Wesker in Equestria

by DeepThought

The Quest

All hell broke loose, despite Twilight’s best efforts to calm Ponyville’s assembled masses. Some ponies fainted, others stood there with horrified expressions stuck on their faces, and some of the grown stallions were even whimpering in fear. In the middle of all the commotion stood the strange foreigner, completely unabashed as he stood next to the corpse of the manticore he had just slain. The ponies kept their distance, fear evident on their faces as they gazed at the man with the manticore’s blood staining his boots.

Never before had she witnessed such a violent act. Without provocation, these beasts would normally linger under the shady canopy of the Everfree, rarely being seen. There were a few reports of manticore sightings, but they had always been alone and kept a respectable distance from pony settlements. If spotted they would always act quite timidly.

What could have happened to change their behaviour? Twilight thought to herself.

Wesker searched around the sea of panicked ponies for the lavender alicorn, when his gaze settled upon her, he waved her over and gestured at the unconscious filly. Twilight glanced down at the injured filly whose body was starting to twitch uncontrollably. A look of horror replaced her previous look of pity. Was that Sweetie Belle?

Rarity must have had the same thought, she galloped out of the mass of startled ponies to the small unicorn filly. Only when she saw Twilight’s look of horror did she realize her suspicions were true.

The fashionistas little sister was badly wounded, but it was nothing that magic couldn’t fix. Nevertheless, the sight that she now saw was highly disturbing. There was a deep gash running along Sweetie Belle’s left side, painting her normally pristine white coat crimson.

Rarity stood at Twilight’s side, shaking with fear as she gazed at her beloved sisters current state. She turned to the lavender unicorn, her pleading eyes filled to the brim with tears and asked desperately.

“You can heal Sweetie Belle right?! You’re THE PRINCESS! See how dreadful she looks, all this blood.”

Twilight replied soothingly as her horn lit up with it’s familiar byzantium aura. “Calm down Rarity, it’s only a flesh wound.”

“Stop!” Wesker interrupted the alicorn, “It was the poisoned barb that wounded her. Didn’t you just mention that these ‘manticores’ are immune to your magic?”

Blinking rapidly, Twilight stopped casting the spell and focused her attention on Wesker. She replied, her voice shaky from being caught off guard. “Sweetie Belle was poisoned? That’s not good, ordinary magical healing treatments won’t work and Zecora our local herbalist is out of town. What are we going to do?!”

That was when Rarity fainted from the shock, collapsing right beside her wounded sister. But right before her body collided with asphalt of the road was she caught by Twilight’s hastily cast levitation spell.

Twilight deposited her friend gently on the ground, her gaze filled with concern. “I guess this was too much for her. The only thing I can do now is magically slow down Sweetie Belle’s metabolism, this would slow down the spread of the poison in her system, but in the end it would still end up killing her. Manticore venom is very potent. Even if I send a letter to the princesses right now, help won’t arrive in time. She has a maximum of two hours before the poison takes its toll.”

For a moment Wesker stood there idly, as if he was a machine and someone had pulled the plug. But in his head thousands of ideas swirled around forming together to create a plan. Saving this unicorn would be very beneficial to his cause.

He could win the favour of the town, gather information about local plant life, and the poison from these manticores could prove itself useful as a defence against this ‘magic’ and no one would be the wiser.

Addressing the crowd, Wesker said in a commanding tone, “If you want this filly to live, get whatever supplies and written instructions from this ‘Zecora’ as you can and bring them to the library. Twilight, cast that spell you mentioned. There’s work to do!”

Albert ripped the tail off of the manticore’s corpse, being careful not to come into contact with the clear liquid seeping from the barbed end. With one last glance at the gathered masses he headed towards Twilight’s home.

Broken out of their stupor the town came alive with activity. The strange visitor was right. They were taught to help a friend in need, and this was a very dire situation. They looked to Twilight, who had begun to cast the required spell to conserve Sweetie Belle’s vitals. A cacophony of low whispers echoed throughout the crowd, searching for confirmation.

“You heard what Mister Wesker said. Everypony willing to help gathers here.” She pointed to a corner of the Town Square.

Applejack, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike and some other ponies separated from the assembled mass and joined the party.

Rarity, who was returning from unconsciousness, was told how they planned to deal with the situation and was assigned with carrying her sister to the lab in which the human scientist would attempt to find a cure.

