Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls.
While Poppy was flying around, trying not to die, Chef returned to Bergen Town and talked King Gristle into bringing back Trollstice. Being the son of the king who'd lost all of the trolls, Gristle was eager to bring the holiday back. He wasn't known for being the smartest guy, but even he could do basic math.
As Gristle looked over the trolls in the cage suspiciously, he noticed a problem. "Wait a—Chef, this isn't enough yummy heads to feed all of Bergen Town! How are we supposed to have Trollstice if there aren't enough trolls?"
Chef moved to Gristle's side. She'd known this would be a problem, but she was still unsure how the bergen king would react to her answer. "U-um, well, that's kind of the rule when you're farming for trolls, sire," she said, making things up as she went. "You can't really enjoy them until you've raised up a healthy batch of them first."
When they'd had the trolls before, they'd basically left reproduction entirely up to the little creatures. However, Chef knew that she couldn't just feed these nine trolls to everyone in Bergen Town—for one thing, she wouldn't have any trolls for next year's celebration if she did that. She had every intention of keeping her position of power this time, so this would be a lot of trial and error.
Gristle looked at Chef, growing a little uncertain now, and said, "So what you're saying is we can't have Trollstice yet."
Chef bowed her head apologetically. "My apologies, sire. But, with only a handful of trolls available to us, we'd have to wait until they can produce enough for everyone to enjoy, preferably with a few left over to restock on trolls once the first batch is gone. But, with a little careful planning and persuasion, I'm sure we can enjoy a nice, healthy Trollstice in about ten years or so."
Gristle pondered this a bit, "Hmm... Having to wait ten years just so everyone can get a troll..."
"I'm sorry, sire. But it's the best I can do."
Gristle was quiet a moment before he finally sighed. "Fine. But you'd better have enough trolls to go around by then! Or else I'll..." He blinked, suddenly realizing he didn't know what he would do if she didn't deliver on her promise. He stomped his feet, throwing a tantrum like a small child, and growled. "Well, I'll think of something! A-and it's gonna be real nasty, too!"
Chef gave a wicked grin. "Of course, sire. I wouldn't have it any other way." She headed to the cage full of terrified trolls with a threatening sneer on her face, saying, "Alright, you miserable excuses for a future meal! Listen up! Fortunately for you, you won't be getting eaten any time soon."
The nine trolls sighed in relief.
"However! That can all change in an instant, depending on how well you choose to follow my orders. You see, the problem is there's just not enough of you to celebrate with everyone, and there's only one way to fix that."
The friends trembled, each looking uncomfortable with the implication.
Chef gave them a wicked grin and said, "You get it, don't you? In order for us to enjoy Trollstice again, you all need to start mating right now!"
"Mating!?" Biggie cried. "Oh, Mr. Dinkles, hold me!" He held the worm tight, looking faint. Mr. Dinkles, for his part, looked bored.
Satin and Chenille exchanged a look.
Smidge put her hands to her cheeks, eyes wide in shock. "Oh, my gah!"
Chef grunted, glaring at them, and said, "It's either that or I'll feed you to the king right this second!"
"Oh... Well, then, I suppose we don't really have much of a choice..." Biggie said faintly.
The rest nodded, trembling again.
Chef sneered at them. "Excellent..." She looked over at a bergen girl wearing a tattered dress, her short pink hair in two pigtails atop her purple head. "Idget! Take these trolls to your room and guard them with your life!"
The bergen addressed as Idget answered, "Yes, Chef!" before moving to take the troll cage to her room below the kitchen.
Chef grinned wickedly as her scullery maid took off. "Ah... So far, so good. Now all I'll need is that old sick troll isolation tank, and everything will be perfectly prepared. And, once those miserable fools get their precious holiday back, then they'll all get what they deserve! TRUE HAPPINESS!"
She started laughing maniacally, looking every bit the lunatic.
Things weren't going well for Poppy. She flew around searching for Branch, but her search dragged on and on. She couldn't stop for fear her friends would be eaten, so she flew through the night. Another day resulted in more disappointment and moved into night. On day three, she ate the last of her cupcakes. Yet she kept going. Her bug took over a few times when Poppy, too stubborn to pause her search for a rest yet too tired to stay awake any longer, fell asleep.
