Shadgirl2: Sorry for the delay! I'm going to college in the fall, so I've been busy getting everything set for that.
Midna: And I'm still technically working, even if I'm just talking to myself during my virtual classes.
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls.
Creek didn't notice Poppy. He was busy with another troll—a green boy with red hair, who happened to have a camera in hand.
Poppy stopped and stared for a second. Then, remembering that she hadn't talked to Creek about what had happened on Buttercup's show yet, she slapped herself in the forehead in exasperation at her forgetfulness.
"Ah, sugar! I was so caught up in getting those guys back for that, I completely forgot!"
She fully agreed that she couldn't rely on Creek in a dangerous situation, but her friends took their honesty a little too far that day. They didn't need to dump on Creek like that, especially after they'd already humiliated him in front of Troll Village. Even worse, they'd berated him in front of everyone. She had planned to talk to him about it and make sure he was okay, but she'd gotten too wrapped up in her Prank Day plans and hadn't gotten around to it.
So, knowing she needed to take care of this piece of business before she forgot about it again, she walked over to Creek and the other troll, Carl, just as they were getting ready to take a picture.
"Say 'cheese!'" Carl said to Creek as he held the camera up in front of them both.
"Chee—" Creek started.
He was cut off when Carl pushed the shutter button only to have a small nozzle pop out of the lens and shoot cheese in Creek's face.
"Ah!" Creek cried. "Wha—!?"
Carl threw the camera aside, smiling broadly. "Happy Prank Day! I got you good, huh!?"
He started laughing as Creek stood there, dripping cheese from his face. After a moment, he grinned and started laughing, too.
"Good one, mate! I didn't see that coming!"
Grinning, Poppy stopped to enjoy the sight. She snickered some as Creek wiped cheese off his face. "Classic." A grin still on her face, she approached, saying, "Nice one, Carl. Can't say I've seen a camera do that before."
The two trolls turned to their queen, looking curious at first. Then both smiled back at her.
Carl waved, saying, "Hey, there, Queen Poppy! How's your Prank Day going!?"
Poppy walked right up to him, her grin turning mischievous. "Oh, it's going alright. Say, Carl? Tell me. Do you like flying?" she asked as she pulled a small box out of her hair.
Carl and Creek both looked curious as Carl answered, "Uh, sure, I guess..."
Poppy's grin widened. "Well, in that case..." She opened the box, and a rubber fist popped out, knocking Carl into the air before anyone could react.
"Whaa!" Carl cried as he flew up into the sky.
Creek's eyes widened, watching Carl take off.
"Better hurry up, Carl! Or you'll miss your flight to Prank City!" Poppy called, waving up at him with a smile. "Happy Prank Day, Carl! Have a safe flight!"
Carl smiled as he flew through the air. "Good one, Queen Poppy! Happy Prank—" His words faded out as he flew out of sight.
Poppy laughed, Creek grinning from behind her. "That one never gets old," she said. "Now! On to business!" She turned to Creek, her expression more serious. "Hey, Creek? Can we talk a bit?"
Unsure what this was about, Creek stared at her in slight concern for a moment before saying, "Uh, sure, love. What is it?"
Poppy took a deep breath and braced herself for a difficult and overdue conversation. She should really have done this a long time ago.
"Look, Creek, about what happened on Guess and Choose Love a couple of weeks ago... I'd like to apologize for that stunt everyone pulled on you. It was totally not cool, and they should never have done it."
Creek smiled at her sadly. "Aw, it's alright, Poppy. I mean, it's not like I didn't deserve it after everything that's happened. I mean, I did sell everyone out to the bergens and cause that entire ordeal between you and Branch. But I had no idea that the two of you had ever even gotten that close. Just when did this happen, and why didn't you tell me about it sooner?" He frowned, looking a little hurt.
Poppy looked away and rubbed her arm. "Uh...about the time you betrayed us. I got so upset back then that Branch had to step in to cheer me back up. And I felt so grateful, we started dating then and there."
Well, that was the super short version. Branch had confessed his love for her, and she'd realized that he was willing to go the extra mile for her. After all, he'd broken his musical silence to cheer her up, even dancing to make her crack a smile. It was hard not to love the guy for that. Just days before, he'd told her he wanted to see the look on her face when she found out the world wasn't what she thought it was; yet, when he had seen that look, he did everything in his power to bring her back up. Then there was the poetry he'd spoken, obviously about her, while they'd been helping Bridget on her date with Gristle. There was more to Branch than she had ever known before, and he had finally started letting her see those parts of himself. Once she did, she couldn't help but love him.
