//------------------------------//
// Chapter XV – Return of the Meek Mare 
// Story: To Devour a God 
// by the7Saviors 
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I remember how tired I was getting before the Deification Process, and how I'd wanted to just get all this over with so I could shower, then sleep the rest of the day away.

What I hadn't counted on was the unexpected, unbelievable, and frankly unwanted boost in energy the process had given me. I wasn't tired in the slightest anymore, and felt as though I could've stayed up for days, but I didn't want to. I may not have been physically exhausted anymore, but I was still mentally done for the day.

I wanted some time alone so I could finally gather and sort out my thoughts on what had happened to me over the course of the last few days, but it seemed that would have to wait for a bit longer. Apparently there was a workshop on the second floor, this one specifically built to maintain and create Daeus Arms.

Before we were allowed to turn in for the day—which, by my estimate, and looking at a nearby clock on one of the walls, had since already faded into evening—we were to head to the engineer's workshop to get a run down of the various types of Daeus Arms. The trip this time would be overseen by the two Captains and we were to meet with the mechanical engineer of this branch.

Before all of this, I would've said that I wasn't particularly keen on furthering my knowledge on the subject of Daeus Arms. Not only would that have been a lie—as I was always keen to further my knowledge given the opportunity—but now that I was here, I couldn't help but be outwardly curious at the prospect.

Something that may have triggered that curiosity was seeing how the Daeus Arms worked in action, both out in the rocky desert, and in the recent demonstration by the two Captains. When I told Captain Applejack how I was planning to become a magitech engineer at some point, I wasn't lying.

Magitech had always fascinated me, but ever since my mom and brother told me about how my dad had died fighting against the avidaeos to protect us when I was little, I felt it was my duty and calling to devote all of my knowledge and energy towards Hive Cell research. 

I don't regret my decision in the slightest, but every once in awhile, I found myself wondering how my life would've turned out had I chosen to become a magictech engineer instead. It wasn't all that hard to imagine in actuality—I'd still most likely be working for Wendigo in the Daeus Arms Research and Development Division.

Would I still have been transferred to this branch if I'd become an engineer?

Somehow I felt like it would've been an inevitability either way.

Such were my thoughts as we made our way out of the training room, and I would've dwelled on them further if not for the fact that both Doctor Whooves and Fluttershy were waiting for us just outside. Instantly, my contemplative and somewhat dour mood were replaced with relief and even a bit of joy at seeing Fluttershy fully recovered.

She was no less nervous and looked no less out of place than she did before, especially with that bulky armlet attached just above her rather dainty wrist. Still, she looked a lot healthier and I was glad for her. She'd already been checked by Doctor Whooves and was given the okay to move forward with the rest of the tour.

With her in tow, we all made for the workshop, and I took the opportunity to catch up with the shy mare. She walked a little ways behind the rest of us, so I slowed my pace until I was next to her.

"Hey, how'd things go?" I asked quietly, "you alright now?"

"O-Oh, yes, I'm fine now," Fluttershy replied, just as quietly, if not quieter, "I'm sorry to worry you. I'm just... I guess I just... wasn't prepared for the shock."

"I know what you mean," I muttered, "I don't think any of us were," I glanced at both Vinyl and Seeker up ahead, "though I guess some of us handled it a bit better than others..."

At that, Fluttershy winced and looked down at her hooves. Thinking she might've mistaken my words, I quickly amended myself.

"I didn't mean you handled it poorly, Fluttershy, " I replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. I jerked it back a moment later when I felt her flinch under my touch, and opted to continue without the contact, "sure it wasn't the most... graceful way to come out of it, but I wasn't in a much better condition than you were. I just... recovered a bit faster is all."

"Nopony else had to be treated in the infirmary," Fluttershy pointed out despondently, "I should've handled that better than I did."

