"Hey, Poppy," Willow walked over to where Poppy was writing invitations to the TrollsTopia kick-off party. "I think someone sent this to me by mistake." She pulled an invitation from her hair and handed it to the queen.

"Dear ambassador, we are extending this invitation to invite you to the first annual leader's retreat," Poppy read out loud. She smiled and handed Willow the invitation back. "It sounds like it went to the right Troll if it was sent to you."

"But I'm not the tribe's leader," Willow furrowed her brows. "Why would they send me the invitation?"

"Because I asked them too." Poppy chuckled at her friend's confused face. "Willow, you're the Pop ambassador. As much as I would love to have you here making sure I stay out of trouble, your main job is supposed to be maintaining relationships with the other tribes. You already have such strong ties with the leaders of the other tribes, it's important you maintain those friendships. Besides," She chuckled sheepishly. "I don't think I'd be able to go. I have too much to do here for TrollsTopia. And one of us has to go."

Willow sighed and nodded. "It would be rude if one of us didn't show up," She acknowledged. "Fine, I'll go. It sounds like I will miss the kickoff party, though." She pulled out the invitation. "It says someone will be by tomorrow to pick me up if I'm going, so I need to go pack. "She waved to her friends. "I'll see you all tomorrow then." The group of Trolls waved at Willow as she left Poppy's pod.

"So how did the chat with Poppy go?" Branch asked when she made it back to the bunker. He looked up from the book he was reading on the couch. "Did you get the invitation cleared up?"

Willow shrugged and flopped onto the couch beside her brother. "I guess so," She muttered. "The invite was sent to the right person. She will be too busy with TrollsTopia, so she suggested they send me the invites for these things."

"So you're going on a trip?" Branch raised an eyebrow. He shrugged and put his book down. "Do you know where you're going at least?"

Willow shook her head. "All I know is the place has a beach and I'll be gone for a week." She got up reluctantly. "At least I'll know what to pack."

"And at least you'll know the Trolls that'll be there," Branch nodded. He stood up. "I'm thinking pizza for dinner. How about you go pack, and I'll get started." He rested a hand on his sister's head. "We'll eat dinner and brush each other's hair before bed. Sound good?"

Willow nodded. "We haven't had the chance to do that in a while, have we?" She asked, feeling guilty. TrollsTopia had kept her too busy to spend much time with her brother.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Branch grinned. "You've been busy helping Poppy with something important. I understand that." He waved her away. "Go pack. Food will be ready in a little bit."

After Willow was packed and dinner was eaten, the siblings found themselves in the living room with Branch sitting on the floor in front of the couch with Willow brushing his hair. "What do you think you'll be doing at this retreat?" Branch asked. "You said it was at a beach, right?"

Willow shrugged as she brushed her brother's hair. "I'm not sure. I think it'll be the tribe leaders talking about their territories and trades they could start with the other tribes. I'm not sure what we could contribute though. And I'm not the Pop leader, so I probably won't be able to give much input." She placed the brush down after running it through Branch's hair again. "All brushed out."

"You'll be fine," Branch assured as they switched places. "The leaders already love you, so it's not like you need to impress them. If you're going to a beach, maybe the goal is to relax. I can only imagine how much the other tribes have had to rebuild this past month." It was true. Pop Village had taken the shortest amount of time, and it took them two weeks to rebuild. With the other tribes being much larger, some were probably still rebuilding. "You should focus on enjoying your friend's company and relaxing," Branch suggested. He turned his sister's head and smiled at her. "You deserve a vacation too, you know."

Willow sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. "Are you sure you'll be okay with me being gone for a week? To a place we've never been before?"

"Will I be okay physically or mentally?" Branch asked, amused. When she answered with a firm, 'Yes,' he snorted. "I'll be fine. I'll hang out with Poppy, the Snack Pack, and the other ambassadors. They're a surprisingly interesting bunch. And while I'll be worried about you while you're gone, I know you'll be back in a week. I also know the other leaders won't let anything happen to you so it won't be so bad."

Willow nodded. "Yeah." She turned to look at her brother, her face stern. "I better not hear you've been forgetting to eat. Poppy will tell me."

Branch chuckled as he finished braiding his sister's hair. "I know she will," he assured. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Seriously, the only thing you need to focus on is spending time with your friends." He grimaced. "Even if two of them are King Trollex and Queen Barb."

