Entering, he first became aware of the splendor of the room. A soft rug was spread across the entire floor, colored red. Plush couches covered in cushions provided a resting place for any occupants. A number of bookshelves lined the walls, laden with knowledge. A fireplace dominated the center of one wall, filled with a small fire providing a soft glow and warmth to the room.

Finally, his focus was drawn to the two entities sitting in the couches. The first he was familiar with; Luna, Reagent of Equestria. Now able to truly see her, he saw her mane was an array of cosmic energies, primarily stars. Her mark was of a moon upon an inky sky.

The second, however, was different. Her pastel mane flowed in a ethereal breeze, showing her magical prowess. A sun mark dominated her flanks. A long horn and white feathered wings marked her as an Alicorn. Her alabaster coat struck out from Princess Luna's midnight blue. Both immortals looked at him with interest. He stared back. After a couple minutes of silence, Princess Luna spoke.

"Pardon us, but we were led to assume that Gene Splice was the bipedal creature we hath met in the Dream Realm."

Smiling, Daedalus approached the couch opposite and shifted back into the form Princess Luna was more familiar with. When he turned and sat down, his smile widened at the shocked looks on their faces. After they recovered, the Lunar Diarch spoke. "Art thou a new form of Changeling?"

Raising an eyebrow, Daedalus replied. "All truth be told, I've never heard of a Changeling outside of mythology. No, I am, or was, a human. Currently, I am a greater Evolved Blacklight entity."

The two sisters shared a glance before Princess Celestia spoke up. "Just whatis a 'greater Evolved Blacklight entity?'"

"Well, to explain that, I must first start with what Blacklight is. Blacklight is the name of a rather advanced virus created by a company called Gentek. One day, a suspicious man by the name of Alex Mercer came across a vial of the stuff. He stole it and ran from the facility only to be confronted by a private military force, known as Blackwatch. When asked to hand over the vial, he responded by throwing it on the ground, releasing the virus. In reply, the Blackwatch soldiers killed him."

He raised an eyebrow at their widened eyes. After seeing the action, Princess Celestia spoke. "Murder is something that has not happened in Equestria for centuries. To think, somepony would be killed over a simple virus."

Daedalus shifted. "I haven't gotten to what Blacklight is actually isyet, so don't call it 'simple.'"

"Anyway, fast forward a few days, and Mercer was being cut open and studied to find out what the virus did to him. If I remember correctly, his heart was on a tray next to his body. That sure as hell didn't stop Mercer from sitting up." Daedalus smiled at the shocked looks.

"But he had no heart!" Princess Luna shouted, shocked into modern speech.

He chuckled. "Didn't matter. The virus fixed that. Anyway, he hopped up and escaped the facility,again. The problem was, he didn't have his memories. So, he used the virus to destroy everything and everyone in his path. Soldiers, civilians, children, none survived. As he fought, his virus evolved and grew stronger, giving him more and better ways to kill."

Princess Celestia spoke up again, asking a question that had been on her and her sister's minds. "What makes the Blacklight virus so dangerous and powerful?"

Daedalus smiled internally. He could tell that the Solar Diarch was suspicious of him, his powers, and his intentions. He held no intention to lie to her, at least. "Well, let's start with how the virus infects the host. It can start off as one or one million cells, it doesn't matter. Blacklight in the body is dangerous enough, it mutates the body to defend itself, large claws, spikes, whips, blades, etc. However, if it gets to the brain fast enough and with enough cells, that's when the real work begins."

"See, the virus can also be considered a parasite. It gains sapience at the expense of its host. By essentially devouring the brain, it gains the capability of speech, intelligent thought, and any forms of higher intelligence. A side effect is that it gains the beings memories. Now, you know that viruses 'eat' non-virus cells to reproduce itself, right?"

