Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Branch hadn't gone back to the Troll tree in years. If someone asked him why he would probably lie saying that he just never had the time. In reality he was still afraid of the tree, mostly his grandmothers old pod though. It reminded him of his grandmother, which of course made him upset, but it also reminded him of his brothers, which just made him sadder.

He would have chosen to never gone near the tree if his girlfriend hadn't dragged him to this wedding as her plus one. But it was King Gristle and Bridget's wedding and Poppy was the maid of honor. So of course he had to go, he just didn't want to. After the two Bergen's had exchanged their vows, Branch made a quick get-away to his grandmothers pod. Just to see it one last time before he vowed to never come back. Unless Poppy ever found out about said vow and forced him back.

It was still the same as he left it, just more cobwebs and dust. Macramé was dominating the floor, countertops, and gave Branch the realization that some things weren't meant to be macramed. He laughed to the air over how many times they would play cards together, and how many times he lost. You might have to let her win. Sometimes. One of the last things Floyd ever said came flooding back into his mind. Would he be mad that most of the times Grandma Rosiepuff won he wasn't faking?

There was a record player by the back wall, beside it were multiple BroZone records. Branch picked one up, cleaning the dust off of it as a he frowned. John Dory was on the front. Around him were Spruce, Clay, Floyd, and himself.

Once, a little while before she died, Branch and Grandma Rosiepuff got into a big argument about the records. She had been getting older and couldn't remember what BroZone meant to their family. So she tried throwing the records out. Branch had told her not to, that they mattered to the family, but she dismissed him. Out of the twelve records they had saved, Branch was able to save seven from being thrown out of the window. Four were salvageable after being thrown but one of them, one with the brothers all together on the front of the cover, was broken.

He cried for hours about it. It was the first album that Branch ever participated in, and it mattered to him. He could still remember how it was. Sitting on the woodland floor, clutching the broken record to his chest as he cried. Now that he thought about it, that was also the day he started turning grey.

"I forgot about that..." Branch mumbled to himself. Before his grandmother had died he'd started turning grey. When the records were thrown his arms had begun to be covered in neutral colors. Now that he was really remembering he could recall all the little details about his friends at the time, to. The Kismet group he was apart of. The five had bonded over their shared loss of family, and also that they were all slowly turning grey.

It was like a book club of sorts. The five members being Branch, Boom, Ablaze, Hype, and Trickee. They were all getting greyer by the day, but at least they had each other to complain to about the annoying Pop Trolls that kept telling them to just smile and be happy.

They were losing it. Boom most of all. He had lost both his parents to the Bergen's and his color was fading fast. Faster than Branch could blink. He and the other members were trying to find something to calm him down when he had found it.

The five ruby necklaces.

"What is that?" Trickee asked. Branch had found it in a box behind a bush. Five sparkling ruby necklaces, wrapped in velvety cloth. They looked like they belonged in a museum for royalty. Maybe they were King Peppy's?

They were trying to find something to help calm Boom down. His rainbow hair was shining away and his glitter wasn't as sparkly anymore. "I don't know." Branch mumbled as a reply, but he was hoping that it would work. He handed out three necklaces to Trickee, Hype, and Ablaze before putting it on himself. The last one he handed to Boom. "Look, Boom. Isn't it nice?"

He didn't respond. Hype, the mother of the group, took the necklace out of the palm of Branch's hand and put it onto Boom for him. "See? You look great. Now the five of us match. It's like were brothers now." The four smiled.

Boom still continued to frown, his golden shine turning grey rapidly fast. He hugged his knees close to his chest.

"You with the sad eyes,"

Branch started to sing, crouching down in front of Boom.

"Don't be discouraged"

"Oh, I realize"

"It's hard to take courage"

He took Boom's hands, trying his best to smile. Even though deep down, he couldn't really mean it. Not as much as he wanted to anyways. Trickee sat down beside with him, humming the tune as Hype and Ablaze followed.

"Show me a smile then"

Hype synched with Branch, unable to see that their two ruby necklaces were shining.

"Don't be unhappy"

As Ablaze joined, his shined with them.

"Can't remember when"

Trickee, with a great smile on his face started to sing to. Even his glowed. Yet none of the kid Trolls seemed to realize.

"I last saw you laughing"

Boom sniffled as he joined, his voice low but distinct in the group.

"This world makes you crazy"

"And you've taken all you can bear"

"Just call me up"

"''Cause I will always be there"

"And I see your true colors shining through"

It was a song the five had written just days ago. Boom loved it and hummed it whenever he could. They thought that it would make him happy. Branch was overjoyed when his best friend started to sing. And for a few moments there was no Trollstice. No fear of being grey or abandonment hanging over the heads of the kids.

All that mattered was that they were together, and they were singing

Until of course someone screamed.

A Troll fell from a top branch, falling just meters away from the Kismet group. They had teal hair and a light pink skin tone. They stopped their singing and stared at the person. Trickee and Ablaze moved in front of the other three, shielding them from possible danger.

A limpid crimson color glowed over the Troll. Slowly the colors of the Troll turned grey. Their shocked face turning grumpy and with little to no emotion. When they were fully grey something emerged from its body. Five identical lights of teal and pink fluttered in the air before diving themselves forward towards the group.

They screamed of course, about to attempt to outrun it, but the light was fast. Each teal and pink light absorbed itself into its own necklace before disappearing.

Boom looked down at his hands as the light bounced out of the necklace and onto his collarbone. The light glowed as it dripped down his body and up to his hair. Wherever the light went the grey in his figure disappeared from. Before Boom realized it he was already a golden, shimmering Troll again. He couldn't believe it. He was a Glitter Troll again! He felt complete, and whole, and...and happy!

With a grin on his face he turned to the other members, seeing that the same had happened to them to. Trickee's grey hands were orange again, Hype's nose was a brighter green, Ablaze's hair was back to it's fiery color, and the tip's of Branch's ears weren't grey anymore.

"What...just happened?" Trickee mumbled, flinching as the now unhappy-grey Troll that fell blinked it's eyes open. Mumbling something as it turned to it's side, seeming like it was trying to dig itself into the ground.

"Were Trolls again!" Ablaze yelled triumphantly, jumping up and down. "Real Trolls! I don't feel sad anymore, Trick'! I-I feel happy. I feel like I can sing, and dance, and laugh, and hug! Guys we should do Hug Time." He kept talking even when Hype covered his mouth.

Branch took in a breath. "The necklaces they absorbed that Trolls happiness. We took what made them a Troll and gave it to ourselves."

"Doesn't that make that stealing?" Trickee asked. "And how do we give it back?"

Boom, Branch, and Ablaze looked offended. "We aren't giving it back." They said in unison, although Ablaze was more muffled.

"I was expecting you to say that." Trickee mumbled as he rubbed a hand on the temple of his face. "Look, guys. We can't do this to anyone else, alright? We will only use these necklaces when one of us are going grey. Okay?" He held out a hand.

Hype placed his palm on top of it. "Good plan. Okay you three?"

Branch hesitantly put his hand in pile. Once he did Boom and Ablaze followed.

It was decided they'd hide it, and never talk about it unless one of them turned grey again...

Wait a minute.

Branch remembers where he hid it!

Setting the record down, Branch began to tear up the flooring of the pod. He had hidden it so that Grandma Rosiepuff wouldn't find it and get mad at him. To stay on the safe side (as he loved to be on) Branch hid it near the record's of BroZone. So that way it felt like his brothers were guarding this sacred object for him. 

After a few minutes of ripping and tearing he found it. Well all four of them. He pocketed the other four that had the engravings T, H, A, and BM on the backs. He was only interested with the one with the initial B. 

It was a pendant, more or less. The chain holding it was an aged gold, and the gem itself was of a red ruby. Maybe a ruby? Now that he was really looking at it, it looked more like a red diamond. Branch shrugged it off to himself, deciding that it was basically the same thing. It was probably as big as his nose! Branch smiled as he quickly put it on. It felt like it had been so long since he had found or even thought of something from his childhood that didn't make him upset.

This necklace was good. It reminded him of Kismet, and his four best friends.

And most importantly it made him blue when he was slowly turning grey.

It gave him color.

Made him colorful.

Gave him happiness.

"This world makes you crazy"

"And you've taken all you bear"

"Just call me up"

"'Cause I will always be there"

As he sang the necklace glowed again, crimson red danced from the gem and engulfed his collarbone and arms in red light. Branch had only ever used it a few times. Honestly he had forgotten how good and euphoric it felt to use it.

"So your really Branch's brother?"

Poppy?

His brother?

"Yep. I've been meaning to come back and see him for years now, hope this isn't a bad time or anything."

"Of course not! I've never met anyone from Branch's family before, so, I'm really excited!"

"Hah! I like you already!"

Branch stopped singing. The light disappeared as he ran out of the pod entrance and looked down. Sure enough, below his grandmothers pod was Poppy, still in her maid of honor dress, and John Dory.

He was wearing an old brown jacket with flimsy green pants, and on his forehead were a pair of goggles.

Just the sight of him made Branch's anxiety increase.

Why now? Why did he have to show up right now?

Branch used his hair to propel himself towards a different branch a little farther to the right. He sat safely hiding behind a bush as Poppy and John Dory got closer to the pod entrance. What was she doing, just allowing to go into Grandma Rosiepuff's pod. Not when they abandoned them. Leaving Grandma to slowly forget about her four other grandsons as Branch slowly turned greyer day by day.

The words turned and turned in his head, memories that he would rather never forget resurfacing. The begging and screaming and crying whenever she couldn't remember BroZone. When she couldn't recall who John Dory, Spruce, Clay, and Floyd were, and would call Branch crazy. She'd laugh and say he was so imaginative as he cried. "Why can't you remember them!?" Branch would cry. But she would always just laugh.

Every memory worse than the last.

His grandmother dying.

His brothers leaving.

How she'd begun to make Branch believe that he really did make his brothers up.

The amount of times Trickee had hugged him, telling him that he wasn't wrong, and that they did exist.

Before he knew it Branch was crying. He moved his arm to wipe away his tears when he stopped.

His arm was greyer.

His hand was completely grey.

Branch was grey again.

If he found it in his heart to scream he would have. He couldn't be grey again! No he stopped being grey when they made peace with the Bergen's. When Poppy showed him a way to be happy. That couldn't have all been for nothing, right!?

Poppy didn't save him.

He wasn't really happy.

It was all a lie.

Branch felt his breathing start to quicken. No. No, it couldn't all be for nothing. He was happy! Right?

In front of him he heard soft humming. Branch moved a section of the bush out of his way as he Smidge walking by, holding a bag of flour in her hand. It wasn't very big, so she must have been saving it for something else and not the Bergen wedding like Branch initially suspected at first glance.

Wait.

Smidge was happy.

Smidge was a colorful, happy Troll.

"We were playing in the sand"

Branch started to sing. The necklace he was wearing began to glow.

"And you found a little band"

Smidge stopped moving as she started to look around, trying to find a source of the noise.

"You told me you fell in love with it"

"Hadn't gone as I planned"

The light crimson aura started to appear around Smidge. Although different from the first Troll Branch had seen, Smidge saw the light quickly. "Oh my guh." She gasped.

"When you had to bid adieu (Oooh)"

Smidge stopped moving, her hands going to her sides as she struggled against the light. Her eyes shutting as she writhed back and forth.

"Said you'd never love anew (Oooh)"

The light circling Smidge and the necklace that Branch was wearing connected, sending a beam of light. Branch stood up out of the bush. He feared of walking closer, but felt like he didn't have much choice. It felt like that was what the necklace wanted. He took a few steps forward.

"I wondered if I could hold it (Oooh)"

Through the stream of crimson flits of teel and yellow floated down as Smidge slowly began to turn grey. She stopped thrashing around as her body began to relax.

"And fall in love with it too (Oooh)"

Branch smirked as he walked beside Smidge. She looked so...sad. The light surrounding her began to disappear as she fell to the floor, looking tired and defeated.

"You told me to buy a pony (Oooh)"

"But all I wanted was you (Oooh)"

When he stopped singing he felt the wave of happiness emerge from the necklace. It danced around his collarbone, trailing down and up his body. His arm was no longer grey, and it felt as if John Dory had never mattered in the first place. Branch had forgotten what he felt like to be happy. To be truly happy.

When he felt the wave of happiness engulf he had a lot of other emotions surface to.

Mostly his hatred for other Trolls no matter what they were. So an undenying hatred towards his girlfriend had only come up which, he will admit, he was not proud of.

But also the seething anger he had towards his brothers. They left for twenty years, and only now when he's a grown adult does one of them come back. Affectionally being the one who had yelled "Goodbye forever" when he ran off. Branch couldn't help but clench his fists. Out of every Troll he could steal the happiness out of, he wanted to take his brothers most of all. In a cage or something. Trapped and terrified, just like how Branch had felt for most of his life. He wanted to watch them panic as he made them all grey, just like he was.

But you can. He heard a voice inside of his head say. Just find Kismet. They'll help you find your brothers.

It was a good idea. He had always missed his friends anyways.

They still kept in touch. Though it had been a while since they ever directly spoke. He knew where they all last were.

Ablaze had been hanging around with the Rock Trolls in TrollsTopia.

Trickee had been on Vacay Island last he heard.

Hype was up in the mountains looking for peace.

And Boom was still in TrollsTopia.

Branch smirked to himself as he clutched his pendant.

"Well then," He said as he hopped down the Troll tree. "I think it's time we got the band together."

As if they could hear him, the necklaces glowed in response.

Chapter Text

It doesn't make any sense. Poppy saw Branch walk into the pod. She decided to let him grieve on his own terms, but when his brother appeared she had to go find him! So then where did he go? She swear she saw him just moments ago.

The pod itself was still pretty dirty, and there was carpeting torn up on the floor by a record player that contained multiple BroZone albums. John Dory had carefully been inspecting them as Poppy look around outside. As she entered the pod again she awkwardly. "Aha, so, bit of a problem. I'm, um- not sure where he is."

John Dory didn't look worried though. "Yeah, he probably doesn't wanna see me." He frowned a little at the idea before grinning. "Well. Doesn't really matter. It's not like I'm gonna leave again."

Poppy smiled awkwardly. "Again?"

"When are band broke up we all went our separate ways. I've been keeping track of them." John Dory said as he pulled a large map from his hair and set it down. "I know where my brothers Spruce and Floyd are at all times. I just figured out where Branch was a little while ago and though "hey, why not go home?". Not sure where Clay went though."

She inspected it. There were pictures, little details, and lots of question marks around the names Clay and Branch. "Huh...he never told me."

"About BroZone?"

"About you. Any of you."

John Dory made an awkward "oh" sound as he fumbled with his hands. Branch never talked about him? I mean sure, he was probably a little upset over the band breaking up, but he never even brought his name up in conversation? How hard was it to tell someone that you need four smoking hot, talented, older brothers?

A scream from outside the pod raised the anxiety of both Trolls. They ran out of the pod and into a nearby clearing, where a crowd of Trolls were found to be staring at something. John Dory helped Poppy push her way through as she neared a small, grey little troll in the middle of the circle. "Smidge!?" Poppy called, quickly running to her aids side.

Smidge was grey. Unhappy. Sad. Glum. Depressed. It was like looking at a smaller, female version of Branch back when he was grey. But Trolls only turned grey when there was nothing left be happy for. But Smidge had many things to be happy about! What made her so upset? "Smidge? Smidge, it's Poppy. Talk to me Smidge, what's wrong?"

Branch was still alive when he was grey. Smidge...didn't look like it. She looked catatonic. As if it hurt for her to move or speak.

"Smidge, come on. What happened?" Poppy asked, lightly shaking her friend. She could hear John Dory evening out the crowd, telling them to disperse and making it easy for Poppy to hold Smidge close to her chest in a hug. "Please?"

No Troll should ever be grey. It was one of the first things she ever declared as Queen. To make sure that no Troll would ever be grey again. So why was one of her best friend's grey? Why were they unable to move or speak? "Poppy."

A voice called from the crowd. King Peppy gently walked forward, crouching down in front of his daughter. "Give her over here, sweetie." Poppy blinked away a few tears before handing Smidge's small body to her dad. Peppy sighed as he stood back up using his walking stick. "I thought they were gone for good. Come along, I need to tell you something important."

Important. Important for her meant danger, meaning adventure, and Branch.

Instead John Dory was at her side. Who just shrugged at her about the important thing before helping King Peppy walking off, Poppy close behind.

They set Smidge down in her pod. They had used John Dory's...pet?, Rhonda, to get back quicker. It had actually shortened the journey, shockingly enough. Still, Smidge was silent and Branch was nowhere to be found.

Poppy gently fluffed Smidge's pillow, but got no response. "Dad? What's wrong with her?"

King Peppy said as he sat in a small chair. "A tale I never thought I'd tell."

"Well now your gonna have to." John Dory mumbled to himself, leaning against the wall. He'd come back for his brother and now had to deal with this? Great.

Peppy sighed. "Years ago, five Trolls had turned grey for a reason as old as time. Upset at what they had become they turned bitter and angry to the world rather then themselves. Together they somehow crafted five identical necklaces, fit to destroy the very nature of Trolls. Cherry red diamonds that were able to suck the happiness right out of a Troll, just by singing. Their victims would turn grey, broken and shattered to the world, while the original five would become pure again. Their evil and wickedness slinked deeper and deeper into the diamonds as time went on. It's a mystery how these five grey Trolls were defeated, but somehow they were."

John Dory frowned. "Lot's of mystery in this story."

"Branch- I mean John Dory, stop it." Poppy shushed.

Peppy cleared his throat. "As I was saying. The five necklaces were locked away in an old museum in the original Troll tree. However on one Trollstice someone tried to steal them. They failed and were caught, but the necklaces were never found. Until a few years later when we found a grey Troll woman on the ground. She mumbled over five Troll boys before she went as catatonic as poor Smidge here. Twenty years later and it seems that they returned."

The pod was silent for a moment before Poppy sprung up. "I gotta tell Branch! Oh, we need to go on another adventure! But this time we get to stay close to home! Don't worry dad. Branch and I will totally-" the frown on her dads face spoke otherwise. "Dad?"

The King sighed. He didn't want to be the one to say it, especially with John Dory in the room. "Poppy. The necklace I'm speaking of will only work for grey Trolls."

It didn't take her long to realize what he was insinuating. "What? No, no, no, Branch wouldn't do this." She said angrily.

"Poppy, no grey Trolls have existed in our history for years. I'm sorry but Branch must be apart of this group." Peppy shook his head. "The necklace has him now."

The necklace has him now...."Then I'll free him."

"What?"

"Then I'll- figure out a way to break the diamond."

Peppy shook his head, gently grabbed his daughters hand. "Poppy, no. You're Queen now, you can't just run off on another adventure. Besides, you can't break diamond."

"....The perfect family harmony can break it."

The two had honestly forgotten John Dory was there. His voice was quiet, and he still looked rather confused. "The perfect family harmony can shatter diamond. If I can get my brothers, then they can help us free Branch."

The old King looked at Smidge, then Poppy, and then John Dory. In the light of the pod he looked so much like his father. "....Fine." Peppy sighed. "But please find your brothers quickly."

The two nodded as they ran out of the pod and towards Rhonda. She jumped up, extremely excited to see two people running towards. But before Poppy could climb aboard John Dory grabbed her hand and turned her around. "What happened to my brother?" The original happy, oblivious persona was gone. Now he sounded worried and angry.

She was really hoping he wouldn't take out his anger on her.

Branch had heard conflicted reports on Ablaze as he was asking around by the center of TrollsTopia market place. Most said he was with the other Rock Trolls, but others said that he had gone to some place called Mount Rageous instead. He'd have to ask Boom about it.

Speaking of Boom, Branch saw him in one of the Dance Rooms the Trolls had begun to offer. They had food, drinks, and far too much dancing. Yet he heard that apparently Boom liked to play guitar and sing here so he had to go in. 

The room itself was packed. Flashing purple, blue, and pink lights, and all different kind of Trolls dancing together. Branch frowned at the amount of happy Trolls around him as he tried breezing past the crowd. A country Troll smacked into him, which gained a glare from Branch. "Watch it." He snapped, seeing a faint tint of crimson glow in his necklace and the country Trolls eyes before they hurried off.

In the back of the Dance Room was a stage and a dressing room. Ignore the 'Do Not Enter' sign, Branch walked in. It wasn't bigger than he expected it to be, and there were more people there then he would have though.

Boom was in the back of the dressing room, stringing a blue and green guitar as he sat on a small mushroom. "I never knew you liked the color blue." Branch said. Boom looked up at him, smiling brightly as he practically threw the guitar down and hugged him. It had been a while since Branch ever hugged someone that wasn't Poppy. It was nice at first, until he noticed the grey tint in the back of Booms hair.

"Branch, what are you doing here?" Boom asked with a laugh. Branch still had a smile on his face as he gently grabbed Boom's hand, leading the two of them out the backdoor of the Dance Room and back outside. "Again, what are you doing here?" He asked again more cautiously.

He tossed Boom's necklace in the air and caught it before he handed it over. Boom's eyes widened at the sight of it, quickly taking and inspecting the crimson...diamond? Ruby? Branch still wasn't sure.

Boom stared at the necklace before looking back at Branch. "Where...Where did you get this?"

"At my grandma's old pod." Boom's eyes widened. He'd never dared to go near Bergen Town. To hear that Branch did? Now that was a surprise. "Boom listen. I can tell that you're turning grey." He froze. "Remember our promise that we made? I think it's time we put it to use."

He...He wasn't serious, was he? "Branch don't you remember what happened to that girl? We really hurt her, and...we could hurt a lot of other people."

Branch half-scoffed, half-laughed. "So? When were they ever there for us?" He grabbed onto Boom's hands, staring into his eyes, daring him to look away. "Nobody was ever there for us when we were grey, Boom. Why did they get to be happy and pretend that everything was always cupcakes and rainbows when we were stuck being grey? This is our chance. We can help you while giving them the karma that they deserve."

To be completely honest, Branch didn't believe most everything coming out of his mouth. It didn't even really feel like he was talking. But Boom obviously seemed to begin to considerate it, so why stop now? "Let's give them what they deserve. Let's show them what it's really like to be grey."

"But still...we'd be hurting so many-"

"They abandoned you, Boom. They abandoned us. We were forced to live on our own because we were grey. If we didn't deserve to be happy then, they don't deserve to be happy now. We deserve revenge."

Boom began to nod, a smile creeping on his face. "I'm on in five."

The two grinned as they ran back inside. In a matter of minutes Boom was onstage. Branch close behind in the shadows, trying not to make himself super known. He'd rather not know what it was directly that had slowly begun to turn Boom grey again. He hoped that the amount of Trolls would give his color back. There were at least twenty-five in the room so that should be good for him.

Boom took a deep breath as he clutched onto his necklace. He hadn't had it in years, and he really had begun to miss it.

"Hello darkness, my old friend"

"I've come to talk with you again"

He heard Branch sync in with his words, and the sight of red glowing from their pendants. All movement and noise the Trolls were sharing stopped. They couldn't move, and looked around frantically at one another.

"Because a vision softy creeping"

"Left its seeds while I was sleeping"

He heard struggled as the crimson light began to take over the Trolls. Boom shut his eyes as he continued the song, feeling the strings on his guitar as his only escape from what he was doing. Boom just kept repeating what Branch told him; that they deserved it.

"And the vision that was planted in my brain"

"Still remains"

"Within' the sound"

"Of silence"

When he opened his eyes, Boom saw the fits of different colored lights overtake his necklace as it engulfed him. He forgot the feeling. The euphoric, happy, cheery feeling that came after stealing from the happy ones. The twenty or so Trolls frowned and mumbled to each other, some even falling to the floor, but Boom couldn't find it in his heart to care. All that mattered was that he didn't look grey anymore, and he finally felt grey.

With a smile on his face Boom turned back around to Branch, who was smirking at his overly excited best friend. "Who are you looking for next?"

"Well, I know where Trickee and Hype are rumored to be. But Ablaze..."

Boom snapped his fingers. "Ablaze just came back from a place called uh...Mount Rageous, yeah. He just came back home a few days ago, so he should be back in his pod."

"Perfect." Branch smiled. "I'm sure he'll listen to us."

The two ran out the backdoor of the Dance Room, Branch leading the way.

Boom could stay angry at the other trolls for abandoning them all he wanted. But Branch?

He just wanted to see his brothers suffer.

Chapter Text

Apparently, John Dory had been watching his brothers for a while. Mostly Floyd, since they were the only one that was still popular in terms of music and singing. He was a solo, singing in a place called Mount Rageous while teaching voice lessons.

Mount Rageous was big. Full of flashing colors, screaming, and dancing. It reminded Poppy of what Pop Village before she had learned about the other tribes. As Rhonda blitz passed a couple dancing giants (they were definitely taller than Bergen's) John Dory kept his eyes straight ahead. He hadn't spoken much since Poppy had pulled out her scrapbook and told him about everything that happened.

At first he was really excited to talk about how she got Branch to be happy again. She was half-way through the World Tour story when she'd seen John Dory's face. He looked mad. Mad, worried, upset, and hurt. Maybe she should have been a little excited over talking about Branch.

Rhonda hopped through a small pet door in the back of a stage. Inside were multiple dressing rooms with different names. A smaller one caught Poppy's eyes. In pink letters a room in the back was labeled with the name 'Floyd'. Rhonda noticed it quickly and made her way to the door. She let John Dory and Poppy leave before she laid down. Not caring enough to guard the Trolls, and instead deciding to take a nap.

Poppy giggled at her antics.

"Hey listen," John Dory said, his hair gripping the door knob above. "Don't...tell Floyd what you told me."

Poppy blinked. "Why not?"

"Floyd is sensitive, and he really loves Branch. If he knew about everything...it would break his heart." John Dory sighed. "Don't tell any of my brothers we meet. Just tell them that some necklace is controlling Branch. Don't tell them he probably put it on willingly, that he ever had it before, or anything about him being grey, or a rock zombie, or hating music, or our dead grandmother."

He spoke faster as he listed of what to say and what not to say. "Okay." Poppy nodded in response. Although she definitely didn't think it was a good idea to hide any of that information, she didn't want John Dory mad at her.

Opening up the door, there was a teal Troll with hot pink fumbling around with a guitar. When he heard the door opened he turned around. "Crimp, I told you, I'm not covering for-" He stopped talking when he looked at the two, his eyes watering. "John Dory?"

Dropping the guitar, Floyd ran into his brothers arm. John Dory stumbled back, laughing as he returned the hug.

After a moment Floyd let go, wiping his eyes. "I can't believe your here. Why are you here?" He asked.

John Dory's smile faded. "It's about Branch."

At the mention of his younger brother any trace of happiness and excitement in the room faded quickly.

Floyd clenched his hands. "What happened? Is he alright?"

"Sort of?" Poppy chimed in, getting a strange glance. "Sorry. Hi, I'm Poppy. Branch's girlfriend." Floyd widened his eyes. Isn't Branch to young to have a girlfriend?

"Floyd, Branch got his hands on some sort of diamond necklace that's stealing the happiness out of Trolls. And the only way to free him is with the perfect family harmony." It was a quick summary, but effective. Floyd thought for a moment over his brothers words before shaking his head.

"No, Branch wouldn't do that. He wouldn't hurt anyone."

John Dory grabbed his brothers shoulder. "The necklace is...controlling him. Of course Branch would never willingly put it on, but it's up to us as his brothers to save him." Poppy blinked. But the way her dad phrased it, it sounded like Branch really DID out it on. Which of course Poppy wasn't okay to think about. But maybe that was what John Dory had come up with in his head. To try and lessen the hurt?

Floyd nodded. "Okay...but are you sure we can do this? The last time we tried the perfect family harmony we kind of.."

"Failed?" John Dory chuckled. "Well not this time, brother. This time we're gonna do it right. All we need is to get a little more practice in once we've got Clay and Spruce, and we can do it."

Floyd smiled, wiping his eyes. "Okay. Let's go save Branch."

To Poppy, save didn't sound as right as it felt.

More like stop.

And have a long hug over what he hadn't been telling her about

They had both heard conflicting reports on Ablaze's whereabouts. They were getting Mount Rageous, with the Rock Trolls, apparently even the Country Trolls. Branch refused to believe that Ablaze would ever go near a country Troll. He knew his friend. He would always love Pop music.

It didn't take the pair long to find his pod. It was tightly closed, and only after the fourteenth knock did the door open. "Ablaze! There you are-"

He was almost completely grey. The only color that was still there were the ends of his feet and fingers. Boom stepped backwards, appalled, while Branch immediately grabbed Ablaze's hand. "What happened?"

Ablaze shook his head. "Same old same old. Abandoned once again." He mumbled as the door shut, leaving the three alone in the pod.

