Battle of the Kings

by TyrannosaurusVenom

Round 3: Smaug vs. Indominus

The final round of the gauntlet was ready to commence. Indominus was the last one that had yet to test his strength and prowess in a fight. Smaug was looking forward to seeing the hybrid in action, and the others waited anxiously to see who he would pick next. Tyrannosaurus was relaxing by his friends and family after his battle with Predator. He was also curious as to who Smaug had in mind for fighting against Indominus.

After only a few minutes of scanning the crowd, Smaug turned back to Indominus. He had an eager look in his eyes. Indominus was chomping at the bit to see who his opponent was.

"So, who's going to be my opponent Smaug?" The dragon king only smiled back.

"You're looking at him, Untamable King." Every dragon in the crowd gasped in shock, their king was going to do battle in his own gauntlet. Indominus couldn't believe what he had heard.

"You are going to be my opponent Smaug?"

"That's right Indominus. because there is not another dragon here that can compete against you. Also, I've been wanting to battle against you ever since you boys arrived in this domain. From the moment I spotted you, I knew you were an interesting creature. I couldn't think of any dragon besides myself, that could bring out the best in you."

Indominus felt honored that Smaug wanted to fight him. This was a challenge that he couldn't possibly ignore: a chance to brawl with the dragon lord was a rare opportunity.

"I'll gladly fight against you Smaug, I just have one request to make first."

"A request huh? Well it's unusual for an opponent of mine to have requests before a battle, but given that you're the one I'm fighting, I can make an exception. So, what is your request Indominus?"

"My only request is that halfway during the battle, I get to bring in a partner to fight alongside me. Oh, and it won't be any of the other dinosaurs." The odd request left Smaug baffled, a partner that wasn't a dinosaur? He couldn't have been referring to any of the ponies, and there wasn't a dragon in the lands that could best Smaug in a fight. The dragon lord decided to put the matter on hold for now, Indominus would have to last long enough for the request to be carried out.

"Very well Indominus, if you can hold out in the fight for that long, then I will let you choose your partner."

"Thank you, now let's get this battle underway."

Before Indominus went into the volcano, the ponies gave him some encouragement.

"Go show em why ya rule Indominus," said Applejack.

"Knock his scaly butt into next week," said Rainbow Dash.

"Pound him dead."

"Show em what yer made of."

"Give him the fight of his life Indominus," Scootaloo said as she nuzzled her other scaly savior.

"Don't worry Scootaloo, I'll come out of this fight alive. After all, I can't leave you or my fiance behind. I still need to bring the family of your dreams together."

With that, Indominus unfurled his wings and he and Smaug dove down toward the battlefield.

All the dragons spread out around the full perimeter of the volcano, each of them eager to see the great battle that was about to begin. The warriors touched down on the worn platform, staring into each other's reptilian eyes.

"As I'm sure you know by now, I've been waiting for this Indominus. I have yet to come across an opponent that can bring out my best. I'm counting on you to push me to be my absolute best in this fight."

"I always give my best in a fight Smaug, but this should be interesting since neither of us are fighting for destruction. We both just want to prove our worth in this brawl."

"Precisely, I'm not a mindless animal like Black Death. I am capable of finding common ground and a fine line between being reckless and testing one's strength."

Up above, the ponies were noticing how calm Indominus was while squaring off against Smaug.

"Just look at Indominus," Twilight pointed out. "He's staring at Smaug like it's just another day in Equestria to him."

"If I didn't know better Twilight, I'd say he's enjoying the moment." Rainbow said. "This is the first time he's fought a dragon that's not trying to kill us."

"He must have something planned to be this confident." Blue said after hearing Indominus's request. Then everyone heard Smaug's voice from within the volcano, and knew the battle was about to begin.

"Alright Indominus! This is the last round of the gauntlet, so make it a fight to remember, Ready?" Indominus nodded his head once, and Smaug shouted "BEGIN!"

Indominus charged towards Smaug and prepared to launch his first attack. Smaug raised his right arm and swung it forward to punch Indominus. The hybrid spotted the attack and stopped in time to catch the winged hand in his claws. He pulled the arm forward and swung his right hand at Smaug's face, but the dragon raised his neck to avoid the attack. He forced his head down to bite down on Indominus's back, but the hybrid evaded the attack and managed to block Smaug's left arm. Smaug used the moment and struck Indominus across the face with his free arm. Remarkably, Indominus used the momentum from the attack to swing his tail and strike Smaug in the face.

