Albert Wesker and the Game of Kings
Author’s Note: Hello there you lovely people. Just a quick note to fanfiction users that this story is present on fimfiction too; the reverse also applies to fimfiction users. Many thanks for all your reviews and favourites etc. Enjoy.
Having to do a chore which wouldn’t have existed without Rainbow Dash’s intervention did nothing to endear the cyan pegasus to Wesker but his relatively high spirits allowed him to clean the multi-faceted apples which now dotted the orchard within Sweet Apple Acres without any specific death wishes directed at the athletic mare materialising in his mind. He considered that to be generous on his part and heartily ignored the involvement of Pinkie Pie in the scheme; the hyperactive earth pony unnerved Wesker more than any other citizen of Ponyville for a reason which he could not quite pinpoint and he had no desire to harbour negative thoughts surrounding her... primarily because he wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t capable of reading his mind. It genuinely would not surprise him.
Nothing surprises you anymore, right Al?
True enough, if this whole experience had taught him anything, it was that the ‘impossible’ was anything but... not always pleasantly so either. Applejack had disappeared to attend to the colossal amount of work which accompanied working on a farm, Big Macintosh was still delivering apples somewhere within Ponyville town centre and Applebloom was mercifully absent; this allowed Wesker to complete his task quickly and efficiently. So far as anypony could operate a hosepipe with hooves, he definitely missed the capabilities that opposable thumbs offered him. Eventually he finished and was able to step back and examine his impeccable handiwork, an opportunity he only accepted for a fleeting moment before withdrawing into the farmhouse to recuperate. Ordinarily, the genius would have delved into his fairly sizable collection of reading material but his uncharacteristic absent-mindedness had robbed him of the opportunity. Instead he trudged slowly back towards the Apple family’s home and considered his next move once more. Unfortunately for him, the chance to plot and scheme was removed instantaneously by the presence of another pony within the farmhouse, making herself known as soon as he breached the threshold of the door.
“Mr Wesker! Did y’all have a nice chat with Applejack? Have you finished all your work? Has she finished all of hers? Do you want to play a game?”
The blond sighed before turning to face his ambusher, “Yes, yes, I don’t know and almost certainly not.” At the whimper of disappointment she made, he relented very slightly, “It would depend on the game.”
“Chess?”
Wesker’s eyes widened in surprise; that actually sounded agreeable. It had been far too long since he had indulged himself in the tactical nuances of his favourite game and before he could even consider what he was saying, he impulsively accepted, “Of course, Miss Applebloom, it would be a pleasure.”
She beamed, indicated to the surface they would be using and ran off to claim the board, leaving the former Umbrella operative to settle himself down in a chair and consider his opening move. Had he been against another logical adult, such as Miss Sparkle or even Birkin on the pleasantly frequent occasions that his old friend deigned to be beaten by him, he would almost certainly prefer to be black, in order to utilise the Queen’s gambit and force his opponent to take the initiative. As it was, he didn’t actually mind which colour he was forced to pick, he expected a win.
Sheesh, Al, you’re playing a child. Take it easy, for once.
Unlikely... he played to claim victory and prove his intellectual superiority, not for ‘fun’. Applebloom clattered down the stairs at that point, triumphantly waving a chess set before laying the various parts of the set upon the table. “Do y’all mind if I’m the black pieces?”
Wesker arched an eyebrow; he had expected a child to assume that the side which went first was the superior entity. Nonetheless, he nodded once and examined his pieces carefully as they were placed in front of him. “Do you often play chess, Miss Applebloom? Forgive my bluntness but I didn’t imagine that it would be a game that you could enjoy.”
She nodded enthusiastically, “Are y’all kidding, Mr Wesker? I love playin’ me some chess, it’s just a shame that no-one ever wants to play it with me. Applejack doesn’t understand it and Big Macintosh always says he’s too busy, I just think he doesn’t understand it either but won’t admit it.” He inclined his head gently to acknowledge her statement before focusing intently upon his veritable army of variously shaped, shiny plastic soldiers. After a brief period of consideration he decided to start with the Réti Opening, ensuring that the board would be permeated with closed positions, making it difficult for an amateur to exploit
As expected, Wesker utterly dominated the match. He wasn’t one to provide mercy, even in something as trivial as a game of chess; his goal was to win and he would pursue that goal until it was fulfilled, simple as that. As soon as the blond played his final move, guaranteeing a checkmate and a comprehensive victory, he smiled lightly at the filly, “A good game, Miss Applebloom, would you like to play another?”
