Shadgirl2: Alright, Poppy's going to start singing a song that she probably doesn't know, but there's a reason for that! In the Trolls universe, it seems like Trolls just randomly know song lyrics or what they should sing, making songs up on the fly and such. So Poppy just uses the Trolls' natural music gift for this chapter.
Midna Azusa: Country Trolls incoming! I couldn't stop laughing while putting this thing together. Also, I hate your OC, Shadgirl2.
Shadgirl2: Yeah, well, you're not supposed to like him!
Midna: Country music abounds in this chapter! We used 2 songs (well, part of one, anyway) and referenced 4 others. Cookies to anyone who can name the ones we referenced!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. The songs here are "Working Man's Ph.D." by Aaron Tippin and "Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" by Travis Tritt.
Edit: In light of Trollstopia's love of bluegrass music (which isn't representative of all country music), I've decided to add in references showing the differences between country western and bluegrass. Despite popular belief, there is a huge difference between the two, and it would be nice if somebody would acknowledge this for once. Beyond that, we added some details and edited some narration. Midna also found a couple of typos she missed the first time through and fixed those.
A ghost town wasn't exactly Poppy's idea of a fun place to visit, yet that's what she saw as they reached the place Branch had called Lonesome Flats. She looked out the window, eyes wide in wonder. She'd had an idea what horror would await them in a place with such an unfortunate name, but she had no way of knowing how truly terrible it would be.
"Whoa... Look at that, Branch. This is way worse than we thought it was... How can anyone live like this? It looks so lonely and deserted out there..." she said, upset at the conditions the Country Trolls faced. Sitting with her legs folded under her, she looked over her shoulder at Branch.
The area around them was a desert, albeit less bare than the place they'd left Guy. Buffalo grazed nearby on the sparse foliage of the area. The town itself was a one-street town made of wooden buildings in earthen tones rather than the bright hues of Troll Village.
"Well, we are dealing with a different tribe, Poppy," Branch said. "They probably do things differently than we do."
Poppy took a second to answer, "I guess." She groaned, frustrated, and put her hands on her head. "How did we end up stuck going way out here? I really should've thought that one through a little better. This place is so dead-looking, I'd be surprised to find out that Country Trolls weren't all ghosty and haunted-looking!"
After seeing a town that looked like it should've been abandoned long ago, Poppy couldn't help but picture a bunch of transparent, intangible, floating trolls. She imagined they likely had outdated clothes from, say, the stone ages, made of animal pelts and bones or some such. The idea of a bunch of living trolls actually resembling the dead so well was disturbing, but the fact that vampire flowers existed had left her thinking anything was possible.
Branch ignored her irritation, knowing nothing he said would calm her down, and just landed the plane outside of town. There were two reasons he chose this location. The first was that he didn't want to crush the town. The second and more important was that he wanted to have a chance to leave without being noticed if necessary.
"Ugh..." Poppy growled, steeling herself for what she knew had to be done. "Alright. Let's get this over with..." She got up from her seat and headed out of the ride, grumpy.
If these trolls didn't at least have indoor plumbing, she was so gone.
Branch followed, hoping this wasn't a bad idea but still unable to shake that feeling.
Country Trolls didn't look like Pop Trolls. Oh, sure, from the waist up, they had the traditional body shape of trolls, but their colors were more earthy in coloration, more muted in contrast to the vibrant Pop colors, and their hair didn't tend to stand up. From the waist down, they were horses. They had four hooves and tails, making them even more animal troll than Cooper.
When Poppy and Branch arrived in town, they found what appeared to be the entire town gathered, surrounding one very bored-looking member. The bored troll was a male, reddish-brown in color, with black hair and a mustache. He had brown eyes and a yellow nose and was dressed in dark brown pants and a brown vest like what a cowboy might wear. A black cowboy hat sat atop his head, practically blending in with his dark hair.
