Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls.
A couple more years passed in the same way—in Troll Village, Creek worked on becoming closer to Poppy so she would fall in love with him one day. When night came, he'd go to bed early, sleep for a few hours, and then head to the tower to keep Branch company, try to make him happy, and make the tower more homey. With Poppy's unwitting inspiration, Creek came up with a variety of ideas, none of which seemed to help at all. Scrapbooking wasn't any good—Creek taught Branch how to scrapbook, but the gray troll just didn't enjoy the activity at all. Music helped calm Branch, but it didn't lift his spirits any, and he still refused to sing or dance. Celebrating any troll holidays or birthdays was a no—Branch reacted poorly to any idea that might remind him of the amount of time he'd spent trapped in the tower. Creek was wary of trying any games after the disaster that was his first try, so he was very cautious what games he did try. The closest Creek had ever come to making Branch happy was when he brought fluffleberry cake, and that only took him so far.
While Creek may not have been succeeding in his nighttime endeavors, he was succeeding in the day. When Poppy was 8, Creek started spending more time alone with her. He knew that little girls sometimes started having crushes fairly early on, given the hormonal changes as their bodies developed, and he hoped to take advantage of these hormones. One day, he took her out for a picnic lunch, just the two of them. So far, things were going well. She seemed to be having fun, and it was just them.
"Hey, Creek? Did you hear what happened to Satin and Chenille the other day?" Poppy asked. "Cooper invited them out to try this cool new sport he'd invented, Rocket Racing, and he challenged Satin and Chenille to a game!"
Creek chuckled—he'd already heard this story from Cooper. "Oh, I heard all about that one, alright! Chenille told them both she wasn't going, causing Satin's rocket to drag them both off in the wrong direction! Then they crash-landed in a popcorn silo, and Chenille threw popcorn balls at Satin because of it!"
Smidge came running up to them, looking excited. "Hey, you guys! Check this out! I've made a new friend!"
Poppy looked excited at the thought. "Yeah!? Do tell."
"Okay, so I was down at the market, planning to pull this neato prank on Klaus von Frosting, when all of a sudden this glitter bomb went off from somewhere in the booth!"
"Ooh! Good one!" Poppy said, her face lighting up. She always loved a good prank.
"Yes, I must say, that sounds entertaining. Ah, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned prank, eh, love?" Creek said, nudging Poppy's side with his elbow in a playful manner.
Poppy laughed, amused. "Yep! You know it!"
"Well, anyway, you guys, I never said it was me who set the thing off!" Smidge pointed out.
"So who was it, then?" Poppy asked. "This cool new friend of yours? Huh? Huh?" She flashed her eyebrows mischievously.
"Yeah!" Smidge answered with an excited smile. "It turned out there was this glitter troll nearby, and he caused the explosion!"
"Really?" Creek asked, looking at her curiously.
"Sounds like fun! What was his name?"
Soon, everyone was gathered to meet the newest member of their group, a silvery glitter troll with white hair who looked to be around Poppy's age.
"Guys! Meet my new prank rival/friend, Guy Diamond!" Smidge said with a smile, gesturing at the glitter troll. "He's a better prankster than me!"
"Hello, friends! Nice to meet you!" he said with a polite wave and a smile.
"Hi, Guy!" Cooper said, and he started waving a foot in greeting.
"It's nice to meet you, too!" Satin said.
DJ smiled. "Hey! What's up!? I'm DJ Suki! But my friends call me DJ!"
"My name's Biggie, and that's Cooper," Biggie said, gesturing at Cooper, who was still waving vigorously.
"I'm Chenille, and this is my less attractive sister, Satin," Chenille said, hitching a thumb at her twin.
Satin put her hands on her hips, looking indignant. "Hey!"
"A pleasure to meet you, my friend. My name's Creek." Silently, he wondered, But why are most of my friends even younger than Cooper these days? He looks about as much fun as the rest of these young trollings, but...
It was tough being a teenager stuck with a bunch of little kids.
"Hi! Nice to meet you, Guy Diamond!" Poppy greeted cheerfully. "Welcome to the club!"
"Why, thank you, Princess Poppy! The pleasure's all mine!" Guy said, bowing his head respectfully.
Poppy laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Aw, Guy. You don't have to call me that! We're friends now, after all!"
Cooper finally stopped waving and leaned his head toward Guy, scrutinizing him, as he asked, "So, Guy, Smidge says you pull a mean prank?"
"Oh?" Guy said, crossing his arms and looking away a bit. He looked half amused, half smug. "Did she now? And what else did she tell you?"
"That ya glitter-bombed Klaus von Frosting!" DJ said excitedly.
"Yeah, but that's all I heard," Cooper said simply.
"Oh. Do tell," Guy said, and he laughed a bit.
Clearly, Guy thought quite highly of himself. Well, it was good to know he didn't lack confidence.
"Come on, you guys!" Poppy said. "Let's go celebrate our cool new friendship with a squish-ball party!"
Everyone agreed in a hodgepodge of words that was impossible to understand, excited at the idea.
Hmm... Then again, playing a rousing round of squish-ball with these little ones does sound highly appealing, Creek thought. I wonder if Branch would enjoy it any?
That should be a safe game to play, given that they'd be focused entirely on what was going on around them, and it seemed like it was up Branch's alley. At least, based on the way Branch used to be, Creek assumed he'd enjoy it.
That night, Creek brought squish-balls with him to the tower with his usual supplies and asked Branch if he wanted to try playing that in an attempt to find his happiness. Since Branch had never played it before his family died, Creek had to explain the rules involving these glittery balls. Branch looked interested and agreed to try it, so Creek scattered the balls throughout the tower. He then picked one up himself.