A dazed look remained upon the face of the magenta-haired filly, one which had appeared fairly early on in the match and had lingered for the entirety of the contest. “Wow. Y’all must be the greatest chess player in Equestria; I’ve never seen anything like that.” Applebloom’s decision as to whether or not she wished to replay the match was not heard as her two siblings entered before she could voice it. “Applejack, Big Macintosh!” She darted out of her seat and ran up to her brother and sister, greeting each with customary eagerness as they entered the farmhouse. Wesker offered only a lazy smirk to the pair of them as they digested the scene laid before their eyes.
Unsurprisingly it was Applejack who spoke first, “Well, I’m guessin’ y’all just lost at chess to my sister, she loves that game.”
Wesker let out a faintly mocking laugh to accompany his growing smirk, “I am afraid you have misjudged the situation, Miss Applejack. I was the victor, though Miss Applebloom certainly has talent for her young age.”
Applejack chuckled lightly as a blush spread across her younger sister’s face at the stallion’s praise, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised y’all won, Al, you seem the type to get this brainy stuff.” Wesker’s grin remained fixed in place as he indicated to the seat opposite, “I don’t think so, chess makes my head hurt.” He scoffed lightly and turned his gaze to the muscular red stallion, raising a questioning eyebrow and indicating to the chess board.
“Ah’m all right, Mr Wesker. Would love to play y’all but I’m gonna be a mite busy cooking this here dinner.” The large earth pony then all but scampered off to the kitchen area to prepare the meal he had in mind, causing the blond stallion to glance sidelong at Applebloom who giggled lightly at her assessments of her siblings being absolutely correct. He responded with a ghost of a smile.
Wesker then occupied himself by rearranging all the pieces to their previous pristine state as Applejack and her younger sister discussed their respective days. Try as he might, Wesker could not find any degree of solace or comfort in this homely scene; all he could think of was the tomes he had left within Twilight’s library and the information he could be gleaning at this very moment. Dwelling on his foolishness would do him no good, however, and he chose instead to run through a series of tactical openings upon Applebloom’s chessboard, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of each and summating their offensive and defensive capabilities. Birkin had always commented on how utterly focused Wesker was when playing chess, to a degree which eluded him even during experiments and lab reports. The blond had told Birkin that he focused so keenly on their games so that he could prove how much more intelligent he was than his friend. Truthfully, he found their games to be a welcome distraction from the incredibly rare but still powerful moral quandaries he found himself having over Umbrella’s work. Still, he was not pathetic and weak-minded enough to believe that their results were not worth the methods used to obtain them. On the contrary, what they had achieved was worth the death and torture of infinitely more than what they had actually allowed.
You’re all heart, Albert.
Obviously so. He could only pray that God could forgive him for not being a mindless cretin, happy with apathy and decay, discarding worthwhile research on the basis of a fatally flawed system of morality. His venomous musings were curtailed by the re-arrival of Big Macintosh as he introduced a series of daffodil and daisy sandwiches, with cooked carrots by the side. A sheepish expression was on the face of the red stallion, clearly due to the lack of actual cooking involved in the meal, especially since he used it as an excuse to avoid playing chess. Nonetheless, Wesker gratefully accepted the dish as he realised just how ravenous he truly was. Applebloom was told to go to bed around half an hour after the dish was finished, the filly complying reluctantly as she slowly trooped up the stairs. After a couple more hours of amicable conversation, Applejack and Big Macintosh also departed to their places of rest, leaving Wesker alone to sleep on the sofa.
Drifting off into an easy sleep, the blond former scientist ‘awoke’ to find himself in a dream landscape of a place he recognised incredibly well. Dark was by his side once more, awaiting his analysis...