Willow giggled at her brother's face. He still didn't like the royalty of Rock and Techno dating her. "You're adorable when you go into protective big-brother mode," she teased, her brother grumbling. "Maybe you should spend some quality time with Poppy," she suggested. "I'm sure she could use a date night sometime this week, too." Suppose he could pull her away from her duties, anyway.

Branch brightened considerably at the suggestion. "Yeah, I should do that." He nodded thoughtfully. "But what would she want to do?"

"Maybe you should ask her," Willow suggested, standing up. She looked at her brother and smiled. "I'm sure she'd love to do anything with you. She loves you."

"She does, doesn't she?" Branch smiled softly. "Alright, I'll talk to her about a date night sometime this week." The duo walked to their respective bedrooms. "I'll see you in the morning, sis." He hugged her before they entered their rooms.

Willow sighed as she entered her room. "Now I just need to finish some paperwork for TrollsTopia," she muttered sitting at her desk. "Dante requested some new tea flavors for the Classical Trolls and Val was asking for some more canned cheese." She furrowed her eyebrows. "And Synth said something about their four a.m. raves? I have to come up with some places they could use."

The next morning, Willow and Branch were walking to where their friends were waiting for them. Branch stared at his sister suspiciously. "You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?"

"What's that?" Willow yawned before looking at her brother. "Did I sleep? I think I got some sleep last night." At least, she was pretty sure she passed out at her desk at some point the night before.

Branch raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Yeah, you look well-rested," He said sarcastically. He waved to where Poppy and the Snack Pack were waiting for them. "You were working on things for TrollsTopia, weren't you?" At her sheepish grin, he groaned and shook his head. "You do need to get away for a while."

When the duo caught up to the others, Poppy ran up to Willow. "You better take lots of pictures," Poppy demanded.

"And bring back souvenirs," Cooper added grinning.

"You'll have to tell us all about it," Biggie smiled, holding Mr. Dinkles.

"The people," Guy Diamond said.

"The food," Smidge grinned.

"The fashion!" Satin and Chenille said, their eyes brightened at the thought.

"Guys!" Willow laughed. "I'm only going to be gone a week. I promise I'll tell you about everything I see."

"Just, remember to come back," Branch requested, his eyes pleading.

Willow's eyes softened as she looked at her brother. "I'm not leaving forever," she promised. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." She hugged him, his tense form loosening into the hug. "Just remember, I'm going on a trip, I'm not leaving you, and I'll always come back."

"I know," Branch squeezed his sister tightly before letting go. "Be careful, okay? And seriously, get some rest." He raised a fist in the air as the caterbus pulled up. "You and me?"

"Me and you," Willow smiled and tapped her fist to her brother's when the bus opened, the Snack Pack grinning at the sibling moment.

"Does this mean you're coming?" A voice asked from the bus.

Willow grinned and turned to see Barb leaning against the bus with a smirk. "Barb!" Branch rolled his eyes good-naturedly and stood by Poppy. "It's so good to see you!"

Barb laughed as she pulled Willow into a hug. "Good to see you too, Popstar." She pulled away. "You're the last one we needed to pick up," She said as she grabbed Willow's bag. "Are you ready to go?"

Willow pulled her brother into another hug before she let go. "I'm ready now." She waved at her friends as she entered the caterbus. "See you all later!" She called as they waved.

Willow turned to look at the other leaders as the caterbus took off. "King Quincy, Queen Essence," She smiled at the Funk Royals. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Queen Essence smiled at the Pop Troll. She frowned in concern. "You look a little tired though. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Willow shrugged and grinned before hugging Delta Dawn. "I've just been getting used to my new role as Pop ambassador." She sat down by Barb. "This TrollsTopia plan Poppy had has taken a lot of planning. We only recently built the living areas so the other genres could live comfortably."

"So the answer is 'no,' you haven't been getting enough sleep." Delta Dawn snorted. "First thing you're doing once we get there is napping." She raised her hand to stop Willow's protest. "I don't want to hear it. You need to rest." She glared firmly. "And don't even think about arguing."

"Delta is right," Trollzart added, looking at the young girl. "If you don't sleep, you won't be able to focus. And if you can't focus properly, you're more likely to mess something up. Rest is essential for any Troll, and you're doing yourself and the Trolls around you by not being at your very best."

Willow sighed and leaned against Barb, her head resting on the Rock Queen's shoulder. "Fine. I'll get some rest when we get there." She looked at Barb confused. "Speaking of, where are we going? And where's Trollex? I thought you said you got everyone."

"We're going to this little place called Vacay Island," King Quincy said with a smile. "King Trollex suggested it would be a nice place for a retreat."

