A/N: Requested by troll_fan_broppy 🙂

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As soon as he'd shut Rhonda's side door and was settled at the driver's seat within her interior, John Dory leaned his head against the steering wheel. He felt a need to go back and catch one last glimpse of his younger brother before he set off on his departure. It just didn't feel right, leaving Floyd behind so that those weirdos - Velvet and Veneer - could do as they pleased with him, depleting him of his talent and quite possibly imposing harm!

But then JD's rational side kicked in. There had been no other choice. Nothing could get done to benefit Floyd if he'd just stayed there in the vanity room, continuing to try and fail at breaking the diamond. Leaving him and retrieving their remaining brothers was the only way to get at least one step closer to having Floyd be free once again.

John Dory sighed, sneaking a glance at the old BroZone cutouts that he'd held onto for some time, and catching sight of himself, Floyd, and the rest of their bros all together and happy. And that was when his determination shoved its way to the forefront of his emotions. "All right, girly," he called to his caterbus, slipping his goggles over his eyes and firmly gripping the steering wheel. "Let's get a move on!"

Rhonda gave a little whinny, rearing up on her hind legs for a brief moment and then obeying JD by galloping off and away from Floyd's place of capture. John Dory would get the rest of his brothers, and he knew exactly where it was that he would commence his search for a certain blue-haired, baby-faced Troll...

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"I am NOT go-ing."

Branch rolled his eyes. Here he was, thinking that he had been considered the baby of the band, when now it seemed that the roles were very much reversed. He spoke his words slowly, emphasizing each syllable in hopes that the airhead known to the world as John Dory - and known to him as his brother - would finally get it through his big noggin that he was not in no WAY going to be a part of this journey.

"But Branch, you gotta!" John Dory whined, not at all sounding like the grown adult that he was supposed to be, and sounding more like a toddler who was being fussy.

"N - O," Branch said, hoping that maybe spelling it out would make some sort of brain cells spark in his brother's head.

"Branch," John Dory stated firmly, "Our brother is being held captive in a diamond prison."

Branch had had enough. "How many times do I have to - !"

But then he paused mid sentence.

"Wait... what?"

This was different. All this time, John Dory had only continued to willfully insist that Branch come with him in order to get BroZone reunited for what seemed to be the purpose of just making new music (under his assumption that John Dory likely failed to launch a successful solo career). Not once had anything else been said. Branch's first instinct was to be suspicious. How did he know John Dory wasn't just changing tactic and saying things so that Branch can be convinced to come? But Poppy beat him to the punch as far as asking the first question.

Next to him, the Pop Queen gasped, a hand flying to her mouth, and her worried gaze was fixed on JD. "Oh no!" she cried. "Which one?"

"It's Floyd," John Dory responded instantly, without the typical falter that may have been indicative that it was untruthful. With that, he began to really explain. "See, Floyd and I kinda ran into each other in this big, flashy city a ways from here. We started to sing together, y'know, seeing if we could get our flow back. I think we were doing 'Perfect,' remember that song, Branch?"

"Don't remind me," the blue Troll grumbled, because no, he didn't need to recollect the one song that ruined BroZone.

"Right, anyway," John Dory continued, gesturing his arms out wildly telling the next part, "All of a sudden these two weirdos jump out at us just like that! POW!" He clapped his hands together, making Poppy jump back in surprise, and making Branch roll his eyes. Must his brother always try and be big and dramatic?

"I was able to escape, but Floyd..." John Dory clicked his tongue. "Not so lucky, I'm afraid."

Branch narrowed his eyes. "Okay," he said, "so he's captured. Why didn't you try and get him out?"

"Dude, you don't think I did?" John Dory asked like it was obvious. "It's a diamond, Branch! And there's only one way we're gonna get him out..." He put his hands out in front of him and waved them through the air like he was trying to make sparkles. "The perfect Family Harmony!"