Directly in front of him, one troll was singing at him. She was orange with green eyes, red hair, and a green tail. She wore white pants, a short-sleeved green and white flannel shirt, and a small white cowboy hat. Unlike the bored man, she looked extremely annoyed, as if what she was saying to him had been said a multitude of times without actually being acknowledged.
"Now there ain't no shame in a job well done!" she sang, dancing around while playing a banjo. "From drivin' a nail to drivin' a truck! As a matter of fact, I'd like to set things straight."
A small, blue trolling with dark brown eyes and orange hair pulled into pigtails poked out of the orange troll's hair, playing a Jew's harp. The orange troll got up in the bored one's face, glaring at him, for the next line of the song and was joined by the entire town, "You, boy, Larry, should start pulling yer weight!"
"How many times we gotta say this, Larry?" the little girl asked from atop the orange troll's head, tossing her head in apparent irritation.
"GOOD QUESTION!" the town roared. They looked ready to trample this guy if he didn't start "pulling his weight," as they put it.
The orange troll went back to dancing, still looking annoyed, as she continued, "If ya want a crash course in reality," she walked up to the bored troll, Larry, and jabbed a finger at him, like a mother scolding her child. The little girl joined her to sing, "You'll get yourself a workin' troll's Ph.D."
"Honestly, ya old son of a troll!" the orange troll said. "Why must I keep rehearsin' this with ya every week!? Ya wanna eat, ya gotta work, ya lazy sack of bones! How's that so hard for ya to figure out?" She put her hands on her hips.
Poppy watched this scene in horror, her eyes wide. This was worse than she'd thought. Sure, that didn't sound anything like the bluegrass she'd expected, but it definitely wasn't happy. "Oh, no way... They're using music to harass that poor guy. Don't they know music's supposed to make you happy?"
"Poppy, we're here for Party Crasher relief, not to tell them how to live," Branch reminded her cautiously.
"But, Branch! They all look so miserable! How can you say that?" she asked, looking at him with eyes full of disappointment. "I mean, just look at them." She gestured at the Country Trolls as she continued, "Working their tails off as if they don't even know how to have fun! Oh, we have got to fix that." She moved toward the Country Trolls, a determined look on her face. No wonder their music's so awful!
Now Branch knew why he had that bad feeling. "Poppy, no!" he protested as he chased after her, a hand outstretched as if to stop her.
"Hey," Poppy said firmly, her hands on her hips.
The Country Trolls all turned, confused by the interruption. Their eyes widened when they saw the Pop Troll standing there, vibrantly pink as only Pop Trolls ever were.
"What are you guys doing?" Poppy asked them, a look of concern appearing on her face. "Don't you know all work and no play makes Jack a dull troll?" She crossed her arms, looking smug, and added, "You can't seriously be happy that way. Why not try having a little more fun instead?" She gave them a smile, confident that this would work, as she threw her arms out to her sides.
The Country Trolls stared at her, concerned, and started murmuring among themselves. None of them had asked for her opinion, and they were none too sure they wanted it, either. They all knew that Pop Trolls only ever stirred up trouble, and this one didn't sound like she was any exception.
"Who is that?" one troll asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"She sounds like Lazy Larry over there," another answered him, arms crossed, as he nodded toward the lazy troll in question.
"What in tarnation's goin' on?" asked a third, looking a bit disturbed yet confused.
As the trolls kept talking, Branch came up behind Poppy and grabbed her arm. Quietly, he said, "Seriously, Poppy, I don't think this is a good idea!"
The orange troll moved forward, looking at the Pop Trolls suspiciously. A purple troll with green hair and a mustache joined her. He wore a sleeveless blue and white flannel shirt, black overalls, and a brown cowboy hat.
"Hold on," the orange troll said sternly. "Just who do ya think ya are, bargin' in here and—"
Looking excited, Larry cut through the crowd—and the orange Country Troll's words—saying, "Now that's more like it! Lil lady, yer singin' my song! We really do work way too hard 'round these here parts. And it's all 'cause our mayor here likes workin' us like a bunch of dogs!" He gestured at the orange troll, making it clear she was the mayor.
