After her little incident at the school with Emerald and Platinum, Viper had more self control over her instincts to fight. She knew that they would never stop harassing her and her friends, but if she could show that their words meant nothing to her, then they would never be able to provoke the dinosaur within her again. Precious and Screwball didn't have the same level of control as Viper, but after they heard about what she had learned from her parents, they didn't pull any serious pranks. Screwball used rubber bands and sneezing powder, which were harmless and pulled them during the freedom of lunchtime so they wouldn't get in trouble. Precious occasionally tripped them up with her tail, or used tiny fireballs that spooked Platinum and Emerald more often than caused any burns. But they never went to the same extreme as the first day, 'cause Viper's guardian still kept an eye on her.

Indoraptor did his best to honor his father's word and stay out of issues that concerned his sister. That didn't mean he couldn't check in on her to make sure that she was keeping her end of her promise. He would stay within the shadows of the trees to avoid being seen again, and keep his eyes on Viper's group.

It was a little over a week after the incident that he saw proof of her self control first hand. She and her gals were enjoying lunch like usual, then there was a call for a soccer game. All the ponies started gathering by the field that had been set up, but it was Platinum that had made the announcement. There were some bruises that were still visible on his flank from the numerous times Diamond Tiara had kicked his butt up the stairs for his bullying. He and Emerald were making their teams for the game, and when it came down to the three hybrids, they both acted like none of them were there.

"Wait, what about them," asked one of the fillies. "Aren't you going to include them in the game?"

"What do you think Emerald," Platinum said as he eyed the trio of hybrids. "Do you want the spawn of Discord, the dragon halfling, or the worthless abomination of a monster that got me grounded!"

The sudden rise in Platinum's tone brought silence to the schoolyard. Miss Cheerilee poked her head out of the door to see the commotion, and was anticipating having to tell Indominus again. But from the trees, Indoraptor could see the Viper had a calm and collected expression on her face after the crude remark.

"Really, Platinum. How long are you going to keep this up? You did that to yourself, it was your antics that got you in trouble."

"They say reap what you sow," Screwball added. "Or in your case, just keep up the harassing and eventually you won't even have a single bit to your name."

"Shut your mouth Discord Junior," said Emerald. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"A couple of high and mighty spoiled kids who think they own Equestria," said Precious, which got a surprised reaction from the foals. "Definitely not the most important ponies in the world I'll tell you that."

Indoraptor had a pleased smile on his face at how well his sister was dealing with her school bullies. He heard rustling from behind him and found Blue emerging from the foliage.

"Just couldn't stay away, could you?"

"I'm not interfering, I'm only watching. Besides, she doesn't need my help, she's doing fine on her own." Blue stuck close to her big brother and watched the scene with him.

"Honestly Platinum, how long do you think you can keep up this act of control? My big sister told me how your sister tried to rule this school in the same way. It only got her so far until she messed with my sister and provoked my father and Rexy."

"You two keep up this act and you might end up in worse shape," said Screwball.

"Whatcha gonna do, claw us to death or throw oranges in our faces?"

"Oh it's not us you'll have to worry about, it's about the guardians that you'll end up provoking," said Precious.

"We've heard how they've done far worse to real villains, not a couple of pretenders."

The hybrid trio had taken complete control of the situation away from Emerald and Precious. They couldn't gain any ground or leverage against them, and the foals were starting to whisper amongst themselves about who the real bullies were. Some of them were starting to think that they were wrong to listen to everything that Platinum had been spilling about the dinosaurs.

"If you don't want to include us in your little game that's fine, but if you're going to keep on repeating the same material, then try using it on somepony else because it doesn't matter what you say about me or my family." The schoolyard was stunned at how Viper had rendered both bullies dumbstruck and speechless with one sentence. She started to walk away with Precious and Screwball beside her, but stopped halfway, turned back around and looked Platinum right in the eyes. "Besides, I could easily whoop your flank at soccer without even breaking a sweat," she said before slapping her tail on the ground in a slight taunt.

The bullies' faces were burning red as the hybrids walked away with smiles on their faces.

"Oh that does it!" Platinum and Emerald angrily picked up their soccer balls. "CATCH YOU FREAKS!"