"No, look," I shook my head and frowned at the mare, "Fluttershy, everypony is going to—"

"Everypony's gonna have different reactions," came Vinyl's louder, but still sincere voice from Fluttershy's otherside. The other unicorn clapped a reassuring hand on Fluttershy's shoulder, making the other mare 'eep' in surprise. Vinyl smiled apologetically and raised both hands in a placative manner, but continued on nonetheless, "they're injecting Hive Cells right into your bloodstream. That ain't gonna be pleasant for anypony no matter how tough they think they are."

"She's right, Fluttershy," I added, frowning slightly at Vinyl before giving Fluttershy a reassuring smile of my own, "it isn't just a matter of 'toughing it out'. Each pony's body is going to have a different physical reaction to the changes that occur during the Deification Process. That means it might be more painful or exhausting for some than it is for others. It can't be helped."

"There ya go!" Vinyl laughed, "took the words right outta my mouth!"

Who took who's words out of who's mouth?

I cast the petty thought aside and watched as Fluttershy mulled over our words. She grimaced deeply for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh, and raising her head to look up at me, a grateful, if weak, smile on her face.

"So there's nothing to worry about," I continued, "you made it through the process safely, and that's what matters. The doctor gave you the all clear during the examination, right?"

Fluttershy nodded meekly in response, brushing the mane out of her face and turning to the others ahead of us. Once he'd brought Fluttershy back, Doctor Whooves had made his exit once again, mentioning something about prior engagements in that odd and overly cheery, slight Trottingham accent of his.

"I guess you're right, Twilight," Fluttershy was saying, "it was a terrifying experience, but... I think I'm all the better for it," she looked to both me and Vinyl, her face set in a soft, but determined smile, "I'm... not looking forward to what I'll have to do. It scares me just thinking about it... but I don't regret it."

"Good to hear," Vinyl replied, once more clapping a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder, "'fear is good. Hold onto that fear, but never let it control you'," Vinyl shook her head, chuckling to herself, "that's what gramps said before I left, and I think it's good advice."

Fluttershy didn't shy away from Vinyl's overly friendly gestures this time, but she still looked slightly uncomfortable. She nodded nevertheless before addressing me.

"Thank you—both of you," she began, "when I woke up in the infirmary, there was a moment when I thought I'd failed," she raised her right arm and pulled up the sleeve of her oversized jacket to reveal the partially covered armlet beneath, "then I saw this and I almost wished I had, but then I thought about what that would've meant."

I frowned as I looked at her armlet, fully aware of what could've happened if she failed. A number of things could've happened if she failed, and none of them would've been pleasant in the slightest.

"When I think about what could've happened to me, I guess I should consider myself lucky that I survived," she continued, pushing back down her sleeve, "it's too late to back out now, and even if I could... I don't think I would."

"You could've back then when we were in the waiting room, but you didn't," I pointed out, "I think that says a lot about you, Fluttershy."

"Oh no, it's just," she sruggled with her words for a moment, "when I think about all the ponies that didn't make it, and my reason for joining the Daeus Hunters in the first place... I couldn't bring myself to back out. I know I would've regretted it."

"Well, there you go," Vinyl concluded with a nod, "you're all in, despite the fact that you're scared, that's what courage is, and that's what Spitfire—er, Lieutenant Spitfire, was looking for."

"...I suppose so," Fluttershy replied uncertainly, "I just hope I don't get in anypony's way out there," she shivered slightly, "fighting for my life is already going to be bad enough. If I got somepony else hurt because I froze up, or—or if I got hurt myself and slowed them down... I don't think I could..."

"Ah, you'll be fine!" Vinyl exclaimed, slapping Fluttershy on the back and causing her to stumble forward slightly, "just remember, you're not alone, and that you have something worth fighting for, whatever that might be. Oh, and don't lose focus, simple as that."

"R-Right, simple," Fluttershy replied, re-adjusting the wings poking out of the back of her jacket. She gave Vinyl a strained smile that spoke volumes of just how 'simple' she thought it was, "I'll... I'll remember that. Thank you, Vinyl Scratch."

