A/N: A lot of fluff this chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. The songs in this chapter (partially and in full) are, in order, "Better When I'm Dancin'" by Meghan Trainor, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, and "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You" by NSYNC.
Shortly every bergen in Bergen Town was gathered in the throne room. Gristle stood in an adjoining room with Bridget, the eleven trolls atop his head now, hidden by his crown. If he thought he was nervous, that was nothing to how some of the trolls were starting to feel.
Biggie listened to the babble of voices in the throne room and fidgeted nervously. "Oh, there certainly are a lot of them."
How would they get out of this if it went poorly?
"Don't worry. Poppy's got everything under control," Branch said sarcastically.
"Right, Branch. Thanks. I was worried for a minute," Cooper said, apparently relieved.
Branch smacked himself in the face, amazed at the giraffe troll's stupidity. How did he struggle so much with sarcasm?
"It's almost time," Gristle said. "You guys sure about this? Us bergens can be...really unreasonable sometimes."
"Relax, Gristle. We've got everything under control," Poppy assured him, cool, calm, and collected. "Right, guys?" she asked, turning to her friends with a confident smile.
Nine trolls nodded and answered with a jumble of yeses and yeahs. They sounded just as confident as Poppy, and DJ, Cooper, Smidge, and Guy even seemed excited about this.
Gristle wasn't too sure about that. He hoped the trolls really did have this under control. His people were notorious rioters if they didn't get their way or were bothered too much, so the odds of any of them getting out alive weren't all that good if something went wrong.
Branch shook his head and backed away. He seriously doubted they had anything under control, but they were too deep in this to back out now. "You guys have fun. I'll be over here if you need me," he said.
He'd stay nearby in case of trouble—which was inevitable, he was sure—but he wanted to make it brutally clear that he didn't approve.
"Okay," Gristle said in response to Poppy. He was still a bit nervous, but he took strength from most of the trolls' reactions. "Here goes!" He headed into the throne room, waving back to Bridget with a confident smile, as he said, "Wish me luck, my love!"
He was sure he'd need it, but most of the trolls seemed to know what to do. Hopefully this would work out.
"Good luck, Grissie!" Bridget answered obediently.
The crowd was annoyed, but that didn't prevent Gristle from waving brightly at them. "Uh, hello, everyone! I guess, from the looks on your faces, you're all wondering what this is about?"
This was very uncomfortable for him, but he put on a brave face anyway. A king should never let his people know that he's worried about what they might do, after all. Besides, this wasn't any different than their reactions to all of his Bergens Unite attempts a couple of years ago—a complete disaster that had done nothing but anger everybody. If he could survive that, Gristle figured he could survive anything.
"Oh, yeah, we are!" one bergen answered in irritation, waving his fist in the air. "I'm missing my soap opera for this!"
"What do you watch that junk for? Your life's a soap opera!" a bergen woman answered him.
The man clenched his fists and moved toward the woman. "Why, you no good—"
"People, people, calm down!" Gristle cut off the argument, holding his hands out in a placating manner as he tried to keep the worry he felt inside off his face. "Now, I know you all live very busy lifestyles, but I can assure you there's a real good reason for us to be here today!"
This was going about as well as any Bergens Unite attempt. It was only a matter of time before it went south.
A thin, bald man wearing a yellow T-shirt, tattered brown knee-length pants, and brown sandals shook a fist in the air, glaring at the king as he called, "Yeah!? Well, there better be! I've got a funeral to attend to! My own!"
"Eh-hem..." Gristle coughed into his fist. He hoped this next move would calm everyone down some. "Allow me to introduce to you the true keys of happiness!" He jumped, spreading his body into an X shape with his arms up in the air. The smile on his face indicated his excitement.
"What!?" the crowd exclaimed.
"We're having trolls!?" a woman asked excitedly.
"Cancel your funeral, Hank!" someone said, waving to the bald man. "You don't wanna miss this!"
Gristle waved his arms around frantically and said, "No, no, no! We're not actually gonna be eating trolls!"
Poppy chose that moment to do something that, shortly, they would all view as completely idiotic—she jumped from Gristle's head to his throne with a big smile on her face and her eyes wide. She said, "You're having a party with them!"
"WHAT!?" the bergens exclaimed. Then a babble of indistinguishable fury and disbelief started up.
Gristle looked around, growing nervous again. This was definitely looking like the latest edition of Bergens Unite, and those ideas never went well. Poppy was starting to understand Gristle's warning now. The bergen crowd was making her feel a bit uneasy, too.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Chef demanded, pushing her way through the crowd. She was glaring daggers at the king.
Poppy's eyes widened in horror, and she backed up a bit. Chef was the last bergen she needed to see right now.
On Gristle's head, the Snack Pack recoiled in fear. Hidden though they were, they were intimidated and worried for Poppy. Branch, on the other hand, startled them all slightly when he moved forward. Unless they were very much mistaken, it looked as though Branch intended to protect them. Under different circumstances, they would have asked. As it was, they were all too scared to say anything.
"King Gristle! Just what do you think you're doing!?" Chef demanded furiously. "You can't have happiness without eating trolls!"
Gristle tried his hardest not to cringe away from his angry chef, but his nervousness showed on his face and in his tone when he said, "But, Chef, that's not—"
Bridget came running out and stood by the throne, saying, "Yes, you can! We have it!"
The bergens in the audience gasped in shock. The idea that anyone could be happy... It was just so far fetched.
"But you have to eat a troll to be happy!" a bergen man said—Bibbly, the local bib salesman. "Everyone knows that. ...Don't you?" He cocked his head, looking around at the crowd.
"But—King Gristle's never eaten a troll in his life, right!?" Poppy countered, gesturing at the king.
Gristle looked at Bridget seriously and said, "No. I haven't." He smiled warmly at her. "And yet here I am..." He reached out, beckoning Bridget to him with a loving look. Smiling, she approached, and Gristle took both her hands as he said, "My belly empty...and my heart full..." He stared at her with a smile, his love for her overflowing.
