Willow smiled in relief when they made it to Lonesome Flats. They had been walking for hours, and she needed a break. "This must be where the Country Music Trolls live," Poppy said, looking up from her map.

"Well, it looks like nobody is here," Branch said, shrugging his shoulders. Willow looked around, noticing how silent it was. It was true, not a single Troll in town. "We're too late—time to go home. Come on, guys, let's go." Branch started walking back the way they came.

"There is no 'I quit' in 'team'," Popy said walking down the road to the town. Branch rolled his eyes as the group followed Poppy into town.

"This place is nice," Willow said, looking at the town. "The Country Trolls don't live in pods like we do." She grinned and shook her brother's shoulder. "They have something called a 'saloon'. Wonder what's in there?"

Branch shrugged and looked around. "It's different, that's for sure." Willow nodded, her eyes filled with wonder. It sure was different. As the group walked through town, they started to hear a guitar play. When the clock struck noon, a Troll stepped outside and started singing. The Pop Trolls hid behind a barrel so they wouldn't get caught, Willow leaning forward to get a better look.

(Delta Dawn)

We don't hope for

Making things better

All we want is to

Keep it together

Every day is a rainy day

No change in the weather

This kind of life

Has made our hearts

As hard as leather

And all these tears are from

The dust in our eyes

And all these years

Just keep on

Passing us by

We all know that we're just

That's the way it goes when you're just

Born to die

"This song is so sad," Poppy said, grimacing. It was hard for her to believe any song could be as sad as what she just heard.

"Yeah," Branch nodded. "It is sad. But life is sad sometimes, so I kind of like it. What do you think Willow?" He asked his sister before realizing she wasn't beside him anymore. He looked around alarmed. "Where did Willow go?"

"She's over there," Biggie nudged Branch and pointed to where Willow was. She was off to the side next to a group of Country Trolls listening to the song their leader was singing, a look of wonder on her face as she listened to the notes.

(Delta Dawn)

I hear the voice of a whippoorwill singin'

She don't know all the comfort she's bringin'

We all know the sound of when the truth is ringin'

Yeah, it hurts your soul just like a bumblebee stingin'

Branch groaned and placed his hands over his face. "Of course she is." Leave it to his sister to wander off in the middle of a dangerous mission.

"They must not know music's supposed to make you happy," Poppy realized. "That's awful." He frowned in concern when the singer beckoned for Willow to join her. Willow walked over to Delta and they started the next lines.

(Delta Dawn and Willow)

And all these tears are from the dust in our eyes

And all these years just keep on passin' us by

And all this misery makes it hard to deny

We all know that we're just born to die

That's the way it goes when you're just born to die

Poppy started making a plan on what they needed to do to cheer up the Country Trolls while Branch watched his sister light up and sing with the Trolls she just met. The Country Trolls were dancing around their leader and Willow. The leader smiled and nudged Willow to the front to finish the last of the song.

(Willow)

All these tears are from the dust in our eyes

And all these years just keep on passin' us by

And all this misery makes it hard to deny

We all know that we're just born to die

That's the way it goes when you're just born to die

Willow watched in shock as one of the Country Trolls had what looked like a heart attack and fell into an open coffin. The leader simply closed the coffin as the song finished. "What just happened?"

The leader smiled and looked at the Troll in front of her. "Don't you worry, sweet pea. That's just life sometimes. That was some good singing you did there." She narrowed her eyes. "I haven't seen you around here before. Who are you?"

"Oh!" Willow smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. You all were in the middle of a song and I just came in uninvited. Thank you, for letting me sing with you by the way." The leader nodded. "My name is Willow. I guess I'm a Pop Troll?" She shrugged. "I just learned that recently."

"Well you sing with the heart of a Country Troll," The leader smiled and walked her towards some of the other Country Trolls. They smiled, welcoming her. "And you're just adorable." Willow blushed slightly at that. "I'm Delta Dawn, the mayor and sheriff around here." She placed a hand on Willow's head. "Call me Delta."

"It's nice to meet you," Willow smiled. She looked at the mayor, curious. "Can you tell me more about your music?" she asked. "I want to learn more about different cultures and how they differ from Pop."

Delta looked at the young Troll in front of her and considered it. She looked innocent enough and eager to learn. She grinned. "I don't see why not." She looked over to where the other Pop Trolls were gathered and narrowed her eyes. "What's going on over here?"

The purple Troll beside Delta stepped forward. "Growly, growly, growl."

Delta placed a hand on the Troll's shoulder. "Now, take it easy, Growly Pete. They look like they're Willow's friends. Besides, I feel bad for them." She looked concerned. "It looks like they got beat up by a rainbow."