"B-but, Creek!" Poppy continued, looking back to the purple troll. "You didn't cause Branch to leave us! We did by being really mean to him all the time! I guess we—I wasn't adjusting too well to being in a relationship with someone so different that you'd think I'd decided to mix stripes with polka dots and hope they'd match up without some serious and careful consideration on just how to make that work!"
It was true. She'd seen the sweeter side of Branch during the Bergen Town rescue. He'd even managed to find his happiness. But she should have known better than to expect a complete change in his personality just because of that. It was already a complete change just to have a Branch who sang or danced or tolerated anyone hugging him. His caution, his fears and suspicions—they weren't going anywhere. Sure, he could get over his fears if he tried, but they weren't just going to evaporate into thin air.
"But the problem wasn't with the differences, it was with finding out how to make them work together to create harmony! Take those silly stripes and polka dots, for example. Sure, everyone knows you're not supposed to mix them, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Just try lining them up differently, and they can create a totally fab outcome! And that's how it was with me and Branch, so..." She shuffled her foot, looking awkward.
Creek took a moment to take all of that in before he smiled sadly. "I understand, love. Because you refused to acknowledge those differences, the two of you grew apart. So you chose to change a few things around here and within yourself in an attempt to restore it."
Poppy gave him a sheepish grin, a hint of guilt in her eyes. "Sorry I didn't tell you any of this sooner. I guess I just didn't find the fact that I had a boyfriend now any of your business, all things considered." With those last words, she gave him a pointed and lame look.
Looking a bit sheepish himself, Creek looked away and rubbed his head. "Ah, yes, yes, fair point."
After all, he'd nearly gotten her and everyone else killed—it only made sense that he should consider their relationship over, and an ex-girlfriend wasn't obligated to tell him when she found a new love.
"Well, anyway, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that and that I'm just now mentioning it, but don't fret! Those guys are not gonna get away with it, and today's the day they all finally get theirs!" she said, grinning wickedly and rubbing her hands together. Smiling, she offered, "You're welcome to stick around and watch, if it helps."
Creek grinned in amusement. "I'd love to, love, but revenge isn't my strong point. But best of luck in your efforts today. I hope everything goes well for you." He held up a hand in farewell as he started to walk away.
Poppy smiled back, knowing he was secretly glad to hear that. Don't do revenge, huh? Yeah, sure, I believe that. I mean, you're totally not loving this as much as I am! And I guess it was some other troll who tried to blackmail Branch into singing, and I just missed it, she thought. "Yeah, okay! Bye, Creek! See ya later! Oh! And by the way..." She gave him a mischievous grin and let out a whistle.
At her call, four little green spiders dropped down in front of Creek, singing an off-key rendition of a song Poppy had found crumpled up on the ground, forgotten, in Creek's zen garden.
"Won't you forgive me for everything I've done? I didn't mean it. I should have seen that I was hurting someone," the spiders sang terribly.
Creek covered his ears as the song continued. "Ah! H-h-hey! What gives!?"
Poppy grinned at him teasingly. "I simply just loved the song you wrote for Branch. In fact, I loved it so much, I just had to play it for you. Isn't it great!?"
The spiders continued wailing, "You shine bright like the sun in the sky on a beautiful day."
Creek's eyes widened, and he turned to face Poppy with a look of surprise on his face.
Poppy rocked back and forth on her feet a bit, hands clasped behind her back, as she said, "I mean, they just sound so good, singing in prankfect harmony, don't ya think?" She gave him a mischievous look.
"You're enlightened but humble and handsome and so very brave..." the spiders crowed.
Creek blinked a bit, then grinned in mild amusement. "Alright, Poppy. I get it," he said. "Happy Prank Day to you, too."
Poppy smiled back, waving. "Thanks, Creek! See ya around!" She took off, leaving him to the spiders' song.
"I'm so sorry, show me mercy," the spiders screeched in less than perfect harmony.
Creek sweat and said, "Right, yes, note to self... Never tease Branch by blackmailing him again. Apparently now that's about as wise as messing with her prior to Prank Day..."
He thought back to the day he had learned this—it was one of the greatest pranks in the history of trolls, he was sure.
"Oh, enlightened one," the spiders wailed.
