Song Defies Color
A/N: Finally! I've been busy all week, and it was supposed to be spring break! Well, at least for my brothers. But at least I finished this so that I can work on a different story before college starts back up again next week. Talk about pressure.
Well, I'm sure I kept you guys waiting long enough. So let's get on with Chapter 8! Roll it!
Chapter 8
Questions, Secrets and Encounters
Back down in the secret basement, Branch was helping the others clean up the mess. But his head was still reeling from the discoveries they found within the past half-hour.
"I just don't get it." He muttered out loud. "Why would Guffin keep these things from me when they belonged to me in the first place?"
Archer just placed a box onto a nearby table, the items inside jostling around a bit. "I'll tell you what Guffin is up to!" He exclaimed. "No good!"
"Well, that's helpful." Cloud Guy said sarcastically, who was carrying a stack of books.
Archer just glared at him briefly before his mouth pulled up into a smirk. "Okay, then how about you get rid of that giant puff spider over there?" He asked him.
"Where?!" Cloud Guy shouted, dropping the books. The sound of them scared Glitz, who was taking a little nap, and he went bouncing around the room like a pinball until he finally crashed into the floor, creating a big hole in it.
Archer laughed at the scene. "Just kidding!" He teased. "Plus, tarantuapuffs are the ones that are dangerous. Not puff spiders."
Glitz immediately came out of the floor and then buzzed angrily at the teenage Party Crasher before zipping into Branch's hair to try and continue his little nap. Cloud Guy then started picking up the dropped books again.
"Are you happy now?" He asked him sarcastically, looking over at the hole in the floor. "How are we gonna fix this?"
Branch came over to the floor, carrying a little oil lamp in his hand. "Don't worry." He assured him. "We'll think of something."
When he peered down into the hole, he noticed that there was something strange about it. "Odd." He muttered softly to himself.
Carefully, he shimmied closer to the hole and then jumped inside. Once his feet touched the ground, he found himself in an underground tunnel. Cobwebs decorated the top edges of the dirt tunnel. He wondered why he had never found anything like this when he was scouting a good spot for his bunker years ago.
Suddenly, he felt a little chill brush against his gray skin like a gentle breeze, and he looked ahead of him into the shadows of the tunnel. "A draft." He said. "This tunnel must lead to someplace that's above ground."
After a few more seconds of examining the hidden passage, Branch started to reconsider whatever curious idea he had. "Maybe this isn't a good idea." He thought out loud.
"Now that's the understatement of the century." Archer pointed out.
But the curiosity was already starting to eat away at any doubts or fears that Branch had in his mind. "But I've never been so close to the village before for almost my entire life." He said, looking up at his friends for a small moment before looking back forward towards the tunnel before him. "This is my chance. Maybe even my only chance, so I'm gonna go check it out."
"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Cloud Guy asked.
"You guys just keep cleaning and make sure that Guffin doesn't wake up until I get back." Branch said. "Hopefully, I'll be back before supper time."
"You better!" Archer called out to him as Branch started walking down the tunnel. "And we'll be here, worrying." He added in a small mutter.
It felt like a long time since Branch started to follow the tunnel to see where it leads. It could've been just minutes or hours. His ears were twitching this way and that, listening for where the draft sounded the loudest, along with where it felt stronger as it brushed against his skin.
Soon, he eventually found….stone stairs? They led upward, towards daylight. That must be where the draft was coming from. Branch smiled as he left the oil lamp by the stairs and started up the stone spiral staircase. Glitz peeked out from his hair and started glowing, providing a little more light for his friend.
Eventually, they reached the top of the staircase, which led to a little place in between a couple of rocks. Glitz dimmed himself and then hid back in Branch's hair as the gray Troll managed to squeeze through the rocks. Once he was out, he immediately recognized the area.
"It can't be." He said to himself. As he walked further, the recognition only grew stronger as he took in his surroundings. "It is! This leads to the cliffs, where there is a little pond I would go to when I was younger."
