Bash watched from above on his mammoth pet, observing with pride as his Crashers successfully overthrew the weak Trolls. It fascinated him that without their queen for guidance, the Trolls were not capable of organizing to stop them. Almost effortlessly, his pack had nearly half of them chased down and shredded. He half expected their blood to be made of glitter.
"What the hell are you doing?!" demanded Archer, who had come up behind him.
This wasn't a surprise confrontation, however. He could easily hear and smell Archer's presence. With a passive glance, he asked in a calm, but commanding tone, "Why aren't you following my orders? I said, kill them."
Archer felt those words like a heavy weight on his heart. "We've never crashed a party like this before. Since when did we start killing people?" he asked, masking his remorse as best he could. "The Trolls are passive and kind, you could've taken what you wanted from them without hurting anyone!"
"Sounds a lot like you're sympathizing with them." Bash got up and circled around Archer, seeking out his weaknesses. "Don't worry, their demise will free you from your Stockholm Syndrome. In the meantime, get over it and go crunch a few necks for me, will you?"
"No!" growled Archer, turning to face Bash.
Bash bared his teeth and growled in return. Standing his ground in a display of dominance. "I'm telling you to go kill Trolls. I'm not asking."
"Not unless you tell me why and have a damned good reason for it! This is wrong!" said Archer, not backing down.
"I've had enough of this!" Bash lunged forward and bit Archer's snout. Making him yelp in pain and instantly forcing him back into nonresistance. After licking the blood from his teeth, Bash towered over Archer as he said, "I don't answer to a scout. Follow orders and remember your place, or suffer the consequences."
Archer rubbed his hands over his muzzle, feeling the sting of the bite and seeing the blood it left behind. This was the first time he was actually hurt by a warning bite and it coming from Bash had him fighting back tears. "I'm not going to help you kill them. I can't do this anymore." he muttered.
"You don't have a choice!" barked Bash.
With ears and tail still down in submission, Archer got up and turned his back to Bash. "Are you going to kill your brother too?" he asked.
For a brief moment, Bash's ears fell at the notion, but he quickly regained his composure. "You're officially banished from our pack. You have ten minutes to get the hell out of here before I send the others after you. If you're killed it's your own fault, not mine."
"Of course not…" sighed Archer as he slipped away.
Bash said nothing.
Once Archer had cleared the boundaries of Troll Village, he sat among the ferns to think. But it was hard to come up with plans when he felt his entire world falling to pieces. There was no pack for him to go home to and there was nothing he could do alone to save all of the Trolls. He felt completely hopeless.
The tears ran down his snout and stung the wound that Bash had left him. It was difficult, but he rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. Forcing himself to stop crying before it started. And it was then that his ear involuntarily twitched at the familiar voice of a Troll nearby, in distress.
Cautiously, Archer moved through the tall foliage until he found the source of the autotune cries. Staying hidden, but able to see, it was Guy Diamond, trying to escape a pursuing Party Crasher. Archer could see that Guy was struggling with some sort of injury, but managed to keep evading his attacker with a combination of glitter farts and throwing rocks at them with his hair. But when he saw the Crasher take higher ground to get around and attack from the front, Archer knew it would be all over for Guy who couldn't see it coming.
Moving quickly and keeping out of sight, Archer got up behind Guy Diamond and tackled him into the thick brush just before the Crasher attacked. Obviously terrified, Guy struggled, farted and tried to scream, but Archer held him tightly with his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.
"It's me, Archer Pastry," he whispered into Guy's ear.
Guy's eyes widened, but he knew Archer. With no other choice, he quieted down, but couldn't control his shaking and heavy breathing.
Archer listened and watched, waiting until the Crasher was far enough away from them before letting go of his grip on Guy. "Are you hurt?" he asked.
"It broke my arm!" cried Guy as he tried to touch his left arm, then recoiled in pain.
"I'm sorry," muttered Archer in return, regretting that he was so rough with his rescue. "I don't if there's any-"
"The bunker." Guy interrupted him. "Branch's bunker. I was trying to get there, but that damned monster…" he stopped, giving Archer a look of disapproval as if he only then realized he was talking to another Crasher, as well.
Archer felt the weight of Guy's look, but took a deep breath. This wouldn't stop him from trying to help Guy Diamond. "I'll help you get to the bunker. Stick close to me," he said, leading the way.
"Follow you or get killed, what choice do I have?" Guy sighed, but followed.
The gliding gears of the elevator echoed louder than Branch could ever remember them having done before. As he, his lifeless queen and her father all descended down into the bunker, the shadows cast across their faces in rows. The same ones as he passed the same rooms and levels that had touched him for years, yet now the moments of darkness seemed even darker than before. Branch wasn't sure how that was even possible.