Willow followed Delta's gaze and grimaced. Her brother was by Poppy and Biggie and they looked to be having an intense conversation. He kept sending concerned glances in her direction. "Oh no," she muttered. Poppy was planning something. She looked at Delta and stood beside her. "It won't mean much, but I need to apologize for whatever they're about to do."

Delta looked at the Pop Troll beside her. "What do you mean?" She asked. "What's about to happen?"

Willow shrugged helplessly. "At this point, who knows? It's probably going to get us in trouble though if I don't go over there now."

She began to walk over to her brother and friends before her arm was grabbed. She looked up to see her arm being held by Delta. "They look about the same age as you. Are they?" Delta asked, looking at Willow. When Willow confirmed her theory, she nodded. "Then they are old enough to make their own choices and face the consequences themselves. You are not their babysitter."

Willow sighed and nodded, stepping back. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She grimaced, nervous. She had a bad feeling about whatever Poppy was planning. But Branch was the oldest out of them and Poppy was a queen. They could make good choices, right?

Willow decided that the trio could not make good decisions on their own. She watched embarrassed as Branch, Poppy, and Biggie sang a mashup of some of the more popular Pop songs in their history.

Delta looked at the trio with a blank stare as the song ended. "Holly Darlin'?" A young Country Troll walked over to Delta and Willow. Willow had her hands covering her face, too mortified to look the mayor in the eyes. "Take Willow over to the saloon and get her something to drink. Tell her a little about our music while I deal with these three."

Holly Darlin' smiled and grabbed Willow's arm. "Alright." She looked at Willow. "Hey, I'm Holly Darlin'. Now come on! We've got some sasparilla with your name on it."

Willow followed while keeping an eye on her brother and friends, concern on her face. "They're gonna be okay, right? I know it was probably super offensive, especially the 'Who Let the Dogs Out' part." Willow shook her head. That was too far. "I mean, they were causing property damage with that one. But they didn't mean any harm by it."

"Don't worry about it," Holly said when they made it to the saloon. "Delta is probably just going to stick them in jail for a bit." She cringed. "That was pretty bad." Willow's eyes widened. Jail? They couldn't go to jail! They had to leave soon! Holly saw the panic set in Willow's eyes and sat her down with the drink she promised. "Don't worry, hun. It'll just be for a couple hours. Think of it like a time-out."

Willow took a drink to calm down. She smiled when the fizz hit her tongue and she could taste the vanilla and caramel. While she didn't care for the licorice taste, she decided she enjoyed the new drink. "Alright," She said, calming down. "As long as it's not going to be long. We have places we need to be."

"Where are y'all going, anyway?" Holly asked curious. "And why are you on foot?"

"Poppy made a pinky promise and it caused our balloon to float away," Willow said, shrugging her shoulders at the confused look on her new friend's face. "As for where we're going?" She sighed. She wasn't sure how much she should mention without talking to their leader first. "We're kind of traveling to the other tribes."

Holly nodded. "Sounds like fun." She raised her eyebrow. "But that doesn't sound like all of it." When Willow didn't say anything else, she shrugged. "But that's your business. Delta said you wanted to learn about our music right?" She pulled out a guitar and handed it to Willow. "Let's get started."

"Country music is about emotion," Holly started. "Be it, happy or sad. It says something that others can relate to. Take the song you helped sing earlier. Why did you start singing along in the first place?"

Willow shrugged, lightly strumming the strings of the guitar. "I don't know. When I heard the words, all I could think about was life in the Troll Tree when I was little. At the time, it truly felt like we were born to die. It was like your song put those thoughts out to the world in a way I never could."

Willow chuckled dryly at the confused look on Holly's face. "It's a long story," she said before Holly could ask anything. "So Country is putting feelings into words that everyone else can understand, right?"

"It's a little more nuanced than that," Delta said, walking into the saloon. "But that's a start." Delta spent the next fifteen minutes with Willow explaining the subtle nuances of her music genre. She showed her a few basic chords for Country music on her guitar, as well.

Willow grinned, her concern over her brother momentarily forgotten. "I think I understand." She looked at the mayor, curious. "Can I try to play something?" Delta nodded, and Willow closed her eyes as she began to play the guitar in her hands.

(Willow)

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Oh-oh, oh-oh

"What were you thinking of when you sang that?" Holly Darlin' asked, curious.

Willow shrugged. "Just thinking about this adventure we're on. It's looking more dangerous the longer we're out here. I think I'm trying to come to terms with the fact I may not make it home."

She looked at Willow. "Your friend was trying to warn me about Queen Barb and her World Tour. What are you all doing?"

Willow sighed and put the guitar down. "We're planning on going to all the different Troll tribes and get them to join forces and fight back against Queen Barb. She's too powerful for us to face her alone."

Delta scoffed. "We can handle ourselves," Delta assured the young Troll. "We're a lot tougher than you kids seem to think we are."

