John met with Branch outside, just before he and Poppy took off. "Oh, great, it's you again!" Branch retorted. "Come to push me around again?"
"Actually, I came to apologize," John said before he even thought of the words.
"Huh?" Branch asked, his ears poking up a little. "Apologize?"
"Yeah," John said. "Look, I know that all this is my fault," John said, holding his hands out in front of him." Rhonda took off, saying goodbye to John.
"And I know there's probably nothing I can do to make it better," John continued. "I really hope that I can. Treating you like the baby still isn't right, and I'm sorry."
"John, that's-" Branch said.
"And I know I've been a terrible brother and have been trying to push all of you guys around when we were younger. None of you deserved that! Since I left, honestly, I didn't think too much back to it, at least, not at first. But as I got older, like maybe twenty-ish, I started thinking back to the life and family left behind, and I've regretted it everyday since."
"John-" Branch tried again.
"And I realize now that there's probably nothing I can do to make it up to you, and they'll probably won't be, but I want to be a good brother again. I regretted every decision I've made since then. If you wanna kick me to the curb and never talk to me again, I get it. I deserve it! But at least give me a chance!"
"John, please, stop," Branch tried again, concern growing in his voice.
"And ever since then, I've been worrying if you, or Clay, Bruce, Floyd, were even still alive, or if you got eaten by Bergens. Turns out all of you are okay and I'm grateful for that, really, I am, but since apparently Grandma died, things have been so...horrible for you and I wasn't there to help you, and-"
"John!" Branch yelled. "Please! Stop! It's okay!"
"I-it is?" John asked. "But I abandoned you!"
"Yeah, you did abandon me," Branch said, crossing his arms, "and sure, you did leave me behind with Grandma and didn't come back to check, but I can see that you really do feel bad and you regret it, so yes, apology accepted. But, it won't be that easy getting my trust back."
"R-really?"
"Yeah," Branch replied softly.
John smiled, holding the excitement inside until he couldn't anymore. "Branch! Thank you!" He ran to his brother and crushed him in a hug. Poppy laughed. "I thought only Holly gave hugs like that!"
"P-Poppy!" Branch squealed. "H-help...m-me!"
Branch, John Dory, and Poppy traveled the rest of the way to Mount Rageous on foot, which wasn't too far from there. "Woah, look at this place!" Poppy said.
Besides floating highways and buildings on clouds, there are large screens showing Velvet and Veneer's Watch Me Work music video. "Oof, these guys need to get out of the nineties," Branch said, cringing.
"Velvet and Veneer are singing at the Rage Dome tonight, so Floyd might be in there with them," John said.
"To the Rage Dome it is then!" Poppy exclaimed.
The trio followed signs to the Rage Dome, shaped like a giant crystal ball. Inside, through the vents, with Branch's well conducted plan to get inside, they found Floyd, Clay and Bruce, all trapped inside of diamond prisons, attached to the giant shoulder pads of Velvet and Veneer.
"This isn't enough Troll!" Velvet cried.
"That sounds familiar," Branch mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"We need more!" Velvet finished.
"Those were all the Trolls I could find," Veneer said quickly.
"We need more!" Velvet said. "This won't be enough!"
"I'm sorry, Vels, but please, just leave it at this!" Veneer cried. "Or...you know, you can just...let them go. I mean, they look so cute when they're out an about!"
"Are you crazy?" Velvet said. "We're on board for the lifetime award! We can't stop now!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right."
"You're just going to listen to her?" Bruce asked. "What about freedom?"
"Speak your mind, man!" Clay exclaimed.
"Let it out!" Bruce encouraged.
"Oh, shut up!" Velvet growled, covering the Trolls with her hands. Velvet and Veneer walked out of the room, leaving a small, orange, paper creature inside. "Psst!" Poppy whispered. "Psst! Hey! You! Up here!"
She looked up and saw the trio. "Oh my gosh! You aren't supposed to be here!" she cried.
"Don't worry," Poppy said, "We're gonna save them! We just need your help first!"
The paper person, named Crimp, told them where the Rage Dome is and what they plan on doing but warned them that it was an impossible feat. John stayed unusually quiet, which Branch thought was weird.