Barb imagined that she was levitating in space. It was calm, it was peaceful, and it was terrifying all at once.
Where the North wind meets the sea
There's a river full of memory
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound
For in this river, all is found...
Barb began to slowly float down to the ground. She gained momentum as she did so.
In her waters, deep and true
Lie the answers and a path for you
Dive down deep into her sound
But not too far or you'll be drowned...
Barb tried to slow her fall, but she seemed to hasten it regardless.
Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear
And in her song, all magic flows
But can you brave what you most fear?
Can you face what the river knows?
Barb realized that she was going to die and closed her eyes...but she never collided with the ground.
Where the North wind meets the sea
There's a mother full of memory
Come, my darling, homeward bound
When all is lost, then all is found...
Barb instead ended up in the place where, when all was lost, then all was found...
Who was that?
What was that?
Why was that?
"So what did you mean when you said I sent you to protect me?"
Poppy was seated with the Tribe Leaders and the Lost Trolls in the conference room as the waiter and waitresses served the group dinner in the form of a buffet. Will, the Rock Troll with the Mohawk fade, eagerly chowed down on his first two plates while his signifcant other Maria, the Pop Troll with the red leather coat, settled for one. Lucy grabbed a cheeseburger with French fries and a milkshake, six Buffalo Wings, and any type of pizza without pineapple as its toppings. Amy built a sandwich of her own consisting of chicken, avocado, and pepper slapped in-between two seedful buns; she also took a handful of chocolate-covered, creme-filled eggs.
"The truth is..." Prince James explained himself to Poppy, "We're not from here. We're from another dimension."
"Another, another dimension," Lucy clarified.
"From where I'm from, I'm..." James continued on, "one of Branch's brothers."
Poppy proceeded to gawk at him and scan him from head to toe. Now that she thought about it, Branch and James could possibly pass off as blood relatives.
"Are you two..."
"Oh, Branch and James are most definitely adopted by trade," Sam, the red-and-white striped male Funk Troll, replied for the Prince of the Lost Trolls, "But even I'm not sure if they're actually related."
"The resemblance between them both is uncanny," Lucy remarked, "Although a few discernible differences remain, such as the fact that Branch is a self-centered, manipulative rapist compared to James."
For the second time, Poppy was taken aback and almost offended by such negative criticism towards her close love interest. Almost, had she been more aware of the terms beforehand, particularly the last one.
"Self-centered? Manipulative? Rapist? No, Branch is none of those. Um, and what is a rapist?"
The table noticably got uncomfortably silent as a result of the conversation's awkward turn, something Amy seemed oblivious to as she simplified for Poppy.
"Well, Your Majesty... A "rapist" is a person who commits rape. "Rape" is the unlawful crime of forced sexual intercourse with another person against their will by the offender in question. It's more than often a male Troll, but female Trolls can be guilty of this as well."
Poppy's eyes widened in horror and disgust as she processed the information relayed to her by Amy.
A rapist? Branch? My Branch? No... No, it can't be...!
"Is that true, Prince James?" Poppy turned to the Lost Trolls' Prince to verify the news, horrible as they may be.
"Yes, Queen Poppy," James nodded regretfully, "I am sorry. That's why we traveled from our TrollsTopia to Pop Village to intervene. To bring Branch back to our Kingdom for him to await his punishment."
Poppy then remembered what the beige-skinned Country Troll said upon the Lost Trolls' arrival to Pop Village, "Oh, yeah. TrollsTopia 2.0."
The Country Troll in question, Josh, arrived with a plate that held grilled chicken, baked fish, and an assortment of fresh fruit, "I wasn't lying when I said that TrollsTopia 2.0 was a good place to stay for the time being, but I honestly wished that it were under more favorable circumstances."
"We were in the process of arresting Branch when he attacked us," James continued.
"Fortunately, a Bounty Hunter by the name of Hickory arrived and knocked him out cold," Sam chuckled.
"Unfortunately, that's when the shit hit the fan," Will groaned.
"Who was it?" Poppy tilted her head in morbid curiosity.
"Pardon?" Maria turned back to her.
"Who did...your universe's Branch...rape?"
Exchanging glances amongst his group again, James turned back to Poppy as he sighed.
"Queen Barb..."
"Queen Barb..."
. . .
"Queen Barb...?"
. . .
"Queen Barb!"
The Queen of Rock shot up from bed, brandishing a combat knife whilst panting heavily. Turning to her left, a terrified Riff slowly backtracked in fear, causing Barb's hardened expression to considerably soften and herself to sigh whilst sheathing her blade.
"Sorry about that, Riff. What...what happened? Where am I? What time is it?"
"It's early in the morning, Your Rockness," Riff stammered, "You're also in Branch's bunker, specifically his clinic section. You took a lot of nasty hits when you...went really berserk when the Party Crashers went after the Trollings."
I...did?
. . .
Oh, yeah... I remember now...
"W-Where's...P? Is she, um..."
"Priscilla is alright and unharmed," Dr. Plum Plimsy entered the room, "along with the rest of the young ones. They're just...shaken. The Tribe Leaders and Ambassadors are holding a meeting as we speak...in addition to mourning the loss of Queen Poppy."
That statemoent got Barb out of bed, never minding the deep wounds she suffered during the battle.
"What? What happened to Poppy?"
"From what I heard," Dr. Plum continued, "Poppy fell off a cliff tackling a Party Crasher that was going to kill Branch and Mr. Hickory. We're not...sure if she's actually dead, though. Her fate's still up in the air."
Too many thoughts running too many circles around her head, Barb needed to get the facts straight.
"Where are they? The Tribe Leaders and Ambassadors?"
"In the makeshift conference room."
Barb made her way out of her recovering room and toward the conference room in question, passing by many of the Tribe Trolls (including her own) partaking in shortened, murmuring discussions while they passed food rations around. Riff and Dr. Plum followed behind her, breaking into a sprint when she did upon spotting a glimpse of the other Leaders and Ambassadors, talking amongst themselves while the kids played nearby.
"Guys! Guys!"
"Barb!" Priscilla rushed over to her first and hugged her tight, "You're all right!"
"Hey, kiddo," Barb ran her fingers through her hair before facing an approaching Branch, "So is it true? Is Poppy..."
"We're not sure. Hickory and I saw Poppy...fall off a cliff."
"There's a chance she could have survived the fall," Hickory assured the growing and nervous crowd, "The Party Crasher that fell alongside her was a pretty large one at that, so it's possible that she could've used him as a shield to break the fall."
"Well..." Blaze Powerchord chuckled, "if we take the height of the fall into consideration, I don't think there's that much of a chance left..."
SWISH!
For that unfortunate comment, Blaze nearly lost his face to Barb's combat knife, which was actually not thrown by Barb herself...but by a pissed-off Branch, who angrily stomped over to him and pulled said knife out of the wall behind him before using it to subtlely threaten him.
"I don't care what you think," Branch growled, "Nobody asked what you think. If I didn't ask you and nobody else did either...then keep your mouth shut."
"Branch, please," Minuet Sonata pleaded, "Blaze was thinking irrationally, a mistake on his part. Don't hold it against him. Arguing with him is not going to help anyone else, including yourself."
After a moment, Branch relaxed and walked away to cool down some more, handing Barb her weapon as he did so.
"So...Poppy's still alive?" Barb sheathed her knife before strapping said sheath to her left leg.