If Branch had found amusement in the situation, he would have laughed. But he didn't. He was beyond irritated at this point. "Are you out of your mind?" he huffed. "The Family Harmony... are you hearing yourself?!"

"What's the Family Harmony?" Poppy asked innocently, to either of the two who would answer.

John Dory piped up first with a grin. "Oh! It's this totally bro-dacious thing - "

" - that we will never be able to do again!" Branch cut in. "So don't even mention it."

"Branch you don't understand," John Dory said, "it's the only way to save him. If not, who knows what's gonna happen!"

Poppy, concerned and confused, cocked her head at him, asking the question that Branch was admittedly being too stubborn to ask. "Uhh... what do you mean by that?"

John Dory grimaced, seeming to be remembering something, before he responded. "Something weird's happening with Floyd. The dude and dudette that captured him - they're, like, literally stealing his talent!"

"What?" Poppy couldn't believe her ears, her exclamation coming out as more of a gasp. How on earth... "Why? How?" She was starting to feel anxious now. Someone from her favorite boyband was in great danger! And, as it turned out, she wasn't the only one feeling unnerved. Branch's attention, previously dismissive, had turned fully to his brother.

John Dory shrugged. "Beats me! I mean, that's what it looked like when they started sniffing in on Floyd and all this color and stuff was being sucked outta him. And let me tell you, he didn't look so hot afterwards..." He shook his head, perturbed. "But those talentless losers are gonna pay! Am I right, Branch? Wait... Branch?" John Dory looked over to where the blue Troll had been, and was unable to locate him. Poppy too was startled to find that her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?

Unbeknownst to them, Branch had slipped away, and was sitting off in a quiet area where he could think and properly gather his thoughts. He ran the facts over in his head. John Dory was back. John Dory claimed to have met up with Floyd. John Dory claimed that Floyd was captured and being kept as some sort of song-slave for a couple of strange creatures.

He sighed in exasperation. What the heck was he supposed to think?

Just then, Branch heard some tsking coming from next to him, and he looked down to find that Tiny Diamond was sitting at his side with a pensive look on his face.

"Hooo, boy. Grown up stuff, am I right?"

Branch snorted. How could Tiny Diamond go on acting as though he knew it all, when he was only a year or so old?

"Branch, lemme tell ya," the small Trolling continued, "you sure got a lotta drama goin' on. At least if that bro of yours is anything to go by!"

"You were listening?" Branch asked, even though it was pretty obvious that that was indeed the case.

"Mmm-hmm," Tiny said with a nod. Then he looked up at Branch with a gleam in his eye. "So, you are going, right? I mean, heck, you can't miss an adventure like this - and neither can I!"

You just wanna see the REST of the drama, Branch wanted to point out to him, but instead, he asked, "What makes you think Guy Diamond would even want you to come along?"

Tiny chuckled. "Branch, my daddy knows that I'm a man, alright? If I wanna come, I can come. Get it?"

Branch rolled his eyes. "What does it matter. I'm not gonna go," he said, even though he didn't sound so sure of it when he said it.

Tiny huffed. "Hmph. Aunt Poppy's gonna want you to," he retorted.

"He's right."

Both Troll and Trolling turned at the sound of the Pop Queen's voice breaking into their bubble.

"Tiny, um, do you think I could have a minute with Branch?"

Tiny nodded. "Absolutely, Aunt Poppy." He scooted over, making room for her.

"Oh! Actually, I meant, uh... alone," she clarified sheepishly.

"Ohhh... well all right," Tiny said with a shrug, slinking off but still keeping his ear perked so he could listen in.

Poppy approached Branch with a cautious smile. "Heeyy..."

He gave her a look.

Poppy sighed.

"Branch... Satin would do anything for Chenille. Cooper would do anything for Prince D. And I know if I had a sister, I'd do anything for her."

"I know you would, Poppy," Branch mumbled. "And so would they. But we aren't like that," he said, referring to John Dory and his other brothers.

