𝓓𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓭 | 𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓼 |𝓑𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓱 𝔁 𝓯𝓮𝓶 𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓵 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻 {𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓻𝓭 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴}

𝓢𝓲𝔁. 𝓛𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓕𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓼

𝓑𝓪𝓻𝓫'𝓼 𝓟𝓞𝓥:
"I've found them!" The clanging sounds of pearls swinging into each other comes from the door as Riff bolts through it. By his shared information, I rise from my seat with a wide grin spreading upon my face. "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 Yodellers." One group in the heels of the other, enters the room. With the use of persuasion, I've ordered Riff to get me a board, so I can illustrate what I am thinking they're supposed to do. "Okay, as you probably know, I'm bringing a tidal wave of rock across this land of ours." Pulling in each end, I lengthen the pointer stick between my fingers, then moves the end of it to point on the map, drawn on my board. The map showing all the colourful Troll Kingdoms, which is soon gonna change to be tribes only containing Rock. "And soon, there will be nothing but hard rock as far as the ear can hear. As soon as Queen Poppy and her String, is brought back here to me." I explain to the Trolls, who nods their heads in understanding, my pointers folding the stick back together. "And to whoever finds me the Princess of Pop, gets to keep their very own music, in their very own territory." I turn to face the map with the folded stick tapping against my chin, eyes travelling upon the few smaller islands, my opportunities only getting smaller. "Right... uh, over here!" I point out a quite small island in the bottom corner of the map. At first glance, you wouldn't put too much attention on it, since it is hardly to be seen. The Reggaeton group's apparent frontman, approaches my side, neck leaning closer to the board. His eyes narrow, examining the little dot some would call an island. "I don't know, it looks pretty tiny..." "You want it or not!" I shout, my breath fanning directly in his face. He swiftly withdraws to join his companions. "All you have to do is bring me the Pop String, and bring me Princess Juniper!" I keep my voice high and stern, barking at the various groups, each with their own musical preferences. Rising from their seated squats, one group at a time, leaves the room to begin their assigned mission. "Do you validate parking?" One of the K-Pops asks with a parking ticket waving above her head. Before I can even get a word in, one of her teammates grabs her by her shoulders, dragging her along and out of the door, following the rest. Watching as each group disappears out of the doorframe, It suddenly hits me. "Dude, where are the Yodellers?" I turn back to Riff, my voice low, only for his ears to catch. "I heard a rumour, that they Yodelled so hard, an avalanche fell on them." Keeping the sternest look upon my face, Riff moves his arms close to his body, fists clenched. My unconvinced gaze is clearly making his anxiety rise rapidly. "Or something..."
"Well, I don't pay you to hear!" I scoff, my back is already turned to face him, soon having one foot out of the door. "Actually you don't pay me-" he mumbles on, which I choose to ignore. "If anyone can find me the Princess of Pop and her Tribe's String. It is the Yodellers. Find them." My tone is dangerously low, chin slightly turned for my gaze to catch his curled-up figure out of the corner of my eye. I eventually turn fully to face my front as I then exit, abandoning him to stand in the center of the room.

———

𝓑𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓱 𝓟𝓞𝓥:
We're all trekking towards the Country Trolls' grounds - Lonesome Flats - on foot now. Now that our Balloon Ride has been cut short, as the balloon itself has blown off. Now travelling through the sky with the wind, out in the unknown.
Along the way, Poppy's sense of direction has led us astray more than once. She began with the map upside down, steering us in the wrong direction halfway through, literally the opposite.
The girls is walking in front, just following the path - hopefully the right. Both moving with a fresh rhythm, neither appearing the least bit weary. Biggie and I keeps our distance as we are truthfully falling behind, Biggie being the one to complain about his feet being sore. Moving side by side in silence, my attention keeping its focus inside my mind with the racing thoughts. I catch my gaze wandering to Juniper, and each time it averts, it eventually turns back. I can't help but examine her features, at least the ones visible to my eye. Her lengths flow from side to side along with the sway of her hips and the light breeze, her golden earrings dangling down from her ears, reflecting the beating sunlight. I cannot forget to mention her eyes I get a glimpse of, when her head is turned towards Poppy, her eyelids squinting closer when she laugh, probably because of something Poppy has said. She is simply outstanding.
"Hey Branch, you are being awfully quiet." Biggie's voice creates a crack through my thoughts, forcing me back to reality. My eyes leaves my girlfriend in front, to Biggie limping by my side. "Yeah, I guess so." My gaze is quick to fall back on Juniper, which Biggie is just as quick to catch on to, his eyes following mine. "Is there trouble in paradise?"
