"Today, on a very special episode of The Bop on Top, we're talking about overnight superstars Velvet and Veneer."

"So, what do you want to know?" Velvet, the confident and outspoken sister, asked, sitting down. "I'm an open book."

"Wide open," Veneer smiled before settling into his seat. "We're gaping novels."

"Okay," Kid Ritz, the interviewer, said with a smile. Well, who are some of your biggest influences?"

"Honestly, Vel's always been my inspiration," Veneer motioned to his sister.

Velvet smiled and leaned forward. "My biggest inspiration? Hmm, I'd have to go with also me."

"Well, one thing's for sure," Kid Ritz said. "After two months on the scene, the superstar duo will receive the prestigious Lifer Award. That's celebrating a lifetime of achievements. Be sure to catch their performance this weekend at the Rage Dome. Last question: How do you guys stay the biggest superstars Mount Rageous has ever known?" He leaned forward. "What's your secret?"

"Secret?" Veneer chuckled nervously. "We don't have a secret." He started hyperventilating. "Who said we have a secret?"

Velvet grabbed her brother's face. "What my calm, casual-sounding brother means is it's simple, really. It just takes lots of hard work and loads of natural talent."

Willow cringed at Velvet and Veneer's off-key sounds in the sound booth. "Lots of natural talent, huh?" She scoffed and sat down in her prison. "Yeah, right."

Velvet groaned, frustrated. "If we're gonna make it through the Rage Dome show, we're gonna need more Troll. Crimp!" She shouted, storming out of the sound booth. "What are you doing? Why are you always hovering?"

Crimp looked around, confused. "Uh, I'm standing."

"Well, be a good little assistant and go stand in the corner," Veneer frowned and pointed at the wall.

"Oh, yes," Crimp smiled and jumped down before walking to the wall. "Um, oh, dear. I think this is kind of a c-corner."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Okay, I cannot with her."

"It's really too much," Veneer agreed, shaking his head.

"Whew," Velvet smiled and picked up Willow's bottle. "Well, time for a spritz."

"No, please," Floyd protested, looking at his sister in panic. "Look at her; she barely has any talent left to give."

Willow nodded in agreement. "Maybe, like a desperate Christmas album or a one-off national anthem performance, but that is it." She gestured to herself. "Look at me. I'm all washed up."

"Oh, really?" Velvet held the purple bottle in her hand. "You don't wanna? Okay, that's fine. We'll just kiss our careers goodbye and focus our efforts on charity."

Veneer chuckled. "Good one."

Velvet squeezed the handle of Willow's prison a few times before sighing in relief. "That's more like it. We're so close to having everything we always knew we believed we deserved to have." She frowned at the look on Veneer's face. "Veneer, what's with your vibe and your face? Why do you have resting-moody-vibe face?"

Veneer held his hands up in defense. "No, I know we've deserved to be famous just 'cause we want to, but honestly, that girl looks rough."

"She's fine," Velvet dismissed, rolling her eyes.

"And she's getting pale," Veneer added, cringing. "And not in, like, a stunning Victorian way."

Willow looked down at her body, curious. She was getting pale? She knew she'd been feeling worse, and she wasn't feeling up to eating most of what Veneer and Crimp tried to give her, but she didn't think it was too bad. She yelped in surprise when she noticed her feet were see-through.

"Don't you see what you're doing?" Willow demanded, pointing at her feet. "You're literally sucking the life out of me."

Velvet groaned and looked at Crimp. "That's what I tell Crimp every day." Crimp whimpered and turned away from the two.

"What are we going to do?" Veneer asked. "We obviously can't rely on this Troll to get you through this dress rehearsal, let alone the Rage Dome show. And mine isn't going to be able to handle two of us if this one runs out."

"It's all going to change," Velvet comforted her brother as she tossed Willow's bottle in the air before catching it. "As soon as we have BroZone."

"BroZone?" Floyd asked from his prison."

"Yep," Velvet grinned and sat down to look at Floyd. "I forged a letter begging for them to come and save you. I love me."

"No!" Floyd banged on the side of his prison. "You leave my brothers alone."