"There's a chance," Hickory straightened out as he straightened his hat, "and that chance is highly slim. The best we can do other than pray is send a search party to try and find her."
"Shall we send word to the other Tribes?" Tresillo crossed his arms as he, Marimba, and Tambora joined the conversation, "Assuming they want to help?"
"I think it's a case of not whether to help us or not in general, but rather whether to help us at the moment or not," Wani stood beside him, arms akimbo, "I think they want to help us, but they can't do so right now."
"We've faced the Party Crashers before," Ari scoffed, "Why should this time be any different?"
"Because it's become evident that the Party Crashers have improved in the months between the development of TrollsTopia," Trollzart flew forward, "though, thankfully, not quite enough. The Funk Trolls have the superior technology, the Country Trolls have the superior weaponry, and..."
"The Latin Trolls have the superior will?" Marimba suggested, only for the majority of the Trolls to shoot her a look of disbelief, and Tambora a look of agitation.
"Everybody in here has a superior will, Marimba. And that will was supplied by Queen Poppy. Poppy wouldn't let us devolve into...idiotas."
Tambora took a breather before continuing, "Minuet's right. Arguing with each other isn't going to help us at all. And Hickory, if you're organizing a search party, then we're coming with. And we'll send word to the Latin Trolls if we must."
"And then what?" Chaz crossed his arms, "What if they or the other Tribes don't want to help?"
"They have to," King Trollex swam forward, "It's been a few months since we declared peace amongst the main six Tribes. Why wouldn't they want to help us?"
"Well, besides taking into consideration what Miss Wani had said earlier," Laguna stood beside her king, "There's also the possibilities of requiring more time to process the news of reconciliation amongst the Tribes and living in hiding in fear of other threats, namely the Party Crashers."
"Or the Bergens..." DJ Suki realized.
"But we made peace with them too, right?" Guy Diamond shrugged.
"But they don't know about it yet!" Satin smacked his arms, "For all they know, we could be dead in their mind! And do you remember the last time we went up against the Bergens?"
"Yes," Chenille bluntly stated, "He remembers because he was there...and so was Biggie. And so was Cooper. And so was Guy Diamond. And so was Smidge. And so was Fuzzbert. And so were you, Satin. And so was I. And so was the entire Pop Tribe, including Creek, and he tried to sell us out."
"Ugh, you had to bring that up," Creek himself groaned in chagrin.
"What about Archer?" Satin attempted to retort, "Wasn't he there too?"
"Uh, no," Chenille shook her head, "Archer was only there after the whole Bergen debacle was dealt with. Their cousins, the Party Crashers, attempted to inflitrate Troll Village before we found out about any of the Tribes yet."
"And like Creek," Harper tightly grasped her boyfriend's right hand, "Archer had a change of heart."
"Well, in fairness," Archer chuckled, "I still tend to make mischief once in a while."
"And yet, I still tend to not receive an invitation."
Much like some of the Trolls who minded the PDA, Laguna cringed in weirded-out disgust before adjusting her glasses.
"Regardless, Minuet and Tambora are both correct. We need to take action in the case that the Party Crashers do come back...along with who hired them..."
"Pardon?" Chaz raised an eyebrow, "Who hired them?"
"One of the Party Crashers specifically called out for Queen Poppy only. Not Queen Barb, not King Quincy, not Queen Essence, not Conductor Trollzart, not Mayor Delta Dawn, not King Trollex, not even King Peppy. Just Queen Poppy."
"What are you saying?" King Peppy approached, "That the Party Crashers were employed...to kidnap my daughter?"
"I'm afraid so, Your Majesty."
"I do not think it was just her, Miss Tidepool," Dante Cresendo flew forward, "These...Party Crashers also attempted to seize the Classical Trolls, myself, Miss Sonata, and Conductor Trollzart included."
"You guys too?" Bella Brightly approached, "The Party Crashers attempted to seize DJ and CJ, as well as Ryder, Rose, North, and Glimmer."
While the four aforementioned Pop Trolls nodded solemnly, DJ continued to hug CJ, who whimpered slightly at the mention of their former adversaries. Upon seeing this, something awoke within King Trollex. Something with...
A blaze...
. . .
A flare...
. . .
A glow...
Over the past few months during the development stages of TrollsTopia, Trollex had visited Pop Village to further develop the relationship between not just his new girlfriend, but also his girlfriend's younger niece. The process was easier than most because he had already met CJ during Barb's World Tour, so helping create new music and improve her disc jockeying was a given. However, when it came to the more personal subjects such as familial troubles, he had a bit of trouble for he had no parental figures with the exception of Captain Torrent and the family butlers while growing up. He had to work to the best of his ability to be what CJ stated and believed him to be: the "bestest big brother best friend forever."
Seeing CJ curled up into a ball and in DJ's arms, terrified at the prospect of old enemies returning to seek vengeance, Trollex felt...a fire igniting within him.
"Well, I say we fight back."
Everybody turned to King Trollex in shock and surprise, but none more so than his own people and DJ.
"If they drove us into the ground like the cowards they think we are..." King Trollex jettisoned through the pile of melee weapons, eventually finding a spear and examining it, "...then I say we return the favor."
The Techno Trolls began to murmur and mildly cheer in agreement for their King.
"I appreciate your resolve, King Trollex."
Everybody turned again, this time to find a more relaxed Branch entering the room, "But with all due respect, you don't know the Party Crashers like the Pop Trolls do. You can't just charge them head-on."
"Branch is right," Hickory loaded six shells into his shotgun before one-hand pumping it, "These Party Crashers attack in swarms but they have more coordination than we remember. They're also angry something fierce."
"Which is why I trust you and the rest of the Bounty Hunters to be extra careful when searching for Queen Poppy," Delta Dawn darkly chuckled as he grabbed Hickory's face to meet her own, "When you find those Party Crashers, I want you to put a bullet in every single one of their heads."
"Hehe. Yes, ma'am," Hickory nervously chuckled.
"Ugh, get a room, you two," Clampers giggled as she emerged from her Aunt's hair.
"Oh, Clampers, this is a private conversation between me and Hickory."
"What about Uncle Dickory?" Clampers feigned childlike innocence, complete with a head tilt, "Isn't he part of the family too?"
"Uh, well..."
Hickory waved off the giggling Bounty Hunters standing from behind, "My brother is an entirely different case."
"And why should it, dear brother?"
His face morphing from an awkward grin to a knowing frown, Hickory glanced down to find a smug Dickory with his arms crossed and his foot tapping.
"Aren't you going to give a straightforward response to our dear niece?"
"Ugh, don't get me started."
"Uh, amigos?" Tresillo exchanged annoyed looks with his friends, "If we're attending a search party, then we better make sure that we get the invitations and fast."
"He's right," Branch turned and walked to his closet to pull out a basket of pocket-sized, rectangular-shaped devices akin to the gadget used by Amy of the Lost Trolls.
"And before you leave, you guys might need these."
"Ooh," Holly gazed in awe, "Is that a smartphone?"
"After seeing Miss Amy explain and demonstrate the abilities of the Lost Trolls' tech, I took it upon myself to replicate the smartphone while putting a few of my personal touches to it."
Handing two each to the Bounty Hunters, Branch continued to elaborate.
"When you turn it on, you hold your face to the screen and it performs a facial recognition scan. Afterwards, you give the name of the person or people you wish to contact."
