The true wielder of the strings

by Bloodred739

Branch was different. No one had to tell him this. He had always known it. He didn't sing, he didn't dance, and he rarely smiled. But after an encounter with a group of trolls unlike an he'd ever seen, Branch discovers many things. Not just about other trolls, but also himself. He learned that beyond his village, there were things waiting for him. a home, a family, and a destiny.

8. Chapter 8: Inevitable attack

Time seemed to freeze when Poppy locked eyes with the small Bergen girl. Just like two nights ago, Poppy knew by instinct that the second she looked away or made the smallest peep, Bridget would attack, ready to kill her, and her friends.

Smidge, knife at the ready, looked around the small room, looking for anything that could grant them a quick escape. That's when she looked back at the door that they all came through. The bottom of the doorway was just high enough for them to squeeze through, and low enough that the bergen girl wouldn't be able to stop them from fleeing.

"There!" She yelled, pointing at the door.

At the sound of her voice, Bridget sprang forward, once again forgetting about the chain around her neck, keeping the trolls just out of reach. Ignoring the pain of the prongs stabbing into her neck, Bridget let out a muffled roar as she swung her claws like a wild animal. Finally giving up, the bergen grabbed a plate from the large pile of dishes, and threw it at them.

By the skin of their teeth, Poppy and her friends managed to dodge the enormous dish. The princess pulled Creek to his feet, and the six of them split up. Poppy, Fuzzbert, and Creek ran to the right, and Smidge, Cooper, and Satin ran to the left.

"Bridget, wait!" Poppy yelled to the bergen, hoping that using her name might get her attention. "You don't have to do this! We can help you!"

But Poppy's words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Bridget turned her attention to Smidge and the two with her, and charged at them as they ran under her bed. After a few failed attempts to flip the bed over, the bergen realized that the bed was bolted into the ground. More frustrated now, Bridget reached under the bed, swinging her clawed hand around in an attempt to grab one of the trolls.

While Bridget was distracted, Poppy, Creek, and Fuzzbert used their hair to swing to the door. Once there, she started looking around for her other friends. Her attention was brought back to Bridget when she heard the scream of her bodyguard.

"Smidge!" Poppy yelled as she watched Bridget pull her small friend from under the bed, and quickly bring her to her face. Just as before, Bridget furiously yanked on the muzzle that was locked onto her mouth. Desperately trying to rip it off. In the girl's frustration, she did not notice Cooper quickly make his escape from under the bed, Satin riding on his back.

Smidge struggled against Bridget's giant hand, desperately trying to free herself before the bergen could manage to remove her muzzle. Suddenly, one of the large towers of plates that Bridget had stacked together fell down onto her. The unexpected weight making the girl stagger and slightly lose her grip on Smidge. Looking behind Bridget, Smidge could see that it was Cooper who knocked the plates down.

In that short moment, the dwarf troll was able to get her arm free, and jam her dagger into Bridget's hand.

Bridget let out a muffled scream of pain as she dropped Smidge. Now free, Smidge left the dagger behind, ran to her two friends, jumped on Cooper's back right behind Satin, and the three made their way to the giant door as well. Without hesitation, she and the other trolls all started to slip their way under the door.

Except Poppy, who was still looking at Bridget.

As the princess watched the bergen child hold her bleeding hand, and then at all the now-broken dishware that scattered around her, she thought about what could happen to Bridget. What would happen to her when Chef returned. When she saw that not only were the trolls gone, but she destroyed most of the dishware that she was supposed to clean. And what Chef would do to her in her anger…

"Poppy, let's go!" Smidge yelled from the other side of the door.

For the third time, Poppy told herself that she shouldn't feel sympathy for a bergen, child or otherwise. The girl had just very clearly demonstrated that she had no sympathy for them, or even her own kind. The only thing that had stopped her from eating Smidge was the muzzle covering her face.

But if she just left Bridget like this, Poppy knew that Chef would most likely kill her. The princess didn't know if she could live with herself if she just allowed that to happen.

Surprising Smidge, Poppy jumped over to one of the ledges, and swung herself over to the chain that was keeping Bridget locked in this room.

"Poppy, what are you doing?" Smidge yelled.

Ignoring Smidge, Poppy wrapped her hair around the hooked clip on the chain. With all of her might, she pulled, and pulled until she heard a loud click. Bridget silently watched this happen, still trying to stop the bleeding from the puncture wound from the tiny dagger that she had just pulled out of her hand.

With that done, the pink troll hurried back to the door where her friends were waiting for her. Before Poppy left, her eyes met with Bridget's once more.

"Run." Poppy said to her as she pointed to the cracked glass window that was on the other side of the room. "You're free now, Bridget. Run away as far as you can before Chef gets back."

