"A stone? That's your idea of a gift, a stone?"
The remainder of the cruise went by with everyone enjoying each other's company and more bonding than one pony could shake their tail at. The Mane Six had gotten along with Discord's monsters so well that they were all practically friends by the last day of the cruise. The countless games they played together and the karaoke at night, had made Twilight convinced that the monsters were good enough to be decent friends, and hang around. She felt more comfortable around them, and finally saw what Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy had seen in them during their visit to Las Pegasus. With the cruise winding down, and the reward almost over, the dinosaurs didn't want the fun to end.
Applejack had managed to block seeing Rainbow and Indominus 'connected,' out of her mind. They even apologized for letting her see everything and made it up to her by letting her win in most of the games they played. Indominus never meant to scar Applejack's mind with such a rather unpleasant sight. Applejack appreciated the hybrid dinosaur's honesty, and was glad that he hadn't lost it with everything that had happened.
On the last night of the cruise, after everypony had gotten one more chance at karaoke, it was time for them to spend their last night on board the ship. But Indominus wanted them to spend one last activity with him and Rainbow Dash. He wanted his family and friends to have a crack at the Dark Dimension alongside him, Rainbow, and the monster crew. The CMC were thrilled at the idea, T-Rex had been wanted to have a chance at those beasts himself, and Rarity agreed as long as no blood got on her. Fluttershy was ok with it as long as Discord was by her side, and Twilight was also up for the chance to have a little more fun. Pinkie was beyond thrilled to fight alongside the monsters again, and Applejack was ok with it too.
So after Discord flipped the switch, deactivated the barrier and the horde of monsters showed up in the distance. the entire group descended into the dimension. Discord changed them all into their transformed states that they had used against the Wonderbolts, and made Spike into a massive dragon again. Rarity stuck close to him this time, and finally got her chance to fight alongside the massive dragon.
"Alright, is everyone ready to take down some beasts?"
"We're ready Indominus."
"Very well then, let's take them down!"
From the moment they charged towards the army of mindless beasts, it was an all out frenzy of flying limbs, spurting blood and bodies piling up by the second. The CMC stuck together again and were joined by Delta, Echo and Charlie as they went about beating up and tearing apart every mindless beast that came their way. None of the Crusaders tore apart any of the beasts of course, they merely beat whatever sense the creatures had out of them, and set them up for the velociraptors to slaughter. The only other way the six of them killed the mindless ones together, was when they all fired their blasts upon a group and blew them all to pieces.
Tyrannosaurus and Blue paired up in the slaughter fest and made quite the team in taking down plenty of the beasts. T-Rex caught a couple of beasts in his jaws, Blue climbed onto his back and leaped off the tyrannosaur to blast a gaggle of the mindless ones.
"Nice one Blue."
"Thanks T-Rex."
Applejack had decided to pair up with Twilight and Pinkie in the frenzy, and she was enjoying the feeling of having enhanced strength again. The farm pony was sending beasts flying and tearing up the ground with her bare hooves. Her powerful blows set up the mindless ones for Swamp Battleguard and King of Yamimakai. After they crushed each beast, Swamp Battleguard noticed the delighted look on Applejack's face.
"Loving the new strength again, Applejack?"
"Ah sure do. It's still so amazin' gettin' ta be this strong again."
"But don't let it make you think that you're not strong without it AJ."
"Ah won't, King of Yamimakai. Ah'm just enjoyin' it while Ah get to use it fer today."
Twilight was having a literal blast in using her stronger magic to blast apart so many beasts, and fighting alongside Red-Eyes. Their magic and fire blasts laid waste to any mindless ones that happened to be in the vicinity of their attacks. Twilight even took on Red-Eyes's attack plan by raking them over with her blasts and then slicing through the beasts with her claws. It was so unique and at the same time fun, that Red-Eyes could see Twilight having a great time and enjoying the experience.
Pinkie was having an ultimate blast fighting alongside Barox again, and wasn't letting any beast have a shred of mercy. She smashed the mindless ones into the dirt, lifted their bodies and beat them into each other like they were play toys. Barox even played a game of tether-ball with her using one beast and hitting him so hard that his body tore through the others like newspaper. It went on until the pink pony and monster ended up punching the poor beast's head off. Pinkie didn't even mind as she moved on to the next victim and slashed him apart with help from Barox's own savage claws.
Fluttershy was flying in the sky with Discord, and unleashing a volley of blasts upon hundreds of beasts in the distance. She wasn't afraid of a bunch of mindless creatures when she had already taken on far worse before. With Discord by her side and watching over her while firing his lasers, the yellow pegasus wasn't afraid of anything.
"Hey Discord, having any fun," Fluttershy called out as she tossed one beast over to him. Discord blew the whole creature apart with one fireball.
"A real blast, Fluttershy."
"Good one."
Rarity was flying around Spike and blasting away any beasts that tried to get close to him, while the giant dragon was slaughtering them left and right. He was either crushing the beasts in his jaws, smashing them with his brute strength, or just lighting them ablaze with his green fire. When Rarity added her stronger magic to the mix, it created a powerful combined blast that the mindless ones had no chance of taking. It went through several beasts, slicing their bodies in half or destroying them on impact.
"We make a pretty good team Rarity."
"That we do Spike, that we do," Rarity said as she flew up and kissed him on the cheek. She noticed that Spike didn't get nervous or blush after the kiss, only a soft growl came from him instead. "Wow Spike, you didn't blush this time."
"It's gotta be this body of mine, I guess I don't feel nervous around you when I'm a monstrous dragon."
"Well monstrous or not, you're still my stallion."
"Save that sweet talk for when you two get to spend Hearth's Warming Eve together, we've still got more beasties to destroy," Indominus called out over the dimension.
"I should be saying that to you Indominus," Rarity called back as she and Spike dove back into the fighting frenzy.