Boom quickly swept Ablaze into a hug. Branch really was right. They were being abandoned and left behind by everyone that ever cared about. All they really had left was each other. "Well- you should have called us! We would drop everything for you, you know that! For the sweet love of hugs, you could of-" Branch held up his hand. Immediately Boom stopped talking.

"Ablaze," Branch said calmly, gently placing his hand on his friends shoulder. "Let us help you. Okay?"

"Come on Branch, I don't have a happy go lucky Queen running around to help me turn colorful again like yours did-" Ablaze stopped talking as his widened at the sight of the necklace in Branch's hand. He quickly grabbed it, holding it close to his face. The crimson color was still there. After all these years it was still red. "You....why do you have this?"

His old friend laughed. "Why do you think? We promised to save each other from being grey a long time ago, didn't we?" Branch smirked. He nudged his friends to the window, where Ablaze's pod overlooked a large lake. There were multiple Country, Rock, Techno, almost every Troll of every kind was there.

Ablaze blinked for a second before he smiled. "You still got your traps set up?"

"Of course I do."

"Well then let's give them a concert they'll never forget."

Branch used to have a lot of sound machines hidden in bushes from back in his grey Troll days. He added them in to amplify his voice in case of an emergency. They were actually the only traps he had that Poppy never got excessively mad over. Especially since he later used for the Pop Troll's benefits once he was blue again.

And he was benefiting all Trolls now, to. By giving them their deserved karma.

"The floor is yours, Ablaze." Branch smirked as he handed a microphone to his friend. They were hidden in the trees, disguising themselves to make sure that no other Trolls noticed them. They didn't want to already be found out, did they?

Ablaze placed his necklace around his neck, taking a deep breath as he clutched his microphone. It had been a while sing he actually performed.

He heard another microphone sync as Boom clutched his guitar, smiling. Branch rolled his eyes, gesturing Ablaze to just hurry up and sing. Below them the Trolls had heard the music, looking around for the source. Branch felt a pang of guilt when he recognized Synth and Lagoona, but he brushed it off. Coming up with the conclusion that they never understood what it was like for him and they deserved it.

"Have you got color in your cheeks?"

"Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the type"

"That sticks around like summat in your teeth?"

"Are their some aces up your sleeve?"

"Have you no idea that you're in deep?"

"I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week"

"How many secrets can you keep"

Ablaze looked back at Branch, who was grinning and looking through the leaves as the Trolls below stopped moving. They looked around at each other confused, unsure of what was happening. Out of guilt Ablaze turned his gaze to the sky and clouds above.

"'Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow"

"And I play it on repeat until I fall asleep"

"Spillin' drinks on my settee"

He heard Branch begin to sing with him. He should have known that Branch wouldn't miss an opportunity to take away a Trolls happiness sing.

"(Do I wanna know)"

"If this feeling flows both ways?"

Ablaze heard the grunting and actually a few screaming of the Trolls. He didn't know they could scream when they sang with the necklaces.

"Sad to see you go"

"Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay"

At the corner of his eyes he saw different rainbow colors of light raising up from the ground and into the trees.

"(Baby, we both know)"

"That the nights were mainly made for sayin' things"

"That you can't say tomorrow day"

The lights practically attacked the three necklaces with color. The three Trolls raised in the air as the red light carrying the different arrays of rainbow rose them higher and higher into the air. Ablaze could see the color in his figure return. He smirked as he looked down at the Trolls below. Grey, grumpy, and in pain. It felt so good to be happy.

None of them were aware that the red light could actually lift them physically. Branch immediately accepted it, opening his arms up to feel the light dance over himself, filling with him happiness. Boom increased the volume of his guitar as he played along with Ablaze.

"Crawlin' back to you"

"Ever thought callin' when you've had a few?"

"'Cause I always do"

"Maybe I'm too"

"Busy being yours to fall for somebody new"

"Now I've thought it through"

"Crawlin' back to you"

The crimson light began to fade, slowly bringing the three Trolls back down to the ground. Ablaze looked over the edge of the tree, laughing at the Trolls below before turning around with a grin. "That felt great! I mean look at me, I'm happy again! Is this what the Bergen's felt like? It feels amazing! I wanna do it again! I wanna keep being happy!" Boom laughed, punching Ablaze jokingly in the shoulder.

"And that we are, my friend." Branch smirked. "I think it's time that we give our karma to those that deserve it. What do you say? We find Hype and Trickee? Complete the band and go on our own little tour?"

Ablaze nodded, jumping over Branch as he practically propelled himself off the tree. "Let's get going already!"

Branch looked back down, seeing as the more colorful Trolls had caught sight of them and began to crowd around. In the midst he saw King Peppy, who made eye-contact with the blue Troll up on the tree, his eyes filled with sorrow and pity.

It made Branch even happier.

Before he'd get to his brothers, he decided he should go after the King, to.

"So who are we after next?" Poppy asked. They had been on the road for a while, and it was getting pretty awkward. John Dory at the wheel, Floyd looking through old BroZone photographs, and Poppy scrapbooking her nerves.

"Well I've got this postcard from Spruce, so, Spruce!" John Dory said with a grin. "You can see it right in front of us."

Floyd raised an eyebrow. "John, you know postcard locations aren't usually-"

Sure enough, the postcard that John Dory was holding of a sunset really was in front of them. That and a cliff. "Uh- John?" Floyd asked wearily as he saw them nearing the edge.

"Don't worry. Rhonda is completely waterproof. At least I think so." John Dory mumbled the last five words as Rhonda leapt off the cliff.

"Wait did you just say you think-"

SPLASH

Chapter Text

"Rhonda is completely waterproof you say?" Floyd mumbled, taking a starfish out of his hair. The three of them almost drowned to get to this Island, and John Dory was acting like it was the funniest thing to happen. Laughing and petting Rhonda as he shook out his hair. "Great now I'm soaked."

Poppy brushed sand off her dress, pointing to a restaurant in front of them. "We could probably dry off in their if its annoying you that much, Floyd."

He smiled. "Thanks Poppy." Floyd said as he followed her inside.

Floyd didn't know what to make of Poppy. He liked her though! She was sweet, and obviously cared a lot about Branch, but Floyd wouldn't say he fully trusted her either. There was just something she wasn't telling him about his younger brother. That or he was overthinking again which was definitely possible. But still, he just felt like something was wrong. "Hey, Floyd? You feeling alright?"

John Dory snuck up on his left with a face of worry. Or maybe that was how he had just looked like usually, Floyd hadn't seen him in twenty years. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Do you think that Poppy might be hiding something from us?"

His older brother tensed. "About what?"

"About Branch. I mean- we don't really know all that much about what his life was like because she isn't really telling us, so-"

"Just don't worry about that stuff Floyd. What matters is that we save him, not about the past." John Dory smiled, punching his younger brother jokingly on the shoulder. "Now come on, let's go get cleaned up."

Floyd nodded to his brothers words. Inside was what looked like a bar with- vacationers? There wasn't really a word to describe them. They were just tall people drinking and eating things while floating around in a lazy river. Okay now that Floyd was really looking at how relaxed these people were he was totally jealous. "We should come back here once we get Bitty B back." He said to John Dory. But his older brother wasn't looking at him, instead, he was looking at the bar. "John?"

"Oh my Troll is that-" John Dory gasped as he started towards the bar where a purple haired Troll was standing, talking to a tall woman behind the counter. "Spruce!"

Poppy and Floyd looked at each other before running up behind John Dory, where a flustered Spruce was standing in front of the tall woman who was laughing. "And who are they, Bruce?"

He cleared his throat, still a little shocked. "Brandy, this is my older brother John Dory. And, please John, I go by Bruce."

"Bruce?" John Dory scoffed. "Whatever. Look who else is here!" He said motioning behind him, revealing Floyd.

Spruce- Bruce - ran up and hugged his little brother as soon as he saw them. Floyd was always one of the nicest of the group, besides Bitty B of course. "Woah, Floyd! Your so tall now, and look at your hair! Wow I still remember the day you hatched!" Bruce laughed. "What are you two doing here anyways?"

Once again the happy reunions dies immediately.

"It's about Branch."

Bruce blinked. "Bitty B?" He mumbled, looking back at his wife.

Brandy smiled. "It's alright. You four can talk outside. Trick' and I will cover for you. Okay?"

"Thank you, my soulmate." Bruce offered a smile before he looked back at Floyd. "Tell me everything."

Apparently, up in the mountains, it rained last night. For some reason Hype thought hiking the Neverglade Trail and going to the top to find "inner peace" was a good idea. Ablaze was shaking from the windy weather, clutching onto Boom's back as he shivered.

"The three of us are gonna die up here." Ablaze mumbled.

Branch rolled his eyes. "Shut up. Were not gonna die here." Honestly, were they always this stupid?

Boom groaned before shoving Ablaze off of his back. He hit the ground with a thud. "Seriously will you get off of me already?"

"So you had to shove me? What happened to asking nicely!?" Ablaze snapped, standing up and leaning closer to Boom's face.

"Your one to talk about niceness." Boom scoffed, crossing his arms.

"What is THAT supposed to mean!?"

"I think we both know what it means."

"Oh you little-"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Branch yelled, causing the two to stop talking and look up at him with a hint of fear in their eyes. Boom could just barely see it, but he definitely saw Branch's eyes have a tint of crimson in them. "Look up you idiots."

They followed Branch's gaze and sure enough there was smoke rising from the top of the mountain they were climbing. "You think that's Hype?" Boom asked. Branch shrugged.

"Best lead we've got. Now walk faster, I'm sick of waiting for the two of you." Branch rolled his eyes as he traveled up the trail, ignoring his friends threats to each other.

On the top of the mountain was a little wooden hut. Outside of it was a porch and a glitter Troll that looked like they were meditating. Boom and Ablaze immediately perked up, running towards the Troll with their arms open and yelling his name. Branch stayed still. Hype eerily reminded him of Creek and how he used to act.

But that's okay.

Branch can fix that.

"What are you three doing here?" Hype asked after he shared a hug with Boom and Ablaze.

"Get this: Branch found our necklaces!" Ablaze jumped as he talked.

Hype frowned. "You mean the necklaces that hurt other Trolls?"

Boom scoffed, waving his hand in disregard. "Listen we thought the same thing, but Branch was right in the end. The other Trolls deserved it for what they did to us."

Hype scowled before taking a long sigh. "Why don't you guys go look for my old jacket? I think it's somewhere in my closet."

Ablaze and Boom smiled as the two ran inside of the hut, shutting the door and leaving Hype and Branch alone. "You can't be serious." Hype said, his voice lacing with firmness. "Branch do you know how many innocent Trolls get hurt when we use those necklaces? If this is some crazy revenge story then you must have completely lost it."

Branch took a deep breath as he walked closer. "Just listen to me, okay?"

"No. You can't just come here and try to talk me into hurting people, okay? No Troll deserves to suffer what we went through. Now take the necklaces off before-" At the mention of taking it off, to stop being happy, Branch slapped Hype hard across the face. The Troll fell to the ground and stared up at Branch, confused.

He knew he'd be angry over what he was saying, but actually hitting him? That took him by surprise. "Branch?.."

"These necklaces give us EVERYTHING. With them were stronger and better. And you wanna just get rid of that? Are you out of your mind!?" Branch yelled, grabbing the front of Hype's shirt and pulling him up to his face.

"Nobody ever cared about us! They were willing to let five children die to the elements rather than have a home. And you think that their innocent? What about what they did to me?" Branch scoffed. "Or are you just like them now. You find inner peace and become a happy Troll, so you think you can ditch us?"

"Branch-"

"DON'T interrupt me!" Branch shoved Hype to the ground again, clutching his necklace.

Hype realized what he was about to do immediately. "Branch don't."

Branch started to lowly hum.

"Branch stop it. Come on, you wouldn't...you wouldn't hurt me...right?"

The red that flashed in Branch's eyes spoke otherwise.

They found Hype's old jacket under his bed. Well Boom found it and Ablaze was trying to take the credit. When they actually left the house though, they weren't quite prepared for what they saw outside.

Hype had suddenly turned grey, and was currently being glared at by Branch. "Branch?" Ablaze worriedly asked. Branch's eyes flicked up. "What happened to Hype?"

Branch sighed. "I was telling him what was happening and he had a bit of a meltdown. I think he's been hiding his feelings. What do you say we help him?" He held out Hype's necklace. Ablaze nodded in agreement.

But Boom stared at Hype for a long minute before shaking off the bad feeling he had.

Not many Trolls were outside anymore. The best Ablaze could find for them was a weird contest being held about battling bands. Lot's of Trolls were gathered around picnic tables, fumbling with instruments. When Branch asked some Troll he knew (Boom think's his name was Biggie or something) he told them that it really wasn't a contest. They were bands playing for three judges yet they weren't being scored.

Branch scoffed. "Well that's stupid. If its a tournament then you need to be judged. There needs to be a battle!"

Biggie(?) shrugged. "Well Mr. Dinkles and I thought a tournament with bands would be a great idea! But the overall vote for the offer was split, and they decided not to do it."

Branch smirked, motioning Boom and Ablaze to the picnic table in the center of everyone. "Don't worry Biggie. If you really wanna do it that bad, I'll take everyone into it."

His ears perked up. "You will?"

"Mhm. Just trust me." Branch smiled as walked towards his friends.

On top of the picnic table Branch stood in the center, behind him on his right was Boom, and on his left, Ablaze. They sat Hype farther back, promising him that they would get him colorful and happy again. "Yo everyone!" Ablaze called. "How about a mini concert to get ya'll excited!?"

The Trolls erupted into cheers as the Kismet members smirked to each other.

"Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah"

Ablaze and Boom started, their voice synching with one another.

"Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah"

"Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah"

"Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah"

"Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah"

"We heard you want to get together (ah)"

Branch's voice stood out the most from the other two, and the other Pop Trolls were very excited to hear their Queen's boyfriend sing.

"We heard that you want to rock this school (ah)"

"We've thought of something that is better (ah)"

"Something that changes all the rules (ah)"

The Trolls stopped fidgeting with their instruments and walked closer around the bench. Hype looked up from his spot at his three friends as well, wondering what they were doing.

"Why pretend we're all the same?"

"When some of us shine brighter (shine brighter)"

"Here's a chance to find your flame"

"Are you a loser or a fighter?"

They looked at each other confused, but definitely intrigued. None of them seemed to notice that the necklaces were glowing, and that below each Trolls feet was a crimson fog dancing around them.

"Me and you, you and me"

"Why don't we see who is better?"

"We don't have to be one and the same thing"

All three voices had come together, pointing at each individual Troll, daring them to think otherwise.

"Oh what's so wrong, with a little competition?"

"Are you afraid of failing the audition?"

Some of the more confident Trolls smiled at the idea of a contest, the more introverted and shy however, not so much. One of these Trolls, closer to the front, was Meadow Springs. Guy Diamond's once Party Apprentice. Branch recognized her quickly and grinned, holding out his hand to her. All eyes were on her, envious that she of all people was focused on as someone who was worthy of winning.

"You're a star and you should know it"

"Yeah, you rise above the rest"

Meadow found herself grinning ear to ear, prideful to be labeled as a star. Behind her a few Trolls growled out of jealousy and envy. They were all positive that they were so much better than her.

"It doesn't matter who you hurt"

The crimson light began to rise towards the necklaces.

"If you're just proving you're the best"

"Ah, ah-ah-ah"

Hype looked down at his legs, realizing that the light was giving him his color back. That he was feeling happiness. It felt so good- why was he mad at Branch for trying to give this to him?

"Battle!, you wanna win it"

"Let's have a battle, battle of the bands"

"Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it"

"Let's have a battle, battle (battle), battle (battle)"

"Battle of the bands"

The Kismet members repeated word "Battle" as the Trolls began to argue with each other. Slowly Hype rose from his spot and walked onto the picnic table with his friends. Branch grinned at the sight of his being his former self before focusing his attention back onto the Trolls.

"I can beat you!" A Troll pointed in Meadow's face as they spoke.

"Ha, you wish!" Meadow mocked.

"I so want this!" Chenille and Satin said in unison.

"Not if I get it first!" Biggie yelled at them.

Together the four Kismet members, their necklaces glowing and their color returning, sang.

"Me and you, you and me"

"Why don't we see who is better?"

"We don't have to be one and the same thing"

"Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?:

"I'm going out and winning the audition"

The Trolls began to bicker louder, arguing and yelling at each other while some began hitting and punching. Meanwhile the four Kismet members were glowing with color, watching as the Trolls fought.

"Battle, we wanna win it"

"Let's have a battle, battle of the bands"

"Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it"

"Let's have a battle, battle (battle), battle (battle)"

"Battle of the bands"

Ablaze laughed at the commotion. "Look at them fighting! They look so funny!"

Branch turned back to Hype. "Well?"

His friend was colorful. "Well..."

Hype grinned. "Let's go get Trickee and show these Trolls not to mess with Kismet."

Bruce had carefully considered his options, and after discussing it with Brandy and her apprentice Trick' they decided that he should go. I mean of course he was playing to, Bitty B was in danger! But he wanted to check up with his wife first before they set off.

The atmosphere in Rhonda had gotten calmer once Bruce had joined, though. Now John Dory and Floyd were smiling and telling Poppy all about what it was like when they were growing up with baby Branch.

Although Bruce did pick up on the fact that Poppy didn't talk about any old memories regarding Branch. She only talked about after the Rock Apocalypse, where apparently they saved the world and Troll music.

"What about what happened before that though?" Bruce had asked as he was driving.

Poppy didn't answer, she just looked down and changed the conversation to Bitty B's old frosted tips.

The conversation went by bleakly until Floyd brought up the fact that they had no idea where they going or where to find Clay, until Poppy had perked up and Bruce heard the sound of shattered glass and the horrible smell of- "John Dory why do you still have Clay's Thunderdrawers!?"

"What? Their memorabilia." John Dory defended.

Next thing Bruce knew Rhonda was leading them by the smell of those disgusting underpants, John Dory practically smashed a button labeled "Hustle", and they were then in front of an old mini golf course.

What an evening.

Bruce just hoped that Clay really here so that they could hurry up and find their youngest brother.

But he still just couldn't get over what Poppy was hiding from him.

"Come on guys." Floyd said as he left the bus, being followed by Poppy and soon John Dory and Bruce. Walking inside, it looked like the scene described in a True Crime Podcast. This was definitely the spot someone would get murdered, in Bruce's opinion anyways. In the middle of the course was a huge clown head with a creepy smile and a large extended tongue.

Yeah, now that he was looking at it, Bruce was kinda hoping Clay wasn't in this exact location.

"HALT! WHO GOES THERE!"

The four Trolls screamed as the clown head started to talk.

Oh for the love of gumdrops don't let Clay actually be here.

Chapter Text

"Uh- we mean you no harm, giant- talking, clown head-?" Floyd said, trying his best not to sound nervous (even though he was terrified).

The clown head went silent before it seemed to stutter on their words. "Wait a minute. Are you four Trolls?"

"Yes-?"

In a blink of an eye hundreds of Trolls appeared from the darkness, two more distinct than the others. A girl with pink skin and lemon hair who had immediately popped out of the clown head, and a guy behind her with a more serious and fun look to him.

Bruce smiled. "No way. Clay?"

Clay immediately ran up to Floyd, engulfing him in a hug, fist bumping Bruce, glaring at John Dory, and awkwardly waving at Poppy.

"Sorry. I'm pretty sure I don't have a sister, so, who are you?"

She couldn't believe how awkward she felt when having to meet all of Branch's family without him there. "Oh-! I'm Poppy, Branch's girlfriend."

Poppy held out her hand to shake, but a hand intercepted it and took hold of her arm. The lemon haired Troll was inspecting her hug-time bracelet closely, her eyes squinting. A moment passed before she touched it, and the flower sprung upon. "Where...did you get this?" She asked.

"Uh...my dad gave it to me."

Poppy uncomfortably replied. Wow what this how Branch usually felt?

"I'm sorry, you said your name was Poppy?"

"Yes..?"

"Okay, um...another totally random, weird question, but...is your dad...King Peppy?"

Poppy blinked. "Uh...yeah?"

In a flash the lemon Troll's face lit up like a firework. "Poppy? You're...you're alive!" She said before grabbing her into a tight hug. "I never thought I'd see you again, little sis'!"

The gasps from the four brothers behind were not quiet- in fact they were extremely loud. "Wait! Your-Your my sister?"

"Yes, duh! It's me, Poppy! It's Viva!" The lemon- Viva- happily exclaimed, hugging her sister close.

Oh she was going to have a field day talking to dad about this once she got home.

"FOR THE LOVE OF HUGS THERE IS NO WAY THIS PLACE EXISTS! WHO THE HECK EVEN NAMES AN ISLAND "VACAY ISLAND" ANYWAY!?" Ablaze angrily yelled, kicking a tree. They'd been following the directions that Trickee had once given them in an old letter, but it wasn't like that was really helping them find their way through the woods.

"Would you shut up? Your making my ears bleed." Boom complained, rubbing his ears.

"How about both of you shut up and stop complaining and actually put in some effort to help?" Hype snapped at the time of them. He turned his focus back on Branch. "Where do you think we should go, boss?"

Branch rolled his eyes at being called a "boss", but he supposed it was better than being referred to as the leader or as Bitty B. "There's probably some kind of shortcut we could use to find Trickee...we just need to find out what."

Ablaze groaned, banging his head into the tree. "Can we pleeeeease take a break? I feel like we've been going on this crazy adventure for yearsss!'

Hype scowled. "This adventure is what's gonna get us our revenge."

"Yeah, maybe learn to be a little more greatful." Boom chimed in, smirking.

"Oh don't you start-"

"SHUT UP, THE THREE OF YOU!" Branch yelled before taking a deep breath. "Listen. I've got a bit of a feeling that I'm going to be trusting."

The three Trolls stood up straight, focusing on everything Branch was saying. "I'm going with the feeling I've got. I think that our necklaces can send us to where he is, or, at least lead the way. Y'know, like a magic button or something."

The Kismet members shrugged along. They had no other options anyways.

"So how exactly do you think we get to Vacay Island with the necklaces?" Hype asked.

Branch looked down at the ground as he clutched the necklace, a crimson light shining.

He's not entirely sure what he did, but soon their was a red light path leading the Kismet group towards a different area of the forest they were in. "Do you even think this will work?" Boom asked, throwing an acorn at Ablaze's face.

"Sure I am." Branch replied confidently, following the path.

In reality he had no idea what was about to happen.

Viva was Poppy's sister. She had a sister! And while she was totally ecstatic about that, Poppy had other things to do. Like telling Clay about what was happening, and freeing Branch from the necklace. That was important.

So after Viva had put her little sister on the couch, said good night, and went to bed, Poppy snuck out. She found the BroZone members awkwardly talking to each other. Well up close it looked more like arguing.

"Poppy, your back." Floyd smiled, rolling his eyes as his brothers ignored her presence. "Don't worry about them. We filled Clay in, by the way."

Well that was good. "Alright. We should get going now before-"

A light flicked on top of their heads. The hundreds of Trolls walked out of the shadows, Viva included. "Viva?" Poppy asked, stepping forward. "What's going on?"

"You said you needed to leave. Remember the conversation you rambled on about before I said goodnight?"

Oh, right. She talked about the Bergen's, the Hard Rock Trolls...

Oh.

"The world out there isn't safe for you. Okay? So- your just going to have to stay here forever." Viva crossed her arms in protest.

"Okay, um, I can't do that." Poppy shrugged before her smile faded. "I'm sorry Viva, but I can't stay here. I need to save Branch, he needs me."

Viva raised an eyebrow before motioning a group of Trolls behind them to close the gate of Putt Putt Village.

Clay stepped in front of her. "Viva, wait. Branch is my brother, and if this necklace is controlling him and turning Troll's grey then I need to save him."

Wait a minute. Necklace's controlling Trolls...turning Trolls grey...

Viva's eyes widened as she looked at her sister. "Poppy your dating a monster!?"

Wrong choice of words to use in front of four overprotective brothers. "What did you just call my brother?" Clay angrily said, grabbing Viva by her arm and forcing her to look at him.

Still she found her eyes darting to the side, towards her sister. "Poppy I was there when they first turned up again. There was this girl Troll that fell out of the tree and went all grey, and..." Viva shook her head. She didn't want to remember the tree, or grey Trolls. "Is it just the one necklace?"

The group looked at each other and shrugged. Clay let go of Viva's arm after John Dory pulled him back to the rest of the group.

"Clay, listen to me." She turned her direction instead to her business partner. "Those necklaces are stronger together. If Branch get's ahold of his other grey Trolls then who knows what might happen."

There was a way she phrased that that just didn't set right to Floyd. "I'm sorry. Other, grey Trolls?"

"Yeah. Only grey Trolls can use the necklace. They steal a Trolls happiness and make it their own."

Poppy felt three pairs of eyes stare at her. "Uh...surprise?"

"MY BABY BROTHER TURNED GREY?"

"I KNEW you were hiding something!"

"Why didn't you tell us!?"

The only brother that stayed silent was John Dory.

"He isn't grey anymore!" Poppy defended. "After Branch and I saved all of Troll Kingdom from the Bergen's he got his color back!" They still looked angry. Actually– at the mention some Trolls around them screamed. Floyd physically flinched at the mention.

Viva, like her sister and unable to read a room, was deep in thought before she snapped fingers in triumph. "Oh yeah, I remember their names now."

"Dad always thought that the five Troll's who found that grey Troll were the ones that used the necklaces. What were their names...Branch, Boom, Ablaze, Hype and....oh! Trickee."

To much information in such small amounts of time, Poppy thought she might of screamed. Especially since the brothers were looking at her like they were all about to have panic attacks at the very mention of their brother being grey.

However Bruce's reaction was different. He looked up and turned to Viva. "Wait...Trickee?"

Viva nodded.

"I'm sorry should we know a Trickee?" John Dory asked.

"He's another Troll that came to Vacay Island a few years ago. He works with Brandy and I at our restaurant." Bruce gasped. "Wait, so if Branch might be finding the rest of the necklaces to get more powerful, then he'll be going to see Trickee! We gotta get back to the Island now!"

John Dory grinned as he called for Rhonda, running out the Putt Putt Kingdom gate. Floyd and Clay still had their angry-worried looks, but Bruce looked more afraid. Poppy turned to follow them, but Viva grabbed her arm.

"Please Poppy." She begged. "Don't go."

But if it was up to a stranger or her best friend.

She wouldn't think twice.

"I'm sorry Viva." Poppy said as she shook herself away, running after the brothers. "I'll come back for you!"

She didn't turn around to see her sister's face.

Vacay Island was....sandy. And beachy. Everyone around them happy, charming, and most of all free. Laidback adults drinking and eating nachos. 

Immediately Branch hated it.

But the trail did stop here. It didn't give them a certain pin-pointed location. Instead it showed a red light engulfing a restaurant. Meaning that Trickee must have been inside there.

"Okay listen." He said to his group. "Because I'm your leader, I refuse to go into....whatever that is." He said, pointing to the restaurant. "Meaning you guys will be going in for me. If you need me I'll be behind the restaurant. Split up, look for Trickee, and then go around back when you find him. Okay?"

Ablaze was practically jumping up and down, grinning. "Do I get to steal any more happiness?"

"The necklaces probably don't work on other things, you idiot." Boom scoffed.

"DON'T CALL ME-"

"Both of you just shut up already." Branch rolled his eyes. "Hype make sure those two barely interact in there."

"That I can do." Hype nodded.

As he turned around he remembered one another important thing. "Oh. And guys?" The three Kismet members had already begun to leave, but turned around to see what Branch was trying to tell them.

"Don't fail me."

Chapter Text

Floyd doesn't think he can breathe.

He's been trying to catch his breath for about ten minutes now. Bruce took the wheel and was probably breaking every speed law known to the world. Clay on the other hand was trying to get more information out of Poppy, who had admitted barely fifteen minutes ago that their brother turned grey.

Bitty B. The happiest, most caring, loveable, huggable Troll to ever exist, turned grey.

"You have five seconds to explain or I throw you out of the bus!" Clay yelled. John Dory was putting distance between the brothers and Poppy.

The poor Queen looked like she was gonna cry before she took a deep breath. John Dory looked back frantically. "Poppy don't-"

"The truth is your grandmother died saving Branch from a Bergen when he was a little kid and after that he turned and ended up building a bunker in the woods and living in fear and paranoia for twenty years until I convinced him to help me save my friends when a Bergen found Troll Village and stole my friends so we went on this huge quest to get them back and everyone else got kidnapped but Branch got his colors back and we saved everyone then the Rock Trolls tried to take over the world by turning everyone into Rock zombies are Branch sacrificed himself for me by becoming a Rock zombie to protect me but then I freed and we've been living in the new united TrollsTopia ever since and the reason I never told any of you is because John Dory told me not to because he said that you guys would panic!"

Poppy took a gasp of breath, her cheeks flushing red. "Oh wow that was a lot to say at once."