For what in Poppy's mind felt like an eternity, Bridget did not move at all. As they continued to stare at each other, the princess searched the girl's eyes. Looking for any signs of gratefulness, empathy, kindness, anything that resembled any type of trollmanity. Anything that would tell Poppy that she was more than just a heartless killer.

But she didn't.

Poppy received a more direct sign of this from Bridget, who had used her newfound freedom to lunge at Poppy. In that same instance, Smidge wrapped her hair around Poppy's waist, and pulled her under the doorway, away from the bergen, and onto the other side of the door, her five friends waiting for her. As fast as they could, the group started running down the dark hallway. The sounds of Bridget's muffled cries and the banging on the locked door growing more distant the farther they got. This was soon followed by the sound of what Poppy guessed was the window being smashed.

"What were you thinking, Poppy!?" Smidge said to the princess as they all started to make their way back up the circular stairway. "Why'd you let her out? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I couldn't just leave her like that, Smidge." Poppy said. "I know she tried to hurt us, but if we left her chained up, they might kill and eat her. At least now she has a chance to get away."

"Hurt us? Poppy, she was gonna kill us!" Smidge yelled. "What do you think she would've done to me if she didn't have that weird mask thing on her face?"

"I know, ok? I just thought that maybe if we could show her that we didn't have to fight, then maybe.."

"You saw what she did to that other bergen earlier today! They kill and eat each other for fun! If I hadn't just saved you, she would've torn you apart!"

"Guys!" Satin said, interrupting their argument. "Now isn't the time for this. We still have to find Chenille!"

Poppy took a deep breath, and nodded. As much as Poppy hated the idea of letting another person suffer, she knew that Smidge was right. If they all wanted to make it through this, then she had to stay focused on finding her last friend.

"Creek, Cooper. Do you guys know where they took Chenille?" Poppy asked them.

"I remember hearing one of the bergens say that the king dude went to his room." Cooper said. "Maybe he's still there."

"He's right." Creek said in a low voice.

Poppy looked at the yoga instructor again. He was still holding his egg in his hands. Arms curled around it as if someone had threatened to take it from him. The cut across his once-purple fur was starting to look infected. The princess mentally cursed herself for leaving all of their supplies with Biggie and Suki.

"It's gonna be ok, Creek." Poppy said before hugging her friend. Creek didn't return it, but she could feel him easing a little. "We're gonna save Chenille, then we'll get back home."

As they all pressed forward, Poppy thought on where the bergen king's quarters might be. If they did things similar to how trolls operate, then she was willing to guess that they'd find his room at the tallest point of the castle. Just as the royal pods always sat above the other pods in their village.

And if this was the case, then all they had to do was find some stairs that led them up, and they should eventually come across his quarters. They were so close now. They'd save Chenille, get back together with Biggie and Suki, and be on their way home.

--

"Ok, Harper. Are you ready?"

On the main floor down in Branch's bunker, Harper, the village's artist, stood in front of her two friends Moxie and Baha, preparing herself for what could be either the greatest day of her life, or a day that would haunt her forever.

She was going to confess her feelings to Archer Pastry.

Harper's pod was one of the first to be destroyed by that monstrous bergen when it attacked the village, and she was almost crushed along with it. She could replace the many paintings and sculptures she lost, but if she had died that night, it would've been without ever telling Archer how she felt.

Harper looked over out in the distance, blushing a little when she saw Archer, who was currently talking with a few other trolls. He was a red glitter troll with sparkly purple hair, and eyes as blue as the night. But what really separated Archer from most other glitter trolls was that he actually wore clothing. A purple vest that matched his eyes, a leaf green shirt underneath, and lightish-gray pants.

The artist met him about two months ago during that day's hug time. He seemed uncomfortable at first, but eased into it after a few moments. Ever since, the two had become very close friends. Playing games, eating sweets, even painting each other's portraits. Archer still wasn't very good at it, but he always told Harper that she was a wonderful teacher. His kind words always made her usually-composed hand unsteady. Harper couldn't believe that she had never met him before. He was such a kind troll, and an even better friend.

But Harper wanted to be more.

The artist didn't know what it was that drew her to Archer, but she just wanted to walk through the village with his hand in hers. She wanted to feed him chocolates, and have him do the same to her. She wanted him to be the first person she saw every time her hug watch went off. She wanted to greet him with a kiss every morning, and bid him farewell with one every night.

"I dunno, girls." Harper said to her two friends. "Isn't it too early? Is now even the best time?"

Moxie gave her shorter friend a reassuring smile. "There's no such thing as a perfect time, Harper." She said. "I promise you, even if that bergen hadn't attacked us, you'd still be just as nervous. But if you don't take a chance, you'll always wonder what might've been."

"Yeah, Harper." Baha chimed in, her acoustic guitar in hand. "I've got my guitar ready, and we picked the perfect song. If he isn't crushing on you already, he's definitely gonna be after this."