She'd been flying around for almost five full days by the time she realized this wasn't working. Her stomach growled once again, but she still didn't have anything to offer it. She was finally starting to wonder if this was even worth the effort.
"Ohhh... I don't feel so great..." she moaned. "M-maybe I should...r-rest a b-bit af-after all..."
She made her bug land, not even caring when they came to rest in a creepy old swamp, and got off the creature for a bit. Thankful for the first break all trip, her bug fell down asleep instantly.
"Yeah... Y-you do that, girl... I-I'll just be over h-here, wishing I-I wasn't s-so careless..." She walked off in a desperate search for something to eat, not even bothered by the fog or the gloom of her new environment. She had bigger problems.
Ugh. What in hairballs was I thinking? I'll never find that guy! And, to top it all off, by now everyone's probably been eaten...
She sighed and looked down sadly as this gloomy thought penetrated her brain. She pulled out a picture of her friends, eyes watering slightly at the thought. Okay, technically, it was multiple pictures. She pulled the frame out so they were all visible.
"Goodbye, Biggie. You, too, Satin and Chenille. Smidge, and DJ, and Guy Diamond. I'll miss you, Fuzzbert and Cooper. And...goodbye, Creek... I..." She shook her head, trying to drive the negative thoughts from her head. "No! I'm not gonna let that get me down! As future queen of the trolls, I've got to be strong. And besides, if they are dead, then at least they can't be eaten by another bergen, right!?" Laughing awkwardly, she forced a smile. She tucked the picture collage away again, sighing, as she headed deeper into the swamp. "Urgh... Just look at me. I'm so hungry, I'm starting to really lose it. I've gotta find something to eat, and fast. Then I can go meet up with everyone and—"
She paused in mid-step, a foot in the air. She blinked, eyes widening, and slapped herself in the head. "Ugh. I forgot. I left without waiting to see where everyone went. Argh! I can't believe I did that! Now what am I supposed to do!?" She muttered, "Arh! Can't believe I could just—"
She cut that one off but kept grumbling about her own idiocy, smacking herself in her stupid head several more times, as she walked along in search of something edible.
Finding food in this swamp was not an easy task. Poppy didn't see anything that really looked edible—no berries, no fruit on the trees, nothing. The environment was dark and creepy, despite it being the middle of the day. She wasn't sure if that was just because the trees blocked out the sunlight or if there was a bigger problem here.
Eventually, though, she finally found something—a bush with some unknown orange berries on it filled her heart with joy. Sure, she didn't know what they were, but they looked edible to her!
"Alright! Finally! And here I thought I was a goner for sure!" she cheered, running toward the unknown fruit. "Whoo-hoo! Thank goodness I didn't give up! I was so close to—"
A clicking sound under her foot stopped her mid-sentence. Before she'd even processed the sound, a cage shot up around her.
Poppy stopped, eyes wide in confusion, which quickly turned to surprise when two buzz saws appeared from the trees above. They were positioned vertically and near gaps in the vertical bars of the cage. The surprise became absolute horror when the buzz saws roared to life, moving toward her.
"Holy trolly! I-I'm about to be sawed in half!" she cried. She blinked, shocked by this for a second, before she screamed at the top of her lungs and started pulling at the bars with her hands and hair. She hoped she could bend them and squeeze her way out, but the cage proved to be stronger than her.
As if this all wasn't bad enough, something or someone came leaping out of a bush in front of her moments later. Whoever it was appeared to be standing on two legs, covered head to toe in brown and gray mud. He had black lines painted on his cheeks, sticks and other plants Poppy had seen in the swamp in his hair (which greatly resembled troll hair, come to think of it), and appeared to be wearing the environment as a vest. What was even worse was that he had two items in his hands Poppy took for weapons—a long, sharp knife she knew was called a machete, and a lit torch. At the sight of this wild troll, Poppy screamed again and backed away. Just her luck this guy appeared on the side of the cage where she was trying to escape.
"Who are you!?" the swamp troll demanded. "And what are you doing in my swamp!?"
