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

9. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓾𝓷𝓴 𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓫𝓮

Branch POV:
Floating in the bubbles, every one of us, just waiting to get raised up to the big UFO above us.
I turned around in my bubble, just to check up on Juniper, I want to know if she's okay. A Bubble came in sight, but June wasn't inside it, Hickory was. Where was June? I looked behind me again, to see if she was in front, I could only see Poppy. Now worry was filling my features and hit my nerves. My hands were shaking, as I punched into the side of the bubble, pushing and kicking the bubble, trying to break free of it.
Our surroundings turned dark, making my movements slow, and focus outside the bubble. As the light came back, it turned into very bright colours of Purple, Dark Blue, Orange and Yellow, as we were now inside.
"Guys look!" Poppy spoke, pointing out in the distance, in front of us. This flying plate was ginormous inside! Trolls with four legs and long necks were walking around, everyone having jewellery around their necks and earring dangling from their ears. They reminded me of someone, they looked like Cooper.
I could see shops, a big stage, where Trolls stood and performed. As we neared the top, a bright light was shining, blinding all three of us as we neared it. I put my palm over my forehead, to block out the light, as we got sucked in.
Poppy was nearing the ground as the first, her bubble got turned around and lightly landed on a pillow, where the bubble finally popped.
Hickory and I, on the other hand, fell as our bubbles popped before we were close to the ground. I hit the pillow face first, and by the pressure, I jumped back up and landed on the floor, back first with my feet sticking up in the air.
"Welcome to Vibe City" a voice spoke. I start to kick my feet to sit back up again. Sitting up, I took to my head, a severe headache spread through my whole skull, from the fall.
"You are cordial guests of Prince Cooper" By the mention of the name, all 3 gazes of ours looked up, to see Cooper. What was he doing here, he looked different, has he gotten a haircut?
"Cooper? What are you doing here?" Poppy spoke up, surprise flowing in her voice by the sight of a dear friend. Looking behind me, I searched for any signs of Juniper, she was still not in sight. Did these Trolls, abandon her down on the raft?
Cooper started laughing at Poppy's words, before another voice spoke. "Actually, I'm over here."
Our heads turned to the other side and saw, Cooper? We all looked back and forth between the two Coopers.
"Back-wrapped Hot Dogs!" Hickory yelled, jumping up in surprise too.
"Okay, maybe all the Jazz hasn't left my brain yet..." I spoke, kicking my left ear with my palm, pushing all the jazz out of my head. Notes fell out of the opposite ear, as it made me all cross-eyed.
"It turns out I'm actually from Vibe City! Just like my Twin Brother!"
"I'm Prince D, What's poppin'?" They both started laughing and ran up to one another. "I have a Twin Brother!" Cooper whispered excitedly to us. "Haha, very funny guys, poppin'." I spoke up, chuckling with them, pretending I got it. Both their eyes landed on me.
"But tell me, Prince D, was it? Where did you take June?"
"June?" He repeated, raising his eyebrow confused. "Princess Juniper? Of Pop Village"
"Oh yeah, Juniper, she was with you guys!" Cooper spoke up, his eyes wide in realisation. "She's Queen Poppy's Sister." He then whispered the last part, to his brother, pointing at Poppy.
"I'm sorry Fella, we saw no one else on the boat you had." Prince D spoke up, his eyes still confused, he didn't seem to have seen Juniper at all. My gaze fell to the ground, my thoughts wondering.
It suddenly came to me, Hickory was the last one on to leave the raft. My head snapped to him, my feet quickly approaching him.
"What did you do to Juniper!" I snapped, my finger poking his chest, making him take a few steps back. His hands shot up in defence. "Branch, I don't think Hickory did anything to her, maybe her bubble floated off?" Poppy shot in. I turned to reason with her, but as I did, I saw fear, she was just as scared for Juniper's safety as I am. She was just looking positive on this whole situation.
"Don't worry, I send a team out right now to look for your little girl friend." Prince D spoke up, scurrying out the room.
As this Prince D, who was apparently Cooper's brother, left the room, Poppy turned to Cooper. "But, how is this possible, Cooper?"
"Well, it's a very complicated story." Cooper started. "When we were both babies, my egg got snatched out of the nest. Mom and Dad looked everywhere, but they couldn't find me. So you guys raised me as one of your own." Cooper spoke, the story not as complicated as mentioned. "And then when I went out to go find other Trolls like me, my Mom and Dad finally found me!" He finished.
"I guess it wasn't too complicated." Cooper laughed, before Prince D appeared back in the room. At least now I know someone is gonna help us find her.
"Oh, Poppy, I want you to meet the King and Queen of Funk!" Cooper spoke up as two Trolls approached us from behind.
"King Quincy and Queen Essence" Prince D spoke up. "My Mom and Dad!" Cooper spoke up again as Queen Essence kissed his cheek several times, leaving blue lipstick marks on his cheek.
"Wow, Cooper you look just like your Dad!" Poppy spoke up, I couldn't see it.
"Yeah, that must be why he's so good looking" King Quincy answered, he put his hand up, and high fives Prince D's hand.
"Was that a dad Joke? It was Lame!" Cooper spoke up, as all 4 of them, started laughing together, Poppy, Hickory and I, just standing, chuckling awkwardly beside them. "Well, so that means you're a Funk Troll?" I spoke up.
"You don't have to be just one thing! I'm Pop and Funk!" Cooper quoted, making me think about his words.
I guess he was right after all, if Juniper was one of "the others" as told, she didn't have to decide which one she wanted to be. I wish I had told her that before.
"Or maybe you're Hip Hop, like me." Prince D spoke up after Cooper. "Hip Hop?" Poppy questioned, my gaze shifting to her as she pulled the old map out from her pocket, folding it out, and searching for the Hip Hop trope, with a tiny telescope.
"Yeah, I think your map is a bit outdated.." Prince D approached Poppy, making her up jump in surprise, as his face was suddenly really close looking, in her tiny telescope.
Looking over her shoulder, I noticed another Trope, which was definitely before our birth. "He's right, look at that, it still has Disco."
Poppy packed the map back up, shoving it back in her pocket and folding her telescope.
"Well, your Majesties, we need your help. We have to save all Music from Queen Barb." She spoke up. "If we combine our Music she'll see that Music unites all Trolls!" The Queen and Kings smiles slowly faded, as well as mine, as Poppy continued. "And that we're all the same and that she's one of us!" They looked at each other worried about something. "Poppy, I mean no disrespect, but King to Queen? Anything but that."
"Why not?" Poppy lowered her arms, her smile fading too, as her sad gaze stared up at King Quincy.
He pressed a yellow button, beside him, making a door open, revealing a new room. There's was round shelves filled up with old records and lights in between, making the room light up.
"Let's tell 'em how it was, Prince D." The King spoke, walking in front, into the room, with the Queen beside.
"Long ago our world was without song or dance, then the Trolls found the Strings, and life was one big party." Prince D said turning to me and Poppy beside him, following behind the majesties.
They stopped walking in front, as their focus shifted to a guitar, with only one string on, a purple string.
"Oh yeah, we've heard this story before."
"That is until the Pop Trolls tried to steal our Strings..." Prince D then added, making Cooper's ears go down. "Steal your Strings? That's not what it said in our scrapbooks..."
"Scrapbooks? Those are cut out, glued and glittered by the winners... Let me tell you how it really went down." Prince D said and walked over to an old record player, placing a record.
🎵We started off a team, Party 'til we fall asleep, Even on the street, when we disagreed We did it on beat. Expected unique, anything less, it was weak, The music of the strings made life complete! 'Til that one day they changed everythin', The pop trolls started snatchin' up all of the strings! Put the melodies on top of popular beats, They cut us out of the scene And then forgot what it really means...🎵 Prince D rapped as he showed us their scrapbooks of the real version of the story.
🎵Shoulda seen between all of the scheming, It seems like the trolls they stole from were meaningless, Walkin' around like they were the geniuses But it's only samples, autotune and remixes! I'm a vegan, I don't have no beef with 'em, Gotta protect my kingdom But the dream is to sing again, Being friends, seamless blend. Harmony ain't hard when the keys within you win!🎵

