A/N: Just thought that it might break the momentum if I just cut the previous chapter and don't update right away. Besides, I am happy today. Another thing is that I can't sleep the other night, so I decided to work on this story instead LOL. By the way, thanks for the reviews. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just my imagination working.

"Happy Birthday, Princess Poppy!" Branch greeted as soon as he and his Grandma arrived at the heart of the Troll tree where King Peppy decided to set up the party for his daughter's birthday. Besides the fact that it is safer in case a Bergen decided to take one of them again, it has good acoustics as well. The whole place was set up based on the things the princess loves. Hues of pink, red and a few hints of purple dominated the place. Even the mushrooms and the lights that hang on the ceiling that lit up the room were of those colors to match the decorations. A DJ turntable was set at one corner, which Poppy and Branch's friend Suki admired with deep awe. Musical instruments were placed next to it and some Trolls started to play with it. Around it light emitting flowers were placed, which moved with the beat of the music being played. Fireflies were released all throughout the place, they change their colors and flicker with the beat like the flowers. There was a long table placed at the other corner where the food was served. An open huge space was left at the center of the room to make sure all the Trolls will be able to dance and party. And of course, glitters, glitters were everywhere!

"Branchy!" Poppy said as she pointed at him eagerly while in her father's arms. King Peppy smiled at the two guests who just arrived at the party. He let his daughter down and watched as she walked towards her friend and gave him a hug.

"Glad you could make it" the king said as he greeted Rosiepuff, who was standing behind Branch.

"Of course, how could we not make it to the party of our dear princess" she said as she reached for the little pink troll next to her grandson. Poppy looked at her with a huge smile on her face. "Rosiepuff, may I have a word with you?" King Peppy said, which the elderly Troll nodded in response. "Branch, please watch over the princess" she said as she followed the king on a corner of the room. They seem to have a very serious discussion basing on the looks on their faces. Branch only sees that face from his Grandma when he's done a bad thing.

"Branchy!" Poppy called as she tugged on Branch's arm. She saw her other friends, so she started to pull Branch to their direction.

"Happy Birthday Princess Poppy!" all of them said, which the princess replied with a giggle. The children ran along and looked for a good place where they could play and talk, as always. They had to pull Suki out of her trance when they pass the DJ turntable, they noticed that she was staring at it for a while now. Much to the little Troll's dismay, she decided to follow her friends and ran along until they found a spot under a huge glowing mushroom and sat on the floor forming a circle.

"What are your gifts for the princess?" Biggie asked excitedly as he looked to each of his friends. "I got her a photo album of all of our adventures together. Look!" he said as he showed off the album that he compiled. Most of it were pictures of Poppy with him and their friends.

"Oh! Satin and I made a dress for the princess!" they said as they lifted a box wrapped with felt. "It's the first dress that we made for another Troll, so we really worked hard to make sure that the princess would love it" Chenille said as she looked at her twin and the two of them giggled.

"Cooper, Guy Diamond and I decided that we'd sing for Poppy" Suki said as the two trolls next to her nodded in agreement. "So, we've recorded our songs together and made an album of it" the three of them giggled.

"I'm going to give this to the princess" Creek said as he held out a hoop with feathers and thread weaved on it forming something that looks like a net.

"Is that a net?" the other kids asked in confusion, but with hints of curiosity as well. They've never seen anything like that before.

"Cybil calls it a 'dream catcher'" the purple troll clarified. "She said that if you hang one of these in your bedroom, you'll catch good dreams! So I decided to make one myself for Poppy" he added excitedly. "Good dreams increase positivity, mates" he continued. Branch rolled his eyes as he heard the word "positivity" from him again.

"How about you Branch? What's your gift for Poppy?" Biggie asked. All the other troll kids looked at him with great expectation. He suddenly got nervous. He started to think that his gift was nothing compare to the gifts of his friends. Biggie has an entire album of pictures, that is so much better than the cutouts he made for his scrapbook. Satin and Chenille, made a dress—Branch knew that those two have a keen sense for fashion and proper clothing, so he thought that it'd be better than his gift too. Cooper, Suki and Guy Diamond recorded songs for Poppy, and Creek as much as he hated to admit it, his gift looks cooler and he said it can catch good dreams too.

