(This is an AU I made up after learning about stuff in history class (like 3 years ago). It is about Poppy and Branch living in a different world in a different time.)

She started her morning in the same way as usual.
First she woke up to the sound of restless neighs and hoofs hitting the soft sand and straw on the ground.
"Good morning to you too" she chuckled while getting up from her straw-bed and fixing hay for her two wildhorses. Not that they were so wild anymore after Poppy took care of them.
She tossed the hay over the box doors and continued by lifting up her tree pole and putting one bucket on each side of it. She went out from the small stable she had built, and walked towards the well.
The sand was a bit wet in the morning while the dew was there, but it was comfortable to walk on when the sun was shining so warmly and bright on it.
She stopped at the well and let down the first bucket. She looked at the green trees in the distance. A forest. She loved that place. She could be herself there. It was beautiful there too. Wild flowers growing everywhere, meadows filled with green grass and wild animals, small lakes with deep cold water and way more.
She smiled longingly. If only she could be there more often..
While filling up the second bucket with water she glanced over to her father's house. It was big. But she never wanted to live there again. Her beloved sister Molly lived there still, and their dad too. But Poppy were always mistreated by their dad named Zu.
Poppy didn't like him much, and she didn't feel respected by him. She was only a thing for him! Not a person, not a soul, not someone with feelings and rights. As if any girl here have rights nowadays.

Poppy snapped out of her thoughts and put on the heavy buckets on the pole and lifted it up to carry it on her shoulders back to the stable.

The horses made a welcoming sound when they heard the door open.
"Miss me already? I only went to get water for you" Poppy giggled as she opened one door at a time and gave them water. She gently petted their foreheads and scritched under their manes.
If only she could stay with her only friends all day instead of having to work to get money and food for them and herself.
Poppy sighed and ate an apple as breakfast.
She had to go to that awful village filled with even more disrespectful male-trolls.
Oh, did I not mention that Poppy hate boys? Well she do. They have only given her trouble, disrespecting her and treated her bad. Catcalling her while working, beaten her up when she did something wrong and more.
She thought all men were the same, but she also thought that the girls were no better.
They didn't do anything to stop the boys from mistreating other girls. They didn't stand up for themselves when they felt bad over things.
Poppy was the only troll who had the courage to speak her mind, to act when something was wrong, and it always put her in trouble.

Poppy took her rope and put it around her white horse Blossom's head as a halter, and made the rest of the rope into reins.

She hated to think of the fact that her society had decided that girls were less worth than boys, and that the guys had permission to own girls as if they were things. She strongly disagreed with it. Every-troll should be treated equally, and all animals too!
But what could she do? A poor girl with no right to change things to the better..
She sighed again.
Blossom felt Poppys emotional rollercoaster and took gently down her head and buffed her nose against Poppys cheek.
Poppy giggled slightly and petted her friend. "Thank you Blossy. Let's go to work." Poppy climbed up and sat on Blossoms back as they started trotting out on the open sand-landscape.
"She'll be home soon, Storm!!" Poppy called to her other horse who neighed goodbye in the stable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wake up sleepyhead! The horses ain't feedin' themselves, boy!"
A grayish blue-green troll with dark purple hair sat up. His big friend emediately demanded scritches by rubbing his forehead against the troll's head.
"Okay, okay haha. I get it Brownie" he chuckled and scratched his horse companion's head.
"I've told ya before, Branch, but I'll say it again. That bond ya two have is amazin'. But ya still gotta help me out 'ere young boy"
Branch looked up at the old smiling troll. He had so much energy for his age.
Branch smiled "Haha. Yes man. I'm coming"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dew was making the landscape misty in the warm sunny morning.
The pink troll closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The scents of warm and wet sand combined with blooming trees filled her nose and her entire body was filled with comfort. She sat on the white and warm fur of her horse-friend, while getting rocked from side to side as Blossom cantered over the desert. Almost like flying. Feeling the wind in their face and hair. The only sounds were her hoofs hitting the soft sand while excitedly grunting and snorting.
'Never let the moment end...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Snort*
"I know I know, I'm coming!" He lifted up the hay and put it in each and everyone of the stalls.
"I filled up the water for ya" The old troll said pointing at the water buckets.
"Thank you. But you don't have to, y'know. It can hurt your back." Branch took off his ragged shirt so it wouldn't get wet, and lifted up the bucket.
"Nah. I'm fine. I still got it even if I've aged. Also, nice muscles there boy." He winked.
"Tryin' to impress any-troll, eh?"
Branch almost dropped the bucket in chock.
"No! Ofcourse not!" He almost shouted out.
He put a hand over his mouth as he realised that he had raised his voice that way.
"S-sorry.. I just......"
The old man put a hand on the grayish troll's shoulder.
"I know, boy. Sorry for messin' with ya. I know how you feel 'bout that subject. I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay Merley... I know you didn't mean any harm" He smiled and lifted up the bucket again.
This whole thing....Branch thought about it so much. Why aren't we equally treated? Why did most trolls act like girls were a thing you could own? Why do we get treated differently depending on our money? And why did all boys have to be soldiers and go to war...?

Merley looked at Branch as he filled up water for the horses.
"....So, changin' the subject. Watcha workin' with today?"
"Well. First I'm gonna harvest some crops and later I will take care and milk the cows. After that I have to go to the soldier training... so I have a lot to do today. Just as usual."
"Yeah. You work hard, Branch. Don't ya have any fun activity to do sometime? Ya know, to relax? Ya look like ya need rest, boy." Merley squished the grayish troll's cheeks.
"I mean, look at them wrinkles, boy!"
"Uuf, staph ith" Branch tried to say as his cheeks was squished.
He dragged away his face from the old man's grip.
"I don't need rest.. I need to be distracted, and also make money so that the horses and us two can survive. The trolls that has their horses here don't pay nearly as much as they should..." Branch put the bucket back at it's place.
"Speaking of which, I gotta go now. See ya tonight!
"See ya, boy!"
"NEEEIGH"
"Oh right, haha, ofcourse, I won't forget you Brownie." Branch opened the stall where his best friend stood and put on a saddle and a bridle on him. He then jumped up on his back and rode out into the sunlight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're here now, Blossom." The pink troll jumped off from her friend's back and went to her head to pet her.
"See you tonight, Blossy" she said sweetly hugging her horse's big head.
Blossom grunted softly as she snuggled up in the arms of her troll.
"Now, go home to Storm. He probably miss you" Poppy said taking off the rope-bridle and let go from the hugging and petting.
Blossom snorted happily and took off into the sandlandscape.
Poppy smiled at the sight. 'She is free...not like me, but I'm happy that I can give her that freedom I never will get.'
The pink troll turned around to look at the village. Houses, stands, animals and trolls all over the place.
She took a deep breath and went into the crowd towards her working place.

09/09/2020