Poppy paused, considering what she was going to say next, and then spoke when she was certain, "Hey... I remember a Troll once told me that life wasn't all cupcakes and rainbows. And he was right." She sat by him, her hand reaching for his and holding it lightly. "And I want that same Troll to know that even though life isn't all cupcakes and rainbows, it doesn't mean that life is all doom and gloom, either. That there's good times and bad times, good folks and bad folks... and folks who just make mistakes. Mistakes that can be fixed."

Branch's scowl softened into something more contemplative. "...I guess," he admitted after a while, mostly remembering Floyd's saddened face right before he'd left him as a baby. Branch didn't understand back then, but as an adult he could see that Floyd was troubled in his decision to leave their home, and most likely his other brothers - while they hadn't shown it that night - did as well. And now, his brother was in trouble. Was a grudge really going to be something that was going to prevent him from possibly saving his life?

Poppy patted his hand. "I'm not going to tell you what to do," she said. "But just... try thinking about it, okay?" She considered saying more, but decided against it, not wanting to bog the blue Troll down with so much pressure.

Turned out, she didn't need to say more... or wait very long for his answer.

"I'll go."

Poppy was taken aback by the quick reply, and Branch, realizing how blunt his response was, vouched to explain.

"I can't promise you anything, but I'll try and help." He shrugged.

The Pop Queen smiled at him. "You don't have to promise me anything," she said. "It's for your own sake, not mine."

Classic Poppy, he thought, touched by how genuinely caring she was.

Tiny Diamond, who determined that it was safe enough to pop back out, jumped up in the air happily.

"Awright! Branch, Poppy, Tiny, and the rando going off on a musical adventure! Wooohooo! Yeah!"

And it was all that Branch and Poppy heard on the trek back to JD, unable to dissuade the little Trolling from venturing along with them, and who chattered excitedly about everything he hoped would happen.

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Logic seemed to be thrown out the window, and Spruce could do little more than shake his head at his brothers. They may not have responsibilities to take care of, but he sure did. And he was going to put things into perspective for them.

"Guys, I can't just go. What about my wife, huh? And my kids? I've got an egg that's about to hatch literally any day now!"

"Awright, congrats, bro!" John Dory exclaimed, raising a hand in the air for a high five and grinning broadly at Spruce. But only when Spruce did not follow through with the high five and instead gave JD a look did the teal Troll realize that he had completely missed the point.

"Besides," Spruce continued, "I've got my own life, and it's right here. With nobody else besides me and my family."

"Yeah, and in the meantime, your other family is trapped inside a diamond prison getting his talent sucked out!"

Spruce got very confused at this. "Huh?" He looked over at Branch, who gave a nod of agreement to the bizarre statement that John Dory had made.

"Floyd's stuck in some kind of crystal and is being held hostage by, uh... who again?" Branch asked JD.

"Some tall, weird, spaghetti-limbed bozos who can't sing a lick!" John Dory replied. "So they're using that crystal to take his talent away and make it theirs!"

What in the world? That sounded like some kind of made-up story that one of his kids would tell him just to make him laugh. Only, he wasn't laughing now. John Dory and Branch were not trying to tell him this story for amusement purposes, they were trying to be serious.

So he went into the conversation with the same mentality he used for one of his kids' stories - politely listening, but not really taking everything seriously as they explained that Floyd was the one being held captive, and was depending on the perfect Family Harmony to break him free.

"So that's why you want me to come, eh?" Spruce asked after a long pause. It came out as more of a statement than a question.

"Yessiree!" John Dory said. "What else are big brothers for if they aren't lookin' out for the younger ones?"