"I-I-I d-don't k-know!" she stammered, covering her head with her arms as she tried to avoid the many threats in the near vicinity. "I-I was j-just—"
The swamp troll straightened up and looked at the intruder for a second, then stepped on another hidden switch in the ground. The buzz saws stopped moving and turned off, moving back out of the cage but remaining in sight.
It took Poppy, trying to hide behind her arms and now hair, a few seconds to realize that she wasn't being gutted right now. But, after a moment, she slowly peered out from behind her arm and retracted her hair. She stared at the filthy troll—yes, that was definitely troll hair—nervously, offering a smile and a small laugh.
His menacing visage didn't waver—he kept giving her a cold look, like he'd love to gut her himself. "I'll ask you once again: Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he repeated, sounding firm but a bit less menacing.
Poppy sweat and grinned at this stranger nervously. He didn't seem friendly in the least. "Uh... Well, see, I was...kinda out looking for something to eat, and..."
"Uh, yeah, sorry, those are mine," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "They aren't there to feed some rainbow troll who's wandered way too far from home." Then his demeanor changed completely. A wild look in his eyes, he pointed his machete at Poppy and snapped, "There's no way you're here by accident! Did King Peppy send you!?"
Poppy waved her hands in front of her frantically, saying, "No, no! I-it's nothing like that, i-it's—" She cut off, realizing what this guy had just said. "...Wait... King Peppy?"
She stared at this troll for a bit, finally noticing that the brown was mud but the gray was his skin. Purely gray, no hint of any color at all, and darker than Poppy remembered because of it. Even his eyes were tainted by the gray color—blue gray orbs of fury. His hair was still black as night. He'd donned a vest made entirely of leaves, and his brown shorts were tattered and patched with shades of green that made her wonder if the patches were also parts of plants.
But she recognized him—no other troll had ears that shape, tilted down instead of up.
"...Branch...? Is...that—"
"So you are after me!" he said, jabbing the machete toward her. He looked more menacing again, as if she had confirmed some terrible fear of his.
Poppy leaped back, eyes wide in shock. "Aah!" She leaned away from the weapon in an attempt to avoid being gutted should Branch decide that was necessary...which, the way things were going, she feared he might.
"I haven't bothered any of you singing, dancing, hugging hypocrites in years! But, if you want trouble, I'll give you trouble!"
That very much sounded like he was about to kill her. Poppy started, her eyes widening in stunned confusion now rather than fear. "What!?" She closed her eyes and shook her head, waving her hands in front of her rapidly, as she said, "No, Branch, hold up!" Opening her eyes, she looked at him in disbelief and put both hands over her chest as she finished, "Don't you recognize me!? It's me! Poppy!"
Branch looked at her once more, lowering the machete a fraction, and Poppy thought she had him. Recognition flashed in his eyes, but he lifted his weapon back up and glared at her once more as he responded, "Poppy!"
Once more, Poppy cried out and jumped back from him.
"It figures. Where are the others!? I know you didn't come alone!"
She'd be a fool to come out here on her own. She couldn't possibly be that stupid. He was sure that, after growing up, she'd developed at least a bare semblance of intelligence.
Poppy's eyes bugged out of her head from shock and confusion. Why was he acting this way? "What!? No, Branch! Listen to me! It's not what it looks like!" Hoping he wasn't about to burn, skewer, or shred her into little pieces, Poppy waved her hands frantically in front of her as she spoke.
Branch could be scary when angry, and Poppy could tell he was positively furious right now. This was a delicate situation. One wrong move, one wrong word, could get her killed. Even sneezing could lead to a death sentence!
"Oh, yeah? Then what is it?" he asked sarcastically.
He didn't believe her.
Poppy threw her hands down, looking at him with pleading eyes, hurt and worried by his behavior. "Oh, come on, Branch! Why are you acting like this? I thought we were friends!"
Little did Poppy know, that was the magic word. Branch knew she wouldn't still be claiming to be his friend if she hated him now, like everyone else in Troll Village probably did. He still thought she had to be insane or lying to herself, but it didn't change the way the nostalgia of being called her friend hit him.