Rainbow and Indominus were fighting with the rest of the monster crew, and killing the beasts in their WorldBreaker forms. They were careful enough to be out of range of their friends when they attacked, because their tremendous might was tearing apart everything around them. Indominus's punches caused massive earthquakes whenever he crushed a beast into the ground, and Rainbow's blasts disintegrated any mindless creatures that were in the way. The monsters that fought alongside them like, Lava Battleguard, Zoa, Garoozis, Dark Chimera and Armored Lizard were smashing, slicing and ripping apart any mindless animal they could get their claws on. The transformed lovers were having an absolute blast on the last night of the cruise.
After over an hour of killing beasts and causing destruction all over the dimension, nearly everyone was worn out and on the verge of falling asleep. Discord brought the barrier back up, brought Spike back to his regular self, who was still bigger than the ponies and carried them all back into the room with his magic. Since they were so exhausted and ready to pass out, Indominus recommended that they sleep in their room for the night. Rarity appreciated the gesture, but told Indominus that the room wasn't nearly big enough for all of them to sleep in.
"We really enjoyed our time out there Indominus," said Twilight.
"It was a...unique experience, but still fun nonetheless darling."
"We gotta have smashing and beating fests like these more often," said Pinkie.
"Thanks girls, it's good to know that you enjoyed yourselves," said Indominus.
"This has been a wonderful reward, brother. Shame that we'll be back to normal after tonight," said T-Rex.
"But when we come back, none of you will have any drama to worry about," said Rainbow.
"Goodnight ya'll."
"Night everypony," said Fluttershy.
"Sleep tight you lovebirds," said Discord as he helped the dinosaurs take the sleeping fillies to their rooms.
Rainbow and Indominus laid down on the red bed and snuggled close to each other.
"This has been a wonderful time we've spent together Indominus."
"I know Rainbow, this has been the most fun I've had in the longest time. We should think about getting a hot tub put in our room."
"As much as I would love to kick back with you in nice warm water again, our bedroom doesn't have enough room for something that awesome. We'd need a much bigger home for that."
"True. and to think you still didn't figure out what I like most."
"Oh you think you're in the clear big boy? I thought I was getting close when I was licking your neck and making you moan nonsense in the hot tub." Rainbow seductively kissed Indominus's neck and it caused him to moan at the touch. "See, I'm not finished trying to get you to talk. Either way, I still get the prize in the end."
"Oh yeah? How my charming pegasus?"
"Simple. I either get you to spill it, I discover it on my own, or better yet, you still tell me on Hearth's Warming Eve and then I give you the most magical night of your life."
"That still sounds so hot every time you bring it up. I'm still looking forward to it."
"I know you are, your body gives off the signs that you want me so badly. Now just relax Indominus, while I put you into a sleep of awesome bliss."
Indominus let Rainbow have her way as she kissed him and let the pleasure course through him. Her affection put Indominus to sleep in a matter of minutes, and Rainbow wrapped her hooves around his neck. While he was sleeping, the hybrid wrapped his arms around her and they slept in peace for the rest of the night. There was indeed nothing for Indominus to worry about, but he was unaware that his business with the Wonderbolts wasn't done. He was in for an unusual visit with them and yet another surprise that would be for him and Rainbow.
After the cruise had ended, things went back to normal for everypony. Rainbow went back to her job at the weather factory, the dinosaurs resumed looking after Scootaloo and being her guardians. Spike and Tyrannosaurus started spending more time with Indominus and Discord after their experience on the cruise. Both had loved the experience of getting to fight the beasts in the dark dimension, and wanted to get in on the hybrids' days of fun. Plus, they both wanted some much needed advice for their relationships.
Indominus resumed his duty of being Scootaloo's father and made sure to see her off with the Crusaders when they left to go help other ponies find their purpose. He even tagged along to see how she did and was intrigued by how the Crusaders went about helping ponies. Focusing on what each pony was best at and then having them work on those particular skills helped the fillies get their cutie marks. Such as helping a pony overcome his fear of stage fright and become an amazing dancer in front of a crowd. Or helping a filly who was rather athletic and acrobatic for her age, perfect her skill and performance to become a talented gymnast. Indominus nuzzled Scootaloo for how well she had done and for seeing the delighted expressions when the fillies got their cutie marks.
"This is quite the purpose you have in life, Scootaloo."
"Oh it's just one talent dad, it's not the most important purpose in the world."
"Though it is a pretty sweet talent to have," said Sweetie Belle.
"Still, it's my first time seeing you helping other ponies find their talents, and I'm impressed how all three of you work together to make it happen."
"Makes you feel proud to be her adoptive father, huh Indominus," said Charlie.
"It certainly does, but I was already proud of her from the beginning. She's gone through so much trauma in life, that I'm glad she's still with us. More importantly, I know you and T-Rex will have a grand time together when you come of age."
"Thanks dad, Rainbow told me the same thing on the cruise."
"Then there's no doubt anymore, she's given her approval and so have I." Tyrannosaurus was glad to hear that Rainbow had even approved of him, and knew that when Scootaloo was old enough, he could be her boyfriend.
He spent more time around his brother as the days went by, and Spike tagged along as well. Discord was more than happy to have them tag along on his and Indominus's guys night. Getting to fight off monsters as a bigger dragon and doing it alongside the dinosaurs was an experience that Spike couldn't get enough of. Every time they spent time together, Discord conjured up a new castle, new enemies and brought along the whole gang. It was a way for the hybrids, dragon, monsters and T-Rex to bond with each other. A unique form of friendship that few ponies would be able to understand.
Indominus and Discord even gave Spike and T-Rex advice on how they should treat their girls, even though T-Rex was going to have to wait to put the advice into practice. After they had their fun of dueling against countless foes, Discord would take them all back to his dimension and they would relax at his place until they wanted to head home. They mostly talked about what their plans were for Hearth's Warming Eve, with it being only a month away. Discord had not once celebrated the holiday in all the time he had spent in Equestria, but he wanted to spend the special day with Fluttershy after hearing how warm and delightful the night was supposed to be. Spike was anxious about the holiday because he would get the chance to spend it with Rarity. Though he wasn't sure what to give her for a gift.
"Are you seriously nervous about that?"