Harper took a silent, but deep breath and nodded, steeling her heart for what was to come. "Ok. I'm ready."

With a small smile from Baha and a grin from Moxie, the three made their way over to Archer. The moment the three girls got within seeing distance of Archer, Harper's legs seem to lock in place, not being able to bring herself any further.

Noticing this, Moxie sighed, seeing that this might be more difficult than they thought. "Hey, Archer!" She called, getting the glitter troll's attention. "You got a sec?"

Archer smiled when he saw Harper. Silently waving off the troll he had been talking with, he walked over to the three girls. "Hey, guys! Hey, Harper. What's up?"

Harper's already unsteady heart skipped at the way Archer said her name.

"Harper has something really important that she wants to tell you." Moxie said as her and Haba stepped back, giving the artist and the glitter troll some space. As Haba prepared to play her guitar, Harper's eyes aligned with Archer's. Her heart was pounding so hard, you could practically hear it.

"Archer…" Harper finally spoke up.

"What's going on, Harper? Is everything ok?" Archer asked the smaller troll.

"I.. know this might not be the best time." Harper started. "With everything that's happened and all. But… I almost died a few days ago. I don't wanna risk missing the chance to tell you how I feel again. So…"

Harper looked over to Haba, who was watching with Moxie. Understanding immediately, she began to strum her guitar gently. The small, peaceful tune grabbing the attention of the many other trolls in the room. One by one, they all started to quiet down until the only sound came from Haba's guitar. And then soon after, Harper's voice as she began to sing for Archer.

(Perfect two by Auburn)

You can be the peanut butter to my jelly

You can be the butterflies I feel in my belly

You can be the captain, and I can be your first mate

You can be the chills that I feel on our first date

You can be the hero, and I can be your sidekick

You can be the tears that I cry if we ever split

You can be the rain from the clouds when it's storming

You can be the sun when it shines in the morning

Moxie and Haba smiled at their friend, proud of her for not letting her nervousness get in the way. They, along with most of the other trolls in the room, started to snap their fingers to the music.

Don't know if I could ever be

Without you, cause Arch, you complete me

And in time, I know that we'll both see

That we're all we need

Cause you're the apple to my pie

You're the straw to my berry

You're the high to my five

And I always want you with me

Cause you're the one for me, for me

And I'm the one for you, for you

So take the both of us, of us

And we're the perfect two

We're the perfect two

We're the perfect two

Archer, me and you

We're the perfect two

Harper sustained eye contact with the surprised Archer the entire time she sang this song. Now came the moment of truth. If the glitter troll would accept her offer of companionship, or reject it. Those few seconds that she waited somehow felt too short, and too long at the same time. While not a true believer of Gahmin, the artist couldn't help but make a mental prayer to him, hoping that it would be answered.

And answered it was, by Archer's growing smile.

Walking closer to Harper, Archer grabbed her hands, and slowly walked her to the center of the room, giving every troll there a clear view of this moment. Moxie and Haba quietly squealed as Archer began to sing the other half of the song.

I can be the prince, and you can be the princess

You can be the sweet tooth, I can be the dentist

You can be the shoes, and I can be the laces

You can be my heart that I spill on the pages

You can be the dough, and I can be the baker

You can be the pencil, and I can be the paper

Know that you're as bright as the summer weather

I'll savor every moment that we have here together

Don't know if I could ever be

Without you, cause Harp, you complete me

And in time, I know that we'll both see

That we're all we need

Cause you're the apple to my pie

You're the straw to my berry

You're the high to my five

And I always want you with me

Cause you're the one for me, for me

And I'm the one for you, for you

So take the both of us, of us

And we're the perfect two

We're the perfect two

We're the perfect two

Harper, me and you

We're the perfect two

As the two trolls slowly danced, "Happy" couldn't describe how Harper felt in this moment. Overjoyed to find out that Archer returned her feelings, and eager to share every ounce of this joy to him in the hopes that the glitter troll would offer his as well. To completely seal the deal, and make their relationship official, they sang the final part of the love song together.

(Archer) You know that I'll never doubt you

(Harper) And you know that I think about you

(Archer) And you know I can't live without you

(Harper) I love the way that you smile

(Archer) And maybe in just a while

(Harper) You can see me walk down the aisle

Cause you're the apple to my pie

You're the straw to my berry

You're the high to my five

And I always want you with me

Cause you're the one for me, for me

And I'm the one for you, for you

So take the both of us, of us

And we're the perfect two

We're the perfect two

We're the perfect two

Baby, me and you

We're the perfect two

This beautiful moment between the two trolls was soon interrupted by a sudden rumbling above them. Then once again, but heavier. The dirt ceiling above them started to shake, letting flakes of dirt and dust fall down around them. And then finally, the ground around them began to shake as well. Before Archer could say or do anything else, the ground started to shake again, almost making him fall over. Jars of water, fruit, and other supplies started to fall from the shelves. Slowly, every troll on the main floor got quieter and quieter, until what was once the rambling of many became an eerie silence.

