Echo stared out at the dark thickness of the trees that surrounded her environment. For only a single week to have passed since she took Indoraptor into her home felt like an eternity. She had enjoyed his company and getting to be the supportive shoulder he could go to whenever those nightmares returned. All the hunts he'd done with her had been such a rush and getting to make a kill together seemed to be more exciting for her. Echo couldn't ignore the burning feeling that she missed having Indoraptor close to her. Ever since he'd left to investigate the disturbance he'd picked up coming from the Everfree Forest, she seemed to have lost some pip in her eager self.

Her fellow bat ponies could tell she missed him by the blue rose she always took with her. She had done extremely well in caring for it despite her nocturnal behavior. Wherever Echo went, she had that rose tucked under her wing or hoof and seemed to be lost in thought while admiring it. Now she was admiring it from her deck in the trees, until her gaze was interrupted by Web Weaver landing beside her.

"You promised him you wouldn't be so upset about this."

"I know, but I can't help myself. Having him stay with us was so refreshing, and I liked having him stay with me. Can you blame me if I grew too attached to him?"

"You knew he wasn't going to stay with us forever. We allowed him to live here until he could face his problems, and you got to have your fun of being close to him. He may have left sooner than we thought, but it was bound to happen," said Web Weaver.

"I know, but I just miss him so much. I just want to hold him and comfort him again, it felt so warm and nice being held by him too."

Web Weaver caught a glimpse of a glittering in Echo's eyes and sat down beside her.

"Echo. Do you have a crush on Indoraptor?"

For the first time in her life, the energetic bat pony didn't have an answer. She had never been in love before and didn't know what to expect from experiencing the feeling for herself.

"I....I don't know. Maybe? I-I don't know how to explain it, Web Weaver. All I know is that my house feels so empty without him being here to share it."

"It's more than just your home that's empty, Echo."

Web Weaver took a hoof and placed it on Echo's chest.

"It's your heart that longs to see him. You have feelings for him but you aren't sure how to handle them."

"Once again, you know how to read anypony like an open book." Echo pouted as she laid her head down on the deck.

The elder bat took a wing and draped it over the confused younger bat.

"You know, if you really wanted to, you could always go out and visit him. You can surely find his scent and pay him a visit before he goes to sleep."

"But you never let any of us go outside of our forest for anything. You always say that we can't risk being spotted." Echo said.

"I can make exceptions for bats that have situations like yours. Besides, how else are you going to find out if you really do love him?"

Echo looked up at her leader with glimmering eyes and Web Weaver pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome my dear. Tomorrow when the sun sets you can take off to go pay him a visit, but you must return before the sun rises or else you run the risk of being spotted."

"I won't be seen. I've learned from him how to be even more stealthy and silent. I can promise you that nopony will see me."

"Good. Now go and chat with your friends while you wait. It'll help take your mind off the matter until it's time."

"Yes ma'am," Echo said as she dove off the deck and landed amongst her friends.

Web Weaver took the rose that Echo had unknowingly left behind and admired it herself.

"A bat pony and a hybrid dinosaur. Huh, it's not such a terrible idea, and it might give our kind the protection it needs if Indominus were to find out. Once tomorrow begins, we'll see if Fate agrees with Echo's feelings and she does find her true happiness."

---

Morning came as it normally did for the dinosaurs. The events of last night's tussle with the new hybrids in town had given Indoraptor and Blackjack a well earned sleep. Indominus let them take their time getting out of bed given how they'd both fought their hearts out in a raging inferno and Indoraptor had gotten his first taste of the WorldBreaker. Rainbow had just finished setting the table and everyone was seating themselves when the two fighters walked in.

"Morning you two brawlers," Rainbow said as Blackjack yawned loudly.

"Morning Rainbow Dash."

"Morning mom," Indoraptor said sleepily.

"How'd you two sleep after what happened last night?" Indominus asked as he brought a bowl of gems over to Blackjack.

"I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow." Blackjack said before chewing on a blue gem. "Mmm, tangy and sweet."

"That's the same thing I said about Indominus when i got to 'taste' him for the first time." Rainbow whispered into Blackjack's ears.

"Oh you sly girl." Blackjack whispered back with a seductive gaze in her eyes.

Luckily Indoraptor was still waking up and didn't catch what they were talking about. Scootaloo had been asleep during the events of the inferno, so she was confused about what everyone was referring to.

"How's your body holding up, son?" Indominus asked as he slid a row of pancakes onto Indoraptor's plate.

"It's doing alright, dad. I don't think those gold flames had any negative effect on the disease."

"Wait...you used the WorldBreaker last night, Indoraptor?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh you should've seen it, Scootaloo. Somepony tried to take out Viper during her sleepover at Rarity's last night. The whole boutique was surrounded by flames and your brother and Blackjack were at the heart of it, fighting two different hybrid dinosaurs."

"What!? Where in the wide world of Equestria are these new dinosaurs coming from?"

"I don't think we'll ever figure out the answer to that question, Scootaloo. Whoever's behind these attacks knows what they're doing all too well. I had those hybrids in my grip and they still managed to slip away from us." Indominus said.

"But not before Blackjack knocked one of them through a window, Viper blasted the other so hard she was down in one strike, and Indoraptor became the Immortal WorldBreaker long enough to finish the job." Rainbow recalled.

"It was quite the show, and best of all, your siblings finally got accepted by the citizens of Ponyville." Tyrannosaurus said after gulping down his stack of pancakes.

"None of us knew Indoraptor could fight like that, or that Viper could be so vicious," Blue added.

"What'd she do to em? Did she tear them apart, make them bleed out?" Scootaloo was anxious to hear how her little sis had managed to hold her own in a fight.

"She dug her teeth into one of their stomachs and started raking it over with her claws." Blackjack said. "That animal couldn't do anything to stop her, and it was bleeding heavily."

"Wow, my little sister's finally found her savage side," Scootaloo said in delight.

"That's our girl. She's found her inner dinosaur and can hold her own in a fight." Rainbow added.

"Well she did learn under the best family that taught her everything she knows," said Delta.

"Speaking of Viper, when is she supposed to be back from Rarity's?" Charlie asked.

"After she's done having breakfast there and her friends get dropped off at home first. Once she gets back, we're taking a family trip to Canterlot."

"Canterlot? Ugh, don't tell me Neighsay's come up with something else to blame us for." Rainbow said bitterly annoyed at the thought of having to hear his pitiful attempts again.

"No, not this time Rainbow. It's actually part of a request that Luna and Celestia asked of me a while back. Back when all that drama was at its peak?"

"Oh....yeah. THAT drama. How could I forget?"

