If you're only reading this story for Broppy, you might as well skip ahead. Neither Poppy nor Branch are in this chapter (they are mentioned, however). But I must warn ya, you're missing out on some important plot points, subtle Wanillo (and something I think the people call Hickelta), a funny song... Anyways enjoy!

“I'm never gonna get this right!" Pow groaned in frustration as she struggled to control the daggers. Feeling pure rage helped, but it somehow wasn't enough.

“You will, in time," the Ghost Girl assured her. “There is, however, one thing you can try."

“I don't know," she sighed. “I thought by taking this Black Rock, my destiny would become clear, but... what if I don't even have a destiny?"

“Of course you do. It is to destroy the Trolls."

“Destroy the Trolls?" Pow repeated in disbelief. “But... I can't... There has to be–"

“You wouldn't question why you had no destiny before," the Ghost Girl pointed out. “Now that you have one... don't question it."

“But what more could the Trolls possibly do to me?" she asked.

“The Sun and Moon combined their energy together to create them," the Ghost Girl explained, “and they all managed to overcome every creature cursed by Callisto who came across them. Like it or not, by taking the Black Rock and letting your hatred towards others get the better of you, you are now under her spell. There is even a prophecy of them destroying the source of your power, and they're halfway there. You must stop the rest of it from coming true. If you don't destroy the Trolls, they will destroy you."

Pow looked down at her own hands in thought. She knew she had to win, and no one was going to stop her.

As she followed the Ghost Girl to their one chance at destroying the Trolls, Pow failed to notice the daggers glowing purple...

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

At a beach covered in glowing, purple daggers, Willow pressed her hand firmly to one of them. One of her many powers was empathy, the ability to feel someone else's emotions. But this was something new, something she didn't even know she could feel. Maybe she was getting stronger, or it was because of her past connection to Callisto's curse, but no matter what caused it...

She was feeling Pow's emotions.

“Willow!" she heard someone shout. “Over here!"

Willow turned around to notice King Trollex and Bliss Marina pushing some sort of raft towards the shore and flew to them. On top of the small Angler Bus were a bunch of Hard Rock Trolls, crowded together and looking distressed. One of them, however, wasn't Hard Rock and had much brighter coloring.

“Ash!" Willow exclaimed, hovering above her. “What happened?!"

“Well," she said, “we were trying to make peace in the Isle of Squabbling. But things kinda went awry, and they sank all our other Angler Buses."

“Get your butt out of my face!" one of the Rock Trolls shouted at another.

“I got this," Willow said, creating an ice bridge to the shore. While everyone else made their way to the shore, Ash had trouble standing up. “You okay?"

“No, I think I broke my leg," Ash replied. Willow held her up as she hopped on one foot. “But that's not the worst part."

“What's the worst part?" Willow asked nervously. “Internal bleeding? Head trauma?"

“No, worse."

“Where's Queen Barb?!" someone cried out.

“I thought she was with you!"

After briefly watching everyone argue, Ash turned back to Willow and said, “The Squabblers took Barb."

“What are we gonna do?" King Trollex asked them.

“I'll go back for her," Ash said, attempting to stand on both legs, but ended up collapsing. “Ow! Yeah, that leg's broken."

“Don't worry, Ash," Willow reassured her. “I'll go to the Isle of Squabbling and bring back your sister!"

“By yourself?" Bliss Marina asked.

“No! What am I, crazy?" Willow replied. “I'm gonna set up a draft board and recruit the toughest Trolls I know."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

On the Isle of Squabbling, Barb found her wrists tied to some sort of zipline that stretched above a giant trench. The Squabblers gave her a necklace made of what looked like bones and dried up flowers.

“Uh, what are you guys doing?" she asked the Squabblers nervously. “I love crazy stunts as much as the next Troll, but this seems a little extreme."

“I say we push her first!" one of the Squabblers suggested in his native language.

“I wanna bang the drum first!" another shouted.

While everyone was arguing, Barb tried to break free from her confines, but the ropes were too tight. She tried yanking the line down, but ended up bouncing back up and zip lining down to the other side, screaming in terror.