"Ugh," Velvet groaned. "I'm exhausted by this drama." She set Willow's bottle down. "Hey, do you want to go buy a yacht?"

"Oh, good idea," Veneer grinned and jumped up. "Let's buy matching yachts."

"Can I come out of the corner now?" Crimp asked when the siblings disappeared down the hall.

Floyd sighed. "Yeah. You can come out." He looked at his sister. "Are you okay?"

Willow sighed and sat up. "At least she set me down gently this time." She frowned at her feet. "Look at me, bro. I'm see-through. And now the others are going to be walking into a trap." She groaned and glared at the closing door. "This is looking bad."

"Just..get some rest," Floyd sighed and sat down.

"You'll still be here when I wake up?" She looked at him. She didn't know why she had been asking that. It wasn't like he had a say in whether he'd be there or not.

Floyd, however, smiled and answered the way he'd been answering her question. "I'll be here."

"Operation Family Harmony is on and poppin'!" Branch shouted as Rhonda moved down the road. He looked at Poppy who was looking over his shoulder and smiling. "What?"

"What?" Poppy smiled innocently. "Oh, nothing. I-Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd-I'd almost say you were excited."

"Uh, it has nothing to do with my brothers," Branch denied as he looked through the stack of magazines on John Dory's couch.

Poppy gave him a soft smile. "You know, you're allowed to be excited about getting your brothers back and miss Willow at the same time. You're allowed to want your brothers around more."

"I know," Branch admitted. "But it feels bad, being excited while she's clearly in danger." He pulled the picture John Dory had given them. "She looks like she's in so much pain."

"And we'll get her back soon," Poppy promised. "She'll be okay."

"You're right," Branch smiled. "She'll be okay." He smiled and turned to the board he was working on. "Okay, guys. Where was I? We got to find our brothers and fast. But don't worry, old Branch has got it handled." He turned on the lights to show Poppy and John Dory his clue board. "All we have to do is follow the clues."

"Wow," Poppy smiled. "Check out your old outfits. Puffy jackets? Puka shell necklaces? Denim tuxedos! Branch, did you have frosted tips?"

Branch gave a fond smile as he looked at the picture. "Yeah. It was an era."

"Don't forget his perm," John Dory smiled.

Poppy responded by jumping on his face. "No way. Pictures, or it didn't happen." John Dory merely smiled and showed a picture of Baby Branch with a perm. "Aah!" Poppy grabbed the picture. "Look at you! You were so cute. I love it." Branch merely rolled his eyes as Poppy laughed and cried at the picture.

"But we had to pull the plug when he tried to frost his perm," John Dory added with a grin.

"It was an era!" Branch defended, irritated.

John Dory shook his head and looked into his cup. "Tragic."

Branch sighed. "While you two are strolling down memory lane, I'll work on finding Spruce." He shook his head when he heard Poppy tell John Dory she needed wallet-sized copies of his perm picture.

"Listen, baby brother," John Dory said as he approached Branch and his clue board. We don't need your little board to find Spruce." He ignored Branch's hurt comment about his clue board not being little and continued, "Because I got this." He pulled out a postcard and showed it to Branch. "Ha! Booyah."

"A postcard that says, 'Wish you were here?'" Branch looked at John Dory unamused. "It's not even signed."

"It's definitely Spruce," John Dory smiled. "He's the only one I know who talks that way."

"Well, at least we know where he is," Poppy smiled. "This looks just like the card Willow sent you on her first trip to Vacay Island." Branch looked at the postcard before pulling out the postcard that Willow had sent him months ago. Sure enough, they were the same card. "And she told me once that the postcard was the map. We have to follow the sunset until we see those words written in the sky."

John Dory grinned and went to the steering wheel. "Alright, everybody. Buckle up, and I'll get us there in no time."

Branch nodded and led Poppy to the couch, where the two sat down. "Are you doing okay?" Poppy asked, looking at her boyfriend. "You're about to see another of your brothers for the first time in twenty-six years. I can only imagine how hard this must be for you."

