The song Willow sings is called "Just Keep Breathing" by We The Kings.
Willow was having a terrible day. The letter had led her to this tiny Troll-sized office, with no other Trolls in sight except for the one who claimed to be a musician, not an ambassador. He was supposedly meeting a record manager. But after a brief conversation, Willow's world turned upside down. She had walked into a trap. Panic set in as she tried to open the door, only to find it locked, intensifying her sense of entrapment. The sudden lift of the building was a shocking revelation. They were being Trollnapped.
"Well, this is just great," Willow huffed after mangling her machete, trying to unlock the door. "There goes my only real weapon against something big enough to carry us." She turned to the notably freaked-out Troll hunched over in the corner, concerned. "You doing okay over there, man?"
The Troll, with his slightly taller frame, blue skin, and dark pink hair, looked visibly shaken. His eyes darted around the makeshift cage, searching for an impossible escape. "No, not really. I'm trapped in a makeshift cage, taken to who knows where. I haven't been this freaked out since I was in the Troll Tree." He buried his face in his arms. "I miss my brothers."
Willow sighed and tossed her useless machete to the floor of their cage. "Alright," she said, moving over to sit by the distressed Troll. Her empathy for him was palpable. "Let's calm down a little. You said you were from the Troll Tree, right?"
(Willow)
When heaven seems so far away
And dreams are just a memory
Without the dark, the light won't show
Remember that you're not alone
The Troll's eyes softened as he listened to her sing. She was right, he did know this song. It was a standard song in the tree after a Trollstice celebration, a comforting reminder of home.
(Willow)
When you watch the world just turn away
And break the promises it made
When love is all too hard to hold
Just take a breath and let it go
(Willow and Other Troll)
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Willow smiled and nudged the Troll beside her. "Do you feel a little better now?"
Floyd's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he nodded. "A little, thank you. Sorry for freaking out." He looked at her with a mix of wonder and concern. "You're from the Troll Tree? How did you get out? When did you get out?"
"So you left before the big escape," Willow nodded in thought. "The rest of the Tribe got out when I was three. We've been living in the woods ever since."
"So they're okay," The Troll sighed in relief. He looked at Willow. "I never introduced myself, did I?" He held his hand out. "I'm Floyd."
"Nice to meet you, Floyd," Willow smiled and shook the Troll's hand. "My name is Willow."
"It's nice to meet you, Willow." Floyd took his hand away and frowned. "I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Yeah," Willow sighed and looked away. "But it's okay. Once we get where we're being taken, I will call for help." She pulled her communicator out of her hair, her determination shining through. "My girlfriend and boyfriend will be here to save us soon. We're not giving up." Her unwavering determination to escape filled the air with a sense of hope.
The two Trolls sat silently as they arrived wherever their Trollnappers were taking them. "This is the best idea I've ever had," A voice outside their cage. Willow looked up in apprehension. They were stopping. "We are going to be so famous after this." Willow frowned in apprehension as the office wall opened, and a hand reached in and grabbed the two of them. They were brought face-to-face with their captor, who grinned victoriously at them. She was a gangly creature with pale white skin, bright green hair, and noodle-like limbs, her eyes gleaming with a manic excitement. "You two are perfect," she said before shoving them into two purple bottles.
"Who are you?" Willow demanded, glaring at her captor through the purple prison. "And what do you want?"
Their captor ignored her questions and looked to her right. "Veneer! Where are the atomizers for these bottles?!"
"Right here, Velvet!" Another creature looking similar to their captor ran up with two objects. He looked at the Trolls in the bottles curiously. "And we're sure this is going to work?"
"Only one way to find out," Velvet smirked viciously, placing one of the atomizers on Willow's bottle and spraying herself with it. Willow cringed in pain as she felt her life force drained from her. The atomizer was a device that could extract a Troll's essence, leaving them weak and vulnerable. Once finished, Velvet sang a simple melody. She grinned victoriously and tossed Willow's bottle before catching it. "It works!" She tossed Floyd's bottle to Veneer. "This one's yours. Try it out."
Veneer caught Floyd's bottle, added the atomizer, and tried it on himself. He grinned as he sang, his voice echoing in their cramped, dimly lit dressing room. "It works better than we thought it would."
"What was that?" Willow demanded, curling up in pain. "That was the worst thing I've felt since I broke my bones falling off a dresser."
Velvet ignored Willow and tossed the bottle on her makeup counter. "Come on, bro. Our big debut awaits," She said, a sinister excitement in her voice. Veneer tossed Floyd's bottle beside Willow's and followed Velvet.
Floyd grunted in pain as his bottle landed beside Willow. "What was that?" He asked, lying in his bottle. "I've never felt like that before."
"I don't know," Willow muttered. "And I don't want to find out." She pulled her communicator out of her hair. She turned it on and tried to make a phone call. "It's not going through!" She growled in frustration before tossing the communicator against the wall. "Stupid prison! What's this thing made of?"
"It looks like it's made of diamond," Floyd said thoughtfully, running his hand against the walls of his prison.
"And that's supposed to mean something?" Willow raised an eyebrow before shaking her head. "We have to get out of here before those two show back up." She pulled her bass out of her hair. "Rock should be able to break us out."