"Pardon my asking, but what's important about this trip, Indominus?"

"It's so our kids can know everything about the one who taught me how to do this." A small portion of the golden flames appeared in Indominus's hand.

"You mean?"

"Yes son. You and Viper are going to get a history lesson on Ra, and all that he's done for Equestria. After what you displayed last night, I believe that today is the best time to get some answers on your newfound power. Also, this trip might be a help to you as well, Blackjack."

"How would a trip to Canterlot help me exactly?"

"Because it would be the perfect chance for you to meet Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The ones who brought us here to be Scootaloo's guardians to begin with, and are the reason why we've become the family we are now." Tyrannosaurus said.

"Rexy's right, Blackjack. I owe it to them for making this family possible. Luna brought them here, Celestia gave everypony time to know them, and they even gave them their voices."

"Really?"

"It's true," Blue said.

"They gave all of us a chance, and we deeply respect them for putting their faith and trust in us." Delta added.

"We'd still be stuck in our old world if it weren't for them." Echo said.

"Plus, if they approve of us, then I don't see why they wouldn't welcome you as well," said Charlie.

Blackjack had to admit that they all had very valid points. Compared to her metal parts, the dinosaurs would appear far more intimidating to anypony that crossed their path. But if the Princesses approved of them and gave them a home, then there wouldn't be a reason for them to look down on her.

"Alright everycreature, you've convinced me. I'll join you guys on this little road trip."

"Wonderful. Now how's about we hurry and polish off this food before it gets cold," said Rainbow.

"I agree." Indominus said before stuffing his face full.

Blackjack had to stifle her giggles as she watched the dinosaurs cram food into their jaws and crunch them vigorously. Even Rainbow and Scootaloo were scarfing their breakfast down their gullets, but nowhere near as messy as the dinosaurs. Once they were finished and cleaning up. Blackjack had to tell Rainbow about what she thought of the feasting.

"This is one heck of a family you've got, Rainbow Dash."

"Well we are pretty awesome. We wouldn't have fun moments like that if we didn't love and care about each other so much. Did you ever have bonding moments with your family?"

Blackjack turned her head away silently, the sudden change in attitude left Rainbow a little perplexed.

"I...didn't have moments like yours. My mom was the head of security, so there wasn't much time to bond with her when she has to enforce the rules all the time."

"Oh...sorry Blackjack. I didn't mean to make you upset." Rainbow said quickly.

"It's alright Rainbow, it's just hard for me to talk about my past. There are some things that I really don't want to remember or have to relive again."

Rainbow put down the plate she had been cleaning and put a wing around Blackjack.

"You know that we're still curious to know about what you've gone through, Blackjack. I'm concerned especially because I made the mistake of not being there for a certain pony when she needed me. The last time I didn't help somepony who looked as upset as you did, I almost lost her."

Blackjack looked Rainbow right in the eyes at those words, who gestured towards Scootaloo, who was talking with between her dad and raptor siblings.

"Really?" Blackjack whispered.

"It's true. Her parents tormented her for most of her life, and they would've killed her and all of us if the dinosaurs hadn't been around to save her. Had I known what she was dealing with sooner, I could've pulled her out of that turmoil and saved her from their authority. That's why I can't turn my back on somepony that is struggling with an inner guilt they can't handle alone."

Blackjack had to admit that Rainbow was once again, making a very solid point. But the changed unicorn had never really told anypony about the darker secrets of her past. Even during her travels with her friends, she hadn't truly confided in them about it either. The closest she ever got to that was when she had been at death's door and held by the one pony she cared about most. She didn't think anypony would ever be able to understand what her ordeals were like, but based on everything Rainbow and the dinosaurs had told her about their struggles, they seemed like the only ones that could understand her.

"Alright. Give me a few days and I'll tell you and your family everything you want to know."

"You don't have to force yourself to do this, Blackjack."

"No, actually I do need to do this. If I'm being honest, I've actually never told anypony about what I've been through. Many of them were so intent on killing me and on my tail so often that there wasn't a time or place to talk about it. Or anypony wanting to listen for that matter."

"Well I can assure you that everyone is very curious to know about your past. It's been on our minds since that night when Indoraptor brought you here and we saw all these metal parts you have."

"I understand, and I still can't believe that you're not intimidated by this."

"Blackjack, you've seen Indominus become the Immortal Worldbreaker. His form is far more intimidating than a few metal parts. Heck, when Soarin turned himself into a mutated version of Indominus, he was scary to look at. Don't think that any of this defines you or makes you seem like a monster to anypony, because you look like a pony to me."

"Thanks Rainbow." Blackjack said with her eyes tearing up again.

"Hey now. Save those tears for when our son does something amazing for you again." Rainbow replied as she used her wing to flick away a stray tear.

"I'll try, and promise you won't judge me after I've told you my story?"

"I promise."

Blackjack couldn't help herself as she and Rainbow shared a hug. Scootaloo saw the brief exchange and she couldn't help but notice how close Rainbow and Blackjack seemed to be getting. It was similar to how well she and Rainbow had first bonded with the dinosaurs all those years ago. When they pulled away, Blackjack walked out of the kitchen and over to the dinosaurs.

"Everything alright Blackjack?" Indominus asked.

"Uh huh. Doing much better now, Indominus."

This time Indominus could tell she wasn't trying to hide some kind of inner struggle, her answer was more genuine. A shared glance between him and Rexy and they knew what to do next. The rexes leaned toward Blackjack and it surprised her to see them coming so close to her face. She wasn't sure what they were up to, until she felt them licking her neck and nuzzling her. The kind gestures brought giggles from her and Scootaloo definitely saw the similarity between her interactions with them and Blackjack's.

"Pretty nostalgic, isn't it?" Rainbow said as she stood alongside Scootaloo.

"It sure is. Hard to imagine that I used to be the one who got that kind of love all the time."

"You still do, Scootaloo. They've never stopped loving you, and neither have I."

"I know, mom. We've just had a lot to deal with, and I thought that she might be taking my place with how close you two seem to be lately."

"Oh Scootaloo, you know that nopony will ever take your place."

Rainbow pulled Scootaloo close to her with her wing and wrapped her right hoof over her shoulder.

"What I meant was that it was nostalgic because she reminds me of you."

"Really? How does she remind you of me?"

"Think about it. She has a past she's not comfortable talking about and can't seem to escape, much like how you were dealing with your old parents. She's been taunted and in some ways, traumatized by other ponies, just like when you were dealing with Diamond Tiara. They're merely giving her the same love and attention they gave you when they took on the role of being your guardians. Now look at her, she's being loved and accepted by the dinosaurs just like you were when you got to know them better."

