As the three days started to wind down, both sides were preparing for the last round of the confrontation. More and more Wonderbolts were arriving at the compound, but Spitfire and Soarin were waiting until they had every member present. They were growing more anxious for the chance to put Indominus down for good, but Soarin was getting incredibly anxy to finish the job. He felt incredibly cheated by having his victim saved by Rainbow Dash, he was supposed to have killed the hybrid dinosaur and taken Rainbow. But instead she had intervened, took down all the Wonderbolts with her family, and overpowered him and Spitfire by herself. The mutated Wonderbolt had only one thought on his mind: making Indominus and Rainbow Dash pay. If he couldn't have her for himself, then he wouldn't let Indominus have her either.
Spitfire made sure that none of the Wonderbolts got too close to Soarin, for in his mutated state the Wonderbolt could easily kill any of them. As the older Wonderbolts continued to arrive, their immediate question about Soarin's new state was always answered by Spitfire. From within the compound, every Wonderbolt would catch glimpses of Soarin roaming about outside at his full size. They could see him pacing back and forth on the runway, looking down at the sea of darkness that covered Equestria with burning anger in his glowing eyes. Spitfire was the only one that could get close to the agitated Wonderbolt, because he still listened to her despite his new state.
"Eager to end all this huh Soarin?"
"Oh you know it boss. I've been looking forward to this moment. Soon, that monster, Rainbow Crash and their pitiful little family will be no more."
"We'll make sure that it all ends with us coming out on top, but can you promise me one thing Soarin?"
"What would that be?" Spitfire wouldn't admit it, but the green glow from Soarin's eyes and chest had been making her uneasy.
Ever since Soarin took Indominus's power, he didn't seem like the Wonderbolt she once knew. With each day that passed, he seemed to be getting more aggressive and obsessed with killing Indominus. It was as if the power he had taken was beginning to have adverse side effects on his mind.
"Promise me that you'll focus on getting turned back to normal when this is over."
"Why should I have to worry about turning back to normal? Until that monster and his entire family is dead, they pose a threat to our lives. Besides, ponies will see me as their new savior and will praise all of us even more. I'll go back to normal when every last pony acknowledges what we've done for them. Besides, don't you still want to avenge our teammates, or would you rather let those beasts kill us too?"
Once again, Spitfire was left speechless as Soarin turned and walked away from her. The Wonderbolt was losing her authority over others, first Rainbow had talked back with her power. Now Soarin was starting to show signs of turning on her. The only difference was that Soarin could kill her with no restraints if he went too far. When she walked back inside the compound, Surprise was the first one to bring up the obvious question.
"Are you sure he won't lose control and try to kill us, Spitfire?"
"He's too focused on killing that monster is all. Plus it's not like we have any other options, he is the only one who can bring down that beast. I just hope that when everything is over, he doesn't let that power go to his head."
What none of the Wonderbolts knew, was that the citizens of Ponyville were being warned about their final attack. The Mane Six had been using the three days to tell everypony the cause for the sea of shadows, and what had happened to Indominus. For any that were skeptic, Discord would conjure up a sphere of magic that showed what Indominus had gone through against Soarin. After popping back in time for a while, Discord had managed to preserve the fight and could use it as proof. Everypony was told that by the time the third day arrived, the shadows would be lifted and the Wonderbolts would arrive to draw Indominus out.
The Princesses had decided that they would participate in the battle alongside Indominus and his family. After Discord showed them the fight as well, Celestia and Luna decided that they were not going to risk losing any soldiers in this battle. Seeing Soarin hold his own and overwhelm Indominus through Discord's magic was clear evidence that no soldier in all of Canterlot could stand up to that kind of brute force. They didn't really need any of the Canterlot guards when they already had an army in the form of Discord's monster friends. They spent the three days honing their skills on every kind of offensive magic that they hoped would have some effect on the mutated Wonderbolt.
Throughout the passing days, Luna was worried that Indominus would truly lose this fight. She had every right to be concerned after seeing Soarin beat Indominus in their last round and push him to the brink of death. Celestia did the best she could to ease her sister's worries as they practiced their magic.
