Shadgirl2: Well, this has been a long time coming.
Midna: No kidding.
Shadgirl2: I just want to take a second to explain the whole "random Legsly appearance" thing. See, we were calling this a comedy when we first wrote it, so she's thrown in for comedy a lot.
Midna: And whines about everyone not knowing who she is.
Shadgirl2: Yeah, but she does serve a purpose, so she's not just randomly tossed in for nothing.
Midna: She did give Biggie and Cooper some ideas to get out of that mess, so she's earning her keep here.
Shadgirl2: I do call myself the Trolls Corrector, so I have a habit of fixing what I see as mistakes. DJ should have been in TWT because she would want to help her friends.
Midna: Unless she just wasn't in town.
Shadgirl2: And Legsly just came out of the blue with no explanation as to how or even when she became friends with everyone. That, honestly, is what inspired her appearances in this story.
Midna: Anyway, just enjoy the insanity of this whole mess. You'll figure out where Legsly even came from eventually, but, for now, she's gonna help everyone as best she can.
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. Happy Fun Town and the characters there belong to Shadgirl2, along with Harmony. Marvin belongs to Midna Azusa.
As the sun rose in Vibe City, Marvin came to fetch Guy Diamond for his first day of community service. The guard opened the door with a smile and said, "Rise and shine. It's time to get to work."
Guy yawned as he sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he sat on the edge of the bed and asked, "Oh...really? So what will I be doing today?"
"There was a wild party last night," Marvin answered. "You'll be cleaning up the party site."
Guy got up and headed over, looking unsure. "Am I expected to clean it all by myself?" Guy asked. He hoped the answer was no. Cleaning up after a party in Troll Village was a huge job, and he doubted it was any less so here in Vibe City.
"No, there are several others joining in. Our prince may even be there. You'll just be joining the team."
Guy sighed, relieved. "Oh. Alright." He wiped some sweat from his brow, giving a smile. "That's a relief. And here I was worried there for a second that I was the only one todaaaay!" He headed out of his cell and followed Marvin as the guard headed for the site in question.
"Not at all. It's too big of a job for one troll." Marvin laughed, "You'd be there all day and night."
Guy laughed a bit at that comment as the two kept walking. "Yeah, no kidding! I saw that place yesterday! It's huuuuge!"
Marvin chuckled a bit and said, "You're right there, my man."
For a criminally-minded Pop Troll, Guy wasn't half bad. Admittedly, his crime had been mostly a concern for his friend and ignorance of the history between the tribes.
As they walked along, Guy debated asking Marvin about the mysterious Pop Troll he'd seen last night. Should I? I mean, with all the other futuristic technology these guys have, surely they could be able to build a teleporter. But wait a sec! Didn't the king imply that I'm the first Pop Troll they've seen in a while? The six tribes have been separated entirely since our ancestors tried to steal the strings...
Guy frowned slightly as he and Marvin were picked up in one of the bubbles the Funk Trolls used for travel. A metal door slid open and let them into one of the tunnels as Guy sighed. Oh, I can't believe it. How could our ancestors have messed up so badly? I'm ashamed to call myself a Pop Troll! That's just— Catching himself, he stopped that train of thought and focused back on his original question. Okay. So, if that isn't it, then what was Legsly, anyway? A ghost? No, Vibe City looks like it was built after the great divide. There's nothing here that's meant to accommodate trolls like me. My cot was even a couple feet too long. So then what was she? This makes no sense at all!
The bubble landed on a balcony outside of the apparent jailhouse, a metal door sliding shut behind them as well. From there, Marvin led Guy to an elevator (in the shape of a record, no less), and the two hopped aboard.
Meanwhile, Guy didn't care where he was going—he still had a mystery on his mind, and it was disturbing. Alright. So she wasn't a visitor. Not a ghost. But she was in my cell when I went to sleep and— His eyes widened as realization hit. He pounded a fist into his palm, smiling excitedly. Of course! I fell asleep, and, when I woke up, she was gone! I must have just jumped out of bed so fast I hadn't even noticed I'd been lying down! It was a dream! And in dreams, everyone knows who you are! That explains everything! He put a hand to his chin, now slightly concerned, as he thought about the implications there. "Hmm..." Something wasn't right. But if I had a dream where some random troll took DJ's place, what does that say about my feelings for her? I thought I got along well with her, so why would I want to replace her? Hmm... I may need to rethink my life a bit to determine what DJ did that upset me so much. She's not a bad troll, so there's no reason for me to hate her so much.
Marvin raised an eyebrow as he looked at his charge and asked, "Something on your mind?"
Guy blinked, looking at him. "Huh?" He closed his eyes and shook his head a bit, answering, "Oh, no, it's nothing. Forget about it." He waved an arm through the air dismissively.
Marvin looked at him for a moment longer before he shrugged. "If you say so, man."
They rode the rest of the way in silence.
