Hello! This is a two parter sister story I'm doing for 'Trolls, Band Together'.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to do a third person story or a first person story, so I'm doing two stories both on the same plot line and time period.

The first person is from Branch's prospective, and the third person is about everyone else.

So if you like this one, check out the other one. The chapters will be released concurrent to each other.

Okay! Hope you enjoy! And comment if you like!

Bye!

I stood there feeling giddy inside as I looked at the candles on my huge birthday cake. I watched as the smoke rose to the sky, the flames on the candle lit up and giving me that warm feeling inside my heart.

But it wasn't just me at this birthday party. No, for the first time in so long, my estranged brothers were here... Poppy was here, her own family here too.

I gazed slowly ahead, seeing all the trolls from the Pop Troll kingdom were here for me and my special day – or maybe it was for the cake.

Most probably for the cake.

I could feel Poppy suddenly shake my shoulders excitedly as she said to me.

"Branch, blow them out already!"

I just chuckled at this, glancing over to look into her eyes as I said, "Why? So you can have the first slice?"

I could hear all the other trolls laughing at this and I grinned cheekily, before inhaling a deep breath of air into my cheeks and blowing it out hard, the candle's flames flickering all over the place before they finally extinguished.

I could hear everyone cheer, and I cut out the first slice, handing it to Poppy and quickly slices of the cake were handed out to the huge crowd of trolls that were here. It probably was a good thing the cake had so many tiers.

I finally got my own slice of cake and came over to my brothers and Poppy's family, and dug a small fork into my slice, reaching my loved ones and standing with them as we all ate.

"Happy Birthday, little brother," Floyd said to me and I smiled softly at him as he gave me a gentle side hug, "How old you must be now-?"

"Twenty-eight!" John Dory suddenly barged in, using his fork to grab his own cake slice and shoving it in his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp. I looked at him, slightly disgusted at his eating method.

"No," I said coldly at him, my hand gripping my plate tightly with irritation, "I'm only twenty-five."

My brother only looked at me, dumbfounded as he suddenly proclaimed.

"That can't be true!" He looked at me, shaking his head as if in disbelief of what he was hearing, "I was fifteen when you were born, that would make me-"

"Forty," Clay suddenly declared out of nowhere, standing at John Dory's side and my two brothers just glared at each other at Clay's interruption.

"I'm not forty... AM I?!" John Dory suddenly peeped back, almost seeming to faint at this news.

"Hey," Bruce added in, trying to ease the tension as he added in a light-hearted voice, "You could be doing worse," He then shook his belly and it kept wobbling for almost five seconds. He added, smirking as if proud of this somehow, "You could have a dad bod like me,"

I couldn't hold in my laughter at his joke, and I burst out into hysterics. Thankfully, everyone else did too and when I looked back into Bruce's eyes I could see he was a bit hurt as he added.

"That wasn't a joke,"

"Hey, Poppy!" Viva then said to her sister, waving her away but I resumed the conversation I was having with my brothers.

"We're not laughing at you, Bruce."

"No," John Dory added in fast, "We're laughing WITH you."

"That's funny, John Dory," Bruce said back to my oldest brother as if still hurt and offended, "Because I was only making an observation, not joking about my weight,"

"Bro, bro!" Clay said quickly, placing his hand on Bruce's shoulder and trying to smooth the air, "No one is making fun. You're still the heartthrob,"

"Yeah yeah... I know..." Bruce said back weakly and we all relaxed a bit then when suddenly, for some reason... I started smelling something in the air.

I looked at my brothers but saw Floyd wave at me as he said softly.

"I'm just gonna go check on the girls,"

I nodded as he walked off in gentle steps but for some reason, my nose was itching as something smelt not right.

Not right at all.

I slowly walked away from the others, following the weird scent that was filling up the area till I finally saw something odd in the distance.

Trolls...

But not just normal everyday trolls... no... they were desaturated... they were grey.

Their eyes spaced out.

And they were DANCING. RAPPING.

I watched them carefully, keeping my distance till I started to see other colourful trolls start to suddenly jiggle and tremble as the gas filled their lungs... and the colour from them started to slowly drain away too.

I knew then what I was witnessing.

I had read many books in the many years I had kept in my bunker. Books about life, fiction... but also history.

And there was one book that detailed the history of a terrible plague that had once come over our land.

"The Dance Plague," I whispered loudly out to myself and it only took a split second for me to spin around and run back to my loved ones.

"Everyone! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

I watched as all the trolls looked at me, I stood there as high as I could on a tall toadstool, waving my hands around to catch everyone's attention, "SOMETHING BAD IS IN THE AIR! EVERYONE GET INSIDE!"

I watched from my vantage point as all the trolls went wild in chaos, and I hopped off the toadstool, running to my brothers and waving them to my bunker door.

"WHAT IS IT?!" I could hear my beloved Poppy scream in terror and I only pointed at the trolls in the distance as I yelled back.

"Just LOOK!"

We all did as in the distance were the zombie dancing trolls... no heart in their moves... no joy...

And then we could hear in their small voices... raps... they were beginning to rap.

"The Dance Plague..." I whispered out again, fear in my voice, and I waved to my family hurriedly, opening my bunker door and rushing them inside.

"GET IN, GET IN NOW!"

They all jumped into the opening bunker metal door, and I looked once more at the trolls all around. The chaos, the fear... the terror. The look in the grey troll's eyes... lost in pain and emptiness.

I rammed the door closed, coming to the lift and began to descend deep into the underground.

I was in my bunker. My loved ones here... all I cared for.

And I knew I would see daylight again... but for how long?

How long...?

There was something in the air, a gas I had never smelt before. I had to go back out there.

But not yet.

Not until I was prepared.

And until then, I was stuck here with my brothers and in-laws... waiting.

Waiting.