"And when ever did you manage to construct these devices on such short notice, dear Branch?" Chaz examined one of the phones given to him.
"I built about 50 of them in-between the hours Queen Barb was knocked out," Branch shrugged, "Considering that the smartphones seemed to used from the Funk Trolls tech as a base, it wasn't really difficult."
"In any case, keep building," Hickory tucked both phones into his vest, "We'll contact you if we find anything."
"Good luck," Branch nodded.
With that, the Bounty Hunters gathered their weapons and equipment supplied to them by Branch, the Country Trolls, and the Rock Trolls. Afterwards, they left as quickly as they entered, leaving the rest of their Trolls to their own devices.
"All right, everyone," Branch turned to the crowd, "We have a lot of work to do. We need your full cooperation. We can't lose hope. We need to work together in order to survive here for the next few weeks if we have to."
"And what happens after the next few weeks?" Synth swam forward.
"Tunnels," Creek replied as he stepped forward, "Branch, Val, Gust, Laguna, Adora, Catra, and I will work on various escape tunnels that lead out of Branch's bunker and into Troll Forest. We'll make sure that the tunnels all converge near the end so that we don't get completely separated."
"And if they follow us?" Demo tilted his head.
"Explosives," Delta Dawn replied next, "Back in Latin City during Barb's World Tour, Miss Camila handed me a pair of what she called "flashbang grenades" to me when battling the Party Crashers there. Perhaps I can try to replicate them and prevent the Party Crashers from following us."
"Yes, but they're flashbang grenades, Delta," Meadow Spriggs continued planting some plants, "Emphasis on the term flashbang. They were designed to stun our opponents, not kill them. Are you even sure that you can create more of them?"
"Given the proper materials, I'll take my chances."
"Do what you need to do, Mayor Dawn," Branch nodded, "because we're gonna need it."
With that, everybody went about working on their respective jobs. Creek, Val, Laguna, Gust, Adora, and Catra met with Branch to oversee the construction of the escape tunnels while the rest of the Ambassadors worked closely with the Leaders to see that their people received the proper treatment. Meadow walked over to DJ, who was rummaging though the pile of melee weapons with Trollex.
"DJ? Why do you think the Party Crashers were after you, CJ, and the rest of the Classical Trolls?"
Giving her words a momentary thought, DJ glanced down at her pink wishstone, wondering if it was what the Party Crashers were really after.
"I...honestly haven't given the idea some thought. I'll get back to you on that."
"I hope so," Meadow walked away to offer her assistance if the others requested.
"Trollex...?" DJ whispered over to him.
"Yes, hon?"
. . .
"I might need your help."
"Yes! I can help!" Trollex perked up before calming down, "Um... With what, exactly?"
"I can't help but think that the Wishstones were one of the main reasons why the Party Crashers were after me, CJ, Ryder, Rose, North, Glimmer, and the Classical Trolls. With the exception of Poppy, they attacked us and only us...not the others. I...need to know why."
"So...you're going on a trip?"
. . .
"No," DJ Suki replied with a smile, "We're going on a trip."
"Yes!" Trollex fist pumped in excitement, bringing his elbow down toward his torso before realizing, "Oh, I need to tell Synth and Laguna to watch over the Techno Trolls while we're gone."
"Good call. We don't want to cause a panic."
"So where's the first stop?" Trollex took up a baseball bat and a shovel, placing them both in a duffel bag.
"We should try Latin City first," DJ Suki took a pickaxe and a crowbar, placing them in the same bag, "It's the one place I actually know where to go during my free time."
"Okay. But how are we going to escape? I don't think Branch is willing to let anyone besides the Bounty Hunters leave."
"If we can travel around the Troll Kingdom to the six different Tribes without dying, then we can make it to Latin City within a fortnight. Besides...I have you with me, right?"
. . .
"Right. Got it."
Exchanging determined nods and smiles, DJ and Trollex continued to privately pack, never noticing CJ sneak away to do some packing of her own.
Giving his crew various mining tools to use, Branch led them to one of the deepest corners of the bunker and laid out a blueprint for them to work with. He wielded a shovel, Val wielded a axe, Gust wielded a pickaxe, Laguna wielded a pick hammer, and Creek wielded a crowbar. Splitting up, they took one future tunnel each for now and began digging their way through. None of them digged as harder and faster than Branch himself, whose determination was made crystal clear with every dig.
I'll find you, Poppy... Whatever it takes...
"Poppy? Are you okay, dear?"
Poppy drank down her 24th cup of hot chocolate, which was about to be her 27th, what with three more cups awaiting her nearby. The Pop Queen sighed softly at her mother's concerned question before responding rather bluntly.
"I'm imbued with the power of the Strings. I learned that there may be multiple universes out there. And, in one of those universes...the love of my life is a bad guy, a rapist no less...while his adoptive brother is a good guy. Above all else...I'm doubting myself as Queen."
Another sip, another sigh.
"How can I be okay?"
Peony merely hugged her daughter's side while gently kissing her forehead, Poppy herself hugging her mother's arms as she did.
"It's not your fault, Poppy," James took a seat beside Lucy, "You didn't know before."
"And you know now," Lucy herself smiled, "Believe us, we were just as shocked and skeptical as you were before we were transported from there to here."
"The job is neither bad nor difficult as you might think," Amy interjected, "We often consider our jobs to be high-profile, high-stakes babysitting duties. With every job, it gets easier. We work harder, better, faster, stronger."
"Of course, Time works different when working at the TVA," Will chomped down on a chicken leg, "but what else is new?"
Poppy tilted her head in confusion, "The...TVA?"
"The Time Variance Authority," Peony sounded out the acronym in complete comprehension, "So...in another universe, my daughter is working for the mysterious organization with the most wasted potential?"
"Yeah..." Josh nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, ma'am. Poppy herself insisted on joining the TVA for reasons unknown, but we naturally assumed that it involved her loved ones' safety."
"I thought the TVA was a myth," Sophie grabbed her a smoothie from the fountain drink dispenser, "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Wait, I'm confused," Poppy politely interrupted, "What's the Time Variance Authority? Or the TVA?"
"Oh, the TVA is basically a secret society of Time Keepers that monitor the multiple timelines that exist in a specific universe," Sam explained, "They can prevent time travelers from altering the past or future and even decrease the impact of the timelines that are deemed too dangerous to exist."
"Think it as an interdimensional police force," Amy ate her sandwich, "Law enforcement for the multiverse. AU Cops. Capiche?"
Poppy nodded in slight understanding as she attempted to process the news.
But why would I join an organization dedicated to keeping order in time?
Running her fingers through her hair, Poppy remembered that she now withheld a power incontinence.
"That still doesn't explain how or why I acquired the power of the Strings in the first place."
"We already have the how, Poppy," James pulled a notepad and began to write down notes, "We just need the why. Sophie and Mr. Turner are going to continue to run tests on you while we get in touch with our old mentors to see if they could train you to harness your powers properly. Okay?"
"Right. Got it. Perfectly...not confusing whatsoever."
Poppy had trouble getting the fact through her head that with those phenomenal cosmic powers came an itty bitty living space as well.
With those great powers came great irresponsibility.
With those endless powers...came endless possibilities.
Caught in her own complicated feelings, Poppy failed to notice that many of the table plates, utensils, and even guests were levitating in mid-air, much to the shock of everybody else.