"He's going to get through this, sister. Indominus has faced opponents just as tough as Soarin before, like when he and his family took on Black Death."
"But that was different sister," said Luna. "Back then, Indominus didn't have a power that could kill him, or have to fight an opponent that was obsessed with destroying him. If what everypony has told us is true, then Soarin is never going to stop until he has killed the Guardians."
"What are you saying Luna? Do you mean to tell me that when this fight is over, somepony will end up dying?"
"I'm saying that no matter who wins this fight, there is going to be bloodshed and somepony will die. Whether it ends up being Indominus or Soarin, is up to who has more to fight for."
As for Indominus, he was spending each day getting more of his strength back so he could take on the Devil at his best. The rest of the dinosaurs spent the three days getting him kills as he didn't quite have the strength to effectively hunt, and Rainbow spent every second she could with him. Twilight had observed that the more time Indominus spent being with her, the more his body was recovering from the Immortal Phoenix attack. Somehow being so close to Rainbow Dash was healing the hybrid and giving him his strength at a faster rate. So Rainbow did what she could to help her husband along.
She even took Pinkie's advice of reading Daring Do books to him, which intrigued the dinosaur to hear about one of her better hero's tales of adventure. Daring Do's feats of escaping impossible odds and beating enemies that were beyond her gave the hybrid more hope that he could overcome his own inner demon, who was still chained up from his encounter with Discord. The stories also had a habit of lulling Indominus to sleep, just from having Rainbow read them to him. Whenever he passed out, Rainbow took the chance to increase her size and cuddle against Indominus, which her parents found unbelievably adorable. In fact, one night they had the fortunate pleasure of seeing what Twilight had been talking when she said being close to Rainbow was healing Indominus more quickly.
Scootaloo, T-Rex and the raptor squad were all fast asleep and Indominus had just passed out from hearing another Daring Do tale. Windy and Bow had stuck around to listen to the story themselves and were about to leave the room when they caught sight of the phenomenon for themselves. Just as Rainbow had snuggled against Indominus and fallen asleep herself, they watched a golden aura emerge from within her and cover them both. It was identical to the time when Indominus and Rainbow had rekindled their love after meeting Ra, and it seemed to relax Indominus in his sleep. Windy got Twilight to show her the event for herself, and the alicorn was stunned.
"Do you have any idea what this could mean Twilight?"
"I have no clue Windy, but I'm guessing that this is how he's been getting stronger more quickly. That aura is the same color as the Immortal Phoenix, it might have something to do with what could happen to Indominus after he beats the Devil. But I can't say for sure because there's too much that we don't know about his power."
"Well let's hope that he can beat the Wonderbolts once he finally defeats that monster."
"I hope so too Windy, I honestly do."
On the night of the final day, the last of the Wonderbolts had finished arriving. When Spitfire held the meeting in the mess hall, she counted a total of thirty Wonderbolts all together, including her current remaining teammates. Fleetfoot took the liberty of passing around the Gala picture Soarin had taken so each Wonderbolt knew what they were up against. Many of them were in disbelief at seeing the animals they would be sparing against, except for a few familiar pegasi by the names of Wind Rider and Lightning Dust. They were chomping at the bit to get back at Rainbow Dash for the times she had humiliated and made them look like fools. Every Wonderbolt turned their attention to the front of the mess hall once Spitfire caught their attention. She was standing with the rest of her team and Soarin right behind them in the shadows.
"Thank you all for agreeing to be here with us tonight. I'm sure you're all curious as to why I've asked so many of you to be here. Tomorrow we are going to embark on a dangerous mission that will require all of you for it to be complete. We are going to be fighting an extremely dangerous enemy, one who has the power to wipe out armies by himself. He is that wretched monster standing behind Rainbow Crash in the photo you all saw."
There was instant murmuring and talk amongst the Wonderbolts, many of them thinking that Spitfire was crazy for calling them to fight such a deadly opponent.