Creek sighed again, glad he wasn't the one Poppy had been paying back on that occasion. "Yes. I must be thankful for that. Spruce still hasn't heard the end of it." He sighed once again, then gave the spiders a lame look.
"Won't you forgive me?" they finished, sounding every bit like a dying cat. Then they grinned and took off.
Creek sighed in relief, glad that was over—and also glad that it was the worst he'd gotten from Poppy.
Meanwhile Poppy continued along and saw two very badly dressed trolls, attached at the hair, looking high and low for something.
"This is sooo embarrassing!" Satin said. "What if Nova Swift sees us dressed like this!?"
A fair question. After all, Satin was currently wearing a bucket with springs for sleeves.
"Branch is dead to me," Chenille said vehemently. "You don't mess with a girl's fashion! That's just cruel!"
Poppy took one look at the two and covered her mouth, trying not to burst into a fit of laughter. The bucket on Satin was one thing, but Chenille's murky brown jumpsuit with the hot pink triangles and neon orange squiggles was also entertaining.
Nice one, Branch! They really deserved that, Poppy thought. But that's not all they're gonna get. With some control restored, she walked over, still fighting back the laughter. "H-hey, guys... what's up?" she snickered behind her hand.
"Your boyfriend stole our clothes in the dead of night!" Chenille said.
"We woke up to this as our wardrobe!" Satin moaned, gesturing at herself.
"Oh...really?" Poppy's shoulders shook with the effort of containing herself.
"Now we're trying to find our clothes. He said he hid them somewhere in Troll Village," Satin finished explaining.
"His pranks are insane! I didn't think anyone but you was this good!"
Poppy stopped laughing and stared a second. "...Wow." She thought, Hadn't thought about that... Hmm...
Oh, well. She'd worry about it later. "Well, good luck with that! Hope you find 'em before all of Troll Village see that you've been robbed! You know! A crime worthy of being a bergen?" she said, walking off and giving them a teasing look over her shoulder.
The twins glared after her. Satin put her hands on her hips, and Chenille crossed her arms. "Very funny!" they yelled.
Poppy just laughed as she walked away.
Guy followed Branch out of Troll Village and through the forest. The currently glitterless glitter troll was eager to see what Branch had in mind to help him. Little did he know that wasn't what Branch was planning at all.
I wasn't expecting him to be glitterless, but that makes it easier to lure him out here, Branch thought. Thanks, Poppy.
"So how, exactly, did you plan on helping me get my glitter back? And why are we way out here?" Guy asked, looking around in curiosity.
"Well, it just so happens that I read about a case where a glitter troll lost his glitter once, but he managed to get it back!"
"Really!?" Hope filled Guy's eyes, his excitement growing with Branch's words.
"Yeah, Guy, and I remember how he did it, too," Branch said. He stopped walking, took a look around, then said, "Hmm... Yeah, this looks like a good spot..."
Guy stopped and looked around, saying, "What is? I don't see—"
Branch took Guy by the arms and moved him to the left a bit. "Just stand right here," he said, letting go. "Close your eyes, and don't move. If you do, this won't work, and you'll be glitterless forever."
Guy gasped, horrified, and slapped his hands over his eyes.
Branch smirked. Threaten Guy with a life without glitter, and he'd eat his own right arm. The teal troll took a few steps back and grabbed what appeared to be a vine hanging from a tree, giving it a good tug. A bucket tipped over, dumping honey on Guy's head. Immediately after, an assortment of rainbow-colored, glittered feathers fell, sticking to the honey coating Guy.
Guy gasped, flinching. "Gah! What is the meaning of thiiiiiis!?" he demanded, looking himself over.
"Hope there aren't any cats nearby! Because you just got prrranked!" Branch said, flexing a hand like a cat paw as he "meowed."
Offended, Guy gaped. "Ah! Branch. I'm surprised at you! Here I am with a serious problem, and you're turning it into a Prank Day prank! Don't you know how urgent it is for me to—"
He was cut off by Poppy as she ran over, saying, "Hey, guys! What's happening?" She eyed Guy's new look, grinning in amusement.
"Oh, nothing. Just some good, clean fun," Branch answered. "Or good, messy fun, but you get the point."
"Poppy!" Guy cried, turning to her. "Get him to understand! I woke up without any glitter today, and Branch thinks it's funny!" He waved his arms at Branch, glaring in annoyance.
"Oh, he does, does he?" Poppy smirked. She looked at Branch, her eyes saying that she was up to something. Branch could tell, though, that he wasn't her target—she'd need to reveal what she had done to Guy eventually, after all.
