To Devour a God

by the7Saviors


Chapter VI – A Dangerous Turn of Events

The very first glimpse I had gotten of the world outside was breathtaking... but not in a good way. I had heard and seen images of what lie directly outside Canterlot, but to actually see it in person was an entirely different experience altogether.

It was said that the city had once been built atop a steep cliff on Mount Canterhorn long ago during the Age of War. There was no evidence to back up the claim, and neither the President or Chief Commander had confirmed whether this was true, but I personally didn't believe a word of it.

If the entire city had been built atop a cliff that may have afforded some small advantage in the form of a choke point that could be exploited against ground troops trying to climb the mountain.

The major problem would've been that a few sufficient concussive blasts to the cliff beneath Canterlot would send the entire city tumbling down into the river that had once existed below... and it would've been a long drop.

I was aware Equestria hadn't had the kind of explosive weaponry we had today, but raw natural pony magic was far more prominent back then, and it would've done the job just fine.

There was no way Celestia and Luna would've been so foalish as to design a city with such fatal flaws in its defenses.

For as long as anypony could remember, Canterlot had been at the base of Mount Canterhorn, built below the opposite side of the cliff it was said to once reside upon. In order to get to Ponyville, we'd have to actually go around the mountain, which was the main reason the ride was going to take so long.

Fancy Pants had actually been trying to push for a tunnel to be dug through the mountain to make travel easier, but the proposal had yet to gain any traction. Instead I got to see the world beyond the walls for the first time right out of the gate, and I was shocked to say the least.

Immediately upon heading through the gates, I saw nothing but desert for what looked like miles. Well... there were several large boulders here and there, and the dirt was coarse. Large pieces of brick, metal, and other material that pointed towards long since destroyed structures lie scattered about the area just outside the city.

I had read that Canterlot had been much bigger at some point in the past, but the constant attacks by the avidaeos with no way to defend ourselves left little time to rebuild the city back to the way it had been, so the wall was fortified right where the attacks had been stopped instead.

Still, a path had been cleared and we were able to drive through with no problems. As Shining had said, three other and armoured vehicles surrounded us. One ahead and the other two behind and on either side.

It made me feel a bit like a VIP, which made me feel rather uncomfortable, but really though, I was glad for the extra protection. Staring out the window, I couldn't help but wonder who these other Hunters were.

Why the President had told Shining to keep it a secret, I had no idea. From the tone of my brother's voice when he replied, and the fact that Celestia apparently had a playful streak, it almost seemed like they were playing some sort of joke on me.

Maybe there really were some famous Daeus Hunters escorting us and they just wanted to keep it a surprise?

Either way, I'd probably find out sooner or later.

The first hour and a half or so of driving passed in relative silence, the trip rather uneventful. From what Shining had told me, the avidaeos didn't normally attack this close to the city—not anymore at any rate. Daeus Hunters regularly patrolled the area, making sure none of them got within at least three miles of Canterlot, and my brother was part of that regular patrol, so thankfully he knew the area pretty well.

"I really hope Celestia knows what she's doing."

My ears perked up at the concerned tone and I turned my attention to the driver's seat. Though he kept his eyes firmly locked on the road, I could see the worry clear in them through the rear view mirror.

"The President isn't one to make decisions she didn't give careful consideration to first," Harshwhinny replied, rolling down the window slightly, "if she chose Miss Sparkle to undertake this task, there was a good reason for it."

"I don't doubt that," Shining replied, grimacing slightly as the orange mare pulled a cigarette from a pack hidden in the pocket of her blazer, "I don't doubt it for a minute. Twilight is brilliant, but she isn't a fighter."

"Doesn't matter, once she's had the proper training she will be," the mare answered simply, pulling a lighter from somewhere and bringing to the stick in her mouth. She lit the cigarette, took a puff and blew out the window before looking back at me, "I'm sure you have your reservations, Miss Sparkle, but Celestia has an eye for talent, and she has no doubt that you'll do well."

I tried to smile at her words, but I wasn't sure if I succeeded. To be honest, I still agreed with my brother on the matter, even if I was trying to stay positive about the whole thing.

"I know I don't have to tell you this, Twily," Shining Armor continued with a sigh, "and I know you've probably already heard it plenty from mom, but I'll say it anyway," he turned just enough that I could see him look at me out of the corner of his eye, "...don't do anything reckless."

He turned back to the road as he continued to speak.

