Branch's Birthday

(Summary: Branch may have had his true colors returned, but why is he suddenly starting to act grumpier then ever? It's eerily similar to the way he was acting when he was grey… right down to isolating himself from everyone once again including Poppy. Poppy knows his birthday is coming up so maybe she could do something for him on his special day that would stop him from becoming grey once again.)

(AN: Hi everyone! I'm back! Sorry I was gone for so long! I wanted to get this story out to you guys as it was already written and typed up, just needed some editing. I am working on a story of the original film from Poppy's Perspective as was requested! I'm hoping y'all can enjoy this in the meantime. -Branch's Perspective.)


Chapter One

-Poppy-

It was spring! Finally the long, bitter winter was over melting away into the warmth of spring, blossoms of leaves on the trees, and buds of flowers creating beauty not only within the Troll Tree, but within the once dreary Bergen Town as well.

A certain, well known troll Queen could be found bouncing around her royal pod that hung in the center of the Troll Tree, barely able to contain her enthusiasm as the warm rays of sunshine lit up the inside of her pod. Not only was spring her favorite season, well in truth everyseason besides winter was her favorite season, but anyways, the first signs of spring meant the Spring Festival would soon be upon them. And Queen Poppy, doing what she does best, was enthusiastically bouncing around her pod adding the finishing touches to her trademark invitations for the event for not only every troll in the troll tree, but every Bergen in Bergen Town this year as well.

"Aanndd done!" She remarked and she glued the last piece of scrapbooking felt onto her last invitation. Smiling brightly she held it out in front of her. Queen Poppy admired her own handiwork for a moment, before nodding in approval and safely tucking the last invitation carefully into her large basket. Glancing around her pod, which was currently strewn with felt, glitter, stickers, and scrapbooking scissors, she shrugged her shoulders, deeming that the mess could be cleaned up later.

"These invitations need to go out as soon as possible! They are already a bit behind schedule!" She announced to no one in particular in an attempt to convince herself that sometimes having a messy pod is ok, even for a Queen. Her self-persuasion was successful as she quickly found herself forgetting about the mess and heaving the large basket onto her shoulders. The door to her pod dropped open as she cheerfully bounced onto the thick branches of the troll tree, humming a happy tune as she made her way to her first destination, the Bergen Town Castle.

Bridget had agreed to assist her in handing out all of her invitations to the bergens of Bergen Town in order to free up some of her time. She couldn't have been more grateful to the female bergen, Poppy had been cooped up in her pod the entire week handcrafting double the amount of invitations she was used to. Briget's helping hand was greatly appreciated. King Gristle had insisted that her invitations would not be necessary and everyone would still participate anyway under his orders, but Queen Poppy insisted as well that she felt it closed the gap between the species a bit, creating a more friendly relationship then they had before. In fact, this would be the first big celebration they would all share together since the trolls finally finished their relocation to the Troll Tree, which much to Poppy's displeasure… took much longer than she had anticipated. She found herself groaning as she remembered once again the long grueling winter that had to endure, whilethey were still rebuilding and securing pods for many trolls in the tree.

"Queen Poppy?" A familiar voice pulled her from her memories, and she was quickly met with the bright bi-colored eyes of Harper.

"Oh Harper! Good Morning!" She chirped, Harper returned the Queen's right smile.

"Already handing out invitations for the Spring Festival?" She inquired, her eyes dancing with anticipation for her own invitation.

"Yep! And here's yours!" Poppy quickly pulled Harper's invitation out from the confines of the basket and handed it to troll whom was almost always covered in paint. Poppy's heart leapt with joy as her friend beamed at her with gratitude.

"Thank you Queen Poppy! Looking forward to it!" The pair exchanged a quick farewell before Harper bounced along the branches once again. Poppy watched her for a moment as she left, then turned around once again to make her way to the castle.