"Of course I'm nervous Indominus, I'm don't have the kind of confidence that you do. I'm not even sure what kind of gift she would like."
"You've known her for so many years, you've been in a relationship with her for at least two months, and you're telling us that you don't know what to give her," said Discord, dumbfounded that Spike wasn't sure to give Rarity.
"I could think of one thing he could give her, but he wouldn't be bold enough to do it," Indominus said under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. But seriously Spike, you're saying you have no idea what to give Rarity? You two have spent quite a lot of time together, surely there must be something she likes that you could give."
"Well she does love gems, but I love them too. I can't give her them or I'd eat them instead."
"I don't believe you, young dragon," said Red-Eyes. "There must've been at least one time where you gave up your love of jewels for her."
"I did once, when it was my birthday and she was taken by the sight of the fire ruby I had been saving. I had been ripening it for months and was ready to dig in, but the thought of Rarity being happy with it was more important. So I gave it to her instead."
"And how did she repay you afterwards."
"She gave me my first kiss."
"Then your answer is simple Spike," said T-Rex. "Find a gem that is so good the only one that deserves it is Rarity."
"I've been giving Fluttershy what she likes most, and I get to have her so close to me in return. It's the simple kind gestures that go the farthest Spike," said Discord.
"I'd recommend having Twilight take you to Canterlot to look for a gem, that's where I found the Arkenstone ring for Rainbow."
"Then that's what I'll do. Discord, can you send me back? I've gotta tell Twilight this and get to take me there."
"Alright I'll send you back, ya little romantic."
"Hey I'm not such a little dragon anymore, but that is thanks to you so I'll let you have it. Catch you guys later," Spike said before he was teleported out of the dimension.
"Such young love and spirit, he keeps that up and he'll have a long lasting relationship with her. By the way, what did you mean by 'knowing what he could give her?'" The monsters and T-Rex turned towards Indominus.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Discord."
"Don't bother trying to deny it, I have ears like a bat," he said while his ears were those of a bat's, then morphed back to normal. "You obviously know something that you didn't want to tell him."
"Ok, it's the one gift Rainbow has been giving me since we got married. I know you know what I'm talking about Discord, heck you heard us on the first day of the cruise." Discord's face turned as red as a bell pepper when he realized what Indominus was talking about.
"Y-You can't be serious Indominus! You thought he could give Rarity 'THAT' for a gift? He may be older and bigger, but there's no way he could pull something like that off."
"That's also why I said he's not bold enough to actually do it. I was able to do it the first time because Rainbow had gotten my adrenaline and blood flowing on our first night. She made me confident and fearless enough to have complete dominance the entire time we were doing it. In order for Spike to be that bold, Rarity will have to get his blood flowing the same way Rainbow got mine pumping."
"Wow, just w-wow. I don't even have the confidence to do that with Fluttershy."
"You're respecting her boundaries, like I am with Scootaloo. That's not cowardice Discord, that's respecting what your girl is willing to do, and seeing if she's willing to do it," said T-Rex.
"Every relationship is going to be different Discord, none of ours are going to be the same. We have to treat our girls the way they would want to be treated. Spike being generous with Rarity, you being kind with Fluttershy."
"I would follow my brother's example and being there for Scootaloo when she needs me, once she's old enough," said T-Rex.
"As for me, I'll keep being myself around Rainbow Dash. Powerful, keeping up with her, but at the same time, giving her the affection that I've always shown."
"Not to mention being insanely devoted and loyal to her," said Discord. "Also if we ever run into any problems or issues with our relationships in the future, we meet up again to see how we can sort them out?"
"Agreed."
"It's a deal," said T-Rex. They used the trademark handshake that Discord and Indominus had invented. Unleashing a torrent of energy into the air, roaring afterwards, and bumping claws.
"Now that's quite a bond," Red-Eyes said after watching the 'handshake.'
A week after the dinosaurs and ponies came back from the cruise, Spitfire decided she was going to go out and try to find Indominus. She asked the rest of the Wonderbolts to stay behind because she didn't want to risk them getting spotted and being bombarded with garbage, insults and possibly magic blasts. It was for the better that she go alone and the team be ready for when Indominus arrived. Besides that, she was the only Wonderbolt who had been told where Indominus spent most of his time. She left the compound and flew towards the Everfree Forest.
On the way there, Spitfire was right about being bombarded with garbage. Even with just her captain jacket on, ponies on the ground still recognized her and started throwing things at her. The Wonderbolt had to dodge apples, trash and even some blasts from a few unicorns that were really peeved. It has immediately apparent how Equestria's view of the Wonderbolts had changed because of that fight. The very same ponies that were assaulting her with trash, had once praised and respected her and her team. The harsh reality of what she had done stuck with Spitfire as she escaped the assault and descended into the forest.
She had no idea where to look for Indominus, the only thing she knew was that Rainbow had told her how he trained in the forest. So Spitfire began searching through the strange land, looking for any signs of the hybrid dinosaur, staying airborne to avoid catching something from the strange plants. But wandering into such a dangerous forest by herself, was not a wise decision. For at that moment, a handful of predators were keeping their eyes on the lone Wonderbolt, and stalking her the whole way. As Spitfire kept scanning the ever widening forest and thick foliage, she heard massive footsteps off to her left. She landed in a clear patch of greenery, unsure if it was him or not.
"Indominus Rex, is that you?" She couldn't see anything through the thick vines and trees, so she had to depend on seeing or hearing him. When she didn't get a response, Spitfire was curious. She didn't think that he could still be that mad with her after everything. The footsteps started again, and this time they were getting closer. "Look, I'm not here to make trouble I just-" Spitfire lost her voice when the source of the footsteps emerged from the trees, and it wasn't Indominus.
Out of the foliage came a massive King Timberwolf, Spitfire backed up in terror and was about to make a break for it when more Timberwolves started coming in from all directions. She tried to fly out of the forest but one Timberwolf caught her by the leg and threw her to the ground. Spitfire couldn't walk on the bitten leg and the Timberwolves were now to close for her to make a break for the sky. The seven massive wolves loomed over her body, mouths drooling with sap and growling at their victim. One Timberwolf made a lunge at Spitfire to eat her, when he suddenly felt his entire body being pushed by a more powerful predator.