"Heads up, mate! Here it comes!" he said before tossing the ball at Branch.
Branch dodged to the side, looking mildly amused. "You missed!" he said, and he grabbed a ball and threw it at Creek.
Meanwhile, unseen, the other one hit the wall and made a glittery mess.
Creek dodged Branch's shot by ducking, and the ball went out the window instead. "Nice try, but no dice! Here!" He snatched one off the floor and tossed it, saying, "Catch!"
In no time at all, the place was completely covered in patches of different colored glitter. Branch looked around, sweating. This would take forever to clean up.
"...I should've known those things were glitter..." he said.
Creek had forgotten to mention that detail. Not that Branch was complaining, really—he'd had fun, at least. Still, he wasn't a fan of glitter.
Creek rubbed the back of his head as he moved up beside Branch. "Sorry about that one, friend. But, hey, look on the positives! It did seem to help cheer you up a bit. Feeling any happier now?" he asked, a hopeful look in his eye.
Branch shrugged. "I mean, I had fun, but..."
During the game, sure, he'd been into it and enjoying himself. It was a good distraction, and he'd be lying if he said he was completely unhappy while playing it. Now? He wasn't sure—was that little bit of enjoyment actually good enough to get him out of here? He honestly didn't feel any different.
"Oh, come on. Fun and happiness go hand in hand, mate! It had to work!" Creek said.
The desperation on Creek's face tugged at Branch's emotions. Sure, Creek had put him in this position in the first place with his selfishness, but he'd been taking care of Branch and trying to help him for the last three years. It was impossible for Branch to completely hate Creek, given that the older troll had done things he found dangerous or difficult in his attempt to care for Branch.
That being said, although Branch didn't really feel happy, he decided that he should at least try. Maybe Creek was right and having fun would be good enough. He stared at Creek for a moment, thinking about all of this. Then he smiled slightly and said, "Yeah."
Feeling apprehensive, Branch turned his attention to the window. He usually avoided it if he could—and he never did anything to make the barrier visible. Knowing he was trapped and seeing what was trapping him were two different things. Both were upsetting, but the barrier being visible was the worse of the two. For Creek's sake, though, he walked over to the window and put his hand out, trying to reach through the barrier. It appeared as usual.
Branch stared at it for a second, eyes wide, before pulling back slowly. Three years, and it's still there!? There really is no other way out of here!
He had to be happy to escape. He didn't know how to be happy. And Creek had been failing to help him remember for the last three years.
Creek cringed inwardly, looking away. "Uh..." He should have known better. Well, guess that answered my question. I need some fluffleberry cake, and quickly! I'll never be able to cheer him up if I keep doing stuff like that!
Branch wanted to scream. Throw things, hit something, yell at Creek about how much trouble he'd caused. But he knew that wouldn't help. For one, Creek was trying to help now, even if he was the whole reason Branch was in this mess in the first place. For another, complaining about Creek's traitorous actions might drive him away again, and Branch couldn't survive or even maintain any semblance of sanity without him.
Even more important, none of those things would help. Branch knew where he'd be in a few hours if he gave in to those urges—alone and miserable, immobilized by his own pain. He couldn't dwell on the situation. If he was going to feel any better at all, he needed a distraction.
When he was sure he wouldn't explode, Branch said, "Guess that didn't work."
His tone was forcibly light, like he was trying to act like this was just an inconsequential event and he really didn't care that he was still stuck in this tower.
"Um...apparently not..." Creek said awkwardly, nervous. He hitched his thumbs at the window and said, "You, uh, want I should—"
"No, I want you to help me start cleaning the mess we made," Branch cut him off, gesturing around.
He'd asked Creek to leave the last time he felt this bad, and he'd regretted it. Sure, he had mixed feelings about Creek and really didn't want to talk to him right now, but he also didn't want to be alone. Creek was the only company he ever had anymore—he'd have to do. At least in a physical sense, he wouldn't be alone.
Of course, emotional was another story.
Creek gave a start, his body going rigid and his eyes wide. "U-uh—Yes! O-of course! W-what was I thinking?" He hurriedly got the mop and bucket so they could start on that. He didn't even complain about the fact that he'd have to make frequent trips to a creek he'd found relatively close to the tower.
Branch's true emotions showed only through his silence as he used the sponge to scrub glitter from the walls. As usual, getting busy helped him feel a bit better, but he knew it wouldn't be enough to get him out of this place. It was looking to him like nothing would be.
As he mopped the floor, Creek glanced at his friend in concern, wishing his usual talents worked as well on Branch as they did everyone else. I just don't understand what this guy's problem is. I've managed to cheer up just about everyone who's upset, but I can't seem to break through to him! What am I missing here, and what can I do to make this work?
It wasn't just that Branch was the only one who knew Chef's plan and could possibly save everyone, including Creek. The older troll also didn't like seeing his best friend so miserable. If he'd had his way, Branch would never have been dragged into this. But Chef would have probably gutted him for disobeying her order to bring Branch to the root tunnels—he'd nearly gotten himself into serious trouble for even suggesting that she not kill Branch herself.
Branch, meanwhile, had other things on his mind. Of course, the barrier's still there. Why wouldn't it be? This whole plan was doomed to fail, as far as he could tell. Sarcastic, he thought, Oh, sure, I've got every reason to be happy. My only friend is a traitor who'd turn on me in an instant if his master found out I was alive, everybody else hates me for good reason, and Creek's going to get everyone killed one day! Yeah, talk about a fantastic situation. Who wouldn't be happy with all of that in mind?