“Don't just stand there!" the leader yelled. “Start banging!"

Once Barb made it to the other side, she heard drumbeats and the Squabblers chanting a strange word. But suddenly, she felt the ground shaking. Was the Earth moving? Or...

“Holy rock..." Barb muttered as something approached her, clearing the trees in its path...

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The following morning, Willow had the Trolls she recruited at the beach at 0900 hours.

“I thought there'd be more people," said Delta Dawn. The only other recruits there were the Reggaeton Trolls, the K-Pop Gang, and the Yodelers.

“Well," Willow explained, “I also recruited Smidge, but she went on vacay with Milton. Next, there was that Smooth Jazz guy, but he's still waiting for his saxophone to get fixed. And then, I asked Branch, but it's Bring Your Kids To Work Day in Pop Village, and he didn't want Flower or Gary to get hurt. Then, I asked this group called the Mariachi Sisters, but they had to go to a quincea-haira. And King Quincy and Queen Essence couldn't come either, because it's their wedding anniversary. Honestly, I'm just glad you guys showed up. Even if there's only... One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twe– Wait, Cooper?! What are you doing here?!"

“I thought the Corps would help me straighten out my life, sir!" he shouted, wearing an army hat.

“The Corps?!" Willow exclaimed. “What the– Cooper, this isn't the– Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers. Ladies and germs, you're all here for one reason: to rescue Queen Barb. Now, I know she tried to destroy our music and our diverse ways of life, and some of us might not forgive her for that, but she still doesn't deserve to be held hostage by angry Squabblers, and it's up to the thirteen of us to rescue her. Each of us is gonna get on a Hippogriff, fly to the Isle of Squabbling, sneak into the tribe's village, grab Barb, and return home safely. Although some of us probably won't survive."

“Well, I'm out of here," Dickory declared, and attempted to walk out, but Hickory stopped him.

“That's not how draft boards work, my Austrian compadre," Willow pointed out. “You have to come, no questions asked. Besides, if you don't, your big bro and I agreed to reveal your secret shame to the editors at Bounty Hunter Weekly."

Dickory gasped at Hickory. “You wouldn't."

“Are you willing to risk it?" he asked with a smirk.

“Nein."

“Well," said Willow, “now that we got that settled, let's get on the Hippogriffs. Just try not to insult them, spit on them, pull out their feathers, or feed them birdseed. They prefer fish."

While the bounty hunters got on their Hippogriffs, Delta Dawn began to have second thoughts.

“I don't know," she said skeptically. “It feels strange to sit on a critter's back."

“Yeah, but it's the quickest way to get there without attracting unwanted attention," Willow pointed out.

“Very well," Delta Dawn replied, and awkwardly climbed up on a Hippogriff. Once everyone was ready, they flew off for the Isle of Squabbling.

“I'm ready for some hugs!" Cooper shouted.

“Cooper, Squabblers hate hugging," Willow pointed out. “They hate everyone, including each other. All they ever do is... well, squabble."

“Over there!" Tresillo announced, looking through a telescope. On the island, he saw a coconut hit a Squabbler on the head. Immediately blaming the guy behind him, he threw it at him and they began throwing many more on each other.

“Wow, they really do hate each other," Wani replied. “You think they'd just sit down and discuss what's bothering them. Although it looks like they're all men."

“What's that supposed to mean?" Tresillo wondered. Wani just looked away coyly and turned her Hippogriff to face Willow.

“Okay, guys," she announced. “In order to rescue Queen Barb without being noticed, we have to be extra careful. Don't. Make. Any. Loud. Noise. Let's just sneak in quietly."

“Let's go, you hideous gör!" Dickory shouted, smacking his Hippogriff in the neck.

“Dickory, wait!" Willow pleaded, but it was too late. His Hippogriff was shrieking at him and did a flip, causing him to fall off. He screamed as he fell further down towards the water.

