Someone had found the entrance to the hideaway. Aria and Poppy both tried to keep calm, they quietly woke the other trolls up.

"Wha...what's going on?" Branch yawned. Poppy put a finger to her lips. Voices were soon heard from the tunnel. Talking about finding the exile, which was Aria.

"We have to hide." Aria whispered. "We can't let them find us." All the trolls obeyed and split up to hide. Poppy and Branch hid together underneath their hair, Hickory and Barb also used their hair to hide themselves. Trollex floated to the top of the hideaway and hid within the stalactites, while Aria in the undercut of a rock.

The footsteps grew louder and louder, along with the voices as the elves had entered the hideaway. The trolls kept as silent as death itself, not moving a muscle.

"This is the only place they could be." One elf bellowed. "We've searched everywhere else." They carried huge flaming torches, lighting up the hideaway. The trolls kept as calm as possible.

"If you're in here, come out now and we'll make your death quick and painless!" Another elf called out, her voice echoing in the hideaway. Aria could see Poppy and Branch from her hiding place, they both had worried looks on their faces as they looked at her. Aria put a finger to her lips, indicating to stay quiet. The elves looked at each other, then back at the dark hideaway.
"COME OUT NOW!" The elf roared again. The trolls covered their ears as her voice echoed and rattled in their heads. Aria looked around at the trolls from her hiding place, they all looked terrified!

"Alright, if you're not gonna come out..." One elf started. "We're gonna have to force you out!" He threw his torch down on the ground, causing the grass to quickly catch fire. Poppy and Branch looked over at Aria once again, both of them gripping onto each other in fear. Aria shook her head and kept a finger to her lips.

"We'll cut them off at the entrance, it's their only way out of here." The elf called to the other elves as they all ran out through the tunnel and out of the hideaway.

Aria poked her head out and all the other trolls escaped from their hiding spots, all of them coughing from the smoke coming from the fire. They all looked around frantically for a way out, knowing if they went the way they came, they're fate would be sealed.

"Look for a cave, a crack, anything to escape from!" Hickory coughed. They all split up to search the edges of the cave. Desperate to find any way to escape. The flames soon become so intense and the trolls could feel themselves starting to lose consciousness, until Trollex found a small crack in the side of the cave.

"Guys! Over here!" He called to them, coughing in between. They all followed him and just managed to squeeze through the small opening which lead to another tunnel. They crawled through, feeling the heat of the flames die down as they got closer and closer to the outside. The tunnel brought them to a small beach where they collapsed on the sand, completely exhausted and shocked from what had just happened.

"Is everyone okay?" Aria asked. Everyone seemed to be in decent condition, just tired and coughing.

"They must know we're here." Barb grunted. "What do we do?"

"Uh...I'm not sure..." Aria sighed. Echo suddenly perked up and started squeaking. "What is it?" The tiny whale transformed into a fox and jumped off of Aria's shoulder, running further up the beach. "Wait! Echo come back here!" Aria ran after her.

"Well you guys can go off and chase the ghost whale, I'm going back to sleep." Barb groaned, lying down on the sand.

"What if the tide comes in?" Branch asked.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Barb blurted to him. Branch remained silent.

Aria had chased Echo all the way up the beach until Echo found another guardian. A teal bear. A very familiar teal bear. As Aria looked passed the two guardians, she spotted a troll. The troll seemed startled, standing up and getting into a battle stance.

"Who goes there?!" He blurted. It was Tarragon, Aria's father. Aria stepped forward into the light as the troll's face dropped. "A-aria?"

"Dad." Aria cried as she ran to her father, hugging him close. "What are you doing out here? I thought Zora wasn't letting anyone out of the village."

"That's why I sneaked out. But keep it down, she'll blow a fuse if she finds me here." He lowered his voice. "I can't believe you're here. I...I thought you were gone...then when Ash..." Aria lowered her head at her father's words.

"The sky crystal was broken by the elves." Aria sighed. She looked at her father and saw that his face was low, she reached his eye level and smiled at him. "But we're going to fix it. My friends and I are under the protection of Kairi."