What did he even have to live for, let alone make him happy? Even if they didn't think he was dead, Branch knew Cooper and Biggie wouldn't bother looking for him. Poppy's mourning had only lasted a week, confirming Branch's thoughts that she didn't really like him all that much. Peppy had given him up to another family once before, so he was probably secretly relieved to be rid of him. Beyond that, Branch had no one. That didn't mean he didn't care about them, but he was starting to wish he could hate them the way they hated him—it wouldn't bother him that they were all going to die at the hands of the bergens if he could just stop caring about them all.
After another moment of tense silence, Creek glanced at Branch uncertainly and tried to make conversation. He wanted to ask Branch if he was okay, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that. Still, he started, "Uh—"
"You need something?" Branch asked, his tone carefully neutral. He didn't even look at Creek, just kept scrubbing the wall.
Creek sighed, looking away. That answered his question. And, from the sound of things, Branch didn't want to talk to him. Creek couldn't say he didn't deserve it—he was the one responsible for all of this, after all. "No..." he said, and he continued mopping the floor as he tried to rid it of all the glitter.
No, you need a spine, but that's not something I'd say out loud... He'd probably leave me here to die if I brought that up again, Branch thought sullenly.
They carried on in silence until Creek had to leave for the night. The tower was by no means clean, but it would have to do until Creek could come back—Branch had no access to water outside of what Creek brought him, so he wouldn't be able to get clean water once what he had was too glittery. The next night, Creek brought a couple of scrub brushes to help them clean up—and some fluffleberry cake to apologize for his latest misstep. When they finished cleaning, he left one of the brushes with Branch.
A few months later, the twins were putting on a fashion show.
DJ walked through the crowd and up to her friends, smiling. "Hey, ya guys! What's up?" she asked.
"Hey! DJ! You're lookin' good tonight," Poppy said with a sly smile, seeing some pride hidden in DJ's expression. "What's up?"
Biggie and Cooper smiled at the younger troll, wondering the same.
DJ grinned and stepped to the side, revealing a young green fuzzling, who beeped happily. "Guys! Meet Fuzzbert!" DJ said. "I met him at that deejay contest I entered last week. We didn't win, but he and I tied for 12th place!"
Poppy put her hands to her face and gushed, "Ooh, congratulations, you guys! That sounds like it was real close, too!"
"Yeah! He must be real good to keep up with our DJ like that! Way to go!" Smidge agreed as she jumped, pumping a fist in the air.
"Yeah, dude!" Cooper said to the fuzzling.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fuzzbert," Biggie added.
"Fuzzbert, these are my best buds," DJ introduced, gesturing at them. "Cooper, Biggie, Smidge, Guy Diamond, Poppy, and Creek.
"Hi!" Cooper greeted.
"Hello, friend. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Creek said with a smile. His thoughts, however, were far less happy. Here we go again. I really need to find some trolls to befriend that are closer to my age, but...
Chef wanted him to win Poppy over so he could marry her and make it easier to get the trolls to Crumsville. He had to stick with Poppy's group. He couldn't run off and make friends of his own.
"Charmed, you're sure," Guy said, taking one of Fuzzbert's feet for a handshake. He had a rather self-absorbed smile on his face. "But try not to stare. I know I'm fabulous, but—"
"Ooh! Look, ya guys!" Poppy cut him off, pointing at the runway as the lights dimmed. "It's about to start!"
"Ladies and gentletrolls, I hope you're ready to have your minds blown!" an announcer, probably the only adult troll involved in this, said to the small crowd. "These two up-and-coming fashion designers have got a new line that will knock your socks off! ...Assuming you're wearing socks."
Spotlights shone on the curtains at the back of the runway, and the twins came out, each modeling a different one of their creations. Satin's outfit was a vibrant jumpsuit in shades of indigo and blue, while Chenille wore a short-sleeved dress in bright pinks and red.
As the twins started their way down the runway, the announcer said, "These outfits are made using the finest materials available! Lightweight and breathable, they're perfect for the summer heat."
It was obvious that this was a kids' fashion show from the lack of any real detail, but it was still early in the twins' careers as fashion designers. Besides, they themselves were doing fine on the runway. That is, until Chenille tripped over Satin's foot.
"W-whoa!" Chenille cried, arms flailing as she tried unsuccessfully to right herself. She landed face-down on the floor.
Satin, noticing nothing, had kept walking. When Chenille hit the ground, Satin was pulled down onto her back.
The twins sat up, Chenille glaring at her sister. "Satin! Watch where you're walking!"
"I'm not the one who fell!" Satin shot back, a hand to her chest and an angry glare on her own face.
"No, you're the one who tripped me!"
The announcer watched on, a bit stunned. "Oh, my..."
Guy cringed a bit, closing one eye and looking away. "Ooh... Not their finest moment, is it?"
The others all shook their heads, stunned, as the twins got to their feet and got in each other's faces.
"I did not!" Satin countered.
"Did, too!"
"Did not!"
"Well, it seems our models are having a bit of a disagreement..." the announcer said to the crowd. Then, being the adult in the area, he headed over to help the children resolve their problem.
Poppy put a hand to her face, exasperated. "A bit of a disagreement? Man, talk about an utter disaster."
The twins kept arguing for a bit longer as the announcer came up beside them, putting his hands on their shoulders and trying to calm them. It was safe to say the show was over.
Later, the friends all gathered backstage as the site was being cleaned. The twins were still in foul moods, given what had just happened.
"This is Fuzzbert, ya guys," DJ introduced their newest friend with a cool smile. "He's a new friend who tied with me at the deejay contest!"
Fuzzbert beeped out a greeting and said that he found the twins amusing.
