Family of a Lifetime

by TyrannosaurusVenom

Meeting

Ever since the frightful argument with her sorry excuses for parents, Scootaloo felt so uneasy whenever she was in the house. She really had to watch whatever she said around them. With the constant threat of their project looming over her head, Scootaloo never felt safe in that pitiful home anymore. It felt more like a torture facility just waiting to release the monstrous animals from within and strike down it's helpless prisoner. Fortunately Scootaloo had one major wild card: her saviors were off training in the Everfree, preparing themselves for whatever the project might be.

Tyrannosaurus and Indominus spent every night training and honing their fighting skills against whatever the forest had to offer. They used the Timberwolves to practice their ambush tactics and perfect the element of stealth attacks. Using stealth to their advantage could help them get an early attack on the project and score decisive blows. Cragadiles were used to strengthen the power of their bites, and the rock body of those creatures put the dinosaurs' bite force to the test. The forest was definitely helping the dinosaurs with their training by providing so many creatures to test their prowess, but everything felt just too easy. The dinosaurs had yet to find a creature that could give them a real challenge and push them to their limits. They yearned for a true test so they could be one hundred percent confident in their abilities.

Over the next two weeks leading up to the introduction between the crusaders and the dinosaurs, Scootaloo had quite a lot on her plate. She had to deal with schoolwork, crusading with her friends, strengthening her wings, spending time with Rainbow Dash, and practicing the greeting procedure with Indominus and T-Rex. It was a great load for one filly to deal with, but Scootaloo managed to get everything done each day. In between attempts at earning their cutie marks, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took time to help Scootaloo with her homework and take the stress off. They knew she had a lot to deal with after school, so they wanted to help her out until the day came.

Rainbow Dash offered her own support whenever she could, and spent more time with her surrogate sister ever since their afternoon of bonding. She continued to put Scootaloo through the wing exercises and was seeing more progress each time. Before long, Scootaloo was able to maintain her flight long enough to take a short flight alongside Rainbow Dash. It filled Rainbow's heart with so much pride and joy to see Scootaloo flying alongside her, that when the duo touched down at their training field she pulled Scootaloo into a huge hug.

" I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of your progress squirt," Rainbow said while embracing Scootaloo. "You're getting better each day and flying longer, how do you do it?"

"Well, I've been using any spare time I have to practice and strengthen my wings. I just don't want to disappoint you Rainbow Dash." Rainbow slowly released her hug, took one hoof under Scootaloo's chin and brought her face up until they were looking in each other's eyes.

"You could never disappoint me Scootaloo," Rainbow said with complete sincerity in her voice. "I've wanted to see you flying for so long, so I could take my sister with me on all my adventures. Now that I've had the experience of you flying alongside me, I know that my faith in you has been justified." Rainbow had to pause for a moment to wipe away a few tears. Scootaloo seized the opportunity and snuggled against her sister. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile and drape a wing over Scootaloo, it didn't matter who saw because Rainbow's heart had been touched like never before.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Scootaloo whispered into Rainbow's ear.

"Ooh a secret huh? What's this secret of yours kiddo?" Rainbow responded with eagerness.

"I have been working on a secret move of mine, and I've almost got it nailed. You inspired me to try my hoof at it." Rainbow's eyes grew wide with fascination at what she had heard.

"Think you can tell me what this move of yours is called squirt?"

"Unh, unh, unh, that would spoil the surprise Rainbow Dash. I will however, give you one hint about my new move." Rainbow lowered her head and listened as Scootaloo whispered "its something that you have done before." The hint had left Rainbow perplexed at what Scootaloo's new move could be.

"Let that give you something to think about when we don't see each other," Scootaloo said in a teasing tone.

"You continue to fascinate me to no end squirt," Rainbow said while she nuzzled Scootaloo.

The truth was that Scootaloo's additional training was done under T-Rex and Indominus's supervision. When she wasn't practicing the greeting procedure with them, she was strengthening her wings and having races alongside the dinosaurs. In order for the races to be effective for the three of them, Scootaloo had to find an open area big enough for them. She would guide the dinosaurs out of the Everfree Forest and to a wide open range far from Ponyville. Once she was sure that nopony was watching, she would take off and the dinosaurs would race after her.

Scootaloo's speed was far faster that what she was showing Rainbow Dash. Her actual wing speed was near Rainbow's level, and it allowed her to stay ahead of the carnivores. With their speed of thirty two miles per hour and long strides, Indominus and Tyrannosaurus were able to match Scootaloo but they couldn't exceed her. Each time they raced, Scootaloo continued to get faster, and the dinosaurs had to push the limits in their speed and get faster as well. But that was the whole purpose behind the races: Scootaloo wanted the dinosaurs to be fast and agile as well as skilled and strong.