Both balls were thrown towards Viper and Precious. Screwball was about to alert her friends, but to her and everyone's surprise, both hybrids reached behind their heads on caught both balls with one hand. During the early years of their childhood, Viper and Precious had learned some very useful hunting skills from Indoraptor. He taught them how to be stealthy, how to know when it was the right moment to strike, and especially, to stay in tune to one's environment and pick up on even the slightest sound. Through his teaching, Viper and Precious had picked up on the sound of the balls traveling through the air, and were ready to grab them before they got hit.

Viper and Precious glanced back at the dumbstruck bullies, with sly expressions on their faces.

"Just remember, you brought this on yourself, punk," said Viper before she and Precious tossed the balls into the air and swatted them back at the bullies with surprising speed.

Both soccer balls collided against Platinum and Emerald's legs, knocking them out from underneath the ponies and sending them to the ground in a heap.

"I believe that makes two points for us and zero for you," said Screwball.

"I hope neither of you plan on continuing to embarrass yourselves like this," said Viper.

"Otherwise you'll just lose and destroy what little dignity you have left," said Precious.

Platinum and Emerald picked themselves up, grabbed the soccer balls and started walking away towards the goals. When they realized that nopony had joined them, they looked back to see the other colts and fillies were just staring at them in disbelief.

"What are you idiots waiting for? Let's get playing!"

"After how angry you got over just a little argument, why would we want to be anywhere near the likes of you," said the same pony from within the crowd that had spoken up before.

Platinum stood fuming before the colts and fillies that were starting to turn against him. The ground he had gained over the young hybrids had slipped away from him, and now he had somehow gotten the tables turned against him. The once cocky colt stood quivering with fury as he tried to come up with an ultimate crusher, but all he could do was storm away from the crowds with Emerald following him. Cheerilee breathed a sigh of relief that nothing severe had happened nor anypony had gotten hurt.

"Way to go, Viper," Indoraptor said as the ponies started to walk towards his sister.

"She takes after Indominus after all," said Blue.

"Did Dad really go through a situation just like this?"

"He can explain that day to you better than I can. Apart from that, do you think we'll need to stick around now?"

"I don't think so. Viper's got support on her side, and I doubt those two will be giving her anymore problems." Indoraptor took one last look at his sister chatting with the other fillies as Miss Cheerilee fetched another ball for them to play with before he and Blue walked back into the forest.

Screwball conjured up two new goal posts, one colored like a candy cane and the other made to look like taffy. While she got the teams started, the pony that had called Platinum out on his harassment trotted over to Viper and Precious. Her name was Cozy Glow, she was a peach colored pegasus filly with curly light blue hair.

"That was amazing how you told him off like that."

"Well it wouldn't have turned out that way if you hadn't spoken up in the first place," said Precious.

"Do you wanna join our circle of friends," asked Viper.

"What's the catch? What do you get out of this?" The two hybrids looked at each other, puzzled. They'd never heard of a pony that would ask such a out of place question.

"Why would we want anything? You stood up for us and helped tell off that high and mighty colt, why would we want anything in return other than to be your friend?"

"Oh, you really mean that?" Viper nodded her head. "Well in that case, I'd like to join your group."

"Welcome to our group, Cozy Glow." Viper held out her hoof and Cozy Glow was stumped on how to respond until Precious showed her how to do a hoof bump.

Then they all split onto the two teams and the rest of lunch was spent in a fun and occasionally wacky game of soccer. The fillies took advantage of the stretchy goal nets that Screwball had conjured to make wicked saves and rebounds to keep the game interesting. All the while they were enjoying getting to play with the hybrids, who were mindful of their powers and claws to keep the game at least fair for the others. Viper ended up scoring the winning goal as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. The ponies gave the trio hoof bumps on their way back into the school house, and it felt much better compared to the stares they had gotten on their first day.

"That was incredible how you kept it together out there, Viper," said Miss Cheerilee.

"I didn't want to disappoint my dad, Miss Cheerilee. He trusts me to have better control over my actions, and I don't want him to be upset with me."

"I'll tell you this, your restraint in that moment was better than your father's run-in with Diamond Tiara."

"Really?"

"Yes. He and T-Rex beat Diamond Tiara and her friend Silver Spoon all over the schoolyard during their first encounter. They couldn't stop on their own and it took Scootaloo's words to get them to calm down."

"Wow." The hybrid's eyes were wide in wonder.

"Your father is a great hybrid, and there's a lot of his heart in you, my little hybrid pony." Viper walked to her desk beaming with wonder as her teacher resumed the lessons.