"The Fish Stick said he'd meet us there," Barb added amused. "I guess he lives closer and thought it would be faster if he met us there. He also needed to get some rooms set up for our stay."

Willow hummed in thought while Barb started to play with her hair. "Vacay Island sounds like a nice place. So this is a vacation?" She closed her eyes and began to relax into Barb's hold. Barb adjusted Willow until her head was in her lap and she was lying on the bus seat.

"You could say that," Delta Dawn raised her brow in amusement at the two young Trolls. She shared a glance with Queen Essence who was holding back a laugh. Barb ignored them as she continued playing with her girlfriend's hair. "We thought it would make it sound more official if we used the word 'retreat'."

Willow nodded in agreement. "Since we're going to the beach, we should build sandcastles. And surf. I like surfing. You wanna surf with me, Barracuda?"

Barb snorted at the nickname and smoothed out Willow's hair. "Whatever you want, Popstar."

Delta Dawn and Queen Essence snickered out loud when they saw Willow asleep. "Never thought I'd see the day the Hard Rock Queen herself would go soft," Delta Dawn said with a smile.

Barb blushed and glared at the floor. "Shut up," she hissed, no real malice in her tone. "She was exhausted and that was the only thing I could think of to get her to sleep."

"Well, I think it was sweet," Queen Essence smiled. "And needed if she fell asleep that quickly. It's good she has you caring for her." The Funk Queen smirked. "She certainly seems comfortable around you, 'Barracuda'." King Quincy and Trollzart chuckled at the teasing remark from Queen Essence.

Barb rolled her eyes. "I don't even know how she came up with that nickname," she muttered, still playing with Willow's hair.

"Regardless," Trollzart spoke up. "It looks like this vacation is much needed. Not just for our Pop Troll friend, but also for you." He pointed out the bags under the Rock Queen's eyes. "When was the last time you relaxed?"

"I don't know, man," Barb shrugged. "I've been a little busy making amends." She nodded to herself. "Maybe when we get there, I should get a nap in as well."

"You could just take a nap now," King Quincy suggested with a smile. "We can wake you when we get there."

Barb frowned but nodded when a yawn escaped her. "Fine. I'll get some rest." She relaxed against the wall of the caterbus, her hand still in Willow's hair. Before too long, she was also asleep.

"Anybody got a camera?" Delta Dawn asked, looking at the two Trolls across from her. She smiled in appreciation when King Quincy handed her his. "This is going in a scrapbook later," she promised, taking a picture.

The remaining tribe leaders continued to chat while the younger two slept. When the bus made it to the ferry, Barb woke up from her nap. "What are we talking about?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"We're thinking about starting monthly meetings," Delta Dawn said, smiling at the young queen. "We think it'll be a good way to keep in contact and help each other if needed."

"Yeah?" Barb grinned as she looked over to the mayor of the Country Western Tribe. She stopped moving when she felt Willow twitch but settled when she didn't wake up. "That sounds awesome." She looked down at Willow's sleeping face. "Do you think we'll be having those meetings with Willow or Poppy?"

Queen Essence shrugged. "I don't see why we wouldn't have them with both. We could make the meetings involve both the leaders and the ambassadors. The ambassadors need to know what's going on as well."

Barb nodded in thought. "Yeah, that would be good." Her face brightened when she felt the bus stop moving. "Looks like we're here."

The leaders looked out the window to see that, yes, the ferry had stopped. The group smiled as the caterbus left the ferry. They watched in awe as the islanders walked around them. They were so much bigger than they were. "These guys are massive," Barb said in awe. The bus stopped in front of a place called 'Bruce and Sons and One Daughter.' "This is where we're supposed to meet Fish Stick and his friend, right?"

King Quincy nodded as they made their way off the caterbus. Trollzart helped Barb adjust Willow to carry the sleeping Troll off the bus without waking her. He helped the others with their bags and flew off the caterbus with the others.

"Hey everybody!" Trollex grinned as he walked over to the leaders, a Troll with long purple hair following behind. "How was the trip?" His smile softened at the sight of a sleeping Willow. "Someone got sleepy, huh?"

"Yeah," Barb grinned. "Anywhere I can put her so she's more comfortable?"

"Let me carry her," Trollex suggested. "You look like you're starting to struggle a little." Barb nodded and the two moved Willow into the Techno Troll's arms. They grinned when she burrowed her face into his shoulder.