As if they weren't already embarrassed enough that this was the first impression they were making on a new friend. Both of them blushed, Chenille looking affronted that Fuzzbert would dare say such a thing and Satin looking uncomfortable.
"Uh..." Satin trailed off—she couldn't think of anything to say after that comment.
"Right...that's what we were trying to do..." Chenille said, and it was hard to tell if she was trying to save face or being sarcastic. Given her usual personality, the former seemed more likely.
DJ, amused, laughed and said, "Hey, ya gotta admit, it was pretty funny watchin' the two of ya fumblin' around." She smiled as she tried to ease the twins' embarrassment.
"Yeah! Always is!" Cooper agreed enthusiastically. Then he laughed, too.
"Uh, well, maybe, but don't you think you could learn to show a little restraint sometimes?" Guy asked, looking at them with concern. "How do you ever expect to woo a crowd with a perfoooooomance such as that?"
Smidge mirrored Guy's expression. "Yeah, you guys. That's no way to run a fashion show. What happened?" she asked.
Chenille pointed at her sister and answered, "She tripped me!"
Satin's eyes widened as she said, "I didn't mean to!"
"Aren't you two used to moving together?" Biggie asked, curious how that could have happened so easily. Was it just nerves or something? "After all, you've been attached your whole lives, haven't you?"
Granted, he had seen them trip each other up on a few occasions, but those were usually during times of excitement.
"Good point, big guy," Poppy said. Then, concerned, she asked the twins, "Why do you struggle so much? You rowed your canoe in circles all day at summer camp, too."
Guy laughed a bit, amused by that. He hadn't been with them at summer camp, so he'd missed this misadventure. "Ah, haha! No way! Are you seeeeerrrrious!?" He grinned at the twins, both of whom blushed again.
"We are never in sync!" Chenille said.
Satin pointed at her sister and said, "What she said."
Thinking of all the times they said or did the same thing at the same time, Biggie said, "You aren't always out of sync."
"Yeah!" Cooper agreed. "You say stuff in sync all the time! You just ain't in sync when you need to be!"
"Oh, really?" Guy doubled over in laughter, shooting off glitter farts from how hard he was laughing.
Fuzzbert looked from Satin to Chenille curiously. Were they actually that bad?
Chenille put her hands on her hips, and Satin crossed her arms. Neither looked amused as they glared at Guy.
"Oh, be quiet!" Chenille said. "It isn't that funny!"
"There's nothing funny about it at all!" Satin amended. "We just made complete fools of ourselves out there!"
Creek walked over and put his hands on their shoulders gently, saying, "Ah, don't let it bother you too much, ladies. You'll get it right the next time. You just have to practice some more and try not to trip, and I'm sure the next one will turn out fine."
"Yeah! That's right! So, for now, why not file this one under 'Needs some time to work things all out' and just laugh about it instead!?" Poppy suggested. "I mean, if you learn to laugh at your mistakes, then you won't be too bothered by them." She gave a proud and confident smile.
The twins looked at her, then at each other. Finally, they smiled.
"You're right," Satin said as they both turned back to Poppy.
"Besides, it's Satin's fault," Chenille teased with a smile.
"Why is everything always my fault?" Satin asked, looking slightly baffled.
"Yeah! That's the way! Make fun of yourselves and join the jokes, too!" Poppy said as she hopped around, proud of her friends.
"Yeah! I do it all the time!" Cooper added.
"You'll do better next time, I'm sure," Biggie encouraged with a smile.
"Totally! You just gotta practice more, like Creek said!" DJ agreed with a confident smile, hands on her hips.
"Yeah! And try not to row against each other next time!" Smidge said, also smiling.
Poppy looked at her friend, confused and a bit concerned. Smidge seemed to make these kinds of mistakes a lot. "Uuuhh... Smidge? We're talking about the fashion show, not the canoe lessons."
Smidge blinked, then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh. My bad!" she laughed, amused at her own mistake.
"Although you do gotta work on that, too!" Cooper said. Eyes wide, he shook his head and said, "You ain't getting anywhere when you canoe!"
"Clearly!" Guy barked out, still laughing. He fell to the floor and started kicking his feet, holding his stomach as he laughed.
"Ya see!?" Poppy said to the twins, gesturing at Smidge. "If Smidge can laugh at herself when she screws up, then anyone can!" She threw her arms up, cheerful as always.
"Right!" the twins said in sync.
"So!? How 'bout it!? Hit me up with some of your best jokes about what you did wrong tonight! You can do it!"
The others all agreed, murmuring words of encouragement.
Satin wasn't a comedian, so she didn't have any jokes. "Uh..." She put a finger to her chin and looked up, thinking.
Chenille wasn't a comedian, either, but she took a stab at it. "I went right when I should have gone left."
How that was a joke, nobody really knew, but they started laughing as they followed Poppy's lead and tried to make the two girls feel better. With some encouragement, the twins joined them.
"See? Feels pretty good, don't it?" Poppy asked. She laughed a bit more.
"Yeah, it does!" Satin said, surprised.
"We should have tried that in the first place."
"Ya see? Laughing makes everything better!" Poppy said as she threw her arms up, eyes closed.
"You're right, it does!" Chenille agreed.
The others started talking with the twins some more as Creek pulled back from the crowd. It was getting late, and Chef should be asleep by now. He still needed to gather some supplies to care for Branch, a job he really wished wasn't so difficult.
Incredible. Poppy handled that one far better than I could ever have imagined! He thought about it a bit more, a hand to his chin. Hmm... Laughter makes everything better, does it? I wonder...
Shortly, Creek appeared in the tower window with a rubber nose and goofy glasses on. "Hi, friend! How's it going?" he greeted Branch as he climbed in. "Say, a funny thing happened to me today! I went to the doctor's to see why my knee was so swollen up. He told me I had water on my knee and gave me a towel to dry it off! Get it?"
