Branch gulped softly to himself as Poppy dragged him against his better judgment through the crowd of wildly partying trolls with the largest smile ever spread across her amazingly beautiful face, the music pounding fiercely in the young Weretroll's ears as it grew louder and louder the closer the new couple got to the Wooferbug producing the obnoxious beats...

     "Hey, guys!" Poppy greeted in a loud excited shout once she finally got close enough for her group of friends to actually hear her over the overly rambunctious chords piercing the night time air, her usually melodious but now oddly shrill and somewhat squeaky voice causing Branch to wince in slight pain, his ears drooping just a bit to try and muffle all the raging sounds surrounding him completely...

"Poppy!" the snack pack all greeted at once, the entire group rushing immediately over to close the gap between them and their best friend before hugging her tight with all their might, the young princess finally releasing Branch from her grasp to accept the act of love which in turn allowed the paranoid loner to take a small step back as he looked nervously away from them all...

     Wha... what would these trolls think when they noticed he was there...? The world famous party pooper... at a party! Surly they would only scorn him... yell at him and demand he leave before he once again ruined everything... 

     He definitely didn't like all the different scenarios that were currently playing non stop over and over in his panic-stricken brain...

Maybe he should just leave now... before anyone even noticed hi...

     "Wait a sec..." Satin suddenly stated seemingly out of nowhere, Branch freezing in place at the horrifying sound of realization. "Who's that?" Chenille finished, everyone immediately looking to the formally gray troll as he awkwardly stood before them, the poor boy trying his best to avoid eye contact at all cost...

     Great... too late...

     "Oh come-on, guys!" Poppy laughed as if not believing her friends could be so naive, the young princess steadily making her way over to place an arm around her boyfriend's shoulders, the group of trolls all looking to her as she spoke. "You know Branch..."

"Branch!?" everyone gasped, their shocked gazes immediately turning to the village grump once more...

     With a quick gulp of terror, his escape attempt now completely foiled, Branch raised his eyes slightly to the group, looking at each and every one of them in nervous fear...

     "H... h... hi?" he whimpered softly with a slight wave and innocent grin, desperately hoping these trolls wouldn't ridicule him for simply coming out of his bunker... again...

     "Branch! 🤩" everyone suddenly shouted once more, massive smiles instantly appearing on their faces as they all rushed forwards, wrapping the paranoid recluse in a mega group hug much to the young boy's shock...

     "Uh... uh... I..." Branch stuttered, trying frantically to pull away from the suffocating hug, the poor thing completely uncomfortable with the situation he had now found himself in... but... unfortunately... the group of trolls held him tight... making escape impossible...

     "You got your colors baaaaaaaaack!" Guy sang out in auto tune as he squeezed Branch even tighter in his grasp, their faces squishing up against one another's much to the village grump's annoyance. "I can squeeeeeeeeeze you foreever!"

     "Blue is so in nowadays," Chenille praised.
"You look so good!" Satin cheered, clapping her hands enthusiastically.

     "And you actually came to one of Poppy's parties!" Dj yelled out excitedly. "This is great! I'll play your favorite song!" She paused... seeming to be thinking for a moment... "Wait... what is you're favorite song?"
"I..." Branch started to say, but Dj quickly cut him off, the young girl not allowing the clearly distressed troll to speak even a single word. "It doesn't matter!" she yelled out, causing Branch to flinch backwards just a bit. "I'll play all the songs!"
"But I don't..."

     Quickly, completely ignoring Branch's clear worry, Dj jumped onto her Wooferbug, the red troll immediately beginning to spin every single record she owned at once...

     'Woke up... in the morning light feelin' like a hot air balloon that could go to space. I'd been married long time ago. Ain't got a care in the world, but got plenty of brand new dance. So I put my hands up, they're playin' my Cotton-Eye Joe. There's only one way... to say... those three words because I'm happy! You're preachin' to the Macarena! Cha-cha real smooth...'

     "AH!" Branch winced at the horrible ear piercing noises now filling the air all around him, the contentious hermit quickly covering up his ears as his eyes squinted tightly shut to try and alleviate the pain the obnoxious sounds caused him, everyone else at the party seeming completely unaffected by the mashed up beats shooting boisterously through the speakers, simply switching up their dance styles over and over again to try and match with the song currently blaring from the Wooferbug producing the racket...

