Archive of Our Own ^beta

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So, it’s my turn, huh? My time to narrate the latest chapter of our lives? Fine.

As you all know, my name is Branch Dory Willows-Suki. Half-Rock Bergen Hunter and Safety Officer of the Pop Trolls. Bio-son of Clover of the Journey Clan. Adopted son of the Suki Clan. Consort (or boyfriend if you wanna be informal) of Queen Poppy.

A few months ago, we went through the World Tour or the Rockapocalypse as some have taken to calling it. Dark secrets were revealed. Battles were fought. Siblings were reunited. Feelings were confessed.

We went through a lot of things in those days. We nearly died more than once. I never want to relive that again.

…I’m getting off-track, sorry. I just can’t help but keep thinking about what happened. Especially with our most recent adventure. Just one [Bleep!]-ing thing after another [Bleep!]-ing thing, huh?

Anyway, it’s my turn to tell our story. Our most recent misadventure.

But first, let me start at the beginning. Let me tell you…about my bio-mother. And how she met my bio-father.

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[1] Ten years.

That was how long it had been since that dark day. Since her parents and the rest of their clan had perished. Since the Obsidian Guard laid waste to them. Since her family paid the price for the ‘sins’ of their ancestors.

Ten years now.

In those ten years, she had wandered Songwell, travelling from place to place. From the ravaged wastelands of the Southern Hinterlands to the green forests and valleys of the Northern Hinterlands. From the ash-covered wastes of Rock to the deserts of Country to the golden mountains of Symphonyville.

She had travelled the North and South both with her family and without but in recent years, she had stuck mainly to the South. Near and within the Kingdom of Pop.

Foolish it would seem, but the Alliance of Rock wouldn’t dare come up here due to how equally matched the opposing tribes were. Yes, Rock was experienced when it came to conquering other Tribes, but it would find an even match in Pop who held nearly the exact same amount of territory, would have no issue with feeding their army and didn’t rely on music for war.

Besides, there were plenty of places to go if she wanted to avoid Pop Trolls. Vacay Island for one.

It was very nice, and it was a good place to rest, relax and recover after long journeys. The Vacationers were quite friendly and welcomed any and all who come in peace. The Tropical Rockers were slightly suspicious of her at first but came around when they learned who she was and why she was here.

She had…met some of the Pop Trolls. And…they didn’t seem that bad? They were a far cry from their bloodthirsty and power-hungry depictions in the history books of Rock and the other Tribes.

Granted, she had only met those who lived on the edges of Pop-occupied territory so it could be a different story the deeper one went into the Kingdom of Pop. Hence why when she went into Pop territory, she made sure to stick to the border settlements.

Not this time, though unfortunately. She had heard of a rare gem that could render one invisible to the naked eye. It could her get around much easier without the fear of getting spotted. And if she found herself in a sticky situation, she could use the gem to get away.

If there were Occult Rockers or magic-users who were capable of dispelling the Cloaking Gem around, then she was screwed but hey, she would figure it out when she had to.

She hoped that this journey was worth being this close to the Great Tree of Pop, the capital and heart of the Pop Trolls. Her mission had been delayed more times than she could by having to hide from patrolling soldiers and Deputies alike. And wandering predators.

At least there were no Bergens or Rageons around. They kept to the [2] far mountains and hadn’t terrorised them in ages as far as reports went so—

CRACK!

“Huh—, WOAH!”

So distracted with thinking and remembering that she failed to notice she had stepped on a broken rock. She tried to regain her balance but slipped and fell, hitting the hard ground as she fell, biting her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain.

She couldn’t help herself when she finally stopped and landed on some hard rocks. Her leg erupted in pain as a sickening CRACK echoed throughout the area. Her scream echoed throughout the forest…

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He was on a walk with AJ and Peps when he heard it. He stopped, his ears going up and down as he tried to figure out what the noise was. He looked behind to see his friends doing the same, looking around in concern.

“What was that?” Peps said before they all jumped at the sound of a series of pained screams. He wheeled around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the screaming. When he did, he quickly ran ahead, using his hair to speed up.

Someone was in trouble. Someone was hurt. Whoever they were and whatever injuries they had, they needed help.

Even as the screaming died down, he continued running through the forest until he came across a small cliff. He skidded to a halt, sending pebbles over the top. He looked around for anything and looked down to see someone huddling at the bottom of the ditch.

He took a deep breath before making his way around, being careful not to slip. Soon, he made his way to the bottom of the ditch to see whoever it was.

And his heart skipped a beat.

The Troll before him was a cyan female with cracked adventurer’s goggles, a brown leather jacket, dark green shirt, and black shorts. Her hands were covered in black fingerless gloves. Her colours were a bit darker but no less beautiful.

She was covered in scars as well, but it only added to—

He shook his head. Wrong time to think about it. This Troll needed his help, not him staring at her like a creep. He took a deep breath before looking her over for injuries.

Her leg seemed slightly limp while she had blood running down her face. He wanted to rush in and help but this Troll seemed…afraid of him?

He didn’t know why but he needed to be careful, lest he make things worse.

“Easy,” He said soothingly, hands out, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help you.”

The female Troll didn’t seem to believe him, judging from the look in her eyes. A small part of him registered the female Troll’s hand hovering towards her vest, even as a pained look came across her face.

“Look, you’re hurt badly, and I know that you’re scared but you need help. I’m not going to hurt you. I pinkie promise,” That got her eyes to widen before she looked away. Breeze waited patiently before the female Troll turned back to him and nodded.

“Okay,” Breeze said, stepping towards the female Troll slowly while pulling out his medical kit, “Now, I’m going to have to…touch you in order to have a proper look. Is that okay?”

“It’s not like I have any choice,” The female Troll retorted but nodded, nonetheless.

“Good,” Breeze nodded before a sudden question came to mind. He bit his lip, conflicted on whether he should ask or not. After some time, he decided to bite the bullet, “Does your family know you’re out here?”

“No,” The female Troll shook her head, “They’re…long gone.”

“My apologies.”

“Not needed. Just focus on patching me up,” The female Troll sighed.

“You got it,” Breeze gave a thumbs up as he continued working. As he did, he noticed his patient looking up and then growling while baring her teeth.

He stopped his work to see what it was about and looked back to see AJ and Peps standing there, eyes wide in confusion and concern. He shook his head before turning back to the other Troll, “Don’t mind them. They’re friends or my friends at least. The Treasure Troll’s Alma but we just call her AJ and the guy’s Peppy, heir to the throne.”

“H-Heir?” The female Troll jumped back, only to bite back a hiss of pain. Breeze tilted his head in confusion at the alarmed reaction before continuing to work. She must’ve had a bad experience with royalty in the past but what had happened?

Soon, her injuries had been taken care of for the moment, but she would need to be treated at the hospital. But how would she react? He took a deep breath before speaking, “Listen, I’ve stopped the bleeding and patched up your injuries but you’re going to need to go to the hospital to fix up your leg. And I’m going to carry you there. Unless you prefer crawling your way to the hospital or back to wherever you live?”

The female Troll blinked before saying, “Nice one,” She then sighed, “Fine, but if you try anything, know that I bite and I bite hard.”

“Noted,” Breeze said, not letting the seemingly semi-feral Troll’s threats scare him as he gently picked up the female Troll, surprised at how easy it was and how light she was, “Up we go.”

As they carefully but quickly made their way back to [3] Great Tree, he found himself asking another question, “So…what do I call you?”

“…”

“Giving me the silent treatment? Now? Really?” Breeze then gave the Troll in his arms a reassuring smile, “Anyways, my name is Breeze Dory Willows and you?”

“…Clover. And that’s all you’re getting.”

‘Clover. What a beautiful name,’ He found himself thinking as they made their way to the hospital. Hopefully, Doctor Moonbloom wouldn’t be overdramatic as a joke towards Clover. He got the feeling that his patient wouldn’t appreciate that.

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Clover sighed as she lied there, arms crossed.

Typical. Just typical. After everything, after all the measures she took and all the lengths she went to avoid being spotted by Pop Trolls this deep into their territory, she had ended up in one of the hospitals of their capital. And ended up spotted by the Crown Prince of Pop himself.

Great. Just great.

At least she didn’t need to worry about using up her medical supplies. At least she didn’t worry about how she was going to get back to her hideout. At least the food and company was good.

She had been stuck in this hospital room (a private one thankfully) for a few days by now and had been visited by a number of Trolls and had gotten to know them a little.

The most common sight besides the Troll who had patched up her (Breeze, she reminded herself) was the Maker Troll doctor and his apprentice who went by the name of Moonbloom and could be very dramatic at times. But it was just a joke, and she knew when to tone it down.

AJ was friendly but Clover knew that she had a ton of questions about her. They all did but at least AJ had the good sense to not bother her with questions about where she came from or her family. And she managed to convince the others not to bother her with those questions as well so that earned her a few points in her books.

Prince Peppy…seemed alright and friendly. Very, very friendly. He wasn’t what she was expecting a member of Pop royalty to be like. Then again, that might change when he found out about where she had come from. About what the Alliance of Rock had been up to. About the String War.

There were a few others. A Giant Troll who seemed very jumpy. A Teaspoon Troll with a bit of attitude. A golden Glitter Troll with dark blue or black hair by the name of Sky who reminded her of the Classical Trolls. A cheerful, yellow-skinned female Troll with bright red hair by the name of Mags.

And last but not least…Breeze himself.

Every day, the cyan (like her but much, much brighter) Troll had come in to say hello to her, talking with her and keeping her company. Sometimes, he brought books and food with him. Pop Troll foods that were unsurprisingly high in sugar but surprisingly delicious and not as bad as she thought it would be.

They had talked a lot about many things. About Great Tree. About his friends. About what he had done today. About the books he brought her. About his family. About a lot of things.

It was…actually quite enjoyable. In most conversations with other Trolls, she was at best the sounding board as she didn’t speak much. Besides, who would want to listen to a quiet pure-blooded Rock Troll exile who was the descendant of rebels whose actions had unleashed the Red King upon the world? Or even just a quiet Troll nomad for those that didn’t know.

Breeze didn’t care and valued her opinions, asking to elaborate if he was curious about one of her answers. She didn’t have friends (or that many at least) but if she did, she would maybe consider Breeze one of them? She didn’t know. She hadn’t felt this…confused in a long time.

Anyway, it was nice getting to know Breeze. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and once her leg was healed enough that she could walk with the help of a crutch, the Pop Queen came calling…

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“And that is why the other Troll races refuse to have anything to do with us anymore.”

Breeze’s gaze flickered between Pep’s mother and the sacred harp which held their String, eyes wide in confusion and shock. In just a quarter of a hour, the world that he thought he knew had just gotten a whole lot bigger and scarier.

The names of the other Troll races in the ancient myths weren’t their true names. Rather, they were defined by the Music they lived by. Their people, Pop. Clover’s people as it turned out, Rock. Funk, Country, Techno and Classical.

And their ancestor had broken the harmony between the Trolls. Unleashed war and bloodshed on the other Tribes until the son of the Last Pop King helped the other Tribes put an end to the madness. But it didn’t stop there.

Instead, the Rock Trolls decided that it was their turn to unleash war and bloodshed. Not on the main Tribes this time but on the Subgenre Tribes that had gone further North and settled in a place called the Hinterlands.

“And now…you can understand why I have to do this,” Queen Pippi suddenly said, her voice as cold as ice. Before anyone could figure out what she meant by that, she snapped her fingers and spoke again, “Seize the Rock Troll.”

Immediately, two of the brown wood-wearing and leaf-covered Thorn Knights began advancing towards Willow whose eyes widened before narrowing in rage as she growled. She then pulled out a machete with her free hand and pointed it at the Thorn Knights who stopped and did the same.

“Wait, Mom—!” Peps called out.

“Silence,” Queen Pippi said, “This is for the greater good.”

“Her leg still hasn’t healed,” Moonbloom chimed in, nervously wringing her hands as Queen Pippi turned to glare at her, “She needs time to rest and—.”

“Time?” Queen Pippi repeated before shaking her head, “Every second that this Rock Troll spy remains is another we’re in danger. Her very presence threatens us.”

“We don’t know if she’s a spy for sure,” Breeze chimed in, moving to stand between Clover and the Thorn Knights.

“Why else would a pure-blood be all the way out here?” Queen Pippi raised an eyebrow, “We need to get rid of her before she can report back.”

“I’m not a spy. I-I promise,” Willow sighed, “I’m…an exile. My whole family is or was. Had been for centuries.”

“And what happened to them? Why aren’t they here?”

“Dead,” Willow shook her head, “Ten years now. We got raided by the Obsidian Guard. As far as I know, I was the only one that got out alive.”

“How did you survive?”

“You can thank my mother for that. She grabbed me and ran to the edge of our hideout and told me to run and she’ll come find me once it was all over. Like any child, I believed her and did as soon as she said. Hours later, I came back. Everyone was long dead by the time I came back.

I buried who I could, grabbed what I could and I’ve ever wandering ever since,” Clover hissed, “I hate the Rock Trolls as much as you do but trust me, ever since that border war, they wouldn’t dare thinking of coming up here.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Queen Pippi crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Put simply; logistics. You have tons of fertile farmland, a well-established supply system, and you don’t need to fear bandit attacks. The Rock Trolls don’t have that. Food and water shortages are way too common, raider attacks on their convoys happen all the time and besides, they rather attack weaker Tribes than weaken themselves by going after one of the Main Tribes.”

“For someone whose family has been in exile for centuries, you sure know a lot about how their leaders think, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Clover rolled her eyes before continuing, “But it means I can be an asset to you when, not if but when the day comes when they do decide to come after the Main Tribes as well. Because one day, believe it or not, they will come once the last of the Hinterlander Tribes have been destroyed or enslaved.”

For the first time since entering the room, Queen Pippi seemed uncertain, looking everywhere before looking at the Pop String.

“Mom, she has a point,” Peps chimed in, “She could help us. Besides, she’s a Troll like us. We can’t turn our backs on someone in need.”

“…If I let you stay, you must not tell anyone not in this room about what you are or where you came from. Speak nothing of it. If you do, I will not be so merciful. If my decision leads to the Alliance of Rock’s wrath falling upon us sooner rather than later, I will throw you to the wolves myself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Clover bowed, “Thank you for your mercy.”

“Good,” Queen Pippi then turned to them, “The rest goes for you. Not a single word of what happened in this chamber leaves it.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Breeze chorused with the others, not taking his eyes off Clover for even the slightest moment.

“Good. All of you are dismissed…except for you, my son,” That got Peps to jump and turn to him and AJ in alarm, “We need to talk.”

Breeze had just enough time to a sympathetic look and mouth ‘Good luck’ before he was escorted out of the chamber by the Thorn Knights that Queen Pippi had moments earlier told to throw out Willow.

Willow. His gaze went over to the Troll in question, and he slowed his pace to match hers. Immediately, he started in a questioning tone, “Willow—.”

Suddenly, her free hand reached over and clamped his in an iron grip. He blushed at the feeling and the feeling of their hands sharing contact.

“Not here,” Willow whispered before adding in a pleading tone, “Please.”

Willow didn’t like being touched. At all outside of times where it was absolutely necessary, and he could count those times on one hand.

So, to see her hand so tight around his, he did as she said and kept quiet.

Though another question bugged him; where was Willow going to stay once, she was cleared from the hospital? Because there was absolutely no way in hell he was going to let her walk back to wherever she lived no matter how stubborn she was about doing so.

She didn’t know anyone besides him and the others in Great Tree. Her hideout was miles away. She couldn’t stay in the hospital forever.

That left one place but how would Willow feel about it? He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or anything like that but what other choice did either of them have?

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Clover felt her unease nearly overwhelm her as the pod came into sight. A small part of her was still baffled by the Pop Trolls’ practice using their hair to make their homes, businesses, and most other important buildings. How did it work? She still had no [Bleep!]-ing clue.

Her unease continued to grow as they approached. Why did she listen to Breeze when he offered? Why did she say yes?

Surely, he was genuine in his offer for her to stay with him and his Grandma until her leg was better but what about his Grandma? What would she be like? Would she be kind and welcoming or judgemental and harsh?

She didn’t want to know. The idea of fleeing was very much tempting right about now. But then she remembered her leg and knew that she wouldn’t get very far.

Besides, Breeze would be there so if it was bad, it wouldn’t be all bad if that made sense.

Soon, they had reached the door of the pod and it was time. Clover took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before nodding for Breeze to open the door.

“Right this way, Willow,” Breeze opened the door and curtsied. Willow rolled her eyes before making her way in with Breeze following behind, “Mom, I’m home! And I’ve brought a friend!”

As they entered, Willow looked around before her eyes fell upon a purple-skinned Troll with mint green hair tied up in large updo. She wore a pale-yellow dress with a scalloped hemline and a red knit cardigan with pinky glitter eyes and a heart pattern.

At Breeze’s call, the older Troll turned to face them, revealing matching mint green eyes, nose and lipstick. Her eyes widened in surprise before she gave a warm smile, “Breeze, who is this? Is this your girlfriend?”

“Um, no,” Breeze shook his head, “She’s Willow, remember?”

“I remember,” Breeze’s mother nodded, “Nice to meet you, dear.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Willow said shyly, looking down at the floor, “I hope that you don’t mind me being—.”

“Nonsense!” Breeze’s mother chuckled, shaking her head, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, dearie.”

“Oh…thank you, Miss Willows.”

“Please…just call me Rosie.”

After that, dinner followed and as she ate, she watched Breeze and Rosie talk and tease each other. It…reminded her of the bond shared by her and her mother. Before the Obsidian Guard came.

It made her heart ache and long for those days. Back when she wasn’t alone.

After a while, dinner was over, and it was time to hit the hay. Which meant sleeping on the couch which would definitely bite her in the butt come the morning. Not the greatest of conditions but she had made do with far worse and far less.

But she wasn’t feeling tired. She felt restless but what could she do?

Her gaze moved to her bag. Within it was her supplies. Within it was her journal.

Journal! Yes, she hadn’t written in that for a while. She really needed to update it.

She reached over and pulled out her journal and one of her pencils and began writing.

Dear Journal
It has been a few days since I’ve last wrote in this. Last, I did, I was searching for the Cloaking Gem.

Haven’t found it yet, on account of my injuries forcing me to go to the hospital. At least I’m still here thanks to the help of the Pop Trolls.

[4] Let me start from the beginning. I was walking when…

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] At this point in time, Clover, Breeze, AJ and Peppy are all roughly around 17 more or less by the time of this chapter. Clover was 7 when she lost her family to a raid by the Obsidian Guard. No one but her survived.

[2] In this AU, the Bergens pre-Bergen War lived in a series of polluted mountains in the western part of the Southern Lands. Following the Chef’s return after tasting Trolls, the Bergens abandoned their mountain settlements to get closer to the Pop Trolls.

[3] Yes, I know. Great Tree. Not the most imaginative/creative name I could’ve thought of but for the capital that’s all I can think of. If something better comes up, I’ll rename it.

[4] Next chapter will pick up decades later; on the last night of BroZone and the aftermath of it.

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[1] One moment, everything had been so perfect, perfect, perfect, as one of their hit songs went.

“It’s working. YES! Come on, guys.”

“What he’s doing!? This isn’t what we practiced!”

The next…not anymore.

They were this close to achieving the Perfect Family Harmony. Close to finding out what King Peppy’s plan for getting them out was. Close to finally getting out of here and seeing the real world.

This concert had been planned for months. They were all working so hard, practicing harder than ever so they could achieve the Perfect Family Harmony. And then…maybe John could relax and didn’t need to stress for once.

Sure, his brother was demanding and it annoyed Clay and Spruce, but John did care about them and wanted the best for them. Even if the way he went about was annoying and resulted in agreements between him, Clay and Spruce many times.

Thankfully, he was there to keep them from getting too bad. And to keep Branch calm and stop him from worrying so much.

“I remember that I’m with my brothers and that when we come together, there is nothing we can’t do.”

“But no one’s ever hit the Perfect Family Harmony or at least hasn’t in ages. Is it true that it can shatter diamonds?”

“Yeah. It’s that powerful.”

Branch. How was he reacting to all this?

This was supposed to be his night. This was supposed to be his first ever official concert. It wasn’t supposed to go this way at all.

His gaze went to his baby brother who was looking at anything and everything but him and the others, a guilty and scared look on his face.

Floyd sighed regretfully. What could he say? He didn’t know this time. And that was what scared him also.

He then looked behind him at John, Spruce and Clay who were shooting resentful glares at each other but mostly John.

The tension was so thick that he could cut it with one of Mom’s hunting knives.

Mom…Floyd sighed. This all started after Mom and Dad died. Maybe they could’ve kept them from arguing this much to point of the screaming. Maybe they couldn’t. Who knew?

He took a few deep breaths to stop himself from choking up and crying, lest it made things worse.

Things were already bad enough. He didn’t need to make it worse. He needed to be strong for Branch’s sake. He couldn’t cry. He wouldn’t cry.

He just had to be there for Branch.

He promised himself that before turning his attention back to preparing for the inevitable argument that was going to erupt when they got back home.

And when they did, he was proven right.

“See what happens when you don’t follow my lead!?” John was the first to speak as he and Spruce entered. Floyd put away his guitar and watched the ensuing argument silently, making sure that Branch was behind him the whole time. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed [2] Rhonda perking up and looking around uneasily.

“Dude, this was exactly what happened when we followed your lead!” Spruce retorted, pointing an accusing finger at John who turned back to face him with a sarcastic smile.

“Oh, so it’s my fault? Is that what you’re saying?” John then sighed and took a few deep breaths and shaking his fists, “I know we can do it. We can reach the Perfect Family Harmony. We just need to—.”

“Try again?” Spruce asked, raising his eyebrow before scoffing and glaring at John, “Well, what if we don’t want to?”

“Yeah, dude!” Clay chimed in, “This used to be fun! Now, ever since you had that meeting with King Peppy, it’s all about…being perfect.”

At the mention of King Peppy, something flashed on John’s face as his eyes darted to the doorway. Guilt? Anger? Shame?

Fear. Floyd’s eyes widened in realisation. It was fear. Fear of what, though? Before anything else, Spruce started speaking again.

“You know what? I’m done playing the Heartthrob. My exquisitely chiselled rock-hard abs and I quit,” He and Branch gasped as Spruce followed up with that by tearing off his vest.

“I quit too,” Clay then reached into his pants and pulled out his Funderdrawers, “And you can keep these!” He paused to throw the Fundrawers into John’s face, “I’m more than just the Fun One. I’m in a sad book club. Did you know that? A sad book club. There are Trolls who take me seriously. Who see me as more than just the Fun One.”

“Fine!” John growled, throwing the Funderdrawers away, “I don’t need this,” He then began packing away his belongings and Rhonda, “I’m out. I’m done. I’m sorry.”

He then grabbed his grappling hook and shot them all one final glare, “I’m gonna hike the Neverglade Trail by myself, Brolone,” He paused to fire the grappling hook and began making his way towards the window, “Yeah, that’s right. Brobro going solo! YOLO! Goodbye forever!”

Before he left, John looked in his and Branch’s direction and gave a sad look before jumping out the window. Floyd flinched as he heard John yelp and the sound of someone hitting several branches on the way down.

“Fine. I’m out of here,” Clay was the first to break the silence and began walking away as John called out ‘Later, losers!’

Floyd jumped. Sugar. He needed to stop them before it was too late. Spruce began following Clay in walking out, “Same here.”

“Guys, please! Come on!” Floyd called out, trying to get them to turn around and listen. None of them did. They just kept walking. Floyd sighed and hanged his head.

“It’s my fault,” He raised his head to look at Branch who was on the verge of tears, “I ruined everything.”

“No, no, Branch, this isn’t your fault. We’re not in sync anymore. Haven’t been for a while now,” Floyd sighed, “They’re…just sad.”

“They miss Mom and Dad, right?”

“Yeah, B,” Floyd ran a hand through his baby brother’s hair, “They’re just upset and just need some space.”

“But not you, Floyd?” Branch asked with wide, pleading eyes. His heart damn near shattered at his baby brother’s next words, “You’re not leaving too?”

“No. Of course not, Branch,” Floyd said, giving his bro a reassuring smile as he picked him up, “I’m not going to leave you Branch for anything. You’re my brother. Why would I leave you?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Branch briefly smiled before it fell, “So what do we do now?”

“I don’t know. I want to find our brothers and try and talk some sense into them but it’s late and you should be getting to—.”

“Branch? Floyd?” They both turned to the doorway to see Grandma walking in, her eyes wide, “What’s going on? Where’s your brothers?”

“They left. They had a big fight,” That got Grandma’s eyes to widen even further, “But don’t worry, I’m going to head out and try to find them.”

“Floyd, dear, you don’t have to do that.”

“I have to, Grandma. I’m faster. I can catch up to them,” Floyd sighed, “Hopefully, I can talk some sense into them,” Floyd then turned to Branch as he put him down gently, “Listen, Branch, I have the most important job of all for you; taking care of Grandma. Can I count on you?”

“Of course, Floyd!” Branch smiled, shaking his fists, “You can count on me.”

“Good to know,” Floyd said as he pulled Branch into a tight hug, making this one last. After a minute or so, they separated with sad smiles, “I’ll be back soon, Branch.”

“Okay. Bye.”

And then he was off, walking into the cold night. He shivered, pulling the vest tighter around him. He looked around the mini-forest that surrounded their home. Beyond that was the iron bars of their cage and beyond that…Bergen Town.

Even with only a few trees left, the Last City was still big enough to be called as such. Thousands of Trolls lived here. It would a while for him to comb through the entire city. And what if his brothers were gone by now? Gone where he couldn’t find them?

They wouldn’t…go outside the Cage, would they? Into Bergen Town itself? At night, there were more Bergens lurking outside for any would-be escapees. John, Spruce and Clay could be walking straight into the claws of one right now.

He gulped nervously before breathing in and out to calm his nerves.

‘Hang on, guys. Just hang on.’

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John held Rhonda tightly as he sped-walked away from the Great Tree, stomping through the fields of grass that towered over him.

He was actually going to do it. He was actually going to hike the Neverglade Trail. He was actually going to…leave his home, his family and everything else behind.

His pace slowed to a crawl as the reality of what he was doing hit him.

In order to get to the Neverglade Trail, he had to make it out of Bergen Town. The capital and last city of the monsters that had taken so much from them. That had torn apart families. That had destroyed their civilisation. That had taken…Mom and Dad.

He sighed and shut his eyes.

“No matter what happens…protect the family. Keep them safe. No matter how the world tries to break you.”

He failed. He had broken his promise to Mom and Dad from the very beginning. He couldn’t keep any of his brothers safe. Not in this hellhole.

That was why when King Peppy offered him the chance to be the one who helped what was left of Trollkind escape, he took it.

Anything for his brothers. Anything for his family.

He turned back to the Great Tree, feeling guilt and regret swirl around in him.

Should he…should he go back?

As soon as the thought entered his head, he dismissed it and with it, any hope.

He couldn’t return. He couldn’t stay. If he did, his family would get hurt. If they didn’t, how could he live with his failure? After failing both his family and everyone else in the Troll Trees.

A small part of him remembered that Miss Alma had a daughter on the way. How could he face her as well? How could he face anyone?

…He couldn’t. It would be better for everyone if he left. It would be better for his brothers and Grandma. It would be better for Branch.

And so, he turned back to the Cage. To the hole in it that allowed Trolls to escape or carry in supplies.

Escape it would be in his case.

“Out of the frying pan,” John paused to place his goggles over his eyes, put Rhonda into his bag and tighten it around him, “And into the fire. Hang tight, Rhonda.”

He picked up the pace, running as fast as he could. He stopped just shy of his nose touching the fence and felt around for it until he found the hole. He ducked straight through it and emerged into Bergen Town itself.

He looked around. The moonlight shined down on the ramshackle buildings. There were no other living beings in sight. In the distance, he could hear the roar of the ocean.

He took a deep breath before continuing on his journey.

After much being chased around and nearly eaten or crushed, he had made it. Behind him was the giant stonewalls circling around Bergen Town. In front of him was a rocky wasteland that stood between him and the wall of trees on the other side.

There was a whole forest out there. A whole world. One that his mother had explored in the past. One that he had only barely experienced outside of his mother’s stories.

One that he would explore. He would be following in his mother’s footsteps. Into the big unknown.

He took a deep breath and began his trek, pulling out Rhonda and holding her close, thinking about his next move.

His supplies would last a few weeks if he rationed carefully. After those weeks, he would need to restock.

But where? As far as everyone knew, they were the last of Trollkind. All the other settlements had been destroyed and their people rounded up to be eaten or worse.

They couldn’t be though, right? There had to be others out there. Others who had survived the Bergen War. He just…needed to find them.

He paused and turned back to Bergen Town.

And who knows? Maybe he would be able to save them this time. It was probably just wishful, delusional thinking but there was a chance there were others out there.

“Only one way to find out.”

And so, he was on the move again…

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[3] For a moment, Spruce regretted not packing. Then he realised that overpreparing and overpacking was John’s thing.

So, he didn’t turn back. For that and one other reason.

If he did turn back, he wouldn’t be able to leave. Not with Branch in the same pod. Not with him staring at him, wondering if he was going to stay or leave again. Not with his tears—.

Spruce shook his head, trying to keep the guilt from overwhelming him.

He couldn’t stay. Not with everything. Branch and Floyd had the best chance of living a normal life if he wasn’t here. Clay was friends (and possibly more but Clay always denied) with Princess Viva and the Princess was fiercely protective of her friends and family.

Besides…he would come back one day. He would. Not now, though. He needed to find himself and try and rebuild his life.

His bull-headed squarehead of a brother might actually try and go through Bergen Town itself and head for the Neverglade Trail. A place that no one was sure even existed.

For a moment, Spruce thought of trying to track down John and snap some sense into him. Then he realised that John wouldn’t listen to him. He never listened to anyone but himself.

Let him find some mythical place. There was other, better ways to escape the constant pressure of this hellhole, his family and all the expectations. It would be fantastic to get out of here and find someone that doesn’t just see him as the Heartthrob. To be able to eat as much as he wanted without going to the gym afterwards!

Well, he had a way out. Problem was…would he be still awake?

He swooped and swept his way to the very top of the Great Tree. As he did, he saw a leaf split off and begin falling towards the ground.

It reminded him of how after the Bergen War began, he couldn’t go to Vacay Island so he would use leaves that were just about to go bad and wind surf them down the Trees so he could pretend that he was at Vacay Island.

Vacay Island! His eyes widened in realisation. That was where he could go.

Mom had friends on Vacay Island. Maybe one of them would take him in? And who knows? Maybe he would see Brandy again.

Now…he just needed to get out of here.

He could surf right out the upper reaches of the bars but, then he would get eaten by one of the Bergens on the prowl where no guards were watching.

That just left one option.

He looked up and called out, “Hey man, I know you’re there!”

One moment, there was nothing in front of him. The next, Cloud Kid was floating in front of him with a wide smirk, “Well, well, if it isn’t my favourite blue-on-blue Troll.”

“C.K! Looking fluffy as always,” Spruce extended his fist for a bump. As soon as Cloud Kid reached out to hit it, he trapped the hand in his fingers, then shook it, skiffed a palm over the top, tickled the underside and hand-nommed it like a puppet, “Monkey in a zoo! Peanut butter sandwich, belly rub, shark attack nom nom.”

That got Cloud Kid to laugh, wiping a teardrop from his eyes, “I’m going to have to remember to use that on some poor soul in the distant future.”

“You do you, man,” Spruce shrugged before sighing, remembering why he was here, “Listen, I need your help.”

“With what?” Cloud Kid then smirked, “Squarehead SquarePants giving you trouble?”

“Something like that. It’s just…I need to get out of here. Away from here, please.”

“Huh,” Cloud Kid tilted his head with a frown, “That explains why I saw your brother leaving.”

That got him to jump, “You saw him?” When Cloud Kid nodded his head gravely, “Did he make it out?”

“I didn’t stick around to watch. Not with Bergens on the prowl, you know?”

He really did. John really did it. He really left the Trees and went outside the Cage. And…

Spruce shook his head and shut his eyes. No, don’t think about it. Don’t think about what happened two years ago.

He took a deep breath and re-opened his eyes, “Lend me a little breeze, will ya?”

Cloud Kid snickered and wisped a teeny-tiny ‘fwooh.’

“…Okay, I deserve that. But for real, though,” And with a neat spin, he plucked a solid, sturdy leaf and lied it flat on top of another. He got on and prepared.

“You’re going all the way this time,” Cloud Kid smirked, “Where to?”

“East. Vacay Island.”

“Surf’s up, I suppose. Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Me too,” Spruce sighed as Cloud Kid began puffing up, bigger and bigger, until he burst and soon Spruce was flying through the bars and through the night sky.

For the first time in long time, he could see the cageless sky.

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Viva helped him finish moving into the new pod he had been looking at with Grandma for a few weeks ever since he first told her that he wanted to move out.

It wasn’t a lot of things that he needed to get done but he still appreciated the help. Sure, the circumstances could be better but…at least he was out of John’s shadow for once.

He had a lot to do. A lot that he now had more than enough time for. Future graduation, career planning, studies and unpacking these boxes. He didn’t need to worry about Branch and Floyd as much since Grandma could do it.

He didn’t know if he could. After seeing what John had become. After seeing John become so overbearing, demanding and…just generally being bossy, only caring about being ‘perfect’.

Salty take? Maybe yes. Could he think what he wanted to think? Yes.

God. If he never heard the words ‘perfect’ and ‘family harmony’, it would be too soon.

“Clayton?” Viva’s nickname brought him out of his internal spiral, and he turned to see Viva looking around, “You alright?”

“Yeah. I’m just…” Clay sighed, smiling, “I’m just so relieved that BroZone is over. No more being a walking joke. Those days are behind me, now.”

“I’m happy for you,” Viva beamed, shaking her fists before a thoughtful frown came on her face, “Wait, what about Branch and Floyd?”

“Well, I’ll still come over and hang out with them but I’m living on my own now and I have a lot to do,” Clay rubbed the back of his neck, “But it’s not like I’m gonna completely ghost them. What kind of brother would I be?”

“A bad one,” Viva then rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, “But maybe you should apologise to Branch and Floyd. You know…since you technically left them like John and Spruce?”

“Well, unlike those two, I have enough sense to not leave the Trees,” Clay then gave his friend a reassuring smile, “But don’t worry; I’m planning on visiting them tomorrow. First thing in the morning.”

“Promise?” Viva raised an eyebrow.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a cupcake in my eye,” Clay placed one hand over his eye and raised the other, rolling his eyes all the while, “I promise.”

“Good!” Viva chirped, “Have fun in your new home!” She called out as she walked out.

Clay smiled as he looked at his place. Everything was going to be where he put it. He didn’t need to step around or shuffle through his brothers’ stuff to get to his stuff that John oh-so-helpfully put in the wrong place. Not anymore.

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The next day….

Clay hummed as he made his way to his old pod, holding a crate full of instruments. He didn’t need them anymore. Floyd might. So would Branch when he was old enough.

Hopefully, John wasn’t there or if he was, he was still sleeping. He couldn’t handle him right now.

Though…he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. Last night, he had waited for John to show and tell him how to rearrange his furniture or something like that.

Nothing.

Was John actually serious?

No, no, no way he wasn’t. Sure, John was stubborn as a mule but there was no way that he left the Trees. Absolutely no way. It was just hot air.

Soon, he had arrived at the pod. He reached for the key in his pocket, making sure to keep a tight grip on the crate. When he felt the key, he pulled it out and unlocked the door, stepping inside and shutting it behind him.

He made his way to the kitchen and looked around.

“Clay!” At that, he felt someone push into his leg. He looked down and saw a familiar face smiling up at that, “You came back!”

“I sure did,” Clay smiled before looking around. He could see Floyd. But where was John and Spruce? They would be up by now so where were they? “Where’s John? Where’s Spruce?”

“…They’re gone, Clay,” He looked over to see Floyd looking up with red eyes. He had been crying.

No way. They didn’t. They wouldn’t. That didn’t make any sense. Surely, they wouldn’t go that far.

He shook his head and put the crate down, walking over to Floyd and pulling him into a tight hug. He felt arms wrap around his leg and looked down to see Branch giving him hopeful eyes.

“You’re not going too are you, Clay?”

“Nah, you don’t have to worry about that. Viva, you remember Viva, right?” When Branch nodded, he continued, “Well, Viva’s dad has this big plan to get all the Trolls out. Then we can go together.”

“As a family?”

“What else?” Clay then rubbed the back of his neck, “Though I am living on my own now but hey, I’ll still come and hang out with you guys once in a while—.”

“CLAY DORY WILLOWS!” He jumped at that, eyes widening in fear and recognition of that voice. He turned around with a nervous smile to see Grandma there, looking completely and utterly ticked off.

“H-hey, Grandma, what’s up?”

“Me smacking your behind is what’s up,” Grandma then turned to Branch and Floyd and gave a sweet little smile, “Floyd, dearie. Do you think you can take Branch upstairs and teach him the instruments while I talk to your brother.”

“Actually, you know what? I wouldn’t mind having them here.”

“Sorry, bro. You’re on your own.”

Clay shot him a half-hearted glare. Traitor. He then gulped as Floyd and Branch walked away, carrying the crate. Once they had left, Grandma’s smile faded away.

“Now…GET OVER HERE!”

“AH!”

A few minutes later…

Clay hissed as he rubbed his sore behind. Grandma was pacing back-and-forth, admonishing him for what he had done. He deserved it but it was still kind of annoying.

“It’s not my fault, though,” Clay muttered, “I was sick of John and him always telling us that we have to be ‘perfect, perfect, perfect. 100%’. I wanted out. He kept blaming everyone but himself when we failed to achieve that stupid Perfect Family Harmony…”

He trailed off upon noticing Grandma staring at him with wide eyes in horror. He felt dread pool in his stomach.

“Grandma?”

“How…do you know about that?” Grandma asked, placing her hands on his shoulders, “You shouldn’t know what that is. Who told you what that is?”

“…John did. After he came from that meeting with King Peppy. He told us to never say anything about it to you, Grandma.”

After that, a long silence emerged, lasting a long time before Grandma broke it, a grim look on her face, [4] “Clay, can I trust you to look after your brothers while I’m gone?”

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I need to find AJ and go have a much-needed talk with King Peppy,” Clay jumped a little at the growl that came out as she spoke that name, “Can I count on you to look after your brothers?”

