Night had fallen and Rainbow had finally touched down at the entrance to her home. After all the taunting and laughing she had endured, it was nice to be back home where the Wonderbolts couldn't mock her. She opened the door, and was greeted with a party cannon blasting her in the face with confetti.
"Surprise!" Rainbow was taken aback by everypony being in her home and seeing it decorated with streamers, balloons and a poster that had obviously been drawn by the CMC.
"What is all this?"
"i know you must be tired Rainbow, but Pinkie insisted on throwing you a proper party. The dinosaurs are all here too, except we can't seem to find Indominus."
"Indominus isn't here? That's not like him, he seemed so eager to find out how my day went. But I think he'd probably lose his mind if he found out how it went."
The sudden lack of eagerness in Rainbow's tone got everypony's attention, except for T-Rex and the raptors. They knew why Rainbow was so downhearted, and more importantly, where Indominus probably was.
"Um, is something wrong Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy asked.
"What could be wrong? I'm finally a Wonderbolt, which means everything has to be totally, perfectly, awesome," Rainbow said in a sarcastic voice.
"Oh no, something is wrong. What happened darling?"
"Oh I don't know, how about the Wonderbolts calling me, Rainbow Crash? Or Soarin attacking me during the routine and making me crash my teammates? Or how about taking my ring away from me and playing keep away with it like it was a toy!"
All the ponies and the dinosaurs were equally surprised at how upset Rainbow sounded.
"Soarin did what?"
"He actually attacked ya during the routine? Ah can't believe he would stoop to such a level."
"He had the gall to steal your ring and tease you with it," Blue said in anger.
"They called you that same terrible nickname those bullies in flight school used to call you," said Fluttershy." Rainbow acknowledged the question with a pained nod.
Twilight flew over to her distraught friend, who was joined by Scootaloo and they hugged Rainbow Dash.
"I'm sorry that happened to you Rainbow," said Twilight.
"I can't believe he did that to you. He's really held this much of a grudge over you since the Gala? You didn't deserve any of that."
"Thanks little sis."
"Please tell me something good happened, at least he got his punishment, right?"
"Well not exactly Scootaloo. During the routine, strange things were happening to some of the Wonderbolts, including Soarin."
"Strange how?"
"First, Spitfire got knocked out cold and sent out of the sky. Soarin got socked in the gut and sent into the clouds, and Surprise and Spitfire got smacked around by something too. It was so strange how they kept on getting attacked every time they brought up that nickname. Almost like somepony was looking out for me during the entire practice. Which reminds me, why isn't Indominus here guys? He's not out on some late hunt, is he?"
"Sorry darling, when we got here, they said Indominus was still out and that he would be back later."
Rainbow turned her attention to the dinosaurs, and T-Rex was starting to get nervous.
"Tyrannosaurus, do you know where Indominus is?"
"Well Rainbow, the thing is-"
T-Rex was suddenly interrupted as the whole cloudominium was rocked by an explosion in the distance. The group looked out the window and saw a massive column of fire erupting over in the Everfree Forest, in the vicinity of Froggy Bottom Bog. Tyrannosaurus suddenly got a strange feeling in his heart, and he could hear faint roars coming from the explosion. They weren't just the roars of the Manticores, they were roars that he recognized.
"Oh no. Indominus, what's happened to you, brother?
Blue and her girls could see the worried looks on their friends faces, and had a bad hunch that Indominus was somewhere within the vicinity of that explosion.
"Girls, we'll be right back after we find out what caused that explosion. Rexy, let's go take a look and see what's up."
Tyrannosaurus could tell that Blue was trying to be as discreet as possible, to avoid worrying Rainbow or Scootaloo.
"Of course Blue, we'll be back in a while girls, make sure you save some excitement for us when we come back, and Rainbow Dash." Tyrannosaurus knelt down beside Rainbow and whispered to her. "No matter what the Wonderbolts say or think of you, we still think you are the best flyer there is. Also, Indominus would be proud to see you flying at your best."
Rainbow nuzzled against T-Rex's head after hearing his kind words, it was the first great amount of comfort she had received all day.
"Thanks Tyrannosaurus, I needed to hear that. I'm still grateful that all of you were chosen to be part of our family." The dinosaurs flew off and headed toward the Everfree Forest. They were completely unaware of the disaster that was waiting for them once they reached Froggy Bottom Bog.
