Trolls and the Lost Glitter (rewrite, rewrite)

Chapter 4

     Down in his heavily fortified danger-proof survival bunker, Branch sat hunched over at his thinking desk, his cheek resting lightly on his enclosed fist as the poor boy stared mournfully at the brand new hug watch he had just received that day... his gift from Poppy welcoming him back into 'proper' troll life...

     But... Poppy had been wrong... she had been wrong to give this to him... to think he deserved it... because he didn't... he was still the same old troll he always had been... a troll that everyone hated... all because he was different... even Poppy hated him now... and it was all his own fault... he truly had ruined everything... again...

     With a long exaggerated sigh, groaning heavily in pure unbearable heart wrenching defeat... Branch slammed his head down harshly into the table below, creating a loud 'BOINK!' sound with his face as it smacked hard against the wooded surface...

     He didn't want to be alone... not again... he didn't want everyone he'd ever loved to leave him... like they all had before... but he just... he just couldn't be who everyone wanted him to be... Poppy was right... he wasn't a normal troll... and he never would be...

"I'm worthless..."

     His heart ached in complete self loathing despair... his tummy twisted into a tight painful knot that just wouldn't go away... the contentious hermit thinking back on every word he ever said wrong... wishing he could just go back in time and change it all... all hope for his own future lost with the knowledge he would never be like everyone else... no matter how hard he tried...

     🎶Celebrate freedom from the Bergens!🎶

     The sudden yet convenient sound instantly caught the little blue troll's attention... his pointed ear slightly twitching in the direction of the randomly playing music... his mind recognizing the melodic sound almost immediately... the invitation that started it all...

     Slowly, tears flooding his absolutely gorgeous crystal blue eyes, Branch turned his head, looking mournfully to the overflowed shelf of invitations he had always kept in secret from Poppy who had been sending them to him nonstop over all these years... each of them bringing back so many memories of how much this one troll truly meant to him... how she had never once given up on him... no matter what... and... looking back on them now... he quickly realized... every single one of them was absolutely covered in glitter... and... somehow... that made them all even more special...

     Maybe glitter was important after all...

     "Okay," the former village grump finally sighed after a long moment of consideration, slowly rising up to his feet in d e t e r m i n a t i o n. "Maybe I'm not normal... (pause) but I can certainly pretend to be..."

     Taking one last deep calming breath... Branch steeled his nerves before walking determinedly to his elevator... pulling the lever without even an ounce of hesitation as he was suddenly carried up and out of his bunker...

     Little did the boy know... that after he left... the invitations on his shelf suddenly began to vanish... poofing right out of existence without a trace...

—————

     "Ok guys... does everyone have everything they need?" Poppy asked the group as everyone got ready to leave, carefully packing up the Caterbus they would be taking on their next adventure...

     "I believe so... let me check..." Guy Diamond answered, looking proudly at all the stuff he had piled up beside him, checking off his list to make sure he didn't accidentally forget anything important. "Sound machine... check... disco ball... check... hot tub... obvious check... 😏 jacuzzi... check... bowling ball... check... trampoline..."

   "Uhh... Guuyy..." Poppy interrupted slowly... a confused and slightly concerned expression on her face as she looks around in stunned shock at the abundance of useless items the self-absorbed glitter troll is attempting to bring on their perilous journey... "I really don't think all that stuff is gonna fit in the Caterbus..."

     "But... but, Poppy! I need this stuff to survive!" Guy panicked, suddenly grabbing hold of the young queen's shoulders with a firm unwavering grip. "Umm... but do you though?" Poppy asked doubtfully, carefully pulling Guy's hands off of herself as she eyed the full on sauna. "Yes! Of course! You expect me to go who knows how long without at least five outfits per day!? Like a savage!"

Poppy could only blinked in confusion at her friend... raising a questioning eyebrow at him...

"But... Guy..." she finally began softly. "You don't even wear cloths..."

     Guy blinked slowly at the statement, casually looking down at his own glittery body in realization...

     "Oh yeah..." he replied softly with a completely blank and emotionless expression before a wide smile suddenly lit up his face. The glitter troll all of a sudden shouting out loudly in his auto tuned voice; "Naked for liiiiiiiiife!"

     Throwing his hands in the air like he just don't care... Guy suddenly ran onto the Caterbus screaming a victory cry as he left all of his luggage behind... seeming to just completely forget all about it...

"Ok then..." Poppy said with her usual smile taking up residence on her face once more. "Well... if everyone's all set... I guess we're off!"

But... before the new queen could even begin her assent up the Caterbus steps... a familiar voice suddenly called desperately out to her from somewhere off in the distance...

"Poppy! Poppy, wait!"

     As the voice sounded out from nowhere... Poppy turned in slight confusion, the young girl instantly shocked to see Branch rapidly running towards her...

     "Branch...?" She pauses... her eyes suddenly lighting up in excitement as realization struck... "Branch! You came!" the pink troll yelled out joyfully, quickly running towards Branch to meet him halfway... hugging her best friend tight as she realized he had actually chosen to join in on her mission...

     "Yeah! You know me! I'm always up for a little adventure!" Branch responded cheerfully, the biggest smile ever plastered brightly on his face as he let out an exaggeratedly happy chuckle.

     Pausing for a moment... Poppy looked to the former village grump in stunned disbelief... deeply confused by his sudden change of attitude... his demeanor completely different from what she was used to...

"Uh... Branch?" she began in a slightly concerned tone. "Are you... ok?"
"Better than ok!" Branch responded in an over the top excitement. His voice filled with a strange peppiness she had never heard from him before... "Now let's get this show on the road and go find that glitter! Yay!"

     With a somewhat frightening giggle... the light blue troll suddenly took off running up the steps of the Caterbus, Poppy watching him in complete befuddlement...

     "Woohoo! Yeah! Road trip!"

"That was weird... right?" Poppy asked as Branch continued laughing and shouting out in over the top excited joy... the young queen looking to Smidge, who was now standing directly beside her... the tiny yellow troll also deeply confused by Branch's sudden change in behavior...

     "Oh my gah, yes," Smidge replied in her deep voice... the two friends sharing a concerned glance before hesitantly climbing up onto the Caterbus which immediately shut its mouth behind them... driving off at top speed into the forest beyond...