A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone! Getting ready to go back to work. I teach, so this is a pretty busy time of year for me. I've also been dealing with my sister's health issues, so those two things combined have been pretty time consuming lately. Anyway, enjoy! We don't own Trolls.

The next morning, when Chef went to check on Poppy, she found her in a terrible state. Poppy was shaking and talking to herself, seemingly anything but happy. After a quick examination, Chef took the troll to Bridget, who was vacuuming the halls.

When Poppy said she was a great actress, Bridget had been worried. However, now, she was even more worried. Poppy was acting so shaken that Bridget worried whether this was just an act. As she made her way downstairs to her room, she looked at Poppy in concern.

"Poppy? Are you okay?" she asked.

Poppy nodded, but she was still jittery, despite the fact that the two were completely alone now.

Bridget wasn't so sure.

The bergen maid entered her room and returned Poppy to her friends in the tank, still looking and feeling rather concerned. Poppy's eyes were wide, she had a crazed smile on her face that wasn't going anywhere, and she would occasionally start shaking. Her hair was a wild, tangled mess. Needless to say, the Snack Pack all came over, concerned for her themselves.

"Uh, Poppy... Are you alright?" Biggie asked cautiously.

Poppy laughed maniacally, throwing her head back. "Why, of course, I'm okay, Biggie! Why wouldn't I be!?" She laughed some more.

Now more concerned, Smidge held up a finger and started, "Uh, Poppy? You don't—"

Suddenly Poppy grabbed Smidge by the shoulders, looking horribly freaked out. Smidge's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, Smidge! It was horrible in there!" Poppy exclaimed in a panic. She dropped Smidge, causing the small troll to fall on her back, and her hands flew to her head. Her bloodshot eyes were wide. "Total isolation's pure torture for a troll!"

Smidge sat up, looking concerned. Obviously Poppy was not okay. Smidge tried to stand up and put a hand on her friend's shoulder, but Poppy grabbed hers once again as she continued freaking out.

"I can't believe we think that law is okay!" She started shaking Smidge rapidly.

As Poppy thought about just how untrolly this whole thing was, she imagined hundreds of insane trolls out there all alone, cursing her entire family tree for unjustly torturing them. She could hear the agonized screams, imagine the bouts of insanity. She could just see them psychotically destroying pictures of her and her ancestors, whether by knife, fire, or even tying them to a log and sawing them in half with a chainsaw. She could hear them crying alone at night, like she imagined Branch did—or, at the very least, had done at one point. Could see them desperately looking for someone, anyone, to play with, even a hungry growlbeast... The end result of that was predictable. And if that wasn't bad enough, she could just imagine God throwing her and her family into the flames of hell to atone for their sins! In her crazy imagination, even the devil shook his head at her family, thinking they were too cruel!

Clearly this spiraling of hers wasn't ending any time soon. If she'd spent just one more day alone in that room, she would have been so broken that she would obey the bergens, even if it meant turning on her friends. Anything to get out of that endless, boring, and lonely darkness, right!?

As it was, her friends weren't entirely sure she wasn't that far gone. Her mental state was a total disaster right now.

"Oh my ga, oh my ga, oh my ga!" Smidge cried as Poppy shook her.

"We have got to change it!" Poppy exclaimed, still shaking Smidge. She was picturing all of the gory ends that the banished trolls or her family could meet. She came up with many new and horrible ideas. "Right now! No troll should ever have to go through what I just did! It's no wonder Branch is so mad!"

Now she could fully understand Branch's desire to kill any rainbow trolls he saw. She wanted to kill her family herself! Of course, this included her because she was just as evil as the rest of them. What kind of a princess just lets her dad get away with torturing someone for ten years? She was a wicked royal, too!

Satin and Chenille gently put their hands on Poppy's shoulders and pulled her back from Smidge so she wouldn't shake the smaller troll to pieces. Smidge staggered back and forth a bit, swirls in her dizzy eyes.

"Okay, Poppy, okay," Satin soothed. "Just take a deep breath."

"Branch always wanted to be alone. I'm sure that didn't bother him as much as it would another troll. It's okay. He seems like he handled it pretty well."

"Now just breathe, okay? In—" Satin took a deep breath herself, but Poppy didn't join. Instead she whirled on Chenille, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"No, it's not okay! Branch didn't want to be alone! Why do you think he kept coming to the village all the time in the first place!? Are you crazy!?" She started shaking Chenille.

