After the celebration dance, Aria and Ash took Poppy and Branch to the center of town. It was so quiet and the cool evening breeze blew against their cheeks. They sat by the edge of a fountain and watched the passing trolls. Trolls of all ages, young ones with their families, some with their guardians. After a while, something stood out to Poppy.

"You guys have those marks on your faces," Poppy pointed out. "And lots of the other trolls have them, but how come the young troll kids don't?" Poppy was right. Most of the trolls above teenage had different marks on their faces, spirals, zig zags, cirles, all sorts. But the younger trolls didn't seem to have any.

"When a young troll comes of age, they show the whole tribe how strong their bond is with their guardian." Ash explained as his own guardian emerged from his gem. His guardian was a green falcon. "They'll sing to make their spirit glow, ride their spirit, dance with it, all in front of the tribe."

"Then after the performance, Tala awards the troll with a permanent mark," Aria continued with Echo nuzzling her face, along the spiral mark on her face. "As a reminder of the unbreakable bond of the troll with their guardian."

It made Poppy think about the troll gems. How it was a milestone of the troll embracing their joy and a reminder of all they had achieved. Maybe their tribes weren't so different after all, maybe what her dad told her wasn't true.

That made her think. The story of the strings that King Peppy told them wasn't true, and was corrected by the funk trolls. Was there a different side of the Lost Trolls story? Poppy spotted Tala in the center of town. If she was going to reunited the tribes, she had to learn the truth. The real truth. Poppy walked up to Tala and tapped her shoulder.

"Tala?" Poppy said.

"Yes Queen Poppy, what can I do for you?" Tala asked. Poppy lead her to the fountain where she was previously sitting with Branch, Aria and Ash.

"My dad told me about the story of how the trolls became so divided," Poppy explained. Tala could see where this was going. "What actually happened to divide the trolls? You know...to drive your tribe away?" Tala sighed as she sat down by the fountain.

"When the first troll ancestors were born, they sprouted from a great magical tree." Tala explained. "Each troll that sprouted absorbed its powers. They had magical hair and were guided by the music in their hearts." Tala paused for a moment to gather her breath. "Our tribe's ancestor was the last to sprout and by the time she was born, there was no magic left in the tree for her. Without this power, she couldn't keep up with the other trolls and they eventually left her isolated." Poppy and Branch looked at each other and nodded, recognizing the story.

"We were told that she left because she was jealous of the other trolls' powers." Branch said.

"Jealous?" Tala looked confused. "No, she left because she knew there was no chance of her fitting in so she ventured out to find somewhere she felt like she belonged." Poppy and Branch looked shocked, feeling bad for the ancestor. "Without magic, she struggled as she ventured into the forest. But she never gave up. Mother Nature blessed her for her determination, and gave her a spiritual companion, creating it with the troll's own soul." Tala's leopard guardian nuzzled against her. "Amazed by her new power, she wanted to show it to the other trolls. But when she arrived, she saw that the trolls were about to be attacked by a predator. She tried to warn them, but they couldn't hear her. So she used her guardian to help defend them, the fight was brutal and it even damaged the trolls' home and they blamed her, thinking the guardian was a demon that had possessed her."

"So what happened to her?" Poppy asked.

"She left." Tala said. "Knowing she would never earn their respect and would only fear her. So she didn't try to fix something that was beyond repair. She set off with her guardian and they found the Paradise Isles, the home where our tribe had lived ever since."

"Man, I guess Pop Trolls are just really bad at talking about our history." Branch said.

"I can't believe our ancestors just pushed you away like that." Poppy was in disbelief. "Even after you tried to protect them." Poppy paused as she had an idea. "That's it! That's how we bring out tribes together! We tell them the actual story, how your tribe saved them." Poppy exclaimed. "Show them the beauty and enchantment of your guardians!"

"It could work." Tala said. "I just hope you're right about this." She smiled at Poppy, appreciating her trying to help.

***

As night fell, Aria took Poppy and Branch back to her tree hut. They sat on the roof of one of the huts and gazed at the stars.

"What an amazing day." Poppy sighed.

"I know." Branch lay on his back and looked up at the stars.

