Chapter Text
“Isn’t it amazing?” Poppy pressed her hands against the wall of the hot air balloon, leaning forward until the very tips of her toes were brushing off the basket’s floor.
Raspberry eyes scanned over the waking horizon, the vast world just at her finger tips. She’d never witness such an extravagant sight– even from the highest point of the Troll tree! There were so many unexplored places. So many spots she’d never gotten the chance to search. With all the possibilities laid out before her, well, It all just seemed so… magical.
Heck, even the puffy white cotton balls floating by seemed to have an extra whimsy to Poppy today. If she lifted her feet just a little and stretched her arm as far as she could, she was certain she could touch one if she really wanted to.
“The clouds look so inviting when they aren’t talking to you.”
“Pops,” Branch grabbed her waist, pulling her completely back to the safety of the aircraft she was insistent on hanging out of. “How about we keep our feet on the floor? You’re going to tumble out.”
“Branch, relax! Take in the view! Have you ever seen anything so pretty?” Poppy asked, an extra pep in her step as she tried to get him as jazzed about their adventure as she was.
“It is very pretty.” Branch agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you should disregard your safety for a better view.”
“Aha! Got it!”
An excited voice sounded from across the pit. Clay was hunched under the control board, holding up the most dense book that Branch had ever seen.
“Ugh, I almost forgot about him.” Poppy muttered, her mood turning sour. “Why are you here again?”
“Because this little ‘mission’ of yours is a death trap waiting to happen.” Clay stated, dusting off the clearly never opened text. “You’re too hard-headed to change your mind and lover-boy over there can’t keep his head straight around you. Someone has to have some sense around here.”
Branch took offense to that comment, “Rude.”
“If it’s the truth then it’s just observation.” Clay grunted with a roll of his eyes. “We’re up the creek without a paddle, but–” He stood proudly with his find, laying the book out and cracking his knuckles in preparation. “In a short 456 pages, I’m going to know how to fly this thing.”
Before Clay had the chance to glance at the first word, a pink hand swooped in to close the tome.
“We don’t need a giant comprehensive manual.” Poppy slid the book towards herself.
Clay slammed his paw over the cover before she had the chance to toss it– brows rising in false inquiry. “Oh, I’m sorry. Have you flown one of these before?”
Poppy expressively rolled her gaze over the surrounding sky. “We’re flying now.”
“No, we’re floating.” Clay argued, jerking back against the book. “I’m not going to let you kill us because you don’t know how to land this thing.”
“Who said I don’t know how to land it?” Poppy asked with a twisted nose.
“Did you read the manual?”
“No.”
“Then you don’t know how to land it!”
Branch watched the pair fight over the book like they were competing in tug-of-war. Neither troll would yield in their grip over the manual, even as the other pulled and shuffled. They weren’t off to a great start. Branch hadn’t seen them interact so much in decades, yet, it was exactly as stormy as he would expect.
How they could manage to be in a bookclub together was beyond him.
Normally Branch would be quick to come to Poppy’s defense– she was rarely in the wrong when it came to Clay. His brother was often the instigator with his off color looks or passive aggressive grumblings. This argument however? Personally, Branch was on the side of not crashing the basket.
“Poppy, I think we should–” He interjected.
“I could land it just fine!” Poppy snapped. She glared back at the oldest, cheeks puffing with indignation. “It’s just a stupid manual. I don’t need it. I have a natural instinct.”
“What is your problem?” Clay snapped back. “Your entire bunker was built using written instructions. Before you picked up a book you were digging around like a common mole! Oh, wait, who wrote those ‘stupid’ manuals again?” He asked, flashing a sardonic smile.
Poppy’s eyes narrowed further.
“I’ll just show you.” Without warning Poppy released the book– sending the tugging troll stumbling with his effort. There was admittedly a little satisfaction behind her mean action.
“Uh… Poppy?”
Ignoring her newly overly-cautious boyfriend, Poppy marched up to the console fully confident in her abilities. She handled machines all the time! She could drive Rhonda just fine and no one taught her that. She could fly a dumb balloon!
Poppy raised her finger, hovering it over the navigation and calling out to Clay, “You just try one of these–”
With barely the touch of a button a whirlwind swept in, twisting the Trolls around like it was trying to drop them off in a distant land. The only explanation for the violent lurch the aircraft took was a black hole– because surely it wasn’t meant to fly like this! Poppy’s stomach jumped into her throat. Up became down, east merged into west, and the loop-de-loops transformed into drops.
Poppy’s paw ripped away from the problematic button– the flurry coming to a halt as her back crashed against the wall of the balloon. For a moment she wasn’t sure if the aircraft was upside down or just her. All she could see were her toes kissing the sky.
With a groan, Poppy rolled onto her side. Her eyes drew focus on her companions– both alive and still in the craft, though in just a tangled state as she was.