"Oh no no! Not at all, we're doing great. It's just-" His optimistic eyes staring right through me is difficult to ignore. I am about to let him in, which is rare for me. Vulnerability is simply not my style, but it is apparently about to be, as a rough sigh escapes my throat, lips falling agape. "I'm worried about her. I'm aware that she has a lot on her mind at the moment." I start, but I explain with care. Juniper's shared worries, has been shared to me, with the trust that I wouldn't tell anyone else. "And... I think I'm in love with her. I just don't know how to express it." My shared confession causes Biggie's eyebrows to furrow deeper down his forehead, shifting from the focused expression to the lack of understanding. "Well, isn't she your girlfriend-" "This is different. I mean like, I love her... When's the time to express that big of a feeling, without scaring the other off?" The fear of loosing her is slowly ruining the better side of me, rummaging through my mind, even in serious situations like this one. I'm grateful I've been offered a second change at life, at love... At everything I thought I've lost twenty years ago. All thanks to Juniper.
Biggie is replaying my admission in his head, going through the options of words he could use. He chews on his bottom lip for a short while, before he speaks his current thoughts aloud. "I mean, if she really is into you, she won't mind. You two remind me of Mr. Dinkles and I. I admit my love for him everyday, and look, he is still here!" Biggie's eyes falls upon his pet worm, lying in his embrace as always, before his arm tightens further around him. I want to speak my mind, but as soon as my lips part to do so, Poppy caught me to it. "Guys!" Her gaze peers up from the extended map in front of her, turning back to face us as she informs. 'We're here."
As a response to Biggie's attempt on cheering me up, or at least placing a block upon the tower of my non-existent courage, I mumble: "I'll consider that." With a shrug. Both our legs pick up the pace, appearing beside the girls.
———
𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓻'𝓼 𝓟𝓞𝓥:
"This must be where the Country Music Trolls live." Poppy's voice sounds doubtful. And with good reason. It is difficult to believe, since there is no sign of life in the apparent Village we're examining from a distance, unsure of what to make of it. Branch and Biggie makes it to stand on a side each. With a shrug falling upon Branch shoulders: "Well, it looks like nobody's here! We're too late. Time to go home! Come on guys, let's go!" He sighs without even a hint of disappointment lying behind his sentence. He spins on his heel, walking in the opposite direction of the Village, in the exact direction we've just arrived from. Poppy rolls her eyes at his resistance, nudging my shoulder with the back of her hand, for me to follow her down the hill we're standing upon. Making our way down with puffing chests and swinging fists, we slowly nears Lonesome Flats. "There is no 'I quit' in team!" My yelled out words makes Branch stop in his tracks, one leg hovering mid step. I spin around to look back, but keeps my moving direction headed towards the destination.
A sharp cry from a bird pierces the silence, snapping me out of my thought as I bounce up in alarm, turning to face my headed direction again. "Cock-a-doodle... Ah, never mind." The piercing cackle soon falls silent, the bird's head slumping to face the ground as it mumbles, not too enthusiastic by the sun's arrival. The tune of a guitar starts to play, the sound faint from the background. 🎵We don't hope for makin' things better.🎵 Out of nowhere, a voice, a beautiful voice, belonging to a woman. As we turn to the voice, our eyes falls upon its owner. The owner being half a horse, half a Troll. She pushes herself through a pair of swinging gates, appearing from inside one of the wooden huts, several of them on either side of the path. A guitar firmly resting within her grasp. Poppy's quick reaction caught a hold of my wrist, dragging me along as she bolts towards a circle of barrels, hiding both our unwelcoming presences behind one of them. The other two scurrying along, hiding behind a barrel each.
🎵All we want is to, keep it together. Everyday is a Rainy day, no changing the weather.🎵 The horse-Troll Woman, walks past a family, similar to her, at least the same kind. An egg is nesting inside the mother's mane, a crack travelling through the shell, and out from it comes a Troll. "Happy birthday, Hunny. Time to get to work!" The dad reaches up, moving the Troll with half of the egg shell still upon his head, to sit against the dirt. "Okay, Daddy." The newborn Troll pulls himself up, before he presses himself in between his siblings, participating in the hard work. 🎵This kind of life has made our hearts as hard as leather. All these tears are from the, dust in our eyes. And all these years just keep on, passing us by.🎵 The slow tunes vibrating from her guitar and her depressing vocals, causes one of the citizens - sitting around - to break down in tears. The tears tickling down his cheeks is bawling themselves.🎵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 places a palm upon her clothed heart, which is throbbing for this Troll she isn't even familiar with.
