Gray is Not All Colorless

A/N: I finally finished this late last night, but I was getting really tired. So I held off posting until now. Hopefully, this chapter is worth the wait. Hope you enjoy it! And roll it!

Chapter 4

An Abrupt End to a Party

Hours later, the party that everyone in the village had been looking forward to was in full swing, and it was everything that Branch was dreading it would be. It was big, loud and crazy; more so than usual. Most likely because it was meant to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Trolls' freedom from the Bergens.

(A/N: Imagine that this song is playing for the party.)

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Watching from above, from a good enough distance, Branch just lightly scoffed and went off into the forest to continue his patrol, having a couple of sharpened sticks tucked under his vest just in case. Just because this was meant to be a happy time, it doesn't mean that there were other dangers out there besides the Bergens. So Branch decided to scan the perimeter and make sure that nothing deadly was being attracted by the noise and colorful flashing lights.

Earlier, when Peppy stopped by the bunker, Branch had agreed to his terms for the party and gave him his answer about him becoming the heir to the throne. Yes, he was a little nervous about how the other Trolls will react to the news, but with Peppy's confidence in him and by how nice CJ Suki was acting to him, it gave him a little bit of reassurance that maybe things actually can change for the better. If others can give him the same chance, then maybe it won't be so bad.

Still, there was something inside of him that wasn't entirely too sure. There were some other Trolls that didn't think very highly of them, and they were the ones that were a bit more vocal when they would gossip about him behind his back. Hopefully, their reactions won't be too terrible. The most Branch would be expecting is a few Trolls fainting from shock.

Just then, he was almost pushed down to his feet from a blast of light that rippled through the forest. He scoffed as he regained his balance.

"Taking it a little too far there, huh?" Branch muttered under his breath, and then headed further away from the village to continue inspecting for any predators. But little did he know that his own worst fear will soon come to pass.

**********************************

Miles away, hunched down over a map, with several more pinned onto a board above it, a large, hideous figure was looking at the map, trying to make sense of it. Just then, it heard the fireworks in the distance, and it swirled around to look in its direction.

A Bergen. And it was not just any Bergen. The former royal Chef, who was banished from Bergen Town exactly twenty years ago soon after the Trolls had escaped.

She was even more uglier than she had been twenty years prior. Her pale turquoise hair was dirty, tangled and had twigs in it. Her purple-gray skin seemed to have a few more warts than when she was younger. Her chef's attire was torn and muddied, and she was barefoot. Her red eyes shone with disbelief, even daring to hope.

She took out a telescope and looked in the direction where the fireworks came from. "Put your hands up in the air!" A voice shouted.

Another firework shot up into the air, this time showing a glowing picture of a Troll. She removed the spyglass from her eye and then grinned maliciously.

"Trolls." She said. After twenty long years, she had found them at last.

******************************************

Branch was now a good three miles away from the raucous village. He could still hear the deafening music from where he was, but at least he was far enough from judging eyes and ears.

He had been feeling the urge to sing for about thirty minutes since the party started. Now, he was far away where no one could hear him. He already brings himself down for being a hypocrite since he hates singing and dancing, but at the same time, there was always a part of him that just couldn't tear that part of himself out.

The more that he thought about it, the more nervous he was feeling about how everyone was going to react to Peppy's announcement. Most of the Trolls already think that he's a nuisance. Amber and Blueberry think a little more highly of him; even if he doesn't quite consider them friends, but he is a little more tolerant of them than other Trolls, and CJ seemed to like him as well.

He then quietly groaned. "Who am I kidding?" He said to himself, kicking a tiny pebble. "Me, the village grump, and the only gray Troll, suddenly chosen to one day become king of the most annoyingly upbeat, colorful and positive creatures known in history?"

He then crossed his arms tightly against his chest. "How ironic is that?"

Branch had arrived at the lake, the moonlight glistening on the still water. He found a large enough mushroom to climb up on and sit down and he continued to stare across the calm lake. He then sighed as he brought his legs up to his chest. He looked over at his gray skin, which looked even darker in the nighttime atmosphere, and narrowed his eyes at it.

"I might as well be a freak of nature." Branch muttered. "I sure look like one. Even if I try to be happy just to make everyone else happy, I just...."

He sighed, bringing his legs closer to his body. "I just can't. If I ever find my colors again, I want it to be a real and, I guess, a more permanent reason why. Like it would make me want to feel like I do belong, despite what everyone else thinks."

