Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. The girl Techno Troll belongs to me, the boy to Midna Azusa. Harmony is also mine.

Edit: Added and changed details, revised words, altered character lines.

DJ and CJ swam out to the middle of the ocean, leading seven wooferbugs with them. The two Techno Trolls they were following stopped, looking eager.

"Like, this is it!" said the girl with a giggle.

DJ blinked, startled. "It is?" She looked around at the endless nothingness in confusion. Were these guys just messing with her? "I don't see—"

"Look down, silly!" the boy said before he laughed.

DJ and CJ both looked down into the depths of the ocean, and it became apparent where they were. Somewhere down below, barely showing on the surface of the water, colorful lights flickered and danced around.

"WHOOOAA! That's so—" DJ started, her eyes widening in awe.

"Awesome!" CJ finished, eyes bright in excitement. "They're having some sort of underwater party! Can we go, Aunt DJ!? Huh!? Can we!?" she splashed around in her excitement, hoping her aunt would say yes.

DJ put a hand to her chin, thinking. The last time she checked, they would need to come up for air since neither she nor CJ had gills. "Uh... I don't know, kiddo. We didn't really bring any divin' gear, and—"

She'd been expecting a small island or a group of rocks with trolls basking on them, not an underwater city. Where did these guys live, Atlantis? If so, that would be a huge discovery, but they weren't prepared to make it.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," the Techno boy cut her off. "All trolls can breathe in the Techno Reef. Not sure how, but we know it's true!"

Okay, apparently it wasn't the lost city of Atlantis. But it still sounded fun!

DJ smiled at what she was hearing. "Oh," she said. "Well, in that case, what are we waitin' for!? Let's get this party started!" She threw her arms up in the air in excitement.

"Yeah!" CJ said, mimicking her aunt's movements and energy.

The girl Techno Troll giggled, putting a hand to her mouth. Land trolls could be so adorable sometimes. "Okay! Then, like, come on! From the sound of things, you're, like, just in time! Let's go!" And she dove under the water excitedly.

The other Techno Troll dove as well, and CJ and DJ took their cue, diving into the Techno Reef with the seven wooferbugs following. They swam deeper and deeper, heading for the ocean floor. To DJ's surprise, she and CJ really could breathe under this water. She knew they couldn't breathe in all water, yet, somehow, this was different.

But she didn't give much thought to that as they came nearer and nearer to the Techno Reef. The lights got brighter and music erupted from below. The Techno Trolls were in the middle of a huge rave. As the Pop Trolls finally reached the bottom, they could see the party. Rainbow-colored Techno Trolls, all glowing, were lined up in a pattern, as if they grouped this way on purpose. One troll was apart from the rest at a coral reef deejay booth.

This Techno Troll male was blue with neon green hair, rainbow stripes on his arms, and pixelated patterns on his tail in a colorful array of pink, purple, and a couple of shades of blue. At the bottom of his tail was a neon purple line. His sclerae were neon green, a dark blue unibrow over his eyes. He had what looked like a couple of dark blue sea creatures with purple outlines as headphones. Like the two who had found DJ and CJ, he had a pink heart on his chest. In fact, looking around, DJ noticed that all of the Techno Trolls seemed to share that characteristic.

"One more time!" the blue troll sang in an auto-tune as the music played. He held up a hand as he bopped to the beat of his own jam.

The Techno Trolls swam around, dancing underwater as they enjoyed the music. DJ and CJ, meanwhile, joined their two guides in hiding behind a piece of coral as they watched. The two Techno Trolls smiled, excited.

"One more time, one more time!" the blue troll sang as he added some flavor to the melody (he hoped) with his mixing board. The truth was, he was trying something new tonight and wasn't sure how it would turn out.

DJ and CJ watched, entranced. They didn't know this was new, but they were definitely enjoying the kicking beats a ton.

"One more time! One more time, we gonna celebrate! Oh, yeah! All right! Don't stop the dancin'!" The blue troll zipped around, side to side, enjoying his new rhythm. Seeing everyone else doing the same, he figured he had a hit on his hands!

Little did he know he was right by Pop Troll standards, too.

"Whoa! Check that out!" DJ said, staring in awe. "There really are other trolls down here! And they're havin' a blast, too!"

To top it off, that troll could really drop a beat. She started grooving right there, excited by the energy this track was producing.

"Awesome! Look at them all! They're all so colorful and bright! It's so pretty!" CJ said as she put her hands to her cheeks, taking in the neon rainbow colors of the Techno Trolls.

The girl troll with them laughed. "Yeah. We're, like, way cool, aren't we?"

