On the other side of the island, Chenille dragged an unconscious Satin behind her as she made it to the shore, mentally thanking Ripley Wisp for putting her through that intense exercise routine. When she said that it would help her in a matter of life and death, she didn't know it was advice to be taken literally. She knew better now, for if her mind hadn't been reworked to think as such, she and her sister would've been sleeping with the fishes.

Oh...that came out wrong. Sorry, Trollex.

Her mind in question now shifted focus from her and her sister's wellbeing to that of her friends.

I hope Poppy, Branch, and the others are doing okay. DJ, King Trollex, Cooper, Prince D, King Quincy, Queen Essence, Delta Dawn, Clampers, Growly Pete, Trollzart, Pennywhistle, Bliss Marina, Techno Beat Drop Button, Coral Blush, Meadow Spriggs, Gia Grooves, Bella Brightly, Legsly, even Hickory and Dickory, and finally Biggie. Wait...what about Biggie? I thought he was with Poppy's group. Unless... Oh, no. No, Satin. Don't think that way. I'm sure he's fine...along with the rest of Vibe City.

Chenille slowed to a stop at the sight of a discarded assault rifle, gazing at it for a brief, uninterrupted moment of uncomfortableness. Hesitant to even touch the firearm, the Pop Troll eventually picked it up and carefully observed its construction. She had seen them in action used by those dastardly Party Crashers, but never before had she seen one up close. All of a sudden, her ears perked up at a noise not too far away. Reluctant but left with no other choice, she made sure the weapon was loaded before aiming it at the forest surrounding all around her.

"Whoever you are, whatever you are... I don't know how to use this, but I'm a fast learner."

"Probably not fast enough to know that one should turn off the safety when planning to use a weapon like that."

Chenille's blood ran cold at the sound of that ungodly voice, one that was all too familiar to her even though it shouldn't. She just needed a small sign of confirmation. Her finger twitching at the trigger guard, she nervously heeded his advice and, sure enough, the safety switch was on. Flicking it off, she aimed her new weapon a little more carefully this time.

"Thanks for the advice."

"Don't mention it. I have to say, Chenille, you've changed. For the better, of course."

"What do you mean? And how do you know my name?"

"Out of you and Satin, you...Chenille...were always the wallflower. You preferred calming activities, Satin preferred daring activities. You were submissive, Satin was dominant. You were critical, Satin was open-minded. As for the second question...I'm frankly disappointed but not surprised. I expected you to forget about me after the unforgivable crime I've committed."

Chenille nervously gulped, her suspicions close to being confirmed.

"You're...you're still alive?"

At that moment, a mysterious hooded figure emerged from the shadows wielding an assault rifle of his own. Chenille's eyes widened and she immediately aimed hers at the figure, shielding her still unconscious sister from harm.

"Oh, darling... I've been alive...and I've never felt so alive before. The same could not be said for the Bergen Chef whom I sold you whole lot to. I could still hear her screaming as they became garbled and incoherent in the dreams I have. And you know what? I'm proud of what I did and who I've become. What I did was still an evil...but it was the lesser of the two."

Chenille was visibly unnerved at the thought of another Troll actively killing another being, Troll or not. She held up her resolve and held back her tears.

"You have no decency, don't you...Creek?"

In all honesty, when the Pop/Rainbow/Guru Troll lifted his hood, Chenille expected him to be donning a cross between a smug smirk and a facial expression that read "Isn't it obvious?" He did, but that unholy combination also paved the way for the reveal of his grey skin and a left-side eyepatch. In addition, his complacent grin slowly dropped and morphed into something resembling a bittersweet beam. All in all, this outward blend of negative attributes signified that his subsequent fall from grace was as spectacular as the revelation that caused it. Gasping in equal parts horror and sadness, Chenille almost felt sorry for the traitor.

Almost...

"Isn't it obvious?" Creek chuckled, keeping his rifle at the ready, "Like I said, I'm proud of what I did and who I've become. Even so, don't think I don't regret my decision."

"You do?" Chenille was dangerously close to opening fire.

"I mean...it's a mixed bag. My choice to sell out Troll Village pretty much ensured my survival...and Poppy's death."

"Well, thanks to chance, the roles were reversed. Did you know Poppy had nightmares about you? About Chef? About the supposed remaining rogue Bergens? Did you know that we, the Snack Pack...her best friends...had to tend to care for her wellbeing while you died a slow and painful death? Did you know that your betrayal was what hurt the most for her? Did you even care for Poppy? She trusted you for Christ's sake!"

"Don't you dare!" Creek's index finger was now positioned directly on the trigger, "Don't you dare suggest you lot were the only ones who cared for her!"

"You're right! You know who else cared for her?"

"Who?"

"Branch!"

At the mere mention of that name, Creek was visibly taken aback by Chenille's response. Even though he'd never admit it, Branch was still a sore spot in his psyche. Despite his gruff and cynical nature, Poppy never stopped caring for the survivalist Troll, who eventually reciprocated the advances in her darkest hour. In that moment, he shed his grey shell and expressed his true colors on full display...at least, that's what he heard from the time since Troll Village and Bergen Town made peace. Jealousy didn't begin to describe his feelings for him and the relationship he shared with his dear Poppy. He was everything he wanted to be...but he'd still never admit it.