Viper might've gotten a new friend and the support of her school, but things were beginning to change within the family, some things that she wasn't aware of. Tyrannosaurus was the first one to take notice of a subtle change taking place with Scootaloo. One day while he was watching the Crusaders helping a young colt discovering his talent of sculpting, he took notice of a trio of colts watching them a little ways away. After the colt got his cutie mark and the girls congratulated themselves on a job well done, the colts walked over to them. The lead pegasus, a colt with a blue gray coat and dark mane and tail strolled towards Scootaloo in a manner that had Tyrannosaurus grinding his teeth: it was the walk of a colt trying to woo a mate, his mate.

"That's quite some impressive talent you girls have," the lead colt said while his friends stayed back.

"Aw it's nothing that special, it's just our talent and lot in life," said Applebloom.

"Still, it's not often one gets to come across ponies with your kind of talent. I'm Rumble, my big brother is part of the Wonderbolts." Scootaloo's eyes beamed at the mention of the Wonderbolts.

"Really? I'm Scootaloo, and I'm sure you've heard of my mom and dad being Wonderbolts too."

"Ah yes. Rainbow Dash and Indominus Rex. The King and Queen of Equestria who saved all of ponykind from Soarin's berserk tirade. I saw your mom's first official performance after that battle and it was very stunning, though I didn't think your father had also earned a spot on the team."

"Well, sparing their lives and giving them a second chance can have an impact on some ponies, even ones like Spitfire," said Sweetie Belle.

"Not to mention he helped patch things up between them, and I guess Spitfire felt the best way to repay him for his kind act was to make him a member too."

"It must be amazing to have such devoted and protective parents in your life, Scootaloo."

"Oh believe me, they're thousands of times better than the parents I used to have. But those dead beats aren't worth talking about anymore, they're just ancient history."

"I see, well if it's not too much of a bother, me and the boys were wondering if you girls would like to hang out with us?" Rumble placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder, and it caused her to blush. Tyrannosaurus's eyes shrunk at the display and he silently made his way towards the group without being heard. "It'll be an afternoon of games, fun, excitement, and maybe if it's alright with you, Scootaloo, some alone time later?"

A loud stomp and a giant shadow looming over him caused Rumble to back away from Scootaloo. Tyrannosaurus towered over the small pegasus and glared at him for having the gall to ask Scootaloo out, when she had already promised him she wouldn't choose any stallions.

"She doesn't need some weakling like you in her life. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from my girl." Tyrannosaurus roared down at the colts and the sheer volume made them look like they were ready to run for the hills. But he was taken aback when Scootaloo rose to his size and gently put a hoof on his snout.

"It's alright Rexy, they're just asking us to hang out, that's all." There was the slightest twitch in Rumble's eye at those words, but it wasn't visible enough for Applebloom or Sweetie Belle to notice. "We'll spend the afternoon with him and then I'll be back tonight for dinner, ok? You trust me don't you?"

"I trust you, Scootaloo, it's him that I'm concerned about."

"Well don't be. It's just a small hangout, and if anything goes wrong, I know how to take care of it. Don't worry about me, go and get yourself some tasty manticore and I'll catch up with you later."

Scootaloo gave Tyrannosaurus a reassuring kiss on the side of his face before she shrank back down to her normal size and went off with the Crusaders, Rumble and his colts. T-Rex didn't take his eyes off the group until they were beyond his sight, and he walked towards the Everfree Forest with an uneasy feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he heard of Rumble trying to win Scootaloo over.

It was one year after things had been settled at the school house and Viper didn't feel harassed by Platinum's empty taunts anymore, that Indoraptor got to experience a change of his own. Both hybrids were six years old and that one year showed a significant change in the hybrid dinosaur. While Viper's teeth got a little longer and her wings grew some more, Indoraptor was now a lean, muscular and strong dinosaur. Plus, as a sign of his age, his eye orbits were reddening in certain places. Sexual maturity was dependent on his size, and at an impressive forty feet long, Indoraptor was well on his way to becoming a grand hybrid dinosaur like his father. He was still unaware of his condition, but Indominus swore to himself that he would tell his son when the time was right.

