7- Meeting the Princesses

Princess Celestia watched as her sister, Princess Luna, the Night Maiden, flopped onto her large bed and let out an exhausted sigh, a habit she had quickly formed after her return from banishment. The solar diarch paused in brushing her ethereal mane to smile into her mirror.

"Was Night Court too much for you, sister dear?"

One wing flicked the air, giving the white alicorn her answer, to which she chuckled. "You might not get much sleep today."

Luna's head lifted itself out of the mountain of white pillows, a pair of teal eyes torn between annoyance at being denied sleep and curiosity. "And why is that?"

"Because today is the day that either Gene Splice or Daedalus come to meet us."

The dark blue mare leaped out of bed, using her wings to steady herself. She grumbled to herself before shouting. "Guard!"

The marble door emblazoned with the solar insignia cracked open, a Royal Guard peeking in. "Yes, your highness?"

"Bring me a pot of coffee. Make it black."

"Right away, your majesty."

The door shut and both sisters could hear the guard trotting down the hall, his armored shoes clacking on the marble floor. Luna's tired eyes were drawn to her sister's damaged horn for the hundredth time. "He better apologize."

Celestia sighed as she put her brush down, the slightly painful magic aura fading. She walked over to her sister and rubbed their cheeks together, smiling as she felt Luna return the nuzzle. "Luna, the Elements of Harmony released him. I'm sure that the being coming to meet us is not the same as the one we fought, and indeed severed the tip of my horn."

She felt the night mare shift beside her. "About that, sister. You say that the Elements released him after being trapped for less than a day."

"Yes. What are you getting at?"

Luna looked at her, worry and slight fear showing in her eyes. "What if he broke out?"

Celestia's eyes widened as she sputtered, attempting to form a coherent response. Finally, she managed to do so. "Impossible! Discord himself took a thousand years to break out!"

Luna's reply came swiftly and sadly. "But his powers are exactly opposite of the Elements, making him weak to it. If Daedalus is not of chaos, he may be resistant to them, and could have broken out."

The alabaster mare was silent for several minutes, during which the guard returned with a pot of black coffee, which Luna proceeded to guzzle straight from the pot. Eventually, Celestia spoke. "We will both be meeting him in the center of our guard force. If he is indeed our enemy and has broken free from the Elements, we will do our best to defeat him."

She turned to face Luna fully before giving her a light kiss. "No more of this talk of chaos and combat. We may simply end up spending a day with a friendly being as well as gaining some answers to our questions."

Luna forced back her concern as she smiled at her sister. "You're right. I might be worrying over nothing."

Celestia nodded with a small smile. "And if you do have reason to worry, we'll be prepared because you brought it up."

Luna hummed in satisfaction as Celestia began to preen her dark wings. Celestia's mouth ran over each individual feather as she worked to straighten the bent ones and pluck out the damaged ones.

"Just a few more hours before he arrives."

"I'm so excited I could just scream! Ahhhhh!" Pinkie shouted as she bounced circles around Daedalus, thoroughly annoying several ponies who were not morning ponies.

Daedalus just chuckled. He had arrived at the station half an hour ago, quickly collecting his biomass and returning to full density. Of course, he weighed several thousand pounds now. Fortunately, it seems that pony architecture is either naturally hardy or is enchanted as not even the train platform has collapsed so far.

Pinkie arrived without luggage ten minutes prior, talking loudly and quickly, which the other ponies waiting did not appreciate. The ones who were native to Ponyville didn't mind, but travelers did. "Pinkie, try to tone it down. Its early morning and some ponies are still tired."

Pinkie stopped bouncing and walked to his side, sitting down as he was. "Sorry, Gene. I just like going to Canterlot, especially since we get to see the Princesses!"

Daedalus frowned a little at that. "Right, about that. When we get on the train, I've got something to tell you."

She looked at him curiously, her head tilting to the side. "Is it bad?"

Daedalus shook his head. "Not really. Its just some information you need to know."

Pinkie seemed to take Daedalus' advice and calmed down, patiently waiting for the train. The virus was more than a little surprised that she actually could be calm, although he was impressed.

