Twelve days of Trollsmas (A Christmas Special!)

New Friends

Branch spent the rest of the evening locked in his bunker, wiping glitter off his face again.
"Every time I'm around her I get glitter up my nose! Why!?" Branch screams. He goes to sleep, too tired to think about anything.
Branch woke up to nothing but a soft sound - like a bird singing. Curious, Branch sneaks out to the living room of his home and finds a bright pink troll at his door step. Poppy.

"I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice.
And by once or twice I mean maybe a couple of hundred times.
So let me, oh, let me redeem myself tonight.
'Cause I just need one more shot, second chances." Poppy's colour starts fading. Not enough to take the pink away, just enough to take the glow away.

"Yeah.
Is it too late now to say sorry?
'Cause I'm missing more than just your body, oh.
Is it too late now to say sorry?
Yeah, I know-oh-oh, that I let you down.
Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?" Branch goes to open the door but instead he sits down and listens.

"I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Yeah, I know that I let you down.
Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?" Branch wants to say it's not too late but he can't bring himself to stand up or speaks. Poppy continues.

"I'll take every single piece of the blame if you want me to.
But you know that there is no innocent one in this game for two.
I'll go, I'll go and then you go, you go out and spill the truth.
Can we both say the words and forget this?"

"I'm sorry.
Sorry, oh
Sorry.
Yeah, I know-oh-oh, that I let you down (let you down)
Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?" Everything is silent besides one ding. Hug time. Branch gets up and goes to open the door but Poppy is already walking away, holding her arms to her chest. He wants to run out to her but he just stands there with the door open, not knowing what to do.

***

Branch wakes up early and leaves straight for town. He knows he owes it to Poppy to try to enjoy one day. It's the twelve days of Trollsmas after all. He rocks up to the skitter lounge and everyone looks at him as if they are dreaming this.
"Branch, my man, how can I help you?" An orange troll with bright green hair comes up to Branch. This was Aspen Heitz - inventor of skitterboard trick "Double rainbow."
"Heitz-" Branch starts.
"Oh, none of that. Call me Aspen." He click his fingers and winks at Branch. "Got that, mate?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Branch starts. "Look, I kinda made Poppy upset yesterday and I know she was planning today with skitterboards so-" Branch breathes in then out, not believing what he is about to say. "Can we start now, just us. Until they get here." Aspen and everyone else looks shocked, though Aspen smiles.
"Sure thing, man."

After struggling getting on the board, Branch gets enough practice in to do a flip and actually ride the board before the group shows up. Two more are with them - Moxie Drewdrop and Mandy Sparkledust. Everyone gave Branch the same look the skitter riders did.
"Branch, what are you doing." Poppy says, her glow still hasn't returned fully and Branch knew that. He felt a pang of guilt again.
"Starting the day with skitterboarding, then a watching you guys have a dance off then-" He sighs and looks to Aspen who told him what to say after Branch explained the situation earlier. "Hoping to get a 'Hug time' bracelet." Everyone smiles, especially Poppy who had wanted Branch to get out more and Mandy who makes the bracelets.

Branch demonstrates the trick he learnt with Aspen and teaches it to the rest of the group. After that, the epic dance battle between Moxie and Guy Diamond breaks out on the skitter rink, it was so epic not even the skitter riders cared that their territory was being covered in slippery glitter. Nobody won as nobody could vote who was better. In the end, everyone followed Mandy to her home where the pact of llamas with magical hair (no joke, it's a real thing!) are kept.

"Come in, I'll bring out your hug time bracelet as soon as I make sure it still works, okay Branch?" Branch nods before realising that she had already made him one. Before he could react Mandy left.
Everyone sits down and the first thing Branch notices is Poppy's glow is back. He smiles then Cooper starts blabbering about how he has magical hair as well as the llamas outside as they are related to him - on his mother side of course.

When Mandy comes back, she's holding a dolphin grey flower bracelet.
"Here, it should work. I opened it up and checked - it looks fine." She says, tightening it around Branch's wrist. Branch looks up to Aspen in a desperate cry of help but he looks over to Poppy. Branch nods once and let's Mandy easily attach it. As soon as she puts it on, Hug Time starts, Branch's flower glowing bright blue. Branch looks up to Aspen and glares. Aspens grins and opens his arms. Once again, Branch is caught in the embrace of everyone, including three new friends and the still-blabbering-half-llama Cooper. Branch looks to his right to see Poppy, who's glow is slightly brighter than usual. Without making a hesitation, he wraps one arm around Poppy and the other around Guy Diamond who stands to his left. Everyone is taken aback but quickly shrugs it off as all of them know this is the one and only time this will ever happen.
"Happy 12 days of Trollsmas guys." Branch says. Everyone smiles and returns the words.
"Happy 12 days of Trollmas, too, Branch!"

"So what are we doing tomorrow?" Biggie asks as we walk out of Mandy's home.
"We are gathering supplies for the feast of Trollsmas." Branch can feel himself wanting to run away and hide but he just smiles weakly and agrees to show.

Just 9 more days.

Sorry Justin Bieber. (Altered)