Once Poppy finally arrived, she realized it was much later than she had anticipated. Along the way she was stopped by several trolls, all of which she of course wanted to give their invitations to and all of which struck up conversations with her as well. She still had more troll invitations to hand out when she returned and would be lucky if she could get her special invitations for her closest friends and her boyfriend Branch by midnight. Being Poppy though, she only fretted over this for a moment before deciding that seeing everyone's grateful expressions as she handed out the invitations made all the work well worth it. Todd, one of the Bergen guards Queen Poppy was familiar with, led her down the halls of the castle to King Gristle's study where he and Bridget could currently be found.

"Poppy!" Her friend exclaimed cheerfully upon her arrival, quickly running over to her excitedly, her fiancé stood from his chair behind her and greeted the Troll Queen with a nod.

"I was growing worried, it's well past the time you had told me." Her friend worried as she knelt to help Poppy remove the basket from her shoulders.

"I am so sorry for running late! I ran into so many trolls I hadn't expected to run into along the way." Poppy was grateful she felt no need to speak formally with King Gristle and Bridget as ones of royalty normally would speak to one another. Growing up, formalities were never one of Poppy's strong points since she was always so keen on making friends with everyone. After everything they had gone through together barely a year ago now, both she and King Gristle agreed there would be no need for such formalities between them.

"Not to worry, we are just relived to see you've arrived safely." The Bergen King explained as he approached them as well, eyeing the large amount of invitations the troll Queen had been carrying.

"But next time Queen Poppy, if you insist on making invitations for everyone in Bergen Town we can send someone to collect them for you. No need to put yourself through so much trouble." He offered, as spoiled as King Gristle could be sometimes, he really was quite attentive and kind.

"Goodness Poppy, Gristle's right! You're already doing so much just by hosting the event and making the invitations! We can lend a hand too!" Rubbing her shoulders she smiled brightly at the newly engaged couple.

"I'll take you up on that next time." She responded accepting their offer, she shuffled around in her basket and handed Bridget the large stack of invitations for the citizens of Bergen Town, Bridget accepted it with a thank you before turning around to set them down on the desk. When Bridget turned around to face the troll Queen again she had already saddled the large basket on her shoulders again.

"Well I'm sorry this is brief but I have more invitations to hand out before the end of the day!" Poppy chirped.

"Poppy wait!" Bridget called out to her as she began to head for the door; the pink troll stopped to face her friend once more.

"If you need any help please let us know." She offered.

"Yes Queen Poppy, we would be honored to assist with your festival preparations." King Gristle reassured. Poppy smiled at the pair once again.

"Okay, shall we have a meeting on the festival?" The pink troll inquired, gaining smiles of relief from the Bergen pair, both knew all too well that Poppy had a tendency take on more then she could handle.

"Why yes of course! When are you free?" The bergen king inquired.

"I'm actually available tomorrow evening!"


Dusk had set in when the troll queen found herself finally heading to the bottom of the troll tree to deliver her last invitation, held securely within the palms of her hands. She of course had saved the best invitation for last. She hugged the invitation closer to her chest, remembering every intricate detail she had put into this special invitation. Her heartbeat began to race as she descended the tree and grew closer and closer to her boyfriends home, and although her heart was racing with anticipation of seeing Branch for the first time today, she was unable to control the unsettling bundle of nerves that continued to build up inside her with each step.

The formerly grey troll had yet to decline any of her recent party invitations since they returned from their journey almost a year ago now, but it still made her uneasy. Twenty years of harsh words and smashed invitations could do that to a troll, even the most positive troll in all of Troll Village.

As she reached her destination, she calmly took a deep breath before she welled up all of her courage to knock on the door. She waited momentarily, practically bouncing with anticipation, but her excitement soon turned into concern when she didn't receive a response. Even on their busiest of days, by dusk Branch could always be found in his home. Even though his happiness and colors had returned, he still valued his alone time and made sure to be home by dusk so he could ensure he would enjoy it, something Poppy had come to learn about him over the long winter. She herself also very much enjoyed sharing that alone time with him from time to time. Poppy was usually the only one allowed to disturb him, and because he always knew she'd be the only one at the door at this time he would always readily answer. Come to think of it… she hadn't even caught a glance of him at all today, and she had seen every twig in the troll tree while handing out her invitations. Poppy's worry only grew with this realization. Branch and Poppy almost always crossed paths throughout the day while they performed their duties. Despite that, Poppy knew even without noticing it she was always subconsciously looking for that beautiful, unique blue hair of his, to her it was impossible to miss.

