Shadgirl2: We've got a new chapter for you.
Midna: Hope you're ready for chaos! Because that's what this is!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls.
Come morning, the Snack Pack scrambled to find their way out of the tree, falling into a pile as they desperately struggled toward freedom. The bloodhound bug popped loose from the tangled mess and flew into a bush a little ways away from them, startled.
"Air! I need aaiiiiiir!" Guy autotuned desperately after falling to his hands and knees. "Smidge was suffocating me all night with her hair!" He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath.
While Guy was doing that, the others started piling off each other—Cooper got his back legs off Satin's head, and Chenille got off Biggie's back. Smidge and DJ were two of the lucky ones. They just fell out on one side of the pile.
"What are you talking about, Guy? I was nowhere near you!" Smidge asked, baffled, as she got to her feet.
Guy raised an eyebrow, looking at her in confusion. She was right—Cooper and Satin were closer to him than Smidge was. "Then who—"
Fuzzbert popped out from under him then, looking half suffocated himself.
Guy looked at the fuzzling as he realized who it had been. He was stunned not only because he'd mistaken Fuzzbert's mass of hair for Smidge's but also because he hadn't noticed the fuzzling below him. "...Oh."
"Whew!" Cooper said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thank cupcakes that night's over!"
"Yes..." Biggie breathed. He looked around, his arms empty. "Mr. Dinkles?" he said with a note of panic in his voice. "Does anybody know where Mr. Dinkles is?" Looking around, he saw the worm near Smidge's feet, unharmed. He sprung to his feet and snatched the worm up in a tight hug, crying, "Oh, Mr. Dinkles! Are you alright?" He looked the little worm over, satisfied that he found no injuries, then simply held Mr. Dinkles in his arms, like normal.
As Biggie worried over his worm, everyone else got to their feet. Smidge and Guy cracked their sore backs.
"So...about finding Poppy?" Satin asked, eager to move on from this miserable experience.
"Give me a second," Chenille said, a hand on her chest as she recovered. "That was not my idea of a good time."
Only one member of the Snack Pack wasn't awake and complaining—DJ Suki was sound asleep on the ground beside Biggie. Her gentle snoring drew attention. Biggie gave a start and looked down when he heard it.
"Ah... DJ..." He shook her gently, surprised that she was actually asleep.
She gave a snort before cracking an eye open sleepily. "Morning already...?"
"Already!?" Chenille cried in indignation—how could anyone be upset that morning had come after they'd shoved themselves into a tree trunk? "DJ! Get up!"
"Huh? Hey, what are y'all doing in my room?" DJ asked as she sat up, looking around curiously.
"Uh, DJ? We're not in your room," Satin pointed out.
"Did you forget we all slept in a log last night?" Cooper asked.
"You slept, too!?" Guy asked, casting a shocked and jealous look at Cooper.
"Guys! Quit fooling around! We gotta find Poppy! Remember!?" Smidge cried in frustrated anger.
She was starting to wonder if she was the only one who still cared about their missing friend. For all they knew, Poppy could be dead by now, and all they cared about was their rough night in a tree.
"That's right! She's been missing for two days now!" Satin said, wringing her hands in anxiety.
"Who knows what could have happened to her by now?" Biggie fretted.
Guy hopped to attention, looking serious. "Right! So let's get a mooooooove on, gang! Time is not on our side!"
"Oh, clearly!" Smidge said as she punched her hands onto her hips, annoyed at the group for wasting so much time.
The bug made its way back over, shaking off some leaves, and, as everyone agreed, Smidge wasted no time in getting the bug back on Poppy's trail. They resumed their search, grateful that the bloodhound bug hadn't lost her scent or been crushed during the night.
Poppy was the first one awake in the tower, so she figured she'd get breakfast ready before Branch woke up. She hummed as she set the table and started a fire in the fireplace. Looking in the picnic basket, she saw a couple of eggs, two strips of bacon, and some bread that seemed to be meant for breakfast. Not wanting to eat all of Branch's food again, she pulled out just the eggs. Then, needing something else for their meal, she checked the closet for the bag of candy, which she found. She had thought she heard the closet open while she'd been falling asleep on the floor of the shower. By the time she had the eggs scrambled and cooking, Branch moaned—her humming and the smell of eggs had roused him from his sleep.
Branch opened his eyes and looked, wondering what was going on now. Then, seeing Poppy next to a roaring fire, he sat up suddenly, letting go of Croco as he did. "Poppy! Come on!"
How much exercise did that girl think she needed, and when would she be satisfied with the amount of damage she'd done to her feet?
"Morning, Branch! Hungry? Creek dropped off a couple eggs for us," she answered cheerily as she glanced over her shoulder at him, giving a bit of a singsong tone as she talked about the eggs. She looked back to her cooking, not wanting to burn them.
Upon closer look, Poppy was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, not standing beside it. Branch calmed down, noting that she at least was keeping in mind that she shouldn't be on her feet for extended periods of time. "...Yeah, okay," he said as he got up and walked over.
Poppy kept humming happily. "Almost done!" she said, then she hummed some more as she stirred the eggs.
Once the eggs had finished cooking, she stood up and headed over to the table, where two plates and the bag of candy sat waiting. Along the way, she grabbed Croco with her hair and tossed it onto the bed.
Branch watched this action, feeling embarrassed. Ugh, great, now she knows I sleep with that thing sometimes! He couldn't help but be embarrassed about that little detail, but, because there were bigger problems than his pride, he brushed that aside and thought, I hope she doesn't do anything too crazy. I don't have enough bandages for this girl!
Poppy set the pan down before taking a seat at the table. "Come on, Branch! Pull up a chair and join me! I don't bite, you know," she teased with a grin as she put some eggs on each plate, along with some gummy worms and a lollipop apiece.
Branch blinked, slightly surprised. ...That's what she's teasing me about? What about the fact that I'm an adult sleeping with a stuffed toy? Will that ever bother her? Setting that aside, he grabbed the chair Poppy had left by the fireplace and brought it over to the table, looking at the food. Then he smirked at Poppy and asked, "Candy for breakfast?"
"Why not!? You got it, you got it, right?" she said as she poured them both some water from a covered pitcher she had found on one of the shelves.
"Thanks, Poppy," he said as he took a seat.
"Don't mention it," Poppy said, mouth already full of food. "That's what friends are for!"
Branch smiled a bit as he ate his own breakfast, happy to hear that. It really did feel nice to have someone who cared about him and didn't have an ulterior motive. Sure, Creek cared, regardless, but there was a limit—if caring for Branch clashed with his own self interest, Creek would leave him for dead. Branch had no doubt that, if things grew more dangerous, Creek wouldn't give him a second thought. Poppy, however, was different. She was hurting herself and risking the lives of herself and her village to help him, even though she'd only ever known him as a jerk.
