Author's Note: Plot. Plot everywhere. It will be interspersed alongside episode-based pony adventures. Let me know what you think, I bow to your accumulated wisdom. Beta'd by the fantabulous REV6Pilot.
Wesker had expected his surroundings to be dark when his vision returned, but instead, they were a brilliant, all-consuming white. Once his wits had returned, he realized where he was: the icy tundra in the Caucasus Mountains, the location of Sergei's Umbrella facility, a place that had so generously provided him the pharmaceutical company's entire data archives. He remembered the events of that day with a faint smile, the cold around him utterly forgotten. So certain... He had been so sure of success that day, knowing that the future was his to decide. 'And now look at me.' He raised a finger to his temple and sighed.
He froze. Finger? He disbelievingly flexed the aforementioned digits in front of his sunglasses experimentally. He was human again! The blond was dressed in his favorite black suit, immaculate leather gloves covering his rediscovered hands. The unusual situation momentarily distracted him from the recent past, but it soon came crashing down with a great deal of force.
"This is a dream, then?" the scientist groaned, looking at the desolate landscape. "What a shame." He paused once more as something that had been tugging at the back of his mind made itself known. "The weather wasn't this calm the last time I visited."
As though summoned by his speech, a great wind began blowing through the near-arctic wasteland, causing the former Umbrella employee to raise an eyebrow. "And I believe I had a glass of wine." In an instant, a wine glass materialized into existence, fitting snugly into his gloved palm, any faint hopes that Wesker had of this scenario being reality evaporating with just as much speed. Still, if this was a dream, then at least he could enjoy it in luxury before returning to what he now laughingly referred to as 'reality'. He took a measured sip of the alcoholic beverage. 'Romanée Conti, 1990 vintage.' He seemed to recall that a single bottle had once sold for over $10,000 at a wine auction. It was proved: when Albert Wesker dreamt, he certainly did not dream cheap.
Albert Wesker.
The man spun round on the spot, quickly but smoothly to avoid spilling any wine. That voice! It was the shadowy voice he had heard before losing consciousness, he was certain of it. "If you wish to talk, then talk. But stop repeating my name incessantly; it is tiresome."
He felt a dark presence swoop over his shoulder and saw it appear in his field of vision. A cloud of black smoke awaited him, hewn roughly into a female shape and regarding him curiously. The insidious, but worryingly alluring, speech issued forth from the blackness. "My apologies, Albert Wesker, I was merely perusing your memories."She extended her gaze around the snowy landscape with thinly veiled fascination. "Would you care to join me?"
She stated the fact and extended the invitation as though she were speaking of having afternoon tea. Wesker raised an eyebrow. "Do I have a choice, dear heart? If I do, will you tell me who and what you are?"
A shadowy laugh rang through the blond human's ears. "So many questions..."There was a brief pause."I will tell you what I want you to know while we travel."
"But not what I want to know."
Wesker could hear the smirk in the shadow creature's voice as she replied "Apparently not."
The black-suited blond sighed. "Lead on, then."
The smoke lady laid a dark hand upon his shoulder, making him turn, and pointed towards a black speck on the horizon. "We are headed towards that, Albert Wesker. You may recognise it once we arrive." Upon seeing Wesker's obvious discomfort to the physical contact, she chuckled and released him. "Catch me if you can."
With that, she began racing towards the dot at a surprisingly high speed. Wesker cracked his knuckles. He could feel his superhuman swiftness restored, and wasted no time in giving chase. Eventually, she slowed down to drift alongside him, seemingly putting no effort in doing so as the scenery shot past. "So impressive... yet you never regret what you sacrificed to obtain it?"
He snorted, deciding to play whatever game this bizarre creature had concocted. "Regret what? Losing the shackles of weakness and idiocy? Taking my first step towards perfection? I think not, dear heart. Nonetheless, what do you want from me? Are you some twisted personification of my conscience? Perhaps you are the angel on my shoulder, gone awry? Speak."
Another amused burst of laughter issued forth from the dark approximation of a human. "How quaint. Know that you could never truly understand me… but I will answer one of your questions."She floated into Wesker's eye line and cocked her head to the side, examining his face whilst he studiously ignored her, pressing on towards the ever-nearer dot."I sensed a great deal of anger and hatred radiating from the world of the ponies, the likes of which I had not felt similar to for over a thousand years. It is such a dull place, filled with misguided foals that wallow in their so-called 'perfect existence'. With you, I felt that someone had finally arrived with the potential to upset their 'harmony'. So to that end, Albert Wesker... What I want from you is to know more about you, to understand how you think, what you know and most importantly, what you desire."
Wesker turned his head slowly to regard the silhouette before him, ignoring the shape slowly taking form on the horizon. "At least you are honest about your intentions. Though why I have to be a pawn in your insidious game is beyond me."
At this, the gloomy figure appeared to be somewhat abashed. "I had access to your memories, not to your thought processes or your motivation. That is all. I wished to hear it from you so I could truly know what you are..." She hesitated for a moment. "I attempted to access your memories while you were awake, but whenever your own mind tried to do the same, not only was I unable to watch the memory I wished to see, you experienced what you may call a 'flashback'. I decided that method was too disruptive. Likewise, when I tried to contact you directly, it caused you the pain and nausea you felt, and left you unable to respond. Being so, I decided to draw you to unconsciousness, so we could converse safely, and access your memories more conveniently."
The man smirked. "How generous of you." She giggled lightly. "I assume that, if I refuse to go along with your scheme, then my waking hours will be spent vomiting and blacking out?"
The shadow creature returned the smirk. "You assume correctly."
Wesker swept a gloved hand through his hair in faint annoyance. "Then I suppose we shall examine my memories together. I hope we will not be studying all of them in one night."
She waved a dismissive hand."I do not wish to overexert you. I will visit you each night, and access a memory I believe to be an important component of your character. You will analyze it and explain it to me. Once I have built up a reasonable idea of your personality, then I will make you an offer. Does that sound fair?"
Wesker popped the joints in his neck as he sprinted. "Not in the slightest, but it would be highly hypocritical of me to complain about fairness."
Another tinkling laugh greeted his statement as he was finally able to make out what exactly the dot on the horizon was.
It was him.