“O-Of course,” Clay nodded. He was a little bit annoyed, but he pushed it to the side. He could do it. Besides, Grandma was going to gone for just a few hours at most.

He could do it. Besides, it was a good excuse as any to hang out and spend some more time with Branch and Floyd.

He sighed and gave a determined nod.

Hours passed before Grandma returned. She returned with a heavy heart. As soon as she did, he took her to a private part of the pod and asked, “What happened?”

“Nothing good, I’m afraid,” Grandma sighed, looking her age, “And worse of all, John and Spruce are far away from this place by now so I can’t tell them that it’s safe to come home. Especially John,” She hanged her head, “Oh, how could I have allowed this to happen?”

“Grandma, what exactly is the Perfect Family Harmony?”

“…It’s a weapon,” And then Grandma started explaining.

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Long ago, we faced a dire threat in the form of the Rageons who snatched us up by the hundreds so they could use our musical essence to sing as they had no talent of their own.

This persisted for many years until a band of five brothers come forward. They had an idea. During the Rageons’ last attack, they confronted them head on. But they didn’t attack.

No…they sung instead. They sung at the top of their lungs. Together in perfect harmony.

Their combined musical essence created a wave of energy that pushed the Rageons back and shattered the diamond prisons they were using, freeing all the Trolls they had captured and driving the Rageon menace back.

They became some of Trollkind’s greatest heroes and their deeds would go down in history. And what they had accomplished…would become known as the Perfect Family Harmony.
But it doesn’t just shatter diamonds. It can shatter anything that the users wish to shatter. Like, for example, a cage and a town of Giants.

That is why…your brother was so obsessed with achieving the Perfect Family Harmony, Clayton. If it worked…then we would no longer need to fear the Bergens. That was why King Peppy told him about it.

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“Viva’s dad…did that to him?” Clay murmured, disoriented, “But he was Dad and Mom’s friend. Why would he do that?”

“Desperate, I’m afraid,” Grandma sighed, “Yes, the tunnels are nearly complete but how long until they actually are?”

“…Viva says a few more years.”

“A few more years,” Grandma grimly nodded, “And…how many would be dead by the time that happens? A hundred die every Trollstice. At least.”

“Right. He couldn’t risk it,” Clay sighed, “And that’s not speaking of that damned Chef coming around to snatch up more Trolls for when there’s a particularly important event going on.”

“Yeah,” Grandma sighed before placing a hand on his shoulder, “Listen, Clay, I want you to do something for me; keep this a secret from Branch and Floyd.”

“Wait, why?”

“I know they deserve the truth but…” Rosiepuff looked around before leaning in and whispering, “I don’t want them to blame themselves more for what happened. I don’t want to make it worse. And King Peppy has forbid us from doing so.”

“Yeah, right. Can’t ignore a royal decree,” Clay sighed, his thoughts drifting to Viva. Did she know about this?

“No, she didn’t,” Clay jumped at that before turning to Grandma. WTF!? “I can tell what you’re thinking from the look on your face, and I can tell you that she didn’t know.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Clay sighed in relief, “Though I shouldn’t have doubted her.”

“It’s alright, honey,” Rosiepuff gave him a reassuring smile before it went away, “It can be hard…knowing who to trust.”

“Yeah,” Clay sighed, running a hand through his hair, “So what do we do now?”

“…Try and get through the next few years. And then…we’ll be free.”

“Yeah. I can do that,” Clay shakingly nodded, “Just gotta through a few more years. No big deal. I…have a lot coming up so time will pass hopefully quickly.”

“Don’t forget to take breaks and visit us sweetheart, okay?”

“Of course, Grandma,” Clay nodded, “I just wish that…we could tell Branch and Floyd.”

“Maybe in the future but not now,” Grandma sighed, looking out the window, “After we’ve escaped.”

‘If we did,’ Clay shook his head to clear out those thoughts before speaking, “Listen, Grandma. I gotta head back and start preparing for school. And start figuring out how to make some money.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask,” Rosiepuff sighed, “Because as an ‘apology’, King Peppy is sending us gold coins once a month. So is Alma.”

“Oh, how…’thoughtful’ of him,” Clay rolled his eyes. It was a bribe. Of course, it was a bribe to keep them silent.

“The Trolls working at the tunnels can’t afford any distractions right now and besides, we need the money, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah,” Clay sighed before giving Grandma a smile, “Bye, Grandma. Love you.”

“Love you, Clayton. Stay safe out there.”

“I will,” Clay gave Grandma a hug before leaving to do the same for Branch and Floyd, promising to come back later.

Once he had shut the door behind him, he looked at the world around him. At the Troll Trees. At the thousands of pods. At the Cage. At the ramshackle buildings and hungry Giants beyond.

[5] He took a deep breath before making his way back to his pod, keeping an eye on his surroundings in case the Chef showed up.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] I decided to take the same approach as MarcellusMiro66 did with their take on Band Together and not depict the concert and the lead-up to it since…not a lot would change, and it would be more or less the same.

[2] Rhonda being John’s pet from before BroZone broke apart comes from Tales of the Band by George_Beard and Opefulee’s stories on Wattpad.

[3] Spruce/Bruce and Clay’s segments are heavily inspired by Chapters 3 and 4 of Spritzy’s Break Apart.

About Chapter 3 of Break Apart; I found out from concept art on Taylor Krahenbuhl’s Instagram that Cloud Kid was going to be a thing at one point along with Raindrop, a fellow troublemaker. The latter was part of a flashback scene of Cloud Guy which got cut out at one point during development.

[4] Originally, Rosiepuff was supposed to drop the remaining brothers off at the Sukis’ home with Dell going with her to confront King Peppy and Branch talking with AJ and being curious about her pregnancy, but I decided to replace it with Clay taking care of Branch and Floyd since it made more sense to me.

[5] (Hopefully) One more part of the prologue to go before we move into the present-day events of Let Me Take You To A Better Place.

Chapter Text

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Branch sighed longingly as he stared at the drawing in his hand. The drawing for the hideout that he and Floyd were planning to make once they got out of here. A hideout that he and his brothers would’ve had shared.

It had been a few months since John and Spruce left the Trees. Since Clay left to go live on his own. Since BroZone ended.

He felt guilty for the small part of him that was glad that John and Spruce were gone. At least there was no more fighting or shouting. He hated when his brothers would shout at each other at the top of their lungs no matter how hard Grandma tried to get them to stop.

At least the fighting had stopped. Though…he wished it was under better circumstances.

His family was broken. John and Spruce were missing. Clay was living in his own pod now. He still made time to visit but it wasn’t the same.

It would never be the same again.

A playful shout from Clay got his attention and he looked over to see Clay being dogpiled by several of the babies.

Right, that.

Today, Grandma had them helping out with taking care of the babies because there were a lot more than usual that needed to be taken care of due to some important meeting take place. He didn’t know what it was about, but it had to be important for some reason.

He smiled at the sight before turning back to his drawing. Maybe…he could still build the hideout but just for them and Grandma. Yeah, yeah, that could work.

It was then that he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked over to stare into light pink eyes.

Standing beside him was a hot pink Treasure Troll with a bright blue nose, orange frizzy hair and a pink Wishstone. Miss Alma’s daughter. Deedee, right?

“What?” He raised an eyebrow in confusion. His question was answered when she tried to reach for the drawing. He obliged her and turned the drawing over, causing Deedee to gasp.

“It look nice,” Deedee then frowned and turned to him, “What is it?”

“It’s my hideout,” Branch chuckled, “When we get out of here, me, Floyd, Clay and Grandma are going to live in it.”

“And what’s that blue thing?” Deedee then pointed at the slide.

“It’s a ten-story waterslide. Just a silly idea I had for how we shover. I’m planning on making improvements because a waterslide ain’t exactly practical.”

“But it was still a good idea,” He looked up to see Floyd walking over to him. He then picked up Deedee and said, “As for you…it’s naptime now.”

That got Deedee to pout and cross her arms, “But I’m not tired, Floyd,” After saying that, Deedee then yawned, causing Floyd to smirk as Deedee blushed and pouted some more.

Funny as this was, it was naptime and Deedee did need to go to sleep. But how?

…Maybe a lullaby? His eyes widened before worry came over him.

Should he? Could he? Should he sing?

He shouldn’t. What if he messed up again? What if he made things go wrong again? What if—

He stopped himself and remembered Floyd’s instructions. He shut his eyes and counted to ten, breathing in and out the whole time. Once he had reached ten, he opened them and looked at Floyd and Deedee.

Well…there was only one thing to make her go to sleep. Besides, it would be good practice. He sighed and reached out for Deedee, taking her into his arms.

“If I sing a song, will you go to sleep?” Branch asked once Deedee looked at him. The Treasure Troll only tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in response.

“He sings like an angel,” Floyd chimed in, causing Deedee’s eyes to widen before she nodded excitedly

“Very well…” And so he began.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky

He was surprised by how good his singing voice still sounded. It had been a while since he had last sung so…

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night

His gaze wandered over to Deedee who was starting to look a bit tired.

Then the traveller in the dark
Thanks, you for your tiny spark
How could he see where to go
If you did not twinkle so?

Deedee then yawned as her eyes started to flutter close.

In the dark blue sky you keep
Often through my curtains peep
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky

He slowed his singing down as Deedee finally fell asleep. She snored quietly and he looked around to find that the rest of the babies had fallen asleep. And Floyd, Clay and Grandma were staring at him with wide eyes.

He gulped a little at the attention he was getting.

“I haven’t heard you sing in months, B,” Clay whispered, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible, “And…your singing voice is still as good as ever.”

“Y-yeah,” Branch shakingly nodded, “I know. I was more than a little surprised too. I was kind of worried.”

“But you still did it for little Deedee,” Grandma chimed with a wide smile before her eyes widened, “You know, it’s just like your father and Alma all over again. He did the same for Deedee’s mother when they were kids.”

“Really?” Branch said, raising an eyebrow. This was new information. His brothers and Grandma didn’t…talk about Mom and Dad much. He only knew a little.

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Alma about this,” Grandma sighed, “She’s gonna be so excited.”

“Okay?” Branch raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“We’re really proud of you, Branch,” Floyd chimed in, giving him a warm smile, “I’m glad that you’re singing again.”

“Well, let’s not go that far, Floyd,” Branch sheepishly smiled, “I’m not sure if I’m ready to start singing full-time again.”

“You don’t have to,” Floyd gave him a reassuring smile, “You can take your time, Branch. Baby steps, remember?”

“Was that a pun?”

“Nooooo?” Floyd shrugged. Branch quietly sighed, a tad annoyed by that joke.

“That was a bad one, Floyd,” Clay chimed in, shaking his head, “For shame.”

“I don’t think you can talk, Clay,” Branch tilted his head, “You made plenty of bad jokes and besides, you’re not the Fun One anymore.”

“And I thank God every time I wake up for that,” Clay said before sighing, “But still, it was a bad joke and I’m aware that I’m a hypocrite.”

“Nice to see you’re self-aware.”

“Anyway,” Grandma chimed in sharply, “Branch, you don’t have to carry Deedee anymore. I’ll grab a blanket and pillow for you, and you can put her down.”

“Okay.”

And after Grandma got a pillow and blanket for Deedee, he gently placed the baby on the floor and helped Grandma put the blanket over her. Once they were done, he stepped back and watched as the reality of what he just did hit him fully.

He had sung. For the first time in months. For a fellow Trolling that he had only just met today.

He didn’t know why but…he felt like Deedee was going to be an important person to him in the future. But how? And why?

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Nearly 20 years later (17 years after the Great Escape) August…

“So this is really happening?”

“Yup!”

Right now, he and his little hermana were going through Troll Village. By now, the sun was going down so less, and less Trolls were out and about. As they walked, they talked about DJ’s plans.

“You two are really leaving after all this time?” Eric said, trying to keep the sorrow out of his voice.

He knew that this day had been coming for ages. He had known this since he overheard DJ making a promise to their not-so-little anymore hermano to look for his biological family. He had years to accept it.

And yet it still surprised him. And worried him.

“Yeah, I know,” DJ then gave him a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, we’ll be back by the time CJ hatches. How long is that now?”

“A few weeks,” Eric nodded, still feeling the worry eat away at him.

This was really happening. His younger siblings were going to leave the village. They were going to leave the safety of the village and enter the vast, dangerous unknown. Where anything could happen.

Where anything could go wrong. Where his siblings could get killed.

Even Branch and Floyd struggled to survive out there at times and they were the best crazy-prepared survivalists he knew. Well, the only ones that he knew but his point still stood.

Oh God, what if DJ or Cooper got hurt and he couldn’t do anything to help them? What if they both got hurt? What if they got separated from each other? What if…

…What if he never saw them again?

He…couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle losing his younger siblings. Not after everything.

He had to do something but what? He couldn’t force his siblings to stay. That would only push them to leave the village further.

“….Eric?” He jumped at the voice and turned to stare into his hermana’s concerned eyes, “You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m just…” Eric trailed off before sighing, “I’m just worried.”

“Oh…” DJ frowned before giving him a reassuring smile once more, “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. And besides, Branch is coming with us. If we get into trouble, then he’ll save our butts like he always does.”

“You know, if you guys listened to him more, he wouldn’t need to save your butts as much as he does,” Eric remarked and then smirked as DJ blushed and shoved him.

“S-Shut up!”

“But seriously, are you sure that you guys will be alright by yourselves?”

“I promise,” DJ beamed, “Me and Cooper have packed all the supplies we need. We know where we’re going, hopefully. Branch is going to come with us and will keep us safe.”

“And you’ve spoken to him about this?”

“Of course,” DJ shrugged.

“And when you guys leave?”

“A few days. We’ll be back before you know it.”

“I hope so,” Eric sighed, crossing his arms, “Don’t forget to write.”

“We won’t,” DJ then pulled him into a tight hug, “Love you, bro.”

“Love you too, sis.”

Even as the sun set and it was time to go to sleep, he couldn’t help but keep worrying. It left him restless. He couldn’t sleep. He wouldn’t.

“EJ?” He jumped at that before recognising the voice. He turned to see Lily sitting up and staring at him in concern, “You alright?”

“…No,” Eric sighed, sitting up as well, “I’m not alright. I’m worried about…”

“DJ and Cooper?” Lily finished and when Eric nodded, she spoke, “Yeah, me too, honey.”

“They’re kids, Lily,” Eric rubbed his forehead, “Kids that are going to get themselves hurt. Believe me, I-I want Cooper to find his bio-family too but…it’s too dangerous out there for them. Even with Branch joining them.

I’m scared, Lils. What if something happens to them and there’s nothing I can do to help? What if they get hurt? Or worse?” Eric hanged his head as Lily pulled him into a tight hug, “I don’t want them to leave but I don’t want to force them to stay. I…don’t know what to do.”

“…Do you have any ideas?”

“Well, one but you won’t like it. No one will.”

“What is it?”

“…Leave the village and find Cooper’s family myself. That way, DJ, Cooper and Branch won’t get hurt.”

“But you’ll get hurt,” Eric turned to see Lily crossing her arms and giving him a disapproving glare, “And what if the worse comes to pass? I don’t want our daughter to live a life without her father.”

“No one does but…what choice do I have?” Eric sighed, “It’s a stupid idea but I don’t know what else to do. And I can’t just sit by and let my siblings and friend walk into dangerous, uncharted territory by themselves.”

“Well, if you’re going, then I’m going,” That got Eric to turn to his wife in shock, “What? Til death do us part remember?”

“A-Are you sure, Lils?” Eric said as he reached for Lily’s hair, brushing it side to reveal the egg within.

“I don’t like it either but it’s like you said; we don’t have any other choice,” Lily sighed before giving him a warm smile, “Besides, didn’t you say that you wanted to venture out more?”

“Yeah, but not like this.”

“It’ll be good. If we’re quick and careful, we’ll be back with enough time to spare before CJ hatches.”

“And what about CJ? We can’t take her with us.”

“We’ll have to leave her,” Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair, “DJ and the others can take care of her while we’re gone.”

“Of course, but we can’t leave yet. We need to know where to go, how long it will take and what we can expect to find.”

“The Library?”

“No, I’m afraid,” Eric shook his head, “The Royal Archives at Harmony Heights. Unfortunately, I’ll have to sneak in when it’s night since…I’m not old enough to be part of the Council yet.”

“And how long until that happens, remind me?”

“…A few more years, I think,” Eric shrugged, “Mamá said that she’ll tell me when it’s time.”

“So you can’t let anyone see you at the Royal Archives,” Lily crossed her arms, “Good luck breaking in, I suppose.”

“Yeah,” Eric sighed, running a hand through his hair before smirking and pointing to his cheek, “Care to give me a good luck kiss?”

“Of course,” Lily leaned in to peck him on the cheek. Eric smiled before getting out of bed and making his way towards the front door but not before grabbing a knife.

It should be easy to break the window lock and get inside the Archives. Once inside, all he needed to do was read some history books and that was it.

Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy.

Of course, no plan survived contact with the enemy and this one was no exception. Sure, it went well at first but when he sat down and read the books…his world shattered.

Eric’s eyes were wide as he put down the latest book he had read.

Everything they thought they knew about the other Troll races…was almost nothing but lies. The other races had different names.

Their race was called the Pop Trolls while the others were Funk, Country, Techno, Classical and Rock with many others. The Treasure Trolls claimed heritage to both Techno and another race of Trolls called Latin Trolls.

And…their people had broken the world. Took the Strings that were meant to protect the Troll Tribes and used them to turn many of their own kind into slaves. Broke the harmony and forced the Tribes to separate. Caused Rock to become an empire built on the suffering and misery of other Tribes.

And the Council, their very own King and his parents had hidden this from them all.

He…didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to do or who to tell. Should he tell DJ, Cooper, or Lily? Would they believe him?

His train of thought was derailed by the sound of footsteps. Letting out a quiet gasp, he quickly but carefully and quietly put the books back into place, making sure to remove his fingerprints as he did. Once he was finished, he made his way to the window and dived through it, removing his knife, and closing the window before making his getaway.

He needed to tell Lily and then come up with a plan.

September 4th…4 days later.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

After much packing, preparation, secret-keeping and working hard to keep what they were doing a secret, they were ready to go. Ready to leave Troll Pop Village and go into the vast unknown. For the sake of their younger siblings.

They had to wait so they wouldn’t have to bring CJ along with them, but it was worth it. It gave them more time to prepare and spend as much time with their loved ones as they could.

They didn’t know when they would see them again.

And so, after much planning and preparation, they were ready.

They had wrapped blankets around CJ’s egg and placed her on the table so she would easily be found. They had timed this so by the time they were preparing to head out, it was a few hours before morning.

“See you soon, my baby girl,” Eric sighed as he gave CJ’s egg a farewell kiss, followed by Lily doing the same, “We love you no matter what.”

And after packing their bags, they walked out with heavy hearts, closing the door behind them. The egg was left in the pod. All alone.

Hours passed and the sun started to rise. As it did and the village came to life, there was a sudden—

Knock-Knock-Knock!

“Hey, Eric? Lily? You guys awake?

…

“Hello?”

…

“I just wanted to check on you guys since…I got a bad feeling about something. I don’t know what it is, but it led me here.”

…

“…Eric? Lily?”

CLICK! CREAK!

DJ popped her head in and looked around. She couldn’t see anything but…CJ’s egg.

Her eyes widened as she ran over and gently picked up CJ. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong. Eric and Lily wouldn’t leave CJ out by herself.

She needed to find Mamá. Now.

She quickly ran out with CJ in her arms, making sure that she didn’t drop her as she ran to her Mamá’s pod, ignoring the questioning and concerned looks from the others. She only stopped to tell Poppy and Cooper what was going on.

“They’re gone!”

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September 10th…

Eric looked at the map he had made before looking up and around. They were getting close. He could smell and feel the hot desert air.

Just a few more hours and they would be in the Glitter Desert. Just a few more hours and they would be one step closer to finding the Funk Trolls. Just a few more hours and they would be one step closer to finding Cooper’s family.

To returning home.

DJ was gonna kill him when she saw him again. And he wouldn’t blame her for it.

Eric sighed as he hanged his head and shut his eyes. He wanted to leave a letter behind. He really did but he couldn’t.

He didn’t want any of his or Lily’s familia or friends to get into trouble. And they would if he or Lily left a letter behind. Besides, what was stopping King Peppy from burning any letters they left found to protect his secrets?

He doubted that King Peppy would do that but after reading through Mamá’s diary and hearing what he tried to do to Cooper…he didn’t know what to think of King Peppy anymore.

Hopefully, King Peppy wouldn’t try and keep them from returning to Pop Village if they did find Cooper’s family. Or he wouldn’t try and hurt Cooper. Or—

BOOM!

The loud sound caused both him and Lily to freeze and look around, eyes darting everywhere. No, it couldn’t be…

BOOM!

That…that was impossible! They escaped!

BOOM!

They shouldn’t have to hear that horrible sound again! God, please no…

BOOM!

It was a Bergen for sure but not just anyone. The Royal Chef itself.

Currently, it wasn’t looking at them, but he knew from its sniffing that it would soon find them.

He reached for Lily’s hand and gripped it firmly. And when It looked down at him, he took off, dragging Lily behind him, running as fast as they could, deeper into the forest.

But no matter how hard they ran, the Chef soon caught to them, and they found themselves consumed by darkness…

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Nearly 3 years later…a few months before the 20th Anniversary.

“Wait, Branch! You forgot your stuff! Come back! What did I say? BRANCH, REGRESAR!”

No matter how much she shouted, Branch wouldn’t turn around and stop running for some reason. What did she say anyway?

It didn’t matter as Branch kept running and would until he got to where he was going. And she wasn’t in the mood, nor did she have the time to chase Branch through the whole forest.

Only one thing left to do.

“BRANCH, IF YOU DON’T STOP, I’M TELLING FLOYD ON YOU!”

DJ smiled as that brought Branch to a screeching halt and he turned around to face her with comically wide eyes.

“Good. Now…” DJ held out Branch’s belongings, “You left these behind when you started running for the hills.”

“Okay,” Branch muttered as he grabbed his belongings before pointing at her, “But do not say a word about me almost drowning to Floyd. I don’t need him being worried for me.”

“Sure…” DJ trailed off as her eyes widened in realisation.

Wait, she had the upper hand. She could use this to get Branch to do something for her. Sure, blackmail was wrong but...sometimes, it had to be done for the greater good.

But what could she do?

…Maybe ask to hang out with Branch more? Yeah, that might work.

“Sure thing, Branch, but on one condition.”

“I’m not going to a party or a festival or a celebration or any other kind of event. No means no,” Branch crossed his arms and turned away, “I rather get into trouble with Floyd than go to a party.”

“No, nothing like that,” DJ shook her head as she gave him a reassuring smile, “I promise you. I’ll keep tonight a secret if…you hang out with me.”

“…Pardon?” Branch said before a dark look came across his face, “I am not going to hang out with your little—.”

“No, just me and you. And Cooper. And Floyd. Just us. Just the four of us. We’ll go to somewhere private, and we can…do whatever,” DJ shrugged, “No one else, I promise.”

“Promise-promise?” Branch narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “Because you know how things tend to go between me and the Snack Pack.”

“Yeah, I know,” DJ rubbed the back of her neck, “They can be quite the handful at times. And believe it or not, I do get annoyed sometimes by them.”

That was a bit of an understatement considering the amount of arguments between her and the rest of the Snack Pack that he had witnessed but her point still stood.

“Anyway, what do you say? Just a few hangouts between the four of us?” DJ held out a hand before retracting it, “I won’t tell any of the Snack Pack, I promise.”

“What about your familia?”

“Only my parents. And CJ,” That got something to flash across Branch’s face before disappearing, “No one else but them, I promise.”

“You’re saying that a lot tonight. You know that, right?”

“Of course,” DJ shrugged before holding out a hand, “But seriously, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”

Branch stared at her hand for a long time, something unreadable on his face. After a long silence, Branch sighed and said, “Fine.”

DJ’s grin grew at that. She couldn’t wait to hang out with Branch more. She couldn’t wait to reconnect…if Branch wanted that.

Little did any of them know…this would be the start of something big. The start of healing. The start of…a strange friendship and family.

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A year later…2 months after the World Tour.

Velvet cringed as she stepped in another dirty puddle of God knows what. She looked up and sighed once she saw it was coming from a busted pipe. One of many throughout the parts of the city under cloud-level and even above it as well.
Honestly, she wished that she was anywhere but back here, but she didn’t have a choice. Veneer and hers’ singing career depended on it.

Under Rageous was a [Bleep!]-hole at the best of times. Pollution and crime ran rampant far away from the shiny surface that the Rageons had built for the rest of the world to see, keeping them blissfully unaware of the rot below.

But…the rot was starting to break through. More so than ever since that little Rock Alliance Queen’s World Tour two months ago.

She didn’t know or cared to know the specifics of what had happened but whatever had happened, the World Tour had resulted in the Troll Tribes coming together and living in harmony once more. Lessening the opportunities for Rageons and Junkers to snatch up more Trolls.

It had also caused rioting to erupt from the Rageous Troll and [1] Lottle population who demanded more rights and better conditions or else they would refuse to work, and they even threatened to leave Rageous all together. It only got worse as workers started disappearing.

The ‘authorities’ of Under Rageous had come down hard on the riots, trying to keep the workers from leaving and causing Mount Rageous to fall into ruin and anarchy. Trying to put a halt to the rioting and strikes. It wasn’t working. Even from here, she could hear the noises of assembly and discontent.

She shook her head before adjusting her cloak, so it hid her better. Focus. She needed to focus and do what she went here to do.

The sooner she got what she came here before, the sooner she could get the [Bleep!] out of here before she got caught in a turf war or something. There was always something to ruin your day around here.

After much walking, she had found it. She checked the business card that had been given to her. Yup, this was definitely the place.

VARN’S RARE, MAGICAL AND RARE MAGICAL ITEMS EMPORIUM

She took a deep breath before opening the door and poking her head in. She let out a little whistle as she couldn’t help but be impressed.

True to the store’s sign, there were a ton of rare items, magical items and rare, magical ones lining the shelves of all shapes and sizes. From many different cultures.

At the counter was a sickly green Rageon clad in a light green shirt with brown sleeves, leather shoulder straps and pads. He was examining something before looking up. His eyes widened before a smile came on his face.

“Ah, welcome, welcome!” Varn grinned, clasping his hands together, “What can I interest you in?”

“Yeah, listen, I was given this card by some guy who says that you would want to see it so…” Velvet pulled out the card and handed it to Varn who took it with a nod and began reading it. A few moments later, he raised his head, his smile gone.

“You sure about this?”

“Positive,” Velvet nodded, gesturing to her throat, “Me and Veneer sound like nails against a chalkboard at the best of times. And if we’re gonna win the Lifer Award, we’re going to need a boost.”

“But you are aware of the risks, right?” Varn said, his voice grim, “There’s a reason on why many prefer to take the hard way.”

“Well, put simply…” Velvet took a deep breath before speaking, “Me and Veneer are very, very lazy. We want to be famous, but we don’t want to work for it.”

“…Oh,” Varn blinked before clearing his throat, “Follow me.”

She followed Varn down some steps hidden behind the wall. After some walking, they had reached the basement. Her eyes widened.

There were so many diamond prisons and in them, many Trolls from so many different Tribes. Main Tribes, Hinterlanders, Mixed Trolls, Rageous Trolls, even some half-Trolls.

“Have a look around and see what tickles your fancy,” Velvet nodded at that before looking around. As she did, the Trolls in the prisons backed away in fear of her. After much searching, she spotted one that piqued her interest.

A bright, cyan-skinned Troll with pink hair in a black vest and pants. She tilted her head and read the label.

Pop-Rock Troll
Born: Troll Farm at Bergen Town
Singing Ability: Excellent
Cost: $500

“500?”

“Ever since the World Tour, we’ve been unable to get as much Trolls as we usually get due to the Junkers and other groups that hunt, capture and sell Trolls to us being forced to flee or be destroyed by the Troll Kingdoms. Besides, even if there wasn’t a shortage, this one would fetch a high price regardless.”

“Why?”

“You…you seriously don’t recognise me?” The Troll squeaked.

“No,” Velvet raised an eyebrow, “Should I?”

“I’m Floyd.”

“…”

“One of the saviours of the Troll Kingdoms?”

“…”

“The Rock Queen’s friend?” Varn chimed in.

“…”

Floyd threw back his head and groaned before speaking, “Okay, I was a member of BroZone—.”

“BROZONE!?” Velvet screeched in excitement, “You mean the coolest Pop Troll boyband around? The one that even us Giants listen to!?”

“Yup.”

“That means…you’re the Sensitive One,” Velvet’s eyes widened, “Woah…”

“Well, nice to meet you,” Floyd shrugged, “So mind helping me escape?”

“What do you think the answer is?”

“…No,” Floyd sighed, “Knew it was a long-shot but still wanted to shoot my shot.”

“And you missed completely and miserably,” Varn sneered, snatching the diamond prison, and glaring at the Troll within before turning back to her with a smile, “Now, do we have a deal?”

Velvet pulled out her bag full of coins and shook it, hearing the coins jingle within. She stared at the bag and then at Floyd, the focus of her gaze changing between them every few moments. After a long silence, she threw the bag and said, “Deal. I don’t have 500 coins with me right now, but I’ll pay the rest later.”

“Very well,” Varn said after a few moments and threw the diamond prison to her, Floyd yelping all the while. Velvet took it and gave the shaking Troll a wide grin.

“Don’t worry, little Troll. We’re gonna put your talent to good use.”

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THE BEGINNING OF ARC 4

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AUTHOR’S NOTES

[1] The Lottles comes from I’ll Always Come Home by Looking_To_The_Moon_Tonight and the idea of Trolls living in Mount Rageous comes from both that story and the Under Rageous AU by simply_dannie.

Spanish Terms
Hermano – Brother
Hermana – Sister
Mamá – Mom
REGRESAR – COME BACK

Chapter Text

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Roughly 4 months after the World Tour…

[1] Joy-World was quite similar to Hole N’ Fun. A once-popular amusement park built by the Bergens but whereas Hole N’ Fun was built after the Bergen War and shortly abandoned a few years later, Joy-World was built before the war and had been in ruin for much longer than Hole N’ Fun.

It had been left abandoned and unused for much longer. To the point where nature was getting close to reclaiming it.

Until now.

With the Raider gangs and rogue Rock Alliance military forces that still clung to the old ways renewing their fierce and merciless attacks and the Star-Flyers and their allies renewing their anti-Raider offensives in response, being a Raider was much harder than usual.

Anyone that was part of a Raider gang or in any way currently associated with one had wanted posters scattered through the Hinterlands and bounties declared on their heads. Raider gangs fell by the dozens. Raider camps and strongholds were put to the torch. Raider lords and bosses were either slain in battle or taken prisoner and executed for their crimes, their bodies left hanging as an example to all.

The Hinterlands wasn’t safe anymore for Raider-kind. Most Raider gangs still stayed in the Hinterlands due to having nowhere else to go. Besides, the Star-Flyers and their allies watched the roads and trails out of the Hinterlands like hawks. It wasn’t worth the risk.

It was to one ambitious Raider boss who called himself Overboss Colt. He had plans of establishing a true Raider stronghold. One that would repel any and all forces sent against it. One that he would create.

Against all odds, Colt managed to break past one of the checkpoints and disappear into the vast unknown, albeit at the cost of a quarter of his minions. But it was worth the cost. To him at least.

After a long journey, he had reached Joy-World and taken a page out of the Star-Flyer’s playbook, laying down the groundwork for a stronghold, putting his men to work. Repairing the broken structures, plugging the holes in the walls, getting to work on restoring power.

“And now he’s playing at being the Overboss of four gangs,” Clay muttered to himself as he, Satin and Chenille watched from their perch on top of one of the larger buildings. He looked down at the plaza which was filled to the brim with activity.

Four separate Raider gangs filled the space, each one eying the other with vicious intent. Their leaders stood at the front of their respective gangs, exchanging glares between them and at the large, armoured figure sitting on his throne.

Clay did a quick scan of the crowd. Occupying the western parts of the plaza was the knife-wielding half-War Metalhead Disciples clad in spiky armour. Occupying the south was the colourful, bone-and-stuffed animal-wearing Pack, primarily consisting of [2] Wolf Troll exiles. Occupying the east was the metal plate armour-wearing Operator Syndicate.

And surrounding the Overboss himself was his own gang. Minus one eyepatch-wearing second-in-command.

They had learned a lot about what the so-called Overboss was planning from Porter. About why he was holding this meeting. About what he had promised the other gangs. About the prisoners being held and their explosive collars.

And unrelated, about how dumb the Overboss’ second-in-command was. Seriously, did he really think they would let him go after all the crimes he committed and how proud he was of them?

Oh, don’t worry. They still left him go…to hell.

A crackling of his radio got his attention and he answered it, “Yes?”

“This is Rescue Team. Eggs are out of the snake nest and free of scales. I repeat, eggs are out of the snake nest and free of scales.”

“Good,” Clay nodded, “The Overboss is finishing up with his pitch.”

“Thank God for that,” Chenille chimed in behind him, “I’m sick of these guys and their ‘world conquest’ speeches. And I’m sick of looking at those Wolf Trolls. They hurt my eyes.”

“Real,” Satin said, “They don’t match at all.”

“Is everyone in position?” Clay said instead of replying to their observations.

“Yes,” The assorted Star-Flyers and Minutemen chorused in unison.

“Good. Sniper teams, keep your eyes on the gang leaders and anyone else that could be a major threat and fire on my signal. I’ll handle the Overboss. Sentinel, Rogue Metalhead and Minutemen teams, surround the plaza and box them in. Let none escape. Spare those that surrender. If we strike hard and fast, we’ll be done in…a minute? Two minutes, tops.”

“Yes, sir.”

“…ask me, we should attack the Star-Flyers’ stronghold. Bleed them dry!”

“Even War Metal and the Junkers failed to do any lasting damage to the Sanctuary! If we attack them, we’ll be massacred!”

“Well, there’s always the Pop Trolls’ capital.”

“Indeed. Pop Village is a much easier target. And on the plus, it has the siblings of the Star Warrior Princess and Owl General—.”

Right. Showtime. He took a deep breath before jumping down.

“What was that about my siblings?”

Immediately, the group of Raiders jumped back in unison, even the Disciples. They all unsheathed their weapons and shakingly aimed them at him. He surveyed the plaza, seeing the badly-hidden fear in their eyes.

“Well, well, look who it is,” He turned to look at the Disciples’ leader Nisha who had a cruel smirk on her face, “The Owl General himself.”

“You’ve made quite the mistake, Owl General,” Colt growled, pulling out a remote, “Now all the prisoners here…will die because of you.”

He clicked the remote. Clay smirked as nothing happened and Colt began clicking it more and more, cursing all the while.

“Well, you would be right…if we haven’t freed the prisoners. So, you have no leverage to stop us from attacking which means I can do this,” Clay then snapped his fingers.

At that snap, dozens of shots rang out and bodies began dropping to the floor. Among them Nisha and the other leaders along with the Raiders that posed the biggest threat. Chaos ensued as the Raiders were left directionless with some trying to return fire while others tried to run.

He grinned under his mask as he spotted the advancing shields of the Sentinels over the crowd before turning to Colt who was looking around with alarm.

Well, time to finish this.

He began marching towards Colt, shooting, or bashing anyone that came at him. Once he was close enough, he ignored the Raider’s attempts at delaying his end and instead pulled out his canteen.

He unscrewed the cap and then threw the water within onto the Raider, smirking as Colt’s armour started to spark and sizzle. He then followed it up with a few shots to the helmet, eventually breaking through.

As Colt’s body tumbled to the ground, Clay turned back to see how the others were doing. By now, most of the Disciples and Pack had been wiped out and many of the Operators had surrendered. There were more than a few Raiders left standing, but they were being taken care of.

His gaze moved to Satin and Chenille who were hi-fiving each other as they stood next to a group of defeated Raiders. Pretty good number, too. Not bad for their first mission.

After doing the rounds and getting the reports from the commanders, he pulled out his radio and changed the channel to Viva’s, “Viva, mission accomplished. The ‘Overboss’ is no longer a threat.”

“And what about the gangs he was in contact with?”

“Nisha, Mason and Mags are all dead along with their chief commanders. The Disciples and Pack have been nearly wiped out. All remaining Raiders have been taken prisoner.”

“Good. That means four less Raider lords we need to worry about. Soon, we can focus on the real threats.”

“Indeed,” Clay sighed, thinking back to that letter they had gotten a few days ago, “Has…has there been any news from Trace and Wani?”

“They just contacted me a few minutes ago. They said that they were about to enter Mount Rageous. Don’t worry, they’ll find him.”

“I hope so.”

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“Alright, we’re here,” Wani resisted the urge to gulp as she saw the towering buildings and heard the shouts of reckless teenagers driving their first cars. Or second. Or third.

Never in a million years she thought they would be back here. Not after what had happened last time. Not after nearly being captured and subjugated to the same fate that countless other Trolls had suffered.

But here they were. Venturing into the belly of the beast to rescue their friend.

Mount Rageous.

She then felt a hand on hers and she looked to see Tresillo giving her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. She returned the smile before continuing to look ahead.

“So this is Mount Rageous, huh?” Marimba asked, “Looks…far less dangerous than you guys said it was.”

“That’s because we’re in the upper part of Rageous. Above the clouds. The parts that the Rageons want the rest of the world to see. A beautiful, shining city with technological marvels that no one else has seen.”

“And what about below?”

“A rotting cesspool that no one in the Upper Rageous government cares about. Crime and pollution ran rampant below the clouds. Any Troll and Lottle that’s not helping in maintaining the infrastructure of Mount Rageous or a popular musician…gets taken. And even that’s not enough to save you sometimes.”

“Either to the Troll farms or Troll shops,” Marimba spat, “Is there no end to the cruelty of Giants?”

“Afraid not. [3] The Railroad cell here has been trying for centuries to shut down the trafficking and farms but every time they try to launch a raid, they are forced to go on the run and find a new base. And now, with them silent and no longer responding to our communication attempts, we have to assume the worst which means we have no actual allies in Rageous that can provide us support.”

“So, we’re going solo on this,” Marimba sighed, “Why couldn’t we ask Clay or the Funky Family to lend us a Funk Troll ship and a battalion or two?”

“That would draw too much attention. And most likely start a war.”

“Aren’t we already at war, though?” Bun asked.