     "Ok, ok! Dj?" Poppy suddenly blurted out after a few moments of total chaos, the young princess placing both hands on her friend's shoulders to gain her full attention. "Maybe just play one song at a time... ok?"
"Oh... ok!" Dj agreed with a smile, the red troll immediately complying to the request by taking off all the excess records from her Wooferbug, only one song left playing once she was finished. "Sorry about that..."

Poppy nodded with a smile of absolute forgiveness before turning right back to the party, listening as the new song played out for all the village to hear...

'I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying AYO! Gotta let go! I wanna celebrate and live my life... Saying AYO! Baby, let's go!'

Everyone at the party quickly forgot their discombobulation, all of them beginning to dance normally once again as the singular melody reached their ears, not one of them even the slightest bit confused on what moves to dish out any longer...

'I came to dance, dance, dance, dance... I hit the floor 'cause that's my plans, plans, plans, plans... I'm wearing all my favorite brands, brands, brands, brands... Give me some space for both my hands, hands, hands, hands... Yeah, yeah...'

"Thats better," Poppy praised before walking back over to her group of friends with a proud look on her face for solving the music issue. "Now... what were we talking about?"

"Oooo, oooo, oooo!" Biggie erupted in complete excitement, the big blue troll bouncing slightly up and down with the largest smile on his face as he waved his hand frantically through the air as if wanting to be called on to answer the princess' question. "We were discussing Branch's colors!"

"Oh, yeah!" Smidge exclaimed in remembrance, the tiny yellow troll quickly turning to Branch to get back on topic. "So, Branch, tell us! How did you..." She paused mid statement, suddenly raising an eyebrow as she caught sight of the village grump. "Branch?"

The group all turned immediately towards the survivalist at the sound of Smidge's strange proclamation, all of them instantly noticing that he was slightly hunched over with tight fists still pressed firmly against his large ears, the poor boy's eyes squinted tightly shut as he struggled to block out the sound of the overly raucous music playing all around him...

"Branch? Are you... ok?" Guy asked, raising a slight eyebrow at the village grump's strange behavior.

Silence...

The trolls weren't exactly sure if Branch hadn't heard the question... or if he was just blatantly ignoring them... but either way... he made no indication of answering...

"Yo, Branch," Cooper said, waving a foot in front of the survivalist's face, the giraffe-like troll finally catching his attention. "You good, man?"

"Uh..." Branch blinked, looking around in slight panic as he suddenly became painfully aware that everyone in the group was now staring directly at him, the music not seeming to be harming any of their ears like it was currently doing to him...

Was it... weird... that he was having so much difficulty coping with this seemingly simple task...?

Oh great... another thing to be made fun of for...

"Um... I... I'm fine..." he finally answered, slowly removing his hands from his ears, the harsh sounds of the area flooding his excruciatingly sensitive eardrums so intensely... even his injured ear could hear the noise... "I'm fine..."

He wanted so badly to fit in... he wanted to have a good time with his girlfriend... he wanted to be happy... he wanted to be... normal... just like all the other trolls...

     So... he pretended that he wasn't bothered by the overwhelming sounds of the party, the poor boy smiling innocently at the group...

     They all liked the music... so he would too...

     "I'm good..." he assured. "Im just... excited! Yay parties! Woo!😁"

"Um... ok then..." Smidge muttered softly, the tiny yellow troll a bit skeptical of Branch's over enthusiastic words. "Whatever you say, Branch..."

''Cause it goes on and on and on... and it goes on and on and on... yeah! I throw my hands up in the air sometimes... saying AYO! Gotta let go! I wanna celebrate and live my life... saying AYO! Baby, let's go!'

     "So..." Guy finally began with a small grin, the silver troll placing a glittery arm around the village grump's shoulder, Branch glancing up at him with a slight glare, not liking that he was currently being touched...

     This troll was too close to him... but he certainly couldn't say that out loud... they were finally accepting him! He couldn't ruin that... he couldn't!

     "How'd you finally get your colors back?"

And with that question... Branch's heart dropped, his face going completely blank...

     "Oh... uh... I... I, I, I... I just..." he stuttered in reply, slowly looking over to Poppy for help... the young boy desperately hoping she would tell him what to say...

He wanted so badly to tell the truth... that he had finally admitted his feelings for the one he loved so much... that Poppy was the one who made him happy...

But...

The survivalist couldn't admit that... not without Poppy's permission that is... it was her life he was discussing as well as his own... and... and he wouldn't blame her if she didn't want her friends to know they were now dating... if she was... embarrassed... to have feelings for him...

After all... she was the princess... future queen of troll village... and he was just... him... a nobody who had only been known as the village grump for basically his entire life... a party pooping freak...