"I know what many of you are thinking, but I'm here to tell you that we have the means to fight this monster and bring him down. My team nearly killed that beast the last time we fought, and the majority of that near victory goes to our brave teammate Soarin. He went through the process of having that monster's power put inside him and nearly killed it by himself. But don't take my word for it, let the proof speak for itself. Soarin, show everypony what I mean."
"With pleasure boss."
As Soarin stepped forward from behind his teammates, the Wonderbolts all gasped with bulging eyes. Seeing the Wonderbolt's mutated state was more alarming than surprising and there was instantly a bombardment of questions.
"Why did you do that to yourself?"
"Did you really almost kill this beast?"
"Are you even a Wonderbolt anymore?"
Soarin silenced the entire hall with a single roar, and it sent chills down everypony's spine.
"I took that monster's DNA and put it into myself through a formula I had created," Soarin was speaking so clearly and with so much authority that none of the Wonderbolts dared to speak up. "Currently there is enough formula for all of you, it will make you bigger, faster, tougher and strong enough to fight that monster. But never underestimate this beast, he was powerful enough to kill three of our teammates by himself without the aid of his family. Those animals are very strong and have the support of most of Equestria behind them. If anypony or the Princesses ever figure out what we've tried to do, then we're done for! They will let those monsters attack us without mercy and the Wonderbolts will be erased from Equestria's history! Also, those beasts destroyed our supply of the formula, so if we fail to kill them before these last bottles run out, we're all dead!"
Each of the Wonderbolts slowly began to understand the importance behind completing this dangerous task. If Indominus could kill three Wonderbolts on his own, then he could pose a serious threat to the rest of their world as well. Plus, if they failed to win before their time with the formula was up, then they would be killed on the spot.
"Originally, this was about getting back at that monster and avenging our fallen teammates," Spitfire said as she stepped up beside Soarin. "But this is more than just revenge. It's about showing this animal that he can't get away with killing our kind. Guardian or not, he will face the consequences of his actions, and the only way for him to pay, is by striking him down where he stands and taking his life!"
"WONDERBOLTS! BY NIGHT TOMORROW, THAT MONSTER AND HIS WHOLE FAMILY WILL DINE IN HELL!"
All the Wonderbolts began cheering wildly at Soarin and Spitfire's words, unaware that outside the compound, there were two sets of prying eyes that had heard everything.
"Did you catch all of that Discord?"
"I sure did. You were right to tell me about this Luna. Seems they'll be on the move tomorrow, I just hope Indominus has regained enough strength to beat the Devil. He'll need it in order to take on an army of that many giant Wonderbolts."
"Won't your monsters be enough?"
"No, I don't have enough monsters back at Rainbow's home, but there is an ally we can get on our side. Though Rainbow has to be the one to get him."
"Um, just who are you talking about Discord?"
"You'll see what I mean when the fight begins tomorrow Luna. Just make sure you and Celestia get to the clouddominium before the Wonderbolts start searching for Indominus."
"I'll make sure we get there Discord, and thanks for being such a big help through all this."
"Hey, Indominus did a lot for me, I'm simply returning the favor," Discord said before disappearing in a flash.
"I'll have to make sure that you get a really big thanks for this," Luna said to herself before heading back to Canterlot.
The morning of the confrontation had finally arrived, and the Wonderbolts were already arming themselves. They were donning their uniforms and preparing for the confrontation that awaited them all. It would be unlike any fight they had ever been in, and all that Soarin could think about. The only thought on his mind was seeing Indominus's dead and destroyed body bleeding at his feet. But luckily the Princesses were way ahead of the revenge-fueled Wonderbolt.
Luna and Celestia had already left hours ahead of the Wonderbolts and had arrived at Rainbow's home long before the sun had risen. Celestia finished raising the sun atop Rainbow's home and was greeted by Discord's monsters, who hadn't left their post the entire time.
"Alright boys, today's the big day. I hope all of you are ready to fight." Red-Eyes and the other monsters nodded in agreement and kept their eyes on the shadows for any sign of movement.
In the bedroom, Rainbow was still sleeping soundly until Discord shook her awake.
"Rainbow Dash get up."
"Ugh, Discord, it's barely morning."
"Yes but this is the day the Wonderbolts are going on the attack." Upon hearing this, the sleepiness faded from Rainbow's eyes and she jolted awake.