🎵First, it was all love!🎵 All three of the Funk majesties sang together, standing around, circling around us. Poppy's gaze had a hard time facing them, taking the blame of what Pop had done, as the Queen of Pop. Her gaze fell on to one of their scrapbooks, with furrowed eyebrows.

🎵Hands up, super star love (Stars up). That you can have it, you can have it all, love. But then you took it, took it all, love (They took it all) All, love🎵

🎵Turn it up louder (Turn the music up louder) Sing along, get the crowd up (Get the crowd up, come on) But then you took it all, love (Took it all, love) Then forgot all about us, but it's all love. 🎵
They all gathered together and danced as Poppy looked in disbelief at them, her mind was wondering in every direction, and guilt filled her gaze. I laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to give her any reassurance.
I feel you, Sounds good in my ear when I hear it like that. I feel you, I say I look good to the mirror and it says it right back. I feel you, A little love wouldn't kill you! You really did me wrong, it was real cruel, Had a lot of love and I still do 'cause I feel you.🎵
🎵Next morning, the elders were on me, They saw the warnin' signs, couldn't ignore it. Had to figure out how to save the way of life they had made So they made a play! The pop trolls were comin' for it all. All for one and one for all, So the only way we saw, how we saw it. It was one thing left to be done, Each leader grabbed a single string and said, "Run!"🎵
~~~
"And the Trolls never lived in harmony again." King Quincy spoke up as they have finished their song.
My hand left Poppy's shoulder, falling back to my side as she stepped forward.
"So the Trolls live in isolation because of what, Pop did?..." My gaze fell to the ground, looking sad down at it.
"Pop tried to destroy our music." Queen Essence spoke.
"Just like Barb is trying to do..."
"I can make it right!" Poppy interrupted both Queen Essence and i's words, she was done listening and just standing around, doing nothing. "History's just gonna keep repeating itself until we make everyone realise that we're all the same!" Poppy spoke up as she ran up beside the guitar, with the String attached to it. She was taking the responsibility on her shoulders, as she always does.
"But we're not all the same." Quincy spoke again.
"It's why all our Strings are different. Because they reflect our different music."
"Denying our differences is denying the truth of who we are" The majesties spoke between each other, finishing each other's sentences.
"I hadn't thought of it like that..." Poppy admitted, but the conversation was cut short, by a loud alarm beeping. The String behind us got a cover up, to protect it, making Poppy stumble by the pressure.
"Rock has arrived, it's on!" Prince D shouted.
"Prepare for battle" the King spoke as Prince D ran off. The others following, as we quickly followed Cooper out. As he mentioned us to.