Soon enough, Daedalus' advanced hearing picked up the sound of the train approaching, quickly growing louder as it neared. A couple minutes later, the train pulled into the station and the doors opened.

Immediately, the train station was filled with ponies disembarking in order to either change trains or to stay in Ponyville. When the crowds thinned, Pinkie and Daedalus boarded the train. Apparently, few ponies were taking the early morning train to Canterlot because they got a car to themselves, a fact that played in Daedalus' favor. He wouldn't need to worry about being overheard. The train's movement would make sure their conversation isn't carried to another train car.

The train itself was, as Daedalus noticed from the outside, incredibly colorful to the point of being almost disgusting. The amount of sheer childish designs made him want to cringe. Interior wise, the train was as he expected. Plush seats, obviously not leather, gave passengers a comfortable place to sit or sleep. All in all, the train was rather as he expected.

Soon after they took their seats, the train began to move with the expected noise and Daedalus turned to face Pinkie Pie, who was sitting across from him and staring out the window, humming to herself.

"Pinkie." The virus called to catch her attention. When she turned to face him with a smile, he continued. "When we meet with the Princesses, you'll see me reveal my true form."

"True form?" She asked with abundant confusion.

Doesn't she know? Oh, right. She only knows I'm viral in nature, not what I can do. "I can shapeshift. This form isn't my real one, just one I use to blend in among Equestria."

Her head titled to the side as she scooted away slightly. "You're a changeling?"

Daedalus calmly shook his head. "Nope. I don't feed on emotion and don't replace ponies. Instead, I don't eat at all and I make my own forms."

He waited for it to sink in, shown by her relaxing a little bit. She may have been friendly to everypony but even she had her fears. The Canterlot Wedding was not a good first impression on the changeling's part.

"I'm telling you this so when I change forms, you won't be scared. My base form walks on two legs and is taller. Maybe as tall as the Princesses, or even more so."

He looked Pinkie in her blue eyes. "What I am about to say is of the utmost importance. When the Princesses see me in my base form, they may attack me. If they do, turn around and run. As fast and as far as you can. I don't want you getting hurt by accident."

She smiled at him, although he could see the undertones of fear and worry in it. "It won't really come to that, will it?"

He sighed heavily, something he tended to do often. "I believe it won't, but it may. If it does, you need to be prepared. Okay?"

Reluctantly, she nodded her consent. When she did, he smiled at her, happy she would at least be safe. Daedalus knew that if he and the diarchs fought, he might not win. The thought didn't scare him. He wasn't concerned. The virus didn't seek death, quite the contrary, but he did believe he deserved it.

"Daedalus?" Pinkie asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah?"

"Are you a good pony?" Came the unexpected question.

"That's, a loaded question, Pinkie. Its hard to answer. I've done things so evil it would drive a pony insane. Yet. I didn't want to. I was forced to. I could have resisted, of course, but I would have died. I chose to be evil over dead. I regret my choice. Does that answer your question?"

Pinkie nodded hesitatingly, a troubled frown on her face. She was silent for the rest of the train ride.

The train pulled into Canterlot Station, the abundant presence of white marble unsurprising to the virus. Architectural columns supported a roof high above their heads, likely to allow other species to visit. The walls were nearly non-existent, allowing many ways into the station. All the white created an almost blinding light as it reflected the sun.

Daedalus and Pinkie exited the station, heading toward the castle. The virus knew he couldn't get lost as the castle could be seen from nearly anywhere in the city. His eyes traced the various ponies, taking note of their clothing, some classy, others bordering pompous. They received few glances, likely from the fact that neither he nor Pinkie were from Canterlot.

As they walked in silence, he contemplated whether he would alter his base form or not. While it would serve no real purpose, and he hadn't really changed it from how he was before his infection, it would hint at his nature. And, if he was honest with himself, it would look cool via unnaturalness, certainly memorable.

Hmm, nothing too drastic like blades or wings or such. Something unnatural, even to a species who have never seen a human. Bioluminescence may work. Something to represent the virus as well. Yes, that'll work.