Seriously, was Chenille really so dense as to miss how much Branch hated being all alone and unwanted over the past few days!? He hadn't changed that much. No troll wants to be all alone in the world, and Poppy knew this from experience, too.

When they were trollings, she'd tried so hard to get to know Branch. Most of the time, he'd do his best to avoid her, sure, but she did discover that she could find him easily any time he chose to visit the village market to restock on some of his supplies. As far as Poppy could tell, Branch did value his alone time, but he also at least felt that he needed the others around to help him survive. And Chenille should have known that, too—they'd been friends before the banishment, after all.

"Whoa, whoa, Poppy!" Guy said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. Now he was worried. "Take it easy! I'm sure there's a way to fix it. Now just take a deep breath, and—"

Poppy stopped shaking Chenille and whipped her head toward Guy, who yelped in fear and ducked behind his arms. Glaring firmly at him, hands on her hips, she said, "Oh, there's a way to fix it, alright! And believe me, I'm gonna! Just as soon as I become queen, that law is so gone!" She put her hands on her head, teeth chattering, eyes wide and crazed again. "I mean, just think of how many trolls are out there we've scarred for life! And we call ourselves royalty!" She started moaning in shame.

Again her thoughts started rapidly running through all the gruesome things that banished trolls were going through—the horrors of boredom, loneliness, and insanity caused deaths in her imagination. Each scenario played through one by one. She also couldn't stop picturing all of the ways her family deserved to die, including via an angry mob with torches and pitchforks. Cycles like these had been playing on loop over and over in her head since late last night when she'd awoken alone in pitch darkness, and it didn't seem likely this would stop any time soon.

Satin put a tentative hand on Poppy's shoulder, saying, "Okay, Poppy. Okay. You can change that law when you're queen, and you can welcome Branch back into the village."

Chenille barely resisted the urge to add in a comment about whether he would even want to come back. She didn't need Poppy shaking her again. Instead she put her hand on Poppy's other shoulder and said, "That's right, Poppy. I don't think any other trolls have been banished. That law was really unknown at the time. It's just Branch."

"You can fix this, Poppy," Biggie assured her. "We'll help you. But please try to relax."

And then Cooper asked, "But don't Poppy and Branch have to stay here?"

Everyone glared at him as Poppy started another fit of maniacal laughter. She threw her head back and started crying, even.

He was right. She and Branch weren't going back to Troll Village ever because they were going to die here sooner or later! Branch was defenseless now, thanks to her, and considered an aggressive troll. Why, the two of them would probably be locked in a small cage just like the one she'd just left and then die at the hands of vengeful bergens for daring to let the others escape! Bridget would be executed for betraying everyone, even if Poppy and Branch did try to take all the blame. They'd all take the punishment she deserved, and it was all her fault! Cooper's statement was so true—the truest he'd ever made!

It was funny in a sick and twisted way. Everyone pays because the royal family sucks! How hilariously ironic is that!? She couldn't stop laughing, even if she wanted to. Her sanity was all but gone after that one.

The rest of that day was spent trying to calm Poppy. Even Bridget got involved. It was apparent that Poppy wasn't acting. She was genuinely shaken by her experience.

Two days later, it was Saturday. Bridget needed to get ready for her date. First, though, she had to check on the second "aggressive" troll.

Branch had been more stubborn than he'd implied. He'd been unfazed by the isolation, and Bridget couldn't help but think he considered this time in the dungeon a welcome reprieve from the other trolls. Of course, since isolation was doing nothing to break him, she was expected to up the penalty. She didn't have the heart to threaten her new friends, even if that was a sure way to get Branch out of the dungeon, so she'd gone with her final option—starvation. She hoped that depriving him of food and water wasn't too cruel.

To her surprise, the gray troll was holding up well. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink since being put in there, yet he still seemed relatively okay. Bridget could tell this was taking a toll on him, though, and hoped that he would decide it was time to feign being broken soon—preferably before he was really broken. Poppy hadn't even lasted one day.

So, feeling guiltier than ever, Bridget entered the dungeon on Saturday morning, hoping that Branch would be ready to "cooperate" now.

"Okay, are you ready to behave yet?" she asked.

To her disappointment, he answered, "Not yet, Bridget. When's your date with the king?" He sounded weak, and his voice was hoarse.

