The Power of Friendship

Chapter One – Welcome to Music Central

The world of the trolls changed greatly following Queen Barb's One Nation Under Rock Tour. The leaders of the six kingdoms grew closer as friends, learning about each other's cultures and music. The bounty hunters—the K-Pop Gang, the Yodelers, the Reggaeton Trolls, and even Chaz the Smooth Jazz Troll—were also invited along for the journey to a new era in troll history. Now, the royals and leaders could exchange ideas and tips about taking care of their respective people.

About a week after her concert, Barb gathered her most reliable builder Rock Trolls, and she began a new campaign of traveling to every single troll kingdom and fixing the damage she caused. It certainly helped build trust between Barb and the other leaders. However, talks started going around about the different troll citizens wanting to live closer to each other. With the opportunity of collaboration in mind, the troll leaders got together and started construction on a new community: Music Central, where trolls from all types of music lived. The bounty hunters, especially, were thrilled to have an actual home as opposed to traveling constantly. They were even rechristened The Minor Genres, as a more respectful way to refer to the smaller tribes. The main six kingdoms were often called The Major Six Genres. The troll leaders often split their time evenly between Music Central and their homelands. When they were all in Music Central, they shared power equally.

The Minor Genres rotated who was in charge of Music Central while the leaders of the Major Genres were gone. Today, it was during the K-Pop Gang's turn. Wani walked through town, waving to the denizens of Music Central. Her sisters patrolled the borders and land surrounding Music Central.

"Hey Miss Wani!" a familiar Pop Troll child ran up to her. The girl had pink-purple skin, light blue hair, royal blue eyes, and had lots of glitter freckles across her cheeks. She wore pants, a crop top, a beaded necklace, arm band bracelets, ginormous headphones, and a green gem in her belly button.

"CJ Suki, right?" Wani asked. "What's up?"

"My Aunt DJ Suki told me to tell you that Poppy and Branch are on their way!" CJ announced happily.

"Yay!" Wani cheered.

"They're not the only ones!" Gomdori and Baby Bun also ran up to them. "Kim-Petit said she spotted Delta Dawn coming in hot!"

"And I found King Trollex!" Ari announced, popping up seemingly from nowhere with the King of Techno himself beside her.

"Got a little lost." Trollex admitted sheepishly.

"Ari will take you to the leaders' conference room to wait for everyone else." Wani said. "Gomdori, Baby Bun, go get the other Minors leaders and get them there, too. Everyone else shouldn't be far behind."

Music Central had a single castle, just big enough for the troll leaders and Minor Genre trolls to have their own rooms plus a conference room for royal meetings and such. The circular space sat in one of the towers, where every window could open to let in the natural light from all directions. Trollex got to work setting everything up, drawing open the curtains so the sunlight could light up the room. The Reggaeton Trolls arrived, too, and they helped him set up the bean bag chairs in a circle around the room.

"We bring ze snacks!" Dickory announced.

"Who wants schneckennudeln?" Hickory held up a plate piled high with pastries.

"They look like cinnamon rolls to me." Cooper said as he arrived with his parents and brother.

"Or, as we like to call them, snail noodles!" Dickory corrected proudly.

"But there aren't any snails in them, right?" Quincy asked.

"A shame." Trollzart sighed as he took a roll. "I love a good sugared snail."

"Yee-haw!" Everyone knew what that sound meant, and they wisely cleared the doorway just before Delta Dawn burst into the room. "All right! Somebody start the time!"

"Gracious, Delta Dawn, did you gallop full speed down here?" Essence laughed.

"I told Blue Boy I'd eat my hat if he ever beat me here." Delta Dawn shrugged. "I like this hat."

"I don't think it would taste very good, anyway." Clampers said, poking her head from her aunt's hair. "Hi Prince D! Hi Prince Cooper!"

"What's up, Tooth Fairy?" Darnell high-fived the little Country Troll.

"Hurry up hurry up hurry up!" Footsteps stampeded up the steps, and Branch appeared in the doorway. "Aw man!"

"Delta Dawn beat us again?" Poppy guessed with a giggle.

"How do you always beat us here?" Branch groaned. "Hey Marimba, what's the time?"