When he got two nods in response, he continued. "Well, Blacklight entities can do that on a greater scale. Instead of consuming a cell or two, I can consume a army or two. This has several effects. The first is most obvious. That flesh and mass has to go somewhere, yet I don't get larger, so what happens? I get denser. My muscles are several thousand times denser than yours, making me unnaturally strong and hard to injure. Of course, this makes me weigh more. I solve that problem by leaving a large majority of my biomass in a secure location to reduce my weight."

"The other effects are pretty simple. If I consume someone's flesh, I gain their form. If I consume their blood, I gain their power. If I consume their mind, I gain their memories."

This seemed to unnerve the two mares, and rightly so. Something seemed to click for Princess Celestia and she leaped up, horn ablaze. "How dare you kill one of my ponies! WhowasGeneSplice?"

Unconcerned, Daedalus waved at her. "Be seated, I killed nopony. An Evolved is capable of combining DNA to create an entirely new form. I gained the pony DNA by consuming shed hairs on the ground. Hell, I was doing it on the way here."

Both sisters imagined him as a pony eating random hairs as he walked down the street, yet neither commented. Relaxing, Princess Celestia dimmed her horn and sat down next to her sister again. "I apologise for jumping to conclusions."

Daedalus shrugged. "Its fine. Anyway, back to the virus. Another thing it can do is rearrange itself to better defend itself. Massive blades, claws, spikes, whips, and the like are all available to me. I can summon them at will."

To demonstrate, he shifted his right arm into a massive, devilish blade that gleamed with an unholy sharpness. Then, he shifted it back to his default arm. "Like I said. Anyway-"

"You really like the word 'anyway.'" The Solar Diarch commented.

He smirked. "Yep. Anyway," He said, making her huff. "The most important aspect of the virus is the life factor. Viruses, as simple-celled organisms, don't need the things mortals do to survive. Food, air, water, rest, none of it is necessary. In fact, I don't have a heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, stomach, or any other organs. I am completely unkillable because I don't have the weaknesses mortals do."

Princess Celestia looked incredibly interested in that fact, as did her sister. "Completely immortal, just like us. That may be useful information. It certainly gives us an option."

After she spoke, Princess Luna nodded. "It certainly does."

The virus raised a brow but received no explanation. Instead, he was waved at by a wing and told, "Continue."

"Back to the history. Mercer continued his rampage through Manhattan. Eventually, Blackwatch forces were so numerous, he began to have trouble fighting them. In response, he infected others just like he had been. At first, he targeted psychopaths because they followed him and killed whoever they told him too. Most of the psychos were members of Blackwatch who had hidden their insanity. Then, after Mercer's rampages, they lowered their requirements, allowing even more psychos in." Daedalus explained.

"Which, in turn, grew Mercer's army." Princess Celestia theorized. Daedalus nodded.

"Eventually, Blackwatch caught on and raised their requirements again. Mercer, not knowing this, infected who he though was just another murderer. In fact, it was James Heller." He grimaced a little, then continued.

"James had had a wife and daughter. Blacklight killed his wife, which he, rightly, blamed Mercer for. His daughter got kidnapped by Mercer. I don't know the full details, but it sent Heller on a rampage. Piece by piece, the former-soldier tore apart Mercer's infected, including his followers. Those of us being forced to serve him through fear saw him as a possible savior. Growing tired of his plans being ruined, Mercer gathered his remaining followers and confronted Heller. They battled for quite some time before a winner remained."

The Princesses were incredibly interested in the story, enough that the Night mare leaped up and shouted, "Heller won and you were saved!"

Daedalus let out a humorless chuckled. "No. Heller died, torn apart and consumed by Mercer. In order to prevent another betrayal, he installed in his greater Evolved a Hive Mind, that allowed him to control all the infected. He made it impossible for it to be removed, as well. Doing so would result in the Evolved's death."

Princess Celestia tilted her head and questioned him. "What about you? Don't you have the Hive Mind?"

He shrugged. "Yep. Good news is, Mercer is too far away for him to control me. Albeit, I still can't remove it without dying. Don't be concerned. I am of no threat to you."