Having decided the changes he would make, he came back to reality in time to notice they were approaching the front gate of the castle. As the two ponies walked, he looked at Pinkie. "Remember. If a fight breaks out, run."

"You won't hurt them, will you?" She asked, worried.

She may be having second thoughts about trusting me. Oh well. "If they attack me, I don't plan to fight back with intent to hurt them. I plan to escape, nothing more."

She nodded, clearly relieved, and they arrived at the main gate to be halted by two royal guards, their golden armor amusing Daedalus. "State your name and business."

Addressing the one who spoke to him, he answered clearly. "My name is Gene Splice and the mare's name is Pinkie Pie. The Princesses are expecting us."

The guard who hadn't spoken, a unicorn, levitated a list and read over it. He looked to his partner and nodded. The first guard looked back at them and spoke. "Follow me. I'll lead you to a private study."

They began walking before Daedalus asked question. "What was the list for?"

The guard answered the question with a short, simple answer. "All the ponies who have a direct appointment with the Princesses, with the exception of Court."

He nodded and the three continued. As they walked, he took notice of the decor and architecture of the castle. White marble was as popular here as it is in the rest of the city. Windows lined the exterior walls, allowing natural light to filter in. Daedalus theorized that at night, the halls were dark, albeit not a problem for him when the time came.

Before long, they came to a door that was made of a thick wood, emblazoned with a sun and moon, denoting it as a room both Princesses used. The guard opened the door and spoke. "Please wait inside until the Princesses arrive."

They entered the room as the door closed behind them. The virus' hearing perceived the metal clanking of the guard's shoes on the marble floor as he walked away. Turning his attention to the room, he examined it.

The first thing he noticed was a rather large fireplace set against the wall, encased in brick to prevent a fire from spreading. Plush red couches and chairs were spread out across the room, wider than usual to not only accommodate a pony, but also an alicorn. Bookshelves lined two walls, filled with various books of differing sizes. From a glance, he saw they were in several languages as well.

What walls were visible seemed to be made of a dark wood, while the floor was carpeted with a simple blue. To Daedalus, this seemed an odd scheme, but he didn't truly care. Two desks were set between bookshelves where paper and quills were located. Finally, small orbs of light lit the room evenly, rather than the flickering light caused by the fire.

Daedalus took a seat on one of the couches, soon joined by Pinkie. He glanced at her to see her nervously twitching. "Pinkie, relax. Nothing will happen to you. The Princesses will never hurt you."

She looked at him with her blue eyes showing a powerful sadness. "But what if they hurt you?"

He shrugged. "Its good to see somepony cares for me, but they can't. Because of what I am, I can't be killed. I will always recover. What it takes to kill me is nearly impossible."

She nodded and the silence reigned. Daedalus frowned a little for as long as he had know her, she had never been this silent. Granted, this was likely out of her depth and she might have been a little concerned. Forcing the concerns away for the moment, he began preparing for the inevitable questions.

A few minutes after they arrived, the door opened again and the two Princesses walked in. Despite having memories from Disarray that showed what they looked like, he felt the need to examine them a make a personal memory of them.

The lead mare was tall, for a pony, that is. He estimated she would come up to eye level with him, taller than he originally thought. Her damaged horn, of course, would pass him. She was colored primarily alabaster, with a multi-toned pastel mane waving gently, likely by magic. Her mark was of a classic sun emblem, matching what he had seen from around the castle. Her eyes were a soft magenta and were looking at him in curiosity. Finally, her regalia was made of gold, likely solid and heavy, adorned with markings and gems. His eyes were drawn back to her horn and he felt she could sense his regret and guilt.

The younger sister was a dark blue with a black splotch on her flank representing the night. A moon was within the blackness, showing her affinity. Her mane was phantasmal and sparkling with stars, also flowing. She was shorter than her sister, yet not by much. Her teal eyes stared at him with a clear suspicion. Her regalia were made of a dark
metal, possibly meteoric iron.

They sat down in a couch across from he and Pinkie. Daedalus said nothing as they examined him, their eyes eventually drawn to the Element of Laughter. Soon enough, Princess Celestia spoke. "Why have you come as well, Pinkie?"