Everybody else with the exception of Peony, who chuckled in amusement and gently tapped her daughter on the shoulder.
"Um, sweetie? Can you...gently set the plates, guests, and even guests down, please?"
Poppy looked up at her mother in confusion before glancing around in shock.
"Oh... Sorry."
Doing the best she could, Poppy carefully set down everybody and everything suspended in mid-air, slouching in her chair soon after.
"Quite brilliant, darling," Trollkovsky chortled.
"It's a good start, my dear," Queen Aretha reassured.
"우리는 망했어," Tessa stated the obvious, "우리는 너무 망했어."
As Harper, Archer, and Klaus Von Frousting began serving food to the Trolls (from young to old), Melody sporadically offered her assistance to those who asked, much like Meadow did a few feet from her. Once it was made clear that more and more Trolls began to help each other out, she nodded in satisfaction and took her leave.
Watching her older cousin mine for some semblance of a tunnel, Melody abruptly recalled the rather harsh words said by herself to Val not long before they were driven underground. While the words spoken held some truth that the primary Rock Troll Delegate acted in a quite uncalled-for fashion, the manner in which she herself delivered said words to her was equally cruel. She wished she could apologize to her, but they were both busy with other duties at the moment, namely to survive the attack on them by the Party Crashers. This was not how she wanted her first trip to TrollsTopia to go; if this was kept up, it would become her only trip.
Turning away to Val continue her work, Melody walked off and idled about, not knowing what to do now. She began to wonder what her place in this entire mess was. Was she a main player or a supporting character? A hero or a villain? Or perhaps a loose cannon? Or maybe a recurring joke character whose story had no overall impact on the primary plot? Lost in the woods? Trapped by mountain lions?
. . .
I am... I'm the hero of my own story. If Poppy has a role in her own story, then...maybe I can roll with mine.
Eyeing the same pile of weapons being searched through DJ and Trollex, Melody smiled as an idea began forming in that little head of hers.
Yeah... Just roll with my role.
You got this.
"Breathe in... Breathe out..."
Poppy followed the instructions given by Sophie and Mr. Turner. This was the seventh test they conducted on her thus far, the second one to produce results (after the fourth), and the first to produce results other than glowing hair. After breathing in and out for the seventh time, preparing to breath in for the eighth time, her hair and eyes began to glow, while she herself began to lightly levitate above the ground, along with several items in the laboratory including Sophie, Dr. Turner, and an arriving Jackson and Christine.
"What test is this?" Christine held on to the railing.
"The seventh one," Turner replied as he jotted down notes, "As mentioned by Sophie, the power of the Strings is unfathomable, too much for an average Troll to contain. As such, they're trying to find a proper conduit and release some of the excess energy remaining. A lesser Troll should be dead immediately, but Queen Poppy's fighting spirit and will is strong."
"So the predictability of this test just became unpredictable," Jackson simplified before scoffing, "Why do I get the feeling that the Pop Queen is becoming a living MacGuffin at this moment?"
"Because she essentially is," Sophie deadpanned, "and it's essential that nobody finds out as of yet and/or tries to capture her for their own diabolical ends. Which is where you, Christine, and the "Lost Trolls" come into play."
"I understand," Christine nodded, "Queen Peony entrusted the life of her daughter with us, and we don't intend to fail."
"So it's essentially a glorified babysitting job with the Queen of Pop in the place of a real baby," Jackson snarked, "Made all the worst that we have to work alongside some of the most overrated Trolls in all of Troll history. No big."
"I'm sorry about all of this," Poppy apologized sorrowfully, "I...never meant to be a burden to you all..."
"No, Poppy," Christine placed a hand of reassurance on Poppy's shoulder, "You don't need to apologize for anything you weren't responsible for. Your destruction of the Strings was a surprising one, but a necessary one regardless. Jackson and I have been working as the Royal Guards for your mother for a long time, and...sometimes, people like us need a break."
"Yeah..." Jackson half-heartedly apologized, "We don't have usually have...families or loved ones to go home to, and...that makes us feel a little...jealous sometimes. Do you know what I mean?"
While Poppy nodded slightly in response, Christine frowned in unimpressiveness.
"That was a really bad apology."
"It was worth the effort..."
Suddenly, the doors of the laboratory opened up with Queen Peony and the Lost Trolls arriving, the latter group prepping their weapons.
"How is she?"
"She's doing a little better, Your Majesty," Sophie adjusted her glasses, "She made everything in the room levitate for a moment before managing to set us down. She still has a long way to go."
"Us?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Poppy made you all float?"
"And everything else in the room as well," Mr. Turner nodded, "Your daughter is becoming stronger by the minute."
Nodding while rubbing her chin in contemplation, Peony came to a decision.
"We need to take her to the Latin Trolls first. They should be able to shed more light on this phenomenon."
"Wait..." Poppy rubbed her head, "I thought we already did. I destroyed the Strings, The Strings' powers were transferred to me, and I can't control them. In addition, there are multiple universes out there, one where Branch is a villain and...a rapist, the other where I'm apparently the head of an interdimensional police force. What else is there to shed light on?"
In her stress, everything and everyone began to levitate again, this time a little higher than before. Realizing this, Poppy's eyes widened in horror and she calmed down, everything and everyone (with the exception of Queen Peony) landing awkwardly as a result. Scowling to herself, she buried her face into her hands and sniffled.
"Poppy...?"
As Poppy faced her mother once more, Peony wore a facial expression of sadness, comfort, and determination as she cupped her face with her hands.
"I may not have the answers to these strange occurrences happening to you, and the best we can do is search for alternate explanations for them. But...I'll be damned if I didn't help my daughter to the best of my ability. I won't stop until you are okay."
That time, Poppy nodded and let the tears leak through her eyelids, leaning into her mother's warm embrace as she cried. Peony returned the hug and rocked her back and forth, humming a familiar melody as she did so.
("All Is Found Remix" by Evan Rachel Wood & Kacey Musgraves) [Cover Version by Nicole Kidman, Rachel Bloom, & Sabrina Carpenter]
Knowing where this was going, Amy handed Peony her ukulele for her to play...and play it again, she did.
[Verse 1: Nicole Kidman]
Where the North wind meets the sea
There's a river full of memory
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound
For in this river, all is found...
In the real world, Melody's ears perked up as she packed up for her little trip.
M...Mom?
Setting down her luggage, Melody whipped her head around to pinpoint the source of the mysterious voice, sounding suspicious like her mother.
All is found...
When all is lost, then all is found...
Shaking her head, Barb had no idea who was the voice, where was the voice, and why was the voice sounded familiar.
No, not the voice... The song...
Barb blinked her eyes...and felt singing the non-rock lullaby.
[Verse 2: Rachel Bloom]
In her waters, deep and true
Lie the answers and a path for you
Dive down deep into her sound
But not too far or you'll be drowned...
This caught the attention of Branch, the Tribe Leaders, the Tribe Ambassadors, and everyone else, especially Melody, whose eyes widened in surprise, but for entirely different reasons other than the fact that the Queen of Rock was crooning a more restrained tune.
[Verse 3: Nicole Kidman & Rachel Bloom]
RB: Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear
And in her song, all magic flows
NK: But can you brave what you most fear?
Can you face what the river knows?
Her mother's melody returning to her daughter's memory at full force, Melody decided to join in to reinforce it.