"Knowing you, you've probably already spent some time in the CPA researching those monsters, but there's no better teacher than experience, Twilight," he paused as he took a particularly sharp turn and continued a moment later, "once you get out there and see the things for yourself, you'll realize just how unpredictable they can be."

"I know that, Shining," I replied. somewhat affronted by his patronizing tone, "I've already considered the possibility that the avidaeos might not act the way they've been portrayed in the documents I've studied, but keep in mind, big brother, many of those documents come from first hand accounts of ponies who've fought against the avidaeos."

"Gramps wrote enough books about the things to fill an entire library."

I turned to stare at the white mare sitting next to me, and even my brother cast the mare a surprised side glance from where he was sitting. The mare's headphones rested around her neck, and I wondered just how long she had been listening. Seeing she had our attention, she shrugged and continued.

"I grew up reading a lot about the avidaeos," the mare said with a small grin, "and thanks to Gramps, I know a thing or two about 'em."

"She's not lying," Harshwhinny added, pushing the cigarette to one side of her mouth and smirking back at the two of us, "Miss Vinyl Scratch's grandfather is one of the leading experts on avidaeos behavior. I believe you're familiar with a stallion by the name of Broken Record?"

"Wait," I turned back to the white mare with her laid back posture and easy grin, "you're the granddaughter of Broken Record? Seriously?"

"Yup," she replied simply, "Gramps was the one that talked me into being a Daeus Hunter. Moved here from Manehattan because I heard this place had a killer training program."

"Then why are you headed to the Ponyville Sub-Branch?" I asked with a bemused frown, before my eyes lit up with understanding, "the Ponyville Sub-Branch was short on available Daeus Hunters. Don't tell me you—"

"Got assigned to Ponyville as soon as I signed up," Vinyl Scratch said with another shrug, "eh, you can't always get what you want in life. Besides, I got a friend out in Ponyville, so it won't be too bad."

"Wow, you're taking this way better than I did," I commented, somewhat impressed, "I fainted when I found out I was being reassigned as a Daeus Hunter."

Vinyl laughed at that, but it was the kind of laugh one shared between friends whenever one of them did something stupid or silly. It was the kind of laugh that made you want to join in, so I did, albeit with some embarrassment.

"Believe it or not, you're not the first pony I've met that took the news that hard," she finally said with an amused smirk, "I don't blame ya really," her smirk fell away and she looked out the window, watching Mount Canterhorn sink further into the distance, "this job ain't for everypony, that's for sure."

"I know what you mean," I replied, looking down at my hands, "I never thought I'd—"

A sudden guttural roar drowned out whatever I was going to say.

I froze in my seat, my body completely locking up in shock and a cold shiver going down my spine. Something was out there... something big, mean, and probably hungry.

"Buck!" Shining growled, slamming his hoof on the gas, "we should've been good for another few miles out!"

Shining's exclamation snapped me out of my fear induced paralysis and I turned to look out the window. We had been traveling through open rocky desert, and from my side of the truck I couldn't see anything that could've made that kind of noise, which only made me worry more.

"Shining, what's going on?" I cried, my voice rising in tandem with my panic, "I don't see anything!"

"Oh, that ain't good," I heard Vinyl mutter, "that really ain't good..."

I turned and saw she was staring out her own window, her shades pushed up above her horn and her brilliant red eyes wide with horror. I unlatched my seatbelt and crawled over to her side of the truck, following her gaze... and wishing that I hadn't.

"Twilight, what are you doing?!" Shining Armor cried, "if this truck goes top side down and you're not buckled in, you're gonna need more than a few bandages!"

I wasn't listening.

The massive, dark grey wolf-like beast running along side the truck was taking up all of my attention. Its build was powerful and its size was more than three times that of the truck we were riding in.

It shook the truck with each pounding of its giant paws against the ground, causing us to swerve slightly. The beast turned to face us, its yellow eyes blazing with murderous intent and the backwards curving black horns atop its head sparking and flashing with deadly electricity.

It roared again and I screamed, quickly scrambling away from the window.

Those... were some very sharp teeth.

"2nd Unit Leader Shining Armor," Harshwhinny commanded as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "get back there, get your Daeus Arm, and get that thing away from this truck!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Shining replied, letting go of the wheel and smoothly sliding into—and past—the backseat. I was about to say something about how stupid letting go of the steering wheel was, but Harshwhinny had already taken Shining's place in the drivers seat.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Vinyl said suddenly, never taking her eyes off the wolf outside, "that thing is a Lobairo. I don't know how much you guys know about these things, but they tend to... y'know... shoot lightning from their horns... a lot."