"Now, Mercer and his new army of forced-loyal soldiers spread out of Manhattan. They hit New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, etc. When I arrived here, we were in the process of infecting some city in Pennsylvania. That's the gist of it. Thoughts?"

"How is Mercer too far away?" Princess Luna immediately asked.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that this is a different world. Humans explored every continent and nearly every island. Nowhere are there talking ponies, dragons, griffons, etc. I don't know how I got here, but I'm happy to be away from Earth and Mercer."

"How do we know you won't betray us?" Princess Celestia asked.

"You really don't. If you want, you can send some guards to watch me. Just don't spread the word about me. Once ponies learn the extents of my power and get over their fear, they'd beg me to help them." Daedalus said.

When he received two raised brows, he explained. "I can cure any disease and even make others immortal. Ponies would come to me begging for immortality and power. I won't have that. If I need to, I'll disappear and make a new disguise."

Both Alicorns shook their head. "No, you won't have to worry. We'll make the guards take an oath of secrecy and send a small group. They'll be aware of your pony form, of course."

Daedalus nodded. "Also, as a show of good will, I don't have magic. Its also one of the only things I'm weak to. Anything else or is this meeting over?"

Both Princesses turned to each other and their horns lit up, likely telepathic communication. He waited for a number of moments before they turned back to him.

When one spoke, it was Princess Celestia who did so, her voice commanding yet calming. "We have verified your claims."

The virus raised an eyebrow, clearly showing his confusion.

"We hath simply read thy mind." Princess Luna said, reverting to her preferred speech. "Thou truly hath no resistance against magic."

"Now, we have a way to satisfy both parties. We will keep your secret and allow you to remain in Ponyville in return for two things." Her solar sister said.

He nodded, it was as he expected. "And they are?"

"First, we will place a squadron of Unicorn guards to keep an eye on you, something that isn't truly necessary as, after reading your mind, we know you wouldn't hurt anypony. The second thing, however, is more complex. In the event a threat to Equestria or its subjects is made, we will have you track down and deal with the threat, whether lethally or diplomatically will be your decision. Do we have a deal?"

Both sisters expected Daedalus to try to change the terms or weasel his way out of the obligation, simply because his uncaring attitude reminded them so much of Discord. Their surprise was great when, instead, he shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Not too much different than working for Mercer."

They frowned at the comparison. "Make no mistake, Evolved Daedalus, you are not a slave and we will not have you attack and kill anyone. We would only deploy you in the event something is targeting Equestria that the guards can't handle. We would also prefer an arrest or ally, not murder. You will also be paid for your time, as well."

"So basically, I've been drafted? Alright." He said simply.

They nodded and smiled. Princess Luna spoke. "We hope that this may become the beginning of a most illustrious friendship. We may be the only thing each other will have in the eons to come."

That took Daedalus by surprise, yet he waved it off thinking nothing of it. "Is there anything else?"

Princess Celestia smiled. "Yes, actually. The town of Colton borders the Everfree much further south than Ponyville. I've received reports of a storm of Manticores. We want you to go deal with them before they kill anypony."

Daedalus nodded. "Is this what I'll expect the most often? To hunt down wild threats to Equestria?"

They nodded and the Solar Diarch answered. "Yep. Wild animals is usually all Equestria has to worry about. I think we'll call you The Hunter."

Daedalus chuckled. "That's a little uncreative, all truth be told."

He received a smile in response. "Mayhaps, yet it is apt, is it not?"

He nodded and a small silence fell over the room. After a few moments, Daedalus realized something. "Wait, how will y'all know when the job is done?"

"Simply contact one of the guards in Ponyville. They'll send a message to us, and we'll send you your payment. Now, I do believe that is all. Anything to add, sister?"

"Nay." Princess Luna said, shaking her head.

Daedalus stood up. "It was good to meet you, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I'm glad I decided to tell y'all about me. I got royal support, and another job."

Princess Celestia smiled. "I'm quite glad you've told us the truth, as well. A powerful ally and you have no need to fear the truth getting out. If it ever does, you'll have the protection of the crown, Evolved Daedalus."

