for that, she needed paint. So, she made a new list for decorating. She had plenty of time to get the nursery done, and maybe Poppy would have suggestions, but for now she wanted to get the basics. Making the bedrooms homier, getting the living room to feel less like a prison of fear…

Maybe she could put up some photos, which would need frames. Oh, and she could get the stuff to make the furniture that Poppy mentioned for her office, so stuff for a bed and bookshelves and a desk. Once she made her list of paint and basic decorations, Maya went out to town. The market was odd, compared to what she was used to. Currently, they only bartered, usually a service, sometimes a trade as simple as a hug, but often you could just take whatever. They had a big 'sharing is caring' attitude. Which actually made her worried how they would adapt to the economy with the other tribes.

But for now, Maya gathered her decorating supplies and gave out hugs when asked. The meaningless hugs were uncomfortable, but a lot of them just wanted a hug to thank her for her help getting everyone home from Bergentown.

"Excuse me," a timid voice called as she got a little wagon to carry everything home. She looked to see Cooper, the only Funk Troll in the village and a friend of Poppy's. One of the first to apologize to Branch, in fact.

"Hi," she greeted. "Cooper, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You travel a lot, right?"

"Oh yeah. For the last twenty years I've lived on the road with my little brother and my best friend," she agreed.

"So…you've seen Trolls that look like me…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yep," she agreed. "The Funk Trolls."

"Funk?" he echoed, starry eyed.

She nodded and told him what she could about the Funk tribe. Cooper listened intently.

"You think…," he started when she finished talking. "Maybe you guys could help me get to Vibe City? It sounds really cool and…I wanna check it out…and maybe…"

"Of course, Cooper!" she laughed. "Heck, maybe they have an idea how you ended up way out here in the woods with Pop. I spent my university years there, so I have a few connections. I just have to wait for JD to get back with Rhonda and we can make a plan."

Cooper nodded. Then, he looked at Maya's little wagon that she'd filled while talking.

"You…want some help with that? What are you painting?"

"The bunker," she smiled. "And I've got it. Thanks though."

Cooper nodded again and trotted off, wiggling his neck excitedly as he went off to do whatever. Maya smiled after him and compared her haul to her list. She realized that she needed paint brushes, so she headed to find some.

And on the way, she bumped into one of the doctors. She wanted to say based on the neon green hair that it was Dr Plimsy.

"You're Maya, right?" she asked, holding a book. Maya nodded, seeing that it was her book, she'd given an extra copy of it to the library. "And you wrote this?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "I went to university and studied psychology. This was my thesis."

"University…?"

"The next step after high school?" she tried. "Oh right…the education system for Pop is a lot different than I grew up with. Anyways, I don't really use it, but I'm a certified therapist as far as the other tribes are concerned. Why?"

"So…would you be interested in helping at the clinic? After everything, we realize that we need better methods of therapy and someone who knows what they're doing would certainly help."

Maya worried her lip. This was similar to when she graduated. After her book was published and she toured for the release, she had plenty of job offers. Even the Classical tribe offered her a job as a therapist. But at the time, she'd wanted to get into the music industry. Now…she liked the idea of really settling down with Pop, and living in the bunker with her brother for now.

"Let me think about it," she said finally. "After Giver Day, at least…"

"Reasonable," the doctor laughed. "By the way I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Dr Plum Plimsy. Poppy made me the secretary of medicine."

"I thought I recognized you," Maya chuckled. "Well, I should actually get finished with this 'shopping' and head home."

"Of course! I'll leave you to it. Decorating the bunker?" Plum laughed, looking at the supplies.

"Yeah. It's a home, it should feel like it, y'know?"

"Absolutely," the doctor agreed. "Well, I'll let you get back to it."

Plum left and Maya got back to work on getting supplies. She got a couple of brushes of different sizes and she found cute print rollers so that she could add designs. She double checked her list again and went back to the bunker to get started.

"Oh, I was just gonna go get some lumber," Floyd laughed, coming out the back door as she walked up with her wagon. "Furniture and stuff's easy to make while I'm waiting for the tunnel walls to dry."

"That's exactly what I got the lumber for," she giggled. "And I got paint. Every colour of the rainbow…and an extra brush if you wanna paint your room or anything." Floyd nodded and they went to work, Floyd building furniture for the nursery and Poppy's office while she got to work on the living room.

Avery liked Keith. He could understand almost immediately after meeting the kid why John wanted to adopt him. And Keith seemed happy with them. The boy was attentive and creative. And…Avery could relate with him, as it didn't seem Keith could sing. Maybe that would change as Keith got older, but Avery knew how to work with a kid that couldn't sing…unable to really sing himself. But as a Troll, there was an innate desire and instinct to make music…they just had to find other ways to do so. He started Keith on the tambourine and they seemed to have fun together as Keith excitedly played.

The strangest thing right now was moving into the bunker. Rhonda was really the only transport critter available to Pop right now, so JD was helping with Poppy's recovery project. Which left him temporarily 'homeless'. Of course, his brother-in-law had quickly offered up the space originally built for John.

"So, school's starting back up in a month," Keith noted while working in his notebook.

"Yes, I know," he laughed. "You don't seem so happy about that."

"It's party planning and singing and scrapbooking…which are boring or I suck at," the child sighed.

"Ah. Well, perhaps things will be different this semester. I hear they're working on changing the curriculum," Avery pointed out.

"Did you go to school…?"

"Of course. It was a lot different in my village than here though. At your age I was only learning to read and write…basic maths, and instruments, of course. The tambourine I gave you was actually my first," he chuckled. "Then it was biology and history."

"The only history we're ever told is that old lie about the Escape…"

Avery winced at that. But then again…he'd seen how Pop had tried to forget their captivity and the losses…

"Well, part of it was true," he sighed, remembering the tale Peppy circulated. "The only lie of it is that a part of the tribe was separated in the Tunnels. Again…maybe things will be different at school next semester."

Keith shrugged and went back to writing.

"You're very good at writing."

"It sounds weird when I read aloud though…books are supposed to be cool to listen to. My dad used to read me books all the time."

"You're just starting out," Avery smiled encouragingly. "No one is good at everything when they first start out."

"I guess…"

"Would it help if I look over what you have so far and give you notes?" he offered. Keith nodded and excitedly handed over the book, his odd eyes focusing on him for a minute.

The hippie chuckled and flipped to the beginning of the story.

After Branch and DJ finished organizing the holiday stuff, the packets organized and put away neatly in the dungeon, they went to look for Smidge together. And get some more sweets because Branch still had the munchies. Jelly beans were really hitting the spot for him today, so he got a couple of bags.

"So, do you know why Poppy calls HQ 'the Dungeon'?" DJ asked as they walked.

"Yes, but it's actually something that she'll have to tell you…it's a thing we're keeping in the family for now," he sighed.

"I can understand that. It kind of looks like it could be a dungeon anyways," she noted. "Oh! There she is!"

Sure enough, they got close to the Critter Sanctuary and spotted Smidge. She was hanging on the top of the fence, swinging her legs a little and the end of her hair almost twisted into a heart.

"Hey, Smidge," Branch greeted. She snapped out of whatever reverie she was in and toppled off the fence. He winced and went to help her. "Sorry."

"It's fine…," she mumbled, dusting herself off and casting a glance towards Milton, who was engrossed in caring for the animals and didn't seem to notice her undignified tumble. "Did you guys need something?"

"Well, I was going to ask you that," Branch chuckled. "I can't really be around the bunker right now while the walls are drying…," he admitted. Something about the paint was making him nauseous.

"Well, I'm done with my council stuff," she shrugged. "I was…uh…," she trailed off, glancing back at Milton. DJ snorted.

"Someone's got a crush," she laughed. Smidge blushed and lightly hit DJ's leg.

"Hush!"

DJ simply grinned.

"Yeah, see this is why Poppy didn't tell you about her crush on Branch before!" Smidge snarked. "You're such a…a…"

"Big sister?" DJ laughed.

"Yes!" Smidge groaned. Branch snorted at the banter, remembering how sometimes when they were kids it really felt like DJ was more a sister than friend. "It's awful. How do you do that when I'm older than you?!"

"She was always like that…," Branch sighed. "Clearly becoming an older sister didn't help."

"In my defence, you're younger than me Branch."

"By three months," he scoffed. The three of them laughed together. "Wait, Poppy had a crush on me before…?"

"Oh yeah," Smidge laughed. "Ever since you came to her quinceañera. How long were you two secretly dating before this last Sunshine Day?"

"Oh…we weren't," he admitted. "I kind of had a small crush on her before but…it just kind of spiralled on Sunshine Day and…"

"Oh, my gah," Smidge groaned. "And how long were you keeping the egg a secret?"

"Just since my birthday. I didn't even know you could do it without planning it…"

Both of the girls burst into laughter.

"Let's go get some lunch," DJ suggested.

Chapter Text

It took a few days to get through with this first trip, they needed to find a better route to get from the village to Bergentown. And on the way back, everyone was keeping a distance from Rosiepuff's remains, which they'd put into a coffin for transport. Poppy hated this part of the trip. Finding out all that about Branch's parents and grandma hurt. And she couldn't imagine what John Dory was dealing with.

She almost didn't want to put the rest of the family through this, but it wasn't right to leave her there or hide it from them.

They finally made it back to the village and she was glad to see that things were running smoothly still. Of course, she knew Branch was probably doing some of her stuff if his morning sickness had passed as quickly as it came. And sure enough, as they headed for the library to drop off the books…they'd managed to get all of the books from the Tree. She saw Branch pacing around the village with Smidge, both of them with notebooks in hand. Were they…exchanging notes about something?

Either way, it was nice to see them seeming to be on good terms. She just hoped he was getting on with everyone else. She knew, from experience in the dream, that there would be a lot of Trolls who would only be nice to him because of his relationship with Poppy, and she hated that. But there were twenty years of bad feelings from most of the village that needed to be worked on.

They started unloading the books and since Abi had that well in hand, Poppy skipped over to hug Branch.

"Oh, welcome back!" he laughed, kissing her lightly. "How did it go?"

"Great! We were able to get everything from the old library, so we can start on getting stuff from the pods soon. Smidge," she laughed. "We need to get the council together for a meeting this afternoon."

"On it, Poppy," Smidge saluted and hurried off.

'Alone' with Branch, she worried her lip and held his hand.

"What's wrong…?" he asked, searching her expression.

"Well, I went to talk with Gristle and while I was in the castle…I found something…really important."

"Okay…?"

She took a deep breath.

"There were Trolls that survived being taken. And they ended up dying trying to save others…"

"That's…surprising," he mumbled. "I'm guessing you found evidence of that…?"

Poppy nodded and found a place to sit before she pulled out the journal.

"Well…here," she sighed, offering the book. Branch frowned a little and took it, flipping through. His face went through a similar journey of expression to JD and he teared up at Rosiepuff's final words. "JD and I found her body and brought her back to the village…," she whispered.

"And…my parents…?"

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Branch…," Poppy mumbled. Branch shook his head.

"I'm glad you told me," he chuckled weakly. "Small comfort to know that she didn't blame me either for what happened…and that she went out fighting instead of simply eaten…"

"Of course she didn't blame you," she encouraged. "You know it was never your fault."

"I know," he sighed. "I guess…we should get with DJ about a funeral…"

"We don't have to make it a big thing," she assured. "We can just do a small thing with family."

"Okay, we can do that," he agreed. "DJ's already got enough on her plate. Oh, by the way…I told her I would get this to you," he laughed, pulling a packet of paper out of his hair.

Branch pulled the packet that he'd gotten from DJ out of his hair. He'd already filled his out, he was going to try and participate in the Secret Giver…and it only felt right to give his own opinion about the holiday downsize, and he was glad that DJ promised to take his suggestions seriously. With the peace, they didn't need to be worried about the Bergens but there were other predators to be concerned about with big parties…and he was one of many Trolls that didn't care for some aesthetics even before he'd faded.

Poppy grinned and took the packet from him. And the way she lit up seeing the Secret Giver questionnaire on the first page, made him grin.

"I will definitely fill these out! I'll have to borrow your--"

"Hold that thought," Branch interrupted. She tapped her foot, pouting a little even as she shut her mouth. He took her hand and nodded towards the bunker. "Let's go home. I have a surprise for you."

"Okay," she agreed. "I need to clean up from the trip anyways. You can catch me up on how things went while we were gone…?"

He nodded and did just that as they walked. Torrent and his team were starting on the mine repairs. Milton had the mail system up and running, they'd already tested with the Zip Bugs. DJ was putting the last touches on the new calendar, she just needed Poppy's opinions and then her approval. Almost all of the orphaned kids were being adopted, Smidge's new policies for the foster system a rousing success. One of them was about to be their nephew, most likely.

They got to the Bunker and he paused before opening the hatch.

"Okay. Close your eyes," he chuckled. Poppy scrunched her eyes closed and almost immediately peeked as he opened the hatch. "No peeking!"

"Okay, okay…," she giggled. He lifted the hatch and pulled Poppy forward. She visibly braced herself, but gasped when he didn't pull her down the hole. AJ had helped him install a lift at the main entrance. "Uh…Branch?"

He chuckled and lowered them to the main foyer.

"Did you install another lift while I was gone?" she guessed. Branch pulled her to the other lift. Maya hadn't finished decorating this room yet, so he would wait to show Poppy the in-progress room. What mattered, was her office. "You did something to the floor," she noted. Yes, they had. Maya had tiled it and installed a mossy carpet between the lifts.

"Just keep your eyes closed," he instructed, guiding her to the main lift.

"Oh, the lift's a little smoother," she noted as he started it down.

"Yeah," he agreed. "We're about to have to wrap it and exclusively climb, though. The snow messes with the electricity," he warned.

"We should get that taken care of before it gets too cold then. Some people are guessing the snow's gonna come early this year," Poppy sighed. Branch stopped the lift and turned Poppy towards her office. Then he led her in. "Branch…," she whined.

"We're almost there," he assured, pulling her a few more steps into the centre of the room. "Okay…you can open them."

Poppy opened her eyes and gasped, covering her mouth. He'd helped Maya figure out the decorating and he was pretty proud of it. His siblings had done everything, not for lack of him trying to help. Her shock turned into a piercing shriek of excitement and she started darting around, trying to look at everything all at once.

The formerly empty room had been painted a soft pastel pink, with a green leaf pattern overlaying. And there was a tasteful amount of glitter sprinkled in the paint job. A cherry stained daybed was against the far wall, capped with bookshelves. Floyd had put extra work into the desk, giving it quirky floral carvings. The wall the desk was against was lined with storage cabinets. They'd put in a comfortable, soft brown carpet floor. And the finishing touch, was a new friend collage hung on the wall over the desk.

It had all her closest friends (minus Creek) and their family. He'd put it together. Even made the frame.

"Oh, and come look at this," he said eagerly, pulling her to one of the cabinets.

"Branch, this is amazing! Just how I would have decorated, but better!" she laughed. Branch grinned and opened up the cabinet to show off how he'd organized her craft supplies. Honestly, he tried to mimic how she'd had things in her pod set up, only added a little more order to it. "Oh wow."

"And look," he urged, opening it up fully.

"There's so much room! You labelled the shelves, too," she giggled, looking through everything. "It's really the best, Branch," she kissed him firmly. "Did Maya and Floyd pause the stocking and expansion to do this for me?"

"The stocking was already done when she started, and Floyd wanted something to do while the walls in the new rooms cured," he laughed. "Everything else isn't quite finished…but you should see the nursery. That's almost done."

Poppy tapped her feet and ran back to the lift. Branch chuckled and joined her. They went down to their room and he took her to the nursery.

"Oh. My. Gah!" she gasped. "Maya?"

"Yeah, she's been going kind of crazy with the decorating. But I helped with the layout of your office. And I made the collage," he shrugged. "It's taking longer on the living room because…well…," he trailed off. Poppy squeezed his hand and smiled gently.

"I get it," she said lightly, then turned back to looking around the nursery. Maya had decorated it to look like a clearing outside, mossy carpeting and the wall painted like a clear blue sky with distant trees.

They still needed to finish the furniture, but the crib was at least assembled and Floyd was working on a few other things.

"Oh, check this out," he laughed before turning off the lights. Poppy's jaw dropped as the ceiling lit up with luminous crystals arranged like stars. And the paint job reacted to the light change as if they were outside at night.

"Where did you get those…are those mushrooms?"

"Crystals. Maya and Floyd found them in the lava pit," he sighed. "They apparently had a close call with the Lava Blooms but--"

"We have Lava Blooms in the lava pit?!" she gasped, grabbing his arms. "Floyd didn't touch them, did he? Maya's not allergic, is she? They're okay?"

"Whoa…Pops…what's with the reaction? Maya brushed them, but the rash cleared up pretty quickly…"

"Lava Blooms…for Rock Trolls they're bad news, but for everyone else they…I don't know. I can drink a tea made from them and be comfortable in the volcano for a couple of hours, but…," she sighed. "You are allergic to them…like me with Gloom Berries allergic. So, there's a huge chance that your brothers could be just as allergic…I think the doctors mentioned something about…it being because you're mixed-genre?"

He blinked. She was speaking from experience…which meant in 'the dream' he'd probably almost died at some point learning the hard way about an allergy.

"Oh," he said lamely. "I'll make sure to never touch them if I go diving."

"Now, we just need a rock for the nursery…," Poppy laughed.

"Maya's working on it," he assured. "We have plenty of time…"

"I'm gonna go clean up and then you have to show me the rest of the bunker," Poppy kissed him before running off to do just that. He smiled a little and went down to the living room. Maya was filling in the carvings with putty made from sap and dirt, and there was something relaxing about it. Seeing the results of his destructive episodes being repaired.

"I heard Poppy shrieking," Maya laughed, offering a putty knife so he could help a little. "You showed her the office?"

"And the progress on the nursery. Apparently, I'm allergic to Lava Blooms and when I mentioned them, she freaked out, worried about you and Floyd."

"Oh, shit," his sister gasped. "Yeah…it would make sense for you to be allergic to just about anything that's an issue for both Pop and Rock…I've heard of that being a consistent thing with mixed-genre Trolls…lucky Floyd didn't come in contact with them…"

"Yeah…," he sighed and scooped some of the putty into a particularly deep letter. "Thanks for doing all this, Maya."

"You're my baby brother, of course I'm gonna help you out," she giggled, nudging him. "And…besides, since I'm living here for now…may as well make this more of a home."

"I still appreciate it…," he said again. "You know…this is nice…"

"What?"

"Getting rid of these," he tapped the putty knife on the wall. "I…haven't been exactly…safe all these years…"

"You've been going through a lot, Branch. Your grandma was taken right in front of you…and I can't imagine the trauma that just living in that Tree caused. I mean…I've seen a bit of it with JD, but…then what you've been through with the village…"

"By the way…," he tried changing the subject, reaching to fill another carving. "Are you doing the Secret Giver?"

"Of course! It sounds fun," she laughed, flying to reach a higher one. "How did you get them this high when you can't fly?"

"Uh…," he looked where she was working. "I was in the middle of digging with those? That's where the floor was."

"Makes sense…," Maya shrugged. "Are you participating in it?"

"Yeah…just don't tell Poppy. She's worried enough about me pushing myself too much…"

"Well, it's a big step. But if you think you're ready to get involved with a major holiday…"

"I think I am…," he mumbled. "Where's Floyd?"

"Working on the garage, last I saw," Maya told him. Branch put down his putty knife and stepped away. The smell of the sap didn't bother him usually, and it hadn't until just this moment, but it was suddenly making him nauseous. "Branch?"

He shook his head and moved away from the lift, covering his nose. Maya blinked.

"Are you okay?" she gasped. He shook his head again, trying to keep the nausea at bay. "Oh, shit…"

"Bucket…," he mumbled, covering his mouth and moving as far from the lift as he could. Maya flew up to get something to help, but she wasn't fast enough. He doubled over and lost his stomach right there. When his stomach was empty, he stumbled over to the couch. Just in time for Maya to get back with a bucket.

Poppy loved the decorating so far. And her office was perfect! She hummed to herself as she showered and got changed. She started to go find Branch, but she thought she heard him talking with Maya, so she decided not to interrupt that. The queen simply went to her new desk and plucked a pencil from the holder and started filling out the packet from DJ.

Before, she wouldn't have had any holidays that she didn't care for or feel like they needed to be changed, but now…yeah, she saw how some of their 'holidays' were actually kind of hurtful. There were 366 holidays to go over, so this might take a while. And she also needed to plan the funeral…

She flipped to a page in the packet that encouraged suggestions for replacement holidays. Poppy wrote down Remembrance Day. She felt that they really needed some kind of holiday dedicated to remembering the losses they'd suffered…and yes, it would be taking from another tribe, but she knew that the Country Trolls wouldn't hold it against her, since she didn't want to alter it. It was a sombre holiday and she intended for it to stay sombre.

She paused in filling out the holiday packet and pulled out her party planning notebook, which Branch had put in the top drawer of the desk where she could easily find it. It was the first place she looked, after all. She paused, running a finger along the carvings in the desk. They put a lot of work into it.

Poppy smiled softly and took another look around the room. No one had ever done anything like this for her. Of course they hadn't gotten the chance, since her pod had been completely different. And she always decided that she wanted to redecorate the pod, but got busy with her princess duties that shouldn't have been so overwhelming.

She shook her head and tried to focus. Rosiepuff deserved a proper funeral, and she grabbed a piece of paper. She wanted to invite Belladonna, to give them a chance to know the truth of what happened to their mom and brother. It would take a Zip Bug less than a day to get the invitation to Lonesome Flats…and then it would take three days for Belladonna to get to them…at the most. So…she decided on a date for the funeral and wrote that down.

I'm aware that we've never officially met, but I've been told that you were related to Rosiepuff Ferngrove. On the 5th of December we're holding a ceremony to lay her, and several others lost to Trollstice, to rest. Sorry to open old wounds, but I wanted to extend an invitation to the ceremony. Coda's other sons, John Dory and Branch have also expressed interest in meeting you. --Cordially, Queen Poppy, of the Pop Tribe.

She wrote and then included the coordinates for the village. Oh!

P.S. You don't have to take any roundabout paths to avoid Bergentown. We've made peace with the Bergens, so they're no longer a danger.

She nodded to herself and put the letter in an envelope that she addressed to Belladonna and set aside. Next, she wrote down tentative plans for the funeral. For this…she would just honour Rosiepuff, Coda, Alice, and Dyna…she could suggest hosting a formal ceremony for remembering others…maybe on Memorial Day. But for now…this was closure for her in-laws. She'd keep it simple, like the funeral for the Miners had been, just a little dinner and good company…they'd lay Rosiepuff to rest and have a few words about what they'd done.

She nodded to herself and got up. She could finish the holiday packet later. For now, she needed to get this invitation out and talk to the rest of the family about Rosiepuff. She went to find Branch and blinked at the scene in the living room. Maya was cleaning up something and Branch was sitting on the couch, clutching a bucket.

Oh…she had a guess what happened.

"I'll uh…I'll be back in a little while," she sighed before swinging her way back up the elevator shaft. She got up to the entry and blinked. It was almost a 'proper' foyer! Poppy giggled and went to the new lift, using it to get outside.

She was smacked in the face with sudden cold. The temperature had seriously dropped since she'd been in the bunker. She rubbed her arms and went back inside. Just long enough to get a sweater. Then, she went to deliver the letter and get a few other errands done.

Chapter Text

Belladonna hadn't expected to get a letter delivered by bug. They'd been passing by the post office when the creature flew in with a box and promptly zipped out. Curious about the bug, they went inside.

"Where did that mail come from?" they asked.

"Howdy, Bel!" James greeted. "Y'all'll be amazed. It's from Pop! They sent a few things. For…," he looked through the letters. "You…well, besides this note tellin' us where we can send mail to 'em…"

"What?" they gasped and went to the desk. Sure enough, James handed them two letters and a small package.

Belladonna left the post office and sat on a bench to open the letters. One was from Floyd. They hadn't heard from him in ages. And the few times he'd been in town, they hadn't gotten a chance to ask about his stage name. One of his friends said he'd come up with it based on his dad and grandma…and Delta told them that his actual last name was Joywhistle. All signs pointed to his father being Coda Joywhistle. Their brother had kids. Floyd was their nephew.

From their experience with their bio-genre, Bel was hesitant to open the package and the other letter. They had enough glitter, from their own body. So, they opened up the letter from Floyd and settled in to read it.

Sorry I haven't been in touch recently. As you know, I was looking for my younger brother, Branch. And I found him. It took so long because Pop went deep in the woods and were actually pretty well hidden, until they had a loud as heck Morning Song that led me to them. If you've heard on the radio, we had some trouble, but everything's fine now. During all of that, I went back to the Tree, and we found something in my old pod. That's what the package is. I think my grandma would have wanted you to have it. You should come by some time so we can catch up…I'm a little busy helping my brother with stuff, or we'd come to you. And I'd invite Delta, but didn't she get elected mayor in the last elections? --Floyd ❣

The letter read. They wondered if this meant that he'd realized their real relation at some point. So, they opened the package and gasped in shock at what was in the box. The macrame tapestry their mom had made for Belladonna's wedding. They pulled out the tapestry, trying not to cry.

"There ya are, Bel," Delta greeted, trotting over. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I…never thought I'd see this again…," they mumbled, unfolding the tapestry and holding it up for their wife to see. "My mom made this for me when I got married in the Tree…"

"How's it here…?" Delta gasped, taking it from them and thumbing the yarn work.

"Floyd sent it. He said they found it in his old pod at the Tree…," they explained, holding up the letter from him. "He wants me to come visit Pop's settlement."

"Y'all should go," Delta encouraged. "We know where they are? Heck, Ah can take a bit and we can make it a family trip. Kelly Joe should know more about that part of her heritage. But…how did he know this was yours?"

"I think he realized too…he says his grandma would have wanted me to have it…how else would he know it was mine?" they shrugged. "They sent a letter specifically for the post office with the coordinates of the settlement. And…," they picked up the other letter, which was addressed to them in pretty pink glitter pen, with…a familiar sticker sealing it. That…was the royal 'seal'. Queen Poppy had sent a very passive aggressive negative RSVP for their wedding…and egg party, both sealed with this sticker. But Poppy had died the Trollstice before they'd left the Tree. And they didn't think this was Peppy's handwriting.

Hesitantly, they opened the letter, half expecting a shower of glitter to accompany the note. Instead, it was literally just a letter.

I'm aware that we've never officially met, but I've been told that you were related to Rosiepuff Ferngrove. On the 5th of December we're holding a ceremony to lay her, and several others lost to Trollstice, to rest. Sorry to open old wounds, but I wanted to extend an invitation to the ceremony. Coda's other sons, John Dory and Branch have also expressed interest in meeting you. --Cordially, Queen Poppy, of the Pop Tribe.

P.S. You don't have to take any roundabout paths to avoid Bergentown. We've made peace with the Bergens, so they're no longer a danger.

They read the letter aloud and frowned.

"This…doesn't sound like how I remember Pop being…," they mumbled.

"It's mighty considerate of her to invite y'all to a memorial for yer ma," Delta pointed out. "And with that date, she musta found out how long it'd take to get from here to there…'cause we'd have plenty o' time to get there before the ceremony."

"And…," they chuckled, doing the math. "I'd get there at the same time as my RSVP…"

"Honey, let's just go get packed and get goin'."

They nodded and went to do just that.

John Dory had gotten a few things from the pod before they left the Tree. Some things that Grandma had hidden in her room. Including a macrame tapestry that he figured Floyd would be interested in.

"This is Belladonna's," Floyd gasped. "They tried to remake it but it didn't work out…they had a picture of it in the living room. They should have this."

"We can take it to them," he offered. "Lonesome Flats, right?"

"I don't feel comfortable leaving Branch right now…"

"I get that…," JD sighed. "I don't know them, or I'd offer to take it."

"I can just mail it to them," Floyd chuckled. "I should write them anyways, to let them know how I'm doing."

John nodded and Floyd went off to package the tapestry and write a letter. He looked around the little garage. Floyd had caught him after unloading at the library and shown him to the new space. It was apparently easier to get the exit tunnel sizing right for Rhonda to just dig her way in. And she was excitedly rumbling around, as if she didn't have to be told that this was for her.

"You like this, don't you?" he chuckled. Rhonda gave a rumbling purr and licked him. "Hey, don't thank me, girl. This was Branch's idea," he pet her lightly. "Stay here, okay? Only use the tunnel you just dug, baby girl," he instructed. She wagged her entire back end and curled up.

John smiled and went through the tunnel into the main bunker. The room that the tunnel let out in was simple, with another room attached, painted a soft green, with mossy carpeting and very little furniture. There was a large bed and a little couch, bedside tables and a bookshelf. The attached room was clearly for Keith, with furniture clearly meant for a child. Floyd had been busy with the expansions.

"Hey, babe," Avery greeted, swinging into the room. "Welcome back."

"I was gone for barely a couple of weeks and all this…?"

"Oh, you should see the rest of the bunker. Floyd and Maya have been busy. And--"

"John Dory!" Keith laughed, swinging in behind Avery and running up to hug JD's leg.