Just then, voices reached their ears, jumbled together. Branch could make out some of what was said in several voices: "Poppy!" and, "You out here!?" and another, "Poppy!" and, "You dead yet!?" all at the same time. Then, in response to that one, two female voices cried, "Cooper!" while someone else said, "Where are you!?" and another cried, "Poppy!"
Branch's eyes widened. "W—Cooper!?" If Cooper was out there, that meant Poppy's friends had tracked her down. He ran to the window to see if he could get a better look.
Poppy gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh, my hair!" She ran over to the window as well, worried about what her friends would do if they found Branch. And here she'd thought Creek finding out would be the worst thing that could happen. This was a close competitor.
The two couldn't see anyone, but they could still hear the voices as they all spoke at the same time. "Poppy!" someone cried while another asked, "Are you out here somewhere!?" and another asked, "Where are you?" while still others cried, "Poppy!"
It sounded like they were getting closer, and there was no denying it was her friends. Poppy didn't like to think what that would mean for Branch. She gasped and said, "Oh, no! It's the Snack Pack! I can't let them find me here! They can't keep a secret!"
Of all the rotten luck, her friends had to track her down so far from home. If they found her in the tower, they'd have questions, especially about its occupant. Then, knowing her luck, Branch would tell them everything and convince them to leave him here to die. She couldn't let that happen, so she had to stop them, fast. Looking frantic, she leaped out of the window, determined to get the Snack Pack out of here without revealing Branch's existence. He deserved better than to die out here all alone. Nobody deserved that.
Branch's eyes widened. "Poppy!"
"Shh! Don't worry!" She looked back up at him reassuringly as she landed, using her hair to break her fall. "I'll be back later, okay!?" And she ran into the woods to intercept the Snack Pack.
"But—" Branch started, but she was already gone. He stared for a moment.
He really didn't care if her friends found him or not. Actually, if he was being honest, he did care, but only if Biggie and Cooper found him. On the one hand, he didn't want to face them after so long, given how horrible he'd been to them when they were younger. On the other hand, he desperately longed for the chance to make amends and try to repair those ruined friendships. Beyond that, if her friends found him, that was just more trolls who could help if Creek tried to betray them. He didn't see why it was such a disaster for them to know.
Branch sighed. As usual, his emotions were complicated and conflicting. "I guess, if they're friends with Creek, it might be a good idea for them to be out of the loop for now..." he said, knowing he couldn't do anything about it even if he disagreed—which he very much did. Keeping this a secret from Creek was a good thing, but keeping it a secret from everyone else would get them all killed. He could really use a blabbermouth right then.
Poppy probably couldn't get him out of the tower, anyway. Why waste everyone's lives trying to save someone who couldn't be saved?
Putting this all aside, Branch went back to finish his breakfast.
Meanwhile, Poppy ran into the forest, cupping her hands around her mouth and worriedly calling out, "Guys! Hey! Can you hear me!? Hello!?"
"Shh! Did you hear that?" Satin said, silencing everyone.
The Snack Pack was quiet, listening. The bloodhound bug stopped and waited, too. Suddenly, Poppy burst through the brush, beaming at them all.
"Guys!" she cried, running up with arms open wide for a hug.
"Poppy!" the Snack Pack cheered, overjoyed to see her alive and mostly unharmed. They ran to her, and the friends all joined in a group hug, with Poppy holding tightly.
"Oh, am I glad to see you guys! I was starting to think I never would again!"
Her first move was to act like she hadn't found any shelter out here. If they thought she'd been lost the entire time, they wouldn't find Branch because there would be no reason to look for Branch. Since Cooper and the twins were here, it would be a disaster if they found the gray troll—those three were huge gossips.
"We're glad to see you, too, Poppy!" Chenille said, squeezing the princess.
"What happened to you?" Satin asked. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"It's a long story, you guys. So can we talk about it back in Troll Village, please? I'm sure the others are worried sick by now."
She'd come up with that "long story" on the walk home. She really didn't have one at the moment.
"I'll say! King Peppy sent out a massive search party yesterday!" Smidge told her. Peppy had sent out multiple search parties the day before, none of which had found anything. As far as she knew, the king still didn't know anyone had found any leads that would help locate his daughter. "And Creek's a bigger emotional wreck than usual!"
Poppy pulled back then, effectively ending the group hug. "Well, then, what are we waiting for!?" She started to march off, hoping to get the Snack Pack far from the tower before they could find Branch. "Let's—"
The twins gasped, cutting her off. "Poppy! What happened to your dress!?" Satin asked.
"We knew it was torn, but who fixed it?" Chenille added, stunned.
Where Poppy had torn her dress, there were brown and green patches, and black thread ran up from the hem in several locations.
Poppy gave a start, eyes wide. She froze with a foot in the air for a moment, then slowly turned to look at the Snack Pack, who were now staring at her in concern. She'd completely forgotten that Branch had patched up her dress, but how did these guys know it was torn in the first place? Biggie glanced down at her bandaged feet and noticed something else he didn't like.
"What are you talking about?" Poppy asked with an awkward grin. "...It's always been like this!"
That was the worst excuse she'd ever come up with, and she knew it. But she couldn't think of anything better to say. Maybe she should have torn out the patches before she ran over here. Coming up with a good excuse for this one would be just about impossible.
"Uh...Poppy?" Smidge asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, Smidge?" she asked, still looking rather awkward.
"Your feet are bandaged...rather heavily, don't you think?" Biggie asked, seeing hints of red around the edges.
And now they'd noticed the bandages. Poppy kicked herself, realizing she should have undone everything Branch had done for her before she met up with her friends.
Poppy began to sweat, trying to think of a way to cover this up. "Uh...yeah!" She gave an awkward grin, fumbling for words as she tried to think of a plausible explanation. "I-I mean, I guess, but—" She put a hand to her head, nervous.
"Where'd you get the bandages?" Cooper asked with a cock of his head.
Suddenly Poppy grew as stiff as a board, her eyes wide. "No one." Realizing what she'd said, she slammed her eyes shut, shaking her head and waving her arms frantically as she amended, "I-I mean, nowhere!" She tried to give her friends a serious look, but her nerves were still showing. "L-look, you guys, I really should be getting back. I mean, Dad sent out a search party, so..." She was ready to bolt off into the forest alone. She knew they'd follow.
"Yeah, uh-huh," Guy said as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. His tone saying that he knew she was hiding something. "Poppy, do you think we were born yesterday? You're acting even jumpier than Creek does!"
"No, I'm not! N-nothing happened, and—" Poppy stammered, but even as she spoke, she was sweating. She hadn't thought this would be so hard.
Cooper looked off in the direction of the tower and asked, "What's over there?"