His tone softened a bit—only a bit—as he said, "That's not an answer, Poppy."
Poppy sighed and closed her eyes. "Alright, alright. Sheesh!" She looked at Branch in annoyance and continued, "Branch, with the way you're acting, you'd think the whole world were out to get you."
She didn't know the half of it, and he wasn't about to explain it. She'd never understand him, especially not now.
Poppy closed her eyes again with another sigh. Looking at the ground sadly, she said, "The truth is I was looking for you." Smiling, she looked back at Branch as she added, "But that was because—"
He cut her off by, once again, pointing the machete at her threateningly and crying, "I knew it!"
"Aah!" Poppy cried as she jumped back from him for the third time in about five minutes.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before you guys came looking for me! What? Decide banishment doesn't fit the crime? Ready to execute me now?"
Poppy's eyes widened again. How in the world could Branch think they were capable of that? "What!? Holy trolly," she cried, throwing her arms up over her head, "BRRANCH! What kind of trolbarians do you think we are!? No! I was looking for you because a bergen attacked Troll Village a few days ago!"
This latest statement finally made a significant change in the course of this conversation. Branch lowered the machete, looking shocked himself, as he asked, "What!?"
"It's true, Branch! We were having a party to celebrate 20 years of peace when all of a sudden a huge, disgusting bergen showed up, and it took all our friends! Sat—"
"Our friends?" he cut her off, raising an eyebrow. Seriously, was she actually claiming he had friends in that stupid little village of hers?
Poppy blinked, confused. After a moment, she realized the problem with what she'd said. "Okay, okay! So they're my friends. Big deal! They still got snatched up by a bergen, Branch! It took Smidge, and Satin, and Chenille, and Biggie, and Guy Diamond, and Fuzzbert, and DJ, and Cooper, and Creek!" With this last name, she pressed her hands to her chest, looking horrified. Her voice was really high when she said it, too.
Well, from that reaction, Branch figured she was in love with Creek now. No surprise, considering he was the most eligible troll bachelor in the village. Ugh, the guy still drove Branch crazy, and he was probably even more unbearable now that he, like everyone else, had reason to hate Branch.
"And that's why I traveled all this way to find you! I needed your help to go to Bergen Town and save everyone, but..." She looked down and closed her eyes sadly.
"But...?" Branch prodded.
Poppy took a deep breath, knowing this was going to be a difficult thing to confess to Branch. She gave a sheepish grin and blurted, "It's been five days since the bergen attack! Hee hee..." She shook her head to shake off the embarrassment, then looked back to Branch. The look on her face was frantic and somewhat pained as she added, "And...I've run out of supplies, and my flyer bug's exhausted from the nonstop flight, and I've almost gotten eaten several times since—"
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on!" Branch cut her off, shoving his machete into a sheath strapped to his left side. Poppy had so many problems he felt the need to count them. "Your flyer bug's exhausted," he said, putting one finger up, "you're out of supplies, it's been five days, and you were almost eaten several times!? Poppy! Who let you leave the village!?"
He couldn't believe how bad she was at this. He seriously couldn't believe this was the future queen of Troll Village. Maybe he'd dodged a bullet with the banishment—he'd never have to worry about her being in charge of his safety.
Poppy shuffled her foot, blushing. She felt every bit like a small child in the middle of a scolding. "Uuumm... No one?" She gave him a sheepish grin and laughed weakly, fidgeting and playing around with her fingers. This is gonna be awkward... she thought. "See, they all...kinda took off when the bergen attacked...and I...uh...didn't go with them." She slumped forward, letting her hands hang in front of her as she admitted to her huge blunder. Then, exasperated, she threw her arms up over her head and said, "There. I said it. I left the village, unprepared, and I completely forgot to check and see where everyone was going." Silently she added, And if I know this guy as well as I think I do, I ain't hearing the end of it any time soon.
Branch stared at her in disbelief. The sheer stupidity of all she had just said was overwhelming. He had thought she had a little more sense than that. Was she this scatterbrained ten years ago? he wondered.
Deciding to worry about that later, he asked, "Why's your flyer bug exhausted? Have you really been flying non-stop? You know that's not good for her, right?"