"Hey, kiddo," he laughed. "You haven't gotten tired of us yet?"

"Nope! Avery's been helping me with my book. And he gave me a tambourine," he said excitedly. "I…really like you guys. So…I told Miss Smidge I wanna stay with you guys."

"Really? Without getting to spend much time with me?"

Keith nodded fervently and John Dory grinned.

Poppy helped Maya wrap the elevator shaft like Branch instructed. It was getting cold fast. Snow would definitely be early at this rate. But fortunately, this was apparently all they needed to prepare the bunker.

When they finished, she went to check on Branch. He was really suffering with egg symptoms and she was worried. He seemed okay though, just resting in their room.

She vaguely heard cheering, so she went to the surface. It was snowing! She ran back inside and swung down to the living room.

"It's snowing!" she cheered. Then, she went up to her office and dug out her snow boots. This was the one time of year she ever wore more than leg warmers. When she was bundled up, she stuck her head in the elevator shaft. "I'll be back later!" she called before heading back outside. There was already almost an inch of snow, and the wind made the hatch partially safe from the buildup. It probably wouldn't last and they'd have to start using the back door.

She climbed up to the top of the snow and made her way to the celebrating. She knew DJ already had the Snow Day parties planned and waiting for the snow, so they were all probably setting up.

"I don't remember ever seeing snow," someone laughed nearby and she looked over. Belladonna and Delta Dawn! And they had a kid with them! It wasn't Clampers, so who was it…?

"Hi!" she called, running over to the group. "Welcome to Pop Village! I'm Queen Poppy."

"Mayor Delta Dawn," Delta introduced. "This is my partner, Belladonna, and our little girl…Kelly Joe."

"Nice to meet you! I'm so glad you guys decided to come," she laughed. "Sooner than I expected. Floyd said it might take a few more days to get here from Lonesome Flats."

"MJ was in the area and gave us a ride," Belladonna smiled. "And…I was a little surprised by your letter. Where's Floyd? I have questions for him too…"

"Well, ever since my father…stepped down and I became queen, I've been making some major changes. Starting with actually acknowledging and remembering the Trolls that my family essentially sacrificed in the Tree," she said seriously.

"And how did you know about my mom…?"

"Oh, during the…incident…Floyd and I found this scrapbook in his old pod…and he recognized a few of the pictures of you. We kind of put two and two together," she explained. "Come on, I can show you to the--" she broke off. "Actually, I think we have room at my place. We can go drop off your things and then I'll show you around."

"That's mighty generous, majesty, but…Kelly Joe and I can't quite get up in trees…," Delta muttered.

"Oh, I don't live in a pod," she assured. "And please…you can just call me Poppy. We're family, after all."

She started back towards the bunker.

"Floyd…is Coda's son," Belladonna said as they walked. "All this time and we never knew…"

"He mentioned that you guys never really talked about the Tree, which is reasonable…," Poppy sighed. "I was only a month old during the Escape…but I know that even without the dumb rules against talking about stuff that hurts…it's hard for a lot of Trolls to talk about the Tree."

"And…is there a reason for this funeral…?"

"It's only right that we remember the sacrifices that were made. I still have to go over the old census charts and figure out who all specifically was taken, but…," she glanced at Kelly Joe, who was trotting along behind them and marvelling at the snow. "Well…I may be a little biased with this…Rosiepuff, Coda, Alice, and Dyna…they're family. And they were heroes, as far as I'm concerned. Coda and Alice survived being taken for Trollstice and when they couldn't get out of the castle, dedicated themselves to trying to save others. It cost them their lives but…what matters is the effort they put in."

"What 'bout Dyna…?" Delta asked quietly.

"The extent of my knowledge about how she died is simply that she was taken saving her sons. And according to John Dory, because she injured the Bergen leading the charge that day, Trollstice was cut short. Dozens of Trolls were saved that day. I was told by Bridge that you were on the team, Delta Dawn?"

"Ah was. An' when Rage an' Rip met us diggin' them Tunnels…whoo-whee Ah almost charged right up there tah give yer pa a piece o' my mind!"

"My father only opened the Tunnels when I was marked for Trollstice thirty years after you all tried to help us…and my older sister and…a lot of Trolls were separated in the Escape. I can only hope that they survived and they're out there somewhere…," Poppy sighed. They got to the bunker and she led them to the back door. "Our elevators are out of order with the cold weather, but there's plenty of room in the living room for you guys to be comfortable," she said as she opened the door and waved them inside.

She was very glad that Maya had finished covering up the carvings and writing from Branch's episodes…

"That was quick," Maya noted as they got to the living room. "Branch mentioned that there would be tons of parties for Snow Day."

"They can wait," Poppy giggled. "Think you can help me get some stuff down here so we can set up for our guests?"

"Guests?" Maya echoed.

"Howdy Maya," Delta greeted.

"Oh! We weren't expecting you for a few more days!" Maya laughed and ran up to hug each of them. "I'll go get the stuff. Floyd and I were literally about to bring it down here and set up."

She flew up the shaft and Poppy laughed a little.

"We're not quite finished decorating, so you'll have to excuse how bland it looks," she sighed. "And you may not see much of Branch…we're expecting a baby and he's carrying the egg…"

"Congratulations," Belladonna said lightly, looking at one of the family photos they already had up on the wall.

"Mama," Kelly Joe started. "Can I go back outside? That white stuff looked fun."

"'Course, baby girl," Delta laughed. "Y'all know the rules."

"Stay close to town and where others can see me. If I need somethin' holler," the little girl recited. Delta nodded and Kelly Joe trotted back up the tunnel and out into the snow.

"So, with this first heavy snow, it's Snow Day. We'll have a lot of parties and stuff for her to do. I know you might not want to, but you're welcome to join us in the festivities," Poppy encouraged.

Floyd was actually kind of excited that Belladonna had gotten there early. It gave him some extra time to catch up with them. And by the funeral, he noticed that little Kelly Joe had made friends with a few of the Trollings in her age group.

And it took some convincing that the funeral would actually be a funeral and not some rager like Pop used to do. But they seemed convinced as they all went to a little pavilion near the new cemetery. And it really was just the family.

And Poppy said a few words, gave his parents and grandma a medal of valour (a new to Poppy kind of award) and then it was over. They buried Grandma and set up a headstone for his parents, then they went inside out of the cold for a light dinner. Just like the funeral for the miners in the long run. Just…smaller.

And Floyd felt a little at peace about everything, with just this small thing.

The day after the funeral, Delta Dawn had to get back to work, but she was glad they came to Pop Village. And the whole experience had been a lot more pleasant than she expected. Both Bel and Floyd had barely talked about the Tree, but they described the tribe at the time rife with toxic positivity. Funerals, if they happened, were described as huge parties before all mention of the ones lost stopped. But the headstones at this little cemetery that Poppy had built were cleaned and very few Trolls in the village seemed to be forcing themselves to feel anything.

Before they left, Poppy gave Belladonna a bracelet, that pinged almost immediately alongside the bracelets of other Pop Trolls.

"This is a new type of Hug Time Bracelet," Poppy said brightly. "You can adjust how often it goes off," she explained, showing a little dial. "And…you don't have to wear it, if you don't want to. It's just…a little reminder that you're always welcome. And if Kelly Joe decides she wants one, I can definitely make it for her. Whether you guys sing Pop or not, you're part of the tribe. So, if you need anything, just let me know and we'll try to help."

Belladonna put the bracelet on and hugged Poppy.

With a promise to keep in touch, the three of them went back to Lonesome Flats.

Chapter Text

Branch shouldn't have been surprised that there was a version of Giver Day for Rock Trolls. They got several large packages from Rock City a few days before the holiday. All wrapped in festive wrapping for the coming holiday. There was a letter with the packages.

Here in the volcano, we have this holiday called 'Boxing Day'. And yeah, we do have a big boxing tourney, but it's actually about boxing presents. There's a huge festival and everything. Next year, you should come to Rock City for it. Remember don't open them until December 26th! It's considered bad luck to open boxing gifts early. Oh! Keep us updated about the egg! -Barb

Branch went through the presents. Several for him, and a few for Poppy and his siblings. And he was glad that they'd already adapted the calendar to match the rest of the world. Otherwise, he'd never know what the date meant. Giver Day was on the twenty fifth. He had time to send some stuff to Rock City. Maybe Poppy would have ideas.

DJ had finished up the holiday calendar and sent it to be mass printed and distributed. It was adjusted to match the rest of the tribes, without the daily holidays. The only ones marked were the ones that DJ had decided to make 'major'. He wasn't fond of the idea that the Glitterpalooza and Confettispree were there. Or the Electric Foam Parade. But those were major points of excitement for the tribe. And even though he was king, he knew that Poppy wouldn't expect him to be at any of those parties. Those three holidays were his least favourite, and not just because they'd been loud and dangerous.

What mattered right now, is that DJ had also distributed the Secret Giver assignments. And Branch had Cooper. He…had a vague knowledge of him. Most of their interactions after Branch found his egg were…not the best. Up until all this. After his birthday, Cooper had run up to him and apologized profusely for everything. Apparently, he hadn't even realized that what he was participating in was being a bully or hurtful.

Branch was thankful that part of the Secret Giver survey had been writing down things you'd enjoy getting. He'd played it safe, putting down his usual preferred things…puzzles, books, and board games, and he put down the reminder that he hated glitter. According to this, Cooper liked fireworks, hats, and dungeons and dice. That was a game that Branch would have tried when he heard about it, if he'd been less convinced that he'd get his loved ones killed. He could work with this list though…and maybe after Giver Day, he could play a game with Cooper. It could be a good way to work back into things.

Either way, he needed new knitting needles. His current set were the wrong size to knit a hat. He was going to make a fresh hat for Cooper and carve some dice.

While he was at it, he'd also make some new leg warmers for Poppy, a scarf for John, and he might have time to make a new fringed vest for Avery. Keith was getting a new notebook. He just had to decide on a gift for Maya. And there were gifts for the family in Rock City…he didn't know any of them besides the few that had come to help with the rebuild…

Maybe just some paperweights or something small like that would be good. Since he didn't know them very well either…

Poppy stared at her Secret Giver assignment. Branch was participating in it! She'd been surprised enough, when he bundled up and tried to participate in Snow Day…but then he got an assignment card from DJ. She was worried that he was doing too much, too fast. She remembered in the dream him trying so hard right out the gate, and wearing himself out. But at the same time, he'd only done a few things out of his 'comfort zone', focused on their egg more than joining the Village and that whole 'being a real Troll' nonsense.

And he was her Secret Giver assignment! Even without his list that he'd given DJ for this…she knew just what to get him. And as he quickly went shopping, she figured he got a good idea of what to get his potential new friend. What surprised her about his haul was that he got knitting needles and some yarn. She'd known that his grandma taught him how to knit, but she'd never seen him doing it, only the results. And she thought he already had some needles. He'd made one of her favourite dresses from yarn that one of the guys spun.

She'd try not to watch him working with the intention of figuring out who he was making a gift for. And her curiosity was tested as he also got some wood. She was curious about Maya's Secret Giver too! Her sister-in-law left the village to get hers! Heck, even Floyd seemed excited about his Secret Giver. Maybe he'd gotten someone that he'd been friends with before he left the Tree.

Poppy patted her cheeks, scolding herself for even musing about possible giftees. The whole point of a Secret Giver was the surprise of both the gift and the gifter.

She should focus on her gifts for her family and friends…she even had a nephew she could actually get a gift for!

Maya was a little disappointed that she got Floyd as her Secret Giver assignment. Well, this just meant she had an excuse to get her little brother an extra gift.

She had to go to several places for gifts, so she just hoped she would make it back in time for Giver Day. Maybe she could wrangle a caterbus to make the trip easier.

So, she did just that. With a promise to be back for Giver Day, she left Pop Village.

Her first stop was the Tree. And on the way, she did find a caterbus. Maybe she could give it to Poppy, for the village to use. For now, it would make everything about this trip easier.

She debated going to the main entrance to Bergentown or the tunnels. In the end, she opted for the tunnels. It was quicker. Especially when the caterbus fit perfectly in the Tunnel. And it was able to climb up to the top easily.

She got out at the top of the Tree and went to the old pod. What she was looking for was probably hidden in Mom's room…probably deep in everything to be forgotten.

Floyd was surprised when he got his Secret Giver. Milton Moss. He used to be friends with him. And seeing his list of likes was…well it wasn't surprising. Milton had been obsessed with the critters outside the Tree when they were kids. So, him being a critternarian wasn't all that surprising.

This gave him an excuse to take a break from working on the bunker and get to know Milton again. Heck, he could try and reconnect with all his childhood friends. That were here at least.

He found Milton easily, at the critter sanctuary. Of course, he would find time to manage both council duties and the sanctuary. Of course, the sanctuary was part of the council duties.

"Oh, hey, Floyd," Milton greeted. "Taking a break from stuff?"

"Yeah…we're pretty much almost done with stuff anyways," he laughed. And he couldn't quite work properly with the elevator out of order. "How've you been?"

"Busy," his old friend chuckled. "Luckily I'm splitting council duties with Rufus. You?"

"Also busy," he sighed. "It's been easy enough digging expansions on the bunker, but only because Branch got a streamlined process figured out while digging it out in the first place."

Milton winced.

"Why?" he couldn't help but ask. He knew that most of the village had apologized to his little brother for either bullying or standing by and doing nothing. But he didn't understand how Trolls that he and his brothers had been friends could so easily stand by…so few Trolls did anything to try and help Branch over the years.

"King Peppy convinced almost everyone that he was dead," Milton sighed. "He had us all thinking that the 'Grey Hermit' at the edge of the village was older than he was…heck, he encouraged the bullying. I guess to pressure him into either changing or leaving. All that on top of--well, you've heard Peppy's version of the Escape…"

Floyd sighed heavily and raked a hand through his hair. He had heard Peppy's claim that everyone got out of the Tunnels. 'No Troll left behind' was a joke. Until Poppy, the royal family's whole thing was 'forget and be happy'…and acting like they weren't literally sacrificing Trolls they didn't like for Trollstice.

"So…you all thought he was an adult out there…?"

"Pretty much. Until Poppy's fifteenth birthday when he showed up at the party to give her a gift…and his name was actually said…and by then it was too late for anyone in our age group to really do anything…," Milton sighed. Floyd nodded slowly.

"Right…," he sighed heavily. "Anyways…how've you been? Beyond Peppy's bullshit."

Milton shrugged.

John Dory watched everyone get ready for Giver Day. He wasn't much for giving gifts to strangers, but he was at least going to make gifts for his family. And he went to the workshop with some supplies to get started. He almost went to find another place to work when he saw both Branch and Floyd in the room, working on stuff.

"I uh…can work somewhere else…," he mumbled when they paused to look at him.

"That won't be necessary, JD," Branch assured, barely pausing in his knitting. "There's plenty of room for us to share space."

"Yeah," Floyd agreed. So, John found a spot to work and got to it.

The rest of the time was spent either in a comfortable silence, the only noise being the sound of their tools at work, or catching up. Branch didn't have much to say, as he'd been both isolating himself and ostracized by the other Pop Trolls, with the exception of Poppy and the guys.

Floyd on the other hand…had a lot. So did John Dory.

Finally, Giver Day arrived and Maya got back just in time! She'd gone to the Tree, Lonesome Flats, and the volcano. Delta and Belladonna had gifts for them too, and just before they mailed them off, she arrived and offered to take them.

She felt a little like the giver of myth, riding up with a wagon full of gifts. Except she was in a caterbus with gifts for her family. And she was happy with what she'd gotten.

She got everything set up at the bunker, but for the village wide party, she was only going to bring her Secret Giver gift.

She managed to get to the plaza without letting her family know that she was back. So, it was great seeing their surprised faces when she ran over to them.

"You made it!" Poppy laughed, hugging her tightly.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss Giver Day," she giggled. Something small latched onto her leg and she looked to see Keith.

"Welcome back Aunt Maya!" he cheered. So, he was already all over the family thing. That felt really nice. Probably one of the best gifts she could get, actually. Having her new nephew so quickly calling her 'aunt'. She grinned at him.

"Hey, kiddo," she laughed, ruffling his hair.

Poppy looked around and hopped up onto the mushroom stage. Branch joined her as the queen pulled out her cowbell and clanged it a few times to get everyone's attention. Why was he wearing such a heavy looking outfit…?

"Happy Giver Day everyone!" she called out. "We have a lot planned for the festival, games and food and fun! And all the while, we'll be doing the Secret Giver Exchange! So, everyone who's participating in that, keep an eye out for your gift recipient and just have fun! And I'd like to remind everyone that there's no amount of time that you have to stay. If you want, you can just give your gift and leave," she reminded. "So go out there and have fun in your own way!" she cheered stomping her foot on a pedal that lit up the plaza and nearby marketplace with colourful lights.

Maya marvelled at it. At the end of the market road, there was a small carnival set up. With a Ferris Wheel and merry go round and everything. A few of the stalls at the market were running games.

Keith tugged on her pants and his odd eyes focused for a moment on the merry go round.

"Will you ride it with me?" he asked.

"Sure," she agreed easily and let him pull her to the ride. "So…how are you holding up?"

"Great," Keith laughed. "Where did you go?"

"Lonesome Flats…Bergentown…and I went home for a little while," she shrugged.

"Home? But isn't the bunker home?"

"Well, yeah the bunker is my home now," she laughed. "But where I came from…I grew up in Volcano Rock City, with the rest of the Rock tribe. Maybe we can take you there some time."

"Isn't it hot? How does anyone live in a volcano?"

"Keith, all the tribes are different," she said as they got on the merry go round. "Like…the Techno Trolls live in the ocean, they can breathe underwater and handle the cold depths of the sea. Country lives out in the dry and arid grasslands…Funk Trolls used to live up in the cold mountains. Classical Trolls live high up in the mountains and can fly. And Rock…we can survive in lava, and here," she held out an arm. "See how hard my skin is?"

"It's like a rock!" Keith marvelled, trying to pinch her. "But…Papa and your brothers have skin like mine."

"Because their dad was Pop."

After a few minutes the ride came to a stop and they got off. Keith waved at a couple of girls and ran off. Maya shook her head a little and went to find Floyd. She spotted Branch giving a gift to Cooper, all smiles and nearly the same colours from the old photos. She kept looking and saw Floyd giving a pet kennel to a Troll she hadn't met yet.

"Aw!" the Troll exclaimed, peering into the kennel. "A Flopper Hopper!"

"Yeah," Floyd laughed. "I figured you might like one."

"I've been considering getting one for a while. Thanks Floyd," he put the kennel down and offered a hug. Floyd nodded and hugged him.

"Of course, Milton," her brother laughed again. The two broke apart and Milton picked up the kennel again.

"I need to go find my Secret Giver and then I'll take this cutie home. We should get together some time and hang out. You know where to find me," he chuckled before heading off.

"Old friend?" Maya guessed.

"Yeah…," Floyd sighed. "Did you need help finding your Secret Giver?"

"No," she said simply. "I've already found him."

"Oh? How'd it go?"

"I don't know," she laughed, pulling the gift out of her hair. "You tell me."

"Wait…I'm your Secret Giver?" he chuckled.

"Yeah. So boring," she snarked. Floyd opened up the package and quirked an eyebrow at the books.

"A Guide to Power Chords, and…Guitar Maintenance? Maya, I know how to take care of a guitar…"

"But do you know how to take care of a Rock guitar?" she asked seriously.

"Well…no. But my acoustic works just fine…," he mumbled. "Muses…is this a two-part gift?"

She giggled and nodded. Floyd chuckled and shook his head, putting the books in his hair. Yes, he probably figured out the other part of his gift from the books, but there was more to it than just an electric guitar.

Poppy watched Branch step away from the festivities. She knew he'd only come out of some sort of feeling of obligation because he was her king. And to give his gift to his Secret Giver…Cooper! No wonder he was knitting a hat. He stumbled in the snow and she rushed to help him.

"Branch, are you okay?" she gasped.

"Yeah…just slipped…," he sighed. "Not used to wearing boots in the cold…"

She smiled sympathetically. Over the years she'd never seen him bundle up for the snow if he left the bunker. The most he did was wear white to help blend in with the snow with extra twigs and leaves purposefully in his hair…and at most, he wore white ankle braces…but never the type of outfit he was wearing right now. Boots, and gloves…a thick jacket and a fluffy hat.

He was half-Rock…his normal body temperature was what she would consider a fever. He didn't bundle up because he didn't get cold. But now, he'd complained about being cold and bundled up. Poppy thought he might be getting sick. Something she'd heard was common with winter eggs.

"Branch…," she mumbled, pressing a hand to his cheek. She tried not to jerk her hand back. His skin was on fire. "You're burning up!" she gasped.

"I'm fine…," he argued. But as they stood there, he swayed and almost fell. Poppy gasped and steadied him.

"Branchifer," she chided. "We need to get back home," she said firmly, putting a hand on the small of his back.

"I can make it on my own…you don't have to leave the festival…"

She shook her head and started for the bunker. Branch stumbled again as they walked, so she hoisted him up. He mumbled protests, but didn't struggle, resting his head on her shoulder. Poppy could feel the heat of his fever through her thick jacket and she quickened her pace.

He hadn't been this warm that morning, and she was scared. Both for him and the egg. They made it to the bunker and she got him up to their room. Branch shivered as she helped him out of the heavy winter gear he was wearing. Then, she urged him into bed, gathering as many blankets as he might need and setting them up for him to bundle up as needed.

"I'm going to go make some tea, you just rest and get comfortable," she instructed and went to the kitchen to do just that. Holly leaves and mint, with a little honey and lemon…

She took the tea to him and helped him sit up to drink it.

"Thanks…," he mumbled between sips. "You don't have to stay here…"

"I know," she laughed. "I'm going to see if we have any medicine to help," she told him, kissing his forehead before she headed to the bathroom to look through the medicine cabinet. All the jars had been labelled, and she found one marked simply 'for colds'. So that was probably to help with fever at the very least…

She grabbed that and got a glass of cool water. She soaked a rag in cool water to help too. Armed with her supplies, she went back to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Poppy offered him the cold cup.

"How many of these do you take?" she asked, twisting the cap off.

"Just one…," he sighed, probably resigned to his fate as she handed him a pill and he took it. Poppy put the lid back on the jar and took the empty glass from him. Branch picked up the tea again and sipped at it. "Shouldn't you get back to the party…at least to give your Secret Giver gift…?"

"That's not as important as making sure you're okay," she sighed, pressing the wet rag to his forehead gently. "And besides…I don't have to go back to the party to give him my gift."

Branch fell silent and blinked at her. She grinned and rotated the rag. He finished his tea and set the cup aside.

"Just get some rest," she encouraged. "I'll be up in my office, so just call if you need anything."

"Okay…," he sighed and she headed up to her office. Poppy grabbed a book and got comfortable on her daybed to read.

Chapter Text

Branch woke up oddly cold. It wasn't as bad as his annual flu, so he hoped it wasn't serious. Particularly since it was Giver Day. One of the worst times to get sick…when he was actually looking forward to the festival.

So, he tried to get up and push through it. He rubbed his arm a little, glancing at Poppy, still asleep and sprawling out in his absence. Satin and Chenille had insisted on making him a winter ensemble, even if he tried to stop them. He'd tried explaining that he didn't get cold and didn't need to wear the same kind of bundling that the rest of the tribe needed in the snow.

Which made the rare times that he would leave the bunker during the winter easier. He kept white pants and a long-sleeved shirt to help him blend into the snow, but with his colours back and his ability to camouflage with his hair coming back, he was more comfortable in his usual colour palette. The heavy winter gear looked cumbersome…

He shook his head and put on the coat at least before climbing up to check on the breaker and water closet. There were Pop Trolls living in the bunker now and it wouldn't be pleasant if the heater went out. They could survive without the elevator…but not the heater. He pulled the breaker box open and checked things. The gauge was running dangerously high, so he started flipping off switches.

"Morning, Branch…," Floyd greeted. "What are you doing…?"

"Just…a little maintenance," he sighed.

"Anything you need help with?"

"Well, can you check the water tanks?" he pointed them out. Floyd nodded and went to do that as he flipped the elevator power completely off.

He sighed, looking at the dial. Not as overworked…with two levels and the elevators turned off. He nodded a little and went to have a look at the heater. It seemed to be working okay, so he nodded a little.

"I think we're good," Floyd said lightly when he looked over. His brother was straightening up, a wrench in hand. "A pipe was loose, but everything seems to be working okay."

Somehow Branch wasn't surprised that Floyd knew what he was doing. Clearly stuff like this was something he'd been seriously educated in with the Country Trolls.

They left the utility room and went down to the kitchen. Already it was a little warmer, so Branch shrugged off the coat.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine," he mumbled. Floyd frowned as they started working on breakfast, but didn't say anything else.

Branch got the coffee going and tried to hide that he was still cold, and starting to get a little dizzy. Bright side, Floyd didn't say anything when he had to sit down.

After breakfast, Branch went to get ready for the day. The festival was starting just before lunch, but he and Poppy had the weekly council meeting before that. Grimacing, he put on the heavy winter outfit from the twins. And he dug out his boots. Boots that he usually only wore in the rainy season.

The meeting was short and sweet, and he and Poppy joined preparations for the festival. Maya got back just before the party kicked off. And as everyone started celebrating, he looked for Cooper.

The cold was really cutting through the winter wear and he was starting to get really dizzy.

So much for enjoying the festival…hopefully whoever was going to be giving him a gift would catch him before he stumbled back to the bunker. Well, he found Cooper easily. So, he approached him.

"Hey, Branch!" Cooper greeted. "Need help finding your Secret Giver?"

"No," he chuckled, pulled the little package out of his hair. "You're who I was looking for."

"Really? Cool!" Cooper laughed brightly and took the package. He tore into it and grinned. "A new hat! Nice. And…did you carve these dice?"

"Yeah," Branch said.

"This is cool. We should get together some time for a game. Maybe after the egg detaches so you're not so tired."

"I'd like that," he agreed. "Speaking of the exhaustion…I have to cut out early…," he sighed.

"Yeah, you look like you're about to fall over," Cooper noted bluntly. "Did you see where Poppy went?"

"No…sorry," Branch shook his head and started to leave.

Branch stumbled in the snow and he felt familiar hands steadying him.

"Branch, are you okay?" Poppy gasped.

"Yeah…just slipped…," he sighed, trying to make light of things and not worry her. "Not used to wearing boots in the cold…"

She smiled sympathetically. And somehow, he knew just what she was thinking. He didn't get cold and would have only worn this outfit for the aesthetic…to appease the twins. And he could see the worry in her eyes.

"Branch…," she mumbled, pressing a hand to his cheek. Oh, her hand felt nice and warm. He had to stop himself from leaning into her touch. "You're burning up!" she gasped.

"I'm fine…," Branch argued. But as they stood there, he swayed and almost fell. Poppy gasped and steadied him.

"Branchifer," she chided. "We need to get back home," she said firmly, putting a hand on the small of his back.

"I can make it on my own…you don't have to leave the festival…," he tried.

She shook her head and started for the bunker. Branch stumbled again as they walked, so she hoisted him up. He mumbled protests, but didn't struggle, resting his head on her shoulder. As much as he wanted to stop her, he knew walking home would be too much of a struggle. And his head felt too heavy. Not because of the egg…

He could tell that she was scared. Both for him and the egg. They made it to the bunker and she got him up to their room. Branch shivered as she helped him out of the heavy winter gear he was wearing. Then, she urged him into bed, gathering as many blankets as he might need and setting them up for him to bundle up as needed.

"I'm going to go make some tea, you just rest and get comfortable," she instructed and went to the kitchen to do just that.

Branch settled in the bed and tried not to fall back to sleep as he grabbed a blanket and bundled up. He almost drifted off right as Poppy came back with a steaming cup of tea. She helped him sit up better to drink it.

"Thanks…," he mumbled between sips. "You don't have to stay here…"

"I know," she laughed. "I'm going to see if we have any medicine to help," she told him, kissing his forehead before she headed to the bathroom. She came back after another moment, juggling several things.

"How many of these do you take?" she asked, twisting the cap off. He could do all this himself, but it felt…nice to not have to.

"Just one…," he sighed, resigned to his fate as she handed him a pill and he took it. Poppy put the lid back on the jar and took the empty glass from him. Branch picked up the tea again and sipped at it. "Shouldn't you get back to the party…at least to give your Secret Giver gift…?"

"That's not as important as making sure you're okay," she sighed, pressing a wet rag to his forehead gently. "And besides…I don't have to go back to the party to give him my gift."

Branch fell silent and blinked at her. Oh. He was her Secret Giver. She grinned and rotated the rag. He finished his tea and set the cup aside.

"Just get some rest," she encouraged. "I'll be up in my office, so just call if you need anything."

"Okay…," he sighed and she headed up to her office. Branch settled in bed and tried to get some rest. He groaned and sat up. "Poppy…!" he called to her.

In an instant, she was back in the room.

"What's wrong?"

"Can you bring me a book or one of my knitting projects?"

"Sure!" she chirped and hurried off. She came back with a bag of yarn and a couple of books. "I brought several so you don't get bored," she explained, putting everything where he could reach without much effort.