"We've got some rooms set up in the back," the purple-haired Troll said with a laid-back grin. "Name's Bruce."

"I'm Queen Essence," Queen Essence nodded at the surfer Troll. "This is my husband, King Quincy." The Funk King nodded. "Then there's Trollzart of the Classical Tribe, Delta Dawn of the Country Westerns, Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Trolls, and Ambassadar Willow, from Pop Village. And of course, you know King Trollex." The leaders nodded as the Funk Queen introduced them, with Willow sound asleep in Trollex's arms.

"Pop Village, huh?" The newly named Bruce nodded in thought. "Nice to meet you all." He waved his hand and started walking away from the group. "Follow me and I'll show you to your rooms."

"We used to not get a lot of Troll visitors," Bruce said as he led the leaders. "Then King Trollex here showed up. He was looking for a place above water for raves. Thanks to the Techno Trolls visiting, we had Troll-sized rooms made in case they stayed later than originally planned." He looked at the Royal Trolls and grinned. "Here are your rooms. Let me know when you're ready for dinner and we'll get something ready."

It was late in the night when Willow finally woke up. She looked around, confused. This wasn't the bus. "Hey, Sweet Beat," Willow smiled in relief when Trollex spoke up. "Glad to see you awake." He grinned when she climbed out of bed. "Barbed Wire and I have been switching out every hour in case you woke up. Didn't want you waking up in a strange place alone." He moved to stand beside her. "I bet you're hungry. Come on, I'm sure my friend Bruce still has some dinner left over."

Willow nodded and followed Trollex out the door. "This place is massive," she muttered to him, staring at the large hallways and doors. She jumped back in surprise when a giant came into view.

"Brandy!" Trollex called up with a grin. "What's up?" He looked at Willow, who was staring at the Vacayer with uncertainty. Her back was against the wall and she looked ready to bolt. "Sweet Beat?" He asked, concerned. "Are you okay?" He tilted his head when she whimpered in fear, still looking at the Vacayer. His eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right!" He looked at Brandy. "Sorry, Brandy, but could you back up for a minute? I think she's a little spooked." Brandy smiled and nodded, happy to help.

Trollex thanked her and turned his attention back to Willow. "Hey, girl. Delta Dawn told us about what happened with the Bergens, so you're a little freaked out. But you don't need to worry about that here. Especially not with Brandy.' He pointed to Brandy. "She's my friend Bruce's wife. You remember me talking about my friend Bruce?"

"You're friend, Bruce," Willow muttered softly. Her eyes moved to Trollex. "Bruce the surfer Troll, right?" She nodded in thought. "I remember something like that." She looked at him, unsure. "We're safe?"

"We're safe," Trollex nodded, a soft smile on his face. "You want to meet Brandy? She's really nice."

Willow nodded and Trollex beckoned Brandy forward. "Hello," Brandy spoke softly. "My name is Brandy. You must be Willow, right?" Willow nodded at the giant. "It's nice to meet you. Some of your friends are in the kitchen. Would you like to join them?" When Willow nodded, she held out her hand. "I can carry you if you'd like. It'll get you there much faster and you won't have to worry about getting lost so soon into your visit."

Willow nodded again. "Thank you," she said as she and Trollex moved to Brandy's hand. She clung on to Trollex as the Vacayer moved them into the kitchen.

"Is this your home?" She asked, looking around. "It's very nice." She watched as the duo with her chatted as they moved to the kitchen.

"Hey, Sugarcube," Delta looked up from her card game with Trollzart when Brandy placed the Pop Troll on the kitchen table. "We were wondering when you'd wake up." She watched as Brandy grabbed a plate from the fridge. "We saved you a plate of food. Hope you're hungry."

Brandy smiled as she set the food down. "I hope you like scallion pancakes. They're not as good cold. I can heat them if you like."

Willow smiled as she sat down by Delta Dawn. "I'm sure they taste great." She grabbed one and took a bite, her face brightening. "This is so good." She looked around the kitchen. "Where's everyone else?" Her Delta and Trollex were the only other Trolls in the kitchen.

"They're on the beach," Delta snorted in amusement. "Bruce introduced Barb to a thing called 'bonfires'. When you get done eating, we can go out there if you'd like."

"Sure," Willow grinned before her smile turned sheepish. "Sorry, I slept so long. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"Don't worry about it," Trollex smiled warmly and hugged his girlfriend. "You clearly needed the rest. And that's what this vacation is about. Getting rest and relaxing."