When they made it to the party site that D had shown Guy the day before, Guy could already tell just from the look of the place what he'd probably be doing. Junk food wrappers littered the floor on all levels of the pyramid, along with paper plates and cups, napkins, and even some food that had been dropped. As if that wasn't enough, some sections of the floor had graffiti on them—things like "It's all love" and "Peace and love" and "Prince D Rocks!" Guy wondered about the graffiti and if the culprits were currently here cleaning up as well. He knew that graffiti wasn't allowed in Troll Village and anyone who made a mess was expected to clean it up, but he wasn't sure about Vibe City. To further complicate matters, this graffiti was very beautiful and artistic, like something Harper would create. Guy didn't really want to clean up such a masterpiece, although other trolls were already happily at work doing just that.
Marvin saved Guy the trouble of wondering what his exact task would be when he said, "Alright, start by getting all the garbage off the floor." He indicated the lowest level of the pyramid, apparently saying Guy should start down there.
"Got it!" Guy answered with a smile as he stepped off the elevator, and he grabbed a trash bag from a nearby supply pile and got to work.
As he made his way around the location, picking up a wide assortment of debris, he saw a familiar face doing the same.
"Morning, Guy," Prince D greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Good morning, Prince D. Sleep well?" Guy asked conversationally as he picked up a couple of paper plates and stuffed them in his trash bag.
"Oh, yeah, I slept alright. You?" D asked as he bounced a paper cup into his bag using one of his back feet. (He wanted to help out, but he had no issue with making the work more fun by taking shots at the bag.)
"I had an odd dream, actually," Guy confessed, once again thinking of his encounter with Legsly. "I dreamt a random Pop Troll with extra short legs was in the cell with me! She claimed to know me, but I sure as gliiiitter didn't know her!" He tossed some more rubbish into the bag, wondering briefly if the glimmer he saw was just glitter or someone's earring. Oh, well, too late for that now.
D raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. "...Huh," he said after a moment. "Sounds weird." Brushing that aside, he bounced a wrapper off the leg of another troll, into the air, off one of the pipes hanging from the ceiling (quite an accomplishment, given how high up they were), and into his bag.
Guy kept working, feeling more and more guilty the longer he did. Dream or not, he couldn't keep Legsly's words out of his head: "Trespassing's not a good idea at all... Look. The point is crime don't pay, and the sooner you learn that, the better."
She was right—Crime didn't pay. Branch was downright terrifying when he'd been gunning for them after they'd borrowed Gary without permission, and now Guy found himself facing criminal charges for similarly questionable actions. And, to make matters worse, the Funk Trolls had been nothing but nice to him...
Even if Legsly was just a dream, she brought a lesson Guy was long overdue to learn. His behavior yesterday had been out of line, even if he was concerned about Cooper. Snooping around in someone's home was uncalled for—well, unless it was for their own good or for a surprise for your friend, like when they'd stolen Branch's fluffleberry cake so they could figure out the recipe. But that was an exception, not the rule.
Finally, with guilt in his voice, Guy turned to the Funk prince and said, "Ugh." He cringed, feeling uncomfortable, before he turned to Prince D. Knowing what he had to do didn't make actually doing it any easier. "Listen, Prince D. About what happened yesterday, I—"
"Hey, we're cool, man," D cut him off, giving a sincere smile. "You were just worried about your friend, that's all. I feel you."
Guy looked down in shame. That didn't exactly justify it. "Yeah..." He stuffed more trash in his bag.
"No harm done, Guy," D assured him as he picked up trash and tossed it over his back into the trash bag he had. "Just learn from this mistake and don't do anything like that again."
D had this nasty feeling Guy had a habit of sneaking around where he didn't belong. Not that it was any of his business, but that wasn't a good thing. It was a wonder the Pop Troll hadn't gotten into trouble earlier if that were true, and D hoped it wasn't.
Guy sighed again, grabbing a wad of napkins off the floor. "Yeah..." He tossed the napkins in his bag. Feeling the need to change the subject (and curious what he'd missed while being in jail), Guy looked up at the prince curiously. "...So. Have you guys met Cooper yet? Was he the troll you've been looking for?" he asked as he continued his work.
"Nah, haven't met him yet," D answered, bouncing a paper cup back and forth between his front legs for a second before tossing it in the trash. "Doesn't look like he's back from the village he was visiting."
Guy's eyes widened in shock. That didn't make sense. Cooper and Biggie should have been home by now. "WHAAAAT!? B-but that's—" As worry for his friends overwhelmed him, Guy dropped his bag and clapped his hands to his face. "He was closer to home than most of us were! What could've haaaaaappened to him!? He should've been back by now!"
What could have happened? Did they get in trouble in the village? Did they get lost? Were they hurt? Normally Branch was the one worrying about everyone's well-being, but Guy couldn't stop himself from thinking of all these worst-case scenarios. It wasn't every day one—or, in this case, two—of his friends went missing.
Several Funk Trolls, Marvin included, glanced that way in concern. Why was the Pop Troll wigging out? Marvin was about to head over and address the situation when his prince beat him to the punch.
"Whoa, bro, chill!" D said, reaching toward Guy with one foot in a calming gesture. "He probably just got caught up in whatever was going down out there and ended up staying the night. He'll be back soon, I'm sure."
Guy sighed, dropping his hands. "Yeah. You're right. He did visit other Pop Trolls, after all."
