A/N: Here's a climactic chapter for you! Hope you enjoy!

TAPDANCING GIRAF – No, not a creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Just a writer who likes to toy with people's emotions. LOL

Fun fact: did you know that when Chef calls Bridget "idget," it actually sounds like the Irish term "eejit," which means idiot? Totally mean, but I actually laughed the first time I heard it in the movie.

Chapter Thirteen – Great Escape

"Have you got my troll yet?" Chef snapped at Gristle Sr.

"Oh, are you getting one, too?" Bridget asked sweetly.

"No, she's not." Gristle Sr. droned. He smiled kindly at Bridget. "She meant the troll that is your birthday present, Miss Bridget. Oh, and a happy birthday to you."

"Thank you!" Bridget turned to a familiar teen. "Hey Grissy!"

"Hey Bridget." Gristle Jr. said with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Yes, enough talking." Chef said. "Eejit—"

"Bridget." Bridget corrected.

"Whatever. Go get your troll while Gristle Sr. and I talk." Chef said.

"I'm not selling you another pet, Chef." Gristle Sr. snapped.

"But you haven't heard my proposition!" Chef protested.

Gristle Jr. approached Bridget and leaned in to whisper to her. "They're going to be like this for a while. Why don't I show you your gift?"

"That'd be great." Bridget agreed. She followed Gristle Jr. farther into the shop.

The Tank Trolls were on the verge of panic attacks. "What do we do? What do we do?" Biggie whimpered.

"Everyone just calm down." Branch said. "Go hide in the shrubbery, and I'll let Bridget take me instead."

"But you can't go back to that horrible woman!" Creek protested. "Even Bridget can't protect you!"

"This is not up for debate, now go hide!" Branch ordered.

Gristle Jr. continued to talk with Bridget on the way to the tank. "Pinkie is really nice, and I think you'll like her. But, if you want, you can take another troll from the tank. I know you'll take care of them."

"I will. I promise." Bridget said. "I just love those little guys."

"Here, Pinkie is sitting right—" Gristle Jr. gasped. He quickly approached the wire cage holding Poppy. "Oh no. Dad! Dad, come quick!"

At the sound of the panic in his voice, the Tank Trolls sprinted for the glass wall of the tank. They stared in horror at Poppy's limp form lying on the floor of the wire cage. She didn't stir in the slightest. Gristle Sr. hurried over and lifted the cage to better look inside.

"Oh dear." Gristle Sr. murmured. "The poor thing."

Gristle Jr. looked like he would cry any minute now. "Is she…."

Gristle Sr. sighed and set the cage down again. "Now, son, it's all right. Maybe she just got sick."

"But she looked fine!" Gristle Jr. insisted. "I swear she was fine!"

Branch pounded on the glass. "Poppy! Poppy, please don't be dead. Please."

"Oh our poor sister." Satin sniffled, and Chenille comforted her.

Then, Poppy opened her eyes. She winked at Branch, and then went back to lying still with her eyes shut. Branch gasped. "She's not dead! She's faking it!"

"Why?" Smidge asked.

"Yes, why would she do that?" Guy Diamond asked.

"Son, we can't do anything about it now." Gristle Sr. said. "We just need to take care of her."

"I'll take her off your hands!" Chef offered.

"Back off!" Gristle Sr. snapped. "I'd rather feed that troll to Lucifer!" In fact, the watchdog leaned her front paws on the counter and sniffed at Poppy.

"Actually, Dad, I want to bury her." Gristle Jr. said. "Can I? In the backyard?"

"Of course, son." Gristle Sr. said. "Go right ahead."

"He's gonna bury her!" Suki gulped.

"No, that's perfect!" Branch said. "She can escape out that way! Lucifer will help her!"

Gristle Jr. picked up the cage holding Poppy. "Bridget, go ahead and pick another troll, if you want. I'll be right back." He held up the cage when Lucifer tried to jump up and grab it. "No, Lucifer! This isn't for you!"