"We're just born to die? There is so much more to life, than just waiting around for death to arrive." I wonder out loud, moving one hand to rub soothing movements into Poppy's back. "But, life is sad sometimes, you know. So I kinda like it?" Branch being the one to comment, is seemingly confused by his own liking to the song. His gaze travelling between Poppy and I. "You do?" My question earns a shrug in response. "But it's so different?" Poppy appears from her hidings, the rest of us quick to follow. Biggie has crept into his barrel, hiding his form as he now moves around from underneath it. "Oh! They must not know that music's supposed to make you happy!" Poppy's puts an unwanted label upon their taste in music, suddenly making it sound like a problem. "That's awful!" She adds in a whisper, hand back to rest upon her beating chest. Branch's eyes catch mine, already looking upon him with confusion. He grasps a hold of my hand as we both fall into the rhythm of the song. I can't help but enjoy it too. It is beautiful indeed, and her voice - whoever she is - has such a haunting quality to it.
🎵And all these years just keeps on, passing us by. And all this misery makes it hard to deny!🎵 Several Country Trolls retreats from their homes, gathering around the Woman who sings on the streets. Swing dancing along to the rhythm and hooking arms with the Trolls standing nearby. Two Trolls stands out, accidentally bumping into each other, their hats falling down and covers their vision. Getting lost in their surroundings, they are quick to raise both fists in front of their chests, accusing the other for causing the sudden blindness. Before any fists got thrown, they figure it is the hat upon their heads. Lifting the tip, before joining in on the swing dancing. 🎵That's the way it goes when you're just, Born to die.🎵
———
"Okay guys, girl. Huddle up!" Poppy commands, all four of us gathering together in a small circle, arms resting upon each other's shoulders as we lean in close.
The Troll - who shared her thought-awakening song, has approached another Troll. Both of their gazes upon our gathered figures, their eyes seeming judgemental. "Growly, Growly, Growl!"
"Now, take it easy Growly Pete. I feel bad for them. It looks like they've got beaten up by a rainbow!" She makes a grimace, before her eyes lands upon me. "Except for that one, her colours is kind of similar to mine."
"First things first. These Trolls need some serious cheering up, and we're gonna have to go top-shelf!" Poppy claims, connecting the tip of her fingers, imitating a shelf. Biggie is quick to nod along in agreement. "Now, when you say 'Top-shelf' you don't mean..." Before Branch gets to finish expressing his doubt, Poppy interrupts. "That's right. Tell them, June." She straightens back up, rotating her body side to side, arms swinging with as she stretches out, preparing herself for what is to come. "We need to sing them the most important songs in the history of music." I explain straightening up myself, clearing my voice afterwards, warming it up. "Yes, but which ones?" Biggie then asks, both him and Branch retreating to a straightened position as we did. "All of them!" We answer in unison, our gaze meeting as we did, lips curling up into wide beaming smiles. "And when you two say 'all of them'?"
🎵 Yo, I'll tell you what I want. What I really, really want!🎵 Poppy breaks out in song, tearing off her dress, revealing a new outfit hidden beneath. Definitely wasn't an unexpected move from my side, as I mirror her, doing the exact same thing. My dress joins hers crumbled on the ground. Poppy hands me a pair of star-shaped sunglasses, my eyes seeing through the yellow lenses. Poppy is wearing a pair of her own, heart-shaped with pink lenses. 🎵So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!🎵 I bounce up and down within my singing. Biggie is wearing a glittery red jumpsuit, a large B covering his belly, wearing a pair of heart-shaped shades himself. Branch's outfit is covered in golden glitter, similar to mine, matching shorts and vest instead of a dress as I have. His chin is downcast, glancing upon his change in outfit, before he imitates the rest of us. We soon discover the audience we've gathered. 🎵I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!🎵 Poppy repeats, the microphone now within her grasp, gets thrown god knows where, her pointers now upon the guys. 🎵So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!🎵 Biggie and Branch answers this time. 🎵I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!🎵 Poppy stalls. Branch reaches for my hand, bringing my arm above my head in a forced spin around myself, before we bounce off of the apparent stage. 🎵I wanna really, really, really wanna Zig-a-zag, ahh!🎵 Turning our bodies to face each other, we lean in, singing the next verse together, before bolting off in the opposite direction of each other. Poppy and Biggie follows, they went in their own different directions. 🎵Who, Who, Who-Who! Who let the dogs out?🎵 We switch the song choice, Biggie now beginning the verse of a new one, Branch and I now standing upon a barrel each, dancing along in the background.🎵Who let the dogs out?🎵