Three sets of eyes turned to their older brother. "You told her not to TELL US?" Clay yelled.

"Oh come on we were getting Floyd back! And you know how emotional he gets! I didn't want him to panic!"

"That's what happening right now!"

Sure enough, Floyd was hyperventilating. Tears welling in his eyes as he tried to control himself. Branch turned grey. He lived in fear for twenty years inside of a bunker. He came face to face with Bergen's.

That was his fault, wasn't it? He told Branch he'd come back one day and they would build the hideout. Was he waiting for him? Had he been secretly wishing for his brother to come back all this time?

Floyd balled his hair up in fists, ripping his hair out.

"Floyd stop!" Poppy grabbed his wrists and pulled them down.

"John what were you thinking!? You didn't trust us enough to handle crucial information about our baby brother!?" Clay exclaimed. Bruce was still quiet in the driver seat.

He pointed at Clay with a finger accusingly. "Because I knew this was how everyone would react! We'd all panic and forget about the real reason we're back together again."

"Don't phrase it like that! The real reason we're back together again you make it sound like were doing a band thing again. Which I guess we're technically...doing..." Clay shot a look at John Dory. "Is it even a diamond? Do we actually NEED the perfect family harmony, or are you just doing this to boss us around again?"

"What!?"

"He's right.." Floyd mumbled, tears running down his cheeks and he pushed Poppy away from him. "Did you just tell us that so we'd come back together again and perform!? Do you actually need us, or are we here just for your precious BroZone?"

"What does it even MATTER anymore!?" John Dory yelled. "The four of us are gonna go our separate ways after this anyways!"

That just enraged Floyd and Clay even more, the three began bickering with each other back and force.

Had they always argued about this?

Always fighting? Yelling and accusing each other? Saying that they don't work well together, should never be related, and that they should just leave each other? Poppy couldn't believe Branch was born into this family. She was actually a little happy that his brothers had abandoned him, even though she didn't want to think such a thing.

If Branch grew up with BroZone, he would have turned out like them. Always angry, always fighting, accusing each other when things went wrong....

Wait a minute.

"I know what Branch wants with the necklaces." Poppy said, cutting off the BroZone members. Bruce stopped the bus and looked back, along with Floyd, Clay, and John Dory.

"He wants you four to feel what he felt. He wants you all to be grey."

"He wants you to all feel alone."

Branch was getting impatient. He'd been waiting outside the restaurant for what felt like hours now. And there was also so much to do behind a sandcastle building besides kick sand around. Seriously, where were those four idiots? He was getting more impatient by the second out here.

He was so close. So, so close.

After they got Trickee back they'd go back to TrollsTopia. They'd use their necklaces to steal the remaining Trolls' happiness, find his brothers, and make them as miserable as he was when they left him. Branch was just itching to give his brothers their well deserved karma. But no, he had to sit out here and wait for three blubbering idiots instead. It was such an easy task. Get Trickee back here and let Branch speak to him, and yet somehow they were messing it up?

What if he's like Hype? A voice in his head said.

That would be bad. Branch stopped pacing in the sand.

If that was the case then he would have to steal Trickee's happiness, which he wasn't very keen on doing. Not because he didn't want to.

Branch will admit he didn't care much he stole from Hype. Besides, his friend got his happiness back in the end anyway. If he did it to Hype he could do it Trickee to. It wasn't that hard.

"Branch!" A voice called. He turned around to see Ablaze and Hype, holding a brightly colored orange Troll. "We found him!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Where's Boom?"

Hype shrugged. "Said he was curious about the rest of the restaurant and that he'd come back soon."

Of course.

He expected to see Trickee shocked, and at least a smidge happy. Instead he looked angry. "What are you guys doing here!?"

"Looking for you, duh." Ablaze scoffed. "Branch we found him over the counter, talking to some puppet woman." Puppet woman? "APPARENTLY he doesn't want to help us, no matter what we promised or told him."

Branch frowned. "I didn't order you to tell him anything."

Ablaze shrunk a little. "Uh, well-"

"And I'm not sure why you don't want to help us." Branch said, looking down at Trickee. "Especially since you were one of the saddest out of the five of us at one point."

Trickee hadn't watched it happen, but he heard his parents scream when they got taken by the Bergen's. The fact that now he doesn't want to get back at the Trolls, even though they pretended it didn't happen, was baffling.

"Because they don't deserve it, that's why!" Trickee scoffed. "You think this is a good revenge scheme? Your hurting innocent people, Branch."

"None of them are innocent! They deserve to turn grey." Branch yelled. "They abandoned us! Left us to fend for ourselves even though we were just children!-"

"Your just focusing the resentment you hold on your brothers on INNOCENT TROLLS!"

Ablaze and Hype froze.

There was one thing about Branch, whether he was blue or grey.

As soon as his brothers came up in a disagreement, he played dirty. Rough. With blood.

Branch practically growled, his fists clenching. The light of the necklace glowed as bright as the stars, his eyes turning crimson and this time, staying crimson. "Let him go."

"Branch-"

"I said let him go."

Reasonably scared, Ablaze let of Trickee quickly. Branch glared at Hype before the Glitter Troll followed in suit.

He looked so angry. More than angry...evil?

Definitely evil.

"Do you two trust me?" Branch asked, never taking his gaze away from Trickee.

The other two Kismet members gave each another a worried glance. "WELL!?"

"Of course I do, dude." Ablaze responded, raising his hands in defense. "I trust you with my life, my bro."

Hype frowned but nodded. "You...You saved me, Branch. You showed me how to be happy again. I totally trust." He shrugged. "Boom would totally agree if he were here as well."

Branch's eyes seemed to glow brighter, causing Hype to frown deeper.

"Trust me Trickee."

Trickee stood, dusting sand off of his legs. He glanced at Hype and Ablaze, who had walked behind Branch. He took a deep breath. "Don't do this Branch. Your better than this."

Branch smirked. Not his usual smirk. Hype shrunk a little. Not only did his eyes and voice feel evil, but so did his smile. Ablaze didn't even seem to notice. When Branch began to smirk so did he.

"I'll give you a ten minute head start to run."

And Trickee ran.

Slowly coming out from the corner was Boom. He'd just finished talking to the nice woman, Brandy, and was walking back to the others. "So, I'm guessing that didn't go so well?" He asked Hype, standing beside him. He saw Branch's face and decided that it wasn't time to speak to him yet.

"Not at all. He won't listen to us."

The four Kismet members stood in silence before Branch turned around. Hype couldn't hold back his gasp. Branch's eyes were practically glowing red. "I'm sorry that we have to do this, but clearly Trickee has been here so long that he's forgotten his anger. Meaning that we'll have to take away his happiness."

Ablaze blinked. "You mean like...turn him grey?"

Just like what he did to you, Hype. Don't you remember? Or did you forget because Branch and your necklace wanted you to forget?

"Sadly yes." Branch sighed. "When he turns grey we'll have to hurry back to TrollsTopia. And to get him back on the right track..." He smirked. "We'll give him the happiness of none other then King Peppy."

Ablaze jumped up and down in excitement. "Oh, HECK YEAH!"

"That sounds like SO MUCH FUN!" Boom laughed. "Right Hype?"

He grinned. "I gotta admit, it does."

Branch cracked his neck, the glowing red of his eyes didn't fade. They must have been permanent now.

"Don't worry Trickee. I'll save you."

How ironic.

Chapter Text

Trickee is screwed.

He knew it the moment he saw his friends wearing those necklaces what was happening.

He knew it the moment Ablaze told him follow him to go talk to Branch.

He knew it.

He knew that those necklaces were stupid, and bad news.

Now he's running through the jungle-part of the Island. He'd gone ahead and warned Brandy just in case to send her kids back home. They were half-Troll. Trickee didn't want to wait and see if the necklaces stole their happiness too.

Leaves and twigs are scarring his legs and arm.

His legs are beginning to hurt with the amount of plants he's had to jump over.

And yet he can hear them from behind him.

The most distinct voice he can hear muffling song lyrics is none other than Branch, which makes sense. He must be having Hype, Ablaze, and Boom sing back up so that he can be in the spotlight.

Trickee turns a corner, accidently tumbling down a hill. He coughs, looking down at his leg. Just a few scratches, and a little swollen, but that's okay!

"Yeah"

Oh that was a little too distinctly close. Trickee hops to his feet and begins running through the plants again, hearing the voices of Kismet growing louder and more distinct.

"(Fame)"

"I'm gonna live forever"

"I'm gonna learn how to fly"

"(Fame)"

Trickee sees a distinct shining yellow and a dull blue to his right, and he immediately turns left.

"I feel it comin' together (oh yeah)"

"People will see me and cry"

"(Fame)"

A bright purple and teelish-green glitter Troll to his left, Trickee moves right.

"I'm gonna make it to heaven (heaven)"

"Light up the sky like a flame (Fame)"

"I'm gonna live forever"

"Baby, remember my name"

Trickee saw a flash of red light from the corner of his eyes.

"Guys! Brandy said she spoke to a Glitter Troll that said his name was Boom. They were here looking for Trickee." Bruce came running back to the others that had been sitting impatiently inside Rhonda.

"That's one of the names Viva gave." Clay muttered. John Dory was still sulking in the corner, and Floyd was still rubbing his red eyes.

Poppy was the only one that had even a shred of determination on her face.

Besides Bruce. "She said that Trickee came back in and told her to take our kids somewhere safe-"

"I'm sorry kids-?" Clay cut in.

"Yeah I have thirteen."

Okay so they were apparently just going to ignore that?

"Point is he told her to take our children somewhere safe because the Trolls that she was talking to were dangerous."

Poppy stood up from her seat beside Floyd. "Did she see where Trickee went?"

Bruce nodded, taking the driver seat. "My soulmate sees practically everything. I know the general direction."

"Perfect." Poppy said, standing beside Bruce. She gazed back at the three brothers still sulking before focusing her attention up ahead. "Let's go save Branch."

Oh this was bad.

Like- really, really bad.

Like forgot your lines onstage bad.

Trickee was clutching his arm, which had been badly cut by a twig when he was running. He could still hear Branch and the rest of Kismet close behind him. He found himself running into a small clearing, where he tripped on a rock and fell right on his bad arm.

"Argh-!" He tried to muffle his yell, clutching his arm tightly as blood trickled down.

Not good.

Not good at all.

What's worse is the the singing was getting even louder.

"Ooh"

"Walk the limit"

"It doesn't come for free"

"Walk, my talent"

"It doesn't grow on trees"

Trickee tried to pull himself back up, but the fact that he had an "out of commission" arm was preventing him from doing so.

They were encircling him like an animal. In front of him was the more obvious voice. He could hear them slowly walking closer, enjoying the fear and anxiety that was flaring in the orange Troll. They were the one that wasn't singing backup.

Branch.

"Take a breather"

"You'll take it all the way"

Ablaze was to his left. Boom to his right. Hype was behind him. Branch was in front of him.

He saw the crimson light begin to encircle him, and his body begin to grow rigid.

Trickee closed his eyes.

"If the top is where you wanna stay"

There were no words Trickee could think of to explain the amount of pain and agony it felt like to forcefully turn grey.

No words could do the pain justice.

"You gotta work hard"

"To make it look easy"

"You gotta live fast"

"To keep makin' that money"

He squinted his eyes open. Trickee see that half his body was turning grey, and that Branch and the other Trolls were being suspended off the ground.

Branch was grinning like a maniac when he saw Trickee open his eyes.

Because he was trying to fix you

To make you you again

"If you want to be as famous as me"

"You gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work"

Trickee closed his eyes.

This time he was hoping that they wouldn't open again.

So that way he wouldn't have to look at the Troll he always considered his younger brother.

The one he used to hug.

Stopping from turning grey when he was little.

Cooking him meals.

Cleaning his grandmother's pod when she had died.

That small, innocent, little brother of his.

Turn into a monster.

"Did you guys hear that?" Floyd stood.

Poppy squinted her eyes, she could make the faintest sight of bright red light, but it was fading.

Bruce sounded. "It sounded like...singing."

Rhonda ran into a clearing, immediately stopping in her tracks. John Dory, Floyd, and Clay moved up to the window to see what she stopped for.

And there he was.

"EW WHAT THE GUMDROPS IS THAT!?" Ablaze screamed, almost dropping Trickee off his back as he stared at the armadillo-bus thing.

"Oh my god no way IT'S AS UGLY AS ABLAZE!" Boom yelled.

Hype couldn't help it, he immediately started to laugh.

A door on the side opened, out came running a pink haired Troll. "Branch!"

"Poppy!?"

She ran to hug him, but Branch stepped backward.

He forgot about her.

He didn't want to turn Poppy grey.

She didn't deserve that.

"Branch, your okay! I was so worried," Poppy smiled. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

The Kismet members glanced at each other, squinting at the other four figures that were hovering by the bus entrance.

"Poppy...wh-what are you doing here?"

She laughed. "I'm here to bring you home."

Oh.

Oh she didn't know, did she?

Branch awkwardly laughed. He couldn't find it in him to tell her. "Ah...sorry, I guess you never met the rest of my friends, have you?"

Poppy smiled, fighting back tears of joy as she shook her head. "No. I didn't."

"Sorry, I was gonna introduce you to them soon-"

"Uh. Branch?" Hype cut in.

Poppy was here so he couldn't yell. Poppy was here so he couldn't call Hype an idiot and yell at him. "What." Branch said, trying to hold back the anger in his voice.

"I uh...I think those are your brothers."

"Hype don't be an idiot-"

But there they were.

A hot pink haired Troll with tears in his eyes, a purple haired Troll looking between Branch and Trickee with a mixture of worry and fear, a yellow/green haired Troll looking cautious, and John Dory.

Ablaze snapped his fingers. "Oh, now I get it. Ms. Queenie over here got BroZone together so they could use the perfect family harmony to shatter our necklace's diamonds and stop us."

Boom and Hype gaped at the purple Troll, their jaws actually open. "....What?"

"Dude that might have been the smartest thing you've ever said." Boom mumbled.

"WHAT? HOW IS THAT THE SMARTEST THING-"

"No, Boom is right." Hype said. "You piece that together before I could. Out of everything I'm impressed."

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN-"

"SHUT UP YOU THREE!" Branch screamed, cutting off their arguing. "YOU THREE ARE ACTUAL CHILDREN!"

They mumbled an apology.

Branch looked at Poppy, telling by her eyes that Ablaze's speedy idea was, indeed, correct. "You got my brothers?"

"Uh...ta-da?"

The BroZone members didn't step away from the bus, they were too focused on their baby brother. He was still wearing Floyd's old vest, but besides from that there was a change. His voice was deeper, and he sounded angrier. Bitty B was never angry. Now it seemed that adult Branch was, well, mostly angry.

Boom cleared his throat and cut off the silence. "So, uh...hey?" He awkwardly waved. Ablaze rolled his eyes and threw a stick at his head. "DUDE."

Hype looked down at Branch's clenched fists, up at his gritting teeth, and his glowing necklace. "Ablaze hand me Trickee."

"Why-"

"Just do it."

Ablaze shrugged and handed off the grey Troll to Hype. "I'll wait for you where we first met up, boss." He said before taking the Troll and walking back into the depths of the plants.

There was another long silence before Branch started laughing.

No, not just laughing.

Evil laughing was more appropriate.

"Branch?" Poppy mumbled, daring to step closer. When he turned his head up she gasped, covering her mouth and stepping back.

His eyes were bright, glowing red. That must have the been the light she saw earlier. "Oh this is just perfect!" Branch exclaimed. "Now I don't have to go searching for them. Seriously Poppy, you've helped me a lot."

She didn't want to run away.

But she knew she had to.

It was what Branch would have wanted her to do if he was really with her now.

"I'm sorry." Poppy mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I'll come back for you. I promise."

She turned around quickly and ran back to Rhonda, pushing the brothers in.

"What was that for!?" Clay yelled, trying to fight his way back outside. "Branch needs us!"

"Bruce, step on it!" Poppy yelled as she threw the purple Troll down into the drivers seat.

In just seconds they were running back the way they came.

"Any song requests?" Boom said as he stretched out his arm, his necklace glowing.

"Yeah. Pick something good." Ablaze said, his necklace glowing in sync.

Branch narrowed his cherry red eyes, a frown on his face.

"Let's do one that will really mess up my dear brothers' minds."

The other two Kismet members smirked.

This was going to be fun.

"Turn around, Bruce!" Floyd yelled.

"You want to help Branch now!? He's got his entire group together, we just saw a Troll that he turned grey, and he HATES us, and you want to turn around!?" John Dory exlcaimed.

"Yes because I don't want to leave him again!" Floyd yelled, wiping his eyes. "Did you see how he looked at us!?"

John Dory was going to snap something back before they heard footsteps coming from outside of Rhonda. Clay looked to his brothers. "You don't think that's..."

But it was. There was muffled singing around them before it became more clear.

"I will grind you to sand"

"Beneath my Louboutin heels"

"It's Branch." Poppy mumbled.

"This is what I get for helping"

"Helping someone lame fit in"

"My dear brothers, enjoy your temporary win"

"Move over Bruce." Poppy shoved him out of the drivers seat as she took the wheel.

"Have you ever-"

"Nope."

"Then why would you-"

The bus shook as the Kismet members sang. A red light seemed to be engulfing Rhonda, but still, she kept running. "I thought singing was what turned the Trolls grey. But we look completely fine."

John Dory frowned. "I guess when were in Rhonda were safe."

"Hey, big brothers, how ya like me now?"

Branch's voice raised, and Rhonda briefly stopped. She shook her head before she started to run again.

Floyd should have come back sooner.

Why didn't he come back sooner.

Why did he lie to his baby brother.

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"I got the gasoline"

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"And everyone get mean"

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"I got the gasoline"

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"And everyone get mean."

Rhonda jerked to the side again as she hopped through the plants.

"How are they keeping up with us!? Were inside of an armadillo bus, their just walking!" Clay said, standing behind Poppy as she tried to navigate.

"Dear brothers, time to watch your back"

"Dear brothers, time to turn and cough"

"Because you took me down"

"But you didn't finish me off"

Branch was getting louder, and closer. "How close to us is he-" Bruce mumbled before the bus halted.

Rhonda stopped, seeing the figure in front of.

Sure enough, right in front of them was a glowing red eyed Branch, being lifted in the air as his necklace glowed.

"Bitty B..." Floyd mumbled, blinking away his tears. His brother looked so...evil.

That wasn't what his brother should look like.

He should look happy.

Not...this.

"And in case you're keeping score"

"You four may have won the battle"

"But I will win the war, for"

There was walking on the roof. Two different sets of footsteps. It must have been the other two members.

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"John Dory is a grotsky bi-atch!"

"What- I am not!" John Dory yelled, offended. "You two don't even know me!"

"I got the gasoline"

"Spruce is a drug pusher!"

"First of all its Bruce, second of all, no I'm not, and never was!" Bruce bit his tongue. The more he yelled the more he was feeding into Branch's already bad opinion of him.

"I wanna make the world burn"

"Clay is a space dyke!"

Clay shook his head, focusing ahead. "Poppy, I think...we gotta Hustle."

She nodded in agreement.

"Floyd is a fugly cow"

"Floyd is a fugly cow"

He lied to his baby brother and now he hated him. He deserved to be hated. Floyd balled his hair in his fists as he saw Branch's smile just widened at his family's discomfort.

"And you can quote this"

"Ohh. Woah-oh-oh!"

Rhonda shook more violently. This time, sending John Dory and Clay to the left wall. Floyd and Bruce hung onto the front as Poppy bounced in her seat from the push. It felt like a roller coaster.

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"I got the gasoline!"

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"And everyone turn"

"Mean"

"So mean!"

"Mean"

"So mean!"

"Mean!"

"Poppy hit the Hustle button already!" Clay yelled. Red light was trying to slither itself through the cracks, trying to get inside.

"I'm trying!"

"I wanna watch the world burn"

"I wanna make the world turn"

"So mean!"

"GOT IT!" Poppy yelled as Rhonda perked up, looking up at the sky with it's TrollsTopia destination.

Floyd moved himself up to look back at his baby brother before they took off.

"I wanna watch the world burn!"

And just like that their bus was gone.

Chapter Text

When she opened her eyes, she was practically drowning in mud. Rain spilled out from the sky as if a God was crying for them. Her head was spinning and her eyesight dizzy, but she still found herself to move. Poppy pushed herself up with her elbows and looked around. Rhonda was unconscious in a mud puddle, the four BroZone members were scattered around her in the same state as the bus.

It was dark out. How long had they been stranded here?

Around her was an all too familiar place. Bergen Town. They were right in front of the palace where King Gristle and Bridget lived. Did they know she was out there? Probably not.

Poppy tried to stand on her feet, but stumbled and fell.

Everything was hurting.

Especially her heart.

You've helped me.

That was all Branch really wanted. He didn't care about getting revenge on the Trolls, he just wanted his brothers to suffer. And even though she figured that out, she still allowed them to get close to him.

Why was she putting them through this torture when Branch didn't like them?

I mean sure that necklace was obviously messing with his mind, but the rage he had in his eyes? That was real. No magic needed, that was pure hatred.

And Poppy couldn't blame him.

She was sure that Viva hated her. More than sure, Poppy was positive that her sister hated her. And she couldn't blame her. Viva wanted her to stay but she couldn't. She chose her boyfriend over her sister. Surely Viva must have hated her for that.

Using her wrist, Poppy wiped the mud out of her eyes as she squinted up. The lights in King Gristle's house turned on. Or were they always on?

Turning her head to the left the closest Troll to her was Floyd. His head was stained with mud, and soaked with a combination of tears and raindrops. "Floyd." She muttered, her voice hoarse and scratched.

He didn't answer. Poppy was sure that he was breathing but he wasn't awake.

"Floyd." Poppy tried to say again, louder this time.

When he didn't answer she focused on John Dory by Rhonda. "John Dory."

Next Clay who was the farthest from her, face down in the mud. "Clay."

And finally Bruce who was lying on his back near the center of the puddle. "Bruce."

None of them glanced at her.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked as she felt her eyes drip. "I'm sorry.."

The palace door in front of her opened.

When she opened her eyes again she heard screaming. Her head was still throbbing, her legs were sore, and her eyesight was blurry.

Poppy pushed herself up, confusingly not knowing where she was or what was happening.

"We don't eat Trolls!"

She turned her head to see Clay and John Dory holding a fork and knife, threating two Bergen's in front of-

"Bridget! Gristle!" Poppy tried to stand up, but stumbled back. She was caught by a grey hand that slowly lifted her up. "It's okay! Remember? Bergen's and Trolls are friends now?" She tried to reassure the brothers but they just gave each other weird looks.

Bridget held her close, while King Gristle glared at the two Troll's that just threatened he and his soon-to-be-wife's lives. "Poppy, what's going on? TrollsTopia has been so quiet lately, and I found you outside in a mud puddle!"

"Oh Bridget, it's terrible! Branch went a little crazy, and this necklace he found is controlling him. He's sucking happiness out of Troll's and leaving them grey." Poppy said, forcing back her sob. "And I finally found him and he...well he attacked the bus that I was in."

King Gristle's jaw dropped. "No way. Branch, of all people Branch, tried to hurt you?" He didn't know Bridget's best friend well, but he did know Branch semi-well. They were forced to hand out a lot when the two girl's went on shopping trips together. He loved Poppy more than he cared about himself.

"No. Well, yes, but not like that." Poppy frowned. "I could tell it by the way he was looking at me. He forgot that I was apart of the happy Troll's too. Branch doesn't want to hurt me, but he does want to hurt them." She pointed to the four Troll's that were glancing at the two Bergen's.

They were standing on the bedroom nightstand. A blanket had been laid out for them. Rhonda was on the corner, snoring away. 

Bridget and King Gristle looked to the other, wondering who those other Troll's were.

Poppy caught their eyes. "These are Branch's brothers. Floyd, John Dory, Bruce, and Clay."

"Oh, now I see it. They all have the same scowl and overall rude attitude." King Gristle said, getting an offended look from the BroZone members.

Bridget sighed at her fiancé before returning her focus back to Poppy. "But Poppy, where is Branch now?"

She could tell by the sad look in her best friend's eyes that she didn't know that answer.

Raising her hand back down to the nightstand, Bridget let Poppy hop off of her palm and back onto the nightstand. "Well, um, Poppy," King Gristle coughed to get her attention "Your not really "the vision of health" right now. That crash did a big number on your head, and the rest of you aren't fairing much better either. Especially the...I wanna say dog?"

"She's an armadillo and her name is Rhonda!" John Dory said, offended. He rushed over to Rhonda's sleeping side. "What's wrong with her exactly?"

King Gristle thought, trying to remember the exact wording of the Doctor and Veterinarian he had called. "It was uh....oh- She hurt her front legs on the fall. Nothing to bad, but they were bandaged up and they think she, and the rest of you, should stay in bed-rest for a while."

"How long is a while?" Bruce asked cautiously.

"Two weeks or so."

"TWO WEEKS!?" They yelled in unison.

"We don't have two weeks! We need to get looking for Branch now, before he does anything worse!" Floyd said. "Please, we have to save him."

Bridget struck Poppy with an "I'm sorry" look before she shook her head. "I'm really sorry, but none of you are well enough to travel."

Bruce sighed. "Guys I don't want to say it, but she may be right." His brothers shot him a look of disbelief. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. But we can't sing the perfect family harmony if were all unwell! Seriously, one of us could faint in the middle of preforming."

They hated that he was right.

"Could we do...one week?" Clay awkwardly asked. He didn't like being this close to Bergen's, and he was well prepared to leap out the window with his brothers and Poppy.

The Bergen's glanced at each other before nodding. "I...guess."

"Alright then guys!" John Dory said. "Let's hurry up and get better so we can go save Bitty B!"

Poppy glanced out the window. The sun was coming up.

She hoped that wherever he was Branch was okay.

The necklace clipped around Trickee's neck as Hype settling him down at the foot of the bed. Boom and Ablaze stood by the windows, watching to make sure no Troll's saw them. The sun was about to come up soon, and they didn't want to be caught now.

Branch surveyed his friends. Poppy wasn't mad at him...was she? He hoped not.

She'll see soon that his brothers bring nothing but pain, misery, and misfortune. He also hoped that she'd forgive her for what he was about to do to her dad.

"Okay. I think were ready." Ablaze whispered as he glanced around outside. "So what do we do after this, Branch?"

"I'll tell you that after we finish fixing Trickee." He said. Trickee was awake, but was staring down at the ground. As if it would have physically hurt him to look up and make eye contact with Branch.

Boom cracked his knuckles as he looked down at the sleeping King. "So...something calm and quiet?"

Branch didn't respond. He didn't...want to hurt Poppy's dad. King Peppy was nice, but he still left him alone when he was a little kid, and he'll always hold a grudge over his head for that. Still he didn't deserve something painful. "Yeah. Calm and quiet."

Just in case of someone seeing them Ablaze and Boom moved to block the windows. Hype turned around and moved beside Branch, resting his hand on his shoulder. "If you don't want us to hurt the Queen, we won't."

He nodded, mumbling a thanks before standing straight. Branch closed his eyes as he let the necklace glow alongside his still glowing red eyes.

"This is the end"

Boom, Ablaze, and Hype hummed along with the words while Branch sang. Trickee looked around at his friends as they sung before looking back down at the ground.

"Hold your breath and count to ten"

"Feel the Earth move and then"

"Hear my heart bust again"

"For this is the end"

The King stirred in his sleep, a red cloud of fog dancing around the feet of the Kismet members.

"I've drowned and dreamt this moment"

"So overdue, I owe them"

"Swept away, I'm stolen"

The Kismet members slowly began to rise in the air, the red fog growing as it wrapped around King Peppy's sleeping body. Trickee stayed on the ground, closing his eyes and quietly singing along with Branch.

"Let the sky fall"

"When it crumbles"

The red light swept from the King's body, turning him grey and twirling around the Kismet members. Trickee opened his eyes as he felt the wave of joy rush over him, and the color in his skin begin to come back.

"We will stand tall"

"Face it all together"

"Let the sky fall"

"When it crumbles"

King Peppy's body was almost fully grey.

Trickee was almost full of color.

"We will stand tall"

"Face it all together"

"At sky fall"

The band members were slowly lowered down. They stared at Trickee as he stood up, smoothing out his hair. He caught sight of Branch's glowing red eyes, full of sorrow, hate, and anger.

He was going to force him to go grey again with those evil eyes.

Branch just saved him with those eyes. He helped him. Trickee gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry. For worrying you guys with turning grey and all."

"Aww, Trick'," Ablaze said, hugging him by the neck. "Were sorry we had to make you grey."

"Don't worry about it." Trickee grinned. "I'm happy you did. I feel...happy again. Like- real happiness."

Branch smiled at his friends before he peaked out of the pod. Nobody was around them, but the sun was coming up. "You guys let's go." He said as he propelled himself onto a nearby branch with his hair. As soon as he commanded them to move the band members jumped after him.