"Thanks…," he said lightly.

There was a distant knock at the back door and Poppy frowned.

"That's probably your Secret Giver…," he guessed.

"I'll go check…it could also be something else…," she sighed and disappeared.

He settled in with a book, but then blinked as blue locs shot up across the doorway and latched onto the hair hold. Cooper awkwardly came into the room.

"Hi…," he mumbled.

"Poppy asked me to stay for a while so she could go get you some medicine," Cooper explained, simply sitting on the floor in the corner. He tucked his legs under his body in such a way that they seemed to vanish before he curled his head down, neck around his body.

Branch almost mentioned that it wasn't necessary, but maybe medicine made by the actual apothecary would be more effective and help him get better faster than his homemade stuff. He sighed and put the book aside in favour of knitting.

"So, what'd you get Poppy?" he asked as he started working.

"A new flower press for her scrapbooking," Cooper laughed. "I didn't know you could knit. Did you…make that hat?"

"My grandma taught me," he sighed. "I'd offer to teach you, but…"

"Nah, I wouldn't be able to do it…," Cooper lifted one of his feet and flexed it. "I don't have hands," he laughed. "What are you making?"

"Dress for Poppy," he said simply. "My friend Ablaze made the yarn."

They slipped into a comfortable silence after that.

Poppy went back to the festival. All of Branch's siblings and a few of the doctors were there. And she was glad that Branch had put an ingredient list on his cold medicine. She found Maya talking with Dr Plum and she rushed over.

Plum was giving Maya a gift and they were chatting.

"Oh, this is cool," Maya was saying as she opened up the present. An art supply kit.

"I'm glad you like it," Plum laughed. Poppy tapped her foot and worried her lip. She'd just have to interrupt the conversation and hope it didn't ruin a potential friendship.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, stepping up. Both of them turned to her.

"Oh, Poppy! Where the heck have you been?" Maya laughed. "You disappeared."

"I took Branch back to the bunker," she sighed. "He's sick."

"Common with winter eggs," Plum noted. "I could pop by the bunker and check on him."

"He's half-Rock, so that might affect your evaluation," Maya sighed. "What are his symptoms? I thought it was weird that he was bundled up when I saw him earlier."

"Fever, chills, dizziness…," Poppy rattled off. "I've already made him some holly tea, with mint, honey and lemon…and he's taken one of these," she told them, showing the bottle of pills.

"If we were in the volcano, I'd say a quick dip in the lava pools might do the trick," Maya sighed. "But the trip to your lava pit might make things worse…and I haven't seen any fire lilies around here, or I'd recommend those…"

"Lava?" Plum gasped. "I knew you all had wings, but that's amazing…," she marvelled, looking over the ingredient list. "Has his fever gone down after taking this?"

"When I left, it hadn't. I could barely touch him…," she tried not to whine.

"I see. Well…you can go to the apothecary and get this," she pulled a pad out of her hair and wrote down a prescription. "And I'd recommend the whole family take a round of antibiotics, especially you, Avery, and little Keith…if a dip in lava would be sufficient for the others to clear away any bacteria," she wrote that down as well and handed Poppy the note.

"Thank you," she said seriously and hurried off to get the medicine.

The apothecary got to work when she gave them the prescription. While she waited, Poppy got a little impatient, but only because she was worried. She was grateful that the apothecary was being meticulous about filling the prescription.

Oddly, she didn't recognize them. Well, they seemed familiar…almost like they'd barely met maybe once in the dream. She didn't want to distract them by asking.

"Here you go," they said lightly, presenting a bag of bottles.

"Thank you," Poppy sighed. "Um…are you new in town?"

"Yes," they chuckled. "Princess Barb suggested I come here, when I was considering places to settle. I'm Kiri. My family run the apothecary in Nowhere."

"Oh!" She gasped without thinking. That's where she saw them! "Cool. You're settling in okay?"

"The cold is taking getting used to…but it reminds me of where I lived as a child, so it's nice," they chuckled. "Oh, before you go, do you know anyone that would know the flora of the area. Just to make it easier to gather supplies."

"Well, my husband, Branch…and maybe his bandmates. Trickee, Hype, Boom, and Ablaze. All five of them have lived off the woods more than anyone else in the village."

"I'll be sure to look them up, thank you."

Poppy smiled and waved before she headed out. She hurried back to the bunker and read the instructions for the medicine as she ran through the snow.

They put off the family celebration until Branch was feeling a little better. And they followed Plum's recommendation for the Pop Trolls in the family to take antibiotics while the rest went for a swim in the lava. Maya had something she wanted to get from there anyways.

She dove down and her brothers followed.

"Maya, what are you doing?" Floyd chuckled as she swam to the Lava Blooms. "Uh…Maya?"

"Just give me a moment," she laughed, pulling one up. She winced at the cold seeping into her hands, a rash already starting to form from the contact.

"Maya!" Floyd gasped, swimming up to stop her from continuing to get the plant.

"Stay back!" she urged. "I'm not allergic, but you might be. I don't want to take that chance."

"Why are you messing with them?" John chuckled nervously, holding Floyd back from trying anyways.

"Poppy said they're safe for the other tribes and could help with heat resistance. So, I'm going to take them to the apothecary and have Kiri examine them," she explained. "They can 'discover' the medicinal properties and let Thrash know. It would be a big step for the Rock tribe."

"Oh," John Dory laughed. "And that way, Poppy won't have to make up excuses about how she knows about them."

Maya nodded and swam for the surface. She put the flower down in the snow and climbed out to have a look at her hands. The rash was really bad, from the prolonged contact, and as she started to reach into her hair, it was hard to move her fingers.

"Shit…," she tried to flex her hands but they felt frozen. "JD, you have your first aid kit with you?"

"Always," he chuckled. "What do you need, Sis?"

"Help. I can't move my fingers," she sighed, showing him the rash and stiff limbs. "It'll pass, but I need my hands covered to keep it from getting worse while I take the Lava Bloom to Kiri."

"Okay. Why are you putting yourself through this?" he groaned, wrapping her hands in bandages.

"I already told you. We have this information from Poppy and it'll be a big step for the Rock tribe. Also, it'll make it easier for Poppy to visit the volcano," she told him, carefully picking the flower up when her hands were treated.

"I got that. But we could have helped…"

"I'm not gonna risk you guys having an allergic reaction to these when I know for a fact that I'm mostly safe from them," Maya snapped. John Dory made a grab for the flower and she held it away from him. "Stop! I'm not handling it with my bare hands anymore."

She stalked to the apothecary and waved at Kiri with one hand.

"Maya, what did you do?!" Kiri hopped over the counter, grabbing some protective gloves.

"I remembered you wanted to investigate the Lava Blooms, but you can't dive in lava so…," she laughed, holding out the flower. Kiri groaned, griping in Japanese. "You know as well as anyone that the rash will pass."

"Still…," they groaned again and adjusted the gloves before taking the flower. "I'll have a look at this after we take care of your rash. How's King Branch doing?"

"You can just call him Branch…," Floyd mumbled. "He doesn't really like the formality…but he's doing better."

"That's good to hear," they sighed, reaching to put together a salve for Maya. "Here you go, Maya. I'll let you know if I find anything of interest with the Lava Bloom."

"Okay," she laughed and held the salve carefully. "You just be careful, okay?"

"I always am when investigating new plants," they assured.

Maya nodded and pushed her brothers out of the building. They headed back to the bunker.

And the guys were there. Of course they were, they were part of the family, even if Trickee and Hype were the only ones that Rosiepuff actually had the chance to adopt.

"Great, you guys are back!" Poppy cheered. "Branch is feeling better…well better enough to handle a late Giver Day party, so we were gonna go ahead and do that while he has the wherewithal to be part of it."

Chapter Text

Maya set to work at the hospital on New Year's Eve.

"Thanks for accepting the job offer, Dr Flamebane," Plum greeted brightly. Maya giggled at the formality.

"You don't have to be so formal," she pointed out.

"I know. But for your first day, it's only right. I'll introduce you to some of the other folks you'll be working with."

"All right," she agreed and went with Plum on a small tour of the building. She'd been busy working on the bunker, and hadn't really seen more than the blueprints.

"We're going to look into getting to where you're not the only therapist we have, but…that'll take time. I've been told that it takes several years to get the certifications you have…"

"Well, it only took me about five years, but I also tested out of a lot of the first couple of years' worth of stuff…," she admitted. "The usual program takes eight to ten years…"

"Wow," Plum chuckled.

"I can get in contact with Auroro, the dean at the university I went to with the Funk tribe, and we can see if there's something you guys could do…," she suggested.

"Thank you," Plum said before introducing her to a few nurses and other doctors. Unsurprisingly, such a small tribe only had three doctors and a handful of nurses.

She's met Dr Moonbloom before, and she understood with her dramatics why Poppy picked Plum to be on the council instead of the older, more experienced doctor. The doctor that had known her moms. The other doctor, Acacia Vines, was a lovely young woman who had been friends with Floyd before he left the Tree.

"Plum," a nurse called, rushing up to them. "Creek's acting weird…"

"How so?"

"He's--" she broke off. "Well, just come and see."

The nurse led them to Creek's room and he could be heard from inside asking loudly where he was.

Maya took a deep breath as she and Plum went into the room and the nurse left. He froze, seeing Maya.

"Good morning, Creek," Plum greeted. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything would be fine if someone could tell me where I am, and why my leg is like this. I was cut up escaping the hill monster but…"

"You're at the hospital? We rebuilt in preparation for updates from the other tribes…," Plum sighed.

"Other tribes…?" he asked, genuinely confused and not at all like how he was acting when Poppy confronted him about the dream…

"Shit…," Maya gasped. "Hold that thought, Creek. Plum…we need to talk."

They went back into the hall and then to an unoccupied room.

"What's wrong, Maya?"

"I've seen this before…," she sighed. "Trauma induced amnesia…"

"Trauma…? If that was the case, shouldn't he have been acting like this sooner?" Plum asked softly. "Or…do you think it might have something to do with the time travel thing…?"

Maya blinked. Of course someone overheard them. It's not like Poppy confronted him in private.

"You heard," she sighed. Plum nodded a little. "Okay, I don't know everything, but we're calling it 'the dream'…and trying to keep it in the family. Are you the only one who heard…?"

"I think so," the other doctor sighed. "I only came up at the tail end of the conversation, and no one's brought it up even as a rumour."

"Okay…well…there's not much information about the Sands of Time…I can get in contact with the Funk tribe and see if they know more."

"That would be useful…"

"And maybe you should talk to him for now…I'll get settled in and everything. For now, we should probably give his diagnosis with this as selective amnesia."

"All right," Plum left the room and Maya worried her lip.

She had the vaguest knowledge about what happened. And a vague knowledge of Funk legends. They'd been driven out of the mountains by Snow Trolls…and legend had it that Snow Trolls were Trolls that crossed the Sphinx that guarded the Sands of Time…

Poppy sighed heavily as she went into the dungeon alone. Branch was really suffering with egg symptoms and she hated that they couldn't help much. According to JD, his dad had been like this too, worse even, with Floyd and Branch's eggs. Even after he got over that flu, he was still suffering. So much, that he couldn't go to council meetings.

And this would be the first of the year. They adapted to the 'right' calendar and she was happy that it was going as easily as it had in the dream.

"Good morning, everyone!" she greeted the council, calling the meeting to order. "I have a big proposition to start off the year," she told them. "Like big enough we're gonna put it to a vote among the tribe too."

"What's the idea…?" DJ asked. "And uh…shouldn't Branch get a say?"

"I've already talked to him about and he's neutral about it. King Gristle has offered to help us load one of the Bergen vehicles with the belongings from the Tree and bring it to the village in one trip," she told them. There was a range of reaction.

Some of the members of the council started talking at once, saying how it was a bad idea or questioning how it would work. Alanis and Abigail both folded their arms over the table clearly deep in thought. Smidge, DJ, and Milton were equally silent. Poppy grabbed her meeting mallet, glad that she'd decided to have it, and banged on the table to silence the group.

"One at a time!" she groaned. "Do I need to bring out the talking stick?"

Everyone went quiet and she gestured to Smidge.

"I think we should take the offer," the Teaspoon Troll said gruffly. "Question is how to do it?"

"I agree," DJ sighed. "We could send a team to pack up and label everything from the pods maybe?"

"Logistically, moving the pods would be easier," Alanis spoke up. "Less risk of things getting lost."

So, that was four votes in favour of taking the idea. Poppy smiled and looked to the others.

"I agree," Evan sighed. "But we should be cautious. There's no telling how long this peace will last."

"I feel the same," Torrent said tiredly.

"And see," Rufus grumbled. "I think we can do it on our own. We should do it on our own."

"Abigail?" Poppy sighed. It was already a majority vote but she needed everyone's opinion.

"Personally, I don't think the peace is going anywhere. I say we take the opportunity to get everyone's shit from the Tree faster."

"I'm with Branch…neutral," Milton sighed.

"Okay. Smidge, write up the surveys," Poppy said lightly, banging her mallet for good measure. "If the majority of the tribe is okay with it, we'll send a team to the Tree and get to work. Any additional thoughts for how we should do this?"

There was a collective negative and she nodded, glancing at the charts.

"All right," Smidge said. "Next order of business is the concern that Abigail brought up in our last meeting. The Music Vault."

"The vault at the Tree was demolished by the Bergens during the Escape," Poppy sighed. She'd seen the destruction twice. In the dream and when they retrieved the library stuff. "It seems everything in the Tree went back to whatever it was like before the Tree died…we can try to find and recover anything salvageable, but otherwise…the only music from the Tree is what was taken in the first place."

"That's…that sucks," Torrent sighed. "Because my old 3LT record is busted and Kayla doesn't have any extra copies…"

"We can get in contact with the library at Rock City," Abi suggested. "I know for a fact they have Dictabird recordings of 'sad' songs from the Tree, stuff the birds would have had to get into the recording booth to record themselves…they might have stuff that we can't recover from the Tree…"

"Great idea, Abigail," Poppy laughed, glad that she didn't have to suggest it. "I'll leave that to you. We need to get in contact with King Thrash about the hospital, too."

Anything they couldn't recover or get copies of…was lost. Only one band from the Tree hadn't been separated by the Escape or death. Well, two but the likelihood of BroZone being willing to reunite long enough to rerecord their old music was slim. She knew that Kismet would. They'd done it in the dream (before she'd even seen the damage!) and she didn't see why they wouldn't be willing to now, even if she didn't suggest it.

What she wasn't going to mention that some of the music was obviously destroyed by Trolls. Anything from the Tree that was even remotely sad, was destroyed before the Escape. Most likely by her dad…considering everything from BroZone, Kismet, and Chem Rox, had been destroyed.

The rest of the meeting was uneventful, everyone simply gave their updates and plans for stuff coming up. But when they left the dungeon, Plum caught her.

"Poppy, can we talk?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"It's about Creek. We're not sure how to bring it up to his mother, particularly when I think it pertains to…the situation…? I believe Maya mentioned that you're all referring to it as…the dream?"

Poppy nearly choked. She didn't think that anyone else heard her when she confronted Creek about it before.

"H-How…?"

"I happened to overhear the conversation. No one else is aware of it, I think."

"Okay…what's going on?" she sighed.

"He's…mistaking events, I think? Most recently he was going on about hill monsters and 'Chef'?"

"Oh, yeah. The Bergen I cut…he was almost eaten by a hill monster with her when he managed to get away from her. Her name was literally 'Chef'. I never found out if that was always her name or if she changed it when she became the royal chef…"

"Okay then…are you having trouble with stuff like that…?"

"What? Forgetting what's really happening now?" Poppy mumbled. Plum nodded a little. "No. I'm still not sure how I was even dragged along. Uh…keep me updated on what's going on with Creek?"

"Of course!"

"And keep this to yourself…please. If anyone asks you about it, send them to me…," Poppy sighed. Plum nodded a little.

Poppy and Plum parted ways. Just what was happening? If Creek was mistaking events…did that mean it would happen to Poppy too? She hoped not.

Either way, she had a project to get ready for. Because she hoped that the tribe would agree to this plan of moving all the old pods to the village so they could recover their stuff.

Floyd was bored. With the snow putting the elevators out of commission, he could finish up the expansions but not the furniture, but the sap mixes to treat the walls made Branch sick. It was to the point that he couldn't even open a jar of the stuff across the bunker from where his brother was resting.

It wasn't near as bad as it had been with Dad, when they were expecting Branch's egg, but it was bad. Like that flu he got on Giver Day just opened the floodgates to the sensitivity to smell.

And with Maya working at the hospital, he took turns with John Dory and Avery helping Branch out. According to John, Grandma had said that their grandpa had been this bad while he was with egg, so maybe this was just something that ran in the family.

John was taking care of the bunker so Floyd could get out and get some air. He wandered the village and spotted a few familiar faces. But everyone was busy, so he didn't feel comfortable trying to reconnect more with his old friends.

Floyd spotted Boom, struggling with a crate. He rushed to help the Glitter Troll.

"Thanks," Boom laughed. "I should have brought a cart or something…"

"What's in the crate?" Floyd chuckled.

"Supplies. Since we're not exactly outcast anymore, me and the guys are gonna start up our own stands in the market…," Boom explained as they took the crate to a red and purple pod.

"What are you going to sell…?"

"Well, I make books…usually for myself or Branch, but I have a lot of extras and I figure I can just make more. With money being introduced soon…I've gotta make ends meet somehow, right?"

"I can help," he offered.

"Thanks! But my uncle is helping with the business side of stuff…"

"Well, do you have a press or something to make it easier to make books professionally?"

"Don't tell me, you learned about book binding in Lonesome Flats too," Boom chuckled.

"I learned a lot of life skills in Lonesome Flats," Floyd sighed. "But not bookbinding…at least not extensively."

"Okay…what did you learn extensively?" Boom asked as he opened the crate and started unpacking stuff. Stacks of measured paper and thick boards.

"Building and other construction, mainly. Farming in the Country grasslands, and surviving in the wilds…I make my own clothes," he shrugged. "And I made all the new furniture in the bunker."

"That's cool. But to answer your question, I've just been winging it?"

"Well, it wouldn't be hard to put together a press with the parts from this crate," he mumbled, looking over the now empty crate. "And for hardbacks, do you use animal or plant-based glue?"

Boom laughed and explained his process as Floyd dismantled the crate carefully. He pulled a multi tool out of his hair and started working on building a book press.

Poppy tapped her glitter pen on the desk. She'd gone straight home to work on the plans. But she kept thinking about what Plum said. And when she'd asked Maya, her sister-in-law mentioned that the Funk tribe might have an idea about this. And out of every pod at the Tree…if they moved the pods like DJ suggested, they'd still have to pack everything up from Branch's old pod…it wasn't like the other pods…attached to the Tree itself instead of dangling from a vine.

But as she tried to make a list for the project…she could make plans for if the tribe agreed to Gristle's offer and if they didn't. She started to write out the plans but her mind wandered back to the weirdness with Creek. Poppy shook her head and tried to focus.

She groaned after another minute of trying to focus and pulled out a piece of paper. She wouldn't be able to focus on the plans until she contacted Quincy and Essence. It would be hard for Vibe City to get to the village, unless they could hover above the canopy easily.

Hello!

She paused. What should she write to them? There was a lot…she wanted to 'meet' them because they were fellow rulers and if the tribes were going to reignite the peace from before the War…someone had to take the first step. But would they trust that first step coming from Pop?

She wanted to reunite Cooper with his parents. But she couldn't say that she knew he was their kid…there was no way she should know that…but at the same time, Maya and Floyd both had met Prince D…if they agreed that Cooper looked just like his twin, and they already knew about the situation with the lost egg.

Or she could just tell them that her friend wanted to meet other Funk Trolls.

Poppy nodded and turned her attention back to the letter.

We would be honoured if you could come to visit Pop Village. I would come to you, but my husband and I are expecting a child. It would be a pleasure to meet you in person. Maya Flamebane speaks highly of you. And one of our villagers, we recently learned when she and her brothers arrived, is a misplaced member of your tribe. He's never known any other Funk Trolls, and is eager to learn more of his heritage. --Queen Poppy, of the Pop Tribe

Poppy nodded a little and got the letter ready to send off.

Chapter Text

Maya found the snow season rather uneventful after Snow Day and Giver Day. Even with Creek slowly losing his mind. The only doctor he would talk to was Maya, which was odd enough. Maya found it odd, especially when he divulged that he had a particular distaste for her baby brother. But it didn't seem that he remembered that she was Branch's sister.

So, he really did have selective amnesia. Poppy gave her the journal that she'd made with the dream details. She'd even written down what Creek had told her happened to him between Bergentown and getting back to the village. Creek should have recognized her as the sister of the Troll he hated the most.

So, for whatever reason, he was forgetting some things of the future he dragged Poppy from and parts of the present. It really was a conundrum.

She'd written to Quincy and Essence asking for some of their folklore or anything they might have that concerned the Sands of Time. They wrote back that they were going to come to the village after Lover's Day.

And of course, she had to let Poppy know. And Cooper! If she thought about it, Cooper looked a lot like Darnell. And in Poppy's record of the dream, Cooper actually was Darnell's twin.

"Poppy! Have you heard yet?" she asked when she found her sister-in-law in the plaza.

"I hear a lot of things," Poppy giggled. "But if you're thinking about the Funk tribe coming to the valley…yes! Do you know if they can hover over the canopy? In their letter they didn't mention needing us to meet them with critters or anything, and--"

"Poppy," Maya laughed, cutting her off. "The ship can go to space, they can handle the canopy," she informed. "Have you told everyone else yet?"

"Not yet. I just barely got their RSVP!" Poppy sighed and pulled her to the dungeon. "Before I let them know, I need some help."

"With what?"

"Well, you spent a lot of time in Vibe City, so you'd probably know this stuff. Like how we can greet them or anything like that…? Or if they need to land the ship anywhere…," she trailed off. "I want to make a good impression on them this time…"

"They're pretty chill," Maya assured. "Just the way you've got the tribe lately will be fine. And…they might need to land to rest the engines…," she mumbled. Then she spotted the map of the village. "The clearing near the lava pit might be big enough for Vibe City to land…," she paused to pull out her old tablet from university. It had the dimensions of the ship on it.

"Ooh! What's that?"

"Oh, they gave me this when I moved in for University," she explained. "I can only really use it in Vibe City, so I don't really mess with it anymore. There's a map program that tells you where in the ship you are. And communication…and all my old text books are in here…school stuff was all paperless. And I can record and edit music on here too," she swiped through a few apps to show it off. "But, on the map program there are dimensions for the ship," she added, going back to the map app and pulling up the information. "Let's see…yeah, the clearing by the lava pit is big enough. It could be helpful to find a safe way to point it out as a landing area."

She shut off the tablet and put it back in her hair.

"Funk's…really high tech, aren't they…?"

"Most advanced out of all the tribes," Maya confirmed.

"Right," Poppy sighed. "So…before they get here, we got word from the Rock tribe that they're sending some doctors and stuff to help us with updating our tech…"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said brightly. "Just reminded how far behind we are."

"You'll get there."

Poppy nodded a little.

"Wait! You said there's a communication app on your thing?"

"Tablet. Yeah."

"Can you use that while close to Vibe City? Or just inside the ship?"

"You know…," Maya blinked. "I haven't tried. The last few times I've been back to Vibe City, they just saw us and picked us up," she chuckled. "I can try it when they get here. Or…I think they actually have a shortwave if that doesn't work. Most of the Tribe leadership has a shortwave to hear chatter and contact travellers."

"Cool," Poppy grinned. "So, uh…any changes with Creek?"

"I'm not sure why but he seems to be…well it reads like an old person with dementia," she sighed.

Poppy nodded slowly.

Lover's day was coming up fast. An angler bus from Rock City arrived at the end of January and they unloaded computers and medical equipment that everyone was curious about. They didn't have computers. Or anything close to what was being unloaded. They barely had cameras and cassette tapes!

Poppy was so excited for this! They were one step closer to catching up with the other tribes.

But they'd only brought enough for the hospital. And they stayed to get everyone at the hospital trained on how to use the stuff too.

"We'll have to get the Funk tribe to help with the database…we didn't have any extra servers and we're short on materials…," Eli (Branch's oldest uncle) sighed as they finished getting the computers set up.

"Well, I know you probably have stuff to get back to, but we're actually expecting Vibe City to come around after Lover's Day…," Poppy said brightly.

"It'll take about that long to get everyone up to speed," he chuckled.

Plum approached just then, looking excited.

"Oh! There you are, Plum!" Poppy cheered. "Have you met Eli?"

"In passing," she said lightly, extending a hand. Eli shook her hand firmly. "I'm Dr Plum Plimsy," she introduced.

"The…secretary of medicine, right?" he asked and Plum nodded. "Barb and Bridge got us up to speed on the council before Thrash sent us out. I'm actually one of the lower ranking council members for Rock. We have a much larger council due to the size of our tribe," he explained. "I specifically work with infrastructure. Liv, one our pharmaceutical officers will be by in a few days."

"That sounds wonderful," Plum chuckled.

"So, if you guys are gonna be here a while…," Poppy grinned. "You're welcome to anything you might need in the village. We don't quite have a real money system set up yet, as a warning. Oh, and we have a lava pit. Just be careful of the Lava Blooms."

"Thank you, your highness," Eli said with a bow and Poppy giggled.

"Just Poppy is fine," she assured. "Hardly anyone uses my title except in super formal occasions. And besides, we're family!"

"Right," he chuckled. "It's still taking some getting used to…that my nephew is married to a queen."

"Did Bridge tell you about the egg?"

"She did. I also heard that Branch is having a hard time."

"He is," Poppy agreed. "Are you hungry? The--" she broke off as her Hug Time Bracelet went off. "Yeah, they'll definitely be setting up lunch soon."

"Lead the way, then," he prompted and she led him to the market.

"Your village is pretty cool," a Rock Troll noted, catching up with them. "But uh…what's the deal with the merchants?"

"We don't have a money system fully in place yet," Poppy sighed. "And it's probably gonna be a difficult transition," she admitted. "Hundreds of years exchanging goods for hugs or plain services…"

"Ah…that explains why the merchant I just got lunch from asked me to help around the stall later in exchange for the meal…"

"There are a couple that are starting out who accept both money and services. Like my brother-in-law Trickee. He sells leather and handmade hunting knives. His leather is more popular, but…," she shrugged. She already had a knife that he made specifically for her. So, she pulled it out of her hair and showed it off. "He made this for me as a late wedding present."

The Rock Trolls around her whistled in appreciation.

"This is pretty well made," Eli laughed. "What does he make them with?"

"Recycled materials from instruments. But he mentioned sourcing leftovers from when we make our money…it'll be fair compensation since he's pretty much the only metalworker we have lately…," she shrugged. Thinking about it, she giggled.

"What?" Eli asked as they approached Evan's meat stand.

"Oh, just that Branch and his brothers spent twenty years hated and bullied by most of the village and now they're in positions where the same Trolls that bullied them are gonna have to listen to and respect them," she said. "I'd like my usual, Evan."

"I already had some ready for you," he chuckled. "I couldn't help overhear you talking about Trickee and them. Did he already tell you about the plan?"

"About you two combining your businesses so you can focus more on security stuff when spring comes?" she laughed. "Yeah, he mentioned it when he came over to try and help Branch with the wedding plans."

Evan handed her a pack of candied bacon and turned his attention to the Rock Trolls.

"Oh!" Poppy laughed. "By the way, guys. This is Evan, my head of security."

"Nice to meet you," Eli greeted, offering a handshake. Then, they finished getting meat from him and went to another stall to get something to go with the meat.

Poppy greeted everyone as they passed.

"You…know literally everyone in your village, don't you?" one of the Rock Trolls, a woman named Emery who was looking around warily, noted.

"Well, we have a population of two hundred Trolls…," she sighed. "Um…are you okay, Emery?"

"Is there are Crystal Troll named Maya around…?"

"She works at the clinic, why?"

"Oh, uh…I guess I just didn't bump into her when we were dropping stuff off…," she mumbled. Poppy frowned.

"Do you have a problem with my sister-in-law?" she asked, trying not to make assumptions.

"No!" Emery gasped. "Well…not anymore. It's complicated…"

"Not that complicated," Eli groaned. "Emery dated Maya for all of twenty-four hours before learning her music preferences and proceeding to bully her over it."

"Hm…," Poppy cast a sideways glance at Emery, who looked ashamed at the very reminder of her previous actions. She would keep an eye on things. She knew Maya could handle her own drama but if there was a problem…

Maya knew that Emery was among the team of Trolls that her uncle had brought with him. But she also knew that Emery and so many of the Trolls that had tormented her in high school had changed.

The only one that hadn't was Cider, but he wasn't a problem she had to deal with outside the volcano. And since Liv broke up with him (right after Prom apparently) she hardly had to deal with him in the volcano.

Either way, it was actually nice to see them. She went to check on Creek around lunchtime.

"Hey, Creek," she greeted as she went into his room. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," he sighed. "Well…as fine as I can be."

"Right. Are you hungry? I can take you to get some fresh air and some lunch," she offered.