He knew he didn't deserve someone as special as Poppy... as kind... as caring... as utterly perfect as the beautiful pink troll who stood before him, lighting up his otherwise dreary world just by simply existing...

Which is why he was just so grateful that she had actually shared the same feelings as he did... that she loved him as much as he loved her... and he was happy with that knowledge... even if he was the only one who would ever know the truth...

''Cause we gon' rock this club. We gon' go all night. We gon' light it up... like it's dynamite! 'Cause I told you once... now I told you twice... we gon' light it up... like it's dynamite!'

Branch's ears trembled at the sound of the music seemingly growing louder and louder as the clamor of other trolls talking to one another in the background of the party overtook his painfully throbbing brain, making it so he could barely even think properly...

This was not helping the situation at all!

"Um..." he started, shaking his head slightly to try and alleviate some of the pressure rising up in his aching skull. "I... I got my colors back because... because..."

Oh god... why couldn't he think of anything!? Say something, you idiot!

"Because...! I finally convinced him he deserves it," Poppy suddenly interrupted, the young princess placing a comforting hand on the clearly distressed troll's shoulder, Branch smiling slightly over at her as he stealthily mouthed the words; 'thank you'.

Now... if only they would turn down this obnoxious music!

     Reaching up momentarily to cover his badly hurting ears... to try and muffle the agonizing sounds all around him... Branch quickly realized what he was doing, the newly blue troll instantly pulling his hands away from his head before anyone could notice his 'unusual' actions...

     Just ignore it, Branch... yeah... just ignore it...

"Really?" Smidge questioned in disbelief, not completely buying the story Poppy was telling. "But..."
"Now..." the young princess quickly cut off with an innocent smile, seeing that her boyfriend wasn't exactly comfortable being the center of attention, and also not wanting to continue this particular conversation. "Let's get this party started!"

"Yeah!" the crowed cheered in overwhelming excitement upon hearing the princess' joyful exclamation, the loud shout of all the trolls screaming out at the top of their lungs causing Branch to wince sharply as he once again reached up to cover his ears, the poor boy simply unable to take the unbearable noise any longer...

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it... the evidently simple task just didn't seem possible for him to complete...

     Even worse... he was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic...

With all the trolls of the village surrounding him on all sides... every single one of them dancing and having fun in a crazily energetic manner... Branch couldn't help but feel like he was trapped... trapped in a situation he really didn't want to be in...

He was panicking... there was just too much noise... too many trolls accidentally brushing up against him... and even worse... Poppy was having so much fun with her friends... she didn't even realize the pain her boyfriend was currently in... physical... and emotional...

A baby crying... at-least ten different conversation going on at once... trolls laughing... singing... whooping with joy... and... on top of it all... the overwhelmingly powerful music being put out into the world at top volume right next to him! The survivalist could hear it all blaring loudly in his trembling ears...

For the love of everything good! He couldn't take this anymore!

His hands still tightly covering his burning ears, Branch looked around in a frantic panic...

     There had to be a way out of there! He needed to get away from this crowd! To get to a quieter... more open area of the forest! But... but he couldn't see it... he couldn't see an exit! The trolls were everywhere! Surrounding him! There was no way out! He was trapped! Completely trapped! He couldn't escape!

     Poppy... he had to get to Poppy... she would help... she would turn the music down... she would help him find a way out of this awful place! He knew she would!

     But... but where was Poppy...

     He looked up and around... realizing with great despair that the love of his life was no longer in sight... the two of them having been unfortunately separated in the chaos of wildly dancing trolls... the party having swallowed him whole...

     "P... Poppy!?" he called out, looking around in a desperate attempt to spot the troll he needed so badly by his side. "Poppy! Where are you!?"

     There was no answer... no sign that Poppy had even heard his horrified cry... nothing at all... just the same racket that was driving Branch completely insane...

"Stop! Everyone stop!" the formally gray troll finally cried out at the top of his lungs, having no other options available to his racing mind to end the pain he was currently suffering, the poor boy's eyes burning with the tears that had begun flowing out of them. "Shut up! You're all being too loud!"

But... unfortunately for Branch... no one seemed to be able to hear him over the obnoxiously resounding sounds of the party... either that... or... simply no one cared...

'I throw my hands up in the air sometimes... saying, Ayo, gotta let go! I wanna celebrate and live my life... saying, Ayo, baby, let's go'

     Again... Branch looked around for an escape rout... even trying to push his way through the crowed... force himself out of this prison... but with everyone so tightly packed together... his attempts proved to be hopeless...