The bergens murmured, some seeming to find this cute. One woman cupped her hands to her cheek, smiling. Looking around, it seemed that the crowd wasn't as unreasonable as Gristle had feared. They seemed ready to accept this answer. Maybe this would end better than Bergens Unite, after all.
Poppy smiled, excited. Her plan was working. Soon they'd be able to go home. Then she could get her dad to let Branch come home. And, once she was finally queen, she'd change that law and make sure nothing like that ever happened to any troll ever again. And, if that wasn't good enough, soon the trolls and bergens could become friends, and no one would get eaten ever again! This was a dream come true, and she couldn't wait to share the news with everyone. Nothing could stop them now!
One crazed-looking bergen aimed to prove her wrong. "Don't listen to her!" Chef exclaimed, shoving through a couple of bergens on her way to the king. "There's only one way to be happy! My way!" She snatched Poppy up in her fist violently.
This reaction startled both Gristle and Poppy from their thoughts. Gristle assumed this was the usual unexpected Bergens Unite disaster, and Poppy started to fear that she might have jumped the gun on her thoughts that trolls and bergens could be friends. Clearly some bergens were still against it.
The Snack Pack gasped, eyes widening in horror, and cried out, "Poppy!"
Branch said nothing, momentarily frozen in horror.
"No!" Bridget cried.
"With me in charge," Chef said as she grabbed Gristle and plopped him into the throne, hard, "I'll serve you troll every day of the year!" She shoved the pink troll into Gristle's hand, scaring the king with her aggression. "With me as queen, all of life will be a never-ending feast of happiness!" She shoved Gristle's hand up to his mouth, looking psychotic, as Poppy squirmed, trying to get away.
Biggie couldn't contain himself anymore. Poppy was about to be eaten, right in front of them! He started panicking loudly, "Oh, my goodness! Somebody DO SOMETHING!"
Branch recovered then and bolted.
"I think Branch is on it!" Cooper said, seeing the gray troll take off.
Everyone turned to Cooper, stunned, but then anxiously moved to the front of Gristle's head and peered over the top of his crown. "HUH!?"
"Come on! Eat! EEEAAT!" Chef commanded Gristle, pushing his hand slowly toward his closed mouth.
Gristle, now growing rather terrified, quickly pulled loose from Chef's death grip, took the troll by her hair, and lifted her to his open mouth, trembling. It was better to eat this troll and fail once again at this mad scheme of his than to face the wrath of this psycho citizen of his, after all. Who knew if anyone else would try to overthrow him for being dumb enough to suggest that bergens could be happy without eating trolls?
Maybe Branch was right—this was a bad idea. Poppy flailed around, her eyes wide in fear. "No! Not again, not again, not again!"
Yet that mouth was getting closer and closer. So many things had tried to eat her the past few days that she couldn't take anymore of this. And this one seemed most likely to succeed, too! Why didn't she ever listen to Branch? He'd been right so often that it wasn't even funny.
Biggie covered his eyes with one hand and cowered away. He covered Mr. Dinkles's eyes with one finger and cried out, "I can't watch this! Don't look, Mr. Dinkles!"
Then, subconsciously trying to beat Biggie, Guy covered Smidge's eyes and said, "You, too, Smidge! This is too much!"
Hand over her eyes or not, Smidge was about to go save Poppy. However, she never had the chance. While everyone else was panicking, Smidge heard a battle cry join Poppy's cries of terror.
"What was that!?" Smidge asked.
She pulled Guy's hand off her face just in time to see something tackle Poppy, knocking her free of the king's grip. Gristle cringed, releasing the troll, when he felt something whip his hand. Biggie peeked, and the rest stared on in amazement. Chef gave a start, stunned that something had actually stopped the king. She and Gristle looked around for the source of the trouble, Chef surprised and Gristle worried about what was going on now.
The "something" in question reached out with black hair and grabbed the top of the throne. Branch swung them both up toward it, tossed Poppy up there, and landed right in front of her as she was getting to her feet. In his right hand, he held the spiked racket she had given him.
"Nobody is eating her!" Branch said, standing there protectively. "Or any troll! Not if I have anything to say about it!"
The bergens gasped in shock. The Snack Pack was partially relieved and partially stunned at this development.
Chef stared for a moment before glaring daggers at Bridget, snapping, "Who let that aggressive troll out!? You just endangered the king!"
Gristle stared at the troll directly above his shoulder, feeling very unsafe now. And here Poppy had claimed Branch was all bark! I'm not sure who scares me more! Chef or that gray troll up there! Maybe Bridget was right and I really shouldn't have done that! But, if I hadn't, then Chef would've gotten me! There's just no winning in this situation, is there?
The guards moved on Bridget as she protested, "No! He's not—"
"Guards!? Take her away!" Chef commanded.
Gristle's eyes widened in shock. He leaped up to stop them. After all, Bridget had warned him about Branch. "No!" he protested.
Panicked, Poppy pushed past Branch. He didn't make any move to stop her, all of his attention focused on the lingering threat from the bergens.
"STOOOOOOP!" Poppy bellowed.
Already unnerved, the bergens gave a start.
Gristle recoiled in fear. He raised one foot into the air and threw an arm in front of himself, freezing in that position. Oh, now what!?
It was official—Bergens Unite misadventures were even more terrifying when you threw trolls into the mix. What could possibly go wrong next? Gristle wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Even the guards stopped to stare nervously at the pink troll on the throne. She had Bergen Town's undivided attention.
...Okay, I definitely sound like a broken record now, but... She said, "Happiness isn't something you put inside! It's already there! Sometimes you just...need someone to help you find it."
"Can I really be happy!" a bergen asked.
And others followed suit. "Oh, I wanna be happy!" a woman said.
"And me!"
"Sign me up!"
"What about me?" one of the guards asked.
As this continued, Chef looked around with worry, less than pleased with this development.
"Do you really think I can be happy?" Bibbly asked.