Seeing that D seemed to have everything under control, the other Funk Trolls went back to work. Marvin watched, ready to intervene if things didn't settle down.
Feeling a bit better (and slightly embarrassed for the freak-out), Guy reached for his dropped bag but stopped. He put a hand to his chin instead as he thought of something else. "Hmm..."
Cooper and Biggie were probably fine—they'd gone to see other Pop Trolls. The same went for Harper, Karma, Maddy, Bella, and Smidge. But not everyone had been so lucky. Now Guy was concerned again.
D looked at him curiously and asked, "Something wrong?"
"I was just thinking. Cooper's probably fine, but what about the rest of them? Some of us got sent out to the other four troll tribes. And, if that history can be believed, then..."
Who knew what the other tribes were like?
D looked at him with concern now. If the other Pop Trolls that were out there were anything like Guy himself, they'd probably find themselves in a bit of a pickle—and that was putting it lightly, in at least two cases. What had those guys been thinking, visiting strange lands when they knew nothing about them? "The Techno and Classical Trolls are alright, they'll treat your friends fine. But the Rock and Country Trolls are...interesting," he said, for want of a better word. "Country Trolls hate other genres with a passion, and pop most of all. Your friends might be okay if they don't sing. As for Rock..."
He stared off into space for a second, thinking of the first time he'd visited Volcano Rock City—he'd done a whole lot of sneaking out and visiting other tribes when he was a teenager experimenting with his musical taste, and the welcome he'd received there had been...intense. Sure, they were friendly, but they were also more violent and short-tempered than your average troll. D couldn't see them going easy on a Pop Troll they thought was going to cause trouble.
D looked at Guy and said, "Please tell me the guy who went there can handle himself?" His tone made it a question.
"Uh... What do you mean by that...?" Guy asked as he cast a nervous look at the Funk Prince. Maybe Branch should have gone there...
"Rock Trolls have a fairly mellow attitude most of the time, but they can get wild. And by wild, I mean trashing things and hitting each other. Their leader, King Thrash, is pretty tame, compared to his daughter, Princess Barb. We're all worried about what she'll do when she takes the throne, and she's on the verge of it. She hates Pop even more than the Country Trolls."
Guy gasped, his eyes widening—yes, Branch definitely should have been the one to go there. "That's a proooooblem, then! The only troll we have that can handle a mess like that went off to visit the Country Trolls with our Queen Poppy! And he's likely gotten into trouble himself 'cause Poppy loves to sing pop songs! What's going to happen to theeeeeeem!?" He put his hands on his head in a panic, drawing everyone's concerned attention again.
The crowd started murmuring, wondering what was the matter. Marvin raised an eyebrow and approached.
"Calm down!" D said firmly. "Tell me more about the trolls who went to see the Rock Trolls."
"Their names are Fuzzbert and Aspen. Aspen's a bit of a cool-cat who loves to skateboard and surf! He's not much of a fighter but can stay cool under pressure." Guy seemed mostly calm, if only in voice, as he spoke. The anxiety was still clear in his eyes. "Fuzzbert's cool and calm, too, but, again, can't really do much as a means of deeeefeeeense!" He threw his arms out to the sides as he went on, "He's pretty good at adapting to all sorts of musical styles, but I'm not sure how well either would do in such a harsh environment like that!" Once again in a complete freak-out, Guy put his hands on his head, looking panic-struck. "Oh, where's Branch when you neeeeeeeeed him?" He tossed his head back in agony, eyes slammed shut, as he autotuned. Then he snapped his head forward, dramatically leaning forward as his eyes snapped wide open. (If D didn't know any better, he'd say Guy just wanted the attention.) "This is—"
Guy was freaking out pretty bad by this point, so D walked over and nudged him. "Whoa, whoa, breathe!" the prince said.
Guy stopped and tried to take some deep breaths, though his hands were still on his wide-eyed head.
That was enough for Marvin to decide it was time to intervene. "Yo, everything cool here? Need any help, Prince D?" he asked.
Several other trolls headed their way as well, wondering the same thing.
"Nah, man, I got this," D answered easily, offering a smile to assure them all that was true. "It's cool."
Marvin looked at Guy for confirmation. The others involved in this clean-up gathered to watch as well.
Ignoring his new audience, D turned back to Guy and said, "Sounds like those guys will be okay. Princess Barb's not going to hurt them unless she thinks they're trying to get rid of rock. She'll probably try getting them to appreciate her genre." Like she'd done to him, he remembered, thinking of that 48-hour stint as a "guest" in Volcano Rock he'd endured the first time he met her. "If they can keep cool, like you said they can, then they'll be alright." In fact, if those were the kinds of trolls visiting the hard rockers, D was suddenly more worried about the pop queen than anyone else.
Guy took one final deep breath then as he finally removed his hands from his head and looked at the prince with relief. Apparently, D had his attention, which the Funk prince considered a win. Now, if he could just avoid worrying him again...
The observers looked at each other in concern and started murmuring. Fortunately, Guy wasn't paying them any mind, but D heard the concerns about Pop Trolls in Rock turf.
Once again ignoring the crowd, D asked, "Now, what about these guys who went to the Country Trolls in Lonesome Flats?"