The gray Troll stopped his light trip down memory lane when he quickly realized something. "Why would Guffin have a secret underground passageway just to get over here?" He asked aloud. "Was it to spy on me? To make sure that no one ever saw me?"
Branch stood in place for a few more seconds before deciding on something. "Maybe I should not worry about that for now." He said. "Maybe I should go and see how the place has changed. I haven't been here in almost ten years."
He then started walking along the path that led to the cliffs, admiring the beautiful scenery around him. Well, he supposed that not a whole lot had changed due to time. It still held a mesmerizing effect because of its natural beauty.
Eventually, he reached the pond that was in the woods nearby. It still looked as beautiful and peaceful as he remembered it. The water was clear and blue, with dozens of lily pads dotting along the edge of it. The grass around it was soft and green, along with a little bit of moss touching near the water.
"I should come by here more often." Branch said aloud. "It's been far too long."
Just then, he heard voices. Immediately, Branch jumped up and climbed into the trees to hide himself. He looked down to see who was coming.
Three small trollings appeared from the bushes, laughing and dancing around, having fun. Children. Branch softly smiled at the sight. He only wished that his own childhood would have had some semblance of that.
The first trolling was a girl with fuschia-pink skin with glitter freckles, aqua blue hair tied up in a ponytail, and blue eyes. She wore a pale blue crop top, cream colored capri pants, and navy blue wristbands on her wrists. Around her ears were small, navy blue and yellow yarn headphones, along with a matching purple and yellow bead collar necklace.
The second trolling was also a girl, but she was looking much more lankier than her friend. She had pale yellow skin, fuschia-purple hair and violet eyes shielded with thin red glasses. She only wore dark purple overalls.
Finally, the third trolling was the only boy of the group. He had somewhat abnormal wide, blue eyes, dirty pale green skin with little freckles, and blue hair. He only wore dark purple pants.
"This place is really pretty!" The fuschia trolling exclaimed, looking around while spinning in small circles. "I wonder why no one has ever found this place before."
"I think we walked by this place a thousand times and never noticed it." The bespectacled trolling added.
"Come on." The male trolling said, sounding bored. "What's so special about this place?"
He walked around the pond, his arms behind his head, looking pretty nonchalant. But then suddenly, he fell into a large pitfall that seemed to have appeared underneath him!
"Keith!" The girls shouted, immediately running towards the hole. Branch wanted to jump out of his hiding spot and go and help, but he remained rooted to where he was, despite his protective instincts screaming at him to come to the rescue.
But then, something strange happened. A small strand of dark blue hair stretched up from the hole in order to grab something, but instead, it hit something. Something invisible. Branch looked closely and saw the little ripples of energy surrounding the top of the pit. Magic. It had to be.
"Something's blocking my hair!" The little boy, Keith, called out. "I can't reach out!"
The girls tried to lower their own hair down, but it was the same thing with them. "We can't reach down either!" The bespectacled trolling exclaimed.
Branch quickly assessed the situation. The only Troll that he knew who could do magic was Guffin. And if that tunnel led her to this spot, where it was one of his favorite places to go as a teenager, then maybe she placed a few of these kinds of barrier traps around, waiting for him to fall in one. Then, she would remove it and bring him back to her manor so that she could punish him for skipping out on his chores.
"Clever move, you old witch." Branch muttered darkly to himself. He then looked around for anything that can work as a rope. Nothing. He then looked back over at the pit. That little boy won't be able to hold on for long. He had to do something.
Just then, he had an idea. It was risky, but he had no other choice. There was one more thing about him that made Guffin forbid him from ever coming near the village. And if he was being honest, it seemed like the most reasonable one, too. Guffin wasn't the only Troll that knew magic. He did, too.
