Shadgirl2: Just in case anybody's bothered by the Country Trolls, we did them that way for a few reasons. 1) That's often how Southern or old western sheriffs are portrayed in a lot of media, strict and sometimes unfair. 2) Poppy and Branch are outsiders from a land with a bad history. (If you've seen TWT, you know.)
Midna Azusa: Yeah, Delta (and everyone else in town) interpreted the line about "spreading the love" differently than Poppy had intended. In fact, they probably shouldn't sing that anthem of theirs to any of the non-Pop trolls...
Shadgirl2: Agreed, Midna. Anyway, it also looks like the Country Trolls might be kind of hostile toward outsiders in general. In TWT, Growly Pete seemed ready to lock up Poppy and her friends just because they were in town, and Delta only stopped him because she felt bad for them. However, she quickly changed her mind when she heard their medley. Stirring up trouble is a worse offense, so...yeah, they're in jail, and they get into more trouble when they seem like they're repeating history (again, TWT).
Midna: Anyway, enough about them! Let's check on some of the others!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. Harmony and the Techno OCs belong to Shadgirl2, although Midna Azusa gets the majority of the credit for the male Techno Troll's personality since she wrote his lines and actions.
Edit: Corrected spelling, added details, improved character's slang to better match my intentions
On the beach, DJ decided to make the most of this trip. Sure, she hadn't found the Techno Trolls, but the crystal-clear ocean and the sunny sky were just too good to pass up. If she couldn't find the Techno Trolls, she figured she and CJ might as well enjoy a day at the beach. Luckily, she'd packed for it.
CJ came leaping out of a bush, wearing a lime green swimsuit and looking excited. "Oh, yeah! This is the best! That we get to spend an entire afternoon on the beach. I can't believe just how lucky we are! Can you, Aunt DJ?"
DJ walked out in a light green swimsuit and a pair of sunglasses, a hand on her hip, and a cool grin on her face, saying, "You know it, CJ! It's about to get crazy up in here!"
The aunt and niece duo turned to face each other, both smiling with excitement. "Wiki, wiki, what!?" They smacked their hands together then, with DJ's landing on her knees as she went down and CJ's going up over her little head. "Yeah!"
The two of them ran for the water and plunged right in. They laughed and played for hours, swimming, having splash fights, and even tossing around a beach ball that DJ had (for mysterious reasons) been carrying around in her hair.
As the sun began to set, they set up for a dance party, using all seven wooferbugs for the ultimate jam session. Their two-troll party soon put Poppy's 20th freedom celebration to shame, becoming even louder and crazier than that party had been at its peak. Laser lights filled the sky, making this party visible and audible from miles away.
DJ pumped a fist in the air excitedly, dancing and playing music on the back of her wooferbug. "YEEAAAH! This is the best!" DJ cried, having the time of her life. "Can't believe no one's shown up to join in, but aw, well! More fun for us!" She beamed and threw her arms up in the air.
Dancing on the beach below, CJ was having a fantastic time with her favorite aunt. "Yeah, Aunt DJ! You know it!"
DJ smiled, happy that CJ was enjoying herself so much. Sure, they hadn't found the Techno Trolls, but this trip was still turning out to be a blast. The good times they'd shared here would be a memory she'd always cherish. It wasn't every day she got to take her favorite niece to a beach by the ocean. What could be better than this?
Unbeknownst to the two of them, their party was wild enough to attract some nearby inhabitants. Deep down in the ocean, a couple of strange creatures couldn't help but see and hear this exciting yet unnerving display. These creatures vaguely resembled trolls, at least on their top halves. They had arms and a similar head shape to Pop Trolls, but that was where the resemblance ended. Their hair was like optical fiber threads, their ears like gills. From the waist down, they were fish, with fins instead of legs. Both of their bodies were luminescent.
An orange male with a pink heart glowing on his chest looked up, curious. His sclerae were neon blue, his hair and unibrow yellow. His tail fins were striped with blue and yellow beads.
"What is that?" he asked his comrade.