"No, problem," Vinyl replied, completely oblivious to the mare's discomfort as she hurried to catch up with the rest of the group, "like I said, just keep your head up, keep your eyes open, and you'll be fine, trust me!"

I watched Vinyl for a moment before returning my attention to Fluttershy. Uncomfortable as she may have been, the shy pegasus actually did look a little better after that talk. Still, now that she was here, there was something I'd been meaning to ask once she'd left the infirmary.

"So, Fluttershy," I began, as we made our way upstairs to the second floor, "while you were in the infirmary, did you happen to see the dragon they brought in at all?"

"A... A dragon?" Fluttershy squeaked, reeling back in sudden terror. A moment later her face lit up with recognition and she turned away before muttering,  "oh, r-right... you mentioned there was an injured dragon here..."

"Okay... I'll take that as a no," I muttered, regarding Fluttershy with slight disapproval, "but yes, like I said, an injured dragon was brought in when Vinyl and I arrived. I was hoping you had a chance to get a look at him while you were in the infirmary." 

I looked forward to see that we were heading down a singular corridor leading to a large set of double doors not dissimilar to those in the main lobby. After a few seconds of silence, I cast a side long glance at the yellow pegasus.

"Judging by your reaction, I take it you aren't very fond of dragons?" I inquired, "you didn't really seem too interested in joining me when I asked earlier either. Why is that?"

"W-Well, I've never actually seen one before," she admitted, "but I've heard they're huge, terrifying and not very nice," she looked away, "...among other things."

"I've never seen a dragon before either—at least not in person, and not until recently," I replied with a frown, "but, while I'm not saying there's not a reason dragons have gained that kind of reputation, I do know that not all dragons are vicious brutes, Fluttershy. Even the ones that are, can't hold a candle to the real monsters out there. You should at least see them for yourself before making those kinds of judgments."

Fluttershy looked at me out of the corner of her eye before turning away, her face hidden behind her pink curtain of a mane.

"...If you say so, Twilight," she muttered in a voice that clearly spoke of not wanting to meet any kind of dragon at all if she could help it, "but, no... I didn't see any dragons in the infirmary."

"Hm, that's... odd," I replied with a bemused frown, "he was really banged up when they brought him in. If not the infirmary, then where would they put the drakeling?"

"drakeling?" Fluttershy asked, turning to me in surprise, "the dragon was a child?"

"Yeah, he was from what I could see," I replied with a grim nod, my mind going back to that horrible event as I spoke, "based on his stature and the fact that he had no wings, he must've just reached adolescence," I shook my head sadly, "I saw him trying to get away from a bunch of avidaeos on the way here, but he just ended up trying to fight them all on his own in the end."

"He what?" Fluttershy gasped, raising a hand to her mouth in horror, "but... but if he's just a fledgling, that would've been suicide, wouldn't it? Why was he even out there alone?"

"I have no idea, and yes, it would've," I nodded, "dragons are vicious in combat, but dragons as young as the one I saw wouldn't fare so well on their own against the number of avidaeos I saw out there," I grimaced, "it was so stupid. One moment, he's scrambling to get away, and the next, he's charging in with a warcry. I honestly can't figure out what he was thinking."

"And... you wanted to ask him once he was better?" Fluttershy surmised, biting her lip in uncertainty, "I... I guess I can see that. The poor thing must've been terrified. He might've been acting out of a fight-or-flight response, and being a dragon he must've chosen to fight."

"That's... one idea," I responded, eyeing the other mare warily, "so you're... worried about him, then? The big, mean, vicious dragon?"

Fluttershy blushed and looked away, not speaking for a moment. After another few moment she sighed and turned back to me with a look somewhere between shame, consternation, and pity.

"He's just a little drake, Twilight," she said, settling on a troubled frown, "I might have a problem with full grown dragons, but children are children, no matter what species they belong to. They shouldn't be out there all alone fighting against the avidaeos."