“Well, yes and no. We are opposed to them but…we can’t fight two wars at the same time. We’re not here to start a fight or something. We’re just here to get Floyd out. We can come back later. After we’ve dealt with the problems we have in the Hinterlands.”

“Yeah,” Bun sighed, “I just wish that we could do something for the Trolls and Lottles here.”

“We all do,” Kim said, “But don’t worry. We’ll be back one day to teach the Rageons what happens when you mess with Trolls. After all, we helped reform a tyrannical government and bring an end to a thousand years of musical oppression.”

“And became the most respected and beloved Bounty Hunters in all of the Troll Kingdoms and beyond,” Tresillo chimed in before sighing, “At the rate we’re going, we’ll have more than enough gold for our next vacation.”

“Gods only know how much we need it,” Gomdori remarked. Wani nodded before spotting one of the cars coming at them fast. She stifled a curse and swerved to avoid getting hurt, causing the others to yelp and fall.

“Sorry, guys,” Wani sighed, “There’s a reason on why Mount Rageous has a reputation of ‘most road-related accidents’ in the first place.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

“Let’s find somewhere to park before we end up dying.”

“I spot an alley that way!” Wani looked at what Bun was pointing and drove over there, trying to avoid bumping or getting crushed by one of the cars. It took some effort and more praying than ever but, in the end, they managed to get there.

Once they were safely parked between dumpsters, Wani turned to the others and said, “Alright, remember the plan?”

“Yes,” They all chorused in unison.

“Good,” Wani sighed, “We find the Boom Box, we find Velvet and Veneer. We find Floyd. Let’s get to it.”

After putting on their cloaks, they were off. They stuck to the shadows as best as they could, trying to avoid being trampled or recognised by one of the Rageons that walked the streets.

As they did, Tresillo asked, “So, Willow, you said that you’ve been here before, right? Why?”

“Just…thought I found something me and my sisters have always wanted,” Wani sighed, looking down, “Turns out…it came with a cost.”

“Oh…” Tresillo said, “I’m sorry for—.”

“No, it’s fine. We all got out fine in the end. I just wish…that it didn’t end like that,” Wani shut her eyes, thinking back to that dark day. To how easily hope could be taken away. To how close she was to losing her family.

And here she was now, risking her family, friends and…the love of her life to save just one Troll.

No, not any Troll. One of her few friends outside the Bounty Hunter group before the whole World Tour. The one that had indulged the others’ curiosity about pure-blooded Pop Trolls. The one that had told them all about Pop Village and how accepting it was…most of the time. The one that had given her actual hope of a better tomorrow.

She just hoped that they all got out of this, safe and sound.

After much searching, they had found a building that had matched the description of the Boom Box given by the Railroad in their last transmission a week ago. There was a huge line outside, supervised by two bouncers who were bopping their heads to the music that was coming from within the club.

“Are we sure that they’re in there?”

“Positive,” Wani said, “Before they went silent, the Railroad send a detailed list of all active Rageon superstars and what venues they would be performing in.”

“Yeah, but what if it’s a trap?”

“We gotta hold for backup.”

“He’s dead if we wait,” Tresillo said sharply, “Besides, no backup is coming. The Sanctuary is too far away from us. The local Railroad cell is probably gone. And none of the Trolls and Lottles here would risk their necks to help us. We have to go now.”

“Agreed,” Wani squinted to see any potential alternative entrances. After some searching, she spotted a vent. Bingo, “There. Ventilation shaft. Let’s go.”

Soon, after much running and sneaking around, they were walking through the large ventilation shaft, flashlights on. Wani watched the sides with wary eyes.

“Keep an eye for any signs of an ambush. Intel says that the Junkers have upgraded their arsenal since last we fought them so be careful. Still as dumb as ever but they have some new toys so watch out.”

They had to stop a few times due to drops of glittery liquid coming down from the roof of the vent. The third time it happened, Gomdori remarked, “Wow, the Railroad wasn’t kidding when they said that this place was going to the dogs.”

“With all the rioting, strikes and disappearances going on, infrastructure in Mount Rageous is starting to break down. Many of the Rageons in Upper Rageous and even the undercity are too lazy to do things for themselves. Who knows? Maybe we won’t have to worry about this place. Maybe it’ll just—.”

“Wait, there’s another vent up ahead,” Tambora interrupted and indeed there was. Wani ran forward and looked through it as the others did the same.

Through the vent, she could see a dressing room. And next to the vanity was a diamond prison with a familiar Troll inside.

“Floyd,” Wani gasped, crouching down to get a better look. Was it just her or was his hair slightly white—?

Ttong. The crystallisation process was already happening. They only had a few more days before it was too late.

“Guys, I have a plan,” Marimba suddenly announced.

“May God have mercy on our souls…” Tambora muttered.

“No, it’s a good one. Just hear me out,” Marimba waited for them to interject before speaking, “Okay, me, Tam, Bun, Ari, Gomdori and Kim will go down there and try to see if we can break Floyd loose or if we can carry him away. Trace, Wani, I was thinking that you guys stay here and keep watch.”

“I like this plan but why me and Tresillo specifically?”

“To give you some privacy,” That got her and Tresillo to blush at the implications of that as the others laughed. She then realised what they were doing and shushed them, “Quiet! We don’t know when those two will back yet and for all we know, this place could be crawling with Junkers or [4] Trollcatchers.”

“Whatever you say, lovebirds,” Before Tresillo or her could say anything to counter that, the others were already rappelling down towards Floyd. Wani shook her head, stood up and went to say something when she heard footsteps.

She and Tresillo wheeled around, weapons at the ready.

“Woah, woah! Friendly. Not a Junker.”

The Troll in front of them had cyan-coloured skin, green hair and wore cracked skiing goggles, a brown leather jacket with a spotted coat, brown shirt, and green pants.

He looked… very much like Branch, Floyd, Clay, and Bruce. Realisation then hit her.

“John Dory, right?”

“Yes?” John shrugged, “Why do you ask? And why are you here in the first place?”

“We’re here to rescue your brother, Floyd. We got—.”

“A letter from someone claiming to be him and it said that he was being held in Mount Rageous by ‘superstars’ Velvet and Veneer?” After a few moments of stunned silence, John pulled out a letter that looked very similar to the one they got, “Yeah, I got the same letter.”

“Anyway, how did you get in?”

“Through the front door to where Velvet and Veneer were performing. I listened a bit before making my way into the vents and as it would turn out, to you two. Wait, where’s the rest of your groups?”

“Down in the dressing room, trying to get Floyd out of the diamond prison.”

“Diamond prison?” John then threw his head back and groaned, “Oh no.”

“What?”

“I think I know how we’re going to get him out of the diamond, and no one is gonna like it,” John sighed, “I thought I was done with this bull-[Bleep!].”

“Ooh, that’s rough, amigo,” Tresillo winced in sympathy, “By the way, did you see any Junkers or Trollcatchers?”

“No,” John shrugged, “I don’t think there were any in here to begin with.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because why ambush all of us at once when you can wait for the group to separate and ambush them when they’re weak?” At that, their eyes widened in realisation and Wani turned to the others to shout out a warning when—.

“ATTACK!”

“AMBUSH!”

Immediately, the sounds of fighting filled the air. Wani ran back to the vent and looked through, her eyes widening at what was going on below.

There was dozens of Junkers down there, surrounding her sisters and the others. And even more coming in. No matter how hard her sisters fought and no matter how many they took out, there were still more coming.

“GIRLS!” Wani cried, trying to jump out and help but was held back by Tresillo and John.

“SIS!” Kim called back, “GO! DON’T WORRY ABOUT US! WE CAN HANDLE OURSELVES! FIND BRANCH AND CLAY! WE’LL BE OKAY, I PROMISE!”

“I’M NOT LEAVING YOU GIRLS!”

“YOU HAVE TO!” Kim shouted, giving a reassuring smile, “SOMEONE HAS TO GET AWAY AND WARN THE OTHERS ABOUT THIS! WE’LL BE OKAY! I PROMISE! FIND BRANCH AND THE OTHERS!”

“Wani,” Tresillo said, causing her to look at him, “I want to stay and fight as much as you do but we can’t. If we stay, we’ll be captured too. We’ll come back, I promise. I’ll make sure of it but right now, we need to run.”

Wani looked between herself, Tresillo, her sisters, the diamond prison, the horde of Junkers. As time went on, she realised with a heavy heart that Tresillo was right.

They couldn’t fight off so many Junkers and if they all got captured, how were the others going to find them in time? Besides, what if Velvet and Veneer came back during the fighting? And how were they going to get Floyd out of here?

There was only one way. The Perfect Family Harmony. But that would mean leaving her sisters, what was left of her family behind.

What if they were too slow? What if they were too late? What if—?

“Willow,” Tresillo sighed, “I promise you, I’ll do everything to make sure you and your sisters are reunited but like I said, we need to go.”

“…Okay,” Wani sighed before turning back to her sisters and whispering, “I am sorry. Please…forgive me.”

But they would be back. And they would burn this place to the ground. For all the Trolls that had suffered in this hellhole.

“GOOD LUCK, GUYS!” Tambora shouted just before the Junkers dogpiled her. Wani gave her sisters one final look, and they gave her one final reassuring smile before she turned away and began running away from the battle, tears in her eyes with Tresillo and John following behind.

“HEY! THEY’RE GETTING AWAY!”

“AFTER THEM!”

Wani risked a look over her shoulder and cursed. There were now several Junkers chasing after them but thankfully, none of them were shooting. Yet.

“So where do we need to go first?” John asked, pulling out a shotgun and loading it.

“Branch and Queen Poppy are at Bergen Town for the royal wedding. Along with the rest of the Main Tribe Leaders,” Tresillo said, firing a few shots that caused the Junkers to duck and cover, buying them a few more seconds.

“The Sanctuary’s closer, though.”

“Umm…Clay’s one of the co-leaders there, right?” At their nods, he continued, “I don’t think he would be happy to see me. At all. Especially if we lead a horde of Junkers and Rageons to his doorstep.”

“Bergen Town it is.”

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“WE ARE DYING OUT THERE!”

“Maybe we just need to practice more?” Veneer sheepishly suggested, feeling the guilt surge up in him as he thought back to the legions of loyal fans outside that they had tricked and deceived.

“What we need are more Trolls!” Velvet huffed, “It’s been days since we sent that letter and not a single member of BroZone has shown up! And—, what the hell happened in here?”

He nearly walked straight into Velvet when she stopped for some reason. He raised an eyebrow before looking over his sister’s shoulder to see what had caused her to stop.

His eyes widened at the sight.

Where there was only one Troll in one diamond prison, there were now seven Trolls in seven diamond prisons. And dozens of Cyber Junkers, some of them injured or lying around unconscious.

“Who’s in charge around here?” Velvet said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the group of Junkers, “Who told you could be here at this time? If one of our fans or staff see you, they’re going to ask a lot of questions that I don’t want people asking.”

“Wait, didn’t they tell us that they were going to be here so they could catch any Trolls that came in to rescue Floyd?”

“…Ven. Not helping,” Velvet hissed before taking a deep breath, “Now, who are these guys?”

“The K-Pop Gang and Reggaeton Trio or most of them at least,” One of the Junkers said, shrugging, “The leaders got away with another Troll.”

“Who?”

“We think it was John Dory but we’re not too sure. He fits the description, though.”

“And where are they now?”

“They fled in an Armadillo Bus. They used some kind of magic to escape. We do know where they are heading.”

“Where?”

“…Bergen Town.”

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] Joy-World is basically the AU’s version of Nuka-World from Fallout 4. It was originally supposed to be located in the Hinterlands, but I decided to have it in Giant territory.

Overboss Colt, the Disciples, the Pack, the Operators, Porter Gage, the Minutemen, and the Railroad also come from Fallout 4.

[2] Wolf Trolls come from SSuperNovaCO’s stories.

[3] About the Railroad cell in Mount Rageous; I was originally planning for their destruction at the hands of the Cyber Junkers and Rageons to happen when Wani and Tresillo showed up, but I decided it would make sense for their destruction to have occurred sometime before the Bounty Hunters’ arrival since the Junkers and the Rageon underworld would want little interference as possible with their operations.

[4] Trollcatchers come from one of my non-Strange Friendship stories; Hunter Of Their Own Kind.

New Characters’ VAs
1) Amy Schumer as Velvet: A Mount Rageon that has captured Floyd and seeks to use his talent to become one of Mount Rageous’ most famous superstars. Older sister of Veneer.
* Singing voice provided by Brianna Mazzola
2) Andrew Rannells as Veneer: A Mount Rageon that has captured Floyd and seeks to use his talent to become one of Mount Rageous’ most famous superstars. Younger brother of Velvet.

Korean Terms
Ttong – Shit

Chapter Text

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[1] “Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead.”

Trollex’s eyes fluttered open slowly. It took a few moments for him to fully wake up with a yawn. Much to his shame, he started at seeing the denim-like environment around him before his memories came back to him.

Right…he had taken Barb up on her offer for him to ride with her and the Rock Trolls she was bringing with to the royal wedding in Bergen Town as both witnesses and added security in case any of their enemies made a move.

“You alright, man?” He looked over to see Beat and Bliss floating there, giving him concerned looks.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Trollex sighed, “Just gave myself a bit of a start before remembering how I got here.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Bliss crossed her arms, “Still can’t believe you said yes to Barb offering to give you a lift.”

“Well, it was the easiest and quickest way to Bergen Town so…” Trollex shrugged, “Besides, she’s our friend, now. And she has changed a lot for the better. Despite what some people say.”

“Yeah,” Bliss sighed, “Sometimes, I wish that…we can tell everyone else about Barb being freaking haunted by a ghost.”

“Yeah, but we made a promise, remember?” Trollex said sternly, “Not a single word of that warning leaves the group. Besides, what if people believed us?”

“Yeah,” Beat nodded, “For all we know, telling the truth would make things much worse for everyone. Like, say, the Rock Trolls finding out that their ancestor was with them the whole time and helping to keep Rock N Roll Rule going.”

“It could cause more chaos,” Trollex sighed, “Believe me, I don’t want to lie to our people like King Peppy did, but telling the truth would only hurt more people. Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll be able to tell the truth to everyone but…not yet. Not now. Especially with everything going on.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right,” Bliss sighed before clearing her throat, “Now, onto less darker topics…we’re getting close to Bergen Town. Which means it’s time to get dressed. For you at least. Me and Beat are already done.”

Trollex took a quick moment to check that and yes, they did. While Bliss wore a tuxedo with pixelated dark blue accents, Beat…just wore a bowtie. Just a little bowtie.

“How long have you guys been waiting?”

Bliss checked her watch before answering, “A minute.”

Trollex nodded before grinning as he made his way to the closet and began putting on his outfit, “Time to dress to impress.”

For his wedding outfit, he had chosen a neon purple collared shirt with a black tie with light blue bubbles. Wrapped around his torso was a black vest, decorated in blue and purple pixels. For the final touch was a holographic crown and his trident, now fixed and upgraded.

“Dress to impress your girlfriend, right?” Beat remarked.

“Of course,” Trollex beamed before sighing, “We haven’t spent a lot of time due to a lot of things happening. I’m excited to catch up with her. Especially since we’re co-DJing for the event.”

“Nice,” Bliss smirked, “Can’t wait to see what you two come up with. Though if you delay in dropping the beat again, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

“I make no promises,” Trollex smirked teasingly.

BANG!

They all jumped as light flooded into the room, followed by a fellow Rock Troll jumping into the room, “Rise and shine, boys, and girl!”

“We’re already up, Barb,” Beat remarked, cutting Barb’s energetic mood down.

“…Oh. Never mind then,” Barb shrugged before smiling, “Well, either way, I’m excited to see Popsqueak and Bitty B again.”

“You know that Branch doesn’t like you calling him that.”

“I know,” Barb smirked, crossing her arms, “But I need to find some way to tease him. Besides, I know when to stop. Well, stop now.”

Trollex took a quick look at Barb’s wedding outfit. She wore a black collared crop top with a white bowtie and golden necklaces and a black knee-length shirt cut out at the front of her right leg to reveal tight yet sensible black shorts. She kept her fishnet leggings, except they had thick black cuffs at the ankles.

And finally, a white leather jacket with spiked wrist cuffs. On it were several colourful badges, ranging from a cupcake button to a sheriff star button.

“Anyway, how have you been?”

“Eh…” Barb moved her hand in a ‘so-so’ gesture, “Could be better but could be worse though so…can’t complain,” She shrugged, “I’m really glad that I have the Council now helping me be an actual leader to all of my people.”

“And what about War Metal?”

“Many of them are still pissy over losing nearly all their power but the new Lord General is keeping them in check. It helps that Borghildr's involvement in all those incidents was revealed,” Barb then sighed, “Incidents caused by my father.”

“You alright?”

“I…I don’t know,” Barb bit her lip, “I mean, I still love my dad but it’s hard looking at him, knowing the true scope of what our family has done. Knowing what he did to Melody’s family,” She then put on a tired smile, “But on the plus side, that gives me, Popsqueak and Starlight another thing to talk about and bond over.”

Trollex bit his lip in sympathy for Barb, Poppy and Viva. The three had been dealt a pretty [Bleep!]-ty hand by their fathers. At least they were getting better and much-needed therapy thanks to Clay’s Classical Troll friend, [2] Victoria.

So were DJ and Branch. It had taken a while for them to say yes due to previous bad experiences with therapy but in the end, they had managed to talk them into it.

Floyd’s disappearance had shocked them all but at least it hadn’t caused Branch and DJ to slip into bad habits again. At least they were getting closer to find Floyd, thanks to that letter sent to them.

It was a trap for sure, but it was the best lead they had gotten. DJ, Branch, Poppy and Barb had wanted to check it out for themselves, but Viva and Clay managed to convince them in letting Tresillo and Wani’s groups go ahead.

After all, they were the most experienced in rescue missions and besides, the K-Pop Gang had been to Mount Rageous, so they were the most qualified for the job. If everything went well, they would be back soon…with Floyd in tow.

He shook his head so he could focus on the present, “Anyway, what are you planning to do after this big wedding?”

“Maybe go on vacation or something? Riff certainly hasn’t stopped trying to talk me into one,” Barb tapped her chin in thought, “I’m kind of limited at the moment for two reasons. One is that there’s not a lot of proper vacation spots. Two is that my absence will probably be taken advantage of by those opposed to my changes. I really don’t want to come home to another uprising or civil war.”

“Wait, if you’re worried about that…why are you here, then?” Beat asked, raising an eyebrow, “No offence by the way.”

“Well, the wedding should only take a few hours and I’ll be back by tomorrow if nothing comes up. Whereas a vacation is a few weeks or so.”

“Oh. That makes sense,” Beat shrugged, “Anyway, who else is coming to this wedding?”

“Besides us and Queen Poppy?” Trollex stuck his tongue out as he tried to remember, “The Royal Funky Family, Delta, some of the Ambassadors, Trollzart, the Yodellers, Chaz, the Harmony Squad, and most of the other Pop Trolls.”

“What about Viva or Clay?”

“Clay and Viva are keeping the Sanctuary safe and…you know, Bergens,” Trollex said, “Some of the Star-Flyers are coming. [3.1] Lizzy’s team and the Sentinels mainly to help with security.”

“And [3.2] Raz and Daz’s gang has offered to help with security as well so if any of our enemies attack, we’ll be able to handle it,” Barb’s eyes then widened, “You know that reminds me of when the Star-Flyers were attacking weddings and stealing cakes.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that,” Trollex snorted, “That must be an experience for you.”

“Yup. I was so confused that I thought they were pulling my leg or something,” Barb scratched her head.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

“Hey, Barb?” They all turned to see Riff standing there, “Just wanted to let you know we’re nearly there. A few minutes out.”

“Excellent!” Barb grinned, rubbing her hands together, “Time to rock.”

They, along with the other Rock Trolls onboard, soon found themselves standing in the mouth of Barb’s main bus. Through the windows, he could see Bergen Town getting closer and closer. He couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of it, the old stories coming to mind.

The bus then stopped. Roughly, causing some of the Rock Trolls to stumble a little around before settling. The mouth then opened, causing blinding light to flood in. He managed to adjust to it quickly, unlike most of the Rock Trolls who hissed and shut their eyes at the brightness.

He waited for them to adjust to the bright light before hopping out and looking around.

Everyone was hustling and bustling for the big occasion. Flags were propped up, balloons were being inflated, tables were set up, streamers were being strung up and pews were being set up in a row. Bergens, Vacationers, Trolls and Goblins alike worked together to finish everything.

“Trollex!” After that, he felt something slam into his tailfin. He looked down into light blue eyes and broke into a wide grin.

“CJ!” Trollex picked up CJ and pulled her into a tight hug, “How have you been, kiddo?”

“Pretty good, Trollex!” CJ chirped, “But me and Tía Poppy need you to talk to DJ.”

“Why?” Trollex tilted his head, “Is something wrong?”

“Yes and no. We kind of want you to distract her a little. “

“What are you two up to?” Trollex said, crossing his arms and giving a fake stern frown.

“Nothing,” CJ said in a sing-song voice, “Just please, Trollex…”

“Alright,” Trollex playfully rolled his eyes, “I’ll go distract her.”

After much walking, they had arrived at the Trees and began climbing up until CJ told him to stop and look ahead. He did.

DJ was pacing back-and-forth in front of an old overgrown pod teeming with vines. She was wearing an ordinary tuxedo with a small amount of glitter scattered across it.

An idea suddenly came to mind and Trollex smirked to himself as he approached his girlfriend from behind. As soon as he was close enough, he placed his hands over his girlfriend’s eyes and said, “Guess who?”

“It’s either my boyfriend or the nice, inviting hands of sleep.”

“It’s your boyfriend!” Trollex chirped.

“Dang,” DJ said playfully, turning around to face him with a wide smile before leaning in to kiss him. He returned the kiss eagerly before separating, “So what ya doing?”

“Oh, well, Branch asked me to keep watch while he does some important stuff,” DJ bit her lip and looked around uncertainly before continuing, “See that pod? That’s his bio-parents’ pod.”

“Oh…” Trollex said, eyes widening in realisation, “Why is he in there?”

“Trying to find out more about his bio-parents since our families…don’t really talk about them much. Or want to talk about them,” DJ sighed, “Painful memories.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Trollex nodded in sympathy, “The pain never goes away.”

“It just lessens,” DJ sighed, “And now with Floyd missing…I’m worried. What if we don’t find him? What if he doesn’t come back alive? What if—?”

“DJ,” Trollex said softly, gently grabbing hold of her hands, “Breathe nice and slowly for me and count to 10.”

DJ did as he said and after a few moments, the panic on her face disappeared, “Better?”

“Better,” DJ gave a grateful smile, “I’m glad that you’re here today.”

“Me too.”

“Don’t forget about me!” CJ chirped.

“Of course. Who could forget about you, my little hija?” DJ beamed as she picked CJ up and kissed her on the forehead before frowning, “Wait, why do I get the feeling that I’m being distracted for some reason?”

“Because you are,” Trollex smirked, “CJ told me to distract you.”

“Snitch!” CJ pouted.

“And let me guess, Poppy’s snuck in while we were talking, right?”

“Probably,” Trollex shrugged, “I wasn’t paying attention to the door so…”

DJ sighed, “Let’s just go in, shall we?”

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…

…

…Branch
If you’re reading this then…I’m dead. Probably at the hands of a Bergen or a Rock Alliance assassin. Probably while trying to protect you and the rest of our family.

And if you are reading this, you also know about the true nature of the other Tribes, the other half of your heritage and my family’s history.

I have no idea of knowing this but…I am truly sorry if you and the rest of our family had paid the price of my family’s actions. I am sorry for not being there to protect you. To protect any of you.

You deserve someone better. I still can’t help but believe this no matter what your father and Grandma keep telling me. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

I just want to let you know that I love you more than you can do any wrong and that I am sorry for not being there for you.

Love Mom.

Branch sighed as he put the letter away. Once he did, he bowed his head and shut his eyes, thinking back to all the times he wished he still had his bio-parents. Or at least knew more about them.

It wasn’t for the first time that he wondered…what if his parents had survived? How different would things be? Would he have had a normal life?

…He didn’t know. On the other hand, though, if he hadn’t lost his parents, he wouldn’t had been able to save them all during their first adventure.

The phrase ‘misery builds character’ came to mind. If he hadn’t gone through everything, he did…then he wouldn’t had been able to save anyone. He wouldn’t had been able to keep anyone else from going through what he did.

Though…he just wished that his bio-parents were still here or at least Mom. That way, maybe they could’ve been more prepared for the World Tour. Even if it wouldn’t matter in the end, at least they would had slightly less trouble dealing with that [Bleep!]-storm. Or more.

He didn’t know. And he wouldn’t know.

“Branch?”

He nearly jumped at that before recognising the voice. He turned around to stare into the concerned eyes of his girlfriend.

“Oh. H-Hey, Poppy.”

“Are you alright?” Poppy said, tilting her head.

“Just missing my Mom and thinking about some stuff,” Branch sighed, pulling out the letter, “I was reading her journal when I found this letter addressed to me. It’s an apology for not being there.”

“Oh…” Poppy said before putting on an awkward smile, “Guess, self-blame runs in the family, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does,” Branch said, “In both our families for that matter.”

“Birds of a feather, am I right?” Poppy smiled and Branch couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Branch,” Poppy bit her lip, uncertainty dancing on her face before she continued speaking, “You know that I’m not gonna leave you…ever, right?”

“Of course,” Branch gave her a reassuring smile, “I just…wish that Floyd comes back to us safe and sound.”

“And he will,” Poppy gave him a reassuring smile, “Trust Wani and Tresillo. They got this.”

“Hopefully,” Branch sighed before a thought came to mind, “Wait, how did you get in? I had DJ as my guard.”

“Me and CJ had Trollex distract her while I snuck in.”

“Low move, Pops,” Branch playfully crossed his arms, “I expected better of you. Using my hermana’s boyfriend against her? For shame.”

“I have no regrets. Well, a lot of regrets but I don’t regret doing this,” Poppy beamed, “Besides, aren’t you glad that we had this talk?”

“Yeah,” Branch smiled, “Still a low move of yours.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?”

“Hmm…I don’t know,” Branch smirked, “I’ll have to come up with something later.”

“Take your time.”

“But thanks anyway,” Branch leaned in to give Poppy a kiss on the cheek.

“Wait a minute. You missed,” That got him to raise his eyebrow in confusion before Poppy pulled him in by his tux and planted a big kiss on his lips. He let out a surprised noise before making into the embrace.

“You know what? I was going to talk to you guys but…we’ll just let you guys make out in peace.”

That got them to jump and separate from each other with big blushes before they turned to the source of the voice; DJ, accompanied by CJ and Trollex.

“H-Hi, guys!” Poppy cleared her throat, rocking back-and-forth, “When did you get here?”

“Well, we entered the pod a few moments ago so not too long.”

“And me and Barb arrived a few minutes ago.”

Branch checked his watch, causing his eyes to widen, “Sugar! We’re going to be late for the royal wedding,” [4] He took Poppy’s hand, ignoring how it made them both blush, “Shall we?”

The others nodded and soon they were heading outside. As they stepped outside, several Glowflies appeared and allowed them to hop on.

(Let’s Get Married – The Cast of Band Together)

As they flew around the centre of the town, he noticed Poppy grin as they watched the final touches being added with everyone working together to get it done quickly. And soon, they were singing, switching their positions with a single hop.

[Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake]
Keep it comin’ love
Keep it comin’ love
Don’t stop it, I won’t stop, no
We don’t stop it, girl, don’t stop

As they passed one of the food tables, he noticed Cooper, D, Quincy and Essence dancing on it. He lowered his Glowfly and hi-fived Cooper and D as they passed.

[Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Ron Funches and Anderson .Paak]
Keep it comin’ love (Ron Funches and Anderson .Paak: We are a family)
Keep it comin’ love
Don’t stop it, I won’t stop it, no (Ron Funches:: Nearly all my brothers and sisters with me)
We don’t stop it, girl, don’t stop

Branch nodded before pointing to DJ and Trollex, gesturing for them to take the lead now.

[Anthony Ramos]
Everyone can see we’re together
As we walk on by

Trollex stretched the last note as he spun DJ around.

[Gwen Stefani]
And we fly just like birds of a feather
I won’t tell no lie

They then flew past a group of Classical Trolls and Prog-Rockers led by Trollzart and Dante setting up streamers and flags. He watched as Poppy, Trollex and Trollzart all exchanged bows before they continued.

[Justin Timberlake & Cast]
All of the people (Kyla Carter: We are family)
About us, they say

He gave finger guns at Poppy who returned the gesture wholeheartedly.

[Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake]
Can they be that close?

They then jumped off their Glowflies and began sliding down with the others following behind, still on their Glowflies.

[Justin Timberlake & Cast]
Just let me state for the record (Gwen Stefani: We are family)
We’re giving love in a family dose

“Wait, where’s Bridget and Gristle?” DJ asked once they had hopped back on their Glowflies.

“Still in their rooms, I think,” Branch tapped his chin in thought, “Gristle threw a…crazy bachelor party last night. I think he might be still asleep.”

“Oh…” Poppy shook her head and smiled, “Well, as the Maid of Honour and Best Man—”

“Still not sure that happened though,” Branch remarked.

“—respectively, it is our duty to get the bride and groom ready for the wedding of the century.”

“Right. Me and Trollex will take Gristle. Sis, you, Pops and CJ take Bridget.”

“Of course,” DJ nodded, flying away in the direction of Bridget’s room with Poppy and CJ, “Good luck!”

“Let’s go,” And then they were flying towards Gristle’s room. Along the way, Cooper, D, Quincy, [5] Fuzzbert and Smidge joined them.

Thankfully, the window was open, so it made getting in much easier. Branch sighed and facepalmed at the state King Gristle was in, making a mental promise to himself to not let himself go crazy if he got married one day.

Gristle lied on the floor naked (sans his underwear, thankfully) on top of an open pizza box with his face covered in marker drawings. A red lollipop was stuck to his right cheek and a green one on his chest. An empty fried chicken bucket sat on his head while a magenta boa was wrapped around his neck.

“Oh boy, that was a crazy bachelor party,” King Gristle groaned. Branch shook his head before he helped the others in getting him up and making him stand in front a of mirror.

“Brush it!” Quincy sung, grabbing an electric toothbrush and helping Gristle brush his teeth.

“Wax it!” Trollex went next, smearing purple wax on his upper lip before Smidge tore it off. Branch winced in pain as Gristle yelped.

“Shave it!” Cooper and D went next, using golden razors to shave his knees. Branch winced in sympathy once more. God, he really hoped that this didn’t happen to him on his wedding day.

“Pu-push it real good!” Fuzzbert waxed one of Gristle’s eyebrows completely off before it grown back surprisingly quick. Branch gave Fuzzbert a disapproving glare.

“You know you didn’t have to do that, right?”

“Well…he kind of has it coming if you think about it. You know…since he did to eat you.”

“Oh, come on! I said I was sorry a thousand times!” Gristle called out, “And I put in anti-Troll-eating laws, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but I reserve the right to hold a grudge.”

“…Yeah, that’s fair.”

“Let’s just get back to preparing Gristle for his wedding, shall we?” And after a few moments, they went back to it.

They helped Gristle slip into a light blue T-shirt with a white collar and dark blue bowtie before draping the royal cape on his shoulders.

“Wait, something’s missing,” Branch tilted his head in confusion before frowning as he tore the midriff of his shirt away.

“Looking sick, King G!” D beamed.

“You can say that again,” He turned to see Cloud Guy besides him, looking like he was about to throw up.

BARF!

Scratch that. He just did. Branch sighed before pulling out a mop and bucket and getting to work. As he did, he hoped that Poppy and DJ were having an easier time with Bridget.

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Poppy grinned as she led DJ, CJ, Satin, Chenille, Val and Holly in opening the blinds. As light flooded in, Bridget jumped up and began singing.

[Zooey Deschanel]
I do my hair toss
Check my nails

Poppy beamed as she jumped off her Glowfly and onto Bridget’s shoulder.

[Anna Kendrick
Baby, how you feeling’?

Then Satin and Chenille joined her, swaying as they sung.

[Icona Pop]
Feelin’ Good as—

Bridget then tossed her hair before examining her sharpened fingernails. Poppy let out an impressed whistle at the sight of them.

[Zooey Deschanel]
I do my hair toss
Check my nails

DJ then appeared, flying around Bridget.

[Gwen Stefani]
Baby, how you feelin’?

[Zooey Deschanel]
Feelin’ good as hell!

Bridget dragged out the last note as she made her way to her mirror. Poppy’s grin grew at how far Bridget and Gristle had come in just a year.

Hello! It’s me he’s lookin’ for!
I can see it in his eyes!

“Damn straight!” Poppy cheered.

“And if you don’t you anymore…” Holly suddenly sang.

“Just walk your fine ass out the door!” Val sang while slapping DJ on the butt, causing DJ to yelp and then glare at her while covering CJ’s ears.

“Ow!”

Poppy rolled her eyes as Bridget became mortified. Great, just great. She shook her head and turned back to Bridget, giving a reassuring smile, “They’re just joking, Bridget. It’s their version of good luck. Right, girls?” She said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, yeah!” Val smirked, ignoring DJ glaring at her, “Sure…”

“Absolutely!”

“See?” Poppy beamed before clapping her hands, “Now let’s get this dress right!”

She then hopped off and watched as Satin and Chenille got to work, zipping around Bridget, creating an outfit around her instantly; a simple white dress with puffs and coloured bows.

“Yeah, sorry,” Poppy shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s a hard pass,” Val shook her head, “Try again.”

The next dress was of a similar design but with some of the bows much bigger and Bridget’s hair being stylized like a beehive.

“Uh-uh, something’s still missing.”

“Seriously, guys?” Val crossed her arms, “More bows?”

“We’re trying, okay?” Chenille retorted, “This is our first time making dresses for a Bergen so…there’s going to be some trial and error involved.”

“At least they complement the hairstyle nicely,” Holly chimed in, “But I don’t know…”

“Umm…what happened to you, Queen Bridget?” They all turned to see Melody and K.C entering, looking at Bridget confused. Poppy took a moment to examine what they were wearing.

Melody wore a red sparkly dress with a light pink cardigan over it, purple flats and a purple headband with a white skull on her hair which she had let down while K.C wore a white polo shirt with a dark blue tie, a purple tuxedo waist coasty, a black skirt laced with red roses, and dark purple heels with her hair up in a bun.

“We’re trying to figure out what I’m going to wear for the wedding,” Bridget smiled bashfully.

“We can see that,” K.C chuckled.

“We’re trying,” Satin smiled awkwardly as Chenille groaned and hanged her head. Poppy shook her head and was about to speak before she noticed something moving behind Bridget. She looked around to see a Bergen guard (Todd, right?) ambling past the room carrying…balloons.

Light-bulb moment. Poppy turned to Satin and Chenille and pointed to the balloons, “Sat! Chen!”

The Fashion Twins looked to where she was pointing, their eyes widening in realisation upon doing so. They exchanged smiles before declaring, “Fashion emergency!”

A few minutes later, she was outside with Branch and the others, hyping up the crowd.

[All]
We are family (Anna Kendrick: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Poppy spun Branch around and as he did the same, she looked around to see everyone heading to their pews. In front of the Bergens and Vacationers’ ones were several miniature pews for the Trolls, Goblins and Lottles.

[Gwen Stefani]
I got nearly all my siblings with me (Anna Kendrick: Ohh, ohh, yeah)

Several colour-coded Trolls jumped onto Glowflies and formed hearts in the air, circling the sky above the Troll Trees.

We are family (Anderson .Paak: Uh, uh)

As they hovered close to the ground, she jumped off her Glowfly, followed by Branch and danced on one of the bigger pews as the others followed them in doing the same.

[Demi Lovato and Zendaya]
Get up, everybody and sing (Anderson .Paak: Get up, get up, get up)

As Poppy saw Melody and K.C dance, she let out a wistful sigh. She wished Viva could be here but…she understand why Viva and Clay had declined to come to Bergen Town. Though…maybe one day, they could visit Bergen Town and see how much things had changed for the better.

We are family
(Anderson .Paak: Yeah, yeah)

Suddenly, she felt the urge to look up and her mood was lifted by seeing that Bridget was floating towards them. She exchanged grins with Satin and Chenille as those who weren’t there exchanged confused or curious glances at Bridget being dressed in a dress made out of balloons.

[Rachel Bloom]
I got all my sisters with me (Zooey Deschanel: Sing it to me, sing it to me!)
(Icona Pop: Feelin’ good as hell!)

As Bridget approached, several Bergens and Vacationers pulled out pink umbrellas and waited for several Trolls with large flowers to hop in before unfurling them, throwing the Trolls into the air where they safely hovered to the ground.

[Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Kyla Carter, Ron Funches, Anderson .Paak, George Clinton and Mary J Blige]
We are family

As Bridget descended and landed closer to the altar, the Bergens and Vacationers then swayed to the beat while wielding their umbrellas in a way that

Get up everybody and sing

Finally, Bridget landed and the Bergens and Vacationers lifted their umbrellas, revealing Bridget as she finished the song.

[Zooey Deschanel]
Sing it to me, sing it to me, sing it to me!

Everyone cheered and clapped as Bridget finished. Poppy was the loudest, whooping and jumping up and down.

“Hot dang!” She turned to see Holly turning to Satin and Chenille, “You two have outdone yourselves, this time.”

“Well, we can’t take all the credit,” Satin shrugged.

“Poppy did come up with the idea first. We just did the execution.”

“But still, they deserve most of the credit,” Poppy remarked before hopping off the pew and making her way over to Poppy, jumping from balloon to balloon until she reached her friend’s shoulder, “Bridget.”

“Poppy.”

“You look so beautiful,” Poppy gushed.

“Thank you so much for everything, Poppy. Not just being my Maid of Honour but for…you and the others showing me that happiness is inside all of us,” Bridget beamed, “I couldn’t have done this without you. Any of you.”

“Oh, of course, Bridget,” Poppy beamed, before pulling out a pin needle, “Now…go get him, girl.”

POP!

She used her hair to fly away as the balloons popped, sending glitter everywhere. No one was spared with many faces covered in glitter at the end of it. She made her way back to the pew where the others were and sheepishly smiled at them.

“I would appreciate some…” Branch paused to blow some glitter out of his nose, “…warning next time, please.”

“That was Satin and Chenille, not me,” Poppy pointed to the two who let out indignant squawks.

“SNITCH!”

Hacking from Barb got her attention and she turned to see Barb coughing up glitter, “That…that was a bad idea.”