Branch smirked, arms crossed. "Hey, I never said that. I just took advantage of it."
"Oh, real funny!"
Poppy started sneaking up behind Guy as he snapped at Branch.
"That's so funny, I forgot to laugh!"
Just then, Poppy pulled the zipper down.
Guy's eyes widened at the sound of a zipper being undone. "Wait a se—"
He cut off as Poppy pulled off the head of the full-body suit she'd put him in. There were holes for his eyes, nose, and mouth, but it was otherwise a perfect fit...and now covered in honey and feathers. Guy's real head, on the other hand, was not. It was perfectly fine, sparkly as always.
Guy blinked, looking at the messy mask in amazement. "...No. You didn't—"
"Brr..." Poppy hugged herself, shivering. "Say, Guy? Do you feel a chill? 'Cause you just got p-p-pranked!" She turned to Branch and held up a hand for a high five, saying, "Good one, buddy!"
"You, too," he answered, giving her a high five. Then they both started laughing.
Guy sweat. "...Ah, okay. Nice one, you guys. You both really had me going!" He started laughing along with them.
"Yyeess!" Poppy cheered. "Four trolls down, three to go! And, speaking of, Branch? Can you help me with something?" She gave him her best pleading look, hoping he wouldn't mistake this for a prank.
He raised an eyebrow, his guard obviously up. "Oh, yeah? What?"
Poppy cupped her hands around his ear and whispered her plans for the twins. As Branch listened, he liked the sound of it. What Poppy wanted from him was simple—she wanted to use his prank to set up hers.
"So is that all good with you?" she asked, no longer whispering.
"Yeah, that sounds like a great plan! I don't have any problem with that," Branch answered.
"Great! So where to?"
Branch then cupped a hand around her ear and whispered the location of Satin and Chenille's hidden clothing, being careful to keep this a secret. The last thing he needed was for Guy to run off and tell the twins where to find their stuff—it would ruin the fun.
Guy, meanwhile, was doing the math. Hadn't they threatened to cover Poppy in honey and feathers if Branch didn't go with Smidge, Satin, and Chenille? And Poppy and Branch were working together to prank...him, Satin, Chenille, and who knew how many other friends of theirs.
He sweat and asked lamely, "This is about that whole Guess and Choose Love thing, isn't it?"
Everyone knew Poppy sought vengeance through pranks. Apparently Branch was the same. Even worse, he related his pranks to something that related to what his victims had done to wrong him.
Poppy glared in annoyance and exclaimed, "Yes!"
At the same moment, Branch gave a lame look and said, "Yes."
"I mean, you dragged me onto that dumb show by tying me up and stuffing a smelly sock in my mouth, and then you played on my desire to keep everybody happy to make me go along with it! What do you expect me to do?" She sounded both annoyed and exasperated.
"You used Poppy to blackmail me into going on that show, chained me to a chair and threatened Gary so I would go along with it, and forced me to bare my soul to all of Troll Village!" Branch said, glaring.
"Yeah! And ya nearly got us both stuck on there all day because of it! And you know how I get payback." She smirked.
Guy gave a sheepish grin, thinking of the last troll Poppy had gotten revenge on this way. He really didn't want to end up like Spruce. "Uh, yes, well. I-it's not like we were planning on hurting either of you. We were only trying to help."
"Yeah? Well, maybe you need to brush up on how to be a troll because you know how I feel about bergens!" Branch said.
Guy sweat and blushed, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward grin. "Uh, yes, right, I'll do that..."
"Hmm... Well!" Poppy clapped her hands together. "Anyway, you guys have fun. In the meantime, I'd better get back to showing you all my gratitude...the Prank Master way." She started skipping off, an arrogant and mischievous air about her.
"Yeah, and I need to go see if Biggie's figured out the first riddle yet..." Branch added, heading back to Troll Village.
Guy stood there a bit longer, laughing awkwardly. "Yeah! You guys do that! Happy Prank Day!"
He gave one last laugh, then headed home to remove the body suit Poppy had put on him and wash off what little honey had actually connected with his skin.
Meanwhile, Smidge continued her undying love confessions, charging right into Cooper's pod and seeing him clinging to his chandelier—on the floor—for dear life. "There you are!" she cried out urgently.
Cooper looked and panicked a bit. "Oh, no! Smidge! You gotta grab onto something, or you're gonna fly away!"
