"Mom!" Poppy yelled with pure joy, tears of excitement now flowing from the young queen's eyes as she quickly ran over to hug the troll she's never had the honor of knowing until now...
Completely confused about what was going on, Branch looked on, watching the situation play out until he finally snapped back into reality, shaking his head in non-comprehension .
"Wait, wait, wait... Poppy..." he started, quickly pulling his girlfriend away from this former threat so that she was looking at him. "This is your mom?"
"Yes," Poppy answered confidently, crying loudly with joy, a large smile on her face as the queen of pop stared straight at her loving boyfriend. "I've only ever seen pictures, but I would recognize her anywhere. This is my mom..."
Slightly raising an eyebrow, Branch looked between Poppy and her mother in confusion. They certainly did look a like...
"So... if this is your mom..." the little blue pop troll started in a soft tone. "Then... why did she try to kill us!?"
Pansy looked over at Branch at the sound of his words, the old troll slowly pushing past her daughter to approach him, the young boy slightly backing away in worry....
"I never tried to kill you..." the former queen stated in a firm but gentle tone, causing Branch's fear to immediately wash away as he looked at her, the survivalist still extremely skeptical about the situation he and Poppy had found themselves in. "What happened with you was an accident. I just wanted to move you away from my daughter, so I could get a better look at her..."
"Ok..." Branch said skeptically. "Than why'd you attack me out in the forest? Hugh? Explain that!"
"Well... I didn't attack you..." Pansy explained. "I saw you two wondering through the forest, and I just couldn't believe my eyes... I couldn't believe I was actually seeing my daughter for the first time in so many years... I had to be sure it was her... so I followed you two... and once you both fell asleep... I brought her here..." She paused, sighing slightly before continuing. "Unfortunately... Poppy was was terrified, and wouldn't come anywhere near me... for good reason, I suppose... So I figure that if I went back for you... she'd feel safer... After all... you two are obviously good friends, and if you were here too... my daughter would have no reason to fear me. So... that's when I went back to get you..." the old queen continued. "When I returned and saw you stumbling around the forest... I knew something must of been wrong, so I approached you. At first... I just thought you couldn't see anything, like some other trolls I knew back in the Troll Tree... but when I heard you call me Poppy... I knew you could see... at-least my general shape... That could only really mean one thing. You fell into the river... right?"
Still a bit skeptical, the young boy nodded slowly, still staring right at the former queen of trolls, the survivalist refusing to break eye contact in case she tried anything sneaky...
"Y... yes. I... I did..." he finally admitted softly.
"That river is enchanted," Pansy explained. "It is said to bring back the sight of those who have lost it. Weather they were born blind, or lost their sight to old age, an injury, or even an illness... if said troll put their face under the water of that special river, they will instantly be able to see again. Unfortunately... it has the opposite affect on trolls who still have their vision, blinding them, often permanently. Fortunately... I have the cure..."
As she spoke, the old troll reached into her hair, pulling out a small bag filled with sparkling sand.
"This sand comes from the bottom of the river," she informed, holding up the item for both Poppy and Branch to see. "It reverses the water's effects."
Poppy smiled, looking to her mother as if she were a super hero, but Branch still wasn't convinced...
"Fine... so you fixed my vision... but you still kidnapped us," Branch said, crossing his arms as the little troll narrowed his eyes. "And then killed me!"
"Like I said before... I only wanted to see Poppy a little closer... make sure she was actually my daughter... I never wanted to hurt either of you," the old pink troll stated. "I do admit though... I may of gotten a bit carried away with getting you out of my way..."
"May of!?" Branch yelled out angrily, throwing his hands up into the air in pure rage. "You killed me!"
"I brought you back," Pansy objected with a slight attitude, rolling her eyes in slight annoyance. "It still hurt!" Branch yelled in response, getting all up in the old troll's face, both of them growling in anger...
"Ok! Enough!" Poppy suddenly yelled, the young queen quickly stepping in between the two arguing trolls so that they were no longer face to face. "I don't need my mom and my boyfriend fighting!"
"Boyfriend?" Pansy asked in shock at the sound of that one little yet so powerful word, the old troll looking back at Branch with wide eyes, her expression soon changing to a firm glare, the former queen looking at the young boy in front of her as intimidatingly as physically possibly... "Boyfriend!?"