Just as things were starting to go their way, Randy suddenly arrived. He perched himself at the window, making sure no one saw him. "Psst! Hey trolls! I found Poppy's dad!"

Only Smidge heard him, and she hurried over. "Really?" she asked.

Randy adjusted his position so Peppy and Rosiepuff could be seen on his back. "Where's Poppy?" Peppy asked. "Where is she?"

"Uh….." Smidge looked back to the Tank Trolls, who watched Gristle Jr. try to push Lucifer away while keeping Poppy hoisted above his head.

Peppy followed Smidge's look, and he saw Poppy in the wire cage. He gasped when Lucifer managed to clamp her teeth on the bars of the cage. "Randy, get in there!"

"I can't go in there!" Randy protested.

"Yes you can! Now move your tail!" Peppy jabbed his cane into Randy's rump, and the wingdingle screeched as he shot forward. He hit the troll tank and started flapping about the shop, startling everyone inside.

"Look out!" Gristle Jr. warned as Randy darted over his and Bridget's heads.

"What the heck is Randy doing?" Creek gawked.

"He's got Poppy's dad!" Smidge said.

"Wait, where is Poppy?" Branch scanned the shop, and he realized Gristle Jr. still had a firm grip on the wire cage. Lucifer had let go of the cage and now chased Randy around the pet shop.

"Get that bird!" Chef screeched. She suddenly fell when Lucifer plowed into her legs.

Gristle Sr. grabbed a bug net from the wall and began swinging it at Randy, trying to catch the bird. "Come on, hold still! Nice birdy!"

Randy didn't like being in enclosed spaces, and he flew around wildly trying to find a way out while also searching for Poppy. He narrowly avoided Gristle Sr.'s net. Peppy and Rosiepuff buried themselves in the feathers on the back of Randy's neck for protection. It was so disorienting that they couldn't even take a moment to search for Poppy again. Meanwhile, Poppy did her best to lay still and play dead until Gristle Jr. could take her outside. It wasn't easy to do so when Gristle Jr. kept swinging the cage around.

Gristle Jr. and Bridget slammed into each other, and Gristle Jr. dropped the cage. "Bridget, watch out!"

"Huh?" Bridget yelped as she fell right on the wire cage, breaking the flimsy thing apart. Gristle Jr. quickly helped her up.

"All of you, stay here!" Branch darted to the hole in the tank and made his way to the cabinet door.

Randy made a quick turn, and Gristle Sr. couldn't stop himself before he tripped over a stack of pet beds. Hovering in place, Randy finally found a moment to catch his breath. Peppy climbed up and looked around for the wire cage that held Poppy. He found the broken cage on the ground, and a strangled gasp escaped his throat when he saw his daughter's seemingly lifeless body lying in the wreckage. Time seemed to slow to a halt as Peppy stared in horror.

"Poppy….." Peppy felt his heart pounding. She's gone….she's gone….she…

Rosiepuff noticed Peppy's look, and she followed his gaze. She gasped. "Oh, no."

Quite suddenly, the chaos returned. Gristle Sr. threw his son's coat over Randy and held the bird in a firm yet gentle grip. "Okay, take it easy!" Gristle Sr. said as Randy struggled.

"Poppy!" Peppy shouted.

Poppy perked up when she heard the muffled shout. "Dad?"

"Out with you, go on!" Gristle Sr. made it out the front door of the shop and threw Randy into the air. The wingdingle flew off with Peppy and Rosiepuff in tow.

"Princess!" Branch hurried to Poppy's side and helped her stand. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Poppy said. "Did I hear my dad?"

"Look out!" Branch pulled Poppy away just before the bristles of a broom could hit them. Branch hoisted Poppy onto his back and ran off with her while Chef chased them around with a broom in her hands.