The virus grunted softly. "No need to call me 'Evolved.' I don't call you Alicorn. Just Daedalus is fine."

She closed her eyes, smiled, and tilted her head. "Then you may call me simply Celestia."

Princess Luna copied her actions and spoke as well, reverting to modern speech. "And you can call me Luna."

That... isoddlycute.

"Alright. Have a good day, Celestia, Luna."

"And you as well, Daedalus." Came the chorused response.

***

Three hours later saw Daedalus in the Everfree, using his senses to track the Manticore pack. All truth be told, it wasn't very hard. The sentient virus had already passed several destroyed trees as well as the corpse of a brown bear. The bear hadn't even been eaten, it was simply torn apart and left to decay. If that didn't scream 'rabid Manticores,' Daedalus didn't know what did. He was in his default form, tracking down the storm.

Earlier, Daedalus had spent some time in Colton in his disguise of Gene Splice. He asked around about the Manticores and quickly discovered that they had been exposed to a disease very similar to rabies. They had already destroyed two farms and injured two ponies, both Earth ponies. After entering the forest, he immediately found the trail and shifted into his base form.

That led him to now, following a very easy to see trail that literally tore through the woods, heading deeper into the Everfree. He had been following the trail for nearly an hour, getting closer to the animals the entire time. Soon enough, he began to hear them and they sounded like they were fighting something. He took off running, reaching the area pretty quickly.

While the fight may not have started in a clearing, the storm of Manticores quickly made one. Their flailing limbs tore apart the nearby trees and made a very haphazard clearing. In the middle of the pack of three, a single wolf was darting around and under them, doing a surprising good job of staying alive.

The Manticores looked exactly as he expected them to. Large, lion-like beings with bat wings and a scorpion tale. Each one was covered in blood from their kills- as well as themselves. They all had injuries that bleed noticeably, but they weren't acting like an injured animal.

The wolf was just like a normal, Earth wolf. Four legs, tail, muzzle, fur, and the like. The only thing special about it was the pure white fur covering it.

Instead of staying to watch, Daedalus leaped forward with his blade arm and proceeded to disembowel the nearest Manticore. Turning immediately, he stabbed the second through the skull, killing it instantly. When he went to face the final Manticore, he felt a large stinger try to pierce him. Turning back around, he finished the first Manticore off.

Right, rabiesmakesanimalsignoreall forms ofpainorinjury.

He was hit powerfully in the back and launched into a still-standing tree, cracking it on impact. When he stood up, he did so to the sight of the final Manticore dashing into the woods away from him.

Hmm, notnormalrabies, then. They never run.

Daedalus began chasing the predator turned prey, slowly gaining. He couldn't really move full speed without smashing through trees and causing even more damage than the storm of beasts did. Soon after, he entered a clearing and saw the mythological beast barreling toward the other side. Daedalus prepared to put on a burst of speed when a white blur exited the woods, darted through the Manticore's path, tripped it, and pounced. When the virus was near, Daedalus noticed it was the same wolf from earlier.

The pair was struggling, the white wolf being easily sent across the clearing, before landing on its paws. When barely a glance, Daedalus speared the hybrid through its skull with a bladed arm. He consumed the body and quickly went back to the other two. Devouring both in short order, the virus began his trek through the woods. However, he stopped when he heard walking beside him. Looking right and down, he saw the wolf following him. When he had stopped, it looked up at him.

Examining it, he noticed it was female. She seemed rather young, with bright white fur and piercing blue eyes. Her muzzle was slightly bloodied from biting the hybrid. When he looked into her eyes, he could see the faintest glimmer of intelligence. Humming thoughtfully, he came to a decision and shrugged. "Come on, Lupa. Let's go."

The wolf seemed to nod. She didn't react at all when Daedalus shifted into the form of Gene Splice.

Andso the Hunterhasa Tracker at hisside.

Author's Note

Obviously, this clarifies the differences between canon Prototype, and this story's version. If that bothers, I'm sorry, but it won't be changes.