Chenille was all too happy to oblige.

"Branch cared! It was Branch who came to Poppy's rescue when she was about to be attacked by spiders! It was Branch who saved the date between King Gristle and Bridget from going up in flames! In fact, it was Branch who restored hope in her and the rest of the Trolls when they lost it all, including Satin and I! And you have the nerve to tell me we were the only ones who cared for her?! You never did! You just used her, toyed with her, and screwed her over when she was no use to you anymore! Branch was the one who cared the most in the end! He's everything that you wished you would be!"

Breathless for her long-winded rant, Chenille finally allowed the tears to flow as she lowered her rifle. Creek was breathless, too, but for an entirely different reason. He clearly underestimated the wallflower twin.

"You're right," Creek nodded in agreement as he lowered his rifle as well, "I'm sorry. That was...completely out of line."

Chenille said nothing, but her face expressed eye-to-eye accordance.

"Well, aren't you going to do it?"

"Um...do what?"

"This is the part where you feign sympathy for me in order to spring a trip and force me to take you to Queen Poppy...right?"

. . .

"Well, I was going to ask you where Poppy was, if that helps prove your point. However, it's a matter of far more importance."

"How important?"

"I had to pose as a Bounty Hunter for Queen Barb in order to gain some semblance of a viable lead."

"Queen Barb? Of the Hard Rock Trolls?"

"A complete and utter psychopath...but she's got style."

. . .

"I'm going to ignore that for now. How were you able to find the Rock Trolls in the first place?"

"I had an inside Troll, if you can call him that, inflitrating the Rockers for some time now. If you already know, Queen Barb is planning to destroy all music except for Rock."

"I do."

"But that's not the worst of it."

"How could it get any worse?"

"She has plans for the leaders of the other tribes. She desires to convert them all into Rock Zombies."

"Rock Zombies...?" Chenille's eyebrows shot up in confusion and alarm as Creek continued.

"From what I could tell, Rock Zombies are seemingly the mind-controlled versions of ourselves, brainwashed to serve the Rock lineage...and destroy those who resist."

Chenille was plagued with horror. As if Queen Barb hadn't proved to them already that she was far worse than Chef and the Bergens, she had to go and top herself.

"But why?"

"My best guess is to break the spirits of the tribe denizens in order to make them comply with their orders."

A lot to process on her mind, Chenille slung the rifle over her shoulder and picked up Satin, who had amazingly not woken up yet.

"I've got to warn Poppy and the others."

"You mean we've got to warn Poppy and the others."

"What, you're coming with me?"

"I have to. You don't know the forest like I do."

"Oh, what are you now, Branch 2.0?"

"I'm not trying to be. It's like you said... He's everything I wished I would be."

Now Chenille's turn to taken aback by Creek's response, the grey Pop/Rainbow/Guru Troll merely shrugged and walked ahead as she looked on.

"Great, now you're making me feel guilty."

. . .

"Good."

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, with Chenille and Creek exchanging glances to make sure the other wouldn't get any ideas. That didn't mean they couldn't make conversation.

"Did you actually feel guilty about selling us out...specifically Poppy?"

His mind trailed back to Poppy and the times they spent together. A defining trait of the memories was the fact that Creek never seemed to take responsibility for his actions, content on placing the blame partially or completely on her. Regret plagued him over time and it showed. Because they were children when they first met, Creek was able to take advantage of Poppy's naive and idealistic demeanor. As they grew older, however, she started to wise up. Creek would eventually admit that he was a jerk, no sugarcoat about it. From guilt-tripping Poppy to downright insulting Branch with his saccharine sneers, he was a unpleasant individual. But nobody knew this. Not even himself.

Meanwhile, Chenille was surprised as Creek displayed a whole new side to him. He was angry not just at the Trolls he was close to for supposedly abandoning him to his fate, but also at himself. He knows he messed up big time, but he never admitted it.

It became clear now that Creek cared for Poppy as much as Branch, just not enough to sell her and the other Trolls out to the Bergens. By the time he had second thoughts, it was too little too late. The chance to return to Troll Village (or Pop Village, whatever it was called now) had eluded him for far too long, and the denizens eventually forgot about him. The chance to reconcile with Poppy, one of his many childhood friends who seemed content with pursuing her blossoming relationship with Branch, was all but destroyed.

Creek's mindset throughout this entire ordeal was to make amends. He needed to apologize to Poppy and the others, if not earn back the Queen's affections. He knew that the chance was one in a million, as his louder actions already trumped his already loud words and made reconcilation impossible.

He knew that Poppy would never forgive him for what he've done, but he just wanted her to listen and consider the opportunity. If it was any consolation, there was no one who felt more angry at his betrayal than himself. All the while, Chenille didn't want to express sympathy for the traitor, but she couldn't quite help herself. Through his sleeves, she could clearly see what appeared to be a series of clean-up cuts visible near his wrists. Gasping in horror, her heart was full of pity for Creek now. He actually considered his own death as a form of redemption at one point and was even strongly implied to attempt and go through it...until now.

"Immensely."