"We'll have to introduce you to King Trollex before you can join the fun, though. He'll have to decide if it's okay," the boy said.

"Yeah. Sure. Works for me. Where is he?" DJ asked, looking around happily. She also decided to tie her wooferbug train up down here somewhere so they wouldn't take off at the sound of someone's music. Since everyone could breathe down here, she figured they'd be fine for a few hours. She tied them to a section of the reef.

The boy thought about the panic that would likely ensue if he swam into the rave with a couple of Pop Trolls, child or no child, and said, "Just...let me get him." And he swam over to the deejay booth, looking mildly apprehensive.

"Yeah. You should, like, chill out right here for a bit," the girl Techno Troll said nervously. "Ya know. Just in case..." She swam over as well, a bit worried about how this would go down.

With Pop Trolls being the villains in history, neither of these two were eager to scare the rest of their community.

DJ and CJ blinked, unsure what that was supposed to mean. "Uuh... Okay?" DJ said, confused. She and CJ both ducked down to hide as the Techno Trolls swam to their king.

"Ooh..." the blue troll sang, waving to the music as he came up from below his booth.

"Here we go!" sang out a little living green button on the reef.

"One more time. One more time." He went back to bopping around as he mixed the music up some more. Privately he thought that maybe he should mess with the lighting, maybe do a wave with the Techno Trolls in the audience.

The purple troll girl swam right up to the blue troll as he sang on and switched up the laser lights. He looked at her curiously, still smiling and singing, "We gonna celebrate." Bravely the girl swam up to him and whispered the situation in his ear as he continued, "Oh, yeah, alright. Don't stop the dancin'."

His eyes widened suddenly in shock. He looked at the girl for clarification, curious but also a bit nervous. Everyone knew that Pop Trolls had been untrustworthy in the past, so what were two of his own people doing bringing some down here? Not wanting to scare his people, he sang on, "One more time, we gonna celebrate!"

The purple troll girl nodded calmly and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Oh, yeah, all right!" He looked at her curiously. There was no way that could be true, right?

The girl nodded her head at the orange troll, waiting nearby for her to get their king's attention. The blue troll looked at him and sang, "One more time!" as the orange one nodded, smiling himself.

The blue king nodded back, smiling slightly. This one, he had to see. He waved a magenta troll with purple hair over. Her tailfin was beaded with light neon blue and neon yellow beads, and her eyes were neon yellow, along with her unibrow. Her eyelashes were a neon blue, and she had yellow and blue stripes on her arms, blue stripes on her ears, and the usual pink heart on her chest. She swam over, and the blue troll smiled brightly at her as he gently placed her in the booth, encouraging her to take over. He took off his headphones and gave them to her.

"Keep these guys entertained for a minute, Bliss Marina," he said. "I gotta take care of one tiny little thing." He swam off, following the orange and purple trolls, who were still smiling at him reassuringly.

Bliss Marina smiled, nodding, and put on the headphones to keep the good times going.

"Is this the spot, guys?" the king asked the other two.

"Yes, King Trollex," said the orange Techno Troll. "They should be right here."

DJ and CJ poked their heads out, CJ smiling and DJ looking curious, as King Trollex looked at them with his own curiosity. He tried to keep his expression neutral for now. According to his people, these two were harmless, so he just needed to make sure of that. Never let your guard down around a potential threat until you've made sure it's not a threat.

"Uh... Hey there, dude! What's up?" DJ raised a hand in greeting, growing slightly nervous as she offered him a hesitant smile.

"You tell me," King Trollex answered cautiously, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "We don't normally receive a visit from you guys. What up?"

"Uh, well, my name's DJ Suki," DJ said, gesturing at herself, "and this here's my niece, CJ." She gestured to the young girl next.

"Hi!" the child waved happily. "How's it goin'?"

"And we were sent here by Queen Poppy of the Pop Trolls to help out with a problem all the trolls up there are havin'. But I'm guessin' the trouble ain't so bad down here, huh?"

King Trollex blinked, confused. "...Trouble?"

There wasn't any trouble in the Techno Reef. What were these two talking about?

CJ crossed her arms, a glare on her face, and said, "Yeah. There's this group of losers up there wrecking everyone's parties and leaving them with nothing. They are not cool at all."

"Hmm... I get ya." He smiled, pleased. It seemed there wasn't anything to worry about. "Awesome! Your story checks out! 'Cause these guys said the same thing, too." Playfully, King Trollex hitched a thumb at the other two Techno Trolls as he cast them a sly smile. "I'm King Trollex, leader of the Techno Trolls. And, man, is it a thrill to meet someone friendly from the surface world! I was startin' to think no one up there could be trusted!"

