"What do you mean?" I asked Poppy. I was confused by what she meant.

"If what Roxy said is true, and music has been inside of us all along, then we don't need the strings. We never needed them, because music has always been a part of us!" Poppy said excitedly. "We just need to sing! Together!"

I saw Queen Essence smile and nod at her as Poppy inched her way to the front of the stage. She closed her eyes, listened to the sound of everyone's hearts beating in unison, and began to sing:

Let me...hear you...sing

The moment she sang that first lyric, the sun seemed to peek out from behind the dark storm clouds as it gradually began to light up the stadium.

Sing it together

Louder than ever

Forget everything

I watched as her friend Branch walked up next to her and started to harmonize with her:

Just sing

Like it's what we've been missing

And their gonna listen, listen

Forget everything

Just sing

Suddenly, their true colors came flowing back to their bodies in the blink of an eye. I was stunned. Was that really all we needed to do in order for harmony to exist between us?

Queen Barb had a look of confusion on her face as she turned toward King Thrash, who had started to play some chords on a tiny keyboard that was attached to his wheelchair.

"Dad?" She questioned as she raised an eyebrow at him. He just chuckled.

"It's alright, Barbara," he told her as his true colors also returned. "Just let people be who they want to be, including you."

I floated over to Trollex, who was still frozen, and patted him on the shoulder. He blinked twice, then slowly looked down at Roxy's heart, which was still in my hands.

"You doing alright there, bud?" I asked him. He looked back up at me and nodded.

"Yeah..." he responded slowly. "Yeah...I think I'm good...I'll be okay..." I chuckled and stood beside him as I watched Queen Poppy dance around the stage.

You think you've got to hide it

Don't keep it on the shelf

Let your waist start moving

Watch the way I do it, do it

See me do it like nobody else

Then King Quincy, Queen Essence, and a few other trolls' true colors returned as Essence began to sing:

If we sing it all together

(if we sing it all as one)

It's louder than yourself

(all together, everyone)

Everybody's lookin'

(see you lookin' now)

Watch the way we do it, do it

(hold up, watchin' how I do it)

'Cause we do it like nobody else

Suddenly, I felt all tingly, and when I looked down at myself, my true colors had returned as well as Trollex's. The smile that appeared on my face was so wide I thought my cheekbones were going to break. I couldn't fight the temptation any longer...I had to sing, too!

"Hold your mother for me, please," I told Trollex as I gently placed Roxy's heart into his hands. "I'll be right back!" I grabbed Beat, who had appeared out of nowhere and was conveniently floating nearby, and dashed up to the front of the stage to join the others in song:

Let me hear you sing

Don't you stop it, don't you fight it

Let me hear you sing

If you got it, can't deny it

Let me hear you

It's waiting for you

Already, you know that you do it like nobody else

Our happiness and harmony quickly spread throughout the audience, bringing everyone's true colors back. It was so beautiful!

Just sing, sing it together

Louder than ever, ever

Forget everything

Just sing, like it's what you've been missing

And they're gonna listen, listen

Forget everything

(Let me hear you)

Next, Delta Dawn pulled out her banjo and started to sing too:

Hey, I've been right here where you standin'

(I've been standin' on the ground)

And the walls are cavin' in

(all the walls are fallin')

But my lips start movin' with the soul I put into it

And you never heard it done like this

Then, the K-Pop and Reggaeton trolls joined in:

Let me hear you sing

리듬 타봐 멈추지마

노래불러줘

Si lo tienes, no lo niegues

Te quiero oír cantar!

It's waiting for you

Already, you know that you do it like nobody else

Soon, everybody was singing and dancing together!

Just sing, sing it together

Louder than ever, ever

Forget everything

Just sing, like it's what we've been missing

And they're gonna listen, listen

Forget everything

Suddenly, a tiny, glitter covered troll started rapping with Prince D, one of Quincy and Essence's sons:

Let me hear you sing

I said a one, two, three, and four

Let's go everybody get on the floor

Let me hear you

Uh, let me hear you sing it

Let me hear you sing

I want you to sing from your soul

I want you to reach with your elbow

Let me hear you

We can't hear you, way in the back

(alright, alright, alright)

Everybody was having a great time...except for Queen Barb, who was still looking very confused. Queen Poppy picked up Barb's old guitar and tossed it to her as her look of confusion slowly melted away.

Let me hear you sing

It's waiting for you

Already, you know that you do it like nobody else

Barb smiled widely and started strumming her guitar as her true colors finally returned and her hair grew out, which was infused with rainbow colors. Poppy's entire outfit changed in the blink of an eye as well. Her hair was also infused with rainbow colors. It was all happening so fast, but I didn't care! I was having so much fun!

Just sing, sing it together

Louder than ever, ever

Forget everything

Just sing, like it's what we've been missing

And they're gonna listen, listen

Forget everything

Just sing, sing it together

Louder than ever, ever

Forget everything

Just sing like it's what we've been missing

And they're gonna listen, listen

Forget everything

Just sing

The entire audience cheered as Queen Poppy ended the song. I was breathing so heavily from all the singing and dancing that I thought I was going to pass out.

I was so excited that when I turned around to ask Roxy what she though of the performance...I had forgotten that she wasn't there...her heart was in Trollex's hands.