A light upheaval of dust and the bang of hitting the ground level made Branch hold onto Poppy a little tighter. He didn't dare drop her as a result of the thud from his own elevator coming to a halt. Taking a deep breath, he stepped off of the platform and briefly looked around. The bunker was more than just darker, but colder to him as well. It was as if nothing had changed and Poppy had never come into his life at all. Branch wasn't sure if the change was real or something projecting from within him, but with another heavy breath, he realized, he didn't care. The only point of beauty and light he could see, was the one he carried in his arms.
Looking behind at King Peppy, Branch felt a lump swell in his throat at the sight of him. The lowered, defeated gaze of the once fun-loving, kookie old man, was difficult to see. Not wishing for this procession to linger on too long for either of them, Branch fixated his gaze down a long corridor of the bunker and began walking. Checking back from time to time to make sure Peppy was still following him.
The walk wasn't a very long or complicated one, Branch knew were Poppy could be that she, or them, wouldn't be disturbed. They came to a stop outside of a room that Branch had separated with a wooden door. In the door itself were carvings of rainbows, hearts and smiley faces that had been left by Poppy. Although he knew he would have to see it, seeing the fun vandalism she had left him still was enough to make his heart feel like it skipped a beat.
Branch didn't realize how long he had been stopped, staring at the door until King Peppy made a move. Without speaking, King Peppy had a feeling this was the room Branch wanted to go to and opened the door for him. Also because he was well aware that Branch's arms were full, carrying Poppy.
Inside the room, it wasn't much different than any of the other rooms Branch had dug out for the bunker, for various reasons. Along the dirt walls were a few shelves and cabinets made from small planks of wood and reeds woven together. The main focal point of the room, however, was a massive wood beam that laid on the middle of floor. It was a beautiful piece, albeit strange.
Forcing himself to march forward, Branch took Poppy to the beam and very carefully laid her down on it. He ran the back of his hand over her cheek. The weight of her in his arms was gone, but part of him would have carried her forever. If only to keep her close.
King Peppy walked up beside him and only watched. His eyes gray with a sadness that Branch could not imagine, and didn't want to.
It was only a moment that Branch walked away, but it was necessary. From one of the large cabinets, he pulled out a wooden stool, as well as a large blanket from the top shelf. The stool he placed beside where Poppy rest, giving King Peppy a place to sit. Although, he didn't speak it, Branch could almost feel Peppy thanking him as he sat down to watch over his lost daughter.
The massive peach-colored blanket had another mission. With no noticeable rejection from King Peppy, Branch laid out the blanket over Poppy. Symbolically to let her rest in peace while they mourned her.
And this is where they stayed. Branch and King Peppy, in silence, without color and no reason to leave. That was the case however, until Branch looked up. Someone was knocking outside on the hatch to his bunker.
The sporadic knocking wasn't very loud. This was a tip-off to Branch that it was a Troll before he even made it up to the hatch. He even already anticipated that some might seek out his bunker for protection and he couldn't convince himself that not letting them in was an option. After all, it was the safest place anywhere in or around the village in dire times such as this.
However, he still approached this with caution and only opened the peephole to see who was there first. "Who's there?" he asked.
"Who do you think?" answered Guy Diamond in a hushed auto-tune.
Branch opened the hatch.
When Guy Diamond could see Branch in the daylight, his heart went out to him. "Your colors…" he muttered.
"I know," he said, just as he noticed Archer behind Guy. Immediately, Branch felt as though he were on fire with the amount of rage he felt, just seeing him.
Guy Diamond suddenly shuttered and Archer lowered to the ground. It was as if the atmosphere around them had a sudden charge of negativity they could both sense.
"Archer! You horrible lying snake!" Branch yelled at Archer. "Where the hell were you?! Some friend you are, running off as soon as the Party Crashers got here!"
"Branch, calm down!" said Guy quickly, moving beside Archer. "They'll find us if you keep shouting like that."
"They'll find us because this little prick will lead them to us!" he snapped back, still pointing at Archer.
"I'm sorry! I tried to help when Bash showed up, but I was distracted by-" Archer tried to explain himself, but was cut off by Branch.
"I don't want to hear your excuses!" he snapped.
"Branch!" Guy grabbed Branch's hand with his working arm. "Archer literally saved my life and got me here safely. You know he already knew where your damn bunker was, so he had no reason to do that."
"Or he did, because he wanted to use you as a decoy to get inside." hissed Branch, but he did lower his volume. He accepted that his anger towards Archer wasn't worth giving away their location.
