//------------------------------// // Bonding with Applejack // Story: Family of a Lifetime // by TyrannosaurusVenom //------------------------------// The dinosaurs eagerly awaited their day of bonding with Applejack as they raced Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to the schoolhouse. They arrived at the school in their usual flashy entrance, but they were surprised to find that only Sweetie Belle was waiting for them. Applebloom was nowhere in sight, and it made the dinosaurs nervous. It wasn't like one of the Crusaders to be absent after they had just seen her yesterday. "Sweetie Belle, where's Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked. "I don't know Scootaloo, I've been waiting here by myself the whole time. Not even Applejack showed up to explain why." This made Rainbow and Scootaloo worried, but the sound of the school bell caught their attention. Scootaloo had school to deal with and Rainbow had her job at the weather factory. They couldn't check up on Applejack, so they asked the dinosaurs a small favor. "Boys, do you think you can go by Sweet Apple Acres and check up on Applejack? If something came up that's caused your day of bonding to be cancelled, let us know ok?" The dinosaurs nodded their heads, and the pegasi left for the day. Suddenly Charlie perked her head up and began sniffing the air. Something had caught her attention, so Blue, Echo and Delta tried to sniff out what had alarmed their sister. They each picked up on a scent that sent all the raptors into aggressive mode. Indominus and Tyrannosaurus picked up on the scent as well, and they realized that something bad was happening to Applejack and her sister. It was a scent that they had picked up on during their first few days in the Everfree. The raptors made a beeline into the forest with the Rexes right behind them. The scent was coming from the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, and it wasn't a good scent. Luckily, the raptors knew the way after they had escorted Applejack back the day before their infamous judgement day. The trees started clearing ahead of them and gave way to hills that led to Sweet Apple Acres. At any other time the dinosaurs would've been glad to see Applejack, but now there was fear in the air. Applejack and her family were under attack from an enemy the dinosaurs had crossed many times. Thirty or forty Timberwolves were attacking Applejack and her family. The dinosaurs could see that the ponies were doing their best to fight off the wolves, but their numbers were too great. The Apple family was going to be overwhelmed unless they got help. The dinosaurs made their way out of the forest and down the hill to assist the ponies. "C'mon Apples, we've gotta keep fending em' off." "We're tryin' Applejack, but they just keep on coming. Big Mac, ya gotta chuck more barrels at em." "I'm tryin'." Between holding off the wolves and keeping her family safe, Applejack was getting worn out. Despite the best efforts from her, Applebloom and Big Mac, the Timberwolves were winning the fight. They needed a miracle to pull through such a disaster. The wolves encircled the ponies, trapping them and closed in for the kill. Four of the wolves in the front zeroed in on Applejack, their mouths drooling and getting ready to lunge at her. Applejack braced herself for the attack when suddenly- CRUNCH!!! The wolves found themselves crushed in Tyrannosaurus's jaws, he shook the remains and tossed them aside. Indominus appeared alongside him and used his massive claws to crush plenty of the other wolves surrounding the Apple family. The raptors sprung off the rexes' backs and ambushed the remaining wolves, causing the rest of the group to back away. The dinosaurs took on a defensive circle around the Apples and began snarling at the Timberwolves. "Tyrannosaurus, Indominus, Raptors, boy are we glad to see you guys," said Applebloom. "I don't know how ya'll found out about this, but ah'm sure glad ya'll are here. Now let's drive these wolves outta here." Together, the dinosaurs and Apples began forcing the Timberwolves back into the forest. With the additional support of the dinosaurs, none of the wolves could get close enough for an attack. One wolf in the back of the group however, found an opening right in-between Blue and Charlie. The wolf leaped between the two raptors, striking Charlie across the face and grabbed AppleBloom on the leg. The wolf tossed AppleBloom aside before it was crushed by Indominus. Six wolves split from the group and went after the defenseless filly. The rest found themselves assaulted by the enraged dinosaurs and two furious siblings. Applejack tried to get to her sister, but Timberwolves were blocking her and Big Mac at every chance. The dinosaurs realized that Applejack wouldn't be able to get to her sister before she became wolf chow. Tyrannosaurus was about to break away to rescue AppleBloom, but one of the raptors beat him to the punch. Charlie broke away from her sisters and went speeding towards AppleBloom. The Timberwolves tried to block her path, but the raptor just lowered her head and barreled through all of them. The six wolves were about to eat AppleBloom when Charlie's loud roar caught them off guard. They turned to see the raptor heading right for them, roaring her heart out and baring her sharp teeth. Charlie bulldozed her way through the Timberwolves until she was