"Huh? What is this? The Little Mertroll?" DJ asked, baffled. First she found out Techno Trolls were mertrolls, now they acted like they hated land trolls. What was next, a mertroll falling madly in love with her and trading his fins and voice to a witch for feet? Because that would be super weird. "Why would ya ever think somethin' as bad as that?"

Trollex twitched an ear, uncomfortable with the reference to that trolly tale. They weren't mertrolls, and the comparison was honestly a bit offensive. "'Scuse me?"

"We're nice! We're all really nice! And friendly, too!" CJ said as she threw her arms above her head, her little face lighting up. "Everybody up there is, so there's no need to worry!"

Trollex smiled in amusement and decided to humor the child. She was, admittedly, adorable, so there was no need to destroy her innocents by pointing out what her people had done in the past. Clearly, CJ didn't know. "Awright, kid. If you say so."

"Now get ready for the drop, everyone!" Bliss Marina cried out loudly and excitedly from the reef.

The Techno Trolls all started to cheer. Even the king turned back, apparently excited himself. DJ and CJ just looked lost, wondering what "the drop" was and why it deserved an announcement.

"Uh, what's that all about?" DJ asked, curious and lost.

"Why's everyone screaming all of a sudden?" CJ added curiously.

Trollex grabbed the two Pop Trolls' hands and pulled them along toward the rave. "Oh, you'll love it! Come on!" he said, sounding like he could barely contain his excitement. He dragged them into the middle of the party and waited eagerly—not patiently. He bounced a bit with his hands both clenched into fists in front of him, like a little kid waiting to open their birthday presents. The two Techno Trolls who had brought DJ and CJ down followed.

"Come on!" the orange one cheered, eager for this "drop."

"Music's got me feelin' so free," Bliss Marina sang on as she made the lights flash around her faster and faster. She dramatically rose higher and higher. "Celebrate and dance so free. Music's got me feeling so—Music's got me—"

DJ and CJ looked around, unsure what was going on, but the level of excitement was contagious.

"Come on, baby... Wait for it..." Trollex said, fists still clenched and an eager smile on his face.

"Music's got me feeling so..." Bliss Marina slammed her hand down hard on the living green button, sending a shock wave through the crowd and sending them all flying. "One more time!"

The trolls cried out, thrilled, as they went flying. DJ and CJ got caught up in this as well.

"W-whooooaaa!" DJ cried out, startled, waving around as she tried to regain her balance.

CJ, on the other hand, rather enjoyed it. She started laughing as she went flying, and the look on her face made DJ join her, now enjoying this herself. King Trollex flew past them, his hands behind his head and a wide smile on his face. When the wave passed and everything settled down some, he gave the Pop Trolls a broad smile and reached a hand out to DJ, intending to show these guests the time of their lives. DJ smiled back and happily danced with him, even if dancing underwater was a new experience for her. CJ joined as well, and the party continued with two Pop Trolls in the mix now.

Honestly, DJ was glad she'd come to the Techno Reef. This place was turning out to be a real blast.

Not too far away, the twins were far less thrilled with their destination. They spent the whole afternoon rehearsing that same wordless but extremely emotional song, spending five hours on this rehearsal. The Classical Trolls didn't seem to mind this repetition and this grueling work, but the Pop Trolls were extremely tired by the time they were told they were done for the day. They ate a quick dinner, eager to get back to their room and rest, and then Harmony and the two guards escorted them back to their room.

"Bye, ladies! See you tomorrow!" Harmony said as she waved, smiling brightly, before she flew off.

Once they were alone, Satin looked at Chenille with desperation and cried, "Chenille, I can't do this! I can't! I don't even like the violin!"

Her sister was more inclined to play classical music. Satin preferred something with a bit more kick to it.

"Well, unless you've suddenly developed Branch-like stealth abilities, I don't think we have much of a choice," Chenille told her, rather annoyed at the Classical Trolls. She hitched a thumb at the door and said, "There are guards outside, Satin."

Satin sighed. "We should have listened to Branch..." After all, the Classical Trolls clearly didn't just not want their help, they didn't need it. The Party Crashers hadn't drained their land of all fun.

Chenille put her hand on her sister's shoulder and soothed, "We'll be okay, Satin. We can leave after this is over, remember? For now, why don't we go get a nice, hot bath to relax?"