Branch gulped at the stern look he was now receiving, suddenly frightened once again as he slowly back away...
"Ye... yes?" he finally answered softly, his voice trembling fiercely in fear...
"You listen to me, boy!" Pansy shouted out angrily as she suddenly began approaching Branch, holding her staff out towards him in a threatening manner. "You ever hurt my daughter... break her heart... anything! I will kill you again!" she threatened as the young troll backed away from her in complete terror...
His eyes wide, not once taking his gaze off the weapon aimed directly at him, Branch backed away from the threat until he finally hit a wall behind him, the little troll being forced to a stop as Pansy held her staff against his neck, one of the growl beast teeth lightly sticking into his throat, making it slightly difficult to breath...
"And when I do..." she continued in a firm voice, Branch whimpering softly as she spoke, the young boy unable to do anything but helplessly stare at this threat. "I won't be bringing you back... Do I make myself clear?"
Branch nodded quickly in response to the threat, his eyes wide in terror...
"Ye... yes, m... ma... ma'am..." he answered, his voice shaky...
But Pansy didn't move away... she just kept her staff held firmly against the terrified troll's throat, her eyes narrowed into a firm glare...
"Mom!" Poppy finally intervened, quickly pulling her mother away from Branch who remained pressed up against the wall, the poor boy frozen in fear... "That's enough!"
Pansy turned to her daughter, still firmly gripping her staff tightly in her grasp.
"Besides... you don't need to worry about Branch hurting me," the young queen continued with a loving smile. "He's the Coolest troll in the world."
At the sound of Poppy's words, Branch snapped out of his trance, shaking his head a bit to rid his brain of the fog before finally looking up at his beloved girlfriend...
"I mean... he's just so sweet, and funny, and kind, and cute..." she continued, turning to Branch who couldn't help but smile at her in return, both trolls getting lost in each other's eyes. "And, like, weirdly over prepared for everything... He's the best boyfriend a girl could wish for..."
Pansy looked back and forth between the couple as Poppy spoke, not fully buying her words... there's no way one troll could be that perfect...
With an almost silent groan, the old troll finally lowered her staff before slowly beginning to back away, making sure to keep her eyes locked on Branch as she began to approach her daughter...
Noticing the look her mother was still giving to her boyfriend, Poppy sighed in defeat... Well... at least the former queen wasn't trying to kill him anymore...
"So, mom?" Poppy suddenly said, trying her best to change the subject. "Is this where you've been all these years? All by yourself?"
Slowly, Pansy turned to her daughter, finally releasing Branch from her death glare...
"Well, I haven't exactly been alone... I have Uueeka," Pansy explained with a small grin, the old troll beginning to gently stroke the bird's feathers as he approached her. "Plus his brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews. We're one big happy family here." She paused for a moment, her smile fading away almost completely as she looked back to her daughter with sad eyes... "Speaking of family..." the former queen finally continued softly. "How's your father?"
"Oh... dad is doing great," Poppy informed, smiling wide at the thought of her father. "He actually gave us the map to find you."
Branch's eyes widened in horror almost immediately at the mention of the map, his love struck smile completely leaving his face... 'oh no...'
"Map?" Pansy questioned, the old troll raising an eyebrow in confusion as she looked at her daughter. "What map? I never gave your father a map."
'Oh no!'
Poppy's smile faded a bit at the sound of her mother's words, not understanding what she was saying...
"He... he gave us the map though..." she started in pure confusion, not understanding how they could possibly have a map that doesn't even exist... "It's what we used to find you. Branchie..." She paused, turning to her boyfriend who had a look of pure terror on his face, the queen of pop not seeming to notice his fear as she continued... "Could you hand me the map, please?"
'Oh no, oh no, oh no!'
With a silent gulp of terror, Branch looked at his girlfriend for a quick moment, and then over to Pansy who was once again glaring at him, the old troll growling softly to try and intimidate him... and it was certainly working...
His eyes wide, Branch took a single step backwards so that his body was once again pressed up against the wall that sat firmly behind him...
"Um... how... how about you come over here and get it?" he stuttered nervously, not once taking his eyes off of Pansy...
"Come on, Branch," Poppy groaned in slight annoyance, the young queen placing her hands on her hips. "Just bring me the map."
Well this was a problem... to bring the map over to Poppy... Branch would first have to walk past Pansy who was currently standing between the two of them... and the last thing the paranoid survivalist wanted was to have to get closer to this threat...