With Twilight being in charge, it was somehow like a twisted version of their last winter wrap up. All of them were aware though that something much greater than the possible unfulfillment of a deadline was at stake.

Night had stretched out it’s dark fingers over the Everfree Forest and its nocturnal inhabitants started to awaken. Low growls, steps muffled by the soft ground of the forest floor, sounds of breaking branches, and the whispering of the wind gave the ponies an uneasy feeling as they strode through the forest. Nevertheless, the group stayed determined, even Fluttershy didn’t consider backing out (Well, maybe just once). They followed the dirt trail across the forest floor, the only light coming from the illumination spell from Twilight’s horn.

Their courage was rewarded, they soon reached their destination without any complications, and the hut greeted them with it’s foreign charm offering them security and salvation. They all sighed in relief as they entered the building. Knowing that they were one step closer to saving Sweetie Belle’s life.

“Take whatever you can carry. We can sort through it when we reach the library.” The alicorn told her companions before they got to work.

Down in Twilight’s laboratory, Wesker studied the manticore poison under one of the magic-powered microscopes. He had come to the conclusion that this liquid had some very interesting and useful properties.

After a number of tests with the help of Rarity who had been more than eager to help due to her sister’s worsening condition, he found out how powerful the poison really was.

“Please, Miss Rarity. Release the charge.” the scientist ordered calmly.

The unicorn directed a beam of light blue magic to a sponge-like material, that was wet with manticore poison which had also been connected to a device that measured magical current. Wesker leaned over the machine and looked through its lenses.

As expected, the magic spreading over the material quickly fizzled out. The instrument the sponge was hooked up to didn’t even register a magical current in the slightest. His hypothesis was indeed correct.

Wesker had discovered that even the most diluted solution was enough to nullify the effects of magic. If he could remove the toxic properties of the venom then it would be the perfect protection against this ‘magic’.

Casually taking a syringe out of one of the various containers near the brightly light surface of the laboratory desk. He inserted it into the tail's remains, took a sample and slipped a vial into his coat making sure that Rarity didn’t see. He then continued to work on the cure, scribbling something onto a small notepad.

Test number 8 successful, the effects of….

Tick tock, tick tock...

Albert eyed the small clock on the wooden wall, sighing inwardly.

43 minutes since the poison was applied. So much precious time had passed before these insufferable quadrupeds had shown up. If they wanted their efforts to succeed, they’d have to hurry now.

The scientist had a backup plan, yes, but he was very hesitant to put it into action. Only if everything else proved to be futile, Wesker would inject himself with a small amount of poison in order to have his virus generate antibodies. Then he would isolate the cure from a blood probe, mix the extract with a saline solution and apply it to the subject. But this procedure wouldn’t be without risks. Against all odds, the poison could injure himself or more importantly, since he didn’t have the equipment nor the time to perform the procedure properly, the cure could be still contaminated with the progenitor virus.

If that happened, then there were three possible outcomes. First the filly’s body would either accept the virus, which was very unlikely, because it required special genetic markers only Wesker and a handful of other individuals possessed and would lead to her developing the same enhanced physical abilities as the scientist. Second it might lead to her cruel end. Or third, there could be other yet unpredictable side effects due to the different physiques of the two species. All would be met with suspicion. After the recent developments, Wesker was painfully aware that he needed to assume a low-key profile.

The ponies were carrying saddlebags filled to the brim with innumerable herbs, flowers, leaves, grasses, scrolls, and books. Zecora’s possessions weighed heavily on their little shoulders. The non-earth ponies especially were sweating profusely while they unloaded.

One thing remained a mystery to Wesker, though. Spike had, in an obvious attempt to break the ice after throwing his little xenophobic tantrum, proudly told the scientist at lunch how Twilight once had levitated Ponyville’s water silo with her magic in order to defend the town from a creature called Ursa Minor. There was the possibility that he was exaggerating the incident, but since Twilight herself, who seemed to be a rather modest person, confirmed the dragon’s story, it was implausible.

So if she possessed such a vast strength and control over her power, why didn’t the princess use it to transport the supplies? Not only would it have sped up the process enormously - time was the key - but also her fellow equines would have been spared the physically challenging work.

“Greetings, Twilight. I see you have performed your mission successfully?” Wesker welcomed the alicorn, who was holding a volume in her hooves.

“Hello, Mr. Wesker, “ she responded breathlessly ”On the way back from the hut I started to flick through some books and...”