Willow nodded and focused on eating her pancake while she listened to the two leaders talk. It seemed like the leaders had made a 'no work talk on vacation' rule because they only spoke about what they did while she was sleeping. They went on a tour of the place where they were staying. Trollex said he wanted to show Willow everything in the morning. She told him she was excited to see it all. It was nice, she decided, to be able to just relax and not focus on the next task waiting for her at TrollsTopia.

When she finished, she followed the other Troll's lead and let the Vacayer Brandy pick her up. She had offered to take them to the bonfire her husband had set up.

From the little conversation she had with the Vacayer, she decided she liked the woman. She was laid back and liked to go with the flow. And she wasn't offended when Willow had originally panicked. Apparently, fear of creatures bigger than them was something she had to help her husband through when he first arrived.

When the group made it to the bonfire, it was burning bright. Barb and another Troll with long purple hair were adding more sticks to the fire when Brandy walked up. King Quincy and Queen Essence smiled as the Vacayer put the Trolls down. "Welcome to the party," King Quincy greeted. "We were waiting for you."

"Hope you weren't waiting too long," Willow joked. "I had to eat something first." Trollex led her over to where Barb was now sitting by the fire. Barb grinned and wrapped an arm around the Pop Troll.

"Not too long," Queen Essence smiled. "We were just watching these two build the fire. Your Barracuda over there is a bit of a pyromaniac."

Willow blushed at that. "I called you that on the bus, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Barb snorted. "You were pretty out of it. Don't worry, it's cute." She waved the purple Troll over. "You need to meet Bruce. He's a Pop Troll who moved here a long time ago. We're staying at his place while we're here."

Willow nodded and smiled at the Troll. "Thank you for letting us stay with you," She said standing up. "I'm sorry I wasn't awake to greet you earlier. My name is Willow. I'm the ambassador of Pop Village." She held her hand out for him to shake.

"Don't worry about it," Bruce grinned and shook her hand. "Any friend of Trollex is a friend of mine." He pulled a bag of marshmallows from his hair. "I was thinking of roasting some marshmallows. You wanna join me?"

Willow furrowed her brow and looked at the marshmallows confused. "Are they anything like marshtatoes?"

"Kid, I have no idea what a marshtato is," Bruce looked at the Pop Troll confused. He grabbed a marshmallow out of the bag and handed it to her. "Try one. See what you think."

"So you left the Troll Tree before we all escaped," Willow muttered. "We only started finding marshtatoes after we set up camp." She took a bite of the marshmallow and smiled. "It tastes just like a marshtato! Are these grown somewhere?"

"I think someone makes them," Bruce handed her another marshmallow before showing them how to roast them over the fire without burning them. "Don't ask how they're made, 'cause I don't know." He brought out some chocolate and graham crackers so they could make s'mores.

The group spent the next few hours relaxing by the fire and making s'mores. Bruce kept looking over to where Willow was sitting between the Rock Queen and the Techno King, a conflicted look on his face. She lived in the Troll Tree before, right? Maybe she knew what happened to his baby brothers and grandma. And the egg had to have hatched. What became of them? He could ask, he wanted to ask. He was too afraid of what the answer could be, though. What if it was bad? Would it be better not knowing? If he didn't know, he could pretend they were doing great. That they were better off without him there. That they were happy. So instead of asking, he smiled and pulled a ukulele out of his hair and started playing.

(Bruce)

Isn't this such a beautiful night? Whoa

We're underneath a thousand shining stars

Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different? Whoa

Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?

Willow smiled at the song and leaned against Trollex, her feet in Barb's lap. It was a beautiful night and she was getting to spend it with her friends.

(Bruce)

Look at this place, look at your faces

I've never seen you look like this before

Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different? Whoa

Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?

Look at this place, look at your faces

They're shining like a thousand shining stars

Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different? Whoa

Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?

Why don't you let yourself just be somewhere different? Whoa

Why don't you let yourself just be whoever you are?

"This was a good idea," Willow muttered as she stared at the night sky on Vacay Island. "We should visit here more often." Barb and Trollex nodded as they watched the stars. It was much later before they all decided to pack in for the night. They were all eager for what adventures the rest of their vacation week would hold.

So, JD might be the first of the oldest brothers to know he has a sister, but Bruce is the first to meet her. He doesn't know she's his sister, but that's okay because she doesn't recognize him either. I will not be writing their whole vacation, so the next chapter will be further into the future. I'm not sure how many episodes of TrollsTopia I want to do. There's not a lot that I can stick Willow in. I'll think of something.