Yes, he was definitely taking this time to get a break from the other trolls. Bridget debated whether she should tell the rest of them this little piece of news as she answered, "Uh...today?"

There was a moment of silence before Branch answered, "Take me with you." There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and Bridget wondered if his break from the other trolls would lead to him being as broken as Poppy.

As a particularly nasty scream rang out from one of the dungeon's prisoners, Branch, unseen within the cage, cringed. That was definitely the worst part of being down here. Being forced to listen to the sounds of torture was anything but fun. He'd rather be alone in the swamp again.

"Why?" Bridget asked. If he wanted to stay away from the other trolls, why would he want to go on her date with them?

"In case those guys leave you stuck in a situation where he'll walk off if you don't say the right thing, that's why," Branch answered, sounding a bit irritated. "You can go back to taming me after your date."

Well, honestly, Bridget had no issue with this idea, and she couldn't really argue with the logic. It would also give her a chance to get some water for the little guy. She looked around, finding herself alone with the troll, then opened the cage and removed Branch. She put him in the pocket of her apron, locked the cage back up, and left the dungeon with a troll hidden away.

Back in Bridget's room, Poppy was getting one more massage from Creek as he tried to finish calming her down. Not only did it seem that she was finally settling down after her unsettling experience, but he could tell he was winning his girlfriend back. She'd been responding best to his tender love and care, after all. Not even Smidge, her best friend, had been having as much success, and she'd tried harder than anyone. It was clear who Poppy relied on the most out of all of them. For Creek, this was a welcome change from the previous few days where she had been more interested in Branch, definitely.

Poppy sighed in contentment, holding a cup of lemon tea, while Creek massaged her shoulders. Ah, Creek... I've really missed spending time with you... And your massages are as relaxing as ever... Why would anyone have ever doubted the way I feel for you?

Creek smiled, leaning over her shoulder to look at her. "Feeling better, Poppet?" he asked.

Poppy nodded, feeling content. She had a warm blue bathrobe with white trim wrapped around her, courtesy of the twins. (They felt the added comfort might help her calm down. A cotton bathrobe would do that, after all.) "Uh-huh... You're a miracle worker, as always, Creek. It almost makes me forget how unbelievably cruel my family is." She grinned hysterically, starting to twitch a bit.

Creek sweat, noticing her shift, and started massaging her arms instead, partly to relax her and partly to keep her from dropping her cup. He'd barely gotten her calmed down only ten minutes ago, and he didn't want to lose her again. Sounding a bit nervous himself, he started, "Yes, well, let's try to forget all that for now and—"

Bridget came crashing back into the room then, slamming the door behind her. She looked around nervously. After all, she had an untamed aggressive troll tucked away in her pocket. On her way through the kitchen, she'd grabbed a syringe and filled it with water. Said syringe, now empty, she stuffed into the pocket that didn't hold the troll. She was just glad the stubborn troll had allowed her to essentially bottle feed him some water on the way down here. He may still be hungry, but at least his thirst had been dealt with.

Biggie looked at Bridget, concerned. She was looking over her shoulder anxiously, one hand stuffing something into her pocket. "Bridget, are you alright? You're acting nervous."

Smidge sat surrounded by many fresh-baked sweets, compliments of Biggie. She'd called twelve Poppy 911s over the last two days, so Biggie was trying to settle her down while everyone else—especially Creek—focused on Poppy. The treats seemed to work as Smidge sat there, gobbling them up happily at this very moment.

"Nervous?" Bridget said very nervously. "What would I be nervous for?"

"Well, gee, I don't know," DJ said. "Could it have something to do with your date this afternoon? 'Cause ya know what you're gonna have to do."

"Aw, you'll be fine, Bridge," Poppy assured her, smiling. "We've been over this countless times. You're gonna tell King Gristle you're really Bridget in disguise, and we're gonna expose ourselves for the trolls we are!" She brightened up, looking as happy as ever. All signs of distress were gone, other than Creek still massaging her arms, the robe she was wearing, and the tea she'd been drinking.

Poppy knew the plan, sure, but she'd done very little work on it. Most of the plan had come from Guy and Creek, with the others occasionally tossing in some ideas of their own. Poppy and Smidge had tried to help some, but...they were both so out of it most of the time that only one or two things they ever suggested made any sense. Poppy had heard the plan, though, so she'd made a scrapbook of it—stressbooking, as they called it when she scrapbooked with the intention of calming herself down. It had helped. After all, there's no reason to believe you can't go home and fix the mess your terrible, awful family had made if you have a plan to get everyone home.