Indoraptor's impressive size also meant that his family didn't need to accompany him on all of his hunts anymore. Rainbow Dash had felt that Indoraptor was more than capable of protecting his sister, and there was no need to keep track of them all the time. The two hybrids had just finished their latest kill and were heading to a watering hole in the Everfree Forest where the animals came to drink. Their presence upon entering the area made the locals nervous, and the stench of blood they brought with them, was enough to keep the timberwolves in a constant state of alert. Indoraptor had just finished taking a drink from the lake when he saw a dark shape moving underneath them. Viper had just finished having her fill when Indoraptor pulled her away from the edge before a cragadile burst from the water and lunged at where they had been standing.

The timberwolves scattered back into the safety of the trees and watched as the beast advanced towards Indoraptor and Viper, snapping its jaws at them. They had never encountered a cragadile before on any of their previous hunts, but the creature's jaws didn't intimidate them. Indoraptor and Viper roared back at the rock-covered creature and started circling it on opposite sides, looking for a weakness. All they could see was that the beast's body was covered in rocks, which meant that their claws and teeth wouldn't be able to get past its armor. The cragadile turned its head to snap at Indoraptor, and Viper took the chance to attack from underneath while its back was turned.

She slid down and as she passed underneath the cragadile's belly, she raked her claws across it. The creature's eyes shot wide as he felt the pain and Viper slid away, stopping next to her brother with fresh blood on her claws.

"Nice shot, Viper."

"Thanks brother, now we know where to aim on this guy. Think you can tip him over?"

"Piece of cake," Indoraptor said as he charged the distracted animal and knocked it onto its back.

The hybrids leaped onto the cragadile's stomach and began tearing into the softer flesh. The creature shook its body violently to try and get the super-predators off him, and as he did, his tail came around and knocked Viper in the head. The impact sent her skidding off his chest and Indoraptor took his attention away from the animal to see what had happened, which was a crucial mistake. The cragadile clamped its jaws on the hybrid's neck and began going in a death roll. Indoraptor sank his claws into the cragadile's rock hide and hung on as the beast continued to spin him rapidly, threatening to rip his throat out.

Indoraptor slashed at the stomach with his foot claws, and the attacks seemed to cause enough pain that he felt the animal's grip on his neck loosening. The death rolls slowed down with the slashes, then Indoraptor placed his hands on the jaws as he gave one strong slash across the stomach and pushed away, managing to free himself from the death-lock. But the violent death rolls had thrown him quite a ways away from the cragadile, and it turned its attention to the barely conscious and easier meal that was closer to him.

In that moment, something happened inside of the hybrid dinosaur. His pupils became as thin as the blade of a sword and he bellowed out a powerful roar as he charged towards the cragadile. Viper was getting her surroundings as she saw the animal looming over her with its jaws open. But the next thing she saw a second later was her brother barreling into the cragadile, flipping it onto its back and biting down on its throat. As Indoraptor crunched down on the neck and pulled back, Viper saw a strange inky black gooey liquid spilling out of his jaws.

"I-Indoraptor, what's that stuff?" Viper asked once her brother was beside her again.

"What do you mean?"

"Wipe your mouth and you'll see."

The hybrid did as she said, and his eyes went from thin to bug-eyed as he took in the black goo for himself. Viper even noticed that the inside of her brother's mouth was the same inky black color, instead of its usual pink. Their attention was drawn back to the cragadile as it suddenly began to writhe, twitch and foam at the mouth, as if its body was being savagely attacked. Then its eyes rolled up into the back of its head and the animal laid motionless. The hybrids walked over to check the body and after making one slash across the stomach with no response from the cragadile, they knew it was dead.

"How'd you do that? You just bit him on the throat one time and killed him."

"I honestly don't know how I did that myself. I'm more concerned about this black stuff that I'm somehow able to produce. I've gotta get some answers on this before it happens again."

"Well, who's the pony we always go to whenever we need help finding answers?"

"Princess Twilight," both hybrids said simultaneously.

"And I think it would help if I brought a piece of this guy along for her to do the tests, Indoraptor said as he washed off the black gunk on his hands and tore off one of the cragadile's legs.

There was no need to eat the beast with their stomachs still full, so the hybrids departed from the forest, leaving the timberwolves with a free meal.

Twilight had become rather lonely being in her library all by herself. While she did still hang out with her friends from time to time, things just didn't feel the same. Spike was living with Rarity and helping raise Precious, Fluttershy had her family of chaos with Discord and Screwball. Applejack and Pinkie may not have had stallions, but they had their jobs taking up their attention and free time, and Rainbow Dash still had her ever-growing family of hybrids and dinosaurs to look after. It seemed like Twilight was the only one in her group of friends that had yet to find any real happiness and closure in her life.

