Chapter Text
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Unlike the Trolls surrounding her, Poppy doesn’t shut her eyes when the diamonds shatter; the shockwave, blinding lights, and burning dust don't slow her down as she runs to where she sees Branch falling.
She slides to him on her knees, catching him in her arms - and a feeling she’s never felt before fills her.
Poppy knew what it was to lose her Colors, to lose her Music.
She’s felt the freezing sensation of terror, and the sharp sting of hope.
But kneeling here, clutching the crystallized shell of her Heart, Poppy’s never felt such pain before.
The sound and lights and world fade away from around them.
The terror and hope and worry leave her, only leaving her numb.
Grief
That’s the mind-numbing feeling that fills her, leaking from her eyes in burning tears and falling onto Branch’s serene face. She brings a shaking paw to his face, a sob finally breaking free at the feeling of cold crystal that’s taken over his warm pelt. More tears fall, harsh sobs racking Poppy’s body.
She curls over him, clutching him close, pressing her forehead against his.
She begs and screams and pleads, but Branch doesn’t return to her.
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The wail of the Pop Queen moves with blinding pink ferocity, the soft strum of a harp turning harsh and brittle, a once beautiful aria becoming a mourning howl.
Every radio turns to static as it hurtles through the fluorescent streets of Mount Rageous, the blinding lights of the bright city dimming to a barely-there glow; two teens and one assistant are blown into the side of the yacht they stood on, being held down by an invisible force.
The vibrant colors drain and turn bleak around Bergen Town, the very foundation shaking and causing the leaves of the Troll Tree to wilt.
The sweets at Hole ‘N Fun turn sour, every blue light shattering and causing the Putt Putt Trolls to scatter and hide; a lost Princess falls to her knees, tears streaming down her face as a grief, not belonging to her, fills her entire being; a lime-haired Troll hunkers beneath a table as the administration shack he calls home creaks and shakes dangerously.
Waves harshly slam into the shore of Vacay Island, the relaxed atmosphere turning tensed and worried as the clouds that mark their island blow away in the winds; a red-haired Vacayer and her purple-haired husband herd their children between them as tremors rack their restaurant.
Vibe City and Funky Town’s power fluctuates with a shock of pink, records scratching, and wavy neon lights burning out.
Swing City lives up to its name as winds move their treetop homes in wide arcs, Smooth Jazz Trolls hurriedly evacuating.
A sandstorm sweeps through Lonesome Flats and Country Corral, the harsh ground cracking and animals becoming restless.
Jodelgipfel quakes as an avalanche rocks the mountains causing Yodelers to quickly move and secure anything loose; an armadillo-bus on a trail a few miles away curls protectively over a Troll as the path in front of them washes away in the slide.
The residents and visitors of Symphonyville and Classical Crest hunker down as a harsh wind tears through, every instrument becoming out of tune.
Las Islas Danzantes is plagued by harsh waves and winds, fishing and sailing boats hastily roping together so they aren’t pulled out to sea, fruits falling and becoming rotten before they burst apart on the ground.
Vicious currents tear through and uproot many of the plants in Techno Reef and Techno Lagoon, the natural bioluminescence of its creatures and plant life grow murky.
The lava of Volcano Rock City and Rock Hollow hardens to obsidian, speakers blowing without any prompt; a magenta-haired Troll watches in shock as the walls of his apartment crack and mold.
The multichrome sheen that covers Jeong becomes flat, its colors and lights dulling, their songs becoming faint.
Pop Village, its Forest, and its Trolls are overcome with the terrifying feeling of loss - so much like when they lost their hope inside a dark and suffocating pot - the trees sway with the pain and the Pop Trolls cry with their Queen; a retired King’s colors dim as the familiar feeling of sorrow fills him.
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An empty clearing fills with pink orchids, blue salvia, forget-me-nots, purple hyacinths, tiger lilies, red dahlias, pink bluebells, and blue violets.
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