Indominus had rammed the timberwolf and was pushing him into three more, causing the pack to stop their attack. Two of the wolves managed to get away from him, but the one he rammed was crushed under his claws as he forced it onto the ground. Another timberwolf ignored Spitfire and went after Indominus instead, only to have his neck crushed by Tyrannosaurus who appeared out of the foliage a moment later. The wolf's head was detached from his body and the whole thing crumbled into pieces. The raptor squad followed out as well and landed on the rexes' backs, all six dinosaurs roared at the timberwolf pack. The King Timberwolves were frightened by the dinosaurs' presence and tried to run, but they weren't going to escape the kings. Indominus, Tyrannosaurus and the raptor squad gave chase after the fleeing wolves, Spitfire made the smart decision to follow them as they pursued their prey.
Blue and her sisters increased their size to avoid being stepped on by their brothers. The sounds of their massive footsteps running through the foliage and trees crashing down echoed throughout the forest as the chase continued. Spitfire found it amazing how the dinosaurs were able to move so fast for their size, and noticed that they were closing the gap and gaining ground on the timberwolves. Tyrannosaurus and Indominus pulled ahead of the raptors and zeroed in on two timberwolves. Their bellowing roars caused the wolves to turn around and see just how close the jaws of death were to getting them. The rexes clamped down on the backs of their targets and at that moment, the raptors leaped into the air and dove for the remaining timberwolves.
Delta and Echo slammed into one, Charlie pinned the third on his stomach, and Blue sent the fourth tumbling before he landed on his back. The raptors ripped into the trapped wolves, sending bits of their bodies across the forest. Blue finished her victim by biting into the wolf's neck, tearing off his head and crushing his body. Charlie tore apart her timberwolf and took delight in tearing off the wolf's limbs before crushing his head. Her hatred for what the wolves had tried to do to Applejack and her family aided in her slaughter of the poor creature. Delta and Echo savagely bit into their victim, tearing him apart from the inside out, and ended his life by crushing his head with their massive foot claws. They turned their attention to the rexes, who were practically torturing the remaining timberwolves.
Tyrannosaurus was smacking his opponent all over with his powerful head, and tore off the wolf's right leg while he was stunned. The wolf roared out in pain and tried to balance himself on only three legs, while Rexy seized him by the neck and started shaking him wildly. Spitfire watched in awe as pieces were flying off the timberwolf's body and how viciously Tyrannosaurus was handling him. She was seeing just how badly her team would've been killed if the dinosaurs had decided not to spare them. T-Rex threw the wolf off to the side and rammed his body, chucking him into a tree and destroying his body.
Indominus was the only one left and he was wreaking all kinds of havoc on the last timberwolf. There was nothing the wolf could do as Indominus maneuvered around his bites and dug his sickle claws into the wolf's body. Indominus even slashed across the wolf's face, leaving four gaping slash marks where his claws had been. The hybrid ended the wolf's life by crushing his head in his jaws. Once all the wolves had been killed, the dinosaurs roared victoriously across the forest.
Then Indominus turned his attention to the reason why the Timberwolves had been out in the first place. Indominus walked towards Spitfire and his family followed him. The raptors shrank back to their original size and bared their teeth at Spitfire, while Tyrannosaurus stuck by his brother, ready to strike at any moment.
"How ironic that a few months ago I was breaking into your compound, and now here you are, going through our territory. Unlike your place, our environment is nowhere as safe as yours, and far more dangerous."
"You've got no business being out here, Spitfire. Especially when you're all by yourself," said Tyrannosaurus.
"You've already caused our brother enough pain and grief, and we don't need your kind messing with us anymore," said Blue.
"Or perhaps you came here wanting to end up in the same grave as Soarin," said Charlie as she got up in Spitfire's face. The raptor's bared teeth made the Wonderbolt's heart beat wildly in her chest.
"Leave her alone Charlie," Indominus called out. "I chose to let them go and not spill anymore blood." Charlie begrudgingly backed off and went back to her sisters. "Soarin was the last Wonderbolt I killed and I'm not going to go through that mess again. Whatever reason you came here for, just say it Spitfire or get out of our turf."
Spitfire regained her composure after the dinosaurs had spoken and finally spoke up.
"Look Indominus, I didn't come here to bother you or your family. I just wanted to talk with you and say that I'm truly sorry for what I put you and Rainbow Dash through." The dinosaurs stared at her, blinking without a response. Delta was the first one to speak up.
"You know, that's the first time you've called our brother by his real name."
"Even calling Rainbow by her real name," said Echo.
"I know I said some things that were out of anger, and I didn't act like I'm supposed to. But please hear me out Indominus, I'm sorry for calling you a monster, and for thinking that you were a mindless killer. It took seeing Rainbow Dash being killed for me to realize that Soarin was deceiving me the whole time. I never wanted to have her killed, I'd been waiting for a spot to open up on our team ever since she joined the reserves."
"So why did you tell her that she was no longer a Wonderbolt, and turned your back on her?"
"I......I let my anger get the better of me, and I was stupid enough to believe everything Soarin said. After watching you kill Blaze, Fire Streak and Wave Chill like that, why wouldn't I believe him?"
"I wasn't in control of myself at the time. I tried to avoid killing you guys, just like I promised Rainbow. I wasn't lying when I told Soarin that I had been intentionally holding back against you and your teammates."
"I know, Princess Luna showed me everything, even the Devil."
"WHAT!?" The dinosaurs were shocked for the first time in their lives.
"Luna showed you everything," asked T-Rex.
"Yes, from the moment you two were brought here to be Scootaloo's guardians, to how all of you defeated Black Death and won Rainbow's heart. I didn't believe that it was possible for a dinosaur to be with a pony. When Luna showed me all that you had done for her, I saw how wrong I was." Indominus could see by the calm heat coming off her body and relaxed heart beat, that Spitfire was telling the honest truth. There was no other way she could know such information about them unless Luna, Rainbow or Scootaloo told her.
