In Volcano rock city, the trolls took to every new event with great passion and fervor. They were always energetic, especially when their queen decided to throw an impromptu concert. The energy was amplified by the fact that all through the city trolls had been seeing glimpses of all the other tribe leaders.
Speculation had run absolutely wild, especially when it was discovered that not only had a Techno troll been spotted, but that it was possibly the king of Techno to boot!
Suddenly, a troll near the back of the crowd yelled out. "Wait, look! It's Barb and the Techno troll!"
Another piped up quickly afterwards. "Not just any Techno troll, look at those arms! That's the king!"
"Wasn't his name Trollex or something?"
That started a wave of cheers for the approaching king and queen. "Queen Barb! King Trollex!"
Trollex paused in his flight, looking down at the crowd. "Are they… cheering for us?"
Barb grinned, and smiled up at him. "Yeah! We're the stars of the show, so let's not keep them waiting."
He looked over the cheering crowd, and got a rather wicked idea. "Barb, wanna have a little fun?"
"Always!"
He nodded, and then aimed himself upwards, flicking his fins to gain speed before pulling back and flipping in the air, tossing Barb up as he did. She let go of his hands, already knowing what they were doing. She pumped her fist in the air at the apex of the toss, pulling a little flip in the air as she began to fall back to the crowd.
Everyone watched with baited breath as she fell farther and farther, Trollex letting himself fall at the same pace, staying close. They grinned at each other, enjoying the adrenalin of the free fall. Once Trollex could make out the expressions on the trolls below them, he decided that they had fallen far enough. He held out a hand to Barb, who grabbed it eagerly.
He pulled them out of free fall in a slow curve, Barb and him sailing right over the heads of the cheering crowd. Barb managed to get a few high fives from hatchlings that were sitting up on their parents' heads or shoulders, nearly cackling from the energy rush.
Once they made it to the front stage, Trollex slowed himself, setting Barb gently down before moving to hover next to her. She held her hands out to her sides, palms down, which seemed to send a hush over the crowd. After a few beats of silence, she yelled out so everyone could hear her.
"Hello, my Rock trolls; today we have a whole bunch of guests! Here with me now, helping me pull off maybe the COOLEST intro in all history is King Trollex of the Techno trolls!"
"And the most dangerous!" Trollex's eyes widened the moment he recognized the voice of Essence, and he nearly zipped right off the stage. "What were you two THINKING?!"
Barb turned around, spotting the other leaders stepping out from back stage, Riff walking behind them as he poked his fingers together shyly. "Sorry, Barb, they figured it out and waited here for you guys…"
Quincy was standing at full height, trying to put on an air of authority. "Trollex, we we're worried sick when we went to check on you and found you missing…! Why would you leave without telling anyone?"
Delta crossed her arms over her chest, giving Trollex a look that made him feel like a tiny hatchling again. "I-I uh, um…"
Even Trollzart looked disappointed, shaking his head slowly as he hovered near Essence.
Trollex bit his lip, looking down as he rubbed at his arm. Seems he'd really disappointed them all… But he had so much fun, and he was perfectly safe, so was Barb! So, he didn't do anything wrong… right?
Barb, who had gotten Riff to get her guitar, strummed a loud note, which silenced the entire gathering. She gave the other tribe leaders a look, which spoke to her nature as an instigator and a rebel. She wasn't going to let her new friend get chewed out! And she knew just what to sing to down two birds with one stone.
Oh, we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore
Trollex was a little shocked by Barb suddenly starting to sing, Riff already having taken his place on the drums to follow Barb's lead. He could already feel the energy of the song, and it had only just begun!
We've got the right to choose it
There ain't no way we'll lose it
This is our life, this is our song
We'll fight the powers that be, just
Don't pick our destiny 'cause
You don't know us, you don't belong
Essence took a step back as Barb approached, the lyrics charged with her meaning. Rock, her music, had always meant freedom for her, and she'd sooner face off against all the other leaders before she let someone take her freedom, or that of her friends.
Oh, we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore
Trollex couldn't help getting into the song, the lyrics and tune flowing naturally for him. He joined Barb, singing the lyrics as he held himself tall and proud. Why should he feel bad for being who he was?
Oh, you're so condescending
Your gall is never ending
We don't want nothin', not a thing from you
Your life is trite and jaded
Boring and confiscated
If that's your best, your best won't do
He could feel his whole body buzzing with the energy now, his heart racing as he danced along with Barb. He felt heat pulsing through his chest, warm and strong.
Whoa, oh oh
Whoa, oh oh
We're right (yeah)
We're free (yeah)
We'll fight (yeah)
You'll see (yeah)
The crowd joined in, yelling along the echoes as Trollex and Barb spun together on stage. Barb could see Trollex's heart glowing and pulsing a deep, rich red, the bands on his arms lighting up a little brighter. He was a living light show!
Whoa, whoa, we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore
We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore
No way
Whoa, oh oh
Whoa, oh oh
Trollex was a little surprised when he heard a new voice chorus in. He looked over to see former King Thrash joining in, grinning at the two young trolls as they danced and sang.
We're right (yeah)
We're free (yeah)
We'll fight (yeah)
You'll see (yeah)
We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore
We're not gonna take it (no)
No, we ain't gonna take it
we're not gonna take it anymore
The young king flew over to King Thrash, and grinned, hovering over him and holding out his hands. Thrash took them gleefully, and Trollex lifted him out of his chair, tossing him up a little so he could grab him around the midsection instead. He flew out over the crowd, which screamed with delight. Even Thrash seemed to be 20 years younger in his excitement.