Frantic, Poppy ran to block him, arms out to her sides, saying, "N-nothing! J-just some grouchy old hermit who hates being disturbed, so—"
"A hermit? We have those around here?" Smidge asked, looking lost.
"Of course, we do, Smidge! Hermits can live wherever they want to live!" She pressed her hands to her chest and bounced once, looking really nervous now. "And this one happens to be super grouchy, so we should just—"
She seemed like she might have been afraid of him, which left her friends concerned and curious.
"Is he the one who patched up your dress?" Chenille asked.
"And bandaged your feet?" Biggie added.
Seeing that the "grouchy hermit who doesn't want to be disturbed" excuse wasn't working, Poppy changed tactics again and tried playing on their concerns for her. "Uh...yeah! Y-you could say that!" She cupped her hands under her chin and gave them her best pleading look as she asked, "Now can we please go?" She looked down, feigning a pained expression. "My feet are really starting to hurt again, and—"
"Oh," DJ cut her off with a cool smile as she placed her hands on her hips. The guy had helped Poppy, and that deserved acknowledgment. "Then maybe we should thank him for his—"
Okay! Forget the minor checkup! I need an emergency room level injury here! Poppy thought. "OW!" Poppy cried as she started hopping on one foot, looking pained, in a last-ditch effort to make everyone leave here. "Ooh, geez, that smarts!" Looking at her feet, her eyes widened in shock—the bandages were soaked through yet again. How had a little run messed them up that badly? Maybe she really did have an emergency on her hands. "Ah! A-and they're bleeding again, too!"
This looked bad. There was no way she didn't need to see a doctor. Surely, with how messed up her feet were, the Snack Pack would have to rush her home now. At least, that's what she thought.
Biggie's eyes widened in worry. "Oh, dear!" He placed Mr. Dinkles on his shoulder and carefully picked up the pink troll as he said, "We'd better go back and see him, then." Then he started off toward the tower, the others following behind.
Poppy's eyes widened in horror. That couldn't have backfired any worse. "Ah! No, no, no!" she panicked, sweating buckets. "He doesn't like to be bothered, you guys! Let's just—"
"Hold on, Poppy! We'll get you all patched up! Everything's gonna be fine!" Smidge said as she trotted along beside Biggie. She looked worried but was trying to be strong for Poppy.
"Aarh!" Poppy cried, tossing her head in frustration. "You guys! I wanna go home! I miss my dad and fiance, Creek!" Silently, she pleaded, Please tell me Creek and Smidge haven't told them yet!
At this point, she not only needed an excuse to make them leave, but she also needed a distraction from her latest lie. Honestly, her feet were sore, but she didn't think it required immediate attention. She hoped that finding out she was engaged would get them asking questions about that, thus distracting them from the fact that she was bleeding. It wasn't like that wouldn't stop on its own, like it had every other time.
Unfortunately, someone had already told them that.
"And we'll get you home!" Satin said, registering no shock at the news that Poppy was engaged, much to the princess's dismay.
"As soon as you're taken care of!" Chenille added.
"This guy can't be all bad!" said Cooper with an optimistic smile. "I mean, he's been taking care of you, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he ran ahead.
Poppy waved her arms in front of her, eyes wide in panic. "No, no, no, no, no, you guys! Th-that isn't—"
"Hey! This dude lives in a tower!" Cooper called back.
And, just like that, Poppy knew—Branch's secret was all but blown.
"Hey! This dude lives in a tower!" came a voice through the window.
Branch gave a start and turned toward the window. He stared for a moment, wondering what was going on. That's gotta be Cooper, he thought.
Poppy slapped her forehead, exasperated, and muttered, "Oh, I give up. These guys are so—"
Smidge gasped, eyes wide. "Really!?" She ran toward the tower as well, followed by Guy, DJ, Fuzzbert, and the twins. Biggie hurried along behind, mindful of Poppy in his arms.
In the tower, Branch, still sitting at the table, stared out the window a bit longer. Guess she meant "I'll be back in five minutes. Cautiously, he got up and made his way to the window so he could look out. Below, the giraffe troll he remembered from childhood stood, a green hat on his head as always. He was looking at the tower with evident curiosity.
Seeing someone in the window, Cooper called to the others, "Hey! I think I see him!" He waved, smiling at the guy, and called, "Hey, dude! How's it going!?"
Cheery as ever...and still hasn't learned the meaning of the phrase "stranger danger." Branch wasn't sure who found a stranger in a tower all alone and had their first instinct be to call out as if they were old friends. Of course, the more pressing matter was the fact that he was here at all. "...Uh, fine?"
The others all came hurrying into view, and Branch recognized them from Creek's descriptions—he'd been detailed enough that they needed no introduction. All of the Snack Pack stared up at the tower's occupant in awe.
"Whoa... She wasn't kidding, y'all! There really is a grouchy old hermit up there!"
Poppy, embarrassed, covered her face. Go to your happy place, Poppy. Where your friends are all safe and sound at home and not out here about to blow Branch's cover and get us all eaten by the bergens! Or worse! Abandoning Branch 'cause they told my dad what he said so we can save ourselves! Arrhh! Why do my friends have to be so nosy!? What part of "leave the guy alone" did they not understand? Aloud, she simply moaned, "Ugh..."
Branch looked at the Snack Pack for a second, then his eyes wandered to Poppy in Biggie's arms. "Is she bleeding again!?" he yelled. He tossed his head in exasperation and cried, "Poppy, come on!"
Poppy peeked out from behind her hands, sweating uncomfortably. "Uh..."
"You gotta help us, Grumpy Forest Hermit!" Smidge said as if that were his name. She looked at him with desperation, hands clasped in front of her in a pleading manner. "Poppy's feet look real bad, and—"
"And they'll be fine 'til you can get me back home!" Poppy cut her off firmly, quite annoyed with these guys now. "What part of that's so hard for you? Huh?"
"But, Poppy!" Satin protested worriedly. "We don't have anything to help with that!"
"And it took us all day to get out here!" Chenille agreed.
Branch stared for a moment, knowing that they were right and Poppy needed treated again before they could take her home. He just wished she'd actually take care of herself already. It was nice having someone care about him, but she needed to care about herself at least a little. "Get her up here," he said after a bit.
Not only was Poppy failing to care for herself, her "rescuers" had come out here completely unprepared. There wasn't a single sign that they'd brought so much as a box of Band-Aids, let alone what Poppy needed. The only thing they had was a bloodhound bug that came scurrying up behind them, clearly forgotten. If he didn't take care of her now, she might not make it home.
"N-no, guys. That's not—"
"Alright!" Biggie agreed, glad that this guy seemed willing to help.
Cooper pointed excitedly at something, crying, "Hey, a door!" He ran over and opened it, then stood there, staring at what was there in surprise. He'd expected a staircase, but all he found was what appeared to be a water tank and a generator. This place wasn't making a lot of sense to him. "...Well, that ain't gonna help us." He closed the door and hurried back to the others, saying, "No stairs in there! How do we get up there?"
