Willow observed with mild interest as Crimp went about her daily chores, humming a tune. Her rhythm was pleasant until a mishap occurred-the iron accidentally scorched Veneer's shirt. In her defense, it wouldn't have happened if he had removed the shirt for ironing. "It may be easier if you take off your shirt," Crimp suggested.

Veneer scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "Oh, don't be lazy."

"Oh," Crimp tossed the iron away and hopped down to talk to Velvet. "By the way, you know that thing you asked me for?"

"Space from you?" Velvet asked, bored and annoyed.

"Oh, no," Crimp chuckled. "Yeah, no. Uh, what?" She shook her head. "Uh, anyways, you said you needed a way to make your smoothies even fruitier onstage."

"You did?" Veneer's head shot up, his confusion mirroring Willow's. Smoothies weren't part of their stage performances. What was going on?

Velvet quickly shushed her brother. "Yes. That is what I want." She smiled at Crimp. "Go on."

"Well, I had an idea," Crimp said proudly. She spun the shoulder pads she had been working on to show them. "Ta-da!"

"Crimp, honey," Veneer raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "That's not an idea. Those are shoulder pads."

Crimp chuckled nervously. "Beg to differ. It's a high-powered vacuum. I finally put that master's degree in engineering to good use." Willow and Floyd watched in horror as Crimp shoved the fruit pieces into the gem on the shoulder pad and pressed the button to demonstrate. They had a sinking suspicion Velvet would use the device for something more sinister than smoothies.

Velvet's actions confirmed their worst fears when she seized Willow's diamond prison and inserted it into the slot in her shoulder pads. "Oh, my God," Crimp gasped in horror. "Wait. Stop!" But Velvet paid no heed as she donned the shoulder pads and repeatedly pressed the button, unleashing the full force of the machine.

Willow cried out in pain as the force of the vacuum lifted her into the air and drained her of her life force. Floyd jumped up in fear as he watched his little sister. "Willow!" Velvet grinned widely as she felt Willow's essence flow through her body as she sang.

Crimp chuckled nervously. "You said that it was for smoothies." Willow glared out of the diamond in pain. Why would she be using this for smoothies? For someone with a master's in engineering, Crimp could be pretty clueless.

"It's called lying, Crimp," Velvet leaned against her vanity table. "Deal with me."

"If you use too much, you'll kill her," Crimp added. "The plum I tested turned into a prune!" She held the fruit up to show them.

"I don't want to kill the little guys," Veneer frowned, holding up Floyd. "They're kind of cute when they're up and about." He gently tapped the diamond prison Floyd was in. "Banging on the walls, yelling to go home."

Velvet grabbed her brother's face. "Do you want to lose all this and return to the dark place where we had nothing?"

Veneer rolled his eyes and stood up. "Girl, we grew up in the suburbs. Our parents were dentists."

Velvet took Willow's prison out of the shoulder pads and set the shoulder pads down. "Our parents were nobodies, and we were nobodies. And when I met you, you were literally sucking your thumb and pooping all over the place."

"You met me when I was a baby," Veneer looked confused. "So.."

"All over the place," Velvet insisted. "It was nuts!" She grabbed Floyd's prison and thrust it into Veneer's hand. "You don't want to give up all the yachts, the bling, and your illegal pet monkey, do you?"

Veneer chuckled nervously and grabbed the bottle. "Okay, I've made my peace with it." He looked at Crimp. "Great job, Cringe."

"You're smarter than I thought," Velvet said, walking over to Crimp. "Now I don't trust you."

"That's maybe not a rational response," Crimp said nervously. Velvet grabbed her by the bun and picked her up. "I don't, um- Please don't put me in the closet."

Velvet shut the closet door after shoving Crimp inside. "Now come on. We're about to go from stars to megastars."

"Please, Veneer," Floyd's voice quivered as he looked up at the teenager. "Look at Willow. She's fading away, man."

"It's not personal," Veneer retorted, his expression tense. "I just love my sister and all the fame, money, and possessions I've acquired." The weight of his decision hung heavily in the air.

"Yeah, sure," Floyd rolled his eyes. "Dying sucks, but at least it's for some sweet bling-a-ding and some boho-chic home furnishings."

"You get it," Veneer chuckled before using Floyd's essence on himself and left, tossing Floyd to the side with Willow.

