Timeline/Summary: When Branch gets home after their long journey and reunites his and Poppy's families, Branch was so happy that it almost felt like all the great adventures he and Poppy had been on were a dream… Then, as he jolts awake, he looked down at his gray skin to realize that it actually was one. He's back to the day that everything started; the 20th anniversary of their escape.

Or …

Branch wakes up back at the start of Trolls 1 but he's the only one with the knowledge of what's to come. But who would listen to miserable, paranoid, gray Branch?

Author's Note: I know, I know. The whole 'what if it was all a dream?' premise is the oldest trick in the fandom, but I wanted to give it an actual shot! I think True Colors Branch stuck in a Gray Branch body would lead to a very interesting plot and HUGE changes in how Poppy sees him. Plus, I'm totally wanting some Groppy, so Branch gets to suffer again ️:( I'm sorry 😭

Also, just a warning, this fic is going to have multiple different POV changes, so just be aware of that. (Honestly, at this point, my fics are so random when it comes to having one POV or more than one, so… sorry?) To make things easier, I'll try to make it known in the 'Author's Note' whose POV it is per chapter; except for the first which will start off with Branch's POV.

For this story, the BroZone brothers and Viva won't come up or make an appearance until later… While I love them so so soooo much, I also wanted to write a fic on, well, this, where there's more of a Broppy/Groppy focus and where Branch befriends and hangs out with the Snack Pack more, because I want to write about them more after mentioning them a few times in my other fics :)

Rewind

Branch flopped backward onto Poppy's plush pink bed with a FWUMP! after their long day with a bittersweet family reunion/rescue mission combo adventure.

"What a day, huh Branch?" Poppy sighed, flopping back onto the bed with her boyfriend. The Queen set her crown on her nightstand before turning to face Branch with an exhausted, toothy grin.

"You said it. I don't think I wanna do anything ever again after all that." The blue troll chuckled while returning a sleepy smile to his girlfriend.

They were totally exhausted. Fighting off two selfish, green haired, succubi siblings for the sake of their own fame was possibly the most stressful thing they'd done together, not to mention all the questions it left for the couple. But that would be a problem for later. Right now, all they wanted to do was cuddle and fall asleep in each other's arms, so that's what they did as they scooted in close to one another.

"Feels like the end of a bad dream," Branch mumbled as he drifted off, nuzzling noses with Poppy before leaning his head back again to look her in the eyes. She crinkled her nose, shaking her head with a drowsy smile, their hair coiling together in tingly affection.

"Mm, no… If this was all a dream, I don't wanna wake up… Wake up…"

It felt like Branch was being bathed in warmth as a bright light infiltrated his shut eyelids.

Wake up…

He felt like he was drifting off to sleep. Floating off the bed. Shifting somewhere else altogether before he started to fall. Falling. Falling fast. It was getting so dark, so cold all of a sudden. He just kept falling and falling until he fell in deep and splashing into an ice-cold lake.

Wake up.

Branch sprung up in his bed, panting heavily and shivering from the sudden cold he was feeling. His bed. In his bunker. What? How did he get back here? He knew for sure he had stayed over at Poppy's pod last night, what gives?

This comforter… he hasn't used this since Poppy had sewn him a new one with patches of blue and pink peppered in with the green. It was a clash of colors but it was a gift he cherished. Where had it gone? It's freezing in here too, what's up with that? He always turned the heat on at night now that he installed it down here, why was it off? He had a lot to investigate, but he figured he could do that after getting up and dressed.

He swung his feet out of bed and slipped his feet into his slippers. Ugh, why did they feel so weird? They felt like those old ones he had finally thrown out after he received a new pair from Prince D when he had a sleepover with him and Cooper a couple of weeks back. They were much comfier. He needed to find those instead. He looked down at his gray legs shoved in the slippers and wondered how they'd gotten there.

Wait a minute. Gray legs?