Harshwhinny turned to respond, only to cry out in surprise as a deafening crack filled the air and the truck lurched to the side. For one terrifying moment I thought the truck was going to tip over, but a moment later it fell back to all fours and Harshwhinny managed to correct its course.

"Gah, horseapples!" I heard Shining grunt from the very back. I looked back and saw him trying to rise to his hooves—his long blade gripped tightly in hand, "I think Vinyl Scratch is right. I can try to get onto its back from the roof of the truck and attack from there, but that would be risky, and the thing has a long range with its lightning!"

"Don't you dare go out there, Shiny!" I shouted back at the stallion, "that's suicide!"

"I know!" Shining yelled back, "but what else can we do?"

"Where the buck are the other trucks?!" Harshwhinny growled, shifting gears and trying to push the truck to go faster, "we're in no position to def—"

"Holy buck!" Vinyl cried in amazement, leaning closer to the window despite the wolf only a few yards away, "is that who I think it is?!"

My curiosity overtook me and despite my immense fear, I moved closer to the window next to Vinyl Scratch. I peered out the window just in time to see the Lobairo's horns flash dangerously.

Its next roar was suddenly cut off as another truck sped into view and slammed into its side, causing it to stumble. The truck then backed off and the Lobairo regained its footing quickly, but both its attention and mine were now on the other truck.

Or rather, the tall, dark blue mare with the starry mane crouched low atop it, her long black coat flapping wildly as the wind tore at it.

Both Vinyl and I were stunned into silence as we watched the mare shift her grip on the dark blue metal shaft of the three-pronged charge spear she was wielding, splayed her wings out, and jumped off the truck.

When I say jumped, I mean jumped.

She completely disappeared from view in an instant, though the wolf lifted its head to follow her. It roared again and with a bright flash and another loud crack, lightning shot out of its horns in a wide arc towards the sky.

"No!" I cried—rather uselessly as it turned out, as a moment later there was a loud lupine like yelp and the Lobairo's head suddenly smashed into the ground with an earth-shaking whump—its momentum completely halted and its body unmoving.

"No way," Vinyl muttered, her awed gaze glued to the sight beyond the window, "no bucking way..."

I nodded absently, my mouth hanging open as I saw the mare bent down atop the wolf's head—her spear punctured deep into the Lobairo's skull. After a moment, the mare yanked the spear out and hopped down off of the wolf, walking over to the side facing our truck, which had stopped moving at some point during the event along with the other trucks.

I was so shocked by the display I hadn't even noticed.

My heart skipped a beat as the giant avidaeus shifted suddenly, a low growl emanating from its throat. It began to rise, but in a movement so fast I completely missed it, the mare impaled it in the side, causing it to roar out.

She pulled the spear out, the massive three pointed head shining with a dark viscous substance. Before the Lobairo could do anything else, the mare aimed her charge spear at it.

Another moment later, something I could only describe as a large black monstrous mouth with sharp teeth and glowing white eyes, erupted from the head of the spear and stretched out to a ridiculous size.

The mare thrust the spear forward and the mouth at the end of the spear shot forth, biting deep into the Lobairo. Its roar increased in volume as the mare ripped the spear out, along with the mouth.

For a second, everything stopped.

The Lobairo stopped roaring, the mare stood frozen in her lowered stance, the air was thick with a tense silence. Then the massive wolf went limp—letting out one last weak growl before it stopped moving altogether.

With its task apparently done, the mouth retreated back into the spear. The mare straightened up and turned away, making a beeline for our truck. My breath hitched in my throat as she approached.

There wasn't a single pony who didn't know who this mare was.

Everypony knew the dark blue fur coat, the long horn, the impressive wings, that constantly flowing dark mane dotted with all the stars of the night sky that whipped about her face as she walked, pure white armlet, custom made charge spear, and signature black button up military style long coat.

Her piercing cyan eyes scanned her surroundings as she made her way over to where we were.

"Surprised I take it?"

I started and whipped around to see Shining Armor looking over my shoulder with a smirk.

"You didn't... why is she..." I sputtered, turning back to the window, "what is she doing here?"

Harshwhinny chuckled from the drivers seat as she took off her aviators and watched the mare approach. She lit up another cigarette before speaking on Shining's behalf.

"I'm not sure why," the orange mare answered, "but apparently it was a personal request from her sister."

I had no words.


I really, really wanted to know what Celestia was playing at, asking Chief Commander Luna of all ponies to escort us all to Ponyville.