“In what world would that be a good idea, Barb?” Riff asked, fiddling with his bowtie.

“Last time they tasted like candy. Now…”

“Now you got glitter and spit on me,” They turned to see Trollex unamused. Barb grinned bashfully and handed over a handkerchief, “And I just washed this last night too.”

Poppy rolled her eyes playfully before turning back to the wedding to see Bridget stepping up to the altar and taking Gristle’s hand. Poppy beamed as she took Branch’s hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Hey, Bridget!” They turned to see a Bergen wearing a large sun hat calling out, “You still have time to run for it!”

“Ha-ha, very funny, Aunt Smead,” Gristle said, rolling his eyes, “So glad you could make it.”

“Wait, he has an aunt?” DJ raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, how do you not know who she is?” Val raised an eyebrow in return, “You’ve been to Bergen Town way more times than any of the non-Pop Trolls have.”

“I’ve never seen her before,” DJ shrugged.

“Same here.”

“I didn’t even know he had an aunt. Or any other family for that matter.”

“And what about her?” Val then pointed to the officiant, Miss Maxine.

“I think she was on vacation or something,” Poppy tilted her head before shaking it and turning to the others, “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Now, shush, it’s time for the vows.”

[6] “Dearly beloved…we are gathered here today to celebrate the sweet, sweet love of Bridget, hey girl, and Mr. Yummy Tummy himself, King Gristle. Now, falling in love is easy; we’ve all done it. I’ve done it a hundred times, thousands even…if you count that semester or two, I spent abroad.”

“Like heck it is easy,” DJ rolled her eyes. Poppy nodded in agreement, “Love is always going to be complicated. Especially when it’s young love.”

“Exactly, Miss Suki,” Miss Maxine nodded, “Young love can be quick. And when it’s quick, it can be quite painful. Dangerous even.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Branch muttered under his breath.

“However, like our two royal Troll couples over there, those two brave young souls stood together through and through. Through thick and through thin. In sickness and in health. The preserving love between Queen Bridget and King Gristle is a testament to Queen Poppy’s statement more than a year ago; True happiness is possible. Happiness is inside of all of us.

This is why we are here to celebrate and honour not just the both of them, but the eternal happiness and hope found and inspired by the actions of a few brave Trolls. That same happiness and hope has inspired not just this town but the Troll Kingdoms and beyond to keep moving to a brighter future! To the future!”

“TO THE FUTURE!” The crowd chorused.

“NOW KISS!” A Bergen shouted, which many of the crowd repeated, “KISS! KISS! KISS!”

“Alright, alright,” Miss Maxine chuckled, “What a spectacular agreement indeed. We shall proceed if there is nobody here who objects to this beautiful marriage. With that said, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss—!”

Bridget didn’t wait for Miss Maxine to finish though and tackled Gristle, pinning him down and kissing him all over his face.

[7] “—the groom?” Miss Maxine then shrugged, “Well, that’s over with. Let’s party, y’all!”

The crowd roared in agreement before the party went into full swing…

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In the long stretch of wasteland between the walls of Bergen Town and the vast forest, there was silence as nothing lived in the wasteland. Not anymore since the Bergens cut down all those trees.

The only noise that could be found was the crashing of the waves at the rocky shores below and the loud music coming from within Bergen Town. Nothing else.

Or at least until something came barrelling out of the bushes.

A lone, female Armadillo Bus, dirtied and covered in mud and leaves, barrelled across the wasteland, directly towards Bergen Town. The occupants within were desperately racing at all speed, pushing the pedal to the metal.

Soon, the Armadillo Bus slowed to a crawl as she got closer to the walls before stopping completely. She let out a fearful whimper before pausing. After a few moments, she gave a determined nod before making her way into the town itself, making her way through the alleys.

Unaware that back in the forest, something had caught up to her and the occupants inside. The something bent down to examine the tracks before looking in the direction they went and their destination.

Bergen Town.

[8] The Troll-shaped figure narrowed its eyes behind a blood red visor before turning back to the shadows where dozens of red visors glowed and with a wave of its hand, beckoned them forward…

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] Trollex hitching a ride with Barb to Bridget and Gristle’s royal wedding and their wedding outfits come from Take A Selfie On That Rock by TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3.

[2] Victoria comes from I’ll Always Come Home by Looking_To_The_Moon_Tonight.

[3]
[3.1] Lizzy, Melody and K.C come from MasterClass60’s stories.
[3.1] Razzle and Dazzle are characters created by MasterClass60 for me to use in my stories.

[4] I removed the ‘let’s get married’ joke since in this AU, Poppy and Branch both know that they are not in any way ready for even considering the idea of marriage just yet. They still have a lot going on in their lives and they’ve only just started dating so it will take some time for them to even consider getting married.

[5] Originally, in Band Together itself, Fuzzbert and Smidge were meant to help Cooper and D get Gristle ready for the wedding.

[6] Miss Maxine’s speech comes from The Other Side Storm Of The Side: Part 2

[7] The joke of ‘You may kiss— the groom?’ comes from The Book Of Life.

[8] Sorry for the cliffhanger but I didn’t want a 10k chapter since it’s too early for one at this point of the story and well…they’re a [Bleep!] to edit.

Spanish Terms
Tía – Aunt
Hija – Daughter
Herman – Sister.

Chapter Text

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Well, today had been a good day so far.

No wedding crashers or party crashers in general, capitalised or otherwise. No vengeful exes showing up at the last minute to object. No chickening out at the last minute from Bridget or Gristle. No rings going missing. No sudden disasters or anything.

Everything was going…surprisingly well today.

She wouldn’t dare say it out loud though, because the universe could be listening and decide to jinx her just to teach her a lesson. Like every single time they said something about how good things were going.

Anyway, today had been a good day. She had gotten to spend some more time with Trollex. Bridget and Gristle had taken the next step in their relationship. Bergens, Trolls and Vacationers had been brought together once more. The days of war and violence between their species were far behind them.

…Well, apart from the wars still raging in the Hinterlands but Clay, Viva and Essence said that it would only be a few more months until most of the Raider gangs and rogue military elements were eliminated.

Though there was the issue of [1] Mixed City. She had heard from Melody, Lizzy, and some of the other Mixed Trolls that they were thinking of heading out to reclaim it after the wedding and Floyd was brought back to them. Problem was they had no idea what the rogue garrison of Mixed City had in terms of defences since it had gone completely silent, and any spies or scouts sent there had failed to report back.

Even Aria’s spies had failed to do so. There was something going on in Mixed City. Something big. And they needed to be ready for whatever the Governor of Mixed City had in stall for them.

But that was for the future. Right now, she was going to live in the moment and just try to take a break from all the worrying and stressing.

Of course, no plans ever survived contact with the enemy. Or reality for that matter.

[2] She was talking with Poppy, Branch, Trollex and Delta about how everything was going when Dickory and Dock came up to them.

“Your Majesties, Sheriff, Branch, DJ,” Dickory said gruffly, bowing his head.

“Please, Dickory. Just call me Poppy,” Poppy gave a reassuring smile.

“Same goes for us.”

“It’s just a matter of respect since we owe a lot to…you know what? I’ll talk about it later. We have a situation.”

“Is it a ‘party crashers’ situation?”

“Yes and no,” Dock gave an unsure look, “Well, they were trying to crash the wedding but for a good reason.”

“It’s Wani and Tresillo,” Dickory cut to the point, crossing his arms, “They’re back. And not in a good way.”

“Wait, what about the others?” Branch asked before his eyes widening, “Oh…”

“Yeah. From what I can guess, they got captured and Tresillo and Wani had to high tail it out of there before they got captured as well. However…” Dickory trailed off with an uncertain look on his face, “They didn’t come back alone.”

“Were they followed?” Branch said, activating the crossbow function of his gauntlet and pulling out a sword.

“They think they might’ve been, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” Dickory sighed before continuing, “It’s your brother, Branch. It’s John Dory.”

DJ’s eyes widened before she turned to her hermano in concern. Her hermano was frozen solid, his eyes wide. His hand shook a little before stopping as he took a deep breath.

“Figures,” Branch sighed as he rubbed the space between his eyes, “I knew that sooner or later, he would come back. I just hoped that it was sooner so Floyd didn’t have to go out and get captured…again. Better late than never, I suppose but…”

“And Floyd’s still captured, and now, along with Tres and Wani’s friends and sisters respectively,” Poppy then bit her lip before adding, “Branch, do you want me to take the lead on this one while you stay with DJ and the others? If he’s not sorry for what he did, I’ll kick him off the side of Bergen Town for you.”

“And I’ll help her do it,” Delta crossed her arms, “Would serve him right for ignoring me every time I ask him to come see you guys and not visiting Lonesome Flats for months.”

Branch chuckled, a little mirthlessly, “Thanks, but I…I need to get some closure. And find out more about what’s going on,” He then turned to Dickory and Dock, “Where’s John, Wani and Tres, now?”

“Near the oceanside wall with Hickory, Chaz and some of Lieutenant Song’s team. They’re keeping John busy.”

“And what about any potential pursuers?”

“Security has been given the heads up. Song has also sent an alert to the Sanctuary for reinforcements to be on standby in case of anything.”

“Good,” Branch nodded in approval before sighing, “Now…time for the hard part. Take us there.”

And soon, they were on the move after excusing themselves from the party of course. As they walked through the alleys, DJ sped up a little to keep pace with Branch who had a determined look on his face.

“You alright?”

“Yeah,” Branch sighed, “A bit nervous, though, but I know that as long as I got you guys with me, I can take on anything.”

“Love you bro.”

“Love you too, sis.”

“And I love you too, Branchifer,” Poppy chirped, leaning in to peck Branch on the check.

“Aw, that’s beautiful,” Delta gushed a little.

“But seriously, what are we going to do?” DJ asked, looking around, “Because to me, it looks like the rescue mission was a bust.”

“Get some answers about what the hell is going on. And then get reinforcements so we can launch our own rescue operation. If what you guys said about Mount Rageous is true…we’re going to need a lot of help to pull off this rescue mission and make sure we all get out.”

“And then figure out a way to shut down the Troll-trafficking operations there,” Poppy chimed in.

“One problem at a time, Pops,” DJ nodded and that was the end of their conversation for now as they heard voices.

“…is it going to take for them to get here!?” DJ didn’t miss how Branch briefly froze at that voice. That must be John, “I understand that this wedding is important but every second we waste is one less that Floyd and the others have!”

Soon, the voice’s owner came into view. Some of the Ambush Control members, Hickory and Chaz were gathered around Tresillo, Wani and a Pop Troll wearing a brown leather vest with a white-and-dark-brown collar, green pants, and green skiing goggles with pink lenses.

DJ’s eyes widened in recognition before narrowing in concern as she looked to Branch who now had a tired look in his eyes. It seemed like he was trying to work up the nerve to say something.

“We understand and don’t worry. Dickory and Dock will be back there lickey-split with…Branch,” Hickory, “My siblings aren’t the type to dilly-dilly.”

“We know, Hicks. We really do, but we need to—.”

“John,” Branch called out, and all noise ceased. Everyone except for John turned to face them. John froze at first before turning to face them as well. Once he spotted Branch, he let out a gasp as his eyes started to water.

“Branch…” John went to take a step forward, only to stop when Branch froze, “I, I don’t know,” He gulped, “I’m—.”

“Save it for later,” Branch crossed his arms, “What happened when you went to rescue Floyd? You first, John.”

“Right,” John cleared his throat, “When I first got your letter, I went searching for Floyd in the Hinterlands and beyond. I checked everywhere. It wasn’t until I got the same letter you guys got that I had a lead that I could use to track him down and bring him home.”

“You did know it was fake, right?” Delta asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I knew it was fake,” John sighed, “I know I was a big squarehead idiot back in the day, but I’ve gotten better…I think. Anyway, I went to Mount Rageous, and I found where this…Velvet and Veneer were performing. While they were performing, I snuck into the vents where I met Wani and Tresillo.”

“And that’s when things started to go sideways,” Tresillo sighed, keeping a tight grip on Wani’s hand, “Junkers ambushed us. We only got away because we were in the vents.”

“I’m sensing there’s something else as well.”

“Well, Floyd’s being held in a special kind of prison,” John bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck, “One which requires a solution that you’re not gonna like. You’ll hate it, even.”

“Why?” Branch raised an eyebrow, [3] “I have a hunch, but I refuse to believe it because it would be too ridiculous.”

“The Perfect Family Harmony.”

“Oh! Yeah!” Branch gave a sarcastic smile as he spoke, “So we can attempt to sing the same thing that no one has ever done since the Age of Harmony, and the one time we tried to do so, we failed so miserably at it that we broke up and I never saw you and Bruce again until over 20 years afterwards.”

“Yeah, I know,” John hissed, “It sucks but what other option do we have?”

“What about the Funk Trolls?” Poppy chimed in, raising a finger, “Maybe they can come up with something to—?”

“I don’t think we’ll have enough time for that,” DJ tapped her chin in thought, “The issue isn’t finding alternatives. The issue is time since it only takes a few months for a Troll to become fully crystalised, right?”

“Four, and that was before the Strings were destroyed,” Tresillo winced, “When we saw him, his hair was already turning white.”

“So how long does that leave us?”

“…A few days. At most,” Wani crossed her arms, “They might use Kim and the others, so they don’t use up Floyd, but it depends on if they are okay with murder or not.”

“So we need to hurry,” Poppy said, giving a determined look, “But first, were you three followed or not?”

“We managed to shake them off a few hours ago but…they could be here at any time.”

“Great,” Poppy sighed before turning to the Ambush Control members, “Spread the word to cut the party short. Tell the guards to start evacuating people to the Trees or the Castle and prepare for—.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

DJ looked up to the sky and squinted, trying to see what was going on. There was…something coming towards them. Something on fire.

“Hang on. Is that…Sid!?” Branch said, eyes widening before turning to a Classical-Pop Ambush Control member and shouting, “Quick, grab him!”

The Ambush Control member saluted before taking off and flying at top speed towards Sid, catching him in the nick of time and helping him land as another Ambush Control member rushed over with a water canteen.

DJ’s eyes widened at the state of the Flexi-Troll. He was covered in bruises and scratches. His clothes were tattered with holes in them. He was also slightly singed. What the heck happened to him?

“Thanks,” Sid breathed out before downing the entire canteen in one gulp, “Flexi-Trolls…on their way…to attack. Barely…got away.”

“And so are the Junkers,” Poppy sighed before turning back to the Ambush Control members, “Sound the alarm. Get everyone away from the front gate and the walls. Tell Barb and the other leaders that we need all fliers in the air. Don’t use the radios. They could be listening.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The Ambush Control members chorused in unison before the majority of them began scattering, heading off in different directions.

“So, we got Flexi-Trolls on one side and Junkers on the other,” DJ couldn’t help but gulp.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be okay,” Poppy gave them all a reassuring smile, “After all, we faced four separate armies during the World Tour, and we managed to come out on top.”

“Let’s hope that our streak of luck stays with us,” Branch remarked before turning to John, “John, you with us?”

“All the way,” John said, pulling out two shotguns, “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“Good. Now let’s go regroup with the others so we can prepare more,” And then they were all running back to the others. As they did, she found herself running next to John of all people.

“So, you’re Miss Alma’s daughter, right?”

“Yes,” DJ sighed, annoyed, “And I’m Branch’s hermana as you know. That means we’re family. Got a problem with it?”

“No problem,” John shook his head, “Honestly, you’ve been doing a pretty better job at being a sibling than I did.”

DJ frowned at that, torn between anger and sympathy. On one hand, John did abandon Branch and the others after a disaster of a concert. On the other, John was dealing with a lot of stuff in a high-stress time and environment. Like she was, in the first few months of Eric’s disappearance which had uprooted her entire life and put her in a position where she had to change quickly in order to handle everything going on.

She was able to handle it but sometimes, she wondered…what if she couldn’t? How would things had turned out?

She wanted to say that she wouldn’t…do that but she didn’t know for sure.

She shook her head. Don’t think about that. Think about the now. Stay in the moment.

She could think about it all she wanted later after this battle. Right now, she needed to make sure they were all around after this battle.

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“Confirmed Junker and Flexi-Troll attack on Bergen Town. Possible attempt at hostage-taking. Star-Flyers report for duty. This is not a drill!”

In just two minutes, a 250-strong company had been assembled in the courtyard. The company was a mix of Star-Flyers, M.C.D.F soldiers, R.A.F soldiers, Sentinels, and Hand Witches. Many of the Star-Flyers, her included, had their hoverboards ready but they needed to conserve the battery so they would ride in the ships until they reached Bergen Town.

“Viva, are you sure you’re okay with going to Bergen Town?” Clay asked as the company prepared to move out.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“But…” Clay sighed, “Let me go. I’m the Owl General. I should be out there fighting on the frontlines.”

“I know, but I have to do this,” Viva sighed, “It’s safer if I go. What if this is a trap all so that the Junkers can capture two members of BroZone at the same time?”

“That still leaves Branch and my familia.”

“I’ll take care of them, I promise,” Viva gave a reassuring smile, trying to keep the doubt from creeping to the surface, “Believe me, I’m terrified but…I can’t keep living in fear of the Bergens. Things have changed.”

“Okay. Just…make sure you come back in one piece, alright,” Clay sighed.

“I will,” Viva leaned in to kiss him before breaking away to give him a reassuring smile, “And I’ll make sure your siblings are safe as well.”

“I expect no one less,” Clay gave her a sweet smile before saluting, “Good luck, Princess.”

“You too, General,” Viva winked before putting on her mask and turning to the troops, “Alright, let’s move out! We don’t want to miss out on all the fun, do we?”

That got laughter out of everyone before they were boarding the ships. She took her place, sword and blaster in hand. She turned to give Clay one last look before the doors closed. The ship rumbled as it ascended and soon, they were on their way…

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They arrived to find the area around the Troll Trees filled to the brim with activity. Defences and barricades were being sent up across all paths leading into the town square. Vacationers and Bergens were evacuating those who couldn’t fight to higher ground. Ambush Control members with hoverboards or wings, Zipperback-riders, Orchestral Guard and R.F.A soldiers with jetpacks were in the air while other Ambush Control members, Sentinels, Biker Metalheads, R.F.A ground troopers and the other delegations’ security forces were on the ground, standing to attention.

“Mamá!” A voice called out as they climbed onto the area around the Troll Trees. DJ then felt something barrel into her leg and looked down to stare into light blue eyes, “What’s going on?”

“Just some bad guys trying to crash the wedding,” DJ gave her hija a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it but right now, I need you to go with the others. I’ll come and find you once this battle is over, okay?”

“Okay,” CJ nervously smiled, “Just…be careful, alright?”

“I will,” DJ bent down to give her hija one last hug before sending her on her way. She watched her go before turning away with a sigh as she pulled out her trident and activated it, watching it crackle with electricity.

“YOU!” She jumped at that before turning to see Barb and John glaring at each other. She exchanged raised eyebrows with the others before turning to Barb.

“Wait, Barb, you know John?”

“Unfortunately yes,” Barb crossed her arms, “It happened a month or so after Floyd arrived in the Volcanic Wastes…”

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[4] A few months before the World Tour…

Barb fought hard to keep the smile on her face as her crew drove circles around the colourful Armadillo Bus. Within it was the square-headed bane of her existence. The one that had somehow managed to unleash Pop-Rock Music into the radio waves. The worst kind of Pop-Rock Music.

She still didn’t know how it happened. She had teams of Radio Rockers working around the clock to figure out how it happened and to keep it from spreading any further than it already had with promises of a royal beating.

At least they had managed to find out who had been responsible for it.

After some time, the Armadillo Bus’s door slid open and the culprit stepped out, holding a coffee mug. Even with all the noise, she could hear him, “Hey, can you guys take it somewhere else? I know that you guys wanna spread your music far and wide but I’m kind of enjoying some alone time here.”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the dork who I’ve been hunting. John Dork of Dumb-Zone,” Barb smirked.

“Queen Barb.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Barb planted her hands to her mouth in mock embarrassment, “I must’ve misheard after having to those absolutely awful lyrics you….mutilated our music with!”

The arrogant [Bleep!]-er had the audacity to smirk, “You’re welcome.”

“That song took forever to get rid of.”

“Mmm, I don’t know,” John hummed as he swirled his mug, “They still play it on the radio a couple towns west of here in Lavarock Ridge. Guess you’re not as powerful as you think you are.”

Barb growled, “When Rock finally rules the whole world, you’re first on my list.”

“Slow down there, tiger. Pretty sure we got a few more centuries before that happens. Maybe even more with how much damage the Star-Flyers are doing to your operations. If it even happens,” John then threw up the horns and turned his back on her, “Anyway, I was here first so…mind taking your crew somewhere else still full of your loyal fans. Anywhere that isn’t here. Thanks, and goodbye.”

Oh, like hell, she was going to let this Pop Troll boss her around, “Tough orders from a Troll who can only write three words; Baby, Baby Girl Woman.”

That got him to turn around as he drained the coffee and then threw the mug into the Armadillo Bus, “Yeah? I’ve expanded my vocabulary since then. Not that I was planning on getting back into the music business full time, but hey, anything to ruin your day. Was thinking of a new song. Something like, Crybaby Baby Queen. Oh! I’ve got it!”

Barb’s glare intensified as the Pop Troll continued, “Crybaby Baby Queen Lost All Her Fans to a Pop Troll Dream,” She stopped looking at John Dory to glare at whoever who had just let out a short burst of laughter.

It got worse when the Pop Troll started singing. Terribly.

And she cries me a river…cry me a river
Bmmm, chkk a chkk a

“Stop that!” Barb howled, ready to throw a guitar-axe at any moment. The Pop Troll ignored her as he continued dancing, making his way to the roof of his bus.

Cry me a river
Bmm, chikka chik!
Baby gon on and cry me a river!

“Shut up! Shut up!” Barb pound her fist against the side of her head, trying to get the earworm out of her head, “It’s in my head now! Damn you!”

They told you they love you; why did they leave you alone?

Crybaby, Baby Queen
Ohhhh!

Barb huffed and puffed as she gave her most intense glare at the Pop Troll. If looks could kill, he would be six feet under by now.

And it got worse when he delivered the final blow.

Crybaby Baby Queen Barbie—

Barb didn’t hesitate and threw the guitar at John, missing him only by a few inches, “GET HIM!”

And the chase was on. The Armadillo Bus took a running start before leaping over the group of Rockers and Goblins, many diving to avoid being trampled. Barb growled in annoyance before revving the engines of her Moto Critter and pursuing the Armadillo Bus at top speed across the Volcanic Wastes.

Suddenly, a large canyon came into view. Barb’s eyes widened before she hit the brakes, gesturing for the others to do the same. The Pop Troll didn’t and sailed over the edge.

“I’ll kill you if you survive this, you absolute maniac!” She roared

“I don’t think so, but you’re welcome to try!” John laughed as he disappeared. She jumped off her Moto Critter and looked over the edge to see the Armadillo Bus disappearing into the water before re-emerging.

“This…!” John began, waving his goggles at them, “This is the day you’ll always remember! As the day you nearly caught John Dory!”

Barb watched with burning fury as the Armadillo Bus sailed down the river. Out of their reach. Oh, why didn’t she bring any fliers or Zipperbacks with them?

“That’s got to be the craziest Troll I’ve ever seen,” Carol remarked.

Barb took a deep breath before responding, “So it would seem.”

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“HA!” Dock said before bursting into laughter, “That was you!?” She pointed to John mid-laughter, “You’re the one who came up with that song?”

“Yes,” John smirked.

“Barb was furious for weeks afterwards,” Riff remarked sheepishly, “Besides, Dock, I don’t think you should be—.”

“Hick, Dick, can you make your sister quiet down before I make her quiet down?”

“Of course,” Dickory sighed before walking over to Dock who was rolling around on the grass. As they tried to knock some sense into their sister, Branch turned to Barb and John and said, “This isn’t going to be a problem, right?”

“Eh, depends on what happens after this battle,” Barb shrugged.

“ENEMY SPOTTED!” They all turned to see one of the Classical Trolls pointing ahead, “Three enemy forces approaching the gate from the North and South!”

“THREE!?” They all repeated.

“Oh boy here we go,” Branch remarked as they all turned to face the gate, readying themselves. DJ breathed in and out as the invisible clock ticked down.

And once it reached zero, the portcullis disappeared in a massive explosion. At the same time, two more explosions occurred at different parts of the front wall, sending mountains of rock falling down.

“Ohhhh…” Tresillo hissed, “That’s going to cost these guys,” He then turned to Bridget and Gristle, “Sorry, lovebirds.”

“No worries,” Gristle shrugged, “It’s not like you meant for them to come here.”

“Okay, guys. Let’s focus.”

DJ’s gaze narrowed into a glare as soon as she spotted the Junkers coming in through and above the front gate. Some of them in vehicles and jetpacks that no longer looked cobbled-together but most of them did so on their own feet.

As the horde of Junkers approached, DJ also noticed how much they had changed. They no longer looked much like Raiders anymore. Many of them were covered from head-to-toe in body armour and helmets with red glowing lines and visors. And they were armed to the teeth with technology that seemed to be on the same level as the Funk Trolls.

DJ gulped before pulling out her disc-like boomerangs and getting ready to throw them. Suddenly, a loud voice called out, “WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?”

DJ raised an eyebrow as from one of the alleys, a large group of Trolls from different genres of Latin marched out. At the same time, from another alley, a group of Flexi-Trolls emerged, led by a royal-looking one.

“What the…?” DJ watched in confusion as the leaders of each group started arguing with each other. Her eyes then narrowed in recognition, “That’s…Ramon’s gang, isn’t it?”

“Any sign of the traitor himself?” Tresillo asked, growling a little. DJ scanned the crowd of Latin Troll criminals for any sign of the crime lord himself.

“No, I’m afraid.”

“Figures. He wouldn’t dare risk his neck unless he was sure if he could win,” And then they continued to watch as the argument got more and more violent until the first blow was struck.

And then they were watching a massive brawl ensue between the three groups. Brawling Guards clashed with Junkers and Riders who clashed with Flexi-Troll foot-soldiers. Charging Bulls wrestled with Bulwarks and Brutalisers who clashed with Flexi-Troll brutes. In the air, Gliders crashed with Corvid Burglars and Flexi-Troll fliers.

“…Huh,” Poppy remarked, raising an eyebrow, “That’s new.”

“So…attack?” John asked.

“Probably no,” Branch shrugged, “I think we can just let them fight it out and we can mop up whoever wins.”

“I guess,” Tresillo crossed his arms, “But if we don’t get to fight a single Thief or Junker today, I’m not going to be happy, amigo.”

“Well, I think you might get a chance since they aren’t killing each other anymore, now,” Branch remarked and DJ looked over to see that the fighting had stopped, albeit with all groups having taken heavy losses. Darn, she was hoping that they wouldn’t have to fight this time.

She shook her head and focused on the present, preparing herself as the horde drew closer.

“GIANTS! ATTACK!” Gristle commanded at the top of his lungs. Immediately, the Bergens and Vacationers began rushing forward, forcing the enemy horde to scatter, or be trampled underfoot. Vehicles were picked up and after being emptied, were crushed. Enemy fliers were swatted out of the air. Enemy ground troops were sent flying by the dozens.

“Remind me,” Smidge suddenly chimed in, “Why didn’t we think of bringing the Bergens along to help us during Barb’s World Tour?”

“Well, we figured that…if we brought the Bergens along, it would cause the other Trolls to freak out since the Bergens were one of our many predators back in the Age of Harmony,” Biggie shrugged.

“That makes sense but hey, at least they’re helping us now,” Barb grinned, “I mean, look at them go.”

Shots suddenly rang out and DJ looked to see that several enemies had made it past the wall of Giants and were charging towards them either on foot or in their vehicles, but they were being taken care of by the guys on the frontlines. All in all, it looked like they were going to win pretty easily—.

“FIRE!”

Suddenly, ropes with metal balls at the end appeared, wrapping around the Giants, and causing them to fall to the ground. As they fell, DJ looked ahead to see that the ropes were coming from war machines that were spray-painted with neon colours and had the insignia of the Junkers on them.

“Are those…?” DJ’s eyes widened as she recognised the appearance of those war machines.

“Garage Rocker-designed war machines?” Barb said, wide-eyed as well, “That’s not good.”

“No kidding,” Poppy said before raising her voice as the enemy horde began charging once more, “OPEN FIRE AT WILL! BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT THE GIANTS!”

Immediately, arrows, bullets and energy blasts were unleashed upon the enemy horde. Many of the vehicles had their tires explode, putting them out of commission and some of the unarmoured and more lightly-armoured Flexi-Trolls, Junkers and Thieves fell to the ground, but the rest of the horde pressed on, protected by their armour.

Soon, the horde crashed straight into the shield-wall, pushing the defenders back but thankfully, the frontline troops held. Their air support joined the fight, trying to keep the enemy fliers busy but there were more enemies in the air and soon, DJ was watching as they dived towards them.

Immediately, they sprang to action. Branch, Cooper, D, Quincy, Essence, John Barb, Delta, the Bounty Hunters, and others with ranged weapons began opening fire. DJ charged up her trident and watched as it surged through a dozen enemy fliers, causing them to seize and fall to the ground below.

But no matter how many they took out, there were still plenty coming. And soon they were engaged in melee combat. As she stabbed with her trident, she threw the discs around, watching as spikes emerged from them before burying themselves into enemy soldiers left and right.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, several red explosions erupted, causing her to jump and turn, “What was that?”

“Exploding shurikens!” John paused to reload his shotgun, “Quite helpful in clearing out enemy groups. Especially since they look just like regular shurikens, so no one expects a thing. Expensive, though, but worth it.”

“Remind me to tell Viva and Clay about it,” Essence chimed in before blowing on her tuba, sending a dozen or so enemies flying once more.

During the fighting, she found herself fighting side-by-side with Poppy and Branch. Together, they were an unstoppable team, taking out any enemies that went after them.

“We need to end this battle quickly before any more lives are lost,” Poppy chimed in.

“You think?” Branch raised an eyebrow.

“Well, screw the Junkers I say but I’m not keen on, you know, murdering my fellow Reggaeton Trolls. Thieves and traitors, they are but still,” DJ winced a little.

“That just leaves the Flexi-Trolls,” Poppy grit her teeth as she crossed blades with a laser-sword-wielding Junker before kicking them away.

“Sid did say that leadership of the Flexi-Trolls is determined by combat. So all we need to do is get Sid close enough to challenge the current king—.”

“SID SCALES!” A voice boomed across the battlefield, and they all turned to the source of the voice; a tall Flexi-Troll with silver skin with a black Country behind. He also had sharp, slashing claws, a functioning but flimsy Techno tail with red block designs on the ends, long dark red dreadlocks, a red glittery Techno heart, golden glitter on his arms, a dark grey nose, long sharp ears, and a mouth of jagged dagger-like teeth. In his right hand was a wooden staff with a pearl-white egg and purple gem on top of it.

“Let me guess; King Gungager?” They all turned to Sid who nodded while glaring at the gigantic Flexi-Troll before marching forward.

“Um, Sid, what are you doing?” Poppy hissed in concern.

“Stopping this madness,” Sid growled, “If I challenge him, I can buy Star or Owl extra time to get here. If I win, the Flexi-Trolls will stand down and we won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

“But, Sid, this guy is twice your size!” Melody called out,

“Yeah, no kidding,” Val nodded, “Plus, he has a magical staff.”

“I know how dangerous he is with his magic, but magic alone won’t allow him to win this fight.”

“So is that what you want to have written on your tombstone?” Val remarked, causing Sid to make an extra finger just to flip her off.

“KING GUNGAGER!” Sid called out as he flew towards King Gungager, stopping just a few metres before him.

“WELL, WELL, IF IT ISN’T THE TRAITOR HIMSELF!” Gungager grinned, “Come to beg for mercy?”

“I would rather die.”

“Terms…” Gungager paused to tap his staff against the ground, resulting it sparking with magical electricity, “…accepted.”

“Everyone, clear out! The King’s gonna kick some ass!” And soon a tight circle was formed around Sid and Gungager as the two circled each other. DJ watched with much unease.

“He better not die,” Holly remarked, “Otherwise, Buckaroo will bring him back from the dead and kill him themself.”

And then it began. Gungager was the bigger fighter, had magic and could fly so for most of the fight, Sid was on the defence, trying to avoid getting taken out. However, Sid was quick and nimble, using his size and speed to his advantage to take the offensive and land painful hits on Gungager.

However, it wasn’t enough and soon Sid was pinned down beneath Gungager’s claws and they were watching as Gungager prepared to fire a magic blast directly into—

BANG!

Silence filled the area as Gungager became eerily still as a hole appeared in his forehead…before he fell to the ground, lifeless.

“Where did that come from?” Everyone turned to John, Delta, and the other Country Trolls.

“Not me this time.”

“Or me.”

“That would be me!” They all turned to see Buckaroo standing on one of the rooftops, holding a sniper rifle…accompanied by Viva and over two hundred Star-Flyers. Half of them were taking shots at the enemy fliers still in the air while the other half had their weapons trained on the ground troops.

“Anyone else wanna start a fight?” Viva called out to the enemy soldiers, “Because if you do, we will gladly finish it!”

The assembled enemy forces took one look at Gungager’s corpse before throwing their weapons away and throwing their hands up in unison.

“No trouble from us here.”

“It’s a lovely day to surrender, isn’t it?”

“Surrendering does sound quite nice.”

As soon as the last of the enemies had thrown down their weapons, DJ joined in the cheering that erupted as the Star-Flyers began restraining the enemy forces and freeing the Giants.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] Mixed City, Ambush Control, Sid Scales, the Flexi-Trolls, Ramon, his gang and King Gungager come from MasterClass60’s stories. About this little section, this sets up a future story in the AU, the first one that isn’t a take on one of the Troll films or TV shows. The story is called One Goal In Mind and will focus on the Mixed Trolls in their quest to retake Mixed City and liberate it from the enemy forces lurking within. For this, I’ll be taking some inspiration from the Mandalorian Season 3 and…of all things, Madness: Project Nexus 2.

The story’s name comes from a lyric in Full Speed Ahead in Epic The Musical.

[2] For this take on Branch and John’s confrontation, I took inspiration from my Two Becomes Three take on Band Together

[3] Branch’s line comes from If The Empress Had A Text-To-Speech Device.

[4] This section comes from Spritzy’s Break Apart Chapter 5: JD VS Queen Barb, albeit with some differences.

Spanish Terms
Hermano – Brother
Hermana – Sister
Familia – Family
Mamá – Mom
Hija – Daughter

Chapter Text

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[1] After the last of the Junkers, Flexi-Trolls and Thieves had been handcuffed and locked up in the dungeons until they had time to transport them somewhere else, the party was back in full swing. With most of the Star-Flyers joining in as well.

But she wasn’t in a partying mod. Nor were any of the others. Not when Floyd’s life was in stake.

“Alright. Now spill it,” Viva said once the Harmony Squad and Tribe Leaders were gathered within the Great Tree, “What happened?”

John began explaining with Wani and Tresillo chiming in to elaborate on their parts. At the end of it, Viva was sighing and rubbing her forehead in frustration, “I knew we should’ve started with Rageous but…it had been a while since the last Rageon sighting. And with the outbreak of violence all across the Hinterlands, we were all so busy. Besides, with rioting and breakdown of infrastructure going on, we figured that we wouldn’t have to worry about Rageous.

And now Floyd is in danger. An entire Railroad cell has been wiped off the map. The Junkers are…slightly more dangerous than ever,” Viva sighed once more, “This is just what we need. Another threat from the Giants again.”

“Maybe we can try talking to the Rageon leadership?”

“You would have a far better time talking to a brick wall, Pops,” Viva cleared her throat, “We’ve spoken a few times with the leaders of Upper Rageous and besides increasing the penalties for using Trolls, they haven’t done much. And then there’s the rulers of the Undercity.”

“Aren’t they the same place though, Tía Viva?” CJ raised an eyebrow.

“In theory ,yes, my little sobrina but in reality…as much as the Rageons like to make people think otherwise, no. Rageous is divided into the city above the clouds and the city below them. Both parts are ruled separately. In the latter, it is ruled by the most powerful crime lords who have their hands deep in law enforcement. So, we can’t expect any help from them.”

“Then we’ll have to go in ourselves,” Branch declared, giving a determined look, “The problem…is that in order to free Floyd and the others, we need to hit the Perfect Family Harmony. Which is nigh-impossible.”

“We nearly did it though,” John sighed, “And as much as I hate it too, we don’t have any alternatives that will work in the short timeframe we’ve been given.”

“Who says we need to work in a short timeframe?” Cooper raised an eyebrow, “I mean, all we have to do is rescue Floyd, right?”

“There’s another issue as well; the Rageons won’t take kindly to our presence,” Viva chimed in, “If we don’t or we do manage to expose Velvet and Veneer, we’ll have to watch out for anyone that the Troll-trafficking rings send after us. And there’s the matter of the Rageous Trolls and Lottles and Troll farms.”

“Yeah, what are we going to do about them?” Val chimed in, “We can’t just let them suffer just like the Pop Trolls did.”

“Indeed, but we can’t mobilise enough troops to launch an attack on the undercity without leaving ourselves open to the dozens of other enemy factions we are fighting against.,” Viva sighed, pulling out a map of still-active enemy bases and camps in the Hinterlands, “Besides, if we bring an army and we fail to expose Velvet and Veneer before it’s too late, it will be seen as an act of war. I’m not interesting in fighting two wars at the same time.”

We’ll come back to help the Trolls and Lottles in Rageous and shut down those operations but when we have enough troops to do so without putting ourselves at risk, I promise,” Viva looked at her sword, “My dad might have not meant what he said all these years ago, but I don’t. No one left behind.”

“Inspiring words but…we do need a plan,” Delta said before turning to Branch and Poppy, “Poppy, Branch, you have one?”

“A work-in-progress with a lot of moving parts given we don’t know what we’ll find but a plan nonetheless,” Branch took a deep breath before continuing.

“Now, me, Poppy, DJ, CJ, John, the remaining Bounty Hunters, and the rest of the Harmony Squad, accompanied by Lizzy and Viva’s teams, will head to Vacay Island to pick up Bruce and swing back around to the Sanctuary to pick up Clay. We’ll then head to Mount Rageous and rescue Floyd.

And then figure out the safest way out of Mount Rageous because…I doubt that our enemies there are gonna let us escape so easily and with precious leverage. To make sure we all make it out alive, we’ll have to stick together and watch our backs.”