The mayor's eyes widened in indignation. "Ah! Now see here, Larry, ya lazy little—"
"What's yer name, hon?" Larry asked Poppy, ignoring the mayor.
Poppy giggled, delighted that one of these guys got it. Maybe there was hope for the miserable Country Trolls, after all. "I'm Queen Poppy! Of the...Pop Trolls?"
She wasn't used to thinking of herself in terms of her musical preference, but it would make more sense to these guys than any other term she could think of. Hopefully, she got the tribe name right. She was pretty sure that was what Branch kept using.
Larry took her hand flirtatiously and said, "Well, my fair Queen Poppy, care to join me in showin' this slave-driver here what-for?"
Branch, angry at this troll's nerve, clenched his fists and started, "Uh, no, she—"
"Sure!" Poppy cut him off excitedly. "Lay it on me, bro!"
"Poppy!" Branch protested.
"Oh, no, ya don't!" the mayor objected. "Larry! If ya start that up again, I swear I'll—"
"Okay, little darlin'. Here we go!" Larry pulled out a guitar and started strumming out a tune of his own.
This time, Poppy was sure it would be bluegrass. She knew Rufus, the closest thing to a Country Troll she knew, loved the stuff, and she'd never heard any other kind of country. That first song had to be a fluke, she was sure.
The mayor slapped a hand to her face, annoyed. She knew this song. Larry sang it regularly, and it usually led to problems for her. "Argh... Honestly!"
As Larry played his music, he leaned into Poppy's face flirtatiously. To Branch's frustration, all she did was grin, either oblivious to the flirting or just not caring. And she started getting into a country song. Branch growled, gritting his teeth. He imagined his hands around Larry's throat and briefly wondered if he'd get in trouble for such an action.
Poppy, meanwhile, found herself proven wrong as Larry began to sing. This sounded different, more structured and rhythmic, and the way he was singing just sounded vastly different from bluegrass.
"All around, I hear the sound of money," Larry sang, "but I ain't got a nickel to my name."
She found that this music was actually fairly easy to dance to, even though she never would have thought her usual dance moves would work for a country song. She even found herself enjoying this song a bit. Now, if only the lyrics weren't so depressing, country might not be so bad!
The mayor put her hands on her hips, still very annoyed, and said, "That's 'cause ya never worked a day in yer life, ya lazy-"
"And everywhere I look, I see temptation," Larry continued. "She stands on every corner and calls my name."
"Oh, really?" the mayor asked sarcastically, casting an annoyed and lame look directly at Larry.
"Yeah!" the child snapped, raising a little fist in the air. "You waste all of your family's money on drinks and guitars!"
"Oh, really?" Branch asked, liking this guy less and less.
The mayor turned to the angry Pop Troll with a lame look on her face as Larry sang on, "Now, won't you tell me if you can 'cause life's so hard to understand? Why's the rich troll busy dancing while the poor troll pays the band?"
This refrain even had a head-bopping, foot-tapping melody that Poppy hadn't expected. Bluegrass was, in Poppy's experience, usually more of a "clap your hands and spin around" kind of music, but Poppy certainly wasn't complaining. She felt like she could dance freestyle to this instead of a square dance!
Poppy started really getting into it then, dancing in more of a country-style than she normally would, albeit still mixing in her own twists. Even worse, she wasn't the only one—some of the Country Trolls started smiling in apparent agreement, tapping their feet, bobbing their heads, or clapping along.
"Yeah!" one lady shouted out. She looked pretty steamed, her hands on her hips. "Why does Mayor Delta get all the good stuff 'round here?"
"And why do we have to work ourselves like dogs all day?" asked another troll, looking rebellious.
"I don't know, but I ain't doing it anymore!" someone else said, throwing his hat down in frustration.
"Life's too short to work it away!"
Branch smacked himself in the face, as did the Mayor, Delta. It seemed they were of like minds about this.