"My—uh gift…is uh" he said nervously the other kids looked at him carefully. He was about to pull it out of his hair when Poppy suddenly spoke "Dada!" she said they all turned to the direction she was looking and saw King Peppy approaching.

"There you are" Peppy said as he lifted his daughter to his arms. "Let's go children, the party is about to start" the king instructed. The little trolls all stood and ran towards the center of the room. Branch, however, paused for a while and pondered. He sighed before running along to follow his friends. King Peppy stood in front of his people,

"Okay, before anything else, I would like to thank all of you for coming at my daughter's party. I know that we are currently living in fear because of the Bergens, but I promise you that before my reign ends we will soon be free. No troll will be eaten by a Bergen ever again" he glanced at the family of the troll that was taken a week ago. They smiled at him with hopes in their eyes. "And listen to me when I say that no troll will be left behind"

The crowd cheered and applauded their king. They've always believed in him because when he promised something to his people he makes sure that he'll fulfill it. "For now, let's celebrate!" King Peppy ended. Music started to play and the Trolls did the thing they do best, to party and have fun. Poppy squealed in glee at the lights and sounds around her as she danced with her friends. It was a great time for the whole kingdom despite the fact that a certain Bergen holiday is approaching.

The party ended a few hours after midnight and everyone started to go back to their pods. Before leaving, they made sure that they drop their presents for Poppy at the table near the DJ turntable. Branch was about to place his gift, but hesitated when he saw the gifts of the other Trolls. Most of them are in large boxes, so he looked down and felt a bit disappointed to himself. "Poppy will sure love those gifts more" he thought. So, he turned around and ran back to his grandma without placing the gift.

"Have you placed your gift at the table?" she asked. He nodded and pretended that he actually did. He smiled and took his Grandma's hand and walked back to their pod. "Did you have fun today?" Rosiepuff asked as they walked along the Branch of the Troll Tree.

"Yes, Grandma" he said looking up to her. She smiled and watched as the other Trolls enter their pods. Their walk back home is not that long, they reached their pod after ten minutes of walking and hopping from one branch to the other.

"Good night Branch" Rosiepuff said as she kissed her grandson's forehead after tucking him in.

As promised Branch has to help his Grandma with the laundry. Despite not giving his present to Poppy, which he hid in his room instead, he still made sure that he fulfills his promise. They started washing the clothes, but Branch soon got bored and started to play with the bubbles that were forming. His Grandma didn't mind though, seeing him smile melts her heart. And being a kid, it's a natural thing for them to play.

"Okay Branch, just help me get these outside so we could hang it to dry" Rosiepuff said as she held a basket filled with wet clothes. Branch helped her carry it outside as he was told to do so.

"Oh look, the poppies are in bloom!" Rosiepuff said after seeing the red flowers that grew at the base of the Troll Tree.

"Poppies? Isn't that the princess?" Branch asked a bit confused which made his Grandma giggle.

"No, I was talking about those flowers down the tree. Those are called 'poppies'" his Grandma explained. "That is where Poppy got her name" Branch looked at the base of the tree and saw the patch of red flowers.

"Ooh they're pretty grandma!" Branch squealed. "But wait, if Poppy was named after those flowers…then why is my name 'Branch'? I don't look like a branch" he asked, which made his grandma chuckle.

"Your name is Branch because your father wanted you to be strong like the branches of the Troll Tree that holds our homes and us" Rosiepuff explained as she set the basket down near the clothes line and gestured at the mighty branches of the tree. Branch listened to her intently before looking back at the flowers below.

"I'll pick one for you!" Branch said as he climbed down the tree and to the spot where the poppies grew. He picked one, the prettiest and the one with the darkest shade of red before going back to his Grandma, who is now halfway done on hanging their clothes. Branch stood at the other end of the branch where their pod is located and started singing using the poppy as a microphone.

And I need you now tonight

And I need you more than ever

And if you only hold me tight

We'll be holding on forever

At this point, Rosiepuff turned around to see her grandson, but something caught her attention. There's a Bergen making its way towards. She was a bit surprised, how could she not hear the gates open? But setting the thought aside she ran as fast as she could while calling the name of her grandson. "Branch, watch out!"