"Stop that!" Gristle Jr. shouted. "Leave them alone!" Bridget hid behind the front desk, and Gristle Sr. was pushed right into a shelf by Chef. The shelf toppled over, and Branch and Poppy disappeared under it. Chef continued to stab one end of the broom into the mess, searching for the trolls.

Guy Diamond glared hatefully. "That's it! No more sitting around!"

"We have to help them!" Smidge agreed.

"Tank Trolls!" Creek called. "Operation: Berry Bomb!"

"Let's do it!" Satin and Chenille said simultaneously. They lowered their loop of hair, and Biggie pushed back against the loop until it stretched back quite a ways away, like a slingshot.

"Ready?" Creek called.

Biggie pulled an acorn cap over his and Mr. Dinkles' heads like helmets. "Ready!"

"Aim!" Creek ordered.

Suki and Fuzzbert positioned the makeshift slingshot to the lid of the tank. "Ready!" Suki called.

"Fire!" Creek commanded.

Satin and Chenille launched Biggie and Mr. Dinkles into the lid, breaking it open and sending them soaring. "We can fly, Mr. Dinkles!" Biggie cheered.

"Mew!" Mr. Dinkles said.

"Let's go, trolls!" Creek urged. With Satin and Chenille's help, the trolls could bounce out of the tank, pull the twins along with them, and run right for Chef. They threw things at her, pushed stuff off shelves to land on her, and yanked on her hair. Chef smacked at them and tried to brush them off, but it seemed nothing would stop them. Creek and Suki helped Branch and Poppy crawl out of the mess from the fallen shelf. The two crippled trolls were unharmed, thankfully, and could join in the scuffle. When Chef backed up, trying to get away from the trolls, Branch and Poppy looped their hair together and stretched it out, tripping Chef and causing her to stumble until she landed face-first into a fish tank full of crabs. When she pulled her face out of the water, one of those crabs pinched her nose and two more grabbed her ears.

"Get 'em off!" Chef shrieked. "Get 'em off!"

"All right, all right!" Gristle Sr. huffed. "Just hold still!"

Gristle Jr. grabbed a cat carrier. "Bridget, quick! Help me gather the trolls." Bridget finally came out of hiding and helped Gristle Jr. scoop up the Tank Trolls and deposit them gently into the cat carrier. They ignored Chef and Gristle Sr. arguing about the mess of the shop and who was going to clean it up. Chef quickly shut her trap when Gristle Sr. mentioned that he would be calling the police to force her to clean up.

"Is that all of them?" Bridget asked Gristle Jr.

After doing a quick hair count, Gristle Jr. looked around and saw only Ash was missing. "Come here, Ash. Come to your friends." Branch obeyed, though he was confused as to why Gristle Jr. put them in a traveling cage. Gristle Jr. put the grey troll with his friends, and he left the carrier with Bridget before going to his father. "Hey, Dad? Bridget and I are going to get some ice cream."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Gristle Sr. said, handing his son some money. "Chef is going to be cleaning up for a while. You two go have fun."

"Thanks!" Gristle Jr. led Bridget away, taking the cat carrier from her.

"Ice cream does sound nice." Bridget said. "But why are we taking the trolls?"

"You'll see." Gristle Jr. said. "We just need to make one quick stop."

Bridget was confused, but just shrugged and let Gristle Jr. lead the way. Inside the cat carrier, the trolls were confused as to what was happening but thankful everyone was okay. Poppy was praised for her cleverness, and Branch hailed for his bravery. But it was Branch who insisted that the rest of the Tank Trolls were the bravest for coming to help. Poppy only regretted not seeing her father. She was so close to being reunited with him. Branch reassured her. After all, if he was just there, they'd be able to meet up again soon, right? Meanwhile, Gristle Jr. and Bridget walked through downtown, out of Bergen Town, and across a small meadow that sat between Bergen Town and the edge of the forest.