Smidge blinked, completely nonplussed. "Uh, what?" She shook it off, vigorously shaking her head. "No time for that! I've got something important to say to you, and I ain't leaving 'til I say it!" she said, determined, as she stormed over to the cowering giraffe troll.
"But, Smidge! Gravity's reversed! You gotta grab something! We gotta hold on until Poppy gets back!"
"The only thing I'm gonna be holding onto..." She grew suddenly cheery and spread her arms wide for a hug as she finished, "...is you!" And she wrapped him in a very affectionate hug.
"Huh?" Cooper asked. He was so surprised, he actually let go of his chandelier.
"Aw, Cooper. Has anyone ever told you how wonderful your crazy imagination is? I mean, everyone knows you're the best at making up stories," Smidge flirted, trying to do what Branch told her while simultaneously bringing Cooper back to reality.
"Aw, well..." Cooper said modestly, blushing a bit.
Smidge quickly let go, saying, "Whelp! Gotta run! Got more people to see!" She ran out but stopped in the doorway, turning back. "Oh, and, uh...love what you've done with the place. Nailing your furniture to the ceiling's totally in right now..." she flirted before running off.
If that didn't clue him into what Poppy was doing to him, nothing would. Nothing short of making a sign, that is.
"Huh? Nailing your furniture to the ceiling?" Cooper said to himself. He looked up at his furniture, mounted to the ceiling as it was, then went over to the window and looked outside.
Nothing was out of the ordinary outside. Everything was still right side up, and nobody was walking on the sky. In fact, they were all on the ground, just like him.
"Oooh, I get it!" Cooper said, finally realizing he'd been pranked. He laughed. "That was a good one, Poppy!"
Branch found Biggie and was mildly surprised to find that he was on the right track—he was in a field of mushrooms, the likes of which trolls often used as trampolines. Then again, since Biggie was always involved in poetry slams, Branch supposed it shouldn't surprise him.
He headed over, asking, "Well, how's everything going, Biggie? Figure it out yet?"
"I think so. Spring wasn't capitalized, meaning it wasn't a troll, and I couldn't think of anything that only becomes fun in springtime, so I decided it had to mean 'spring' as in bouncing. These mushrooms are very bouncy, so the next clue has to be around here somewhere!" He walked under a mushroom top, looking at the stem. "The trouble is, I can't figure out exactly which one..." Suddenly he saw an envelope stuck to the stem and said, "Ah! There it is!" as he took it down.
"Good job, Biggie."
"Thank you, Branch!" He pulled the clue out of the envelope and read aloud, "'The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When they fall in here, you've lost it all.' What does that mean?"
"Figure it out, Biggie," Branch said, grinning in amusement.
"Oh, Branch, is this really necessary? Can't you just give me back Mr. Dinkles?"
"Not until you win the game, Biggie."
"But, Branch, I didn't even do anything to you!"
Branch gave him a lame look and countered, "You were one of the three who kidnapped Poppy so Satin, Chenille, and Smidge could blackmail me. This is what we call 'reaping what you sow.'"
Biggie sweat—he couldn't exactly deny that. "Right, ah, about that... I was only trying to help, Branch! After all, you and Poppy had been on the rocks ever since Creek came back, and I didn't want to see you upset!"
"And I appreciate that, Biggie. But you still aren't getting off the hook for embarrassing me in front of all of Troll Village!"
"Ooh..."
Branch had been forced to spill his guts or risk Smidge destroying Gary. The threat of a pie to the face probably wasn't why he'd agreed to be honest in the second round of that game, and Biggie knew it. It explained to Biggie why he was now running around town, desperately searching for what mattered the most to him. At least it wasn't embarrassing, but he was starting to understand what Branch had been dealing with when Smidge held Gary hostage.
Biggie sighed, giving up. "Alright, Branch. Can I get a hint on this one?" he asked, pointing to the clue.
"Sure, Biggie," Branch answered. "Think of a common place where people lose things in Troll Village."
Biggie put a finger to his chin as he thought about it. "Hmm... A place where people lose things... The lagoon!" He ran off to search the area around the lagoon.
Branch watched him go, keeping his face neutral, then smirked. "Not even close. Okay, where's Cooper?"
He was going to get the crazy guy back next—and he knew how, too. He headed off in search of the giraffe troll.
In a tree near the runway, Poppy sat in a bush, rope in hand, lying in wait for the fashionistas. She laughed through her lips. "Oh, this one's gonna be one for the books." Seeing them coming, her eyes widened. "Ooh! It's show time. Heh heh heh heh." She ducked down into the bush to hide.