His tone was goofy and energetic, which wasn't normal for him. Branch couldn't figure out if he should shove Creek out the window and barricade himself in here or not. He stared at the older troll like he thought the guy was insane.
After a moment, he asked, "Uh, Creek? What are you doing?"
"Why, I'm putting on a comedy show! Don't you know humor when it walks through your door?" Creek asked. Then he pulled out a banana, ate it quickly, tossed the peel aside, and lifted a foot to step on it. "Whoopsie!" he said, slipping on the peel and falling on his back, his feet in the air. "Ow... I think I broke my funny bone..." He sat up, giving Branch a goofy grin. "False alarm! This pie broke my fall!" He pulled a squished cream pie out from behind his back and took a bite out of it.
Branch just stared, thinking that he had just witnessed the most random series of events. "...No offense, but you're not very funny." Remembering someone who was funny, he thought, Cooper'd be better at this.
"Aw, come on, Branch! These jokes are all classics! Or would you rather I wear this pie of mine instead?" Creek asked before smashing the rest of his pie into his face.
He'd have no trouble getting a kid to laugh at these, but I've heard and seen them all before. Aloud, Branch said, "Yeah, they're so classic that I've already heard all of them."
Creek thought about that for a moment. "...Oh..." He grabbed a towel and wiped his face, then got up. "Well, what if we tried having a little tickle fight instead? Poppy said 'laughter can make anything better,' and she just proved it to me!" He threw his arms up, smiling confidently. For the first time in years, he was certain that he could cheer Branch up.
The last time Creek had been this sure of one of his ideas was when he'd brought Branch that CD player and tried using music to cheer him up. This time, however, he'd seen this idea work on trolls who were feeling down. Satin and Chenille had both felt better after they'd started laughing. And, unlike that time when Poppy had clearly still been in mourning, there wasn't anything else that could have cause it. He was positive this would work.
Branch raised an eyebrow at that suggestion. He wanted to tell Creek to keep his hands to himself, but he had agreed to try whatever Creek came up with in the name of this plan, so he said, "We can try it, I guess."
"Alright, my friend! Here I come!" Creek said, and he pounced Branch to the ground, tickling his sides.
Branch started laughing, squirming around on the ground.
"So!? How does that feel, huh, buddy!? Feeling any happier yet!" Creek asked, and he started tickling Branch with his hair, too, to make it more intense.
"I-I don't—" Branch laughed, "—know!" He laughed some more, really regretting agreeing to this. "C-cut it out!"
"Well!? Try fighting back then! Make it into a game until one of us says 'uncle!'" Creek said, still tickling the younger troll.
Branch started tickling Creek, going full-on with his hands and his hair since Creek was already using both. Creek burst out laughing and shortly couldn't endure anymore.
He stopped tickling Branch, laughing as he said, "A-alright! Alright! U-Uncle! Uncle!"
Branch stopped, smirking. There was something he found satisfying about winning, even if it was something as childish as a tickle fight. Creek rolled onto his back, gasping for air, and put a hand over his chest. He wasn't paying attention and ended up lying in the smashed, partially eaten pie.
"O...oh, my... Whew! That was..." He took some deep breaths, apparently not even realizing he was lying in the pie.
Branch laughed a bit, and it was actually genuine for once. "Don't look now, but you just rolled into that pie you had."
"I did?" Creek asked. He looked. "...Oh, hairballs, I—" He sat up, sweating.
Branch snickered, highly amused by this particular incident.
Creek looked at him, his eyes wide with hope. Smiling, he pointed at Branch and said, "Why, Branch! You're laughing at me, after all!"
Branch stopped and blinked, realizing this himself. Then he gave a slight smile and shrugged. "Guess I am."
"So? Does that mean you're feeling a bit happier this time? Care to find out if—"
Branch knew where that was going—he frowned and shook his head. "I'm feeling a little better, but I don't think it's enough to get out of here. I'm not doing that to myself again."
There was no way he was testing the barrier to see if he could get out. Each time he did that, it hurt. He had enough problems without making himself feel even worse.
"Oh," Creek said, deflating. "So that's a bust, too, isn't it?"
Branch shrugged. "Maybe. But, like I said, I'm feeling a little better. Maybe we should keep trying it for a little while and see if it helps."
"Well, alright, then. What should we try next?" Creek asked.
Soon, Creek brought a joke book in, knowing that Branch couldn't have heard every joke in it, and started reading them to him. He was reading one that the author had called a "yuppette" joke, whatever that meant. The girl in this joke cut off a truck driver, who got out of the car, angry, drew a circle on the ground, and told the woman to stand in it and not leave the circle. Then he proceeded to turn his back on her and start destroying her car. No matter what he did, she laughed, making the truck driver even angrier.
"'Finally, the truck driver turned to the woman and asked her, "Lady! I've slashed your tires, smashed up your windshield, drove my keys down your doors, and torn up your seats with a knife! What's so funny about that!?" And the woman said, "Every time you looked away, I stepped out of the circle!"' Oh, my heavens!" Creek burst out laughing as he finished reading that joke.
On the bed, Branch laughed, too. "Sheesh, talk about stupid! How did she think that was funny!?"
"N-no clue, mate!" Creek answered through his laughter. "H-how are y-you f-feeling n-now!?"
Branch stopped laughing, thinking about it. "...Not really any different." He sighed. "Maybe this is a bust..."
Creek sighed, looking down. "Guess so. Now what'll we do?"
Branch shrugged and asked, "How should I know?"