"Of course! It's inside you!" Poppy answered with a smile. She turned to glance at Branch expectantly, somewhat hopeful, even, and continued, "It's inside all of us!" Silently, she added, You, too, Branch! Get it together. She hoped Branch had gotten her message as she turned back to the bergens. "And I don't think it... I feel it!"
And Poppy started a song and dance number, hoping to show the bergens how to be happy. "Hmm... Hey. Mmmm."
Right then, seemingly reacting to the singing troll, the lighting changed. Pink, orange, and yellow lights illuminated the room instead of the usual. A pink spotlight shone down on the pink dancing princess. Nobody knew why or even how the throne room's lighting shifted like this, but they didn't really give it any thought. The trolls didn't seem to care, so the bergens didn't worry about it, either.
"Don't think about it," Poppy sang. "Just move your body. Listen to the music. Sing."
The girls all poked their heads up over Gristle's crown, backing Poppy up. Smidge kept her voice down so her deep voice wouldn't ruin the mood. "Oh, ay, oh," the troll girls all sang.
The girls all leaped down to the floor, an array of pink spotlights forming around them as they danced in sync to Poppy's next lines.
"Just move those left feet," Poppy sang as the five troll girls slid and shimmied on cue.
"Go ahead, get crazy," all five sang.
Then the five male Snack Pack members leaped from Gristle's head to the floor, hurrying over to the bergens gathered here. They each planned to encourage and guide the bergens into a dance.
Guy shook his hips and spun in a circle, smiling smoothly, then gestured at a few bergens to try it. Creek leaped around in front of a group of bergen women, trying to look cute and goofy. He smiled at them, trying to encourage them to join in. Fuzzbert approached a group of bergen children and started up a game of Simon Says, teaching them a new dance move with each thing "Simon" said. Biggie hopped into a bergen's hand, swaying and spinning to the music with a smile on his face, nervous or not. Cooper slid over to a group of bergens and cut loose, waving his legs around in some wild dance moves. After each move, he smiled at a different bergen, expecting them to repeat it to the best of their 2-legged ability.
The girls all waved their hands, palms down, back and forth and moved them up their bodies as they stepped from one foot to the other.
"Anyone can do it, sing," Poppy sang.
"Oh, ay, oh," the five girls sang together.
About then, the bergens Guy was encouraging did try his dance moves and felt the beat taking over a bit. They smiled. The ladies Creek was dancing for seemed rather taken with him and started dancing, their bodies taking over as if on instinct. Fuzzbert sped up his game, trying to help the laughing kids settle into more of a dance than a game. Biggie's bergen dance platform started dancing, mindful of the troll in his hand. The bergens near him started as well, following the troll's lead. Cooper's group started dancing in a rather interesting way, doing a dancing version of a round before they, too, felt the beat taking over.
The lights, meanwhile, started shifting through shades of lavender, teal, and sky blue, changing with the song so that it looked as if even the lights were dancing.
Branch put his weapon away, much to Gristle's relief. Apparently he wasn't going to be attacked for trying to eat Poppy. Good to know.
The girl trolls all slid to the left, bopping to the beat.
"Show the world you've got that fire," Poppy sang.
"Fire," the other four echoed.
"Feel the rhythm getting louder."
The girls slid to the right and bopped some more.
"Show the room what you can do," Poppy sang on. "Prove to them you got the moves."
The boy trolls turned to the now dancing bergens, encouraging them to do as Poppy's song instructed through a combination of smiles and hand gestures. This caused some of the bergens to start free-styling it, spinning, swaying, and shimmying. Most of them were actually sticking to the beat of the music, and all seemed to be having fun now.
Gristle looked around happily, seeing his usually grumpy people starting to really enjoy themselves. Apparently trolls really did know how to make everyone happy. Maybe he should ask them for help if he ever tried anything like this again. This was the only adventure in uniting the bergen community that Gristle had ever gotten good results out of. Definitely not what he expected, considering it had started out so poorly.
Gristle looked over at Bridget curiously. He held out a hand, giving her a loving smile, and asked, "May I have this dance, my lady?"
"Of course," she answered. She took his hand and returned his loving look with one of her own.
Gristle then led Bridget out on the dance floor, being mindful to not step on any trolls along the way.
"I don't know about you, but I feel better when I'm dancing. Yeah, yeah." Poppy shimmied to the music, the other troll girls following her lead.
Gristle and Bridget started getting into the song then, smiling at each other. Gristle nodded in agreement with Poppy's song. Many other bergens started to grin, now coming into agreement with this little troll and their king. After all, they knew what happiness felt like. The adults in the room had eaten trolls before, and this felt the same way.
Seeing some of the bergen crowd enjoying themselves, the trolls scattered, trying to get the rest of the bergens into it. This left Poppy dancing alone on the steps up to Gristle's throne.
"Better when I'm dancing," Poppy sang on. "Yeah, yeah."
"And we can do this together," the girls all sang.
Poppy twirled on one foot, spinning in a couple of circles, then started jumping around as the song went on. The bergens who had started dancing moved to teach other bergens what to do. Chef just stood by, watching in horror as her plans fell apart around her.
"I bet you feel better when you're dancing. Yeah, yeah." Poppy started bopping around then, jumping from time to time as everyone else started getting into it, too. "Pa pa ra pa pa pa da da, la la la da da, la la la la da da, pa pa da da."
The bergens that hadn't been dancing before started smiling as they got into this with the help of the dancing bergens and the trolls. Soon everyone was enjoying themselves, save for one angry bergen and one lonely troll.
This can't be happening! Chef thought, furious. How is it that one tiny pink troll can ruin all my plans like this!? I have to stop her before this gets any worse!
Pulling out a knife, she started toward the dancing princess. Nobody noticed her creeping through the crowd, too engrossed in the sudden party.
On the back of the throne, Branch watched in amazement as everyone else had the time of their lives. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"When you finally let go, and you slay that—" Poppy was joined by the other girls, "—solo." She continued alone, "'Cause you listen to the music. Sing—" again the others joined her, "—oh, ay, oh."