[Verse 4: Sabrina Carpenter]
Until the river's finally crossed
You'll never feel the solid ground
You have to get a little lost
On your way to being found...
Everybody, Barb included, turned in equally measured shock to face Melody, who unexpectedly joined in the lullaby. Nearby, Val leaned against the wall in resignation.
Oh, Melody... I knew this day would come...
In the spirit world, Poppy was close to falling asleep in her mother's arms...and funnily enough, so were Lucy, Amy, Will, and Jackson.
[Verse 5: Nicole Kidman, Rachel Bloom, & Sabrina Carpenter]
Where the north wind meets the sea
There's a mother full of memory
Come, my darling, homeward bound
Where all is lost, then all is found...
Peony strummed the last notes as Barb and Melody finished the song with her.
[Outro: Sabrina Carpenter]
"All is found..."
[Outro: Rachel Bloom]
"All is found..."
[Outro: Nicole Kidman]
"Where all is lost, then all is found..."
Poppy's eyes fluttered close and she fell in a deep sleep, one overrun with sweet dreams rather than nightmare fuel.
Peony placed down the ukulele and carried her off to bed as the others looked on.
"We need to get ready," James finally spoke up after a moment, "for a battle is coming to us."
"The battle isn't coming to us, James," Christine shook her head, "It's already here..."
"How do you know that song?"
"How do you know?"
"I asked you first."
Barb and Melody were face-to-face, their arms crossed as the crowd watched the face-off between them.
"My mother sang it to me when I was little as a lullaby," Melody confessed first, "I never thought anything of it at first, but I knew it wasn't rock. It was...my father's genre."
"Your...father's genre?" Branch approached cautiously.
Melody turned to Val, who nodded in approval, before turning back to Branch.
"My father...was a Pop Troll."
Everybody gasped in surprise but not disgust at this revelation. Only Val and King Peppy remained relatively unsurprised.
"And your mother was a Rock Troll?" Satin tilted her head.
"Yes, and they loved each other deeply. The former tensions between Pop and the other tribes made it difficult for them to remain together, so they married in secret. Despite their ups and downs, they remained long enough to give birth to me. One night, my father was one of the acts for a party hosted at Volcano Rock City; it was an attempt to peacefully unite the Tribes. However, a pyrotechnic shell went off too early and caused a chain reaction that...saw my dad die while helping others evacuate the auditorium. What's worse was that it only gave the Tribes more reason to separate despite knowing it would cause them more pain."
Melody took a breather before continuing, "I... I never blamed Pop or Rock for what happened that night. I was only saddened by the fact that because of the separation between the Tribes...I never got a chance to truly connect with Pop or my father until now. And..."
Pulling up her right pant leg, everybody gasped in shock as again at the discovery that her actual right leg was no more. In its place was a prosthetic leg with the color purple with a hint of blue; it reached up to her thigh and seemed to be created with bionic parts unfamiliar to many but not all of the Trolls.
"I was two when it was amputated," Melody reminisced in melancholy, "The same accident that claimed my dad's life also claimed my right leg. I hadn't noticed it right away because I was traumatized at the sight of him dying before my very eyes. It became infected and soon spread. If the doctors hadn't acted fast... I would've joined him."
"Why purple and blue?" CJ approached with Keith and Priscilla.
"According to my mom, my dad had purple skin and blue eyes. It's been so long since I last saw him that...I barely remembered what he looked like."
As Val walked over to give her younger cousin a hug, everybody could stand and stare in stunned silence. The idea of a Pop Troll and a Rock Troll falling in love with each other and maintaining a relationship long enough to birth a child seemed unfathomable for many, but neither of them voiced their dissenting opinions. In fact, they felt only sympathy for the mixed-genre Troll, who experienced such trauma in her childhood but harbored no animosity towards those responsible. It seemed almost impossible...for now.
If only she knew the truth...
If only they knew the truth...
The Captain mimicked firing her Beretta 90Two as she listened to a pair of arms dealers bicker over the unexpected theft of their stolen weapons. However, she was not actually listening to every detail, but purposefully pinpointing the prominent parts while she struggled with an internal affair of hers. While she outwardly acted very cool and composed upon seeing the destruction brought upon the Party Crashers by the Pop Trolls, she was inwardly shaken to the core. This was one of her first major losses in a long time, and she never knew that the fun-loving and peace-keeping tribe members who lived by the attitude of "ignorance is/was bliss" were perfectly capable and more than willing to fight dirty. It was only then she realized that she and the rest of her crew had severely underestimated their opponent, a realization reached too little too late in the worst way imaginable.
Even so, the Captain sought to turn this failure into a lesson for her crew: Work smarter, not harder.
"You were the one who hesitated in shooting the rat!"
"And you were the one who insisted on keeping our boss locked out of the loop! He would've been able to handle it much sooner than later!"
"And sooner or later, we would've been roadkill!"
"What more do you want?"
The two arms dealer looked in utter bewilderment at the Captain, who scoffed when she had to elaborate.
"My boss sent you twelve automatic rifles for twelve of your soldiers and had an automatic cannon tear up the side of my ship. My boss sent you four shotguns for four militia Trolls and had my crew pluck out glass shards from their bodies for your troubles. My boss sent you six short-range missiles...and got a boat of rusty parts. Why should I continue to help you after all the messes you've had? Messes that my crew and I have to clean up?"
"Well, I'm sorry that we didn't have enough time to conjure up an apology, Captain," The more light-skinned of the two ironically made an halfhearted attempt of a regretful acknowledgement of an offense. The more dark-skinned of the two pinched his nose bridge, wondering why he called off a night of poker for this as his colleague pressed the Captain's buttons further.
"But we didn't have to discuss a contingency plan while we were on the run! So either you keep your end of the bargain or we kill you and take your weapons anyway, you pirate whore!"
The dark-skinned visibly winced at the insult, but the Captain remained unimpressed as she feigned hurt.
"Ooh. Such an insult, big boy. Newsflash for you: I will admit that I am a pirate and I was a whore. My parents didn't want me when I was born and dumped me on an orphanage. I lost my virginity at age four, became a sex-addicted prostitute at age seven, and became a sex-utmost slave for a sultan at age ten. I was young, innocent, and helpless, and I didn't enter piracy until I was the age of fifteen. Do you wanna know what happened at the age of fifteen? A legendary captain provided me with the weapons and knowledge to act like my enemies...think like my enemies...become like my enemies. And when the stars were aligned and the time was right...my parents, my pimps, and my sultan were all gathered in one convenient place: the Royal Harvest. My vengeance laid upon them all was slow and painful. The business my parents had built up in their absence collapsed, the prostitution ring my pimps had managed for all those years slipped...and the empire and its so-called legacy my sultan's predeccesors had created and attempted to continue fell into despair and ruin."
The two arms dealers remained in a stunned silence upon the uncut unveiling of the Captain's dark and troubled past. The dark-skinned Troll speechlessly bowed his head in shame while the light-skinned Troll felt like eating his back-sassed words spoken to her by him.
"So the next time you decide to insult somebody based on their past and present profession...choose something a bit more...creative. Or better yet, don't. Because it will be the last thing you ever will do..."
The Captain's index finger was dangerously twitching above the trigger as she said this, signaling to the arms dealers as a warning gesture of things to come...specifically, two bullets.
"Of course, Captain," The dark-skinned Troll nodded in understanding, "We remind ourselves of this fact the next time we negotiate a deal with you."