"Yes. That's where Poppy and Branch are," Guy answered, somewhat reassured by Prince D's assurances that Fuzzbert and Aspen were safe. "Branch can handle himself okay. But Poppy has a tendency to butt into things that are none of her business!" He leaned forward, a hand to the side of his mouth as if sharing a deep secret, and lowered his voice slightly as he continued, "Don't tell her I said this, but it gets a little tiring sometimes." He pinched his fingers together, leaving a slight gap, to indicate his point. "The way she feels the need to fix everyone's problems? Why, she almost got us all eaten by wanting to save a friend of ours who weeeeee thought had been eaten by a bergen! We all told her he was gone, but she wouldn't listen to us." He closed his eyes then, shaking his head and shrugging.
The Funk Trolls gathered around all gasped quietly, finally drawing Guy's attention as they started murmuring about how bad that was. Guy raised an eyebrow, now wondering how much danger Poppy and Branch were in.
"Oh, now, that's just perfect," Marvin muttered.
Guy turned to him, eyes wide in worry. "I-it is?"
Not wanting the Pop Troll to panic again, Marvin held his hands out in a calming gesture. "Calm down, Guy. It ain't that kind of problem. Just...complicated, I guess you could say." He rolled his eyes as he added, "Mayor Delta can make anything complicated."
Guy just blinked at him, wondering what that even meant.
Okay, yeah, there was good reason to be worried about this one. D looked at Guy with concern. Who in their right mind would send someone like that to meet Delta Dawn? "And she's in Lonesome Flats? That's..." He trailed off, looked up, and asked, "Would she count, say..." he looked back at Guy, "singing sad songs or working a lot as 'problems'?"
Guy stared for a moment. Surely that was a rhetorical question, right? Right? "...Oh, no." His eyes were wide. He wasn't sure he wanted an answer to this question, but he asked, "Why'd you ask?"
D answered, "Country Trolls work a lot, and a lot of their songs are about that or how tough their lives are."
Guy blinked, stunned and concerned, as he let that sink in. Then he slapped his hands to the sides of his head in panic as his eyes bugged out of his head completely. "...Gliiiiitter! She's done for! What were we thinking, sending her theeeeeeere? Of all places!"
Admittedly, D was wondering the same thing. Seemed like a stupid move, in his opinion.
"We should've—" Guy started, annoyed with himself for letting Poppy take the most depressing place in all of troll society. Sure, he didn't want to go there, but he was less likely to offend the locals than Poppy was, and Branch going would just automatically mean Poppy would be, too! Why didn't he suck it up and go himself?
"Okay, okay." D made a soothing gesture. "You said this Branch could handle himself?"
"Yeah? Why?" Guy asked as he slowly lowered his hands, trying to get control of himself.
"Tell me more about him," D prodded. "How's he likely to react to the kinds of things I mentioned?"
"Heh. He wouldn't mind. He's not your average Pop Troll, so..." Guy shrugged and grabbed his bag, getting back to cleaning.
D nodded, satisfied. "Then he might be able to salvage the situation. Hmm..." He put a foot to his chin, thinking about the whole situation, then said, "I think that's a more pressing issue than the two visiting the Rock Trolls..."
"Really?" Guy asked. How could violent trolls be less dangerous than offended trolls?
"Hang tight," D said, making his way toward the keyboard on the floor that would call for a bubble ride. "I'm going to go find my folks." He stopped, realizing something, and looked back at Marvin as he asked, "Think you can handle this?"
"No worries, Prince D. I got this," Marvin answered.
Prince D nodded and headed off.
"Uh—y-yeah! You do that..." Guy went back to his task, now very fretful. This was, quite possibly, a disaster. "...I hope those guys are alright, all things considered."
A few trolls approached Marvin then.
"Need a hand there, Marvin?" one asked.
"Should we get him some hot tea?" a woman asked.
"Or a doctor?" another troll suggested.
"Nah, nah, I think he'll be okay," Marvin assured them. "We'll keep an eye on him, though."
Another troll ran after the prince as he headed off and asked, "You need any assistance, my prince? Like a lift or...something? I mean..." He looked back at the mess as Guy and the others went back to tidying up. Then he turned back to his prince and said, "That sounds real gnarly..."
"Nothing to worry about," D promised with a smile. "I got this, but thanks." He called for a bubble to take him home to deal with this situation.
"Well, if ya say so, dude, good luck!"
Guy looked up, watching the prince leave. Then, since there wasn't anything else he could do about the situation, he just tried to focus on his work. Like it or not, he owed a debt to Funk Troll society, and he had Marvin there to make sure he repaid it. Sneaking out wouldn't be happening, especially since he didn't even know how to leave Vibe City.
The trolls of Symphonyville were generally hospitable and agreeable—as long as you weren't trying to stir up trouble. That's why, guarded or not, the twins were given a chance to explore Symphonyville with an escort (or guard, as Chenille privately said). Today, Harmony was giving them a tour, which made the escort/guard situation feel less like a prison sentence.
