2-New Places, New Faces

Daedalus awoke sometime later. Unlike a mortal who have forgotten the event that just happened, his unnatural memory made sure he wouldn't forget it any time soon. The Evolved tried to move only to find himself unable to.

When he examined the outer layers of his flesh, he could see that the cells had been turned to stone. Normally, it would've been simple enough to drill through the stone, escape, and leave the stone skin behind. However, something was holding him there. He could feel it, yet none of his senses could detect it.

Magic. He thought with derision. After what he had seen and, yes, experienced, he knew it had to have been magic of all things. Nothing else could have explained the unicorns, the winged unicorns he fought, or the energy the unicorns used.

As he came to the conclusion, he could feel something in his mind. In fact, the feeling was almost identical to what he felt when Mercer entered his mind to order him around. There was just one difference. It held no sense of malice. Whenever Mercer used the Hive Mind connection, it allowed Daedalus to feel some of what the greater Evolved felt, almost always malice, anger, and a sick joy at the death and pain his actions caused.

This entity felt nothing of the sort. Daedalus could only make out a sense of age, contentment, power, and hope. He knew immediately that whatever it was, it was old and powerful. Far too powerful for even Mercer to defeat.

Without warning, a searing pain filled his mind and it took all of his effort to resist blacking out, something he seemed to be doing a lot recently. The pain lasted for several minutes, not even dropping in intensity when Daedalus deactivated his pain receptors. Being trapped in stone and held in place, he couldn't even scream. It had been years since he felt pain, all thanks to his viral nature.

Graciously, the pain ended and Daedalus felt different. Better, in fact. He felt like he did when he lived with his family before the Outbreaks. A spark of panic hit him, then faded as he confirmed he was still an Evolved. Before he could search any further for the change, he heard a voice, not inside his head, but seemingly from the stone itself.

"We are Order. We have taken the liberty to removed the 'Hive Mind' that plagued you. It had influenced you, turning you into something you weren't."

Daedalus still couldn't speak, and so tried to think his questions to the entity. What are you?

"Find Creation and you're purpose will be clear. Now, leave and fulfill Fate."

The magic holding him in place faded and Daedalus immediately dissolved into a mass of tendrils, drilled through the stone, and reformed outside, in his default form without armor. With a single hit, he shattered the stone shell and reabsorbed the flesh he left behind, retaining his usual density and weight.

"Oh, that was fun to see." A cheery voice called out from behind him.

The Evolved whipped around, arm already shifted into a lethal blade, only to pause at the sight that met him. Stark white hair, two toned eyes, and a old brown suit painted a familiar image to Daedalus. He pointed the blade at the creature with a human form and growled out, "Disarray."

The man laughed and used a finger to push the blade down, amazing Daedalus that he wasn't cut by it. After all, with an edge sharp enough to cut through a tank, any force put on it would result in cutting. "Put that away, I'm not your enemy, you know. Especially after I brought you here."

Daedalus raised his brow at that. "Why did you bring me here, wherever here is."

Disarray just smiled. "Me and a couple others decided that you were a decent, not perfect, candidate for a task we need done, two tasks, actually."

"What if I fail them?" The Evolved couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I rewind time and try again with someone else. You are contestant number three, you know." Came the reply.

Daedalus swore he felt an eye twitch, even though it shouldn't be possible. "Rewind time, right. What was with the whole 'stoned' thing?"

"We needed a way for that pest Mercer to stop influencing you. We realized that the way to do that was to remove the link. The whole 'stoned' thing was the only way for it to work. Also, you're taking this quite well."

Daedalus chuckled mirthlessly. "I was the slave of a god who wanted to take over the world with a mutant zombie apocalypse virus. Not too much can surprise me."

Disarray nodded. "Fair enough. Now, I'm about to implant some memories into your head as well as some DNA for you to consume for a disguise. I recommend altering the form a bit as the pony is still alive."

Disarray placed a hand atop Daedalus' head, which he had to prevent himself from consuming out of sheer curiosity. Nothing happened for a moment before the viral being felt memories not his own flow through his mind. They consisted of information on nearly every species of the world, clearly just the ones Disarray thought he needed to know. He was filled in on the existence of magic, the power of the Elements and their danger, the Princesses, other royalty such as Chrysalis, and even the prisoners of Tartarus.

Eventually, the hand was removed and Daedalus found himself being spoken too. "Now, I recommend exploring and trying to get stronger. Also, please refrain from killing those who clearly don't deserve it. I would hate to have to rewind time just to stop you from murdering some random pony."

"Oh, and a final thing. I'll teleport you to the edge of the forest. I strongly recommend making a disguise before entering the town. Less chance of being banished to the moon and all. Ta-ta."