“Invaders!" one of the Squabblers warned the tribe. They all began loading the catapults with fruits and fired them at the Trolls and Hippogriffs.

Just before the pint-sized Yodeler could hit the water, his much taller brother had his Hippogriff swoop down to grab him with her talons and rejoined the rest of the team.

“I told you not to insult her," Willow pointed out.

“Shut up," Dickory groaned. “Let's just get this over with."

But suddenly, Tresillo's Hippogriff got hit in the flank and shrieked in surprise. Tresillo slipped off and would've fallen if Wani hadn't caught him. More shots were fired at Ari.

“Ah! What the–"

“Aw, fudge pops," Willow groaned, noticing the fruit hurtling towards them. “Come on, guys, we gotta fall back."

“Delta would rather fall down," Cooper said. At that moment, Delta Dawn lost her grip on her Hippogriff and ended up falling into the sea.

“Okay, the rest of you, head back to the mainland," Willow ordered, standing up on her Hippogriff's back. “I'm gonna help Delta."

“What about you?" Marimba asked, concerned. “Willow, you'll be stuck on the island!"

“I'll think of something, just go!" she insisted, jumping off and diving into the water.

“You heard her, let's move!" Gomdori agreed, and the eleven Trolls and thirteen Hippogriffs headed back to the mainland.

In the water, Willow floated atop the surface and looked around for Delta Dawn.

“Delta?!" she called out. “Where are you?! Oh, I sure hope Country Music Trolls are strong swimmers."

“Willow! Over here!" Delta Dawn shouted. Once they spotted each other, the two Trolls headed for the shores of the Isle of Squabbling, hoping to not get spotted by the inhabitants.

“I... took in a lot of water," Willow coughed, making sure her inhaler was still good.

“Well, dangity-doodly," Delta groaned, wringing the water out of her red hair. “I feel saltier than my Uncle Magnus."

“Stop right there!" a Squabbler ordered as a dozen them surrounded the two women. “Who are you, and what do you want?!"

Instead of answering, Willow just let out a powerful blast and trapped them all in ice blocks.

“That's gonna melt pretty soon, so we should find a place to hide until we figure out our next move," Willow suggested.

“I agree," Delta Dawn said, and they headed into the jungle. Fortunately, they managed not to be seen, and little did they know a mysterious figure was covering their tracks...

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Alright, we're safe," Willow said, covering a cave entrance with tree branches. “For now."

“So, what are we gonna do?" Delta Dawn asked.

“I honestly don't know," she admitted. “Okay. New plan, new plan, new plan, new plan... I have no plan. If only I brought another Pop Troll to scrapbook it all down. Or, better yet, if only I knew how to scrapbook."

“What if you turn yourself invisible, sneak into the village, and once you get Barb, come back here?" Delta Dawn suggested. “After that, we'll just have to hope Prince Cooper and those bounty hunters come up with a plan to get us off this island."

“That could work," Willow agreed. “But I'll have to move quickly."

Suddenly, they heard the jabbering of Squabblers coming from outside.

“I think we've been discovered," Delta Dawn said nervously.

“They'll have to go through me first," Willow reassured her, flames in one hand and ice crystals in the other. At that moment, however, they heard thuds and painful screams and groans, like someone was beating the Squabblers up. “What the...?"

Suddenly, the branches were pulled away from the cave's entrance, and a strange figure dressed in camouflage came into their view. Behind him were the tiny Squabblers, lying on the ground unconscious. The figure removed his leaf mask and revealed his identity to the two Trolls.

“Hello, Willow," he said coolly.

“Bash?!" she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?!"

“I live here now," Bash answered. “By the way, your hideout is actually my bachelor pad. It's got ‘Bash' written all over it."

“He's right," Delta Dawn said, noticing Bash's name written on the cave walls.

“How did I miss that?"

“Yeah, after those Hard Rock Trolls let me go, I was hoping to reunite the Party Crashers," Bash explained. “But they were all too afraid after... Well, you know. They'd rather stay home and hide like little babies. As if there's something to actually be afraid of."