Poppy blushed and shuffled her foot again. "Um...yes...?" she said. Called it. She sweat, knowing how he'd probably react to that. Poppy clenched her fists in front of her, looking worried, as she defended, "But, Branch, you don't understand! I had to find—"
"Please tell me you didn't just leave it somewhere."
Did he always cut people off this much, or was this a side-effect of being isolated for the last ten years? Poppy glared at him indignantly as she put a hand on her hip. "And what was I supposed to do!?" She threw her arms up over her head and continued, "She's too tired to move, and I haven't eaten anything since the other day!" She fell to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest, finishing, "My stomach's really hurting now, too..." She looked down, and her stomach growled a bit in protest at the lack of food.
"You're out of supplies after five days?" Branch sighed. "There really isn't any hope for you, is there?" he asked, crossing his arms as best as one safely can while holding a flaming torch.
Poppy threw her hands up over her head and said, "Well, I was in a hurry! I didn't exactly have time to grab too many supplies, now, did I? And besides! If I had grabbed more to eat, there wouldn't have been room for the scrapbook supplies and party dresses!" She beamed at him here, as if this were an obvious need and not something completely idiotic she'd chosen instead of survival.
Branch smacked himself in the face. It was a reflex—Poppy often earned these kind of reactions from him. "Dare I ask why you needed to bring party dresses?"
She waved a hand dismissively, giving him a grin and a sideways glance. "Psh. Duh, Branch." She closed her eyes with a proud look on her grinning face. "To celebrate our victory over the bergens once everyone was home safely!" A bright smile on her face, she threw her arms up once again as she said that. Then, lowering her arms, she lay one hand on the ground beside her and put the other on her hip, saying, "You can't really have a party without something nice to wear. I mean, what's a party without a little pizzazz to it?" She waved a hand through the air and looked like she was trying to be cool before putting both hands on her hips, eyes closed and a pleased grin on her face.
Was she honestly that stupid? What was so cool about going on a blind search for someone to help with a time-sensitive rescue mission and bringing party supplies!? Branch would never understand this girl.
He still had a hand over his face as he shook his head and said, "Well, you haven't changed a bit."
Poppy frowned, glaring at him slightly as she crossed her arms. "Neither have you, Branch." Then she looked around wistfully, and she started getting to her feet as she said, "So, about saving everyone or at least helping me find—"
She hoped Branch would help her, but she was a little nervous asking him about it. And she was right to worry.
"Your friends are probably dead by now, Poppy," Branch cut her off harshly. "I'm not helping you 'save' anyone." His expression firm, he pulled the machete out of its sheath as he added, "And, about finding the rest of the village, you're on your own. In case you forgot, I'm banished. Remember?"
Poppy bounced around a bit, hands up to her worried face. "B-but, Branch! You can't just leave me like this! I don't have a clue what to do or where to go! Or did ya miss the part about me leaving Troll Village without knowing where everyone was headed? Hm? Did ya?" She put a hand on her hip as she gave him an annoyed look. Honestly, was he planning to leave her on her own like this? She was done for if he just left her this way!
Branch groaned. "You're completely hopeless, aren't you? Fine. I can get you some supplies, but I am not going looking for a bunch of trolls who don't want me around. If you're going looking for them, you're on your own." He stepped on another hidden switch, and the cage around her opened up and retracted into the ground.
Now, if she didn't want to run off in search of the others, Branch was open to the idea of her staying here with him. But he doubted she'd go for that. Poppy was, after all, one of them, even if she was the only one whose presence he could stand at all. She'd get tired of him eventually, then she'd want to be surrounded once more by her own people instead of the swamp monster.
Poppy groaned, rolling her head in exasperation. "Ugh. Fine, Branch. Have it your way. Now can we please get something to eat? I'm starving to death!" She gave him such a pitiful look that he couldn't have said no unless if he was completely heartless.
"Yeah, okay. Come on," he answered, starting off.
