Poppy accidentally stepped on a spiky rock and winced when her left foot was cut open. It didn't stop her from walking a few more steps until she dropped, exhausted, in the middle of the daisy field, using the flowers as a shield. The advantage of being gray was that her bright pink colors wouldn't give her away.

There was so much to take in… the nightmares weren't nightmares… Branch was connected with Rock Poppy.

While she was worried about Branch longing for someone else, her boyfriend was silently facing a battle every night. And without knowing it! How could he stand it on his own?

Maybe she shouldn't have given him space… maybe she should have pressured him to speak up about what was wrong.

Didn't he see her as someone who would stand by his side, unwavering, no matter what? Did he still think her love was fragile as they discussed once? For Hair's sake, the last thing her love should be called was fragile. It was strongly fighting to keep the flames awake under the alarming circumstances.

Suddenly Poppy feared how much Branch was willing to keep to himself. What kinds of secrets he wouldn't share? Knowing she got his name in a gift swap and not telling her? Scandalous!

How long did she have until The Sadness reached her heart completely?

The Branch from the desolate universe implied his Poppy died from Sadness. Hair… she didn't know that sadness was an illness. She didn't know it could be fatal.

How did Branch survive for such a long time being gray?

Her heart seemed to hurt more than the foot she cut open. The pain came in suffocating waves, reminding her that the only way out of the swirl of affliction was to find a reasonable path through it.

What if things were reversed? How could Branch take it if she had been the one to go through a traumatic experience?

Would he ever be able to forgive her if she kept it to herself?

'You can forgive him.' A different voice seemed to speak into her head. Neglecting the pain in her foot, Poppy hugged her knees. She could continue dating the love of her life as if nothing had happened. She could forgive... but would she ever be able to forget?

The beautiful and sugar-coated relationship she envisioned would become so bittersweet.

It was so dark at that moment that Poppy realized Trollstopia was going to have a cloudy night. The rain threatened to fall at any moment and her arms were so cold she could barely feel them.

To think it all had happened because Bernadette had gossiped about Branch not being good enough to date the Queen. His lack of self-confidence caused Branch to look for answers in other universes. In a universe where he was good enough. If only he knew then…

Poppy sniffed and buried her face in her knees.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Val Thundershock wasn't the kind of girl who would go looking for someone who didn't want to be found. Leaving them alone to lick their wounds in peace felt much more like her style.

But Poppy was too special for her. Their friendship had bloomed beautifully and Val felt it was worth going against her instincts to help a friend in need.

She had to light up her hair in the middle of the trail. Her purple locks lightened up a path among the grass. The night was so dark it was giving her the creeps. Val was a rock troll for Hair's sake. She loved creepy stuff, right?

Val didn't enjoy blood, though. She saw a puddle on the ground and immediately feared for her friend. She hurried up, following the dark red footprints. The grass got taller and daisies started showing up. Soon the footprints disappeared and only drops of blood were there to be traced.

Gray feet showed up from among the flowers. Val swallowed a lump in her throat and put one flower out of her way to reveal a queen completely hopeless, hugging herself as if she might disappear into her nightmares.

"Poppy...?" Val asked quietly. The queen merely tensed as a response. She didn't lift her head from her knees. "You know… being gray sucks. I remember when we lost our music." Still no answer. "I'd love to understand a bit of what happened, but I totally respect it if you don't want to talk about it." And once again, no movement from Poppy.

Well, Val wasn't the most patient troll either.

"I suppose you broke up with Branch." Val shrugged. "He was furious back there."

That made Poppy sniff a bit louder. Good. Reaction.

"And I think you went to Lownote Jones for help, right?" A shuddered breathing answered her. "They are great to help us. R&B helped me when I messed up real bad, once."

"Unfortunately…" Poppy slowly raised her head, showing Val how puffy her eyes were. "... it's more complicated than that."

"Nothing is too complicated for them," Val tried to sound cheerful, sitting down beside her. Val moved closer, seeing the ugly cut on Poppy's foot for the first time.

Val noticed then that maybe Poppy wasn't just sad. Maybe it was something more serious. How could she not be screaming out in pain with a cut like that?

"Val…" Poppy leaned back, sighing, completely helpless. "I'm sorry, but-"

"You're Poppy. Queen of positivity, for Hair's sake! Don't give up!"

"I …" Poppy's voice cracked and she swallowed down a lump in her throat before continuing. "... if Branch and I could start over… and make different choices..."

Hearing her words, Val clenched her jaw.

"It was interesting visiting other dimensions because…" Poppy whispered, "one word, one different turn on the road, one decision, or one fraction of time of hesitation could lead to a totally different fate."

If she knew how to stop the rumors… if she had stopped one bitter troll from gossiping… then maybe Branch wouldn't have doubted himself in the first place.

"Now it's an interdimensional mess." The queen laid back on the cold and wet floor. Rain washed over her and she didn't seem cold at all.

"Maybe…" Should Val reveal her own big mistake and how she fixed it? Poppy was unaware that there was a way to go back to the past and set things right. Not that Poppy's problems wouldn't have consequences when being fixed. It wasn't just a plant that would be on her desk for six months. "... there's a way."

Poppy tiredly opened one eye.

"If you never mess up first place, then there's nothing to be fixed." Val pondered out loud.

The pink girl slightly turned her head to her friend.

"When you gave us the Strum Plums, I threw mine away." Val suddenly felt bothered by the rain, "and when everybody's flowers bloomed I wished I hadn't done that… so… R&B helped me to go back to the past and stop myself from getting rid of it."

Poppy slowly sat up.

