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// When Desire Becomes An Obsession 
// Story: King of the Skies 
// by Slendy 
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You will know you're reborn tonight
Must be ragged, but I stay by your side
Even if my body's bleached to the bones
I don't want to go through that ever again
So cry no more~


Traveling in the warm glow of a golden afternoon, a small, pink pony with her eyes closed sang as soothing as the tide's breeze. Her mane was white that faded into shades of pink and yellow down to the tips, a light blue bow pinned to the left side of her mane. As she finished humming the song that could enchant any caught in the area, her eyelids fluttered, revealing a set of big, bright blue eyes. She let out a soft sigh, watching seagulls fly toward the honeycomb horizon, the beach not far. 

She could smell the salt of the sea, feel everything tingle down to her tail upon catching the slosh of waves against the sand. It made a refined melody not many really understood, but she did. Water made sounds that she could listen to for hours, soothe her fears, bring her joy, warmth, comfort. The young mare didn't know where she was going, nothing made her anxious, she simply wanted to see all, by hoof or otherwise. 

Then her snout crinkled in disgust, something acrid and horrible turning the clean air foul. Sniffing around for the source, she noticed it not far from her spot along the dirt road, beyond a few hills and trees, black smoke. A fire? It was very black... and there were lots of them. She knew a lot about fires, and this wasn't a minor issue, something made her fur crawl, it was hanging in the air, a faint whiff of. Her eyes widened; That scent was a Wyvern's. 

Growling, her eyes scanned the skies, this scent was vaguely familiar, she was very young but she remembered this scent well, it was what kept many like her alive. Wyverns and monsters had various scents, some she didn't know, some she had the unfortunate fate of meeting, this one scared her, the scent of a fire wyvern. 

Then she saw it just skimming the horizon she trotted toward.

*ROOOAR!*

The flying wyvern rose high into the sky, bipedal with a spiny, armored hide covering its body. The outer shell is bright red, with black markings throughout. The talons were black; In addition, its long, thick tail features a heavy spiked club at the end. the wing membranes featuring ornate patterns. The King of the Skies, Rathalos.

Sucking in a long-winded breath, the young mare galloped faster up and over the hills, innocent ponies were endangered, that nice creature, and the beautiful bat mare with him, they fought to save her, they healed her, comforted her. Lifting her head high, Mira let her eyes become slit with a predator's instinct once more. She would not let their charity in helping a monster be wasted!





The small seaside village of Lily was a blip on Equestria's maps, it was a quiet and peaceful town, or it was until the great red beast swooped in from the clouds, breathing hellfire upon its citizens without restraint nor remorse. With a descending roar, Rathalos slammed its talons into the tallest building, a clocktower, observing the pandemonium as flames dripped from its maw, wings fanned wide with a triumphant cry. It saw its prey scatter and attempt to quell its flames, it would pick them clean soon, very soon. 

Flapping sharply, it lowered itself down in the open square, spitting another fireball into a nearby building, brick and timber sent flying across the sky ahead of it. Ponies scream in terror, some using minor spells to ward off the flames and evacuate to the safety of... anywhere. Rathalos would raze the town entirely soon, not a weapon nor spell could stand in its way.

Across to the opposite end of Lily, Mira leapt over a burning log, puffing her cheeks to spray a sharp beam of water into a nearby house, using her tongue to expand the water to spray the front of the house, inside, a family of three ran. The stallion saw her as she spat out a small dribble of water. "Th-thank you, thank you so much!" Mira smiled awkwardly, pointing her hoof to the way she had previously cleared, the fires snuffed out with her light drizzle, direct contact with her water beams could cause the flames to rise so she had to be careful.

Continuing her sweep, she spun the corner and quickly shot a short beam to shatter a falling chunk of a building as the mares below screamed, seeing the debris fall behind them, Mira trotted by, stomping on the lingering embers quickly, returning to her efforts. It wasn't much, and much of the town would burn but Mira had to find the wyvern, otherwise, nothing would remain. 