"Please!" the village grump desperately begged, his eyes squinted tightly shut and fists pressed firmly to his ears to no avail. "It's too loud!"

Still... there was no reaction to his tormented pleas other than a massive firework suddenly being launched up into the sky above... it's only purpose seeming to be to make Branch's life worse than it already was...

B A N G !

"AHHH!" the young Weretroll cried out with a slight jump of fear, loud whimpers of discomfort uncontrollably escaping his throat as he slowly and involuntarily sunk down to the ground, his arms wrapped over his head and face buried deep into his knees which were now pressed up tightly to his chest, the poor boy soon beginning to rock slightly back and forth... there was simply nothing else he could do...

     He could feel it... he could feel the wolf trying to break free from inside of him as all he could do was sit there feeling completely vulnerable to whatever was to come from all this pure and utter torture...

     No... no! He couldn't let it out... that was not an option... he had to hold it in... his life literally depended on it!

     Then again... his life also depended on him getting out of there... away from all this pandemonium... which he just couldn't seem to do on his own...

He... he couldn't do it on his own...

It could help him... the wolf would certainly be able to get all this racket to stop, after all... and so far... it was the only plan he could muster...

Stop fighting it... just let it lose... let the wolf out...

No... he couldn't... he just couldn't... there had to be another way out of this mess in which he had unfortunately found himself trapped in...

     But he couldn't think... he couldn't come up with a solution to his dyer problem... not with his brain throbbing so frantically inside of his skull...

Oh geez... he actually felt as if he were about to pass out...

     His heart seeming to be fighting to literally burst right out of his chest, Branch slowly raised his head from his shaking knees, the poor boy's eyes glossed over with tears of pain as he searched desperately once more for a solution to his trauma...

     There!

     On the ground right beside him was a rather large pebble, the young boy instantly scooping it up before jumping to his feet, a blurred plan of action in his clouded mind...

     Dj's Wooferbug... the thing creating the loud music which filled the entire area... the large pain inducing critter was right there! Only a few feet away from him! Without it... the party would end... the ear shattering sounds would all fall silent! He would finally be able to go home! He'd be free!

He knew what to do...

     Then... without even thinking... the survivalist chucked the pebble now in his hand as hard as he possibly could... launching the projectile directly at the large bug in front of him...

''Cause we gon' rock this club, we gon' go all night... we gon' light it up like it's dynamite! 'Cause I told you once, now I told you tw●︎♋︎■︎♑︎◆︎♋︎♑︎♏︎...'

The record scratched to a sudden halt as the stone struck it's intended target directly in the forehead, the Wooferbug shrieking out in fear at the sudden collision as it bucked up onto it's two back feet, the massive insect accidentally knocking Dj right off her perch before quickly taking off running towards the forest in complete panic...

Well... that was probably a bad solution... but... at-least it worked... right...? 😬

"Jupiter!" Dj shrieked out in terror as she jumped right back up to her feet, the red troll quickly taking off in desperate pursuit of her BPF. "Come back, precious! Come back!"

"Oops..." Branch muttered softly under his breath, the young boy feeling incredibly guilty for what he had just done as everyone at the now dead party watched the pair of best friends disappearing off into the distance...

"Juuuuuuupiteeeeeeer!"

     S I L E N C E . .

     Pure and utter quiet suddenly flooded the area as everyone remained absolutely still, standing in the exact same spots they had already been in when the party was still filled with life only moments ago, all of them staring off in the direction the musical bug had taken long after it had already fully left their sights, having vanished completely into the thickly settled trees off in the distance along with her beloved owner...

Oh god... this was not good...

Stillness had enveloped the open field within an instant, no one daring to take even a single step out of place as they all fully absorbed this act of treason...

That is... until everyone still at the party location quickly and suddenly whirled around to face Branch with rage filled glares upon all their faces, the little blue troll's ears drooping down low as he shrunk back in shame, the poor thing averting his gaze from the crowd to try and avoid eye contact to the best of his ability...

     "What the hair were you thinking!?"
"Even with your colors back, you're still a good for nothing party pooping freak!"
"Go rot in your fear hole!"

The shouts were loud and angered... continuously sounding all around him... and yet... the hatful words didn't hurt the village grump's ears nearly as much as they destroyed his heart...

     Branch sighed at all the hurtful things being shouted so furiously at him, the lone survivalist finally turning to head home like everyone clearly wanted, his eyes shut and head low in pure utter despair...