Now the bergens and trolls were definitely in the midst of a full-blown party. The lights were dim, rainbow colors spinning around the room, compliments of Guy, who had hung himself from the chandelier as a sort of disco ball. Colorful spotlights shone on the trolls and some of the bergens who were doing better at dancing. Hank even ran off to the kitchen to fetch some pizza, which he rolled in, attracting several bergens to gather around and eat. Everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves, despite the fact that nobody had eaten a troll.
Branch stared at the random party, something he didn't ever think he'd see pop up in Bergen Town. This is...completely wrong. The bergens are happy... He looked down at his gray self. Somehow the idea that the bergens, of all people, were happy now made him question his own emotional state. "...And I'm still not."
That wasn't likely to change any time soon. Once this adventure was over, he'd be back to his solitary life in a gloomy swamp, surrounded by dangerous predators the likes of which no one in Troll Village could imagine.
To get away from that depressing train of thought, Branch looked down at the pink princess, still dancing on the stairs. A sparkly pink spotlight shone on her. She was bopping to the beat, turning to face Bridget and pointing at her with both hands as she gave her new friend an encouraging smile. "'Cause you're confident, babe," she sang. "And you make your hips sway." Poppy gave Bridget a proud grin as she swayed her own hips before hopping around some more.
Bridget smiled at Poppy, grateful to the little troll. To think that, just days ago, she'd been looking forward to the day when she could eat one.
"We knew that you could do it," Poppy sang on. "Sing—"
This time Bridget was the one to join Poppy, "Oh, ay, oh." The two smiled at each other from across the room.
Watching this, Branch realized that Poppy had a thing for just jumping around and calling it "dancing," but he also realized he didn't care. "Well, at least she's safe," he said with a slight smile. Small things that made him feel less miserable. Not happy—that was impossible for him. How in the world would anyone be happy in his position?
Suddenly, however, he saw someone moving carefully through the crowd. "Wait..."
The threat he'd been expecting from the left was, instead, coming from the right. Chef had slipped into the crowd of dancing bergens, hoping that everyone would lose sight of her. That way, she could sneak up on the meddling troll princess and put an end to her.
Branch wasn't about to let that happen.
Chef tiptoed toward Poppy, her knife raised above the troll's head. At the same time, Branch leaped down from the throne, his weapon raised defensively once again as he shielded Poppy from danger once more. Poppy stopped dancing to glance at Branch, eyes wide in amazement. She quickly looked up at Chef in fear.
With the sudden movement of the gray troll and Poppy's song interrupted, the party stopped, all eyes turning toward Chef in concern. Bridget grabbed a spoon off the pizza table—she didn't care why it was there—and threw it at Chef, hitting her in the face and causing her to back away from the two trolls. DJ and Smidge climbed up onto a chandelier, frosting guns they'd brought from the troll tank in hand, while Bridget did that. When Chef backed into their range, they lowered themselves with their hair and sprayed her in the eyes with chocolate and vanilla frosting.
Chef yelled out, covering her eyes in agony, "Ow! My eyes!" She started to wobble on her feet.
Satin and Chenille ran up to trip her up, Satin crying, "Let's do it!"
Using their joined hair, the twins tripped Chef, knocking her off her feet and into Chad and Tod, who grabbed her arms and placed her under arrest.
Gristle leaped back up to stand in front of his throne, glaring at Chef. "Chef!" he said firmly, pointing at her. "For attacking our new friends the trolls and scaring the living daylights out of me, I, King Gristle, hereby sentence you to life in prison! Take her away!"
"What!?" Chef exclaimed, outraged.
Chad and Tod did as commanded, pulling Chef toward the exit.
"You'll regret this, King Gristle! You'll regret thiiiiiis!" The door shut behind the guards and Chef as they dragged her from the room.
Poppy looked at Branch, smiling warmly at him. He'd just saved her life again. How many times was he going to do that? She didn't realize it, but a hint of love was showing in her eyes. When Branch looked at her, he saw this and smiled slightly. It felt all too good to have someone look at him like that. Not with hate, not with pity, but with genuine care. With love.
Of course, that would be when Cooper would choose to butt in, playing his harmonica as he leaned in between the other two trolls. For his part, though, he didn't even realize that Poppy and Branch were having a moment. He was just getting the party started up again.
DJ moved to take control of the music, starting a new upbeat and fun song since the last one had been interrupted. "Alright, everybody! Let's get this party STARTED!" she called out to the crowd. She threw her arms into the air excitedly, standing on the stairs with a boom box she'd pulled from her hair that was playing her new chosen song—Dynamite. With how small the boom box was, she had the volume cranked to the max.
The bergens cheered excitedly, throwing their arms up. Most of the trolls did, too, with Poppy and Branch being the exceptions.
Thus the dance party continued, with Cooper being closer to Branch than the gray troll really wanted him to be.
"I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying ay oh, gotta let go," the song went.
Branch glared at Cooper, very tempted to whip him again for the interruption and for the fact that he was still so close. If he didn't stop "letting go" two feet away, Branch was going to shove those crazy legs of his down his long throat.
Poppy grinned at Branch, giggling slightly. He could be such a goofball when he felt threatened or uncomfortable. She took hold of the hand holding the racket, gently pulling it down to his side. She knew he wasn't likely to use it on someone for something as small as interrupting them, but everyone was safe now. He didn't need that thing anymore. "Come on, Branch. Let's celebrate our victory together..." she said, still giving him that loving look.
Something inside her really wanted to spend some time with Branch and only Branch after what had just happened. He was her own personal hero, and he just kept proving it to her with everything he did.
Branch looked at her, fully intending to say no thanks, but he sighed instead when he saw the look she was giving him. "Fine," he said, putting the racket away.
"I wanna celebrate and live my life, saying ay oh, baby let's go."
Poppy grabbed Branch's hand again and hauled him onto the dance floor. She could understand not singing—he'd given them a good reason why he didn't want to—but she was going to make him dance, at least.
"Oh, come on, Poppy!" he protested. "I don't dance!"
Couldn't she find some other way to celebrate?