That realization made Guy Diamond's blood run cold, because it was possible. He hadn't even considered the possibility that this was just an act to use him. But as he glanced down at Archer, he felt some of the warmth return. There was something in Archer's desperate, pleading expression that told him it would be okay. With a heavy sigh, Guy replied, "You're right Branch, but I still want to give him a chance. My way of returning the favor for saving me." Archer's smile that followed was sincere enough to reassure Guy that he was doing the right thing. "Besides, you know it's what Poppy would do." Guy concluded, and waited for Branch's response.
Branch was ready to say no. To tell Guy Diamond that he was insane and falling for the puppy eyes of a master manipulator, but he couldn't. He wasn't prepared for Guy to bring up Poppy. That alone was enough to persuade him to act against his better judgement. "Alright, Guy, I'll let him inside. But I expect answers from him and he's going to be tied up and locked in a room."
Archer wasn't surprised by the proposition at all and nodded in agreement. He was ready to do anything to help them and clear his name.
"What even is this room for?" asked Guy Diamond while looking around the large space that was dug out in a very remote part of the bunker. The only features worth noting in it, besides its size, were the bizarre motivational posters all over the walls. Some of them had Guy stifling laughter, while others sent a chill up his spine.
Branch was down on his knees, putting the finishing knots into the pink ropes he used to bind Archer's wrists together. Once satisfied that the bonds would hold tight, Branch stood and looked across the room at Guy. "How're those bandages holding up?" he asked, avoiding the original question.
Guy looked down at his broken arm, wrapped and supported with a green cloth, tied around his shoulder. "It could be worse." he shrugged. Guy approached Branch and Archer, then stopped. It was impossible for him to not notice and internally question the amount of pink bondage material Branch owned. "Maybe I want to know, maybe I don't, so I'll just ask, is all of this necessary? I can't imagine you don't own any large, barred cages or something he can at least sit up in with a little dignity?"
"Why do you even own a pink leash and collar?" asked Archer, looking up at both of them from his compromised state on the floor. It was too difficult to balance upright without the use of his arms, so he gave up after the first and only attempt.
Branch pointed at Guy Diamond, "Okay, you, shush." Then he pointed to Archer, "And you, start explaining yourself. This is the one and only chance you're going to get."
Archer looked up at Branch, then back down to the dirt floor as he took a deep breath. "Okay, so after I told you guys about the other scout and Bash showed up, I seriously was going to go confront Bash myself before anyone could get hurt. But before I could get up on that stupid elephant thing of his, Peter found me and…" he paused.
"And what?" asked Branch, impatiently.
"He, hugged me and wouldn't let go," Archer blushed. "I probably enjoyed seeing him again after almost a month of being your prisoner more than I thought I would. But I didn't completely forget what I was trying to do. I did actually push him away and told him I had to go stop Bash, but that didn't go well either."
"Oooo… who's this, Peter?" asked a very intrigued Guy Diamond.
Archer avoided eye contact as he answered the question as simply as possible, but it wasn't enough to cool the color in his cheeks. "He was the other scout in the village with me." He changed the subject quickly, "But anyway, when I got away from Peter, it was too late to stop Bash. Poppy was gone. Then he howled for a mass kill and I just… Branch, the Party Crashers have never killed like this before. I don't understand what Bash is doing and I'm sorry for everything. But I swear, I'll do anything to help you, and Guy, and anyone else that might be left. Even if it means spending the rest of my life on a leash."
"Why should I believe any of this?" Branch crossed his arms. "Why would you give up your freedom for us?"
"Because being with you Trolls reminded me of the home I left behind. You made me feel safe and loved and treated me like an equal. If giving up my freedom is what I have to do to repay the kindness, then it's the least I can do." he answered.
Guy Diamond wanted to hug Archer so badly, but between his broken arm and Archer's immobility, he settled for petting his head. They both smiled.
Branch wasn't as easily swayed by the flowery words, but accepted the explanation for now. Time would tell if Archer was sincere or just making up something they'd want to hear, and Branch would be ready. Ready to stab the backstabber in the gut to protect himself and the Trolls. It was getting harder and harder for him to feel any remorse toward the monsters that destroyed everything.
"Guy, let's go," said Branch as he walked away.
Guy Diamond frowned, not wanting to leave Archer just yet. "Shouldn't we spend time with him like we did before? He'll be all alone in this creepy dark room."
"Let's go or I'm kicking him out of my bunker. You choose, Guy," replied Branch.
"Well," huffed Guy under his breath. "This is certainly reminding me of someone I used to know." Reluctantly, he followed Branch, but made a mental note that he would make the time to sneak back and spend time with Archer.