"And that over there is the famous Trollelangelo's chapel!" She waved toward it like a cheery tour guide as they approached. "He was a troll who was an expert in fine art. And his chapel's full of it, too!" Harmony said cheerfully, cupping her hands together in front of her as she showed the twins around her town.
The building was unlike any they'd seen. It was two domes sitting side by side, attached at the bottom, and with bell towers on the tops. Each of these towers had 3 bells, hanging in a triangular shape. Golden unicorn heads lined the bell towers, smiling down at visitors. Elaborate stained glass windows provided the only natural light for the building.
The twins oohed in appreciation.
"Come on! It's much prettier inside," Harmony said as she eagerly headed into the chapel, and the twins followed.
Inside, the chapel had golden pews with silver armrests set up in rows. The stained glass windows were elegant and colorful, showing pictures or mandala-style patterns. One showed eighth goats sitting with an angelic-looking Classical Troll with lavender hair under a tree while another had an image of an orchestra performing, with varying instruments. The conductor in that image was prominently shown. The floor was covered in scarlet carpet. Steps led up to an altar, where a large stained glass window that had a white cross in the middle allowed light into the building. Two smaller windows on either side of that one had quaver notes. Some Classical Trolls were there, kneeling at the altar and quietly humming what the twins could only assume was classical music.
But most impressive was the ceiling. The entire thing had been painted with elegant patterns and various scenes. The outer edge of the ceiling was lined with a circle of trolls playing flutes, and eighth goats were leaping all around in the center. Flutes, violins, and pianos were littered across the ceiling, and a couple of dancing Classical Trolls were in the very middle of the ceiling.
"So? What do you think?" Harmony asked, turning to face her guests, as the twins' jaws hung open in awe, their heads craning back as far as they could to see the ceiling.
"It's beautiful!" Satin gushed, looking around. She didn't know you could paint something so elaborate on the ceiling.
"This doesn't happen often, but I agree," Chenille said as she put her hands on her hips, looking at one of the windows.
Harmony giggled, looking flattered as she cupped her hands in that manner she had. "Why, thank you. We appreciate the compliment. See? It's not so bad being a little classical sometimes, is it?" She smiled at them gently, trying to be reassuring. She'd noticed how much they seemed to hate rehearsal. They didn't seem to have any passion for it. Besides that, she'd noticed Chenille's apparent dislike of Classical Trolls. She hoped this tour could change their minds.
"We never said it was," Chenille answered, raising an eyebrow at the Classical Troll. Where did they get that impression? Was it just the sheer amount of complaining she was doing?
"Is—that why you made us stay?" Satin asked, troubled. She threw her arms out to the sides and exclaimed, "But we only came to offer some party supplies!"
"Really?" Harmony asked, looking curious. That was the second time they'd made that claim. Apparently, they were sticking to it.
Chenille rolled her eyes, thinking these trolls should start listening instead of jumping the gun. "Uh, yes. We tried to say that yesterday. Queen Poppy sent us with Party Crasher relief supplies because a group of thugs has been going around using up everyone's resources."
She and Satin had said this already, and she knew Harmony had been there at the time. What, did she think they'd change their story and "confess" to their devious, "true" motives?
Harmony gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh, my! So it's that serious!?" she said, as if this were the first time she'd heard it. (Apparently, it was the first time she'd listened to it.) "But...is that really true?" she asked, giving the twins a more suspicious look now. "I've never heard of Pop Trolls sending out assistance to anyone. They've always kept to themselves, just like most of the rest of us have. Are you sure you're not making stuff up just to convert us?"
"No! It's true!" Satin protested, desperately trying to convince Harmony that they weren't a pair of lying, conniving hazards. "We didn't know there were other trolls out there! That's why we've been keeping to ourselves! It's not because we don't care!"
"One of our friends has a map showing the other trolls' locations! That's how we were able to find Symphonyville in the first place!" Chenille added. Then she thought about that for a moment. She turned to her sister curiously and asked, "How did our tribe forget there were other tribes out there?"
Satin shrugged and said, "Don't ask me! But I'm starting to think Branch was right. We didn't need to visit the other tribes, just check on the other Pop Trolls." After all, the other tribes seemed more than capable of taking care of themselves if they could get rid of the Party Crashers themselves.
"I'm sorry. Did you say one of you Pop Trolls didn't want to visit other tribes?" Harmony asked, looking curious. "Why? What did he want to do?"
"He's...not your average Pop Troll," Chenille began haltingly. "He's—How do I put this nicely?" She put a finger to her chin as she thought of how best to describe Branch without being unnecessarily rude.
"Branch is always on the look-out for danger," Satin supplied. "He was worried that we might get in trouble if we visited the other troll tribes."
"He also said we didn't know for sure that any of you would want our help," Chenille added.
"Aw... That's so sweet," Harmony said as she cupped her hands yet again, and the twins were hoping she meant the part about being worried about his friends. She snapped to attention then, brightening up as she moved her cupped hands up to her chest in apparent excitement. "Well, I'm sure the conductor would love your help, really!" She dropped her hands, flew slowly around them toward the entrance. Trying to be diplomatic, she added, "But first, you'll need to prove to him that your story's really true." She stopped and turned back to face her guests. "So why don't we get back to our tour now so you can show him you mean us no harm?" She flew out of the building with a cheerful smile on her face then.