Satin nodded, and the two headed to the attached bathroom, which was just as elaborate as the room. They had discovered this room when they opened a door they had initially taken for a closet. Like their bedroom, the walls were golden. The floor was white marble, as were the countertops. This wasn't a small bathroom, either—the bathtub was large, more like a small pool than a normal tub. It resembled more of a large natural spring, although the sides were still gold. In the back of the room, there was a fountain in the shape of a troll posed in a rather sophisticated and proud manner, painted gold. The water for the fountain spewed from the troll's mouth when they turned it on to fill the bath. Shelves lined one wall, covered in bottles of pink, teal, lavender, sky blue, light orange, and creamy yellow bubble bath, all combined into one. When the twins turned on the water, it was nice and hot.

"Oooh..." they said, amazed once again at their accommodations.

"Okay, maybe it's not so bad here," Satin admitted with a smile.

"If they'd just stop forcing us to practice their 'Ode to Pop Hate,' I might actually like it," Chenille agreed, nodding. After all, she had nothing against classical music...other than that dreadful song they'd spent all day rehearsing.

The towels were as soft as can be, and the Classical Trolls had even brought in a couple of bathrobes for them, which now hung on the wall. One was pink, the other lavender, and these robes were just as high quality as the towels.

Satin stroked the pink one, saying, "Wow, these robes are so soft!"

"And so are the towels!" Chenille said, rubbing one against her cheek.

The twins looked at each other and smiled, then Chenille said, "Maybe we can stay awhile, after all."

Satin nodded, and she and her twin drew up a bath, using the multicolored bubble bath.

The bubble mix had smelled heavenly, like a bouquet of roses, and the bath left their skin feeling soft and smooth. The twins were quite happy with the relaxing quality of their bath, really. When they came out of the bathroom, wrapped in those luxurious robes, they found two silk nightgowns folded on the chest at the foot of the bed, one pink and one lavender, like the robes. There was also a book sitting on the nightstand, one they hadn't noticed earlier—a book titled History of Trolls. The two pulled on the nightgowns, then picked up the book, curious.

"Why do you think this is here?" Satin asked, looking over the book.

"Hopefully it's where our answers to all of our unanswered questions will come from," Chenille answered, her irritation slipping back into her voice.

Couldn't the Classical Trolls just give them a straight answer? Why avoid talking to them about whatever the problem was? It wasn't like the twins would bite!

The twins opened the book and read. Before long, they understood everything. The book told the same story: the creation of the strings, trolls living in harmony, Pop's treacherous attempt to eliminate all other genres. It was all there, and it explained the complex emotions behind the song "Freedom From Pop" that the girls had spent all day rehearsing. Anger that drove the tribes now, especially at the thought of another troll trying the same thing, overwhelming joy at being free to play any music they choose, sadness at losing their connection to the other tribes, and the beauty in accepting the division by remembering that they were all free to be them.

As they finished reading, the twins looked at each other, troubled.

"That's why they hate us?" Satin asked, appalled.

"But we're not the trolls who did that! That's not fair!" Chenille complained, equally as horrified by the realization of what her people had done.

Satin nodded in agreement, then put a finger to her cheek, thinking. After a moment, she said, "Chenille, Branch said the Rock Trolls were supposed to be trouble. Do you think Fuzzbert's okay?" She looked at her sister with worry etched on her face.

If Pop Trolls had really tried to destroy everyone's music in the past and Rock Trolls were as dangerous as Branch implied, who knew what would happen to Fuzzbert?

Chenille returned the look as she answered, "I hope so. And Guy, too. He's alone. And DJ took CJ to the Techno Trolls!"

"I hope everyone's okay..." Satin said, wringing her hands.

Chenille nodded in agreement to that statement. The two sat there in silence for a bit, fear for their friends' well-being infecting them, until Chenille reluctantly said, "I guess there's nothing we can do about that right now, though. We might as well get some sleep. We have to rehearse 'Ode to Pop Hate' again tomorrow, after all."

Now worried for their friends, the twins climbed into bed to try to sleep. The bed was comfortable enough that it made sleeping easy—their bodies relaxed quickly, and their minds soon followed as the worries of the day faded away for the moment.

Their worries were justified, but not necessarily because anyone was in any real danger. In Volcano Rock, Fuzzbert and Aspen were dead on their feet after Barb's 6-hour concert and the 10-hour party that followed. In fact, Fuzzbert was beginning to wonder if Rock Trolls ever slept, and he asked Barb as much as the trolls headed home.

Barb just laughed and answered, "Yeah, sure, we do! All day!"

"R-r-really?" Aspen stammered, stunned. "So, wait... ya guys sleep all day and rock out all night!? So's that make ya nocturnal or...somethin'?"

Fuzzbert wondered the same thing. The sun was coming up, after all.