To top it off, she couldn't get Indoraptor's voice out of her head ever since she heard it. She tried to deny the possibility that she could be infatuated with the hybrid dinosaur, but the more she fought against it, the more his voice seemed to linger in her mind. So imagine how difficult it must've been for her to get a surprise knock and see the hybrid dinosaur standing in front of her with a cragadile leg in his hand. She would've stumbled over all her words had Viper not been there to make things easier.

"Hi Twilight."

"H-hi Viper, and hi to y-you too, I-Indoraptor."

"Uh, is everything ok Twilight? You sound like you've seen a ghost." The deep vibrations in his voice seemed to make her body shiver. Thankfully, Twilight was able to distract herself when she caught sight of the bleeding arm Indoraptor was holding.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. But I think the real question should be, why do you have the arm of a cragadile?"

"That's actually why we're here, Twilight," said Viper.

"That you killed a cragadile? I mean, that's definitely impressive, but you shouldn't go around Ponyville with something like that."

"Oh no, this isn't why we're here, Twilight. It's what I used to kill it. I was something I did in the spur of the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"It's better for me to show you than to try and explain it." Twilight didn't know what Indoraptor was talking about, but she was becoming more curious on what he had used, and not worrying about her slightly pounding heart from being near the hybrid dinosaur. "You'll need a vial to collect this stuff, and its better if we do it out here. Don't want this stuff getting on your floor.

Twilight levitated a vial over to her and stepped outside so the hybrid dinosaur could try and show the strange attack he had used.

"So how did it happen the last time?"

"Well, Viper was in danger and I sort of got lost in a surge of anger that- wait a minute. Let me see."

Indoraptor tried to envision the scenario again, the cragadile closing in on his sister, and the driving urge to protect her. Twilight saw the color in his mouth changing to black and the goo began to pour out of his mouth. Her mouth was wide open as she saw the phenomenon first-hoof.

"That's it, Twilight," Viper said to get her attention. Twilight levitated the vial under Indoraptor's jaws and the black liquid filled it quickly. She pulled it away when it was near full and Indoraptor calmed himself down to stop the flowing gunk.

"When did you learn you could do this?"

"This morning," Indoraptor said as he cleaned himself off again. Twilight led the hybrids into the library and down into her lab, it had been a while since she'd gotten to use it.

Twilight took a small amount of the liquid, put it on a little piece of glass and stuck it under a microscope. Viper and Indoraptor waited next to her as she seemed to be studying every detail.

"It's full of toxins!" Twilight said in surprise. "These are different kinds than anything I've ever studied before. They look so lethal and deadly to the touch."

"That's what I was afraid of, it's a form of venom isn't it?"

"The most deadly form of venom I've ever seen."

For the next few hours, Indoraptor and Viper waited patiently while Twilight performed all kinds of tests on the arm of the cragadile. She ran drops of the venom through her machines to analyze its contents more thoroughly, and tested the venom on the cragadile's blood. When she was all finished, she called the hybrids over to have a look at the results.

"Well Twilight, what do all the tests show?"

"This is beyond fascinating, Indoraptor," Twilight said as she conjured up a screen that showed a small pool of the cragadile's blood inside a beaker. "Look here, this is what normal blood looks like, completely untouched. Now I'll add just two drops of that venom of yours, and look at what happens."

Twilight enhanced the screen to show what was taking place on the inside. The toxins from the venom were attacking all the red blood cells within the pool of blood at a rapid pace.

"What's happening," asked Viper.

"The venom actually attacks the cells inside the blood, goes for the nervous system and shuts down every essential function that's needed for survival. It basically kills the cells quickly and then paralyzes the body, and ultimately kills the victim."

"So what you're saying is, this venom can kill with just one bite?"

"It would seem so, Indoraptor, and that's not all. When I poured the blood out of the beaker after just a few minutes, it had completely coagulated and turned into jelly."

"That would explain why the body would shut down," said Viper. "There's no way it can be pumped through and would clog up the entire system."

"Correct Viper, but what scares me is that the whole process took only a few minutes to take effect."