"If there will be a next time," The light-skinned Troll huffed in agreement, "We'll...take our leave."
"Yes, you will."
As the two of them, the Captain waited until they left by lifeboat to place down her Beretta and slouch in her chair.
If only, if only...
The next morning, the Tribe Leaders readied their equipment, the Lost Trolls prepped their weapons, and Poppy herself got dressed to impress. She initially wanted to wear more Latin-inspired clothing for her arrival to Cuidad Latina, but the travel lasted an entire day at the most. As such, she eventually got dressed in more appropriate attire; specifically, she settled on a ruby red high collar blouse with contrasting white cuffs, black pants, and a garnet cape with a yellow-and-blue-petaled flower serving as its single button. While the front of her hair relatively remained the same, the back was stylized in a low ponytail tied into fish braids.
Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, Poppy blinked in bewilderment over her surprising choice of fashion. The darkened and rugged clothing was a far cry from the Pop Queen's usual apparel, which was bright, lively, attention-grabbing, and show-stopping while appealing to her happy-go-lucky personality. But...it seemed more fitting than before because...well, she was not happy-go-lucky at the current moment. She was...the opposite. She was solemn, she was somber, she was sad. She was...unhappy-go-unlucky.
Her eyes widening in realization, Poppy remembered that the last time she looked at her reflection in the mirror, her mirror doppelganger sang to her as a personification of her doubts and self-loathing. So she sang the song herself to defy expectations.
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, Poppy continued to sing and patiently waited for her doppelganger to appear.
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I'm someone else
For all time?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
Another verse, another no-show, which began to worry and frustrate Poppy.
There's a heart that must be free, to fly
That burns with a need to know the reason why
Why must we all conceal
What we think, how we feel?
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide?
Nothing else happened, making the Pop Queen anxious with each lyric.
I won't pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
Sighing in resignation, Poppy finished the song regardless, fully aware that her mirror doppelganger had no intention of intruding today.
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
. . .
"I know this is a stupid question to ask you, but...why are you singing to yourself in front of a mirror?"
Poppy looked up and turned to the doorway to find Amy leaning against the doorframe with a look of amusement worn on her face.
"Oh. Sorry about that. This...wasn't the first time that's happened."
"Pray tell."
"Well... Before I arrived in the Space Between, I was preparing a passion project for Pop Village called TrollsTopia. I decided to wear my mother's dress for the occasion and, looking at myself in the mirror, I thought... Am I a horrible leader? I was unaware of the Strings or the different Tribes until my father told me this himself, I tried to force my musical genre on them when it was clear that they weren't interested, and...I ended up destroying the Strings and all of music, dying as a result. A few months later, during the grand opening of TrollsTopia, my...mirror doppelganger was singing the song you heard earlier, giving me a look of utter disappointment. And here I am again, imbued with the power of the Strings and no idea how to use them. Am I...going crazy?"
Amazingly, Amy listened attentively and processed every word spoke by Poppy, whom she eventually nodded her head at.
"Yes, probably. But that's nothing to be ashamed of. See, I think your...mirror doppelganger is just a manifestation of your own fears and doubts, the very reason why we're embarking on this journey for you. Sure, some of my colleagues think that protecting you is just a glorified babysitting job, but the others think otherwise. To them, it's much more. If something happened to you, we wouldn't able to be live with ourselves. You see, the future you saved us, the Lost Trolls, when we got caught in a Time Vortex while trying to save Queen Barb and her loved ones. You enlisted us in the TVA in exchange for a safe return to our dimension. For that...we owe you our lives. You continuously blaming yourself for anything and everything that goes wrong in your life is not going to help you in the long run. The best bet? Rework your failures into a lesson, make do with what you have left, and do the best you can with it."
Poppy blinked at Amy in complete surprise. From the few fleeting previews she received her the moment she and the Lost Trolls arrived in TrollsTopia, she looked like a snarky, self-centered, and superficial Pop Troll. As a result, that very same snarky, self-centered, and superficial Pop Troll offering her meaningful advice was a complete 180.
It was something Amy herself noticed as she cringed while nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Err, sorry. I'm not one for uplifting, heartfelt speeches. That was really crappy–"
Amy never got the chance to properly finish her apology as Poppy engulfed her in a warm but incredibly tight hug, lightly crying on her shoulder, which she buried her head into.
"At least you're trying. Thanks, Amy."
As Poppy continued to hug her, Amy's stomach began to slowly churn, although she did not feel like vomiting all over the place. Instead, she felt like...there were butterflies in her stomach. Because she was not one for uplifting, heartfelt speeches, she was also not one for complex emotions such as joy, happiness, and love. She had lost the ability to love a long time ago...or so she thought. In response, she melted into the embrace and almost got carried away.
"H-Hey. Don't forget two things: 1) We're on a mission to help you, and 2) I have a reputation to keep."
"Got it," Poppy giggled as she gathered her belongings, "Is it weird that...I see you as a sister I never had?"
For some odd reason, Amy's heart felt like dropping in disappointment before feigning an amused chuckle, "No, of course not. Though I must confess I had a sister to call my own once."
"Had?" Poppy tilted her head in intrigue, "What happened to her?"
Amy's eyes scanned from left to right as she attempted to conjure a magical excuse.
. . .
"My...father threw her off a cliff as a sacrifice for the Gods."
Seeing the wide-eyed look of horror Poppy shot her with, Amy wished she fight a little harder to keep those words from exiting her mouth. Nonetheless, she proceeded to dig herself into a deeper hole than before.
"Of course, I could be lying. I tend to be a compulsive liar and like to lie because...I can."
. . .
"Are you?"
. . .
"I could be."
. . .
"I'll just take your word for it," Poppy eventually smiled as Amy led the way.
. . .
Quick thinking, Amy. Quick thinking...
As the Bounty Hunters ventured into Troll Forest, with Hickory, Tresillo, and Wani leading the charge, it would seem that the odds were very much against the group at the very moment. The weather outside was frightful, and the fire was no more delightful. So far, no bodies have been found thus far, which meant no progress had been made thus far. The Country Troll held his Remington 870 at the ready while the Reggaeton Leader and the K-Pop Leader trailed behind him and in front of their respective members.
"Do you think the amiga survived?"
"I'm not sure, but Poppy did somehow to survive the destruction of the Strings with no harm done."
"Somehow... She had the help of her madre, did she not?"
"And a little bit of sheer dumb luck as well..."
No matter how soft the both of them attempted to whisper, Hickory could hear Tresillo and Wani loud and clear. Even so, he decided to not join in their conversation despite how tempting it was to do so. The mission was to find Poppy, bring her home...and cut down anybody and everybody in their path who served as a hindrance to their mission.
SNAP!
His ears perking up at the faint sound of a branch snapping in half, Hickory stopped dead in his tracks.
"Kill the lights."
Tresillo and Wani cut their conversation short to look at him in confusion.
"What?"
"Kill the lights. Now. And take cover quickly."
Putting out their torches and pulling out their weapons, the Bounty Hunters took cover behind trees and bushes as a group of Party Crashers slid onto the scene wielding Heckler & Koch HK416 rifles. No doubt that they were on the same mission as they were, but with entirely different outcomes in mind.
"If they wish for a shootout," Chaz raised his Glock 17, "Then they'll get one."