Scootaloo noticed how happy Blackjack looked while the raptors were licking her and thought back to when she had received that kind of affection from them. It had been one of her greatest comforts when she had been stuck living with Sheer Cold, Spoiled Rotten, and the tyrannical grip they'd had on her life. With all the comparisons shown, it was easy to see how identical they were.

"Thanks mom, and again, I'm sorry I haven't been myself lately."

"It's not your fault sweetheart. It's just a phase everypony goes through, believe me, I had eyes for more stallions than I could count when I was your age. You'll figure this out, and you'll feel a whole lot better about yourself when you do."

Scootaloo nuzzled against her mom and Rainbow pulled her in close with her wing. They shared a tender embrace that reminded both mares of the night that they first became surrogate sisters.

Fifteen minutes after breakfast had been cleaned up, Rarity dropped Viper off at the castle. Rainbow thanked her for how well she'd handled the attack last night. Rarity went on to say that if it hadn't been for Indoraptor and Blackjack, nopony would've made it through the night. Indoraptor didn't think of himself as a hero, he just felt that he did the right thing looking out for his sister. Blackjack felt a little touched that her actions were being acknowledged, even though she'd run headlong into the inferno without thinking it through. But it still felt good knowing she had done the right thing and everything had worked out in the end.

Once Viper was back and happy to see her family again after the eventful night, Indominus filled her in on where they were going. Viper was more eager than Indoraptor when Indominus told her they would be visiting Canterlot and finding out more about Ra and see the Princesses. She could hardly wait to get going and Rainbow didn't want to keep her little hybrid ball of hyperactive energy waiting. So the family left the castle and flew off towards Canterlot.

There was one little detail that Blackjack had neglected to let the dinosaurs know about her: she had a terrible fear of heights and got airsick if there were too many ups and downs during said flight. Rainbow could see her face turning green while she was on Indominus's back. Indoraptor took her in his arms and tried to make the flight easier on her by gliding and covering her eyes so she didn't see how high she was. It managed to fool her body somewhat and kept her from throwing her dinner all over Indoraptor. Thankfully it took them no time at all to reach Canterlot and Blackjack took what seemed like several breathes before she felt like herself again.

"Not a fan of flying, are you?"

"Nope, definitely not. That's what I get for being raised underground and having no contact with the outside world." Blackjack said while trying not to let her mind go back to being airborne.

"Well we won't make you go flying if it really bothers you that much." Rainbow said.

"Thanks, that's much appreciated."

The group walked to the entrance and the guards opened the drawbridge for them. While they walked through the castle, one of the guards that spotted them flew off to the throne room to inform the Princesses. Now Blackjack felt entirely out of place from seeing the amazing detail of the Princesses' castle and comparing it to the bleak and depressing feel of her former stable. Blue could see her gaze wandering over every detail and staying in awe at each inch.

"Anything wrong Blackjack?"

"I'm sorry Blue, it's just that everything looks so amazing and stunning. I'm so used to seeing a world torn apart by war and destroyed homes that this is so perplexing and strange."

"You'll get used to it, and maybe even grow to like it as much as we do."

"But there's something more important here for you to see, Blackjack." Delta said.

"What would that be?"

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Rexy said as they reached the doors to the throne room.

"The Princesses are waiting for all of you inside." The guards said as they opened the doors.

The dinosaurs walked in with Blackjack trailing behind them. She'd heard stories about the Princesses and heard what they'd done for Equestria, but she never thought the chance would come along where she'd get to meet them in person. It was almost nerve-wrecking walking into the throne room and then stopping with the dinosaurs in front of the Princesses.

"Indominus, Rexy, it's wonderful to see all of you again." Celestia said as she and Luna bowed to the family.

"The guards informed us only a while ago that you had arrived." Luna said as she stroked Indominus's nose.

"Yes Luna, I decided that today would be a good time to honor that request you and Celestia suggested to me. The one about bringing our kids here so they can know about Ra?"

"Of course, we haven't forgotten. Plus it's been a long time since we've seen them."

"Viper, you're first." Rainbow said, coaxing Viper ahead of her sisters and getting her to walk towards the Princesses.

Viper was a little nervous in her step as she got closer, but the warm glow radiating from the alicorns calmed her down. The Princesses bent down closer to her level so they could get a good look at her.

"Aww, there's no doubt about it. She's got her mother's eyes, right sister?" Luna said.

Rainbow blushed at the compliment.

"Indeed Luna. But she's got a lot of her father in her too, which is really showing now that she's grown so much."

"Aw, thank you Princesses." Luna and Celestia were touched by the sweet and kind response.

"How have things been going for you, Viper? Have the citizens of Ponyville been treating you well?"

"It was hard at first, Princess Celestia. Nopony wanted to have me around, or my friends. But things did get better and now, everypony at school helped us put an end to the bullying."

"That's good to hear. We're glad that things have been working out for you." Luna said.

"Not just me. My big brother has been through his fair share himself."

"Oh we've heard about what Indoraptor's been through. How did he handle finding out about his 'condition?'"

"It was hard for me to accept at first."

Celestia and Luna looked up to see Indoraptor making his way towards them. They stood back up to their full height when they realized just how big he had gotten. Viper moved aside so her brother could be in full view of the alicorns.

"My goodness, look at how much you've grown over the years, Indoraptor." Celestia said amazed.

"You've come such a long way from that first night in the hospital." Luna added.

"Maybe, but I can still see the signs every now and again." Indoraptor said as he held out his arm for them.

The Princesses watched as a chunk of his scales fell of his arm. They looked down-heartened at first, but got surprised when they saw the scales heal themselves only a minute later.

"How did-"

"Twilight's been helping me figure out all these new things my body can do. From using venom to finding out my scales are lined with a self-healing material that allows them to regenerate without the need for any powers. It came in handy during one night in the Everfree Forest when I rescued a new pony in town."

"Really? Who might that be, Indoraptor?" Celestia asked.

"We brought her here so she could meet you two in person. Apparently she's only ever heard about what you've done for Equestria, but this is her first time seeing you both for real."

Indoraptor turned back to look at his family and noticed the white unicorn trying to conceal herself behind the scaly bodies.

"Blackjack, come on over here."

"This will help you feel better about yourself too." Viper added.

Celestia and Luna tried to see who the hybrids were talking about, until she came out from behind the dinosaurs and they got a good look at her. Once they got a good look at the metal pieces on Blackjack's body, they could feel their hearts melting.

"Oh my dear child! What happened to you?" Celestia said in total surprise.

"Who did this to you?" Luna asked. "When we get our hooves on the scoundrels that put you through this, they will be sorry they ever decided to pick on you."