"Well, I'm fresh out of ideas! We've tried just about everything I can come up with, and nothing seems to work!" Creek said as he threw his arms out to the sides, upset about this fact.
Hearing the only hope he had saying he was out of ideas crushed what little hope Branch still had. He'd been unsure whether this plan would even work from the start, but he'd gone along with it, knowing it was his only chance of escaping this place alive. But each time anything made him feel better at all, it was never enough. Some of the pain and loneliness might leave for a bit, but it came back full force when Creek left—or worse, stronger if Branch had been given a reminder of his status as a prisoner. Now, Creek sounded like he was giving up, something Branch had been thinking of doing the whole time. The only reason he hadn't was that Creek kept saying they'd figure something out.
Branch looked down, pulling his knees up to his chest.
Creek blinked, looked at Branch, and sweat. "N-now, come on, mate. I-I never said—"
"I'm never getting out of here, am I?"
What was the point of living if he was trapped here, waiting for death to inevitably come for him? Why keep going on when he knew how this story would end? One day, Creek would lead everyone off to Crumsville, where they would die. Meanwhile, Branch would be left here alone—Chef wouldn't need to let Creek loose at all after her plan was complete, so he wouldn't be able to sneak out here for anything. After that, it would just be a matter of time before Branch died of starvation or dehydration.
"Now, now, calm down. I never said that, I just said that I was fresh out of ideas, is all! Y-you know yourself way better than I do, don't you? S-so, then, don't you think you'd have better ideas than me?" Creek asked, nervous about the fact that he had, once again, made Branch feel worse instead of better.
Branch closed his eyes and shook his head as he answered, "The only things I can think of that might make me happy are impossible."
Going home. Having real friends. Having someone actually care about him. Everyone who ever knew him thought he was dead and probably didn't even think about him anymore. His thoughts on Creek were complicated—the older troll had been his best friend once, but Creek had lured him into a trap to save himself. After that, though, Creek had come back to take care of him. He was trying to make Branch happy. But that could have just been for selfish reasons, like just about everything else Creek did these days. All things considered, Branch wasn't sure if he still considered Creek a friend or not, but he wasn't the kind of friend Branch really wanted to have as his only friend in the whole world. If push came to shove, he'd let Branch die to save himself.
Branch couldn't leave here unless he was happy. But the only things that he could think of that might make him happy would require either Creek caring about someone besides himself or the chance to escape this place and go home. He knew better than to tell Creek what he thought would help, considering the older troll only cared about himself. Even if Branch said he could guarantee that bringing someone else here would make him happy and get him out of the tower, he knew Creek would never go for it.
"Well, then, think harder," Creek said, his tone growing more firm, more desperate. "There has to be something else, right?"
"I don't know!" Branch cried, his eyes stinging and his throat tight. "I just wanna go home, but we can't even break the spell that's keeping me trapped here!"
Creek moved to comfort him, sitting beside Branch and placing a hand on his shoulder. Clearly, he'd get nowhere by pushing Branch for ideas. "Hey, hey. Chin up. Perhaps someone back in the village has better ideas than me. I've gotten most of mine from observing Poppy, after all," he said in a gentle, soothing tone.
Trembling slightly, Branch looked at Creek hesitantly. His eyes were brimming with unshed tears. After a second, he nodded. "Y-yeah, okay."
Creek knew he couldn't leave Branch like this. The younger troll looked broken, and leaving him alone when he was doing this poorly always led to him being worse off the next time Creek came over.
"...Come here," Creek said, pulling the gray troll into a hug and holding him tight.
It was a sign of just how awful Branch was feeling that he hugged Creek back, clinging to him desperately. He slammed his eyes shut, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. He tried to suppress the hurt and loneliness brought on by Creek's betrayal and the three years of isolation. If he could bury them deep enough, Branch hoped they wouldn't be able to hurt him anymore.
It took about half an hour for him to fight the feelings back, at least for now. Calmer, Branch finally let go and pulled away from Creek.
Concern showed on Creek's face—Branch hadn't just hugged him, he'd held on for dear life for an extended period of time. "...Uh..." He thought, I really shouldn't ask, should I?
"I'm okay," Branch said simply, his tone neutral.
With what had just happened tonight, Creek thought carefully about what he was going to say next. It was getting late, and he needed to head back to Troll Village soon to avoid suspicion. Finally, he decided on, "I'm going to go, then. See you tomorrow." He kept his tone neutral, mindful of his word choice, and got to his feet.
"Yeah," Branch said.
"...Night." Creek exited the window, hopped on his bug, and took off.
Branch, meanwhile, came to an important realization from all of this: Creek might fail, and he needed to be mentally prepared for that possibility. The idea that they were giving up had nearly destroyed him—he doubted he'd have still had the will to live if Creek had just left him like that. If Creek's plan didn't work, he'd have to convince Creek to do the right thing and tell somebody what was going on so they could help. Even if Branch himself couldn't get out of this tower, he might still be able to save everyone else. But he couldn't do that if he gave up completely.
He took a deep breath. "...I need to come to terms with the fact that this just might be my life from now on. Probably nothing Creek's doing will work, anyway..."
He crawled into bed, pulling the covers over himself as he thought about that. It hurt like hell to consider that possibility, though. Needing the comfort, he grabbed Croco and held on for dear life, lying awake for several hours because of how terrible he was feeling.
Sometime later, Smidge called everyone out to Misty Meadows for a meeting. Creek escorted Poppy there while Biggie and Cooper gathered and brought all the others. Some of their friends were starting to wonder if Poppy and Creek were becoming more than just friends, given how much time they spent alone together. Nobody really worried about it, though—everyone knew a troll would never take advantage of a naive child, after all. They weren't like the bergens.