Yes, there was a berry bush right here with food on it. Yes, the berries were safe to eat. No, Branch wasn't going to let Poppy have any of them. This swamp wasn't exactly a culinary wonder. Most of the food he'd found out here was nutritious but not exactly palatable. Eating was more about survival than about taste, anyway, so he generally didn't let it bother him. However that didn't mean he'd reject something healthy that happened to be tasty, too.
Those berries were the most appetizing food out here, so, since the only other source of them he'd found was in a very dangerous area that was home to lethal creatures he refused to deal with on a regular basis, he had taken some seeds and planted that bush there for easier access. Not only did it work as food, it also worked as bait to lure in certain kinds of threats...such as a rainbow troll that might be looking for him.
Branch was positive King Peppy would eventually change his mind about the banishment. Probably he'd decide that letting Branch live was dangerous for the rest of the trolls and that Branch would come back for revenge someday. This was part of why he'd planted that bush there. Just his luck, the first rainbow troll he caught in that trap was Princess Poppy, and she seemed to be at least moderately less hostile toward him. He didn't believe for a second that she still liked him—she'd be completely crazy and idiotic to like him after all this time. She'd had a chance to think about what had happened that fateful day. Either way, now she'd be going back to her people—assuming she could find them—and telling them all about how Branch had nearly killed her for daring to walk through his home.
He'd have to increase his defenses. It was only a matter of time before another angry troll mob arrived at his doorstep.
Poppy followed Branch toward a large tree stump, eyeing his weapons nervously. "Uh, Branch? Just curious. Have you started taking weapons with you everywhere you go? 'Cause it's...kinda creepy..." She started playing with her hands again as she spoke, giving him a nervous grin.
"I'm sorry, do you live in a swamp alone?" he asked with heavy sarcasm.
Poppy cringed a bit, her grin turning awkward. "Yyeah... Rright... Silly question, huh?"
Branch rolled his eyes and approached the stump. Once there, he put the machete back in its sheath and placed his hand over a knothole about the size of a troll's hand. To Poppy's surprise, the knothole glowed a dim shade of blue for a second before opening up to reveal a small keypad. Poppy watched, eyes wide in amazement, as Branch entered some kind of code. Then a section on the top of the stump opened up, big enough to serve as a door for a normal-sized troll. Pulling his machete back out, Branch leaped up and stood on the edge of the stump, gesturing for Poppy to follow. She jumped up, too, and was stunned to see a staircase leading down when she looked into the hole. She stared in awe, eyes wide.
"Follow me," Branch said as he headed down the stairs into the underground space.
Poppy did as instructed, marveling at how Branch could make something so advanced out here all on his own.
Almost immediately she regretted her decision to follow. This bunker was twice as bad as the last one. With the one in Troll Village, there was a linear path to follow to get inside. This one, however, had eight different tunnels branching off when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Wwow, Branch. It's..."
She didn't know what to say. She wanted to comment on his apparently poor mental health, but he was holding a sharp object and seemed highly unstable. Probably not the best idea.
Branch, meanwhile, was regretting bringing her down here. As he thought about it more, he realized that there was a high risk of Poppy getting killed in some horrible manner—most of these tunnels didn't go anywhere except a literal dead end—he'd booby trapped all but the right one, and this wasn't even the full extent of his home's defenses.
"Whatever you do, don't wander off in here," he instructed.
Poppy didn't really think she wanted to know. She hesitated before she finally asked, "Why?" with both concern and curiosity.
Exasperated, Branch turned to her and answered, "Because, Poppy, that trap you fell in outside was nothing to what I've got down here."
Poppy gaped at him, slouched over with her arms dangling at her sides. Nothing? Was he serious? What kind of traps did he have down here, and why!?
Branch turned and started off down one of the tunnels as he said, "Now come on. Let's get you some supplies so you can get out of here."
The sooner he got rid of his house guest, the sooner things could go back to normal. He'd be all alone again, like he should be. Nobody was supposed to be out here. Nobody ever came out here. It was perfect for him. Nobody cared what he did out here.
Nobody cared if he was alive out here.
Poppy took a moment to recover before she said, "Rrright... Coming!" With that, she chased after him quickly. If there were death traps down here, too, getting separated from Branch wasn't a good idea.