Barb waved a hand dismissively and said, "Psh. Nah, not really. We don't have a normal sleep schedule like that, either. Some of my people will be up here soon because they actually went to bed last night."

Fuzzbert and Aspen exchanged anxious glances. Would there ever be a time they could slip away?

Barb wrapped her arms around their necks again, effectively answering that question. "But enough for one night! I'm guessing you two are ready to crash, right?" Fuzzbert protested nervously. He tried to say they needed to head home soon, but he didn't get far before Barb cut him off, "Great! I'll show you guys to your room for the night," as she dragged them off.

"Uh—No, really! T-this has been, like, totally righteous, Princess Barb," Aspen said, "but we really should be g—"

Barb stopped walking and said, "Nonsense! I can't let you fly home so tired! What kind of host would I be if I let my honored guests do something so reckless?" Barb's tone hinted at a threat. If they kept arguing with her, neither of the Pop Trolls knew what she would do, but both knew they probably wouldn't like it.

With a nervous grin, Aspen nodded. Fuzzbert indicated his fearful agreement, too, saying he was too tired to fly that balloon straight anyway. Seriously, where was Branch when you needed him? ...If they had a dime for every time they asked themselves that question today...

"Y-yeah! R-right!" Aspen said, nodding vigorously. "G-good point, dude! Totally!"

"Good!" Barb said. "Now come on." She dragged them off once more, saying, "I'll get you two taken care of."

"Y-yeah! Right! Cool!"

Aspen's nerves were shot. This was worse than that time he'd let Guy Diamond talk him into pretending to conquer Troll Village and lock Poppy up. At least Branch had left him alone when told it was all fake. This girl, on the other hand, was showing no sign of letting him go any time soon.

Suddenly Fuzzbert got an idea. He asked Barb if they could contact their queen and let her know they wouldn't be back just yet. Since Poppy was with Branch at the moment, they'd be out of here in no time if he could just tell Poppy what was up.

"Sure, you can write a letter!" Barb answered. "I'll have Debbie deliver it."

Fuzzbert quickly pulled out a paper and pen and scribbled out a letter. This had to be done carefully—if Barb read it, he didn't want her knowing he was asking for help. Luckily Poppy had Branch with her, and he would likely understand a hidden message in the right context. When Fuzzbert was finished, the letter read:

Dear Poppy,

Having a rockin' good time at Volcano Rock City! This place is so fierce and wild, I'm not sure if we'll ever leave! Hope you don't miss us any!

Your friend,

Fuzzbert!

Satisfied that Barb wouldn't catch the real meaning but Branch would, Fuzzbert put away the pen and handed his letter over to Barb. She took it, stuffed it in an envelope, and called, "Debbie!"

A furry white bat flew over, looking at Barb.

The Rock princess handed the letter to the bat, saying, "Here, Debbie. Get this letter to Queen Poppy of the Pop Trolls."

The bat squealed a bit and took the letter.

"Ah-ah! Wait a second!" Aspen cried, his eyes wide (and with dark circles under them) as he held a hand out, realizing something. "B-before you send that out, you oughta know that our queen's on an errand to help the Country Trolls, too! S-so she couldbe out there still!"

Barb just looked at him for a bit. Their queen had to be a real idiot to try this relief mission nonsense on the Country Trolls. Barb turned her attention back to her bat, Debbie, and said, "Well, you heard the troll, Debbie! Take it to Lonesome Flats." She looked off to the side and muttered, "Because there's no way Delta Dawn let them leave."

The bat squealed again and flew off. Fuzzbert and Aspen looked at each other, worried. What did Barb mean Delta Dawn wouldn't let Poppy and Branch leave? Were they in trouble, too?

Even if they'd had the courage, they didn't have the chance to ask. Barb grabbed them once again, upbeat and forceful, as she said, "Okay! Let's move it! I don't know about you two, but I'm beat."

The two nervously agreed as Barb took them back to her home, both hoping that Branch would be able to deal with not only their problem but also whatever the Country Trolls were doing...and maybe every other tribe while he was at it. It seemed the foreign trolls were less than friendly, if their experience was anything to go by. This might have been a really, really bad idea.

Why couldn't I have gone with Branch instead? Aspen wondered, sweat beading on his brow as he worried over his current predicament. This is so not cool.

Shadgirl2: For the fountain in the twins' bathroom in Symphonyville, just imagine an ancient Greek statue.

Midna Azusa: Also, since Barb was outside of her ride in the Techno Reef, we just came to the conclusion that the Techno Reef's water is bizarre in some way or other, especially since Techno Trolls don't seem to suffer in any way when they're out of the water.