"That's not going to work," Floyd tried to stop her as she prepared a chord to play. "There's only one thing that can break diamond—" he cringed at the power chord that blasted throughout the dressing room. He sighed at Willow's frustrated groan. "Diamond won't break so easily. You need the perfect-"
"I know!" Willow shouted, perking up. She leaned forward, testing the prison's mobility. She grinned when it started to roll. "Perfect."
"What are you doing?" Floyd demanded, worried.
"Don't worry, Floyd," Willow grinned as she rolled to the edge. "As soon as this breaks, I'll get back up here and get you out."
"That's not going to work!" Floyd tried to argue. "You're just going to hurt yourself!" He sighed again when he heard the diamond bottle hit the floor with a thud.
"Ow," She groaned in pain. "That was a bad idea."
"You think?" Floyd rolled his eyes. "Now you'll have to stay down there until one of those two returns." He sighed and sat down in the diamond bottle. The only thing that can break a diamond is the perfect family harmony."
"Well, we're doomed then," Willow grumbled, crossing her arms. She winced at the pain in her ribs. "Hey, if your elbow gets jammed into your ribcage after falling from really high up, can you break your ribs? Because I'm pretty sure I managed to do that."
Floyd winced. "Maybe. Are you okay?"
"Aside from the potential broken bones? " Willow smiled before laying her head against the diamond casing. "Pretty good, all things considering." She grimaced. "Hey, Floyd? Can you tell me something about you?"
"What do you want to know?"
"Just tell me anything. I could use the distraction right now." Her eyes lit up. "Tell me about your brothers. You said you miss them, right?"
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss them," Floyd admitted, looking at the floor of his prison. "My brothers and I grew up in the Troll Tree," Floyd smiled fondly as he thought about his family. "We were in a band, you know. We were easily one of the most popular bands around. Maybe you heard about us?" He sighed and shook his head. "Then again, you are pretty young. We probably broke up before you even hatched."
Willow's eyes narrowed in thought. "You were in a band at the Troll Tree?" There weren't a lot of bands in the tree growing up, and even less with someone named Floyd. "It wasn't BroZone, was it?"
"So you have heard about it," Floyd smiled. "Were you a fan?"
"I'm familiar with the music," Willow answered slowly. "But I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan."
"Oh?" Floyd asked, a little disappointed. "That's too bad."
"It's not like I hate it," Willow amended. "I just hate what the band did for Branch."
"You know Branch?" Floyd asked, standing up. He tried to look at Willow from where she was stuck on the floor. "Is he okay?"
"Know him?" Willow snorted as she leaned back. "I grew up with the guy. He's one of my best friends."
"You care about him," Floyd guessed with a smile. "Are you two dating?"
"Gross, no," Willow cringed at the thought. "There's no way that would ever be a possibility."
"What?" Floyd was taken aback. "Why not?"
Willow sighed and looked up. "Because he's my big brother. Floyd, I'm your little sister."
Floyd thought back to his question and cringed. "So gross." His eyes widened in panic. "Not that you're my sister. That's not the gross part. Just the question I asked is gross now." He winced and sat down. "Sorry."
Willow laughed before grimacing in pain. "No worries, man. I know what you mean."
The two sat in silence for a moment before Floyd spoke up. "Hey, Willow?" He waited a moment for her to respond. "I was quiet about this earlier, but I can freely say this as your brother. Walking off a giant dresser is the stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone do."
Willow snorted. "And it's not even the first time I've done that."
Two weeks later, Willow and Floyd were no closer to getting free. It turned out that the two who captured them were using their essence to make themselves famous pop stars. And the way Velvet and Veneer spoke about them when they were around made it very clear they saw Trolls as lesser beings. Veneer saw them as little pets, and Velvet just spoke as if they were tools for her to use.
Floyd sighed as Veneer set his diamond prison on the makeup counter. Velvet tossed Willow's bottle next to him. "You could be a little gentler, at least!" Willow shouted, aggravated. She groaned and pushed the bottle into a standing position, her ribs aching. "This stinks. And is it just me, or is she using me a lot more than Veneer uses you?"
"Yeah," Floyd frowned, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"As good as I can be," Willow grunted in pain and sat down. "What are we going to do?"
"Is there anything we can do?" Floyd asked, feeling hopeless. "The only thing that can break a diamond is the perfect family harmony. And the only ones who came close were me and our brothers."
"Well, then we're doomed," Willow sighed and crossed her arms.
Floyd was about to respond when they heard something thud against the dressing room window. "What is that?" He asked, looking up at the window to see a furry bat trying to get in.
Willow's head perked up at the noise, and she looked out the window. "Debbie!" She stood up and grimaced at the pain that shot up her ribs. "You can't be here, girl! It's not safe!" She waved her hands in front of her. "Go home, Debbie. You can't help me." She sighed and sat back down when Debbie finally turned around and left.
"Is Debbie a pet of yours?" Floyd asked, his eyebrow raised.
"She belongs to my girlfriend," Willow smiled sadly. "If she's looking for me, my barracuda is too. If Debbie ended up getting hurt trying to find me, I'd never be able to forgive myself." She crossed her arms and looked out the window. "They'll find us," she muttered to herself as she curled into a ball, mindful of the ribs that refused to heal. "I just know they will."
And here we have a little bit of what Willow's been dealing with. It's not great, and no, she didn't know what diamonds were. I have this idea that there's not any diamonds in Pop village besides Guy and Tiny, so the fact that her prison is made of diamond means nothing to her.