"I'm not concerned about your tribe," Willow dismissed. "You Country Trolls look strong enough to handle anything. I'm concerned about my Tribe." She chuckled without any humor. "The only reason we left was because Queen Poppy thought Barb was throwing a giant party. What a mistake that turned out to be."

"Well, maybe you kids shouldn't have left your tribe." The bartender handed Delta a bottle and she took a drink. "You would have been safer at least."

Willow scoffed and took a drink of her sasparilla. "Doubt it," She muttered darkly. "I saw what she did to the Classical Trolls. My people wouldn't have stood a chance." Willow sighed and put her bottle down. "I don't know why we're trying to get help," she admitted softly. "Nobody helped us before. Why would you now?"

"What do you mean?" Delta asked, looking at Willow, curious. The other Trolls in the saloon looked at the girl as well, no longer pretending they weren't listening in.

"I know we had our differences," Willow shrugged. "But I didn't even know there were other genres and Tribes before yesterday. And it got me thinking. If there were other groups of Trolls out there, why did nobody come to help my people when we were being eaten? Why did everyone hate us so much to not care if we made it out alive?"

Holly looked at Willow in shock. "Eaten?" She asked, appalled. "What..." The girl was interrupted when a loud crash came from outside the saloon.

Delta narrowed her eyes. "Holly, make sure Willow gets something to eat." Holly nodded. "Willow, you stay in here. We still have things to talk about when I get back." Willow nodded before turning her attention back to the bottle in her hand. She could go for some lunch before she leaves with her brother and their friends anyway. They would need to leave soon though, they clearly weren't going to get help from the Country Trolls.

Willow looked up from the table she was sitting at when Holly Darlin' came back with a sandwich. "Have a burger, Willow. When was the last time you ate anything?"

Willow shrugged and looked at the burger in front of her, the blue meat staring back at her. "Probably sometime yesterday? But I'm not hungry," she said, pushing the burger away.

Holly Darlin' sighed and pulled the burger away from the girl. "That's fine. You've been thinking about some pretty heavy things. I can't imagine I'd be very hungry either." She looked at Willow. "Why don't you tell me about your music? We didn't even know Pop Trolls were still around until we saw you and your friends."

Willow and Holly spent the next few minutes talking to each other about their music and how they were different and similar. By the time Delta Dawn had returned, Willow was feeling better and finished the burger Holly had brought.

Willow smiled and looked at Delta. "Hey, Delta." She frowned at the expression she saw on Delta's face. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," Delta said, looking at Willow. "You're friends were busted out of our jail cell a little while ago. They got away."

Willow's face fell at the news. "They're gone?" She asked. They couldn't be gone! They were on this adventure together, right? Why would they leave her behind?

"Now I'm sure they didn't do it on purpose," Delta assured the Pop Troll. "They were dragged off by a Country Troll." She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure which one, though. He didn't look familiar." She gave an encouraging smile. "I'm sure they'll be back soon. In the meantime, you're more than welcome to stay here." She sat on a chair at the table by Willow. "You can tell me what you meant earlier about getting eaten."

"My brother left me behind," Willow muttered, her ears drooping slightly. "We've never been this far apart from each other."

"I'm sorry, hon," Delta said, sympathetic. "I can't imagine what you must be going through." She smiled. "How about you get some rest and we'll talk about everything in the morning? I got a spare room in my house you're welcome to have if you'd like."

Willow nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She smiled at the Mayor/Sheriff. "Thank you, Delta. You've been so kind."

Willow followed Delta Dawn into her guest room. "I'll serve breakfast in the morning and you're welcome to join if you'd like. She smiled warmly at the girl. "Sleep well, sweet pea. I'll see you in the morning."

Willow nodded. "Goodnight, Delta." She climbed into bed and looked out the window. "Goodnight, Branch," She muttered, feeling alone. "Be careful." She glared at the night sky. "I'm going to strangle you for leaving me behind later."

Branch looked at the night sky. He was lying on the raft Hickory had built. Poppy and Hickory were resting and Biggie had left after the Smooth Jazz Troll had tried to capture them.

When the group had escaped Lonesome Flats, Branch had panicked when he realized they had left Willow behind. But he calmed down when Poppy assured him Willow would be alright. She would be mad, understandably, but she would be safe.

But this was the longest and the farthest they'd been apart from each other and he missed her. Branch rolled over and sighed. "Goodnight, Willow. I'm sorry I left you behind."

I feel bad for making Poppy and Branch leave Willow behind. In the next chapter, read on as she tells the Country Trolls about her experience at the Troll Tree and learn about what really happened with the strings. It's a shame she's not going to learn about Cooper being the lost Funk Troll prince though. I think I'm going to make the timeline stretch a little longer. Because I need to give Willow time to learn about the strings and there are a couple other things I need to happen. Thank you for reading everybody!