He grabbed the pebble that he picked up earlier and threw it towards the lake, the small stone skipping across a good four times before sinking. As the little pebble disappeared, he quietly began to sing to himself again.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Branch: I have often dreamed
Of a far-off place,
Where a great, warm welcome
Will be waiting for me.

Feeling a tiny bit of reassurance as he sang, Branch slowly stood up to look up at the lake and the moon reflecting above.

Where the crowds will cheer
When they see my face,
And a voice keeps saying,
This is where I'm meant to be.

He carefully jumped off the mushroom, his perimeter patrol done for now, since Peppy will be making his announcement any minute, and he had promised him that he would at least make a brief appearance before retreating into his bunker for most likely the next three days to avoid the whispers and gossips of the other Trolls.

But feeling a little more daring, Branch used his hair to wrap around a tree branch above him and pull himself up to the lowest limb of the tree. For some reason, in accordance to his name, Branch always felt a little more comfortable moving from tree to tree than down on the ground. As he continued to sing, he began to climb up to the tallest tree branch that was strong enough to support his weight.

I will find my way.
I can go the distance.
I'll be there someday
If I can be strong.

I know every mile
Will be worth my while.
I would go most anywhere
To feel like I belong.

Once Branch got higher up the tree, he had a faint smile on his face when he saw how high he was and how close he was to maybe even grabbing a shooting star if it was possible. Sometimes, seeing a shooting star stream across the sky for a brief moment, not only is it a sight of natural beauty, but it also gives him a little bit of hope, telling him that one day, things will change.

Just then, he heard a thumping noise coming from below him. If he were on the ground, it would be like thunder, judging from the weight of the cause. He looked down and what he saw made his heart stop.

It was a Bergen.

His breath got caught in his throat, making him gasp quietly, and he quickly rubbed his eyes to make sure that this wasn't a hallucination. The last couple of times that he ran into the village saying that the Bergens were coming, they weren't taken seriously; not just because he was the grumpy gray Troll, but also because they weren't true in the first place.

Branch later realized that they were just hallucinations due to lack of sleep from working and collecting endlessly and from psychological trauma from what had happened twenty years earlier, with the loss of his grandmother. Eventually, he isolated himself in his bunker for a couple of weeks to get some well-needed sleep. It helped tremendously, but once in a while, his paranoia would get the better of him. So for his sanity and for the safety of the village, he needed to know if this was real and not in his head.

He soon saw that this was not in his head, but that the Bergen was real. He looked ahead and saw just where the ugly monster was heading. His icy blue eyes widened in horror.

With a great leap, and by using his hair to swing himself forward, Branch began heading back towards the village, quickly getting ahead of it. He just hoped that everyone would listen this time and get to safety before the Bergen takes them all.

*******************************

Back in the village, everyone was partying like mad. Everyone was jumping to the beat of the music, and there was glitter and lights everywhere. Soon, Peppy made things grow quiet as he stepped further from where he was standing on the large mushroom at the front of the plaza.

"All right, everyone." He said. "Today is a most momentous occasion for us all. Not only are we celebrating our twentieth year of freedom after many years of captivity, but I have finally come to a decision regarding the future of the throne."

The Trolls all looked at one another, murmuring quietly, wondering what he meant. The Snack Pack glanced over at Creek, and he had a confident smile on his face. For some reason, this time, that smile sent an odd chill down their backs. He seemed a little too eager to know what the King had decided.

"Now please understand." Peppy continued. "I have chosen this particular Troll because despite the things that have happened in his life, he still pushed forward and made use of what fate had dealt him. He is intelligent, brave, strong, and determined; never backing down from what's right. He can become a great leader for all of us if we only give him the chance to become what we need, not want. The Troll that I have chosen, as my heir and future King is...."

He paused for dramatic effect, leaving everyone almost standing on their toes, wanting him to finish. The suspense was killing them. Creek's smile just widened as he was about to take a step forward to join Peppy on the mushroom.

"-Branch."

Everyone gasped in shock, and Creek even lost his balance and fell forward into the dirt. Did they just hear that right? Did Peppy just say that Branch, the village grump, was to be his heir?

"Branch?" Someone from the crowd asked as the Trolls voiced their concerns and thoughts. "That gray weirdo?"

"That paranoid grump?"