I stared at Fluttershy a moment, trying to figure out her angle. She'd never seen a dragon before and seemed to fear them as monsters in the same vein as the avidaeos, yet was ready to defend the supposed innocence of their young... even though she knew nothing about their young.

Rather than fuss over it, I decided to just move on.

"I agree," I replied with a single nod, "thankfully, the Chief Commander and a few other Daeus Hunters were there to help, and the medical team managed to get him onto one of the trucks before things got too bad."

"That really is good to hear," Fluttershy replied with a small nod, "I'm glad he made it out okay," her face screwed up in a confused frown, "but if he's not in the infirmary, then where is he?"

"That's what I'd like to know," I muttered, "where else could they have taken him with such severe wounds if not the infirmary?"

Neither I nor Fluttershy had any more time to dwell on the matter as we all reached the double doors of the engineering workshop. Applejack and Bon Bon, both of whom had been leading Fluttershy, Seeker, Vinyl, and I, stopped just before entering and turned to face us.

"Alright, ya'll," Applejack called out, "ah know yer probably itchin' ta get some rest, but before we head on back to yer new digs, we got one last thing ta show ya."

"You'll be meeting up with our chief Daeus Arms engineer and all around expert," Bon Bon added, "we wanted to get you acquainted with the weapons you'll be using to fight against the threats outside our walls."

"Exactly," Applejack replied, flashing us all a big smile before turning to the doors, "so let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

With that, Applejack made her way over to a small panel next to the door and punched in a sequence of numbers before inserting her armlet into a slot in the wall. A second later there was a muffled whir followed by a loud click, and the doors slid open.

"After you, ladies... and gentlecolt," Bon Bon said, motioning into the room with a small smirk, "the engineer awaits."

At her prompt, we all shuffled into the workshop, and my mouth dropped open at what I saw within. 

The workshop wasn't much larger than what I would've seen or expected back at Wendigo HQ, but the sheer amount of complex machinery, terminals, and wiring crammed into it made it seem a lot smaller than it actually was.

On either side of the room were tall, cylindrical racks holding Daeus Arms of all different types. One one side of the room, isolated from everything else, it looked like a modern forge had been set up, complete with a miniaturized blast furnace for smelting. 
I also saw some kind of mechanism similar to the one in the Daeification Chamber. I grimaced at the sight, absently placing a hand over the armlet now adorning my own arm. There were wires all over the place, both thick and thin—lining the walls and floors, and hanging from the ceiling.

Some I could see connected to large computers and odd machines not even I knew what to make of. Others I had no idea where they began or ended, but they all snaked their way around various mechanical odds and ends. 

On the surface, the workshop was a fire hazard waiting to happen, but I could tell that there was a sort of method to the madness. For as messy and disorganized as everything looked, there was always a clear path to where you needed to go. Nothing was in the way, not even the countless wires strewn about the place.

There was just enough space between the various machines to maneuver, and anything that looked like it could be volatile if put together, was separated from one another to minimize the damage should said volatile object break or topple over. It was chaotic, but there had been some thought put into the design.

A high pitched mechanical whine suddenly ripped through the air, making me jump. Judging from Fluttershy's frightened shriek and Vinyl's loud curse, I wasn't the only one caught off guard by the sound. 

My frantically wandering eyes rested on a large workbench crammed near the back of the room where somepony was hunched over, their back turned and attention focused on whatever they were doing at the bench.

A closer look revealed a grey coated pegasus mare wearing a tight black T-shirt, and thick, heavy looking dark green work pants complete with a tool belt full of various tools. It didn't take a genius to see that this mare was the supposed engineer we were looking for.

My suspicions were confirmed when Applejack walked past me and towards the inattentive mare, seemingly unbothered by the racket. She stopped a few hoof-lengths away and gave all of us an apologetic smile before facing the pegasus once more.

"Ya'll think ya could put that on hold fer a moment, Miss Hooves?" Applejack shouted over the noise, "ya got guests!"

Hooves? Is she related to the Doctor?

