(Val's POV)
As the crowd cheers for Velvet and Veneer, I keep trying to take the bracelet off as I sit on the floor. But no amount of tugging is doing the trick. And I can't use the remote control, because it was thrown into the water.
"Val, are you okay?" I hear Poppy ask as she and Branch run over to me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stuck," I say while looking down at them.
"There's no way for you to get out of that?" Brach asks.
I shake my head. "No, but we should be worrying about Floyd right now."
We all look up at the platform Velvet and Veneer are on. And from there, Velvet says, "All right. You guys want an encore?"
My eyes widened after she said that. "No! What about our deal?!" I shout up to her. But through the loud chants from the fans, I doubt my words were able to reach her.
Velvet presses the button on her chest plate, and her whole body starts to glow.
"Floyd will never make it. He's got nothing left," Bruce says.
I look down at Branch. "If you want to sing the perfect family harmony, now's the time to do it."
Branch nods before turning to his brothers. "Guys. Poppy said something earlier, and she was right. We don't have to be perfect to be in harmony. We just have to be as we are...Together."
After nodding at one another, John Dory places his hand on the glass. "We'll follow your lead, Branch."
"Here we go!" Velvet shouts through a microphone.
Just then, Crimp hops onto the control panel beside me and turns off the microphones. She smiles at us and gives a thumbs-up.
Branch looks up at Floyd with worry. But regardless, he starts to sing.
Branch:
It's some kind of love, it's some kind of fire
I'm already up, but you lift me higher
You know I'm not wrong, you know I'm not lyin'
We do it better...
As Branch is singing, everyone in Mount Rageous watches through the cameras. Soon Branch's brothers join him, dancing in unison and snapping their fingers.
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay:
We do it better, yeah
And I don't mind if the world spins faster
The music's louder, the waves get stronger
I don't mind if the world spins faster
Faster, faster
Just let me take you to a better place...
I look around when the crowd starts cheering for them. But something feels weird about myself, and it seems very familiar. Not even a second goes by and my vision goes white like before.
Glitter surrounds me and I fall to the ground. My vision clears and I'm back to my small size. Not only that, but my wrist is also free.
Poppy comes over and helps me up.
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay:
I'm gonna make ya kiss the sky tonight
Yeah, if you let me show the way
I'm so excited to see you excited...
Poppy drags me over to the group excitedly. She, along with Viva and I, started singing as well.
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay, Val, Viva:
I'll take you to a better place
And, baby, you can love me on the way
We're flyin' up to outer space...
After Viva throws Poppy into the air, Branch catches her. That's when the four of us hold hands and spin in a circle, our bodies starting to glow.
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay, Val, Viva:
I'm so excited to see you excited, yeah!
Branch, his brothers, Poppy, Viva, and I start to float. Me, Poppy, and Viva hold hands and sing with one another while Branch floats up higher with his brothers.
Off to the side, Bridget and King Gristle climb onto the yacht with Rhonda.
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay, Val, Viva:
I don't mind if the world spins faster
The music's louder, the waves get stronger
With the three of us back on the ground, we look up and see Floyd's diamond prism float out of Velvet's shoulder pad.
My smile grows once the diamond starts cracking.
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay:
I don't mind if the world spins faster
Faster, faster, faster...
Floyd:
Yeah...
Branch, John Dory, Bruce, Clay, Floyd:
Just let me take you to a better place!
A bright light shines when their diamond prisms shatter. But the moment it does, Floyd turns completely pale and falls to the ground.
"Floyd!" I shout urgently before running over to him.
I get on my knees and catch him in time. And Branch kneels beside me as I lay Floyd's limp body down. John Dory, Bruce, and Clay run over and surround him with worried expressions.
I slowly get up and step back to give the brothers some space with Floyd.
"Floyd," Branch says sadly.
"Come on, man, wake up. Wake up, Floyd," Bruce says.
"We need you, Brother," John Dory adds.
Now beside Poppy and Viva, I feel my eyes start to tear up. It's as if I feel empty inside. I don't know why, though.
It's silent for a bit, before Branch says, "I--I built the hideout, Floyd. Except the ten-story waterslide.
I look down at the ground and try to hold back from crying.
"But...how will we shower?"
I immediately look up after hearing Floyd's voice.
His eyes are open and he glances over at Branch with a soft smile. As he slowly gets his color back, Branch is the first to hug him. Then the rest of the brothers follow in the group hug. Even Poppy and Viva run over to join in. After a few seconds, they break away from the group hug and stand to their feet.
I quietly laugh to myself in relief, wiping away some of the tears that were falling down my face. And when I look back, Floyd is smiling in my direction. He extends his hand out to me, and I don't hesitate to speed-walk over.
Once I'm within arms reach, I pull him into a tight hug. His arms wrap around me as well, and we stay like that for what almost feels like a minute.
We both pull away from the hug and notice Velvet and Veneer standing by the control panel.
"Listen up, Mount Rageons," Veneer announces to everyone. "We are...frauds!"
Everyone gasps in surprise. The same goes for Velvet, who slowly turns her head to look at him, her mouth open wide.
"And we've been literally torturing little trolls." Veneer grabs one of the floating cameras as he continues. "We just wanted to be famous. Honestly, my sister wanted to be famous, and, truly, I was too afraid to stand up to her."
As Veneer looks at Velvet, she says, "It's like I don't even know who you are."
"Yeah, you do. And you asked me to change anyway. Which isn't okay. Family or not," Veneer says, before quickly glancing toward me.
I smile up at him thankfully. And what makes me happy about this is that he is finally learning how to speak his mind.
Out of nowhere, Crimp jumps up and clips handcuffs onto Velvet.
"Crimp, what are you doing?!" Velvet asks.
Veneer is next to get handcuffed. "I was just saying that I had a change of heart," he says.
Crimp stands on the control panel. "You also engaged in troll-napping, troll torture, fraud. It's just--" she says before shrugging.
Clay steps forward with a clipboard and pencil. "And tax evasion. I'm gonna have to repossess your yacht."
Veneer shrugs with a smile. "Fair enough. Prison it is!"
Crimp snaps her fingers and two officers appear. They each grab one of the siblings and take them away. "Wow, this is liberating!" Crimp says happily.
The crowd cheers once again, leaving me and everyone else to stand on the yacht. And I was too much in the moment to realize that I was holding Floyd's hand.