"That party-pooper?"

Creek slowly picked himself off the ground, brushing some dirt off of his yellow pants. But he felt like he could literally turn green with envy. Branch?! Branch was chosen to be the future King?! Why?! Obviously, Peppy must be just as crazy as that annoyingly negative gray Troll. What would Branch know about ruling a kingdom of colorful, musical, affectionate creatures that practically ooze positivity? It had to be his worst nightmare; but it was more confusing because from how Peppy was talking, it seemed that Branch actually agreed to it!

Peppy looked around, wondering where his godson was. He had given him his word that he would be here for the announcement, and he is a Troll of his word despite what everyone else thinks of him.

Just then, he saw a gray shadow swinging from the tree branches above at a fast pace. Then, the Troll of the hour jumped down from the branch, doing a couple of flips before landing on his feet and running up to him.

"Ah! There you are, my boy." Peppy said to Branch, not noticing that he was looking a little frazzled. The Trolls all grew quiet and looked at the gray Troll next to the King with suspicious and disapproving eyes.

"I was wondering where you were."

Branch panted as he wiped off beads of sweat from his brow. "Sorry, got held up." He said before getting right down to business. "But the party's over. We need to get everyone to safety, now!"

"Why?" Peppy asked. "What's wrong?"

"There's a Bergen coming this way!" Branch explained.

There was a collective groan coming from the crowd of Trolls. "Oh, boy." Guy Diamond said, lightly slapping a palm onto his forehead.

"Here we go again." Cooper muttered, shaking his head from where he was standing on the mushroom.

Branch lightly clenched his teeth in frustration, too tense to even feel discouraged from the Trolls' reactions to his warning. Of course they wouldn't believe him. He turned over to the crowd, a stony glare on his face, taking them aback by how serious he looked at the moment.

"I'm serious!" He shouted. "There is a Bergen heading over here! I saw it from where I was patrolling the perimeter. Everyone, get someplace safe and hide. Now!"

Just then, a thundering rumble shook the ground and made the pods above them tremble, making everyone stop. The rumbling only grew louder as it followed a rhythmic, footstep-like pattern. Branch's eyes slowly widened in fear as he took a step back and put his arm out in front of Peppy protectively.

Too late. The thought echoed in his mind as the rumbling got louder and louder.

"A Bergen." Peppy muttered, recognizing the creature that was now standing in front of the terrified colony of Trolls.

A cruel smirk came on Chef's face when she saw all of the Trolls in one place, just right for the picking. "Gotcha." She said.

Cooper was so scared that he actually released a few cupcakes from his behind, making Chef look at him weirdly. Without removing his terrified gaze from her, the llama-like Troll pushed one of the cupcakes in front of him with his back leg and held it out to her with his hand.

"Cupcake?" He offered nervously.

Chef just got her evil smirk back on her face as she mutely unzipped her fanny pack that was on her hip. The cupcake fell from Cooper's hand.

"Run!" Branch shouted.

This time, no one argued with him as all of the Trolls screamed and ran for their lives as Chef began to scan the crowd for a Troll that could be an easy picking. She easily picked up Guy Diamond by the hair and then stuffed him into her fanny pack.

DJ Suki was running while holding CJ by the hand. But then, she saw Chef's hand coming closer to them. Well, she wasn't going to let this monster take her niece. She quickly scanned the crowd and saw a tuft of coal black hair pushing Trolls into safe hiding places.

"Branch!" She called out to the gray Troll, taking CJ in her arms. She then tossed her niece over to him just as Chef's hand clamped around her middle.

Branch quickly caught CJ in his arms, but the fuschia trolling was reaching for her aunt with one hand while the other one was clinging tightly to his leaf vest.

"Aunt Suki!" She cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Branch quickly ran towards the tree, using his hair to slap hard against Chef's coming hand, and she retracted it with a yelp of pain. She saw the Troll who had slapped her hand disappear into the tree branches.

She had to admit, that was new. She hadn't seen a Troll actually fight back in almost twenty-four years.

Branch carefully placed CJ against the tree limb. "Stay here and keep quiet." He said to her. Then, he headed back down.

Back down on the ground, Branch saw Biggie looking for Mr. Dinkles. "Has anyone seen Mr. Dinkles?" He didn't even notice that the glowworm was on his back. Then, he was grabbed by Chef.