"Are you serious?"
"Luna and I overheard them last night. They have a total of thirty members on their team and they're going on the attack today. They've already started making their way towards the blanket of shadows to find you and Indominus."
Rainbow let the realization sink into her mind as she looked between Scootaloo and the dinosaurs. The final fight was upon them and it would decide the outcome of not only their fates, but for the Wonderbolts too.
"Is there anything I can do before they show up?"
"There is, you can go to a certain land to get an old acquaintance of your husband. He might be able to give you the extra help that we'll need to guard Indominus long enough for him to beat the Devil?"
"He? Who are you-" Rainbow instantly knew who Discord was referring to. There was only one creature she knew that was on good terms with Indominus. "You're talking about Smaug, aren't you?"
"You're catching onto me rather quickly Rainbow Dash. I know it sounds crazy to ask for help from the Dragon Lord, but we'll need his brute strength if Indominus is going to be shielded long enough to beat the Devil."
"You've got it Discord, but what about Indominus?"
"We'll keep watch over him, and if the Wonderbolts find us, then we'll hold them off until you arrive with reinforcements." Rainbow flew up from the bed and hugged Discord, which surprised him.
"Discord, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm incredibly grateful that you and Indominus are friends. I've finally seen that caring and concerning side of you that Fluttershy saw during your reform."
"Rainbow, I'd say you've become more caring yourself. Being around him has seemed to have made you into a completely different pegasus that once wouldn't hesitate to want me back in stone. Guess it's a good thing Indominus has had such a positive impact on both our lives."
Rainbow let go of Discord and was about ready to fly out when she felt herself being held Scootaloo.
"Were you just going to head out without telling me first?" Rainbow adjusted herself in Scootaloo's embrace until she managed to free her front legs and hugged her daughter back.
"Promise me you'll be careful against the Wonderbolts until I get back?"
"I promise Rainbow Dash. After all, each of them helped prepare me for situations like these. You got get Smaug and bring him back here so we can end this once and for all."
"I'll be back before you know it squirt," Rainbow said before giving Scootaloo a light kiss on the forehead and heading out the window towards the Dragon Lands.
An hour after Rainbow had taken off, the Wonderbolts had arrived and entered the sea of shadows. They stuck close together in formations of four pegasi each, with Spitfire and Soarin leading the way. Beneath them, the ponies could hear the sound of giant flapping wings and knew the Wonderbolts were on the hunt for Indominus, just like Discord had warned them. Nopony uttered a sound until they heard the wing beats pass over them and all was silent again. For Soarin, navigating through the darkness was near impossible and it only aggravated him more.
"Where is that monster? He can't hide in these shadows forever."
"We'll find him Soarin, we just have to draw him out first," said Spitfire.
"How do you propose we do that boss?"
"By you using that green blast of yours to light our way through this darkness, and get him to come to us."
"I like that."
Back at Rainbow's home, her friends, parents and the dinosaurs were all awake and on the lookout for any signs of the Wonderbolts. Pinkie was looking through a pair of binoculars out the bedroom window when she suddenly called out.
"Look everypony! Green fire coming from the shadows!"
"What!?" Indominus was in the room in seconds and froze when he saw what Pinkie had spotted.
The hybrid spotted streaks of green fire erupting from the shadows, and he knew only one creature that could produce blasts like that. Soarin was looking for them and using his power to clear away the darkness. However, there was one problem with Soarin's method for finding the dinosaur, and Twilight was quick to recognize it. By firing those blasts blindly in the shadows, there was a chance that he would strike some unsuspecting home and injure innocent ponies.
"With what he's doing, he's going to hurt somepony with those attacks," said Celestia.
"This is what putting my DNA into that formula of his has done to his mind Princess. He's becoming more unstable with every minute."
"We've gotta stop him brother," said T-Rex.
"Boys," Discord said on the roof alongside every monster he had brought with him. "Be ready to move the moment that Wonderbolt starts to aim at the ponies."
