//------------------------------// // Protection // Story: Family of a Lifetime // by TyrannosaurusVenom //------------------------------// Unknown to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, Sheer Cold and Spoiled Rotten had followed their joyous laughter all the way to the cloud mansion. Now both pegasi were underneath the mansion, planning their next move against their own daughter and her idol. "So, now that we know where she is, what's our next move going to be?" asked Sheer Cold. "Well, the best chance we'll have is when Rainbow Crash takes her to school for the day. We'll abduct her and have Rainbow follow us to a secluded area far from Ponyville. Then once she's followed us there, we awaken the dragon and have it destroy her in front of Scootaloo. Once her idol is dead, we'll send Black Death to slaughter everypony in Ponyville. After it's all over, that worthless chicken will never have the gall to argue with us again." Spoiled Rotten had everything planned out, she was certain that abducting Scootaloo would draw Rainbow Dash to them. They would have their project destroy Rainbow Dash far from where anypony could help her. The evil pegasus was certain that her plan would work. but she had overlooked one important detail. Neither pegasus was aware that while they were spying on the surrogate siblings, they were being spied on themselves. Of all the places Sheer Cold and Spoiled Rotten could've picked, they chose the area where Indominus and Tyrannosaurus Rex had hidden themselves. Both dinosaurs could hear what the pegasi were going on about, and their plans for Scootaloo. It angered them both to see Scootaloo's parents plotting to kidnap their own daughter and use her as bait. Indominus had an especially vengeful anger with all the bonding he had witnessed over the course of the day. He wanted to take action, but couldn't risk exposing himself to a couple of scoundrels. "I can hardly wait to see how badly the poor chicken will cry from watching her hero burn to ashes," said Spoiled Rotten with such malice that Indominus had to grit his teeth in anger. The hybrid couldn't just sit and wait as he camouflaged his skin and began to silently walk towards the pair. His clawed feet were padded with extra skin so his approach could remain silent despite his massive size. The clouds blocked out the moonlight, so Indominus's massive shape couldn't be seen against the sky either. He was practically invisible in the night, and neither pegasus knew he was closing in behind them. He was almost within reach when the pegasi took to the air and flew up to the bedroom window. Sheer Cold and Spoiled Rotten could look through the window and see the honorary sisters sleeping together in the bed. Spoiled Rotten was disgusted at the bond that Rainbow and Scootaloo shared. "That worthless pony doesn't deserve to be with anypony, especially some Wonderbolt wannabe. We wouldn't have to resort to such measures if she had never made friends. That pointless excuse for a pegasus would've been better off alone and miserable. It would've made handling the meaningless task of raising her much easier." Hearing such spiteful words brought fury into the hybrid's heart. He didn't think it was possible for such hateful creatures to exist in a peaceful world. Indominus remained silent long enough to hear Spoiled Rotten whisper one sentence that shattered his self control. "Just you wait you pathetic child, you'll be with your precious hero again when we have to sick Black Death on you and have him shred you to pieces." At that point Indominus reached up and grabbed both pegasi by the tails in his mouth. He dragged them away from the window and began shaking them violently in his jaws. Both pegasi were shaken about like bodies caught in a churning tsunami. Indominus flung the scoundrels towards the ground with such force that their bodies bounced upon impact. With a deadly glare in his eyes, Indominus was going to make sure that Scootaloo's parents suffered. Sheer Cold's head was pounding from the force of the impact, and Spoiled Rotten was faring no better. They couldn't see Indominus because he was camouflaged so well, and that prevented them from retaliating. Then Indominus did something unexpected, he bellowed a massive roar under the mansion. He was counting on his roar to alert the siblings within, and it woke them both up. Indominus wanted to get Rainbow Dash's attention, so she could know what was going down outside her home. The loud echoes of Indominus's roar startled both Rainbow and Scootaloo awake. They both went right to the window to find the source of the noise. They didn't see Indominus because he was under the mansion, but Scootaloo saw the colors of her parents in the moonlight. She cowered away from the window and it made Rainbow Dash concerned. "Scootaloo, what's gotten you so scared?" "It's my parents Rainbow Dash, they're outside. They came here to spy on us. They've probably planned out how to kill me and when to unleash their project." Rainbow became enraged at what she was hearing. Those ponies had the nerve to scheme against their daughter, and planned to kill her? Now it was time for action, to show both pegasi who they were dealing with. "Scootaloo," Rainbow said in a soft yet serious voice. "Do not leave this room, I'll be right back after I take care of those two." Rainbow Dash took flight out the window and began speeding towards where Sheer Cold and Spoiled Rotten had landed. Scootaloo couldn't resist looking out the window to see her idol in action. Both pegasi spotted the rainbow mare heading straight for them, but they barely got five feet off the ground before Rainbow rammed Spoiled Rotten back into it. Rainbow had the light green mare pinned, and was trying her best to hold back her rage. "Where do you get the nerve to treat your own daughter this way?" Rainbow was using a tremendous deal of restraint to not beat the absolute heck out of Spoiled Rotten. The pegasus just simply laughed at Rainbow Dash. "How we handle raising our daughter is none of your business. Besides, she'll be dead soon, along with you and this entire town." Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and prepared to strike Spoiled Rotten, but was held back by Sheer Cold. "Our project will lay waste to this world, and nopony can stop it. Not you, not Twilight, not even Celestia can stop our monster." Sheer Cold was about to strike Rainbow Dash when he felt a horrible pain in the leg he was going to use. All three pegasi could only make out a mouth full of deadly teeth that had clamped down on Sheer Cold's free hoof. Indominus hated the taste of the pony in his mouth, but it didn't matter as he yanked the pegasus away from Rainbow Dash. The hybrid threw the dark brown colt off to the left, and then went off to keep him distracted. Rainbow Dash was awestruck at the creature that had saved her, even though she couldn't see him. Scootaloo had seen what happened and she was left in awe herself at what Indominus had done. He had gone and defended Rainbow Dash from being attacked. The act of bravery made Scootaloo wonder just how much Indominus had truly seen over the course of the day. Had he really seen so much bonding between both ponies that he felt the same need to protect Rainbow Dash? It was a question that would have to wait, because both Rainbow and Indominus were busy. Rainbow Dash resumed what she was going to do and smacked Spoiled Rotten right across the face. "Why are you doing this to Scootaloo? TELL ME!!" The answer that Rainbow Dash got made her blood boil over. Spoiled Rotten looked at her with a bloody nose and gave her response in a stone cold voice. "Because we never cared about that useless chicken. She has been nothing but a hindrance in our lives. We were better off until that pile of whining orange fluff was born." She was raising her voice on purpose so that Scootaloo could hear every gut wrenching word. "We never wanted to be parents, she was never supposed to be born in the first place. High society pegasi like us don't need a daughter, especially one that can't even-" Spoiled Rotten was cut off as Rainbow Dash dealt her another hard blow to the face. Rainbow then grabbed her by the throat and brought her up til they were eye to eye. Then Rainbow Dash spoke in a tone that sounded like Death was speaking to the ignorant pegasus. "Don't you ever talk about Scootaloo that way. She is the most amazing filly I've ever met. Every day she makes me more proud of her with all the progress she has made in her training. She is going to be a great flyer and I can promise you this." Rainbow Dash spoke loud and clear to make sure that Scootaloo heard every word. "SHE IS ONE THOUSAND TIMES THE PEGASUS YOU FOOLS WILL EVER BE, AND I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE IN HER BECAUSE SHE IS MY SISTER!" Rainbow Dash threw the arrogant pegasus in the direction of where her husband had landed. She could see Sheer Cold flying and dodging something that was trying to attack him. Rainbow Dash could only see parts of Indominus's shape, but she couldn't tell if he was a threat to her and Scootaloo . With Spoiled Rotten on the ground in a crumpled heap, Rainbow decided to offer the camouflaged dinosaur a helping hoof to test his loyalty. Indominus was trying to attack Sheer Cold, but the colt was dodging and weaving out of the hybrid's every move. Sheer Cold had just dodged one of Indominus's arms when Rainbow Dash zoomed towards him and dealt him a swift uppercut. The attack stunned the colt long enough for Indominus to smack him with his claws. The attack sent Sheer Cold smashing into the ground, and it gave Rainbow Dash time to try and spot the creature that was helping her. She could make out one of Indominus's eyes and the slit pupil stared right back at her. The mare and dinosaur just stood in silence looking into each other's eyes. Then Rainbow decided to try and talk to the camouflaged creature. She spoke in a calm and gentle voice so she wouldn't sound like a threat to Indominus. "You're the one who roared and alerted me and Scootaloo to these pests, aren't you?" As Indominus nodded his head, Rainbow had to struggle to contain her surprised reaction. She was both surprised and excited that such a creature could understand her, and was looking out for her and Scootaloo's safety. "Thank you for looking after me and especially Scootaloo." Rainbow slowly got closer to Indominus's face, and put her hoof out towards him. Despite not being able to see Indominus completely, Rainbow could tell when she felt her hoof press against the hybrid's scaly skin. She also saw the gentle look in Indominus's eyes as she ran her hoof across his face. But then she remembered the task that needed to be dealt with, and got an idea. "Say, would you be up for helping me drive these pests away?" Indominus looked back toward the bruised rats that were Scootaloo's parents. Their hateful words echoed throughout his mind, and reawakened the vengeful anger in his heart. Those tyrants said they never cared about Scootaloo and said she was never supposed to be born. Indominus bellowed a low, deadly roar at the scoundrels and Rainbow saw the moonlight shine on the hybrid's teeth. "Alright, let's show these arrogant ponies what we're made of." Indominus and Rainbow Dash charged toward Scootaloo's parents. The pegasi tried to fly away, but Rainbow nailed Spoiled Rotten in the back and Indominus smacked Sheer Cold away with his head. Indominus seized the pegasus by the tail and began smashing him into the ground, while Rainbow Dash continued to pound Spoiled Rotten. At some point, Indominus tossed Sheer Cold over to Rainbow Dash and she smacked Spoiled Rotten over to him. Throughout all the pounding, Tyrannosaurus was watching every move and moment. He noticed that Indominus and Rainbow's attacks were perfectly synchronized. Their every motion and blow moved in perfect