"What else did she show you?"
"She showed me what you had to go through in your childhood, Indominus. It hurt me to see you treated so harshly as a child. Having all those needles put into your body, isolated for so many years and being powerless to stop it. When she showed me Rainbow's past and put it next to yours, i finally saw why you reacted so defensively. In that moment I saw that she had been telling me the truth, and I brushed it aside." Spitfire shut her eyes as tears started to build in them. "Indominus I am truly and sincerely sorry for everything that I've put you through. I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen, and I never meant to hurt Rainbow Dash in any way. I know I can't take back what I tried to do to you, but I want you to know that I will never hurt you, your family or Rainbow Dash ever again. My only hope is that you can forgive me for what I've done, and then you won't have to worry about seeing my pitiful face ever again."
Spitfire was genuinely crying after her long confession and her head looking down at the dirt. That was the first time she had ever confessed in her life. Her tough and drill sergeant demeanor had been broken and she was baring all the guilt and regret for the part she had played in Soarin's scheme. When she opened her eyes, she found Indominus standing over her. She couldn't move when he bent down and made his way towards her. Spitfire had no words as Indominus gently nuzzled her face and scooped up the tears with his tongue. Then he spoke in a soft and gentle voice.
"I may still be new to this world, but I am learning to forgive others. You aren't the first one to hurt somepony I care about, I met a pair of bullies that were picking on Scootaloo. I was going to kill them, but she taught me that everyone deserves a second chance. I spared them, in return they defended me and my brother against their own parents, and on that day I learned what it means to forgive them. Since then they've honored us by having statues put up by the school for how we killed Black Death and saved Equestria. All I ever wanted, was for you to not call her that nickname and nothing else. But seeing as how you really are sorry for everything, yes Spitfire, I forgive you."
"Thank you Indominus Rex, and I promise, I will never call her that nickname again," Spitfire said as she buried her face against his. Indominus continued to nuzzle the emotional Wonderbolt, glad that she had made a solid promise and that there was no more tension or drama between them.
His brother and sisters were so touched that they roared into the sky to congratulate Indominus on making peace with the Wonderbolts.
"You know, Luna was right. You really are a kind soul after all."
"Yeah, kind but deadly. So is there anything else you came here to tell me Spitfire?"
"Actually there is," Spitfire said as she wiped away the tears. "I was hoping you could come by the compound for a bit and help me with a little favor."
"What kind of favor?"
"I would like your help in making a gift for Rainbow Dash that I'd like to give to her on Hearth's Warming Eve."
"Really? Why do you need my help though?
"Because I want to use the chance to get to know you better than how Soarin described you. Also, so she can know that you and I put the effort into the gift for her."
"You've got some heart in you as well."
"I know that I can seem harsh, but it's the only way I can run the Wonderbolts properly. If I wasn't hard on them from time to time, then no pony would take me seriously. It's just how things are done in this team and my duty as captain of the Wonderbolts, and I assume you heard me say how we have nicknames on our jackets, I wasn't lying."
"I know, Soarin gloated about how he replaced them with different jackets to fool Rainbow and me."
"Yeah, well the name you kept on calling me during this whole ordeal, you weren't wrong Indominus."
"What?"
"That...actually...was the nickname I got on my first day." The dinosaurs' jaws all dropped to the forest floor.
"Holy cow," Blue replied.
"I-I had no idea," said T-Rex. The other raptors didn't have a response, they were too stunned for words.
"W-wow, and here I thought I was being clever. So that part about your team is actually true?"
"Yes it is. Let's just say I got that nickname through a bad meal that didn't agree with me, and not enough time to find a restroom. It was the worst day I'd ever lived, and it took five washes to finally get the stains out."
"Whoa," was all Indominus could say.
"It's not something I'm proud of, but i didn't let that nickname define me. Every Wonderbolt has a nickname that they've gotten at one point, even Soarin had one. He was called Clipper because he clipped his wing on a flag pole as he was landing on his first day. Those nicknames are not meant to be harsh, they're just a way for us to move past our mistakes. But I see that Rainbow's nickname runs much deeper than just a bad experience."
"That's right, you've had yours for only a few years maybe? She's been stuck with hers since she was a filly."
"I know, and I'm standing by my promise to you Indominus. I will see to it that no Wonderbolt will ever call her Rainbow Crash again. I really mean it, I don't want to break this promise with you."
"I know you mean it, and that's why I'm happy to hear it. I'd also like to help you in making this gift for Rainbow Dash, shall we get started?" Spitfire was delighted to hear that Indominus had agreed to help her. "Tyrannosaurus, tell Rainbow that I'll be home late tonight, but don't tell her why."
"You got it brother, we'll save some dinner for you when you get back."
"Alright, now that that's settled we can go." Indominus took off with Spitfire and they made their way towards the compound.
"What kind of gift do you think she has in mind," asked Echo.
"I have no idea, but if it's good enough to require Indominus's help, then it's gotta be something special," Blue said as she, her girls and T-Rex took off into the forest to resume their hunts.
Indominus covered Spitfire so that she wouldn't be pelted by anymore garbage as they flew back to the compound. He didn't have to worry about seeing where he was going when they went into the clouds. Her heat signature stood out when she took the lead and Indominus followed it the rest of the way. Her teammates were all surprised to see Indominus appear from the sea of clouds behind Spitfire. They all cleared the runway as the Wonderbolt captain and hybrid dinosaur came screening in and touched down. They were all astounded that Spitfire had actually managed to get Indominus to follow her to the compound.
"Spitfire, I can't believe that you got him to come along."
"Listen up Wonderbolts, before any of you say anything let me make this clear as crystal." All of the Wonderbolts didn't utter a single word as Spitfire paced across the runway looking at them. "Now I want all of you to know this, Indominus Rex is here because I asked him to help us in making a gift for Rainbow Dash. I don't want to hear any of you call him anything other than his real name. That goes for Rainbow Dash as well, that nickname that we used to call her, will never by uttered by any Wonderbolt ever again. If I catch wind of any of you spreading that nickname around, your fate will be left in my hooves, or I will let Indominus decide what to do. Remember, he gave all of us a second chance and I don't want to watch another Wonderbolt get their head taken off."