All the monsters took on attack stances at the very edge of the roof, ready to take flight and attack Soarin at a moment's notice. Suddenly they heard Soarin's voice bellow from the shadows.
"MONSTER! COME OUT AND SHOW YOURSELF, OR I'LL BE FORCED TO TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES!" The green blasts suddenly became more erratic and Discord saw one of them veering in the direction of Ponyville.
"Red-Eyes! Stop that attack!" The black dragon bolted off the roof and headed straight for the blast.
The ponies that were in the path of the blast could only see the stream of green fire heading their way and no way to stop it. But Red-Eyes flew out in front of it and countered with his signature attack: Inferno Fire Blast. The ponies watched Red-Eyes's attack overtake Soarin's and push the blast back. From the clouddominium, Discord could see the conflicting attacks and traced the green fire to where it was coming from. He could barely make out a glowing green chest and the massive maw that the blast was coming from.
"There, that's gotta be where Soarin is."
"Ok everypony, this is it," Celestia said. "Once we start this there's no turning back."
"Are you really ok with fighting against the Wonderbolts, Princess," asked Twilight.
"They've tried to kill Indominus and Soarin poses a greater threat to Equestria than Black Death with the kind of power he has."
"He's beyond redemption Twilight," said Rarity. "Anypony that tries to hurt our Guardians is not gonna live to regret it."
"Alright everypony, let's move out," said Applejack.
"I'm ready to go too," said Spike.
"We're ready to fight again," said Blue.
"Let's move out guys," Tyrannosaurus said as he, Indominus, Blue and her girls flew out the window and went to their original size as they headed for the source of Soarin's blast.
"Now everypony, stay close to me," Discord said as he teleported everypony onto the roof and with a snap of his fingers, transported them all away from the clouddominium.
Soarin was losing ground against Red-Eyes's blast and had to duck to avoid being struck by it. The other Wonderbolts were looking around frantically in the darkness, trying to see where the attack had come from. But thanks to Red-Eyes's scales being pure black, he was invisible to them. He regrouped with the dinosaurs as they entered the shadows and led them alongside Indominus. With his thermal sensing ability, Indominus could see all of the Wonderbolts clear as day in the shadows.
"Alright everyone, let's show Soarin what real power looks like."
Red-Eyes and the dinosaurs glided in silently without being heard by any of the Wonderbolts. When they were close enough, all of them fired a single blast that caught Soarin off-guard and knocked him away. They zoomed away and touched down far from where they had attacked him and heard a flash beside them, meaning Discord and everypony were beside them.
"WHERE ARE YOU MONSTER? STOP HIDING AND FIGHT ME!"
"No need to raise your voice Soarin," said Discord. "The time for hiding is over." Discord conjured the same black sphere back he had used before in his hands and began pulling the shadows into it.
The Wonderbolts watched in awe as the shadows were sucked away from the area, and when it cleared completely, they saw the army that had come to face them. Standing against them were the Mane Five, Spike, the CMC, the Princesses, Discord, his group of monsters and the dinosaurs. In total, it was twenty seven warriors against thirty Wonderbolts, who had one savagely mutated teammate. Many of the Wonderbolts were intimidated at the sight of the monsters glaring at them, but not Soarin. As he got back to his feet, he saw the Princesses among the group and his chest glowed more green with anger.
"You got the Princesses involved in this," said Spitfire.
"Did you really think you could get away with attacking the Guardians like this, Soarin," said Luna.
"You don't have a say in this matter anymore Princesses. Now we'll settle this for goo-" Soarin stopped himself when he noticed that there was one pony missing from the group. "Wait a second, where is Rainbow Crash?"
"Yeah, where is the pony that's responsible for all this drama in the first place," said Fleetfoot.
"She's not your concern monster," Scootaloo shouted at Soarin.
"Monster huh? That's big talk for a chicken." Indominus's claws clenched into fists upon hearing the insult.
"How about we take this somewhere where no ponies will get hurt Soarin, and we'll settle things between us."
"That's the first smart thing I've ever heard out of your mouth monster. Just lead the way and then the fight will get started."