Branch then turned to the Tribe Leaders, “The Junkers and whoever else is working for the Troll-trafficking rings could attack anywhere at any moment. We were thinking that you guys could send your security forces back to your Tribes with word about what’s going on so they can get ready in case of an attack by either the Rageons or their Troll allies.”

“Wise plan, you two,” Essence nodded.

“Wait, when did you two have time to think of a plan?” John asked, raising an eyebrow.

“When we were running to help the others fight off the attackers.”

“Makes sense,” Val shrugged, “You two have come up with crazy plans on the fly with little notice.”

“And they always work out,” Poppy smirked before her eyes widened and she frowned, “Sort of.”

“Well, a crazy plan is better than no plan at all.”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Viva nodded in agreement, “We’ll spread the word.”

“Wait a little. Let the others party for a little bit more before cutting it short,” Branch sighed, “Though I’m going to need to ask you guys to leave the room,” That got her to raise an eyebrow before her eyes widened at her hermano’s next words, “Me and John…we need to talk.”

“Are you…?” Poppy cut herself and shook her head, “Okay, we’ll give you two space. And we won’t eavesdrop, I promise,” She turned to the others with an expectant grin, “Right, guys?”

They all let out noises of agreement, even her. While a small part of her wanted to stay here and support her hermano, the larger part of her saw the big picture.

They needed to talk. Properly. And without anyone bothering them. And so…she was going to respect her hermano’s wishes.

As the others filed out to enjoy the party for a little bit more, she, CJ and Poppy lingered to talk with Branch a little.

“I don’t think I need to say this, but I just want to let you know that no matter what happens, we’ll always have your back, Branchifer,” Poppy declared. DJ nodded in agreement with that, “And if anyone treats you the wrong way for something that isn’t your fault…I will end them.”

“Nice to see you are nailing the ‘overprotective’ part of being a girlfriend so far,” DJ quipped, causing all three of them to laugh, “But seriously, I agree with her. No one disrespects you on our watch.”

“Thanks girls,” Branch smiled as he pulled them into a hug.

“And remember not to get upset no matter what, Tío Branch,” CJ beamed, “Don’t let people’s words get to you.”

“I’ll try my best, but I don’t make any promises,” Branch sighed, running a hand through CJ’s hair.

“Good luck, bro,” DJ said before pulling Branch into a tight hug. After some time, they unfortunately separated, and she was soon walking out the door with her hija and Poppy…

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John didn’t know what to think or do about what he had just witnessed.

He had witnessed Branch being given love by the family that he had. The family that he should had from the beginning. The family that was much better than the one he got in the beginning.

He felt sadness…and much to his disgust, a pang of envy.

He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help but be jealous of Branch finding another family that didn’t force him to be in a box. That didn’t stress him out with their arguing and fighting. That…didn’t abandon him.

And now…Branch wanted to talk to him.

He suddenly felt the urge to flee.

He shouldn’t had come back. He should’ve had stayed away. What was he thinking, coming back after all this time, and barging into Branch’s life when things had finally settled down for him somewhat?

He then mentally slapped himself. No…he couldn’t run. He wouldn’t run. Not while Floyd was in danger.

He could do this. He could handle one conversation. Just one conversation. If Branch wanted him to stay, he would. If Branch wanted him to leave and never come back after everything was said and done…then he would.

No matter how much it would break him. Especially after all these years of thinking he was dead. Especially after finding the Trees abandoned and no one still alive. Especially after abandoning—

“John?” He was snapped out of it by Branch’s voice.

“Y-Yeah?” John said, clearing his throat to stop it from cracking anymore.

“I have questions,” Branch sighed, and John hated how tired he looked. Though…he didn’t blame him, “And you are going to answer them as honestly as possible. No bull-[Bleep!]-ing, no nonsense and no anything. Understand?”

“Of course.”

“First question; did you get my letter?”

“…Yes,” John nodded, trying to look Branch in the eyes.

“So, you knew that you could come back to Pop Village and if you did come back, you wouldn’t get in trouble?” Out of the corner of his eyes, John saw Branch’s hands curling up into fists.

“Yes,” John sighed.

“Then why didn’t you come back then? Or any other time between then and now? Or even you first found out that we were still [Bleep!]-ing alive?” Branch growled.

“I…” John sighed before continuing, “I convinced myself that I couldn’t come home without Floyd but…to be honest, I was a coward. I did want to come back but…every time I thought about it, I choked like a [Bleep!]-ing coward. I was afraid of facing the consequences of my actions.”

“Yeah, Bruce told me about it,” Branch crossed his arms, “And that leaves me to my next question; as soon as this is done, are you gonna run off and stay away from us again?”

“…Well, I hate to say this, but that part is up to you. Do you want me to leave? Do you want me to stay away? For good this time?”

I…” Branch sighed. After some silence, he continued speaking, “I honestly don’t know anymore. A small part of me still hates you for what you did and what you did was insanely [Bleep!]-ed up but…with all the missing pieces of the puzzle now added, it’s hard to blame you when there was so much going on that was out of your control.”

“How did you react when you found out about what the Perfect Family Harmony could do?”

“I was furious to put it simply. I was upset at Bruce, Brandy, Mamá, the Council and Peppy. I wanted nothing more to kill the old fool, but I figured that letting him live with the consequences of his actions would be a far more suitable punishment than letting him take the easy way out. Besides, I didn’t want to get burned at the stake for committing regicide and killing my girlfriend’s father.”

There’s another reason; he was desperate.”

“The tunnels were nearly complete. Just a few years and…” John bit his lip, thinking back to King Peppy’s reasoning for making him try to hit the Perfect Family Harmony, “But how many Trolls would be dead by then? How many of their deaths would had been preventable?”

“Which, as much as I hate it, I can’t help but understand why he did that,” Branch sighed, rubbing his forehead, “Doesn’t change the fact that what the both of you did was [Bleep!]-ed up.”

“I know,” John sighed, “I really do. Nothing excuses what I did,” He paused to take a deep breath, “So what now?”

“We rescue Floyd but I’m gonna need you to promise me something, John.”

“Anything.”

“No ego trips or anything like that on this mission. And…don’t do anything that’ll hurt the ones I love,” Branch opened his eyes to glare at him, “If you do anything that might hurt DJ or the others, you can forget about earning my forgiveness. And if it’s too late to save Floyd or your actions get the others hurt or worse? [2] The only thing you’ll know for sure is that you’ll never see me coming.”

“I promise. I won’t do anything to hurt your friends or family. I won’t let it happen,” John sighed, “If I do something stupid, you have the right to knock me the [Bleep!] out.”

[3] “Or kick you in the nuts.”

“Wait, what?”

“Just a little joke about something I said to Floyd when he first left.”

“So about that…is it still in the cards or—.”

“Eh,” Branch shrugged, “Depends on how much you piss me off. Or how much you piss off the others.”

“Yeah, Bruce and Delta told me to watch out for that,” John nodded, thinking back to the conversations he had with each of them, “But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to be better for you. I promise.”

“We’ll have to see,” Branch simply said, “In the meantime, we’ll need to make preparations for the journey ahead and figure out an escape route from Mount Rageous which I imagine will be very, very hard to do given we don’t know how much things could’ve changed in the last week or so since our allies in Rageous went silent.”

“Okay. I’ll follow your lead, Branch.”

That got Branch’s eyes to widen in surprise as he stared at him. After some silence, he murmured, “You really have changed,” He then shook his head and cleared his throat, “Anyway, I got to go help the others get ready—.”

[4] Ding!

At that, Branch’s bracelet glowed. John’s eyes widened in realisation. That…was a Hug-Time bracelet.

He then made eye-contact with Branch.

“So…”

“Not yet,” Branch sighed, covering his bracelet, “Not here. Not now. It’s too soon.”

“Okay,” John nodded, trying to keep his hope down.

“Bye for now,” And, with a tired sigh, then Branch was gone…

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Utterly tired, Branch managed to make his way to where DJ was. Once he was close enough, he held out his arms.

“Hug?” DJ asked and he nodded before he felt his hermana’s arms around him, “How did it go?”

“Somewhere in-between good and bad,” Branch sighed, “I made him promise no ego trips or anything that would get you guys hurt or worse.”

“Well, that’s good,” DJ gave him a reassuring smile, “I think it is, anyway.”

“Yeah, I hope he keeps his promise,” He then noticed DJ biting her lip, “What?”

“Just have something to talk to you about.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing too bad. It’s just something that I can’t help but be concerned about,” DJ hissed, “I’m just worried that when all your brothers are back, we won’t have as much time to hang out—.”

He pulled her into a tighter hug and gave her a reassuring smile, “I’ll make time. I promise.”

“Thanks, hermano,” DJ returned the smile as they continued embracing. After some time, they had to separate in order to help the others, but they made sure that it lasted for a good long while before they had to…

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Clay tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Viva to answer. He couldn’t help it. It didn’t help that it had been hours before he could get enough time to call Viva.

As soon as Viva’s group left, a horde of Junkers and Trollcatchers had shown up and started attacking the Sanctuary. They had managed to repel the attack with minimal losses but the next few hours were spent hunting down the Junkers and Trollcatchers through the forest, trying to keep any of them from bringing word back to their masters.

‘Come on, Viva. Give me something. Anything,’ Clay said to himself worriedly. After some more time, he was about to call it quits and try again later when Viva finally picked up.

“Hello?”

“Viva,” Clay sighed in relief, “Thank goodness you’re alright. Did you manage to make it to Bergen Town? Are the others, okay?”

“Yeah, we’re all okay,” Viva sighed, “Anyway, what’s the situation back in the Sanctuary?”

“A few minutes after you left, a horde of Junkers and Trollcatchers showed up on our front doorstep. We managed to fire them off, but it took a while to take care of them all since there were so many and we couldn’t let any of them get back to Rageous. On the bright side, we got a lot of stuff.”

“How much?”

“The Foragers are still sorting through the bodies and ships.”

“That many, huh?”

“Anyway, any news on…Floyd?”

“Nothing good, I’m afraid,” Viva sighed, “The rescue mission was a bust. Only Tresillo and Wani managed to get away. And…”

“And what?”

“Your brother’s come back. John Dory,” That got his eyes to widen and a surge of anger to go through him before it went away.

“Really?” Clay sighed, rubbing his forehead, “The one-time John does decide to come back and it’s when Floyd’s been kidnapped. Again.”

“I know, right?” Viva took a deep breath before continuing, “Anyway, what do you want to do? Do you want to—?”

“Talk to him?” Clay bit his lip as his mind drowned in conflict before speaking, “I’m not sure if I’m ready, yet. Just give me some time. Do Poppy and Branch have a plan?”

“Yup!” Viva chirped, “We’re going to Vacay Island to pick up Bruce and then swing back around to the Sanctuary to pick you up, get to Rageous and…hit the Perfect Family Harmony?”

“…Floyd’s being held in a diamond prison, isn’t he?”

“Yup.”

“…[Bleep!] me,” Clay threw his head back as he groaned, “Why, out of all things, it has to be a diamond prison?”

“To quote D: I feel for you, man.”

Clay took a deep breath to calm his nerves, “Alright, this is fine. Everything is fine. Just need to hit this stupid Harmony and then we won’t have to worry about it ever again.”

“And what about John?”

“…It’s up to Branch, I suppose. He is the one who deserves to have the final say on if John stays or goes out of all of us.”

“Okay. See you soon, C.”

“You too, V.”

And then he was off, heading back to help the others in sorting through the piles of bodies and ships.

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[5] It was the next morning now. After a long day of decorating, fighting and preparations, they had all decided to hit the hay earlier than usual to get as much rest as possible before they embarked on their next big adventure.

And as of right now, she was helping John in stopping Rhonda from trying to eat Stage and Pearl.

“Rhonda, no!” John cried, “Wooferbugs aren’t food. They’re friends!”

Eventually, they had managed to calm down Rhonda. As they stood there trying to catch their breath, John suddenly spoke up, “Pets, am I right?”

DJ nodded in agreement at that. Pearl was…to put it frankly, a pain in the butt when they first got her. Then she remembered who she was agreeing with, and it put a damper on her mood.

“Listen, don’t think this changes anything between us. I’m still upset at what you did to Branch, even given all the stuff that’s come to light. You still hurt him.”

“I know,” John sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “But I made a promise to him. To be better. And if this mission goes well and I…can come back to Pop Village, I would like to get to know you more.”

“…We’ll have to see,” DJ said, trying not to over-commit to anything before they went back to preparing themselves for the journey ahead.

At the end of their preparations, she found Branch, Clay, D, Cooper, and herself engulfed in a big hug with their parents.

“Remember to stay safe, kids,” Mamá said, giving them all a proud smile, “And take care of each other and keep each other safe out there.”

“Don’t worry, Mamá ,” DJ gave her a reassuring smile, “We will be back before you know it.”

“We know you will,” Essence chimed in, pulling her into another hug which they made last.

Afterwards, it was Trollex’s turn.

“Hey, Lex,” DJ sheepishly smiled, “Sorry that…I couldn’t stick around to hang out with you more.”

“Oh, I’m certain that we’ll be able to hang out more much sooner than you think,” Trollex winked while smiling knowingly. It took less than a second to figure out what he meant.

“Oh, I believe so too,” DJ returned the wink and knowing smile before standing on her tippy-toes to peck Trollex on the lips, “Until next time.”

“Same,” Trollex grinned before leaning down to peck her on the lips in return, making it last a few moments before separating, “Good luck out there.”

And soon, it was time to hit the road.

“Bye, everyone!” Poppy called out to the crowd as they walked into Rhonda.

“Bye, Queen Poppy!”

“Good luck!”

“Godspeed with you!”

“Have fun, you crazy kids!” DJ turned to see that it was Aunt Smead that had spoken. DJ gave a nervous smile as she waved goodbye to the crowds.

“Have an awesome honeymoon, you two!” Poppy called out to Bridget and Gristle and then they were on their way, escorted by Stage, Pearl, Lizzy’s team and some of Raz and Daz’s crew. DJ stumbled slightly as Rhonda started moving.

As Rhonda barrelled down the road, DJ helped Branch and Viva put up a map of the lands south of the Troll Kingdoms. A lot of the map was blank or very vague but other than that, it was pretty good.

Branch then took out a pen and started tracing a path from Bergen Town to Vacay Island, then the Sanctuary and finally Mount Rageous.

“Operation: Family Harmony has begun,” Branch declared to them all, “If we’re quick and everything goes according to plan, which it probably won’t given our luck in the past, we should be back home in…a few days.”

“And then…we give Floyd the tongue-lashing of his life,” DJ grinned.

“Good thinking, hermana.”

Suddenly, they were all sent stumbling due to Rhonda hitting a speedbump. As they did, DJ’s ears picked up the sound of something falling, followed by someone groaning.

They all turned to where the noise came from; the closet. DJ turned to Branch and signed Hostile?

Maybe Branch and Poppy pulled out their swords while she charged up her trident. She, Poppy and Branch positioned themselves on each side of the first door. After exchanging nods, she reached out her hand to open the door. When she did, a familiar face stumbled out.

“What…Val!?” Poppy shouted in surprise.

“Oh. Hey, guys.”

“What are you doing here?” Branch asked as they helped her up, “And also, next time, tell us if you’re in there. I was about to stab you.”

“Bit of an overreaction but I don’t blame you,” Val cleared her throat and shrugged, “Figured you guys might need some backup. Besides, Floyd’s my friend…and Melody stowed away.”

“Snitch!” They all turned to see Melody popping her head out from behind the couch, along with Demo and the rest of Val’s band who popped out from various hiding places.

“Hello!”

“What’s up?”

“Hey, my peoples!”

“Okay, how the hell did any of you manage to get in without us noticing?” Branch sighed.

“We’re Rock Trolls, man!” Riley cackled, “We can do anything!”

“Except find traitors and your former number one enemy’s HQ, apparently,” Tresillo remarked.

“Okay, in my defence, Aria was my Aunt and practically raised me since Dad was too busy conquering. As for the second thing, you guys had a hand in making it so hard to find,” They all turned to see Barb, Riff, Carol and Sid emerging from a cabinet.

“Wait, if Barb’s here, then…” At that, they heard a stifled chuckle and they all turned back to the closet. DJ sighed before making her way open and pulling the second door open. Trollex, Delta, Clampers, Holly, Trollzart, Dante, Minuet, Quincy, and Essence all tumbled out in a heap.

Trollex raised his head to grin at her, “What’s up, DJ?”

“You knew that he was going to sneak onto the bus, didn’t you?” Branch asked, staring at her unimpressed.

“Well, just Trollex,” She shrugged, “Not the others, but we probably should’ve seen it coming, though.”

“Eh, good point.”

“Mom? Dad?” DJ helped Branch, Cooper and D pull Quincy and Essence out of the pile, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re family, kids,” Essence smiled as she put a hand on her and Branch’s shoulders, “And family sticks through thick and thin.”

“Did I say that to you when I suggested following our sons?” Quincy smirked.

“Yes, you did, honey,” Essence returned the smirk as they all snickered, “Yes, you did.”

“You do have a point, but you should amend it to most families since—.”

“Okay, I get it. I know how badly I [Bleep!]-ed up and I know that Branch and the others are well within their right to be pissed at me, but do we really have to keep rubbing it every second?”

“Yes,” Barb smirked, causing John to groan.

“This is payback for when I called you a crybaby, isn’t it?”

“Can’t confirm or deny.”

“Putting aside personal grudges for a minute, how are we going to get to Vacay Island in Rhonda?”

“Worry not, friends, comrades, enemies and acquaintances, Rhonda is completely waterproof. Trust me, I promise. Besides, we’ll be floating.”

[6] “Floating?” Poppy raised an eyebrow, “Rhonda can float?”

“And fly, depending on the situation,” John grinned, “I’ll show you when we jump off the cliff.”

“Jump off the what, now?”

“Oh, it looks like we’re nearly there,” DJ turned to the front of Rhonda and her eyes widened. Coming up fast was a cliff and beyond it, the ocean. In the distance, she could see Vacay Island.

“What are you doing!” Branch shouted as Rhonda began picking up speed.

“Don’t worry! Like I said, completely waterproof!”

“Everyone, hold on to someone else and take a deep breath except for those who are Techno Trolls or can transform into Techno Trolls!” Poppy yelped as they then drove off the cliff, causing all of them to scream as gravity disappeared. DJ grabbed hold of CJ and Trollex and braced for impact.

Then gravity returned and she landed on her behind, hard. She joined the others in groaning as she looked around. So far, no water. So far so good it would seem.

So, no one would…d-drown.

The memories came flooding in. Of Vibe City’s destruction. Of her struggling to stay with Trollex and CJ among all the crashing waves and debris. Of her being separated from them and frantically searching for them, only to find them sinking beneath the waves. Of her barely managing to drag them and herself to shore.

She took deep breaths and focused on what she could see, hear, touch, smell. She wasn’t back there. It was okay. She was safe. They were safe. Everyone was…nearly everyone was okay.

“Sis?” DJ turned to look into her hermano’s concerned eyes.

“I’m fine. Just some bad memories,” She gave him a reassuring smile, “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Okay,” Branch sighed before they heard John speaking and they turned to face him.

“See? Waterproof,” John said before turning back to drive Rhonda, “Next stop; Vacay Island!”

DJ joined Branch in rolling their eyes at John before helping the others get back to their feet.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] In the rough outline of this chapter, the Harmony Squad (and others with them) were supposed to listen in on a radio broadcast of Velvet and Veneer singing ‘Watch Me Work’ and their interview with Kid Ritz.

[2] Branch’s words come from Thor and Loki’s conversation in Order of the Stick Book 6: Utterly Dwarfed.

[3] Kudos to those who have been since the start of this AU and remember this reference.

[4] There was supposed to be an awkward sibling hug between Branch and John here, but I cut it out because it was too soon for Branch and John. They’ll hug but later after this adventure.

[5] The gag of Rhonda trying to eat the Wooferbugs and Val, Melody and the Tribe Leaders stowing away come from The Other Side of The Storm: Part 2 by MarcellusMiro66

[6] For those who don’t know; at one point in Band Together’s development, Rhonda was supposed to be able to fly and actually float. You can find concept art depicting this in the artbook.

Spanish Terms
Tía – Aunt
Sobrina – Niece
Hermano – Brother
Tío – Uncle
Hija – Daughter
Mamá – Mom
Hermana – Sister

Chapter Text

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More than a year ago (Sometime after Trollstice’s permanent cancellation)…

Floyd’s legs burned as he made his way through the dark forest, but he ignored them and put all his focus into running as fast as he could.

Oh, he was such a fool. Why did he leave? Why? Why? Why?

And now…Branch was going back to That Place again. To where their parents and Grandma had been taken. Where so many others had been as well. They didn’t even have anything to bury them with.

His brother was in danger. His friends and the love of his life were in danger. The whole Tribe was in danger.

He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop. No matter what. No matter how hard his legs cried out in agony. No matter how much his body was screaming at him to stop.

He needed to get there.

Find the Bunker. Get everyone out of the village and to a safe place. The Classical Mountains, maybe? If Peppy valued the safety of the Tribe over keeping his secrets safe, but he doubted it.

As soon as the Tribe was somewhere safe, he was going back out there to find his brother and Poppy. Damn anything that came between him and his brother.

A sudden thought came to mind; if he just asked, the Classical Trolls would’ve gladly helped him get to Pop Village. And it would be much quicker.

At that, he slammed himself in the face. Oh, he was such an idiot. How was he not dead, yet?

He shook his head. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about anything else but getting to the Bunker.

As he got closer to the village, his ears picked up the sound of voices. He froze. Bergens? Rock Trolls? Or worse, Rageons?

If it was Bergens, he could count on just being eaten. If it was Rock Trolls, he could count on being captured for any information he might have. If it was Rageons…death wouldn’t come so quickly if the stories were true.

He took a deep breath and listened closely. He could…he could recognise the voices. Some of them at least. Definitely people he knew.

Or what if it was a trap? He had heard tale of creatures in the Hinterlands that could mimic one’s voice. Or even one’s appearance.

“Well, only one way to find out,” Floyd said to himself before he took a deep breath and stepped out of the bushes…

…and into a busy Pop Village. All around, Pop Trolls of all shapes and sizes were hard at work, trying to rebuild the wrecked village. Floyd looked around in awe, still as a statue.

What was going on? W-Why wasn’t anyone worried? What the hell happened?

“FLOYD!” He looked up at the shout of his name to see Poppy running towards him, holding several documents. He did a double-take at the last thing. Since when did Poppy carry around documents?

“Princess—.”

“Queen, now,” Poppy beamed, “I got coronated.”

“Oh, I thought your coronation got cancelled after…the Bergen attack,” Floyd had another look around before asking, “What’s going on?”

“So a lot happened. Most of which is really unbelievable,” Poppy cleared her throat, “I’m glad to see you’re okay. We were worried about you making your way back here when Bergens were around.”

“Well, don’t worry,” Floyd dusted himself off, “I’m okay. Just ran from the mountains to here on foot and my legs are screaming in agony but I’m okay.”

“Good,” Poppy then looked around before leaning in, “Branch and I have something to show you. Something that’s gonna blow your mind.”

“W-What?”

“Nothing bad, I promise,” Poppy placed a hand over her heart, “You’re…going to be crying happy tears when you see him. Trust me.”

Floyd tilted his head as he raised an eyebrow before shrugging and gesturing for Poppy to lead the way. As they walked through the busy village, other Trolls caught notice of him and called out to him.

“Hey, Floyd! You alright!?”

“Where were you, man?”

“Hey, Floyd! How does it feel knowing that your brother is the hero of the Tribe now?”

“I’m real jealous of you, Floydster!”

That last one got his eyes to narrow in suspicion. What the heck was going on here? What the heck else happened while he was away? Why were people calling his brother a hero? Did he slip and fall through a portal to an alternate universe or something?

“So, what happened?”

“Oh, to put it short…we managed to save everyone and bring peace between us and the Bergens.”

…What? What!?

This was so surreal that he felt a bit of a headache coming on. Honestly, after he talked to Branch and found out more about what was going on, he was going to take a big, long nap so he could rest. He could process this all in the morning. If this wasn’t some freaking weird dream that he was in.

He shook his head and focused on the present, checking all the Trolls around him in case of finding any familiar grey Trolls.

Eventually, they were walking towards the Snack Pack. Floyd tilted his head in confusion. Why were they walking towards them? Shouldn’t they be trying to find B—?

He then caught sight of a familiar green vest…attached to a bright cyan Troll. His eyes widened as he let out a gasp before his eyes started to water.

It couldn’t be. But it was. His brother…

“B-Branch?”

Despite how soft and quiet his voice was, Branch somehow managed to hear him, judging from how he froze before turning around to face him. His eyes widened.

“Floyd?”

[1] His brother had his colours back…

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More than a year later…

This was all his fault. That was the one thing that was 100% true in this situation. Because of him leaving home right in the middle of enemy uprisings and while the Junkers were still out there up to who knew what, he had been captured. Again.

And now…some of his friends had been taken down with him. Kim, Ari, Gomdori, Bun, Mari, and Tam. Wani and Tresillo had managed to get away, judging from what the Junkers said after returning but that was of little comfort to him.

They had come here because of bait. It wasn’t a coincidence. They had been baited by those two. At least Wani and Tresillo had gotten away. Maybe they could warn everyone and stop anyone else from being taken. Stop any of his friends and family from being taken. Stop Branch or DJ…

Branch. DJ. The thought of his younger siblings ending up in one of those godforsaken prisons hurt. He wouldn’t think about it. He couldn’t.

He should’ve stayed home. He should’ve stayed home and let Delta or Clay, or Bruce take the lead in finding John. That way, his friends and family wouldn’t be in danger. That way, he wouldn’t be…dying.

Dying…wasn’t that a scary thing to think about?

[2] Death was the end of life. Death was the last thing you experienced. Death was something that many Troll Tribes had faced over and over again at the hands of the Bergens and the Rock Trolls before they changed their ways. Death…was sucking the life out of him, killing him, all of them, bit by bit.

At least one good thing had come out of the others being captured if he could call it that; he didn’t need to be drained of his essence as much as Velvet and Veneer used to do. On the other hand, it meant that the others were suffering in his place. He didn’t wish that.

“Floyd, I understand why but…you being self-sacrificial won’t help anyone,” Tambora said after she had her turn of being drained by Velvet and Veneer, “Branch would be pissed if you didn’t come back. Trust me, it’s better to share the pain. That way, there’s a chance that all of us or at least you make it out of this alive.”

He hated it. He hated how right she was. At least this way they all had a big chance of making it out alive.

He then had a look around the room. Velvet and Veneer had left to do some private singing in their sound booth. Thankfully, they didn’t take anyone’s essence. This time.

The only one besides him and his friends was Crimp. And they could trust her somewhat. As much as it frustrated some of the others that she wouldn’t help, they understood. [3] Mop-Heads were a minority in Mount Rageous and didn’t have much of a voice in politics and law so…Crimp wouldn’t be seen as a trustworthy source. Besides, she wouldn’t make it far with the Junkers outside if she brought them with.

So, they only had one hope…the Perfect Family Harmony. The thing that tore his family apart would be the one that they would need to do in order to save him and the others.

His gaze then moved to Bun who was looking at her sisters anxiously. He rolled over and called out, “Hey, Bun, you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, Floyd,” Bun nervously wringed her hands, “This is just…bringing up some bad memories for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t the first time the K-Pop Gang have been to Mount Rageous,” They turned to see Kim rolling over as well, “It wasn’t a good one, though.”

“We barely made it out of that alive,” Gomdori chimed in, “Between the Rageons, Trollcatchers and everything else, we had one hell of a time trying to get out of here.”

“Don’t worry,” Floyd gave them all a reassuring smile, “We’ll make it out of this.”

“I just hope that Wani’s okay,” Bun sighed, “She can be so hard on herself at times.”

“Don’t we all?”

BANG!

They all jumped at that. They looked to see Velvet and Veneer approaching. The former had a frustrated look on her face while Veneer looked uneasy.

“Crimp!” Velvet turned her attention on the Mop-Head who jumped a little. Floyd frowned in sympathy as Velvet continued, “What are you doing?”

“Umm…standing?” Crimp shrugged, “And handling the sound systems?”

“Well, be a good little assistant and go stand in the corner,” Veneer pointed at the corner in question.

“Copycat,” Velvet said in a sing-song voice as Crimp went into the corner, going back-and-forth in trying to find the exact corner. They all stared in either confusion or sympathy.

“…Okay, you know what? I’m ignoring that,” Velvet took a deep breath before turning to them and giving an unsettling smile, “Time for another spritz. Who should we go for?”

“You pick,” Veneer hissed.

“Okay,” Velvet tapped her chin in thought, her gaze moving from diamond prison to diamond prison. Floyd tried to bite back a gulp as her gaze remained on him the longest.

“Wait!” Kim called out, “Use me! I still have plenty of essence. Floyd barely has any let. Not even enough for a desperate Christmas album or a one-off national anthem performance!”

“…” Velvet tapped her chin in thought.

“And plus…his brother is the Bergen Hunter. You don’t want him to become the Rageon Hunter too, right?”

“You make a very good point. You it is,” Velvet then reached out to grab Kim’s diamond bottle and soon, Floyd was watching in horror as Kim’s essence was sucked out of her, causing her to let out pained noises.

He didn’t pay attention to Velvet and Veneer’s conversation. Instead, he rolled over to Kim after she was put back down and said, “Kim, you still with us?”

“Y-Yeah…barely.”

“…honestly, they look rough. And they’re getting pale. And not in, like a stunning Victorian way.”

“Don’t you see what you’re doing!?” Bun called out, “You’re sucking the life out of us!”

“That’s what I tell Crimp every time she annoys me too much,” Velvet remarked, turning to glare at Crimp who began crying.

“So, what are we going to do?” Veneer crossed his arms, “Because sooner or later, someone’s gonna find out the truth or worse we run out of Trolls.”

“Relax, bro,” Velvet gave Veneer a reassuring smile, “Once we have BroZone, we’re gold. And once we’re through the Rage Dome, we’ll be home free.”

“And I suppose that in this scenario, you let us go?”

“Well, do you want us to be honest or give you false hope?”

“Honesty please. I’m sick of false hope.”

“Well, we’ll probably hand most of you back over to the Junkers once we have BroZone,” Velvet shrugged, and alarm entered Floyd’s being.

“No. No!” Floyd shouted, glaring at the two, “You leave my family out of this!”

“There’s no screaming, Floyd. Your brothers are coming to save you like any good siblings,” Velvet then turned to Veneer and grinned, “After all, I would do the same for Veneer.”

“Right back at you, sis.”

“Well, nice to see that you two have a healthy sibling relationship despite being frauds,” Kim remarked.

“Me too,” Velvet then perked up, “Hey, Ven, do you wanna buy a yacht?”

“Let’s buy matching yachts!”

And then the two were walking out of the room. Floyd sighed as he looked at his hair. Most of it was now white but thankfully, it had stopped spreading.

“Hey, guys,” He called out, “If I…if I don’t—.”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Floyd,” Kim growled, “You are making it out of this alive. I promise.”

“Just…if I don’t make it, tell Branch that I’m sorry for…everything. And that he will always be my brother no matter what he does.”

“You can tell him that yourself, Floyd.”

“Of course,” Floyd sighed as he looked at the worried looks on the others’ faces. He needed to do something, anything to lift the spirits of the others.

And so, he shut his eyes and began singing.

This is for all the lonely people

He thought back to all the good and bad times he had with his friends and family. With his siblings both new and old. With his younger ones. With Branch.

Thinking that life has passed us by
We won’t give up until we drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky

Floyd sighed as he opened his eyes to look at the others. They all looked much hopeful than before. He then turned to Crimp who had been playing her ukulele.

“Your ukulele skills are improving.”

“Thank you!” Crimp chirped, beaming all the while.

Floyd sighed before sitting down and getting comfortable. Might as well. They were going to be in for a while.

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“CANNONBALL!” A Vacationer hollered as he jumped into the pool, creating a mighty splash. Branch shook his head before he continued looking around.

In the months since the World Tour, Bruce’s cantina had grown much popular with people from all across the Troll Kingdoms and beyond coming to enjoy the food and what the Easy-Going Archipelago’s tourist islands had to offer. Even with all the raider attacks and mayhem going on, people could still come here to have a nice little vacay.

He could do with one right now, especially after how stressful the last two months had been. First thing he was going to do after rescuing Floyd and making sure he wouldn’t put his life in danger again was take a nice long vacation with Poppy. They could both use one.

But right now, they needed to find Bruce and tell him what was going on. He began searching the busy restaurant for any sign of his older brother.

“Hey, Bruce!” He looked to see his brother running to somewhere. He looked further to see Bruce walking through the busy restaurant, taking orders left and right. After a few moments, he and the others followed after John.

Soon, they had caught up just in time to see Bruce running up and pulling John into a tight hug, “John, man! How have you been!? I haven’t seen you in months!”

“F-Fine!” John choked out, “You’re hugging me a bit too tight, Brucey. My bones aren’t getting any younger.”

“Sorry, man,” Bruce let go of John before turning to them, “Woah! And you’ve brought our sibs!?” He then ran up and gave them a big hug as well, “How is everyone!? What brings you here?”

“Nothing good, we’re afraid,” Branch sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “You might want to sit down for this.”

A few minutes later…

“…”

“…”

“…So, Floyd’s being held prisoner, again?”

“Yup.”

“And the only way to free him and the others is with the Perfect Family Harmony?”

“Yup.”

“The same Perfect Family Harmony that broke our family apart?”

“Yup.”

“God give me patience,” Bruce muttered, rubbing his forehead, “Why? Why out of everything, it had to be a diamond prison?”

“Yeah,” Bran took a deep breath before speaking, “I don’t like this as much as you do but it’s our best shot of rescuing Floyd and exposing Velvet and Veneer.”

“Still can’t believe that me and my family were fans of those guys,” Bruce sighed, “It’s gonna be hard separating the art from the artist. Anyway, what do we do?”

“If we practice, we could have a better chance.”

“Practice?” Branch and Bruce both said at the same time, giving raised eyebrows.

“N-Nothing like the practice we used to!” John held his hands out while shaking his head rapidly, “I swear!”

“Yeah, but at our age?” Bruce winced, “I mean, Branch probably. But you and me? I don’t think that…you know what? Screw it. We’re going to have to sing eventually. Might as well get some practice in.”

As John and Bruce walked towards the stage to get themselves in, Branch found himself watching with arms crossed, fighting an internal war with himself.

He knew that he had to sing with John again soon in order to save Floyd and practice did make perfect but…was he ready for that? Could he do it?

…Screw it, he decided. If he could sing again after 20 years of silence and handle being around Bergens, he could do this. He took a deep breath and made his way over as the music began to play. He was familiar with this song. It was the first song that John had come up following a long hiatus.

(BroZone’s Back – Daveed Diggs, Eric Andre, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake & Gwen Stefani)

He did some light stretching as he watched Bruce and John begin with Bruce singing first.

[Daveed Diggs]
My girl’s like candy, a candy treat
She knocks me right off my feet

And then John took over, sliding from side to side.

[Eric Andre]
She’s so fine as can be
I know this girl is meant for me

As the two began singing together, Branch’s gaze moved to the now-cheering and applauding crowd, Bruce’s family the loudest among them.

[Eric Andre & Daveed Diggs]
Candy girl, you are my world
You look so sweet
Come back to me
All I know, when I'm with you...
(Ooh-ooh)

Then a spotlight shone on him, and Branch only had a few seconds to prepare before being dragged onto stage. As the two continued to sing, he simply just danced. He was saving his energy for when it was time to go all out.

You got the right stuff
Love the way you turn me on

“Oh-oh-oh!” He looked to see DJ (who was covering CJ’s ears), Cooper, D, Poppy, Kismet, Viva cheering him from the sidelines along with the rest of the group. He cracked a small smile at the outpouring of support before committing more to John and Bruce, copying their moves.

You got the right stuff, baby
You're the reason why I sing this song

Branch took a deep breath before running ahead and singing at the top of his lungs for all to hear.

[Justin Timberlake]
You’re all I ever wanted

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed John giving him a surprised look before joining him and Bruce in singing.

[Justin Timberlake, Daveed Diggs & Eric Andre]
Baby, you’re all I ever needed, yeah
So tell me what to do now
When I want you
When I want you back

They began sliding from side-to-side as they scatted.

Doom, doom, da-dab
Doom, doom, doom, da-dab
Doom, doom, da-dab
Doom, doom, doom, da-dab
Hey, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, da-dab
Da-dab

Branch turned to Poppy and DJ and held out a hand, inviting them to join in.

BroZone’s back, alright!

And after a few moments, they did. And soon he was singing and dancing with his girlfriend and his siblings both new and old.

[All]
Whether you’re a mother or whether you’re a brother
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
BroZone’s really back again
Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive

Then they were scatting again as they slowed down their dancing to match the song.

Doom, doom, doom, da-rab
Doom, doom, doom, da-rab

And when the song picked up again for the last few moments, they spun around before striking poses for everyone.

Branch’s grin as he drank in the cheering of everyone, loudest among them were his friends and family. Branch turned around as John shouted, “A-ah, yes! We still got it!”

Bruce was hugging John from the side as they made their way offstage, “Oh, tell me that didn’t feel good!”

It did feel good. It felt really, really good surprisingly. It made him realise how much he had actually missed this, no matter how much he had denied it.

“I can’t believe it,” That was the only thing he could think to say.

“You can’t believe what?” Poppy and DJ leaned in.

“That I remember every word and every step,” He danced a little to demonstrate, “It makes me feel…”

“Feel what?” Poppy raised an eyebrow.

“…A little bit hopeful.”

“That?” DJ gestured for him to elaborate, and Branch rolled his eyes playfully.

“You really gonna make me say it?”

“Yes,” Poppy and DJ chorused in unison.

“Alright, fine,” Branch faux-tiredly sighed, “That…John and I can be a family, again.”

“Well, let’s see what happens,” Poppy beamed, “But again, we got your back no matter what.”

A few minutes later…

“Alright, gang, I have some bad news,” John said once they were all outside. They were all gathered around a sleeping Rhonda, “Rhonda’s tired after days of running so…if we don’t want her to come to a sudden stop while on the road, we’re going to need to stop for a little bit.”

“Of course,” Branch sighed, feeling a headache coming on. Why must something always go wrong? Why couldn’t one, just one adventure be all smooth-sailing for once?