Her teammates were sweating as they recalled how Soarin had been brutally killed. None of them wanted to ever be at the receiving end of Indominus's claws, teeth or blast again.
"Have I made myself clear?"
"Crystal clear boss," said all of the Wonderbolts. "Good, now I've already told Indominus how sorry I was for what I did to him and Rainbow Dash. Do the rest of you have anything you'd like to tell him?" Indominus walked over til he was standing beside Spitfire and looking down on the very same ponies he had hunted, beaten and nearly killed twice.
"We're sorry about what we put you through Indominus," said Fleetfoot.
"Spitfire told us everything the morning she got back from Canterlot. We didn't know that you and Rainbow dealt with so much trauma," said Surprise.
"We shouldn't have listened to Soarin about you," said Misty Fly.
"None of us ever wanted to see Rainbow killed, she's the best flyer we've ever had," said High Winds.
"We were complete idiots to trust Soarin when he was lying to our faces," said Silver Lining.
"We don't want there to be any more hatred or tension between us," said Lightning Strike.
"It's ok you guys, I've already forgiven Spitfire and I've forgiven all of you as well. I'm tired of all the drama, fighting and tension from these past few months. All I want is that none of you call her that nickname anymore, alright?"
"We won't and we really appreciate you giving us a second chance," said Fleetfoot.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, where is this gift that you'd like my help in making for Rainbow Dash? The suspense is killing me."
"Follow me Indominus, it's inside the compound," Spitfire said as she and her teammates led the hybrid into the compound.
Indominus shrank down his size so he could fit inside, and it was rather strange for him to be strolling through it. The first time he had entered the compound he had gone and destroyed the locker room. Now he was walking through it like it was completely normal to him. When he passed by the locker room, Indominus felt drawn to it. He walked inside and went right to the locker that used to belong to Rainbow. Spitfire took notice of him opening the locker door and holding the torn uniform that had been hers. She walked over to him while her teammates waited.
"She did this?"
"The very same day that we tried to kill you. She was so distraught and enraged that she tore off the uniform and startled all of us with her transformation."
"Yet you still held onto this. Why didn't you toss it out?"
"Because part of me said to hold onto it. Rainbow had taught me quite a few life lessons, and I couldn't just throw away the only reminder of her time with us."
"Even when you wanted me gone, you still kept Rainbow Dash in your thoughts. You still have some good qualities Spitfire, and I'll put this back so we can get to the gift."
"Actually, that uniform is part of the gift."
"It is?"
"You'll see what I mean in a minute, now let me show you the first part."
Spitfire led Indominus to the dining area and Indominus was surprised by what was inside. In the center of the dining room was a giant slab of a black stone. The hybrid dinosaur couldn't understand whether Spitfire was serious or if there was more to it.
"A stone? That's your idea of a gift, a stone?"
"That is not a stone Indominus, what you're looking at it a slab of pure platinum."
"Platinum? A kind of metal?"
"A rare kind of metal," Fleetfoot said for him. "The idea is we're going to turn this hunk of platinum into a special Wonderbolt badge for Rainbow Dash. These badges are given to every Wonderbolt, old and new." She and Spitfire grabbed one of each to show them to Indominus.
"Each badge determines a Wonderbolt's place when they start in the Academy. Rainbow got the Gold Lead pony badge after she showed us that Lightning Dust was a reckless cadet," said Spitfire.
"Wait, these are made out of pure silver and gold?"
"Of course, if they were made of plastic they wouldn't be all that important and would likely get destroyed very easily."
The Wonderbolts guided Indominus while he carried the slab of platinum to a special room away from most of the compound. Once inside, they prepped each other with protective gear and gave Indominus a pair of dark glasses to protect his eyes. They placed an aluminum container underneath the soldering brick where the platinum was placed and grabbed torches to help melt it down. Indominus's job was to hit the platinum with his blast to help melt it down while the Wonderbolts used their torches. The Wonderbolts aimed their torches at the slab and steadied themselves.
"Ready...aim...fire!"
Seven streams of fire and one red blast were fired upon the slab at once. The combined blasts had a temperature far higher than the melting point of platinum, and the stone began melting in a matter of minutes. It drained through the holes on the soldering brick and poured into the aluminum container. The other Wonderbolts left to get ingot shaped tubs to pour the melted platinum into for sculpting, and when they returned, Indominus was getting ready to pick up the container.
"No Indominus, don't! That's too hot it'll-" before Spitfire could finish, Indominus coated his hands in golden fire and picked up the container. They were dumbstruck as Indominus poured the platinum into each container and emptied the aluminum container. "H-how did you do that," Spitfire asked as Indominus set the container back under the soldering brick.
"My Immortal WorldBreaker flames are far hotter than molten platinum. The flames can cover any portion of my body that I want, and I can't even feel the heat of other things."
"Wow, that's very clever of you," said Surprise.
"Thanks, now what's the next step?"
"Now we sculpt the platinum, you have to sculpt the outline of the badge Indominus, and we'll handle the tiny details."
Indominus required two tubes of the platinum to sculpt the badge, and Fleetfoot helped him by pouring one tube out with special tongs. Indominus used his flames covered hands to pour out the other tube, and combined the two ingot shaped pieces so he had enough platinum to work with. Surprise held the badge next to him so he could trace it out with his flame covered claws. The other Wonderbolts watched in awe as Indominus carefully traced and sculpted the main outline of the badge with relative ease. He even was delicate in scrapping off any excess metal that got it the way. After he was finished and set the traced out piece down on the block, High Winds got right to work on sculpting the smaller details of the badge before it hardened. It only took her a few minutes to get the finer details done, and when the piece had finally hardened, it looked just like the gold and silver badges, only this one was made out of pure platinum.
