𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓣𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼 ~ 𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓷𝓭, 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓾𝓼? | 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 2

6. 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝔂 𝓱𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓜𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬

Barb POV:
"I found them!" Riff shouted running into the room.
"Great!" I spoke, standing up from my throne. "The most feared Bounty Hunters in all of Trolldom!"
"Chaz, the smooth Jazz Troll, The Reggaeton Trolls, The K-Pop gang, and... Worst of all, The Yodelers!"
As I presented them they came in the room with us. I have gotten Riff to give me a Board so I could show them, what I had in mind.
"Okay, as you probably know, I'm bringing a tidal wave of rock across this land of ours." I started, folding out a pointer stick, as I pointed on the map over whole Troll Kingdom. All of the different tribes, on the map, were changed into hard rock tribes.
"And soon there will be nothing but hard rock as far as the ear can hear. Whoever brings me Queen Poppy and her String, gets an award." I folded my pointing stick back together, as I made the message loud and clear for them to understand.
"And to whoever finds me the Princess of Pop! Gets to keep their very own music in their very own territory." I turned back around to the board, tapping the folded pointing stick against my chin, haven't thought that one through. "Right... uh, over here!" I spotted a tiny island on the map, hardly could be seen, in the bottom right corner.
The leader of the Reggaeton group came closer, squinting his eyes, examining the little dot they call an island.
"I don't know it looks pretty tiny..."
"You want it or not!" I yelled in his face. He quickly scurried back to his group.
"All you have to do is bring me the String... And find me Princess Juniper!" I yelled as them, everyone stood back up, to start on their mission. "Do you Validate Parking?" One of the K-Pops asked me, but her friend quickly dragged her out the door with the rest.
As they left, I turned to Riff and whispered. "Dude, where are the Yodelers?"
"I heard a rumor that they Yodeled so hard an avalanche fell on them." I looked at him with the stonest look I could, he heard? Doesn't mean it happened, that's no excuse to not show up. "Or something..." Riff slowly said.
"Well, I don't pay you to hear!" I scoffed as I walked away, on my way out of the room. "Actually you don't pay me-" he started, but I interrupted him.
"If anyone can find me the Princess of Pop and their String... it's the Yodelers. Find them." I spoke, and then left the room.
~~~
Branch POV:
We were all making our way to the Country Tribe, on foot, as our balloon got blown away.
Poppy has led us in many different directions on the way. She started out with the map upside down, leading us the completely opposite direction.
The girls is walking in front, just following the path, both of them walking in a fresh tempo, neither of them seemed tired at all.
Biggie and I kept a bit behind, Biggie complained about his feet starting to hurt. We were walking in silence, as I was staying in my own thoughts. My gaze shifted up to June, my eyes examining the features I could see on her. Her beautiful red hair, swinging with the breeze of the wind, her earrings dangling with every step she took, her beautiful eyes squeezing as she smiled and laughed at something Poppy said. She is just perfect in my eyes.
"Hey Branch, you haven't said a word in quite a while, something on your mind?" Biggie suddenly spoke, snapping me out of my daydream, and my gaze shifting from Juniper to him.
"Yeah, I guess so." I answered plainly looking back at June. Biggie followed my gaze, noticing what I was staring at. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" He asked again, careful with his words. "Oh no no! Not at all, we're doing great. It's just-" I was about to open up to him, which is not my strongest side. His gaze stared excitedly at me, ready to listen.
My gaze met his, before I sighed. "I'm worried about her, she has a lot going on right now..." I started, but I couldn't tell Biggie what Juniper has trusted me with. "And... I don't know how to tell her that... I think I'm in love with her." I confessed, not meeting his gaze, which was looking forward and back to me, on shift. "Well, isn't she your girlfriend-"
"Not like that" I interrupted. "I mean like 'I love her'. How do you tell another Troll that, without scaring them off?" I admitted, afraid if she wasn't ready for that, I would loose her. Biggie was thinking about my words, biting his own bottom lip in thought.
"I mean if she really likes you, I think she wouldn't mind. Like me and Mr. Dinkles, I say I love him every day and he's still here!" Biggie commented and hugged Mr. Dinkles tighter in his arms. I was about to say something, when I opened my mouth, but Poppy caught me to it.
"Guys, we're here!" Poppy yelled not looking up from her map. "I guess so" I mumbled as a response, back to Biggie, as me and him speeded up, walking up beside the girls.
~~~
June POV:
All four of us examined the place, we have arrived at, from afar. Branch approached my side, all of us looking curiously down at the small village.
"This must be where the Country Music Trolls live." Poppy spoke, even though it was hard to tell, there was not a single Troll in sight.