Sniffing the air, she brought her hooves to a screeching halt, slapping her flank against a wall to evade the gust of wind that blew a wave of hot embers past her face. Once clear, she ran to the next street, following the scent until - there! She paused, seeing a number of armored ponies trying to help move ponies to safety, one was attempting to clear the way with wet fabrics. 

"Stand back, we need everypony to keep together and stay far away from the burning buildings!" One ordered, not spotting Mira until her mane flew by his face. "Hey, wait!"

She stepped closer to the small line of flames, not bothered by the heat as she sucked in the moisture from her water sac, spitting a brief line of liquid onto the embers, snuffing out the burnt log with a huff. "Go," She murmured, turning around to follow Rathalos's scent. While passing, one guard pulled her tail back with a stern look. Mira believed he was both upset and worried, a strange combination.

"Miss, we cannot allow you to go that way, not while this beast circles us!" He reprimanded her, Mira only blinked, then snorted a frown. She didn't like being treated like she was helpless - she was useful in a fight, sorta.

"It will burn everything," She argued, pulling her tail from his hoof sharply. "I can stop it."

"Are you crazy!?" One yelled as Mira squeezed through the crowd, or until the same guard was standing in front of her with a glare.

"Risking your life won't change things!"

"...I can..." Mira worded breathlessly, stomping her hoof angrily. "I can!"

"No, you can't!" He warned.

"I-" Pausing, she saw flames passing by a shadow that swept over their heads. Pushing the armored pony away, Mira brought her tail around in time to bat the flaming sphere away from the terrified crowd. Gone was her normal, fluffy tail, a pony-sized, scaly tail with a membrane taking its place. Looking down at the star-struck guard, she huffed again. "I. Can."

Galloping away and down the next street, zipping by houses and stalls Mira dipped right, trotting up some wooden stairs that led to a balcony. Once up she dipped to avoid the spined tail as it took a sizable chunk from the roof, showering her in dust and bits of wood in passing. Shaking the debris off her head, she leapt to the stone banister and up onto the adjacent rooftop, sliding across the slope until she found her footing, watching the crimson wings slice through the smoke. 

The building overlooked the square and the clocktower, she saw only fire and brimstone, the scents of ash and... burnt hair and skin. She felt saddened by this, it only forced her to remember that thing she saw in the temple, rotting, lifeless and... and... Squeezing her eyes shut, Mira blocked out the noise, the smells, all she wanted to do was go back to the sea, the rivers, and lakes. This town... it wouldn't know of that if she didn't stop Rathalos. Many would die if she didn't try something.

Snapping her eyes wide, her slit pupils felt smoke and embers blind them momentarily, a large pair of red wings dispelling them in favor of the large wyvern that hovered before her, eyes beady and angular as its black-tipped snout snorted sharply, gums pulled back to snarl and display its impressive jaws. Rathalos stared the little pony down with hunger and death in its eyes. 

"Go. Away." Mira growled herself, scraping the roof with her hoof, feeling her body beginning to change with a sharp release of vapor from her fur, fangs bore. "Now!"

"A little pony?" Its voice was deep and full of malice and contempt. "Hahaha, you're in no shape to fight!" I leered down on her form. "It's over, everything will be razed, you'll make a good start for a meal."

Mira only took a few steps back, tail slapping off the building. "I. Said. LEAVE!" She howled, lunging the 'King' who was taken by complete shock, seeing the vapor expand greatly, and for a large head to slam into its throat, tossing the wyvern backward while a pair of jaws released a deafening roar.

This monster had a long, slender body. However, it is one of the few of its kind to have fur on its body. This dark purple fur covers its chest, underbelly, legs, and tail. Its scales are light-colored and resemble those of a fish. Its head has a long snout and is beautifully adorned by many fin-like appendages. The fins are pink with yellow markings, and they can also be seen on its back and tail. 

The two large monsters broke away, flames swept by Rathalos's powerful wings, roaring down on the leviathan. Mizutsune released its own, higher-pitched wail, bubbles secreted under its belly, eyes narrowed up at the monster. 

To Be Continued...