Poppy just beamed at him brightly, looking as hyper as ever. "You do now! Now come on!"
After all, what better way to celebrate at a dance party than to dance?
The song appropriately played, "I came to dance, dance, dance, dance," and Poppy started swaying to the music, tugging a reluctant Branch along with her. "I hit the floor 'cause that's my plans, plans, plans, plans."
Poppy pulled Branch along, grinning broadly. She spun him once, then swayed some more. Branch rolled his eyes but, for once, he wasn't fighting her. In fact, he was going along with it instead of making her pull him around. He joined her dance moves. She could hardly believe it, but she loved that he was doing this. After all, no one ever thought they'd see the day when Branch sang, danced, or hugged, and now here he was, dancing on his own. That was one-third of a miracle, and she was enjoying it immensely. She got more into it then, smiling brightly at him as she led him through another spin.
"I'm wearing all my favorite brands, brands, brands, brands."
Poppy swayed with Branch again as the song continued.
Meanwhile, not too far away, three members of the Snack Pack noticed the bizarre dance their princess was having and grew concerned once again.
"Oh, no, Poppy!" Chenille said. "She's actually dancing with Branch!"
"How did she even manage that one?" Biggie asked in disbelief. "Branch doesn't do anything fun!"
"Oh, my ga! It's worse than that, even! Look closer!" Smidge said, pointing worriedly.
"I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying ay oh, gotta let go," the song continued.
Poppy, still dancing with Branch, smiled, eyes closed as she hummed along to the song. She looked to be in love. But she wasn't the only one—his eyes on Poppy, Branch was smiling.
Poppy let go of Branch and spun around on one foot, slid to the left, opening her eyes to look at him both lovingly and encouragingly, then slid to the other side. If he was going to let her guide him in a dance, surely he could dance on his own, right?
As it turned out, the answer was yes, although it wasn't anything extravagant. Branch stepped a bit from one side to the other, keeping in beat to the music. His eyes were on Poppy the whole time, a caring look in his eyes.
It wasn't just Poppy who was in love.
Biggie and Chenille gasped.
"Mr. Dinkles, would you look at that!"
The worm meeped, essentially saying he had told Biggie they were great together.
"I beg your pardon? You most certainly did not!" Biggie said, putting a hand on his hip. "You just told me that Branch was terrible for her!"
Chenille grabbed Satin's arm and started shaking it, saying, "Satin! We've got a Poppy problem!"
How her sister could have been dancing there, completely oblivious to what was happening around her, was beyond Chenille.
Satin stopped dancing. "Huh? What is it?" she asked, looking where her sister indicated.
A bergen then approached DJ, bringing some DJ equipment of his own. He rudely started playing over her music, like bergens often do. At first, it was just a few horrible keys and scratches to get everyone's attention. "Alright! Enough loud and obnoxious music for now!" he said, grinning with excitement.
DJ glared up at him, annoyed, as she stopped her song. "Hey, man! What gives!? I was in the middle of some killer riffs there!"
The rude bergen grabbed a mic out of nowhere, ignoring the troll's protests. Looking romantic, he said, "'Cause now it's time we slowed things down a bit. In honor of our king and his lovely new lady friend over there."
And he started playing a new song, slower this time.
Gristle smiled, proud, moving closer to Bridget. "Aw, gee, guys. I didn't know you had that in you." He blinked, eyes widening slightly as he realized just how accurate that was. "Literally. I mean, that's like the last thing I'd expect from a bergen! Any bergen, I mean!" He looked at Bridget curiously and asked, "You, babe?"
"Other than you, Grissie," she answered. She thought that he was definitely that sweet and romantic.
The other bergens looked around, just as lost as everyone else. After a moment, they shrugged it off and started searching for dance partners. Those who already had a lover turned to them and started dancing. Surprisingly, for creatures who had never danced before, they did fantastic at slow dancing without having any instruction.
Those trolls who hadn't noticed Poppy and Branch shrugged as well and found dance partners. Creek picked a bergen woman to dance with. She put him in her hand and spun them both around while he danced smoothly in her palm. Cooper got DJ to dance with him for now, Fuzzbert started dancing by himself, and Guy combed the crowd excitedly for Smidge.
Gristle shrugged it off. So what if one of his people was acting weird? He looked lovingly at Bridget, holding out a hand to invite her to dance. "Well, whatever. Shall we, my lady?"
She smiled at him with love and put her hand in his. "Let's."
Gristle took both her hands in his and started leading her in a perfect waltz as they made their way to the center of the throne room. A purple spotlight shone on the royal couple as the rest of the room dimmed to a dark blue, with white sparkles from a real disco ball spinning through it. The lighting really did seem to have a mind of its own.
"Can this be true? Tell me, can this be real?" the words of the song began.
Poppy watched Gristle and Bridget for a moment, feeling proud. Then she turned to Branch with a mischievous grin. Slow song or not, he wasn't getting out of dancing that easily!
"Oh, come on!" he protested, but the grin on his face indicated that he wasn't seriously annoyed with her. "I thought you had a boyfriend?"
Poppy just giggled, shaking her head, and grabbed his hands. She knew full well that wasn't the case anymore. Creek had broken up with her, after all.
"How can I put into words what I feel?"
Poppy swayed gently to the song with Branch. She smiled at him. Slow dancing meant physical contact and put him closer to Poppy than he generally wanted to be to any troll, but Branch still went along with it. With Poppy smiling at him, it even felt a little less awkward for him, so he smiled back.
This was what Satin saw in regards to their "Poppy problem." Her jaw dropped. "Is that..."
"Branch dancing," Biggie finished for her.
"With Poppy," Chenille added.
"My life was complete. I thought I was whole."
Gristle, still waltzing, looked lovingly into Bridget's eyes and sang, "Why do I feel like I'm losing control?"
Bridget sighed happily. This was the best day of her life, even better than their first date.
At the same time Gristle did that, Poppy leaned her head on Branch's chest, seemingly forgetting that he was her dance partner. She sighed, content, as the two trolls continued swaying in slow circles. His chest was so firm, strong, probably from all the working out he must have done. It felt so good to rest her head on such a strong and protective hero like him.