"You don't have to worry, Princesses. The ones who did this died a long time ago."

"What is your name, dear pony?"

"I'm Blackjack, and I gotta say it's an honor to finally meet you in person, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

"Well Blackjack, you can rest assured that we will do everything in our power to make sure that nopony ever tries to hurt you or treat you badly because of these." Celestia said in complete confidence.

"Welcome to Equestria, Blackjack, and we'll do our best to help you feel welcome here," Luna said as she and Celestia nuzzled Blackjack. The mare held back her tears as she accepted their comfort.

"Thank you, your Highness. But you don't have to worry about that. I think after what Indoraptor did for everypony back in Ponyville and myself, not one of them will ever pick on me again."

"Really now. What did he do for you, exactly?" Luna asked, her curiosity having been aroused.

"I protected her and Viper from a pair of hybrid raptors that had tried to kill Rarity and her family." Indoraptor said as he stood by Blackjack.

"Excuse me?"

"It's true, Celestia." Indominus said. "Somehow someone in Equestria knew about the sleepover our daughter had planned for that night. They even had the knowledge and magic to know about the world you saved us from, and brought their own dinosaurs here."

"But that's impossible. Celestia and I are the only ones who know about that particular kind of magic." Luna added.

"Do you think it's possible that Neighsay has gone rogue and is trying to have my family killed? It wouldn't surprise me after all the trash and garbage he's said about them." Rainbow said in distaste.

"That's highly unlikely, Rainbow Dash. Neighsay has never had access to the Forbidden Section of the Canterlot Archives. His status as a chancellor doesn't give him permission to look at spells that advanced. Sheer Cold, Spoiled Rotten, and Soarin are all the proof we needed to know that not everypony can be trusted with power that can corrupt. Whoever did all this is either somepony that is smart enough to plan out every detail and execute it with no flaws, or they have help from somewhere."

"Whoever tried to kill Viper that night will pay in their blood." Tyrannosaurus said.

"No one attacks our family and lives to tell about it," said Blue.

"We understand how you all feel, but there's nothing we can do right now," said Celestia. "Without a solid lead or any kind of evidence, there's nothing to single out the pony responsible for this."

"She's right, especially since those two disappeared from my grip."

"How exactly did they escape?"

"I had them pinned under my WorldBreaker strength, Luna. I was about to start beating answers out of them, but they both disappeared in a flash of dark magic. Like they were being pulled out of existence."

Luna and Celestia shared uneasy glances between them at Indominus's description of the magic he had seen. There was no way that Neighsay could've been involved in planning the attack, because they knew of only one pony that specialized in dark magic.

"You don't think.."

"No, it can't be him...unless he somehow managed to survive."

"Twilight and her friends destroyed him years ago. They saw the Heart's light destroy his body completely."

"Well sister, unless you know somepony else that can use dark magic the way he did, I don't see any other possible culprit."

"You know somepony that might be responsible for all this, Princess Luna?"

"Maybe, Scootaloo. It's just a wild hunch, but it could be a pony that we thought had been destroyed hundreds of moons ago."

"It might be the unicorn that you and your friends helped defeat at the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Dash: King Sombra."

"King Sombra!? You mean the unicorn that returned with the Crystal Empire and tried take it over again?"

"The very same," said Luna.

"But there's no way he could be behind these attacks. We all saw him get destroyed by the Crystal Heart, and even if he did come back, how could he know about the dinosaurs or how to bring any others here?"

"It's only a hunch, Rainbow Dash. Based on what Indominus has said, he's the only pony that used dark magic so well. If more of this shows up again, then we'll have actual confirmation if he was behind this." Celestia said.

"But we're not here to talk about suspicions and point hooves, all of you are here for something better than that. Right?" Luna asked.

"Yes Luna. The history of my mentor, the one who taught me about the Immortal Phoenix and WorldBreaker."

"That's correct Indominus, the history of the Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Winged Dragon of Ra?"

"Yes Blackjack, the god of the sun who protected Equestria long before Luna and I ever became Princesses."

"Now follow us so your history lessons can begin." Luna said as she and Celestia led everypony out of the throne room.

The Princesses led the group through the castle and into the library. Blackjack could feel her head spinning from seeing the enormous amount of books on the shelves that seemed to go on forever. Indominus wasn't sure where they were going to find scrolls or books that contained info on Ra in a place so big. Rainbow thought about how a single scroll was the only info the Princesses had on Black Death. She couldn't imagine what little information they could have on a creature that had been around since before even they had become Princesses. They were all surprised to see Celestia and Luna standing before an area of the library that was darkened and sealed off by a locked gate.

"What's this, Celestia?" Rainbow asked.

"This is known as the Forbidden Section of the Canterlot Archives." Celestia said. "There's a reason why this section is closed off to everypony in Equestria, except for Luna and myself. It holds some of the darkest and most destructive spells, books and scrolls in Equestria, things that only dangerous ponies like Sombra would pursue. If the wrong pony got into this section and got a hold of one of those spells, they could cause deadly havoc on Equestria."

"But the biggest reason why nopony but us can enter this area, is because it's where the scrolls and books that contain the only information on the Winged Dragon of Ra reside." Luna added.

"I must warn all of you. Whatever you read in this section must never be spoken of anywhere else. We don't need any ponies to know about the secrets of Ra, especially with all the attacks that have been happening. His power was beyond anything you could do as the WorldBreaker, Indominus. If whoever's behind these attacks finds out about him and uses that information against us, the results could be catastrophic."

"Rest assured Princesses, none of us will breathe a word of what we hear about him. I wouldn't let anything about my mentor be let out to the public. He helped me save Rainbow's life, and gave her the power to save me too. We owe him for how he helped us," said Indominus.

"We swear Celestia, none of us will say anything about Ra to anypony," Rainbow added.

She stuck out a hoof and asked everypony to place their hoof or claws on hers as a way of making a solemn vow to never reveal what they learned of the Winged Dragon to anypony, including their friends. Everyone agreed, even Blackjack promised to keep her word for their sake, and the Princesses used their magic to undo the locks. The opened the gates to the Forbidden section, allowing the group to step in before they closed the gates behind them. Once the gates were locked again the Princesses led the way, guiding the family through the sections of dangerous spells and scrolls.

The dinosaurs slowed their pace to allow Celestia and Luna to show them where the information was waiting for them. It was strange that neither of them were uttering a word through the darkened pathways. But this was also the first time any of the dinosaurs had ever been in a library, let alone a section that only the Princesses had access to. Viper huddled closer to her mom and sisters as the Forbidden Section kept darkening, save for a few torches that lit the way and stayed well above the shelves.

