Daedalus' New World

"Like Sparky said, our formal name is the Tartarian Hunters. The name originated from our founding a little over two millennium ago after the six of them banded together to hunt and kill a relatively large band of demons that escaped Tartarus. Nowadays, Tartarian threats are pretty much nonexistent except for the occasional summoner who wanted to summon a succubus, so we mostly just go by the Hunters." Wrought Iron chuckled softly as he brushed off what Beam had said. "We also serve as personal bodyguards toward the Princesses. While Luna is our only direct superior, she will occasionally 'loan' us out to the other alicorns as protection, security, or for a job or two. That includes you, too. Also, even though only Luna is in our chain of command, if one of the alicorns gives you an order, you do have to follow it as long as it doesn't contradict one of Luna's standing orders."

"Our direct boss or not, the alicorns are still princesses." Jay surmised and received a nod from the elder Hunter.

"Normally, a new member comes to us through an apprenticeship. A full-fledged Hunter will find somepony who shows promise and interest in the profession and take them on an as an apprentice. The master will teach the apprentice all the tricks of our trade. They learn everything from how to actually protect a VIP, what kind of monsters we face and their strengths and weaknesses, civilian rescue and deescalation, first aid, and generally some side skill that the apprentice chooses for themselves. At some point, either your master or Luna herself would feel you're ready to become a full master. You meet Luna in a duel. You don't have to win or even come close, but if you manage to impress your master or Luna- preferably both- you become a full fledged Master Hunter and can take on your own apprentice whenever you feel you've found one. Being a master does not mean you're done learning, either. It just means you've learned enough for us to trust you to bring somepony else in."

The captain paused to collect his thoughts. "Out in the field or informal situations like this, we don't use ranks or titles. Second Lieutenant is the second in command of our sect, but if Sergeant here's got an idea that might save a few lives or make our missions easier, he's expected to speak up and share it. Listen to your superior of course, but don't be afraid to speak up and share an idea. If you don't, you can't learn whether it was a good one or what you thought wrong. And like I said, even off the field we don't particularly care for ranks or formality. In our halls, Luna is just Luna. Beam is Beam, not Second Lieutenant Glimmering Moonbeam. If you're ever put with some other branch of the Guard, you best pick up those formalities you left behind though. Don't give us a bad name for being too 'lax and lazy.' We're outside the command chain for the Royal Guards and don't often work with them, so the only impression they get of us is what we give them, and we don't need a bad reputation going back to Luna."

"That brings up a question I have about the military here." Daedalus stated when there was a pause in conversation. When Iron gestured for him to ask, he continued. "How many branches of the military are there and what purpose do they serve?"

"I've got this one." Aqua interrupted. When Iron didn't stop her, she answered Daedalus' question. "There's five branches total. The 'Royal Guard' comprises of the Solar, Lunar, and Heart Guards. Each one takes their orders directly from their alicorn and usually double as their personal guard as well, only Luna does things different with the Lunar Guard and the Tartarian Hunters. The Royal Guards function as a police force first and personal guard second, but can also double as a military in extreme situations. Then we have the Hunters. We focus primarily on keeping the populace safe against natural and supernatural threats. Everything from demons to spirits to wild animals. Finally, we have the Equestrian Rangers, the largest branch by far."

"Since the Solar and Lunar Guards are focused in Canterlot, the Heart Guard in the Crystal Empire, or wherever their Princesses are, that leaves most of Equestria undefended. Instead, the Equestrian Rangers take the place of the primary military and police force in the nation. Every town or city with a population over ten thousand has a recruitment center and permanent garrison, and any village with less than that has a rotating temporary garrison." Aqua finished. It wasn't the most detailed explanation of the five branches, but it answered his question just fine and told him what he needed to know.

After a second, Iron picked up where he left off. "It goes without saying that as a Hunter, lives come first. If it comes down to it, we're all prepared to give our lives to save innocents as is our duty. Just, it's better to kill the monster, save the ponies, and save yourself. You can go kill more monsters that way. Though, if you're as immortal as you say you are, that won't be a problem. Any questions?"

"How often do we get deployed and what do we do in between?" Daedalus asked and leaned against Beam's couch as he stretched out his legs. To his surprise, Beam took the chance to just roll off the couch and land on his legs, resting her head on his thigh as she stretched out her leathery bat wings and gave a clearly fake yawn."

"Man, you're warm. I definitely think you'll do just fine here."

"Just ignore her. She does that to everypony. Beam flirts so much you'd think she's bedded every stallion in the castle but I'm almost certain she's never been laid." Aqua commented with a smirk toward her fellow Hunter. For her part, the thestral just stuck her tongue out without even opening her eyes.