To make it look really wonderful, Indominus poured some more of his power on the badge. His energy took away the black color and replaced it with a brighter shade for the platinum. When he was finished, the badge was shining in the light and looked worthy of being on Rainbow Dash.
"Nicely done Indominus, you have some talent at sculpting," said Misty Fly.
"It's a perfect match," Spitfire said as she compared them. "You'd make a fair artist with this kind of skill."
"Nah, I'm not that talented," Indominus said humbly. "So if that's the first part of the gift, what's the second part?"
"That's where Rainbow's uniform comes into play. But let's take it into the sewing room."
Indominus took the platinum badge and grabbed Rainbow's torn up uniform along the way. He brought it to a sewing room where back up uniforms were made, and could see spares hanging along the wall.
"Normally, we have to order in uniforms most of the time, but Silver Lining here has some talent for sewing up damaged uniforms. But for this one, we're going to make some additions to her uniform."
"What do I do for this one?"
"All you need to do is pose for Silver Lining Indominus. Specifically, can you show that form where you had the red spikes?"
"Oh the Guardian state? No problem." Indominus easily tapped into the form and the red markings, wings and spikes appeared on him.
"Good, now can we have a good view of the spikes?"
"Sure." Indominus brought the wings down to his sides and the Wonderbolts could see all of them.
"Perfect, now Silver Lining, do you have what you need?"
"Yes I do Spitfire, now let's make this uniform amazing."
Indominus turned his head to see what the Wonderbolts were up to, and could make out that Silver Lining was patching up Rainbow's uniform and fixing the torn up portions. He was even adding color to the markings on the legs and the underside.
"Oh that looks nice."
"Add a little more there."
"Got it Fleetfoot, and do you think they'll look good?"
"I'm sure she'll be blown away by them," said Spitfire. "Make sure they're durable yet flexible. They have to endure high speeds and not get ripped off."
"Yes boss."
Indominus couldn't peek at what additions they were making to the uniform and had to wait until they were finished. When Silver Lining was finally finished with the uniform, he called Indominus over to have a look at it. Indominus stared in awe at the improved uniform he was holding. The ripped parts had been patched up so well that one couldn't even tell that there had been a rip in the first place. The yellow markings on the legs and underside had been changed to the same red color as his spikes. Speaking of his spikes, Indominus noticed that there were two rows of red spikes along the back.
"Pretty cool aren't they," Spitfire said after seeing the surprised look on the dinosaur's face.
"Those spikes are made of a material durable enough to handle high speeds and flexible enough to bend with the speed and wind," said Silver Lining. Indominus ran his claws gently along the spikes and was surprised by how well they bent down and went right back into place.
"Wow, this is unbelievable."
"I think your girl's gonna love these," said Fleetfoot.
"I'm sure she will too. Thank you guys for making these for Rainbow Dash."
"You helped us as well Indominus, you should also be thanking yourself for making it possible," said Spitfire.
"You're a pretty good dinosaur after all," said High Winds.
"No hard feelings about everything that's happened," asked Misty Fly.
"No hard feelings," Indominus said as he gave them a hoof bump. "So how are you gonna give these to Rainbow Dash?"
"Once you find out where she'll be spending Hearth's Warming Eve, you can tell us where it's being held and we'll bring these with us."
"But what about all the ponies that hate us for what we've done," said Misty.
"I'll tell them that the Princesses gave me permission to invite you ponies along. That way you can avoid being hit by any garbage."
"That's very generous of you, Indominus," said High Winds.
"Well seeing that this didn't take as long as I thought, I'll see you ponies later." Indominus was about to turn around and head out when Spitfire stopped him.
"Actually Indominus, there is one more surprise for you. We went past it on the way here."
"Really, and what would it be?"
"Just follow me."
Spitfire led Indominus back outside with the other Wonderbolts following behind him. When he walked back out and looked across the runway, he was sure that he was seeing things. He saw an enormous obstacle course hanging over the compound in the distance. It had rings made of clouds going through the whole course, machines pumping out massive clouds and giant torrents of wind, a runway on clouds, and massive storm clouds located in certain places. Spitfire guided him over to the runway on the clouds and waited until everyone had touched down before speaking.
"Take a good look Indominus, this is our famous air obstacle course. Its purpose is to focus on a Wonderbolt's precision flying under extreme circumstances."
"Whoa, you Wonderbolts don't take anything lightly."
"Yes well, the obstacle course isn't normally this big," said Surprise.
"The night I asked Princess Luna about you, I also asked her if I could know how big you were. Then over the last few weeks, I've had the obstacle course made bigger to suit someone of your size."
"Wait a minute, you had all of this put on for me? Why go through so much trouble?"
"The truth is, I wanted to see how well you are in flight. Even though Soarin clouded our minds with his hatred, we still remember everything from that fight. It was astounding how fast you moved during that battle."
"We've never seen anyone move as fast as you since Rainbow Dash performed the Sonic Rainboom," said Fleetfoot.
"What do you say Indominus? Will you show us how good you are in the air?"
"Well I can't turn down an offer when you ponies put the blood, sweat and tears into making this course bigger just for me. Alright, I'll take you up on the offer."
"Though do you think you can avoid using any of your power when going through it?"
"Please Spitfire, I don't need to be the Immortal WorldBreaker to go through an obstacle course," Indominus said as he changed back to normal. He walked to the very end of the runway so he would have a running start.
"Ready Indominus?"
"Ready." Spitfire blew her whistle and Indominus took off at a running sprint.
His massive footsteps caused the entire runway to rumble as he raced down the runway. The Wonderbolts had to take flight to avoid his immense body sprinting forward at such a speed for such a huge creature. He spread his wings out as he approached the end of the runway. At forty-five miles per hour, he flew off the runway and headed for the cloud rings. As his body passed through each one, ripples were sent throughout the rings from the combination of Indominus's size and speed.
"Alright Wonderbolts, set up the first obstacle for him."