And we'll only be making it right

'Cause we'll never be wrong—

Branch saw the Bergen about to grab him, he suddenly froze. His mind tells him to run, but his feet doesn't seem to follow. He just stood there surprised, until a huge force pushed him, making him fall down the tree. It was Rosiepuff, she tackled him before the Bergen could get its hands on him. He got a last glimpse of his Grandma's face before the hand closed. "Grandma!" he shouted as he fell down. He expected a great impact to hit his back, it would be probably enough to kill him after what happened to his Grandma. Instead, he landed on a soft surface before bouncing down the grass at the roots of the tree. He looked up and saw the Bergen still there, nodding with great satisfaction. He could still hear his Grandma screaming as the huge creature turned to walk away. He tried to go after it to help Rosiepuff, but his little feet couldn't keep up with the pace of the Bergen. He got tripped on the small rock along the path and fell. "Grandma!" he called again, but when he heard the metal gates clanging as the Bergen locked it again, he knew that he won't see her ever again.

"Grandma…" he sobbed as tears flowed down his face. Loneliness slowly took over him and drained his colors away.

"Oh no" a familiar voice said, but Branch didn't mind to turn around he just stared at the gates blankly. It was King Peppy, as soon as he heard the gates open, he quickly made rounds on who the Bergen took. To his surprise, it was his friend Rosiepuff. At first, he thought that both her and Branch were taken, until he heard someone sobbing below.

"Branch!" he shouted. He called his name a few more times, but he doesn't seem to see nor hear him. He was distraught. Peppy shook his head at how the little Troll turned grey. "Branch! Branch!"

Branch POV:

"Branch! Branch!" I heard someone call. That voice was familiar though…wait, why does King Peppy sound like a girl? "Branch, wake up!" I heard the voice call. Why do I have to wake up? Am I dreaming again? And with a powerful shook, I bolted right up. It was Poppy, she was there in front of me. Her pink eyes staring at me, with deep concern.

"Poppy! What is your problem!?" I asked as I snapped put of my reverie. She still looked a bit concerned despite the fact that I yelled at her.

"I'm sorry…it's just that, I thought you were having a nightmare" she explained. A nightmare? Of course, dreams that bring you fear and pain. Those dreams that I have every night, that made me relive the memories that I wanted to forget so badly. "What were you dreaming about?" her face lit up a bit.

"It's none of your business" I replied with my usual grumpy tone. Her face went down a bit, but still her smile, her ever beautiful smile, was still there.

"Okay, but in case you wanted to talk about it" she said before taking my hands into hers. I could feel heat rising up on my cheeks as she held on my hands tightly. "Always remember that I'm always here for you. Because that's what friends are for" she sang her last sentence. I've heard that song before, our—her friends used to sing it when one of them is sad. As much as I wanted her to hold my hand, I know that I must resist her. I jerked my hand and looked away. "I don't have friends, now if you'll excuse me…I still have a lot of things to do" I stood up and picked up the bundle of sticks beside me.

"Like what? Pick up sticks" she said mockingly. I turned to her and glared at her. It took all the strength in me to maintain that glare. Why does she have to put up that cute smug on her face?

"None of your business! What do you want anyway?" I said. She reached in her hair and took out a folded paper. It was one of those invitations of her again.

"Here! I came here to give you this" she said as she held the card in front of me, waiting for me to take it. I took the card, inspected it and see what is she celebrating this time, although I do have an idea what it is for. It says "You're Invited!" it has a cutout that looks like Poppy at the center that pops up when the card is opened.

"My birthday is next week, so—" but before she could finish her sentence, I threw the card away. Her eyes grew wide at what I did. "I was just hoping that you could…come" she continued with her eyes still on the direction of where I tossed the card.

"Look, Poppy, this won't be the first time that I'd say this to you, but…fine I 'd say it again. I don't do 'parties'" I said. I emphasized the word "parties" just so she'd finally understand. "I'm not interested in attracting a Bergen or some other predator and let them feast on me. So, again, if you may excuse me, your highness" I said before walking away. I heard her stand and take a step back to the village. I tried to steal a glance, and saw a slightly down expression on her face. My heart suddenly broke into pieces. I hate seeing her sad, but I just made her sad. Then I remember why I had to do it in the first place. I shook my head and reminded myself that I have to stay away from her, as much as I can. I don't want her harmed like Grandma. I sighed before looking back again and saw that she was gone. I checked the whole area to see if the coast is clear. Seeing that it is, I ran to the direction where I threw the card. It's still there! I picked it up and placed it in my hair. I looked around again as I went back to the path and pretend that I'm still picking up some sticks.