"Satin, I'm telling you, Branch would probably have hidden our clothes in a cave somewhere!" Chenille snapped at her twin.
"Not if he's trying to embarrass us by parading us all around Troll Village dressed like this! He'd hide them in the last place we'd think to look for them!"
"Well, I have to admit, the runway is definitely the last place I think he hid them."
"It couldn't hurt to check, could it?"
"Just as long as nobody's about to start a fashion show, I guess."
Poppy laughed quietly as the two approached her hiding place. Once they were standing in the right spot, she let go of the rope, and two cans of paint fell from the tree above, dumping all over Satin and Chenille and covering them in different colors.
They both cried out in shock, closing their eyes. Blinking them open, they looked at each other and screamed. Satin was sky blue, and Chenille was now a muddy olive green.
As they were screaming, Poppy ran up with a paint brush and got to work, glad that Harper had been able to supply her with very quick-drying paint. "Don't mind me!" she said as she painted on the twins. "Just practicing my body painting skills!" She finished up and backed up a couple of steps, grinning mischievously as she asked, "How'd I do?"
The twins looked at each other, then at themselves, and then screamed again.
The sky blue on Satin hadn't been so bad on its own. However, Poppy had decided to use dark red, gray, and cream paint to paint uneven and random lines all over her body. Some went up and down, some across, some diagonal. Some were thin, some thick. Some were long, some short. All in all, it looked like a little kid had grabbed a paintbrush and gone to town on her—a little kid who was colorblind and only knew how to draw straight lines.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Chenille was covered in polka dots of various sizes, some far enough apart that it looked as though she'd forgotten to decorate parts of herself. They were in shades of hot pink, light brown, and lavender. Some were more of an oval shape than a circle, and they gave her this almost sickly appearance.
"These colors don't match at all!" Satin cried.
"Never mind that! Who mixes polka dots and stripes!?" Chenille demanded, gesturing from herself to her sister. "This is a serious fashion faux pas!"
"Ooh, really?" Poppy asked. "Well, I thought it was perfect 'cause you just got per-ranked!"
They looked at her and sweat before Satin asked, "Is this because of what we did on Buttercup's show?"
"Because, for the record, it was Satin's idea," Chenille said, pointing at her twin.
Satin glared at Chenille, who looked over at her and threw her arms out to the side, smiling a bit. "Happy Prank Day!" Chenille said.
"Oh, I know, girls. You didn't mean to embarrass us both in front of all of Troll Village. So why should we ever want to do the same to you?" Poppy gave them a smug grin that cued them into the sarcasm in her tone.
The twins exchanged awkward looks. She had a point, after all.
"Right, well... We should go get cleaned up," Chenille said.
"That's right! It's bad enough we're running around looking like we got dressed in a storage room! We don't need to be covered in paint, too."
And so, even though the paint helped to cover up their ridiculous outfits, the twins ran off to bathe, knowing full well they'd have to find something new from their disaster wardrobe in their pod to change into.
Poppy waved after them, smiling, and called, "Okay! Bye! Happy Prank Day, you two!"
Little did they know how close they had come to finding their actual clothes. If they'd just gone a little farther, Poppy knew, they would have been able to change into something far less embarrassing. Using Branch's prank to set up her own had worked out well. Now she had even stretched his out longer!
She grew serious and mischievous yet again, saying, "Now...to find Suki and finish this thing!"
And, so, Poppy ran off in search of her final victim... Well, the final one she had to initiate a prank on, at least. Smidge still didn't realize Poppy had pranked her just yet, after all.
Branch spotted Cooper straight ahead and was heading over when an eyesore of a pair ran past him, joined at the hair.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" the muddy-looking one said in Chenille's voice. "The outfits are bad enough! We do not need this getting around!"
Branch watched them run by, stunned. Chenille looked diseased, and Satin was...honestly not looking any better. "...Huh. Poppy's on a roll," he said. He then turned to Cooper, smirked, and said, "Now to get down to business."
Branch took a moment to prepare himself for this one, applying makeup and working his expression into a look of panic. It wasn't hard, he had spent a lot of time panicking in his life—he knew exactly how to look freaked out.
Once he was sure he looked convincing, he ran up to Cooper, crying, "Cooper! What are you doing out here!? It's not safe!"