And then suddenly, terrifying all of the trolls in the bunker, the very sharp metal point of what looked like a shovel smashed it's way through the ceiling above them.

--

Laguna Tidepool's hands trembled as she read her deceased mother's journal. And King Trollex wasn't looking much better as Laguna finished reading it to him.

Laguna, King Trollex, and his guard followed behind the Rock troll's anglerbus in his whaleship, taking a route that they were unfamiliar with which, according to Kelley, would have them at the currents of Bergen Town within the hour.

Usually, a situation like this would excite the scientist to no end. These trolls of a different tribe, their behavior and mannerisms, their technology, all of it peaked her interest. She had so many questions, and just as she had theorized, her mother's journal answered quite a few of them. And what Laguna learned from them shook her to her core.

According to the journal, Trollex's parents, his father Trollkien and his mother Strobelight, their marriage had been hanging on by a thread for years. The two merely kept up the appearance of a happily married pair for both Trollex, and the kingdom. In reality, the two had apparently grown to resent each other in their years, and Whirla was one of the only trolls that knew.

The resentment even went so deep, that Whirla was once unfaithful to her king. Laying with a troll that was not of their tribe, and bearing a child that was not the king's.

Reading further on, the journal claimed that on their expedition, Strobelight distanced herself from Trollkien. She went as far as going to the surface, just to avoid him. Whilst there, she met a Pop troll named Elias, who had apparently been banished by his king for reasons he refused to tell her. The one night they shared was short, but pleasant.

Suddenly, so many things made sense. Why an expedition that was only supposed to be two months became nine instead. It wasn't to keep searching for food sources or territory that truthfully they did not need. It was so Strobelight could hide her pregnancy.

The minute she laid her egg, and deduced from it's lighting and patterns that it was a girl, Strobelight and her furious husband had no choice but to find the Pop village, and leave it near one of the streams, where hopefully, it would be noticed quickly.

"So this means…" King Trollex started, his words drifting off.

"I don't think we're looking for your mother, Trollex." Laguna said. "I think we're looking for your younger sister."

Slowly, Trollex sat down next to Laguna, laying his head in his hand. In his mind, an internal conflict he had never felt before raged. Anger at himself for not seeing all of the obvious signs that had somehow eluded him. Trying to think of a time he had seen his parents kiss, hug, or do anything that a loving couple did outside of the public. He couldn't remember a single time. Because it never happened.

Then the king thought on the false hope he gave himself that his mother could have possibly still been alive. If she had somehow escaped the venomfish that killed his father and most of their crew, what was stopping her from coming back to the kingdom?

But most of all, Trollex thought about this supposed sister of his.

The king's mind was flooded with a combination of curiosity, and a sense of unbalance. He wondered about this sibling he had never known. This secret that had been kept from him, Laguna, and the rest of his kingdom. How had this sister of his been raised among the once-thought extinct Pop trolls? Was she aware of her true parentage? Why were they in Bergen Town?

Laguna, sensing her king's inner turmoil, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Will we press forward, Trollex? This is up to you. You don't need to feel obligated to find this person."

Trollex looked at his advisor and friend. But he did feel obligated to find this person. Especially if she was in possible danger. If his mother really wanted to get rid of any evidence of her unfaithfulness, she could have just terminated the child while she was still pregnant. But she chose to wait out the pregnancy. To track down the Pop village, and leave the egg with them. Because she wanted the baby to live. And as upset as he felt like he should have been at his mother, his sibling wasn't to blame for her choices.

"Let's keep moving." Trollex said firmly, standing up. "At the very least, we can get her outta Bergen Town."

Laguna smiled. She figured he'd say that. Truthfully, she was quite curious about Trollex's sibling. What did she look like? Did she have more similarities to a Pop troll or a Techno troll? What was her diet like? Did she have gills? Could she breathe underwater? Laguna supposed they'd find out soon enough.

--

As Poppy and her friends made their way up the castle, the princess tried everything she could to get Creek to open up. Hoping to ease the pain of whatever happened to him. Even at this time, Creek was cradling his egg like his life depended on it.

Poppy thought about what might help ease her friend. Anything to get his hopes up, and hopefully restore his color. Finally she thought of something.

"Hey Creek?" Poppy said quietly to her friend. "That egg… is it yours and Guy Diamond's?"

After a moment, Creek nodded his head.

"That's so great. I didn't know you two had grown so close." The princess said. "Guy's gonna be so happy to know that you're both ok."

Creek's eyes went wide at her words. Slowly, he looked at her with shock and disbelief. "Guy's alive? I thought… There was so much blood I…"

"He made it, Creek." Poppy said with a smile. "Dr Moonbloom said he'll be out for another week or so, but he's ok."