Bridget was honestly relieved that Poppy was speaking in intelligible words. Even better, she was cheerful again. It seemed they'd successfully calmed her down.

Bridget's right pocket shifted, and Branch poked his head out. He gave Poppy an extremely disapproving look. "Are you crazy!?" he demanded.

The Snack Pack gasped, concerned. "Branch!?"

"What are you doing here?" Poppy asked as she moved toward the edge of the tank—and away from Creek. She was smiling brightly, happy to see Branch again. Her tea and massage were finished, so she tossed off the robe and threw the cup aside, leaving Creek to catch the robe in his startled arms. The cup simply fell to the floor.

Creek felt differently. He gave a jealous glare. He'd been so close. He almost had her!

"I didn't want to leave you guys alone on this one," Branch answered. "You almost messed up her first date!"

"Who almost messed up her first date?" Cooper asked, seemingly completely forgetting the incident.

Branch was more than happy to remind him, "'I've got nothing. It's all yours, my dear.' And then nobody else could come up with anything, either. Remember?"

"Well, yes, I suppose you did save us there..." Biggie admitted.

Smidge swallowed a bite of brownie—covered in sparkle melon frosting—and stared, wide-eyed, at Branch. "Oh my ga, he's right."

Branch looked at Smidge and the goodies surrounding her and raised an eyebrow. How is she so small if she eats like that?

And suddenly he was very aware of the fact that he hadn't eaten anything in two days. His stomach gurgled at the mere thought of food. Branch forced himself to look away. Apparently it was almost time for Bridget's date—he could eat later.

All the other trolls, besides Poppy and Creek, started talking in agreement with Smidge and Biggie. Creek just gave another jealous look while Poppy's smile faded, replaced by concern.

"...Hold on. Branch, are you telling me you're not supposed to be here, is that it?" she asked.

"Well, no, he's not," Bridget said, gently removing the troll from her pocket and placing him on the floor. Her nerves were still showing. She could get in serious trouble if anyone found out he was out of his cage.

Poppy threw her hands up in exasperation. "UGH! Branch! You can't go getting yourself in more trouble like that! What are you thinking!?"

That I can't spend one more minute in that dungeon? he thought. Sure, he wanted to help them, but...he'd had enough of a break from these guys. He didn't need to spend anymore time in isolation, especially not if it came with torture, too. No, I am not telling her that!

Sure, he was feeling pretty shaken, but he wasn't about to admit to that. For one, he didn't trust anyone here enough to believe they wouldn't somehow use this against him. For another, he didn't want to upset Poppy by admitting that the bergens' torture technique had actually had an impact on him.

He gave her an irritated look, satisfied that he was covering up his current mental state, and answered, "You're one to talk! You're about to get everyone in trouble, including Bridget! Revealing yourselves to the king of the bergens, are you crazy!?"

While this exchange went on, Bridget got out her jumpsuit and sat down beside her bed to change, hoping the trolls wouldn't see her.

"Uh, no, Branch. See, we're not planning on getting ourselves killed," Poppy told him.

"We're hoping to teach King Gristle how to be happy so that all of the bergens can discover their inner happiness!" Biggie said. "We aren't going to reveal ourselves in front of a large crowd of bergens, Branch."

"And how well do you think that's going to go over?" Branch asked.

"Come on, Branch. Of course it'll work!" Poppy pulled out the stressbook that contained the full details of this plan. "First we'll march into King Gristle's throne room." The page showed a felt Bridget doing just that. "Then Bridget will tell Gristle the truth."

The felt Bridget said, "I'm your scullery maid, Bridget!"

"Wha!?" the felt Gristle answered, looking shocked.

"Then we'll show ourselves to the king," Poppy continued, turning the page. Felt trolls shot off the felt Bridget's head, shocking the felt Gristle once again. Poppy turned the page once more as she added, "And teach him to sing and dance."

The dancing felt Gristle said, "This is fun! I'm happy now!"

"And the king will know what happiness really is and will teach all the bergens!"

The next page showed dancing bergens, all smiling and looking happy.