“Bash, a Troll almost died that night," Willow pointed out. “Heck, we all could've died."

“I realize that," he said with clenched teeth. “So, I eventually ended up here and have been avoiding the locals for a few months."

“Fascinating," Willow said sarcastically. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta sneak into the Squabblers' village and rescue my girlfriend's sister."

“She's not in the village," Bash informed her. “Yesterday, I saw them sacrifice her to the Takaro."

“Taka-who?" asked Delta Dawn.

“Whenever a woman arrives on the island, the Squabblers sacrifice her to the Takaro," he explained. “Not sure why, though. Probably because they have no use for a woman. They're all dudes who can self-reproduce. Which is actually pretty neat, you don't even need to–"

“Yeah, yeah, impressive," Willow interrupted. “Where do we find the Takaro?"

“I'm not entirely sure, but I think there's a way we can get to him."

“What do we have to do?"

“Uh, could you excuse us for a minute, young man?" Delta Dawn asked. But before Bash could answer, she pulled Willow away. “What are you doing?"

“I'm saving Barb, of course," Willow answered.

“Sweetie, this is the fella who nearly destroyed the world!"

“I know he's a..." Willow paused, looked at Delta's hooves. “I'm not gonna say it– but he's still my cousin-in-law. Besides, it's not like we have a lot of options."

Pulling out her banjo, Delta Dawn decided to explain this in a different way.

When there's a man outside your window

And he's out there, looking in, oh

And you know it's just his job

To clean the windows

That's how his day goes

But the look upon his face shows

That this might be way too close

Way too close

You're fully naked and he's basically

A foot away, that's way too close

Way too close

That is what I mean when I say you're too close

I don't get what you're saying

It sounds like he was just concerned

And I feel like that is earned

Delta Dawn sighed at the teenager. “You're not getting it."

When there's a boy who loves his piggy

Sounds like a great piggy

But the pig gets really biggy

Piggies gotta grow

And his daddy says,

“It's time to gimmie Piggy

What?!

He's coming with me"

Oh, no!

The boy forgot that they were farmers

Pig farmers?!

And he knows that he is

Way too close, way too close

Now he can barely eat his bacon

And he knows that he was way too close

Way too close

Wouldn't you agree he got too close?

Is it like when a stranger in the next stall over

Asks you for some toilet paper

Which is fine and dandy

Until they start to tell you all about their day

Without you asking, and they talk to you

While you can hear everything?

Everything?

Everything

Everything?

Everything

You don't know

What the heck is happening or how to stop

Whatever it is, yeah, whatever it is

Uh-huh, it's way too close

Way too close

None of this applies to me

This jerk is still my family

You're way too close

Never too close

Way too close

Never too close

This is why it's bad to be too close

This is not that boy and his piggy

That boy is probably a vegan now

Because he got way too close

And it's hard to be a vegan

'Cause there are not as many options

I guess that's something we agree on

“Delta, I appreciate this, but I have to trust him," Willow said. “Besides, I think I can help him, too."

Delta Dawn sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine," she said, and they turned back to the former Party Crasher leader.

“Alright, Bash, you have our attention," Willow said. “What do we have to do?"

❤️☀️🧡🌙💛☀️💚🌙💙☀️💜🌙

“I am not doing that again!" Dickory declared as everyone got off their Hippogriffs. “Let's get out of here."

“Just a minute, Bruder Crybaby," Hickory said. “We still have to help Willow and Delta."

“We barely survived!" he argued.

“Hickory's right," Gomdori agreed. “We can't just go home and abandon our teammates."

“But what can we do?" Cooper asked. “It was like they spoke a different language. Like you guys do."

“Hmm, I guess we need to learn to speak Squabbler," Wani figured.

“Forget it," Tresillo said. “Even if we did, they wouldn't listen to us. They'll argue with anyone, including each other."

“Well, then, we'll tell them something no one can agree on."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Bash's plan was to have one of the Troll ladies turn herself in to the Squabblers, let the Takaro take her away, and he and the other Troll would follow them to his lair. Once there, they would get her and Barb back and, hopefully, a rescue party would come for them.

