How could Poppy have forgotten?
How had she gone this long without telling Sunshine about this?
The glittery note in her hands felt like it was staring daggers back at her, telling her how terrible it was that she had yet another family secret to share with her daughter.
At the same time, she was beyond excited; Viva and the Putt-Putt Trolls were finally moving to Pop Village! Clay had already made himself at home in Branch's old bunker (there was no way he was getting rid of it), but it had taken a bit of convincing to get Viva to follow his lead and rejoin the rest of troll society.
That being said, Poppy couldn't wait to catch up with her sister, and neither of them held any hard feelings towards their father, but she was worried about how Sunshine would react to the news of her long-lost aunt. Her disappointment hadn't lasted too long after she found out Branch was part of BroZone, but would this be one secret relative too many for her?
The queen watched as her daughter played a game with her friends; they were singing a song, but each taking turns reciting one word at a time. Satin and Chenille had made a new dress for the princess, bright pink with glitter adorning the skirt and bodice that shone with rainbows in the sunlight.
Poppy hated seeing anything take Sunshine's happiness away from her, especially her own actions. Still, she had to tell her about Viva eventually. She took a deep breath, tucked the letter into her hair, and hesitantly approached the children.
"Keith," she heard Sunshine yell, "that was two words!"
"Not if you hyphenate them, it's not," Keith argued.
As the rest of the kids playfully teased him, Poppy motioned for her daughter to follow her. "Sunny," she said once she felt they were far enough away, "There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it, Mom," Sunny replied, slightly worried.
"First," Poppy said, placing her hands on the princess's shoulders, "promise me you won't get mad."
"Why would I be mad," Sunny asked with confusion. Her eyes widened as she added, "It isn't some sort of arranged marriage thing, is it?"
"What, no," Poppy said, taken aback by the idea, "No, nothing like that. It's something…much more significant. At least, you might think so."
Before Sunshine could question her further, her uncle's voice interrupted their conversation. "Wassup, Pops," Clay said to Poppy, growing flustered, "Can I call you that, or is that grounds for a beheading?" He was halfway joking when he said that; she may have been his brother's girlfriend, but she was also a queen. He didn't want to offend her.
She wasn't offended, but she was annoyed. "Clay," she said, "This really isn't a good time."
"I'll only be a second," he said, "Just wanted to let you know things are just about ready for when Viva gets—"
He was startled when Poppy suddenly clamped her hand tightly over his mouth, muttering angrily under her breath. They both noticed Sunshine looking confused and concerned at them, and Poppy quickly retreated back to where she was standing, laughing nervously and pulling at her clothes in embarrassment.
"What is he talking about, Mom," Sunny asked, "Who's Viva?"
The question hung over Poppy's head like a dark cloud. Thanks to Clay, she had no more time to prepare.
"Oh, look at the time," Clay announced, looking at his noticeably watchless wrist, "Almost time for my Sad Book Club to meet. Gotta run—ow!"
He had just about gotten the excuse out when Poppy grabbed him by the hair, yanking him back towards her. "You let it slip," she said through gritted teeth, "You're helping me tell her."
"Yes ma'am," he whimpered, surprised at how good she was at making him fear her at the moment.
Poppy hated seeing the worried look on her daughter's face, but she wondered if that worry would get worse the longer she went without telling her. "Sunny," she began, looking from her to Clay and back before both adults said in unison…
"Viva's your aunt."
They began to recount the story of the adventure they had been on to reunite BroZone and rescue Floyd, Sunshine's face remaining unreadable. "When we found Clay," Poppy said, "we also found my sister. She had apparently been separated from us during the Great Bergen Attack. I had no idea she even existed until then, but I'm so sorry I waited so long to tell you about her."
"I know I could've said something to you as well," Clay added, "So, I'm sorry about that, too."
Poppy looked at her daughter longingly, hoping to find some sign of emotion in her face. Sunshine refused to look either of them in the eye, instead keeping her focus on the grass below her.
"Sunny," her mother begged, "Say something, please."
She heard a deep sigh come from the child, and her heart nearly snapped in two. "I get it," she said, defeated, "you have every right to be mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you, Mama."
Poppy gasped as she gave her daughter a hopeful look. "You're not?"
"No, I'm not mad at you," Sunny repeated, "I'm mad for you."
Poppy seemed bewildered as the princess explained. "Your dad had every opportunity to tell you about your sister," she said angrily, "but he never took it? How could he keep that from you for so long?"
Poppy listened to Sunny rant about how disappointed she was in her grandfather, as if she was getting these frustrations out on her mom's behalf. Considering how rarely she got mad, it must have been cathartic.
That's far from what she wanted her to do, however.
