To Devour a God

by the7Saviors

Chapter III – Mother Knows Best

Three days and a letter.

Celestia had given me three days and a letter.

I had known there was a conscription clause in the contract I had signed when I first started working for Wendigo, but never in my darkest nightmares did I believe I'd be conscripted as a Daeus Hunter.

Yet here I was, a weak, scientifically minded introvert who had no experience in dealing with the Avidaeos outside of a small sample in a test tube, reassigned to a position that could very well kill me before I even started any actual work.

And everything was explained to me in a letter.

After I had fainted in Celestia's office, she had gotten Moon Dancer to come get me and Moon Dancer had apparently called my mom to come pick me up. I woke up in my own bed the next day, dazed, confused, and -- when I finally remembered what had happened -- completely freaked out.

I'll spare the details, but suffice it to say there was a lot of shouting, a lot of expletives, and a fair amount of calming herbal tea. It took some time, but eventually I calmed down enough to explain what had happened to my mother.

She took it about as well as I did.

It was a little ways into the afternoon, after my mother and I had both settled down, that a representative from Wendigo showed up with a letter from the President herself. To be fair, it was more personal and heartfelt than I had been expecting, but not by much.

As for what the letter said...

Twilight Sparkle,

I apologize that I could not be there in person to give a better apology than this, but nevertheless, you have my sincerest apology for causing you so much distress. Please understand that had there been a better option, I would've chosen it in a heartbeat, but as it stands, you're uniquely qualified for what must be done.

It was my idea to temporarily transfer you to oversee the shipment of the new type Daeus Arms. It was my intention to observe how you handled being transferred to a new and stressful environment on such short notice, as well as to suss out a few other qualities that I'm sure will help you and others around you in the near future.

To your credit, you performed admirably.

More important however, is the reason I'm reassigning/conscripting you into the D.H.D.F. and why it's so important that it has to be you. Lately there have been multiple reports of a new type of Avidaeus sighted in the region near Ponyville.

We have very little information regarding this new creature, but from what we do know, it has shown an almost obsessive tendency to devour its own kind. It even goes so far as to ignore or outright flee from any Daeus Hunters we send to investigate in favor of attacking and devouring other Avidaeos.

While Avidaeus cannibalism has been observed in the past, and played a big part in the creation of Daeus Arms, this single minded consumption of its own kind worries me for reasons I'm not entirely sure of yet. I did not get a chance to explain, but I chose you specifically because of the rather impressive thesis you had written regarding Avidaeus cannibalism.

We believe you may be on to something, and to that end, your assignment is actually twofold. As an expert in Hive Cell biology, I'd like you to work with Ponyville's own researchers to solve the mystery of this potential new threat.

At the same time, I'm assigning you to the position of a Daeus Hunter for three reasons. The results from your last physical exam showed that you have a high probability of being compatible with the new type Daeus Arms. This type of compatibility has only been seen in one other candidate so far, and they will be joining you in Ponyville at a later date.

The second reason I'm sending you as a new recruit is that, due to an incident in the nearby Everfree Forest, there is a severe shortage of available Daeus Hunters at the moment. And lastly, as long as you exercise extreme caution, this will give you a rare opportunity to observe and study the Avidaeos up close.

As a scientist, I have no doubt this will be an invaluable experience for you and should be a significant boon to your research. Just remember to put your life before your research, and don't be afraid to rely on your team if you need help.

I have no doubt you will accomplish amazing things out there, Twilight Sparkle, and I look forward to hearing of your exploits, both in the fields of science, and battle.

~My best regards, Celestia.

And that was it.

Apparently I was Daeus Hunter material and I hadn't even realized it. I hadn't even known Wendigo had gotten ahold of any samples from my physical, nor did I even remember exactly when I had taken it, but it didn't matter now.

Even if there was less risk of the Daeification process failing, there was still a risk. Even if I did survive the process, that still left me to deal with having to actually fight against the Avidaeos.

It had played a major factor in me getting hired at Wendigo, but I was beginning to regret writing that thesis. I didn't want to fight. My brother was the one that did the fighting, and my dad, Night Light before him... before he died during an Avidaeos breach.

That was another issue.

My dad had died when I was only a newborn foal, so I don't remember him at all, but both Shining Armor and mom did. What I knew about him, I had only heard from stories from both my mother and Shiny.

Apparently during the Avidaeus attack, he had sacrificed himself to get me, my mom, and Shiny to safety behind Canterlot's inner wall. Our house wasn't exactly in the richer part of town, but it was close enough that it hugged the outside of the inner walls meant to protect Wendigo HQ and the rest of Canterlot's more vital facilities.

Avidaeus breaches were extremely rare in this city, and that had been one of the worst breaches in recorded history. My brother, having been just old enough to understand how truly terrible the events of that day were, vowed to become a Daeus Hunter to defend mom and I from another attack like that -- not that there'd been one since.

If I went off to Ponyville to become a Daeus Hunter, my mom would be left all alone save for Shiny's rare visits. Since he was stationed in the Equestrian Main Branch here in Canterlot, and Canterlot's city wide defenses were among some of the best on Equus, neither my mother or I would have to worry too much about him, but out there, outside of the Anti-Avidaeus walls...

There's no telling what would happen to me out there.

If I was just being sent off to help with the research, it would be one thing, but fighting the Avidaeos? I couldn't even imagine it, and out of morbid curiosity I tried. In any case though, I had no choice but to comply, so I'd have to get over my many, many reservations at some point.

It had been a full day since I received my new reassignment from Celestia. It was late, and I found myself sitting at the desk next to my bed in the relative quiet of my own second story bedroom, re-reading the letter Celestia had sent me earlier that afternoon.