Why...? Why couldn't he of just been normal...? Just this once...? He was such an idiot...

     "Wait!" a sudden shout rung out over all the screams of pure rage. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"

     Branch paused, sorrowfully raising his head to look up at Poppy who had just now come back into his view, the young princess pushing her way through the crowd to cut off her boyfriend's escape route completely, putting herself directly between Branch and his only way home...

     "You can't leave!" she exclaimed before hastily turning back to the group of furious trolls who were still glaring angrily at the party pooper, their arms crossed in front of their chests as if to intimidate the absolutely despised village grump. "Everyone just calm down! I'm sure Branch didn't break the music on purpose... It was an accident!"

     Hearing his girlfriend wrongfully sticking up for him, Branch sighed, the poor boy looking away from her in shame as he nervously rubbed his arm, dreading the words that were about to come from his mouth...

     "It... it wasn't an accident, Poppy..." he admitted in a quiet mutter, the young princess immediately turning back to him with a quick gasp of disbelief, her eyes wide in total shock. "I... did it on purpose..."

     "I knew it!" a random troll suddenly shouted out loudly, Branch allowing his eyes to once again fall gently shut as his ears drooped down lower than ever before at the sound of the harshness in their tone... his heart aching in shameful despair...

     "It was too loud..." the little Weretroll continued softly... so softly that the other trolls could barely even hear him speaking... "I just... I wanted it to stop... I wasn't thinking..."

     "It's a party! It's supposed to be loud, you party pooper!" another random troll yelled in anger after the heartbroken confession. "And besides..." someone else added hatefully. "The only reason you don't want the noise is because you're a Bergen obsessed hermit!"

"That's not the reason..." Branch muttered softly, the completely ashamed troll still not looking up at the crowd currently surrounding him on all sides as he kept his head low, the poor thing too embarrassed by his previous actions to even open his eyes...

"Than what is the reason, freak!?"
"Because it...!" He paused, finally looking up at everyone for only a moment before letting out a soft sigh of defeat... "It doesn't matter..." the poor boy muttered miserably, his head once again lowering as his tear filled gaze focused on the ground below his feet. "It's stupid..."

He couldn't admit the truth... because if he did... he'd just be proving everyone right... he'd be proving he was a freak...

No one else was bothered by the music... no one! It was only him... he just couldn't admit that... that he was different...

He knew he should have never come to this party...

     Everyone instantly resuming to over yell each other yet again, Branch sighed before finally beginning to slump away, the introllverted loner heading back towards his bunker to hide away from the world and everyone in it for the rest of his miserable life...

     That is... until a lone firework that had for some reason not blown with the others as originally planned suddenly decided that this moment would be the perfect time to ignite, the rocket-like object zooming up into the sky before exploding loudly into a bright and colorful blast of pure aw-inspiring excellence...

     B A N G !

     "AHHHHH!" Branch immediately screamed out uncontrollably as the terrifyingly loud sound crackled through the crisp nighttime air, the young boy jumping a mile high before quickly covering up his ears in pain... his eyes squinting tightly shut once more to try and alleviate the feeling of absolute dread now coursing through him...

     Gasping sharply, Poppy stared directly at Branch in sudden realization, the young princess now knowing exactly what was going on with him...

     Shaking his head to clear his brain from it's panicked fog... Branch finally began moving once again, the yelling of the other trolls having not lightened up even the tiniest bit, all the hateful screams of rage forcing the survivalist to continue on his way...

     "Branch! Branch, wait!" the pink troll suddenly yelled out to him, quickly running up to stop Branch's retreat once more, making sure to get her boyfriend's full attention before continuing, her hands resting on the village grump's shoulders and eyes staring directly into his... "You're ears..." she whispered as if not to harm him any farther. "They're really sensitive... aren't they? That's why when we're singing, you say you can hear us from a mile away... because you actually can..."

     With another sigh, Branch slowly looked away from the love of his life in shame, the little blue troll subtly nodding in complete embarrassment...

     Honestly... he didn't even need his wolf abilities to hear better than everyone else in the village... his overly large ears had always been able to pick up every little sound in the forest... and to the survivalist inside of him it was a blessing because it helped the paranoid recluse stay safe from predators all these years... but to the troll in him... it was a curse... just another thing that proved he was different... another thing that only served as a reminder that he would never ever fit in with the rest of his kind...

     Even if he wasn't a literal monster... he would still be a freak...