After fifteen minutes of following the Princesses, Celestia and Luna stopped in front of a large shelf near the back of the section.

"We're here everypony. This is where your history lessons will begin." Celestia said as she and Luna walked over to the massive shelf while the family gathered around a table big enough for all of them.

The Princesses started pulling books from the shelves and laid them out on the table for everyone to start looking through. Some scrolls had details about the greatest feats Ra had done for Equestria, but what surprised Indominus was that there weren't any details that talked about him alone. In fact, the scrolls he looked through talked about how there were two other gods like Ra that helped him in looking after Equestria. Even Rainbow confirmed his suspicions when she too came across paragraphs that talked about three gods that protected Equestria from evil.

"I don't understand. How can there be more than one god? I thought Ra was the only god of Equestria."

"Looks like you thought wrong, stud. These other gods sound just as powerful as he was." Rainbow said.

"Oh they were quite powerful indeed, but Ra was always the strongest of them all." Celestia said as she kept rummaging through the shelf, looking for something vitally important.

"This is what these other gods looked like when they ruled alongside him," Luna said as she found an emerald scroll and levitated it over to Indominus.

Everypony huddled around him as he unraveled the scroll and when he caught sight of them, he felt as breathless as the time he'd found the Arkenstone. The scroll had a detailed drawing of the Winged Dragon of Ra and two other beasts that could only be the other gods. One was a giant hulking monstrous creature with immense muscles and spikes protruding from almost every part of his body. His head was adorned with spikes that stood upright like a makeshift crown and his teeth were all white fangs.

The second one was a large red, serpentine dragon with wings that looked like they dwarfed even Smaug's wingspan. Spikes ran along the entire length of his back and two rows protruded from the back of his head. Most notably about this dragon was that it seemed to have two sets of jaws. A large one with a giant tooth jutting out at the end on each side, and a smaller second mouth placed right in front of his glowing golden eyes. They stood alongside Ra and shared a unique connection with the same jewel embedded in their foreheads.

"I see that their appearances have left you quite perplexed, Indominus," said Celestia.

"Y-yes your Highness. I didn't know that there were other creatures like Ra."

"I didn't even know that they even existed in the first place. None of the lessons in my stable ever talked about these creatures," said Blackjack.

"That's because we don't give out this kind of sensitive information to just anypony." Luna said.

"It's best that all of you take a seat for this, because their origin goes a long ways back."

The dinosaurs and ponies all sat down at the table as Celestia finally found what she was looking for. She levitated over a gold covered book and opened it to a specific page. When she laid it down, the page showed a unique form of writing that no one in the group had ever seen before. But they didn't ask about it yet because Celestia and Luna were ready to give the lesson that the hybrids were promised.

"Now you all know of course, that my sister and I have watched over Equestria for thousands of moons. But before we ever became princesses, there were three creatures of absolute power and authority that ruled and protected Equestria from dangers. Their names were Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and of course, The Winged Dragon of Ra."

"With names like those, it's easy to see why they were born as gods." Rainbow said.

"These creatures were the ultimate protectors of the land. They ruled with absolute authority and divided the task of protecting the land and ponykind amongst themselves. Obelisk was tasked with watching over the land and its' many creatures, Slifer ruled the skies and kept his eyes on ponykind from above, but Ra was given the task of being the god of the sun itself." Luna said.

"Did he raise the sun and moon like you two?" Viper asked.

"Oh he was much more than that, Viper. His power was drawn from the sun itself. Its' light and heat fueled his power and gave him immeasurable might. So much so that any evil that threatened our land could never stand against him. Obelisk and Slifer were strong with their own godly strength, but Ra's connection to the sun put him in his own league." Celestia said.

"But if he was so strong, then why did he need them to help him?"

"Now Rainbow, even with his power there was only so much Ra could do by himself. Individually they had drawbacks and could've been taken on by any creature that was clever and strong enough to do it, but when they were together they were practically indestructible. Alone they were tough, but united and using their powers together, there was nothing the gods couldn't accomplish." Luna added.

"Necromancers, demonic dragons, beasts of sheer force and power all fell or were destroyed by the combined might of the Equestrian Gods." Celestia said.

"But what happened to them? I mean, if these gods have been looking after Equestria all this time, surely something had to have become of them." Indoraptor asked.

"Yeah, because Ra's clearly still around given how Indominus and I were able to talk with him before all the drama with the Wonderbolts reached its' peak." Rainbow said.

"During their long reign, the gods did enjoy protecting Equestria. As we grew up and learned more about what they had done for our home, we came to deeply respect them. Though at some point during their rule, they personally contacted us and wanted Celestia and myself to take their place in looking after Equestria. Ra, Slifer and Obelisk felt that if they continued to protect Equestria from the many dangers that it would face, then the ponies would become a much weaker race. Fearing that ponykind would become dependent on them to handle all those dangers, the gods asked us to take their place, to show that ponies could still be capable of looking after themselves." Luna said.

Everypony was amazed at the amount of trust and faith these creatures had put in the Princesses at the time.

"What did you say to them? Blue asked.

"There was no way we could ignore a personal request from the gods themselves. But we needed more time before we would be ready to take the mantle ourselves. So we made an agreement with them: we asked them to continue protecting Equestria until the day we would be old and experienced enough as alicorns to handle the responsibility, then we would take over their task of protecting Equestria. All three of them found the compromise to be very agreeable, and they held us to our word, which we vowed to keep til the promise was met."

"I imagine that the wait for them was rather tiring and exhausting," said Rainbow.

"Actually Rainbow, the wait was nothing for them. It gave them the time to watch our progress and see how we were doing. None of them would hand over the task of watching over Equestria if they felt that we weren't ready. Ra, Slifer and Obelisk wanted us to be a hundred percent prepared for the immense task, so that ponykind would be ready for the transition and learn to rely on their own strength as well. Though when the day came for us to take over, before they departed, the gods left behind an ancient chant written in the golden book in front of you." Celestia said as she gestured to the book.

Everypony took turns looking at the text engraved on the pages before passing it down to one another. It was written beneath another image of the three gods, and in a text that Rainbow, Scootaloo and Blackjack had never seen before. Since the dinosaurs had never had to read and weren't at all familiar with how the ponies wrote in their language, they were completely stumped.

"I suppose you know what they wrote down, right?" T-Rex asked.

"Unfortunately no. We have no idea what it says," Luna admitted.

"WHAT!?" Everyone said in shock.

"I know it sounds hard to believe but it's true. Only those with a special connection to the gods themselves can read this chant. It's written in a special form of script, a dialect that only they can understand. But whoever can translate this chant and recite it can call upon the ancient powers of the gods."