"Two minutes, twenty-two seconds. A new record!" Marimba cheered. They all paused, most wearing identical smiles, as rock music echoed from the forest.

"Barb's almost here. Good!" Poppy clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone, it looks like we're almost all here. Let's take our seats, and we can get this meeting started."

"Dibs on the pink bean bag!" Cooper and Darnell shouted at once, diving for the same chair.

"Nice hat, Hickory." Poppy said.

"Thank ya kindly, Miss Poppy." Hickory tilted his cowboy hat with Austrian decal. Since the adventure with the world tour, Hickory found that he could not fully abandon the cowboy Country Troll genre. He and Dickory often went back to Lonesome Flats, where they were welcomed warmly by all. Hickory's outfit had changed to incorporate both Western and yodeler fashion, and his accent even flipped sporadically between German and Southern.

King Thrash's wheelchair launched through the door, carrying the former king and the current queen with it. "The fun has arrived!" Barb leapt off the chair and slid across the room. "Thank you very much."

"Glad to have you, Barb!" Poppy gestured to the bean bag chair adjacent to her, the only one left in the room. "I saved you a seat."

"Enjoy your meeting, Barbara." Thrash tousled his daughter's mohawk.

"Dad." Barb whined, her face consumed by a blush. Thrash chuckled and maneuvered himself out the door again. Barb plopped down in the beanbag chair, secretly relieved Poppy once again took the time to save her a spot.

After an encouraging nudge from Poppy, Branch stood. "Welcome, leaders of music! It's been over a year since Barb's concert at the end of her world tour. So much has changed. Our homes are rebuilt, and our people are happy. Music Central teems with life and has become a safe haven for trolls of all genres."

"Let's not forget the best thing that's happened this year." Tambora pointed out.

"What's better than what he just said?" Poppy asked.

"You and Boy Toy?" Barb reminded her.

Poppy and Branch blushed. "Yes, yes, all right." Branch rubbed the back of his head. "Poppy and I did indeed get engaged a few weeks ago, which you all should remember since you sort of set up the whole thing anyway."

"That was fun." Trollex sighed in bliss.

"When's the date?" Baby Bun bounced in her seat.

"Oh, we still have a lot to figure out." Branch said. "But let's focus on our meeting."

"I don't recall us having much to talk about." Chaz shrugged. "Shall we just get to our duties?"

"Not yet." Poppy said. "Very soon, it will be the one-year anniversary of Music Central's construction. I think we need something to celebrate!"

"A party?" Darnell guessed.

"Maybe. Or maybe a party to celebrate whatever we make to celebrate the one-year anniversary." Poppy said.

"Actually, I was thinking about the anniversary, too." Trollex said. "We need something to commemorate the occasion."

"I agree." Trollzart nodded. "Perhaps a concert? A showcase of all troll music?"

"We need a special symbol or a seal or something." Delta Dawn suggested.

"I got a seal!" Cooper pulled a seal pup out of his hat. The seal barked in greeting.

"Wrong seal." Clampers giggled.

"Also, how did you fit that into your hat?" Tresillo asked.

"I like Delta Dawn's idea!" Barb practically yelled, drawing everyone's attention to her. She shrunk down into her beanbag chair. She cleared her throat and spoke quieter. "I mean…..I think she's right. A symbol of Music Central sounds cool."

"Thank you." Delta Dawn said with a sincere smile.

Barb exhaled softly in relief. She was always on the lookout for an opportunity to prove herself to the other trolls. Prove anything, really: that she was a good friend, that she was a good leader, that she wasn't the horrible or villainous or aggressive or misguided troll she used to be, or whatever. Yes, all the trolls were so grateful that she took the time to rebuild the kingdoms. But, lately, it seemed every other attempt to prove herself came across as awkward.

"A symbol for Music Central?" Trollex mused. "What would it look like?"

"An instrument?"

"Which instrument?"

"All of them!"

"What about a troll?"

"Which kind?"

"All of them!"

"That'd be a big statue."

"Should we make a small one?"

"What about a medium-sized one?"

"How about one halfway between medium and large?"

"What color should it be?"

"What do we make it out of?"

"Did we decide on a shape yet?"

"All of them!"