“The good news is we’ll be ready to leave by nightfall.”

“So what do we do until then?” Biggie asked, looking around.

“Just relax, I suppose,” Satin shrugged, “What else can we do on Vacay Island?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Viva beamed before turning to the Ambush Control members, “Lieutenant, tell your troops to take the rest of the day off and regroup at sunset.”

“Yes, Princess!” The Star-Flyers chorused in unison.

“In the meantime, we have plenty of food to go around for all of you,” Brandy’s announcement got many excited yells from the crowd, “Though since I’m allowing my husband to go on his dangerous mission while I manage the restaurant and kids, he can cover when I go on my yoga retreat next month. All month.”

“Heck yeah,” Bruce jumped and pumped a fist in excitement.

“And we’ll help you do it,” DJ and John both said at the same time before looking at each other in surprise. Branch couldn’t help but snicker a little at this.

As the rest of the group scattered to go do their own thing, Branch managed to grab hold of DJ, John and Bruce so he could lead them somewhere to talk to in private. Once they were somewhere private, he asked, “If you don’t mind me asking…what happened when you went back to Bergen Town?”

“A…lot happened,” John sighed, his colours darkening a little, “When I came back and saw the Trees abandoned…grief and rage overtook me. I waged a one-Troll war against Bergen Town. I think I managed to kill at least seven before one of them shoved me off the edge of Bergen Town. From there, it’s a…blur.”

“I found John while I was out surfing, a few weeks after the funeral we held,” Bruce said, taking over the story, “He was in a bad way. He lost…so much blood that I don’t know how he wasn’t dead by the time I found him. It was sheer luck that I managed to find him just in time.”

“And how did it go when you went to go and talk to him?”

“Honestly, I was more than a little bitter upon seeing him again. It wasn’t helped that I thought you were dead as well,” Bruce sighed, “I was about to give him a piece of mind but seeing how he was and how much guilt he was carrying…I couldn’t. And there was the Perfect Family Harmony…”

It wasn’t easy at first but there wasn’t much of a point in holding a grudge anymore. Especially with how much time had passed and what had happened. We were the last of our family. I wasn’t going to drive away the last member of my family, even if he was a pain in the butt. Especially seeing how much pain he was in, physically, emotionally and mentally.”

“Yeah,” John sighed, “I just…wish that sometimes, even after all those years, that I could go back and do things differently so I wouldn’t hurt you in the first place.”

“There’s no pressing rewind as one of our songs go,” Branch shrugged.

“Don’t remind me about that one,” John sighed, “I get annoyed every time I hear that song come up on the radio. Though it is partially my fault since I started the band.”

“You know, I noticed something in Viva’s house last I visited,” DJ chimed in, “I saw two giant mixtapes with the names of your songs on them.”

“Oh yeah. For some reason, it was really popular among the Giant races and the Bergens wanted to capitalise on that,” John crossed his arms, “Frauds, the worst kind of people in the world.”

“Yeah. They really suck,” Branch sighed, “I just hope that we can…”

“We will,” John gave a reassuring smile, “I promise. We’ll save Floyd and the others. And…afterwards, if you’re okay with it, I won’t leave.”

“Good. Because if Floyd left home again and got himself captured for the third time…I would freaking lose it. Hell, I might’ve even marched into the Neverglades so I could drag you back home myself.”

“Good to know,” John then grinned, “Now shall we help ourselves? I’ve been dying to try more of Brandy’s nachos.”

“I agree with you on that,” DJ said before turning to him, “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] Hope that you liked this look into Branch and Floyd’s post-True Colours reunion. While it is short, I hope that you still enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait.

[2] This section comes from So If You Care To Find Me, Look To The Southern Sky, a story in my Crystal Suki AU.

[3] The name of Crimp’s species comes from another one of my AUs, It’s The End Of The World As We Know It.

Chapter Text

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[1] After spending most of the day relaxing at Vacay Island to give Rhonda and some of the critter-vehicles, they were back on the road. They had to backtrack a little since Hole N’ Fun was on the other side of the South and further away from both Bergen Town and Vacay Island.

It didn’t help that they couldn’t go as fast as possible without overworking Rhonda and the rest of their fleet and causing them to lose another day in allowing them to rest. It made many more of them worried and concerned for Floyd and the others. If they were going to make it in time.

And for those travelling in Rhonda, their nerves weren’t helped by what Rhonda had picked on the airwaves. A broadcast from Mount Rageous. Not sure how it managed to reach them all the way here but at least it was news.

Not good news, though.

Currently, they were listening to Velvet and Veneer perform their latest song ‘Watch Me Work’ which had launched them to the top of the chart in Mount Rageous number-one hits.

DJ’s fists tightened further as her ears burned from the nearly boasting tone of the song. The song that was made possible by the suffering of her hermano and their friends.

Her anger turned to worry, and she exchanged unnerved glances with the others. Out of all of them, Bruce was the most worried. If she was in the same position as him, she would feel the same.

She couldn’t imagine the feeling, but she could try. The feeling that for months, the singers she had been listening to…had been torturing her hermano and draining him of his own essence for their own ends. All to avoid putting in the hard work.

Eventually, thankfully, the song ended but it was of little reassurance as it was replaced by an alarming announcement.

“…And that’s Velvet and Veneer’s spicy-hot new single ‘Watch Me Work’. Catch them tomorrow night at the Rage Dome where they’ll be receiving the Lifer Award.”

“LIFER AWARD!” And that was when Bruce decided to switch off the radio. DJ didn’t dare to let out a relieved sigh. Their family and friends were still in danger.

“Guys…” Biggie murmured, “Will they make it through that show?”

“That depends on if we’re unable to rescue them before they leave for the show,” Poppy gave them all a reassuring smile, “And we will rescue them.”

“We’ll have to nail the timing though, so we get them out and nail Velvet and Veneer for good,” Barb grinned as she hit her fist on her palm to demonstrate.

“We’ll need to confront them just as soon as they’re heading in. Right in front of all their fans. In front of all Mount Rageous,” Viva chimed in, “If we can get that fast enough.”

“How much further is the Sanctuary?” John asked, “It’s nearly nighttime.”

“…A few more hours,” Viva winced, putting her arms behind her back and nervously shuffling on her feet.

“A FEW MORE HOURS!?” John howled.

“In our defence, we wanted to make sure that we were as far away as possible from Bergen Town.”

“I can get behind that but…in this case, it’s really problematic,” John then sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I have a way to make the journey faster but…”

“Wait, what?” They all said at the same time. After a few moments, Branch shouted, “Then why weren’t you using it from the beginning!?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure how it would affect you guys since…it can get a bit trippy,” John winced.

“How trippy?”

“The first time I tried it, I was seeing afterimages and vomiting up rainbows for days afterwards.”

“The same happened to me the first time I went with John outside the island,” Bruce chimed in with Delta, Holly and Gust nodding in agreement.

“Well, at least we know for sure you guys have rainbow guts,” Val remarked before Melody and K.C both elbowed her.

“…Oh,” Branch then took a deep breath before continuing to speak, “Well, I guess that’s a risk we’ll have to take. John, how do we activate this?”

“Oh, it’s right there on the console,” John pointed to a glowing button on the console that said ‘Hustle’. DJ tilted her head.

“Huh, I was wondering what that was doing there,” Branch shook his head before preparing to push it.

“Wait, Tío Branch! Tío John!” CJ chimed in, raising her hand, “Can I press the button?”

They all turned to each other and exchanged raised eyebrows and then shrugs before turning back to CJ. Branch gave a thumbs up and CJ gasped excitedly before making her way to the button and pressing it…

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Clay felt a smile come on his face as he did inventory with [2] Emma, [3] Tourmaline and Topaz on the first wave of new additions. The Junker attack had been unfortunate, and it had injured more than a few of the Sanctuary’s citizens and caused damage to some areas but in the end, it had given them a lot more supplies.

Clothing, armour, weapons and even some ships. The ships weren’t intact, but they could use them to either reinforce the Sanctuary’s walls or put more weapons on the walls. Quantity was a quality of its own after all.

And that was not to speak of the intel they got. Sure, most of it had either been deleted and whatever was left was encrypted but thanks to the Funk Trolls in the Sanctuary working around the clock, they had been able to crack the encryption and find out locations of Troll farms, Junker bases and established trafficking routes.

This kind of intel would be instrumental when they finally began their offensive on Mount Rageous. Though there was a chance that they might move around their farms or use different routes, but he doubted it. Many a Rageon in the trafficking and farming businesses were quite lazy and preferred on getting others’ hands dirty or sticking to the same.

He shook his head at the incompetence on display. Anyway, it wouldn’t matter much longer. Soon, Mount Rageous would be out of their misery for good. And sooner, Floyd would be back home safe and sound.

And soon…he was going to face John again.

Clay rubbed his forehead as he felt a headache come on at the thought. The thought of John being back in his life.

But from what Delta and Bruce had told him, John had changed…for the better. Gone was the glorious blowhard who only cared about being ‘perfect’. Now…all that was left was someone haunted by his ghosts and mistakes.

Someone that had understood how badly he had wronged them all. Clay knew that it wasn’t completely John’s fault, given the circumstances they grew up in and…King Peppy filling his head with the idea of being their Tribe’s saviour. With the idea of being the one who put an end to Trollstice and the Bergens’ reign of terror forever.

“I’m just gonna take a walk outside if that’s okay.”

“Yes, General,” They all chorused. Emma said, “Don’t let the Junkers get you.”

“I doubt they would think of coming back here after we kicked their butts twice but thanks anyway,” And then he was off, walking out of the building and towards the gate which had been rebuilt twice as strong than before.

And soon, he was out of the Sanctuary and looking over the wide field in front of him. All around him, people were still hard at work cleaning up from the recent battle. Even nearly a day or two later, there was still enough bodies to be looted and ships to be dismantled.

What concerned him was the sheer number of attackers that he had seen in this particular assault, much larger than the Junkers he had seen during the Sanctuary Siege or the attack on Volcano Rock City. The Junkers had grown in the last few months. That was to be somewhat expected but to the point of having the overwhelming numbers he had seen? Where were they getting this many recruits from?

Not from the Troll population in Rageous since he didn’t see any of them among the Junkers’ forces and they would’ve mutinied or surrendered if they had been forced to fight in the final moments of the battle.

Maybe some of the rogue elements that had worked closely with the Junkers before the World Tour joined forces with them? He had seen some of them but there wouldn’t be enough of them to justify the sheer numbers in this particular battle.

Or maybe they hadn’t seen the Junkers’ true numbers. Maybe the Junkers they had fought in the past 20 or so years were but a fraction of the Junkers’ true strength.

If that was the case…they were in more trouble than they thought.

He shook his head to clear out those thoughts. He would need to worry about that later. Right now, he needed to figure out what he was going to do when John got here and after everything was said and done.

John…was a traveller. He could never stay in one place for long. He could never ignore the call of the road for long, so he wasn’t expecting him to stay in Pop Village for the rest of his days. Especially with King Peppy and Ivy around.

But what about Branch? How would he…no, no, his brother was stronger than that. Besides, they had all talked about it before Floyd left.

It was unrealistic to expect him to stay in one place forever. Sure, John might still visit a lot but not stay permanently. Unless something really bad happened. Then again, he could always go to any of the other—

The sky lighting up disrupted his train of thought and he looked to see a giant wavy star appearing with something shooting out of it, leaving behind a bright yellow-and-orange trail. What the hell was going on?

And after some time, screams erupted as something barrelled into the area. Foragers and other Star-Flyers ran or jumped out of the way to avoid it. Clay’s eyes widened as it came towards him. They widened even further when he recognised the something.

“RHONDA!?” Clay shouted as the Armadillo Bus came to a halt. The Armadillo Bus panted as she stared at him. He took an unnerved step before—

LICK!

Clay groaned as he stood there, covered head-to-toe in glittery salvia. He turned to glare at Rhonda, “That was disgusting, Rhonda. And you should be ashamed of yourself.”

He then turned away to avoid the inevitable puppy-dog eyes that Rhonda always gave to get out of trouble. And it worked every. Single. Time. Even after all these years, he wasn’t sure if he would fall for it or not.

[4] He turned around at the sound of a door opening and looked to see Wani rushing out, hand over her mouth before she suddenly doubled over and vomited rainbows. Dickory poked his head out and laughed at her.

“Couldn’t keep it in, could—?” Dickory was interrupted by rainbows vomiting from his mouth as well [4s]. Clay tilted his head in confusion as some of the others rushed over.

“Too much hustle is a thing now,” Poppy groaned as she made her way out, clutching her stomach with most of the others doing the same as they followed her out.

“You guys alright?” One of the Carmines called out.

“What was that?” A R.F.A trooper asked, removing his helmet, and scratching his head.

“We just discovered a new dimension,” D retched a little, “And we discovered that all Trolls can vomit rainbows. Not just Pop Trolls.”

“Oh…hooray for discoveries?” The Funk Troll shrugged.

“I wouldn’t celebrate just yet,” Clay couldn’t help but stiffen at that voice as the squarehead himself walked out, looking around, “We have to find…Clay.”

Clay felt a bit unnerved as everyone’s eyes turned towards him. He took a few deep breaths to reassure himself.

He could do this. He had co-led a 20-year offensive against the Alliance of Rock, making them pay for every new piece of territory they gained. He and Viva were the chief protectors of thousands of people. He had survived Bergen Town and kept his group relatively safe and sound before Viva had found them.

“John,” He said neutrally, crossing his arms, trying not to sound hostile. He had promised himself that he would be civil while Floyd was in danger. He could get angry all he wanted afterwards.

“Listen, Clay, we need your help,” Poppy chimed in, “Floyd’s—.”

“Being held in a diamond prison by Mount Rageous?” Clay raised an eyebrow, “Viva already filled me in.”

“Okay,” John cleared his throat, “Clay, can we talk in private?”

“…Sure,” Clay shrugged before turning around and making his way back towards the Sanctuary, “Follow me. We’ll talk in my office.”

As they walked through the busy Sanctuary, Clay shot a few glances over his shoulder to see John’s reaction to all this. He smirked at the wide-eyed, impressed look on John’s face as his older brother looked around.

…He wasn’t looking for his oldest brother’s approval or anything like that. No way. Not from John of all people.

Why would he?

…Okay, maybe, maybe a little. Just a teensy-weensy bit. Just barely an inch. A fraction. That was it and that was all.

“Quite proud of yourself, aren’t you?” He looked to see Viva suddenly walking beside him.

“A little,” Clay shrugged before sighing and muttering, “I’m just glad that John hasn’t begun telling me how I should arrange the Sanctuary and acting like nothing’s happened. It’s not too big but it’s still telling.”

“So that means you admit that Bruce and Delta were right?”

“Eh, sort of,” Clay shrugged, “We’ll have to see when we do…rehearsals,” He quietly groaned, “If he starts acting like his old self again, I’m leaving and taking the others with me to rescue Floyd by ourselves.”

“Good,” Viva then sighed.

“What is it?”

“Since you’re going, that means I have to stay here to make sure that the Sanctuary remains safe in your absence,” Viva then gave him a teasing smile, “Can I count on you to behave yourself with John and not start something?”

“Well, if he starts something, then I can’t be blamed, can I?”

“Very well,” Viva shrugged before sighing, “I’m just worried about Poppy. What if something bad happens and I’m not there for her? We were separated for over 20 years Clay. I…I—.”

“Viva,” He said gently, “She’ll be okay. Our younger siblings will be. Poppy, Branch, DJ and Cooper had each other. They’ve fought for each other, and they’ve helped each other through the highs and lows.”

“Yeah,” Viva sighed, “And I know they won’t leave each other’s sides no matter what. And I-I can’t ask Poppy to stay here while Branch, DJ, Cooper, and their friends go off into danger but…”

“They’re adults, Viva. Well, physically that is,” Clay shrugged, “We can try our best to help them but…they have shown that they can stand up on their own.”

“Yeah, especially with them managing to end decades of bloodshed between us and the Bergens,” Viva murmured, wide-eyed, “Like no matter how much time has passed and no matter how much I think about it, I still can’t wrap my head around how they managed to do that.”

“Yeah, I asked them how they did it and they told me that they had no idea either.”

And that was the end of that conversation as they had soon arrived at his office. He, John, Bruce, Branch and DJ all went inside while the rest remained outside. Once they were in and the door was shut, Clay sighed, “Okay, first things first, I don’t forgive you. Not yet at least.”
“That’s fair.”

“…Okay,” Clay scratched his head before clearing his throat and continuing, “What you did in trying to get us to hit the Perfect Family Harmony was f…frosted up.”

“Which he/I am well aware of,” Bruce and John both said at the same time.

“…This isn’t going the way I thought it would,” Clay remarked.

“Were you looking for a fight?”

“Am I a bad person for admitting that I wanted to punch your face in?”

“No,” John shook his head, “If it helps, I wanted to punch my own face in as well at times. And Branch did say that he wanted to kick me…in the downstairs department.”

“Downstairs—?” Clay’s eyes widened before he snorted involuntarily. His snort turned into laughter, “You…you never told me that! Oh my God!”

DJ joined in on his laughter as well and sooner, they were all laughing. After some time, they had all calmed down.

“You know I’m really glad that you didn’t go fully anti-fun,” John remarked and that got him to turn to him confused.

“What do you mean?”

“You know me and John was kind of worried that you would go overboard in trying to throw off your reputation as the ‘Fun One’,” Bruce explained, “You know, by becoming all seriousness and hating fun in general.”

“Well, I did sort of in the beginning but Viva slapped some sense into me. Literally.”

“Wait, Viva? Our Viva?” John raised an eyebrow.

“Yup,” Clay shrugged, “Honestly, I’m glad that she did that. Otherwise, who knows how unbearable I would had been?”

“Right,” John cleared his throat and began shuffling his feet, “Speaking of the Fun One, you remember you throwing your Funderdrawers at me?”

“Yeah, but…” Clay trailed off as his eyes widened, “You kept them?!”

“Yeah…”

[5] “Alright, you have five seconds to explain before I launch you to the other side of the continent with my own iron [Bleep!]-ing feet.”

“Look, I wanted to get rid of it, but Bruce convinced me that letting you destroy it would sort of help to begin making up for what I’ve done.”

“…Oh,” Clay said, “You aren’t…you aren’t going to make me wear them again, right?”

“No! Of course not!” John placed a hand over his heart, “I promise.”

“Good,” Clay crossed his arms and glared at John, “Because if you did…”

“You would send me to the other side of the continent?”

“Yes,” Clay sighed, “And now for the most important part of this conversation,” He took a deep breath before continuing, “After everything is said and done…do you plan to stick around or not?”

“Well, that’s up to Branch,” John said, “Since he is the youngest and has the most weight in this decision.”

“Branch?” They all turned to the Troll in question who looked around before sighing. DJ walked over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know. I mean, a part of me wants to but the other is not sure,” Branch ran a hand through his hair before turning to John, “But I know that you won’t stay at Pop Village permanently. Since…you’ve gotten used to living on the road.”

“Yeah,” John scratched the back of his neck, “I can try to stay for a few days at a time but I…get cabin fever if I stay in one place for too long. Besides, there’s you know who to consider.”

“Yeah, I get why you would be uncomfortable in being in Pop Village to begin with,” Branch sighed, “But…if I do say yes, will you promise to come visit regularly?”

“Of course,” John gave a reassuring smile.

Ding!

All at once, their watches bloomed, and they all exchanged questioning glances with each other. Seeing who would be the one to make the first move.

“Here’s an idea; what if we have a group hug once we’ve rescued Floyd?” Bruce chimed in with them all murmuring in agreement. He then smirked, “For now, I got an idea.”

Soon, they were outside the Sanctuary once more. They were all gathered around a pool of water hastily-made by the Fixers. In the pool of water was a tiny wooden boat with the Funderdrawers on it. Which he was getting ready to set alight with a flaming arrow.

For some reason, Bruce had suggested holding a Viking Rocker funeral for the Funderdrawers. When he had asked, Bruce had said ‘Go big or go home’.

Anyway, the arrow was burning, and they had so little time, so it was time for farewells.

“Sayonara. I did not enjoy our time together,” Clay smirked as he pressed to let loose, “This is for two years of itchiness.”

And then he let loose. He watched as the arrow flew through the air before falling down towards the Funderdrawers. Once it made contact, the Fundrawers immediately burst into…green flames?

Clay tilted his head and opened his mouth to ask John a question before an otherworldly shriek cut through the air, causing all of them to jump.

And then several sickly green ghosts came shooting out of the Funderdrawers. He shielded Branch, DJ, CJ, Cooper and D as the ghosts flew past them before flying off into the bushes. They all watched as the glow gradually faded until it was no more.

“…John, what the hell did you make those Fundrawers of?” Bruce asked after a long silence.

“I…I have no idea.”

“Okay,” Poppy took a deep breath, “All those in favour of forgetting that this ever happened, raise your hand.”

Not a single hand remained unraised. And afterwards, it was decided that they would stop for the night to get as much rest as possible before their journey to Mount Rageous tomorrow and to time it so they could get the hostages out and expose Velvet and Veneer at the same time.

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It was the next day now or at least close to it. The sun hadn’t even risen by the time they had all gotten up. By the time they were outside Rhonda preparing to leave, the sun was only just starting to rise.

Poppy was the last one to go in. Before she did, she was pulled into a tight hug with Viva. A very tight hug. She returned the hug and they made it last as long as possible.

But like all good things, it had to end at one point and after some time, they separated with sad smiles.

Poppy didn’t know what to do in this instant. Before…all of this, she would try to get Viva to look on the bright side and push down the bad feelings, but it wouldn’t work. It never worked.

Another idea came to mind, and she said, “Hey, Viva?”

“Yeah, Popstar?”

Poppy didn’t answer Viva’s question. Instead, she took off her watch and handed it to Viva, “Here. Something to remind you of me. If you’re ever feeling worried, just look at it and remember that I’ll be okay and I’ll come back to you.”

“…Thanks, Pops,” Viva smiled as she put the bracelet away before pulling her into another hug, “Take care of yourself and each other out there, Sis.”

“You too, Sis.”

And soon she was sitting in Rhonda, watching Viva through the window as Rhonda drove away from the Sanctuary. She kept looking at Viva even as her form grew smaller and smaller until she couldn’t see her anymore.

Poppy sighed and sat back, resting her head against the seat and shutting her eyes. She hoped, she hoped so much that she would see Viva again.

Her eyes opened as someone took her hand and she looked into the eyes of Branch who was giving her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry,” Branch said before leaning in and pecking her on the cheek, “We can do this.”

“Of course,” Poppy said before pecking Branch on the lips in return, enjoying how much he blushed. They then embraced and made it last for a good long while before they had to help the others in preparing for the infiltration of the Rage Dome…

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] I decided to not depict the introduction of the shoulder pads since it would be largely the same as in the movie but with Kim-Petit or one of the other prisoners having it tested on them instead of Floyd. The same with the faking death to escape scene since Floyd wouldn’t dare try escaping unless he was sure they would all make it out.

[2] Emma comes from No Strings Attached by Spritzy

[3] Tourmaline and Topaz come from Lost And Then Found, one of my non-Strange Friendship AU stories that gives names and personalities to the background Putt-Putts in Band Together and Fun Fair Surprise.

[4] This scene is a reference to The Amazing Digital Circus Episode 2: Candy Carrier Chaos!

[5] This line comes from If The Emperor Had A Text-To-Speech Device Episode 24: Of Khans and Cages

Spanish Terms
Hermano – Brother
Tío – Uncle

Chapter Text

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“Guys, we’re approaching the outskirts of Mount Rageous. You might want to have a look,” Wani’s announcement got many of them, DJ included, to walk to the front of Rhonda and have a look around.

They were travelling on a cloud-like road that would take them to Mount Rageous. All around them were red crystalline spires. And in the distance, she could see the lights of Mount Rageous that shined in the seemingly eternal night around it.

“We’re nearly there,” DJ turned to see Branch making his way to a board he had put the map on which detailed different areas of Rageous. In the dead centre was a map of the Rage Dome with arrows pointing to ventilation shafts, sewage pumps and anything else they could use as an entrance or exit, “So let’s go over the plan one more time.”

“Right,” John nodded in agreement before beginning, “Me, Bruce and Clay will lure Velvet and Veneer away from their room…”

“While me, Branch, DJ and the rest of the Harmony Squad along with the Bounty Hunters and some of Lizzy’s team will sneak into the Rage Dome itself,” Poppy continued, “From there, we’ll find where Floyd and the others are and get them out…”

“And most of the others will take care of any enemy forces around the Rage Dome. Afterwards, we all meet around the entrance in case Poppy and Branch’s team fails,” Val grinned, twirling her guitar-axe, “I cannot wait to see the look on those two frauds’ faces.”

“Meanwhile me and the rest of my team will secure our exit from Rageous,” Lizzy chimed in before smirking, “And maybe do some damage.”

“Once we’ve rescued Floyd and the others, we’ll all meet up and then head out to regroup with your sister’s team,” Poppy said, turning to Melody, “Hopefully, we won’t have too many problems getting out.”

“Then again, if we do run into trouble, I wouldn’t mind,” Dickory gave a savage grin, “I think I speak for everyone in this room when we’re all looking forward to teaching some scumbags not to mess with us.”

“And no matter how much they had upgraded their gear, they still die the same,” Wani grinned, cracking her knuckles.

“Good. Because once they realise that we’re here, they will stop at NOTHING to keep us from escaping,” Clay nodded in approval, “Stay in contact at all times. Keep your radios and eyes open.”

“Yes, Clay,” They all chorused in unison.

“Now, let’s finish up preparations and get this rescue mission going,” And for the next hour or so, they went back to preparing, making sure their weapons were sharpened or loaded or charged in her case. She did some ninja star and disc throwing with John and Branch to sharpen her skills.

It was…kind of nice. Still a bit of awkwardness between them and John but nothing too bad. And it didn’t stop them from bonding a little.

It had started when she couldn’t help but be curious about the ninja stars. She asked and that was what began their ninja star throwing session.

At first, she and Branch struggled a bit with throwing the ninja stars due to the difference in size and weight but thanks to John’s advice (not nitpicking. Actual advice), they were able to get pretty good at it.

And she managed to learn where she could get some more of the exploding ninja stars. Just not the lethally explosive type. Just the glitter bomb. Well, at least she had something to prank Val and Barb with for the next Prank Day. Or if the others wanted to use them for parties.

“Hey, guys,” Wani’s unnerved voice cut their little bonding session short, “We’re here. Like actually here.”

DJ moved to the front of Rhonda and her eyes widened.

All around them, was a hustling and busting city with almost no natural biomes that she could see. It was filled to the brim with advanced technologies, such as wide TV screens that displayed images. The highways were gravity-defying. Literally.

All kinds of bumper cars, buses and pick-up trucks travelled up and down these roads. They had to dodge a left cars due to their drivers refusing to obey the traffic rules.

As they travelled along the road, DJ caught sight of a digital sign.

[1] ROAD ACCIDENTS TODAY
57
MONITORED BY RAGEOUS ROAD PATROL FORCE
OBEY THE TRAFFIC LAWS

The O in force had been crossed out and replaced with an A. DJ then caught sign of some writing down the bottom. No doubt by some Trolls or Lottles.

ONLY RAGEON DEATHS ARE COUNTED! WHAT ABOUT US!?

…Well, that was interesting. And very reassuring. DJ shook her head and continued to have a look around.

The buildings were quite interesting as well. Many if not all of them were made out of crystals and gems. They also varied in design. Hearts, spires, piggy-banks, stars, microphones, boomboxes, lipstick, [2] croissants, donuts, cakes, macaroons, flans, shopping bags, shoes, purses, hands, feet, limbs [2s] and all sorts of other things.

Her attention was soon turned to the Mount Rageons. They were tall, slim, lanky doll-like Giants who looked like they were made out of rubber. They had pale skin, colourful, frizzy hair and they wore baggy trousers and jumpsuits that usually matched their hair colour.

“There it is,” Clay suddenly muttered, and DJ turned to see him using binoculars to look at something. DJ reached inside her hair for her own pair and looked in the same direction that Clay was looking.

Towering above the city was a giant microphone-shaped structure on a grand, white podium. Above the building was the words,

RAGE DOME

“That’s our target,” Clay then went silent before adding, “And there are our scouts.”

A few minutes later, they had parked Rhonda and the rest of their vehicles in an alley and were listening to the scouts’ report.

“Junker patrols surrounding the perimeter but they’re keeping themselves hidden from the Rageon security guards,” One of the scouts and the leader of the trio, a Pop/Funk Mixed Troll, said, “And they’re far apart so they won’t be able to contact each other without using radios. No idea if the same goes for any potential enemies inside.”

“We’ll have to watch ourselves when we’re inside,” Tresillo sighed, “Or we’ll have a repeat of last time.”

“We also overheard some of them talking. They’re planning on taking your friends, Wani’s sisters and Floyd to the Troll farms once the Rage Dome show is over,” The second scout, a Classical/Reggaeton Troll, took over.

“That means those of us in charge of taking care of the patrols around the Dome will have to make sure that nothing slips past us,” Gust muttered.

“Nothing will. And we won’t have to follow as long as everything goes to plan,” Holly gave them all a reassuring smile.

“Then let’s hope it does,” Clay said before turning to the scouts again, “Anything else to report?”

“Well, we saw something strange,” The third scout, a Techno/K-Pop Troll, shrugged.

“Good strange or bad strange?” Poppy tilted her head.
“It was…a parking space. That said, ‘Reserved for BroZone’. I don’t think it needs to be said on why it’s there.”

“You would be right but…do they really expect us to be that stupid and fall for something so obvious?” John raised an eyebrow.

“Well, if you haven’t changed, then maybe you would’ve fallen for it,” Clay smirked, “But it works to our advantage. Once they see us, Velvet and Veneer will be so distracted that they won’t be looking for Branch and Poppy’s group.”

“What about the Junkers?”

“With any luck, most of the ones inside will be deployed to try and take us prisoner,” Clay shrugged, “I am pretty good at tricking enemies into thinking that I am surrendering when I’m not.”

“Pretty sure that counts as a war crime,” Barb then sighed before raising a hand to stop Clay from speaking, “Yes, I’m aware of the fact that’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

“Good to see you’re aware,” Val snarked.

“Watch it, Thundershock,” Barb sighed, “So what’s the plan? How is Popstar’s team gonna get inside?”

“Luckily, I have some spare hoverboards for the Harmony Squad,” Clay chimed in, pulling out several hoverboards and tossing them to the group, “And they know how to use them, despite some mishaps in the beginning.”

“Hey, was I supposed to know that it wasn’t like a Flyer Bug?” Smidge crossed her arms, “It’s not like we had much technology around us growing up.”

“Yeah, the Bergens really bombed us back to the Stone Age,” Clay then cleared his throat, “Okay, me, John and Bruce will drive Rhonda to the parking spot. Branch’s team will rescue Floyd and the others. The rest of us will either take out any enemy forces around the perimeter or find a secure escape route. Is everyone clear on the plan?”

“Yes,” They all said in unison.

“Good. Say your goodbyes for now, check all your weapons and supplies. If you get separated from your group, hole up in a safe location and wait until it’s safe to leave.”

And then they all split off into different groups to say their goodbyes. She and Cooper watched as Branch said goodbye to Clay, Bruce, and John.

“You guys take care of yourselves, alright?” Branch said, “Floyd has gone through a lot of trouble to find you guys. He won’t be happy if you guys get yourselves killed and make it all for nothing.”

“We won’t,” John said, giving a reassuring smile, “We’ll be okay, Branch. We’ll look out for each other. I’ll look out for Bruce and Clay and keep them safe. Like I should’ve been doing from the beginning.”

That got surprised and happy looks from all three of the brothers. Branch nodded in approval before biting his lip and looking away hesitantly. After a few moments, he sighed and said, “Screw it.”

And before anyone could ask what he meant by that, he pulled John into a tight hug. Their eyes all widened at that. After a few moments, John returned the hug before turning to her and Cooper and jerked his head invitingly.

After a moment or so, DJ sighed and made her way over, joining the hug. Cooper, D, CJ, Clay, and Bruce all joined as well.

It felt…rather nice, actually. DJ shuffled so she could get closer to Branch, making sure to make this hug last.

After a few minutes, they had to separate. When they did, they separated with sad smiles.

“Take care of yourselves, guys,” John gave them all a sad smile, “I’m…sorry for so many things that I cannot even begin—.”

“John, later,” Branch interrupted, “After we’re out of this hellhole.”

“Okay. See you guys soon,” And then they were all watching as John, Bruce and Clay hopped into Rhonda and then drove off after a few moments. After a minute or so, they began activating their hoverboards and flying towards the Rage Dome, making sure to stay out of sight from anyone that might not want them there. Giant or not.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire they went…

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Viva found herself on top of the wall, pacing back-and-forth as the sun set. A storm brewing inside her. Guilt and self-loathing ate away at her.

She should’ve gone. She should’ve [Bleep!]-ing gone with them to Mount Rageous. That way, she could protect Poppy. She could protect all of them.

But no, she decided to stay here because the Sanctuary needed her or Clay to stay here.

Which was the worse excuse ever. And it made her feel worse knowing that she was the one who came up with that.

That had been exceptions, what with dealing with the aftermath of Mixed City’s fall and the World Tour. They had been emergencies. This time was an emergency as well so why didn’t she?

…She was afraid. She paused as realisation struck her like a bolt of lightning. She was afraid of going up against Giants again.

Especially Rageons. At least being eaten was quicker than what happened to those Trolls used and abused for their essence. Between getting eaten and being sucked drain of her essence, between Bergens and Rageons, she would pick getting eaten by a bloodthirsty Bergen.

Rageons were the worst of all the enemies she, Clay and the rest of the Star-Flyers had fought in the 20 or so years since they had been away from home for.

Rock Alliance thugs, War Metal bloodthirsty maniacs, vicious Raider gangs, traitors and much, much more. None could compare to Rageons.

Except for maybe the Junkers. Viva spat at the thought of them. It seemed that there were no ends to the lows that some of their fellow Trolls would sink to. At least the Alliance of Rock, for all the death and destruction it had brought, didn’t engage in Troll-trafficking despite popular belief.

And now…her sister was walking into that hellhole.

Viva groaned in disappointment at herself. Why didn’t she go? She and Clay had led the Star-Flyers in facing down tons of terrifying foes in the past and they had managed to achieve victory always, even if it came at a heavy cost or it didn’t matter in the long term.

She could’ve done this. She could’ve joined with them and supported not just Poppy but Clay. Her partner-in-crime, both platonically and romantically. The one who had stuck by her side all these years and she, by his.

And now they were deep behind enemy territory. In a decaying hellhole home to Rageon traffickers, surviving rogue Bergens, and their allies among the Troll and Lottles. Where anything could go wrong.

Where any one of her friends or family could get hurt or worse. While she stayed here, sitting on her butt behind the safety of these walls.

[Bleep!] it. That was it. She was going to leave. She was going to head to Mount Rageous and help her friends and family out. She was going to shove her sword up Velvet’s…

…she then realised that she didn’t have a way to get there in time. It would take a day for her to get there. Even with a hoverboard or the fastest ship in the Sanctuary, she wouldn’t make it there until hours after the show.

“Your Majesty,” She jumped at that and looked around before realising that it had come from her radio. She picked it up and answered.

“Yes?”

“This is [3] Stakeout Crew-Five. We’ve spotted something coming down the road towards us. Something big. Two Bergens on a motorcycle. Not sure who. We couldn’t get a good enough look. They were going really fast.

“Ask and you shall receive,” Viva murmured to herself before shaking her head and switching radio channels, “This is Star-Warrior Princess to all defenders; Bergen threat on its way. Initiate Anti-Bergen Defence Plan and get the civilians into the bunkers.”

Immediately, all the lights in the Sanctuary turned off. Many of the Sanctuary’s citizens began running to the bunkers. The rest rushed to the armouries, grabbing all sorts of weapons.

In less than a minute, there were hundreds of Trolls, Goblins and Lottles on top of the walls and trees, armed with all kinds of weapons. Trebuchets, catapults, ballistae, cannons, and gun turrets among other things were being loaded. Many more of the Sanctuary’s defenders took up positions all across the Sanctuary, blending into the shadows and golf course.

And then the waiting began. Nothing was worse than the waiting before the battle. The calm before the storm.

Soon, they heard the round of an engine. A big one. Viva’s grip on her sword and blaster tightened to the point where it would leave an imprint if her hands weren’t covered.

Soon, the light of the motorcycle came, and she heard the sound of nearly a thousand ranged weapons being raised to open fire.

“Hold,” Viva raised her hand, ready to bring it down at a moment’s notice, “Hold.”

And then she heard voices. Familiar voices.

“…it was the waterslide that ripped my trunks off. It’s not my fault they haven’t bothered to follow safety regulations like Branch always says.”

“There, there, Gristle. At least we’re having fun.”

Gristle? Bridget? Viva then sighed and raised her radio to speak into it, “False alarm. Stand down. They’re friendlies.”

“So…no Bergen fighting?”

“No Bergen fighting,” That got groans out of many a defender. Viva turned back to see Bridget and Gristle riding in. As they looked towards the walls in confusion, she removed her mask.

“Viva?” Bridget called out, raising an eyebrow, “What are you doing here?”

“This is the Sanctuary or Hole N’ Fun as your people called it,” Viva said, raising an eyebrow, “I live here.”

“…Oh,” Bridget then pulled out a map and had a look at it, “We must’ve made a wrong turn somewhere.”

“Where you guys heading?” Viva paused before adding, “Congratulations on your wedding by the way.”

“Thank you!” Bridget beamed, “Well, it’s a long story that ended up with a water park falling apart behind us. While we’re out on the road, we thought that maybe Poppy and the others could use our help!”

“Mount Rageous is the other way, though,” Viva raised an eyebrow.

“…We got really lost,” Gristle shrugged before looking around, “So where’s your sister and the rest of the…Snack Pack?”

“Harmony Squad,” She and Bridget both corrected at the same time.

“Right, sorry. You know I always found their name weird. They do know that it was a term that we Bergens used for groups of a dozen or so Trolls, right?”

“Common sense ran very low among my people, unfortunately,” Viva sighed, “No thanks to my father,” She then cleared her voice and finally answered Gristle’s question, “Anyway to answer your question, they’ve gone to Mount Rageous to rescue Floyd. And I deeply regret not going with them.”

“…Do you want to come with us?”