It was possible, but then again, Hooves was a common secondary pony name. In any case, the pegasus adjusted something just out of my sight and the painfully loud whine of metal stopped. A second later, she straightened up, gave a languid stretch of her arms, and cracked her neck before turning to see who it was that had called out to her.

Now that she'd turned around for the most part, I could see she wore what I assumed were black welding gloves. She had a blonde, messy mop of a mane, and her eyes—really the entire top half of her face—were hidden behind a pair of large brown tinted goggles.

I could also see a large chunk of black and bronze metal lying below an industrial drill just small enough to fit on the table. It took me a moment to realize the massive chunk of metal was actually the blade of a disassembled Daeus Arm. 

Going back to the mare, there were smudges of what I could only guess was oil across one cheek, the top of her nose, and both arms. All in all, she looked every bit the mechanical engineer Applejack claimed her to be and was honestly exactly what I expected to see in a town like this.

What I wasn't expecting as she lifted her goggles up, was the curious, wall-eyed stare she gave Applejack and the rest of us, her brilliant golden eyes very obviously off-kilter. It was rare to be born with strabismus, but it wasn't all that uncommon in cases where certain types of head injuries were concerned. I wasn't sure which case this was, but I decided it was best not to look too deeply into the matter.

A slight frown of bemusement crossed her face as she looked from our little group to Applejack, but it quickly disappeared behind a bright smile as she addressed the stetson wearing captain.

"Oh, heya, Applejack! I thought you were gonna be here earlier," she greeted before nodding towards us, "these the newbies?"

"Yup, green as grass, every one o' them," Applejack chuckled, following her gaze. She turned back to the mare with an apologetic smile, "sorry we're late, me an' Bon Bon got caught up in a little demonstration."

"Showing them how it's done?" the pegasus replied with a knowing smile, "yeah, that sounds like you. I'm surprised Bon Bon joined you, though. She's not usually one to show off."

"I don't see the harm in it every once in awhile," came Bon Bon's voice as she moved to stand next to Applejack and the engineer, "and I have to admit, it feels kind of good to strut my stuff like that," she frowned and shook her head, "though I'm not gonna make a habit out of it like some ponies I could name."

"Aw come on, she ain't that bad," Applejack replied, before giving a small exasperated frown of her own, "...usually."

I raised an eyebrow at that, wondering who they could've been talking about. I wasn't given the chance to wonder for very long before Vinyl suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, uh... Captains?" she called out, causing the two captains in question to turn towards her curiously. Once she had their attention she continued, her arms crossed and her gaze pointed towards the pegasus mare, "I hate to interrupt, but are you gonna introduce us or what?"

"Oh, right," Applejack chuckled. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly before gesturing to the grey mare, "folks, this is the lady that keeps those giant hunks o' metal we use ta beat avidaeos over the head with in top shape," she slapped an arm around the mare's shoulder and gave us all a big wide grin, "she's the best at what she does, an' don't let anypony else tell ya otherwise."

"Oh come on, AJ," the mare replied, pushing Applejack away good-naturedly, "there's probably a bunch of ponies in Canterlot who have me beat. No need to go putting me on a pedestal like that."

Applejack just laughed and shook her head again, letting her smirk do the talking instead. The mare huffed and rolled her discordant golden eyes before turning to all of us, her bright and cheerful smile once more in place.

"The name's Muffins, but everypony here just calls me Derpy Hooves, or just Derpy for short," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the workbench, "as you already heard, I'm gonna be handling the maintenance of your Daeus Arms. You guys have any issues with your weapons out there, just come to me and I'll take care of it."  

I was struck by how much she reminded me of Doctor Whooves, and wondered again if they really were related somehow. Meanwhile, Derpy turned back to us and placed her gloved hands on her hips, her wings flaring out slightly and her smile turning more confident even as it widened.

"Like Applejack said, it's my job to make sure your Daeus Arms stay in tip top shape, and while I might be a bit clumsy, I take that job very seriously, so you can trust me to get it done without fail."