sync with each other. It was like two warriors engaged in a fierce ballet as one body and soul. But neither of them were aiming to kill Scootaloo's parents. They were aiming to deal out their vengeance and give those arrogant ponies a reason to leave Scootaloo alone. Indominus and Rainbow finished their beating by punching both pegasi away and making them collide with each other. Sheer Cold and Spoiled Rotten had difficulty getting back on their hooves, they had been beaten far more severely than they thought. Rainbow Dash walked right up to the pounded ponies and gave them a warning. "Let that be a lesson to you both. The next time you threaten Scootaloo, I can promise you the fight will be far more gruesome." Yet despite all the pain they had been dealt, both pegasi just laughed. "It doesn't matter Rainbow Crash, you can beat us all you want, but you'll never be able to stop our project." "What project are you ponies talking about?" "We're not going to tell you everything before the time is right," Sheer Cold said. "However, we'll give you one little hint to keep you up at night. It has been in this family for years, passed down through the generations, and it was enough to scare the great Princess Celestia. Our project is a dragon, named Black Death." Rainbow and Indominus charged the pegasi and dealt them both brutal uppercuts. The attacks sent Scootaloo's parents careening into the distance, leaving Rainbow Dash with plenty to ponder. Everything Twilight had told her was true, those pegasi did have control over the same dragon that devastated Equestria. They could summon it at any time and the world would be at its mercy. It didn't matter at the moment, because Rainbow was sure that Scootaloo was emotionally broken after everything she had heard. Before she went back into her home, she turned around to face Indominus. "What you did tonight, was one of the bravest acts I've ever seen. I had no idea that there were gentle giants like you in our world." The rainbow mare got nervous as Indominus got closer to her. Rainbow found herself blushing when she felt Indominus nuzzle her face. It was so strange to be shown such affection by a creature that she had only met, yet it felt comforting. "I've got to see how Scootaloo's doing, but I hope that I get to see what you truly look like one day." Indominus gave Rainbow Dash a wink and let out his roar before he made his way back into the forest. Rainbow Dash was left bewildered as she made her way back to the bedroom window. She didn't know what to make of Indominus's affection, it was bizarre and at the same time warming. To know that there were animals that were looking out for her and Scootaloo gave her troubled mind some leisure. Perhaps there would be a way to stop Scootaloo's parents after all. But the second she looked through the window, her wonder turned into deep concern. Scootaloo was curled up on the bed, and crying her eyes out like never before. She had heard every malevolent word that her mother had bellowed at Rainbow Dash. It had torn her little heart to shreds, and it was Rainbow's job to comfort the poor filly in her time of need. "Scootaloo, I'm so sorry you had to hear all of that," Rainbow said gently as she held the trembling filly. "They never loved me, nopony will ever truly love. I was just an accident in their eyes." Rainbow Dash just held Scootaloo tighter and stroked her mane as she tried to comfort the sad little pegasus. The poor filly's emotions had been devastated by the ones that had raised her. Her emotional security was in shambles and she was certain that nopony would ever love her for real. That's when Rainbow did something she had never done before: she sang to Scootaloo. It was a small song she had heard in her childhood, and it helped during her darkest nights. Rainbow Dash began to sing in a voice that a true mother would've been proud of. Hearing Rainbow's soothing voice helped calm Scootaloo down. She looked into the eyes of her idol and saw the most kind and sincere face staring back at her. Scootaloo buried her face in Rainbow's chest and just breathed softly. "T-thank y-you, Rainbow Dash," was all Scootaloo could manage to say. Rainbow bent down and whispered the most beautiful words Scootaloo had ever heard. "I love you Scootaloo, it doesn't matter what they say, I will always love you." The filly was at a complete loss for words. Her idol had just made one of her greatest wishes come true. All she could do was snuggle against Rainbow Dash while her idol continued to gently stroke her mane. After a few minutes of much needed comfort, Scootaloo started getting sleepy. Rainbow pulled Scootaloo in and draped a wing over her before pulling the covers over them both. Scootaloo had never felt so at peace before, now she knew how much Rainbow Dash truly cared for her. The comfort of Rainbow's love eventually soothed Scootaloo into a peaceful slumber. Rainbow Dash drifted off into her own slumber while listening to Scootaloo's soft breathing. The surrogate siblings slept peacefully that night, dreaming of a future where the troubles were over and they had the happiness they wanted. Outside the mansion, at the edge of the forest, Indominus and Tyrannosaurus were taking turns keeping a lookout. Neither of them were taking any chances after Scootaloo's parents had spied on the honorary siblings. When they heard Rainbow sing to Scootaloo, Tyrannosaurus couldn't help but notice that Indominus had the most calm and serene look on his face. Almost like he was thinking about Rainbow Dash and the experience they had shared in fighting together. Being around Scootaloo's idol had left quite an impression on him, and he yearned to be Scootaloo's family more than ever. Indominus eventually drifted off to sleep while Tyrannosaurus kept watch. The hybrid had quite the experience, and he needed some rest. T-Rex was left to wonder what the future would hold for them now that events were being set in motion.