The following morning, Poppy wasted no time getting ready for the meeting with the other leaders in Vibe City. After a shower and a good breakfast, all she needed was an outfit to wear. Luckily, she had Satin and Chenille, Pop Village's most fashionable twin designers, to provide her with something suitable. And Branch, Flower, Willow, Barb, Ash, and Midnight were there to give an extra opinion before they would go to the meeting.

“Too groovy," Willow said. Poppy shrugged and had the twins fit her in something else.

“Too avian," Branch said, shuddering. It was well-known that he was afraid of birds.

“Too Disco," Ash said. Barb nodded in agreement.

“I told you!" Chenille quietly scolded her conjoined twin.

“Yeah, you're right," Poppy replied, and tried on another outfit. “What do you think, Flower? How does Mommy look in this?"

“Buggy!" Flower giggled, reaching out for a butterfly fluttering around the room. Everyone else gushed over how cute she was, except for Midnight, who just shrugged.

“Who is this guy, again?" Branch asked.

“Branch, this is our cousin, Midnight Shadow," Barb introduced. “Midnight, this is Branch."

“Barb, Ash, I didn't know you had a cousin!" Poppy said as the twins added final details to her dress.

“Neither did we, until yesterday," Ash pointed out. “Why didn't we know about you?"

“Our grandparents were conservative Hard Rockers, they didn't like my dad," he answered. “In fact, when Mom died, they tried to get sole custody of me. Said they didn't want their grandson to grow up Emo."

“Sorry to hear that," Branch said sympathetically. “It must've been rough."

“Whatever," Midnight replied. Branch raised an eyebrow, confused by his lack of emotion. Ash, on the other hand, looked away sadly at the thought of her adopted grandparents.

Ash's birth parents were Pop Trolls, but abandoned her when she was just an egg and left her in Volcano Rock City. King Thrash found her and decided to love and raise her with his own daughter, Barb. But their grandparents always preferred Barb, whom they considered their only grandchild. Ash didn't know why they didn't love her until Thrash decided it was time she knew the truth about her birth family. She swore off pop music and tried to rock as hard as she could to impress her grandparents, but they could never ignore her ancestry, and were probably rolling in their graves due to her alternative style and relationship with Willow, the Pop Troll with sad songs in her heart.

“So, Midnight, tell us about yourself!" Satin suggested. “We've never met an Emo before."

“Do all of you look like half-dead zombies?" Chenille asked nervously.

“It's undead," he corrected. “Our music generally stems from the dark side of our minds. A lot of us have been through rough times, and we express our emotions best with powerful ballads. Some of us scream the lyrics, but others, like myself, just sing in a higher octave. I'm not as miserable as others, but I do have these visions about the Black Rock and all the pain Callisto caused with it. And I honestly think those other guys are overreacting, because she did some messed up stuff."

“You have visions about the Black Rock?" Branch asked.

“I see most of the past, and bits of the future," Midnight explained. “In a way, I'm kind of a seer."

“Yeah, that's why we brought him," Willow added. “He knows some things we don't."

“All Rock Trolls know about Callisto and her curse," Barb explained. “But I think your Pop ancestors sugarcoated the legend."

“Queen Penny wrote everything she knew in her scrapbooks," Poppy pointed out. “But I suppose they're never entirely accurate. After all, none of us knew the Pop Trolls stole all the strings."

“I dunno," Willow said. “Maybe someone who did know just changed the story because they were too ashamed. The same reason Branch burns most of his candy wrappers instead of recycling them."

Branch nearly choked on a chocolate bar as everyone stared at him in shock.

“I can quit anytime I want," he insisted, but his tone and burning cheeks said otherwise.

“Hey, guys, look at this!" Helga shouted from outside, noticing a giant spaceship hovering above the forest of Pop Village. “What is it?! Is it a giant, shiny bird without wings? Or maybe it's a beetle! We don't have these in the Valley!"

“It's Vibe City!" Branch answered as the ship let out some soap bubbles. One of them floated down to Helga, Riff, and Brawl and carried them up to the ship. More bubbles came down to Poppy's pod for the rest of the group.

“Thanks for the outfit, girls," Poppy said to Satin and Chenille, and left with Flower in her arms.

“Hey, where'd Will– What is that?!" Ash exclaimed as she found Willow wearing a viking helmet and what appeared to be battle armor, her rainbow hair braided.

“Oh, this? In two weeks, everyone's gonna be wearing this."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Aren't you excited to return to Vibe City, Flower?" Poppy said excitedly as they landed in the observation room. “You're gonna see Uncle Cooper again!"

“Did I hear my name?" a familiar voice called out. Cooper and his twin brother, Prince D, entered the room and smiled at the Pop queen and princess.

“Coupons!" Flower cooed as the Funk twins hugged her. Everyone else's bubbles popped, too, but some landings were more rough than others.