"You'll have to use your hair," Branch answered. "This place wasn't exactly built with visitors in mind."
Satin and Chenille used their hair to form a staircase so that Biggie, at least, could get up to the tower with Poppy.
"Bergen Town's right through there!" Poppy tried, pointing toward the root tunnels, desperately. "Why not just go bug King Gristle and Bridget about this instead!? Really, it'd be better if you just—"
While she was talking, Biggie started ascending the twins' hair staircase, with Guy and Smidge close behind.
"It's alright, Poppy. He seems nice enough," the big troll said.
On the ground, Cooper smiled and said, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let up your hair!" Then he laughed at his own joke.
"Cooper!" the twins complained.
Branch covered his face with a hand, trying to look like he found that ridiculous. In reality, he was trying to hide the smile that forced its way onto his face at the sound of one of Cooper's ridiculous jokes. He hadn't realized how much he missed them.
"What are ya talkin' bout, dude?" DJ asked, apparently genuinely lost. "That hair's not gold!"
With that, Branch was having a very hard time resisting the urge to laugh. Cooper, you haven't changed a bit.
"Aarrh! Come on, you guys!" Poppy complained once again, squirming in Biggie's arms. "T-this is just ridiculous!"
"Hold still, Poppy! You'll be fine in just a minute!" Smidge said with a reassuring smile.
"Y-yeah! But—"
By this time, Biggie was close enough to see who he was talking to—a gray troll with black hair and icy blue eyes. It was like he was seeing a ghost. Biggie froze in his tracks, startled. "Oh, my..." he said in a small voice.
"N-now, calm down, big g-guy!" Poppy stammered with an awkward grin, giving a halting gesture. "I-it's n-not what it l-looks like!"
Guy and Smidge stopped, stuck behind Biggie. DJ and Cooper came running up the hair staircase, too, also getting caught in the traffic jam. Over Biggie's shoulder, Cooper caught sight of the tower's occupant and stared as well.
"...Dang, dude!" he said when he finally recovered his voice. He looked unsettled. "Y-you look like..."
Branch smiled nervously and backed away from the window. He hadn't seen these guys in 16 years, and they thought he was dead. The odds of them running for their lives were pretty high. Even if they knew he wasn't dead, there was no guarantee they'd stay—he hadn't exactly left on good terms with them, after all. "No point standing out there. I doubt the twins can hold everyone for long."
"He has a point!" Satin called from below with Chenille and Fuzzbert.
Irritation in her voice, Chenille said, "We're not a ladder, everyone!"
Biggie gave a start, reminded of where he was and what was going on. "Oh! Oh, yes. Right." He hesitantly entered the tower, squeezing his way through the window, and the others on the hair staircase followed behind.
"Biggie, what's going on?" Guy asked, concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghoooooost!"
"Yeah! And you don't look much better, Cooper!" Smidge added as she looked at the giraffe with concern. "What—"
Once again, Poppy glared at them all with annoyance. "Nothing, you guys," she growled."Give it a rest already! Sheesh!"
Down below, the twins looked at Fuzzbert. He gestured for them to go ahead, so they ascended their own hair staircase.
Biggie looked quite uncomfortable in this tower, and not just because of his size. "Oh, well, I'm...not sure?" He looked at Branch and started, "Are you..."
Branch didn't know if he should answer that. More importantly, he doubted Poppy would let him answer. "...Sit Poppy down over there," he said, pointing at one of the chairs by the table.
"Oh, yes! Of course!" Biggie answered with a start, and he headed over to set Poppy down in a chair.
Cooper stared at Branch for a moment, unnerved. "...You gonna tell us who you are?"
"He doesn't have to!" Poppy exclaimed. "Quit being so pushy, you guys!"
The twins hopped into the window then, removing their hair completely. "Wow, Poppy, and you said he was grumpy," Chenille observed, noting Poppy's bad attitude about this entire thing.
"I don't understand. He's been so nice so far."
Poppy smacked herself in the forehead. "Ugh... Bud, do me a favor. Don't tell them. They'd never get it, anyway," she said with exasperation, giving Branch a pleading look.
Fuzzbert, meanwhile, backed up to get a running start, then charged toward the tower, leaped into the air, flipped over, and used his hair to launch himself into the tower window. He landed on his feet near Branch, whose eyes snapped to him in surprise.
Branch just stared for a moment, stunned that the fuzzling had successfully made it through that window in such a way. "Good one."
The twins looked at each other, their expressions once again asking about the "grumpy" part of the grumpy hermit.
"Yeah, uh-huh. So can we get on with this so we can get going, you guys?" Poppy asked as she crossed her arms, apparently annoyed. "This is literally the last place any of us should be right now."
"Poppy, cool it. You're acting worse than me," Branch said, rolling his eyes, as he grabbed the second first aid kit he kept in the tower.
"Yeah, well-y-you know why, you dumb gray—" she answered, exasperated, as she turned to him and pointed at him.
"Uh-huh," he cut her off flatly as he headed over to her. "You know, I don't mind your friends being here."
"You don't?" Satin asked curiously.
Chenille put her hands on her hips. "But Poppy said you were a grouchy hermit."
"Yeah, well, she also doesn't think you guys can keep a secret."
"No, Br—bro!" Poppy protested, waving both hands frantically and catching herself just before she said his name. "Don't—"
How had she let it get to this? What kind of an idiot was she?
"Secret? What secret?" Smidge asked.
DJ looked curious. "Yeah. What are y'all trying to hide?"
Branch knew Poppy wouldn't let him say, so he didn't answer. He just knelt down in front of her and unwrapped the bandages so he could clean her wounds for what felt like the 10th time since she'd arrived.
"Nothing!" Poppy told her friends as Branch got to work. "T-there's no—YEEEOOOWWWCCHH!" She tossed her head back as she slammed her eyes shut and jumped away from the gray troll, grabbing her foot. That was excruciating. Her fierce and sudden movement nearly knocked the chair over, but Branch grabbed it with his hair and kept her from toppling over. "BRRAAAAAANNCH!" She cracked an eye open as she gave him a pleading look and asked, "C-can't you j-just—"
There we go, Branch thought, satisfied. Now she can't interrupt me if I try to say it.
"Branch!?" Biggie and Cooper both cried, jumping.
"You're alive!?" Biggie looked at him in disbelief. All this time, they'd thought Branch was dead. How could he be alive and well out here in a tower, far from Troll Village?
Branch turned his head slightly to look at Biggie, but he didn't say anything. Wow, there's a switch, he thought, remembering when he himself had said that very thing to Creek.
"But—how?" Cooper asked.
