by David Lewman
Sitting behind a keyboard, he said, finally speaking clearly, “It’s all right, Barbara. Just let everyone be what they want to be. Including you.”
One by one, the different tribes of Trolls joined Poppy’s song. She and the Funk Trolls sang. Then the Country Western Trolls started playing each other’s long tails like guitars with Poppy singing along.
The Techno Trolls sang in voices that sounded electronic. It was cold and mechanical, but at the same time, it was the perfect harmonic counterpoint to what the other Trolls were singing.
All the Trolls joined in—adding something special from deep inside themselves! The Funk Trolls clapped their hands. The Classical Trolls sang in big, operatic voices. The Rocker Trolls tapped out a rhythm with the spikes on their wristbands. Even Riff joined in the musical celebration, pounding out a steady beat!
“Let me hear you sing!” Poppy sang.
“Sing!” everyone answered.
Barb grabbed a guitar and started playing along. Her Mohawk grew taller and brighter. A rainbow wave spread through the crowd, making everyone lighter, brighter, and more colorful than ever before.
Trollzart waved his baton, leading the Classical Trolls. “Play!” he cried joyfully. “Play! Beautiful!”
“Sick!” Barb said happily as she played a sizzling guitar lick that complemented what the Classical Trolls had just added.
Everyone sang together.
Still playing her guitar, Barb crossed the stage to meet Poppy in the middle. The two of them sang together as new friends. When the song ended, Poppy and Barb were surrounded by their friends and the leaders of the all Trolls. Everyone cheered!
Poppy turned to Branch. “I love that we are so different.”
“I love you, Queen Poppy!” he said. He had finally managed to tell Poppy how he felt about her!
“I love you, too, Branch,” Poppy said, smiling.
“Shall we?” Branch suggested.
SMACK! High-fiving, they made a perfect connection!
Working together, the Pop Trolls rebuilt their village in no time at all, making it even more colorful and fun than it had been before.
Poppy sat with a circle of young Trolls from all six tribes, showing them a new scrapbook she’d made. It told the history of the Trolls—the true history, which she’d learned on her adventure.
“In the beginning,” she told the youngsters, “we were divided. Our ancestors thought we were just too different to get along.”
Poppy turned the felt page to a picture of a wise old Troll.
“Turns out they were wrong,” she said. “Very, very wrong.” She turned the page. Now the old Troll was slapping his head. In a speech balloon, he was saying, “We’re sorry.”
“You have to be able to listen to other voices, even when they don’t agree with you,” Poppy explained. “Our differences aren’t bad. Our differences are good.”
She turned the page again. The next two pages were full of flowers. They bloomed, and all the different kinds of Trolls—Funk, Classical, Techno, Pop, Country Western, and Rocker—popped out of the flowers, smiling.
“Our differences make us stronger,” Poppy continued. “More creative. More inspired. So whether your song is sad and heartfelt, loud and defiant…”
She turned the page to show a picture of Delta Dawn strumming her guitar.
“…or warm and funky…”
She turned that page, and there were King Quincy and Queen Essence, playing their funky music with their sons, Cooper and Prince D.
“…you can’t harmonize alone,” she concluded, closing the scrapbook. Branch walked up to her, and she took his hand. They smiled. Then—CHOMP!
Clampers was biting the scrapbook with her big teeth!
“Clampers!” Poppy said. “Let’s not eat our history!”
Clampers grinned an apologetic grin. “Sorry, Miss Poppy.”
Tiny Diamond rode out on a toy dump truck. “Done with my nap and ready to play!” he announced, shooting glitter out of the truck.
Poppy laughed, and so did Branch.
And with that, the Trolls, from all parts of the kingdom, gathered together and partied through the night and into the next day, continuing for the rest of the week. The music never stopped!
Poppy is Queen of the Trolls. She can’t stop singing, dancing, and hugging! Branch is Poppy’s best friend. He’ll follow her on any adventure.
Poppy soon discovers that she and her friends are Pop Trolls—and they aren’t the only Trolls in the world! There are all sorts of Trolls…like the Techno Trolls, led by King Trollex…
…and Country Western Trolls, like Hickory, who sing sad, sad songs out in the heartland of Lonesome Flats. Their rough-and-tumble leader, Delta Dawn, will do anything to protect her town from fancy outsiders, like…
…Barb and the Rocker Trolls. Queen Barb thinks only rock music ROCKS, and wants to make all the Trolls think the same. And she’s got the rock army and guitar licks to make ’em!
Poppy plans to stand up to Barb. She believes that all the Trolls can find a way to harmonize, and she’s determined to get them together to dance, hug, and sing as one!
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