To be honest, Branch had no idea how he was able to do magic. Somehow, for some strange reason, when he was about sixteen years old, he suddenly found himself able to control a lot of things. Mostly plants, though. He could also control fire, water, earth, lightning and air. When Guffin found out, she was both astonished and even a little…..well, horrified, to put it mildly. According to what she told him, very few Trolls are given the ability to learn magic. And even fewer were given the gift to control an element. But since he could control all of them, according to her, that makes him either blessed or cursed. Apparently, in Guffin's eyes, that meant that he was cursed and only gave him books on how to control his strange powers; never bothering to even give him simple lessons. But there were some upsides to his strange and rare ability.
He touched his vest with a finger, and then more leaves started appearing and attaching themselves to his vest, turning it into a makeshift cloak with a hood to cover his face and hair. Once he had the hood over his face, he then made a vine appear from one of the branches, and he swung into action, landing near the pit and the frightened trollings.
"Hold on!" Branch called down to the little boy. He then pulled down the vine, and then threw it down the pit. "Grab onto this!"
Keith was a little hesitant to accept help from a cloaked stranger, as expected, but he knew that he was trying to help him. So he reached out and grabbed the vine. Branch then turned to the girls.
"Help me pull him up." He said, gesturing to the rest of the vine that trailed behind him. The girls quickly obeyed him and started helping him pull up the vine and their friend. Soon, Keith was out of the pit, getting on his hands and knees as the two girls went over to him and hugged him.
"Are you okay?" The fuschia trolling asked him.
"I'm fine." Keith assured the girls before looking forward at the cloaked Troll coiling up the vine before throwing it back up towards the tree with impressive strength. "Who are you?" He asked.
"Keith!" The bespectacled trolling admonished him for his rudeness. "He helped us save you."
Branch lightly chuckled. "It's okay." He said to her, taking a couple of steps closer to the trio, but he still maintained a respectable distance. "Anyone can feel suspicious if they see a cloaked stranger coming to their rescue."
The three trollings looked over at each other, realizing that he did have a point. At least that this stranger seemed nice, if he was willing to help them. "Why are you wearing that?" The fuschia trolling asked, pointing to his cloak.
Under his hood, Branch had a conspiratorial grin on his face as he leaned in a little closer. "I'm not supposed to be out here." He said. "If someone finds out about me being here, talking to you, then I'm gonna be in a heap in trouble."
"Why?" Keith asked.
"I'm not welcome….in your village." Branch answered. "I'm….not like other Trolls. I don't have any friends."
The fuchsia trolling smiled brightly at him. "Well, now you do." She said. "I'm CJ Suki, and these are my best friends, Priscilla and Keith." She introduced herself and the other two trollings.
"Nice to meet you." Branch said, smiling kindly under his hood.
"Where are you from?" Priscilla asked.
"I don't live very far." Branch answered truthfully. "But I like to think of these woods as my home, since I practically grew up around these parts."
"What do you think about this place?" Keith asked.
Branch looked around the area. "I haven't been to this place in a long time." He admitted. "Though strangely, I can't remember why I stopped coming here." He then looked over at the pit. "But that might have been a good reason."
"Why couldn't we reach with our hair?" CJ asked.
Branch looked over at the trollings. "Do you guys believe in magic?" He asked conspiratorially.
The kids glanced towards the pit, and then back at him, quickly connecting the dots. "Are you saying that….it's magic?" Priscilla asked, pushing her glasses into place.
"Kind of." Branch amended. "I suspect that someone put a magic barrier around the pit, making sure that whoever falls in there won't be able to get out with their hair."
CJ shuddered. "That's scary." She replied.
"Don't worry." Branch assured her. "I'll find a way to make sure that no one falls in that pit again, and to remove the magic barrier around it." He then beckoned with his hand. "Come on. I'll lead you three back to the trail that will take you back home."
After a couple of silent minutes of walking, Keith spoke up again. "Do you know about magic?" He questioned the cloaked Troll.
Branch lightly bit his lip. "Not a whole lot." He decided to say, since it was close to the truth. "But the thing is, Trolls that can use magic, a lot of their own people think that they're dangerous. Even if they are good at heart."
The three kids were silent for a few moments. "Is that why you live in the forest?" CJ asked. "All alone? Do you have magic?"