"Ugh. Here he goes ag—" She glared at Larry and snapped, "LARRY! Knock off the mutiny right now before I really lose my temper!"
He and Poppy both ignored her as they sang the next line, "Oh, they're billing me for killing me. Lord have mercy on the working troll!"
Poppy looked to be highly enjoying this slow-growing uprising, smiling happily at Larry. Larry smiled back, too, looking more than just friendly. For her part, Poppy was just glad that she seemed to be getting through to these guys and that country music was something she could actually dance to without a script. This was more fun than she'd expected. And Branch thought coming here was a bad idea! Showed what he knew.
Branch, now more than just a little frustrated, muttered, "Comes here to help, starts a mutiny, and flirts with—" He cut himself off and called, hands cupped around his mouth, "Poppy! This isn't what you came here to do!"
"Aw, who cares 'bout that? They're right, anyhow," a girl troll said, smiling in agreement.
"That's right!"
And these two joined Larry's song.
Delta slapped herself in the face yet again as the mutiny spread. "Argh... That guy... One of these days, I'm gonna—"
"Delta Dawn's got her hands in my pockets," the two leaders of this mutiny sang out, trolls' natural ability for music aiding Poppy in finding the words. "And she helps herself each time she needs a dime."
"Hey! It ain't my fault ya never pay yer taxes 'cause yer always flat broke! Get a job already, ya—"
"Them politicians treat me like a mushroom 'cause they feed me bull and keep me in the blind."
Bull wasn't a word Poppy ever wanted to use, but it was part of the song. Besides, it wasn't as bad as some other words that could have been in there, so she decided to just let it go for now and wash her mouth out later if the dirty feeling lingered. Apparently, some tribes tolerated foul language more than Pop.
"Yeah! Tell me about it!" someone agreed as another normally upstanding member of society joined the rebellion.
Even worse, the child on Delta's head said, "They're right!"
Delta smacked herself in the face. If she didn't stop doing that soon, she'd leave a handprint.
Branch whirled on the child and pointed at her sternly, saying, "Don't you start, too!"
"That's right, Clampers!" Delta told the little girl firmly. "Ya know better than that, child! If ya don't work, ya don't eat! Remember?"
"But, Aunt Delta, that's all we ever do!" she whined, hopping off her aunt's head as she went to join the song.
It was Branch's turn to smack himself in the face again. "Oh, come on!" he complained. Was everyone going to join this? It was ridiculous!
Larry started up a square dance, choosing Poppy as his partner. "Come on, little darlin'!" Larry said. "Let's show 'em how it's done!"
"Sure!" Poppy agreed, allowing the other troll to lead her into an unfamiliar and more scripted dance. She knew this would come eventually, but Larry didn't seem to go by the rules, so she figured it would be fine. This was turning out to be surprisingly fun, even if it was a sad, complaint-filled country song.
The two happily sang, "Now won't you tell me if you can 'cause life's so hard to understand?"
Sure enough, Larry wasn't one to follow the rules. He threw in his own moves that Poppy was pretty sure weren't part of normal square dancing from time to time.
The other Country Trolls who'd joined this mutiny grabbed a partner and joined the dance, several of them doing their own thing as well. Poppy could hardly believe it! Even the old stuffy country dance style was getting an upgrade, and she was so excited about it! Now they just needed to learn to use music to be happy and have fun, and the Country Trolls could stop drowning in their own misery! What could possibly go wrong now?
Branch growled, looking murderous. "Get your hands off her, Larry!"
"And, while yer at it, STOP THIS NONSENSE before I come over there and MAKE ya!" Delta added as she stamped a foot in frustration.
Branch cast a look at Delta, his irritation clear as day. "Is this normal?" he asked. "I mean, besides the addition of one overzealous visitor."
Delta put her hands on her hips and looked at him with annoyance as she answered, "What do you think?"