"That sounds lovely," Creek agreed easily. He stood from his chair and limped over to the wheelchair they had for him to leave his room in. "It's getting a bit easier to walk around…"

"Great! We can try some physical therapy stuff starting tomorrow," Maya laughed. When Creek was settled in the wheelchair, she wrote a note on the clipboard explaining where he was.

Then, she rolled him out of the building. As they went, Creek lamented not being able to help with the rebuild.

They got to the market and Maya got them some food.

"Maya, will you grab me some jerky?" Creek asked abruptly as the passed Evan's stand. Maya blinked in surprise. Creek, like a good majority of the Pop tribe, had a strictly vegetarian diet. She thought.

"Sure," she said cooly and got some for herself too. "I'm guessing your brush with death changed your stance on eating meat?" she joked as they went to a place to eat.

"No?" he laughed nervously, cracking into the jerky. "Food is food," he shrugged.

"True," she agreed.

"Though…I understand that the new village had to be rebuilt, but why did Viva and Clay move us out here in the first place?"

Maya almost choked at his question. 'New village'? And why would he think that Viva and Clay made the decision? He shouldn't even know them!

"Um…Peppy brought the tribe out here, remember?"

"But Peppy's dead," he said plainly, as if that were common knowledge. "What?"

"W-When did Peppy die?"

"You know this, Maya," Creek groaned, rubbing his left arm tenderly. "He died shortly after his wife passed…less than a year after Queen Viva took the crown and got the tribe out of Bergentown?"

"O-oh…right," she mumbled. A shadow passed over them and she looked up. "Vibe City! Excuse me a moment Creek."

He nodded and Maya set her food aside so she could pull her old tablet out. She flew up to the top of the nearest tree and checked the tablet. She did have signal! So, she opened the messaging app.

There's a clearing you guys can touch down in , she typed. After a moment, she got a reply.

Okay, we see you, so lead the way! Someone sent and she flew to the lava pit. The ship was close behind, but when they got to the clearing, Vibe City moved ahead and lowered to touch down.

"Hey Maya!" Prince D greeted as he got out of the ship with his parents.

"Hey D!" she called back. "I have to go get my patient back to the clinic, but I'll be right back for hugs!" she promised before flying back to Creek.

"I suppose you need to take me back to the clinic?" Creek guessed.

"Yeah," she agreed, helping to pack up their lunch and do just that. Once Maya had Creek back in his room at the hospital, she rushed back to the lava pit.

His behaviour over lunch had been extremely strange. Well, she could worry about it later.

She got to the lava pit and tackled D with a hug.

"Hey, Sis," he laughed. Maya giggled and then hugged the king and queen.

"You're here early!"

"We were in the area. And rereading Queen Poppy's letter got us curious," Essence chuckled. "Maya…do you know what she meant…?"

"Oh! Did she mention Cooper?" she asked them and Quincy nodded.

"So, his name's Cooper? You've met him, Maya?" the king pressed.

"Yep! And you guys are gonna love him! He looks just like you, Darnell," she laughed.

"He's--" the prince broke off, tearing up.

"I'm like…99% sure he's your twin. The story tracks and with how much he looks like you…," she trailed off.

"What's the story?" Essence chuckled.

"Eighteen years ago, my baby brother Branch saved a Troll egg from birds and a couple of months later, a Funk Troll hatched from the egg," she explained. "Come on! I can show you around. Poppy probably had to go back to the bunker or she's working on something and didn't see you guys. Oh! And my uncle Eli is here helping get the clinic updated, but they weren't able to spare a server for the database. And you know how I mentioned in my letter about a patient with an unusual situation that you guys may have some insight on?" she rambled.

"Maya," Essence chuckled. "One thing at a time. We need to meet Queen Poppy, first," she said gently.

"Of course!" Maya laughed. "Sorry. Getting ahead of myself. It's lunch time so she most likely went to the bunker to check on Branch. That, or she's working through lunch in the dungeon. We can check the dungeon first."

So, that's where she took them. The only Trolls in the dungeon were a few members of the council, who were working through lunch. Abigail, Alanis, and Torrent were going over something or other.

"Hey, Maya!" Alanis greeted. "And…oh my gosh. King Quincy and Queen Essence," she gasped, standing quickly to curtsy awkwardly. "We weren't expecting you guys for another few weeks. Otherwise, it wouldn't have just been Maya to greet you."

"It's fine," Quincy assured. "We did RSVP to Queen Poppy's invitation saying it would be closer to Lover's Day."

"Well, Poppy went home to check on Branch," Abi laughed. "Fortunately for him, the egg should be detaching sometime in the next month…"

"He's been really suffering from the egg symptoms," Maya sighed. "So, these three are on the council. Torrent," she gestured to the buff Pop Troll. "Is the secretary over Infrastructure, Abigail is the secretary of education. And Alanis if Poppy's treasurer."

"A pleasure to meet you," Essence smiled. "We'll let you get back to it," she said before they all left the dungeon.

Maya led them to the bunker and pointed out parts of the village as they passed.

Chapter Text

Poppy went to the bunker with Eli. Everyone else from the team of Rock Trolls went to explore the village and all that, but Eli wanted to meet his nephews. He almost immediately set into a conversation with Floyd. Because they had, in fact, actually met before.

Poppy noticed a trend with Floyd…he knew a lot of family members without realizing they were related because of him simply not talking about the Tree and his family.

She found Branch in the workshop, knitting some leg warmers. He paused in working to take a drink of some tea and she cleared her throat.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better…you?"

"Well, I've spent the morning working," she sighed and sat with him. "The Rock delegation arrived today with the computers and stuff for the clinic. And one of your uncles is in charge of the team. Are you--" she broke off, hearing a distant humming. That almost sounded like Vibe City. "You hear that…?"

"Yeah…couldn't tell you what it is though…," he chuckled.

"It sounds like Vibe City," Poppy mumbled. "They must be early…"

"Oh, party foul," Branch snarked. She shoved him playfully. Yes, arriving more than a certain amount of time before the party (or RSVP in this case) was a huge party foul according to the old etiquette. But she'd encouraged the tribe to ditch that old, quite frankly stressful, system.

"It works out, because Eli was saying they'd have to work with Funk for the tech stuff. Now, they can get it set up and they don't have to waste training time on waiting for them," she laughed. "I'm going to go greet them. You should go down to the living room and meet your uncle, if you're up for it."

"All right," he said lightly. Poppy kissed him before heading back out of the bunker.

And there was Vibe City, hovering over the village and then flying towards the lava pit. Maya must have spotted them. She started towards the lava pit, but spotted Cooper on the way.

"What's that?" he asked her.

"Vibe City!" Poppy cheered. "Come on."

Cooper followed her eagerly, but they didn't make it to the lava pit before bumping into Maya and the Funk royals.

"Hey, Poppy!" Maya greeted. "We were just heading to the bunker to find you."

"And I--" she broke off, glancing at Cooper. He was staring at his twin in shock. "Oh! This is Cooper," she introduced. "Cooper, this is King Quincy, Queen Essence, and Prince D."

"You were right Maya, he does look just like Darnell…," Essence laughed wetly and Cooper immediately teared up. Oh, he recognized her voice.

"M-Mom…?" Cooper whispered. "I have a mom and dad!" he laughed and ran up to hug his family. Maya giggled and moved out of the way.

Poppy smiled at the reunion. She really couldn't wait to meet Viva again.

"It's only a matter of time," Maya reminded her quietly and Poppy nodded. She realized that she was crying a little and wiped her face.

"Right…," she mumbled. "I just…," she trailed off.

"I know," Maya sighed.

"All these years…," Quincy laughed. "Who knew if we found Pop, we would find our son."

"Have you guys eaten lunch yet?" Poppy asked.

"We were waiting until we landed," Essence chuckled. "We figured we could discuss things over lunch but…"

"Well, Cooper, have you eaten?" she asked her friend.

"Nope!" he grinned.

"I actually just ate," Poppy laughed. "Why don't you guys talk and stuff over lunch? We can meet after. I imagine Eli will want to talk to you after lunch as well."

"Oh, Rock's already here too?" D noted. Poppy nodded.

"Go on. You guys have eighteen years to catch up on," she encouraged and the Funk family left together, Cooper leading them to the market. Poppy watched them go.

"You okay, Poppy?" Maya asked gently.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine," she sighed, wiping a few stray tears. "This is the main reason I invited them…I'm really happy for Cooper."

"But you wish you were the one reuniting with your sister?"

Poppy nodded a little.

"As soon as the baby's old enough to travel, we're going to Hole 'N Fun," she sighed. "Oh, you know that Emery is one of the Trolls visiting from Rock City?"

"Yeah. It's not a big deal. We already made our peace. I'm too old to be holding grudges against high school bullies."

"Okay," she sighed. "I just wasn't sure…"

"Thanks for being worried about me, Poppyseed," Maya laughed, nudging her shoulder. Poppy smiled at her. "Oh, by the way, there's another weird thing going on with Creek…"

She blinked and turned all her focus on her sister-in-law. Maya pulled her to a more private area.

"What?"

"I'm not sure if it's gonna last, but he was talking about Viva being queen and your dad being dead…"

"What the hell?" she gasped.

"That was my thought…," Maya sighed. "I'm going to check the library in Vibe City. I get the feeling this has everything to do with the Sands of Time…and since Funk used to call that part of the mountains home…they have extensive records and legends that may not actually be legends…," she hissed. "You're still okay, right? No weird memory loss or…flashes of things that didn't happen in either timeline?"

Poppy shook her head. Thankfully, she was perfectly fine. Maya nodded a little and hurried off. Poppy went back to the bunker. Branch was in the living room, chatting with his family. She smiled a little.

Branch was actually kind of excited to meet more of his Rock family. Though…it did make him worry about Clay and Bruce. He knew Bruce was fine, off living his best life on Vacay Island. That actually made him a little jealous, if he was honest. But he also knew from talking with Poppy and his other brothers that Bruce probably spent several years thinking that Branch was dead and when he finally learned the truth, he had obligations on the island that prevented him from looking for the tribe.

And Clay…he never left the Tree…he just never came back to the pod. And when he finally came home…the pod was empty. And Peppy had told Viva that it was empty because they were dead. He didn't get the chance after the Escape to find out the truth. And Bergentown was between them.

He knew now why it happened. When they failed the Harmony at his first concert, whatever family bonds they had between everyone that was on that stage…broke. That was why Clay never came back. He probably had to consciously remind himself that he even had family left.

Branch came to terms with all that.

"You okay, Branch?" Floyd asked him suddenly.

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"All right…you kind of spaced there so I was worried."

"Sorry," he laughed.

"Seriously though, you're feeling okay?" Uncle Eli asked. "If my math's right, the egg should be detaching soon…"

"Yeah. I was just thinking about Bruce and Clay," he shrugged.

Floyd smiled weakly at him. He supposed that he wasn't the only one with them on the mind.

"Do you all have plans to find them…?"

"Once the baby's old enough to travel," Branch assured. "We have a strong lead about Clay already…"

"And Bruce?"

"Oh, we know exactly where he is," Floyd laughed. "The difference is, he's not with the rest of the Trolls that got separated in the Escape."

"So, the plan is to find that part of the tribe first. Bruce isn't going anywhere and he's safe…," Branch sighed.

Poppy came back and sat beside him, looking troubled, despite smiling brightly.

"Poppy?"

"Cooper is Quincy and Essence's missing son…"

Oh…she was missing Viva. He held her hand and smiled encouragingly.

"That's good…," Uncle Eli laughed. "They've been looking for eighteen years…"

"And Clay and Viva have been hiding with almost a hundred Trolls for twenty," Poppy snapped, jumping to her feet. "Thinking that we're all dead!"

"Poppy," Branch mumbled, rising to hug her. "We--" he broke off as she pulled away and practically fled to her office, crying. "I'll uh…be back."

Branch followed after her and got to the office as she threw herself onto the daybed, sobbing into the pillows. He sat beside her and reached to touch her shoulder gently.

"I know…," she sniffled. "I know that we're gonna go get them, but--" she broke off and buried her face in the pillows.

"I know," he sighed. "And I'm not gonna say you shouldn't be upset. I'd be upset too if I was in your position. You had her back in your life and then suddenly everyone's back where they started. We can be happy for Cooper but still upset that he's the only one reunited with his family right now…"

Poppy sniffled and looked at him.

"Y-you're right…," she mumbled. "I just…"

"I think I get it," he sighed. "Make room…big spoon coming in."

Poppy giggled wetly, but she made room for him to cuddle her. They stayed like that for a while, Branch cradling his wife until her tears subsided. He honestly almost fell asleep.

He was more tired than sick lately.

"Thanks, Branch…," she mumbled kissing him softly.

"I remember being that upset and not having--letting anyone be there for me…," he sighed. "Thanks for letting me be there for you."

"You've…always been there for me," she whispered. "I just wasn't listening until I almost got the whole tribe killed…"

Maya went through Vibe City, waving at everyone she passed, greeting them by name when she could. She got to the library and pulled out her tablet. She opened the library database and she searched for anything that mentioned the Sands of Time.

The app directed her to a section of the library that focused on the history of the old territory.

"Jackpot!" she cheered quietly, seeing at least three books titled after the Sands and Snow Trolls. She pulled down all of them.

The Sphinx's Collection drew her eye, so she grabbed it too. And then, she went to a table to get started.

The first book had an extensive description, complete with portraits, of the cavern where the Sands of Time were held. There were specific sands for the time travel, but according to the book they could be interchanged with other sands by the Sphinx to give different results.

According to the book, the Sphinx would peer into the soul of hopeful time travellers and judge them. Those that passed the judgement would be given instruction to use the normal sands to get their second chance…but those that failed would be given challenges in their quest to change the past. The Sphinx could potentially decide to make it impossible to turn events in their favour.

And if the time traveller failed to make the changes they desired to the past, they would endure the slow and painful transformation into a Snow Troll. Part of the Sphinx's collection of monsters as punishment for their decision.

The Sphinx's Collection described that it wasn't just Snow Trolls. Because it wasn't just Trolls that attempted to change the past. It was an interesting read, but irrelevant, so she set that book aside to read later.

One of the books described the potential challenges the Sphinx would give to make the past difficult or even impossible to change. One of which was switching one of the sands to bring someone so intricately tangled in the story they were trying to change to the past, giving them a second chance. And the changes that they could make would potentially change things so much that the actual time traveller couldn't do anything but watch and join the collection of monsters.

For Trolls, the punishment was becoming a Snow Troll. And one of the books described the transformation in detail. Selective amnesia…forgetting both timelines slowly in a process that could be mistaken for early onset dementia. Flashes of other unrelated timelines or, as the book also described them, universes. A slow change of dietary needs.

Yeah…this was what was happening to Creek. So, there was a universe where Viva forcibly became queen and Peppy was long dead. And he had a glimpse of it.

The book described that as the first stage…of four. In a couple of months, the violence would start. Then he would lose the ability to speak or sing…and a slow blanching of the body…finally they would lose all colour and vocal abilities and anything above freezing would cause hyperthermia.

Maya frowned and took that book and The Sphinx's Collection to the desk. She bought a digital copy of both to keep on hand in her tablet.

"Maya, your storage is almost full…do you want to archive your old textbooks to make room?" Kimberly, the clerk she was working with, asked.

"Sure. I haven't even looked at them since I graduated anyways," she giggled. Kimberly took the tablet and fiddled with the storage before adding the books to it.

"Why the sudden interest in Snow Trolls?" she asked conversationally.

"No real reason," Maya shrugged. "We encountered one on the road a few years ago, and I was curious. Just haven't been by until now to do the research I wanted to do before."

Kimberly nodded slowly and handed the tablet back.

"Here you go," she laughed.

"Thanks. I have to get back to work now, actually…see you around," she said before leaving the library.

Chapter Text

Floyd went to Boom's pod after his uncle got back to work. And Boom was hard at work making book covers. Well, that explained why he hadn't met up with Floyd for lunch. They'd made plans…and it was sort of his first 'date' since Hickory.

But he knew that Boom was trying to get a stock ready to open his business and Trickee warned him that Boom easily lost track of time when working on stuff he was passionate about.

"Boom," Floyd started, leaning on the door. "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah?" he laughed, though as he grabbed a piece of leather his stomach growled.

"When?" Floyd chuckled.

"Uh…what time is it…?"

"It's after lunch," he went to sit at the work table with him. "But I understand getting so caught up in working that you forget to eat."

"It's already lunch?" Boom gasped. "Yeah…I didn't even realize how late it was…I need to finish this cover and then--have you eaten lunch yet?"

"I had a snack while I was talking to my uncle."

Boom nodded slowly, pressing the leather in place on the board. Then, he blinked.

"Oh, shit…I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Floyd," he groaned.

"It's fine. Trickee warned me you might have been too focused on this stuff to remember," Floyd smiled. "When you're done with this cover, we can still go out."

Boom smiled weakly and finished with the cover. He set the cover aside to dry and then went to clean up.

"So…what do we wanna do?"

"Well…," Floyd trailed off, pulling out a picnic basket. "I figured we could go to the ridge and have a picnic."

"That sounds fun," Boom laughed. "I am sorry that I forgot our date…"

"It's fine," he stressed. "Really. Like I said I understand getting caught up in working on stuff."

Once Boom was ready, they went to the ridge. A high place overlooking the snow-capped village. Floyd laid out a handmade blanket and set up the picnic.

"This blanket…kinda looks like the one John Dory gave Branch…," Boom noted, running his hands over the uneven stitches.

"He made me one too," Floyd chuckled. "He actually made one for each of us. I saw the other ones too…Clay's was the last one that he made…so it looks the best. He'll appreciate that…Clay always felt like he was the one JD never really saw…and here he's the one that's going to get the best blanket out of all of us."

"What else did he make you?"

"A lot of the same stuff he made for Branch, really. Paperweights that he tried to replicate critters he saw on the road…this blanket…but…there was also a guitar case that would fit my old guitar…"

"Cool."

Floyd nodded and looked up at the sky.

"Yeah…it means a lot, that he never stopped thinking about any of us even after what happened with the Harmony…"

Boom smiled and leaned against him.

Poppy watched the snow slowly melt. It was already warming up, earlier than usual. Usually, Lover's Day was still cold and snowy. It made her a little sad. Because the snow reflected the lights of the star shower and lit up the forest. It was a beautiful sight, that she'd wanted to share with Branch.

If they were lucky, there would still be snow on Lover's Day, but she wasn't sure. And she was too busy in the week or so leading up to the holiday, between the Rock delegation and the Funk tribe visiting…

The first team of miners were coming back from the mines they were now sharing with the Bergens. Trickee was just finishing up his new forge to make the money, and teaching those that were interested how to work the metal.

Things were moving right along, and Poppy was so happy for it.

The week of Lover's Day, the caterbus that they'd already named Gary (Poppy got the distinct feeling that he was the same Gary from the dream) got back with the miners and a haul of metals that just needed to be processed.

And they got a letter from Gristle. The tribe had voted, almost unanimously, to take the help from the Bergens to get everything from the Tree in one trip. Gristle was going to box up the pods and send them to a rendezvous point near the village, where they could bring them the rest of the way and get everything sorted. The problem would be Branch's old pod. Since it was attached to the Tree, someone in the family would have to go to recover the rest of their stuff.

After getting the letter, she ran to the dungeon. It was time for the weekly council meeting, and she was the last one to arrive.

"Sorry I'm late!" she laughed, running to her seat. "We just got a letter from Bergentown and I had to check it out. Gristle's going to box up what pods he can and send them our way."

"That's great to hear," Abigail laughed.

"And Trickee has the forge up and running to get started on our first round of money. I'm about to go over and help sort the materials," Alanis added.

"We're getting sorted with the new equipment and everything," Plum assured.

"With the money being made, we need to work on getting everyone up to speed on the new trading system," Poppy sighed, getting up to check the charts. Everything was going smoothly, but she put a reminder on Alanis' board to do that. "We can do that after Lover's Day, maybe? Alanis, have you decided on a new symbol for the coins?"

"Yep! I forgot to mark that off on my chart, sorry," she sighed. "Here," she pulled out a piece of paper with a drawing of a pair of headphones. "Trickee was going to make the mould for them today."

Poppy nodded a little.

"How's Branch, by the way?" Torrent spoke up.

"Tired," she mumbled.

"That's normal around this point," Plum assured.

"All right, any other updates?" Smidge asked, getting the meeting back on track.

It was finally Lover's Day, and despite the temperatures rising, there was still plenty of snow on the ground. Branch just hoped that he would still be feeling up to watching the star shower with Poppy. For now, he sat at the table with his siblings.

"So, what exactly goes on today?" JD asked.

"A big party and then the star shower," Branch told him. "I've never watched it, but apparently the snow refracts the lights and the whole forest lights up, mirroring the sky."

"That's so different from how we celebrate in Lonesome Flats…," Floyd chuckled. "There's a big hoedown, sure, but then at sunset everyone goes to watch the aurora coming off the mountains. They can see it from Symphonyville too…"

"We could see the star shower from the Neverglades," John noted.

"You've been to Symphonyville, Floyd?" Maya gasped.

"Yeah. King Trollzart invited me to play at his wedding reception."

"Wait!" John Dory stood abruptly. "You were in Symphonyville when Trollzart got married?"

"Yeah…?"

"We were at Trollzart's wedding!" Maya laughed. "And we managed not to bump into you?"

"It was a big event…," Floyd defended. "He invited me to play at the reception but I guess the staff didn't get the message or care to let an outsider perform…why were you guys there?"

"Trollzart is my brother-in-law," Maya giggled. "Fidela was disowned but he didn't acknowledge it. He even snuck out and came all the way to Nowhere to come to our wedding…," she explained.

"We just have family in almost every tribe, huh?" Branch chuckled.

"Yeah…Quincy and Essence kinda unofficially marked me as part of the family when…well, D made the decision really…," Maya trailed off.

"How do you mean?"

"I'm the one who found his name…after saving his egg from the bird attack."

"Huh…," he almost laughed. He'd already told them about how he found Cooper's egg. But he left out certain details that weren't relevant to the conversation about how a Funk Troll ended up with Pop. But the strange parallels with his siblings…

"Yeah…looks like the only tribe we don't have ties to is Techno," Floyd laughed. The grumble clock tolled the hour and both Branch and Floyd stood. "Well, I have plans with Boom…so I'll catch you guys later."

"And I have stuff to do with Poppy," Branch chuckled. They both went up to their rooms and then almost in sync headed for the back door.

Poppy was excited for Lover's Day. Bonus points for the holiday with them still having enough snow to manage the usual light show. After the council meeting, she helped DJ get the party decorations to the plaza. Her friend had 'forbid' her from helping with the party decorating so she could spend the day with Branch.

Which was fine since she already had plans with him. Even if he was too tired to do much, they could cuddle in the bunker or do something that didn't take much energy. She was going to enjoy this day with her husband.

She found Branch leaving the bunker with Floyd.

"Hey Poppy," Floyd greeted.

"Hey!" she laughed. "Have fun with Boom," she grinned. Floyd blushed and scurried off. "So, Branch…," she started, gently grabbing his arm and effectively attaching herself to him. "What do you want to do?"

"Didn't DJ set up a carnival for today?"

"Yep. But are you sure you're up for it?"

"I'm sure, Popsicle," he chuckled, patting her hand reassuringly. So, they went to the carnival.

"Okay. Just…let me know if you get too tired or anything," she reminded him.

"I will, Poppy," he assured. "Now…can we get some cotton candy or something?"

She snorted a laugh and they went to a stand.

"I'm so glad my cravings amuse you," Branch muttered as they got heart shaped cones of the sugary treat.

"I'm sorry," she laughed. "It's just…Fluffleberry…"

"I don't know, Poppy…you might like Fluffleberry Cake with my mom's recipe and the actual ingredients…," he chuckled, taking a bite out of his cotton candy. "I don't think we even had access to actual Fluffleberries in the Tree…"

"Hm…," she hummed thoughtfully. Thinking back, Fluffleberries weren't in the recipe they got from that preserved cake slice. Maybe Branch was right and she'd enjoy it with the original recipe and ingredients rather than the version they had to make in the Tree. "Maybe I can try it like that…," she mumbled, taking a bite out of her own treat. "I really liked the cake at your birthday party so…"

Branch smiled at that. Then, he chuckled, probably remembering his food fight with Maya. Poppy wished she'd been there to see more than the aftermath. If only to get pictures of their epic battle.

"What was it about it that you didn't like? I was looking at the recipe book, and JD found Mom's book with all her notes about adjustments to the recipes…," he asked as they headed for the Ferris wheel.

"Branch, it was so bad that I've blocked out most of that incident…we got it close enough to what you remembered, because you loved it…but…I do remember that there were no Fluffleberries involved," she mumbled. She knew what Fluffleberries tasted like, and whatever the substitution they had to make was not it. She almost wished she could go all the way back for just a moment to sympathize with Alice and Dyna for the culinary sacrifices they had to make…and punch her dad for being such a racist coward.

She almost laughed at the thought. Imagine, fifty years ago, a random pink Troll appearing to punch the king and strong arm him into taking the Tunnels, talking to strangers like she knew what they were going through. Meeting her mom…

"Poppy?" Branch cut through her thoughts and she looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured, hugging his arm as they went through the line. "Just thinking…"

"About Viva…?"

"No…," she shook her head. "Just thinking of impossible things…"

"Oh?"

"Well, if you must know…I was imagining what it would be like if I went all the way back to when Dyna and Alice were alive. To punch my dad for being so hateful and cowardly, and sympathize with them about their sacrifices. I've had Fluffleberries and while they're not my favourite fruit…that substitution your mom had to make was not it."

"My grandma was also an awful baker," Branch chuckled. "The Fluffleberry cake was the only thing she could bake that was edible," he informed. "That's why I told her I loved it…and now I just…love the memory of it."

"Well, do you have any other fond memories of her? She did raise you…"

"When she wasn't baking, her cooking was really good. The pod always smelled so good when she would go on a cooking spree," he laughed. "Sorry…I'm kind of hungry."

"It's fine," Poppy encouraged. "When we get off the Ferris wheel, we can get something more substantial than cotton candy."

They made it to the front of the line and got on the ride. Poppy sighed contentedly as the ride started moving, cuddling up to Branch's side.

Floyd went to Boom's pod and found his sort-of boyfriend going over a chart of something, already wearing a nice pair of leather pants and a pink leather vest.

"What are you doing?" Floyd chuckled.

"Figuring out pricing and stuff…," Boom mumbled.

"Okay, well…in the other tribes the price for handmade stuff is usually…," he approached Boom and pulled out a pen to make a note on the chart. "Cost of materials…plus the time it takes to make it, including the time for anything that needs to dry or cure to process, times whatever the tribe's 'minimum wage' plus adjustments for experience," he wrote the equation on the chart. "But since Pop doesn't have that yet…," he paused to do some mental math. "Average among the tribes is…in bookmaking…if I remember right, it's a commission-based system in most tribes…but with an hourly rate for production…so…," he trailed off.

Boom watched him with wide eyes. Floyd wrote down a number.

"So…this was something you learned in Lonesome Flats…?"

"Not exactly," Floyd sighed. "I mean, I learned the money stuff in high school, but for music…I learned the calculations for art and stuff while I was…while I was looking for Branch. I hardly went back to Lonesome Flats while I was combing the woods, so I had to buy supplies somehow."

"Why didn't you go back?"

"I…," he sighed. "I couldn't face Delta and Bel…especially after I missed their wedding. There was also…I don't know…always the possibility that Hickory would pass through at the same time I was there and…I didn't want to get hurt again."

"Ah…makes sense," Boom mumbled, then he took Floyd's hand. "I know we're not even technically 'together' and we barely know each other…but I would never hurt you. Not on purpose…"

"I know," Floyd sighed.

Chapter Text

It took almost a month for Rock and Funk to finish with the upgrades at the clinic. Poppy was so excited about it. Just, seeing it all come together felt so amazing.

"Well, we should get going," Queen Essence chuckled as the Funk tribe got ready to leave.

"Thanks for all your help," Poppy grinned.

"Of course," Essence said lightly, smiling gently. "And thank you for taking care of our son."

"He's one of my best friends," she sighed. "I…had nothing to do with it. And neither did my dad…Cooper introduced his foster parents to you, right?"

"He did," she answered. "But, what do you mean by all that? He was the king at the time, so--"

"Dad very rudely took Cooper's egg from Branch and then almost immediately started looking for someone else to take care of him. Before he even hatched," she hissed. "I don't remember much because I was still a toddler at the time, but I've asked around. My dad made Cooper very uncomfortable even as an egg. And after he made sure no one questioned why he looked so different…my dad ignored him. So yeah…Dad had nothing to do with taking care of Cooper…"

"I see," Essence sighed. "Either way, thank you for caring."

Cooper and D ran up just then.

"We're ready, Ma," D laughed.

"Oh, hey Poppy!" Cooper greeted, running up to her.

"Hey, Cooper. Are you going with them?" she asked. Even though she knew his answer. He'd started living with the Funk tribe in the dream too. They were his family, after all.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But I'll come back to visit and write," he promised, hugging his neck around her. Poppy giggled and squeezed him tightly.

