//------------------------------//
// Bewitching Dancer vs. King of the Skies 
// Story: King of the Skies 
// by Slendy 
//------------------------------//

Within the Old World, it rained heavily one day within the Primal Forest...

Great roars of beasts thundered in the skies and across the land. A turf war between monsters of both worlds. There were splashes and hellish waves of fire. Heat danced with the cold, yet, the small frame of a young Mizutsune coward in hiding not far away. It was told to hide until the roars stopped, and under no circumstances was it allowed to leave otherwise. It was harrowing, listening to the battle, hearing claws rend scale and flesh, the pain in the voices of the attacker and defender.

When those screams finally stopped, Mira sniffed the air, copper filled her snout, so did ash. Lacking her mature growths like other Mizutsune, as well as properly formed pores under her fur for her body to secrete its soapy substance meant she was forced to move naturally with her claws. Inspecting the forest clearing she found nothing but a grey downpour, no red monster that descended from the sky, waiting to pick her off. Its scent was gone, only lingering traces from blood and chipped scales.

Mira felt her eyes land on the other monster, one that made her pace quicken, slithering through the small ponds to reach the large creature curled in the mud. It didn't flinch once Mira made it to its side. Her mother wasn't moving. Mira made a high-pitch nicker with her throat, snaking up to find its mother's face, many deep cuts, and open wounds dotted her scales, burns singed some of her silky furs. What started to worry Mira was the fact she wasn't just still, her eyes were closed, not even a breath was left.

With a gentle nudge of her snout, Mira attempted to wake her, pressing her snout a few times before using her claws to shove her mother's face; Still nothing. Looking up at one of her low-hanging feelers, she knew it annoyed her when Mira chewed on them so she tried that, biting it gently to tug left, then right, then back until her grip slipped and she flopped to the mud. 

By now, Mira felt her panic settle in, shoving her mother's head sharply, using her tail, anything to wake her up. Nothing, she... wasn't there anymore. Whining in the downpour, Mira whimpered, scooting up beside her mother until the storm passed, curling up tightly into a ball by her mother's fur, feeling no warmth, closing her eyes to sleep beside her mother one more time in the rain.





Fire rushed by Mira's cheek, imploding within a building as it collapsed onto the road behind her. Releasing a howl, she spat several bubbles into the air, forcing the Rathalos to swivel around the clocktower, reeling back to spit another fireblast in her direction. Mira sucked in a great volume of water, releasing a pressurized stream of water that caused the fireball to erupt in the sky, particles scattered like fallen fireflies. Rathalos swept down with its talons, swiping at her face, knocking the adolescent Mizutsune down. 

"You protect them, you will die!" Rathalos screamed, sinking its claws into her back to lift her up off the ground as she flailed, trying to spit her bubbles in his face. One popped, sticking to his left eye, causing the wyvern to drop its prey as it slithered from its stomp, flapping back to fire a wave of embers across the courtyard, nicking Mira's tail. 

She spun around, releasing three small bursts of water, the first Rathalos evaded, though his wings were caught by the next pair, making it falter. Before Rathalos had a second to realize it, Mira leapt into the air, spitting a large bubble to blind it once again, latching her claws into its shoulders as she and the winged beast spun haphazardly above the town, its flames singeing her fur slightly while she curled her body around to bite down on its nape, slashing at the membrane of the left-wing while rubbing bubbles into its scales. 

"Begone, rat!" It roared, spinning backward to fling her form through the side of a house, rubble collapsing atop her stomach while Rathalos landed only to slip and stumble due to the suds clung to its scales. "Grah!" It howled, fire spat between its teeth while it stumbled toward Mira, herself shoving the debris of her form, though her scales were banged up with light cuts across her torso. "A hatchling, a mere hatchling is toying with me!?"

Grimacing, Mira quickly wiggled away from another fireball, though her eyes soon met the spined tail as its crushing weight slammed into her face, effectively slapping her into the side of a few buildings. On instinct, she released a pressured water beam, dragging it up and around to strike Rathalos in the chest, knocking the wyvern away, the soap dripping off its form, a large, bloodied gash across its chest to the right shoulder. 

Her head felt like it was throbbing, wishing she could do what Zen could, he was really strong. "He beat that mean monster, I... can do that too!" She had to, if she didn't, then her mother dying would've been for nothing. She hated Rathalos's, they were territorial and frightening, just the sight of one made her scales crawl, this one reminded her so much of the one that took her mother away. 