Branch was quiet for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Yeah." He admitted, making the kids' eyes widen in surprise. "But I'm not completely alone. I do have some friends. I have the creatures that live around these parts."
"Really?" Priscilla inquired.
Branch just smiled under his leafy hood before stopping at one of the trees. He then began tapping his fingers against the trunk in a rhythmic pattern before starting to beatbox. Upon hearing his familiar voice, the forest creatures seemed to have come alive and began providing accompaniment to the gray Troll's rhythmic vocal sounds. Glitz even zipped out from his hiding spot in his friend's hair and joined a group of fuzzbugs as they started zipping around him.
*beatboxes* Friends! *beatboxes*
How many of us have them?
*beatboxes* Friends! *beatboxes*
Ones you can depend on.
Then Branch leaped onto a nearby mushroom, while doing a flip in the air, the fuzzbugs following him as they continued to spin and twirl around him as he started to sing in his sweet voice, leaving the kids amazed at the sight.
Branch: You just call on me, brother,
When you need a hand.
We all need somebody to lean on.
All: Lean on me
The kids then looked all around them, seeing the forest creatures singing acapella notes to provide the cloaked stranger's amazing pipes. They had never seen anything like this before. Maybe this was his magic; the magic of wonder and enchantment.
Forest Creatures: When you're not strong,
And I'll be your friend.
I'll help you carry on,
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on.
All: Lean on me!
As the little medley continued, none of the performers or spectators noticed that the catchy melody drifted over to the nearby trail path, where a certain pink princess was looking for the three children that had wandered away from the group during their little nature walk. Poppy was in charge of the walk, and she was feeling very much worried about the three trollings that had disappeared.
Just then, a familiar sound blew across the wind for her to hear. Her heart thumped firmly, and her skin shuddered at the faint but beautiful sound. A spark of hope suddenly glimmered in her soul when she recognized it. She had heard that voice two times before. It was her Mystery Troll! He was nearby! He had to be! Immediately, the pink Troll princess hurried in its direction, unbeknownst to the performing group that was singing the number along with said Mystery Troll.
Branch: You just might have a problem
That I'll understand.
We all need somebody to lean on.
Lean on me
When you're not strong,
And I'll be your friend.
Thank you for being a friend.
"You should know this one." Branch paused in his singing to look at the three trollings watching him. He quickly gestured to them to sing along before he recalled his place in the now more mellow tune.
Traveled down the road and back again.
Your heart is true,
You're a pal and a confidant.
CJ, Keith and Priscilla smiled at their peculiar and mysterious new friend before joining along with the forest creatures.
Forest Creatures and Trollings: And if you threw a party,
Invited everyone you knew;
Well, you would see
The biggest gift would be from me,
And the card attached would say:
All: Thank you for being a friend.
The three trollings stopped singing to continue watching for a little bit as the fuzzbugs flew little circles around the cloaked Troll. One of them even broke away from the group to nuzzle his side, making him chuckle in amusement.
Branch: Oh, you're the best friend
That I've ever had.
I've been with you such a long time,
You're my sunshine.
Forest Creatures and Trollings: And I want you to know
My feelings are true.
I really love you.
You're my best friend.
All the creatures soon went silent and back into hiding as the song ended. The only one that stayed was the lone fuzzbug that made itself comfy on the cloaked Troll's head. The kids lightly giggled at the sight, which also made their mysterious friend chuckle again himself as the trollings watched a strangely pale, colorless hand reach out from under his cloak to pet the fuzzbug gently on the head, his skin softly glowing in the bug's bioluminescent light.
Just then, they heard someone coming in their direction. "Keith! CJ! Priscilla!" A familiar voice called out.
Branch felt his heart nearly stopped, while the kids had wide smiles on their faces as they turned in its direction. "Over here, Princess Poppy!" Keith called out.
The cloaked gray Troll immediately started looking around for a suitable hiding place. He jumped as high as he could and grabbed onto the nearest tree branch. He pulled himself up and then started leaping from branch to branch, going higher and higher until he was out of sight from those below. But he could still hear what was happening down below.