Where the princess expected Creek to be overjoyed by this news, it seemed to have an entirely different effect on the yoga instructor, who was now clenching his teeth as he tried not to attract any attention by crying.

As Poppy continued to try to comfort him, Smidge, Satin, Cooper, and Fuzzbert followed behind them. Smidge watched quietly, but also took time to keep an eye on their surroundings. That dagger she left behind was her only weapon, meaning that if another Bergen spotted them, they'd have no choice but to run.

"Cooper, what happened to Creek?" Smidge asked the taller troll. "What did they do to him?"

"He won't tell us." Cooper said. "When we got here, that Chef lady took him away from the rest of us. Then when she came back, he was all grey, and his chest was all cut up."

Smidge shook her head. With everything they had seen in this terrible place, she wouldn't be surprised if they had tortured Creek just for the fun of it. When this was all said and done, she hoped that she never even had to hear the word "Bergen" ever again.

After a bit more time traveling through the dark halls, the six trolls found themselves at a large gold-plated wooden door. Before Poppy could question whether or not this door led to the Bergen King's private chambers, the knob started to jiggle and twist. On that, the princess and her friends climbed up on one of the unlit candles on the wall, and used their hair to create the illusion of fire.

Out of the door, a small bergen child walked out. A boy who couldn't have been much older than Bridget, pushing a cart full of dirty dishes, and the bones of eaten food. Much like the other servants Poppy and her friends had snuck by, he looked broken. Hardly even reacting to the wooden mug that was thrown at his head from the other side of the door.

Immediately after, the scariest bergen Poppy had seen thus far walked out of the room as well. He was bigger than the rest, his hair was longer, and the filthiest shade of green she'd ever seen, and his teeth were so big and sharp, that they protruded from his mouth. The rusted crown he was wearing told Poppy that he was indeed the Bergen King.

"Move it, servant boy." He said to the child.

Still hiding in the candle, Poppy waited until the two bergens were both out of sight and earshot before they all hopped back down. One by one, they all slipped through the open door, and took in the entire room. It's contents made Poppy feel sick. There were skeletons of various creatures of all shapes and sizes hung like trophies all over the walls. The room itself smelled like blood and grime. Scariest of all, there was some sort of gator-like creature sleeping on the dirty king-sized bed.

"Poppy." Cooper whispered to the princess. "Over there."

Cooper pointed to the mannequin next to the bed. On it was a stained, red cape with zebra spotting. And the buttoning keeping it clicked together was a gold locket. The locket that was holding Chenille inside of it.

Quickly, yet discreetly, Poppy and her friends ran to the mannequin, hoping that the creature on the bed wouldn't hear them. With bated breath, her and Smidge crawled up the mannequin. Grabbing it from both sides, the two together started to undo the fabric strings that were tied to the locket. Once it was free, the unexpected shift of weight caused the locket to fall. Luckily, Smidge reacted quickly by using her hair to grab the locket before it hit the floor.

Satin pushed past Creek and Cooper as Smidge lowered the locket onto the carpet. Not wasting a moment, Satin dug her fingers into the locket's hinge, and pulled with all her might. Joined by Smidge and Poppy, the three pulled and pulled until the locket's top finally flipped open.

Upon seeing Chenille in the locket, Poppy's heart almost gave out when she looked at her friend. She was lying on her side, cradled up in the fetal position, facing away from them.

"No, no, no, no…" Chenille said to herself. "Please don't eat me… Please don't eat me… I don't want to die.."

"Chenille…" Satin said, her voice seemed to make her sister freeze up. Chillingly slow, Chenille leaned upwards, and then turned around to face her sister and friends. Her eyes were bloodshot, her makeup was messy, and her hair was all over the place. "... Satin?"

"Chenille!" Satin said. Hope sparked once again, the twin sisters threw themselves into each other's arms.

A sea of relief washed over Poppy as she and the others watched the twin trolls reunite. She couldn't imagine what it must have felt like being trapped alone in that locket for so long. No light, no one around, the fear of death at any time.

Suddenly, a creaking sound echoed through the room. The seven trolls looked up at the bed. The creature lying in it stirred, its eyes slowly opening to reveal a sinister gaze.

Poppy's heart raced. Thinking as quick as she could, she looked over at the dresser that was next to the bed, and motioned for her friends to follow her.

The gator-like creature stretched its long, scaly body and yawned, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth. It scanned the room, its eyes narrowing as it smelled something amiss. Poppy and her friends pressed themselves against the wall at the very back of the dresser, barely daring to breathe.

The creature began to lumber off the bed, lifting it's nose up high, smelling the air. Finding a scent, the creature brought it's nose back down, and sniffed the carpet, following an invisible trail that led to the opened locket. As it stuck it's nose inside of it, Poppy and her friends shook with fear, praying that their presence would go unnoticed.