“Get off of me!" Branch shouted, but his voice was muted underneath Brawl's weight. Fortunately, he crawled off of him. “Ever hear of personal space, man?"

“I'll have to remember that when I'm kicking your butt," he said casually. Branch's eyes widened in shock.

“What's poppin', Branch?" Prince D greeted, offering him a hand up.

“Not much," he replied. “Other than that we found out we're all in grave danger."

“Sick!" Prince D said. All of the Trolls and Helga went to a conference room with neon lights where King Quincy, Queen Essence, Trollzart, King Trollex, and Delta Dawn were waiting for them. Each of them took a seat at the large table, resembling a vintage record.

“Y'all better have a purty darn good reason for makin' me cancel Clampers' square dancin' lesson," Delta Dawn huffed.

“Everyone, settle down," Queen Essence announced, as everyone lowered their voices. “Queen Poppy, you called us all for this meeting. What seems to be the trouble?"

“First things first, I need to ask all of you a question," she began. “Have any of you heard of an ancient demon named Callisto?"

Everyone glanced at each other curiously and shook their heads.

“Fortunately, Queen Barb and I do," Poppy explained. “The fate of our world is at stake. You see, a long time ago–"

“Queen Poppy?" Midnight interrupted. “Sorry, but do you mind if I take it from here?"

“Uh, sure, go ahead," she agreed. Brawl opened up a briefcase, which had a drum set pop out and he pulled out an electric guitar.

“Hey, nerd, get over here!" Brawl shouted. Branch nervously got up from his seat. “The other nerd!"

“He's, uh, talking about me," Riff squeaked, and went to the drum set. Brawl and Riff played their instruments and Midnight sang a powerful, operatic-rock ballad.

There once was a time

When there was balance

Between Dark and Light

The Heavens and Earth were ruled

By the Sun, by day

And Moon, by night

But then, came Callisto

The Moon child who wanted a change

Created the Black Rock

Destroyed her love

Let Darkness reign (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

She tipped the scale (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

The world was ailed (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

Pure evil reigned (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

And nothing would ever be the same

The Moon had his daughter banished

So, she vanished

Out of sight

He knew she would somehow

Find a way to keep away Sol's Light

So, the Sun and the Moon

Combined their hope and peace

To forge a key

Created a new creature

They called the Trolls

Like you and me (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

The gifts we give (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

The lives we've lived (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

The joy we bring (Oh-oh, oh-oh)

The songs we sing

Deep in the Dark

You'll find the Light

Look in your heart

When day turns to night

“Dang!" Cooper gasped. Flower and Helga just clapped their hands together.

“When Callisto murdered Sol on their wedding day, she set a curse on the world," Willow explained. “Until the Trolls came around, everyone lived in misery. The most powerful sorcerers in the world began practicing Dark magic. Including my father, the Prince of the Rattlecobras."

“That kind of Darkness can be passed on," Branch added. “And he passed it on to Willow when he created her to destroy us."

Ash hugged her girlfriend as she began to sob.

“Part of a prophecy has been fulfilled," Barb announced. “My little sister Ash here, freed Willow from Callisto's curse when she was at her darkest moment. ‘Deep in the Dark, you'll find the Light.' When that happened, it released magical rocks we decided to call daggers. They can sense Sol's Light, and will fight to protect the Black Rock from being destroyed by it."

“So, what should we do?" King Quincy asked.

“We need to make sure no one finds the Black Rock before Willow," Ash answered. “Many have tried to take it, but only someone full of hatred can survive its power, let alone use it."

“And that's the main reason why I called us all to meet," Poppy explained. “Bash is after it."

“Wait, what?!" Cooper exclaimed.

“Did you say Bash?" Willow asked in disbelief.

“Who's Bash?" King Trollex wondered.

“The leader of a group called the Party Crashers," Willow answered. “The most pregnant creature the Pop Trolls ever faced... And my cousin-in-law."

“First of all, it's repugnant," Branch corrected. “Second, we don't know why the Party Crashers want the Black Rock, but whether they can handle its power or not, we're not going to let them get it."

“What happens in case they do?" Trollzart asked worriedly.

“We'll find a way to fight back," Poppy answered. “During my time as queen, I've faced enemies manipulated by Callisto and managed to win, with a little help along the way. No matter how bad it was, we never gave up. There's always a way."

“Know what?" Delta Dawn spoke up. “I do have this thing called the Sun and Moon scroll. The last mayor of Lonesome Flats handed it down to me and called it a key with two ends. I don't know what that means, but I think it may hold the answer to unlock the powers of both Sol and Callisto. The good news is, them Party Crashers wouldn't be able to read it even if they did get their hands on it. The bad news is, neither can I. It's some weird language I ain't never seen before."

“Perhaps it would still be best that we didn't let it fall into the wrong hands," King Quincy suggested.