“Yes,” Viva turned to her fellow defenders who turned to each other stunned by this, “Don’t worry, I’ll be alright. The rest of you, keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Keep your radios on and check in with the Stakeout Crew teams every five minutes. If everything goes well, I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, keep the Sanctuary locked down and safe.”

“Yes, Princess!”

She then turned to Bridget and Gristle and called out, “Give me a few minutes to pack my things and I’ll be with you!”

After a few minutes of packing, discussing security measures with the Council and saying many, many goodbyes, she was on Bridget and Gristle’s bike, leaving the Sanctuary behind. With this, they would be there in a hour or so if everything went well.

And she could be there for her friends and family. Viva sighed as she stared at the road ahead from where she sat on Bridget’s head.

‘Hang on, guys. I’m on my way.’

“Hey, Viva?” Gristle called out and she stood up and turned to see Gristle biting his lip before adding, “I…know this isn’t nearly enough to even begin making up for what my people did to yours but…I just want to let you know that I am sorry for all the wrongs my people have committed against your Tribe. And I am doing everything I can to make things right.”

That caught her off-guard. Never in her life did she thought that she would see the day when a member of the Bergen royalty would be apologising to her. Her life just got more and more surprising.

After some silence, she gave a grateful smile, “Thank you for that. It isn’t much…but I can see that you want to change things for the better.”

“You’re welcome.”

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“The HVAC system.”

“Ooh, I love the way you say HVAC.”

“Thank you!”

“Alright, enough of that, lovebirds,” Branch turned to see DJ rolling her eyes playfully as Cooper and D began cutting a hole through the HVAC.

“Didn’t know you two were into that sort of thing,” GD quipped, and both he and Poppy blushed in embarrassment. It got worse when the others started laughing at them.

He tried to silence them with a glare, but it didn’t work so he sighed and said, “Can we just focus on getting this done? You guys can make fun of us all you want after this.”

“Right.”

“Sorry.”

“I make no promises.”

And after that, they got back to work and made their way through the vents before they were stopped by a hole. They looked down to see an active fan blade. The only way to go forward was jumping down.

Thankfully, Poppy had brought some cotton candy which Biggie didn’t eat this time, thankfully. And soon, they were passing through the gummed-up fan.

Afterwards, they found themselves in some kind of power room.

“Alright, next step is cut the power so we can move through the ducts freely,” Branch announced to the group, turning to Cooper, “Coops, do you have your blowtorch?”

“Wait, won’t that cause the Junkers to notice that we’re here?” Biggie said, looking around anxiously.

“Probably not, chico,” Tresillo chimed in, “They’ll probably think that it’s just a regular power failure with all the rioting from the Trolls and Lottles going on downstairs in the undercity.”

“That makes sense,” Cooper then grinned as he pulled out his smelting mask and blowtorch, “Now…time for good ol’ sabotage.”

As Cooper got to work, they stepped back to give him space and avoid getting hit by the sparks. After a few moments, a sudden question came to mind and he asked, “Wait, how do you know which wires to cut?”

“I don’t!” Cooper called back, “I’m just blasting the wires until something turns off.”

At that, a very whirring echoed through the vents. Branch looked around before shrugging, “Whatever works, works, I guess.”

And they found themselves in the vents soon, using their flashlights to see clearly while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“Remember, stick together. Last time we separated, Bun and the others got captured,” Wani said warningly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them back,” Tresillo gave Wani a reassuring smile, which caused Poppy to gush and go ‘Aw!’, causing the couple to blush. Branch couldn’t help but join his hermana and some of their friends in snickering at the two’s embarrassment before they went back to searching.

“Look!” Poppy called out after a few minutes, and he joined her in looking through the vent. Branch’s eyes widened as he let out a gasp, “There they are.”

He could see them. He could see all of them. He could see Ari, Gomdori, Kim, Bun, Marimba, Tambora and…
“Floyd,” He murmured to himself before turning to the others and saying, “Quick, help me get this open.”

After some effort, they managed to unscrew the grate and with the help of some grappling hooks, they were able to slide down onto the table. As Wani and Tresillo reunited with their sisters and friends respectively, he made his way over to Floyd’s prison and looked him over.

Jesus, his hair was pure white, and he swore that he could see through Floyd’s skin.

“What did they do to you?” He said more to himself.

“B-Branch?” Floyd said, tears in his eyes, “Is it really you?”

“It is,” Branch gave a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “I’m here, brother. We’re going to get you out of here.”

“No, you need to leave,” Floyd stood up and looked around in alarm.

“Screw that,” DJ shook her head, “We’re not leaving you,” She then turned to Branch, “Branch, you got some ropes?”

“Come on, Sis,” Branch smirked as he pulled out several ropes, “I think you know the answer to that question.”

“We all do,” Tresillo chimed in, rolling his eyes, “But how are we going to do this?”

“I’ll go last in case Velvet and Veneer show up before we can get everyone out.”

“Floyd, no—.”

“Branch, please,” Floyd then gave him a reassuring smile, “I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“…Alright, fine,” Branch sighed before pointing a finger at Floyd, “But if you die, I’ll tear a portal into the afterlife open to teach you a lesson myself.”

“Noted,” Floyd said before giving a determined look, “Now, hurry.”

Bun was the first to go up, followed by Gomdori, Ari and Kim. After they were done, it was Marimba and Tambora’s turn.

They were in the middle of preparing to pull up Tambora when Smidge called out, “Guys! Velvet and Veneer are on their way!”

Branch’s eyes widened as he looked towards Floyd with alarm. No…it was too soon. No, there had to be a way to get them all out! He wouldn’t leave Floyd behind!

“Branch,” Floyd’s voice brought him out of his internal spiral, and he looked to see his older brother giving him a reassuring smile, “I’ll be fine. Just go.”

Branch looked between his brother and the others helplessly. After nearly a minute, he growled in frustration and hesitantly joined the others in retreating back into the vents.

And just in time to do. As soon as he and the others were back in the vents, Velvet and Veneer came in, carrying a struggling Rhonda. His heart sank. Where was John, Bruce and Clay?

“…you BroZone would show up. Shame that we couldn’t get Bitty B, though,” Velvet then shrugged, “Oh, well. You can’t catch them all I suppose. Still a genius.

“Are you sure about this?” Veneer winced before Velvet looked over to the table where only Floyd’s diamond remained. As she did, Branch could get a closer look at her shoulderpads and what was inside them.

His eyes widened. He could see Clay and when he looked to Veneer’s shoulderpads to see John and Bruce imprisoned, his eyes widened even further.

“Oh no…” That was all he could say before his attention was drawn to Veneer yelping and he looked to see Rhonda trying to bite Veneer. Branch smirked and whispered, “Good job, girl.”

“Put it in the closet! Put in the closet!” And he was watching as Rhonda was thrown carelessly into the closet. It shut after she entered, and he swore that he heard someone say ‘Hello!’ before a yelp erupted from the closet.

He shook his head and turned back to see Velvet placing Floyd’s diamond into her empty shoulderpad.

“Floyd!”

“Brothers!” Floyd cried out, giving a weak smile.

“It’s so good to see you,” John beamed, “Would’ve gotten here sooner but you know how it is.”

“Well, especially with someone deciding to park in the spot marked ‘Reserved for BroZone’.”

“Guys, please.”

“Oh, look,” Veneer chuckled, “They’re even cute when they fight,” Branch’s boil boiled as Velvet began shaking her shoulders, causing Clay and Floyd to hit the walls.

“Ow!”

“Stop it!”

“What are you two doing?” Floyd sighed, “Come on, you two. You’re better than this.”

“Why, thank you,” Both said at the same time.

“I really don’t see why you’re so upset,” Velvet shrugged, “I mean, we’re putting your talent to good use, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, because sucking the essence out of Trolls is so okay,” John rolled his eyes, “Got it.”

Velvet rolled her eyes before throwing a hand over Veneer’s shoulder, “Come on, they’re waiting for us on the red carpet,” She then turned and began walking away, “Let’s go autograph some butts.”

“Oh, I love butts. I’ll grab my butt marker.”

“Okay, never say those two sentences in my presence again,” And they were gone. Once the door shut behind them, he turned to the others who shared worried looks.

“What do we do now?” Legsly asked.

“First, we get Rhonda out, then we regroup with the others and…we’ll go from there,” Branch shrugged before making his way out of the vent and towards the closet.

Thankfully it opened when they were close enough and he could see that Rhonda was alright. Though, where was the other person he had—?

He was interrupted by Rhonda retching and then spitting something out. Branch tilted his head in confusion. It was some kind of sad-looking creature made out of machete with purple arms and green eyes behind glasses.

A name came to him. Mop-Head. One of the few non-Rageon species that reside in Rageous. Both parts of it.

“Oh, do you need a hug?” Poppy asked, concerned. After a few moments, the Mop-Head burst into tears and stretched out her arms to pull Poppy in for a tight hug.

“I’m…I’m Crimp!” The Mop-Head sniffled, “I work or worked for Velvet and Veneer—.”

“So you knew this was going on?” Branch’s concern turned to anger as he glared at Crimp who wilted under his gaze.

“Yes, but I didn’t have a choice. I was barely making enough money to pay rent. Being a Mop-Head doesn’t get you a lot of money in Rageous society. Especially given our size and appearance. Besides, I didn’t know they were planning to use those shoulderpads to hurt Floyd and the others. [4] I swear! Cross my heart and hope to die! Stick a needle in my eye! Don’t actually do that though!”

“…Fine. I won’t hurt you as long as you promise to help us save Floyd and the rest of our brothers.”

“I will! I promise!” Crimp frantically nodded her head, “I-I can show you the quickest way to the main entrance!”

“Take us there.”

And as they made their way towards the main entrance of the Rage Dome, Branch only had one thought in his mind.

‘Hang on guys and stay safe. For me. For all of us. Just hang on.’

[5] All the while, he hoped, he hoped so much that it wasn’t too late to save his family. That they could do this. That his family…could be somewhat whole again.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] Reference to the first Mad Max movie.

[2] For those who don’t know, those were meant to be actual Mount Rageous building designs. You can find their concept art in The Art of Trolls: Band Together.

[3] The Stakeout Crew come from MasterClass60’s stories.

[4] That bit comes from Minions 2: Rise of Gru.

[5] Sorry for cutting this chapter short. I want to start Chapter 11 with Val’s and Veneer’s perspectives of the Rage Dome Show before going back to our group’s perspective.

Spanish Terms
Hermana – Sister

Chapter Text

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Val grunted as she pulled out her guitar-axe from where she had buried it in the Junker’s chest. She huffed and puffed as she stood there, winded from the brief but intense fight that had just happened.

All around her, the rest of her group had finished off the remaining Junkers in this area and were taking a moment or two to regain some energy. As they did, Val’s gaze went to the slowly growing puddle of oil-stained blood surrounding the deceased Junker, remembering how much he boasted about how his cybernetics had made him stronger.

“Nope. Still pathetic,” Val taunted the Junker’s body before walking over to Melody who were shooting worried glances at the massive building in front of them. Nearby, she could see and hear Velvet and Veneer’s legions of adoring fans. Cheering on two frauds and would-be murderers.

Honestly, she couldn’t wait to see the look on those two’s faces when they exposed them to their adoring fans.

She shook her head, chiding her for thinking about that when Melody was worried. She soon reached Melody and spoke, “Hey, you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Melody sighed, shooting another glance at the Dome, “Just really worried for Floyd and the others.”

“Me too, Mels. We all are but don’t worry,” Val gave her cousin a reassuring smile, “For all we know, Popsqueak and Branch are on their way out and we’ll be able to see Floyd again. They just haven’t radioed in because the enemy could be listening.”

“Yeah…that’s a nice thought,” Melody nodded. Val smiled in relief before remembering that she should probably radio in, herself. She had a look around before pulling her radio out and speaking into it, “This is the Rock Troll group. We’ve taken out the Junkers in our area. What about everyone else?”

[1] “Funk Trolls, check.”

“Bikers, check.”

“Country Trolls, check.”

“Classical Trolls, check.”

“Techno Trolls, check.”

“Ambush Control, check.”

“Sentinels, check.”

“Star-Flyers, check,” Several voices chorused in unison and Val nodded in approval before Queen Essence came through the radio once more, “Good. That means less trouble for us when we’re trying to get out of here.”

“Speaking of trouble, what about Velvet and Veneer’s ‘adoring’ fans?” Dante asked, “Fans can get pretty defensive at times.”

Val nodded in agreement at that, remembering a few times where the City Guard had to arrest a group of Rockers fighting another for insulting their favourite artists. Fans were violently protective of their fans, and it wasn’t just limited to Rockers.

“If it comes down to it, watch the feet and hands. Use your hair or whatever you have to tie them down. Don’t hurt them. They have no idea who they’re supporting.”

“Got it.”

Suddenly, a burst of static came out of the radio, causing her to jump before a familiar voice came out of the radio, “This is Branch to all teams. The plan failed. We managed to get the others out but not Floyd. John, Bruce, and Clay have been captured. Me, Poppy, and the others are on our way to the front entrance. Get ready.”

[1s] Quiet curses rang out from her and many of the others at that. She took a deep breath to calm herself before responding, “Copy that. We’ll get moving.”

Soon, they were at the entrance, hiding behind one of the diamonds. Val couldn’t help but gulp at how many they were. All of them jumping up and down. She and the others could be easily crushed if they weren’t careful enough.

At least they wouldn’t be trying to hurt them on purpose. Otherwise, things would be much, much worse.

“Is everyone in position?” Val said, twirling her guitar-axe. A flurry of voices came through the radio, responding in the affirmative and Val nodded before continuing to wait, watching as the invisible clock ticked down.

And when it reached zero, it begun.

“ALRIGHT, RAGEONS!” The M.C began. He was pale-skinned with purple eyes and seafoam green hair that segued into arctic blue. He wore a shiny purple beanie and a white baggy jumpsuit sprinkled with multicoloured splotches, “NOW IS THE MOMENT WE ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! EVERYONE, PUT YOUR HANDS UP FOR LIFER AWARD RECIPIENTS…THAT TANTALISING TWOSOME…VELVET AND VEENER!”

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“NOW IS THE MOMENT WE ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!”

Veneer nervously drummed his fingers and tried to keep the smile on his face as he drove them to the main entrance of the Rage Dome. Trying to keep his mind off many things.

Off the fact that he and his sister had been lying to so many people. Off the fact that they were going to be in a lot of trouble. Off the fact they might be charged with murder if the Trolls didn’t make it. Off the fact that he hadn’t done more in trying to convince Velvet to practice more. Off the fact that it was his and his sister’s laziness that got them into this mess in the first place.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he tried to keep himself from panicking and crashing them. It wasn’t just Velvet that would be in danger if he did. It would be Floyd and his brothers as well.

Velvet…he risked a quick glance over his shoulder at his sister who was adjusting her [2.1] scarf to make sure it hid Floyd and his green-haired brother (Clay, right?) better.

Was she having doubts? About all of this? About any of this?

He didn’t know for sure. Sometimes, it looked like she did, but it was only there for one moment before disappearing the next. It was hard to know what Velvet was thinking nowadays.

“EVERYONE, PUT YOUR HANDS UP FOR LIFER WARDS RECIPIENTS…”

Veneer jolted. [Bleep!], they were nearly there. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and then a few more just to be on the safe side as he drove closer and closer to the main entrance.

“…THAT TANTALISING TWOSOME…”

He just needed to turn this last corner and they would be there.

“…VELVET AND VEENER!”

And a few moments later, they had turned the corner as their song ‘Watch Me Work’ played over the Rage Dome’s speakers, revving up the ground. They soon came to a stop and Veneer killed the ignition before stepping up, posing, and waving to the crowds, trying to keep his smile from looking nervous.

“I LOVE YOU!” One Rageon declared.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Velvet said, blowing kisses to the crowd as he faked a goodhearted chuckle, “We love you too!”

[2.2] After a few moments of waving and posing, they turned back to talk in private and Velvet grinned, shaking her fists excitedly, “This is it! Everything I—.”

“We.”

“Sorry,” Velvet cleared her throat, “Everything we’ve ever wanted.”

‘And it’s only going to cost us a few Trolls,’ Veneer mused internally, gazing down at his shoulderpads, “Hey, Vel, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“50/50,” Velvet shrugged, “Besides, it’s a little too late to ask me this time. Anyway, what’s your opinion on our aura?”

“…Confident, yet grateful to our teachers and everyone else who got us here tonight?”

“Excellent. Now, shall we?” Veneer nervously nodded and soon, they were walking on the red carpet. As they did, he tried to keep his cool and the Trolls covered as the Star-Cams floated around, snapping quick photos of him and Veneer all the while.

He was in the middle of autographing some of his fans’ faces when he heard it. He exchanged confused glances with Velvet before looking around.

There was a rumbling going on. And it was getting louder by the second. Their fans’ cheered had quietened as the rumbling got louder. He looked around before he found the source.

It was coming from…beneath them.

“What the—?”

BOOM!

Suddenly, the carpet exploded, sending him and Velvet falling to the floor and crawling away. As soon as he got up, Velvet pulled him behind her protectively, and he peered over her shoulder to see…

…Oh, it was the Armadillo Bus from before. The one that kept trying to bite him. And there was Crimp as well. Wait, how did they get out?

“VELVET AND VENEER!” He jumped at that. THE BUS COULD TALK!? His answer came in the Bus opening her mouth and a Troll sliding out.

“GIVE ME BACK OUR BROTHERS!” Oh, that was Branch. Veneer mentally facepalmed. Why did he think that to begin with?

“Yeah!” He looked to see a pink Pop Troll popping out. Veneer’s eyes bugged out in recognition. Oh shoot, that was the Queen of Pop. They were double-[Bleep!]-ed, “What he said!”
Veneer shot a glance at the crowds around them. Many of them had disbelieving looks on their faces. On the other hand, more than a few were looking at them suspiciously and he tried to fight back the urge to gulp.

“You don’t know what on Earth you’re talking about, Trolls,” Velvet said, and Veneer nodded in agreement, trying not to seem too frantic.

“You’re stealing BroZone’s talent because you have none of your own,” Poppy crossed her arms, “You two are a bunch of [3] big fat phonies!”

That got the crowd to gasp in unison. Velvet scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Really and how are we doing that if you don’t mind me asking? If what you’re saying is true which it isn’t?”

[4] “Yeah! Where’s your evidence?” Veneer put his fists on his hips and gave his best offended look. It faltered when several diamonds rolled out…with the Reggaeton Duo and K-Pop Gang in them.

[5] ‘We’re [Bleep!]-ed.’

“See those things our friends are trapped in?” A third Troll joined Branch and Poppy. A hot-pink Treasure Troll with orange hair. DJ Suki, right? “Those are the same diamonds that countless frauds have been caught using on Trolls like our friends.”

“And we have two eyewitnesses!” At Queen Poppy’s declaration, two more Trolls jumped out. Veneer tried to hide his fear as he recognised them. The infamous Bounty Hunters Tresillo and Wani, the leaders of their respective gangs. The gangs they had kidnapped and sucked the talent out of.

Veneer’s gaze flickered to the crowds once more. There were way more Rageons staring at them in suspicion than before.

“Enough!” Veneer turned back to see Velvet stomping towards them, “You are wasting our time! Move aside!”

At that moment, dozens of Trolls jumped out of the crowd and landed between the Armadillo Bus and Velvet. Armed Trolls with all kinds of weapons. Velvet backed up in alarm at the guitars. Veneer’s eyes bugged out once more at the sight of them.

The crowds gasped and jumped back at this, trying to put some distance between themselves and the group of armed, angry Trolls. Especially the Rock Trolls armed with guitars that could bring this whole place down.

“Look, I’ll make this short,” Queen Barb herself stated, lazily pointing at the shoulderpads, “Tell me, are those perfume bottles in the shoulderpads the same as the ones that Tres and Wani’s friends and family are stuck in?”

Veneer gulped for the who knows how much time as all attention went back to them and not in the good way. The Star-Cams zoomed in, and Veneer couldn’t hide his gulp and guilt as he covered the diamonds.

“If you want us to drop the charges, then we’ll need to have a look inside those diamonds of yours. There’s no other way out.”

All around them, the crowd was murmuring. Some were shocked. Others, many of the crowd, nodded in agreement.

“This isn’t good, Vels. Maybe we should just cut our losses and confess,” Veneer whispered, trying not to let his voice be heard.

“Out of the question, Ven,” Velvet hissed through gritted teeth, “It’s time for Plan B.”

“But—.”

“No buts. Let’s do it,” Velvet then gave a nervous smile to the crowds and pretended to check her watch, “Oh, look at the time! We should be going!”

And then they were running back towards their car. Once they were in, Velvet patted his forehead and they were off like a bullet train, away from the Rage Dome and the Trolls.

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(Sweet Dreams/Mount Rageous – Andrew Rannells & Brianna Mazzola)

“FOLLOW THAT LUXURY VEHICLE!”

And then the chase was on as they all piled into Rhonda and drove off with Smidge taking the wheel. Behind them, the rest of their group did the same.

“On it, Poppy!” Smidge declared as they chased after Velvet and Veneer. Branch’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the retreating vehicle. They weren’t getting away this time. They had nowhere to—.

Suddenly, the vehicle veered off course and…jumped off the side.

“They jumped…” Poppy said, eyes wide.

“THEY JUMPED!?” Branch then facepalmed as he groaned, ‘Of course they did. Why wouldn’t they? And it looks like we’re going to have do it as well.’

And true to his word, they had to. Thankfully, Rhonda deployed these glowing green things that allowed her to stick to the road which got more occupied by other vehicles as they pursued Velvet and Veneer.

“WHAT’S UP, MOUNT RAGEOUS!?” Velvet called out, standing on top of their vehicle, and pointing to the other cars and buses, “YOU REALLY DIDN’T THINK WE WERE JUST GOING GONNA GIVE YOU A BORING OLD STAGE SHOW, DID YOU!?”

“WELL, GOOD NEWS!” Veneer chimed in, “WE’RE TAKING THIS SHOW…ON…THE…ROAD!”

[6] That got cheering to erupt from the other vehicles. Branch went through every curse that he knew in his mind as the other vehicles began bunching up, forming a perimeter around Velvet and Veneer, blocking Rhonda from going any further.

“These guys really don’t respect traffic!” Smidge growled, “COME ON, YOU MORONS! LOOK BEHIND YOU! I’M USING THE BLINKER!”

But to no avail, they were unable to get past the wall of the traffic. Eventually, they managed to get through…just in time to see Velvet and Veneer standing on top of their vehicle as Star-Cams circled around them.

And then they began.

[Both]
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travelled the world and the seven seas

Branch’s hands curled up into fists as he glared at the two frauds using up his brothers’ essence for their own ends. He smiled as they were finally getting close enough.

Everybody’s looking for something

And then the vehicle accelerated away, giving them to eat their purple dust. Literally. Branch growled in frustration.

“Smidge, give me the wheel.”

“You got it,” And then he was pushing the pedal to the metal, glaring hard as he looked for the two. He spotted them, far ahead on another part of the road, about to pass a large red heart.

Some of them want to use you

As soon as they were close enough, he called out, “HANG ON!” Afterwards, he did a hard turn off the road, causing some of the others to yelp in alarm.

Some of them want to get used by you

As Rhonda flew, he called out to Smidge to hold her steady. As Smidge took his place, he, with the help of Poppy and DJ, fastened a rope around his waist.

Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

He hopped onto the open door and glared down at Floyd’s prison before taking a flying leap. As he flew towards Floyd’s prison, he pulled out his machete before landing.

“Branch!”

“Hang on, Floyd!” Branch grit his teeth as he jammed his machete into the gaps of the diamond pocket, trying to wrench Floyd free.

[Brianna Mazzola]
Moving on!

And then he was slapped away, flying out of control as his machete slipped through his fingers. He reached out for Floyd, futilely as Poppy and DJ pulled him back into Rhonda. He growled and slammed his fist into the staircase.

[Both]
Hold your head up
Moving on, hold your head up

He got up and after Poppy and DJ checked him over to see if he was alright, they made their way over to the driver’s seat, watching as Velvet and Veneer drove down a tunnel with ‘End Of The Road’ in all capitals on it.

Moving on
Hold your head up
Moving on
Keep your head up
Moving on

…Oh no.

“Please tell me that I’m just hallucinating that ‘End of the road’ sign,” Smidge asked.

“No, you are not, Smidge!” Poppy cried out in alarm, “Everyone, hold on!”

And they were all screaming as the end of the road came into view. Smidge slammed her foot into the brake, but it was too late as they continued drifting towards the end of the road before falling off it entirely.

Meanwhile, Velvet and Veneer’s vehicle flew through the air before crashing into a piggy bank-like structure, causing it to explode and coins to rain everywhere.

[Brianna Mazzola]
Yeahhh!

[Both]
Fame!

Damn it. Looked like they were still in.

I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna learn how to fly (Brianna Mazzola: High!)

Suddenly, gravity returned, and they all fell off their feet. Branch quickly recovered and opened the door, looking out to see Velvet and Veneer now dancing on a boat. A boat that was floating away from them.

I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry
Fame!

“What do we do now!?” Biggie asked.

“We have to go after them!”

“They’re too far!”

“I know!” They all turned to see Tiny near the Hustle Button. Branch’s eyes widened. Oh no, not again, “LET’S HUSTLE!”

And then they were back in the Hustle Space again. Flying next to them and holding onto Rhonda was Hustle Man.

“Hey, Hust! Can you please drop us off at that boat down there?”

“Abso-hustle-y!” Branch’s eyes widened as Hustle Man then dropped them.

“NOT LITERALLY!” Poppy called out, her voice echoing as they exited Hustle Space. Branch gulped as he saw the water coming in fast.

Suddenly, they were pulled out of mid-air and towards something. Branch looked outside to see…

“GRISTLE!? BRIDGET!?”

“And don’t forget about me!” He looked up and his eyes widened even further.

“VIVA!” Poppy cried out in joy, “PERFECT TIMING!”

Viva then jumped down into Rhonda and gave Poppy a tight hug as the door closed. Branch watched as Viva began apologising, “Poppy, I’m sorry for not—”

“It’s okay,” Poppy gave her a reassuring smile, “You’re here now and that’s what matters to me. Our story’s complicated. We can’t make the correct choices every time. Who cares if we don’t? As long as we’re together.”

“Still. I should’ve come with you. I…” Viva trailed off, looking up towards her hair which was suddenly braided now, “Did you just braid my hair?”

“Yup!” Poppy chirped, “I learned from the best.”

“Seems like the student has become the master.”

“Oh no!” Biggie cried and they all turned to see him pointing ahead, “Hold on to something!”

They all rushed to the window to see them gaining on Velvet and Veneer’s boat.

All my greatness
It doesn’t come for free

“Hang on tight, everyone!” Bridget called out and then they were speeding towards the edge of the road, Gristle squawking in alarm as they did.

All my talent
It doesn’t grow on trees

And then they were flying through the air as Bridget declared ‘Best Honeymoon ever!’

Take a breather
We’ll take it all the way

And then as they were falling just short of reaching the boat, Gristle threw Rhonda, and it still nearly wasn’t enough.

If the top is where you wanna stay

Branch nearly stumbled before he and the others were spat out by Rhonda, landing on the deck of the ship. He got to his feet and turned just in time to see Rhonda slipping off the edge and landing in the water.

You gotta work hard
To make it look easy
You gotta live fast
To keep makin’ that money

“GO GET ‘EM, AWESOME SIBLINGS!” Bridget called out. Branch grinned as he turned to exchange nods with DJ, Cooper, and D before they heard the sound of someone stomping towards them. They turned to see Velvet marching towards them with her foot raised.

If you want to be as famous as me

BOOM!

Thankfully, none of them got crushed by Velvet’s shoe and they all exchanged nods with each other before scattering to keep Velvet and Veneer distracted.

You gotta work

Suddenly, he spotted several Angler Buses, Zipperbacks and Star-Flyers on hoverboards flying towards Velvet who sung as she spun around and spread her arms out, swatting them out of the sky.

You gotta work

Branch shook his fists and prayed for the fliers that had been taken out before focusing on trying to take down Velvet and Veneer.

“Hey! Over here, slowpoke!” Branch’s eyes widened as he spotted Viva waving her arms around. What was she doing?

[Brianna Mazzola]
You gotta work hard

“Viva, watch out!” Viva turned to face him and gave a thumbs up and a wink before being grabbed by Veneer.

You gotta live fast

Branch ran forward, only to be stopped by Veneer suddenly toppling backwards and Viva flying through the air with her sticky hands. His eyes widened at what was attached to the ends of the hands before he cheered internally.

It was John and Bruce’s prisons.

If you want to be as famous as me

“Yes!” Poppy pumped her fist as they ran over, “Two down, two more to go!”

“Viva La Viva, baby!” Viva remarked. Branch gave her a grateful smile before checking John and Bruce for injuries as best as he could.

“You guys alright?”

“Yes,” John nodded, giving a determined look, “But we’re not done yet!”

You gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work

“Let’s roll!” And then he was stepping to the side as John and Bruce began rolling their prisons forward, barrelling towards Velvet who was distracted trying to swat the Classical Trolls out of the sky.

Branch smirked as Velvet stepped on the diamonds and flailed around as she tried to maintain control and keep herself from falling.

Fame
I’m gonna live forever

As soon as Velvet fell over, they all rushed up. While some of the others pulled out ropes and tried to tie her down, he, Poppy, DJ, Viva, Trollex, Barb, Val and some of the Rockers began trying to loosen the diamonds, sticking their weapons in to try and get the prisons loose.

Suddenly, they felt gravity shift and they struggle to hang on to dear life as Velvet was helped by Veneer and then spun around, sending many of the others flying away. He, Poppy, DJ and Viva manage to hold on while the others weren’t so lucky.

“BARB! VAL!”

“LEX!” DJ called out. Thankfully, their friends were picked up by some of the Classical Trolls and winged Ambush Control members that hadn’t been knocked out of the sky.

Learn how to fly (High!)

They couldn’t hold on forever and soon, they were sent flying as well, screaming as they did.

If the top is where you want to stay!

Thankfully, they were caught by Trollzart, Dante, Minuet and D who was on his hoverboard.

[Both]
Fame!

“Thanks, guys!”

“You’re welcome, my boy!” Trollzart laughed before flying them over to Velvet at top speed. When they were fast enough, Trollzart and the others let go of them and their combined force knocked Velvet backwards, allowing Viva to use her sticky hand to yank Clay’s prison away from Velvet. They used their hair to slow their descent and ran to check on Clay who sat, dazed before jumping up.

[Brianna Mazzola]
You gotta work, gotta work

“FLOYD!” Branch turned and cursed. Velvet and Veneer were getting away.

Baby, remember my name

Before they could do anything, they had activated a gold platform that took them to the top of the yacht. They couldn’t do anything but watch as Velvet finished off her performance with a high note and a flip in the air that caused pink smoke to shoot out.

“WE WANT MORE! WE WANT MORE! WE WANT MORE!” Branch’s eyes widened in horror as he turned to the crowds of Rageons gathering by the canal’s edge, getting out of their vehicles to do so.

“You want more!?”

The audience roared louder to their collective horror.

“Say that again!? I can’t hear you!” Velvet said, cupping a hand to her ear.

The audience roared one more time.

“You know we got it! Encore it is!”

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“Encore? Sis, come on. He won’t last through even half a song! Let’s just quit while we’re on top and before it’s too late! Please!”

“…”

“…V-Vels?”

“…Just get ready to back me up.”

“Velvet—!”

“Just do it!”

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Branch watched with horror as Velvet belted out another high note. Multi-coloured fireworks shot up into the night sky, painting it with bright stars.
He turned to exchange horrified glances with the others.

“He’s not going to make it!” Bruce cried.

“We have to get up there, now!”

“Barb, Val, use those guitars!” Guy shouted.

“We can’t!” Barb said, “Not with Floyd in the way! If we try to play, we’ll catch Floyd in the crossfire!”

Branch shut his eyes and ears to the panic that had captured the others to try and come up with a plan. Come on, just think. What could they do? What could he do?

…There was only one thing. Only one thing that could save Floyd now. The Perfect—, no, no, not perfect. Anything but perfect.

The Harmony. The Family Harmony. This was their only chance. It was a long shot, and he didn’t know if they could do but…they had to at least try.

For Floyd. For everyone that had lost their lives to the Rageons.

He took a deep breath before opening his eyes and turning to the others, “There’s only one way we can save Floyd.”

“We know,” Clay sighed, “The Family Harmony.”

“But are you sure?” Bruce said uncertainly, “We didn’t—.”

“We only have one shot now. One shot to save Floyd. One shot to put an end to this.”

“He’s right,” Clay nodded in agreement, “We nearly managed to succeed before. Maybe this time…it’ll work.”

They all turned to John who looked around uncertainly as he wringed his hands, “I-I-I don’t know…I don’t think I can. W-What if I mess things up again?”

“John, we can. You can,” Branch said, his voice stern but gentle, “We don’t have to be perfect to be in harmony. We just have to be together. Together as one.”

John stared at him indecisively for a long time and after, he sighed and said, narrowing his eyes in determination, “I’m in.”

“That’s the spirit,” Clay said.

“Alright!” Bruce grinned, crackling his knuckles, “Branch, take the lead.”

“We’re with you all the way, hermano,” Branch turned to see DJ, Cooper, D, Blaze and the guys giving him supportive smiles.

“Glad to hear it, my friends and familia.”

“WHO DID THAT!?” They all jumped before turning to see Crimp at the yacht’s controls, giving two thumbs up.

“Oops!” Crimp snorted, “Did I do that?”

Branch gave a grateful smile before turning back to Velvet and Veneer. To the remaining diamond prison on Velvet’s shoulder. To Floyd.

[7] ‘For Floyd.’

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AUTHOR'S NOTES
[1] This part comes from another one of my AUs: Two Becomes Three.

[2] References to deleted/scrapped content in Band Together
[2.1] Originally, Velvet and Veneer were supposed to wear scarves to hide the Trolls in the shoulderpads.
[2.2] Dialogue comes from an earlier version of the Rage Dome confrontation. Rhonda digging a hole through the carpet and jumping out, causing Velvet and Veneer to fall down also comes from that version as well.

[3] Reference to Family Guy

[4] This scene is heavily inspired by TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3’s take on the Rage Dome confrontation in their story.

[5] Picture Velvet and Veneer’s ‘We’re [Bleep!]-ed’ reaction as the same as Gi-Hun’s in Squid Game Season 1 and you’ll get a laugh. Probably. 

[6] Originally, there were supposed to be Cyber Junkers involved in the chase, but I decided to cut them out since there was no way I could fit them in.

[7] Originally, I was going to include Branch and his family, both new and old, performing A Better Place in this chapter but I decided to cut it out and save it for the next chapter, along with the immediate aftermath.

New VAs
1) Dillon Francis as Kid Ritz: A Rageon TV show host that interviews Velvet and Veneer. He is also the M.C for the Rage Dome Show.

Spanish Terms
Hermano – Brother
Hermana – Sister
Familia – Family

Chapter Text

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After a few more moments of watching Floyd’s form through the reflective diamond, Branch took a deep breath before beginning.

(Better Place (Family Harmony Version) – Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan, Kid Cudi, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, Ron Funches, Anderson. Paak, NYSNC, Anthony Ramos & Camila Cabello)

[Justin Timberlake]
It’s some kind of love
It’s some kind of fire

As he sung, he heard DJ and Ablaze lead their siblings and the guys in harmonising behind him.

I’m already up (Gwen Stefani, Ron Funches, Anderson. Paak, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi and NSYNC: Ooh) but you lift me higher (Ooh)

As he sung, he gazed around the yacht, the canal, the crowds and Rageous. He gazed at it all as he continued to sing.

You know I’m not wrong (Ooh) you know I’m not lying (Ooh)
We do it better

As he sung the next verse, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his siblings and the guys forming up behind him, joining him in singing.

[Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Ron Funches, Anderson. Paak, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi and NYSNC)
We do it better, yeah

They all paused to coldly glare at Velvet and Veneer who were now watching them sing. Branch’s fists tightened before he continued to lead his friends and family in singing, snapping their fingers to the beat.

And I don’t mind if the world spins faster

They turned and snapped their fingers in a straight line before moving their arms around as if connected. A old dance move from the old days. Previous times, their movements were shaky or rigid. In this case, it was smooth as they looked each other to see where the wave would go.

The music’s louder, the waves get stronger

He shot a quick glance at Poppy and the others. They were all giving proud smiles. He returned Poppy’s smile as he continued singing.

I don’t mind if the world spins faster

As the beat started to kick up, he, DJ, Cooper and John spun around.

Faster

The others waited only a moment before doing the same.

Faster

They all made one last spin together before they kicked their dance into overdrive, following the song. As he sung and dance, John, Bruce and Clay spun around him.

Just let me take you to a better place
I’m gonna make you kiss the sky tonight

In the distance, he could hear the crowds of spectators cheering and see them dancing along. He looked up at the jumbotrons and big TV screens to see that their performance was being broadcasted live. To all of Mount Rageous. His gaze went back to Velvet and Veneer who were looking around shocked and worried. He grinned as he continued singing.

Yeah, if you let me show the way

Poppy then joined in with a wide smile, dancing alongside him and DJ. The rest of the group didn’t join in by singing but by playing their instruments. Crimp even pulled out an ukulele and started playing it.

I’m so excited to see you excited
I’ll take you to a better place

Viva and Trollex joined in as well, locking hands with Poppy and DJ and spinning around before going their separate ways.

(Camila Cabello and Anthony Ramos: I’ll take you to a better place)

Gazing behind him, he saw his brothers jumping up and forming a pyramid as the spotlight focused back on them.

And, baby, you can love me on the way

Viva and DJ then helped Poppy fly into the air towards him before he caught her and dipped her before they begun spinning each other around with DJ and Viva joining in.

We’re flying up to outer space

As they spun around in a circle, he noticed something. They were glowing. His eyes widened in realisation, and he shared overjoyed looks with the others before continuing.

I’m so excited (Gwen Stefani: I’m so excited) to see you excited (To see you excited), Yeah

They then separated and continued dancing. As they did, Branch felt his feet leave the ground and saw the same happening to his friends and family. It was working. It was really working. He felt the spirit of the moment push him forward.

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

The more they sung in harmony, the more they floated off the ground. He looked upwards to see Floyd’s diamond prison shooting out of Velvet’s shoulderpad and the Rageon reaching out to try and grab it before being held back by Veneer.