She waited for her to get it all out of her system before trying to speak up. "I'm glad you're not upset with me, sweetie," she said, "but please don't be mad at grandpa. I'm not saying it wasn't wrong of him to keep my sister a secret from me, but I'm not holding any grudges against him for it, and neither is Viva."
Sunshine was dumbfounded. "But that's such a big deal to keep something like that from your own child," she said, "how can you not be mad at all about this?"
Poppy wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure he had his reasons," she said. "They may not be good excuses for what he did, but I'm trying not to hold them against him. Do you think you can do the same?"
After giving it a moment's thought, Sunshine nodded. "I'll do it for you," she said.
"That's my girl," Poppy replied, hugging her daughter.
Once they had broken their hug, Sunshine turned to her green-haired uncle. "So, when do you think she'll get here?"
Before he could answer, a rumbling noise started to come closer to the village. The rumble was discovered to be an avalanche of multicolored golf balls rolling into the meadow, somehow moving on their own. "Right now," Clay answered excitedly.
The balls all unraveled one by one, revealing a troll dressed in nomadic attire inside each of them. A blonde-colored ball stopped inches away from the princess before showing her its true form: a pink troll who looked nearly identical to Poppy, save for her wild hair and what looked almost like war paint(?) on her cheeks. She wore a white jumpsuit with a pink and gold star emblazoned on the front, red and pink argyle legwarmers, and a green cape tied around her neck.
The look on her face made Sunshine think she was tough as nails…until she opened her mouth.
"Oh my gosh, helloooooo," she shrieked, waving her hands excitedly. "You must be Sunshine! It is so fantastamazing to finally meet you!"
Well, she definitely shared her sister's energy levels. Though she almost appeared to have more than necessary.
"Your mom has told me so much about you, but she never told me you were so adorable," Viva continued, barely taking the time to stop to take a breath in between sentences. "Wow, it hasn't even been a full minute, and I love you already! I love what Poppy loves! You're gonna love all the other Putt-Putt Trolls too! Though, you may want to steer clear of Bogey starting out, he's a little cuckoo. Other than that, we're so excited to live here with you! Am I talking too fast? Am I saying too much?"
Poppy and Clay both watched their interaction awkwardly from afar, wincing as Viva smushed the princess's face between her palms. "Yeah, you might want to dial it back a bit, Veev," Poppy said.
Viva finally noticed how uncomfortable her niece looked as she gave her a little more space. "Okay, I'll give it a try," she said, "I mean, I can't promise I'll try, but I'll try to try."
"Viva," Clay exclaimed, disguising it as a cough.
"Sorry, sorry," Viva said, embarrassed. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she tried to get closer to Sunshine. She kept retreating further, rubbing her cheeks in discomfort, but Viva didn't really blame her. She shouldn't have expected her to be used to her intense personality right away. "Hey, how's this for an icebreaker? Okay, first, I want you to close your eyes for me."
Sunshine glanced back at her mom and uncle nervously, but they both chuckled and told her it would be okay. She supposed there was no reason not to trust them. After all, Clay had known her long enough, he must've known what was coming. And Poppy wouldn't have let her sister anywhere near her daughter if she didn't approve of her behavior.
The second she closed her eyes, she felt movement right above her head, but she couldn't tell what it was yet. "Wow, 3.2 seconds," Clay mused, "That's got to be a new record."
"Thanks," said Viva, "Okay, kiddo, go ahead and open your eyes."
Sunshine didn't notice anything different right away, but when she followed her family's expectant glances, she figured something had to have changed about her appearance. She ran to the stream to see her reflection, and discovered that her aunt had put an array of intricate braids in her hair, each one tied up in ribbons of a different color. She didn't know it yet, but that was the highest honor Viva could bestow upon anyone she cares about.
"Wow," she said, impressed, "You've got talent."
"Years of practice," Viva said modestly, "I'd be happy to teach you sometime."
Sunshine smiled; she was glad to be able to warm up to her aunt so quickly, and was looking forward to having her around to bond with more often. "I'd like that."
Poppy and Clay suddenly ran ahead of them, beckoning them to follow. "Come on, you two," Poppy said, "we've got a special Welcoming Ceremony planned in the plaza."
Viva gasped excitedly. "Race ya there, Sunny," she asked.
Sunny crossed her arms and closed her eyes smugly. "Only if you can handle losing to a princess," she said, smirking. When she opened them again, her aunt was no longer standing next to her.
"Sorry, can't hear you," she heard her call from several feet ahead, "I'm too busy winning!"
"Hey," she yelled, giggling, "No fair!"
Poppy watched her daughter run after Viva, happy and relieved that she was having so much fun already with her aunt.
Now, she thought, Sunny finally had the family of her dreams.