Trolls 3: Band Together
After the disastrous run-in with Velvet and Venner, Floyd was feeling pretty weak, which was a surprise considering he could still muster the energy to perform. Following their gig, his brothers had insisted he take it easy. The next morning, they all piled into the car to head to Dr. MoonBloom.
As they arrived at the clinic, they could see Dr. MoonBloom in the back, working with another patient.
"Hey look, it's Dr. MoonBloom!" Floyd said, feigning excitement but as he spoke, his tail drooped a little, the usual perkiness missing. He felt guilty about dragging his brothers along, especially after all they'd gone through.
"Try not to fall asleep this time, okay?" Clay smiled, ruffling Floyd's hair affectionately. Floyd managed a half-hearted grin in response.
Once they were called back, Dr. MoonBloom quickly assessed Floyd, checking his vitals. After giving him some pain medicine, she turned to the brothers.
"Any questions?" she asked, glancing at them while scribbling on her notepad.
"Well," Floyd hesitated, then looked to John Dory. "W-Well... John—"
"Floyd. C'mon, it’s just a cough," John interrupted with a sigh, his cyan eyes narrowing in exasperation.
"But it just sounds... bad," Floyd insisted, his smile vanishing as he stared at the floor.
"It's nothing!" John said, crossing his arms.
Clay chimed in, "Actually, I think he's right, John. You do sound... a bit rough."
Branch nodded, looking skeptical. "But you won't let us help you! Insisting you’re fine every time!"
John rolled his eyes. "I’m fine!—" right as he coughed, "-As you were saying..."
"Come on, just let her check you out," Clay urged. "Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?"
With a groan, John finally relented, allowing Dr. MoonBloom to check his temperature. After a few minutes, she raised an eyebrow. "John, I noticed you never got your newborn shots."
John's heart sank. "What does that mean?"
"It means we need to get you updated," she said seriously. "You'll need to come back tomorrow for your vaccinations."
"Uh, hold on, no," John said, panic rising in his voice.
Dr. MoonBloom looked puzzled. "What's the trouble?"
"He's terrified of shots," Clay explained, pinching the bridge of his nose. "When we were kids, he would scream and kick—"
John cut in defensively, "I was a child!"
Floyd quietly added, "But, he's not wrong…"
John shot Floyd a nasty look. "Excuse me?"
“Okay, let’s go home before—” Clay started but John was already on the verge of a meltdown.
"IM NOT TAKING IT!"
"YOU HAVE TO—"
"NOOOOOOO!"
"JOHN—"
"CLAY, YOU KNOW I HATE SHOTS!!!!!!"
"I DON’T CARE; YOU ARE GOING!!!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
"NOOOOO!"
"DON'T MAKE ME CALL BRUCE!!!"
"CALL HIM! I'M LITERALLY THE OLDEST!"
"YEAH, BY LIKE FOUR YEARS!!"
"NOOOOOOO!"
John bolted to his room, slamming the door behind him. Clay sighed dramatically and pulled out his bug phone, dialing Bruce.
Bruce's Phone Conversation
"Hello?"
"Bruce! John’s freaking out about these shots! You need to get over here."
"Isn’t he old enough to handle this? What is he, like 30?"
"I don’t care! He’s being a baby! Just get over here!"
"On my way. But you owe me one!"
"Ugh, fine!"
Moments later, Bruce arrived at the Pop Village bunker. The sight of him instantly brought John's stubbornness to a boil.
“So…” Bruce stated, leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. “What’s the deal?”
Clay sighed heavily. “When we were younger, John Dory just… hated shots.”
“Total baby, we literally had to HOLD him down as he kicked and screamed,” Bruce chuckled, reminiscing.
Floyd’s tail drooped further, his head lowering slightly. “Poor John…”
Bruce smirked. “Come on, he’ll learn. Right?”
“After the tantrum, maybe,” Clay muttered under his breath, his eyes betraying a smirk.
The brothers all retired for the night, hoping for a miracle come morning.
The Next Morning
“JOHN! OPEN THE DOOR!” Clay shouted, banging on it.
“NO!!!” John yelled back, voice tightening in defiance.
Bruce glanced at Clay. “We’re gonna need a plan.”
“Plan? If he doesn’t come out, we’ll break the door down!” Clay protested, already looking for something to use.
“Can’t we –”
“NO! We’re dragging him out!”
After a few moments of bickering, they finally decided Bruce would pick the lock. All while John protested loudly from the other side.
“You’re my brothers! You’re not supposed to do this!” John’s voice echoed.
“Yeah, but you’re not supposed to refuse shots!” Bruce shot back.
With a click, the door swung open, and they were met with John’s wild eyes as he scrambled to the back of the room, his tail thrashing angrily.
“Hold him down!” Clay yelled as Branch and Bruce lunged for him.
“LET ME GO!” John yelled, flailing.
They desperately tried to subdue him, Branch struggling even as he held onto one of John's feet. “How are you still so strong?!” he grunted.
As they dragged John kicking and screaming down the narrow hall, the other trolls stared, some shocked, others just amused.
“Just like old times!” Bruce said, half-laughing.
Finally, they made their way back to Dr. MoonBloom’s clinic, where she awaited them with four shots ready.
“Dr. MoonBloom!” John’s voice raised a pitch in sheer panic. “I can’t! It’s too much!”
"Calm down, John. It’ll be over before you know it,” she assured, trying to keep a straight face as she prepped the shots.
But John was not having it. He struggled and yelled for help, “Floyd! HELP!”
Floyd’s eyes widened as he stood frozen in the corner. "What do I do?! I’m too weak!"
“Just hold his head!” Clay shouted, and they all pressed down harder as one shot was administered.
Each injection made John scream louder, crying out against the small pricks of pain.
"I HATE THIS!" he wailed, trying to squirm away.
When it was all done, victory felt sweet. But for John, freedom called, and he bolted out of the nurse pod, leaving his brothers in stunned silence.
“What an idiot…" Clay muttered, shaking his head, while Floyd’s tail lifted slightly as he watched John run away.
“Well, that was a disaster,” Branch sighed, rolling his blue eyes.
"The important thing is he had his shots,” Bruce said, patting Clay on the back. But even he felt a twinge of concern—were they ever really done with this, or was this just the beginning of John Dory’s stubborn adventures?
And so, the Bros of Pop Village braced themselves for more misadventures, knowing that with John Dory around, life would never be boring.