"So what do you think Smidge wanted way out here?" Poppy asked Creek. "Dad said this place can be kind of dangerous sometimes, so why'd she come out here all alone?"
"Hmm... No idea. I just hope she knows what she's doing. This place feels a tad bit creepy, if you ask me," Creek answered, looking at the mist-shrouded meadow all around them. It was dark and gloomy, given that the sunlight didn't seem capable of penetrating the mist.
"Y-yes...it does..." Biggie's nervous voice agreed.
"Aw, don't worry! I'm sure it's cool!" Cooper assured him.
Poppy and Creek looked toward the voices across the way, curious. Seeing their friends emerge from the mist, Poppy waved happily.
"Hey, there, you guys! You got invited out here, too!?" she asked, waving excitedly as she hurried over. Creek followed behind.
"Yes," Satin answered.
"No idea why," Chenille added.
"Yeah! This is kinda a weird place for a meeting!" Cooper said.
"Good. You all made it," Smidge's voice came from off to the side. Her tone sounded ominous.
Everyone looked to see someone in a brown trench coat, a dark hat, and sunglasses. They were about twice as tall as any of the younger trolls there.
Guy stepped toward this person, looking lost and concerned. "Smidge? Is that really you?"
Creek grabbed Poppy and pushed her behind him, saying, "Careful, princess. Perhaps you should get behind me and back away real slowly..." He wasn't sure who this was, but he needed to be wary of strangers in trench coats. I'd better act with caution in case that isn't Smidge. I can't afford to let anything happen to Poppy, or Chef will have my head for it!
"What!?" Poppy protested. "But, Creek, that's—"
"Dang. How'd you get so tall?" Cooper asked.
"C-careful, man!" DJ warned, looking anxious. "Th-that might be a—"
The trench coat figure chuckles mischievously as she took off her hat and sunglasses. Underneath, Smidge's teal hair and blue eyes appeared. "Oh, relax, you guys! It's just me!" she said with a friendly smile.
Creek let go of Poppy and draped an arm over his face, saying, "Oh, thank heavens, Smidge! You nearly gave me a heart attack back there!" He wipes the sweat from his brow, holding his other hand to his chest as he breathed heavily.
"What are you doing out here, anyway?" Biggie asked, curious.
Chenille raised an eyebrow. "And what's with the disguise?"
"Oh, that's an easy one! I've been thinking about how we seem to keep adding new members to our group all the time, but we never gave it any team name! So, if we're gonna become some sort of exclusive club of best pals, we should give ourselves a cool, new code name, too!"
"Ooh! I love that idea!" DJ said, bouncing some. "Then, when we wanted to gather everyone together, we wouldn't have to ask for everyone by name!"
Fuzzbert added that they could just use the group's name to call for everyone instead, happy about that idea himself.
"Yeah! That sounds awesome!" Cooper said as he jumped from excitement.
"So what are we going to call ourselves?" Satin asked.
"Ooh, ooh! I know! How about the Best Friends Forever Club!" Poppy suggested eagerly. "So? What do ya think?" She looked around at the others.
"Hmm... I don't know... Seems a bit long, if you ask me..." Guy said, a hand to his chin. His eyes lit up as he came up with his own idea. "Oh! But how about Guy's Buddies!? That could work, right!? What do you guys think?" He beamed as he looked around at the others.
Chenille gave him a lame look and answered, "How about no? I don't really think we're all here just because we're friends with you."
"Hmm... We could call ourselves the Trollsketeers..." Biggie suggested hesitantly.
Cooper shook his head and countered, "Nah, that only works if it's just three of us!"
DJ waved a hand in the air excitedly. "Ooh, ooh! Then how about—"
Creek's eyes widened suddenly, and he frantically pointed up. "CUDDLE PUP!"
"Huh? What are ya talking about?" DJ asked, confused. "We're not—"
Creek scooped up Poppy and ran, looking panicked. "Look out! Run before it gets you!"
The others looked, now both curious and concerned. A full-grown cuddle pup, looking hungry, was right behind them. Everyone screamed and ran after Creek and Poppy.
"Aw man, aw man, aw man! It's no wonder the adults warned us to stay away!" DJ panicked.
"Less talking! More ruuuunning!" Guy cried as he ran frantically, arms out in front of him.
Biggie looked ahead and pointed, saying, "There's a tree! We can hide up there!"
Cuddle pups couldn't climb, so they should be safe up there until it got tired of waiting for them and left. They just had to make it there.
"Good call, mate! Let's move it!" Creek cried, and he ran for the tree. He lashed out with his hair to grab it, still carrying Poppy.
"Y-yeah! W-wait for m-meeeeee!" Guy autotuned as he joined Creek on a branch of the tree.
Smidge and DJ tried to join, but Smidge missed and fell behind. "Oh, my ga!" she panicked.
Poppy gasped, eyes wide. "Smidge!" she cried as she reached out for her friend.
As the twins, Fuzzbert, and Cooper grabbed a branch and pulled themselves up, Biggie snatched Smidge up off the ground, saying, "I've got you!" He reached for the tree with his hair and pulled himself and Smidge to safety.
With everyone safe, Poppy leaped out of Creek's arms the moment Biggie set Smidge down and ran over to her. "Oh, Smidge! Thank cupcakes! Are you okay?" she asked, hugging her.
Guy came from behind and did the same, saying, "Yeah! You nearly gave me a heeeaaaarrrrt attack!" he said, using the phrase Creek had used earlier since his heart had been pounding in his chest. Guy figured that was the right time to use that, anyway.
"Y-yeah! I'm okay now," Smidge answered. She turned to Biggie with an appreciative smile and said, "Thanks to you, Biggie. How can I make it up to ya?"