     "The music was hurting you..." Poppy finally continued softly, gently taking the young boy's hands into her own as she kept her comforting gaze locked on her boyfriend's tear filled eyes... "You didn't mean to ruin everyone's fun... you just wanted the pain to stop..."

     The sound of murmuring quickly began filling the area following the young princess' soft explanation, the yelling having now completely ended as the crowd surrounding the couple began discussing this new revelation amongst themselves... everyone suddenly realizing that maybe... the 'village grump' wasn't out to ruin their parties after all...

     Yet another sigh, and Branch pulled away from Poppy's comforting grasp, the formally gray troll turning his back to everyone so he would no longer see all the eyes currently locked directly on him as he slowly hugged his arms around himself, his head low and ears drooping...

     "It... it was too much..." he admitted softly, trying his absolute best to not think about how many trolls were currently surrounding him... how many trolls he was now admitting his insecurities too... "I want to be like all of you... I... I want to be normal... I really do... and... and I tried... so hard... but the loud music... the fireworks... everyone talking and laughing and singing all at once... it was just too much for me... I... I'm sorry..."

     Everyone instantly fell silent at the sound of the blue troll's confession, all of them seeming to feel genuinely bad about blaming him for something the poor boy had no control over... it wasn't his fault that loud noises bothered him... and they should have never accused him of simply trying to spoil their fun just for the hair of it...

     "There's no such thing as normal, Branch..." Poppy whispered with a small comforting smile, the young princess gently placing a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder to once again gain his attention, though, this time, it didn't seem to succeed in making him turn around. "It's ok to be scared... it's ok to be uncomfortable with some things... and it's ok to be different..."

     "I don't want to be different..." Branch muttered under his breath, his head low and back still facing the love of his life. "Being different... just ruins everything... I ruin everything..."

     "Branch... look around..." Poppy instructed in a soft and gentle tone, trying her best to break through to the clearly distressed troll in front of her. "Everyone is different..."

     "Like me!" Cooper suddenly laughed out loudly, causing Branch to finally raise his head to look sadly up at the giraffe-like troll who stood just a few feet away from him. "And me," Smidge exclaimed in her gruff voice, the little troll trying her best to help out her friend. "And me!" screamed out a troll with four different heads, all of their voices speaking at once which honestly only served to freak Branch out a little...

     Finally, after a few moments of contemplation, the village grump turned back to Poppy with a somewhat relieved yet skeptical expression...

     "R... really?" he asked in a quiet mutter, looking to his beloved girlfriend for confirmation. "It's really ok... for me to just be... me...?"

"Of course!" Poppy exclaimed in an over the top excited manner, the young princess seemingly having forgotten about the sorrowful mood of the conversion they were currently having as she suddenly lunged forwards to hug her arms tightly around her best friend, accidentally causing him to stumble back at the unexpected gesture. "You're perfect, Branch..." she whispered into his ear after the short moment of shock the survivalist had just suffered from. "Exactly the way you are..."

     Branch couldn't help but smile at those absolutely heart mending words as he leaned in to hug his girlfriend in return...

How had he possibly gotten so lucky as to have this wonderfully kind and caring troll in his life...?

With a deep sigh of contentment, Branch slowly allowed his tired eyes to fall shut as he buried his nose into Poppy's shoulder, the young boy greatly enjoying the feeling of simply being held in his love's arms, her hand comfortingly rubbing his back to help further heal his now mended heart...

     "Group huuuuug!" Guy suddenly sang out at the top of his lungs upon seeing the warm embrace the young princess was currently sharing with the former village grump, everyone at the party instantly rushing over to join in and envelop Branch with a big hug of acceptance.

     "Ok, ok, ok!" the survivalist immediately shouted out when feeling the large crowd of trolls suddenly invading his personal space to a point of great discomfort, Branch quickly pulling free from the villagers' grasps as he backed a safe distance away from them all, his facial features reflecting a look of slight panic. "Maybe we work up to the group hugs..."

"Fair," Poppy giggled before taking her boyfriend's hands back into her own, the young princess looking him straight in the eye with a kind smile. "Now... what do you say we get this party restarted? At a more reasonable volume, of course."

"But Princess Poppy..." a young trolling began before Branch even had a chance to respond to the pink troll's question with a 'yes' or a 'no'. "There's no music..."

Soft murmurs of agreeance began to emerge from the crowd, everyone seeming to think that reviving this party would be absolutely impossible...

It was hopeless... they might as well just call it a night and head home on a low note...

     But... after a brief moment of contemplation... Branch suddenly smiled, looking to the group in slight excitement...

"I think I have an idea..."