I don’t mind if the world spins faster
Faster, faster, faster

Branch grinned as he could see Floyd clearly. And he could see the cracks starting to form in his prison as Floyd finally joined in.

[Troye Sivan]
Yeah

Branch raised his hand towards Floyd and pulled the other back towards his chest before leading the others in singing one more time.

[All]
Just let me take you to a better place

At that moment, two things happened. The diamonds shattered harmlessly. The glow surrounding them burst into a loud, bright explosion of energy that surged through Mount Rageous, sending the diamond pieces into the canal.

Branch couldn’t help but panic a little at first at how high they were before noticing that they weren’t falling. But rather, gently drifting back down to earth. He let out a sigh when his feet touched ground before looking upwards.

He could see Floyd, getting closer and closer towards the ground. He ran forward to catch Floyd and gently lower him.

“F-Floyd?” Branch said, eyes wide as he tried to fight back the tears.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Floyd gave a small smile as colour slowly returned to his body, “Don’t worry. Next time I leave home, I won’t get kidnapped. I promise.”

If it was any other time, he would’ve punched or slapped Floyd in the shoulder for that dumb joke, but he was so relieved that he was okay. He pulled him into a tight hug and sniffled, letting the tears fall silently.

“FLOYD!” Several voices cried out at once and he found himself being hugged by the rest of his friends and family. The hug lasted for a while before they separated to give Floyd space.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I-I think,” Floyd sighed, looking a bit shaky, “I’m good.”

“Really?” Clay raised an eyebrow, “Because, in my opinion, you and the others are going to need to lie down for a while.”

“Yeah, I-I think I will,” Floyd fell backwards, “At least I’m not dying.”

“That much is obvious, you big lovable idiot,” Barb remarked, giving Floyd a light-hearted noogie, “We have a lot of time to make up for.”

“We all do, Barbara,” John said with a smirk, “Or is it, C—?”

“Don’t you dare,” Barb growled as Melody and Val pulled Floyd into a tight hug as well. Branch rolled his eyes before his gaze went over to Velvet and Veneer.

The two Rageons had managed to get back on the yacht and were soaking wet. [1] Velvet was clutching her arm and watching in confusion while Veneer was watching…with a relieved smile.

He tilted his head in confusion and raised an eyebrow. Half of him was confused. The other half was relieved that Velvet and Veneer weren’t attacking any of his familia. Not yet at least.

He pulled out his hunting knife just in case. He looked behind to see some of the Star-Flyers and others doing the same before looking back to see Velvet and Veneer now talking. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about exactly, but he had a few theories.

And then they were blown out of the water by Veneer standing up and declaring at the top of his lungs, “Listen up, Mount Rageous! I have something to say. The truth is we are…FRAUDS!”

A loud gasp erupted from the crowd with some of the Rageons even screaming. Branch’s eyes widened and he could see the others staring at the two in disbelief.

“Huh,” He heard Val remark behind him, “Looks like we don’t need to broadcast live a recording of them talking about them this time.”

“And we’ve been literally torturing and sucking the life out of little Trolls for about two months now!” Veneer sighed, “Floyd Dory Willows of BroZone, Marimba and Tambora of the Reggaeton Trio and finally all members of the K-Pop Gang besides their older sister Wani. We…just wanted to be famous and we didn’t want to work for it. And I was too much of a coward to do more to stop this from happening when I realised what we were doing was wrong.”

“I…” Velvet looked ready to lash out before deflating and sighing. Suddenly, Crimp popped up and handcuffed Velvet and Veneer, [2] “Crimp!? You’re a cop!?”

“No.”

“And let me guess; having a change of heart doesn’t mean that I’m automatically forgiven, right?”

“Without a doubt,” Crimp pushed up her glasses, “You did willingly engage in Troll-napping, Troll torture, fraud, abuse and also tax evasion. Also-also, being an accessory to the Junkers.”

“Fair enough,” Veneer shrugged.

[3] Crimp then lifted her own hands, somehow having handcuffed herself, “And that includes me which means that I’ll have to—.”

Before she could finish, two police officers arrived on the scene. Joining them was Gristle, Bridget and Rhonda.

“Ms. Crimp,” One of the officers, a purple-skinned fellow with red hair, said, “We’ve heard from your brother in regard to your situation. He says that he knows how to get you out of this.”

“Wait, so you told your brother but not the actual cops?” Velvet raised an eyebrow.

“Uhh, no?” Crimp shrugged.

“Anyway, as for you two,” The other police officer, a green-skinned fellow with blue hair, said, turning to the two, “Your only defendants so far are your parents.”

[4] “Well, isn’t that just a punch in the pants?” Velvet remarked.

“Well, guess it’s prison time!” Veneer chirped with a wide smile.

“Yay. I love prison. Absolutely love it,” Velvet said, and Branch couldn’t help but be impressed by the amount of sarcasm in the Rageon’s voice.

“Hey, bro,” Branch turned to see Floyd trying to get to his feet, “Help me over.”

“Why?” Branch’s eyes widened in realisation, “Floyd, no.”

“Just this once,” Floyd sighed, “Veneer’s a good person.”

“Fine, but if he tries something, his fingers are mine.”

“And we’ll help him,” John chimed in, pulling out his machete.

“Noted. Now help me over,” And as he helped Floyd over, Branch mentally prepared himself for any retaliation from Veneer, “Ven.”

Veneer stopped and turned to Floyd. The Rageon didn’t look so cheerful anymore and now had a guilty look on his face as everyone turned to the confrontation.

After a long silence, Floyd finally spoke, “I just want to say that I knew you had a good heart, Veneer.”

“Yeah, but not good enough to stop any of this happening,” Veneer sighed before straightening up, “But seriously, Floyd, don’t try to start fights trying to defend me or Vel. We…I don’t deserve it after what we did to you. I’ll try to make up for it, if you’re okay with it, but it was my choice. Both of our choices and we had to take responsibility for it.”

“Of course,” Floyd nodded, “But it wouldn’t hurt to start again?”

“Well, I think I might try something else but thanks, Floyd. You don’t have to.”

And with that, Veneer and Velvet were escorted into the ship that the police officers had arrived in. Veneer did a heel click and dunked himself into the security ship, causing a few chuckles to ring out.

Velvet, on the other side, just sighed and got in. And soon the ship was taking off.

“Floyd, my brother,” They turned to see John standing there, giving a disapproving look, “Please tell me you’re not thinking of helping those two.”

“He is,” Clay groaned.

“Can’t help myself, I’m afraid,” Floyd gave a mischievous smile, “I always want to see the good in people.”

Branch groaned and sighed in both annoyance and relief. He loved his brother, but he could be so annoying at times. Of course, he would do something like this.

“Well, it’s always worked out…” Viva winced, “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Barb repeated, raising an eyebrow, “I came around…eventually.”

“You mean after we kicked your butt and exposed you in front of all your followers?” Viva smirked, “Hey, John, how did that song go again?”

“No, no. I don’t care if you’re the Star-Warrior Princess and Popsqueak’s sister. I will kick your butt all the same,” Barb playfully growled.

“Oh, I would love to see you try, young one,” Viva playfully struck her tongue out.

In the back of his mind, Branch remembered that they were still on a giant boat in the middle of a concert, surrounded by potential threats. He didn’t know how many of Velvet and Veneer’s fans would try to attack any of his friends or familia for helping to land their beloved celebrities in jail.

And there was also the matter of the Junkers. While they had taken out a lot of them, there were undoubtedly more waiting to pick up where their comrades left off.

Thankfully, the others were of the same opinion. Bridget was the first to speak, “Hey, Poppy, I see your ride is here. Does anyone need help getting home?”

“Some of our vehicles got taken out a little by Velvet and Veneer but they’re alright. Mostly,” Barb shrugged.

“We’ll still need a bit of an escort to keep ourselves from getting run over or attacked by any Junkers,” Viva chimed in, “Besides, I left in sort of a hurry so…”

“We can assist,” They all turned to see another Rageon police officer approaching, “We’ll clear the roads and make sure you make it out of the city at least.”

“Thank you,” Poppy gave a grateful smile before it went away and she looked around, “So what’s going to happen now?”

“A lot of people are going to be angry for a lot of different reasons,” The Rageon officer sighed, taking off his sunglasses and rubbing his forehead, “And as always, it’s up to us to fix this mess.”

“Well, maybe you should start sorting out the Undercity since they did kidnap one of Trollkind’s heroes,” Viva remarked.

“You do have a point,” The Rageon sighed once more, “Things are going to be a mess around here. I would recommend staying away from Rageous for the next month or so at least. And keeping a travel to the minimum so more of your people don’t get taken.”

“Seems like the Mayor and his cabinet have a lot on their plate. Tell them to contact us when they’re ready to start actually listening to us,” Whoa. And he thought that he was the snarky one.

Soon, after a few more minutes, they were all piling into Rhonda and the other vehicles. Surrounding them were police bikes and cars. Further up ahead and around them, police officers were clearing the road and keeping people off the streets. Particularly some of Velvet and Veneer’s angered fans.

Once they were onboard, John flipped on his goggles and sat in the driver’s seat, “Next stop; the Sanctuary!”

And then they were on their way. Branch found himself sitting next to Poppy, DJ and CJ at the back of Rhonda.

“So…” Poppy began, “How are you feeling?”

“Happy and grateful…” Branch looked around Rhonda. At Clay braiding Viva’s hair. At Barb and Val talking to Floyd. At Melody and Lizzy talking to each other. At Wani and Tresillo hugging their sisters and partners respectively. At the rest of the Harmony Squad talking to John and Bruce, “That I have you guys.”

“Woah, TMI, my man,” Poppy playfully rolled her eyes and they both laughed before Poppy pulled him for a quick kiss. After the kiss, he pulled DJ and CJ into a tight hug before Cooper and D joined in as well.

They were stopped by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They turned to see John staring there, rubbing circles into the floor with his foot. Bruce had taken the wheel for a little bit.

“I want to talk to you, Branch and DJ, about something.”

“What is it?”

“It’s been chipping away at me this whole time and I wanted to get your opinion first before bringing it to the others,” John sighed before continuing, “I’ve been thinking…since we’re kind of back together, that it’s time someone else took the lead. And I think it should be you.”

“Me?” Branch’s eyes widened as Poppy and CJ let out excited gasps and DJ and Cooper’s eyes widened as well.

“Yeah, you,” John gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I did say that I was going to follow your lead.”

“I thought you meant for this mission,” Branch crossed his arms, “But now…I can see why.”

“Yeah,” John hissed through his teeth, “The family needs an actual leader. Someone that would be better at it than I am.”

“What about Clay?”

“Well…I just think that he’s still harbouring somewhat of a grudge, understandable, and would probably make me do his laundry or something like that if I made him leader of BroZone. Plus, he would lord it over my head for the rest of my life.”

“Yeah, he would,” Branch sighed, “Alright, I accept but this is probably going to be quite the adjustment for all of us. At least this way, it will be a fresh start. For all of us.”

“Yeah, a fresh start,” John gave a small smile, “I think that would be nice.”

A few hours later…

After driving for nearly the entire night, taking turns driving so they could get some sleep and that they wouldn’t have to stop and risk getting ambushed, they had arrived at the forest surrounding the Sanctuary just before sunrise. Bridget and Gristle, along with some of Lizzy’s team, the Funk and Rock security teams, had split off a hour or so ago. Some were heading back to Bergen Town to bring word of what had happened. Others were escorting Bruce home to Vacay Island.

It hurt to see him go but he understood why. Not every day you discovered that two of the musical artists you had listened were torturing your brother and some of his friends for two months and a few days.

It was also worrying. Floyd had gone out in search of John with an experienced team of Star-Flyers and besides his brother, they all had been killed. What if the same happened?

He reassured himself by sayin that it was simple numbers. Floyd only went with four. Bruce had at least three dozen guards with him. Bruce would be safe. He would see him again.

Anyway, as the Carmines took care of Floyd, the Bounty Hunters and some of the others who had been injured in the confrontation with Velvet, Veneer and the Junkers, the rest of them busied themselves by helping out however they could in the Sanctuary or just talking about their most recent adventure.

Which he and the rest of the Harmony Squad along with some of their other friends were doing. Poppy, Viva, Clay and the Tribe Leaders were speaking with the Council and their allies to discuss the situation.

Eventually, the group returned with dire looks.

“What happened?” Smidge was the first to speak.

“Nothing bad for us,” Viva sighed, “Marc said that he had sent some drones over to scope things out at Mount Rageous.”

“And?”

“Rageous is a mess. Both parts of it. In the Undercity, the Trolls and Lottles are rioting, attacking any building that deals in Troll and Lottle-trafficking. Topside, many of Velvet and Veneer’s…’fans’ are in denial of the whole thing and are picking fights with anyone who doesn’t agree with them. There’s already been arrests made and people are having to go to hospital by the dozens.”

Branch couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilt for how much chaos had erupted in Rageous. He was also alarmed at how quickly it had erupted. It had only been a few hours at most.

He remembered Clay telling him that Rageous was home to hundreds of thousands of Trolls and Lottles that served as the backbone of the labour force. Anyone that didn’t…was sent to the Troll Farms or Chop Shops. And even being a member of the workforce wasn’t enough to save some Trolls and Lottles.

There was truly no end to the depths of depravity that the Giants would sink to. No end to how much their species suffered.

“Well, at least the traffickers will be too busy for a little bit. Give us time to get ready.”

“Little comfort to the Rageous Trolls and Lottles it will be,” Clay sighed, “I was afraid that this would happen. Hence, I was hoping that we could get Floyd and the others away and we wouldn’t get captured. [5] Hope…is a dangerous thing.”

He and the others exchanged understanding glances at that. Hope had gotten them captured by the Chef. Hope had nearly gotten their entire Tribe killed. Hope…could be truly dangerous.

“And what about the rogue elements?” Biggie chimed in, scratching his head, “Surely, they would want to stop fighting us so we can deal with the Rageons.”

“You would be surprised, Biggie. Even after all this time, even with bigger threats out there, we’re still fighting each other,” Barb sighed, “A ceasefire might allow us to relieve some of our troops and allow us to focus on the wolves at our door but that’s it. You watch. As soon as Rageous is dealt with, [5] in a week, the rogue elements will send a different message; the war is back on.

“With this lot, there’s only one way this war ends. Last Troll standing,” Clay shook his head, “For now, we prepare. We prepare for retaliation. I would advise getting comfy until we’re sure that we can get you safely back to your homes.”

“So, we’re basically stuck here until further notice?” John asked.

“Yes,” Viva looked towards the walls, a distant look in her eyes, “We don’t know when, not if, our enemies will strike again.”

“Well, works for me since…” John turned in the direction of Rhonda who was being looked over by some of the Atom Cats, “…Rhonda isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. She wasn’t meant to Hustle twice in such a short time.”

“Wait, what about Floyd?” Melody asked and Branch nearly slapped him for forgetting about his brother.

“The doctors say that he and the others are doing okay,” Clay gave them all a reassuring smile before it went away, “It’ll be a while, though, before Kim and Marimba can move around without cramps and sing. They were the worst out of everyone.”

As the others started talking with Clay, DJ went over to him and asked, “Hey, not to rush you or anything but…have you thought about you know what?”

“…I have,” Branch answered after a long silence, “But not yet. It’s too soon. I’ll…tell John soon but not now.”

“Okay,” DJ then gave him a reassuring smile, as she nudged him. “And we’ll be there to help you, hermano.”

“Gracias, hermana,” Branch gave a thankful smile before they turned to watch the Sanctuary around them come to life.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] In the film, it’s barely noticeable but when BroZone hits the Perfect Family Harmony and it erupts, you can see Velvet getting in front of Veneer and trying to shield him from the blast before they are sent flying by the blast. In this AU, Velvet hit the yacht on the way down, injuring her slightly.

Originally, Veneer’s confession was supposed to be depicted from his perspective but I decided to keep the story simpler and have it from Branch’s perspective

[2] Reference to another story (can’t remember the name of it, though. I do remember that it involved Branch being captured by Velvet and Veneer alongside Floyd when he, Synth and Barb visit Mount Rageous) where Crimp is an undercover cop working to expose the two Rageons for their crimes on behalf of Mount Rageous’ Mayor.

[3] Crimp arresting herself, the police officer’s conversation with her, and Floyd’s conversation with Veneer come from Take A Selfie On That Rock by TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3

[4] Velvet’s line comes from Eddsworld – 25ft Under the Seat.

[5] These two lines come from 1971.

Spanish Terms
Familia – Family
Hermano – Brother
Gracias – Thank you
Hermana – Sister

Chapter Text

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DJ hummed as she helped the others finish decorating the stage for the big show.

[1] A month or so had passed since that night at Mount Rageous. A very chaotic month but it was worth going through all that trouble to make their world a better, safer place.

The leaders of Rageous had been slow to respond and slower to make any changes. Viva had explained that a selfish leader wanted to avoid admitting to stuff like this to keep a good reputation and that was why negotiations had been slow. At first that was. But after much pressure from the Troll Kingdoms, the Trolls and Lottles living in Rageous and pro-rights groups, negotiations soon began.

Even then, they still had trouble. Many a government official had ties to the crime rings in the Undercity and would do anything to avoid punishment, which resulted in them blocking them every step of the way. After some threatening, leaking of files and the prisoners’ condition to the public, the rest of the negotiations had gone swell and soon, R.P.D forces were working with the Scavengers and the Star-Flyers in launching dozens of crime-busting operations. Hundreds of criminals, Junkers and their accomplices had been arrested. A dozen Troll farms had been shut down already.

Roadblocks and checkpoints had been established all around and throughout Rageous on all roads and routes that led in and out of Mount Rageous and its various zones and districts . No vehicle was allowed through unchecked, which irritated many unsympathetic Rageons, seeing it as restricting their freedom. Still, many more agreed that it was the right thing to do, even if it was inconvenient.

In the Hinterlands, the rogue military elements had agreed to a temporary ceasefire. Even the criminal gangs and syndicates had agreed to stop attacking until Rageous was dealt with. It went unsaid that they had more…permanent ways of dealing with Mount Rageous in mind but at least they weren’t trying to interfere. It had allowed them to free up so many troops for their operations at Rageous.

“You watch. As soon as Rageous is dealt with, in a week, the rogue elements will send a different message; the war is back on.”

There were many concerns raised about that but what little could they do besides prepare for the rogue elements’ eventual continuation of hostilities?

And with Branch and John…things had been going well. The bros had started opening up more to each other and talking things out. They even had started seeing [2] Victoria as well. They still had a long way to go before they were completely healed from everything, but she would be there to support them.

Out of all the bros, besides Branch, she found herself getting the closest to John. It had mainly to do with the fact they both had to raise family members after a tragedy and they both knew the pain of losing a loved one.
Sure, there was a bit of an awkwardness, like with Bruce, but it was overcome, and she found herself getting along with him. CJ loved when he would tell his adventures in the Neverglade and across the continent. When he would tell his stories of the world before the Bergens came.

It was hard to imagine that world. Her generation had known the looming shadows of the Bergen’s legacy their whole lives. Clay, Viva, Floyd, and Eric’s generations only knew a time of fear. It was hard to picture that world, but she tried her hardest, nonetheless.

It was nice though.

Though…not everything was good. There were still many problems to solve. A lot of healing to do, still.

There were also the external problems. Dozens of Rageon criminals and hundreds if not thousands of Junkers and Trollcatchers that had escaped and were out there in the world, continuing to harm innocent Trolls. Reports of the rogue elements making preparations for when the war would continue. Many of the Tribe Leaders facing pressure from their citizens to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Some wanted Rageous wiped off the map entirely.

She didn’t blame them though. She understood the feeling of wanting revenge at any cost. Rageous had hurt a lot of Trolls. Broken a lot of families but it wasn’t the answer. It wouldn’t be justice. It would only get more people killed.

Anyways, the Troll Kingdoms were preparing for war against the crime rings if it came down to it. Branch and the older Pop Trolls that had fought in the war were instrumental when it came to anti-Giant tactics that didn’t rely on war machines or any technology.

When the Rageon criminals attacked, they would be ready for them.

Anyway, back to the good news; a week ago, to celebrate the two-month anniversary of BroZone’s reunion, the bros and Kismet had announced that they would be throwing a reunion concert to end all concerts.

Everyone was going to be there. Well, everyone that could come or wasn’t an enemy or couldn’t be trusted. Still, a pretty big number of people were coming. Trolls, Lottles, Goblins, reformed Party Crashers, Bergens, Vacationers, even some Rageons that had been a huge help so far and Crimp.

It was going to be one heck of a concert. She was so excited. Everyone was. Which was why they were hurrying to finish up the last of the preparations. And in her case, to go see Branch and her other hermanos before the concert started.

Once she had done her part and after checking to make sure the others didn’t need any help, she picked up her hija and made her way through the stage towards the backstage. Already, people were starting to file in and take their spots.
They soon reached the backstage, passing through the seaweed-like curtains. She looked around with a wide smile at the others.

John was reading a book from Clay’s Book Club, an intrigued expression on his face the whole time. Clay reading another book. Branch, along with Ablaze and the others, were looking over the lyric sheets for tonight’s performance. Bruce was playing with Jonathan and Ash. Floyd was standing next to her and gave a warm smile as she walked by which she returned.

As she walked over to Branch and the guys, Branch heard her footsteps and beamed as he looked up at her arrival.

“How’s my favourite hermano doing?” DJ beamed, pulling Branch into a tight hug.

“Good. How about you two?” Branch looked up to CJ, “Did my sobrina have fun with your primos and prima?”

“Sure thing, Tio Branch!” CJ chirped. Branch nodded in approval before turning to Bruce who was being tugged by his kids in two different directions.

“Hey, down! No pulling on Daddy’s chest hair. Ow!” DJ winced at sympathy before Brandy thankfully came along and put the kids away, telling Bruce that he looked hot before wishing him good luck.

“Branch. DJ,” They turned to see Clay approaching with a regretful look, “I know that I’ve said it before but I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see you two grow up and help you guys through…everything but I’m glad that I’m here now.”

“So are we, Clay,” Branch nodded, “So are we.”

“Anyway, you up for another Book Club session this week?”

“Yup!”

“Sure thing, bro,” DJ shrugged before they turned to Floyd who was looking out the curtain at the crowds filling up the space. Even from here, they could hear them chanting ‘BroZone! Kismet! BroZone! Kismet! BroZone! Kismet!’

“Hey,” Branch called out to Floyd who turned to face them, “You got the pre-show jitters?”

“Yeah, a little,” Floyd sighed, “It’s just been a while. Can’t believe that we’re all really here.”

“Yeah, us too,” Clay chimed in, causing them to see the others approaching, “I’m really glad that all these years of separation are behind us and we can work things out again without it devolving into a screaming match and us never talking to each other again.”

“Real,” John nodded, “But no matter what comes our way, we’ll be okay as long as we’re together.”

“Mmm!” They turned to see Bruce eating some menudo, “You guys got to try this menudo.”

“Hey, by the way, how is your hair doing, Flo?” Clay asked, looking at Floyd’s hair which was still white.

“It’s kind of hard trying to get my hair to move but I’m making a little more progress each day,” Floyd shrugged, [3] “You know, I can’t believe you all agreed to Melody’s idea of dying part of our hair white. Especially you, John.”

“Well, what can I say?” John shrugged, hand combing through the white parts of hair, “If I’m going to be known as the Old One, might as well look the part. Besides, old people are awesome.”

“Plus, it’s kind of cool,” DJ blew her white lock that had gotten in her face, “It’s what families do for each other. Show support in the strangest of ways.”

“Knock-Knock!” They all turned to see Synth floating over, “Hey DJ, my bro wants to talk to you in private.”

“Tell him I’ll be out in five. Just going to try some menudo,” DJ then turned back to Bruce and clasped her hands, “So where can I find more of this menudo?”

A few minutes later…

After dropping off CJ with her parents again, DJ began searching for Trollex who Synth told her was outside somewhere and refused to elaborate, which left her to research Vacay Island by herself.

Thankfully, after a few minutes, she had found Trollex. Or rather Trollex had found her.

Trollex currently had her pinned to the wall with one hand holding hers above her head and was peppering her neck with kisses. DJ laughed as he did.

“Trollex! Please!” DJ laughed, “I didn’t know you would be this excited to see me!”

“I’ve missed you,” Trollex removed his head from her neck and gave her a short kiss on the lips, leaning in to touch foreheads afterwards, “And I’m happy for you. For all of you.”

“Yeah, I know,” DJ couldn’t help but beam, “I always dreamed of going to a BroZone concert. You know, obviously before I learned about everything, but I guess that a small part of me did wanted to go to a BroZone concert.”

“And now you have the chance to do so. And be part of the performance,” Trollex grinned, “You excited?”

“Am I ever!?” DJ then coyly smirked, “And you’ll get another chance to hear my beautiful singing voice.”

“Another reason I fell in love with you,” Trollex kissed her one more time before a smirk came on his face, "You know…maybe after this show, I think we should have a little private celebration of our own.”

DJ’s cheeks burned as she realised what Trollex meant by that. The burning got higher as Trollex winked at her before nuzzling her neck and giving a gentle bite, causing a shudder to run through her involuntarily.

Disappointingly, Trollex pulled away but not before whispering in her ear, “Don’t worry, if you want, I got plenty more love to give.”

“…You’re a jerk, Lex,” DJ glared at Trollex, cheeks still burning.

“You still love me, though,” Trollex leaned in to nuzzle noses.

“I do,” DJ beamed before Trollex stopped pinning her so they could hug, “Anyway, it’s nearly showtime so I better hurry before the others start without me.”

“Good luck!” Trollex called after her, “Love you!”

“Love you too!”

After much running, she had made it back to the backstage area with ten minutes to kill before the performance was due to begin.

And soon it was time.

(A Better Place (Reunion Version) – Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, NSYNC, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi & Troye Sivan)

[Justin Timberlake]
Just let me take you to a better place

And then the rest of them joined in.

[Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani & NSYNC]
I’m gonna make you kiss the sky tonight
Yeah, if you let me show the way (NYSNC: Show the way)
I’m so excited to see you excited

DJ’s gaze briefly flickered to the front of the crowd where their friends and family were, cheering them on. Poppy, Viva, CJ, Cooper and Trollex were the loudest of everyone. She grinned as she continued singing and dancing with the others.

I’ll take you to a better place, yoo-hoo
And, baby, you can love me on the way
We’re flying up to outer space
I’m so excited to see you excited, yeah

DJ’s gaze returned to the audience to see Floyd leaving the others in copying their moves.

I like to see you lose control (Troye Sivan: Yeah, yeah)
(Gwen Stefani & NYSNC: Ain’t nobody better, we do it better, yeah)

As she and the others sung the next part, Branch beckoned Floyd and the others on stage. They cheered before quickly running in different directions, much to the excitement of the crowd. Which grew as the lights dimmed.

I know a place, say that you’ll go with me, yeah
(Ain’t nobody better, we do it better)

In the darkness, she could see Floyd and the others make their way onstage. And when the moment was right, the lights returned, revealing BroZone dancing among them.

[All]
Just let me take you to a better place (Daveed Diggs: Better place)

The crowd’s cheer became almost deafening at the appearance of BroZone on stage.

I’m gonna make you kiss the sky tonight
Yeah, if you let me show the way (Justin Timberlake: Show the way)
I’m so excited to see you excited, yeah
(Daveed Diggs: I’mma take you to a)

They then formed a triangle and tapped their knees with their elbows before forming a circle and facing each other.

I’ll take you to a better place, yoo-hoo
And baby you can love me on the way ( Kid Cudi: Love me)
We’re flying up to outer space
I’m so excited to see you excited, (Daveed Diggs: So excited) (Troye Sivan: Yeah, yeah)

BroZone jumped in front of them and got on one knee. They jumped in front of them, striking poses for the crowd.

[Justin Timberlake & Gwen Stefani]
I like to see you lose control (Troye Sivan: Yeah, yeah)

Then they were singing as they backed up into a line formation, snapping their fingers to the beat.

(Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan & NYSNC: Ain’t nobody better, we do it better)
I know a place, say that you’ll go with me, yeah
(Ain’t nobody better, we’ll do it better)

And then they struck one final pose before bowing as the crowd cheered.

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Wani sighed as she sat there in a secluded spot by the waterfront, watching the water go back and forth. Beyond her, the party was still going on.

A month and a few days. That was how long it had been since her sisters had been taken prisoner, before being rescued. It felt wrong for some reason. It felt longer and shorter than that.

But it was the truth.

A month since that day. Since she had relived the events that had casted a dark shadow on their first visit to Mount Rageous. Since her sisters had suffered once more.

Wani sighed once more as she curled up. Floyd was nearly done for by the time they got there. If they had been a few days late…what would’ve happened?

Her friend…would be dead right now. Another family would’ve been torn apart.

Truly, there was no end to the suffering that the Giants had brought upon their people. How long? How long would they have to continue to fight for their basic right to exist? How long would they be stuck doing this?

Would they be stuck fighting for the rest of their lives? Would she meet the same fate as her parents—?

She shook her head to clear out those thoughts. No, they wouldn’t do anyone right, much less herself.

Her family was safe. They had somewhere safe to stay. A permanent home. Things were getting better. Slowly but still.

It was like what Queen Poppy, Branch and DJ said. No matter what came their way, they would be okay and make this world better as long as they stayed together and believed in each other.

Her ears perked up at the sound of the girls laughing. She looked to see that they were laughing at a joke that Tresillo had made as Marimba and Tambora rolled their eyes.

She couldn’t help but smile at the sight as she reminded herself that she had Tresillo as her partner now after years of longing. After everything.

She didn’t know how but she just knew that everything was going to be okay.

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After the concert, he found himself at one of the many, many snack tables while talking to Lizzy.

“So…how everything’s going with reconnecting with John?”

“Good, good, good…” Branch couldn’t help but bite his lip uncertainly.

“Is something wrong?” Lizzy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Branch shook his head before sighing, “It’s just that I can’t really reconnect with John without thinking about DJ.”

“Oh.”

“It’s just that…” Branch did a double-check to see if DJ was nearby before continuing, “I just can’t stop thinking about how she’s feeling about all of this. Sure, she says that she’s okay with it and she’s doing well with John and the others but…I can’t stop thinking about her. Eric and Lily aren’t coming back. They’re gone…for good.”

“While me, Cooper’s parents and brother, your brothers, Viva and even Laguna’s mom came back.”

“Yes,” Branch sighed once more, running a hair through his hair, “How is that fair to her? How is that fair to my hermana?”

“…You know, I debated that question myself a long time ago,” Lizzy said, staring into the cup of punch, “Losing Melody, losing my parents, losing my home, throughout all my life, I was always used to losing the most important things and people. It hurt so much in a way that made me…bitter about the world around me. Seeing other Trolls who didn’t experience the same hardship as I did, living like they are the luckiest people in the world, only made me more bitter because it felt so unfair.”

Branch nodded in agreement at that. He had shared those exact same feelings in the 20 years between the Great Escape and their adventure to Bergen Town.

“Unfair that they didn’t lose their entire families. Who still had a roof over their heads and family to hold. For a long time, I felt…so distant and numb, only focusing on doing what was next. Those thoughts never left even as I grew older. So I can understand how DJ would probably be feeling about it. But you know what got me to think differently about it?”

“What?”

“Something that our queen said. She told me ‘To connect freely is to have a heart of healing hurt from what is not fair. For instead of it being turned into a pattern of turmoil, use it to strive for what feels, and is, morally and rightfully just’. What she meant by tha was this; Life will deliver bad things along with good, and at times, it can feel hurtful to see others surrounded by the good while you’re tangled up in the bad. But within it, there is good for knowing that while the hurt lingers, life will show you something new that is just as good, even more. And to connect with that, you find healing, heart and even family.”

“…Thanks, Lizzy,” Branch gave a thankful smile.

“Hey, anything for a friend,” Lizzy toasted them both before continuing to drink her punch.

“Speaking of, I was thinking…” Branch took a deep breath before speaking, “I want to join the expedition to Mixed City. Help you guys retake your homeland.”

“…That’s noble and we do need all the help we can get but…we’re walking into uncharted territory here, Branch,” Lizzy sighed, “We don’t know what the Governor has or what’s going on. There’s a chance that—.”

“That I might not make it back alive,” Branch sighed, “There’s always that risk when it comes to our adventures. I’ve been halfway across the world and back. Besides, I am technically a Mixed Troll.”

“Fair point,” Lizzy sighed, “You’ll have to ask our Queen next time we get a chance.”

“I will,” Branch nodded before tapping his chin in thought, “You know, I was also thinking; maybe you should be my sister’s therapist instead of Mr Dinkles.”

“Mr Dinkles is Biggie’s Worm friend, right?”

“Yeah, and by God, he was an absolutely terrible therapist.”

“Really?” Lizzy raised an eyebrow, “What did he do?”

“He was rude,” Branch began ticking off fingers as he spoke, “He gave my sister bad advice. He charged ridiculously high for his services. He made me lift too many fingers.”

“How much?”

“A thousand gold coins, I think.”

“Jesus!”

“I know!”

“Do I even want to know where he got his license?”

“Well, unfortunately, all the therapists we used to have either fled or got…you know during our war with the Bergens.”

“Have you thought about getting a replacement?”

“Oh, believe me, we have tried but every single one that applies for the position ends up in a nunchuck-related accident and ends up quitting after a hospital visit from Biggie and Mr Dinkles.”

“You think Mr Dinkles has something to do with it?”

Branch looked around to see if Mr Dinkles was nearby before leaning in once he was sure he wasn’t, “I’m at least 99% sure that he is but I don’t want to say it out loud in fear of going to the hospital next time. Well, at least he hasn’t said anything nasty about me and DJ being siblings, again.”

“And if he did?”

“Well, guess Worm Soup will be on the menu,” Branch shrugged.

“It’s very nutritious. Believe me,” Off his stunned look, she continued, “Look, sometimes we didn’t have enough to eat in the Sanctuary and the deliveries were late, so we had to go out hunting for food. Especially during the snowy parts of winter,” She then smirked as she pulled her bow and arrow, “Ol’ Patricia and Winslow here handle the job quite well.”

“You named your bow and arrow?”

“Hey, you named your remote Gary,” Lizzy chuckled.

“…Fair, but maybe you should invest in a crossbow. Easier to fire and reload and you can fire off several shots while on the move and not stop to reload.”

“True,” Lizzy nodded, “But I think I’ll be keeping these two here.”

“Alright. Give me a call if you’re interested in a crossbow,” Branch downed the rest of his punch before he began walking off, “I’m heading off to go talk to DJ.”

“Okay! Just remember what I said!”

“Will do!” Branch called over his shoulder before he continued searching for DJ. After some time, he found her watching the sunset from top of the cantina.

“Hey, sis,” Branch greeted, and DJ turned around to face him.
“What’s up, bro?” DJ beamed as she pulled him into a hug, “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty glad,” Branch couldn’t help but return the smile, “So what are you doing?”

“Just enjoying the sunset,” DJ turned back to the sunset and sighed.

“Can I join?”

“What do you think?” DJ turned back to face him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. And soon, they were both watching the sunset. Watching the party below. Watching the others party to their heart’s content. Watching the world around them.

Just like they did before when Floyd left to try and find the others. Just like when DJ and Cooper stayed with him for hours until he felt comfortable to be alone. Just sitting and watching in silence as the clouds went by.

“Hey, guys,” They turned to see John and the rest of their siblings, along with CJ, Poppy, Viva, Trollex, Quincy, Essence, and the rest of their friends and familia standing there, “What are you guys doing?”

“Just enjoying the sunset.”

“Cool,” John nodded before giving a hopeful smile, “Can we join?”

Branch sighed, “Sure.”

[4] And together, as one, they all watched the sunset together…

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THANKS FOR READING

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AUTHOR’S NOTES
[1] Originally, the reunion concert was supposed to be set two months later but I decided to knock it down to one month and a few days. The two months thing was a headcanon I had about the timing of the reunion concert following the events at Mount Rageous, since I imagine that the group were quite busy with negotiations and forming a formal alliance with Rageous to limit Troll-trafficking to varying success.

[2] Victoria comes from I’ll Always Come Home by Looking_To_The_Moon_Tonight

[3] The idea of Melody, BroZone, DJ, Cooper and D dying some part of their hair white for Floyd was suggested by MasterClass60. Lizzy’s speech to Branch was also suggested by MasterClass60 and I thank them so much for it.

[4] And this chapter marks the conclusion of the AU’s take on the Trolls trilogy. Since, by the time of writing this, there hasn’t been any news about Trolls 4, there won’t be a sequel hook as the other stories did.

Don’t worry, there are still plenty of stories to write for this AU. And if there’s more Trolls movies made, I will try my best to write them out. The same goes or any new Trolls shows or specials.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this, and I apologise if the quality of this story isn’t as good as other previous entries in the AU. I…kind of struggled writing this but I tried my best to make sure that it was good quality.

Until next time.

Spanish Terms
Hermano – Brother
Hija – Daughter
Sobrina – Niece
Primo – Cousin (Male)
Prima – Cousin (Female)
Familia – Family

Chapter Text

(Written 27/6/25 – Over two months after releasing Let Me Take You To A Better Place which was written and completed during The Grass Ain’t Always Greener)

So I know that you’ve been looking forward to seeing the new instalment of Strange Friendship but…unfortunately, there won’t be. A completed instalment that is.

While writing Let Me Take You To A Better Place, I struggled a lot since I had backed myself into a corner in regard to Mount Rageous and justifying John Dory’s continued absence. I knew I should’ve gotten rid of Mount Rageous and had John reunite with the bros during the events of World Tour. There wasn’t much of a point in writing an AU take on Band Together, but I backed myself into a corner and I struggled hard in writing this out.

And while writing One Goal In Mind, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t provide good quality chapters. In the end, I could only do two before giving up. As for my planned take on TrollsTopia, I’ve set up a lot of elements that I can’t live up to in a satisfying way and that don’t make that much sense anymore.

Plus, I’ve noticed the declining numbers of Kudos and comments so that has somewhat helped contribute to my lessening will to write Strange Friendship. Not blaming my readers. I’m just glad that at least so many people have taken time out of their days to read my stories.

Don’t worry, I will still release what I managed to write for One Goal In Mind and the outline for the rest of the story in Strange Friendship Tales but…until further notice, this will be it for Strange Friendship.

I might do a rewrite of Strange Friendship at one point and incorporate any new media that pops up between now and then but…I’m not making any guarantees.

Hope that you enjoyed Strange Friendship and I’m sorry for ending it like this…