"Don't mention it, Smidge. That's what friends are for!"
"That was stupendous, big guy! Who knew you had it in you?" Creek said.
"Yeah! Way to go!" DJ agreed.
Both looked happy and proud, like they thought Biggie was some kind of hero.
Biggie looked pleased with the praise, but he also looked a bit sheepish. "Oh, really, I'm sure any of us would do the same for a friend," he said.
Creek sweat, thinking about that. He knew full well that wasn't true. The only reason he'd saved Poppy was because he knew Chef would kill him if anything happened to her. "Of course, we would! We would never abandon a friend in need, now, would we?" he said, looking around at the others. He needed to at least look like he agreed.
The others all agreed in a mess of words.
"That's right, Creek," Poppy said. "We're a team, and we'll always have each other's backs!"
Creek cringed inwardly. Somehow he knew that would be her reaction.
DJ looked down excitedly and said, "And speakin' of, ya guys. It looks like the cuddle pup's given up the chase!" She pointed, smiling.
Everyone else looked. Sure enough, the cuddle pup was no longer down there. It looked like the coast was clear.
"Great! WE can go home!" Cooper said.
"Er, let's try waiting up here a tad bit longer, mate. We wouldn't want the beast to turn around and see us as we make our retreat," Creek said uneasily.
"Yes, Creek's right," Biggie agreed. "We should wait a bit."
Everyone agreed in that same incomprehensible babble of words they often used.
Soon, safe at home in Troll Village, Guy said, "Whew! Well, that's an adventure I'd rather not repeat any time soon."
"Yeah, no kidding. Who knew there were beasts like that outside!?" Smidge agreed.
Biggie gave a sad look to Cooper and Creek. Quietly, he said, "I think I know what happened to our old friend now."
Cooper looked down and said, "Yeah, he got attacked by a cuddle pup or something... Man, what a way to go."
Both were suddenly glad that Peppy hadn't let anyone see the body. They had barely gotten through the funeral as it was. If they'd known what kind of suffering Branch had endured at the end of his life, they probably couldn't have handled it.
"...Er, uh, let's change the subject, shall we?" Creek said nervously. He really didn't want these two thinking about that again—it was a sure way to bring both of their moods down. "Why don't we resume the search for an appropriate name for our group? And, after that incredibly close call back there, I think I know the perfect thing!"
Poppy's face lit up. "Yeah!?"
"You do, Creek!?" Smidge asked.
Guy pumped a fist in the air. "Yyess! Alright! Guy's Buddies it is, then!"
Creek grinned, amused. "Not quite, my friend. Because it needs to be a name that represents all of us."
"What do you have in mind?" Satin asked.
"Yeah, man! Don't keep us in suspense! Tell us what it is!" DJ said excitedly.
"Hmm... Well, as you know, our new club name would need to have something in it that brings us closer together. Something special but easy enough to say and catchy enough to remember. That way, it would have a deep meaning to us all and we'd never be able to forget it," he said, drawing it out for the sake of keeping them in suspense.
Chenille tapped a foot, growing impatient. Couldn't he just tell them? The suspense was killing her! "Yes..."
"Come on, dude! Just tell us already!" Cooper said.
Fuzzbert beeped out his agreement.
Creek closed his eyes and waved his hands in front of him, smiling in amusement. "Alright, alright." He opened his eyes, continuing, "Then how's this one suit you all? I propose we call ourselves the Snack Pack. Since, when we almost got eaten by the cuddle pup, it drew us all closer together as friends!"
And, unspoken, since they'd probably all get eaten together when the next Trollstice happened and they tried to save each other.
Poppy put a hand to her chin, thinking about Creek's suggestion. "Hmm... The Snack Pack..." Her eyes lit up as she said, "I like it! It brings back good memories of Biggie saving Smidge!"
"Yeah! Let's do it!" Smidge agreed as she hopped up eagerly, a fist raised over her head.
"Yeah, I like that name!" Cooper said.
Chenille clapped her hands and said, "Snack Pack it is!"
Fuzzbert agreed that was a good name.
"It's easy to remember and unique all at once!" DJ said. "Yeah! Let's do it! Ooooh!" She threw an arm up in the air as she said that.
"Sounds good to meeeeeee!"
"Yes!" Biggie said with a smile.
"That's a good name!" Satin agreed.
"Alright! The Snack Pack it is!" Poppy said, happy. "Great idea, Creek!"
Creek looked away, feeling a bit guilty. "Yes. Yes, it was..." Silently, he added, and a fitting one for more ways than you all could ever imagine...
He watched from the corner of his eye as Poppy eagerly told the Snack Pack that there was a party coming up they could all go to. Their words about sticking their necks out for each other were running through his head, along with images of the betrayed look Branch had given him that day. Creek had seen that look on Branch's face more than just that one time. If Branch was hurting badly enough, he still looked at Creek with distrust and sorrow. That was proof enough that Creek didn't protect his friends very well. Sure, Branch was alive, but he was trapped, lonely, depressed, nearly hopeless, and very bitter.
Creek knew he could easily save them all, stick his neck out for them. But Biggie was wrong—they wouldn't all risk getting hurt to protect each other.
Oh, if only that really were true, but—
Chef was terrifying. He couldn't disobey her. The thought alone left him petrified.
"Hey, Creek! You coming!?" Poppy asked. The rest of the group was already heading for this party.
Creek started, looking her way. "Uh, yes! Be right there, love! Sorry for the wait!"
He took off with them, still feeling guilty and trapped. He didn't want to hurt his friends, but he didn't have a choice. Chef was a monster, especially when angry.