Spruce glanced at Branch to see what his reaction to the statement was. And the look on his face did little to support JD's argument. But regardless, Spruce found himself unable to stay mad. That was the thing he'd come to learn about himself. He'd been the heartthrob once (and still was, if he did say so himself), but he'd also been the most chill of the bunch. His bros, no matter how much on his nerves they got him, were always gonna be his crew. He'd been mad for the longest time, but he'd be lying to himself if he said that some of that grudge he'd developed on the night the band broke up hadn't dwindled away.

"I'm in," he agreed, his response met with a hearty cheer from John Dory and a sigh of relief from Branch. "The quicker we rescue Floyd and make sure he's safe, the quicker I can get back to my girl and my saplings, 'aight?"

"No problemo, boss," JD assured, giving Spruce the space he needed to bid his family a temporary goodbye.

After all, a good father sets an example to his children, and showing them that he was willing to go out of his way for his brothers out of love was a very important life lesson to share.

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There was a reason he had been called 'The Fun One.' It wasn't just a character Clay was trying to play. It was his personality. He knew how to make the jokes, and how to have folks laugh at them.

John Dory, Spruce, and Branch, on the other hand, never knew how to match his level of comedy. So this whole little 'joke' that they were trying to convince him of was not doing much except annoy him.

"Y'all are playing," he muttered.

And just like he thought, Spruce, John Dory, and Branch took the opposing point, with insistence that this was necessary, and that John Dory himself had witnessed the strange and hazardous occurrence of Floyd's talent being sucked out. But it was when the Family Harmony was mentioned that he had reached his limit of patience for this nonsense.

"The Family Harmony? Okay, now I know you're playing for sure! We haven't sung like that in a long time. How are we going to do that again?" He didn't wait for them to respond. He put a hand up and spoke firmly. "The answer is no."

And it would have stayed that way, had Viva not broadened his view on the matter.

"Do you really wanna risk that you might never see your brother again?"

That answer also happened to be no.

Clay suddenly felt guilty for the times when they'd just been kids and he'd played 'jail' with Floyd as a joke. Thinking of him locked behind bars - or trapped inside of whatever it was that he was locked in - for real wasn't so funny. Floyd had probably cried himself a river with how scared he must be.

Or not, Clay thought. Floyd could very well have adopted a new personality that came with the passing of time, like he himself had outgrown the whole funny-guy persona for a more serious one. It didn't matter in the end though. Clay knew that if his serious-self was captured and unable to escape, he would be sweating bullets.

Which is why he found himself giving in.

"Okay, I'm gonna give it a shot, so – "

"YAAAAAAYYY!!!"

Viva's scream had interrupted him, and through the big hug she'd given him afterward, and the satisfied look that his three brothers had on their faces, Clay knew that he'd made the right choice.

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If Floyd had been in the right mindset, he probably would have been wondering what John Dory's progress was so far. Which brothers he was able to find and gather for his rescue mission, and how much more land he had left to cover to get back to Mount Rageous.

But Floyd was not in the right mindset, and had not been since the start of his imprisonment. The little that he could muster to think of was used only for thinking about what was happening to him, and how he would end up once his captors – Velvet and Veneer – were finished using him for their malicious deeds.

His unfocused gaze only saw the shining gleam of the diamond's firm walls, and caught the reflection of his quickly whitening hair. Hours ago, it'd been only a few strands amid his magenta mane that had turned the bleached color, hardly noticeable. Now, it was a good chunk of hair that was discolored, and seeming to be directly correlated to the great lack of energy that he was undergoing.

Whatever was the deal, Floyd only hoped that John Dory, Spruce, Clay, and Branch didn't delay too much. He didn't know if it was too much to ask – since they hadn't seen each other for years and had ended things on bad terms – or maybe it was just enough to ask for. All he knew was that the comfort of being with his brothers again didn't sound so terrible when compared to the alternative.

An alternative that was slowly, but surely, getting him closer to meeting an imminent and unkind end.

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A/N: I included a headcanon of mine that Spruce calls his kiddos saplings sometimes since his name is a type of tree, and saplings are young trees 😘