As Tyrannosaurus and the raptor squad got closer, they could see more flames erupting from the bog. Clouds of billowing smoke rose from the area as the dinosaurs drew closer. More explosions were happening and rocking the area with great force. Tyrannosaurus was hoping that Indominus wasn't responsible for all the devastation, but when they touched down after clearing all the smoke, his worst fears were realized.
The entire bog was being enveloped in rising fire, blasts were being fired in all directions, and at the heart of all the destruction, was Indominus Rex. He was firing blasts at everything in sight, being covered partially by the golden flames along with his red energy and roaring wildly into the sky. He didn't look like the same dinosaur that T-Rex had known over the last year. He looked more like a distraught monster that had lost his mind and was being taken over by anger. A deadly shout from him rattled their bones to the core.
"WONDERBOLTS!! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!!" The hybrid dinosaur unleashed another blast upon the area, sending more debris and flames into the air.
Despite all the damage and fire that surrounded them, Tyrannosaurus boldly stepped forward to confront his brother. As soon as he stepped into the water, Indominus immediately turned in his direction. His slit pupils were gone, all Tyrannosaurus could see was glowing red eyes glaring back at him.
"Easy brother, just relax and try to calm-" Tyrannosaurus didn't get to finish his sentence as Indominus suddenly exploded from the ground and charged at him with a wild roar.
T-Rex barely managed to dodge the attack as Indominus's fist caused shock waves to be sent all over the bog. There was no reasoning with the hybrid dinosaur, he was too consumed by anger to listen to anything. Tyrannosaurus realized that there was only one way to contain his brother's rampage.
"Blue, Delta, Charlie, Echo, ATTACK INDOMINUS!!" The raptor squad didn't hesitate to transform after seeing Indominus's wild behavior.
Tyrannosaurus seized a rare opportunity and clamped down on Indominus's neck. Delta and Echo grabbed his arms so he couldn't strike back, while Blue and Charlie began charging up blasts to fire at Indominus's face. It would've worked under normal conditions, but the dinosaurs had severely underestimated the power of a hybrid's rage. Indominus stood up to his full height and bellowed a tremendous roar, which knocked Blue and Charlie away. Then he used an insane amount of strength to throw Delta and Echo off his arms, and grabbed Tyrannosaurus by the underside of the throat.
Indominus clenched his claws into T-Rex's skin and it caused the king of the dinosaurs to release his grip. The hybrid then pinned his brother to the ground and towered over him. Deadly growls escaped his jaws as the overwhelmed dinosaur bared his teeth down upon T-Rex.
"Brother please, don't you know who I am? It's me Tyrannosaurus Rex."
From Indominus's perspective, he wasn't seeing the raptors or Tyrannosaurus. In his eyes, all he was seeing were the Wonderbolts laughing at him. His anger was clouding his mind so much that the hybrid dinosaur was seeing the Wonderbolts all around him. Indominus was under the delusion that the Wonderbolts were attacking him, not his family. In his mind, what he was baring down on wasn't Tyrannosaurus, but instead, Spitfire.
"Way to go Crash, you're even more of a disgrace and embarrassment," was what the delusional Indominus heard the Spitfire say to him."
"Her name is not RAINBOW CRASH YOU WRETCHED WONDERBOLT!!! I WILL DROWN YOU IN YOUR OWN ROTTEN BLOOD!!!"
When T-Rex heard what Indominus had bellowed, he knew his brother had truly succumbed to his anger. As Indominus moved in to bite his neck, T-Rex fired a blast at his chest and it threw the hybrid away. Blue and her girls rejoined T-Rex after the attack to figure what was happening to their brother.
"What's happened to him T-Rex," asked Blue.
"Why is Indominus talking like we're the Wonderbolts," said Echo.
"I'm afraid it's worse than I thought girls. Everything that Indominus had seen and heard has clouded his mind. Hearing the Wonderbolts insult Rainbow so much has stirred up a deadly rage in Indominus's heart. Now that anger has gotten into his mind, and now he's under the illusion that the Wonderbolts are mocking him and Rainbow Dash. He even sees us as the Wonderbolts themselves."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive Blue," said T-Rex as they saw Indominus getting back up with not even a scratch on him. "When he had me pinned, he called me a 'wretched Wonderbolt.' It was like he didn't even register that I'm a dinosaur. We have to stop him before he destroys everything around him."