With a snap of Disarray's fingers, Daedalus' surroundings changed drastically from a crumbling stone castle to the edge of a forest, a small town off in the distance. Even farther was a city hanging off the side of a mountain, something that he could only explain as magic.

Turning around, he went deeper into the woods to transform and practice altering DNA for the first time. That, and he needed to think on the meeting he just had. It went way to quickly for his liking and he had understood little of it.

Before long, the natural darkness of the forest was replaced by beams of sunlight piercing the canopy. A small clearing about ten meters in diameter, empty apart from a trunk on the opposite side, would serve him well, especially considering he intended to only use it once.

Crossing the clearing and sitting on the stump, Daedalus first searched for the DNA sample Disarray had supposedly given him. The Evolved had to search through all of the samples he had consumed, looking for one that was distinctly equine. It took him a surprising amount of time to locate it, but once he did, he immediately started studying the genes, specifically the ones involving coat color, mane color, and eye color. He wasn't too concerned with the body structure, so he didn't pay much attention to that.

After studying the genes, he felt he understood enough to make minor alterations. When he was done, the Evolved shifted into the form, having to alter his sitting position to better fit the quadruped he had become.

Looking down, he took in the sight of the silver-coated hooves. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of the dark blue tail, the same as his mane. He also put a streak of red and black through it, the prime colors of the virus. He took note of the lack or a horn or wings, which he considered good as he wouldn't know how to use them. He also remembered he had made his eyes an icy blue. He hummed in consideration as he decided whether or not he should delve deeper into the memories he was given.

Ultimately, he decided to go over each of the races in depth, particularly pony, to prevent any simple mistakes. Going through the archives of foreign memories was something hard to describe. They were his own, yet separate as well. He could recall memories at any time as easily as he could if he had been the one to live them out, yet he could easily tell who or what they came from.

Starting with the ponies, he went over all four races, immediately noticing the lack of a cutie mark, making Daedalus glad he did search the memories. Next, he went through the memories on gryphons, Diamond Dogs, dragons, and zebras. Then, he came across the topic of changelings as well as a little addition Disarray had put into the memory.

"The changelings are a rather secretive and covert race. They use their shapeshifting ability to replace ponies and feed off of their love. Every attempt at peace failed, simply due to the peace nearly starving changelings. However, you may be able to create a lasting alliance. After all, you are capable of generating endless amounts of love due to your nature. You may find an alliance worthwhile, or at least their powers."

Daedalus had to admit, Disarray knew him surprisingly well. The Evolved was interested in their powers as it reminded him of his own. He made a mental note to meet them, then checked the info on their queen.

"Queen Chrysalis is the current queen of the Sapphire Hive and has recently attempted to invade Canterlot. Contrary to popular pony belief, she did so for the sole purpose of giving her subjects a home and to prevent them from starving. When she failed, they returned to their Hive in the desert Badlands. She cares for her subjects just as, if not more than, Celestia cares for hers."

Daedalus exited the memory and turned his attention to his flank, the bare fur an obvious discrepancy among ponies. As he looked, he saw color fade into the fur as he manipulated the genes once more. When it was done, a multi-colored DNA double-helix was set in front of an orange biohazard sign. Then, he chose a name based on his abilities, tradition among ponies.

"Gene Splice will work well enough." Daedalus said to himself.

Everything done, he stood up off the stump and took a step forward. He was not expecting his face to meet the ground. Apparently, knowing the way equines walk is not the same as doing it himself. Daedalus sighed and began to practice simply walking.

At first, it was a struggle. Bipeds, with only two legs, have a very simple gait. However, add another two legs into the equation and it changes. Instead of a basic alternating walk, it becomes an opposite alternating walk. For a being who had spent his entire life using a left-right pattern, it was a noticeable struggle to switch to front left - back right pattern.

Eventually, he got better and steadier until he was confident at walking, jogging, and running. More specifically, natural movement. Daedalus knew the moment he tried to run at his full speed, he would likely trip and tumble. While not a concern to him, he was worried about who he would crush if it happened. After all, he did weight several tons.

That thought made him pause. I weigh a ton and am about to enter a town made mostly out of wood. I need to reduce my weight if I intend to not break the floors of every building. Now, how to actually go about it?

Daedalus thought for a moment before shrugging. I'll have to remember this place, then.

Dissolving into a formless mass of black tendrils, he sunk underground and dug out a small chamber. Then, the mass split and one part returned to the surface. The mass reformed into the body of Gene Splice and he walked toward the tree line.

I just left a little over three thousand pounds as a mass of sheer dense flesh. While it has the desired effect of reducing my weight, I'm also far more vulnerable. My outer layer is no longer tougher than steel, but normal flesh.
The human turned pony exited the forest, still deep in thought, and continued to the town in the distance. I'll need to add a set of veins and arteries then fill them with blood. Otherwise, I'll get a cut or something and not notice. Someone, er, somepony, else will realize that I'm not bleeding.