“I wanna push her!" one of the Squabblers shouted as Delta Dawn's wrists were tied up above the zipline.

“You pushed the last one!" another complained.

“No, I didn't! That was my twin brother!"

“You don't have a twin brother!"

“Let's just get this over with," Delta groaned, and took a couple steps forward so she'd slide down to the other side.

“She's there, come on!" Willow told Bash, grabbing him by the shoulders. She turned invisible, opened up her wings, and used what little body muscles she had to carry her surprisingly light cousin-in-law across the trench.

Delta Dawn heard the chanting and the drums. Now, all she had to do was wait for the Takaro. She didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, a giant, white beast with fangs protruding from his jaw came and stroked Delta's face with the tip of his finger.

“Uh, hello, Mister Takaro," she greeted nervously. He pulled the rope off her wrists and carried her off into the jungle. Willow eventually lost her strength and landed at the end of the zipline.

“We just... gotta follow... the trail... of damaged trees," Willow kept gasping, and used her inhaler.

“Don't tell me you expect us to walk," Bash complained.

“Okay, I won't tell you," Willow replied. “But that doesn't mean we aren't."

“Alright," he groaned, and they follow the pathway the Takaro left behind. “So, what have you been up to? Ever since... Well, you know. No big deal."

“Poppy lost her memory after the attack, so Branch and I have been in charge while she's recovering," Willow explained. “She's made a lot of progress, though I think something else is wrong with her. Still, she's probably planning Flower's birthday party as we speak. It's not for another week, but who else but Poppy?"

“Well, that's good news," Bash admitted, looking away nervously.

“You wouldn't wanna come, would you?" she asked.

“Willow, come on, why would I wanna go to a little kid's birthday party?" he replied. Willow just raised an eyebrow. “Oh, right. To crash it. But I can't even do that. What happened four months ago was the end of the Party Crashers."

“Because of Branch and Pow?"

“Do not say that name," he spat. Willow flinched in surprise. “Let-Let's just keep going."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Eventually, the Takaro returned to his cave and placed Delta Dawn on a stony ledge.

“Please don't eat me," she begged him. He just reached down to grab something and dropped a bunch of fruit in front of her. “Oh, uh... thank you."

The white beast walked away, but took one last look at Delta, who hesitantly took a bite of the sickeningly sweet fruit. Once he was gone, she spit it out.

“Psst!" a voice whispered. Delta looked around nervously and found Barb, carrying some fruit with some of the juices on her face. “Just dump them in this hole, they'll roll down the mountain."

“Barb, you're alive!" Delta Dawn said happily.

“For now," Barb replied. “This dude treats girls like pets, and makes them eat until they explode. God, the things I have seen..."

“Well, that's not gonna happen to us," Delta Dawn assured her, although she questioned Bash's intentions. “Willow's on her way here, and we'll figure out a way to get off this island. Hopefully."

“Well, in the meantime, rub this all over your face," Barb said, giving the Country Troll a squashed fruit. “Make it look like you ate them."

Delta cringed at the smell and prayed Willow and Bash would come soon.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“The footprints just stopped," Willow said once they reached the end of the trail. “Looks like we gotta climb this mountain."

“Got any mountain-climbing equipment?" Bash asked.

“Watch and learn, cuz," Willow replied, snapping her fingers. Thick, sturdy vines began growing from the top of the mountain. Once they reached the bottom, Willow pulled on them to see which two would do the trick. “Grab on."

“Uh, okay," Bash said nervously, and grabbed a vine. Once Willow grabbed hers, the vines began pulling them up the mountain. “So, uh... How's Kaboom?"

“Oh, you mean Archer," Willow corrected. “He's doing alright."

“Any chance I'm now an uncle?"

“No," she answered, “and I doubt you will be, unless they adopt. My cousin's a Troll, most of us have babies through our hair. You guys are more related to Bergens, and are hairless."

