Smaug watched in awe as the powerful energy surged around Indominus and Rainbow Dash. The platform beneath them trembled from the sheer magnitude the lovers were emitting. Lightning strikes burst out in all directions within the volcano. The dragons above were rendered speechless, never had they seen such incredible power before in their lives. Twilight and the others were simply grinning at the display beneath them.
"Those two seem to be more in sync with each other since the battle with Black Death," said Twilight.
"Well considering all the time they've spent together, it's no wonder their power is stronger Twilight. They love each other so much that it fuels their inner strength," said Scootaloo. "I should know, I've seen the way they look at each other."
"Perhaps I was wrong Scootaloo." T-Rex admitted. "Bringing Rainbow Dash into the battle is actually bringing out the best in him."
"It's ok darling," said Rarity. "You're just looking out for your new family members, it's completely natural."
"Hush everypony, the lovers are about to transform," said Applejack.
Over the roar of their own power, Indominus and Rainbow Dash stared into each other's eyes. They both knew that this transformation was going to be more powerful than when they had scared Black Death out of his scales.
"Let's do this Rainbow. Time to show Smaug why we work so well together."
"I'll be with you every step of the battle Indominus."
The couple stared back at Smaug and prepared themselves for their transformation. Smaug's eyes widened as the energy started growing in intensity, then the moment happened. Indominus and Rainbow Dash bellowed menacing roars into the sky, and the energy completely enveloped their bodies. Both pegasus and dinosaur disappeared within the red aura as it grew in size and caused eruptions within the volcano. The lightning surged upward and out of the volcano as the column of energy burst upward in a brilliant explosion of red. The energy was so intense that it caused the volcano to erupt and the lava was carried with the energy.
All the dragons were frightened as the ground around them shook with fierce intensity from the lovers' powers. Seeing the erupting combination of the red aura, lava and lightning was far more than they could handle. They had been wrong to doubt Indominus's decision to include a pony in the gauntlet. The sound of the combined roars echoing across the lands only added to their fears. All of them thought that Smaug had just gotten in way over his head.
Inside the volcano the dragon lord was witnessing everything first hand. The aura surging all around him, the lightning strikes that veered past his body and struck the inner walls. The roars from Rainbow and Indominus were causing fear to seep into his hardened heart. Smaug had no idea what was going to happen once the transformation was over. His jaw dropped when he heard the roars reach their peak and watched the column of red power explode.
The energy exploded and blinded all in the area with flashing red light. No one could see anything as the transformation reached its completion. As the light began to fade and the aura went back down into the volcano, each dragon tried to get a peak at what had happened to Indominus and Rainbow Dash. Their eyes were quivering and their bodies rattled as they caught sight of the transformed couple. Smaug's reaction was far more shocked and surprised than any of the dragons looking down from above.
"W-W-W-What h-happened to y-your bodies?" Cold sweat was running down the dragon lord's face as the lovers reemerged within the red aura.
Indominus's row of red spikes, red jagged designs and increased muscles were definitely surprising, but his wings had taken on a change of their own. His wings had strange red patterns flowing across them, a new perk that had been given to them after he regained his power at the Gala. Rainbow's refined body with the bat-like wings, elongated ears, sharp teeth and red designs across her body scared Smaug just as much. Her slit pupils stared right into his, and a smile formed on her face.
"You're going to see why Black Death had so much trouble facing against us."
"Take a good look Smaug, for we are two of the Guardians of Equestria," Indominus announced in his deep voice.
Smaug had no comment, the transformation had truly shocked him to his core. He had no words for the first time in his life to describe the transformation. Seeing that they had surprised Smaug so much, the couple began advancing towards him. Everyone watched as Indominus and Rainbow Dash casually made their way over until they were only a few feet apart from the dragon lord. The three contenders looked into each other's eyes, Smaug still had sweat running down his face, but he was more anxious than scared now.
"Your move warriors."
"Of course."
Rainbow and Indominus dealt simultaneous punches right into Smaug's chest. He felt the air leaving his lungs from the amount of force and strength packed behind the blows. Indominus proceeded to drive his fist down on Smaug's head, and Rainbow followed up with an uppercut that sent him into the air. They flew behind the dragon lord while he was stunned and dealt two punches to his back that sent him careening back onto the battlefield. Rainbow dealt a coup de grace by firing a blast at Smaug as he collided with the battlefield. The explosion rocked his body and sent Smaug skidding across the worn platform as Indominus and Rainbow touched down.
They heard Smaug laughing as he got back on his feet. He was laughing despite being punched, slammed and blasted into the dirt. When he turned to face the warriors, he had a line of blood running down his mouth. He looked simply thrilled as he wiped away the blood with his hand.
"Incredible. Simply incredible, fantastic work warriors. I have finally found what seemed impossible: true competition. You were right to bring your mate into the gauntlet Indominus, she has unbelievable power."
Rainbow felt humbled by Smaug's comment, even though he had called her a waste of time before.
"So tell me Smaug, do you think I'm a waste of time now?"
"Oh quite the contrary my dear, I just had no idea that you had such an amazing power within yourself. I didn't mean to offend you in any way, I thought Indominus was going to put your life in danger. I didn't know that this was Indominus's reason for bringing you into the fight. Now I see that I was wrong to say you were a waste, you are indeed as much a warrior as Indominus. Before we fight I must know this, how did you achieve a power this grand and what is your name? I've never seen any creature show a power this radical, and I want to be as proper with you as I am with Indominus."
Rainbow was surprised by Smaug's sudden change in attitude, seeing them transform had caused him to see just how wrong he had been to judge the lovers. So Rainbow felt he deserved to have his question answered.
"Very well Smaug, first off my name is Rainbow Dash. Secondly, I was given this power by Indominus during our battle against Black Death. This is how we killed Black Death and stopped him for good."