Gah, I'll need to make a heart as well then. They might notice a lack of blood pressure. Who knew how much trouble removing density would cause.

The Evolved made the necessary changed and took note that the blood flow and beating heart could be heard by him. He also was aware he didn't need to mimic body heat as the natural restlessness of the virus made his temperature even greater than a normal living being.

Daedalus snapped out of his thoughts as he entered the town, passing the first house. Remember. They are ponies, not people. It applies to all pronouns, too.

He took note of the thatched roof and wood walls theme most of the town had, idly commenting that if he ever needed this town gone, a little fire would work wonders. The inhabitants, all multi-colored ponies of the three main races, walked around, chatting and going about their business. He got some cursory glances for being a new face, but most went back to their business.

Most. One approached him. She was a purple unicorn with saddlebags. Her similarly-colored mane had a streak through it like his and her curious magenta look just screamed innocence. After all, no sane female would approach a random male stranger unless they lived in a place far removed from such acts.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I run the library. Do you happen to be new in town?" She asked, extending a leg out.

He placed his own hoof against hers and they briefly shook. "Gene Splice, and yes, I am. I arrived quite literally a couple minutes ago. I've never been here before, truthfully."

Her head tilted to the side. "Oh? Where are you from?"

Daedalus smiled at her. "I didn't really live in a town or village. I enjoyed my privacy to the point I moved out and lived on my own in a forest." The lie came easily enough. Four years under the employment of Mercer gave him a mastery over rather unsavory skills.

"What brought you here then, Mr. Splice?" She asked, causing him to chuckle.

"You don't have to use formalities with me. As for why I'm here, well, I grew to miss contact with other ponies so I decided to move again. I heard this town was rather accepting and decided to check it out."

"If I can drop formalities, then you can too, Gene. I'll also be the first to officially welcome you to Ponyville!" She finished with an enthusiastic smile, making the Evolved smile as well.

"Thank you. It seems like a quiet town, which I'd prefer. Do you know where an inn or hotel is, if Ponyville has one?"

"Yep! Just follow this road to the third right, take it, and it'll be on the left. Its called 'The Green Dragon.' You'll recognize it."

"Thank you, Twilight. I'll see you around then." Daedalus replied.

She hummed for a second, then spoke up. "Actually, I need to go that way. Do you mind if I come with you?"

Daedalus shook his head. "Not at all. What do you need to do?"

"The market is that way and I need to pick up some carrots." She said.

They started walking in the direction she indicated earlier before Twilight started talking again, obviously trying to learn more about the town's newest inhabitant. "I couldn't help but notice your cutie mark. I've never seen either symbol before. What do they mean?"

Daedalus took note that either the world knew nothing of DNA and biohazards or, more likely, simply used different symbols. "Well, the colored symbol is know as a DNA strand, which represents life. The orange symbol, a biohazard sign, means hazardous. All together, it shows my fascination of the more dangerous aspects of life."

True enough, except his main interest was consuming them for their powers. "On that note, what does yours mean?"

"It shows my talent in magic. I've always found learning new spells easier than others and loved expanding my repertoire of knowledge." The unicorn spoke with a trace of obvious happiness, proving her words to him.

Before Daedalus could ask more about magic, they were interrupted by a pony running past and bumping into Twilight, her saddlebag being jostled and several coins falling out and tinkling on the ground. While Twilight looked at the retreating form, Daedalus had picked up the coins and examined them front and back, quickly memorizing their design. The weight confirmed they were pure gold, as well.

Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder and took her attention away from the now gone stallion. She looked back to see Gene holding the bits that had fallen out. She grabbed them in her magic and placed them in her bags. "Thank you, Gene."

"No problem. I wonder what that was about." He pondered.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I didn't even get a good look at him. Oh! There's the inn."

Daedalus brought his attention back forward and agreed with Twilight's presumption that he would recognize it. It had a large dragon, aptly green, figure on the front, right above the name.

The Green Dragon Tavern.

-No dragon's allowed.

Daedalus chuckled, then explained himself at Twilight's look. "Its called The Green Dragon, yet dragons aren't allowed. Its just a little ironic."

She nodded, conceding the point. "I think it was almost burned down by a dragon years before I moved here."

The Evolved shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I'm going to rent a room, then look for a job."

Twilight nodded. "If you can't find one, I can introduce you to my friends. One of them might be hiring."

Gene entered the building and Twilight continued on to the market. As she did, she paused for a moment. Now, how is he going to pay? I didn't see any saddlebags on him. Did I? Maybe I shouldn't stay up so late studying.