A/N: Part 2 to chapter 5 of this collection (World Tour AU with Floyd) as requested by burningmusicfunnygiant on Tumblr :)

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The earsplitting guitar riff resonating in a reverberating echo throughout the entire, packed arena was many things - loud, skillful, powerful - but, above all, it was one-hundred percent authentic Rock.

It was one thing to don the look of a Rocker, but a whole other thing entirely to actually be able to play like one. That's how Barb truly knew the strings' power was working. And, while she would have preferred to have showcased it with the Queen of Pop, she supposed using any Pop Troll would suffice to display her point.

Only, this wasn't just any Pop Troll. This was Floyd. The one who had been taken in by their very people and made one of their own with quite literally no strings attached... at least, until he had run away.

Barb could roll her eyes at that. Pop Trolls were soooo predictable, it drove her up the wall. Of course he would try to warn his own true kind. But, she thought with a malicious sort of grin, it was a futile effort in the end. Here he was, without a doubt one of them now, a Hard Rocker through and through, his fingers rapidly working the strings, tattooed chest puffed out in a display of boldness that she had yet to see in the reserved Troll, and black-streaked bangs swishing in front of his left eye with every motion he made. He was every bit Rock, down to his spike-studded bracelets and chic leather attire. Barb was proud of her work... but, strangely, another feeling pitted itself in her stomach. A strange feeling that continued to gnaw at her, almost like when Debbie had used her arm as a chew toy when the batty creature had been teething. One that the Rock Queen never fathomed herself having, and yet, it was there. Floyd, despite his Pop roots, had been a friend. Did he deserve this? To be reduced to nothing more than a mindless, headbanging zombie? And for that matter... did any one of the musical tribes' Trolls?

But before she could allow herself to admit that it was in fact a feeling of regret she was harboring, Barb cast it away, zeroing in on what she had intended to do in the first place. This time, hopefully, there would be no other unforeseen circumstances to hinder her - namely, any other Trolls who would jump in the way to save their beloved Pop Queen, as first Branch, and then Floyd, had done.

"Finish her off."

The order was firm and direct, not showing an ounce of hesitation. The sooner that this could be done the better for them all. She could only hope the Pop Queen wasn't this feisty once she was turned.

Floyd growled a noise of agreement, shredding out a few more hard-core notes from the guitar before aiming it at Poppy.

Instinct told the pink Troll to run, but she felt frozen in place. Floyd glared at her with glowering, red eyes and, not too far from him, Branch was as well. A chill ran down Poppy's spine. They wouldn't really hurt her, would they? It almost seemed like there was nothing that could be done.

At least, until the guitar's aim was unexpectedly shifted to face Queen Barb instead.

When Floyd blinked again, it was the serene magenta that Barb had been so familiar with instead of the blood-red, and the sight of it shocked her.

"Wha - ? B-but... you're supposed to be a Rock zombie?!" she sputtered, unable to make herself sound as fierce as she wanted to.

Floyd offered a simple explanation. "Gumdrops," he said, popping the said candy out of his ears. They were soundproof, and quite delicious, able to tune out the powers of hypnotic music. He glanced at Poppy and gave her a small nod.

Barb frowned. "Give me that!" She reached for the guitar, but Floyd backed away.

"No, Barb," he stated firmly, standing protectively in front of Poppy. "We're not going to let you do this to anybody else. A world where everyone looks the same and sounds the same?..." He shook his head, the image he'd conjured nothing like a place where he'd want to live.

"That's not harmony!" Poppy concluded for him.

Barb had gone silent with deep thought, and Floyd took the opportunity to dare a few steps closer to her, speaking sincerely. "Barb, if you won't listen to Poppy, at least listen to a friend. I know you think this might be what's best. I've been there before. I thought I was doing what was best when I was younger, too. But instead, I ended up leaving my baby brother all alone. I said I would come back - I thought I would come back - but I didn't... because I thought he would be okay. I realize now that this wasn't the best decision I could've made. I missed my brother, and there really wasn't a time I didn't think of him. I regret what I did to this very day. And I don't want you to regret what you've done, Barb..."