“About this, Twilight...” he interrupted her, his normally even voice becoming somewhat harsh, “Is there any specific reason why you didn’t levitate the supplies over to the library? We could have saved a lot of time.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?!” he repeated irritatedly, massaging his temples with his right hand.

“Well, if you put it this way...” the frowning alicorn replied sheepishly, trying to come up with an explanation.

Umbrella’s former chairman had expected more from this individual. Twilight seemed to be a rather resourceful person... But he realized she was oddly out of touch with the world. Without a practicable plan or understanding of the greater scheme, she was a typical ivory tower philosopher - great power without an inherent drive.

Considering the fact that she was one of the three leaders of this nation, which was supposed to be the most powerful on this planet, Wesker came to the conclusion that he was indeed surrounded by fools on a global scale.

Disrupting her ramblings, he stated calmly,

“There is no time for your vain justifications. I assume you wanted to tell me something relevant to the mission?”

“Oh, yes,” she brightened up visibly, “With the help of Pinkie’s ‘talents,’” there being a note of uneasiness in her voice, “I think I found the right medicine for manticore poison toxication in this one here.”

“Yep, first I was all like 'this uninspired author can't just take a book from another fandom', but then I thought 'But what if Sweetie...'”, again Pinkie, who had approached the two mission leaders unnoticed, was silenced by a spell cast by a cringing Twilight.

Then the princess presented the human the book, which said “Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage” on its cover. Quickly opening it to the desired page, she began to read out loud.

“The Advivito potion is a cure to various kinds of poisons and curses, including changeling secretion, manticore poison, and vamponyirsm. Discovered accidentally in 92 Anno Celestiae by the famous potion brewer Bunsen, who was a close friend of Starswirl the Bearded, in Prance the potion has no noteworthy side effects and is therefore the standard treatment for magic-resisting envenomation. The creation requires the following ingredients,” Twilight listed a surprisingly short number of items, “... and fresh bark of a timberwolf mother tree. Uhhh... I read Timberwolves get pretty violent if someone tries to approach one of those trees. The rest of the list shouldn’t be a problem, though.”

“Do we have any means to identify their location?” Wesker inquired.

“Since timberwolf breeding places are very dangerous they are marked on virtually all existing maps of the Everfree. Contrary to popular belief the forest is not completely uncharted territory,” Twilight explained, levitating another book onto the desk beside them.

“Very well, Twilight. I shall find the final ingredient, while you start to produce the medicine then,” Wesker said evenly.

“But Mr. Wesker,” the alicorn answered worriedly, “I can't allow you to do that. It is simply too dangerous.”

“Do we have a choice, sweetheart?” The former captain of the S.T.A.R.S. retorted.

Rarity, who had been unusually silent, agreed with Wesker, smiling weakly at her friend,

“You did see him at the market place, dear. He was more than capable to defend us against no less than three manticores. Mr. Wesker is a hero, and we owe him some confidence. It’s no time to exchange pleasantries. Sweetie is barely clinging to life!”

Sighing in defeat, the lavender mare replied,

“It is the rational choice to send you, Mr. Wesker.”

One hour...

Through the dark of the night, a lonely human figure sprinted down the streets of Ponyville heading for the outskirts of the damn forest he just escaped less than 24 hours ago. With every step Wesker picked up more speed, going as fast as his feet could support him so that his silhouette began to blur against the illuminated windows he was rushing past, attracting several confused looks from their residents.

He was soon beyond the city limits, leaving Sweet Apple Acres behind. He entered the forest. On the trail flying past his feet, he could see the distinct hoof prints of his current hosts going in and coming out. While the cold air blew through his neatly arranged blonde hair, he advanced until he came to a small clearing. There he stopped and studied his surroundings.

Before Wesker lay a field of mesmerizing blue flowers whose blossoms were touched by the gentle and pale rays of moonlight. The human registered the path he had to follow at the opposite end of the field and passed through the sea of ultramarine.

Then he continued his sprint down the path and came to the zebra’s hut. Fearlessly and without hesitation, he turned right and abandoned the path, the only safe route through the forest.

To Wesker’s own surprise the wildlife remained relatively peaceful, but that was probably the case because all other predators kept their distance from the timberwolves’ breeding grounds. When he finally arrived, leaving the misty darkness behind, he was greeted by an interesting sight. The ground was wrapped in what seemed to be bioluminescent rootage. A green pulsating glow emanated from a massive trunk in the formation’s center.