Branch blushed, but he impulsively reacted to the new proximity. He released one of her hands and put his newly freed one on her waist. What is she doing?
As the four members of the Snack Pack that weren't dancing took that in, the song continued, "Never thought that love could feel like this."
Guy moved over to Smidge, a rose in his mouth and a smooth smile on his face, as the other trolls stayed silent. "Ah. There you are, Smidge!"
Smidge cringed in annoyance, a vein pulsing in her head.
Giving Smidge a romantic look, Guy started to ask, "May I have the honor of having a dance with—"
"NOOO!" Smidge snapped, turning to glare at him in exasperation. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides as she leaned toward him, frustrated.
Guy tossed the rose and leaped back, crying out. He put a hand to his chest as he cringed away, startled.
Smidge pumped her fists by her sides and said, "Oh, my ga, do you pay any attention!?" She gestured at the pink and gray trolls, still looking at Guy in annoyance, as Guy's expression turned to confusion and concern. "Poppy's got Branch again, and they're dancing to a slow song!"
Guy looked toward the object of everyone's attention, and his eyes widened in horror. "No..."
"And you've changed my world with just one kiss," the song continued.
Poppy looked up at Branch lovingly, a bit surprised. He'd never touched her that way before. "Branch..."
She liked that. Not only was it progress since Branch generally avoided physical contact, but...she just plain liked that. In response to his touch, she wrapped her arms around his waist to get a better grip on him as the dance continued, the two of them no longer keeping at arm's length. Poppy just couldn't help herself right now, even if it was the shy and awkward troll who disliked affection. Why, she couldn't say, but she just had to embrace him right now.
Gristle, meanwhile, continued making those around him wonder if he was secretly a boy band fan as he sang, "How could it be that, right here with me, there's an angel?"
"Oh, Grissie..." Bridget sighed.
Gristle spun Bridget as he spun around himself, never releasing her hands even though they ended up back to back. When the move was finished, they were facing each other again. "It's a miracle," he sang.
Poppy, meanwhile, had been beaming at Branch this whole time, looking more in love with each passing second. Branch looked at her and smiled. Something inside him stirred—he felt...good. A hint of blue crept into his gray coloring, unnoticed by either him or his dance partner. He took the lead then, spinning Poppy in a circle as he held onto just one of her hands. It was the most elaborate dance move he'd done yet, and Poppy's eyes widened in shock as he did it. After the spin, he took her other hand again and started swaying back and forth with her. Poppy smiled lovingly at him once more.
Branch was dancing. She never thought she'd see the day. And now he was even doing his own thing, too. If she'd thought a miracle had occurred before, this was twice as good. He seemed to be getting into the music now, even, which was amazing.
"Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep," the song continued, unaccompanied by anybody.
"And now Branch is leading the dance," Biggie observed, disturbed. He didn't even know Branch could dance.
"Look at Branch," Satin said frantically. "Is it just me, or is he a little less gray?"
It was faint—faint enough that none but the fashion-loving twins or a skilled artist would notice. But Chenille answered, "Oh, no, it's not just you. He's definitely got some color to him."
"Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep."
Poppy looked really happy now. She just looked at Branch, taking him in. The rest of the world disappeared. Branch smiled gently at her, also getting lost in this dance. He spun her again.
Smidge's eyes widened in horror as her hands flew to her face. "Oh my ga. That's horrible! That means the only way for Branch to be happy again is if he hooks up with Poppy!"
Under normal circumstances, Smidge would just plain hate that. She genuinely loved her friend and didn't want anyone hurting her, and Branch had done that many times before the banishment, so Smidge would never have approved of this even if he wasn't banished. But, after seeing Branch take such good care of Poppy recently, her feelings on that were starting to change. He'd heartlessly abandoned her to that wicked bird and caused Creek to break up with her, sure. But he'd also done everything he could to both comfort her and keep her safe. As it was, she was on the fence about the two of them as a couple. However, if neither could be happy without the other, that opened new problems. Poppy was obsessed with Branch—they all knew it. What would happen when they were separated again? Would they both turn gray?
"Has anyone told them he's still banished?" Guy asked in concern. "Because it's starting to look like they've completely forgot!" Silently he added, Why, it's a classic case of Romeo and Juliet! Oh, the drama this is going to cause!
Normally he liked drama, but, in this case, he wasn't so eager to see it. Most drama he ever witnessed was able to come to a happy ending. This, however, would lead to nothing but broken hearts.
The others nodded in agreement. Clearly the couple wasn't thinking about the cruel reality of their situation right now.
"When I look into your eyes, I know that it's true."
Branch started dancing in circles around the room with Poppy, spinning her once as he went along.
Gristle sang, "God must have spent a little more time on you."
Bridget closed her eyes and leaned her head against Gristle's chest, smiling happily. Gristle smiled back and leaned against her as well, swaying with her now as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around his neck.
No kidding, Branch thought. Sure, Branch Appreciation Day seems like the work of a maniac, but...Poppy's been on my side this whole time. She even refused to let me go through bergen torture alone, even if I do wish she'd just let that one go. She's...definitely something special. Loud, obnoxious, and stubborn, but...also gentle, compassionate, and kind.
He'd thought things like that about her before—as a child, he had pushed everyone away so effectively that he spent most of his time alone. That is, everyone but Poppy. The day he met her was the day everything changed. Everyone else was perfectly content to let Branch be, but Poppy kept dragging him along to play with her, even if he didn't participate. She wouldn't take no for an answer because she was so determined that he should be included, and he'd come to appreciate it eventually—a fact he would never admit to her.
"Whoa..." the song continued, and Branch spun Poppy once again before taking her hands, continuing the dance he hadn't intended to have. "A little more time... Yeah..."
The five trolls that were still watching this finally noticed the other happy couple in the room. They found this one far less horrible.
"Aw..." the twins cooed, looking at Gristle and Bridget.