"Well, it looks like nobody's here! We're too late. Time to go home! Come on guys, let's go!" Branch spoke, shrugging his shoulders, and turning on his heel, ready to go back to Troll Village. Poppy ignored him, by rolling his eyes at his resistance, and kept on walking forward.
I followed right behind her, confidently holding my chest out and swinging my arms as I walked, I was just as curious as terrified for what to come.
"There is no 'I quit' in team!" I yelled out, walking backwards, making Branch stop walking. I ran back and dragged him with me and the others, down the path of the small Village. All four of us walked through the Village, looking around our surroundings, for any sign of life.
A croak from a bird was heard in the distance, startling me, making me jump in shock. "Cock-a-doodle..."
A faint sound of a Guitar, was heard in the distance, my ears crooking around.
🎵We don't hope for, Makin' things better. All we want is to, keep it together.🎵 Suddenly a beautiful voice was heard, a woman's voice, she was singing. As we turned around, our eyes met half a horse, half a Troll, with a Guitar in hand, walking out of one of the small buildings with swing doors.
Poppy quickly took a hold of my wrist, dragging me, behind a barrel. The Guys following right behind, hiding behind their own barrels.
🎵Everyday is a Rainy day, no changing the weather.🎵 She walked past a family, all of their bottoms, was half horses. The egg in the mom's head cracked, they've just gotten a newborn son.
"Happy birthday honey, time to get to work!" The dad spoke, setting the newborn down on the ground. "Okay, Daddy" he answered joining his siblings in the hard work.
🎵This kind of life has made our hearts as hard as leather.🎵 The female Troll sang on. 🎵All these tears are from the, dust in our eyes. And all these years just keep on, passing us by.🎵 Playing her sad lyrics on her Guitar, made one of the other Country Trolls, just sitting around, cry. The tear cascading down his cheek, crying as well.
🎵We all know that we're just born to die. That's the way it goes when you're just born to die.🎵
"This song is so sad!" Poppy commented, placing her hand over her heart. "We're just born to die? There so much more to life than just waiting around for death." I wondered, wiping a tear of my own.
"But life is sad sometimes, you know, so I kinda like it?" Branch spoke up, confused by his own liking to the song. His gaze wondered between Poppy and I. "You do?" I asked. He shrugged as I hummed as a response.
"But it's so different." Poppy spoke up again walking out from behind the barrel we were hiding behind, as well as I did, but Biggie has literally crawled under the barrel now walking around with it on. "Oh, they must not know that music's supposed to make you happy!" Poppy suddenly realised, gasping and holding her hand back over her heart. I didn't think that was their problem.
"That's awful!" She added in a whisper, Branch's gaze met mine, looking confused at me. I just took his hand in mine, as we continued to listen to her song. I enjoyed the song too, she has a beautiful voice. Whoever she is.
🎵And all these years just keep on, passing us by. And all this misery makes it hard to deny!🎵 She sang as the whole Country Village joined her on the streets and started swing dancing with each other. Two of them bumped into each other, making their hats go down covering their eyes. They were both ready to fight each other, but lifted their hats and realised each other wasn't a threat. Then swing danced together.
🎵That's the way it goes when you're just, Born to die🎵
~~~
"Okay guys, guys- girl." Poppy interrupted herself, mentioning to me. "Huddle up!" She then spoke, as we all gathered close together in a circle. Our arms rested upon each other's shoulders, leaning down. I saw the Troll who sang that beautiful song, standing beside another Troll, both of them looking weirdly over at us.
"Growly, Growly, Growl!" The Troll beside growled. "Now, take it easy Growly Pete. I feel bad for them" the other Troll, who sang just then, spoke to him. "It looks like they've got beaten up by a rainbow!" She grimaced. "Unless... one of them have the same skin colour and hair as me, she looks good." She complimented, continuing to keep and eye on us, wondering what we were up to.
"First things first, these Trolls need some serious cheering up, and we're gonna have to go top-shelf!" Poppy explained, Biggie nodded in agreement, in on everything.
"Now when you say 'Top-shelf' you don't mean..." Branch started, before Poppy interrupted. "That's right! Tell them June." Poppy referred to me as she stood straight up and stretched out, getting ready. "We need to sing them the most important songs in the history of music." I explained clearing my throat after, standing straight up as well, warming my voice up.
"Yes, but which ones?" Biggie then asked, both him and Branch straightened up too. "All of them!" Me and Poppy spoke at the same time, our gaze meeting as we did, both our lips curled into smiles.