Poppy closed the book, smiling widely. "Then they won't have to eat trolls anymore, and everyone will get to go home! What do you think? Brilliant or what?" She laughed a bit, proud of this idea. If it succeeded, then nobody would be left behind, not even Branch. There would be no trouble letting the trolls go if the king himself allowed it.

Branch just gave her a lame look. How she thought something like that was a good idea was anyone's guess. "...I've never heard a plan where so many things could go wrong."

"Aw, come on, Branch!" Cooper said, smiling widely. "It'll work out great!"

Branch glared at him, which made Cooper laugh awkwardly. "Ooh, right! I ain't supposed to be talking to you, am I?"

Branch stared at Cooper for a bit. "...And yet you're still doing it."

"Well, he's right, Branch," Biggie said. "We just need to convince the king that happiness is possible, that's all."

Bridget came out from behind her bed, dressed and ready to go. Well, besides one small thing—her hair. "Okay, is everyone ready?" she asked, opening the tank.

The Snack Pack started to eagerly climb out of the tank and onto Bridget's head.

"You bet we are, girlfriend! Let's do this thing!" Poppy answered as she left the tank.

"Oh, yes...let's..." Creek said in annoyance as he started out of the tank. Great sage Buddha! I almost had her!

Why did Branch have to come back at a time like this? If he'd just waited one more day, Creek could've had his girlfriend back. He was sure of it!

Bridget reached down for Branch. He hopped onto her hand, still very much in disapproval of this idea, and Bridget lifted him up. He ran up her arm to her shoulder and climbed up onto her head. Sure, this idea was stupid, but he couldn't talk them out of it. Might as well stick with them. Besides, he was actually kind of relieved to be back with the Snack Pack. They may not have liked him, but it was better than the dungeon.

Satin and Chenille exchanged a glance before they moved to stand on either side of Branch. He raised an eyebrow at them, wondering what they were doing, but neither offered an explanation, and he didn't ask.

"Alright, you guys! You ready to do this!?" Poppy excitedly asked her friends.

The Snack Pack formed the rainbow wig. Branch sighed quietly, relieved. He didn't think he'd ever be so glad to be surrounded by a bunch of other trolls, yet here he was, comforted by the ridiculous rainbow colors all around. Screams of overly optimistic excitement were better than screams of pain and fear.

With everything ready, Bridget headed out for her date.

In the throne room, Gristle eagerly awaited his date. He could hardly wait to see his beloved again. He clapped his hands together like a little kid waiting to open his birthday presents.

Chad came into the throne room, saying, "King Gristle. Lady Glitter Sparkles is here to see you."

Gristle smiled brightly. "Sweet! Well, don't just stand there! Hurry up and let her in!" He waved the guard off impatiently.

Chad went to get the lady.

As the guard fetched the would-be hair stylist, Gristle thought, You know, I just realized, I forgot to give her funds for her new hair salon...

How could he have been so careless? He'd been having so much fun on their date that he'd totally forgotten! It was a good thing that she seemed to have done the same. Maybe she'd be okay with it if he took care of that little detail on this date instead.

Lady Glitter Sparkles entered the throne room, all smiles, and said, "Hey, Gristle!"

The king hopped up from his throne. "Hey, babe! Looking good," he said as he pulled down his shirt, trying to sound cool. He gave her a sly smile.

On Bridget's head, Poppy said, "Thanks. You, too. But, uh...before we get started, can we talk in private?"

"Thanks. You, too. But, uh...before we get started, can we talk in private?" Bridget repeated verbatim.

Gristle stared at her for a moment. He was certain he knew where this was going. "...Sure!" he answered with a smile. Then he turned to Chad and Tod and walked toward his date as he said, "Chad? Tod? Make sure no one bothers us! The lady wants to talk business alone!"

The two guards saluted him in acknowledgment.

Gristle took Bridget's hand romantically, saying, "Come on, my love. I know just the place for this!" He took her through a door on the left side of the room and led her through the castle.

The two stopped in a bathroom. This wasn't a bathroom meant for staff use—it had a luxurious bathtub, a single sink, and a toilet with a fuzzy toilet seat. On the wall hung a picture of Gristle and his dad.

"So, my lady," Gristle said smoothly. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Uh..." Bridget looked around. This was a bizarre place for a conversation. "Why are we in the bathroom, Gristle?"