The other creature was a girl, dark purple in color. Like the boy, she had a pink heart on her chest, but her sclerae were lavender. Pink and light purple pixelated markings covered her tail. Her hair was neon pink, her eyelashes blue, and she also had a neon yellow unibrow.
"Don't know," she said as she danced a bit. "But, man, is it fresh!"
The boy stared up toward the surface for a moment before he said, "I'm gonna go check it out." It wasn't every day they heard music from above the water, after all. Curious, he swam for the surface.
"Hey! Like, wait up!" his friend called, swimming after him. "I, like, totally heard it first!"
The two reached the surface and saw DJ and CJ dancing up a storm. Neither of these creatures would ordinarily have been comfortable around Pop Trolls, young or not, but the music coming from the beach had a familiar feel to it, even while being distinctly pop.
"Whoa..." said the orange boy as he looked on in awe. "Aren't those Pop Trolls? They're acting more like Techno Trolls!"
The girl fidgeted and clasped her hands in front of her, growing nervous now. "Uh... Like, I don't know if we should be here, bro. Aren't Pop Trolls, like, real gnarly?"
"Aw, it'll be fine!" he assured her with a smile as he swam a little closer.
The girl watched nervously, debating whether she should join or report to their king. In the end, she shrugged. She wasn't really that concerned, either. What harm could two Pop Trolls cause, especially when one was just a child? "Aw, why not!?" she said, and she swam over with her friend.
While the two may have decided to get a bit closer, that didn't mean they wanted to be seen. They stayed just far enough away that they doubted they'd be noticed by the partying trolls on the land and started grooving to the music themselves.
Neither DJ nor CJ realized that the attendance at their party had suddenly doubled, too busy having fun themselves.
"Oh, yeah! Heads up, CJ! I'm gonna drop the beat to somethin' even radder than this!" DJ said with excitement, pulling a track from her hair.
"Okay!" CJ said, eager to hear her aunt's newest mix.
The two sea creatures grew excited as well.
"Eeek! Is she, like, for real, dude!?" the girl asked. She slapped her hands to her cheeks, looking like some crazed fangirl. She looked at her friend quickly, then turned her attention back to the show, anxious.
"Oh, this is so exciting!" the boy said, bouncing in the water. He'd never thought he'd be at a Pop Troll party and actually enjoy it.
Both cried out, the girl letting loose an excited squeal and the boy crying, "Yeah!"
DJ, however, didn't hear this as she started up her newest song. Granted, she wasn't quite finished with it, still experimenting with this particular mix, but this demo version was pretty good.
"Let go, oh ay oh, let the music take control!" the song played. "Let go, oh ay oh, let the music take control!"
It repeated that line over and over, the music sounding far more like techno music than pop. In fact, if those two in the water hadn't known better, they would think these two were Techno Trolls.
Ever the loyal niece, CJ said, "Aw, man, Aunt DJ! That's gotta be your best one yet!"
The child meant every word of it, and DJ appreciated it, even if she wasn't quite satisfied with this song yet herself. For one, the music itself could use some tweaks.
Still, she smiled, cool and proud, as she put a hand on her hip and said, "Yeah. I know. It's pretty awesome, ain't it?"
The two Pop Trolls started really partying then. Even the wooferbugs were all grooving to the beat. Apparently, they liked the song, too. DJ kept up the party, shooting out colorful laser lights in all directions in a pattern that made it look like they were dancing, too. She even got off her wooferbug and shot off Cooper's pink heart-shaped firework behind everyone. (What else was she going to do with it? It wasn't like there were trolls here.) It lit up the sky behind her as she returned to her position, enhancing her light show, as she'd thought it would. This dance party was out of this world!
Meanwhile, their sea-based guests grew overly excited at hearing what sounded so much like their own music on the beach. The boy even started singing along, "Let go, oh ay oh, let the music take control!"
"EEEEK!" the girl shrieked, her hands to her cheeks again. "THIS SONG'S, LIKE, TOTALLY CHOICE!" She did a backflip out of the water, swimming and apparently dancing to the beat. Not only did she love the music, but she thought the special effects were pretty rad, too. She squealed in excitement when the firework went off. "Oh, that is, like, so choice!" She stared in awe, eyes sparkling with wonder, then did another excited backflip.