"Have fun," she encouraged. Cooper backed away from her and grinned before he ran off with his brother. Her smile started to fall as she watched them.

"Poppy…?" Essence hedged.

"I'm fine," she sighed. "I'll miss him."

"It's more than that," the other queen noted. "You've gotten that look every time you look at them."

"It's nothing you need to worry about," she sighed heavily.

"Poppy, I'm a mother, worrying is second nature," Essence chuckled. "You'll understand as your egg develops and then even more after they hatch."

"Right…," she mumbled. "I'm just…missing my sister," she admitted. "Which is silly because I was still a hatchling when she--" she broke off, stopping herself from turning to look longingly to the west.

"Maya told me," Essence said gently. "About the Trolls that were separated. You'll find them and reunite with your sister," she said confidently. "I can get you in touch with some bounty hunters, if you want help finding them."

"That won't be necessary," she argued. "Clay is with them…he probably encouraged them to go to Hole 'N Fun, and--"

"Poppy, we've checked Hole 'N Fun. Multiple times. No one's there," Essence said gently.

"It's still the most likely place," she insisted. "They've probably…just been hiding. Has anyone gone into the course? To inspect the buildings and decorations?"

"Well…no," the queen relented. "You may be onto something, then."

Essence put a foot on Poppy's shoulder in a comforting gesture before she turned to join the rest of her tribe at the ship. Poppy waved as the ship took to the air and headed south. She smiled weakly and headed for the bunker. Where almost the whole family was gathered.

"What's going on?" she asked when she saw the crowd.

"Branch has an 'extra' headache and the egg's moving," Floyd whispered excitedly.

Oh! The egg was detaching! And…even if they didn't need to name the baby this soon, it was still a tradition. Naming the baby almost immediately after detaching. She pushed through the siblings and went to Branch's side, catching his hand as he grimaced in pain.

"You're okay," she assured.

"Yeah…this just hurts like hell," he groaned.

"Worse than…this?" she asked, gently pressing her hand to one of his thicker scars. "Wasn't this…hm…when you fought off a wolf?"

"The growl beast," he corrected. "The wolf gave me a different one."

"Oh right," she laughed. "The wolf is the biggest thing you've fought off, right?"

He nodded, smiling weakly.

"It was…this one, right?" she traced the scar that marred his back. "It came close to taking off your wings, didn't it?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. He winced, but he didn't seem as focused on the pain now. "This is a different kind of pain, though, Pops," he muttered.

"I know," she smiled gently. "Let's see…oh! Didn't one of the rooms collapse while you were digging? In the beginning. It was one of the storage rooms, right?"

"Floyd's room," he corrected. "I thought I was going to die when it happened…"

"Hm…didn't that happen before we met? Or was it after the squirrel?"

"Before," he sighed. "I'd gotten to Bruce's room by the time that happened."

There was a distinct tearing sound and the egg wiggled loosely in his hair.

"Oh, would you look at that?" she laughed, reaching to gently remove the egg from his hair. "Hey, sweetie."

"Ah, you were just distracting me from the pain," Branch chuckled, resting a hand on the egg. A veiny pattern, almost like vines, was already forming on the egg, positioned so the speckles it had already now looked like leaves. And Poppy could already make out a soft tune coming from the egg.

"It worked, didn't it?" she pointed out. "Come on, let's get this baby named so we can get them warm."

Branch nodded and they all went to the table. The living room was temporarily the dining room, since Floyd didn't get to that room before Branch's morning sickness made it impossible to work on the expansions.

Maya got a few blankets and made a little nest as everyone sat around the table. Poppy put the egg gently in the little nest.

And as everyone got settled, they all started talking at once, either gushing about the egg or reminiscing about similar family gatherings in the past.

The music from the egg got a little stronger and they all fell silent.

"She's getting impatient, I guess," Floyd chuckled.

"What makes you think the baby will be a girl?" John asked.

"The tune," Maya laughed. "And who knows? Maybe we'll land on a feminine name."

"Anyone have any ideas?" Poppy prompted.

"Ivy?" Boom suggested. There was no response from the egg and he deflated.

"Maybe Rose?" Hype spoke up. Nothing. Poppy rubbed her chin.

"Poppy?" Maya prompted.

"I think…Lily…?" she whispered. That was her mom's name.

"Or…Alice?" Branch spoke up. The egg went crazy, spinning and shaking to a cheerful, high melody.

"Holy shit--"

"Ablaze!" Hype chided, cutting him off. "Little ears!"

Everyone laughed at that and Kieth hopped up in his chair.

"I know bad words!"

"Yeah, and you're not allowed to say them until you're an adult," Avery groaned.

"They're gonna be a handful…," John laughed, ruffling Kieth's hair.

Poppy giggled and pulled out her instant print camera.

"Alice it is," the egg jiggled again and she snapped a quick picture. "Apparently I was a handful, so it probably runs in the family. And she'll get the good looks from both sides, obviously. Ooh, maybe she'll even look like her grandma."

"Maybe," Branch said softly. Poppy gently picked up their dancing egg and tucked it into her hair.

Viva noticed a change in things. She wasn't entirely sure what it was. She started feeling it as her birthday approached, and it just wouldn't go away. She couldn't explain it either.

But fireworks caught her eye while she was pacing the wall one evening. It almost looked like they were coming from Bergentown, which terrified her. Why would the Bergens be celebrating…? Unless they found the others and Trollstice was back on. Bergens couldn't feel positive emotions.

Worried, she went to find Clay. He was dancing with their daughter in his office, showing the six-year-old some of the old choreography from BroZone. Viva watched fondly for a moment, her fears about the Bergens and the fireworks fading. Particularly as she heard music. Actual music.

It was a familiar song. One that she never had the pleasure of hearing outside of private rehearsals. And it was one of her favourites. Partially because Clay had written it. And clearly, she had caught it at the very beginning. She couldn't help the smile that cracked her face as Clay hummed along.

Yeah, yeah

He sang, creating an odd harmony with his little pre-teen voice. Dyna clapped for him and watched, enraptured. Memories flooded Viva's mind. Her four friends practicing this song that they could never play in public.

Baby, please try to forgive me

Stay here, don't put out the glow

Clay sang in harmony with his younger recording, kneeling to the little girl's level.

Hold me now don't bother

If every minute it makes me weaker

He paused for breath, letting Spruce's recording sing. Viva idly wondered where this recording came from. They didn't have a record player…and even if they did, her dad had gotten one of the council members to carry all the music and memorabilia she'd packed before the Escape.

You can save me from the man

She remembered that he shared the line with Spruce, but Clay sang the whole line, harmonizing with the recording easily.

That I've become, oh yeah

He continued before the rest of his brothers joined for the chorus.

Looking back on the things I've done

I was trying to be someone

I played my part, kept you in the dark

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

He picked up his volume and Viva worried her lip, gently closing the door. They tried not to sing often because of predators and the Bergens that could still be looking for them. Clay glanced at her and gave her an apologetic look. She shook her head and pointed at Dyna with her lips.

Sadness is beautiful

Loneliness is trying to call you

So, help me I can't wait there's more, oh no

Touch me now, don't bother

If I was thinkin' it makes me weaker

You can save me from the man I've become

Dyna giggled as the recording continued, with just Floyd, Spruce and John Dory singing. Was this…a recording from before Branch was born? She seemed to remember them recording a version of this song with baby Branch involved.

Looking back on the things I've done

I was trying to be someone

I played my part, kept you in the dark (In the dark)

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Clay started singing along again, pausing for breath so Dyna could hear her uncle John clearly on the echo. 

I'm here with my confession

Got nothing to hide no more

I don't know where to start

But to show you the shape of my heart

Viva couldn't help herself anymore. She stepped forward and sang along for the bridge. They sang the final chorus and then the song ended. Dyna cheered for them and she scooped the little girl up, smothering her with kisses.

"That was an old classic from BroZone!" a voice declared. "If you don't like Pop, you might wanna change the station because that's all we're playing as the Pop tribe celebrates tonight! And in between the music, I have their new queen on hand!"

"Thanks so much, MJ!" a hauntingly familiar voice giggled. "And again, thank you so much for your help with the rebuild."

"Well, I wasn' gonna to miss a chance for a great story," the MC, named MJ apparently, laughed. "Speaking of, think you can tell us a bit about why we were rebuilding your village, Queen Poppy?"

"Sure," Poppy laughed.

"That's Poppy?" Clay gasped. "She sounds so grown up…"

"Well, she's twenty now…," Viva mumbled. They listened as Poppy talked about how the village had been decimated by a Bergen. Her eyes went wide. But apparently it turned out okay, because they'd made a peace with the Bergens.

"And I have to get back to my party," Poppy giggled.

"Of course!" MJ said brightly. "But before you go, any requests?"

"Hm…you have Coda Rose on hand, right? His first album? I know you said it was an all-pop night, but…"

"Yeah," MJ sighed. "I get it. And besides, he's a mixed-genre artist so I'll make an exception.”

Another song started almost immediately, this one completely different than anything she’d ever heard, but the singer sounded familiar somehow.

“How…?”

“I found this radio buried in the stores…couldn’t find the mic but…it still works and…,” he trailed off. "This sounds like Floyd…," he mumbled.

"Well, she did say this was someone named Coda Rose…maybe it's a stage name?" Viva mused. "I wonder if the celebration she was talking about has anything to do with the fireworks…"

"Fireworks?" Dyna asked eagerly. Viva smiled tightly. "Can I see?"

"They might be over by now," she sighed. "Dyna, honey, why don't you go home and work on your homework or something?"

Dyna pouted, but did as she was told, rolling out of the shack.

"You saw fireworks?" Clay asked quietly.

"They looked like they were coming from Bergentown…but…," she trailed off.

"Do you want to take the chance and go looking for them? We'd only have to worry about critters, by the sound of it."

Viva worried her lip and nodded a little. Hearing her little sister's voice sparked a determination in her.

So, they packed up some supplies and Clay, Viva, and Dyna got ready to go. If there was a peace with the Bergens, for all they knew, there would be Trolls at the Tree, getting things they left behind. They left Mayberry and Liesl in charge and started out.

Viva hesitated at the gate, as she always did, but Clay gently got her to step out into the open. He wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't just as terrified as she was. But the plan was to stick to the path along the river, check the Tree, and maybe if they were brave enough…ask a Bergen about the trolls.

If they even made it to Bergentown…

They got to the edge of the parking lot and Viva froze. Her eyes were wide as she backed away from the grass.

“Mom…?” Dyna asked, reaching for her. Viva shook her head and fled back into the safety of the course.

She couldn’t breathe. The world was spinning and she couldn’t breathe! And it was as if she had gumdrops in her ears. She gasped for breath. Why was this happening?

A hand took hers and a soothing voice reached her. But she couldn't make it out. She shook her head and clutched her chest. She was pulled into a tight hug.

"Viva," Clay's muffled voice finally broke through as she managed to match her breathing to the circles he was rubbing into her back. "It's okay."

"It's not," she whispered.

"You made it out of the gate," he reminded her.

Viva buried her face in his chest, tears falling.

"We'll try again tomorrow," Clay sighed.

"O-okay…"

Chapter Text

Maya was starting to enjoy listening to Creek. He'd almost completely forgotten the future he came from and most of the events since Trollstice. Sometimes he was sour with Branch, like he apparently was before all this…but others he was pretty much a confusing multiverse window. And it was fun listening to him talk about things that went on in different timelines.

Today, he was thinking they were at Hole 'N Fun, in a world where Poppy was Grey. And he was an adult before he even met Branch.

"Remind me…how did Poppy fade?" she prompted gently, setting up a set of bars for him to use for physical therapy.

"No one knows," he shrugged, stretching and flexing his legs like she'd shown him. "She was hurt in the Escape, then a few months later, she was Grey. I barely remember it…it was one of the first times she 'got too excited'."

"Hm…she was probably hit in the head during the chaos of the Escape," Maya mused. "You ready for this? You've been doing really well with the stationary and sitting exercises."

Creek nodded and stood. He limped up to the bars and Maya talked him through a few exercises.

"It's interesting…I thought you were just a therapist," he chuckled.

"Part of my degree program was emergency medicine, and I've studied physical therapy alongside psychological therapy," she shrugged. "I like being well-rounded."

Creek nodded a little and they finished the exercises. He sat down heavily on his bed and took deep breaths. Maya put the bars away and went to mark his progress in his chart.

"All right," she sighed as she finished. "I've got some things to do, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

With that, she left the room. She was starting some therapy sessions with the Pop Trolls, helping to heal those emotional scars and things they'd been pushing down in order to 'be happy'.

Branch was both missing the egg and enjoying the fact that he was already feeling more himself since the egg detached. As it stood, he found himself compulsively cleaning or getting things ready for the baby.

The books called this 'the nesting stage', and he kind of hated it. But at the same time, there was so much that he needed to make sure Alice would be safe. Not just because of predators, which couldn't get into the bunker anyways. No. Alice would be Poppy's heir. The future queen of the Pop tribe.

He tried to remind himself that with the way things were now…peace with the Bergens and a proper security system up around the village…he was overthinking and worrying for nothing. But that paranoia that he'd lived with for twenty years wouldn't quite go away.

To avoid giving in to the compulsion to clean an already clean space, he left the bunker and tried to focus on other things. Like being king and helping Poppy lead the tribe. Or spending time with the guys. Building his friendship with Smidge…rebuilding the friendship with DJ.

And the moment he made it to the village properly, Satin and Chenille approached him.

"Hey girls," he sighed.

"Hi, Branch," Satin greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he answered.

"Great!" Chenille grinned. "Well enough to help with something? We promise, it has nothing to do with fashion."

"What do you need help with?" he asked, though he let them tug him along to their pod.

"We're redecorating and we heard that you planned out an amazing office for Poppy," Satin told him. "Also, we only saw you wear that outfit once…was something wrong with it?"

"No," he assured. "It was fine. I just don't get cold and didn't need it except that one day…"

The girls blinked.

"Oh, you weren't kidding about that?" Chenille gasped.

"Yeah…it wasn't a joke," he sighed heavily. "And as for the decorating…you'd be better asking my sister…or someone that knows you two better…"

"Actually…this is why we're asking you," Chenille groaned. "We need a workspace that's not full of stuff that would distract us."

"Anyone that knows us would want to put stuff we love in there…," Satin continued. "And both of us keep getting distracted by other things when we're on a deadline…"

"We plan to start up a boutique and start selling our designs."

"Fine…I'll see what I can do," Branch sighed, smiling a little. They made a compelling argument.

And that's how he ended up meticulously looking over the twins' pod. It was a two bedroom, but they'd relegated the larger room for their fashion stuff and the smaller was for sleeping. The living room was a sort of organized chaos, materials in piles around the room alongside some extreme sport gear. The kitchen seemed to only house drink stuff alongside two irons and several pincushions.

He honestly couldn't understand how they could work in this in the first place. A strong breeze outside shook the pod. Branch yelped and braced himself on a counter.

"What's wrong? Didn't you live in a pod before…?" Chenille asked as Satin stretched their hair to walk to the kitchen and make some tea.

"I did," he sighed. "Please don't put any sugar in that," he warned. "But my pod wasn't normal. It's attached to the trunk of the Tree, not dangling from a vine."

"Oh…," Satin mumbled. "So…that pod we spent the night in at the Tree…"

"Was the pod my brothers and I grew up in," he confirmed.

"That must have been terrifying…having a clear view of the castle…"

"It was…," he mumbled, taking the cup of tea gratefully. He sipped at it, writing down some ideas to streamline and organize the pod. "With all this…you may need to get a bigger pod, but I'll see what I can do…"

"Or…there are Trolls who live in houses on the ground, right?" Chenille mused.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Either way, you'd be waiting for a while. And you'd have to get used to it. Living on solid ground is a lot different than living in a normal pod," Branch warned. "I'll have to get help from Floyd building cabinets but…I think…"

He paused, sketching out a vague idea of the layout. Splitting the living and dining area with storage and entertainment spaces…

He got it sketched out and showed the girls.

"Oh wow, Branch!" they gasped in unison.

"Now…I can't promise anything for aesthetics…that's not my strong suit…but I can at least get this organized."

"This is actually perfect," Chenille giggled. "We can figure out the rest."

"Honestly, we were having the most trouble with organizing everything," Satin admitted. "Hard to decorate when everything's all over the place…"

"All right…," he shrugged. "I think Floyd's about to start charging for furniture and stuff…but I'll ask him about the cabinets."

"Thank you so much, Branch," they said in unison as he got up and whipped out his tape measure.

"You carry one everywhere, too?" Satin laughed. He nodded and she pulled out her own roll of measuring tape. "You never know when you'll need it."

"Exactly," he chuckled.

Floyd got back to work on the expansions now that Branch wasn't so sensitive to the smell. And the weather had cleared up so he could use the elevator again. There wasn't much left for the expansions, just a couple of extra bathrooms and the dining room.

And then, he could focus on other things. Like re-recording his albums. He was tempted to write an autobiography…and apparently there was a market for construction now, with more and more cross-genre Trolls coming to the village.

He could look into construction, since he enjoyed building things just as much as singing.

For now, he could knock these expansions out. He needed to get some pipes and stuff for the bathrooms, so he was focusing on the dining room.

"Floyd?" he heard Boom call from the foyer as he hit the halfway point of the new dining room. "Are you home?"

"Working on the dining room!" Floyd called. After a moment, Boom landed in the kitchen. "What's up?"

"I just figured we could go on a picnic, since the weather's really nice. And the crystal poppies are in bloom. But if you're busy…," he trailed off.

"Well, I'm almost done with this wall…," he shrugged, hammering a support beam into the wall.

"It's…kinda narrow," Boom noted.

"Yeah, I'm gonna widen it out, obviously," he chuckled. "I'm just getting the border done. There's a process and I don't want it collapsing on me…especially with how deep we are. Apparently, when he was originally digging, Branch would do the whole ceiling and then dig down. But I'm approaching it sort of like building a barn. Walls first, then the roof, since I'm adding to what's already been dug."

"Wow…how much have you been digging…?"

"Just since moving in? The nursery and Kieth's room…the garage…," he trailed off. "I got all of that done while Poppy and JD were on the way to and from Bergentown for the library stuff…I got a couple of the new bathrooms started before I had to stop because of the weather and Branch's morning sickness…"

Boom whistled in appreciation.

"And you built the new furniture?"

"Well, I needed something to do while the walls and lumber cured," Floyd shrugged and checked the stability of the beam. "All right. That should be good for now. I can treat the wall later. Let me get cleaned up and we can go for that picnic."

"Okay," Boom laughed, heading for the kitchen table.

Floyd headed to the bathroom and cleaned up before he went to change clothes. He went back to the kitchen and then left the bunker with Boom. As they headed for the edge of town, there was a commotion at the clinic.

They paused to see Creek limping out of the building, seemingly in a panic. Maya ran over and tried to talk him down, but Creek started swinging his fists.

"Well…that's different," Boom noted. "Is she gonna be okay…?"

"Yeah. 'Rock' doesn't just refer to the genre of music our mom sang…"

Sure enough, after a moment of tussling, Maya had Creek in a chokehold. Another moment and Creek was unconscious and Maya was calling for help to get him restrained.

"Okay then," Boom chuckled nervously. Floyd smiled and gently pulled the Glitter Troll along.

Clay was worried. Every day for a week, Viva couldn't get passed the edge of the parking lot before having a crippling panic attack. He was close to telling her that he'd go alone. But Dyna was getting excited about the idea of the trip, so he wanted to make sure he wasn't alone in protecting his daughter.

Finally, they made progress. Viva was a little shaky, but they made it to the river.

"Okay, so we'll take it slow," he sighed as they set up camp. Viva was starting to really tremble and have trouble breathing. "Dyna, stay with your mom."

"Okay," she agreed easily, grabbing Viva's hand. Clay smiled a little and went to gather some firewood.

While he was gathering, he spotted some chamomile and plucked some so he could make some tea. He also got some other herbs that he spotted before he headed back to camp. Viva had sat down, clutching her chest. Dyna looked at him worriedly.

Clay took a deep breath and started building the fire.

Rise up this mornin', smiled with the risin' sun

Three little birds by my doorstep

Singin' sweet songs, melodies pure and true

Sayin', "This is my message to you, ooh-ooh, yeah"

He started singing while he worked, looking at Viva. She watched him work, already her breathing seemed closer to normal.

Singin', don't worry about a thing

'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright

Baby, don't worry about a thing

'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright

He continued as he got the fire going and moved to get some dinner going. He repeated the first few lines and Dyna joined in, snuggling up to her mother as she sang with him.

Baby, don't worry about a thing

'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright

He got the water heating and sat beside Viva, taking her hand and rubbing gentle circles in her palm. He and Dyna continued singing and finally, Viva seemed to calm down as she joined in for the tail end of the song.

Just in time for dinner to finish cooking and the tea to be ready.

Viva had nightmares that first night on the road. Bad enough that she woke up screaming. Clay was right there, easing her back into a state of relative calm. But her panic was bad enough that she couldn't will herself to leave the campsite for several days…

Chapter Text

A four- or five-day journey ended up taking five months. Clay wasn't going to rush Viva. She was struggling just to leave the tent some days. They ended up spending a month at that first campsite. Then, the next time they made camp was the same struggle. Viva made small progress, but then that panic would come back, worse and worse the closer to Bergentown they got.

Finally, they made it to the Tunnels and Clay paused. The last time they were at this spot, he'd been crippled in a way.

"Maybe we should set up camp…?" Dyna mumbled.

"Yeah…yeah that sounds good," Clay sighed.

"Dad are you okay…?"

"I'm fine," he assured, moving to set up camp. He paused as he grabbed some kindling. "Hey, look at this."

Viva and Dyna, both joined him as he uncovered a raft. This must have been what Poppy used to get to Bergentown when they made the peace. But…why was it still here? Maybe they just got a different way to get back after everything went down.

"The village must be near the river," Viva gasped. "If we follow it…this thing looks like it has an engine of some kind…"

"Maybe…," he agreed. "Let's just get some food and rest and we'll figure out our next move in the morning," Clay sighed and they did just that, making dinner and getting some rest.

Viva woke surprisingly calm. She carefully crept out of the tent and sat on the river bank, watching the sun rise. She looked at her hand, tracing the scar on her palm.

"Mom…?" Dyna called, and she glanced at her little girl. Dyna was rubbing sleep from her eyes as she approached.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, patting the ground. Dyna sat with her and Viva hugged her a little.

"I had a nightmare…"

"What about?"

"I don't know…," Dyna mumbled. "There was screaming and--Why is Dad upset? What happened here…?"

She smiled weakly. It was a weird thing with all the kids in their community…dreaming about things they never experienced. Horrors they shouldn't worry about, but that fear kept alive by horror stories about the Tree and the Escape. Maybe Dyna was imagining what happened here without realizing the significance.

"Dyna…," she sighed, glancing at the Tunnel. "See that Tunnel?"

"Yeah…?"

"That Tunnel leads to the Troll Tree. Where your dad and I grew up. This…is where we camped the first day after the Great Escape…," she trailed off and Dyna looked at her hand.

"When you got that scar…?"

"Yeah…," she agreed.

Clay came out of the tent and glanced at the Tunnel. Viva smiled a little.

"Honey, go stay by that raft," she encouraged and Dyna got up to do as she was told. Viva took a deep breath and rolled up to Clay. "What's the plan…?"

"Well…we can take the raft upriver…," Clay mumbled. "But there's no telling how far upriver they are…or if the village is even close enough to the river to see…"

"Well…our first idea was to…," she swallowed nervously. "Go to the Tree…if there's a peace now…they could be coming back in small groups to get everything that was left behind…"

"Are you comfortable with that idea…?"

"Are you?"

Clay swallowed and glanced at the Tunnel.

"Viva…," he trailed off.

"Let's…try?" she mumbled. "If we can't go into the Tunnel…we can take the raft and hope we find the village."

Clay nodded a little and they packed up the camp.

"Dyna, come on honey," he called when they had everything packed up. "We're…gonna try and go into the Tunnel and to the Tree."

"Okay," she giggled and rolled over to the vine covered opening.

Viva hesitated at the vines, but she took a deep breath and stepped inside. Clay followed with Dyna and they got a torch lit. It was easy enough to get through the Tunnel until the fork.

She vividly remembered being buried for what felt like forever under rubble, Clay's agonized cry echoing in her mind. The chaos and panic as they rushed along.

"Mom…?" Dyna asked softly, gripping her hand. Viva snapped out of the memory and gave a reassuring smile.

"I…I'm fine," she tried. Dyna frowned, unconvinced, but Viva pressed on.

They made it to the steep entrance and Viva could vaguely hear talking. She looked at Clay before she started the climb.

"King Gristle, this one isn't attached to a vine," someone was saying.

"Oh, leave that one alone. King Branch and his brothers are coming to get everything from it," someone else said. "Be careful with the pods, guys. We promised Queen Poppy."

"Sorry," someone else gasped. Viva made it to the top of the Tree and she peeked over the side. Clay and Dyna joined her.

Bergens were boxing up pods.

"What are they doing?" Dyna asked quietly.

"Looks…like they're packing up the pods?" Clay mumbled. "Viva, look there," he pointed.

An armadillo bus was pulling up to the circle of grass around the Tree. The shortest of the Bergens, probably 'King Gristle' judging by his crown, turned to the critter and gave a genuine looking grin. Three Trolls got out of the critter and Viva gasped a little. John Dory and Floyd!

"He said 'King Branch'…you don't think…?" she hissed. Clay gripped her shoulder. The third Troll was Grey, with a leafy crown situated in his dark hair.

The three of them hopped into the Bergen's extended hand like it was the safest thing in the world.

"Where's Poppy?"

"Back at the village," John Dory chuckled.

"She's on egg duty while I'm gone," the Grey one said lightly.

"That's Branch…," Clay gasped. "He's alive…," he sobbed and Viva turned to hug him. "He's really alive!"

"Did you hear that?" one of the Bergens mumbled.

Viva almost said something before Clay pulled away from her and threw himself over the side of the Tree, curling into his hair to soften his landing as he went down towards his old pod. Viva grabbed Dyna's hand and stood.

"It's okay. Just stay close to me," she instructed. Dyna nodded a little and they followed after Clay.

John Dory was still a little nervous. That fear of the Bergens just wouldn't go away. Of course, it wouldn't, when he'd suffered through eighteen years of Trollstice. Consciously, he knew it was safe as Rhonda climbed the ramp into Bergentown, but he couldn't help but clench the wheel.

Branch rested a hand on his shoulder and he glanced at his baby brother. This was maybe the first time he'd seen Branch wearing a crown to show that he was king. It suited him. But more than the physical confidence, Branch looked worried.

And probably about more than just the Bergens. He was nesting, after all.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I just…," he trailed off, looking out at the path ahead of them.

"If you aren't up for this, just say the word and we can turn around," John encouraged.

"No, I'm up for this," Branch insisted. "It's just…taking some getting used to, you know?"

"Yeah. It's safe, but that fear doesn't just go away," he agreed. He steered Rhonda to the Tree, where Bergens were carefully boxing up pods.

Rhonda stopped at the edge of the grass and Gristle turned to grin at them. Floyd was the first to step out. Branch followed and then JD joined them. It was…surreal, seeing the Bergens be so gentle with the pods.

Gristle hurried to them and crouched, extending a hand. Branch made the first move, prompting the brothers to step into his hand. Gristle gently lifted them into the air.

"Where's Poppy?" Gristle asked amiably. Branch stiffened beside John and he rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Back at the village," JD chuckled, squeezing Branch's shoulder a little.

"She's on egg duty while I'm gone," he said lightly, snapping out of the almost panic.

"Did you hear that?" someone mumbled and JD frowned. All eyes turned to the Tree and he spotted a green blur descending the branches.

He followed the blur with his eyes. Concerned, he flew from Gristle's hand to meet the blur. His breath caught as he realized it was a Troll. And not just any Troll…it was Clay!

"Clay! What are you doing here?" JD asked.

"Clay?" Floyd gasped, swinging over. Branch joined them and barely managed to brace himself as Clay rushed forward to tackle him with a hug.

"I'm so sorry!" Clay gasped out.

"Clay…," Branch started. "It's okay."

"But it's not," Clay sobbed.

Branch cast a pleading look towards JD and Floyd.

"Clay--" Floyd started, but cut off as a pink and yellow blur bowled him over. "Viva?!"

"It's fantastamazing to see you guys again!" she cheered, squeezing Floyd tightly before she darted over to John. Used to her level of energy, he was able to brace himself.

"More like fabtastamawesome," he almost stumbled over one of Maya's mouthful words. Viva squealed happily.

"That's an awesome word!"

"Our sister came up with it," he shrugged.

"Ooh! Is she here?"

"Help…," Branch mumbled. John looked back to see that Clay was still squeezing Branch in a hug, sobbing.

"Shit…Clay, give him some air…," Floyd sighed. Clay pulled away from Branch and scrubbed his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I just…we thought you were dead and--"

"I think I get it…," Branch sighed. "I'm…just not much of a hugger anymore. It is good to see you, though. And uh…who's this?"

