Trolls Band Together

Chapter 5

As Rhonda, John Dory's bus friend slammed on her breaks after approaching them at a high speed, the three trolls stepped on. "This is going to be so much fun!" Poppy exclaimed to branch as he walked in behind her. "We're getting the band back together!"

As they stepped onto the bus, branch couldn't hide him being just the tiniest bit impressed. It was decorated similar to his bunker, only with a bit more color. Branch walked around, with poppy following him. As he approached a row of seats, he looked down at the stack of magazines sitting next to them. He picked one up, as did poppy. They were all old brozone magazines.

Poppy smiled at branch from behind him. "You know, if i didn't know any better, i'd say you're pretty excited about this."

branch sighed, looking at poppy while still holding the magazine in his hand. "i'm not excited per say. i just want to see floyd safe."

poppy tapped his chest. "look at you, caring about your brothers."

"i'm only doing this for floyd," he corrected, but managed a smile at her, but was interrupted by an intercom screeching.

"alright!" the deep voice echoes through it. "tiny, branch, poppy, and this random rude..."

"what?" john dory questioned.

"...on another musical adventure to save branch's brother!" tiny diamond cheered from the wheel.

running over to tiny, poppy looked down at him. he was clearly too short for the wheel, but tiny had made it clear he wanted nothing more than to prove he was a man.

"tiny!" poppy exclaimed. "what are you doing here?"

"well, aunt poppy. for your information, i am no longer a baby. i am a big boy now, and i'm on a man sized rite of passage, to learn lessons of life, courage, and maybe love!" tiny exaplined, paying full attention to the road ahead of him.

branch approached behind poppy, as did john. "uhh, should we be letting a baby drive?" john asked, concerned.

tiny snapped his head from the radio, over to john dory. "i am no baby, i'm a man, see?" he wipped out his permit. "i have procured my learners permit!"

poppy squinted. "who is adulty mcmanface?"

tiny quickly snapped his id away from her. "the better question is....are you a narc?"

"what? no..no!" poppy threw up her hands in defense. "as you were."

the couple made their way back to their seats, with john staying up next to tiny to keep an eye on him. he may have wanted to me treated like a man, but that didn't mean he didn't need occasional supervision.

as they passed a bulletin board, poppy froze in her tracks. she gasped and grabbed branch's arm. "this is a brozone wall?!" she shouted to john, then looked over at branch. "look at this! look at how small you were!" looking to her right were pictures upon pictures of the brothers performing, with outfits for days. "check out your old outfits! puffy jacket, puka shell necklaces, denim tuxedo! did you hsve frosted tips?"

poppy stepped away from the board and ran over to john dory, jumped onto him. "more! show me more!" as he pulled out another picture, poppy snatched it from him and admired it. "ahhh!" she screamed, grabbing branch's shoulder and shaking him. "look at you, you were so cute! i love it!"

branch sighed, although he secretly loved how big of a fan poppy was, and still is, of him. "it was an era!" he sighed.

"tragic," john dory commented, taking a sip of his coffee and ignoring the glare he received from branch.

"alright, enough of this," branch took the polaroid away from poppy and hung it on the board with a pin. "where exactly are we headed first?"

"some place called vacay island. last i talked to spruce, that's where he told me he was headed. hopefully he's still there," john said.

hearing that felt like a punch in branch's gut. jealousy filled him. "d-did you guys ever keep in contact with each other? after you left me?"

john shook his head "we told each other where we would be if we ever needed to find each other before we parted ways, but no. i have no idea who to even look for, its been twenty years."

"yeah, i'm aware." branch took a seat, and poppy followed.

john approached tiny once again. "i hope that this journey doesn't take too long. i can't wait to get back to troll village and say hi to grandma. it's been too long."

hearing the mention of his grandma, branch's stomach sank. he had never told his brothers about her death, because he had no way to contact them. he looked down at his feet, and poppy looked over at him, her eyebrows falling as she picked up on his sadness. he took his hand, rubbing her thumb over his. "it's okay. go tell him."

looking over at john, branch nodded and sighed. it needed to be done, but only recently had he found his colors again after her death. he knew how big of an effect it had on him, and as much as he despised his brothers for abandoning him when he was only a baby, he didn't want to have to break the news to them.

as branch hopped off of the chair, john dory pulled a polaroid out of his hair. "we should be there soon," he said to tiny, holding the polaroid up. once he lowered it, like magic, he was presented with the image in the picture.

"umm, guys?" tiny yelled. "what does 'end of the road' mean?"

branch and poppy exchanged panicked glances, running up to tiny. it was too late, though, and as rhonda ran off the cliff and into the water, they were met with the end of the road, and the water that led to vacay island.