Gristle Jr. knelt on the ground and peered into the cat carrier. He smiled at Ash. "Why do I get the feeling that whole thing was your idea?" Branch shrugged sheepishly. Gristle Jr. laughed. "I know I promised I would always take care of you guys. But I think I haven't been giving you everything you needed. You guys are my best friends, and I love you so much. But I see now that all you need is to be free." Gristle Jr. set the carrier down and opened the door. Tentatively, the Tank Trolls exited the carrier. They looked to Gristle Jr. "Go on. Go be free. Ash will take care of you. Won't you, Ash?"

Branch saluted to Gristle Jr. "You can count on me, Gris."

Gristle Jr. didn't understand his troll friend, but he knew it would be all right. "You guys are going to be just find. Ash is the best alpha you could ask for. Maybe come back and visit sometime, okay?"

Despite his intense desire to leave the tank, Branch didn't think leaving Gristle Jr. would be this hard. He walked up, and Gristle Jr. held out his hand. Branch patted Gristle's hand, smiling in thanks. The Tank Trolls gathered around to hug the bergen as best they could. Then, with sad smiles on their faces, they turned and disappeared into the forest with Branch guiding them.

"I'm gonna miss that boy." Smidge said. The other trolls nodded in agreement.

"We owe him a lot." Branch said. "We'll find a way to thank him later. For now, we have an important mission: finding Poppy's dad. We just missed him, so he can't be far."

Poppy hugged Branch. "Thank you. For everything."

Branch smiled warmly and returned the embrace. A blue tinge appeared on his grey skin. "Let's get you home."

Bridget patted Gristle's shoulder as he stood. "You did a good thing."

"Well, they deserve it." Gristle said. "It's what's best. In fact, I think this is a huge first step for me. After Dad gives me the pet shop when I'm old enough, I want to turn some of the shop area into a rehabilitation center."

"That's a wonderful idea." Bridget said. "You already have a prospective employee who will help, if you like."

"Thanks." Gristle said. "Now come on. I still owe you that ice cream." The two of them walked off, happy yet sad at the same time, and hoping that the trolls would be all right.

Unseen by Gristle Jr. and Bridget, a short distance away, a couple teenage bergens pack up their campsite and prepare to return home. One of them was already packed while the other still had to stuff his sleeping bag in his backpack.

"Would you hurry it up?" the first bergen snapped.

"Hey, this thing is hard to repack!" The second managed to punch the sleeping bag into place and slung his pack over his shoulder.

"Great. Let's go." The first one urged.

"But what about the fire?" The second bergen glanced to the small embers in the fire pit.

"The embers will die out on their own. Now let's go." The first bergen said impatiently, already starting down the trail. The second bergen glanced to the dying embers, shrugged, and joined his friend.

Unseen by the campers, the wind picked up and stirred the embers back to life.

Randy was silent as he flew over Bergen Town. Clouds shrouded the sky as the wingdingle landed where the lake met the forest. He lowered himself down so Peppy and Rosiepuff could slide off him easier. Neither troll spoke. Peppy's eyes lost all their light, and Rosiepuff hadn't stopped looking at him worriedly.

"I'm so sorry." Randy said. "Truly. Your daughter was an amazing little girl." He wasn't sure what else to say. He feared he would make things worse by continuing to talk. So Randy bid the trolls a sad farewell and flew off. Peppy and Rosiepuff turned and walked into the trees, ducking under some shrubbery. After a moment, they came to a creek, and Peppy stopped.

Rosiepuff stared at Peppy. She felt she had to say something. Anything to get him to talk to her. "Peppy? Look, it'll—"

"Rosiepuff," Peppy interrupted her in a soft voice. "I meant what I said back in the hill monster. If it weren't for you, I never would've gotten here. So, thank you." Peppy turned and began walking towards the creek.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Rosiepuff stepped in his path. "Where are you going?"

"Home. Where else?" Peppy shrugged numbly. "Poppy's gone. I couldn't save her. So I'm going home. Alone." He stepped around Rosiepuff to keep going.