Just you try and make us
We're not gonna take it
(Come on!)
No, we ain't gonna take it
(You're all worthless and weak)
We're not gonna take it anymore
(Now drop and give me twenty)
We're not gonna take it
(A pledge pin)
No, we ain't gonna take it
(On your uniform)
We're not gonna take it anymore
As the song concluded, Trollex flew back to the stage, setting Thrash down lightly in his chair again. He panted, not having expected to have so much energy feedback from the song. The candy earlier probably didn't help.
Thrash looked absolutely ecstatic, Barb running to him and giving him a tight hug. "Dad, that was great! I can't believe you joined in!"
He chuckled at that, throwing up the rocker hand sign with a grin. "You got me all caught up in the energy dear, what else was I supposed to do?" He turned to Trollex, gesturing to the others heart. "How's it feel to be a rocker?"
Trollex looked down at himself, and grinned to see his heart fading from the rich red to a soft pink, the red bands on his arms lit up again. He laughed, doing a flip in the air. Once he steadied himself again, he held up a rock hand sign as a mirror to Thrash's. "Feels great! I didn't know a song could give anyone so much energy!"
As the three laughed together, Essence cleared her throat, catching the group's attention. Barb looked a little frustrated at being interrupted, but didn't vocalize anything. Trollex looked a little nervous, but he didn't shrink in on himself.
She sighed softly, shaking her head. "I think I owe you an apology, Trollex… We've been treating you more like a child than an equal…" She gave him a glare. "Of course, we worry because you're reckless, but…" She smiled sweetly. "You're also a leader, and a strong one at that. Congratulations on getting back your red."
Trollex stared at Essence, feeling his heart tighten a little. He darted forward, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, causing her to yelp slightly in surprise. "Thank you, aunty…" She smiled, hugging him in return. He may be a leader, and he may be strong, but… He loved that they were all so worried for him. It meant they cared.
He was unaware of Thrash and barb sharing a fist bump behind him. It quickly turned into a group hug, with Quincy stepping forward to join in, Poppy refusing to be left out of hug time, Trollzart wanting to get in on it to, and Branch and Prince D joining when Cooper leapt onto the pile. Even Barb and Thrash found a spot to slip in.
At some point Trollex managed to wriggle free, which became rather hilarious when no one else seemed to notice that the young king was no longer within the pile. He looked over at the crowd and held a finger over his mouth, telling them not to say anything. He wanted to see how long before they noticed.
Of course, he was dealing with a group of energized rock trolls right after a great song, so none of them could help the muffled snickers that drifted through the crowd, which at last caught the attention of the group. They slowly began to disperse, and all began to look around for Trollex when they realized he had vanished. Poppy gasped sharply. "Oh no, did we hug him out of existence?"
Trollex, who had decided to hide near Riff, behind his drum set, nearly lost it at that. He covered his mouth, trying so hard not to laugh out loud. Riff snickered softly, grinning down at the young king. "She's a few chords short of a tune, isn't she?"
That broke his will; he let out a loud laugh, clutching at his stomach. He tried to get his snickering under control, but Riff really wasn't helping the situation. Riff smirked. "Guess you could say they're all a lil' out of tune." He ended that statement with the ba-dum TSH that follows a terrible joke.
He wiped his eyes as he laughed, having given up on stealth. There was no way they didn't know where he had gone now. He peeked out from behind and sure enough, the leaders were giving him quizzical looks. He floated out from behind the drums, grinning widely. "I'm surprised it took you guys so long to notice!"
Essence blushed brightly. "In my defence, I got distracted by Quincy."
Quincy perked up, huffing. "Don't blame me dear, you were the first one who hugged him!"
As it slowly dissolved into a light argument between the two Funk royals, Trollex flew over to Barb. "Thanks, Barb… You got my red back for me, and helped me realize a few things…"
She tilted her head slightly, turning her attention away from the bickering. "No prob man. Glad to help! So what's next for you?"
He looked up to the bright, blue sky. "Home. I gotta go see how my trolls are doing. I've been gone way to long… Once I get down there I'll send a few Techno trolls to the beaches to help sort through letting others come down, but until then, you guys might not hear from me."
She gave him a worried look. "And you'll be ok, right? Just let me know if there's anything we can do to help. I'll gather the other leaders again and we'll come running! Err, swimming…? Well, we'll figure it out!" She gave him a light punch on the arm. "Good luck out there, king Trollex."
He nodded, then pulled her into a hug. "Thanks again…" He pulled away, and noticed a light blush on her cheeks. He grinned and lifted up into the air.
Barb turned to the crowd, holding her arms out wide to address them all. "Hey rock trolls! Trollex is heading back, so why don't we give him a nice, big rock troll send off, huh?"
As though on que, every rock troll in the stadium cried out at once. "ROCK ON!"
He laughed, throwing a fist into the air. "Rock on!" with the crowds responding cheer, he flew off over their heads and up over the outer edge of the crater that formed the amphitheatre. Once he reached open blue sky, he let out a sigh, letting the sounds of the cheering crowd die down behind him.
He'd had a lot of fun on his adventure, getting to learn more about the other leaders and their cultures and music. He loved them all, each having its own unique properties, but he was glad to be going home. He missed his trolls, he missed Beat, and he really, REALLY missed not feeling dry.
As soon as he spotted the glittering water below, he made a dive for it. As soon as he broke through the surface, he let out a sigh, feeling the cool seep into his scales. He had more energy than he knew what to do with, he was sure he could swim the entire way back to Techno reef without even using a current!