"I'm not saying it won't go well," Branch said in a hushed tone. He cast a sideways glance at the literal busload of trolls who were very much within earshot. His brothers were busy arguing about hair products, with the exception of Floyd, who flipped through an old magazine. Viva had volunteered to drive the rest of the way back to the village. Tiny sat up front in his carseat to navigate and swap jokes with her. No one seemed to be listening.

He looked back at Poppy, who stood in front of him with her brow furrowed. "But she clearly doesn't like to talk about the hard stuff, and neither does your dad. What happens if —"

Rhonda came to a sudden stop, and everyone but Tiny and Viva tumbled to the floor.

"We're here!" Viva's elated voice rang out over the various groans as they picked themselves up. She unbuckled her seatbelt and propped herself up on the dashboard to look outside. "It's so pretty! Poppy, you have to show me everything – like, literally everything. Your pod, the stages, your municipal buildings…" She continued to rattle off a list of sights to see as the doors opened and the others started to file out.

Bruce unclipped Tiny's carseat and picked him up. "C'mon bud," he said. "Let's go find your dad."

"Ooh…" said Tiny. "I'm gonna get a pretty big time-out, aren't I."

Bruce nodded. "Probably."

Branch was the last of the brothers to disembark, and Viva started to follow until Poppy put a hand on her shoulder. Viva turned around, her green cape swishing behind her.

"Just a sec," Poppy said. Viva looked at her, puzzled. Branch stopped just outside, and left only when Poppy signaled with a small nod.

"Um," Viva said with a chuckle. "What's up?"

"Can we talk?"

"I mean, yeah, but…" Viva pointed backward with her thumb.

"I'll be quick," said Poppy. "We'll go see Dad right away."

She held up her hands with her palms facing out. "I just…wanna make sure you'll be okay."

"Poppy, why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I mean, after everything —"

"After what? After I got my family back? After we stopped having to be scared all the time because my little sister saved the freaking world ?" Viva poked her in the shoulder.

Poppy let out a small laugh, but it quickly gave way to her worry. "Viva, you've been through so much, and you spent your whole life holding it in." She clasped her hands over Viva's.

"It'll be worth it, I promise. But it's going to be an adjustment, and it might not always be pretty."

Viva's smile faded, and she looked outside at the village full of happy, healthy creatures she didn't recognize.

"But you have me, and Dad, and —"

"No I don't," she said softly.

"What?"

"You've always had Dad. I had to – I mean —" She let go of Poppy's hands and forced a smile as she sat down further inside. "I mean, he never even talked about me, does he even remember me at all?" She laughed.

Poppy felt a weight drop from her chest into the pit of her stomach, dragging down with it the corners of her mouth. She sat down next to her. "Viva, of course he does."

"Look at this place," said Viva, gesturing out the window, then to Poppy. "Look at you. I was supposed to be the big sister, I missed you guys so much, and now you've got this amazing village, and you're this amazing queen, and you never needed me at all."

Poppy started to tear up.

Viva shook her head. "No," she said. "No, no, that's not fair. I'm sorry."

It was too late. The tears kept coming and Poppy couldn't breathe without sobbing. Viva gasped and wrapped her in a hug.

"Please don't cry," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"It's okay," Poppy choked, then pulled away and wiped her face with the heel of her hand. She steadied her breath. "I had to get that out. There's probably a lot more of it to come."

Viva smiled, but it wasn't the big friendly grin she'd been practicing all these years. It was pensive, curious. "I don't think I've cried since I was a kid."

Poppy sniffed. "What do you do instead?"

Viva untied the cape from around her neck and laid it on her lap, and for the first time Poppy saw how soft the material was, worn and faded but well cared for.

"It was my baby blanket," said Viva, running her hand along the fringe. "Sometimes I wrap myself up in it as tight as I can, and it's like a hug. I mean, obviously I get hugs all the time, but…" She sighed quietly and handed it to Poppy. "And then I sing myself to sleep."

"Mine's yellow," said Poppy. "When I first got my own pod I would bunch it up and hold it against my chest to warm it up so I could tuck myself in." She held Viva's blanket up and admired the green color with the sun shining on it through the window. She held a corner to her chest and sang under her breath:

And you should always know

No matter where you go, no matter where you are

I never will be far away.

Viva tilted her head. "Did Dad sing that to you too?"

"All the time," said Poppy.

"That one was my favorite. It always made me feel so safe."

Poppy rose from her seat and rolled up the blanket. "You'll be safe here."

She looked out the window. Viva stood up and followed her gaze. Their father was some yards away, talking to another troll who pointed in their direction. Peppy started to make his way toward Rhonda, and Viva's breath caught in her throat.

Poppy took a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Could you go first?"

Poppy smiled and nodded.

Peppy was just about there when she stepped off the bus, the green blanket still in her arms.

"Poppy," he said, slowing his pace as they met in the middle. "I need to talk to you."

"I know."

He glanced down at the blanket and furrowed his brow. "Where did you get that?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but looked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps behind her. Viva approached them slowly, as if trying to get used to the ground.

Peppy narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. Poppy stood aside to let him pass, hugging the blanket and smiling.

His eyes widened as he took in the pink form in front of him, with a mess of curly yellow hair on top. "Viva?"

In her peripheral vision, Viva saw Poppy wipe a few more tears off of her face. Then her father's tears caught in the wrinkles around his eyes, and the candy-colored dam started to crack. She threw her arms around him and wept into his shoulder.

"Hi Daddy," her voice broke.