The Rock Queen was stunned. She didn't think she would be buckling in, her moral compass shifting to something softer.

And then, they heard a sniffle coming from behind them.

"Floyd..."

The magenta-haired Troll was surprised to find that it was Branch. Despite his zombified state, it seemed he was plenty aware of the happenings occurring around him, and had heard the confessions of his brother loud and clear. Tears had pooled in his reddened eyes, and the blue Troll shot him a gracious grin.

That was when Barb snapped back to the situation at hand. Seeing that Floyd was distracted and had slackened his grip on the guitar, she lunged, snatching it from his grasp.

Floyd gasped, while Poppy acted quickly. She ran past Floyd, latching onto the neck of the guitar and refusing to let go.

"Buzz off, Popsqueak!" Barb snarled.

"No!" the pink Troll shouted. "A good queen listens," Poppy explained as they wrestled over the powerful instrument. "Real harmony takes lots of voices. Different voices!"

Managing to wrench the guitar free, Poppy raised it high over her head with both hands and then slammed it down onto the stage in a great big SMASH!

The guitar shattered into pieces with the terrible sounds of squealing feedback. And there, just like that, the six musical strings were destroyed!

A sonic-like explosion of color resulted, before it all got suddenly sucked away in a vacuum-like vortex. A bland, dull gray filled the arena - no Troll was left their vibrant, old self. But, they were not Rock zombies either. With the strings destroyed, King Trollex, King Quincy, Queen Essence, Trollzart, Delta Dawn, and all the other Trolls from each tribe who had been turned went back to their normal selves.

When Branch also returned, Poppy and Floyd immediately flanked his sides in a mixture of joy and relief.

"Branch! Are you alright?" Poppy asked worriedly.

He nodded slowly, offering a small gin of reassurance, and then turned to Floyd. "Did you really mean what you said?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Every word of it," Floyd replied. "And I'm not leaving your side again. Whether we have music, or not."

At that moment, the tears returned to Branch's eyes and he tugged his brother in for a tight embrace. Their elder siblings may not have been there, but for now, he was okay if they just had each other. Poppy snuggled into the hug as well, happy for them.

The trio's moment, however, was short-lived. Barb had stood up, the initial shock of the strings having crumbled to dust also disintegrating, and making way for anger. "Give it up, everybody!" she shouted with raging sarcasm. "Thanks to the queen of Pop, we've ALL lost our music! History repeats itself. Pop has ruined EVERYTHING!"

All the Trolls looked devastated. Silence filled the air. A world where everyone was a Rock Troll was not ideal. But... neither was a world without any kind of music.

But then...

THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

A rhythm was heard.

Cooper realized it was his heart beating. He held a microphone to his chest so everyone could hear it. Now amplified, his heartbeat sounded like a bass drum. THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

Next to him, his brother, Prince D, started beatboxing over the sound of the heartbeat.

Queen Essence beamed at her husband, King Quincy. "Those are my sons, making music!" she exclaimed proudly.

The Country Western Trolls began to stomp their feet in time to the rhythm, doing a line dance.

Poppy, Branch, and Floyd all looked astonished.

"Queen Barb can't take away something that is inside us," Queen Essence declared, "because that's where music really comes from. Not from some string. Inside all of us."

Nodding, King Trollex added, "It comes from our experiences..."

"Our lives..." Delta Dawn pitched in.

"Our culture..." Queen Essence finished.

Poppy realized that they were all right. "Queen Barb can't take that away," she agreed. She turned to the crowd, took a deep breath, and started to sing in time with the rhythms the Trolls were making. "Let me hear you sing...."

And, with Poppy's voice echoing through the arena, Branch and Floyd added their voices alongside hers, singing in perfect harmony.

"Sing it together, louder than ever, forget everything, just sing...."