Branch pulled a whistle from his hair and blew it to quiet the room. "I see we have a lot of options. But we really ought to narrow it down."

"Too bad we can't have someone else make the decision for us." Cooper said.

Poppy glanced to Clampers, who was busy braiding sections of Delta Dawn's hair like she normally did during the meetings. "Hey, Cooper, that's it!" Poppy declared. "What if we let the kids decide on the statue?"

"That's a great idea!" Trollex said. "The kids didn't need much time to open up to new genres and make friends. They ought to know how to make a symbol that represents troll unity."

"Even better: a symbol of our differences that create our unity!" Wani said.

"I love it!" Trollzart cheered.

"We can put the statue at the top of the castle, where everyone can see it!" Dickory suggested.

"Which kids should make the design?" Chaz asked.

"Let's each choose a kid from our kingdoms." Poppy said. "Together, they'll make the design team who will decide on what the statue will look like. Since the Minor Genres don't have any children in their groups, we'll tell the kids they have to get some input from the K-Pop Gang, Hickory and Dickory, the Reggaeton Trolls, and Chaz. Are we in agreement?" There was a round of affirmation from the other leaders. "Okay! Everyone get to work choosing your kid, and we'll meet up again in a few days to bring the children together."


"All right, youngins!" Delta Dawn called. "First one to the finish line gets to be on the design team for the new Music Central symbol!"

The Country Troll children queued up at the starting line, Clampers standing amongst them. The obstacle course consisted of walls, monkey bars, a rope swing over a pool of mud, a forest of poles to weave through, and more for the kids to maneuver.

"Ready to lose?" a boy teased Clampers.

"I am going to make you eat those words, and my dust." Clampers laughed.

"As if!" the boy scoffed. "No offense, princess, but you do spend a lot of time in the queen's hair."

"Watch and learn." Clampers cracked her knuckles.

"Ready?" Delta Dawn pulled a cork pistol from her hair. "Go!" She fired the gun into the air, and the kids shot off through the obstacle course.

Only Delta Dawn was unsurprised to see Clampers literally eat her way through the course and finish first, leaving holes in her wake.


"What's up my Techno Troll Guppies?" Trollex called over the group of Techno Troll kids before him. The kids cheered excitedly. "Okay, guys, Music Central needs a new symbol to represent us trolls! We need a representative for Techno Reef. I want to see your best bubble art of the deejay set back home. But you only have until I finish my song! On your mark, get set, go!"

The little trolls each floated to their own pools of paint and bubbles, and they got to work on their canvases. They used all the paintbrushes available to create their masterpieces, working to the beat of Trollex's music. There was quite a bit of splashing paint and some frustrated groans.

Trollex finished the song. "Okay, stop!" He floated over to the kids and explored the pieces. "Not bad. Not too bad. Ooh, this is going to be close." He paused and smiled broadly. "Wait! This one is perfect!"

The other kids gathered around and collectively said, "Ooh!"

"Look! We're even in it! See?" one of the kids pointed to the lower half of the painting. "That's us dancing!"

"I think we got a winner!" Trollex announced. He looked to the name signed at the bottom of the canvas. "Coral Blush! Where are you?"

"Right here!"

Trollex looked down, and he burst out laughing. The Techno Troll child before him was covered head to fins in paint, even the single strand of hair on his head. Nobody could see his green scaly skin, blue hair, or pink heart symbol under all the rainbow colors. Only his neon green eyes shined clearly.


"The symbol of Music Central is meant to represent everyone in town, all the genres." Poppy explained to the Pop Troll kids. "To represent our kingdom, you need to show how you can combine lots of different ingredients into a single masterpiece. In this case, a cake!"

"Do we get to eat the cake afterwards?" Keith asked.

"Provided you've made a cake that is edible, sure!" Poppy nodded. "You can use any ingredients you want, but you have to include at least ten ingredients minimum. To your stations!"

"Ready? Get set!" Cooper blasted an air horn. "Bake!"

The kids got to work, and soon a cloud of dust made of flour flooded the area. About an hour later, Poppy and Cooper walked about the contestants to taste test.

"Great use of chocolate, but a bit too much powdered chili pepper." Poppy told one kid.