Poppy slapped herself once again, groaning. Grraaahh! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now look what you've done!
How in Troll Village had she messed up this bad? Not only had her friends found out that someone was living out here, but she'd even given away his name. And, since Biggie and Cooper had apparently been friends with him in the past, they were bound to have questions. From the look of things, Branch was more than willing to answer. How could she have been fool enough to blow his cover this way? This was about as bad as the real Rapunzel asking Gothel why she weighed more than the prince.
Now that she thought about it, this situation did look an awful lot like that fairy tale, didn't it?
Satin looked between Biggie and Cooper, lost. "...You know him?"
"Well, sort of," Biggie answered.
"We knew him—a long time ago. We all thought he was dead!"
"But...then what's he doing out here?" Chenille asked, gesturing around.
Branch turned his attention back to the resistant patient and grabbed her foot. "Hold still. You'd think you'd be used to this by now, considering you've already burned through most of my bandages."
Poppy winced in pain again as Branch applied more medicine to her wounds. She wished he'd just let her go see a real doctor. They might have some numbing cream or something to help with the pain. "Ow, ow, ow! Ah, but Branch! It still—"
Smidge slapped her hands to her head, eyes wide with worry. "Oh, my ga! How bad is it!?" She moved to take a look.
DJ's eyes widened in shock, realizing what Biggie and Cooper had said. She backed up a bit, nervous. "Wait a—Y-ya guys! D-did ya just s-say t-this guy's d-d-dead!?" DJ stammered looking more spooked with each word. She even started trembling. "B-but that would m-mean that—"
Poppy latched onto that fear and, sounding hopeful, said, "Yeah! Exactly! This guy's not really here 'cause—"
"No, I'm not dead, Poppy, and you know that!" Branch cut her off, somewhat irritated at her for trying to say he was a ghost. He kept cleaning her wounds, knowing the most she'd be doing while he did was whining and whimpering. "I was lured out here by somebody who's in as much trouble as me, maybe more. He was tortured for years until he lost the will to fight at all, and now he'll do anything he's told."
"Ow, ow, ow! D-don't l-listen to—Oh, geez!" Poppy tried to say through the pain. "T-t-t-this g-guy! H-he's f-full of—Yeowch! I-it..."
Smidge, meanwhile, watched on in concern. Being right next to Poppy as Branch cleaned her feet, she could see the full extent of the damage. "Oh, my ga..." She didn't like what she saw. This is bad, We need to get her to a doctor quickly! Hope this guy hurries it up.
"He is?" Guy asked, looking like he believed her, much to Branch's frustration.
"Oh. Well, in that case—" DJ started, calmer now.
"I don't know..." Biggie cut her off. "Branch isn't known for tall tales...or hiding in a tower alone."
Sure, Branch was known for delusions and irrational fears, but he didn't blatantly fabricate stories.
"Yeah! I'd think you'd feel too exposed out here! What are you doing up here?" Cooper asked.
Branch thought about it for a moment, debating the best approach. He didn't really want to make the barrier appear again, but it was his best way of proving himself to those who might be reluctant to believe him. "...Let me show you," he said, letting go of Poppy's foot. He got up and headed toward the window.
Poppy gasped, eyes widening. She couldn't let him throw his life away like that. She had to stop him somehow. Thinking fast, she lashed out with her hair and grabbed Branch's leg, tripping him.
"Whoa!" he cried out as he hit the floor, face down. He looked at the hair wrapped around his ankle, preventing him from reaching the window, and chose his next words intending to get her friends questioning what she was saying. "Uh, Poppy? You're acting weird, don't you think?"
Satin and Chenille looked at Poppy as if they agreed with Branch.
Concerned, Smidge asked, "Uh, Poppy? You sure you're okay? You're acting kinda—"
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Poppy cried, frustrated. She pulled Branch over and fanned her hair out around the both of them, trying to get some privacy. She poked her head out for a moment, angrily said, "Excuse us a moment, you guys," then pulled her head back inside.
"Sheesh! What did we do?" Guy asked. He looked at the others, concerned about this uncharacteristically aggressive behavior of Poppy's.
They all shrugged.
"I dunno," Cooper said. Then he looked at the ball of hair and added, "But I wanna know what Branch was gonna show us."
Biggie nodded, then looked at Cooper and asked, "He seems different, don't you think? More like how he used to be? I mean, besides still being gray, that is."
"Oh, yeah, he's definitely nicer now," Cooper agreed, nodding emphatically.
"Yeah. But who is he, ya guys?" DJ asked. "Ya still haven't said much of anythin'."
"Well, you see..." Biggie started explaining.
As Biggie and Cooper told the others about their past friendship with Branch, under her hair, Poppy let go of the gray troll, dropping him roughly on the floor. She got to her feet with her hands on her hips and, hissing, demanded, "Branch! What are you doing!? That's a surefire way to get yourself killed! You can't tell them—"
"Well, you're going to get all of them killed!" Branch cut her off as he stood up, looking angry, and he didn't trouble to keep his voice down. "Somebody has to tell them what's going on!"
"Yes! And I was going to, just as soon as I got you taken care of!" Poppy responded quietly, pointing at him. And stop screaming, for mercy's sake! I mean, what part of "this is a private conversation" didn't you get!? Frustrated with his lack of discretion, she continued, "I didn't—"
"Poppy, come on! How long do you think this is going to take? You're already knee-deep in this trap, you don't have time to take care of me first!"
"You don't know that! And knock that off! This conversation is supposed to be private, in case ya missed the memo! Now, listen. If you'd just do as I said already, then—"
"Uh, are you two okay in there?" Chenille asked.
Poppy looked toward her voice, concerned. If they were hearing everything Branch was saying, they might already be worried enough that she wouldn't be able to keep this secret from them without a very good excuse.
Branch's shoulders slumped a bit as some of the anger went out of him. Quieter, he said, "...I'm trying, Poppy. I really am."
"Well, try harder!" she hissed as she threw her arms up in annoyance, looking back at him. "Thinking positive's not that big a—"
Branch glared at her and snapped, "Look, as far as I'm concerned, it's a positive thing that I've got a chance to save anyone!" Silently, he added, "Try harder?" Who is she, Creek? Yeah, like that advice has ever helped! She doesn't get it!
As if he hadn't already known she couldn't do anything for him. Just like Creek, she thought he was the one not doing what he needed to. It wasn't his fault that his life wasn't worth living. Not entirely, at least.
"Save us from what?" Satin asked, growing worried.
Biggie had a feeling of dread suddenly boiling up inside of him. "Branch? Please tell me this is just an irrational fear," he said, his tone conveying his nerves easily. He squeezed Mr. Dinkles a bit for comfort.
"Uh...what happened to ya, dude?" Cooper asked, now growing more concerned not just for himself but also for his friend.