They were staring in front of the sunrise. It was rising over the trees and hills, and overall, it looked gorgeous.

Hype coughed. "I'm just going to say it because nobody else has. That was really good happiness."

"Seriously, that was like...gourmet joy." Boom agreed.

Branch cleared his throat, getting the attention of the four. They stood in a line, facing Branch who had his back turned away from the sunrise. "Look. We are on the cusp of revenge. But now that we know BroZone is after us, we need to act fast. And change our plans around."

The members glanced at each other. "You mean like...we aren't giving the Trolls their karma?" Trickee hesitantly asked.

"Of course we are, were just doing it differently this time. Instead of just turning everyone grey, I think we should add a little more...sparkle to it." Branch smirked, his red eyes glowing alongside the sunrise. "Were not just going to turn the Trolls."

"Were going to become the new King's of TrollsTopia."

Chapter Text

None of them (besides Poppy and maybe Bruce) trust the Bergen's. They've lived their lives at the idea that their bad, and just hearing that they can suddenly trust them?

The King, apparently named Gristle, put all five of them in a guest room. Rhonda was pretty hurt by the fall, so she was the one who got a pillow all to herself. The other Troll's had "minor injuries". Their heads were badly hit and their arms most of all. Floyd got hit the most thought, his side was bandaged up and he wasn't supposed to be moving.

Floyd didn't care that about that though, he could barely even feel the pain on his side anyway. He was too busy thinking about Branch.

His baby brother hated- no, despised him. And Floyd couldn't blame him. They left for twenty years and came back only when they were aware of him being in danger. And could he even call it danger?

Branch looked well enough. When the BroZone members had first seen him through the window shield glass they could have started to cry.

Well Floyd did cry.

So did his brothers, in their own ways.

His baby brother wasn't a baby anymore.

"Branch is tall now." Bruce muttered. "He isn't the baby I was imagining."

"Yeah." Clay muttered in agreement. "I kept thinking that I'd see a baby in a diaper."

John Dory was silent, his eyes looked glossy and Floyd swears he saw a tear roll down his cheek.

The way Branch looked at them was so different to how he looked at Poppy.

When he recognized Poppy his eyes filled with regret and longing. As if the sight of her face made him realize what he was doing was wrong.

But the moment he saw the BroZone members it changed.

When Branch started laughing he wasn't nervous. Just confused.

But the moment he looked up.

Floyd never wanted to admit it out loud.

But he was scared.

"John Dory can you stop singing?" Clay suddenly said. The room had been quiet for so long the sun had already risen, and the early sunset rays were peaking over the clouds.

Huddled by his armadillo bus, John Dory glared at Clay, who was sitting by the edge of the bed, reading a book that the Bergen's had lying around in the nightstand. "No, I'm deciding what song we should do when we go rescue Branch. I was thinking we could do Baby Baby Girl, or Girl I Love Your Love Girl."

The atmosphere changed quickly. Bruce turned around from his seat by the window. He'd been staring out at the flowers in the Bergen palace garden, admiring the vibrant colors. "Seriously!?"

"What? We came here to save Branch and that's what were gonna do."

"John, Branch practically put us in the hospital!" Clay said, pointing around the room. "Okay we aren't technically in a hospital, but we ARE on forced bedrest!"

Poppy was sitting in the middle of the bed, using scissors to cut and decorate a scrapbook. Bridget had gotten her some supplies when she realized that her best friend was clearly not in a good state of mind. Scrapbooking always helped Poppy feel better. But apparently it just wasn't working today as well as it usually did.

"So what? It's the necklaces that's making him feel that way. Bitty B doesn't actually hate us." John Dory scoffed, acting like the idea of Branch hating him was the stupidest thing ever. "Were his brothers."

Floyd's ears perked up. "You think it's the necklace that's making him hate us?"

"Well yeah. I mean come on, wouldn't he be happy to see the four of us?"

Clay and Bruce glanced at each other. Neither really bought the idea that Branch liked them, but to think that the necklace was forcing him to hate them did ease their state of mind. "So your saying that we just...blame it all on the necklace?" Clay asked.

John Dory's flicked just a hint, a very hint, of realization. "I mean...yeah."

The room went silent again for a few minutes, the only sounds being the scissors of Poppy cutting a piece of blue paper.

Bruce wiped his eyes, turning back to the window. "Were terrible brothers. Aren't we?"

"Yeah." John Dory warily responded, his voice cracking as he huddled his knees against his chest. "Yeah we are."

Clay had never, never, seen John Dory cry.

Not even from a rude comment. Or a bad performance. John Dory never cried, he was to perfect to cry.

And now he was.

"He doesn't hate us." He was muttering to himself, like he was trying to make himself believe. He'd convinced Floyd of it, for the most part. And Bruce and Clay. But they were desperate to believe that over the alternative. Even though he was the one that suggested it, John Dory just couldn't convince himself that it was real.

Gumdrops he hoped that Branch didn't hate him.

"Are they all here?" Trickee asked, peaking out from the branches of the tree they were hiding in. Under was the infamous mushroom that Branch could recall Poppy on a thousand times. This time, however, stood King Peppy. 

He was grey and staring at the ground. The other hundred or so Troll's that Branch and the others had turned grey were standing in front of the mushroom, in rows, and also looking at the ground. The entirety of TrollsTopia was surrounding them.

"I'd say about so." Branch shrugged. "And if they aren't, then we'll just hunt them down." He could pick them out in the crowd. Some of the Troll's he recognized from when he saved Hype. They were still arguing with one another.

Biggie and Meadow Spring's were still yelling at each other, with a panicked Cooper trying to get them to focus on the grey Troll's surrounding them.

"Do we seriously have to hide in a tree though?" Ablaze groaned. He'd been complaining the entire time, arguing that they should just host a concert. Which, they wouldn't have hated doing, if the Troll's didn't know and recognize Branch. He wanted to remain anonymous until he was certain that they were all too grey to understand what was happening.

Hype cracked his knuckles as he stood near the edge alongside the band. "Alright. I think were good."

Branch stared at the Trolls below him. Some children were crying, tugging on the pant legs of their parents and siblings. Others worryingly shook the shoulder's of their friends, and the ambassadors looked at one another to see if anyone had an idea of what was happening.

They deserve this.

They left you alone.

BroZone  left you alone.

All of them hated you except for Poppy and Kismet.

They deserve to be grey.

"Do you four trust me?" He asked again.

Boom chuckled. "Duh."

Ablaze groaned again. "Yes of course I do know make me happy again."

Hype nodded. "With my life."

Trickee smiled. "Without a doubt."

Branch's eyes glowed brighter. So much so that a few Troll's squinted at the tree they hid in before looking back at their friends.

"The city has the sun now"

"We leased it long ago"

"But when did we become okay"

"With letting nothing grow?"

The Pop Troll's were the ones that recognized his voice.

"Is that Uncle Branch?" Tiny Diamond asked his daddy.

Guy Diamond looked at sky in confusion. "I...think so?"

The grey Troll's looked up at the sky, the collection of their eyes seemed ghostly and clouded with mystery. The colorful Troll's left gasped in awe at a crimson fog and, and a glowing light began to encircle them.

Up at the tree, the light had begun to lift Branch. Soon his friends would follow once they joined him in singing, but for now, it was just him. He could hear the Troll's below them gasp in confusion when the lights began to grab at their ankles and legs.

"W-What is this!?"

"Someone get it off!"

"Mama help me, I can't move!"

"Someone save us!"

"I say we fight"

"We crawl, we stand"

"We make our own way home"

"We are the only people who grow flowers out of bones"

Arrays of light shot up from the ground and shot into the Kismet member's necklaces, making them glow brighter. So much so that Branch was physically pushed back.

It was like being bombed with joy.

Being shot with power.

"We're taking over the world"

"We're taking over the world"

"Don't panic, you'll be fine"

"It's time we draw the line"

He felt like he was in more control of the power this time. Branch commanded it to put him down, and it listened. When he walked to the very edge and peered over the side, enough so that the other Troll's saw him, his friends followed along.

Follow the leader.

"We're taking over the world"

"We're taking over the world"

"Don't matter how you sing"

"The world will hear us ring"

Branch used his hair to drop down on the ground when the majority of Troll's had turned grey. The other four members glanced at each other before grinning. They knew what he wanted to do.

He wanted them to see who their knew King's were.

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

"Over the world"

The light forced the "still in the processing of greying" Troll's to the side of the Kismet members walked. The ones that had turned fully grey moved on their own, like zombies.

"Close your eyes"

"I'm afraid I'm all out of light, yeah"

"A foul wind stole my lines"

"A drunk man stole my wine"

The last Troll in Trickee's line of sight turned grey. He glanced down at his glowing necklace and clutched it. The waves of pure happiness sweeping through him.

"Silver weeds and oil honey"

"Have you seen the water? It smells like money"

"I am only trying to tell you to move"

Branch's eyes glowed brighter, the foggy light moved to he and his friends' feet and pushed him up onto the mushroom.

"Woah-" Ablaze laughed. "How long could we have done this?"

Hype was too terrified amazed to answer.

When the members had their feet flat, they could finally see the grey civilization that they had created.

Branch couldn't have been happier.

"We're taking over the world"

"We're taking over the world"

"Don't panic, you'll be fine"

"It's we draw the line"

"We're taking over the world"

"We're taking over the world"

"Don't matter how you sing"

"The world will hear us ring"

His friends sang back up, but Branch focused his attention on King Peppy. His eyes glowed.

"Say it."

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

The Troll, zoned out of reality just like the rest of them, looked up at the Troll's around with no emotion in his face.

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

"Over the world"

He stepped slowly to the edge of the mushroom as Boom, Ablaze, Hype, and Trickee sang. Branch was glaring at the King, making sure that he didn't mess anything up.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's a spark"

"Selling wanders somewhere in the dark"

"'Cause as soon as you close your eyes"

"It's a beautiful world"

"As...acting King as Queen Poppy is not here..." He spoke slowly, his face emotionless.

"Silver weeds and oil honey"

"Have you seen the water? It smells like water"

"I am only trying to tell you to move"

"Name these five...our new...King's."

Branch's eyes glowed as he grinned. He strutted up behind the King, taking the crown from his head and placing it on himself. "I think you've done your part."

He said before pushing him to the left. King- Peppy - almost fell off the mushroom. Yet still, he had no emotion behind his eyes.

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

"Over the world"

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

"Tak-taking ov-over the world, world"

The light had faded. Leaving nothing but five colorful Troll's, and thousands of grey ones.

Branch couldn't help himself.

He laughed.

Chapter Text

Nobody had forgotten what Poppy told them the other day. That Branch had lived twenty years of his life living in fear and paranoia in a secluded bunker, and that he was grey. Especially Clay.

That wasn't how he thought Branch's life had gone. He had always thought that his baby brother was living life to the fullest. Going to parties, singing, dancing, making friends, regular Troll activities. But to learn that he did the complete opposite for twenty years was....a lot.

Clay wasn't mad at Poppy though. She never thought about how the brothers would react to such news, and trusted John Dory's judgement.

John Dory. Right now, the name was poison in his mind.

HIs eldest brother thought it was a good idea to hide from the three of them that Branch was miserable for years.

One of the Bergen's had dropped off lunch for the Troll's, who were still confined in their rooms. Luckily Rhonda had woken up, which helped ease John Dory's stress, but she didn't look good. Not her usual happy, at least.

Clay was half-way through his food when he just couldn't take it anymore. Slamming his fork down on his plate he looked up at John Dory. "So you just aren't going to address it?"

John Dory's mouth was full and he mumbled the words, "address what?" before swallowing.

"The fact that you told Poppy to hide the fact that Branch was grey." Bruce slumps in his seat, and Floyd flinches at the very mention of Branch being grey.

For once in his life Clay couldn't read John Dory's facial expression. Back when BroZone had first started doing live shows, you could always tell how John Dory was feeling by his expressions. He wasn't good at hiding them, not like Bruce and Clay were.

"I was...kind of hoping you forgot about that." John Dory awkwardly laughed.

Clay threw the plate off the side of the bed, it shattered on the floor as he marched towards his brother. "You were never going to tell us that? Were you just expecting us to never find out?"

His brother shrinks a little. "You would have known it eventually! We were just getting Floyd, I knew you four wouldn't be able to handle the information without freaking out. We can talk it all over with Branch once we save him, alright?" John Dory said, trying to take another bite of his food.

"No were addressing this now, John." Clay smacked his brothers fork away. His fork made a clattering sound against the floor, and finally made Poppy look up from her scrapbook. She refused to eat breakfast, and was too focused on her book calming her down.

"Clay-"

"Did you forget that he's our brother too? That we all made the same mistake that night? You remember that were brothers and not coworkers, right John Dory?" Clay scoffed. "Let me guess. This was another one of your "older brother knows best" moments, right? You thought that you could handle it all on your own again because your the pErfECt OlDEr bROtheR." He mocked. "But guess what? That's our baby brother too. And you wanted us to walk through life without knowing that he was grey?"

John Dory stood up, frowning. There was anger in his eyes, but the way that Branch had looked. "Of course I wasn't. Obviously you guys were going to know eventually, I just thought that right now was a bad time to tell you."

"Sure, yeah, great answer."

"Uh- YEAH! I mean look at Floyd right now. He can't even handle the words "grey" and "Branch" being used in the same sentence! I was trying to prevent something like that!"

Bruce groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Can you guys stop? I'm having another headache."

"Stop bringing Floyd into this! The problem isn't us, it's you! You've never trusted us, you've always treated us like babies!"

"OH so it's not Branch being grey that makes you mad, it's the fact that I didn't tell you right away?" John Dory rolled his eyes. "Mature for the apparent licensed CPA."

"Where did you even-" Clay groaned, shoving John Dory back. "Why didn't you tell us!?"

John Dory squinted his eyes, shoving Clay back. "Why aren't you more concerned for Branch?"

"I AM CONCERNED!" Clay shoved John Dory more forcefully. So much so that he backed up and hit Rhonda accidently on one of her bad legs. She woke up, made a whimpering sound, and then fell back asleep. "YOUR JSUT MAKNG THINGS UP SO YOU DON'T GET YELLED AT!"

"SHUT UP CLAY!"

They bickered for hours in the subject, which changes multiple times. Some moments it went back to BroZone, or the band breakup, but it mostly on Branch.

Floyd covered his ears.

He knew it was their fault. Everything was at this point, right? He and his brothers must have been the reasons that Branch was grey. They had to have been. Grandma died and they weren't their, so Branch lost his color. That was their fault. They should be blamed.

Let him make you grey.

Feel what he felt.

Be truly alone.

Floyd blinked away his tears as he looked around. Was that his voice in his head? It didn't sound like it. It sounded more like Branch...

Rubbing his eyes, Floyd took a deep breath before returning back to his food.

He wouldn't stay here anymore.

He was getting Branch back.

Whether John Dory, Bruce, Clay, or Poppy were there or not.

And he was going to apologize.

Hype had to take a long, long powernap after they took over TrollsTopia.

When he woke up he realized that Branch had gotten things done fairly quickly.

They decided to divide up the sections, buildings, pods, and businesses that belonged to different types of Trolls. Whatever Troll type they got they were then responsible for, so anything that went wrong with those Trolls would be blamed on them. Branch was the one that divided up the Kingdom's.

Ablaze was in control of Rock.

Boom got Funk.

Trickee was given Country.

Hype had Classical.

And Branch got Pop and Techno.

When Hype had returned back to the mushroom after his nap, and seeing the areas that Classical Trolls had offered when they arrived, he was more than shocked.

He was impressed.

Trickee, Ablaze, and Boom were sitting around the mushroom. Laughing and throwing stuff at the grey Trolls that passed by. The three thought it was hilarious that they showed no emotion when something hit them, even when they threw something heavy. One of the things Hype saw was that Ablaze dropped a piano on a Rock Trolls head. When they simply took it off, stood up, and kept walking, Ablaze was in tears with laughter.

Then there was the throne.

Hype hadn't know that the Trolls owned a throne. It looked a lot like the crown atop Branch's head. Built by using leaves and branches, with flowers sprouting from the top. Branch was sitting on it, watching the Trolls around him,

Boom was the one that caught sight of Hype first. "Yo, Hype! Where have you been, man?"

He spoke as he neared the mushroom. "I wanted to see more of what my Trolls had offered. What are you guys up to?"

"Just feeding the animals." Boom and Ablaze snickered as they threw a loaf of bread at a Pop Troll.

Trickee rolled his eyes. "I think calling them animals is gracious of you."

"So sorry. Were feeding the insects." Boom snorted with laughter, followed by Ablaze and Trickee. Branch snickered, pointing to the ground next to him for Hype to sit by.

How could he refuse a King?

Branch was elevated in his chair, so they weren't on equal height. In fact Branch had to look down to see Hype, in reality it was usually the other way around. "I know you aren't going to participate in the ways that Boom, Ablaze, and Trickee treat their Trolls. I don't expect you to."

Hype gulped. "Do you...want me to?"

The King shrugged. "There's a difference between a want and an expect. I'd love for you to treat the Classical Trolls how they do, but I know you won't. That's why I gave them to you."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The Classical Trolls have done almost no wrong in my eyes. They have their flaws, yes, but for the most part they were the most understanding and kind of them all." A ray of light beamed across Branch's thought, making his red eyes shine. "I gave you them so that that way, when I'd eventually see you being kind to them, I wouldn't be too angry."

How was he supposed to respond? Say a thank you? Question him more? "I'm...glad that you found a way for the two of us to be happy...my King."

Branch grinned at the title. "Anyways, enough about talking about stupid grey Trolls. Let's talk about the future."

"The future?" Hype questioned.

"Soon, I'll find my brothers and turn them grey for what they did to me. After that we need to set our sights on the other Troll Kingdoms." Branch pulled a map from his hair, handing it to Hype to take. When he opened it there were five different colored lines to five different places. "I've mapped it out as best as I saw fit."

Hype frowned. "I don't understand."

Branch rolled his eyes. "Were taking over the Kingdoms. That's why you all have a respected type of Troll to look after, its because those are the people that your going to take over and rule."

Was he serious? "So...because I have Classical, then..."

"Then the five of us will storm the Classica Trolls Kingdom, take it over, and I will leave you there as the new Classical King."

It sounded almost too good to be true.

"But what about dividing Kingdoms? There are five of us and six Kingdoms, and no offense to you my King, but I know that it would be hard for any of us to control two major Kingdoms."

The King grinned. "That's the fun part. Were going to divide the Pop Trolls, alright?"

"Divide them?"

"Yeah. Divide them so that that way each of us gets are backup singers and musicians needed for our takeovers. They'll be the ones that deliver us anything we want because they don't have it in their minds to do anything else! See, perfect revenge scheme!"

Hype blinked a few times. "So were forcing them into servants?"

Branch nodded with a grin. "Now your getting it."

"But- what about the Bergen's? Wouldn't they begin to question it?"

"So we'll just burn the forest down and blame it on lightning or something. They'll think that over half of the Trolls are dead, and the quarter left or so are missing."

How long had he been thinking of this? "Did you tell the others yet?"

Branch shrugged. "I was going to tell them later at dinner, but I wanted your opinion."

Hype took a deep breath. "I think it's a great idea."

"AW HECK YEAH, I'M GONNA BECOME THE ROCK KING!" Ablaze happily yelled, throwing a cup off the side of the mushroom. It splashed onto a Funk Trolls face.

"I'm gonna be the Funk King...I'm gonna be the Funk King..." Boom was taking in deep breaths. He was overwhelmed, and immensely happy.

"Branch this is incredible, I...thank you." Trickee laughed.

Hype was happy. 

He was!

More Trolls to steal joy from, that was always exciting. And he was able to become a King!

He just hated the way Branch's eyes glowed red.

And the way he had smirked when he thought of the Pop Trolls being reduced to servants.

Do you trust me? Branch had asked.

Hype took a deep breath and managed to smile. 

He did.

Chapter Text

They were having fun with their new Trolls, in their own unique ways.

Trickee had gone around making the Country Trolls smash their instruments, and almost peed himself laughing when they had actually done it without questioning him.

Boom was still throwing things at the Funk Trolls, and was laughing at the letters the Cooper was sent by his mother, father, and brother, thinking that it was hilarious that they cared so much.

Ablaze starting lightning some of the Rock Trolls guitars and drum sets on fire. One of them went a little out of control and may have brunt some trees down, but as long as Branch didn't know it didn't matter.

Speaking of Branch, he wasn't doing much with the Techno Trolls. It was obvious to the others that he must have respected them the most, because all he was really doing was dumping some trash into the hot springs. He was doing much, much, more to the Pop Trolls.

Branch had taken what he knew the Pop Trolls had originally loved and made sure that they never got to do it again. So, he gave out meaningless jobs and tasks for them to do. His favorite task to give was when he forced the Trolls to Bergen Town to stay in the Troll Tree. He always chose the older ones. The Trolls that he knew for a fact had been alive and could remember the escape well. It was priceless for him to see their terrified faces when they arrived at their old home.

Hype on the other hand, didn't di anything with the Classical Trolls. He couldn't find it in his heart to hurt them.

He didn't think any of his friends had noticed until they were looking at the stars on the mushroom. They had finished dinner, Boom and Ablaze had stopped throwing stuff at the passing miserable Trolls, and everything was fine. 

At least, until Ablaze said that they should eat some dessert. "What do you guys think? Get some cake?"

Trickee grinned. "Good idea. Oh, Hype, get one of your Trolls to make us an Angel Food Cake."

Hype grimaced. He didn't want to force them to make him something. "Well- it's pretty late, and most of the Trolls are asleep anyways-"

"So then wake them up?" Ablaze scoffed. "Come on man we sucked the happiness out of these Trolls dry. Their like zombies now, do you think they really care about being woken up in the middle of the night."

His thinking was half right. For some reason when they took over all of TrollsTopia, it was like the Trolls had forgotten how to be alive. To act normal, so to speak. They walked around, talked in low voices, did their day-to-day activities, but it wasn't like they had a mind of their own. That was proven when Peppy in his grey Trolled form asked Branch where Poppy was when he was overseeing the throne being moved onto the mushroom.

Boom took a gamble. "You don't have a daughter."

And Peppy believed him. He didn't ask about Poppy anymore, and seemed to have just erased her from his mind.

"I know, it's just- the Classical Trolls," What was he supposed to say? That he thought what they were doing was wrong? That they should free the Trolls and scratch the plan?

"I just don't think...were doing the right thing."

That got the attention of Branch, who had been sitting on his throne, reading a scrapbook of the Techno Troll history. "Excuse me?" He said in a harsh voice, slamming it shut as he stood from his seat. "Do you want to repeat that?"

"It's just...Branch the Pop Trolls seemed genuinely sorry for how they treated you back then. And the other Trolls weren't even involved. Assuming that they would treat us the same way, and turning them grey for basically nothing?" Hype shook his head, standing up and brushing off some of the glitter stuck to his clothes. "I just think that this all...well, superfluous."

Boom scoffed. "Okay, AP English." He mumbled, getting a smack on the shoulder from Trickee as the orange Troll stood up.

"Are you trying to say that what were doing is unnecessary?" He asked. Trickee was trying not to make eye-contact with Branch. He could see the red in his eyes already glowing.

Hype nodded with a look of courage on his face. How he had that in front of Branch of all people Trickee didn't understand. "Yeah...Yeah I do. I think we need to all just move on."

A blanket of silence fell. Branch's face was unreadable, and Boom and Ablaze both looked for Trickee for guidance on how to feel. All the orange Troll could give back to them was a shrug.

Finally, after what felt like a millennium, Branch spoke. "Hype. I think we need to have a talk. Let's go to the original Troll Tree in Bergen Town, okay?" Branch said with a smile.

"I don't think-"

"I said let's go."

Branch had ditched him when they got to Troll Tree. But Hype heard the sound of music and followed it, leading him straight to all to familiar place.

Grandma Rosiepuff's pod.

Branch was standing in front of a record player, holding what looked like a BroZone album in his hands.

Hype knew what was coming. Knew what Branch was going to be mad about.

He took a deep breath and prepared.

"It's time you learned a lesson"

"It's time that you understand"

"Don't ever count on anybody else"

"In this or any other land"

Branch's necklace glowed as he sang. He took out the BroZone record. Hype couldn't see his face, but could tell by his voice that he was most likely holding back tears.

"I once hoped for friendship"

"To find a place among my kind"

"But those were the childish wishes"

"Of someone who was blind"

The record snapped in half and was thrown right by Hype's head. It was a pretty good hit too, because his left hand had a small cut that was now bleeding. Branch had turned around and was staring at Hype with nothing but pure rage.

"Open up your eyes"

"See the world from where I stand"

"Me among the mighty"

"You caged at my command"

It was like a burning reminder.

"Open up your eyes"

"Give up your sweet fantasy land"

Hype had been so focused on his cut that he hadn't even realized that Branch had walked closer, grabbing him by his arm, leaving a red mark.

"It's time to grow up and get wise"

"Come now, little one"

Branch pulled the two of them out of the pod, leading them down a few branches to a place Hype new far, far too well.

Maybe Trickee had been right when they found him.

This was all just because of his brothers.

"Open up your eyes"

"Branch I-" Hype was thrown forward, tripping on a rock and falling on his face. He felt blood begin to pour from his nose as he clutched it. Great, now he had a bleeding nose and arm.

"We all start out the same"

"With simple naïve trust"

Holding his nose to try and stop the bleeding, Hype looked around. It was an old auditorium that the Troll Tree had. A large mushroom and a backstage hidden by thick vines.

Of course this is where Branch would take him.

This was where he had last seen his four brothers together having fun before they split apart.

This was where they had their last song.

Maybe this is where you'll take your last breath.

"Shielded from the many way"

"That life's not fair or just"

Branch was atop the mushroom, looking up at the sky. He looked so calm, even though there was anger brewing in his crimson eyes.

"But then there comes a moment"

"With a simple truth that you must face"

"If you depend on others"

"You'll never find your place"

Maybe a part of Branch knew that Hype was right deep down, and this song was an attempt to convince both of them?

"Branch, please." Hype said as he stood up. "I know you can't forget, but...we can at least forgive."

But he just shook his head. Rather...violently, Hype would say. "No, I-I can't...if-if I did that then I would have to forgive Floyd, and John Dory, and Clay, and Bruce, and..."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Hype said, but Branch wasn't looking at him.

He was contemplating his choices.

"And as you take that first step"

"Upon a path that's all your own"

Hype saw Branch frown, and the necklace and his eyes glow.

He wasn't listening to him.

"You see it all so clearly"

"The best way to survive is all alone"

The fog appeared on the ground, but what scared him the most was the fact that the colors around them started to change. Everything around them was grey. The leaves above the mushroom were wilting and dying, the mushroom turning a dark and greyish color, and sky turning crimson.

Hype never knew the necklace could do this.

What else was Branch hiding from him?

"Open up your eyes"

"See the world from where I stand"

"Me among the mighty"

"You caged at my command"

The wig started to pick up, almost knocking over Hype in his slowly deteriorating state.

Gumdrops he wanted to stop bleeding.

He also wanted Branch to listen to him.

But neither of those things were happening.

"Open up your eyes"

"And behold the faded light"

"It's time to grow up and get wise"

"Come now little one"

Branch had walked to edge of the mushroom, giving Hype a daring glare.

"Open up your eyes"

It was a command.

"Open up your eyes"

"If you ever say something like that again I won't hesitate to make you grey like the rest of them." Branch said as he turned around, walking towards the backstage and tearing off a few pieces of the vines. "If you still have a brain, and still decide to trust me, then I'll fix your wounds."

And as much as he hate that he did it.

Hype stepped onto the mushroom, walked towards Branch, and held out his arm.

Branch smiled as he happily helped his friend.

When he woke up, Bruce saw that half off his body was beginning to fall off of the windowsill. That, and it was pitch black outside. He startled himself as he rolled to the other side, saving himself from falling.

A chill crossed his body as he looked up to catch sight of a Troll cracking the window open with one leg out into the wild, preparing to sneak away.

"Floyd?"

Floyd jerked back, the window snapping shut. Bruce stood up, looking around the room. John Dory was propped up against Rhonda, Poppy was on the edge of the bed, and Clay was on the desk table. All four of them were asleep. "Floyd what are you doing?"

He was sure that Bruce was asleep. Apparently he was wrong. "I'm going to get Branch."

"What?" Bruce yelled in a whisper. "Floyd are you crazy? As much as I hate to admit it none of us our the vision of health right now. I mean come on your leg is wrapped in bandages!"

His younger brother rolled his eyes. "Who cares? What matters right now is that Branch needs us."

"I know that," Bruce gently grabbed his brothers hand. "But you can't just sneak away out in the middle of the night. At least wait-"

"We've been waiting!" Floyd pulled his hand back. "He could be in serious trouble and were just sitting around here waiting for...for nothing!"