"Branch?" she called out as she reached for his doorknob, suspiciously it was unlocked. Her concern intensified, Branch alwayslocked his door… he may be more comfortable with all the trolls in her kingdom now, but some of his old habits still stuck around and she doubted they would suddenly stop now. Hesitantly she opened the door, hoping all her fears would be squashed and she would simply find her love buried so deep in a book he hadn't even noticed her knocking.

"Branch? Are you home?" She called out to him again, only to once again be met with no response.

With an uneasy sigh she entered his home, his invitation still clutched close to her chest. Branch's home resided at the base of the troll tree. Much to her displeasure, Branch refused to live in a pod within the branches of the tree like the other trolls. This had actually caused quiet a big argument at the time they had started making arrangements to live in their old home once again, but Poppy soon realized Branch was much more comfortable on the ground. Actually the movements of the pods sometimes terrified him, and although he had grown more and more accustomed to the pods over the year, she knew he still had a long way to go before he felt completely comfortable living in one of them.

What had concerned her at the time was not only did she desire to live close to Branch, hoping it could've been possible for them to be neighbors so she could see him everyday, but also she was very worried he become a recluse again, living in a drearily, damp, dark underground home. No matter what anyone said to her, Branch's old bunker was extremely lonely and depressing, she couldn't bear to see him live like that again. Fortunately he had shown her that he no longer wanted to live that way either. His home was hidden within the roots of the tree that sprouted out of the ground, creating almost a wooden cave. The roots provided much shelter, but also allowed a generous amount of light into the home. And while this new home still held a lot of storage much like his underground bunker had, Branch had worked hard to create a much more homey, almost cabin style feel to his new home. When he had completed his work, Poppy had quickly found herself spending a lot of time here, it was quiet and peaceful, the perfect place for her to relax and unwind from the stress of her Queenly duties throughout the day. She finally understood why Branch valued his alone time and always secretly thanked him for it.

Poppy scanned every room she knew of within his home and found no sight, or sign that her boyfriend was even around. She felt slightly relieved that it seemed he was just returning home late, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness, and this time it didn't seem like it was because she was afraid he would reject her invitation.

"Oh well… I suppose he wouldn't mind if I waited for him here." She spoke aloud to no one in particular.

Deciding to make herself comfortable as she normally would, she collapsed onto the couch. Immediately her eyes were drawn to a picture frame sitting on the end table beside her that she had not noticed before. Setting her invitation down on the end table, she gingerly picked up and held the old, worn out frame in her hands, the picture inside just as old and worn and the frame that held it, it had been torn slightly in one corner, wrinkled in another, the edges had started to fray and the photo itself had begun to fade. Regardless of the photographs current state though, Poppy could still clearly make out the two figures in the photograph. She admired the younger, mirror image of her boyfriend, his coloring undeniable. He was so small here, maybe three years of age, his features shining with a smile brighter then she had even witnessed come from him herself. He was hugging an elder troll in the photograph, clearly someone very dear to him. Her skin a light shade of purple, and teal colored hair that closely resembled the color of Branch's skin, and had been beginning to fade to white. Her smile was kind, warm, motherly… its almost as if Poppy herself could feel the tenderness as she held the young Branch within her warm embrace.

What this Branch's mother? Poppy questioned, but something about that just didn't seem quite right. Poppy still had a lot to learn about Branch's past and did not yet know much about his parents, but the troll in this photograph seemed much older then a troll who would be Branch's mothers age… She pondered it a bit longer, when the memory of the only family Branch had ever opened up to her about formed an image in her mind. A heartfelt smile soon appeared on the pink trolls lips as she gazed tenderly at the photograph in the hands, and a tear even fell from the corner of her right eye.

"Grandma Rosiepuff…" She whispered.


-Branch-

In a location of the Troll Tree that had not yet been inhabited by new pods, a familiar teal troll with unique royal blue hair could be found gazing at the horizon as the sun finished it's decent.