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, that's not good enough!" She jabbed a finger at his chest, glaring firmly at him. She could hardly believe he was so clueless about how she and her dad ran things. "My dad has a saying, Branch! It goes—"
"I know how it goes, Poppy, I was there," Branch cut her off. But in this case, you'll have to make an exception. He added, "And I don't want my friends getting killed by my traumatized friend!" He could hardly believe how irrational she was being. Seriously! Our whole species can't go extinct just because I'm trapped!
Biggie's eyes widened as he realized something. "Hold on, this has to do with Creek!?"
Looking around, the twins came to a realization of their own—the rug they were standing on looked very familiar. "Uh...didn't we make this rug for Creek?" Satin asked.
"I think so," Chenille answered, eyes wide.
Satin looked around some more and saw a dirty stuffed alligator on the bed. She wasn't sure what use a grown man had for such a thing. "And...why does he have a stuffed animal on his bed?"
Cooper and Biggie both looked, and their eyes widened in realization. If they'd had any doubts about who this was, they were gone now. "Croco!?"
While those two tried to absorb this new information and explain their outburst to their confused friends, Poppy slammed her eyes shut and pulled on her hair, beyond frustrated at this point. Argh! Branch, please! Would you just stop yelling!? I'm trying not to worry everyone out there! she thought. Then, figuring she'd have to spell it out for the guy, she looked him in the eye and tried to be as firm as possible as she said, "Branch. You're aware that saying applies to you, too, right? If you do this now, of all times, then—"
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be trapped here then, would I!?" Branch screamed at her, throwing his arms up.
Poppy gasped, her eyes widening. "...Branch..." She retracted her hair, staring at him sadly.
She could hardly believe what she'd just heard. Did Branch really think that death would be a good thing? There was a way for him to get out of here alive—he just needed to find his happiness and he could go home. Was it truly that hard for him to do?
When the two emerged, everyone looked at Branch in concern. Poppy stared off into space, horror-struck.
"...Branch...?" Biggie asked hesitantly, unsure as to whether he even wanted an answer.
Branch looked at Biggie, then looked around at all the other worried expressions and sighed. "...I can't leave this tower. There's some kind of magic barrier that keeps me in but lets anything else come and go as it pleases."
The Snack Pack let loose a cacophony of responses, shock and disbelief apparent in their tones while their words remained entirely unintelligible.
"...Oh, come on," Smidge said suspiciously, crossing her arms, once everyone else had quieted down. "What is this, a fairy tale? There's no way that's true."
"Yeah. I mean, come on, boy. Just who you trying to kid? We weren't born yesterday, you know," Guy agreed smugly as he moved to stand by Smidge, also crossing his arms. They both gave Branch smug grins.
These two, Branch could tell, were the type that could easily get on someone's nerves. They were already on his nerves. He knew how to get back at them without them knowing that was his intention, though. He walked over to the window, where he stopped and gave them a lame look as he gestured to it with both hands. Once he was sure he had everyone's attention, he made sure he didn't lose it while also giving Guy and Smidge the biggest "I told you so" ever—he climbed on the windowsill to try to leave instead of just sticking his hand out the window.
Everyone panicked except for Poppy. Given the things he'd just said, that didn't look like a good idea to them. They all spoke at the same time.
"No, Branch!" Biggie cried, reaching out anxiously.
"Aah! W-what are ya—" DJ started.
Cooper jumped into the air, crying, "Hold on, dude!"
"Wait!" Guy panicked as he also reached out to stop Branch.
"Stop!" Satin cried worriedly.
"What are you doing!?" Chenille demanded.
"Get back here, you dimwit!" Smidge glared, shaking a fist in the air.
Fuzzbert jumped into the air, frantic, and ran toward Branch. In fact, all of them did, charging forward in a desperate attempt to save Branch's life.
Poppy, meanwhile, just sat down on the floor and sighed sadly, thinking of what Branch had just said. Is it really that bad...? I might need to change tactics here. But how in the world do you convince someone that far gone to turn around and come back? I've never even met a single bergen that's that unhappy, and they're experts at it!
If Branch really wanted his life to end, it was no wonder nothing she was doing was working.
Branch leaped out the window, and the barrier appeared on cue. It caught him, stretching out like a rubber band as it stopped his momentum, then bounced him back into the tower. Since most of the Snack Pack had been running to help, they all found themselves knocked to the ground, where they lay in a tangled heap with Branch on the top. They all cried out in one way or another on impact.
"Gah! Get off me, you guys!" Smidge cried from the bottom of the pile. She sounded like she might have been in pain, which made sense, given the circumstances. "I'm not a cushion!"
Smashed between Cooper and Satin, with Satin practically sitting on his face, Guy said, "Oh, sure! Love to! Just as soon as Cooper gets his foot out of my armpit and Satin stops showing off, if you know what I mean!"
"Sorry, Guy," Satin said, shifting as she tried to get off him.
Branch climbed off the top of everyone, which made it much easier for the rest to disentangle themselves. They scrambled off quickly as Poppy watched lamely. Based on what she'd seen so far, she could have told them that would happen.
"Whew. Okay, ya guys! Someone could really use a good bath when we get home!" DJ said, dusting herself off a bit. "They smelled like slime and dirt!" She covered her nose with both hands, a look of disgust on her face.
Biggie smiled politely and said, "Oh, that was probably Mr. Dinkles. You know worms eat dirt, DJ."
"Meep!" the worm agreed.
DJ's arms fell to her sides, and she hung her head off to one side, eyes widening in realization. "Oh...Rrriiiight..."
Chenille, who'd had Cooper's lips pressed against her own in that pile, wiped her arms over her mouth a bit, then said, "Uh, well, now that we're all done getting very acquainted... What was that?" She looked at Branch.
Branch looked at her. Honestly, in this entire group, there were only two trolls he was having a hard time identifying—the twins. "...You're either Satin or Chenille." He looked up, thinking about what Creek had told him about them. "Uh, jumpsuit versus dress..." Looking back at Chenille, he said, "That, Chenille, is what happens every time I try to leave."
Chenille looked stunned, for more than one reason. For one, that was weird. For another, he'd just guessed who she was and gotten it right.
Looking uneasy, Satin cupped her hands in front of her face. "H-how did you know her name?"
"Did Poppy tell you?" Smidge asked.
"And what do you meeeaaan that thing pops up if you try to leave? What is it, anyway?" Guy asked, his hands on his head.
"I told you, it's a magical barrier that, despite seeming very much like something out of a fairy tale, keeps me trapped in this tower."
"How?" DJ asked, completely nonplussed. She just couldn't wrap her mind around this at all.
"When King Peppy made peace with the bergens, one of them didn't actually welcome it. In fact, she was angry about it because it reduced her to nothing more than a servant in the castle—the royal Chef, keeper of the trolls."