standing between AppleBloom and one lone wolf. It was a standoff, one that would be decided by who budged first. Charlie refused to leave her position, she stood her ground in front of AppleBloom and roaring in the wolf's face. The Timberwolf tried to intimidate Charlie with its own roars, but Charlie would not budge. She was determined to protect AppleBloom no matter what. The filly felt safe with Charlie protecting her, but AppleBloom wasn't the only one taking notice of Charlie's sudden boldness. Blue had taken notice as well, and ignored the wolves so she could see how her youngest sister would handle such a situation. Charlie had no experience with protecting an innocent pony, so it was a true test for the youngest member of the raptor pack. Blue wanted to see what her sister would do when confronted with a situation of such a degree. Then the wolves heard something that made them freeze: the sound of one of their own being strangled. The dinosaurs, Applejack and Big Mac all turned to see what had happened. Charlie had grabbed the wolf by the neck with her claws and was crushing the throat. The Timberwolf choked out a weak growl, and tried to hold off the raptor. Charlie bared her many teeth as she opened her maw, and clamped down on the wolf's head. Unlike Indominus and T-Rex, she didn't crush the head, instead she ripped it away from the neck. The body crumbled and turned to sticks and Charlie growled in victory. The raptor motioned for AppleBloom to get on her back, and the filly climbed on board. She wrapped her front legs around Charlie's neck and the two of them were ready to move. However, they found themselves surrounded by the five other wolves that had regenerated themselves. The group was closing in on Charlie and AppleBloom, when the raptor got an idea. She backed up to get more room between her and the wolves, then she sprinted forward. The wolves rushed toward them, ready to lunge and attack, but they had played right into Charlie's claws. Just as the Timberwolves lunged at her, Charlie leaped into the air. The height from her vertical jump cleared all of the Timberwolves, and they collided with each other. Their bodies shattered on impact and it allowed Charlie to bring AppleBloom back over to her family. The raptor sped back towards the group, ready to finally drive the wolves out. The dinosaurs had gone back to smashing the Timberwolves after they had seen Charlie flat out destroy the lone wolf. Applejack and Big Mac had rejoined the fight and were smashing Timberwolves left and right. The wolves were struggling to fight back, but they couldn't gain any ground on the carnivores. They were about to try and attack again, but something caught them all by surprise. Charlie leaped onto Rexy's back and then appeared in front of the wolves, baring her teeth and snarling. The raptor boldly stepped towards the Timberwolves, with AppleBloom still on her back. The wolves felt intimidated by Charlie's presence. She didn't seem like the young inexperienced raptor that Blue had known for so long, she acted like a determined protector. One wolf stepped forward and tried to get Charlie to back down, but the raptor refused to budge. The wolf went for an attack instead, but it only brought the creature's doom. Charlie caught the wolf with her claws, and ripped its head off again. When the body crumbled, Charlie dropped the head and stepped on it. She advanced forward while walking on the timberwolf's remains, and bellowed a deep growl that sounded close to Indominus. The growl startled all of the timberwolves, and they began to retreat. All of the timberwolves turned tail and ran back into the Everfree, now frightened by the boldness of a single raptor. Once the wolves had all left, Charlie let AppleBloom off her back and turned around to look at the others. Applejack and her brother had looks that were combinations of astonishment and gratefulness. The rexes were amazed at how Charlie had displayed such ferocity and protected AppleBloom so well. Blue was the first to step forward, she had an unreadable look on her face. Charlie prepared herself for whatever punishment Blue might have had. Charlie had abandoned her pack in the middle of the fight, a raptor never split from the pack. The young raptor braced herself for a painful bite, but was surprised when Blue nuzzled her instead. Blue wasn't punishing Charlie, she was praising her for how well she had performed under pressure. She had driven away a pack of Timberwolves, and kept AppleBloom safe in the process. Such a noble feat was worthy of praise from the leader of the Raptor Squad, and Charlie returned the gesture. Delta and Echo joined in congratulating their little sister on a job well done. They were immensely proud of the great warrior their youngest sibling had become. It was hard for the pack to believe, but their youngest member was growing up. When the raptors were done congratulating Charlie, Applejack walked over to give her thanks. Her voice was a little shaky from everything she had seen. "Charlie, what ya did back there was so brave. Ya put yer life on the line to rescue AppleBloom, my little sister. I can't begin to tell ya how grateful Ah am for yer act of bravery." Applejack was so touched that she went and hugged Charlie. The raptor lowered her head and nuzzled Applejack in return. AppleBloom joined in by hoping on Applejack's back and hugging Charlie's