🎵It's such a good vibration!🎵 Now it became my turn. I bounce off of the barrel, approaching the nearest toilet shed, pulling the door agape. I reach for the roll of toilet paper, sending an apologising gaze to the Troll sitting upon the toilet. "Come on, come on, come on!" Branch reaches for a roll of his own, closing the door behind us. 🎵It's such a sweet sensation!🎵 With a swift toss, we launch the roll of toilet paper through the air, and as it unravels mid-flight, the paper unfurls in a spiralling cascade, drifting down over the roofs like a fluttering snowstorm. "Oppa Gangdam Style!" The song changes again, one arm hovering upon our heads, swinging our clenched fist around in a circle as the opposite arm is bend in front of our chests. 🎵Gangdam Style! Op, Op, Op-Op. Oppa Gangdam Style!🎵
A mother quickly shields her child's ears with her hands, her face tight with concern as she attempts to protect them from the shifting music we're creating. 🎵Hey, Pretty Girl, what you doin' tonight?🎵 Biggie jumps upon a wooden table, kicking the things off of it standing in his way. 🎵Gangdam Style!🎵 Branch and I continue our song that hasn't ended yet. 🎵I wanna see what you got in store!🎵 He slaps his rear with a loud smack, dropping into a split, still on top of the table. A faint rip echoes from his pants, but neither of the sounds was cared for. His backside is now dangerously close to another Troll's face, sitting by the table below. Yet Biggie still pays no mind, completely unfazed by the awkward proximity. After rising to his feet, he dashed back to stand beside the rest of us, urgency in his steps, knowing our next song is about to begin. 🎵Party rock is in the house tonight!🎵 All four of us are now standing back to back. "Come on!" Poppy yells out to our audience, but no one care to respond nor react. 🎵Everybody just have a good time! Party rock is in the house tonight!🎵 That Troll with the now familiar face, her radiant red mane almost identical to my own, is standing out from the rest of the crowd. Expression one of confusion, mixed with unpleasantness, just like everyone else standing around her. Something about her is drawing me in, her presence is different, red hair like mine, the same golden skin... is it possible, that she? For a moment, time seems to still, finding difficulty in keeping my focus on my active dance moves. I stumble, the world tilting around me as dizziness takes hold. My head spins, and just as I'm about to lose balance, my boyfriend's hands find my sides, steadying me. He pulls me close, grounding me, his touch pulling me back to reality. 🎵We just wanna see ya'🎵 Poppy and Biggie is still going, both of their upper bodies turns to me all of a sudden, fingers pointing in my direction as Poppy refers for me to be the one finishing up. "Tell them, Sis!"
🎵Uh.. S-Shake that!🎵 My eyes widen for a slight moment, forced back into the lost focus. We strike a pose each, the mashup of songs ending, only to find the audience gone, already dispersed. My eyes scan the now empty space for the Troll who is scary enough, resembling my features. Only one small detail standing out, the amount of legs.
But suddenly, without warning, Country Trolls surrounds us and forces us to follow. We reach a room - which we can sense from the outside through the small window build into the door, only contains beams. Without hesitation, one by one, we get shoved inside, the door slamming shut behind us. They're imprisoning us? The sound of the lock clicking into place seals our fate. "Now I want the four of you to sit in here, and think about what you've just done!" There she is, her face appearing in the small window. "That was a crime against music!"
"Okay. We're sorry! It wasn't our intention to offend your music or anything." I approach her from the inside of the door, my fingers curling around a beam each. "We were simply trying to make a good impression! Right guys?" I turn my head from facing the Troll on the outside, to face my friends, who is quick to nod along with my statement. "What are you even doing here, anyway?"
"We're here to warn you about Barb, the Queen of Rock!"
"Sweetie. I already know and have heard about this Queen Barb and her fancy world tour." She sigh, eyes falling upon her nails she is fiddling with, before her gaze is met with Poppy's. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go wash - what you call music - out of my ears!" Her comment is almost intentionally rude, directed right at us. She spins on her heel, ready to leave us stranded inside their cell, when I decide to yell out for her again. "Wait, wait!" I wiggle my arms to lean out between the beams, face pressing in between another pair in front of me. "What is your name?" Her gaze is wondering, but she answers my question anyway. "My name's Delta, Sugar. And I must say, I love your hair!" Her compliment causes my cheeks to go red. "I love yours too! We're so alike!" I chuckle, regretting as soon as the words leave my lips.
"Besides-"
"The legs!" The both of us answers, speaking in non-expected unison, then giggles along to it afterwards. "I like you! Uh-" "Juniper! My name is Juniper!" I step aside, giving Delta room to see through the small window cut-out, motioning toward Poppy as I do. "And this is my sister."