The mutineers joined the song as even more joined the ranks of the rebels. While Branch and Delta were talking, these trolls sang, "Why's the rich troll busy dancing while the poor troll pays the band? Oh, she's billing me for killing me. Lord have mercy on the working troll."
Over half the town was involved in this now, and Larry and Poppy were looking exceptionally close.
Delta, once more, slapped herself, her annoyance with this growing with each passing second. "Argh... Why do I even bother?"
Branch growled again and asked, "Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if I knock him out?"
"Don't know. Haven't tried it..." She narrowed her eyes, her expression dark, and added, "yet..."
It seemed, looking at her, that she'd been thinking of doing that herself for a long time and was on the verge of doing so any day. Branch could sympathize, he really could.
Apparently having the time of their lives, Poppy and Larry danced, completely in sync, as the song shifted to just music for a bit. Those involved square danced or leaped around in their own dance styles, playing the music themselves. The instruments involved in this song, as more joined, included more percussion than bluegrass music usually did, further setting this song apart from Poppy's expectations of country music.
Even Delta's apparent partner, the purple troll, looked intrigued. "Growly growly growl," he said, starting toward the square-dancing mutiny.
Delta started, eyes widening in shock. She stomped a hoof, hands on her hips, and countered, "No, he is not right, and I know ya know better, Growly Pete! Get yer tail back over here!" She pointed at the ground sternly as she ordered her deputy to come back.
"Yeah! Cut it out! Don't join them!" Branch agreed, waving his arms angrily over his head.
But Growly Pete had made up his mind—he joined the mutiny. His decision caused even more trolls to join in, and over two-thirds of the townsfolk were now dancing in the streets to a song protesting the government.
"Hey, Saint Peter, look down for a minute," Poppy and Larry sang together, "and see these little trolls about to drown. There's quicksand all around, and, man, we're in it. Please help us up, Lord, 'cause we're going down."
By now, Larry had dropped the whole square-dancing style entirely, apparently more at ease with this Pop Troll. He was dancing with her in what, to her, was an innocent manner. To the Country Trolls, however, it was more of a couple's dance at this point, which gave a great deal of freedom to the Pop queen who was thoroughly enjoying her dance with her new partner now.
Branch growled, gritting his teeth. This was the most frustrating thing Poppy had ever done. Did she seriously not notice the flirting going on? Then, slumping over, he sighed and looked at Delta apologetically. "I'm really sorry about this. I can't control her at all."
"Tell me about it," Delta agreed helplessly as the remainder of her town joined the fun. She couldn't control Larry, either.
"Now, won't you tell me if you can," the entirety of Lonesome Flats (other than the mayor and Branch) sang, "'cause life's so hard to understand? Why's the rich troll busy dancing while the poor troll pays the band?"
The dancing Country Trolls started crowding around Delta and Branch, the same way they'd been crowding around Larry earlier. Meanwhile, Larry and Poppy got up onto a gazebo and danced in a style that was more of a cross between pop-style and country, with Larry occasionally twirling his dance partner like an old-time country couple and Poppy throwing in some moves of her own. Larry, thinking he should make a good first impression, joined these as best he could. This made the dance a pretty even mix of pop and country, which only seemed fair. A gentletroll had to treat a lady right, after all. Poppy was too lost in the song, too oblivious to care. She really was having a great time, which was the last thing she'd expected to have happen in a place called Lonesome Flats.
"Oh, she's billing me," the town sang on, "for killing me. Lord have mercy on the working troll."
Larry's look was far too loving for Branch's liking, but he couldn't exactly stop it. Poppy wasn't listening to him at all, too caught up in her own ideas.
"Ugh..." He smacked himself in the face once more and said, "It's worse than when she was dating Cloud Guy..."
At least that Hug Day thing had been Cloud Guy trying to get Branch to ask Poppy for her hug. This was someone flat-out flirting with her.
And that's when all the trolls other than Larry and Poppy started getting in Delta and Branch's faces, apparently eager to tell them off. "Won't you tell us if you can 'cause life's so hard to understand!?"