"Alone? But….." Rosiepuff was at a loss for words, and then she blurted out, "Stop!" Peppy stopped in his tracks, but he wouldn't turn to look at Rosiepuff. "Please, don't go. Okay, I know I've done so much to annoy you and make you wish I would just leave you alone, but I don't want you to leave. You shared your story with me and I shared my pain with you. And I feel like…like I look at you, and I'm….I'm home…..." She sighed. "I feel like I have a family again. I almost forgot what that felt like. And I don't want to let that go. I don't want to be alone."

If Peppy's heart could break anymore, it would now. Truthfully, he did want to have Rosiepuff stay with him, for company and a shoulder to lean on. But Rosiepuff reminded him of his failed mission to save his daughter, reminded him of his biggest mistake. He just couldn't live with that pain.

"I'm sorry, Rosiepuff. But I do." Peppy said.

Rosiepuff stared at him, feeling her heart shatter. She watched him climb up onto a fallen tree branch laying across the creek. Then, as he got to the middle of the creek, Rosiepuff ran after Peppy and grabbed his arm.

"You promised." She said. "You promised you would help me find my grandson. Let's go back to Bergen Town and then—"

"Open your eyes, Rosiepuff!" Peppy snapped. "You've been looking for your grandson for ten years! He's already dead!"

"That's not true." Rosiepuff insisted.

Peppy twisted his arm around of her grip. "If my daughter couldn't survive a week in Bergen Town, what makes you think your grandson lived ten years as a prisoner to one of those monsters? He's been dead for years. Accept it now, before you get hurt."

"He's not dead. I know he's not."

"No, you hope he's not. But he is."

"You promised you'd help me find him."

"I didn't mean it."

"Oh, so you're only going to help me as long as it's convenient for you?"

"Let it go, Rosiepuff." Peppy jumped to a pile of thin sticks and grass on the banks of the creek.

"Hey, hold it!" Rosiepuff leaped over to the stick and grass pile. "Listen to me. I—" She and Peppy froze when they heard cracking, and they realized the stick-and-grass foundation at their feet was far from stable. Rosiepuff shoved Peppy backwards and onto solid ground right before the sticks broke apart and dumped her into the deep creek. The current swept her away.

"Rose!" Peppy sprinted along the banks of the river, following Rosiepuff as she struggled in the strong current. Peppy reached some rocks atop a short decline, and he threw his hair out into the water. Rosiepuff managed to grab hold, and she held on tight so the water wouldn't pull her away. She managed to pull herself onto the sand, coughing. Peppy reeled his hair back in and climbed down the rocks. He ran over and helped her stand. "Rosiepuff, are you—"

"Don't touch me!" Rosiepuff shouted, shoving him away. "Just get away from me!"

"I was only trying to help." Peppy said.

"You've never helped! You were always a distraction! I wasted so much time trying to help you!" Rosiepuff shouted.

"Well it wasn't exactly a joy to travel across the forest with you!" Peppy yelled. "I wish I never met you!"

"I wish I did have short-term memory loss just so I could forget you!" Rosiepuff countered.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"I never needed you anyway!" Peppy snapped. "And you don't need anyone to help you find Branch because you're never going to find him!"

Rosiepuff's glare faltered, and true hurt shined in her eyes. "Fine." She turned away from Peppy, but her trembling shoulders gave away her sorrow. Peppy's angry expression melted, and he sighed in defeat. He knew there was nothing he could say to make this better. He turned and walked towards the forest. When Peppy heard something hit the sand, he turned back and saw Rosiepuff had collapsed to her knees. She could quiet her sobs, but she couldn't hide the tears streaming down her face. Part of Peppy wanted to go down there and comfort her. But the other part of him doubted he could do anything to fix the mess he made. Sighing softly, Peppy continued his journey into the forest and left Rosiepuff behind.