Biggie shuddered. "Oh, I remember her. She's the one who always took everyone away!"
"Yeah," Branch said, not wanting to think about that little detail right now. "And she had a final victim soon after peace was made."
"Wait, you mean...Creek?" Cooper asked, looking at Branch with disbelief.
Poppy started wrapping her feet up herself, doing a terrible job in the process. Oh, this is bad. He's on the verge of asking them to—Maybe if I can get these things wrapped up, I can somehow convince them all to leave before he tells them what he's after! I can't help him if my friends sell out Creek to my dad, after all, and they're doing everything he tells them to right now! Why, the way this is going, you'd think he was king or something. Although, granted, he almost was, but... She shook that disturbing thought from her mind and hurriedly continued wrapping the bandages.
Branch looked over at Poppy and saw that she'd left areas that should be covered bare, wrapped too loosely in some areas and tight enough to cut off circulation in others, and decided he needed to help her fix it. He walked back over, crouched on the floor in front of her, undid her work, and started redoing it himself.
"Oh, come on!" Poppy cried, frustrated. Now Branch was giving himself more time to blow it.
"Yeah," Branch answered Cooper. "Chef took him to use for her revenge. She found another town with bergens in it—bergens who don't know how to be happy. Now she wants to bring the trolls there and start Trollstice in her new town so she can get her power and influence back. She tortured Creek for years so he'd be obedient and follow her plan to accomplish that."
"Uh, I'm confused. What's that gotta do with you being stuck in here?" Smidge asked. "I mean, it sounds real bad, but—"
Poppy sighed as she gave up. She couldn't stop him now if she tried, especially since he was working on her other foot now. Why had she been so careless as to let this happen in the first place? Who was stuck in the role of Rapunzel here, Branch or her?
"Hate to say it, but I was wondering the same thing!" Cooper said. He shook his head as he added, "That came outta nowhere, Branch."
"Because the plan was for Creek to marry the princess and bring Troll Village to live in Crumsville. And, unfortunately, I happened to be engaged to Poppy at the time Creek came to Troll Village."
All but Biggie and Cooper gasped.
"Oh, my ga! Y-you mean you're—"
A prince had been buried years ago when most of them had been very, very small. They didn't remember the name, but they did remember the memorial service. It was hard to forget, given that most of those didn't happen in Bergen Town. So the old friend Biggie and Cooper always said they didn't want to talk about was the supposedly dead prince? They hadn't mentioned that little detail earlier.
"Th-then..." Satin started, but she trailed off, unwilling to finish.
"Yeah. Creek lured me out here so Chef could trap me. He's been keeping me alive ever since, seeing as Chef couldn't care less what happens to me."
"Oh, that's terrible!" Biggie exclaimed, shaking his head.
"No...but I thought you were dead," Guy said, staring at Branch in awe.
"Uh, I'm confused, ya guys," DJ said. "Who exactly is he?"
Everyone looked at her lamely.
"...Oh, my ga." Smidge smacked herself in the face, exasperated at DJ.
"Uh, DJ? He's the prince who was buried in the Troll Tree when we were all little?" Chenille said, raising an eyebrow at their slow friend.
DJ gave a start, her eyes widening. "What!? Really!?"
"Yes..." Biggie said.
"Should we have mentioned that?" Cooper asked.
The rest of the Snack Pack stared at the two. Honestly, yes, it would have been nice if they'd mentioned that detail earlier.
Branch sighed, tired of all the interruptions. "Now that he's engaged to Poppy, it's only a matter of time before Creek tries to take all of Troll Village to Chef, and he doesn't have the will to refuse. She completely broke him, so he doesn't feel like he has any choice at all. Chef probably knows where Troll Village is, too. Nobody's safe there. You have to tell King Peppy. Everyone needs to get out of there as soon as possible."
That was where Poppy drew the line. She had to stop Branch's suicidal desires before it was too late. "Hold up, you guys! That is not happening! At least, not yet." She stood up, glaring at Branch defiantly. Silently, she added, And you all need to remember who's in charge here! I'm the princess of Troll Village, not this guy! He gave up that privilege when he tried running away! Stop acting like my words don't matter. They matter more than his do.
Branch sighed. "Poppy—"
Poppy cut him off and got to her feet, clenching her hands into fists in front of her face as she gave a desperate, pleading look to the Snack Pack. "Guys, listen to me! There's still a way for us to help him! The reason that barrier's able to keep him here's because he's unhappy! So, if we make him happy again, he can join us, and we can all leave together!"
"Really?" the twins asked in unison.
Biggie put a finger to his mouth, looking unsure. "Oh..."
Cooper stared at her for a second before he looked at Branch and asked, "Uh, does she know you? At all?"
Branch looked down, thinking, Thanks, Cooper. I needed someone to point out how hopeless this whole thing is.
As if he didn't already know he'd never escape from this place.
"Oh, come on, you guys!" Guy said, looking confident. "That's an easy one to solve! All ya gotta do is—"
"Let me handle it alone for a while," Poppy cut him off firmly.
"What!?" the others asked.
"You guys, listen. There are a few details about this mess you just don't get! Fixing this isn't going to be easy, and it's gonna take time! Time we will not have if you go telling people about this too soon! Just give me a chance to make this right! I promise. I'll tell Dad all about this once Branch is home with us safely. Just trust me, alright?" She gave them a confident smile, brimming with hope.
Branch looked at her, startled by her word choice. "Once Branch is home safely?" She's that sure she can help? But...how? What does she think she can do? ...And what if it doesn't work? Will she tell King Peppy if it looks like she'll be married before her plan works?
The twins looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well...alright," Biggie said, trusting Poppy to fix this.
"Got it!" Cooper answered with a smile.
"If you say so, boss," Smidge said with a confident smile.
Guy closed his eyes and shrugged. "Works for me, I guess. Cooper?" He looked at the giraffe troll with uncertainty.
"What?" Cooper asked, confused, as he looked at the glitter troll.
Branch only knew of one member of the Snack Pack that was a glitter troll—he took one look at Guy and, for Cooper's sake, said, "Uh...Cooper, I'm pretty sure Guy Diamond is asking you if you can keep a secret." Then he turned to Poppy.
Guy started, eyes wide, and looked at Branch. "How...?" he wondered quietly.
Had he recognized his voice from when Satin apologized for sticking her hindquarters in his face?
"Which isn't necessary, Princess," Branch said to Poppy, hoping to remind her that her duty was to protect all of her people, not just him.
Poppy gave him a determined look in response. "Says you, Branch," she answered. Then she looked at the others and said, "So! What about the rest of you? You in?" She smiled at them expectantly, hands on her hips. She had them now, and she knew it.
"Uh, sure, I...guess," DJ answered. She didn't know how making one troll happy could be so hard.
Fuzzbert agreed.