"Hi, I'm Poppy!" With an awkward tone, she mumbles the words, her hand moving in a hesitant wave. "That is Biggie over there. And he's... Well, he is my boyfriend. Branch." I can sense the warmth rising to my cheek, spreading to the other, as I introduce Branch as my boyfriend to Delta. My face is probably flushing bright red by now. With a nervous gesture, Branch sends a wave in return.
"Delta, please. Let us out of here, we have to be on the move, to warn the other Tribes." "That's not gonna happen, Juniper. I'm sorry, but that is the rules prisoners have to follow. I'll see you in the morning." Wrapping up her explanation, she turns and walks off, the distance growing between us with every step, making it clear she isn't coming back. Before disappearing from our sight, a Troll - obviously a kid - appears from the back of Delta's mane. Her head being the only part visible. "Woah-ho you're in real trouble now! Right Aunt Delta?"
"Keep an eye on them Growly Pete." A Troll sitting on a wooden stool, growls in response to her order given to him. I move with slow movements to a bench, the cold metal frame hanging from the ceiling in the cramped cell. Meanwhile, Poppy swiftly moves to the empty space I was filling just a moment before, pressing her face in between the same two bars as I did. Her voice rises into a frantic yell after the retreating Delta. "No! No! Music should bring us together, not divide us!" As Delta moves out of Poppy's sight, she retreats from the door, her foot brushing against the sand. "Sugar!"
"Well, I knew it. 'Who let the dogs out' too far." Branch mumbles, his back facing Poppy and his hands holding into each hip. "Okay, Branch. You can say 'I told you so', we all know you want to." With a roll of her eyes, Poppy moves to stand beside Biggie, slumping against the wall to sit beside him. Branch's gaze is soon fixed upon Poppy by her comment, but decides not to give one back. Instead, he shifts his gaze to my figure putting its whole bodyweight on the dangling bench. His gaze meets mine as he approaches the empty side of my seat, seeking for my approval to sit. A simple nod is the returned response, before he pulls himself up. "Listen to me, both of you. You did great out there, it just wasn't enough. That's not any of your faults." His attempt on cheering us up earns a smile from Poppy, looking beside the heavy tension still lying upon us. His head turns back to me, noting how my posture hasn't moved an inch, chin still downcast and a dawning frown. Lifting himself up by his palms against the bench, he shifts closer, one palm moving to cover one of mine. "Hey. What was all that about? With Delta." His fingers curl under my palm, holding my hand in his. "It's stupid." I keep my gaze averted from his. "I thought there was a slight opportunity for us to be- related..." My voice is soft, with the hopes of Poppy not to catch me say it. Branch doesn't give an immediate response, lost in thought for a short while. "Don't blame it on yourself. But I must admit, if you were related to her, you would most likely be half a horse." His unexpected blurt makes me snort at the image he has created in my head, which makes him laugh along with me. I finally meet his gaze, and slowly, our faces draw nearer. His eyes flicker from my eyes, to my lips, while mine does the exact same thing. Just as we're about to close the distance, Biggie suddenly appears and plops down between us, causing both of us to jump back in surprise.
"I'll never survive the big house. We've got to get out of here!" Biggie Babbles, not even realising the moment that was so close to happening, before he came in between. Both Branch and I inch further away from Biggie's body squeezed in between ours. Poppy bounces up from her seat, stomping up to our bench, now facing all three of us with a scold and swinging arms. "I know. That was such a rad medley! I can't believe it didn't work!"
"Tell me about it. I did the splits! No one even clapped." Biggie bounces up to join Poppy's stand, but as he did, my gaze catches onto the large hole in his shorts, probably happened doing that split. I quickly turn my head, shielding my eyes with my hand, to avoid the sight in front of me. "Am I not cute anymore?"
"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?"  Poppy mutters with shock.
"Anyone got a plan B?" Mr. Dinkles is being held forward by Biggie, his body being bopped forward, making it seem like he is the one asking. "Plan B? Right up here!" Branch is the one responding to Dinkles' question, pushing himself up from his seated position. With a tilt of his head, he points a finger against it, and a shovel tumbles out of his mane and into his now open palm. "Step one: Escape from Lonesome Flats!" He tilts the front of the shovel to face the ground, before shoving the piece of metal into it, spooning a part of the flooring out of his way, leaving a small hole. Biggie decides to help him out, using Mr. Dinkles as his shovel, to spoon a part of the ground into his mouth and spits it out elsewhere. Poppy's doubting gaze, meets mine, already on her. I mean, either of us have a plan, this is all we got.
"Plan B it is." Poppy sighs, moving to the locked cell door, slumping up against it as her gaze watches the boys getting at it, the hole slowly growing.