Three months had passed since the Grand Galloping Gala had come to Canterlot and Indominus and Rainbow had made their agreement. Scootaloo was incredibly grateful that her hybrid savior and surrogate sister had put her before themselves. They had promised to get to know each other over the course of a year, and Indominus was glad for all the quality time. It truly gave him a look at what Rainbow Dash was really like. His pegasus fiance was something special alright.
Ever since the dinosaurs had gotten their powers back and had received their own pair of wings, Rainbow was determined to get them flying. She wanted all of them to be amazing flyers like Scootaloo and herself. Blue and her girls didn't see flying as something that could help them much, but they didn't want to hurt Rainbow or Scootaloo's feelings. Especially after the two of them had allowed the dinosaurs to live in their home. For Tyrannosaurus and Indominus however, learning to fly gave them more time with their beloved pegasi.
Tyrannosaurus learned under Scootaloo's tutelage, since she had learned everything from Rainbow Dash. Using the wings was still strange to him, but his little practice at the Gala had allowed him to get used to it more easily. He was able to get off the ground easily, and could keep pace with Scootaloo at moderate speeds. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep pace with her when she started going near Rainbow's speed.
"I don't know Scootaloo, how am I going to get fast like you and Rainbow Dash?" T-Rex asked after he landed and was panting from the training. Scootaloo put a hoof on Tyrannosaurus's shoulder.
"It's ok T-Rex, this is something that takes time to perfect. Believe me," Scootaloo said as she looked over at Rainbow Dash who was flying with Indominus. "I've been there myself."
Tyrannosaurus might've been having difficulty in going fast, but Indominus was having no such trouble. He had gotten used to flying more quickly than T-Rex, and was pushing himself as hard as he could every time Rainbow trained him. She was pushing the hybrid to use all the strength he could put into his wings. Rainbow Dash wanted to make Indominus into an incredibly skilled flyer, she knew he had the potential and wanted to see it. His determination to prove his worth to her kept him going, and it got Rainbow Dash to test his very stamina.
So with Scootaloo training T-Rex, she decided to take Indominus through a chase across plains, above the trees and over mountains.
"Come on Indominus, show me the flyer that lurks behind those scales," Rainbow called out to Indominus over the thunderous claps of his wings.
"I'll show you what I can do Rainbow!"
Indominus beat his wings and the sound of a thousand lightning strikes followed as Indominus pursued Rainbow Dash through a mountain pass. He followed after Rainbow Dash, maneuvering and weaving past every obstacle that came his way while following her rainbow trail. At one point, Indominus was able to bring his face right alongside Rainbow's so that they were flying completely parallel with each other. All the while, Scootaloo and the rest of the family were watching the race from above.
"Go Rainbow Dash!"
"Show her what you can do Indominus!"
Trying to keep pace with Rainbow was putting a tough strain on Indominus's body. The velocity he was struggling to maintain while flying through the pass and dodging the mountains was a taxing ordeal. The hybrid wasn't used to the intense speed Rainbow Dash was putting out. Everything around him was nothing more than a blur as he followed his fiance through the chase. Then Rainbow Dash began to pull ahead and gained a few feet on Indominus.
Her endurance was far greater than Indominus's in terms of flight. She could handle the turns and blinding speeds far more easily than her hybrid lover. His sheer determination was the only thing keeping him going and from giving up. She had to commend him for his bravery and guts to keep up the chase. Up ahead, Rainbow Dash spotted a massive mountain ahead of them. She called out to Indominus to get his attention.
"Heads up Indominus, we're about to go skyward!"
Indominus noticed the mountain ahead, and began to angle himself. Rainbow Dash was already angling herself at an upward incline to clear the mountain. It took Indominus just one giant flap to get into the same angle as Rainbow. Both of them strained to pull their bodies back as they worked their way up the side of the mountain. Indominus's tail smashed the tip of the mountain as he and Rainbow went right into the sky and cleared the area.
The chase didn't end there, Rainbow led Indominus into a deep dive that regained the speed they had lost in the climb. Both of them expanded their wings just above the tree tops, Indominus's foot claws shredded the trees as he got parallel with Rainbow again. This time, he was going to pull ahead of his fiance, and stay there. Against the extreme velocity, Indominus managed to flap his wings one more time, but this time he started spinning like a corkscrew.