Lifting it's nose away, the creature suddenly looked over at the dresser, and let out a low growl. As it slowly closed in, Poppy's mind raced, unsure of what to do. There was no way to get past this thing without it getting at least one of them. The door was too far away.

"Barnabas!!"

The gator turned to see who Poppy guessed was the Bergen King, based on his voice. And he sounded very angry.

Stomping over to the creature called Barnabas, the king yanked the creature up by it's front claw, and threw it against the wall with a very sickening crack.

"You ate my troll!?" The king said through his jagged teeth. "You waste of skin!"

The trolls all silently watched as the king kicked Barnabas over and over again, the creature screeching and flailing all the way. As terrifying as it was, it was also the distraction that Poppy and her friends needed. Without a word, the princess gestured to her friends to run. Following right behind her, the seven friends all ran under the bed, and then made a b-line to the door.

Looking down the hallway to make sure it was empty, the group started to run back to the stairs that led them here. Even from this distance, they could hear Barnabas's screeches of pain get lower and lower as the king continued to strike it.

When they made it to the staircase, the seven trolls jumped down onto the bar, and slid down like a slide, quickly making their way back down.

Poppy looked back, and smiled at her friends. She had done it. She had saved them. Once they got to the troll tree, and met back up with Biggie and Suki, they could all make their way back home.

The princess's good feelings were immediately replaced with shock when she turned back around.

At the bottom of the staircase was Chef, with a devious smile on her face.

At the end of the staircase bar, she was holding open a small cage. The same cage that Cooper, Fuzzbert, and Creek had been held captive inside of. Poppy tried to slow herself down, but couldn't. They were all picking up too much speed. All at once, the trolls fell into the cage, piling on top of each other.

"Just in time for dinner." Chef said before locking the cage from the outside.

--

Lots of trolls in Vibe City doubted Prince Darnell. And tonight, he'd finally get the chance to prove them wrong.

As Prince D, along with his girlfriend and apprentice scientist Rhythm, and her sister Blues, (Or RB) walked down the bright and colorful streets of the enormous ship that was Vibe City, he thought about all the trolls who doubted his lyrical abilities. Those that claimed that trolls only came to see him perform because he was the prince. The son of King Quincy and Queen Essence.

The three Funk trolls were headed to the Divine Rings. The biggest, brightest, and most exclusive nightclub in the city. Usually, any troll that wanted to get into such a high-bar club either had to have more money than the average Funk troll had on hand, or a VIP pass. But Prince D, he WAS the VIP pass.

Behind Darnell, RB bobbed their heads, dancing lightly as they all performed their vocal warmups, prepping themselves for the backup rap that they'd be putting in with the prince.

"You ready for this, ladies?" Prince D said, his legs already moving to the beat he was about to drop.

"Let's do it, babe." Rhythm said with her trademark smirk that made Darnell's heart go crazy.

"Let's get it, Prince D!" Blues said as she swooved over to her older sister.

The prince smiled at them before turning back to the street, imagining it as the large crowd of Funk Trolls that he'd be dropping this fire for tonight. Feeling the energy of those two trolls synchronize with his, he began to rap.

(Who R U by Anderson Paak)

They want my business on the front page

(B-Headlines)

A new prescription into your frames

(R-Sunshine)

I had the vision back in 12th grade

(B-Lunchtime)

That I'd be killing shit on front stage

(R-Baby, what)

I never want it to ever be over

(B-Over)

We up in the clouds, I thought I'd be colder

(R-Colder)

Drunk off the liqui I might need a chauffeur

(B-Chauffeur)

Check out my jiggy, check out my (uh)

Now, who are you? I don't know, know

(R-Now, who the fuck is this)

Now, watcha do? I don't know, know

(B-Hm, what)

You short a few? Aw, no, no

(R-Boy, you gonna make me lose it)

Come move with me on the floor

As the three young trolls danced and rapped, a group of guards slowly descended down in front of them on one of the many flying discs that they used to travel around the city. Their gold-plated longboots told Darnell that they were members of his family's personal guard.

Intrigued and curious, Darnell halted in his steps, and RB did the same. The guards, armed with their weaponized guitars and tubas, approached the young trolls with careful professionalism.

The captain of the guards, Captain Groove, stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "What's up, Prince D?"

"What's poppin, Captain?" Prince Darnell said with a smile.

"We got word from King Quincy and Queen Essence to come pick you up." The captain said. "They wanna see you at the royal palace right away."

The prince's brow furrowed. "I kinda got a party that I'm revving up for. What's going on?"

Captain Groove kept his expression neutral but reassuring. "They didn't share the details, Prince Darnell. However, they did mention that it was important. I got strick orders to take you straight to the palace right away."

A level of confusion seemed to infest Prince D's thoughts. He shared a glance with RB, as they all wondered what could've prompted such urgency. Nonetheless, the trio nodded and climbed onto Captain Groove's disc, putting plans for the Divine Rings on hold.