"They look so happy together, don't they, Mr. Dinkles?" Biggie asked, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Meep!" said the worm, agreeing fully.
"I'll say!" Smidge agreed with a smile. "They look way better together than Branch and Poppy! Especially since neither of them has been banished!"
No doubt about it—Smidge was deeply concerned about that. One gray, miserable, and possibly insane troll was bad enough. They didn't need Poppy turning that way, too. Banishment was a recipe for disaster, and Smidge was wishing King Peppy had never done it.
"In all of creation, all things great and small."
Gristle whispered the next line into Bridget's ear, still holding her close and swaying, "You are the one that surpasses them all..."
Bridget giggled a bit happily.
Guy combed the crowd some more, and his eyes widened in indignation when he spotted DJ dancing with Cooper. "Ah! Suki! She's dancing with Cooper now!" He stormed over there, grumbling, "Honestly! What's a troll gotta do to not only get a girl around here but also keep one!?" To himself, he added, What's wrong with the girls around here, anyway? A gorgeous troll such as myself shouldn't be getting sidelined so much! Can't they see just how wonderful I am!? He humphed as he marched over to cut in.
The others ignored him, Smidge closing her eyes as she shrugged it off. After all, Guy's love issues weren't her business. But it did bring up something kind of important... She turned to Biggie and the twins in concern and asked, "Should we tell the others what's going on over there?" as she pointed at Branch and Poppy. "They don't seem to have noticed," she added, looking at Cooper and DJ getting lectured by Guy, then at Fuzzbert still dancing alone, and finally at Creek being rubbed on the cheek of the bergen dance partner he'd chosen.
The apparently loving looks they were giving each other made the twins feel slightly jealous. What was it about Creek that had every woman fall for him, troll or otherwise?
"More precious than any diamond or pearl," the song continued.
Satin put her hands on her hips, and Chenille crossed her arms.
"Well, they're having so much fun," Chenille said, eyes on Creek. "Why ruin it?"
"Although maybe we should go reclaim our troll?" Satin suggested. It wasn't like they could do anything about Poppy and Branch's doomed romance, after all.
Creek then annoyed them some more when he sang to his bergen date, "They broke the mold when you came in this world."
She giggled and blushed in apparent delight. "Oh, stop it. You're just saying that."
Creek grinned at her smoothly and winked. The bergen giggled some more, enjoying the flattery, as the twins watched on with jealousy.
"Admittedly...there isn't much we can do about that," Biggie said, looking at the impossible couple. "I mean, we can't force Poppy to stop being in love with Branch, or vice versa, and we can't reverse the banishment, either."
Although he would love it if they could somehow get Branch un-banished, if that was a word.
"Exactly," Chenille said, nonchalant. "That problem will address itself when Branch is sent away again."
Satin, feeling sorry for the new couple, looked back at them with sympathy. She didn't think Branch was as bad as everyone back home thought, and she really wished that they could bring him home with them. After what Poppy had been through in isolation, it was clear to Satin that Branch shouldn't be all alone, either. "We'll just have to be ready to support Poppy," she said. "She'll need us once reality takes over."
Smidge nodded, looking at the two sadly.
Gristle sang the next line, "And I'm trying hard to figure out just how I ever did without—" he pulled back to look at Bridget, smiling lovingly, "—the warmth of your smile."
Bridget smiled.
Gristle didn't sing the next line, but another guy here was affected heavily by it—Branch got completely lost in the song and picked Poppy up, spinning her in a circle, as the song continued, "The heart of a child." He put her down slowly, taking her hands again.
Poppy smiled lovingly at him.
"That's deep inside," the song played on, and Branch spun them around in three quick circles, not even realizing how into this he was getting, "leaves me purified."
Why's this song have to be so accurate? he wondered, a loving smile on his face as well.
Smidge stared at this. "...Oh my ga..." She sighed sadly, then turned to Biggie and forced a smile. She knew the twins were right, so there was no use dwelling on this. She might as well try to enjoy herself. "Shall we?"
Biggie smiled at her, forcing his thoughts away from the tragic love before him, and answered, "Yes, let's!" He took her hands and started dancing.
"Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep," the song continued, hitting the refrain again as Biggie and Smidge danced away, leaving the twins standing alone rather awkwardly.
They looked at each other, then scurried over to the bergen holding Creek. They fully intended to get the father of their unhatched children back.
Cooper, meanwhile, went to join Fuzzbert, so now the two were dancing at arms length. While neither was interested, they didn't want to stop dancing, so they weren't complaining about their dance partner. Guy now had DJ, but it still wasn't a romantic dance. It was just for fun!
"Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep."
The twins tapped the bergen woman's foot, and Satin said, "Excuse me, do you mind if we cut in?"
Creek and the bergen looked down curiously. Then both smiled, and Creek leaped out of the bergen's hand. She reached down and picked up the girls, saying, "Sure thing, little ladies! Sorry you've been left out." She started dancing with the two trolls, all romantic overtures gone.
Satin and Chenille looked at each other, startled.
"That's...not exactly what we meant..." Chenille said.
Satin shrugged, though, and the two started dancing. Better an odd dance with a bergen and each other than no dance at all. The bergen woman grinned at the little trolls and danced some more herself.
Watching this scene, Creek leaned against a wall and grinned at it. "Heh. They're both so shy sometimes."
Having missed the show himself, he figured the two had been standing around bored this whole time, too scared to ask a bergen to dance. It was a good thing his dance partner noticed. Now they could face their fear and have fun. Creek didn't mind being sidelined for something like that. It was good for them, after all.
"When I look into your eyes, I know that it's true."
Poppy looked into Branch's eyes as he released one of her hands. The two spun out away from each other, still holding hands, then released hands as Poppy spun behind Branch to his other side, where they joined hands once again.
"God must have spent a little more time on you."
Branch took hold of her other hand again, and the dancing continued.