Indominus heard Spitfire's call and noticed a series of pink lightning clouds heading up towards him. Spitfire watched to see how the dinosaur would react, and he did something she had never seen before. Instead of weaving and dodging the lightning clouds, Indominus was swatting them away, destroying them with his claws or speeding past them. Every cloud that got in his path was smacked away or he just sliced through them, the lightning stored in each cloud didn't even faze him. In her entire time as captain, Spitfire had never seen anyone actually take on the lightning clouds in the obstacle course.
One last storm cloud drifted towards Indominus, and how he disposed of it, blew the Wonderbolts minds. Indominus opened his massive jaws and crunched down on the cloud, causing lightning bolts to scatter away from him as he pressed on. The Wonderbolts stared at Indominus's work with their mouths hanging open in disbelief at how the hybrid dinosaur had handled the first obstacle.
"That's the first time I've ever seen someone actually take on the obstacle instead of weaving around it," said Surprise.
"That's the first time I've ever seen someone EAT a lightning cloud," said Spitfire. "Just what did he go through to allow him to consume storm clouds and lightning?"
"Dwell on it later Spitfire," High Winds said while looking through a telescope by the runway. "He's approaching the giant storm cloud."
"I'm still iffy on whether it was a good idea to have a storm cloud that big for him. That cloud has enough power to take on dragons, lets see how he does."
Indominus went through the last of the rings and dove into the immense storm cloud that had been waiting for him. Inside the storm cloud, Indominus had to maneuver and dodge against the humongous lightning strikes that were all around him. The pounding rain only added to the challenge because it forced him to rely on his thermal vision to avoid his vision becoming blurred while inside the storm cloud. But thanks to the training he had received from Rainbow Dash, Indominus was able to skillfully work his way around the bolts with superb agility. His thermal vision even helped him spot the bolts forming within the clouds, and gave him time to begin maneuvering when the lightning strikes came towards him.
Spitfire could barely make him out in the thick clouds, only getting brief chances to spot him when the clouds got thin. The lightning strikes that went throughout the cloud gave her better chances, and that's when she caught sight of his agility. Spitfire was once again, stunned at the dinosaur's performance within the storm cloud. He was dodging and weaving the bolts like he had been training for years in flight. It didn't even seem like the storm was giving the dinosaur any sort of trouble.
"Just how good is he," said High Winds after seeing Indominus expertly dodge the lightning strikes.
"Only roughly half of the pegasi that try out for the Wonderbolts, have been able to get through storm clouds with such ease. That one is far more intense and too dangerous for a pegasus to get through, and he navigated that thing so easily," said Spitfire as Indominus was nearing the end of the cloud.
"He's coming up on the final leg of the course," said Lightning Strike.
As Indominus breached the storm cloud, he caught sight of the final obstacle. Ahead of him were machines rising and falling while spitting out long streams of strong winds. As Indominus passed underneath one of them, he could feel just the slightest of the strong gusts pummeling his back. It was very strong wind that wouldn't be wise for him to be stubborn and try to power through it. Indominus went to weaving again, this time he was flying over and under the streams of wind like a giant serpent going through an ocean.
Spitfire was too stunned for words again, Indominus was navigating the last part of the course with such agility that it was unreal. Seeing a giant animal like him go over the streams of wind like a serpent, especially when it was his first time going up against the obstacle course. She watched as Indominus cleared the winds with ease and headed back towards the runway. He was coming in so fast that she didn't think he would be able to stop himself. But as Indominus flew onto the runway, he looped upwards to burn up his speed and touched down.
"So, how was that," Indominus asked after touching down on the runway.
He was greeted with the Wonderbolts clapping their hooves for him in applause. Indominus hadn't expected them to be so amazed by him completing the obstacle course.
"That was simply incredible Indominus," said Surprise.
"We've never seen anyone as massive as you go through that course so easily and in such short time," said Fleetfoot.
"Where did you learn to fly like that," Misty Fly asked.
"I did learn everything I know from the one pegasus that taught me."
"I'd say Rainbow Dash did a fine job of teaching you. Though I'm a little surprised that you chose to swat away the lightning clouds at the start of the course," said Spitfire.
"They were part of the course? I thought they were just getting in the way and I was trying to get rid of them. Also, I have experience with absorbing lightning in case you were wondering. That's why I chomped on the last cloud."
"It was a little unorthodox for taking care of clouds, but still effective. With Rainbow's teaching and that kind of skill and agility, you might make a pretty decent Wonderbolt, Indominus."
"Huh, and here I thought I would only ever be a monster."
"But you obviously aren't, said High Wind. "You're a guardian, and one that we're glad we've gotten to know."
"I did enjoy the experience, and now we have Rainbow's Hearth's Warming Eve gift ready for her."
"Promise you won't tell any of this to her?"
"I'm good about keeping secrets, Spitfire. I won't tell her a word of this. Now I'd better get going before she gets curious and decides to come looking for me."
"Alright, and thank you for agreeing to help us with the gifts, and going through the obstacle course for me," Spitfire said as she held out a hoof.
"You're welcome Spitfire," Indominus said as he bumped the hoof with his fist.
The hybrid dinosaur took off from the compound and began making his way home. The Wonderbolts flew back into the compound and gathered up the gifts. Spitfire could hardly believe that Indominus had actually helped them make the glimmering platinum badge that was laying on top of the patched up and improved uniform.
"She was right all along Spitfire, Indominus isn't a monster at all," said Surprise.
"I know, and I can't believe that we have the gifts to give her, all because he was willing to help," Spitfire said while looking over the badge. Fleetfoot saw that her boss had a curious look in her eyes.
"I've seen that look boss, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking, I'll pay Princess Luna another visit and show her this work. After all that I've seen, I think that I may have found Soarin's replacement. You ponies go relax in the mess hall, I've got an errand to run."
"Sure thing boss."
Spitfire took off towards Canterlot once again, with the badge and uniform in her hooves. She was eager for Luna to see how Indominus had helped them make Rainbow's Hearth's Warming Eve gifts. In only a month's time, Spitfire and the Wonderbolts would be presenting Rainbow with a surprise that she had no idea was getting prepared for her.