face. "No matter what anypony says, you'll always be welcome with us," AppleBloom said while hugging her savior. Charlie was overwhelmed with so much joy that she lifted her head into the sky and bellowed a loud , yet delighted roar. "They sure are somethin' aren't they Big Mac?" "Eeyup." "Alright everypony, now that the danger has passed, how about we get you to school AppleBloom?" "Aw, do I have to go sis?" "Yes, despite what happened, you still have school little sis. We'll explain what happened and I'm sure Miss Cheerliee will understand." "Ah know, but I wanted to spend more time with our saviors." "You'll get to spend time with them after school when they join you, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo on another cutie mark escapade." "Oh okay." Charlie licked AppleBloom's face to show that she still intended to spend time with the little filly. "Alright Big Mac, we're taking AppleBloom to school, you go inside and tell Granny Smith that the wolves are gone. We'll have a proper meeting when we get back alright?" "Eeyup." The dinosaurs escorted the Apple siblings to the schoolhouse. They weren't going to take any chances after the wolf attack. When they arrived, Miss Cheerliee looked disappointed that AppleBloom was over an hour late to school. Then she saw the bite marks on AppleBloom's hoof and got concerned. "What happened Applejack?" "We got attacked by a huge pack of timberwolves Miss Cheerilee. That's why we were so late in getting here, thankfully the dinosaurs came by just in time to help us. If it weren't for them, Ah don't know what would've happened." Miss Cheerilee noticed that the dinosaurs were looking inside the window, and it confirmed what Applejack had said was true. So she decided not to write AppleBloom up for her tardy arrival. Applejack bid her goodbyes to her sister and guided the dinosaurs back to the barn. "What a way to start off our day of bondin' huh dinosaurs." All of them nodded their heads on the back. "It was still a great way for all of us to work together and for AppleBloom to bond with ya'll." When they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres again, they found Big Mac with Granny Smith out by the barn. The elder pony looked terrified as the dinosaurs got close to the barn, but Big Mac didn't flinch. He respected them since they had not only driven away timberwolves, but had kept the Apple family safe too. Applejack decided to break the ice by getting the introductions underway. "Applejack, who are these creatures?" "Granny Smith, these are the ones that helped drive out the timberwolves." Applejack gestured to each of the dinosaurs as she introduced them to her grandma. "These are the Guardians of Equestria: Charlie, Delta, Echo, Blue, Indominus Rex and Tyrannosaurus Rex." The dinosaurs gave low, soft growls so they wouldn't terrify the older pony. Applejack motioned for Charlie to stand by her so she could give the raptor some special recognition. "Charlie here, risked her life to save AppleBloom when she got attacked by a bunch of those wolves. This raptor jumped into the face of danger and saved my sister, she has earned a special place in my heart." Granny Smith slowly made her way towards Charlie. The raptor lowered her head and took a submissive position to show the elderly pony that she wasn't a threat. The pony and dinosaur looked into each others eyes before Granny Smith spoke to Charlie. "Youngin,' you have just done a very brave and honorable deed. Ah can tell that you are a brave and loyal soul. You and yer family are always welcome with us from here on out. As a reward for yer bravery, how would ya'll like to help us whip up a batch of fresh apple cider?" The dinosaurs liked the idea of trying some of the Apple family's delicacies, and they nodded their heads. So the family guided the dinosaurs to their apple orchards, and showed them how the whole process worked. Tyrannosaurus helped Applejack knock down the apples from the trees, Indominus carried the baskets over to Granny Smith. Delta, Charlie and Echo were helping her separate the good and bad apples, while Blue helped Big Mac run the machine that turned the apples into cider. Even though the dinosaurs were working, they were bonding with Applejack in a unique way. They were cooperating with Applejack and her whole family, and they were enjoying each moment making the cider. When all the work was done, they had filled four barrels of apple cider. Applejack set the fourth one aside for Rainbow Dash, just like she had promised. Applejack poured a pitcher for each member of the family and the raptors, Tyrannosaurus and Indominus each got a barrel for themselves. "Bottoms up everypony, here's to a good day of bonding." The dinosaurs dipped the tips of their mouths into the cider and took a gulp. The sweet taste was just as grand as the fritters that Scootaloo had brought them. They scratched their stomach happily, and went back to drinking the cider. Applejack was delighted to see the dinosaurs so happy, so she decided to whip up a bunch of apple treats for them to try. After the dinosaurs had finished their cider, they nuzzled each member of the Apple family to show how much they appreciated the delicious drink. Next thing they knew, Applejack was bringing out dozens of treats for them to try. They weren't sure about trying so many different foods, but considering they hadn't hunted yet