Before she could answer, Daedalus spoke. "She was the only one to discover me."

Quickly, he dissolved into a mass of tendrils and reformed in his altered base form. He wore his usual clothing of blue jeans and a black shirt, which was covered by a white hoodie. His dark brown hair ended just above his eyes, one of which drew everyone's attention.

Daedalus had altered his right eye to glow a soft orange via his thermal sight. Black veins extended from his pupil all across the eye, hinting at the virus. He took in their surprised looks. Whether it was toward his eye, his form, his powers, or even all three, he couldn't tell. He stayed silent for a moment as he adjusted to the dual vision.

From his left eye, he saw a white alicorn, a blue alicorn, and a pink earth pony seated on red couches. From his right eye, he saw three reddish-orange blotches seated on two purple blotches. Soon enough, he adjusted and stood.

He approached Princess Celestia as he spoke. "My name is Daedalus. Some time ago, I was encased in stone after a short battle. My mind was freed from another's control and I was released. Unfortunately, during the battle, I injured you, however slightly."

He stopped in front of the seated solar mare and looked down into her eyes. "If you will let me, I would like to heal you."

She hesitated for a moments, then nodded. His hand came up and wrapped around her horn, covering the cut tip. From their view, nothing happened for several moments. For him, the opposite was true.

In his viral sight, he sent microscopic tendrils throughout her horn, quickly disconnecting the nerves to prevent pain. Then, he took DNA samples and examined them, but didn't consume them. He isolated the genes that determined the make-up of her horn and began recreating the cells. She felt nothing, but he sensed her horn healing at an incredible speed. Then, he removed all traces of the Blacklight virus from the newly created cells. Finishing by reattaching the nerves, he stepped back after removing his hand.

Two separate gasps sounded out from Princess Luna and Pinkie at the healed horn. With a look of surprised awe, Princess Celestia began to levitate several papers on the desk. She looked at him before speaking. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you, Daedalus."

The gratitude in her voice was sincere, yet he shook his head. "I do not deserve it in this case as I am the one who put you in that position."

Daedalus turned and went back to his seat. "Now, I have no doubt that you have many questions. Let's get started, why don't we?"

Princess Luna was the first one to speak. "Why did you attack us on that night a week ago?"

The virus was quite aware of the rather accusatory voice she had. It became clear to him that she did not like him for what he did. Daedalus wasn't surprised, nor bothered. "That's a rather lengthy story, one you already saw the beginning of."

Her brow arched as she looked at him, prompting him to continue. He looked at Princess Celestia and Pinkie as he spoke. "I will start from the beginning for you two. Princess Luna came across my dream a week ago. Except, it was actually a memory. She saw a large number of beings like me kneeling and screaming in pain. In the middle of us all was one more who was laughing. Then, the group stood. We, for I was one of them, charged others that looked like my species, yet weren't, and began to kill them. I wielded the same blade I wielded against you."

Princess Celestia was the one who spoke in concern as Pinkie scooted away from him a little, something that slightly bothered him. "Why would you do this?"

Daedalus looked down in memory as he sighed. "The one laughing was Alex Mercer. We were his slaves. That was the day he broke our minds and forced us to obey him. I was still under his control when we first met. His orders, the death of all living beings, were still affecting me."

Princess Luna's accusatory stare and Princess Celestia's concerned stare faded into understanding as he spoke. "You were a slave, not only in name, but in mind as well."

He nodded to the alabaster mare. "Yes. Now, before you ask anything else, I would like to tell you a story."

Princess Luna scoffed. "Now is not the time for a foal's story."

He smiled at her. "It is the story of Alex Mercer's past, and of the history of Blacklight."

That perked all three's interest, but it was Pinkie who spoke. "What is Blacklight?"

Daedalus laughed. "Me. Mercer. Greene. Heller. We are all Blacklight. It started as something else, but became a species. Its a long story. However, I may skip some points to not waste time. Wait until the end to ask questions."