"I wouldn't mind if a certain handsome human were to change that~" Beam teased with a smirk up toward the virus, her playful eyes meeting his amused stare.

"No thank you. I'm already taken by a mare."

"So?" Daedalus paused at the honest confusion in her voice and he felt like she wasn't just insinuating that he cheat on his potential partner.

"Beam's shamelessness aside," Iron interrupted with a chuckle. "We get deployed whenever something happens. We do have scheduled hunts in the Everfree Forest, Shallow Swaps, and Winding Woods to curb predator population growth near populated areas, but we otherwise might get called to a hunt every three days or three months. If we're really unlucky, we might even have to split our sect to cover each hunt in our location. That usually happens once or twice a year. In between deployments, we practice, train, and bond with each other. Pretty much, you do whatever you choose when we're not out on a hunt provided its, you know, legal."

"How many Hunters are there in total?" Daedalus asked as Beam's muzzle insistently poked his hand. After a mental shrug, he started to run his hand through her mane as she closed her eyes again and gave a satisfied hum. Whatever Aqua said about Beam's constant flirting, she definitely got what she wanted.

"We have eight sects scattered across Equestria. We're the largest with you making our sixth member. We have two sects with five, four with four, and one with three. Overall, we have thirty five members across Equestria. Absolutely minuscule compared the the Solar Guards who number about four thousand, or the Rangers with thirty three thousand."

"Quality over quantity." Daedalus said with a nod.

"We'll definitely get along just fine." Iron echoed Beam's earlier statement with a smirk. "Now for what I'm sure you're most interested in, pay and housing. Are you familiar with our economy?"

Daedalus shook his head. "No, I'm not. I've got some bits that were given to me to hold me over for some time, but I haven't even looked at them yet."

"Alright, Beam, you're our treasurer so you wanna explain everything?" Iron said as he looked down at the happy pony.

"Mm, sure. So we use bits as our currency. Most are gold but the higher denominations are platinum. The gold bits are one, five, ten, twenty five, and fifty. Platinum ones are hundred, two hundred fifty, and five hundred. Your brand new Private gets paid three bits an hour and works thirty hours a week. Monthly, that's about three hundred sixty. If you rent a place in Canterlot- trust me, don't- you'll be spending about eight hundred a month. However, if you live in the barracks you're provided that drops from about eight hundred to about two hundred a month. More if you eat out a lot, less if you buy bulk food and cook for yourself. Rank increases with pay, of course."

"As a Hunter, you don't guard doors and halls and occasionally arrest a petty criminal. You also don't have a 'shift.' You risk your life for the citizens of this country and are expected to give that life to save others. You're always on call. When you receive the order to deploy, it doesn't matter if you're bored and waiting for it or rutting your marefriend, you need to be halfway here before you even finish reading the scroll. As such, your pay will be higher. You'll be starting out as a Lance Corporal, the lowest rank we allow in the Hunters. Your pay will be twenty a day. About six hundred bits a month, but then you got taxes. The griffons have this weird thing called sales tax where you get taxed on every single item you buy plus your income. We don't have that. You pay taxes on your income and taxes on any purchase over five hundred bits, and it's ten percent either way. That's it. In Canterlot and Cloudsdale, your taxes go to Celestia and Luna. The other two Princesses have their own areas they get taxes from, and if you live in any area outside the crown realms but inside Equestria, your taxes get split evenly between all four. So the three hundred bits I hoof you every other Friday is more like two seventy. For now, I'll hoof you your bits in coinage on payday but if you get a bank set up, let me know and I can get your pay deposited from the crown to your account instead. I recommend the coins though, they jingle nicely. Any questions yet?"

"You mentioned I'll be a Lance Corporal, but ranks don't have much meaning here in the Hunters and Iron also said our command is separate from the others. How does a rank hold up to the other branches in Equestria?" Beam smiled as he asked that, happy he was paying attention.

"For the other four branches, it doesn't. Until you're a Sergeant Major or higher, your rank doesn't mean jack in another branch. A Solar sergeant has no authority in the Lunars, and a Heart Private doesn't take orders from a Lunar sergeant first class. Once you get to SGM, the ranks transfer between the four branches but local ranks override foreign. So, if a Solar and Heart SGM gives an order to a Solar Guard, he'll listen to his own superior before he follows the Heart Guard. As a Hunter, though, you don't take orders from other branches period, and can't give orders to other branches either, unless you're directly on loan to that branch. So even a captain from the Solar guard can't order you around unless you're on loan to Celestia." Beam explained quickly with a chuckle. "The Captains don't really care but it really gets on the nerves of sergeants and first classes, the newer officers who are in the middle of a power trip from their promotion."