"It's late." He mumbled to himself before pushing off the branch underneath him to stand on his feet. He began to turn around to leave and head back to his own home at the base of the troll tree, but found himself stopping for a moment to stare longingly once more at the once familiar area of the Troll Tree he had found himself drawn to this evening. This place… this was where he once shard a home with his grandmother… he had been so young back then but could recall the memory of his old home like he had just seen it yesterday.

The pod he shared with Grandma Rosiepuff hung on a large branch just above his head to the right, and the branch he was currently standing on now… was where he had been singing that day…

No new pods had grown in this area of the Troll Tree yet even though they had been living here for almost a year already, but preparations were set to begin in less than a month. He had chosen not to build his pod here, or rather hadn't chosen to live in a pod at all, because it just didn't feellike his home in this spot anymore, he couldn't… be happy here again, his last memory of this place too painful to remember.

Even so, even though he knew this to be true… he still struggled with a complicated feeling. The thought of any other pods being grown here other than his old home unsettled him. He couldn't help be feel a bit territorial and protective over this area, like this area was only meant to be the home of his Grandmother as well as his parents. New pods being grown here made him feel like their memory would soon be wiped away… This area was where he had been born, his parents pod sharing the same branch and Grandma Rosiepuff's hanging not much farther away. After his mother and father had sacrificed their lives for him… this was where grandma had raised him… where she watched over, cared for and protected so many other young trolls who had also been orphaned like he had. And finally… where she sacrificed her own life… to save his own, just as his parents had done…

But… regardless of how unsettled he felt… he couldn't be selfish. He knew Grandma would want him to allow more trolls to begin their lives here and share pleasant memories, to bring joy and happiness to this place once again. He couldn't live in the past forever, she would never want that for him and he knew he could never make Poppy happy living like that either. So, he didn't fight it when they announced the new developments for this location. He remained silent and spoke his feelings to no one, not even Poppy. He settled on visiting this place as often as he could before the new developments were complete, reliving the wonderful memories he shared with his grandmother here until that would no longer be possible anymore.

Darkness now blanketed Bergen Town as Branch finally began heading down the tree for his new home. The tree seemed to sparkle from the lights of the surrounding pods as they did every night, but Branch could not seem to find the beauty in the twinkling lights tonight. Over the past twenty-one years, this time of the year was always very difficult for him, he thought it might be different now that his colors had returned but it seems he had been wrong. He knew his birthday was just over two weeks away… but he just couldn't ever find himself happy about it. Grandma Rosiepuff's birthday happened to be just a week before his own, right as the spring blossoms opened into a full bloom, and right as the warmth of spring finally began to settle in across the land. The nature of his grandmother's birthday suited her perfectly but… that year Grandma had become a sacrifice for his sake, was the last year he ever found himself happy around this time.

His heart was crying out to find Poppy, to seek comfort in her during this difficult time, but his mind remained prideful and stubborn. He ended up avoiding her the entire day, unwilling to show her the state he was in and convincing himself he would be fine. Even if he did seek out comfort in her, he knew there was no way he could find happiness celebrating his own birthday when grandma could no longer celebrate hers because of him… he didn't deserve it…

Before he had even realized it, he had approached the front door of his home; he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the lights shining through the windows. Slowly, he opened the door and walked inside sighing sadly to himself, as he willed the horrendous memories to go away.

"Branch?" The voice that came from the confines of his house jolted him back to his senses. His head snapped up, instantly he was on guard, his eyes darting around his house with a glare as he searched for the intruder.

"Who's there!"

-End-


-Timeline-
(For reference for this and future stories)

Grandma Rosiepuff's Birthday – April 12th
Branch's Birthday – April 19th
The day formerly know as Trollstice – June 15th
Poppy's Birthday – June 20th


(AN: That's it for the first chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed it! Let me know! Also check me out on…
Wattpad - user/HarukaShibashi
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I just started these accounts and will be posting my fan fictions there too! Also maybe some future fan art, and just thoughts or personal updates. Also I can share any of your work on tumblr! So if you want to head on over there and show some love! Thank you!)