Bruce grimaced. His brother wasn't wrong, and in reality Bruce really wanted to run off with him. He hated being stuck here. But he also knew that running away in the middle of the night was stupid. "I get it Floyd. Really, I get it. But we can't do this unless were all together."

"Together? Clay and John Dory keep arguing, and you call that being together!?" Floyd wanted- no, needed to scream. "They aren't going to help us! They don't care!"

"They don't care!?" Bruce yelled, shaking John Dory awake who blinked confusingly at his brothers. "We all care! That's why were here!"

John Dory rubbed his eyes as he yawned. "You guys its like...two in the morning, what are you both doing arguing?"

"Floyd just tried to sneak out!"

"Because none of you obviously care enough, so I have to do your jobs for you again and be the big brother!"

John Dory stood up. "Oh so I'm not a good big brother!?"

The commotion woke up Clay, who upon hearing that Floyd tried to sneak out was at first worried, but after hearing that Floyd didn't think he cared either he got angry. "I care TONS!"

The BroZone brother's bickering soon woke up Poppy, who confusingly blinked as she woke up. It was late, and the clock on the wall read 2:07 A.M.

Poppy sighed as she started to scrapbook again, the yelling and screaming of the brother's right behind her.

Chapter Text

It was always the middle of the day Trickee couldn't find Branch.

They'd be doing their regular King things. Making sure that the Troll's were still grey, that everything around them was negative, and that they do everything the Kismet members asked of them. The usual stuff.

But Branch always disappeared around lunch time. They'd never gone out to find him though. They were afraid of him. Branch had a lot more control over the necklaces then they did, and he wasn't afraid to use it on them either.

When Hype had come back after their little "conversation" with Branch, he looked scared. Hyperventilating and rambling about the red sky to Trickee once the two were alone. But Trickee never saw a red sky. He could definitely feel that Branch was singing, but he didn't see red at all.

"Maybe it was...an illusion?" Trickee suggested.

It was the only and therefore best answer to what had happened.

For the fourth day in a row Branch was missing at lunch. Trickee decided that he might as well go figure out what it was the leader was doing.

He jumped from the mushroom, landing a few inches from two Country Trolls. He knew one of them was named Holly, but not the other one, who was dressed as a sheriff. They barely blinked an eye at him before returning their attention back to the ground.

Boom raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" He asked, handing a plate of food to a nearby Funk Troll.

"I'm going to look for Branch. Don't harass anyone while I'm gone, alright?" He snickered.

They weren't complete monsters. Well, maybe Branch was to the Pop Trolls- but they weren't too bad to the other tribes. They made sure that things were still operating in Troll Kingdom, but for the most part, the Trolls were...emotionless.

Which they wanted, but it was getting dull. It was fun to throw things at them and see them just stare at whatever was thrown before resuming what they were doing- THAT WAS FUNNY! But they didn't have anything else to their character and it was getting annoying to the Kismet members. Especially Ablaze.

Trickee didn't search for long until he found Branch by the hot springs. He was sitting next to a grey Troll who he didn't recognize. "Branch?"

When he turned around to look at him, Trickee immediately noticed that the red in his eyes had begun to fade. It was still there, but you could see the blue in his eyes begin to show again. "What's wrong?"

Branch rubbed his eyes. Trickee moved to sit by his right, and took a look at the other on Branch's left. It was a grey Techno Troll, one of the tribes that Branch was responsible for. "I think I'm making promises I can't keep, Trick'."

"Oh?"

"I mean- I want my brothers to suffer of course, and the Pop Trolls, and I knew that I'd have to take over the other tribes to accomplish that, but..."

"But your rethinking that the other Tribes don't deserve this? And that now you want to free them and instead disband TrollsTopia, forcing the other tribes to go home and we just leave the other kingdoms alone?"

He looked up at him with that same young wonder that he'd seen almost fifteen years ago. "How'd you know?"

Trickee chuckled. "I could tell that Hype was starting to get to you."

Branch frowned. "I just...I want us to be happy. And I could tell that you and Hype weren't truly happy back in your old lives. I just- I want us to be together. I want to give us the life that we should have had." He saw his friend begun fidgeting with his hands. "But now when I look at the faces that never hurt me...I feel...regret." He looked up at the Techno Troll beside him, who was staring at the water.

"Look, Branch," Trickee swung a hand around Branch's shoulder. "We'll support you no matter what you decide to do. Your the leader, okay? If you think that what's best for us to just keep the Pop Trolls, we'll listen to you."

His friend smiled. A pure smile, one of good.

Trickee nudged over to the other Troll. "I'm guessing the reason your always late for lunch is because of this guy?"

Branch looked at his knees, frowning. "I tried apologizing, being angry, singing again to make him more grey, gumdrops I almost considered giving him my necklace to steal my color away!" Trickee could see that he started to cry. This Troll made him that upset? "But he won't do anything. He-He won't even yell at me! He just stares at me in silence before looking away!"

Tear marks dropped from Branch's eyes as he looked at the Techno Troll. "Please, Synth. Please, look at me. Say something to me. Something rude, condescending, funny, be angry with me, I don't care! Just speak to me!"

But the Troll- Synth - wouldn't do anything.

"I...I wasn't...thinking about some of the ones I wanted to spare until I saw Poppy." Branch sighed. "I won't hurt her, I refuse to, but...but I hurt him."

Trickee pulled Branch closer and into a hug as he continued to talk. "I kept thinking "their liabilities, it's okay" but it isn't okay! Synth is good, he was nice to me, he didn't deserve this! Neither did Laguna, or Tiny Diamond, or Lownote Jones, or Dante, or Gust, or Minuet-"

"Hey, hey, your hyperventilating Branch. Breathe buddy." Trickee cut him off. He was guessing that the seven Trolls he mentioned were mostly made up of Trolls from the other tribes. He never paid attention to the thought that Branch would feel bad for hurting the other tribes. "Take deep breaths," He said, trying to calm him.

The silence from Synth did nothing but set Branch off even more. "Why don't you say something!?" He yelled, standing up suddenly. "Tell me I don't deserve to cry, yell at my face, say that I'm being mean and that I'm not invited to your rave just SAY SOMETHING!" Branch screamed.

But Synth never moved.

"Branch, stop it! He isn't going to respond!" Trickee grabbed Branch be the hand as he stood up, pulling him away from Synth's gaze. Giving in to the touch, Branch placed his head on Trickee's shoulder and cried.

He felt like a kid again. When he first turned grey he'd always have nightmares about his grandma's death. Each time Trickee would be there to help him, hugging him, letting him cry on his shoulder, and he'd whisper to him that everything was okay. Although this time it probably wasn't going to be okay.

The two stood in silence before a noise came from behind a bush. Branch made no indication of moving to see what or who it was, so Trickee decided that he'd do the talking. "Who's there?"

One of the grey Pop Trolls came out. They were really small, and had a gruff voice. "King Branch?"

He heard his little brother- his friend, sigh. "What do you want Smidge?"

"We did as you asked and looked around Bergen Town for any Trolls that may have escaped. We found Poppy and four unknown Trolls inside one of the guest rooms of the palace."

Branch pushed Trickee off of him, looking back at Smidge. "What?" The red in his eyes was back.

"I sent one of our spies to listen to their conversation. Their planning to come here soon." Smidge had no worry in her voice. It was like she was just speaking, like a puppet on a string. 

Poppy was still here? She was still planning on coming to get him!? Branch didn't want to hurt her! She was the Queen, and she'd always be the Queen. Even if he was the King now it didn't mean that she wouldn't rule beside him! Gumdrops, why didn't she just leave him alone!?...

Then again,

She brought BroZone with her.

The crimson in his eyes glowed as his necklace seemed to miraculously shine. "Their still trying to save me." Branch mumbled as he looked at Trickee. "Watch over the other Techno and Pop Trolls for me for today. I need to think of a plan of what to do about the Queen and my brothers." He smirked before he grabbed Smidge and walked off with her.

Trickee felt like punching himself for thinking that maybe, just maybe, Branch would free the other tribes.

Now it seemed that they would be stuck being grey forever.

They kept arguing over the same thing.

Poppy hadn't been paying attention as to when it had begun, but she could tell that Floyd and John Dory were the ones who began the argument. Of course, it was over the same thing.

Branch was grey and John Dory didn't want the brothers to know.

"You would have known eventually!"

"Oh would we have?"

"How could you make Poppy promise something like that!?"

"What else are you hiding from us!?"

It was bickering.

Just back and forth bickering.

Poppy continued to scrapbook.

It was the only thing that was still making her sane.

Until, of course, one of the brothers screamed to loudly and Poppy accidently cut one of her photographs.

"THE POINT IS THAT YOU WANTED TO KEEP IT A SECRET IN THE FIRST PLACE JOHN!" Floyd had screamed louder than the others to make his voice heard. Poppy jumped at the noise and accidently snipped a photo wrong.

It was of her and Branch side-by-side together, smiling at each other.

She cut the center of it, splitting the two in half.

And she snapped.

Poppy balled her hands into fists, sobbing into the bedsheets.

She was tired. All she wanted to do was go home, see her boyfriend, and live in TrollsTopia. But now she was stuck in Bergen Town after seriously injuring her head, and trapped in a room with four siblings that couldn't agree on anything. All they did was fight, and argue, and fight, and argue.

Until she started sobbing. Bruce realized that she started to cry and quickly ran over to her. The other three brothers did the same once they realized that Poppy was having a meltdown.

She was basically their sister now. Poppy was Branch's girlfriend, so that made her their sister. And they really didn't want to have made their sister upset. Especially considering that she had just met them all.

"Poppy?" Bruce warily asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just-" She wiped her eyes. "I can't help him."

Clay sat down beside her. "Of course you can. As soon as were out of here were going to save him."

"But that's not fair to you four. I mean, it's obvious you hate being hear each other, and Branch wants to practically kill you guys, so.." Poppy choked back another sob. "So why am I forcing you to do this?"

"What?" John Dory said, speaking up for the shock on the four brothers' faces. Forcing them? When was she forcing them. "Poppy your not forcing us. Branch is our brother, we want to be here to help him."

She thought that to at first.

But after seeing them do nothing but fight and argue?

"I think it would have better if you never came home, John Dory." Poppy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

That stung.

"After Rhonda is okay you're free to leave. The rest of you to."

Leave? Floyd didn't want to leave, he wanted to save his brother. Did she think he didn't care or something? "Poppy no." He shook his head. No. No, he wasn't going to just leave. Not again.

"It's for the best-"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is Floyd." Poppy snapped, her head turning to face him with a glare. "None of you can get along. How are you supposed to do the perfect family harmony if you can't even have a normal conversation with each other?"

"I can't trust you four to save him." Her voice was raising, and the shock on Floyd, Clay, Bruce, and John Dory's faces were apparent. "Did you all forget how angry Branch was when he saw you? If you face him there is no way that your going to pull it off." She looked down and said in a low mumble, "I'll lose him forever."

Floyd refused to listen to her. He could do it. They almost did it once, they could probably do it again. And even if working with his brothers didn't work, then he would just save Branch on his own. He'd find out some way to save him. He wouldn't leave his baby brother again.

Clay felt awful. To be completely honest he'd forgotten about Poppy and her role in this. Branch was her boyfriend, and she knew him better than the brothers did (even though they never wanted to admit that) and she was obviously hurt by everything that had happened. He just terrible that he didn't realize it sooner.

Bruce heard reason in what she was saying. Poppy had just met them. Of course she wouldn't think that they would be able to do the perfect family harmony. All she saw were four bickering adults that couldn't make a simple apology. But he wouldn't leave his brother. No matter how much she said they should he wouldn't.

John Dory was angry. They could definitely do it! They could definitely save their brother! And Branch didn't hate them, he was just having a temper tantrum, that's all! Perfectly normal for kids (even though he knew that he was an adult). He wasn't going to leave his brother behind, not again.

They all made the promise that they wouldn't leave, and that they could do the perfect family harmony.

But nobody said it outloud.

Because in reality, none of them believed it.

Chapter Text

The room was quiet. The sun had begun to rise, but no Bergen's were awake. Only five Troll's and an armadillo bus inside of a guest bedroom.

None of them had spoken after what Floyd had dubbed in his mind as "the incident".  Rhonda was pretty hurt and John Dory was refusing to leave her side. Clay and Bruce were sitting on opposite sides of the bed, while Floyd once again tried to apologize to Poppy.

She wasn't listening. Clutching the ripped picture of her and Branch, Poppy had been silently crying for the rest of the day and into the early morning. Floyd tried to help her, but she wasn't listening to him. Or anybody.

Bruce and Clay had joined in to, trying to help calm her down. Yet she dismissed all of them, sinking farther into her despair. All she wanted was her boyfriend back. She missed him so much.

Floyd had stopped mumbling her apologies, and was instead just sitting beside her, not sure what else to do. He looked to any of his brothers for advice, but none of them were looking at him.

Until he made eye contact with John Dory and he cracked.

"I'm sorry." His voice was cracked, and when he looked up Floyd could see that his eldest brother had been crying. "The band broke up because of me. Branch probably ran off because I was there and he freaked out, and I was the one that told Poppy to keep the secret because...well that's a big brother problem. I just- didn't want to have to worry you three with problems that I should think of and deal with it...it's all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Looking back in his childhood, Floyd could never remember John Dory apologizing unless Grandma Rosiepuff had forced him to.

The next one to speak was Clay. "I'm...sorry to." He mumbled it before his voice began to raise. "I was just angry. At you, of course, for keeping that a secret. But I think also because...I would have done the exact same thing." Clay muddled his knees close to his chest, looking up at John Dory. "So...I'm sorry for being so angry, and I'm sorry that I never talked things out with you guys when we...y'know."

They knew what he was talking about. The last time they had ever spoken to each before recently. The day the band broke up.

The last day he'd ever seen his baby brother happy. The thought drifted through Floyd's mind. He quickly shoved it down.

"Yeah...I feel like I could have handled that a whole lot better. The secret and what happened back when we were still BroZone. Looking back I...guess I probably could have stayed. Or we could have talked everything out." Bruce said. He wasn't crying, but you could still see the somber look in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

None of the brothers moved to hug, but their glances and smiles were enough.

Floyd mumbled something to himself before he wiped his eyes. "I shouldn't have left him with grandma. He was a baby, and I promised to come back, but I never did."

Well that was news to them. They knew that Floyd was upset that he had ever left in the first place, but they didn't know he promised to come back. Poppy looked up at him, her once shining eyes now as fragile as glass. "You did?"

"Yeah...I told him I'd be back soon." Floyd fidgeted with his hands while he spoke. "I almost did come back, but I was so scared that he had forgotten about me. Or worse that he didn't want to see me. I wanted to keep the happy, energetic, baby Troll in my memories. I was scared to meet the new one."

What's worse is that he was right, and yet so wrong.

He should have come back. If Floyd could yell at his younger self to do something it would be that. To go home and stay for Branch. But at the same time, he was happy that he didn't. Because if he really had seen the grey Troll that Poppy had described to him, Floyd would never have forgiven himself for it.

"And I guess I'm sorry about how I was acting...but I think I was just scared because that fear kind of came true."

The room was quiet again, but not out of tension.

More like...relief.

There was a weird pod that Hype had found on the first day of their new King life. All it had inside was a large table. Branch said that Poppy sometimes used it to speak to the ambassadors, so that's where the Kismet group had decided to host their most important meetings in.

Which is how it came to this.

Branch was mumbling to himself, staring off into space at the floor. Ablaze and Hype awkwardly looked at each other as they stood in front of him, wondering when he was finally going to move.

Boom had arrived with Trickee by his side. They were both put on edge when they realized that Branch had allowed the grey Troll's to do regular activities with no second hand motives. Like how Branch liked to drop honey on this one Pop Troll's head named Creek, and call a bunch of animals to chase him.

When the two had walked in and saw that their leader was mumbling to himself practically nonsense, they were scared. "Uh...what's going on?" Boom asked.

Hype turned around with a shrug. His eyebags were still there, but Boom and Ablaze didn't seem to care. Only Trickee did and made another mental note to himself to definitely ask about it. "Don't know. Boom and I were going to go find some party supplies to destroy when this long legged Pop Troll came out of nowhere and told us to get to our meeting room."

Trickee and Boom exchanged a glance. "Same thing with us," Trickee said. "Although we were grabbed by some Techno Troll instead. He seemed pretty chill."

It was Synth. Branch sent Synth. He could see the wording of "some Techno Troll" snap him back into reality, looking at the four friends. "Oh good you four are all here."

Ablaze frowned. "We've been here."

"Shut up dude." Hype whispered, kicking his shin.

Branch cleared his throat to get their attention. "Anyways. One of my Pop Troll scouts that were looking for any other Troll's that we lost found something very, very, incredibly important." He gestured over to a small grey Troll that hopped up onto the table.

Boom immediately made a cooing sound. "Aww, she's so small! She's like a little gumdrop!"

As a result, Branch threw his crown at him. Hype quickly picked it up and handed it back to him. "Don't treat my spy like she's lower than you, Boom." Branch scoffed. "Go ahead and talk."

The small Troll nodded. As she spoke their was almost no feeling, no tone or emotion in what she was saying. "My spies and I found the four BroZone members and Queen Poppy hiding out in Bergen Town. How long they've been there we aren't sure, but we think that their preparing to come here."

"So, in other words, your girlfriend and brothers are going to try and dethrone us?" Ablaze reiterated.

"Basically." Branch shrugged, his red eyes tossing a colorfully drawn scrapbook to his friends. Hype caught it and began to flip through the pages, which showed pictures of a pink Troll and a tall grey Bergen being friendly to one another. "Poppy's there because her best friend is the current Queen, Queen Bridget."

The scrapbook was shut and placed back on the table. The little troll picked it up quickly and handed it to Peppy. He looked so bored, a rare emotion for the former King. "Why don't we just let them come?"

The Kismet members stared at Ablaze in disbelief.

"What? We could totally beat them with our powers. I mean come on, what do they have? An armadillo bus and determination?" Ablaze scoffed. "Like that's gonna help them. If they seriously think they can beat us, then we'll just teach them a lesson. Just like we did with the other Troll's."

"Yeah, but the Troll's didn't know what was happening when we took over." Hype explained, looking at the Pop Troll's in the room. Specifically the small one and the King. "We did the song in a secret hiding place until we were certain it was working. How do you suppose we get all of BroZone and the Queen to listen?"

Branch looked up at Hype with a glare. The glitter troll immediately shrunk. "We aren't turning Poppy grey."

"What!?" Ablaze and Boom said at the same time.

"My decision is final." Branch calmly said, before he glared at his friends. The necklace and his eyes glowed in unison. "Unless you want me to change my plan." 

The two rushed out apologies, repeating that it was the best plan, the greatest plan to ever be made.

Trickee rolled his eyes. "What do you want us to do?"

The first- or, as the Kismet members had slowly realized- the most important King, Branch, grinned. "I'm sending two of you to break into the Bergen Town castle and get Poppy back."

"Get her back?" Hype reiterated. "You mean kidnap her?"

Branch blinked before quickly shaking his head. "No, no, no, I'm just trying to get her away from my brothers. The longer she's with them the more she's going to fall for their stupid schemes. Like their arguing! Don't you remember how they used to argue, Trickee?"

Oh he remembered. He didn't live to far from Branch's old pod, or, his grandmothers old pod. Sometimes he can still recall some of the arguments that the brothers had. "Oh yeah. They loved to argue."

"Exactly!" Branch clapped his hands, a frown sinking into his face. "She's probably getting corrupted by them right now! I need her to here so I can protect her, to keep her safe. Of course I can't go because I'm the one running this operation and me leaving would be totally unethical."

"Excuse me-"

"That's why I'm sending Ablaze and Trickee to Bergen Town." Branch's grin was back. "The two of you will sneak in, grab Poppy, fight my brother's if you have to but don't turn them grey."

Ablaze was excited before he heard that he couldn't turn anyone grey. "UGH! COME ON, BRANCH, I WANNA STEAL MORE JOY! PLEASE!"

Branch sighed. "And we will when we get BroZone. But that will be all of us together when the time comes, alright?"

Trickee nodded. "Sure Branch. I'd be happy to get her back for you." His little brother- his FRIEND - smiled.

Knowing that he wouldn't win the fight, Ablaze sighed. "Fine. Even though I won't be stealing anyone's happiness, I'll save your girlfriend from your crazy, psychotic, angry, revolting, strange, weird-"

"We get it." Boom rolled his eyes.

Ablaze glared at him. "Never cut me off again."

"Alright, alright. Don't the three of you have things to do?" Trickee asked. He was definitely right.

Hype had to figure out what he was going to do with all of the Classical Troll's instruments they had. Their were vaults full of different violins, cellos, and more.

Boom still didn't know what to do about the King and Queen of Funk who kept sending letters. He'd been avoiding them but soon he'd have to write something. And he really didn't want to tell Branch about them.

Ablaze was still trying to find all of the Rock Troll's secret areas. They had a lot of underground and hidden concert halls, and it was taking up a lot of energy to find them all and make sure that they were all grey.

With the idea that they had more stuff to do, the three of them ran out of the pod. Leaving only Trickee and Branch alone.

The new King of Pop and Techno of TrollsTopia knew immediately what he was going to ask him. He sighed as he turned his attention to Peppy and Smidge. "Leave us. Smidge make sure that you and your team don't see Poppy or BroZone move an inch."

The small Troll nodded as the two left the pod.

"So." Trickee cleared his throat. "You sent Synth."

"Mhm." Branch mumbled, looking away. "I named him and Peppy my second-in-commands for stuff, but I didn't want to have to keep looking at him anymore."

Trickee frowned. "We can try and find a way to free-"

"No." When Branch spoke, only one thing went through Trickee's mind.

Danger.

"No I need him to stay like that. I don't really want it that way, but that's what it has to be." Branch mumbled before shaking his head. "I need to get things ready for Poppy, and I need the spies around TrollsTopia to be on the lookout for my broth- I mean them."

"You can call them your brothers, Branch."

"I don't want to."

Trickee mouthed a quick okay before trying to smile again. "When do you want Ablaze and I to leave?"

"Midnight."

"Then we'll leave at midnight."

Branch looked up. Trickee couldn't find a single glimpse of remorse in his eyes. "Don't fail me."

"I won't."

"Good."

Chapter Text

Trickee really, really, didn't want to kidnap an innocent (or in Branch's eyes an innocent) Troll. But he told them to so he had to.

There was a full moon in the sky, illuminating the streets of Bergen Town. A beam of moonlight was lighting up the window that the Pop Troll spies had found BroZone and Poppy in. Ablaze and Trickee stood in front of it, watching the five sleep. 

"That ugly armadillo bus is still there." Ablaze laughed. "I thought it was their dinner, to be honest."

"You thought they would eat a bus?" Trickee rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I don't want to deal with your stupidity right now."

Ablaze stuck out his tongue, but still laughed. How he was so excited and happy to kidnap a person Trickee didn't understand. He felt especially bad that Bruce was in there, sleeping beside the magenta-pink haired Troll. Although they were never particularly close, they were acquaintances.

His attention shifted to Ablaze lightly pushing the window up, just big enough to get the two of them inside. "We get in, we get out. No flashy shows, okay?" Trickee whispered.

The purple Troll groaned. "Seriously?"

"I swear to Troll, if you make them grey I will steal all of the happiness inside of you."

"No you wouldn't, you love me to much." Trickee glared at him before he sneaked his way inside. "You do love me. Right?"

The bed wasn't too far away from the window. It had basic white sheets, and was at least a twin size for Bergen's. But for the Troll's, they may as well have been resting on a cloud. The five were scattered around on the bed. The green haired one was propped against the bus on the right pillow, the greenish-yellow haired Troll was in the middle of the bed, the magenta-pink and Bruce were curled up next to each other on the left pillow, and Queen Poppy was at the foot of the bed. It didn't look like they would have much trouble.

Trickee placed a finger over his mouth to shush Ablaze, who just scoffed in response before using his hair to catapult him to the desk lamp closest to Bruce. He soon followed, giving him a glare. "Did I not just say no flashy shows?" He said in a loud whisper.

"I jumped to a desk lamp, Trick'." He rolled his eyes, cracking his neck as he stared down at the Troll's. "So how are we going to do this?"

That part they never did figure out. What? Trickee has a lot going on in the moment, okay? He doesn't want to have to deal with stupid kidnappings. "We just...grab her and go?" He whispered.

Ablaze shrugged before he cracked his neck again, Trickee flinched from the sound and stood back. The purple Troll quickly wrapped his hair around Poppy's torso, pulling her up to him. Immediately when he grabbed her she screamed.

The scream threw Ablaze off guard, and he let go of the Queen as she slammed into his chest. They both tumbled off the lamp and onto the desk. Both the scream and fall woke the four brothers, who were confusingly staring at the two necklace wielders. "I said not to do a flashy show!"

"AGAIN, HOW WAS THAT A FLASHY SHOW, EXACTLY?"

"Okay I canNOT deal with you right now." Trickee groaned, using his hair to pull Poppy up by her chest. She struggled against the grip and screamed the name of one of the brothers. Something with an F, but he wasn't paying attention. "Okay, now can we go-"

A machete came flying at his hair.

A machete.

Ablaze saw the weapon first. He grabbed Trickee by the arm and pulled him down, the weapon barely grazing his scalp. The two stared in shock before they nodded a quick agreement without having to exchange any words.

It was time to leave.

Now.

The two of them grabbed onto the chandelier pulling themselves up as they were staring down at the brothers. "Wait I've got an idea." Ablaze said before snatching Poppy with his hair and holding her over the chandelier side.

The drop wasn't big enough to hurt a Bergen.

But it could certainly kill, or severely wound a Troll.

 The brothers immediately panicked as they made their way too the foot of the bed, as close to the chandelier they thought they could go.

"Trickee don't do this!"

"Put her down or I'll throw that machete right back into your ugly faces!"

"Nobody has to get hurt!"

"Branch wants to hurt us, not her!"

Ablaze snapped his fingers at the last part. "Correct my magenta haired friend...although I don't know your name."

"That's Floyd." Trickee answered for him.

"Well whatever I don't care about his name." He rolled his eyes, his necklace glowed in the dimly lit room. "Alright Troll's, listen up! I will gladly throw this Troll off the side-" The panic in their eyes was fun. "BUT-! I won't."

The greenish-yellow haired one blinked. "Your not?" Even though he asked it hopefully, their was still lot's of concern in his voice.

Trickee moved beside Ablaze. Out of the five, he was the one that could settle debates and arguments the best. In his opinion, anyway. "Right. But that's only because Branch wants her. So, I think we could make a deal."

A deal?

"What kind of a deal?" The green-haired Troll skeptically asked. The goggles in his hair caught a glimpse of the moonlight.

Ablaze cut Trickee off. "Well, Mr. Square Head, we-"

"We'll tell you exactly what kind of state TrollsTopia is in and how Branch is doing. But only if you allow us to take the Queen." Trickee rolled his eyes at Ablaze, but soon smiled at the faces of Floyd and the square headed Troll. The two of them were considering it.

But Bruce wouldn't let them. "Your seriously going to kidnap her? She's done nothing wrong and your going to kidnap her? Trickee,"

He didn't like someone other than his friends using his name. "I think it's a pretty fair deal. Don't you, Ablaze?"

Quickly the purple Troll nodded. "Oh yeah. Especially because you four, y'know, failed being big brothers and all."

"Excuse me?" The square headed practically growled the two words.

"Oh come on, I've known Branch longer than you four have." Ablaze laughed.

Trickee sighed. "What my dear, dear, stupid friend means to say, is that you've failed being big brothers. In the past, and if you continue on with your stupid plan, in the future." He shrugged. "I mean seriously what's more important to your four right now. Some Queen that's took over your spots as Branch's favorite people, or to know that your baby brother is safe and sound?" He hummed the last few words. Bruce looked up in fear.

"What did you do?"

Now Ablaze knows where this was going. He quickly joined in. "Oh, nothing too bad. We just...helped him, is all."

The square headed one swung his hair for Ablaze's neck, barely missing because of Trickee's quick reflexes. He'd grabbed Ablaze by the arm and pulled him towards himself. The two watched as the hair banged into the wall, actually leaving a dent before getting pulled back. "Can Troll hair even do that?" Ablaze mumbled.

Poppy dangled in the air. "Uh, maybe we can handle this deal on the ground? Y'know, where I'm safe?"

"HEY! THIS IS A PRIVATE DEBATE BETWEEN TWO COOL GUYS AND FOUR LOSERS!" Ablaze yelled.

Trickee cleared his throat. He just had to be partnered with a child, didn't he? "What do you mean, Ablaze?" He grinned, resting his elbow on his friends shoulder. "I mean, if my boyfriend was taken I would be a lot worried about what's been happening to him."

The Queen's eyes widened.