Bash looked up at his purple fin. Suddenly, they heard a roar and found the Takaro chasing birds away. The two continued their way up and made it to a cave. Once they got in, they began searching.

“Barb! Delta!" Willow called out. “You still alive?!"

“Snowcone!" Barb shouted. “Up here!"

Finding the leaders of Rock and Country on a stone ledge, Willow flew up to them and grabbed Bash with her hair to pull him up.

“Are you guys okay?"

“Not really," Delta Dawn admitted. “Once we get home, I'm taking a shower."

“Uh, what's he doing here?" Barb asked, looking at Bash suspiciously.

“It's kind of a long story," Willow admitted. “But don't worry, he can't hurt us."

“Great, now let's get out of here," said Delta Dawn. But before they could head out, the Takaro returned and dropped more fruit in front of them.

“Oh, great," Barb groaned. Willow prepared to launch an attack on the white beast, but instead of feeling threatened, he was more amazed by the sparkles coming out of her hands.

“Willow, keep doing that!" Delta Dawn whispered. “He likes it!"

“Uh, okay," Willow said nervously. The Takaro continued staring at the magic. “Hey, you like that? Check this out."

With a twirl of her fingers, Willow made a flower bloom on her palm.

“No offense, buddy, but I've notice your man cave looks a little dull," she continued. “I'd be happy to give it a makeover... if you let my friends go."

The Takaro pouted, making a face that read, “Aw, do I have to?"

“We're not meant to be kept as pets," Delta pointed out. “What would your mother say if she saw you treatin' women like this?"

The Takaro lowered his head in shame.

“Plus," said Barb, “if you do get a pet, I suggest a bat, watch how much you feed it. Don't stuff it till it goes ‘pow!'"

“Stop saying that!" Bash shouted. Everyone stared at him in surprise. He let out a sigh in defeat. “I'm sorry, ladies. I didn't really search for all of the Party Crashers. I only went looking for one..."

Flashback

In the ruins of an ancient city, Bash searched for the one person he could think about, the one who hurt him. He had traveled endlessly in search of her...

But then, she found him.

“Pow," he said, “how could you do this to m– to us. How could you do this to us?"

“How dare you ask me that?!" she snarled, holding the sun blade to his throat. “I was perfectly happy living in the Bongo Bayou with you and your family. It was the only real home I had ever known, and you manipulated me into running away with you and your gang!"

“Pow, I only did what I–"

“You only did what was best for yourself!" she shouted angrily. “That's all anyone in my life has ever done! Well, now, that's what I'm doing. This is mine. This is my destiny!"

“Pow, stand down now!"

“Never!"

Once Bash was cornered, Pow used the sun blade to slice two columns, causing the entrance to a hall to cave in, trapping him inside.

“Pow!" Bash yelled, peeking through a small opening. “Pow, please!"

But she didn't listen. Pow just headed off into the night.

End flashback

“She was filled with a rage I had never seen before," Bash concluded. “That person... wasn't Pow. I just accepted that I lost her for good, and decided to get as far away from the rest of the world as possible. My mistakes... can't be fixed."

Willow gently placed her hand against Bash's and felt his emotions. There was fear, guilt, and heartbreak. Willow had felt such feelings herself, but never like this.

“Bash, I'm sorry you went through that," she said. “But it's not over. Yesterday, I don't know how, but I felt her feelings through the daggers. She was just as scared as you are."

“Willow, what are you saying?" Barb asked.

“I think there's a chance we can save her," Willow replied. “But just in case, we should probably talk to Midnight once we get back. Now, let's get this over with."

Waving her hands around, Willow made beautiful Sparklepuff flowers grow throughout the cave, and lit up a crystal chandelier as it formed on the ceiling.

“There, the ladies will love to come over here," Willow said. “You like?"

The Takaro hooted happily, and helped Bash and the three Trolls down to the cave floor by the exit.

“Take care, man," Barb said. The large white creature nodded, and watched as they headed down the mountain together.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Any sign of them?" Tambora asked the rest of the group. They were now high above the island.

