"We need to go home."

The group turned to look at a distressed Biggie holding on to Mr. Dinkles very tightly. Noticing that he was dangerously close to hyperventilating, Hickory patted him on the back as a means of reassurance.

"Biggie, we can't stop now!" Poppy in turn attempted to lift her friend's spirits up, "The Funk Trolls' territory is not far from here!"

"And what good would that do? They'll end up suffering the same fate as everybody else we've encountered!"

"Biggie, please! One more boat ride and we'll make it to Vibe City! It'll be okay!"

"No, no, no! I wish you would stop saying that and listen to me for once, Poppy! We are all on this boat because of your decision to go to Vibe City! Symphonyville was burnt to the ground, Lonesome Flats had us all nearly shot and ultimately imprisoned before being invaded, and Techno Reef was probably destroyed as well! We all saw what Queen Barb is capable of, but you don't care in addition to listening! You only hear what you want to hear, and it puts us all in danger! DJ, Cooper, Smidge, Guy Diamond, Tiny Diamond, Satin and Chenille! How are you supposed to save the world if you can't even keep us safe?"

The group was shocked and horrified at the ensuing outburst, but none more so than Poppy herself. What made Biggie's eruption all the more worse was this: he had a point that stood, even if he could've worded his statement a little better. It was Poppy's decision to embark on the journey to unite the five Troll Tribes against the sixth that was Rock, who declared themselves to be better than all other genres of music. She decided that she would prove her and her kind wrong by taking a trek to the great unknown and recruit members of the five remaining Troll nations. However, it became abundantly clear over the course of this expedition that Poppy was out of her element when it came to actual world-hopping, only complicating matters further when promising to protect her friends no matter the cost.

That promise would matter to them both no longer.

"You made a pinky promise to me, Queen Poppy...and you broke it."

Biggie knew that, like the pinky promise that sparked this entire argument to begin with, his verbal vitriol directed towards one of his dearest friends couldn't be taken back. He also knew that Poppy had made one of many mistakes during their journey and something needed to be done to get the point across and through her head. Using Mr. Dinkles as a vessel and jet engine, Biggie boarded on and sped away from the boat, yelling at his...former friend as the final cherry on top:

"What kind of queen breaks a pinky promise?!"

Turning his back on her and the group as a whole, Biggie sniffled and wiped away any incoming tears. Little did he know, Poppy did the same as she watched one of her dearest friends retreat from the mission at hand.

"Poppy, it's okay," Branch attempted to comfort Poppy, but she brushed his hand off her shoulder and ambled to the back of the boat, where she sat and left her head hang in despair, resulting in those tears dripping from her eyelashes. Biggie was right. She made a pinky promise and broke it just like that.

"It's not your fault, sugar."

Poppy looked up to find Delta Dawn taking a seat beside her, offering a sincere smile of comfort.

"Yes, it is. It's all because of my own selfish needs."

"Selfish? No. Misguided? Yes. I want you to listen to me, Poppy. Your plan is ambitious and proves that your heart is in the right place. However, your actions and execution of said plan are...questionable at best and idiotic at worst."

"Right. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry, no one is blaming you for what happened back there. But you have to be careful with every decision you make because it may end up biting you in the rear end. Trust me...I should know."

Delta glanced over her shoulder to find Clampers being lullabied to sleep by Hickory, Trollzart, and Pennywhistle; she didn't see it, but Branch, Meadow, and Growly Pete were manning the boat. She promised the young girl's parents that she would take care of their daughter in the occasion something should happen to them. Clampers' parents were one of the founding members of Lonesome Flats and one of the most beloved due to their kindhearted and altruistic nature. Their presumed deaths were one of the darkest days in the town's history, leading Delta to take over and lead her new people into the days ahead.

She would never forgive the Trolls responsible...and she would never forget.

Suddenly, Delta's train of thought was derailed by the Queen of Pop giving her a side-hug in gratitude.

"Thanks, Miss Delta."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't tell anyone else," Delta dismissed Poppy's attempts to thank her as she returned the hug, "I have a reputation to keep. Now...you get some rest and clear your head for tomorrow."

That was tomorrow. This is today.

("I Fall To Pieces" - Patsy Cline) [Sam Rockwell & Elizabeth Olsen Cover]

It was daybreak now, with the group just starting the day with an easy-going song about love and its complications. Hickory strummed the strings of his guitar and played the first notes as the reeds provided background vocals.

[Chorus 1]
I fall to pieces (Pieces)
Each time I see you again (Each time I see you again)
I fall to pieces (Pieces)
How can I be just your friend? (Just your friend)

Trollzart, Pennywhistle, Delta, and Clampers appreciated Hickory's morning serenade while Poppy, Branch, and Meadow had mixed feelings about it. Nonetheless, the Pop Trolls showed respect towards the Country Troll's musical warm-up for today, with Meadow taking up Delta's banjo and playing along.