The mess of lime curls shifted until a pair of icy blue eyes could scowl in her direction. Poppy didn’t like the phrase ‘I told you so’-- at least, not when it wasn’t coming from her own mouth.
With warm cheeks and a refusal to meet Clay’s angered gloat, Poppy huffed out, “Fine. Read the stupid manual.”
”Thank you.” Clay puffed his ‘appreciation’ in return.
Without another word or glance, the pair did what they were best at: Ignoring each other.
Poppy dusted herself off, storming to the opposite end of the balloon as Clay. She couldn’t give herself a lot of space in these conditions– but space was a must.
She approached Branch. The man was slowly climbing out of a mountain of cotton candy that broke his fall.
“You alright?” She asked, offering a hand to assist him out the sugary confectionery.
“Uh… Yeah. I’m good.” Branch replied, a clear frustration in his tone. “Should have taken it easy on the buttons.”
Poppy pursed her lips, apologetically reaching up to pick the sugar out of his hair. “Sorry.” She whispered.
Branch softened at her apology. He shrugged and peeled a piece of candy off his vest, sticking it in his mouth for a little snack. “There are worse ways to land.” He smiled.
Poppy shook her head as he kept eating the bits stuck to his shirt. When Branch raised his tail to nibble a bit from his tuft, her face twisted.
Stuck between grossed out and amused, Poppy smacked his tail away. “Ew. Don’t eat that. It’s gotta have fuzz clinging to it now.”
“You know how I am around cotton candy.” Branch defended. He reached over to nab some from the pile that had saved him.
Even though this was fresh, Poppy still playfully struck his arm. “Don’t eat it all! We need it.”
Branch raised a brow curiously. He watched Poppy shuffle around, picking up the sugary mess and neatly organizing it once more. “What for?”
“It’s for Barb!” Poppy declared happily. “We’re going to help her unite the Troll Tribes, right? It’s a peace offering!”
“Uh huh. So these are all… peace offerings?” Branch paced the small space. He examined the contents of their supplies to reveal more of Pop Village’s classic staples. Candy canes, lollipops, and, much to Branch’s humor, an entire trunk of gumdrops.
“Yes! You know, to show them we’re friendly.” Poppy expressed excitedly. She not so subtly stepped in front of the only lidded basket on the vehicle. “And she’s going to love it!”
Branch was far too nosey to simply let that slide.
“Of course she will.” He agreed, showing his support.
Branch approached, brow raising as his girlfriend continued to step around the container and keep him away. Each direction he shifted Poppy would simply mirror, glancing around the open sky as if she wasn’t being actively suspicious and obvious.
The blue troll crossed his arms. “Poppifer?”
“Yes, Branchifer?” She responded casually.
“What is this?”
When he pointed behind Poppy, she turned and glanced at the basket. She feigned as if noticing it there for the first time.
“Oh! This? It’s nothing. It’s just my… uh, it’s my– my lady stuff.”
Branch could almost burst out laughing at her lame excuse. He definitely needed to see inside now– it was either really good, really bad, or really crazy.
The troll smiled widely, jumping up as if that was the greatest answer Poppy could have given him. “I love lady stuff!”
Branch snatched his arm around her waist and spun them quickly to switch positions. Poppy’s yelp of surprise hadn’t even reached his ears before Branch was ripping the lid off the basket.
The playful grin dropped the moment of the reveal. It seemed Poppy wasn’t as certain of this mission as she was trying to lead them all to believe.
“Weapons?” He held up a sharpened wood dowel.
“I– I know.” Poppy twisted her hands in front of her as if ashamed that she’d resorted to old habits. “I brought them. I brought them even though you always tell me ‘violence never solves a problem.’ Don’t be mad.”
While that was true, seeing these actually brought Branch a sense of relief. He expected most of the baskets to contain weapons, not treats. It was reassuring that his Preparation Poppy wasn’t completely lost to her newfound dream.
“I’m not upset.” Branch clarified, setting the lid to the side. “I think it’s a good thing.”
Poppy’s brows raised in shock. “You’re okay with me hoarding weapons?”
Branch couldn’t blame her suspicion. He had never endorsed her armory before. He had always encouraged Poppy to use her words rather than fists.
“We have no idea what Barb or the other Tribes are like. Of course you’d want to have a backup plan.” Branch made a jabbing motion with the whittled spear he’d picked up. “We might not have to use them, but it’s good to have in case we need them.”
Though that surely had to be Poppy’s direct line of thinking as well, it seemed Branch had said the wrong thing. She frowned, clearly upset that he was agreeing with her. Branch wasn’t the type to jump to violence. Realizing why he was fine with this precaution simply made her mad.
“We won’t need them.” Poppy took the spear from Branch’s hand, placing it back into its container. “Because these sticks won’t help us listen and these rocks won’t put us in other people's shoes. Right?”
Branch raised one brow skeptically as Poppy backtracked her own apprehensive nature. It seemed she didn’t like being caught having doubts about her own mission.