Panting heavily, the young boy refused to move, still staring straight at Pansy with wide fearful eyes...
"I'll get the map..." Pansy suddenly stated threateningly, the old troll gripping her staff tightly in her hands as she glared straight over at Branch...
"No!" Branch quickly yelled out in terror, stopping the old troll from approaching him. "That... that's ok... I'll... I'll just... uh... bring it over there..."
Slowly, the little blue troll pulled the map out of his hair, finally beginning to walk towards Poppy while still making sure to not take his eyes off of Pansy for even a single second...
As Branch passed her, Pansy suddenly made a threatening movement towards him, causing the little pop troll to flinch before quickly running over to hide behind the safety of his girlfriend, the poor boy whimpering quietly in pure and utter terror...
"Thank you, Branch," Poppy thanked, taking the map from her boyfriend to look at...
"See... this is Trollstopia..." Poppy informed, smiling once again as she showed the map to her mother. "And this red ❌ right here is where we are now..."
"I didn't make this..." Pansy stated in confusion, taking the map from her daughter to closely examine. "No one should know where I am. How did he get this?"
"Well..." Poppy began, thinking carefully about how to answer that question. "He actually gave it to Branch...." She paused, turning around to look at her boyfriend who was still cowering behind her. "Did my dad happen to mention where he got the map from, Branchie?"
And once again... 'oh no!!!!!!'
"Oh... well... about that..." Branch explained nervously, trying desperately to think of an excuse. "I... I just... and he..."
Both Pansy and Poppy raised an eyebrow as they stared at the blue troll in front of them in complete confusion...
"I... I... I... I... I..." Branch stuttered, his whole body shaking in terror as he looked up at the love of his life, dreading telling her the truth... that he had actually lied to her and stole her father's sacred map... "You... you see... I... I..."
Suddenly, the young boy froze in place, his ear twitching slightly as he heard a sudden sound from off in the distance, his stammered words instantly going silent...
"What? What is it?" Poppy asked in a whisper, noticing her boyfriend had heard something she clearly hadn't...
The young queen could tell instantly that something was wrong by the way a single one of the survivalist's ears perked up in that sudden moment, the blue pop troll standing up straight as he looked around in terror, his gaze finally landing on a dark tunnel that sat to the right of them...
Footsteps... someone was coming towards them...
Quickly putting himself in front of Poppy, Branch kept his gaze locked on the tunnel that the sound was coming from, the young boy listening closely as the footsteps came closer and closer to their location...
Soon, both Pansy and Poppy could hear the terrifying sound as well, both of them instantly becoming tense as they listened...
"Hide..." Pansy finally whispered to the two of them, going into defensive mode as she quickly held up her staff to protect the young couple...
"But... but, mom..." Poppy started, worried about her mother's safety. "What if..."
"Now, Poppy," the old troll interrupted her daughter in a loud whisper, keeping her gaze locked on the tunnel in front of them. "Hide now!"
Quickly, without even a moment of hesitation, Branch grabbed hold of Poppy's hand, pulling her to safety behind a large rock, both of them hiding from whatever this threat may be...
Her eyes narrowed at the darkened tunnel, Pansy held her staff firmly in front of her chest, ready to attack whoever or whatever was invading her home...
Uueeka growled softly as he too heard the approaching footsteps, the large bird blocking Pansy from whatever danger lurked just out of sight...
"Stuka..." the old troll whispered to her friend, slowly walking past him to stealthily approach the tunnel...
Finally, a small figure began to emerge from the darkness in front of her, Pansy instantly lunging at the stranger, the old troll slamming the unknown threat into a wall as she held her stick firmly against it's throat...
"Ugh!" the figure gagged, completely unable to breath with Pansy on top of him...
A small gasp of shock escaping her throat, the former queen's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized who it was she had captured, the old troll quickly backing away as she dropped her staff to the ground...
"Dad!" Poppy yelled out when she saw what was happening, the queen of pop quickly leaving her hiding place to run over to him...
Slowly, his heart pounding right out of his chest, Branch peeked out from behind the rock he was still hidden behind, the blue pop troll's ears drooping down in despair as he gulped in absolute terror...
'Oh no...' he thought to himself, pure dread filling the young boy's anxious heart. "Not Peppy...'