There was only one black spot in the bright structure - a timberwolf the size of a house. And now it was staring in Wesker’s direction.

The sounds of a thousand breaking logs echoed through the forest when the beast straightened itself. Wesker realized there was no way how he could avoid a fight if he wanted to reach the mother tree.

As he stepped nearer, ready to dodge any attack, a low, ground-shaking growl erupted from the depths of the monster's throat. It smoothly leapt in front of the scientist with feline dexterity, the shock wave sending the human's small body flying.

Quickly getting to his feet again, Wesker plastered a cocky grin across his face.

“So let this begin. I’ll see you dead!”

Faster than the eye could perceive, Wesker put an enormous strain on his body and sprinted through the passage between the timberwolf's forelegs. His effort to sneak past and confuse the beast was met with resistance in the form the creature's swishing tail. Again he took to the air.

Impressed by the bold strength of the wooden predator, Wesker, who landed in an upright position, adjusted his shades. If this creature was indeed made of wood, he could take advantage of that. Time had definitely taken its toll on the tree’s guardian; Mushrooms sprouted all over its body and its ‘flesh’ seemed to be decayed, in some areas even fragile.

One of these spots conveniently happened to stretch from its right front paw up to its neck.

When the timberwolf turned around, its green eyes searching for its prey, they focused in on the tiny human with hot-burning rage. The guardian released another growl and closed the distance to the human who stood watching unimpressed.

This fragile bipedal dared to invade the pack’s grounds?

The timberwolf opened its jaw to consume the human - to crush him with its mighty teeth. But to no avail... At the last second the bipedal jumped out of the way, leaving the wolf confused.

Where is he?!

The beast looked around, until the first strike hit the side of its head. A series of blows and kicks rained down, while the timberwolf bucked, like a rodeo bull.

But it was in vain. With every hit, more wood crumbled under Wesker’s hands. Then, with a last lucky strike, the beast’s head fell to the ground, its body collapsing. Its eyes, however, didn’t cease glowing.

Laughing wickedly, Wesker stepped closer to the giant of a tree standing in the middle of the battlefield. He touched its rough surface, but before he could collect his ‘trophy’, a creaking noise behind his back demanded his attention. There the wooden monster stood again, completely unharmed.

The timberwolf was no longer disfigured, but reborn from the mother tree’s roots, like a phoenix from the ashes.

Before the human could comprehend what happened, a giant paw hit him. And again and again and again! Shredding Wesker’s clothes, it left several, for a normal human, lethally-deep wounds in his chest.

He considered fleeing, but an idea formed in his head.

Wobbly he came to his feet and fumbled in his pockets.

It was still there!

Acting as though he was just waiting for the killing blow, slouching his shoulders and breathing heavily he drew the massive predator nearer. When it was in his reach, he faked his own, sudden collapse, only to jump once again on the surprised wolf’s snout. He sprinted to its eye holes, took the syringe out of his pocket and injected.

Instantly the wolf fell to pieces.

“Be a good boy and stay dead this time!”

After the fight, Wesker continued to carry out his plan. He quickly left the battlefield and the remains of the monstrous timberwolf behind and kicked the mother tree with shattering force. A large piece of bark separated from the trunk, and without further ado, he pocketed it, a satisfied smirk spreading on his face.

Victory was near!

But his smile vanished as fast as it appeared, since a wave of nausea washed over the blonde man, causing Wesker to clench his hands. He struggled to keep his footing, and a few drops of cold sweat ran down his skin. Then the sudden moment of weakness was over, leaving the dazed scientist wondering what happened.

He surveyed his injuries. As expected they had begun to close. Where he could see his bones before was new, unscarred flesh, and he was sure that he would be completely healed within a few hours. The former captain of the S.T.A.R.S. had survived worse. There were only a handful things that could really harm him. Sure he was no human anymore.

If it wasn’t the wounds the wolf had caused him, then why had he nearly collapsed? He couldn’t come up with a plausible solution, and that worried him, who always wanted to be in control, greatly.

Unfortunately there was only half an hour left before the poison would end the foal’s life. There was no time to waste on senseless reflection. As long as he could stand, he would finish this mission. It was an essential part of his further plans.