"So when I bit into that cragadile's neck and crushed it, I injected him with the full force of that venom and killed him in just a few minutes?"

"Yes, Indoraptor. This venom is lethal to anything that comes into contact with it, besides you of course. Worst of all, I don't think a cure for this could even be made, because there's too many toxins within the venom to be identified. I'd almost be willing to say that this black liquid is instant death to anypony that gets exposed to it."

"You mean I could kill any creature with just one bite?"

"Theoretically, yes you could. Anypony that gets exposed to this stuff through any kind of contact could die from it. Be it injection, directly on the skin or even through an open wound, it would almost certainly lead to death. In some cases with tougher or larger creatures, I'd say it would take only fifteen minutes max before the venom could kill them."

Indoraptor didn't know how to respond to such a great deal of info. Now he had a highly lethal weapon he could use that had the result of death to any that touched it. That meant if he were to use the venom on the wrong pony, he could end their life and be powerless to undo that kind of damage. Twilight and Viper put a hoof on his shoulder after seeing that he was visibly shook by all he had seen and been told.

"You gonna be alright, brother?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Viper. It's just so much to take in all at once."

"Sorry to be so blunt about all of that, Indoraptor, but there wasn't any other way to tell you what this stuff could do."

"That's ok, Twilight. Sometimes the truth is easier right away than finding out later." Twilight turned away from him at those words, trying to hide how a dark truth was in fact being kept hidden from the hybrid dinosaur. Indoraptor saw her sudden change in attitude and gently nuzzled the alicorn. Twilight hid the little blush on her cheeks behind his face as she hugged him in return. "Was it something I said?"

"No, I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to handle having venom in your life," Twilight lied, hoping Indoraptor would believe her. Luckily he took the lie as a half-truth since now he had to be more careful around others.

"It's ok, Twilight. I know to be careful around ponies, now I'll just have to make sure that I don't use this unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Thank you."

"Actually Twilight, we should be thanking you for clearing this up," said Viper as she flew over and hugged the alicorn.

"Six years old and you two are still as affectionate as you've always been. How have you kept this side of you for so long?"

"We have our mom and dad to thank for that. Speaking of which, they're probably wondering why we're not back from our hunt."

"Which means we've got some explaining to do," said Indoraptor. "Oh, before we go, I think it's best to take this with me so you don't have to look at it, Twilight." Indoraptor took the cragadile arm and swallowed it whole, not leaving even a drop of blood behind.

Twilight led the hybrids back upstairs and bid them farewell as they made their way back home. Once she was sure that they weren't in sight, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and just now realized how hot her face had been from being nuzzled by Indoraptor.

"I've gotta talk to somepony about this soon or I'm gonna go crazy," Twilight said as she started putting together a note for her old mentor in hopes that Celestia could help ease some of the burden that was messing with her head.

Later that day, she was in Canterlot and Celestia was consoling her former student on the issue she'd been dealing with.

"So you think that you might have feelings for him, Twilight?"

"I just don't know, Celestia. Every time I look at him or hear his voice, it's like my heart is going a million miles an hour and I just want to hold him close forever. But I can't fall in love with Indominus's son, because it would make things incredibly awkward between us and, I don't want to build up his heart when he's going to die in five more years." Celestia could see tears forming in Twilight's eyes and draped a wing over her.

"Is this the first time you've ever had feelings this strong for somepony before?"

"I think so, not even Flash Sentry induced this kind of heart-stopping paralysis." Twilight wiped her tears away before looking into her mentor's eyes. "What can I possibly do about this, Celestia?"

"Love is a road that can go a million different ways, Twilight. No relationship is ever set in stone, some change after a day and some can fall apart years later. If you really believe that you want to have Indoraptor as your special somepony, then see if your interactions with him change over time. If those feelings go away, then you'll now it was only a fleeting crush."

"But what if they stick around, and I want to have him close to me?"

"When that time comes, if these love-struck feelings are still around and you want to have a life with him, you'll have to step up and make that happen. Indoraptor's not gonna notice if you keep yourself closed off and don't tell him how you feel. But remember this, Twilight, even if it doesn't work out, he'll still be around and will still comfort you if he sees you upset."

"Does that mean even you believe he'll survive the ailment?"

"If Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo could revive those dinosaurs with Sonic Rainbooms, and Indominus could bring her back to life with Ra's help, I believe that Indoraptor will pull through and be around for a long time to come."