Floyd sighed and shuffled his bottle closer to Willow's before standing it up. Willow was staring at her see-through hands with a deepening frown. "You're not looking so great," Floyd said, his worry palpable as he stared at the white appearing in Willow's hair.

"I'm not feeling so great either," Willow pulled her knees to her chest and frowned. "I don't know how much longer I can wait, Floyd. We have to get out of here."

Floyd sighed and sat down as close to Willow's prison as possible. "I know. We can't wait for John Dory and the others, or it'll be too late. Don't worry, little sister. I'll think of something."

(Velvet)

Never get old

No matter how much I'm told

I'm amazing

(Veneer)

You're amazing

"Oh, my kids love these guys," Bruce grinned as he drove down the road. "We're a total Veneer household."

"They're the ones who have Floyd and Willow," John Dory frowned as he paced the back.

Bruce grimaced. "Ah, it's gonna be hard to separate the art from the artist." He was still coming to terms with Willow being his little sister.

Barb rolled her eyes in annoyance and continued pacing the floor with Trollex. "That's Velvet and Veneer's spicy-hot new single 'Watch Me Work,'" The announcer said over the radio. "Catch them tomorrow night at the Rage Dome, where they'll receive the Lifer Award."

Branch looked at his brothers in concern. "Guys, will Floyd and Willow even make it through that show?"

"They better," Trollex muttered darkly. "Or you can bet we'll be going to war."

Barb nodded in agreement. "They took the wrong Troll when they grabbed Willow."

"Don't worry," Poppy assured. "We're gonna make it. We've been looking for clues to find Clay."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Branch smiled sarcastically. "The clue board? Do you mean my clue board? That I made?" He deadpanned. "We like the clue board now?"

"What is he wearing?" Poppy asked instead of answering Branch.

"Oh," Branch shook his head, uninterested. "Those are just his-funderdrawers!" He grinned, walked over to Clay's funderdrawers in a glass case, and broke the glass. "John Dory, I have no idea why you saved these. It's incredibly disgusting, but I'm glad you did."

"What? They're memorabilia," John Dory defended at the disgusted looks the royals were giving him. "But I will be good, gosh darned, if I know how they're gonna help us find Clay."

Branch responded by placing the funderdrawers on a stick and putting them in front of Rhonda's face. "Help us, Rhonda!" He grinned when she started to pick up speed. "She's got the scent." He let Poppy pull him back into the bus.

John Dory grinned. "Now that Rhonda knows where to go, I can get us there quickly." He leaned forward. "Let's get ready to hustle everybody!" He pushed the button labeled 'hustle,' and Rhonda took off.

When they left the hustle dimension, they were in front of an abandoned Bergen golf course. "And we're sure Clay's here?" Branch asked, looking at the place.

"If Rhonda says he is, he's gotta be," John Dory insisted as they walked out of Rhonda. He petted her face. "She's a great tracker."

Barb decided meeting the Putt Putt Trolls was...interesting. Their leader, Viva, was like an older version of Poppy. Which made sense when they learned she was Poppy's long-lost older sister. Her co-leader, who happened to be Willow's older brother Clay, was much more serious and was in charge of the safety regulations.

Meanwhile, Trollex was conflicted. He wanted to be happy for Poppy; getting to meet her big sister for the first time had to be exciting. Branch reunited with his older brothers for the first time in twenty-six years. But his girlfriend was still captured, and Poppy's sister Viva seemed intent on making them stay. At least Branch had managed to tell Clay he had a little sister who was also in danger.

"We don't have time for this," Trollex muttered, frustrated. He fiddled with the bracelet Willow had given him a month before she had disappeared. "Sweet Beat is in trouble."

"I know," Barb muttered, staring as Branch's brother Clay told them about what happened during their escape from the Troll Tree that caused them to be separated. She leaned against Trollex and clung to her matching bracelet. "But we can't just leave either. Branch will get everyone back on track soon."

Clay managed to get them going again after his story about the Troll Tree. "Okay, guys, if we're gonna save Floyd and Willow, we need to get going now."

Branch nodded. "Sounds good. I'll go get Poppy." He moved in the direction he saw Poppy and Viva leave.

"No, no, no, wait," Clay held onto his little brother's arm. "Hold on. There's no way Viva's gonna let her go."