His surroundings had become a blur of distant colors. Wesker was near the town square. Slowing down with every step, his eyes were fixated on the road before him. Again he felt miserable, but he pushed further. His will was like iron; giving up was no option. The only way to get help for himself was to make it to the library.

Wesker uttered a low growl, mind-numbing agony replacing the general feeling of uneasiness. He began to slog through the faces of the illuminated houses of Ponyville. Still their inhabitants were awake.

Through one of the windows, the scientist caught a glimpse of what was obviously a kitchen. A blonde-maned gray pegasus mare with bubbles for a cutie mark sat opposite to a smaller unicorn featuring the same color scheme, likely her offspring. Judging by the plates filled with salad right before them, they were having supper.

The two of them were having an animated discussion. The sound of muffled laughter reached his ears. A more empathetic man, one who valued family, because he treasured fond memories of those he loved, might have considered the sight heart-warming, but Wesker only had eyes for an object above the room’s door frame. A small wooden clock hung at the wall.

Ten minutes left.

A knock echoed through the library, solicting several relieved gasps from the group of ponies inside. All of them quickly gathered by the door. Twilight engulfed it with her purple magic and slammed it open to reveal a curious view.

“Oh, my…” Fluttershy muttered in surprise.

On the doorstep lay the unconscious human. The ponies could tell he was in a terrible condition, even though his kind was mostly a mystery to them. The scientist’s breath was ragged, his skin was pale, having lost its peachy color, and sweat was literally running down his face. What surprised the friends the most was however that his mane had changed color. Now streaks of pink hair ran through the blonde. His right arm was outstretched to the entrance

Curiously Twilight examined the object in his hand. As she realized what he was holding, the last required ingredient, her eyes widened, and the alicorn exclaimed,

“Everypony, look! He made it!”

After Wesker blacked out, a series of images and sounds assaulted him. Lights and voices, places on earth he visited, geometrical forms, numbers, equations and reports, unfamiliar faces, memories and thoughts, these damned quadrupeds, and a billion other things flashed before his internal eye. He had no clue for how long this proceeded, but underneath this cacophony, he started to make out a constantly increasing whispering.

Then everything came into focus.

In a dark room, only illuminated by a single computer screen, sat another human. It seemed to be a rather young individual. Wesker assumed the dark-haired man was around 20 years old. Absentmindedly, he stared at the ceiling, an expression of both boredom and frustration apparent on his dimly-lit features contrasted by the black background.

Suddenly it changed, an enthusiastic smile spreading on his face.

“Ja, das ist es.” he told himself silently in a tongue Wesker recognized as German.

Quickly he began to type something on the keyboard before him, while Wesker’s point of view shifted nearer, right above the person’s shoulder. Focusing his gaze on the screen, Wesker read,

...Absentmindedly, he stared at the ceiling, an expression of both boredom and frustration apparent on his dimly-lit features contrasted by the black background.

Suddenly it changed, an enthusiastic smile spreading on his face.

“Ja, das ist es.” he told himself silently in a tongue Wesker recognized as German.

Quickly he began to type something on the keyboard before him, while Wesker’s point of view shifted nearer, right above the person’s shoulder. Focusing his gaze on the screen, Wesker read,

...silently in a tongue Wesker recognized as German.

Quickly he began to type something on the keyboard before him, while Wesker’s point of view shifted nearer, right above the person’s shoulder. Focusing his gaze on the screen, Wesker read,

...above the person’s shoulder. Focusing his gaze on the screen, Wesker read,

Even though the scientist was a disembodied observer, he felt a headache forming. Wesker didn’t know what to make out of this. Surely, this could be a dream, but despite the fact that he had no proof that it was not, he was sure it couldn’t be.

Normally his instincts didn't fail him.

‘This is highly disturbing...’ he concluded mentally, ‘I definitely have to do some research on this phenomenon, once I awake.’

A distant voice reached his ears.

“Wessie! Wessie!”

“I’m not sure if you should disturb the sleep of this brave hero, Pinkie darling.”

The vision began to vanish, and the whispering increased. Wesker could make out the voices of Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

He slowly opened his eyes. White walls, a white-sheeted bed, a white ceiling - he was in a hospital room, he realized. The pain had diminished, but still he felt ‘strange.’

Turning his head to the source of the voices, he tried to speak up. However, only a high-pitched eep escaped his throat. He looked down uneasily, seeing an apologetically smiling Twilight.

“There were certain complications, Mr. Wesker.”