As they made their way through the skies of Vibe City, the vibrant lights and jazzy pulsating music buzzed with their familiar energy. The trolls they passed by were vibing with the energy as most did. Talking amongst themselves, and bobbing their heads to the music.

Arriving at the towering golden gates of the Vibe Palace, Darnell couldn't help but crack a smirk. While most people born into royalty didn't appreciate what they had, he most certainly did.

The guards led them through lavish hallways adorned with colorful tapestries and sparkling chandeliers until they reached the grand throne room. Inside, King Quincy and Queen Essence sat regally on their majestic thrones. Their eyes locked onto their son as he approached, a mixture of sternness and concern etched on their faces.

"How's it hanging, your majesties?" Rhythm and Blues said in unison.

"I'm sorry, you two, but this is a family matter." Queen Essence said to the two sisters. "I'll have to ask the both of you to leave for now."

Without argument or question, Rhythm walked over to Prince D, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight at Divine Rings, babe."

Darnell smiled as he watched Rhythm follow her sister out of the throne room. Damn, he couldn't wait to make her his queen one day. The minute they were out of his view, he turned back to his parents. "So, what's going on?"

"Darnell, my son," King Quincy began, his deep voice echoing in the chamber. "We've gotten word about some very interesting happenings in Volcano Rock City."

This definitely surprised Darnell. He, like every other Funk troll in Vibe City, was under the impression that their kingdom had no real communication ties with any of the other tribes. The most interactions they had were the occasional meetings with the tribe leaders about territorial boundaries.

"According to our sources, another hybrid has found his way into their city." Queen Essence said. "But not just any hybrid. A Pop troll hybrid."

"Pop troll?" The prince said. "But I thought Pop trolls went extinct decades ago. Like the Disco trolls."

"As did we all, Darnell." The king said. "But what's important about this is what it implies. If this hybrid exists, it means the Pop trolls are still out there as well."

"And what that means, Darnell.." The queen said to her son. "Is that your twin brother might be among them."

Prince D fought the very real urge to groan. Not this again..

"We've already set a course for Rock City to speak with their new queen." Quincy said. "Hopefully, we can talk with this hybrid, and he can lead us to the rest of the Pop trolls."

"We'll be there within the hour." Essence said. "We're letting you know this because we'll be expected to show up as a unit when we meet the queen."

"But… I'm performing tonight." Prince D said, the complaint on his tongue. "I've been setting up this party at Divine Rings for the last month."

King Quincy raised an eyebrow. "And you think that's more important than finding your brother? That club isn't going anywhere, son."

"I didn't say that. Just…" Darnell started. Not wanting to get angry with his parents, the prince took a deep breath, mentally counted to four, and looked back at his mother and father. "I just don't wanna see you two get your hopes up again."

Prince Darnell loved his parents, and he absolutely respected their drive and determination. It was one of the reasons he looked up to them so much, even in his young adult years.

But his brother was dead. He wished that they would just accept this reality.

This wasn't the first, second, or even the third time they had spoken with another tribe about the whereabouts of his twin brother, hoping that they knew something. But every time, they always came up empty-handed. And every time, it hurt his mother and father more.

Maybe this was easier to accept because he never knew his brother, as he had been separated from them when they were both still unborn eggs. But he knew the story. His brother's egg had been stolen by a carnivorous bird, and then dropped more than 1000 feet from their ship while it was still moving. Even if his brother had somehow survived that, who or what could've been keeping him alive when he hatched?

Prince Darnell couldn't bear to see the pain etched on his parents' faces any longer. He knew they were desperately holding onto the slimmest glimmer of hope, but he wanted them to find peace and closure. Taking a deep breath, he mustered the courage to speak his mind.

"Mom, pops, I know how much you want to find him, but we been through this song and dance so many times." Darnell said gently, trying to convey his genuine concern. "Every time we go through this, it never goes down the way you want."

The queen's eyes softened as she listened to her son's words. "Darnell, we know it's been difficult, but there's always a chance, no matter how slim, that he could still be out there. We can't give up without exhausting every possibility."

"I know, Mom, but it's been years," Darnell replied, his voice tinged with a tinge of frustration. "We've searched everywhere, talked with so many tribes, and we've never found a trace of him. We gotta face that he might be gone."

The king sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Son, me and your mother talked about this before you got here. And we've already come to a conclusion."

"We're going to speak with the Pop trolls." Queen Essence said. "And if they have no information about your brother… we're going to stop looking for him. We'll hold a funeral for him, and hold onto his memory while embracing the present."

Darnell looked into his mother's eyes, his own filled with a mix of understanding and determination. "I'm not saying we gotta forget about him, mom. I couldn't ask you two to do that. But we need to move forward. We can't keep chasing after shadows."