Mira was young, too young to really do a lot of what her mother could. She rolled around in the water, enjoying how she made tiny little bubbles though they weren't like her mother's. Looking ahead where her mother sat, overlooking the forest, Mira watched with wonder as she moved in a circle, bubbles formed under her from her fur, the size of the bubbles enlarging until she used a mere flick of her tail to send several large orbs flying across the plains. 

Three of them caught what appeared to be small animals, unable to break free from the soapy cage. Not far, Mira swore she saw a strange, bipedal creature watching them with these weird, long eyes it could remove from its face. It was always so strange seeing them, they really liked to watch Mira but then if mother caught them she would tell Mira to hide until she handled them. Mira felt bad for some who were pulled away by others after being trapped in bubbles. It was funny.


Mira stopped and pivoted her movements, evading Rathalos's talons as it perched itself atop a roof, roaring down at her form while spitting more fire into the town. Slitting her eyes, Mira curled up her form, quickly beginning to spin in a circle, seeing bubbles and mounds of suds form under her belly. The more she created, the larger some became. "Wait..." She sucked in a breath, seeing Rathalos land and charge toward her, wings wide and maw burning like the town. "Wait..." He was only eight meters away when she stopped spinning, tail muscles taut, "Now!"

Releasing a howl of her own, Mira swept her tail wide, discarding the bubbles in a wide arc, startling Rathalos as it attempted to fly away, unfortunately, its wings and chest were pulled into the large bubbles. They didn't cage him but they caused it to flail and roar, one encasing its head as it tried to spit flames, the gas expanding the bubble but nothing more. The tail swung wide, scratching Mira's chest as she slipped backward with a challenging snarl. "I am not a rat!" She looked nothing like a rat.

Playing at the ground under her claws, Mira planted her tail, curling her neck back to releasing a rising stroke of water that sliced the cobblestone and tore across Rathalos's breast and neck with the force of a blade. It screeched, stumbling backward, or until Mira gasped, the thick tail bashed across her face once Rathalos turned on its heel. The sudden trauma knocked her down, feeling a warm liquid dribble down her snout.

"I am... an apex of my species!" Rathalos huffed, turning with blazing fury in its sockets, ignoring the blood dripping from its wounds in favor of slaying the leviathan that struggled to hoist itself upright, planting its right leg against her side, pinning her while displaying the tender, vital neck. "I am a fire that scorches the skies! You are no apex!"

Jaws unhinged, Rathalos was ready to snap and rip her throat out while Mira could only try and stare back, somewhat dazed by the blow still. She... was going to die.

*DING. DING. DING*

Rathalos paused, craning its neck to the source of the sharp noise in its ears. It was coming from the clocktower, the bell at the top ringing through the roar of flames. A small frame quickly leapt from the tower, scampering behind the spire. Narrowing its gaze, Rathalos threshed and spat a fireball in the general direction of the creature, taking out a large portion of the tower's structure, destabilizing it. 

"I... know that scent," Mira's glossy eyes refocused, finding her second wind, slamming the weight of her tail into Rathalos's hip, "RAAAAAAAAA!!" She howled in his face, chomping down on its rough neck, sinking her bottom teeth into its softer tissue while her legs forced her body to move, dragging Rathalos toward the tower as he thrashed in her jaws, wings battering her sides but was unable to fly away, the membrane of the wings torn through the middle.

"Let go of me!!" Well, if he insisted. Mira huffed, releasing a burst of water from her jaws to propel the flying wyvern into the side of the clocktower, the force causing the spire to twist and break from its supports while Rathalos stood tall, wings wide with hellfire in its jaws. "Graaaa-!"

*BOOSH!*

Mira flinched from the dust sent flying from the force of the tower collapsing atop Rathalos's head, breaking its neck as the lower half of its body remained above the rubble, snout expelling one last breath of embers. Sniffing the area once more, she approached the still form of the wyvern, nudging its face. It didn't react, nor could she hear a breath. It was gone.

Sighing, exasperated, Mira turned her attention to the rising smoke across town. She was exhausted and aching all over, but she swore to help the town, so she'll do just that. Puffing her cheeks, she used her tongue to spray the sky with a fountain of water, dousing the courtyard in rainfall, the small flames beginning to hiss and dwindle around her. 