Moon Dancer had come over a few hours ago to drop off my things from work, as I had been indisposed and hadn't had a chance. She brought Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Minuette, three old friends I hadn't seen since I started working at Wendigo roughly a year and a half ago.

When they heard the news they had insisted on seeing me, but in the end, I just thanked Moon Dancer for bringing my things over and turned all of them away. I really didn't feel like having any company right now.

All I wanted to do at the moment was hole up in my rather tiny room. To anypony who hadn't lived here as long as I had, the place would've probably been uncomfortably small -- only spacious enough for my desk, my smallish bed, a tiny closet for the few clothes I owned, and a bookshelf that covered the wall opposite my bedroom door.

The walls were a typical off-white plaster, the carpet was thin and dark grey, and there was only a single window allowing an unrestricted view of the crowded streets below. The desk I was currently sulking at was cluttered with a few pens, a large stack of unimportant documents, and several books both finished and unfinished.

I don't know how long I sat there reading the same paragraph over and over again, but eventually a knock on my door snapped me out of my daze. I cast a side glance at the door and frowned for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh and returning my gaze to the slip of paper before me.

"It's open, mom."

At that, I heard the latch turn and the door swung open to reveal a weary looking Twilight Velvet. She looked around for a second before spotting me, sitting slumped forward over my desk and staring at the letter.

"Oh, Twilight," she sighed, "you've got what, two more days before you have to leave, and you're just going to brood alone in your room?" when I didn't answer she frowned and stepped fully inside the room, "Moon Dancer and the others are worried about you, sweetie -- worried about how this is affecting you."

"Yeah, I know."

Mom was silent for a long moment before speaking again in a voice that made me look up.

"You should've at least talked to them, Twilight," mom said, her eyes shining with unshed tears, "I know... I know we talked about it already, and I know your brother is coming to get you when the time comes, but..." she stepped a bit closer, "but you don't know if... you'll ever be able to see them again after..."

She trailed off and wiped her eyes before collecting herself once again and giving me a stern frown. I winced slightly and looked away again, a small pang of guilt rising in my stomach.

"You can't push them away like that, Twilight," she admonished, "they're just worried about you."

She walked past me and lowered herself onto my bed. I turned to look at her, and it was only now that I got a closer look, that I could see the dark lines staining her cheeks and the slight redness in her eyes.

My mother had been crying, and the guilt I had felt only increased. I knew it wasn't my fault that I was being shipped out to Ponyville, but I still couldn't help but feel bad about the way I was acting once I had actually gotten a good look at the state my mom was in.

"I don't want you to go, sweetie," mom continued, reaching out and grabbing one of my hands in hers, squeezing it gently, "you're... you're all I have left and I don't want to lose you... but if you have to go... couldn't you at least do it with your head held high and no regrets?"

It was clear by the sound of her voice and the look in her eyes that she was struggling to sound supportive, and I appreciated her all the more for it. It took me a second, but eventually I leaned over and gave my mom a brief, but tight hug before pulling back.

"You're right, mom," I said, trying to sound more confident and ready than I felt for her sake, "I... I have to get over this and do what I need to do," I looked away for a moment as I spoke, "I... I'm not cut out for this sort of thing... at all, but Celestia has faith in me, and I won't let her or you down," I gave her a weak smile, "well, I'll try my best anyway."

"That's all you can do, dear," my mom replied, sniffing as she pulled me into another short hug, "just be sure to see your friends before you go, that's all I ask."

She pulled away and stood up once more before walking over to, and pulling open the bedroom door. As she was about to step outside into the hallway, she stopped and turned back to me.

"Oh, and I'll most likely have already left for work by the time Shining Armor gets here, so make sure to tell him I love him and how proud he makes me, alright?"

"I will, mom," I replied with a small smile, "I promise."

She smiled back at me warmly before walking out and gently closing the door behind her. I listened to the sound of her hoofsteps as the descended the stairs outside my room.

My worried frown returned and I gave the letter I had placed on the desk one last look before sighing heavily. I got up from the desk and moved over to my closet to retrieve the black t-shirt and sweatpants I usually wore to bed.

After I had changed, I flicked off the large lamp resting on the desk and plopped down onto my bed, throwing the blanket over myself and trying to get comfortable. My tumultuous thoughts and feelings made it difficult to fall asleep, but with one final thought, I eventually managed to drift off.

At the very least, I'll be able to continue my research...

Author's Note:

I wonder if anyone's figured out where I'm going with this premise yet...

Anywho, there's one more heart-to-heart on the way and then it's off to Ponyville for Twilight in the next chapter!

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

This cannibalistic Avidaeos...it wouldn't happen to be Spike, would it? Because I could see Twilight capturing and befriending a non-hostile Abvidaeos.

[the7Saviors]

9022507
Nope, it's not Spike. I have... other plans for Spike...

[Ze1a7in]

9022550
Ah. Ok. I'm guessing this other new type Daeus Arms user is either Trixie or Sunset.

[ShadowLight96]

Interesting way of getting twi to ponyville. Im guessing the new arms are knock off EoH's?

[the7Saviors]

9026785
Nope, they're the MLP adapted versions of the new type god arc weapons from God Eater. Haven't decided what I'm going to do about the EoH yet.

EDIT: Scratch that, I just got an idea!

[ShadowLight96]

9026828
Instantly thought of this in response.

[the7Saviors]

9026869
That's more or less what happened.

[ShadowLight96]

9026877
Gg bitches!!!!

[Nevermore777]

9022550
The human(dragon in this case) form ones, like Shio?

[Spellflame]

Why is she not freaking out about being magicaly crippled?!??

[Devonlui]

10708153
She showed promise with the new daeus arm, which increases magical power