This, at last, gained the attention of DJ and CJ, both of whom stopped dancing and looked toward the water with wide eyes. They had thought they were the only ones here, so who was screaming and splashing, and when had they gotten there? DJ wondered if she and CJ had been so into the party that they'd missed someone walking by. She got her answer when she looked into the ocean, but she couldn't believe her eyes.
What they saw was like something out of a fantasy film—glowing troll-like creatures leaping out of the water from time to time, swimming around in the ocean like they were dancing to the music.
CJ gasped. "Aunt DJ! Look! All our singing must have attracted some mermaids!" she said as she pointed out at them, excited.
DJ stared uncertainly. "Uh, I don't know, CJ. They don't really look like mertrolls to me."
Wouldn't mertrolls just look like trolls with tail fins? That certainly didn't look like a pair of mertrolls to DJ, especially after reading The Little Mertroll to CJ. Besides, those only existed in trolly tales. Not that she had any idea what they were. She didn't even know if they were friendly. Suddenly she wished Branch was here. He might have recognized those critters in the water.
While DJ debated whether she and CJ should skedaddle, CJ's eyes widened with shock as she whirled toward her aunt to see the concern on the older troll's face. "Huh!? What do you mean?"
DJ thought about it a bit more, putting a finger to her chin uncertainly. "Uh... I don't know." They didn't look unfriendly, and their heads, hands, and arms did look kind of trolly. Did mertrolls actually exist? "Better check it out, though, just in case."
Couldn't hurt to ask, she figured.
She headed over to the water's edge, cupped her hands around her mouth, and called out, "YO!"
The two in the ocean stopped partying, turning their attention toward the beach.
"...Uh-oh," the boy said as he cringed, staring at them with wide eyes.
The girl shrieked in fear as she cringed as well, covering her face with both hands.
DJ held her hands up placatingly. "Whoa, whoa! Chill out, y'all! We're not gonna hurt ya!"
Neither of them said anything, but the boy looked at them cautiously, waiting.
"Relax," DJ said with a reassuring smile. Now she was feeling nervous herself. Books said mertrolls were shy and easily scared off. "We were just wonderin' if ya guys were mertrolls or somethin'. See, we saw ya dancing and enjoyin' our little beach party, so..."
"Wow!" CJ said with excitement, running up to the ocean herself. "You guys are, like, so pretty. The way you glow like that? It totally lights up the night sky!"
The sun hadn't quite set yet, but CJ was sure they would light up the night sky if they stayed here long enough.
The girl smiled and blushed a bit, taking a liking to this Pop child. "Aw... She's, like, so cute! Like, what's her name?" she asked DJ.
Giving a proud smile, DJ hitched a thumb at the little girl and said, "That's CJ. She's my niece." She put a hand to her chest and continued, "And I'm DJ Suki. We were on our way to deliver some party relief supplies to some Techno Trolls somewhere, but..." DJ looked down as she trailed off. She let her arms hang down in front of her as she slumped over slightly. Her disappointment couldn't be plainer.
"We didn't find any," CJ finished, looking disappointed as she mimicked her aunt's posture perfectly. "Just one, big, empty beach."
The orange and purple creatures looked at each other curiously before turning their attention back to DJ and CJ.
"Did you say party relief supplies? What for?" the boy asked, his unibrow raising slightly over his left eye.
"Well, there's these guys callin' themselves the Party Crashers goin' around messing everybody's lives up right now."
Her voice angry, CJ continued, "Yeah. They attacked our home town and tried to use up all our party supplies! They even kidnapped a friend of ours and locked up our queen. So not cool." She crossed her little arms.
"So, once we managed to get rid of them, our queen, Poppy, told us all to head out and help out everyone that got hit."
"Yeah. But the map we used was totally bogus. It didn't help us out any at all..."