"Because! It's the most private room I own!" he answered cheerily. "Besides, if you're wanting to talk business, where better than where a king gets it done?" He grinned proudly, putting his hands on his hips. He was trying his best to look cool.

This was absolutely stupid. Branch, Poppy, Guy, Creek, Smidge, and Chenille all slapped a hand to their faces. How in the world had this guy attracted Bridget's attention?

"Remind me why Bridget likes this guy?" Cooper asked.

Biggie just shrugged. Branch started grumbling, irritated at this absurdity. Was that bergen serious?

"Oh, okay," Bridget answered.

"Well! Shall we get on to business?" Gristle asked with a bright smile. "You're still wanting funds for your new hair salon, correct?"

"Uh, actually, I have a confession to make. I'm...not who I said I was."

"What?"

"You see..." Poppy took over. "I'm really your scullery maid, Bridget, but...I didn't think you'd want someone like me, so I put on this disguise so you would."

Bridget repeated, "You see...I'm really your scullery maid, Bridget. But...I didn't think you'd want someone like me...so I put on this disguise so you would."

Gristle stared at her like she was some kind of tree. "...Really?"

"I'm real sorry, King Gristle. Can you ever forgive me for lying?" Poppy said, and Bridget repeated it.

"Yes, of course I can, Bridget," Gristle answered gently, trying to convey the care he felt for her. "I mean, you're..." he looked away, rubbing his head, "kinda right. I probably wouldn't notice." He blushed.

This just got a little awkward. To think that his dream come true had been living under the same roof as him for all these years, and he hadn't even realized!

"Really!?" Bridget asked. She could hardly believe her luck.

"But...there is one thing that keeps bothering me... If you're really Bridget in disguise, where'd you get that epic wig from?" Gristle asked, looking at the wig in question with a fond smile.

"Well...that's the other thing..." Bridget said, looking up.

"Now!" Poppy commanded.

The trolls all retracted their hair dramatically, leaving Gristle temporarily stunned. At the same time, Satin and Chenille stepped in front of Branch, hiding him from view.

Guess that explains why they were so close... Branch thought. But Chenille? Why would she care?

"I, uh...may have been getting help from the trolls," Bridget said. She took Poppy from her head and held her out for Gristle to see.

"You what!?"

"Whoa, easy, King Gristle!" Poppy said. She stepped forward a bit, holding her hands up in front of her. "It's okay! We were only trying to help make her happy!"

Gristle looked at her, wide-eyed and somewhat annoyed. How stupid did these trolls think he was? "What!? You can't do that! My daddy told me you have to eat a troll to be happy, and he was always right!" Gristle protested, crossing his arms and pouting like an overgrown child.

"No! Think, King Gristle! When you were with Bridget, you were feeling something, weren't you!?" Poppy asked. Wait a—Didn't I ask someone else the same thing?

She was getting a serious sense of deja vu here.

"Well, yeah, I was... I just thought it was too much pizza."

"That feeling... That was happiness!" Poppy paused, thinking. "And why do I feel like I've said all this before?" she finally asked. She looked a bit embarrassed and perplexed.

Gristle stared at her, lost in thought. "...No idea... But, anyway, you're saying I can actually be happy without eating a troll?" He looked at Bridget curiously.

"Of course! Happiness is inside all of us!" Poppy answered, getting over her confusion. "Sometimes you just need a little help to find it, and I know I've said all this before!" She looked askance at Bridget. Sure, it wasn't word for word, and Biggie and the others had said it last time, too. But wasn't this similar to her talk with Bridget? Couldn't she, Poppy, have been a little more original?

Bridget nodded. She remembered when Poppy had said this. "They already told me this after our first date. I didn't believe them at first, but...I've been watching them, and the trolls have been acting a lot like how I felt when we were together, Gristle. I think they might be right."

Gristle smiled lovingly at her, taking her free hand in both of his, and said, "You know something, babe...I think so, too." He leaned in for a kiss, and Bridget joined him.

"Aw..." the majority of the trolls cooed.

"That's so romantic," Biggie said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Cooper nodded as he pulled a handkerchief out of nowhere and blew his nose. Satin and Chenille wiped their eyes.

Branch rolled his eyes, shaking his head. This was absolutely ridiculous. They were making out in the bathroom, for pity's sake!