[Verse 1]
You want me to act like we've never kissed
You want me to forget, pretend we've never met (Like we've never met)
And I've tried and I've tried, but I haven't yet (Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
You walk by and I fall to pieces

Now noticing Branch laying on the edge of the boat feeling miserable than before, Hickory gestured Delta and Meadow to take over while he gave him a pep talk.

[Instrumental Break]

Branch frowned when Hickory leaned over him from the upside down.

"Something tells me your heart ain't in this mission, Branch."

"What do you mean? I'm here, aren't I?"

Hickory helped Branch up and took a seat beside him.

"Yeah, you're on a mission, all right...but your heart is with Miss Poppy."

Branch's eyes widened and he became quick to refute the truth in front of him, "Hey, hold your horses. Oh, I'm sorry, is that offensive?"

"Heh. Not as offensive as you thinking I can't see what's right in front of your eyes." Glancing back to see if Poppy had noticed the conversation, "Did you tell her yet?"

"I tried, but..." Branch sighed before mimicking an explosion with his hands, "Besides, she has other things to worry about."

"Well, if you did tell her, who knows if she'd even hear you?"

Branch's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he turned to face Hickory, "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say only one of you is doing the listening in this relationship, and it's not her. It's you."

Branch gave Hickory's words some thought and nodded in agreement.

[Outro]
And I've tried and I've tried, but I haven't yet
You walk by and I fall, fall to pieces
I'm just your friend...

Hickory turned to walk away but Branch called for him.

"Wait. What do you think I should do?"

"From what I can see, you and Poppy have the closest bond out of all of us. We both know what you need to do."

"Right. Got it. So...you and Miss Delta don't count, huh?"

Hickory's eyes widened and he shot a narrowed glare at a smirking Branch before calming down and letting out a respectful chuckle.

"Miss Delta and I are a different thing entirely."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Uh, guys?"

Everybody turned to a concerned Poppy before their ears picked up a series of electronic humming and pulsing. A large object made its presence in the cloudy sky known, alarming those on the ground. Trollzart immediately hid Pennywhistle in his hair and flew up to shield both Poppy and Clampers. Delta, Growly Pete, and Meadow reached for their firearms while Hickory pulled Branch to his feet in addition to picking up his guitar and using it as a clubbing weapon.

"What in buttered biscuits?!"

From the bottom of the unidentified flying object, a bubble beam emerged and engulfed the entire boat; a second, normal bubble approached and floated around Branch and Hickory, seemingly toying with them.

"Huh?"

"I got it!" Hickory took a swing and...hitted Branch squarely in the face.

Branch returned the favor by taking a few swings of his own...and roundhouse kicked Hickory squarely in the face, knocking him down on his rear-end. The bubble then engulfed Branch, Hickory, and the discarded guitar, taking them high into the sky. Three more bubbles emerged from the UFO and engulfed the rest of the group, each one with a moving buddy. Poppy ended up with Meadow, Delta Dawn ended up with Clampers and Pennywhistle, and Trollzart ended up with Growly Pete.

"Whoo-hey!"

"What in Sam Hill?"

"Good gracious," Trollzart looked around, "I have wings, thank you..."

Poppy screamed in terror as Meadow covered her ears, their bubble following Branch and Hickory's upward. Delta Dawn, Clampers, and Pennywhistle followed soon after, while Trollzart and Growly Pete were the last to file in. Once Poppy's group were all inside, the UFO took off and left no stone unturned...unless one counts the entire boat that was left floating aimlessly without a crew.

Suddenly, from the water below shot up two groups of Trolls who landed on the empty boat. The first group were five glossy chrome females, while the second group was a brightly colored trio (two girls, one boy). Finally, a purple Troll with red hair and a golden saxophone fell and landed on his face. As they recovered, they watched the UFO disappear in utter shock.

"Was that Vibe City...?" Wani tilted her head in bewilderment.

"Well, if it wasn't..." Tresillo started but stopped himself when Wani shot him a glare, "I won't judge."

Wani only huffed as she turned away to tend to her girls. Marimba and Tambora could only giggle at Tresillo's fascination with the K-Pop leader.

"It seems like you picked yourself a feisty one," Chaz licked his lips and played his saxophone...although Tresillo punched him in the stomach before he could.

"Let's set a course for Vibe City, shall we?"

"Wait, who made you the captain?" Wani approached Tresillo as he approached the stairs.

"Nobody," Tresillo responded truthfully, "but somebody has to steer the ship."

"But you don't know these waters."

"Neither do you. What's the point?"

"The point is, I'll be the captain!"

Wani and Tresillo looked up to find Chaz behind the ship's wheel and pulling a black tricorn hat in mid-air. "You two can be the lookouts. Everybody else can...do something important that pertains with keeping the boat from sinking, falling over a waterfall, or exploding from spontaneous combustion."

Exchanging confused looks, the two of them shrugged and complied with their new "captain's" orders.

"Okay."

"Works for me."

Vibe City, here we come... The two groups thought to themselves as they plotted a course.