"Of course," said Satin.
"If you think it will work," Chenille responded.
Poppy gave a proud smile. "I know it will, girlfriends. Thanks." She clapped her hands together eagerly and said, "So! What say we get me home and act like we were never even here!?" Poppy said, eager and cheery as ever.
The Snack Pack reacted just as eagerly, and they started for the window.
Branch watched, eyes wide at what he viewed as their stupidity in blindly trusting Poppy. Then he held a hand out to stop them, saying, "Wait, hold on! When exactly are you planning on coming out here? You can't just disappear from your village for hours at a time, Poppy!"
Poppy tossed a confident smile to Branch over her shoulder and waved goodbye. "Don't worry about it! I know what I'm doing!"
Biggie came and picked Poppy up before heading for the window. Guy and Smidge decided to form the staircase this time, sticking their hair out the tower window. Both looked at the others seriously, daring them to say something ridiculous.
"Not a word," Guy said firmly. "This is not some silly fairy tale, and we are not Rapunzel!"
Smidge's expression said she fully agreed and might hit anyone who did say something.
"Nah, dude, that's Branch!" Cooper said naively, pointing at the gray troll.
Branch sweat. Cooper was still as blunt as ever. "Thanks, Cooper. I've only been thinking that for 16 years."
That was the last straw for Poppy. She'd heard too many things upset Branch today for her liking, and most of them came from Cooper. She needed to get him out of here and calm Branch down, or who knew what would happen? She reached out with her hair to grab Croco and gave it to him. Branch caught it, blushing. "Here, Branch. That should help until I get back," Poppy said, her tone gentle and reassuring.
Hopefully, he'd believe her and wait for her return instead of doing something stupid. She wasn't about to let him give up on life, no matter how bad it looked for him.
The others all stared now, all looking concerned. Chenille and Guy also looked confused. Biggie and Cooper exchanged knowing looks.
"Poppy! Th-that's not... I don't..." Branch gave up on finding the words and just sighed. Muttering, he said, "Yeah, okay." He gripped the toy a bit tighter, but he refused to hold it close while there were so many witnesses. He may have needed comfort, but not if it meant everyone here found out how desperately dependent he was on a ridiculous stuffed animal.
Everyone else looked nothing but concerned now.
"Uh, Branch? You alright?" Guy asked.
"Should...we stay a little longer?" Satin offered.
Branch's blush deepened. "N-no, I'm fine, Satin, thanks."
DJ climbed onto the hair stairs, looking both happy and hopeful. "Aw, relax, y'all. There's nothin' to worry about. I mean, everyone knows how that story turns out." She headed out of the tower then, giving a wink and wave.
If this was some kind of reenactment of "Rapunzel," she knew it would have a happy ending—for everyone but Creek. It was just a matter of time.
"DJ, this isn't a fairy tale!" Branch called after her as Cooper followed her out the window.
At these words, Poppy's eyes widened as she gave a start. "...A...fairy...tale..." It couldn't be. Oh, no, it didn't—Star! That's not what I asked for! I barely even know this guy! And he's sort of mean at times, too!
Fuzzbert gave Branch a curious look, asking if he knew DJ's name from when Chenille had said it earlier.
Branch rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and just said, "Yeah, sure, Fuzzbert, we'll go with that."
Fuzzbert leaped into the air, startled. How had Branch guessed his name when no one had used it yet!?
Satin turned to Branch and asked, "Do you know all of our names?"
Branch sighed, exasperated. "Not hard to figure them out, Satin. Creek's told me all about the Snack Pack."
"...No way..." Poppy said. I mean, he's not only trapped in a tower trying to hide me from someone, but he's technically got an animal sidekick, too! I mean, sure, it's not a real one, but still!
The more she thought about it, the more unnerving it looked. Branch had been trapped in a tower by an "evil witch" with real magic and needed a magical miracle to escape. She'd stumbled onto him by accident one night after wishing on a star for a fairy tale love story ending. In Brigsney movie adaptations of fairy tales, the bergens often gave the princess an animal companion, and Croco could easily represent that. But that would mean...
"H-hey, you guys! Hurry up! We aren't an endless stairwell, either!" Smidge complained.
Fuzzbert obliged, heading down out of the tower.
"Come on, Satin! Branch can guess all of our names later! He's already told most of us who we are!" Chenille said, starting toward the window.
Satin sweat, looking embarrassed, and left with her sister.
That's when the full realization of what had happened hit Poppy like a ton of bricks. And she hated it. "Nnooooo! I don't wanna, I don't wanna! I really don't wanna!" Poppy whined, tossing her head at the start, then holding it in both hands and shaking it frantically as she threw a bit of a tantrum at what she saw as an unkind twist of fate. "It can't make me! No way, no how! Nuh-uh! Nope! Not even for all the cupcakes in the world! I don't—"
"Uh, Poppy?" Branch asked, throwing his hands out in a gesture that basically asked "what's your problem?" What's "it?" What can't "it" make her do?
Biggie looked at Poppy with concern, wondering what was wrong.
"B-Biggie! Come on, already! We can't do this all daaaaaaaay!" Guy complained. His neck was starting to hurt due to a combination of the previous night's discomfort and the fact that he was tilting his head forward to stick his hair out the window.
"Worry about Poppy's outburst later! Hurry up and get down there! Now!" Smidge said, feeling about as good as Guy at this point. She was getting a neck and shoulder massage when they got home.
"Right! Sorry!" Biggie answered, and he hurried out of the tower.
"You can't make me, star! I refuse! I—"
Branch's eyes widened. "Wait, star!?"
With everyone else out of the tower, Guy and Smidge retracted their hair and rubbed their sore, stiff necks and shoulders. They both silently vowed never to cram into a tree trunk at night again.
"Phew! Alright! So what say you we take a quick detour to Bergen Town and see about getting back to Troll Village before dark?" Guy asked.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Smidge answered, and they leaped out of the window to join the others.
Branch ran over and looked out the window. What Poppy was freaking out about... Did she make a wish on—No, that's way too weird. S-she couldn't have.
"Okay, okay, Poppy! We're going, alright?" Smidge said as she ran up beside Biggie, trying to calm her friend. "Stop worrying about that shooting star wish you made! You got it already, remember?" Mildly annoyed, she silently added, You kept me up late the other night telling me about it!
Not caring at this point whether her wish came true or not, Poppy wailed, "No, I didn't!" as they headed off toward the root tunnels, going around the corner and out of sight. "It was all a lie! I—"
Branch couldn't hear anymore—they were out of earshot. But he'd heard enough.
"...Shooting star wish...? W—" He looked up, stunned. "Are those actually real?" he wondered.
A/N: Brigsney is a corrupt version of the word Disney. In other words, Brigsney movies are the Disney movies we all know but with bergens for the actors.