Indominus gave his girl a proud look while listening to her telling Smaug how she got her incredible gift. Smaug was taken with how the two had bonded during their battle against the rampaging monster.
"Well done Rainbow Dash, now I see why you and Indominus are so connected with each other. Now show me how well you two work together in a fight."
"With pleasure, let's do this Indominus."
"You got it Rainbow."
The three warriors charged towards each other, and the best fight of the gauntlet was underway.
Smaug swung wildly at Indominus and Rainbow, trying to nail punches or get his claws on them. The lovers blocked all his attacks and countered with punches to the head and any vulnerable spot that was exposed after Smaug tried to attack. Rainbow Dash was using all the agility she had to avoid Smaug's massive teeth, his mouth was more than intimidating. Indominus was spending his agility trying to dodge Smaug's massive tail, but the dragon lord maneuvered his body with each attack and struck Indominus across the head. Rainbow retaliated by smashing her hoof into Smaug's face before he could attack again.
Both Indominus and Smaug were slammed into the dirt by the attacks, but Indominus was able to recover more quickly. Smaug wasn't used to the kind of strength that the couple was packing. As he got up, he grinned when he decided where he was going to take the fight next.
"Nicely done, now let's see how you two deal with my power."
Rainbow and Indominus grew curious as Smaug began to take flight. He hovered just beneath the entrance to the volcano, and they saw that his chest was starting to glow. Smaug was preparing his flame for another attack on the lovers.
"See if you have what it takes to handle this blast," Smaug called out before the massive torrent of flame escaped his jaws.
The blast seemed to grow as Smaug continued to unleash his power down on the warriors. Indominus and Rainbow countered with their own blasts, and the collision from the incredible attacks caused a huge explosion. Smoke and debris expanded all throughout the volcano, no one could see anything inside. Smaug's vision was clouded by all the smoke, but he quickly began dispersing it with his wings. Unfortunately for him, his wings also revealed a very unpleasant surprise that was right in his face.
"SURPRISE!" Indominus and Rainbow nailed a double uppercut on Smaug's face, then blasted him back onto the platform.
Smaug landed hard on the battlefield and the warriors were diving after him. They weren't going to give him the time to counterattack this time. They were within striking distance and were about to attack again when Smaug suddenly surprised them. He instantly turned around and struck Rainbow and Indominus across the face with a single punch. Both fighters were stunned from the surprising amount of force and strength that came from his thin wing arm.
"Rainbow Dash!"
"Indominus!" Everypony was startled from seeing both of them stunned by Smaug's attack. The dragon lord had only just begun to fight.
Smaug was throwing his punches and slashes as fast as he possibly could. Rainbow and Indominus were pounded and assaulted by the relentless barrage from the dragon lord. He was quickly turning the battle in his favor. As Smaug swung another hard punch, the warriors ducked at the last second and dealt a very strong double uppercut. The force from the combined punches was enough to send Smaug flying straight out of the volcano.
All the dragons were shocked beyond belief as they watched their leader skyrocket into the air from the punches. Immediately Indominus and Rainbow were flying up after him, their speed increasing as they pushed themselves. They were upon Smaug in only a few seconds and had their blasts ready to fire. Before they could blast him again, Smaug whipped his massive tail around and smacked them away which caused their attacks to be sent away as well. The warriors steadied themselves after recovering from the sneak attack. Rainbow could see the frustration in Indominus's eyes as he wiped away some blood from his mouth.
This wasn't like their battle with Black Death, Smaug was a truly skilled dragon. He didn't need any fancy abilities or tricks, his prowess and strength was more than enough to challenge the hybrid and his fiance. No matter how many times they countered or blasted him, the dragon lord was always able to come back from every attack. Indominus charged back at Smaug, who flew up to dodge him. Only to have to maneuver in the air again to avoid Rainbow's attack. The battle had taken to the sky and it was a flurry of attacks and misses.
Down below everyone could see the battle more clearly. Indominus and Rainbow continued to make speeding attacks at Smaug, who was pushing his prowess in the sky to keep up with them. The sky was not just Smaug's domain, it was also Rainbow's and she was in her element. She was getting close to nailing a decisive blow on Smaug, and she knew it.
Smaug had just ducked underneath one of Indominus's punches and saw Rainbow Dash get in his face a second too late. Rainbow rammed Smaug in the face, rather than punching him. After her attack she called out to her fiance.
"NOW INDOMINUS!"
Seizing the opportunity that his girl had given him, Indominus zoomed towards Smaug and punched him straight in the chest. Unlike the other attempts, this attack dealt some serious damage to Smaug. The spectators heard a loud, agonizing crack and cringed as Smaug's eyes bulged and blood burst from his mouth. The dragon lord was frozen in the air because the hybrid's attack had truly damaged both him and his defense. Indominus followed up with a roundhouse kick to the head, and Rainbow finished with a punch to the face.
Smaug just hovered away from the warriors as blood spilled from his jaws. He needed some time to collect himself after being dealt such a strong blow. Both Rainbow and Indominus were breathing slowly, the battle was starting to take its toll on the warriors and their stamina. Smaug had an extremely pleased smile as he looked at the warriors and watched the blood spill from his teeth.
"This is the most exciting fight I've ever been in Indominus. You and Rainbow Dash are definitely worthy of fighting a dragon of my supreme stature."
"Well thanks Smaug, we always try our best," Rainbow said to the dragon lord.
"I truly have to commend both of you for your supreme teamwork. I've never faced opponents that could outsmart me in the air, and crack my armor on top of that. It's a shame all the fights can't be this good."
"But we'll try to keep this one going for as long as we can, won't we Smaug," said Indominus. "Now let the epic struggle continue."
The great fighters roared at each other and resumed their thrilling battle.