Too used to Branch's freak-outs, Cooper just waved him off, saying, "Aw, Branch, you're always sayin' that!" He turned to his friend as he said, "So what's supposed to be—"
He cut himself off—Branch looked pale and sickly.
"Branch?" Cooper asked, worried now. "You okay, dude?"
"No, I'm not okay!" Branch panicked. "Nobody in Troll Village is 'okay!' Cooper, there's a virus going around that's making people into mindless zombies!"
Cooper's eyes bugged out of his head. "Oh, no! Branch, we gotta get somewhere safe!"
"No, Cooper! You've gotta get somewhere safe! It's too late for me, I can already feel it taking effect! It's only a matter of time before I become a zombie, too! Get to the bunker, and don't let anyone in! This thing might only be temporary. If I recover, I'll come get you when it's safe. But, right now, you need to save yourself! Go! GO!" Branch cried, pointing off toward the bunker, as he tried to make this seem urgent.
Cooper jumped, screaming in terror, and ran off for the bunker as instructed.
And, with that, Branch had trapped Cooper in the bunker for in indefinite amount of time. Sure, Cooper could leave any time he wanted to, but why would he? If he was going to become undead from stepping outside, he'd have no reason. At least he wouldn't be chained to a chair, Branch reasoned.
DJ was in her pod, getting her mix ready for a party that would be happening that evening. Nothing new—parties in Troll Village were a daily occurrence, even on Prank Day.
Poppy came running up to her friend, excited. She had several pieces of paper in her hand. "Suki! Hey! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
DJ stopped and looked curiously at Poppy, asking, "Huh? What's up?"
"Oh, not much. I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me win back Branch. That was a real nice thing you did, and I just had to pay you back somehow."
DJ grinned at her, looking humble. "Aw. Gee, Poppy. I didn't do that mu—"
"Oh, I insist," Poppy cut her off. "That's why I got you a bunch of blind dates of your own! Ya know. Since you're always so lonely and all." There was mischief in her eyes, a smug smile on her face.
DJ started, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wait a—what—"
"Right!? And I even took the liberty of bringing them all over so you could figure out how to dress and where to go for them!"
As Poppy finished, she stepped aside, gesturing to five troll boys she had brought along. It was amazing how quickly you could amass an army of stalkers if you were really so inclined. All five looked to be exactly that—crazy stalkers.
"DJ! Hey! Come over here so I can look at you!" one of them cried.
"I've admired you from afar for years now! I even sit outside your window and watch everything you do!"
DJ found that creepy.
"Hey! Has anyone ever told you you're the most amazing DJ in town?"
"I love you, DJ Suki! Let's have kids and get married right now!"
She hoped that fourth one wasn't serious.
"Yeeeek! DJ Suki's the bomb!" the fifth shrieked like a crazed fan at a meet-and-greet with a famous musician.
DJ's eyes widened in shock, and she got up to run as the five boys moved toward her. "Aaah!" she cried, running for dear life.
The boys ran after her, calling out.
"DJ! Wait!"
"Come back here, babe!"
"Marry me! Please!"
As they gave chase, they kept crying out similar things. Poppy walked over to the door, grinning smugly. "You're welcome! Have a great time with them, Suki! You definitely deserve it!" she called after her friend.
Meanwhile, Branch was looking for DJ himself. However, when he found her, he realized this might not be the best time for him to try to get her back...
DJ ran past Branch with five troll boys following after her. "Aaah! I don't need thanked for helpin' out this much! This is the wooorrrst!" she cried.
"DJ! Baby! How can we exchange hair samples like this!?"
"Yeah! Wait up! I'm not done staring at you yet!"
"Marry me! Please!"
Branch just stared after the lot, absolutely and undeniably at a loss. He didn't think DJ had that many stalkers.
"...O-kay... Guess I'll have to wait until later. She seems...pretty busy right now."
Just then Smidge came running up, a look of great frustration plastered on her face. "Rraaaaahh!" she bellowed as she ran over. "There! I told everyone in Troll Village I love 'em, even Satin and Chenille dressed up funny!"
Elsewhere in the village, the twins stood completely nonplussed. Both were cleaned up and wearing new terrible outfits—a black jumpsuit with holes cut in various asymmetrical locations for Satin, and a white dress seemingly made out of an old pillowcase that had patches of feathers in random locations for Chenille. Smidge had just been here and confessed undying love for them, complimenting their outfits while she was at it.
"...Did Smidge seem okay to you?" Satin asked, recovering a bit.