and the generosity Applejack was giving them, they couldn't turn her down. They devoured so many pies, apples, cakes and other tangy treats that they didn't feel like they needed to hunt later on. The carnivores liked the new treats, but they still preferred the taste of flesh and a good apple fritter. They spent their day with Applejack learning about the history of her family and all the traditions they did. She even brought up how she and AppleBloom competed in the Sisterhooves Social each year. She told the dinosaurs how it was an obstacle course for siblings to compete in, and mentioned that they could possibly compete with Rainbow and Scootaloo once they became a family. The dinosaurs liked the sound of a competition where they could compete as a family. They especially liked the tradition of preparing the zap apple jam. They would have to make a trip back to Sweet Apple Acres when the time came. Before they left to meet up with the CMC, the dinosaurs nuzzled Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applejack for all they had done, and for being so accepting. Indominus carried the final barrel of apple cider with him so he could give it Rainbow Dash when he saw her. When the bell rang and the fillies got out of school, they were delighted to see the dinosaurs again. They were about to leave when Applejack got Indominus's attention. "Say Indominus, why don't cha take that cider over to Rainbow's place?" Rainbow's eyes widened at the idea, but something occurred to her. "Uh Applejack, how can he get the cider into my house if he can't fly or walk on clouds?" "Just ask Twilight for that spell that allowed us to walk on clouds during the young flyers competition." "Oh, well I suppose that could work." Applejack smiled to herself, she really intended to give the two some more time together. The dinosaurs bid their farewells to Applejack and T-Rex and the raptors followed the Crusaders to their clubhouse. Indominus accompanied Rainbow Dash over to Twilight's library for the spell. The whole way to the library, Rainbow kept on looking into Indominus's eyes. She felt such a strong spirit lurking behind those crimson, slit pupils. When they got to the library, Twilight had to contain her giggles from seeing the dreamy look on Rainbow's face. "Anything I can help you with Rainbow Dash, or am I interrupting something between you two?" The question brought Rainbow out of her gaze and back to reality. "Oh, uh, why are we here again? Oh yeah! Indominus wanted to bring some cider Applejack made, but he needs help getting it into my home. Can you give him the same spell that you gave the others during the young flyers competition?" "Of course I can. Coming right up." Twilight went back into the library to remember the spell, and returned in a jiffy. Instead of casting the spell on Indominus, she put it into a ball of magic for him to eat. Indominus knew what she had in mind, and easily swallowed the spell. Rainbow was a little confused, but proceeded to guide Indominus to her cloud mansion. As the couple left, Twilight thought to herself. "Oh Rainbow Dash, if you only knew how much I just helped bring you and Indominus closer together." When they arrived at Rainbow's cloudominium, she gathered a bunch of clouds so they could be used as steps for Indominus. Indominus didn't think the spell Twilight had given him would work, he was sure the cloud would dissipate under his immense weight. The moment he touched the cloud, he found that he was able to stand on it. He slowly made his way up the steps to Rainbow's home, while applying the shrinking spell so he could fit through the front door. When Rainbow opened the door for him, Indominus found himself amazed at how grand it was. The inside of Rainbow Dash's mansion was nothing like he thought, it was much better. Rainbow noticed the amazed look in Indominus's eyes. "Quite a lot to take in, isn't it?" Indominus nodded his head in response. "You can set the cider in the kitchen." Indominus set the barrel down by the oven and was ready to make his way back to the crusaders. Before he could leave, Rainbow had something she wanted to tell him. "Indominus, before you leave, there's something you need to know." Rainbow looked nervous, but she continued to talk while Indominus listened to every word. "You know that I've wanted you and the other dinosaurs to be a family with me and Scootaloo right?" Indominus nodded. "Well, that means I would love for all of you to live in here with me and Scootaloo. It would make us the family that Scootaloo has been in need of for so many years." Indominus smiled in delight, he could inform the others and get them in on it to make that wish a reality. He licked Rainbow's face happily and decided to take that matter into his own claws. He left Rainbow's home, with a personal mission to deal with. He would have plenty to tell the others when the week started again. As he made his way towards the clubhouse, Indominus remembered that tomorrow would be the day he and the other dinosaurs would bond with Rainbow Dash. Given that there wouldn't be any school, they could bond with Scootaloo as well. It was the day he and Tyrannosaurus had been looking forward to. They could truly bond with the ponies that had given them another chance at life. It brought a toothy smile on his face as he wondered what kind of day Rainbow had in mind for bonding with the dinosaurs.