Both predators staggered slightly from the blows and easily regained their balance. When they faced each other again, both were smiling. It was like the fight was thrilling for both combatants. Up above, all the dragons had open jaws and wide eyes. They had never seen an opponent that could land a decent blow on their king. What they had seen however, was just a taste of what was coming.

Indominus resumed the fight by once again, charging towards Smaug. The dragon lord figured that Indominus was going for a repeat attack and hoping he would get lucky.

"You're going to have to be more creative than that Indominus," Smaug called out as he raised his fist to attack the hybrid again.

This time however, Indominus didn't stop as he charged toward the dragon. Rather than blocking the fist, he deflected it with his arm and continued straight on until he plowed into Smaug and began forcing the dragon towards the edge of the platform. Smaug was taken aback by how much strength Indominus was packing to be able to move him so easily. Then the dragon felt his body being lifted off the battlefield as Indominus threw him off and towards the lava.

Smaug cranked his head down as he watched himself plummet towards the lava below. He easily expanded his massive wings and flew back around to the opposite end of the platform. He hovered in the air staring down at Indominus, who had a smug smile on his face.

"Sorry, but did honestly think that you were going to win that easily?"

"Ha. I won't fall for a cheap prank like that. I knew all along that it wouldn't be that easy to bring down a dragon like you Smaug." The dragon king landed back on the battlefield with a grin on his face too.

"I thought the situation called for a little joke, since you're not giving me your full potential like you promised."

"Hey you're holding back the lion's share of power just as well."

"Oh I will reveal how tough I truly am in due time, but I'm more curious to see your potential."

"Then why don't you come on over and see for yourself?"

"My pleasure!" Smaug charged towards Indominus and began throwing punches and bites wildly.

The hybrid was blocking every attack effectively, and trying to strike back with his own blows. Every time Smaug threw a punch, Indominus would block and attempt to counterattack with his own. Their heads collided a few times in attempts to stun the other, but both carnivores were too stubborn to quit. The spectators above still had the same expressions since they weren't used to seeing a fight this grand.

Just after Indominus grabbed one of Smaug's punches, he and the dragon locked eyes with each other. They both were giving content smiles during the entire exchange.

"You look like you're having the time of your life Indominus. Is this the first fight you've been in where the stakes aren't so high?"

"It's because you're the first opponent that I'm enjoying having the privilege of fighting. Every other foe I've faced has had some bloodlust for destruction and chaos. But humor me Smaug, are you saying that you're loving this fight too?"

"Heh heh heh, I do love a good fight every now and then. As for how much I enjoy them, that depends on who I'm fighting."

"In that case, I'll try not to disappoint you."

Indominus broke away from Smaug, then unfurled his wings and took to the air. He was tempting Smaug into an aerial battle, and the dragon took the bait. With two jumps, Smaug was airborne and climbing after Indominus. The two flyers took their little dogfight out of the volcano and into the skies so all the dragons could see them. It was remarkable to see the two fighters dueling in the sky.

Indominus and Smaug were trading bites and slashes against each other, just like Tyrannosaurus and Predator had done. Unlike Predator, Smaug couldn't use his arms to attack while in the air. They had to be used to maintain his flight, so his weapons were his teeth and fire breath. Indominus noticed Smaug's chest was glowing after one pass with the dragon. When they came back at each other, Indominus was caught off guard by the magnitude of fire emitting from Smaug's mouth.

The dragon released a torrent of fire that covered so much space that Indominus had to really maneuver to dodge the blast. Unfortunately, after Indominus dodged the blast he found himself set up into a well planned attack. Smaug came at him from behind the blast and nailed the hybrid in the face with his clawed feet. Indominus was sent falling back towards the ground, and Smaug came diving after him to give chase.

"I've got you now Indominus," Smaug yelled as he dove after the falling hybrid.

He was getting closer and built up his flame breath for another attack, but Indominus surprised him. The hybrid suddenly turned his head towards Smaug and unleashed his blast at the dragon. Smaug was too close to dodge and took the blast head on. The attack forced his head back and flipped him onto his back. Indominus flew back up and rammed a fist down on Smaug's chest, but instantly pulled it back in agony.