“Oh, and what about these?” He asked, holding up what appeared to be three golden rings all welded together. He’d never seen jewelry like this before, but he was fairly certain they were anything but an accessory. He slid it over his fingers. “What even is this? Huh, kind of cool looking. Oooh~"
“Give me that.”
Poppy interrupted Branch’s admiration by sweeping the brass knuckles off his hand. She frowned, not liking to see her pacifistic partner playing around with things she hoped he’d never have to use.
“Like I said, we won’t be needing them.” She stated sternly.
Branch crossed his arms and watched as Poppy put everything back into the basket before securing the lid once more. “I’m just saying, we don’t even know what’s out there.”
“Yes, we do! We’re going to find other Trolls!”
Branch pursed his lips, watching Poppy as closely as she was watching him. “Other Trolls who might not be as friendly as we are.”
Poppy didn’t like the negative turn this was taking. Branch had agreed to come with her, but it was clear that he was still wary about the other Tribes. She didn’t understand why he couldn’t be open to this. He was open to everything! They were friends with the Bergens now– how could other Trolls be so scary?
That’s when a voice tickled the back of Poppy’s mind. Soothing notes cleared away the worry that fogged up her own mind. A melody called to bring her to action. The hypnotic song was becoming all too familiar to Poppy. Its guidance felt like the only thing she could actively rely on. The only thing pushing her towards the ultimate goal. A bubble of pressure started building in her chest.
She needed to stay positive. She needed to get Branch to understand. She needed to sing.
“Trust me, all we have to do is come together, and embrace our sameness!”
“Our sameness?” Branch questioned, glancing down as Poppy took his hands and excitedly bounced in place. His brow raised in concern. There was a strange pinkish glow emitting from her irises. Branch leaned closer to inspect the subtle change. “Poppy, are you feeling alri–”
”If you look around–”
“Oh!” Branch jumped back a bit as her voice burst out.
”The whole world is coming together now.”
“A song? Now?”
The uncertainty in Branch’s brow deepened as Poppy’s grin grew wider.
”Yeah! Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”
Branch sputtered as Poppy grabbed a hold of him, encouraging the man to dance with her. The confused Troll was led to the wall of the Balloon’s basket. Poppy gestured towards the open sky and mountain ranges in view.
“Feel it in the air. The wind is taking us anywhere.”
Poppy stood behind Branch, tapping his chin so he’d raise his head and let the breeze brush over his face. Her paw settled on his chest, tapping out a gentle rhythm as if she was trying to make him feel the same pull she had described prior to their adventure.
”Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”
Her voice was infectious. Since Poppy had rediscovered it, Branch sought any opportunity to hear her sing. So much so that he didn’t want to stop her. He wasn’t so sure that he could. Every note that left her lips seemed to grab a hold of his mind. He wanted to hear it more.
Branch let out a nervous chuckle, thinking maybe there had been some truth to Clay’s earlier statement. Branch glanced at his brother for assistance, though Clay was decidedly not giving the couple any attention.
”All the Trolls of the world should be supporting each other wholeheartedly.” Poppy reached into her hair and retrieved a crafted paper chain. She opened it up, showing off the visual aid of Trolls from different Tribe’s holding hands. ”Yeah it’s alright. Take my message to your brother and then tell him twice.”
Branch smiled softly, reaching up to lower Poppy’s hands so she could look at him. It was bizarre that he had to be the realistic one. “Getting all the Trolls to get along isn’t such a straightforward thing to do.”
“But we’re all the same. The blood inside of me is inside of you.” Poppy tapped at her own chest before giving Branch’s a poke, reminding him that despite their differences they were always able to find common ground.
Poppy took Branch’s hand to spin him around, then tugged him back close to her. “Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”
As Poppy led their dance, Branch couldn’t help but get swept up in her enthusiasm. He was a Troll, afterall! Even with no instruments present he could hear the tapping on a keyboard, the pull of a guitar string, and the irresistible bump of a bass.
“Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”
Branch was completely transfixed on Poppy. Her toothy grin, her melodious voice, even the light shining in her eyes. For some reason the strange glimmer he’d noticed earlier didn’t seem to bother him as much.
“Come on, give me that falsetto, Branch!” Poppy called to him. “Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”
With a playful roll of his eyes, Branch relented. He cleared his throat, joining for the finale. “I can feel it!”
“Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”
Poppy giggled and threw her hands up into the air. “Woohoo! We’re going to unite the world!”
Branch laughed as Poppy flung her arms around him in a bone crushing hug. He shook his head and wrapped back around her. He felt better about the whole ordeal, like a blanket had been placed over his anxieties.
That feeling didn’t last for very long.
“Hey, uh, guys?” Clay’s concerned voice interrupted the happy cheering. “About that…”
Branch and Poppy turned from their giggling embrace.
Clay pointed out to the horizon, alerting the other Trolls to the rising smoke they were currently approaching. “I think you’re going to want to see this.”