"...Seriously?" the girl asked, stunned. "Someone was running around doing that?" Her hands flew to her face as she cried, "Oh, my gills!" Silently, she added, And everyone, like, thought Pop Trolls were totally gnarly. Like, these Party Crashers sound so much worse! Glad they're up here and we're so not. They, like, can't harsh our vibes if they, like, can't find us, after all.
"So, you're here to help the Techno Trolls?" the boy asked, tilting his head slightly.
DJ said, "Well, that was the plan, but..."
He smiled and held his arms out as he said, "Well, then, you're in the right place!" He lowered them, looking a little awkward, and shrugged as he amended, "Er...sort of."
The girl giggled, a hand to her mouth. Pop Trolls helping was better than Pop Trolls causing trouble, after all.
DJ and CJ looked at the two, their eyes wide in amazement. "We are!?"
"That's right! We're Techno Trolls!" the boy said, and then he did a flip out of the water.
He figured there was no reason to hide it if these two said they came to help, after all.
"WHAT!?"
"Surprise!" the girl Techno Troll said, raising her arms with a smile on her face.
DJ and CJ just stared, awestruck. They hadn't expected the Techno Trolls to be aquatic.
"We live in the ocean!" said the boy. "That's why you haven't been able to find us!"
"Like, totally! But it's all good! Trolls can totally breathe easy once you reach the reef! Like, come on!" With that, the female Techno Troll dove excitedly, and her friend followed suit.
DJ looked at CJ, still recovering from the shock. "...Dang..."
Apparently, mertrolls were real...and they called themselves Techno Trolls.
In Symphonyville, the twins were taken to the concert hall for rehearsals. The concert hall was a large building with a wide door. Inside, red velvet curtains hung on the walls, and classical instruments were all over. Music stands sat at every instrument, ready for the trolls who would be using them.
Harmony flew over to the twins, smiling happily. "Hello again, ladies!" she said, hands cupped in front of her chest. "How has your stay suited you so far?"
Not wanting to be rude, Satin hesitated. "Oh, well..."
"Not bad, considering we're prisoners," Chenille said, examining her nails with apparent irritation.
Satin thought about pointing out that they had chosen to stay, but she didn't have the chance.
Harmony frowned and flitted toward Chenille so she could look her in the eyes. She said, "Aw, now don't look at it that way, Chenille! Just..." she smiled, thinking up an encouraging alternative view, and continued, "think of it as a sort of temporary recruitment into a fabulous orchestra!" She tossed them a couple of violins that seemed to come out of nowhere, looking slightly serious now, as she moved back to where she'd started and added, "Now remember. This concert is to celebrate 1,000 years of pop-free classical harmony, so it must be perfect!" She threw her arms out to the sides to emphasize her point, then jabbed a finger into the air in that manner parents have when lecturing children, continuing, "So try not to hit any notes that are higher than they should be or—"
"Hold on, what do you mean 'pop-free classical harmony?" Chenille asked as Harmony just kept on talking, seemingly ignoring her.
Satin looked baffled, partly because she wanted the same answer and partly because Harmony was acting like she couldn't tell someone had tried to interrupt.
Cheery, Harmony just kept talking. In her defense, she was so wrapped up in trying to make sure this went off without a hitch that she hadn't noticed Chenille had spoken. Classical Trolls took their music very seriously and gave it their undivided attention, even if she was just giving instructions. Harmony finished her monologue with, "So just follow the director's instructions, and you should be good to go! Well? Any questions?" She cupped her hands together again as she gave them an eager smile. She hoped they understood. Pop wasn't exactly known for rehearsing their songs, after all. They just kind of spontaneously broke into song and dance at random, sometimes inopportune moments, if the rumors were to be believed.
"Uh, yes, I have a question," Satin said, raising a hand. "'Pop-free'?"
"Is that always something you have to clear up? Do you do that with every genre?" Chenille asked, raising an eyebrow.
If so, it seemed like overkill. Why would pop music be mixed into classical music in the first place, let alone any of the other genres?
Harmony cringed, looking uncomfortable. She fiddled with her hands. "Ooh...uh...well..." She tossed them two sets of sheet music to set on the white music stands, her expression suddenly overly cheery and anxious. "Time for rehearsals! Try to do the best you can, and I'll see you after practice!" She flew off, apparently unwilling to answer that question.