Suddenly Poppy was beside Branch, ugly crying again. "Waaaaaaah! I-it's so..." She grabbed Branch and started crying on his shoulder as she wailed, "beautiful... Waaaaaaaah!"

"Wh-Poppy!" Branch cried, startled. He pointed, wide-eyed, toward Bridget's hand. "Weren't you just—"

How did she even get there so fast? Forget that she was crying on him, how did she get there so fast!?

Smidge teared up, unable to hold it in. DJ blew her nose, and even Guy Diamond was crying now.

Gristle pulled away from Bridget, looking at her lovingly. Noticing that the troll wasn't there anymore, he took her other hand as well, smiled, and said, "Whoa. That's so weird! To think I could have been happy all this time, and I didn't even know it!"

"I know, right?" Bridget asked. Then, after a pause, she decided to remind him of who had taught them this. "And I never would have known if it wasn't for Poppy and the trolls."

Gristle looked up at the trolls, smiling. "Oh. Well, I guess I owe you guys some gratitude. I didn't even know it felt like this to be happy." He looked around, seemingly stunned, adding, "Now if I could only get the rest of Bergen Town to understand..." He looked down.

He felt bad for his people. It wasn't fair of him to hog such valuable information all to himself. As their king, it was his duty to make them happy. It was definitely his concern whether they were or not—he knew what bergens did when denied happiness.

Poppy poked out from behind Chenille, beaming with excitement. "King Gristle! We can help you! We trolls know a ton about being happy. So maybe we could teach the rest of Bergen Town how!" She bounced around in her excitement.

Her friends, minus Branch, smiled and nodded, some whispering their agreement in cheerful tones that conveyed their meaning in a way that the unintelligible words could not.

Encouraged by the trolls' eager responses, Gristle's face lit up. "That's a great idea! I'll have my guards send for everyone at once! This is gonna be a day Bergen Town will never forget!" He leaped away from Bridget in excitement, pointing into the air as he struck a cool pose.

"Right!" Bridget said. "Then why don't we get out of the bathroom now?"

Branch pushed the twins aside like curtains. He figured that, if King Gristle was willing to accept that they didn't need to eat trolls, there was no point in hiding anymore. He could finally make his irritation at this ridiculousness heard. Besides, if they were going to reveal it to all of Bergen Town, he'd need to be a known troll. When—yes, when—things went south, he'd be jumping in to save their sorry butts, and that would go over better if King Gristle wasn't jumping the gun and screaming in terror about an aggressive troll on the loose.

Satin and Chenille looked down at where he sat, Chenille irritated and concerned, Satin only worried.

We haven't explained you to Gristle yet, Branch! Satin thought. What are you doing?

If he makes Poppy start up again, I am going to make him regret it! Chenille thought.

"My thoughts exactly," Branch said.

Gristle looked at the gray troll and grimaced. Now he looked a little concerned. "Bridget? Didn't Chef say you stuck a nasty gray troll in the dungeon for being too aggressive? What's that thing doing here!?" He jumped then, freaking out a bit. His eyes widened a bit as he looked at Bridget's bandaged hands warily. He cringed away from the tiny gray threat before freezing, one arm over his chest and one leg curled up that way as well. He'd stretched his other arm out as if preparing to run.

That thing was dangerous. Chef had said some pretty crazy things about this troll—how his strength was an anomaly for a troll, how he'd been unfazed by his time in the dungeon...and, judging from Bridget's wounds, it was even worse than that! He might have been in real danger here, all because Bridget had brought that creature with her!

Poppy moved to defend Branch, but Bridget beat her to the punch, concerned for Gristle. "It's okay, Grissie!"

He lowered his guard, letting his arms and leg fall back down, as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Branch isn't really aggressive. He's just a little timid and really cares about the other trolls, that's all," she said. "He won't hurt anyone as long as no one tries to hurt the trolls."

Gristle looked at the troll, still worried and unsure.

"Oh, yeah, I'm good," Branch answered a little nervously.

Maybe revealing himself wasn't such a good idea. The last thing he wanted was to be sent back to the aggressive troll cage hanging in the creepy, windowless basement. He could've defended the others without the king knowing he was there. The guy would probably freak out when his people were attacked either way.

Bridget glanced up at him, concerned. I'd better make sure he doesn't have to go back to the dungeon. He doesn't sound much better than Poppy... she thought. "Besides, he's my friend, too."