"Blend in!" Branch ordered the panicked Trolls as Chef picked up Fuzzbert. "Now!"

For once using their heads, the Trolls found suitable hiding places and used their hair to blend in with their surroundings, changing color while doing so. Since Branch was gray, his hair lacked that ability, so he made up for it by using clothes that blend in the foliage of the forest, and by staying in the shadows.

Satisfied that they were listening to him for once, Branch dodged Chef's hand again and then threw one of his sticks at it, making her cry in pain again and retracting her hand away from him. Some other Trolls decided to hide among the tree branches, doding Chef's hand.

Branch then saw Chef reaching for Smidge, and she grabbed her by the hair, the tiny Troll screaming in her deep, baritone voice. Next, he saw Chef easily snagging both Satin and Chenille by hooking their conjoined hair with her long finger. The twins screamed as they were tucked inside her fanny pack.

"Help!" Branch then saw a group of trollings running for their lives with Cooper.

Without thinking twice about it, he went over to them and took the hand of the leader. For once, the kids weren't afraid of him, they were more afraid of the giant Bergen.

Branch then led them over to a patch of tall grass. The trollings quickly used their hair to blend in with the blades of grass, crouching down low, and then Branch went deeper in to hide in the shadows. However, Cooper was too tall to blend in the grass, and Chef easily plucked him up.

Creek was running around as well, trying to find a good place to hide, but the envy that was building up inside of him only grew when he saw the Trolls actually listening to Branch as he led them to safety, while even briefly fighting off Chef. Well, two can play at that game.

"Everyone, minimize your auras!" He shouted, and his shout reached Branch's ears, the appendages twitching in his direction.

The gray Troll looked over at the Zen Troll with disbelief in his eyes. Does he really have to save his sorry skin?

Apparently, he does, since Chef's hand was coming right towards the purple Troll. Branch lightly groaned in annoyance before he dashed over towards him, his other stick in his hand.

"Duck!" He shouted, before throwing it.

Creek briefly screamed at the sharp stick coming his way, and he did duck it in time. The sharp point made contact with Chef's hand, and she cried out in pain again and retracted her hand.

Branch then came over to Creek and grabbed his arm. "Come on!" He growled.

But they didn't get very far because Chef's other hand was coming their way. She was about to grab the two Trolls, but Branch slapped it away by whipping his hair. Pure jealousy was coursing through Creek's veins, so he made one fatal mistake.

He pushed Branch away from him, making him release his grip on his wrist. But before Branch could turn over to shout at him, Chef's hand grabbed the purple Troll and tucked him into her fanny pack, him screaming all the while.

Chef's fanny pack was getting stuffed, but she supposed that she could fit one more. She then felt taps on her foot. There, Peppy was hitting his cane against her foot.

"Bad Bergen!" He shouted. "Bad, bad Bergen!"

Chef just smiled evilly down at him and reached down to grab him. But Branch quickly saw what she was doing, and a feeling of horror and déjà vu hit him hard. But the difference was that this time, it wasn't going to happen again.

"No!" He shouted.

Branch sprinted forward and tackled Peppy forward, getting both of them out of Chef's reach as they tumbled further into the shadows of the tree. Branch luckily found a little entrance within the roots of the tree, and he and Peppy quickly went inside before Chef could find them.

Both Trolls watched with bated breaths for a few tense seconds as they saw only Chef's feet in front of them from where they were hiding within the roots. Finally, Chef just scoffed in annoyance and then moved away from the tree.

She looked around the ruined party scene down beneath her. "Thanks for throwing the biggest, the loudest-"

"The craziest party ever!" Cooper interrupted, popping his head out of the fanny pack. She just pushed him further inside and then zipped it closed before leaving the area.

When the thundering sounds of her footsteps slowly faded away into silence, Branch continued listening, his ears slightly pivoting around, to be doubly sure that she wasn't going to try to trick them and then surprise them from somewhere else to try and get more Trolls.

Once he was completely sure, he and Peppy carefully left their hiding spot and back out into the ruined plaza. Other Trolls slowly came down or out of their hiding places when they saw them in view.

"Is it coming back?" A Troll asked aloud.

"What are we going to do now?" A trolling named Harper asked.

Branch recognized her because of the many colorful splatters of paint all over her hair, skin and clothes. Sometimes, he would find her by herself and they would briefly chat, which often leads her to get inspired for her next painting.