The bizarre maneuver took Rainbow Dash by surprise, and incredibly, it allowed Indominus to pull ahead of her and he took over. Rainbow had to maneuver wildly to avoid Indominus's massive tail going in all directions as he led them into another climb. He looped back around and started heading back towards Scootaloo and the other dinosaurs. Rainbow could see the chase was coming to a close, and it was time to see which of them would arrive first.
Both flyers tried to make their bodies as aerodynamic as possible, anything to gain more speed. The slight lead that Indominus had gained over Rainbow Dash was being lost as she pulled up alongside his face. Both were waging back and forth against each other, gaining the lead again or going equal and parallel. As the dinosaurs and Scootaloo became more visible, Indominus and Rainbow pulled out their arms and legs in front of them to brace for the landing.
"Everyone, look out!" Scootaloo, T-Rex and the raptors scattered as the flyers smashed into the ground.
The area shuddered from the force of the impact, clouds of dust and debris shot up from the ground. It took a minute for the dust to clear and Scootaloo was astounded by what she was seeing. Indominus and Rainbow had touched down at the exact same time, and the force from their impact had created a massive crater in the ground. Both of them had sunk at least ten feet into the dirt because of how fast they were going. Rainbow flew out of the crater, a little shaken, but Indominus was having trouble.
He had to crawl out of the crater because his body had taken so much punishment from the intense flying. Going at the near supersonic speeds that Rainbow Dash had been pushing him against had taken a toll on Indominus. The hybrid's limbs were shaking and his wings were down and dragging on the ground as he managed to climb out of the crater. T-Rex and the raptors were worried he was going to give out and collapse. Then Scootaloo felt an 'aww' escape her mouth as she watched Rainbow Dash do something in an act of true companionship.
She increased her size, put her head underneath Indominus's and draped a wing over him. Rainbow had positioned herself so that Indominus wouldn't give out under the stress. She talked to him softly as he began breathing like crazy, trying to catch his breath again.
"It's alright Indominus, just breathe," Rainbow calmly said to her hybrid fiance. "You did amazing this time, you're making the same kind of progress that Scootaloo did when I was teaching her. The way you handled maneuvering at those speeds, that's something only me and the Wonderbolts could handle."
"The...Wonderbolts?" Indominus asked amidst his breathing.
"They're the best flyers in Equestria, and my personal heroes."
"Rainbow Dash became a reserve Wonderbolt about a few months before you guys came along," said Scootaloo. "Whenever a Wonderbolt can't perform, she gets to fill that spot."
"Really? We'd be up for meeting these heroes of yours someday Dash," said Blue.
"I'm not so sure Blue, Soarin is a member of the Wonderbolts. You all remember how he behaved at the Gala, right?"
"How could we not," Echo said angrily.
"He called us hideous mutants," Charlie added.
"Not to mention he tried to fight Indominus. No doubt he's probably been spreading lies and garbage about us." Tyrannosaurus said in disgust.
"Well I won't let that happen to any of you," Rainbow looked into Indominus's eyes after his body stopped shaking and ran a hoof across his face. "Especially you Indominus. I would sooner fight the Wonderbolts, than ever let them hurt you."
Indominus licked Rainbow's face and stood up on his legs.
"Thanks Rainbow Dash, I'd defend you to the very end if any of them tried to hurt you either."
Flying at high speeds and going on intense races was just one of the many ways that the new family bonded over the year.
The dinosaurs taught Rainbow and Scootaloo how to fight in exchange for their flight training, If the dinosaurs were going to learn from the pegasus' way of life, then they were going to learn from the carnivores' way of life. Scootaloo learned how to utilize the full extent of her strength and power from Tyrannosaurus, Blue and her sisters. They had helped shape her into a very capable fighter as much as she was a proud flyer. Indominus and Rainbow Dash took this training to a whole new level, and really got into the heat of a brawl.
Using a combination of flying and their newfound powers, Indominus and Rainbow Dash often turned their training into intense scuffles. Their blows created shock waves, the magnitude of their power shook the ground and frightened all in the area. Each time they trained, both dinosaur and pegasus learned and developed new fight tactics. Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and the dinosaurs had all become strong and proud fighters that could live up to their reputation as Guardians of Equestria.
The bonding throughout the course of the year gave the dinosaurs plenty of time to bond with their new family. However, during one particular day, the dinosaurs would be called to a land that no pony could ever survive in. It would also bring some familiar creatures back into their lives that they thought wouldn't be returning so soon: dragons.