From behind the clocktower, a pony watched as the monster finished spraying the area, perking up toward the sea not far from the courtyard, quickly snaking away.





By the time Mira made several dozen trips to and from the sea, the town's residents were jubilated, many singing their praises to whatever slew the fire dragon and quelled the flames across Lily. No sign of the pinkish-white monster could be found, say for the markings her body made through town and toward the ocean. Many ponies believed it to have returned to the depths, a guardian of the seas. 

Sat on the dock facing the sea, Mira happily munched on what the ponies called a 'sandwich', it was strange and smelled like grass but it was really tasty so she didn't complain. It was nice being by the sea, not to mention she was still tapped out from her fight, bandages wrapped around her injuries that other guards assumed were from trying to escape. "Not wrong, but not right."

There was a lot that needed to be repaired and rebuilt but lives were spared of suffering as Mira had, losing family was difficult, and it can hurt for a great length of time. Mira closed her eyes briefly, "I beat one for you, mother." 

"Well, if it isn't the troublemaker," She opened her eyes, turning to the familiar voice. Standing before her without his armor was that guard that tried to stop her, and the one that ultimately weakened the tower by baiting Rathalos's attack. He was brave. The earth pony looked no older than she was,  ash white and with a tussled, warm black mane and tail. His eyes were a contrast to Mira's, ocean peering into forest green. "You know, you really deserved those injuries - well, some anyway."

She pouted, "I nearly died," That made him stumble, waving a hoof.

"Every day is a test of survival, congrats, you got the extra-difficult version," Her brow knitted at his chuckle. "You make some weird faces for a monster." That made her choke on her sandwich.

"..." She said nothing, lying wasn't something she understood all that well. 

His own brow quirked. "Yeah, ya see not often you meet a pony that can change their tail like that, and not many can turn into a giant, bubble spitting monster - cool moves by the by, and that water jet of yours, wow, gonna take a couple days to fix that road." Praising her abilities wasn't what she anticipated. Many wyverns had appeared around Equestria, Mira knew that nice bat pony, Yui, and the wolf, Zen, handled them. But she's been anxious about showing her true form for fear others might see her as a threat.

Sensing her anxiety, he quickly clopped his hooves. "Relax, my lips are sealed - you did save these folks so... well, better than me." He huffed, but what did he mean by that? "Ahem, right, I should um... see I'm not... technically a... guard." He worded very slowly for her.

Then again, he wore clothing that made him look like one of those mean ponies called bandits. Black coat with a high collar, a belt lined with pouches, and even a few hidden weapons. He reminded Mira of those guys that bothered her mother with larger weapons, they were quickly sent flying. "You lied." She stated bluntly.

He flinched, scratching his nape. "Y-yeah, maybe..." Her eyes narrowed, seeing him sweat. "Okay-okay, I did, guilty 'till otherwise - hey, you're no better short-stack, turning into some water serpent thing-"

"Mizutsune."

"Gazunteight." 

At his dumb reply, she spat a small stream of water in his face, causing him to recoil sharply with a girly yelp. That alone made her giggle a little behind her hoof. "My species, it's Mizutsune, I am Mira." 

"Ah, ahem, well, pleasure to make your acquaintance," He stuck his hoof out, making her pause, looking at his hoof speculatively. "You good? I won't bite."

Slowly, she shook his hoof. It was an odd custom but she got the hang of it over time. Then she sniffed the air, turning toward the docks. "Are they 'acquaintances'?"

"Huh?" He turned, then froze slightly, smiling warily at the approaching guards sweeping the area. "U-um, well, remember how I'm technically not a guard?" She nodded quickly. "Right... theeeey... are who I 'acquired' my armor from, heh."

"Over there!" "The dirty thief!"

The 'Thief' quickly threw his hoof wide. "Oi, a professional has standards!" That didn't help his case, looking up at Mira with a nervous smile, giving a curt nod. "Time's up, 'till we cross paths short-stack." A red tick appeared at the remark about her height. With that he dived onto a nearby boat, using it to escape to the opposite end of the docks, the guards swiveling around to give chase, forgetting about the young mare who watched the dark-colored pony leave her sight, his scent still tickling her nose sweetly.

"Dirty thief..."

Despite the gentle atmosphere accompanying her day, Mira felt something turn in her stomach, a long-forgotten instinct that made her fur stand on end. It was faint, barely a whisper, but the ground... it was singing.




End