Delta sweat, looking around at the angry trolls singing at her...again. Yes, any time Larry sang this song, this was the natural result. Branch braced himself for an attack, taking on a defensive position as he looked around at the crowd.
The crowd pointed accusatory fingers at the two as they sang on, "Why's this fat mayor busy dancing while us thin trolls pay the band?"
Growly Pete and Clampers got up in Delta's face specifically.
Realizing there was no immediate danger, Branch relaxed slightly, his eyes half-closed in irritation. "This is ridiculous," he muttered.
"What was yer first clue?" Delta asked him.
"Oh, you're billing us for killing us. Yeah, Lord have mercy on the working troll."
"Uh, excuse me, have ya all forgotten—" Delta started.
The crowd cut her off, still pointing at them in a scolding manner, "Please, Lord, have mercy on the working troll."
Someone turned to Larry and Poppy, looking somber. He took his hat off his head and held it to his chest. "Aw, tell 'em how it is, Larry."
Larry took Poppy in his arms and dipped her as he sang, "Please, Lord, have mercy..."
The crowd of lecturers pressed in close to Delta and Branch, practically rubbing noses with them, and loudly sang the last part with Larry, "...on the working troll!"
Delta shook her head, a hand over her face. Branch crossed his arms, eyes narrowed, looking like he'd enjoy nothing more than to smack each and every one of these guys.
The mutineers all started complaining. Most of it was incoherent, but some of it was lines from or directly inspired by various country songs—a fact Delta knew, even if Branch didn't.
"It's 5 o'clock somewhere, anyway," one troll said rebelliously, a hint of anger in his voice.
"Gotta take a break and have some fun!" another eagerly agreed.
"TGIF, so let's hit a beach somewhere!" one said with excitement, even though it wasn't Friday.
"And it's time for a good time!" cheered another.
Delta growled lowly as this continued.
Larry turned to Poppy, lovingly holding her shoulders. "Ya just made my day, little darlin'. Thanks!"
Maybe Pop Trolls weren't so bad, after all. This cute little lady was okay, at least.
"Aw, it was nothing," she answered with pride, waving a hand dismissively. "Glad I could—"
"THAT'S IT!" Delta and Branch both exploded.
Delta burst out of the crowd, roaring like a blood-thirsty killer. Branch wrapped his hair around Poppy, startling her some, and pulled her clear of Larry before charging the Country Troll himself.
"ALRIGHT, Y'ALL! LISTEN UP!" Delta bellowed. "This has gone on long enough! Y'all know better! If ya don't get yer work done...YA WON'T GET PAID! Then how do y'all plan on feeding yer families, huh!?"
The Country Trolls other than Larry started looking sheepish as they all looked away. Once again, they'd allowed themselves to be caught up in Larry's ridiculousness.
Meanwhile, Branch pounced on Larry, looking ready to pulverize the guy. "Listen here, you lazy troublemaker! Poppy is not available! She's dating me!"
And, if she wasn't going to tell her new friend, he would.
Larry's eyes widened, and he held up his hands with a sheepish grin. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down, tiger! I didn't know!"
Then again, maybe Pop was as bad as everyone thought. The girl was clearly into cheating, since she hadn't spoken up and said she was in a relationship.
Concerned, Poppy came up behind her boyfriend, asking, "Uh, Branch? What are you doing?"
He didn't have a chance to answer before Delta came up behind her, saying, "And, as for the two o' y'all, Larry, ya know darned well where behavin' like that gets ya! It's off to the slammer again for you!" She hitched a thumb over her shoulder, glaring at him angrily.
Larry groaned and looked down, annoyed. "Dang."
Branch gladly handed him over to Growly Pete, wondering as he did so whether Delta had anyone more reliable who could take this delinquent away. That guy had already joined a mutiny today, so was it really wise to trust him with something like this?
"Growly growly growl—" the purple troll started as he took Larry away.
"Yeah, yeah," Larry cut him off. "I know my rights, Pete. Can it."