The days went by fast, and before I knew it, it was Poppy's birthday already. The whole village was set up specially for her. Her favorite things, colors and food are all around the place. I decided to watch from a branch of a tree to see if she's having fun. I know that she'll have fun, fun is in her blood.

I smirked when I saw her bright face light up as she arranged the decorations and welcome the other Trolls. I saw her other friends approach her. There was Biggie, Guy Diamond, Satin and Chenille, Suki, Cooper, her new friends Smidge and Fuzzbert, and the most positive of them all, Creek. I tend to roll my eyes whenever I see that guy. I don't know, since we were kids, I always see him as a show off. Him and his "positivity"just get into my nerves most of the time.

Everything was in order, Poppy seems to have fun, I guess. Until I had that short glimpse of sadness on her face as she stared at the direction of where my bunker is. Is she still waiting for me to show up? After what I did earlier, I thought she'd finally understand that I don't do fun and parties. It only lasted for a few seconds, but that was enough for me to see how much she wanted to be friends with me. It was until her friends started to drag her that she brought her smile back. I sighed and hopped off the branch and went home.

I just laid there staring at the ceiling trying to think of something better to do aside from sleeping. I hate sleeping because it reminds me of my pain most of the time. I could check on the traps, wait, I already did that. Monitor my inventory, nah, I already did that this morning. Check for infestations in my stock room, I just took care of it the other day. I sighed, until I glanced upon the huge box on top of my shelf. I sat up and stared at it. Should I open it up again? But before I could answer that, I could feel my legs slowly making its way to the shelf. I tried to stop myself, but it's too late. I already have the box in front of me. I placed it on the floor carefully and took a deep breath before deciding to open it up.

The first thing I saw was a picture of my Grandma and me. I think I was five years old in here, I can't really remember. I smiled as I saw her beautiful smile again though it's only in a picture. Most of the contents of the box were old treasures…for me. I don't know why I've decided to keep them after all these years. Maybe some memories are really worth keeping, and besides they just give me this nostalgic feeling whenever I see them. Then something caught my eye. How could I forget about the existence of this one? It was the scrapbook Grandma and I made for Poppy. It's still intact, but the colors have already faded and some of the pop ups are no longer working. Being squashed for a very long time might have "broke" it. I smiled as I reminisced again. We made it for Poppy, but then I thought that it's not good enough, so I decided to hide it instead. I was turning the pages of it, remembering how Grandma helped me make it, when I heard a few knocks on my door.

"Hey Branch, I know you're in there" a voice said. I stayed under the seemingly normal mat in front of the entrance of my bunker and listened carefully. "I understand that you don't enjoy partying, but I brought you some cupcakes" she said enthusiastically. She stood there for a while as if waiting for me to open up the door and take the cupcakes. When she heard no response, she sighed. "Okay, I guess, I'll just leave it in here in case you want them." She carefully placed the plate in front of the stone entrance of my bunker and turned around to go back to the party.

"Oh, before I forget. I just wanted to tell you that, I always had this dream. It was you, me and the rest of the gang as kids and we're all happy playing. What surprised me most is that you and I seem to be best friends. I really can't remember if we ever became best friends or even friends, but those memories are so vivid that I just wanted to believe that we did" she smiled. She's having dreams of our childhood too? "I guess she was not so unaware back then" I smiled at the thought. "So, uh—see you around" she said before walking away back to the village.

I just sat there for a while, waiting for her to leave. Slowly, I lifted the secret hatch of my bunker and looked at the plate. I could still see her silhouette walking down the path. Seeing that she's far enough to decide to come back, I stepped outside. I took the cupcakes and examined it, it was her favorite flavor. Or at least, that's what I can remember. I was about to go back inside, when I saw buds of red flowers growing at the side of the path. By the looks of it they're going to bloom in the morning. I smiled and glanced back at Poppy's silhouette.

"Happy birthday, Poppy"

A/N: Smidge and Fuzzbert were not mentioned in the dream parts of the story. I thought they were either too young or they were not yet born when Branch still had his colors. Also, on the next chapters, I'm planning to include the dreams of other characters as well. Because that'd be more fun. I hope you guys, enjoyed it. Thank you. Got something in mind? Please do tell me.