“Let’s be careful,” Hum Drum whispered as he crept through the forest. “We have to keep quiet if we want to talk some sense into Saddle Rager.”
“Right,” Filli-Second agreed. “We’re in stealth mode. Trust nothing.” She then gazed at long, flowing, pink fur hanging from the bushes. “Ooh, something pink.”
“FILLI-SECOND, DON’T,” the Power Ponies shouted.
It was too late. Filli-Second gave the pink hair a tug and Saddle Rager’s monster’s head popped from out of the bush. Realizing her mistake, Filli-Second chuckled nervously.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for… red eyes.”
Saddle Rager rose from the bushes and roared loudly. She then charged at the Power Ponies.
“Saddle Rager, it’s us, your friends,” Hum Drum shouted.
“We’re a team,” Radiance said.
“We’re peas of the same pod,” Filli-Second said.
“Saddle Rager, you’ve got to remember us,” Zapp said, “Or at least me. We used to train at flying camp together. That was before you were called to watch some animals at a Flutter radiation lab. You couldn’t stand the animals being used as lab experiments, so you set them free. However, the bunny got his foot stuck where they would release a Flutter radiation blast. You pushed it out of the way, but got blasted in the process. Now, whenever you get angry, you become this. I don’t see you as a monster; I see you as a friend. So please, trust us.”
No word she said made Saddle Rager more calm. She prepared to charge again, but then General Titanium showed up with soldiers and tanks.
“Thanks for warming her up,” the large minotaur said. “We’ll take it from here. READY! AIM…” The tanks aimed their guns. “FIRE!”
The tanks fired giant, glowing bullets from their guns toward Saddle Rager. They were close on getting her, but Radiance used her bracelet to make a wall between her monstrous friend and the bullets. Saddle Rager saw what Radiance did and grew a confused look.
“WHAT,” General Titanium shouted. “WHY’D YOU DO THAT?!”
“Because this is our friend,” Radiance said. “I won’t allow you to harm her.”
“She’s always been kind to us,” Zapp said.
“And now, we’re returning the favor,” Hum Drum said.
“And we’re being kind back too,” Filli-Second said.
“That’s what returning the favor means, Filli,” Zapp told her friend.
“Oh, yeah,” Filli-Second said.
Suddenly, a rabbit stood beside Hum Drum.
“Angel Bunny,” Hum Drum said. “What are you doing here?”
The bunny placed his paw into his mouth and whistled loudly. Suddenly, five other animals appeared. There was a cat, a toothless alligator, a tortoise with a helicopter on its back, an owl, and a dog.
“Opal,” Radiance shouted with excitement.
“Tank,” Zapp shouted.
“GUMMY,” Filli-Second shouted.
“And Wynona and Owloicious too,” Hum Drum said. “I guess you girls somehow left these animals behind after you split up. They must have followed me in trying to find you.”
The animals stood ground with the Power Ponies behind the hard-light wall.
“Well, look at that, general,” Zapp said. “It looks like you’re outnumbered.”
“If any pony stands in my way,” General Titanium said, “I must blow them away! KEEP FIRING!”
The tanks kept on firing at the wall. Behind the Power Ponies, Saddle Rager actually calmed down. She looked at the wall and saw it shine in a rainbow of colors. She felt the same feeling in her own eyes. She then whispered a soft word that no pony heard.
“Friends.”
Meanwhile, in Pandora’s Box, Anar D and Saddle Rager were watching Anar D’s spell showing the Power Ponies’ current activities. Anar D was at the edge of his seat with a bag of popcorn in his lion paw.
“The suspense is killing me,” the Lord of Chaos said.
Suddenly, he saw a bright rainbow light from behind him. He looked and saw the light covering Saddle Rager’s orb. Then, the orb broke to pieces and Saddle Rager’s disembodied head floated up the sky.
“HEY, GET BACK HERE,” Anar D shouted. He aimed his eagle claw and blasted fire out of it. It hit Saddle Rager, but it rebounded and hit Anar D in the face and exploded. Anar D had a singed face. “Is it hot or is it me?” He brushed off the soot and looked back at the head, which disappeared into the sky. "Oh, that can't be good."
Meanwhile, General Titanium’s troops continued to shoot at the hard-light wall. It began to crack.
“I don’t know how long this field will last,” Radiance said. “We’ve got to stall for time!”
“Got it,” Hum Drum said. He turned to General Titanium. “HEY, YOUR MOTHER WEARS ARMY BOOTS!”
“How’d you know,” General Titanium asked.
“Okay, wrong insult,” Hum Drum said. “You know, I’ve been thinking about your appearance and…”
“Look, little guy,” General Titanium said, “If you nothing to say nice, don’t say nothing at all.”
Hum Drum kept quiet for a few seconds.
“What,” Titanium continued. “No other insult? No snappy comeback?”
Hum Drum still didn’t speak.
“Oh, I get it,” Titanium said feeling annoyed. “You’re pretending you got nothing to say nice by saying nothing at all. That’s real cute.”
Hum Drum’s lips did not move at that.
“You… really got nothing to say nice,” Titanium asked. “That’s mean.”
“I know, right?”
General Titanium followed the unfamiliar voice and saw Saddle Rager’s disembodied head behind him.
“I’ll take it from here,” Saddle Rager said.
Saddle Rager’s head floated through the field, went through Radiance’s hard light, and everyone saw the head inside of her monster body. The monster roared loudly before shrinking back to normal.
“SADDLE RAGER,” Hum Drum cheered. “YOU’RE BACK!”
“Why, yes,” Saddle Rager said. “Anar D took my kindness was waiting for my physical body to be destroyed.”
“So… you’re not a monster,” General Titanium said.
“Nope,” Saddle Rager answered.
“Are you sure you’re not a little bit of a monster,” General Titanium asked.
“I’m sorry, but no means no,” Saddle Rager said.
“No means no,” General Titanium repeated. “No pony ever said that to me before. Huh, I gotta remember that one. That’s a good catchphrase for my next squad.”
At that, the minotaur and his troops disappeared into the trees. The animals reunited with their owners.
“Angel Bunny,” Saddle Rager said. “Sorry I left you behind. What can I do to make up for it?” The bunny reached it stomach out and everyone heard it growl. “Oh, you’re hungry. Sorry, Angel, but I don’t have anything for you.”
“Hey, you can have my carrot,” Filli-Second said pulling out a carrot. “I never leave home without my carrot.”
The Power Ponies stared at their pink friend with confusion.
“Darling, where do you keep that,” Radiance asked.
“I’ll never tell,” Filli-Second responded.
“Well, we’ve got work to do,” Saddle Rager said. “It’ll be so good to see the rest of my friends again.”
No pony noticed Saddle Rager’s Power Pony pendant glowing in a rainbow.