“And we can start by not letting these Party Crashers find the Black Rock so they can take its power for themselves," Queen Essence added.

“Don't worry, I'll make sure we won't," Branch assured everyone. “First thing's first, we're gonna need a plan. Will, why don't you– Wait, where's Willow?"

“I saw her sneaking out while Poppy gave her speech about not giving up," Helga answered. “Super inspiring, by the way. Is it okay if I use it whenever a monsoon hits my village? Those are really hard to go through. There's water everywhere, glitter gators swimming all over, we're not very good swimmers..."

“Does she ever shut up?" Barb whispered to Branch, who shook his head.

“She spent years living in silence, and hasn't stopped talking since she started."

“Helga?" Poppy interrupted. “Go back to the Valley of Serenity and tell Chief Granite and the Faunlettes to be prepared for anything."

“Sure thing, Your Poppy-ness!" Helga agreed, saluting the Queen of Pop before running off. She immediately returned and asked, “Uh, how do I leave?"

“I got this!" Cooper said, and guided the Faunlette to the bubble tubes.

“Poppy, since when do you tell people to be prepared for anything?" Branch asked.

“Three hundred years ago, Queen Penny lost her daughter to someone under Callisto's influence," she explained, holding Flower protectively. “I don't want that to happen to anyone else. Especially my own daughter!"

“I'm scared, too," Ash said, holding up a piece of paper. “I got a threat here last week that says, ‘I'll get you, Princess.'"

“Actually, I wrote that," Branch admitted, “after you and Willow somehow put this tattoo on my butt!"

To further explain, Branch pulled down his shorts to reveal a tattoo that read “Wide Load." Everyone else laughed at the sight of it.

“Siwwy Daddy!" Flower giggled, even though she wasn't sure what was going on. Branch pulled his pants back up and hugged his daughter.

“Don't worry, Flower," Branch assured her. “Your dad's gonna make sure nothing bad happens to anyone."

❤️☀️🧡🌙💛☀️💚🌙💙☀️💜

Willow hated to abandon her friends, especially during a meeting with the most important Trolls in the world. But the moment she heard the Party Crashers could get the Black Rock first, she spread her wings and flew off to find a sign that would lead her to its resting place. She started by returning to the mountains where it all started.

“Please give me a sign," she quietly pleaded. None of the daggers were attacking her, fortunately, but they all started glowing again. They all somehow moved so the tips would face a certain direction. Willow turned to see what they were pointing to and noticed something black and shiny in the distance. It looked like a cluster of needles, but were most likely way bigger close up.

That was where Willow had to go, but would she ever return? Nothing seemed clear to her anymore.

But she couldn't waste any time worrying about the future, for now was time to act. She opened up her wings, and...

“Will!" a familiar, cheerful voice called out. Willow turned to find Poppy, Branch, Barb, Ash, Cooper, Prince D, Riff, Midnight, and Brawl landing their flyers, hovercrafts and motor bugs around her.

“What are you guys doing here?" Willow asked.

“We're gonna help you find the Black Rock before those Party Crashers do," Barb replied. “I already sent all the bounty hunters to make sure they don't. Except the Yodelers, boy toy put them on babysitting duty."

“Someone has to watch Flower," Branch pointed out.

“Our regular nanny had to go to a funeral," Poppy explained.

“Guys, I appreciate this," Willow said, “but this is something I have to do alone. If anyone gets put in danger, I'll never forgive myself."

“Then blame it on us," Ash insisted. “Will, we care about you. All we want is to help you."

“Please don't make this any harder!" Willow begged. It was bad enough this journey could kill her, but she couldn't let the most important Trolls in her life get hurt.

“Willow, I don't want to have to do this," Poppy announced, “but as your queen, I command that you let all nine of us come along on this journey."

“Really, you're playing the queen card?"

“Yes," Poppy replied with a smug grin.

Willow groaned in frustration. “Fine. Yes, you guys can come with me."

“Sick!" Prince D said excitedly. “We better get going, if we're gonna save the world!"

“Let's go!" Barb shouted as they boarded their bugs and record scratchers.

“Willow, I just saw something else," Midnight said quietly. To Willow, it sounded like he was warning her. “Both parties will crumble when one is turned against."

“Both parties will crumble?" she repeated. “You don't mean..."

“I don't know," he admitted. “But I have a feeling."

Both Trolls silently agreed to keep it to themselves, to keep the others from panicking. But it wouldn't leave Willow's mind.

Either we or the Party Crashers will end up betrayed.

I'm not gonna tell you which party will be turned against, but I'll give you guys the opportunity to guess.

Next chapter, we're going to see how Chaz, the Reggaeton Trolls, and the K-Pop Gang (and the Yodelers 🤭) handle the Party Crashers. And perhaps learn more about each other, kinda like Speed Friending. I haven't figured out the details yet.

Until next time. 🤘