"How do you plan on stopping him T-Rex?"
"Simple, we just have to attack and blast him hard enough to knock him out cold. Then we'll take him back home and let him rest up."
It was a simple idea and could work, but knocking out a deranged hybrid dinosaur who's mind was being driven insane by rage was not so simple. Indominus came charging back towards the group and the five dinosaurs charged back towards him. This time when Indominus lunged at them, T-Rex ducked his head and then smacked Indominus with an uppercut. The raptors followed up with blasts that were fired at Indominus's head. The hybrid dodged Echo's and Blue's attacks, but Delta and Charlie's blasts impacted his face.
The blasts exploded on impact, but Indominus just stared back at them with the menacing red eyes. He had taken both blasts and didn't even flinch, when those same attacks had put serious damage in Black Death. He retaliated by punching the raptors that had attacked him and sent them crashing into some trees. The strength from his punch had knocked Delta and Charlie out of the fight. Tyrannosaurus was shocked at seeing how Indominus wasn't showing any restraint at all.
Indominus glared at the two Wonderbolts he had knocked unconscious. He had an evil, wicked smile growing on his jaw.
"You rats can't stand up to one punch from me. Now that just leaves the three rats that hurt Rainbow most." Indominus turned his attention back to the three Wonderbolts he was seeing in front of him.
He was facing off against Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot, and despite everything that he had already done, they continued to mock him.
"Some great Guardian you turned out to be," the Spitfire illusion taunted.
"Yeah, Rainbow Crash will belong to me while you're rotting in a grave," said the Soarin illusion.
"We'll hurt her so much that she'll want to end her own life just to be with you again," said the Fleetfoot illusion.
"You filthy piles of horse shit will never hurt my Rainbow. I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER!!!"
"His delusions are getting worse girls," T-Rex said after he Blue and Echo dodged a thunderous blast from Indominus.
"If we don't stop him soon, he'll start seeing every creature he comes across as the Wonderbolts," Echo called out.
They never got the chance to counterattack as Indominus grabbed Blue by the leg and threw her across the bog. Her body impacted the ground, and bounced three times before colliding with a rock. Echo fired a blast at Indominus to avenge her sister, but Indominus charged straight through the attack and grabbed the velociraptor by the throat. Then with a single powerful blow to the chest, Echo felt all the air leave her lungs and felt her body go limp. That only left T-Rex, who came running over and clamped down on the back of Indominus's head.
The sneak attack caused Indominus to drop Echo, and then Tyrannosaurus blasted his brother at point blank range. Tyrannosaurus put so much power into the attack that it sent Indominus reeling until it exploded in the water. This time the hybrid had taken the damage, for his brother was a great deal stronger than the raptors. Unfortunately, it only seemed to make Indominus more furious as he roared wildly into the sky and the golden flames began to circle his body like a rising geyser. The rexes collided with each other, and the struggle was on.
Indominus and Tyrannosaurus bit down, slashed and fired blasts at one another, neither one giving an inch. T-Rex had to be more careful because he didn't have long arms to use against his brother, but that didn't mean he had to hold back. His bites dug deep in Indominus's hide, and the hybrid felt every ounce of pain, but his overwhelming anger let him push through the damage. He nailed a punch strong enough to stun Tyrannosaurus, then he grabbed his brother's head and threw him to the ground. Indominus then placed a foot on T-Rex's body and held his neck down with one arm.
"Don't do this brother."
"Your cruel grip on Rainbow ends now Shitfire!!"
Indominus closed in on T-Rex with his jaws wide open and ready to crush his brother's neck. The hybrid was so focused on killing the illusion in front of him that he failed to notice a much bigger creature coming at him from above, until it was too late. Indominus was nailed right in the face by a pair of scaly feet, and the force from the attack sent him flying back into the bog. Tyrannosaurus couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the creature fly over him and go after Indominus.
"Smaug!? What are you doing here?"
"Getting my pupil back under control and stopping this rampage!"
Smaug touched down in the bog and ran after Indominus, who was beginning to recover from the attack. The dragon lord threw a punch as Indominus charged him, then slipped behind the hybrid and tried to restrain him. Smaug grabbed Indominus by the underside of the head with one hand, and tried to restrain his arms with another. Despite the golden fire licking away at his body, Smaug held his ground to try and stop his student.