The twins looked at each other, annoyed at this continuing problem. Couldn't these guys just believe them already? Did the two of them look like they posed a threat to a whole town on their own?
Deciding there was nothing else they could do, the twins were about to follow Harmony when someone sighed behind them. "It's no good, girls," said a female voice, sounding less than happy. "Guess we'll have to try learning to appreciate classical music if we ever want them to understand us better, huh?"
Both Satin and Chenille gave a start before turning slightly to look at the speaker. A chubby purple troll with orange pigtails stood there, her head down and a glum expression on her face.
"Who are you?" Chenille asked, curious. This troll didn't look like a Classical Troll. She looked more like a Pop Troll, really, but that didn't make any sense. They hadn't brought anyone else with them!
The troll looked at them for a moment, disbelief and hurt in her eyes. "Really? Are you all going to do that?" she asked, sounding pained. She threw her arms out to the sides, a look of desperation in her eyes, as if she couldn't take much more of...whatever was going on. "Come on, you guys! You know me! It's me!" She placed a hand over her chest, now giving a pleading look. "Legsly! Don't you remember? I made that nature mix that helped save us from the grossums! You know. When Poppy thought it was a good idea to take those swampkins home as pets, and we all agreed to take some?" She slammed her eyes shut, wrapped her arms around herself protectively, and shuddered slightly, apparently recalling that time. "That wasn't a fun day at all."
Chenille thought it was weird that this Legsly troll was shuddering at the memory of something she didn't experience, but she agreed with the sentiment. "No, I believe DJ Suki did that."
"Where did you even come from?" Satin asked, incredulous, as she looked around for the source of this new arrival. She definitely hadn't been there a minute ago.
Legsly jumped in the air, kicking around a bit. To the twins' surprise, her legs seemed to stretch and shrink with each motion. She looked horrified and slightly frustrated. How could her friends not know her after everything they'd been through? "Aw, man! Doesn't anyone know who I am?" Legsly asked, exasperated. "I've been friends with you girls for years!" She threw her arms out again for emphasis.
The twins both blinked at her, completely bewildered. When in their lives had they ever met this troll?
"You have?" Satin asked.
"Anyway, the Classical Trolls think you want to steal their music, right?" Legsly asked, ignoring the question as she calmed down. (She'd worry about why nobody recognized her later. Right now, they needed help.) "Then what happens if you show them you like or appreciate it? Maybe, if you show some love to that song about hating pop, they'll see you in a new light and believe your story! Couldn't hurt to try, right?" She smiled brightly, eyes filled with confidence.
The twins looked at each other as they thought that over, then nodded. It made sense, even if they didn't like that song much. They turned back to Legsly, and Satin said, "Thank you—" She blinked and cut herself off.
Legsly had vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.
Chenille looked around, growing uneasy. Trolls didn't just disappear into thin air, let alone appear and disappear that way. "...Who was that? And where did she go?" she asked a bit anxiously.
This building was old, the thought suddenly hit them. The twins looked around a bit more, growing more unnerved as they did, then, thoroughly spooked, hurriedly made their way out of the chapel.
Harmony was waiting for them outside. She looked concerned when she saw the looks on their faces. "Something wrong, ladies? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
"Maybe?" Satin said, fidgeting anxiously.
What else could she call Legsly? The troll came out of nowhere, acted like she'd been there the whole time, called herself a long-time friend of theirs, then disappeared without a trace.
Chenille waved a hand in front of her and said, "Never mind that, Harmony!" She smiled, putting that Legsly thing aside until she got home and could ask her parents about the strange troll. "Let's continue the tour. Symphonyville's beautiful, and I want to see all it has to offer!"
Satin smiled in agreement, looking eager.
Harmony's face lit up. "Really!? Well, in that case, come on!" She waved for them to follow, flitting about in excitement. "Our next stop's the Melodious Fountain! Which was built in..."
And Harmony continued her guided tour of Symphonyville, telling the twins all about her town's history and culture. The twins nodded along, showing great interest in this information. From Harmony's reaction, they could tell that showing an appreciation for Classical Troll culture was their best chance of earning any trust here. As far as the twins could tell, that ghost had been right—they needed to earn trust, and the best way did seem to be by showing an appreciation for the Classical Trolls' way of life.
Back in Happy Fun Town, Creek walked into the depressing and miserable village with a look of determination on his face. He knew what he had to do now. It was just a matter of doing it. He ignored the behavior of the villagers—they very much resembled the bergens before Poppy had made friends with them, although they were less rude and violent.
"Alright. A good night's rest, a message from the inner essence of Branch, and a bright, sunny day to work with. Perfect!"
Now he just had to find his target. That wasn't difficult—Funshine was busy planting a vegetable garden in a part of town with no pods nearby when another troll girl (also gray, like the whole village) approached. She wore a jumpsuit, legwarmers, wristbands, and a headband. The whole outfit made her look like she should be at the gym working out, and, like everything else, was nothing but gray and white.
"How's the garden, Funshine?" the girl asked, sounding as glum as anyone else in this town.