"So this is the deal. Miss. Cupcakes and rainbows comes with us, and in exchange we tell you the state of the Troll's and Branch." Trickee's necklace slightly glowed. "Do we have a deal?"

The four looked at each other before making eye contact. Poppy took a deep breath before she gave the brothers a reassuring smile. None of them wanted to send her away, but it was their last good idea. 

It was the magenta-pink haired one that stepped forward and spoke up. "Then...we accept the deal."

A quick snap of his fingers and Ablaze was running to the window, quickly bouncing out as he held onto Poppy. Trickee followed suit but stopped at the window. "Your not very good brothers, are you?"

None of them responded.

And Ablaze wasn't here.

Neither was Branch.

"He took it all. Everything, every Troll in TrollsTopia is grey and under his- our, control. We were all named King of our own tribes. Branch gave himself two. Techno, and Pop." He tried to sound confident, but it was deflating fast. And soon Trickee gave in to his fears. "Branch is...losing it. Slowly, he's losing his empathy, and remorse, and kindness."

Trickee opened the window farther, pushing it open as he turned back to look at the brothers again. "There are spies waiting for you around the village, so go in quietly. If Branch tries to turn Poppy grey you rush in and save her immediately. Don't look back to see if he'll come after you, and if he does, don't leave the bus."

The four glanced at each other before Bruce spoke up. "Why are you helping us?"

"Because I know my little brother." Trickee said as he stepped out. "And whatever that thing is that's calling himself King, is not my little brother."

The window slammed shut.

To say that he was scared was an understatement.

More like terrifyingly nervous.

With nothing to do but play games, Hype and Boom had been sitting near the middle of the mushroom. They were playing a weird form of rummy that Branch had never seen before. He sat on his throne, cracking his knuckles every few seconds out of anxiety.

Most of the grey Troll's were asleep. Branch had confined Peppy into his pod and told two other grey Troll's to guard it with their lives. 

He couldn't risk Poppy seeing her dad and getting mad at him. Because that would mean that his brother's had gotten to her.

"Hey, Branch?" Hype asked. He'd gotten a little more comfortable around Branch, which the blue Troll was very happy about. He got a little angry, Hype got a little angry, they had a bad fight, and now he seemed to understand that. "Who was that Techno Troll I saw you with at the Lagoon?"

Right. He went back to Synth again. This time he didn't say anything. Branch just sat down beside him near the water before he pulled his knees into his chest and cried, mumbling "I'm sorry" over and over again until he felt his voice might've broken. Most of the Troll's said things. The Techno and Country Troll's specifically for some reason did not. Well the large majority didn't.

"Nobody important." Branch said, gazing up at the sky. The moon was glowing brightly along with the stars. Shouldn't those two be back by now?

As if the universe heard him, three colorful figures came running towards them. "We got her!" Ablaze yelled as he came into view.

Sure enough, Poppy was being dragged by the purple Troll's hair. Trickee jumped up onto the mushroom to meet with the others, Ablaze had to quickly fumble around with some vines that Boom had tossed, carefully keeping Poppy unable to move as he rejoined his friends. Branch carefully stepped off the throne, nearing the edge. He hoped that the vines didn't hurt her.

Poppy was the first one to speak, like always. "Branch!?" She looked around frantically. "Where is everyone? And what happened to your eyes?"

"Questions that will be answered but for right now, don't really matter." Branch shrugged. "I'm so sorry I left you alone with my brothers. I know they've probably been corrupting you and all feeding you all these lies into your head. That and a whole lot of arguing." He laughed to ease the tension that was brewing in the air. "But now that your here, everything is fine now."

She squinted her eyes. "Fine? Branch, this isn't fine!" Poppy sucked in a breath. It was the necklace that was making him think this way, she was sure of that. "Branch, I will never defend your brothers for what they did to you. You didn't deserve to be abandoned and I'm so sorry that you were. But you need to listen to me. Your not a violent person, and I know, deep down, you don't want to do this."

She's right.

Shut up no she isn't.

Isn't she though? Why would you cry for Synth if you didn't feel remorse?

Just shut up.

"I brought your brothers because they could help you. They want to help you, all of them. Their only crying and fighting right now because their so worried about you. All I'm trying to do is help you Branch." Poppy sniffled. "I don't hate you for what you've done, I know you feel remorse. I know that you don't want this."

"Your brothers have changed, Branch! Sure, they'll always fight a little, but their resolving their issues! Their talking and getting closer together," Poppy smiled softly. "Their fixing what they did wrong.

Branch furrowed his brows.

It made sense after a minute. He couldn't help but start laughing, the necklace and his eyes glowing brighter. "Oh, now I get it! You've been listening to Floyd and his ramblings so much you've begun to think like him too."

The other five were silent. Poppy most of all.

"What are you talking about?" Boom asked.

"I'm saying that she must have heard my stupid brother Floyd say that they were improving so many times that now she believes it." Branch smirked. "Come on Poppy, forget about whatever you heard my brother say. Let's just get you back to being Queen, okay? To being with me." He reached his hand out. "Trust me-"

"No." She cut him off. Hype was getting very quick flashbacks over his disagreement with Branch and he quickly moved himself backwards.

"...No?" Branch's eyes twitched, his eyes glowing redder as his first clenched.

Trickee gritted his teeth. This was definitely not good.

Sensing the tension he grabbed Hype and Boom by the wrists, pulling the two of them back. Hype walked back voluntarily, practically cowering behind Trickee.

"Oh."

"I see how it is."

Branch jumped off the mushroom, walking slowly to his girlfriend. His eyes were glowing, and she couldn't help but move back.

"Poppy knows best"

"Poppy's so mature now"

"Such a clever grown-up miss"

He was mocking her. Poppy didn't think he'd ever mock her, even if some necklace was controlling him.

"Poppy knows best"

"Fine, if you're so sure now"

"Go ahead, and give them this"

Branch had pride it from his hair, tossing it from of her. It was an old Pop Village article that dictated how BroZone split up.

Four Troll's seeing leaving: John Dory, Spruce, Clay, and Floyd. Bitty B was nowhere insight.

Their manager claiming they had an argument that brought the downfall of the band, and overall their family.

The baby brother hadn't been seen in weeks by the press.

"Can't help but blame it on the brothers." The manager said in one report. "The guilt ones always have a way of ruining the lives of the innocent ones."

"All Bitty B wanted to do was sing with his brothers." Their producer commented. "The others wanted the fame, but Bitty B was to young to understand that. All he wanted was to be with his brothers because he loved them. It's upsetting to know now that John Dory, Spruce, Clay, and Floyd probably didn't really love him."

A stage worker said: "I think the older siblings loved the fame. Too bad that Bitty B had to pay the price and get left behind, he was always the nicest."

The innocent in question being Bitty B.

"Branch-"

"This is why their here!"

"Don't let them deceive you!"

"Give it to them, watch, you'll see!"

Poppy just barely reached the article. She gripped it tight in her hands.

"I will."

So many adults that knew the older brothers blamed it on them.

And made Branch look like a victim

A victim that nobody seemed to care enough to save.

"Trust me, my dear"

"That's how fast they'll leave you"

She could see through the corner of her eyes the faces of the Kismet group. The orange one, Trickee, was giving her a pitiful look.

Poppy realized it when she saw a fog begin to appear around her.

Oh gumdrops he was going to turn her grey.

"I won't say I told you so - no"

"Poppy knows best!"

"So if my brothers are have improved"

"Go and put them to the test"

Branch turned on his heels, marching back up to the mushroom. The red fog was rolling in, and all Poppy could do was watch.

"Don't do this, Branch! You have to listen to me, please!"

"If their lying"

"Don't come crying"

"The victim always knows best."

The fog was nearing her, and Poppy was sure she was going to turn grey again, until a familiar armadillo bus appeared from the trees.

It stopped in front of her, blocking her off from Branch. John Dory opened the door and grabbed her with his hair, the two of them pushed into each other. "Drive Bruce, drive!"

With a quick peddle on the gas the armadillo bus was running past the trees.

"I was really hoping that bus was dead." Ablaze mumbled. "So, I'm guessing we go after them-?"

"YES OF COURSE YOU IDIOTS, LET'S GO!"

"Poppy, are you okay?" Clay asked as he helped free her.

She wiped her eyes but found it in her to nod. "Yeah...I'll be okay." The article was still tightly clenched in her hand, and she didn't plan on letting it go. Not now anyway.

Rhonda looked up at the trees, immediately sensing danger as she quickened her pace. "What is it Rhonda?" John Dory asked, but they knew what it was.

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"You didn't know that 'cha fell"

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"Now that you're under our spell"

"Gumdrops, not this again!" Clay groaned. He didn't want to run from his brother again. That was the complete opposite of what he wanted.

Floyd was going to say something to calm Clay down before an article was handed to him by Poppy. "I think..." She mumbled as he took it. "I think I know what helped influence his hatred...for you guys"

He didn't want to look at it, but he took it from her hands anyways.

"Blindsided by the beat"

"Clapping your hands, stompin' your feet"

"You didn't know that 'cha fell"

"(Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)"

"Now you've fallen under our spell"

"(Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)"

The fog was rolling in again, and glowing lights appeared from every direction in the forest.

One beam of light in one of their chests, one trickle of fog grabbing them, and it was over.

"We've got the music"

"Makes you move it (makes you move it)"

"Got the song that makes you lose it (you lose it)"

"We say, "Jump""

"You say, "How high?""

"Put your hands up to the sky"

When the first sign of fog appeared through the crack of the doorway, Rhonda quickly swerved left, trying to outrun it.

They needed to stay close to the village. They would hide out, make sure Poppy was okay, and then go get Branch.

But they couldn't do that if they were grey.

"We've got the music"

"Makes you move it"

"Got the song that makes you lose it"

"We say, "Jump""

"You say, "How high?""

"Put your hands up to the sky"

"Bruce, keep her steady!" John Dory yelled.

"That's what I'm trying to do!"

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"You didn't know that 'cha fell"

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"Now that you're under our spell"

The fog was growing.

Crimson surrounding them as a pair of glowing red eyes followed their movements from the trees.

John Dory squinted at it. "What is-"

"It's Branch."

"Listen to the sound of my voice"

"(Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

"Soon you'll find you don't have a choice"

"(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)

"Captured in the web of my song"

"(Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)"

"Soon you'll all be singing along"

"(Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)"

Poppy straightened her back.

"Bruce turn around."

"What!?" Bruce didn't even glance at her.

"Just do it!"

With no other options left Rhonda quickly swerved around and started running back the way she came.

The falter in Branch's voice was clear he wasn't prepared for that.

"We've got the music"

"Makes you move it (makes you move it)"

"Got the song that makes you lose it (you lose it)"

"We say, "Jump""

"You say, "How high?""

"Put your hands up to the sky"

They were running straight.

But still, she knew it was there.

Well, Poppy they they were there.

"We've got the music"

"Makes you move it"

"Got the song that makes you lose it"

"We say, "Jump""

"You say, "How high?""

"Put your hands up to the sky"

Rhonda turned right when Poppy yelled at Bruce to turn right.

Rhonda turned left when Poppy yelled at Bruce to turn left.

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"You didn't know that 'cha fell"

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"Now that you're under our spell"

"There!" Poppy randomly yelled, pointing to a bush that was covering a small ravine. She opened the door and hung outside.

Floyd was the one that looked up from the article and ran to her, grabbing her arm. "Poppy, what are you doing!?"

Poppy reached her hair out towards the bush. It was intercepted and grabbed onto by a tuff of blonde hair. Rhonda swerved to the left, crashing down into the bush and into the ravine.

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"You didn't know that 'cha fell"

Rhonda fell but didn't move. "Rhonda!-" John Dory started to scream before Clay put a hand over his mouth.

The sound of Kismet's voices was growing.

"Oh-woah (oh-woah-oh), oh woah"

"Now that you're under our spell"

Poppy could swear she heard Branch laugh in the distance. Bruce pried open the door and slowly the five Troll's stepped out. "Poppy!" A loud whisper rang out as Viva swept her sister into her arms. "You have no idea how worried I was for you."

She happily hugged her sister back. "I missed you to."

"Uh, I'm really happy to see you to, but how did you find us?" Clay nervously asked.

Viva just smiled. "It's a secret."

The voices began to grow louder. John Dory rolled Rhonda onto her side, and ushered the Troll's to lay against her on her exposed side. Viva clung to her baby sister as the voices were heard.

"I thought you said that you caught one." It was Branch's voice.

"I'm serious Branch, one of the Troll's fell out of the door!" Poppy recognized the voice, their name was Boom if she remembered right.

"Okay, I know where this is going, and I don't want any arguments." Trickee quickly intervened. "They probably crashed somewhere. Our best bet is to assume that they somehow made it into the trees or something."

"Are you trying to as sinuate that that ugly armadillo is also a monkey?" Another voice said. It was the one that had grabbed her earlier, Ablaze.

"Just shut up, all of you. I don't see any crash remains or any blood, so, I'm assuming their all alive." There was no joy in Branch's voice, just the sound of evil. "I'm going back to TrollsTopia. They'll be back soon."

"Yeah, your probably right." Ablaze answered. "Hey Hype, did you ever end up opening those vaults of instruments?"

There was a groan, and the soft disappearing of voices. "No! Do you know how many they put in!? It's ridiculous!"

"That's because you got Classical. Loser." Boom said, mixed with the sound of Trickee and Ablaze laughing in the distance.

"Say's the one that still has letters from the Funk King and Queen coming." Hype loudly declared.

"WHAT!?" Branch yelled, obviously unaware of that fact.

"UH- I'LL MEET YOU GUYS BACK HOME!" Boom's voice disappeared at the last sound, with the laughter fading away.

"OH YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!" 

The last thing they heard felt directed to her specifically.

Clay was the first once to stand up, who nodded to the others that the coast was clear. "I guess we hide out here? To...plan?"

John Dory and Bruce nodded along. "Great idea little bro." John Dory smiled.

Poppy, still in the process of being hugged by Viva, took a glance at Floyd.

He was shaking, clutching the article in his hands.

"I'm sorry." Floyd whispered to the air, the only one that heard him being Poppy. "I'll do better."

"I'll never leave you again, Baby Branch."

Chapter Text

Ablaze didn't know what was going on.

After the whole "Poppy and BroZone Take #2 Incident", as he so fashionably dubbed it, Branch had been pretty quiet. He was spending most of his time with the Pop Troll's that he had working jobs, or with that Techno Troll down by the water.

He and Boom had been walking to his bunker to find him when they heard someone scream. They looked at each other, realizing that it was coming from the ground.

Coming from the bunker.

"Branch!" The two screamed at once, breaking in to reach him.

Branch was standing in his living room, staring at what at first glance Ablaze thought was a wild animal. It was bouncing off the shelves, throwing and scattering books and other gadgets onto the floor.

Boom reached him first. He grabbed Branch by the arm and started looking him over. Grabbing his arms, legs, his face. "Are you okay!? What hurt you? Is one of BroZone here!?"

"What?" Branch blinked before he shoved him off. "No. I just...did something."

"Well yeah were all doing things." Boom rolled his eyes, getting a punch on the shoulder from the purple Troll.

Ablaze gently touched Branch's shoulder. "What happened?"

Whatever he had seen on the shelves had moved somewhere else in the bunker. Ablaze could hear the sound of pots and pans crashing onto the ground, and what sounded like a rough scraping noise.

"Okay, look. I may or may not have come down here to sing and chill out." Branch using song to calm down? That was a first in a millennium. "But one of the Pop Troll's snuck in and that just...really made me mad so I attacked them with the necklace, and-"

Boom was looking at him with a confused look. "But the already grey Troll's don't do anything when we sing."

Branch glared at him for cutting him off before calming himself down. "I thought the same thing. But-"

He pointed to the kitchen, where Ablaze and Boom saw the old King Peppy trashing everything. He still had his grey colors, but his eyes were completely black. Two large cracks were running from his eyes, cutting into his skin. "I was looking at him in the eyes when I sang, and...well his turned that color and he just went wild."

What shocked Branch the most was that he was telling the truth. Peppy had come down at the wrong time and he reacted wrongly. But he was also in the middle of a song! Branch had at least a small right to be annoyed that he had been disturbed. The fog had appeared and kept the old King in his place, but there was no fear or anger in his eyes. He had a cold expression that read no emotion. Which only angered Branch more, and the longer he focused on Peppy's eyes the more blackened and cracked they got.

"So, your saying that the necklace and your voice made him turn into that?" Boom said, pointing to the deranged Peppy running around. "And should we care?"

The new King of Pop quickly nodded. "Look at it this way, guys. With my necklace turning the grey Troll's into crazy grey Troll's, then-"

"Then everything everyone always called us was right all along?" Boom cut in.

Both Ablaze and Branch glared at him. Neither of them wanted to remember being grey. In their minds they never had been anyway.

"What I was going to say before someone forgot they were already on thin ice," Branch scoffed. "Was that we could infect everyone, and get an army. So that way you guys can get the kingdom's that I promised!"

That got their attention. "Do you seriously think we could control them?" boom asked questionably. "Peppy doesn't seem like he's...well,"

"Smart?"

"Yeah, that."

"That's the thing. I think they only respond to the person that turned them that way in the first place. Watch." Branch looked at Peppy, who was trying to dig himself out of the bunker. Well dig was an overstatement. More like, clawing at the walls. "Peppy come here."

Sure enough he listened. Peppy turned around, practically running up to Branch's side. "See?"

Ablaze saw it.

Boom saw it.

They both liked it.

"Let me get this straight. You want to hold a big concert, with the five of performing like a band, to get all of the other Troll's into this weird army of yours." Trickee had to hear him say it outload.

"Pretty much."

Hype was thinking it over. Sure it wouldn't be hard for them to do, but controlling them? That would be difficult. "But they have more personality to them than were used to currently. You don't think that will be a problem?"

"I'm positive." Branch smirked. "I promise I'll get you your kingdom's as quickly as possible."

"And- how did Ablaze and Boom feel about this?" Hype asked.

Branch squinted his eyes. "They agreed immediately. Why."

"I was just curious about whether or not you told us first." Hype said to defend themselves. Luckily Branch seemed to buy into it, and soon he was grinning again and explaining the story to Trickee and Hype this time.

But Hype didn't want to stick around after hearing the very descriptive story told by Branch. Trickee was honestly surprised how much detail of the interaction his friend had remembered. It was both terrifying and incredible.

When he was sure the two of them were alone outside he asked him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great!" Branch responded with a grin, which, okay, Trickee wasn't expecting.

"Wait- really?" Branch quickly nodded. "But you've been doing so terrible lately, so offense. And after BroZone came and took Poppy back, the amount of times I've seen you down at the Lagoon with Synth, I've just thought-"

"No, no, listen Trick'. I've accepted now that my brothers have infiltrated Poppy's head and have filled her with lies, and that she's so totally brainwashed that I probably won't be alone to save her."

Trickee blinked. That wasn't a reaction he was expecting.

"And as much as I would love, and I mean love, to find my my brothers and strangle them, I'm going to think rationally." Branch said with a grin.

"And thinking rationally in this situation is?"

Branch took a deep breath, as if preparing himself to say it. It was only in the current moment that Trickee realized that what he was saying made him upset. "Thinking rationally in this situation is that I completely forget that my brothers and Poppy exist. I just need to let them go in the woods, let them die from a predator or something, and focus on the future."

Okay that was definitely not what Trickee thought Branch would ever say about Poppy. "You want to just leave Poppy to die?"

"Of course I don't! But I'd rather be happy with you guys then focus on a brainwashed Pop Troll."

Trickee smiled. He ruffled Branch's hair. "Good idea, Branch."

He was hoping that what Branch was telling him was what he really felt.

Viva hadn't told Poppy the exact story of how she got there, but it had something to do with what she called a "gut feeling". That whatever was happening with her baby sister was about to get ten times worse, and she needed to be there immediately.

Clay was overjoyed to see Viva there. Seeing her was a breath of fresh air to the tension that had lingered before.

And was especially lingering now.

Rhonda was hiding inside the safety of a large bush. Under strict authority of John Dory, nobody was allowed to leave the bus until they reached TrollsTopia and saved Branch, which they were planning to do the following day. They still had to find their way back, and make sure that they had a well thought-out plan (even though John Dory thought they should just go for it).

The tension that had been in the guest room had slowly been disappearing. The only one that was still quiet was Floyd.

In the middle of the night John Dory decided to take his chances when he noticed his younger brother staring at something in his hands. A piece of paper was what he thought it was at a first glance. "Floyd?"

The magenta haired Troll shoved the paper into his hair before he turned around, trying to look as calm as he could. "Y-Yeah?"

John Dory frowned. Floyd had been crying again. "Are you feeling alright?"

Their voices were in a low whisper, trying to let the other four Troll's sleep.

"Oh sure, I'm doing great. It's not like my baby brother wants us dead or anything." Floyd bitterly said.

John Dory let out a light laugh. "Yeah...his eye were red, did you see?"

Floyd nodded.

"...What will you do after we save him?" John Dory tried to make himself sound optimistic, as if he just knew that Branch would be free soon.

Floyd didn't need a second to think. "I'm not leaving him again, John. I'll stay in TrollsTopia and keep Branch safe."

A part of him knew that his brother would say that. "That's what I had first planned on doing when I got here."

Floyd gave him a look. "Really?"

"Yeah. I came to the Troll Tree a while ago, and when I saw grandma's pod, I...well I thought Branch was dead." John Dory rubbed his arm anxiously. He didn't want to remember it, not really anyways. "So I had a funeral for him. Then I heard about the Rock Apocalypse and I heard he was alive..."

He never cried.

But he cried enough tears to fill a pool out of relief.

"When I learned that he was alive there was no other question to it. I made my way back to TrollsTopia to keep him safe. That way he'd never have to go on another crazy mission again while I kept him safe."

The two sat in silence. John Dory pulled Floyd in with one arm, hugging his little brother.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"You think he might ever forgive us?"

John Dory shrugged. "Who knows. But we can definitely make the effort to try, right?"

"Right."

The sun rose, a plan was formed, and Rhonda was running through the woods.

The stage was set, the microphones were on, the moonlight was shining, and the grey Troll's were in the audience.

They were saving Branch.

They were getting what they wanted.

Chapter Text

It felt like the closer they got to TrollsTopia, the darker the forest had become. And so was the sound of singing. The song was distant, and sounded like it had barely begun, but the six Troll's knew who it was.

"So what's the plan?" Viva asked, directly to no one in particular. She didn't expect anyone to answer her either. John Dory was staring straight ahead at the wheel with his three brothers crowded around him. Poppy was the only one standing a little farther back.

It ended up being Floyd that answered. "Sing the perfect family harmony and break his necklace."

That was as far as they had gotten in their planning. Except Clay who had been thinking to himself. "Actually, I don't think that's the first thing we should do."

"What we need to do first is apologize."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "We already said we'd do that."

"I mean that the first thing we say to him is apologize. To get him to listen to us, and to catch him off guard." His brothers gave him a confused look. "Oh my Troll- look, Branch is obviously going to either sing over us, or retaliate against us, so we need him to be so perplexed that it takes him a minute to register what's going on.'

John Dory blinked. "Perplexed?"

"It means confused, John." Bruce answered before turning back to his little brother. "Do you really think that will work?"

Clay shrugged. "It's worth a try."

"But what about the others?" Viva said. "They don't exactly seem ready to abandon Branch."

It sounded like an insult whether or not she had meant it that way. "I don't think they'll sing if he doesn't." Clay said. "That Trickee guy told us everything going on. I think their scared of him right now. I think when it really comes down to it they'll let us win."

They hoped that'd be the case.

The singing in the distance was getting louder. Soon Rhonda stumbled into a growing crimson, twinkling fog. "Branch." Floyd mumbled. Outside of the windshield he could see what looked like a concert hall. It looked almost identical to the one that he and his brothers last performed in together.

Rhonda hopped from a mushroom up to the top edge of the stadium, overlooking the thousands of grey Troll's below them. No fog was around them, which was a huge sigh of relief.

They never did figure out what to do about their singing and the fog.

And while the fog problem was cleared up.

The Kismet group and their singing was not.

They were singing again.

But why?

Poppy looked closer to the crowd before she could see her friends. Their eyes were black, with a few cracks under their eyelids. They were screaming out of both anger and excitement. To the singing, but also at each other.

"Look at that." Viva pointed to the red light streams that were encircling their necklaces. "I thought you said that they were stealing only the Troll's happiness and leaving them grey. What else are they taking?"

None of them knew the answer.

"It could be their freedom?" Clay said.

"I was going to say their joy."

"John that's the same thing as happiness." Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Their humanity." Floyd mumbled, feeling tears in his eyes at the sight of baby brother. He looked so happy in such a horrible, terrible way. "Their taking what makes them a Troll and making them fight."

Everything was perfect.

The grey Troll's were gathered in the concert, and Branch was happy.

Ecstatic even.

Finally he was going to get that stupid army, take over the Troll world, and then everything would be normal again.

"This is going to be fun." Ablaze laughed as he held the microphone towards his face.

"Branch, are you sure you want to do...everyone?" Trickee questionably asked.

He knew what he meant. Branch could see him in the crowd of people that had been forcefully dragged over by Smidge and her group of spies.

Synth had no emotion on his face. Standing next to a few other Troll's he didn't recognize, he was watching Branch's every move.

Branch found himself mouthing to him "I'm sorry" before he really thought about what he was doing.

It didn't matter in the end.

Synth didn't matter in the end.

"It's fine." He answered before bringing the microphone closer to his face, his necklace glowing.

Boom's glowed soon after, followed by the other three members. "And if we see your brothers?"

"Or the Queen?" Hype chimed in, not wanting his friend's girlfriend to be forgotten.

"Hopefully we won't."

"Hopefully?" Boom repeated.

"Hopefully their dead, and will never bother us again." Branch's eyes were glowing, her turned around with an angry frown to look over his friends before looking forward again. "Now shut up and be perfect."

The fog had already begun to roll in when they started to sing.

"Ah, ah-ah-ah"

Ablaze stared first. Happy to join into the whole "create an army thing".

" Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah"

Boom joined after him, with Hype not too far behind.

" Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah"

Reluctantly Trickee soon sang as well.

"Ah (ah-ah-ah-ah"

"Ah-ah-ah (ah-ah-ah-ah"

Branch looked around and saw the red lights that were soon guiding themselves towards the necklaces.

He didn't think there was anything left to steal, but whatever.

"Welcome to the show  (ah-ah-ah-ah)"

"We're here to let you know (ah-ah-ah-ah)"

"Our time is now (ah-ah-ah-ah)"

"Your time is running out (ah-ah-ah)"

"We need to disconnect their microphones. Like Clay said they need to be caught off guard." Poppy said, watching her boyfriend intently. She'd gotten the brothers to listen to her words about sticking gumdrops in your eyes to block out the music.

She said that it "worked last time", whatever that meant.

"I've got this." Viva gave a reassuring nod to her sister.

Poppy smiled, giving her a quick hug before she'd stepped out of the bus. "Thank you."

"Anything for my baby sister. And my brother-in-law." Viva winked to her before using her hair to bring her over to the side of the stage. None of the band members had seen her.

Not yet anyway.

The light was raising them higher into the air. Branch could feel that same rush of joy, and the sound of Ablaze happily laughing and Boom smiling at the feeling.

Even Trickee and Hype were grinning.

It was perfect.

They were perfect.

"Feel the wave of sound as it crashes down"

"You can't turn away"

"We'll make you wanna stay"

The five necklaces glowed brightly, each member's eyes glowing as brightly red as Branch's.

It was a rush of adrenaline and happiness.

The red light danced around the five of them like a ballerina. It looked beautiful. Breathtaking, even.

The crowd had their blackened eyes, their cracks, and they were screaming.

Some cheered them on.

Others argued amongst themselves.

But regardless it was everything that Branch had wanted.

"We will be adored"

"Tell us that you want us"

"We won't be ignored"

"It's time for our reward"

The necklace glowed.

Not it's normal glow. That was nightlight glow.

This?

This was glowstick glow. The moons glow. The suns glow. The moon and the sun combined.

Branch looked down at his legs, seeing the cuts of red that were being drawn onto his skin.

Light was shining from the cuts. They were as small as raindrops, floating into the sky before disappearing.

The cuts appeared on his arms, his legs, chest, and his hair got more lively. Like it had more volume to it.

When Branch looked behind him he saw that the same thing had happened to them to.

"Now, you need us"

"Come and heed us"

It felt powerful. He felt powerful. The thousands of grey Troll's were staring at him, listening to his words.

"It's working!" Hype exclaimed with a laugh.

Even their personality's were fixed.

Branch was more than pleased.

"Nothing can stop us now"

Did he jinx himself?

He must of.

Because of soon as he sang it the microphones went out.

None of the grey Troll's reacted to the silence, they were still staring at the group with wonder. And they were still in the air, of course. The fog was there, the light beams, their new forms, everything.