"Now, onto benefits. You'll have the standard Palace package but it won't really do you any good. Don't get me wrong, you get medical, dental, and life insurance as long as you're employed by the palace no matter what your job actually is, but it won't do you any good with what you said you are. It all comes out of Celestia and Luna's personal pockets to boot. Something about nobles nearly rioting six hundred years ago over it or something, I don't really know the details, so they just pay it themselves and it doesn't cost you a bit in taxes. A little 'thank you' from our local pegacorns for keeping their home and capital city running. I know the Rangers get some good benefits too, but I don't know them off the top of my head or what pays for it."

"Moving on, you're provided housing here but are welcome to rent or buy wherever you want provided your in our sect's region, which is pretty much just Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and Ponyville. At the end of our hall, the last four doors are barracks, though I call them that loosely. They each lead to other halls and every member has their own room complete with a small kitchenette, bathroom, and bedroom. Food's your own problem though but we usually have 'family dinners' once or twice a week I hope you'll join. Anyway, the back two doors are for those who are permanently stationed here, and the closer two are for any Hunters visiting Canterlot and aren't quite as nice as ours- they get the good rooms back in their own sects. Oh, and the mare side is on the left and the stallions on the right. There aren't technically any rules about going into the opposite gender's area, but if you decide to get intimate with somepony then you're expected to either keep it quiet or take it to a hotel- nopony wants to listen to that."

"Now, I'm tired of talking so if you don't have any questions, Iron's prolly gonna give you a tour of the place." With a teasing smile, Beam finally climbed off of him and stretched. Her tail flicked him in the face playfully before she hurried out the door with a smirk toward him. "If you actually end up needing me, I'll be napping in my room."

Once Beam was out the door and it closed, Star gave a small chuckle. "You did good putting up with her, Jay. I could barely stand her when I first got taken on as an apprentice, but you didn't seem to care at all. Just don't go getting your hopes up if you want to actually try to bed her. Aqua wasn't kidding when she said she's pretty sure Beam's never been laid."

Iron rose to his hooves as well and gave Daedalus a respectful nod. "Officially, welcome to the Tartarian Hunters, Capital Sect. Now c'mon, I'll show you around. Once you get past the main door, we offer functionality, not lavishness."

The Evolved gave a parting wave to the other ponies in the room, not surprised to see that Aqua had literally been bored to sleep as Kin and Lightning returned his wave. Daedalus stepped out into the hall and followed Iron straight across into the room opposite the common room. He wasn't surprised to find that it was a large kitchen and dining room combo. With three ovens, each with four stove-top burners, and various other kitchen appliances, it was easily able to handle the entire sect plus any visitors. Off to the right side, there was another large and low table surrounded by cushions for them all to sit at and eat. "Here's the main kitchen. When we have those 'family' dinners Beam mentioned, this is where we all cook and eat something together. You aren't required to join us obviously, but it would be greatly appreciated. It's a good way to bond and get to know the ponies you're risking your life with."

"I'll be joining everyone, don't worry." Daedalus said with a smile with a soft chuckle. "I won't argue about having some more friends."

"Good, we may not be 'traditional' ponies what with being hunters, but we still love a good friend or twelve like anypony else. This kitchen isn't stocked so if a bunch of food suddenly shows up, don't touch it. It's either another Hunter coming to Canterlot for a time since the guest barracks don't have kitchens, or it's food in preparation of a group dinner. Other than that, it's, well, a kitchen and dining room. Not much to be said." They left the kitchen and headed toward the next room as Iron stopped just outside the door. "It completely slipped my mind earlier, but the main door is reinforced. It's made of lunar iron, a special alloy on Luna can make, and very heavily enchanted. On top of all the strengthening enchantments and counterspells weaved into it, it'll also disrupt the illusion magic of changelings, incinerate any undead, and halt any cursed that try to walk through it. Normally, that would mean you also couldn't enter here either if you get cursed out in the field, but you'll be receiving a special token from Luna that'll allow you to bypass the defenses so even if you're cursed you can enter. The token won't work for anypony else either, not even another Hunter. It'll work for you and you alone."

That said, he pushed open the door and they quickly entered. This room varied from the others in the sense that it clearly wasn't a quality of life room. It was large, easily a hundred feet wide and long with a variety of training equipment on the left side. Everything from targets to strange, ponified exercise equipment sat on the left side of the room. On the right side was a shimmering orange barrier identical to the one he had fought inside already, as long as the room and a third the width. "This is the exercise and training area. It's got targets, equipment, and even our own miniature arena. If you enter with two ponies, it works exactly like the one you used with Luna. However if you enter alone and say 'Discordian Arena, activate,' then it'll begin creating hard magic constructs to combat you. Based on your thoughts, it can create anything from demons to timberwolves to chimeras to other ponies, though it won't live up to the real thing. It's also the only one with this feature."