"Thanks for your kind words, Celestia. I really needed somepony to talk to."

"I'm always here if you need me, Twilight. Just because you're a princess now, doesn't mean you can't seek advice and support when you need it."

Indoraptor discovered another unique ability on his own a week after finding out about his venom, though this one was more helpful and not lethal. He was taking a calm stroll through Ponyville and casually minding his own business, he and Viper had decided to keep the venom a secret from their mom and dad until they had a chance to showcase it properly. Giving off soft growls and enjoying listening to the rumbles they gave off, when something unusual happened after one of them. When Indoraptor growled, it was like his entire perception of the world around him changed.

He could see the shapes of all the buildings that were beyond his normal range of sight, and his heat sensing allowed him to see every single body within all those buildings. The new perception was so incredible that he could even spot a tiny ladybug landing in the mane of a passing pony. It was like an advanced form of radar that was so new it was overwhelming to take in so much at once. Before it ended, he noticed that there were two bodies going down the steps inside Sugarcube Corner, one seemed to be running for the front door. His vision returned to normal as Pinkie Pie came through the door and right up to him.

"Indoraptor! It's so nice to see you around here." The hybrid dinosaur was immediately pulled into a tight hug by the party pony. He had been exposed to so much of Pinkie's positive energy over the years that he was accustomed to her antics.

"Good to see you too, Pinkie. Who's the guest you have with you?"

"How did you know I have a guest with me?"

"Remember, I can see heat signatures. I wasn't spying or anything I just happened to notice, that's all."

"Oh right, forgot that you've got your dad's nifty perk. But you are right, I do have a guest with me. My younger sister Marble is visiting me from home. Come on out here, Marble, there's somecreature I'd like you to meet."

Indoraptor was expecting a bouncy pony like Pinkie to come out through the doors, but the mare that walked out was so much more different than what he thought.

Whereas Pinkie was all pink and energetic, the pony that he saw was light grey and had soft lavender eyes. Her tail was dark green with a darker and lighter stripe on each side. Her cutie mark was three lavender marbles with slightly darker stripes on each one. But what stuck out the most to Indoraptor, was how incredibly shy the pony seemed to be. She was walking so slowly, like she was afraid to take a step outside. Her shyness was confirmed when she took one look at the black scaled dinosaur and ducked back inside the house.

"Uh, excuse me for just one second, I'll be right back," Pinkie said before diving into the house after her sister.

Indoraptor could hear some very low whispering going on, but Pinkie was talking too quiet for him to hear what she was saying. Though after a minute of whispering, Marble Pie came out the door with Pinkie literally pushing her from behind. Indoraptor backed up and got down on all fours so he wouldn't seem nearly as intimidating to Pinkie's sister.

"This is Marble Pie, my baby sister who's only a few minutes younger than me but she'll always be a baby to me, isn't that right?" Marble gave the softest "Mm-hmm" Indoraptor had ever heard, but he couldn't help notice that there was some sadness in her eyes.

"Not to be rude, Pinkie, but Marble looks a little down. Did something happen?"

"Oh. Yeah, turns out my baby sister had a crush on Big Mac, Applejack's brother."

"Yeah, I know who he is."

"Well he's had his eyes for another pony and Marble saw them together. I only found out after I saw her looking so upset, that's why I asked her to spend some time with me."

As the hybrids had grown up, other relationships had been blooming around them. The pony that Big Mac had fallen for was a bright pink pony named Sugar Belle. After some encouragement from the Crusaders, he ended up winning her heart and they became a couple.

He could only imagine how much it must've hurt her to see a pony she had feelings for, fall for someone else.
Indoraptor saw a tear starting to roll down Marble's face after Pinkie brought up her past crush.

"Oh Marble I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset," Pinkie said with guilt as she watched the tear go down her sister's face.

Marble was taken by surprise when Indoraptor nuzzled against her face and started purring softly. She looked at his eyes and found them staring back at her with a gentle, calm atmosphere within them. Little by little a soft smile began to form on her face and she gently nuzzled the hybrid dinosaur back. Pinkie was smiling with sheer delight at how happy Marble was, and how much calmer she was with Indoraptor nuzzling her.

"Marble wants to say thank you for cheering her up, right sister?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You're welcome, and it's nice to meet you, Marble Pie," Indoraptor said as he pulled away. "I'd better not keep you two from your time together, so I'll be on my way. But don't give up on yourself just yet, Marble. There's going to be other ponies that come along, maybe one of them will be right for you. So, promise me you won't let this keep you down?"