"What are you talking about?" Branch asked, concerned. Barb stiffened beside Trollex. Viva was going to try to keep them there.

"Like I said, she's got some stuff going on, man," Clay said, looking at Branch. "If we don't want to get trapped, we should sneak out now." He looked up when the spotlights around them turned on, and the entrance slammed shut. He grinned sheepishly and chuckled. "Ah, hey, Viva. What's up, girl?"

"Viva," Poppy walked up to the brothers. "What are you doing?"

"You're not leaving here," Viva looked at the group of Trolls before her. "No matter what, because-because it's just not safe out there." She crossed her arms. "You're welcome."

Trollex frowned and stepped forward. "You can't keep us here," He growled at the blonde Pop Troll in front of him.

"We'll blow the walls of this place down before you get the chance," Barb added, stepping up beside her boyfriend.

"Hold on," Poppy stepped in front of the angry royals. "Before we resort to property damage, let's just talk." She turned to Viva. "Is this about the Bergens? Because they stopped trying to eat us. That's all in the past."

"Yeah, right," Viva rolled her eyes. "That's hilarious, Poppy. I'm laughing so hard right now." She looked to the royals who had threatened to destroy their home, her eyes softening when she saw the matching bracelets they were messing with. "I haven't seen those kinds of bracelets in a while. We don't have the materials around here for them. Did you make them?"

Barb looked down at her bracelet and smiled despite her mood. The bracelets were woven with care, a pattern of pink, green and red, the colors of their music blended into one. "Nah, Willow made them. She worked pretty hard on them, too."

"I was there when she made those bracelets," Poppy looked at her older sister. "She added her own hair to the red parts, you know?"

Viva looked at the bracelets again, brow furrowed. Adding hair to jewelry wasn't uncommon in the Troll Tree, but to give that jewelry to someone else was a promise. "That's the closest thing to a marriage proposal without it being an actual proposal," she muttered. She looked at the two royals. "You don't look like you're from the Tree. Do you understand the significance of what you're wearing around your wrist?"

Trollex looked at his bracelet and nodded. "She told us when she gave them to us. She said it was the Pop Troll's way of saying she'd be with us; no matter how far away we were, we'd always have a piece of her with us."

"And that we belonged together," Barb added. "No matter how long it took to make it official, we're hers, and she's ours."

Viva looked at the Trolls in front of her sadly before sighing. "Open the gates," She ordered, turning away. "Let them go."

"Viva?" Clay stepped forward. "What is it?"

"You have to save your siblings," Viva said, looking at her friend. "You have to get these two to Willow. They can't be apart anymore."

"You could come with us," Poppy said, looking at her big sister. "I'm not ready to lose you."

"I can't," Viva tried to smile at Poppy before it fell. "My people are right here. And I've tried to leave the Hole 'N Fun so many times in the past and failed." She hugged her little sister. "Be careful and stop by on your way back." She pulled away and smiled for real. "It's so good to see you're still alive. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you grow up."

Poppy watched sadly as Viva walked away. "Poppy?" Branch walked up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The door had opened, and the others were waiting by Rhonda. "Are you okay?"

Poppy forced a smile on her face and looked at her boyfriend. "Yeah," she sighed before turning to the entrance. "Let's go get Willow and Floyd. We can worry about my sibling stuff afterward."

Branch watched his girlfriend walk to the armadillo bus and frowned, concerned. "Yeah, okay." He placed Poppy's scrapbook of her time with Bridget on the ground in front of the door. "Hey, Viva?" He called out. "I don't know if it matters, but Poppy is best friends with this Bergen girl, Bridget. I'm sure if we had time, she would have loved to tell you more about her. I'm leaving this scrapbook here, so you can look through it on your own." He smiled. "She's really good at scrapbooking. I think you'll like it." He walked to Rhonda and his brothers, only looking back when the door closed behind them.

So, I added some jewelry to Barb and Trollex. Though it isn't mentioned, they both also have necklaces they gave each other. Barb has one similar to the one Trollex gave Willow that helps her breathe underwater, and Trollex has a choker like the one Barb gave Willow. It's charmed so he can handle the intense heat of Volcano Rock City when they go there on date nights. I don't know how to mention that in the story, though, so it's just getting added as an author's note. And I thought I'd add a little significance to the Pop Troll thing since we don't talk about it much. Thanks for reading, everyone!