"And when you two say 'all of them'?" Branch started but got cut off by Poppy starting to sing.
🎵 Yo, I'll tell you what I want. What I really, really want!🎵 She sang, as both her and I, has change in outfits, she has given me star-sunglasses as hers were heart-shaped.
Biggie had a red outfit on with a big B on his stomach also with heart-shaped glasses, and Branch had a glittery golden outfit on, similar to mine. He had a jacket and shorts instead of a dress, as I had, with Star-shaped glasses.
🎵So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!🎵 I sang back to Poppy jumping up and down, Branch looked down at himself and then at me and saw we had different outfits on than before, he started dancing with us, as he realised all the Country Trolls were watching.
🎵I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!🎵 Poppy sang again throwing her mic away and now pointing at the guys.
🎵So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!🎵 Both Biggie and Branch sang this time.
🎵I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!🎵 Poppy repeated as Branch took my hand and spun me around as we jumped off of the stage.
🎵I wanna really, really, really wanna Zig-a-zag, ahh!🎵 Branch and I sang, leaning in to each other, before we ran the opposite direction of each other. Poppy and Biggie ran in their own different directions.
🎵Who, Who, Who-Who! Who let the dogs out?🎵 Biggie took over with a new song as Mr. Dinkles kept repeating 'who'. Me and Branch stood on barrels behind, dancing in the background.
🎵Who let the dogs out?🎵 Biggie brought Dinkles up in the face of one of the Country Trolls, letting him squeak in his ear.
Now it's my turn, I jumped down from the barrel as I opened one of the toilet doors to one of the outside toilets.
🎵It's such a good vibration!🎵 I sang, reaching for the toilet paper, looking apologising, to the one on the toilet.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Branch yelled hyping me up and grabbed a toilet roll himself.
🎵It's such a sweet sensation!🎵 I sang again, as both of us, threw the toilet rolls into the air, making the paper, roll out, and spreading out, around the town.
"Oppa Gangdam Style!" Branch suddenly yelled as he appeared next to me again, Poppy running up on the other side of me.
🎵Gangdam Style!🎵 We all yelled as Mr. Dinkles and Biggie made the worm.
🎵Op, Op, Op-Op. Oppa Gangdam Style!🎵 A mother, held her kid's ears, looking at us in confusion.
🎵Hey, Pretty Girl, what you doin' tonight?🎵 Biggie jumped up on a table and kicking off the things on it.
🎵Gangdam Style!🎵 Me, Poppy and Branch continued on the other song.
🎵I wanna see what you got in store!🎵 Biggie smacked his butt and made the splits right on the table, a slight rip was heard, both ignored. His butt was in another Trolls face, sitting by the table Biggie was on, but Biggie didn't care. He quickly ran over to us after standing up again, our next song was coming up.
🎵Party rock is in the house tonight!🎵 We all sang together, standing back to back. "Come on!" Poppy yelled out but no one responded.
🎵Everybody just have a good time! Party rock is in the house tonight!🎵 We continued on. The Troll with the beautiful red hair, just as mine looked confused at us, just like every other Troll were. But her gaze caught my attention especially. Wait, red hair just like mine? What if we're related? We have the same skin colour as well.
It was like time slowed down for me, I couldn't focus on my dance moves as my thoughts ran from me, yet again, I tripped as I felt a dizzy and my head was spinning. Branch's hand reached my sides, holding into me, stopping me from falling as he got me back to reality.
🎵We just wanna see ya'🎵 Poppy and Biggie finished, both of them pointing at me. "Tell them June!"
🎵Uh, Shake that!🎵 I yelled out, quickly getting back to it, as we posed, finishing our song mashups.
As we all looked around, everyone has left, I looked around for the Troll who looked like me, but with four legs instead of.
But out of the blue, Country Trolls came out of nowhere and dragged all of us, into a cell, shoving us inside and closing the door right after. They imprisoned us? None of expected this, our gazes at each others.
"Now I want you four to sit in here and think about what you've just done!" The Country girl spoke, her face appearing in the small window, covered with beams. There she was, we didn't look exactly alike.
"That was a crime against music!" I walked forward, I would try speaking to her. I grabbed into the beams, and was face to face with her. "Okay, we're sorry, we didn't mean to offend your music or anything, we were trying to make a good impression! Right guys?" I turned my head to my friends and boyfriend, as they nodded in agreement.
"What are you four even doing here anyway?" She wondered, our gazes met again.
"We're here to warn you about Barb, the Queen of Rock!" Poppy walked forward. "Sweetie, I already know and have heard about this Queen Barb and her fancy world tour." She sighed, looking down at her nails, before her gaze was met with Poppy's.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go wash, what you call music, out of my ears!" She rudely commented, turning on her heel, about to walk away.