Sitting on her knees, Funshine sighed sadly. "Oh. I don't know, Joy. Nothing really seems to grow anymore... Not...ever since...you know...the invasion..." She looked down, closing her eyes.
Joy's shoulder's slumped. "Oh..."
That was about the time Creek came upon the two. He looked as determined as ever as he said to himself, "Alright. Here we go..." He approached the two, smiling happily, and waved at them as he greeted, "Good morning, ladies! Sleep well?"
Funshine glanced his way slowly, as miserable as ever. She wondered why this guy was even here. Who would want to stay in a place like this?
Joy looked at him like she thought he was crazy. "...Did you miss the memo...? Stop smiling. There's nothing to smile about..."
"Aw, now, I wouldn't say that, love," Creek told her with a reassuring smile. He gestured up at the sky and added, "The sun's still shining." He gestured around at the trees, where chirping could be heard. "The birds are still singing." He turned back to the gray trolls. "Yes, it might be dark out there in the world, but that doesn't mean there isn't still some beauty to be had."
"...What are you talking about..." Funshine asked, turning away and closing her eyes again. "Nothing in this world is beautiful... The garden has even stopped growing... It must know that, too..."
Creek slowly moved up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder gently. He gave her a gentle, reassuring smile as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Now, now, love. That isn't true at all. The plants must just be unhappy because you are."
Funshine closed her eyes. She disagreed.
"Why, I bet all they need is a little positivity to get their spirits up." Creek patted her shoulder a bit, then walked past her to the garden, saying, "Here. Watch."
Funshine watched with confusion as this foolish, happy troll approached the lifeless garden with a smile still on his face. There was no way that would work. Joy shook her head, thinking the guy was an idiot.
Creek bent down in the garden, putting his hands on his knees. None of the plants had even sprouted, but he could tell where they'd been planted. He smiled warmly at the dirt where the seeds were and said soothingly, "Hey, there, little friends. How's it going? Listen. I know life hasn't exactly been kind to you, but there's no reason to let that get you down. Why, just look around you at the beautiful sunshine and the lovely green grass." He gestured to the two sights in question as he spoke, then put his hands back on his knees. "Don't you want to come out and see them for yourselves? The sun's rays make it nice and warm out here. Come on out and join us! I promise you, you won't regret it."
"You're talking to plants, you know that, don't you?" Joy asked, crossing her arms.
Funshine blinked, looking a bit surprised. "...I used to do that, too..." She looked down, ears drooping and despondently added, "Until my words started killing them, that is..."
Joy's face fell (an accomplishment, given that she already looked unhappy), and she said, "...We're all gonna die, aren't we..."
Funshine looked at her friend sadly, her look seemingly agreeing. Well, that was just what Joy needed to feel even worse.
Creek glanced their way out of the corner of his eye, concerned. This was worse than he thought. Words like those were certainly no good for the plants, but he knew he could handle it.
Turning his attention back to the garden, he smiled gently and soothed, "Tune out all their negativity, my little friends," Creek continued talking to the plants, still smiling. "They don't understand just how lovely things out here really are. So why don't you come out here and show them?"
Funshine turned her attention back to Creek. "...Yeah. But that's not—"
Suddenly the garden began to sprout, tiny green plants bursting to life everywhere. They looked vibrant and healthy, as if the earlier state of the garden had just been an illusion. Joy's eyes widened, and Funshine stared in amazement.
"...How...?" the queen started.
Creek smiled proudly at the sprouts and said, "There you go. See? It's not so bad out here, after all."
The plants shimmered and swayed in the wind, looking like they were dancing. Funshine, awestruck, stood up. How in the world did he manage that one?
"H-how did..." Joy stammered.
Creek turned his smile on the two girls as he straightened up. "There, you see? A little positivity goes a long way. Doesn't it?"
Funshine stared at him, eyes still wide, as it sank in. "...I..." she looked down slightly, lost in thought, "never thought of it that way before... I just thought plants liked hearing your voice, but..." she trailed off and closed her eyes in shame once again.
Creek walked over to her now and took her chin in his hand, tilting her head up to look at him. She cracked her eyes open slightly to meet his gaze. He gave a very gentle smile and said, "Too much negativity isn't any better for the plants than it is for you, love. So, even if you don't feel like it, it's best to at least try to be positive when speaking to them. Laughter and joy can fix just about anything. Even a broken heart." He gave her a caring look as he soothed her now, the same as he had just done to the plants she'd been killing with her words.
Funshine stared into his eyes, finding sincerity there, and thought about that. "...I...guess..." She tried to look away, but Creek didn't release her chin.
"You guessed right..." he said before reaching up and brushing a stray hair out of her face. He slowly removed his hand from her chin, being gentle with this girl.
Funshine looked at him, slightly stunned.
"Now, then, love. Care to tell me what turned you all gray in the first place?"
Ashamed, Funshine looked away.
Joy answered, "The Party Crashers. They came to our village a few weeks ago. They used all of our resources—We didn't even have a sprinkle left over... Funshine... We all..."