"We leave." Peppy said, getting everyone's attention. "We have to get far away from here and find somewhere else safe to live."

For once, Branch shook his head. He couldn't believe that he was going to say this.

"But what about the others?" He asked Peppy. "Maybe there's still a chance that we can free them."

"No, Branch." Peppy said. "You were right all along. The Bergens are still out there, and they won't stop looking for us until they have every single Troll in captivity again."

"Just because I was right about them still being out there doesn't mean that I wanted to be right about them actually attacking the village one day." Branch retorted back. "Plus, it's about a two-day trip to Bergen Town on foot. If we hurry, maybe we can still rescue them before that monster gets there first and a date for Trollstice is established."

"Branch, we'll basically be walking into a death trap!" Peppy argued.

"Then I'll go." Branch replied before he even realized what he just said. No matter how much unlike himself he was sounding and acting, there was one memory that was echoing in his head as he argued with his godfather.

"I'll go save them."

"Absolutely out of the question, Branch." Peppy said firmly, sounding as if he was scolding his own child. "You are not going after them."

Branch just narrowed his eyes at him. "Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" He questioned him. "You know perfectly well that I'm more equipped and capable than anyone else here that can survive out there. I can do this."

"But I can't lose you, Branch!" Peppy shouted, grabbing his godson firmly by the shoulders.

He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly to calm himself. "I promised your grandmother that I would watch over you should anything happen to her."

Branch stared at him with wide and surprised eyes. The older Trolls, particularly the elderly and the adults, all bowed their heads in silence. They all remembered that Branch's grandmother was a loved and well-respected member of their community before she was taken and left her heartbroken grandson not just gray, but also an orphan.

"And you're all I have left." Peppy continued after a couple of seconds. "I already lost my wife, my daughter, and some of my closest friends; including your grandparents and your parents."

Branch blinked at him, slightly astonished by this. "I can't lose you, too. I just can't."

Branch felt touched by this as the king looked down at the ground, but he knew what had to be done. Not just to prove himself as a capable leader to the other Trolls, but also to uphold his own beliefs.

"I remember a wise and strong king once telling me after he had just lost his only child; 'Never again'." He said, gently taking his godfather's hands in his. Every Troll that was there during the escape recollected that very moment after they had finally broken free from their captors' grasp.

"Never again will we lose a Troll because of someone else's faults." Branch continued. "That happened too many times already. We can't let it happen again."

Peppy looked up at his godson, and he could see the steely resolve in his sky blue eyes. His mind was made up, and nothing that he would say can make him change his mind.

"But where would we go?" Peppy asked him. "We need somewhere safe to stay until you do come back."

"My bunker is big enough for everyone." Branch offered. "I have enough supplies stocked for everyone, too. But it will only last for about two weeks, which should be more than enough time, in case something does go wrong."

Peppy then slowly nodded, releasing Branch's hands. "Alright." He said.

He then turned over to the crowd. "Come along, everyone. Let's get over to the bunker."

Most of the Trolls were hesitant to move. Some of them were even looking at Branch oddly, which was starting to make him slightly squirm with discomfort.

"Come on, guys!" A voice suddenly shouted out loud.

Everyone turned to where it came from, and Amber walked over to the front of the crowd. Branch blinked at her with confusion, wondering what she was doing.

"Admit it to yourselves: we got a little carried away with the party." The red-haired Troll said. "Everything that Branch had said to us regarding the Bergens and our parties, it was our own safety and protection. But did we listen? No! And look what happened because of our own ignorance."

The other Trolls were quite surprised that the normally quiet and book-ish Troll was actually saying this to them. But then they all shared shameful glances with each other, knowing that the red-haired Troll had a point.

"And now Branch, who you guys think is the weirdest Troll in the village just because he doesn't like parties, loud noises, and is gray; he's offering to go and rescue our captured citizens who mean a great deal to us." Amber continued. "You guys think he can't because he's a little on the paranoid side, but right now, he is the bravest one of all of us right now. And come to think of it, he always has been."

She then turned over to Branch. "I have faith in you, Branch." She said. "And I know that you can do it."

Just then, Bluebell came out of the crowd to stand next to Amber. "So do I." She said.

CJ Suki then broke away from her parents to run over to Branch and she wrapped her arms around his middle. "I know you can save my aunt." She said, looking up at him.

Peppy then came over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a lot like your parents; stubborn and fearless."