The room fell into a heavy silence as Darnell's words lingered in the air. His parents exchanged glances, their expressions softening with a hint of resignation. Finally, the queen spoke, her voice filled with a mixture of sadness and acceptance.

"Darnell, you've grown into a wise and compassionate young man." Queen Essence said, her voice filled with both pride and a touch of sorrow. "And one day, you'll be a king for us to be proud of."

With a smile, Prince D made his way to his room to get ready. He hoped that after this meeting with the Pop trolls, his mother and father could finally have some closure and move on.

--

"Dad?"

"Poppy.."

In this moment, Poppy didn't know what scared her more. She and her friends caged, being carried down to this dark and muggy butchery of a kitchen.

Or the fact that when they got there, Poppy and her friends were thrown into an enormous black kettle, which was holding her father, and all of the trolls that were supposed to be hiding in the bunker.

Poppy ran her fingers through her hair in fear and confusion. How could this have happened? There was no way the bergens could have possibly found the bunker. It was on the edge of the village, hidden from everything.

"Dad, what happened?" Poppy said as she ran to her father. "How did they find all of you?"

Poppy and her father both looked up at Chef, who was laughing as she looked down into the kettle. Her devilish grin grew even wider when she pointed down at Creek, who was cuddling with Guy Diamond, who still couldn't move on his own. "Why don't you ask him?"

Slowly, the eyes of every troll fell onto the yoga instructor. Some filled with shock, some with disbelief, some with hurt, and even some with anger. All waiting for Creek to explain himself.

"... Creek?" Poppy said, unsure of how else to react to this.

"She… she hurt me…" Creek said as his voice started to crack under all of the shame he felt. "She… said that she'd eat my egg if I didn't tell her. I'm so sorry…"

"And you actually believed me when I said I'd let you go." Chef said as she laughed. "Do you know what the best thing about you trolls is? You're all so gullible. So innocent-minded, that you'll believe anything. I could tell you that the sun wants a hug, and you'd blow up a balloon, just to try to get to it. Now get nice and comfortable. A calm troll is a tasty troll."

Laughing at their despair one more time, Chef put the lid on the kettle, leaving all of the trolls in total darkness.

Using her hair to light up her surroundings, Poppy looked around as she saw a few other trolls do the same. Creek, Smidge, and Cybil. All gathered in separate groups.

Creek clenched his eyes in a fruitless attempt to stop the tears. He didn't want to look at all his friends and loved ones. All of these trolls who would soon be dead, all because of him. He couldn't even bear to look at the troll that his arms were intertwined with.

But then Guy took Creek's cheek into his palm, much like Creek had done when Guy Diamond told him about their egg, and lightly turned his head over to face him. The two looked at each other . Even through his teary vision, he couldn't see a hint of anger in Guy's eyes. All he could see and feel was stillness. An aura of understanding, and a look that said "I forgive you".

With nothing to say, the two cuddled up even closer, their egg between them.

Cybil, along with the rest of the followers of Gahmin, were gathered in a circle as she spoke, even her usually calm voice had a hint of despair as she spoke what would be her final prayer.

"Gahmin, bringer of joy, teacher of kindness.." She started. "We, your most loyal followers, ask that you bring us peace in our final moments as we face the end of our mortality."

Poppy felt her own tears start to rise when she saw the scared little trolling Keith being held by his mother.

"Mommy?" Keith said, his lip quivering. "Mommy, what's gonna happen?"

Instead of giving her son false hope, or telling him the truth, Keith's mother just held him closer as she silently cried.

Just a few feet away, the princess could see her bodyguard Smidge hugging Milton, the couple also trying to make the best of their final moments. Smidge was careful not to put pressure on his bandaged body.

The dwarf troll's eyes went wide when the veteran reached into his pocket, and pulled out a lemon-jeweled silver band that was just her size.

"Smidge." Milton said, in a tone that was both sad and loving all at once. "Will you marry me?"

Tears brimmed in Smidge's eyes as she looked between the ring, and the love of her life. She knew that the time they had was fleeting, but right now, she wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else.

"Yes." She said before throwing her head into his shoulder.

Poppy could only feel despair as her colors, and the colors of everyone around her started to fade away like paint in the water. All of these moments. Moments of forgiveness, of peace, of love. All things that should only create positivity. But in this moment, it brought her none. The princess's despair was so great, that she couldn't even bring herself to cry.

Poppy cradled herself. Hugging her face to her knees. This was the end. They were all going to die. And she never even got to tell Branch…

Suddenly, Poppy felt the kettle they were in stop moving. Outside of the kettle, the trolls could all hear and feel rumbling. This was soon followed by the sound of multiple startled voices. Then the rumbling seemed to become more balanced, like a rhythm.

The princess listened closer. This noise that she was hearing. Was it… music? Loud and aggressive music?