"Discordian Arena?"

"Discord wanted to make sure we all knew who made it." Iron chuckled.

The next room sparked Daedalus' interest far more than the previous as it seemed to be some odd combination of lab and metal workshop. In the far right corner, a dimly burning forge sat encased in a magical barrier that blocked the smell of the smoke and the heat of the fire. Chemistry equipment sat on the left side of the room, and what seemed to be stereotypical alchemy equipment sat on the close right, over complicated tubing included. "I think I'll be most interested in here."

Iron chuckled, nodding. "You seemed like the type. As a whole, we've got poisons covered but Beam only really dabbles in other types of potion making. Of course, what you choose to learn is whatever you choose, but we'd appreciate a potion maker if you find somepony who can teach you. Most of our armor is custom made by Luna and enchanted by Aqua, but you're also free to use the forge whenever if your built in weaponry won't cut it. I expect you to have at least one silver and one sunsteel blade for creatures not affected by mortal iron or steel, or whatever yours are made of. Until you learn how to make them, we'll be able to cover you pretty easily. Everypony keeps spares of pretty much everything."

They skipped over the second to last doors on each side and the last door on the left as Iron led him to the stallion's permanent barracks. This door led to another, even smaller hallway that had eight rooms, four on each side. Iron led him to the second one on the right. Like Beam had said, this was going to be his bedroom. When they entered the room, the door led immediately into a small kitchenette furnished with an oven, a toaster, a small table, and two cushions side by side. Past that, there was a short hallway with a door on either side. Right led to a small bathroom that was pretty standard to what he expected, if a little ponified in height and shape, while the left led into a simple bedroom. A bed just big enough for him dominated the center left of the room with a single dresser at the foot facing out. There was also just enough walking space for a large pony to loop around the bed and to a small closet. "It's not much, but hey, it's better than sharing a room with eleven other stallions plus it's free. Everypony's got the same size and space, so if you want or need something bigger you'll have to rent or buy elsewhere. Otherwise, it's yours. We don't care what you do with it, just keep it clean. Nopony wants to walk in and smell mold and sex or kick away a dozen cider bottles on the floor. Anything you want to ask?"

"Nope, none at all. Thank you, Iron, and I look forward to working with everyone. I suppose even Beam, too."

Iron smiled a little at his joke. "You'll get used to her. She grows on ya, and it helps the younger ones who come through here feel more confident when they have a pretty mare flirting with them all the time. I can never tell if she's ever serious, though. Anyway, you have fun and get settled in, we'll be around if you ever need to speak to one of us. Once Luna's free of most of her duties, she'll stop by and get you set up with a calling card and Hunter token and you'll be officially officially a part of us."

With a final nod, Iron turned and left the room. Daedalus sat down on the edge of his bed and found it could easily support his weight, diminished though it was. He was slowly recovering biomass from filtering the air of particulates, but without a proper 'meal' it would taken him about a week to go from human-level density and weight to his standard. Thinking of his genetic abilities reminded him of the DNA sample of Starfall he had taken and stored, but not yet examined. After a second, he turned his attention inward to examine the genetic sequence of the unicorn only to freeze in his track as something decidedly not right became apparent.

As a general rule, DNA didn't change. The genetics you were born with were the genetics you lived with and for the most part it was as simple as that. Unless you brought it advanced procedures like gene therapy or exceptional circumstances like radiation exposure, your DNA remained as it was from your birth. Maybe different genes triggered in different points of your life, but those inactive genes were already there since before your birth. Starfall's genetic code seemingly did not follow this rule.

Try as he might, he couldn't really see her DNA, though he couldn't precisely tell if it was changing either. He could detect that the DNA was there. He could detect that she had forty two pairs of chromosomes, ten more than a horse from Earth. He could detect that the actual structure of the DNA was the same as he expected. But it was as if the DNA was blurry somehow. With no defined edges, he couldn't exactly tell what did what or went where. Willing himself to consume it as he assumed he was experiencing something akin to genetic blindness due to magic, he was shocked to find that his virus didn't even recognized the material as organic. Just as he couldn't consume rock or metal, he couldn't consume this DNA sample either.

Magic, He thought with a derisive sigh. For whatever reason, he was blocked from even examining the unicorn's DNA and the most likely reason, as much as he hated it, was magic being the cause. Laying back on his bed, he thought of what he needed to take care of next.

Next on my list, Cadence. I need to talk to her about Starfall before she heads back to the Empire.