"Which one of you just did that." Branch angrily said, turning around to his friends. None of them said a word.

"I did." It was coming from the back stage from a pink and lemon haired Troll. She was smiling, both hands on her hips and looking proud. "Don't get me wrong your voices are wonderful, but, that necklace is not doing you any favors."

"Okay- who is that!?" Trickee said, pointing at the mystery woman. "I thought we got all the Pop Troll's."

Branch was going to answer, before he heard his name getting called.

"Branch!"

At the top, right in front of him, was Poppy and BroZone.

Incredible.

Branch still found it in him to scoff and laugh, even though he was definitely confused. "I thought you'd be dead."

"Look, Bitty B," John Dory stepped forward, his hands raised in defense. "We aren't going to hurt you. Nobody is going to hurt you, but we need you to listen to us. Please."

He heard Ablaze laugh. Branch shot him a death glare and he quickly shut up. "Talk about what? How you four are about to join them?"

"Please, Branch. Don't do this." Bruce said, stepping up beside John. "I know you don't want to hurt anyone.

"Hurt them?" Branch laughed. "No, no, no, this isn't hurting them. Really, their too far gone to make this hurt them."

"Come on Baby Branch, take off the necklace." Clay spoke up, standing beside Bruce. He tried to sound as confident as his brothers, but inside he was scared. And you could definitely hear it in his voice. "It's hurting you. Take it off."

Branch looked back at his friends before he smiled. "Boom, please do the honors?"

Boom grinned as he used his hair to grab the pink haired Troll by the torso and smack her into the wall.

Clay and Poppy both screamed her name at the same time. Something with a V?

"Let's get this over with." Hype cracked his neck.

"What we have in store? (Ah)"

"All we want and more (ah)"

Right in front of their necklace's small circles of red light appeared.

"Is-He isn't really going to-" Clay fumbled with the words.

Bruce pushed the Troll back with his hand. "I think he knows about the gumdrops!"

Floyd stared at his brother before frowning, walking to the rim of the stage before jumping down.

"Floyd!" 

He landed on the mushroom. The whole stage was so eerily like the one that he last played in with his brothers, he wondered if Branch meant to do this.

His brother hadn't noticed him apparently.

"We will break on through (ah)"

"Now, it's time to finish you"

"I'M SORRY!" Floyd screamed, shutting his eyes and clenching his fits.

But nothing came.

Slowly he cracked open his eyes to see that the spheres had disappeared.

The four members in the back were looking at each for direction. Boom let go of Viva, catching a glimpse of Poppy rushing down to meet her.

Branch was staring at his brother, appalled. "W-What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry." Floyd took a step forward. "I'm so sorry, I never should have left. You didn't deserve that, you were only a baby. You deserve to hate me Branch, and I won't be mad at you for feeling that way. But this?" He pointed around. "None of this changes how I feel about you. Your my baby brother Branch, and I love you. And I promise that I will, never, ever, leave you again."

Behind him emerged his three brothers, all standing beside him.

The first to speak up was John Dory. "I'm sorry. Nothing I will ever say will make up for it but I'm sorry. You never deserved that, and I never should have pushed the band so hard anyway. It used to be fun but I made into something terrible. And what's worse is that you had to take the fall for us being terrible. I'm so sorry Branch. I love you, Baby Branch."

He wasn't prepared for this.

For any of this.

Branch took a step back, overwhelmed.

He never thought he'd hear his brothers apologize, or be this closer to him, ever again.

"You deserved better then us. So much better. We deserve to be grey, I know that. It isn't fair that you were and we weren't. But, deep down, you know that you shouldn't be doing this. Your mad at us, now them. And you have every right to be mad at us. I'm so sorry I was to much of a baby at the time to think things rationally and be a good big brother." Bruce looked like he was about to cry. In fact they all did. "I love you Bitty B, and I know you have a good heart. And I know that you know you shouldn't do this."

Yes he should. 

Shouldn't he?

"I never had to leave. I should have stayed with you. I was at the Troll Tree, I should of-" Clay forces himself to stop talking. "I'm so sorry Baby Branch. I should of...I should have come back and helped you. I should have stayed with you, I should have been a big brother to you. But I didn't and now look what happened." He awkwardly laughed. "I love you, Baby Branch."

His friends were looking at each other. Without Branch guiding them, they didn't really...know what to do.

"...Branch?" Trickee was the first one to speak up. "Are you-"

"EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP FOR TWO SECONDS AND JUST GO AWAY ALREADY!" He screamed. He didn't know what to think right now and everyone around him was making it worse.

Kismet backed up quickly.

BroZone didn't.

Poppy and Viva joined them by their side.

Branch didn't...know what to say.

He knew he should sing. Just turn them grey and get it over with.

So many "I'm sorry" and "I love you" phrases being thrown around. 

It was overwhelming him.

Until Floyd took a step forward and started singing.

"It's some kinda love, it's some kind of fire"

"I'm already up, but you lift me higher (Oo)"

Behind him, John Dory, Bruce, and Clay played back up for him.

And Branch had no idea what to do.

"You know I'm not wrong, you know I'm not lyin'"

"We do it better, we do it better, yeah"

Floyd saw his brother's confused face and smiled.

Clay's plan was working.

"And I don't mind if the world spins faster"

"The music's louder, the waves get stronger"

"I don't mind if the world spins faster"

"Faster, faster"

His brothers were actually singing.

Was he dreaming?

"Just let me take you to a better place (let me take you to a better place)

"I'm gonna make ya kiss the sky tonight"

Every choreographed step they took, they'd get closer to Branch.

And each time he would back up.

"Yeah, if you let me show the way"

"I'm so excited to see you excited"

Poppy joined in on the end.

Of course she did, when would she not resist a song?

The lemon haired Troll was by her side, smiling along side her.

"I'll take you to a better place (I'll take you to a better place)"

"And, baby, you can love me on the way"

"We're flyin' up to outer space"

Branch watched Poppy bounce the lemon haired Troll up into the air, who was caught by his brother Clay.

When did Clay get a girlfriend?

Only when Poppy and Floyd grabbed hands, smiling at each other did he realize what they doing.

Or, what they realized, what they were succeeding at.

"I'm so excited (I'm so excited)"

"To see you excited (to see you excited, yeah), yeah"

"The perfect family harmony..." He mumbled to himself.

Soon his entire family was floating in the air, glowing colorfully as they sang.

His family.

His entire family was here.

Branch felt his tense shoulders relax a little.

"I don't mind if the world spins faster"

"The music's louder, the waves get stronger"

He raised higher in the air, the red light slowly falling back down onto the ground.

Soon he was at the same height as his brothers.

Each of them were staring at him with hopeful looks.

Branch couldn't see it, but they did,

The necklace was cracking.

"I don't mind if the world spins faster"

"Faster, faster, faster"

Branch glanced at Poppy, who had tears in her eyes.

Then he looked at his brothers, who was just in arms reach of each other.

"(Yeah)"

Branch said it lowly.

But just the sound of it made his brother's smile, with teary eyes and relief in their faces.

"Just let me take you to a better place"

The necklace shattered in front of him, and far below him he could hear the sound of shattering from the stage.

Trickee, Hype, Ablaze, and Boom no doubt.

Would they be angry at him? He hoped not. If anything Trickee and Hype might have been relieved.

Branch felt his body go stiff, and the cuts on his arm begin to disappear.

That, and he felt his body begin to tip backward.

The brothers widened their eyes in horror, all hands immediately reaching out to grab him.

"BRANCH!"

Chapter Text

When Branch opened his eyes it took him a minute to realize where he was. The dirt on the ceiling quickly made him realize he was in his bunker, but why was he here? Wasn't he just on stage? And where was his necklace?

He touched his neck but found that the ruby wasn't there. Branch pushed himself up, his body felt weak and his legs like jelly. Nothing in his room seemed out of the ordinary. Did he dream everything that happened?

That would be one weird dream. The downfall of TrollsTopia, reuniting with Kismet and BroZone? Almost turning his girlfriend grey?

Branch was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realize until something shattered on the ground that someone was in his room.

He recognized her immediately, though he decided not to question why there was a shattered photograph on the ground. "Poppy?" Branch's voice sounded hoarse. When was the last time he had spoken?

Poppy held back a sob as she rushed to him, taking him into a hug as she clutched to his chest. "Your okay! I was so worried, I thought you would never wake up!"

"Huh?" Branch hugged her back, looking down at the photo. He could tell it was of five Troll's, but he couldn't tell who. "Poppy, what are you talking about?"

Apparently it wasn't a dream, all of that had really happened. Branch had fell to the ground after her necklace broke, just barely being caught by Trickee, Hype, Ablaze, and Boom. In the way King Peppy had put it, the necklace was "controlling him" and "turning him evil", although that didn't sound quite right to him. Even though he didn't want to admit it right now, he liked what he did. He scared the Pop Troll's, horrified Poppy and King Peppy, gave himself purpose, made the Troll's stop singing for TWO DAYS after his downfall, and best part of all, he traumatized his older brothers.

They put him on bedrest, and King Peppy came up with a lie.

"Wait he lied?" Branch cut her off in her story. She was sitting beside him, clutching his hand to make sure that he wouldn't go away. "Why did he do that?"

Poppy frowned. "Because he knew that you weren't acting like yourself. The necklace had you."

The lie was simple: Branch was gifted a necklace mysteriously, he put it on, it warped his mind, he found four others, gave them to his friends who then had their minds warped, and everything else that happened was the necklace's fault and who ever gave it to him.

And everyone somehow believed it.

"Shouldn't we tell them someday the truth?" Branch warily asked her. He didn't feel okay with lying to the entire population of Troll's. Especially when he hurt so many.

Poppy shrugged. "The only lie is how you found it."

Branch bit his tongue. He didn't want to have to worry his girlfriend even more by telling her that he wasn't mad at what he did. Of course he's angry about what he did after and how he treated the other Troll's, but...not really the Pop ones. Just his friends-

His friends.

"Trickee, Hype, Ablaze, Boom- how are they?"

Poppy frowned. "Trickee went back to Vacay Island, and Boom went with him. Hype and Ablaze had this big argument before they went their separate ways. I heard Hype went back to the mountains but I'm not sure where Ablaze went."

"Oh..." Branch clenched his fists.

"They aren't mad at you." Poppy quickly said. "They were the ones that saved your life. I mean, Branch, you would have died if they didn't catch you. I thought you were going to die. Besides your brothers they were the first ones to check up on you when we brought you to Dr. Moonbloom."

He doubts that they weren't mad at him though. "And uh...everyone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"The other Troll's. Biggie, Val, Holly, Cooper, Smidge, what about them?" He bit his tongue when the first name that came to mind was Synth.

Poppy smiled, gesturing to what looked like hundreds of get well cards at the other side of the room. "They've been checking up on you! Don't worry, none of them are mad at you. Except, well,"

"Except...?" Please don't be him. Please don't be him. Please don't be him.

"Except Synth."

Before he could say anything Branch heard his elevator ding, and the sound of muffled voices outside. "Oh! Your brothers are back."

They were still here?

Poppy rushed out of the room to meet them. It took Branch a second to stand up, and even though he wanted to sit back down with how dizzy he instantly felt, he kept walking.

The five were in his living room, talking about something. None of them were looking at him. They were huddled together, staring at something in Bruce's hands.

"What do we do with them? I mean, it's nothing but trash now, but-" Bruce started to say.

"Then throw it away-?" Branch cut in. Curse his sarcastic attitude and his inability to realize when he probably shouldn't talk.

Four sets of eyes shot towards him, all immediately drenched with tears, and four sets of arms running up to him and hugging him. It felt like a really cursed hug time.

"Your okay!"

"You have no idea how worried we were, Bitty B!"

"NEVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN BABY BRANCH!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'll do better, I promise I'll do better!"

Lot's and lot's of words. After a few minutes of the hug Branch was able to pull himself away, and really look at his brothers.

They'd gotten old.

"Hey, guys...I uh..." What was he supposed to say? Sorry for trying to make you guys grey, no hard feelings, right? "You guys don't...hate me, do you?"

John Dory rolled his eyes before pulling his brother into another hug. "You could never make us hate you Baby Branch."

"We have no right to hate you. If anything you should hate us." Sp- Bruce, said. Trickee had told him about his brother's name change. It didn't even feel like a name change to Branch, he just switched a few letters.

"But, were going to be here now. We won't leave you again." Floyd wiped away his tears, hugging Branch again.

"Never, ever again." Clay ruffled Branch's hair.

They weren't lying. The moment they had set Branch down on the bed when the fight was over they said it out loud.

"I'm done with the trail. Rhonda and I will just live here forever."

"I'll hop back home for Brandy and talk about my visits and stays here."

"Viva were moving the Putt Putt Troll's here."

"I'm staying here."

It wasn't like anyone was going to refuse them. Poppy asked if they wanted a pod to rest in until Branch woke up, but they refused. They'd sleep in the living room and wait for their brother.

They weren't leaving again.

"Oh." Branch mumbled. "Uh...thanks?"

John Dory laughed, ruffling Branch's hair. He could see the smallest tear fall from his older brother's eyes. "Okay, but jokes aside, go back."

Go back? "Sorry, what?"

"Go back to bed. Go lay down."

"What? No, I'm fine." Branch shrugged before he was picked up from behind by Bruce. "Wha- Bruce!?"

Bruce smiled. "You know my new name?"

Right. "Oh...Trick' told me."

Bruce hummed before he walked Branch back to his bedroom. "Uh- Poppy?"

"Their right, Branch. As happy as I am that you're awake, you need some rest." Poppy said before her attention turned elsewhere.

He was going to say something when Bruce pushed him to the bed. "You need anything, Bitty B?"

"Uh-"

"Oh, want some water?" Clay cut in.

Branch tried to sit himself up. "No I'm fine-"

Floyd pushed him back down. "No, no, no, stay down! You might get hurt!"

"Floyd seriously, how would I get hurt by sitting up?"

"Oh, do you want us to tuck you in?" John Dory asked.

"....What."

Poppy laughed before shutting the bedroom door.

She still had the five broken necklaces with her. The ones that belonged to Trickee, Hype, Ablaze, and Boom, were still completely grey.

However Branch's was still beating just the slightest bit of red. Poppy showed it to her father and sister, who both had the same reaction.

"Hide it so Branch never finds it."

Poppy wished she could tell Branch about everything that happened. How when her father was lying her heart was beating like a drum, the way she cried when she thought he might have been dead, the relief when Kismet caught him.

And she wanted to tell him about her sister. But she held off on that fact, at least for now.

She had been walking past a lot of Troll's lately, all asking how Branch was feeling. Poppy was happy to be able to tell them all that he was awake, but still needed to be left alone. She was even happier that they listened and she didn't see a single one scurrying off to the bunker.

The Pop Troll's had been a lot more quiet in their history than normal. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Branch actually did change something when he was under the necklace's power.

He brought to life how terrible it was to be treated poorly because you were grey.

Trickee told her all about it. How they treated the grey Troll's. Poppy was actually glad that they remembered after getting their colors back. That way they could reflect.

But she had a mission as to where she was going in the village today.

Today she was finding Synth, and trying to figure out what he was so quiet about.

He was down in the Lagoon, sitting by the water. "Synth!"

The Techno Troll smiled as she sat about beside him. "What's up?"

"How have you been?"

Synth shrugged. He was quiet. Techno Troll's were never quiet.

"Are you...mad about what happened to the Techno Troll's?"

"Eh. I mean- nobody is happy about it, but the explanation made most of us just sigh and nod ours head." Synth frowned. "No offense, but the Pop Troll's deserved it. The rest of us were just victims."

Poppy couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, your right...but you've been really quiet lately, did anything particularly happen when you were grey, or-?"

Synth looked at the ground. He should tell her, he really, really, should tell her. Tell her everything that Branch cried and screamed about. How the blue Troll tried everything to make the Techno Troll just look at him. To say something mean, or cry, or smile, or frown. Branch did everything.

Everything to make Synth stop being grey. "Branch was around me a lot when the necklace was on him, so..." Please be satisfied with that answer. Please be satisfied with that answer. Please be satisfied with that answer.

"I guess that makes sense." Poppy mumbled. "Well, I'm going to go check on him. I'm sure if you wanted to see him he'd let you."

He already had. He snuck in when only one of his brothers was home, the one with purple hair. He stood beside Branch in his moved, moved his hair out of his face, and smiled. "I forgive you." Synth whispered it before rushing back outside when he realized the purple haired Troll was going back to the room. He had the confidence to tell Branch when he wasn't even conscious, just not awake.

The truth was that he had no idea how Branch would react to looking at him again. Synth knew Branch well, and he was sure that even the slightest movement on Synth's part would have the Pop Troll spiraling. In just a week he'd seen emotions from Branch that he knew Poppy had never seen.

She would never see how angry he could get.

Or how upset.

Poppy ran off without saying goodbye. Synth was happy that she did, and continued to look back down at the water.

"I forgive you, Dubstep."

It was so easy to say when Branch wasn't looking at him.

Chapter Text

At first, Branch was pretty excited to get to spend more time with his brothers. John Dory, Clay, and Floyd were living in TrollsTopia while Bruce had scheduled visits. It was the one thing that child he had always wished for.

If only he had that same attitude now.

Branch thought they'd get their own pods, and that Bruce would go back home after a day. Which he did, until he came right back saying that his wife was perfectly okay with him staying for a few more days to make sure that Branch was well enough on his own. And his other three brothers denied having pods because they wanted to live in Branch's bunker.

Oh. And they keep babying him. They won't let him do anything around his bunker. Every time Branch walks Floyd has a heart attack, and grabs onto his baby brother's arm and forced him to sit back down.

They won't even let him out of the bunker.

Branch tried to sneak away to go to the hot springs. He had to go see Synth. He needed to talk to him and apologize. He'd rather have all the Rock Troll's be angry and plot revenge against him rather than have Synth to be mad at him.

He was right by the elevator when Clay caught him. "Branch? What are you doing?" He was eating something. A handful of berries maybe?...Oh, he was hoping that wasn't from his POISONOUS FRUITS DO NOT EAT jar.

"Huh? Oh uh just, y'know."  He fumbled with his words, leaning his arm against the wall and awkwardly laughing.

Clay doused the fruit in his hand before he yelled: "BRANCH IS TRYING TO LEAVE!"

Note to self, ruin something of Clay's.

John Dory was the one in the room first, followed by Floyd and Bruce. "What!? Branch, sit back down!" John Dory grabbed his arm and started to pull him back towards the living room. "You can't be moving around in your condition."

There wasn't really a condition. He felt weak, yeah, but they made it seem like he would collapse and die at any minute. Branch just felt light headed sometimes and it hurt to move a little, but that didn't matter. They treated him like he was a vase. One that at the slightest touch would fall to the ground and shatter at any minute.

He was the vase once, but not anymore. Why didn't they understand that?

John Dory shoved him down onto the couch. "Do you need anything?" Bruce quickly asked, putting a hand on Branch's chest to check his heart.

He was going to answer but Floyd cut him off. "No, just sleep for now. We have to leave and talk to Poppy about something." Bruce nodded and shoved a blanket over Branch's face.

Okay it was definitely not one of his blankets. It felt like a weighted balloon was crushing down on him, and when he finally tore it away from him his brothers had already left.

"But where would we even hide them? There's no guarantee that a Troll won't find them and fix them." Poppy said, holding the shattered necklaces in her hands. "We can't risk anyone else getting this kind of power."

She stood in a meeting room with her father, sister, and the brothers. It was the most uncomfortable meeting that she had ever been in before, especially because the other ambassadors were up to her neck in trying to understand what had happened.

The lie was working for the most part, but they were still questioning things. Especially Cooper and Prince D. They were close with Branch, and Poppy could tell that they missed him.

"But what about the other members?" Viva asked skeptically. "Are we sure that none of them will come back for the necklace?" She was specifically referring to the Ablaze guy, who seemed upset and angry that Branch let himself fall so carelessly.

She could tell in the way that Clay had described the events for her, and how he had reacted when Branch's necklace broke. He was scared for his friend, but mostly he was angry that his leader had lost so easily. "And, although I don't want to say it, what if Branch finds it again?"

Floyd tensed his fists. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think he'd do this all over again?"

Nobody knew what to say. They hadn't been bringing up the incident to Branch. They were ignoring it, planning to let him talk his through it instead of them forcing it out. They were trying to be careful with his emotions.

King Peppy sighed. "Poppy, the best thing would be that you hide the necklaces in a safe place. We'll find a way to dispose of them soon."

"How? We shattered them, but it's not like they aren't still threats." Bruce shrugged. "I mean, Branch's necklace keeps blinking. What does that even mean?"

Right. The ominous and constant blinking.

"It's still alive-?" John Dory questionably said.

"Maybe it means that Branch still wants it?" Clay jumped in. Soon his brothers and sister-in-law were all giving him glares of disbelief.

Floyd looked like he might jump across the table. "You think Branch wants to become that again!?"

The two older siblings rolled their eyes. Just like old times. "Okay, let's all just calm down." Bruce said. Becoming a father really had made him more mature in arguments. It was something that he wished he had when he was younger, when he would fight with John Dory over the stupidest things. "Were just trying to come up with a reasonable solution, there's no need to get angry."

"Anyway," Poppy cleared her throat. "Where do we hide them?"

They chose a small jewelry box that Poppy owned to hide them in. John Dory was the one that took it however, and hid it inside Rhonda to make sure that Branch never accidently stumbled onto it. John Dory was hoping that Branch would just forget about them overtime, that way he'd never have to bring up the incident to his baby brother's face either.

None of them wanted to bring it up to Branch's face. Their baby brother didn't utter a word about what had happened. Bruce had tried to get him to open up once, but Branch just stared at him. "I don't wanna talk about it right now". After that, they dropped the subject.

John Dory hoped that they'd never have to talk about.

At least not for a while

Branch never imagined that he'd be sneaking around TrollsTopia, trying to go unseen.

He was afraid of running into anyone besides Synth. He just- he needed to talk to him.

When he reached the hot springs he saw Synth sitting in the same spot as always. The same spot that Branch had cried and screamed beside for days. Would he even want to talk to him? Or did he still hate him?

He took a few steps towards the Techno Troll, who didn't seem to realize he was there. "Synth?"

Synth turned his head around so fast Branch was afraid he might have gotten whiplash. "Dubstep?"

"Hey." Branch waved. "Can I sit there?" He pointed to the ground beside him.

Synth looked down at the seat before turning back to the water. Without another word Branch sat beside him.

What was he supposed to say? 'Hey, sorry I traumatized you and almost destroyed the entire village, my pent up rage just kind of came out and I felt I needed to get revenge for what happened to me for what the Pop Troll's and my brothers did, sorry the Techno Troll's got involved'. That wasn't the answer anyone would want. It didn't explain anything, it was just a stupid excuse.

"Are you...feeling any better?" Synth asked. Did he believe in the lie Poppy told? Or was he just not satisfied with it and suspected there was more? How much did Branch need to tell him about how he was feeling when he put that necklace on? Prideful? Angry? Vengeful?

Branch nodded. "That's good." Synth nodded, his eyes never looking away from the water. "Laguna was really worried. She visited you a few times."

Would Branch want to know that he went to see him? That he already whispered to him that he forgave him for what happened?....Synth kept his mouth shut.

"Why didn't you?" The words left his mouth before he thought through them. Of course he wouldn't, he was angry at him.

Synth was quiet. Of course he was going to be quiet, why wouldn't he be quiet.

"Are you mad at me?" Branch cleared his voice, trying to sound more confident then he was. "I mean- are you mad about what happened to the Techno Troll's?"

He thought before shaking his head. "I'm- annoyed, but...not mad."

Branch looked at him. He wasn't mad? Everyone else seemed to be mad in Branch's eyes, they should have been mad. "Why?"

Synth finally looked at him. "Because I remember it."

"What do you mean?"

"You would come sit here everyday and talk to me. You begged me to say something to you. Sometimes you'd grab shake me, cry on my shoulder, but most of the time you just begged me to talk before you'd sob." Synth said it while staring straight at the water. "I don't...I can't hate you for that. Not when I remember every single thing that happened."

Why it was he remembered everything Synth didn't know, but blaming it on Branch seemed to work well for him. "I'm...I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you."

He was waiting for Branch to say something, but he was deathly silent. Synth took a deep breath before looking up at the Pop Troll. Branch was crying. Crying, crying. "Branch..?"

It was the same type of cry that he had when he was under that necklace.

Synth would never admit how he quickly glanced around Branch's body to see if the necklace was anywhere in sight.

"I-I'm sorry." Branch wiped his eyes. "Sorry, I shouldn't be crying right now."

What right did he have to cry? He wasn't the one that was forcefully turned grey. "What-" Synth gently raised a hand to help Branch wipe away his tears. "Dubstep, it's okay."

"But its not-"

"It is okay." Synth said, hugging him. "I know your upset at yourself for what happened. It's okay, you can let it out."

Branch clutched onto Synth's back and sobbed.

Chapter Text

"Sorry we took so long Branch! But, we did get cupcakes to share!" Floyd happily hopped off the elevator, setting the box of chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet cupcakes on a nearby table.

"Bitty B? Are you awake?" John Dory yelled out, walking to the living room.

Clay cleared his throat, getting Bruce and Floyd's attention. "Do you think Branch is going to ask about what happened to the diamonds?"

Neither of them wanted to answer.

"I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Bruce shrugged.

Floyd frowned. "Don't jinx it. We don't want him to ask about it."

Clay and Bruce shared a glance. They'd definitely have to talk to Floyd about how he's been...treating, the aftermath of the Kismet situation lately.

"Uh- hey guys?" John Dory called, rushing back to his brothers. "Nobody panic, okay? But- Branch, isn't here."

"WHAT!?" Floyd rushed out to the living room, running around the bunker. "Branch!? Branch, where are you!?"

"Where do you think he could have gone!?" Bruce exclaimed, running to follow Floyd.

Clay frowned to himself before a metaphoric lightbulb appeared over his head. "I wonder..." Branch had been mumbling things in his sleep, mostly it was names. Usually either one of his brothers, Poppy, or the mysterious name Synth.

Looking back at the elevator and to his brothers, Clay slowly inched himself closer to the elevator.

"OH MY GUMDROPS WHERE COULD HE HAVE GONE!?" Floyd screamed, looking around.

"Okay, nobody panic! I'm sure that wherever he is, Branch is perfectly safe." Bruce said, trying to calm his two brothers down.

"DON'T LIE TO US BRUCE!" John Dory yelled, looking around with Floyd. "HE COULD BE DEAD!"

Floyd looked at John Dory with wide eyes. "WHAT!?"

None of the three brothers seemed to realize that Clay had left the bunker, and was walking to the whereabouts of the Techno Troll's that Poppy told him about.

When Branch opened his eyes, the sun was going down over the horizon, and his head was rested on something comfortable. A warm hand played with bangs. "You awake Dubstep?"

Branch groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I'm so tired."

"You should sleep better then." Synth laughed, letting Branch rest his head on his shoulder. "Feeling alright?"

"A little sick to be honest." Branch shrugged. "But I'm mostly just really tired."

Synth nodded. "I get it. Everything has been happening at once. I mean- I remember what it's like to be grey. Never thought I'd experience that."

Branch tensed. Realizing what he said, Synth immediately started apologizing. "I'm so sorry Dubstep! I didn't mean to make you remember being grey, or turning me and the rest of TrollsTopia grey, or- wait I should just stop talking."

He shrugged. "It's okay."

Synth wrapped his arm around Branch's shoulder, pulling him closer. "Still, I'm sorry. And, because you're tired, you can go back to sleep."

Branch smiled. "Thanks Synth." He said, resting his head back on Synth's shoulder.

"Of course Dubstep."

It took a while for Clay to find the direct location of the hot springs, but soon he saw a Techno Troll resting with a Pop Troll.

It was definitely Branch. He was resting his head on the Techno Troll's shoulder, and judging by his breathing, he was probably sleeping. Clay cleared his throat behind them, and the Techno Troll turned around to face him. "Uh, sorry, your Synth right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I've never seen you before."

"I'm Clay. Branch's brother." Clay waved, looking down at Branch in worry.

Synth smiled. He and Branch had the same face of concern and awkwardness. They were definitely related. "He's alright. Just tired."

Clay sat down beside Branch. He studied his brother's face, and just in case, placed a hand over his forehead and checked his forehead. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt alright.

Now about this other guy..."I, uh...you aren't...mad at him- are you?"

Synth blinked confusingly before smiling warmly. "Course not. I'd never be mad at Dubstep. I was more or less concerned."

"Concerned?" Clay repeated.

"I remember everything that happened." Clay went still. "Branch would come and find me everyday. For some reason, when I was grey, I couldn't talk. I had no emotion to me. Branch would come find me and scream and cry for me to do something. To be mad at him, or cry, to just do something." Synth looked down at Branch, who was lightly snoring. "I can't be mad at him when I remember all that."

