TW: This chapter features different forms of abuse (especially towards children)

Queen Barb and Princess Lavender endured blistering cold, scorching heat, intense monsoons and dangerous heights until finally, they made it...

To another campsite.

“Here you go, Mister Bubbles," Lavender said as she fed her saddle spider some Laffodils, which were then Scream-odils.

“What a world!" cried out one of the flowers.

“This Wind-breeze is hard to find," Barb sighed, throwing wood in the fire.

“Yeah, and I'm almost out of Marshtatos," Lavender added. “What good is camping without s'mores?"

“Technically, it'd still be camping," Barb answered. “Just not as fun."

“Fair enough," Lavender replied. “Say Barb, can I ask you something?"

“Sure, go ahead," said Barb.

“How did you and Poppy and all those other Trolls become such good friends? Because we heard of other Trolls in Ornery Grove, but we've just lived in fear of you... and everything that wants to eat us."

“Oh, I'm glad you asked that," Barb replied. “Well, all Trolls used to live in perfect harmony, but a long time ago, the Pop Trolls decided they were the best Trolls and just pushed everyone else away. Angry and confused, everyone else just did the same to each other. Then, about a year ago, the Funk Trolls' spaceship arrived in Pop Village. King Q and Queen E lost their son Cooper to a bird when he was a baby, but they kept looking and they found him with Poppy and some of her friends. After meeting Cooper's parents, she decided to head out and make friends with all of the different Trolls. I admit, I was kinda stubborn, but now, Poppy's one of my best friends."

“And when did all of those other Trolls start moving in to Pop Village?" Lavender asked.

“Shortly before you showed up," Barb answered. “Creek wasn't happy about it, but Poppy thought it would improve our friendships and that's actually why most of them moved there in the first place."

Lavender blinked. “What do you mean, most of them?"

Volcano Rock City
Shortly Before Lavender Showed Up

“Hey, Jeff!" Val said angrily to the club owner. “How come you're only paying me half what the rest of my band gets?"

“I pay what I think you're worth, sweetheart," he answered indifferently.

“But she's our lead singer!" Demo argued.

“Demo, I got this," Val insisted, and turned back to Jeff. “You see, man, I have this rule about not letting Trolls like you tell me what I'm worth, so y'know, unless I get paid like everyone else, I'm outta here."

“Pfft! This is the only club in town," Jeff pointed out. “Where else are you gonna play?"

“I have no idea," Val admitted, “but I'm sure as hell not sticking around here. Let's go, Demo."

“C'mon, guys! We're hittin' the road!" Demo said to the rest of the band, who excitedly packed up their instruments.

“Whoa, wait a minute! You gotta do the encore!" Jeff said as the band headed out the back door. “Hey, Thundershock!"

Before shutting the door, Val shouted, “Deal with it, sweetheart!"

💍💗💐🍾🥂🌹💍💗💐🍾🥂🌹

The following morning, Barb and Lavender were on the road again. As Lavender held the reins, Barb played a gentle tune on her guitar and sang a soulful tune.

I never knew anybody till I knew you, ooh-ooh-oohh

And I know when it rains, oh, it pours

And I know I was born to be yours

Noticing one of Lavender's hands had let go of the reins, Barb reached out to hold it... only for the princess to raise it and point at a big brown rock in the distance.

“Does that look like a house to you?" she asked. “Because that looks like a bead curtain."

“Maybe Wind-breeze lives there," Barb said. “Only one way to find out, I guess."

The two Trolls got off the spider and approached the entrance. Lavender noticed a string tied to a tree branch and pulled on it, thinking it would ring a doorbell. Suddenly, a bucket was turned over and glitter was poured all over their bodies!

“What the hair?!" Barb exclaimed, wiping glitter off her face.

“Thought you two could use a little more sparkle," a mysterious voice said. “Please come in, children!"

Confused and a little worried, Barb and Lavender stepped pushed aside the curtain and went in the rock. Inside, there were blue and purple crystals everywhere.

“Cool, your cave is a geode!" Lavender said in awe.

“Smart girl, you are," the voice replied. The pair looked up to find an elderly Troll with fuzzy glasses and a colorful poncho floating in midair. Really floating without a bug holding her hair, unlike Creek.

“Are you Wind-breeze?" Barb asked.

“Indeed, I am," she answered. “Care for an autograph?"

“Uh, no thanks," said Barb. “We're here because we think someone is trying to wreck our friends' marriage and we want to know why."

“Ah! And the union of these two Trolls means the coming together of a divided nation," said Wind-breeze.

“Yeah, how'd you know that?" asked Lavender.

“I see all and know all!" she answered in a mysterious voice. “What are your names?"

“If you know all, why don't you know who we are?" Barb asked suspiciously.

“Oh, I know who you are," Wind-breeze insisted. “I also know what it is you need to do. To understand this Troll's intentions, you need to look into his soul. Then, you will see the truth about him."

“And how do you propose we do that?" Barb asked. Lavender just listened to a smooth jazz CD through a pair of headphones.

“With this," Wind-breeze answered, holding a light blue gem. “Just hold it and say, ‘Eima Toda Wackidu."

“Okay. I'm a total whackado."