"This place used to be full of laughter and happiness..." Funshine took over, her head bowed and her eyes closed in shame, as her friend faltered. "Happy Fun Town...never had any problems. We never got attacked by anything. The weather was always the best. Nothing bad ever happened here at all..." She cracked her eyes open and looked away slightly, hugging herself.
"Until that day," Joy amended. "We didn't know anything as bad as that was even possible..."
"...Yeah..." Funshine squeezed her arms closer to herself.
Creek took that in for a second before saying, "Ah. I see..." He looked at the two girls sadly. That kind of reminded him of the day Chef had found Troll Village—nobody had ever expected something like that. The difference was Troll Village knew danger had existed. They had only escaped from danger 20 years before that.
"It..." Funshine's arms fell to her sides as she closed her eyes, ears drooping again, "was devastating...to see all my people so miserable and be able to do nothing about it..." She sounded bitter with those last words, and she waved an arm through the air slightly. She turned away, hugging herself again, as she slammed her eyes shut in pain and said, "I...couldn't handle it...s-so I..." She trailed off, apparently on the verge of tears.
"Seeing Funshine like that, we...we couldn't take it..." Joy added.
"So...you all turned gray, too..." Creek realized.
Joy nodded sadly, confirming.
"I messed up big time," Funshine continued as she gained enough control to keep the tears at bay. She slumped forward slightly, hands hanging and teeth clenched. "Thinking everything in life was all fun and games." She teared up again and hugged herself, trying to keep from crying. "I-I never even realized there were such dangerous creatures out there. So I-I didn't..." She cut herself off then as the tears spilled over, and Funshine covered her eyes as she sobbed.
Joy looked like she wanted to comfort her friend, but she didn't seem much happier herself.
Creek placed a hand on Funshine's shoulder as he gave her a caring look. This poor girl was drowning in guilt that really wasn't hers to bear since the whole town had been unaware of any danger. Soothingly, he said, "Hey..."
Funshine's breath hitched. She looked at Creek with tear-filled eyes.
"It's alright, love," he said gently. "Everyone makes mistakes. And it isn't your fault you weren't aware of them."
Funshine closed her eyes, turning away. Creek, however, took the fact that she wasn't crying now as a good sign. In his vision, Poppy had done similar things when Branch reached out to her. The only thing Troll Village's gray troll had done in response was keep trying, so Creek knew he'd get through to her eventually if he followed Branch's lead.
One hand still resting on Funshine's shoulder, Creek moved his other hand to his chest as he said, "Why, the only reason we found out was one of our own found a scout and questioned him about it." He shook his head, closing his eyes and looking a bit sad himself. "But even that wasn't enough for us to be fully prepared for them."
He opened his eyes just in time to catch Funshine glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, which was cracked open again. This time, there were no tears. He figured that meant it was working, so he took another pointer from Branch and leaned over to look her in the eye so she could see his sincerity as he continued.
"We still didn't know when they'd be coming. And when they did, only two of us were even prepared for them. And even that wasn't enough to stop them completely."
Funshine blinked, and her eyes widened slowly as her mouth opened in awe. She slowly turned to look directly at Creek again, intrigued by his tale. As she did, Creek straightened up and smiled gently at her again. It seemed sharing their version of the Party Crasher mess was helping her feel better. Naturally, it should. After all, Troll Village had been better prepared for an invasion, yet it hadn't made much of a difference. If not for one final detail, their tale would have ended much worse...and he was about to tell her that little bit of information.
"In fact, it took an unusual ally to defeat them and save our town from destruction. So, even if you had been ready, you may still have been unable to stop them."
Funshine's eyes widened a bit more as understanding dawned on her. If trolls in another village couldn't stop the Party Crashers when they were expecting the rogues, maybe she hadn't messed up so badly after all. She looked down, thinking about that.
"But what really matters is what actions you take after the storm. If you do what it takes to rebuild your society, then you can restore all the joy that was lost to the attackers and prepare for the future with what you learned this time. In fact, it's only truly over when you give up."
Funshine looked up and stared at him in uncertainty as she took that in. Creek saw a hint of hope in those eyes at long last, too. "...You...really think so...?"
Joy looked between the two with uncertainty.
Creek smiled gently at the foreign queen. "I know so." He stepped back and held out a hand to her, adding, "Now come on. Let's go work on restoring Happy Fun Town to its rightful glory. What do you say?"
Funshine looked at his hand with a bit of uncertainty of her own. Then, slowly, she reached out and took it. "...Okay."
Creek smiled at her again. "That a girl. Come on. We've got a lot of work to do to get this place back on its feet." A gentle smile staying on his face, he started guiding her off.
Still looking unsure, Funshine let him. She looked back over her shoulder at her friend and asked, "You're, going to help, too, right, Joy?"
Joy gave a start. "Uh, yeah! Yeah..." She started following after, wondering, Who is this guy?
With both girls wondering the same thing, Creek led them toward the supplies he'd left on the edge of the village so they could get to work restoring what they had lost.
A/N: In case anyone seems out of character, we're basing them off pretty much all media. The way the characters' behave in the movies and shows is sometimes different from what's written about them in official profiles, so I guess you could say we're seeing a different side of them.
Also, the chapel in Symphonyville is based on both Notre Dame and the Sistine Chapel.