Daedalus closed his eyes as he collected his memories. Then, he opened them and began to speak. "It started with Gentek, a company specializing in engineering cures for various diseases. At least, publicly. Secretly, they liked to create biological weapons. It isn't clear if they intended to create Blacklight or if it was a cure gone wrong, or if they discovered it. Blacklight was a virus, one far more advanced than anything the world had ever seen. Gentek had no clue what it would do, so they tested it."

The Princesses eyes widened and Daedalus felt they understood. "They formed a group know as Blackwatch, a private military organization designed to keep Blacklight in check and quarantine it. Then, Gentek released the virus in a town named Hope. The town died. Worse than that, they came back as mutated monsters. Soon after, Blackwatch was deployed. They neutralized the town and captured Patient Zero, the first one infected."

"Unlike the others, Elizabeth Greene didn't die. She became a sort of incubator and controller to the virus. She gained powers. She could control the monsters or create more. She could even create new strains of the virus. She was taken to Gentek labs in Manhattan where she was experimented on for nearly twenty years."

"Over time, new strains of virus had been created. Blacklight was stronger, and Redlight came into existence. Eventually, a man named Alex Mercer came across a vial of Blacklight in the labs. As for how? Its isn't well know. One story says he was a suspicious journalist reporting on a government lab. Another said he was a doctor who worked on the virus and wanted to expose Gentek for their crimes. In one, he's an idiot. The other, a saint. No one was stupid enough to ask him."

"Its accepted that he stole a vial and fled with it. He was cornered by Blackwatch soldiers and killed. As he died, the virus capsule shattered and infected his corpse."

"He couldn't have died if he enslaved you later! Or have you been lying?" Princess Luna asked suddenly.

Daedalus eyed her before answering. "If I can continue, the answer will be clear soon enough."

She grumbled a little, then relented. Smiling, he continued. "Gentek took his body to study. After all, he had been exposed to the newest strain. They wanted to know what it did to him. The next day, two scientists were cutting him open to study his body. They were quite shocked when he gasped and sat up. His wounds healed instantly, and the scientists freaked out and ran. He left, too, and escaped the facility."

"Some time later, Gentek released the new Redlight in Penn Station, an underground subway station. They blamed it on Mercer as thousands died. Now, personally, I think that's a lie. Mercer told us that himself and I think he really did do it, but I'm not sure. I wasn't in the city then. Even then, they discovered that Redlight made the infected monsters specifically while Blacklight made things like Mercer."

"Fast forward a few weeks and the NYZ had gone to hell. Redlight hordes wandered the streets, killing anyone and anything. Blackwatch soldiers executed infected and civilians alike. Gentek kidnapped and experimented on civilians or fed them to captive monsters. Mercer killed everything, including civilians. Bad time to be a civilian. Eventually, Mercer tracked down and freed Elizabeth Greene. She started buffing the virus more, but tried to kill Mercer. That pissed him off and he hunted her down and killed her."

He looked around at the three listening intently. "Now, I need to explain how Redlight and Blacklight works. Redlight is simple. It gets to the body, reproduces, and mutates the host's DNA. All the monsters had once been human, the species I look like. The monsters have no intelligence and simply killed everything but other Redlight."

"Blacklight, however, is infinitely more complex. It enters the body in great numbers and swarms the brain. There, the virus consumes it to become self-aware." The ponies gasped and he smiled.

"Then, it converts the entire body into Blacklight cells. This allows it to rearrange itself to better defend or offend. You saw this with my blade arm. We can also shapeshift to hide in plain sight. We can take DNA samples from others to gain their powers or their body. Finally, if we consume the brain, we gain their memories."

Princess Celestia stood up and flared her wings out. She approached him threateningly while glaring, her repaired horn sparking with magic. She stopped directly in front of Daedalus, anger radiating off of her. "What have you done to Gene Splice."

Daedalus smiled and flicked her nose, causing her to blink and step back. "Be at peace. If you check your census records, there has never been a pony named Gene Splice or with my looks. We can alter existing DNA to make our own disguises. If I consume yours via a hair sample or such, I could make a bright yellow male alicorn form with it."

She blinked repeatedly before backing off. "My apologies. I had feared you had killed and ate a pony."