Branch gave his godfather a little flash of a smile and then looked over at his other three supporters, who all had confident smiles on their faces. Then, Harper joined them, standing on the other side of Amber while nodding her head at him. Little by little, almost all of the Trolls; starting with the younger ones, came over and formed a large circle around the gray Troll. For the first time, Branch wasn't feeling uncomfortable or claustrophobic from being around so many other Trolls.

But soon, he had enough lack of personal space. He then gently pushed them away before getting down to business.

"Let's get everyone underground now."

*******************************

Minutes later, all of the Trolls were in Branch's bunker. As much as the gray survivalist wanted to look around in horror as the entire village quickly made themselves at home in his bunker and quickly downing the supplies that he had readily collected over the years, he had a mission to fulfill.

He quickly packed his pack with all that could be needed on this trip, and then swung it onto his back. But a lot of the Trolls, particular his staunchest supporters, were giving him a big send-off, praising him as a hero. Well, he wasn't wallowing in it like Creek would; he was trying to do what he thought was the right thing to do and not accept the worst when this mistake had happened once too many times.

Once he was outside of his bunker, he took a couple of deep breaths to relish in the fresh night air that was quickly transitioning into dawn. He then looked out in the direction that the Bergen went.

He couldn't believe that he was going to do this. But he had to do this; not just to prove himself to the village and reunite the captives with their loved ones, but also to prove to himself that he can be worthy enough to be the chosen heir.

With one more deep breath, Branch headed into the forest, going in the direction that Chef went off into. It wasn't very hard to quickly find the tracks left by the Bergen, by the way she was stomping.

Just as he thought, she was heading towards Bergen Town, but since she already had a good head-start, there was no way that he could beat her before she got there, which most likely meant that he would have to sneak into town and into the castle to free them.

But with the faith of not just Peppy, but also Amber, CJ and Bluebell; all of their faith placed in him, gave him the confidence he really needed to keep going forward. As the dawn continued to quickly approach, Branch briefly remembered what his grandmother had once said about mornings. She had always said that the following day brings new hope for a better day. With her words, it seemed that this journey might not be in vain.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to sing beginning to swell up inside of him. This time, it wasn't as hard to fight it, and the feeling of it actually felt.... liberating.

His walking pace soon turned into a sprint as he followed the tracks and the growing dawn began to light his path. For the first time in a long time, a smile appeared on his face. A real, genuine smile.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Branch: I will beat the odds!
I can go the distance.
I will face the world
Fearless, proud and strong!

Feeling more determined and confident, Branch even started to use his hair to swing from tree to tree to gain more distance. When he reached a particular tall tree, he jumped from branch to branch until he was nearing the top.

Will I get more than nods
If I go the distance
And find my hero's welcome
Right where I belong?

When he reached that ending note and held it out for as long as he could, he was at the very top of the tree, feeling the cool wind blowing gently through his hair and in his face. When Branch finally stopped singing, he looked around to scan his surroundings and see just where he was exactly.

Over in the far distance, he could see the dull colors of Bergen Town, the buildings looking very plain and run-down. He was on the right track. He just hoped that he could rescue them in time and get everyone back home safely.

Branch suddenly paused for a moment, wondering where that odd positivity came from. He then lightly scoffed while shaking his head fondly as he carefully hopped back down towards the ground, from branch to branch. Actually having his people's faith in him was really starting to change his usual negative way of thinking.

But the gray Troll knew that deep down, he won't ever completely change to being just like everyone else, and he hoped that they would still accept him despite his odd quirks and his very different personality.

A/N: Some of you were wondering if Peppy was going to be captured, and while I thought that might a good reason for Branch to go to Bergen Town, I already had planned for the Snack Pack, plus Creek, to get taken by Chef, and Branch going after them because of what had happened after the Trolls' escape from Bergen Town twenty years earlier. Also, him going to save them will further improve his relationship with the Snack Pack.

The songs that I used here were part of "Go the Distance" and its reprise from the Disney film "Hercules." That movie was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up that I can watch with my brothers, since it's not really a princessy film. However, I don't own either of the songs. All credit goes to rightful owners.

Well, we're getting closer to when Branch will finally meet Poppy. Either in the next chapter, or in the one after that. So please keep being patient.

Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a comment about what you think. They are highly appreciated. And remember to stay healthy and safe.

Got to fly! ;)