"You're saying I can travel to the past and stop…" Poppy halted before she revealed a piece of information she didn't wish to share.

"I'm sure R&B will be willing to help." Val finally felt confident. Poppy was going to stand up and fight!

"I need to understand it better." The shade of gray lightened up and Val hoped to see some pink in a few moments.

"C'mon, let's find the girls, then!"

Val grabbed Poppy's hands, helping her to stand up. She was cold as ice and she winced when she stood up.

"Oh, sugar. Poppy, your foot." The trail of blood was washed with the rain, but it didn't make the wound look less ugly.

"It's not even hurting." The queen lied and started walking down the same path she came from.

"Ok, at least let me help." Val put Poppy's arm over her shoulders so they could walk faster.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

B was the one who allowed both Poppy and Val inside the Funk spaceship. R was busy heating them some warm tea, after all, they were soaked. The unmentionable grayness seemed to make everyone clench their jaws.

Lownote Jones had warned the sisters. If everything went along with the time design, Val would bring Poppy back and mention the time-traveling skates.

"We're happy you're safe, Poppy." R gave her a cup of tea, which the queen accepted.

"We were really worried." B completed, looking at Val for some clue about what they were supposed to talk about since they feared causing more damage to the sad Queen. "And your condition is…"

R moved over to Poppy and scanned her with a bright light that came from one of the remotes.

"The grayness is reaching the heart." R announced, grimly.

"Can we help with anything?" R asked, trying to hurry the girls since Poppy's condition seemed urgent.

"Actually…" Val tapped the tip of her fingers together. "Poppy needs to fix something by going to the past." It was the perfect solution. Fixing the past would even prevent Poppy from getting sick. R&B stared at each other, having confirmation of Lownote's predictions. "Yes, I told Poppy about the skates… and the plant."

The funk sisters didn't look surprised.

"We're glad to help, Poppy, but…" B looked at R for backup.

"... we need to know what it is that requires fixing, so we won't change the course of space and time, you know." R continued.

"It's not that simple."

Poppy held her breath for a second. She didn't want to reveal all of it. It was humiliating enough just to know that she couldn't face the challenges that unfolded in front of her.

"I need to stop Branch from going through a multiverse trip," Poppy said, ashamed.

"Oh…" R sighed.

"About that…"

"Are you sure of what you're asking, baby?" The door from the private rooms slid open and Lownote Jones walked inside the hall. "You must be aware of the consequences."

"Isn't it like… she just must be careful not to be seen?" Val asked.

"No, Val." Lownote shook his head. "Your situation was simple to solve, but Poppy's…" the queen looked away, not being able to look anyone in the eye. "... it's complex. You see… how many events happened as a consequence of Branch's visit to the multiverse?"

Many events. Their growing intimacy. Their trip to the beach during the snow weekend. Many kisses and hugs. Confessions and understanding of each other wouldn't have happened so fast otherwise.

They would still be stuck at simple pecks. Hair… - Poppy scrunched her eyes closed - Rock Poppy kissing Branch showed up in her mind. That would be fixed as well. That interdimensional bound they created.

"We're talking about events that will change not only things that happened between the two of you, but everyone involved. And your memories of them… they will all be gone, baby." Lownote explained getting a grave silence as an answer.

Poppy felt her head spinning and took a step closer to Lownote. He moved forward, ready to catch her if her knees gave out.

"I need to understand this multiverse thing." Poppy lowered her voice. It wasn't her wish everyone heard what she had to say.

"I suppose you have many questions."

"Rock Poppy mentioned a connection…"

"Ah," Lownote blushed as if being caught off guard. "You see…"

"Just be forward with me." Poppy begged, "I'm tired of uncertainty."

"Well…" Lownote quickly looked at the puzzled trolls, who were staring at them at a safe distance. It seemed nobody would hear him. "It's safe to watch other universes through the portal, but if you walk into one… you get involved. You channel your other self's feelings and thoughts and synchronize with that dimension."

Poppy looked down at her gray feet. It was tricky all right.

"I never thought Branch would walk through the wormhole." Lownote sighed, "I suppose he's very confused."

"He is." Poppy replied and a bit of hope started sparking into her heart. So maybe Branch didn't really like Rock Poppy… it was all a consequence of the multiverse trip, right?

"I'm more worried about you." Lownote's words made Poppy look up at him. "You were sad already when you asked to explore, but… you synched with that universe where you're…"

It didn't matter if she was gravely ill with sadness, Poppy thought. If she could go back in time then it all would be fixed, right? Her mistakes and her right-doings.

Her greatest act as a queen, which was putting Bernadette in her place, was going to be erased.

And Poppy knew exactly where she had to be to stop it all from happening.

"I need to go back to the day Branch left to see King Quincy and Queen Essence." She raised her voice, struggling to keep still.

"That's a long time ago, Poppy." B protested.

"You do realize once you do it, you won't remember doing it in the first place." R explained, "you will have completely different memories from that point forward. Like… re-writing months of your story."

"That's what I wish," Poppy said firmly. "It's a second chance."

Val was biting the tips of her fingernails. Not only Poppy and Branch's memories would be different, but they could affect hers too. Hair, it could affect the entire Trollstopia for all she knew.

"Okay then…" it was B who put the skates down in front of the queen. "I'll adjust the date and we are good to go."

"You have to go, too?" Poppy asked in confusion and suddenly fearing to be exposed.

"You'll need us to protect the timeline." R explained.

She didn't have much of a choice, Poppy realized.

But it didn't seem fair to go just like that.

Branch would be the one most affected.

"Wait." Poppy halted, getting all eyes to turn to her. "I… I must talk to Branch first."