I sighed. I wished...more than anything...that she could see this...

"Please...ancestors..." I mumbled under my breath. "If you can hear me...please...bring her back to us..." I stared down at the ground and buried my head in my hands.

"Please...bring her home..."

"OUCH! HOT!"

I quickly whipped my head up to find Trollex playing hot potato with Roxanne's heart.

"Trollex!" I screeched. "What are you doing?! That's fragile!"

"It's burning my hands!" he screamed as Roxy's heart slipped past his hands and started plummeting towards the ground.

"No!" I screamed as I lunged forward in a desperate attempt to catch it...that's when the most extraordinary thing happened.

Instead of hitting the ground, it stopped in mid-air just before it could. Then, her heart began to hop around the stage like the floor was made out of hot coals. Instead of chasing after it, I just watched as it finally stopped hopping near center stage.

"What's happening to her?"

I jumped and glanced behind me to see that Katheryn had somehow snuck up on us. I just shrugged and kept watching.

Roxy's heart slowly began to float upwards as it started to shake around violently and pulsate different colors. First red, then blue, then yellow, then purple, then orange, then pink, and then it started over at red again and repeated the cycle. All of the other trolls that were on stage quickly began to back away from it like it was about to explode at any second.

But, instead of exploding, a glowing white figure began to form around it. It looked like a techno troll...no, a country troll...no wait...classical? Funk? It looked like it was choosing which form to take...

After it finally settled on a rock troll, more details began to form, like long hair, which sprouted from its head faster than the speed of light. It's hair quickly began to tie itself into a high braid that started near the top of her head and cascaded down her back.

As the glowing white figure finally regained her colors, I gasped. She was wearing a cream colored, high-low, cold shoulder dress that rippled all the way down to her ankles. In order to make her outfit less revealing in the leg area, she had black, skin tight shorts on underneath the dress. There were also six different colored ribbons that were wrapped tightly around her waist and were tied together neatly behind her. They didn't seem to follow the rules of gravity, since the ends of the ribbons floated behind her like a peacock showing off his pretty feathers.

But, what was on top of her head was basically the cherry on top, so to speak. Her braid was being held together by a pink and white hair tie, while pink and white pearls were strung all the way from the hair tie to the shimmering, tear-shaped obsidian gemstone that was carefully pinned to a few strands of hair near the front of her head. Except now, these pearls were also holding up a golden headpiece that stuck up towards the sky.

Tears of joy and shock rushed to my eyes as she fell to her knees. I couldn't believe it...did the ancestors grant my wish?...did they listen to my plea...was that really...

Roxanne?

------

As I slowly opened my eyes, I somehow managed to get onto my feet. The worst headache had started to hammer into my skull as I stood there looking completely dazed.

"Ugh...what happened...?" I groaned. Suddenly, I heard the sound of thumping feet as I turned around to see my sister running towards me at full speed.

"SISTER!" she screeched as she tackled me back to the ground. She started squeezing me so tightly I thought I was going to die all over again.

"Katheryn...please...you're choking me..." I managed to choke out. She quickly loosened her grip around my neck as she grabbed onto my shoulders. There were big, fat tears rolling down her face.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear! I never wanted any of this to happen, I promise! I jUsT mIsSeD yOu So MuCh aNd DaD tRiCkEd Me InTo ThInKiNg YoU WeRe DeAd AnD I WaS sO deSpErAtE tO sEe YoU aGaIn ThAt I-"

I couldn't figure out what she was saying after that. All that came out of her mouth was a mixture of gross sobbing and incoherent blubbering. I started laughing at how ridiculous she sounded. I had never seen my sister get so emotional before.

"I can't understand what you're saying! Slow down!" I told her as I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. She tried to talk normally but I still heard nothing but gibberish. She finally gave up after a while and rested her head on my shoulder as she continued to cry.

"Katie, please...just breathe..." I said softly as I patted her on the head. I could feel her cold, wet tears trickle down my shoulder. I shivered.

"T-This was...all my f-fault..." she managed to cry out in between sobs. "I-I'm sorry sister...I-"

I grabbed onto Katie's shoulders and pushed her head off my own shoulder so I could look her in her ruby colored eyes...boy, did I miss those eyes...

"Kat...none of this was your fault...you were being manipulated by our father for pretty much your entire life, and you were so used to it that you never even noticed that he was taking advantage of your broken mind when you were at your lowest..." I gently began to wipe the tears off her face. "But now, guess what sister?"

Katheryn sniffled loudly and wiped at her nose. "What...?" she asked. I gave her a gentle smile.

"You're finally free..."

"I'm...free...?"

Her eyes widened in shock as I saw the biggest smile I had ever seen appear on Katheryn's face. More tears fell down her face as she started to laugh happily.

"I'm free!" she laughed. Her laughter became contagious as I started to laugh along with her. I think this was the happiest I had seen my sister in a very long time. In fact, the last time I saw her this happy was before mother died...

"Thank you so much, little sister!" she sobbed happily as she threw her arm back around me in a hug. The entire audience started to clap as I hugged her back. We both just sat there in each others embrace for what felt like an eternity. But, just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I heard a familiar voice call out from behind me.

"Mom?...I-Is that really you?"