Delta watched them go, hands on her hips and shaking her head in exasperation, then turned to the Pop Trolls. She still looked angry. "And, as for y'all, what did ya think ya were doing, bargin' into my town and startin' up a mutiny like that!? Did ya really think I was gonna let that slide?"
She'd heard Pop Trolls were bad, but she didn't realize they were this bad. Who barges into another town and starts telling people how to live their lives?
Whoops. Too late, Poppy realized that she might have overstepped her bounds in this instance. Apparently, the leader of the Country Trolls wasn't convinced that they needed to start having more fun around here.
"No, listen, Mayor Delta!" Poppy said, desperately trying to make this right. "I-it's nothing like that! I only wanted to show you Country Trolls how to have fun and be happy 'cause—"
"Sweetie, we already know how to have fun and be happy," Delta cut her off, looking stern. "We just know that there's a time for play and a time to work. Or don't ya know that it takes work to put bread on the table?" Her expression turned stoic as she continued, "Nothin' in this world is free, ya know. Even for a garden to grow, ya have to work hard to get it goin'." She gave Poppy a firm and disappointed look and said, "But that's still no excuse for comin' in here and stirrin' people up like that!" Glaring, her expression now quite frosty, she finished, "So, as far as I'm concerned, yer both guilty of mutiny against the mayor and will need to be serving some time for it!"
"Whoa, hold on!" Branch countered, eyes widening. "I was trying to stop her!"
"Ah! But ya brought her out here in the first place, so, as far as I'm concerned, yer just as guilty as she is," Delta said firmly.
Really? How was that fair? Not only had he been trying to stop her, he'd been trying to help this ungrateful mayor stop her own people. It wasn't his fault she was apparently a lousy enough leader that her people would turn on her at the drop of a hat!
Pete came back then, a nasty look on his face. "Growly growly growl."
"Growly Pete, haul these two in," Delta instructed. "They're gonna be staying here for a long time."
"Growly growly growl," he answered, moving toward the Pop Trolls threateningly.
"Yeah!" Clampers cheered, jumping up excitedly. "That'll teach y'all to mess with us! Right, Aunt Delta?" She looked at the mayor happily.
Delta glared down at her in a scolding manner, her hands on her hips. She said nothing, but Clampers got the message.
The child clasped her hands in front of her with a sheepish look. "Sorry, Aunt Delta."
Poppy's eyes widened in horror. "No! Stop! You can't do this! We came to help!" she protested as Growly Pete wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around Branch's.
Pete took them away, holding on firmly. Branch just groaned. Why did he have to be right?
Pete took them to a small jailhouse and opened the door, tossing them in. The door slammed shut behind them. One other troll occupied the cell—Larry, lazily strumming his guitar in the top bunk.
"Hey, y'all," he said with a lazy smile. "Fancy meeting ya here."
Branch glared at him. As far as he was concerned, this was Larry's fault.
Poppy got up, glaring at nothing in particular. "Arh! Great! Now what'll we do!? I can't believe any troll out there would be so against having a little spontaneous fun they'd actually decide to lock us up for it!"
"Yeah, that's Delta Dawn for ya," Larry said sagely. "Always so—"
"Nobody asked you!" Branch snapped at him. He turned to Poppy and said, "Poppy, I tried to tell you, the Country Trolls aren't like us!"
"I know! It's just that..." She sighed. "I didn't think having a little fun would be so wrong... Guess there really are trolls out there who don't want to be happy..." She looked down sadly.
"Didn't you hear what the mayor said?" Branch asked. He folded his hands in front of him as he said, "They know how to have fun! They just value hard work, too."
Poppy sighed in defeat. "I guess." She looked at Branch uncertainly and asked, "So now what'll we do? We can't just stay here, I've got a country to run back home! And, from the sound of things, we could be here for at least a few years!" She walked over to the door and gripped the bars with a sad sigh. "I hope the others are having more luck than we are..."