Chapter 3
Rustic Troll
In the Dustveil Flats Territory, all was well and quiet, everyone was doing their own errands and responsibilities.
Milking Cows, cooking BBQs, such and such.
Sierra Flint was patrolling around the Town when it happened.
BOOOOM!
An explosion followed by a booming Zephyr stopped everyone in their jobs as they looked up the sky.
"Wooo-hay, never seen anythin' like that before, have 'ya Grizz?" Sierra asked her friend.
"Grizz Grizz Grizz," Grizz shook his head with a whistle.
Sierra snorted, "Wonder who pooped by the rainbow enough for it to explode like that!"
Not expected by anyone at all, an orange trail dropped in the middle of the Dustveil Flats!
Sierra had to stand her ground from the impact it caused, holding Sprig tight in her hair.
"Okay, t-that—" A female voice sounded amidst the floating sands.
"That hurt like hell!
I'm gonna feel 'em for a week— Ow—"
When the sands cleared, it showed a light orange Rustic Trolls with thick blonde hair in a mix of braids and ponytail holder, donning a brown cowboy hat.
She wore a cropped red checkered long sleeve top with a white shirt under, and dark blue denim pants.
When the female troll turned their way, Sierra noticed 3 spots of freckles by each of her cheeks and her green eyes.
"Uhh, hi?" The troll greeted, her familiar accent telling of her tribe.
"Er, I'm not sure wha happened really, but I'm sorry fer barging in 'yer town like this.
I'll leave immediately if I somehow disturbed 'ya, sorry 'bout that."
Just as she was about to take a step, Sierra said, "Whatcha mean?
'Yer one of us!
O'course 'yer welcome!"
"Say what now?" Came her immediate reply but shook her head having memories of an earlier Astra Lenora, "I think there's been a misunderstanding.
I just got here, I don't think I'm one of y'all—"
When Hazel made a point of talking about their physical appearance, she noticed an extra pair of hooves, "What in the hay...
4 hooves, check.
Same hair, voice, tail, weird clothes, but surely not one of Gemma's.
And her snout— These extra pair—
"Oh, no." Hazel dreads quietly in her own mind.
What's happening?
"Well, I think you're the one misunderstanding something," Sierra Flint said, "You're a Rustic Trolls!
Poor you, you must've been living all alone without a tribe 'till now.
Can we get 'cha anything while you settle in?"
"Was there someone else that came here before me? 5 others... anyone?" Hazel asked instead, putting aside her words for now.
What's a Rustic Troll?
"I don't think so, no," Sierra shook her head, "I'm Sierra Flint, by the way.
Sheriff of Dustveil Flats."
"Hazel," She said, gulping down her dread.
She needs to start running, to hell with these new sets of hooves, she'll figure it out along the way!
"Listen Hazel, after that chroma stuff happened in the sky, yer the only Troll that ended up here for now.
It happened just a few minutes ago, a few seconds before 'ya appeared." Sierra Flint explained.
"I see.
Thank you, Sierra.
If that's so, then I must find my friends as soon as possible.
Who knows what could ha— Irk!"
Hazel nearly stumbled as she felt pain cruising from her hooves.
No, no, not now!
I can't be hurt now!
"Aw, shucks.
Seems you have a sprain, " Sierra tsked, "A nasty one at that.
That means you need to rest first."
"But my friends!
I have to find 'em first—"
"I know how much 'yer worried, Apple," Sierra said, "But if you leave in that state?
You ain't getting anywhere with it.
So rest first, then we can help 'ya search for 'yer friends once you healed.
How's that sound?"
Finding no other choice, Hazel relented with a defeated nod, "Fine."
"Good," Sierra nodded as she whistles a call, "Grizz!
Help me with her!"
"Grizz!"
"You can put 'yer hand around him for help, Hazel," Sierra assisted her to Hazel's confuse.
"Hand?"
"Oh no, have you gotten a concussion, too?
These are your hands, dear.
It's alright," Sierra gently poked the ones Hazel had dubbed her new set of hooves.
So they're called hands...
Lyre Trolls
"Shhhh!
You're gonna wake her up!"
"You shut up Allegro!"
Wha...
"Both of you shut up now!
She's already waking up from your loudness!"
Celeste's eyes immediately flew up as she stood up in alarm, "What happened?