That's when he noticed the child. Rose coloured Crystal with purple hair. Why would they have--oh! They had a nibling that Poppy didn't warn them about!

"This is Dyna," Viva giggled, urging the girl forward. "Our daughter."

"Daughter," Floyd echoed. He looked at Branch, who shrugged. So, Poppy hadn't told him either.

Little Dyna waved awkwardly at them before Floyd rushed over and scooped her up in a hug.

"You are so precious!" he laughed. "How old are you?"

"Six," she answered promptly. "Who are you?"

"Dyna, honey, these are your uncles," Viva laughed. "I know they look a lot different from the pictures, but…"

Dyna blinked, her nose scrunching in thought. Finally, she pointed at John.

"JD?" she questioned and he nodded. Then Dyna looked at Floyd and frowned. "Floyd?"

"Yeah."

"And…," she mumbled, her face scrunching again.

"I used to be blue," Branch prompted.

"Branch?" she questioned softly. He nodded a little, glancing at Clay. Dyna slipped out of Floyd's hug and approached Branch. "What happened…?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," he sighed.

"What's going on…?" Viva asked carefully, watching as Bergens summarily ignored them, continuing their work of packing up the pods.

"They're packing up the pods and gonna take them to the village so everyone can get their stuff safely," Branch explained. "We are here to empty out the old pod, since it can't really be removed…"

Poppy sat with Maya outside the clinic, eating a quick lunch. They both were in between things. Poppy was flitting between groups, checking on various projects.

With the snow melted, Torrent was getting the mines repaired. And Alanis was taking the first teams to the mines they were sharing with the Bergens. Trickee was mostly working on the forge lately, getting stuff ready to make the new currency.

She reached into her hair to adjust Alice. The egg kept giving off a worried tune since Branch and his brothers went to Bergentown. Except when Maya handled the egg.

"Let me see her," Maya offered.

"You know…I'm a little jealous…," she grumbled, handing over the egg.

"Tracing the pattern helps," Maya laughed, doing just that. The tune evened out. "And…we need to talk."

"About Creek?" she guessed. "I've heard about his…episodes…"

"They're only going to get worse," Maya warned. "The legends about the Sands of Time are true and…"

Poppy nodded slowly, reaching to trace the veiny pattern on the egg.

"I know…you guys had a run in with a Snow Troll a few years ago…JD got a haircut out of it. But there's not much we can do right now…"

"Right…," Maya sighed. Alice gave off a concerned tune and Maya smiled. "Sorry, sweetie."

Poppy shook her head a little. Yeah, the guess that Alice would be a handful when she was already so sensitive to everything felt kind of accurate.

"Alice, you little sensitive bundle," she chuckled tiredly.

"Poppy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured. "Just a little tired. I'm probably gonna clear my afternoon and go take a nap."

 Maya gave her a sympathetic smile and they finished eating lunch in silence. When they parted ways, Poppy went to find Smidge or DJ. She found DJ first, directing the setup of a party.

"That needs to be a little lower," DJ told someone working on a foam dispenser. Oh right…the Electric Foam Parade…that was tomorrow.

"DJ," Poppy called. Her friend turned and grinned at her.

"If you're wanting to help, we have plenty of hands," DJ laughed.

"No…I was going to ask if you knew where Smidge is."

"I think she's on a date or something. With Milton. No idea where though…," she shrugged. "Why?"

"I was just gonna let her know that I'm gonna go home and take a nap, so…"

"If anyone needs you for anything…bother someone else unless the village is on fire?" DJ laughed.

"Uh…yeah…," she chuckled.

"I'll pass on the word. You get some rest, Poppy."

The queen nodded and headed to the bunker. When she got there, she went to her office and turned on her record player.

"How about we listen to your dad and uncles for a little while?" she asked, pulling out one of her BroZone albums. The only one that they recorded with Branch. Alice jingled a happy tune and Poppy started the album.

As long as you love me

The song opened with all of them singing together. She got comfortable on the daybed, setting Alice up in a bundle of blankets. As the song continued, she told the egg which of the brothers was singing. And Alice's tune started to match the song.

Poppy smiled and hummed along as well. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Creek felt like he was going crazy. Nothing made sense anymore.

He hardly knew Maya. He felt like that was certain. Particularly when she kept seeming confused by things that she should have known…things that if his memory was correct, she was there when they happened. But then again, sometimes, he knew that he hadn't even met her before this.

And they were starting to lock him in the room. Not surprising, when he would black out and come to with bruises. He had flashes of memories of the episodes, panic attacks brought on by everything jumbling together in his mind, that would end in him physically attacking whoever he came in contact with first. For better, or worse, it always seemed to be Maya.

It didn't help that all this was making him feel like he was losing himself. He didn't feel like he was in his own body half the time.

"I think it's your conflicting memories that are causing the episodes," Maya had told him when she started locking the door. "For your safety, we're going to leave this door locked."

She reminded him exactly why he was being locked in like a criminal every day. But as time passed, he felt more like a monster being locked up…

Dangerous to anyone and everyone but Maya, with her rocky skin that he wasn't even strong enough to bruise. After every episode, when he realized what he'd done, he'd apologize to her, but she always smiled patiently and assured that he didn't do any real harm.

He always nodded dumbly and settled in for the evening. Every day, as Creek got ready for bed, he noticed another patch of white on his body, or that one had grown.

Maya sighed tiredly, rubbing her shoulder. She'd just gotten done tussling with Creek again. His panic attacks were getting more frequent as he went from daily struggles with the multiverse memory craziness to the flashes happening more often. She'd figured out a sort of pattern. In that, if he had an episode before breakfast, he usually wouldn't have another until mid-afternoon…but if he had breakfast before an episode, there would be at least two more in the day, usually at meal times.

The flashes used to be daily, with his mind replacing the memories he should have with those of other timelines. Now, they were happening multiple times a day, his true memories becoming less and less present.

Locking him in his hospital room was barely helping. She would come to check on him in the morning and the room would often be trashed. And he was getting stronger. To the point that when he caught another Pop Troll during an episode, he broke their arm.

Even if he would remember it, she kept that from him. Let him believe that she always managed to get there before he could really hurt someone else. He still had the awareness to apologize for the violence, and she worried that he'd have an extreme reaction to learning that he'd seriously injured someone else.

Rumours were flying around that Creek had somehow been poisoned during his adventure, which wasn't far from the truth, actually. They could use it.

"We need to do something about Creek," Dr Plimsy sighed over lunch. "It's getting to where you're literally the only Troll that can be around him…"

"I know," Maya agreed. "It's getting exhausting. I'm just grateful that, according to the books I got from the Funk tribe, this will be over before Alice hatches…"

"You've heard the rumours, right?"

"That he was poisoned out there?" she laughed. Plum nodded a little. "It's not that far from the truth," she pointed out. "It's a consequence of meddling with time selfishly…and as much as I hate to lie about a diagnosis…"

"You think we should run with it?"

"Yeah. Because it's only a matter of time before he escapes containment and does something serious during an episode," she said seriously. Plum nodded in agreement.

"So, what do--" she broke off at the sound of glass shattering on one of the upper floors.

"Shit!" Maya hissed. The two of them rushed outside.

Creek had broken the window to his room and leapt from the third floor of the building. Maya rushed forward.

"Plum, get on crowd control," she urged before she sped over to Creek, who was shaking off the fall. One of his legs was bent awkwardly. She noticed that patches of his skin were white now. "Damnit…," she groaned. He was in the third stage already? "Creek, it's okay…," she tried as he ran forward, seeming unaffected by his broken limb.

He body slammed her, trying to get passed. She held her ground and pushed him back. He attacked her again, claws extending out of his fingertips and scraping against her exposed skin uselessly.

"No!" Creek shouted. "Music."

She cursed herself. It was already this bad? How had she not noticed? But he had been using full sentences just a little while ago!

"Okay…do you want to make music? Or go to the festival?" she tried. Maybe this was something she could work with. She remembered when they encountered that Snow Troll up in the mountains, it had been easy enough to distract it.

Creek only nodded.

"Well, let me make sure you didn't hurt yourself first," she sighed heavily. Creek paused, a moment of clarity seeming to strike him.

"Okay…," he mumbled. Maya gently ushered him back into the clinic.

She took Creek to the emergency ward and looked him over. Besides the broken ankle, he was covered in cuts and scratches, both from the glass and what looked like claws. He'd clawed himself up? Frowning, she looked at his hands. The tips of his fingers were bloody from little cuts that didn't match his other wounds. They must have been from the claws coming in. The claws were clearly still new, and tearing his skin when they extended.

"Do your hands hurt, Creek?" she asked softly, carefully treating his wounds.

"A little…," he mumbled.

"Well…it looks like you have to sit out the festival…," she sighed. Creek pouted. Maya sighed again and reached to check his leg. "Creek, it looks like you broke your ankle this time," she informed him, setting the bone in one hard move. "I don't know how you managed to stand or walk."

"Huh…," Creek barely flinched. As if he didn't feel the pain of a broken limb. He clearly barely felt the pain of claws tearing out of his fingers. "I…don't…"

Maya got him sedated, for everyone's safety while they treated his leg and got him better contained.

"Is it safe…?" Acacia asked from the edge of the room, where the doctor was waiting with some nurses.

"He's sedated," Maya assured. "We need to get his ankle in a cast. As for where to move him while we get the window repaired…I'm not quite sure yet."

She stood and stepped aside so that the others could get Creek in a cast. She had to think.

The books estimated each stage of the transformation to last about one of two months. But…she pulled out her tablet and checked the books again.

There is overlap between stages, so it's difficult to track exact length of each phase. Depending on the victim of the Sphinx, they should be relocated to appropriate climes or put down before the final stage begins.

One book warned. Maya was torn about the idea that these doctors writing down these cases would rather let a monster live simply because they used to be a Troll. But maybe her debate on the idea was because she'd dealt with a Snow Troll before.

The only reason they'd gotten out of it was because the creature's claws and the knife it had weren't sharp enough to do more damage to them than cutting JD's hair.

She shook her head and put her tablet away. Until the transformation was complete, he was still a Troll. And she couldn't justify killing him unless it was completely in self-defence.

Poppy rushed into the clinic just then.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked frantically. "What happened? Meadow ran over talking about Creek jumping out a window?"

"He broke his ankle," Maya sighed. "And I got to him before he could hurt anyone else," she assured. "Poppy…he's getting worse. We need to do something."

The queen worried her lip and nodded.

"How much time do you think we have…?"

"It looks like he's already in the third stage…he's developed claws, and he apparently barely felt the pain of breaking a bone."

Poppy sighed heavily.

"Well, he hasn't done anything illegal…"

"Yet. I suggest we move him out of the village and to the North Mountains," Maya pressed.

"But…how can you justify it to everyone? To his mom?"

"There's a rumour going around that he was poisoned somehow while he was missing," Maya started. "I'll run with that. Say I found out exactly what he was poisoned by and that the cure is a plant that only grows in the mountains. I know of several plants that fit the bill," she explained. Poppy nodded in understanding.

"And it would be better for 'his health' if you just take him up there…and when you come home alone…," she mumbled.

"I was too late with the medicine," Maya finished.

"Okay," Poppy agreed after a moment's contemplation. "It's what's safest for everyone. Do you…want to take anyone with you?"

"It's not really safe for anyone to go with me," she argued. "I'll be fine, Poppy."

"You're sure?" her sister-in-law fretted.

"I'm sure," she said gently. "Old Funk territory is a pretty good distance from Mt Rageous," she added.

She knew that Poppy was paranoid about Mt Rageous after what happened in 'the dream'. Maya didn't blame her. She'd already lost too many family members to that mountain.

"Right…right…," Poppy sighed. "I just…,"

"I know," she sighed. "I just need to get another caterbus, so the miners can still use Gary for trips to the mine."

Poppy nodded a little.

Poppy hated this. She hated lying to her people. She wanted to be a different ruler than her dad and predecessors, who lied and manipulated the tribe as easily as they breathed. But she wanted to put this whole time-travel thing behind her. And she knew that if she told them the truth, they would be asking her all sorts of questions about that future that wasn't ever going to happen.

Or worse, they would start treating her like Cybil, seeing the time-travel thing as a prophetic gift. She didn't want to deal with 'being competition' to Cybil…it was hard enough dealing with her sometimes without the guru getting territorial.

But, as things got worse with Creek, and Maya went off to find another caterbus, she had to do something. Maya was right that they could run with the rumour that Creek was poisoned. Surely there were critters or plants that could cause this kind of long-term amnesia and violence. As much as she hated to lie, and she knew that Maya and Plum hated lying about his diagnosis, she planned to make the announcement. Almost everyone was worried about Creek.

They cared about him. Before all this, her dad had planned to Poppy to marry Creek…so everyone respected him as the one who was going to be her king. As far as anyone was concerned, she'd simply broken up with him to get with Branch. When they were never dating in the first place. It was all just one of her dad's lies.

She went to talk to Creek's mom first. She found Kayla digging through her pod, probably getting ready for her stuff from the Tree to arrive.

"Hey, Kayla," she greeted.

"Afternoon, Queen Poppy," Kayla said brightly, dusting her hands off as she turned to face her.

"You know you don't have to be so formal…," she mumbled. Yes, all her life, her dad had been 'King Peppy' and no one ever dropped the title, but she'd never been 'Princess Poppy' so the title was weird to her.

"But you're the queen now. We've always called the king or queen by title," she argued.

"Right…," Poppy sighed. "Anyways, I need to talk to you about Creek."

"How's he holding up…?"

"He broke his ankle jumping out a window yesterday…," Poppy sighed. Kayla gasped softly. "And they figured out what's wrong with him…"

"So, he was poisoned?"

"Yes, actually…apparently something he encountered out there has a venom that's been slowly destroying his mind. But Maya knows a plant that can cure him," she explained. "But the plant is up in the mountains and for it to be effective, they can't just go pick the plant and bring it back. He has to eat it freshly picked…"

"So…they have to take him on a dangerous trip…to save him," Kayla concluded.

"Yeah. But with that…because it's so dangerous…and it took this long for them to find out what's wrong with him…," she trailed off.

"I understand…it may be too late…," she sighed. "When are they leaving?"

"As soon as Maya gets another caterbus."

Maya wrangled a caterbus fairly easily and took it back to the village. Then, she went to collect Creek. For everyone's safety, while she was gone, they opted to keep him sedated. And honestly, she was half tempted to keep him sedated for the trip. But she was also tempted just to put him out of everyone's misery when she was far enough away from the village.

In the end, she decided to let the medication wear off and take it from there.

Everyone in the village wished her luck on the quest to save Creek, and it hurt knowing that there was no saving him. She could only hope that she wasn't forced to kill him somewhere along the way. The plan was to take him to Old Funk territory and leave him to fend for himself at the base of the mountain. As his transformation progressed, he would theoretically seek out colder temperatures and stay there.

She waved at them, trying to seem chipper and hopeful about this. Then, they were off, heading north to the mountains.

A few hours into the trip, she eyed the hustle command. As she contemplated testing it out, she heard movement in the back of the caterbus.

Frowning, she urged the critter to keep moving and went to investigate. The movement was coming from the kitchenette. In the cabinets. Maya bent to open a cabinet and Smidge rolled out with a grunt.

Chapter Text

Smidge was worried. It was a potentially dangerous journey up to the North Mountains. And Maya wanted to go alone with a Troll who was practically crippled. And both Maya and Poppy were being weird about this.

She went to Poppy first after the announcement about Creek's condition. There was something Poppy wasn't telling anyone about Maya and Creek's coming trip. Poppy was alone in 'the dungeon'…her brother-in-law keeping watch over the egg.

"Poppy, we need to talk," she grumbled.

"Yeah…yeah, we do," Poppy sighed. DJ hurried into the stump.

"You wanted to talk to me, Poppy?" DJ asked worriedly. "Oh, hey Smidge."

"Great, I don't have to do this twice," the queen giggled. "Before I start, you guys have to promise not to tell anyone else."

"Why?" Smidge sighed.

"Hopefully you'll understand when I get started, but…"

"You can trust us, Poppy," DJ assured. Smidge nodded in agreement. For extra measure, she walked up to Poppy and held up a hand, pinkie extended.

"I pinkie promise not to tell anyone whatever you tell us today," she said seriously. DJ mimicked her.

"Me too."

Poppy smiled at them.

"We don't need to take it to that extreme," she assured. "But, thank you."

Poppy gestured to the meeting table and sat down in her seat. Smidge and DJ joined her. Poppy took a deep breath.

"The truth about what's going on with Creek…," she started. "He's turning into a monster and Maya's going to take him up to the North Mountains to let him loose in the cold so he doesn't hurt anyone again."

"Oh, my gah," Smidge muttered. Of all the possibilities, she didn't think it was like that. No wonder they were being weird about it.

"Why are you telling us this? How did this happen to him?" DJ asked quietly.

"Well, have you guys heard about the Sands of Time?"

"In fairy tales…," Smidge grumbled. "They're…real?"

"Very. Creek used them to travel back almost three years to change something that happened at the Last Trollstice…but the Sphinx that guards the Sands, sent me back as well…I guess he failed whatever test the Sphinx gave him and it decided to make it impossible to change things how he wanted."

Smidge blinked and looked at DJ. Her friend looked as confused as Smidge felt. What would have happened that Creek wanted to change that badly that he would meddle with time?

"What did he want to change…?" DJ asked.

"Me getting with Branch," Poppy sighed. "You guys know that my dad tried to manipulate me into marrying Creek, right?"

They both nodded. It was a well-known fact that Creek had been the king's first choice for a partner for Poppy, and until her coronation, almost everyone thought that she and Creek were dating. Smidge knew better. She'd long known about Poppy's crush on Branch, and whatever she had with Creek before was just friendly. Maybe…Creek thought his position as future king was set in stone and that Branch stole it from him?

"So…something happened during that to make him think caused you to get with Branch?" DJ mumbled.

"A Troll you had a crush on for years," Smidge snarked. "The only way he would have had a chance was if your dad made you marry him."

"Well, originally, Branch helped save everyone that was taken. Yes, he only went to Bergentown to save Trickee and DJ, but--"

"Wait!" DJ gasped. "I was taken the first time?!"

"Both of you. Along with Fuzzbert, Biggie, Creek, Satin and Chenille, Cooper, Guy Diamond, and Trickee. If I remember correctly, Trickee threatened Chef with a knife that he claimed was poisoned to protect everyone," Poppy sighed. "Before Chef drugged everyone and while you were sleeping, she shoved Trickee into a diamond bottle…"

"That sounds like something he would do," DJ laughed a little. "And…I feel like I would have tried to protect everyone if his knife was left behind…"

"You did," Poppy agreed. "Anyways, Hype, Boom, Ablaze and Branch went to Bergentown to save you and Trickee…I tagged along against their protests…and a lot went down…," Poppy told them. "But short of it, is that while Branch ended up being a big help in saving the entire tribe…the tribe was only in that pot about to be slaughtered because of Creek. He agreed to betray us in exchange for his own life. Stole my cowbell to lure everyone out with a smile on his face…"

"What a jerk!" Smidge gasped. "How did he think he could change that?"

"I don't know. I know he tried to get me to take him with us on the rescue mission this time…and I can only assume he planned to try and sabotage our raft when we almost caught him at the river. I guess to get to Bergentown before us and make himself look like a hero for saving everyone…as if that would make me stop loving Branch…when right before I was dragged along back in time…Branch proposed."

"So…you were already in too deep for your feelings to change," Smidge chuckled.

"Yeah."

Okay, so much made sense about Poppy's weird behaviour now. If she had a second chance to do things, no wonder she'd been so serious about those traps. And abruptly very aware of how everyone was treating Branch. How they were treating the Troll she loved. And Smidge knew Poppy. She loved with everything she had, so of course she'd been so upset seeing him like that.

"No wonder you already had that queen thing down," DJ laughed a little. "How long were you queen before Creek pulled all this?"

"Two years, ten months and a week," she answered easily. "Dad stepped down during the party in Bergentown…," she laughed bitterly. "This time I had to make him step down."

"Well, King Peppy was a lying bitch so no hard feelings about that…," Smidge grumbled. Both Poppy and DJ nodded in agreement. They all knew the rules of the previous rulers. "Anyways, circling back to Maya going in the wild alone with someone that's turning into a monster…to let him loose alone."

"Maya's one of the only ones who he can't really hurt. And she knows the safest routes…," Poppy defended. "She's the one insisting on it being a solo mission…I don't like her going alone either…," she sighed, rubbing her arm. "Especially not near Mt Rageous…but she makes a good argument and…anyone who were to go with her would have to be let in on what's really going on…and you guys…understand why I don't want to tell anyone else…right?"

"Absolutely," DJ agreed. "I mean, Biggie and Guy Diamond literally cut off a lifetime friendship because you rightfully hurt someone…there's no telling how anyone else would take it…"

"They'd treat you like Cybil…," Smidge sighed. "What's on Mt Rageous…?"

"Giants that sometimes kidnap Trolls and steal their talent…slowly killing them," Poppy grumbled. "But Maya knows how to avoid it…she's already lost too many family members to that place to risk it…"

Smidge nodded slowly.

"And…why do you call this the 'Dungeon'?" DJ giggled.

"There was a huge misunderstanding with the Bergens that needed a place to 'punish criminals'…it did come in handy, but that doesn't exactly matter anymore. I know how to deal with the problem if it comes up this time," she shrugged.

Their Hug Time Bracelets went off and both Poppy and DJ excused themselves, citing different obligations. DJ had a holiday party to plan and Poppy needed to get back to her egg so that Avery could do something he'd planned with Keith.

Smidge was glad for how things worked out with Keith. Avery and John Dory seemed to actually be exactly the kind of dads that Keith needed. She was glad she gave them the chance.

But Smidge set her expression. What Poppy'd just said about the North Mountains hosting a race that tortured Trolls…and if they were taking Creek there, there must have been other former Troll monsters up there…which worried her. She really didn't like the idea of Maya going up there alone.

Even if the Rock Troll was sturdier than they were. Smidge had seen one of Creek's episodes, fighting with Maya in a blind rage. While Creek was taken back to the hospital battered and bruised from the altercation, Maya walked away without a hint of bruising. Rock meant more than her birth genre.

Still, what if something happened up there and she needed an extra set of hands?

Smidge steeled herself and wrote a note for Poppy and the council before she went to pack a bag. As she shoved stuff that she figured might be useful, she was glad that she'd bought a knife from Trickee when he opened his shoppe. Before she left her pod, she left an extra note for Milton too, so he wouldn't worry too much about her.

Then, she saw a strange caterbus pull up to the hospital and Maya went inside the building. Smidge took a deep breath and sprinted to the critter. She heard that Creek had to be sedated after his last episode, so she knew it would take a few minutes for Maya to get him loaded up. She made sure no one was watching, so she wouldn't be stopped, and she rushed into the critter. It was already outfitted as a sort of mobile home, with two beds, a couch, table, and a kitchenette.

She heard voices and hurried to find a hiding place. Smidge settled on a cabinet in the kitchenette.

"You think this'll be enough supplies?" someone, it sounded like Barley, one of the nurses, asked as she got the door to the cabinet shut.

"If it's not, I know my way around the wilds," Maya assured.

There was rummaging as Maya and Barley probably put away the supplies. Then it sounded like two more Trolls came into the critter, grunting with an effort. They were probably carrying Creek in on a stretcher.

"Just transfer him to the bed over there and strap him down," Maya instructed them.

After what felt like forever, the caterbus started moving to distant cheers and well wishes. Smidge fell asleep as they rumbled along.

Poppy went home after Maya left, sighing a little. Maya estimated the trip would take about a week since the new caterbus, which she'd named Sophie, could hustle.

"Poppy!" Milton called to her as she opened the hatch to the bunker. She straightened and turned to him.

"What's up, Milton?" she asked. He looked panicked, and he had a piece of paper clenched in his hand. "Milton?"

"I went to Smidge's pod after Maya and Creek left. We were supposed to go on a picnic, but…she wasn't there and…," he trailed off, showing her the paper, which was a note from Smidge.

I left with Maya to make sure everything goes okay. Since Creek's useless with a broken ankle, she might need help up in the mountains, even if she doesn't think she will.

It read. Poppy smacked her forehead and groaned. She should have known Smidge would do something like this. She'd been against the idea of Maya going alone in the first place.

A worried sounding tune reached her and Poppy reached to stroke the egg resting in her hair.

"It's okay, Alice," she sighed. "Your Aunt Smidge is just being reckless…"

"What are we going to do…?" Milton fretted.

"There's nothing we can do," she groaned. "Maya was supposed to be going alone with Creek…so if she decides to take the time to bring Smidge back…but we don't have much time to get Creek that medicine," she told him. "So, she's probably going to deal with it. At least…Smidge is one of the strongest Trolls in the tribe."

Milton nodded a little, but Alice was clearly unconvinced as the tune continued to sound worried with a touch of disbelief. She sighed and pulled the egg down.

"Everything okay…?" Milton asked.

"Alice doesn't believe me when I say Smidge will be fine even if she's being crazy and reckless," she shrugged, tracing the leaves forming around the veins of the pattern. Milton chuckled.

"I'm sure you're right," he sighed. "I'll let you calm the baby."

"Thanks," she sighed and went into the bunker. Alice was still emanating a concerned tune.

Poppy barely remembered someone singing a soothing melody when she was a baby. It was probably Viva, because her mom died when her egg detached. But she remembered her dad singing the same familiar melody to her too. She knew it was a longer song, but she remembered the part that her dad used as a lullaby most.

Maybe this would help soothe the baby. She went to her office and sat on the bed, nestling Alice in Branch’s old blanket with Croco. She hummed the tune of the song as she made the little nest.

Sometimes I run

Sometimes I hide

She started singing gently. Almost as soon as she started, the baby started to calm down. Poppy smiled a little and traced the pattern of the egg.

Sometimes I'm scared for you

But all I really want is to hold you tight

Treat you right, be with you day and night

She repeated the little melody until Alice fully settled. She understood the worry. She was worried about Smidge too, but she had to have faith that her friend would be okay.

Chapter Text

Maya stared blankly at the stowaway. Well, this was bad news. She wasn't planning on 'trying to cure Creek' and Smidge wouldn't like that concept when she'd been friends with the selfish prick. This was the whole reason she was going alone!

"Smidge what the fuck are you doing here?" she demanded as Smidge sat up and rubbed her eyes. She'd clearly intentionally hidden in that cabinet and fallen asleep. She had a travel pack and everything!

"You shouldn't be doing this alone," the Teaspoon Troll grumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "How far have we gotten?"

"Far enough that it would be a waste of time to take you back!" she groaned. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that you might need help! There are monsters and giants up there," Smidge griped. "There's a monster right there!" she pointed an accusatory finger towards Creek, who was still heavily sedated.

"What do you mean…?"

"Poppy told me," Smidge said simply. "And I get it. I get why you wanted to do this alone. But Poppy's worried about you. I'm worried about you. Your brothers are gonna be worried when they get back and find out. So, I'm here if you end up needing an extra set of hands."

"Does anyone know you're here?" she groaned, resigned to the situation.

"I left them notes," Smidge assured.

Maya raked a hand down her face.

"Fine…just…pay attention. I've been up there before, dealt with Snow Trolls…so I know the signs…"

"You got it!" Smidge agreed easily.

"And we're gonna Hustle most of the way, so be ready for that…the last caterbus that I had could hustle and it was kinda unsettling…nowhere near as bad as Rhonda, but…," she shrugged, heading back to the wheel.

Poppy tried to keep Smidge's 'disappearance' under wraps, but the rumour mill in the Pop Tribe was unrivalled…one Troll noticed her absence and it was over. Everyone in the village knew that she was missing before dinner and Poppy had to reassure them that Smidge was okay.

"She just decided to tag along with Maya and Creek at the last second," Poppy told them. "Which honestly is probably for the best with Creek's broken ankle. In other news!" she redirected the announcements. "The pods should be arriving from Bergentown tomorrow! So, anyone willing to help get the crates from our designated area for the Bergens to drop them off, we'll be heading over there after lunch to get started!"

Everyone cheered at that news. Honestly, she was more excited about the fact that Branch and his brothers should have gotten to Bergentown just in time to pack up their old pod and hitch a ride with Gristle! It hadn't even been a week since they left, but she missed Branch so much.

After the announcement, she went back to the bunker and smiled a little at the smells. There was smoke coming from the smokehouse, and she checked it out. She kept forgetting about the smokehouse, really. It was really well hidden…the place where Branch lived before he was able to move into the bunker, repurposed to get meats ready for long term storage. And Branch had only ever let smoke flow out of it at night…Evan did the same thing to avoid a panic.

But now, no one was bothered by smokehouses and the idea that not everyone was a vegetarian. So, it was natural that maybe Avery was working on something.

Sure enough, Avery and Keith were working on a batch of meat.

"What are you guys working on?" she giggled.

"Da's showing me how to make jerky!" Keith answered excitedly.

"Among other things," Avery chuckled. "Trickee and I caught a squirrel while Keith was at school."

"Nice. Well, I'll leave you guys to it," she shrugged. "Though…is any of it good for me to use for dinner? I could make meatloaf. I've been wanting to try making that…"

"Yeah," Avery drawled, grabbing a bowl of shredded meat. Poppy took it and headed inside the bunker.