The races also gave Scootaloo a rare opportunity: being so close to Indominus and Tyrannosaurus while racing with them made it feel like they were the family she wanted. The three of them pushing their own limits and doing it together made it look like they were a family that couldn't be torn apart. There was just one pony missing from the picture to make it complete, Rainbow Dash. She had to be present in order for the family Scootaloo had envisioned to be truly complete.

Then the day had finally come, the two weeks of preparation and training were finished and Scootaloo was finally ready to introduce the Crusaders to her dinosaur saviors. All day long her friends were simply ecstatic about getting to meet her saviors. It was hard to focus on the school lessons while listening to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom squealing quietly. When the bell finally rang, the Crusaders bolted out the door ready to begin the introductions.

"Alright Scootaloo, today's the day we finally get to meet these saviors of yours," Apple Bloom said in excitement."

"So, where are we meeting them exactly?" Sweetie Belle asked now curious about where the meeting was going to take place. Scootaloo hadn't given them any details about the meeting.

"Heh heh, just follow me and I'll take you girls to them," Scootaloo said in a cool, confident attitude that mirrored Rainbow Dash's.

Scootaloo led the way with her friends following behind her and becoming more anxious. But once they reached the edge of the Everfree Forest, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's anxiousness started getting replaced with nervousness.

"Uh Scootaloo, are ya sure that we're going the right way?" Apple Bloom was becoming wary of where they were heading.

"Yep I'm sure, this is where they live." At that point Apple Bloom was right in Scootaloo's face.

"Ya mean ta tell me that yer new friends live in the Everfree Forest!?" Scootaloo simply nodded her head ready to take whatever would be said. Surprisingly, Apple Bloom didn't explode and slowly backed away.

"Alright but can ya first tell me why they're livin' in the forest and not in Ponyville?"

"Like I said before, they're new here and they've never seen ponies before. The Everfree Forest felt like such a home for them that they chose to live in it." Apple Bloom was almost ready to continue, but she had one last question.

"Ya didn't befriend a Timberwolf by any chance, did ya?" Scootaloo simply laughed at the question that she had been asked.

"Of course not, you think I would befriend the creatures that tried to eat me? The day I befriend a Timberwolf is the day Diamond Tiara stops bullying us and does something nice." The Crusaders couldn't help but laugh at their remark. With that, Scootaloo guided her friends into the heart of the Everfree Forest.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were still skeptical as they went deeper into the forest, but their anxiousness was winning out. They were too eager to meet Scootaloo's mysterious friends and didn't care about what the forest had in store. Scootaloo was keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of her saviors, she had arranged the spot for where they would meet. But for some reason, she didn't see any sign of them. Now Scootaloo was worried, it wasn't like the dinosaurs to hide in the shadows.

"This doesn't make any sense, they're supposed to be here," Scootaloo didn't understand why her saviors weren't around. But then she caught an awfully familiar scent and her heart sank. Her friends picked up on the dreadful stench themselves.

"Eww, what is that awful smell," Sweetie Belle asked while plugging her nose. But before Scootaloo could answer, she saw dozens of green eyes glaring at them from the trees. The Crusaders' hearts froze over in terror as Timberwolves began emerging from the thick foliage. This time it wasn't just three Timberwolves, there was a much bigger pack closing in.

There had to have been at least thirty Timberwolves surrounding the Crusaders, Scootaloo had never seen a pack with so many members before. Then one of the Timberwolves moved out of the circle towards the Crusaders with a nastier glare than the others. He had his gaze fixed solely on Scootaloo like killing her was the most important mission of his life. Scootaloo noticed the unusual glare in the wolf's eyes, and the realization hit her.

"Uh girls, I think we have a serious problem on our hooves."

"Well duh, we're surrounded by the biggest Timberwolf pack Ah've ever seen," Apple Bloom responded with slight sarcasm.

"No not that, I think this is the leader of the same pack that attacked me before. This time he brought back up to ensure that he finishes the job." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle remained paralyzed with fear as the severity of their situation sank in. Suddenly the lead Timberwolf bellowed a howl to the rest of his massive pack. The Crusaders huddled together, afraid of what was gonna happen.

"Scootaloo if there was ever a time for these friends of your to show up, now would be a good time," Sweetie Belle exclaimed with the utmost fear in her voice. The Timberwolves began to close in, and the three Crusaders could only close their eyes in terror. Suddenly the wolves stopped and did the unthinkable, all thirty of them smashed their bodies against each other until there was nothing but a massive pile of sticks and branches. The fillies were perplexed at what they had just witnessed, it felt so bizarre for the Timberwolves to do that to themselves.

"Well, Ah have to say that was rather anticlimactic," was all Apple Bloom could say. "That didn't make any sense, why would they corner us just to destroy themselves?"

"I don't think they were trying to destroy themselves Apple Bloom, look!" Scootaloo was pointing frantically at the pile of sticks that used to be the Timberwolves.