Gristle stared at Branch for a bit longer, looking nervous himself. The two boys were mirror images of each other. "...Well... If you're sure it's okay, then..."

Wanting to reassure him and protect Branch, Poppy said, "King Gristle! Listen, I've known Branch for a long time, and, just let me say, he's a coward." She gave a somewhat teasing smile, a hint of concern in her eyes. Did Branch seem nervous, or was that just her imagination?

Branch gave her a lame look. "Really?"

"I mean, he's so scared of getting hurt, he locks himself inside a hole and set up tons of security inside and out," she continued with a smug smile, ignoring his complaint. "In fact, it's so bad, he calls it his 'survival bunker' and stocked up on enough supplies to last him ten years or so! He's terrified of all the other trolls back home, too." She crossed her arms.

Branch got to his feet and pushed through the twins, heading toward Poppy. "Hey, you know why—"

"Really?" Gristle asked, cutting him off. "What kind of a troll'd be so scared of his own kind? He must be bad." He gave Branch a look of stunned amazement.

"I know, right!?" Poppy smiled brightly, glad Gristle was believing her little white lies. Sure, Branch wasn't a total coward, but he did fear the other trolls and hide in a bergen and troll-proof bunker. He just happened to have enough courage to face his fears most of the time. "Makes ya wonder why he'd ever stop to defend one of us at all, huh?" Her smile turned smug again.

"At least I'm not so hopeless I can't survive an hour on my own!" Branch countered.

Poppy turned to give him an annoyed lame look. She was trying to save him. Was he missing that? Why bring up her travel troubles now?

Gristle stared at Branch, unfazed. After a moment, he pointed at the troll and said, "This guy's all hot air, isn't he?"

Poppy turned back to Gristle with a smile and said, "You guessed it!"

Branch groaned. Apparently Poppy was bound and determined to pass him off as a craven coward. He wasn't entirely sure why this bothered him—an enemy that thought he was weak was more likely to underestimate him, so he really shouldn't have cared. Considering everything he'd gone through for her, he knew that she couldn't really think he was that bad, right?

Bridget sweat. She knew that wasn't true, and she didn't want Gristle accidentally angering Branch and getting hurt. If he thought the troll was completely harmless, he'd probably get hurt worse than she had a few days ago. "Right, well... Just be nice to the others, okay, Gristle? He's pretty quiet if you don't hurt them."

"Wasn't planning on it," Gristle answered. "So!" He clapped his hands and started rubbing them together. "Who's up for some troll-spread happiness!?" Realizing how that could be taken, he sweat and rubbed his head. "Uh, I mean, the troll way?" He laughed awkwardly.

The trolls all cheered, excited.

"Cool! Then let's get out there and make it happen!" Gristle said. He then led the way out of the bathroom.

Poppy walked over to Branch as she and the others reformed the wig for Lady Glitter Sparkles. She looked at him in concern and asked, "Branch? You okay?"

He crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Yeah, Poppy, I'm fine. Why?" he asked. I am not afraid of these rainbow trolls! And I'm not a coward, either! Cowards don't jump into fights to save other people!

"Oh, no reason. Except you sounded way more nervous than normal back there. Is there something I should know?"

Something she should know? Darkness and screams, terror, pain, suffering... Branch shook his head to clear the memories of the past two days from it. He wasn't about to have a mental breakdown here and now. "It's nothing, Poppy."

She reached to put a hand on his shoulder as she started, "But, Branch, I—"

"Poppy, I'm telling you, I'm fine," he cut her off. "Stop worrying about it."

"Eh-hem..." Gristle cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now nearing my throne room, which is currently filling up with a bunch of angry bergens. Might be a good time to quiet down now, ya dig?"

Poppy covered her mouth with both hands. She didn't really want to be discovered before the king had a chance to explain everything. Branch nodded, even though he knew Gristle wouldn't see it.

"Good," Gristle said in response to the silence. "Now...how to pull this one off?" He tapped his chin, thinking.

He vividly remembered how his dad had lost his throne. After losing the trolls, he'd been overthrown by a bunch of bergens who resented the loss of any hope of happiness. Sure, he was offering an alternative, but what if they didn't believe him? What if they just dethroned him right here and now? As the sounds of irritated bergens grew louder in his throne room, he couldn't help but fear that was the more likely outcome.

He knew one thing for sure: He wasn't going into that room without a good, solid plan first.