"The cake and frosting are delicious." Cooper complimented another child. "But the ratio of cake to frosting is sadly disproportionate."

Poppy tried to be as polite as possible when she tried Priscilla's cake. "Wow. It's just so fluffy, and the frosting is very creamy."

"So, it's good?" Priscilla asked.

"Well…" Poppy watched Cooper take a large bite of the cake, and then promptly spit it out.

"Carrot cake?!" Cooper screamed in terror and ran off.

"What?" Priscilla shrugged. "Oh well. More for me!" She took a fork and started eating her own cake, much to the disgust of the other children.

Poppy was almost afraid to ask Keith this question. "Keith, what is your cake made of?"

"Grass, flowers, crushed tea leaves, and maple sap!" Keith said proudly.

"You mean maple syrup, right?" Poppy asked hopefully. Cooper took a bite of the cake, which glued his teeth together in seconds. His scream was muffled as he ran off again to unstick his gums.

"You said stuff that was edible." Keith shrugged.

"Touché." Poppy said. "But you're not offended that few people would eat this, right?"

"I was just trying to see if I could make a cake from completely natural ingredients." Keith shrugged.

Poppy moved to the last kid and tried the cake. She lit up. "Perfect! What a combination of flavors!" She checked the list of ingredients. "Awesome! Well done, CJ! How would you like to be part of the team for the new Music Central sculpture?"

"Yay!" CJ Suki cheered.


"They say you have break something down to build it up again!" Barb said, marching back and forth before the children. "Step one: smash your guitars!"

The Rock Troll children took their guitars and broke them to pieces.

"Step two: use those bits of guitar and make something out of it!" Barb ordered.

The kids stared at the broken guitar fragments.

"You got ten minutes. Go." Barb said.

Ten minutes later

Barb didn't see much until she reached a kid who somehow recycled his guitar into a violin that made a sound which was a cross between a traditional violin and an electric guitar.

Barb whistled, impressed. "Dang, kid. Not bad. Ozzy, right?"

"That's me!" the Rock Troll child nodded, his wild hair flipping about vigorously.

"All right. You're perfect." Barb decided.


"You have been chosen because of your expert musical abilities." Trollzart told the little Classical Trolls. "Now, I will test your memorization and adaptation. I will give you a piece to play and an instrument to use. Ready?"

"Yes, King Trollzart." The children chorused.

Trollzart tapped his conductor's baton on a music stand. He rattled off names and instruments, and then the name of the song. It was one thing to play a song someone might have memorized. It was another to play that memorized song on an instrument the child hadn't played for a while. It was even harder to translate a trumpet piece into flute notes so it sounded correct, especially for a kid who learned that song on a trumpet in the first place. Trollzart was kind and gentle in his critiques.

"A wonderful attempt, little ones." Trollzart complimented. "Some of you need more practice in variety. However, I have chosen the team member for the Classical Trolls." He fluttered up to one of the girls holding a flute. "What is your name, little one?"

"I am Cadence, Your Majesty." The girl said shyly.

"Congratulations, Cadence." Trollzart said. "You will be the Classical Troll team member of the design team." The other children cheered for Cadence, who blushed fiercely.


"You want to bring the funk to the team?" Darnell announced to the kids.

"Yeah!" the kids cheered.

"Then you better be ready to dance your socks off!" Darnell called.

"No, really!" Quincy said.

"You gotta dance until all four socks come off!" Essence instructed. "But you can't just shake your limbs! You gotta show us your best moves!"

"Let's get this party started right!" Darnell started the music, and the kids danced with all their might. Socks went flying into the air randomly, but only when one kid ended up barefoot did Darnell stop the music.

"Looks like we got our champion!" Essence walked up to the child. "What's your name, hun?"

"I'm Blue!" the child declared proudly.

"Da ba dee da ba daa!" Darnell sang.

"Not bad, kid!" Quincy complimented.

"Yes, I think you'll do nicely." Essence nodded.


A/N: I'm a little nervous about posting this story before I've finished it. But I hope you guys enjoy reading it!

Slight disclaimer: I don't have access to Trollstopia clips or the show in general, so I'm not getting any ideas from there except for the concept of all the different trolls living in one place. If something looks similar, it's completely coincidental.