Clay looked away. "We...I should have gotten here sooner. I should have come back." He muttered.

While he didn't understand everything Clay was telling him, Synth thought that he knew enough. "What matters is that you're here now, and willing to be in his life."

Wow no wonder Branch liked this guy.

"Thanks." Clay nodded before looking back at Branch. "I don't want to ruin your time, but my brothers might start committing crimes if they don't get him back." Clay awkwardly laughed.

Synth gently handed Branch to Clay. "I wouldn't want to intrude anyway. Just make sure he knows that I didn't ditch him. He's not good at being left alone."

Why did that feel slightly personal?

Clay placed Branch on his back, his light snoring was in Clay's ear. "Thank you. For being there for my brother."

Synth nodded. "I'd do anything for him."

Okay, it was confirmed. His baby brother had the greatest friends.

"We're back!" Clay gently placed the sleeping Branch back down on the couch. In less then a second the other three brothers ran towards the sleeping baby.

Floyd grabbed onto Branch's arm, pulling him into a hug. He tugged him to hard though, and Branch groggily woke up.

Branch rubbed at his eyes with the three sets of hands grabbing at his face. "Uh, what are you three doing?"

"YOU RAN OFF!"  John Dory exclaimed. "WE WERE WORRIED FOR YOU!"

"Uh, sorry?"

Floyd started crying, hugging his baby brother. "What- Floyd are you crying?"

"Clay where did you find him?" Bruce asked, checking Branch's temperature by placing a hand on his forehead.

"Oh. He was with Synth. I talked to him for a while before he let me take him back." Clay smiled down at Branch. "You have really nice friends Baby Branch."

Branch grimaced. He missed Synth. He missed Poppy.

He missed being alone in his bunker. "Thanks Clay." He said.

Clay nodded. "Now stop grabbing at his face guys." He pulled Branch up by his feet. "He's tired, and we need to let him rest."

"But Clay-"

"No buts Floyd." Clay walked off with Branch, ignoring the glares and angry muttering from John Dory. When they reached Branch's room, he gently rested his baby brother on his bed. "Feeling alright?"

Branch groaned in response. "I'm tired. And my head hurts."

"That's to be expected. Sorry for, y'know, technically locking you inside of the bunker. There's no way the others will apologize for it, well maybe Bruce, but not John or Floyd." Clay ruffled Branch's hair. "We're just worried about you."

"It's fine." Branch shrugged, rubbing his head. "I mean- it's not fine, but you know. It's fine." He looked like he had a headache. Clay decided that he should probably leave so that he could rest up. "But thank you."

"Of course B." Clay smiled down at Branch as he starting to leave.

"Hey Clay?"

"Yeah?" Clay was already half-way out the door.

Branch sat up. "Where is my necklace."

He stopped in the doorway.

Chapter Text

He is hoping, praying, that he heard wrong. That he'll turn around and his brother will ask him something innocent, something pure and nice like, "Can you get me some water?" Maybe Clay just misheard him? Maybe that terrifying, evil undertone of voice was in his head? Gumdrops is he hoping that's the case.

"I asked you a question, Clay."

How long had he been standing in the doorway?

Clay took a shaky breath before turning around. Branch wasn't even sitting on the bed anymore, he was standing inches away from Clay. His entire body was grey, and his eyes were glowing red. When did he go grey? When did his eyes change colors? Was he even looking at Branch anymore?

No this couldn't be his baby brother. How would his baby brother have gone grey in less than a few seconds? How could he have glowing red eyes? Clay, although he hated that he admitted it to himself, backed out of the room in fear.

He thought that maybe his baby brother would calm down. Maybe realizing that he was scaring his brother and stop? But no. Branch smiled and took a step forward.

"Are you actually scared?" Where were John Dory, Bruce, and Floyd? They were in the hallway just minutes ago, Clay was sure of that. "You've lived in basically the wilderness for twenty years, and you're afraid of me? Forget being the fun boy or the serious one, you're just a wimp."

Clay backed up further away. Every time he took a step back Branch would follow him with a step forward. It was haunting. "As hilarious as this is, I did ask you a question." The stern, serious look on his face was back. "Where's my necklace Clay."

The dirt wall hit him, leaving Clay to turn around and see that he was cornered, and Branch was getting closer.

He shouldn't be afraid. This is his baby brother. He shouldn't be afraid.

"I don't know."

Branch stopped moving. He stared at his brother blankly. "You don't know?"

His baby brother smirked. "I don't believe that for a second."

It happened fast. Branch grabbed onto Clay's shirt, pushing him up against the wall and off of his feet. Clay grabbed at his brothers wrists to push him off, but it didn't do anything. Was Branch always this strong?

"WHERE IS IT?" Branch's voice echoed inside of the bunker.

It was a scary thought to have though. To think that your baby brother, the baby that you abandoned to survive alone in a place where Troll's were getting eaten every year, might be about to kill you. Maybe Floyd was right and Branch did deserve to turn them grey. Or in this case, kill them.

No that felt a little to far. Maybe just getting beat up. "Branch I don't know!"

His back was pushed up farther. When did brother look so feral? "I can tell when someone is lying to me."

"I'm not-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME-"

"Clay? Branch?"

John Dory's voice. So he was in the bunker? "Where are you guys?"

"JOHN-" Branch put a hand over Clay's mouth, pushing the two of them back into Branch's bedroom.

"Are they still here?" Bruce's voice was heard.

John Dory's voice was closer. Right outside the bedroom in fact. "I think they left."

"Why would they have left, John?"

"I don't know! Maybe they went to see the doctor?"

"I guess. Floyd! They aren't here!"

Floyd's voice had an echo in the bunker. "Maybe Clay took Branch to see Dr. Moonbloom?"

"I guess so." Bruce called back.

"Fine. Let's go."

A few minutes of conversation, walking, and finally the elevator leaving the bunker.

In the darkness of the bunker Clay could see Branch's eyes glow brighter, and a sinister smile on his face. "Let's go somewhere private where we can talk."

"We shouldn't have left." Boom had told him for the millionth time. When Trickee packed up and left TrollsTopia, he didn't expect Boom of all people to go along with him.

"Yes, we should have." Trickee corrected him, handing one of the kids their packed lunches.

Boom scoffed. "Branch might be going grey again, and here we are playing babysitter to a bunch of kids!"

Trickee throws a piece of broccoli at Boom, who's knocked off his feet. "Oh shut up. You didn't have to be here."

But he was glad that Boom had come along with him. After Branch was treated the four of them had to go their separate ways. None of them wanted to, but they did. They expected they'd get most of the blame besides Branch, and they would rather have taken the fall out than he.

"We could have gotten the kingdoms y'know." There he goes again. "King's of every kind of Troll. That could have been us. Now look at us. You're hand is grey."

It was true. His hand was grey. Not because he was especially missing the power (although now he wished he had a way to fix it), but because he was nervous.

Branch was hurt and Bruce wasn't returning any of his letters.

Was Branch okay?

Was he safe?

"I'm just worried about Branch." Trickee said calmly. "Who knows what's happening to him."

"So then let's go back!" Boom said, grabbing Trickee by the shoulder and turning him around to look at him. Up close, Trickee could tell there was definitely a tint of grey in Boom's face. No wonder he was so desperate to get his necklace back. "We'll just take over something else other than TrollsTopia!"

Trickee rolled his eyes. "Where else would we go?"

Boom grinned.

"The other kingdom's exist, y'know."

Hype couldn't go back to the mountains.

Well he could have. But it didn't work out that way.

Instead Ablaze of all people decided that it would be a great idea to kidnap him.

Now he's going on some stupid insane plan, with an idiot-

"I can hear you." Ablaze snapped, his voice in a hush whisper. They were stationed in a a branch overlooking Queen Poppy's pod, where she was talking to her father about something and holding some weird looking box.

"I wanted you to." Ablaze mumbled something under his breath before looking back at the pod.

They didn't have the necklaces, and now everything seemed to be going wrong. Hype's arm was going grey, and Ablaze's chest was grey. Hype's theory on why was that they've gotten so used to the necklaces for happiness, that now they can't live without it. It was made on the spot so it wasn't a great theory, but it did end up fueling Ablaze to get their necklaces back.

Although Hype was mostly worried for the others. He hadn't heard anything about Branch, and Trickee and Boom had left back to Vacay Island. If the two of them were going grey, then the three of them must be turning grey too, right?

Safe to say it was a scary thought.

Ablaze smacked him on his shoulder. "Their leaving." Queen Poppy was walking out with her father, the two of them still deep into conversation. But the box she was holding wasn't. Interesting, to say the least.

As soon as the father-daughter duo were far enough away from the pod, Ablaze used his hair to easily pull himself into the Queen's window and safely into the pod. Without much other option, Hype followed suit.

It was actually a mess. Scrapbooks lying on the ground and photographs scattered on her bed. "Wow. It's like a scrap-nado went off in here." Ablaze joked at the carnage.

With a roll of his eyes, Hype picked up the box. Inside were the five shattered necklaces. "Oh right. I forgot they were broken." Ablaze muttered.

Hype was hoping that would be the end of it.

"Guess we'll just have to fix them." Ablaze shrugged, grabbing at the shattered remains of his necklace. It was definitely weird that Hype could tell which of the gem fragments belonged to his specific necklace, but he'd think about that later. Not now.

"What? Dude we don't even know how!"

Ablaze shrugged. "There's probably some information somewhere. We just need to go to the library and look it up there."

"Wait we have a library?"

"Uh- yeah." Ablaze stuffed the box in his hair before making his way back out the window. "We'll get some information, find Branch, and then we'll be back on top in no time!"

Hype sighed before he followed his friend.

Guess they were still going to be the villains.

Chapter Text

Bruce was a little more than just nervous. He'd checked with the doctor, John Dory found Poppy, and Floyd found Viva. They all asked if they'd seen Clay or Branch, but all they got were dead ends. Was something bad happening?

John Dory was pacing in front of the elevator. The brothers been told by King Peppy to not jump to any conclusions, and to wait and see if Branch and Clay would come back. They were ordered to stay at the bunker in case their brothers came back.

It may as well have been agony. These past few days had been complete agony. Bruce was worried for his brothers, mostly Branch because of his condition, missed his wife, and his children. Bruce wanted to be home with his family more than he could explain.

"Stop it John." Floyd spoke up, trying to distract his older brother from the constant stomping and pacing. "You need to try and relax." It wasn't like Floyd was doing any better than the eldest brother though. He was sitting on the floor, trying to calm his breathing after he started hyperventilating once they first regrouped and realized that no one knew where they were.

"How am I supposed to relax? Branch is in terrible condition right now and just disappeared. And with Clay no less!" John waved his arms around. "What was Clay thinking?"

Bruce glared. "Don't blame this on Clay, we don't even know what's happened."

"You don't actually think Branch got up and walked out of the bunker without any help?" John Dory glared back. The two eldest siblings started a staring contest without trying to, just like used to do when they were little. "Clay is involved with this Bruce."

"Or, you're jumping to conclusions." Bruce crossed his arms. "Still the same John Dory."

Floyd buried his head in his hands. "Can you just both agree that Clay and Branch are in a situation?"

Neither of the two answered, and the room fell silent again. It stayed quiet until a half hour or so later the elevator came down. Immediately all three brothers rushed to the entrance, hoping that they'd see Clay and Branch together, saying that they had gone on a walk or something. Instead the one that appeared was King Peppy with a sad expression on his face.

Bruce took a deep breath, preparing himself for news of one of his brothers being injured, or still missing. "Did you find them?"

Peppy shook his head. "No. But we do have a clue."

"Hey, that's good!" John Dory grinned. "A clue is better than nothing, right?" Floyd nodded along, but the old King stood stolid.

A beat of quiet went by, and Peppy sighed. "The jewelry box is missing."

Bruce felt his body go rigid and cold.

No.

No, Branch wouldn't.

He was better now. They broke the necklaces and freed him.

His baby brother was safe.

"Viva and I have theorized that the necklaces still must be bounded to their owners. Branch's continued to glow because he still wanted it. How this connection happened we aren't sure. Currently Poppy and Viva are searching the forests for the two. While we know why Branch isn't here, Clay's whereabouts are still a mystery."

It was like he was a kid again, and Bruce turned to his older brother for how to feel.

John Dory looked sick to his stomach.

Floyd had his hands covering his mouth and watery eyes.

Someone had to be the strong one. Bruce cleared his throat. "So you're saying, that Branch may have stolen back the necklaces?"

The nod he got from Peppy didn't help calm him. "Then what about Clay?"

"That we aren't sure. My best theory is that Clay saw Branch leave the bunker and chased him down." Peppy nodded to himself as he talked, tapping his cane on the floor. When he looked back up at the brothers he acknowledged how defeated they all looked. "I'm sorry."

Sorry didn't even feel like a meaningful word anymore.

They'd said "I'm sorry" as many times as they could to Branch, but it didn't matter in the end.

To Branch, as long as the necklaces existed, his family didn't matter.

Bruce was hoping that the other band members didn't want the necklaces either.

When Clay woke up he was in the back of a cave. His body ached and it hurt to move, so Clay settled by sitting down with his back slouched. He definitely wouldn't be moving anytime soon. Branch was standing by the entrance, mumbling incoherent sentences to himself.

"Branch!" He yelled for him, but quickly wished he didn't. Branch's eyes were glowing red, and there was a feral look to his face. When he looked at Clay he'd dug his hands into his forearms, enough to turn his skin red. "Come on baby Branch I told you, I don't know here your necklace is."

He knew exactly where it was.

He also knew that there was no way Branch would ever be able to use it again.

So why was it that his eyes still glowed? And his voice still had that dark feeling to it?

"We both know that that's a lie." Branch said calmly, never taking his eyes off of Clay. "Just tell me where it is and I'll take you back to the bunker."

"You don't want this. Don't let that necklace control your life, Branch. Please I know you hate me, but at least do it for Poppy."

Branch raised an eyebrow. "How does Poppy factor into this conversation?"

Oh.

Oh now he's really lost it.

Branch moved from his spot by the entrance and towards Clay. He used his hair to grip his older brother by the neck and push him to the back wall. "I'll ask you again." Branch said, frustrated. "Where is it."

"I don't-" Clay grabbed at the hair, trying to kick himself off of the wall. He couldn't be mad at his brother at this, he refused to be.

"Honesty saves lives."

"I told you, I don't know!" Clay closed his eyes.

"LIAR!" Branch screamed, the grip tightening. "I'm not even surprised. That's what you and the other BroZone members always do. You always lie. It must be a genetics thing at this point, right?" Branch mockingly laughed.

Clay grabbed at Branch's arm to try and free himself. "You four and your ridiculous lies. It's pitiful that you believe each other's lies though. I mean- I don't trust a single one. But I bet Bruce would say he'd jump into a volcano and you'd believe him."

Branch frowned. "No, scratch that. You'd jump in after him."

"And where would you be?" Clay snapped back before remembering that he was speaking to his brother. He thought about apologizing, but Branch talked to quickly for him.

"Oh, there you are Branch!" Clay felt himself being dropped to the ground as the air filled his lungs, finally being able to breath. When he looked up he saw Branch, Hype, and Ablaze.

"Ablaze? Hype?" Even Branch was stunned into silence. "How...Why are you both here? I heard missing and mountains, but you've been here the whole time?"

Ablaze shrugged. "Well, what are you gonna do, y'know?" He reached into his hair. "Anyways, we found this."

He pulled out a box, and Clay's eyes widened at least a good mile.

That was the jewelry box they put the necklaces in.

Which meant...

Oh no.

Hype cut off Ablaze from any more talking. "Looks like we have to get the band back together again. Do you know how much of a hassle that is for us?"

Branch rolled his eyes. "We aren't. But Ablaze is."

"What!? Why me!?"

His response was a glare. "Because  I said so. Unless you'd like to question my authority."

Hype stifled back a laugh. "Anyways, Ablaze and I searched the library for any news about the necklaces. We've got some things that we'd like to discuss with you about. For the near future plan."

In response Branch gave a short nod. "So, what do we do about your brother?" Hype questionably asked.

That was a good question. What were they going to do?

"Just leave him here. It's getting dark soon anyways." Branch smirked. "He'll probably be dead by morning."

The worst part was that between the animals, cold temperatures, no food, no water, no one that knew where he was, and he himself didn't know where he was, were more than scarred.

Clay gave his brother a pleading look. "Don't do this Branch. Please."

Branch just walked away.

He didn't even have the decency to say goodbye.

Clay sighed, leaning his back against the wall as he tried controlling his breathing.

Chapter Text

He refused to look him in the eyes. Not that Hype hated Branch or anything, no, it was the opposite. He was worried for him, for all of them, but mostly Branch because of the red in his eyes.

How were they still glowing? Ablaze had wanted to ask, but Hype smacked him on the shoulder and told him not to. They had hidden themselves high into the tree, holding the jewelry box with their broken and shattered necklaces.

Our only ticket to happiness. Hype thought to himself before shaking it off.

"What was it that you wanted me to know?" Branch asked, ignoring Ablaze and his constant talking about how they snuck into the Queen of Pop's pod. "And please, Hype, make it quick."

Still the same commanding leader. "Ablaze and I did some more research on the necklaces and how they were constructed, and I think we figured out how to fix them."

Branch raised an eyebrow, obviously interested. "Go on."

"When the original grey Trolls made them, they don't say specifically how in the textbooks. But they do say a very peculiar sentence." Hype grabbed a large book from his hair, turning to a bookmarked page and handing it to Branch. The red eyed Troll took it from his hands and examined the page. "They specifically say, "Their shards made with the joyous of laughter of Trolls"."

He seemed to understand what he was being told. "You think that the necklaces are made from the happiness of other Trolls?"

Hype nodded. "Not just the happiness though. It's like...their essence. What makes them a Troll. Think of it like what Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Trolls did. She stole a key part of what makes a Troll a Troll. I think the founders stole what made up a Troll."

Ablaze still barley understood it, even though he was there when Hype discovered this information, and nodded along. Yet it was clear that this was all probably going through one ear and out the other.

"So I've come up with a solution. Or at the very least, a simple plan." Hype stood up straight, as if he presenting himself to a King. And, to be fair, wasn't he? "You and your necklace are still tethered together. Not only that, but you're our leader, so our necklaces, if sentient, probably respect you. So let's say you held onto Ablaze's necklace and sang to control...Queen Barb."

At the sound of gaining the control of the Queen of Rock, Ablaze grinned. "The necklace would absorb the...Troll essence, as we'll call it, of Queen Barb until the Hard Rock part of her is gone. The necklace would be fixed, and Ablaze would be able to control it again."

Branch smirked. "So in other words, we have to find the most prideful Trolls of each tribe and steal their essence to get our necklaces back?"

Hype nodded. His leader hummed, handing him back the book. "Ablaze you'll be taking the essence of Queen Barb. I know how much you want to." At the idea he immediately cheered. "Hype, I think the Classical Troll Ambassador, Dante, would do well. What do you think?"

He smiled. "If you think it's a good choice then I'll take it."

"Good. When we find Boom and Trickee they should be pretty easy. Boom should take Prince D of the Funk Trolls, and maybe their parents if he really wants to. Trickee...I had two contestants. The Ambassador would work well with him, but Delta Dawn..."

"All in good time, my fearless leader." Ablaze wrapped his arm around Branch's shoulder. "I think we should destroy the Hard Rock Trolls now. They are the most dangerous, considering that they tried to destroy all other music barely a year ago."

Hype snorted. "Or are you just saying that because it means you fix your necklace first?"

"Can't it be both?"

Branch chuckled. "While it doesn't matter who gets there necklace first, I do agree that the Hard Rock Trolls are much more dangerous. Therefore we need to go and get Queen Barb now. After that we need to get Trickee and Boom. Hopefully they'll learn about what we're doing and will follow us."

Hype nodded. A solid plan. "What about our Techno option?" He asked.

Branch frowned. "King Trollex."

He sounded like he was biting back a different Techno name, but Hype ignored it. "And...Pop?"

He smirked.

"Who better then the Queen herself?"

He used to be known as the "Fun Boy". The one who lived for the danger, pranks, and playful aspects in life.

But he grew tired of the image. He wanted people to see him as a regular Troll. When the band broke up he felt free. When he became a CPA he felt complete. Everything was good.

Then Branch went crazy and he had to help him.

And he did.

Then he went crazy again.

And now he had been left to die in the woods.

Not long after Branch left he had passed out, probably due to the exhaustion and overall stress of the situation. Clay woke up when he heard a crash of thunder, the heavy sound of rain, and most importantly the flooding that was affecting the cave.

It was a Troll sized cave, so it was technically just a big hole.

And even more importantly the water had risen to his chin from where he was sitting.

Panicking, her immediately stood up and made for the exit. Clay stumbled a few steps before he finally fell forward. He felt far too dizzy to be standing up like this, but he had to move. He had to tell his brothers what happened.

He had to find Branch.

Clay forced himself back up, walking out into the cave and immediately into the soaking rain and crackling thunder and lightning. His hair was drenched from just taking a step so he wouldn't be able to use his hair to get anyway, meaning that his best bet was to try and find his way home through a storm at night with only walking.

Okay, he could figure this out.

Clay couldn't figure it out.

Every few minutes he would have to stop walking, catching his breath and rubbing at the mark on his neck that Branch had left. It hurt. A lot.

Had he always been that strong?

After at least forty-five minutes into his walking did Clay hear a noise. It sounded like a growl. Not the kind he had heard before. Animals growled for dominance and because it was in their nature to. And , when he and John Dory used to fight, he would always end up growling like a dog and bite his eldest brother.

He quickly looked around, trying to find the source when he saw it through a bush to his right. A pair of glowing red eyes.

Like Branch's.

Clay stepped backwards, which was obviously the wrong move because the monster unveiled itself. It was a matted and beefy creature. It was only, possibly, 2-3 inches taller than Clay. Their fur was grey and black, it's eyes wild and feral. What looked like foam or drool was pooling out of its mouth, growling and stalking closer to him.

Rabie infected animals didn't always hurt Bergen's. Sure they caused harm and sometimes death, but being a Troll and finding an animal with rabies? It was a death wish.

"H-Hi.." His voice cracked without being used for a while as Clay shuffled. "N-Nice...little guy..."

The animal growled before charging. Clay turned on his heels, ignoring the aching pain and the need he had to stop and rest, he started running through the woods. Paws scratched at him, growling after him, and a chasing rapid animal.

This wasn't something he ever thought would happen to him.

At one point his stumbling finally got the best of him, and Clay fell after slipping in a puddle of mud. His body soaked with watery dirt, Clay turned to see the animal barreling towards him. His response was to scream, making his way straight to one of the nearby trees as he extended his hair.

He shouldn't have, it wasn't safe. Using your hair to climb when its wet? Practically a death sentence.

But it was all he could do.

Clay gripped one of the lower, yet still tall enough to be considered high for the animal, branches and took a deep breath. He could do this. Mumbling something under is breath, Clay threw himself high into the air, using the hair to ground him so that he'd land where he wanted to.

But, like he already knew, he shouldn't be using his hair in a thunderstorm.

When he fully extended into the air his hair slipped, letting go of the branch and letting Clay fall to the ground, covering his face with his arms. On impact with the branch his leg smacked into the hair wood, and he let out a yelp of pain, grabbing at it painfully.

"No, no, no, no..." Clay mumbled, hugging his knee close as he cradled himself into a turtle-like position.

Below he could hear the animal clawing at the tree. It's drool dripping onto the floor as its claws dug into the wood, growling, barking and snarling at him.

Clay huddled into himself to ignore the animal, the pain, the aching pain in his body, and how red and swollen his neck was and how much it hurt.

He wanted to go home.

Chapter Text

Branch wanted to be selfish. He wanted to go find Poppy, fix his necklace, and be happy again.

But he already messed up once. And his best friends- no, his brothers, suffered for it.

He wouldn't do that again.

So he, Ablaze, and Hype were going to the Rock Trolls first. That way Ablaze could follow chill down, and even better, Branch would be helping his brother. He would be doing something that didn't make him feel selfish.

Branch was always a born leader. He understood when tough decisions should be made. Much like when Hype asked about his Pop and Techno options.

King Trollex was an easy choice. Even though Branch had to bite his tongue to not say Synth, because he knew if he did then Ablaze would hunt him down then and there. If he said Synth then one of his biggest headaches, biggest problems mentally, was gone. But it wasn't right to do that when Trollex had so much spirit. He was the better option and Branch knew it.

And Poppy.

Hurting Poppy wasn't what he had wanted originally. Or had ever wanted, in fact.

But there was no other choice.

She was the embodiment of Pop, it had to be her. Even though Branch wished it wasn't, it was.

And he had to let that go.

Because the more he thought about her, the less he was devoted to his friends...no, his brothers.

Yeah, his brothers.

And Branch always loved his brothers.

It was Trickee who helped him when he first began feeling the grey-Troll effects. He had always made sure Branch was well-fed and that the pod (and soon bunker) were cleaned.

Hype would bring him food. And because he was the smarter one when it came to school, he would teach Branch everything that he learned because he had stopped going after Grandma Rosiepuffs death.

And Ablaze, always fighting the bullies. It was because of him that no Troll ever tried to be to mean to him. Sure they were rude and condescending, but never mean. And that was only because of how terrified they were of Ablaze's wrath.

Then Boom, one of his first ever friends. He was a ball of sunshine and energy in Branch's overall sad life. He was the one that played games with him, spoke about all the drama and every cool thing about each party and celebration. And now that Branch really thought about it, Boom was kind of the original Poppy. The sun to the moon.

The point was they were always there.

Branch cared for them because they were the ones that stuck around.

They didn't deserve to be grey.

His biological brothers?

Now they deserved it.

But Kismet?

Never.

Still, he wished that he didn't have to hurt Poppy in the process.

But to make his brothers happy again?

He'll do whatever it takes.

When Clay woke up his leg was throbbing in pain. Sitting himself up to inspect it, he could see that it was red and definitely swollen. Maybe he pulled a muscle? Or landed on it wrong and broke skin? Though he didn't see any blood...maybe it was internal?

That and he was definitely hungry and thirsty. He hadn't had anything since Branch took him from the bunker. And even then it wasn't much of a meal.

The rain had subsided, and the bright sun was cracking through the leaves. Almost right under Clay was where the animal sat. Sleeping, guarding, and waiting for Clay to jump down.

"I can't believe you stayed." Clay muttered, inspecting the animal as it yawned and stretched their arms. It kind of looked like Branch. Well it looked like weird, creepy, possessed by his necklace Branch.

He had to distract himself. From the pain in his leg, his growling stomach, and his parched throat. Clay had to find something to do so that he wouldn't think about it. "Do you have a name little guy?" He asked the creature. It only yawned in response. "I'll call you Trunk because you remind me of my brothers."

The creature said nothing. Clay frowned, laying down onto his back. "Can I tell you a story Trunk?"

The softest scratch on the dirt was a yes to Clay. "Well, it isn't really a story, more like a...conversational talk?" Clay shrugged. "I just...I thought Branch was better. I really thought that because the necklaces were destroyed everything was okay now, but like most other times I was wrong."

Was he really about to use  sleeping woodland creature with rabies that reminded him of his possessed and yet evil baby brother as a therapist to trauma dump?

Yes.

Clay sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I mean- we just got him back! Then he leaves the bunker, his eyes glow red again, he literally kidnaps me, and then leaves me for dead in a cave! I mean what the heck dude, aren't you supposed to be okay now!?"

Clay yelled out his anger before letting it out with a sigh. "I love him because he's my brother. I worry about him because he's my youngest brother. I pity everything I put him through and that I should have done so many things differently so that he wouldn't have to live his life the way he has. I hate him because of what he did."

Should he hate him? Synth certainly didn't.

Although he probably will once he learns about what happened.

"I don't know what to do Trunk." Clay groaned. "I'm stuck up here and injured so I can't get down. My brothers have no idea where I am, and Branch is probably doing something that he's going to regret some other day."

The creature, Trunk, stretched below Clay, fully waking up.

"What would a responsible person even do in this situation!?" He yelled. "If there's a wrong answer to these things then that must be all that I'm doing, because there is no way my decisions and choices these past few weeks have all been good ones.

Trunk looked up at where it could smell Clay was and growled.

"No that's stupid. Why am I talking about stupid stuff? I became a licensed CPA. I should be intelligent.

Trunk charged at the tree, somehow being able to shake the trunk even with his small hut. Clay began to slip and  fall off the side, but the process was slow. He gripped his hair back onto the branch and watched Trunk growl and snarl at him.

Correction of his circumstances:

He had no food or water.

He had no to very little shelter.

His baby brother might be walking to his death and its his fault.

He was injured on a branch,

And a creature he named Trunk with rabies wouldn't leave him alone.

It was going to be a long couple of days.