"Definitely not, but it's probably Branch or Poppy's doing!"
Satin nodded her agreement, and they continued their search.
"So you got Sky Toronto?" Branch asked the small troll. There was one more thing he needed her to do—scream loudly.
"Yes," she answered, looking annoyed.
"Nova Swift?" Branch tried again, naming the village's trend-setter.
"Yeah! And she thinks I'm a real weirdo, too! So can you let Poppy go now? I did exactly what you wanted and SOLD IT to every troll in Troll Village!" Smidge bellowed, frustrated and embarrassed as she thought about it.
Hearing this signal, Poppy came running. It was time to wrap things up with Smidge.
Poppy strolled right up to Smidge, looking smug. "Really, Smidge? I don't remember you telling me or Branch that."
Smidge roared and turned to her, shouting, "Oh, my gah! Give it a rest, Poppy! I think you're the most amazing lover in the entire world, and I can't wait to get you in bed with me!"
"Aw... Smidge..." Poppy said, putting her hands to her heart as she pretended to be touched.
Next, looking crazed, Smidge whirled on Branch and said, "And as for you, you handsome hunk of troll. Come here!" She grabbed him and kissed him on the lips, catching him off guard. She ended the kiss quickly, pulling back.
Branch blinked. "Wow. Okay, you definitely sold that one!"
As Poppy giggled in the background, Smidge blinked, realization creeping in. "Wait a second." Slowly she turned to the pink troll.
Poppy looked at her, smiling in amusement, and waved.
"Well, Smidge, I think it's time to call for a hero," Branch said, giving a smug smirk. He cupped a hand beside his mouth and called, "Somebody send out the Prank Signal!"
"Yeah, boy! You need a rescue 'cause you just got pranked!" Poppy finished.
She went to Branch for a high five, which he gladly gave her.
"Oh, yeah! We bad!" Poppy said.
"You know it," Branch agreed.
Smidge stared between the two before she started sweating. "You were both in on this, weren't you?"
"Yep! It was Branch's idea, though," Poppy answered, pointing at the mastermind with pride.
"Oh, yeah. I was planning on blackmailing you from the start. Poppy did help me set it up perfectly, though."
"Aw. Thank you. For a troll who hates blackmail, you sure did a good job using it," she teased lightly.
Branch smirked. "Well, it's acceptable in some trolls' minds," he said, eyeing Smidge pointedly. "Besides, I was never going to hurt anyone!"
"Yeah. True, true." Poppy giggled.
Smidge just stared at them for a moment before she cried, "Oh, my gah!"
Poppy stopped laughing and started to leave, saying, "Ah, well. I'd better go see how Cooper's holding on there. Literally. Later, you guy—"
"Uh, he's not 'holding on' anywhere," Branch cut her off. "He's probably in the bunker by now, avoiding the zombie apocalypse...which I'll gladly tell him isn't happening...eventually." He smirked.
Poppy turned to him, highly amused now. "Oh, ho! No way! You didn't?"
"Oh, I did, alright! I told him that the whole village was compromised and he needed to get to safety quick! I even told him I was sick! Said that I'd come get him if everyone recovered."
Poppy suppressed a snicker and said, "Oh, no way! And I thought what I told him was bad!"
"Why? What did you tell him?"
As Poppy started telling Branch about her prank for Cooper, Smidge rolled her eyes in annoyance. The last thing she needed right now was to watch the two Prank Masters discussing their tactics of the day, especially considering that she had just run around town, making things highly uncomfortable for herself.
"Yeah, you two do that. Meanwhile I think I'll go tell everyone it was all a big Prank Day joke," she said as she started off to salvage her reputation. "Later."
Neither of the pranksters seemed to hear her. As Poppy finished up, Branch said, "Wow, Poppy, that's amazing! You're really good at this!"
"So are you! Which...I don't get, Branch. I'd think you'd be against all this 'cause it's so crazy and weird."
Branch didn't normally get involved in anything too wild, so Poppy had expected Prank Day to be too much. She'd thought this would be one of the days he'd stay in his bunker and not even consider coming outside. She couldn't remember ever seeing him around the village on Prank Day in the years when he'd been gray.
"Are you kidding? I love Prank Day! It requires stealth, ingenuity, and cunning! It's like this holiday was designed just for me...and, apparently, you."
He looked at her, surprised himself. Poppy was usually so sweet and friendly that he didn't think she'd be that good at something so devious as Prank Day.
It seemed the two had more in common than either of them had known.