"Mm-hmm, I promise."

Pinkie's face lit up like a Hearth's Warming Tree, for it was the first time she'd ever heard her sister speak for herself. Indoraptor gathered from the reaction alone that Marble didn't do much talking in general, so this must've been pretty special for Pinkie. He couldn't help himself as he leaned in again and licked the side of Marble's face. When Indoraptor pulled away again, he could swear he saw Marble's eyes sparkling from the affection he had given her. He waved goodbye to Marble and Pinkie, who was so giddy from what she had seen to give a calm goodbye. Instead hers was hugging Indoraptor and thanking him a couple hundred times for making her sister the happiest she'd ever been.

When Pinkie and Marble went back inside Sugarcube Corner, the light grey mare had a little blush on her face.

"I told you he wasn't going to hurt you, and he's quite the affectionate one too."

"Mm-hmm, he sure is."

"And you're still talking? He's the first one to ever get you to speak your mind like this! Though you should know there's something about Indoraptor that's important, Marble."

Pinkie told Marble all about Indoraptor's condition and how he had only five more years before it claimed his life. The sparkle in Marble's seemed to go out from the horrible truth.

"Really? He only has that long?"

"Sadly, yes. Which is why we're trying to give him the best life possible. I don't think there's gonna be a single pony in Equestria that would show him the same kind of affection that Rainbow Dash has shown Indominus." Pinkie noticed a determined look in her sister's eyes. "Wait, you want to do something special for him?"

"Just to show how much he means to us." Marble was swept up in a tight loving hug.

"Oh Marble, I'm so proud of you for having the courage to do this. So what did you have in mind?" Marble gave her sister a clever smile as she thought about what she could do for Indoraptor.

Meanwhile, Indoraptor was still making his way through Ponyville at his leisure. He was walking past a restaurant when he heard somepony whistling at him. He looked around trying to see who was trying to get attention.

"Hey Indoraptor, over here." Indoraptor turned his head in the direction of the voice and found three mares sitting at a table, motioning for him to join them.

One was a light green unicorn with a yellow mane and tail, the second mare was a purple pegasus with a light blue mane and tail, and the third mare was a light red earth pony with a brown mane and tail. They were all new ponies that Indoraptor had never seen around town before, and it felt rather strange joining them at a restaurant. But he didn't feel any threats from them and they seemed nice enough, so he sat down with them.

"Are you girls new around here? I don't think I've seen any of you before."

"Yeah we just moved into town a few days ago. I'm Swoon Song," said the earth pony.

"I'm Fond Feather," said the purple pegasus.

"And I'm Dear Darling," said the green unicorn.

"Well it's nice to meet you girls, and nice of you to invite me over to join you," Indoraptor said as he took turns shaking their hooves.

"We just wanted to make you feel a little more welcome," said Dear Darling. "We've heard the gossip around town about how Chancellor Neighsay has been giving your family a hard time."

"Unfortunately yes. He's been an annoying thorn in my father's side for years, even before me and my sister were born. But there's not much he can do against us, is there?"

"Not with the kind of power your family holds," said Swoon Song. "It must be quite the life to be the son of such a strong king and to be so accepted amongst ponies."

"If only that were the case." The three mares looked at him with confused expressions. "Most ponies around here shy away at the sight of me, or they're just too frightened of my overall appearance to even give me a chance."

"Well we're not afraid or scared by your appearance. Yours is similar to your father's, what's so frightening about that," said Dear Darling.

"We think you look pretty good for a hybrid dinosaur, and to show that we mean well, have a free drink on us," said Fond Feather as she passed over a cup with apple juice towards Indoraptor.

"Thanks girls."

Indoraptor took the cup and drank the apple juice the girls had given him. All of a sudden he felt like his body was starting to go numb and he was starting to stagger. He dropped the cup and shook his head to try and clear his mind, and he nearly collapsed. He could feel Swoon Song holding his head in her forehooves.

"What are you....doing to me?"

"Just relax, it'll all be over soon," said Swoon Song as her voice seemed to trail away as Indoraptor's vision started to blur everything. Then all went black and everything was drowned in silence.

Now there's a real cliffhanger for you. What do you think is going to happen to Indoraptor now?