“Down there!" Cooper announced, watching Willow, Barb, Delta Dawn, and Bash crossing an ice bridge above the trench. “Looks like the Squabblers are gonna go hug them!"

“Okay," Wani said. “K-Pop Gang, we're gonna block the Squabblers' path. The rest of you grab the others."

“No problemo," Tresillo replied, and all eleven Trolls flew down on their Hippogriffs to where they needed to go.

“I can't believe you put me in a baby seat," Dickory whined, sitting behind Hickory with his arms crossed.

“Pfft, serves you right," he said to his little brother.

“They're not gonna get away with this!" one of the Squabblers declared.

“They wouldn't even be here if you hadn't fallen asleep on the job!" another pointed out.

“I was up all night giving birth! Cut me some slack!"

“Oh, boys!" Kim-Petit teased as the K-Pop Gang's Hippogriffs landed in front of them.

“Oh, hello," one of them greeted.

“Don't be nice to them!" another scolded. “Well, females... any last words?"

“Okay, it's now or never," Wani said to herself. Then, in the Squabblers' language, she shouted, “This sentence is FALSE!"

“What does that mean?" asked one of them.

“It's a trick," another answered. “It's obviously true."

“But if it's true, wouldn't it be false?"

“Then, it's true!"

“False!"

“True!"

“False"

“True!"

“We should go," Wani told her friends, and they took off.

Elsewhere, Cooper, the Yodelers, and the Reggaeton Trolls landed in front of their companions.

“Quick! Get on!" Tresillo said.

“I got you, miss," Hickory said to Delta Dawn, helping her up Tambora's Hippogriff. Barb had no problem getting on Marimba's.

“Bash, you coming?" Willow asked.

“I-I don't know..."

“We'll bring her back to you," Willow vowed. “I promise."

Bash didn't answer. He just looked away sadly.

“Can we just get out of here?!" Dickory groaned.

“He's right, we have to go," Tambora agreed.

“One more second," Willow said, and turned back to Bash. “I'm sure Poppy and Branch will welcome you to our village if you change your mind."

Bash watched as the fourteen Trolls departed on the backs of their ten Hippogriffs. Deep down, a part of him hoped there was still good in the woman he cared about deeply.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Once everyone returned home safely, Willow, Ash, and Barb spoke to Midnight in private.

“Hmm," he muttered. “It appears Willow absorbed some of the Black Rock's power. Not enough to curse her again, though. Just enough to connect her empathy to Pow's emotions."

“So," said Barb, “if Pow's just as afraid of her power as we are..."

“Then perhaps Willow's right," he finished. “There may be hope for her. But I'd be cautious, you can't just expect a hug to solve all our problems."

“I wasn't," Willow reassured him. “Is there anything we can expect?"

“I had a vision last night," Midnight answered. “History shall repeat itself, and Death will fall on one who has yet to live."

“What does that mean?" Ash wondered.

“I don't know," Barb replied. “But I hope we don't find out."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Looks like Willow was here first," the Ghost Girl told Pow as they stepped into a cave filled with destroyed scrolls. “And she was busy."

“What is this place?" Pow asked.

“This is where Queen Penny, former ruler of the Pop Trolls, hid all of the scrolls that carried Callisto's most powerful incantations," she answered. “After the loss of her daughter to one of Callisto's followers, she gathered all of them and hid them away here. They were your best and only hope of truly unlocking the power of the Black Rock. And Willow has destroyed all of them."

Pow then noticed a burnt piece of colorful paper. She picked it up and read it.

“–hid them all here, but the Sun and Moon Scroll, which I have sent to Lonesome Flats under the protection of Mayor C..."

“Maybe not," Pow said. The Ghost Girl floated to her and read the piece of the old scrapbook. “Looks like our next stop is Lonesome Flats."

Okay, a lot of you probably know what's gonna happen next, since I already asked you if I should do it. For those who don't know (don't spoil it to them in the comments), grab the tissue boxes. This will make you cry.

Next chapter is the moment you've all been waiting for. Until next time. 🌈