This had been a crazy day, and Poppy could hardly process what was going on now. First Branch had sneaked out of the dungeon with help from Bridget, then their plan to teach Gristle happiness actually worked, then Chef tried to kill her twice—an act that caused her hero to come to her rescue every time—and now she was dancing to a slow song with her hero and every bergen in Bergen Town at a huge party that marked the beginning of a brand new friendship. If that wasn't good enough, her hero was an amazing dancer, even though he hated dancing!
Oh, man. Who knew Branch had this in him? He dances like a pro, even though he's never done it before!
"On you, on you, on you, hooo."
Branch spun Poppy out away from himself, then pulled her back, catching her in his arms and holding her for a second. Her back was currently against him.
"On you, on you, on you, on you."
He spun her around to face him again and took her hand, pulling her off to his left, where he spun her three times, keeping hold of her hand, then pulled her back to him and started swaying again.
Poppy turned herself around to face him, smiling lovingly at him. She loved these new romantic and graceful moves. Branch had never been like this before. Oh, he's just full of surprises, isn't he? She blushed a bit and leaned her head on his chest again, smiling. She closed her eyes, feeling content, as she moved her arms from his waist to around his neck.
Branch gave a slight start before smiling at her. He slid his hands from her waist to her back, effectively giving her the first hug she'd ever had from him, as they kept swaying to the music. That made two miracles in one day. Poppy wondered if he'd start singing soon to complete this transformation, maybe even change colors and be happy. It was hard to say, all things considered, but it certainly looked like it might actually be possible for once.
While the trolls did all of that, Gristle and Bridget both looked at each other with deep love and sang, "Never thought that love could feel like this." They stopped dancing, holding each other close, but kept singing, "And you changed my world with just one kiss."
That was all the more they sang. At that moment, they kissed each other, Gristle wrapping his arms around Bridget to pull her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck. All others in the room stopped dancing to stare happily. Well, other than the two dancing trolls who were currently lost in their own world.
"Aw..." a few bergen woman said.
The twins cupped their hands to their faces and said, "So beautiful..."
"Oh my ga!" Smidge called, cupping a hand around her mouth with a teasing grin. "Get a room, you two!"
"Yeah!" Cooper laughed.
"They really do love each other very much, don't they?" Guy said, now standing by DJ with a smile on his face.
"Ya know it!" she agreed cheerily.
"How can it be that right here with me, there's an angel?" the song played on.
While everyone else was enjoying the bergen love, Poppy and Branch were both coming to their own realizations.
Branch really is something else! Poppy thought. Sure, his hug could really use some work, but it's warm and strong, at least. It feels sort of...safe. As though he'd never let anything bad happen to me. Come to think of that, he won't! She pulled back to look up at him curiously, still blushing. ...Could it...could it be...? she wondered as the song continued, "It's a miracle."
Now she wasn't sure her friends were wrong—maybe she really did have a crush on Branch.
Overwhelmed by the music, Branch hadn't been able to contain himself during this song. He'd managed 21 years without dancing, but this song and this girl had gotten the best of him. The way she looked at him, how she reacted to his touch... It all worked against his resolve to never dance again. In that moment, he felt he would give Poppy anything she wanted. She might even have been able to get him to sing, if she'd implied she wanted him to. Maybe.
He picked Poppy up and spun her again before setting her back down, dancing around in circles with her.
"Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep," the song went on, and Branch started switching directions to the beat of the song. "Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep."
Branch slowed down, looking into Poppy's eyes as they kept dancing. She looked back at him uncertainly before smiling and giving a loving giggle, closing her eyes. If she was going to have a secret crush on Branch, she might as well embrace it herself, at least.
"When I look into your eyes, I know that it's true."
I thought I was over this, Branch thought, gazing into Poppy's eyes as they danced. Over her. There's no way it would ever work out. She's the princess of the happiest creatures alive, and I'm a miserable gray mess. But...this feels nice, and she seems like she's enjoying it. He smiled at her, feeling love for her surge inside him—a love he'd thought he had long since left behind. ...It won't work out, but there's no reason I can't enjoy it while it lasts.
That wasn't like him. Normally he was perfectly willing to deny himself things he wanted, especially if he knew he'd lose it later. Yet today, now, he couldn't. He wanted this girl to be his, wanted it with all his heart, even though he knew it was doomed from the start. But, for once, enjoying the moment seemed more important than facing reality.
As the two trolls were both embracing hidden feelings, Gristle and Bridget broke apart and sang lovingly at each other, "God must have spent a little more time on you."
Everyone went "aw" again, drawing the two trolls out of their trance at long last.
Poppy blinked, wondering what all the noise was about. "Huh? What was—" She looked around curiously.
Branch gave a start before looking around for a threat. What the two saw instead was Gristle and Bridget holding hands and looking at each other with love as the song continued, "On you, you, yoouu..."
Poppy cupped her hands under her chin, overjoyed. "Aw, look, Branch... They look...so..." She started tearing up, and Branch knew what was coming.
"Do not," he said firmly. He didn't want her crying on him again. If she had to cry, fine, but keep it off of him.
Poppy didn't seem to care. She threw her arms around Branch, bawling her eyes out, as she cried, "Happy together! Whaaaa!"
That made two times today that Poppy had grabbed him and started crying.
"Poppy!" he protested, slightly exasperated. He put a hand on her back, though.
"A little more time..."
Gristle and Bridget leaned in for another kiss, eyes closed, as the song neared its end, "On you..."
As the king and scullery maid locked lips again, the crowd cooed, "Aw..."
Poppy, still crying on Branch, smiled over her shoulder at the other couple. "So beautiful... I could just—" She sniffled.
"Could you, maybe, just not?" Branch asked teasingly. "I'm not a tissue."
"Ohh..."
Poppy kept crying as the song ended, not caring. Branch just rolled his eyes. Truthfully, he wasn't that annoyed at it. How could he be? Sure, she was crying on him and getting him all wet, but she was also hugging him again. Wet or not, he'd take all the hugs from Poppy he could get.
It wouldn't be long before he wouldn't get another one, after all.
A/N: Gristle's attempts to unite the bergens come from the Trolls graphic novels, where there were several stories focusing on what Gristle calls "Bergens Unite."