Smaug grinned in delight, then grabbed Indominus by the throat as they continued to fall back down into the volcano. When he felt they were close enough, Smaug threw Indominus back onto the platform. Indominus landed on his back, but quickly rolled over and got to his feet again. His hand was still stinging from the attack, but he didn't know why. Smaug touched down on the platform again, and seeing the hybrid's confused look, decided to reveal his secret.

"Surprised Indominus? Well I have a little perk of my own to use in battle." Smaug stood taller to reveal the full extent of his chest. Indominus was astounded by what he was seeing: thousands of jewels, diamonds and crystals were embedded into Smaug's body. They acted as a reinforced layer of armor, to protect him against attacks. "I spent a few hundred years sleeping on jewels to get this armor, now no opponent can penetrate my strongest defense."

"Oh yeah, we'll have to see about that." Indominus didn't get a chance to charge forward this time because Smaug was already making lunging attacks at him.

The Mane Six noticed that Smaug was beginning to force Indominus towards the edge of the battlefield again.

'It looks like the dragon lord is in control again," said Twilight.

"Yeah, he's got yer boy on the ropes Rainbow Dash," Applejack added.

"I don't understand why though." All the ponies looked at Rainbow Dash like she was crazy.

"What are you talking about Rainbow Dash? He's going to corner your fiance, burn him alive, roast his carcass, and that's all you have to say?" Pinkie Pie was going into a fit, but Rainbow Dash continued.

"What I don't understand is why Indominus isn't taking this battle seriously? He's been messing around with Smaug the entire time." The three dragons knew what Rainbow was talking about, and it clicked in their minds.

"It's simple girls, Smaug and Indominus are merely having sport with one another." The ponies all turned to look at the green dragon as he continued. "They're having a little bit of fun before things get serious. Since Indominus is so new to Smaug, our king is getting some fun out of him before he decides to really test out the hybrid's skills."

The ponies looked back into the volcano to see that Smaug had cornered Indominus against the edge. One more punch and he would be knocked into the lava. Smaug threw his punch forward, but stopped in shock as Indominus slowly disappeared in front of him. The hybrid had completely vanished from sight, none of the dragons nor Smaug could see where he had gone. Rainbow already knew what Indominus was doing, for she had seen this tactic before.

"Where did you go Indominus? I know you did not just teleport out of the fight." Smaug was about to regret his question, for at that moment a blast of energy collided with his chest and sent him reeling back. As the blast dissipated, Smaug got back down on all fours and spotted a sneak attack too late.

Indominus nailed him right across the face with a left hook. Gritting his teeth at the fact that he had been tricked, Smaug smacked Indominus across the face, grabbed him by the leg and threw him across the platform. Indominus stopped himself by digging his claws into the ground until he came to a stop. He stood upright and looked at Smaug with satisfaction written on his face.

"H-How did you do that? There was no way that you could've teleported away from the edge like that."

"I never left the area Smaug, I was still on that ledge the whole time." This surprised Smaug greatly, and made him even more curious.

"Then tell me how you made yourself disappear like that."

"It's one of the many abilities I was born with Smaug: the power of camouflage."

"Camouflage!? I didn't think an ability like that would be given to a creature like you."

"It's actually ingenious Smaug. I camouflaged my skin to look like the inside of the volcano, and remained perfectly still to make it appear that I had vanished from sight."

"I'm thoroughly impressed Indominus, not many creatures can effectively use an ability like that for an ambush. It worked quite well, and now I believe it is time to fulfill your request." Indominus was surprised that Smaug still remembered, he was sure the dragon would've forgotten about it. Yet Indominus had clearly proven himself to be a worthy opponent.

"I said you had to make it halfway through the fight and you have, so who do you have in mind for joining you in this fight?"

Every dragon leaned in, hanging onto every word that Indominus was saying as he explained himself to Smaug. Tyrannosaurus was wondering who Indominus had in mind for fighting against a dragon as tough as Smaug.

"It might sound a little crazy at first, but you'll understand soon enough. The fighter I'm about to name is about on par with me in terms of strength and skill. So if you like the challenge of fighting me at my best Smaug, you're going to like my partner just as much. Of course, you probably won't feel that way about us after we beat you."