"Indominus, STOP THIS NOW!!!" The hybrid savagely struggled against his mentor's strength, and Smaug used it to throw Indominus into a boulder.
Smaug finally saw the crazed red look in the hybrid's eyes, and saw the rage burning within them. Once Indominus charged him again, Smaug began throwing punches and slashing attacks at his student. The dragon lord's attacks packed more power than T-Rex's, and he was able to maneuver and dodge every attack the hybrid dinosaur tried to use against him. Unlike Indominus, Smaug had a clear head and could think clearly during the brawl. So he knew how to dodge all of Indominus's blows and counter with his own.
With his anger still growing Indominus fired a powerful blast at Smaug. The dragon ducked under the blast and smacked the dinosaur across the face. With Indominus stunned, Smaug seized the moment by grabbing the hybrid by the head, throwing him down into the water and pinning him. T-Rex and the raptors, whom had regained consciousness, watched in amazement as Smaug held Indominus despite the hybrid's raging power. Even though his was pinned and partially submerged, Indominus continued in vain to try and attack Smaug.
The dragon lord lowered his head to the water and bellowed in what was a combination of a yell and a roar.
"IINNDDOOMMIINNUUSS!!!!!!" The magnitude of his roar caused the whole bog to rumble, and for the first time, Indominus was silenced. Smaug's eyes glared their fiery golden color as he bore down on his student, who had finally stopped thrashing.
Indominus was just breathing slowly, as the effort and strength he had used took their toll on him. The dinosaurs and dragon lord waited with baited breath to see what Indominus would do next. Then Smaug breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the slit pupil return to Indominus's eyes, and the red glow fading. His red power and the golden flames were dissipating as well, and this pleased Tyrannosaurus and the raptor squad.
"At last, his rampage is over," said T-Rex.
"We're gonna have a difficult time explaining this to Rainbow and the girls," said Blue.
"Well first, let's see how our brother is doing after all that."
The dinosaurs approached cautiously, unsure if Indominus had calmed down completely. Smaug backed off as the hybrid got to his feet, he looked confused and drained after everything that happened. His body had even lost some of its color and was showing some of the wounds that hadn't healed. As he glanced at his surroundings and saw all the destroyed trees, burning fires and the destruction he had caused, Indominus had to ask one thing.
"D-Did I really do all of this?"
"Indeed you did Indominus, you were transforming into the Immortal Phoenix and attacking everything around you. You almost killed your brother and sisters in the process, and you weren't even aware of it. Your rage nearly killed most of your family, and you would've been stuck with that guilt for the rest of your life."
Indominus sank to his knees as Smaug's words sank in. He thought he had been killing the Wonderbolts, when in fact he had been attacking his own family. They had come to the bog to help him, and he had blindly attacked them under the influence of his rage.
"Smaug, how do you know about all this," was all Indominus could say.
"Because I've seen this before, in the dragon that had the Immortal Phoenix before you did." Smaug's tone was rather soft and calm, as he could see how upset Indominus was over what he had done. "Come with me and I'll explain everything."
The dinosaurs followed Smaug to a dense part of the forest away from the devastated bog. He kept Indominus under his wing to give the drained hybrid some comfort. When they reached a clearing, Smaug made a small fire and the group gathered around it.
"How did you know where to find us Smaug? Also, how did you manage to stop Indominus?"
"I felt that something was wrong with Indominus, so I left the Dragon Lands to see for myself. When I saw the explosions and the transformations, I knew that something awful had happened. As for stopping him, I used my roar of command. It's a special that only the dragon lord can have, it forces other creatures to submit to me when they get out of line. Thankfully it was able to work on Indominus and it stopped his rampage."
"Do you also know why Indominus was attacking everything in sight like a wild animal," asked Delta.
"Yes I do," he then turned to face his still beaten up prodigy. "You see Indominus, I told you before that I had seen the Immortal Phoenix only one other time. What I didn't tell you is what happened to the dragon that obtained it."
"What happened to that dragon? Is he still alive?"
"No Indominus, he died a long time ago."
"How? Was it because of the Immortal Phoenix," Tyrannosaurus asked.