"Not as hard as knowing I'll be seeing Vacay Island without Willow," Branch admitted, looking at his postcard. "She's been telling me she would show me this place for some time. I hate that she's not here to show me around like she wanted."

Poppy leaned against Branch and smiled. "When we get Willow back, I'm sure she'll be able to show you all her favorite spots."

"Yeah," Branch smiled and leaned his head against Poppy. "You should probably call Barb and Trollex. They'll be mad if we don't tell them what we learned while searching for Willow."

Poppy grinned and sat up. "Yeah. Those two are super worried about their girlfriend." She pulled her communicator out. "They'll probably meet us at Vacay Island."

Finding Vacation Island was easy. The island looked like Willow said it would, and the postcard led them to it. However, their arrival was a little trickier since John Dory insisted on driving them off a cliff and into the water to get to the island. She was not as waterproof as he said she was.

The journey through the pool-noodle forest wasn't as bad, with Poppy distracting John Dory with questions about their band days. However, she made sure to stick close to Branch since he was still worried about Willow.

When they found Spruce surfing, things got irritating. The trio had followed him into a restaurant called Bruce and Sons & One Daughter. When Branch and John Dory called for him, Spruce got irritated before saying he would sign something for them but to keep it quiet.

When John Dory told him who they were, Spruce turned around and started excitedly throwing Branch in the air. After he finally calmed down and John Dory started talking to him, he told them his name had changed to Bruce.

Branch frowned at the revelation of his brother being called 'Bruce.' "I'm sorry," John Dory put his hands on his hips. "Did you say, 'Bruce'?"

"Your name is Bruce?" Branch seethed. He glared at his older brother as if daring him to say something else.

"Yeah," Spruce or Bruce now said with a grin. "I wanted to put the whole 'Boy Band' thing behind me now that I'm a dad."

"Wait a minute," John Dory followed Bruce. "You're a father?"

"What's with the face?" Poppy asked, walking over to Branch. "You look like someone just let Cloud Guy into your bunker."

Branch pulled out his postcard and started reading it to Poppy. "You should meet Bruce sometime. He runs the restaurant here on Vacay Island and makes the best nachos. He's also the guy who's letting us stay in his home for our leader's retreat. He's a cool guy, and I think you would get along." He looked at Poppy; his frustration was evident. "Unless there's another Bruce around here, she's talking about him. She's been getting to know him without knowing who he is. If she knew, she would have told me."

"Okay," Poppy said, placing an arm around her boyfriend. We don't know for sure if it's the same Bruce. Let's go over there and ask him." The two joined the older brothers just as Bruce introduced them to his wife and kids. "Bruce?" Poppy stepped forward. "Do you happen to know a Pop Troll named Willow?"

"Willow?" Bruce looked at Poppy and smiled. "Yeah, I know the kid. She's great." He frowned in concern. "You guys haven't heard from her, have you? I've got two Trolls coming up here begging me for updates. She's been missing for a couple of months now."

"That's why we're here," John Dory said, walking up. "She and Floyd are trapped on Mount Rageous, and we need the perfect family harmony to get them out."

"Well, why don't you call the authorities?" Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how the perfect family harmony will help."

"They're trapped in diamond prisons," Poppy explained, showing him the picture of Floy and Willow. "There's nothing else that can break diamond, apparently."

"Oh," Bruce frowned. "Yeah, you need perfect family harmony for that. But how? We've never even come close to pulling it off. You do remember our last show, don't you?"

"If we practice," John Dory smiled and jumped onto the stage. "I know we'll be able to nail it. We have to."

Bruce chuckled nervously. "At my age? I really don't think that-"

"See, guys?" One of Bruce's children said. "I told you Dad wasn't in a band."

"Oh, I was in a band," Bruce protested. "I was in the band." He gestured to his wife. "You ask your mother if I was in a band."

Brandy smiled dreamily and looked at her husband. "Oh, he was in a band."

"Prove it! Prove it! Prove it!" Poppy started chanting with Bruce's children.

"Oh, all right," Bruce stammered as he made it to the stage. "I'll-I'll prove it. I'll prove it right now." He jumped on stage with his big brother.