Tresillo and Wani both shot the Smooth Jazz Troll a warning look.
"Not yet."
"We can't afford a shootout."
"As anything but a last resort?" Ari shot her leader a look as well, "Those Party Crashers nearly killed us and our friends one too many times. I believe it's high time we returned the favor."
Hickory said nothing as he held his Remington 870 at the ready. He only watched as the Party Crashers patrol the area and carry a sack that, judging by the effeminate kicking and screaming coming from the inside, contained a female Trolling.
"Please let me go!"
"Please let me go..." The Party Crasher carrying her mockingly mimicked her, chuckling in amusement before scowling and jabbing the bag with a sharpened index finger, "You better shut up if you know what's good for you."
Baby Bun scowled herself in disdain at this particularly Party Crasher, "Now they're kidnapping children? Oh, they're gonna fry..."
"BB, wait..." Gomdori warned, "Hickory said stick to the plan."
"And apparently that plan is to stand and watch a potential hostage be brutally dispatched, right?"
As her friends continued to softly argue, Kim-Petit noticed a figure sprinting above from the trees. The faint appearance and outline appeared to belong to that of a female, donning a mask and armored uniform. She could not deduce the true colors of this particular Troll, for they were seemingly reverted to grey. However, she could deduce the plain and simple fact this particular Troll was armed to the teeth, a M4A1 Carbine with a M203 Grenade Launcher serving as her primary weapon. She watched the mystery Troll take a grapnel out of her hair and slip the belt that came with it around her waist before her attention was stolen back by the distressed cries of the Troll inside the bag, from where she roughly pulled out of.
The Troll was rather thin with a pink complexion that rivaled Poppy's. She had pink eyes, pink hair (magenta to be exact), and a pink outfit. Going into specific detail with her appearance, she had pointed ears and yellow-and-pink wings while her hair done up into two buns and short bangs in the front and longer ones framing the sides of their face. She wore a tutu-like dress, with dark pink, puffed sleeves, a pink bodice and skirt with a bright yellow under skirt, and a golden choker with red gems around her neck.
"You know..." The same Party Crasher who carried and roughly pulled the young Troll from the bag suddenly smirked and snickered in such a sadistic style, "I never tasted Trollings before. Fellas?"
The "fellas", consisting of three other males and three additional females, abruptly seized the terrified young Troll by the arms.
"Wait! No! Stop!"
"Don't worry, little girl..." The Party Crasher stayed his smug smirk as he slid down his pants, "It hurts at first, but you'll enjoy it. They always do..."
BOOM!
A shotgun blast to his crotch sent him screaming in horrified pain before he could follow through with the dirty deed, followed by a subsequent headshot that effectively put him down for the moment. Hickory was the first to open fire at the same time with the mystery Troll, something only Kim-Petit noticed at first. The Troll in question rappelled down from her spot in the tree and broke into a somersault to her feet, taking aim with her M4A1 Carbine and return fire at the hostiles, unwittingly providing aid to Hickory and the rest of the Bounty Hunters when they eventually joined in. Also joining in were the Party Crashers' additional fellas who practically descended upon them like locusts. While their numbers were overwhelming compared to the relatively small number of Subculture Trolls that were currently in combat with them, what did them in was their lack of a proper strategy in favor of brute force and strength.
"Hey!" Kim-Petit called out to the mystery Troll, "Behind you!"
The masked Troll glanced over her shoulder and disarmed an incoming Party Crasher of his Heckler & Koch HK416 before delivering rapid-fire punches and throwing him against a tree. When he was thrown, the Party Crasher tore off her left sleeve, revealing a cybernetic arm in its place. With this arm and her M4A1 Carbine, she utterly destroyed the rest of the Party Crashers in her one-Troll rampage, blocking the blazing bullets and punching the pugnacious party, even blowing a hole in the stomach of the Party Crasher who attempted to cross a line with the young Troll with her M203 Grenade Launcher. This last act forced the enemy group's retreat, their group suffering from dwindling numbers as the mystery Troll continued to open fire of them, no intention of leaving survivors made crystal clear.
When the dust settled, Kim-Petit was the first to run over to the traumatized young Troll, who flinched for a moment before she came face-to-face with one of her saviors.
"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now," The youngest K-Pop Troll smiled reassuredly, "You don't need to be afraid. We're the good guys. Well, most of us are..."
While the others scouted for any remaining Party Crashers, Hickory, Tresillo, Wani, and Chaz kept their guard and weapons up at the sight of the not-so-natural newcomer. Now treated with an up-close-and-personal glimpse of their uninivited guest, the uniform she wore appeared to be lightweight, flexible, and built from Nomex thread and Kevlar fiber. In addition, she wore tinted goggles along with a half face mask to further conceal her face and for eye protection.
Hickory decided to approach first, "Excuse me, Miss. We sure do appreciate the help you provided us with."
The masked Troll turned around to face the Subculture Leaders and examined them from head to toe. No stone was left unturned as the goggles performed the examination for her. Statistics which ranged from height and weight to build and even distinctive features were saved into the notes section as she nodded.
"I take it you're not much of a talker, are you, amiga?"
The masked Troll shook her head at Tresillo and made a gesture at the young Troll being watched over by Kim-Petit, something Wani noticed and understood.
"And I take it you want us to look after her?"
The masked nodded her head this time before taking her leave, leaving a confused group of Bounty Hunters in her wake. Exchanging looks of confusion and uncertainty, the four leaders turned back to the Reggaeton and K-Pop Girls who were by the young Troll's side, making sure she was okay and had sustained no injuries.
"But...we don't even know her name..." Chaz tilted his head as he, Tresillo, and Wani turned to Hickory, who seemed to recognize the young Troll...but only by pure chance.
"Flutterina..."
Poppy shivered in the cool underground air as she hurried down the long hallway that lead toward Branch's room. The pink female was still damp from her quick shower, not willing to waste anymore time by trying to get herself dry. As much as she wanted to just grab her friend and leave this hellhole behind as fast as she could, the Pop Queen knew that showing up with the hem of her dress and legs soaked in blood was the last thing Barb needed to see. She was just thankful that Branch had had enough decency to give her some of the clothing she had left in the bunker so that she'd have something to wear.
The brief thought of the teal male broke through the painfully thin mental barriers that Poppy had tried to erect around the memories of her sexual assault as she had laid crying and dry heaving on the bathroom floor. Branch had been her best friend...her lover...and her potential future husband. She had loved and trusted him completely before she had found out what he had done to Barb and even afterwards had trusted that the remnants of that love would keep her safe. The pink female never thought she would be raped again and that Branch would be the one to do it.
The Pop Queen cried out like a wounded animal as her memories and emotions overwhelmed her, like an ocean wave crashing down on her head. She staggered sideways into the earthen wall before collapsing painfully to the dirt floor as memories of the male Pop Troll's attack assaulted her mind at the same time she remembered the wonderful times they'd had together.
The horrible flashbacks seemed just as real as the actually event had been. The horrible realization that the male she had loved was enjoying himself as he looked at her with excited eyes while he clawed and ripped at her insides, shredding her vaginal walls and making her scream in agony. How his large teal fingers had tried to brutally force themselves through her cervix, as if Branch had desperately wanted to injure her womb itself. His laugh still rang in her ears from when she had begged him to let her clean herself off as she bled on the floor at his feet.