He waved her off. "Its fine. I understand. For the record, consuming isn't truly eating. Its more along the lines of absorbing."

"Anyway, with Greene's death, Mercer gained her powers. Blackwatch didn't like this and tried to nuke the city. A nuke is a bomb capable of leveling a city. Anyway, he intercepted it over the ocean and detonated it. The world assumed he died. The world was wrong."

"He survived and recovered. He began to buff the monsters even more to bring ruin. In response, the world separated the NYZ into three sections, separated by ocean. The Green Zone had little infection. The civilians lived there. The Yellow Zone had some infection and was a military zone. The Red Zone was hell, Mercer's playground. It was entirely infected. No civilians, little soldiers. No one entered and lived."

"By this point, Mercer was recruiting others to serve him. He picked out psychos that loved killing. Eventually, he infected the wrong person. James Heller. James hated Mercer and tried to kill him. James tore through the Red and Yellow Zones, stopping Mercer's operations. Soon, they met in combat atop a skyscraper. Blackwatch was watching, the world was watching, the infected was watching. By this point, I was infected. I served Mercer out of fear of what he could do. I hoped James would win and save us all. The battle began."

Princess Luna leaped up, clearly engrossed in the story. "Mercer died, the virus was cured, and everything turned out okay!"

Daedalus was amused. "You should already know it didn't. Mercer hadn't broken our minds yet."

She blushed slightly, her dark coat turning a darker purple. He laughed lightly. Good to see she's warming up to me.

"Mercer's loyal psychopaths joined in making it a twenty against one battle. James died and was consumed by Mercer. The Blackwatch spectators were torn apart. The world went to shit."

"The Yellow and Green Zones were overrun quickly. Blackwatch and the army pulled out to fortify other cities. Then, the virus began spreading. Before he sent us Blacklight Evolved out, he changed us. James' betrayal taught him a lesson and he infected us all with a Hive Mind system. At any point, he could take control of our minds and force us to obey."

He nodded to Princess Luna. "The dream you saw."

"We spread out, city after city falling under us. Blackwatch was getting better. They began to counter our numbers advantage so Mercer switched gears. He made the Redlight more diverse, more terrifying, and more powerful. I myself led a horde of Warpers, Maniacs, Berserkers, and a Reinforcer."

"I was subduing a Pennsylvania city when someone named Disarray blindsided me and warped me into this world. I was encased in stone before the Hive Mind was destroyed. Then, I was released. I made a disguise and went to Ponyville. I rented a room in the inn and got a job as a blacksmith. Now you know my story."

They nodded and remained silent. Then, Princess Celestia lit her horn and cast a spell on him, soon repeated by her sister. Then, they smiled at him. The white mare spoke first. "You do not lie. We examined your memories of Mercer and Blacklight to verify what you said. My sister and I would like you to stay in Canterlot for a couple days for us to get to know you better."

Daedalus frowned slightly. "As much as I would like to, I told my employer I would be gone one day."

Pinkie finally spoke up. "I can tell her for you. I came to hear you story and I did. I can't stay because the Cakes need me."

Daedalus looked to her as Princess Luna spoke up. "If you wish to return to Ponyville, I can teleport you, Laughter."

Pinkie stood up and approached him before rearing up to give him a hug. She whispered in his ear as she did. "You aren't a bad pony. You were just forced to do things you didn't want to do. You regret what you did. You're a good pony."

Daedalus smiled and ran a hand across her mane before she backed off and nodded to the lunar diarch. With a flash, she disappeared.

Princess Luna stood up as well as Princess Celestia, who spoke. "Come, let's have lunch while we talk."

Daedalus nodded and stood, quickly shifting into Gene Splice. He was immediately frowned at by two alicorns. Princess Luna was the one who spoke. "Nay, as your true self. The guards and staff will not spread the word."

He nodded and shifted into his base form and followed them out. Princess Luna, curious, asked him a question. "Why does your eye glow?"

Daedalus laughed. "One of my many powers. In this, its thermal sight, the ability to see heat."

Author's Notes:

From this point onwards, I've decided to increase the average chapter length from ~3k to ~5-6k words.