Poppy smiled and walked over to Branch. "Branch, get up there. You know you want to sing with your brothers."

"I really don't, though," Branch shook his head, frustrated. "He just confirmed that he's the same Bruce Willow has been talking about these past few months, and he doesn't even know they're related. How am I supposed to sing and dance like everything is okay?"

Poppy frowned in thought. "You could tell him afterward," she suggested. And I know you want to sing with your brothers. You miss them, and it'll feel good to bond with them." She nudged him forward. "Go ahead; I'll be right here when you're done."

Branch sighed and nodded. "It would be nice to sing with them again. Alright, just one song, and then we go save our siblings," he said, walking up to the stage.

"Alright!" Bruce cheered before pausing in confusion. "Wait, siblings?" Branch was spared from answering by Poppy putting in the BroZone tape and starting the music.

Barb and Trollex arrived in the middle of Branch singing with his brothers. Barb raised an eyebrow when Poppy joined them near the end. "Who's that guy with Boy Toy and Bruce?" She asked, looking at Trollex.

Trollex shrugged. "Looks like Dubstep knows him, though. Maybe they're friends?" The two stood in silence while the song ended. "Hey yo, Poppy! Dubstep!" Branch and Poppy looked up when they heard Trollex call for them.

"Guys!" Poppy shouted, relieved. "You guys made it just in time! We found Willow!"

"So you said," Barb raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Where is she?"

"She's on Mount Rageous with our older brother Floyd," Branch said as Poppy handed them the picture. "We're gathering the rest of our brothers to perform the perfect family harmony to get them out."

"Oh, Sweet Beat," Trollex frowned at the picture. "What are they doing to her?" He demanded, glaring at Branch.

"It's not good, man," Branch frowned and looked at the two royals before him. "Which is why we have to go soon."

"And this is one of your brothers?" Barb asked, glaring at John Dory. "Willow told us they all left you. How did you end up with him? And what are you doing on Vacay Island anyway."

"Willow told you about them?" Branch frowned before shaking his head. "Nevermind. That's a problem for another day. We came to get Spruce. Or, I guess his name is Bruce now." He shook his head. "We'll be leaving in a minute."

Trollex looked at Barb and nodded before crossing his arms. "Cool, we'll be ready to go by then."

"Uh, what?" Branch looked at the usually chill king, surprised. "You're coming?"

"Uh, yeah?" Barb raised an eyebrow at Branch. "What? You expected us to trust your brothers to rescue our girlfriend?" She snorted. "Please."

"And now that we know someone on Mount Rageous has her, we're not sticking around and waiting for you guys to come home to see her again," Trollex added. He looked at where Bruce was talking to his wife. "I'm assuming Bruce doesn't know yet?"

"We planned on telling him after that practice number you saw," Poppy admitted sheepishly. "It's not exactly an easy topic to bring up."

"Yeah," Branch snorted as they walked to the restaurant entrance. "It's not like you can walk up to someone and say, 'Hey, you know the Troll you've been talking to the past few months? That's your baby sister. And the reason she couldn't be here to tell you this yourself is because she's been imprisoned in a diamond next to your little brother. Oh! And their life force is being drained by beings much larger than us and used to make their captors more famous.'" He scoffed. "Talk about a nightmare scenario." The group climbed onto Rhonda, followed by Bruce and John Dory racing behind them.

Bruce sighed as Rhonda took off and looked at Branch, confused. "Now, what's this about siblings? I thought it was just Floyd and Willow that were captured."

Branch looked at the three royals surrounding him and sighed as they gestured for him to tell his brother. "Willow's our little sister," he said, looking at Bruce. Bruce stared at him, mouth open in surprise. "She hatched a couple of days after everyone left."


So Willow's not looking so good. At least Floyd isn't so bad, right? Not much of a positive, but there it is. And Branch is understandably upset about the whole thing. I'm sure you all noticed, but Tiny Diamond will not be in this story. Since John Dory didn't ruin the wedding, I didn't see an opportunity for him to sneak on the bus and join them. Anyway, thanks for reading everybody and I'll see you next time!