She dug out Maya's cookbook and found the recipe for meatloaf. She gathered the ingredients and sighed in relief that they had everything.

Branch helped get the last box from their old pod into Rhonda. He'd found plenty of records in his parents' room. Records that both JD and Floyd described as Backup Masters. So, they had the master recordings from all three family bands even with the destruction of the Vault.

The Bergens were finishing up loading their vehicle with the packed-up pods.

"So…," JD started. "The plan was to ride with the Bergens to the meeting place…but if you guys aren't comfortable with that, we can split up."

Clay and Viva exchanged a look. Branch shifted a little. He was happy about the turn of events, really. But Viva and Clay both had woken the night before screaming from a nightmare.

"I think…," Viva said finally, swallowing. "I think we'll be okay."

Clay nodded in agreement.

"If you're sure," Floyd sighed.

"We're sure," Clay sighed. "I mean…we'll be in…you said her name's Rhonda?" he asked and John nodded. "What I'm trying to say is…"

"They'll be out of sight…and…how long's the trip…?" Viva finished.

"Well, the safe route for us takes about three days without hustling…," JD sighed.

"In a Bergen vehicle we'll get there by lunch," Branch finished for him.

"So…basically if we push through it, I'll get to see my sister this afternoon instead of another few days?" Viva guessed. They all nodded. "So, let's do that."

So, they loaded up and got Rhonda into the waiting Bergen vehicle. The entire trip, Clay and Viva seemed one wrong move away from panic attacks, but Dyna found the music collection.

"What are these?" his niece asked eagerly. Branch was a little upset with Poppy for not saying anything, but he kind of understood why she hadn't said anything.

"They're like records, but more portable," Floyd laughed. "Do you want to listen to one?"

Dyna nodded excitedly and started looking through them.

"So…are these all different bands…?" she asked.

"Not every artist is a band," John laughed. "You want us to just pick one?" he offered. Dyna shook her head and pulled out a disc.

"This one!" she crowed. Branch looked to see that it had colourful cover art that had probably caught her eye.

"Oh, that's a good one," JD chuckled, taking the disc and putting it in the radio. "This is one of your aunt Maya's albums."

"Ooh! Will I get to meet her?"

"Yeah," Branch chuckled. "She lives in the village with us."

Dyna giggled and cheered before sitting down to listen to the music.

You don't need a lot of money

Honey, you don't have to play no games

All I need is all your loving

To get the blood rushing through my veins

Maya sang in the recording.

Poppy got the volunteers together after lunch and they all went to the old abandoned Bergen junkyard where they got a lot of odds and ends to recycle. That's where the Bergens were going to drop off the pods. They could figure out getting them the rest of the way to the village, but this was the compromise that the sceptics agreed on.

Hardly anyone wanted a Bergen in the village…and she agreed. No matter how careful the giants would be, there was always the chance of them doing more harm than good to the structure of the village. They'd already put too much work into building it back up and fortifying everything…

Before they left, Floyd had helped to build a few wagons that were hopefully big enough for the boxed-up pods. So, they could load a pod onto the wagon and hitch it to Flier Bugs, then wheel it to the village. It was a solid plan…unless the boxes were bigger than they'd guessed.

They arrived at the junkyard at the same time as a giant vehicle. Poppy grinned and they waited for the Bergens to get parked and unloaded. Gristle got out first and waved at her. She giggled and urged her flier bug towards him.

"Hey!" she greeted.

"As promised, everything's as intact as we could get it," he sighed. "There were a couple of pods that…well, there was no saving them, but we tried to get everything."

"Thanks," Poppy told him. She'd known there would be stuff like that…she'd seen the damage. "How are things with Bridget?"

"Great," he said cheerily. "I took your advice and we're…we're really making progress as friends."

"That's fantastamazing!" she giggled. Then, she spotted Rhonda. "Thanks again for doing this."

"It's the least I can do…small steps towards making amends for all the pain my people have caused," Gristle assured before turning his attention to unloading the boxes.

Poppy flew over to Rhonda and Alice's tune got excited, clearly picking up on Poppy's own excitement. She hopped off her bug and nuzzled Rhonda's face.

"How's our good girl? You kept everyone safe?" she asked and Rhonda cooed and licked her. Poppy grinned and wiped off the glittery slobber.

"Poppy…?" a familiar voice asked and Poppy froze. Viva left Hole 'N Fun?! There was a questioning tune and she slowly turned to see her sister.

"Viva!" she sobbed and tackled Viva with a hug. Just in time for her Hug Time Bracelet to go off. "What are you doing here?! Is Clay with you? What about--" she broke off her rambling. She shouldn't know about Dyna and unless Branch warned them…there were plenty of Trolls that didn't know about the dream around so she couldn't tell them now.

"I'm right here," Clay chuckled nearby. Poppy broke away from Viva and tackled him.

"Do I get any hugs?" Branch joked as Clay yelped in shock. She giggled and let her brother-in-law go to tackle her husband.

"I missed you!"

"I haven't even been gone a week, Popstar," he chuckled, though he squeezed her back.

"Every day felt like a week!" she whined. Alice shook and chimed in her hair. "See, Alice agrees with me," she pouted.

"Ooh, can I see the egg?" Viva asked, starry eyed as she darted behind Branch. Poppy giggled and pulled the egg down. "Aww!" she cooed.

There was a curious tune and Poppy traced one of the vines.

"Alice, this is your aunt Viva," she told the baby. The tune turned joyful and Viva lit up. Clearly, she could hear the tune now.

"Queen Poppy!" Asha, one of the new arrivals in the village, called.

"Coming! Hold onto Alice for me Branchifer," she laughed, handing the egg over before skipping over to the others.

Viva watched her sister and couldn't help but smile. Poppy really seemed to have the whole queen thing down. It was still jarring…seeing Trolls and Bergens seeming to get along. The Bergens were being so careful with the boxed-up pods, too.

But the egg! Branch had told them about the coming baby, of course, but seeing the egg! She was so excited about that! She was gonna be an aunt and she got to see the baby hatch!

She'd been worried that maybe she had a nibling that she'd missed, knowing her father's policies. He'd wanted her married when she turned eighteen, but since Viva refused to even see her father's 'desirable' options in favour of her relationship with Clay, that hadn't worked in his favour. He'd been talking about 'recanting' the policies about eggs and marriage when they were out of the Tree, but she couldn't trust that he'd followed through on it.

She'd been so…nearly panicked ever since they got to the Tree, she hadn't gotten around to asking how long Branch and Poppy had been married.

It was surprising that Poppy was married to Branch, when her father absolutely hated the mixed family.

"Some of the Trolls here…aren't Pop…," she noted.

"Yeah," Branch agreed as John Dory and Floyd went to help with the crates and wagons. "After the…incident, Poppy spread the word about where the village is and we've had several cross- and mixed-genre Trolls come to the village. Peppy hates it, but his opinion doesn't really matter to Poppy anymore…"

"What do you mean?"

"He forbad talking about the Tree, or the fact that ninety-five Trolls didn't make it out of the Tunnels…," he sighed.

"Ninety," Clay corrected. "There were ninety Trolls in our group…"

"Shit…," Branch grumbled. "I knew there were probably casualties but…," he trailed off, shaking his head, tracing the pattern of the egg.

"So…," Viva started, wanting to change the subject. "How many kids do you guys have so far?"

"Just Alice," Branch chuckled. "We've only been married for a few months. And before you ask, Poppy's only been queen for a few months too. When we had the village rebuilt, she took the crown. I'm not much of a party guy anymore, so we had her coronation, the wedding, and our egg announcement all in one party."

Viva nodded slowly. So…that was the celebration on the radio. Poppy's coronation that was celebrated by the Bergens and all the other Tribes…

They hustled to the mountains. It took a few days, because Sophie had to rest after every few jumps, but Maya was happy with their progress. She wanted to get this done and get home as soon as possible.

And Smidge tagging along made the decision for her about keeping Creek sedated for the trip.

As they approached the mountain range, she planned to let his sedation wear off so he wasn't completely helpless when they dropped him off. Smidge had opinions about that plan.

"What if he puts up a fight? If he's awake and aware when we dump him…," Smidge grumbled as Maya forwent his medication.

"If we leave him there unconscious, he'll be easy prey for anything that spots him," Maya argued. The idea was to let him loose up here, not guarantee his death. For however long, he was still a Troll. And even this was his own fault, he deserved a chance to survive for longer than an hour up here.

Creek was starting to wake up when they got to a spot where they could leave him.

"Where…?" he asked blearily as they came to a stop.

"Morning," Maya greeted, despite it being mid-afternoon. She saw Smidge getting her winter gear on, the Teaspoon Troll eyeing Creek warily. "We're at the North Mountains. There's an herb up here that can help you," she lied easily. "When you're fully awake, we'll head out."

Creek nodded slowly. They waited for a little while longer for him to be able to move better and Maya handed him a crutch to help with his walking. The three of them headed out.

There was an herb that only grew in the mountains that could 'help' Creek. Namely it would knock him out for just long enough for Maya and Smidge to get back to the caterbus and head out. He would wake from it disoriented, but nowhere near as helpless as the sedation would leave him.

As they went, Maya heard a distant rustling. Creek started growling, glaring in the direction of the sound. The rustling got closer and the ground shook a little. Whatever it was…it was pretty big.

Listening, there were six distinct footsteps. Her eyes went wide.

"Smidge, we need to run," she hissed.

"What is it?" Smidge asked.

Before Maya could answer, a Clawlossus became visible between the trees. And as Maya pulled out a machete, it pounced.

Chapter Text

Smidge dove away from the creature just in time, but she saw Maya pinned under one of its paws, her weapon knocked from her grip by the impact.

"Maya!" she shouted, pulling out her knife and rushing to help her. She stabbed one of the legs and looped her hair around the leg that was pinning Maya. Please let this work, she silently begged.

The creature lifted the leg she'd stabbed, taking her with it. She pulled on her hair, straining even with her staggering hair strength. It tried to shake her off, but she held on tight.

Finally, the other leg lifted a little and Maya was able to get out from under it. Smidge sighed in relief, and loosened her hair. She yanked the knife free and jumped from the creature. She barely had time to land before she was pulled into the air.

Smidge almost shouted in terror, but she realized that she was being held. Maya had picked her up and they were rising away from the creature.

"We have to get out of here," Maya hissed. "That's a Clawlossus…they're too big and unpredictable for two Trolls to take down."

Smidge nodded slowly. She looked back to see that the Clawlossus was following them.

"Uh, Maya…it's following us," she grumbled.

"Shit," Maya groaned and found a tall tree to perch in.

They rested at the top of a tall pine tree. The creature started pacing below them. And after a moment, it reared up on its hind legs and crashed into the tree, shaking it. Smidge held onto the branch for dear life as it began slamming into the tree over and over. Pine needles tumbled around them.

"What are we gonna do?"

"They're not very intelligent, so maybe we can trick it…," Maya mumbled. There was a pause in the tree shaking. They peered down to see the Clawlossus pacing again. "Or it'll decide to go after easier prey…come on…," she urged, pointing to another tree nearby. Smidge shot out her hair to the other tree when the one they were on shook and started to tilt.

Smidge stumbled and almost fell as she tree started to fall. She couldn't help the scream of terror that erupted from her throat as she started to plummet towards the Clawlossus' wide-open maw.

Hair wrapped around her waist and she jerked to a stop inches away from the beast. She could smell its awful breath. It growled and jumped.

"Pull me up!" Smidge screamed. For a split second, she was in the Clawlossus' mouth. Just as it started to bite down, Smidge was jerked upwards and clear of the teeth.

"I've got you, Smidge," Maya groaned. Smidge shot her hair to another tree and gripped Maya's hair to try and pull the Crystal Troll with her to a branch out of the Clawlossus' reach. They landed on the branch and Smidge looked down.

The Clawlossus roared, but turned to leave, seeking other prey. They both sighed in relief.

"Well…that was fun," Smidge groused.

"Yeah…," Maya leaned against the tree trunk. "I would have been mulch if you hadn't been there…thanks."

"When I decided to tag along, I wasn't expecting something like this to be where I was needed…," she sighed. "Any idea where Creek is?"

Maya shrugged. Well, the plan was to leave him there anyways, so as long as he didn't make it back to the caterbus, they could just go ahead and leave.

"We should get going."

As much as she wanted to ride in Rhonda, Poppy had made a commitment to lead the charge for this first trip to get the pods from the old junkyard to the village. She was practically vibrating with excitement as she and Asha led the group with the first cart. The wagons were big enough, thankfully, for most of the pods. But, larger pods, like the Vault and royal pods, would need bigger wagons. Or they could just put wheels on the crates…

"Queen Poppy, are you okay?" Asha asked as they paused so Evan and his new team could open the gate for them.

"I'm just excited," she laughed. "You saw the three Trolls with Branch, right?" she questioned and Asha nodded. "That's my sister, her partner, and their daughter! The last time I saw Viva, I was a baby. And I have a niece!"

"That sounds stressful, actually…," Asha mumbled.

"I guess," she conceded. "But it was more stressful knowing she was maybe alive out there somewhere that probably wasn't safe…," the queen said vaguely. "Now, with Viva having found us, we can reunite the Tribe at long last! Also, now we know that all of Branch's siblings are safe. Because Viva's partner is one of Branch's brothers."

The gate opened and they pulled the wagons to the plaza. They were greeted with cheers. Poppy landed her flier bug and removed the lead from the critter, petting it in thanks. As the others did the same, she hopped up onto the mushroom stage and pulled her cowbell out. At the sight of the instrument, a hush fell over the Tribe.

"As you can see, the pod recovery is fully underway!" she cheered. "This is going to take a while because there are a lot of pods! Gristle brought us every pod that he could from the Tree. So, we're going to check every pod and get them where they need to go! Pods that belong to anyone here in the village can be moved closer to your current homes so you can get everything that you left behind. Pods that belong to anyone that was separated in the Escape will be moved to a designated storage area. And pods that were community or owned by Trolls that are deceased…will go to another area to be gone through," she told them. "Torrent will be putting up an updated town map here in the plaza as reminder of the areas."

There was a murmur of agreement. They all started to open the crates and she clanged her cowbell. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her.

"I have another announcement!" she called. Branch, Viva, and Clay started for the stage. Rhonda was gone, so JD probably took her and the rest of the family to the bunker. "A huge announcement, actually. Who here remembers my sister Viva?"

Almost everyone that was old enough to remember the Tree cheered agreement. Her sister joined her and waved nervously at the crowd. Everyone erupted into loud cheers. So loud, in fact, that all four of them covered their ears. Poppy hit her cowbell again.

"Are they always like this…?" Viva asked quietly.

"Yes," Branch groaned.

"Guys!" Poppy produced a megaphone from her hair and called into it. "Calm down! You're a lot too loud!"

"Where did you get that…? What even is it?" Viva gasped, taking the device from her.

"It's a megaphone. Barb gave it to me for Boxing Day," Poppy explained. The crowd quietened down. "Thank you!" she groaned. "Remember, everyone, there are predators that we share territory with and we don't want to antagonize them. Now, Viva and Clay have spent the last twenty years with a much smaller community than ours, so give them a little space," she sighed. "Just…don't bombard them, okay?" she continued. There was a murmur of agreement. "All right, now you can start messing with the pods. Please leave them on the wagons until they're moved to where they need to be!" she instructed and turned to grab her sister's hand.

"That was impressive, Poppy," Viva praised. "Can you give me a tour of the village?"

"Of course, Veev!" she giggled.

Maya sighed tiredly as they hiked through the forest. At this point, she couldn't wait to get back to Sophie and get some pain meds, because she was in pain. She got the feeling that she might have cracked ribs.

"So, we should make a detour to Lonesome Flats," she said after a while. Smidge nodded in agreement.

They walked for a while longer and Maya frowned. There seemed to be no end to the woods and it was getting cold enough that she could feel it. And to make it worse, it was getting dark. She rubbed her arm absently and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Smidge groaned.

"We're heading the wrong direction," she decided. "We need to get up in a tree where I can see how far off course we are."

Smidge nodded and they headed up a tree. Maya got to the tippy top of a pine and looked around. She sucked in a breath. That wasn't good.

There was a break in the trees not far from where they were, the foliage broken up by one of several abandoned Funk cities. And almost every single one was inhabited by one or more Snow Trolls.

"What's that?" Smidge asked, looking at the ruin.

"One of the old Funk cities," Maya whispered. She looked up at the sky to get an idea of the direction they were facing. Ideally, they would be west of the city, but that wasn't the case. It was twilight, the setting sun hidden by the mountains in front of them. So, they were east. Of the ruin…which could be bad.

She swallowed tightly and looked to the east. She couldn't see anything but trees and the mountains rising around them. Maya frowned and flew a little higher. She finally spotted a distant ruin and sighed in relief. That meant they hadn't wandered to the edge of the territory and closer to Mt Rageous. She turned to the south and spotted the treeline.

She landed on a branch beside Smidge and pressed a hand to her side.

Yeah. She definitely had cracked ribs. Fatigue was replacing the last dregs of adrenaline from the encounter with the Clawlossus. And with it brought every ounce of pain from the encounter. She was just lucky that her wings weren't hurt.

Because as she tried to catalogue her aches, she realized that her arm was sore and a sharp pain was creeping from her wrist. She didn't think anything was completely broken…she wasn't having any problems moving, but there were definitely injuries that needed to be treated soon. Before they caused her more problems.

"Smidge, you've been really quiet…are you hurt?"

"I don't think so?" Smidge answered with a question, stretching and turning her arms. "I've been quiet so we can hear if anything else comes after us," she grumbled.

Maya nodded slowly.

"Well, I have good news and bad news…the good news is that we haven't wandered too far east…the bad news is that we're going to have to find a place to shelter for the night because we're not gonna be able to get back to Sophie before it gets too dark."

"Can we shelter in that old city?"

Maya shook her head.

"The old Funk cities are hotspots for Snow Trolls," she sighed. "Ideally, we can find a hollow in one of these trees, just in case it snows tonight…the sky looks clear but that can change in an instant."

"And if we can't…?" Smidge swallowed.

"I can show you how to make a shelter with the branches, but we need to be off the ground," she said darkly.

Fortunately, they found an unoccupied hollow in that very tree and they were able to set up for the night. Maya made a makeshift door out of pine needle clusters.

The two of them ate a light dinner and slept in shifts. And in the morning, they headed south. And as they went, it was quiet and uneventful. Which set off Maya's nerves.

It had been a while since she'd been out in the wild without a transport critter, but she still remembered. Usually, when it was too quiet there was a predator on the prowl.

"Isn't it a little quiet…?" Smidge asked softly. Maya nodded and pulled out her machete. Smidge blinked and pulled out her own weapon.

They moved quietly, alert to any noises and ready to defend themselves. There was a soft rustling and Maya held out a hand in front of Smidge. The moment they stopped moving, the rustling stopped, but a soft growl reached them.

The sound was quiet enough that it probably wasn't anything too big this time. And a lot of predators in Maya's experience were less adept at sneaking. So, that cut down the options of what they'd be facing this time.

She narrowed her eyes, looking in the direction of the growling. She spotted white and her breath halted. But she relaxed a little when she saw a creature bigger than even the biggest Country Troll rose into view. It was probably a fox.

Sure enough, when the creature lunged at them and Maya dove out of the way, easier this time with the smaller size of the fox. Smidge rolled clear of the creature and the fox tried to divide its attention.

The good thing with foxes…they were one of the few predators that Maya found could be 'reasoned with'. Just show it that you were a bigger threat and they would submit to even a Classical Troll. And Smidge was one of the strongest Pop Trolls in the Tribe.

The critter focused on Maya, the bigger target. She squared her stance, brandishing the machete and keeping eye contact with the fox. It hesitated as she stretched her hair.

Teal hair flew in front of her and wrapped around the fox's narrow snout. Smidge squeezed her hair and the fox whimpered.

"I've got it," the Teaspoon grumbled. Maya nodded and jumped up to grab the fox by the ear. It whined.

"Yeah, and Foxes can be dealt with better than killing it. They're smarter than some other preds," she laughed. "They know when to accept defeat and do whatever the stronger fighter wants. Hop on, we're gonna ride it out of here!"

Smidge laughed and hopped up to join her. The Teaspoon retracted her hair and the fox started trying to shake them off. Maya yanked on its ear and it stilled.

"Are you sure about this?" Smidge mumbled.

"Yep. I've done this before," she assured. "Once."

Maya yanked the fox's ear to make it turn around. The fox started running and they got to a clearing. Maya pulled its ear and got it to stop.

"Can you see the sun? I've got to keep this thing under control."

"Uh…," Smidge grumbled. "Looks like we're still heading south. The sun on the left means we're heading south, right?"

Maya looked at her watch.

"It's morning, so yes," she agreed, then pressed the fox forward.

Chapter Text

It was well into the afternoon when the fox carried Maya and Smidge out of the woods. They were a little off course from where they'd left Sophie, but that wasn't a problem.

The two of them got off the fox and it darted back into the woods. Maya pulled a whistle out of her hair and blew it.

"And now we wait," she sighed, sitting down on a small rock.

Smidge sat beside her and they waited for the caterbus in silence. Sophie trundled up to them after a while, fresh looking claw marks marring her face. Maya leapt up and ran to check on the critter.

"Oh, my gah…," Smidge gasped.

Inspecting the wounds, they were too large to be a Troll's doing, so most likely Creek had gotten just as turned around as they had fleeing the Clawlossus.

"I think she's all right…caterbuses are pretty tough…," Maya sighed, though she pulled out a first aid kit and treated the cuts.

"What do you think did that?" Smidge mumbled.

"Whatever it was, she got away from it," she pointed out. "All right…let's get to Lonesome Flats!"

They got in the caterbus and Maya steered them towards Country territory.

"Hey, Maya…was this always here…?" Smidge asked. Maya frowned and looked.

"Oh! I didn't even notice it! Some transport critters have cameras in their eyes…we can get with a critternarian in Lonesome Flats to see if Sophie got pictures of whatever attacked her."

The little box that Smidge found indicating that Sophie had the camera eyes was blinking at least, like Sophie wanted them to find it.

Viva marvelled at the village. According to Branch and Poppy both, when they rebuilt the village went through some major changes. But it was impressive!

There was a covered market, and a critter corral…and the fence and the lava pit. And the lake!

There was just so much. And they even had a hotel.

It was so cute, and…

"Poppy?" she started as they walked passed the building to head towards the clinic. Her sister looked at her curiously. "Is there a reason the hotel is a windmill?"

"Right…um…Branch didn't tell you on the way here?" Poppy asked and Viva shook her head. "Of course, he didn't…even though I told him that family can know…"

"Poppy?"

"I'll explain in private," she promised. Viva frowned, but let it be. "And Dad's stayed pretty holed up in his pod lately…I'm kind of worried about him, but at the same time…"

"He's doing it to himself?"

"Yeah…and…you know he didn't tell me about you…it was JD and Floyd…," Poppy sighed.

"He…what?!" she gasped. She knew that he probably decided they were all dead, but not even telling her sister about a lost family member?

"He made everyone spread the lie that everyone got out of Bergentown together…," she hissed.

"What the heck?!" Viva covered her mouth, horrified. "I kind of figured he assumed we were all dead but…that's horrible. And that kind of explains why JD said you're not really on speaking terms with our father lately…"

"Yeah…when I found out just how much he was lying to my face…and then what he did to Branch's family? Icing on the cupcake," Poppy grumbled.

"And…it's so diverse now…," Viva noted.

"Yep! Once I opened the borders, as it were, we've had Trolls come in from all over."

"Queen Poppy!" someone gasped, running up. "There's an issue with the pod stuff…"

"Torrent can't handle it?" Poppy groaned. "He's the one in charge of this project."

Viva blinked in surprise. The way she'd been raised…she was expected to jump when there was a problem, even if it was something someone else could handle. That's how she and Clay ran things at Hole 'N Fun too…even if it was someone else's project, if someone called for help, they ran to help.

"R-Right…okay, I'll talk to him," they mumbled before heading off.

"Poppy, you could have gone to handle it…," Viva mumbled.

"I'm trying to get everyone out of the habit of demanding my help over every little thing," Poppy sighed. "I have an entire Tribe to run, things our ancestors fucked up to fix…a baby on the way…this is why I have a council. To help take care of things."

"Queen Poppy!" a red Glitter Troll called, rushing over. "You have a letter," he handed off an envelope.

"Thank you, Archer," Poppy took the letter. "Where's it from?"

"I'm not sure? I don't even know what kind of creature it was that brought it…but it came from the north."

"Ooh, was it a beach ball bird?"

"I don't think so…"

"Hm…then was it gold or silver…a bird with metallic feathers and long tail?"

"Yes!"

"Ooh great! That was a treble bird from the Classical Tribe! I should get in contact with Bridge and get a book or something on every Tribe's mail critters. The Country Tribe is the only one that uses post Trolls, after all. Have you heard from your brother recently?" the queen asked and Archer blanched. Poppy gave a knowing smirk. "You should invite him to the village some time."

With that, Poppy hooked her arm in Viva's and led her away. Viva glanced back to see Archer practically fleeing to another part of the village.

"Uh…what was that about?"

Poppy shook her head and took Viva to a hollowed-out tree stump. There wasn't anyone in there, and Poppy put a sign on the door that read: In a meeting❣ Do not disturb❣

"Have a seat," Poppy encouraged, motioning towards a large table. Viva sat down, glancing around the space. There was a board directly by the table full of charts and notes, but there were sections of the room seemingly dedicated to other charts with cabinets and little desks. If she had to guess, this was where Poppy and her council met instead of a pod. "Welcome to the Dungeon," Poppy giggled. "Where all the decisions of the village are made."

"Dungeon?" Viva echoed.

Poppy sat across from her and explained about some crazy time travel magic that was forced on her. How this tree stump, the Dungeon, had been an actual dungeon they created because of a misunderstanding. How Archer Pastry wasn't even a Troll, but really a member of a group known as 'the Party Crashers' who was spying on them, aiming to decimate their stores of party supplies.

"Jokes on them," Poppy laughed. "Because Sky has a never-ending supply…they'll have to uproot the trees he uses for most everything before we'd run out of party supplies. So, they'd get tired of us first."

Viva nodded slowly, wondering how that could be possible. Before she could ask though, Poppy continued on about the future that no longer existed. How she met JD then compared to this time, and then…how they finally met. Poppy had designed the hotel to be like one of the windmills at Hole 'N Fun to help Viva and the Putt Putts feel more comfortable.

"That's so sweet," Viva laughed. "And…I'm guessing no one outside the family knows all this…?"

"Well, Smidge and DJ, who are my absolute best friends. And…Creek. Well, he used to know, he's forgotten everything by now. Maya and Smidge are currently taking him up north to be banished…," the queen sighed.

"Why? What did he do…?"

"He's the one who did this. Meddled with time…and since he couldn't change what he wanted, he's paying the price. The magic that was used to bring me and Creek back in time is turning him into a monster. He's already broken someone's arm, and it's only getting worse. But he's technically still a Troll and he hasn't technically done anything illegal. Since, y'know, we don't have rules about assault and stuff like that yet. So, we told everyone that he was poisoned and there's an herb that only grows up in the mountains that he has to eat fresh for it to cure him…"

"But really, they're just gonna leave him up there to die?"

"A Snow Troll, the creature he's turning into, can only survive in the freezing cold. Despite everything he's done, we're giving him a chance. If he ends up dying up there, that's his own fault," Poppy said darkly.

"Do you know what he wanted to change…?"

"Me and Branch getting together. Creek was the one that Dad wanted me to marry. And Creek was so convinced that Branch stole the position from him…when really it was all Creek's fault in the first place. How could he think I'd ever want to be with someone who betrayed us and nearly got us all killed? And then when he got back to the Tribe, he continued being selfish and hateful to anyone that didn't bend to his whims or match the old policies…"

Viva blinked.

"So…how did you and Branch get together before…?"

"We started off as friends after the incident in Bergentown…he and the guys were a big help in saving everyone…but even before that, I had a crush on him. And then as we got close as friends, that crush grew…we started dating after a while, because we both wanted to be more than friends. We didn't say anything, but I think we both knew that it would last…I moved into the bunker and we expanded it so the Tribe could be more comfortable if we had to use it as a shelter for everyone again. He only built it for five, after all…not barely over two hundred…then, the night I was dragged back to the beginning of everything…he proposed."

"So, this time…you guys just had a romance speedrun?" she chuckled.

"Not on purpose!" Poppy groaned. "But apparently, some things 'linger' between timelines…and by the time we got home from saving everyone this time…we were together. We accidentally conceived Alice on his birthday…"

Viva couldn't help but giggle. There honestly were worse things. And she understood accidental eggs…Dyna had been an accident, after all…the best accident ever, but still an accident.

"So…where's Spruce?"

"Bruce," Poppy corrected. "He settled on Vacay Island in Techno territory and changed his name to Bruce. He's married to a Vacaytioner and they have thirteen kids."

"And…have you told Floyd and John Dory and Branch about them?"