"Wait, wait! I quickly yelled out, sticking my arms out between the beams. She stopped, turning to me once again.
"W-what is your name." Her gaze looked confused at me, but answered my question anyway. "My name is Delta, Sugar. And I must say, I love your hair!" She complimented, moving a strand of her locks, out of her face. Her compliment making me smile.
"I love yours too! We're so alike!" I answered.
"Besides-" She started.
"The legs!" We both spoke at the same time and chuckled together. "I like you! Uh-" Delta started. "Juniper! My name is Juniper! And this is my sister-" I referred to Poppy, walking a bit backwards for Delta to look in the cell. "Hi I'm Poppy!" She awkwardly said waving.
"That's Biggie over there, and he's- well, he's my boyfriend, Branch" I could feel my cheeks go red again as my face heated up. I pointed at Branch as he also waved slowly. "He looks sweet, just like you."
"Thank you!- But please Delta, let us out of here, we have to warn the other Tribes."
"That's not possible. I'm sorry Juniper, but this is the Country rules. I'll see you in the morning." She finished, walking away for good this time. A little Country Troll stuck her head out of Delta's hair. "Woah-ho you're in real trouble now! Right Aunt Delta?" She said as she mocked us. "Keep and eye on them Growly Pete" Delta said as we heard a Troll beside the cell growl. Delta tried her best to be sweet but I understood, I wouldn't complain either if we weren't in such a rush.
I slowly walked over to the bench, which was hanging from the ceiling in the cell. I sat down looking at the ground sadly. Poppy ran over to the beams, right after I walked away, and pressed her face against them, yelling after Delta. "No! No! Music should bring us together, not divide us!" She leaned back again, as Delta was out of sight by now, she kicked the dirt on the ground frustratingly. "Sugar!" She whispered to herself.
Branch sighed. "Well, I knew it. 'Who let the dogs out' too far."
"Okay, Branch. You can say 'I told you so' we all know you want to" Poppy rolled her eyes and sat herself beside Biggie, who was leaning against the cell walls.
Branch shifted his gaze from Poppy to me, and slowly made his way over to the bench, I was sitting.
His gaze met mine for approval, a simple nod he got in return, before he sat down beside me on the bench, neither of us knowing what to say.
"Listen to me, both of you" His words made Poppy look up at him. "you did great out there, it just wasn't enough to impress the Country Trolls." He tried cheering up, making Poppy smile.
He noticed, I didn't look up or respond to his comment. He scooted closer to me, placing his hand over mine. "Hey, what was all that about, with the Country Troll?" He asked, his fingers curling under my palm, taking my hand in his.
"I was just being delusional." I sighed, still not looking up at him. "I thought there was an opportunity for us... to be related..." I softly answered, my voice low enough for Poppy not to hear. He didn't respond for a while, thinking.
"Don't blame it on yourself. But you're probably right, if you were related you would have been half a horse" he blurted out, as I started laughing at the image, which made him laugh with me. I finally looked up at him and into his eyes. Our faces started to inch closer to each other, his gaze falling to my lips, and mine at his. But before any of us, could lean fully in, Biggie came out of nowhere and sat between us, making us both squeal in shock.
"I'll never survive the big house! we've got to get out of here!" Biggie ranted on, both me and Branch inched away from Biggie, as our gazes shifted to Poppy, who stood up as well. She walked over to stand in front of us. "I know. That was such a rad medley! I can't believe it didn't work!" She threw both arms out to both sides.
"Tell me about it. I did the splits! No one even clapped! Am I not cute anymore!" Biggie ranted on as he stood up, and when he did, I noticed his shorts were cracked, probably happened doing the splits. I quickly covered my eyes, looking away.
"Maybe our dad was right Juniper, the other Trolls are different in ways I was not prepared for. Some Trolls, they don't just wanna have fun?" She commented in disbelief.
"Anyone got a plan B?" Biggie spoke making it look like it was Mr. Dinkles who asked.
"Plan B? Right up here!" Branch answered Biggie, standing up from the bench, pointing up to his hair, he moved his head to the side, making a shovel fall out of his hair.
"Step one, escape from Lonesome Flats!" He spoke, digging the shovel down in the ground. Biggie decided to join him, using Mr. Dinkles to bite down into the dirt, to dig a hole. Poppy looked at me, and I looked at her, no one had a better plan.
This was gonna take all night anyway.
"Plan B it is." Poppy sighed and sat herself, up against the cell door.