Branch stared at his legs for a minute, blinking a few times, rubbing them as if they'd magically be a bright blue again after clearing them. That's weird. He wasn't feeling particularly bad today, why were his colors so dull? Must be having an off day. Those happened a lot for Branch. Having so many feelings to navigate sometimes left his colors a bit dim when he wasn't mentally feeling a hundred percent.

Whatever, it happens. Maybe it was gonna hit him hard later instead of right away. That happens, too.

He shuffled to the bathroom and flicked on the light, grabbed his toothpaste, put it on his brush, and slowed as he inspected his hands. Man. He was really, really gray right now. Was it the lighting in here? Maybe he should get a brighter bulb. He started brushing his teeth, eventually looking in the mirror to brush properly before he paused; completely catatonic as he gawked at himself. He wasn't desaturated, he was totally gray. His hair was as black as it used to be back… a few months ago, almost a year ago. When he was all alone. Before he-

No, no, that can't be it.

He looked at the sticky note on the mirror he'd left himself the day prior:

'Collect sticks for the stockpile. Avoid Pop Village. Big morning dance number tomorrow. Poppy, inevitable.'

Branch grimaced. That's the note he'd left himself right before Poppy's huge party for the 20th anniversary of the Troll Tree Escape. He remembers because after they'd gotten home from their adventure, he crumpled it up and never wrote another note like it because they were now friends. He wouldn't avoid her anymore.

That's really strange. It's almost like-

No, that's ridiculous. He'd just go check his journal entries and everything would just fall into place. He spit out his toothbrush, haphazardly leaving it in the sink as he rushed over to his nightstand with reckless urgency. Yanking open the drawer with shaking hands, he flips through it to find the last entry. The last date marked. The date is the day right before the Troll Tree Escape; 20 years marked to this day. It's today. The day everything changed for him. Months ago, when he was still gray and miserable.

No. This can't be happening. It can't be true.

A dream? Was everything he experienced all just some sick fantasy his mind made up? Was he that lonely that he dreamt up some lovesick fantasy for himself where he got the girl of his dreams, his colors, and his brothers back? This can't be happening. He's gray. His previous entries indicate his misery and loneliness. No entries about Poppy and all of her friends and their silly activities and antics. No entries about saving all of music from Queen Barb. No entries about their dates and his hangouts with his new friends from different tribes. Nothing. Page after page, misery and more misery. He was back at the start. No progress was made. In fact, none of it had even started. He was the mean, colorless loner who hurt everyone with his words and never had fun, sang, or danced. A friend to no one.

A nobody.

His hands shook as his fingers gripped the journal. His eyes burned from his lack of blinking. Droplets of water plopped on the pages, ruining them. Was his roof leaking? His eyesight got blurry and it was getting hard to breathe. He dropped his journal, his hands shook as he looked at them. Scarred, calloused, and dull. No pink troll around to hold them and say how wonderful they were. She never will. They aren't even friends, after all. His fingers coiled around his raven hair, balling his hands into fists as they gripped his hair in agony.

His quiet shaky breaths were more ragged and uncontrolled as he hiccupped and hunched over in a kneeling position. He wailed in anguish for the massive loss he was feeling, but no troll would come to comfort him or rap at his rock to see if he wanted to come out and sing with them. Nobody knew him. Or loved him anymore. He was nothing again. Alone again. All he could do was wail and yell in agony as he recognized that none of that was real.

There's no way he could do this. Another loss too great for him to bear.

After an hour of uncontrollable grieving, Branch pulled himself together enough to dress and leave his bunker. He had to be sure. Needed to be sure. He dragged his feet, swaying aimlessly and a vacant look in his eyes as he neared the village. He could hear her beautiful voice, none the wiser to his yearning.

"Everybody! Swing your hair and feel united, woah-oh-woahhh…!"

He watched the Snack Pack finish their giant group pose at the end of the dance number with a "Yeah!"

He quickly wiped a tear away. He was reliving the same day he had so many months ago. He was right back to where he started.

At rock bottom.

Author's Note: Ohhh boy, what am I doing to myself. This is going to be so hard to write… (Not me already crying over this fic 😭)