"I'm afraid so T-Rex," Smaug said as he stirred up the fire to create images for the dinosaurs to see. "Long ago, a dragon by the name of Spawn was the first of our kind to ever achieve the Immortal Phoenix. None of us had ever seen anything like it, his power was incredible and his speed had gotten to where he could surpass any dragon, except me of course. Over time he learned how to tap into the power by drawing on his anger. Using rage is one way of drawing on the power itself and makes it easy to use, but the power has one fatal drawback."
"What do you mean by 'drawback,'" asked Blue.
"What I mean is while his power was amplified, so were all of his emotions as well, including rage. The more rage he used to draw on the Immortal Phoenix, the more his anger was consuming him through that form. During a fight against me he used the Immortal Phoenix for the last time, and all the rage took over him. It corrupted his mind and heart, turning Spawn into a mindless beast. He became so savage that he started attacking every dragon around him, he slaughtered hundreds on that day. I was forced to pin him down, and when my roar of command failed, I had no choice but to kill him. The Immortal Phoenix had made him not just a threat to dragons, but to all of Equestria."
"What would've happened if you hadn't killed Spawn, Smaug?"
"If I hadn't killed him Indominus, then the Immortal Phoenix would've killed him instead. You remember how after our Winter duel you were exhausted and nearly doubled over? Well the rage also eats away at your body's strength and energy, use the Immortal Phoenix for too long and it will kill you from the inside out."
Indominus had no words for what Smaug had told him. He had no idea that his newfound strength could also bring about his death.
"But Smaug, if the form can kill Indominus, why hasn't he died from all the times he used it while tapping into his anger?"
"Because T-Rex, Indominus has been using the right kind of anger."
"I have?"
"Yes, while Spawn cared only for himself and using the form to win become stronger, you've only used it to protect Rainbow Dash and your family. Spawn's selfishness fueled his anger, while yours has only been protecting your girl from any creature that's tried to hurt her. You always had Rainbow in your heart, and it allowed your anger to be focused and controlled. That's why you've been in complete control of the Immortal Phoenix, and know not to overwhelm your body. What I want to know, is what happened to make you lose so much control that your anger would take over and make you destroy everything just like Spawn."
It was a difficult subject to discuss, Indominus had already been through enough pain for one day. But at the same time he didn't want to look weak in front of his teacher.
All Indominus could say was "I'm sorry Smaug, I just can't tell you right now. It's more of a personal matter for me, let's leave it at that."
"It has to do with what he went through back in our old world" T-Rex added.
"I understand," Smaug lifted Indominus's face so he could look into his prodigy's eyes. "You don't have to tell me right now Indominus, but I would like to know so I can help you get through this inner struggle. Telling me about your troubles, doesn't make you weak in my eyes. I've seen your inner strength and I know for certain that you are not going to end up like Spawn."
"How can you be so certain?" Smaug spoke to Indominus in a soft and genuine voice.
"Spawn never cared for anyone else the way you do Indominus. You've put your life on the line for Rainbow Dash so many times, and it's shown just how strong your heart and spirit are. If you have any doubts, why don't you talk with her tonight and see if her past is similar to yours? Then you'll know for certain if your rage is justified."
To hear such kind and gentle words from the dragon lord was unheard of, but Smaug's words of guidance gave Indominus hope.
"I will, thank you Smaug. I also promise, that I will discuss this with you, once I can clear my mind."
"You can come to the Dragon Lands when you're ready to tell me about the source of your struggle Indominus. Everyone there will be glad to see you become more than what Spawn was."
Smaug bid his farewell to the rest of the dinosaurs and made his way back home. T-Rex and the raptor squad helped Indominus back home since his body was so drained from all the strength he had spent. They all carried Indominus on their backs as they flew back towards the clouddominum.
"Don't worry brother, we'll find a way to explain to the others why you look so tired."
"Thanks brother, and I'm sorry about what I did."
"It's not your fault Indominus, those rats and their words hurt you really bad this time," said Blue.
"We'll help you get through this, we're a family and family sticks together," said Charlie.
"Thanks girls, I'm so glad to be with understanding dinosaurs like you," Indominus said as he closed his eyes to try and relax.
They touched down right at the entrance to their home, and Indominus braced himself for what the ponies would say once they saw the poor state he was in.