"Kairi? The goddess from the story your mother told you?" Tarragon was confused. Aria nodded. "Sweetie, the goddesses haven't been seen for generations."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Poppy stepped forward. "We all saw it with our own eyes." But Tarragon wasn't convinced at all.

"Dad, you just have to trust me on this." Aria begged. "Tell the tribe that there is hope. The crystal will be restored." Tarragon put a hand on his daughter's cheek.

"You have your mother's spirit alright." He smiled as he hugged her. Poppy smiled at the sight.

Suddenly, Tarragon winced. He broke away from the hug and held his torso.

"Dad? Are you okay?" Aria asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie." Tarragon convinced, but his voice was low and wheezy. Even his guardian was looking tired and weak. Aria and Poppy both looked at each other with wide eyes.

"The earth crystal..." Aria gasped.

"Zora must have got to it." Poppy sighed. Aria looked in disbelief as she helped lay her dad down as she held his head.

"Dad you have to hold on." Aria said, her voice breaking with sadness. "Please...for me..."

"Aria..." He muttered, his voice so weak. "Y-you...can do...this...I believe in you." He gave a subtle smile as his eyes closed. And remained closed. Poppy and Aria looked over at his guardian as it faded away, his color and sparkle disintegrating.

"Dad...no..." Aria pressed her cheek against his, tears falling down her face. "I can't leave you!"

"Ari, we have to go." Poppy tried to pull her away.

"I can't!" Aria cried.

"We can save him, if we find the last crystal." Poppy assured, pulling her away. Aria had Echo pick her and Poppy up and they flew into the deep forest to find Zora. If the crystal had just broken maybe she wouldn't be far behind. Aria looked around frantically for the earth crystal, but without its emerald glow, it was difficult to find.
The Great Earth Crystal was kept within a cluster of trees that had woven themselves together, creating a dome where the crystal rests under.
Aria and Poppy reached the crystal and saw that it had suffered the same fate as the Great Sky Crystal. It had fallen off the pedestal and shattered among the grass.

Aria and Poppy winced and sighed at the sight of it, but knew that they had to carry on. They flew back on Echo to find the rest of the trolls.

***

"Barb, the tide is coming in." Branch said dryly. "Do you think you maybe want to move now?" The tide was starting to touch Barb's legs, but still she refused to move.

"Don't make me come over there and kick your butt again, Branch!" Barb blurted. "I'll move when I want." A large wave suddenly came onto the shore, crashing on top of Barb and completely drenching her. Branch, Hickory and Trollex tried so hard not to laugh, snickers escaping their mouths. "One sound out of any of you and I swear I'll-"

Barb was interrupted when Poppy and Aria came running towards them, both of them panting.

"Zora reached the earth crystal!" Poppy panted. Branch came over to help the pink troll, holding her hands.

"What? How do you know?" Hickory asked. Poppy pointed to Aria who was sitting on a rock by the shore, facing the ocean with her head lowered. They all went over to Aria, seeing if she was alright. "You okay kid?" Hickory asked her.
Aria felt so numb. She had just lost her brother and her dad. And now there was only one crystal left, and she didn't know if she could do this.

"You guys are gonna stay here, I'm going to check the ocean crystal." Aria sighed. "It was a mistake to bring you guys into this. I shouldn't have put your lives in danger."

"What? Aria you can't!" Poppy blurted. "What if Zora meets you there and catches you too?"

"I've lost my family...and I don't know if I'm getting them back." Aria said. "I can't lose you guys too!" Poppy stepped forward.

"Ari...please." She begged. Aria tried to avoid eye contact. Poppy knelt down slightly to try and get the lost troll to look at her. Aria raised her head, her eyes remaining closed.

"Echo...get them to safety..." Aria raised her hand and Echo obeyed, floating towards them and trying to get them to climb onto her back.

"Ghost whale, stay away from us!" Barb bellowed, trying to convince Echo to stop.

"Ari you can't do this on your own!" Poppy cried out. "Your life is on the line!"

"Why not? Everything else in my life, I've done on my own and I've dealt with it just fine!" Aria raised her hands up, forcing Echo to push the trolls away. "I'm not losing you guys."