"Yeah. These kids are easily two to three times our size! They have to be prepared for that when we get out to Vacay Island to get in touch with Bruce!"

"And you knew about Dyna," she guessed. Poppy nodded. "But you didn't warn them about her? Why?"

"It's…different. She's my niece too…and I wanted to be able to act surprised when we went to Hole 'N Fun to see you guys…I'm not the best actor when I'm excited…so…I've been trying to pretend that I don't know about her…"

Viva couldn't help but laugh about that. She was the same. Or at least…she used to be. She wasn't sure if that was still the case. Something broke in her at Hole 'N Fun…

"I can understand that…," Viva mumbled. "So…you think we can go see Dad now?"

Poppy nodded and they left the building. Her sister took a moment to put the sign away before they went to the Royal Pods. The cluster was almost identical to the one Viva grew up with. The largest pod was probably where their father and his council had met…the next was King Peppy's pod…the only other pod in the cluster was probably Poppy's. It looked almost the same as Viva's old pod, except it was pink and green instead of pink and yellow.

"You didn't move into a bigger pod when you became queen?"

"Nope. I moved into the bunker," Poppy chirped. "Branch isn't comfortable in normal pods. And like I said…I moved in with him in--we're calling it 'the Dream' by the way--the first time…do you have a sticky hand with you? Because I can help you get up there if you don't…"

"Aw, you remembered that I can't stretch it anymore?"

"Of course! I remember everything about you from then…"

Viva nodded slowly and pulled a sticky hand out of her hair. She used it to swing up to their father's pod and Poppy followed. Viva knocked on the door, reminding herself that Peppy was old and it really wasn't worth it to hold a grudge against him for what he did.

"Come in!" he called and she froze. He sounded so much older. A hand rested on her shoulder and Viva snapped out of it, opening the door and stepping inside.

Viva looked at her father. He really looked so different than she remembered.

"Hey, Dad…," she greeted him. He blinked at her, like he didn't recognize her.

"Dad, you remember Viva…right?" Poppy tried.

"How do you know about her?" he gasped. Viva held her tongue. Poppy warned her, and clearly, he wanted to continue hiding her existence.

"We're not having that conversation," Poppy hissed.

"She's dead…you know how--"

"I'm not dead!" Viva finally snapped, cutting him off. "And neither is Clay! Or ninety of the ninety-five Trolls you left for dead in those Tunnels! Pretending we never existed in the first place doesn't change that we were alive and scared and hoping you were okay! Almost everyone faded…and we were terrified for years that Coda was just an exception to the idea that 'the Grey' was fatal…"

Poppy squeezed Viva's shoulder gently. There was finally a hint of recognition in his eyes.

"Viva…? It's really you…?" he gasped. "Please tell me you found someone better for you than that--"

That was the last straw! Viva darted right up to him, and planted her fist in his face, effectively silencing him.

"Don't you ever insult him again!" she growled. Peppy tumbled to the ground a few inches away from Viva and she glared at him. "All my life you were insulting him and his family! Trying to get me to stop being friends with him…and then--" she shuddered. "And then trying to get me to marry someone else. Why? Because he's two-thirds Rock? Or because of the Shelter and the digging?"

Peppy stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Look at what he's done to you!" he complained.

"No," she bit. "He didn't do anything to me except keep me from fading all these years, even when he was Grey. Clay didn't do anything but run our community with me! He didn't do anything beyond keeping us safe. He didn't do anything but give me a wonderful daughter. A daughter that you will have nothing to do with," she ranted.

"Viva…let's go," Poppy sighed.

"You're going to let her talk to me like that?" Peppy demanded of the young queen.

"Yes," Poppy groaned. "I am. You hurt both of us! Our partners. And the entire Tribe. Or did you think that twenty years of literally forcing silence about trauma and loss would just…disappear?" she bit before turning to leave. "You're dead to this family."

Viva nodded in agreement and the two of them left the pod.

Chapter Text

They got to Lonesome Flats without further incident and Maya was extremely happy to see the sprawling town. Her ribs were really starting to hurt. They couldn't hustle. And Smidge was starting to complain that her hair hurt. Probably overworked while they were trying to survive.

She steered to the critternarian.

"We'll go to the hospital after we get Sophie checked in," she sighed.

"Okay," Smidge agreed easily. They got out of the critter and Maya walked over to the clerk. "This is so different from the village…"

"Bigger Tribe," Maya pointed out.

"Howdy, y'all!" the clerk, Sally-Mae if she remembered correctly, greeted. "What can Ah do ya for this lovely afternoon?"

"Well, while we were in Old Funk Territory, our caterbus, Sophie, was attacked. Her hustle-drive seems to be damaged and she's kind of banged up…"

"Y'all sure it weren't a Snow Troll?"

"Pretty sure," Maya sighed. "The claw marks are too far apart for it to have even been a former Country Troll."

"And y'all don' know what attacked 'er?"

"Unfortunately, no…but she does have a camera feature…"

"That'll work," the clerk laughed. "We're kinda busy right now, what with the herd troubles we been havin' but we'll get to 'er as fast as we can. What's yer caterbus' name?"

"Sophie. And I'm Maya Flamebane," she introduced.

"Gotcha. D'y'all have a room booked at the inn already?"

"We're actually probably gonna bunk with Delta Dawn."

"All right. Ah'm Sally-Mae, an' Ah'll be sure to let y'all know any updates," Sally-Mae drawled, writing down the information. "We'll get with ya about billing later."

"Of course," Maya laughed before she and Smidge left the critternarian office. Maya led the way to the hospital.

"Everything's so big here," Smidge noted as they walked.

"Well, yeah," Maya laughed. "You see the size of the average Country Troll. But they had stuff to make things easier for Teaspoon Trolls. Well, technically the accommodations were designed with Classical travellers in mind, but the average Classical Troll is about Teaspoon sized."

"Wow. You'd think the other Tribes are awful with the way King Peppy acts…"

"They're just different…sure there are some Trolls that are just as racist as Peppy, but the vast majority are chill," Maya shrugged. "You'll find the most open-minded folks in Country, Techno and Funk. Rock's kinda aging out of the racism…but Classical…Trollzart's struggling with changing things."

They got to the hospital and Maya went to the desk. Smidge followed her.

"Howdy Maya!" Bee, the same secretary from Maya's university days, greeted them. "Y'all writin' another book?"

"No," she chuckled, but flinched as pain struck her from the movement. She'd been managing just fine, but that tweaked her ribs.

"What's wrong?" Bee gasped.

"Oh, I was nearly crushed by a Clawlossus the other day," she tried to sound casual.

"What in Dolly's name? Where'd ya run int' one 'o those?!"

"Up in old Funk territory…," Smidge answered.

"Oh, my gods…I don' ev'n wanna know why y'all were up there…both o' y'all need to get checked out, though," she stated. "Ah'll let the ER know yer on the way, but Ah jus' need some info. Ah already know Maya's stuff, but y'all…?"

"Okay…what do you need to know?" Smidge grumbled as Maya went to sit down, holding her side.

After a long minute, Smidge joined her.

"We in the system?" she asked, moving to get up. Apparently whatever injuries she had were done being manageable, because pain shot through her side and she bit back a shout.

"Criminently! Stay put, Maya," Bee gasped, picking up a radio. "Patient assistance needed in th' lobby."

"Copy that," someone replied.

"Rock," Bee said plainly. There was another affirmative and after a moment, a nurse pushed a cart out.

The nurse 'helped' Maya onto the cart by simply scooping her up carefully and setting her on the bed.

Maya blushed in embarrassment as she was carted to the ER. Of course, embarrassed as she was, she wasn't going to argue or struggle. She knew that her injuries were worse than she thought.

Smidge watched them take Maya back and worried her lip. She didn't know where to go…her guide was being rushed to be examined!

"Y'all need some help gettin' to the ER?" Bee asked amiably. Smidge nodded.

"I've never left Pop territory before this," she grumbled.

"Well, Ah can show y'all to the ER. Ah think all our doctors are available, so y'all shouldn' have ta wait for long."

They got to the ER and Smidge looked around. She found a chair and sat to wait. She'd lied to Maya when she said that the only thing wrong was her was her hair hurting. Because Maya would have put her problems aside to focus on Smidge when her problems were worse.

Smidge probably sprained her hair…and her arm was killing her, which probably meant she'd pulled a muscle. But Maya clearly had hurt her ribs. And she'd noticed Maya avoiding using her right arm…so the Crystal Troll's arm was probably hurt too.

"Smidge?" someone called and Smidge perked up. Bee was right…that was quick. She hopped off of the chair and hurried over.

"Right here!" she laughed.

"Nice ta meet ya," the nurse chuckled. "Ah'm Anne. So, Bee said that you were attacked by a Clawlossus?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "It didn't get me as bad as Maya, but…"

"None o' that now," she chided. "We don' wanna overlook anythin' 'cause y'all think it ain't that bad."

Smidge nodded and didn't argue with any of the examinations. And they examined everything. X-rays and stress tests.

Delta Dawn heard about Maya and Smidge being at the hospital pretty soon after they arrived. The mayor went straight to the hospital to check on them, but they were both in examinations. So, she waited for them to be ready for visitors.

"Howdy, Mayor Delta," Anne greeted. She looked up to see the nurse stepping out to the lobby. "We tol' Smidge yer here to see 'em. An' yer good to go back."

"How's Maya doing?" she asked urgently.

"Still gettin' checked out. So far, it looks like Smidge jus' has a pulled muscle, sprained wrist, an' she sprained 'er hair," the nurse said lightly as she led Delta to a room.

"Howdy Smidge," Delta greeted when they were in the room. "How ya feelin'?"

Smidge simply shrugged.

"Not as bad as I could be," she said gruffly. "Any news about Maya? Anne said she didn't know anything yet…"

"All Ah got was that she's still gettin' checked out," she shrugged.

She sat down to wait, chatting with Smidge about what happened.

"I wasn't even supposed to be on this trip," Smidge grumbled. "Maya wanted to go alone to a dangerous territory with a Troll that can barely walk. So, I stowed away," she shrugged as best she could. "And sure enough…Creek hobbled away like a coward and probably got himself eaten while we were trying to survive the Clawlossus…"

"Y'all didn't go lookin' for him?"

"We got lost when we got away from it," Smidge defended. Delta got the feeling there was more to it, but she didn't press.

After a while, a doctor came in. Specifically, Dr Indiana, a lovely young Satyr who was actually Delta's family physician.

"Well, Smidge, we got the results from your tests back, and--" he paused, blinking at Delta. "Oh, howdy Mayor Delta. I need to discuss this with Miss Smidge alone…you know how it is…"

"Ah'm family," she said firmly. "Ah know the law…an' y'all can disclose medical information to family members."

"Right…," he sighed. "Of course. I have good news, Miss Smidge. Our first assessments were correct, and there are no underlying issues. From your x-rays, I'm guessing you've had broken bones and sprains before?"

"Yep," Smidge laughed. "You don't get to be one of the strongest Trolls in the Pop Tribe without some mishaps," she bragged.

"Then you're familiar with taking care of a sprained wrist and pulled muscle?"

"Very," she sighed. "My hair's gonna be a problem…I depend on it for almost everything…"

"What do you mean?"

"There aren't many Teaspoons left…and Poppy barely got better accommodations for us and the Fuzzlings set up…," she explained. "We're still getting used to it…and I've spent my whole life without those accommodations, so…"

"What the hell kinda leaders did Poppy take over for? Everythin' Ah hear about the Pop Tribe, even now…just makes me feel sorry for 'er tryin' ta clean it all up…"

"Well, you won't have to worry about accommodations here," Indiana sighed. "If you don't have a place to stay lined up…," he trailed off and Delta cleared her throat. "Right…well, to be on the safe side, we're going to put your arm in a cast. Once that sets, you'll be free to go."

"An' are there any updates on Maya Flamebane?" Delta asked.

"Yes, some of--" he broke off as Anne came into the room.

"Oh, sorry!" Anne laughed. "Ah jus' came ta get Smidge ta get 'er cast. Ah can come back when yer done," she offered.

"Ah can pass the information to 'er," Delta promised.

"Yeah, I want to get the cast over with…," Smidge grumbled. Delta quirked an eyebrow. Casts weren't that much of a hassle…she herself had broken limbs before and had to get casts. But maybe it was one of many things that Pop did differently.

Smidge left the room with Anne and Delta sighed.

"Ah get the feelin' that she's expectin' somthin' very different…," she groaned. "So, Indy, y'all were sayin'?"

"Right," he cleared his throat. "Maya's in much worse shape than she let on. She didn't just crack ribs in the altercation…two of her ribs are broken. She was just lucky with all the movement that the broken rib didn't shift to do internal damage," he sighed. "And, like Smidge, she sprained a wrist and pulled muscles. However, her sprained wrist was made worse from the use…it's honestly a miracle that they're both alive at this point…"

"How long're y'all lookin' at Maya bein' in here?"

"At least a month," Indiana sighed. "We've already let her know, before we put her under anaesthesia to set her ribs."

"All right. Ah'll let the rest o' the family know," Delta sighed heavily. "An' when y'all're done gettin' Smidge taken care of, lemme know. Ah got stuff to take care of."

"Yes ma'am," he chuckled and Delta left the hospital. Her first stop was her office, to write Poppy a letter to let her know what was going on, then she went home.

Maya woke, sore and groggy from the anaesthesia. She honestly hadn't expected her injuries to be bad enough to require surgery. But she wasn't surprised in the end.

She was a little upset (again not surprised) that they wanted to keep her in the Country hospital for a month at the minimum.

She'd have to let her brothers and Poppy know what was going on. But then again, as mayor, Delta most likely knew she was here, so she probably already sent out a letter.

Either way, she settled in for the recovery. Well, at least she could read to pass the time.

After a few days, the critternarian let Delta know that there was an update on Sophie. So, Smidge went to see how the caterbus was. She at least remembered the way to the critternarian. And Delta and Belladonna gave her a tour of town. There was just a lot of ground to cover.

She got to the critternarian office and waved at Sally-Mae.

"Howdy! Smidge, right?" the secretary greeted.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Delta Dawn said you guys had an update on Sophie?"

"Yep. Come sit down, Ah'll show ya what we found."

Smidge nodded and went to a table with Sally-Mae. The Country Troll pulled up a chair for her and she sat gratefully. Sally-Mae sat across from her and pulled out some pictures.

"She was actually attacked by several things," she informed, laying out the pictures. "Looks like a Troll tried to get in but she wouldn't let 'em," she pointed to a picture of Creek trying to force his way into the caterbus. "I dunno, he seemed kinda like a Snow Troll, but he ain't a full Snow Troll, Ah guess?"

"Almost…he's why we were up there…letting him loose up there before things got out of control…," Smidge sighed.

"But he ain't the one that scratched 'er up," Sally-Mae continued. "Looks like a juvenile bear tried to have Sophie for lunch," she laughed, showing another picture. "By the video, she's a fighter. Which is rare for a caterbus. An' then," she moved to another picture, this one of a squirrel taking a swipe at Sophie. "A squirrel came at 'er. So, between the bear and the squirrel, that's how 'er hustle drive got wrecked and all the scratches. It'll take another couple o' days to get 'er fixed up, but it's all fixable," Sally-Mae assured.

"That's fine. Maya's stuck in the hospital for at least a month," Smidge told her.

Poppy read the letter from Trollzart once she got back to the bunker from Viva's tour. The letter was a simple and polite introduction. And a standing invitation for her or any of her Trolls to come visit Symphonyville to learn about each other's cultures. She quickly wrote a reply, extending the same courtesy if any of them ever wanted to see the forest.

A few days later, just as she was wondering where Maya and Smidge were, a Country Troll trotted into the village. She was in the middle of helping Floyd get his little construction business set up near the pod designers. Of all careers for Floyd to pick up, this wasn't what she expected. Last time, he'd become a Manager.

"Hey James!" Floyd greeted brightly.

"Howdy, Floyd!" the post Troll (she noticed his saddlebag loaded with letters) laughed. "Can y'all direct me ta the post office? Ah got a letter for Queen Poppy."

Poppy perked up about that. She dusted her hands and turned fully to him.

"I'm Queen Poppy," she greeted, holding out a hand. He chuckled and shook her hand before pulling out a letter.

"Then, this is for y'all," James said lightly, handing over the letter. "Ah'd still like to know where yer post office is."

"Of course!" she laughed. "Floyd, are you all right here?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Thanks for your help, Popstar."

She giggled and led James to the post office.

"Busy run?" she asked conversationally as they walked.

"Kinda," James shrugged. "Ah got letters for Rock and Techno to hand off."

"Well, I know that's a really long trip. If you need a place to rest, we do have a hotel. And you're welcome to get a bite to eat in our market before you go," she offered.

"Now, that's mighty kind o' ya, yer highness," he chuckled.

"It's no problem!" she laughed before going somewhere private to read the letter.

It was from Delta! But…it wasn't good news.

Chapter Text

 John Dory was both furious and terrified. His sister had tried to go up to the mountains alone to dispose of Creek (because he couldn't think of it as anything else) heading up to a Snow Troll infested region without backup. It made him glad to hear that Poppy's friend Smidge had stowed away for that mission. But he felt like she could have waited at least one or two days so that he or another member of the family with more survival experience could go.

And then they heard that Maya and Smidge ran into a Clawlossus up there! Maya was hurt enough to have to stay in the hospital for over a month. He just hoped she wouldn't miss Alice hatching. Their niece's due date and Floyd's birthday were both coming up fast.

Maya was in for a surprise when she made it home. Since Viva and Clay came to them…sure, they still had to go to Hole 'N Fun to get everyone else, but that wouldn't be too difficult. They could probably get a few angler busses from the Rock Tribe to transport them, so they didn't need to take multiple trips.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was on a mission. With the money situation settling over the Pop Tribe, he needed a job so he didn't feel like he was mooching off Branch and Poppy. Avery was even talking about getting a job. His husband was planning to be a teacher, since the education system was shifting to better 'match' the other Tribes.

While Avery was off with the current teachers going through a crash course on teaching stuff beyond Pop's previous norm. What they were doing before, only teaching kids the bare minimum…wasn't what they wanted to do anymore. There was even going to be a survival course! It only took them twenty years (and getting a badass warrior queen) to acknowledge that the world was dangerous.

Avery was lined up to teach the survival classes, with a smaller class of kids like Keith who couldn't really sing, teaching them how to make music without the emphasis on singing. That was another thing he was happy for them about. Trolls that couldn't sing forced themselves because there was such an emphasis on singing and no real alternatives…it had been a problem for generations. Same for Glitter Trolls that couldn't autotune.

John just wasn't sure what he could do. There wasn't really a band scene…and he wasn't even sure he'd be good at being a music manager. He was too much of a perfectionist despite all efforts. He could always work security…but that seemed like it would be too dangerous when he had a kid to take care of. Keith had already lost one parent to a risky job…he didn't feel comfortable putting that kind of worry on him.

Then he spotted it. Milton was expanding the Critter Sanctuary, even moving it to be closer to the Critter Park, with several of the newcomers having travel critters…and with Gary and Sophie. He needed extra hands with experience working with travel critters. JD had lived in armadillo busses for a little over twenty years and he'd done most of the maintenance on Rita and Rhonda.

So, that's where he went.

"Hey, John Dory!" Milton greeted brightly. "Did you need something?"

"I saw your 'help wanted' notice on the community board," he shrugged. "I've got some experience with travel critters, so I figured I'd put my name in for consideration."

"Oh, well okay then. I'm not very picky at the moment. I just need help," the younger Troll laughed. "We're still building the new office, but when it's ready I'll need help moving everything…for now…when can you start?"

"As soon as you need me," he chuckled.

It was a month and a half before Maya was recovered enough for them to release her from the hospital. By then, Smidge was pretty much recovered too. Maya was beyond stir crazy. And she was glad to be released, even if it was with the strict instruction to take it easy. She didn't plan on doing anything strenuous, mainly because survival wasn't part of her daily life anymore.

"We need to get back to Pop Village," Smidge grumbled as they left the hospital from getting their casts removed.

"What's the--" Maya broke off, realizing just how long it had been. "The baby!" she gasped. "Do you know what the date is? Because I did the math and Alice should be hatching around Floyd's birthday."

"We can ask…," Smidge shrugged. Maya ran to Delta's house.

Kelly Joe was working on some homework in the living room when they got there. The young girl looked up from her work.

"Oh! I thought Mama was gonna meet y'all at the hospital for your release…?" she questioned softly.

"Something came up at work," Smidge informed.

"Kelly Joe, what's the date?" Maya asked urgently.

"July third…why?"

Maya grimaced. They'd barely have time to get back!

"How long do you think that gives us?" Smidge fretted.

"Floyd's birthday is on the sixth. We have just barely enough time to make it. As long as she doesn't hatch early, and we leave today…we'll make it," she sighed.

"What's goin' on?" Kelly Joe asked. "Who's havin' a baby?"

"Branch and Poppy. You saw the egg when you visited before," she pointed out. Kelly Joe lit up at that.

"Can Ah go with y'all?!"

"If your parents give you permission," Maya laughed. "We can ask once I'm done getting Sophie signed out from the critternarian."

"Ah'ma pack!" Kelly Joe packed up her homework and ran to her bedroom.

"Hopefully Delta Dawn and Belladonna give her permission…," Smidge noted. "I have a few souvenirs I've bought that I need to pack up," she added before heading to the guest room. Maya chuckled and headed for the Critternarian.

"Be right with y'all!" Sally-Mae called from the next room. There was a disgruntled moo almost immediately. After a minute, the secretary came out, drying her arms. "Sorry 'bout that. One o' the adorabulls decided it would be the perfect time to go inta labour when everyone else was busy."

"It's fine, when a baby's ready, the baby's ready," Maya shrugged. "Speaking of babies though…I need Sophie so we can get home before my niece hatches…"

"Gotcha," Sally-Mae chuckled. She rifled through her papers and the computer. "Welp, she's fixed up and ready to go. Y'all want I should just mail ya the bill?"

"My money's with the Funk Tribe," Maya sighed. "So, you can send the bill to the bank there, my accountant is Luna Jones."

Sally-Mae wrote that down.

"Gotcha. We'll get that taken care of. If y'all can sign this while Ah go bring 'er 'round," she hurried off after sliding a packet to Maya.

She smiled and looked it over. The packet detailed the repairs they did and a few other things. Like, vaccinations they gave Sophie and an extra tune-up. At the end of the packet was a total charge and she winced. That would put a dent in her account. Well, once Poppy had the money system fixed with the Pop Tribe, working at the clinic would build her account back up.

She signed the form and headed outside. Sophie wiggled excitedly when she spotted Maya and she smiled. She shook hands with Sally-Mae and went to pet Sophie.

"Were you a good girl for them?" she cooed and Sophie sniffed at her a moment before licking her. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, let's get you to the lot."

After she finished taking care of Sophie, Maya went to find either Delta or Belladonna. The clocktower chimed noon and she spotted the Trolls she was looking for heading to the mess hall. She hurried to join them in the line.

"Howdy, Maya," Delta greeted. "Sorry Ah couldn' be at the hospital to help get y'all checked out."

"It's fine. I understand how work goes," she assured. "But…after lunch, we've got to head home."

"What's the rush? Y'all just got outta the hospital, Maya," Delta sighed. Then she blinked. "Aw hell's bells…the baby outta be hatchin' soon, huh?"

"And Kelly Joe wants to come with us," she added.

"Well, I don't see why she can't," Belladonna chuckled. "It's summer break."

"Honey…," Delta groaned. "It's busy season at the vault an' Ah've got a full schedule, with the drought on th' other side o' the territory an' the blight tearin' up the herds…"

"She'll be fine with her cousins," Bel pressed. "We were just talking about how she should spend some time with Pop…to get to know my side of her heritage…"

"Oh, all right," Delta relented. "Jus'…get 'er home afore September…school starts back up on September first…"

"Of course," she agreed easily. They got their food and went to a spot to eat.

The village was bustling with the Pod Project, as it had been deemed. Poppy and Viva were personally going through the old royal pods. After all Peppy wasn't going to be much use for this.

He had officially been diagnosed with dementia and he was severely declining. According to the nurse that went to take care of him on the daily, he couldn't even remember his own name sometimes. And it had only gotten worse since Poppy officially cut ties with him. The former king had gone Grey and he was eating less and less.

"Poppy?" Viva pressed as they went through the old council pod.

"Hm?" she looked at her sister.

"Are you okay? You went quiet for a while…"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured.

"We can take a break if you need," Viva sighed.

"No, I want to get this over with."

"Are you worried about Dad?"

"Kind of? I feel kind of responsible for him being Grey…," Poppy sighed, shuffling a stack of papers. Most of the council pod was furniture and paperwork that detailed the annual sacrifice. Their family and the council had always been subtly sacrificing Trolls for Trollstice.

"Poppy, he brought it on himself…," her sister pointed out. "Sure, us cutting him off was the final straw…but honestly…this really is his own fault in the end."

"Right…," she blew her bangs a little. "You're right. All of this paperwork we should burn. No one needs to know that he and our ancestors were literally sacrificing Trolls…"

"Yeah," Viva agreed. "We can repurpose the furniture at least…"

"Queen Poppy!" someone shouted from outside. She tried to place the voice, but she was drawing a blank. Which meant whoever was looking for her was probably one of the newcomers that she hadn't gotten to know very well yet.

The sisters went outside.

"What's wrong?" Poppy called. Oh! It was Cynthia, a Funk Troll who'd come to help with the bank.

"I was free, so I thought I could come find you…," Cynthia started. "One of the scouts spotted a caterbus coming out of a hustle and heading for the village. One of them thought it might be Sophie?"

"Oh!" Poppy squealed. "Viva, tape up that door. I'm gonna go make sure if it's Sophie or not."

"Okidoke," Viva laughed, giving a playful salute before pulling out the 'do not enter' tape.

Poppy ran to the fence and went to one of the guard houses.

"Lemme see," she laughed. Jade handed her a telescope and pointed to where they spotted the caterbus.

"They're heading straight to us from that direction," Jade said. Poppy nodded and looked. Sure enough, there was a caterbus skittering along the path.

It certainly looked like Sophie. Poppy shifted her gaze to try and see who was in the windshield. She squealed happily when she recognized Maya.

"It is!" she handed back the telescope. "And they're just in time, too!"

She rushed from the guard house and to the Critter Park as the gate was opening. Viva caught up with her as she got to the barn.

"Well?"

"It's Maya and Smidge! Milton!" she called towards the new Critter Sanctuary where Milton had moved his critternarian office. "They're back!"

Milton and JD stumbled out and Poppy blinked. She knew that John had gotten a job, but she made the mistake of not asking what that job was.

Sophie pulled into the barn and Maya hopped out. Poppy ran to hug her, as gently as possible since her sister-in-law was still recovering from broken ribs. Smidge wasn't so lucky as she stepped out only to be tackled to the ground by Milton. Then, Kelly Joe stepped out.

"Hey, Kelly Joe!" Poppy greeted, releasing Maya to hug their cousin. "Where are your parents?"

"They had to stay home," Kelly Joe laughed. "Mama's got 'er hands full bein' mayor and it's busy season at the vault, so Ba's too busy to get away…they both say hi, though!"

Poppy giggled and turned back to Maya, who was staring at Viva.

"Maya, this is my sister, Viva," Poppy introduced.

"It's fabtastic to finally meet you!" Maya laughed, hugging Viva. "We haven't missed it, have we?"

"No, Alice hasn't hatched yet," she assured. "Milton, share your girlfriend."

Milton didn't even pause in peppering Smidge's face with kisses. Poppy shook her head. She could give Smidge a hug later.

"I'll be back in a little while," John sighed before the whole family headed for the bunker. As they walked, Maya recounted the trip to them.

They got there and Maya blinked.

"Wow…things really changed in the two months we were gone…"

"Not really? We've started the Pod Project, and combined the Critter Sanctuary with the Critter Park…"

"And added a full-on house instead of the boulder?" Maya prompted, pointing to the building in question. "And I'm guessing that other house is yours, Viva?"

"Oh, yeah…that too," Poppy giggled. "Kelly Joe, you'll still have to take the back door…the front hatch is still sized for Pop…," she added, opening the hatch. Kelly Joe nodded and headed for the back door while the rest of them piled into the underground home. There was a commotion below and Poppy ran to the lift shaft. The elevator platform was somewhere below. "Branch?"

"Get down here!" Branch shouted up to her. "It's happening!"

Poppy rushed to swing down to the nursery. Sure enough, the commotion was everyone in the family piled in the space, watching the hatching rock. She pushed through the group to stand with Branch closest to the rock.

Alice's tune was excited and getting softer. After a moment, when the others got to the room, the tune went silent and there was a loud crack. Then another. Then, as they all watched with baited breath, there was an explosion in the rock.

Several pieces of egg flew out and Keith cheered.

"That was awesome!" he laughed. Poppy smiled and reached to get her daughter out of the rock.

"Hey, sweetie," she grinned, kissing the baby's cheek.

"I'll go--" Avery started but Keith ran out of the room, shouting excitedly about his new cousin. "I guess Keith and I will go let everyone know that she's hatched," he chuckled and followed after Keith.