Poppy rushed over and grabbed all three trollings in a tight hug. "You three scared me!" She exclaimed before releasing them. "What did I tell you about wandering off? It's dangerous out here without having someone that can protect you."
"We're sorry, Princess Poppy." Priscilla apologized, looking down at the grass beneath her feet.
"But we weren't alone." Keith said.
"Yeah! This nice cloaked stranger actually helped us!" CJ added.
Poppy did her best to ignore her heart leaping at the mention of her Mystery Troll. "Really?" She asked. "What did he look like? What was his name? Where is he?"
"Well he's-" Keith turned around with CJ and Priscilla, but they saw that their new friend was gone. "-Gone?"
"Where did he go?" CJ asked, looking around for any possible clues.
Priscilla lightly bit her lip as she looked back over at Poppy. "We didn't get his name, and he never took off his hood." She explained.
Poppy felt her heart slowly sink. So close, and yet still so far. But she still managed to place a cheerful smile on her face.
"Well, how about we head back to the trail?" She suggested, taking Keith and Priscilla's hands in hers. "You guys can tell me all about him, and maybe, I can come back here and give him my thanks. If I can find him."
The three trollings giggled as they voiced their agreements and started to regale the princess with their story as they left the area. Once they were gone, Branch carefully made his way back down to the ground, Glitz following close behind. He watched with a fond smile as he removed his hood, showing his face and hair again.
He really wanted to jump down and introduce himself to the beautiful princess, but he already risked enough today by sneaking out and mingling with Trolls. Plus, what would he even say to her? All he ever did was just save her life and sing to her, both times in secret. It might appear as creepy.
Just then, Branch noticed the placement of the sun, its light more golden orange than yellow. "Yikes." He muttered to himself. "Where did the time go?"
Quickly, he and Glitz started heading back towards the cave to get back to the manor before Guffin learned that he was gone. Hopefully, he could finish preparing dinner for her in under twenty minutes, and she wouldn't be any the wiser about where he had gone for the past hour. Afterwards, he could tell Archer and Cloud Guy about what happened. Boy, would they be surprised when they learn about the magic barrier around the pitfall.
However, as Branch quickly ran past a large colorful plant stalk with green and yellow stripes, he didn't notice that the bud at the top of it was like a large eye. An eye-stalk. But there was something different about this one. Usually, eye-stalks would have violet irises, and that the entire eye would turn red whenever they sensed that someone or something was dangerous.
But this eye-stalk, its eye was glassy-looking, and the iris was colored more of an indigo shade. The pupil silently watched, and then turned red as Branch managed to find the path that led back to the tunnel, Glitz trailing behind him. If the gray Troll had noticed the abnormal eye-stalk, he would have gotten chills down his spine.
There was just something about it that didn't seem right. Almost as if….it was enchanted.
A/N: Yeah, this chapter was a little shorter than the last one, but literally, I've been working on this for over a week! I hope that you guys can cut me a little bit of slack.
The song that I used is the "Friend Medley" from "Trolls Holiday", sung by our very-own Branch, Justin Timberlake. I kind of thought that that scene where he was singing this was cute. And geez, that guy really knows to:
a) teach a lesson in ways that can be understandable for most Trolls, a certain pink queen included
b) get under Poppy's skin
c) put on a show, even though he had been gray for almost his whole life
However, I don't own the song in any way or form. All credit goes to their rightful owners.
One more thing before I sign out. Please, please, please, PLEASE check out my poll on my profile page. It's concerning a question about which "Trolls" story idea I should write after I finish "Gray is Not All Colorless". I'll have the poll open until I post the next chapter of "Just Sing and Dream", and the choice with the most votes will have a video trailer posted on my YouTube channel.
Well, now everything is out of the way. I'll see y'all later! Please leave a review about what you think! Check out the poll on my profile page, and remember to stay healthy! Especially now that things are finally starting to turn around.
Got to fly! ;)