"What could you have possibly done on your own that as big of a challenge as this?!" Poppy cried out, trying to fight back against Echo.

"My mama's death is one thing!" Aria snapped before cupping her hands around her mouth, tears filling in her eyes. The land fell silent. Even Echo relaxed and said not a word. The trolls looked at Aria, then at each other. Aria turned tail and sprinted off into the woods, even leaving Echo with the rest of the group.

Echo nuzzled up against Barb and wined, feeling sad for her master. Barb held the tiny guardian in her hands.

"I have to find her." Poppy stepped forward. Branch grabbed her shoulder and looked at her in the eyes with a serious expression.

"I got this." Branch said sternly. Poppy watched him walk into the forest, following the path that Aria walked.

***

Branch followed the exact path that Aria ran to but couldn't find her anywhere. He was wary about calling her name since there could be elves looking for them.
He felt empathy for her since he also knew what it was like to lose someone you love.

He eventually spotted Aria's silhouette sitting on a rock, her head was low and her ears were drooped. Branch stood behind her, trying his best not to startle her.

"Hey Ari." Branch said calmly. Aria didn't respond. "Look, you don't have to tell me what's going on, I just want to help you. We all do. But we can't if you don't let us." Branch awaited for a response, but Aria remained silent. He let out a sigh, thinking it was no use.

"I-it was just after my mother died." Aria finally said. "Our family was heartbroken and none of us wanted to talk about it because we thought it would make us too sad. We became so distant. So I didn't really have anyone to talk to about my mom because I thought it would make me too sad or...no one would really want to listen." Aria paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts and her breath. Meanwhile, Branch looked at her attentively. "Ever since then, I felt like I had to deal with things on my own, and that I couldn't reach out to people for help. Because I didn't want to annoy them...or hurt them. Just like how I don't want to see any of you get hurt."

It was a lot of information to take in for Branch, and he struggled to find the words to say. He sat down next to Aria on the rock.

"You know, when I was little, I didn't want to talk to anyone about my grandma because the very thought of her made me too sad." Branch confessed. "And just like you, I thought I had to deal with everything on my own." Aria fell silent. She was aware that Branch had lost family but she had no idea how similar they had handled the grief.
Branch looked over his shoulder and saw Poppy standing behind them, smiling and nodding to Branch.
"Then I learned from a smart, beautiful, caring pink troll that you're never truly alone. And no matter how hard things get, there are always people who are willing to help you." Branch said, smiling at Poppy. Aria looked up at him, taking in his words. "Then one day, after being kidnapped..." He chuckled, making Aria laugh slightly. "A certain troll told me that our loved ones are always with us, even when you can't see them." He reached into his pocket and took out a stone that Aria knew very well.

"The star stone?" Aria looked down at it in his hand. It pale purple light glowing dimly in the dark. "You kept it?"

"I always keep it, as a reminder of that adventure together..." Branch started as Poppy came and knelt down by the two trolls. "And a reminder that I am not alone, and that my loved ones are always near by." Branch put his arm around Poppy's shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"You taught us that, Ari." Poppy said to her. "Now let us teach it to you." Aria looked up at the two trolls before turning her head to look at the shore. They were right, she had to keep on going. Poppy then began to sing.

🎶When your hope has been broken🎶

🎶And the fear is unspoken but true🎶

🎶You're never alone🎶

🎶Like a dream in a child🎶

🎶Or a childish dream in you🎶

Poppy put a hand on Aria's back and smiled at her, as Branch joined in with the song too.

🎶I'll do anything that I can do🎶

🎶To show you my love and comfort you🎶

Aria then joined in with the song, tears of joy running down her cheeks

🎶When you can't seem to find your way home🎶

🎶And when life gets too hard🎶

🎶To face on your own🎶

🎶I will stand as a light through your darkest unknown🎶

🎶I will walk with you🎶

🎶So you're never alone🎶

🎶You're never alone🎶

After the song, Aria wrapped her arms around Poppy and Branch and hugged them close.

"I don't know what I'd do without you two." Aria confessed as she hugged them so tightly. They smiled at each other as they all broke away from the hug. "Come on, let's go find that crystal."