At the same time, Poppy remembered the Branch who had laughed with her over the silliest things, the little jokes that they had shared, and the way he would watched her ass when he thought she wa not looking. The promises they had made, the secrets they had shared, and the love that they had. She remembered the way they had passionately kissed and clawed at each other's clothing until they were naked and making love, where ever they happened to be.
The mental disconnect between the two versions of Branch was almost as painful as the attack itself had been. The Pop Queen just couldn't understand how the Branch she knew could still be the same troll who had assaulted and raped her and Barb. No matter what mental gymnastics she performed in order to explain his behavior, Poppy found that she could not lie to herself any longer.
The kind, loving, pragmatic Branch that she knew did not exist and probably never had. What the male Pop Troll had hidden from everyone was that he was a paranoid and violent sadist who used his tragic past to justify the terrible things that he did. Poppy had tried her best to help him to become a better troll, but you could not help someone who did not think they needed help in the first place.
Fighting against the agonizing memories, the Pop Queen used all of the mental discipline she possessed to force herself to regain control. For several torturous minutes, Poppy fought against the incredibly strong pull of the dark abyss in her mind that tried to drag her down into its depths and strip her of all of her colors.
. . .
. . .
. . .
No...
. . .
No...!
. . .
NO!
Poppy mentally shouted to the howling void.
I am NOT going to let that asshole do that to me!
. . .
NOT AGAIN!
. . .
I won't let him rip away my happiness!
. . .
My very self ever again!
. . .
I WON'T LET HIM WIN!
Violently punching the wall in a fit of rage, Poppy briefly hissed in pain and looked at the damage inflicted upon her clenched fist before glancing to the hole in the wall.
She punched that same spot again...
And again...
And again...
And again...
And again...
And again...
And again...
Until her fists were completely stained with blood and her bones were very nearly completely protruding through her skin.
Her resolve returning with a vengeance, Poppy growled as she broke into a sprint.
I... WILL NOT...LET HIM...WIN!
A/N: The following are two responses to two reviews.
1.1) Sandrastar1: I am excited to find out what happens next.
1) MarcellusMiro66: Well... This is what happens next. What happens next in the next chapter will probably involve story exposition and training sequences involving Poppy.
2.1) TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3: Oh my goodness. Your version of the first episode of TrollsTopia is very intense and there is a lot of drama. You even flesh out the Rock Trolls' reluctance to accept the Pop Trolls. Good thing Melody told Val off that time.
Poppy going through several power confusion and electricity shocks threw me off guard. It must be due to the Strings. And if anything, it must be what the Captain and her mercenary crew plan to do; find who is possessing the powers of the strings. And those Party Crashers might have allowed Poppy to start the journey of this adventure.
I am surprised you added in your Addict AU. Got a little disturbed with the song choice and the looks Trollex and Poppy have. But this...this is just the start the reveal of the other dimensions. All different to the original Trolls universe; first we got Dark Bounty Hunter!Poppy, Techno Queen!Poppy...and what else lies out there. This got me some Into The Spider-Verse vibes and I wonder if there are more violent, cartoonish or deep versions of Poppy in your story.
And boy, I wonder if Poppy actually survived that fall.
Until then, I'm enjoying this so far. This isn't your typical Trolls story, ladies and gentlemen. I can say that this is the ultimate Trolls story; a story that takes new heights and new genres as one. I'm liking how you are going so far.
Also, the title of this chapter says TrollsTopia: Part 3. It should be Part 2, but it's just a slight typo.
Can't wait to see the next chapter!
- Cheah
2) MarcellusMiro66: Firstly, TrollsTopia: Part 3 was indeed a typo and a mistake on my part, so thank you for pointing that out.
The Rock Trolls have been characterized as rebellious, dedicated, and passionate to their own genre of music, so it would make sense that they would be the last or reluctant to accept Pop for who they are. I also made Val a little out of her element when hired as the Rock Ambassador alongside Demo and Blaze Powerchord, so she tries her darnest to mimic Barb, who oozes confidence and reassurance in her steps. This is a reference to the criticism leading up to TrollsTopia over the similar substitutes replacing the Tribe Leaders, and I will admit their reasoning for not appearing was a fairly justifiable one; Barb herself is none too plussed for Val mimicking her behavior. And despite Melody calling out her older cousin for her lack of trust in the Pop Trolls, it should be noted that both sides have a point in the matter. While Val is worried that Pop, despite turning a new leaf, will repeat the past and try to conquer the tribes once again, Melody is worried that Rock may not learn the lesson and attempt that very same power grab. In any case, I tried to make both characters sympathetic while not catering to cliches.
Poppy's acquiring of cosmic powers and electric shocks are partially inspired by the Scrapbook AU by butterbeanseventeen. Here's the abridged summary: The Strings were designed by the Tribe Ancestors with the purpose and desire of maintaining harmony, serving as a conduit of sorts. So when Poppy destroyed the Strings in the climax of World Tour, the "harmony" was lost and the "desire" was transferred to her. Despite many friendships forming in the wake of the Strings' destruction, many of the Trolls blamed Rock for the events that occurred. At the same time, the magic of the Strings begin messing with Poppy, who is convinced that harmony for the Tribes require further reconciliation, and that is when the idea for TrollsTopia comes into play. In essence, she becomes a reality warper as she constructs her scrapbook that fits her vision of harmony, and tensions start arising when several Trolls become missing.
Of course, MarcellusMiro66 has taken steps to make sure that his story and their story are not one and the same; the main difference is that butterbeanseventeen's version of Poppy is something of an Anti-Villain in their story, MarcellusMiro66's version of Poppy is something of an Anti-Hero in his story. Poppy becomes like Branch, but far more darker and edgier than he could possibly be. Because she was born into royalty, the pressures of being Queen are getting to her and her newly acquired superhuman abilities are not helping matters. A main inspiration of this story is Black Panther (2018), a superhero film that beautifully balances exciting action sequences, complex and charismatic characters, and relevant social commentary through a tightly-woven narrative involving family tragedy and international espionage. The films that inspired that masterpiece (James Bond [1962-Present], The Godfather [1972-1990], The Lion King [1994], A Prophet [2009], Bullitt [1968], Drive [2011], and The French Connection [1971]) may also potentially serve as inspirations.
Yes, I added my Addict AU, and for good reason. Addict is essentially an adaptation of the Evil!Trollex AU, or rather my take on it. This is just a sign of things to come.
The next few chapters will primarily focus on Poppy, The Tribe Leaders, and The Lost Trolls traveling to an alternate version of Latin City and learning the existence of The Scholars, The Apex Headset, and The Perfect Mix. Meanwhile, DJ Suki and Trollex travel back to the real-world version of Latin City and learn the existence of The Scholars, The Apex Headset, and The Perfect Mix from Diogo, Lucas, and Dulce. And judging by the backstory of the Pirate Captain, this could potentially serve as the template for a M-rating.
1) "Lost" belongs to SuperNova CO.
2) "Scrapbook AU" belongs to butterbeanseventeen.
3) "Evil Trollex AU" belongs to wwot.
4) "The Other Side", "Come Together", "Trolls Wanna Have Good Times", "Crazy Train", "It's All Love", "Good Time", "Pandemonium", and "All Is Found" belong to their respective producers, songwriters, and record labels.
5) "Heavy Metal" belongs to Kurayamin.
6) Melody Song, Mal Shredder, and Ballad Bill belong to MasterClass60.