Harmony didn't want to tell her guests they were untrustworthy and dangerous. It wasn't a polite thing to say, and she could scarcely think of a way that was polite.
"Wait!" Chenille called, reaching a hand out after her.
Satin stared after Harmony for a moment before asking her sister, "What was that for?"
"I don't think they like Pop Trolls."
"Maybe Branch was right. We shouldn't have visited the other tribes!"
Just then, Conductor Trollzart flew up to the pulpit and tapped his baton to quiet everyone down. His expression was serious, professional. Satin and Chenille both looked, slightly startled, then followed another troll's direction to get to their positions quickly. The twins placed their music on the stands and raised the violins, preparing to play.
Chenille took a look at the title on the music, curious, and glared slightly. What is this? "Freedom from Pop Music!?" Why would they name a song that!?
Satin looked at the music, saw the title, blinked, then took another look. She had thought she'd misread it, yet the words were still there. That's not... Why would they write a song like that? You don't need to be freed from Pop Music! They've probably never listened to anything pop if they think it's something you need to be freed from.
The music began, with Trollzart directing each section through the melody. The song was joyous yet sad. It was also nothing but music—no lyrics.
What is this? Satin wondered as she followed along with the music.
What are they making us play!? Chenille thought, rather offended that this song was meant to celebrate "freedom" from her genre. And where are the words!?
The Classical Trolls seemed to be very into the song as they left their areas and started flying around in a series of complex patterns that seemed equally as planned as the music itself. Joy, anger, and sadness appeared on their faces as this rehearsal continued, and their movements matched whatever mood the song set. The conductor never stopped them, apparently satisfied with how they were doing, yet the rehearsal went on for a full hour. During this time, the tempo changed repeatedly. The song was cheerful and upbeat at times, dramatic at others, sorrowful, and angry. The sheer intensity of the music was evident, and Satin couldn't help but think she might actually like it if she could just listen to it instead of having to play it. Chenille, on the other hand, didn't know why they were still playing new sounds or changing the beat so often. It seemed like this should be an entire show, yet everyone had only mentioned one musical number.
Chenille leaned over and quietly asked Satin, "Is this all one song?"
"I don't know, but my arms are tired!" Satin answered in a whisper.
Just then Trollzart's direction took a turn for the dramatic. The song increased in intensity for a couple of minutes before he finally directed a stop. All of the Classical Trolls cheered. Satin and Chenille, meanwhile, weren't sure what to make of what had just happened. Satin was pretty sure one of those guys had been glaring at her while playing his flute during one of the more angry-sounding parts. Chenille was absolutely certain that she should be offended and was busy coming up with her own name for this song.
"Splendid work, my friends!" Trollzart said happily, cupping his hands in front of him with a sparkle in his eyes. "Keep up that level of enthusiasm, and this year's concert will be the best one ever!" He raised his arms in celebration.
"Can they really call it 'pop-free' if we're playing in it?" Satin turned to her sister and asked, genuinely curious. It seemed to her like adding Pop Trolls to the orchestra kind of countered the idea.
Frustrated, Chenille answered, "How should I know what they're thinking? Nobody wants to tell us anything!"
Trollzart cleared his throat, looking at the two of them firmly. Both blinked, looking at him, then straightened up with awkward smiles.
"Not bad, ladies, but might I say, you were a little flat there towards the end," Trollzart told them. "The song's called 'Freedom from Pop Music.' It must display the level of pure passion required to demonstrate how that feels." He pointed his baton at them swiftly and firmly as he went on, "Now I suggest we do it again, from the top." He tapped his baton on his stand to settle everyone down.
Leaning toward Satin, Chenille muttered, "I don't like Symphonyville much."
Satin nodded in agreement, and the two prepared to play that song for another hour.
A/N: If anyone is familiar with Valspeak (I guess that's what it's called?), I could use some advice. The Techno Troll girl is a valley girl, but I'm not very good with those. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! Hopefully we'll get this revised soon so we can actually move forward.