All the dragons and the ponies were completely alarmed. Indominus was so confident in the fighter he was going to pick that he was sure that they would beat Smaug together. Even Smaug himself was taken aback by the bold statement.

"That's quite a bold statement Indominus. You seem to have a lot of confidence in this mystery fighter of yours. I only hope for your sake that your confidence isn't misplaced. Very well Indominus, say the name of the fighter that will join you."

"Gladly Smaug."

Indominus glanced back up at the hundreds of spectators looking into the volcano. Each and every dragon was waiting with baited breath, none of them had any clue who Indominus was going to pick. They watched as Indominus directed his gaze to the Mane Six, Rexy and the raptors.

"Guys, I could take Smaug down by myself, but I feel it would be perfect if I had someone fighting alongside me in this gauntlet. That someone is you....Rainbow Dash."

The others looked at Rainbow Dash like she was the center of the world. Out of all the possible choices, Indominus had chosen to have his own fiance fight in the gauntlet with him. Twilight and the others knew that Rainbow Dash was strong, but even with the power Indominus had given her, they weren't sure she could handle a beast like Smaug.

"Rainbow Dash, he wants you to fight with him? Has he even considered your opinion on this matter?" Tyrannosaurus was beyond ecstatic, he bellowed into the volcano at Indominus.

"INDOMINUS STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING OF HER? IF RAINBOW DASH FIGHTS AGAINST SMAUG SHE WON'T COME OUT OF THE GAUNTLET ALIVE!" Indominus didn't seem fazed by the volume in T-Rex's voice.

"I know what I'm doing Rexy, just trust me on this."

"Indominus, with all due respect I have to agree with him. Give me a dragon as your partner and I'll gladly fight him. But a pony fighting against me, even if she is your mate it would only be a waste of my time."

Upon hearing what Smaug had said Rainbow angrily stomped a hoof into the ground.

"Did he just call me a waste of time?" The others tried to calm her down.

"Now Rainbow Dash, it's not worth getting ticked at the dragon lord. Just let your fiance handle this," said Rarity.

"Yeah, there's no need to go and fight a monstrous, giant, powerful dragon," Fluttershy said weakly.

"Don't try to stop me girls, if Smaug thinks I'm not worth it, I'll just have to show him how wrong he is."

The others were about to protest further, but Twilight stopped them.

"That's enough everypony, this is Rainbow Dash's decision. If she wants to fight, then let her fight alongside her fiance so they can be at their best."

"Thank you Twilight," Rainbow said as she gave her friend a quick hug. "Oh, before I forget." She took off the Arkenstone ring and handed it to Scootaloo. "Keep an eye on my ring for me until we're done Scoots?"

"You got it Rainbow, now show that dragon what you can do."

"Oh don't worry, I intend to give him my best." Rainbow Dash made sure to give Scootaloo a hug for support and reassurance that she would come back. With her mind set, Rainbow Dash flew down into the volcano.

Smaug was shaking his head in disbelief, he was going to have to fight a pony after all.

"Indominus, I don't know whether you're serious or just messing with my head but this isn't-" Smaug stopped himself once he saw Rainbow Dash touch down. She had grown to about the same size as Indominus while standing next to him. Hm, perhaps there is more to this mate of his than I thought.

"So this is our opponent huh Indominus?"

"That's right Rainbow Dash, ready to show him how we destroyed Black Death?"

"With all the pleasure in the world."

Smaug watched as Indominus and Rainbow took on aggressive stances as they continued to stand side by side.

"Hope you're ready Smaug, cause we're about to blow your mind."

The dragon lord's eyes went wide as he witnessed the red aura come forth and flow around both of their bodies. The dragons gasped in shock at what they were seeing: a pony with the same kind of power that the dinosaurs had. Smaug was going to be in for one heck of a fight, Rainbow and Indominus's powers were going to be turned loose in the final round of the gauntlet.

Oh my, this is definitely going to be a fight that will be worthy of my prowess. Indominus, you and your mate might be the greatest challenges I've ever faced, Smaug thought to himself as the warriors began to unleash their power and transform.

Comments

[Grey Goat Gal]

Never call Rainbow "a waste of time".