Where am I?"
"Oh, our Queen!" A group of flying... golden.. babies? started bowing to Celeste as she sat upon a soft cloud.
Being far too small to her liking, though, she does seem bigger than the ones in front of her.
Wearing a light blue dress longer than her, unfamiliar blue wings and... rather familiar long hair she'd only felt in AetherRayae Girls World as a human.
No, no," Celeste immediately corrected, she hated that word with all her heart, "Not a Queen!
If you're gonna insist on calling me anything it's Princess, okay?
Princess Celeste.
Not the Queen!"
"Of course, your mHazeesty!" The Baby in a tuxedo said in front of her nodded with glee, their leader?
"Formations everyone!" He waved a stick, a conductor?
"Let us welcome, Princess Celeste!"
Soon a soothing welcome music piece was played by the orchestra.
One that Celeste had often heard when an Orchestra would play for her.
Saying that it has her name as a title, and it was named after her.
Now she's starting to wonder if it's somehow Universal, Multiversal?
How is it that it was played by 2 Orchestra bands that haven't even met each other?
As the piece finished, she immediately said something before they played a second piece for her.
"Thank you... uhm"
"Maestro Sonatello, Princess," A familiar name, but was it also that long for her world?
"Sonatello!
Thank you for this wonderful piece.
But I'm really out of touch right now, having just woken up," Celeste said,little lies, little lies.
Don't add too much or it'll burst.
"Oh, dear.
We didn't think of it like that," Sonatello looked deeply ashamed, "Terribly sorry, Princess."
"It's okay...
Uhm, can you tell me where I am?
What is this world?"
"You are in Symphonyville, your highness!
The home of Lyre Trolls, us!
We live in a world of Music, everything simply must have music or it'll sound so quiet and lonely.
Like the stories from back in the day before the strings were discovered!" Sonatello explained as he buzzed around with his tiny wings.
It actually looked kind of cute.
"Strings?
What strings?"
"The 6 Musical Strings!
Groove, Pulse, Lyre, Rustic, Amp, and Spark. 6 Strings for each of those Genres."
"Then where are they?
The other... genre?" Celeste asked, curious about this world.
Who would've thought that such a world could exist?
"The other genres of trolls?
Each tribe of Trolls have lived separately because of something Spark did," Sonatello coughed as he prepared his voice for a narration, "You see, my Princess, all Troll tribes once lived in Harmony thousands of years ago, even when each disagreed with their taste in music, they still lived with their differences and each had a chance to play songs with the strings together.
But one troll got greedy, the Spark Trolls
"They started snatching up the strings and played only pop music!
They soloed the music for their own.
But the other tribes didn't like what the Spark Trolls were obviously doing, so they took one string of their own and lived separately from each other.
Each protecting their own string, their music.
"Pulse Trolls went underwater; Rustic Troll lived by the Desert; Spark Troll lived by the Forest; Amp Trolls lived by the Volcanoes; Whereas the Groove Troll can be quite determined.
Words say that they move around a lot.
And us Lyre Trolls lived by the Sky and Clouds.
We each have our own ways of protecting our strings."
Celeste watched as Sonatello turned the end of his stick and pulled out a golden string.
"And I think you are more capable than I to protect our string, Princess Celeste." Sonatello said as he tried to hand the string to Celeste.
"But...
I don't understand," Celeste said, looking at the outstretched hand holding the all-important string.
"You just met me.
How can you trust me with your string?
Your music!"
"We've always known about you, Princess," Sonatello said to Celeste's surprise, "You are in our music books, our text sheets.
Your 6 pointed purple star exists in our history.
Someone that appears as the moon and sun appear together in the sky time.
You showed up during that perfect time after a spectacular rainbow!
We've always been waiting for you to appear one day.
"That's why we never had Monarchies in our tribe, only conductors to lead the choirs and bands while we await your appearance.
Someone that'll lead us, show us the right ways."
"That's..."
"We understand the burden we are giving you for someone who has just woken up," Sonatello said in comfort, "You can have a time for yourself, Princess.
But please, take the string for us."
In the look of cute pleading in his eyes, Celeste couldn't help but relent as she accepted the string.
Sonatello left after a bow and Celeste was left to stare at the golden string by her hand.
Such heavy responsibility.
For a troll who can't even keep her friends together in this world.