Wind-breeze laughed. “That was a good one!"

“Why I oughta..." Barb growled, clenching the stone. Suddenly, it began to glow and Barb found herself magically blown up into the air, through a magic portal and landed in a forest. “Whoa! What just happened?"

“The Memory Moonstone is powered by negative energy," Wind-breeze explained. “After feeding off your anger, it transported you to this Troll's backstory. I'd say you're in Pop Village, about twelve years ago."

“Okay, then," Barb replied, and began looking around. She walked through the forest and into the village to look for Creek.

“Don't be sad, Biggie," said a tiny voice. Barb turned around to find a nine-year-old Poppy hugging an eleven-year-old Biggie. “I know you miss your mom, but she'd be happy knowing you're still here."

“You really think so?" Biggie asked.

“Yeah, I do," Poppy replied. “Come on! Let's get some ice cream!"

“Aww, Popsqueak, you were so cute!" Barb said with a smile. Suddenly, she noticed a lonely thirteen-year-old boy with dirt in his yellow pants and a black eye sitting by himself in the shadows, staring at Poppy and her friends.

“Creek, there you are!" his mother said, pulling him up by the arm. “Let's get you home before your father gets too mad at us."

“Don't take me back, Mum!" Creek pleaded. “Aren't you fed up with him, too?!"

“And where are we supposed to go? Into the woods where something can eat us?!"

Curious, Barb decided to follow Creek and his mother to their house and found a middle aged man with bloodshot eyes inside.

“Where'd he run off to this time?" he asked.

“I found him just outside town square," Creek's mother replied nervously. “Please go easy on him, honey."

“Don't tell me how to raise my son!" he yelled before grabbing Creek by the hair and throwing him outside onto a tree branch. “Who do you think you are, trying to run away from home?! You think someone is going to take in a pathetic little nobody like you?!"

“Why don't you just throw me out, then?" Creek spat.

“Don't talk back to me!" he shouted, kicking him. “I'm your father! Without me, you wouldn't even exist!"

“At least I'd be away from you," Creek muttered.

“What did you say?!"

“Why would you even want me to exist if I'm nobody?" Creek asked.

“I didn't!" he admitted. “Your mother wanted you so she could ‘prove' to her parents that your dead sister wasn't a mistake! You are nothing to me! Nothing!"

“Leave that kid alone!" Barb shouted, attempting to attack Creek's father only to go straight through him.

“This is just a memory," Wind-breeze pointed out. “Nobody can see or hear you."

“Thanks for the tip," Barb grumbled sarcastically.

“Bird!" a Troll shouted. “We're under attack!"

Barb looked up and saw a large black bird flying above them and it noticed Creek and his father.

“You will never be anything! Do you understand?!" Creek's father spat.

“What if I prove you wrong?" Creek asked. “What if I become somebody? I could be an astronaut! Or a famous glitterball player! Hair, I could even be King of the Trolls! Would you call a king nobody?"

“Get your head out of the frickin' clouds!" his father yelled.

“I think I should be insulted," a nearby cloud said to himself.

“What makes you think you can be a king?! You'd either have to kill our king or marry his daughter! You're too soft to kill someone and who would marry a loser like you?! You were born worthless and you'll die worthless!"

Creek braced himself for another hit, but just when he closed his eyes, the bird swooped down, grabbed his father with it's talons and flew off. Creek opened his eyes and noticed he was gone.

“Hey! Let go of me you ba–"

SCREECH!

“Crocus!" Creek's mother cried out, running outside and falling on her knees. “Crocus, no! Come back! Please, Crocus!"

“Mum, it's okay," Creek said calmly. “We're free, now."

“No, it's not okay!" she sobbed. “The only Troll who ever loved me is dead!"

“That's not true," Creek insisted. “Mum, I love you."

“That's not the same thing!" she argued. “You're not my husband! You could never compare to him!"

“But... But I'm your son."

“Oh, Crocus..." she bawled, ignoring him. Barb followed Creek as he sadly walked away from his mother and headed back into town, where everyone was still shaken up.

“Darius, take my daughter home," King Peppy ordered. “A Troll's just been killed."

“Yes, sir," Darius replied, taking Poppy's hand and escorting her back to the king's pod.

“I can be anybody," Creek said to himself in a determined, but angry voice. “I can... I will be King of the Trolls. And I'll do whatever it takes."

💍💗💐🍾🥂🌹💍💗💐🍾🥂🌹

In just a blink of an eye, Barb found herself back in Wind-breeze's cave.

“So, I hope that was enough information for you," the old Troll said.

“It was," Barb replied. “Now we know that Creek never loved Poppy. He was just using her to prove a meaningless point to that jerk."

“So, what are you going to do?" asked Wind-breeze.

“We're gonna go back and tell Poppy the truth before he can get to her," Barb declared. “Right, Lavender? Lavender?"

“I don't know what kind of music this is, but like it!" Lavender said dreamily. Barb then noticed the “Best of Chaz" CD case on the floor. She took the headphones off Lavender's head and carried her outside.

“Good luck, girls!" Wind-breeze called out.

Sorry that this took so long. And for how poorly written it is.

Until next time. 🌈