When it got to Viper and Indoraptor, they couldn't pry their eyes away from the chant. They wanted to see if they could understand what the text said.

"You mean that in all this time neither of you have been able to decipher the chant? But then why would Ra entrust you with something you can't even translate?" Indominus asked in confusion.

"Believe me Indominus we tried for moons to decipher the text, and despite our best efforts we couldn't find a way to translate or recite it. But this text ensures that not just anypony can use it, because the gods will only obey those that chant the words."

"Then that means that up until the Wonderbolts fiasco, these gods never showed their faces in Equestria again?" Scootaloo asked.

"No Scootaloo, they did make one appearance before that happened. But when they came back, it was not a welcome visit. It was during a time when a terrible war had been started between ponies and zebras."

"To make things worse, it was also during the same time that King Sombra held his thousand year grip over the Crystal Empire," said Luna.

"Are you serious Princesses? That sounds like the war I grew up in." Blackjack said.

"Are you sure Blackjack?" Celestia said in concern.

"Yes Princess Celestia. It was during a time when ponies were forced to live underground in stables, mutated monsters roamed the land and ponies and zebras were always trying to kill each other. I remember going in pursuit of a particular program that the zebras had tried trading with the overmare of my stable at the time."

"Did you ever recall seeing any of the gods during that time?" Luna asked.

"No. I never saw them, I honestly didn't know they even existed at the time. I was being hunted by so many ponies that I never had the chance."

"Then count yourself lucky Blackjack, because you didn't get to experience the tragedy that the gods unleashed to bring Equestria back to peace."

"It was during one of our greatest battles against the zebras. They had brought hundreds of weapons, spells and most deadly of all, balefire bombs. Destructive weapons that killed any that were unfortunate enough to be within their vicinity. On that day, the gods left a very painful reminder of what happens to those that make the kind of stupid mistakes we did."

---

The skies were dark and erupting with explosions, ponies and zebras were fighting each other to the bitter end. Celestia and Luna were on the front lines battling the soldiers of the zebra rebellion, trying their hardest to keep up the fight. All around them ponies were being torn apart by the nimble and deadly zebras, and the Princesses with all their magical strength were being overwhelmed. With the zebras' agility, unnatural strength and deadly weapons they had in their possession, they were tiring out the Princesses and their might.

The leader of the rebellion casually walked towards them as his soldiers continued to wear down the once proud rulers of Equestria. He wore a skull over his face and his body was covered in markings that resembled an old zebra language. As Celestia narrowly managed to avoid being struck by the explosion of a missile, he leaped into the air and dealt several concussion-driven blows to her head. Celestia dropped out of the sky and crashed into the blood-soaked ground.

"Sister!!"

Luna flew to her sister's aid, firing blasts at the zebra as she approached him. He merely performed a single somersault and wound up on her back at the end of it. He nailed Luna in the back of the head and jumped off before she went head first into the ground herself. She conjured swords with her magic and fired them relentlessly upon him, but the deadly zebra ducked and dodged in and out of every attack that came his way. His soldiers went back to fighting the remaining ponies that were still in the fight, leaving their leader to deal with the Princess of the night.

After several frustrating attempts, Luna fired a massive blast at her opponent. The zebra surprised her by sliding under the attack and wound up underneath her chest. She was assaulted by the same bone breaking blows to her underbelly as the zebra drilled his hardened hooves into her. Against the agonizing pain Luna managed to fly away from him, but when she landed the zebra was already upon her and with just a few blows to the head, she was down in the dirt where her sister was laying.

The zebra towered over them, his eyes glowing bright red behind his skull mask.

"You should've accepted my offer Princesses, I really didn't want to embarrass you in front of your subjects like this. On the other hand, I've finally gotten the chance to prove my superior strength over the protectors of Equestria."

"No...please don't do this. Equestria will never be the same if you go through with this." Celestia pleaded.

"Exactly. It will be reborn in a much better image. One where you ponies are no longer in control of this world, and are slaves to us zebras. Then you'll know just how we felt cowering under your rule!"

"But we never enslaved you or your kind. Someone has lied to you." Luna croaked out.

"NO! I won't hear anymore of your wretched lies. It's time to put an end to the corrupt and destructive empire you ponies have created. Fire the weapon!"

One zebra pressed a remote control and a signal was sent into the sky. The Princesses looked up to see what the zebras had tried to signal. At first they saw nothing, then a faint rumbling could be heard that became louder. Suddenly from the depths of the darkened sky came an enormous slab of rock that looked similar in appearance to the moon.

"Moonstone? That's your plan? Use moonstone to wipe out Equestria?"

"Yes Celestia, and once that rock makes contact with the ground, it will annihilate all forms of life. Then the birth of the new world will begin."

Celestia and Luna could only look up as the moonstone continued to descend towards Equestria. For the first time in their lives, they felt utterly helpless and powerless to do anything for the world they had sworn to protect. They'd let everything go to ruin, innocent ponies had been pulled into war and killed, and the zebras had rendered them helpless to do anything to save it. All they could do was sink their heads to the ground and wait for the impact to wipe them out.

"ENOUGH!! THIS MADNESS WILL GO ON NO MORE!!"

Everycreature looked around to see where the powerful voices had come from. Then they all saw something huge within the clouds heading for the descending moonstone. When the shadow within emerged from the clouds, no one could believe their eyes.

The gods of Equestria emerged from the cloud layer and headed for the descending moonstone. The zebras could only watch in horror as Obelisk seized the stone with his bare claws and used immense strength to slow its' descent. Slifer and Ra put their claws against the stone and summoned their own might which was strong enough to stop the stone and leaving it held in their grasp.

"No piece of rock is going to destroy our home!" Obelisk roared as he punched the stone with enough force to send it flying back the way it came.

Then all three gods gathered up an enormous amount of energy in their jaws and fired three blasts in the same direction the moonstone had been sent flying. The entire rock was engulfed in the combined blasts and detonated where the explosion couldn't hurt anypony.

"Now that their so-called weapon has been destroyed, we can tend to the matter of dealing with these monsters," Ra said angrily as he glared down at the zebras.

The Equestrian Gods descended from the sky and touched down with such force that the ground itself trembled under their power. Celestia and Luna didn't have the courage to face the gods they respected for so long and had promised to protect Equestria in their absence.

"Open your eyes, alicorns! You will witness the price that must be paid for your mistakes!" Slifer roared out.