"Well you're in for a real treat." Aria said. "In 3...2...1." All over the village, Lost Trolls' gems started to glow. In the village square, in the tree huts, in the distance, everywhere. Lighting up the land with tiny glowing dots of all different colors. "It's a tradition for us. Every night we light our gems and our guardians." Poppy and Branch looked in awe. It was like there were colorful stars down on the earth. Echo appeared on Aria's shoulder as she started to sing.

🎶Say hello🎶

🎶To a beautiful night🎶

🎶The stars will greet us when we look up towards the sky🎶

🎶So we live🎶

🎶And we try to find🎶

🎶A deeper meaning in what we left behind🎶

Poppy and Branch could hear other Lost Troll voices singing the exact same song in unison, with their gems and guardians lighting up the night.

🎶I want to be with you underneath the lights🎶

🎶See the world with you underneath the lights🎶

🎶The lights🎶

🎶The lights🎶

Every guardian visible, even those on the far distance glowed bright leaving sparkles and colored mist behind as they moved. Poppy and Branch watched in awe, never seeing anything like it.

Among the guardians, suddenly they saw a teal bear guardian flying towards them with a troll on its back.

"That's my dad." Aria said as the bear landed down on the roof that they were on. Her dad had green hair, similar to Ash's, and teal skin. He wore brown overalls and had a teal gem around his neck. He dismounted his guardian and looked at Poppy and Branch.

"So you're the Pop Trolls my daughter kidnapped." He joked. Aria rolled her eyes. Poppy and Branch smiled back.

"To be fair, this is the most educational kidnapping I've ever experienced." Branch chuckled.

"How are the crop fields, dad?" Aria asked.

"Only a few of them are actually growing crops, most of the others are failing." He sighed. "But we're getting there. I heard about you Pop Trolls planning to reunite our tribes and help us."

"Absolutely!" Poppy said confidently.

"Thank you, your majesty." He thanked. He left them as he climbed down a vine and entered the lower hut.

"Our dad used to sell fruits and crops in the village." Aria explained. "That was until the hurricane. Now he's been helping to restore the crops." She sighed "Everyone in the tribe has been helping out."

"Does your whole family help out?" Poppy asked. Aria paused before looking at Poppy.

"Well...it's just me, Ash and my dad." Aria sighed. "Our mom died eleven years ago." Aria said. "Me and Ash were only ten." Both Poppy and Branch looked at Aria in shock.

"Oh Ari, I'm so sorry." Poppy said, her ears drooping.

"It's okay." Aria smiled. She lay down on her back, looking up into the sky. "She was a lot like you guys. She believed that one day, all the troll tribes will come together again." Aria closed her eyes. "She fell very sick and we knew her days were numbered, but she remained positive and determined the whole time. I miss her a lot." She explained. Branch suddenly fell silent, but still looked at her attentively. Poppy put a hand on her shoulder.

"I bet she'd be proud of you, Ari." Poppy said to her. Aria sat up and looked at the stars.

"It's hard to be without her, but at least I know she'll always be with me." Aria said. Poppy and Branch looked at her, then up at the stars. "When a troll dies, their guardian goes to the stars. Their soul and guardian become one and they always watch over and guide us."

"Does that work with all trolls? Or just you guys with the fancy guardians?" Poppy asked.

"Well everyone has a soul, don't they?" Aria said to her. "Every star up there is the soul of our loved ones that have passed."

"I guess that means my mom is up there." Poppy said. Aria looked at her, with sad eyes. "She passed just after I was born. I barely knew her." Aria put her hand on top of Poppy's.

"I'm sorry, Poppy." Aria said. Poppy smiled back at her.

"Well now I know she'll always be with me." Poppy said positively, looking up at the stars. Branch on the other hand hadn't said a word. He looked up at the sky with tears in his eyes, remembering his family. His mind flashed with memories of them, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. Poppy noticed Branch's expression and put a hand on his back causing him to jump slightly at her touch.

"Branch, are you okay?" Poppy asked, concerned. Branch looked at her briefly then turned away to hide his face, trying to wipe his tears away.

"What's wrong?" Aria asked.

"N-nothing...I'm fine." Branch said, trying to sound more positive. Poppy and Aria could tell that something was wrong, they could see right through his lies. "I...just...I need to be alone right now." Branch got up quickly and used his hair to swing down the tree.

"Wait, Branch!" Poppy stood up to try and stop him but watched him swing away. Aria stood next to her.

"Is he okay?" Aria asked worryingly. Poppy gave her a sensitive look.