Indominus took flight and began guiding his enemies to a safe location, with everypony else behind him. Windy and Bow stuck close to him and Tyrannosaurus after seeing Soarin's mutated form for themselves. Discord lagged behind just a bit and conjured up a sort of magical screen that allowed everypony in Equestria to see where the battle would be taking place. He wanted to make sure that all of Equestria would finally get to see the Wonderbolts for what they truly were. Now when the fight would begin, everypony would get to see the dinosaurs in action and know that they were indeed guardians, and how far the Wonderbolts had sunk.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had finally arrived at the Dragon Lands. She immediately began searching for Smaug, but it didn't take long before she was suddenly swarmed by all sorts of dragons.
"Oh look. A little blue snack."
"I get to rip off her wings."
"Ugh, don't you dragons know who I am? I need to talk with Smaug."
"No one talks to our king unless it's for a good reason, and certainly not some little pony."
"You simpletons must not remember me. Guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
Before the dragons could even get close to Rainbow Dash, she transformed in a flash of red light and landed at her full height. Many of the dragons were rather alarmed for it had been a long time since many of them had seen Rainbow transform since the gauntlet. There were three dragons that were more surprised than alarmed because they were the same dragons that had helped Rainbow and her family beat Black Death. The white, green and dark dragons left the group and stood by Rainbow Dash.
"Now do you idiots know who this is? She's Rainbow Dash, her husband is Indominus Rex!"
"Indominus?" Immediately the dragons were stunned to make the connection at last.
"We're terribly sorry Rainbow Dash," said the white dragon. "These fools tend to forget important details from time to time."
"I'm glad that you boys remembered me."
"How could we forget the pony who helped free us from Black Death's grip," said the dark dragon. "Now just sit tight, we'll get Smaug for you."
"Thank you," Rainbow said before the three dragons bellowed a united roar into the air. They were immediately answered by a thunderous roar that echoed back and was followed by the sound of massive wing beats.
Smaug was upon the group within minutes and was rather surprised to find Rainbow Dash by herself.
"Well now, this is quite a surprise to see you here by yourself Rainbow Dash. Why did you come here by yourself?"
"Because I need your help Smaug. I was hoping to find and talk to you until these numbskulls decided they wanted to eat me."
The Dragon Lord glared at all the dragons that stood around him, except for the trio that had called him.
"I'll be dealing with you idiots later, now get out of here before I decide to roast your sorry hides!" The cowering dragons took Smaug's word and left in a heartbeat. "Now that they're gone, what is it you wanted to talk to me about Rainbow Dash?"
"I need your help Smaug. The Wonderbolts are going on the attack and we need to stall them long enough for Indominus to beat his inner demon."
"Inner demon?"
"Yes Smaug, he's going to confront the Devil within himself and master the Immortal Phoenix."
"What!? Is he serious?"
"Indeed he is. Indominus is convinced that it's the only way to beat the Wonderbolts. But in order to do it he needs time, and my friends aren't strong enough to buy him that kind of time. That's why I thought you could help us hold off Soarin until Indominus beats the Devil."
Rainbow gave Smaug a moment to take everything in, and the Dragon Lord seemed to be doing some pondering on all he had heard.
"So, he's finally taking Ra's advice and choosing to free himself of his anger?" Rainbow nodded in response. "Count me in Rainbow Dash. I'd be more than glad to help my prodigy beat his rage, plus I'm curious to see what will happen when he does defeat it. Though I will be needed some volunteers to fight alongside me. How about it boys? Are you up for helping Indominus?"
"Of course Smaug," said the green dragon. "This way we can finally repay him for giving us our freedom."
"We're ready to lend our strength."
"Count us in."
"Alright, I have my troops ready to move out. Just show us the way Rainbow and we'll follow your lead."
"Thank for agreeing to help me Smaug."
"Not a problem Rainbow Dash, now let's get moving. I hope your friends can hold off those rats before we can help Indominus."
Smaug and his group of dragons followed Rainbow Dash as she made a beeline for Ponyville. The fight of their lives was at hand, and so much was riding on the outcome. Either Indominus would beat the Devil and the Wonderbolts, he would lose to them or the Devil would take control and destroy everything.