Scared out of their minds from the anger and volume in the gods' tones, Celestia and Luna lifted their heads and looked into the fiery eyes of their former guardians. The gods that had once protected Equestria burned with pure rage from seeing the decimated state Equestria was in. Their burning gazes drifted down to the zebras that were arming themselves with every weapon they had left.

"You animals turned this one peaceful world into a wasteland, and took the lives of too many ponies." Ra bellowed.

"Now all of you will pay the price for what you've done!" Slifer roared.

"Y-You creatures can't stop us. We have enough weapons to take you on and destroy all of you!" The zebra leader called out.

"You'll regret this." Obelisk said.

"FIRE!!"

The zebras turned their attention away from the ponies and focused all their firepower on the gods. They fired every weapon in their entire arsenal at the mighty beasts, and not one of them ever reached their bodies. They launched all of their balefire bombs at them, and the gods countered them easily. Obelisk grabbed a handful in his hands and crushed them like a pebble. Slifer and Ra incinerated the rest with a volley of thunder and phoenix flame blasts. Every heart in the entire battlefield dropped as the gods absorbed the deadly energies of the bombs, and weren't even phased by it.

"You had your chance, and now all of you will pay for driving Equestria into ruin!" Slifer called out.

The gods ascended from the ground and began glowing in their respective colors. Celestia had a terrible dread in her heart from the energy radiating off their bodies.

"Wait, Ra. What are you planning to do?"

"Simple Celestia. I'm going to give you and Luna a very painful reminder that neither of you will forget anytime soon."

"We're going to end this miserable war that you and the zebras started with your pathetic choices," said Slifer.

"But the price you'll pay for this will be all the rage and pain of every pony who perished in this war, and our rage for not keeping your word to us." Obelisk roared.

"Once we release our power, each and every one of you will experience the anger, pain, and torment of countless souls and the greatest defenders this world has ever known." Slifer added.

"May you live with this rage as a reminder of what happens to those that break a vow to gods," Ra roared out.

The three gods roared out and the energy that had been flowing around them exploded in tremendous force. Streams of their energy shot out in numerous blasts, striking every soldier zebra across Equestria and vaporizing them. Their roars sang out across the land like a heavenly demonic chorus as the force of their powers washed over everypony. The zebra leader roared in agony as the gods focused their anger on him. He watched in dismay and daunting shock as his body peeled away, split apart and disintegrated into the wind.

Celestia and Luna doubled over and cried out in pain as the rage of their guardians washed over their bodies. Every nerve inside them screamed out in unrelenting agony, like every ounce of their very beings were being assaulted by the very souls they had unknowingly destroyed in their war. Tears rolled down their faces as the energies from their guardians continued to overpower them and attack their souls. Both alicorns were brought down from the sheer weight of the power brought on by the gods, until the roars and the exploding energies died out.

When the Princesses opened their eyes, they were stunned to see that the battle-worn wasteland they had seen mere minutes ago was gone. In its place was the Equestria they had known before the war had started, unscathed and untouched by war or carnage. Ra, Slifer and Obelisk had undone all the havoc that the war had brought on Equestria, but the damage had been done. As they looked around, the Princesses noticed that every pony that was still alive was shaking and trembling in fear from the rage and pain all of them had experienced.

It took Luna only a minute to realize that she was trembling just as badly as everypony around her. She, Celestia and everypony across Equestria had felt the rage of the gods of Equestria, just as Ra had promised. They had eradicated every zebra that had been involved in the war and had stricken all of ponykind with a deep, painful memory of what happens when one makes the worst kind of choices imaginable.

---

After Celestia and Luna were done recapping the tragic event, the dinosaurs were completely speechless. Their jaws hung open and Rainbow's eyes were nearly bulging out of her skull.

"They really did all of that?" Rainbow said in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so, Rainbow Dash. Ra was deeply angered by what we did back then, and while he, Slifer and Obelisk managed to undo all the damage done, they left us with a burning warning of what might happen should anything like that ever happen again." Celestia said solemnly.

"That's why you should really count yourself lucky that your inner hatred didn't get the better of you, Indominus. Had you given into your anger and inner demon, there would've been a good chance that Ra might've deemed you a lost cause." Luna said.

"What would he have done had that happened?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ra would've killed him on the spot. Indominus would've been too consumed by rage to be calmed or reasoned, and the God of the Sun would annihilate him the same way he and his fellow gods annihilated the zebra army." The Princess of the Night answered with complete sincerity.

"Wow. Now I'm really grateful that I had help back then to keep that from happening." Indominus said as he realized how close he might've come to provoking his mentor's anger.

"Now you all see why these creatures are not to be messed with. They don't take kindly to those that turn their backs on Equestria and their power is absolute if they decide that divine atonement is necessary. Do you understand now why it is so vitally important that you never stray from how the Equestrian Gods want Equestria to be, Indominus? Celestia asked.

"Yes, I do. I will never turn my back on Ra, or any of the gods. I swore to be Equestria's king and I will defend it from anything that threatens its peace. Whoever is planning these attacks on us will never succeed, and when they finally show themselves, I will crush them in the name of the Winged Dragon of Ra himself!"

Celestia was touched by Indominus's bold declaration, but Luna had some doubts as to whether Indominus could measure up to a promise that he was unknowingly making to the Ra. All she could do was have faith in him and in the very power Ra had helped him achieve. For it would be put to the ultimate test against an opponent who had managed to survive the tragic war, and was back to take back what was his.

---

Neighsay waited patiently in his home, unaware that the dinosaurs were being taught important lessons right in the center of his home city. He had been waiting for a response from Sombra after the defeat his hybrids had suffered, and for the mailpony to deliver his mail so he could give his thanks to his inside help. Whichever one came first would help his and Sombra's army grow and have more support that he would need if he was going to bring down the dinosaurs. While he was pacing around his living room, he heard a knock coming from his front door.

"Oh goody. The mail is here. Time to see if my little pen-pal has written me back." Neighsay said as he levitated his own letter next to him with his magic.

He opened his front door and was glad to see Derpy standing in the front door with her mailbag full to the brim.

"Afternoon Chancellor Neighsay."

"Afternoon Miss Doo. Is there any mail you have for me?"

"Why yes. I have this letter for you, but whoever sent the letter didn't want her name to be given."

Derpy dug an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Neighsay. He recognized the writing on the front and knew it was from his pen pal. He was delighted to see she had written back to him.

"Do you per chance happen to know what she looks like?"

"Why yes I do. She's been to the post office plenty of times. Most recently to make sure that these letters get delivered to you."

"Then, could you please give this to her the next time she drops by?"

He levitated his own letter over to Derpy and with it, a hefty amount of bits.

"Oh most certainly. I'll make sure this gets to her at once, and thank you very much for the generous tip, Chancellor Neighsay."