The pile was emitting a faint green glow, and was splitting off into six separate piles. The sticks and branches in each were beginning to form together, and drawing trees from the forest itself. The Crusaders were rooted to the spot in fright as they witnessed the transformation. The piles had started forming new limbs and bodies, creating bigger Timberwolves. The thirty wolves had combined their bodies and had transformed themselves into six king Timberwolves.

"That's what they were doing, becoming bigger monsters to ensure that they finish the job of taking me down." Scootaloo was gripped with fear as the monstrous wolves closed in on her and her friends. Their massive jaws open and ready to chomp down on the helpless fillies.

Suddenly the wolf on Scootaloo's left felt his hind leg give out, and before he realized it, the wolf was sucked into the trees beside him. The same thing happened to the Timberwolf on the far right, leaving the rest of the pack confused. They heard howling coming from the trees, followed by a crunching noise and dead silence. Everypony was baffled at what happened, except for Scootaloo, who had a huge grin on her face. She knew now what her saviors were doing, it was part of their ambush tactic.

The echoes of massive footsteps filled the air, and Scootaloo knew they were coming. She watched as Tyrannosaurus and Indominus emerged from the spots where the Timberwolves had been dragged into. The dinosaurs stood behind the fillies and sized up their foes for the fight. The king Timberwolves were definitely bigger than all the wolves they had fought before, but that didn't mean they were stronger. The remaining king Timberwolves bellowed a unified howl to the dinosaurs, and they answered with a united challenging roar.

Scootaloo watched in awe as her saviors charged fearlessly towards the massive Timberwolves. She couldn't help but giggle at the bug-eyed and open jaw expressions that her friends had. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were so shocked that they couldn't even find their voices until Scootaloo spoke up.

"They truly are something aren't they."

"Uh, Scootaloo...who....are those....creatures," Apple Bloom asked while having difficulty getting the words out.

"These are the ones that saved me from the Timberwolves on that night, these are my saviors."

The two fillies went back to their bug-eyed expressions as they looked back at the dinosaurs fighting the king Timberwolves. The duo had split the pack up and where taking on two king wolves on their own. Tyrannosaurus had one wolf by the underside of the neck while the other was trying to free its partner with no luck. Indominus was easily holding off the other wolves in his giant claws. The king Timberwolves had gone from hunters to trapped rats with no chance of winning.

The only free Timberwolf bit down on T-Rex's neck, the sharpened trees it had for teeth barely punctured the skin but it caused the dinosaur to release his death grip. Tyrannosaurus easily turned his head and grabbed that wolf in his jaws before it could run off. The dinosaur used his tremendous bite force to crush the neck and decapitate the wolf. The moment the head came off, the rest of the wolf's body fell apart and collapsed. Tyrannosaurus turned his head in time to see the other wolf raise a paw and swing it's claws towards the dinosaur's face.

Scootaloo saw the attack, exploded from the ground and took off into the air toward the fight with a trail of orange and purple behind her. The speed she was going allowed her to close the gap in seconds and she positioned herself for an attack. She aimed for the claw that was aiming for T-Rex's face and barreled towards it. Indominus had just crushed the head of a Timberwolf in his mouth when he saw the moment unfold.

Scootaloo smashed into the wolf's attacking leg with enough speed and force to destroy the entire leg. Both dinosaurs and the crusaders had eyes the size of the moon after they witnessed Scootaloo's bravery and fierceness. After the damage was dealt, Scootaloo flew back to a safe distance and gave her saviors a wink. Both dinosaurs returned the wink and went back to dismantling their opponents.

With the Timberwolf crippled, Tyrannosaurus chomped down and severed the body in half. He then used his right foot to smash the Timberwolf's head into splinters. That left only one king Timberwolf remaining against Indominus Rex. The Crusaders and Tyrannosaurus watched in wonder as Indominus placed his claws on the wolf's mouth and began to pry it open. Indominus was trying to split the wolf's mouth open and break it, while the Timberwolf was struggling to keep his mouth from being torn off. With one swift and tremendous pull, Indominus snapped the jaw wide open and the last Timberwolf crumbled under the attack.

Having taken down the king Timberwolves, Tyrannosaurus and Indominus bellowed their victory roars into the sky. Scootaloo touched down and began to trot towards her protectors, but the panicked calls of her friends caused her to stop.

"Scootaloo don't go near them, didn't you see what they did to those wolves?"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were terrified after what they had seen, but Scootaloo didn't even respond and continued towards the dinosaurs. The two fillies thought that Scootaloo was going to get eaten, but their jaws hit the floor as they watched the dinosaurs nuzzle her affectionately. It left the ponies dumbfounded, to see the dinosaurs going from tearing apart Timberwolves, to nuzzling Scootaloo like she was their child.

"Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, I'd like to introduce you to my saviors, Indominus Rex and Tyrannosaurus Rex, the only dinosaurs in Equestria." Both dinosaurs roared once Scootaloo had announced their names. Neither Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom wanted to take another step closer, luckily Scootaloo had come prepared.

"I know you guys are nervous but I assure you that they won't harm you. I had a special greeting procedure set up to make these introductions go more smoothly. Just follow my steps and you'll be fine."

Both fillies were nervous, but they trusted Scootaloo and reluctantly agreed. Once she had their approval, Scootaloo began the procedure.

"Now, you have to let them make the first move, it's only polite. So, you guys step up and give them a nice bow, then you wait and see if they bow back. If they do, you both can go and touch them. If not, well we'll get to that later."

Heeding Scootaloo's advice, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle each took a low bow while keeping their eyes focused on the dinosaurs. T-Rex and Indominus took a minute overlooking the frightened fillies, then surprised the ponies by putting one foot forward each and bowing their heads.

"Oh well done guys, I told you girls that you could trust them," Scootaloo exclaimed while flying up and nuzzling Indominus's face. Seeing the kind interaction between their friend and the dinosaurs was melting the anxiety in Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Alright, you guys can go and pet them now. Don't be shy they won't bite."

The Crusaders began making their way towards the dinosaurs, still a little nervous just because of their immense size. They kept looking over to Scootaloo for assurance that nothing bad would happen. When they were halfway towards the carnivores, Scootaloo told them to stop.

"Now let them make their way towards you, it will help build trust."

It only took one step for the dinosaurs to be close to the Crusaders. They knelt down and began moving their heads towards the little fillies. Scootaloo instructed her friends to hold out a hoof once the dinosaurs were close enough. Apple Bloom put her hoof to T-Rex's face and slowly began to run it across his face after Scootaloo showed her the proper movements. She was surprised after seeing the dinosaur look so content just from her petting him.

"Scootaloo you were right, I've never seen a carnivore so relaxed," Apple Bloom said after finally realizing that the dinosaurs wouldn't harm them. Sweetie Belle followed suite and began petting Indominus the same way.

Both dinosaurs became so content that they eventually went and started nuzzling Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. The Crusaders were no longer afraid and it brought tears of joy to Scootaloo's eyes to see her friends and saviors getting along. It was a massive step toward the family of her dreams becoming a reality. Scootaloo was so happy that she pulled her fellow Crusaders into a group hug.

"Thank you guys for giving my saviors a chance," Scootaloo said with a few tears flowing down her cheeks.

"You're welcome Scootaloo, we just didn't realize that your friends were this awesome and caring," Sweetie Belle said from within the group hug.

" Yeah, the way they destroyed those Timberwolves was simply amazing. I'd sure like to know where they learned to fight like that," Apple Bloom said while looking up at the dinosaurs.

"Unfortunately that's not a question that they can answer," this caught Apple Bloom off guard.

"Hold on Scootaloo, are ya sayin' that they can understand us?"

"Of course, as long as whatever you ask them is a yes or no question, and its something that they are capable of answering."

Apple Bloom was so intrigued that she decided to put that little theory to the test. She thought of a rather simple question that Scootaloo had answered before, but wanted confirmation from the dinosaurs.

"So Indominus, Tyrannosaurus, mind if I ask you both a little question?" Both dinosaurs knelt down and gave Apple Bloom their complete attention. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle watched, eager to see the look on Apple Bloom's face.

"Is it true that you both have been looking after Scootaloo and keeping her safe this whole time?" The carnivores nodded their heads in acknowledgment, and the response left Apple Bloom with a look of astonishment and wide eyes frozen on her face.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the Crusaders bonding with the dinosaurs and gaining their trust. Scootaloo put the trust in her friends to the test by asking them to keep the dinosaurs a secret from Ponyville. After seeing how much the trio cared for each other, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had vowed to help Scootaloo keep the dinosaurs a secret until the time was right. It was truly a day of bonding and building trust between ponies and dinosaurs that the Crusaders would never forget.

Comments

[TyrannosaurusVenom]

6757460 Can't reveal any spoilers on the project, but I can promise you it will be epic. In regards to Scootaloo's DNA donors, I have something in mind that everyone is sure to enjoy.

[HB_DS2013]

I've got a hunch that Scootaloo might be part earth pony. By that logic, since they can talk to animals, they can also talk to dinosaurs. Yaaaaaay!!!!

[phantomlord01]

Scootloo made them like Buckbeak.

[Undead Night Fury]

anyone else seeing the similarities between this and HTTYD?

[droid]

"Now, you have to let them make the first move, it's only polite. So, you guys step up and give them a nice bow, then you wait and see if they bow back. If they do, you both can go and touch them. If not, well we'll get to that later."

haggrid is that you