"My pleasure Miss Doo, and have a fine day." Neighsay said as she took off to deliver more letters.

Neighsay closed the door and opened the new letter his pen pal had sent him. The letter contained disappointed news about the attack, but it had the kind of info Neighsay could relay to Sombra.

"Sorry that your attack didn't work out the way I'd hoped. That cursed hybrid Indoraptor and his disfigured girlfriend Blackjack screwed up everything when they showed up. They even had Discord there to help them and he undid all the damage your dinosaurs caused. Those blasted dinosaurs don't deserve to have somepony like him on their side. But I saw that your hybrids can hold their own against them. If there was a way you could make them stronger, then they could destroy both hybrids next time. Though you should be more careful when you plan your next attack. They're getting suspicious and trying to find you, and you won't be able to escape Indominus and his golden fire. Good luck with your next plan and I'll send you more info the next time they open their jaws.

Your special pen pal"

"Getting suspicious and they have more help in the form of a badly deformed pony? Ha! Let her help them, it won't help her in the long run. She'll just meet the same fate if she chooses to aid those monsters."

"What did you say about Blackjack?"

A dark portal erupted behind Neighsay and Sombra's glowing red eyes glared back at him.

"Oh come on. Don't tell me you have feelings for some deformed pony. Everypony knows you're the one with the heart as black as night. You can't tell me-"

Neighsay was shut up as a massive shadow body lunged out of the portal, enveloped him and slammed him into the wall. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he felt something strong holding him by the neck. He saw that Sombra had him held by shadowy black hands that were restraining him and keeping him held against the wall. But what his blood run cold and his heart almost stop, was the soulless red eyes that glared at him. Within the body of shadows, Sombra was accompanied by at least four ponies that had the same glowing eyes as him. When the shadow dropped away and revealed the company the unicorn king had brought, Neighsay did feel his heart stop when he saw them.

They didn't look like any ponies he had ever seen before. They were taller with more slender bodies, their faces were longer and closer to that of an alicorn. But it was the skeletal features through their transparent bodies and the burning red eyes that haunted Neighsay the most. The eyes didn't seem to show any emotion other than a burning, raging desire to tear him apart. Their shrieks sounded like the horrific cries of ponies being horribly slaughtered as they assisted Sombra in holding Neighsay against the wall.

"Now let's try this again. What did you say Blackjack was?"

"N-no...nothing. I-I didn't...say anything, Sombra....King Sombra." Neighsay said as he tried to keep his breath while trying not to succumb to the overwhelming fear.

A dark grin grew on Sombra's face as he walked up to Neighsay and got right into his face.

"Consider this a friendly reminder. You say anything like the repulsive garbage that you just said about Blackjack, and I will let my soldiers tear you apart in the most horrible way I see fit. Do I make myself clear?"

Neighsay had nothing to voice against the powerful fear and authority in Sombra's tone.

"Y-Yes...I...understand Sombra."

"Good. Now, DROP HIM!"

The shadow ponies released their hold on Neighsay and King Sombra took back the dark hands he'd had around the chancellor's neck. Neighsay dropped to the floor, gasping for breath as Sombra looked on while his shadowy soldiers walked back to him. Once Neighsay was able to get back on his hooves and catch his breath, he was surprised to find that the shadow ponies were standing by Sombra and seemed to be held back by his mere presence.

"Friends of yours?"

"More like reassurance for my army. They were created from the purest rage and source of my magic. All the anger, fury and hatred I possess helped give birth to them. Each of them act on those impulses and I can have them aim those impulses at any target I want. Though it's not easy keeping a hold on them, any break in authority or concentration on my part and I could lose control of them. So count yourself lucky that I'm such a powerful king, or you could have a very short lifeline."

"Good safety tip." Neighsay said as he tried not to stare too long at their empty eyes.

"Now I'll ask you one more time. What did you just say about Blackjack?"

"It's not what I said, it's just what my pen pal wrote in her latest letter."

"Really? Show me then."

Neighsay levitated the letter over to him and Sombra skimmed through it. His eyes started burning when he found the part about Blackjack being called a disfigured pony. But his focus came back when he read about Indoraptor and Discord being involved in undoing the attack he had set up.

"The next time you write to this pen pal of yours, tell them to avoid saying things like that in my presence. Got it?"

"Yes Sombra."

"Good. Now this Indoraptor, what is his involvement in last night's attack?"

"He was there, somehow he managed to get past your barrier, fought your hybrids to a standstill and Blackjack helped him overpower them."

"So there are other dinosaurs that I don't know about. Perhaps we might have more problems to deal with than I thought. Discord is a serious problem that will need to be dealt with first. He has the power to undo any attack I make on Equestria."

"If he could fix the damage your hybrids made, then there's no way to stop him. He managed to contain part of Indominus's power when it first got used against the Wonderbolts. He could easily take away your army if he wanted."

"Oh he could, but not if I get the right creature that can stop him."

"What are you talking about, Sombra? You know of a creature somewhere in Equestria with the power to stop Discord?"

"I don't just know of a creature that can do it, Neighsay, I also know where he currently is. I'm sure he won't want to join at first, but once he hears about what I have planned, he'll be begging for a spot in my army."

Neighsay was lost for thought on who Sombra could be talking about.

"Just wait a couple of days for me to get things prepared, Neighsay. Then I will be back to show you who I'm talking about, and a special addition I have in mind for my army."

"That would be perfect, because I've told my pen pal that I want to bring them here so they can meet you and truly become part of our plans. Then you'd have a real pony on the inside who can provide you with what you need to bring those monsters down."

"Ah now that's a good idea. Since your pen pal was right about the sleepover, it would be in our best interest to bring them in on all our plans. Let's only hope that they don't mind being part of an army with so many beasts."

Sombra walked back through his portal and as he walked through, one of his shadow soldiers turned its' head around and shrieked back at Neighsay before stepping through and disappearing. Once he was sure they were gone, Neighsay finally collapsed and took a breath of relief from the shock those shadows had instilled in him.

"His reputation still precedes him. I didn't think he could make something out of his own anger. I was sure those things were going to kill me."

Neighsay collected himself and regained his composure as he walked over to a window.

"I'll have to be more careful around King Sombra. I've only heard of what he's done, but seeing what that unicorn can do with his power is terrifying. I don't want to know what he can do if someone pushes him too far."

Then a terrible thought made Neighsay grin.

"Oh, now there's an idea. I wonder how those animals will fare when Sombra goes after them himself. Best you count your blessings, Indominus, because one day soon, you'll find out what a true king can do!"

Next Chapter: Recruitment Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 5 Minutes